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Sena Will Vote Against Oppositions Trust Vote
By Preeti Sigh On 19 Jul, 2018 Tweet
Shiv Sena, the most cantankerous member of the BJP-led NDA coalition, will vote against the opposition's no confidence motion that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government will face on Friday, union minister Ananth Kumar has claimed. "The NDA is united and will vote against the motion." the union minister said on Wednesday, responding to repeated questions about the Shiv Sena's stand in Friday crucial vote. The central government is comfortably placed in the Lok Sabha and there is no risk to its survival. The ruling NDA has 313 members in the 535-member Lok Sabha including the BJP's 274, a lot more than the 268 that it needs to clear the test. The opposition has been hoping that allies such as the Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena, which has 18 members in the lower house, embarrasses the government on Friday. The Shiv Sena, known for acting as the proxy opposition, hasn't spelt out its stand yet. Over the last year and more, the Shiv Sena frequently hurled stinging darts and insults at the BJP who it has described as the Sena's "biggest political enemy",, called the BJP arrogant and the NDA that it leads "almost dead" and showered praises on Congress boss Rahul Gandhi.


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Q: Find $x$ such that $\sqrt{x+1} - \sqrt{1-x} = 1$ To solve this equation, I started by putting the condition $x\in [-1, 1]$, then squared a few times: $\sqrt{x+1} - \sqrt{1-x} = 1 \iff x + 1 +1-x-2\sqrt{1-x^2} =1 \iff 2\sqrt{1-x^2}=1 \iff 4(1-x^2)=1 \iff 4x^2=3 \iff x=\pm \frac{\sqrt{3}}{2}$
This, however, is not the right solution, as $-\frac{\sqrt{3}}{2}$ returns $-1$, not $1$. My question is where did I miss a condition that excludes the negative "solution"? I expect somewhere along the line I squared where I wasn't allowed to square without an additional condition, hoping that I don't have to check these solutions every time.

A: The two numbers $\pm\frac{\sqrt{3}}{2}$ are solutions to $$\sqrt{1+x}-\sqrt{1-x} = \pm 1.$$
Notice that after squaring this original equality, you arrive at your equations, independent of the sign of the right hand side.

A: Since $\sqrt{x+1} - \sqrt{1-x} = 1$, we have
$\sqrt{x+1} - \sqrt{1-x}>0$, which gives
$$\tag{1}\sqrt{x+1}>\sqrt{1-x}.$$ Therefore, if $x=-\frac{\sqrt{3}}{2}$,
inequality $(1)$ is not satisfied.

A: Notice that the initial equation can be rewritten as
$$2x = \sqrt{1+x}+\sqrt{1-x}$$
This immediately enforces the condition that $x>0$ and negative solutions can be thrown out.

A: Another way avoiding squaring which often introduces extraneous roots?
As $-1\le x\le1,$ WLOG $x=\cos2t,$
Using principal values, $ 0\le t\le\dfrac\pi2\ \ \ \  (1)$
$$1=\sqrt2(\cos t-\sin t)\iff\dfrac12=\cos\left(t+\dfrac\pi4\right)$$
$$\implies t+\dfrac\pi4=2m\pi\pm\dfrac\pi3$$
$+\implies t=2m\pi+\dfrac\pi{12},2t=?\cos2t=?$
$-\implies t=2m\pi-?$ which is untenable by $(1)$

A: Yet another way :
Let $\sqrt{1+x}=a, \sqrt{1-x}=b$
For real $x, a\ge0, b\ge0 $
By the given condition,
$$a-b=1$$  and $$a^2+b^2=2\implies2=(b+1)^2+b^2\iff2b^2+2b-1=0$$
$\implies(2b+1)^2=3\implies2b+1=+\sqrt3$ as $b\ge0$

A: Using a trigonometric substituition:
As $-1 \le x \le 1$, then $x = \cos \theta$:
$$\sqrt{1+x} = \sqrt{1-\cos \theta} = \sqrt{2\sin^2 \frac{\theta}{2}} = \sqrt{2}\left|\sin \frac{\theta}{2}\right|$$
$$\sqrt{1+x} = \sqrt{1+\cos \theta} = \sqrt{2\cos^2 \frac{\theta}{2}} = \sqrt{2}\left|\cos \frac{\theta}{2}\right|$$
Then the equation becomes
$$\left|\sin \frac{\theta}{2}\right| + \left|\cos \frac{\theta}{2}\right| = \frac{1}{\sqrt{2}}$$
As we care only about the value of $x$, we can restrict the value of $\theta$ to be at the interval $\left[0, \ \pi\right]$:

*

*If $\theta \in \left[0, \ \dfrac{\pi}{2}\right]$:

$$\sin \frac{\theta}{2} + \cos \dfrac{\theta}{2} = \frac{1}{\sqrt{2}}$$
$$\sqrt{2} \sin \underbrace{\left(\dfrac{\theta}{2} + \dfrac{\pi}{4}\right) }_{\alpha}= \dfrac{1}{\sqrt{2}}$$
$$\sin \alpha = \dfrac{1}{2} \Rightarrow \alpha = \dfrac{\pi}{3} \ \ \text{or} \ \ \alpha = \dfrac{2\pi}{3}$$
Then $\theta = 2\left(\alpha - \frac{\pi}{4}\right)$ can assume two values: $\theta = \frac{\pi}{6}$ or $\theta = \frac{5\pi}{6}$.
Only $\theta = \frac{\pi}{6}$ is on the interval $\left[0, \ \frac{\pi}{2}\right]$, then we exclude the second value. Therefore:
$$\boxed{x = \cos \frac{\pi}{6} = \dfrac{\sqrt{3}}{2}}$$

*

*If $\theta \in \left[\dfrac{\pi}{2}, \ \pi\right]$

$$\sin \frac{\theta}{2} - \cos \dfrac{\theta}{2} = \frac{1}{\sqrt{2}}$$
$$\sin \underbrace{\left(\dfrac{\theta}{2} - \dfrac{\pi}{4}\right) }_{\alpha}= \dfrac{1}{2}$$
$$\alpha = \frac{\pi}{3} \ \ \text{or}  \ \  \alpha =  \frac{2 \pi}{3}$$
$$\theta = \frac{7\pi}{6} \ \ \text{or}  \ \  \theta =  \frac{11 \pi}{6} $$
As both $\theta$ are outside the interval $\left[\dfrac{\pi}{2}, \ \pi\right]$, there's no solution for this interval.

Then we got only one solution:
$$\boxed{x = \dfrac{\sqrt{3}}{2}}$$

A: Extraneous roots can be introduced by squaring.  We can avoid squaring by multiplying by the conjugate.
The equation
$$\sqrt{x + 1} - \sqrt{1 - x} = 1$$
imposes the restrictions that $x + 1 \ge 0 \implies x \geq -1$ and $1 - x \ge  0 \implies x \leq 1$.  Therefore, we know that any valid solution must satisfy $-1 \leq x \leq x$.
If we multiply both sides of the given equation by $\sqrt{x + 1} + \sqrt{1 - x}$, we obtain
$$\sqrt{x + 1} + \sqrt{1 - x} = 2x$$
This imposes the additional constraint that $x \geq 0$.  Hence, any valid solution must satisfy $0 \leq x \leq 1$.
We now have the system of equations
\begin{align*}
\sqrt{x + 1} - \sqrt{1 - x} & = 1\\
\sqrt{x + 1} + \sqrt{1 - x} & = 2x
\end{align*}
Adding the equations gives
$$2\sqrt{x + 1} = 1 + 2x$$
Squaring both sides of the equation yields
\begin{align*}
4(x + 1) & = 1 + 4x + 4x^2\\
4x + 4 & = 1 + 4x + 4x^2\\
3 & = 4x^2\\
\frac{3}{4} & = x^2\\
\frac{\sqrt{3}}{2} & = |x|\\
\pm \frac{\sqrt{3}}{2} & = x
\end{align*}
Since we require that $0 \leq x \leq 1$, we discard the solution $x = -\sqrt{3}/2$.
Direct calculation shows that $x = \sqrt{3}/2$ is a valid solution, so the solution set is $S = \{\sqrt{3}/2\}$.

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Awoke after an excellent night's sleep at Pagel House https://www.pagelhouse.co.za/, followed by one of the best English breakfasts I've had in a long time. It keeps us well fueled until our customary lunch break at 65 km. Thank you, Lyn! I highly recommend this B&B if you are ever in Aberdeen.
Today's ride is fairly tedious. Long, straight road which cuts through some of the more desolate parts of the Karoo. We see some sheep and lots of roadkill. We only see one herd of famous Mohair sheep, looking like straggly ageing rock stars hiding in the bush.
There is a persistent cross wind from the start, which only becomes stronger and turns into a headwind after 60 km.
Relieved to have some shade for lunch – Eastern Cape has the best picnic spots!
We were making good progress before this point but now we crunch along at less than 15 km/hr. It's like riding into the blow from a high quality hairdryer all day – the air is dry and hot and leeches the moisture from every surface. My sugar water is warmer than tea by the end of it. Approaching trucks carry a pocket of warm air in front of them and I get repeatedly Hadoukened in the chest and face as they go past. I lose my hat twice.
Colin is struggling to keep aligned behind me in the wind, at one point I think he hit every single cat eye for 8km; at a few others he gets blown off onto the gravel on the roadside. We are both glad to see the end of today's cycle and eagerly down our Darling Brew in a Willowmore pub.
Colin enjoying a cold lager – not usually his choice of tipple but refreshing!
On the plus side, other than surviving, we broke through the 1000km mark today – 1050 done so far.
The ablutions for the night. Rustic but effective?
We set off from Willowmore hoping the headwind which plagued the last third of our ride yesterday has improved. It hasn't. It's worse. We struggle along, limping along at less than 11 km/hr, often having to stand up to keep the Buffaloes going although there is not much of an incline.
The target for the day was about 90km to our accommodation, Uniondale is still 50km away. We chuck it in and portage, and decide to take the day as a much needed rest day. Just as well, my face is exploding and our legs are tired from the previous day's final push.
Camping at Eagle Falls – a lovely, tranquil place, if your definition of tranquil involves loud hip hop played on repeat at meal times for a kid's camp.
The night is the coldest we've experienced to date as well, with persistent chilly wind. I can't get warm despite putting on about 5 layers and wearing all 3 Buffs (you can never have enough Buffs, n+1, like bicycles).
We wake up in the valley having no idea what the prevailing weather conditions are like. A brief portage back to the main road and we discover the wind as turned and settled.
A great relief. We are blown on a gentle breeze downhill all the way to Outeniqua Pass. The rest day has done us some good and we manage to summit the pass without walking.
A long descent into George follows and as we are feeling good, we continue to Glentana to a campsite near the beach.
Today's beer is from Robertson Brewing Co and thanks to Kevin for the sample case, even though they are closed on Sundays! It's going to take a while to get through their wide range, although we are loving the IPA.
Short portage to Mossel Bay to avoid the highway. Set off a bit late but with a fair tail wind. Tedious ride, really. Colin calls them, "commuting days" – just part of the journey to get from A to B.
The Western Cape is drier than I've ever seen it and burnt veld is not showing any signs of green. The rock and sand crops appear to be coming through really well, however. Boring road, lots of traffic, gets extremely hot after lunch (over 35 degrees).
I sense the change in wind and heat and try push on but to no avail, there are some tough climbs in the last 30km and no respite from the heat. I huddle in the 3×3 foot shade cast by a road sign as I wait for Colin on a walking hill. All extremely glad to reach journey's end.


Happy New Year! I hope your year is off to a great start already. As school is back in session, here are a few updates about upcoming events this January.
We will be taking our second trip to the Wichita Symphony concert on the morning of January 17th (a Thursday). Come to school as usual and we will load the busses around 9:15 and be back in time for lunch! This concert's theme is the music of Tchaikovsky, the composer of the famous Nutcracker Ballet. The students seemed to enjoy the last concert, so I am excited for them to experience this one.
Let's get back to singing! Rehearsals will resume Friday, January 4th at 3:30pm until 4:30. We will continue to have rehearsals Wednesday and Friday after school, unless otherwise noted. If rehearsals change, I will be sure to update you here on the website, so stay tuned!
Have a blessed week and welcome back!


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Home > Technology > Editors' Choice: My Favorite Products of 2022
Editors' Choice: My Favorite Products of 2022
Madeline Shade, 2 months ago 13 min read 40
Over the past 12 months, I have had the opportunity to listen to a lot of Hi-Fi components at home, trade shows, dealer showrooms, factories, and private listening events.
Focal Powered by Naim Houston
Readers love to kvetch when we don't include their "favorite" pair of loudspeakers or network player in our annual "Best of 2022" Buying Guides but the reality is that we can only listen to so many products in one calendar year.
If a product makes the list, it is because we actually spent time with it. In some cases, the reviewer bought it after the review was already published or after trying it on multiple occasions. Listening to something at a trade show for 20 minutes doesn't count. Not even remotely.
After listening to the Kuzma Stabi R Turntable at T.H.E. Show in June, I really wanted to request a review sample, but it really didn't make sense in the context of our coverage which is more focused on affordable high-end equipment.
The Slovenian turntable is one of the best I've ever listened to and for $27,000 (with cartridge) — it really should be. One can easily spend a lot more on a turntable in 2022, but that's not really our audience. It's hard to understand how that moves the needle for the industry if we devote a lot of time to such products when there are 20 other magazines willing to drool over it with the same readership.
There are 6 weeks left in 2022 and I will have a lot to say about a dozen products between this week and December 31st.
I feel comfortable making this list after listening to over 160 new products in 2022 and a few trends are starting to really bother me and also excite me about the future of this hobby and industry.
You may not agree with any of my picks. That's the best part of being Editor in-Chief — I have the opportunity to listen to a lot of average, good, excellent, and often very overpriced and hyped products that most consumers don't have access to.
In Part One, we're going to focus on wireless loudspeakers and turntables. Part Two will feature bookshelf loudspeakers, phono cartridges, and phono pre-amplifiers. Part Three will focus on integrated amplifiers, network players, and CD players.
The Future of Hi-Fi
There are going to be a significant number of wireless loudspeakers on my list in 2022 because the category is really starting to move in the right direction; both in terms of performance and connectivity options.
Passive loudspeakers are not vanishing from dealer shelves over the next 3-5 years, but I expect to see almost every high-end loudspeaker manufacturer looking to stay in business offer more than just one wireless loudspeaker between now and then.
If high-end loudspeaker companies want to grow, they will not be able to rely on the 50+ crowd (that would include myself and many of you) because many of us are consolidating what we own out of financial necessity and housing changes.
Priorities change.
Younger listeners will demand wireless systems that can work with their new turntable and TV setup. That's non-negotiable.
There's nothing wrong with a high-end wireless 2.1 system. It's a lot better than a generation listening to music on only a pair of Apple AirPods.
My Magnepan LRS will survive the transition because they are so good for the money, but everything else in my system that can't work with wireless speakers (minus the turntables) is expendable.
There are a lot of excellent affordable high-end products right now. Certainly the most in the 24 years I've been writing about the industry for SoundStage!, Big Picture Big Sound, Digital Trends, Gear Patrol, eCoustics, and The New York Times.
In the CI market, mid-tier projects are suffering the most as consumers either go for cheaper entry-level projects for the home or very expensive systems for the entire home which includes home theater and multi-room audio.
I've spoken to a number of very successful custom integrators who have told me that the middle is dying for them.
Is that the direction that high-end audio is headed?
We look at entry-level from the perspective of $400 turntables, receivers, CD players and loudspeakers. If you spend that much on 3-5 components and cables, you might already be approaching $1,200 to $3,000 for a high-quality entry-level system.
That's a lot of money for most people. Perhaps not to those willing to waste $3,000 on a single power cord, but it represents more than 95% of the population.
Sonos can barely keep its products in stock; my baby sister and her husband earn enough money to easily spend $50,000 USD on a system but it's not something that they would ever contemplate.
When she gave me a budget during her recent home renovation, I recommended 5 rooms of Sonos for its multi-room audio capabilities and the Sonos ARC Soundbar for their living room and a 65″ LG OLED. She added a turntable and Sonos hub so that she could enjoy her record collection wirelessly in her home along with their TIDAL and Spotify accounts.
If the system couldn't be controlled from all 4 iPhones — No Sale!
They all use it and think Uncle Ian is the best. Except my sister who thinks she overspent on the turntable. Sigh.
But enough of the family.
Favorite Wireless Speakers
Q Acoustics M20 HD Wireless Speaker System ($599)
My favorite affordable wireless/Bluetooth loudspeaker system of 2022 and one that has taken up permanent residence on my desktop flanking a 27-inch Apple iMac. If you like the Q Acoustics 'house" sound — the M20 HD is a powered Bluetooth option that sounds very full and detailed. It's not as polite as the 3050i loudspeakers but also lacks the bottom end.
A very well made system that keeps me going all day and night.
Read our review here.
Triangle BOREA BR03 BT ($1,000)
The French manufacturer has really hit one out of the park with the Borea BR03 BT; the industrial design, build quality, connectivity options, and overall sound quality makes this a great system for most people. Just add a turntable with a MM cartridge and you're done.
I like it so much that I might buy two different finishes in 2023 for use in the bedroom and our dining room. One of the best kept secrets of 2022.
Read more about the Borea BR03 BT here.
KEF LSX II ($1,499)
The LSX II is a very interesting product from the perspective that it offers the right mix of connectivity options for the 2.1 music/movie customer and because it takes up very little space. The images are very accurate. I do wish that the stand options were not so expensive. The temptation to buy a pair and a KEF KC62 Subwoofer is very strong right now because the system is one of the easiest to use with a smartphone and it offers both Spotify and TIDAL Connect capabilities.
It does not include its own internal phono preamp which seems wrong at $1,500.
Sonus faber Omnia ($1,995)
I spent a few months with the Omnia before it was launched and thought the team in Italy accomplished all of its goals. This is more of a lifestyle wireless speaker system; it just happens to be one of the best ones from the perspective of performance and its unique industrial design.
Sonus faber can barely make enough of them and I am seeing them with increasing frequency in retail stores, offices, and people's homes. It doesn't offer the slick interface of the Sonos S2 app, but it's a lot more fun to use and designed by people who really care about build quality and sonic performance.
Dynaudio Focus 50 ($11,000)
$11,000 for a wireless loudspeaker? Please show the same degree of indignation and incredulity when someone mentions $5,000 interconnects and $80,000 turntables and we can have lunch together.
The Focus 50 offers everything but a turntable and it's not hard to understand why some audiophiles would ditch everything except for their digital and analog sources and enjoy the rest of the audio journey with this magnificent loudspeaker from Dynaudio.
You can connect the Roon Ready Focus 50 loudspeakers to your network via WiFi or Ethernet and the system also supports Bluetooth, Apple AirPlay, Google Chromecast, Tidal Connect, Spotify Connect, and Internet Radio — which is pretty much every possible streaming platform you will ever need. Qobuz is supported via Roon (or via Bluetooth) if you roll that way.
The primary speaker has two sets of analog inputs, and 3 digital inputs (1 Toslink, 2 Coaxial), along with a single subwoofer output.
The 72 pound cabinets offer that understated Danish flair that I inherently love and while the Focus 50 are rather large loudspeakers, they also come with Dirac Live built into the package and control app.
Why does that matter? Dirac Live does an impressive job of room correction in listening spaces that may not want to cooperate fully. This would be one of the first high-end wireless speakers to offer this package and it means that the Focus 50 can be tailored to work in any room (for the most part) even if you move into a different home and your listening space changes rather dramatically.
Favorite Turntables
2022 was a great year for turntables with some excellent new affordable options from Pro-Ject, U-Turn Audio, Audio-Technica, Roksan, Fluance, NAD, and Technics. Having owned some very expensive decks in the past from Michell, Audiomeca, and Wilson-Benesch, I'm fully aware of the playback differences between $1,000 and almost $7,000 with a rather expensive Benz Micro MC at one point on the Michell Orbe SE.
A Michell Gyro SE is an aspirational product for me at this point; I am rather content with my restored Thorens TD-160 Super and TD-145 MKII from Vinyl Nirvana in New Hampshire.
Much to my wife's dismay, I also own 3 other turntables that get a fair amount of listening time; an NAD C 588, Yamaha YP-701, and the Andover Audio SpinDeck Max.
Audiophile Entry-Level (Below $600)
Andover Audio SpinDeck Max Automatic Turntable ($599)
There is a lot of competition below $600 and I was fortunate this year to try many of them from Rega, Pro-Ject, Fluance, and Andover Audio. The level of performance that can be squeezed out of an entry-level deck is surprising, but for most people — they just want to set it up and listen.
I wasn't really blown away by the SpinDeck but the SpinDeck Max is a completely different table that is manufactured in Germany for Andover. The automatic design just feels more substantial and it's built to a much higher standard; which includes the tonearm and rather beefy platter.
The supplied Ortofon OM10 is fine but I swapped it out for a Grado Prestige Red3 which just sounds fuller and less bright in my office system. The SpinDeck Max is not a fancy deck but it comes across as slightly more authoritative sounding with excellent pace in most systems. It can also be tweaked with a cork platter from Analog Restorations and certainly benefits from some isolation. You might be surprised at what this deck can do with a better cartridge and phono preamplifier.
Audiophile Mid-Tier
Pro-Ject Debut PRO ($1,000)
Having spent two months with the Debut Pro which proved to be one of my favorite products of 2022, I'm more than confident to recommend it to anyone in the $1,000 range. Inflation has pushed everything higher but I'd still spend the extra money on this one.
I compared the Debut Pro to all 5 tables that I have at home and while I'm not in any hurry to swap it out for my Thorens TD-160 Super/Rega RB-303/Ortofon 2M Black setup, it certainly kept my attention for almost 60 days.
Pro-Ject has the ability to manufacture almost anything and the new tonearm and very inert platter elevate this table in a very substantial way; it sounds far more forceful and dynamic compared to the Debut EVO tables that lack some bottom end weight and presence in comparison.
The supplied Sumiko cartridge works well but swapping that out for the Sumiko Wellfleet or Blue Point No. 3 is a very worthwhile upgrade.
Read my review here.
Watch our video review here.
Audiophile High-End (< $2,500)
Pro-Ject X2 B ($1,799)
Does balanced really make a difference?
My experience suggests that it does if you have to contend with certain noise issues.
Almost 22 years ago, I invested in a very expensive turntable and felt that I had reached vinyl nirvana. I paid a professional $200 to properly install the cartridge, setup the table which had a finicky suspension system, and help me mount the turntable shelf to the wall.
My building at the time was a pre-war in downtown Toronto that needed an upgrade on the electrical front. Noisy to say the least.
No matter what I tried, my turntable setup always sounded noisy; ground loop issues, constant hiss, and it became a a source of depression (first world problems). Why bother spending almost $8,000 on such a system if it sounded terrible.
A local dealer suggested that I have my arm and table modified so that I could run a fully balanced rig; which also included upgrading to a balanced phono stage. I sold a few other items to facilitate the changes.
Extreme? Perhaps.
But when I listened to the same records that mattered to me — I was stunned by the differences in clarity, noise floor, and overall dynamics of the sound.
Does a balanced setup always sound better? Not necessarily and I'm not convinced that every manufacturer who markets "balanced" is really offering that.
The Pro-Ject X2 B offers both single-ended and balanced connection options, but you do need to use an MC cartridge for a balanced setup.
Is there a huge gap between the Debut PRO and the X2 B? Fair question.
If running the same MM cartridge like a Sumiko Wellfleet, I would still give the edge to the X2 B when it comes to impact and overall resolution, but the gap isn't enormous.
However, when running a MC cartridge into one of the Pro-Ject balanced phono pre-amplifiers or something like the Moon by Simaudio 610LP — the gap between the two tables is rather enormous.
The clarity, bass impact, soundstage depth and width, and overall dynamics of the system totally changes.
The Pro-Ject X2 B goes from being a very good $1,799 turntable to a rather exceptional table that can compete with with some tables in the $2,500 to $3,000 range and I've heard enough $3,000 tables to know.
My rather long and in-depth review after Thanksgiving. Learn more here.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Intact Forest Landscapes ...
Intact Forest Landscapes (2013)
Help us improve our data, tell us how you intend to use this dataset.
Identifies the world's last remaining unfragmented forest landscapes, large enough to retain all native biodiversity and showing no signs of human alteration as of the year 2013. This layer also shows the reduction in the extent of Intact Forest Landscapes from 2000 to 2013.
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"The Intact Forest Landscapes (IFL) data set identifies unbroken expanses of natural ecosystems within the zone of forest extent that show no signs of significant human activity and are large enough that all native biodiversity, including viable populations of wide-ranging species, could be maintained. To map IFL areas, a set of criteria was developed and designed to be globally applicable and easily replicable, the latter to allow for repeated assessments over time as well as verification. IFL areas were defined as unfragmented landscapes, at least 50,000 hectares in size, and with a minimum width of 10 kilometers. These were mapped from Landsat satellite imagery for the year 2000.
Changes in the extent of IFLs were identified from 2000-2013 within the original year 2000 IFL boundary using the global wall-to-wall Landsat image composite for year 2013 and the global forest cover loss dataset (Hansen et al., 2013). Areas identified as "reduction in extent" met the IFL criteria in 2000, but no longer met the criteria in 2013. The main causes of change were clearing for agriculture and tree plantations, industrial activity such as logging and mining, fragmentation due to infrastructure and new roads, and fires assumed to be caused by humans.
This data can be used to assess forest intactness, alteration, and degradation at global and regional scales."
Greenpeace, University of Maryland, World Resources Institute and Transparent World. "Intact Forest Landscapes. 2000/2013" Accessed through Global Forest Watch on [date]. www.globalforestwatch.org
Page Last Updated: April 18, 2019
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W -172.70314
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S -55.462345
N 69.732211


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Obama Administration Offers Over 20 Million Acres in Western Gulf of Mexico for Oil and Gas Explorat
11 28, 2012 by U.S. Department of Interior
As part of President Obama's all-of-the-above energy strategy to continue to expand safe and responsible domestic energy production, the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management today held Western Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 229, which offered over 20 millions acres and attracted $133,767,074 in high bids for 116 tracts covering 652,522 acres on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) offshore Texas. A total of 13 offshore energy companies submitted 131 bids. The Western Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale builds on two major Gulf of Mexico lease sales in the past year alone, a 21 million acre sale held last December and a 39 million acre sale held in June.
"At President Obama's direction, his Administration continues to implement a comprehensive, all-of-the-above energy strategy, expanding domestic production, reducing our dependence on foreign oil, and supporting jobs," said Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. "Developing public energy resources in the Gulf of Mexico continues to generate much needed revenue for local communities while helping to power our nation and fuel our economy."
Lease Sale 229 offered more than 20 million acres for oil and gas development on the OCS and supports the Administration's goal of continuing to increase domestic oil and gas production, which has grown each year the President has been in office, with domestic oil production in 2011 higher than any time in nearly a decade and natural gas production at its highest level ever. Foreign oil imports now account for less than 50 percent of the oil consumed in America – the lowest level since 1995.
Today's lease sale offered all unleased areas in the Western Gulf of Mexico planning area, including 3,873 tracts from nine to more than 250 miles off the coast, in depths ranging from 16 to more than 10,975 feet (five to 3,346 meters). BOEM estimates the lease sale could result in the production of 116 to 200 million barrels of oil and 538 to 938 billion cubic feet of natural gas.
Today's sale was the first under the Administration's new Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2012–2017 (Five Year Program), which makes available for exploration and development all of the offshore areas with the highest conventional resource potential that together include more than 75 percent of the Nation's undiscovered, technically recoverable offshore oil and gas resources. BOEM also recently announced that the next Central Gulf of Mexico lease sale, proposed Lease Sale 227, will take place on March 20, 2013, making 38 million acres available offshore Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
"This offshore oil and gas lease sale is part of our all-of-the-above energy strategy and supports continued growth in safe and responsible domestic oil and gas production," said BOEM Director Tommy P. Beaudreau, who opened this morning's sale. "This is the first sale under the President's Five Year Program, in which we are making available all of the offshore areas with the highest conventional resource potential for exploration and development."
Today's highest bid on a single tract was $17,221,317, submitted by Chevron U.S.A., Inc. for East Breaks Block 546. Chevron U.S.A., Inc. submitted the highest total amount in bonus bids, totaling $56,031,0991 on 28 tracts.
BOEM received at least one bid within the 3 statute mile boundary area north of the continental shelf boundary between the United States and Mexico. Any bids submitted on blocks in the area will not be opened until on or before 30 days following the approval by the U.S. Congress of the agreement between the U.S. and Mexico or May 31, 2013, at which time the Secretary of the Interior may determine whether it is in the best interest of the United States either to open any such bids or to return the bid unopened.
BOEM established the terms for this sale after extensive environmental analysis, public comment and consideration of the best scientific information available. These terms include measures to protect the environment, such as stipulations requiring that operators protect biologically sensitive features and provide trained observers to monitor marine mammals and sea turtles to ensure compliance and restrict operations when conditions warrant.
The terms also continue a range of incentives to encourage diligent development and ensure a fair return to taxpayers, including an increased minimum bid for deepwater tracts, escalating rental rates and tiered durational terms with relatively short base periods followed by additional time under the same lease if the operator drills a well during the initial period.
Following the sale, each bid will now go through a strict evaluation process within BOEM to ensure the public receives fair market value before a lease is awarded. Sale statistics for Sale 229 are available at: http://www.boem.gov/Sale-229.


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text:
A lot going on at Netflix for the indie filmmaker and distribution...
Businessweek Article
Deepstructure Blog
From Deepstructure...
listen to ted sarandos, netflix's chief content officer in charge of all dvd purchases and overseer of an $100 million annual budget:
"eventually we'll be coming to sundance and saying, 'we can buy everything.' there's a deal for every film."
damn. that's quite a statement. but it gets better. netflix ceo, reed hastings wants to take things one step further:
...(hastings) also outlines a scenario that outstrips sarandos' lofty vision of acquiring every picture that plays at sundance. "about 3000 films are submitted; only 100 or so get in," hastings says. ultimately, netflix wants to be able to pick and choose from the 3000 submissions, he explains, and maybe even allow moviemakers to circumvent the festivals altogether.
I guess I'll have to at least enter Sundance then. :)
Wednesday, August 30, 2006 // // 0 comments //
Several Cool Things...
First, we continue to make good progress on the finishing touches for "Killing Down".
This past weekend we got the sound mixed up to just over the 1 hour mark. Not bad. We've got roughly 45 minutes of the movie left to go. And, on the color correction side of things - we have set looks for just about every major scene. Now, we have to go in and cut and paste the looks throughout the film and then tweak the individual shots as needed. I'd say we're roughly half-way done with this.
So, if all goes well I hope to have everything done in about 3 weeks.
On to other things...
I was reading on the CinemaTech blog today several interesting stories about Hollywood: It's future with digital distribution, DVDs and the "star system" (some of the Tom Cruise/Paramount deal aftermath).
Here's a link to the digital distro and DVD story.
The digital distribution stuff is exciting for indies, but I don't think we're really close yet for it to be a viable (or successful) means of distributing content - except for only the most tech geek among us - and I'm talking feature films here by the way.
Why? Well, a lot of reasons. Mainly bandwidth, but also DRM (digital rights management or copyright issues), storage space, and cost. To download a DVD quality version of a movie is going to be around 4 gigs (or so) of data. Even with the fastest connections that going to be an overnight download. And then you have to have the space to store the files. Your averge joe consumer does not have a terabyte's worth of storge like I do. Then the costs are actually fairly expensive - especially when you consider if you bought (or rented) a DVD you'd get all the extras - and most digital downloads I've seen are just the movie. And the last thing for me is who really wants to spend two hours watching a movie on your computer? Unless you're traveling or commuting, this is not the best way.
So until you can download an HD quality (or even DVD quality) movie from the web and then play it on your expensive flat screen TV, digital downloads of feature films won't take off.
Am I saying I'm against digital downloading of movies? Heck no. I'm actually a huge proponent of it. But, I just don't think it will be a "normal" way of renting or buying a movie for several years to come - if not longer. I hope I'm wrong, but I don't think so.
Now on to the "star system" in Hollywood...
It's long been known (and assumed) that a star helps a movie out financially. I don't argue that point. As a matter of fact, I completely agree with it. In my own recent film I purposely sought several regonizable actors just for this reason (among others of course - like they were right for the part).
But there is a very interesting article in the NY Times contradicting the idea of the "star system" - and I must say a lot of it makes sense...
Hollywood, where the star system was invented, is not wholly dependent on celebrities: the list of biggest-grossing movies in history is dominated by movies like "Shrek 2," "ET: The Extra-Terrestrial" and the "Star Wars" series, which were not star-driven. But the industry still places an enormous importance on superstar power based on a straightforward fact: On average, movies that have big names starring in them make more money at the box office than movies that do not.
"Movies with stars are successful not because of the star, but because the star chooses projects that people tend to like," said Arthur S. De Vany, a professor emeritus of economics at the University of California, Irvine, who has written extensively about the economics of moviemaking. "It's a movie that makes a star."
In other words, while a person will go to a Bruce Springsteen concert because the artist is, indeed, Bruce Springsteen, the success of "The Matrix" had to do with many things other than its star, Keanu Reeves.
"Movie industry executives keep this perception that stardom is a formula for success, but they don't measure it," Mr. Eliashberg said. "They resist using analytical methods for all sorts of reasons, from being uncomfortable with numbers to the argument that this is a creative industry and not a business."
Mr. De Vany and other economists point out that many factors contribute to the success of a movie — like a big budget, having a G or PG rating, opening on a large number of screens and whether it is a sequel, among others.
"Stars help to launch a film. They are meant as signals to create a big opening," he said. "But they can't make a film have legs."
Mr. Ravid, the Rutgers professor, suggests that stars serve as insurance for executives who fear they could be fired for green-lighting a flop. "If they hire Julia Roberts and the film flops, they can say 'Well, who knew?' " said Mr. Ravid.
I really like the line, "It's a movie that makes a star." I think that is right - but only for their first big hit. After that, they are the star. Especially if you're a Tom Cruise or George Clooney who basically plays themself in every movie.
In the end, I do honestly believe the story is the movie no matter who is in it. But, the thing is, how many times has someone ask you about a movie that you maybe hadn't heard of and the first thing you say is, "Who's in it?" That statement alone says more than I can about movie stars and their impact on the success of a movie.
Oh, last but not least, there's a nice little article in of all things Popular Mechanics about what Hollywood shoud fear most...
The entertainment industry's real threat isn't piracy, it's backyard Spielbergs armed with digital moviemaking gear.
Again, it's a descent article, but to me the main thing Hollywood should fear is the immense variety of (homemade) digital videos on the web from places like You Tube that are cheap entertainment sources and are distractions (and competition) to spending money and time at the movies.
I really don't necessarily think that Hollywood should be or is afraid of everyone who can buy a camcorder and some cheap editing gear. I mean, should Eric Clapton be afraid of everyone who buys a guitar?
Monday, August 28, 2006 // // 0 comments //
WB Direct-to-DVD
Just found a Yahoo News story about Warner Bros. starting a new division called Warner Premiere that will produce 15 or so movies a year that are Direct-to-DVD instead of for the theatrical market. Sounds interesting that a big player would do this. I mean, this is what everyone else ends up having to do in most cases - we don't necessarily set out to only be on DVD. Funny too, for some reason "Direct-to-DVD" sounds better than just "Direct-to-Video"? Kind of like saying "pre-owned" versus "used" for car sales...
Anyway, here's the scoop...
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Warner Bros. film studio on Monday unveiled a new division to make and distribute movies directly to DVD consumers - a first for the company - and it put a veteran marketing executive in charge of the group.
The new division, called Warner Premiere, annually will produce up to 15 original titles made by well-known filmmakers, starring recognized actors and, in some cases, based on earlier feature films that played in movie houses.
Warner Premiere's first title, for instance, will be "Dukes of Hazzard II," a sequel to last year's film "Dukes of Hazzard" that was a moderate success at box offices. It is expected to be released in Spring 2007, Warner Bros. said in a statement.
Diane Nelson, who previously served as executive vice president of global brand management, has been named president of Warner Premiere. Warner Bros. is a unit of Time Warner Inc.
Other Hollywood film studios, particularly The Walt Disney Co., have built strong businesses making original content for direct-to-video and DVD markets.
In the past, Warner Bros. home entertainment division had released original movies based on animated content such as its Looney Tunes cartoon characters.
The establishment of Warner Premiere marks the first time it has created a new division solely for original, direct-to-DVD production and distribution.
Warner Bros. said select titles from the new group may be distributed to movie theaters and possibly online.
Here's a link to the original story if you'd like to read it there.
Friday, August 25, 2006 // // 0 comments //
New Project(s)
As I'm finishing "Killing Down" I'm also beginning to develop my next project. I've made minor mentions of this in previous post, but now things are starting to move forward.
The project is a biopic on a famous Texas family (of which we've secured a Life Story option). Can't give away any details just yet, but we are starting the interview process this weekend and from that we will write the script. Tentative plan is to have script finished by the New Year (or shortly thereafter) and shoot in the late spring (2007). Things have a tendency to change though (note the time it's taken to finish "Killing Down") - but we are making good progess.
I actually have another script I'd like to direct too - and it's already written. We'll see what I end up doing first. And, I'm also producing a film for a director friend of mine, so there's a lot going on.
Of course finishing the current film is my top priority now and we're closing in on that...
Thursday, August 24, 2006 // // 0 comments //
Distribution Rant
Barry Green from DVXuser.com has a really interesting rant about current and future distribution trends for Hollywood and indies alike...
So, indies dream of the day that theaters will be equipped with digital projectors, when satellites will be beaming content directly to the theaters, and when ticket buyers will be lined up around the block to see their latest opus. Ain't gonna happen. Can't happen. You wouldn't go to the theater now to see a film you haven't heard of, would you? I mean, maybe on a lark a small percentage of you would, but the public in general? No way.
Very, very true. Distribution as a whole is tough even with a movie star.
Click here to read entire article.
Scarier than any Hollywood Horror Movie
Interesting article from the NY Times about problems in Hollywood - but it's more than that - it's problems in moviemaking and marketing period, including indies.
I've copied the entire article here for ease of reading...
Caught on Film: A Growing Unease in Hollywood
By LAURA M. HOLSON
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 18 — For many here, Stacey Snider was the Hollywood executive who had it all. As chairwoman of Universal Pictures, she hobnobbed with celebrities at the Academy Awards. She was feted at charity events as well as in the fashion pages of Vogue. But after General Electric acquired Universal Pictures in 2004, the bright lights lost their brilliance.
Films like the Peter Jackson "King Kong" were considered disappointments, despite bringing in $547 million at the worldwide box office. And like many of her industry peers facing similar oversight, she regarded the scrutiny of the studio's quarterly returns as, at times, oppressive. So much so that Ms. Snider quit her job in February to become chief executive of DreamWorks, now a division of Paramount Pictures, to work with the director Steven Spielberg on far fewer projects.
"It's not like I view this as a private, artistic enterprise," Ms. Snider, 45, said in a recent telephone interview. Still, she said: "I certainly felt the pressure. I felt the uncertainty. It galvanized the angst. We went from making movies to making product and content. I didn't want to make franchises. I wanted to make movies."
Hers is a common refrain in Hollywood these days. Despite a domestic box-office surge after years of declining attendance, 2006 is shaping up to be a time of Hollywood discontent. Studio executives have waged war on actor salaries, as high-profile projects with stars like Jim Carrey have been put off. Movie production deals, like the one Tom Cruise has at Paramount, are being renegotiated. Studios are also making fewer big-budget movies.
But while Hollywood has undergone periodic shifts like this before, many people here agree that there is something different this time, a permanence to Hollywood's new austerity plan. Executives are facing too many unknowns, among them, changing moviegoer habits, rising costs and the threat of piracy.
"In this Wall Street and corporate world, the discussion has become: What is the proven, unique selling property of this product?" said Warren Beatty, the actor, who is upbeat about the industry's prospects.
But he, too, agreed the industry was in transition. "The problem is you can't sell entertainment the way you sell cars or air-conditioners,'' he said. "Entertainment is dependent, to some extent, on surprise."
The concern so far seems largely psychological, although many here predict dark days ahead. Movie-making is no longer a growth business, and has lost its luster among investors. Even the most well-run large movie studios often return only 5 percent to 7 percent annually. And other forms of entertainment — the Internet, sports and video games — are fiercely competing for consumers' attention.
"When you hear what people are afraid of, it's that movies are not special anymore," said Terry Press, who runs worldwide marketing at DreamWorks Animation. "It's the single issue no one wants to think about or say out loud."
The tipping point, many here agree, was Walt Disney's announcement last month that it would eliminate 650 jobs in its movie division, fire its production chief and sharply reduce the number of films it makes to a dozen or so a year from as many as 20.
What's more, the company said it would focus mostly on Disney-branded films like the popular "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise, which it can exploit across all divisions.
"Where Disney may have sent ripples, it begged the question, Who knows what others will do?" said Leonard Goldberg, the movie producer and former business partner of Aaron Spelling who was known for television shows like "Charlie's Angels" and "Fantasy Island."
Slow-growing movie studios are wilting under Wall Street's demands to deliver a box-office hit like the "X-Men" series or "Pirates" every time out. Executives say the decline in DVD sales, which began in early 2005, is taking a toll on budgets. And to complicate matters, studios have not figured out a money-making digital strategy to deflect piracy while, at the same time, appeasing fickle consumers who want movies online.
"Stress is a function of fear," said Alan F. Horn, who has been in the movie business three decades and is president of Warner Brothers. While he says he is optimistic about the future, he conceded that running a studio "has never been tougher."
Warner has had one of its worst summers in years, with disappointments like "Lady in the Water" by M. Night Shyamalan, the big-budget remake of "The Poseidon Adventure" and the animated "Ant Bully." But even profitable Warner movies are cause for anxiety because Hollywood is quick to label anything a loser that does not meet prerelease expectations.
For example, "Superman Returns" by Warner cost $209 million to make and Mr. Horn predicted it would garner $400 million at the worldwide box office (a respectable sum), which he said ensured a profit after DVD and television sales. But many in Hollywood expected it to bring in at least $500 million given Superman's popularity and the publicity around the movie's release. Mr. Horn said, "People are asking, 'Are you disappointed?' I don't know how to relate to that. I don't know what to say."
There are few economic indicators that reflect Hollywood's apparent unease. Art dealers who cater to studio executives, actors and producers said buying had not slowed. Nor have sales of homes that cost $5 million to $10 million, several real estate agents said. And despite layoffs at all the major studios, the number of film and television production jobs has increased.
In the first six months of 2006, 130,000 people were employed in entertainment in Los Angeles, compared with 127,200 in 2005, according to the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation. That growth is being fueled largely by an explosion in independent film production. Jack Kyser, the group's chief economist, said 23 of the 30 films being made here in mid-August were from independent production companies.
But those statistics reflect only part of the story.
Robert Shaye, the founder of New Line Cinema, a division of Time Warner that will celebrate its 40th anniversary next year, said a fundamental driver of Hollywood's unease was the high cost of making and marketing films. (The average in 2005 was $96 million.) Investment funds have poured money into movies, reducing the sting of studio cost-cutting. But investment funds are not immune to losses, either. A newcomer, Legendary Pictures, invested in "Lady in The Water" and "The Ant Bully," Studios are also under attack from digital pirates who distribute illegal copies online. As a result of the piracy, studio executives can no longer depend on waves of re-releases for steady income. "Once it's out there, it's out there," Mr. Shaye said.
With digital pirates and the pressure from Wall Street to produce predictable profits, the dialogue about what movies are made and marketed was bound to change.
If there is fear among some in Hollywood that brand managers are taking over, it is because two studios recently filled top creative jobs with executives whose expertise is movie marketing. At Disney, Nina Jacobson, the well-respected president of production, was fired and succeeded by Oren Aviv, the marketing chief. Ms. Snider, who joined DreamWorks, was succeeded in March by two executives, including Universal's top movie marketer, Marc Shmuger.
Tom Staggs, Disney's chief financial officer, argues that the concerns are unfounded. "The suits aren't running the studio," he said. "I think Hollywood has to constantly challenge itself to remain relevant." Still, he added: "If we let it become a cookie-cutter, brand-flapping exercise, it is not going to work. We have to focus on the creative side."
Some promising young executives are seeking to pursue creativity outside the studio. Last year, Mary Parent, 39, and Scott Stuber, 37, set in motion an option in their contract that allowed them to quit their jobs as presidents of production at Universal Pictures to become producers. Both said they did not leave the studio because they were unhappy; their producing deal is at Universal. Instead, they wanted the opportunity to flex their creative might before they got too old or started families.
"It reaches a point where it is hard to enjoy it," said Ms. Parent, reflecting on being a studio executive. "Just the sheer volume of meetings between phone calls. You are trying to cut through the tide. It was grueling. You were at a test screening every night until midnight; you have scripts to read. You don't want to be that person just scratching the surface."
Of course, being a producer, particularly a new one, is no less demanding. In the last year, Ms. Parent has made five weeklong trips to New Zealand where she is a producer for the film "Halo." Mr. Stuber has spent much of the summer in Arizona on the set of "The Kingdom," where temperatures have spiked to as much as 110 degrees. "It's not like it's less busy," Mr. Stuber said. "But you get to spend three hours in an editing room if you want to. You can't lose sight of the fact that the job is to entertain."
Whatever the challenges ahead, Mr. Goldberg, the producer, said Hollywood would adapt as it did when silent movies became talkies, and three decades ago, when the VCR was perceived as a threat.
He had no sympathy for those who do nothing but complain. "Let them get a real job," he said. "They get paid a lot. They go to great parties. They fly around in jets, not only for business reasons, but for personal things, too. I think there are worse jobs to have."
I've said this before... why do I want to work in this business?
It's Sunday night. I spent this weekend focused on finishing "Killing Down" (of course I've spent the last 8 months trying to do this too). :)
Saturday we did the final mix on the first 30 minutes of the movie. It sounds reallly, really good (thanks Roy!). We plan on hopefully mixing another night this week and then again next Saturday as well.
Today I worked on the color correction. We got about 6 hours worth of time in on the DaVinci 2K. We're having to work on weekends and off hours since our budget is a fraction of what they normally charge for an HD tape-to-tape gig like this. It's all good though. We're making great progess and the movie is looking excellent (thanks Peggy!). It's amazing what high-end color correction can do for a film. This is of course taken for granted on a Hollywood production or a larger scale indie - but I'd wager the vast majority of smaller indies simply "color correct" in the Avid or Final Cut Pro. Sure, you can even things out and shift some colors around - but you can not come close to what you can do in a true color correction suite. It just makes a film drip with production value, which is a very, very good thing.
I have to admit that I am kind of frustrated at the time everything has taken. Of course a lot of this has been out of my control - as they say, "beggars can't be choosers" and since I'm getting several deals on the work being done it's hard to demand things speed up...
I know I've said this before, but I really hope we can have this thing wrapped up by the first week in September. Believe me, I'm ready.
Sunday, August 20, 2006 // // 1 comments //
Bruno Kirby 1949-2006
A great actor Bruno Kirby died 3 days ago. Not sure how widely reported this was... but he was one of my favorite character actors with great roles as Billy Crystal's best friend in "When Harry Met Sally" and "City Slickers". He also played a gangster in "The Godfather II", had a very funny role in "This Is Spinal Tap", among many other great performances (including a recent stint on the current HBO hit "Entourage").
I highly suggest going back and watching "City Slickers" and "This Is Spinal Tap". These were both great roles and he created very interesting characters. You might be saying to yourself, "I don't really remember him in "Spinal Tap"? And if you do recall him, you're thinking he was only in the film for a few minutes? All I can say is watch the extras on the DVD. He plays the limo driver that picks up the group at the airport with a sign that says "Spinal Pap". But on the DVD extras his characeter goes up and parties with them in the hotel. It's some funny, funny stuff.
Anyway, it's sad news to report, but I'm glad he gave us many great performances to remember him by.
Started the new-new final-final color correction today on "Killing Down". Things are going pretty smoothly so far... got a lot done today (and will continue this week).
Only issue was the color correction box is having a problem reading the EDL. For some reason it has offset things by 3 frames and is adding random edit points for dissolves, etc. This is not a major thing thank goodness, although we do want the EDL to work properly in the end.
We were able to set up various looks and save them, but many of the in and out points are off - of course they can be inserted by hand if need be, but that is a lot of work - especially on a film that has around 1500 edits! One of the engineers is supposed to take a look at the list tomorrow and hopefully get this matter resolved. If not, I may need to export a new EDL.
A side note... as I'm finishing this movie I'm working on my next projects as well. I have several things in development and I'm trying to decide what to do next. I'm likely going to embark on a biopic that I recently acquired the Life Story rights to - but there is no script yet for this, so it will be a little while. I do have a dark comedy heist film script ready to go and I'm considering shooting this first, but again, I'm just not sure. And, I actually have a short film I'd like to do - yep, a short film. I've had this idea for a while and have been considering pursuing it. Of course there's no real market for shorts (from a financial point of view), but I like to keep the creative juices flowing.
So a lot going on. But priority numero uno right now is FINISHING "KILLING DOWN". :)
This Sunday we're starting up with our new Plan B color correction for "Killing Down" at Video Post & Transfer. I can't wait to get going on this... and get finished!
Time is ticking away and due to issues out of my control the final completed movie is taking a lot longer than hoped. In the end though we should have a really kick-ass looking movie. :)
I'll update the progress as it happens...
Director Jon Keeyes
A fellow Texas filmmaker Jon Keeyes is directing a new film in North Carolina (starring Dominique Swain) and he's doing a great job documenting his experience via his blog. I highly suggest reading it.
The new film is going back to the genre that got him started... horror. I think he has a really good grasp of that genre and I look forward to seeing the end result. I also look forward to seeing his last film "Living & Dying" (and action/thriller starring Michael Madsen and Edward Furlong) which is supposed to be released either late this year or early next here in the States.
It's great to see a good guy like Jon have success - and it's also great to see a TEXAS filmmaker have success. :) Anyway, definitely check out his blog.
Sunday, August 6, 2006 // // 1 comments //
To be successful as an indie filmmaker I believe you need to be both a creative person and a technically-minded one.
Can you be successful without knowing the technical side of things? Sure. Are you limiting yourself to being very dependent on others if you don't understand this stuff? Absolutely.
This is one reason I really like Robert Rodriguez. He has honed both his creative abilities and his technical filmmaking craft to very high levels (like his films or not).
Now understand of course, I'm not saying you should not collaborate with others who have expertise in certain areas. I absolutely think you should. Ever heard "jack of all trades, but master of none"? What I am saying is you should have at minimum a good understanding of all the technical aspects of making a film.
What format do you want to shoot on? 35mm? HDCAM? DVCPRO HD? HDV? DV? Do you know the strengths and weaknesses of each? How are you going to edit? Avid? Final Cut Pro? Adobe Premiere? Do you have an understanding of how non-linear editing works? How are you planning to distribute your final movie? A film print? An HD master? DVD? HD-DVD? Blu-Ray? What is the best solution for you and ultimately your audience?
These are really pretty general questions. Again, I'm not saying every filmmaker needs to understand the engineering aspects of high-def tape stock or an Avid editing system. I'm just saying please, please, please do some research and get a good general understanding of the process and how it will affect your project.
I consider myself to be a very technically-minded person (and pretty creative too). But notwithstanding, I have had some recent technical problems with the final color correction on "Killing Down". So it can and will happen to everyone - just try and prepare yourself the best you can. I personally read just about every industry magazine out there like Post Magazine, Millimeter, DV Magazine, High Def, Filmmaker, Indie Slate, Videography, etc - and I constantly read industry blogs like HDforIndies, DV Guru and many, many others.
These days technology changes extremely fast and so it's a good idea to stay on top of it. Just today I read a great story from Mike Curtis at HDforIndies about the first footage he's seen (or really anyone has seen) from the new RED Camera. This camera - if it even comes close to its proposed specs - will likely revolutionize ALL filmmaking (from Hollywood to indies and everything in between). Of course this phrase has been said a lot in the last few years, but again, technology has changed a lot too (and actually filmmaking has been revolutionized many times).
As for the new "Plan B" color correction on "Killing Down"... we're doing a very high-end HD tape-to-tape grading on a DaVinci system. So yesterday I had to output the movie from the Avid DS Nitris to D5-HD tape. The post house did not have a D5 machine so we had to rent it and get it shipped from LA. Supposedly there are over 400 D5-HD machines in LA - but there is only one in Dallas and it's at Video Post (where I'm doing the color correction). This was very costly, and I'll have to do it again after the correction to put it back into the Avid DS for subtitling, effects and final credits, etc. I normally don't discuss costs in too much detail, but I feel it's good for other indies to know how expensive this stuff is. The Panasonic D5-HD deck rents for $1700/day. Luckily the post house I'm using gets a discount, so with shipping it was $1400 to rent. Yep, that's a lot of money. Not to mention that the D5 tape stock - the 124 minute length - cost $291 for each tape. I bought two. One to output from the DS and one to color correct to. Again, not cheap.
So why D5-HD? I could have easily scored an HDCAM deck (maybe even gotten it for free as a favor), but I wanted the higher quality format. Here's where some of that technical mumbo jumbo comes in handy...
D5-HD is an uncompressed 10bit format with a 4:2:2 color space. HDCAM is a compressed 8 bit format with a 3:1:1 color space. My online edit in the Avid DS was uncompressed 10 bit 4:2:2, so I did not want to output to HDCAM. D5 was the best choice to retain the quality throughout. And, Video Post has a D5 machine.
So yes, it did cost me more, but in the end I will have a better master format and my technical know how helped me arrive to this conclusion (with the help of several other's input).
Of course now the business-minded side of my brain is saying "what the hell did you just spend that money for?".
But I'm an indie filmmaker, so I don't have any business sense. ;)
Saturday, August 5, 2006 // // 2 comments //
Thank You, Thank You, Thank You
If you read my previous post you know we've had an issue with the color correction. We no longer are working with the company in Austin to complete the work. It's a long story, but suffice it to say it didn't work out.
So I have to THANK the great folks at Video Post & Transfer in Dallas, Texas (specifically Peggy) for coming through for me in the 11th hour here. I've used VP&T for all my past color correction work, but wanted to try a new method using a "desktop D.I." - which by the way is the wave of the future - but unfortunately we had issues with the process and the company we tried to use. VP&T is actually getting a Resolve D.I. suite later this year (the super high-end DaVinci version). But, we're going to do an HD tape-to-tape grading which is the best choice for us right now.
Besides this good news, we are days away from doing our final sound mix - and man does it sound great. I have to thank the guys at Dallas Audio Post for all their hard work and dedication to the project. They have gone above and beyond and it will definitely show in the final movie.
Thursday, August 3, 2006 // // 0 comments //


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Tag Archives: lgbt
US Military JAG Corps Lesbian, Muslim Lawyers Make News
30 June 2017 JD
In an official article, the US Navy announced that Navy LT Jennifer Johnson was awarded status as one of the "best LGBT lawyers under 40" by the National LGBT Bar Association:
The association established the award to recognize legal professionals under the age of 40 who distinguished themselves in their field and advocated LGBT equality.
A previous release from the Navy (and the award website) indicates Navy LT Paul Wagoner was similarly recognized. Fortunately, there does not appear to be an organization that only recognizes lawyers who have heterosexual sex, nor does the Navy appear to highlight such JAGs.
Johnson's public recognition by the US military is supremely ironic, given Read more
Army Withdraws Reference on Resources for LGBT Children
Tomorrow the US Army in Hawaii was scheduled to host an "expo" of support resources on sexual assault and suicide prevention, which was supposed to include "resources for LGBT children." The original article, entitled "Who do I talk to? 8TSC Expo includes SHARP, suicide prevention, resources for LGBT children," read [emphasis added]:
June is LGBT Pride Month, recognizing the proud legacy of LGBT men and women who are part of the fabric of our nation and Army. One area where resources are not often discussed is regarding what is available to help parents start a healthy dialogue with their children who are LGBT. This year's expo offers an option for that too.
"This year we will Read more
US Military Events Celebrate Attack on Police
The Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam 2017 LGBT Pride Month event (an observance executed even though there is no "pride month" this year) continued what has become a near tradition of creating revisionist history. The article by PO2 Gabrielle Joyner said [emphasis added]
Neal was the first to take the stage and opened his remarks by recounting the history of civil rights for LGBT Americans, starting with the June 1969 Stonewall Riots in New York, a three-day event that occurred when patrons and supporters of the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village resisted police harassment of the LGBT community.
Due to less than ideal journalistic formatting, it is unclear if Read more
LGBT Advocates Make Outstanding Argument — Against Their Own Cause
Navy retired RAdm Michael Smith and Coast Guard retired RAdm Alan Steinman wrote an opinion piece in the Military Times calling on the DoD not to delay the inclusion of transgenders in the US military. (This appears to be part of an organized campaign by homosexual activists to staunch the losses in their influence and their social "gains" following the election of President Trump.)
This was their shocking conclusion, in which they provide the counterargument to their demands [emphasis added]: Read more
Pilots Join DC Gay Pride Parade
Every now and then someone critiques the idea of there being a "Christian Fighter Pilot." For some (generally non-Christians), it is the perceived "oxymoron" of being a follower of Christ while simultaneously being a military combatant. Many who are trying to find something to gripe about critique the idea that there needs to be a "descriptor" to discriminate about types of fighter pilots. Why not just be fighter pilots?
In fairness, though, Christians haven't been the only ones to "celebrate" their contribution to the military mission — or even being a fighter pilot. For example, a few years ago, the Atheist Fighter Pilot made a short-lived showing here, and religious groups and organizations have sprung up for a variety of faiths.
Apparently, pilots can be known for their faith, their lack of faith…
…and how they like to have sex.
This past weekend, one of the participants in the Capital Pride Read more
The Religious Test of Russell Vought, but Not Mark Green
Critics have come out in force against US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt) after he said he would not support President Trump's nominee for the deputy director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, Russell Vought. Sanders' reason? Vought has Christian beliefs, which he expressed in a column defending Wheaton College in 2016 in which he said that "Muslims stand condemned":
Muslims do not simply have a deficient theology. They do not know God because they have rejected Jesus Christ his Son, and they stand condemned.
In his questioning during the confirmation hearing for Vought's nomination to the OMB, Sanders asked:
Do you believe people in the Muslim religion stand condemned? Is that your view?
…I don't know how many Muslims there are in America. Maybe a couple million. Are you suggesting that these people stand condemned? What about Jews? Do they stand condemned too?
In your judgment, do you think that people who are not Christians are going to be condemned?
I would simply say, Mr. Chairman that this nominee is really not someone who this country is supposed to be about.
Atheists, liberals, and Christians alike have condemned Read more
US Navy Gets Out in Front of President Trump
1 June 2017 JD
Update: After outcries of persecution due to President Trump's silence, the acting Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel Anthony M. Kurta issued a DoD gay pride month celebration announcement. Ironically, this contradicts information posted on the DEOMI website, which indicates the observance is "established by Presidential Proclamation" — which means the DoD is "celebrating" something that does not (yet) exist this year.
The US Navy got out in front of its own commander Wednesday when it issued a press release celebrating homosexuality for the month of June — something the Commander in Chief, President Donald Trump, has yet to do:
The Navy joins the nation in recognizing Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month throughout June…
"The Navy needs men and women who are the right fit for the right job regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, creed or gender identity," said Capt. Candace Eckert, Special Assistant for Inclusion and Diversity.
Notice Capt Eckert didn't include "religion" — but she did include three different variations of sex. That's "diversity" in the Navy, it seems.
President Trump has yet to have his nominee for Secretary of the Navy, Read more
Group: Choose Military Readiness or Transgender Politics
31 May 2017 JD
The Conservative Action Project recently called on President Trump to fulfill his mandate to "restore the strength of our military" by eliminating Obama-era policies that "hinder" the mission [emphasis added]:
Conservative leaders urgently suggest that the Trump Administration review and rescind the Obama-era policies that hinder military readiness and overall effectiveness. Politically correct policies have been imposed largely through administrative fiat. They can be removed in like manner while further study and congressional guidance is obtained. The most problematic policies in this category are those addressing the presence of transgender individuals in the military.
The letter goes on to make a strong case that social engineering isn't good for the military, an argument supported by Rebecca Hagelin at the Washington Times. Hagelin made the point the military has been used over the past few years to foist a social agenda on America: Read more


"The Evolution of the Law Merchant: Our Commercial Heritage." Journal of Maritime Law and Commerce 12 (October 1980): 1–24; 12 (January 1981): 153–182.
International commerce has spontaneously evolved an admirable body of Law Merchant to self-regulate the merchant community by voluntary consensus, good faith, and approved custom. Trakman offers the following considerations in the analysis of Law Merchant, which he surveys from ancient and medieval times down to the modern era: (1) A merchant regime has developed which is capable of regulating international relations; (2) Within this international regime merchants have acquired their own ability to govern their affairs on the basis of good faith and reciprocity. (3) The interests of this international regime are best served by the development of a supplementary legal order which reinforces rather than displaces the self-regulating capacity of merchants. Thus obligations assumed by international merchants in their contracts should be binding upon them in law because they have so agreed and because law should enforce their agreements. Trakman's thesis is that "through custom and usage, the international community of merchants has devised a sophisticated body of institutions which, today as yesterday, should be recognized in law in the interests of efficacious dealings across national boundaries.
Nations and merchants depend upon a coherent body of trade law to allow commerce to flow freely. We need to study the illuminating history of medieval Law Merchant to grasp the utility in maintaining a system of justice based upon the actual usages of merchants engaged in international commerce. Great advantages accrue to applying a low-cost and speedy adjudicative process to business ventures across international boundaries. Political and economic rivalry makes uniform international trade law indispensable. The merchants' self-regulation through voluntary contract and evolved business practices should take precedence over government or legal regulation. Historically, contract—the agreement of the parties involved in trade—has been the guiding and unifying force in the "law" of international trade, the Law Merchant.


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Editor-in-Chief of IREPHY
Biographical note of the Editor-in-Chief:
Jian Qi Shen was born in Hangzhou, China on November 30, 1974. He received the Bachelor Degree (Nanjing University, China in 1999) and Master Degree (Zhejiang University, China in 2002) in theoretical physics. He has been engaged in quantum optics and electromagnetism since 2002, and received the PhD in Optics from Zhejiang University and PhD in theoretical electromagnetism from the Royal Swedish Institute of Technology. Shen is an associate professor of Zhejiang University, China. He has published over 120 research papers and book chapters in the areas of optics, artificial electromagnetic materials, and quantum theory. His current research interest includes metamaterials, quantum-vacuum effects and field theories.
RECENT AND RELEVANT JOURNAL PAPERS
Jian Qi Shen has published more than 120 papers in various fields such as theoretical/mathematical physics and optical physics. Here is the publication list for some typical work:
[1] Jian Qi Shen and Sailing Long He, Geometric phases of electrons due to spin-rotation coupling in rotating C60 molecules, Physical Review B 68: 195421(6 pages) (2003).
[2] Jian Qi Shen, Purely gravitational generalization of spin-rotation couplings, Physical Review D 70: 067501-(1-4) (2004).
[3] Jian Qi Shen, Negative refractive index in gyrotropically magnetoelectric media, Physical Review B 73, 045113 (2006).
[4] Jian Qi Shen and Sailing He, Dimension-sensitive optical responses of electromagnetically induced transparency vapor in a waveguide, Physical Review A 74,063831 (2006).
[5] Jian Qi Shen and Pu Zhang, Double-control quantum interferences in a four-level atomic system, Optics Express 15, No. 10, 6484-6493 (2007).
[6] Jian Qi Shen, Transient evolutional behaviors of double-control electromagnetically induced transparency, New Journal of Physics 15, 374-378 (2007).
[7] Jian Qi Shen, Momentum Transfer between Quantum Vacuum and Anisotropic Medium, Progress of Theoretical Physics 119, 351-360 (2008).
[8] Jian Qi Shen, Field quantization and vacuum effects in a chiral medium, J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 25, No. 11, 1864-1872 (2008).
[9] Clifford M. Krowne and Jian Qi Shen, Dressed-state mixed-parity transitions for realizing negative refractive index, Phys. Rev. A 79, 023818 (2009).
[10] Arash Gharibi, Jian Qi Shen, and Jing Gu, Tunable transient evolutional behaviors of a four-level atomic vapor and the application to photonic logic gates, Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular & Optical Physics 42, 055502 (2009).
[11] Jian Qi Shen, A gravitational constant and a cosmological constant in a spin-connection gravitational gauge field theory,Journal of Physics A: Math. Theor. 42, 155401 (2009).
[12] Jian Qi Shen, Anisotropic distribution of quantum-vacuum momentum density in a moving electromagnetic medium, Annalen der Physica (Berlin) 522, No.7, 524-531 (2010).
[13] Arash Gharibi, Jing Gu, Jian Qi Shen et al., Quantum Coherence and Tunable Transient Behavior of a Double-Control Four-Level Atomic Vapor, International Journal of Theoretical Physics, Group Theory and Nonlinear Optics 14 Issue 1, pp. 63-80 (2010).
[14] Jian Qi Shen, Constructive and destructive quantum interference sensitive to quantum vacuum mode structure in a metallic waveguide, Physical Review A 84, 063841 (2011).
[15] Jian Qi Shen, Three-dimensionally isotropic negative refractive index assisted by twophoton resonance via quantum coherence, Appl. Phys. Lett. 101, 181102 (2012).
[16] Jian Qi Shen, Double-negative atomic vapor assisted by two-photon quantum coherence, J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 29 (No.11), 3192-3200 (2012)
[17] Jian Qi Shen, A three-level dark state and double-control single-photon logic gates via quantum coherent control, Annalen der Physik (Berlin) 524, No. 2, 85-96 (2012).
[18] Fei Zhuang, Jian Qi Shen, Xinyue Du, and Daomu Zhao, Propagation and modulation of Airy beams through a four-level electromagnetic induced transparency atomic vapor, Optics Letters 37, No. 15, 3054-3056 (2012).
[19] Jian Qi Shen, Gain-assisted negative refractive index in a quantum coherent medium, Progress In Electromagnetics Research, Vol. 133, 37-51, 2013
[20] T.-C. Liau, J. Q. Shen, Y.-H. Kao, and T.-J. Yang, Frequency-sensitive switching control effect induced by two-photon resonance in an EIT-based layered medium, Ann. Phys. (Berlin) 525, 244-255 (2013).
[21] Jian Qi Shen, A dressed-state assisted left-handed coherent medium for high-gain optical amplification, Progress In Electromagnetics Research, Vol. 143, 263-284, 2013
[22] Jian Qi Shen, Strong and weak confinement of parity-time symmetric acoustic surface wave, Europhys. Lett. 105 (2014) 17006
[23] Jian Qi Shen, Electric and magnetic dipole allowed transitions of atoms for three-dimensionally isotropic left handedness in a mixed atomic vapor, Prog. Theor. Exp. Phys. 2014, 033A01 (12 pages). DOI: 10.1093/ptep/ptu018
[24] Jian Qi Shen, Surface plasmon wave manipulated by quantum coherence of multilevel quantum dots, Progress In Electromagnetics Research Letters, Vol. 45, 89-98 (2014).
[25] Jian Qi Shen, Electromagnetically –induced -transparency plasmonics: Quantum -interference-assisted tunable surface-plasmon-polariton resonance and excitation, Physical Review A 90, 023814 (2014).
[26] Jin Jei Wu, Chien Jang Wu, Jian Qi Shen, Da Jun Hou, and Wen Chen Lo, Properties of transmission and leaky modes in a plasmonic waveguide constructed by periodic subwavelength metallic hollow blocks, Scientific Reports 5, 14461 (2015).
MONOGRAPHES
[1] Jian Qi Shen, Dual curvature tensors and dynamics of gravitomagnetic matter, in: Quantum Gravity Research Trends (ISBN 1-59454-324-0), Editor: Albert Reimer, pp. 323-353 (Chapter 10), Nova Science Publishers, Inc., New York (2006).
[2] Jian Qi Shen, Classical & Quantum Optical Properties of Artificial Electromagnetic Media, Chapt. 1, pp. 15-16, Transworld Research Network, ISBN 978-817-8953-56-4, Kerala, India (2008).
[3] Jian Qi Shen, Complex Metric, Torsion, Spin-Connection Gauge Field, and Gravitomagnetic Monopole, in: Mathematical Physics Research Developments (Editor: Morris B. Levy), Nova Science Publishers, Inc. (New York, 2006), pp. 419-526 (2010).
[4] Jian Qi Shen, Quantum-Vacuum Effects and Quantum Coherence in Artificial Electromagnetic Materials, in: Advances in Condensed Matter and Materials Research, Volume 6 (Editors: Hans Geelvinck and Sjaak Reynst, Nova Science Publishers, Inc.). pp. 157-179 (2010).
[5] Teh-Chau Liau, Jin-Jei Wu, Jian Qi Shen and Tzong-Jer Yang, "EIT-Based Photonic Crystals and Photonic Logic Gate Design," in: Photonic Crystals--- Introduction, Application and Theory, Editor: Alessandro Massaro, ISBN: 978-953-51-0431-5, pp.133-156 (Chapter 7), Published by InTech, Rijeka, Croatia (2012).
[6] Jian Qi Shen, The Low-Energy Yang-Mills Gravitational Gauge Theory and Its Application to Astrophysics and Cosmology (pp. 13-126), In: New Developments in Low-Energy Physics Research, Editor: Tao Zoeng and Meng Ngai, Chapter 2, 13-126, ISBN: 978-1-62257-668-5, Nova Science Publishers, Inc., New York (2013).
[7] Jian Qi Shen, A Low-Energy Phenomenological Theory of Yang-Mills Formulation of Gravitation (pp. 189-230), Chap. 6, In: New Developments in Low-Energy Physics Research, Editor: Tao Zoeng and Meng Ngai, 189-230. ISBN: 978-1-62257-668-5, Nova Science Publishers, Inc. (2013).
[8] Jian Qi Shen, Gravitational Gauge Theory of Spinorial and Vectorial Gravitating Matter Fields, in: Gauge Theories and Differential Geometry, Chapter 2, Editor: Lance Bailey, Nova Science Publishers, Inc., New York, (2015).
[9] Jian Qi Shen, Gravitational Gauge Theory as a Route to Gravity-Gauge Unification, in: Gauge Theories and Differential Geometry, Chapter 3, Editor: Lance Bailey, Nova Science Publishers, Inc., New York (2015).
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Back at this year's San Diego Comic-Con we got our first peek at what will be LAIKA's fifth major theatrical release since their inception in 2005, Missing Link. Their list of films includes Coraline, ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls and their latest Kubo and the Two Strings. Each of these films has received a nod in the Academy's Best Animated Feature category, which speaks to their quality.
Today they have released the first trailer to Missing Link, you can check it out above! The animated comedy stars Zach Galifianakis as the 8 foot 650 pound, oh excuse me, 630-pound creature Mr. Link. It seems like he is tired of being alone and is looking to find his family. So he will make his way from his home in the Pacific Northwest all the way to the valley of Shangri-La.
Joining him on this adventure will be a fearless explorer voiced by Hugh Jackman along with adventurer Adelina Fortnight voiced by Zoe Saldana. The film is directed by Chris Butler, who also directed ParaNorman, and it also will feature the voices of Timothy Olyphant, David Williams as well as Emma Thompson.
Let us know what you think of the trailer in the comment section below!
LAIKA Studio's Missing Link hits theaters April 12th, 2019 via Annapurna Pictures.


Donald Trump, the President of the United States, is a figure that is quite often bashed on social media, especially on Twitter. Thanks to his poorly thought-out, impulsive-sounding, mostly insensitive tweets, the Twitter bashing is a very frequent thing for Donald Trump, especially since Twitter itself won't ban him even if he basically threatened nuclear war with a rogue nation.
Jayson Musson, an artist and photographer by education, has created a game that distills the United States' unofficial national past-time — bashing Trump — into a pixel-art game.
I played the 'game,' and weirdly enough, it is fun, if only to watch a pixel-style basketball player 'Dunk on Trump,' causing him to fall down and slide away towards the edge of the screen.
'Dunk on Trump' uses music from MegaPixel Music, and if you're not satisfied with playing the game in your browser, it's also available to download for both Windows and Mac. There's a 'Name Your Price' condition to download the game, and I'd recommend donating at least something for Musson's priceless creation, but if you wish, you can skip the donation and download it right away, you miser.


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Pablo Andrade
- Instructor -
Pablo is a Chilean Marine born in Santiago and who at an early age moved to Puerto Aysén, Chilean Patagonia, where he grew up and lived his teenage full of adventures through the rivers, hills and glaciers typical of that wonderful region of southern Chile.
In 1998 he joined the Chilean Marine Corps, where he has attened a series of courses, such as Exploration, Cartography, Survival, in addition to other parallel courses, such as "First Responder".
Due to his personal and professional conditions, he was sent to the United States for two years, where he served at Camp Pendleton of the US Marines Corps, as a member of the Special Operations Training Group and becoming an Instructor in different areas such as Mountain and use of insertion resources:
Some of his certifications in the United States are Mountain Rescue; Ropes Master; Helicopters Special Operations; Combat Climber.


With Valentine's day rearing its head soon, all you ladies out there are probably wondering what to get your guy. Why not spoil him with the best male grooming goodies that you can get your hands on. In the end of the day, you are actually gifting yourself when you come to think of it! So let's look at some of the cool stuff these male brands have to offer us.
A man with a mane is just another animal. Keeping all that beard groomed and minty fresh is not an easy job though. Essential oils, brushes and combs can help to keep the beast tamed. Have a look at my selection of the best.
Argan, often called 'liquid gold', is proven to make hair softer, silkier and shinier. Tame beard frizz naturally with this specially formulated blend of Moroccan Argan oil and Geranium, packed with antioxidants. This oil instantly enhances manageability, shine and ensures long-lasting conditioning. The rejuvenating fragrance of geranium is a relaxant, and its anti-bacterial and anti-microbial properties also ensure healthy hair growth.
Years shaving and the accompanied razor burns, cuts and bumps take a toll on a man's face. Beardo Argan Oil is just the right thing for you to reverse this damage! Beardo Argan Oil is crafted from the finest Moroccan wonder nut, Argan. It also promotes healthy hair growth which helps you up your facial hair game. Roughness and dryness of hair and skin is a common problem these days with pollution and heat. Since time immemorial, oil of the Argan Nut has been used to treat everything from dry, chapped lips to even hair fall and cracked skin.
You know you are a man if you barely have a skin regimen. But all that riding on dusty roads and pollution sure can have an effect on his skin. Just a change in a soap or the addition of a better wash can fix up all these issues.
Activated Charcoal draws toxins, oil, dirts, and other impurities from the skin & rinses off easily to reveal clean and smooth skin. Beardo Activated Charcoal Body Wash rinses easily, leaving the skin looking and feeling healthy. In this polluted atmosphere Men's skin becomes dirty and black, so by using Activated Charcoal substance based body wash you feel refreshed and cool in a entire day !
Men have bad hair days too. Short, long, wavy, curly or straight all men's hair deserves a little care. It's time he acknowledges the fact that it needs a little pampering. Here are the best shampoo specially designed for men's unique hair.
Protein as we know is one of the essential nutrients for our body; it strengthens our body and provides immunity against diseases. Ah! Now that is something we learnt in Elementary School. But, did you know that protein is equally important for your hair? Well, yes… and essentially, your shampoo should contain keratin for it good health and growth. Wait! Don't panic. If you haven't had a chance to use a keratin infused shampoo till now, you have all the reasons to do it NOW! Dirt and other free radicals can make your beard scraggly and rough to the touch. Who likes that? So, here's presenting Beardo Keratin Shampoo for Men – for your dull, frizzy, weak and unmanageable hair.


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Eda Rae (Sinhala, That Night) is a 1953 Sri Lankan film directed by Shanthi Kumar Seneviratne and Produced by Sisil Disanayaka. The film stars  Sita Jayawardena and Herbie Seneviratne in lead roles whereas Shanthi Kumar, Premnath Moraes and Wanshawathi Daulagala made supporting roles. The music was directed by Mohammed Gauss.

The film achieved some popularity in the country. The musician Latha Walpola debuted as a playback singer in this film.

Cast
 Sita Jayawardena as Chandra
 Herbie Seneviratne as Banda
 Shanthi Kumar as Ranjith
 Premnath Moraes as Lakdasa
 Wanshawathi Daulagala as Maggie
 Dudley Wanaguru as Maggie's brother
 Thilakasiri Fernando
 Latha Walpola
 Austin Abeysekara as Mudali
 Louie Rodrigo as Bonso
 J. H. Jayawardena as Billiards player
 Michel Sannas Liyanage as Victor

Songs
"Hari Hari Ha Ha" – Herbert Seneviratne and Latha Walpola
"Anandey" – Rudrani
"Mage Pana" Louie Rodrigo and group
"Saa Maa Daa Saa" – Rudrani and Mohideen Baig
"Nayana Rasi Wey" – Rudrani and Mohideen Baig
"Davi Gini Jalayen" – Rudrani
"Habata Mage" – Herbert Seneviratne and Latha Walpola
"Sidara Aley" – Mohideen Baig
"Haridey Pem Githa Rase" – Mohideen Baig and Rudrani
"Ho - Dulevi Prema Dhara" – Mohideen Baig and Rudrani
"May Prithi Prithi Darling" – Herbert Seneviratne and Latha Walpola
"Gee Nade Shantha" – Mohideen Baig

References

1953 films
Sinhala-language films

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
class Users::SessionsController < Devise::SessionsController

  def new
    super
  end

  def create
    self.resource = warden.authenticate!(scope: resource_name, recall: "#{controller_path}#cannot_sign_in")
    sign_in(resource_name, resource)
    flash[:success] = "Nice to see you, <strong>#{resource.username}</strong>!".html_safe
    redirect_to after_sign_in_path_for(resource)
  end

  def destroy
    Devise.sign_out_all_scopes ? sign_out : sign_out(resource_name)
    flash[:success] = t('devise.sessions.signed_out')
    redirect_to after_sign_out_path_for(resource)
  end

  def cannot_sign_in
    flash[:danger] = t('devise.failure.invalid')
    redirect_to root_path
  end

  private

  def after_sign_in_path_for(resource)
    root_path
  end

  def after_sign_out_path_for(resource)
    root_path
  end

end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


First you need to determine if it is a hardware problem. If the hard drive isn't recognized by the BIOS, I have yet to find any software that can recover data from a hard drive that the computer doesn't even know exists (if you know of one, let me know!). If this is the case, you need to use a clean room service. This is usually a real eye-opener for most users, since the cost of recovering their data runs from $800 to $3,500! Suddenly the cute pictures of their dog with the sweater on don't mean quite as much. But if you are looking for a clean room service, the one I highly recommend is Gillware. They are the least expensive and yet offer the best service I have found. They even let you see online the directory structure of the files they were able to recover. They are located at www.gillware.com. A word to the wise…the initial fee of $390 covers data recovery that DOES NOT require clean room service. The clean room flat rate is $700. This is still a great price compared to other clean room services. If you do decide to use this company, please use my affiliate number to get me a referral spiff–and you get a free diagnostics, up to 5 free recovery DVDs, and free return shipping. My number is 11131.
iRecover– this is the most powerful recovery software I have found. I had a client (a lawyer) ask me to put a new version of windows on his college-aged daughter's notebook–just be sure to save her documents and music! I copied her 'My Documents' folder off to an external drive. I then fdisked, formatted, and install a new version of windows. After copying back the data (which went TOO fast), I checked and all I had was the directory structure! NO FILES! After recovering from the small heart attack, I knew I had to find a way to recover these files (remember, this was a lawyer's daughter!). I bought and tried numerous programs with very spotty results. I then came across www.diydatarecovery.nl. They had a package called iRecover. I downloaded it, ran it, and RECOVERED EVERY FILE! While I will never get back those weeks of my life that I lost due to the fear and trembling of losing the data, I was able to return the notebook with all files in place! This is not freeware or open source! It costs from $40 to $200 depending on the level you want. Unless you have a raid system, you can get away with the $40 version. Since I am a technician and use it on multiple computers, I purchased the business license version ($200).
Have a backup so data recovery is un-necessary!
Install Recuva on your computer BEFORE you need it!
If you do lose files, QUIT using that drive!