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Subject: The Lord of the Rings. . . . The Twin Towers


Author:
*article and pictures courtesy of Accessatlanta.com
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Date Posted: 18:45:45 01/10/03 Fri


http://images-jp.amazon.com/images/P/0618260226.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg"


'Tower' of Power
Second installment of 'Rings' trilogy is thrilling war epic


Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" is a terrific movie. Whether it's a better movie than than last year's Oscar-winning "The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring" depends on whether you preferred the first book in J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy or the second book. (The third in the series, "The Return of the King," is due Christmas 2003.)

If you haven't read the books, here's another useful litmus test. If you liked the non-stop action of "Aliens" more than the solitary shocks of "Alien," you'll probably prefer "The Two Towers."

I'm a "Fellowship/Alien" kind of person, so I prefer director Peter Jackson's first film to the new one. For me, all the clamoring orcs, savage Uruk-hais and ominous flying dragons in Middle-earth didn't give me the same chill as the plop of a horse's hoof in a muddy puddle as the Nazgul hunted Frodo, the unassuming hobbit who bears the One Ring of power.

That said, Jackson totally gets Tolkien. He gets the staid Oxford don's intoxication with mythology and words, his sweeping sense of destiny with whole worlds at stake. And his acute sense of character, be it a feisty dwarf or a wicked wizard.

Jackson's adaptation of "The Two Towers" -- a book that mostly exists to continue Frodo's quest and to provide the staging ground for one spectacular battle after another, as the trilogy's secondary divine-right-of-kings theme comes to the fore -- is thrillingly on the money. It begins with the galvanizing last stand of Gandalf (Sir Ian McKellen) against the evil Balrog in the Mines of Moria. The pair tumble for an eternity, locked in mortal combat. It's an eye-catching opening.

As we saw at the end of the earlier movie, the Fellowship has been shattered. Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas the elf (Orlando Bloom) and Gimli the dwarf (John Rhys-Davies) are following the trail of their hobbit friends, Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd), who've been carried off by Orcs to be delivered to the malevolent wizard Saruman (Christopher Lee). Saruman thinks one of them may be the hobbit bearing the the Ring, the most powerful thing in Middle-earth.

The real Ring bearer, Frodo (Elijah Wood) and his loyal companion, Sam (Sean Astin), have taken off on their own. They're headed for the fires of Mount Doom in the land of Mordor, where they intend to destroy the Ring and thereby annihilate the great lord Sauron (glimpsed only as a flame-rimmed eye).

They are joined by the movie's techno-coup-d'etat, the emotionally damaged Gollum (part actor Andy Serkis, part extraordinary computer effects), who himself once possessed the Ring. A quivering, slimey, stringy creature, Gollum is the trilogy's wild card. Will Frodo's pity prove stronger than the lure of his "precioussss" as he calls the Ring, or -- as Sam believes -- will Gollum be their doom?


PIERRE VINET / New Line Productions
Viggo Mortensen's character, the heroic Aragorn, is the central player in "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers."


Meanwhile, Merry and Pippin are rescued by Treebeard (voiced by Rhys-Davies), leader of the massive tree-monsters called the Ents. Good thing, because Aragorn and company have been sidetracked by a mighty battle brewing between the Riders of Rohan and Saruman's savage hordes. However, this is just a prelude to the final siege at Helm's Deep, one of the most stunning war scenes ever seen on film.

"The Two Towers" brings on a throng of new characters, all of whom will figure conspicuously in "The Return of the King." There's Theoden (Bernard Hill), the king of Rohan, who's fallen under the spell of his advisor, Wormtongue (Brad Dourif), a secret emissary for Saruman, to the dismay of his nephew Eomer (Karl Urban), one of the noblest of Rohan's horse lords, and his niece Eowyn (Miranda Otto), who immediately falls for Aragorn.

It can get very confusing, especially if you don't know the books or the first movie. More troubling, perhaps, for those who do know the books, are some of Jackson's interpolations, notably when Aragorn plunges off a cliff on the back of a rampaging hyena/warthog/dingo thingie. (Definitely not in the book.) The love story between Aragorn and the elf princess, Arwen (Liv Tyler), is re-introduced, and becomes borderline kitsch. But it's partly redeemed by a haunting scene taken from the trilogy's vast appendixes, in which we witness their eventual fate.

One other thing: When Saruman's troops burn down a Rohan peasant village, it looks like something out of a '60s Steve Reeves Hercules movie. And the repeated close-ups of the suffering women and children who've taken refuge at Helm's Deep just aren't Tolkien's style. He'd care more about the horses.

Still, these are small quibbles compared to the near perfection of everything else. The acting is magnificent. From Frodo's tortured determination and Gollum's split-personality craftiness to Aragorn's increasing nobility and Sam's humble goodness, the cast understands that acting in an over-the-top fantasy is almost identical to playing Shakespeare. You just have to go at it, damn the torpedoes and full speed ahead.

"It's like a great story," Sam tells Frodo as they trudge toward their fate. "You know, the ones that really matter. Sometimes you don't want them to end because, how could it be happy?"

Or sometimes you don't want them to end because they're so splendid. Bring on "The Return of the King."

*article and pictures courtesy of Accessatlanta.com

Subject: Fifth Harry Potter Book Due on June 21


Author:
j
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Date Posted: 20:40:06 01/30/03 Thu



Harry Potter (news - web sites) publisher Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. said on January 15, 2003 that the fifth book in J.K. Rowling (news - web sites)'s children's fantasy adventure series would be published on June 21. The long-awaited fifth book in the series, 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix', has become an instant best-seller less than 24 hours after the June publication date was announced online book stores said on January 16, 2003. Rowling is seen with her book 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' in this July 8, 2001 file photo. Photo by Ian Waldie/Reuters

Fifth Harry Potter Book Due on June 21
Wed Jan 15, 2:52 PM ET

By Dan Lalor

LONDON (Reuters) - "Harry Potter (news - web sites) and the Order of the Phoenix," the fifth tale of the boy wizard by author J.K. Rowling (news - web sites), will go on sale across the globe on June 21, her publishers said Wednesday.


Reuters Photo


AP Photo
Slideshow: Harry Potter




The book, which at 38 chapters and 255,000 words, will be a third longer than the last book -- "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" -- has been delivered to its English language publishers Bloomsbury of Britain and Scholastic of the United States.


Fans have had to wait three years for "Order of the Phoenix," which is to be released in Britain, the United States, Canada and Australia and in the English language in many other countries on the same day.


"Goblet of Fire" was published in July 2000 and was the fastest-selling book in history on the first weekend of its publication.


The British publishers, not surprisingly, said it would be worth the wait for a story to be published on midsummer's day.


The British booksellers Waterstone's said that within two hours of the announcement "the interest has been phenomenal."


The first few sentences of the new book are: "The hottest day of the summer so far was drawing to a close and a drowsy silence lay over the large, square houses of Privet Drive ... The only person left outside was a teenage boy who was lying flat on his back in a flowerbed outside number four."


The book may have a darker side than the earlier escapades.


Bloomsbury said Rowling also writes: "Dumbledore lowered his hands and surveyed Harry through his half-moon glasses. "It is time," he said, "for me to tell you what I should have told you five years ago, Harry.


"Please sit down. I am going to tell you everything."


GLOBAL APPEAL


All four Harry Potter books -- "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone," "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," as well as "Goblet of Fire" -- are still on bestseller lists around the world.


Rowling has gotten married since "Goblet of Fire" was published and is pregnant. Her baby is due this spring.


The Potter sagas have been a publishing triumph on both sides of the Atlantic, proving a huge success with children and adults alike. Bloomsbury shares rose by more than three percent on news of the latest book.


For New York-based Scholastic Corp., a publisher of children's and educational books and the top operator of book fairs in U.S. schools, Potter has been a huge success.


The four titles generated combined U.S. hardcover and paperback sales of about 80 million copies, Scholastic spokeswoman Judy Corman said. It was their dominance of the U.S. fiction market that prompted the New York Times to launch a bestseller list for children's titles.


The success of the series has also been a significant driver for Scholastic's share price, which topped out at nearly $57 in April 2002, up nearly three-fold during the main run of the first four books.


But the company's bottom line and stock price have suffered in recent quarters as the Order of Phoenix launch was pushed back into Scholastic's fiscal year 2004, beginning this June 1.

Scholastic originally had budgeted the launch for the current year.
Subject: jj


Author:
jj
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Date Posted: 20:42:40 01/30/03 Thu

Testing
Subject: BORROWED FROM MECH ENG STUDS


Author:
j
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Date Posted: 20:33:49 01/30/03 Thu


Subject: COOL SITE


Author:
jomz
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Date Posted: 20:14:43 01/30/03 Thu

CHECKOUT THIS OFFICIAL WEBPAGE OF 3rd Year Mech. Eng.
3MEB

3rd Year Mechanical Engineering
Subject: new world order


Author:
pareng jep"pogi at macho" para ke PRINCESS
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Date Posted: 04:39:00 01/15/03 Wed

the soul's escaping, through this hole that it's gaping
This world is mine for the taking
Make me king, as we move towarda new world order
Subject: COMING UP on January 30, 2003. . . . . COMING UP on January 30, 2003. . . . COMING UP on January 30, 2003


Author:
webmaster
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Date Posted: 19:32:29 01/10/03 Fri


1. CLASS PICTURES of our Batch from 1st Year to 3rd Year
2. Internet Voting MISS ACES (in our Batch including Ara, etc.)

Subject: About the Lord of the Rings


Author:
Lord of the Rings Website
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Date Posted: 19:27:51 01/10/03 Fri




courtesy of http://www.lordoftherings.net/index_cast.

"The Lord of The Rings required a commitment from our cast to learn how to swordfight, horseback ride, canoe, learn Elvish, climb mountain peaks and at the same time bring the magic and magnetism of Tolkien’s characters to the screen. They were up to the task."
— Barrie M. Osborne, producer

At the core of the story in The Lord of the Rings are the cultures that make up Middle-earth: Hobbits, Dwarves, Humans, Elves, Wizards, Trolls, Ents, Orcs, Ringwraiths and Uruk-Hai.

Each culture has its own rich way of life, its own customs, myths, ways of dress and even style of fighting. Each is fully developed in The Lord of the Rings, creating the essence of a living, breathing world just beyond our own history.

For example, Hobbits are gentle and close to nature, an almost child-like group who live off the land. With an average height of 3’6", the furry-footed creatures dwell deep in furnished holes on the sides of hills. They love the simple things in life: smoking pipes, eating, and, of course, storytelling. They live to around 100 years old, with the age of 33 marking the start of adulthood.

Elves, on the other hand, are noble, elegant, magical beings whose time is running out and who seem to possess a bittersweet sense that they are now about to pass into myth. Although they could be slain or die of grief, elves are immortal in that they are not subject to age or disease.

Dwarves are short but very tough, with a strong, ancient sense of justice and an abiding love of all things beautiful. Small in stature, they live to be about 250 years old.

Wizards are supremely powerful but can use that power for good or for evil, depending on where their hearts lie.

Men in The Lord of the Rings are a fledgling race just coming into their own.

Other creatures are even more fantastical: the leaf-covered Ents try to protect their brethren, the trees; the misshapen Orcs fight for Saruman; and the sinister, black-cloaked Ringwraiths are neither living nor dead but cursed to live in the twilight world of Sauron.

To bring these remarkably diverse beings to life would require a cast of true versatility — and also a cast willing to spend months in the deep heartland of New Zealand bringing life to a literary legend. It would require a group of actors who could carry their characters through three chapters of climactic changes.

In the first installment, The Fellowship of the Ring, the actors get a chance to introduce their characters and their individual quests. At the center of it all is the story’s 3’6" hero — Frodo Baggins, the shy but forthright hobbit who assumes the responsibility for destroying The Ring. Despite the help of the Fellowship, it is Frodo who must bear the burden of The Ring and resist its constant temptations of evil. For the actor to play Frodo, the filmmakers chose 20-year-old Elijah Wood for his energy, innocence and charisma.

"Elijah has a sincerity of purpose that just makes him a natural in the role," observes Barrie M. Osborne. "He is capable of taking the character through a real transformation, which begins with The Fellowship of the Ring."

Wood describes Frodo as "a very curious adventurer. Frodo lives in a time when most of his fellow hobbits want to stay with their own kind, but Frodo is very different in that he wants to leave and see the rest of the world and all its wonders."

Which is exactly what he does in The Lord of the Rings. As Frodo begins his journey, Wood was struck by how much like a person, rather than a fantasy character, the hobbit began to seem. "He became alive for me," he admits. "The way we shot the movie, everything was so real that we all believed that Frodo and the others really existed in history. Once I had on my prosthetic ears and feet for the first time, I knew what it was to feel like a hobbit. It sounds bizarre, but it felt the same as playing a historical character, as if hobbits had actually once been alive."

One of Frodo’s closest allies in his plight to destroy The Ring is the old and powerful wizard Gandalf, who begins to demonstrate his full powers and purpose in The Fellowship of the Ring. Gandalf is played by renowned screen and stage star Ian McKellen, who was thrilled to take on such a magical role.

"I see Gandalf as the archetypal wizard," says McKellen. "I think in the creation of Gandalf, Tolkien was playing with ideas about wizards from stories and fairy tales throughout time. Gandalf is related to Merlin, and maybe even Prospero, but he also is very much his own man."

"When the story hops up and the journey begins and great things are at stake, he makes a real contribution to The Fellowship," he continues. "He shows his stuff as a warrior." Showing off that stuff was a perfect match with McKellen’s own innate nobility. Notes producer Barrie M. Osborne: "Ian McKellen has the stature to make you truly believe in Gandalf’s power and wisdom."

Frodo’s quest to destroy The Ring begins with his cousin, Bilbo Baggins, an aged hobbit with a history of bravery played by Ian Holm. Holm says that "Bilbo is not unlike me. He’s quite grumpy on the outside but basically he has a heart of gold. He is a little fellow who things seem to happen to — but when he’s put to the test, he comes up trumps more than most people."

A longtime fan of Tolkien’s novel, Holm likens playing such a renowned character to another character noted for its many interpretations. "I think playing Bilbo is a lot like playing Hamlet," he says. "I mean, this is my version of Bilbo, just as it would be my version of Hamlet. He’s an eternal character but as an actor you play it as you see it in front of you and trust in that."

Says Barrie M. Osborne of the choice of Holm: "He brings out all the nuances in Bilbo’s character — he gets the crustiness of the hobbit, but more importantly, he reveals what lies underneath."

Three hobbit friends also join Frodo on his journey: Sam, Merry and Pippin, played by Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd. Astin plays one of the trilogy’s most moving characters, the ordinary seeming Samwise Gamgee, who turns out to be the most extraordinary of friends to Frodo.

"Sean Astin is a wonderful choice for Sam because he brings a real joviality to the role, as well as an empathy for Sam’s struggles," says Osborne. "I think it’s also a real bonus that he and Elijah Wood are such good friends — that closeness really shows in the relationship that develops between their characters."

Astin was drawn to a character that seems to define the best of hobbit-hood. "To me, he personifies decency, simplicity, honesty and loyalty, the ultimate hobbit," says Astin. "Most of all, he has an undying friendship with Frodo that is so strong, he’s willing to face the adventure of the unknown to help him."
Astin also sees Sam as a man of the land. "I look at him as this kind of pastoral figure, a farmer whose hands are always in the soil," he comments. "He’s not the most sophisticated being in the fellowship, but he makes up for it with his earnest steadiness."


PRODUCTION CAST

Dominic Monaghan, a young British actor who comes to the fore in The Fellowship of the Ring, brings out the quick-witted cleverness and fun-loving spirit of the hobbit Merry, formally known as Meriadoc Brandybuck, another of Frodo’s closest friends. "Like most hobbits, Merry always looks on the bright side of life," says Monaghan, "but I don’t think even he realizes at first how brave he can actually be. As situations arise at the beginning of their journey, he starts to become pretty important."

Monaghan continues: "The main thing I wanted to get across in the beginning, with The Fellowship of the Ring, is that Merry is just this very sharp, sarcastic and funny boy who hasn’t grown up yet. But he’s about to go through incredible experiences and adventures that will change him into a new person."

For the comical hobbit Pippin, or Peregrin Took, the filmmakers chose rising Scottish actor Billy Boyd. Boyd was amused by his character’s "knack for doing the wrong thing at the wrong time" but also moved by Pippin’s transformation throughout the odyssey. "One thing about Pippin right from the beginning is that his whole life revolves around friendship," points out Boyd. "He loves his friends in the Shire more than anything."

But when Pippin embarks on the journey to destroy The Ring with Frodo and the rest of the Fellowship, he discovers a world unlike anything he’s ever imagined. "Suddenly, things turn very serious and dark for Pippin. He’s falling in marshes and meeting magical creatures and he’d rather be back at the pub chatting with the ladies!" admits Boyd. "But that’s what makes him so dynamic a character. He tunes into the fun and beautiful side of life, even in the middle of a war."

Also joining the Fellowship is the man Boromir, a valiant warrior who lacks respect for The Ring’s devastating power. Boromir is portrayed by Sean Bean, who liked that the character "brings the human element into the Fellowship. Boromir has the human qualities of being honorable and brave but also having a very clear opinion about everything." "In the beginning," he continues, "he sees The Ring simply as a solution to the problems of his people. But he finds out that it isn’t quite so clear-cut, especially as he becomes susceptible to its powers."

Then there is Elrond, the elf of great powers who knows much about The Ring. Elrond is played by Hugo Weaving. Weaving adored playing such a wise yet wistful hero. "Elrond is so wise, so good, so noble and yet he also has, for a lack of a better word, a real humanity to him. There is a side of him that has been made desperate by the perpetual state of war. He has a real sense of how hard it is for people to get out from under evil," Weaving says.

The Fellowship is completed by an elf and a dwarf: Legolas, the sword-fighting son of an elf king, played by Orlando Bloom; and Gimli, the stout-hearted axe-man who comes to represent the Khazad, the dwarves of Middle-earth, played by John Rhys-Davies. The comic contrast between the boisterous dwarf and the elegant elf becomes a constant source of humor and delight. Orlando Bloom explains: "Elves see dwarves as these muddy creatures who steal from the earth without giving back. But Legolas and Gimli grow to respect one another’s differences. They learn to rely on each other in battle — and to laugh together."

Rhys-Davies loved that The Fellowship of the Ring kicks off something many people haven’t experienced in a long-time — an epic, serial adventure. "I think today there is an enormous hunger for adventure and a dynamic life that can only be met in the imagination . . . or in movies like this one. Tolkien feeds that hunger, because in our hearts we want to be part of a heroic civilization like the elves, hobbits, dwarves and men of Middle-earth."

Facing off against the Fellowship is the evil Saruman, once the head of the Council of the Wise, who has since succumbed to the dark temptations of Sauron’s power. Saruman wants Frodo’s ring and is willing to use his specially bred Uruk-Hai — grotesque, war-like creatures -- to get it. Perhaps no one could embody Saruman better than that long-time master, Christopher Lee.

Lee had played many mythical creatures before but had never been involved with a project like The Lord of The Rings. "This is the outright creation of an entire world," he says. "It brings together history and languages and cultures and makes a dreamscape come true."

Although Saruman lived around 7,000 mythical years ago, Lee sees his dark reflection all over the place in the modern world. "To my way of thinking, the evil that exists today isn’t that different from what you see in Middle-earth. People will always crave power and Saruman wants Sauron’s power," he explains. "To me, he is not just the physical force of evil personified, he is also very real."

Another mysterious character introduced in The Lord of the Rings is Aragorn, a heroic man and warrior, played with trademark intensity by Viggo Mortensen. Mortensen got so into the role it was rumored he was living in the forest in Aragorn’s torn, mud-stained clothes! Says Peter Jackson: "Viggo embraced the character so completely it’s difficult to imagine the two being separate now." Adds Barrie M. Osborne: "Viggo is the perfect actor to play a man who is struggling to redeem himself from his ancestry and his heritage. He’s incredibly dedicated. He’s the kind of an actor who one day had his tooth knocked out by a sword and actually asked if they could superglue it back on so he could finish the scene. He became Aragorn, and he brings a real power to the role."

Mortensen felt a strong personal connection to the project: "I’m Celtic and Scandinavian, so I was raised on the myths Tolkien used to inspire The Lord of The Rings," he says. "It’s part of my heritage." The actor was also intrigued by Aragorn’s primal, self-reliant brand of heroism. "He can survive in nature, live from it, read its signs and live happily, not needing anyone, not relying on anything but his own knowledge and discoveries," he observes. "But now he has to take on more responsibility, and it’s not clear where it will lead him."

Two of the major female characters in The Lord of The Rings are also introduced in The Fellowship of the Ring: the brave she-elf Arwen, who falls in love with Aragorn, played by the luminous Liv Tyler; and the powerful, soul-probing Elf Queen Galadriel, played by Academy Award nominee Cate Blanchett.

Tyler was drawn to Arwen, the immortal elven princess. "To me, Arwen brings a real touch of femininity to the tale of Middle-earth," says Tyler. "In the midst of a war, she has fallen in love, and become the backbone and motivation for Aragorn’s fight."

Cate Blanchett was also drawn to her character’s fascinating strength. "I loved playing Galadriel because she is so iconic. She is the one in The Lord of the Rings who truly tests Frodo," says Blanchett. "I also think she has a profound message to give about taking responsibility for ourselves and our actions. And, Yes, I have to admit I have always wanted to have pointy ears!"

Blanchett was astonished by how completely the world of Middle-earth and its many cultures had been thought out by the filmmakers. "By the time I started working, there was such a strong and real-life sense of the various cultures, their histories and their hopes for the future," she notes. "It was really like becoming part of a whole different universe. I’ve never experienced anything like it before."

The entire cast underwent intensive training in ancient arts and languages for their roles. This included studying sword fighting with veteran sword master Bob Anderson; learning horsemanship with head wrangler Dave Johnson; and practicing the Elvish language with dialect and creative language coaches Andrew Jack and Roísin Carty.

Jack and Carty developed a unique accent and cadence for Elvish, based in part on Celtic, yet entirely unique in the world. In also training the actors in other dialects, they gave exercises during which the actors stood in front of a mirror, making curious noises and faces, learning to use their facial muscles in completely new ways. The result was that the actors each found their own accents spontaneously. Jack and Carty taught the actors as if they were learning a language from scratch, not just having them memorize script lines.

In addition to the technical training, every actor involved in The Lord of The Rings had to be in top physical condition — not just because the Fellowship scales mountains, fords streams and fights physically intense battles throughout the trilogy, but because they had to withstand the 274-day shooting schedule. Says Dominic Monaghan, who plays the hobbit Merry: "We all started fitness programs well before production began and we worked with physical trainers throughout. Not only was the shoot physically challenging, with huge leaps and big battles and stuff like that, but the hours alone required physical conditioning and fitness. Anybody out of shape wouldn’t have made it!"

Summarizes Peter Jackson: "For me the project really came to life when the cast came on board and brought their individual interpretations to the roles. They made it so much more realistic than I had ever imagined."
Subject: about JK Rowling


Author:
contributor
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Date Posted: 19:23:16 01/10/03 Fri



J.K. Rowling

Joanne Kathleen Rowling was born on July 31st, 1965 in Chipping Sodbury, near Bristol, England. She had very little money before her success with the Harry Potter series, and the idea of the boy wizard only dawned on Jo while on a train to London.

Since then, she has graduated from Exeter with a degree in French, worked as a teacher and given birth to a daughter with her first husband Jorges Arantes. She was very poor before her success with the Harry Potter series, living in a tiny flat in Scotland, and began writing Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone on a notepad in an Edinburgh caf“ª Nicolson's.

In 1997 Bloomsbury Publishing took interest in her story, and it was soon bought and published. It was an instant success, winning numerous awards and topping the booklists. J.K Rowling plans to release a total of seven books, each of which document a year in the life of Harry Potter as he attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The Harry Potter series are unquestionably the best-selling books of the decade, and JK Rowling has become one of the most famous writers of all time.

She recently moved to a new home in Scotland, with her newly wed husband Dr. Neil Murray - they are now expecting a baby after marrying on Boxing Day 2001.

Subject: Opinions of Harry Potter Fanatics


Author:
contributor
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Date Posted: 19:09:11 01/10/03 Fri


< p align="center">


Starz says that-
I think Ginny Weasley will be the one to die because J.K. Rowling said that one of
Harry's fans will die. It is also a rumor that Ginny Weasley will play a much bigger role in the next book. Perhaps this is why....

Lacey Says-

Dumbledore will die soon :( because Harry keeps thinking to himself how old
Dumbledore looks.

I think some Philosopher must have said this-

The HP books use the color scarlet and gold ( the Gryffindor colours) a lot; the
planet Harry is born under, being Mars, is known as the red (scarlet)planet and Mars is the sign of Leo, the lion, which is the symbol of Gryffindor, the Quaffle is scarlet and the Snitch is gold and these are the Gryffindor colours, in book 4 Harry's beam of light was scarlet and a golden beam of beads was connecting it ( when he was dueling Voldemort )... I think this could mean Harry is the heir of Gryffindor, because then Voldemort would have a reason to have wanted to kill Harry and James but not Lily because they were the heirs to Gryffindor.


LILY POTTER - A DEATH EATER ?


I heard that in the 5th book, we find out that Lily Potter was a death eater. This
is why we were told that Voldermont said that Lily did not have to die, yet she fought for Harry's life, and so he had to kill her.


Some1 says-
Lili Potter was a death eater but then she returned to the good side.
there are also rumors that Voldemort might be actually Harry's father!

BOOK 5 NAME:::

Confirmed- The Fifth Books Title will be
Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix !
( J.K. Rowling Has said In Many Books )


Courtesy of http://www.geocities.com/harrypottersite2001/bookfive.htm
Replies:
  • -- cont., 19:10:26 01/10/03 Fri
  • -- cont., 19:18:44 01/10/03 Fri
Subject: MRS FIGG'S SPECULATIONS-


Author:
contributor
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Date Posted: 19:07:13 01/10/03 Fri

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MRS FIGG'S SPECULATIONS-


A LOT means Lot of people have e-mailed me and speculated about Mrs. Figg, and her involvement in Book 4. If you haven't already caught it, here's what's creating the stir:

In Book 1, we learn that Harry has had to go to Mrs. Figg's house every time the Dursleys go on a fun trip. She's described as "a mad old lady who lived two streets away.....made him look at photographs of all the cats she'd ever owned."

Now go to Book 4, and near the end when Dumbledore is speaking to Sirius:

" Sirius, I need you to set off at once. You are to alert Remus Lupin, Arabella Figg, and Mundungus Fletcher (someone who we have only heard of a few times)

Is it possible that old Mrs. Figg, the mad old lady, is really a witch? This is the debate. It might also shed some light on why Dumbledore seems to think there is some sort of protection around the Dursley's house. If she is a powerful witch, as it is kind of suggested in Book 4, it is odd, however, that in Book 1 she is described as using crutches. Is she a witch? Or was this simply a mistake in using the same name twice by Rowling? She is a Mrs., but I don't think Arabella is a man's name. Also, here's something to think about:

Here's another thought......is it possible that perhaps Mrs. Figg is Harry's Secret Keeper? This would be another possible explanation for the protection around the Dursley's house.

That's all so far on the Figg speculations.


Courtesy of http://www.geocities.com/harrypottersite2001/bookfive.htm
Subject: About the War Epic Trilogy


Author:
picture and article by Yahoo Movies
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Date Posted: 18:53:08 01/10/03 Fri




From the Publisher
The official inside story on the making of the award-winning movie trilogy

The Lord of the Rings: The Making of the Movie Trilogy is a lavishly illustrated, behind-the-scenes, definitive account of the creation of an epic film experience. Hailed by critics worldwide, part one of the movie trilogy was a box-office smash, one of the most successful films of the decade. Peter Jackson's "fierce, imaginative movie takes high-flying risks and inspires with its power and scale," wrote Newsweek. "In every way this is moviemaking on a grand scale," wrote the San Francisco Chronicle, while Time proclaimed the "grandeur, moral heft and emotional depth" of the film, which received thirteen Academy Award(R) nominations. Including more than 300 photographs from all three films, most unique to this book, and exclusive interviews with all the cast and crew, Brian Sibley's fascinating book takes every fan inside the process of adapting J.R.R. Tolkien's masterwork for the screen. For the first time in history, three major movies were made at the same time, a triumphant and monumental undertaking that took the world by storm. Here can be found details about the hundreds of dedicated artists, craftspeople and cast and crew members who labored for years -- adding authenticity at every stage -- to bring one of the greatest stories ever told to an eager film audience. Sibley takes us inside the process of filmmaking to show us how the magic is made -- from the director, writers and actors to wardrobe, makeup, miniatures, music and digital special effects, it's all here.

"It was tiring, physically and mentally, but never dull. Three movies, one big story, and so much variety: one day shooting scenes of intimate heart-wrenching drama, the next, vast battle scenes involving hundreds of extras. Every day brought an opportunity to create something new on this enormous canvas that is The Lord of the Rings." -- Peter Jackson
Subject: Production Pictures


Author:
*courtesy of New Line Cinema
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Date Posted: 18:49:11 01/10/03 Fri






Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn, Orlando Bloom as Legolas and Ian McKellen as Gandalf in New Line's The Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers - 2002
Photo: Pierre Vinet

Subject: OK BA ANG WEBPAGE NA GINAWA KO?


Author:
what you say? kudos
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Date Posted: 05:15:35 01/07/03 Tue

Subject: Customized your Desktop


Author:
just click it, and way you go......
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Date Posted: 05:10:13 01/07/03 Tue













 


Subject: charotsis


Author:
ceferino de mesa III
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Date Posted: 23:40:07 12/25/02 Wed



Ey, muztah nah?
Paano b kyo nakasali d2 pa-join naman oh!
Cge na naman pliz!
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Subject: etchouz


Author:
Ceferino de Mesa III
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Date Posted: 23:35:18 12/25/02 Wed


Yellow!!!!
Subject: HARRY POTTER and the CHAMBER of SECRETS


Author:
/article from warnerbros.com/
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Date Posted: 03:00:01 12/25/02 Wed






Chamber of Secrets Trailer!
Jul 10, 2002 GMT
www.harrypotter.co.uk is proud to present the new trailer for HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS, the highly anticipated next installment in the HARRY POTTER series. This trailer can be seen in cinemas across the UK from Friday 21st June onwards.

HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS finds young wizard Harry Potter (DANIEL RADCLIFFE) and his friends Ron Weasley (RUPERT GRINT) and Hermione Granger (EMMA WATSON) facing new challenges during their second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as they try to discover a dark force that is terrorizing the school.

Joining the original cast are Kenneth Branagh as Gilderoy Lockhart, Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy, Miriam Margolyes as Professor Sprout and Mark Williams as Ron's father Mr Weasley. HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE director Chris Columbus and producer David Heyman will reprise their filmmaking roles on HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS.



Interview with Stuart Craig (Art Director)
Jul 31, 2002 GMT



How long did you have to design and build the sets before the filming of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets? And how did this compare to the work done prior to the first film?

We had seven months preparation until the start of shooting in November 2001 on The Chamber of Secrets, which compared to six months for the first film, which gave us more time. But, we were preparing for the second film whilst still shooting Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, so in that sense it was more complicated.

How many sets are there for The Chamber of Secrets?

We had 96 sets on the first film and 59 on the second one. Although it seems like more on the second film this is probably due to the fact we shot a lot more sets on location in the first film.

How easy was the transition from the first film to The Chamber of Secrets?

It was an immediate transfer for us in some ways and it was easier in that we weren't creating the entire world as we had already done that for the first film. So, what we got the chance to do was improve on lots of things such as the quality of Quidditch, the quality of the architecture, particularly Dumbledore's office and Lockhart's classroom and office.

How big is the Great Hall?

140 x 40 feet. The Great Hall is based on Christ Church College in Oxford. The hall is used in both the first and second films. The benches and tables were especially made for Harry Potter. The floor itself is made out of genuine Yorkshire Stone. Normally you would make the floor our of plaster as with the walls, but we felt the need to make it out of real stone in order to withstand the hundreds of pairs of childrens' feet continually trampling through!

The Chamber of Secrets set itself is quite spectacular, what was the thinking behind this?

The set is the biggest we have made so far 250 x 120 feet. JK Rowling's book describes the chamber as being very tall with huge snakes towering above. But, as Leavesden is an old aircraft factory and wasn't designed as a film studio, it doesn't have the height of the purpose-built sound stages. One answer was to create the height with visual effects, but I thought that I could solve this by building down or at least creating the illusion of height by giving the set depth. So, by filling the areas surrounding the snake heads and the Salazaar Slytherin head with water, you get the illusion that the snakes and head go down below the surface hundreds of feet. We imported thousands of gallons of water, dyed it black so you would get a further sense of depth.

How many people are in the Art Department?

We have a very large art department and an extended art department. We have 25 art directors and draftsmen, 4 set dressers, 4 sculptors, 5 portrait artists, 2 scenic artists, around 20 prop men and 300 construction workers. All these people helped design the sets, built the sets and dressed the sets. It is certainly the biggest team I have ever worked with.




Interview with Kenneth Branagh (Professor Gilderoy Lockhart)
Aug 1, 2002 GMT




Describe Your Character:

Lockhart is the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, an apparently fantastically successful wizard and writer of many famous books, which are now being used as textbooks at Hogwarts School. He is much admired by the female students, which is very irritating to the boys. He is a narcissus, a gadfly, very full of himself and faintly idiotic. But he can be rather touching at times. He amuses and intrigues us. Is he or isn't he a good guy? He is certainly a strange peacock of a man.

Lockhart is a wonderfully flamboyant and humorous character. How difficult was it making him real and not a pantomime character? How did you go about fleshing him out?

Chris Columbus, takes his cue from JK Rowling. She writes with complexity (there is a very deceptive simplicity about the books). They seize on moments when Lockhart is rather vulnerable and we used these to try and show that he is more than a pantomime character. For instance, he falls prey to Snape in a dueling match and it's his chance to show off, but it doesn't come off as Snape is rather better than him and there are a couple of moments in that scene where we see Lockhart's sensitive side. Like many actors, he is a mix of massive ego and deep insecurity. The extremes of his character seem to be an annoying super-confidence (utterly ruthless at times), and then being a weakness and helplessness when challenged. But, there is a beating heart in there that goes hand in hand with arrogance. Chris Columbus was keen to see the fragility in the character. He is idiotic but vulnerable and his vulnerability is a redeeming feature, which helps keep the audience - and the kids at the school - on his side.

Did you have much input into the look of the character and the costumes?

JK Rowling describes Lockhart's appearance in much more impressionistic ways than many of the other characters. She talks of his 'flowing golden locks' which we have tried to match with quite an excessive hair-do. His clothes are not described in detail but she does talk of his dandyish quality that Chris Columbus was very keen to exploit. The first Harry Potter film was quite dark and this one, as with the books, is even darker so Lockhart's character is a chance to splash some colour into the movie. We played with a variety of classical looks from the nineteenth century to the 1930s that we thought Lockhart would be pleased to emulate - from a 1930s country houseguest to the New Romantic poet in his apartments wearing a red gown. There is a flourish to everything he wears - frills, waves, satin. Somehow in there, Chris Columbus was keen that he remained manly while still fulfilling the gadfly expectations. Lindy Hemming, our Costume Designer, is brilliant and she managed to keep Lockhart manly while also offering comic visual flourishes. Given that the book says little about his clothes, we had a lot of license - and we used it.

What was it like joining a very established Cast and Crew?

There is a great family atmosphere, which is quite unusual on a film of such enormous scale. One movement order that I saw was the size of a telephone directory! The atmosphere has been quite amazing and almost entirely down to Christopher Columbus. It's extremely friendly and surprisingly open given the concerns over maintaining a level of secrecy about surprises in the movie. We have a vast number of visitors, which also contributed to a healthy, relaxed atmosphere. There have been lots of children visiting as well as friends of the cast. There has also been a great sense of excitement on set. Chris Columbus carried forward a real relish about the possibilities for this second film, rather than any sense of his having done it before, and a real excitement about exploring the potential that the second story offers. So there were two key things that I noticed - relaxation and paradoxically, excitement.

Were you a fan of the books before?

I was very admiring of the apparent simplicity with which JK Rowling writes about a world of great detail and complexity. Apart from great storytelling she creates characters who fit beautifully into the already complicated patter of a detailed series of books that she has mapped out right to the end of the series. I am in awe of the way she marshals all this material and of the cosmology of magic that she has newly minted. If you read around the subject, every name has an etymology that is completely consistent with the world she has created. It's remarkable work. She takes kids seriously and deals with issues such as race, politics and power struggles that are presented with sophistication but still inside a rollicking good read. Her contemporary themes are lightly done and engage the audience. Her confidence that she is taking the audience with her allows her to be more ambitious so that the tone darkens as the books continue and she is prepared to frighten her readers more. As you read all the books, it's fascinating to see her meet the challenge of taking a young audience through their own adolescence as well as Harry Potter's while still creating books that appeal to a new generation of 10-year olds. When I read the first book, Dickens came to mind. Her construction, the moral tone, the gallery of characters make her a modern parallel to Dickens.

What was it like working with the children? Were they as you imagined?

I didn't know what to imagine. I thought it must be odd for these kids to be that age and to be in one of the most successful films of all time. They might easily have turned into monsters but on of the chief joys has been the company of the three principal kids. They are all remarkably well adjusted which is a tribute to their parents and to Chris Columbus. He allows them to play and they do. All three are very different but they are all very bright, very polite - while still being kids. They are also all very funny. It's a cliché but you end up learning a lot from them. They are incredibly self-possessed even in the middle of the adolescent storm and they have the ability to be totally present in a scene. They worry less than older actors. They are truly delightful and it has been a real pleasure.

What has it been like working with Chris Columbus and David Heyman?

Chris Columbus has the gift of energy, which is an absolute requirement for a director. The atmosphere on a film is always dictated by the director. He is energized, has the gift of staying enthusiastic over a very long period and maintaining his excitement about the material. The kids have to go off to school for long chunks of time and often you get to a certain point in the scene and you want to continue but the kids have to be sent off to their lessons - but I have never once seen him express even the tiniest bit of frustrations. From a technical point of view he has to keep an overview of this massive project and it would be very easy to lose your way but he manages to maintain an admirable vision.

David Heyman has the same capacity for having an enduring excitement about the material and because of this great relationship with JK Rowling is a fantastic resource for all of us for information and background detail. He and Chris make a formidable team.

How do you feel that Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Will differ from the first film?

It's darker. The books get darker one by one so it's nice to be Gilderoy Lockhart who brings a strong comic energy to the piece and complicates the audience's idea of who has done what. It's also good to see the kids growing older before your very eyes. It adds a different texture and makes the story grittier, tougher and leaner (as they are!). It makes you feel that you are watching something different and highly unusual in cinema.

What is Lockhart's Relationship with Harry Potter?

Lockhart is ravenous in his appetite for publicity for himself. It's partly born out of insecurity and the knowledge that his achievements are bogus. Harry Potter guarantees Lockhart the front page of the wizard newspaper, The Daily Prophet. Lockhart's policy is to meet truly clever people, copy them and publish their stories under his own name. So Harry Potter is the greatest prize he has ever come across and he takes the teaching post at Hogwarts because he wants to purloin Harry's fame. The pursuit of Harry's genius drives Lockhart's journey through the film. Harry and the other boys are also jealous of Lockhart's success with the female students who are very impressed by him. Lockhart believes the craven pursuit of fame at any price, is a perfectly laudable exercise.

What is Lockhart's relationship with the other professors in the school and their view of him?

Initially they are prepared to give him the full benefit of the doubt. He has published successful books after all. But almost immediately they see that he is very full of himself and they begin to suspect he is a charlatan. Some of them find him touching and amusing (e.g. Dumbledore and McGonagall), but to Snape and Filtch he is very irritating. Lockhart has no time for anyone else but himself so he disregards Snape's disdain, which leads to some comic opportunities. He is a whirlwind of narcissism that blows itself through the school - amusing and irritating in equal measures

Subject: COMING UP SOON. . .


Author:
webmaster
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Date Posted: 02:35:02 12/25/02 Wed

CLASS PICTURE of 1-19, (first year) and 3CE-C, 1st sem. class
Subject: SURVIVOR 5: FINALE


Author:
jomz (the webmaster)
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Date Posted: 03:46:18 12/21/02 Sat










THE VERDICT IS IN: BRIAN HEIDIK IS THE SOLE SURVIVOR
December 19, 2002

After 39 days on a physical and mental roller coaster, Brian Heidik, the 34-year-old used car salesman from Quartz Hill, California, won a majority of the Jury's votes, earning him the title of SOLE SURVIVOR and giving him the million-dollar prize. After a tension-packed deliberation process where the Jury questioned, and sometimes grilled, the remaining two, the verdict was finally reached in a tight 4-3 vote in favor of Brian, who outwitted, outplayed and outlasted all the rest to win SURVIVOR: THAILAND.



THE LAZY DIRTY OLD MAN

THE GAME INTENSIFIES

Returning to camp after Tribal Council, where Ted Rogers was voted out of the tribe, the Final Four Survivors wearily recapped the night's event. "The last Tribal Council was a bit harder because it was the beginning of the realization that each one of us was going to have to go," explained Jan Gentry, the 53-year-old schoolteacher from Tampa, Florida.

Anticipating the difficult choices they would have to make during the final three days on the island, Helen Glover, the 47-year-old Navy swim instructor from Middletown, Rhode Island, revealed, "At this level of the game it becomes cutthroat. I expect the next couple of days to be very stressful." ( Jan on voting off Ted )



REMEMBERING THE PAST

On the morning of day 37, the Final Four members of Chuay Jai received a flower kit along with Tree Mail instructing them to design twelve floating krathongs in honor of the Survivors whom they had previously voted off the island. They would later release the krathongs into the sea as an offering to the Thai culture.

They settled in to construct the krathongs, giving each special meaning to reflect the individuals with whom they had shared their experience. Patting himself on the back, Brian Heidik bared his true feelings, "When I was making those reefs I was thinking, 'you've come along way baby.' I have had to make some tough decisions, but I would rather be in my position than looking at one of those reefs and seeing my name on there." ( Tribe makes krathongs )






IMMUNITY CHALLENGE: SLIP THROUGH YOUR FINGERS


THE FINAL NIGHT AT CAMP


Back at camp on night 38, Brian and Clay shook hands and congratulated each other. A relieved and thankful Clay Jordan expressed his gratitude: "A million dollars is a lot of money, and it can make a man change his mind. When I saw the vote, it said Jan, and I was a happy man."

Later, the two ceremoniously set fire to the boat that had been such a thorn in the tribe's side. "The burning of the boat was like a cleansing of the soul. I wanted to get rid of any bad energy. It's over; it's actually over," Brian explained
NEVER LOOK BACK

On day 39, as Brian and Clay packed their belongings and headed out of camp, never to return, they reflected on their memorable time spent on the island. "We suffered a lot out here, but looking back on it, wow! What a memorable event," exclaimed Clay.

As the two men began their trek to Tribal Council, Brian Heidik explained, "We both had fun and we both brought meaning to this, and we are now sitting in the winner's circle. You can't get any higher in this game, and it's now up to the Jury to decide our fate." ( Brian & Clay on being the Final Two )





However, before the votes were cast, Brian and Clay had to face the seven Jury members whom they had known and helped vote out. Both made statements about why they deserved the title of SOLE SURVIVOR. Soon after, they endured a difficult cross-examination from the Jury, starting with Erin Collins, who asked them a very unsettling question: "Why did the person sitting next to you not deserve the million dollars?" Brian boldly stated that Clay had not put forth the effort he could have, and Clay responded that Brian thought he was the head of camp, and just assumed that everyone should come to him as the leader.

Ken Stafford asked Brian why the tribe decided Ted Rogers had to go. Brian responded that there was a feeling that Ted simply did not fit in with the group.

Penny Ramsey then confronted Brian and Clay about whether they had bothered to get to know her personally at all. She started with Brian, asking him if he knew where she had grown up. Brian answered "Beaumont. Somewhere. Beaumont, Texas." "That would be Jan," replied an unimpressed Penny. After another failed answer from Brian, she turned the question to Clay, who surprised her by listing several accurate details about her personal life, which satisfied Penny.



AT THE DECIDING MOMENT.




Ted Rogers' tone was severe as he stated emphatically, "Brian, you truly are a great used car salesman. You sold me your friendship, your openness to cultural diversity. But most of all you sold me your word, and all to find out that each one of those qualities were lemons." Soon, Ted turned to Clay, asking, "Clay, you are telling me behind my back that you never made any racist comment about me?" After hearing Clay refute the charges, Ted sat down.

The last statements came from Helen, who still harbored feelings of betrayal. She told Clay that she totally expected his behavior, but then turned to her former ally, Brian, and pointedly told him, "You are the epitome of the trashy used car salesman. You duped me, you made a fool of me, you strung me along."

After vocalizing her anger, Helen asked Brian why he hadn't told her that she was next to go, as they had had an understanding that in the event one of them was to go, at the very least that person would be told ahead of time. Brian then explained that he had heard from Jan that Helen and Ted had targeted him, and felt that she had betrayed him first. He explained that he had felt hurt and betrayed as well, and admitted he had made a mistake. "It's a little late now," said a shaken Helen. ( Helen questions Clay at the Final Tribal Council )



After the Jury's questions, the tense moment had arrived when the votes were cast. Each of the seven Jury members voted, while Clay and Brian looked on.

Jeff Probst then went to retrieve the votes. One by one he revealed the count, which came to a tense 3-3 tie. The tie was broken, however, when the seventh and final vote read Brian. In the very end, Brian Heidik, the 34-year-old used car salesman from Quartz Hill, California, outwitted, outplayed and outlasted the rest and took home the million-dollar prize and the title of SOLE SURVIVOR.

/picture and article courtesy of Cbs.com/

COMING UP SOON: SURVIVOR, The AMAZON
(in Brazil)

Subject: Conclusion Episode of the Amazing Race Season 3: FLO & ZACH WIN THE AMAZING RACE!


Author:
courtesy of CBS.com
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Date Posted: 08:35:04 12/19/02 Thu





SATISFIED IN SEATTLE: FLO & ZACH WIN THE AMAZING RACE!



After thousands of miles, and circling the globe, the final 3 Teams, brothers Ken & Gerard, married parents Teri & Ian and friends Flo & Zach raced with every ounce of energy they could muster from Vietnam across the Pacific Ocean to the Finish Line in the United States. A desperate car race through Seattle, Washington, and a sprint through Gas Works Park found the Teams giving it their all in a bid for first place. In the end, Flo & Zach were able to overcome all the difficulties they had faced in the past, and worked together to pull out an incredible first place finish and the million-dollar prize.


HOME STRETCH

After winning the eleventh leg of THE AMAZING RACE, Teri & Ian departed the Pit Stop at the edge of the Saigon River in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, at 5:19am. On their current standing, Teri remarked, "I think that being number one is the most wonderful position to be in. We take it one step at a time, one clue at a time. Hopefully at the end, we finish on top." The pair learned that they needed to travel 400 miles by train to the city of Hue in central Vietnam and find the Imperial Palace, a 100-acre complex that was home to Vietnam's royal family until 1945. On the sprawling grounds, they would find their next route marker.

Just as Teri & Ian reached the train station, Flo & Zach left the Pit Stop in second place at 5:58am. Commenting on Flo's state of mind, Zach remarked, "Flo is very fragile these days, so I basically proceed with caution." Flo said, "The race is taking its toll on me right now. My body is begging for sleep and for food." Walking to the ferry, Zach tried to encourage her, saying, "The home stretch for us. Maintain the focus. This is where we excel." Flo replied, "This is the beginning of the end for me." Flo responded to the reinforcement in the cab, saying, "I wish we'd gotten eliminated."


Departing in last place, brothers Ken & Gerard left the Pit Stop at 6:13am. On their chances of winning, Gerard remarked, "I think Ken and I have an advantage in this race in the Final Three because we're brothers, and brothers can put up with a whole lot. It's nice to have that love for one another. We treat one another with respect and kindness, and it's served us well."




AYAW ng 3CE-A. Most of us were disappointed



FLO QUITS?

Flo's mood darkened as she and Zach joined Teri & Ian at the train station, where both Teams waited for the ticketing window to open. Ian informed the pair from New York that the trip to Hue would be a 24-hour train ride.

Flo broke down, crying, "I'm not getting on this train." Zach tried to comfort her, saying that they didn't know for certain how long the trip would be. After confirming the 24-hour ride on the schedule board, Flo immediately said, "I'm not doing this. I'm not, because it's torture. Twenty-four hours in a non air-conditioned train? Are you out of your mind?" After again telling Zach she wanted out, she lay down on the station benches to take a nap. It wasn't her day: Loud music immediately began playing. (Flo & Zach on the train to Hue)

Ken & Gerard joined Teri & Ian, and Teri informed the brothers that Flo, asleep elsewhere, may have "just bailed out." At 7:00am, the two Teams bought their tickets, first class sleepers, while Zach tended to the sleeping Flo. Back at the ticket counter a few minutes later, Zach discovered that all of the sleepers had been sold. He managed to procure first class seating, which had air conditioning. He hoped that this would be enough of an incentive for Flo to board the train. On the situation, Zach said, "I knew that she actually wanted to quit. It's such a terrible feeling to think that we could come all this way and quit." While still very unhappy, Flo did board the train with the other Teams and settled in for the full day ride.
Replies:
Subject: Recap of the Amazing Race Season 3


Author:
jomz
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Date Posted: 09:11:25 12/19/02 Thu







The Recap of the Amazing Race Season 3 - Dec. 20, 2002






Episode 01: Delayed when they stopped for directions and had trouble with their van, soccer moms Gina & Sylvia arrived last at the Pit Stop at the Hacienda San Gabriel de Las Palmas near Mexico City, becoming the first Team eliminated from THE AMAZING RACE. Reflecting on their experience, Gina said, "I'm so proud of what we did. We got here. We ran that race and we gave it our best."




Episode 02: Tramel & Talicia, Team TNT, were hoping to catch the spark that would ignite them to the front of the pack. Instead, they continued to encounter bad luck, including a bus accident on the way to Cancún and difficulties maneuvering their waverunner at the Detour. Hoping against hope, they arrived at the Pit Stop at the Diamante K Bungalows in Tulum, to discover that they were the last Team. Tramel quipped, "I wasn't even listening. Tell us at the next Pit Stop. I hate to lose, but I had a great time while I was here. Wish I could stay with them longer. We had a blast." Talicia added, "The victory is not always in the win. Team TNT: we're all wet, no longer explosive, and we're signing out."




Episode 03: Dennis & Andrew had trouble finding a flight out of Mexico City, so while other Teams punted down a river in England, they were just setting out across the ocean. Knowing they were in last place, Dennis & Andrew immediately went for the Fast Forward at the Duxford Imperial War Museum in Cambridge. There, Dennis successfully maneuvered a war tank through a battlefield obstacle course in less than 75 seconds, winning the Fast Forward and a chauffer-driven limousine ride to the Pit Stop at Dunnottar Castle in Scotland. But the Fast Forward wasn't quite fast enough, and they became the third Team eliminated from THE AMAZING RACE. Dennis told his son, "Andrew buddy, you know I love you. I'm so glad you came to me that one night and said, 'Dad, we gotta do this race.' And we've done it. We've made the race." Andrew, reflecting on this experience, said, "Throughout the Race, the biggest thing I wanted to change was I wanted my dad to see me as an adult. I've always been his little boy, his child. I just turned 21. I'm stepping out on my own."




Episode 04: Heather & Eve began this leg of the race near the front of the pack, as they headed to Porto, Portugal. They encountered problems at the Detour, as Eve's inability to drive a stick shift resulted in Eve's hitting a pole. The pair caught up to the others at the train station and made their way to the Road Block at the Estadio do Restelo. Heather successfully blocked a penalty kick, and the pair, in seventh place, then sought out and quickly found a taxi to drive them to the Pit Stop, the Torre de Belem, where the pair arrived first. Phil later informed them that they had not followed the directions of the last clue correctly, as they needed to walk from the Road Block to the Pit Stop. In THE AMAZING RACE rulebook glossary, the term "walk" is defined as traveling by foot as opposed to by car or any other means. By taking a taxi, Heather & Eve gained at least a seven-minute advantage by taking a cab rather than walking. He explained that in this situation, the custom is to issue a penalty of the time gained plus 30 minutes, for a total of 37 minutes for Heather & Eve. In most legs of the race, such a penalty would have a minimal effect, but with Teams arriving within 31 minutes of each other, the penalty resulted in Heather & Eve finishing in last place, and making them the fourth team to be eliminated from THE AMAZING RACE.

Eve commented, "This is a bad way to go out." Aaron remarked, "We want to win the Race, but we didn't want to have to win it this way." Heather added, "We made a choice and it turned out to be the wrong one. We got eliminated because we misread a clue. We're both really happy with how we played the game. We played it very ethically, very honestly." Eve added that she was happy to have confronted fears on the race and that it was an amazing experience.




Episode 05: As the leg began, all Teams battled for any advantage they could. Things turned sour when Michael & Kathy, along with three other Teams, filled their car with unleaded fuel rather than diesel fuel. Their car stalled soon after and they could not figure out what was wrong. The car broke down next to a nice hotel, where the pair checked in for the night. Once their problem was solved, the two went on to the city of Algeciras to catch the ferry to Morocco. Unfortunately, the gasoline mishap proved too costly, as they became the fifth Team to be eliminated. A weary Kathy sighed, "We were ready." Commenting on their long distance relationship, Michael remarked, "It's time for her to move to San Diego. I'm trying to get her over to my side, the best side, the west side."




Episode 06: After the gasoline debacle from the last leg, Aaron & Arianne started this leg in last place. The pair drove from Fez to Morocco, only to discover that they had missed the train to Marrakech. Once they arrived in Marrakech, they raced to a carpet shop for the Fast Forward, but it had already gone to Teri & Ian. While most Teams were arriving at the Pit Stop, the pair pressed on to the Detour, where they drove a sand bike drive to a stone etching. Next, they performed the Roadblock at the Glacier Café and made their way to the rooftop of the Riad Catalina, a traditional Moroccan guesthouse, where Phil told them they had been eliminated. Aaron commented, "We had a great time. We had some good laughs. We met some really good people. We didn't give up, and I think that's the important thing." About Aaron, Arianne remarked, "We've always had a very special friendship. Fifteen years ago, I knew that I had found my match. It feels good to have that person in my life."





Episode 07: Andre & Damon had a lot of ground to cover to catch up to the other Teams. After an exasperating series of delays at airports in Marrakech, Casablanca and Paris, the pair finally arrived at Innsbruck, Austria, but all the other Teams had already checked in at the Pit Stop. Skipping the Detour and Road Block, the pair traveled to the Pit Stop at Neuschwanstein Castle where Phil informed them they had been eliminated. On his goal for the race, Andre said, "I'm happy we did this. Damon's a firefighter. I'm a police officer. It will show that we eat and sleep just like everybody else. We bleed like everybody else. We're just everyday, common people. I think that will help bridge the gap between the police department and the community." Damon added, "We've been friends. We'll always be friends. We've been great friends and it's going to stay the same."

Episode 08: Although John Vito & Jill arrived last at the Pit Stop in Grindelwald, Switzerland, they were relieved to learn that this was a non-elimination leg, so the Team remains in THE AMAZING RACE.



Episode 09:After receiving a scare by finishing in last place at Grindelwald, John Vito & Jill decided to use their Fast Forward to avoid elimination. The pair traveled to a Swiss farm and ate cheese to coast to a first place finish at the Steamship Savoie in Lake Geneva. On Leg 10,the other Teams quickly caught the couple as everyone made their way to the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. After keeping up with the pack, John Vito & Jill encountered problems at the Detour when they couldn't find the apartment containing their next clue as fast as Ken & Gerard and Flo & Zach did. In a race to the Pit Stop at Mount Faber, Teri & Ian edged out the couple from New York, who became the eighth Team eliminated. On their relationship, Jill said, "Our future now for us is what our future was before this race even began. We plan having children together and grandchildren and getting married, and we're excited and we can't wait to do it." Smiling, John Vito quickly added, "We're going to get married before we have children and grandchildren."



Episode 11: After another first place finish, twins Derek & Drew got off to a good start after arriving in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The pair arrived first at the route marker near a statue of Bac Ho and led the charge to the Detour in Cai Be. After finishing the Detour, the pair remained in front, with Teri & Ian close behind. Everything fell apart when Derek & Drew could not find the route marker box containing the Roadblock instructions. After arriving at the Pit Stop without having completed the Roadblock, the twins realized their mistake, but too late. They became the ninth Team to be eliminated from THE AMAZING RACE. Drew commented, "It's just been great to bond with my brother again. I don't think we've been this close since college." Derek added, "To be fourth amongst the top three Teams that are still left, we're very proud of that accomplishment."


Episode 12: In the final leg of the Amazing Race, no teams were elimated.


articles and photos, courtesy of CBS.com
Subject: Note:


Author:
jomz
[ Edit | View ]

Date Posted: 08:09:53 12/19/02 Thu

 


 


WEBPAGE
UNDER CONSTRUCTION:


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Subject: M E R R Y C H R I S T M A S! E V E R Y O N E!


Author:
jomz
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Date Posted: 05:30:14 12/18/02 Wed










Somehow, not only for Christmas
But all the long year through,
The joy that you give to others
Is the joy that comes back to you.
And the more you spend in blessing
The poor and lonely and sad,
The more of your heart's possessing
Returns to you glad.
- John Greenleaf Whittier

Subject: @@@


Author:
xxx
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Date Posted: 05:06:24 12/18/02 Wed


Subject: Cool Icons!


Author:
xxx
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Date Posted: 05:11:52 12/18/02 Wed



Subject: Truss Us Builders


Author:
jomz
[ Edit | View ]

Date Posted: 06:28:02 12/17/02 Tue








Truss Us Builders first Project

Replies:
Subject: Truss Us Builders


Author:
jomz
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Date Posted: 06:26:52 12/17/02 Tue





Truss Us Builders first Project
Replies:
Subject: Steel Truss


Author:
jomz
[ Edit | View ]

Date Posted: 06:38:23 12/17/02 Tue



Why build your house with steel frames?


Steel is the best performer as a building product in strength/ratio.

We use BHP G550 high tensile steel especially recommended for earthquake and cyclone effected areas. Most suppliers in the USA use a softer steel, which is less strong.

For a lifetime lasting quality the material is galvanized or Zincalume® coated.

Because high tensile steel is light:

Foundations can be lighter

Less weight means less movement

No heavy lifting equipment required

Lighter transport trucks

Easier access to soft soil sites

Quality control.

Steel is a manufactured product with excellent quality control.

No messing and mixing like concrete, where you can’t see the quality anymore when it has been poured. No drying time.

No quality differences like timber with knots and differend growth areas etc.

With steel walls will be straight and true.



Economic building system

The frame building system is much faster than the brick on brick construction method.

Two men can erect an average house with pre-assembled walls and trusses in 2 - 3 days. The building is than ready to be roofed.

Minimum loss of time due to bad weather.



Superior energy efficiency

The walls can be filled with purposed designed insulation material, which has superior insulation capabilities over masonry and other building materials.
This has besides economical advantages also ecological advantages.

Less fuel is needed for cooling and heating of the house, which reduces the CO2 emission + savings in heating and cooling costs.




Why use our steel frames and steel trusses?

The best materials and the most advanced manufacturing system

High tensile G550 steel

A lot of manufacturers especially in America use mild steel. We wanted a stronger steel.

G550 high tensile steel is rather unique material. We have selected it for its superior strength compared with other steel commonly used.

This material is especially recommended for cyclonic and earthquakefor effected areas. It can be designed for seismic zone 4.




Most advanced computerized manufacturing

An especially developed software package is used for the fully computerized design and integrated manufacturing system.
No need anymore to feed a steel list again into the rollformer data program . This eliminates mistakes.

All components are engineered to exact dimension, which results in an extraordinary straight and true product.

This means a faster and easier house construction.




The linked-up computerized rollformers cut all components to exact size, punch the holes for screws and service lines.
A laser yet printer prints job and part number on the members in accordance with the plans.




Each steel wall, steel floor joist and steel truss has its own plan with all the numbers on it in accordance with the numbers on the components.
This ensures an easy and fast assembling of steel frames, trusses and the steel floor elements.

No skilled labour is required for assembling.




This easy assembly system does not require jigging, welding or cutting, which makes it very suitable for shipping the components flat packed to remote areas and for export.
Even the smallest steel member has been cut to size.

It includes all fasteners necessary to erect the building and fix it to the slab or other floor system. No time wasted to go to other suppliers for materials.




Flexibility in design and finish

You are free in selecting your own design.
You are not restricted to our designs or standard panels and modules .

It is also very easy to make alterations or extensions at a later stage.

Because the steel frames of the external walls form the actual structural part of the building, you can finish the walls using all sorts of materials.

Article by the Steel Truss Builders
www.fortnetwork.com/steeltrusses
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