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Notable Death of the Year: RIP Austerity Economics, 1921-2011

Added 12/28/11
5 Views

Notable Death of the Year: RIP Austerity Economics, 1921-2011

[LESS INFO] 5 VIEWS | ADDED 19:00:30 12/28/11
"Smokestack Lightnin'," with Hubert Sumlin backing Howlin' Wolf in 1964 This is the time of year when we're reminded of all the famous people who died over the last twelve months, a list which includes two of my favorite guitar players ( Hubert Sumlin and Cornell Dupree ). But there were also some notable non-human deaths in 2011, especially in the world of economic policy. One of those deaths should have completely altered the political debate in Washington. The name of the deceased was "Austerity Economics," and it was first glimpsed in a 1921 paper by conservative economist Frank Wright. Austerity died of natural causes brought on by prolonged exposure to reality. But the debate in Washington didn't change nearly enough after its passing. In the nation's capital, dead things still rule the night. Why Austerity? "Austerity economics" backers claim that today's economic woes can only be fixed by dramatic reductions in government spending, which will lead to increased private-sector confidence and therefore to greater investment and growth. But it's never worked. And if investors have lost confidence in the U.S. government's fiscal stability, they're sure not acting that way. There hasn't been this much demand for Treasury bonds since the government began tracking it twenty years ago, and they haven't performed as well since the go-go 1990s. It's easy to understand austerity's attraction for power elites inside and outside of government. The people who suffer from austerity budgets aren't the kinds of people they know personally, since they're typically public employees like teachers, police, firefighters and the administrators of social programs; people who need government assistance, like the poor; and middle-class people with the temerity to either grow old or become disabled. Austerity's attraction became even greater in the U.S. because once it became conventional wisdom that tax increases on the wealthy was "politically infeasible." That made it a program whose sole purpose was to cut government spending, lowering the pressure to increase taxes on the wealthy from today's historically low levels. For a one-percenter, what's not to love? Austerity Comes of Age The idea's been around in one form or another since that 1921 paper, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had been imposing it on Third World nations for decades. But 2009 was the year that austerity really came of age. That was the year that a wealthy stockbroker's son named David Cameron began campaigning for Prime Minister of Great Britain on an explicitly pro-austerity platform. It was also the year that Cameron helped to form a group named European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) dedicated to electing like-minded politicians across Europe and helping them collaborate on ways to slash government spending. It was also the year that right-leaning Angela Merkel won reelection as the Chancellor of Germany with a stronger mandate than she'd been given in her first term. With Nicolas Sarkozy as President of France, Great Britain was the only major European power not yet in the hands of the corporate-backed austerity crowd. The Global Sado-Erotic Thrill Machine That changed with Cameron's election as Prime Minister in May 2010, an event that threw pro-austerity Americans into throes of near-erotic ecstasy. And if that sounds like hyperbole, consider conservative Anne Appelbaum's reaction to Cameron's budget in September of 2010: > Vicious cuts." "Savage cuts." "Swingeing (sic) cuts." The language that the British use to describe their new government's spending-reduction policy is apocalyptic in the extreme. The ministers in charge of the country's finances are known as "axe-wielders" who will be "hacking" away at the budget. Articles about the nation's finances are filled with talk of blood, knives, and amputation. And the British love it. What can I say? There are people who collect serial-killer memorabilia, too. But Appelbaum wasn't just speaking for herself. It became unacceptable for any politician in Washington, Democrat or Republican, to advocate anything other than an austerity budget for the United States. And it was more than an economic strategy to its backers. Austerity became a way to demonize those who had suffered most from the banking abuses and self-indulgences of the wealthy, a totemic "blame the victim" response that turned the political debate into a grotesque inversion of morality. Again, Appelbaum: > "Not only is austerity being touted as the solution to Britain's economic woes; it is also being described as the answer to the country's moral failings." Bad Metaphors vs. Good Economists The Democratic President of the United States, Barack Obama, jumped onto the bandwagon with both feet by repeatedly lecturing Americans on the need for government to stop "spending beyond its means." Obama recycled the popular conservative metaphor of a family that has to sit around the kitchen table and decide how much money it has to spend. That's one of the worst metaphors in modern politics. Does a family establish its own currency -- especially one that has the unique position of the dollar? Can a family borrow money at rates so low they're effectively less than zero? Would a family let Grandma go hungry because Junior bought too many Porsches out of the family kitty and then gambled it away on lousy mortgage investments? The world's top economists, those who had successfully predicted the crisis of 2008, tried telling the rest of the world what was wrong with the idea: Joblessness and consumer fears were killing any chance of real recovery. More short-term spending was needed to get the economy moving again. Austerity would make things worse, not better. But nobody listened. Austerity's S%M-like attraction had the world's elites in its grip. Death of a Delusion And then something else came into the picture: Reality. Cameron's austerity budget had a shattering effect on the already-struggling British economy. His government's financial stability was downgraded five times during his first year in power and retail sales had fallen 2.5 percent. Household income was projected to fall an additional 2 percent if his austerity plans were carried forward. Britain's modest employment gains were reversed, youth unemployment reached record levels, and income inequality was the worst it had been in more than half a century. Anne Appelbaum's erotic dreams had become Great Britain's nightmare. As Europe's ruling austerity class pushed forward with their plans, even the IMF tried to dissuade them. It was clear to anyone who wasn't blinded by ideology or political cynicism that austerity economics was a failed program. Even in countries like Greece, where government was far graver than elsewhere, the austerity programs imposed from outside threatened to destabilize society while other reasonable measures like improved tax collection were still not taken seriously enough. And now the entire Eurozone hangs in the balance. Bankers became wealthy by treating governments as if they were mortgages, lending recklessly and pocketing their fees without considering the long-term reliability of their loans. European leaders insisted for months they were take the kind of sensible steps that should've been taken in the United States by requiring bankers to accept at least part of the losses for the bad loans they had issed. That plan was quietly dropped last month. "Austerity economics" never calls for austerity from those who have gotten rich by being irresponsible, only from those who didn't benefit from it at all. The Afterlife President Obama has dropped his austerity rhetoric, at least for the time being, but the Republicans have not. Listening to Mitt Romney discuss economics is like having a doctor wave a dead chicken over your head and saying he's decided to cast a spell on you rather than operate on that thing they found in your X-rays. Aside from the bill introduced this month by the House Progressive Caucus to almost no media attention, there's no comprehensive plan for dropping this country's ineffective austerity strategy and replacing it with an agenda that works. Rational solutions to our economic problems are being ignored. There won't be a real debate about alternatives to austerity until an entire political party, not just part of it, adopts this kind of program. Until then there will be chaos. And where there is chaos, austerity's powerful advocates can step in and take charge. Austerity economics died in 2011 and is survived by the British, German, and French governments as well as the GOP and large portions of the Democratic Party. Instead of sending flowers, the family has asked the public to abandon all hopes of future economic growth.

Notable Death of the Year: RIP Austerity Economics, 1921-2011

Added 12/28/11
1 Views

Notable Death of the Year: RIP Austerity Economics, 1921-2011

[LESS INFO] 1 VIEWS | ADDED 19:00:30 12/28/11
"Smokestack Lightnin'," with Hubert Sumlin backing Howlin' Wolf in 1964 This is the time of year when we're reminded of all the famous people who died over the last twelve months, a list which includes two of my favorite guitar players ( Hubert Sumlin and Cornell Dupree ). But there were also some notable non-human deaths in 2011, especially in the world of economic policy. One of those deaths should have completely altered the political debate in Washington. The name of the deceased was "Austerity Economics," and it was first glimpsed in a 1921 paper by conservative economist Frank Wright. Austerity died of natural causes brought on by prolonged exposure to reality. But the debate in Washington didn't change nearly enough after its passing. In the nation's capital, dead things still rule the night. Why Austerity? "Austerity economics" backers claim that today's economic woes can only be fixed by dramatic reductions in government spending, which will lead to increased private-sector confidence and therefore to greater investment and growth. But it's never worked. And if investors have lost confidence in the U.S. government's fiscal stability, they're sure not acting that way. There hasn't been this much demand for Treasury bonds since the government began tracking it twenty years ago, and they haven't performed as well since the go-go 1990s. It's easy to understand austerity's attraction for power elites inside and outside of government. The people who suffer from austerity budgets aren't the kinds of people they know personally, since they're typically public employees like teachers, police, firefighters and the administrators of social programs; people who need government assistance, like the poor; and middle-class people with the temerity to either grow old or become disabled. Austerity's attraction became even greater in the U.S. because once it became conventional wisdom that tax increases on the wealthy was "politically infeasible." That made it a program whose sole purpose was to cut government spending, lowering the pressure to increase taxes on the wealthy from today's historically low levels. For a one-percenter, what's not to love? Austerity Comes of Age The idea's been around in one form or another since that 1921 paper, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had been imposing it on Third World nations for decades. But 2009 was the year that austerity really came of age. That was the year that a wealthy stockbroker's son named David Cameron began campaigning for Prime Minister of Great Britain on an explicitly pro-austerity platform. It was also the year that Cameron helped to form a group named European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) dedicated to electing like-minded politicians across Europe and helping them collaborate on ways to slash government spending. It was also the year that right-leaning Angela Merkel won reelection as the Chancellor of Germany with a stronger mandate than she'd been given in her first term. With Nicolas Sarkozy as President of France, Great Britain was the only major European power not yet in the hands of the corporate-backed austerity crowd. The Global Sado-Erotic Thrill Machine That changed with Cameron's election as Prime Minister in May 2010, an event that threw pro-austerity Americans into throes of near-erotic ecstasy. And if that sounds like hyperbole, consider conservative Anne Appelbaum's reaction to Cameron's budget in September of 2010: > Vicious cuts." "Savage cuts." "Swingeing (sic) cuts." The language that the British use to describe their new government's spending-reduction policy is apocalyptic in the extreme. The ministers in charge of the country's finances are known as "axe-wielders" who will be "hacking" away at the budget. Articles about the nation's finances are filled with talk of blood, knives, and amputation. And the British love it. What can I say? There are people who collect serial-killer memorabilia, too. But Appelbaum wasn't just speaking for herself. It became unacceptable for any politician in Washington, Democrat or Republican, to advocate anything other than an austerity budget for the United States. And it was more than an economic strategy to its backers. Austerity became a way to demonize those who had suffered most from the banking abuses and self-indulgences of the wealthy, a totemic "blame the victim" response that turned the political debate into a grotesque inversion of morality. Again, Appelbaum: > "Not only is austerity being touted as the solution to Britain's economic woes; it is also being described as the answer to the country's moral failings." Bad Metaphors vs. Good Economists The Democratic President of the United States, Barack Obama, jumped onto the bandwagon with both feet by repeatedly lecturing Americans on the need for government to stop "spending beyond its means." Obama recycled the popular conservative metaphor of a family that has to sit around the kitchen table and decide how much money it has to spend. That's one of the worst metaphors in modern politics. Does a family establish its own currency -- especially one that has the unique position of the dollar? Can a family borrow money at rates so low they're effectively less than zero? Would a family let Grandma go hungry because Junior bought too many Porsches out of the family kitty and then gambled it away on lousy mortgage investments? The world's top economists, those who had successfully predicted the crisis of 2008, tried telling the rest of the world what was wrong with the idea: Joblessness and consumer fears were killing any chance of real recovery. More short-term spending was needed to get the economy moving again. Austerity would make things worse, not better. But nobody listened. Austerity's S%M-like attraction had the world's elites in its grip. Death of a Delusion And then something else came into the picture: Reality. Cameron's austerity budget had a shattering effect on the already-struggling British economy. His government's financial stability was downgraded five times during his first year in power and retail sales had fallen 2.5 percent. Household income was projected to fall an additional 2 percent if his austerity plans were carried forward. Britain's modest employment gains were reversed, youth unemployment reached record levels, and income inequality was the worst it had been in more than half a century. Anne Appelbaum's erotic dreams had become Great Britain's nightmare. As Europe's ruling austerity class pushed forward with their plans, even the IMF tried to dissuade them. It was clear to anyone who wasn't blinded by ideology or political cynicism that austerity economics was a failed program. Even in countries like Greece, where government was far graver than elsewhere, the austerity programs imposed from outside threatened to destabilize society while other reasonable measures like improved tax collection were still not taken seriously enough. And now the entire Eurozone hangs in the balance. Bankers became wealthy by treating governments as if they were mortgages, lending recklessly and pocketing their fees without considering the long-term reliability of their loans. European leaders insisted for months they were take the kind of sensible steps that should've been taken in the United States by requiring bankers to accept at least part of the losses for the bad loans they had issed. That plan was quietly dropped last month. "Austerity economics" never calls for austerity from those who have gotten rich by being irresponsible, only from those who didn't benefit from it at all. The Afterlife President Obama has dropped his austerity rhetoric, at least for the time being, but the Republicans have not. Listening to Mitt Romney discuss economics is like having a doctor wave a dead chicken over your head and saying he's decided to cast a spell on you rather than operate on that thing they found in your X-rays. Aside from the bill introduced this month by the House Progressive Caucus to almost no media attention, there's no comprehensive plan for dropping this country's ineffective austerity strategy and replacing it with an agenda that works. Rational solutions to our economic problems are being ignored. There won't be a real debate about alternatives to austerity until an entire political party, not just part of it, adopts this kind of program. Until then there will be chaos. And where there is chaos, austerity's powerful advocates can step in and take charge. Austerity economics died in 2011 and is survived by the British, German, and French governments as well as the GOP and large portions of the Democratic Party. Instead of sending flowers, the family has asked the public to abandon all hopes of future economic growth.

"Always do right - this will gratify some and astonish the res...

Added 12/14/11
0 Views

How Strange by Kimberly Freeman (Into Outer Space) - English /...

Added 10/24/11
1 Views

2 Female Teachers Caught Naked Together While HS Students Watc...

Added 08/08/11
24 Views

2 Female Teachers Caught Naked Together While HS Students Watched Talent Show

[LESS INFO] 24 VIEWS | ADDED 20:59:18 08/08/11
"Alini Brito (left) and Cindy Mauro were tossed from James Madison High School after being caught naked with each other, sources say NY Daily News Reports Who's hot for teacher? Looks like the other teacher. Two female Romance language instructors were tossed out of their Brooklyn high school after being caught ""undressed"" in an empty classroom, sources told the Daily News Tuesday. Students at James Madison High School in Midwood were watching a talent show in the auditorium while Alini Brito and Cindy Mauro were speaking the international language of love, sources said. A janitor stumbled on French teacher Mauro, 33, and Brito, 29, a married Spanish instructor, and tattled to school officials on Nov. 20. Both tenured teachers were removed from the classroom and sent to Education Department ""rubber rooms"" while they're investigated for misconduct, sources said. The episode is the talk of the school. Students even set up a Facebook group to discuss the shenanigans - and it already has more than 500 fans. ""Now you guys wished we installed cameras in our classrooms after all hmm?"" wrote one student. Janitor Robert Colantuoni refused to comment Tuesday. ""I can't talk about it, I'm sorry,"" he said. Brito's husband, reached by phone, said he was unaware of the accusations, but denied them. ""The school district has not informed my wife of these allegations and they are untrue,"" he said. Students said both teachers were popular. ""[Ms. Mauro] was pretty fun,"" said junior Eddie Ramirez, 18. ""She dressed like a teenage girl - she'd wear low-cut tops, shorts, three-quarter length jeans. She was kinda sexy. ""You could see that she was the kind of person who would flirt."" Students said Mauro dyed some of her hair pink over the summer and has an array of sexy tattoos: a sun on her lower back, a flower on her leg, and a star on her foot. Brito opted for more demure attire. ""She's pretty,"" said one 17-year-old who took French with her. ""Mrs. Brito was good-looking. Oh, yeah!"" A 16-year-old sophomore said Brito was a teacher students would come to with problems. ""She usually dresses elegant, looks smart,"" he said. ""She's good-looking. And she was friendly, not flirty, just friendly."" Students said gossip about the romp was flying through the school, where staff members were trying to keep a lid on it. ""The teachers don't even want you to bring it up because they say they'll get in trouble if we're talking about it in class,"" Eddie Ramirez said. ""They just say, 'Let it go.'"" Teachers and administrators at James Madison would not comment yesterday, but the Education Department confirmed the probe. ""There was an incident in the evening when there was a school performance,"" department spokeswoman Margie Feinberg said. ""The two teachers have been reassigned pending the outcome of [an Education Department] investigation."" Follow Me @Twitter.com/ChasinMoPaper Tags: 2, caught, female, hs, naked, show, students, talent, teachers, togethe"

What do Girls Want as Gifts From Geeks?

Added 04/18/11
14 Views

02-11 Give a Little Head for Valentines Day

Added 02/01/11
6 Views

02-11 Give a Little Head for Valentines Day

[LESS INFO] 6 VIEWS | ADDED 05:00:00 02/01/11
Hello people! Love is in the air - It's almost St. Valentines Day and I have some ideas for you. This week on the show I'm demonstrating a charming craft project - Topiary Heads! They make delightful gifts for your valentine and are such fun to put together. Here's how: You'll need: A paper mache flour pot Plaster of Paris An 8" diameter Styrofoam ball Raffia in black or brown An 18" wooden dowel Pink tint floral spray Craft paint in brown, red or pink and blue or violet Ribbon in pink and red Red and white heart shaped paper doilies Red metallic poster board Pink poster board Artificial flowers Pink or white netting or tulle Floral wire Tiny red pompons A glue gun and glue sticks Scotch tape Wire cutters A paint brush Scissors White glue Start by setting the dowel in the bottom of the flour pot so it stands upright with the plaster of Paris. Then you can create the head. Give the ball a light dusting of the floral spray, concentrating it a little more where you want the cheeks to be. Paint a face on the Styrofoam ball using the craft paint, then use the raffia to create an attractive hairstyle, pinning it to the ball using the floral wire. Use the ribbon to tie the hair into pony or pig tails, or as an attractive headband. Mount the head on the dowel. Next, create a bow for the neck by gathering up a length of tulle and holding it together with a length of floral wire. Leave the tails of the wire sticking up. Attach an artificial rose to the bow with wire or hot glue. Then insert the tails of wire up into the base of the ball to mount your bow at her neck. Now it's time to create the hat. Cut a large heart out of the metallic paper board. The heart should be larger than either of the doilies. Next create a truncated cone of pink paper board. Cut half inch deep tabs into the top edge of the cone and fold them down to create a surface to glue your heart to. Mount the heart on the cone and, once dry, you can glue your doilies, one on top of the other, down to the red heart. Mount a pouf of tulle with an artificial flower on top of the doilies using floral wire through all layers and leave the tails. Use the tails to mount the hat on the head by inserting them into the Styrofoam. Trim the dowel by winding ribbon around it spirally from top to bottom. Tape it to the dowel to secure it in place. Your finishing touch is to fill the flower pot with tulle and stud the tulle with the pompons using your hot glue gun. Congratulations! Your Valentines Day gift is complete! This week on my NPR podcast I'm discussing the perfect Valentines Day meal - A picnic on your living room floor! It's such a delightful way to celebrate with your valentine. Be sure and listen. If you haven't signed up for my mailing list yet consider joining now. Each week, in addition to getting information about my shows, I feature editorial content that you can't get anywhere else. This week I'm featuring my recipe for brownie cookies. They're delightful cut into heart shapes and frosted with pink icing! That's all for this week. Be sure and join me next time!

Episode 35 Tomas Vieira

Added 12/13/10
145 Views

May The Force Be With Http //Boo Bs Breast Cancer Is The Dark...

Added 10/04/10
0 Views

May The Force Be With Http //Boo Bs Breast Cancer Is The Dark Side! #Icqb

[LESS INFO] 0 VIEWS | ADDED 18:12:27 10/04/10
Now that we are knee-deep in October - it is wonderful to see everything turn pink. I walked into the supermarket on Saturday morning to buy my girlfriend some flowers for our new apartment and I was struck by a wave of pink. Pink balloons, pink food, pink flowers, pink cards. I usually buy her white flowers to match our stark white/black/red decor... but I had to make an exception and buy pink gladiolus. I am glad that an entire month has been dedicated to raising awareness for breast cancer. Plus - I get a kick out of watching everybody in the NFL wearing pink on the first Sunday of October. As you know, I am developing a social game at http://boo.bs to help fight the evil that is breast cancer. That's right. Evil. If life was a movie, breast cancer would be the dark side! Please go to http://boo.bs to see how you can make a donation to help me develop the game. Thank you for your support! - Boobi Jones Get the http://boo.bs iphone app to see Twitter updates from Katy Perry, Kelly Brook, Lindsay Lohan, Rosie Jones, Scarlett Johansson, Aria Giovanni, Jessica Simpson, Sofia Vergara, Kim Kardashian, Ashley Greene, Diora Baird, Eva Amurri, Blake Lively, Tess Taylor, Kylie Minogue, Kitty Lea, Rihanna, Olivia Wilde, Christina Applegate, Brooklyn Decker, Rosario Dawson, Ivanka Trump, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jessica Alba, Olivia Munn, Elizabeth Banks, Gisele Bundchen, Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, Alison Brie, Monica Bellucci, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Alice Greczyn, Alessandra Ambrosio, Joanna Krupa, Tyra Banks, Eliza Dushku, Selita Ebanks, Kendra Wilkinson, Natalie Gulbis, Lucy Pinder, Mariah Carey, Alyssa Milano, Audrina Patridge, Pamela Anderson, Sarah Shahi, Larissa Riquelm, Danica McKellar, Keeley Hazell, Josie Maran, Katie Price, Heidi Montag, Zoe Saldana, Odette Yustman, Taylor Swift, Ashley Tisdale, Brooke Burke, Alice Goodwin, Demi Moore, Jayde Nicole, Rose McGowan, Dolly Parton, Ashlee Simpson, Lily Allen, Paris Hilton, Mandy Moore, iJustine, Milla Jovovich, Miranda Kerr, Dita von Teese, Gabrielle Union, Elizabeth Hurley, Emily Scott, Doutzen Kroes, Cindy Crawford, Holly Madison, Adrianne Curry, Mallika Sherawat, Jennifer Lopez, Michelle McCool, Amber Lancaster, Jesse Jane, Antonella Barba, Denise Richards, Padma Lakshmi, Danica Patrick, Ana Beatriz Barros, Sanaa Lathan, Amanda Beard, Summer Glau, Sara Bareilles, Janet Jackson, Ali Landry, Jenna Jameson, Amber Rose, Dianna Agron, Giuliana Rancic, Pilar Rubio, Alicia Keys, The Bella Twins, Chelsea Handler, Felicia Day, Pania Rose, Alison Sudol, Susan Sarandon, Vikki Blows, Adrienne Bailon, Lea Michele, Aisha Tyler, Jessica Jane Clement, Ashanti, Sania Mirza, Melina, Brittny Gastineau, Serena Williams, Emma Watson, Sophia Bush, Soleil Moon Frye, Veronica Belmont, Nelly Furtado, Lauren London, Elisabeth Hasselbeck and more. More keywords: http://boo.bs wepay breast cancer social gaming donate charity rewards iphone app ipad android windows phone desktop boobi jones facebook mobile website boobs girls women hot men private friends cosmetic surgery big boobies bigtities bigboops black white nakedwomen nudewomen boobis bum bigboobies breast freevideo adult models man boob natural breasts job man huge naturals make bigger tities natural video got archive nake female small pics make your bigger bootylicious pictures hot latinas nice best get bouncing bignaturals bikini dare icantquitboobs kissing funny bikini jobs large naturally fat size lose new jugs under worlds naked largest with grab tattoos hooters touch all treatment melons gif three just i love how to get cruise sizes implants supersets boy cake photo cost bra lift american save the quake project i cant quit expansion pics reducing before after tennis types of pain enlargement image tape pillow good enhancement want xl major xxl eat augmentation cream gone wrong remove pump booster pills lose cheap getting thugs on want bike jugs sophie reade for sale local design false mall on finance farmville with boobs star wars indiana jones ghostbusters slimer superman clark kent cant quit breasts james bond 007 darth vader luke skywalker rocky

The Expendables, Scott Pilgrim and Julie Eats, Prays and Loves

Added 08/13/10
6 Views

The Expendables, Scott Pilgrim and Julie Eats, Prays and Loves

[LESS INFO] 6 VIEWS | ADDED 23:52:25 08/13/10
Check out more cool stuff at www.icplaces.com Scott Pilgrim vs the World: Meet charming and jobless Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera). A bass guitarist for garage band Sex Bob-omb, the 22-year-old has just met the girl of his dreams...literally. The only catch to winning Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead)? Her seven evil exes are coming to kill him. Genre-smashing filmmaker Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead) tells the amazing story of one romantic slacker’s quest to power up with love in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Scott Pilgrim has never had a problem getting a girlfriend. It’s getting rid of them that proves difficult. From the girl who kicked his heart’s ass—and now is back in town—to the teenage distraction he’s trying to shake when Ramona rollerblades into his world, love hasn’t been easy. He soon discovers, however, his new crush has the most unusual baggage of all: a nefarious league of exes controls her love life and will do whatever it takes to eliminate him as a suitor. As Scott gets closer to Ramona, he must face an increasingly vicious rogues’ gallery from her past—from infamous skateboarders to vegan rock stars and fearsome identical twins. And if he hopes to win his true love, he must vanquish them all before it really is game over. www.scottpilgrimthemovie.com Genres: Action-Comedy Starring: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin, Chris Evans, Anna Kendrick, Alison Pill, Brandon Routh, Jason Schwartzman Directed By: Edgar Wright Produced By: Marc Platt, Eric Gitter, Nira Park, Edgar Wright The Expendables: The only life they’ve known is war. The only loyalty they have is to each other. They are the Expendables: leader and mastermind Barney Ross (Stallone), former SAS blade expert Lee Christmas (Statham), hand-to-hand combat specialist Yin Yang (Li), long barrel weapons specialist Hale Caesar (Crews), demolitions expert Toll Road (Couture), and precision sniper Gunner Jensen (Lundgren). Living life in the fringes of the law, these hardened mercenaries take on what appears to be a routine assignment: a covert, CIA-funded operation to infiltrate the South American country of Vilena and overthrow its ruthless dictator General Garza (David Zayas). But when their job is revealed to be a suicide mission, the men are faced with a deadly choice, one that might redeem their souls…or destroy their brotherhood forever. Co-writer, director and star Sylvester Stallone brings together a powerhouse cast of action superstars – never before seen together in one film – in Lionsgate’s hard-hitting action thriller, THE EXPENDABLES. The film stars Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, and Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Eric Roberts, Randy Couture, Steve Austin, David Zayas with Terry Crews and Mickey Rourke. THE EXPENDABLES directed by Sylvester Stallone from a story by David Callaham and screenplay by David Callaham and Sylvester Stallone, and is produced by Avi Lerner, John Thompson and Kevin King Templeton. Lionsgate and Millennium Films present a Nu Image production. Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Eric Roberts, Randy Couture, Steve Austin, David Zayas, Giselle Itie, Charisma Carpenter, Gary Daniels, Terry Crews, Mickey Rourke Directed By: Sylvester Stallone Produced By: Avi Lerner, John Thompson and Kevin King Templeton Eat, Pray, Love: Liz Gilbert (Julia Roberts) is a modern woman on a quest to marvel at and travel the world while rediscovering and reconnecting with her true inner self in Eat Pray Love. At a crossroads after a divorce, Gilbert takes a year-long sabbatical from her job and steps uncharacteristically out of her comfort zone, risking everything to change her life. In her wondrous and exotic travels, she experiences the simple pleasure of nourishment by eating in Italy; the power of prayer in India, and, finally and unexpectedly, the inner peace and balance of love in Bali. Based on an inspiring true story, Eat Pray Love proves that there really is more than one way to let yourself go and see the world. Genres: Drama Rating: This film has been rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for Brief Strong Language, Some Sexual References and Male Rear Nudity. Starring: Julia Roberts, James Franco, Richard Jenkins, Viola Davis, Billy Crudup, and Javier Bardem Directed By: Ryan Murphy Produced By: Dede Gardner

Needlepoint - It's Not Just for Men Anymore!

Added 04/21/10
18 Views

Needlepoint - It's Not Just for Men Anymore!

[LESS INFO] 18 VIEWS | ADDED 23:31:00 04/21/10
Back in the 60's and 70's needlepoint was as popular as knitting is now. It was enjoyed by housewives, celebrities, free wheeling single girls like myself - even football players! And the interest in the medium made fertile ground for talented designers who created beautiful projects for themselves and others. It was such a popular hobby that books were published and magazines had countless features on the craft. What I like about needlepoint is it can be easy or difficult, simple or complex. You can decide how involved you want to get in fancy stitches and shading, but simple projects can be equally as compelling. This bandana pillow is a good example of simple. The design is easy to recreate. It's from one of my favorite needlepoint books from the 70's - Better Homes and Gardens Needlepoint, 1978. Slightly more complex are these needlepoint flowers from the same book. The petals are each done individually, then wired and taped to a stem - such a pretty detail in a room! Of course you can get as complex as you want to. Also from BH%G This freeform design breaks all the rules and is a lovely example of needleplay. Our last Better Homes example is the beautiful kresh done in an abstract style. The detailed shading and elegant painterly quality of the faces is just lovely - so modern and sophisticated, yet still retaining a sense of humor. Men took to needlepoint in the 70's, like they're taking to knitting now. There was quite a faction of male needlepointers, The most famous was perhaps Rosey Grier, the LA Giants tackle. He loved the art and published a book all about it and the men who do it. Here's Rosey with some of his projects Another talented male needlepointer was Louis J. Gartner, Jr. He published a book in 1970 (Needlepoint Design, A House and Garden Book) that featured some of the beautifully detailed work he did. This is a good example of his work. Notice the sense of depth he was able to achieve in a medium not unlike digital photography. Each stitch is like a pixel. Take note of how he uses the diagonal tent stitch (the basic stitch in needlepoint) to his advantage by lining them up to create a pin that holds objects on the wall. I particularly love the shadows cast in this still life. Needlepoint is due for a revival. It's languished in the land of teddy bears and folk art long enough. If you're interested in the more creative side of needlepoint look on eBay or Amazon for the books mentioned above. I also have a few books on the art for sale on Etsy . Have a look at those too! We did an episode on the art of needlepoint a few years back. Here it is again if you missed it: