eGrejeen

BIG CITY BRIGHT LIGHTS

egrejeen — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 14:49:59 +0000

BIG CITY BRIGHT LIGHTS
CAST
Philip Quinaz
Anna Martemucci
Michael Lidondici
Brian Shoaf
Andrew Dickerson
Jeff Seal
Alison Fyhrie
Damian Lanigan
Julie Ann Dulude
Chris Manley
Ethan Fixell
Giovanni P Autran

Director: Victor Quinaz
Created by: Anna Martemucci and Victor Quinaz

Producers: Anna Martemucci, Philip Quinaz, and Victor Quinaz
Co-Producers: Giovanni P Autran & Josh Hetzler
Director of Photography: Giovanni P Autran
Edited by: Charlie Porter
Music by: Sean Marquand
Costumes: Julie Ann Dulude
Production Designer: Leah Quinaz
Sound: Brian Flood
Sound Mix: Philip Quinaz
Makeup: Chloe Mannina
Photos: Joy Andrews
Assistant Camera: Ryan Decker & Sebastian Perry

Special Helmet Rig: Garrett Johnston

Featuring Matt Hobby, Mary Grill, Shaina Feinberg, Shira Weitz, Meghan Currier, Ryan Decker, Any Basore, Josh Hetzler, Joy Andrews, Natalie Otero, Christina Medina, Jihye Ku, Jesse Domensch, Petter the Van

Executive Producers: Scott Robinson, Neal Dodson, Corey Moosa, Sean Akers, & Zachary Quinto.

Special Thanks to Paula Vecino, Wayne McElroy, Aileen Abercrombie, Chase Palmer, Marla Bumble, Helena Lukas, Chad Hamilton, Katie O’Connell, Mary & Paul Feinberg, and Michelle Miller and Jacob Miller

Filed under: Encyclopedia

BIG CITY BRIGHT LIGHTS

egrejeen — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 13:53:59 +0000

BIG CITY BRIGHT LIGHTS

CAST
Philip Quinaz
Anna Martemucci
Michael Lidondici
Brian Shoaf
Andrew Dickerson
Jeff Seal
Alison Fyhrie
Damian Lanigan
Julie Ann Dulude
Chris Manley
Ethan Fixell
Giovanni P Autran

Director: Victor Quinaz
Created by: Anna Martemucci and Victor Quinaz

Special Helmet Rig: Garrett Johnston

Executive Producers: Scott Robinson, Neal Dodson, Corey Moosa, Sean Akers, & Zachary Quinto.

Filed under: Movies Tagged: Anna Martemucci, BIG CITY BRIGHT LIGHTS, Chad, Charlie Porter, Helmet, Jacob Miller, Michelle Miller, Paul Feinberg, Zachary Quinto

Coffee Town – Uncensored Trailer

egrejeen — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 22:35:15 +0000

CollegeHumor’s first feature film!! Coffee Town is a workplace comedy for the generation that increasingly doesn’t work out of a traditional office. When a 30-something website manager who uses local café as his office learns of plans to convert the space into a bar, he enlists the help of his two best friends to help save his freeloading existence. Directed by Brad Copeland (Arrested Development), the film’s all-star comedy cast includes Glenn Howerton (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), Steve Little (Eastbound & Down), Ben Schwartz (Parks and Recreation), Adrianne Palicki (G.I. Joe: Retaliation) and Josh Groban (Crazy, Stupid, Love.).

Filed under: Comedy Tagged: Adrianne Palicki, Ben Schwartz, Brad Copeland, CollegeHumor, Glenn Howerton, Josh Groban, Steve Little, video

Academy

egrejeen — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 19:31:39 +0000

Academy

Used to denote a school, the word academy has come to be applied to certain kinds of institutions of learning. The Ritterakademien, or schools for knights, appeared increasingly in Germany after the end of the Thirty Years’ War in 1648. The term academy was adopted in England during the late 17th and the 18th centuries by Puritan religious sects as a name for secondary schools that they organized to provide for the general education of their children; these institutions were especially designed to train young men for the Puritan ministry, because such education could not be obtained in contemporary public schools. The word gradually lost its religious denotation, and by the 19th century it applied to a secondary school for boys corresponding roughly to the gymnasium in Germany. In colonial America, the term academy was introduced by Benjamin Franklin; his proposal resulted in the chartering (1753) of the Academy and Charitable School of the Province of Pennsylvania. In 1755 it was renamed the College and Academy and Charitable School of Philadelphia (now the University of Pennsylvania), with power to grant degrees. On the secondary-school level, the earliest academies, Phillips Andover and Phillips Exeter, founded in 1780 and 1781, respectively, introduced a modern curriculum. The academies were private, religion-oriented boarding schools. As they displaced the colonial Latin grammar schools, so were they largely superseded by the public high school after the American Civil War; those that survive, and other similar institutions, have largely become college-preparatory schools.

As a designation for a school, the word academy is also used in a looser sense to indicate institutions in which special accomplishments such as horseback riding, fencing, or dancing are taught. It may also be applied to schools that prepare students for a particular profession, such as the U.S. Military Academy, the U.S. Naval Academy, and the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Footnotes: Academy, Institutions of Learning, Secondary Schools, Ritterakademien, Schools for knights, Grammar School, High School, College Preparatory Schools, Military Academy, Air Force Academy

Filed under: Education Tagged: Academy, Phillips Academy, Phillips Exeter Academy, United States Air Force Academy, United States Military Academy, United States Naval Academy, University-preparatory school

Leftist Coup and Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan

egrejeen — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 19:29:20 +0000

In April 1978, after Daud launched a crackdown against the PDPA, leftist military officers lead a coup and overthrew him. PDPA leader Noor Muhammad Taraki became prime minister, subsequently assuming the title of president as well. Taraki and his deputy prime minister, Hafizullah Amin, both members of the Khalq faction, purged many Parcham leaders. Taraki announced a sweeping revolutionary program, including land reform, the emancipation of women, and a campaign against illiteracy. In late 1978 Islamic traditionalists and ethnic leaders who objected to rapid social change began an armed revolt against the government. By the summer of 1979 the rebels controlled much of the Afghan countryside. In September Taraki was deposed and later killed. Amin, his successor, tried vigorously to suppress the rebellion and resisted Soviet efforts to make him moderate his policies. The government’s position deteriorated, however, and on December 25, 1979, Soviet forces invaded Afghanistan. They quickly won control of Kabul and other important centers. The Soviets executed Amin on December 27 and installed Babrak Karmal, leader of PDPA’s Parcham faction, as president. Karmal, whom the Soviets considered to be more susceptible to their control, denounced Amin’s repressive policies, which reportedly included mass arrests and torture of prisoners, and promised to combine social and economic reform with respect for Islam and for Afghan traditions. But the government, dependent on Soviet military forces to bolster it, was widely unpopular.

The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan played out in the waning days of the Cold War, as the leaden economy and political repressions of the Soviet Union were just beginning to show signs of strain. Despite the Soviet Union’s own domestic difficulties and high-level internal advice against such a move, the Soviet takeover of Afghanistan’s government and eventual full military invasion was a long-considered and reasonably well-thought-out plan. From its earliest foreign aid in construction of military-quality bridges and highways, to its progressive planting of special agents within the Afghanistan bureaucracy and military, the Soviet Union displayed an unremitting interest in expanding its influence in the country and moving farther south toward the warm-water ports and hydrocarbon riches of the Persian Gulf. Afghanistan’s location along part of the Soviet Union’s southern border made the installation of a Soviet-friendly government there all the more desirable. The leftist coup of 1978 in Kabul seemingly assured that the Soviets would not lose the strategic position that they had patiently established through expensive and pervasive efforts over the prior quarter-century. Elsewhere in the country, however, there was only minimal support for the emerging Communist government in Kabul; opposition to it mounted nationwide, eventually even including significant portions of the Afghan military. The Soviet Union’s large-scale military intervention aimed to protect its interests in the region by helping the Soviet-installed government to put down this widespread opposition.

Nevertheless, resistance to the Communist government and the Soviet invaders grew spontaneously throughout Afghanistan so that by the mid-1980s there were about 90 areas in the country commanded by guerrilla leaders. The guerrillas called themselves mujahideen (Muslim holy warriors). They had gained prominence by their fighting prowess rather than through the customary routes within traditional social structures. The resistance was roughly organized into seven major mujahideen parties, largely of Sunni background, based in Peshawar, Pakistan, in the 1980s. Other mujahideen parties were based in Iran. The mujahideen were sustained by weapons and money from the United States, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and China. By the mid-1980s the United States was spending hundreds of millions of dollars each year to aid Afghan rebels based in Pakistan.

During the 1980s Soviet forces increasingly bore the brunt of the fighting. By 1986 about 118,000 Soviet troops and 50,000 Afghan government troops were facing perhaps 130,000 mujahideen guerrillas. Although the Soviet troops used modern equipment, including tanks and bombers, the mujahideen were also well armed, and they had local support and operated more effectively in familiar mountainous terrain. In 1986 the United States began supplying the mujahideen with Stinger missiles able to shoot down Soviet armored helicopters.

The effects of the war on Afghanistan were devastating. Half of the population was displaced inside the country, forced to migrate outside the country, wounded, or killed. About 3 million war refugees fled to Pakistan and about 1.5 million fled to Iran. Estimates of combat fatalities range between 700,000 and 1.3 million people. With the school system largely destroyed, industrialization severely restricted, and large irrigation projects badly damaged, the economy of the country was crippled. Despite some negative reaction, the presence of so many refugees in neighboring Pakistan and Iran actually improved Afghan relations with those countries. In addition, many of the refugees improved their lives considerably by leaving Afghanistan and the dangers of war therein. Because the majority of the refugees were religious, their fellow Muslims in Iran and Pakistan accepted them, even while the Iranian and Pakistani governments were striving to bring about the fall of the Communist regime in Kabul.

In May 1986 Karmal was replaced as PDPA leader by Mohammad Najibullah, a member of the Parcham faction who had headed the Afghan secret police. In November 1987 Najibullah was elected president.

Filed under: Bible Tagged: Afghanistan, Kabul, Leftist Coup and Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan, Mohammad Najibullah, Red Army, Soviet, Soviet Union

Legacy of the Zhou

egrejeen — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 19:27:06 +0000

The Legacy of the Zhou was one of transformation. During the eight centuries of the Zhou dynasty, China was transformed from a feudal state to one with a well-organized central government. As the structure of the state evolved, a new Chinese civilization developed. Cultural homogeneity increased as regional cultures interacted and goods and services were exchanged among regions. Deliberations on the fundamental ethics that guide human conduct also contributed to the formation of a new civilization. Despite various changes, this civilization essentially survived in China for the next 2000 years. The Legacy of the Zhou dynasty finally brought a much more organized and civilized society different from the ancient feudal systems where equality was rare.

Filed under: Society Tagged: Archaeology, Asia, China, Chinese culture, History of China, Legacy of the Zhou, Zhou, Zhou dynasty

Legislation and Supreme Court Rulings on Affirmative Action

egrejeen — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 19:25:05 +0000

The scope and limitations of affirmative action policy have been defined through a series of legislative initiatives and decisions by the Supreme Court of the United States. In Griggs v. Duke Power (1971) the Court held that Title VII bans “not only overt discrimination but also practices that are fair in form but discriminatory in operation.” In order to avoid discrimination lawsuits under Title VII, public and private employers began to adopt hiring policies designed to recruit more minorities. The Equal Opportunity Act of 1972 expanded Title VII protections to educational institutions, leading to the extension of affirmative action to colleges and universities.

In later cases the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of affirmative action, but placed some restrictions on its implementation. The Court’s ruling in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978) declared that it was unconstitutional for the medical school of the University of California at Davis to establish a rigid quota system by reserving a certain number of places in each class for minorities. However, the ruling upheld the right of schools to consider a variety of factors when evaluating applicants, including race, ethnicity, gender, and economic status. In United Steelworkers v. Weber (1979) the Court ruled that a short-term voluntary training program that gave preference to minorities was constitutional. The Court reasoned that a temporary program designed to remedy specific past discriminatory practices did not unduly restrict the advancement of whites. In Fullilove v. Klutznick (1980) the Court upheld a provision of the Public Works Employment Act of 1977, which provided a 10 percent “set-aside” for hiring minority contractors on federally funded public works projects. The majority of the justices believed that the Congress of the United States has special powers to remedy past and ongoing discrimination in the awarding of federal contracts.

Conservative justices appointed to the Supreme Court by Republican presidents in the 1980s and 1990s have attempted to limit the scope of affirmative action. Although sharply divided on the issue, the Court has struck down a number of affirmative action programs as unfair or too broad in their application. In Wygant v. Jackson Board of Education (1986) the Court struck down a plan to protect minority teachers from layoffs at the expense of white teachers with greater seniority. In Richmond v. J. A. Croson Co. (1989) the Court rejected a local set-aside program for minority contractors, ruling that local governments do not have the same power as Congress to enact such programs. The Court’s ruling in Ward’s Cove Packing Company v. Antonio (1989) revised the standards established by the 1971 Griggs decision. The Ward’s Cove decision required that employees filing discrimination lawsuits demonstrate that specific hiring practices had led to racial disparities in the workplace. Even if this could be shown, these hiring practices would still be legal if they served “legitimate employment goals of the employer.”

These rulings did not signal the end of affirmative action. In Metro Broadcasting v. Federal Communications Commission (1990) the Court upheld federal laws designed to increase the number of minority-owned radio and television stations. Meanwhile, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1991, which strengthened antidiscrimination laws and largely reversed the Ward’s Cove decision. In another Court case, Adarand Constructors v. Pena (1995), the majority ruled that affirmative action programs were constitutional provided they were “narrowly tailored” to serve a “compelling government interest.”

Filed under: Law Tagged: Adarand Constructors Inc. v. Peña, Affirmative action, Court, Legislation and Supreme Court Rulings on Affirmative Action, Supreme Court of the United States, United States Congress

Libraries and Museums in Afghanistan

egrejeen — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 19:22:26 +0000

The few major libraries and museums in Afghanistan are located in Kabul. However, most of the materials in the Kabul University Library (founded in 1931) were dispersed during the war with the Soviets and the subsequent civil war; the National Archives was also looted and its collections removed. Taliban militants burned many thousands of library and museum books in their zealous mission to enforce their strict interpretation of Islam. The Kabul National Museum (1922), the largest in the country, was once known for its collection of early Buddhist relics. Some of the more valuable of these were reported to have been removed to the USSR during the years of the Soviet occupation; their present location is unknown. Ancient gold coins and jewelry were reported to have been taken as well. In 1993 the National Museum was blown open by rockets and subsequently looted by soldiers. The majority of the enormously rich collection was taken out through Pakistan and sold to wealthy collectors in other countries. The trade in Afghan antiquities was reported to be one of the largest producers of illicit revenues after illegal drugs. More than 2,700 works of art in the museum’s remaining collection, including many ancient cultural treasures, were destroyed in 2000 by Taliban religious police. In the regime’s interpretation of Islam, the works were considered to be idolatrous renderings of living things. After the fall of the Taliban widespread looting of Afghanistan’s archaeological sites was reported.

Filed under: Arts Tagged: Afghanistan, Kabul, Libraries and Museums in Afghanistan, National Archives, Taliban

Laws Concerning Unintentional Sin: Numbers 15:22-29

egrejeen — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 18:58:04 +0000

15:22 ‘If you sin unintentionally, and do not observe all these commandments which the LORD has spoken to Moses — 23 all that the LORD has commanded you by the hand of Moses, from the day the LORD gave commandment and onward throughout your generations — 24 then it will be, if it is unintentionally committed, without the knowledge of the congregation, that the whole congregation shall offer one young bull as a burnt offering, as a sweet aroma to the LORD, with its grain offering and its drink offering, according to the ordinance, and one kid of the goats as a sin offering. 25 So the priest shall make atonement for the whole congregation of the children of Israel, and it shall be forgiven them, for it was unintentional; they shall bring their offering, an offering made by fire to the LORD, and their sin offering before the LORD, for their unintended sin. 26 It shall be forgiven the whole congregation of the children of Israel and the stranger who dwells among them, because all the people did it unintentionally.

27′And if a person sins unintentionally, then he shall bring a female goat in its first year as a sin offering. 28 So the priest shall make atonement for the person who sins unintentionally, when he sins unintentionally before the LORD, to make atonement for him; and it shall be forgiven him. 29 You shall have one law for him who sins unintentionally, for him who is native-born among the children of Israel and for the stranger who dwells among them.

Filed under: Bible Tagged: Gift offering, Holocaust (sacrifice), Israel, Israelite, Laws Concerning Unintentional Sin: Numbers 15:22-29, Moses, Sin offering

Laws About the Burnt Offering, Grain Offering, and Sin Offering: Leviticus 6:1-7

egrejeen — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 18:56:36 +0000

6:1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “If a person sins and commits a trespass against the LORD by lying to his neighbor about what was delivered to him for safekeeping, or about a pledge, or about a robbery, or if he has extorted from his neighbor, 3 or if he has found what was lost and lies concerning it, and swears falsely — in any one of these things that a man may do in which he sins: 4 then it shall be, because he has sinned and is guilty, that he shall restore what he has stolen, or the thing which he has extorted, or what was delivered to him for safekeeping, or the lost thing which he found, 5 or all that about which he has sworn falsely. He shall restore its full value, add one-fifth more to it, and give it to whomever it belongs, on the day of his trespass offering. 6 And he shall bring his trespass offering to the LORD, a ram without blemish from the flock, with your valuation, as a trespass offering, to the priest. 7 So the priest shall make atonement for him before the LORD, and he shall be forgiven for any one of these things that he may have done in which he trespasses.”

Filed under: Bible Tagged: Aaron, Book of Leviticus, Grain Offering, Laws About the Burnt Offering, Leviticus 6:1-7, Moses, Sin offering