Something New We Trying Out New R&B Sundays
Vistoso Bosses-Boyfriend
Brandon Hines Feat Cassie-Stray
Tiffany Evans-Im Good

Vistoso Bosses-Boyfriend …::LISTEN::…
Brandon Hines Feat Cassie-Stray …::LISTEN::…
Tiffany Evans-Im Good …::LISTEN::…

From ep. 1, Season 12 Cat's the illest, son!

Recommend : DIY goalsettingtutorials.blogspot.com goalsetting.blogs.thaihealth.net

Adopted Scot Hines has been capped 58 times

Scotland rugby star Nathan Hines will face the ultimate test of loyalty when he lines up for his adopted nation in the Autumn International Test against Australia at Murrayfield on Saturday.

Despite being born and raised in his native Australia, Hines has played an integral part for Scotland since making his debut in 2002.

The 58 times capped lock joins an illustrious list of ‘Adopted Scots’, and like his predecessors there will be no conflict of interests come Saturday.

“It’s the same as every game for me,” said Hines in a recent interview with the BBC. “It doesn’t matter who I’m playing, Ill always give my all for Scotland.

“Obviously there is the added incentive of the fact I’m playing my homeland, but Ive lived here for 15 years now and I feel Scottish.

There will be no doubts over where my loyalties will lie come Saturday.”

Scotland have previously used the ‘adopted citizen’ rule to full effect, having called up a host of foreign-born players in the past including Kiwi Glen Metcalfe and Englishman Ben Cairns.

The SRU recently courted controversy by appointing Ex-England International Andy Robinson as head coach in June 2009.

In their entire history of past coaches, the Scotland Rugby side have only appointed one foreigner, Australian Matt Williams, who was sacked in 2005 after a disastrous 2 year spell in charge, and some fans have raised doubts over the employment of another non-Scot.

However, SRU Youth Coach Michael Davidson is confident that Robinson will give nothing less than 100% when he leads his side out against a formidable Australian team on Saturday.

Davidson exclusively told EdinburghNapierNews: “He is a fantastic coach and we are very lucky to have him,”

“I don’t think it matters where he is from, he has the ability to turn the team around and that’s the most important factor for me.

“I don’t think the Scotland fans will care much about Robinsons nationality should he achieve the impossible and beat Australia.”

After last week’s comprehensive 23-10 win over Fuji at Murrayfield, Scotland will be brimming with confidence going into the clash against a country they haven’t defeated since 1982.

Fans will also be buoyed at the news Captain Mike Blair and Flanker Johnnie Beattie have both travelled with the squad ahead of the game.

Ha habido ciertas representaciones a lo largo de los últimos 50-60 años que han supuesto la recuperación de títulos que ahora parecen totalmente indispensables en el repertorio y que se programan con asiduidad, sobretodo de obras del belcantismo italiano (léase Rossini, Bellini y Donizetti), pero también de Verdi. Una de estas obras ha sido el Macbeth verdiano, y como punto culminante de su recuperación las funciones del Met que aquí os presento.

Aunque con anterioridad se habían dado producciones importantes de la obra, como la que la Callas había dejado en el año 1952 en la Scala, estas no se tradujeron en una recuperación como Dios manda, es decir, en una grabación discográfica, a pesar del nivel estratosférico de la Lady Macbeth de la grecoamericana y de la vibrante dirección del maestro De Sabata, ya que no fue hasta estas triunfales funciones neoyorquinas que la primera compañía americana del disco, la RCA, las llevó al disco de inmediato con idéntico plantel que en el teatro.

La verdad es que las funciones tienen el mismo altísimo nivel que el disco, con el aliciente de la emoción de la toma en vivo, con un sonido decentísimo.

Hablar de Leonard Warren es hablar de una de las voces baritonales más prodigiosas y poderosas jamás grabadas. El instrumento de Warren es grande, homogéneo y de una extensión considerable (hasta el si bemol agudo), y el canto es facilísimo (parece como si no hiciera nada), lleno de matices y con un fiato considerable. Su creación del noble escocés es antológica tanto por el poderío vocal como por su vertiente interpretativa. El personaje de Macbeth es extenso y complejo, con lo que se requiere una voz llena de matices pero a la vez con empuje y resistencia. Es un papel para un auténtico barítono dramático, y Leonard Warren ha sido uno de los más grandes.

Para que lo comprobéis os dejo un video con la bellísima aria “Pietà, rispetto, amore”, del cuarto acto, que corresponden a las funciones que estamos comentando. Atención al espectacular y brillante la bemol con el que cierra el aria.

A su lado brilla con luz propia la malvadísima Lady Macbeth de Leonie Rysanek. Es la Rysanek una soprano dramática, en el sentido más wagneriano de la palabra, que en el repertorio italiano nunca me ha gustado (le recuerdo una horrorosa Amelia del Ballo in Maschera también en el Met), pero consigue en la Lady Macbeth la caracterización perfecta, aquello que queria Verdi para el personaje: “una soprano que cantara bien pero con una voz desagradable, que se arrastre por el escenario,… un demonio de mujer”. La Rysanek se defiende muy bien en el grave, al que ha de descender en muchísimas ocasiones, con unos sonidos oscuros, tenebrosos, y está brillante en las ascensiones al agudo (hasta el re5), con un sonido algo calante pero perfectamente asimilable a las caracterísiticas psicológicas del rol. Una Lady Macbeth redonda.

Os dejo a la Rysanek cantando la celebérrima aria del segundo acto “La luce langue”, en la versión en estudio que antes comentabamos.

Redondean el cuarteto protagonista el imponente Banco de Jerome Hines, de rocosa seguridad y gran aplomo, y el brillante Carlo Bergonzi bordando esa joya del repertorio de tenor que es el aria de Macduff del cuarto acto “A la paterna mano”.

De gran interés es la dirección del maestro Leinsdorf, que hace una lectura de gran fibra dramática, con un control absoluto de las grandes escenas de conjunto, partiendo de la revisión parisina de 1865 (como es normal) pero sin la escena del ballet.

Giuseppe Verdi – Macbeth (Parte01, Parte02)

Macbeth – Leonard Warren

Lady Macbeth – Leonie Rysanek

Banco – Jerome Hines

Macduff – Carlo Bergonzi

Malcolm – William Olvis

Duncano – Walter Hemmerly

Una dama di Lady Macbeth – Carlotta Ordassy

Un medico – Gerhard Pechner

Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus – Erich Leinsdorf

Bad.

Surely new arrivals by next season plus already Hines and Stanislas get the nod over him. Cant honestly see Sears ever wearing our shirt again.

Blisko pół roku temu stanęła budowa Złotej 44 i na razie nie wiadomo kiedy ruszy. Tymczasem wieży zaprojektowanej przez Daniela Libeskinda może wyrosnąć konkurencja. Amerykański deweloper Hines ma już bowiem w ręku prawomocne pozwolenie na budowę 160 metrowej wieży zaprojektowanej przez Helmuta Jahna.

Hines ruszył już z rozbiórką starych pawilonów u zbiegu Twardej i pl. Grzybowskiego w Warszawie. Deweloper przygotowuje dokumentację przetargową i szykuje się do wyboru generalnego wykonawcy. Budowa wieży ma ruszyć już w I kwartale 2010 r.

Wysokościowiec przy Twardej będzie miał 160 metrów (42 piętra). Znajdzie się w nim kilkaset mieszkań oraz luksusowy hotel z 146 pokojami. W podstawie gmachu, która ma nawiązywać wysokością do okolicznej zabudowy, zlokalizowane zostaną powierzchnie biurowe, które w części zajmie Centrum Kultury Żydów Fundacji Shalom. To właśnie od tej fundacji Hines odkupił działkę pod inwestycję. Na najwyższych kondygnacjach przewidziano dwupoziomowe apartamenty: każdy będzie miał własny ogród na dachu.

Projekt drapacza chmur powstał w pracowni Murphy/Jahn, znanej z projektów m.in. Sony Center w Berlinie. Jahn jest laureatem prestiżowej nagrody Królewskiego Brytyjskiego Instytutu Architektów. Polskim partnerem pracowni Helmuta Jahna jest firma Epstein. Brała ona udział m.in. przy projektowaniu biurowca Rondo1 oraz centrum handlowego Złote Tarasy. Projekt wieżowca przy Twardej wyróżnia się ascetyczną prostopadłościenną bryłą. Elewację ma pokryć szkło w różnych odcieniach, pojawią się też ruchome elementy. Dzięki temu gmach będzie zmieniał kolor zależnie od pory dnia i roku. Niczym kameleon.

Na Warszawskim rynku szykuje się więc ciekawy wyścig. Orco wciąż walczy o uratowanie wizerunku i dokończenie Złotej 44, ale już nikt chyba nie wierzy, że wieżę zaprojektowaną przez Libeskinda uda się skończyć w pierwszej połowie 2010 r. (data ta do tej pory widnieje na stronie Orco). Tymczasem Hines wkrótce ruszy z budową przy Twardej. Ciekawe jak będą się kształtować ceny w tych inwestycjach i czy znajdą się na nie chętni…

Autorem wpisu jest stn, tajny współpracownik altercity.pl

FIGURES. Father Hines was at that point embroiled in a heated argument that scared him with janitor Jose Feliciano and called 911. His call was disconnected and 911 called back twice. The first time it went into Father’s voice mail as he was being stabbed to death. The 2nd call was answered by his killer who told the dispatch that everything was fine.

Are they serious? I would have sent cops out there anyway and I’m appalled that this dispatch person did not so anything.  If there is a call you send the cops or else why take the call at all? That should fire that stooge dispatcher who did nothing and it is that dispatcher’s fault the priest is so fucking dead.

Jeez – and we pay taxes for this kind of service – NO FUCKING SERVICE. MORONS. COPS AND THEIR 911 SUCK.

—BONJU PATTEN

cuore Hammer

Gianfranco Zola ha elogiato la squadra dopo l’incredibile recupero di domenica contro l’Arsenal

Gianfranco Zola ha lodato lo spirito indomito dei giocatori del suo West Ham United dopo che hanno strappato in rimonta all’Arsenal un pareggio per 2-2, in un incontro valido per la Barclays Premier League.

Gli Hammers erano dati per spacciati e non ci si aspettava altro che perdessero dopo che erano tornati negli spogliatoi del Boleyn Ground sotto di due reti, all’intervallo.

Poco più di un’ora più tardi, però, gli sguardi corrucciati si sono trasformati in sorrisi dopo che i gol di un grande Carlton Cole e di Alessandro Diamanti, entrato dalla panchina, hanno ridato vita alla squadra contro i potenti Gunners di Arsène Wenger.

Zola, che aveva preferito accostarsi a un guerriero piuttosto che farsi prendere dalla preoccupazione alla vigilia dell’incontro di sabato, ha voluto esaltare lo spirito combattivo dimostrato dai suoi giocatori.

“L’atteggiamento della squadra è stata la cosa più bella della partita odierna, insieme al coinvolgimento e all’appoggio che ci hanno dato i tifosi. Sono stati la cosa migliore che ho visto oggi. Non abbiamo vinto, ma è come se l’avessimo fatto.”

“E’ quel che cercavo perché in ogni caso lo spirito combattivo dev’esserci, sempre. E’ qualcosa di cui non possiamo fare a meno, quindi sono contento.”

“Lo ripeto, settimana scorsa avevo notato qualcosa di diverso ed è molto importante. Oggi ho visto qualcosa di più ed è incoraggiante, onestamente.”

“Credetemi, la situazione era davvero complicata. Loro ce l’hanno messa tutta fino alla fine e sono veramente orgoglioso di loro.”

(…)

Due giocatori che potrebbero essere titolari allo Stadium of Light (per il prossimo impegno, NdT) sono Diamanti e l’attaccante dell’Under 21 Zavon Hines, il cui impatto sulla partita è stato devastante da quando sono entrati, nella ripresa.

“Diamanti ha fatto una grande differenza, e anche Zavon ha fatto benissimo quando è entrato. Ci sono stati molto utili e ne sono contento perché Alessandro è un giocatore che può darci qualcosa in più.”

“Non dimenticatevi che lui e anche [Luis] Jimenez sono giocatori di peso. Vengono da un campionato [la Serie A] che è diverso e più facile di questo, quindi hanno bisogno di tempo per adattarsi, ma hanno grandi qualità, che risulteranno importanti per il West Ham.”

(…)

da un servizio del sito ufficiale del West Ham United

http://www.whufc.com/page/News/0,,12562~1837051,00.html

This source is from a site called the Alternative press.com - check out the info. There is a lot of conflicting stories about this priest but I’m up now for a little while before the allergy pill takes affect. I take them when I can’t sleep or have had a bad dream like tonight.

Nights like tonight when there is rain astrals tend to come and hang out at our house more so than ever. Not that I mind but when someone has just recently left our plane of existence in a violent manner I tend to open up my mind and “see” or they allow me to “see” by something called “remote viewing” what happened to them that brought them to that situation.

Tonight’s dream was not scary as it was disturbing. A young man about 17 years of age with sandy blonde hair stood in front of me – actually between me and the priest, holding a serrated knife. For a moment in my dream he turned his entire head around to face me as if to acknowledge my presence in the room and his face contorted into a hideous mask of unreality.  A macabre type of face mask – sticking out his tongue and then laughing as he turned back to address the priest who had his back to the kid. He never saw it coming and he did not have time to deflect the blows because the kid was faster and stronger than he (the priest).

I never saw a dead body with blood before but this priest had a lot of blood on him when he fell to his knees and was stabbed to death, frankly it did not gross me out so much as fascinated me more because it did not look real like I was watching a TV show instead. It happened quickly and the kid moved away quickly leaving the rectory.

There is something else, too, that I think is weird but maybe it is significant – he took something from the priest. It could be his cross but I’m not sure. He took something from him to prove his kill – a trophy but I honestly think that this kid was a newbie in the kill game.

—- Bonju Pattan

It dosnt get much better than riding pools in 110 degree summer heat, The riders are Andy “Floyd” Erickson, Grady, Fish, Noid, Will Bissell, Hines, T. Doyle, Dirty “D” and Pat Stayjacked.

From The FOX No111 – January 2002 a series entitled ‘Filbert Street Memories’. This wonderful contribution was from Nigel Horsley…

Tuesday 8th of April 1958, a normal sort of day for your average ten year old. Got up at day break and rode up to the fence line to check there’d been no rustlers at work during the night. Even managed to out run a small war party of Sioux warriors on the way back to the ranch. Gravy and biscuits and a bit of branding before breaking in a couple of ponies…
All brought to an abrupt halt when Ma told me I’d been summoned to the lodge of the Elders. On arriving I was faced by “He Who Manages Squaws Who Make Stockings” (Uncle Cyril) who told me I was to join the Elders that afternoon to go to my first football match at a place called The Filbert Street. We passed round the pipe, this was strong medicine!
I knew something about football, I was a member of the primary school swarm; one of a team of fifty centre forwards whose purpose in life was to move around in a tight block relying on the shouted evidence of spotters who reckoned they had a good idea of the whereabouts of the ball. Some of the swarm had proper boots with leather studs you could nail in. I had a pair of Arthur Rowes with moulded studs (cutting edge at 27/6 from the Co-op). Peter, on the other hand, had black pumps and a snake belt to hold up inherited over large shorts. When we got off the playground and onto the pitch, Peter detached himself from the swarm imagining the white lines to be rail tracks and he became a little shunter. Probably still is for all I know!
On the way to The Filbert Street that afternoon, we travelled through strange places like Leicester Forest East (bandit country)! I sat in the back of the car sliding around on the cracked leather seat clutching onto the cord grab handle scouring the trees for outlaws. Walking from the car to this mystery place I had no idea what to expect beyond what I already knew about football; the zero zero ten formation so loved by primary school teachers in the nineteen fifties, the occasional shunter, the excruciating pain of being hit on the inside of the thigh by a misdirected punt from one of the swarm.
Over a moat and there it was, The Filbert Street, rising above the landscape; a medieval fortress, a magnet for the county’s noblemen, Earl Shilton, Count Esthorpe; West Indies fast bowlers Broughton Astley and Dunton Basset all gathering for a council of war.
Uncle Cyril had said we were upstairs in the double decker for the game, which meant little to me, though I considered it an interesting prospect, watching the game from the top of a bus. Into the fortress, up the stairs, twisting, turning, ever upwards, overtaken by Musketeers looking for Richelieu and ducking to avoid Basil Rathbone’s flashing blade as he was locked in mortal combat with Errol Flynn…
Then emerging into this amazing amphitheatre- this was no fortress, this was the Colosseum and I was Caesar. The noise, the pressing of expectant humanity, this was bliss. Bring on the Christians, bring on the centre forwards, put Peter to the sword. The Romans sang and a uniformed band played. Just before three o’clock one of the band detached himself from the others and lifted a post horn to his lips. The notes were lost in an amplification beyond imagination. “He Who Manages Squaws” put his hand on my shoulder. This was a rite of passage. Blue shirts, white knickers, the Gladiators. White shirts, black knickers, the Barbarians. Why was there only one centre forward? Why take turns to kick the ball? So fast, so strong, so uncompromising…..Brilliant!
I wasn’t aware that Leicester City were involved in a dogfight to remain in the First Division, nor that these Easter matches were critical to them staying there. And here they were, playing the Fancy Dans from Luton (fifth in the league). And here were Leicester, at half-time, losing 1-0 to a Gregory goal (the Luton centre forward). The day before, the reverse fixture at Kenilworth Road had resulted in a 2-1 win to the Hatters. So, the mood at Filbert Street was, at 3-45 that afternoon, as it has been so often since, sombre. Woodbines were passed round the trenches; Uncle Cyril crawled through mud and over duckboards to bring me Bovril. A whistle from Captain Black in the middle and off we went into no man’s land. Maclaren, Milburn, Ogilvie, Morris, King, Walker, Riley, Hines, Gardiner, Rowley and Hogg, all that was left of the swarm and facing defeat, facing relegation but fixing bayonets for one last push. And here were 32,480 of us, knitting socks and packing bully beef for the men at the front. On they pushed, bruised, bloodied, defiant. I have an image printed indelibly into my memory of a City defender clearing from his own goal line with an overhead kick as Luton were repelled yet again…
I don’t remember a single one of Leicester’s four second half goals, just the upsurge of noise, the corporate relief of turning round an impossible situation, of clawing a way back from the foot of the table and securing a place in the top flight…to finish the season one place above the drop zone; it did for me, it sure did. Since then, well, like the rest of you, ten percent elation, ninety percent the other! There have been many great times at Filbert Street for me- the 6-0 thrashing of Manchester United in 1961; Being one of 41,622 sardined into witnessing the 2-2 draw with Spurs in 1963, and, most recently, the culmination of everything Martin O’Neill strove for in the 5-2 defeat of Sunderland in March 2000.
Uncle Cyril died in 1975 but I’d like to think he was with me twenty years later when I took my own sons, Jack and Harry (then 9 and 6) on their first trip to Filbert Street. We sat upstairs in the double decker just behind the goal. We had to do that didn’t we? And we witnessed managerless City turn a two goal deficit into an amazing 3-2 win over Norwich. I’m sure I felt a hand on my shoulder and saw, through the mist, one daring spectator climbing in via a telegraph wire. I saw five swans fly over the ground and a nervous sixteen year old prepare to take over from the world’s number one keeper. Ken Leek played half a game in a schoolboy cap to help protect a head wound, Keith Weller donned white tights, Martin O’Neill exuded charisma and the tannoy announced Coventry’s relegation!
And when the doors finally close at Filbert Street where will the ghosts go? What happens to the decades of energy, the passion, all that hope, every false dawn and every realised dream, the theatre of mud, sweat and cheers? It is simple. When we’ve all gone, generations of new fans will travel to Freeman’s Wharf to cheer teams not yet born to heights not yet achieved or to depths not yet plumbed.
New ghosts, new screams, new sighs, fresh dreams.

Finally! The wait is over…the NFL season is upon us!

Yes folks, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans kick off the NFL season tonight! While football season officially started with a “punch” (haha, get it?) last Thursday with College Football playing their first games, the pro game gets their season going tonight. Each week I’ll try to give my prediction on all the games of the week and I will highlight the more interesting games (rivalry games, interesting stories, etc.).

Week One Games to Watch:

Last season the Titans knocked the stuffing out of the Steelers. But the Steelers won the whole thing.

Tennessee Titans @ Pittsburgh Steelers (Thursday, Sept 10 @ 8:30 PM)

This was supposed to be the AFC Championship last season. Didn’t happen…and the Steelers went on to win it all. Anyway I thought last season’s Titans were pretty much a fluke and I don’t see them repeating last season’s success this year. Yes, the Titans literally “stomped” all over the Steelers with a 31 to 14 drubbing in last sesaon’s Week 16 match up, but I just can’t believe in the Titans this year…or even in this Week 1 match up.

Steelers get their revenge and win. Big.

Buffalo Bills @ New England Patriots (Monday, Sept 14 @ 7:00 PM)

Can Brady be Brady this season?

This match up lacks any “beef” or hate that the Steelers/Titans game has, but it does have some interesting story lines for certain players. This is Tom Brady’s first regular season game back from the knee injury that sidelined him all of last season. Brady had a pretty damn good preseason and I think he will be amazing this season. One of my favorite playmakers making his debut with the Bills is Terrell Owens. I’m interested to see what he does in Bills offense because T.O. is not play with a Garcia, McNabb, or a Romo. The Bills signal-callers are Trent Edwards and Ryan Fitzpatrick…uhh, ya. While T.O. may not have an amazing season, he will have a good season (barring any injury or blow-up) and contribute a good deal to the Bills’ offense. There is also the T.O.-Randy Moss plot-line to watch.

Patriots win.

Haynesworth a rich man, but can he turn the fortunes of the Redskins?

Washington Redskins @ New York Giants (Sunday, Sept 13 @ 4:15 PM)

Perhaps a renewed NFC East rivalry? Probably…if the Redskins got Cutler. But they didn’t. Still, according to experts, the Redskins are an early season “darkhorse” pick to run the table because of their relatively easy schedule. The ‘Skins also have a pretty good defense on paper with the mega-signing of Albert Haynesworth, a linebackers’ crew of McIntosh-Fletcher-Orakpo, and a decent secondary. On offense they have Portis and Cooley but that’s about it (sorry Moss and Randle El). Since the Redskins do have an “easy” schedule, it is important that they beat their NFC East rivals in order to make the playoffs.  How I see it is that both the NFC North and East are going to be playing for that very last wild card spot at the end of the season. So beating a division foe would be essential for both divisions.

Giants win.

Chicago Bears @ Green Bay Packers (Sunday, Sept 13 @ 8:20 PM)

Bears v. Packers. 'Nuff Said

Speaking of rivalries, this is the most storied one of them all – Bears v Packers…just as long as we forget that the 90’s happened. Anyway the NFC North has recently undergone a renaissance lately. Firstly, the Black-and-Blue division has 3 very capable Quarterbacks (I’ll hold out on Stafford). Secondly, the popular hybrid 3-4 Defensive scheme is making way into the division with the Packers using it as their base and the Lions flirting with it. Aside from the Lions, the Bears, Packers, and Vikings have very good defenses that are all loaded with talent, speed, and power. I know the Bears did not have a good defensive season in 2008-2009 but they will be better in 2009-2010. However, I would be surprised if they back to top-10 form.Vikings will have the best statistical defensive season in the NFC North.

Everyone is talking about how great of a preseason Aaron Rodgers had, and as a Bears fan I have to agree he will beyond amazing this season. I thought last season Rogers was awesome. The Bears secondary will be sliced-and-diced by Rogers in their first meeting of the season. I don’t care if ‘Peanut’ Tillman is back, the Bears secondary will get shredded by the speed of the Packers’ receivers and Rodgers’ precision passing. Look out for Ryan Grant to bounce back from a sub-par season and have a 80 to 100 yard game thanks to the passing game.

The key for the Bears? Defense. Plain and simple. This is still The Black-and-Blue division and defense will win the Division this year. Last season the Bears were just utterly terrible on defense. Might I have to remind Bears fans of the Atlanta game? How about the Houston game? Eww… Look, the offense last season was not bad and they put the Bears in position to win, but the defense choked and cost them a playoff spot. This year the offense is even better with Cutler and a solid veteran O-line. I think Cutler will be good, but the receivers need to hold on to the ball against a very good and active Packers secondary in order to minimize interceptions and turnovers. What I think will be a question mark is whether or not Forte can run the ball against the Packers new 3-4 defense. I honestly don’t know what to expect from the Packers D.

Just like the Redskins-Giants game, this rivalry game has more at stake for the sake of playoff positioning at the end of the season than anything else. A win against a NFC North rival is very important because the division is playing against the heavyweight AFC North division in inter-league play where wins there can be scarce (The NFC East is playing the fairly easy AFC West). The NFC North has a shot at sending multiple teams to the playoffs this year.

Interestingly, I was talking to a friend – a Packers fan – very early this summer and I boldly predicted that the Packers would be one of the best teams this year and that they would make it deep into playoffs…this was before all the so-called experts picked them.

Packers win. Sadly…But only because the Bears secondary hasn’t gelled yet.

Rest of Week One Predictions:

Atlanta wins over Miami

Baltimore wins over Kansas City

Philadelphia closely wins over Carolina

Cincinnati wins over Denver

Minnesota wins over Clevland

Houston wins over New York Jets

Indianapolis wins over Jacksonville

New Orleans wins over Detroit

Dallas wins over Tampa Bay

Arizona wins over San Francisco

Seattle wins over St. Louis

San Diego wins over Oakland (perhaps a close game)

In part two. Gendered behavior affinity is biologically imprinted. I read the evidence.
I find the Hines study very convincing. In essence nature provided a double-blind case study of the effects of masculinization on girl play behavior.
Because of the natural control group, the influence of culture has been controlled for in an experiment. I believe that Hines et al. have proven the biological basis for male-typical play behaviors being biological and caused by fetal androgens. These behaviors are the biological basis for gender variance.

keywords: feminism, mtf, ftm, brainscience, hormones, transgender, intersex, toys, play, boys, girls, androgens, hines, zucker, miltondiamond

A while back I read that there were neighborhood complaints at the 53W53 construction site which had very little publicity before the community board complaints got louder. So I did some reading and research and quickly found that a new tall structure currently dubbed as the MoMA Tower but also plainly called 53W53 by the Hines Real Estate company is being built at unsuprisingly 53W53.

Tower completion is slated for completion around 2013 assuming it will be able to break ground by late 2009 and early 2010. Current community complaints and problems of the new tower prevents the construction to begin however there is already enough approval from almost all the key government agencies and nearby building owners including MoMA that would enable final approval by October. The biggest obstacle remaining is as long as there are complaints then Hines Real Estate has to look for alternative funding beyond government sources in order for construction to be allowed.

The 53W53 tower will compose of extra room for MoMA venues, a hotel complex, residential and office space so the most likely partner or investor the company will need to start construction should be a hotel chain and word has it that Marriott hotel had some interest so far. The original tower was also originally meant to be 20 stories as an addition to the MoMA however as of current, the tower will stand at a staggering 82-84 stories making it as tall as the Empire State building.

References:

http://curbed.com/tags/53-west-53rd-street

http://www.53w53.com

http://www.moma.org/about/53west53

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/15/arts/design/15arch.html

http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/103594/debate-rises-over-proposed-midtown-skyscraper/Default.aspx

"Seattle Espresso", a presentation by Kent Bakke in 2003

Still settling in in the old Franke building and going through old files… and guess what we’ve found?! An old presentation by Kent Bakke on “Seattle Espresso: A 25 Year Retrospective, 1978-2003″. It was probably used for Kent’s presentation at SCAA 2003. Quite an interesting, if not hilarious, read, especially if you enjoy disco and CHiPs. Enjoy!

Flashback to 1978

On Wednesday 24thSeptember, we held a fundraiser event called ParaChariParty at The BrunswickPub in Hove, featuring live slam poetry, rap, and jazz. It was a hugelysuccessful night- the place with more than full capacity and there was apositive buzz amongst the crowd.

We had on the following acts:

Slam poetry from BBC4 Slam Poetry champ Disraeli (Hammer & Tongue)
Open mic hosted by Hines (Slip Jam B)
Hip hop from Special School’s Elemental and Jon Clark
Shrapnel, Rizzle and other young people, part of Audioactive’s Hip Hop Foundation
Live jazz, soul and funk from Jazzy D and the Geronimos (Simon D’Souza-sax, Phil Naylor-drums, John Bedford-bass and Luke Rattenbury-guitar)

We also had a rafflewith prizes kindly donated from local businesses: Terre à Terre, Stomp,Glyndebourne, Coco Vino, Noa Noa, Taylor Street Baristas and Komedia.

Following the event, Audioactive Trustee and Treasurer Simon D’Souza did a sponsored airplane jump on Saturday 27th September.

In total,we managed to raise £1191.92 – we made £430.00 from the event and a further £761.92 from Simon’s epic leap of faith.Supporters can still donate online by going to www.smartgive.com/funds/geronimo/

And now for something completely different. With its first appearance now occurring on the “I Love Cafe Racers!!!” blog, let me introduce the somewhat funky GS1100E cafe racer. This is a really neat bike that takes a more modern big-bore zook and inserts a couple of cafe-type styling cues with very interesting results.

First up, the spoked wheels. I think they look very cool and unique. There are no sizes listed in the seller’s description, but from the fourth photo down, it looks like a 3″ x 18″ rim. I’m going to hazard a guess that the front is probably a 2.15″ rim in either a 19″ or 18″ diameter. Check out the photos to make your own guess.

While it doesn’t have clip-ons or clubman bars, it does have drag bars which get this bike most of the way there in terms of looks (and I would guess handling/bike-feel). Performance wise, there have been a few things done to this bike that should make it scream (listed below). Currently there are zero bidders and the starting price is shown as $2,650. If no one bids soon (there are 3 days left in the auction), I suspect the seller will lower the starting price to generate interest.

Vance & Hines welded/trued crank
Mikuni 33mm smoothbore carbs
V&H high flow oil pump
Kerker FULL exhaust
APE clutch basket
V&H timing chain
K&N filter pods
Lockhart oil cooler with braided SS lines and Russell fittings
Fork Brace
low miles on Pirelli Sport Demon tires & o-ring chain
recent fork seals

Hines' latest default

Houston-based Hines Interests, the international real estate developer behind numerous Houston landmarks including the Galleria, has defaulted on three San Francisco-area properties within the last couple of months. The latest default, a 500,000+ square-foot building in downtown San Francisco, was surrendered to the lender after the building’s main tenant went into bankruptcy last year.

With pockets as deep as Hines’, you have to wonder why the firm allowed three of its buildings to default? And moreover, why an enterprise as large as Hines, isn’t concerned about the damage to its reputation that three foreclosures will undoubtedly have in the mind of prospective Bay Area commercial real estate brokers?

Granted that commercial real estate values have fallen precipitously along with residential real estate valuations, but from an outsider’s stand point it still seems like it’d make more sense to sell the buildings at a loss than record three defaults.

Whatever it may not say, as a global leader in commercial real estate, Hines’ recent paring of its San Francisco portfolio does say one thing to this market watcher: So much for San Francisco’s status as a so-called ‘super star‘ city.

VIA Houston Business Journal >>

Image of 333 Bush St. courtesy of Google Maps.