text:
Company Search:
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Txc Corporation Company Snapshot
Txc Corporation operates in the Semiconductors and related devices sector. In addition to historical fundamental analyses, the complete report available to purchase compares Txc with three other companies in this sector in Taiwan: Elite Semiconductor Memory Technology Incorporated (2015 sales of 9.27 billion Taiwanese Dollars [US$303.47 million] of which 100% was Integrated Circuits), Sitronix Technology Corp (9.27 billion Taiwanese Dollars [US$303.47 million] of which 100% was Electronic Components), and Lite-On Semiconductor Corp (9.42 billion Taiwanese Dollars [US$308.48 million] of which 48% was Separating Conponent).

Sales Analysis. Txc reported sales of 9.27 billion Taiwanese Dollars (US$303.45 million) for the year ending December of 2015. This represents a decrease of 2.7% versus 2014, when the company's sales were 9.53 billion Taiwanese Dollars. The sales level in 2015 was fairly close to the level five years ago: in 2010, Txc had sales of 9.65 billion Taiwanese Dollars. Contributing to the drop in overall sales was the 4.1% decline in Shiying Department, from 9.18 billion Taiwanese Dollars to 8.80 billion Taiwanese Dollars. . However, these declines were partially offset by the increase in sales of Other Department (up 32.3% to 461.63 million Taiwanese Dollars) .
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Txc Corporation
  Stock Performance Chart for Txc Corporation
  Stock Data: Recent Stock Performance:
  Current Price (3/17/2017): 45.40
(Figures in Taiwanese Dollars)
1 Week 3.1%   13 Weeks -1.2%
4 Weeks 8.7%   52 Weeks 5.6%
Txc Corporation Key Data:
  Ticker: 3042 Country: Taiwan
  Exchanges: TAI Major Industry: Semiconductor Equipment & Products
    Sub Industry: Semiconductors & Related Devices
  2015 Sales 9,265,656,000
(Year Ending Jan 2016).
Employees: 2,518
  Currency: Taiwanese Dollars Market Cap: 14,062,967,800
  Fiscal Yr Ends: December Shares Outstanding: 309,757,000
  Share Type: Gu Closely Held Shares: 22,489,000
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Apsis Spices up C7 Interior

By -

Apsis Matte Finish text image
The accessory company Apsis USA is cooking up a pretty nice collection of matte-finish interior parts for the C7.

The Apsis upgrade, which includes custom touches on everything from the door handles to the center console, certainly adds a nice look to the cockpit, which you can see more pictures of here.

Apsis says it will be expanding its matte finish offerings even more in the near future to include seat-back panels, side panels, and side airbag covers.

C7 Apsis Whole Interior Matte Finish

Head to the forum for more photos of this upgrade.

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Cosmetics of Ellen Betrix are fully accessible for members.

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Last Updated: 12-02-2008

I never intended to cosplay this character; it was made for me by limebarb to match her Morrigan costume. I styled my wig and glued my bat-pants but that's it. I personally think this is the ugliest character design ever. That usually means that I'd like it, but not in this case. I think this is a hideous, hideous design. And yet, I have so much fun wearing it. Hmm.

Comments: 2

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Jia Jem

United States

Character Lilith
Series Darkstalkers
Costume Views 5142
Favorites 14
Comments 2
Upload Date 12-02-2008
Debuted Otakon 2005

Copyright 2002-2017, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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Unread 05-22-2006, 09:22 PM   #2
Eurobeat King
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Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 10,985
Please check the "Others" section for any threads regarding YoumaCon 2006:

If there are no threads already existing, feel free to make a new one. In doing so, make sure you give some information about the con (like the con's website) to let others know what the con is about.
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Morris Costumes
Batman Muscle Chest Set Child Costume

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Fight crime in style!

Save Gotham city from the bad guys wearing our Batman Muscle Chest Set Child Costume! The costume set includes a long sleeved grey muscle chest shirt with Batman Symbol on the chest and a printed yellow belt around the waistline. Also included in the set are a light blue cape with scalloped hem and a matching mask with pointy ears on top. Perfect for trick-or-treating and daily dress up play! Your boy will definitely enjoy dressing up as his favorite superhero in this incredible costume!
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HOME Secretary Theresa May paid a visit to a Worcestershire village this week and took part a question and answer with residents.

She was the guest of Nigel Huddleston, the Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Mid Worcestershire, at uesday's event at the Lygon Arms, in Broadway.

“I was delighted to visit Broadway to meet local Conservative activists and to support Nigel Huddleston in his campaign to succeed Sir Peter Luff as the next Member of Parliament for Mid Worcestershire," said the Home Secretary.

"Peter has been an excellent MP and I’m sorry to see him go, but it is clear that the local residents who came to the open primary in November made a great choice in Nigel Huddleston – and I look forward to seeing him in Parliament next year.”

Mr Huddleston said he was pleased the MP took time out of her schedule to visit them.

"We had a fascinating and lively discussion on subjects ranging from Badger culling to immigration and the upcoming Scottish referendum," he said.

“She charmed and impressed everyone who attended. Theresa May is a star performer and we are fortunate to have someone of her calibre as Home Secretary.”

Worcestershire County Councillor Liz Eyre, who chaired the meeting, added: “It was particularly generous of the Home Secretary to fit time for local people into her already busy schedule.

"We are all impressed by her command of her brief and her ability to cover a wide range of topics. Local residents also appreciated the opportunity to get to know Nigel, our PPC, even better.”


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  • CH Commissions Community Health Needs Assessments

Published on December 01, 2013

CH Commissions Community Health Needs Assessments

How can our community become a better place in which all of us can live, work and play? It begins with an initiative to better understand the health needs of those living here.

Cottage Health recently conducted two Community Health Needs Assessments for south and mid-Santa Barbara County—roughly the areas served by Cottage Health hospitals. The assessments identify major health concerns, gaps in services, and other factors that may detract from optimal health status for residents of our community.

Community Health Needs Assessments gather information through telephone surveys of residents and in meetings with key opinion leaders, and analyzing secondary data.

This information is being shared with the entire community, as well as all providers of health care in the area to assist in the development of programs and services based upon the data obtained and the opportunities identified.

We encourage you to share the information with others you feel would be interested, and we hope it will create dialogue within the community.

Cottage Health E-Living SignupCottage Health E-Living Newsletter

Sign up for Cottage Health’s FREE Health E-Living newsletter. This digital resource is full of events, healthy tips and nutritional information to help you on your wellness journey.

Upcoming Events

Media and Public Relations Contact

Maria Zate, Manager of Public Relations

Phone: 805-879-8986


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Kia Ora

Us New Zealanders generally like to think of ourselves as a pretty welcoming bunch. And music has played an important part in welcoming visitors round these parts for centuries with the karanga being the first part of the process of being called onto the marae.

The Maori phrase for welcome, Haere Mai was the title of a bilingual hit written by Sam Freedman and sung by Maori singer Daphne Walker in the 1950s. The song's now pretty familiar after being used on an TV ad campaign a few years back. It's anything but a traditional Maori song, with a Hawaiian guitar backing provided by Bill Wolfgramme and His Islanders, and if you check out the cover of the album that included the song, Maori Brown Eyes, you'll see a Hawaiian rather than a Maori scene.

Sometimes it's not what you say, but how you say it that convey the strongest message, even when what you say is as simple as "gidday". In the brilliant 'How You Doing?' the Front Lawn (Don McGlashan and Harry Sinclair)  use the clumsy greetings and small talk of a chance encounter between two old schoolmates to convey a sense of the disillusion and melancholy of a descent into a suburban work-home-tv-sleep routine. While around the same period in the 1980s The Ponsonby DCs released G'Day Mate, a jaunty little horn driven number that demonstrates just how hollow, or even menacing, a greeting and expression of frienship can be. The song can be found on a self titled album re-released a few years ago. Incidentally the Ponsonby DCs have recently got back together following a 20 year break to record a second album which should be out this year. There are an American interview with Keith Dion from the Ponsonby DCs and a great short film, Workshort from The Front Lawn on the video page.

In the late 90s Ben and Greta, formerly the rhythm section of Fying Nun act Superette, recorded a bunch of catchy pop songs for the Arch Hill Records label. Most were never released which is a great shame because on the strength of 'Hello Hello', one of two songs available on Amplifier ,this duo could have achieved big things.

In contrast, Wendyhouse were never destined for anything other than cult status with a prolific release sheet including an album where the two musicans recorded an album on one channel each, with the listener having to choose to listen to one of the completely seperate albums on channel left or right. In amongst all the weirdness Wendyhouse have produced a wealth of witty and worthy songs over the years. A great place to start is the 1994 compilation Hot Action Plastic, which alonside the puns such as 'Fuck The Mall' includes songs like 'Hello, Goodnight' which use the simplest of instrumentation (a Casio keyboard and an xylophone) and ends up as a touching and pretty song contemplating our place in the world. (There are a selection of free downloads of Wendyhouse songs on the website of  Skirted Records)

On the podcast you'll also hear excerpts from 'Welcome' by International Observer, 'Welcome, Haere Mai' by Dub Asylum and 'Welcome to Our World' from John Grenell (must see video on the video page).

Download the Counting The Beat - Kia Ora podcast

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Czech Koruna trends

Trends on 7 days
USD0.0400 (+1.7%)
EUR0.0370 (0.0%)
GBP0.0321 (-0.3%)
CNY0.2755 (+1.4%)
JPY4.4436 (-1.4%)
CAD0.0535 (+1.2%)
CHF0.0397 (-0.0%)

Convert 410 Czech Koruna (CZK) to British Pound (GBP)

For 410 CZK, at the 2017-03-22 exchange rate, you will have 13.16898 GBP

Convert other quantities from Czech Koruna to British Pound

1 CZK = 0.03212 GBP Reverse conversion 1 GBP = 31.13377 CZK
Back to the conversion of CZK to other currencies

Did you know it? Some information about the British Pound currency

The pound sterling (symbol: £; ISO code: GBP), commonly known simply as the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, the British Crown dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man, and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, the British Antarctic Territory and Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha (in Tristan da Cunha only).
It is subdivided into 100 pence (singular: penny). A number of nations that do not use sterling also have currencies called the "pound".

Read the article on Wikipedia


text:
British Pound trends

Trends on 7 days
USD1.2452 (+2.1%)
EUR1.1522 (+0.3%)
CNY8.5762 (+1.7%)
JPY138.3454 (-1.1%)
CAD1.6659 (+1.5%)
CHF1.2345 (+0.3%)

Convert 35 British Pound (GBP) to Russian Ruble (RUB)

For 35 GBP, at the 2017-03-22 exchange rate, you will have 2526.53704 RUB

Convert other quantities from British Pound to Russian Ruble

1 GBP = 72.18677 RUB Reverse conversion 1 RUB = 0.01385 GBP
Back to the conversion of GBP to other currencies

Did you know it? Some information about the Russian Ruble currency

The ruble or rouble (Russian: рубль rublʹ, plural рубли rubli; see note on English spelling and Russian plurals with numbers) (code: RUB) is the currency of the Russian Federation and the two partially recognized republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Formerly, the ruble was also the currency of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union before their dissolution. Belarus and Transnistria use currencies with the same name.
The ruble is subdivided into 100 kopeks (sometimes transliterated kopecks, or copecks; Russian: копейка, kopéyka; plural: копейки, kopéyki). The ISO 4217 code is RUB or 643; the former code, RUR or 810, refers to the Russian ruble before the 1998 redenomination (1 RUB = 1000 RUR).

Read the article on Wikipedia


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Polish Zloty trends

Trends on 7 days
USD0.2524 (+2.7%)
EUR0.2336 (+0.9%)
GBP0.2027 (+0.6%)
CNY1.7384 (+2.3%)
JPY28.0433 (-0.5%)
CAD0.3377 (+2.1%)
CHF0.2502 (+0.9%)

Convert 3700 Polish Zloty (PLN) to Thai Baht (THB)

For 3700 PLN, at the 2017-03-22 exchange rate, you will have 32341.29765 THB

Convert other quantities from Polish Zloty to Thai Baht

1 PLN = 8.74089 THB Reverse conversion 1 THB = 0.11440 PLN
Back to the conversion of PLN to other currencies

Did you know it? Some information about the Thai Baht currency

The baht (Thai: บาท, sign: ฿; code: THB) is the currency of Thailand. It is subdivided into 100 satang (สตางค์). The issuance of currency is the responsibility of the Bank of Thailand.
The thai baht, like the pound, originated from a traditional unit of mass. Its currency value was originally expressed as that of silver of corresponding weight (now defined as fifteen grams), and was in use probably as early as the Sukhothai period in the form of bullet coins known in Thai as phot duang (Thai: พดด้วง).

Read the article on Wikipedia


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Turkish Lira trends

Trends on 7 days
USD0.2760 (+2.6%)
EUR0.2554 (+0.9%)
GBP0.2217 (+0.5%)
CNY1.9009 (+2.2%)
JPY30.6645 (-0.5%)
CAD0.3692 (+2.0%)
CHF0.2736 (+0.9%)

Convert 2 Turkish Lira (TRY) to Czech Koruna (CZK)

For 2 TRY, at the 2017-03-22 exchange rate, you will have 13.80172 CZK

Convert other quantities from Turkish Lira to Czech Koruna

1 TRY = 6.90086 CZK Reverse conversion 1 CZK = 0.14491 TRY
Back to the conversion of TRY to other currencies

Did you know it? Some information about the Czech Koruna currency

The Czech koruna or Czech crown (sign: Kč; code: CZK) has been the currency of the Czech Republic since 8 February 1993 when, together with its Slovak counterpart, it replaced the Czechoslovak koruna at par.
The official name in Czech is koruna česká (plural koruny české, though the zero-grade genitive plural form korun českých is used on banknotes and coins of value 5 Kč or higher). The ISO 4217 code is CZK and the local acronym is Kč, which is placed after the numeric value (e.g., "50 Kč").
One koruna equals 100 haléřů (abbreviated as "h", singular: haléř, nominative plural: haléře, genitive plural: haléřů - used with numbers higher or equal to 5 - e.g. 3 haléře, 8 haléřů).

Read the article on Wikipedia


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Steak with Red Wine Sauce

Try this simple sauce with any panfried beef, from burgers to filet mignon. It is thickened with a little butter at the end, a French cooking technique that rounds out the wine and enriches the sauce. (Do not use margarine; it will not thicken the sauce.)

Total Time:
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 main dish servings

  • 2 tsp. vegetable oil
  • 4 boneless beef strip (shell)
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
  • ¼ c. finely chopped shallots
  • 1 c. dry red wine
  • pinch dried thyme
  • 2 tbsp. butter
  • 2 tsp. chopped fresh tarragon or flat-leaf parsley

  1. In nonstick 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat until very hot. Sprinkle steaks with salt and pepper. Cook 5 to 6 minutes per side for medium-rare or until desired doneness. Transfer steaks to warm platter.
  2. Discard drippings from skillet. Add shallots to pan and cook, stirring, until tender, about 1 minute. Add wine and thyme; heat to boiling over high heat. Boil until sauce has reduced to 1/3 cup, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat; stir in butter, stirring just until incorporated.
  3. Cut steaks into thin slices. Transfer to warm platter; pour sauce on top and sprinkle with tarragon. Makes 4 main-dish servings.

    Nutritional information is based on one serving.

More recipes like this
Steak with Shallot-Red Wine Sauce
Flank Steak with Red Wine and Oven Fries
grilled skirt steak with red wine chimichurri
Grilled Skirt Steak with Red Wine Chimichurri
Filet Mignon with Shallot-Red Wine Sauce and Garlic Frites
beef tenderloin with red wine sauce
Beef Tenderloin with Red Wine Sauce
From: Good Housekeeping


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Pepperoni Pizza Turkey Meat Loaf

For a spicy twist on classic meat loaf, whip up this tantalizing combination of ground turkey, marinara sauce, roasted peppers, shredded cheese and seasoned bread crumbs topped with pepperoni and fresh basil.

Total Time:
Level: Easy
Serves: 4

  • 1¼ lb. ground turkey
  • 1 c. bottled marinara sauce
  • ½ c. bottled roasted yellow or red peppers
  • ½ c. shredded Italian 6-cheese blend
  • ½ c. Italian seasoned dried bread crumbs
  • ½ c. finely chopped onion
  • 16 small slices 70%-less-fat turkey pepperoni (such as Hormel)
  • 1 large Egg
  • 2 tsp. minced garlic
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • Garnish: fresh basil leaves

  1. In a medium bowl, using your hands or a wooden spoon, mix ground turkey, 1⁄2 cup marinara sauce, 1⁄4 cup each peppers and cheese blend, the bread crumbs and onion, diced pepperoni (reserve sliced), egg, garlic and salt until blended. Pat mixture over bottom of a 3 1⁄2-qt slow-cooker (if using a larger cooker, pat mixture into an 8-in. round). Spread top with 1⁄4 cup marinara sauce.
  2. Cover and cook on low 4 to 6 hours or until a meat thermometer (preferably instant-read) inserted in center of loaf registers 165°F.
  3. Spread with remaining sauce, sprinkle with remaining cheese, then top with remaining pepperoni and peppers. Cover and cook 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Sprinkle with basil; cut in wedges.
More recipes like this
2-for-1 Turkey Meat Loaf Recipe
Orange-Ginger Turkey Meat Loaf
whole roasted turkey
Turkey Meat Loaf
Veal and Sage Meat Loaf
Mushroom-Stuffed Meat Loaf
From: Woman's Day


text:
User profile: Texan40

User info
User name:Texan40
Number of posts:645
Latest posts:

Integer Division by Zero?
1/x where x > 1 is 0 in integer division. You'll want to have them as doubles instead probably.

Coin toss simulator
If you keep track of heads, then tails will be howManyTimes - heads, and vice-versa.

winsock error : 'stderr' was not declared in this scope
#include <cstdio>

Looping srand(time(NULL));
The speed at which you are calling srand() is the issue. If you really want to seed on each call th...

How do I make my number show as 1.0 instead of 1
[code] float decnum = 25.75; cout << std::fixed << std::setprecision(2) << decnum << endl; [/code] ...


text:
101 things you sooo wanted to know about me

Bold the ones you’ve done.
Then tag others.

1. Started your own blog (uh isn’t that kind of obvious?)

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyland (many times!)

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang a solo

11. Bungee jumped (kind of…it was a bungee swing…either way it’s as close as I’m ever getting)

12. Visited Paris (a. maz.ing.)

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea (in Mexico on our honeymoon. It was beautiful!)

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France (also amazing and inspirational)

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (who hasn’t?)

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (England)

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language (does pig latin count?)

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie (barbie videos baby)

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Split your pants in public

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone (my thumb)

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Read the entire Bible

86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had chickenpox

89. Saved someone’s life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake (more like floated…)

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee (many times)

100. Read an entire book in one day

101. Learned to play an instrument

My results: 52/101
What are your results?

I taggy tag everyone!

  1. Yay! Thanks for doing it! It was fun to learn more about you! :)

Speak Your Mind


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1  HOME SWEET HOME / Crafty Housewares: Discussion and Questions / Paint Trouble. PLEASE help! on: June 09, 2004 08:18:22 AM
Hi everyone!

I painted my bathroom recently, and could not find a fabric shower curtain to match.  (I have to use fabric instead of vinyl, because there is no ventilation in the bathroom, and I have problems with mildew buildup.  Fabric is "wash-n-go")

I used leftover latex paint for my shower curtain design.  That is doing good so far.  But for the accent, I used silver metallic craft paint.  I let dry for about 24 hours and hung it for use.

NOW, every time  we shower, there are streaks of that silver craft paint from where the water seeped through the fabric.  I worked so hard on that shower curtain, and it turned out great, and now I'm heart broken that it's being ruined.

Should I have heat set the craft paint?  What did I do wrong?Huh

Thanks in advance for your help!

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Real Assistants in an Online World

Continuing Education for Virtual Assistants and Virtual Professionals

Continuing education is important in any business. I’m always learning on my own via webinars, reading articles and books, hands-on learning of new programs, etc. But there’s something to be said for more formalized training sessions like conferences and courses. A few things I love about conferences:

  • Networking with peers & experts.
  • Learning about hot industry topics.
  • One price for tons of learning!
  • I get to pick and choose what I want to hear (especially when there are multiple sessions at once).
  • For virtual conferences, I get to listen to recordings later!

The IVAA Online Summit is one of my favorite (and one of the least expensive) Virtual Conferences to attend each year. Granted, I am a bit biased since I was one of those who helped get it started and off the ground! This is actually the first year I’ll be paying to attend (instead of being a volunteer, in charge, etc.) and I’m excited to experience it without fighting all the fires that come with running an event. :)

Check out the preliminary speaker and topic lineup at Early bird pricing is in place now and there are some great prizes you can win if you sign up early!

Simple Steps to Getting Started on Twitter

If you’re new to Twitter, you may be a bit perplexed about how it works and why you should bother using it for business. You aren’t alone if you have that deer-in-the-headlights look!

The good news is that you can learn it and get up to speed pretty quickly. A lot of this will come by way of following and watching what others are doing.

Here are some tips to get you started on Twitter:

  1. Sign up with a user name that represents your brand or uses a keyword. It should be memorable, but not too long as length matters in the Twitter world!
  2. Next, fill out your profile completely. In your bio, let people know about you & your personality. Mix business with pleasure a bit – we want to know that you’re human. Include your city so others nearby can find you.
  3. Post a few updates before you start following a bunch of people. It doesn’t have to be earth-shattering, but the early tweets are a good time to let others know what you’ll be posting in the future, what your interests are, etc. Resist the urge to self-promote or sell your products in the beginning (and when you do later, do so sparingly!).
  4. Start following people you know, businesses you like, colleagues, etc. Look for the Twitter icon on webpages you visit or search sites like or
  5. Once you’re up and running, work on making connections and building relationships with others daily. Just a few minutes a day can catapult you to Twitter success.

Here are 2 great free ebooks that will help you get started on Twitter:

And here’s what you need to know about Twitter Etiquette:

Twitter Essentials GuideFor more direction and resources on Twitter, download my Essential Twitter Guide. I’ve sorted through all the online noise to bring you the top tools and resources for Twitter that you need to know about! And of course, don’t forget to follow me on Twitter – you’ll find me @copong.

Articles on Working with a Virtual Assistant

Over the years, I’ve kept a list of some great articles about working with a Virtual Assistant. Here are some of my favorites:

Small Business Computing: I Could Have Hired a VA

Business Week: The Real Advantage of Farming it Out & The Many Virtues of Virtual Services Outsource to a VA and Save Money

USA Today: Virtual Assistants give entrepreneurs real help

What’s Your Secret Business Weapon?

Do you have a secret weapon for your business? Speaker Felicia Slattery says her secret weapon is a Virtual Assistant. See why here!

Quoted in recent article

One of the perks of being President of the International Virtual Assistant Association this year is that I periodically have the opportunity to speak with reporters from around the country. I recently spoke with Luara Raines of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and am pleased with this latest article about the Virtual Assistant industry. Check it out and let me know what you think!

Why Blog When You Have Facebook?

This is a great post by blog guru Denise Wakeman on why you should have a blog even if you’re an avid Facebook user. Great food for thought and a reminder that you need to back up your content, regardless of where it resides!


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“Street to Street” print by Chris Keegan

UK designer Chris Keegan has just released a new screen-print to his Etsy shop. “Street to Street” is his take on what he would call “a 360 degree cityscape, layered in a series of concentric circles.” This three color screen-print is roughly 20″ x 22″, Finished off with multiple colours including silver and gold using pen and ink lines and dots, signed and numbered in an edition of 20. Chris also has a lot of other prints available so make sure to check out the rest of the shop.

Chris Keegan Etsy

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Kohli stars, India pull off record chase

in Bangalore •
Kohli (100* off 52) hit the 7th quickest hundred in ODI cricket.
Kohli (100* off 52) hit the 7th quickest hundred in ODI cricket. © BCCI

Stupendous tons from Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, and a splendid 95 from Shikhar Dhawan helped India pull off their biggest chase in ODI cricket to level the 7-match series against Australia 1-1. Australia's top five scored half-centuries but their knocks went in vain as Rohit (141* off 123) came up with his career-best knock while Kohli (100* off 52) hit the fastest hundred by an Indian and 7th quickest hundred overall in ODI cricket to help India chase down a mammoth target of 360 with 9 wickets in hand. This was also the second highest chase in ODIs after the epic 438 by South Africa in 2006 versus Australia, against whom the top four run-chases have been achieved.

Facing a stiff task, the openers Dhawan and Rohit provided India a steady start, keeping the scoring rate hovering around the 6-an-over mark. While there were a couple of quiet overs at the start, Rohit and Dhawan made it up by finding the boundaries regularly in the overs to follow to get India moving forward. Dhawan had a lucky escape when he was on 18 as Brad Haddin failed to hold on to a skier and the left-hander went on to bring up the fifty-run stand in the 9th over with three boundaries in a row off Watson. Dhawan also survived a close appeal for stumping when he was on 42, saved by a missing frame and some of the Australian players had a word or two to say to the opener.

Dhawan and Rohit top the list for most runs in partnership this year for any wicket and the pair added to that tally by bringing up their fourth century stand in 2013, which came in style when Rohit struck Maxwell for the first six of the innings. The right-hander went on to register his half-century with a four off Doherty before it was Dhawan's turn to raise the bat as he got to his fifty with a boundary off the same bowler. The opening pair, who went past their previous best stand of 127, went on to register the best opening partnership against Australia in ODIs, bettering the 175-run-stand between Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly in Kanpur in 1998.

Dhawan was looking good to get to his 4th ODI hundred but fell 5 short of the mark when he edged James Faulkner to Haddin while trying to play a cover drive, to bring a fabulous 176-run-stand to an end. Dhawan's departure did not have a detrimental effect on the scoring rate as Kohli started off with a flurry of big hits to power India past 200 in the 30th over before bringing up the fifty-run-stand two overs later. India's number three batsman got to his fifty in the 34th over, taking just 27 deliveries to get there.

Even as Rohit entered the nineties, Kohli was racing away as he continued to deal in 4s and 6s and in the process overtook Dhawan as the highest run-getter for India in ODIs this year. Rohit, who had gone past 700 ODI runs in 2013, brought up the third 100-run-stand in this match with back to back boundaries off Faulkner before bringing up his 3rd ODI ton - his first as an opener - with a sparkling drive off Mitchell Johnson for a boundary. Meanwhile, Kohli's sensational hitting continued and the right-hander brought up the fastest hundred by an Indian in ODI cricket when he reached the three figure mark in just 52 deliveries. Rohit then finished things off in style when he hit Maxwell for a four, six and a four in the 44th over to help India win with 6.3 overs to spare. Kohli and Rohit had put on an unbeaten 186-run stand, the third best 2nd wicket stand for India against Australia.

Earlier, the Indian bowlers' dismal showing in this series continued as the Australian top-order made merry. Finch and Hughes provided a solid base, putting on a 74-run stand for the opening wicket before the numbers three, four and five joined in the run feast. Finch capitalized on reprieve by going on to register his third consecutive half-century in the limited overs series against the sub-continent team. While Finch was at his attacking best, Hughes complemented him by playing the second fiddle to perfection. The well-built Victorian was gearing up for a big knock but he failed to beat a direct throw from Suresh Raina to head back on 50 off 53.

Hughes then had Shane Watson for company as the Aussies continued to pile on. Dhoni would have hoped for the spinners to do some damage but that was not the case as Hughes and Watson handled Ashwin, Jadeja and Yuvraj with ease with the former going on to register his 2nd ODI half-century in the 26th over. Watson was not to be left behind as a couple of overs later, he too brought up a fifty - his 30th in One Dayers - before the 2nd wicket pair brought up the 100-run stand. India had some respite when Vinay Kumar accounted for Watson, but it was only a momentary one as Hughes continued batting solidly while skipper Bailey too gathered the runs at a fair clip to power Australia past 200 in the 36th over. The left-handed Hughes was looking set to bring up his third ODI ton, but could not do so as he failed to execute a cut-shot off Ashwin, edging it to Dhoni.

Hughes' departure did not end Australia's domination as Bailey and Maxwell took over and sent the Indian attack on a leather-hunt by putting on a staggering 96 runs in only 8.3 overs for the fourth wicket. They registered half-centuries in the process to make it the only occasion in ODI cricket where all the top five have scored fifties in an innings. While Maxwell and Adam Voges fell in the death overs (the former was run-out while the latter became Vinay's second scalp), Bailey stayed till the end to power Australia to their highest total against India in India. This total also equalled their highest ever total of 359/2 against India made during the 2003 World Cup final in South Africa as well as 359/4 in a VB Series match in Sydney back in 2004.


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Headquarters: Sunnyvale, Calif.

CEO: Jieming Zhu
New Funding: $7.5 million
Round: B
Backers: Handbag, LLC

AlephCloud is building a strategy in the cloud content privacy management space, which industry insiders see as likely to get a boost, given the privacy issues in the headlines these days. Led by former executives from Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft and Brocade, the company seeks to capitalize on the bring-your-own device phenomenon with what it describes as "a new technology for managing content privacy and provenance in public clouds."

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Not-guilty plea in fatal crash case

Posted on: Friday, February 6, 2004

By Peter Boylan Advertiser Staff Writer

A 21-year-old man involved in a fatal traffic collision in 2001 pleaded not guilty to a manslaughter charge in Circuit Court yesterday. His trial was set for April 5.

Nicholas Tudisco is free on $100,000 bail and will be allowed to return to California, where he is enrolled in college.

City prosecutors have said Tudisco was racing at more than 100 mph on the H-l on Aug. 26, 2001, when he lost control of his car, struck the center barrier and crashed into a van in which Holy Trinity School teacher Elizabeth Kekoa was riding. She was killed.

Tudisco has surrendered both his California and Hawai'i driver's licenses. "It's a sad situation all around," said Tudisco's attorney Michael Green. "We have a young man and you look at the attention he's getting, it's tough stuff."

Green said he is not convinced that it was Tudisco's vehicle that caused Kekoa's death. Tudisco was arrested at the scene, but released as the investigation continued. He was charged by an O'ahu grand jury indictment last week. "If they (the prosecution) took 2 1/2 years (to indict) then we should have at least a year to sift through what they found," Green said.

Tudisco was scheduled to fly back to the Mainland last night with his father. A year after the accident, the Tudisco family moved to Washington, D.C.

Ifconvicted of manslaughter, Tudisco could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison. City Deputy Prosecutor Kevin Takata, the division director for trials in the Prosecutor's Office, will prosecute the case.

Tudisco is a junior at California Polytechnic State University, majoring in business. Larry Lee, the school's baseball coach, confirmed Tudisco has been suspended indefinitely from playing. Tudisco and his parents, Michael and Cynthia Tudisco, are named in a civil suit filed in March 2002 on behalf of Kekoa's husband by attorney Wayne Kekina.

Kekina said Tudisco's parents are included in the suit because the car was registered to them, they knew it had been modified to go faster, and they were aware of their son's convictions for speeding in 1999 and 2000.


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Christian Budgeting, Finances, Savings

5 Things We Should All be Saving For

  • Chris Brown
  • 2016 25 Oct
5 Things We Should All be Saving For

Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in the moment and lose our focus on saving for future goals.

I remember buying an expensive outfit at a local mall during my college days. At the time, I was sure I could afford it.

But could I? Looking back, no, I couldn’t. I hadn’t saved for it, and I should have used that money for other things that were way more important—like, oh, I don’t know, paying my way in cash through those college years.

On impulse, I confused a want with a need and allowed myself to fork over the money for the clothes.

When we feel that temptation creeping over us and our hand slowly moves toward our wallet at the department store, we need to keep those savings goals in mind!

SEE ALSO: How True Stewardship Will Change Your Life

Related: Get Started Making a Plan for Your Future. Order Financial Peace University Today!

So what are the big things you might not think about on a daily basis that you need to be saving for now? Here are five I think almost all of us will have to face at one time or another. Time to dig your budgets out and start setting aside some money each month so that when the time comes, you’re ready!

1. A rainy day

Everyone has one: that unexpected emergency that comes up that you need to be ready for! So are you prepared? I guarantee it’s going to rain! In any 10-year period, 78% of Americans will have a major financial setback. In other words, an emergency will happen that will cost you a lot of money. If you think this doesn’t apply to you, grab an umbrella because rain is in the forecast.

2. Gifts

Gifts for birthdays, Christmas and other special occasions usually aren’t surprises, but we still forget to save up for them. So set aside some cash each month. That way, when an occasion comes, you’ll have the money on hand to buy the perfect present debt-free. That’s a gift to both you and your recipient.

SEE ALSO: 3 Most Misunderstood Bible Verses on Money

3. Your next car

You may be saying, “Chris, I already have a car.” While that’s great, I want to remind you that you’re driving a large piece of metal with an engine. In other words, it won’t last forever. When that car kicks the bucket, you’ll need to replace it with another one—without borrowing money. This will require a sinking fund, or a savings account that is set aside just for car replacement.

4. Retirement

We all know we should be saving for retirement throughout our careers, but many of us don’t. Crazy, I know! But it’s true. Ask yourself some questions: How much do you have saved right now? When do you hope to retire? What do you envision retirement looking like for you? My friend Chris Hogan says, “Retirement isn’t an age. It’s a number.” In other words, to retire at the age and to the lifestyle you envision, how much money will you need? How much should you be contributing monthly to get there? These are questions to answer now so that you can have a plan for the day you say goodbye to the office forever.

5. College

The average college student is graduating with more than $30,000 in student loans! Please keep yourself and your kids far, far away from that tragic statistic. Once you’ve begun your retirement savings, tackle college. This will take some intentionality and some long-term savings in an ESA or 529 plan. It also might require you and your teen to put a few outfits back on the rack!

Hopefully these areas will get you thinking beyond the here and now. Yes, saving and planning for the future is completely opposite our culture’s YOLO (You Only Live Once) mentality—the one that tells us we “owe it to ourselves.” Next time you’re tempted to buy that expensive outfit at the mall, first ask yourself if you’re already saving for the important things heading your way. It’ll put you in a better financial position for the long haul so that you can honor God with your life and your finances.

SEE ALSO: How to Handle Money God’s Way

If you want to learn about what the Bible says about handling money, listen or subscribe to Chris Brown’s True Stewardship today!

This article originally appeared on Used with permission.

Publication date: October 25, 2016

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The Vietnamese New Year begins today

Word of the Day – Monday, February 8th

Word of the Day

Clever Clue of the Month

The Cruciverbalist

Daily Email

TET (tet)

The Vietnamese New Year
clues: Asian holiday; Hanoi holiday; Vietnamese holiday; Vietnamese New Year; Offensive of 1968; Saigon celebration; Lunar New Year; Offensive time?
Crossword puzzle frequency: once a month
Frequency in English language: 56945 / 86800
News: Tet depressing time for Vietnamese unable to return home
Tet Offensive Footage

Tet Nguyen Dan, more commonly known by its shortened name Tet, is the most important and popular holiday and festival in Vietnam. It is the Vietnamese New Year which is based on the Chinese calendar, a lunisolar calendar. The name Tet Nguyen Dan is Sino-Vietnamese for Feast of the First Morning.

Tet is celebrated on the same day as Chinese New Year though exceptions arise due to the 1 hour time difference between Hanoi and Beijing. Tet share many of the same customs of its Chinese counterpart. It is celebrated from the first day of the first month of the Chinese calendar (around late January or early February) until at least the third day. Many Vietnamese prepare for Tet by cooking special holiday foods and cleaning the house. On Tet, Vietnamese visit their families and temples, forgetting about the troubles of the past year and hope for a better upcoming year. Tet traditionally marks the coming of Spring, so Spring is sometimes used interchangeably with Tet in Vietnamese. Nowadays, the term "Tet" in English is often associated with the bloody Tet Offensive, which occurred during Tet in 1968.

From 1975 to 2100, there are only four occurrences where the Lunar New Year begins at different dates in Vietnam and in China, which are:

The Tet Offensive (January 30, 1968 - June 8, 1968) was a series of operational offensives by the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese Army during the Vietnam War. The operations are called the Tet Offensive as they were timed to begin on the night of January 30–31, 1968, Tet Nguyen Dan (the lunar new year day). The offensive began spectacularly during celebrations of the Lunar New Year and lasted about two months, although some sporadic operations associated with the offensive continued into 1969. The Tet offensive was a tactical defeat for the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces, but it inflicted severe damage on American civilian morale and contributed to the withdrawal of American forces from the country.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Tet" and Tet Offensive.

TET (401)


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Travelling in Wine – Château Lynch Bages

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Château Lynch Bages，因譯音與香港一名粵劇紅伶相似，所以又名「靚次伯」。在香港愛酒之人一定已聽過它的大名，連香港某航空公司也用它作頭等客倉的貴賓酒。Lynch Bages位於波爾多左岸的Pauillac區，跟Château Pontet Canet同區，佔地有90畝，而平均樹齡為35年。於1855年波爾多分級制中被列為第五級，與Pontet Canet齊名。

Château Lynch Bages, transliterated from the name of a famous Cantonese opera artist in Hong Kong, is also known as “Lang Chi Bak”. It is a well-known brand among the wine-loving community, even one of the local airlines serves their first-class travellers with this premium wine. Situated in the Pauillac region on the left bank of Bordeaux, the winery has a 90-hectare vineyard which generally 35-year-old vines are grown. Producing high quality wines, Château Lynch Bages was classified as a Fifth Growth in 1855 – on a par with Château Pontet Canet.

Lynch Bages的歷史始於18世紀，在1728 年Chevailer Pierre Drouillard由Bernard Déjean手上買下酒莊，直至Chevailer Pierre於1749年臨終時將酒莊交給女兒Elizabeth，而她的丈夫是Thomas Lynch，至此之後酒莊由Lynch家族ر直管理了75年，名為「Cru de Lynch」，直至1824年瑞士籍葡萄酒商人Sébastien Jurine買下酒莊並在其兒子 André-Louis領導下於1855年波爾多分級制中被列為第五級，當時酒莊名為「Jurine Bages」。1862年，ر葡萄酒商Cayrou買下Jurine Bages並將其名為「Lynch Bages」，從此這名字便留存至今。

The hisory of Lynch Bages dates back to the 18th century: Chevailer Pierre Drouillard purchased the estate from Bernard Déjean in 1728. Upon his death in 1749, Chevailer Pierre bequeathed the property to his daughter Elizabeth, who was the wife of Thomas Lynch. Since then, the estate has been owned and run by the Lynch family for 75 years, which was then known as “Cru de Lynch”. In 1824, the property was sold to Sébastien Jurine, a Swiss wine merchant, and it was under the stewardship of his son André-Louis that Lynch Bages, named “Jurine Bages” at that time, was classified among the Clinquiè Crus in the prestigious 1855 Classification. Later in 1862, wine merchant Cayrou purchased Jurine Bages and restored the estate’s name – “Lynch Bages” has remained unchanged ever since then.

在世界大戰前夕Jean - Charles Cazes從Cayrou家族手上買下Lynch Bages，而當其時Jean-Charles已擁有位於Saint-Estèphe的Ormes de Pez酒莊，自始Cazes家族掌舵至今。Jean-Charles年屆95歲便離開人世，酒莊便由孫兒Jean-Michel Cazes打理，在1987年時他更引入法國保險機構AXA為股東因此而變得實力雄厚，優質葡萄園由波爾多擴展至葡萄牙及匈牙利，但到2001年Cazes家族與AXA分手，雖然如此家族仍繼續擴大版圖至法國南部Languedoc，隆河教皇新堡Châteauneuf-du-Pape，甚至乎新世界的澳洲。

The Cazes Family

During the pre-war period, Lynch Bages was sold to Jean-Paul Cazes, who already possessed Château Ormes de Pez in Saint-Estèphe, and since then it has been run by the Cazes family. When Jean-Charles passed away at the age of 95, his grandson Jean-Michel Cazes took over the winery and expanaded it by having the French insurance agency AXA to be one of the shareholders. Although their partnership ended in 2001, large quality vineyards expanded thenceforward abroad from Bordeaux to Languedoc in southern France, Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the Rhône region, Portugal, Hungary and even to New World Australia.

於1934年時Jean-Charles Cazes 接手酒莊後盡顯其大膽創新的一面，當其時很多酒莊做事極之保守，將葡萄提早收割，這對葡萄酒的質素有負面的影響。但Jean-Charles打破傳，願意冒風險等葡萄完全熟透才收割，當時全市都知道他是Pauillac區最遲收割的一間酒莊。但他的努力是有回報的，因為一般大家認為不好的vintage Lynch Bages卻可做到極出色的葡萄酒，酒身豐厚，再配合濃烈的黑加倫子及雪茄的味道就是其代表的風格，十分叫人討好及盡顯Pauillac區澎湃的本色，在1945年開始Lynch Bages已聲名大燥。

A Breakthrough Strategy

Jean-Charles Cazes decisively took an avant-garde approach in winemaking when taking over the winery in 1934. While early harvest of grapes was generally practised in other wineries, Jean-Charles pioneered in harvesting the grapes only when they were fully ripened and powerful, making it the only winery in the Pauillac region having the latest harvest. Despite this, the vintage Lynch Bages produced is an outstanding full-bodied wine characterized by its intense blackcurrants and maduro. Thoroughly reflecting the style of Pauillac, the name Lynch Bages has been well-recognized and prominent since 1945.

2006年Jean-Michel Cazes三十多歲的兒子Jean-Charles Cazes接手做Lynch Bages的第三代的掌門人，他放棄工程師的工作全情打理莊園至今， 他的名字剛好與其爺爺一樣。Lynch Bages現在雖是年青人接手，但品質的追求並沒有減弱。Lynch Bages深信葡萄樹就是葡萄酒的靈魂，所以每一天都有35個工作人員去照顧葡萄園, 包括去除雜草, 監察及防止葡萄樹受感染，修剪葡萄樹以爭取陽光的吸收（canopy management）等。所有葡萄都是人手收割，收割會由250個工人完成，為確保收割的葡萄是最新鮮，大部份收割會於晨旱進行，而收割回來的葡萄亦會經過長檯（sorting table）揀選。

Neverending Endeavours

in 2006, Jean-Michel Cazes’s son, Jean-Charles Cazes, having the same name as his grandfather, gave up the job of an engineer and took over Lynch Bages – the third generation who has been in charge of all the family vineyards till now. Although Jean-Charles was a wine novice, he had a strong quest for excellence. Believing that the soul of the wine grows on the vine, a team of 35 people are dedicated to the daily care of the vineyard, incuding removing weeds, monitoring and preventing vines from infection, pruning vines for more sunlight absorption (canopy management) etc. In addition, grapes are entirely hand-picked by 250 workers in early mornings to retain freshness and flavour before undergoing further selection on the sorting table.

發酵的葡萄室內有35個不同大小的發酵桶，Lynch Bages會將葡萄園劃分為不同的小份，而不同小份的葡萄會放在不同的發酵桶內發酵，在發酵後葡萄酒跟剩下的渣宰接觸3星期以攝取更多丹寧及色素。然後這些葡萄酒便會用地心吸力（gravity）的方法流入木桶陳年，這樣便可避免泵對葡萄酒帶來的傷害。為了減少木桶的影響而Lynch Bages只會用60%新木桶，陳年時間不會超過16個月。另外酒莊獨有之處就是木桶選用方面會揀選9間不同製造木桶（cooperage）公司，在入樽前再混和以避免葡萄酒受單ر木桶商影響。葡萄酒入樽前會經過5至6次隔渣而近期他們亦已改用人造蛋白做 fining。

In Lynch Bages, every winemaking process is done precisely. There are 35 vats of different sizes in the vat room in which each plot or each uniform batch of grapes is treated seperately. Fermented wine will then be placed together with the sediment for three weeks to absorb more tannin and colour. To reduce the damage to the wine, wine goes into the barrels by gravity flow instead of pumping. Wine is only aged in 60% new oak barrels for not more than 16 months, and the most unique vinification found in Lynch Bages is the selection of barrels – they are from nine different cooperage suppliers. As such, wine is not single-barreled, but blended in different barrels, as well as fined using synthetic egg white before bottling.

 著名酒評家羅拔柏家（Robert Parker）對Château Lynch Bages的評價甚高，所以知明度提高的同時酒價也不斷升值。Jean-Michel 經常強調如果將1855年的分級制再從新厘定，Lynch Bages一定是第一級，可見其對自己酒莊的出品信心十足。

With notable wine critic Robert Parker deeming wine from Château Lynch Bages as one of the high-rating wines, there have been an increase in its appreciation and price accordingly. Jean-Michel, however, showing his confidence in his wines, always states that if there had been a new system of the classification of 1855, Lynch Bages must have been the First Growth – the most superior class of wine.

在靚次白我試過它的2004年正牌Château Lynch Bages，2004年的副牌Château Haut-Bages Averous 及2009 Echo de Lynch Bages。不過可能因2004年不是好vintage，所以正牌Château Lynch Bages的酸度略嫌不足之外，酒精也比較高，入口有點黑加倫子及雪茄的味道，餘韻比起ر些好年如2003年要算是比較短，而副牌2004年更有ر點草青的味道。因2009年是好年，所以Echo de Lynch Bages 比起2004酒體要算豐厚一點，而因為較年輕所以黑加侖子及黑梅味比較多，複雜性亦不算高，未能發揮到最好，相信要多等三年才是最佳狀態。自2008年開始Lynch Bages 副牌已改名為Echo de Lynch Bages，Echo翻譯做中文解作再來一次，亦即是這副牌仍有主牌的影子，所以除了令整體一體化之外亦有著深遠的意義。

When visitng Lynch Bages, I tried the Château Lynch-Bages 2004, the Haut-Bages Averous 2004, the second wine of Château Lynch-Bages, and Echo de Lynch-Bages 2009. Perhaps the year 2004 was not a good vintage, the Château Lynch-Bages 2004 lacks acidity and contains higher level of alcohol despite the hint of blackcurrant and cigar on the palate, resulting in a rather short aftertaste; the Haut-Bages Averous 2004 even has a note of grass on the nose. 2009 is comparatively a better year, therefore the Echo de Lynch-Bages 2009 has a richer body with intense blackcurrant and blackberry flavours yet not complex enough. I believe it would be at its optimum when aged three more years. Since 2008, Château Haut-Bages Averous has been renamed to Echo de Lynch-Bages to better assert its lineage with the estate – “echo” means “again”, symbolizing that the second wine fits seamlessly in the line of its brother, Château Lynch-Bages.

Lynch Bages近年大灑金錢，酒莊已發展為一個大型優閒中心，並於2011年榮獲「Meilleur Accueil dans le Vignoble」的名函，亦即是最佳酒莊旅遊勝地，景點包括Village de Bages及Château Cordeillan-Bages。

A Resort Centre

Lynch Bages is more than a winery – it combines the pleasure of enjoying wine and tourism. With attractions like Village de Bages and Chateau Cordeillan-Bages, it was award the title “Meilleur Accueil dans le Vignoble” (“Best Home in the Vineyard” in English) by a leading French publication in 2011.


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anyone going? preferrably teens?
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There are always going to be kids on Carnival. It's just how Carnival is geared. We went in February before the height of winter break and there were still babies, toddlers, young children, teens and young adults.
In my opinion, the dining room food on Carnival has always been served hot, aesthetically pleasing, prompt and delicious.


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we have lots of cruisers on board is there anyone else coming with us? [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]
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A Four-Star Approach To Curbing Drug Use

The man who trapped Saddam Hussein's elite troops in the Gulf war and helped rid America's military of its drug problem in the late 1970s now finds himself in the eye of a raging political storm in the US.

Republican Bob Dole and President Clinton are waging an escalating campaign battle over who is responsible for the rise in drug use among America's teens. Trying to stay out of the political crossfire and keep his eye on the problem of curbing drugs is Gen. Barry McCaffrey, Mr. Clinton's drug czar.

In a recent interview, the retired four-star general laid out his plans for maintaining a bipartisan approach and attacking drug use in the US. Although he does not like to refer to his effort as a "war on drugs," he has a battle plan and a clear objective: "Motivate America's youths to reject illegal drugs and substance abuse."

"McCaffrey's a guy to get the job done if it can be done," says Gen. Norman Schwartzkopf, who served as commander of US troops in the Gulf. "He had one of the toughest and most dangerous missions in Desert Storm [leading a 'left hook' attack across the Euphrates River valley and trapping the Iraqi Republican Guards]. I gave it to him because I knew he was a great commander. You give him broad guidance, let him take the bit and run with it. He's going to get the job done."

McCaffrey, a highly decorated officer who also served two tours in Vietnam and was commander in chief of the Southern Command in Panama, draws on his military education and experiences. Certainly, he knows the enemy, spouting statistics on drug use, production, amounts confiscated, and programs that work, with barely a breath in between. Now, in the face of statistics showing a rise in teen drug use throughout the Clinton presidency, McCaffrey is working to rally America and lay out steps for achieving his goals.

Man with a mission

McCaffrey wears the civilian uniform of a suit and tie, but his close-cropped hair and staccato speech reflect a military grounding. Over and over, he pounds home the importance of education and prevention. His two-pronged approach is to direct such efforts at sixth graders and to develop better drug-treatment and aftercare programs for prisoners.

But "you have to do all of it," McCaffrey says. "You have to have a long-term focus of a decade or so. You have to do air, land, and sea frontier interdiction. You have to go to places like Bolivia and Burma - and, oh, by the way - Kentucky, Oregon, and Iowa to drive down methamphetamines, marijuana, PCP, and other drugs. They're complementary, not alternative, programs."

Above all, says the former general, you have to get the American people behind you. He argues that's how "we got out of the dreadful shape we were in in the 1970s, when we had 24 million Americans a month regularly using drugs instead of 12 million, which is the current case."

McCaffrey points to the way the military cleaned up its drug problem. "We were on the verge of being incapable of defending the country at the low point in 1973. By 1981, we had come out of it."

He says about one-third of military personnel were regularly using drugs, and another one-third would if they could get their hands on it. "Its impact on professionalism, on racism, gang rape, our health, and our spiritual strength was devastating."

The military combined education and prevention with drug-testing. Sergeants served as role models, treating soldiers under them with respect and setting high standards for them, McCaffrey says. Today, 1 to 2 percent of the military tests positive for drugs.

"Drugs were ripping apart the Army, as they were our whole society," says Gen. Colin Powell, who served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) during the Gulf war. "We [got rid of drugs] in many ways: counseling, sports, and the old-fashioned way - with discipline and tough love."

General Powell, who after the Gulf war hired McCaffrey as an assistant at the JCS, adds that everything they did in the late '70s reflected a desire to put the right role models forward - including McCaffrey - for young, impressionable troops.

McCaffrey, who stresses the importance of quality family time and is a family man with three grown children married to "three sensible children like them," says he is optimistic about his job.

"I have a great belief that young people, when intelligently dealt with, [shown] dignity and given a positive alternative in life, would reject drugs," McCaffrey adds, shaking his fists for emphasis. A West Point ring and a wedding ring glint on his left hand.

One of his grown children, Tara Larson, says her parents were strong, supportive, and always looking for experiences that would "make us believe we could do great things." She says they always talked about goals, and that when school was out for summer breaks, she and her siblings had to sign agreements with their father on the number of books they would read and what kinds of experiences they planned to have. "We never were pushed, but were always aware that our parents had a lot of faith in us and that we could do anything we wanted to do - but that we had to do something."

Time for the 'integrity' talk

Mrs. Larson says her younger sister, Amy, who is now a school teacher, went on a month-long climbing expedition in Germany when she was about 14. Tara, now an Army nurse and expecting her first child, spent a summer between school years in a French-language immersion program.

For Larson, one family experience in particular reflects her father's values. Soon after receiving her driver's license, she was driving her girlfriends home (designated driver, of course), when she received a speeding ticket. The girlfriends and their moms tried to help, saying they would go to court to fight the ticket with her - that usually you can get your first one "rubbed off." They also offered to pitch in to pay for any fine so that her father would not find out.

But he did find out, she says, and he sat her down to talk about the "integrity" issues involved. "He just would never compromise his values at all for the largest or smallest reasons. And he wouldn't let us do that," Larson adds.

"[McCaffrey's] got impeccable character," says General Schwartzkopf. "The greatest thing about McCaffrey is his integrity. You can depend on Barry to tell it like it is. When he tells you something, you can take it to the bank."

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Juan Dixon: from orphan to star

There's plenty to watch at this year's NCAA basketball tournament.

Cinderella will be there (she always is). So will the kids from Gonzaga, who have reason to be upset about their low No. 6 seed in the West. Even the real Bob Knight  a hair meaner than the guy portrayed by Brian Dennehy in "A Season on the Brink" on ESPN last weekend  will make a cameo, this time as the coach of Texas Tech.

But for my time, no one deserves more attention than the indomitable shooting guard for the University of Maryland, Juan Dixon. Dixon, a senior, is the best player for the Terrapins, who are the No.1 seed in the East and probably the most talented team in this year's field.

Not only is Dixon chasing a first national championship for Maryland, but he is 36 points away from becoming the all-time leading scorer at his school  an incredible feat for a lightly regarded recruit coming out of Baltimore.

The other top seeds are Duke, Kansas, and Cincinnati, all of whom have their fair share of star players  and reason to believe they can make it to the Final Four in Atlanta March 30. (Duke and Kansas began tournament play last night; Maryland and Cincinnati begin play tonight.)

Defending champion Duke, in particular, seems strong, with its dominant threesome of Jason Williams, Mike Dunleavy, and Carlos Boozer firing on all cylinders. On paper, their bracket in the South is the easiest.

Yet, it's hard not to like Maryland's chances, especially when they have Dixon in their backcourt, surrounded by Lonny Baxter, Steve Blake, Chris Wilcox, and Byron Mouton.

Dixon's story is well known. His parents were heroin addicts and died from AIDS before he graduated from high school. But his family was not without love. His brother, grandmother, cousins, and aunts raised him the best they could in a tough Baltimore neighborhood. Basketball was his diversion and salvation.

He went to Calvert Hall High School, where he was a 50-percent three-point shooter  a tribute to endless hours spent practicing with his brother Phil, a Division III All-America (and now a cop in Baltimore). In one high school game, against Anacostia, the then-No. 1 team in Washington, D.C., Dixon secured an upset by pouring in an incredible 47 points.

Few top colleges were interested, however, because Dixon, at just 150 pounds, was considered too frail to play with the big boys. But that did not deter Maryland coach Gary Williams, who was in the middle of rebuilding a program that was still hurting from NCAA sanctions and the cocaine-related death of All-American forward Len Bias.

Dixon was redshirted his freshman year, meaning he could practice with the team but not play in games  thus saving a year of eligibility. In his first regular season, he was considered primarily a three-point shooting specialist and got limited playing time as a back up to Steve Francis, who now stars for the NBA's Houston Rockets.

Then, in his sophomore season, Dixon became Maryland's best defender and scorer  a complete player. He helped the Terps win at Duke by scoring 31, and earned first-team all-conference in one of the country's premier leagues, the ACC. As a junior, he did more of the same, leading the team to its first-ever Final Four while averaging more than 18 points per game and leading the ACC in steals.

Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski called Dixon his "favorite player"  other than his own.

This year, Dixon entered the season as a marked man  par for the course when your face is on the cover of magazines and newspapers. When I met him, after a preseason practice at Cole Field House, Dixon walked up, gave a firm handshake, and flashed a warm smile. Until recently, he had braces.

"Hi, I'm Juan Dixon," he said, not taking anything for granted.

He was most interested in talking about what he had done in the off season to keep improving. One thing he mentioned was borrowing a weight vest from the football team and running hills with it on.

"I have to work harder than everybody else," he explained. "It's the way I am."

That obsessive hard work has paid off. This week he was named First-Team All-America by The Associated Press, and Player of the Year in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

His game, despite his slight size (now up to 165 lbs. at 6 ft., 3 in.), is complete. He can shoot from the outside (19.3 p.p.g), drive the lane, handle the ball, and hit more than 90 percent of his free throws. Sometimes it seems like he doesn't sweat.

There are no finer defensive guards in the country, and certainly none better at stealing cross-court passes. Dixon is the only Division I player in history with 2,000 points, 300 steals, and 200 three-pointers. His jersey, No. 3, has been retired at Maryland.

If all goes as planned, and Maryland plays deep into the NCAA tournament, Dixon will break the school's scoring record, held by Len Bias. The tragedy of Bias has hung over the Terps for more than 15 years now, and Maryland fans will not soon forget the greatest player the program ever produced. But if anyone should break Bias's record, it should be Dixon, a squeaky clean player who got to the top more with grit than with pure athletic talent.

And, if there is any justice in the basketball world, Dixon will be a first-round pick in the NBA draft. While many rookies are overpaid prima donnas, Dixon would be worth every penny. No one is more deserving of a fat contract than he.

But, even if the NBA doesn't work out for Juan  and there are plenty of doubters, because of his size  we can all rest assured that he'll make out just fine.

In many ways, he already has.

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Hollywood sings a new kind of 'toon

There's only one type of film that has opening-weekend clout to rival that of Will Smith: the computer-generated animated feature film.

"Robots," a whimsical tale about a young automaton who aspires to be an inventor like his dad, is likely to post impressive numbers on the scoreboard of Fox Studios this weekend. It's the latest film in a hugely popular genre that last year produced megahits such as "The Incredibles" ($600 million worldwide to date) and "Shrek 2" (which is the third-biggest film of all time).

Hollywood has taken note. Virtually all the major studios now have an inhouse facility producing computer-generated (CG) feature films, from Sony's Imageworks to Fox's Blue Sky Studios, which created "Robots." Not surprisingly, the film-release calender for 2005 is filling up with CG films. Dreamworks has "Madagascar," a tale of zoo animals surviving in the wild, due out Memorial Day weekend. "Chicken Little," the first film to hatch from Disney's new CG studios, arrives in November.

But some observers wonder how long Hollywood can sustain the CG-film gold rush. The early computer-animated films were buoyed as much by their striking aesthetics as their strong stories. Several years on, the novelty of the genre threatens to wear off as CG animated films become more commonplace.

The competition may force studios to come up with stronger storylines to lure audiences, but here again lie potential difficulties. Because computer technology hasn't yet been able to create realistic-looking humans, screenwriters have been limited to concentrating on stories about fish, ogres, monsters, toys, and inanimate objects that can be anthropomorphized.

"What's happened is that CG films have been so successful that there's a great public appetite for it," says artist Peter Weishar, author of "CGI: The Art of the 3D Computer-Generated Image." "The challenge right now is to live up to the hype."

Pixar kicked off the current craze for CG animation back in 1995 with the first fully animated major feature film, "Toy Story." Prior to that, critics and filmmakers alike had dismissed computer animation as too mechanical and limited in storytelling expressiveness. To date, many of those problems have been overcome by creative uses of computer animation.

Chris Wedge, the creator of "Robots," admits that his team of animators faced their own set of challenges in depicting the inner emotions of the characters. "It's extremely difficult to make metal look alive," says Mr. Wedge. "To get more emotion out of the characters without breaking the tension of believability was what we had to work out."

Blue Sky's animators tried to create facial expressions by adding quirky eyebrows and more flexible mouths to the robots. The studio, which also made 2002's "Ice Age," had already pioneered a technology to animate the way light falls on objects. In the real world, light is always coming from more than a single source, so re-creating shadow and depth in an animated film is extremely complicated. "We have developed the software to surround objects with multiple light sources, and this makes them look more believable," says Wedge, who adds that they have refined the techniques further in "Robots."

Despite the enormous progress made in bringing computerized worlds to life, the CG feature film still faces some vexing technical hurdles, say animators. "It's always dangerous when you try to do human simulations," says Rolf Herken, an artist at Mental Images, a CG studio. "The industry is really not quite there yet," he adds.

As evidence, he points to the recent "Polar Express." While the film has not been a financial failure, it was drubbed by the critics for the ghoulish, inhuman facial expressions of the people, most of whom were lifted from motion-capture technology used on real-life actor Tom Hanks. An earlier effort, "Final Fantasy," was a similar failure. "The people were all carrying little Hitler-esque mustaches under their noses which was a shadow leftover from scanning their faces in the studio," he says. "Once the audience discovers that ... it turns the movie into a comedy."

Human powers of observation are the biggest reason facial details are so difficult to master, says Lance Ulanoff, editor of the online edition of PC magazine. It's one thing to re-create objects that humans have never seen, such as dinosaurs or even familiar animals such as bears or squirrels. But, he adds, the human face is so familiar that viewers are unforgiving in their expectations of on-screen realism. "People are really adept at picking up anomalies in facial expressions, while they'll accept just about anything for a dinosaur," he adds with a laugh.

For now, the alternative seems to be to create deliberately cartoonish-looking humans like those in "The Incredibles." It's possible, though, that technological innovations will bring ever more realistic-looking human figures to the screen. Films such as "Spider-man," "The Matrix," "Lord of the Rings," "Blade," and the recent "Star Wars" prequels have all employed computer-generated characters. In many cases, the CG figures are used instead of stuntmen.

"If you're a director, you're not going to take the real Wesley Snipes and throw him up in the air over a moving motorcycle," says Mr. Weishar. "You're going to use the computer and do it the safe way."

That practical application may spur improvements in computer animation. "The technology and the software keeps leapfrogging," says Weishar. "It gets more sophisticated each year."

Cinema-quality cel animation goes by the boards

The rise of CG animation has overshadowed traditional hand-drawn cel animation. Nothing underlines that point like Walt Disney Studios' decision to shutter its cel-animation studios in Florida two years ago. "When you're talking about [feature] animation these days, there is no other industry than the CG films," says film critic Ray Greene.

While lower-quality cel animation lives on in TV cartoons and direct-to-video products, traditional cel animation artists bemoan the marginalizing of a 20th-century artform at the cinema. "Due to the success of Pixar, people assume that style is what will succeed," says Lee Crowe, a cel animator. "That's a shame," she says, adding that once you dismantle animation facilities and let the artists go, the artform won't come back easily.

But Rolf Herken, a designer at mental images CG studio, says the industry has a final but important hurdle to cross - turning the computer technology into a truly intuitive tool, responsive to an artist's hand. That's where the traditional and cutting edge will merge. Once that occurs, the technology will have truly matured into an artistic tool rather than a piece of technology. "It will create a paradigm shift," says Mr. Herken.

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Movie Guide

Crónicas (R)

Director: Sebastian Cordero. With John Leguizamo, Leonor Watling, José Maria Yazpik. (98 min.)

Sterritt *** Leguizamo plays his first Spanish-language movie role (with English dialogue as well) in this timely thriller about journalists who come across a violent mob, a repentant prisoner, and a puzzling mystery while tracking down a serial killer. The film begins strongly and violently, then simmers down to a standard-issue suspense story. In English and Spanish with subtitles.

Dark Water (PG-13)

Director: Walter Salles. With Jennifer Connelly, Tim Roth, John C. Reilly, Pete Postlethwaite. (104 min.)

Sterritt ** See review, at right.

Doing Time, Doing Vipassana (Not rated)

Directors: Eliona Ariel, Ayelet Menahemi. With Kiran Bedi, inmates of Tihar Prison. (52 min.)

Sterritt *** Documentary about Bedi's successful effort to transform a prison in India by introducing classes in meditation. Earnest, if not as informative as it might have been.

Fantastic Four (PG-13)

Director: Tim Story. With Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis, Kerry Washington. (106 min.)

Sterritt ** The Human Torch, the Invisible Woman, The Thing, and Mr. Fantastic himself join forces for the Marvel Comics tale of astronauts who gain exotic powers from a radiation storm in outer space. It's fun to watch superheroes who aren't quite at ease with their abilities, but "The Incredibles" - last year's similarly themed animated film - is livelier and funnier.

Murderball (R)

Directors: Henry Alex Rubin, Dana Adam Shapiro. With Keith Cavill, Joe Soares, Mark Zupan. (86 min.)

Sterritt **** The game of the title is a sort of rugby, and the players are quadriplegics tucked into wheelchairs customized for the sport. This is a lively, life-affirming documentary no viewer is likely to forget.

Saraband (R)

Director: Ingmar Bergman. With Liv Ullmann, Erland Josephson, Julia Dufvenius, Borje Ahlstedt. (107 min.)

Sterritt **** See review on page 15

A Sidewalk Astronomer (Not rated)

Director: Jeffrey Jacobs. With John Dobson, amateur astronomers. (78 min)

Sterritt ** Diverting documentary about Dobson, an ardent popularizer of astronomical ideas. Some of his theories seem cockamamie compared with current intellectual norms, though, so it's too bad the filmmakers don't give him time to make a coherent case.

Yes (R)

Director: Sally Potter. With Joan Allen, Simon Abkarian, Shirley Henderson, Sam Neill. (100 min.)

Sterritt *** A laboratory researcher has an affair with a Lebanese physician who's emigrated to London and become a chef. Ambitious as ever, the director of "Orlando" tackles everything from geopolitical conflict to relations between science and religion, with all the dialogue in verse. The results are visually striking, but conceptually they oscillate between poetic, pretentious, and philosophically dubious.

Batman Begins (PG-13)

Director: Christopher Nolan. With Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman. (141 min.)

Sterritt ** How a young man became the Caped Crusader instead of just Bruce Wayne, millionaire playboy. Neeson plays a ninja, which shows how desperately the story stretches for angles. But you finally get good answers to the Joker's excellent question: "Where does he get those wonderful toys?!!?"

Staff *** Well plotted, dizzying, uneven, comical.

Sex/Nudity: 1 instance of innuendo. Violence: 29 intense scenes. Profanity: 11 mild profanities. Drugs: 4 scenes with drinking, 1 scene with drug dealing.

Bewitched (PG-13)

Director: Nora Ephron. With Nicole Kidman, Will Ferrell, Shirley MacLaine, Michael Caine. (95 min.)

Sterritt ** Launching a new version of the TV sitcom "Bewitched," an actor (Ferrell) with more ego than talent inadvertently fills the role of a witch with a real witch (Kidman) who's trying to give up hexes and become a normal person. Always whimsical, occasionally quite funny.

Staff ** Occasionally charming, predictable, nostalgic.

Sex/Nudity: 4 instances of innuendo. Violence: 1 mild scene. Profanity: 23 profanities. Drugs: 3 scenes with drinking, 1 scene with a cigarette.

Herbie: Fully Loaded (G)

Director: Angela Robinson. With Lindsay Lohan, Matt Dillon, Cheryl Hines, Michael Keaton. (95 min.)

Sterritt ** A teen who yearns for car-racing glory (Lohan) outwits her worried dad (Keaton) and leaves a smirky rival (Dillon) in the dust with the help of Herbie, the Volkswagen with a mind of his own who became a movie star in "The Love Bug" in 1968. Utterly predictable, but pleasant enough for its young target audience.

Sex/Nudity: 1 instance of innuendo. Violence: 7 comic scenes. Profanity: 4 profanities. Drugs: None.

Land of the Dead (R)

Director: George A. Romero. With John Leguizamo, Asia Argento, Dennis Hopper, Robert Joy. (94 min.)

Sterritt *** Humans fight zombies in a city where a cocky capitalist is profiting from the rampant supernatural chaos. There may never be another "Night of the Living Dead," the 1968 masterpiece to which this is yet another gore-filled sequel, but Romero remains the best maker of movies about, well, remains.

Sex/Nudity: 6 scenes, including nudity. Violence: 35 gory scenes. Profanity: 61 harsh profanities. Drugs: 7 scenes with drinking, 8 scenes with a cigarette, 1 with drugs.

The Longest Yard (PG-13)

Director: Peter Segal. With Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, James Cromwell, Burt Reynolds. (114 min.)

Sterritt * The wicked warden of a Texas prison engineers a rigged football game between guards and inmates, with the convicts led by a former pro who's been jailed. Lively but also rude, crude, and mean-spirited.

Sex/Nudity: 10 scenes of innuendo, 2 with minor nudity. Violence: 18 scenes, including fights and torture. Profanity: 130 harsh profanities. Drugs: 4 scenes with drinking, 7 scenes with smoking.

Madagascar (PG)

Directors: Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath. With voices of Chris Rock, Ben Stiller, Jada Pinkett Smith. (80 min.)

Sterritt * Bored with his life, a zoo animal takes himself and some friends on a quest for more agreeable climes. The animation is deft but the screenplay is stilted, the voice-performances are unimaginative, and the whole project is surprisingly clumsy in its efforts to please young and old alike. A major disappointment from the DreamWorks team.

Sex/Nudity: 2 scenes of mild innuendo. Violence: 12 scenes, mostly for comic effect. Profanity: 2 mild expressions. Drugs: None.

March of the Penguins (G)

Director: Luc Jacquet. With plenty of penguins, voice of Morgan Freeman. (80 min.)

Sterritt ** Documentary about the mating and chick-raising routines of Emperor Penguins, whose Antarctic habitat makes almost every activity hazardous to their health and even their lives. As a zoological spectacle the movie is riveting. But the narration tries to make us think of these adorable animals as if they saw the world in human terms, which they obviously don't, and the images have been enhanced by digital effects, as if they wouldn't be impressive enough on their own.

Sex/Nudity: None. Violence: None. Profanity: None. Drugs: None.

Mr. & Mrs. Smith (PG-13)

Director: Doug Liman. With Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Vince Vaughn, Kerry Washington. (120 min.)

Sterritt * Pitt and Jolie play secret agents who don't know each other's line of work when they get married, then become rivals and eventually partners in the licensed-to-kill game. The movie is a mish-mash of action-adventure clichés, book-ended with lame attempts at psychological interest.

Staff ** Charmingly cast, surprisingly slow, poorly edited.

Sex/Nudity: 5 scenes with innuendos, 2 sex scenes. Violence: 16 scenes. Profanity: 29 strong profanities. Drugs: 12 scenes with drinking, 3 scenes with smoking.

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (PG-13)

Director: George Lucas. With Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Ian McDiarmid, Hayden Christensen. (142 min.)

Sterritt *** Lucas wraps up his second "Star Wars" trilogy, centering on Anakin Skywalker's temptation to use the Dark Side of the Force for personal gain. As spectacle this stands with the best.

Staff *** Fitting finale, poorly written, dark, violent.

Sex/Nudity: 2 instances of mild innuendo. Violence: 26 scenes, often grisly. Profanity: None. Drugs: None.

War of the Worlds (PG-13)

Director: Steven Spielberg. With Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Tim Robbins, Justin Chatwin. (117 min.)

Sterritt *** Earthlings battle alien invaders who wreak deadly havoc until they're stymied by ... you know what, if you've read H.G. Wells's influential 1898 novel. Spielberg gives the story his full high-tech treatment, building great scariness with help from first-class music and camera work. The picture gets repetitive, though, since its terrors are pretty much the same from start to finish. Cruise is in good form and Fanning is still the best child actress around.

Staff **1/2 Believably acted, made for TV, wait for the video.

Sex/Nudity: None. Violence: 27 scenes. Profanity: 27 mild expressions. Drugs: 1 instance of drinking.

The World (Not rated)

Director: Jia Zhangke. With Chen Taisheng, Zhao Tao, Jing Jue, Jiang Zhong-wei. (139 min.)

Sterritt **** The place is the World Park entertainment center in Beijing, which contains scaled-down versions of international landmarks. The characters are people who've come from all over China to work there. The themes are the globalization and homogenization of Eastern and Western cultures. Brilliant, from the sensitively filmed dramatic scenes to the atmospheric animated sequences that fill the screen whenever someone's cell phone receives a text message. In Mandarin and Shanxi dialect with subtitles.

Out on DVD
Dear Frankie (PG-13)

Director: Shona Auerbach. With Emily Mortimer, Jack Elhoune, Gerard Butler, Sharon Small. (105 min.)

Sterritt *** A single mother secretly writes letters to her deaf son, posing as the boy's estranged father who lives at sea. But when the actual ship unexpectedly docks at port, the mother must hire someone to pose as the paternal scribe. The film is thought-provoking, and the brilliant actors portray strength, even in the victimized characters. DVD features, especially on the making of the film, add insight and richness. By Chelsea Waugaman

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text:
Europe's rising unease over 'terror war'

An Italian judge who ordered 25 CIA operatives to stand trial June 8 – as well as the large public protest in Vicenza, Italy, last week over the expansion of a US military base – adds momentum and edge to a widening division between the US and Europe over tactics in the international "war on terror" – even if a recent upstart attitude in Europe is not expected to be a relations-wrecker with Washington.

The 25 alleged CIA agents and a US Air Force officer, along with Italy's head of intelligence, Nicolo Pollari, were indicted Feb. 16 for snatching Muslim cleric Osama Nasr off the streets of Milan in 2003 and taking him to Germany and then Egypt, where Mr. Nasr claims he was tortured. If the trial proceeds, it would be the first trial of Americans in an "extraordinary renditions" case – even if the Americans refuse to appear. Under Italian law, suspects can be tried in absentia.

In a similar case, a Munich prosecutor called two weeks ago for the extradition of 13 suspected CIA operatives, alleging the kidnapping and torture of a German resident of Lebanese descent.

In part, experts say, legal and vocal frustration in Europe over US policies have been sparked both by the length and ambiguity of the terror war, as well as the possible scale of the renditions-flights program of kidnapped suspects. An EU report issued last week in Brussels that condemns covert activity suggests "at least" 1,245 such flights in EU states occurred since 2001. It also suggests complicity between individual states and the US.

"Nobody objected to these cases at the beginning, when there were just a few of them, reported on occasionally, which was a morally ambiguous situation," says Michael Clarke at the Center for Defense Studies, King's College in London. "But in the recent atmosphere in Europe, in which the war on terror is seen as a misstep, there are starker divides between the American definition of an international war, and the European view, which is of a criminal justice issue with international ramifications."

New criticism of 'war on terror'

That atmosphere in an open-ended terror war has prompted a closer look in Europe at the mechanics of cooperation with US intelligence agencies, opening the door to embarrassing questions into past behavior by EU states, including what might be called the "outsourcing of torture."

The EU report, for example, points to a legal opinion in Britain by a former adviser to the foreign ministry, Michael Wood, arguing that use of information extracted by torture does not violate UN torture conventions so long as a state does not "directly participate" in that torture.

Even so, some experts on justice and terror point out that the 77-page EU report contains more outrage than the kind of facts that could prompt serious investigations by EU states.

Few of the experts or diplomats summoned before an EU committee bothered to appear. Moreover, much of the tracking of CIA flights took place by private groups, and hobbyists known as plane spotters; such tracking has proven useful in producing journalistic reports, and putting pressure on governments, but is not considered reliable enough for formal evidence.

"I don't see the evidentiary basis for the report," says Hugo Brady of the Center for European Reform in London. "To probe this document is to see that most of the facts come from news reports. No one can warm to renditions, but this is a naming and shaming exercise without enough real facts."

Criticism of US foreign policy and the war in Iraq is escalating on other unusual fronts. On Feb.10 at a conference in Munich, Russian President Vladimir Putin surprised a set of high level European and US officials with a blistering attack on the policies of the Bush administration, including Iraq, and said a missile defense shield proposal for the continent would divide Europe.

Mr. Putin's frontal attack using cold war-style rhetoric, if an attempt to isolate the US from Europe, was considered a failure among European diplomats. But it underscored the climate of a vulnerable White House, and of new fractures in the international order as seen from Moscow.

Nasr, the Milan-based cleric, was released from Egypt this week and says he plans to return to Italy, despite an arrest warrant on grounds of recruiting soldiers for terrorist cells.

The alleged CIA operation to grab Nasr took place under the government of Silvio Berlusconi, considered one of the friendlier in Europe toward the post-9/11 terror policy in Washington. But the kidnapping and a planned expansion of the Vicenza air base are a problem for the current fragile government of Romano Prodi, which is held together by nine parties, including some on the far left.

In recent days, Switzerland has agreed to investigate the flight that allegedly took Nasr through Swiss air space to Germany. Portugal and Spain are already conducting investigations into alleged cases of renditions flights.

US military base prompts protest

None of the Americans indicted in either Germany or Italy are thought to be in Europe. The US government has not commented on the cases, though it has acknowledged a role in the transfer of terror suspects to third-party countries. However, it says it does not condone the torture of those suspects once they've been handed over.

On Feb. 18, an estimated 100,000 Italians marched peacefully to oppose the doubling in size of a US base in the northeast Italian city of Vicenza. The base increase would be used to house the entire 173rd Airborne Brigade, a rapid reaction force, upping the number of US forces from 2,750 to 4,500. Press reports suggest the protest was more antimilitary than anti-American in tone.

"I don't think renditions are going to be a cause célèbre in transatlantic relations," says Mr. Clarke.

"But it puts further grit in the relations. Europeans feel they want to examine the standards of the war on terror, while the Americans feel they are being misunderstood," he says.

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