text:
Institute of Contemporary Art Bar & Cafe
12 Carlton House Terrace, The Mall, St James's, London SW1Y | 11 minutes walk from The Walk-in Backrub
The Institute of Contemporary Art on The Mall (just down the road from the Queen's pad) is a great place for a trendy drink after... More
The Italian Job Notting Hill
45 All Saints Road, W11 | 3.4 miles from The Walk-in Backrub
Having successfully launched two venues, The Italian Job in Notting Hill is the third venture from the group, the brainchild... More
Imperial Durbar
14 Trinity Road, SW17 | 5.6 miles from The Walk-in Backrub
Indian cocktail boudoir, Imperial Durbar , in Tooting is heavily influenced by its owners, the Heathcote brothers,... More
13 Devonshire Road, W4 | 5.8 miles from The Walk-in Backrub
On the delightful Devonshire Road, beside La Trompette, The Italian Job serves Italian craft beers from the award winning Birrificio del Ducato... More
The Intrepid Fox
15 St. Giles High Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H | 3 minutes walk from The Walk-in Backrub
The Intrepid Fox is a lively Soho pub that pulls in a large rocker crowd. Filled with gargoyles and skeletons, the pub is home to... More
180/182 Hungerford Lane, Covent Garden, London WC2N5NG | 9 minutes walk from The Walk-in Backrub
One of the West End's finest dance music venues, The Island manages to keep the drunken Soho crowds away by being exceedingly well concealed in... More
I.C.A
The Mall, St James's, London SW1Y | 11 minutes walk from The Walk-in Backrub
Icebar London by Icehotel
29-33 Heddon Street, Mayfair, London W1B | 12 minutes walk from The Walk-in Backrub
As the name suggests, the Icebar London and its walls, tables and even glasses are made entirely from ice. The bar, formerly known as Absolut... More
Selfridges, 400 Oxford Street, entrance off Duke Street, Fitzrovia, London W1A | 22 minutes walk from The Walk-in Backrub
Latin bar.... More
173 Blackfriars Road, SE1 | 25 minutes walk from The Walk-in Backrub
From the outside, Imbibe looks fairly unpromising - a brash wash of colour frames a series of large modern, windows. Inside, a strong 70s retro... More
Innecto
66 Baker Street, Marylebone, London W1U | 25 minutes walk from The Walk-in Backrub
il Cicchetto
44 Old Street, Clerkenwell, London EC1V | 28 minutes walk from The Walk-in Backrub
87 Noel Road, Islington, London N1 | 34 minutes walk from The Walk-in Backrub
Iso Bar
145 Knightsbridge, Knightsbridge, London SW1X | 35 minutes walk from The Walk-in Backrub
1 Curtain Road, Shoreditch, London EC2A | 2 miles from The Walk-in Backrub
133 Whitechapel Road, Tower Hamlets, London E1 | 2.6 miles from The Walk-in Backrub
483 Hackney Road, Hackney, London E2 | 3.2 miles from The Walk-in Backrub
642 Wandsworth Road, Wandsworth, SW8 | 3.5 miles from The Walk-in Backrub
The Imperial Arms
577 Kings Road, Earls Court, London SW6 | 3.6 miles from The Walk-in Backrub
Infernos
146 Clapham High Street, SW4 | 3.6 miles from The Walk-in Backrub
Hellish nightclub spread over four floors of disco balls and spotlights. Infernos plays all the classic 70's disco tunes (as well as highlights from the... More
Ion Bar & Restaurant
161 - 165 Ladbroke Grove, Notting Hill, London W10 | 3.6 miles from The Walk-in Backrub
The Imperial
577 King's Road, SW6 | 3.7 miles from The Walk-in Backrub
8-10 Northcote Road, SW11 | 4.1 miles from The Walk-in Backrub
Iceland Public House
421 Wick Lane, Tower Hamlets, London E3 | 4.7 miles from The Walk-in Backrub
18 Park Road, N8 | 4.8 miles from The Walk-in Backrub
The Ivy House
40 Stuart Road, Nunhead, SE15 | 5 miles from The Walk-in Backrub
Peckham Rye pub was famous from the sixties to the nineteen eighties as a venue on the London pub-rock circuit (when it was called The... More
From cheap budget hotels to luxury 5 star hotels see our special offers for The Walk-in Backrub hotels, including Hotel Indigo London Kensington - Earls Court from 59% off.
Hotels near Vancouver Convention Centre, Canada
Hotels near Palazzo Congressi Lugano, Switzerland


All other 11v11 teams (2003 – 2007). CUP will likely be early in the week and CU Silos will likely start Wednesday.
[email protected] to schedule an evaluation!
Where do tryouts take place?
Tryouts take place at Lebanon Sports Complex (McClure Fields).
TUMFC tryout sign-in is located under the shelter by the cul-de-sac and green shed.
ALL PLAYERS MUST SIGN IN AT THE SHELTER BY THE CUL-DE-SAC AND GREEN SHED BEFORE GOING TO THEIR FIELD.
All players should wear soccer cleats and shin guards. Please wear a light colored shirt and dark shorts. Any color of socks is fine. If you have previously played select soccer at any club, please DO NOT wear any spirit wear or training apparel from that club.
You will be given a tryout number to pin to your shirt. This number will be used for both tryout dates.
Players need to bring an inflated soccer ball and plenty of water. Players are expected to wear proper socks, shin guards, and footwear.
What do they do during tryouts?
Players are divided by birth year and try out with players in their age group. The session is lead by a professional coach on the TUMFC staff while the age group coaches evaluate with the assitance of other TUMFC coaches. Each session will have a technical aspect as well as small sided games and scrimmages to allow coaches to get a chance to see each player in each environment.
Check-in will begin 30 minutes prior to the start of the tryout time for your age group. Players need to be ready to begin at the start time at their field.
We strive to have all the players contacted within 72 hours of the last tryout date and time for that specific age group.
Notification times could be longer for larger age groups.
What are your fees and payment plans?
Check out our FAQs for detailed information on our fees and program polices.


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Items tagged with (nyse:amc)
by Brandon Hill - Wed, Feb 03, 2021
Robinhood's Tone Deaf Super Bowl Ad Touts The Same Amateur Investors It Hosed In GME Fiasco
If you want to see an example of a popular company throwing away years of goodwill with its customers over a short span of time, look no further than Robinhood. The company says that it's on a mission to democratize finance for its users, but its recent actions flew in the face of those claims. Robinhood has just... Read more...
by Nathan Ord - Mon, Feb 01, 2021
Top Alternatives To Robinhood For Trading Stocks And Crypto-Currency Without Limits
In the last week, the GameStop fiasco has expanded to several other stocks and now cryptocurrencies. The whole event is becoming something of a meme, which has angered some people higher up the chain. Some companies, such as the now-infamous Robinhood, began to lock down what stocks and cryptocurrencies investors... Read more...
by Brandon Hill - Thu, Jan 28, 2021
Robinhood Slapped With Class-Action Lawsuits Following GameStop Trade Blockade
Earlier today, we reported that Robinhood and TD Ameritrade were restricting trading for a rash of stocks including GameStop and AMC. At the time, Robinhood said that it was making the decision to help its users stay informed in its efforts to democratize access to financial institutions. "We continuously monitor... Read more...
WallStreetBets Plots Revenge On Robinhood's AMC And GameStop Trading Block Manipulation
Is the party coming to the end for the "little guys" that banded together to take on some of the biggest hedge funds on Wall Street? Earlier this week, we reported on the meteoric rise of GameStop shares (NYSE:GME), which has been fueled by "degenerates" -- a title that the group has coined for themselves -- over at... Read more...
by Nathan Ord - Wed, Jan 27, 2021
WallStreetBets Skyrockets AMC Shares Just Like GameStop, Punking Shorters
Yesterday, we reported on the subreddit /r/WallStreetBets that was effectively gaming the stock market and driving shares of GameStop stock to the moon. Today, it seems as though the crazy train just is not ending. The crowdsourced stock-mob has now driven (NYSE:GME) up approximately 129%, to around $350, at the time... Read more...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The algorithm update for November 1 concerns mobile websites that use advertising apps. These advertisement blocks large blocks of content and in some cases are mandatory to be downloaded to view the content. Google believes that when an end user clicks on a link looking for a promised content but isn't able to do so, the value of search result decreases. Visitors indeed get an option to close the 'app download' prompt; it does make things difficult, especially when on a mobile device. Many a times, users will have to strain themselves to find the small "x" or "close dialogue" button or accidentally click on the app download. Advertisers here are only making it difficult for the user to navigate away from the ad to the promised content.
To make mobile searches more user-friendly, this will be a welcome step from Google.
After November 1st, 2015, Google will abandon all full page ads. The irony however is Google itself used this tactic not a long time ago to promote the Google+ app. These ads were however discontinued by July 2015. This behavior was triggered when the search engine found that 70% of its users are abandoning the site completely when faced by this ad page. The 9% of visitors that did download the app doesn't justify the action enough. Google has always been working on delivering its users an optimal web experience and by November everyone has to follow Google's footsteps.
Is this the next stage of the April 21st Mobilegeddon?
The November update will not be the first time that Google will harp on mobile friendliness of websites. Even before the April 21st 2015 update, Google had announced that mobile sites will be ranked alongside normal websites, and this was way back in 2009. The affect of the 2015 Mobilegeddon was felt that there were significant changes discovered in search engine results by May 2015. To make it a simpler process for web owners, Google offered a mobile-friendly test tool that allowed webmasters to simply put in their URL and test the site's mobile-friendliness.
Apps that had interstitial apps were already penalized by the April 21st update. However, after November 1st, the consequences of using such apps will attract more penalties. Websites using these apps will get downgraded in search engine results.
It's not a crackdown on all app ads!
The major portion of Google's revenues comes from advertisements. It can be fairly believed that this algorithm update will not bring down any websites that engages in app ads. The algorithm is slated to target websites that use the app ad to block content or re-direct users to a 'download' page. However, apps showcased in smart banners and installed banners can still be a way to market your advertisements. Webmasters looking to advertise their apps will have to limit themselves to approved set of banners like the ones made for Chrome and Safari.
The main aim of the November update is to penalize websites that use intrusive and large ads that block the end user's way to the main content. Google cracks down on all the factors that distracts and misguides users in the name of app ads. An average web surfer must be able to reach and access the content he/she has come looking for. For marketers, this should be put into every future advertising tactics. Now that Google has announced the update months ahead of the update, we can start working on the changes and get our websites set up accordingly.


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Guild Territories
Black Cat Casino
Black Cat Lounge & Casino is the perfect place to relax and gamble to your heart's content. With a fully stocked bar and many world-class games to play, there's something for everyone there. Comfortable seating, a horseshoe bar, and gambling tables are scattered around the floor. Located a few miles outside of Crocus, this casino sits in a small but classy building just off the road.
1 2 Black Cat Lounge...
23rd September 2020, 10:25 pm
Diana Winchester
Lion's Island
The newly renamed Lion's Island, once an island jointly owned by three guilds, has now come into the sole possession of Leona Jarnefeldt. It is an idyllic island that features a beach on the western half and grassland in the central region with a verdant tropical forest on the eastern half. Lion's Island is habitable year-round thanks to mostly mild and pleasant weather with the occasional rainstorm. Leona has chosen to make her private island available to members of Silver Wolf, her family, and her friends, who may visit it freely and find it without trouble. There is a dock for boats and housing for Leona and her guests; the housing is made in a tropical villa style and features modern comforts thanks to a lacrima network that provides clean water, power, and other necessities. However, those who are not invited will have great difficulty finding it, for the island is protected by magical barriers and an invisibility spell that render it hard to find without a lot of effort or a lot of luck.
3 33 A Stellar Discov...
10th February 2019, 8:29 am
Kitalpha Aurence
Hostia is a city built near the border of Fiore and Bosco. It was named the City of New Beginnings and is surrounded by lush plains of green. It has taken advancements in its design from the the neighboring country of Bosco, as well as the more lavish design from them, making the city more advanced than many of the cities found in Fiore, or other places for that matter. This city had once taken up its own government, it had been torn down by the force that was Errings Rising, being ruled by the guild themselves as a second Sanctuary away from their wintery mountain of Mount Hakobe.
5 30 Errings Rising 2...
11th October 2021, 1:08 pm
Addre


If you need a great-looking set of glossy icons for your brand-new of redesigned application, make sure to try Glossy Toolbar Icon Set! It is a set of pro-level and high-quality interface icons that will suit any modern business application.
Icon Catcher is a high-speed batch icon extractor and processor that can scan over 3000 icons in one minute and supports 32-bit XP-style icons with alpha channel. Extended filtering options let the users set the search parameters.


The role of the Teacher of the Deaf varies throughout the world. The integral focus of their work however is to support the education of children and students who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families.
As Teachers of the Deaf we work in a variety of educational settings such as Schools for the Deaf, support unit classrooms, early intervention programs and as Itinerant Teachers of the Deaf who visit children and students who are deaf or hard of hearing in their local schools.


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Pursuant to Section 13 OR 15(d) of The Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): August 2, 2019 (August 1, 2019)
EL POLLO LOCO HOLDINGS, INC.
(Commission
File Number)
(IRS Employer
3535 Harbor Blvd., Suite 100, Costa Mesa, California
(Address of principal executive offices)
(Zip Code)
Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (714) 599-5000
(Former name or former address, if changed since last report.)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
☐ Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
☐ Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-2 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§ 230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b- 2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§ 240.12b-2 of this chapter). Emerging growth company ☒
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☒
Item 2.02 Results of Operations and Financial Condition.
On August 1, 2019, El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc., issued a press release announcing certain financial results for its second quarter ended June 26, 2019, and that management would discuss those results on a conference call that day at 4:30 PM Eastern Time. The press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1.
The information herein, including exhibit, is being furnished and not filed, including for purposes of section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Nor shall it be otherwise subject to liability under that section. Nor shall it be incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, except expressly.
Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(d) Exhibits.
Exhibit Number
Earnings press release, dated August 1, 2019
(Registrant)
/s/ Laurance Roberts
Laurance Roberts
El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. Announces
Second Quarter 2019 Financial Results
COSTA MESA, CA – August 1, 2019 – El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: LOCO) today announced financial results for the 13-week period ended June 26, 2019.
Highlights for the second quarter ended June 26, 2019, compared to the second quarter ended June 27, 2018 were as follows:
Total revenue increased 1.9% to $113.7 million compared to $111.6 million in the same period of 2018.
System-wide comparable restaurant sales increased 0.7%, including a 0.4% increase for company-operated restaurants, and a 0.9% increase for franchised restaurants.
Net income was $14.1 million, or $0.37 per diluted share, an increase compared to net income of $5.1 million, or $0.13 per diluted share. During the second quarter of 2019 the Company received insurance proceeds of $10.0 million related to the settlement of a previously disclosed securities class action lawsuit and recorded a loss on sale of restaurants of $0.9 million. During the second quarter of 2018 the Company recorded a $4.0 million pre-tax expense, related to the impairment of one restaurant in Arizona and the closure of two restaurants in Texas and received insurance proceeds of $2.4 million related to the reimbursement of certain legal expenses paid in prior years for the defense of securities lawsuits.
Pro forma net income(1) was $8.7 million, or $0.23 per diluted share, compared to $8.6 million, or $0.22 per diluted share in the same period of 2018.
Adjusted EBITDA(1) was $17.9 million, compared to $17.5 million.
(1) Pro forma net income and adjusted EBITDA are non-GAAP measures defined below under "Key Financial Definitions." A reconciliation of GAAP net income to pro forma net income and adjusted EBITDA is included in the accompanying financial data. See also "Non-GAAP Financial Measures."
Bernard Acoca, President and Chief Executive Officer of El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc., stated, "We reported solid earnings of $0.23 per share for the second quarter, highlighted by our restaurant contribution margin of 19.9% and a tribute to the work of our talented teams in a challenging cost environment. While our system-wide comparable restaurant sales increase of 0.7% was below our expectations, the increase represents our fourth straight quarter of positive system-wide same store sales growth since the launch of our Transformation Agenda."
Acoca added, "We continue to make progress on a number of initiatives within our Transformation Agenda, including the digitization of how we go to market; streamlining our operations; refining our off-premise efforts; and reinforcing the bonds we have with our communities. We're confident these ongoing efforts will strengthen the foundation of our business, allowing us to grow profitably and responsibly over the long term."
Company-operated restaurant revenue in the second quarter of 2019 was $100.1 million, compared to $99.6 million in the same period last year. The growth in company-operated restaurant revenue was largely driven by a 0.4% increase in company-operated comparable sales and the six new restaurants opened during and subsequent to the second quarter of 2018, partially offset by the closure of seven restaurants and the sale of eleven company-operated locations to existing franchisees during or subsequent to the second quarter of 2018.
Comparable company-operated restaurant sales in the second quarter increased 0.4%, driven by a 3.1% increase in average check, partially offset by a 2.7% decrease in transactions.
Franchise revenue in the second quarter of 2019 increased 20.8% to $7.9 million, compared to $6.6 million in the second quarter of 2018. This increase was due to higher fees received from franchised restaurants related to their use of the Company's point-of-sales system, a comparable franchise restaurant sales increase of 0.9%, the opening of eight new franchised restaurants during or after the prior year quarter and the sale of eleven company operated restaurants to franchisees during the same period. This was partially offset by the closure of three franchise restaurants.
Franchise advertising fee revenue in the second quarter of 2019 increased 4.2% to $5.7 million, compared to $5.5 million in the second quarter of 2018, due to an increase in the number of franchise locations and increased franchise comparable restaurant sales.
Restaurant contribution was $19.9 million or 19.9% of company-operated restaurant revenue, compared to $20.2 million, or 20.3% of company-operated restaurant revenue in the second quarter of 2018. The decrease was largely due to higher labor and related expenses as a result of the impact of wage increases in California. The decrease was partially offset by higher company-operated restaurant revenue due to price increases and a decrease in food costs due to a favorable sales mix, partially offset by higher commodity inflation.
During the second quarter of 2019, the Company completed the sale of four company-operated restaurants within the San Francisco, CA area to an existing franchisee and seven company-operated restaurants in the Phoenix, AZ area to another existing franchisee. This resulted in a net loss on sale of restaurants of $0.9 million for the quarter, and a total net loss on sale of restaurants of $5.1 million, including the $4.2 million loss on held for sale assets recognized in the first quarter. Additionally, the Company received insurance proceeds of $10.0 million related to the settlement of a previously disclosed securities class action lawsuit
The second quarter of 2018 included a $4.0 million pre-tax expense, related to the impairment of one restaurant in Arizona and closure of two restaurants in Texas. Additionally, the Company received insurance proceeds of $2.4 million related to the reimbursement of certain legal expenses paid in prior years for the defense of securities lawsuits.
Net income for the second quarter of 2019 was $14.1 million, or $0.37 per diluted share, compared to net income of $5.1 million, or $0.13 per diluted share in the second quarter of 2018. Pro forma net income was $8.7 million, or $0.23 per diluted share during the second quarter of 2019, compared to $8.6 million, or $0.22 per diluted share during the second quarter of 2018. A reconciliation between GAAP net income and pro forma net income is included in the accompanying financial data.
Based on current information, the Company is updating its earnings guidance for fiscal year 2019.
Excluding the impact of potential share repurchases, the Company expects 2019 pro forma diluted net income per share ranging from $0.69 to $0.72. This compares to pro forma diluted net income per share of $0.74 in 2018. Pro forma net income guidance for fiscal year 2019 is based, in part, on the following annual assumptions:
System-wide comparable restaurant sales growth of approximately 1.0% to 2.0%;
The opening of 2-3 new company-owned restaurants and 2-3 new franchised restaurants;
Restaurant contribution margin of 18.2% to 18.7%;
G&A expenses of between 8.2% and 8.4% of total revenue excluding legal fees related to securities related litigation;
Pro forma income tax rate of 26.5%; and
Adjusted EBITDA of between $61.0 and $64.0 million.
Reconciliations of our 2019 expected pro forma diluted net income per share range and our expected 2019 Adjusted EBITDA range to their corresponding GAAP measures have not been provided as we cannot determine the probable significance or timing of certain reconciling items which are outside of our control and therefore cannot be reasonably predicted. Accordingly, we do not provide guidance for these various reconciling items. These reconciling items such as asset impairment and closed store reserves, securities lawsuit related legal expenses and gain or loss on disposal of assets impact the timing and amount of the quarterly recognition of GAAP net income. Therefore, reconciliations of the differences between these forward-looking information items to their most directly comparable financial measures calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP are not available without unreasonable effort.
Key Financial Definitions
Comparable restaurant sales reflect the change in year-over-year sales for the comparable company, franchised and total system restaurant base. The comparable restaurant base is defined to include those restaurants open for 15 months or longer. At June 26, 2019, there were 199 restaurants in our comparable company-operated restaurant base and 459 restaurants in our comparable system restaurant base.
Restaurant contribution and restaurant contribution margin are neither required by, nor presented in accordance with, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP"). Restaurant contribution is defined as company-operated restaurant revenue less company restaurant expenses, which are food and paper costs, labor and related expenses and occupancy and other operating expenses. Restaurant contribution excludes certain costs, such as general and administrative expenses, depreciation and amortization, asset impairment and closed-store reserves, loss on sale of restaurants, recovery of securities lawsuits related legal expenses and other costs that are considered normal operating costs and accordingly, restaurant contribution is not indicative of overall Company results and does not accrue directly to the benefit of shareholders because of the exclusion of certain corporate-level expenses. Restaurant contribution margin is defined as restaurant contribution as a percentage of net company-operated restaurant revenue. See also "Non-GAAP Financial Measures."
EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA are neither required by, nor presented in accordance with, GAAP. EBITDA represents net income before interest expense, provision for income taxes, depreciation, and amortization, and adjusted EBITDA represents EBITDA before items that we do not consider representative of our ongoing operating performance, as identified in the GAAP reconciliation in the accompanying financial data. See also "Non-GAAP Financial Measures."
Pro forma net income is neither required by, nor presented in accordance with, GAAP. Pro forma net income represents net income adjusted for (i) costs (or gains) related to loss (or gains) on disposal of assets or assets held for sale and asset impairment and closed store costs, (ii) amortization expense and other estimate adjustments (whether expense or income) incurred on the Tax Receivable Agreement ("TRA") completed at the time of our IPO, (iii) legal costs associated with securities class action litigation, (iv) legal settlement costs, (v) insurance proceeds received related to securities class action legal expenses, (vi) costs associated with the transition of our CEO and (vii) provision for income taxes at a normalized tax rate of 26.5% for the thirteen and twenty-six weeks ended June 26, 2019 and June 27, 2018, which reflects our estimated long-term effective tax rate, including both federal and state income taxes. See the GAAP reconciliation in the accompanying financial data and "Non-GAAP Financial Measures."
The Company will host a conference call to discuss financial results for the second quarter of 2019 today at 4:30 PM Eastern Time. Bernard Acoca, President and Chief Executive Officer and Larry Roberts, Chief Financial Officer will host the call.
The conference call can be accessed live over the phone by dialing 877-407-3982 or for international callers by dialing 201-493-6780. A replay will be available after the call and can be accessed by dialing 844-512-2921 or for international callers by dialing 412-317-6671; the passcode is 13692472. The replay will be available until Thursday, August 15, 2019. The conference call will also be webcast live from the Company's corporate website at investor.elpolloloco.com under the "Events & Presentations" page. An archive of the webcast will be available at the same location on the corporate website shortly after the call has concluded.
About El Pollo Loco
El Pollo Loco (Nasdaq:LOCO) is the nation's leading fire-grilled chicken restaurant chain renowned for its masterfully citrus-marinated, fire-grilled chicken and handcrafted entrees using fresh ingredients inspired by Mexican recipes. With more than 480 company-owned and franchised restaurants in Arizona, California, Nevada, Texas, Utah, and Louisiana. El Pollo Loco is expanding its presence in key markets through a combination of company and existing and new franchisee development. Visit us on our website at ElPolloLoco.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this press release are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements discuss our current expectations and projections relating to our financial condition, results of operations, plans, objectives, future performance and business. You can identify forward-looking statements because they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. These statements may include words such as "aim," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "outlook," "potential," "project," "projection," "plan," "intend," "seek," "may," "could," "would," "will," "should," "can," "can have," "likely," the negatives thereof and other words and terms of similar meaning in connection with any discussion of the timing or nature of future operating or financial performance or other events. They appear in a number of places throughout this press release and include statements regarding our intentions, beliefs or current expectations concerning, among other things, our results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, prospects, growth, strategies and the industry in which we operate. All forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those that we expected.
While we believe that our assumptions are reasonable, we caution that it is very difficult to predict the impact of known factors, and it is impossible for us to anticipate all factors that could affect our actual results. All forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. You should evaluate all forward-looking statements made in this press release in the context of the risks and uncertainties disclosed in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 26, 2018, file number 001-36556, including the sections thereof captioned "Forward-Looking Statements" and "Risk Factors," as those sections may be updated in our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. Those and other filings are available online at www.sec.gov, at www.elpolloloco.com or upon request from El Pollo Loco.
We caution you that the important factors referenced above may not contain all of the factors that are important to you. In addition, we cannot assure you that we will realize the results or developments we expect or anticipate or, even if substantially realized, that they will result in the consequences we anticipate or affect us or our operations in the ways that we expect. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made only as of the date hereof. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. If we do update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be made that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements.
To supplement our consolidated financial statements, which are prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP, we use non-GAAP financial measures which include supplemental measures of operating performance of our restaurants. Our calculations of supplemental measures and other non-GAAP financial measures indicated above may not be comparable to those reported by other companies. These measures have limitations as analytical tools, and are not intended to be considered in isolation or as substitutes for, or superior to, financial measures prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP. We use non-GAAP financial measures for financial and operational decision-making and as a means to evaluate period-to-period comparisons and to evaluate our restaurants' financial performance against our competitors' performance. We believe that they provide useful information about operating results, enhance understanding of past performance and future prospects, and allow for greater transparency with respect to key metrics used by management in its financial and operational decision making. These non-GAAP financial measures may also assist investors in evaluating our business and performance relative to industry peers and provide greater transparency with respect to the Company's financial condition and results of operation.
Fitzhugh Taylor, ICR
fitzhugh.taylor@icrinc.com
Hanna Gray, Edible
hannah.gray@edible-inc.com
UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
(in thousands, except share data)
Thirteen Weeks Ended
Twenty-Six Weeks Ended
Company-operated restaurant revenue
Franchise revenue
Franchise advertising fee revenue
Costs of operations:
Food and paper cost (1)
Labor and related expenses (1)
Occupancy and other operating expenses (1)
Company restaurant expenses (1)
General and administrative expenses
Franchise expenses
Loss (gain) on disposal of assets
Recovery of securities lawsuits related legal expenses
(8.8
Asset impairment and closed-store reserves
Loss on disposition of restaurants
Total expenses
Interest expense, net of interest income
Income tax receivable agreement (income) expense
Net income per share:
Weighted average shares used in computing net income per share:
As a percentage of restaurant revenue.
UNAUDITED SELECTED BALANCE SHEETS AND SELECTED OPERATING DATA
(dollar amounts in thousands)
As of
Selected Balance Sheet Data:
Selected Operating Data:
Company-operated restaurants at end of period
Franchised restaurants at end of period
Company-operated:
Comparable restaurant sales growth
)%
Restaurants in the comparable base
UNAUDITED RECONCILIATION OF NET INCOME (LOSS) TO EBITDA AND ADJUSTED EBITDA
Adjusted EBITDA:
Net income, as reported
Stock-based compensation expense
Pre-opening costs
Securities lawsuits related legal expense
Executive transition costs
UNAUDITED RECONCILIATION OF NET INCOME (LOSS) TO PRO FORMA NET INCOME
(dollar amounts in thousands, except share data)
Pro forma net income:
Provision for taxes, as reported
Securities lawsuits related legal expenses
Pro forma net income
Pro forma weighted-average share and per share data:
Pro forma net income per share
Weighted-average shares used in computing pro forma net income per share
UNAUDITED RECONCILIATION OF INCOME FROM OPERATIONS TO RESTAURANT CONTRIBUTION
Thirty-Nine Weeks Ended
Restaurant contribution:
Add (less):
Loss on sale of restaurants
Restaurant contribution
Company-operated restaurant revenue:
Less:
Restaurant contribution margin (%)


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text:
NICK STEN
Full Name: Nick Sten
Occupation Other - Doctor
Creator: Marshall Goldberg
Nick Sten is a surgeon.
A man in his late 40's, at least, as he had served in the military as a physician in the Korean action twenty years before the first book in the series. He is happily married with two children at or near adult age and he is the lead surgeon at a prominent hospital in Madison, Wisconsin. Specializing in heart problems, his biggest claim to fame thus far, and the reason he finds himself involved in the cloak and dagger world is his invention of the "gas gun".
Written at least a decade before plaque build up in the arteries became a fashionable subject, but one which doctors clearly were already treating, the first novel describes the gas gun as a tool used to remove fat deposits from the arteries of living patients with very poor circulation. While Sten is credited with its invention, he modestly corrects people by saying he merely took an existing tool and altered its use for his needs. Nevertheless, it made Sten rather famous in his line of work.
It also brought him to the attention of a major KGB official, General Bogdanov, who needed someone to help restore the rapidly failing health of a key Soviet scientist. It was Sten who was formally requested to assist in this man's survival. Since the scientist was a vital player in the antimissile defense research that the Russians were undertaking, this contact of Sten also came to the attention of the CIA. The first book dealth with the machinations of both sides as one strove to keep the scientist alive while the other side wished for the other result, and Sten was stuck in the middle.
The second and final adventure deals with the disappearance, over a decade later, of a Soviet scientist in New York and the efforts of Bogdanov to find him even as the CIA goes on the same hunt. When Bogdanov suffers a major medical emergency, it is Sten that is asked to save the aging spy master's life and again the Agency has other wishes and Sten is once more caught in a place he does not want to be.
In this series, one might have chosen Sten as the protagonist but one could just as easily have picked Bogdanov because the man plays as important, if not more so, role in the adventures. Since the dramas are medical in their essence, it is Sten who was picked.
1 Karamanov Equations, The
aka A Deadly Operation
Written by Marshall Goldberg
When the lead Soviet physicist, working on a major antimissile system that could render the US nukes largely obsolete, goes into a coma from a blocked artery, a KGB general makes the stunning decision to ask the leading US surgeon, Nick Sten, to save the man's life, even as the CIA wants the man to never wake up.
KGB General Bogdanov is on the trail of a missing Russian scientist who had disappeared while visiting New York City. The CIA are also seeking this young and brilliant mind. As the action gets heavy, Bogdanov is stricken and needs the skills of Nick Sten, his old opponent, to survive.
The closing statement in About the Series regarding Bogdanov being a very important character is definitely the case but even more so is the fact that he is the more interesting. He certainly has the most to lose should things go wrong. Both characters suffer the danger of death but Bogdanov knows that failure would mean, if not death, the loss of prestige and position. He had worked very hard to get where he was only to lose it.
The series is half spy and half medical. Depending on the mood of the reader, the other side might drag a bit but the author was good enough to not really dwelll too long on the one before bring the other in.
Nick Sten is not really brought out as much as I thought he could have been. He comes across, as many doctors do in movies and on television, a bit above it all which is a shame. I think he had more interesting things to talk about than he lets out.
My Grade: B


Image sourced from End of the World 2012 website.
Mayan calendar, planetary collisions, Antichrist, web-bot: apocalypse theorists say that the world is going to end in December 2012, but no one seems to be sure how exactly it will happen. For some, the apocalypse is an excuse to quit work and party like there's no tomorrow, but for others, it's a very real and frightening possibility.
The VO has the short run-down on a few of the more prominent doomsday theories.
The most popular apocalypse theory is based on the Mayan calendar, which predicts that the world will end on December 21, 2012, which would be Mayan date 13.0.0.0.0. The Mayans, based mostly in Mexico and central America, had an impressive understanding of time and space, which is why many people believe that the world will end on the last recorded day of the Long Count calendar.
What might have really happened: cartoon by Bizarro.
According to this calendar, the world is currently nearing the end of its 13th"b'ak'tun" (time cycle), and some believe that this date will mark the end of the world.
Some modern shamans, however, argue that the doomsday theory is a hoax, and that the ancient Mayans never prophesied anything ominous for 2012. Their general view is that 2012 will mark the beginning of a positive "shift", an end of the world -- as people know it. This shift (which New Age philosophers call the Age of Aquarius) may be anything: the rise of matriarchy, the collapse of global capitalism, Mac users outnumbering PC users, etc.
According to another popular doomsday theory, a planet with a vaguely Japanese-sounding name, Nibiru/Planet X, is expected to crash into earth in 2012. Nibiru is supposedly the 10th planet in the solar system that drifts by every 3,600 years, and according to the ancient Sumerians, next year is when the big collision will erase life from the planet.
Oh snap: artist rendition of Nibiru sourced from Conspiracy Theories.
Experts, though, say that scenario is very unlikely to happen: for one, no visible planets are headed earth's way.
"Nibiru simply does not exist," assured NASA space scientist David Morrison, who has had to field dozens of questions over the years about this mysterious planet that is believed to be on a collision course with earth.
Another hole in the Nibiru argument is that the big collision was actually supposed to happen quite a while ago, back in May 2003. Since the world never ended, Doomsday theorists pushed the date back to 2012.
Supposedly, a computer was designed in 1997 to search the web and make predictions about the stock market, using key words searched on the internet. Conspiracy theorists believe that web-bot accurately predicted not only stock market trends, but also major events such as the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Hurricane Katrina, and is now forecasting something big to happen in December 2012.
Photo sourced from Survival Equipment 2012.


text:
La  è una breve diramazione urbana delle Ferrovie Keihan della linea principale Keihan situata nel centro della città di Osaka. Tutti i treni della linea, presso la stazione di Temmabashi si immettono sulla linea principale e procedono verso Kyoto. Sulla porzione di questa linea, tutti i tipi di treni fermano a tutte le stazioni.

Storia
Il 10 luglio 2001 venne fondata la società Ferrovia ad alta velocità di Nakanoshima, e il 28 maggio 2003 venne posata la prima pietra. Nel novembre 2006 fu annunciato il nuovo nome della linea e delle stazioni, e il 31 ottobre 2007 il tunnel principale venne completato. Dal primo agosto a ottobre furono effettuati i test di linea, che fu inaugurata il 19 ottobre 2008.

Stazioni e servizi

Dati del 28 maggio 2011
Sulla linea Nakanoshima tutti i treni fermano a tutte le stazioni; la differenziazione delle fermate avviene sulla linea Keihan principale a cui si rimanda.

 : Nakanoshima - Kayashima, Demachiyanagi
 : Nakanoshima - Kayashima, Hirakatashi / Kuzuha → Nakanoshima (solo ora di punta)
 : Nakanoshima - Demachiyanagi
 : (solo la mattina dei giorni feriali)
 : (solo ora di punta)
 : da Demachiyanagi a Nakanoshima (solo la mattina dei giorni feriali)

Schema fermate

Note

Voci correlate
 Ferrovie Keihan

Altri progetti

Trasporti a Kyoto
Trasporti a Osaka

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
AllBayAreaSports.com Radio Show 04/20/19 On Facebook Live! NBA Playoffs & Tiger Regains His Title At The Masters!!
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We also have Tiger Woods back on top at The Masters. The San Jose Sharks are fighting for there playoff lives, hope they can battle back against the Golden Knights. It appears that the hearing against Robert H. Kraft owner of the New England Patriots has been scheduled. The 2019 NFL Schedule has been released and the 49ers & Raiders now know what to prepare for in the upcoming season. The Giants are starting to show some competitive play as the season progresses. The Oakland A's have re-signed the other KD, we will definitely be discussing the KD in a Warriors uniform.
Good afternoon everyone. Welcome to another Saturday on AllBayAreaSports.com Radio show. I am Richard "The Razor" Ewing and my co-host Mike "The Shu" Shumann is out with load management issues. But he will return soon. I have a great show for you today. I've been told that we will be on Facebook live today so you can see the show live, and I've also been told that we might have a B-Side Mikey sighting on the show from the "The B-Side Mikey show" if we can get him on big bonus for us today. We got the Warriors in a first- round fight with the L.A. Clippers which has moved to a game 4 on Sunday.
But Kris Davis has re-signed a two year deal with the A's and will be donning the green & gold at least until 2021. It's all here. It's in your east bay neighborhood it's in your west bay neighborhood. It's in your north and south bay neighborhood because it's your bay area. And when it comes to Bay Area Sports no one covers it like AllBayAreaSports.com. Bay Area Sports magnified!!
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AllBayAreaSports.com Radio Show 07/13/19 NBA FA Can You Say Player Movement?
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The John Miller Program returns with Video….. July 4, 2019
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text:
De Heilige-Familiekerk is een kerkgebouw in de tot de gemeente Antwerpen behorende plaats Deurne, gelegen aan de Van Dornestraat.

Geschiedenis
De parochie werd in 1932-1933 opgericht als kapelanie van de Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van Atijddurende Bijstandparochie, voor de wijk Kronenburg. Deze wijk werd vooral bewoond door arbeiders die in de haven en langs het Albertkanaal werkzaam waren. In 1936 werd de kapelanie tot zelfstandige parochie verheven. Kerkdiensten vonden plaats in een zaal van een scholengebouw, en in 1948 werd een eigen kerkgebouw betrokken, naar ontwerp van Albert van Loon.

Het betrof weliswaar een voorlopig kerkgebouw, maar de plannen voor een definitief, groter, kerkgebouw werden nooit uitgevoerd. In 1968 splitste de Blijde Boodschapparochie zich van de Heilige-Familieparochie af.

Gebouw
Het betreft een bakstenen zaalkerk onder zadeldak met naastgebouwde klokkentoren, het geheel in historiserende stijl, met vroegchristelijke en romaanse motieven.

Interieur
Het interieur is sober maar omvat toch een aantal kunstwerken waaronder het hoofdaltaar en een 60-tal glas-in-loodramen.

Rooms-katholiek kerkgebouw in Antwerpen (stad)
Onroerend erfgoed in Antwerpen (stad)
Deurne (Antwerpen)


text:
WTF? Hip Hop Is Officially Banned In China
The country's censorship is getting worse.
Written By Royce Dunmore
Hip hop took over the world decades ago. It's no secret how the style, attitude and sound has been mimicked all over the globe, especially in China. However, according to Time and a Chinese news outlet called Sina, the country's top media regulator — the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television of the People's Republic of China (SAPPRFT) — is banning hip hop on television. SAPPRFT requires that "programs should not feature actors with tattoos [or depict] hip hop culture, sub-culture (non-mainstream culture) and dispirited culture (decadent culture)."
The director of SAPPRFT's publicity department, Gao Changli, was even more specific, laying out a list of "don't" rules: "Absolutely do not use actors whose heart and morality are not aligned with the party and whose morality is not noble. Absolutely do not use actors who are tasteless, vulgar and obscene. Absolutely do not use actors whose ideological level is low and have no class. Absolutely do not use actors with stains, scandals and problematic moral integrity."
To be fair, the Chinese government is not singling out hip hop, they are targeting pop culture in general. Even Justin Bieber was banned in China.
Let's hope Trump doesn't here about this and get some bright ideas. He would love to ban Hollywood, the NFL and anyone who doesn't make him feel warm and fuzzy inside. #StayWoke
SOURCE: Time
Oprah Winfrey And Sterling K. Brown Shut Down The Golden Globes With Monumental Speeches
Black Harvard Students To Host Own Graduation Ceremony
WTF? Hip Hop Is Officially Banned In China was originally published on globalgrind.com
Censorship	, China	, Hip Hop
More By Royce Dunmore
Here Are 6 Tips For Winning More Customers During The Holidays
MADAMENOIRE Talks To Shauntavia Ward About Finding Your Element And Loving The Skin You're In


text:
from django.db import migrations, models

class Migration(migrations.Migration):

    dependencies = [
        ('EOSS', '0026_alter_eosscontext_design_evaluator_instance_count'),
    ]

    operations = [
        migrations.AlterField(
            model_name='eosscontext',
            name='design_evaluator_instance_count',
            field=models.IntegerField(default=3),
        ),
    ]

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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There is no complex billing. We will provide fixed price allowing you to estimate easily your costs.
Network traffic, storage, CPU, RAM, IOPS... whatever the use, it's included.
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You can terminate your database service whenever you want.
After the lab phase, the compute and load balancing parts will not be free anymore (you will be notified).
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We need to collect your requests to priorize our roadmap. Please fill up the survey below.


text:
For Stefan, reflections of Star Trek and Star Trek the Motion Picture
By JoeinAR,
JoeinAR 1,617
JoeinAR
Group: Members
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Active: 1 hour ago
Location: The look on Cole Porters face when he heard John's version of Anything Goes
On Friday December 7th, 1979 a group of my college friends and I went to the local theatre to see the new film Star Trek the Motion Picture. It was a very exciting night. The showing we went to was sold out and the anticipation was extremely high. The crowd was a typical college crowd. After all Fayetteville Arkansas is home to the states largest university. I can look in my minds eye and still see us a the kids we were. My friends and I were sophomores, a bunch of 19 and 20 year olds. But the crowd overall was from every class, geeks, football players, and throw in some adult sci fi nuts and sci fi freaks. We had been waiting a long time for this. A long time. Allow me to digress for a moment.
Back when I was six years old a television show premiered on NBC called Star Trek. I instantly loved it. It became, along with Lost In Space one of tv's must watched programs. For the next three years it was my friend. I saw most episodes but there were some I missed. It wasn't until 1974 that I finally saw all the episodes, one called The Devil in the Dark, 7 years after it originally aired. On June 3rd 1969 the finale episode of Star Trek was aired, The Turnabout Intruder. I remember TV Guide saying that William Shatner's talents are showcased in that episode. It was a bad episode, not the best way to go out. It would be over 10 years before another live cast version of Star Trek would be seen again.
And that brings me back to the anticipation. For 10 years Star Trek existed as re-runs and what could/should/might have been. Yes there was a season of animated Star Trek. It was pretty good as cartoons go. But it wasn't the same.
Then in 1977 there was a small film called Star Wars. It ended up making a large fortune for 20th Century Fox. That got Paramount thinking and looking into what it had and decided that they could revive the original series, but somewhere in the game they decided that a movie made more sense.
The internet back in those days was something called Starlog and word that the new Star Trek movie was coming was making the rounds. We saw glimpses of the newly redesigned Enterprise. Exciting times I tell you.
The on one fall night in 1979 we went to the movies to see something, I do not remember what, it doesn't matter, what matters is that there was a preview for Star Trek the Motion Picture. It was an OMG moment before this text mainstay was ever conceived.
Finally the night arrived. We were in the middle of final exams, but it was the weekend and a night out with dinner and a movie was the perfect way to unwind. We were starved for Star Trek, starved I tell you. 79 episodes and #80 about to start. We snagged seats in the middle with our popcorn and Coke A Cola, There really was a buzz in the air.
The theatre manager came out and asked everyone to move to the middle and then told us the film was about to begin. He stated it featured and Overture, uncommon in 1979.
Our theatre featured the latest and greatest sound at the time and this heavenly music filled the air. Then the now iconic Star Trek font filled the screen. For the next 2 hours and 12 minutes I in heaven. I think I cried a few tears when Scotty and Jerry reintroduced Captain Kirk to his starship. I know I laughed as did the rest of the college audience when McCoy said his rant about engineers and how they loved to change things. We were attending a engineering university after all. It was a natural.
I was in a state of bliss. When it was over most of the audience applauded. I loved it. It was a movie experience, not a movie to be reviewed at least not then. I remember my friends felt mostly the same way. On our way out we had several discussions with other "fans". Some were less than thrilled. There was that group that wanted a less cerebral more shoot um up film. That was a fair thought. We'd get that later. First things first we went to the mall and got the new soundtrack LP. We would wear that one out, literally.
That was over 30 years ago. The movie is still a treasure to me. I know it's heavily flawed, but that's okay. Perfection would arrive with the the Borg in the Next Generation. But Star Trek the Motion Picture gave us so much, and it's still giving. It gave Star Trek back to the world. The world is a better place with Star Trek. My world is a better place with Star Trek.
Footnote: Stefan has been asking me to recount this for awhile. Thanks for your interest. You are the best.
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 9 posts
Ren 6 posts
Wojo 5 posts
Quintus 6 posts
On Friday December 7th, 1979 a group of my college friends and I went to the local theatre to see the new film Star Trek the Motion Picture. It was a very exciting night. The showing we went to was so
It's my third favourite in the series. Wrath of Kahn First Contact Star Trek
Wojo
I'm kinda glad they've stopped with the Enterprise-E. Could you imagine if they had one more? Evil Saboteurs: We're gonna blow the F up! Captain Picard: Helmsman, plot a course and get the F out of
Admiral Holdo 16
Admiral Holdo
Hair like this is normal around here
Joined: August 15, 2006
Active: May 10, 2020
Location: Whatever salon Holdo goes to
That was a really good read, thanks for sharing Joey.
Sibelius6 1,049
Sibelius6
Active: 22 hours ago
Yeah, I did enjoy of reading this nice, nostalgic story more than seeing the actual film back then.
Williamsfan301 11
Williamsfan301
Joined: June 13, 2008
Active: July 20, 2012
Location: Over there ---->
It's never a movie I pull out because I'm looking for a great story or great acting. But, kinda like you said, when you're looking for that "movie experience", this is the movie to see.
BLUMENKOHL 1,056
John Williams's Shrink
Active: Sunday at 10:45 PM
Location: Ergonomic Shrink Chair
Beautifully written old man. You should do more of this stuff. Sort of help record some of these moments of cinema.
My world is a better place with Star Trek.
I practically think of every Star Trek crew, even up to Voyager's crew as extended family. And as flawed as it got at times, the franchise is my go to comfort food. Rain or shine, sick or well, watching Star Trek lifts my spirits.
So what impact would you say Star Trek has had on YOUR world?
In the winter of 68 I was watching the Immunity Syndrome, great episode by the way, when our house caught on fire. The power went out and the house was almost immediately filled with smoke. My dad quickly got the fire out after getting my mom and I out. It was one of those very scary moments in a child's life. We stayed at my grandparent's house for a week while repairs were made and the smoke removed.
For me Blume, Star Trek is there in my life from my earliest memories, through tough times, and through the best times in all the different versions.
Hmmm. See this is what confuses me. Star Trek seemed to embed itself more deeply in the individual, yet Star Wars raked in all the cash. I never quite understood why. At that time Star Trek The Motion Picture had everything going for it. Granted the movie was received mixed reaction. But then Khan came out, really good cinema, and it just hovered around the same cash as TMP.
I can't figure it out.
Also Joey, have you watched The Captains?
indy4 152
indy4
Joined: August 7, 2007
Active: February 21, 2018
I love the original series. I've only seen a few of the movies, and they were pretty good. Never seen anything without William Shatner as the captain.
Quintus 5,327
Sharkin'
Joined: November 30, 2005
Active: August 3, 2021
Star Wars has much broader appeal than Star Trek. The Hero's Journey etc. It's themes cast a significantly wider net.
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,244
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal
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Star wars is more pedestrian in its core.
Joe, thank you. I can only imagine how the Enterprise scene must have played in 79 for a Trekkie. Going from a cheap, rather crude model to the beautifully sculpted lines and stunning detail of the movie version.
You're saying that SW lacks imagination? That compared to ST it is dull?
I know a few mil who would say it's the other way round, but let's not derail Joey's well intentioned thread.
Ren 75
Active: May 4, 2019
Wonderful read Joe. Thank you so much.
50% of Star wars is dull.
crocodile 5,546
A part-time Horner apologist
Joined: September 1, 2006
Active: 26 minutes ago
Location: River of Nile
The funny thing about Star Trek films is that, no matter how badly made, they are still more enjoyable. There is something endearing about them. And that is something SW hasn't got. I've come to realise this just a few years ago. Before that, it was just that "poor man's version of SW".
it' a shame I can't get ST bedding, SW bedding is available though.......
True. The 5th Star Trek and the 5th Star Wars film are both bad films. But The Final Frontier is a far better viewing experience.
BloodBoal 7,530
BloodBoal
Active: Monday at 09:55 PM
I'm sorry Bloodball. that is the second Star Wars film. Only if you ahve been brainwashed by Lucas will you think differently. The 5th film is AOTC. A complete borefest. The Final Frontier is extremely flawed but watchable. because of it. It also has a much better score.
So halfway through TESB you lose interest?
Honestly though, I have only a passing interest in either franchise anyway. In fact that's a lie - I'm very much looking forward to the next Trek movie. I'll never say that again about anything related to Star Wars.
Lee, I agree. I'm not much of a SW fan. I could care less about it actually. But I am more than a passing fan of ST as you already know. I too can hardly wait for the next movie. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing ST 2009 in theatres. Wonderful actually.
It's my third favourite in the series.
Wrath of Kahn
Can we please leave Star Wars out of my thread. It's only relevant to the point that it's boxoffice success put the ball in motion for Star Treks return.
Stefan, the first sight of the Enterprise was a glorious thing.
The original design was still there, but now she was so much more. She had acheived design perfection. Always a character within the show, now she was dressed to the nines, ready to step out. Her successors would never be quite as beautiful.
Jay 23,314
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Her successors would never be quite as beautiful.
Picard's D comes closest.
Wojo 2,439
Active: January 10
Good read, Joey.
I just like good science fiction, and there isn't very much that I thumb my nose at and say I hates it very loudly or for very long. Eventually, I come around.
she was a fine ship who went before her time.
I'm kinda glad they've stopped with the Enterprise-E. Could you imagine if they had one more?
Evil Saboteurs: We're gonna blow the F up!
Captain Picard: Helmsman, plot a course and get the F out of here!
Romulans: Our plans have been F'd.
Ok, they were funnier in my head.
My favs are first contact. Generations and TMP.
My faves are IV, X, and 2009.
I'm a tng girl....
Well we are living in a tng world...
I prefer Deep Space Nine. But it's close.
Janeway for me. Cilf.
Worst Captain ever!
Maybe, but if she would have let Troi give her some wardrobe pointers...meow...
Janeway: It moved. Shoot it.
Go for Seven of Nine from that show at least.


text:
DOUG PENSINGER/GETTY IMAGES
Retired NBA
Dear 13-year-old Ray,
When you get off the school bus tomorrow, you're going to be in a whole new world. This is nothing new. Every time your father gets stationed at a new Air Force base, you have to say goodbye to your friends and start a new life. It's the same routine once every three years or so. New school, new culture, new faces.
Northern California. Then Germany. Then Oklahoma. Then England. Then Southern California.
And now, Dalzell, South Carolina.
You're used to being the kid that nobody knows. The majority of your existence has been about trying to find new friends, trying to show people that you're a good person and that you mean no harm. You're used to being an outsider.
You've gotten pretty good at it.
This time is different though. It's the middle of the school year. Everybody already knows one another. You're at a critical age, and kids are just.…
Kids are just mean.
You've grown up in a military household your whole life. Until now, your friends were all from military families. You walked around the neighborhood with your I.D. card hanging around your neck like a dog tag in case some unfamiliar MPs rolled by. You spent your formative elementary school years in Britain. So you don't even realize it, but to some people, you speak very proper.
When you step off that school bus in South Carolina tomorrow and open your mouth, those kids are going to look at you like you're an alien.
"You talk like a white boy," they'll say.
Bob Stowell/Getty Images
You'll look around the school and see groups of kids all paired off, and you'll feel like you don't have a place.
You'll think to yourself, I don't understand. Who am I supposed to be?
I'm going to be 100% honest with you. I wish I could tell you that it will get easier, and that you're going to blend in, and that it's going to be alright. But you're not going to fit in with the white kids, or the black kids … or the nerds … or even the jocks.
You'll be the enemy to a lot of people simply because you're not from around there.
This will be both the toughest and the best thing that will ever happen to you.
What I want you to do is this: Go to the basketball court. Stay at the basketball court. You can build your entire existence there.
The world is much bigger than Dalzell, South Carolina. If you stick to the plan, you'll see. Remember that when when you're lying in bed on Saturday and Sunday mornings and you hear the engine of your father's old Trans-Van start up outside.
You know that sound. It's not pretty.
All you'll want to do is sleep, but grab your sneakers and run down the stairs because he will leave you. You have exactly two minutes before the heat kicks on in the van and he's backing out of the driveway. He's on military time, and if you don't get to the Air Force base court by 0900 on the dot to put your name at the top of the sign-up sheet, you're going to have to wait around all day to get a run in.
You'll learn a lot on that court. As a 13-year-old kid playing against grown men, you'll learn to play in transition out of necessity. You'll play so fast that all the airmen will start calling you "Showtime" when you walk into the gym.
In between games, when you're on the sidelines, I want you to listen very carefully to all the stories these guys tell.
You're going to hear a lot of, "Man, I coulda …" on these courts.
Man, I wish I could go back in time.
I'd have gone D-I.
Booze got the best of me.
Man, I coulda.…
Man, I shoulda.…
I wish I could go back, young fella.…
Don't ever put yourself in the position to wish you could hop in a time machine, Ray. You need to stay focused, because things will only become more complicated as you have more success on the court.
Robert W. Stowell Jr./Getty Images
When you start getting attention from colleges, some of your own teammates will say things like, "UConn? You'll sit on the bench for four years."
Just because you don't drink, they'll say, "Man, you're gonna be an alcoholic once you get to college. You won't be ready. All they do is drink there."
A lot of people don't want to see you succeed. Don't get into fistfights with these kids. Trust me, it will accomplish nothing.
Instead, remember exactly who said those things.
Remember how they said it.
Remember their faces.
Keep these voices inside your head and use them as fuel every single day when you wake up.
And the voices telling you you're the man? Those are the voices to keep out. When you start getting some national attention in high school, you'll hear things like, "Ray's jumpshot is God-given."
Listen: God doesn't care whether or not you make your next jump shot.
God will give you a lot of things in life, but he's not going to give you your jump shot. Only hard work will do that.
Don't be so naive as to think you're ready for college ball.
Young fella, you're not ready.
In high school, you might think you understand what it takes to be a great basketball player, but you will truly have no idea. When you get to UConn, your coach will show you what hard work really is.
His name is Jim Calhoun. Don't get on this man's shit list.
Damian Strohmeyer/SI/Getty Images
When you walk into the gym for that first practice, get ready for hell on wheels. You're going to be all excited to put on your Huskies gear and start shooting around. But then Coach Calhoun is going to flip the script.
"Freshmen!" he'll say. "You think you deserve to wear this uniform? You don't deserve the privilege. Not yet."
Then the assistant coaches will start handing out these plain grey shorts and T-shirts to all the freshmen.
"I want to see some sweat," Coach will say.
Up until that very moment, you'll think basketball is all about going out and putting up some jump shots and showing your skill.
When you get put through Coach Calhoun's first practice you'll realize, Oh, this game is a sonofabitch.
You will be put through the hardest workout of your life. You'll be gasping for air, hunched over. But the thing is, the gym in Storrs is air conditioned. Your body is used to playing in the sweatbox gyms in South Carolina, where there's no air conditioning.
At the end of the practice, coach Calhoun is going to line everybody up and walk down the line, looking at every player.
When he gets to you, he'll look down at your shirt. There will be a single bead of sweat trickling down your Adam's apple.
He'll look at you. Then he'll look at the little bead of sweat. Then he'll look back at you.
"That's it? I guess we didn't work you hard enough, Allen."
The next practice is going to be even tougher.
This man is going to damn near break you, but he's going to make you a much better player and person. This will be your introduction to what it really takes to be great.
A few days later, you're going to have one of the most memorable moments of your life. You're going to wake up at 5:30 a.m. and go to the weight room to get your workout in, and then you'll come back to the dorm and shower before class.
You'll put on a shirt and tie, throw your backpack over your shoulder and walk across campus to your first class of the day.
It's early, so it's still quiet. The leaves are crunching under your feet. You're sore, but your clothes are on point. You got your work in. You're prepared. You have a purpose.
I don't know what it is about this moment in particular, but as you're walking, you'll think, Wow. I'm a college student. No matter what happens at the end of this tunnel, I'm going to make my family proud.
When you get to your public-speaking class and sit down, this girl will turn to you and say, "Hey, why are you so dressed up?"
You'll say, "Because I can."
In that moment, it will feel like you have conquered the world.
I could end this letter right here, and you would still probably be excited about what you are going to accomplish in life. But you still have an 18-year NBA career ahead of you.
How do I sum up nearly two decades in the NBA? What do you really need to know? What's truly important?
Gary Dineen/NBAE/Getty Images
You'll get to play against your heroes: Michael Jordan and Clyde Drexler.
You'll play alongside Hall of Famers: Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade.
Sometimes you'll be afraid.
Sometimes you'll think you're out of your league.
But you'll keep showing up every day, putting in the work.
You'll put up more than 26,000 shots in your career. Almost six out of 10 won't even go in. I told you this game was a sonofabitch.
Don't worry, though. A successful man is built of 1,000 failures. Or in your case, 14,000 misses.
You'll win a championship in Boston.
You'll win another in Miami.
The personalities on those two teams will be different, but both teams will have the same thing in common: habits.
Boring old habits.
I know you want me to let you in on some big secret to success in the NBA.
The secret is there is no secret.
It's just boring old habits.
Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images
In every locker room you'll ever be in, everybody will say all the right things. Everybody says they're willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to win a title. But this game isn't a movie. It's not about being the man in the fourth quarter. It's not about talk. It's getting in your work every single day, when nobody is watching.
Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade. The men who you are going to win championships with are all going to be very different people. What makes them champions is the boring old habits that nobody sees. They compete to see who can be the first to get to the gym and the last to leave.
Your peers who think this is a cliché, or who think this doesn't apply to them because they have God-given talent, will play their whole careers without winning an NBA title.
But I want you to understand something deeper. The championships are not the point.
Yes, there will be a sense of validation and vindication when you raise the trophy above your head, remembering everyone who ever said you wouldn't amount to anything.
Four-year benchwarmer.
Alcoholic.
White boy.
But if I'm being real with you, what you'll realize after you win the first title is that the thrill is fleeting. The vindication is fleeting. If you only chase that high, you're going to end up very depressed.
The championships are almost secondary to the feeling you'll get from waking up every morning and putting in the work. The championships are like when you were sitting in class at UConn with your shirt and tie on. They're just the culmination.
Your winding path to those moments, just like your walk across campus on that quiet fall morning in Connecticut, is where you will find happiness.
I really mean it from the bottom of my heart: Life is about the journey, not the destination. And that journey will change you as a person.
Let me tell you one final story that may help you understand what I mean.
It's the early morning hours of June 21, 2013. You're 38 years old, and just a few hours ago you won Game 7 of the NBA Finals with the Miami Heat.
You are an NBA champion for the second time.
Joe Murphy/NBAE/Getty Images
You lay down in bed at about five in the morning, but you just can't sleep. Finally, around seven o'clock, you give up on sleep and creep downstairs. All your friends and family have come over to your house to celebrate — they're all passed out on couches, sound asleep. You tiptoe around them on the way to the kitchen to make some breakfast. The sun is coming up, the house is quiet. You have achieved exactly what you set out to do. But you're still restless.
So why do you feel this way? Isn't this what you worked so hard for?
Around 7:30, you get into your car and go for a drive.
You park your car in front of a white office building. They're just opening up.
When you walk in the door, the receptionist looks at you and says, "Ray? What … what are you doing here?"
"I couldn't sleep."
"But … you just won the title."
"Yeah, I just wanted to get out of the house."
"But … it's eight in the morning. And you just won the title."
"Well, I still got some work to be done on this tooth. Is he in?"
Your dentist walks out of his office.
"Ray? What are you … what?"
"Couldn't sleep."
This is what success looks like for you. You're the kind of guy who goes to the dentist the morning after winning an NBA title.
I know, man.
But in order to achieve your dreams, you will become a different kind of person. You'll become a bit obsessive about your routine. This will come at a heavy cost to some of your friends and family.
Most nights, you won't go out. Your friends will ask why. You won't drink alcohol, ever. People will look at you funny. When you get to the NBA, you won't always play cards with the boys. Some people will assume you're not being a good teammate. You'll even have to put your family on the back-burner for your job.
Jed Jacobsohn/The Players Tribune
Most of the time, you will be alone.
That won't make you the most popular person. Some people simply won't understand. Is the cost worth it?
Only you can answer that.
Who am I supposed to be?
Tomorrow when you get off that school bus in South Carolina, you'll have to choose.
Every day for the rest of your life, you'll have to choose.
Do you want to fit in, or do you want to embark on the lonely pursuit of greatness?
I write this to you today as a 41-year-old man who is retiring from the game. I write to you as a man who is completely at peace with himself.
The hell you experience when you get off that bus will be temporary. Basketball will take you far away from that school yard. You will become far more than just a basketball player. You'll get to act in movies. You'll travel the world. You will become a husband, and the father of five amazing children.
Now, the most important question in your life isn't, "Who am I supposed to be?" or even, "What do I have to do to win another championship?"
It's, "Daddy, guess what happened in math class today?"
That's the reward that awaits you at the end of your journey.
Go to the court. Stay at the court.
Get your work in, young fella.
Most people will never really get to know the real you. But they'll know your work.


text:
Net Loss: D.C. Circuit Upholds FCC "Net Neutrality" Rule
Michael S. Greve
In a momentous decision, a panel of the D.C. Circuit (Judges Srinivasan, Tatel, and Williams; opinion by Srinivasan, partial dissent by Williams) has upheld the FCC's "net neutrality" rule. Henceforth broadband providers will be regulated not as information providers but as a "telecommunications service" under Title II of the Communications Act. Among other things this entails "must carry" obligations and a command that the providers may not charge different rates to different content providers (in regulatory parlance, "paid prioritization").
I'm not the world's greatest telecom expert; until the Verizon people strung some mysterious cables to our house six weeks ago, I thought "broadband" was a female rock group. But every expert I trust thinks this is a monstrously stupid idea, and the economics, cogently explained in Judge Williams' dissent, point in the same direction. But there's enough non-tech, legal and institutional stuff here to occupy an entire AdLaw semester. Even selected highlights, stripped of some niceties I'd be happy to debate on- or off-blog, make for a pretty long and (as usual) depressing post.
Some time ago, Ashley Parrish and yours truly argued that the AdLaw on the books (1) doesn't have much to do with real life and (2) does little or nothing to constrain administrators who don't want to be constrained. This case provides further illustration. Start at the top:
Deference. Chevron is every conservative's bugaboo. Courts will defer to reasonable agency interpretations unless the statute is "unambiguous": yikes. Chevron doesn't actually do all too much work here (we'll see) but it does set the tone: deference is our rock-bottom premise, the majority proclaims at the front end. (It proffers a second principle: the court will only address arguments the parties relied on. The majority needs that to blow off Judge Williams' dissent, which articulates a coherent theory that the numerous petitioners evidently hadn't pieced together.) And away we go. Sure, the FCC reclassified broadband. But the statute is ambiguous under a pretty good Supreme Court precedent (Brand X). So Congress delegated the choice to the agency. Sure, it did so in 1996, when no one envisioned the current telecom universe; and Congress has since tried but repeatedly failed to enact net neutrality on its own. But what matters is the enacted language, not the "intent." Congressional inaction or action short of the enactment of positive law is entitled to no weight and does not preclude analogous rulemaking. Insert rote cites to textualist Supreme Court precedents. Anything wrong?
Well, you could say that this is just too big—too big to say, "Congress wanted the agency to fill in the details." This is sometimes called the "major question" or "no elephants in mouseholes" canon. Brand X was relatively trivial; this is about revamping the entire Internet. Congress cannot have meant that; and in that context, maybe the failed legislation should carry some weight. The glitch is that the so-called "major question canon"—an exception to, and in some tension with, the Chevron architecture—has come and gone in the case law; it applies when five justices think the agency has gone off the deep end. Here, the majority dismissed a pretty good "major question" argument with barely a shrug, and Judge Williams didn't rely on it. The point to note is that the so-called canon has come and gone in virtually any arena of consequence: environmental and energy cases; the ACA; immigration, food and drug regulation; now telecom. The obvious suspicion is that there's something wrong with the Chevron edifice.
Presidential Government. Recall how the FCC came to embark on its "net-neutrality-under-Title II" campaign: the President called Chairman Wheeler on the carpet and told him to do it. Curiously, the opinions here mention that highly publicized context with not one word. Instead, there's a long discussion of whether the FCC's rule was a "logical outgrowth" of its earlier proposed rule. (I could nerd that doctrine out for you but there's really no point. Answer here is "yes.")
Should it matter? You could take one of two positions. You could say: the known fact that this was politics from the top casts doubt on the agency's good faith in interpreting the statute and in exercising in expert judgment; so we (the court) approach the rule less deferentially. Or: the trouble with agencies (especially independent agencies such as the FCC) is a lack of accountability. But no one is more accountable than the President. That's why we should have a unitary executive—and why we should give more deference to presidentially imposed policies.
You can also argue that it shouldn't matter: one way or the other the question is whether the agency got the law right and whether the record is up to snuff. (Judge Williams' dissent, I think, presupposes something like this position.) But the tension between "accountability" and "reasoned decisionmaking" is real. The conservative AdLaw debate hasn't really faced up to it.
Waiver. The FCC's net neutrality rule has a schizophrenic quality. We'll regulate broadband providers as common carriers under Title II, it says. But, it continues, we will affirmatively forbear from imposing all or even most of the obligations that usually come along with that designation, especially outright rate regulation. Thus, the FCC is tailoring the Title II framework to the demands of a sector for which it's obviously unsuitable. Legit?
In a very similar maneuver, the EPA "tailored" the Clean Air Act to regulating greenhouse gases, for which it obviously wasn't intended. The Supreme Court characterized that move as a statutory re-write and nixed it (UARG v. EPA, 2014). Same here? Nope, says the majority:
This case is nothing like [UARG]. Far from rewriting clear statutory language, the [FCC] followed an express statutory mandate requiring it to "forbear from applying any regulation or any provision" of the Communications Act if certain criteria are met. 47 U.S.C. § 160(a). Nothing in the Clean Air Act gave EPA any comparable authority.
That's technically true—and materially false. The forbearance provision was put into the Communications Act to reduce regulation and to "promote competitive market conditions" (that's one of the "certain criteria"). Here, it's used to expand regulation; and the only "competition" that's being promoted is interest group competition for the Commission's favors. Judge Williams's dissent calls these the "central paradoxes" of the majority's position and the "hopeless contradiction" of FCC's rule. One wonders, he writes,
how an Act intended to "reduce regulation" is used instead to increase regulation and how an Act intended to "promote competition" is used at all in a context in which the Commission specifically forswears any findings of a lack of competition.
Excellent question. The paradoxes here come from reading statutory provisions one by one and out of context. More broadly, though, they come from sticking "big waiver" provisions into expansive, often highly prescriptive statutes. The power to waive and forbear is the power to expand regulatory territory one piece at a time and in cahoots with powerful rent-seekers (here, Netflix), where wholesale occupation would fail.
A Not-So-Hard Look. When a statute is "ambiguous" courts are still supposed to ask whether the agency's interpretation was reasonable. That inquiry overlaps with (and maybe the same as) the question of whether the action was "arbitrary and capricious," and courts are supposed to take a "hard look" at the agency's averments. In this case, the majority pays nary a passing glance. It's "whatever" posture runs through the entire opinion, on every issue. E.g., the majority is "unmoved" by Judge Williams's "paradoxes." If the forbearance provision grants rulemaking authority (as it does),
it is unsurprising that the grant of rulemaking authority might occasion the promulgation of additional regulation. And if […] the new regulation is geared to promoting the effective deployment of new telecommunications technologies such as broadband, the regulation is entirely consistent with the Act's objectives.
This burble is no answer to the dissent's not-all-that-hard-look question: just what is the anti-competitive threat here, and how does "net neutrality" counter it? And why would "the Commission saddle[] the broadband industry with common-carrier obligation, which is normally seen as a substitute for competition … for markets where all hope is lost?" Don't look to the FCC for an answer. It proffered no competent evidence that the providers have market power, or that "net neutrality" might promote competition or broadband investment. The majority calls the Commission's hand-waving and bare assertions an exercise of the agency's "predictive judgment," to which the court owes special deference. That's not a hard look. That's a blank stare, and a blank cheque.
The Judges and the Regulatory State. Multiple petitioners have vowed an appeal. It's a low-cost proposition: they can put a postage stamp on Judge Williams's opinion and mail it to the Supremes. Then again, why bother?
Nothing in the majority opinion is off the wall. It's basic AdLaw, and Judge Srinivasan does a respectable job at making it look altogether routine. Moreover, he and Judge Tatel aren't far-out lefties. They're Democratic appointees, yes; but they're moderate, smart, capable lawyers who know there way around AdLaw and federal agencies. And so are Justices Breyer, Kagan, and Ginsburg. So for that matter is Merrick Garland, who would supply a sure fifth vote, in addition to Justice Sotomayor's, for what has become an unbreakable bloc of votes in AdLaw cases. Barring a surprise Trump appointment there's no way the panel's decision will be reversed.
It's not that the just-mentioned judges and justices are shilling for the Obama administration. It's that their vision of administrative law dates back to (at least) the Chevron days, when there was still a bipartisan, moderate consensus on reasoned decisionmaking; cost-benefit and risk-risk analysis; OIRA review; and judicial deference, applied by a discerning, collegial D.C. Circuit. And there was a scholarly and policy community to support that vision (e.g., the AEI-Brookings Joint (!) Center on Regulation). Justice Breyer embodied it, and he was corporate America's great white hope.
That world is dead and gone; but its administrative law apparatus has endured. In our world, it's a license for unchecked executive government. See this case.
Persecution and the Art of Voting
Geoffrey M. Vaughan
Michael S. Greve is Professor of Law at Antonin Scalia Law School. His numerous publications include The Upside-Down Constitution (Harvard University Press, 2012).
Halbig and Obamacare: What We Have Learned (Part II)
The Mistakes of Chevron and a Separation of Powers Fallacy
Mike Rappaport
Freedom, Politics, and the Courts