In 2018 she began her daily SiriusXM show, "The Michelle Collins Show".

(meta data) TITLE: Michelle Collins, comedian and former co-host of The View, launches uncensored daily show | Hear & Now

(meta data) PUBLISHER: https://www.facebook.com/WordPresscom

## Michelle Collins, comedian and former co-host of The View, launches uncensored daily show

Michelle Collins, comedian and former co-host of The View, joins the SiriusXM's Stars (Ch. 109) morning lineup with an uncensored daily talk show.

Listeners can hear The Michelle Collins Show every weekday morning from 8 am to 10 am ET starting Monday, March 5.

Fans can expect an open conversation about everything from pop culture and entertainment to shopping and the trending news of the day.

Along with interviews with celebrity guests, newsmakers, experts, and reality TV stars, Collins also invites listeners to dial in to talk current events and dive deeper into the daily discussion.

"I want to get into the stuff that makes us tick," Collins said.

"Reality TV, online shopping addictions, dating, first-world problems and balancing those with more serious news and current events.

Every morning on the Stars channel will be a new adventure fueled by my passion for almost everything."

The show will also lead in to The Jenny McCarthy Show whose host was ecstatic when she heard Collins was joining the SiriusXM family.

"[Michelle Collins] is funny, intelligent, and loves to make fun of The Bachelor as much as I do, and I can't think of a better lead in for me," McCarthy said.

The Michelle Collins Show airs every weekday morning from 8 am to 10 am ET on SiriusXM Stars (Ch. 109).

Click here to listen to SiriusXM Stars online now.

##### The Highway takes you backstage during Academy of Country Music Awards rehearsals

Entertainment, Hip-Hop/R&B, Music, Pop Culture

##### Nipsey Hussle, Grammy-nominated rapper and activist, dead at 33

##### Jerry Rice talks about NFL's G.O.A.T. & Antonio Brown trade rumors

Click here for your trial subscription: siriusxm.com/freetrial

On July 13, 2016, a new show hosted by Collins was released on ABC Digital titled "All My Gay Friends Are Getting Married".
 Collins was also announced as the host of "After Paradise," the live after-show of "Bachelor in Paradise". Additionally, she hosted two shows on  "Lifetime TV": "Little Talk Live" and "Date Night Live".


It is also popular in Iraq, Libya and Nepal.

(meta data) TITLE: The Israeli answer to WhatsApp is big in Eastern Europe - and Iraq - Business - Haaretz.com

(meta data) PUBLISHER: https://www.facebook.com/haaretzcom

(meta data) PUBLISHED DATETIME: 19.08.2019 09:06

Trump - Jews - DemocratTlaib - OmarHamas - GazaTrump - Iran - UAEShakedIsrael - UAEProfile

# The Israeli Answer to WhatsApp Is Big in Eastern Europe - and Iraq

Not Waze or Gett but Viber, with its 250 million active users per month, is the most widespread Israeli app used worldwide.

Inbal Orpaz and Eliran Rubin Jun 22, 2016 9:40 AM

The Viber Internet messaging and calling service application is displayed on a smartphone in this arranged photograph taken in Tokyo, Japan.

### Israeli-invented instant messaging is big business but not big profits

### Can Israel achieve WhatsApp-scale exits?

### Text messaging is so 2014: Glide brings video chat to smartphones (and the Apple Watch)

Quietly avoiding all the buzz of young applications like WhatsApp, Snapchat or Facebook's Messenger, the most popular Israeli app in the world is flourishing under the radar.

Claiming 754 million subscribers and about 250 million active users per month, the relatively ancient Viber has taken its place as one of the leading global players in instant messaging.

Viber's story is exceptional for two main reasons.

First, Viber is one of the few examples of a successful consumer app from Israel.

Others include Waze, with 50 million monthly users, according to Google, and Gett, which caters mainly to Israel and Russia.

Viber had 249 million users in April, according to Statista, making it the most popular Israeli app worldwide.

The story of Viber's buyer is also unusual in Israeli high tech.

Facebook surprised the technology and finance worlds two years ago, when it announced it was buying WhatsApp – with 400 million users and marginal download revenue – for $22 billion.

Around the same time, Japan's Rakuten acquired Viber for $900 million.

At the time, Viber had about 300 million subscribers, a third of them in Asia.

Privately-funded Viber also had revenue from phone calls to land lines, but not nearly enough to justify the price.

"Viber and Waze are two wonderful examples of companies that were bought and remained autonomous regarding development," says Viber COO Michael Shmilov.

"It's a vote of confidence in Israel's ability to continue generating such products."

Shmilav co-founded Viber, which began as a product within Talmon Marco's iMesh.

Viber's marketing VP Elad Kojocaru (left) and COO Michael Shmilov.Eyal Toueg

Viber employs 190 people in its Bnei Brak office, which answers to Japan.

It was the first deal of this scope by a Japanese company in Israel.

Last year, Sony joined the Japanese players in Israel when it acquired Hod Hasharon-based Altair Semiconductor.

"The amount Rakuten paid wasn't too large.

considering that now it is one of the biggest players in its field," reflects Shmilov.

It's a company that started an online trading platform, which moved into financial services, tourism and insurance.

What connects all the parts is membership.

People collect points worth money when ordering products to buy more products," he says.

"They saw in Viber an opportunity to add a large community of users."

Shmilov says Viber has changed since its acquisition.

"The more Israeli industry learns from it, the more it will open doors to interesting opportunities.

We learned to think more globally in the product field.

We learned that being global doesn't mean translating a word here and there but to look around and think how different cultures will receive a product."

"Our global strategy is adapted to the market," says Elad Kojocaru, Viber's marketing VP.

"There is no such thing as looking at the world as one market.

The differences are expressed in the competitive structure, the way products are used and how users are viewed."

Viber has benefited from the growth of instant messaging, which has become bigger than social networks over the past two years, growing to 754 million users.

By comparison, WhatsApp also doubled in the same period, crossing the billion-user threshold.

The company refuses to divulge data on revenue and the rate of users paying for services.

We have company goals, generating profits is not one of them," says Shmilov.

Management may be Japanese, but Israel still has a significant role in leading Viber.

Its Israel center deals not only with technological development and quality assurance but also product management, global marketing and support.

The company plans to expand its Israeli workforce by 30% this year.

"The Israeli market has ripened in recent years and started producing global B2C products.

You see it in companies like Viber, Waze and Playtika," says Kojocaru.

"There is a focus in Israel on knowledge of performance marketing, which reaches out to a global community."

The company's marketing activity, which is mostly digital, is led from Israel because of its proximity to product management and user data, according to Kojocaru.

Viber and WhatsApp offered slightly different products at the time both were acquired.

Viber was focused on VoIP calles, while WhatsApp on text mesages.

But over time the distance between them narrowed.

Both of them are leading players worldwide in IM.

A billion people use their services daily, sending private, group and voice messages.

Representatives at the company, which was born as a voice call app, are not bothered by the transition from voice to text.

"Viber is a communications product, not a call app," says Kojocaru.

"We will be where the market needs us, so it doesn't bother us if the market is going for more or fewer calls."

An additional feature of Viber is stickers.

There are packages of illustrations, which users can download and add to messages.

The company's business model is based on, among other things, some of the packages being downloadable for pay and partnering with commercial entities, like banks in Russia and Ukraine, which pay for distributing a brand package.

"The stickers allow a broader range of feelings and self-expression that texts make hard to express," explains Kojocaru about the feature's popularity.

Viber's main competitor was not always WhatsApp or Facebook.

At first, six years ago, the company's main product was internet voice calls, in competition with Skype, which Microsoft bought in 2011 for $8.5 billion.

"Viber spread in Israel because telephone call charges then weren't unlimited, and people paid a lot for them," recalls Shmilov.

Registration was based on users' telephone numbers."

Viber's iPhone app began as an experiment by the parent company, iMesh, and was crowned a success, according to Shmilov.

Not much later, the Android app was launched, adding the IM option, which is now the main feature.

IM apps are a classic case of web effect.

The more users an app has, the more its value to other users rises because they can call more people.

This pattern makes the app more successful.

"Imagine what you see happening with WhatsApp in Israel, happening in other countries with an Israeli product," says Shmilov about Viber aboad.

Since the sale, the mix of Viber users has changed, with its main users in Eastern Europe and Russia, including Balkan countries like Greece and Bulgaria.

Viber forecasts growth in Africa, according to Shmilov.

"Even in Israel, which is a 'WhatsApp country,' we have hundreds of thousands of users," he says.

"Dominance is important in the field of messages because you don't use it alone.

The idea is the amount of friends you have on an app, so the more dominant you are, the more significant a player you are."

Each company in Viber's field prefers different statistics.

Viber prefers the number of countries in which it is the most popular app, which is 10, according to a recent report by Israel's Similar Web, which looked at user data of Android devices in 187 countries.

This data doesn't include iPhones, which impacts mainly developed nations.

Viber is particularly popular in Eastern Europe, according to the data, being the main app in Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine, where 65% of all Android users have downloaded the app, with the average user spending 16 minutes a day on the app in April.

Other exotic markets where Viber is popular include Iraq, Libya and Sri Lanka.

WhatsApp leads with a 55% market share, according to SimilarWeb, dominating Brazil, Mexico, India and Russia.

Facebook's Messenger leads in 49 countries, among them Australia, Canada and the United States.

Viber cannot characterize its typical user.

According to Shmilov, in places where market penetration is low, users are mainly business people or tourists.

"In Israel, for example, a typical user is in touch with users in a country where we are big, or is a tourist who needs more flexibility," he says.

"In countries where we are big, there is no average user profile."

One of the main current technology trends is messaging apps turning into service platforms, through which third parties such as banks reach clients.

This trend is expected to strengthen in the coming years, impacting Viber, too.

"Some 300 million PCs were bought over 30 years, while 1.5 billion smartphones were sold within a decade," says Shmilov.

"Usage patterns are moving from the web to the app.

Companies are pushing you to download their app.

People understand that a mobile phone has all the existing abilities and sensors," he says.

"In parallel, the trend is for users to download up to 24 apps and use five apps daily.

It says that the same five apps turn into the entryway to the web.

They have the potential to turn into an access point for existing services, and that is the thing creating the trend that we now see."

Still, Shmilov believes message apps won't turn into the only platform for user interaction with businesses.

Another aspect is the advent of the internet bot, which are software applications that run automated tasks.

Shmilov says that Viber is working on allowing communication between regular users and companies and organizations.

"The focus is on finding the appropriate users and the appropriate technology," he says, describing Viber's preparation for the age of bots.

"In some countries, for example Russia and Ukraine, we are already enabling communication between the bank and the user."

#### Send me email alerts for new articles by Inbal Orpaz

### West Bank Violence Could Erupt Before Israeli Election, Security Officials Believe

### Jewish Groups Rebuke Trump Over Claim That U.S. Jews Voting Democrat Are 'Disloyal'

### On Trump and Iran, the UAE Shifts Strategy — and Israel Should Take Heed

### To Please Trump, Netanyahu Turned Omar, Tlaib and BDS Into Prime Time News

### Never miss an update: Get the best election news and analyses in your inbox

I'd like to receive emails on offers, appeals and commercial info

### Fake Jewish Profiles Flood Twitter in anti-Semitic Campaign to 'Subvert Jews'

### Gaza Stripped: What Normal Life Looks Like in the Least Normal Place on Earth

### Mysterious Israeli Businessman Behind Mega-deal to Supply Spy Planes to UAE

### FACT CHECK: No, Pakistan Is Not Holding an Israeli Pilot and Haaretz Did Not Ask for His Return

### Jews Who Vote Democrat Are Disloyal or Ignorant, Trump Says

### The Last Years of Golda Meir in Never-before-seen Pictures

Dr. Hezi Amior, National Library of Israel yesterday

### Gaza Emigration Ploy Suggests Netanyahu Hell-bent on Torching Israel's Image Abroad

### 'Furious and Confused': Liberal U.S. Jews Fume Over Israel's Tlaib-Omar Rejection

### The One Simple Israeli Sentence That Can Deter Iran

### Untamed Israeli Soldier Tells Truth.

### 'Suspicious Figures': Palestinian Authority Targets LGBTQ Event in West Bank

### In Major Shift, Israel Twice Struck Iranian Targets in Iraq 'Using F-35'

### Israel 'Successfully Tests' Arrow 3 Missile Defense System in Alaska

### Analysis Trump the Punisher: How Russian Missiles Shot Down Turkey's F-35 Jets

### Iranian State Media Airs Video Said to Disprove U.S. Report of Downed Drone

### Trump and Netanyahu Just Broke the Special Relationship Between America and Israel

### This Tel Aviv Sex Shop Is Keeping It Kosher

### This Israeli Park Is Heaven on Earth

### Returning to Morocco, Israeli Finds Bubbling Culture and Missing Identity

### Earliest Form of Writing May Have Been Found in Israel

### Iran, Saudi Arabia's Proxy Wars Have a New Battlefield

### Red Sea Diving Resort' Hits Netflix.

### How Israel Systematically Hides Evidence of Brutal 1948 Expulsion of Arabs

### Israel's Most Beautiful Mosaic Reveals Ancient Liberal Judaism

### Jared Kushner's Plan for Palestine Is Even Crazier Than You Thought

### Haaretz 2019 Rich List Meet the Wealthiest People in Israel

### Fleeing Iran's Modesty Police, Lingerie Model Ends Up on Paris Streets

### A New Alliance Is Emerging in the Middle East, and What's Behind Trump's Tweet?

### Who Decided What Books the Hebrew Bible Would Contain?

### How El Al's 747 Connected Israel and the Jewish World

### Nasrallah Reveals New Details About Ambush, Killing of 12 Israeli Commandos

### Israeli Soldiers Shoot Bound, Blindfolded Palestinian Teen Trying to Flee

### Move Over, Moses: A Pharaoh May Have Created the Ancient Kingdom of Israel

As of December 2016, Viber had 800 million registered users. According to Statista, there are 260 million monthly active users as of January 2019. The Viber messenger is mainly popular in Eastern Europe, Russia, the Middle East, and some Asian markets.
 India was the largest market for Viber as of December 2014 with 33 million registered users, the fifth most popular instant messenger in the country. At the same time there were 30 million users in the United States, 28 million in Russia and 18 million in Brazil. In 2018 Viber reached 100 million users in Russia. Viber is particularly popular in Eastern Europe, being the most downloaded messaging app on Android in Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine as of 2016.


A business case for the upgrade of the North Auckland Line and the Marsden Point Branch's construction was prepared by New Zealand Ministry of Transport and published May 2019.

(meta data) TITLE: Northland rail upgrade to cost $1.3b, but Northport expansion needed to get value for money | Newshub

# Northland rail upgrade to cost $1.3b, but Northport expansion needed to get value for money

It estimates the total cost at $1.3b over 40 years.

A new report reveals an upgrade of Northland's rail network will only be worthwhile if Northport's operations are expanded.

The Ministry of Transport business case examined the cost of upgrading the rail line between Auckland and Whangārei, reopening the mothballed tracks north to Moerewa and west to Dargaville, and constructing a new spur east to Northport.

Including $730m in the first four years during the construction phase and $3m for improvements and maintenance in the years after.

However, the economics tread a fine line.

In the best-case scenario, the report gives the investment a benefit-cost-ratio (BCR) of 1.19, meaning for every $1 spent there would be a $1.19 return.

This would require a major expansion of Northport which would see it handling 400,000 containers, 100,000 from within Northland and 300,000 from Auckland.

In the year to June 2019 Northport expects to handle 12,500 containers, up from 8000 last year.

Without this expansion of Northport, the BCR falls to 0.32, meaning the Government would only get back 32 cents for every $1 spent.

The majority of the economic benefits come from easing congestion on Northland and Auckland's roads, by reducing truck trips by 75,000 per year.

A 2017 report found congestion costs Auckland between $900m and $1.9 billion a year.

Just 1.4 percent of freight in Northland is currently moved by train due to the lack of rail to Northport and the tunnels and bridges, some of which can't fit modern containers or support heavier loads.

If the investment was to go ahead, the amount of freight being transported by rail in Northland is expected to grow to 10 to 14 percent, around 2 million tonnes, which is above the national average of 7 percent of freight transported by rail.

Other benefits include saving $20 million in road crashes involving trucks, saving $3.8 million in annual road maintenance and reducing carbon emissions by 10 thousand tonnes.

The business case suggests that if Whangārei's growth figures were similar to that of Waikato or Tauranga, which have both benefited from strong road and rail connections, then it could see a further 2,000 to 10,000 jobs over a 12-year-period.

However it does not include job creation in its BCRs, nor the impact such an investment would have on spurring business investment decisions in Northland.

Associate Transport Minister Shane Jones says it's important to keep this in mind.

"The reality is that if you're in the business of nation building, you cannot capture every perceived benefit over 50 to 100 years through one consultant's report."

The business case also doesn't look at the costs to Auckland, in terms of jobs or added transportation costs, that would occur if the Ports of Auckland's operations were moved to Northport.

Infrastructure NZ chief executive Stephen Selwood, speaking before seeing the report, told Newshub Nation that New Zealand's historic reliance on BCRs has led to the country's current infrastructure deficit.

"Traditional benefit-cost-analysis measures direct benefits but not the wider social and economic benefits from investing in infrastructure, such as stimulating business growth or jobs or improving social connectivity.

"If Richard Seddon [NZ Prime Minister from 1893-1906] had been given a BCR for building New Zealand's entire rail network it probably would have been around a 0.3.

"In the 1990s, the Government often wouldn't invest in infrastructure projects unless they had a BCR of 3 or 4.

This meant that regional roads went ahead of needed transport projects in Auckland because land prices there were too high, leading to a comparatively low BCR.

"BCR analysis is an important component of an investment decision but in the end one has to make a judgment as to whether overall benefits - social, environmental, and economic - provide a return to the nation as a whole."

Jones says his next steps are to consult with iwi and officials, secure the land along the rail corridor to Northport, and seek further information on potential freight demand.

The business case will also factor into the research of the Upper North Island Supply Chain Working Group, which is due to release its recommendations in September.

With Budget day around the corner, Jones also gave a hint of the Coalition Government's intentions.

"Rail obviously is going to enjoy great attention coming up in the Budget, but I'll leave it to my leader [Winston Peters] to elaborate," Jones says.

2010s proposals.:Ministry of Transport Business Case.


That year she won five American Music Awards, including Artist of the Year and Favorite Country Album.

(meta data) TITLE: Taylor Swift, Michael Jackson Big Winners At American Music Awards - MTV

(meta data) PUBLISHED DATETIME: 2009-11-23 00:23

# Taylor Swift, Michael Jackson Big Winners At American Music Awards

Whitney Houston also took home the International Artist of the Year trophy at the ceremony.

[artist id="2389485"]Taylor Swift[/artist] took home five awards, including Artist of the Year, at the 37th American Music Awards on Sunday night (November 22), but the evening was truly dominated by a series of memorable performances from some of the biggest names in the business.

During the three-hour live show at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Eminem, Jay-Z and Alicia Keys, Shakira, Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Lopez, Green Day and Adam Lambert all took the stage.

Beating out the likes of [artist id="1102"]Michael Jackson[/artist], [artist id="3061469"]Gaga[/artist] and [artist id="502642"]Eminem[/artist] for Artist of the Year, Swift accepted her award via video link-up from London, where she was in the middle of a late-night rehearsal.

"Music has never been openly about competition and to even be mentioned in a category with Michael Jackson, who will be missed and loved forever, is an unimaginable honor," she said.

Michael Jackson won in the Favorite Male Artist Soul/R&B and Favorite Male Artist Pop/Rock categories among his four wins for the night.

Wearing a single sparkling glove, his brother Jermaine accepted each award, stressing that his late brother's message was just as important as his music.

"The message that Michael had will live on forever," he said.

"He saw good in everyone and he wanted everyone to do good.

One of the more eye-popping performances of the night belonged to Lady Gaga.

Starting off with her newest single, "Bad Romance," the singer matched a flesh-colored bodysuit with flashing white accessories that mimicked a rib cage and some sort of arty antlers, which she soon ditched to let her blond locks free.

She then picked up her mic stand and smashed open a glass enclosure housing a piano.

She climbed up, sat down and played "Speechless" while flames enveloped the wooden instrument and she smashed empty liquor bottles against the keys.

Rihanna began "Wait Your Turn," the second single off her album Rated R, strapped to a rotating metal frame that turned her upside down.

Unstrapped by some helpful dancers, the white-body-suited singer sauntered across the stage, showing off some spiky shoulder pads in the process.

Jay-Z and Alicia Keys were on hand on the West Coast to present current Billboard Hot 100 topper "Empire State of Mind."

Keys began with a little ode to the iconic song, "New York, New York," as Jay stood by her piano in a white tux.

By the end, both stars were standing together as the crowd waved their hands in the air.

Keys returned to the stage later for a solo performance of "Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart."

Even later, Jay got another turn as well when he won Favorite Male Artist, Rap/Hip-Hop.

Well into the show's third hour, Eminem and 50 Cent arrived for bleep-heavy versions of "Crack a Bottle" and "Forever."

The Black Eyed Peas put on a laser light-assisted medley of songs including "Meet Me Halfway" and "Boom Boom Pow."

Will.I.Am sported a futuristic outfit and strapped a huge white keytar to his body.

Half an hour before, the band beat out Kings of Leon and Nickelback for Favorite Pop/Rock Band, Duo or Group, a category in which they also triumphed in 2005.

Swift's other AMA wins included Favorite Female Country Artist (over Reba McEntire and Underwood) and Favorite Female Artist Pop/Rock (beating out Lady Gaga and Beyoncé).

Introducing the latter award, Aerosmith's Perry complimented the nominees chart-topping hits, saying, "That's as high as you can get."

"Wanna bet?" deadpanned fellow presenter Snoop Dogg.

Dolled up in a short gold outfit, Underwood sang "Cowboy Casanova" as dancers vamped around her and the country star stood on an illuminated platform.

Shakira came out with a fierce stomping routine to accompany "Give It Up To Me," a rendition that had her dancers sashaying through the aisles and graphics of the trendiest military march imaginable on screens behind the singer.

Just minutes before, Daughtry played "Life After You," a slow-burning single off the band's Billboard chart-topping second album, Leave This Town.

Green Day contributed one of the night's hardest rocking performances with "21 Guns," tempered by liberal use of acoustic guitar and piano solos.

Jennifer Lopez enlisted a boxing ring announcer for her new song "Louboutins," complete with actual boxing ring, championship belt and dancers dressed as fighters.

Earlier, accompanied by a small contingent of string instruments, an elegant Kelly Clarkson sang a stripped-down version of "Already Gone" that built in intensity as her band kicked in and the "American Idol" winner stood in a black velvet and crystal-adorned gown.

A couple commercial breaks later, Mary J. Blige performed "I Am."

Whitney Houston was honored with the International Artist of the Year award, joining only six other winners — such as Michael Jackson — in the history of the AMAs.

The diva then took the stage in a floor-length white dress to sing a powerful version of "I Didn't Know My Own Strength."

Janet Jackson kicked off the evening with a nearly eight-minute medley, bounding across the stage with choreographed moves alongside backup dancers to snippets of "Control," "Miss You Much," "If," "Together Again" and her new single, "Make Me."

"American Idol" star Adam Lambert closed the show with provocative — to put it mildly — version of his single, "For Your Entertainment," in which he danced within an enormous picture frame and showed off the vocal dexterity that made him a star on the TV talent show earlier in the year.

Presenters included Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez, Kate Hudson (who seemed to be worried her silver dress would lead to a wardrobe malfunction), Nicole Kidman, Kristen Bell, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Kris Allen, Ne-Yo, Perez Hilton, Drake, Kid Cudi, Samuel L. Jackson, Leona Lewis, Seth Greene and Ryan Seacrest.

Life and career.:2008–2010: "Fearless" and acting.

"You Belong with Me" was the album's highest-charting single on the "Billboard" Hot 100, peaking at number two. The album debuted at number one on the "Billboard" 200 and was the top-selling album of 2009 in the United States. Swift's first concert tour, the Fearless Tour, promoted the album; it grossed over $63 million. "Taylor Swift: Journey to Fearless", a concert film, was aired on television and later released on DVD and Blu-ray. Swift also performed as a supporting act for Keith Urban's Escape Together World Tour.
 In 2009, the music video for "You Belong with Me" was named Best Female Video at the MTV Video Music Awards. Her acceptance speech was interrupted by rapper Kanye West. The incident was the subject of controversy and widespread media attention, resulting in many Internet memes. James Montgomery of MTV argued the incident and subsequent media attention turned Swift into "a bona-fide mainstream celebrity".


Discoveries of the fossil plant "Glossopteris", which also occur in Australia, New Zealand, Africa, India, which supported not only that the climate of Antarctica once was warm enough to support trees, but that Antarctica itself was united to the other landmasses.

(meta data) TITLE: Researchers praise Scott's South Pole scientific legacy - BBC News

(meta data) AUTHOR: https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews

# Researchers praise Scott's South Pole scientific legacy

If Scott had not been a Naval man he would have been a scientist

Researchers, explorers and relatives have praised the contribution Captain Robert Falcon Scott made to science.

The tributes come on the centenary of Scott's party reaching the South Pole.

The so-called Terra Nova expedition found that they had been beaten to the pole by a Norwegian team by 33 days, and on their return journey Scott and his four fellow explorers died.

Some saw it as a mission of heroic failure, and Scott quickly became an iconic figure for his efforts.

But in the later half of the 20th Century his status was re

-examined by historians, some of whom questioned Scott's capabilities and contribution.

Scott's granddaughter Dafila Scott told BBC News that it was time to re-evaluate his life and contribution.

"My grandfather's reputation has been through various ups and downs and this is a good time to reflect on the wider legacy and what they achieved not only in getting to the pole but the scientific work that they did," she said.

He was the world's greatest polar explorer

Ms Scott is a zoologist by training, but subsequently went on to become a painter and artist.

She says that she is not surprised her grandfather became interested in science.

"There's no question that he was very much focused on the science," she said.

"The exploration was part of it but it was only part of it.

In the Antarctic, there were and still are so many possibilities for things to discover.

It is a view shared by Scott's grandson, Falcon, who has recently arrived at the Antarctic as part of a project by the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust to restore the hut that was the base of operations on the North Shore of Cape Evans on Antarctica's Ross Island.

Speaking from Scott Base he told BBC News: "It's long overdue that his scientific legacy should be appreciated.

It was a very significant part of the expedition.

They undertook the science in very extreme conditions with amazing endurance.

"You only realise that when you come down here.

There was no contact with the outside world and the risks were enormous."

On his arrival at Scott Base two weeks ago, Falcon Scott went into his grandfather's hut alone so that he could fully take in the moment.

"It was like walking back in time," he said.

"There's a feeling of the presence of the man.

There are still his possessions lying there, lots of tins of food that are well preserved and clothing on the beds.

It was like the man had only just left it".

According to Heather Lane, curator and keeper of collections at the Scott Polar Research Institute in Cambridge, the aim of the Terra Nova expedition was not just to get to the pole but also to do as much scientific investigation as possible.

"When Scott found out about the Norwegian team's plans to get to the pole first he makes a very clear decision to stick with the scientific programme," she said.

She said there was "enormous disappointment" in getting there second, but "he felt it was so important that they stick to the idea of the mapping and the science and the collection of the meteorological data all the way to the pole, and it was that that was going to be the long term legacy".

Media playback is unsupported on your device

Media captionElin Simonsson from the Natural History Museum shows artefacts from the Scott expedition to the South Pole

There were 12 researchers on the expedition who were recruited by Scott himself.

One member of his team, Charles Wright, wrote that "if Scott had not been a Naval man he would have been a scientist".

That is a view shared by the British adventurer and Scott biographer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, who himself has crossed the Antarctic continent.

"He was a curious man, he was a very clever man.

He was a brilliant man in every respect and he was the world's greatest polar explorer," Sir Ranulph told BBC News.

The Terra Nova expedition was Scott's second excursion to the Antarctic.

It was more ambitious in scope and its scientific aspirations than Scott's first trip on the Discovery expedition 10 years earlier.

In his expedition prospectus, Scott wrote that Terra Nova's principal objective was "to reach the South Pole, and to secure for the British Empire the glory of this achievement".

Of course, a Norwegian team led by Roald Amundsen reached the pole first.

And Scott and his team never returned home, dying of starvation and exposure on the return journey.

But alongside their bodies were several pounds of their precious geological samples and scientific notebooks which, even while approaching death through exhaustion, Scott and his men continued to take with them.

Those samples and data are an enduring legacy of the Terra Nova expedition.

The expedition was the ambitious scientific endeavour of its time, and it was the largest ever research mission to the pole - comprising 12 scientists including two biologists, three geologists and a meteorologist.

The team collected specimens from 2,109 different animals.

They also collected rock samples, penguin eggs and plant fossils.

The expedition collected specimens from thousands of different animals

One of the most important discoveries was a fossilised fern-like plant which was known to grow in India, Africa, New Zealand and Australia.

It suggested that the climate 250 million years ago had been mild enough for trees to grow.

More intriguingly, the discovery, along with other evidence gathered by Scott's team, was a hint that India, Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Antarctica had in the distant past all been part of one "supercontinent".

Researchers now call this landmass Gondwanaland.

It was around this time that the idea of continental drift was first put forward, independently, by the German scientist, Alfred Wegener.

Scott's team also collected the first thorough set of weather data for the Antarctic, which has served as a baseline to track changes in weather patterns ever since.

The team also travelled for five weeks to study an Emperor penguin colony come on to land and lay their eggs.

The team took some of the eggs - which contained embryos - believing that they would shed more light on a possible link between birds and dinosaurs.

According to David Wilson, the great nephew of Scott's chief of scientific staff, Dr Edward Wilson, their efforts illustrated just how passionate they were about the science.

"This was one of the greatest scientific questions of the time.

But they had to go through extraordinary hardship to get the penguin eggs.

It was minus 60C, so cold that their teeth cracked," he said.

In the end, the eggs were of little use in this regard, but the efforts the men went to and the risks they took under the most extreme circumstances epitomise a spirit of heroic scientific investigation that arguably has not been matched since.

Four things Captain Scott found in Antarctica (and one that found him) 2 November 2011

Violent clashes intensify amid Hong Kong protests

Police fire a gun and deploy a water cannon to disperse crowds during a 12th week of protests.

Made in Japan: How migrant workers are exploited

England cricketers in epic win against Australia

### Instagram influencers: Have we stopped believing?

### Migrant workers 'exploited' in Japan

### Changing places: Why countries decide to move capitals

### Is the US still Asia's only military superpower?

### The treatable disease mistaken for Alzheimer's

### Your pictures on the theme of 'summer streets'

### Risking death for thrills in Colombia

### Unlocking secrets from old camera film

(meta data) TITLE: The Scott expedition: how science gained the pole position - Telegraph

# The Scott expedition: how science gained the pole position

## A century ago, Scott and his team celebrated solstice on their ill-fated expedition.

David Robson reports on their scientific legacy

Impressive: Captain Scott and his team outside their huts in a rare photograph of the polar expedition

On the evening of June 22, 1911, a century ago tomorrow, Captain Robert Falcon Scott and his companions celebrated the winter solstice in their hut on Ross Island, off the coast of Antarctica.

The promise of lengthening days came as blessed relief, and the first Midwinter Dinner – a feast still celebrated on the Continent today – was a lavish, jolly affair.

The hut was festooned with flags, and there was a plentiful supply of champagne.

The dinner began with seal soup, generally regarded as "the cook's best concoction", followed by roast beef and Yorkshires, a flaming plum pudding and all the Christmas trimmings.

There were speeches, dancing and a glorious improvised tree.

"There is little to be said for the artificial uplifting of animal spirits, yet few could take great exception," wrote Scott.

"After all, we celebrated the birth of a season which, for weal or woe, must be numbered amongst the greatest in our lives."

Everyone knows what happened next: Scott, beaten to the South Pole by Roald Amundsen, died a lonely death on the ice.

But what few people realise is that Scott and his men were scientists.

When the search party found the tent containing his body, and those of his two companions, on November 12, 1912, they also found rolls of photographs; a meteorological log which had been kept until March 13, scarcely two weeks before the probable date of their deaths; 16 kilograms of fossils gathered on the way back from the Pole; as well as Scott's diary, various letters to supporters, friends and the wives of his colleagues, and the famous Message To The Public.

In a letter to his wife Kathleen, he wrote, of their two-year-old son Peter: "Make the boy interested in natural history if you can; it is better than games."

Although this gruelling, tragic expedition can hardly be described as "a game", it was the apogee of the Victorian sporting ethos of manliness, endeavour, heroism, fortitude and honesty.

Proposing a toast in 1910, Leonard Darwin, the son of Charles and president of the Royal Geographical Society, said: "Captain Scott is going to prove once again that the manhood of the nation is not dead."

When Amundsen beat Scott to the Pole partly by trickery, telling him he planned to head north to the Arctic, Darwin wrote to Kathleen that the Norwegian had not "played the game".

David Cameron praises Captain Scott of the Antarctic

International Scott Centenary Expedition marches on

There were some Antarctic expeditions whose only aim was to explore never-before-reached places – Amundsen and Shackleton's spring to mind.

There were others – German, French, Japanese – whose only interest was science.

But Scott treated scientific discovery and reaching the Pole as more or less equal priorities, very much in the spirit of the 19th-century ambition to show that man could conquer virtually everything.

Travelling to the Earth's extreme places and coming to understand the world through science were parallel paths to that goal: Scott heroically travelled them both.

His ship, the Terra Nova, set sail from Cardiff on June 15, 1910 and finally reached Antarctica at the beginning of the following year.

There were 65 men all told, including 12 researchers – "as impressive a group of scientists as had ever been on a polar expedition", according to Scott's biographer, David Crane.

A great deal of science 100 years ago consisted of collecting and identifying specimens.

Scott's expedition delivered examples of 2,109 animals and fish, 401 of which had never been seen before.

They also brought a huge number of rock samples, as well as Emperor penguin eggs and plant fossils.

This was a sumptuous contribution to science, the raw material for all manner of research.

Until then, glaciers had only been studied in Europe; the expedition's meteorological studies led to new insights into the polar weather and how it affected the climate of Australia.

Two of the party, Thomas Griffith Taylor and the meteorologist George Simpson, were already established experts.

But many of the scientists were young and inexperienced, distinguished chiefly by their passionate commitment.

Charles Wright, the Canadian physicist who went on to become director of scientific research at the Admiralty, was 23 in 1910.

He sent an application to Scott by post and was rejected, so he walked from Cambridge to London to apply in person.

Wright later observed: "If Scott hadn't been a naval man, he would have been a scientist; he had the mind of a scientist."

The scientific staff were recruited by Scott and his friend and colleague Edward Wilson ("Uncle Bill"), and many went on to great eminence.

Wilson himself was a doctor, who had been junior surgeon on Scott's 1901 Antarctic expedition on HMS Discovery.

He was a deeply religious Christian who revered nature as the glory of God.

An expert ornithologist and a phenomenally gifted artist, his illustrations of birds in Antarctica are among the Terra Nova expedition's great treasures.

One of the most telling botanical items from the expedition was the fossilised Glossopteris, a fernlike plant known to grow in what was then called the Southern Continent (Australia, New Zealand, Africa, India).

Along with the other samples of fossilised wood and leaves that were found in Scott and Wilson's tent, it proved that the climate in the Permian period, 250 million years ago, had been mild enough to support trees.

But the discovery of the Glossopteris raised another question: had the Southern Continent and Antarctica once been one?

In 1912, the German scientist Alfred Wegener had proposed his theory of continental drift, but few believed it.

Only in the late Fifties was the movement of tectonic plates understood.

For further proof of Scott and Wilson's devotion to science, consider the expedition to Cape Crozier.

Scott's 1901 expedition had found a colony of Emperor penguins there, and Wilson had a burning desire to return to learn more.

On June 27, 1911, he and "Birdie" Bowers – the other man whose body would be found in Scott's tent – embarked, with Apsley Cherry-Garrard, on what Wilson described as "the weirdest bird's-nesting expedition that has ever been or ever will be".

It was a painful, five-week odyssey, the best example of the lengths to which Scott's men would go purely in the name of science.

Scott called it "one of the most gallant stories in Polar history".

"Why should three sane and common-sense explorers be sledging away on a winter's night to a Cape which has only been visited before in daylight, and then with very great difficulty?" asked Cherry-Garrard in his book The Worst Journey in the World.

Because the Emperor penguin – which was six feet tall, never stepped on land, laid its eggs on ice during the winter, rested the eggs on its feet and pressed them to its abdomen for incubation – was "probably the most primitive bird in the world".

After three weeks, during which they were sometimes unable to travel more than a mile a day, and the temperature could descend to -75F, they found the birds.

"We were witnessing a marvel of the natural world, and we were the first and only men who had ever done so," enthused Cherry-Garrard.

"We had within our grasp material which might prove of the utmost importance to science; we were turning theories into facts with every observation we made."

Men had seen the Emperors before but never with their eggs; and they had never collected undamaged eggs containing embryos.

Wilson believed they might reveal the missing evolutionary link between dinosaurs and birds – he was wrong, but the surviving eggs and embryos remain much asked-for treasures of the Natural History Museum.

Wilson would doubtless be pleased to know that the Emperor penguins, whose bodies they left in an igloo at Cape Crozier, were important control specimens in proving, 50 years later, that DDT had tainted the Antarctic atmosphere.

When the survivors of Scott's expedition returned to Britain, in June 1913, much emphasis was put on its scientific achievements.

Understandably so: while Scott was worshipped as a national hero, and Captain Oates as a martyr, they had been beaten to the Pole.

Lord Curzon, the former Viceroy of India, declared that the publication of the expedition's scientific results would be the real monument to Scott and his men.

That, perhaps, discounts the expedition's artistic legacy – Scott's journals; Cherry-Gerrard's account of the expedition and its tragic aftermath; Wilson's near-miraculous illustrations of birds; and The Great White Silence, the touching film made by expedition member Herbert Ponting.

But the expedition's greatest scientific legacy is more substantial – namely, the Scott Polar Research Institute in Cambridge, founded in 1920 by Frank Debenham and Raymond Priestley, distinguished scientists who were in Scott's party, and initially financed by surplus donations to the fund for the expedition's widows and orphans.

This fine international institution houses the greatest polar library in the world.

And Scott left the nation another scientific legacy: Peter, the two-year-old son he hoped would be interested in natural history rather than games.

Although not disinterested in the latter – he won a bronze medal in sailing at the 1936 Olympics – he became Britain's most famous conservationist and ornithologist, an artist and a television favourite.

Captain Scott may have failed to become the first to reach the Pole – but for his contributions to science, he will be remembered for ever.

• Next week, we reveal how the International Scott Centenary Expedition will visit Antarctica next year to carry out its own cutting-edge experiments, and how descendants of the original party, as well as the winner of a Telegraph competition, will retrace Scott's steps.

The centenary will also be marked by the opening in January of an exhibition at the Natural History Museum in London.

For more information, see telegraph.co.uk/scottcentenary

### The remote economy of the Svalbard archipelago

### Disabled great-grandfather denied stairlift and forced to crawl

### Elderly wombat rescued after being attacked

The scientific contributions of the expedition were long overshadowed by the deaths of Scott and his party. However, the 12 scientists who participated—the largest Antarctic scientific team of its time— made notable discoveries in zoology, botany, geology, glaciology, and meteorology. The "Terra Nova" returned to England with over 2,100 plants, animals, and fossils, over 400 of which were new to science.


This reignites his rivalry with a now-successful LaRusso, who has been struggling to maintain balance in his life without the guidance of his mentor, Mr. Miyagi, whose death in the series took place seven years before episode 1.

(meta data) TITLE: 'Karate Kid' TV Sequel, Starring Ralph Macchio and William Zabka, a Go at YouTube Red (Exclusive) | Hollywood Reporter

(meta data) PUBLISHED DATETIME: 2017-08-04T05:00:00

Game of Thrones Pilots Guide Premieres Renewal Scorecard TV's Top 5 Series Regular Grey's TWD

# 'Karate Kid' TV Sequel, Starring Ralph Macchio and William Zabka, a Go at YouTube Red

The 10-episode half-hour comedy 'Cobra Kai,' exec produced by Will Smith's Overbrook, landed at the subscription service in a competitive situation following offers from Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and AMC.

Three decades after The Karate Kid, original stars Ralph Macchio and William Zabka are heading back to the dojo.

The duo are set to reprise their roles as underdog Daniel LaRusso (Macchio) and bully Johnny Lawrence (Zabka) in a 10-episode straight-to-series follow-up called Cobra Kai for subscription service YouTube Red.

The series, set to bow in 2018, is set 30 years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament and revolves around a down-and-out Johnny who, seeking redemption, reopens the infamous Cobra Kai dojo.

It reignites his rivalry with a now-successful Daniel, who has been struggling to maintain balance in his life without the guidance of his mentor, Mr. Miyagi (the late Pat Morita).

The half-hour comedy follows the duo addressing demons from their past and present frustrations — through (what else?) karate.

Josh Heald (Hot Tub Time Machine) as well as duo Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg (Harold and Kumar) will pen the script and exec produce.

Hurwitz and Schlossberg will direct much of the series.

Will Smith's Sony Pictures Television Studios-based Overbrook Entertainment will exec produce with James Lassiter and Caleeb Pinkett overseeing for the company.

Macchio and Zabka are expected to make an appearance Friday at YouTube's portion of the Television Critics Association's summer press tour in Beverly Hills.

"Like everyone who grew up in the 1980s, the three of us are enormous fans of The Karate Kid," Heald, Hurwitz and Schlossberg said in a joint statement.

"Cobra Kai will be a true continuation of the original films — packed with comedy, heart and thrilling fight scenes.

We can't wait to reignite the LaRusso-Lawrence rivalry, and we're thankful to our partners at YouTube Red, Sony Pictures Television and Overbrook for their shared enthusiasm in making our dream project a reality."

The series landed at YouTube Red following a competitive bidding process that sources say also included offers from Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and AMC after Macchio and Zabka pitched the series all over town.

Macchio appeared in all three original Karate Kid features, while Zabka had roles in the first two.

"They were enthusiastic and fun," YouTube global head of originals Susanne Daniels tells THR of the pitch meeting.

"I don't know whether they had rehearsed it, but they played the parts of their characters well.

More than anything, it was just amazing to see them together again."

Daniels, who said Karate Kid still resonates with YouTube users today, noted that the series comes as part of an effort to age up YouTube Red's demographic from 18-34 to the more advertiser-coveted 18-49 set.

"It had all the elements you look for in a strong show.

It had heart, it had laughs, it had drama, it had characters with strong points of view.

All of it was there in the pitch," Daniels said.

Asked specifically why they were ditching the familiar Karate Kid title in favor of Cobra Kai, Daniels said it was driven by the story.

"If The Karate Kid was Daniel's story, Cobra Kai is equal parts Daniel and Johnny's story.

Also because this is a series and not a movie, we really wanted to reimagine how the story was told.

Changing the name made sense as part of that."

Sony's Columbia Pictures distributed the original 1984 feature that went on to become a pop culture staple and spawn two sequels as well as a 1994 revamp with Hilary Swank and a 2010 reboot starring Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith.

The latter revival, produced by Smith, Overbrook and Columbia Pictures, grossed $359 million worldwide on a budget of $40 million.

All told, the franchise has grossed more than $619 million worldwide.

"Continuing the story of The Karate Kid has been a passion project for all of us, and when Ralph and Billy said yes, we knew it had become real," said Glenn Adilman, exec vp comedy development at SPTS.

"We are thrilled that YouTube Red felt the same thing the minute they heard the pitch and then stepped up with this series commitment."

In the years since the film's 1984 debut, Macchio has remained busy with roles in My Cousin Vinny, among others.

He next recurs in HBO's upcoming David Simon drama The Deuce.

Zabka, meanwhile, had a recurring guest role in How I Met Your Mother and earned an Oscar nomination in 2004 for his live-action short film Most.

Macchio is repped by Untitled, Buchwald and Hansen Jacobson.

Zabka is with Advanced Management and attorney Eric Feig.

Hurwitz and Schlossberg are with CAA and Hansen Jacobson; Heald is with Paradigm and attorney Howard Abramson.

Cobra Kai is the largest TV foray to date for the CAA-repped Overbrook.

Cobra Kai joins a roster of originals at YouTube Red that includes Step Up, Mind Field, 12 Deadly Days, Sing It and more.

Reboots and revivals continue to be in high demand as broadcast, cable and streaming platforms look for proven hits in a competitive landscape that includes more than 450 scripted originals.

Key reboots and revivals in the works include NBC's Will and Grace — already renewed for another run — as well as ABC's Roseanne, both of which bring the original stars back for more.

### TV Premiere Dates 2019: The Complete Guide

### Broadcast TV Scorecard 2019: Complete Guide to What's New, Renewed and Canceled

In February 2011 it was announced he would compete on ABC's "Dancing with the Stars". He was eliminated during the semi-finals, placing fourth in the overall competition. Macchio appeared in Canadian band Danko Jones' music videos for "Had Enough" and "I Think Bad Thoughts", also featuring Elijah Wood and Jena Malone. In April 2012, Macchio was cast in the film "Hitchcock", based on the non-fiction book "Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho", co-starring Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Jessica Biel and Toni Collette, and directed by Sacha Gervasi. Macchio portrays "Psycho" screenwriter Joseph Stefano. In April 2013, Macchio appeared in the popular sitcom "How I Met Your Mother" in the episode entitled "The Bro-Mitzvah". From February to March 2016, Macchio co-stars with Mario Cantone in the Off-Broadway production "A Room of My Own", after having read the play in 2010 and 2014. Macchio reprises his role as Daniel LaRusso in "Cobra Kai", a television sequel to the movie trilogy, that YouTube Premium released on May 2, 2018, with a ten-episode first season. He is also a co-executive producer of the series, along with William Zabka. The series is set 34 years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament and revolves around a down-and-out Johnny Lawrence (Zabka) who – seeking to get his life back on track, and obtain redemption for his defeat in the 1984 tournament – reopens the Cobra Kai dojo.


He is a previous member of the United States Army Marksmanship Unit and current Captain for Team Remington.

(meta data) TITLE: Shooting Sports USA | Remington Arms Team Captain Travis Tomasie

### Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

Women On Target® Instructional Shooting Clinics

Volunteer At The Great American Outdoor Show

Marion P. Hammer Women Of Distinction Award

Women's Wildlife Management / Conservation Scholarship

National Youth Shooting Sports Ambassadors

NRA Outstanding Achievement Youth Award Presented by Brownells

National Youth Shooting Sports Cooperative Program

Travis Tomasie is an American sport shooter who took gold in the 2005 IPSC Handgun World Shoot in the Standard division and silver at the 2008 World Shoot in the Standard division.


Giantsopoulos returned to Canada and signed with Cavalry FC of the Canadian Premier League on January 23, 2019.

(meta data) TITLE: Four More Horsemen Saddle Up to Ride with Cavalry FC – Cavalry FC

Calgary, AB (January 23, 2019) – Cavalry FC is pleased to welcome four more Canadian horsemen to Cavalry FC roster.

Dean Northover was part of the Champion Foothills Premier Development League (PDL) team in 2018 and for the past 4 seasons holds record for most matches played for Foothills FC.

Northover also played for the SAIT Trojans.

"Dean is a terrific player and should have been playing professionally before now."

Stated Tommy Wheeldon Jr, Head Coach & General Manager, Cavalry FC.

"Having worked with him for 5+ years now, he is a very consistent player with exceptional control and 1v1 defending"

Columbian born Carlos Patino was named the PDL assist Champion for 2018 and has played professionally for the Seattle Sounders 2 in the United Soccer League (USL).

Patino also brings international play experience to Cavalry FC having previously played in Sweden for Vänersborgs IF.

He has a great passing range that creates a ton of goal scoring opportunities.

He adds versatility to our attacking depth and is one of the hardest working players I've seen."

Nico Pasquotti played 3 years for Calgary Foothills FC and in both National Championship games (2016 & 2018).

In the 2018 National Final, Pasquotti scored the winning goal and won the MVP award.

Fans who watched the Prospects Al Classico game in September 2018 will recognize him as a goal scorer and the player voted MVP of the home game.

Born and raised in Lethbridge, Pasquotti played his early years with the Lethbridge Cosmos and a season with Calgary Chinooks before advancing onto the Lethbridge College team, then into the Lethbridge University team as he traded schools.

"Nico is a really exciting player that adds exceptional pace and drive to our team." said Tommy Wheeldon Jr.

"He's someone who will excite the fans and inspire his teammates."

A native of Markham, Ontario, Niko Giantsopoulos impressed the Cavalry FC coaching staff in the Prospects camp for the Al Classico game in fall of 2018.

Giantsopoulos previously played in the NCAA at Calvin College including a Division III All-American in 2014.

Following his NCAA career Giantsopoulos moved down under to sign with the Devonport City Strikers of the Tasmanian Northern Premier League in Australia.

"Jordan Santiago (Goalkeeper Coach) was impressed with his positioning and reflex ability."

Tommy Wheeldon Jr. on Giantsopoulos's performance at the Prospects camp.

"He is also a terrific character and one we'll need around the club and in the community.

Canadian Premier League (CPL) is Canada's professional men's soccer league set to debut in April 2019.

Playing in world-class and unique venues, and partnering with strong community-led ownership groups, CPL is a league for Canadians by Canadians that will bring professional soccer to communities coast-to-coast.

For updates and more information, please go to CanPL.ca.

Connect with us on Twitter: @CPLsoccer and #CanPL


Season 1 was released on Netflix streaming service in 2013.

(meta data) TITLE: Netflix Instant Picks 3/29/13—4/4/13 | Movie Mezzanine

(meta data) PUBLISHER: https://www.facebook.com/MovieMezzanine

Every week at Movie Mezzanine, we pick some of the best films currently on Netflix Instant in the United States and Canada.

Whether they are big releases or hidden gems, these movies make your subscription worth the price.

From each library we select one Newly Added film, one Catalog Title and one Expiring Title for your viewing pleasure.

(Note: To account for the significant number of noteworthy additions recently added or set to be added before next Friday, all U.S. picks this week will be new/upcoming releases.)

New Title: Holy Motors (Leos Carax, 2012)

Leos Carax returns to cinema embittered and cynical, the Romantic purity of his early work scoured out of him by artistic setbacks.

(One need only look at how hard a time he has had getting funding to realize that France's film industry is a business just like anyone else's.)

But if Holy Motors laments the ending of an age of cinema, its own ironic but vivid and heartfelt sequences contain more than enough invention to prove that the cinema still has much to offer.

New March 30: Cartoon Network Acquisition

A deal inked with Cartoon Network is bringing your childhood (if you grew up in the '90s) to Netflix starting tomorrow.

More than a dozen titles will be added, including recent cult favorite Adventure Time.

But this writer is all but in a frenzy for the addition of a trio of shows that feature the talent of Genndy Tartakovsky: Dexter's Labratory, Powerpuff Girls (of which he was not the creator but did serve as supervising producer and director) and Samurai Jack (see image).

Tartakovsky's shows were a particular childhood favorite, and their elegant animation and loopy wit only improves with age.

The point is, some great, great cartoons are coming to Netflix, and what better time to arrive than Saturday morning? — Jake Cole

New April 1: Streets of Fire (Walter Hill, 1984)

So many titles get added Monday I'm almost terrified it's a cruel April Fool's joke, but one I am especially glad to see is Streets of Fire, Walter Hill's gloriously cuckoo off-genre blend of sci-fi, noir and '50s rebel movies.

Like the dystopic segment of Back to the Future Part II stretched to feature length with added violence, anthem rock and a hammer fight with Willem Dafoe, Streets of Fire is such a deliciously garish pop-culture mélange you can't help but love it.

It should always be on a streaming service, always ready for lazy day viewing.

(Note: In order to cover a variety of films both added to Netflix and expiring this week, there will be three new title picks as well as two additional expiring picks.)

Sofia Coppola's fourth film, about a famous action movie star building a relationship with his young daughter, was practically dismissed when it was first released.

While the film is maybe too content to play things on the nose, the visuals are beautiful and the performances by Stephen Dorff and Elle Fanning are brilliant.

Fanning in particular becomes the heart and soul of the film, and that's a great thing.

It's probably also a good idea to catch up on Somewhere before Coppola's newest film, The Bling Ring, is released.

New: Sound of My Voice (Zal Batmanglij, 2011)

The other Brit Marling film from Sundance 2011.

This one, about a cult leader who claims to have traveled back form the future, received a fairly divided response from critics.

Either way, this enigmatic little indie thriller with a sci-fi twist is sure to leave you scratching your head, hopefully in a good way.

New: Ruby Sparks (Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris, 2012)

A struggling writer, played by Paul Dano, writes is dream girl.

Incredibly, the girl comes to life in the form of Ruby Sparks, played by Zoe Kazan.

I avoided this film entirely, not only because I thought it looked like a second-rate Stranger than Fiction, but also because I have an extremely low tolerance for Paul Dano.

That said, almost all the word I've heard about Ruby Sparks has been positive.

The film essentially subverts the concept of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl, and apparently does so very well (outside an apparently studio-mandated ending).

I'm still worried about Dano, but now that the film is on Netflix I'll be sure to give it a chance.

Expiring April 1: United 93 (Paul Greengrass, 2006)

Not exactly pleasant viewing, and if you've already seen the film you may never want to watch it again, but there's no denying the power of Paul Greengrass' 9/11 film, United 93

The pseudo-documentary approach of the film makes it engaging to the point where you feel a part of the events, which in turn makes the events that much more horrifying.

It's harrowing stuff, but also incredibly moving.

Watch it on Netflix, in HD, before it's gone.

Expiring April 1: Pride and Prejudice (Joe Wright, 2005)

Joe Wright's feature debut, and such a marvellous debut.

It's difficult enough to adapt Jane Austen's novel into a mini-series, so condensing it into a feature film must have been an incredible task for screenwriter Deborah Moggach.

On top of this, Wright had to balance the speed of the story and the shifting tones.

He does so be focusing on getting the visuals as beautiful as possible and the rhythm of editing down to a science.

It's an expertly made film made from one of the best written novels of all time.

On top of this is a fantastic performance from Keira Knightley and an incredibly strong supporting cast.

If you skipped the film because you wanted to avoid a stodgy British period piece, I suggest you give the film a watch before it expires.

### Warner Archive Instant Picks (10/25/13—10/31/13)

### Warner Archive Instant Picks (10/18/13—10/24/13)

### Warner Archive Instants Picks of the Week (10/11/13—10/17/13)

Chan-wook Park's OLDBOY expires on 1 April in the US.

Like other previous Cartoon Network shows, "Samurai Jack" DVDs were released by Warner Home Video between 2002 and 2007. The DVDs include episode numbers in Roman numerals as they appear at the end of each episode but remain untitled.


As diabetes becomes a rising epidemic, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that up to nearly 8 million U.S. citizens may have undiagnosed diabetes or its precursor.

(meta data) TITLE: Division of Diabetes Translation At A Glance | CDC

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP)

# Division of Diabetes Translation At A Glance

CDC's Division of Diabetes Translation is at the leading edge of the nation's efforts to end the devastation of diabetes.

The division works with other federal agencies, state health departments, health care providers, and community organizations to identify people with prediabetes, prevent type 2 diabetes, prevent diabetes complications, and improve the health of all people with diabetes.

These efforts have helped millions of Americans reduce their risk of type 2 diabetes and prevent or delay serious diabetes complications.

With an FY 2019 budget of $180.9 million, CDC's Division of Diabetes Translation (DDT) focuses on preventing type 2 diabetes, reducing diabetes complications and disability, and reducing diabetes-related disparities, which are differences in health across different geographic, racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups.

##### Measure how diabetes and its complications affect populations in the United States.

##### Study interventions to find out what works best to prevent type 2 diabetes and diabetes complications.

##### Fund and help guide states, territories, cities, and tribes to use proven interventions.

##### Share information to help all Americans understand and reduce their risk of type 2 diabetes and diabetes complications.

More than 30 million Americans have diabetes, and another 84 million US adults have prediabetes, a serious health condition in which blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough yet to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes.

A person with prediabetes is at high risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.

A person with diabetes is at high risk of heart disease, stroke, and other serious complications, such as kidney failure, blindness, and amputation of a toe, foot, or leg.

In the last 20 years, the number of adults diagnosed with diabetes has more than doubled as the US population has aged and become more overweight.

Measure the Burden of Diabetes and Translate Data Into Effective Programs

DDT collects, studies, and shares information to assess the burden of diabetes, help guide public health funding and policy decisions, and measure progress toward prevention goals.

The US Diabetes Surveillance System collects information on new and existing cases of diabetes, risk factors, care practices, and complications at county, state, and national levels.

The Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Surveillance System tracks kidney disease (a serious diabetes complication) and its risk factors over time and monitors progress in prevention, detection, and management.

Phase 2 of the Natural Experiments for Translation in Diabetes (NEXT-D2) study evaluates existing data to see how real-world policies and programs affect diabetes prevention and care.

The SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study is a national multicenter study that provides the nation's first and only ongoing assessment of trends in type 1 and type 2 diabetes in Americans younger than 20.

CKD Surveillance System data are used to monitor progress on 10 of the 14 CKD and kidney failure objectives in Healthy People 2020.

The SEARCH Study has identified key gaps in knowledge, including why the increase in new cases of type 1 and type 2 diabetes varies across racial and ethnic groups.

Information about these differences could provide important clues on how to tailor interventions for specific groups.

Help People Understand Diabetes, Their Prediabetes Risk, and How to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes

Prediabetes causes long-term health risks, but usually has no noticeable symptoms.

Most of the 84 million US adults with prediabetes do not know they have it.

In 2016, CDC partnered with the American Diabetes Association (ADA), the American Medical Association, and the Ad Council to launch the first national prediabetes awareness campaign.

The campaign reaches millions of people and encourages them to take a 1-minute test at DoIHavePrediabetes.orgexternal icon.

People at high risk are then urged to ask their doctor for a simple blood test to confirm their results.

The campaign website also provides links to the CDC-recognized National Diabetes Prevention Program (National DPP) lifestyle change program, which has been proven to help reverse prediabetes.

A second phase of the campaign, launched in 2017, offers viewers a "perfect way to spend a minute": take the 1-minute prediabetes risk test while also watching fun animal videos.

In 2017, CDC partnered with the CBS television network to launch Your Health with Joan Lunden and CDC, a broadcast and digital miniseries that explores diabetes issues in depth.

Results of the prediabetes awareness campaign have far exceeded expectations: 2.1 million risk tests completed, 2 million unique website visitors, 10.1 million video views, and 59,000 clicks to the National DPP website to find a lifestyle change program.

Your Health with Joan Lunden and CDC segments were aired on CBS broadcast television, Health Media Network video screens in health provider offices, video screens in 11 airports across the country, and a variety of digital platforms, garnering more than 336 million impressions (number of times displayed).

Top of PageHelp Prevent Type 2 Diabetes in People at Risk

The CDC-led National DPP is a public-private partnership working to build a nationwide system to deliver an affordable, evidence-based lifestyle change program to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes.

Working with a trained lifestyle coach, program participants learn to make better food choices, be more physically active, and find ways to cope with problems and stress.

These lifestyle changes can cut their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by as much as 58% (71% for those over 60).

The program is delivered in person, online, by distance learning, and through a combination of these formats.

The Diabetes Prevention Recognition Program (DPRP) recognizes organizations that deliver the lifestyle change program effectively and achieve the desired outcomes.

DPRP assures the quality of recognized organizations and provides standardized reporting on their performance.

Together with partners across the nation, CDC is committed to increasing access to the National DPP among populations most at risk, including those living in rural areas.

To date, over 1,600 organizations have received CDC recognition for delivering the National DPP lifestyle change program and served over 297,000 participants nationally.

The National DPP lifestyle change program became a covered service for Medicare beneficiaries with prediabetes on April 1, 2018.

This is the first preventive service model from the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation Center that has been expanded into the Medicare program—a landmark for public health.

Help People With Diabetes Improve Their Health and Quality of Life

DDT works to increase access to diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) services, which help people manage daily diabetes care—eating healthy food, being active, checking blood sugar, taking medicines, and handling stress.

DSMES has been shown to lower A1C levels, prevent or lessen diabetes complications, and improve quality of life.

DSMES services can also lower medical expenses for people with diabetes and reduce the cost of diabetes to the US health care system.

Diabetes is about 17% more common in rural areas than urban ones, but 62% of rural counties do not have DSMES services.

The use of telehealth—delivery of the program by phone, Internet, or videoconference—may allow more patients in rural areas to benefit from DSMES.

CDC funds state and local health departments to improve access to, participation in, and health benefit coverage for DSMES, with emphasis on programs that achieve American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) accreditation or ADA recognition.

These programs meet national quality standards and may be more sustainable because of reimbursement eligibility.

In 2017, a total of 3,045 ADA-recognized and AADE-accredited DSMES programs were offered across 58.8% of counties in 40 states (a net increase of 5.5% from 2013).

Seven states (Arkansas, Indiana, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, Oklahoma, and Washington) have used telehealth strategies to increase the use of DSMES programs in community settings.

2.6 million Medicaid beneficiaries now have DSMES as a covered benefit (a 26% increase from 2013).

Top of PageFund Partners to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes and Diabetes Complications

CDC supports national, community, and faith organizations; state and local health departments; tribes; US-affiliated Caribbean and Pacific islands; and other partners to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes, improve diabetes care and self-management, and prevent or reduce the severity of diabetes complications.

Improve prediabetes awareness among health care providers and people at risk.

Increase access to and enrollment in the National DPP lifestyle change program and increase coverage among public and private payers and employers.

Improve prediabetes screening, testing, and referral to CDC-recognized type 2 diabetes prevention programs.

Increase DSMES access, participation, and health benefit coverage.

Increase use of community health workers, pharmacists, and registered dietitians to support type 2 diabetes prevention and DSMES programs.

Partner with health care organizations to improve diabetes quality of care.

In 2017, a total of 628,275 Medicaid beneficiaries had access to a CDC-recognized diabetes prevention program as a covered benefit (compared with 30,224 beneficiaries in 2013).

Five states have Medicaid coverage for the National DPP lifestyle change program, and several others are involved in demonstration projects or other efforts to pursue this goal.

In 2017, over 1 million people with diabetes participated in an ADA-recognized or AADE-accredited DSMES program (a 12% increase from 2013).

See the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion infographic to find out more about the center's work to prevent diabetes and other chronic diseases.

Division of Diabetes Translation At A Glance pdf icon[PDF – 1 MB]

Division One-Pager pdf icon[PDF – 1.15 MB]

Page last reviewed: August 7, 2019 Content source: National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Health and Economic Costs of Chronic Diseases

How We Prevent Chronic Diseases and Promote Health

Diabetes, Heart Disease, and Stroke – State Programs

Innovation Awards – Diabetes, Heart Disease and Stroke

Chronic Disease Interactive Data Applications

Open Data Portal and Leading Health Indicators

To receive email updates about this page, enter your email address:

#### Exit Notification/Disclaimer Policy

Links with this icon indicate that you are leaving the CDC website.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cannot attest to the accuracy of a non-federal website.

Linking to a non-federal website does not constitute an endorsement by CDC or any of its employees of the sponsors or the information and products presented on the website.

You will be subject to the destination website's privacy policy when you follow the link.

CDC is not responsible for Section 508 compliance (accessibility) on other federal or private website.

For more information on CDC's web notification policies, see Website Disclaimers.

Air pollution in California.:Instances of environmental injustice.:Diabetes in Los Angeles County Latino children.

In 2017, researchers found that diabetes in Latino children living in Los Angeles is linked to air quality. A study led by the University of Southern California was the first of its kind to follow the health and residential air pollution levels of the same children over a span of several years. The subjects of the study were overweight Latino children, between the ages of eight and fifteen, residing in areas with elevated particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide levels, air pollutants caused nearby power plants and high-volume vehicle traffic. The results demonstrated that the children possessed significantly increased risk factors for Type 2 diabetes by the time they turned eighteen, such as diminished efficiency in the insulin-secreting cells of the pancreas. The insulin resistance that results from such a condition is a direct cause of diabetes onset.
 Diabetes mellitus is a disease that is characterized by the body's inability to properly regulate blood glucose (or blood sugar) levels. Prolonged levels of high blood sugar may lead to severe health complications such as heart disease, nerve damage, kidney failure, blindness, or even early death.


It was shown on 18 October 2018 as part of the 2018 BFI London Film Festival and given a limited cinema release on 9 November 2018, with a DVD and digital release on 12 November.

(meta data) TITLE: Bros movie After The Screaming Stops is better than This Is Spinal Tap

(meta data) PUBLISHER: https://www.facebook.com/theipaper

Check the URL for errors or try our searching inews.co.uk

Check your search terms and try again...

# Bros: After The Screaming Stops – Goss breakdown is the best music film since This Is Spinal Tap

## The insecurities and vulnerable egos of Matt and Luke Goss are exposed in an unflinching film following the 2017 Bros reunion

Bros will return to play festivals next Summer

In their ITV This Morning dressing room, Matt and Luke Goss are preparing for a cosy chat to promote the reunion of Bros, the blonde bombshells who briefly dominated the pop universe in the late 80s.

I'm gonna speak!" insists drummer Luke, bruised following a bitter row during rehearsals for their sell-out comeback show at the O2 Arena.

"You're gonna speak are you?" mocks Matt.

His twin leaps out of his seat, lunges at his brother aggressively, then storms out.

"Go f*** yourself," adds Matt as a parting shot.

You don't have to like Bros much to consider After the Screaming Stops, an unflinching document of the duo's attempt to rebuild a relationship fractured after 30 years, one of greatest music films of all time.

In fact, it's soon clear that Bros don't even like Bros very much.

Liam and Noel Gallagher have nothing on these two.

For 90 minutes, the 50 year-olds, whose signature hit asked When Will I Be Famous?, scratch away at each other's fragile egos and insecurities, apparently oblivious to the camera crew documenting each perceived slight and hissy fit.

After the Screaming Stops, produced by James Corden's Fulwell 73 company, plays as a cross between This Is Spinal Tap and Some Kind of Monster, the similarly raw Metallica documentary which exposed tensions between the metal band's members, eventually resolved by taking a therapist on tour.

"He was perceived as the gifted one, the favourite," says Luke of the glory years, when Bros sold 10m records and became the youngest band to sell-out Wembley Stadium.

Having barely picked up a drum-stick for 25 years after breaking into acting, Luke gets the hump when Matt, who reinvented himself as a highly-successful Las Vegas lounge singer, imposes his musical will at rehearsals.

Bros reunite at the O2 Arena in 2017 after a bitter split (BFI)

"You come in and tell me what to do all the time," he complains.

You're humiliating me but you have the luxury of walking back (to Vegas)."

"He's angry and hurting people," observes Matt.

As the clock ticks ominously towards that O2 show, the brothers find common ground when they return to their childhood home and reflect on the perils of fame – they were required to perform on BBC1's Terry Wogan show the day after learning that their sister Carolyn had been killed in a car crash.

When the screaming stopped in the early 90s, both were left financially ruined.

In an era of pop stars controlled by image managers, the Goss bros should be commended for allowing the world to see them at their most vulnerable.

Then the rest of the reunion tour is axed.

: BFI London Film Festival – Thursday 18 October 15:30 Odeon Tottenham Court Road

Bros: After The Screaming Stops in cinemas November 9, DVD, Blu-ray and Digital on 12th November.

Morrison's tell Muslim 'letterbox' abuse is 'subjectively' offensive

Departure of Sheikh's 6th wife shone light on Dubai's state oppression

'I was housed in a shipping container for two years'

Instead of going to proms, teenagers should watch 'The World At War'

'I was rejected from Settled Status despite living here for 15 years'

Here are the line-ups for Reading and Leeds festivals 2019

Stars defend Olivia Colman after 'left-wing face' jibe in Telegraph

13 Reasons Why season 3: who are the suspects for the murder?

Where is Sanditon filmed? Filming locations for Jane Austen drama

The 50 best jokes at the Edinburgh Fringe - and how to watch the shows

We know that sometimes it's easier for us to come to you with the news.

That's why our new email newsletter will deliver a mobile-friendly snapshot of inews.co.uk to your inbox every morning, from Monday to Saturday.

This will feature the stories you need to know, as well as a curated selection of the best reads from across the site.

Of course, you can easily opt out at any time, but we're confident that you won't.

By entering your email address and clicking on the sign up button below, you are agreeing to receive the latest daily news, news features and service updates from the i via email.

You can unsubscribe at any time and we will not pass on your information.

Subscribe to the National Newspaper Of The Year

On 1 July 2008, singer Matt Goss told BBC News that he had spoken to the other members of the band and in principle they had agreed to reform, feeling that he and his bandmates "are finally at a place" where they could reunite. However, his brother Luke denied any plans of taking part in a reunion. On 14 September 2010, Matt Goss stated that the band would not be reforming in the near future, saying that the moment had passed.
 On 5 October 2016, it was announced that a 30th anniversary Bros concert would take place at the O2 Arena on 19 August 2017, featuring Matt and Luke Goss. Craig Logan wished the Goss brothers success with the concerts, but confirmed he was not interested in taking part in the reunion. A UK tour was announced, with a second date at the O2 Arena and shows in Manchester, Glasgow, Birmingham and Newcastle upon Tyne, but all the dates except the two shows in London and the show in Manchester were later cancelled, with the band blaming "unforeseen logistical circumstances". The first concert at the O2 Arena took place 28 years to the day since the band's original farewell concert at Wembley Stadium. A documentary film of the brothers' reunion and the rehearsals and lead-up to the first concert at the O2 Arena, titled "Bros: After the Screaming Stops", was produced.


Alice in Chains joined Velvet Revolver for a run of U.S. and Canadian gigs from August through October 2007.

(meta data) TITLE: Velvet Revolver Team With Alice In Chains For Summer Tour - MTV

(meta data) AUTHOR: Archive-Chris-Harris

(meta data) PUBLISHED DATETIME: 2007-05-22 19:02

# Velvet Revolver Team With Alice In Chains For Summer Tour

Plus, VR channel Clint Eastwood in forthcoming 'She Builds Quick Machines' clip.

NEW YORK — The rumors are indeed true: Velvet Revolver and the remaining members of Alice in Chains will be joining forces late this summer for a run of U.S. and Canadian gigs that will stretch well into the fall.

But when you have two huge names on the same bill, the question one must ask is: Who will end up opening for whom?

"We'll be closing out the shows, as far as we know," Velvet guitarist Slash said with a gravelly laugh, adding that the trek, which kicks off in August, will run through October.

Texan rockers Sparta have been tapped as the opening act for the tour's second leg, and Velvet Revolver are still mulling a number of potential openers for the trek's first half.

While Alice in Chains' imminent plans remain something of a mystery, it is believed the reunited band has been working on new material, with plans to release a full-length LP in the not-so-distant future.

Last year, Alice in Chains re-formed for a series of highly successful summer and fall gigs throughout the U.S. (see "Alice In Chains Unlock North American Fall Tour"), with Comes With the Fall frontman William DuVall taking over at the mic for the late Layne Staley, who died from a lethal mix of heroin and cocaine back in 2002 (see "Layne Staley, Alice In Chains Singer, Dead At 34").

Velvet frontman Scott Weiland said he didn't catch any of Alice in Chains' reunion shows last year, but he's looking forward to the matchup nonetheless.

"They're good friends of ours, and obviously they have amazing songs," he said.

"People have been saying the shows were amazing, and they were drawing some pretty big crowds, so we figured it would be kind of a cool gig.

It would be fun to watch them play every night and listen to those songs."

Before the tour, though, comes Libertad (see "Scott Weiland Pumped For Velvet Revolver LP, Solo Collabo With Pharrell").

Weiland and Slash agree that fans will be hearing a different Velvet Revolver when the band finally dishes the follow-up to 2004's Contraband on July 3.

According to them, VR have become a collection of seasoned rockers who are more laid-back and comfortable with one another.

"The first record ... rocks with a real focus, and it is what it is," Weiland said.

"I think it's vicious, and we felt we had something to prove because people doubted us in a certain way.

On this record, we'd been touring for 18 months straight, and [in that time], you learn how to be a band.

You learn each other's idiosyncrasies and then there's a trust that develops from that.

So when you want to try new things musically, you feel a lot more safe to be able to do that in the studio and when you are writing and recording.

That's probably why this record has a bolder feel.

It's a more soulful record, as well as more experimental."

"I think everybody just felt a lot more comfortable," Slash added.

"When we first started, we were just so excited to have four other guys to be able to do the same kind of thing with.

That first record — it represents that period for us.

But we've just grown over this period of time, and we stuck it out with each other, so the vibe is much more relaxed.

Everybody just played what they wanted to play."

Libertad will feature a dozen tracks in all.

"Get Out the Door" is a funk-filled number that tells the story of "someone tripping through West Hollywood and coming up upon a transvestite who they did not know was a transvestite and having an encounter that they weren't quite ready for," Weiland said.

The album's likely second single, "The Last Fight," relays the story of a soldier who spends his last night in the U.S. arguing with his lover before heading to fight overseas.

A cover of Electric Light Orchestra's "Can't Get It Out of My Head" is also tossed into the mix.

"That was [producer Brendan O'Brien's] idea," Slash said.

"He goes, 'I have this great idea for a cover,' but then he wouldn't tell us what it was.

Towards the end of the recording for this album, he finally comes out with it.

I didn't know if we could cover that song, and I was against it at first.

But I knew Scott was perfect to sing that sort of song.

So Brendan was patient with me and had us just do an acoustic version of the track.

The thing that did it for me was when Scott put a vocal on it.

Velvet Revolver recently shot a video for Libertad's first single, "She Builds Quick Machines," with director Dean Karr (Marilyn Manson, Deftones).

Weiland said the clip was "fun to make" and was born of an idea he's had for quite some time.

"We came up with this idea, and it just sort of coincided with the album idea and title," he said.

"It originally started as just a spaghetti Western and then morphed into a combination of a spaghetti Western married to this freedom-fighter concept," with a splash of "City of God" thrown in for kicks.

"We spoke with several different directors, and no one could wrap their head around that concept.

It was a two-day shoot, and we had no idea if it would look like crap or if it was going to look amazing.

We knew it had to be cool, that it had to have a vibe and it couldn't look cheesy.

"I've always been such a huge fan of those spaghetti Westerns," continued Weiland, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Clint Eastwood — circa "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" — in the video.

"I always thought it would be cool to do a remake of 'A Fistful of Dollars,' so it was kind of a childhood dream to be able to do something like that."

The video pits Velvet Revolver against a crew of bad men who kidnap a fallen angel — literally a chick with wings who falls like a meteor from high above the Earth, crashing into the desert sand with atomic force.

The VR boys use explosives, Molotov cocktails and powerful six-shooters to exterminate the evildoers and rescue the winged woman.

Originally, the treatment had Slash carrying matching black Les Pauls "symmetrically, spinning the guitars in a manner similar to Bruce Lee's nunchuck scene meets 'V for Vendetta' 's classic knife fight.

One of the bandits draws a knife but is pinned against the wall as Slash flings one of the guitars through his midsection."

A second bandit would then start firing off shots at Slash, who'd deflect the bullets with his other axe.

"There was no way I was going to be doing that," Slash said.

"There's certain things you do with guitars, and there's a line where there's cool and uncool — and that stepped over that line."

History.:2005–2008: Reunion shows and reformation.

That's the approach we've taken for a lot of years. Or, do you give it a shot, try something? We're willing to take a chance on it. It's completely a reunion because the three of us who're left are back together. But it's not about separating and forgetting — it's about remembering and moving on." Before the tour, Kinney mentioned in an interview that he would be interested in writing new material, but not as Alice in Chains.
 During the VH1 Rock Honors concert honoring Heart on May 12, 2007, Alice in Chains performed Heart's "Barracuda" fronted by country singer Gretchen Wilson. Heart's guitarist Nancy Wilson also joined them onstage.