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What's On: Emotional Closure on 'Switched at Birth' Finale, and Brick Meets the Kid with Whom He was Switched at Birth on 'The Middle'
Matt Roush April 11, 2017, 3:05 am
MONICA HORAN, KEVIN THOMAS MITCHELL
Switched at Birth (9/8c, Freeform): Warmly entertaining to the end, the groundbreaking family drama wraps its fifth and final season in a flurry of hugs, tears and life-changing moments. When moms Kathryn (Lea Thompson) and Regina (Constance Marie) realize it has been five years since they discovered they'd been raising each other's daughters, nostalgia soon takes a back seat to more secrets being revealed and futures decided, most all of them happy, if a bit bittersweet. For Bay (Vanessa Marano) and Daphne (Katie Leclerc), that means standing up for their very different career paths: Bay's in tattoo art and Daphne's in medicine, where she's told flat out by a potential mentor that her dream of being a deaf surgeon is a "dangerous fantasy." Never say never to these young women. They and their extended family of friends will be missed.
The Middle (8/7c, ABC): By coincidence, this great family comedy revisits its own switched-at-birth back story. Brick (Atticus Shaffer) is shocked and amazed when he attends Reverend TimTom's (the hilarious Paul Hipp) Wilderness Jesus Jam retreat, to prepare for his long-delayed confirmation (including a round of "Jesus Jeopardy!"), when he encounters Blake Ferguson (Kevin Thomas Mitchell), the boy for whom Brick was mistakenly switched at birth for the first month of his life. The shock waves continue when Blake's parents (including guest star Monica Horan of Everybody Loves Raymond, setting up a mini-reunion with Patricia Heaton) confront the Hecks, and Brick gets a taste of what might have been with a more normal family. Charlie McDermott directs the episode, and gets a terrific subplot as he tries desperately to hide his budding relationship with Lexie (Daniela Bobadilla), who happens to be sister Sue's (Eden Sher) BFF and roomie.
The Americans (10/9c, FX): In a quietly emotional episode, Philip (Matthew Rhys) confronts his mournful handler, Gabriel (Frank Langella), about his family's past, though Gabriel has another bombshell for him and Elizabeth (Keri Russell) after learning just how misguided their Topeka mission was. And truer words were never spoken than by Elizabeth's smitten mark (Brett Tucker) back in Kansas: "I feel like there's a whole other you I don't know at all." You think?
Inside Tuesday TV: Fox's Brooklyn Nine-Nine (8/7c) returns from hiatus with the precinct in danger of being shut down—especially because the auditor in charge of evaluating the Nine-Nine is Amy's (Melissa Fumero) ex-boyfriend, Teddy (Kyle Bornheimer). … Season 13 is not so lucky for the fishermen of Discovery's signature docu-reality series Deadliest Catch (9/9c). Climate change has created a temperature spike in the Bering Sea waters, and the crabs have seemingly vanished. To meet their quota, they're going to have to sail deeper and further into possible peril. … The first-season finale of Bravo's Imposters (10/9c) plays out against the risky nuptials of Maddie (Invar Lavi) and Patrick (Stephen Bishop).


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text:
Hobby Hole
Hobby Hole: Jan. 22, 2014 Comic Reviews
All-New X-Factor no. 2 by Peter David and Carmine Di Giandomenico | Marvel | $3.99
So, it looks like we've got the team together. Right? Well, I don't know who any of these newcomers are, but to be honest I think, with David at the helm, that's a good thing. While David builds on everything presented beforehand, he also has a knack of presenting characters in a new light and bringing them into completely different situations than experienced previously. I'm hoping, as he was able to do so wonderfully the last two volumes, he continues to build the team and its persona in future issues.
That in mind, I must say this storyline was altogether brief (I believe that was the ending) and ended with some awkward, sudden dialog (as if David had run out of pages to tell the story). As with last issue, there was also some unnecessary, heavy-handed exposition, which I'm hopeful will eventually fade.
I also hope the art continues to impress as well as it did these past two issues. While I think the panel structure could be a bit more experimental, it wasn't nearly as generic as a few of the other books I read this week.
Hobby Hole score: 8.2/Great
Previous issue's score: 7.7/Alright
Animal Man no. 27 by Jeff Lemire and Rafael Albuquerque | DC | $2.99
To quote Animal Man's Maxine, "Nooooo!"
Seriously, what a pisser of an ending. Only thing that would've made it worse--and I'm not holding my breath Lemire won't do this next issue--is if someone played kick the kitty cat. While the ending was pretty great, the rest of the issue was just alright and was obviously only the first part of a larger conclusion. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, per say, just that it felt incomplete.
I've loved and hated Albuquerque's previous issues, and this one fell somewhere between, with some panels offering incredibly fine detail while others appeared almost abstract and ill-formed. The first page especially caught me off guard as, on what should be the page meant to capture potential new readers (as if there would be any this far into the run), the art is almost incomprehensible.
Hobby Hole score: 7.8/Alright
Previous issue's score: 7.4/Alright
Batman no. 27 by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo | DC | $3.99
This issue felt almost like a few sections from different issues were thrown together, and, really, for me it was all about the beginning as we witness Batman in a near-panic and frantically hightailing it from the cops. Its a place we rarely see the dark knight, especially with an enemy fairly capable of anticipating his every move, and it was glorious to see. Of course, the middle interlude focusing on Gordon was quite fantastic, and spins the events of previous issues in a new light. It also makes me ask: is Gotham better as a post-apocalyptic wasteland?
Capullo has truly mastered his layouts throughout this series and only seems to grow better every issue, shifting the reader's focus from broad areas to finite spaces like a coffee cup. Plascencia's colors truly make the work pop, though, and is the real star this issue, with perfect scene transitions and exceptional use of colors to differentiate flashbacks.
Previous issue's score: 9.0/Fantastic
FF no. 16 by Matt Fraction, Lee Allred and Mike Allred | Marvel | $3.99
Now that was the kind of ending I was hoping would redeem last week's Fantastic Four. No punches were pulled, the weight of the conflict was fully palpable and, for once, Dr. Doom truly got the absolute living shit kicked out of him, to the point he was utterly destroyed. While I'm certain future writers will likely push the development aside, the Allreds simply knocked it out of the park, both in terms of writing and art. It was exactly the ending I hoped for.
That said, there was the additional section after the conclusion that mirrored the same section in last week's sister issue, even to the point several pages were reused. While I initially believed Marvel had simply reprinted the same story and charged me for it twice, the technique tied the books together in a way they hadn't been since their debut. Despite one awkward transition here (the Fantastic Four version worked better), there was some great execution and the setup for future books really made me miss FF that much more.
Hobby Hole score: 9.0/Fantastic
Harley Quinn no. 2 by Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti, Chad Hardin and Stephane Roux | DC | $2.99
While this issue was not as good as either of those previous, Harley Quinn continues to be a bit of fresh air in the DC lineup and, well, those animals sure ended the issue with quite the meal, huh? I've got to say, I kind of love this book. It's just so fun and insane and keeps growing more fun and more insane.
And now bisexual Poison Ivy is in it too!
The art, unfortunately, is the problem this issue, as the split between the two artists meant a lack of consistency throughout, with butter smooth details in some panels and pages while others were as scratchy as a cat post. Either would have been fine on their own, but the combination of the two proved bothersome and drew me out of the storyline far too often.
Previous issue's score: 8.3/Great
Hawkeye no. 16 by Matt Fraction and Annie Wu | Marvel | $2.99
I may mourn no longer being able to gaze admirably at David Aja's beautiful art every issue of Hawkeye, but Wu provides a bloody fantastic reminder of why that's perfectly alright. Combined with Matt Hollingsworth's brilliant color work, this issue looks like a classic Marvel comic, almost like a flood of Steranko imagery.
Thankfully, though this book looks like a classic, it doesn't read like a classic. Fraction simply knocks it out of the park with this story, too, which bodes well for future Bishop-centric issues as he continues to flesh out her new universe sans Hawkguy.
Justice League no. 27 by Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, Jesus Merino and Vicente Cifuentes | DC | $3.99
What is the audience this book is being written toward? As a New 52 DC reader (as in, I haven't read anything published by DC prior to the New 52 relaunch other than a few choice publications), it certainly doesn't seem to be me. Outside the main Cyborg section, I don't know who any of the characters introduced this issue are, why they're important or why I should care. Do readers of the pre-relaunch care though? If DC is using this book to launch new books and/or new IPs, it's not doing the best job right now.
That said, the art was enjoyable to look at, if not incredibly tame, and I truly like Cyborg's new design. Johnny Quick's powers were nicely represented as well--though it's something that I'm calling that out rather than any other truly memorable imagery.
Zero no. 5 by Ales Kot and Will Tempest | Image | $2.99
After the brilliant last issue, I felt fairly comfortable with the "feeling" of this book, in that I somewhat know what to expect in any given storyline despite being surprised every issue. Well, then this issue came along to change absolutely everything. Now I've no idea where things are headed, and I absolutely love that.
The art, while much tamer and cleaner than in some of the previous issues, worked perfectly for this nonchalant aftermath journey, offering some poignant and low-key moments as a sort of calm before the storm I'm assuming will occur next issue.
And next issue? I want it. I want it now.
Previous issue's score: 9.7/Fantastic
Labels: comics Diversions Hobby Hole review

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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text:
Q: Jenkins cd to a folder with pattern? Here is the folder structure I have.
Workspace folder: D:\Node\MyNode\

*

*When Jenkins build runs on a node, the files from scm gets downloaded to the following folder: D:\Node\MyNode\xx_development

I need to do cd to the folder "xx_development" and this name xx can change for different strasms (RTC) but "_development" remains same.
how can I do cd to a folder with (*development) using a pipeline script?
Edit: I am using windows Nodes for Jenkins.

A: To change the current directory to the folder with the pattern *_development, you can use the following script:
For Windows:
def folder = bat(returnStdout: true, script: 'dir /b /ad | findstr "_development"').trim()
bat "cd ${folder}"

*

*dir /b /ad | findstr "_development" --> lists all directories in the current folder and filters them by the pattern _development.

*/b --> to list only the directory names.

*/ad --> to list only directories.

*findstr --> to filter the output by the pattern _development.

*The second line changes the current directory to the directory stored in the Folder variable.

For Linux:
def Folder = sh(returnStdout: true, script: 'ls -d */ | grep "_development"').trim()

sh "cd ${Folder}"

*

*ls -d */ | grep "_development" --> lists all directories in the folder and filters by the pattern _development.

*trim() --> If there are any leading or trailing whitespaces, they are removed using this command.

*The second line changes the current directory to the folder stored in the Folder variable.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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PFI Blues
September 23, 2011 Prof. Colin Talbot Whitehall
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley's somewhat opportunistic outburst about PFI debts in the NHS yesterday brought the whole issue of PFIs back onto the agenda. (I was on BBC Radio 4's PM program yesterday talking about it). The debate about PFIs usually generates more heat than light, as protagonists and antagonists slug it out. In reality PFI are neither wholly good nor bad, but have often been badly implemented. Continue reading →
Buddy Can You Spare a Dime? Ministers and Big Business to "Buddy up"
The government is to launch a new scheme for Ministers and Big Business leaders to "buddy up", says an article in today's Times. These arrangements giving business leaders direct and privileged access to Ministers is fraught with dangers, not least the taint of corrupt practices such as ex-Ministers being parachuted into jobs with their former 'buddies'. Continue reading →
Universities and the logic of public interest
September 22, 2011 Prof. Colin Talbot Politics, Public Management, Spending, Whitehall
My trade union, UCU, is campaigning against the establishment of "private" universities in the UK. They have a point about the way in which this is being done, which is in my view with reckless disregard for quality and probity issues which could damage the whole UK higher education sector. Continue reading →
Apple and the perils of success – lessons for public management
The shine has just come my Apple experience. I still think they produce the best computers, but my experience over the past week points to some potential problems for them, and some lessons for public management. Continue reading →
Fuzzy Performance [and fuzzy-set comparative analysis call for papers]
Last week I did a session at the Audit Commission (yes, despite Mr Pickles best efforts they are still there, just).
The subject was "Fuzzy Performance" and I outlined to about 40 expert staff why I and some colleagues are exploring using "fuzzy-set comparative case" analysis to explore issues of performance in public organisations.
I should explain that "fuzzy" here absolutely does not mean unrigorous or sloppy or anything like that – quite the opposite: fuzzy-set technology is widespread – your washing machine or fridge, if it's new enough, probably has some fuzzy-set based controls on a chip in it somewhere.
In social science Charles Ragin has spent 20 years or more developing a rigorous application of set theory, and most recently fuzzy set theory, to exploring complex causal relationships and finding a way of teasing out the configurations that lead to specific outcomes. He and colleagues have developed various methods and software which go under the generic title of "Qualitative Comparative Analysis" or QCA.
Several researchers are already using QCA to explore public management and related issues – for example:
Philipp Krause's excellent analysis of developments in executive control of public spending.
Carsten Schneider's work on the consolidation of democracy in Europe and Latin America
Polly Rozova's critique of overly quantitative methods and exploration of QCA
One way we want to take these developments forward Philipp Krause and I are trying to organise a panel at the next IRSPM conference in Rome. Below is the call for out Panel:
IRSPM XVI Rome 2012
Beyond the Paradigm Wars: Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) -impacts and prospects as an approach to advancing public management knowledge
Colin Talbot, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK and Phillip Krause, World Bank, Washington DC, USA
Research on public management has been dominated for many years by two radically different approaches that are usually seen as mutually exclusive – ontologically, epistemologically and methodologically. On the one had there has been a great deal of qualitative case-study work, including usually fairly small-n case comparisons. On the other, there has been a lot of quantitative analysis of large-n data sets.
Both approaches have produced useful work and major problems – the former often reach conclusions that are difficult to generalise whilst the latter often produce precise but weak conclusions. Proponents of both approaches have often engaged in somewhat futile debates about their relative merits.
An alternative approach using systematic comparison of small to medium-n cases using 'Qualitative Comparative Analysis' (QCA)[1] – has been gaining ground in recent years – mostly in political science (e.g. comparative politics, democratic systems, etc) and historical sociology (e.g. welfare state studies) (Rihoux and Ragin 2009). But it has made smaller, but still significant, contributions in public policy and management (e.g. Peters 1997; Kitchener, Beynon et al. 2002; Krause 2009; Rizova 2011).
The purpose of this panel is to assess the contribution so far, and future prospects, of the broad QCA approach in public management. The approach appears to offer many advantages in the analysis of complex causal configurations. It perhaps also can be used to take advantage to the large number of data sets that have emerged about public administration and management in recent tears, both within and between countries, as a result of the 'performance movement' (Radin 2006; Talbot 2010).
Papers are welcomed that either apply the QCA approach (with an emphasis of the contribution of the approach) or take a broader view of the methodological issues posed by QCA for public management research (including reflections on previously published research).
Colin Talbot and Phillip Krause
Kitchener, M., M. Beynon, et al. (2002). "Qualitative Comparative Analysis and Public Services Research – lessons from an early application." Public Management Review 4(4): 485-504.
Krause, P. (2009). A Leaner, Meaner Guardian? A qualitative comparative analysis of executive control over spending. Discussion Paper, Deutsches Institut fur Entwicklungspolitik (German Development Institute).
Peters, G. B. (1997). "Policy Transfers between governments: the case of administrative reform." West European Politics 20(4): 71-88.
Radin, B. (2006). Challenging the Performance Movement: Accountability, Complexity, And Democratic Values, Georgetown Univ Pr.
Rihoux, B. and C. C. Ragin, Eds. (2009). Configurational Comparative Methods – Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) and Related Techniques. Applied Social Research Methods Series, Sage.
Rizova, P. (2011). "Finding testable Causal Mechanisms to Address Critical Public Management Issues." Journal of Comparative Policy Anlysis 13(1): 105-114.
Talbot, C. (2010). Theories of Performance – organizational and service improvement in the public domain. Oxford, Oxford University Press (forthcoming).
[1] QCA is used here to denote the general approach rather than detailed or specific techniques.
Soviet Planning Meets Parliamentary Boundaries, and it'll end in tears
September 13, 2011 Prof. Colin Talbot Politics, Public Management, Whitehall
The imposition of soviet-style 'one size fits all' Parliamentary constituencies on the complex organic realities of England is an extraordinarily clumsy and contentious move.
It smacks of moving towards Amercan-style boundary 'Gerry mandering', as well as distancing Parliamentary representation from real local communities. From a government supposedly committed to 'localism' this is a strange move, to say the least.
Now the realities of what these changes mean have become obvious, the legal changes needed to implement it look to be in severe danger from disgruntled MPs and Peers. Look out for another screeching U-turn in the near future.
Politicising the Met Won't Help Policing
September 13, 2011 Prof. Colin Talbot Politics, Public Management
The appointment of Bernard Hogan-Howe as the new Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police is a political appointment, and all the poorer for it.
I don't mean Mr Hogan-Howe is a Tory, although he has been publicly cosying up to their law and order agenda. I mean that the decision to appointment him, as opposed to Hugh Orde, was clearly politically motivated.
With public concern about the Met at a high level, and especially worries about relationships between the police, politicians and press after the phone hacking scandal led to the departure of the last Commissioner, it seems extraordinary that such a clearly politically motivated appointment should be made.
Most informed insiders thought Hugh Orde was the best qualified candidate, as did the two panels who looked in detail. But they have been overruled by the political concerns of the Tory Home Secretary and Tory London Mayor. This is bad news for the future of policing.


text:
#include "portNameConverter.h"

#include <qrgui/plugins/toolPluginInterface/usedInterfaces/errorReporterInterface.h>

using namespace generatorBase::converters;
using namespace qReal;

PortNameConverter::PortNameConverter(const QString &pathToTemplates
		, QList<kitBase::robotModel::PortInfo> const &ports
		, qReal::ErrorReporterInterface &errorReporter)
	: TemplateParametrizedConverter(pathToTemplates)
	, mPorts(ports)
	, mErrorReporter(errorReporter)
{
}

QString PortNameConverter::convert(const QString &portNameOrAlias) const
{
	QString portName;
	for (const kitBase::robotModel::PortInfo &port : mPorts) {
		if (port.name() == portNameOrAlias || port.nameAliases().contains(portNameOrAlias)) {
			portName = port.name();
			if (port.name() == portNameOrAlias) {
				// Port name is first-priority cause, for example, M1 in TRIK may be an alias for B1.
				break;
			}
		}
	}

	if (portName.isEmpty()) {
		mErrorReporter.addWarning(QObject::tr("Port %1 is unknown. It will be generated as-is.").arg(portNameOrAlias));
		return portNameOrAlias;
	}

	const QString portTemplate = QString("ports/%1.t").arg(portName);
	return readTemplateIfExists(portTemplate, portName);
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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Redskins removing ex-owner Marshall from Ring of Fame
FILE – In this Dec. 14, 2017, file photo, the George Preston Marshall monument outside RFK stadium in Washington is shown. The Washington Redskins are removing former owner George Preston Marshall from their ring of fame and striking all references to him on their website, a spokesman confirmed Wednesday, June 24, 2020. It's the latest move made to cut ties with the legacy of the team's racist founder, who refused to integrate by signing Black players until "forced to do so" in 1962, more than a decade after the rest of the NFL. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
The Washington Redskins are removing former owner George Preston Marshall from their Ring of Fame and striking all references to him on their website.
A spokesman confirmed the decisions Wednesday, saying Marshall's name has already been removed from the history wall at the team's training facility in Ashburn, Virginia. The spokesman said the Ring of Fame is removing Marshall's name from its stadium in Landover, Maryland, on Wednesday and the process to alter the website is underway.
"I don't have any feelings against it," Marshall's granddaughter, Jordan Wright, told The Associated Press in a phone interview. "My sense has always been if anybody's offended by these things, then that's OK with me. They should take it down."
It's the latest move to cut ties with the legacy of the team's racist founder, a segregationist who refused to integrate by signing Black players until forced to in 1962, more than a decade after much of the rest of the NFL.
Last week, the team renamed the lower bowl FedEx Field that bore Marshall's name after late Hall of Famer Bobby Mitchell, the franchise's first Black player. A day earlier, Events DC removed a statue of Marshall from the team's former home at RFK Stadium in Washington.
Wright said she has tried for years to have the statue removed from the RFK Stadium grounds but wasn't notified when it happened last week.
"Although it was a big surprise, it wasn't anything that I hadn't already tried to put in motion," she said.
Marshall owned the franchise from its inception in 1932 and moved the team from Boston to Washington several years later. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963 and died in 1969.
"His contributions are well noted in many books and statistics, and his halftime shows and the rules of the game and things that he instituted, and he's still in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton," Wright said. "That's fine. That's where it belongs — in history —and if they change it, OK. I don't really care. I'm not offended."
The Hall of Fame last week said nothing in its bylaws allows for a member's removal once elected, adding that enshrinement "is based on accomplishments on the field for players and coaches and, in the case of contributors, for growing and promoting the game."
The recent national debate over racism has renewed calls for current owner Dan Snyder to change the team's name. A spokesman last week said the team had no comment, and the NFL did not respond to questions about the future of the name.
Wright said changing the name is something that "has to be done." She's fine with Marshall's name being removed from the Ring of Fame in large part because she expects the team to move out of FedEx Field and into a new stadium in the near future.
With that could come a return to the District of Columbia and potentially a new moniker for the team Marshall named.
"It's a new age," Wright said. "It has been. But there have been a lot of people living in a bubble that, let's just say, their consciousness hasn't been raised, even though there's every kind of evidence that it should be by now."
Capitals to debut 'Reverse Retro' alternate jerseys next month
by Grace Grill / Jan 19, 2021
ARLINGTON, Va. (WDVM) - The Washington Capitals announced on Tuesday that they will debut their 'Reverse Retro' alternate jerseys next month, Feb. 9 vs. the Philadelphia Flyers.
The new alternates stay true to our nation's colors, but feature a familiar screaming eagle design, reminiscent of the sweaters worn by Peter Bondra, Olie Kolzig and Calle Johansson - to name a few - during the 1997-98 season.
Fairfax residents over 65 and high-risk ages 16-64 now able to make a COVID-19 vaccine appointment
Fairfax County Park Authority releases plans for North Hill Park development
Thousands sign up for unauthorized COVID-19 vaccine appointments in Maryland
Frederick veteran works to help other veterans
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text:
An Expected Self-Indulgence
The more I heard about The Hobbit in the lead up to its release the more trepidatious I became. The Lord of the Rings, overall, is an excellent adaptation of the book. They're great movies, but they are also great adaptations. Mostly. Except for the few places where Peter Jackson got all self-indulgent and added stuff in just because he liked it better that way. Like the elves at Helm's Deep, which still just makes my ears steam. To hear him say in an interview that he added them in there because he just wanted there to be more elves because he loves elves so much just makes me want to smack him, because what he did completely undermines Tolkien's purpose for that battle.
And let's just not even talk about King Kong, because that was three hours of the most self-indulgent crap ever.
At any rate, the more I heard about what Jackson was doing with The Hobbit, the more I worried that that was what he was doing, making a completely self-indulgent movie. But my wife kept telling me to give him the benefit of the doubt because he'd done such a good job with LotR. >sigh< It turned out I was correct. Jackson needs three movies for his version of The Hobbit because it is exactly that: his version. And his version is not a better a version. In many places, it destroys what Tolkien did just so that Jackson could shove The Hobbit into his version of Middle Earth. [And now I know why the Tolkien family has restricted Jackson from any more of Tolkien's material than he already has access to (meaning he was only allowed what was in The Hobbit and LotR and denied everything else).]
The biggest problem, though, was that, while watching the movie, it was amazing. I mean, it really was amazing! But I couldn't get immersed in it, not completely, because the back of my head kept poking at me, saying, "But it's wrong!" And the problem with that is the farther away from actually watching the movie I get, the more the wrong parts bother me. So, although I enjoyed it while I was actually watching it (most of it, anyway -- the part with domino trees was just DUMB (and took me back to the swinging dinosaurs in Kong, which was also DUMB)), the more I think about it, talk about it, read about it, the more upset about it I get and the less I like it. Which will not keep me from seeing the others and, probably, owning all of them. And that bothers me, too!
And speaking of reading about it, my first impression upon walking out of the movie was that people who have not read the books would probably find more to like in the movie, because they wouldn't have the feeling of wrongness about it that I have. However, the more reviews I look at from people that have no other exposure to Tolkien than the movies (and some that haven't even seen LotR), the more I'm finding that people that don't already like Tolkien don't like this movie. So... if you haven't read Tolkien, you won't like this movie. If you have read Tolkien... well, you might like it if you read Tolkien a long time ago and aren't really "into" it, but if you are really into Middle Earth, I'm not seeing how you can really like what Jackson's done to it.
My sons are good examples of this. My younger son is most upset about the lack of the songs, because they are mostly excluded. And he hates the inclusion of the pale orc. As does my older son. (As do I.) They both have complaints about the movie that are at war with the fact that they enjoyed watching the movie. You shouldn't come out of a movie feeling both "I loved it!" and "I hated it!" You just shouldn't. The short of that is that we are all conflicted about it. Everyone except my daughter, I suppose, because she hasn't read any Tolkien, yet, but, because she lives in a Tolkien-ish environment, she has a predilection toward it.
Or, maybe, people who are really into LotR but not The Hobbit, people that read the trilogy because of the movies but never bothered with Hobbit, will really like it, because Jackson really did everything he could to make this (series of) movie(s) as epic in scope as LotR. But, see, that's not what The Hobbit is, so the movie is continuing to just bother me.
In fact, Jackson just mapped Hobbit onto his LotR template, so it's wrong from the very beginning: the prologue. It worked in Fellowship, because there is so much back story in LotR that the prologue gave us a sense of history that lead up to the events in the trilogy, but it fails completely in An Unexpected Journey. For one thing, Bilbo doesn't all that stuff before he goes off on his journey; he finds out as he goes along, so we lose the sense of discovery that Bilbo had, because Jackson just lays it all out for us at the beginning. I squirmed in my seat during that part, but I was still reserving judgment. By the end of the movie, though, I was annoyed with it.
I was annoyed with it because Jackson uses that bit of prologue to introduce Thorin's non-existent nemesis. Non-existent in the book, I mean. This piece of plot that has been woven in is the biggest weakness of the film. I say that because every member of my family (except my daughter) came out of the movie hating the pale orc. Not necessarily for the same reason, but we all hated him being in the movie. He is so NOT needed.
But, see, the prologue is not the only way we see Jackson trying to harmonize the movies. The fight with the goblins and the Great Goblin is just like the flight through Moria with the falling stairs and all of that with the Great Goblin subbing in as the Balrog. Bilbo puts the ring on for the first time in the very same way that Frodo does. The elves come in and rescue the dwarves from a fight that doesn't even exist in the book. The stone giants... oh, well, I don't know where the heck that crap came from, but it was dumb. Having them would have been great, but having the party end up climbing around on them was ludicrous. And since when were they actually made from stone? Did I say self-indulgent? Oh, yeah, I think I did.
Having said all of that, the movie was still beautiful and wondrous to behold. The acting was... well, Martin Freeman was ohmygosh awesome. And it's a good thing, too, because Jackson gave much of Gandalf's role in the story to Bilbo in order to increase Bilbo's importance at an earlier stage in the story. (Bah!) Richard Armitage (whom I loved in BBC's Robin Hood) was dashing as Thorin and completely not what I expected but in a good way as opposed to the rest of the movie. Dwalin and Kili are the only two other dwarves that get large enough roles to actually comment on beyond the fact that they are there and they are dwarves, and both of them do just fine. If you've seen the other movies, the rest is as should be expected. Oh, the scene with Gollum was excellent in that Andy Serkis was, again, incredible.
Of course, there's Radagast... Sylvester McCoy (a previous Doctor, so I'm pre-disposed toward him already) did a great job with the part he was given; I'm just not quite sure how I feel about that part. On the one hand, I really liked it; on the other, really? Really? That's what Jackson came up with? He had the opportunity to bring Radagast, a character hardly mentioned in any of the books, to life for the first time, and that's what he came up with? Seriously? He had freaking bird poop running down his face! Of course, he had a sleigh pulled by rabbits, too, which was really cool.
I think the real problem with the whole thing is that Jackson didn't have anyone standing next to him during all of this to say, "What the heck? Is that seriously what you're doing there?"
And before anyone starts comparing this with Lucas and the prequels, there is a huge difference: Star Wars belongs to Lucas. He wasn't screwing around with something that belonged to someone else. Middle Earth and The Hobbit don't belong to Jackson, so all the screwing around he did is rather disrespectful to the source material.
Oh, and speaking of Star Wars, there were parts where I felt like I was watching that instead. The Great Goblin was so much Jabba the Hutt. And, actually, the part where the Pale Orc is demanding Thorin's head made me feel like I was at Jabba's court. And, then, there was the line by Galadriel, "The riddle of the morgul blade..." >sigh<
My general reaction to An Unexpected Journey has been much the same as my reaction to The Dark Knight Rises: I enjoyed it while I was watching it, but the more time I have to think about it the more it gets under my skin. Like a thorn. And I'm just picking at it and picking at it trying to get it out but succeeding only in working it deeper. And there are two more of these movies to go! But I really want to see Smaug!
Let's just not talk about the moose, okay. We're gonna try to forget about that altogether.
Now I want to go watch "A Room with a Moose" from Invader Zim, the only place we should have a moose, I'm sure.
Posted by Andrew Leon at 10:50 PM
Labels: Dark Knight Rises, doctor, Gandalf, George Lucas, Hobbit, Invader Zim, King Kong, Lord of the Rings, Martin Freeman, Middle Earth, Peter Jackson, Richard Armitage, Robin Hood, Star Wars, Sylvester McCoy, Tolkien
Alex J. Cavanaugh December 18, 2012 at 3:59 AM
It's been years since I read the book, so i thoroughly enjoyed it. It could've been trimmed in several sections, especially in the beginning, but it was just so cool to watch that I didn't mind.
Tolkien added things in the appendix after writing LOTR so The Hobbit would tie in with the other books. Jackson just added it directly into the movie.
And glad there wasn't more singing. I didn't want a musical.
I wonder what del Toro would've done with the movie?
Overall, I still really enjoyed it despite the changes.
PT Dilloway December 18, 2012 at 6:59 AM
I haven't read the book since 4th Grade so maybe I'd like it, though a voice in the back of my mind would keep saying how I'm being exploited by turning a 300-page book into 9 hours of movies. If I want to see it in a theater maybe I'll wait until it gets to the second-run theater so I can feel better about being exploited.
Anyway, ever since LOTR it seems Jackson forgot that not every movie has to be nearly 3 hours or more. In fact most movies should not be that long.
Gossip_Grl December 18, 2012 at 7:11 AM
I probably won't get to see this movie while it is in theaters, it is on my list to check out when it gets to Redbox.
Donna Smith December 18, 2012 at 8:51 AM
IF I see this, it will be on DVD. I tend to sleep in dark rooms if left in there too long.
I absolutely loved your critique. I'm thinking the way the movie was done annoyed you somewhat. And it is doubly annoying to enjoy parts of the annoyance. I can see your point. I just reread "The Hobbit" recently when my daughter and I did a LDOLMDBS (long distance on line mother daughter book share) so I'm pretty sure I'd find it annoying too, being that fresh in my mind. I hate when a movie isn't true to the book.
BTW: Thanks for the quick delivery of "The House on the Corner". I can't read it until after Christmas. My husband is wrapping it up for me! This is how I get my best gifts!
Briane December 18, 2012 at 9:37 AM
First, I initially was going to see The Hobbit but then heard it was being turned into 3 movies and I'm not sure I want to commit to that, so I'll probably never see it. I will one day Netflix it, and then the DVD will sit on my dresser for two weeks until Sweetie sends it back to get "Step Up: Revolution," which is what happened to Thor.
But, as to your criticisms, I guess it boils down to whether you want a cover version of the song or a remake.
(I know it's not a song, but I used that to make a point.)
If you want a cover version, then you are looking for the artist to bring his or her own perspective to the work, and interpret it for you, showing you what he or she thinks of this work and how it relates to the story that person is trying to tell.
A remake, on the other hand, is simply that: Here is what THEY did, and I have recreated that.
Imagine if I was going to start sculpting, and wanted to re-create "David." I could learn to do it exactly as he did and thereby re-create it, and people would view that, probably, as quite an achievement.
Or I could interpret it myself: I could create a sculpture of the scuptor creating David. Or I could do David in cubes, as a three-dimensional pixellated image. Or David as made up of thousands of tiny doves that I hand-craft and then mold into a human form. Why doves? Because that's what I wanted to do.
Each of those would also be "David," in a sense, but might be disappointing.
If you look at 'The Hobbit' not as Jackson's attempt to re-create the story, but as Jackson's attempt to interpret the story and show people what HE took out of it, then you might like it better.
Michael Offutt, Phantom Reader December 18, 2012 at 10:04 AM
I liked the movie and thoroughly enjoyed it despite the fact that I was in constant pain and did a face plant on the concrete in the IMAX theater.
Andrew Leon December 18, 2012 at 11:08 AM
Alex: I'm fine with him adding stuff from the appendices, but he changed that stuff, too. Like, Azog -was- actually killed in that battle, and Thorin wasn't even present for it.
PT: Yeah, most movies shouldn't be that long. Jackson could have kept this to 3 2 hour movies or, better yet, 2 3 hour movies.
G_G: It's definitely worth seeing. Actually, it's even worth seeing in the theater. It's that kind of big movie.
Donna: Oh, no problem! I hate to have that kind of thing hanging over my head, so I like to take care of them right away.
I really tried to go into the movie with a "clean head," but it just didn't work. Especially when my son started nudging me, saying "that's not right."
Briane: You still haven't seen Thor? Oh, man! I kind of feel responsible for that. You should try renting it again.
Michael: Dude! Ow! But you're okay, though, right?
Just Keepin It Real, Folks! December 18, 2012 at 11:12 AM
My son read the book last year and really wants to see the movie. For me, it might be one of those times where he sees it with a friend and I slip out the back and see the chick flick at the theatre next door.
JKIR,F!: Well, Les Mis is coming up...
Rusty Carl December 19, 2012 at 12:42 PM
Good review. I came away with much more of a positive vibe than you did, but I can understand why you'd get annoyed with changes that you don't feel add to the story.
Rusty: I probably wouldn't even get annoyed with them if Jackson wasn't always on about how true to the source material he always is.
Callie Leuck December 31, 2012 at 10:03 AM
J and I loved Radagast. I was pretty disgusted by the bird poop, and Sauraman's line about Radagast eating "too many mushrooms" just just a BIT cliche. (I wanted to Force-choke him for that line.) The actor really did a great job, and I loved the hares or rabbits or whatever they were. He was a cool character.
I thought the movie was OK, but definitely not worth getting all excited about, and I'm not in tenterhooks waiting for the next one. It was an OK way to spend an evening, but I'm not likely to watch it again, and it's not going into the list of movies my kids should watch, should I ever have kids.
Callie: But, see, I WANT to be excited about it. It's The Hobbit, and I want to be as excited for it as I was about each of the LotR movies. It's disappointing that I'm not, now, going to be excited for the other two.
Nicki Elson January 2, 2013 at 5:23 PM
This is ironic, because it was your post about Tolkien's real passion being for the Middle Earth lore and the Hobbit being more of a fluke that made me okay with the movie departing from straight Hobbit. But then, I'm no expert on the lore, so I was happily oblivious to infractions and thought the movie nicely bridged the lighter fare of The Hobbit with the darker LotR.
It makes me sort of sad that you're not excited for the next two movies. You said you enjoyed The Hobbit while you watched, so...what Briane said. Yeah, I second that. ...and now I have a hankering for a dove David.
Andrew Leon January 2, 2013 at 6:23 PM
Nicki: Unfortunately for me, part of my problem lies in stated intentions. If Jackson had ever just said, "I'm gonna take The Hobbit and incorporate it into my LotR world that I created, I would have been okay with that. Instead, he spent years talking about how loyal to the story he was being and how they weren't changing anything just to find out that he was lying that whole time.
The U2 Countdown
Pantsing, Plotting, and the Grocery List
Cat Angst
The Star Wars Christmas Special
The Problem of Criticism
The Men in Black
Let's Have a (Slim) Christmas Party
Reviewing "Christmas"
My Relationship with Death (part 4)
An Unsponsored Post
Ninja Killer
Tolkien's Failure (an IWSG post)
Douglas' Last Salmon
Investing in a Line


Virtual try on is the only way to go when shopping for glasses now a days. Here is the perfect time to try these glasses from your computer. The butterfly style of the Kam Dhillon 3066 Jasmina Bengal eyeglasses are flirty and fun. Deep rounded lenses are paired with an elegantly arched brow line creating a modern feminine look. The primal pattern of the handmade acetate and thin gold temples make this pair a charming accessory. Virtually try on these exact pair of Kam Dhillon 3066 Jasmina Bengal eyeglasses right now on ViewTry.com.


Medjedu "Horus, the one who hits"
Nebty-r-medjed 'The one who hits for the Two Ladies"
Bikwy-nub "The two golden falcons"
Everyone knows Khufu -- usually seen in English as Cheops -- as the builder of the "Great Pyramid" in Giza -- one of the wonders of the ancient world. After the enormous build ling projects of his father, Sneferu, in Dashur and Maidum, Khufu moved his mortuary temple and monuments tot he great plateau at Giza and raised a pyramid that continues to astound the world today. It is not known why he moved his funerary moments away from not only his father's location (Dashur), but also the great necropolis of Saqqara.
Khufu had many sons, and at least one chronology posits that his was initially succeeded by his eldest son, Kauab but that Kauab was quickly usurped by a younger son, Re-djedef, who would take the throne as Djedefre. The usurper was on the throne only a short time and a third son took the throne -- Khephren.
The two major sources for his reign are wildly different -- Manetho and Herodotus both claim he ruled for 63 years, but the Turin King list only notes 23 years for the successor of Sneferu (although the name of Sneferu's successor is not given). The highest year referenced is the year of the 17th cattle count -- and depending on whether you believe the cattle counts took place annually, or every other year, he ruled for at least 17 or at least 33 years. The fact that we really don't know how often these major "counting events" occurred makes it very difficult to determine just how long each king was in office. Manetho, it has been pointed out, is not the most reliable of source since we really do not have his original works, only translations done centuries afterwards.
Herodotus is viewed much the same way -- quite unreliable. It is clear that his oft-repeated assertion that slaves built the pyramids is untrue. The skilled labor required, and the enormous support systems discovered ont the plateau instead point to the fact that the pyramids were designed and built by artisans, with the "heavy lifting" work done by the farmers and peasants during the time when the Nile was flooded (about four months a year). They were paid and well taken care of during this time, and the belief that the pharaoh was divine made the building of the pyramid desirable work.
The tiny ivory statue was found by Flinders Petrie in 1903 in Abydos. it clearly belongs to Khufu, as the Horus-name is inscribed on the right-hand side. Despite its tiny size, the details of the carving made the expression on the king's face quite recognizable. The king wears the Red Crown (of Lower Egypt) and holds a flail in his right hand. The statue is one of the important artifacts in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
A much larger granite head has also been found that some believe may be part of a statue of Khufu. The dates are right (end of Dynasty III, beginning of Dynasty IV) and the narrow eyes, broad nose and mouth seem to resemble the tiny ivory statue known to be Khufu. However, there are no identifying marks on the head to confirm the identification. It may belong to Huni the last king of Dynasty III.
There were few military threats to Egypt during his reign, although Khufu continued to post a military presence in the Sinai and Nubia to protect his interests there. He continued the expansionist policies of his father and extended the Egyptian borders to include Sinai and Upper Egypt and continued to trade with Syria in the north and Nubia in the south.


Schmitz honored for 30 years on School Board - Hamilton School District.
Hamilton School Board member Gerald Schmitz was honored for 30 years of service to his district during the 2006 State Education Convention in Milwaukee. Schmitz received his award from Wisconsin Association of School Boards (WASB) President Melody Gehrt.
"We know you are dedicated to public service and have the interest of children first in your heart. We thank you for doing a terrific job and for your long-time support of the children in this state and your district," Gehrt said.
Schmitz's service is an outstanding example of the importance for local schools to be governed by their communities, Gehrt pointed out. His years of service have given the public's voice a sense of history, clarity, wisdom and vision.
WASB is a non-profit association that provides information and services to Wisconsin's 426 school districts in the areas of school law, policymaking, bargaining, legislation and professional development.
The State Education Convention was held Jan. 18-20 at the Midwest Airlines Center in Milwaukee.


It's coming up on the 44th anniversary of the most violent day in the history of Ocean Beach – the March 28, 1971 Collier Park Riot. After San Diego police charged a peaceful gathering of hundreds of OBceans, young people and students, street fighting between cops and civilians broke out – and for hours a riot raged in north OB, from what today is Collier Park, all the way to the beach, about a mile.
It was the day that Ocean Beach was – in a very real sense – like Ferguson, Missouri.
Fifty people were arrested, many at the protest were injured, one man was knocked unconscious, a patrol car was set ablaze, and a police officer lost an eye.
It had been a protest against the Vietnam war and against the potential sale of land that Ocean Beach wanted as a park.
Now – 44 years later, the OB Rag is searching for eye-witnesses and any photos taken of the event.
We plan on writing about the day, and have begun interviewing witnesses and collecting photos. So, if you were a witness – either as a participant or as an observer – please contact us. If you have any photos or any kind of footage of the event – please let us know.
Contact us via email: obragblog@gmail.com or leave a comment to this post. And please give us contact info. If you from out of town, we have telephones and would like to interview you.
It was a riot – OBceans fought back after being unjustly attacked. And we/they didn't go peacefully. Many rocks were thrown that day and many residents and students were injured by police. The loss of the eye was brought up in every trial of those who contested their charges. In at least one instance, officers walked up to the porch of a nearby residence and simply arrested a guy and dragged him away. Like I said, it twas OB's most violent day.
Have you contacted Steve Rowell? He took a lot of the pics of OB back in the day and presently.


Lexington, Ky. – US Equestrian is pleased to introduce the 2017 Equestrians of Honor. Voting is now open online.The 2017 Equestrian of the Year will be awarded Thursday evening, January 18 at the Pegasus Awards dinner during the US Equestrian Annual Meeting in Lexington, Ky.
The C.J. "June" Cronan Trophy is presented to those exceling in under saddle show breeds.
In her final year of competition, Nancy Leigh Fisher had a perfect record in 2017, winning each class she entered at the Blue Ridge Classic Horse Show and Kentucky State Fair World's Championship Horse Show. Fisher closed out the competition year, and her impressive career, by claiming victory in the Ladies Amateur Five-Gaited Championship with multi-World Champion, My Wonder, at the World's Championship Horse Show at the Kentucky State Fair. Throughout her 50-year competition career, Fisher has consistently risen to the top. Amongst the dozens of championship results in the past 15 years alone, she was one of only three amateur competitors to win the Five-Gaited World Grand Championship with CH Callaway's Forecaster. Fisher has solidified her legacy as one of the most lauded and respected amateur exhibitors for the American Saddlebred. Her work with the American Saddlebred continues outside of the competition ring with her stallion, Undulata's Nutcracker, one of the most popular Saddlebred stallions of his time.
Laura Graves continued to shine in the dressage ring in 2017, earning numerous impressive results. With her longtime partner Verdades, Graves racked up three FEI Grand Prix wins and three FEI Grand Prix Freestyle wins at the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival to begin the year. The pair then went on to earn the silver medal at the 2017 FEI World Cup™ Dressage Final in Omaha. Graves and Verdades headed to Europe to represent The Dutta Corp. U.S. Dressage Team in FEI Nations Cup™ competitions. At CHIO Rotterdam, they won the FEI Grand Prix and Grand Prix Freestyle and helped the U.S. team earn a gold medal. Graves and Verdades delivered top performances at CHIO Aachen, winning the Grand Prix Special, placing second in the Grand Prix, third in the Grand Prix Freestyle, and aiding the team to a silver medal. Currently ranked number four on the FEI World Individual Dressage Ranking List, Graves peaked as number two in the world in 2017.
This is the third time Graves has won the William C. Steinkraus Trophy.
The Emerson Burr Trophy is presented to an equestrian competing with any horse or pony breed shown in over-fences hunter classes.
Jenny Karazissis collected numerous top placings in the hunter ring throughout 2017. She finished in the top three eight times in international hunter derbies with Legacy, Nonchalant, Really, and Undeniable. In national hunter derbies, Karazissis earned top-two honors five times with Big Shot and Undeniable. In June, she partnered with Undeniable to win the $25,000 World Championship Hunter Rider (WCHR) West Coast Hunter Spectacular at the Blenheim June Classic I. Two months later, Karazissis placed seventh with Legacy in the United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) International Hunter Derby Championship. She then won the $500,000 Diamond Mills Hunter Prix Final with Undeniable and the $25,000 Stal Hendrix Green Futurity Hunter Final with Big Shot at HITS-on-the-Hudson VIII. Karazissis was the 2017 WCHR Southwest Region Reserve Champion Professional and second in the 2017 West Region – USHJA International Hunter Derby Rider Money Won standings. She is currently sitting in sixth on the USHJA Rider Lifetime Money Earned List – International Hunter Derby standings and seventh on USHJA Rider Lifetime Money Earned List – Hunter standings.
This is the first time Karazissis has won the Emerson Burr Trophy.
The Vaughan Smith Trophy is presented to the best rider of any horse or pony breed shown in hunter pleasure, show hack, hunter hack, dressage hack, costume, side saddle, or Western dressage.
Known for their commanding presence in Friesian Armored Costume divisions, Dale Pitcock added Friesian Tandem Riding to his competition repertoire with Hielke D. in 2017. They proved they were serious contenders, winning in their first attempt at the Buckeye Baroque Summer Jubilee in June. He and the 2013 US Equestrian Federation (USEF) Horse of the Year (HOTY) winner, earned the Friesian Armored Costume Regional title at the 2017 Midwest Baroque Horse Regional Championships. They concluded the year winning both the tandem riding and armored costume world titles at the International Friesian Show Horse Association (IFSHA) World and Grand National Championships in October, becoming a two-time winner of the Friesian Quest Armored Costume Open Perpetual Trophy.
Pitcock has competed successfully with Arabian and Friesian horses for the last 17 years. Outside the show ring, he has assisted the Union County Humane Society with multiple horse rescue efforts. He is a member of the Central Ohio Mounted Search Unit.
The Barbara Worth Oakford Trophy is presented to an equestrian competing in a non-reining western discipline.
Josh Quintus serves as the trainer at Colonial Wood Training Center, Inc., in Pilot Point, Texas, and has over 30 years of experience in the Arabian horse industry. Celebrating a year of success, Quintus earned national titles in the Western Pleasure division at the 2017 Arabian Horse Association's (AHA) Canadian and U.S. National Championship Horse Shows, including two national championships in Arabian Western Pleasure and Arabian Western Pleasure Junior Horse, and a reserve national championship in the Half-Arabian/Anglo-Arabian Western Pleasure Futurity and the Arabian Western Pleasure Association (AWPA) Arabian Horse World $100,000 Arabian Western Pleasure Futurity. Additionally, Quintus earned top-10 placings in the Arabian Western Pleasure Open, Arabian Western Pleasure Futurity, and the AWPA Equine Athlete $50,000 Half-Arabian/Anglo-Arabian Western Pleasure Futurity at U.S. Nationals against a field of top horsemen and women.
An all-around horseman, Quintus also holds his national/regional Arabian judges card, and since 2002 has been awarded 87 regional level and 84 national level awards in the Western Pleasure division.
The Norman K. Dunn Trophy is presented to the equestrian competing at halter or in-hand.
Andrew Sellman, owner of and trainer at Argent Farms located in River Falls, Wisc., is a respected horse trainer and an admired leader within the Arabian horse industry. In 2017, Sellman amassed a prestigious and admirable competition record, winning a total of six national championships and nine reserve national championships at the Arabian Horse Association's Canadian and U.S. National Championship Horse Shows. At U.S. Nationals, Sellman placed in 11 out of the 12 classes he entered. He received eight top-10 placings, two reserve national champion titles, and a unanimous national championship in the Arabian Senior Gelding class with Marvellous Xceptshahn.
Sellman's lifetime winnings include 91 national championships, 68 reserve national championships, and 152 national top-10 winners. His regional record boasts 139 championships, 59 reserve championships, and 47 top-five placings. As a sought after Arabian horse handler worldwide, Sellman has been asked to compete and handle horses in the countries of Australia and Brazil.
Gareth Selwood produced several praise-worthy performances in 2017 carriage pleasure driving divisions with Brenda Robert's Annette Fan'E Hamsterheide and Kirk Allgaier's Karsten Van de Noeste Hoeve, proving he remains a prowess in the show ring. Selwood dominated the 2017 International Friesian Show Horse Association (IFSHA) World & Grand National Championship Horse Show with Annette Fan'E Hamsterheide, earning the IFSHA World Carriage Ride and Drive title and World Carriage Driving Turnout title. In addition, they were awarded the Anita Mellott Memorial Driving High Point Perpetual Trophy and the Shakespeare Farm Friesian High Point Perpetual Trophy. Selwood and Karsten Van de Noeste Hoeve won the IFSHA World Country Pleasure Driving Open title and IFSHA World Reserve Champion Sport Horse Pleasure Driving title. Allgaier and Roberts both amassed many world and regional wins in driving divisions with the help of Selwood's training.
Outside of competition, Selwood serves on the board of directors of the IFSHA and American Driving Society's (ADS) affiliate East Aurora Driving Society. He holds his US Equestrian Federation (USEF) judges cards in Morgan, Andalusian/Lusitano, Friesian, and Western. This is the second time Selwood has been awarded the Bill Robinson Trophy. He has also previously been awarded the Norman K. Dunn Trophy.
McLain Ward's international acclaim continued to grow in 2017 as he accumulated victories across North America and Europe. Ward started the season with a win in the $380,000 Suncast Grand Prix CSI5* during the Winter Equestrian Festival with HH Azur. The following month, Ward clinched a home turf victory, winning the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final with HH Azur in Omaha, Neb. This was a particularly sweet victory as the title had eluded him 16 times previously. In May, Ward was successful at the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair, winning the $225,000 Sapphire Grand Prix of Devon with Rothchild. Ward has proven himself a consistent competitor, winning several FEI events on multiple horses, including anchoring the U.S. team to a silver-medal finish at the Longines FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping Final in September. His 2017 competition mounts also included HH Callas, Tina La Boheme, and HH Carlos Z, who was retired this year after winning the $50,000 CSI4*-W Speed Final at the Washington International Horse Show.
Voting closes January 12 at midnight. Find more information, and for a full schedule of US Equestrian's 2018 Annual Meeting, visit www.usef.org/annual-meeting and follow US Equestrian on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
This entry was posted in News and Announcements on December 21, 2017 by ludlumfarms.


text:
AWS Proton is Conway's Law-as-a-Service
AWS, Devops, Guru, re:Invent2020
Dec 9, 2020 7 Minute Read
Is that a good thing? It's … different, anyhow
AWS Proton launched in preview last week to great fanfare and even greater confusion.
If there is one thing that unites the AWS Hero Slack right now, it's that all of us are a little bit confused about what Proton is. We want to like it! But, like … what is it?
— Forrest Brazeal @re:Invent 2020 (@forrestbrazeal) December 1, 2020
"Automated management for container and serverless deployments," says AWS marketing. So this is a tool specifically for deploying serverless apps, like Stackery or Amplify? Nope! I think the reason they're advertising Proton as a solution for "containers and serverless" is that the two provided sample template bundles are for a Lambda CRUD app and a load-balanced Fargate service. But while building your own templates appears to be frustrating, there's no technical limit on the sorts of apps Proton could help you deploy.
Proton itself is "serverless" only in the way CloudFormation is serverless: it's a managed service. So is Proton a new and improved CloudFormation? No, it uses CloudFormation templates all marked up with Jinja, but it operates at a higher level than that.
It took a while to click for me, but Proton is not just another half-baked AWS developer tool. It's doing something I don't believe AWS has ever attempted before.
Proton's innovation is that it builds explicit assumptions about your organization into its technical design.
Proton is Conway's Law-as-a-Service.
Proton assumes a platform team
I've spoken a lot over the years about the phenomenon (and, increasingly, the pathologies) of the central cloud team: the Terraform nerds at the center of a cloud-first org who create tools and standards for everybody else, particularly product developers. In your company, this team might be called the "platform team", the "infrastructure team", or just the "cloud team". It's a remarkably consistent pattern across larger orgs, even if it's ultimately sub-optimal.
In fact, the "one platform team supporting many product dev teams" pattern is so prevalent that AWS, in true customer-obsession mode, has now reasoned backwards from it to design Proton. Proton is a prescriptive way for platform teams to package up environments and infrastructure services, then toss them over the wall to development teams who will consume them. Proton draws the line between automation of infrastructure and development of application code exactly where your average enterprise does.
This means that if you do NOT have a central platform team and multiple dev teams — say, if you are a 10-person startup — Proton is not for you, at least not now, even if you have many Containers and Serverless Apps to deploy. Not for the reason many AWS services will not be for you — because they solve a technical problem you don't have at a cost you can't afford — but because Proton solves the app deployment problem in a way that is incompatible with your organizational structure.
I really can't think of another AWS service that is built this way. Even services like CodePipeline that ship AWS's own organizational philosophy — I'm thinking of its reluctance to support branch-based workflows — do so implicitly and with workarounds. Proton is made for enterprise-shaped orgs. Period.
And that's not a criticism! AWS absolutely should be releasing services designed with specific customer workflows in mind. Heck, I've personally implemented at least three bespoke versions of AWS Proton over the years, and so have many, many other people who've worked on central cloud teams. The hard part was always the separation of duties between what the central team should do and what the development teams should do, and how to get buy-in on that line of separation, wherever you end up drawing it. I even wrote up a janky Service Catalog-y solution in this 2019 piece, which reads in retrospect like a cry for help.
Proton is prescriptive in the sense that it gives you a pre-baked pattern for coordinating application delivery, but descriptive in the sense that this pattern wasn't dreamed up as an arbitrary "best practice" – it's simply a canonization of what AWS sees customers already doing. In this way, it reminds me more of the reference architectures we often see open-sourced by AWS solutions architects and partners, rather than a typical top-level service.
But is Proton a good idea?
Proton's been released in preview and is not fully baked yet, so I won't offer specific technical nitpicks here, but I'd like to address a criticism that I've already heard quite a bit from central cloud teams: "Proton doesn't simplify the process of creating deployment infrastructure nearly enough to be helpful!"
I justified my "pragmatic CI/CD design" last year by pointing out that, while it involved complex templating, that complexity was distributed mostly where you'd want it: on the shoulders of the platform team. (Their job is YAML! They can deal with it!) Proton has made the same calculation, and drawn the lines of separation mostly in the same places. They are giving raw, somewhat labor-intensive controls to platform teams in order to present a streamlined deployment workflow to app dev teams, with all that nasty infrastructure abstracted away. (Maybe that's a second reason Proton could be called "serverless?" No server automation for dev teams?)
Far from being too complicated, I worry that Proton may in fact be oversimplified. Because at the enterprise level, it's well-nigh impossible to create deployment templates that are really general enough to work out of the box for a diverse portfolio of app teams. Sure, you'll have a set of "happy path" teams that your templates support quite nicely. But then there are the edge cases, the teams that need services you don't support or workflows you can't accommodate. How do you keep them from dropping off into shadow IT … or worse, ballooning every template into an unusable mass of one million parameters?
These are teams who maybe should be building some of their own infrastructure, who should have less centralized dictation and more decentralized enablement. That's the "Umbrella" pattern of org -> CI/CD expression I called for earlier this year, in a blog that reads like lost minutes from a Proton design session. It's the pattern I'm seeing more and more forward-thinking organizations adopt – those who've run with the central cloud team long enough to realize its limits.
Central cloud teams are bottlenecks, even if 80% of organizations haven't matured enough to figure this out. And that leads to the most curious question of all: Will teams complex enough to need Proton eventually become too sophisticated to use Proton?
That remains to be seen, but I do hope that as Proton evolves, it will lead its customers toward sustainable best practices, instead of productizing the organizational mistakes of the past. Customer obsession is great, but as Andy Jassy said in last week's keynote — sometimes you have to give them not what they ask for, but what they need.


text:
Medical Artifact Collection at Western
Western University Lawson Hall, 2nd floor Department of History
London, Ontario N6A 5B8
Prof Shelley Mckellar, The Jason A. Hannah Chair in the History of Medicine
smckell@uwo.ca
http://www.medicalhistory.uwo.ca/
http://www.medicalhistory.uwo.ca/database/search.htm
The Medical Artifact Collection at Western contains over 1200 artifacts, representing the practice and teaching of health and medicine in southwestern Ontario.
In 2004, Professors Shelley McKellar and Michelle Hamilton re-developed the collection to become a more viable teaching and research collection for university students and community researchers interested in material culture, object study, regional practices as well as any number of themes in the history of health and medicine.
It is not a museum open to the public, but the collection can be viewed online at http://www.medicalhistory.uwo.ca/ . We are happy to facilitate requests from researchers interested in visiting the collection.
Originating with the Faculty of Medicine at Western in the late nineteenth century, our collection includes a range of objects related to cardiology, opthalmology, dentistry, pharmacology, surgery, homeopathy, obstretrics, phlebotomy, veterinary and military medicine, microscopy, anatomy, and alternative medicine from the late eighteenth to late twentieth centuries.
Visit our exhibits in Lawson Hall, or explore our website to learn more about our collection.
History of Alternative Medicine; History of Anatomy; History of Dentistry; History of Homeopathy; History of Immunology; History of Medicine; History of Midwifery; History of Military/Naval Medicine; History of Neurology; History of Nursing; History of Oncology; History of Ophthalmology and Optometry; History of Orthopedics; History of Pathology; History of Public Health; History of Quackery and Health Fraud; History of Radiology; History of Surgery; History of Women in Medicine; History of the Practice of Medicine; Materia Medica


text:
The range of Charbonnel inks is carefully developed in the company laboratories to obtain a quality that meets the expectations, even the most demanding, of our customers and to offer a balanced and complete color chart. The inks of this range give power, ease of drying, resistance to light to guarantee the permanence of the works. The color coded system also features metallic shades (gold and silver). The 58 colors of the intaglio ink are composed of micronized pigments, embedded in a binder, a polymerized linseed oil. The colors are miscible into each other. Preferably, they are applied on steel or zinc plates. To be sure of a perfect drying of the ink, it is advisable to wait a fortnight.
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text:
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Justice Mustaque...
Justice Mustaque Delivers First Annual Lecture In Memory Of Late Advocate Jijo Paul
LiveLaw Network
4 Feb 2019 9:07 AM GMT
Kerala High Court judge, Justice A. Muhamed Mustaque on Saturday delivered a lecture on 'Secularism and Indian Constitution', as a part of the yearly lecture conducted in the memory of Advocate Jijo Paul.Justice Mustaque began with a brief history of the evolution of constitutional law and an insight into the beginning of a few European constitutions. He went on to explain how the...
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Kerala High Court judge, Justice A. Muhamed Mustaque on Saturday delivered a lecture on 'Secularism and Indian Constitution', as a part of the yearly lecture conducted in the memory of Advocate Jijo Paul.
Justice Mustaque began with a brief history of the evolution of constitutional law and an insight into the beginning of a few European constitutions. He went on to explain how the constitution serves as a contract which we, as Indians, have entered into and given to ourselves. He added that therefore, each one of us are bound by our contractual obligation in preserving and honouring our commitment to ourselves in keeping the sanctity of the Constitution of India.
Justice Mustaque also spoke about the 42nd amendment to the Constitution of India, when the words 'socialist secular' were added to the Preamble to the Constitution. He ended his address with the faith that religions will keep the spirit of secularism alive—when the Hindus practice Dharma, the Christians follow the principle of love and the Muslims bring in compassion.
The lecture was organised in remembrance of Advocate Paul, who passed away in December, 2011. He is survived by his wife, Sonia Jijo and two kids, Miriam Jijo and Lucy Jijo.
Advocate Paul studied law from Government Law College, Calicut in 1989, and enrolled as a lawyer in 1995. He began his practice at Thrissur District Court as a junior to Late Adv. K Devadas. He then moved to Kerala High Court under Late Senior Advocate Retna Singh. He also worked with Late Senior Advocate BS Krishnan, before starting an independent practice.
Post his demise, the NGO 'JanaNeethi' has been conducting lectures every year in his memory. The organisation of the lectures was taken over by Jijo's friends last year.
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Low Cost Drain Plumbing, 98-501 Koauka Loop Apt #1008 Aiea, HI 96701 (808-753-0651). Whether you're in search of details about Low Cost Drain Plumbing, trying to find a high Contractors – Plumbers & Plumbing enterprise close to me or within zip code 96701, or just trying to locate a company that offers Plumbing Contractors near Aiea HI, you can see that will fulfill your search.
What causes a clogged drain? A clogged drain is often caused by the gradual accumulation of natural matter like hair and grease on the within walls of drain pipes. Over time, this build-up slows down the normal circulation of water via the pipe, much like cholesterol in the bloodstream. When a clump of particles or a wad of hair tries to go via the pipe, it may grow to be caught and utterly block the movement. The result's a clogged bathtub or sink drain.
Drain clearing cable machines, additionally called augers", are motorized, snake-like instruments that spin violently inside drains to chop through blockages. They work finest for clearing easy, single-drain clogs or reducing by way of tree roots. Although we're competitively priced, we are going to never compromise our service quality for it. We try to serve with our all out, utmost, best service that we are able to provide our Oahu clients with regardless of the price.
Sewer line backups can also be attributable to human habits, as we mentioned briefly above. Hair, grease, female products, food scraps and all those odds and ends that can get flushed or poured down the drain over time can get caught up on ridges in the pipes, in those bellies, on roots or can simply overwhelm the system. These guys are awesome! I called Furniture Outlet in about my sink being totally clogged they usually got here in just some hours and stuck it in just a few minutes. Overall nice experience. Highly suggest. Also, I've heard that a daily, once a month routine of the baking soda/vinegar/boiling water tip is sweet preventative maintenance.
Once the sewer line is cleared from the blockage and a camera inspection is done, the plumber may make some recommendations. If there is nothing mistaken with the sewer line itself, they might recommend that Furniture Stores you change behaviors based on their findings. For instance, if they pull child wipes or material cleaning wipes out of the road, they may suggest that you just stop flushing these objects.


Sean Dézart, in and around Zs for 26 years now, current President of the French Datsun club (with nearly 1300 members - not all active of course), previous Dutch Z club member for 4 years and before that Chairman and events organiser of the UK Z club : I'm currently rebuilding my 1973 240Z.
Around 4 years ago I discovered that nobody was marketing reasonably priced s-steel exhausts so I set to it.
I've sold modestly into Europe since and developpped and evolved the goods until now I feel confident to sell to a larger and more distant market.
I'm looking at less expensive methods of shipping, currently $380 (tracked and insured) for a header and exhaust (with standard rear muffler) and JDM rear muffler.
I'll be very happy to answer any and all questions and I'll be posting up some tech speak for us geeks that love talking numbers !
Those are beautiful. and the use of Vband clamps are perfect.
would be interessted in 3/4" primary pipe Full-race header. do you have a quote for s&h inside europe ?
This looks very promissing. There is a definite void in a good quality race header in North America for L-series engines.
1) Did you used to sell through MJP Eastern Auto?
2) Do all the headers clear left hand drive S30 & S130 chassis?
3) What wall size & type of stainless are you using?
4) It appears from the photos that the race header has equal length primaries vs the street. Is this correct & what length are the equal length primaries?
5) What is the collector to exhaust pipe size? I'm assuming that 2.5" is it based on header back exhaust you are also selling. Just nice to confirm.
6) Are the prices in U.S. dollars or GBP?
Hiya, thanks for the questions and sorry for the delay – had to get away from the kids homework and the wifes' housework and then open up a box to double check – I wouldn't want to make a gaff in front of the world here !
I can't honestly say yet – I'm waiting to test fit the two race versions but the Street-sport version fits. For the S130s, I can't say for any yet - I'm waiting for my promised guinea pig 280ZX and dreading passing the steering box on the early versions.
200 series' steels - also referred to as chromium-manganese (CrMn) stainless steels are considered a cost effective substitute for 300 series stainless steels.
They are generally harder and stronger primarily due to their higher nitrogen content) that can provide an additional benefit of improved yield strength.
Series 200 stainless steels have excellent impact resistance and toughness, even in low temperatures.
Because they are austenitic*, the 200 series' of stainless steels are not magnetic.
*Austenitic steels are non-magnetic in the annealed condition.
Known for their formability and resistance to corrosion, austenitics are the most widely used grade of stainless steel.
They have good formability and weld-ability, as well as excellent toughness, particularly at low, even cryogenic, temperatures. Austenitic grades also have a low yield stress and relatively high tensile strength.
Quoted in USD (doesn't the $ sign appear correctly ?).
The JDM rear silencer has a 62mm entry and 2x 50mm exits.
The flange thickness is 15mm and has a cut-out to allow for better fitting above the thermostat housing.
This plus the thick flange give amply opportunity to considerably machine out the ports where necessary.
gacksen - replied seperately - really nice engine you have !
Bludestiny - thanks - Nissan Primera BTCC specifications were my inspiration.
I recently bought a full exhaust kit (sport header, exhaust kit and JDM muffler) from Sean and I would like to recommend his parts and customer service.
Sean answered all of my questions, shipped fast, and helped me out with anything else I needed. Now just looking forward to getting them installed.
I bought the Jdm muffler from Sean and its very nice product with an awsome sound.
I do not doubt the quality of workmanship on these headers as I was looking into them about 8 months ago through MJP but unfortunately they could not fullfil the order due to being in the midst of moving their business. I am interested in the full race header however Sean must confirm that this header clears steering components on left hand drive vehicles I suspect others here in North America are intersted in the race header as well & are waiting on this confirmation before making a purchase.
Andreas: Can you post sound clip?
I recall reading on Sean's business page on Facebook, "Zstory", that he designed all of his headers to clear LHD vehicles - the logic being that is it works for LHD, then it will certainly also work for RHD.
So yes, LHD clearance won't be an issue.
Only got this sound clip!
Hi and thanks - yes, that is the logic applied although these are specifically designed for LHD Zs for one basic and obvious reason.....a bigger potentiel market !
My apologies for the late reply - I don't know why but I'm not getting notifications despite having selected 'yes' !
Sound very good! Do you have only that rear silencer?
Only the rear silencer from Sean the rest of the system are from Thezstore, 2 1/12 pipes and 6-1 headers.
2+2 prototype extension part made up !
In fact this is an exhaust I fitted on this 2+2 nearly 4x years ago - it has lasted well being a daily driver is less than dry-state conditions !
Street-sport header and exhaust fitted to a 2 seater 280Z.
Sean, did you fabricate that shield yourself?
Sorry, maybe losing something in the UK English translation...what do you mean by shield please ?
Oh, sorry. In the sixth picture in your post immediately previous to mine there is a thin metal plate between the exhaust and transmission tunnel. I'm just curious if that is something "unique" or maybe something you plan on producing for sale? Everyone knows the Z-cars transmit a lot of heat through the tunnel and that looks like one of the best solutions I have seen.
No, it was standard on the car - a 280Z 2 seater.
Talking of shields, even though it would hide the pretty pipes, I would always reccomend a proper heatsheild under the carbs down to the chassi rail (see photo).
Looks are nice but efficiency wins !
Same car, shield and L28 but with 2" Jaguar SUs changed to Motorbike carbs.
No kidding? Well if it was standard on my 78 someone took it off. Interesting.
This 280Z in question is a 1978 also.
Can't imagine why anyone would remove yours - the weight saved is negligible but it happens with 240Z stone guards under the rad - people remove them for maintenance and then forget or don't see the real value then their kid cycles over it, it gets left out in the yard, rusts and eventually binned !
thx for sending over the header. have received it in the meantime but could not put it in yet.


Our healthcare team exemplifies outstanding professionalism through an unwavering commitment to constantly provide the highest quality comprehensive patient care built on education and leadership.
Education: Promote an environment that emphasizes ongoing education to continually advance the pursuit of personal and professional growth.
Patient Care: To create a therapeutic alliance with each individual patient that promotes timely comprehensive care for every member of the community with efforts to proactively produce health and wellness while treating disease.
Comprehensive Communication: Foster an environment centered on consistent, constructive, and transparent communication.
Nurturing: Build relationships that encourage individuals to reach their maximum potential through mutual respect and accountability.
Teamwork: Unified commitment to work together for the benefit of our patients and each other.
Great Educators: We will be the highest quality educators in the family medicine environment by modeling excellent patient care, maintaining highest standards for care, instructing in clinic and classroom, and providing structured mentoring.
Quality of Care: Consistently provide the most current standard of quality medical care to our patients by emphasizing efficient use of all available resources.


Java Authentication and Authorization Service (JAAS) is the API, which provides flexible and scalable standard security features for your applications. JAAS helps in the enforcement of access control over the resources to be secured. With the release of JAAS, Java has evolved as the general purpose language for development of applications which need the login and access control.
JAAS helps in the two important aspects of security - authentication, and authorization. Reliability and security can be assured by authenticating the user who is trying to access the access-controlled object or trying to execute the java code. The code may be running as an application, an applet, a bean or a servlet.
Authorization is assuring whether the user has the permission or privilege to do the action performed.
The authentication is being done on the basis of who is executing the code irrespective of the fact that the code is an application, an applet, a bean or a servlet.
Authorizing the users for the permission granted to them for the action being performed by them.
JAAS is a pure Java technology.
Flexible access policy for users.
JAAS has definitely simplified the java security development by introducing an abstraction layer between the application and the authentication and authorization mechanism being used. This abstraction helps in using the different security mechanism of our choice without changing the code in the application.
The application directly interacts with the LoginContext. LoginContext works as the interface between the application and the set of one or more LoginModules, which are directly configured. These LoginModules are actually responsible for handling the authentication using a security infrastructure.
JAAS also provides reference LoginModule implementations and we can develop our switch modules. A simple configuration file is just enough to help in setting up the application with a choice of implementations. see figure below.


text:
Q: java.lang.IllegalStateException: Already installed InitialContextProperties I am trying to run a unit test using TestNG with Eclipse (right-click in unit test-> run as TestNg Test). The test fails right away during init phase. I think this is related to testng is loading two different datasources but I have no idea how to fix that. This is the stack trace:
May 15, 2015 11:52:32 AM  org.jboss.seam.microcontainer.TransactionManagerFactory getTransactionManager
INFO: starting JTA transaction manager
May 15, 2015 11:52:32 AM org.jboss.seam.microcontainer.DataSourceFactory getDataSource
INFO: starting Datasource at JNDI name: java:/datasource1
May 15, 2015 11:52:32 AM org.jboss.seam.microcontainer.DataSourceFactory getDataSource
INFO: starting Datasource at JNDI name: java:/DefaultDS
FAILED CONFIGURATION: @BeforeClass init
java.lang.RuntimeException: java.lang.IllegalStateException: Already installed InitialContextProperties
at com.pinncorp.mock.SeamTest.startJbossEmbeddedIfNecessary(SeamTest.java:223)
at org.jboss.seam.mock.AbstractSeamTest.startSeam(AbstractSeamTest.java:915)
at com.pinncorp.mock.SeamTest.init(SeamTest.java:133)
at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:39)
at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:25)
at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:597)
at org.testng.internal.MethodInvocationHelper.invokeMethod(MethodInvocationHelper.java:84)
at org.testng.internal.Invoker.invokeConfigurationMethod(Invoker.java:564)
at org.testng.internal.Invoker.invokeConfigurations(Invoker.java:213)
at org.testng.internal.Invoker.invokeConfigurations(Invoker.java:138)
at org.testng.internal.TestMethodWorker.invokeBeforeClassMethods(TestMethodWorker.java:175)
at org.testng.internal.TestMethodWorker.run(TestMethodWorker.java:107)
at org.testng.TestRunner.privateRun(TestRunner.java:767)
at org.testng.TestRunner.run(TestRunner.java:617)
at org.testng.SuiteRunner.runTest(SuiteRunner.java:334)
at org.testng.SuiteRunner.runSequentially(SuiteRunner.java:329)
at org.testng.SuiteRunner.privateRun(SuiteRunner.java:291)
at org.testng.SuiteRunner.run(SuiteRunner.java:240)
at org.testng.SuiteRunnerWorker.runSuite(SuiteRunnerWorker.java:52)
at org.testng.SuiteRunnerWorker.run(SuiteRunnerWorker.java:86)
at org.testng.TestNG.runSuitesSequentially(TestNG.java:1224)
at org.testng.TestNG.runSuitesLocally(TestNG.java:1149)
at org.testng.TestNG.run(TestNG.java:1057)
at org.testng.remote.RemoteTestNG.run(RemoteTestNG.java:111)
at org.testng.remote.RemoteTestNG.initAndRun(RemoteTestNG.java:204)
at org.testng.remote.RemoteTestNG.main(RemoteTestNG.java:17

Thanks in advance...

A: I would suggest please clear all the build path and testng libraries, clean your project and start afresh, it would certainly work. if not try it in different workspace altogether.

A: I get the following error:

java.lang.IllegalStateException: jboss.web.deployment:war=/my_app is already installed

which is not identically to yours, but is pretty similar.
What I did was to place two .ear files in the /deploy folder of my server (JBOSS). To be more specific, I renamed the existing .ear by appending "_backup" to its name, then I pasted the new .ear. The solution was to keep only one .ear file in the deploy folder.
This might not be the solution to your problems, but I think it might help other people which google for the same error.


text:
The Industrial Reporter ©
Hard hitting news, comment and analysis
Wolverhampton: Council cuts caused by government "ideological dogma," trades unionists say
Image Posted on January 14, 2014 Updated on January 14, 2014
Trades unionists expressed their anger today at massive cuts to key Wolverhampton services, which are predicted to reach £123 million over the next 5 years.
The city council agreed the emergency package last week, after the government said they would cut the council grant by £147 million, a 52 per cent reduction in real terms compared to 2010/2011, leading to only the most "essential services" being maintained.
Further job losses, on top of the 1,000 already announced, plus huge reductions in redundancy payouts for council workers are expected in the coming months.
President of Wolverhampton and Bilston District Trades Council Marie Taylor – an umbrella organisation for thousands of workers in the city, said:
"Staff who have committed their working lives to public service, some with over twenty five years of loyalty find themselves redundant and labelled a scrounger."
"It is hard to believe the assertions, that the economy is on the mend and we are beginning a period of growth when it is obvious that there are no green shoots of recovery in Wolverhampton."
Libraries across the city will also see huge cuts in hours, with the longstanding library in Whitmore Reans losing 10 hours a week.
Ms Taylor said:
"The ideological dogma of the government around austerity measures is forcing local councils to make unprecedented cuts to services at a time when people need them most."
– For latest updates from Wolves TUC, please visit: http://www.wolvestuc.org.uk/
NELSON MANDELA DIES: Trade unionists pay tribute from across the world
Low paid workers in nationwide protest


Inland manufactures a wide variety of countersinks in many different diameters and lengths to accommodate all your countersinking hole needs. The ventilated waterholes provide a better quality finish while maximizing the life of the tool. Rather it be for a Besana, Schiatti, Bavelloni, Bottero, Top Drill, Forvet, Glassline, or other, we have it. We carry in stock, the Belgium mount and 3/8" straight shank in a large variety of sizes to quickly accommodate your needs.


Something is missing amid our present superabundance of new fictions, new talents, and even new seriousness. We lack novels that address the idea of literature as equipment for living. The literature of the past was full of such ideas, of characters who turn to novels to change their lives (no matter how badly things often turned out). So what would a contemporary Don Quixote, Madame Bovary, or Anna Karenina be like? The characters wouldn't make the same mistakes—trying to live their lives as though following the script of a novel—but their reading might still change them in unexpected ways. Imagine a new novel about the conflicts within our present-day readers. Call it "The Good Reader" or "The Interpreters," or maybe "The Good and the Bored." What would this novel be like, and where are the characters who will fill its pages?
Our generation seems far too aware that reading is safe and fun, that literature is spectacle. Readers of all kinds tend to feel transported or shocked, to experience a style the way people thrill to a virtuoso pianist, to have an adventure, to feel empowered (though not to be empowered), to get turned on. In the grip of these tendencies, we feed our voyeurism, hero-worship, lust, nostalgia, our desires to identify and project. We are vampires who yearn to warm our shivering lives with the deaths we read about, as Walter Benjamin remarked about an earlier generation of readers alienated from their communal experiences and lured into cities. We fortify our blood with ink about imaginary others. This relationship to books mirrors uncomfortably our relationship to the world: citizens of the freest of countries, yet we are wrought upon from without. We live in a cloud of vague dangers, neither clear nor present. Unelected judges appoint our president, and a man in a suit (once a Greenspan, now a Bernanke) determines whether stocks, prices, and unemployment rates rise or fall. Consent is all that is asked of us, or suspension of disbelief. And it seems that our ever increasing supply of fictions does nothing but abet the cultivation of this decadent passivity, an ideological apparatus all the more insidious for not belonging to the state.
This criticism of readers is as old as prophetic castigations of idol worshippers. The concern has usually been that reading will lead to wrong actions or no action—to immorality or passivity. So Wordsworth thought that the surge in popular novels and plays at the beginning of the industrial revolution had plunged English minds into "savage torpor." He recommended we read more to cure ourselves—more Wordsworth. Novelists too wrote against the wrong kind of novels and the wrong kind of readers. This remains one of the strongest unsettled legacies of the long tradition of the modern novel, from the era of the French Revolution, through Flaubert and Tolstoy, up through today.
The rescue of readers from their own pernicious tendencies must be counted among the many utopian projects of the past two centuries, and, like nationalism and communism, it gained an accelerated force at the beginning of the 20th. From the evident aesthetic and political failures of socialist realism onward, novelists, critics, and teachers have struggled to create readers whose aesthetic sensibilities would trigger their social responsibility and, if lucky, their mental liberation. Sometimes readers were to be dragged out of their everyday slough by an array of estrangement effects. At others, they would find freedom and enlightenment through an understanding of the arbitrary nature of the conventions governing language and narrative action. The rise of "literary theory" was aligned with these utopian hopes and movements. Looking back now, we can see the 20th century as the golden age of the reader as hero.
Where did this figure go? Like so much else, the heroic reader has succumbed to triumphal capitalism. We look around and find that we are in a consumer's world. Even those who supposedly "care" for literature have turned themselves into fans and enthusiasts. Does such and such a novel keep it real? Does it pique curiosity? Do I identify? Do I like the sound of this voice in my ear? The idea of the reader as canny consumer is so pervasive that one editor of a prominent literary magazine writes about herself as a member of "the service economy" and compares criticism to waitressing. It was undoubtedly a moment of weakness. But still: is a taste for literature nothing more than a refined palate? Is literary criticism really like being able to tell which wine tastes of wet stone and which of tart blackberry?
A lowered voting age might just be the catalyst to help release our stalled democratic, revolutionary energies.
The visitor's mind too struggles to fit the pieces of the past, present, and future together amid all the construction noise.
Right now we plant democracy like an orchid and depart—leaving behind oilmen to drain nutrients out of the soil.
Soon people might stop writing altogether, becoming curators, montage artists, tasteful arrangers.