The 3D animated short film Elephants Dream, formerly known as Project Orange, was released to the Internet yesterday. The film is available under the Creative Commons Attribution License, allowing anyone to download, modify and distribute it. The 10-minute film has been called “the first open source movie” by NewsForge. Not only is the movie itself free content, even the computer files containing the 3D models used in the film are available under the same terms.
The project was first announced one year ago and was jointly produced by the Blender Foundation and the Netherlands Media Art Institute. The film tells the story of Emo and Proog, two men trapped inside a surreal machine world. Only freely available open source software was used to create the movie. Most of the work was done using Blender, a 3D modelling and rendering tool. The Blender Foundation is selling an extended edition on DVD, which includes subtitles in 34 languages, a Making Of documentary, commentary tracks, and all files used to create the movie.
In spite of the successful completion of the project, the Blender Foundation “has no intention to grow or expand into a company or studio” according to the project website. “Instead, the Foundation aims at endorsing and supporting activities within (educational) institutes, universities and companies.”
This story has updates See Interview with Ton Roosendaal about Elephants Dream and free content movies, May 21, 2006
Home remedies are nothing but something that can cure you simply with the things and natural food items available in our kitchen closet. Home remedies are a kind of first aid therapy to the body. Something that we all can try at home and get good results. We can just forget the doctor for a while and believe in the words of our old grannies who have transferred us the simple knowledge of making safe treatment for some simple ailments sitting within the premises of our home at anytime of the day and don t need to bother the doctor for simple problems like cold, cough, gastric pain.
Home remedy for loosing weight and fighting obesity
– Drinking hot water most of the time
– Taking Ajwain or souf after every heavy meal
– Taking raw ginger five minutes before meal with water.
– Taking Aloe vera empty stomach along with honey.
– Avoiding too much of sugar and prefer to take jaggery .
Home remedies for little wounds and pain in the joints, Earache.
– Apply turmeric in mustard oil on wounds for healing
– Best home remedy for swelling is applying til oil boiled with ajwain, garlic, onion and little hing.
– Even for joint pains same oil can be used.
– For earache the best home remedy is to boil little garlic and onion in mustard oil and add little turmeric in that. The pain is gone within few seconds.
– For blocked nose put Almond oil in the nostrils or Cow Desi Ghee in both nostrils.
Home remedy to have normal delivery and to avoid C-section
– Pregnant female should perform butterfly exercise regularly.
– She should wear comfortable clothes
– She should drink milk regularly
– In last 2 months she should start with little mixture of dry coconut ,mashed almonds and cashew nuts and dates with little ghee in milk every night. This helps in easy delivery.
– To avoid stretch marks on abdomen one should apply coconut oil or desi ghee regularly.
– Drink kesar in milk to have good complexion of the baby.
– Boil satavari roots in milk to have healthy baby.
The concert aired live at 8pm in the Eastern time zone and 7pm in the Central time zone and on tape-delay in the Mountain and Pacific time zones. It was also shown on the Internet and many cable networks such as USA, Bravo and G4.
The show was produced by Joel Gallen, the same man behind the September 11th tribute concert America: A Tribute to Heroes. The show was not censored for political statements but was for obscenities. Gallen did not expect any political statements. Last week, rapper Kayne West made a remark on an NBC charity show A Concert for Hurricane Relief, in which West claimed that “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.”, which caused controversy.
The concert began with Randy Newman singing “Louisana 1927.” Throughout the concert there were notable acts, such U2 performing “One” with Mary. J Blige. Another moment was Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood and the house band from The Late Show with David Letterman doing a cover of John Fogerty’s “Who’ll Stop The Rain”.
Tony Blair and George W. Bush shaking hands in the White House on November 12, 2004
British television station Channel 4 News and newspaper The Guardian have reported that they have obtained a secret transcript of a meeting between United States President George W. Bush and British prime minister Tony Blair on January 31, 2003, two months before the beginning of the Iraq war. The memo has been viewed by Phillipe Sands, a professor of international law at University College London, and by Channel 4 news. Last year, Professor Sands reported on doubts about the legality of the invasion in Iraq voiced by government lawyers, which eventually forced the British government to publish the full legal advice given to them by the attorney general.
According to the two sources, the transcript suggests that the invasion of Iraq was already decided at the point of the meeting, and that Bush had stated that “the diplomatic strategy had to be arranged around the military planning”. Blair is reportedly quoted as responding that he is “solidly with the president and ready to do whatever it took to disarm Saddam”.
The memo from the sources also states that Bush suggested “flying U2 reconnaissance aircraft planes with fighter cover over Iraq, painted in UN colours”, so that “if Saddam fired on them, he would be in breach [of UN resolutions]”.
According to the memo, President Bush said he “thought it unlikely that there would be internecine warfare between the different religious and ethnic groups”.
The British government did not deny the existence of the memo last night, but insisted that “the prime minister only committed UK forces to Iraq after securing the approval of the House of Commons in a vote on March 18, 2003.” It added that they “do not comment on the prime minister’s conversations with other leaders.”
The BBC reported that Chief spokesman for the National Security Council Frederick Jones said that “the White House would not comment on what was said or not said in alleged private conversations between Mr Bush and foreign leaders,” and added that the White House “was not going to re-litigate how the nation went to war”.
The purported document has not been confirmed as authentic by either government so far.
Actor David Tennant made an announcement Wednesday at the National Television Awards in the United Kingdom that he will end his time portraying the Tenth Doctor on the long-running BBCscience fiction drama Doctor Who in 2009. The announcement came as part of Tennant’s speech accepting the outstanding drama performance award at the program.
Tennant, 37, is currently portraying the lead in a production of Hamlet with the Royal Shakespeare Company, and accepted the award by videolink. He was up against Doctor Who co-star Catherine Tate, who portrayed his companionDonna Noble. Doctor Who was recognized with the award for most popular drama program.
I love this show so much that if I don’t take a deep breath and move on now I never will, and you’ll be wheeling me out of the Tardis in my bath chair.
“I love this part, and I love this show so much that if I don’t take a deep breath and move on now I never will, and you’ll be wheeling me out of the Tardis in my bath chair,” said Tennant in his address to the audience in attendance at the Royal Albert Hall. “TARDIS” refers to the time machine and spacecraft operated by Tennant’s character known only as “the Doctor”, and stands for Time And Relative Dimension In Space.
Tennant will again inhabit the TARDIS as the Tenth Doctor for the upcoming Doctor WhoChristmas special, “The Next Doctor“, and will portray the Doctor in four additional specials set to air in 2009. A new actor will play the Doctor for the program’s 2010 series.
Tennant had initially been interested in portraying the Doctor in the 2005 series, but that role went to Christopher Eccleston. The series had previously been dormant since 1996, with Paul McGann in the lead role. Tennant has said that it was his childhood dream to play the Doctor. This is not his first time being recognized at the National Television Awards for his role as the Doctor. In 2006 he received the award for most popular actor, and again in 2007. In 2006 Tennant beat out actor Tom Baker as the favorite doctor, in a survey of readers of Doctor Who Magazine.
I’ve been lucky and honoured to work with David over the past few years.
Russell T. Davies, the program’s current executive producer, commented to BBC News on the end of the Tenth Doctor and his work with Tennant: “I’ve been lucky and honoured to work with David over the past few years – and it’s not over yet, the Tenth Doctor still has five spectacular hours left! After which, I might drop an anvil on his head. Or maybe a piano. A radioactive piano. But we’re planning the most enormous and spectacular ending, so keep watching.” Steven Moffat will replace Davies as executive director of Doctor Who in 2010.
Tennant began his work as an actor with roles in theatre, and progressed to starring roles on television programs including Blackpool and Casanova. He has recently returned to theatre roles with the Royal Shakespeare Company, and has received praise for his work in Hamlet and Love’s Labour’s Lost.
Situated on the southern edge of Greater Los Angeles, Long Beach is nestled pleasantly on the Pacific coastline. The fifth largest city in California, Long Beach has a population of approximately a half million people. The Port of Long Beach is one of the largest and most active shipping ports in all of the world. The presence of high-tech and aerospace industries in the city have accounted for the growth of Long Beach in recent years.
A number of major businesses make their headquarters in Long Beach, including Molina Healthcare and Scan Health Care. Indeed, Long Beach is a community that is rather heavily involved in the healthcare industry on a number of different levels. From insurance to research to the latest in cosmetic procedures such as photofacials, laser hair removal and Botox, residents of Long Beach has access to it all.
In point of fact, the Long Beach community has long been on the forefront of cosmetic procedures including such treatments as photofacials, laser hair removal, Botox. Of course, on some level it might be a clich to say that this city has assisted in pioneering and extending the availability of treatments like photofacials, laser hair removal, Botox, the reality is that the population of Long Beach as a whole is committed to health, wellness and appearance enhancement.
One of the reasons so many people find Long Beach incredibly attractive is the fact that it has an unbelievable temperate climate. Day time temperatures in the city hover from the 70s in the wintertime to the 80s in the summertime, rarely deviating to greatly from this marvelous zone.
There are a number of unique points of interest that make the community truly appealing. Of course, the beach is a prime draw when it comes to residents of and visitors to Long Beach alike. When at the shore, many people take in the magnificent art deco creation, the Queen Mary, the steam liner that permanently is docked at Long Beach.
Rancho Las Alamitos is a historic site managed by the city itself that includes functional features like a blacksmith’s shop dating back to 1800. This venue provides an interesting perspective on the history and development of what is today Long Beach.
The Long Beach Museum of Art and the Museum of Latin Art are both considered to be top notch institutions. Beyond the visual arts, the preforming arts are also king in Long Beach. This includes the Long Beach Orchestra and the Long Beach Opera, both which have attracted a great deal of community support in recent years.
Finally, when it comes to cultural offerings and entertainment, Long Beach host a number of live theater venues. This includes the Musical Theatre West, one of the largest theater companies in the theater-heavy region of Southern California. Other highly regarded live theater companies up and running in Long beach include the Found Theatre, the Garage Theatre and The California Repertory Company, all of which are award winning and highly popular with people from across Southern California.
About the Author: Long Beach CA is a great place to work and live. Keep your skin looking healthy while enjoying the fun and sun of Long Beach with regular visits to a
Friday, July 17, 2009Following similar threats by workers at New Fabris and Nortel, workers at JLG in Tonneins, France, threatened to blow up several platform cranes. The JLG factory announced in April 2009 that it will fire 53 of its 163 workers by the end of 2009, while the remaining 110 jobs will not be secure over the next 2 years.
JLG Tonneins was acquired in 2006 with its parent JLG Industries, a maker of aerial work platforms, by the U.S.-based Oshkosh Corporation. Despite being hugely profitable in the past, production has been much reduced since 2008 with the contraction of the construction industry and lower demand for its products. Despite excellent past results the new American management demanded sweeping cuts at the company.
In the view of locals, “the company’s actions are a disgrace given the expensive perks, such as official cars, for its corporate fat cats, compared to the sacrifice, silence, and dignity demanded by the company of those it has made redundant.”
The management offered severance pay of € 3,000 (US $4,200), however the workers demanded a severance package commensurate with “the wealth that their labor has generated.” Worker’s delegates requested a “supra-legal” payment of € 30,000, on Thursday 16 of July the management responded with a counter offer of € 16,000. On Thursday night the worker’s actions secured the € 30,000 settlement initially demanded.
Chinese officials have said that their country’s exports surged last December to edge out Germany as the world’s biggest exporter.
The official Xinhua news agency reported today that figures from the General Administration for Customs showed that exports jumped 17.7% in December from a year earlier. Over the whole of 2009 total Chinese exports reached US$1.2 trillion, above Germany’s forecast $1.17 trillion.
Huang Guohua, a statistics official with the customs administration, said the December exports rebound was an important turning point for China’s export sector. He commented that the jump was an indication that exporters have emerged from their downslide.
“We can say that China’s export enterprises have completely emerged from their all-time low in exports,” he said.
However, although China overtook Germany in exports, China’s total foreign trade — both exports and imports — fell 13.9% last year.
Many rescue workers have suffered respiratory problems following their work on September 11
Yesterday, United States President Barack Obama signed into law a five-year benefit package to provide healthcare treatment for emergency workers including police, firefighters, and rescue workers affected by illness and respiratory problems contracted while working at the site of the World Trade Center attacks in New York City on September 11, 2001.
The bill—the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, which is named after a police officer who died of a respiratory illness he got during a rescue operation at the World Trade Center — will provide $4.2 billion over the next five years. This money will be raised by increasing a levy on foreign companies that win procurement contracts from the United States government.
The new legislation also provides new funding for the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, a federal program for victims of the attacks.
The new bill will support firefighters, cops and other emergency workers who were part of the rescue effort.
President Obama signed the bill in Kailua, Hawaii, where he is staying on vacation. In a statement, Obama said: “We will never forget the selfless courage demonstrated by the firefighters, police officers and first responders who risked their lives to save others. I believe this is a critical step for those who continue to bear the physical scars of those attacks.”
The law was the only one that passed through Congress during the lame-duck session in December, with some Republican opposition. New York Senators and Congressmen have praised the passage of the measures.
“The heroes who rushed to Ground Zero in the hours and days after the attacks will not be forgotten. These first responders were like veterans, and this law keeps with a time-honored tradition of standing by our veterans when they get harmed answering the call.” said Charles Schumer, Democratic Senator from New York. He also vowed to “begin work immediately to make sure this law gets renewed for another five years”.
New York Republican congressman Peter T. King said that “Justice is finally being served”, and that the passing of the law marked “A great day for America.”
Democratic congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney said that “The Zadroga law will save lives and fulfills our moral obligation to care for those who rose to the defense of America in a time of war.”
