Forthcoming Attractions - Paranormal Activity 2 gets a trailer

First time director Oren Peli struck gold with his self-financed horror Paranormal Activity when it hit cinemas last year, becoming one of the most profitable movies ever made with worldwide takings in excess of $190m from an initial budget of $15,000. Naturally distributors Paramount Pictures would look to capitalise on that success as soon as possible and sure enough a sequel was rushed into development, with Peli serving as producer and handing over directorial duties to Tod 'Kip' Williams after original director Kevin Greutert was recalled to the Saw franchise to helm the seventh installment.

Anyway with the sequel set for release this October the official website has just launched the first trailer, which is also expected to debut in cinemas with The Twilight Saga: Eclipse this coming weekend.

Paranormal Activity 2 trailer:


More movie trailers here.

Cost of Pension Reform is Key Factor

A top Senate Republican says Pennsylvania's upper chamber may consider shifting public employees’ benefit plans from pensions to 401-k-style contributions.
A bill passed by the House this month trims benefits for future public employees.
It also raises the retirement age to 65, and requires employees to work for ten years, rather than five, before they’re vested in the state’s pension program.
Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi says GOP senators will begin discussing the measure in caucus later this week.

"Obviously what’s not included in the House plan is any sort of a nod to a defined contribution system or option. And we still have some members of our caucus who feel very strongly about that and would like to see whether that could be worked into what the House bill sent."

A spokesman for the Pennsylvania State Education Association says the teacher’s union opposes a shift to a defined contribution benefit plan.
Wythe Keever says defined benefits save the state money, and are better for both employers and employees.
Under a defined contribution plan, the amount of the contribution is fixed but the benefit is not because it is affected by investments. Under the current defined pension plan, the benefit upon retirement is determined by a set formula, rather than depending on investment returns.

Pileggi says the Senate will consider several factors, as it amends the House version bill and ultimately it's about the total cost of the bill.

White Sox Clash With Royals Wednesday Night

After winning 11 straight games during the opening of the World Cup betting tournament, to close the gap between them and the Minnesota Twins for top spot in the American League Central, the Chicago White Sox will look to continue their climb to the top of the standings Wednesday night by taking the finale of a three-game set with the Kansas City Royals.

Chicago White Sox vs Kansas City Royals

Jake Peavy vd Zack Greinke

White Sox

With the big bat of Paul Konerko swinging for the baseball betting fences, the White Sox offense has made an impact in the month of June, and is a big reason why Chicago has climbed to within two games of the division-leading Minnesota Twins. Konerko’s 20 home runs are good for first in the Majors, tied with Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays and. The White Sox are 8-2 over their past ten games, which has improved their record in the month of June to 50-31 over the past three seasons. Over that span, Chicago has not only played well on offense, but improved their fielding as well, and in the past 14 games, the White Sox have committed just three errors combined as a team. Playing solid baseball on the road as well as at home, as evidenced by their 20-17 away record, Chicago now turns to Jake Peavy once again to help close the gap between them and first place Minnesota even further.

Royals

Despite being tied with the Texas Rangers for best bet on baseball team batting average in the major leagues, an item that was a big weakness for Kansas City only one year ago, the Royals have not competed in the American League Central as expected this season. Currently 13 games below .500, the Royals are 9.5 back of division-leading Minnesota, and have struggled mightily both at home and on the road. Now, they put the ball in the hand of ace Zach Grienke, whose pitching struggles serve as an appropriate representation of just how bad the Royals have been this year. The clock is ticking for both Grienke and the Royals, and it is only a matter of time before it is too late for Kansas City once again.

The Game

The White Sox took the second of the three-game set between these teams Tuesday night in Kansas City 4-3, just 24 hours after dropping the opener in a 3-1 loss. Losers of two of their past three after winning an incredible 11 straight, Chicago is looking to get back on track against a Royals team that has struggled this season, but it could be tougher than it looks, especially given the capabilities of starting pitcher Zach Grienke, and the disappointing season that he has had so far.

BOURQUE PREPARES FOR ST. EUSTACHE DEBUT

Ottawa, ON. (June 30, 2010) Pierre Bourque and the #00 Telus Dodge team will be venturing into uncharted waters this weekend for round number three of the Canadian NASCAR season at the Autodrome St. Eustache this Saturday, July 3^rd.

This will be Bourque’s first attempt at the tricky 4/10 mile flat oval track just outside Montreal but he is hopeful of positive results. “I’ve learned so much already with our new team at DJK Racing and I’m confident we can come out of this event with another good finish” he stated.

Through the first two events the #00 Telus Dodge driver has shown resilience and persistence and the results have paid dividends. “I had my best ever Canadian NASCAR series finish of sixth in the opening round, and even with some pit stop troubles we were fifteenth at Mosport, these kinds of results show we’re a team that’s gelled together very quickly” enthused the driver

With those two solid finishes #00 Telus Dodge driver Bourque finds himself sitting seventh in the overall championship standings. “I’m very proud of how well we’ve done as a team so far this year, I hope we can continue to carry that momentum forward” said Bourque.

Autodrome St. Eustache can be a tricky and difficult track to maneuver so Pierre will be taking a cautious approach. “My first goal is to finish the entire race and bring the #00 Telus Dodge home without incident. That is a significant accomplishment at this track” stated the driver

“I’ve received some good information on technique to handle this track and the traffic from my teammate DJ Kennington so I think we’ll have a very positive result. I’ll be keeping everyone posted on our progress by tweeting on my Telus iphone” said the driver.

Attached Photo: Pierre Bourque, in the #00 Telus Dodge at Mosport International Raceway.

Photo Credit: Todd Lewis

About Pierre Bourque: Pierre Bourque will participate in select events of the 2010 Canadian NASCAR Series in his #00 Telus Dodge.

About Telus Mobility: Telus is unique in the Canadian market because we now operate three distinct wireless networks: 3G+, 3G (CDMA) and Mike (iDEN). When you choose Telus, you get clear and simple pricing, the latest and greatest devices, an exceptional client experience plus Canada's fastest 3G+ network. More information: http://www.telusmobility.com

Pierre is supported in this year’s effort by Aaron’s Rents, Mahindra Tractors, Telus Mobility, and Mohawk Internet Technology.

This weekend’s race at Autodrome St. Eustache is scheduled to go green at 8:05PM on Saturday July 3^rd. All races this year will again be broadcast on TSN. For more information about Pierre Bourque, go to http://www.pierrebourque.net/ and follow him on twitter at www.twitter.com/pierrebourque

This Charming CEO

Well, well, well. Of all the people to replace CEO Jim Mullen, the ever-more-Icahnized Biogen Idec tabbed George Scangos, the chief of Exelixis. Scangos' replacement is less of a surprise (small hint above), but more on that in a moment.

There are plenty of fun juxtapositions -- East Coast/West Coast, rumpled Mullen/dapper Scangos -- but one that can't be waved away is that Biogen Idec is squarely a commercial company, squeezing as much revenue as possible from its multiple-sclerosis leader Avonex and turning more and more to business development to bolster its pipeline; while Scangos, for all his revving of Exelixis' oncology discovery engine, has never brought a drug to market, let alone run a four-billion-dollar commercial operation.

"The Pink Sheet" Daily will dissect the major move in greater detail, so we don't want to steal our sister publication's thunder. [UPDATE: Here's the PSD piece.] Meanwhile, we point you to the other man behind the Exelixis engine, Michael Morrissey, the R&D chief who now steps into Scangos's CEO shoes.

Morrissey? We can't help wonder which song he'll use to take the stage at his first investor conference as CEO...

"A Rush and a Push and the Kinase is Ours"
"How Soon is NDA?"
"Please Please Please Let Me Get XL184 Approved"
"Panic" (Hang the VP, hang the VP, hang the VP...)

Feel free to suggest your own. If you're not a Smiths fan, just tap your foot to whatever song is in your head.

Photo courtesy of flickr user Djenan.

Attempted abduction before school's graduation

(A van load of NYPD School Safety officer's drives away after being photographed sitting in front of the school and doing nothing.--Photo by David Greene) 

By David Greene

The joyous occasion of a kindergarten graduation was thrown into turmoil after an unidentified assailant attempted to grab a young girl walking to her Mott Haven school.

Police from the 40th Precinct were called to P.S. 43, the Jonas Bronck Elementary School, located at 165 Brown Place, at just after 9 a.m., on June 25th.

Patrol cars circled the area for the next several hours looking for the suspect who fled the scene.

The mother of two young girls who attend the school was unaware of what had nearly taken place, as were many of the parents coming out of a kindergarten and first grade graduation, the mother gasped, "That just gave me goose bumps and I walk over here every day."

The mom suggested, "They need to put cameras around the building, it should be protected for the kids."

For nearly an hour a van filled with NYPD School Safety officers sat in the vehicle in front of the school and pulled away only after the driver spotted the vehicle was being photographed.

"They should have been out there looking for the creep," a guest stated shortly after exiting the school.

According to a police source, the victim was approached by the assailant at Willis Avenue and E. 136 Street. The source continued, "The victim stated she was walking to her school when someone started to walk behind her. The individual stopped her and asked her for her phone number."

The source added, "A civilian driving in an auto, stopped and confronted the individual, who fled the scene on foot. Police are looking for the individual, described as a male Hispanic, 5 foot 5, 150 pounds, wearing blue shorts, gray shirt and white sneakers.   

State Funds Sought for West Penn Layoff Help

After yesterday's announcement that the West Penn Allegheny Health System will drop 1500 employees, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl says Pittsburgh and Allegheny County are teaming up with the Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board to secure $500,000 in state funds. Ravenstahl says that money will be used to help transition the workers into new employment.

The mayor says he's also concerned about the reuse of some empty facilities. He says the city is committed to helping Bloomfield get through this "tough time."

"Anytime you take 1500 employees out of an area, specifically a smaller neighborhood like Bloomfield, it's going to have an impact. It's going to be tough, but they'll survive," says Ravenstahl. "It's a strong-willed neighborhood with tough people there, and we'll be there to help them along the way."

Mayor Outlines Parking Lease Plan

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl says chartering Pittsburgh’s parking garages and meters to a private firm is the best way to avoid state takeover of the city’s ailing pension fund.

Today, he released documents outlining the terms of a 50-year lease. The mayor says he wants a down payment of at least $200 million with $15 million more coming in each year thereafter.

Unless the city receives a windfall, all of the lease’s revenue would go toward the pension fund, which is only 30% funded. The pension liability has grown to $990 million and covers benefits for all city employees.

Pennsylvania’s legislature has warned city leaders that unless Pittsburgh funds its pension at least 50% ($495 million) by December 31, the state will take it over. Ravenstahl says that would mean yearly payments of $30 million.

“To illustrate what it means: a property tax increase of 24%, a wage tax increase of 44%, or for reference to the reduction of workforce, what would it mean? It would mean reducing our police force by approximately 400 officers,” says Ravenstahl.

A lease would allow for gradual increases of garage and meter rates. Hourly meter rates downtown and in Oakland would increase by 50 cents each year until 2014, while outlying neighborhoods would see a total increase of just 50 cents. Neighborhood meter rates will increase according to their “tier” – until 2014, when rates will only increase according to the Consumer Price Index.

Ravenstahl says the city will still own the assets, and all Parking Authority employees not retained by the lessee will be offered jobs with the city.

The mayor says once bids for the parking assets come in, City Council will have two months to deliberate: he says a vote is needed by September 15 for the city to have enough time to finalize the deal and put the $200 million in the bank before New Year’s Eve.

TW Steel Backs Dutch Kart Star Max Koebolt

Amsterdam, The Netherlands (June 30, 2010) – TW Steel, the international brand ‘Big in Oversized Watches’, is proud to be announcing its support of Dutch karting star Max Koebolt ahead of his participation in the FIA World Championship Karting Series.

The 12-year-old, currently the youngest karter competing in the Dutch, German and WSK karting series in the Junior KF3 category, has been selected to represent The Netherlands by the FIA and the Dutch Racing Association in the World Championships, starting next month in Germany before moving on to races in Spain and France in August and October respectively.

“I’m delighted to align TW Steel with Max in support of his participation in the FIA World Championship Karting Series,” stated Jordy Cobelens, CEO of TW Steel. “He’s a great ambassador for Dutch racing having proved his talent as soon as he sat in a go-kart.

“TW Steel is heavily involved in motorsport so with our new relationship with Max we literally cover karting through to Formula One. I’m particularly proud to support him as a fellow Dutchman. Of course we already enjoy long-term relationships with Tim and Tom Coronel, two of The Netherlands finest racing drivers, but I’m particularly happy to be supporting the next generation of talent in Max Koebolt.

”Proud to be displaying TW Steel branding on his overalls and race helmet, Max was equally enthusiastic to praise his new partner; “This is an exciting time and to have TW Steel backing me is great,” said Max. “To be supported by them and join the likes of the Coronel brothers, David Coulthard, Dario Franchitti and Emerson Fittipaldi as an ambassador is pretty special. I look forward to representing The Netherlands and enjoying the opportunity to compete against some of the best karters in the world!

”Koebolt’s rise to prominence came almost as quickly as he started karting, becoming Dutch Champion in the Mini-Junior category in 2007. He won the title again in 2008 before receiving dispensation to compete in 2009 in the Junior Category, officially for karters aged between 13-15 years. Aged just 11, Max won all his races in this class to once again be crowned Dutch Champion. His success that year led to an invitation from Yamaha Europe to compete in the World Cup Yamaha Series in Suzuka, Japan.

TW Steel, celebrating its fifth anniversary in 2010, continues to develop and lead the oversized watch market. A family-owned company, headed by 27-year-old Chief Executive Officer and co-owner, Jordy Cobelens, ‘The Watch in Steel’, has emerged as an innovative, bold lifestyle brand – now available in over 50 countries worldwide. TW Steel is also the ‘Official Timing Partner’ to the Renault F1 Team.ENDS – www.twsteel.com

Budget Goes to House

The Pennsylvania Senate has passed a spending bill for the fiscal year that begins tomorrow, setting the stage for a House vote that could come hours before tonight’s midnight budget deadline.
The Senate approved the 28.05 billion dollar spending plan on a 37-13 vote.
Among the lawmakers voting no was Democratic Senator Daylin Leach of Montgomery County, who says he’s frustrated the budget doesn’t include more targeted taxes.

"We’re not talking about gut-wrenching votes, as the governor said. There’s so much low-hanging fruit for revenues, whether it’s the vendor discount, whether it’s the smokeless tobacco, whether it’s the Marcellus Shale, that we ignored. And as a result, people are going to suffer."

Even though a natural gas tax is part of the budget agreement, this year’s plan won’t factor in any revenue from the levy, and lawmakers won’t vote on the proposal until the fall.
Senate Appropriations Chair Jake Corman, a Centre County Republican, says there are a lot of cuts in the budget.

"This budget reflects spending less money than we did two years ago. And I think that’s a reflection of the recession we’re in, and the commitment of this legislature to rein in spending, and to tighten our belts as well."

Nearly every department would see its funding trimmed in this budget.
The Department of Environmental Protection loses 13 million dollars, and the Department of Public Welfare’s budget shrinks by more than 60 million dollars.
The House is expected to vote on the plan tonight.

Fisher leads in Ohio

Lee Fisher has taken a 40-38 lead in the Ohio Senate race, representing a seven point improvement for him since PPP last surveyed the contest in March and found Rob Portman ahead by a 41-36 margin.

You might expect that uptick in Fisher's prospects to be attributable to strengthening his support with the Democratic base in the wake of his primary victory last month, but it's actually because he's showing stronger support from Republicans. He gets 69% of the Democratic vote this month, just a slight uptick from the 67% he was getting in March. But he's now getting 14% from GOP voters, up from 8% in the previous poll. GOP voters simply aren't that enthused about Portman yet. His favorability with them is less than a 2:1 postive ratio at 33/17. In contrast Fisher sports almost a 4:1 positive favorability within his own party at 47/13.

Fisher and Portman are each getting 69% of their party's vote, and Portman has a 40-25 lead with independents. One thing striking in the numbers is the level of voter indecision. 22% are undecided and they don't know their candidates particularly well yet. 45% don't know enough about Fisher to have formed an opinion and 53% say the same when it comes to Portman.

One finding in the poll bodes very poorly for Portman if Democrats are effective in getting their message across this fall. 59% of voters say they have more faith in Columbus politicians (a group Fisher falls into) to deal with Ohio's problems to just 15% who say their greater trust goes to Washington politicians, something Democrats will certainly attempt to make Portman out as at most any opportunity they get. 2010 is not a good year to be a DC insider and that could end up being the determining factor in a closely contested race like this.

A possible detriment to Fisher's prospects though is how Ohio voters feel about President Obama. His approval in the state is only 42%, with 54% disapproving of him. That's actually a slight improvement from PPP's March Ohio poll that found the President at just 40%, but it's still confirmation that Obama's more likely to be a liability for Fisher at the polls than an asset this fall.

I can't imagine either candidate really breaking away in this race- it ought to be a close one right until the end.

Full results here

Anti-Gang Program Gets Underway

Pittsburgh City Council has approved a second $200,000 outlay for the Pittsburgh Initiative to Reduce Crime, or PIRC--a program announced in 2008 and modeled after a successful effort in Boston.

PIRC Coordinator Jay Gilmer says the first meeting with gang members will take place next month, when community members, social service providers, and law enforcement will deliver a clear message that violence must stop. The accompanying message will be that the community cares about the gang members and needs them in neighborhoods doing good things, but if they can't abide by the rules, law enforcement will try to take them away so they can't hurt people.

For those who want to turn their lives around, Gilmer says there will be social services available through Pittsburgh Community Services in the Hill District: drug treatment, educational opportunities, job training, and more. Gilmer says the group One Vision One Life is also a critical partner, contrary to a recent study that found them to be ineffective.

The PIRC has a contract with the University of Pittsburgh to evaluate the program.

McCain's Saving Grace

The list of far right Republican insurgents defeating candidates perceived to be 'moderates' in Senate primaries this year is getting longer and longer. Marco Rubio knocked Charlie Crist out of the party in Florida, Rand Paul destroyed Trey Grayson, Sharron Angle came from behind to defeat Sue Lowden and Danny Tarkanian, and Ken Buck increasingly appears to be headed for a victory over Jane Norton in Colorado.

One race I don't think will be added to that list is Arizona. It's not that John McCain is more popular than those other establishment candidates- he actually had a negative approval rating with Republican primary voters when we looked at his race in late April at 44/45. But the simple reality is that JD Hayworth is a very unpopular, unappealing candidate. And my guess is that will prove to be McCain's saving grace.

That same Arizona primary poll we did in late April found that in contrast to these other up and coming GOP candidates Hayworth is already well known- and not well liked. We found a negative 37/40 favorability spread for him on that poll. A more recent Magellan poll taken last week after some bad press for Hayworth found his fav numbers with Republican primary voters even worse at 38/50.

The support for the Rubios, Pauls, Angles, and Bucks of the world is certainly being driven to some extent by anti-establishment sentiment but GOP voters also by and large like each of those politicians personally. They're not completely voting against something. But Republicans in Arizona simply don't like Hayworth and because of that I imagine McCain will hold on in the end. I actually think there's a very good chance McCain could have lost the primary if a less well known conservative rising star had challenged him, provided that person could have raised the money to be competitive. But that's water under the bridge now.

Teen Sexting Might Become Illegal

The Pennsylvania House decided Tuesday that minors who sext should be prosecuted with either summary offenses or second-degree misdemeanors. The ACLU of Pennsylvania says that may be unconstitutional.

Bill 2189 went unto the Senate. It would create a tiered system of criminalization for sexting, the act of sending suggestive photos on cell phones.

The bill doesn’t address child pornography laws.

Andy Hoover, the Legislative Director or the ACLU of Pennsylvania says it infringes on First Ammendment rights. He also says the bill creates a new crime. "Kids are gonna stumble sometimes, they’re gonna be irresponsible but that’s best left to parents. This bill is basically a government takeover of parenting. This bill basically says we’re not going to trust parents to discipline their kids, the criminal justice is gonna do it and that’s wrong," he said.

According to a recent survey, 25 percent of teens have participated in sexting.

GOP up in Wisconsin GOV

Republicans continue to hold a small advantage in the Wisconsin Governor's race. Scott Walker leads Tom Barrett 45-38 on PPP's newest survey, while Mark Neumann's edge over Barrett is 41-36.

Recent advertising in the race has had a clear impact on voter perceptions of the candidates, with Walker seeing an increase in his favorability while Barrett's negatives have climbed. When we polled the state in March 31% of voters had a favorable opinion of Walker while 27% viewed him unfavorably. His positive number has increased five points to 36% since then while his negative has gone up only a point to 28% for a +8 overall spread. Barrett's numbers have gone in the other direction. The number of voters seeing him in a positive light is basically unchanged, going from 29% to 28%. But his negatives have risen eight points from 22% to 30%, and his favorability is now a -2 spread.

One thing that can't be helping Barrett's prospects for keeping this office in the Democratic column is the continuing unpopularity of Jim Doyle. Only 28% of voters are happy with the job he's doing as Governor while 59% disapprove. Usually when voters are that unhappy with an incumbent they don't replace him with someone else of the same party.

Walker has a more unified party than Barrett at this point and is also winning independents. He gets 85% of the Republican vote to Barrett's 78% of the Democratic vote and has a 43-30 advantage with unaffiliated voters.

None of the candidates in this race are particularly well known yet- 36% of voters haven't formed an opinion about Walker and 42% don't have one about Barrett- so it could certainly shift as voters start tuning into the race more but for now the GOP is favored to take this office back.

Full results here

NASCAR Whelen All-American Series: Ron Sheridan eyes elusive title at Delaware Speedway

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 29, 2010) – Ron Sheridan knows what it’s like to almost win a track title. Now the 56-year-old veteran from Mt. Brydges, Ontario, has kicked off the 2010 season at Delaware Speedway looking very much like he may finally bring home that championship trophy.

Sheridan has won three of the first eight races in the Late Model division at the half-mile paved oval outside of London, Ontario. He is also 41st in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national championship standings, although his per-race average is sixth best.

Sheridan had a strong run last year, Delaware’s first as a NASCAR Whelen All-American Series sanctioned track, and finished ninth overall. But finishing just ahead of him in the national standings, as well as the Ontario province and Delaware track points, was Steve Robblee. While Sheriden went into the final race of the season with the points lead, Robblee was able to pass him on the final weekend.

“We just missed the setup a little bit and lost out there,” said Sheriden, who has raced for 18 years, including the last 12 in the Late Model division. “We just came up a little bit short. I bet you we’ve finished second five times. One year we missed it by four points. And then there was last year.

“This year, we just fine-tuned a little bit on the car. We’ve worked hard on it. We just came up with a package that is working and is comfortable for me. And we’ve been very fast the last couple weeks.”

Sheridan had a win and a fourth-place finish in twin features this past weekend.

Keith Rocco, of Wallingford, Conn., earned his series-leading 14th victory of the season this past Friday at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway in the asphalt Modified division. He was also second at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway on Thursday and eighth at Waterford (Conn.) Speedbowl on Saturday. Rocco has 21 top fives and 25 top 10s in 25 starts.

The win allowed him to drop a 34-point fourth-place finish from earlier in the season and increase his points total to 768 to maintain his NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national points lead.

A driver’s best 18 results are counted toward their state and national points totals, and the champions are decided on overall points total.

Craig Preble, of Yutan, Neb., remains second in points with 692. He was fourth in the dirt Late Model division at Junction Motor Speedway in McCool Junction, Neb., on Saturday and fourth at I-80 Speedway in Omaha, Neb., on Sunday. Preble has 12 wins and 19 top fives in 19 starts.

Justin Johnson was sixth and first in double asphalt Late Model features at Motor Mile Speedway in Radford, Va., to move up two spots to third. He has nine wins, 13 top fives and 16 top 10s in 16 starts.

Bill Leighton Jr. (584 points) and Matt Buller (557), who race against Preble at the two Nebraska tracks, are fourth and fifth, respectively, in the national standings.

Under the points structure for the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, the race winner received two points for every car in the event up to 20. Second place received two fewer points, and so-on through the field. Race winners received an additional five bonus points. For example, if there are 20 cars, the winner received 45 points, second gets 38 and third 36. If there are 15 cars, the winner received 35 points, second gets 28 and third 26.

For Sheridan, it’s too early to think about points, but there is always time to think about racing.

He was loading up the go-kart for his son Jake, 7, Tuesday night. Sheridan and his wife, Georgia, also have a five-year-old son, Nicholas. Sheridan will run his Late Model at Delaware Speedway on Friday, and then he and the crew will head down to Autodrome St. Eustache in Quebec on Saturday to run in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 race.

Then it’s back home to get the Late Model ready for a special Summer Showdown non-points race on Wednesday, July 7. The event will also feature NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Kyle Busch and David Reutimann, as well as NASCAR Nationwide Series veteran Jason Leffler.

“I’m really looking forward to that,” Sheridan said. “There’s no points on the line, so I’m looking forward to going at it and racing hard with those guys.”
And then it’s back to the championship chase. While Robblee has encountered some early-season misfortune, Sheridan knows the key to wrapping up that sought-after crown be avoiding similar bad luck.

“It’s so competitive up here, that it’s going to come down to having one less bad night, one less flat tire,” Sheridan said. “Part of our success this year is we just go down there and try to do the best we can, and it’s just worked out for us.”

Track, state and provincial champions and the top three finishers in the national standings earn invitations to the 2010 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Awards Banquet. The winner of the national championship will also earn a secure spot in the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown.

For more information, contact: Jason Christley, NASCAR Public Relations // Ron Sheridan picture by www.insidetracknews.com

We actually do our polls...

One of the unfortunate things about yesterday's news regarding Research 2000 is that it will have some people wondering if there are even more firms putting out poll numbers without actually conducting polls. Well we do conduct our polls and as a result get a pretty good volume of irate e-mails and phone calls from people telling us to never to call them ever again. Below is a small sampling, although I'm very disappointed I couldn't find the e-mail from the lady in Alaska chiding us because our interviewer didn't sound Alaskan...

______________________

From: Karin Whitten

Sent: Sunday, January 17, 2010 8:51 PM

To: PPP Information

Subject: ??

ENOUGH with the phone calls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You people are out of control!!!!!!!!!!!

I am on the DO NOT CALL list for a reason and people like you are the REASON!!!!!!!!!!!

Cease and desist calling my house!!

It is 8:45 PM on a Sunday night … totally Inappropriate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

_________________________________

From: Beverley Justice

Sent: Friday, January 15, 2010 1:47 PM

To: Jensen, Tom

Subject: Unsolicited phone calls in NC

I just received one of your calls. It is my policy to respond to lengthy surveys only when reasonable compensation is offered. You don't work for free, neither do I.

__________________________________________

Report Card Night Next Up at Scotia Speedworld!

HALIFAX, NS – June 29, 2010) Kids grab your parents and your report card and head to Scotia Speedworld this Friday night.  The First 150 kids who present their report card at the grandstand gates will receive a coupon for a free meal at Boston Pizza! Please note these coupons will not be available at the pit gates. In addition to the free grub, fans will be treated to a full schedule of racing courtesy of the Weekly Racing Series. Five classes of hotrods will see action this Friday night at the 3/10 mile oval. Gates open at 5:00 pm; racing gets underway at 7:00 pm.

First up on the race card is the Hydraulics Plus Bandolero division. Emily Meehan (Rawdon) currently sits atop the Bandolero championship points standing, just two points in front of Cole Butcher (Porters Lake).  The brand new Truck division will follow the Bandoleros on Friday night. Out of the seven Truck races this season, there have been four different winners in their first four races, which is making the Trucks a very exciting class to watch.  Next up are the Legends; the top three in this class are separated by a mere 2 points!  The Sportsman will be the next to see action at Scotia on Friday. Darren Wallage (Oakfield) and Steve Ross (Waverly) have been battling for the checkers week in and week out, with rookie Mike Alexander (Cole Harbour) not far behind. Finally the Tirecraft Lightning class will end the night’s event and this division is turning into a battle of former division champions. Will a former champ win this week? You’ll have to come to the show to find out!

Admission for the Weekly Racing Series is $12.00 for adults; $2.00 for youth aged 8-15; children 7 and under are admitted free. All children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Pit admission is $15.00 and restricted to those 16 and older.  Tickets are available at the gate on race day. Visit www.ScotiaSpeedworld.ca for more information or call our event hotline at 902.873.2277.

SSW RACEDAY FORMAT JULY 2nd

4:00pm Pit Gate opens

4:30pm Tech Inspection starts

5:00pm Grandstands open

5:15pm Practice starts (LG, TR, LI, SP)

6:20pm Practice Ends

6:25pm Drivers Meeting @ line up board (LG, LI, TR, SP)

6:25pm Bandolero Practice

6:40pm Bandolero Drivers Meeting in infield

7:00pm Opening Ceremonies/Parade Lap

Heats
Hydraulics Plus Bandolero (10 laps)
Trucks (10 laps)
Legends (10 laps)
Sportsman (10 laps)
Tirecraft Lightning (10 laps)

Features
Hydraulics Plus Bandolero (15 laps)
Trucks (20 laps)
Legends (25 laps)
Sportsman (30 laps)
Tirecraft Lightning (20 laps)
*subject to change without notice

About Scotia Speedworld: Scotia Speedworld (SSW) is a 3/10-mile asphalt oval racing facility.  SSW is the only venue in Nova Scotia to host a weekly racing series, which runs May through September and features six different classes of racecars. SSW also hosts special events, including Monster Jam and the CARQUEST Pro Stock Tour. SSW is located at Exit 6 on Highway 102, across from the Halifax Stanfield International Airport. For more information please click on www.ScotiaSpeedworld.ca or call our Event Hotline at (902) 873-2277 or our office at (902) 481-2514.

From Tara Foster // 902.429.4069 // 902.488.0809 cell // media@scotiaspeedworld.ca

VEGF & Colorectal Cancer: How Do You Know When to Stop?

Fifty million Elvis fans can't be wrong. What about nine Phase III trials?

Avastin is a $5.7 billion drug, with activity in at least five tumor types with every indication of gaining more (it's pending for approval in gastric cancer based on data presented at the 2009 ASCO annual meeting [it is not (Herceptin is!); IVB regrets the error] and positive data in ovarian cancer was presented at the plenary of the 2010 meeting). Some projections have it becoming the top selling drug in the world in 2014 with annual sales of $9 billion. (For more on Avastin's performance in ovarian cancer, check out "The Pink Sheet.")

But it all started out with colorectal cancer.

With success like that, and the VEGF mechanism of action seemingly proven in the setting, of course other drug development projects followed. "There is clearly room to improve on anti-angiogenic therapy in CRC," Scott Kopetz from MD Anderson Cancer Center said at this year's ASCO meeting, and agents with oral bioavailability and lower production costs could have real market advantages.

But, as Kopetz reminded us during an ASCO session on novel possibilities for treating colorectal cancer, small molecule angiogenesis inhibitor options – including the multi-targeted receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors – haven't worked. Fourteen small molecule VEGF receptor antagonists have been tested (and failed) in CRC – among them early disappointments like AstraZenenca/Schering's PTK787 and more recent failures with Pfizer's sunitinib, GlaxoSmithKline's pazopanib, Bristol-Myers Squibb's brivanib, and AstraZeneca's vandetanib and cediranib just weeks ago. (see Pharmaceutical Approvals Monthly). That includes a total of nine Phase III trials and over 10,000 patients studied, by Kopetz's calculations.

And - "despite over 10,000 patients enrolled," he said, "unfortunately there's no evidence yet that anti-angiogenic agents, besides bevacizumab, confer benefit."

With such a host of attempts and no positive results, maybe it's time to move beyond VEGF in colorectal cancer. After all, there's scads of other pathways to pursue – from MEK to PI3 kinase to Src to Notch to Hedgehog, as Wells Messersmith from the University of Colorado mapped out.

Maybe it isn't quite time to call it quits on angiogenesis, though. Kopetz held out a little hope – and from the back of a McCormick Place hangar it was hard to see how much of a veil of Avastin glory was in his eyes – there's still the large molecule angiogenesis projects out there.

The Phase III on VEGF-Trap, sanofi-aventis/Regeneron's aflibercept, should report out in December. So perhaps we should all keep our hopes up a little longer.

Hot Wheels backs Alex Tagliani in Canadian IndyCar races this summer

TORONTO, ON - Hot Wheels® and the FAZZT Race Team are excited to announce a partnership that is sure to race straight to the hearts of IndyCar fans across Canada. This July, at the Honda Indy Toronto and Honda Indy Edmonton, FAZZT Race Team driver and the only Canadian scheduled to race in all IndyCar races this year, Alex Tagliani, will be racing in a brand new Honda IndyCar, customized in Hot Wheels® style. The car will be unveiled for the first time at the Honda IndyFest on July 14th at Yonge and Dundas Square in Toronto.

"Hot Wheels® is about providing thrilling vehicle experiences to boys of all ages who are looking to fuel their passion for speed, power and performance," says Melissa Chau, Hot Wheels® Assistant Brand Manager for Mattel Canada. "We are so excited to see this vision brought to life through our partnership with the FAZZT Race Team and Canada's very own Alex Tagliani."

Tagliani's racecar, fire suit and his pit crew's uniforms will all be designed by the Hot Wheels creative team with an entirely new, custom design scheme that reflects Alex's fearless and competitive driving style on the racetrack. "This year, we are thrilled to expand our presence on the track with this one-of-a kind racecar look that only Hot Wheels can provide," says Chau.

"Some of my earliest and favourite memories of when I was a little boy are of racing with Hot Wheels cars," says Tagliani, who has been racing professionally for 14 years. "Decades later, it's a huge honour to have my very own life-size Hot Wheels racecar. I am looking forward to getting on the racetrack and crossing the finish line in my awesome Hot Wheels® ride, in front of my fellow Canadians."

The unveiling of the #77 Hot Wheels® car will take place on July 14 at the Honda IndyFest event at Yonge and Dundas Square in Toronto. The Honda Indy Toronto takes place July 16-18, 2010 and the Honda Indy Edmonton the following weekend, July 23-25.

Additionally, a 1:64 scale replica version of this limited edition car will be available for fans to purchase in 2011.

For more information on Hot Wheels® visit www.hotwheels.ca or for the FAZZT Race Team, visit www.fazztraceteam.com.

About Alex Tagliani: Alex Tagliani, nicknamed "Tag", is an avid karting buff who also enjoys swimming, cycling, bowling, and in-line skating. In addition, he is a big fan of DVDs, music and video games, especially those that test his abilities as a racecar driver. Alex is married to Australian model Bronte Tagliani, whom he met during a race weekend in Surfers Paradise, Australia. Tag caught the racing bug at the age of 10 when his paternal grandfather introduced him to karting during a trip to Italy. Alex splits him time between his residence in Las Vegas and his hometown of Lachenaie, Quebec. He is fluent in French, English and Italian.

Career Highlights
- Finished career-best seventh in 2004 and 2005 Champ Car championship standings
- Scored first Champ Car victory with win at Road America, 2004
- Scored at least two podium finishes per season in six of his eight Champ Car seasons
- Finished among top five in Toyota Atlantic Championship standings from 1997-99

About the Hot Wheels® brand: Hot Wheels® cars revolutionized boys' toys in 1968 with an original line of super-fast, customized cars built for speed, power, performance and attitude. Now, more than 40 years later, Hot Wheels® is a global lifestyle brand that represents the coolest cars imaginable in scales from miniature to full-size. Hot Wheels® cars are also popular collectibles for adults and each year, introduces a new line-up of innovative vehicles, track sets and play sets.

About FAZZT Race Team: The FAZZT Race Team was formed in July 2009 as a partnership between Andre Azzi of the Azzi Race Division, ATG, and other business partners. The team fields a full-time IndyCar Series team that made its debut at the season opening event in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The team has four Dallara chassis and has Canadian driver Alex Tagliani to drive the #77 entry. Andre Azzi, a Montreal based entrepreneur, is the teams' Chief Executive Officer and Rob Edwards is the Chief Operating Officer and team General Manager. The team is housed in a 25,000 ft. race shop on the north side of Indianapolis with a second facility that will house their Research and Design division in Montreal. For more information, go to www.FAZZTRaceTeam.com.

From Naz Araghian, GCI Group

You can't be a "real maverick" and run for office, at least in Ohio.

It was a good choice for Senator George Voinovich to retire; now he should do it quietly. In our latest poll Ohioans disapprove of the Republican Senator 48:21. Voinovich won’t be any help to fellow Republican Rob Portman in his quest to fill the Senator’s vacant position. Not to mention, Ohioans aren’t fond of Washington insiders.

More Republicans disapprove of Voinovich than Democrats: 52 to 50. Maybe that’s because he has jumped the party ship one too many times for Ohio Republicans to handle. Many worried he might throw his vote in for the health care bill.

Senator Voinovich announced over a year ago that he wasn’t seeking a third term, following the release of dismal poll numbers showing the Senator losing to an unnamed Democrat. Unconcerned with public perception and reelection, such an announcement may have allowed the Senator the luxury of flexibility, freedom and ultimately the ability to be a real maverick.

Ben Lauderdale, a Princeton Politics Ph.D. student used a mathematical formula to find the real Mavericks in the Senate. Lauderdale based his rankings on the unpredictability of Congressmen’s voting records. He ranked Voinovich number two in the 110^th Senate.

Apparently, you can't be a "real maverick" and run for office, at least in Ohio.

The other Real Mavericks:

110th House:

1. Paul (R-TX)
2. Kucinich (D-OH)
3. Cooper (D-TN)
4. Flake (R-AZ)
5. Duncan (R-TN)
6. Stark (D-CA)
7. McDermott (D-WA)
8. Blumenauer (D-OR)
9. Taylor (D-MS)
10. Jones (R-NC)

110th Senate:

1. Feingold (D-WI)
2. Voinovich (R-OH)
3. Hagel (R-NE)
4. Reid (D-NV)
5. McCaskill (D-MO)
6. Byrd (D-WV)
7. Gregg (R-NH)
8. Kyl (R-AZ)
9. Coburn (R-OK)
10. Bayh (D-IN)

PA Senate & House to Vote on Budget

The Senate Appropriations Committee did not vote on the tentative budget agreement for Pennsylvania last night after all. Instead the Senate Republican Caucus met late preparing for a vote this morning or early afternoon on the $28.05 billion spending plan. In announcing the agreement with legislative leaders, Governor Ed Rendell called it a conservative and responsible budget that is full of painful cuts to account for a huge deficit and the rising costs of prisons, health care and pensions.
There are no broad-based tax increases and the proposal to tax cigars and smokeless tobacco was dropped.
Rendell says the agreement does include a natural gas tax.

"The budget will include language that a tax on Marcellus Shale will be passed by no later than October 1, and the tax will go into effect in January of next year. The reason we didn’t specify the rate or the breakdown between county and state is because there was a number of complex issues that we just ran out of time to deal with."

If the Senate approves the budget, it would go on to the House for consideration. This would be the first on-time budget in the last 8 years.

UPDATE 6/30/10 11:30am-- The appropriations bill has cleared a Senate committee and a full Senate vote is expected soon.

Therapy Dogs Help the Ailing

No matter who you are, its hard to keep a bright outlook when you have a life-limiting or terminal illness. Therapy dogs can make rounds in hospitals and hospices and comfort some very sick people. We made medical rounds with them. Listen to the story here.


In this photo, Crystal Stoyanoff gets a visit from Draco, a therapy dog.

Council Okays $200K for Crime Reduction Program

Pittsburgh City Council unanimously okayed $200,000 in contracts with the non-profit groups Pittsburgh Community Services and One Vision, One Life to provide social services to gang members in Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Initiative to Reduce Crime (PIRC) was proposed in 2008 and Council originally authorized $200,000 for planning. Council President Darlene Harris says not all of that money has been used and this new grant is to get the initiative implemented.
"I'm encouraged that this possibly could help. Any tool that we can utilize is another way to work with young people and hopefully reduce crime."
Harris says it's been proven to work in Boston and she hopes it will be successful in Pittsburgh.
Council passed the measure only after an accountability amendment was added by Councilwoman Natalia Rudiak ..“We need this program to get off the ground. We have authorized nearly a half a million dollars for PIRC over two years. Its time to get serious about protecting our neighborhoods. We need to know how the funds are being spent and what impact PIRC is having on our neighborhoods.”
The measure requires the PIRC administrator to provide quarterly reports with details information on the program's activities and next steps for implementation..

Ex-Mets are unlikely heroes for Phillies

The Phillies are just a game behind the Mets, thanks to their win over the Reds, which was powered by three-run homers by none other than Brian Schneider and Wilson Valdez. What's up with seemingly washed-up ex-Mets finding success in Philadelphia? Last year, it was Pedro Martinez starting in the World Series and Chan Ho Park contributing in the bullpen.

The Mets signed a washed-up ex-Phillie in the offseason, but Chris Coste didn't make it out of spring training.

But Hisanori Takahashi's latest meltdown tonight could increase the odds of a far-from-washed-up ex-Phillie coming to the Mets. The Cliff Lee rumors are reaching fever pitch, with Gary Apple breathlessly reporting on SNY Sportsnite that "the latest has the Mariners interested in a Mets package that includes Angel Pagan, Josh Thole and Jenrry Mejia."

Now that would be a great deal for the Mets. Instead of just mortgaging the future by dealing Mejia, they could also mortgage the present by getting rid of their starting centerfielder and no. 2 hitter.

Carlos Beltran may be back soon, but who knows when - or if - he will be the Beltran of old. And even if Beltran has fully recovered, Pagan could end up replacing Jeff Francoeur in right or at least platooning with him.

It doesn't make sense to rent a player for the stretch run if you give up other players you need for the stretch run. Earlier today, Chris Carlin said that he would give up Jon Niese to get Lee. But that would be filling a hole in the rotation by creating another one.

I hope LeBron James takes his time picking a team. Because once he does, it's going to be all Cliff Lee all the time around here. And the speculation will only get wilder. Why would Seattle even want a package of Pagan, Thole and Mejia when the only healthy player is Thole?

If Seattle is looking for MLB-ready players recovering from injuries, here's a package I'd be happy to send for Lee - Oliver Perez and John Maine.

Theatre of the Mind: A Christopher Nolan Profile (Part 1)

With his latest offering Inception hitting cinemas this July, Trevor Hogg profiles the career of British filmmaker Christopher Nolan in the first of a three part feature...

While studying English Literature at University College London, British director Christopher Nolan discovered the two loves of his life – his long-time producing partner and wife Emma Thomas, and cinematic storytelling. “While I was making films with the college film society, I started thinking about the narrative freedoms that authors had enjoyed for centuries and it seemed to me that filmmakers should enjoy those freedoms as well.”

Employing guerilla film techniques, the undergraduate student shot a series of 16mm films, one of which was a three-minute grainy black and white short called Doodlebug (1997). A man (Jeremy Theobald) tries to catch a bug running around his room. The tense action unfolds within the confines of a dark and tiny apartment; it concludes with a mind-bending twist. “I think audiences get too comfortable and familiar in today’s movies,” observed Nolan. “They believe everything they’re hearing and seeing; I like to shake that up.”

After his home had been broken into, Christopher Nolan wondered about what the thieves thought as they were looking through his belongings. The robbery served as the basis for his feature length debut Following (1998) which once again starred Jeremy Theobald. Struggling novelist Bill (Theobald) indulges in voyeuristic trips where he follows strangers; trouble arises when he is confronted by one of his stalking subjects, Cobb (Alex Haw), who in turn takes him on a series of burglaries.

“Following was always planned as an ultra-low budget film, so the substance of the film was both inspired by and planned around a shooting style which we developed to accommodate our limited resources,” remarked Nolan. The entire cast, crew, and equipment were squeezed into a single London taxi cab for the $6,000 production. “Even for a “no-budget” film our production methods were extreme. All of us were in full-time employment throughout the production, meaning we were only able to shoot on Saturdays. As a result, it took us a year to get all the filming done, a blessing in disguise as it allowed me to pay for all the stock and processing from my salary without getting into debt.”

“The script was written along the lines of what I see as the most interesting aspect of film noir and crime fiction; not baroque lighting setups and sinister villains, but simply that character is ultimately defined by action,” stated Christopher Nolan who had Jeremy Theobald also serve as a producer and acting-talent spotter. Theobald turned to his college drama society days to find performers Lucy Russell and Alex Haw. “We rehearsed two evenings a week for six months before shooting anything,” revealed Nolan. “The actors developed a familiarity with the material which meant that the finished film could be edited using almost exclusively first and second takes.” The aspiring director adjusted his filming approach with an eye to helping his cast. “By operating the camera myself and by using minimal lighting, I was able to place the actors within each location in a relatively natural and interference-free environment.”

“Locations were begged, borrowed, stolen…for the most part the film was shot in our own friends’ flats,” recalled Nolan. “The main location was my parents’ house, which worked perfectly – no only because the house is great, but also because the catering was excellent. The only hitch came when the house was burgled and ironically enough, some of the items which are stolen in one of our fictional burglaries, were stolen in real life. Thankfully, we had most of what we needed although some of the inserts I had planned were now impossible to shoot.”

Submitting the finished project to various international film festivals led to Following being nominated for Best Production at the British Independent Film Awards, and winning the Silver Hitchcock at the Dinard British Film Festival. Nolan was lauded with Best Director at the Newport International Film Festival, while the picture contended for the Jury Award for Best Film. The Rutterdam International Film Festival presented the movie with the Tiger Award, and the Slamdance Film Festival handed out the Black and White Award as well as a nomination for the Grand Jury Prize. Subsequently released in the United States, Following earned $48,482 in American box office receipts.

“The structure of Memento is weirdly less self-conscious than it was with Following,” observed Christopher Nolan when discussing his sophomore effort released in 2000 about a man (Guy Pearce) suffering from short-term memory lost who attempts to avenge the murder of his wife (Jorja Fox). “In Following, the relationship between the subject matter and the narrative divides. It’s a bit harder for people to figure out, it’s a little more subtle. Memento is very clear to most people, even if they hate it. It’s like we try to put them in his head and that’s why the story is told backwards.” The director had a certain viewpoint in mind when positioning his camera. “What we tried to do with Memento was simply block the film from the character’s point of view as much as possible. He walks into a room and you’re looking over his shoulder, exploring the room as he does.”

“It’s been a weird organic process, because my brother told me the concept when he was writing the story,” explained Christopher Nolan, who frequently collaborates with his younger sibling Jonathan. “He told me it while we were driving from Chicago to L.A., across country.” The Nolans chose to explore the concept using two different mediums. “We had decided that in our own ways we were going to try and tell the story in the first person; me in film and him in a short story...I was going for something that lived in its own shape which was slightly built from the standard linear experience.” Two years later as Christopher Nolan completed the movie, Jonathan wrote the final draft of his short story titled Memento Mori. Though both versions maintain key elements such as the main character leaving notes to himself as well as having tattoos containing information about the murderer, they significantly diverge from one another in their conclusion. Unlike the film, there is no ambiguity in the short story as to whether the right perpetrator is killed.

Contemplating what makes him and his brother artistically different, Jonathan Nolan remarked, “I’ve always suspected that it has something to do with the fact that he’s left-handed and I’m right-handed, because he is somehow able to look at my ideas and flip them around in a way that’s just a bit more twisted and interesting. It’s great to be able to work with him that way.” When writing the screenplay for the picture which features Carrie-Anne Moss and Joe Pantoliano of The Matrix (1999) as well as Callum Keith Rennie (Hard Core Logo), Christopher Nolan found inspiration in literature. “Certain books had a big influence on me, particularly Graham Swift’s Waterland. It’s a really fantastic novel that I read years and years ago where he has this incredibly complex juggling of parallel timelines.”

“The weird thing is you go through these tortuous creative machinations and then you look back at the original script and it’s pretty close to what’s on the screen,” confided the London-native who pointed out one particular difference. “There is probably more voice over in this film than there was in the script. I kept missing it when it wasn’t there for twenty minutes because you just needed to keep drawing people into his mind.” The first person perspective left audience members as perplexed as the main character. “I find it quite satisfying that people will come out of this film arguing about who are the good guys, and who the bad guy is. Not because there isn’t one but because we are using an unreliable narrator.”

Maintaining a hectic principle photography schedule which resulted in fifty-seven camera setups being done in a single day, there was no time for second guessing. “You have so many points along the way where the film stops being real and you just have to say, ‘This is what I’m making,’” reflected Christopher Nolan whose major creative challenge was assembling the footage for the $5 million production. “It was very tough in the editing to get down to the right length because you could not lose a scene, otherwise you lost your link [between them].” The director prides himself on being meticulous. “I feel like I’ve got three years to work on this and as a viewer you’ve got like two hours to watch it, so I ought to be functioning at some level of greater sophistication than you can absorb in one viewing.”

Premiering at the 2000 Venice Film Festival, Memento received a standing ovation. Unlike their international counterparts, U.S. distributors labeled the picture as being too confusing. Encouraged by a public campaign of support by American filmmaker Steven Soderbergh (Traffic), the movie’s production company Newmarket chose to distribute Memento itself. The risky decision paid off as the psychological thriller grossed $40 million worldwide; it also became a darling of the awards circuit. The British Independent Film Awards presented the movie with the trophy for Best Foreign Independent Film – English Language, and the American Film Institute handed the picture the award for Screenwriter of the Year along with nominations for Editor and Movie of the Year. At the Oscars, Memento contended for Best Editing and Best Original Screenplay, while the Golden Globes nominated the film for Best Screenplay; other nominations included one from the Director’s Guild of American and another from the American Cinema Editors for Best Edited Feature Film.

Having captured the attention of Hollywood, the next project for Christopher Nolan was to remake a 1997 Norwegian picture, with a trio of Oscar-winning actors.

Continue to part two, and be sure to cast your vote for your favourite Christopher Nolan film in our poll.

Read Jonathan Nolan's Memento Mori, and for more on Christopher Nolan visit fan sites ChristopherNolan.net and Nolan Fans.

Related:

Short Film Showcase - Doodlebug (1997)
Movies... For Free! Following (1998)
Thoughts on... Inception (2010)

Trevor Hogg is a freelance video editor and writer who currently resides in Canada.

PA Budget Could Be On Time

Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell and legislative leaders have hammered out a budget agreement, one day before the June 30th deadline.
The 28.05 billion dollar spending plan includes a 250 million dollar increase in basic education spending, but Governor Rendell says most departments will experience cuts.

"For the Agriculture Department, their budget was cut by 11.7 percent. For Environmental Protection Department, 9.2 percent. For Conservation and Natural Resources, 11 percent. For State Parks, 7.3 percent."

More details will emerge tonight, when the Senate Appropriations Committee votes on the spending bill. That will set the stage for a full Senate vote tomorrow morning.
If the measure passes the upper chamber it goes to the House, where members would need to suspend their rules in order to vote on the bill by midnight Wednesday.
Rendell says both parties have agreed to pass a natural gas severance tax by October 1st. The levy would go into effect in January, 2011. The governor says there wasn’t enough time to work out the tax’s details before the budget deadline.

HACP To Open Fitness Center

The Housing Authority of Pittsburgh is teaming up with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and the Western Pennsylvania Police Athletic League to open a new fitness center in Fineview. The authority will cut the ribbon on the facility in the basement of one of its the Allegheny Dwellings buildings July 1st. Authority spokesperson Michelle Jackson says the center will provide the usual workout equipment but it will also house a boxing ring and all the equipment needed to train boxers. One retired and one current Pittsburgh Police officer will run that aspect of the program. Jackson says residents will also be able to tap into a raft of special programs aimed at helping head-of-household mothers and young mothers. Housing Authority, Iron Cross Ministries and One Vision, One Life staff, will lead the programs and mentoring sessions. Jackson says the programs include self-esteem, self-awareness and health and wellness classes. She says the center will serve residents “mentally, physically and spiritually.” The housing authority will go door-to-door in effort to inform residents about the new programs. Jackson says the center will be open to all Housing Authority residents but it is particularly focused on serving the Allegheny Dwellings residents, which she says includes a higher percentage of young, single mothers.

Republican Conspiracy Theorists

I'm seeing a lot of conservatives, referring to the emerging possibility that Research 2000's polls for Daily Kos were fradulent, say that means all of the findings from the infamous poll about crazy things Republicans think are bogus. While I'd agree that Research 2000's poll may have been bogus, I would not agree it means Republicans don't think those things. We have polled on many of the same issue over the last year and in some cases found even more Republicans buying into some of those conspiracy theories. For instance:

-In September we found only 37% of Republicans believed Barack Obama was born in the United States while 42% think he was not and 22% were unsure. Those numbers actually showed a higher birther quotient than the discredited R2K numbers that claimed 42% of Republicans believed Obama was born in the country while 36% thought he was not, and 22% were unsure.

-In November we found 52% of Republicans thought ACORN stole the 2008 Presidential election for Barack Obama while 27% thought he legitimately won it and 21% were unsure. That again showed a much higher level of belief in election fraud than the R2K numbers that claimed 21% of Republicans believed the election was stolen while 24% thought it was not and 55% were unsure.

-In December we found 35% of Republicans thought Barack Obama should be impeached while 48% thought he should not be and 17% were unsure. The Research 2000 poll claimed a similar, although slightly higher, level of support for impeachment from Republicans with 39% favoring it, 32% opposed, and 29% not sure.

Would I be leery of the Research 2000 findings on some of these extremist Republican views? Absolutely. But other pollsters have found the same thing. The discrediting of R2K doesn't change the fact that many GOP voters do subscribe to these unproven conspiracy theories.

Why the Mets should not pursue Cliff Lee

It was only six years ago that the Mets went for it at the trade deadline, acquiring Victor Zambrano and Kris Benson for some prospects. Even at the time, many people questioned the wisdom of dealing one of the prospects, Scott Kazmir. But Kazmir was only 20 - it would be years before he could contribute.

Maybe it's because Kazmir is struggling these days that so many people are clamoring for the Mets to trade their current 20-year-old pitching phenom, Jenrry Mejia, to rent Cliff Lee for two months. But let's not forget that Kazmir has already had a lot more success in the bigs than most of the pitchers that the Mets have acquired since they gave him away. From 2005-8, Kazmir won at least 10 games with an ERA under 3.50 in three of those years and 3.77 the other year. In 2007, Kazmir struck out 239 in 206 2/3 innings. And he did all these in the AL East.

Now with the Angels, Kazmir is struggling to match his early sucesses. But he is still only 26.

Cliff Lee is a drastically better pitcher than Zambrano or Benson and there is no assurance that Mejia will pan out. But with previous top pitching prospect Brad Holt struggling, it's not as if the Mets have a lot of prospects beyond Mejia. And now Mejia is hurt.

One would think that this year's contributions from Ike Davis, Jon Niese and Ruben Tejada would prove to Met watchers that the way to build a lasting contender is through a productive farm system. Instead, everyone except Davis appears to be potentially up for grabs.

Niese might be pitching over his head and Tejada may ultimately be a fill-in, but where would the Mets be without them this year? Let's say that Tejada was all that stood in the way of landing Lee. That could be a great deal for the Mets (which is why the Mariners won't do it) but if you're trying to win now, you've just given up the guy who became your second baseman around when the team got hot. Will the Mets play as well when Luis Castillo is back in the lineup?

The last time the Mets traded with the Mariners (for J.J. Putz) one of the seemingly minor pieces they gave up was Jason Vargas, who is 6-3 this year with a 2.80 ERA and 1.11 WHIP. Vargas is a 27-year-old lefty. If the Mets still had Vargas, maybe they wouldn't need to be looking for starting pitching now.

But let's say the Mets are able to get Lee without giving up too much. And Lee continues to pitch great. Then, at the end of the year, Lee becomes a free agent - and signs with the Yankees.

The Mets basically rented Mike Hampton for a year and he pitched them into the World Series. Yet Hampton barely registers on any list of popular ex-Mets. When he left, the worst thing he did was talk about the school system in Colorado. Lee, on the other hand, is determined to test free agency, and as a top lefty who proved himself in the World Series - against the Yankees - he will definitely be at the top of the Yankees' list in the offseason with Javier Vazquez and perhaps Andy Pettitte departing.

But if the Mets sign the 32-year-old Lee to a big contract, that could be worse. Do the Mets really want another veteran pitcher on a big contract now that Johan Santana is struggling? Not to mention Oliver Perez and how things turned out for Pedro Martinez.

I'd love to see Lee on the Mets with a three-year deal, but he'll want five and probably get it. And that will leave the Mets as the first team to pay two starters over $20M a year. Both over 30 with injury histories.

At least when the Mets signed Perez and Francisco Rodriguez to big contracts, they were only 27. Santana was not yet 30.

Sure, if Lee wanted to sign with the Mets for $100M over five years, my first instinct would be to be all for it. Just like I was for signing Pedro, Johan and Jason Bay. I haven't given up on Bay, and I still think Carlos Beltran was a good signing. But as of now, the Mets have a lot of big contracts dragging them down.

By constantly going for the short-term fix, the Mets keep entering boom-or-bust cycles. Why not seriously try to build a farm system for a change? That means spending more on the draft, which is still not happening as much as it should. It means not dumping Billy Wagner for Chris Carter, but holding on to him to collect two top draft choices as the Red Sox did.

If the Mets had gotten draft choices for Wagner, they would have a deeper farm system, and would be in a better position to deal for someone like Lee than by potentially sacrificing their top prospects.

And if they still had Kazmir and Vargas, they would be in an even better position.