text:
The Office, "Two Weeks": Company woman
Spoilers for last night's "The Office" coming up just as soon as I mix up a scotch and Splenda...
"You know what? I had a great time at prom, and no one said yes to that, either." -Michael
There are many different flavors of "Office" episodes, and not surprisingly, fans have their favorite flavors, as well as the ones they can't stand. You've got your supporters of the squirm-inducing, British-flavored episodes like last week's squirmy outing or "Phyllis' Wedding," and those who would rather be stabbed in the eye with a fork than to see another of those. You have your broadly comic ones where Michael and Dwight are wearing fake mustaches and Dwight is peeing into a soda can, and some people think those are so silly as to be worthless. Then you have your low-key, relatively realistic episodes where Michael's verging on bankruptcy or trying to get a date on Valentine's Day, and some complain that they're not funny enough. And you have your swoony romantic episodes where Jim and/or Pam makes some grand romantic gesture, and the people who aren't into the PB&J thing roll their eyes the same way Meredith did when "Little Miss Thing" Pam(*) tried to get everyone's attention.
(*) And I'm surprised it took the show this long to establish that Meredith, the aging office tramp, would resent the hell out of someone like Pam.
"Two Weeks" was a mix of the silly and the realistic flavors, starting off with a bunch of gags about how much worse Michael behaves when he's not even trying to be a boss, but then heading to that moment near the end where he convinces Pam -- who has spent all day mastering the new copy machine and realizes just how empty her career is -- to join him in his Jerry Maguire quest to build a new paper company to rival Dunder-Mifflin. The jokes were great (I particularly loved Jim hearing monster noises from Michael's computer and yelling that Monster.com is singular), but what elevated the episode into something really special was the Pam and Michael stuff at the end: Michael and Pam's pure joy at telling Jim they're in the middle of a company meeting, followed by end-of-"The Graduate" shot of them walking away, as you see their giddiness replaced by the realization that they've both walked away from secure jobs in a bad economy to start up a business that has very little chance of succeeding. Steve Carell and Jenna Fischer are always brilliant in those moments when they have to show multiple emotions at once, so it was nice to finally see them get to do it side-by-side.
But will the Michael Scott Paper Company really fail? Before we get into discussing the rest of "Two Weeks," I want to speculate a little -- and I'll remind you early not to go discussing the previews, or anything you've read on other sites, or anything that's even vaguely spoiler-y -- about the different paths this story can travel.
The episode's end plants the seeds of Charles Minor inadvertently destroying the Scranton branch because he doesn't know the employees as well as Michael does. Michael, for all his social obliviousness, does know how to read people professionally, especially these people, and he would know better than to put inarticulate Kevin on the phones or make lazy Stanley the "productivity czar." So we could certainly see a situation where the once-profitable Scranton branch goes in the tank under the leadership of Charles (or whatever outside guy he brings in to run things), and David Wallace has to go begging for Michael to return, regardless of how Michael's new venture is going.
But do you think the show would be brave and/or foolish enough to have Michael succeed? He does know paper, he does know the area, and he does know the customers better than anyone else. He is at times a miracle worker with sales, and with the right people around him running the business side of things, maybe he makes a go of it. I doubt it -- Oscar made very salient points about how hard this will be for him -- but you never know. But while the show has gotten away with keeping certain characters apart for a batch of episodes (Jim in Stamford with Andy and Karen, Ryan at corporate, Pam at art school), would a permanent split really work? I doubt it. It's too much fun to see Pam and Jim working as a team, or to see Stanley have to deal with Michael, etc., to take those elements away forever. But as an interim thing (again, ala Jim in Stamford), it could work, especially if it puts Pam on a different professional track when she returns.
But back to "Two Weeks" itself. A drunk Michael wandering through the office and being more disruptive than usual was hilarious, as was one of the best collections of talking heads I can recall from a single episode: Oscar's dreams about quitting; Charles recognizing the effect he has on women; Toby comparing Michael to a movie on a plane; Kevin wondering if he should compliment Michael directly, then being too lazy to do so; etc. And there were great throwaway jokes about the office dynamics: not just Meredith's disdain for Pam, but the staff all having thought out what line they would use if they quit (and Michael not quite recognizing that they dream of using it on him); Andy trying desperately to not respond to Michael's job offer; Michael and Dwight both hoping the other one wouldn't want to keep working together; Michael putting a "sterile" note in Oscar's food; and more.
I also loved Michael listening to the tearful farewell message from the head of Prince Family Paper and realizing that he let Dwight talk him into putting out of business the one place that might hire him.
Yup, the creative team (in this case led by writer Aaron Shure and directed by Paul Lieberstein) was firing on all cylinders with this one. I look forwarded to the two episodes we're getting in two weeks (next Thursday is all-"ER"), and can't wait to see where this arc goes next.
Labels: The Office, The Office (season 5)
It's just too bad that monsters.com is a placeholder site for a search engine...
9:29 AM, March 27, 2009
I thought this was one of the best episodes they've done. As someone who's worked in many offices, I knew exactly what Pam was feeling when she bragged about mastering the copier then realizing how empty and useless a victory it is.
I don't think Michael's heading back to DM anytime soon. I agree that he'll probably be back a la Jim in Stamford, but he's a man with wounded pride, he's going to come back a broken man when the Scranton branch slips. This is more the funniest drama on tv than a sitcom at this point, so I don't expect a quick revert to form.
On that note, way to go character development. Pam pre-coal walk would never have done that.
I thought the direction was great, from the bathroom door shot to the way the camera lingered on people's faces just a little too long. And the acting in that last scene was brilliant.
If there was one thing I would change, it would be Pam realizing (again) she didn't want to be a secretary. If it had come an episode or 2 before this one, and not in the same episode where Michael non sensical rambling convinces her to pull a Renee Zellweger circa 98, it would have been better. But as is, its pretty good.
I couldn't help but think of Stringer holding his "Robert's Rules of Order" style meeting back in the funeral home when Charles walks into the conference room at the end. I actually don't think Stanley being productivity czar would be that bad of a move. It could motivate Stanley to actually care and try a little harder, though I doubt they'll go that direction. Kevin on the phone is just going to be an utter disaster. I like that after mostly 2 episodes of being the professional messiah, we finally see a chink in Charles' armor.
Anyone think Idris Elba might stick around longer than expected? (finger's crossed)
Great episode. I really do wonder what's in store for Michael. I don't see how he can be kept away from DM for long but how can he really come back? I guess that's why we watch.
It took me a while to tie together the Pam vs copier stuff with her desire to play Renee Zellweger to Michael's Tom Cruise (and wouldn't he LOVE that comparison) because I thought the copier stuff was just being played for laughs. When it hit me, I was like, "Brilliant."
Liked the stuff with Stringer Charles too: how Jim continues to put his foot in his mouth every time the new boss is around; Angela and Kelly continuing to fight for his attention (and his acknowledgment that he is well aware of it); and the almost showdown between he and Michael.
I didn't LOL as often as I have at previous episodes bit it was good stuff all around.
No talking about things from the previews. Period.
lungfish said...
For some reason, I started getting genuinely nervous that Michael would get discovered by Charles when he was military crawling around the office.
K J Gillenwater said...
This was so so great. They really needed to shake up the office dynamic, and this looks very promising.
My guess as to where things will lead?
Well, Michael did say he landed about half the clients at the Scranton branch. Which means he may be able to steal them away (not sure where he will get his paper from, but that's another story...). Then, when he steals away the clients and former steel manager dude fails at managing or finding a qualified branch manager replacement, David will beg Michael to come back...perhaps giving him a raise or something.
Also, I would assume Pam would return to the office as a salesman to compete with her husband (comedy gold right there) and a new receptionist would be in place to liven things up.
**By the way, the best part was Jim's total support of Pam leaving her job and joining up with Michael.**
Wait, doesn't NBC legally have to register this domain now? They're missing a viral marketing opportunity!
Yes, no talking about the previews.
Also, NO WIRE HANGERS. EVER!!!
Although I did like the shout out to The Prince Paper Company, didn't we find out when they visited that Prince Paper wasn't hiring?
I know I shouldn't be watching "The Office" like it's "Lost"...but maybe Cuse and Lindehof can explain this to me, just so I know I won't have to think about it anymore...
Now I think I'll go watch "The Graduate," as I have no idea what happens in the end...
and he would know better than to put inarticulate Kevin on the phones or make lazy Stanley the "productivity czar."
I must've accidentally ff'ed through an important scene.
As much as I loved the sparring between Kelly (Kelli? I'm sure she'd prefer the latter spelling) and Angela, the only problem I have with the Charles-scenes is that Angela is too giddy, too out-of-control around him. It would be more in character, and funnier, if she more like uptight-Angela trying to flirt and failing, like Dwight trying to be tender when he offered to bury her cat "in the east pasture, next to Mother". Her behavior now is too, as the Angela of past seasons would say, "whorish."
When David Wallace has to bring Michael back to save the branch from Charles, and Pam is made a "salesman" (predictions, not gossip), as she put it, they can make Creed the new receptionist. I don't think he'd care, and that desk would be a great spot for his observations and one-liners.
Peter Lynn said...
I'm disappointed that Charles is going with an outside hire for the regional manager. I was hoping that Angela would be promoted into that spot, letting her worst power-mad impulses reign.
Without getting into possible spoilers about other departed Dunder-Mifflin staff who might join the Michael Scott paper company, I wonder what this is going to mean for Jim. I used to work for a company with a authoritarian management that was paranoid about its competition, and when one employee quit to take a position with an upstart rival firm made up of former employees, our management decided that her boyfriend's continued employment was a conflict of interest and possible breach of confidentiality and terminated him, albeit with a severance package. So, especially considering how unimpressed Charles already is with Jim, I can easily see Charles deciding that Jim's relationship with Pam is a liability and showing him the door.
Sometimes I can't help seeing things through a lawyer's eyes. Typically, employees like Michael would have non-solicitation clauses in their contracts, meaning they cannot try to solicit clients of DM for, say, a year. (And Michael's non-compete is the reason he got booted early.)
Of course, The Office isn't trying to be the most realistic show. But it makes me even more curious about what's going to happen next.
I liked the "wow" look Jim gave when Pam said she wanted to be a salesman. I'm curious where that'll go too.
All around a very good episode. It didn't have the zany brilliance of last night's 30 Rock, but it was brilliant in its own way.
My prediction:
Under Charles, the Scranton branch tanks. This would be in part due to his mismanagement of people, a lack of business acumen, as well as competition...
...competition from Michael Scott Paper! It's been established that Michael does a good (if occasionally accidental) job creating a personal relationship with his customer base, and, especially if service from DM goes south, it's not far fetched for them to jump over.
So, perhaps a few employees (Jim, Oscar) jump ship after seeing a downturn (plus Charles's ham-fisted management), and MSP's success continues. So, what would DM do?
Buy out MSP, Michael returns to the office, and order is restored to the universe.
Last night's office wasn't the funniest, but it was one of my favorites. The Pam/Michael Jerry McGuire moment was such a great shock ending. It was completely unexpected but completely in line with the history of the characters. While Michael has always annoyed Pam, she's been willing to put up with him and even seems to like/respect him a bit. She failed at her first real attempt to improve her life in art school, so why not take this leap?
Question: What's going to happen when Michael starts stealing clients away from his former employees? Michael's been in over his head as a manager, but he is a great salesperson.
He's mastered all the tools of making personal connections w/ clients -- being funny with Tim Meadows, convincing corporate accounts to jump, knowing the names of clients' children, etc. We've never seen Dwight/Andy/Jim/etc. have those same abilities. Dwight and Andy are too creepy, Jim's too lazy and they've never touched too much on Phyllis' abilities.
Stringer's first talking head was a great first start. Hilariously over-confident.
I have to think they're moving in this direction because they missed out on a lot of the Ryan/Jim animosity last season because of the writer's strike.
It's been a while since I've seen "The Graduate". How did the ending of this episode mirror that?
It would be testing the limits of believability to have Charles come in and manage that branch, even on an interim basis.
But these are two amazing episodes. For me, the show's been getting stale the last year and a half of so, and this storyline - which looks so far to have actual consequences and ramifications for the rest of the series - has completely shaken everything up, bringing out the good and jettising the bad.
I hope the show takes a cue from "Lost" and keeps Michael and Pam seperated from the others for a good amount of time.
Captain Jack said...
It doesn't give anything away, but for those asking about the Graduate reference - the two main characters leave the final scene with a first happy, fading to "oh holy shit what did I just do?" look on their faces, just as Michael and Pam did at the end of this one.
Another great exchange:
JIM: (Discussing starting a new paper company) Don't you know the industry's in decline?
MICHAEL: Of course, I practically invented decline.
sorry bout that folks-that's the second time today I've deleted my post because I've duplicated something already posted. I give up- I'll just read the rest of the day
BTW- great episode though.
Just a guess on my part: I think Michael does make it and, over the course of next season, everyone slowly migrates over to the new company and series ends just as it started - everyone working for a paper company.
12:01 PM, March 27, 2009
I'm sorry. I am having a hard time watching Stringer Bell in a comedy. I certainly don't think Idris Elba is showing off any particular set of acting skills.
They really could have found someone better to play that part and not ruin Strang (as Clay Davis would call him) for me.
Loved Amy Ryan, but Idris Elba is having the same effect as I imagine seeing Michael in 90210 would.
Somehow, despite liking Charles' succinct "I know my effect on women" talking head, I think I liked Toby's talking head the best. Simply because we don't get talking heads from Toby too much and he looks like such a sad sack when he really should be celebrating the fact that Michael -- who has been so unreasonably cruel to him over the years -- is leaving. The content of his talking head was funny as hell, though. Good on Paul Lieberstein.
It was a great episode for the reasons already articulated. I just want to touch on one thing, at least for right now.
We all realize how valuable Michael is to the Scranton branch, even if he has ass backwards success. It wouldn't surprise me to see him be successful, at least for a while, in starting his own business. Assuming he can get all of the pieces together, he'd probably be able to sell a decent amount. But as Oscar said, there are many obstacles to his success. Unless the writers decide to surprise us with some money that Michael has stashed away or inherits, it's hard to see where he's going to get the loans to make his business survive. He knows how the ins and outs of selling, yes, but can he deal with the accounting issues, shipping the stuff, and so on? As Oscar pointed out, it's ridiculous hard, especially in this economic climate.
If the writers can successfully make him overcome these challenges, they will be in good shape. Let's hope they have a good long term vision in line.
The last five minutes of The Graduate (YouTube). Contains spoilers, natch.
Russell Lucas said...
If Pam goes into sales, there's some nice mileage for a Russell/Grant or Hepburn/Tracy run between she and Jim.
The monster.com joke is the show's best of the year. Gotta love that Michael would navigate there, get distracted by all the noisy stuff and forget what he was doing.
I'm not sure where to come out on Charles's management yet. While on the surface level it seems like he's wrongly categorized everyone -- Kevin as receptionist, Stanley as productivity czar, and Jim as a lackluster employee -- perhaps he sees more into them than a complacent, let's-be-friends Michael Scott. Jim, for example, really does waste a considerable amount of time and productivity by goofing off. Charles has every right to be annoyed and expect more from him. Stanley, being the most senior member of the office, may actually be better at delegating responsibility and overseeing others than in working harder. Kevin, however, seems like a disaster waiting to happen as receptionist.
Charles's talking head where he acknowledges the ladies' flirting shows that he has a pretty good degree of self-awareness. I am really curious to see how this plays it, and how our lovable, dysfunctional office works under the supervision of a serious, professional manager.
I liked the part after Michael snuck back into the office, then Charles said something about not needing to wait for security to throw him out. The little move Charles made with his suitjacket quickly brought back the coward in Michael as he left with his tail between his legs.
Castaway said...
Great episode: monsters.com, the Toby talking head, Michael crawling around on the floor pleading for people to leave with me, Pam being the one who leaves...all awesome moments. I think the "Charles doesn't understand the skills or lack thereof of everyone, business tanks, Michael returns" speculation makes sense, and I'm sure they have some funny ways to get there.
The other thing is that even David Wallace has told Michael that he doesn't know how the Scranton branch is outperforming the other branches.
Like it or not, Michael is a star player, and Wallace blew it by not keeping his stars happy. With a new guy in place, he has now broken up the system that worked and they're really going to struggle.
Perhaps Michael has not signed a (non-compete) contract, a la that other business genius, Don Draper...
ak said...
I'm surprised nobody mentioned creed thinking he had to pay to use the copier. that's the part that had me clutching my stomach from laughing so hard
Jennifer Boudinot said...
Mr. Guilt, I love your prediction as to what will happen next, and think you might be right! Eventually Michael hires them all for this own paper company after DM Scranton tanks. Although it's always been funny to see Michael have to answer to corporate, the things he could get away with when he has no boss could be hysterical.
I also agree with Jim (the commenter, not the character) about Angela seeming too flirty/giddy. But my guess is that it will all change once Charles finds out about Bandit living in the file drawer.
How did this superb episode work? Let me count the ways! It worked because Pam not only realized that she needed to do something besides sitting at reception for the rest of her life, but Jim's response was warm and likable after getting over his initial shock and bemusement. It worked because it told us everything about how Michael views Oscar's abilities by simply showing that Michael didn't ask Kevin OR Angela to join his start-up. It worked because Andy's response to Michael leaving showed that Phyllis hasn't forgotten his suckup Season 3 persona but we also saw that Andy is not just that person anymore and will genuinely miss having a laid-back boss. It worked because of course the war Dwight thinks America should have never gotten into was WWII, because Hank doesn't have to define loyalty that way in his job, and because Charles thinks Kevin is a good choice for a coordinated information role and Stanley a good choice to prod other works to be more industrious.
It worked, overall, because it understands these characters and their crazy world, and it was the best episode of this season by far.
Prediction: Michael tries to get Holly to be part of his business
melarol said...
Loved this episode. I liked how Pam and Michael's road trip earlier in the season foreshadowed their connection here. I think Pam saw him in a different light then and maybe that also helped with her decision.
Can't wait to see what happens.
I loved Kelly's "She's such a special person. She's turning 50 this year." Great delivery.
So we are gonna see some tension between Jim and Pam? I wish we don't.
Oaktown Girl said...
It would be more in character, and funnier, if she more like uptight-Angela trying to flirt and failing,
The Angela we have now is not the same person as the Angela we had before, and I feel that if the writers were to portray her as though she were would be too phony to bear.
Having been dumped by both Dwight and Andy in such a public fashion, Angela's been knocked completely off her high horse. She's no longer top of pecking order in the office, even if it was only in her own mind that she was.
Angela's desperate now, and her behavior around Charles is totally in keeping with the new paradigm. Some interesting things are going to have to happen before Angela returns to her former self, and I hope the writers make the most of it.
RichC said...
I thought this was a very funny episode. But I really, really, really hated the end when Pam leaves. I just think it's really gross that Pam would voluntarily go somewhere else to work with Michael Scott. I guess others have a better opinion of Michael than I do. While he's funny to laugh at, and I can see he's not a bad person necessarily, I still think he's the kind of boss you run away from when you get the chance.
Keith Rogers said...
My predictions:
• Michael, along with Pam and Ryan attempt to start up "Michael Scott Paper Co.", however, they need knowledge expertise, and various resources to accelerate development of the company. Where does go? Who does he turn to for help? Enter the Prince Family, formerly of Prince Paper Company.
• Michael confesses that their going out of business was of his doing, but he proposes a joint business venture that will help get their paper company back on track, with more clients than any other competitor. The Prince family has enough wealth to get by for a little while with their business in ruins, however, investing in another business that fails would ruin them.
• Michael, being the outstanding salesman that he is, successfully sells the idea to the Prince family. So they get to work reopening shop as Michael persuade a great number of Dunder Mifflin customers to buy from his paper company.
• Meanwhile, back at the office, Charles engages in a romantic relationship with Angela. Being able to manipulate her V.P. lover, she gets him to fire Kelly and Phyllis, the two co-workers she does not like.
• Michael Scott Prince Paper Co. takes off, big time, and captures the majority of paper sales market share in the local area, beating out local competitors Staples and Dunder Mifflin Scranton. Dunder Mifflin Corporate HQ takes notice.
•Everyone in the office is miserable. Morale is at an all time low. There is tension between Pam and Jim, being that Pam is the breadwinner of the relationship, seeing that she is selling more than Jim. Charles is doing his best to suppress talk of people defecting to Michael's successful company.
• Corporate finds out about Charles and Angela, the wrongful firings, and the extremely low office morale, and well as the grievances of his subordinates. Bob Wallace concludes that the Scranton branch went downhill under the management of Charles Minor, and immediately terminates his position as he is tasked to save the Scranton branch before an imminent closure.
• Corporate tries to buy out Michael Scott Prince Paper Company, however, Michael and co. reject Corporates offers. They offer Michael, Ryan, and Pam very high salaries to come back to Dunder Mifflin, believing that those three are the reason the new company is doing so well. Michael accepts under the condition that Corporate will not try to buy out and dissolve Prince Paper company. Michael ends up working at corporate replacing Charles Minor, Ryan returns as regional manager, and Pam ends up as Jim and Dwight's rival saleswoman. Creed becomes the next receptionist.
I imagine that Michael will be successful selling to DM clients- the one thing Charles kept trying to get him to do was write out his personal client list.
There wil undeniably be an episode where Jim & Pam are competing for the same client. That's scriptwriting 101.
I'm a little confused about something...weren't some of the beginning Pam/copier scenes already in the last episode?? they were the exact same scenes of kevin spilling coffee on the machine, the cat chewing the wire., etc. Or have i discovered some prescience?
Also, i agree with the comment about the craziness of Pam just walking out on a job (that she's had for years)to follow Michael Scott???? Couldn't she have given her 2 week notice and then left? He isn't even close to starting a company. Very unrealistic.
digamma said...
Elba's accent improved this week over last week. It's still, in my opinion, a little too Franklin Terrace for a high-flying businessman in New York. But at least he didn't let any England sneak out like last week.
I'm kind of sad that Charles is turning out to be a bad manager rather than a tough but sympathetic foil for the crazies in Scranton. I'm afraid his decline is going to be a rerun of Stringer's.
Jim is pretty supportive of Pam so I think he won't mind her trying her luck at MSPC. And it's not all that bad of a move for her, either - with no kids, the potential getting into a startup on the ground floor outweighs the loss of a receptionist job.
"I'm a little confused about something...weren't some of the beginning Pam/copier scenes already in the last episode?? they were the exact same scenes of kevin spilling coffee on the machine, the cat chewing the wire., etc. Or have i discovered some prescience?"
I think that scene was previewed on either Ellen or the Tonight Show last week.
I'm surprised so many people think that Michael can pull this off. He might be a great salesman, but over the years we've seen how little he knows about anything else that goes on in that office. He has no concept of accounting, he has to be tricked into signing paperwork, he is clueless as to how a warehouse runs, and he continues to be oblivious as to the changes in market conditions.
The whole time he was talking up his company, I wanted someone to ask, "Where will you get the paper to sell?" Sure, he might be able to convince some customers to switch to a brand-new, unproven, two-man paper company from the one they've been with for years, but then what? Does he store the paper in his condo, and Pam does double duty as the trucker to deliver it? I'm sure Michael would be shocked to learn what the costs are to rent a warehouse, not to mention staff it. Remember his confusion over the excess budget they had at year end - this is not a man who is savvy about the financial condition of his branch. (In fact, remember how, during one of the first episodes with Wallace's character, when each branch manager had to prepare a presentation on their financials, Michael did a video of the staff? Because that's all he knows.)
I can't imagine a scenario where Michael is successful at this. I can imagine, however, his wooing some customers and then realizing in a panic he has nothing to sell, and filling the orders using D-M's online ordering system (or Staples or Office Max, etc.) He'd lose money on every transaction, have to sell his condo (again) to keep afloat, and wind up desperate enough to accept Wallace's offer to come back after Charles and his new hire(s) can't manage to get this dysfunctional bunch to function the way they are used to offices functioning.
(I also kind of like the idea of a constant stream of regional manager -wannabes coming through for the rest of the season, a la Murphy Brown's secretaries.)
But Michael Scott Paper a success? No, no, no.
filmcricket said...
I am having a hard time watching Stringer Bell in a comedy. I certainly don't think Idris Elba is showing off any particular set of acting skills.
Rent RocknRolla. Fast forward through Guy Ritchie's wankeriffic, go-nowhere dialogue scenes if necessary, but you'll get to see an Elba who is relaxed, funny and charming.
I'm actually kind of surprised how humourless and stern they're making Charles; didn't Elba say he wanted to do something quite different from the Stringer Bell character?
Part of me wishes the Charles character was less uptight and by the book. But another part of me sees where this can go, and it could end up being pretty entertaining.
Charles gets a face full of all Michael's managerial flaws right from the get go. It's so extreme, he's ready to dismiss everything about Michael without trying to learn from him the good things Michael did as a manager in handling his staff. Clearly, he was doing something right because the office has been very successful.
But Charles has decided to throw the baby out with the bathwater, and it looks like he's heading toward getting knocked down several pegs, Angela/Ryan-style.
(I'm only guessing here. I intentionally didn't watch the previews for the next new episode so I can be surprised).
My first thought was that it was a good thing that they set up Pam and Michael's relationship in a TWO-part storyline when they went to visit Karen. I'll have to go back and read people's comments on that. But I felt it rang a bit sentimental and I was not happy with the perfect bow on Karen's storyline. Very un-office-ish. I was almost suspicious. And maybe there's still time for some of that to unravel. Who knows?
Also--and this is really reaching back into tv-land--but this episode gave me the same feeling I had when I witnessed "Little House on the Prairie" morphing into "Little House--A New Beginning." An emptiness that hinted of the loneliness you might feel if you were the only person from your graduating class that was left to take another course at your high school. Everything familiar was replaced by something slightly off. The ground shifted and you had not completely found equilibrium.
That having been said, I was also disappointed to see that Charles Miner was beginning to feel one-dimensional. However, I loved that look shared between him and Hank. It was as if Hank acknowledged him as Stringer Bell and shared a moment. Expressing appreciation for all the Wire fans out there.
So is Pam officially done with pursuing a career in art? With her leaving art school without graduating, are we to assume she's content with relegating it to a hobby?
Am thrilled with Two Weeks and the new story possibilities that have opened up.
I just told a friend a few weeks ago that while I think The Office is better this year than it was last, the office party scenes were starting to drag the show down for me. Then, boom, the very next week, the party planning committee was dissolved, and now this. Bravo, writers.
It's funny. In reading the comments, I'm finding that the fans of The Wire are reacting to Charles in a totally different way than I am. I've never seen The Wire, and this is my first exposure to the actor, so I guess I'm observing with no expectations. Not judging anyone, just noticing the difference between Wire/non-Wire viewers.
Really liked the episode as a whole. My only disappointment was seeing Charles so obviously set up for a downfall - we're supposed to take this guy as smart, right? Any fool could see that Kevin as a receptionist would fail nigh-instantly. And while Stanley could conceivably respond to increased responsibility (remember how he briefly went crazy in "The Job" in an attempt to get Michael's job?), it's more likely just another factor to Charles' downfall. It just doesn't seem like Charles would pick Stanley, who was doing a crossword puzzle at that exact moment.
Now sure, he has limited options. He won't pick Jim for obvious reasons, plus Jim might not actually be that great of a "productivity czar". But why not accountant Oscar? Or it would have been funny to see what Creed would do with a little more power.
Dwight would be the obvious choice, as he's the top salesman in the company and is productivity-insane. But that would be a retread of "The Job" when Dwight takes over the Office, so I'm glad they didn't go in that direction. Maybe Wallace warned Charles that Dwight's a lunatic.
In any case, I'm mostly nervous that this show will have a great season-ending arc that eventually returns to the show to the status quo, and to the tired and overused material that preceded it. Sure, Pam being a salesman at DM would offer a slightly new dynamic - and that's really the only eventual change I see coming at the end of this arc - but it won't provide enough material.
Oh well. I'll certainly enjoy this arc while it lasts.
PS Charles so explicitly threatening Michael also rang a little false to me, even if it was funny to see Michael turn tail so quickly. And Toby's talking head made me laugh out loud.
I think Pam has a protective nature towards Michael. It developed very slowly until the episode of with Pam's art show.
Michael was the only one who went. (Well, Oscar was there, but his boyfriend was a jerk mocking Pam's hard work.) Michael told her how good her work was and how proud of her he was. I think Michael's paper company might have success with Pam helping him.
I'd love for Pam to become a salesperson! Why hasn't Wallace put Jim, the official No. 2 in charge? Couldn't you see two desks in Michael's office with Jim and Dwight being co-managers? :-)
Mark B said...
remember how, during one of the first episodes with Wallace's character, when each branch manager had to prepare a presentation on their financials, Michael did a video of the staff? Because that's all he knows.)
After that, Wallace asked him if he had the financials, and it turns out he did. We just didn't see him present them.
Cupid, "Pilot": Oceans apart
My Boys, "Welcome Back, Kalla Fotter": Police thos...
American Idol, Top 9: We Have No Theme Night
'Cupid' review - Sepinwall on TV
House, "Locked In": Up-down solution
HIMYM, "Murtaugh": Guys like us don't die on toile...
Chuck, "Chuck vs. the Broken Heart": Number Six wi...
Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose for at least t...
Family Guy, "Not All Dogs Go to Heaven": Please ca...
The Amazing Race, "Gorilla? Gorilla?? Gorilla???":...
'My Boys' review, 'House' goes POV - Sepinwall on ...
Breaking Bad, "Down": Lies and the lying liars who...
United States of Tara, "Snow": In treatment
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, "Pilot": Oh, B...
Kings, "First Night": The binding of Isaac
Dollhouse, "Echoes": I wish I could go back to col...
Party Down, "California College Conservatives Unio...
The weekly Friday Night Lights reminder
Friday Night Lights, "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall": H...
Grey's Anatomy, "Elevator Love Letter": A more-tha...
ER, "I Feel Good": Camp classic
Reader mail: Imported actors, opening credits and ...
30 Rock, "Apollo, Apollo": Most sensational, celeb...
American Idol, Top 10: Results
Life, "5 Quarts": Death becomes her
A word of warning: Do NOT watch 'In the Motherhood...
Scrubs, "Their Story II": The next generation?
American Idol, Top 10: Motown Night
'The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency' review - Sepi...
Lost, "He's Our You": The prisoner
Lost vs. American Idol: I choose Lost
Reaper, "The Favorite": Dad always liked you best!...
ER: What's your favorite episode, and why?
Heroes, "Cold Snap": Bryan Fuller to the rescue?
HIMYM, "Old King Clancy": Northwest Passage
Chuck, "Chuck vs. the Predator": The Buy More way
Programming advisory: HIMYM at 8 tonight, not 8:30...
In lieu of an open thread this week...
Amazing Race, "Alright, guys, we're at war!": Drea...
United States of Tara, "Betrayal": The burning she...
Big Love, "Sacrament": New religion
Terminator, "Today is the Day, Part 2": Never trus...
Flight of the Conchords, "Evicted": Is that all th...
Breaking Bad, "Bit By A Dead Bee": It don't come e...
Kings, "Prosperity": A seat at the table
Battlestar Galactica, "Daybreak, Part 2": There mu...
Battlestar Galactica: Ronald D. Moore finale Q&A
Dollhouse, "Man on the Street": Here's where the s...
Friday Night Lights, "The Giving Tree": Lock up yo...
Grey's Anatomy, "Stand By Me": Doctor/patient priv...
The Office, "New Boss": Charles in charge of Micha...
30 Rock, "The Bubble": Pretty, dumb
Battlestar Galactica: My favorite episodes
'Party Down' review - Sepinwall on TV
Life, "3 Women": The perfect non-partner
Lost, "Namaste": A day at the improv
Scrubs, "My Nah Nah Nah": I'm all right, nobody wo...
Battlestar Galactica: Admiral Adama goes to the Un...
'Better Off Ted' review - Sepinwall on TV
American Idol, Top 11: Country/Grand Ole Opry Nigh...
Reaper, "The Sweet Science": We want more Nessman,...
House, "Here Kitty": Death cat for cutie
I gotta take my problem to the United Nations
Castle, "Nanny McDead": To protect and serve, and ...
HIMYM, "The Front Porch": A Bridge game too far
United States of Tara, "Possibility": Tattoo you
Amazing Race, "She's a little scared of stick, but...
Flight of the Conchords, "Wingmen": Freak attack
Breaking Bad, "Grilled": Say uncle!
Kings, "Goliath": The man who would be king
Terminator & Dollhouse: Your thoughts?
Battlestar Galactica, "Daybreak, Part 1": Got a on...
Friday Night Lights, "Game of the Week": Showdown ...
30 Rock, "The Funcooker": Leadership vacuum
The Office, "Golden Ticket": The blame game
'Kings' review - Sepinwall on TV
ER, "Old Times": Hail, hail, the gang's all here -...
In the summertime, when the weather is high...
"Where did you lose this interview?"
South Park, "The Ring": The power of mice compels ...
Life, "Shelf Life": See my vest! See my vest! Made...
Don Draper: The greatest criminal mind of our age?...
Reaper, "Dirty Sexy Mongol": The Maltese Andi
"The name's Jughead! Jug. Head!"
American Idol, Top 13: Michael Jackson Night
House, "The Social Contract": Lie to me. Please.
Big Bang Theory, "The Terminator Decoupling": Summ...
'American Idol' finals preview - Sepinwall on TV
HIMYM, "Sorry, Bro": I'm Alan, and I approved of t...
Chuck, "Chuck vs. the Lethal Weapon": The man with...
United States of Tara, "Abundance": Gimme Gimme!
Amazing Race, "It was like a caravan of idiots": B...
Flight of the Conchords, "NewZealandTown": Murray ...
SNL: The Rock Obama rocks
'Castle' review - Sepinwall on TV


text:
Counteracting the effects of female stereotypes on television via active mediation
Amy I. Nathanson, Barbara J. Wilson, Jocelyn McGee, Minu Sebastian
This article reports results of an experiment with 83 kindergarten through 6th-grade children conducted to determine the effectiveness of a theoretically based active mediation strategy for reducing the harmful effects of gender-stereotyped television. The researchers found that a mediation strategy derived from gender-schema theory led to less favorable evaluations of stereotyped television characters. It also led to (a) less positive evaluations of the program among children whose parents do not monitor their viewing, and (b) less endorsement of stereotyped attitudes among younger children. This suggests that mediation is successful among children who may be especially vulnerable to media effects, or those who need it the most.
Journal of Communication
https://doi.org/10.1093/joc/52.4.922
10.1093/joc/52.4.922
Dive into the research topics of 'Counteracting the effects of female stereotypes on television via active mediation'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
Stereotypes Arts & Humanities 100%
Television Engineering & Materials Science 95%
Mediation Arts & Humanities 80%
television Social Sciences 74%
mediation Social Sciences 73%
stereotype Social Sciences 73%
Schema Theory Arts & Humanities 32%
gender Social Sciences 29%
Nathanson, A. I., Wilson, B. J., McGee, J., & Sebastian, M. (2002). Counteracting the effects of female stereotypes on television via active mediation. Journal of Communication, 52(4), 922-937. https://doi.org/10.1093/joc/52.4.922
Counteracting the effects of female stereotypes on television via active mediation. / Nathanson, Amy I.; Wilson, Barbara J.; McGee, Jocelyn et al.
In: Journal of Communication, Vol. 52, No. 4, 12.2002, p. 922-937.
Nathanson, AI, Wilson, BJ, McGee, J & Sebastian, M 2002, 'Counteracting the effects of female stereotypes on television via active mediation', Journal of Communication, vol. 52, no. 4, pp. 922-937. https://doi.org/10.1093/joc/52.4.922
Nathanson AI, Wilson BJ, McGee J, Sebastian M. Counteracting the effects of female stereotypes on television via active mediation. Journal of Communication. 2002 Dec;52(4):922-937. doi: 10.1093/joc/52.4.922
Nathanson, Amy I. ; Wilson, Barbara J. ; McGee, Jocelyn et al. / Counteracting the effects of female stereotypes on television via active mediation. In: Journal of Communication. 2002 ; Vol. 52, No. 4. pp. 922-937.
@article{cbb309a8c4684ad399df98bb89530301,
title = "Counteracting the effects of female stereotypes on television via active mediation",
abstract = "This article reports results of an experiment with 83 kindergarten through 6th-grade children conducted to determine the effectiveness of a theoretically based active mediation strategy for reducing the harmful effects of gender-stereotyped television. The researchers found that a mediation strategy derived from gender-schema theory led to less favorable evaluations of stereotyped television characters. It also led to (a) less positive evaluations of the program among children whose parents do not monitor their viewing, and (b) less endorsement of stereotyped attitudes among younger children. This suggests that mediation is successful among children who may be especially vulnerable to media effects, or those who need it the most.",
author = "Nathanson, {Amy I.} and Wilson, {Barbara J.} and Jocelyn McGee and Minu Sebastian",
doi = "10.1093/joc/52.4.922",
journal = "Journal of Communication",
T1 - Counteracting the effects of female stereotypes on television via active mediation
AU - Nathanson, Amy I.
AU - Wilson, Barbara J.
AU - McGee, Jocelyn
AU - Sebastian, Minu
N2 - This article reports results of an experiment with 83 kindergarten through 6th-grade children conducted to determine the effectiveness of a theoretically based active mediation strategy for reducing the harmful effects of gender-stereotyped television. The researchers found that a mediation strategy derived from gender-schema theory led to less favorable evaluations of stereotyped television characters. It also led to (a) less positive evaluations of the program among children whose parents do not monitor their viewing, and (b) less endorsement of stereotyped attitudes among younger children. This suggests that mediation is successful among children who may be especially vulnerable to media effects, or those who need it the most.
AB - This article reports results of an experiment with 83 kindergarten through 6th-grade children conducted to determine the effectiveness of a theoretically based active mediation strategy for reducing the harmful effects of gender-stereotyped television. The researchers found that a mediation strategy derived from gender-schema theory led to less favorable evaluations of stereotyped television characters. It also led to (a) less positive evaluations of the program among children whose parents do not monitor their viewing, and (b) less endorsement of stereotyped attitudes among younger children. This suggests that mediation is successful among children who may be especially vulnerable to media effects, or those who need it the most.
U2 - 10.1093/joc/52.4.922
DO - 10.1093/joc/52.4.922
JO - Journal of Communication
JF - Journal of Communication

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Because of the issue, I wish someone would have at least fixed the menu and added an auto weapon customization option where I wouldn't have had to manually upgrade each players weapon (even if it was just 2 or three times during the whole game) and make it either less cluttered with text or include basic non numerical stats (like a Blue + to indicate greater damage done or something similar) to really sell the damaging capabilities of each weapon.
Not enough variety to combat and missions: A large portion of Mass Effect 2's mission structure revolves around the objective to kill every enemy that might cross your path. This is disappointing since Mass Effect 1 made a conscious effort to create some diverse gameplay. Sure the tank was one of the most obnoxious "diversifying" gameplay aspects of recent memory, but it was at least an idea to keep the player engaged by having him do different things and giving the opportunity to fight more enemies and participate in more action outside of the the third person cover based shooting.
While the shooter aspect of Mass Effect 2 has gotten extremely better, it would have been nice to see the same ambition of the first game's gameplay present as well. It's not a major issue, because the gameplay is fun and diversifies from time to time, but it's just disappointing that the gameplay options were reduced and not expanded and I felt this whenever I got a bit tired of just sweeping in and killing everything almost the same way every time.
The missions could have been more varied had the combat set ups lead the charge. There was one combat section that I liked in ME 1 where you are fighting outside in trenches of the outer area of a ship with giant guns ready to blow your head off if you came out of cover (or if your fool AI decided to sit still and shoot at them as was the norm). In ME2 it never really gets to that point. All of the enemies are roughly your same size and with the exception of some mini boss types that would take a few more hits to destroy, the enemies were pretty much mostly cannon fodder. I'll say again that there were exceptions, but they were the exceptions that proved how limited the overall palette of enemies was.
Also, where did the grenades go?


Hello. My name is Connie Tocco. I have been in the court reporting business since age 16, helping with production of transcripts as well as secretarial duties for a court reporting firm.
Upon graduation from high school, I attended Madison Area Technical College in Madison, Wisconsin for Court and Conference Reporting and graduated in June of 2001.
I have over 15 years of experience now as a Registered Professional Reporter and enjoy networking with different firms and reporters across the country.


text:
Starjack Entertainment Releases A Rock-U-Mentary/Comedy "Madder Than A Full Moon Dog"
Posted on January 4, 2013 by Starjack Entertainment
Madness, mayhem, volume and hilarity were served up in generous helpings at Full Moon Dog this past October. Even more screamingly successful than last year, Starjack Entertainment's heavy metal music fest, produced in honour of the late Jay-Jay Winter, has given birth …… to a movie.
Christened "Madder Than a Full Moon Dog", the 90-minute film has captured the music, backstage tomfoolery, band & crowd interviews, and the general frenzied lunacy of the day. Featuring the best of British metal, including, Orange Goblin, Asomvel, Dark Forest, and many more….
The film, like the festival, is a celebration of the talent, passion, and tragically short life of Jay-Jay Winter, Asomvel's founder and front-man, who lost his life in 2010. Ever since then, Starjack Entertainment partner, Deborah Robinson, who is Winter's younger sister, has tirelessly spearheaded both the festival and film.
The venue – The Cockpit in Leeds, England– was filled to capacity. "So many people turned up to honour my brother," Robinson said. "They gave him a party fit for a legend, a party we'll remember forever – and I'm delighted we caught it on camera for the world to see."
Breathtakingly directed and edited, the five-camera shoot, all done 'on the fly' under very hectic (and noisy!) conditions, has captured not only the power and raw energy of the musicians and the audience, but also the touching 'family reunion' atmosphere of the event.
The DVD, which fans have been pre-ordering since the night of the festival, is scheduled to be released this month.
"I will never, ever, forget Full Moon Dog 2012 or the people I met there," said Robinson. "I'm overjoyed to see that British metal is in such good shape!"
For additional details about the festival please visit these sites:
Official Festival website: www.fullmoondog.com/
Official Film site: www.madderthanafullmoondog.com
Starjack Entertainment website: www.starjackentertainment.com
The Chris Robinson Brotherhood: Early Critical Praise For 'Big Moon Ritual,' Out June 5
THE CHRIS ROBINSON BROTHERHOOD To Release Debut Studio Album 'Big Moon Ritual' June 5
American Dog – Poison Smile
Addiction For Destruction Release Full-Song Stream For "Rock 'N Roll To You"


text:
Q: Left align text but right align button inside of a panel using Bootstrap and ASP.NET I am writing my first web application using Twitter Bootstrap and ASP.NET with C# on the back-end. I have buttons and labels inside of a Bootstrap panel. I would like to align the labels to the left and the buttons to the right. Here is my code so far:

Overview

                            <asp:Label ID="BandsProducedLabel" runat="server" Text="Bands Produced:"></asp:Label>
                            <asp:Button class="btn btn-default" ID="BandsProducedBtn" runat="server" Text="Hello" style="text-align:right" />

                   <\div>
    <\div>

How can I accomplish this task? This is only a small snippet of code. I have about 15 other panels that I would like to apply the same styling to.

A: If you want to use standard Bootstrap styles, you can give the label the CSS class "pull-left" and the button "pull-right".
For the correct result, you might have to reverse the source order, that is, have the button come first and then the label, in the markup.
Another option would be to use the Bootstrap grid system to place these two elements side by side.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Select a City All Cities Amsterdam Atlanta Berlin Chicago Cincinnati Cologne Dallas Krems Los Angeles Napels New York Palo Alto Paris Philadelphia Provincetown Seattle Taormina Toronto Turin Washington, D.C. Zurich
PRINT November 1988
Vernon Fisher
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
Parallel Lines, Vernon Fisher's site-specific installation on the second and third levels of the Hirshhorn Museum, comprised eight 12-by-13-foot, latex-and-oilstick wall drawings. Unlike many installations which would be more accurately termed in situ than site-specific, Fisher's installation was carefully linked to its site. The Hirshhorn is a disc-shaped structure supported on four large piers; its only windows line circular hallway galleries that face an inner court. The drawings' location in these narrow circular spaces exploited the museum's shape, forcing the viewer to see them both separately and in a linear sequence underscoring their implied narrative. The Hirshhorn's design, similar to that of a military bunker, also seemed not to have been lost on Fisher, for the ecological/political themes that often recur in his work were here focused on the military.
All of the drawings had
— Howard Risatti
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text:
24 star Annie Wersching dies at the age of 45
Ice Cold In Alex star Sylvia Syms dies at 89
Kanye West could be denied entry to Australia
'We called each other Sissie': Sarah, Duchess of York and Axl Rose pay tribute to Lisa Marie Presley
Alec Baldwin charges are a sign that a criminal reckoning awaits him – but he remains defiant and even bullish
O2 Academy in Brixton staying shut for three months after fatal crush
The O2 Academy in Brixton will remain shut for three more months after two people were killed in a crowd crush.
Owners Academy Music Group (AMG) said it had "reflected deeply" on the incident and had decided to stay closed regardless of an impending licensing decision by the local council.
Security guard Gaby Hutchinson, 23, and Rebecca Ikumelo, 33, were fatally injured when ticketless fans tried to enter Nigerian artist Asake's show at the south London venue on 15 December.
Rebecca Ikumelo and (below) Gaby Hutchinson suffered fatal injuries
Lambeth Council ordered the site to shut shortly afterwards, pending a hearing by a subcommittee on Monday.
Metropolitan Police had sought a longer licence suspension "to allow time to work with the venue to facilitate a safe reopening and to ensure appropriate safeguards, aimed at improving public safety, are in place".
AMG has now taken the matter into its own hands, saying it "recognises the gravity" of what happened and offered "sincere condolences to the families of those who died".
The three-month closure will give time for investigations into the incident to take place, AMG said, adding it was "committed to understanding what happened" and "providing full co-operation to the police".
More on Brixton Concert Crush
"The company's decision to close for this period will be the case whether or not the licence is suspended, but AMG agrees to the suspension as an enforceable measure," a statement continued.
An online portal set up by the Met for people to submit details, photos, and videos of the incident remains open.
Some 4,000 people are thought to have witnessed the crush, which left eight attendees needing hospital treatment.
Princess Michael looked 'exquisite' with £3m wedding tiara – but day was controversial
Ukraine LIVE: Sunak confirms UK will provide Challenger 2 tanks in call with Zelensky
shares9 views


Choosing wine can be overwhelming. Choosing the best value wine you can every time is even harder.
I know what it is like to be in a bottle shop and feel overwhelmed. Or looking at a wine list in a restaurant and wondering 'Which of these am I going to like, which is going to be the best bang for my buck, and least likely to be disappointing?' Often choosing a wine at a restaurant is the first decision you have to make! A bottle shop can be even more confusing. Your average Dan Murphy's store holds thousands of items.
Meanwhile, most likely you have a mission – choosing the best value wine you can. Whether it is buying a single bottle of cold white wine or half a dozen nice reds at the bottle shop, or a bottle of red to share at a restaurant table. Where do you go? What do you choose?
If you're like me, most likely you have 'go-to'- wines that you know are what you like and are good value.
But what of all the other wines out there? – surely for every 1 of your go-to wines there are dozens of others in the same style and price-point that are just as good or better.
The trick is to find them and, perhaps more importantly, exclude the ones more likely to be duds!
There are only a limited number of opportunities to enjoy a nice glass of wine, with our busy lives, the expense involved, and all of the other considerations. When I have an opportunity to enjoy a glass of wine, I want to make the most of it.
So the question is, how do you find the gems in a wine list or at the bottle shop, without breaking the bank, without regretting your choice, and without ending up with a wine cellar full of mediocre wines?
Now this may sound obvious, – of course, good wines come from good vineyards in great wine growing regions!
In truth, you'd be surprised how often it is overlooked, and how much you can improve your chances of picking the best wines by applying this principle.
Why does a wine's growing region matter so much? It all comes down to the quality of the grapes going into the wine – in short, only great grapes can make great wine, and great grapes can only come from growing conditions that match their unique varietal characteristics.
Some grape varieties, like Pinot Noir, only produce outstanding wine in a specific type of climate – usually cooler climates with low humidity in summer, like southern Victoria and Tasmania. In fact, Pinot Noir is known as the 'Diva' of wine grapes because it is notoriously hard to grow to a standard that will make excellent wine.
The most reliable way to choose a wine made in great growing conditions is to identify a region that has an outstanding reputation and climate suited to the wine's variety or style.
For example, when looking for a full-bodied Shiraz, great regions like the Barossa Valley consistently have that magic combination of climate, soil and geography that bring out the best in a full-bodied, rich style of Shiraz.
Now, if you walk into the bottle shop in Australia, chances are you will be faced with dozens, if not hundreds of Australian Shirazes from all over the country. Most of those won't be from the great growing regions of the country, and most won't be advertising the fact either (imagine if they did – "This wine is not from from the Barossa Valley"). In fact, many wine companies will cover up their lower pedigree of location by being vague on the label (e.g. South-Eastern Australia).
For the most part, you can disregard any wine that is not proudly displaying a specific location on the front label.
So, already, you have narrowed your field and removed most of the choices that are most likely to disappoint. Now, it is just a matter of choosing one of those specific locations with the aim of picking a good match for the variety and style you are focussed on (in this case the variety is Shiraz and the style is big, bold, full bodied red wine).
For example, for a full-bodied Shiraz, some of your best options, listed in the guide are going to be Barossa Valley or McLaren Vale in South Australia, or the Grampians region in Victoria.
Once you have narrowed down your choice to a great region for a given variety and style of wine, your chances of getting a great wine experience, with the best value for money are hugely improved.
These regions all have conditions – that is, weather, soil and topography, that are well suited to these varieties. In addition, they have a local culture of excellence in those specific varieties, – local competition, cross-fertilisation of ideas and techniques, and just straight-out inspiration from their peers. The geographic and cultural factors combine to make for better wine.
The wine buying guide you can download below does the work for you in matching region to variety and style – all you need to do is decide what style or variety of wine you are after, and it gives you the best regions to choose from.
If you are choosing wine in a bottle shop, you may be presented with two or three wines of the sames style or variety, from the same region and the same vintage, and at similar prices. What to do?
When in doubt, pick the winery with the best reputation at the higher end of the market.
Wineries that have made their reputations on exemplary $50 and $80 wines will most likely produce better value $20 wines. They will have better quality vineyard management, better attention to detail in the winery, they will have invested more in their staff, equipment, quality control, blending etc etc.
One trick to look out for here is to pick the 'estate grown' wines if you can. Some producers will have a cheaper wines grown at an external vineyard over which they have less control – and great wines are made in the vineyard. Their estate grown wines will likely be better value at $20 (if you can get them at $20 – often they are the more expensive models).
Sometimes it is difficult to tell if it is estate grown, but it is worth scanning the back label to check.
If you don't know which wines have the better reputation for higher-end wines, ask the bottle shop staff. In a restaurant you may not be able to judge this so easily, so basing your decision on matching region and wine style or variety is the easiest approach for a quick decision.
Using those two principles will give you a head start every time when choosing great value wine. All the best in your wine adventures!


This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 6th, 2015 at 6:00 am	and is filed under RAC issues. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.


text:
package common

import (
	"fmt"

	"istio.io/pkg/log"
)

const (
	// latestKey is an arbitrary value that represents the fallback version (master).
	latestKey = "latest"

	ProxyContainerName     = "istio-proxy"
	DiscoveryContainerName = "discovery"
	OperatorContainerName  = "istio-operator"

	// namespaceAll is the default argument of across all namespaces
	NamespaceAll    = ""
	StrNamespaceAll = "allNamespaces"
)

type kv struct {
	k string
	v string
}

type resourceNames struct {
	discoveryLabels []kv
	istioDebugURLs  []string
	proxyDebugURLs  []string
}

var versionMap = map[string]*resourceNames{
	latestKey: {
		discoveryLabels: []kv{
			{k: "app", v: "istiod"},
		},
		istioDebugURLs: []string{
			"debug/adsz",
			"debug/syncz",
			"debug/registryz",
			"debug/endpointz",
			"debug/instancesz",
			"debug/endpointShardz",
			"debug/configz",
			"debug/cachez",
			"debug/resourcesz",
			"debug/authorizationz",
			"debug/push_status",
			"debug/inject",
			"debug/mesh",
			"debug/networkz",
		},
		proxyDebugURLs: []string{
			"certs",
			"clusters",
			"config_dump?include_eds",
			"listeners",
			"memory",
			"server_info",
			"stats/prometheus",
			"runtime",
		},
	},
}

// IstiodDebugURLs returns a list of Istiod debug URLs for the given version.
func IstiodDebugURLs(clusterVersion string) []string {
	return versionMap[getVersionKey(clusterVersion)].istioDebugURLs
}

// ProxyDebugURLs returns a list of proxy debug URLs for the given version.
func ProxyDebugURLs(clusterVersion string) []string {
	return versionMap[getVersionKey(clusterVersion)].proxyDebugURLs
}

// IsDiscoveryContainer reports whether the given container is an Istio discovery container for the given version.
// Labels are the labels for the given pod.
func IsDiscoveryContainer(clusterVersion, container string, labels map[string]string) bool {
	if container != DiscoveryContainerName {
		return false
	}

	for _, kv := range versionMap[getVersionKey(clusterVersion)].discoveryLabels {
		if labels[kv.k] != kv.v {
			return false
		}
	}
	return true
}

// IsProxyContainer reports whether container is an istio proxy container.
func IsProxyContainer(_, container string) bool {
	return container == ProxyContainerName
}

// IsOperatorContainer reports whether the container is an istio-operator container.
func IsOperatorContainer(_, container string) bool {
	return container == OperatorContainerName
}

func getVersionKey(clusterVersion string) string {
	if versionMap[clusterVersion] == nil {
		return latestKey
	}
	return clusterVersion
}

func LogAndPrintf(format string, a ...any) {
	fmt.Printf(format, a...)
	log.Info(fmt.Sprintf(format, a...))
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Tomochi Kosaka is an animator with TMS and the Chief Series Director on the hit anime ReLIFE. Kosaka has seen multiple successes in a wide range of job roles, such as animation director, prop designer, and character designer. He has most recently taken part in the Yowamushi Pedal anime series as assistant character designer, production director, and animation director. The upcoming ReLife anime series is his first work as Chief Series Director.


text:
Q: Cannot update app When installing the latest version of the iOS app it fails telling it can't download the update. It happens at approximately 75% in the loading phase.
I have tried it on various networks and have done a lot of attempts already.
Is this a deployment bug?
Update:
It seems to be a deployment bug indeed since the update is retracted now and can't be downloaded any more. The app doesn't show an update too.

*

*App Version: 1.3.2.231

*Device: iPhone7,2

*OS Version: Version 9.0 (Build 13A344)

A: This is fixed in 1.4.0.234.
Back when iOS8 came out there was a bug with users updating to the new build and the solution was to make iOS think it was downloading a different app than it actually was, up until the point it installed.  That is, it downloaded as com.stackexchange.ent.zaphod.ios8fix but then installed as com.stackexchange.ent.zaphod.  That's why updates would always appear as a new download.
iOS9 is now rejecting this hack at validation time:

itunesstored[143] : BundleValidator: Failed bundleIdentifier: com.stackexchange.ent.zaphod.ios8fix does not match expected bundleIdentifier: com.stackexchange.ent.zaphod

So, I'm removing the hack, things are downloading in the right spot, and hopefully we don't run into any more problems like this in the future.


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LOST REPORT #: L4762
Wednesday 11th July 2012
Norton Canes, Staffordshire, UK
Stoke-on-Trent, Stoke-on-Trent, England, UK
Yardley, Birmingham, West Midlands, England, UK
Handsworth Wood, Birmingham, West Midlands, England, UK
Coventry, West Midlands, England, UK
Short Heath, Birmingham, West Midlands, England, UK
Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England, UK
Longford, Coventry, West Midlands, England, UK
Sparkbrook, Birmingham, West Midlands, England, UK
Bloxwich, Walsall, West Midlands, England, UK


"Explore Our Shipwrecks and Coral Reefs"
A Barbados scuba diving vacation has much to offer divers of all abilities. The south and west coasts are where the best Barbados dive sites can be found with a variety of reefs and ship wrecks to explore. There are a few sites on the east coast, but these are only accessible during the summer as the Atlantic Ocean is too fierce during winter and lends itself better to surfers.
The wide range of marine life that can be observed underwater is exceptional with good visibility and warm waters for which a 3mm suit should be more than sufficient, if necessary at all. Diving is taken seriously on the island, with the most modern and up-to-date scuba equipment available, experienced professional instructors, well equipped scuba boats and a decompression chamber located at the Barbados Defence Force Head Quarters.
The south and west coasts of Barbados boast around 2 dozen dive sites between them and are the most popular diving areas. The waters are warm and calm and there are numerous diving companies who can offer tuition, equipment hire and diving trips.
The sheltered west coast is where you will find the Folkestone Marine Park, and the south coast is the home of the Carlisle Bay Marine Park. Both of these sites have a variety of reefs and wrecks for divers to explore.
The east coast also has around ten reefs and during the summer months, divers can venture into the calmer waters for the opportunity to spot larger fish, particularly nurse sharks. This coast is further away from the more built up south and west coasts of the island but if you are looking for a scuba dive adventure during your Barbados scuba diving vacation this coast is a great option.
What Marine Life Will I See While Scuba Diving in Barbados?
There is a wide variety of marine life to be spotted whilst scuba diving in Barbados.
The coral reefs surrounding the island are home to to stingrays, sea horses, barracuda, frog fish, octopi, reef squid, mackerel and moray eels, turtles, parrot fish, lobsters, bar jacks, yellow tails, horse eye, snappers, blackjacks, cavalee, nurse sharks and Bermuda chubs.
The Carlisle Bay Marine Park in Barbados is actively working to protect the species found here as well as the coral that creates such a wonderful habitat.
Where Can I Learn to Dive or Take a Barbados dive tour?
Most of the Barbados dive operators are based on the south and west coasts of the island where the main diving sites area. Most offer diving tuition to PADI and NAUI standard, as well as diving equipment hire and diving trips.
Dive lessons are available for groups and individuals for both adults and children. There are also different Barbados dive trips available including visits to shipwrecks, the reefs and night dives.
Many dive operators have partnerships with the Barbados hotels and resorts and will pick you up from your hotel and take you back there after a hard days diving! A great example is the Hilton Hotel Barbados who offer their guests dive packages with The Dive Barbados Blue diving operator looked right next to the resort. This makes it very convenient for you to organize your dives even if you didn't do so before travelling.
The reefs surrounding Barbados are Barrier reefs which are to be found anywhere from 0.5 to 2 miles from the shore, as well as Fringes and Patching reefs which you can find closer to the shore.
The barrier reefs are where you can spot thousands of fish and other marine life such as turtles, whereas the smaller reefs near the shore are teeming with plant life. Some of the most popular reefs in Barbados where you can dive during your Barbados scuba diving vacation are Boot, home to many Barbados turtles, as well as Lobster Reef where you will spot many friendly stingrays. Dottins is also one of the most popular Barbados dive sites on the west coast with a large array of marine life. But like I said before there are over 20 other dive sites and reefs around the island to choose from.
Barbados is known as the shipwreck capital of the Caribbean! There are numerous shipwrecks for divers to explore, some of which sank naturally, others deliberately to create reef conditions. The Carlisle Bay Marine Park even boasts 6 shipwrecks for divers of all levels, so beginners won't be left out!
Some of the best shipwrecks to explore during your Barbados scuba diving vacation include The Stavronikita and The Bajan Queen.
The Stavronikita is the most popular shipwreck in Barbados and was deliberately sunk after being stripped and prepared for divers. This ship was once a former Greek freighter and is a must dive for any Barbados scuba diving vacation!
The Bajan Queen was once a party boat in Barbados which was deliberately sunk in 2002 in the Carlisle Bay along south west tip of the island and is also a popular shipwreck in Barbados.


Hi ya everyone! It's a new challenge at iCopic Lover and the challenge is use those Yellow Green (YG) copics! I really love the YG family actually as it's so springy. So I went over board and used a number of those on this adorable turtle from the Hey Kaylee clear set from Some Odd Girl!
What a super cute card!! Love that turtle!
He is so darn cute! Got my first SOG stamp yesterday, so I hope to have her colored in soon! Love that paper in the background, so perfect! The baker's twine is awesome too!
Love the YGs too. Yay!! A turtle! Super cute Melissa. His shell looks like a helmet, pretty cool. Gr8 card!
This is so cute and I love the bright greens that you used! He just pops off the front of that card! Adorable!!!


Exquisitely crafted traditional Venetian large Murano chandelier in clear and lilac Murano glass and gold metal finish. This genuine Murano chandelier artwork will be an excellent focal point in large spaces, modern or classic interior design project.
This chandelier is also available in 8 lights and 20 lights as well as custom size, custom Murano glass color and custom metal finishes upon your request. Please reply with specified request by email listed on the Contact Us page.


Administratively, Manupeu Tanah Daru National Park is located in an intersection area of 3 districts, Sumba Barat, Sumba Tengah and Sumba Timur district. This area has been pointed as a national park by Foresty Minister in 1998. Most topography in this area are steepy hills and situated at 600 meters above sea level.
Manupeu Tanah Daru National Park is representative of spring-emetic forest lowland in Sumba. Most of the forest area in the national park such as cliffs, which emerged from sea level until 600 meters high. Manupeu Tanah Daru National Park has a diversity of high value which is about 118 plant species including suren (Toona sureni), taduk (Sterculia foetida), kesambi (Schleichera oleosa), pulai (Alstonia scholaris), tamarind (Tamarindus indica), walnut (Aleurites moluccana), guava forest (Syzygium sp.), mountain pine (Casuarina sp.), and lantana (Lantana camara).
Animals living in Manupeu Tanah Daru National Park as many as 87 species of birds including seven species endemic of Sumba Island are cempaka cockatoo (Cacatua sulphurea citrinocristata), julang Sumba (Rhyticeros everetti), pigeon Sumba (Treron teysmannii), flycatcher Sumba (Ficedula harterti), kepodang-sungu Sumba (Coracina dohertyi), and honey Sumba (Nectarinia buettikoferi). Sumba looming bird and bird cockatoo cempaka is the most rare and endangered, especially on Sumba Island. Manupeu Tanah Daru National Park also has 57 species of butterfly, including seven endemic Sumba Island is Papilio neumoegenii, Ideopsis oberthurii, Delias fasciata, Junonia adulatrix, Athyma Karita, Sumalia chilo, and Elimnia amoena.
Manupeu Tanah Daru has not been designated as a National Park, so the facility for visitors is still limited. The facilities available is homestay which is managed by the community around the national park. Most tourists who visit to Manupeu Tanah Daru National Park is generally associated with time remaining on the cultural tour on Sumba Island.
Matayangu Waterfall and Lapopu Waterfall, located in Waimanu Village and Katikutana Village.
Waikabubak adjacent to Manupeu Tanah Daru National Park found many ancient tombs carved. The ancient cemetery is a symbol of social status and public health (Kadung Tana, Watu Karagata and Fur Sensitive Mila). Pasola, an attraction ritual is very interesting and exciting, because it looks some people ride a horse decorated colorful, fight each other to knock down with wooden spears. The attraction is held in Lamboya and Kodi in February, March in Gaura and Wanukaka.
March to June and October to December each year.
Kupang-Waingapu by plane about an hour, then from Waingapu-Lewa-Waikabubak by road use car for about two hours, which continued to Manupeu Tanah Daru National Park (Langgaliru Village, Katiku Loku Village and Watumbelar Village).


What You Should Expect From Van Insurance - questionstoday News Site.
Insuring a van you use for your business is a little different from how your private vehicle is insured.
Granted, many points of interest are the same - like size or class of the vehicle, the cost of your vehicle, the importance of where you live and drive it, etc.
You will also find that you can get "no claim" bonuses to your premium, if you avoid accidents or damage to your vehicle.
Much the same as with other types of vehicle insurance.
But some things are a bit different when you look at van insurance.
For most, a van is a business vehicle - something you use as a part of your work.
That means it should be covered in such a way, that your business will suffer minimally in case the van breaks down, is stolen or damaged.
If your business is to haul goods around town, you cannot simply carry on with your work in a taxi if your van stops working all of a sudden.
You need a viable alternative, and you mostly need it fast.
That is where breakdown coverage comes in.
If you have it, you will receive aid from your insurance company - perhaps for having your van towed to the nearest repair shop, or in some cases you could even be provided with a replacement vehicle to use while your own van is under repair.
Perhaps if you are just starting your business, this sounds excessive and just like the sort of things you could do without - to save a bit of money.
Which leads me to another important point of mine: It is natural to want to get the cheapest van insurance possible, especially when your business is still new.
Funds are often quite limited in the beginning and preferably spent on things which will clearly help your business grow - you can hardly say that about insurance, can you? Actually, you can.
I don't have to tell you how vulnerable you are in the beginning - few clients or customers, no well-established routines to save time and money, etc.
So just think about what would happen to your ability to do business if your van broke down and you had little or no coverage? Probably the only thing worse than having no insurance is having bad insurance, because of the disappointment you will feel when making a claim and getting back nothing - or very little.
After all, van insurance is not really about insuring a vehicle - it is about insuring a business - part of it at least.
By all means, get your insurance as cheap as you can - just make sure it does what you need - when you need it.
If it does not deliver, then it is a waste of money, no matter how cheap it was.
That may have looked like a slight digression from the topic of this article, but in reality, it was about the importance of quality.
You are not using your van just to get from A to B; you are using it to make a living.
In a way, what you are insuring is your income.
Something else which is mostly more relevant for business vehicles than for private vehicles, is fleet insurance.
This is when you are insuring more than one vehicle under the same policy.
A group discount, so to speak.
If you have a number of vans, you could then insure them under a van fleet insurance, or you could choose a solution for mixed vehicles, if that is what you have.
A fleet insurance not only saves you money, it is also easier to keep track of than a whole bunch of individual policies.
I hope I have made you more aware of what must be considered when insuring your van or other business vehicle.
Just remember: Stay insured to stay in business!


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Apple's 4-day stock tumble has been biggest drag on Dow industrials
Mark DeCambre
The Dow Jones Industrial Average on Monday skid for a third straight session, weighed by shares of Apple which have been its biggest drag over the past several sessions. Dow component Apple Inc.'s shares AAPL, -1.28% have declined for four straight trading days and have knocked off more than 50 points from the blue-chip's gauge over that period, exacting the biggest toll on the price-weighted benchmark of any of its 30 components, according to WSJ Market Data Group. Apple's stock closed about 0.9%, or $1.34, lower. A $1 move in any one of the Dow's components is equal to a 6.89-point swing in the average. In most recent trade, the Dow DJIA, -1.30% closed off 53 points, or 0.2%, at 22,296, the S&P 500 index SPX, -1.89% ended down 5.6 points, or 0.2%, at 2,496, while the Nasdaq Composite Index COMP, -2.72% finished down 0.9%, at 6,370, as technology shares were weighed by Apple's stock drop. Apple's retreat on Monday came as Digitimes reported that Apple has told component suppliers to withhold part of the shipments of parts used in production of its iPhone X handset, citing sources from Taiwan-based upstream component suppliers.
Barron's: Tech Stocks Are Getting Slammed Yet Again. Why Apple, Microsoft, Tesla, and 10 Others Can Rise.
Mark DeCambre is MarketWatch's markets editor. He is based in New York. Follow him on Twitter @mdecambre.


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The Cornell Daily Sun (https://cornellsun.com/2014/04/29/eliot-vomit-induced-larger-perspective/)
ELIOT | Vomit-Induced Larger Perspective
By The Cornell Daily Sun | April 29, 2014
By CHRISTO ELIOT
I learned everything I need to know about progress and developed an immense appreciation for the airline industry while bent-over in a Denver-bound Amtrak bathroom, vomiting up my sorry excuse for a dinner at 4 a.m. somewhere in the middle of Nebraska.
My friend Ethan and I had decided that after we finished our Fall semester finals, we would meet up in New York City for a few days and then board a train at Penn Station to begin our railroad odyssey back home to Colorado. I figured cross-country train travel was something you had to try at least once — kind of like eating nothing but canned corn for five straight days just to see what happens, gastrointestinally speaking. We thought it would be something of an adventure or at least make a decent story; we had these romanticized ideas that the journey would be like stepping back in time — that riding a train would be the fine dining five-course meal equivalent to the greasy, fast-food, microwaved, facon-topped cheeseburger of an airplane. We weren't necessarily wrong; it just turns out five courses of sitting in a box on wheels as it slowly rolls across the American countryside in the middle of the night with motion sickness and newly discovered claustrophobia really is not that appealing. And the Wright brothers made a super good double-bacon cheeseburger.
Ethan and I boarded the train late. We had been catching up with a high school classmate of ours who goes to Columbia and lost track of time. Once we had finally made it from the Upper West Side to Penn Station, most of the train's passengers had already boarded, forcing my friend and me to separate. I slunk into an aisle seat, pleased with the amount of legroom I was working with, next to a young man who used hair gel pretty liberally and was listening to a heavy house beat at roughly the same volume I would expect in a dingy nightclub. Unfortunately, It soon became clear this was the only song my new travelling companion listened to.
Sitting in a train car for 18 hours by yourself with nothing but an outdated and already-read copy of Sports Illustrated to occupy yourself affords a lot of time for getting lost in your own headspace. Soon after the sun went down (which was early, as we were making this trek in December), my thoughts started to get kind of interesting. "What if ants think they're our pets and feel a crippling sense of betrayal when we squish their friends and family in front of them?" "The world would be a really interesting place if people were like fish and floated to the top of the atmosphere when they died." "People would probably think I am a really weird individual if they were able to hear my thoughts right now." That was basically what I dealt with until I fell into a weird, exhausted limbo state, suspended somewhere between sleep and consciousness.
Fortunately, the train pulled into Union Station in Chicago around 10 a.m. the next morning, giving Ethan and me a few hours in the Windy City before boarding the Colorado-bound California Zephyr. It was my first time in Chicago, and maybe somewhat embittered by my lack of REM sleep and the fact I was so hungry I think my stomach was literally devouring itself for food, my overall impressions of the city were this: Oh, it's cold and gray here, too. After a visit to a very large department store, decked out in Christmas decor, and a hot dog (Chi-city, right?), we got our bags from the rented storage lockers and boarded the new train. This time, Ethan and I found seats together. The journey was going pretty well, and we enjoyed watching the American midwest unfold before us in the glass-domed observation car. Soon enough though, the sun set and the countryside again fell into impenetrable darkness. We returned to our seats as the train slowly grinded to a halt. An Amtrak employee, who seemed less than enthused about his job, informed us that we were at the Mississippi River, and the conductor was unsure if the bridge was up or down for crossing. An engineer (not the Duffield kind) had to get off the train and pick at the ice in the switch to lower the bridge — you know, like a 1920's problem. We were right: The railroads were just like travelling back in time.
Eventually, we started rolling again, and Ethan dozed off next to me. I was not so lucky; the hotdog from that afternoon didn't exactly jive with the bag of pretzels and 7-Up from that evening, and the rolling of the train set in motion a battle between my brain's urge to suppress nausea and my body's urge to declare a fire-drill and get everything out. My brain and some controlled breathing helped stifle the imminent vomiting for a few hours as I drifted in and out of consciousness, but eventually I needed to get to the restroom and expel the contents of my stomach into the train's small metallic toilet.
That's when I started thinking about progress. Not long ago, train travel was the only way to get across America. Before that, it was wagons and oxen. To get a message to someone in Europe required a weeks-long journey in a wooden ship that used the stars to navigate. As I blew chunks rolling in a box across Nebraska, I was struck by how far we have come and how much we take for granted. Sometimes it is important to take a step back and realize how extraordinary it is we can use lightwaves to transport music, we can beam a bunch of zeros and ones into space to send someone a drunken text message and we can turn a knob to get clean drinking water. I'm glad I made the 36-hour journey on the Amtrak. But there's a reason we have airports, and I never have to do it again. I would recommend everyone pukes in a train car bathroom at some point in their lives. It really helps to put things in perspective.
Cornellians Raise Awareness of Sexual Violence Through Photo Campaign
By The Cornell Daily Sun April 29, 2014
By GABRIELLA LEE
Students across campus are spreading awareness against sexual assault this week through a series of photo shoots for the Every1 Campaign, an organization that seeks to increase awareness of consensual sex and sexual violence. According to Shuangyi Hou '15, president and creative director of the Every1 Campaign, the idea to use a photo series to spread consent awareness began with group founder Leah Salgado '12 in spring 2012.
Cornell Bird Cam Captures Hawk Chicks
By KATHLEEN BITTER
On Sunday, two new faces appeared on the Lab of Ornithology's live stream of a Red-tailed hawk nest on campus, huddled beneath their mother's feathers. On Tuesday morning a third newcomer joined them.