text:
Three-Eyed Raven And Swords Of The Vanquished Back In Game Of Thrones Season 4 Poster
Thursday, February 27, 2014 TV Shows No comments
In the past we've been rewarded by the simplistic posters of every Game of Thrones season. From the Iron Throne, through the coveted crown and to the grandiose shadowing of the dragon -- all made us more excited to watch the premiere episode of each show.
And this time around, the poster features an all too familiar figure and quote in the series. Welcome the Three-Eyed Raven that haunts Bran Stark in his foreseeing dreams. And don't forget the collection of the swords of the vanquished from the past and add those of the new fallen warriors we are yet to lament this season.
Take in this simplistic poster of Game of Thrones Season 4 poster.
Summers span decades. Winters can last a lifetime. And the struggle for the Iron Throne has begun.
It will stretch from the south, where heat breeds plots, lust and intrigues; to the vast and savage eastern lands; all the way to the frozen north, where an 800-foot wall of ice protects the kingdom from the dark forces that lie beyond. Kings and queens, knights and renegades, liars, lords and honest men... all will play the Game of Thrones.
Catch the first episode of Game of Thrones Season 4 on April 6, 2014 only at HBO.
And the Debate Rages On: Incandescent VS CFL VS LED
Wednesday, February 26, 2014 Technology No comments
Still in dilemma which lighting to use? This infographic courtesy of Illustra Lighting (thank you guys!) hopefully ends that today!
Only about 10% of the electricity used by an incandescent is converted to light, the remaining 90% is wasted as heat. CFLs and LEDs are much more effecient, converting about 30% of electricity into light.
An incandescent lasts about 1,000 hours, CFL 5,000 hours and LED 50,000 hours. To put that in perspective, a light bulb that's left ON for 3 hours a night is about 1,000 hours a year.
Listen To Ellie Goulding's Beating Heart, Song From Divergent Official Motion Picture Soundtrack
Tuesday, February 25, 2014 Movies, Music No comments
Come March 21, 2014 and we will all witness on the big screen the anticipated adaptation of Divergent by Veronica Roth. But ten days before that the official soundtrack will be released and, guess what, Ellie Goulding dominates it.
Goulding's voice could easily trap us bringing us into an all new mood and location inside our heads -- there is no wonder she's almost always present in every soundtrack albums these days, including this one. And to give us a taster the signer released the official lyric video of her new song Beating Heart, which will be featured in the said album and features some scenes from the movie.
Immerse your self with this heavenly Beating Heart by Ellie Goulding. You can sing along if you like.
Here is teh complete track listing of Divergent: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack album, which for sure every fan of the novels by Veronica Roth and the movie will dig in:
1. Find You by Zedd featuring Matthew Koma and Miriam Bryant
2. Beating Heart by Ellie Goulding
3. Fight For You by Pia Mia featuring Chance The Rapper
4. Hanging On (I See MONSTAS Remix) by Ellie Goulding
5. I Won't Let You Go by Snow Patrol
6. Run Boy Run by Woodkid
7. Backwards byTame Impala and Kendrick Lamar
8. I Need You by M83
9. In Distress by A$AP Rocky featuring Gesaffelstein
10. Lost And Found (ODESZA Remix) by Pretty Lights
11. Stranger by Skrillex with KillaGraham from Milo & Otis and Sam Dew
12. Dream Machines by Big Deal
13. Dead in the Water by Ellie Goulding
Included on Deluxe Edition:
14. I Love You by Woodkid
15. Waiting Game by Banks
16. My Blood by Ellie Goulding
Divergent: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack will be available on march 11, 2014. It is currently available for pre-order over iTunes.
Godzilla Remake Releases Most Epic And Thrilling Official Trailer Yet
Tuesday, February 25, 2014 Movies No comments
In its most haunting, thrilling and most epic trailer yet, Godzilla chronicles how the future of man is in danger. This freak of nature, which man has attempted to eliminate once before, returns much bigger, stronger and more dangerous than ever.
The film stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen, Juliette Binoche, and Sally Hawkins, with David Strathairn and Bryan Cranston. Gareth Edwards directs this Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures presentation, out this year.
Watch the new trailer of Godzilla.
An epic rebirth to Toho's iconic Godzilla, this spectacular adventure, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures, pits the world's most famous monster against malevolent creatures who, bolstered by humanity's scientific arrogance, threaten our very existence.
Godzilla will send us back to Stone Age, in theaters on May 16, 2014.
Falcon Takes Flight On Latest Marvel's Captain America: The Winter Soldier Poster
The latest material from Marvel's Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a new character poster featuring Falcon, a character played by Anthony Mackie. Falcon's expertise is on aerial combat with the help of an specially designed wing pack, which you can see below.
He will join Chris Evans' Captain America, together an ensemble including Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Cobie Smulders, Frank Grillo, Emily VanCamp, Hayley Atwell, Robert Redford, and Samuel L. Jackson. This Kevin Feige produced film is directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo.
Here is the new character poster of Flacon, otherwise known as Sam Wilson.
As Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) struggles to embrace his role in the modern world and teams up with Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), to battle a powerful yet shadowy enemy, the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) in present-day Washington.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier will hit theaters near you on April 4, 2014.
The Game Of Thrones Season 4 Takes Flight With 20 New Character Posters And 3 Teasers
Tuesday, February 25, 2014 TV Shows No comments
Valar Morghulis, a Valyrian phrase which means "all men must die," is basically the central theme of the upcoming fourth season of HBO's Game of Thrones. We have heard it being said in the previous season and it is the customary saying in Essos, which is answered with Valar Dohaeris, meaning "all men must serve." Remember Jaqen H'ghar in the first season?
And expect more of these words as surely more people will die this season. Some of which we loathe and unfortunately some are our all time favorites. Blame author George R. R. Martin for that, because he seems to enjoy killing off his characters whether we like it or not. To prelude the coming season, here are 18 character posters and 3 video teasers of the show.
Have your fill of these 18 new character posters of Games of Thrones Season 4.
Updated: Here are the additional 2 for Melisandre and Daario Naharis.
Don't go just yet, because here are freshly baked teaser videos from the series.
Game of Thrones Season 4: Dany Dragon Tease
Game of Thrones Season 4: Tyrion Dungeon Tease
Game of Thrones Season 4: Stark Direwolf Tease
Game of Thrones Season 4 will premiere on April 6, 2014 only at HBO.
Katy Perry An Egyptian Queen In Dark Horse Music Video Featuring Juicy J
Thursday, February 20, 2014 Music No comments
If the Roar music video by Katy Perry was such a nice thing to watch, you might be disappointed with the latest Dark Horse music video of the same singer. The usual ingredient of a Katy Perry video that makes it very good are there -- flair, colors, and fantasy -- but it seems to luck something that I so expect from one of the best songs from her Prism album.
And Come to think of it, you'll know what was missing: depth. The video might have all the grandeur of visual satisfaction, but the depth and the soul of it are amiss. I can't take Katy Perry seriously this time, because she ain't serious in the first place. The Egyptian setting might have been good, but the execution and the utilization of the theme are so-so.
Watch the new music video of Dark Horse by Katy Perry, featuring Juicy J.
I need to experience the emotional depth that I once had with Wide Awake and Unconditionally. Is our pop goddess slowly slacking down? I hope not.
Being the third single of Katy Perry's Prism album, Dark Horse was released way back in December of last year. But then it first came out last September 17, 2013 as a promotional single so there is no surprise for its individual come back this time around. It was the sixth track of the said studio album and was written by Katy Perry, Jordan Houston, Gottwald Sarah, Theresa Hudson, Max Martin and Henry Walter.
Katy Pätra, the videos protagonist, first appeared a few days before video made it official premiere when a teaser show-up online.
Guardians Of The Galaxy Returns With Poster And 5 Character Trailers
Thursday, February 20, 2014 Movies No comments
Just when you thought the trailer of Guardians of the Galaxy is already to make you happy, think again. Just now the official poster of the movie has been unveiled, featuring an almost cartoon-looking rendition of the characters.
But then again, don't celebrate just yet because 5 new featurettes highlight the main characters of the movie with Chris Pratt as Peter Quill a.k.a. Star-Lord, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer, Vin Diesel as Groot and Bradley Cooper as Rocket. The movie is directed by James Gunn.
What can you say about the new poster of Guardians of the Galaxy?
Meet Peter Quill / Star Lord
Meet Gamora
Meet Drax
Meet Groot
Meet Rocket Raccoon
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, which first appeared in comic books in Marvel Super-Heroes, Issue #18 (Jan. 1969) finds space adventurer Peter Quill the object of a bounty hunt after stealing an orb coveted by a treacherous villain. But when Quill discovers the power it holds, he must find a way to rally a quartet of ragtag rivals hot on his trail to save the universe.
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy will change your views on Superheroes staring August 1, 2014.
New Trailer Released For Starred Up, Starring Jack O'Connell, Rupert Friend, Ben Mendelsohn & Sam Spruell
Wednesday, February 19, 2014 TV Shows No comments
A new trailer for British drama Starred Up has been released online.
Directed by the famous and genre-hopping David Mackenzie, Starred Up Trailer for the film shows Eric Love (rising star Jack O'Connell), who got in an adult prison. The teenage criminal seems smart enough to deal with the British prison system's corruption. His violence and aggressive streaks send him to a prison for adults, where Eric comes face to face with a criminal who turns out to be his long-lost father serving a long sentence. When O'Connels's hero starts to act unpredictable and violently, it forces the prison guards to bring in measures. Now, it's up to his father (Ben Mendelsohn) and a sympathetic doctor (Rupert Friend) to stop him before it's too late.
The most fascinating scene created by director David Mackenzie ("Young Adam", "Spread", "Mister Foe", "You Instead") is undoubtedly the first opening scene documenting the vivid processing of young Eric (O'Connell) into the adult prison (Belfast) through innumerable jail doors and assorted hallways to a solo cell. All the same, Eric is used to spend most of his life in state institutions. Several guards hold him during his frequent violent outbursts and fights.
But the central dramatic scene of the script (Jonathan Asser) runs between Eric Love and his father Neville (Ben Mendelsohn), who's staying here as well. Eric (Jack O'Connell) is a young violent teen prematurely thrown into the world of a dark adult prison. While struggling to fight against the prison officers and the other cellmates, he has to face with his own father Neville (Ben Mendelsohn), who has spent most of his life in prison. As Eric studies the new rules for survival and overcome with other prisoners.
It's impossible to avoid thinking about many nuances of the forthcoming movie's basic story, because it is played in such a dynamical physical term, so the viewer can understand the meaning of a real prison life in details due to what the film has to offer. But there's O'Connell himself, whose performance is so honest and vivid that you never know when and what he might do next. He's more than a jailhouse-smart boy in this film and it should be very useful to follow his future career.
Finally a British talented star without accent can take a role of value going all the way. In Starred Up Trailer we see O'Connell how he is made of - in a role that allows him to show like it's the one. Do not to miss the official release in March, 2014.
Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson And The Olympians Gets New Cover Art By John Rocco
Wednesday, February 19, 2014 Books No comments
The Percy Jackson & The Olympians series by Rick Riordan is getting a new look! The five books in the series will once again be redesigned courtesy of the art by John Rocco, who did all the previous arts for Percy Jackson and also for Heroes of Olympus.
Starting last February 17, 2014, the covers were revealed one at a time for the duration of five days until February 22, 2014. It's been almost 9 years since the release of the first book in the series, specifically last June 1, 2015, and it's about time that the series will get a new look to attract more fans.
Here are the new covers of the books in Percy Jackson & The Olympians series.
Also, for fun stuff, once all covers have been revealed they will form a panoramic view of all the covers, which are interconnected with each other. So far only the first covers have been released so stay tune.
Enjoy the original art by John Rocco.
And the spines of the books in the series have something to show as well.
This redesigned books will be released sometime this year. Other releases will be on April 8 for The Mark of Athena paperback along with a crossover story called The Staff of Serapis. Percy Jackson and the Greek Gods will be released on August 19 and the final Heroes of Olympus book called The Blood of Olympus on October 7, 2013.
Movie Bloggers Present: The Monuments Men (2014)
Wednesday, February 19, 2014 Movies No comments
George Clooney (and his frequent scenario writer Grant Heslov) excellent guides not only in the sorts of coffee, but in different projects - while silly blockbusters and TV serials are long gone, so now George can work exclusively for his own prestige or bank account. Perhaps he will be able to catch these two birds at the same time with the help of "The Monuments Men" project!
The film shows the time period during the Second World War. The famous leader Adolf Hitler always had a weakness for ancient relics and artifacts. What he did not get, he destroyed. The German army made its way through the explosions and destruction, destroying the whole layers of culture. George Stout, the main character, wanted to preserve the cultural heritage for future generations, so he has assembled a team of seven people. Among them were not soldiers capable to repel the Nazis, and the people of most peaceful occupations - architects, museum curators and historians. They were completely unprepared for the performance on the battlefield, but they wanted to keep the unique works of painting, sculpture and architecture. The team not only defended the masterpieces from the Nazi army, but the soldiers of the country also. George Stout and his recruits tried to explain to the soldiers what should be left intact. Peaceful people of cultural professions, who have never even seen the weapons, had to undergo a crash course to prepare for military action. They are very uncomfortable feeling in uniform, but their service helps to overcome the rigors of all military life. For a short time they were able to save from Hitler's many works of high art stockpiled in a secret place. But the Nazis managed to penetrate in one of the museums, taking away all the valuable exhibits. Now Scout and his people need to fight with the Germans to prevent them from using cultural heritage for personal gain. And here they can rely only on themselves and their new soldier skills. This is a matter that has become the most important and dangerous in their lives. But they will do anything to save the masterpieces, because only they know the true value of it... Will the guys who are much better acquainted with the frescoes of Michelangelo and Da Vinci paintings than with weapons and the art of war save the greatest masterpieces of culture?
As you know, it is always better together, so Clooney decided to get involved in this military adventure with his "Ocean's gang" – so, in addition to George, The Monuments Men shows Matt Damon, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin , as well as Bill Murray himself and charming Cate Blanchett!
Haruki Murakami To Release 'Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage' In August
The latest addition to your Haruki Murakami collection will be coming to English readers this August. And that's around 3 years after the release of the last part of 1Q84 -- and that's just exactly how long Murakami writes a novel if you ask me and then another year for the English translation to come out.
Indulge your self with these deliciously written novel, regardless if you are a fan or not. Here is the equally dull and "colorless" (which is befitting) cover of Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami.
And exactly its opposite, the Japanese version of the cover will simply draw you in with colors.
Tsukuru Tazaki's life was irreparably changed when his relationships with his high school best friends became severed during Tsukuru's college days. Now at 35, Tsukuru's girlfriend Sara suggested to Tsukuru to go and talk to these high school friends in person to mend the relationships, and to discover the real reason behind the friends' decision to reject Tsukuru. Tsukuru visited his friends in Nagoya and Finland one by one, and uncovers the real reason as to why their relations were broken off.
Knopf will publish the English version of Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami on August 12, 2014.
New Guardians Of The Galaxy Trailer May Be The Best Marvel Trailer There Is
Premiering over Jimmy Kimmel Live, the trailer of Guardians of the Galaxy may have been the best trailer there is -- at least compared with all trailers released by Marvel. Centering on the comedic and comic side of the story the trailer presents the "rogue" members of the said intergalactic group.
Starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, John C. Reilly, Glenn Close, and Benicio del Toro, the movie is written and directed by James Gunn. This Walt Disney Pictures and Marvel Studios presentation is produced by Kevin Feige.
Watch the new trailer of Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy.
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy finds space adventurer Peter Quill the object of a bounty hunt after stealing an orb coveted by a treacherous villain, but when Quill discovers the power it holds, he must find a way to rally the quartet of ragtag rivals hot on his trail to save the universe.
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy will hit theaters on August 1, 2014.
Meet Mr. Peabody, The Dog That Has It All (Mr. Peabody And Sherman The Movie)
Sunday, February 16, 2014 Movies No comments
There is a lot of imagination and a bunch of crazy ideas involved in creating one animated comedy. And this is simply awesome, because the public gets really fun time watching such movies. The new film of a kind is called "Mr Peabody and Sherman". It tells the story of a dog and his adopted son. It is not as crazy as it sounds… well, maybe a little, but it is also an extremely funny picture that's totally worth our time.
Here's why Mr. Peabody & Sherman is an absolutely extraordinary animation. First of all, it centers on a dog that's genius. He has doctoral degrees and crazy skills in engineering, music and sports. This is just mind blowing. Secondly, this dog has a pet, that's a human boy, Sherman and they have a perfect normal and healthy father-son relationship. For example, once they were on a casual trip in the Ancient Greece on the set of the Trojan war and Mr. Peabody tried to act really sever and he did not allow his son to fight the war. See, a really normal dad that knows how a son should be educated. Moreover, Mr. Peabody and Sherman are time travelers because this genius dog has invented the one and only WABAC machine. This is a time machine, that takes him and his son in the past and that's how they teach us the history, in a very funny way. Also, we can taste a little of the very first love emotion because we get to see how Sherman is falling crazy for this little blonde cutie whose name is Penny Peterson. Just as I said, this movie has it all and it is totally worth 92 minutes of our life.
Brought to us by the amazing DreamWorks Animation, Mr. Peabody & Sherman is the kind of animated film that fits perfectly, our family time. This March, do not lose the opportunity to witness the adventures of Mr. Peabody and his absolutely cute son. They are going to make us learn the history, while laughing and having crazy fun. Meet Mr. Peabody, the gorgeous dog that has it all.
Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling) Unveils Anticipated Sequel To The Cuckoo's Calling (Cormoran Strike Series)
Sunday, February 16, 2014 Books No comments
The sequel to The Cuckoo's Calling has finally been announced and it's entitled The Silkworm. This Cormoran Strike adventure will be the second book by Robert Galbraith, the pseudonymous identity of British author J.K. Rowling.
Further details revealed that the book will be released on June 19th this year. Hachette Book Group, the US publisher of the series, has also released a full description of the upcoming novel, which will surely be swarmed by fans, after the author's true identity had been revealed.
As usual, a man's silhouette, which is most probably Strike, is featured in the US cover of The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith -- reminiscent of the British cover of the first book.
Now that we are into it, I just hope The Cuckoo's Calling will be rebranded as such.... because my OC ness is lamenting with the covers' big differences. Here's hoping and wishful thinking...
I can't find anywhere the original image of the actual cover, but here it is...
Private investigator Cormoran Strike returns in a new mystery from Robert Galbraith, author of the #1 international bestseller The Cuckoo's Calling.
When novelist Owen Quine goes missing, his wife calls in private detective Cormoran Strike. At first, Mrs. Quine just thinks her husband has gone off by himself for a few days–as he has done before–and she wants Strike to find him and bring him home.
But as Strike investigates, it becomes clear that there is more to Quine's disappearance than his wife realizes. The novelist has just completed a manuscript featuring poisonous pen-portraits of almost everyone he knows. If the novel were to be published, it would ruin lives–meaning that there are a lot of people who might want him silenced. When Quine is found brutally murdered under bizarre circumstances, it becomes a race against time to understand the motivation of a ruthless killer, a killer unlike any Strike has encountered before...
A compulsively readable crime novel with twists at every turn, The Silkworm is the second in the highly acclaimed series featuring Cormoran Strike and his determined young assistant, Robin Ellacott.
The Silkworm, an electrifying sequel to The Cuckoo's Calling, by Robert Galbraith will be released on June 19, 2014.
Author Angie Sage Unveils Official Title, Cover & Synopsis of TodHunter Moon Book #1
As an exciting extension to the Magykal universe created by Angie Sage in the famous Septimus Heap sesries, Todhunter Moon, who was a secondary character back then, takes the spotlight in a new series of his own. So don't worry if you still have some Septimus Heap pangs, because this spin-off series is definitely for you.
And just so you know, the title has been revealed as TodHunter Moon: PathFinder, and is marketed over Amazon as Septimus Heap: TodHunter Moon, Book One: PathFinder. And you can see below the final cover of the first book in the series. Another good thing to be excited with is that illustrator Mark Zug, who did all the illustrations in the Septimus Heap series, is back.
Check out the cover of TodHunter Moon: PathFinder by Angie Sage.
When Alice TodHunter Moon—who insists on being called Tod—was five years old, she saw a beautiful golden dragon boat fly over her PathFinder village. She knew at once that the boat was Magykal.
That was years ago, before her mother died, her father disappeared at sea, and the Garmin took her best friend, Ferdie.
Now it's up to Tod and Ferdie's brother Oskar to rescue Ferdie from the Garmins' keeper, the malevolent Lady. Their journey takes them to the Castle, where they receive help from ExtraOrdinary Wizard Septimus Heap and Ex-ExtraOrdinary Wizard Marcia Overstrand.
But the Lady's brother, the Darke Sorcerer Oraton-Marr, has a plan that will put everyone Tod holds dear in danger. To save her people, Tod must embrace her identity as a PathFinder and navigate the Ancient Ways—mysterious Magykal paths leading to unfamiliar—and sometimes dangerous—lands.
Taking place seven years after the story arc of the original bestselling Septimus Heap series, and full of Angie Sage's characteristic humor and heart, PathFinder celebrates the joy of discovering one's own personal Magyk, and of choosing the path that lets that Magyk flourish and grow.
TodHunter Moon: PathFinder by Angie Sage will hit bookstores on October 14, 2014 under Katherine Tegen Books.
Shailene Woodley Undergoes Tests & Extensive Training In Final Divergent Trailer
Don't wet your pants just yet for the final and most exciting trailer of the Divergent movie. Having learned how to tickle the audience before (talk about Twilight), Summit Entertainment brings out the high stakes formula of attracting their fans -- star-crossed lovers in a scorn-filled world, an abnormally different girl and a hot guy to take her feet off the ground, figuratively and literally.
This Neil Burger-directed movie adaptation stars Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Miles Teller, Ansel Elgort, Kate Winslet, Ashley Judd, Tony Goldwyn, Jai Courtney, Ray Stevenson, Maggie Q, Zoe Kravitz, Ben Lloyd-Hughes, Ben Lamb, Christian Madsen, and Mekhi Phifer.
Watch the final trailer of Divergent, starring Shailene Woodley and Theo James.
Divergent is a thrilling action-adventure film set in a future where people are divided into distinct factions based on their personalities. Tris Prior (Woodley) is warned she is Divergent and will never fit into any one group. When she discovers a conspiracy to destroy all Divergents, she must find out what makes being Divergent so dangerous before it's too late. Based on the best-selling book series by Veronica Roth.
Divergent will hit cinemas on March 21, 2014.
Watch An Extended Look On The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Enemies Unite Sizzle Teaser
While Sony and Columbia Pictures still having the rights and license of all Spidey merchandise we can expect that they're gonna juice out the story in any way possible before they turn them back over to its rightful owners. It's quite a good thing though, because we can somehow glean the urgency and pressure this fact entails on its latest movie in the Spider-man franchise, making it a much better one.
Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone are at their best to bring out the characters entrusted to them. They are joined by Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan, Colm Feore, Paul Giamatti, Sally Field, Chris Cooper, B.J. Novak, and Sarah Gadon in this Marc Webb directed sequel, based on the screenplay by Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Jeff Pinkner, and James Vanderbilt.
Watch The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Enemies Unite Sizzle teaser.
In The Amazing Spider-Man 2, for Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield), life is busy -- between taking out the bad guys as Spider-Man and spending time with the person he loves, Gwen (Emma Stone), high school graduation can't come quickly enough. Peter hasn't forgotten about the promise he made to Gwen's father to protect her by staying away -- but that's a promise he just can't keep. Things will change for Peter when a new villain, Electro (Jamie Foxx), emerges, an old friend, Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan), returns, and Peter uncovers new clues about his past.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 swings to theaters on May 2, 2014.
Marvel's Captain America: The Winter Soldier Lands With Second Trailer
Super Bowl may just be the time for Superhero movies. Left and right we've been bombarded by explosive scenes and clips that would have never been released if not for this gigantic sports event. And by saying so, Captain America: The Winter Soldier didn't let this opportunity pass to show off its seat-gripping sequel thus far.
This second time cinematic adventure brings together Walt Disney Pictures and Marvel Studios and is directed by duo Anthony & Joe Russo. The cast are as follows: Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Redford, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Frank Grillo, Georges St-Pierre, Hayley Atwell, Toby Jones, Emily VanCamp, and Maximiliano Hernбndez.
Watch the new trailer of Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier will pick-up where Marvel's The Avengers left off, as Steve Rogers struggles to embrace his role in the modern world and teams up with Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, to battle a powerful yet shadowy enemy in present-day Washington.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier will charge into action in theaters on April 4, 2014.
Transformers: Age Of Extinction Explodes With New Super Bowl TV Spot
This is not a reboot, this is just another arc in the story. That's probably what Michael Bay had been saying and reminding us for the past few months and it certainly does not console me for a fact that we are once again trapped with another series of buck ($$) drain or sink hole.
New cast, new robots (the dinobots!) and new designs are a few of the things we can expect from the fourth offering in the Transformers franchise. Shia LaBeouf is out of the picture and Mark Wahlberg takes his spotlight, but not really his character. He will be joined by Jack Reynor, Nicola Peltz, Stanley Tucci, Kelsey Grammer, Sophia Myles, Li Bingbing, T.J. Miller, Han Geng, and Titus Welliver. Michael Bay once again takes the directorial seat and the screenplay has been written by Ehren Kruger.
Watch the new Super Bowl TV Spot of Transformers: Age of Extinction.
No official synopsis has been laid out as of the moment, but we can expect Transformers: Age of Extinction to hit theaters on June 27, 2014.
Three-Eyed Raven And Swords Of The Vanquished Back...
Listen To Ellie Goulding's Beating Heart, Song Fro...
Godzilla Remake Releases Most Epic And Thrilling O...
Falcon Takes Flight On Latest Marvel's Captain Ame...
The Game Of Thrones Season 4 Takes Flight With 20 ...
Katy Perry An Egyptian Queen In Dark Horse Music V...
Guardians Of The Galaxy Returns With Poster And 5 ...
New Trailer Released For Starred Up, Starring Jack...
Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson And The Olympians Get...
Haruki Murakami To Release 'Colorless Tsukuru Taza...
New Guardians Of The Galaxy Trailer May Be The Bes...
Meet Mr. Peabody, The Dog That Has It All (Mr. Pea...
Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling) Unveils Anticipate...
Author Angie Sage Unveils Official Title, Cover & ...
Shailene Woodley Undergoes Tests & Extensive Train...
Watch An Extended Look On The Amazing Spider-Man 2...
Marvel's Captain America: The Winter Soldier Lands...
Transformers: Age Of Extinction Explodes With New ...
Design by NewWpThemes | Blogger Theme by Lasantha - Premium Blogger Themes | sharepoint 2010 web analytics


All spouses encounter marital disputes from time to time. One sign of a healthy marriage is the ability of both partners to work through these differences without engaging in personal attacks. Unfortunately, if discord is more prevalent in your marriage than harmony, it may be time to consider looking for a divorce lawyer in La Plata. Before consulting a family lawyer about the possibility of filing for divorce, carefully consider your reasons for preferring divorce over marriage. The following marital problems are some common reasons why individuals visit a divorce law firm.
You and your spouse must have mutual respect for each other to enjoy a healthy marriage. If you no longer respect your spouse and vice versa, the two of you are more likely to become frequently irritable with each other or perhaps even downright hostile.
When you first met your spouse, the two of you likely enjoyed doing shared activities and spending time together. When you lose the partnership mentality of a marriage, you may begin to fantasize about what life might be like when you're single again. If you crave alone time more often than time with your spouse, it might be a sign that your marriage is over.
Open communication between spouses involves actively listening and responding while reserving judgment. If communication between you and your spouse frequently leads to arguments or if you find yourself withholding information for the sake of avoiding a potential argument, your marriage may be in trouble and it could be time to consider scheduling an appointment with a divorce attorney.
Despite all of these problems, it is sometimes possible to save a marriage with counseling. Before visiting a family lawyer, ask your spouse if he or she is willing to participate in marriage counseling with you. If your spouse is not willing to do so or if marriage counseling fails to resolve your problems, it could be time to consult a divorce attorney.


Paillard offers his high-level expertise and large experience in horse trucks and camper trucks conversion to carefully study your project in all details and to provide you the best advice in accordance with your requirements.
From the description of your needs and desires, we present our products range and suggest various ideas and options, based upon our long experience in the field, for the design and layout of your custom truck.
Once your specific requirements have been defined, we begin the design and construction of your individual horsebox. We use a semi-monocoque construction on all our horse trucks.
Our hand made custom trucks are very aesthetic with designer coachworks and quality paints purchased from the best suppliers like Lechler or Spies Hecker.
Number of locations: the number of horseboxes can vary from 5 to 14 horseboxes.
Internal structure: the interior fittings are independent from the external container due to an approved and exclusive system, with padding and reinforcement of the walls. This system allows full protection of the vehicle and horses.
Padding and reinforcement of the walls: the armoring against kicks is done with a damper assembly made with rubber, wood and steel that ensures excellent solidity of the horsebox interior and full safety of the horses.
Floor areas: the floor of the ramp and horseboxes are surfaced with hard wearing non-slip rubber matting which offers excellent grip. The rubber matting of the horsebox floor is equipped with drainage plugholes to avoid being slippery.
Access ramp: operated by electric motor with manual emergency pump.
Partitions: double or single, fully enclosed or with head access, entirely polyester laminated, fully adjustable by 5 cm increments, our padded partitions are designed to our customers' preferences.
Other classical fittings are mangers and water tanks, shower and solarium area, racks and awnings.
Comfort and surveillance options: we can install various equipments for thermal control, heating and ventilation, video surveillance and also piped music.
To learn more, please visit section ''Horsebox - Safty & Comfort''.
Plenty of storages can be installed: outside of each side of the chassis, under the chassis or at eye level. The storage lockers are galvanized, watertight, with power assisted opening.
A single key model is provided for all the safety lockers for easy operation and avoids any risk of keys loss.
To learn more, please visit section ''Safety lockers & Tack boxes''.
We stay to listening to our customers for installing any other desired specific equipment.
The layout and fitting-out of the living space vary depending our client's wishes and needs. There is no pre-established standard.
Our team brings together all the crafts men needed to designing and making your tailor made to order truck: coachbuilder, electrician, plumber, heating specialist, carpenter, and also upholster for the various fittings, curtains and cushions that are used in the decoration of our clients' apartments.
The living area can be noticeably enlarged thanks to pop out extensions. This option is very popular among our clients. These hydraulic extensions are extremely reliable. They are easy and fast to operate and they can be installed on both lateral sides of the chassis.
The Relaxing space makes no difference with a home lounge. Our skilled craftsmen will set a high standard environment which perfectly matches your individual tastes and style. The clients can choose from an extensive range of high quality fabrics and leathers then specify exactly the interior style they want. The comfort and leisure equipments are installed at your discretion: TV, Home Cinema, Hi-Fi, internet link, reversible heating / air conditioning, etc.
The Kitchen space is fully functional and fitted with fridge, freezer, micro-wave, sink, hotplates, oven and various cupboards and cabinets depending upon the size of the truck.
The Bedroom space consists of 2 sleeping positions in the extension over the cabin, single sleeping position above the lounge entrance with the sitting area that can be transformed into a sleeping area.
The bathroom space offers shower with washbasin, electric toilet, several cupboards, and teak wood floor. It is also possible de separate the toilet from the shower space.
We provide samples for the selection of furniture, flooring, fabrics and finishes.
You can also look at our book of recent works and fittings to give you a taste about the extensive range of interior treatments that we can offer to meet your interior refinement desires.
At last, we do research to answer your very specific needs and we try to bring you satisfaction according to technical feasibility.
From your initial requirements, we provide you with a first estimate which may change depending on different options chosen afterwards.
We give detailed quotation. After your order to launching the building of your costum truck, you can still select new options that will be quoted in real time.
Being a human-sized specialist business we have all the advantages of being able to change quickly, listen to our clients and demonstrate our passion for what we do.
Our mantra is to do our best to meet our customers' requirements and satisfy their desires.


Gino M. Silvestri Realtor, e-PRO. Broker/Owner of Realty Mark Premier, is your friendly Ocean City, Maryland Realtor. If you plan to buy, sell or rent real estate in Ocean City, West Ocean City, Ocean Pines, or Berlin, Maryland, he can get the job done. Gino Specializes in Oceanfront Condos, Bayfront Properties, Bank Owned Properties, Foreclosures, Single Family Homes and New Home Construction Communities!


text:
US official: Erik Prince proposed private spy network to Trump administration
The founder of the controversial military contracting firm Blackwater, Erik Prince, and his allies lobbied contacts inside the administration to provide the CIA with a private network of intelligence contractors, according to a US official with knowledge of the proposal.
"This idea is going nowhere," the official said and stressed neither the agency nor the director of the CIA is or was ever considering the proposal.
National Security Council spokesman Michael Anton told CNN that "the White House does not and would not support such a proposal" and that, "I can find no evidence that this ever came to the attention of anyone at the NSC or (White House) at all."
The Intercept was first to report the proposal. A CIA spokesperson told The Intercept, "You have been provided wildly inaccurate information by people peddling an agenda."
A spokesperson for Prince denied the claims in a statement to CNN's Erin Burnett.
"The allegations made in Intercept's latest article about Erik are completely false and this was made clear to them before the article was published. Any meetings Erik did have with members of the intelligence community, current or former, focused on his well-publicized plan for saving the US taxpayer $42 billion in Afghanistan," the statement said.
"The Intercept has, once again, targeted Erik using his high profile as a click-bait to promote its own website and indulge the fantasies of its reporters with no care or regard for the facts."
Prince founded Blackwater, a private defense contractor that provoked international outrage after a deadly 2007 shooting in Iraq.
Blackwater lost a $1 billion contract with the State Department to protect American diplomatic personnel in 2009, after the Iraqi government refused to renew the company's operating license. The company was later renamed and sold, and now operates as Academi.
Prince was also questioned by House lawmakers last month over reports that he met the head of a Russian investment fund in an apparent effort to set up a backchannel for Russian communication with the Trump administration, and that senior Trump officials had authorized the meeting.
While Prince testified to House lawmakers that he met the head of a Russian investment fund earlier this year -- he insisted it was not part of an effort to set up a Russian backchannel with the Trump administration, multiple sources told CNN.
Prince informed the House Intelligence Committee during private testimony that he met in the Seychelles with Kirill Dmitriev, who is the chief executive of the state-run Russian Direct Investment Fund, at the request of the United Arab Emirates to discuss business opportunities. The meeting on the island in the Indian Ocean, he said, lasted roughly 20 minutes after dinner over a beer.
Prince insisted he did not have the meeting at the request of the Trump administration, according to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the situation.
He also downplayed his ties to the Trump's team, merely saying he was a Trump donor and had met the President on only one occasion, the sources said. CNN has previously reported that Prince met with members of Trump's incoming national security team during the presidential transition, and that he boasted about his influence in the Trump orbit around that same time.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


A licensed version of the Schuberth 826, made in the Czech Republic.
"Czech Army use German Schubert M.286, Czech Petris P 3001 and Russian BS-E 215. This is standard equipment. Our troops also use a small number of Swiss, US Mich, French, Slovenian helmets on missions etc."
SCHUBERTH clone ? - made by Sestan Busch, Croatia ?
"This is the Russian-made Kirasa BSh-E helmet, manufactured by "Kirasa" in Perm.
In July 2003 a set of 2000 such helmets (alongside with other equipment) was supplied by Russia to Czech Republic to repay its debt. It is likely the helmets were delivered with vz.95 and snow covers. Two sizes were supplied, 1st in 54-57 cm and 2nd in 58-62 cm.
The shell is very similar in shape to Schuberth m826 and is made of Aramid fiber fabric and organic matrix using prepreg technology. On the back rim, there is a producer marking, stating in cyrillic "Kirasa BSh-E-1".
Liner is very similar to that seen on Sestan Busch BK3. On the pictured helmet, the chincup is made of two straps, but more common is the plastic chincup variation.
There is also a Czech sticker inside of the shell, stating that the useful life is 5 years (when the ballistic protection is guaranteed). With delivery in 2003, no helmets are supposed to remain in usage with Czech army. "
Referring to the Kirasa website, it seems the B model is not longer in production.
This is an example of the other version - with chincup - referred to above.
Two versions of this helmet - essentially identical except for the chinstrap catch. This one, with the simpler plastic catch, is apparently the earliest version issued by the Czechs.
Two versions of this helmet - essentially identical except for the chinstrap catch.
This is a later edition, with a more robust metal catch which is similar to that seen on certain Canadian, German, and Danish helmets.
I'm not at all clear what the actual designation of these helmets is in Czech service, so I am simply using the topline information as shown here. What does seem the case, however, is that this label is at least in part a warranty-expiry notice, stating that the helmet can not be garuanteed after five years - in this case it ran from 2008 to the end of 2013. Which may explain why these helmets have been removed from service.
Is this actually a genuine consistent difference between these two versions - the bolt heads of the early (left) and the later (right).


This Cookie Notice applies to www.seaofeden-dubrovnik.com, owned and operated by Sea of Eden, and describes how we use personal data collected through Cookies and other techniques, including pixels ("Cookies") on our website www.seaofeden-dubrovnik.com ("Site").
If you have questions or concerns about our processing of your personal data, or if you want to exercise any of the rights you have under this notice, you are welcome to contact us at sea_of_eden@rocketmail.com . You can also contact your local data protection authority with questions and complaints.


Appointment of independent directors: Noble intentions gone awry!
The Companies Act 2013 (Act) as well as the amended Securities Exchange Board of India(SEBI)'s listing agreements mandate appointment of a specified number of independent directors in listed as well as in certain public companies with effect from April 1, 2015. This measure was expected to usher in a new era in corporate governance. Despite just about a week for the deadline to expire, thousands of these positions are yet to be filled up. What is leading to this non compliance; is it only the "couldn't care" attitude of some companies or are there (with due respects to all) some disconcerting provisions in the legislations.
Returns and rewards must be commensurate with duties and responsibilities in any sphere of life to produce the desired results. The legislations cast onerous duties on the independent directors (IDs). They are primary accountable, inter-alia, for examination of financial statements, scrutiny of inter-corporate loans and investments, approval of related party transactions etc. etc. Non compliance attracts heavy monetary fines and even imprisonment in many cases. The source of remuneration for the poor IDs is primarily the limited sitting fees they earn for attending meeting of the board of directors and its committees. On the other hand, senior executives and executive directors are assured of hefty and fixed remuneration packages besides opportunities for significant wealth creation; employees stock options etc. Would this glaring disparity encourage the right talent to offer themselves for appointment as independent directors ?
Misplaced provisions in the legislation also renders a vast pool of talent in-eligible for appointment as IDs. One of the clauses in respect of the eligibility criteria for appointment as an independent director, both in the Act as well as SEBI legislation states, "who, neither himself nor any of his relatives is or has been an employee or proprietor or a partner, in any of the three financial years immediately preceding the financial year in which he is proposed to be appointed of a firm of auditors or company secretaries in practice or cost auditors of the company or its holding, subsidiary or associate company" SEBI's listing agreements go a step further. It prohibits an independent director or his/her relative from being a material supplier, service provider or customer or a lessor or lessee of the company.
The import of the above is rather frightening. An otherwise extremely competent and eligible person would be ruled out for appointment as an ID in a number of companies even if one or more relatives is/was employed even as junior employee in any of the aforesaid firms or had any of the specified relationships with the company.
The intentions of the legislators were indeed noble. They wanted to build a firewall to avoid any conflict of interest. But the drafting went overboard. The legislations in their current form suffer from "trust deficit" and lack appreciation of the concept of "materiality".
1. Reference to "relatives" should be dropped.
2. Reasonable monetary ceilings should be specified in case of material suppliers, service providers, customers, lessors or lessees of the company.
This will make the legislation pragmatic and help in attracting adequately qualified and experienced talent to facilitate effective governance without diluting the desired controls.
The focus should be on transparency, governance, accountability and strict enforcement leading to a strong deterrent. The mantra should be: Minimum legislation and maximum & effective enforcement.
Notwithstanding any perceived shortcomings, the extant laws must be respected. Effective implementation is the best way to achieve it. The lessons learnt from the Satyam scandal, the largest accounting scandal that hit the country in 2009 appear to have influenced some provisions of the Act. Yet six years later, the verdict from the courts in the Satyam case is still awaited. SEBI has recently termed it "shameful" that 8000-9000 companies that were required to appoint a woman director are yet to do so and warned that they will not be allowed to go scot-free.
Let's wait and watch if the authorities finally "walk the talk".
Sarvesh Mathur is a senior finance professional, who has earlier worked as CFO of Tata Telecom Ltd, PricewaterhouseCoopers (Pwc) India etc.


text:
Adam Legzdins
Jonathan Grounds
Maikel Kieftenbeld
Robert Tesche
Stephen Gleeson
David Cotterill
Rhoys Wiggins
Viv Solomon-Otabor
Jonathan Spector
Tomasz Kuszczak
Josh Dacres-Cogley
Connal Trueman
Jack Storer
George O'Neill
Jake Weaver
Noe Baba
Kyle McFarlane
David Popa
Luke Maxwell
Max Beardsmore
Cameron Ebbutt
Ronan Hale
Charlie Lakin
Oliver Mulders
Matthew Timms
Nosa Iyamu
Louis Yuill
Ukasyah Wallace
Steve Seddon
Beryly Lubala
Josh Tibbetts
Corey O'Keefe
Jordan Potter
Sophie Baggaley
Alex Windell
Meaghan Sargeant
Jess Carter
Kerys Harrop
Freda Ayisi
Kirsty Linnett
Bella Linden
Andrine Hegerberg
Abbey-Leigh Stringer
Melissa Lawley
Charlie Wellings
Chloe Peplow
Rebecca Lloyd
Connie Schofield
Cheryl Edwards
Corina Schröder
Ashlee Brown
Coral-Jade Haines
Aoife Mannion
Ann-Katrin Berger
Out on Loan
Charlee Adams
Koby Arthur
Andrew Shinnie
Wes Harding
Nicolai Brock-Madsen
Former First Teamers
Former Academy Players
Returned Loanees
Boards and Advisors
The Carson Faction
The Panos Faction
Appearance Data 2014/2015
BIH Factfile
Carson Yeung Court Case Factfile
Carson's Criminal Case Factfile
BIH Court Case Factfile
Off To Partizan
Gossip Folks – The Transfer Window Rumour Mill Experiment
Do You Remember When?
The Carson Trial
The Rise of…
Postcards from HK
Ownership Travails
Although things have quietened down surrounding Birmingham City and the travails of their parent company, the Football League have been kept busy by other clubs with ownership issues. Nottingham Forest have been placed under a total transfer embargo due to the non-payment of transfer fees for £5million signing Britt Assombalonga, while Leeds United owner Massimo Cellino has been told he does not have to sell his shares as "he does not exercise control over them".
The situation at Forest is made all the more farcical by the fact that they were already under a transfer embargo, due to them breaching the FFP rules. However, they were still able to sign three players during the January window – with £250,000 won from Skybet – as the FL gave dispensation in each case. The new embargo means that they now cannot even receive dispensation to sign players on loan until the money owing is paid off – something Forest Chairman Fawaz Al-Hasawi has said will happen "imminently". However, that is now too late for Peterborough, whose chairman Darragh MacAnthony angrily took to twitter on deadline day to explain why the Posh wouldn't be making any signings.
At Leeds, Massimo Cellino has been told although he is banned from being a director and owner due to failing the fit and proper persons test, he will not have to sell his stake in Leeds as it owned via a "blind trust". Leeds are in the bizarre position of having an owner who doesn't actually own them, as they have successfully proved to the FL that the shares in Leeds are held by this blind trust and that Cellino exercises no control over it's vehicle Eleonera Sports which owns 75% of Leeds United. Leeds fans are used to this having seen Ken Bates run the club as chairman from 2005 – 2012 on behalf of unknown owners – another situation the FL apparently were okay with.
Even up in Scotland it appears football has become messy, with Rangers manager Kenny McDowall apparently being told that if the five players that Rangers have taken on loan from Newcastle United are fit, then they must play. Newcastle owner Mike Ashley owns an 8.9% stake in Rangers and has been blocked from buying more shares; in the meantime he has loaned them money to keep the Glasgow club afloat and has placed two directors – Derek Llambias and Barry Leach – on the board at Ibrox.
With all the furore around Blues last month I think people got nervous when the Football League got involved, and made a statement to the effect that
they were investigating and that there were a range of sanctions they could implement should they find incidences of rule breaches. From seeing what's going on in football around the country it appears to me that the FL are pretty toothless; as much as they try to enforce their own rules they are blocked by legal challenges which go on to prove just how much they struggle to enforce penalties.
From what I hear the FL continue to be happy with the situation at Blues, taking the pragmatic view that although Carson is conducting various machinations in Hong Kong to try and seize power within BIH again, none of them currently affect the club. The club receives no input from Carson on day to day matters, no interference in team or management issues and therefore Carson isn't exercising control. Until that situation changes, I do not believe the FL will do anything about how many shares Carson and/or his family own – which I will be honest pleases me as the FL can only punish the club, not Carson.
In our book "Haircuts and League Cups" (which you can still buy online at www.haircutsandleaguecups.co.uk or Amazon – shameless plug), Will and I talked about how the governance of football wasn't fit for the purpose because of the lack of ability the FL has to enforce it's own rules. As much as I believe fans should be involved in the ownershp of clubs – and should put their money where their mouths of in doing that – I think the FL needs to rethink its rules in how it regulates ownership. Rather than employing a test that struggles to stand up to legal challenges, I think the FL should make it clear that clubs must publicise all persons who own a reportable amount of shares – 5% or more – and more importantly, ensure that all clubs have at least one person (or family) that owns over 30% – a clearly definable owner. Rather than implementing rules that ensure that people will try and keep things obfuscated as possible, I'd prefer rules that enforce openness and transparency.
Tags: Fit and Proper Test, Ownership, The Football League
23 Responses to "Ownership Travails"
It is fairly obvious these days, that the people who control football, are not trustworthy. FIFA sanctioned a World Cup to be played in Quatar. Some time later they found out that it's very hot in Quatar, but all the dollars pushed their way,must have blinded them, to this fact. Every week, on match of the day, we see serious contentious decisions made by referees, that are discussed by the pundits, but nothing is ever done about it. With the amount of holding that goes on in penalty areas, football has almost become like watching rugby. (except that most footballers wouldn't last 5 minutes in a rugby game). The game now thrives on controversy, players diving etc. but newspapers love this because it sells copy. This also brings the punters in and that is all the Football League, care about.
And why have Bolton, who are over £160m in debt, escaped the FL evil eye?
They are even bringing players in!
almajir says:
Debt isn't a big deal – it's being able to service it that is.
Consider a mortgage – it's a huge commitment, maybe three or four times your yearly salary – but as long as you can pay it, it's not a problem.
thing is, whatever set of rules they come up with there will always be a way found to get round them, if someone with pots of money wants something badly enough they will find a way of doing it, and the fl have to prove the rules have been flouted, look at Man City with the etihad stadium
smudge says:
As always OP another interesting and thought provoking read. Like you i would welcome a change in the rules if it meant that there was more transparency with club ownership, but i would like the FL to go a little bit further by making any potential owner to submitt written plans (that can be made public) outlinning how they intend to run and protect a club for a certain period of time. I would also force any new owner to make a deposit which would then sit in an account untouched by the owner or club, but should a situation arise ie Notingham forest and transfer payments then the FL can make any such payments (still enforcing the embargo until the deposit is repaid). When the owner decides he has had enough he would get his deposit back.
Only a thought but one which i think would show alot of fans that a new owner was serious about ownership…..
Mad Max says:
I'm sure your readers need no reminding that the Chief Executive of the Football League is none other than Shaun Harvey who, when in a similar role at Leeds United, was found by a County Court judge to have harassed an elderly couple and ordered to pay substantial damages (out of the club's coffers of course). Fit and proper to judge others? I think not.
http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/dec/18/leeds-shaun-harvey-yorkshire-radio
AussieBlue says:
Thanks for that link Max. I read it through with amazement. When I got to this bit:
"For six of those years – before and after Leeds under Bates and Harvey collapsed into administration in 2007 owing around £35m, including £7m unpaid taxes – the club was owned via an offshore company in the Cayman Islands, a tax haven. Harvey gave evidence to a parliamentary select committee inquiry in 2011 that he did not know who the club's owners were."
Cayman Islands, offshore company, no one really knows who truly owns the club? The words
Henhouse + fox+in+is+the when re-arranged spring to mind!
I think, as Dan suggests, it's a safe bet that we'll see nothing of any substantive action from the FL.
It does cause me to despair at the chasm between passionate fair-play loving fans of any club; and the scheming, tax-avoiding, sometimes criminal activities of those who chose to own the clubs. Still, what's changed. In the words of the song that older bluenoses will recall "It's the rich that get the pleasure; it's the poor that gets the blame."
ChrisG says:
It seems the FL rules & regulations are so full of loopholes they're almost transparrent
Raymondo says:
I think that for too long the same clubs remain at the top of English football because, definitely because , they dominate by having more money than others. I understand this is not allowed in the American soccer leagues because there is a limit imposed on transfer fees and wages. Until that is brought back into n our football, because we did have it once, the same unfairness will continue in the Premier League, and too a smaller amount, because of the knock-on effect in the leagues below. Sky's stranglehold on this situation needs to be ended and only a change in the rules about fees and wages will do it.
We do have a salary cap of sorts in the Football League under FFP… however its based on club turnover rather than one set limit for everyone. So in effect, the richer a club, the more money they can spend. Then the poorer clubs can't spend as much to improve their teams.
To be honest, who cares about the salary cap (FFP) as Forest broke it and look at the joke situation that created – where they purchased players with money given to them by Sky even after breaching Financial Fair Play rules. You can't make this stuff up!
Casper says:
I think a team salary cap would be an excellent proposition (with perhaps one or two exemptions for marquee signings) as is the case in rugby union. However in order to avoid the situation in rugby where some of the best players leave (in rugby's case to France) for a big payday towards the end of their careers, I believe the top leagues in Europe should agree a common salary cap. I also believe that prize money at the end of the season should be distributed evenly across the teams, after all – they all participate in the same number of games! The current situation just reaffirms the strong financial disparity between the top teams and everybody else. Hopefully something like this can be sorted when the Blues are back in the top flight although that might be dreaming – the FA could never sort something out this radical by next season :p
KRO & SOTV
RichardM says:
These are all fantastic ideas – the problem is that to change anything you would need the support of the Premier League (yeah right!!!). Distinct case of Turkeys voting for Xmas – not going to happen, why would people like Richard Scudamore or clubs like Man City, Man Utd, Arsenal and Chelsea implement anything that could threaten their stranglehold on the game.
A very sorry state of affairs, and doubtful it will ever change….
Hillfield Blues says:
The FL need to realise that rules and regulations are all very well,but it's how they are implemented that is the problem.
swissjonny says:
Raymondo a good point mate but if suddenly we got purchased by Sheikh Yerwallet Im not absolutely sure that I wouldnt been in agreement with you! Im afraid we all long to have a wealthy and supportive owner but in the interim must be happy with the impending demise of the Villa.
Strettonbluenose says:
You will never solve the problem of fit and proper owners.
Firstly, I could run a football club. I don't need to know about football. I could employ a manager, a director of football an accountant and any expert you can think of.
Secondly, you don't need pots of money. Players are the main cost and if you keep their wages under control, your experts cost a lot less than players and you can make the books balance. You might slip down the league because other clubs have other sources of money and it'll make you unpopular with the fans but running a club without a subsidy is not impossible.
Thirdly, what you really need is honesty but this is difficult to test for unless you have a criminal record. If someone without a criminal record wants to buy a football cllub there is no good reason to stop them.
Finally, if they then turn out to be a crook, what can you do? if they've legitimately paid for the club, how do you make them sell their shares? The football league (or premier league) are not the law and can't compel them to sell. All they can do is kick the club out of thier competition. This will stop the clubs income and in most cases put it into administration. It will also spoil the integrity of the competition and is probably best avoided.
Adam True Blue says:
I like the legitimately purchased shares bit, what if the shares were bought with ill gotten gains, who will do something about it.
atko says:
You make interesting points, Dan but one of the problems surrounding ownership is caused by consortiums. Clubs are owned by these consortiums but then THEIR members change at ridiculous rates. Maybe there should be a rule that states the consortium should not be allowed to change it's members like they do. I find it very suspicious when they do so frequently to be honest. Commiting to a football club should be for the long haul, it seems to me though the only people commited to any club these days are the fans themselves! Shouldn't ALL consortium members face the leagues fitness test to own a club? If a consortium then becomes owner of a club then changes it's members like they do, have the new members been tested by the league? I doubt it given that the consortium already owns the club so there are a lot of loopholes right there. Unfortunately Football provides too many opportunities for money laundering & corruption & with weak bodies like the FA & the Football League governing things won't get any better unless they tighten up their rules!!
StaffsBlue says:
All very good points. The only good point I see in consortia, is that clubs have been saved by them. I don't like them either, but I wonder how many clubs would have gone out of business without them?
It never used to be this complicated , did it ?
True Staffs, I should add that not all Consortiums are bad.
micko says:
Interesting musings on the ideal structure for club ownership, Daniel. The problem with your suggestion that there should be one person/family with 30% + ownership is that it precludes community ownership, as in the case of Portsmouth. Surely, in the ideal world, this is how all clubs should be owned – by the fans! No more megalomaniac, greedy criminals! (I include the FL, PL, FIFA, etc in that label)
As this issue of football club ownership is more and more exposed and under the microscope it looks like controlled anarchy. What authorities there are seem to be effectively saying 'Well, there are rules chaps but you can stretch the elastic a bit; just don't get too scandalous or greedy and all will be fine"
If such elasticity were practiced on the field there would be no red or yellow cards and we'd see more broken legs and other serious injuries.
Even our former owners, who when all is said and done did a great job keeping the club solvent and relevant, made their piles out of pornography. Not Baroness Karen but her gilded upbringing was made possible by her dad Terry being one of the UK's biggest printers of porn. Sullivan served time in prison for living off immoral earnings. This is all on public record.
Such is life.
DoctorD says:
When I see what's going on at Leeds, Forest and Rangers, it does put our situation in a bit of perspective. In a way, I am glad we are not alone though, perversely, the more clubs that are in a dangerous ownership situation, the LESS likely it is that football governing bodies will do anything about it. I mean, basically, those bodies would not want lots of clubs in a particular division (rather than just one isolated bad apple) being hit by sanctions — as it makes a mockery of the rules.
In fact, Dan is right, how much worse do things need to get before the Football League take action? When a quarter of the clubs are in a mess? Half? Three-quarters? Surely at some point the FL must realise the existing rules are a joke.
Birmingham City News 24/7
Archives Select Month October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010
BCFC Supporters Trust
Bet for Less
Blues Middle East
Blues Views
It's Round and White
Joys & Sorrows
Made In Brum
Red Yellow and Black
Small Heath Alliance
Yesbets
Audio Podcasts (1)
Birmingham City (2,387)
Birmingham City Blogs (9)
Blues Fans (54)
Supporters Trust (21)
Blues Ladies (41)
Carsongate (126)
Chinese Media (115)
Finances in Football (324)
Gameday (61)
General Ramblings (209)
International Football (27)
OP in Hong Kong (10)
Other Football (18)
Players (275)
Pre Season 2012 (19)
Pre Season 2013 (9)
Professional Development League (17)
Referees (146)
Season 2011/12 Review (5)
Talking Points (561)
The Betting Corner (1)
The Championship (280)
The Manager (18)
Transfers (138)
Video Podcasts (26)
© 2021 Daniel Ivery | All rights reserved | For all syndication and press enquiries contact press@oftenpartisan.co.uk


text:
Q: Sending and receiving AJAX requests with Ext js and PHP I need to sending and receiving AJAX requests with js and PHP
what the problem in my code ?
php code
function pingAddress($ip) {

    $pingresult = exec("ping -n 3 $ip", $outcome, $status);

        if ($status == 0) {
             return "online";
        } else {
            return  "offline";
        }
    }

js code
function ping(ipAddress) {

      Ext.Ajax.request({
          url: urlApp + 'pcs/pingAddress/ipAddress',
      success: function(e){
              alert(e.responseText);
        } ,
      failure: function(){
               Ext.Msg.alert("Massage");
        }
       });
}

Pls help my

A: It would be good  if you had an error message.
In the mean time...in your javascript code, it seems you do not send the ipAdress.
Try this, it may solve you problem:
your url should be:
urlApp + 'pcs/pingAddress/ipAddress?ipAddress=' + ipAddress

or maybe
urlApp + 'pcs/pingAddress/' + ipAddress

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Home / Tech News / Announcements / MSI FX600 Laptop Review (with nVidia Optimus Technology)
MSI FX600 Laptop Review (with nVidia Optimus Technology)
Allan 'Zardon' Campbell December 8, 2010 Announcements, Laptop / Mobile
1. Introduction2. The MSI FX600 Laptop (Bundle)3. The MSI FX600 Laptop (External)4. The MSI FX600 Laptop (Internal & Software)5. Synthetic: SiSoft Sandra6. Synthetic: PC Mark Vantage7. Synthetic: HDTach & CrystalMark8. Synthetic: Cinebench R11.5 64 bit9. Real World: BluRay Playback with Cyberlink Power DVD 10 Ultra10. Real World: Flash HD Playback Performance11. Real World: Media Encoding with Cyberlink Espresso12. Real World: File Copying with Kingston HyperX Max 3.013. Gaming: Left4Dead 2 (Direct X 9)14. Gaming: Resident Evil 5 (Direct X 9/10)15. Technical: Thermal Dynamics16. Technical: Battery Life17. Technical: Acoustics Performance18. Closing Thoughts19. View All Pages
Resident Evil 5, known in Japan as Biohazard 5, is a survival horror third-person shooter video game developed and published by Capcom. The game is the seventh installment in the Resident Evil survival horror series, and was released on March 5, 2009 in Japan and on March 13, 2009 in North America and Europe for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. A Windows version of the game was released on September 15, 2009 in North America, September 17 in Japan and September 18 in Europe. Resident Evil 5 revolves around Chris Redfield and Sheva Alomar as they investigate a terrorist threat in Kijuju, a fictional town in Africa.
Within its first three weeks of release, the game sold over 2 million units worldwide and became the best-selling game of the franchise in the United Kingdom. As of December, 2009, Resident Evil 5 has sold 5.3 million copies worldwide since launch, becoming the best selling Resident Evil game ever made.
We tested at 720p in DX10 mode with settings on full.
Performance from the dedicated nVidia solution showed very capable results. We also forced the game to run with onboard Intel HD graphics, in DX9 mode at 720p.
A video below of the built in benchmark in action from the IntelHD graphics … its actually usable if you dont mind disabling anti aliasing and running DX9 mode.
The Intel onboard solution can be used when battery life is low or you aren't running such an intensive game. I was surprised of the reasonable levels of power considering its the 'back up' option in this machine.
Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
Tags FX600 review FX610 review intel hd Intelhd MSI MSI FX600 Laptop Review MSI FX610 Laptop Review msi laptop news nvidia nVidia Optimus Review
Previous Is Microsoft Windows Phone 7 a sales disaster?
Next Apple fix Macbook Air Display issues
Upcoming Nvidia MX300 GPUs might use Pascal architecture
Although Nvidia Ampere GPUs seem to be around the corner, the company may use an …


Scotch whiskey - a drink with a rich history and traditions. In 1837 he was created a unique recipe for whiskey, which received a license and made in Scotland. In the 90 years of the last century, this recipe has been restored masters distillery Speyside Distillery and was the basis for the production of whiskey Glen Clyde. His name was in honor of whiskey valley of the River Clyde, which is located near Glasgow. This place is famous for spring with crystal clear water and soft. Glen Clyde 3 Years Old - young blended Scotch whiskey, which is created from carefully selected malt and grain alcohol, aged in oak barrels for at least three years, so its fine aroma and taste, combining the best advantages of Scotch tape. Glen Clyde 3 Years Old in a metal box - this is the perfect gift that is sure to impress fans of whiskey.
In our store you can buy whisky Glen Clyde 3 Years Old, metal box, 0.5 L, price Glen Clyde 3 Years Old, metal box, 0.5 L — $ 8. Producer whisky Speyside Distillery. Delivery Glen Clyde 3 Years Old, metal box, 0.5 L.


text:
News / Wii U
RCMADIAX Reveals The Definitive Clone "Spikey Walls"
by Jim Smale · Published August 12, 2014 · Updated January 1, 2022
Spiky Walls, just when you thought the Wii U eShop couldn't get more "appy", leave it to RCMADIAX to take it up a notch and develop a game so APP-MAZING!
The new title is called spikey walls, and many of you will recognize it as a popular spin-off of the famous "Flappy Bird". The game uses the state-of-the-art precision of the Wii U GamePad's physical buttons versus the lag of a mobile device's touch screen.
You will enjoy hours of fun trying to score the highest and brag on Miiverse when you're finished each session. To make it easier to keep track of your highest attempt.
The game is currently awaiting testing at Nintendo of America for release in September or October for the flappy-tastic price of just $0.99! Nintendo Game store link.
Related Post: Here Is Your EU Nintendo eShop Update For Friday 25th May 2018


text:
Packed Volusia School Board agenda includes $8 million property sale
By Cassidy Alexander calexander@news-jrnl.com
Nestled in a packed agenda for Wednesday's Volusia County School Board meeting is a chance for the district to finally cash in on $8 million for capital projects that it's been chasing for two years.
The sale of two surplus properties marks the end of the lengthy process to sell a four-acre parcel in DeLand and a 78-acre parcel in Daytona that prompted a bidding war almost a year ago. Both properties have been on the market since 2016.
The Daytona parcel, adjacent to Advanced Technology College on Williamson Boulevard, is going to Southeast Real Estate Acquisitions, LLC. The buyer is interested in putting a multifamily residential development on the property.
This sale comes after a four-month bidding war that ended in February and involved two very similar bids — one for senior housing and health care services, for $5.9 million, and one for a multi-family rental project for $6 million.
"Ultimately, we recommended the one that had the $6 million vs. the $5.9 million, but it can be argued that either one is in the best interest in the public," Saralee Morrissey, director of planning for the district, said at the time.
The four-acre parcel near Daytona State College in DeLand is going to J.W. Kern Investments, LLC, for $1.8 million. The buyer intends to build a retail establishment with gas services. Originally, the district was planning a high school for the site, and then a new district headquarters, before it was finally marked surplus.
But the sale of these properties may not even be the biggest talking point at the only regular School Board meeting scheduled for November. Slated for the day after the election, it covers everything from employee raises to school security, and from the superintendent's contract to medical marijuana.
Here's a quick look at everything else on the agenda for the Wednesday meeting.
Now that contract negotiations are over for teachers and support staff, the School Board will ratify the agreements, and everyone can get the long-awaited raises retroactive to July 1.
At bargaining sessions last week, Volusia United Educators and the district negotiated three-year deals that include an average of 3 percent raises this year to teachers, clerical staff and paraprofessionals. The support staff will also get a $350 bonus this year. Teachers are eligible for other bonuses.
At its meeting, the School Board will also ratify similar agreements for 3 percent raises for its nonbargaining employees, like extended-day program employees, and principals and assistant principals.
[READ MORE: Volusia teacher contracts settled for 3 percent raise and longer elementary school day]
[READ MORE: Volusia support staff contract settled, new union leader shifting focus to rebuilding relationships]
The School Board voted unexpectedly at its last meeting to extend Superintendent Tom Russell's contract by one year, to August 2020, and at this meeting it will formally approve that extension.
The move was narrowly approved by a 3-2 vote, with Carl Persis and John Hill dissenting. It came as a surprise, after board members had previously expressed an interest in postponing the discussion about Russell's contract until after the new board is seated, and just days after the teachers union called for "a leadership change" in the district.
The board will also approve updates it made to the superintendent's evaluation tool, which will give extra weight to categories they deem more important, like student achievement and curriculum.
[READ MORE: Volusia School Board defies teachers union, extends Superintendent Tom Russell's contract]
[READ MORE: Teachers union calls for leadership change in Volusia County district]
[READ MORE: School Board still split: Some blame superintendent, some blame evaluation system]
Zoe's policy
In response to an impassioned plea led by one Volusia family, the School Board is poised to adopt a policy that will allow students to receive medical marijuana at school.
Although state and federal laws conflict on the issue, the board unanimously agreed to be one of the few counties in the state to implement a policy after hearing from 6-year-old Zoe Adams' family and supporters. Zoe, for whom the policy will be named, has a degenerative disorder that will ultimately be fatal. But her parents found that the use of CBD oil helps soothe her symptoms and help her focus in school.
The policy will set guidelines to allow parents and caregivers, but not school staff, to come to campus and administer the drug to students. It won't be stored at school and must be administered in a designated area.
Wednesday's meeting will include a public hearing, and then formal adoption.
[READ MORE: Volusia Schools move forward with 'Zoe's Policy' on medical marijuana]
[READ MORE: Volusia school district to consider medical marijuana policy, despite federal laws]
[READ MORE: Federal law bars Volusia school officials from administering hemp extract to 6 year old]
After a summer devoted to school security upgrades that are still ongoing, the School Board will hear a presentation on its annual safety and security evaluation and recommendations for what to focus on this year.
The presentation will include updates on the school guardian program for elementary schools, tornado drills and the districtwide visitor management system.
[READ MORE: Volusia schools still working on security, mental health plans]
[READ MORE: Armed and ready — but will Volusia and Flagler schools be safer?]
[READ MORE: Guardians keep watchful eye over Volusia County elementary schools]
Consent agenda
Some interesting points are also slated for the consent agenda, meaning there won't be any discussion unless a board member specifically requests it. The district plans to purchase 24 new buses for $2.6 million, as part of its five-year bus replacement plan. It will also approve Elizabeth Albert's salary as president of Volusia United Educators for close to $85,000 annually. The district is reimbursed by VUE for all salary and benefits.


text:
Q: GWT ListBox getSelectedIndex() not working as intended when hovered over list items I have a GWT ListBox. My validation code inquires whether the ListBox's selected index is -1 (my ListBox's default state). If I do not touch the ListBox, the getSelectedIndex() returns -1, as expected. If I hover over the ListBox items but do not click on one (i.e. click outside), getSelectedIndex() returns a non-(-1) index. I want it to return -1 unless I click on a ListBox item and the ListBox updates itself to reflect that selection.
What should I do?

A: You won't be able to use the native <select> element for this in a nice way since the browsers determine what the selected element is, not GWT.  In other words, this is just how <select> works.
You'll have to either create your own select widget (which might be preferred for styling reasons anyway) or get creative and kludge up something next to the existing widgets.  You could add a click handler to the ListBox and "manually" set the selected index to -1, but you'll have to figure out if the user cancels his operation and restore the selection afterwards.  You'll have to suppress selection events from your custom code because you probably don't want the rest of your app to react to your new -1 hack.  Ugh! Probably easiest to handle this in a different way.


text:
Anick Jakob  (* 1996) ist ein Schweizer Unihockeyspieler, der beim Nationalliga-A-Verein Unihockey Tigers Langnau unter Vertrag steht.

Karriere
2014 stand Jakob zum ersten Mal im Kader der Unihockey Tigers Langnau in der Nationalliga A. Während der Saison 2017/18 wurde Jakob fix in den Kader der ersten Mannschaft aufgenommen. In seiner Debütsaison absolvierte er für die Unihockey Tigers Langnau eine Partie in der Nationalliga sowie vier weitere im Schweizer Cup. In der kommenden Saison entwickelte sich Jakob zum Stammspieler bei den Tigers

2019 gewann Jakob mit den Unihockey Tigers Langnau den Schweizer Cup mit einem 9:8-Sieg über den Grasshopper Club Zürich.

Erfolge

 Schweizer Cup: 2019

Weblinks

Einzelnachweise

Unihockeyspieler (Unihockey Tigers Langnau)
Schweizer Cupsieger (Unihockey)
Schweizer
Geboren 1996
Mann

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
The Alinksy Method: a Critique
by Staughton Lynd
It was an evening late in August 1968. I was in the bathtub. Believing that the critical issue at the national Democratic Party convention would be whether First Amendment activity could be carried on outside the building where the delegates were meeting, I had organized a march from the lakefront to the convention site in southwest Chicago. Several of the demonstrators, including myself, had been arrested. All tension past, I was luxuriating in the hot water of the bath.
The phone rang. It was Saul Alinsky. He wanted to talk with me about becoming a member of the faculty, along with Ed Chambers and Dick Harmon, at the new Industrial Areas Foundation Training Institute.
Two things made me want to accept. First, I needed a job. I had been blacklisted by academia. At five institutions of higher education in the Chicago area (Chicago State College, Northern Illinois University, Roosevelt University, the University of Illinois Circle Campus and Loyola University) I had been offered a full-time, tenure-track job, and I accepted, only to have the contract overridden by the trustees or Board of Governors. The Lynds were surviving on the "sweat of my Frau" and a regular paycheck was inviting.
Secondly, I was curious. The central organizations of the New Left, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), were in the process of destroying themselves. Although I shared criticisms of Alinsky's work common to members of these two organizations, I wondered what I might be able to learn from Alinsky organizers. I conjectured that becoming a so-called teacher might be a good way to be a student. So I said "Yes."
And I did learn some very valuable things. The modus operandi of the New Left was that if you were incensed about an issue, you tried to do something about it. Mr. Alinsky advised newcomers to the Institute to spend some time in a target neighborhood in order to discover what issues were already "there" in the minds of residents. Also, in my experience Alinsky did not emphasize coalition-building with the principal figures in existing organizations. He challenged us to discover the informal leadership of a community: the persons to whom neighbors went for help if they had problems. The next step was to bring these informal leaders together and to stress to those gathered that all structural arrangements (who would be chairperson, for example) would be preliminary and tentative. This gave the organizer an opportunity to observe who seemed to take a natural leadership role, and who followed through on what he said he would do. These were important insights.
Three of us were assigned to organize an Alinsky-type community organization in Lake County, Indiana, which includes the city of Gary and is dominated by U.S. Steel. We did so, baptizing our creation the Calumet Community Congress. There was an impressive founding convention, in which the picket line captain at the 1937 Memorial Day Massacre (George Patterson) and a district director of the Steelworkers who would run for national union president later in the 1970s (Ed Sadlowski) played prominent roles.
After the founding event, however, the organization fell apart. One of my colleagues was persuaded by a Catholic dignitary on the East Coast to use the convention as a personal jumping-off credential and leave town. His replacement as lead organizer was my second colleague.
I had developed the issue of the minimal taxes paid by U.S. Steel on its Gary steel mill property. I had talked with Ralph Nader and he had publicly supported that concern. The Gary newspaper had run an issue with a headline about the tax controversy all the way across the front page.
Colleague No. 2 decided not to pursue the tax issue. Instead he guided the new organization to take on a local pornographic bookstore. Within a matter of months the Congress slowly sank from sight, never to reappear.
At the same time that I lost out on how to build an organization for those who "cared about democracy and social and economic justice" (p. xiv), I was asked by Colleague No. 2 to withdraw from all activity on behalf of the new community organization because I was too radical.
Because I was so intimately involved, and inevitably approach the subject with a strong personal bias, I prefer to let the editors of the book and the organizers quoted in it express their own critique of the Alinsky organizing tradition. I have no reason to believe that the shortcomings described have been corrected.
To begin with, we might consider Cesar Chavez. Chavez was the one human being whom I can recall Alinsky speaking of with love. It is likely, the editors of People Power: the Community Organizing Tradition of Saul Alinksy, write, "that by the mid-1970s more people knew his name than Alinsky's." Yet, according to this account, within the farmworkers' organization that Chavez created and led,
[i]nternal purges eliminated from the staff many talented and dedicated organizers, while others quietly resigned in protest. The boycott became the principal strategic weapon of the union; on-the-ground organizing of farmworkers at workplaces was shunted to the sidelines. Power increasingly was concentrated in the hands of Cesar Chavez, who brooked no internal opposition "from below" — i.e., from among farmworkers — and vigorously worked to defeat leaders whose views were different from his own (pp. 106-107).
The editors add a criticism that has also been expressed by Marshall Ganz and others, namely, that Chavez insisted on appointing the members of local ranch committees rather than permitting them to be elected, and opposed the creation of local unions of farmworkers with the result that "[e]verything was run from union headquarters" (pp. 108-109). Chavez was also "vigorously anti-Communist, no matter what kind of Communist you happened to be" (p. 111).
The farmworkers' organization that Chavez created under Alinsky's guidance hardly appears to offer a desirable template for the future.
Similar caution recommends itself when considering Alinsky's admiration for John L. Lewis, "one of Alinsky's major teachers" (p. 19). Lewis crushed internal opposition, a practice from which A.J. Muste and Roger Baldwin of the American Civil Liberties Union recoiled. From the beginning, the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) entered into collective bargaining agreements that forbade for the duration of the contract the very strikes, plant occupations, and other direct action tactics that had won union recognition. The CIO undertook organizing campaigns that were not radical but were militant, and often were made to appear more militant than they really were by a focus on a single personal antagonist. Exactly as in the case of union organizing, a successful Alinsky campaign might end in a congenial sit-down with the principals on the other side. Alinsky never confronted or denounced capitalism as a system.
The most comprehensive critique of the failings of the Alinsky model that I found in "People Power" was expressed by Dick Harmon, my erstwhile colleague at the Training Institute. Dick is quoted as saying that during the mid-to-late 1970s "[s]ome of us, including myself, lost our moorings." Dick voices the following devastating assessment:
Our operating assumptions were that you didn't ask basic questions about the economy because that would label you a 'pinko,' an ideologue, and worse. If you raised these kinds of questions, the climate of the time would shut you down, so you had to be pragmatic. . . . We had no ongoing, fundamental analysis of the economy, no long-term diagnosis. No one was asking about alternatives to all the companies moving to the South, Latin America, Asia. We didn't have any alternative except, just keep building organizations (pp. 208-209).
Local institutions, Dick Harmon also commented, "no longer ask questions about fundamentals such as where corporate capital is taking us." There is no consideration within the Alinskyian community that "Corporate capitalism is One system, a Whole, assaulting both human beings and the rest of our natural world" (pp. 212-213).
The years in which I was closest to the Alinsky operation were the years in which American service men and women in effect ended the Vietnam War by refusing to fight. They fragged their officers, and refused to go on nighttime patrols or to provide targets for American planes by drawing fire from Vietnamese ambushes. I cannot remember even a comment by Alinsky or his staff that might have led to an organizing campaign directed against the war and the worldview that underlay the war.
I may be mistaken but to the best of my recollection there was also no staff response to the massacre at Kent State University on May 4, 1970. I do remember intense telephone calls with a student at the Institute (Zeke, where are you now?). And when the largest student strike in U.S. history followed the events at Kent State I believe the Institute played no role, initiating or supporting.
I also remember that as the Calumet Community Congress was being planned I questioned whether there should be a "color guard" drawn from the different branches of the military and a presentation of the flag. My concern was brushed aside with a comment to the effect that "we always do that."
A Hope
Like the editors, I mourn the fact that there was no melding of New Left and Alinskyan worldviews in the 1960s. The editors have the candor and humility to recognize the barriers Alinsky traditionalists have put in the way of working with young idealists from the New Left or Occupy. They explicitly recognize
[t]he IAF's macho style, organizational arrogance, dismissal of "movements," avoidance of any coalition that it didn't control, unwillingness to look at mutual aid as a strategic organizing tool that could lead to the development of substantial worker- and community-owned cooperatives and credit unions . . . (p. 317).
Participants in Occupy needed the help of experienced organizers in making the transition from sitting-in at the downtown public square to beginning to construct what the Zapatistas call "un otro mundo," another world. We still need that help.
Staughton Lynd is a historian, attorney, long-time activist and author of many books and articles. He can be reached at salynd@aol.com.


Twitter is becoming a more desirable platform for advertisers, thanks to the new release of "tailored audiences".
The social network took to its blog to announce the availability of tailored audiences, which is a feature that the company has been testing for "several months". The feature essentially allows advertisers to launch retargeting campaigns, as it enables users to define their own groups of existing and potential customers. In fact, this new targeting feature enables advertisers to reach prospects who have shown interest in a certain brand or category, even if it was off of the Twitter platform.
This type of advertising strategy is not only helpful to brands, but also provides consumers with more relevant content. Data from beta testing found that tailored audiences can provide brands with a lift in engagement, increased conversion rates and a decrease in cost per acquisition. For example, early tester HubSpot saw a lift in engagement rates of 45 percent, while another early tester, New Relic, saw 195 percent higher conversion rates.
It is important to note that Twitter teamed up with a variety of companies to help brands create and transfer audiences to the social network. Partners include Adara, AdRoll, BlueKai, Chango, DataXu, Dstillery, Lotame, Quantcast, ValueClick and [x+1]. Twitter also notes that brands that are interested in leveraging tailored audiences should contact their account team for more information.


text:
Rushey last had an Ofsted visit in November 2007, in which we were graded as 'Outstanding'. Since then, the school has converted to academy status and been re-categorised as a 'new' school which 'opened' in September 2015. You will be able to find all future Ofsted reports and past Ofsted reports prior to our Academy Conversion using the buttons below. Information regarding Ofsted may be found here.
Rushey Mead Academy Rushey Mead School
Challenge Partners are a charity, owned and led by schools who work together to lead school improvement. They believe that, when schools are working in partnership to continually improve their practice, an excellent education for pupils will be achieved.
Challenge Partners are made up of over 300 schools, from all different backgrounds across the country, who recognise that they are stronger together and that collaboration is the key to continued success. They exist to support schools in that role by facilitating constructive collaboration and challenge between them and providing a platform for activities which would not be possible for a school to undertake on its own.
Together they aspire to become a world-class, knowledge-sharing community, which leads the way in school improvement and raises the standards of education for all.
Challenge Partners Report 2018-2019


text:
Australia's 5G spectrum auction concludes
Source: Australian Communications and Media Authority
Four companies have won valuable 5G spectrum in the Australian Communications and Media Authority's latest spectrum auction in the 3.6 GHz band.
'This spectrum is recognised internationally as a key band for 5G services. Timely release of 5G-compatible spectrum will facilitate the early delivery of next generation 5G services to the Australian public and industry,' said ACMA Chair Nerida O'Loughlin.
All 350 lots available in the auction were sold, realising total revenue of approximately $853 million, equivalent to almost $0.29/MHz/pop.
Dense Air Australia Pty Ltd won 29 lots for $18,492,000.
Mobile JV Pty Limited (a joint venture arrangement between subsidiaries of TPG Telecom Limited and Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Limited) won 131 lots for $263,283,800.
Optus Mobile Pty Ltd won 47 lots for $185,069,100.
Telstra Corporation Limited won 143 lots for $386,008,400.
'The ACMA designed an auction process—including starting prices—that aimed to maximise efficiency, competitive outcomes and the full utility of this spectrum for 5G. We consider these goals have been reflected in the auction outcome,' said Ms O'Loughlin.
Licences won at auction will commence in March 2020 and will extend until 13 December 2030. However, arrangements exist to enable earlier access to the band, provided that no interference is caused to existing licensees.
'Existing licensees have generally been provided an extended period in which they can continue to use this band. During this period, their rights are protected,' Ms O'Loughlin said.
View the auction results in each of the 14 regions in the auction.
Vodafone Australia
https://www.acma.gov.au/theACMA/australias-5g-auc…
Attached Media


"Friendly, courteous and very well-behaved pupils, mutually respectful relationships between staff and pupils.... " HMI Report.
Strone Primary School aims to educate all its children in a secure and caring environment, working together to ensure that we provide the positive experiences of success that give confidence and motivation for future learning.
Small class sizes, experienced teachers with an enthusiasm and passion for education together with a successful home school partnership make this a stimulating and purposeful learning environment.