Murray defeated Rafa in the Madrid Open final -- on clay. Seems like a slow shift is occurring with Rafa following Fed in showing some vulnerabilities in his game. Players know now that Rafa's not invincible. Should make for an all the more interesting French Open. Congrats to Andy - solid achievement.

^^ To clarify, I meant when Germany signed the surrender (technically 7th & 8th).

MAY 8 - V Day - End of WWII

So, Omar Khadr has been released on bail. I'm conflicted about this case. I feel that a sense of justice for those hurt by him are coming up against very human responses to second chances, values of mercy I hold dear... 'Give me a chance:' Omar Khadr asks Canadians after 13 years in prison By Colin Perkel, The Canadian Press | The Canadian Press – 1 hour 14 minutes ago Omar Khadr ® leaves a courthouse with his lawyer Dennis Edney in this handout photo provided by Nathan Whitling in Edmonton, Alberta May 7, 2015. REUTERS/Nathan Whitling/Handout via Reuters. THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS IMAGE. EDMONTON - Omar Khadr arrived at his new home Thursday after almost 13 years behind bars — four of them as a convicted war criminal — and asked Canadians to give him a chance to show he's worthy of their trust. "I will prove to them that I'm more than what they thought of me, I'll prove to them that I'm a good person," the former Guantanamo Bay prisoner said outside his lawyer's home just hours after he was released on bail. "Give me a chance, see who I am as a person not as a name, and then they can make their own judgment after that." As for Prime Minister Stephen Harper, whose government has consistently branded him an unrepentant terrorist, Khadr said: "I'm going to have to disappoint him, I'm better than the person he thinks I am." He also reassured Canadians that he doesn't believe in violent jihad. "It's not something I believe in right now. I want to start fresh. There are too many good things in life that I want to experience." Khadr's presence seemed well-received by his new neighbours, one of whom shouted "Welcome to the neighbourhood!" Another dropped off flowers. https://ca.news.yahoo.com/video/omar-khadr-lawyer-statement-media-184855850.html The 28-year-old had his first taste of freedom earlier in the day after an Alberta judge rejected a last-ditch attempt by the federal government to block his release. Supporters in the courtroom gasped in joy and Khadr smiled broadly as Appeal Court Justice Myra Bielby delivered her decision. The government, she said, had failed to prove his release would cause serious harm to Canadian interests or pose a risk to the public. "Mr. Khadr, you're free to go," Bielby said. Khadr's longtime lawyer Dennis Edney walked over to his client and whispered, "We done it," as he squeezed his fingers. Edney's wife, Patricia, sobbed uncontrollably for a few minutes, then hugged and kissed her husband. Outside court, an emotional Edney said the day had been a long time coming as he talked about his client's ordeal since the Americans captured him grievously wounded in Afghanistan in July 2002, when he was 15 years old. The government, which had said it would fight his release every step of the way, expressed disappointment at the latest turn of events. "(We) regret that a convicted terrorist has been allowed back into Canadian society without having served his full sentence," Jeremy Laurin, a spokesman for Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney, said in a statement. Omar Khadr is shown in this undated handout image from Bowden Institution. As paperwork was prepared earlier Thursday for Khadr's release, which comes with a list of restrictions including wearing a tracking bracelet and a curfew, an emotional Edney stepped outside to denounce the federal government for showing no mercy. "Mr. Harper is a "bigot," Edney said. "We left a Canadian child in Guantanamo Bay to suffer torture (and) we Canada participated in this torture. So today's a wonderful day for justice." Within two hours of Bielby's decision, Khadr left the courthouse for his first venture outside without guards in more than a decade — a grinning Edney by his side. Khadr pleaded guilty in October 2010 before a widely discredited military commission to five war crimes — including murder in the death of a U.S. special forces soldier. In exchange, the commission handed him a further eight-year sentence. Dubbed "Guantanamo's Child," he was the youngest inmate and lone westerner left in the naval prison at the time. He remains the only person convicted of murder for the battlefield death of an American soldier in Afghanistan. He returned to Canada from Guantanamo Bay, where he had been held for a decade, in 2012 under an international transfer treaty, and later said he had only pleaded guilty to get out of the notorious prison. Last month, Alberta Court of Queen's Bench Justice June Ross granted his bid for bail while he appeals his war-crimes conviction but the Canadian government made a last-ditch attempt to have the ruling stayed. Bielby, after thinking about it for two days, would have none of it. Any risks to Canadian interests were largely speculative and at best minor, she said. The U.S. State Department did not comment on Khadr's release. Following his transfer to Canada, Khadr was housed in a maximum security institution in Ontario, before being transferred to Edmonton, and then to Bowden Institution near Innisfail, Alta., where he was recently classified as a minimum security prisoner. https://ca.news.yahoo.com/video/harpers-arguments-over-omar-khadr-203000700.html Khadr's legal odyssey is far from over. His $20-million civil lawsuit that claims the government conspired with the Americans to torture him and breach his rights is still ongoing, while Ottawa's challenge of his youth status reaches the Supreme Court of Canada next week. Court documents show Khadr recently told a psychologist that he wanted no part of "this terrorism nonsense" and said he still clings to the hope that he wasn't the one that threw the hand grenade that killed Sgt. Christopher Speer in Afghanistan. "I'm sorry for the pain I've caused for the families of the victims," Khadr said Thursday. "There's nothing I can do about the past but I can do something about the future." Among his other restrictions, Khadr will have to face limits on contact with his Toronto family, including only talking to them in English via video or telephone or after prior approval — and under supervision. "We're not talking to anybody," his mother Maha Elsamnah said from her mother's home in Scarborough, Ont., before hanging up. Khadr's late father was a friend of terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden and his mother has previously angered Canadians by expressing support for al-Qaida. https://ca.news.yahoo.com/omar-khadr-learn-today-leave-prison-first-time-080008835.html

^^ I suppose it's some consolation that at least it got moved to LA. No idea how the plaintiffs thought keeping it in Philly would hold. Weird, tricky attempt; glad it didn't work for them. Although the Zep camp wanted LA if the suit wasn't thrown out, now that Thicke and Williams lost their suit in LA, it's less of a sure thing for the Zep lads than I previously thought. I hope that reasonable heads prevail and they win this blatant attempt at a cash grab.

Mmm hmm, thanks Ddladner, and I agree with you and others who see the bigger picture beyond the digital age ushering in a new era. Charles has a fair point in terms of technologies being here and the challenges and benefits that these present, but he is not looking at the larger picture of the value of use of space for people to gather in. You don't hear anyone saying oh let's get rid of sports stadiums or concert halls because the technology is here to replace having to actually go there (then again, given how we've lamented here how so many such venues have ended up as parking lots, that too is a troubling trend). Yes, many benefit from the technology, like those who can't physically go to a library for whatever reason, for instance. Libraries are already making adjustments to try to accommodate and integrate it (anyone remember the DDS way of finding books? Who wants to return to it? lol). There are ebooks, ejournals, access to research materials online, employment resources, digital archives, etc., etc. But there's so much to be said for having a welcoming place to go, of actually having to get up and go to a space that offers a change of scenery, a quiet place for study or research, and a gathering place for programs, group work, teaching or just getting together because it's in the neighbourhood or central to other places. Libraries are also a source of employment. And while it makes some uncomfortable, homeless people also get a chance to benefit from being out from the heat or cold, from being able to just sit and read or surf online and be regular persons like everyone else there. These are just a few reasons among many as to why technology cannot ever replace what a physical space brings. And while I disagree with Charles's opinion that money should not go to new libraries, here is an example of a creative solution that he may find an agreeable compromise - a repurposed space that benefits the community: Walmart Abandoned In Texas Renovated Into Chic New McAllen Public Library The Huffington Post | By Laura Hibbard Posted: 07/03/2012 5:09 pm EDT Updated: 07/03/2012 5:12 pm EDT For McAllen, Texas, one man's abandoned Walmart is another's public library. After inheriting the abandoned structure, architecture firm Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle (MS&R) was selected to handle the interior development, with the city mandating it be affordable to construct. According to PSFK, the library is 124,500 square feet, making it the largest single-story location in the U.S. at a size about equal to 2.5 football fields. (See photos below.) The library's construction could signal a positive change for libraries across the state. In late 2010, a Harris/Reader's Digest Post showed that nearly 40 percent of American mayors said they planned to cut employees and make reductions to libraries, with some even cutting branches completely. A few states away in Lawrenceville, Ga., a group of teachers at Benefield Elementary School have banded together to work for free during the summer to teach children to read. "I think it's really important that the [kids] not just be on the computer or watching TV," teacher Karen Stocks told WGCL-TV. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/03/abandoned-walmart-turned-into-_n_1647574.html Check out the link for pictures. The interior may not be to everyone's taste, but it's a great idea nonetheless.

Yesterday was the Kent State shootings anniversary. Brutality then and now. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/four-students-killed-at-kent-state http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Kent_State_Shootings?rec=1595 Also, since libraries are essential, it may come as a surprise that those in New York are in dire need of help, particularly with a mayor who professes to be concerned with the marginalized, who happen to have need for libraries perhaps more than anyone else. It burns my temper to read that Brooklyn supposedly has no philanthropic pockets for libraries yet there stands the shiny new Barclays Center for the Brooklyn Nets (and soon to be home of the NHL's Islanders). Prokhorov and Jay-Z could single-handedly tackle this one and succeed. This isn't so much about a lack of money as it is about a poor distribution of it. The two highlighted paragraphs paint a poignant contrast of use and numbers of libraries compared with those of buildings that get more funding. I use libraries where I work and live every week, and on weekends see the many different kinds of people waiting for the doors to open. You'll be hard pressed to find a more diverse group gather in any one place consistently. Libraries are quietly the most democratic places around. It's important to keep investing in them. New York City’s Libraries Need Money By THE EDITORIAL BOARD MAY 5, 2015 The Hunts Point Library in the Bronx. CreditNicole Bengiveno/The New York Times New York’s public libraries want about $1.5 billion from the city over the next 10 years so they can fix their buildings, which are old, crowded, falling apart or lacking in things they need to be useful in the 21st century, like electrical outlets. They also want more operating money, $378 million, up from about $320 million, to improve programs and services in the coming fiscal year and to stay open longer — a basic indicator of library-system vigor in which New York lags embarrassingly behind Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, Phoenix, Philadelphia, San Antonio and San Diego. And the city’s suburbs. And Albany. Mayor Bill de Blasio should give them the money, no question. Library funding has been lagging for years. The city’s three systems — the New York Public Library, which covers Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island; the Queens Library and the Brooklyn Public Library — were left struggling to do more with less under Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and need a huge infusion of money to stabilize themselves, make overdue repairs and return service to where it was before cuts dating to 2008. The city’s libraries are privately run institutions that depend heavily on public funds — overwhelmingly so in Brooklyn and Queens, which lack the deep philanthropic pockets that make mid-Manhattan’s landmark library gleam. Keeping the sprawling system healthy is a core municipal responsibility. Mr. de Blasio should act because his city is demanding it, more than ever. That is, the people whose needs are the core of Mr. de Blasio’s mayoral mission, whose priorities he trumpets, immigrants and the poor. The libraries are where poor children learn to read and love literature, where immigrants learn English, where job-seekers hone résumés and cover letters, and where those who lack ready access to the Internet can cross the digital divide. Libraries can be a natural fit for mayoral projects like after-school programs and prekindergarten, and for the city’s justly lauded municipal ID program. They are havens for thinking, dreaming, studying, striving and — for many children and the elderly — simply for staying safe, and out of the heat. Mr. de Blasio leads a city where the corporate and entertainment infrastructure are seldom neglected. Citi Field, Yankee Stadium and the Barclays Center, to name just three, are beneficiaries of hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer funds, as Jim Dwyer of The Times recently pointed out, while schools and libraries languish. If the mayor wants to make this city better from the bottom up, he should do right by New Yorkers like those who gather most mornings on the steps of the shiny library on Main Street in Flushing, waiting for the doors to open. You can add up all the yearly visitors to the city’s baseball stadiums, its basketball and hockey arenas, all its performing-arts spaces, city-owned museums, gardens and zoos and you’ll never get to 37 million, the number of people who used the city’s underfunded, overburdened, utterly essential libraries in the last fiscal year. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/06/opinion/new-york-citys-libraries-need-money.html

To this day, The Sound of Music is the only music I can stomach. Chris Plummer was a hottie back in the day, and I must say, has that fire within today. I saw him in a one man show, "Barrymore," and he killed it. Not in a 'Oh look, that's pretty good for an old guy' way, but like a lion who knows what it takes to get the audience eating out of his hand kind of way . Before that, I saw him as the title character in "King Lear" in Stratford (Ontario) - again, same effect, and not a dry eye in the house when he was on the heath with the Fool (Cordelia), and then again at the end when he walked in with Cordelia. So I get the lump in your throat. Plummer's been doing it for years (even though he refers to the musical as 'The Sound of Mucus' lol). Anyway, speaking of Shakespeare (which I love to do any chance I can), this is a movie I'm really looking forward to watching: New Look At Michael Fassbender And Marion Cotillard In Macbeth Justin Kurzel's adaptation heads north of the wall 28 April 2015 | Written by Phil de Semlyen | Source: StudioCanal Debuting in Empire magazine last year was a first-look at Justin Kurzel’s Macbeth showing its stars Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard in a tranquil moment. Three new stills have now landed from the Shakespeare adaptation, offering a fresh entry point into the Scotland of the film and flaunting the rich costumes assembled by Oscar winner Jacqueline Durran. Click on the thumbnails below to enlarge them. These quiet moments before the storm will prove few and far between in a story that sees Scottish tribal politics spill over into the kind of bloodletting that would make even Highlander recoil. According to the film's official synopsis folio, this Macbeth is "a reimagining of what wartime must have been like for one of Shakespeare’s most famous and compelling characters, a story of all-consuming passion and ambition set in war-torn medieval Scotland”. Expect elements of war film, then, as Fassbender’s Macbeth, general in King Duncan’s army, stumbles upon three women in the aftermath of battle. They prophecy that he will become king, setting in train a story of ambition and double-dealing that has confounded GSCE English students for centuries. Cotillard, of course, is Lady Macbeth, an arch politician with the scent of glory in her nostrils who does little to discourage her vain husband in his ambitions. If you’ve experienced Kurzel’s bleak, uneasy Snowtown, it’s easy to imagine the Australian as a perfect fit for the material. His research brief involved discovering what was that time like and how brutal it was. “It reminded me a lot of a Western,” he expands in the press notes, "and of a landscape and atmosphere that felt much more dangerous than I’d ever seen before from adaptations of Macbeth”. Also aboard the Film With The Name That Shall Not Be Mentioned are Sean Harris as Macduff, Thane of Fife, Paddy Considine as Banquo and David Thewlis as Duncan. Macbeth will be premiering in Cannes next month before making its UK bow in October. http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=44149 Thewlis as Duncan. Hmm, ok. Great cast. A little confusing with sexy Fassbender as the title character.... Well, looks promising. They better not screw it up. This play has enough of a troubled, haunted history as it is.

*sigh* Maybe it'll be ok, expanding the company, but if the company HQ eventually moves from Montreal it'll be a huge loss. Still seems like the end of an era if the sale goes through. Cirque du Soleil preparing to announce sale on Monday, say sources By Ross Marowits, The Canadian Press | The Canadian Press – 4 hours ago MONTREAL - Emotions are running high at Cirque du Soleil as the company is preparing to announce the sale of the famed Quebec circus troupe on Monday even though co-founder Guy Laliberte has yet to fully sign off on the transaction. Employees are sad because an era in one of Quebec's creative success stories seems to be on the verge of change, said a former senior official who remains close to old colleagues. "I'm very emotional because it's the end of something extraordinary," said the source, who didn't want to be identified by name. Laliberte told workers on Wednesday that he had not yet concluded a sale agreement, which reports say would be for something under $2 billion. "To be perfectly honest, there are a lot of discussions taking place at the moment," Laliberte wrote in a short email. "However, and as I usually do, be sure that you will be the first informed if I conclude an agreement with new partners." Sources close to the deal say U.S. private equity firm TPG Capital is close to completing a deal that involves Quebec pension fund manager the Caisse de depot and a large Chinese investment fund. Laliberte would reportedly continue to hold 10 per cent of the company after the sale and the Caisse another 10 per cent, with TPG holding 60 per cent and China's Fosun Capital the remaining 20 per cent. The new owners plan to maintain the Cirque's headquarters in Montreal and would expand its global operations by opening a support office in Shanghai, where Fosun is based. "Any transaction would involve both the management and creative soul of the company remaining in Montreal," said a source close to the deal. "TPG very much appreciates the unique cultural heritage of the Cirque and will be very much committed to the Montreal and Quebec creative communities." While the Cirque has expanded in China, there's room for a greater presence in Asia because of demand for more live entertainment productions, he added. "There will obviously be increased operations there, but by no means is this meant to be a headquarters in Shanghai. It would simply be a base of support for the Cirque's continued operations in China." TPG is the world's largest casino owner with a stake in Caesar's Entertainment, while Fosun owns Club Med resorts. While the Quebec government has said it wants the Cirque's head office to remain in the province in the event of a sale, Premier Philippe Couillard said Thursday in the legislature that it won't intervene in "a private transaction." Former Caisse executive Michel Nadeau said the pension fund manager wouldn't heed any political pressure and would only make an investment if it make financial sense. He said TPG, with $80 billion of assets under management in some 300 companies, is a very good manager. "When you have these type of guys in the driver's seat, it's good for the Caisse," he said in an interview. The purchase price is reportedly less than what Laliberte was seeking. But after a 30-year run, it's natural for a billionaire entrepreneur to sell his company as the product matures, competition increases and the public reacts more slowly to the offering, said Nadeau, who now heads Quebec's Institute for Governance of Private and Public Organizations. He said Laliberte missed out on a bigger deal by not properly preparing his succession and keeping the company so closely tied to one person. That left him forced to sell to a majority owner, rather than take the company public. https://ca.celebrity.yahoo.com/news/guy-laliberte-tells-cirque-employees-company-sale-not-154459351.html

Watched "Woman in Gold" today with Helen Mirren as the woman who tries to get back Klimt paintings (including the famous one of her aunt in the title) stolen by Nazis and Ryan Reynolds as the lawyer who helps her. Very glad that it worked out as it did, and the fact that it's a true story is heartwarming, but it doesn't really need to be seen on the big screen. Ok movie in and of itself, fine performance by Mirren, simple flashback structure to flesh out the story and the complexity of emotions of the main character, but again, if you see it on the small screen, you won't lose anything. The previews showed an Atom Egoyan film "Remember," with Chris Plummer and Martin Landau, about a man in his golden years embarking on a mission to kill the Nazis who hurt their loved ones. Of course, killing, no matter the reason, is never simple. It seems both show that restitution or retribution is never equal to the magnitude of the original loss, and you have to find a way to go on...

You can just imagine God, face in palms, looking at him thinking, "But I gave you such great music to enjoy to get you to lighten up a little..." That poor bastard got so twisted about not being able to listen to Zep anymore, he had to find a way around it. So there he is "not" listening to it I used to do that with diets and dark chocolate. But then I did some research and found that dark chocolate is actually good for you! Look it up. I mean dark chocolate and red wine. Make that dark chocolate and red wine and Led Zeppelin. Mmm delicious... *high-fives Jesus*

lol glad you enjoyed it, Rick. I know what comes after early success as a Toronto fan, though... I'm surprised at how well Wisconsin is playing. Very poised in such a big moment against mighty coach K's Blue Devils. Duke looks outmatched in just about every facet of the game right now and shocked about it.

About to watch HBO's Going Clear, the new Scientomogy exposé

Happy Easter

From: http://jonimitchell.com/newsitem.cfm?id=737 Update on Joni's health April 3, 2015 Joni remains under observation in the hospital and is resting comfortably. We are encouraged by her progress and she continues to improve and get stronger each day. We've created a simple web page to aggregate Facebook and Twitter messages so that Joni can see all the well wishes people are sending her way, check it out!

^ I've read up a bit about it after reading that LM has it. Seems like it's a psychosomatic illness rather than a physical disease, but that idea just makes those who claim to suffer from it to circle the wagons and reject the accepted medical view. I mean, it's a hard sell that you've got fibres growing out of your skin, ones that cannot be detected, or that you've got bugs crawling in your skin. JM chose to put her career aside to advocate for this cause and those who suffer from it. She was always an iconoclast, and did things her own way. Perhaps this is another manifestation of it.

Tsk tsk... careful, this may come back to haunt you

I got to sleep in a bit, woke up sans alarm, and the last thing I recall is a dream with the song line I'm the sweetest apple on the tree lol. And the first thing I heard upon waking was the soft lilting and hooo hooo hooo of a mourning dove. I love them.

Celebrate Hubble's 25th Anniversary in Space With These Awesome Photos Hubble's lead imaging scientist shares his favorite celestial views from the space telescope Cat's Eye Nebula Fuzzy Wuzzy Galaxy (yes, really) More Stunning photographs and article here: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/04/150402-hubble-space-anniversary-photo-gallery/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&utm_content=link_fb20150402news-hubble&utm_campaign=Content&sf8371000=1

^^ SD, the best thing I ever did was put in a SSD. Your computer will run better and faster than ever (assuming viruses aren't slowing your system down...) Well, this was a fun, inventive surprise! Loved it!!! So creative and unique and detailed. So far, I like the outer space, car ride , boy singing in his room, and concert footage windows. I love, too, the details in between the floors - pipes, wood and concrete, etc. Great idea matched by even better execution. Well done!

^^Deb, it looks like you may be clicking on 'embed' rather than 'share' in the YouTube video, and then it appears as a link here. Also, be sure to delete the 's' from 'https'. Hope that helps

Bold - Italics -

Totally hateable lol I didn't really think you'd be offended, but such a response is a choice regardless of how offensive (or not) the original statement is. So I just wanted to be clear about my intent, to whatever extent it matters. Aaaaand now I'm back to not listening to a live concert, and loathing you for all the ones you got to see

Nutrocker - haha it's all good. I love to laugh and that was a good one Sorry, Strider, I decided to delete it thinking that my expression of friendly jealousy over your having seen Zep live SEVEN times was not really contributing anything to the thread. Overthought it a bit, as usual. Now the explanation is longer than the original thought, and it's still not contributing anything to the thread lol. Anyway, no offense meant, Strider, and I hope none was taken

^ Glad you had such a nice time! And speaking of hope, I stumbled upon this: "The Journey of a 9/11 Tree" http://www.nytimes.com/video/nyregion/100000003551196/the-journey-of-a-9-11-tree-.html?playlistId=100000003533279