[RE][scifinoir2] Ocean currents can power the world
Anyone want to bet on how fast Big Oil, Inc (pausing to spit) moves to discredit this in some way? Tracey, I've been reading similar reports to this for years now, and many of them are so simple and feasible as to be ridiculous, but the oil industry (spitting again) has moved against them, for no other reason than to protect their own bottom lines. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Ocean currents can power the world Date : Sat, 29 Nov 2008 23:25:29 -0800 From : Tracey de Morsella [EMAIL PROTECTED] To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com A revolutionary device that can harness energy from slow-moving rivers and ocean currents could provide enough power for the entire world, scientists claim. The technology can generate electricity in water flowing at a rate of less than one knot - about one mile an hour - meaning it could operate on most waterways and sea beds around the globe. Existing technologies which use water power, relying on the action of waves, tides or faster currents created by dams, are far more limited in where they can be used, and also cause greater obstructions when they are built in rivers or the sea. Turbines and water mills need an average current of five or six knots to operate efficiently, while most of the earth's currents are slower than three knots. The new device, which has been inspired by the way fish swim, consists of a system of cylinders positioned horizontal to the water flow and attached to springs. As water flows past, the cylinder creates vortices, which push and pull the cylinder up and down. The mechanical energy in the vibrations is then converted into electricity. Cylinders arranged over a cubic metre of the sea or river bed in a flow of three knots can produce 51 watts. This is more efficient than similar-sized turbines or wave generators, and the amount of power produced can increase sharply if the flow is faster or if more cylinders are added. A field of cylinders built on the sea bed over a 1km by 1.5km area, and the height of a two-storey house, with a flow of just three knots, could generate enough power for around 100,000 homes. Just a few of the cylinders, stacked in a short ladder, could power an anchored ship or a lighthouse. Systems could be sited on river beds or suspended in the ocean. The scientists behind the technology, which has been developed in research funded by the US government, say that generating power in this way would potentially cost only around 3.5p per kilowatt hour, compared to about 4.5p for wind energy and between 10p and 31p for solar power. They say the technology would require up to 50 times less ocean acreage than wave power generation. The system, conceived by scientists at the University of Michigan, is called Vivace, or vortex-induced vibrations for aquatic clean energy. Michael Bernitsas, a professor of naval architecture at the university, said it was based on the changes in water speed that are caused when a current flows past an obstruction. Eddies or vortices, formed in the water flow, can move objects up and down or left and right. This is a totally new method of extracting energy from water flow, said Mr Bernitsas. Fish curve their bodies to glide between the vortices shed by the bodies of the fish in front of them. Their muscle power alone could not propel them through the water at the speed they go, so they ride in each other's wake. Such vibrations, which were first observed 500 years ago by Leonardo DaVinci in the form of Aeolian Tones, can cause damage to structures built in water, like docks and oil rigs. But Mr Bernitsas added: We enhance the vibrations and harness this powerful and destructive force in nature. If we could harness 0.1 per cent of the energy in the ocean, we could support the energy needs of 15 billion people. In the English Channel, for example, there is a very strong current, so you produce a lot of power. Because the parts only oscillate slowly, the technology is likely to be less harmful to aquatic wildlife than dams or water turbines. And as the installations can be positioned far below the surface of the sea, there would be less interference with shipping, recreational boat users, fishing and tourism. The engineers are now deploying a prototype device in the Detroit River, which has a flow of less than two knots. Their work, funded by the US Department of Energy and the US Office of Naval Research, is published in the current issue of the quarterly Journal of Offshore Mechanics and Arctic Engineering. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/energy/renewableenergy/3535012/Ocean-curren ts-can-power-the-world-say-scientists.html http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Ocean currents can power the world
Agreed. The one hope i have with a new administration, and the final realization that our country's infrastructure is crumbling is that ideas like this will *finally* see the light of day. I can recall ten years ago having conversations with people about stuff like this, and getting treated as if i were some kind of tree-hugging, scifi liberal nut. Everyone would tell me this tech won't work or wind's not as efficient as oil, or water is just not workable. I was talking to a guy th eother day, for example, about wind power, and before I could fiinish he started into Yeah, but it'd be too hard to get the electricity generated from states where there is wind to states where there isn't wind. He felt the costs and engineering obstacles made it less viable, and then started touting nuclear energy. Hey, I replied, We're the country that has put millions of miles of roads, phone lines, and electrical lines from coast to coast. and that was back in days before transitorized circuits and powerful computers. You telling me this can't be overcome? Between the companies who fight innovation because of the profit motive, and people who are so programmed into thinking it must be done the way it's always be done, we have a hill to climb. And another issue that bothers me is that people always want to find the next single solution to our energy needs. The point, I always argue, is that we focus too much on *one* type of solution: burning something. I believe the future of this world will lie in mult-faceted solutions, perhaps local ones. There are third world countries (and some first world ones) where solar power or even fuel cells are used to power single homes, hospitals, or small apartment buildings. even though they're on a power grid, it's too unreliable or inefficient, so they have these backups. I believe our future lies in creating a multi-pronged energy structure that uses wind, water, solar, fuel cell, efficient biofuels, etc. It may mean a country of energy zones, where perhaps the West is the solar/wind area of power generation, the NE is fuel cells, the South is biofuel and water--whatever. But it'll mean a mixture of technologies, and a new, more efficient grid to move the power from one region to another. -- Original message -- From: Martin Baxter [EMAIL PROTECTED] Anyone want to bet on how fast Big Oil, Inc (pausing to spit) moves to discredit this in some way? Tracey, I've been reading similar reports to this for years now, and many of them are so simple and feasible as to be ridiculous, but the oil industry (spitting again) has moved against them, for no other reason than to protect their own bottom lines. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Ocean currents can power the world Date : Sat, 29 Nov 2008 23:25:29 -0800 From : Tracey de Morsella [EMAIL PROTECTED] To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com A revolutionary device that can harness energy from slow-moving rivers and ocean currents could provide enough power for the entire world, scientists claim. The technology can generate electricity in water flowing at a rate of less than one knot - about one mile an hour - meaning it could operate on most waterways and sea beds around the globe. Existing technologies which use water power, relying on the action of waves, tides or faster currents created by dams, are far more limited in where they can be used, and also cause greater obstructions when they are built in rivers or the sea. Turbines and water mills need an average current of five or six knots to operate efficiently, while most of the earth's currents are slower than three knots. The new device, which has been inspired by the way fish swim, consists of a system of cylinders positioned horizontal to the water flow and attached to springs. As water flows past, the cylinder creates vortices, which push and pull the cylinder up and down. The mechanical energy in the vibrations is then converted into electricity. Cylinders arranged over a cubic metre of the sea or river bed in a flow of three knots can produce 51 watts. This is more efficient than similar-sized turbines or wave generators, and the amount of power produced can increase sharply if the flow is faster or if more cylinders are added. A field of cylinders built on the sea bed over a 1km by 1.5km area, and the height of a two-storey house, with a flow of just three knots, could generate enough power for around 100,000 homes. Just a few of the cylinders, stacked in a short ladder, could power an anchored ship or a lighthouse. Systems could be sited on river beds or suspended in the ocean. The scientists behind the technology, which has been developed in research funded by the US government, say that generating power in this way would potentially cost only around 3.5p per kilowatt hour, compared to about 4.5p for wind energy and between 10p and 31p for solar power.
[scifinoir2] Re: Hello from Brandon Easton (new here!)
Welcome to the crew. I'll be sure to check out your work. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, blackmalewriter [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: My name is Brandon Easton and I am a professional writer and college professor living in Southern California. I received my master's degree in film a couple of years ago, and since then, I have written two screenplays and am working on my first novel. My big break came a few years back when I broke into the comic book industry through a major studio -- I wrote ARKANIUM and some TRANSFORMERS stuff for Dreamwave Productions back in 2003/04 -- and I have been enjoying a measure of success. I recently moved to Los Angeles, CA after teaching high school history and economics in NYC. Out here to pursue my dream of becoming a Hollywood screenwriter. Things are going well and I hope to be able to put some really good news here sometime soon. In early 2009, I have several new comic book projects coming out. The first will be my creator-owned series SHADOWLAW (www.shadowlawonline.com) I also host an online podcast show specifically for new and inexperienced sci-fi writers called WRITING FOR ROOKIES. Check it out here: http://writingforrookies.podcastpeople.com/ I hope to chat with and connect with other writers and people who love sci-fi. Best, Brandon
[scifinoir2] When does eccentricity become an obsession?
www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/chi-1129- obsessionnov29,0,1742249.column chicagotribune.com Obsession: A History by Lennard J. Davis Julia Keller CULTURAL CRITIC November 29, 2008 When it comes to scholarly ideas, Lennard Davis flies by the seat of his pants. But only if those pants are corduroy. And not just the seat. The rest of fabric, too, inspires reflection. I'm looking at my pants right now, Davis said in a phone interview, and they're corduroy. All the lines are regularly spaced apart. Why is that? We live in a world of incredible regularity. Look at a brick building, or a venetian blind. We expect a geometric symmetry. And yet for most of human history, until interchangeable parts revolutionized industrial capacity in the 19th Century, Davis noted, we lived in an irregular world, a world of curves and squiggles instead of straight lines, a world of craggy imperfection. Our expectationsometimes, even our cravingfor regularity has made a household acronym out of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), one of several obsessions that seems endemic to modern life. Obsession now defines our culture, Davis declares in his new book, an elegantly written and provocatively argued cultural commentary titled Obsession: A History. For Davis, an English professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago and pioneering scholar in the field of disability studies who also teaches in UIC's medical school, obsession is the default position of contemporary life. Consider a TV series such as Monk, whose title character has OCD, as well as our celebration of real-life folks with a driving, single-minded focus, from Olympic Gold Medalist Michael Phelps to Microsoft founder Bill Gates. We live in a culture, Davis writes, that wants its love affairs obsessive, its artists obsessed, its genius fixated, its music driven, its athletes devoted. We're told that without the intensity provided by an obsession things are only done by halves. Our standards need to be extreme, our outcomes intense. To be obsessive is to be American, to be modern. It was not until the late 19th Century, as the scientific revolution began to grip the world like a pair of tongs does a test tube, that obsession became a secular, medical phenomenon, Davis writes. Yet the term has never been a stable category. When does an eccentricity become an obsession? When does a quirk become a pathology? You can't understand obsession, the professor believes, without considering the social, cultural, historical, anthropological and political swirl in which it lives. We all have a touch of obsessiveness, Davis says. And to refine his own thinking about obsession, he recalls, he had to switch from corduroy trousers to running shorts, because he often gets his brainstorms while exercising. I tend to engage in constructive obsessions. [EMAIL PROTECTED] Obsession: A History By Lennard J. Davis University of Chicago Press 272 pages, $27.50 Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune
[scifinoir2] TV Casting May Feel an Obama Effect
November 29, 2008 TV Casting May Feel an Obama Effect By BILL CARTER http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/c/bill_carter/in dex.html?inline=nyt-per http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/29/arts/television/29race.html?_r=1partner=r ssemc=rsspagewanted=print It may say something about the state of American television that there is one more black president-elect of the United States than there are black actors with individual lead roles in a network television drama. But after years of ensemble dramas sprinkled with nonwhite supporting actors, the excitement surrounding the election of Barack Obama http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/o/barack_obama/i ndex.html?inline=nyt-per could help to open doors for more minorities in leading dramatic roles, executives from television production studios said. Ben Silverman, the co-chairman of NBC http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/nbc_universal/index.h tml?inline=nyt-org Entertainment who oversees the network's television studio, said that he and the head of the diversity initiative for NBC Universal http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/nbc_universal/index.h tml?inline=nyt-org , Paula Madison, have been pushing for projects starring minorities. Mr. Silverman said, We were going after this regardless, but I don't think you can deny the power that Barack Obama brings in magnifying this direction in our world. He added, We've all been colorblind for years, but the results don't necessarily match up to our intentions. Ms. Madison said that NBC's approach was at least as much about business as about social responsibility. People are not living in single-race silos anymore, she said. We said, 'Let's try to develop a world that looks like the world we're living in.' The evidence seems to indicate that race neutrality has not produced a surge of black lead performers, at least in network dramas. While comedies with black characters have been something of a network staple - from the much vilified Amos 'n Andy in the early days of television, through shows like Sanford and Son with Redd Foxx, The Jeffersons, and Martin Lawrence http://movies.nytimes.com/person/40942/Martin-Lawrence?inline=nyt-per 's sitcom Martin - historically, blacks in lead television drama roles have been rare. Bill Cosby http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/c/bill_cosby/ind ex.html?inline=nyt-per , whose 1980s hit sitcom revitalized that genre after a period of decline, famously broke through in drama as the co-star of I Spy in 1965. He won three Emmy awards in the role of Alexander Scott, an espionage agent. Exactly two black actors (and no actresses) have won Emmy awards for drama series since: James Earl Jones http://movies.nytimes.com/person/36131/James-Earl-Jones?inline=nyt-per , who played the title role in the short-lived Gabriel's Fire in 1991, and Andre Braugher http://movies.nytimes.com/person/8159/Andre-Braugher?inline=nyt-per , who was part of the ensemble in Homicide in 1998. Dennis Haysbert http://movies.nytimes.com/person/31307/Dennis-Haysbert?inline=nyt-per , who played President David Palmer on the Fox series 24, is featured in the CBS ensemble drama The Unit (produced by Mr. Newman's Fox studio). Also this season, the venerable NBC drama ER added Angela Bassett http://movies.nytimes.com/person/4466/Angela-Bassett?inline=nyt-per ; executives at its studio, Warner Brothers http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/warner_bros_entertain ment_inc/index.html?inline=nyt-org , now identify her as the lead in that show. But both ER and The Unit are ensemble shows, a genre that has for decades - going back to performers like Michael Warren in Hill Street Blues and Denzel Washington http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/w/denzel_washing ton/index.html?inline=nyt-per in St. Elsewhere - been the route for black drama actors to break through. ER has featured black actors (including Eriq La Salle) since its inception in 1994. ABC's Grey's Anatomy, whose creator and executive producer, Shonda Rhimes http://movies.nytimes.com/person/305254/Shonda-Rhimes?inline=nyt-per , is black, has similarly offered a notably diverse cast. But there is no dramatic series spotlighting a single star - like House on Fox, Chuck on NBC, Eli Stone on ABC or The Mentalist on CBS - now led by a black actor. Hispanic actors have fared somewhat better. Jimmy Smits http://movies.nytimes.com/person/66622/Jimmy-Smits?inline=nyt-per has starred in several series, and America Ferrera http://movies.nytimes.com/person/302580/America-Ferrera?inline=nyt-per is now the star of Ugly Betty. Cable's recent list of single-star dramas is also notable for its roster of white stars, including shows like The Shield, The Closer, Saving Grace, Dexter, Monk, Burn Notice, Breaking Bad and Damages. Tim Reid, who was the star and an executive producer of the Emmy-winning comedy series Frank's Place
[RE][scifinoir2] TV Casting May Feel an Obama Effect
So, that means that H'Wood will be hiring a number of intelligent, handsome men of color... This place will be awfully empty. Martin (if you've got it, you flaunt it... right?) -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] TV Casting May Feel an Obama Effect Date : Sun, 30 Nov 2008 13:36:49 -0800 From : Tracey de Morsella [EMAIL PROTECTED] To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com November 29, 2008 TV Casting May Feel an Obama Effect By BILL CARTER dex.html?inline=nyt-per http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/29/arts/television/29race.html?_r=1amp;partner=r ssamp;emc=rssamp;pagewanted=print It may say something about the state of American television that there is one more black president-elect of the United States than there are black actors with individual lead roles in a network television drama. But after years of ensemble dramas sprinkled with nonwhite supporting actors, the excitement surrounding the election of Barack Obama ndex.html?inline=nyt-per could help to open doors for more minorities in leading dramatic roles, executives from television production studios said. Ben Silverman, the co-chairman of NBC tml?inline=nyt-org Entertainment who oversees the network's television studio, said that he and the head of the diversity initiative for NBC Universal tml?inline=nyt-org , Paula Madison, have been pushing for projects starring minorities. Mr. Silverman said, We were going after this regardless, but I don't think you can deny the power that Barack Obama brings in magnifying this direction in our world. He added, We've all been colorblind for years, but the results don't necessarily match up to our intentions. Ms. Madison said that NBC's approach was at least as much about business as about social responsibility. People are not living in single-race silos anymore, she said. We said, 'Let's try to develop a world that looks like the world we're living in.' The evidence seems to indicate that race neutrality has not produced a surge of black lead performers, at least in network dramas. While comedies with black characters have been something of a network staple - from the much vilified Amos 'n Andy in the early days of television, through shows like Sanford and Son with Redd Foxx, The Jeffersons, and Martin Lawrence 's sitcom Martin - historically, blacks in lead television drama roles have been rare. Bill Cosby ex.html?inline=nyt-per , whose 1980s hit sitcom revitalized that genre after a period of decline, famously broke through in drama as the co-star of I Spy in 1965. He won three Emmy awards in the role of Alexander Scott, an espionage agent. Exactly two black actors (and no actresses) have won Emmy awards for drama series since: James Earl Jones , who played the title role in the short-lived Gabriel's Fire in 1991, and Andre Braugher , who was part of the ensemble in Homicide in 1998. Dennis Haysbert , who played President David Palmer on the Fox series 24, is featured in the CBS ensemble drama The Unit (produced by Mr. Newman's Fox studio). Also this season, the venerable NBC drama ER added Angela Bassett ; executives at its studio, Warner Brothers ment_inc/index.html?inline=nyt-org , now identify her as the lead in that show. But both ER and The Unit are ensemble shows, a genre that has for decades - going back to performers like Michael Warren in Hill Street Blues and Denzel Washington ton/index.html?inline=nyt-per in St. Elsewhere - been the route for black drama actors to break through. ER has featured black actors (including Eriq La Salle) since its inception in 1994. ABC's Grey's Anatomy, whose creator and executive producer, Shonda Rhimes , is black, has similarly offered a notably diverse cast. But there is no dramatic series spotlighting a single star - like House on Fox, Chuck on NBC, Eli Stone on ABC or The Mentalist on CBS - now led by a black actor. Hispanic actors have fared somewhat better. Jimmy Smits has starred in several series, and America Ferrera is now the star of Ugly Betty. Cable's recent list of single-star dramas is also notable for its roster of white stars, including shows like The Shield, The Closer, Saving Grace, Dexter, Monk, Burn Notice, Breaking Bad and Damages. Tim Reid, who was the star and an executive producer of the Emmy-winning comedy series Frank's Place for CBS in the 1987-88 season - and who recently wrote, with the white comic Tom Dreesen, Tim and Tom: An American Comedy in Black and White about their days as a stand-up team - has been outspoken about the continued limited opportunities for minorities in television. If the president-elect should have any positive influence over the so-called liberal base of Hollywood, it will be by focusing their attention on the reality of the kind of multicultural world we actually live in, Mr. Reid said in an e-mail message. This doesn't just mean putting another person of color in front of the camera, but giving them an equal opportunity in having a
[RE][scifinoir2] When does eccentricity become an obsession?
This is why I've always striven to be apart from the crowd. Anybody can follow, but it takes someone exceptional to lead. I'm proud to say that, in a couple of forums I post in, other users have begun to mimic me. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] When does eccentricity become an obsession? Date : Sun, 30 Nov 2008 17:54:51 - From : ravenadal [EMAIL PROTECTED] To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/chi-1129- obsessionnov29,0,1742249.column chicagotribune.com Obsession: A History by Lennard J. Davis Julia Keller CULTURAL CRITIC November 29, 2008 When it comes to scholarly ideas, Lennard Davis flies by the seat of his pants. But only if those pants are corduroy. And not just the seat. The rest of fabric, too, inspires reflection. I'm looking at my pants right now, Davis said in a phone interview, and they're corduroy. All the lines are regularly spaced apart. Why is that? We live in a world of incredible regularity. Look at a brick building, or a venetian blind. We expect a geometric symmetry. And yet for most of human history, until interchangeable parts revolutionized industrial capacity in the 19th Century, Davis noted, we lived in an irregular world, a world of curves and squiggles instead of straight lines, a world of craggy imperfection. Our expectationsometimes, even our cravingfor regularity has made a household acronym out of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), one of several obsessions that seems endemic to modern life. Obsession now defines our culture, Davis declares in his new book, an elegantly written and provocatively argued cultural commentary titled Obsession: A History. For Davis, an English professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago and pioneering scholar in the field of disability studies who also teaches in UIC's medical school, obsession is the default position of contemporary life. Consider a TV series such as Monk, whose title character has OCD, as well as our celebration of real-life folks with a driving, single-minded focus, from Olympic Gold Medalist Michael Phelps to Microsoft founder Bill Gates. We live in a culture, Davis writes, that wants its love affairs obsessive, its artists obsessed, its genius fixated, its music driven, its athletes devoted. We're told that without the intensity provided by an obsession things are only done by halves. Our standards need to be extreme, our outcomes intense. To be obsessive is to be American, to be modern. It was not until the late 19th Century, as the scientific revolution began to grip the world like a pair of tongs does a test tube, that obsession became a secular, medical phenomenon, Davis writes. Yet the term has never been a stable category. When does an eccentricity become an obsession? When does a quirk become a pathology? You can't understand obsession, the professor believes, without considering the social, cultural, historical, anthropological and political swirl in which it lives. We all have a touch of obsessiveness, Davis says. And to refine his own thinking about obsession, he recalls, he had to switch from corduroy trousers to running shorts, because he often gets his brainstorms while exercising. I tend to engage in constructive obsessions. [EMAIL PROTECTED] Obsession: A History By Lennard J. Davis University of Chicago Press 272 pages, $27.50 Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
[scifinoir2] Spectacular Sky Scene Monday Evening
Try to catch this if you can. I was leaving a pizza joint this evening, glanced up into the sky, and was immediately captivated by the scene. Venus was bright as an airplane, for sure. I could barely see the dark part of the moon illuminated by the Earthshine because of lights in the parking lot, but it was there. Hopefully tomorrow night will afford me a much better view... * Spectacular Sky Scene Monday Evening http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20081128/sc_space/spectacularskyscenemondayevening Joe Rao SPACE.com Skywatching Columnist SPACE.com joe Rao space.com Skywatching Columnist space.com Fri Nov 28, 10:31 am ET Every once in a while, something will appear in the night sky that will attract the attention of even those who normally don't bother looking up. It's likely to be that way on Monday evening, Dec. 1. A slender crescent moon, just 15-percent illuminated, will appear in very close proximity to the two brightest planets in our sky, Venus and Jupiter. People who are unaware or have no advance notice will almost certainly wonder, as they cast a casual glance toward the moon on that night, what those two large silvery stars happen to be? Sometimes, such an occasion brings with it a sudden spike of phone calls to local planetariums, weather offices and even police precincts. Not a few of these calls excitedly inquire about the UFOs that are hovering in the vicinity of our natural satellite. Very bright objects Venus has adorned the southwestern twilight sky since late August. No other star or planet can come close to matching Venus in brilliance. During World War II, aircraft spotters sometimes mistook Venus for an enemy airplane. There were even cases in which Venus drew antiaircraft fire. This winter, Venus is the unrivaled evening star that will soar from excellent to magnificent prominence in the southwest at nightfall. The interval by which it follows the Sun will increase from nearly three hours on Dec. 1 to almost four hours by Jan. 1. It's probably the first star you'll see coming out after sunset. In fact, if the air is very clear and the sky a good, deep blue, try looking for Venus shortly before sunset. Jupiter starts December just above Venus and is moving in the opposite direction, dropping progressively lower each evening. By month's end Jupiter meets up with another planet Mercury but by then Jupiter is also descending deep into the glow of sunset. In January, Jupiter will be too close to the Sun to see; it's in conjunction with the Sun on Jan. 24. Earthlit ball A very close conjunction of the crescent moon and a bright star or planet can be an awe-inspiring naked-eye spectacle. The English poet, critic and philosopher, Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) used just such a celestial sight as an ominous portent in his epic, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. In addition, there are juxtaposed crescent moon and star symbols that have appeared on the flags of many nations, including Turkey, Pakistan, Malaysia, Algeria, Mauritania, and Tunisia. Also on Monday evening, you may be able to see the full globe of the moon, its darkened portion glowing with a bluish-gray hue interposed between the sunlit crescent and not much darker sky. This vision is sometimes called the old moon in the young moon's arms. Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) was the first to recognize it as what we now call earthshine. As seen from the moon, the Earth would loom in the sky some 3.7 times larger than the moon does for us. In addition, the land masses, the oceans and clouds make the Earth a far better reflector of sunlight as compared to the moon. In fact, the Earth's reflectivity varies as clouds, which appear far more brilliant than the land and seas, cover greater or lesser parts of the visible hemisphere. The result is that the Earth shines between 45 and 100 times more brightly than the moon. The Earth also goes through phases, just as the moon does for us, although they are opposite from what we see from Earth. The term for this is called complementary phases. On Nov. 27, for example, there was a new moon for us, but as seen from the surface of the moon that day, there appeared in the lunar sky a brilliant full Earth. A few nights later, as the sliver of a crescent moon begins to appear in our western twilight sky, its entire globe may be glimpsed. Sunlight is responsible for the slender crescent, yet the remainder of the moon appears to shine with a dim blush-gray tone. That part is not receiving sunlight, but shines by virtue of reflected earthlight: the nearly full Earth illuminating the otherwise dark lunar landscape. So earthshine is really sunlight which is reflected off Earth to the moon and then reflected back to Earth. Keeping it all in perspective Keep in mind that this head-turning display of three celestial objects crowded together will be merely an illusion of perspective:
[scifinoir2] Ian Fleming's Monster's Ball
http://blackplush.blogspot.com/ If the first MISSION IMPOSSIBLE was Brian De Palma's Mission Impossible and MI-2 was John Woo's Mission Impossible, QUANTUM OF SOLACE is unquestionably Marc Forster's James Bond movie. In fact, with its international cast of corporate, military and intelligence operatives, ogres, trolls and troglodytes, Quantum could be easily subtitled Ian Fleming's MONSTER'S BALL. Mathieu Amalric, award winning French actor and film director - perhaps best known in America for his lead role in the 2007 film THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY - plays the chief monster, gimlet-eyed Dominic Greene, an effete megalomaniac masquerading as a deep pocketed green warrior while Joaquin Cosio and Fernando Guillen Cuervo play cruel and sadistic as would-be tin-pot dictators and Jesper Christensen reprises his role as a chief cog in the sub secret evil cabal which shall not be named (Quantum). Filmed in Panama, Chile, Italy and Austria, the movie begins where CASINO ROYALE left off with Bond hurtling toward Sienna, Italy, the captured Mr. White (Christensen) in the boot of his car, and gun wielding henchmen in hot pursuit. Weaving in and out of heavy traffic on tight thoroughfares while his sleek Astin Martin is perforated with machine gun fire, Bond dispenses with his pursuers in typical Bondian fashion and delivers Mr. White to his boss M (Judi Dench) and her interlocutors. The wily and unrepentant Mr. White escapes and this sends Bond careening around the world in hot pursuit. QUANTUM OF SOLACE is also co-screenwriter Paul Haggis' James Bond movie. Quantum explores a CRASH of competing world interests intersecting where Daniel Craig's emotionally wounded government agent seeks mortal revenge for the death of his lost love. It is not coincidence that linchpins of the story take place in such hot spots as Haiti and Bolivia, poor bereft countries with little to recommend them besides their utter defenselessness in the face of further exploitation. While CASINO ROYALE was full of surprises, ripe with rebirth and reinvention QUANTUM, for all its gorgeous vistas, dazzling car chases, roof top gamboling, explosive denouements and BOURNE-like close quarter hand-to-hand combat, feels derivative as if cobbled together from twenty other action-adventure movies. The movie is blunt and ruthless and there is much precision and artistry in its execution. Yet, you don't feel exhilarated by Craig's remorseless reckoning as much as you feel pummeled by it. ~rave!
[scifinoir2] TV Casting May Feel an Obama Effect
November 29, 2008 TV Casting May Feel an Obama Effect By BILL CARTER http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/29/arts/television/29race.html?_r=1partner=rssemc=rsspagewanted=print It may say something about the state of American television that there is one more black president-elect of the United States than there are black actors with individual lead roles in a network television drama. But after years of ensemble dramas sprinkled with nonwhite supporting actors, the excitement surrounding the election of Barack Obama could help to open doors for more minorities in leading dramatic roles, executives from television production studios said. Ben Silverman, the co-chairman of NBC Entertainment who oversees the network's television studio, said that he and the head of the diversity initiative for NBC Universal, Paula Madison, have been pushing for projects starring minorities. Mr. Silverman said, We were going after this regardless, but I don't think you can deny the power that Barack Obama brings in magnifying this direction in our world. He added, We've all been colorblind for years, but the results don't necessarily match up to our intentions. Ms. Madison said that NBC's approach was at least as much about business as about social responsibility. People are not living in single-race silos anymore, she said. We said, `Let's try to develop a world that looks like the world we're living in.' The evidence seems to indicate that race neutrality has not produced a surge of black lead performers, at least in network dramas. While comedies with black characters have been something of a network staple from the much vilified Amos 'n Andy in the early days of television, through shows like Sanford and Son with Redd Foxx, The Jeffersons, and Martin Lawrence's sitcom Martin historically, blacks in lead television drama roles have been rare. Bill Cosby, whose 1980s hit sitcom revitalized that genre after a period of decline, famously broke through in drama as the co-star of I Spy in 1965. He won three Emmy awards in the role of Alexander Scott, an espionage agent. Exactly two black actors (and no actresses) have won Emmy awards for drama series since: James Earl Jones, who played the title role in the short-lived Gabriel's Fire in 1991, and Andre Braugher, who was part of the ensemble in Homicide in 1998. Dennis Haysbert, who played President David Palmer on the Fox series 24, is featured in the CBS ensemble drama The Unit (produced by Mr. Newman's Fox studio). Also this season, the venerable NBC drama ER added Angela Bassett; executives at its studio, Warner Brothers, now identify her as the lead in that show. But both ER and The Unit are ensemble shows, a genre that has for decades going back to performers like Michael Warren in Hill Street Blues and Denzel Washington in St. Elsewhere been the route for black drama actors to break through. ER has featured black actors (including Eriq La Salle) since its inception in 1994. ABC's Grey's Anatomy, whose creator and executive producer, Shonda Rhimes, is black, has similarly offered a notably diverse cast. But there is no dramatic series spotlighting a single star like House on Fox, Chuck on NBC, Eli Stone on ABC or The Mentalist on CBS now led by a black actor. Hispanic actors have fared somewhat better. Jimmy Smits has starred in several series, and America Ferrera is now the star of Ugly Betty. Cable's recent list of single-star dramas is also notable for its roster of white stars, including shows like The Shield, The Closer, Saving Grace, Dexter, Monk, Burn Notice, Breaking Bad and Damages. Tim Reid, who was the star and an executive producer of the Emmy-winning comedy series Frank's Place for CBS in the 1987-88 season and who recently wrote, with the white comic Tom Dreesen, Tim and Tom: An American Comedy in Black and White about their days as a stand-up team has been outspoken about the continued limited opportunities for minorities in television. If the president-elect should have any positive influence over the so-called liberal base of Hollywood, it will be by focusing their attention on the reality of the kind of multicultural world we actually live in, Mr. Reid said in an e-mail message. This doesn't just mean putting another person of color in front of the camera, but giving them an equal opportunity in having a say-so in what is created for the camera. In my opinion, he continued, we're far more likely to have a black president in my lifetime ... oh, yeah ... I can stop saying that now. The most significant hiring of a black actor for a television series has been long in the works: next month the film star Laurence Fishburne will assume the lead in CBS's biggest hit show, CSI. That move was not connected to the ascendance of Mr. Obama, though CBS and studio executives expressed hope that the timing would help in the transition from William Petersen, the current CSI lead, to Mr. Fishburne. David Stapf, president of the CBS Paramount
[scifinoir2] Ooops! Re: TV Casting May Feel an Obama Effect
Ooops Sorry about the resend --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, tdemorsella [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: November 29, 2008 TV Casting May Feel an Obama Effect By BILL CARTER http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/29/arts/television/29race.html?_r=1partner=rssemc=rsspagewanted=print It may say something about the state of American television that there is one more black president-elect of the United States than there are black actors with individual lead roles in a network television drama. But after years of ensemble dramas sprinkled with nonwhite supporting actors, the excitement surrounding the election of Barack Obama could help to open doors for more minorities in leading dramatic roles, executives from television production studios said. Ben Silverman, the co-chairman of NBC Entertainment who oversees the network's television studio, said that he and the head of the diversity initiative for NBC Universal, Paula Madison, have been pushing for projects starring minorities. Mr. Silverman said, We were going after this regardless, but I don't think you can deny the power that Barack Obama brings in magnifying this direction in our world. He added, We've all been colorblind for years, but the results don't necessarily match up to our intentions. Ms. Madison said that NBC's approach was at least as much about business as about social responsibility. People are not living in single-race silos anymore, she said. We said, `Let's try to develop a world that looks like the world we're living in.' The evidence seems to indicate that race neutrality has not produced a surge of black lead performers, at least in network dramas. While comedies with black characters have been something of a network staple from the much vilified Amos 'n Andy in the early days of television, through shows like Sanford and Son with Redd Foxx, The Jeffersons, and Martin Lawrence's sitcom Martin historically, blacks in lead television drama roles have been rare. Bill Cosby, whose 1980s hit sitcom revitalized that genre after a period of decline, famously broke through in drama as the co-star of I Spy in 1965. He won three Emmy awards in the role of Alexander Scott, an espionage agent. Exactly two black actors (and no actresses) have won Emmy awards for drama series since: James Earl Jones, who played the title role in the short-lived Gabriel's Fire in 1991, and Andre Braugher, who was part of the ensemble in Homicide in 1998. Dennis Haysbert, who played President David Palmer on the Fox series 24, is featured in the CBS ensemble drama The Unit (produced by Mr. Newman's Fox studio). Also this season, the venerable NBC drama ER added Angela Bassett; executives at its studio, Warner Brothers, now identify her as the lead in that show. But both ER and The Unit are ensemble shows, a genre that has for decades going back to performers like Michael Warren in Hill Street Blues and Denzel Washington in St. Elsewhere been the route for black drama actors to break through. ER has featured black actors (including Eriq La Salle) since its inception in 1994. ABC's Grey's Anatomy, whose creator and executive producer, Shonda Rhimes, is black, has similarly offered a notably diverse cast. But there is no dramatic series spotlighting a single star like House on Fox, Chuck on NBC, Eli Stone on ABC or The Mentalist on CBS now led by a black actor. Hispanic actors have fared somewhat better. Jimmy Smits has starred in several series, and America Ferrera is now the star of Ugly Betty. Cable's recent list of single-star dramas is also notable for its roster of white stars, including shows like The Shield, The Closer, Saving Grace, Dexter, Monk, Burn Notice, Breaking Bad and Damages. Tim Reid, who was the star and an executive producer of the Emmy-winning comedy series Frank's Place for CBS in the 1987-88 season and who recently wrote, with the white comic Tom Dreesen, Tim and Tom: An American Comedy in Black and White about their days as a stand-up team has been outspoken about the continued limited opportunities for minorities in television. If the president-elect should have any positive influence over the so-called liberal base of Hollywood, it will be by focusing their attention on the reality of the kind of multicultural world we actually live in, Mr. Reid said in an e-mail message. This doesn't just mean putting another person of color in front of the camera, but giving them an equal opportunity in having a say-so in what is created for the camera. In my opinion, he continued, we're far more likely to have a black president in my lifetime ... oh, yeah ... I can stop saying that now. The most significant hiring of a black actor for a television series has been long in the works: next month the film star Laurence Fishburne will assume the lead in CBS's biggest hit show, CSI. That move was not connected to the ascendance of Mr. Obama,
[scifinoir2] Re: Spectacular Sky Scene Monday Evening
Wow. That was fascinating (Keith eats PIZZA) --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Try to catch this if you can. I was leaving a pizza joint this evening, glanced up into the sky, and was immediately captivated by the scene. Venus was bright as an airplane, for sure. I could barely see the dark part of the moon illuminated by the Earthshine because of lights in the parking lot, but it was there. Hopefully tomorrow night will afford me a much better view... * Spectacular Sky Scene Monday Evening http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20081128/sc_space/spectacularskyscenemon dayevening Joe Rao SPACE.com Skywatching Columnist SPACE.com joe Rao space.com Skywatching Columnist space.com Fri Nov 28, 10:31 am ET Every once in a while, something will appear in the night sky that will attract the attention of even those who normally don't bother looking up. It's likely to be that way on Monday evening, Dec. 1. A slender crescent moon, just 15-percent illuminated, will appear in very close proximity to the two brightest planets in our sky, Venus and Jupiter. People who are unaware or have no advance notice will almost certainly wonder, as they cast a casual glance toward the moon on that night, what those two large silvery stars happen to be? Sometimes, such an occasion brings with it a sudden spike of phone calls to local planetariums, weather offices and even police precincts. Not a few of these calls excitedly inquire about the UFOs that are hovering in the vicinity of our natural satellite. Very bright objects Venus has adorned the southwestern twilight sky since late August. No other star or planet can come close to matching Venus in brilliance. During World War II, aircraft spotters sometimes mistook Venus for an enemy airplane. There were even cases in which Venus drew antiaircraft fire. This winter, Venus is the unrivaled evening star that will soar from excellent to magnificent prominence in the southwest at nightfall. The interval by which it follows the Sun will increase from nearly three hours on Dec. 1 to almost four hours by Jan. 1. It's probably the first star you'll see coming out after sunset. In fact, if the air is very clear and the sky a good, deep blue, try looking for Venus shortly before sunset. Jupiter starts December just above Venus and is moving in the opposite direction, dropping progressively lower each evening. By month's end Jupiter meets up with another planet Mercury but by then Jupiter is also descending deep into the glow of sunset. In January, Jupiter will be too close to the Sun to see; it's in conjunction with the Sun on Jan. 24. Earthlit ball A very close conjunction of the crescent moon and a bright star or planet can be an awe-inspiring naked-eye spectacle. The English poet, critic and philosopher, Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) used just such a celestial sight as an ominous portent in his epic, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. In addition, there are juxtaposed crescent moon and star symbols that have appeared on the flags of many nations, including Turkey, Pakistan, Malaysia, Algeria, Mauritania, and Tunisia. Also on Monday evening, you may be able to see the full globe of the moon, its darkened portion glowing with a bluish-gray hue interposed between the sunlit crescent and not much darker sky. This vision is sometimes called the old moon in the young moon's arms. Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) was the first to recognize it as what we now call earthshine. As seen from the moon, the Earth would loom in the sky some 3.7 times larger than the moon does for us. In addition, the land masses, the oceans and clouds make the Earth a far better reflector of sunlight as compared to the moon. In fact, the Earth's reflectivity varies as clouds, which appear far more brilliant than the land and seas, cover greater or lesser parts of the visible hemisphere. The result is that the Earth shines between 45 and 100 times more brightly than the moon. The Earth also goes through phases, just as the moon does for us, although they are opposite from what we see from Earth. The term for this is called complementary phases. On Nov. 27, for example, there was a new moon for us, but as seen from the surface of the moon that day, there appeared in the lunar sky a brilliant full Earth. A few nights later, as the sliver of a crescent moon begins to appear in our western twilight sky, its entire globe may be glimpsed. Sunlight is responsible for the slender crescent, yet the remainder of the moon appears to shine with a dim blush-gray tone. That part is not receiving sunlight, but shines by virtue of reflected earthlight: the nearly full Earth illuminating the otherwise dark lunar landscape. So earthshine is really sunlight which is reflected off Earth to the moon and then reflected back to Earth. Keeping it
[scifinoir2] What movies/DVDs did you see over the holiday - Group Discussion
Many of us seem to take time over the holidays to go to the movies or check out some DVDs. What movies/DVD's did you see over the holidays? Let us know which ones you liked or hated and why. Tracey
Re: [scifinoir2] Ian Fleming's Monster's Ball
Agreed. Great review. I was dizzy the first few minutes with the hyperactive camera, dulled after a while by one action scene after another, and a bit unengaged. Bond as man on a mission is okay, but it didn't work well for me either. -- Original message -- From: ravenadal [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://blackplush.blogspot.com/ If the first MISSION IMPOSSIBLE was Brian De Palma's Mission Impossible and MI-2 was John Woo's Mission Impossible, QUANTUM OF SOLACE is unquestionably Marc Forster's James Bond movie. In fact, with its international cast of corporate, military and intelligence operatives, ogres, trolls and troglodytes, Quantum could be easily subtitled Ian Fleming's MONSTER'S BALL. Mathieu Amalric, award winning French actor and film director - perhaps best known in America for his lead role in the 2007 film THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY - plays the chief monster, gimlet-eyed Dominic Greene, an effete megalomaniac masquerading as a deep pocketed green warrior while Joaquin Cosio and Fernando Guillen Cuervo play cruel and sadistic as would-be tin-pot dictators and Jesper Christensen reprises his role as a chief cog in the sub secret evil cabal which shall not be named (Quantum). Filmed in Panama, Chile, Italy and Austria, the movie begins where CASINO ROYALE left off with Bond hurtling toward Sienna, Italy, the captured Mr. White (Christensen) in the boot of his car, and gun wielding henchmen in hot pursuit. Weaving in and out of heavy traffic on tight thoroughfares while his sleek Astin Martin is perforated with machine gun fire, Bond dispenses with his pursuers in typical Bondian fashion and delivers Mr. White to his boss M (Judi Dench) and her interlocutors. The wily and unrepentant Mr. White escapes and this sends Bond careening around the world in hot pursuit. QUANTUM OF SOLACE is also co-screenwriter Paul Haggis' James Bond movie. Quantum explores a CRASH of competing world interests intersecting where Daniel Craig's emotionally wounded government agent seeks mortal revenge for the death of his lost love. It is not coincidence that linchpins of the story take place in such hot spots as Haiti and Bolivia, poor bereft countries with little to recommend them besides their utter defenselessness in the face of further exploitation. While CASINO ROYALE was full of surprises, ripe with rebirth and reinvention QUANTUM, for all its gorgeous vistas, dazzling car chases, roof top gamboling, explosive denouements and BOURNE-like close quarter hand-to-hand combat, feels derivative as if cobbled together from twenty other action-adventure movies. The movie is blunt and ruthless and there is much precision and artistry in its execution. Yet, you don't feel exhilarated by Craig's remorseless reckoning as much as you feel pummeled by it. ~rave!
Re: [scifinoir2] Re: Spectacular Sky Scene Monday Evening
I ate everything in sight the last week! Loads of ice cream (vanilla, french silk, peppermint) in my many, many milk shakes...Honeybaked ham with Thanksgiving dinner, and later in sandwiches...KFC chicken, biscuits, and baked beans... buttermilk pancakes with eggs and more ham...turkey and dressing and mac-and-cheese at a friend's...pound cake, sweet potato pie, and a delicious homemade strawberry cake with Kool-Aid icing (that's right!)...cheeseburger and fries at Ted's Montana Grill...did i mention lots of milk shakes?...and to bring the week of excess to a close with food that's not as heavy--pizza! I do not want to consider the calories, fat, and cholesterol I imbibed this past week. But, despite all that, and despite the fact that I put my daily workouts on hold since last Monday, i think i actually lost weight during the week. That typically happens to me during holidays: I eat all kinds of junk, but either maintain weight, or lose a few pounds. I believe it's because i'm always running around and don't sleep very much. -- Original message -- From: ravenadal [EMAIL PROTECTED] Wow. That was fascinating (Keith eats PIZZA) --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Try to catch this if you can. I was leaving a pizza joint this evening, glanced up into the sky, and was immediately captivated by the scene. Venus was bright as an airplane, for sure. I could barely see the dark part of the moon illuminated by the Earthshine because of lights in the parking lot, but it was there. Hopefully tomorrow night will afford me a much better view... * Spectacular Sky Scene Monday Evening http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20081128/sc_space/spectacularskyscenemon dayevening Joe Rao SPACE.com Skywatching Columnist SPACE.com joe Rao space.com Skywatching Columnist space.com Fri Nov 28, 10:31 am ET Every once in a while, something will appear in the night sky that will attract the attention of even those who normally don't bother looking up. It's likely to be that way on Monday evening, Dec. 1. A slender crescent moon, just 15-percent illuminated, will appear in very close proximity to the two brightest planets in our sky, Venus and Jupiter. People who are unaware or have no advance notice will almost certainly wonder, as they cast a casual glance toward the moon on that night, what those two large silvery stars happen to be? Sometimes, such an occasion brings with it a sudden spike of phone calls to local planetariums, weather offices and even police precincts. Not a few of these calls excitedly inquire about the UFOs that are hovering in the vicinity of our natural satellite. Very bright objects Venus has adorned the southwestern twilight sky since late August. No other star or planet can come close to matching Venus in brilliance. During World War II, aircraft spotters sometimes mistook Venus for an enemy airplane. There were even cases in which Venus drew antiaircraft fire. This winter, Venus is the unrivaled evening star that will soar from excellent to magnificent prominence in the southwest at nightfall. The interval by which it follows the Sun will increase from nearly three hours on Dec. 1 to almost four hours by Jan. 1. It's probably the first star you'll see coming out after sunset. In fact, if the air is very clear and the sky a good, deep blue, try looking for Venus shortly before sunset. Jupiter starts December just above Venus and is moving in the opposite direction, dropping progressively lower each evening. By month's end Jupiter meets up with another planet Mercury but by then Jupiter is also descending deep into the glow of sunset. In January, Jupiter will be too close to the Sun to see; it's in conjunction with the Sun on Jan. 24. Earthlit ball A very close conjunction of the crescent moon and a bright star or planet can be an awe-inspiring naked-eye spectacle. The English poet, critic and philosopher, Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) used just such a celestial sight as an ominous portent in his epic, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. In addition, there are juxtaposed crescent moon and star symbols that have appeared on the flags of many nations, including Turkey, Pakistan, Malaysia, Algeria, Mauritania, and Tunisia. Also on Monday evening, you may be able to see the full globe of the moon, its darkened portion glowing with a bluish-gray hue interposed between the sunlit crescent and not much darker sky. This vision is sometimes called the old moon in the young moon's arms. Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) was the first to recognize it as what we now call earthshine. As seen from the moon, the Earth would loom in the sky some 3.7 times larger than the moon does for us. In addition, the land masses, the oceans and clouds make the Earth a far better reflector of sunlight as compared to the moon. In fact, the Earth's
Re: [scifinoir2] What movies/DVD�s did you see over the holiday - Group Discussion
Saw Quantum of Solace, which was only okay. Liked Craig as Bond and Dench as M, but the movie was just a bunch of action, and not very deep action at that. The lead actress was way too young and inexperienced seeming to be what they wanted us to believe she was. Other than that, it was all at home on TV. Watched about a half dozen eps of Homicide: Life on the Street i had on tape, which I loved. Watched Batman Begins on FX two or three times (can't seem to get enough of it). CaughtThe Incredibles on back-to-back nights on NBC (ditto). Then fell into the Star Trek flicks Insurrection and Nemesis on TV, which were both enjoyable but not really the best films in the franchise. Found myself getting into The Two Towers and The Return of the King on TNT tonight, and yes, tearing up at the end when Frodo and Sam are lying amidst the lava-strewn field preparing to die. So lots and lots of reruns. Funny thing is, I own every movie I watched on DVD, but still found myself sitting down watching them on TV, and, I got more enjoyment from them than some of the new fare being offered on cable! -- Original message -- From: tdemorsella [EMAIL PROTECTED] Many of us seem to take time over the holidays to go to the movies or check out some DVDs. What movies/DVD's did you see over the holidays? Let us know which ones you liked or hated and why. Tracey
