Deadwood, The Wire & The Sopranos – Who Is The Best of the Best?

Since HBO taught us how TV should be made, the medium has divided into two. On one side there’s the total shit that’s still being trotted out by the networks; filled with hackneyed characters, formulaic plotlines, endless chase scenes and flashbacks that patronise the audience by spoon-feeding them reminders of why something is relevant to the plot. Then there’s the good stuff; original ideas, realistic scripts and dialogues, compelling storylines, great acting and best of all, a faith on the part of the program makers that the audience has a modicum of intelligence.

Well actually there’s a third category: The stuff that shows a bit of both – Lost, True Blood,The Wholesale Marble Baroque Tile For Bathrooms causes include food even Dexter with its you-need-me-to-explain-everything-you-are-seeing voiceover – all manage to tick the right boxes some of the time, only to let us down the rest of the time.

But we’re focusing on the good stuff. The shows which, if we didn’t have a zillion channels, Sky+ and torrent sites, would be the makings of water cooler moments in workplaces across the world. The shows which renew our faith in television and make us think, just until the end-credits roll, that the world isn’t quite the horrendous place we thought it was.

Despite all the different high quality ingredients of these shows; the writing, the acting, the sets; all the top drawer production values, despite everything that goes in – it’s the characters that stick in our minds long after we’ve put the box set away. It’s these iconic characters that secure the show’s place in entertainment history. It’s the characters that get us talking.

So let’s talk about them,Examine our Wholesale General Double Loading For Wall here let’s hold up the best characters in the best shows and see who comes out…best!

I’m going to put some nominations forward and you guys can do two things (if you want). Firstly you can (if you want) vote on your favourite from the nominations in each category. Then you can (if you want) tell me why you think I’m wrong and why I should have included someone different. Please make your argument clear and concise, i.e. something more than “ura nob Daniels is best in the Wire”.

There is only so much space available so I’ve got to make a tough call to start with and pick a Big Three. Yes, “Heart of Darkness” broke the mould, “Homicide – Life on the Streets” changed the way TV is made, “Six Feet Under” took us into a whole new terrain, “Breaking Bad” is proving to be a stylish, action-packed and thought provoking show of the highest order, and there is a shedload of other great shows in the canon of quality entertainment. But this isn’t an encyclopaedia, it’s a blog. So I’ve kept it down to three modern classics.

The first two categories are best goodie and best baddie. One of the defining factors of the ‘quality’ of all these shows is that characters aren’t just good or bad.bay sensing and enforcement Wholesale Soluble Salt For Bathrooms. Tony Soprano can show genuine compassion as well as being mercilessly cruel. Al Swearengen hates everybody and everything but performs the ultimate kindness for the tumour-ridden preacher. There is bad in the good guys and good in the bad guys – and that’s how life is. It was tempting to have the same candidates in goodie and baddie to prove that point but that would be self-indulgent on my part so I’ve kept them separate.

ASUS P9X79 Pro

The new ASUS X79 Express motherboard series supports the latest Intel Core i7 (Sandy Bridge) Extreme Edition processors, which are the first six-core 32nm desktop processors based on Intel's 2nd-generation Sandy Bridge micro-architecture. These socket LGA2011 CPUs integrate PCI-Express and quad-channel DDR3 memory controllers and large micro-operations cache to improve overall performance and efficiency. In benchmark tests this adds up to significant increases over previous architectures, allowing overclockers and performance hardware enthusiasts to realize the most substantial improvement in their daily real-world computing experience beyond tasks of the average user. Intel's Core i7 3960X and 3930K processors will offer a completely-unlocked product for overclocking enthusiasts, while the soon-to-be-released Core i7-3820 can manipulate the maximum Turbo Boost delivered to one CPU core.

ASUS designs their P9X79-series motherboards for mainstream hardware enthusiasts,American Standard's Wholesale Super Black Polished Tiles For Floor collection offers models to accommodate a variety of sink while designating their Rampage IV Extreme and TUF Sabertooth X79 motherboards for more advanced overclockers and extreme performance enthusiasts. P9X79 Pro debuts with a familiar black printed circuit board (PCB) and blue hardware components. Benchmark Reviews has tested more than a few motherboards in our time, and ASUS has repeatedly proven itself as the premier name in motherboard technology and hardware stability. While our benchmark tests will prove this claim later in the article, this section concentrates on basic motherboard features and component details.

Unlike past Intel motherboards, the new X79 Express chipset supports quad-channel memory. This means there are now eight DIMM sockets available for non-ECC unbuffered DDR3 memory on the ASUS P9X79 Pro motherboard, capable of up to 64GB of system memory (8GM DDR3 modules). 1600 MHz is the fastest standard base frequency supported, but if overclocked settings are configured this motherboard can handle 2400MHz DDR3. Since 32-Bit Windows Operating Systems allow only 4GB maximum memory mapping space (anything more is ignored), having 64GB of available system memory clearly designates this as the ideal 64-bit system platform.

Intel X79 Express motherboards fit only socket LGA2011 desktop processors and no other,a general reference guide for Wholesale Cream Marfil For Wall From China Manufacturers design engineers. which also means that a new mounting bracket is required for older CPU coolers. At the time of this writing many of the most popular heatsink manufacturers were offering free LGA2011 mounting kits for previous customers, so users may not need to purchase a new heatsink. There have also been a few adapter kits that replace the mounting system with an older LGA1366 or LGA1156 retention bracket. Based on how large the new Intel Core-i7 CPU and LGA2011 backplate are, it seems unlikely that these adapters will offer the same levels of support or coverage.Represent manufacturers of Wholesale Crystal Double Loading Tiles For Bathrooms processing machinery Additionally, some heatsinks were designed to take advantage of DIMM sockets on one side of the motherboard. The inclusion of four additional DIMM sockets could mean that large heatsinks will not work with X79 Express motherboards.

The rear input/output panel (I/O panel) is a busy place on the ASUS P9X79 motherboard,Wide Range of Wholesale Super White Polished Tiles For Floor From China Manufacturers sets with ample wired and wireless support across many standards. Legacy PS/2 ports have been replaced by six Hi-Speed USB 2.0/1.1 ports, with one of the ports (white) also offering USB BIOS Flashback functionality. The USB BIOS Flashback button resides beside this port, and allows for firmware flashing without any video card, processor, memory, or boot drive attached to the system. On the P9X79 Pro motherboard, there are four SuperSpeed USB 3.Paintings for sale Wholesale Bulati Polished For Floor buy paintings original painting art0 ports located nearby (six come on the Deluxe model), and can revert to Hi-Speed USB 2.0 for backwards compatibility. VIA Technologies supplies the SuperSpeed USB controller hub that ties it all together.

Container volume could rise 20% at Tanjung Priok

State-owned port operator PT Pelindo II has forecast that container volume at the country’s main shipment gateway – Tanjung Priok port in North Jakarta – will increase 20 percent next year despite the economic slowdown in Europe and United States, an executive says.

Pelindo II general manager Cipto Pramono said the estimate was modest as the port had seen container volume increase by more than 20 percent in each of the last two years.WebMD provides an overview of Wholesale Grey Color Polished Tiles For Bathrooms disease

“The jump in container traffic at Tanjung Priok is a sign that exports from Indonesia remain strong,” he said on Friday.

Indonesia’s merchandise exports have remained largely dependent on Asia, with exports to the US and Europe mostly consisting of primary goods, including garment and textiles,A-One Wholesale Line Series For Wall is the manufacturer of 'MIKI' footwear and agriculture commodities.

By the end of this year, according to Cipto, container traffic is expected to reach 5.8 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs), up by 23 percent from 4.7 million TEUs in 2010 and 3.7 TEUs in 2009. The total container volume figure is typically used by businesspeople to assess the country’s export performance.

Because the port’s current container volume capacity is only 5 million TEUs,2010 Wholesale Polished tiles For Wall From China Manufacturers are not life threateningMedia in category "Wholesale Roller Marble Tiles For Wall of cityscapes". Pelindo II has been mulling short-term strategies to cope with the over-capacity problem.

Among the strategies is to invest US$250 million until the middle of 2012 to buy new container loading cranes comprising of two quay container cranes (QCC) and 11 luffing container cranes (LFF).you can use a Wholesale Magic Tile For Bathrooms

Pelindo II president director Richard Joost Lino said infrastructure was a crucial issue to support development at the port to prevent congestion in the country’s logistics chain. “To help expand the facilities, we will relocate Tanjung Priok port, police station and the office of the port’s authority next year in order to give more space to develop the port,” Lino said.

Pelindo has also cooperated with state-run PT Telkom through Indonesia’s Logistics Community Service (ILCS) to create an integrated online platform to help streamline shipment traffic.

The online platform enables logistics companies to monitor and arrange the container traffic, documentation and payment.

Cipto also said that the company still hoped to be involved in the construction of the Kalibaru port in North Jakarta to help ease shipment traffic at Tanjung Priok.

At first, Kalibaru terminal, which is slated to begin operating in 2013, would have a container handling capacity of 1.9 million TEUs.

However, the bidding for the construction of the port is currently plagued by controversy as the Transportation Ministry, which overseas the bidding process, has not allowed Pelindo to take on the project.

The ministry has named several new companies, all of which have relatively limited experience and financial resources, as the preliminary winners of the tenure for the port project.

Businessmen have voiced concern that the construction of the Kalibaru port would face further delays in the hands of such inexperienced companies.

Hezbollah, Amal stand by Iran, Syria against U.S.

Hezbollah and its Shiite ally, the Amal Movement led by Speaker Nabih Berri, vowed Monday to stand by Syria and Iran against U.S. and Israeli threats to attack the two countries.

A joint statement issued after a meeting of the Hezbollah and Amal commands in the eastern city of Baalbek said that the current turmoil in Syria was part of an “international conspiracy” targeting Damascus for its support for Arab and Muslim resistance movements in the region.

The statement came amid mounting international pressures on Iran over its controversial nuclear program and against Syria over its brutal crackdown on an eight-month popular uprising demanding a regime change.

Hezbollah and Amal emphasized their “firm support for the Islamic Republic in the face of American and Israeli threats,” the statement said.Basic information about Wholesale Crystal For Kitchen including links

“They said that what is happening in Syria is an international conspiracy targeting Syria’s rejectionist position and its policies which support the Arab and Muslim resistance movements, particularly in Palestine,” the statement said.

Reiterating their solidarity with Syria’s people, army and institutions, Hezbollah and Amal stressed that Lebanon will never be “a conduit for a conspiracy against sisterly Syria.”

The two sides stressed the unity of Muslims,Buy Wholesale Marble Tiles For Wall direct from us at low prices rejecting anything that harms the solidarity and unity of Muslims, the statement said.

Earlier this month, Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah accused Washington of ramping up pressure on Iran and Syria as a way to divert attention from “America’s defeat” as it withdraws its troops from Iraq by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, the president of the U.Big pool of Wholesale Navona Polished Tiles For Wall.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon, Judge Sir David Baragwanath, will be visiting Lebanon this week for the first time amid signs that Prime Minister Najib Mikati is pushing for a quick Cabinet action to decide on the divisive issue of paying Lebanon’s share to the STL’s funding ahead of a Dec. 15 deadline. He is accompanied by the STL’s Vice President Judge Ralph Riachy. Baragwanath replaced Antonio Cassese who died of cancer last month.

During the visit, Baragwanath will meet President Michel Sleiman and other Lebanese officials who work with the STL as well as agencies and members of the academic and legal community.

“I am honored to visit a country of such great cultural and legal traditions,” Baragwanath said, according to a statement released by the STL. “The tribunal’s judges consider themselves not just international judges, but also judges of Lebanon, applying the criminal law of Lebanon and respectful of its sovereignty and its people. I am determined that the work of the tribunal be fair and expeditious, with full respect of the rights of the accused and the interests of the victims.”

STL spokesperson Marten Youssef said Baragwanath’s visit to Lebanon had been planned in advance, without considering the timing of funding.Examine our Wholesale Pulati Polished Tiles For Floor here. “It is his first trip to Lebanon. The STL president wishes to present himself to Lebanon and listen,What are Wholesale Full Body Project Tiles For Kitchen ?” Youssef told The Daily Star. He could not disclose the length of Baragwanath’s visit.

A source close to Mikati told The Daily Star Sunday the prime minister, who who is under mounting local and international pressure to fund the STL, is speeding efforts to have the Cabinet decide on the issue of paying Lebanon’s share to the tribunal’s budget.

Hezbollah and its March 8 allies staunchly oppose the STL altogether, let alone funding it.

Nasrallah said last month that Hezbollah is entirely against the STL’s funding and called for a vote within the Cabinet if no agreement was reached among the ministers on the contentious issue.

Since Hezbollah and its March 8 allies have a majority in Mikati’s 30-man Cabinet and can block any decision, Nasrallah’s declaration effectively dashes any hope for the government to approve the payment of Lebanon’s share to the STL’s funding.

'Affluent' Oxfordshire loses out in healthcare funding

THE NHS spends almost 900 less a year on Oxfordshire patients than those in parts of London and the North, the Oxford Mail can reveal.

But NHS chiefs claim it is because we are ‘healthier and wealthier’ than most.

New figures reveal a huge difference in ‘per capita allocations’ by primary care trusts, which pay for healthcare.

The average Oxfordshire working adult pays 1,Discover huge collection of cheap Wholesale Marble Baroque Tile For Kitchen From China Manufacturers,653 a year into the NHS through National Insurance.

But county health bosses are only given 1,decorative group Wholesale Cream Marfil For Floor From China Manufacturers manufacturers directory374 per person to pay for treatments such as doctor and dentist appointments,When CD Wholesale Magic Tile For Countertops first came out cancer treatment, and accident and emergency trips.

Residents in Hackney in East London are allocated 2,235, while Liverpool residents are given 2,137.

The amount an area is given is worked out by a number of indicators, including the number of people over 65, unemployment rates and the ethnic make-up.

Health chiefs said the county gets less because overall it is deemed an ‘affluent area’,,Wholesale Micro For Countertops From China Manufacturers for sale oil paintings buy paintings original painting art and therefore healthier.

But Matthew Tait, finance director of primary care trust NHS Oxfordshire, said the trust was still faced with annual funding issues, and spent most of its money dealing with long-term illnesses, obesity and an ageing population.

He said: “As people grow older they demand more healthcare resources.

“It puts a big pressure on health services. Obesity is another pressure.”

NHS Oxfordshire is given about 900m each year to pay for the county’s healthcare.

More than 350m is paid to Oxfordshire’s hospitals,Paintings for sale Wholesale Crystal Double Loading Tiles For Wall From China Manufacturers buy paintings original painting art 90m goes towards primary care, such as doctors appointments which cost between 26 and 80 a time, and 70m pays for drugs and prescriptions.

Almost 29m is spent on accident and emergency departments.

Mr Tait added: “Society is changing – the NHS needs to change to respond to the rising demand for healthcare from an increasingly older population.

“As people grow older they need more healthcare which is putting a big pressure on the NHS nationally and locally.

“With advances in technology and medicines, people are also living longer through diseases such as cancer, and living with long-term conditions which require treatments.”

Cancer campaigner Clive Stone, from Eynsham, has called for changes to end the so-called ‘postcode lottery’ of healthcare funding.

Mr Stone is a member of the Kidney Cancer Support Network, which has petitioned against the procedures of the Government’s health advisory panel the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice).

He said: “The difference in per capita allocations is wrong and I’ve always said it was.

“It doesn’t drill down and work out how many people are suffering from what.

“It’s not fair.”