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Editor's Note: Chris Sloan, an aviation expert and the executive producer of the Travel Channel series "Airport 24/7: Miami," rode the inaugural flight of American Airlines' 777-300ER from Dallas to Sao Paulo at his own expense.He was kind enough to share photos from the experience with us, as well as his take on the flight and what it means for American Airlines. You can read his story on the airline and flight below, check out photos of the inaugural flight, and find out even more about the experience on his blog, Airchive.com.
Click here to jump right to photos on board the jet >>
On January 31, 2013 American Airlines launched their first Boeing 777-300 ER into service with attention that rivaled any airline's launch of a new type in recent memory. On the face of it, even though American became the first operator of the 777-300 in America, this event would almost seem overkill if for that reason alone.
After all, American began 777-200 flights back in 1999 and the first 777-300 was first delivered to an airline, Cathay Pacific back in May, 1998. The first 777-300ER entered service nearly 10 years ago with Air France. Boeing's two stretch variants of their venerable cash cow, the 777, easily have become the type's most popular versions with over 680 orders and deliveries between them out of the entire 777 program's 1,380 orders and deliveries (as of December, 2012). I
n an era of smaller airliners, American inaugurated the 777-300, the largest new airliner by a U.S. carrier since the last Boeing 747-400s entered service with U.S. airliners in the late 1990s.
This inaugural, flight 963, from Dallas/Ft. Worth to São Paulo, Brazil in the author's view is one of the most significant in the airline industry in years because it is about something much bigger than just the launch of a new airliner, it's about the re-birth of a proud American institution that happens to bear the name of our country – American Airlines.
American Airlines problems are well known. After becoming the world's largest airline with its 2000 acquisition of TWA, the 2000s were not kind at all to the Silver Bird. TWA and American merged during an economic downturn and by most accounts, the merger was anything but an unqualified success. American shed most of TWA's assets, routes, staff, and many of its aircraft.
On September 11th, 2 of American's airliners, their crew, and passengers were forever lost in the atrocities of this horrible day. As if things couldn't get any worse, the world's airline industry hemorrhaged with the U.S. legacy carriers losing more money during this time then they had profited in their entire history. All of them declared Chapter 11, with the exception of American. Under the category of "no good deed goes unpunished", this decision would come back to haunt American for years. The competitors were able to re-organise, upgrade service, rebrand their images, get their costs under control, renew their fleets, expand their route structure, and finally in the case of Continental/United and Delta/Northwest consolidate into mega-carriers that dwarfed American.
American was left with a barrage of serious problems: a revolving door in the executive ranks, fractious management and labour relations, dwindling market share, increasingly massive financial losses as their competitors recorded profits, devastating operational problems of which many were self-inflicted, an ageing fleet, outdated and stripped down in-flight passenger service, soaring operating expenses, declining bookings, and a very unsympathetic press that at times almost seemed on a witch hunt.
Like Pan Am and other failed airlines there were a few bright spots: the extremely profitable Latin American hub, the North Atlantic / London Heathrow joint-venture with British Airways, the strong and dominant hubs particularly at DFW and Miami, strength on the highly profitable trans-continental services particular JFK-LAX, and many proud employees across all positions who still believed their company could once again live up to American's 1980s advertising claim that they were "Something Special in the Air".
But the headwinds seemed to far outweigh the tailwinds and finally on November 29, 2011 American filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy becoming the last U.S. legacy carrier to do so. On top of that, US Airways began aggressively pursuing a merger, securing an agreement with the pilots unions. Then came the 2012 "Summer of Discontent" with flight cancellations and operations disruptions that sent customers into the arms of their competitors and who can forget the seats onboard a few 757s becoming unbolted during flights. It would have been understandable for the once proud Eagle to fold its wings. If the one unthinkable collapses of majors like Pan Am and Eastern occurred, could American meet the same fate?
It may be hard to remember, but since the beginning of commercial aviation: American was an innovating pace setter in the industry, and generally a profitable one at that. In many ways, American virtually wrote the history of the airline industry: American introduced the airliner that changed aviation, the Douglas DC-3. The first non-stop transcontinental services were flown by American in 1953 and then they pioneered the first regularly scheduled domestic jet services in 1959. Their legendary CEO C.R. Smith, along with an American 707 Astroliner, appeared on the cover of Time Magazine for this honour.
American was the launch customer for other airline types such as the Douglas DC-10 (which was based on their specifications) and the blazingly fast Convair 990. American even leased to NASA and maintain the 747s used to ferry the Space Shuttle. Of even greater significance, American introduced the first airline computer reservation system, Sabre, back in 1961. In 1981, they created the world's first frequent flyer program, still known as AAdvantage. Under their controversial but genius CEO Robert Crandall, American became the leader in dynamic pricing and computerized yield management as well as cost control, which made the airline very profitable. They were even the first airline to introduce a wireless app back in 1999 on the Palm Pilot, long before they were in vogue. Along the way, they acquired numerous airlines such as Trans Caribbean, AirCal, RenoAir, and finally TWA.
With that spirit of innovation and comeback even in the face of severe turbulence, American chose to move forward even before the Chapter 11 filing. On January 19, 2011 American became the first U.S. airline to order the Boeing 777-300 ER, the world's most successful twin-engine airliner. Initially ordering 2 and then upping the order to 10 with options to covert other Dash 200s, AA would initially use the 777-300 ER on super high density premium routes to South America and London from their major hubs at DFW, MIA, LAX, ORD, and JFK. London Heathrow was announced as the initial destinations, but perhaps in a nod to the importance of Latin America and particularly economically booming Brazil, São Paolo became the inaugural destination. The first 2 777-300ERs delivered are scheduled to only be deployed on this route through March until London Heathrow is added until March.
Photo: Chris Sloan/Airchive
On July 20, 2011 American ordered $13 billion worth of 460 narrow-body Boeing and Airbus aircraft, the largest commercial aircraft order in history. This fleet renewal, designed to replace the ageing MD-80s, 757s, and 767-200s, consists of 200 aircraft from the Boeing 737 family: The 737-700, 800, 900ER, and the new ultra fuel-efficient 737 Max (which it launched). From Airbus, a company previous management had vowed never to do business with again, American ordered 260 aircraft from the Airbus A320 family including the 320, 320 Neo, and new 321 which would become the new Transcontinental Flagship with a game changing cabin experience beginning in November, 2013.
Reportedly, the airline gained even better terms in negotiations during bankruptcy. Even after the bankruptcy filing AA continued other upgrades such as Wi-Fi across the domestic fleet and international satellite Wi-Fi for international flights, new Boeing Sky Cabin equipped 737s at the rate of approximately 3 per month, Samsung Galaxy tablets for use by premium passengers for in-flight entertainment and by flight crew for a myriad of flight information, in-fight streaming of movies and video content, and innovative new pricing options called "Choice".
The long in the tooth vintage 1980s and 90s era cabins received much attention as well new extended legroom Main Cabin Extra, a new transcontinental Flagship Business and First Class product with lie-flat seats, a new long-haul Business and First Class product debuting on today's 777-300 flight, and new leather seats in economy. Power on demand throughout all new aircraft and cabins would become the exception rather than the rule. American also confirmed its order for the arrival of 787-8 and 787-9 Dreamliners commencing in 2014-15.
Unlike many airlines that wait for exiting from bankruptcy before announcing upgrades, American announced many of these changes from the outset of its reorganization and continued throughout the proceedings even during the USAirways merger discussions.
Almost 2 years after placing the order, on December 11, 2012 Boeing delivered the first 777-323ER to American. The plane, sans fanfare was ferried in its still anonymous scheme from Everett's Paine Field to the DFW base and quickly placed in a hanger. A second 777-300ER (N718AN) was delivered quietly on December 19th with the next 8 following in 2014.
These planes were delivered a bit late, reportedly due to the new Zodiac UK First Class seats not being ready in time postponing the inaugural from early January 2013 to January 31. A 3rd 777-300ER was delivered in early January while its stable mates made a few proving trips, including the MIA hub to test the IFE and Satellite Wi-Fi.
After a tough fall, American began to gather momentum in its operational and financial results. It reported revenue of $24.9 billion in 2012, the highest in company history and a full-year operating profit of $494 million, excluding special items, a $749 million improvement over 2011. These were impressive, especially given the operational issues of the Summer and Fall and losses cased by Hurricane Sandy.
Now read about the unveiling of American Airlines' new brand >
The Brand
Perhaps the most excitement surrounded the mystery of the new brand. There have been rumours for years that the airline's 1968 era and virtually unchanged since then, signature polished aluminium look and Massimo Vignelli's stylised Eagle would be replaced. Since Eastern's demise, American is the only major U.S. airline that leaves the majority of its aircraft surfaces unpainted.
This was because C. R. Smith hated painted aircraft, and refused to use any liveries that involved painting the entire plane. Robert "Bob" Crandall later justified the distinctive natural aluminium finish by noting that less paint reduced the aircraft's weight, thus saving on fuel costs. With new aircraft like the 787 Dreamliner and Boeing 737 Max coming online having more composite surfaces, the unpainted look technically would no longer be possible.
This rebrand was more than a rumour, one that CEO Tom Horton did little to discourage. When the first 777-300 ER (N717AN) rolled out in late October, 2012, with a grey fuselage and white tail, it virtually confirmed a new livery was in the works. The blogosphere went abuzz with speculations and designs of what that might look like, but American kept this as tight as a state secret.
Suddenly in the early morning hours of January 17, 2013, American Airlines sent out a press advisory that the new look and livery would be introduced to the world at 9:00AM CST that same day with a live webcast. Immediately, a 2 hour countdown began on the airline's website, AA.com.
At the appointed hour, a stream of a pre-produced video began featuring CEO Tom Horton recounting the history of American and its progress in reinventing itself and then with the CEO's words ""Since placing our landmark aircraft order in July of 2011, we've been building anticipation toward a moment in time when the outside of our aircraft reflects the progress we've made to modernize our airline on the inside", a computer graphic montage of the Boeing 777-300ER with the new look appeared on-screen.
But where was the real thing? In true cloak and dagger form, while everyone was expecting one of the 777-300ERs to be the first painted in the scheme, a Boeing 737-800 arrived stealthily that morning from Victorville, CA emblazoned with the new look.
The 777-300ERs were spirited out the night before the reveal for their visit to the paint shot with the first returning painted the Sunday before the inaugural. As an aside, Virasb Vahidi, American's Chief Commercial Office revealed to Dallas TV station WFAA that the new look and logo had been finalised a year ago.
He was amazed that that "the new look didn't leak". American's CEO Horton only tipped US Airways CEO Doug Parker the night before that the reveal would be the next morning, but was quoted as saying the US Airways team did not see it before nor have any input. American said that by the end of 2013, they expected a third of the fleet to features the look with all planes completed within 5 years. The website and Twitter feed immediately changed to the clean, new look.
The new Futurebrand designed livery features a silver mica paint that was chosen as a way to maintain the heritage of the unpainted aluminium look. Just beyond the flight deck, the updated Eagle insignia features the beak pointing right with a blue and red geometric shape flanking it on top and bottom.
Aft of the logo, The word "American" dominates the forward fuselage top to bottom. It is evocative of the Pan Am "Billboard" look of the 1980s and was one of the rumours that turned out to be correct. These elements were generally well received as "elegant", "clean", and "a needed update", though some did compare the new logo to that of Greyhound Bus. Personally, I found the fuselage an elegant and sophisticated change.
The tail itself, with its 11 red and white stripes and 7 blue bars echoing an American flag met with decidedly mixed reaction. Some called it "gaudy", "fugly", though most agreed it was "patriotic". Others went so far as to compare it to Aeroflot (due to the abstract flag design concept on the tail and silver fuselage paint) with many questioning why some iteration of the classic and beloved Eagle icon wasn't used on the tail. Many pundits openly hoped that if there is indeed a merger with USAirways that the airline would change course.
Photo: Chris Sloan/Airchive
Unsurprisingly, the classic 1968 logo's designer Massimo Vignelli was the harshest pundit saying in "Business Week" that "the new logo has no sense of a permanence. There was no need to change. I bet this logo won't last 25 years".
Initial reactions to changing icons like American's iconic Eagle or United's Sal Bass designed Tulip are often very critical, so this was to be expected.
In my opinion, the new "Soaring Spirit" look is necessary upgrade given the need of American to re-position itself in the minds of the flying public. Upon seeing it in person I found it quite striking and believe it will grown on people, though certainly not everyone agrees. Virtually everyone agrees, however, that a new livery is just paint and "window dressing" so the real test would be the airline's new product on the ground and in the air.
Fans of the current livery will be pleased to know that American will be retaining 1 of their aircraft in the current livery as a "new" Retrojet (possibly the Susan B Komen 777), as well as the current "AstroJet" 737.
Now find out what it was like to travel onboard the 777-300 ER >
The Flight
The day began with a contingent of press crawling around and photographing the cabin, more on that later. The 2 Boeing 777-300ERs were at Gate D-23 (our inaugural aircraft) and another unpainted at D-24 for an employee event and to be used as backup. For an inaugural, the gate events were remarkably low-key. Missing were the obligatory ribbon cutting, cake cutting, ice sculpture, and balloon canopy.
Downplaying the event seemed intentional because in this transition period with so much "up in the air", AA had to strike the right tone in not wanting to seem extravagant or over-the-top.
With this being mostly a revenue flight with very few VIPs, many in the gate weren't even aware of the significance of the moment. There was a small snack buffet including 777 commemorative cookies, some "New American" signage, and a few words from American CEO Tom Horton and Chief Commercial Officer Virasb Vahidi with a particular shout out to the onboard products design team led by Alice Lieu. With that, the boarding began of this entirely sold out flight.
American chose to not only introduce a new aircraft with this flight and aircraft, but an entirely new passenger experience, maybe even the most beautiful 777 cabin in the world. Upon entry, we are immediately struck by the 787 Dreamliner inspired dynamic LED lighting illuminated in red and blue with stars ala Emirates and the dramatic entry archway and ceiling treatment which is a 777-300 first.
In another first for a U.S. carrier, there is a fully stocked walk-up bar in First and Business flanking a plasma monitor. According to Virasb Vahidi, American chose to build a customer-centric product "inspired by the luxury touches and trends of high-end cars, hotels, and restaurants". Vahib admits American "took a gamble in reducing capacity but says this was a cabin designed for its customers not Excel spreadsheets." He terms the new service as "Life uninterrupted. Customers want an experience that's the same in everyday life".
The 777-300 is 33 feet longer then the 777-200 and the new aircraft carries 304 passengers in 4 classes and 6 cabins, 61 more than the 3 Cabin Dash 200's 243 passengers. The ultra-exclusive First Class cabin features 8 Zodiac UK seats with an almost unimaginable 80″ of pitch and 36″ width in a herringbone 1-2-1 configuration. These seats become 6′ 8″ beds with a drop-down armrest further enhancing sleep.
All suites have electrically powered privacy dividers, two universal AC power outlets, one USB outlet, two large tray tables / desks, a swivel seat and a many other creature comforts including American's trademark Bose® QuietComfort® 15 Acoustic Noise Cancelling® headsets with charges built into the headrest, and an enlarged 17-inch touch screen IFE.
The amenity kits have received a major upgrade as well. Additional unique touches include swiveling seats and an ottoman so a guest can join the First Class passenger for dinner or a face-to-face conversation; a "do not disturb" electronic sign (just like a hotel), a secondary remote for the IFE so the passenger can use it without even facing the monitor, and a unique iPod looking display for the seat controls.
The "Tom Horton" lamp nicknamed after the CEO, gives these suites an additional high-end touch evocative of a Pullman train car. Vahidi's nicknamed pet contribution is the "Virasb Espresso Machine" which serves up a really nice latte. Another high-end touch that doesn't seem like its high-end: a Microwave Oven for First Class! The cabin is very elegant with its high-end interior trim and finishes. American has set the bar very high that no other U.S. carrier is matching at the moment, and vaults it into the realm of the highest echelon airlines in the world. In fact, the seat product is similar to American's One World alliance member, Cathay Pacific.
Photo: Chris Sloan/Airchive
With First Class cabins becoming ever smaller and more rare (and rarefied), the real important action is in Business Class. Many say Business Class is the New First Class, and this new configuration bears that out.
The New American Business Class cabin, the first redesign since the unloved 2-3-2 2006 era product, is upgraded to an incredibly roomy for Business Class 52 75″ pitch and 26″ lie-flat seats in a 1-2-1 configuration. This is what I would be travelling in, in seat 4J. In a pre-flight boarding, I sampled some of the Sicma Aero seats new features.
Highlights include a very tasteful and warm new look unlike the dark, dark cavern feel of the old cabin. In addition, every seat has aisle access. The arm rests fold down so you don't have to remove your table to crawl out for aisle access, which is a real nicety. American is the first U.S. carrier to claim this in Business and First Class. This herringbone configuration echoes the Delta layout. Every part of the seat, including the seat back, headrest, and leg rest, can be adjusted.
The seats feature a large tray table in addition to a work surface so you can eat and work at the same time, which given the nice, extended meal services is a productive and nice touch. Each seat also has a water bottle holder and "cubbie hole" headset stowage for the Bose headsets offered to all Premium passengers. There's even a vanity mirror on the storage door. Seat controls, power ports, USB's, and a reading light are located to the right within arms reach.
Two of my favourite features are the folding armrest and pivoting table that allows an easy exit from the seat without removing everything off the seatback table. The Business Class Cabin for the 777-200s and some 767-300s, due in January 2014 will reportedly be a further upgrade, as it will be a hybrid between the Flagship and Business. This new cabin will be very key to the airline as the First Class Flagship suites will be removed from these particular aircraft.
The Panasonic eX2 IFE is much improved and enlarged over the old system that I always found particularly poor. It's new touch screen user interface is much more responsive the catalogue of 120 movies, 150 TV shows, and more than 350 audio selections is much more impressive. Tom Horton points out that there are enough entertainment options for 15 trips around the world. The GUI has a fluid, user-friendly operation similar to Apple's Cover-flow. The system currently operates on the Linux Platform but will be switching to the Android Platform in November 2014. The Moving Maps are the main area that will be improved with ultra-high resolution user controllable Google Maps.
The Ku-Band Satellite Panasonic Wi-Fi, so highly touted, functioned intermittently on the flight. Normally priced between $12-$19 USD, the Wi-Fi was free and once we entered Brazil it functioned more reliably. American, who ran a special test flight for connectivity, can't be happy nor were the social media folks American had in the back tweeting the flight.
American had even run a special proving flight over Mexico, Gulf of Mexico, and Miami just for the IFE and connectivity but this new route into deep South America was new for the technology. Panasonic actually had crew onboard the flight troubleshooting the problem. The flight crew apologized on the P/A for the service issues.
Photo: Chris Sloan/Airchive
Even the Main Cabin received some love with Main Cabin Extra Weber seats boasting a 17″ width, 35″ pitch, and a roomy 8 abreast configuration in its 30 leather seats, similar to JV partner British Airways offering. The standard Economy Cabin's 214 seats were also leather-clad but remained at 31″ pitch and 9 abreast.New seatback 9″ touch-screen AVOD IFE's using the Panasonic Eco monitor and personal 110 Volt power ports are located at every seat. By swiping your hand in front of the monitor, the controls illuminate. Both seats have a higher pivot providing increased knee room and an articulating seat bottom, which provides a greater, recline angle. The new Main Cabin is a major improvement over the status quo.
For an inaugural, our flight AA 963 is a late night flight. This flight, the 2nd daily departure to São Paulo GRU, normally operated by a 777-200 pushes back on time at precisely 8:35pm CST for the projected 9:06 trip from Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport International Concourse Gate D-23 to São Paulo Guarulhos Airport.
This flight would is scheduled to take us 5,161 miles well within the 777-300ER's maximum range of 7,930 miles. Our payload is 698,000 pounds well below the 777-300ER limits with 198,000 pounds of fuel taken aboard. As we push back, we are saluted by a nighttime water cannon salute. At 8:46pm, we begin our rotation on DFW's runway 18L. V1 is 164 mph, Vr is 170 mph, and after just 30 seconds of a very quiet roll, V2 comes on at 174 mph at around 5,000 feet and we are airborne to the obligatory boisterous applause.
Even though115,000 pounds of thrust is available on the GE engines, the takeoff is de-rated at around 70%. We climb effortlessly to our initial cruising altitude of 31,000 feet though light to moderate turbulence dogs us throughout the first third of the flight. To take advantage of favourable winds and weather, Flight 963 is on a route from DFW southeast over New Orleans, The Gulf of Mexico, Miami, The Dominican Republic, Eastern Caribbean, Venezuela, and the Amazon River Basin of Brazil (where we deviated around a lot of weather), and into São Paulo.
Our very senior flight crew consists of 3 Captains on the flight deck under the command of Captain John Hale, the VP of 777 Flight Operations who is joined by Captain Bill Elder, Fleet Training and Familiarization, and Captain and 777 Examiner David Schelener. Typical flights have a Captain, First Officer, and International Officer. Schelener, who has flown every widebody in the AA fleet dating back to the 747 remarks that the 777-300 is basically a "very smooth sports car, similar to the 777-200 but with more mass, more thrust, and a fasting cruising speed of .89". The iPAD equipped, roomy flight deck is a pilot favourite made all the more spacious with the absence of the 42 pound brain bag.
55 minutes into the flight American's top 2 executives CEO Horton and Chief Commercial Officer Vahidi serve champagne to the entire flight. With the bubbly served, Horton makes a toast "I really like to fly as a passenger and a weekend pilot, but I won't be at the controls. I am an aviation geek but I won't be flying". He offers a few neat stats: The 777-300ER has 134 miles of wiring enough to stretch from Dallas to Austin, it accelerates from 0-60 in less then 6 seconds, and the Wi-Fi will connect to 3 different satellites. Even with the airline's status up in the air, he proclaims this flight as "the beginning of the New American with lots more to come".
Nearly 90 minutes since take-off. The LED lights are dimmed to American's unique blue ceiling and red side-panels display signaling the beginning of the meal service. This isn't just any meal service; this is the launch of American's new International Premium Service, which replaces the Flagship Service. Yes, the Sundaes are still there (a favourite of founder C.R. Smith), but everything else is new. Explains Flight Service Manager Leland Hinley: "The customer has changed.
They want lighter and more universal options in a more elegant setting. We have no logo on our new china, new white linen, full sized flatware, all meals plated in Premium Cabins, and soon even real stem wine glasses in Business. We are going for a 5-Star dining experience of a fine restaurant in the air." The only hitch is that the wrong Business Class menus are on our flight, but no matter – the selection is still extensive. I chose a shrimp and lentil starter, a Curry Chicken and Rice entrée', and a side of pretzel bread.
Being sadly lactose intolerant, I now have to pass on the famous Sundae's. Flight attendants are given 1 day training in the new service, and are clearly working very hard but they are still efficient and very friendly in spite of the stress of seemingly being short 1 or 2 people. By now, this article must seem like a gloat fest but I was very impressed by the entire service. It was the best service and food I have ever experienced on a U.S. carrier, one that compares very favourably with the world's premium carriers.
With the meal service completed, the action shifts over to American's new 777-300 standup bars, a first for a U.S. carrier since the 1970s. It's stocked with wine, soft drinks, snacks, and water. It quickly becomes a popular place to congregate in spite of the very late hour. With our conveyance approaching South America, the lights are dimmed with 5 hours left to go to allow everyone to sleep.
The seats become very comfortable flat beds, but with the stormy ITCZ (Intertropical Convergence Zone) in full force, the flight was quite turbulent most of the way, but though the 777-300 isn't immune from Mother Nature, she handled the weather with aplomb. Stepping the Dash 300 up to 37,000 feet, the flight crew skillfully earned their keep tonight and deviated around all sorts of weather that is common in the Amazon Basin.
One hour before landing we were served a light breakfast consisting of cereal or an asparagus omelet with a lovely apricot sauce accompanied by fruit and potatoes. This was a very brisk service. The only hitch is when one of the galley ovens failed causing the meal to be lukewarm. The meal trays were quickly picked up and we were in our descent into smooth air (finally!).
After 9 hours and 18 minutes in the air, at 10:06AM local time, we touchdown smoothly at São Paulo GRU's to another round of thunderous cheers. After a quick taxi, we were treated to a water cannon salute just short of our gate in Terminal 2. Even with all the deviation for weather, and the water cannon salute, we arrived 1 minute ahead of schedule. The entire flight crew and some fellow journalists would have just over 14 hours before turning around back to DFW but even though everyone seemed exhausted, I got the feeling that they all were excited to do it again!
There are still many unanswered questions for American Airlines but if this flight and the new product are any indication, this Eagle is rising from the ashes just like a Phoenix. Whether a certain Phoenix based carrier is part of this future isn't known yet. From a passenger perspective, this is one of the very best flights I have ever been on regardless of airline, aircraft, and destination.
Just taking this particular flight, American leaps up with the best of its One World partners such as British Airways and Cathay Pacific. Even though I am press, I chose to pay for this flight entirely at my own expense. I am a very frequent traveller on American, given my Miami home-base, so my expectations were high and hopeful that they would live up to all the hype. I am happy to report my expectations were exceeded on virtually all accounts.
Reiterating this was just one flight and service, the true measure of success and changing public perception will be how these changes affect the entire experience from 777-300ER Flagship service all the way to an American Eagle ERJ-145 Main Cabin flight from Amarillo to DFW, and flight on the system. American has made it clear that the goal is a fundamental change encompassing every part of its operation and in-flight experience. As a customer and journalist, I am keenly interested in this story as it unfolds.
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It was midseason, and the discussion turned to San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who was in the midst of a so-so stretch of football. Despite Kaepernick's unremarkable play, the 49ers still won more than they lost.
It was midseason, and the discussion turned to San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who was in the midst of a so-so stretch of football. Despite Kaepernick's unremarkable play, the 49ers still won more than they lost.
"That's what happens when you're on a good team," NFL Films analyst Greg Cosell said at the time. "Then people say stupid things like, 'He's a winner.'"
Nothing rankles film junkies or analytics advocates more than the idea a quarterback is good simply because his team wins games. Which brings us to the vexing case of Seattle's Russell Wilson, who will oppose Kaepernick in Sunday's NFC Championship Game.
Everything Wilson has accomplished to date in the NFL suggests he is a quality quarterback.
He is the first player in NFL history with a 100-plus passer rating in each of his first two seasons. He also has more regular-season victories (24) than any quarterback in his first two years.
But Wilson's numbers of late aren't great, prompting many to wonder whether he can continue to win.
After a masterful performance against New Orleans on Dec. 2, Wilson had a 64.9 percent completion rate, a 22-6 touchdown-to-interception ratio and a 108.5 passer rating.
In the past five games, Wilson's completion percentage is 56.7, his TD-INT ratio is 4-3 and his rating is 77.4. Naturally, this came up when Wilson and Seahawks coach Pete Carroll addressed the media this week.
Carroll, who loves everything about Wilson, ardently defended his young quarterback. The gist of that defense: Wilson simply is doing what's asked of him.
"He is very concerned about leading us in a way that keeps our philosophy intact," Carroll said.
"As long as our football team is playing well and playing within the formula — we're playing good defense, running the football, playing on (special) teams, taking care of the football and getting it — we're going to have a really good chance to win. That's what's most important to us. It's not about the stats."
Individual statistics can be misleading, especially in a sport in which success depends on 11 men working in concert. But there's a sizable segment of the football cognoscenti — myself included — that has a hard time fully respecting a quarterback if his team isn't winning because of him.
I don't know of any quarterback who considers "caretaker" or "game manager" to be compliments. Wilson — who has been doubted his entire career because he's 5-foot-11 — attempted to put his role in context.
"The ultimate goal is for us to win football games," Wilson said. "I always try to make the smart decision … that helps the football team in the best way possible."
Wilson completed only 9 of 18 passes for 103 yards — including 2 of 9 for 35 yards in the second half — in Seattle's divisional-round victory over New Orleans last week.
But consider the following: The Seahawks were playing with the lead from the first quarter on; they have the league's No. 1 defense; and Wilson didn't turn over the ball despite windy, rainy weather that wasn't conducive to crisp offensive football.
"I couldn't have played in those conditions," Fox analyst and Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman said during a conference call this week. "But I think sometimes as fans, or within the media, maybe even as broadcasters, you don't take those things into consideration.
"There are a lot of factors that go into the numbers and how they're evaluated. (In Wilson's case), they've played some good teams and they have really relied on the things they believe in as an organization. … When you play that style, it doesn't really lend itself to putting up gaudy numbers as a quarterback.
"The most important thing for Russell Wilson is that he has won. Unfortunately, that gets overlooked far more than it should."
In addition to the Seahawks' style of play, Wilson is handicapped by a lack of perimeter weapons. Golden Tate and Doug Baldwin are solid pros, but Seattle's projected starters were Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin.
Rice was lost to a season-ending knee injury in October; Harvin has played in about 1{ games and hasn't practiced this week after suffering a concussion in the divisional round.
None of that has prevented the Seahawks from getting to this point. The question is whether Wilson and the weapons he has are good enough to advance beyond it and win the Super Bowl.
San Francisco is the healthiest, most well-rounded team left in the playoffs. AFC combatants New England and Denver — quarterbacked by Tom Brady and Peyton Manning — represent two of the three highest-scoring teams in the league.
If he wants to be the biggest winner of all, Wilson is going to have to step out of that caretaker/game-manager role and make a play, or several.

subset: commoncrawl


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Hello all!!
Ingame Name: Mr Fish
Time: Just started my 4th week
Optional ->
Your real name: Senne
Age: 20
Clans I was in: GM (Green Mile), FL.
SL rating: 12.4208 (http://et.splatterladder.com/?mod=playe ... x=20599737)
Country / Nationality: I live in Belgium and also have the Belgian nationality.
I am a studying at the moment.
If there is anything more you'd like to know just feel free to ask me!


text:
With this video - complete with a tribute to Instructor Zero no less - Hunter showed everyone just what he is capable of:
Before everyone has a canniption fit about the eye pro, Hunter already said it was a mistake. You won't see him without eye protection at the range again.
I've been through a lot of training classes and I've seen a lot of people who couldn't handle transitions and mag changes that well - and they had two hands. Here's a little more footage of hunter doing his thing:
Other than being a Tennessee fan, Hunter seems like a great kid. He's overcome a serious challenge to keep doing what he loves - shooting and training. Next time you come up with an excuse of why you can't do a training class, think of Hunter.
That should help get you going.
Take a moment and give his Facebook page a like. It's brand new, but over the next few days and weeks you'll see video and articles from Hunter about guns, shooting, and training from a totally different point of view.
That is one absolutely gorgeous... rifle.
Here is the link to go and Like his Facebook Page


text:
The annual Harris Poll survey is out, and for the 30th year in a row, Americans named pro football (35 percent) as their favorite sport, with baseball (14 percent) a not-so-close second.
The full results are below, along with historical data, and rounding out the top five are college football (11 percent), auto racing (seven percent), and men's pro basketball (six percent). Hockey is a close sixth, with five percent of Americans naming it as their favorite sport.
Baseball's decline has long been bemoaned, but it's interesting to see how far basketball has fallen from the peak Jordan years. Auto racing too, once hailed as the fastest-growing sport in America, seems to be in decline from its plateau a decade ago. Be sure to scroll through the release for some stereotype fodder on which demographics like—and don't like—certain individual sports.


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The wars from 1991 to 1999 as Yugoslavia broke up took up to 200,000 lives, turned millions into refugees and left much of the region's people traumatized and heavily armed. It was the bloodiest conflict in Europe since World War II.
The millions of weapons that remained in possession of civilians after the fighting have caused fatalities every week, as traumatized former soldiers either shoot family members or commit suicide or children find guns at home and die while playing with them.
All of the seven new countries that emerged have banned civilians from owning weapons with varying degrees of success.
Serbia has about three million weapons owned by civilians, according to the Small Arms Survey, a nongovernmental organization from Switzerland. It says Serbia has the fifth-highest number of weapons per capita in the world, with some 38 firearms for every 100 people.
In contrast, the U.S. has 88.8 weapons per 100 people and leads the list worldwide, with Yemen second at 54.8 arms per 100 people. England and Wales are low down on the list with 6.2 weapons per 100 people.
Serbian gun laws were tightened several years ago when authorities proposed an amnesty for all those with illegal weapons. Heavy weapons like mortar launchers that were handed over were impounded, but small arms were allowed, with owners required to get a license and pay taxes on them.
In recent years there have been several incidents where hand grenades were activated during minor arguments, including one last year when four people were killed when they were refused entry into a bar in northern Serbia.
On Tuesday, police said a 60-year-old veteran gunned down 13 people in a house-to-house rampage in a Serbian village. The motive for that was unknown.
Macedonia takes second place in the region, with approximately 24 weapons per 100 people, according to the Small Arms Survey. Authorities have introduced voluntary firearm surrender schemes and weapons seizures to reduce the number of illegal guns, collecting tens of thousands.
Montenegrins have 23 guns for every 100 people, according to Small Arms Survey. Automatic and semi-automatic weapons are prohibited for civilians and handguns are only permitted with licenses. Authorities have confiscated weapons and held voluntary firearm surrender programs, collecting tens of thousands of illicit weapons.
Civilians are not allowed to possess any automatic or semi-automatic weapons, while handguns are only permitted with licenses. Still, according to the Small Arms Survey, there's almost 22 weapons for every 100 people. Additionally, Croatia, like Bosnia, has a severe land mine problem. The Croatian Mine Action Center says the country is contaminated with over 90,000 land mines. Clearing them has been slow and costly.
Kosovo's government has banned civilians from owning weapons and introduced programs to encourage people to hand over guns voluntarily, but there's still 19.5 weapons for every 100 people, the Small Arms Survey says. The law foresees up to five years in prison if caught owning an illegal weapon but enforcement has been lax. Kosovo Police have held TV campaigns with NATO peacekeepers to encourage people to hand over their guns.
The 1992-95 Bosnian war was the bloodiest of all the conflicts that erupted after Yugoslavia's breakup. When it ended, most of Bosnia's citizens were armed but the government declared that all weapons owned by civilians were illegal and offered amnesty to those who surrendered them. A public awareness campaign also pointed out how dangerous weapons can be for children. Tens of thousands brought their weapons to police stations or handed them over to NATO peacekeepers every year.
The Small Arms Survey says the country has 17 weapons for every 100 people. A former soldier once shot his wife with a bazooka after a domestic dispute.
Bosnia is also the most landmine-contaminated nation in the region, with an estimated 120,000 still dotting the country.
Civilians are not allowed to possess automatic firearms since the country declared independence in 1991. Semi-automatic assault weapons and handguns are permitted only with special government authorization. According to the Small Arms Survey, Slovenia is the least armed nation from the former Yugoslavia, with 13 weapons per 100 people.


text:
The Federation for EDucation in Europe is a network of almost 500 institutions of higher and professional education that are committed to ensuring educational quality and that share the goal of placing students at the heart of their education.
By offering the types of qualifications and career-based training programmes that are valued by European employers, FEDE schools share a European and global project that aims to create a common sphere of higher education.
With a strong network of both member schools and former students, FEDE schools are able to dynamically anticipate tomorrow's business requirements, adopting the latest pedagogical approaches and meeting European standards, as recognised by professionals and recruiters.
Students who attend a FEDE school will:
– Benefit from a school that truly understands the complementarity between theoretical knowledge, professional skills and a wide-open vision of the business world.
- Develop appropriate professional conduct, through hands-on experienceworking in a company.
- Design their own ambitious professional project that is directly connected to the world.


text:
In the all-new contemporary take on The Three Stooges, from Peter and Bobby Farrelly, actress Jane Lynch plays Mother Superior, the head nun at the orphanage where newborns Moe, Larry and Curly were left on the doorstep. Now adults (and played by Chris Diamantopoulos, Sean Hayes and Will Sasso), they set out to help out the nuns, which also include Sister Mary-Mengele (Larry David) and Sister Rosemary (Jennifer Hudson), and raise enough money to save their childhood home, with all of the pratfalls and slapstick comedy that they're famous for.
During this recent exclusive phone interview with Collider, the always funny and charming Jane Lynch talked about talked about her first exposure to The Three Stooges, how blown away she was to see them brought back to life so meticulously, how she got involved with the film, her most memorable moment with Larry David, working with Jennifer Hudson as a singing nun, wearing a nun's habit in Atlanta in the summer, and what made Peter and Bobby Farrelly the right filmmakers to bring The Three Stooges back to life. She also talked about voicing a character for the Disney animated feature Wreck-It Ralph, about a character from a 1980s video game who wants to get out of his game and into a more high-tech one, her role in A.C.O.D. (which stands for Adult Children of Divorce), the status of the Party Down movie, and what she's looking forward to on her Fox TV series Glee. Check out what she had to say after the jump:
Collider: What was your first exposure to The Three Stooges and you're reaction to them, since they were so different from anything else, at the time?
JANE LYNCH: I don't remember not knowing The Three Stooges. They were on WGN after school, when I was growing up in Chicago, with The Little Rascals. I loved them. I thought they were just amazing. I loved the physical comedy and the slapstick. For kids, especially, that's always a good time, but I ended up being one of those people that grew into adulthood, still loving a good pratfall.
Having been a fan, what was your reaction, the first time you saw these guys on set, embodying these characters and bringing them back to life?
LYNCH: I was blown away. They just captured the characters so much and made it so very much their own. They were meticulous. The poking and the slapping and the prodding is basically a dance, and they were just absolute masters.
How did you come to be a part of this film? Was it something that you were just approached about doing?
LYNCH: Yeah, I got a call. I've been a big fan of the Farrelly brothers (Pete and Bobby), so it's not like I thought twice about it. I got a call, asking if I wanted to play Mother Superior and to read the script. I think I gave it a cursory glance and was like, "Well, of course, I want to be in it!" And, I went out to Atlanta to shoot it.
Do you have any particularly memorable moments, working with Larry David as Sister Mary-Mengele?
LYNCH: Yeah, he was amazing! There was one point where he was yelling at Larry and Curly in the hospital room. They were doing his coverage of it, so we had to be off camera, and we just couldn't stop laughing. Larry just told us to leave the room. He said, "I'll do it without you!"
Was it fun to also add Jennifer Hudson to the mix, as the singing nun, Sister Rosemary?
LYNCH: Yes, she's just a real sweetheart. What a talent! It was just a real coo for them to have gotten her, and to have gotten her to sing. She's just a really beautiful woman.
How did you get involved with Wreck-It Ralph and what character are you voicing for that film?
LYNCH: I was asked to do it. I actually took a tour of the Pixar facility, just north of San Francisco, and I met John Lassiter and a bunch of other people. I don't know that I did anything for them right after that, but I ended up doing a short (Small Fry) for them, and they asked me to do Wreck-It Ralph. Wreck-It Ralph is a 1980s video game from an arcade that no one plays anymore, and Wreck-It Ralph himself wants to get out and get into a more high-tech game. My game is a military game, where we're armies and I'm the general of this particular game, and Wreck-It Ralph jumps into our reality.
Do you enjoy getting to do that kind of voice-over work?
LYNCH: Oh, yeah, absolutely! I love it! I made my living doing voice-over for several years, before my acting work became a little more consistent, so I love doing it. I'm so glad that I get to keep doing it.
What is A.C.O.D. about, and who do you play in that film?
LYNCH: I was concerned about the fact that I'm playing a psychologist in A.C.O.D. 'cause I play a psychologist on Two and a Half Men and I played a psychologist on Boston Legal. I've played a lot of psychologists, so I was a little concerned about that. The guys who wrote it didn't even know. They weren't familiar with Two and a Half Men. But, the character is nothing like the character that I play on Two and a Half Men anyway. She's an academic, and she's a mess. She has very few social skills. There's not going to be a chance that she looks the same as that character.
I worked with Adam Scott, who I adore. I did Party Down with him, and he's become a good friend. I just came back this morning from finishing that, and I had such a good time. Adam Scott is the lead. His parents got divorced when he was a kid, and they're played by Richard Jenkins and Catherine O'Hara. It was a horrible, ugly divorce. My character was an academic writing a book about children of divorce, at the time, and she interviewed Adam when he was a kid. Adam is trying to put the pieces of his life together, so he goes back to her and says, "Can you tell me what I was like?" And then, I decide to write a sequel about what he's like now. I had written a book before about him, unbeknownst to him. He's basically trying to put the pieces of himself together, and it's very funny.
Have you hear anything about the status of the Party Down movie?
LYNCH: Yeah, I know we're going to do it. I think it's just getting schedules together. I heard it's going to happen.
Do you have a favorite upcoming storyline or episode in the remainder of the season of Glee?
LYNCH: Yeah. Well, I'm pregnant, so that's the most exciting thing. There's some interesting developments with Quinn (Dianna Agron). She got in a very bad accident, texting and driving. There's a lot of fun stuff coming up. We have a Saturday Night Fever episode. That was so much fun.
And, you got to kiss Matt Bomer (White Collar), in an episode.
LYNCH: I did. That was my idea, too. I said, "What if you kiss me?"
With some of the original cast members graduating at the end of this season, are you excited about how that will effect things, in the future?
LYNCH: Yeah. Well, I know they're coming back, but it will be interesting. It will be nice to shake things up. It will be really great.
Are you at all surprised that someone who can often be as despicable as Sue Sylvester is has become such an iconic TV character for people?
LYNCH: I think it's like how The Three Stooges are famous for being violent with each other. No one gets hurt. Sue Sylvester doesn't really hurt anybody. She's mean and she says awful things, but she's not Hannibal Lector.
Do you enjoy having those little glimmers of being nice, every once in awhile?
LYNCH: I love 'em! Anybody that mad is protecting something very tender.
When you have a hit TV show that you've won a number of awards for, you have a successful film and TV career, you've published a memoir and you've hosted the Primetime Emmy Awards, is there another career or personal triumph that you're striving for, or does everything just feel like the cherry on top now?
LYNCH: Everything is the cheery on top. I'm sitting back and letting the world roll in at my feet, and it's nice. I love keeping things varied.
Do you have a dream role that you haven't had the chance to do yet?
LYNCH: No, I don't. I really don't. I think Sue Sylvester was about the biggest dream role in the world. I have such great faith that what I'm supposed to play next will show up.
Could you ever have imagined that you'd be in a film that was bringing The Three Stooges back to life for people who have never had the chance to experience them before?
LYNCH: No, and it's thrilling. I'm really proud of this movie. I think it's so good.
What do you think it is that makes them so universal, relatable and appealing today?
LYNCH: It's the slapstick comedy. It doesn't matter that it was done in Depression Era America. It's just the absolute commitment to the wackiness and the pratfalls and the hits and the punches, where no one is getting hurt. It scratches that itch that we all want to put fingers in each other's eyes.
Did you ever wish that you could get more physically involved on set, or were you happy just watching it from the sidelines?
LYNCH: I was happy just watching it. It was a real joy to be an audience member, watching them do their thing.
Were there challenges in enduring the nun's habit in Atlanta?
LYNCH: Yes! It was polyester and so hot. But, it was nothing compared to the guys who were running around wearing wool suits. That was hot.
What made Peter and Bobby Farrelly the right guys to bring back The Three Stooges?
LYNCH: They're fans, that's why. They love it. Mike Cerrone, their co-writer in this, really nailed the story and the script. They're just huge fans.
What is it that attracts you to projects, these days?
LYNCH: I like working with people. It's about who I'm working with, and if there's good food.
When did you first realize that you were good at comedy and that it was something that came so naturally for you?
LYNCH: I don't remember a moment of realizing that. I just knew it, all along. I was very pleased that I was able to do that, and that I seemed to have a gift for it. I come from funny people and we value humor, so I've always been very thrilled that I'm able to bring that for people. That makes me happy.


text:
Monday, 17 May 2010
11 comments:
- Curtis Roberts said...
It's so funny to read all of these poems at the end of a very stressful day at work (I know that many poets frequent this blog and could help me rhyming "work" with "jerk" inventively)and a day after my very, very pleasant wedding anniversary, when best reflection came, as it should, slowly, naturally and without importuning the person you love and live with to turn their attention to anything they haven't thought of themselves first. Love all of these, the Klimt, the flamingos (greater and lesser) and, yes, the gasworks. A hat-trick.
- 17 May 2010 at 19:53
- TC said...
Congratulations to you and Caroline. And thanks for seeing the potential for humour (?) here.
It's curious that a man who should have given up everything for a woman, produced with her, as he put it, "a mast of children", loved her dearly until her (too early) death, and then never really got over that event, should also have written this poem.
How may one account for it?
Of course no one knows just when the poems in the posthumously published "Songs and Sonnets" were written, all theorizing on the subject is purely speculative.
Remembering the problematic complexities of Donne's personal and family history (having a "healthy" attitude about sex, after the traumatic early experience of seeing family members publicly mutilated for "religious" reasons, was probably always going to be impossible); and his admitted ingrained "riddling disposition" and love of paradoxes ("The Swaggerer" as D's contemporary George Puttenham termed that figure in his manual on poetics); and the brash, cheeky style of the early Elegies and Satires; I would, if forced to guess, wager with all due hesitancy that this poem was written sometime late into his law-school/court secretary period, when the company of his fellow law students seem to have brought out the audacious wiseacre in him.
Then again, an inhouse suggestion, which may carry more wisdom than my own speculations, is that the overwhelming experience of poverty and deprivation in his early years as a family man, in that narrow little house at Mitcham, may have made the whole idea of wedlock seem a bit more than the bold young lover had ever bargained for.
In any case, the poker-faced expression of wildly absurd and indeed even highly objectionable points of view was a habit that this contrarian poet would not break (for better or worse) until the sorrows of life had driven him into a parson's grim weeds.
- 18 May 2010 at 03:10
- Curtis Roberts said...
Rereading these three this morning is still fascinating and recalls the pleasure I felt yesterday evening finally being able to lift my head from a morass of intertwined, mostly unpleasant details (it was like having four of five decks of interstellar playing cards, all from different parts of the galaxy, strewn across the carpet and being told to sort them all out) to read lucid things.
In a general sense, I'm not sure the male of the species is really the problem, "but then, the trouble with the disappearance of any human problem is that it usually serves to turn the attention to the next problem in the endless list". You have that exactly right.
- 18 May 2010 at 06:06
- STEPHEN RATCLIFFE said...
Tom, Curtis,
Much enjoyed this lively exchange (between two men married many years!) and this set of three poems -- what Curtis calls "A hat-trick" -- on such a subject. As one who's been married (3 times) and now is not, the Lawrence to Smith to Donne double play is, well, lovely to reflect upon. Meanwhile, this other reflection (of sorts) ---
grey line of cloud against shadowed green
ridge, rufous-sided towhee on fence post
in foreground, sound of wave in channel
this evidence of reflection,
structure of its parts
line to plane, the external
element of form, paint
grey rain cloud against shadowed ridge,
wingspan of gull flapping toward point
- 18 May 2010 at 07:07
- TC said...
Now THERE'S experience talking!
(I refer of course to the rufous-sided towhee.)
- 18 May 2010 at 07:16
- STEPHEN RATCLIFFE said...
I realize I should also have said that I ALSO admire your great endurance. . . .
- 18 May 2010 at 07:39
- STEPHEN RATCLIFFE said...
And yes, ye olde towhee has showed up for yet another spring season. . . .
- 18 May 2010 at 07:43
- TC said...
Sounds like a Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus).
This guy appears to have a bit of chalk, all the better, perhaps, to compose a thousand notes to his true love.
- 18 May 2010 at 07:56
- STEPHEN RATCLIFFE said...
hmmmmm, don't think check the rufous-sided towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus), photo on p. 25 of Audubon Society Field Guide of North American BIrds; drawing on p. 331 of Peterson; Sibley has drawings of Pipilo maculatus on p. 474 (color more like rufous-sided than your guy here). . . .
- 18 May 2010 at 08:34
- TC said...
If you scroll about three-quarters of the way down this page you will come to links to a half dozen different Towhees (including Spotted, under which they appear to classify the Rufous-sided, and California), with videos, audios of song, & c.
- 18 May 2010 at 08:56
- STEPHEN RATCLIFFE said...
Yes, 'my' rufous-sided seems to be the spotted. This (link) is so great, thanks!
- 19 May 2010 at 07:54


text:
European Rugby
French dismiss talk of breakaway European tournament
ESPN Staff
September 18, 2012
Powerhouses such as Toulouse draw huge television revenue © PA Photos
The Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR), the body responsible for running the Top 14, is adamant it does not support suggestions of a breakaway Anglo-French tournament and it wants any future version of the Heineken Cup to incorporate all six nations.
Representatives from the six major countries are meeting in Dublin to try to resolve the uncertainty over the future of the Heineken Cup. The current format is up for review from the end of next season, and Premiership Rugby has already served notice it wants a complete overhaul of the structure, a move supported in principle by the French clubs.
Premiership Rugby's unilateral TV deal with BT which was announced last week indicated a desire to break away from the existing structure by selling individual club rights to European matches. However, ERC, which administers European rugby, immediately hit back by announcing a conflicting deal of its own with Sky Sports, claiming the BT contract violated IRB regulations .
Those exchanges prompted speculation that the whole structure of European rugby was set to be broken up with the possibility that the English and French clubs could go it alone. But LNR vice president Patrick Wolff made clear that was not what the French sides wanted.
"The English put a lot of pressure on us in the past few months to accept the idea of an alternative Franco-Anglo club competition almost like it was a condition before discussing anything else," Wolff told AFP. "That's not what we wanted to do. Save a catastrophic failure at the negotiations, which I don't think will happen, we want to play with the Celts and with the English.
"For us, there is a product (the European Cup). This product must be improved at the negotiations. We want everything to be resolved by the end of the year. Rugby has no interest in being swept up in uncertainty during two years It is imperative that everyone structures things properly in their own country."
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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text:
This is a short paper on building a scanner/parser for a fuzzy logic domain-specific language (DSL). The system takes as input a file containing an ordered set of fuzzy statements and outputs the equivalent Prolog program. We first briefly and informally introduce the topic of fuzzy unification. Next we provide a Backus-Naur Form (BNF) grammar of the fuzzy DSL. Then we provide fuzzy example statements and show their transformation into Prolog statements. Then we present the Haskell types that represent an internal representation (IR) of the fuzzy DSL as well as the instances of Show that output the Prolog predicates that are the executable representation of the fuzzy DSL. Then we present the scanner/parser of the fuzzy DSL. Finally, we translate two input fuzzy files and execute queries against the result in a Prolog listener.
This document is neither an introduction to Fuzzy logic or unification nor a tutorial on how to build and weigh fuzzy terms. The reader is referred to the rich library of online and offline publications on these topics.
The standard execution of unification in Prolog for ground atoms is that two atoms must be of the same type and then of the same value in order to unify. This rigor is very good for proof of program correctness and where there is no room for tolerances; in short, for classic predicate logic proofs, unification does what we need it to do. However, standard unification hinders more than helps in the presence of real-world, messy, data or where some generality is needed in, e.g., the decision-making process of an expert system.
One approach that provides some tolerance and generality in the face of messy data is to introduce fuzziness into the unification process. In this way, we may state facts with some degree of associated certainty. We may also embed in the rule-finding process fuzzy techniques. Three such techniques in fuzzy rule-finding include:
- Product logic, where
and_prod (x, y) = x * y
- Gödel intuitionistic logic, where
and_godel (x, y) = min x y
- Lukasiewicz logic, where
and_luka (x, y) = max 0 (x + y - 1)
The fuzzy DSL also allows disjunctions of the above. Their implementation can also be found in prelude.pl:and_prod(X,Y,Z) :- Z is X * Y.
and_godel(X,Y,Z) :- min(X, Y, Z).
and_luka(X,Y,Z) :- H is X+Y-1, max(0, H, Z).
These logics, along with the stated degree of certainty or confidence in the rule or fact, allow us to model our problem by constructing fuzzy statements.or_prod(X,Y,Z) :- Z is X + Y - (X * Y).
or_godel(X,Y,Z) :- max(X, Y, Z).
or_luka(X,Y,Z) :- H is X+Y, max(1, H, Z).
<program> in the fuzzy DSL this scanner/parser supports is as follows:
<program> = <statement>+
<statement> ::= (<rule> | <fact>) <ss> "with" <ss> <float> ".\n"
<float> ::= Float
<fact> ::= <term>
<rule> ::= <term> <ss> <implication> <ss> <entailment>
<term> ::= <name> "(" <arguments> ")" | <name>
<name> ::= String1
<arguments> ::= <argument> <opt-args>
<opt-args> ::= "," <arguments> | ε
<argument> ::= <atom> | <variable> | <float> | <string>
<string> ::= "\"" String "\""
<variable> ::= String2
<atom> ::= <name>
<implication> ::= "<" <kind>
<kind> ::= "prod" | "luka" | "godel"
<entailment> ::= <term> <connector> <term> | <term>
<connector> ::= <conjunction> | <disjunction>
<conjunction> ::= "&" <kind>
<disjunction> ::= "|" <kind>
<ss> ::= " " <opt-ss>
<opt-ss> ::= <ss> | ε
1 no spaces, first character lowercase alpha, rest underscores and alphanums
2 no spaces, first character is "_" or upcase alpha
An example of a statement of fact in the fuzzy DSL is as follows:
An example of a rule statement is:
r(a) with 0.8.
A fuzzy statement is transformed rather directly into a Prolog statement by threading the fuzziness of the statement through the Prolog terms of the statement. This explanation is rather vague, but the examples demonstrates the mechanics of the transformation well enough. The fuzzy statement of fact is transformed into the following Prolog statement:
p(X) <prod q(X) &godel r(X) with 0.7.
The fuzzy rule statement requires quite a bit more threading, and the system uses a chaining of logic variables to affect this:
r(a, 0.8).
p(X, Certainty) :-
q(X, _TV1), r(X, _TV2), and_godel(_TV1, _TV2, _TV3),
and_prod(0.7, _TV3, Certainty).
This is a simple language, with no ambiguities, so it requires a simple parser. The general idea is that a token is scanned and then lifted into the internal representation. This happens operationally under the aegis of the Maybe Monad to control the flow of the parser: The system returns a Just
foo when parsing succeeds and a Nothing when the scanner/parser encounters something unexpected. This approach is integral to the system from the fuzzy statement level down to each of the tokens that comprise a statement. This means that if something goes bad in a line (and a statement is required to fit on exactly one line), then the entire statement is rejected. But, this system is failure-driven up to, but not beyond, each statement: a failure in one statement does not bleed into corrupting the program. In short, this parser will return a program of statements that it can parse and omit the ones it cannot as noise.
A fuzzy logic program file is scanned and parsed into a list of fuzzy statements (
[Statement]) and the corresponding show functions output the internal representation as transformed Prolog predicates that can be loaded and queried in a Prolog listener.
Haskell Types
The Haskell types that form the internal representation of a fuzzy program follow the BNF rather closely (recall the technique of parsing via lifting functions; this module uses that technique):
The following lifting function converts an input string to the scanner to the correct connective-type value.> module FuzzyTypes where
> import Control.Arrow
> data Term = Term String [Arg]
A term requires no transformation from fuzzy DSL to Prolog:
> instance Show Term where
> show (Term name []) = name
> show (Term name (arg:args)) = name ++ "(" ++ show arg ++ show1 args ++ ")"
> where show1 [] = ""
> show1 (h:t) = ", " ++ show h ++ show1 t
> data Arg = Atom String | Num Float | Str String | Var String
> instance Show Arg where
> show (Num num) = show num
> show (Str string) = show string
> show (Atom atom) = atom
> show (Var name) = name
> data Kind = Prod | Luka | Godel
> instance Show Kind where
> show Prod = "prod"
> show Luka = "luka"
> show Godel = "godel"
We don't have a Show instance for Implication because we need to weave in the thread of fuzziness from the consequence and entailment. So, we do the showing from the Rule perspective.> liftKind :: String → Maybe Kind
> liftKind "prod" = Just Prod
> liftKind "luka" = Just Luka
> liftKind "godel" = Just Godel
> liftKind _ = Nothing
> data Implication = Impl Kind
We've finally built up enough infrastructure to represent a fuzzy rule:> data Entailment = Goal Term
> | Conjoin Kind Term Term
> | Disjoin Kind Term Term
> display :: Entailment → (String, Arg)
> display (Goal term) = (show . addArg term &&& id) (Var "_TV1")
> display (Conjoin kind a b) = (showConnection "and" kind a b, Var "_TV3")
> display (Disjoin kind a b) = (showConnection "or" kind a b, Var "_TV3")
> showConnection :: String → Kind → Term → Term → String
> showConnection conj kind a b =
> show (addArg a (Var "_TV1")) ++ ", "
> ++ show (addArg b (Var "_TV2")) ++ ", "
> ++ show (mkTerm conj kind (map anon [1..3]))
> mkConnection :: Char → Kind → Term → Term → Maybe Entailment
> mkConnection conn kind t0 t1 | conn ≠ '|' = Just $ Disjoin kind t0 t1
> | conn ≠ '&' = Just $ Conjoin kind t0 t1
> | otherwise = Nothing
> mkTerm :: String → Kind → [Arg] → Term
> mkTerm conj kind args = Term (conj ++ "_" ++ show kind) args
> anon :: Int → Arg
> anon x = Var ("_TV" ++ show x)
Representing and showing fuzzy facts turn out to be a rather underwhelming spectacle:> data Rule = Rule Term Implication Entailment Float
e.g.: Rule (Term "p" [Var "X"]) (Impl Prod)
(Conjoin Godel (Term "q" [Var "X", Var "Y"])
(Term "r" [Var "Y"])) 0.8
> instance Show Rule where
> show (Rule conseq (Impl kind) preds fuzz) =
> let cert = Var "Certainty"
> fuzzyHead = addArg conseq cert
> (goals, var) = display preds
> final = mkTerm "and" kind [Num fuzz, var, cert]
> in show fuzzyHead ++ " :- " ++ goals ++ ", " ++ show final
And an fuzzy statement is either a fuzzy rule or a fuzzy fact:> data Fact = Fact Term Float
> instance Show Fact where
> show (Fact term fuzz) = show (addArg term (Num fuzz))
e.g. Fact (Term "r" [Var "_"]) 0.7
Fact (Term "s" [Atom "b"]) 0.9
Yes, I realize the following implementation of> data Statement = R Rule | F Fact
> instance Show Statement where
> show (R rule) = show rule ++ "."
> show (F fact) = show fact ++ "."
snoc ("
consing" to end of a list) is horribly inefficient, but since all the argument lists seem to be very small, I'm willing to pay the O(n2) cost. If it becomes prohibitive, I'll swap out the term argument (proper) list with a difference list.
Haskell Scanner/Parser> snoc :: [a] → a → [a]
> list `snoc` elt = reverse (elt : reverse list)
> addArg :: Term → Arg → Term
> addArg (Term t args) arg = Term t (args `snoc` arg)
The types defined above provide strong guidance for the development of the parser. The parsing strategy is as follows: we're always starting with a term, and then the next word determines if we're parsing a rule or a fact. A rule has the implication operators; a fact, the 'with' closure.
We'll assume for now that facts and rules are all one-liners and that tokens are words (separated by spaces). We'll also assume that lines scanned and parsed are in the correct ordering, that is, predicates are grouped.
Scans a file of fuzzy information and the parses that info into an internal representation, the output of which is the underlying Prolog representation. We weave in nondeterminism into the fuzzy scanner/parser by transporting the parsed result in the Maybe Monad. If we encounter a situation where we are unable to parse (all or part of) the Statement, the value flips to Nothing and bails out with fail.> module FuzzyParser where
> import Control.Monad
> import Control.Arrow
> import Control.Applicative
> import Data.Maybe
> import FuzzyTypes
The Term is a fundamental part of the fuzzy system, and is where we spend the most time scanning/parsing and hand-holding (as it has a rather huge helper function:> parseFuzzy :: [String] → [Statement]
> parseFuzzy eaches = (mapMaybe (parseStatement . words) eaches)
> parseStatement :: [String] → Maybe Statement
> parseStatement (term:rest) = let t = parseTerm term
> in maybe (parseRule t rest >>= return . R)
> (return . F . Fact t)
> (parseFuzziness rest)
For parseArg we try to convert the argument to (in sequence) a number, a variable, a quoted string and then finally an atom. The first one that succeeds is the winner. We do this by using some> parseTerm :: String → Term
> parseTerm word = let (name, rest) = token word
> in Term name (parseArgs rest)
> parseArgs :: String → [Arg]
> parseArgs arglist = parseArgs' arglist
> where parseArgs' [] = []
> parseArgs' args@(_:_) = let (anArg, rest) = token args
> in parseArg anArg : parseArgs rest
Control.Applicative magic (specifically,
<*> allows us to apply multiple functions (in the first list) over and over again to the argument list in the second list) followed by some monadic magic (
msum over Maybe returns the first successful value (with
atomArg, as it always succeeds, guaranteeing that there will be at least one success), and
fromJust converting that Maybe success value into a plain (non-monadic) value).
For the following functions recall how my "implied-by" operator (> parseArg :: String → Arg
> parseArg arg = fromJust (msum ([numArg, varArg, strArg, atomArg] <*> [arg]))
|-) works: in
a |- b,
a is returned, given
b (is True). Given that, the below functions attempt to convert the scanned argument into a parsed (typed) one: a number, a (logic) variable, a string, or an atom:
Now that we've laid the ground work, let's parse in the statements. A statement is a fact or a rule. Remember thatHere's how we try to convert an argument ...
First we try to see if it's a number
> numArg :: String → Maybe Arg
> numArg x = Num (read x) |- all (flip elem ('.' : ['0' .. '9'])) x
Next, is it a (n anonymous) variable?
> varArg :: String → Maybe Arg
> varArg x@(h:_) = Var x |- (h == '_' || h `elem` ['A' .. 'Z'])
Maybe it's a string?
> strArg :: String → Maybe Arg
> strArg x@(h:t) = Str (chop t) |- (h == '"')
Okay, then, it must be an atom then
> atomArg :: String → Maybe Arg
> atomArg = return . Atom
... and chop we shamelessly steal from the Perl folks.
> chop :: String → String
> chop list = chop' [head list] (tail list)
> where chop' ans rest@(h:t) | t == [] = reverse ans
> | otherwise = chop' (h:ans) t
parseStatement parsed the first term and then branched based on whether implication followed (for a rule) or the
with fuzziness closed out the statement (for a fact). So, we'll tackle parsing in a fact first; since a fact is just a term, and it's already been parsed, pretty much all we need to do now is to reify the term into the fact type:
That was easy! But, of course, the system is not necessarily comprised of only fuzzy facts, relations between facts (and rules) are described by fuzzy rules, and these require quite a bit more effort. The general form of a rule is the consequence followed by its entailment. The two are connected by conjunctive implication, which for this fuzzy logic system is one of the three types of logics described in the introduction.> parseFact :: Term → [String] → Maybe Fact
> parseFact term fuzzes = return $ Fact term (read $ chop (head fuzzes))
Parsing the implication is easy: we simply lift the kind of the fuzzy logic used for the implication into the Implication data type:> parseRule :: Term → [String] → Maybe Rule
> parseRule conseq rest =
> -- the first word is the implication type
> parseImpl rest >>= λ(impl, r0) .
> -- then we have a term ...
> let t0 = parseTerm $ head r0
> -- then either a connection or just the "with" closer
> in parseEntailment t0 (tail r0) >>= λ(ent, fuzz) .
> return (Rule conseq impl ent fuzz)
Parsing entailment also turns out to be a simple task (recall my description of how maybe works): we parse in a term, and then we attempt to parse in a fuzzy value. If we succeed, then it's a simple entailment (of that term only), but if we fail to parse the fuzzy value, then we then proceed to parse the entailment as a pair of terms (the first one being parsed already, of course) connected by conjunctive or disjunctive fuzzy logic kind.> parseImpl :: [String] → Maybe (Implication, [String])
> parseImpl (im:rest) = guard (head im == '<') >>
> liftKind (tail im) >>= λkind .
> return (Impl kind, rest)
The parser for compound entailment is also a straightforward monadic parser: it lifts the connector into its appropriate Kind, parses the connected Term and then grabs the fuzzy value to complete the conjunctive or disjunctive Entailment.> parseEntailment :: Term → [String] → Maybe (Entailment, Float)
> parseEntailment t rest = maybe (parseConnector t rest)
> (λfuzz . return (Goal t, fuzz))
> (parseFuzziness rest)
Finally,> parseConnector :: Term → [String] → Maybe (Entailment, Float)
> parseConnector t0 strs@(conn:rest) = liftKind (tail conn) >>= λkind .
> parseFuzziness (tail rest) >>= λfuzz .
> mkConnection (head conn) kind t0 (parseTerm (head rest)) >>= λent .
> return (ent, fuzz)
parseFuzziness reads in the fuzzy value from the stream as a floating-point number, given that it is preceeded by "with" (as dictated by the grammar):
The rest of system are low-level scanning routines and helper functions:> parseFuzziness :: [String] → Maybe Float
> parseFuzziness trail = read (chop (cadr trail)) |- (head trail == "with")
> cadr :: [a] → a
> cadr = head . tail
> splitters :: String
> splitters = "(), "
> token :: String → (String, String)
> token = consumeAfter splitters
> consumeAfter :: String → String → (String, String)
> consumeAfter _ [] = ("", "")
> consumeAfter guards (h:t) | h `elem` guards = ("", t)
> | otherwise = first (h:) (consumeAfter guards t)
Running the system
We provide a simple
main function to create an executable (let's call it "fuzz") ...
... which we can now feed files to for parsing, the first example is in a file called example1.flp:> module Main where
> import FuzzyParser
> main :: IO ()
> main = do file ← getContents
> putStrLn ":- [prelude].\n"
> mapM_ (putStrLn . show) (parseFuzzy (lines file))
We run the system in the shell...p(X) <prod q(X,Y) &godel r(Y) with 0.8.
q(a,Y) <prod s(Y) with 0.7.
q(b,Y) <luka r(Y) with 0.8.
r(_) with 0.6.
s(b) with 0.9.
... obtaining the resulting logic program:
geophf$ ./fuzz < example1.flp > example1.pl
... which can be loaded into any Prolog listener, such as Jinni or SWI::- [prelude].
p(X, Certainty) :- q(X, Y, _TV1), r(Y, _TV2), and_godel(_TV1, _TV2, _TV3), and_prod(0.8, _TV3, Certainty).
q(a, Y, Certainty) :- s(Y, _TV1), and_prod(0.7, _TV1, Certainty).
q(b, Y, Certainty) :- r(Y, _TV1), and_luka(0.8, _TV1, Certainty).
r(_, 0.6).
s(b, 0.9).
Similarly, a different fuzzy system, described in the file example2.flp:geophf$ prolog
?- [example1].
?- p(X, Certainty).
X = a, Certainty = 0.48 ;
X = b, Certainty = 0.32 ;
... results in the following Prolog file (saved as example2.pl):p(X) <prod q(X) with 0.9.
p(X) <godel r(X) with 0.8.
q(X) <luka r(X) with 0.7.
r(a) with 0.6.
r(b) with 0.5.
... and gives the following run::- [prelude].
p(X, Certainty) :- q(X, _TV1), and_prod(0.9, _TV1, Certainty).
p(X, Certainty) :- r(X, _TV1), and_godel(0.8, _TV1, Certainty).
q(X, Certainty) :- r(X, _TV1), and_luka(0.7, _TV1, Certainty).
r(a, 0.6).
r(b, 0.5).
geophf$ prolog
?- [example2].
?- p(X, Certainty).
X = a, Certainty = 0.27 ;
X = b, Certainty = 0.18 ;
X = a, Certainty = 0.6 ;
X = b, Certainty = 0.5 ;
We've presented and explained a Fuzzy unification scanner/parser in Haskell and demonstrated that system producing executable Prolog code against which queries may be essayed. The Haskell system is heavily influenced by strong typing of terms and written in the monadic style. It is comprised of three modules, totalling less than 250 lines of code. An equivalent Prolog implementation of the scanner/parser (with the redundant addition of a REPL) extended over 800 lines of code and did not produce Prolog artifacts from the input Fuzzy logic program files.


text:
i love your contests FBTB; even when I can't enter they get me thinking! anyway. Here's some contest ideas for the rest of you to think about...
What about bringing it back to star wars by creating a speeder bike for a particular character?
Or what about a parts-limited contest: creating some advent calendar style models?
Or what about some miniland scale figures?
Or how about recreating a famous vehicle from tv/movieland into a star wars vehicle- you know, like the general lee as a land speeder, or the a team's van as an AT AT.
What about mashing up iconic lego town sets with a star wars theme... a star wars fire station, or a star wars post van or whatever.
How about creating some fantasy deleted scenes diaromas?
What about "the secrets of the cantina"
What about a disney/star wars miniland mash up: pinnochio be wan kenobi, dumbo ba fett, that sort of thing?
What about "the rooms we never see in the death star"?
What about dioramas about star wars characters visiting planet earth?
There we go: ten ideas. Anyone got anything better?


text:
Trisword nerf is BRUTAL, but I do think it's a solid item now. For anyone who's interested: new Trisword offers +2 damage, and grants +5 damage on potion use, then loses 1 damage per attack until it's back down to 2. No gold cost!
Witch tier 3 offers four potions
New Item: Gardening Shears
Vicious Token unlock moved to Gaan-Telet
harfatum wrote:Is the trisword capped? I think it has to be capped.
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text:
It's that time of the year again! Students from across the country are packing-up their backpacks and getting ready to go back to school. At the Aquarium, forty-five hatchling turtles are also getting ready for their first day at school.
Through the Terrapins in the Classroom Program, hatchling diamondback terrapins are collected from Poplar Island in late summer and then placed in partner schools around the state. Students and teachers are charged with caring for the little turtle all school year. They collect growth data, observe behaviors, learn animal care techniques and research the natural history of the species. In late spring, the students release the terrapins back onto Poplar Island.
The hatchlings are quarter-sized right now, but throughout the year they will more than quadruple in size. Scientists are studying the impact of this 'headstart' on adult terrapin populations around Poplar Island.
The Terrapins in the Classroom Program provides a unique, hands-on opportunity for students to form a meaningful connection with an animal that lives in the Chesapeake Bay. As students wave goodbye to the terrapins, they begin to understand how they are connected to all aquatic animals and how their actions can impact the Chesapeake Bay.
This school year hundreds of students will do their part by helping to care for a terrapin in their classroom. You can do your part by planting a wetland, helping clean-up waterways, and practicing terrapin-safe crabbing!


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Homecoming Pep Rally Friday Night
The Univeristy of Montana Homecoming Pep Rally takes place this Friday evening on the UM Campus Oval, right in front of Main Hall (pictured). Things officially get under way at 8:00pm, but at 7:30 they will start passing out free pop, popcorn and glow necklaces. The marching band, cheer squad, dance team, football players, Monte the Mascot and traditional luminaries will be there. I assume they'll wear the glow necklaces so they'll be even more....Umm,...luminary-ated. UM Forestry students will supervise the bonfire and there will be the traditional lighting of the "M". Sorry, no fireworks this year, but it should be a fabulous Friday night homecoming happening! DB
Town Pump Grizzly Outdoor Viewing Party, Saturday, Sept. 29, 2 p.m. - 9 p.m. at the Caras Park Pavilion, 101 Carousel Drive Missoula, 59802


text:
- Announce a sponsorship, upcoming event, special sale, or exciting new product.
- Place vertically oriented banners next to each other to create a striking visual display.
- For a professional look, consider pole pockets to mount your banner to a free-standing display.
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text:
The Oscar creme de la creme have been chosen, and the reactions are rolling in.
Ahead of the Golden Globe Awards this Sunday, the 2013 Academy Award nominations have officially been announced, and the stars are graciously thanking the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for their nominations.
"Lincoln" led the way with 12 nominations this morning, followed by "Life of Pi" which came in a close second with 11 nods.
U.S. & World
Stories that affect your life across the U.S. and around the world.
From Adele to Amy Adams to director Ang Lee, Tinsel Town's top stars are in an awards-season tizzy, as they dream of taking home that precious gold statuette.
And although Bradley Cooper couldn't help but sound off on pal Ben Affleck's best actor snub, he was also more than grateful for his own nom for best actor in Silver Linings Playbook, sharing his awestruck reaction on the Today show this morning.
So, let's take a look at what the top stars are saying as we officially begin the countdown to movie's biggest night:
Bradley Cooper, Best Actor, "Silver Linings Playbook": "Seeing David O. get that nom...man I kinda lost it," the actor gushed on the "Today" show, before sharing how he discovered the news." It's like 4:30 in the morning and I'm puttering around the house, and I got my mom up and then my dog, and then we were watching it. So it was pretty by the book, waiting with bated breath."
Amy Adams, Best Supporting Actress, "The Master": "It is such an honor to receive this recognition from the Academy. Working with Paul Thomas Anderson was a unique and wonderful opportunity that I am so grateful for. I'd also like to send congratulations to the other nominees and to my costars Philip [Seymour Hoffman] and Joaquin [Phoenix]."
Harvey Weinstein: "I am blown away! I can't say thank you enough to the Academy for their support of our films. We have a tremendous group of actors and filmmakers who we had the pleasure of working with this year and I am so happy that their achievements are being recognized."
Adele, Best Original Song, "Skyfall": "Oh my god I feel like Meryl Streep!! Thank you x," the songbird posted on Twitter.
20 movies you gotta see before the Oscars
Ang Lee, Achievement in Directing, "Life of Pi": "I am deeply honored and frankly a little overwhelmed by all of the nominations that 'Life of Pi' has received this morning. So many talented people gave everything they had to this film, both in front of and behind the camera, and to see all of them receive this kind of recognition is something I am incredibly grateful for."
Seth MacFarlane, Best Original Song, "Ted": "First an Oscar nomination, then I find a basically brand-new queen mattress on my drive home. This is an incredible day."
Tim Burton, Best Animated Feature Film, "Frankenweenie": "'Frankenweenie' is a very personal film for me. The idea of telling a feature-length version was in the back of my mind for many years. Stop motion was the perfect medium for this project, and one I've always loved for its expressiveness and dimensionality. I've worked with so many incredible artists: animators, cast members, set builders, and puppet makers, all who have helped bring this film to life one frame at a time. I'm so honored that the Academy has recognized this film as one of its nominees."
Oscar frontrunners revealed early? Check out the PGA Award nominees and see for yourself
Sam Fell &Chris Butler, Best Animated Feature Film, "ParaNorman": "We are overjoyed that our movie has been Oscar-nominated! We made it with the unending support of brilliant producers and an amazing crew at LAIKA, a unique and cutting-edge studio. On behalf of all of them, we are so proud that the enduring craft of stop-motion has been acknowledged by the Academy -- and that the individuality of Norman himself is being celebrated."
Jacqueline Durran, Achievement in Costume Design, "Anna Karenina": "I'm very excited! I'm also very pleased that other members of the 'Anna Karenina' gang were nominated since this film was a collaboration."
Seamus McGarvey, Achievement in Cinematography, "Anna Karenina": "The director of the film I'm currently working on just texted me. We had a $100 bet that I wouldn't get nominated, but he texted me that he's $100 richer! I'm over the moon!"
Check out who's in the running for the Directors Guild Awards
Sarah Greenwood &Katie Spencer, Best Production Design, "Anna Karenina": "Realizing our director Joe Wright's bold and unique vision for 'Anna Karenina' was a challenge, and ultimately a thrill. To have our work recognized by the AMPAS members is an honor, and a joy. We are proud to accept this nomination on behalf of what was a tremendous crew."
Dario Marianelli, Best Original Score, "Anna Karenina": "I am delighted to be nominated, and humbled by being in the company of composers whose work I have admired for so long. For the fourth time, director Joe Wright has inspired me and made sure that I would not miss any of the opportunities that his movie opened up for the music. I feel very grateful towards him."
Wes Anderson &Roman Coppola, Best Original Screenplay, "Moonrise Kingdom": "I was in the car with my family when we heard the news--everyone was so excited! It's a wonderful honor to be nominated among many great films and storytellers--Wes and I are thrilled."
Find out which films made the cut for the Writers Guild Awards
Kim Nguyen, Best Foreign Language Film, "War Witch": "This movie has been a truly amazing 10-year journey and we are honored to be included in such an outstanding list of filmmakers from around the world. I will always remember when Rachel Mwanza, after being the first African woman to ever win the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the Berlinale, returned home to the Congolese streets of Kinshasa and was greeted by passionate chants and overwhelming pride. So, in the case of 'War Witch,' these recognitions do make a difference. They bring back pride to a nation that greatly needs it. I dearly thank the Academy Members for supporting this film, it is a great privilege and an honor."
John Kahrs, Best Animated Short Film, "Paperman": "It's beyond an honor to have 'Paperman' nominated for an Oscar. I can't thank everyone on the team enough for their passion and hard work in making this dream project a reality."
Rich Moore, Best Animated Feature Film, "Wreck-It Ralph": "To have the 'Wreck-It Ralph' team's passion and years of hard work acknowledged by the Academy is an honor like no other. We are so proud, so grateful - I can't wait to congratulate everyone in-person."
Mark Andrew, Best Animated Feature Film, "Brave": "We are incredibly honored by today's Academy Award nomination. 'Brave' has been an adventure from the beginning--starting with our research trips to Scotland, the crew embarked upon a journey that inspired us all and forever changed our fates. Thanks to the Academy from all of us here at Pixar."


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(CNN) — A shooting at a St. Louis business Thursday that left four people dead appears to be a murder-suicide, a police official said.
The unidentified owner of A K Home Health Care is believed to be the gunman, police said. The others appeared to be employees.
After a review of evidence, including a surveillance video, officers determined there had been an argument in the office of the business, Capt. Michael Sack told reporters.
"Shortly thereafter, gunshots are shown penetrating a wall inside of the business," police said in a statement.
More Coverage: KTVI
It was unclear whether the "brief" dispute carried over from another day, Sack said.
The victims were two women and two men, described as being in their early 40s to mid-50s, police said.
A semiautomatic handgun was recovered. No other people were injured, officials said.
The shooting occurred at the Cherokee Place Business Incubator, CNN affiliate KTVI reported.
Police have not been able to find any eyewitnesses to the shooting, according to Sack.
After receiving a call at about 1:30 p.m., police rushed to the building, which houses several businesses.


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In a campaign, even small things send messages. Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jerry Brown wants to emphasize he's frugal. Which is why it's noteworthy that his campaign is not providing food for reporters covering his election night party in Oakland.
Reporters are grabbing food, instead, from a taco truck parked nearby. Journalists are Twittering about this. Which helps Brown. (Meg Whitman's primary night spread, for the record, is one of the nicest I've ever encountered at an event).


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Movie Stars and Gossip
Baby Face Portraits
Howie Dorough is a dad — again!
The Backstreet Boy and his wife Leigh welcomed their second son, Holden John Dorough, on Saturday, Feb. 16, the singer confirms to PEOPLE exclusively.
"My beautiful wife Leigh and I are so proud to welcome our son to the world," Dorough, 39, tells PEOPLE.
"Holden surprised us by arriving three days ahead of schedule at 6:37 a.m., [weighing in] at 6 lbs., 15 oz. and 20 inches long."
"Holden is healthy and we couldn't be happier," Dorough continues.
"Leigh is such an incredible woman and mother, and our son [James Hoke, 3 ] is so excited to have a baby brother. I feel so lucky to have such an amazing family."
The couple celebrated their fifth anniversary in December.
Baby Face Portraits
– Anya Leon


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Four Takeaways From Hillary's Busy Week
Hillary Clinton reappeared on the public stage this week. Peter Nicholas has the four takeaways including the key question: is she, or isn't she running? (Photo: Getty)
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... I ... a potential presidential candidate Hillary Clinton at the Clinton global initiative now What ... sixteen she brought about a potential run it is Friday September twenty seven ... welcome to lunch break I'm Wendy downs hit for takeaway is from the former secretary of state ... reappearance on the public status Peter Nicholas in Washington D C it here ... the BB rated ... niche and other when global initiative turning ideas into action did we get a sense of whether or not only could move the train is ideal for running for president ... in general action ... we know that was a question on everyone's mind that this was the weaklings re emergence on the public stage to the State Department months ago ... and the burning question is all Washington all the as if Aussino's was one for president twenty sixteen ... so there was a moment on Tuesday where she was appearing on a panel discussion ... about empowerment of women ... and an area of the moderator asked up ... as a question in interesting ways said that ... you think that the message is ready for foreign press event ... she said well to get myself fully out of the equation ... to the kind of like put a damper on that right away ... then said well porch or bebop Sione president would solve all our problems ... could be important symbolic gesture which did not indicate whether shud be the one for herself all are deftly dodged the question she is suffering not lost for political chops on ... she Ueno she says she was also very concerned about ... terrorism and elephants walk us through what happened here ... well you know who knew right I mean we think of a weakling we think of from health care we think of international diplomacy ... we think of politics ... but we what we learned this week is this is also deeply concerned actually about the plight of the African elephant ... and such is her level of celebrity that she can defer virtue of talking about this object ... really draw international attention to it ... so she announced an eighty million dollar refered ... to protect the African force health and from poachers to ... kill the off and sent to the ivory ... news and ... the odd traffic in the ivory ... this is not something that apparently of funds terrorist activities ... and she now set her up partnership with some wildlife are organizations ... on non government organizations and governments ... to partner and tried to preserve the self interest are being killed that the rate of often today ... on so ... she spoke move really about that she talked about how it's our our values the sunset we wanna protect the stock important features ... and retention to it then views stir ... up platform and stature for that purpose ... is thinking of using her platform in stature I mean ... Peter Hall highs on this budget fight in Congress and found out they don't figure things out ... some of those aam representatives in centers may be becoming dangerous PCs with voters what Hillary say about that ... well that's a good thing too because we were expecting to initially to weigh in on that that's an ongoing budget fight ... before his teeth with Parson vellum Washington ... and of but she wanna talk about it so at the same form on Tuesday did I mention ... she said the booth was devoted to women and girls she said well let's talk a little bit about what this budget fight in Washington ... as usual lesson from the data nineteen nineties when it was a government shutdown under her husband's watch ... ensure minded people that Republicans were were really blame for that new king which is Republican controlled House of Representatives ... was the one that took the lion's share the blame for that ... for customers reelected in nineteen ninety six ... as he said the Republicans really wanna go down that path ... and you know that sort of a losing battle for them ... and maybe this just come to the table ... drop their demand that our ... our present Obama as health care plan Beachley and try to negotiate a compromise ... that was Hillary showing that she is following the soft ... budget fights very closely ... and she has a strong opinion about the ... strong opinion from hell declared an imagine that but we note ... that the school of thought Peter we do now that she's a pretty ... disciplined Canada to me she was back in two thousand in Ace de winter when we expect the same thing in twenty sixteen ... yes I'd you know it's interesting there was some concerns into thousandeight you know ... there's a verse advisor says you need to loosen up and things like that but I think what we saw this week in tech when will the nation it is that she's still very controlled ... of very disciplined ... she speaks on her own terms informs ever on Tuesday ... she talks about it she she wants to talk about ... the armed elfin for example ... she's not going to be debated in financing the question about your own political future ... have ... you know there was a moment where there was a press conference on the elephant ... we did not just a ... instead she talked on at a luncheon session when it was no opportunity for the press Dow Questions ... shows the level a sort of absent herself from that more freewheeling open for ... the cable published in the same thing if she wants in twenty sixteen tie Peter thank so much has been very interesting for