NEC will be released the new NP3151W widescreen installation projector that boasts 4,000-lumen brightness LCD projector, a maximum of 1,280 x 800 WXGA resolution, (more…)
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After watching so many pay-for-view, big time, hyped fights on the tube and being totally disappointed, watching Million Dollar Baby was refreshing because I really got my money’s worth.
Million Dollar Baby is the story of Maggie Fitzgerald (Hillary Swank), a 31-year-old woman who wants to achieve her idea of the American Dream: to become a professional boxer. She finds her way to Frankie Dunn’s (Clint Eastwood) gym only to get the cold shoulder.
This is very famious article.
Dunn, who barely stays afloat as a boxing trainer in a run-down gym, has never tasted real fame and fortune. Some of his fighters moved on to more aggressive managers and have earned more fame and fortune.
“Scrap Iron” Dupris (Morgan Freeman) acts as a go-between to bring Frankie and Maggie together. Dupris realizes Maggie is dead serious, a devout trainee and stubborn in her quest. The word “no” is not in Maggie’s vocabulary. Frankie eventually agrees to take her on, and she fights her way to a title shot.
Her quest to be a champion takes a heart-wrenching turn when she becomes 100% paralyzed during the title fight. Her opponent throws a cheap-shot punch after the bell ending a round, and Maggie collapses to the mat, hitting her head on the corner stool with neck-shattering force.
It is here that the drama really begins in earnest as Frankie must now deal with his fighter, whose career abruptly ends.
The bond between Frankie and Maggie becomes a “family” issue as Maggie cannot deal with her misfortune; she attempts suicide but fails, and then enlists the help of Frankie to end her misery.
How Frankie, a Catholic who attends Mass almost every day, deals with Maggie’s request brings to light the controversial topic of euthanasia.
You must see this film to understand how emotional Frankie’s decision becomes. The issue of euthanasia is dealt with very sensitively and in a balanced way; it is worth the price of admission alone.
This is a really good film that has the hardware to prove it. When the 2005 Academy Awards presentation ended, Million Dollar Baby, nominated for 7 Oscars, won 4, including Best Picture, Best Director (Clint Eastwood), Best Actress (Hillary Swank as Maggie Fitzgerald) and Best Supporting Actor (Morgan Freeman as Eddie “Scrap Iron” Dupris).
Eastwood was also nominated for a Best Actor Oscar but did not win in his role as Frankie Dunn.
Paul Haggis who wrote the screenplay was nominated for an Oscar. Million Dollar Baby is based on short stories by F. X. Toole, the pen name of fight manager and “cut man” Jerry Boyd.
Some critics wore out their keyboard pads yipping about what was wrong with this film, but the award givers were far more generous. In addition to the 7 nominations and 4 Oscars, Million Dollar Baby also picked up a ton of awards (another 44 wins and 29 nominations).
I believe a lot of folks are just plain upset with Clint Eastwood for winning another two Oscars with Million Dollar Baby as a Director and Producer (Best Picture). Eastwood was not known as a great actor (his “spaghetti” Westerns-on my personal favorites list– were not exactly Oscar material), but he has become a Director of note.
Eastwood also won two Oscars for Unforgiven (Best Director and Best Picture) as well as being nominated for Best Actor which he did not win. He was also nominated for Best Director and Best Picture for Mystic River but did not win.
Some people are just bummed out because he was considered a so-so actor and now has become a Director and Producer to be reckoned with.
Million Dollar Baby is a standout compared to much of the trash Hollywood is producing today. And Eastwood? I just like him. If I had to go to war or fight in an alley, I would want Clint Eastwood on my team and in my corner, anything less and you would not qualify as a red-blooded American male.
NEW YORK - Wall Street searched for direction Tuesday after the Federal Reserve disappointed investors by maintaining inflation fighting as its highest priority although credit has become tighter for consumers and businesses.
The market bounced around — falling as much as 100 points before recovering — when the Fed’s Open Market Committee issued an economic assessment that stated the central bank’s predominant concern “remains the risk that inflation will fail to moderate as expected.” The Fed’s assessment accompanied its decision to keep the nation’s benchmark interest rate, the fed funds rate, stable at 5.25 percent; that decision was widely expected and so had no impact on stock trading.
Wall Street, which has been shaken by two weeks of volatility over the more difficult conditions in the credit markets, had looked for more soothing words — at least a leaning toward an interest rate cut — from the Fed. But the statement, while noting credit problems and continuing weakness in the housing market as well as the market’s turbulence, stood fast by the Fed’s inflation policy.
“Nobody was really surprised at what the Fed language was, you found out that they were aware of what’s going on but there was no positive or negative news,” said Brett Hammond, chief investment strategist for retirement plan manager TIAA-CREF.
The Dow Jones industrial average rose 41.45, or 0.31 percent, to 13,510.23 after the Fed’s statement.
The Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose 12.19, or 0.83 percent, to 1,479.86, while the Nasdaq composite index gained 13.60, or 0.53 percent, to 2,560.93.
Treasury bonds rose as investors fled stocks; this has been a common pattern over the past two weeks, when the Dow has been rising and falling by triple digits. The yield on the 10-year note fell to 4.72 percent from late Monday’s 4.74 percent.
The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 5.81, or 0.76 percent, to 760.58.
In recent weeks, the major stock market indexes have traded erratically, with the Dow routinely showing triple-digit swings. The frenetic trading follows the stock market’s high seen July 19, when the Dow closed above 14,000 for the first time and the Standard & Poor’s 500 index also saw a record finish.
The dollar was mixed against other major currencies, while gold prices fell.
Light, sweet crude fell 73 cents to $71.33 on the New York Mercantile Exchange a day after tumbling more than 4.5 percent. A week ago, crude closed at a record $78.21 a barrel.
Wall Street was also digesting a Labor Department report that found the productivity of U.S. workers rose to a 1.8 percent annual rate in the spring — more than double the 0.7 percent pace of the first quarter — while wage pressures lessened.
Unit labor costs increased at a 2.1 percent pace, which was the second straight quarter in which wage pressures have cooled. A drop in wage pressures could help assuage some of the Fed’s concerns about inflation.
In corporate news, Marsh & McLennan Cos. fell $1.12, or 3.8 percent, at $26.53. The largest U.S. insurance brokerage, turned in a 3 percent increase in its second-quarter profits amid growth in its risk and insurance business and consulting operations. The company also approved a $1.5 billion share-repurchase plan.
Duke Energy Corp. rose 55 cents, or 3.1 percent, to $18.45. It reported second-quarter profit fell $1.27 percent after it spun off its natural gas business at the beginning of the year.
Tyco International Ltd. shed 39 cents to $47.61 after it fell to a fiscal third-quarter loss due to hefty charges primarily related to a legal settlement. However, adjusted results managed to top Wall Street’s expectations.
Among the companies reporting results Tuesday, Cisco Systems Inc. is expected to weigh in after the closing bell. Shares fell 28 cents to $29.22.
Declining issues outpaced advancers by a 2 to 1 basis on the New York Stock Exchange, where volume came to 1.44 billion shares.
July
25
2007
7:03 am
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World Population Day is an annual event, observed on July 11, which seeks to raise awareness of global population issues. The event was established by the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme in 1989. It was inspired by the public interest in Five Billion Day on July 11, 1987, approximately the date on which the world’s population reached five billion people.
The world population on the 20th anniversary of Five Billion Day, July 11, 2007, is estimated to be 6,602,224,175.
What is Loan?
Secured loans enable homeowners to borrow capital and offset some of the risk against the value their property. On a practical level this means that anyone taking out a secured loan is effectively using their property to guarantee the loan. Of course if the borrower continually falters with repayments the consequences could be disastrous. On the other hand; secured loans have a number of distinct benefits over other types of borrowing. Lower risk means that banks and building societies can pass-on some of their savings (made on insurance etc) by offering much better interest rates to property owners. However, attractive Annual Percentage Rates aren’t all they have got to offer. Today secured loans come with all sorts of flexible repayment terms, so its’ important to read the small print. Clauses to keep an eye out for include: ?payment holidays’ whereby you can halt repayments for an agreed period of time in order to divert capital elsewhere (say to help with the costs of a wedding or newborn child) and favourable redemption charges - so you won’t be stung if you want to pay the loan back early.
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