There is some GREAT things at www.surfstitch.com at the moment. I was going to suggest the below items to help you with your Christmas shopping but then I realised that if you are anything like me, shopping for others usually turns into – one for you, one for me. So enjoy either way!

Bonus – Free shipping at the moment!

Mă uit, mă minunez şi iar mă uit şi iar mă minunez.

Corul limbricilor e în mare vervă, s-au depăşit 24 de ore de când televiziumile mogulilor se arată efenctiv oripilate de gestul lui Băsescu.

Ba că a dat cu pumnul într-un copilaş nevinovat, ba că gestul are implicaţii îngrozitoare în ceea ce priveşte viitorul acestei ţări.

Vedem parlamentari şi jurnalişti care au găsit încă un  motiv de a-l înjura pe Băsescu. Nu că asta ar fi o noutate.

Se desprinde oarecum din toate celelalte prin faptul că însuşi Patriciu a pomenit pentru prima dată de acest filmuleţ. Hehehe … ciudată potrivire. Vorbim de Patriciu, ne amintim de moguli, vorbim de moguli, ne amintim de televiziuni, vorbind de televiziuni, ne amintim de oameni care prelucrează imagini, oameni care au la dispoziţie softuri care nouă, muritorilor de rând ni s-ar părea desprinse din filme SF.

Adică stă filmuleţul ăla cuminte, la cutie în acea campanie electorală, apoi mai stă şi când cu referendumul şi hop, cu mai puţin de două săptămâni înainte de turul doi al alegerilor apare.

Nu trebuie să fii specialist ca să observi că mâna Preşedintelui pare a se lungi semnificativ în momentul aşa zisei lovituri, ba mai mult, dacă cineva ar avea curiozitatea să observe un lucru. Mâna care pare a apărea de după femeie pare a arăta că e a unui om aflat mai jos, ori că Preşedintele pe lângă că şi-a lungit mâna ca un extraterestru, mai avea încă o articulaţie.

Dacă tot nu se pricep să facă un trucaj, de ce dracu mai mănâncă banii mogulilor?

Nu se mai ştie nimic despre copii traficaţi de Johannis, nu se mai ştie nimic de ouăle lui Bombonel, de Afacerea Sterling, de şantajul lui Sorin Roşca-Stănescu, de vânzarea de voturi din Sectorul 5 care au făcut-o pe  Oana Nicilescu -Mizil parlamentar, de dosarele care au fost închise odată cu elimidarea Monicăi Macovei, de vizita ilegală a lui Geoană la Moscova, de câte şi mai câte. Nimic. Doar comentarii pe marginea porcăriei.

E chiar nu înţeleg, cât de imbecili nu consideră limbricii ăştia?

De putut nu pot merge câteva minute să dea un fost pozitiv sau negativ noului guvern. 2.500.000.000 euro pierduţi de România pentru că nu avem un guvern.

Ce mi s-a părut cu adevărat grotesc s-a întâmplat în emisiunea de la Antena 3.

Nătângul mincinos ordinar, bătrân şi ramolit de Iliescu încerca iar să ne lămurească de faptul că minciunile cu care ne-a gratulat din 89 până acum legat de Loviluţie, sau că cele legate de mineriade sunt adevărul pur ca lebedele pe care le-au mâncat unii pe la Viena.  Uitând să pomenescă de devastările de la sediile partidelor istorice sau de faptul că el însuşi a oprit un meci de la CM de fotbal ca să facă apel la spiritul de dreptate a beţivilor ce lucrau în minele patriei şi arătând pericolul îngrozitor pe care îl repreztentau “drogaţii din Piaţa Universităţii”, dar a găsit că era de obligaţia lui să comunteze moralitatea lui Băsescu.

A fost şi Lavinia Şandru întrecută în curvăsărai politic doar de Cosmin Guşă, a vorbit şi ea, nu a văzut ce era acolo, dar a considerat să spună cât de oribil e gestul Preşedintelui.

Şi ca să mai punem un element, Dinu Patriciu a spus că băiatul a fost lovit şi în plex, iar despre film că se vede că a fost lovit cu pumnul în faţă….  Jegos de-a dreptul.

Acum să vorbim şi despre un aspect oarecum conex. Mama băiatului face acuzaţii în care dă de înţeles că a fost ameninţată de oamenii Preşedintelui, după care vezi doamne intră într-un fel de şoc şi refuză să mai vorbească. Fără înregistrări, fără dovezi. Nimic.

Apare din neştiut o voce masculină spune că e băiatul şi extrem de enervat şi cere să nu se mai vorbească de asta ca măsa e terminată.

Nici nu mai contează că bărbatul cu ochelari care era la doi metrii, sau femeia care i-a dat Preşedintelui hârtiile acelea nu au văzut nimic.

Ah, încă o întrebare, de ce nu mai există şi alte înregistrări? În 2004 unele televiziuni îi erau obediente lui Năstase şi filmau tot ce era legat de Băsescu, în speranţa că vor găsi ceva de care să se lege.

Păi cam cu aceeaşi probitate spun şi eu că mama copilului a primit o sumă uriaşă de bani de la Patriciu, iar băiatul e fiul din umbră al lui Geoană, ca să nu mai spun că mătuşa Cecilia, sora mamei copilului, e o angajată a lui Sorin Roşca-Stănescu…

Şi mai vreau să arăt şi de ce Geoană a fost la Moscova. După cum se vede din poza de mai sus, Mircea Geoană este soldat al Armatei Ruse.

E un fals? Nu e oameni buni, să n-am parte de Iliescu, Geoană, Patriciu, Vântu, Felix etc, dacă e…

P.S. În atenţia  celor care au votat Antonescu la Primul tur: VOUĂ VĂ ERA DESTINAT FILMUL. S-a mizat că până aflaţi adevărul deja aţi băgat în urnă votul cu numele Geoană ştampilat. Dar, asta în alt episod.

Va fi greu de stabilit proportiile. Tiberiu Lovin, pe Reporter virtual,  remarca faptul ca OTV a luat iar caimacul .

Realitatea în schimb manipula in aceasta seara la greu, prezentând declaratia pustiului, “Nu e nimic adevarat din ce se sustine la TV. Va rog sa incheiati cu acest subiect”, sub titlul mincinos “Isi retrage acuzatiile”.

Problema e ca pustiul nu a acuzat pe nimeni. Realitatea si Antena3 au acuzat. Problema acestor posturi e ca, ieri noapte, Dan Diaconescu a reusit sa vorbeasca cu copilul care e in Italia. La ora respectiva, pustiul daduse deja o declaratie pentru Observatorul Prahovean (“Iniţial domnul preşedinte mă luase pe scenă şi am vrut să spun ceva legat de Iliescu şi Năstase. Probabil, de emoţii am spus că Iliescu şi Băsescu nu sunt buni sau ceva de genul. Apoi domnul preşedinte m-a dat jos de pe scena. S-a enervat că spusesem o prostie şi când m-am dus lângă dânsul vroiam să-mi cer scuze, dar m-a împins. Chiar am râs, nu a fost ceva care m-a marcat”). Diaconescu a vorbit la telefon cu matusa pustiului, care a spus ca nu a vazut scena, era la miting, undeva, mult mai in spate, a adus-o in studioul OTV, de la Ploiesti, pe femeia care tipa si i-a intins dosarul lui Basescu, l-a adus in studio pe Iurascu, martor la eveniment.

UPDATE Intrerup putin textul aici pentru a insera o observatie fina pusa la comentarii de catre Marius Delaepicentru:

Nu-i poţi cere unui om să fie coerent la prima vizionare a unui material manipulator. Afectul este prea puternic. Sofismul “coerenţei”, pe care detractorii preşedintelui îl folosesc, era folosit de către organele de represiune din sistemele totalitare. Ele te speriau/manipulau cu ceva, apoi te puneau să dai o declaraţie sub imperiul afectului. La procesul în instanţă, dacă schimbai declaraţia şi o aduceai pe tărîmul raţiunii, ţi se opunea declaraţia anterioară. Cea dată la cald. Iar din punctul ăsta de vedere, mass-media sunt extrem de inumane. Cine neagă existenţa afectului, şi capacitatea lui de a perverti realitatea subiectivă, mai ales cînd obiectul manipulării este chiar subiectul de drept, neagă practic validitatea tuturor sistemelor judiciare ce permit schimbarea declaraţiilor. Cu alte cuvinte, pledează pentru barbaria excesului de drept din sistemele totalitare.

Pustiul a vorbit la OTV pâna la 4 dimineata si nu a acuzat pe nimeni! Era sigur pe el, parea matur pentru varsta lui. A spus ca a stat pe scena cu Basescu, ca a spus niste prostioare din cauza emotiei, ca Basescu l-a dat jos de pe scena la un moment dat, ca nu a fost lovit in plex (asa cum a mintit cu nerusinare Patriciu), a spus ca ca Basescu a declarat la microfon ceva de genul “copiii spun lucruri traznite” când l-a dat jos.

Dupa ce a fost dat jos de pe scena ar fi incercat sa ia din nou legatura cu Basescu, sa-i ceara un autograf pe palma. Basescu era stresat cu femeia aia. Putiul a recunoscut ca a facut-o “nebuna” pe tipa care i-a dat dosarul lui Basescu, dar a negat ca ar fi dracuit-o. A spus a Basescu l-a atins, ca i-a dat “o palma, sters” într-o incercare de a-l indeparta, si ca a râs dupa ce a fost atins de Basescu pentru ca râdea si Basescu.

Pustiul chiar s-a rastit la un moment dat la matusa lui din Romania, Cecilia, care era la telefon si încearca evident sa manipuleze si sa traga dezbaterea spre teoria “Basescu l-a batut pe copil”, i-a spus sa-si ceara scuze, ca el nu a spus niciodata asa ceva, el preciza tot timpul ca a fost atins, “sters”, si parea deranjat de “matusa Cecilia”.

Citeste si:

• Băsescu a lovit un copil. Realitate sau trucaj?
• Bătut sau traumatizat?

Două săptămâni nu am putut posta că calculatorului i s-a stricat hardul . Singur s-a stricat ! (stricat că nu mergea , dar nu era stricat stricat  – astea-s ălea stricatele , fetele) Şi eu, ca prostul, am aşteptat să îmi aducă unu sp2 cand un vecin avea sp3 . Ieri mi l-a dat . Dar asta era doar asa sa stie si vizitatorul meu unic ce dracu am mai facut de nu am mai postat sa rada şi el de prostia mea , ca umorist nu-s . Poate chiar putin obsedat de sex , dar zambim şi trecem peste .

Zilele astea e mare agitaţa . Sunt alegerile , Annei Lesko ii plac băieţii , Moş Crăciun cumpără de la Carrefour că e mai ieftin decât la el în atelier . Şi toate bune .
Dar aici vine întrebarea mea : bă , totuşi e criză şi o să fie şi mai criză . Ce ziceţi , până în 2012 când o să intrăm în sfera de influenţă a Planetei X , o să murim oricum ? Da sau nu ? De fapt , nu răspundeţi doar la asta , că mai am .

Şi mai e Băsescu care a plesnit un puradel . Era el mai maroniu . Şi asta nu în sensul bun , de bere maro (neagră , cum îi zice unii) , ci de negru de pe plantaţie . Cred că dacă erau plantaţii ca în America şi în România , ălea blonde munceau în poziţia capră pentru negricioşi şi blonzii munceau pe plantaţie  , ca capre : mâncau buruienile .
A mai observat cineva cum rânjea a satisfacţie ăla micu după ce a luat palma ? E mâna mogulilor , cred că i-au dat un set de două caucioace cu gust de căpşuni să ronţăie toată ziua la ele .  Astfel , în 2009 , ei aveau să îl înlăture pe Băse cu ajutorul filmării şi îi mai dădeau un alt set de 2 caucioace , acum cu gust de ciocolată.

Şi ca ultimă idee , citiţi Adevărul ! Nu scrie despre politică , ci despre nişte jegoşi care fac , au făcut sau vor face politică şi despre viaţa lor de zi cu zi : ce se cacă , ce mănâncă , ce  pişă , ce beau , ce cântă ca nişte melomani afoni ce sunt etc .

Geniala faza, am ras in hohote, mama lor de “printzipuri”, let’s get physical:

Asa dai! DAI! rupe-i mufa, sparge-i moaca! da-i dintii jos! Rupe-i foamfa! Nesimtitu’ naibii! Auzi tu sa te uiti asa la tovarasu’ tau Prezident! Mogulii l-au pus sa-l sacaie! ILIESCU=GEOANA, dobitocu’ ala l-a platit sa-l agreseze pe marinel!

Noul Rocky Balboa Traian asta! Oricum trebuie sa recunosc ca i-a plasat-o subtil si cu multa finete (doar din unduirea bratului sau vajnic)! Frumoasa mai e politica in Romania!

P.S.  Sparge dintii la rechini!

Majorca is located in the Mediterranean Sea and is the largest of the Spanish Balearic archipelago Islands. It has been very popular as a European beach vacation locale, especially by the English, German, and French. Majorca has steadily grown in population since the 1950′. Many Spanish from mainland Spain move to Majorca to work in the tourist industry. This coupled with the huge tourist population that seems to grow annually, makes Majorca a real tourist hotspot.

The following are 10 of the best beaches in Majorca.

Playa de Palma

Palma is the capital of Majorca and also the Balearic Islands. Playa De Palma while small is ripe with opportunities for a good time. There are a host of restaurants, hotels and discos to serve you once you come in from the beach and sun. Try Tito’s for dancing and fun in general, it has the best Disco in Playa de Palma

Sa Calobra

This beautiful little beach was formed by water traveling through the Torrent de Pareis canyon gorge. This makes a wonderful foot tour that goes through the gorge and ends at the beach. The Torrent de Pareis and Sa Calobra are the most popular of the natural wonders in Majorca.

Alcudia Beach

This is a serene beach located in the northern region of the island and it has beautiful fine white sand. This beach is wonderful for young children that do not swim, as it is peaceful and calm.

Palma Nova

Palma Nova is located just west of he capital Palma. Coupled with the bustling resort of Magalluf, Palma Nova is one of the busiest of the Majorcan beaches and offers a promenade along the beach that is traveled only by foot or by bicycle. While there are an abundance of popular fast-food chains, there are also a variety of restaurants serving a variety of food such as Italian, Mexican, French, Italian, Chinese and British. There are quite a few British Pubs here as well.

Calla D’or

This is a beautiful beach resort that is comprised of 8 small coves that provide beautiful beaches to enjoy. The centre of the beach area is ruled by pedestrians and void of auto transport. This makes it an ideal base for families with young children to stay. There are a variety of accommodations that appeal to a variety of vacation budgets.

Es Trenc

Once you park the car and get to the beach it will look fairly crowded, but if you bear to the right for about a 20 minute walk, you will come to magnificent unspoiled beaches. It is important to note there are a few nudist beach areas, so tourists should be aware that you may see some folks enjoying their holidays in their birthday suits.

Calla Millor

Located on the north east coast of Majorca this beach area offers British Pubs that have bingo, karaoke, race nights and live entertainment. There is a golf course here and a variety of water-sports offered. There is also an open-air disco that is fun.

Camp De Mer

This is the place to go if you really want to leave the hustle and bustle behind. You will be treated to a long drive lined by beautiful pine forests.

Puerto Pollensa

This beach is located in the Bay of Pollensa and it is protected from bad weather by rocky formations to the north. A beautiful sandy beach and scenery, with great tourist accommodations makes this a perfect holiday getaway. British holidaymakers frequent this beach.

Santa Ponsa

The full name of this beach is Platja de Santa Ponsa and it is located on the southwest coast. British Pubs are plentiful here and trees located at the back of the beach are a welcome source of shade.

Zandalie, Daryl and Jilin

Peptoni, Guillem and Xisco

Miquel Àngel, Laura  and Marta

LLorenç, Juan Miguel and Philline

Pep, Àngel and Rodrigo

Lukas, Pilar and Johana

Judit, Claudia and Lovepreet

Carlos, Jose Luis and Alejandro

Today we went to the Computer room to  use the projector and listen to your  power point presentations of  the city outing. Only two groups managed to meet the deadline and finish the work. I know that some people had technical problems and other people were ill but next time you must organize your groups more effectively.Two groups did the presentation today, it was a good job but there are some things that can be improved. We learn from errors, don’t we?  here follow some hints:

Regarding the slides:

• Check spelling. If you work in groups, a person can type and the others check that there are no spelling mistakes. The questions were in the dossier, so there is no excuse for making so many errors.
• Follow the instructions. If the instructions say ” write a caption” , the task is not completed if you do not write a caption.
• Do not copy things you do not understand.

Regarding the oral presentation:

1. Introduce the topic and the group  to the audience.
2. Keep eye contact
3. A power point is a visual help to make what you want to say clearer to the audience, use it as a visual aid not as a book.
4. A power point is not something you just “read”. Do not read all the time. There is no point in presenting a power point to an audience if you only read what is written in the slides.
5. Be natural
6. Make spontaneous comments. (it was a nice day! Look at that, Can you see…?, please, can we see the next slide?)
7. Ask questions to the audience. ( do you understand? shall I repeat? is it clear? or any other questions that make your presentation more interactive)
8. Practice pronunciation
9. Use body language and point with your hands, cursor or pointer to the area or aspect of the slide you are commenting
10. The way you present the information is as important as the slides
11. You work in group, so every member must collaborate and pay attention to what is going on.
12. Thank the audience for their attention and ask for questions or suggestions

The groups that have not done the presentation yet have an advantage. They can practice. Have these 12 points  in front of you and rehearse the presentation. Check that you follow the instructions.

Congratulations to the people who did it first and good luck  to the rest of you.

POST 74  HOMEWORK: copy the hints for a good oral presentation in your notebook and keep these hints in mind while doing the presentation. Practice with your group before Friday.

El Dorado -Tolleric/Lmj. ist im Süden von Mallorca in Richtung Westen gerichtet

Las Villas de Regana in El Dorado -Tolleric/Lmj., Mallorca Spanien

Wir gehen davon aus, dass Sie einen Mietwagen haben und Sie stehen direkt am Ausgang vor dem Flughafengebäude. Fahren Sie in Richtung Autobahn / Stadt / Palma. Nach 500m (links halten) dann auf der Autobahn in Richtung Santanyi / Cala Pi weiterfahren. Nach ca. 5km auf der Autobahn erreichen Sie die Ausfahrt Nr. 13 in Richtung S’Arenal > Cala Blava  >  Cala Pi.

Folgen Sie der Beschilderung in  Richtung Cala Blava / Cala Pi, bis sich die Strasse nach halblinks (Kreisverkehr, 11Uhr) teilt. Sie fahren weiter in Richtung Cala Pi … ca. 5km .. Bahia Blava und Bahia Grande.  Die nächste Möglichkeit nach Bahia Grande (ca. 500m) nach rechts abbiegen in Richtung  El Dorado-Tolleric. Auf der linken Seite sehen sie jetzt da!! 

Die kleine, sehr gepflegte Wohnanlage (nur 4 Straßen … Restaurant und Pool, Tennis-/ Golfplatz in unmittelbarer Nähe) … ist sehr ruhig gelegen. Im Haus befinden sich 4 Wohnungen mit Balkon zum Garten (Erdgeschoss), Südostbalkonen (Obergeschoss), die 10 km Fernsicht bieten. Wasch- und Spülmaschine, TV, Heizung und Klimaanlage sind vorhanden. Ein Parkplatz befindet sich direkt vor dem Haus.

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 Kontakt: Bernd Kugler

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Kontakt: Bernd Kugler

To see the progress on this rifle, click on the Category tab to the right titled “Veterans Palma Team Raffle Rifle”

Capital of Gran Canaria, Las Palma de Gran Canaria is an attractive holiday destination enriched with culture and heritage. Form historical sites, rich architecture to exotic beaches, Las Palma has lots of imposing activities to offer for an incredible holiday.

Below are some of the things to do and see when holidaying in Las Palma:

Pueblo Canario

Designed and structured by Nestor and Miguel Fernandez de la Tore in the year 1930, this tourist attraction is a canary village formed by island houses, turrets, atriums and gates. Tourists and visitors on a holiday in Las Palma can shop for arts and crafts in the large square situated at the centre of the village. The centre square is also famous for being a venue for shows on the island’s folklore.

Parque Santa Catalina

Popular as a park and a town square, this tourist attraction is an amazing beauty of Las Palma. Those holidaying in Las Palma must visit this square which presents superb nightlife with discos, bars and clubs as it gets dark. The same site is completely different during the day time with most of the activities being a centre for shopping, cafes, a place for people to sit, relax and play chess, cards, and dominos or simply have a relaxation time with friends. On the other side of the square stands another tourist attraction, the museum of science and technology.

Reptilandia

Situated close to Agaete, this tourist attraction displays a variety of reptiles and crawlies. The major attraction of this park is the largest lizard, Komodo dragon. Other such remarkable attractions offered in this park are tortoises, snakes, monkeys, spiders and turtles.

Beaches

Tourists and visitors looking forward to some beach time during their holiday in Las Palma should not miss the Alcaravanera and Las Canteras beaches. Known as a major tourist attraction, Playa de Las Canteras is a 3 kilometer long beautiful beach that attracts sports lovers and swimmers alike holidaying in Las Palma. The best way to relax when on a holiday in Las Palma is to take a stroll along the beach and enjoy its cafes, restaurants, snack bars and shops. You can also find impressive street entertainers. Playa de las Alcaravaneras is the second longest beach as well as a sandy tourist attraction of Las Palma. The beach is the pride of the local people and attracts many tourists and visitors holidaying in Las Palma. You can take a stroll on the beach, drink the local beer called Cana de Tropical and enjoy the local cuisines.

Festival

When on a holiday in Las Palma do not miss its most important town festival. The Las Palm Carnival is a yearly tourist attraction that is held during the month of February and presents a glimpse of the amazing tradition and culture of the Canary Islands.

Best time to holiday in Las Palma

This canary island is cooler as compared to other islands in Gran Canaria. The ideal time for a holiday in Las Palma depends upon the purpose of holiday. The summer temperature varies from 26 �C to 28 �C or more, the winters in Las Palma are somewhere between 22 �C and 24 �C.

Mal 3 Tage einfach weg …. genau das war’s. Ziel: Mallorca. In Leipzig in den Flieger und ab in den Süden. Das Wetter meinte es besonders gut mit uns. Bis 28 Grad und das Mitte November. Was will man mehr?

So leer war der Strand von Arenal. Kaum zu glauben. Entsprechend angenehm war es auch, an der Strandpromenade zu sitzen bei Schinken und einem Bierchen.

Tagsüber ein wenig Kultur musste auch sein und abends ging es mit Freunden in die Stadt. Ist immer wieder toll, sich mit Freunden zu treffen, die dort leben. Nicht nur sehr praktisch, wenn man die Landessprache nicht spricht, sondern auch dafür, Restaurants und Bars zu besuchen, die einem als “normaler” Tourist gar nicht aufgefallen wären oder man sich nicht rein getraut hätte. Vielen Dank lieber Horst und lieber Manfred.
Die Tage waren viel zu schnell vorbei. Ein letzter Sonnenaufgang über dem Hafen von Palma, Koffer packen und noch auf einen Abschieds-Kaffee zu den Freunden.

So macht das Leben Spaß.

La decisione di Coop dimostra che servono garanzie concrete sull’origine di questi prodotti. Garanzie che la RSPO (Tavola Rotonda per l’Olio di palma sostenibile) al momento non fornisce”.

Fonte: www.ilsalvagente.it

SFC Emil Praslick III sent us this report on the U.S. Palma Team tryouts at Camp Butner, NC. You can read other reports from Coach Praslick on the U.S. National Rifle Team Blog.

Last Tryout in the Books… On to the National Team
By Coach Emil Praslick

It was a hardy and intrepid group of US Palma Team hopefuls that braved the last vestiges of Hurricane Ida last weekend at Camp Butner, North Carolina. Camp Butner is the home range of the North State Shooting Club, which hosted the US Palma Team’s third and final tryout session. Temperatures in the 40s, winds from 20-30 mph, and a driving rain tested the mettle of both coaches and shooters.

US Team Captain, Dennis Flaharty flung his net across the entire United States in a search for the best team shooters. By adopting a regional format for the tryouts, and separating the country into three areas (West Coast, Midwest, and East Coast), the team maximized the potential for attracting the best shots our vast nation has to offer. The three venues were: Sacramento, CA; Lodi, WI; and Butner, NC. At each venue, the top performers were invited to become members of the United States National Developmental Team.

New Team Tryouts Format
The format for the tryouts was different than any ever conducted by the United States. In the past, these events were held very much like individual matches. Shooters were evalauated by the scores they shot in a series of matches. While this undoubtedly picked the best individual shooters, those who experienced difficulty doping the wind, or those who simply shot during more difficult conditions, were often deselected early in the process. The current procedures call for shooters to be supervised by coaches at all times. This not only removes a shooter’s ability to negotiate wind from the process, it also gives the team management the opportunity to evaluate prospective coaches and to work on firing line procedures. Shooters are graded on their ability to shoot “elevation”, their speed, and their overall performance as part of the team.

The intent of forming a National Developmental Team was to establish a pool of skilled, international-quality shooters; not only for the upcoming 2011 Palma Match in Australia, but as the nucleus for future teams. The US National Team has an ambitious schedule for 2010, with trips to Canada, Camp Perry, Raton (NM) for The Spirit of America Matches, and Australia.

The next milestone for the US National Developmental Team is to finish the processing of the shooter’s elevation data, and to begin planning which shooters will represent the United States at the planned events. Shooters will then be evaluated in match conditions and recieve further training/evaluation prior to the final Palma Team selection in the Fall of 2011.

I would like to thank all of the volunteers who assisted with the target pulling, scoring, running the firing line, and the host of myriad tasks that are necessary to conduct an event of this complexity. I would also like to thank the coaches who coached 400 rounds per day at 1000 yards with no complaint. It was a grueling (but very beneficial) exercise for them. We will announce the final US National Developmental team soon.

TWITTER: You can also follow the US National Team on Twitter. Visit www.twitter.com/usnationalrifle for the latest news.

Returning to a couple of recent stories – the line-up for Palma’s Sant Sebastià fiesta and the ongoing troubles at Real Mallorca.

Palma town hall is copping some flak over the promotion of the fiesta, both in terms of the concentration on the music angle and for not having international acts and not giving greater prominence to local Catalan artists. All very contradictory, but ’twas ever thus. Various cultural and music sorts have voiced their views to the “Diario”, one saying that there should be greater attention paid to other events, e.g. gastronomy (always gastronomy), and our old friends Músics per la Llengua (who were helpful with some enquiries in the summer) arguing that less well-known Catalan acts should be given centre stage (or stages) in Palma. The chap from the Diario’s own radio station is the one who is bemoaning the absence of international artists.

They are all right in their different ways, but the contradictions just go to underline a further criticism of the organisers, that they don’t have a “clear project”. Well they wouldn’t do if people keep offering them different possibilities. Something, though, that needs to be remembered is that Sant Sebastià has two evenings of major ents – one the music, the other the fire-runs and fireworks (assuming the town hall agrees to fireworks this coming January). Both evenings should demand equal weighting, so the criticism of the concentration on the music is partially valid, but nevertheless it – the music – has become synonymous with Sant Sebastià and there is no other island fiesta that has such a long list of acts and such a number of stages. It is curious that the desire for less focus on the music comes from the editor of “Youthing”, the “yoof” what’s on publication that has nicked the presentation of “Time Out” magazine. It is the absence of international acts, which might help to attract an overseas visitor and which might also give greater impulse to overseas marketing, that is the most valid criticism. But if the town hall hasn’t got the money, and it has had to cut its budgets, then it shouldn’t be criticised that harshly.

Having said though that Palma council might be a touch brassic, this isn’t stopping them planning to buy the former stadium of Real Mallorca, which has been abandoned for years, is derelict and a rare old eyesore. Unlike the current stadium, the club actually owns a part of the old stadium, around a third. So for the town hall to be sniffing around with a cheque book at the ready might sound like good news for a club in such an impecunious state as Real Mallorca is. There again, the town hall places a value of around 18 million euros on the decaying old pile, one that it wants to develop as another conference centre. The group of owners reckon it’s worth a minimum of 25 million and won’t sell for anything less, which will mean endless discussions and little hope of Real Mallorca getting its hands on some much-needed readies. Not that six million or eight or nine million would go that far when your debts are some ten times greater than any sale revenue. But anything would do just at the moment, for here is a club in serious danger of being booted down the football food chain, i.e. out of La Liga. 

Meanwhile, the accusations grow against the now disgraced all but brief owners, the Martí Mingarros and their company, Safin. “The Bulletin” has a fan who does a good regular column about the club, and he has consistently been a supporter of the knight in shining armour, Mateu Alemany, who re-emerges at times of regular crisis to put the club back on its feet. Yet even he now suggests that Alemany might have been more diligent in trawling the internet for evidence of the suitability, or not, of the Mingarros and Safin. Apparently, one can find evidence of unsuitability, so questions might legitimately be asked as to whether Alemany was precipitate in selling to Safin.

Avui dimarts arribam al programa 444 d’El crepuscle encén estels · IB3 Ràdio, 21:00 ·  Si xerram de Cast Sendra i Barrufet pot ser que molts dels oients no coneguin de qui estam parlant. Si jo dic Cassen pot ser que alguns, els més madurs –que no vells– recordaran un actor tarragoní nascut el 1928 i que ens va deixar ja fa 18 anys (1991). A més de les seves actuacions televisives (on encadenava acudits més o manco reeixits, i protagonitzà la sèrie de TV3 De professió API), Cassen és recordat per haver participat en una vintena de pel·lícules, com Plácido (1961, de Luis García Berlanga, nominada a l’Òscar) i Bahía de Palma (1962, de Joan Bosch, que a Mèxic es va conèixer com Mallorca besos de fuego). En els anys ’60 i ’70 edità una sèrie de discos i cassets on recollia acudits tan infantils com “–¿Es el 444 444?  –Sí  –¡Pues quedan detenidos por cuatreros!”  He dit …444?

444, mira per on, com Crepuscles comptam fins el dia d’avui.

· IB3 ràdio en directe · http://streaming01.ib3radio.com:8000/ib3radio.mp3

So ich weis gar nicht ob sie es schon wussten, aber ich schau mir ja hin und wieder mal einen Film an!

Doch die Auswahl der Filme, die man sich in der heutigen Zeit anschauen kann, ist ja leider nicht mehr so überschaubar. Es gibt viel Filme, verdammt viele Filme und es werden bekanntlich immer mehr.

Ein Film, oder besser 2 Filme, die immer wieder auf Listen mit den besten Filmen aller Zeiten auftauchen sind, Scarface von 1932 (Howard Hawks) und Scarface von 1983 (Brain De Palma).

Um nicht lange um den Brei herum zu reden, sage ich es schnell, kurz, und knapp, Scarface mit Al Pacino aus dem Jahr 1983 ist scheiße.

Nun sollte wohl klar sein welchen der beiden Filme ich besser finde.
Nichts gegen Al Pacino, der aus dem Film wohl noch alles rausholt was man raus holen kann und auch nichts gegen die Idee, dass Thema eines aufstrebenden Mafia-Bosses, von den 30er in die 80er Jahre, zu holen, aber die Umsetzung ist doch wohl, im Vergleich zum Original echt scheiße geworden.

Als der Film ( S. v. 1983), mit der Thematik der Kubanischen Flüchtlingswelle anfing, habe ich echt noch gedacht, dass dieser Film eine komplett andere Handlung hat, doch die Parallelen zu der Version aus den 30er, die von Anfang an immer markanter werden, lassen nur noch den Schluss zu, es handelt sich nur um einen wirklich schlecht gemachten Remake!

Also wer Scarface sehen will und es noch nicht getan hat, der sollte sich unbedingt Howard Hawks Film anschauen. Wer jedoch mehr auf eine schlecht dargestellte Story abzielt und weniger Wert auf Handlung legt, aber statt dessen ein bisschen mehr von blutiger Action sehen will, der sollte sich die Version mit Al Pacino ansehen. Wer sich selbst ein Bild machen will, kann natürlich auch beide Filme anschauen, lohnenswert ist dies allemal und dazu, auch ein guter Zeitvertrieb für kalte dunkle Winterabende.

Peace and Love

Davy

A tour bus pulled up next to ours at a stop light just outside of Palma de Mallorca when I caught this moment between two little girls as they discovered each other.

Mi ideología política es de izquierdas, por lo tanto está a años luz de los pensamientos progresitas y políticamente correctos del PSOE, pero tengo que reconocer, que la alcaldesa de Palma, ciudad en la que resido habitualmente, me cae bien, no sé si será porque tiene pinta de buena persona o porque contra viento y marea está llenando las calles de carril bici. Pues bien, hoy paseando por el centro y el barrio rico he observado muchas cosas, entre ellas que los semáforos tienen un temporizador para saber el tiempo que falta para ponerse en rojo y el tiempo que falta para ponerse en verde, sólo para los peatones, de otra forma, ya me imagino a muchos indeseables haciendo salidas con sus coches tuneados. Mi queja formal es la siguiente:

¿Por qué ese tipo de semáforos no está por toda la ciudad?

¿Tenemos que pagar un plus los que no vivimos en Jaime III?

¿Somos ciudadanos de segunda los habitantes de otros barrios?

Espero que ni seamos ciudadanos de segunda ni haya que pagar un plus por esos semáforos tan chipirifláuticos.

Por otra parte deciros que es una gozada andar por todo el centro de Palma, y supongo que por cualquier ciudad, un sábado por la tarde, bien acompañado por mis suegros, mi novia formal y miles de personas más. Me encanta ver pasar a la gente y ver los coches con las luces encendidas. Pero como en esta vida todo tiene algo negativo, la tarde de hoy no podía ser una excecpción. Ha habido un momento en que llevaba delante tres señoras de edad avanzada y una de ellas se ha dejado caer un peo que me ha movido toda la melena, yo pensaba que era imaginaciones mías, pero mi suegro estaba al lado para corroborar lo desagradable de la situación, según él, hasta se me ha movido la mejilla con la ventosidad de la señora en cuestión. Menos mal que no olía mal, de hecho, no he olido nada. Lo más apestoso como siempre es la cantidad de seres humanos habitantes del planeta que siguen contaminando mis pulmones con el odioso tabaco, y me da igual que estén al aire libre, yo respiro ese oxígeno que ellos están destrozando.

Y para terminar un conclusión que es obvia y que casi no merece la pena ni mencionar, pero que yo lo escribo porque así me lo pide mi corazón andaluz.

El Audi A5 es uno de los coches más bellos del mundo.

Voy a buscar un video que quede bien en esta entrada, o que no case para nada, pero así relleno un poco más, ya que no tengo fotos ni de los peos de la vieja, ni de los semáforos, ni del gentío que pulula por la ciudad.

The autumn fairs season well under way, planning for the winter fiestas also starts. The most spectacular of these is Sant Sebastià in Palma in January. Palma council has announced the ents, the music acts that will play in various squares around the city. In 2008, the organisers branched out. There was a bit of a hiccup surrounding Earth Wind & Fire who weren’t really Earth Wind & Fire – more Sod Breeze & Damp Squib – but there was an ELO incarnation, all part of a certain internationalisation of the event, itself with the aim, or so it was said, of broadening appeal and attracting more overseas visitors. 

Unfortunately, economic reality has bitten, and the council has had to trim its budgets. The town hall deserves some sympathy – all the ents are, after all, free – but it is a shame that this international element will be missing this January, as it was this year. Sant Sebastià should be the focal event for whatever tourism can be attracted in the fallow month of January, and while it does attract some, a more adventurous line-up might help to boost numbers. For this coming January, the acts read rather like many a Mallorcan fiesta, usual suspects such as Tomeu Penya and a boasting as to how many of the bands will be performing in Catalan. So much for international appeal. Perhaps the tourism authorities might like to consider diverting some of the money they spend on questionable winter promotions to Sant Sebastià and giving it a real boost. Not, though, that this would help the north of the island. But if winter tourism is going to be primarily Palma-centric, then so this fiesta should be given more of an official leg-up.

While it’s fair enough to promote Catalan musicians, one of the great advantages of English-singing acts is that they contribute to a learning of English. Music, as much as other forms of communication, is an effective conduit for stimulating language interest and learning. With this in mind, it is interesting to hear of a report from the Oxford University Press into the study of English and English ability among the people of the Balearics. One out of three have never studied the language, and of those who have, the standards are not necessarily that high. Yet, a great majority of islanders recognise the importance of English. Which is as it should be, not because it makes expats’ lives easier, but because of the fundamental importance of the English-speaking tourism market and the opportunities that the language affords. 

Twisting the knife

How much would you spend on a loo-roll holder? Would you even bother? There is something to be said for the loo-roll holder being a largely superfluous item of bathroom furniture. But assuming you might decide that today is the day to go out and acquire that much-needed new holder, would you divvy up 319 euros? Probably not. This, though, is what one such holder in the house of Jaume Matas (following on from yesterday) cost. Twisting the knife indeed, and it was the “Diario” doing so in an hilarious piece about holders, loos and bidets chez Matas. And by the way. Do you know what the Spanish is for lavatory? No? Well, it is “váter”. Think about it.

And if not the former president getting it in the neck, then it must be the recently departed owners who never were of Real Mallorca. Now that Alemany is back in charge, his chaps are giving the books a good once-over. He has lodged a “denuncia” against the Martí Mingarro clan, and one of the slight anomalies to come to light is that the club’s credit cards were used for visits to what the press terms “locales nocturnos”, which may cover a multitude of sins or may not.