Billy West, voice of Ren and Stimpy, Futurama, on the rough start that shaped his life

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Billy West, voice of Ren and Stimpy, Futurama, on the rough start that shaped his life
This article mentions the Wikimedia Foundation, one of its projects, or people related to it. Wikinews is a project of the Wikimedia Foundation.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Ren and Stimpy. Bugs Bunny. Philip J. Fry and Professor Hubert Farnsworth on Futurama. Sparx. Bi-Polar Bear. Popeye the Sailor Man. Woody Woodpecker. You may not think you have ever heard Billy West, but chances are on a television program, a movie, a commercial, or as Howard Stern’s voice guru in the 1990’s, you have heard him. West’s talent for creating personalities by twisting his voice has made him one of a handful of voice actors—Hank Azaria and the late Mel Blanc come to mind—who have achieved celebrity for their talent. Indeed, West is one of the few voice actors who can impersonate Blanc in his prime, including characterizations of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd and other characters from Warner Bros. cartoons.

What is the fulcrum in Mr. West’s life that led him to realize a talent to shape personalities with his voice, and how did the discovery of that gift shape him? Wikinews reporter David Shankbone found that like many great comedians, West faced more sour early in life than he did sweet. The sour came from a physically and emotionally abusive alcoholic father (“I could tell you the kind of night I was going to have from the sound of the key in the door or the way the car pulled up.”), to his own problems with drug and alcohol use (“There is a point that you can reach in your life where you don’t want to live, but you haven’t made the decision to die.”).

I’m telling you stuff that I never said to anybody…

If sin, suffering and redemption feel like the stages of an endless cycle of American existence, West’s own redemption from his brutalized childhood is what helped shape his gift. He performed little bits to cheer up his cowed mother, ravaged by the fact she could not stop her husband’s abuse of young West. “I was the whipping boy and she would just be reduced to tears a lot of times, and I would come in and say stuff, and I would put out little bits just to pull her out of it.”

But West has also enjoyed the sweet. His career blossomed as his talent for creating entire histories behind fictional characters and creatures simply by exploring nuance in his voice landed him at the top of his craft. You may never again be able to forget that behind the voice of your favorite character, there is often an extraordinary life.

Below is David Shankbone’s interview with renowned voice actor Billy West, who for the first time publicly talks about the horrors he faced in his childhood; his misguided search for answers in anger, drugs and alcohol; and the peace he has achieved as one of America’s most recognizable voice actors.

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NYSE to merge with Archipelago; NASDAQ to buy Instinet

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NYSE to merge with Archipelago; NASDAQ to buy Instinet

Sunday, April 24, 2005

New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) announced last Wednesday that it has agreed definitively to merge with Chicago-based Archipelago Exchange (ArcaEx) and form a new publicly traded, for-profit company known as NYSE Group. This announcement was followed two days later by NASDAQ®, which independently announced a definitive agreement to purchase Instinet Group.

Archipelago and Instinet are innovative e-trading (electronic trading) companies, and formerly were the two largest American rivals to NYSE and NASDAQ, in recent years taking increasingly large portions of their market share. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and other regulatory agencies still have to review and approve the transactions, particularly with respect to US securities law and antitrust law, in order to ensure that the marketplace remains lawful and competitive.

Other pending issues for NASDAQ include obtaining the approval of Instinet shareholders, as well as customary closing conditions. NYSE must obtain the approval of its members and Archipelago shareholders.

These changes, a reaction to increased e-trading competition and a changed regulatory environment, will result in NASDAQ and NYSE trading each other’s shares and attempting to grab market share, which many hope will drive down transaction costs and ultimately benefit consumers. However, at least one commentator, Dan Ackman writing in Forbes, has noted that the trading commission at the NYSE currently averages less than a nickel (US$0.05) per share, and was less enthusiastic about potential efficiency gains from electronic trading at the exchange.

The transactions are also intended to make the two leading American stock exchanges more globally competitive with such exchanges as the London Stock Exchange, the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, the Toronto Stock Exchange, and the Australian Stock Exchange located in Sydney.

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Who Benefits Most From A Self Storage Franchise

byadmin

Every day, people move from one home to another. Some of them are simply moving to a larger house in the same town, but others are engaging in more complicated and lengthier moves. They may need to move into a temporary dwelling while they scour the market for the right forever home, or they may embark on a journey across the country to their new living space. When people are in this more elaborate situations, they often wonder what they are going to do with all of their belongings.

The answer is to use the services of a Self Storage Franchise. Zippy Shell Greater Columbus is particularly useful for people who living in temporary dwellings while they look for a new house or while they wait for renovations to be completed on their purchased property. Usually, when people opt for a temporary dwelling, they live in a smaller space. For example, they may stay with relatives or friends for several months, or they may live in an extended stay hotel. Others choose to rent an apartment that offers a month-to-month lease. When they choose the services of a Self Storage Franchise, they do not need to cram all of their belongings into a tiny space.

While self-storage is useful for people who are purchasing a new home, it also comes in handy for many recent college graduates. These individuals have spent their last few years living in the dorms or renting a house with all of their closest friends. Now that graduation has arrived, they are planning to start their full-time positions, and they wish to stay in the area. However, they don’t know exactly where they are going to live or with whom they will rent a dwelling place. Therefore, they are sleeping on a friend’s couch for awhile, or they are using up every minute of their lease in their off-campus property. Until they figure out the specifics of their future situation, they can also use the services of a self-storage entity. Ultimately, this type of service is practical and useful for any person who needs a place to keep his or her belongings.

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University of Calgary scientist Keith cracks carbon capture conundrum

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University of Calgary scientist Keith cracks carbon capture conundrum

Thursday, October 2, 2008

A University of Calgary research team developed a new method for extracting carbon dioxide (CO2) directly from the air — a fundamental shift in carbon capture technology enabling capture of the most common greenhouse gas from so-called diffuse sources like aircraft, trucks and automobiles that represent half of the greenhouse gases emitted globally.

Professor David Keith, Director of University of Calgary’s (UofC) Institute for Sustainable Energy, Environment and Economy (ISEEE) and a team of researchers from UofC’s Energy and Environmental Systems Group built and operated a prototype system this summer producing results that compared favourably with commercial carbon capture systems. Two ‘provisional’ patents have been filed on the technology but Keith warns there are still “many pitfalls along the path to commercialization.”

Using a process adapted from the pulp-and-paper industry that halves the cost of CO2 air capture in their custom-built tower, Professor Keith and his team captured the equivalent of about 20 tonnes per year of CO2 (approximately equal to the yearly output of one person in North America) directly from the air with less than 100 kilowatt-hours of electricity per tonne of carbon dioxide on a single square metre of scrubbing material.

“This means that if you used electricity from a coal-fired power plant, for every unit of electricity you used to operate the capture machine, you’d be capturing 10 times as much CO2 as the power plant emitted making that much electricity,” explains Professor Keith.

A report co-authored by Keith in the American Chemical Society’s journal Environmental Science & Technology explains “nearly all current research on carbon capture and storage (CCS) focuses on capturing CO2 from large, stationary sources such as power plants. Such plans usually entail separating CO2 from flue gas, compressing it, and transporting it via pipeline to be [stored] underground.”

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Using CO2 air capture technology, “a company could, in principle, contract with an oil sands plant near Fort McMurray to remove CO2 from the air and could build its air capture plant wherever it’s cheapest — China, for example — and the same amount of CO2 would be removed,” says Professor Keith in a UofC press release.

“While it’s important to get started doing things we know how to do, like wind power, nuclear power, and ‘regular’ carbon capture and storage,” Professor Keith continues, “it’s also vital to start thinking about radical new ideas and approaches to solving this problem.”

ISEEE’s Executive Director David Layzell points out that “energy-efficient and cost-effective air capture could play a valuable role in complementing other approaches for reducing emissions from the transportation sector, such as biofuels or electric vehicles.”

Posted: February 22nd, 2020 by

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Marussia F1 test driver Maria de Villota seriously injured in testing accident

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Marussia F1 test driver Maria de Villota seriously injured in testing accident

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

The Marussia F1 team’s test driver, Spaniard María de Villota, was taken to hospital by air ambulance today after a collision in testing at Duxford Aerodrome.

At the end of her first installation run, the car she was driving had a low-speed collision with the loading ramp of the team’s support truck. According to BBC Cambridgeshire presenter Chris Mann, the car “suddenly accelerated” into the rear of the vehicle. The Marussia team released a statement an hour and a half after the accident, stating that she had been transferred to hospital, and a further statement would be issued once her condition had been assessed.

A spokesman for the East of England ambulance service, Gary Sanderson, said de Villota had “[…] sustained life-threatening injuries and following treatment at the scene by paramedics, she has been taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital for further care.” According to witnesses, she was motionless for about fifteen minutes as medical teams attended to her, but did move her hands before being taken away from the test track. Medical charity Magpas, whose volunteer paramedics attended the accident, reported she had sustained injuries to her head and face, and was in a ‘stable condition’ when she reached the hospital.

Marussia reported her as conscious later in the afternoon: “Since Maria’s arrival at the hospital at approximately 10.45am this morning, she has been receiving the best medical attention possible at the hospital, which is the region’s major trauma centre. Maria is conscious and medical assessments are ongoing. The team will await the outcome of these assessments before providing further comment. The team’s first priority at this time is Maria and her family.”

De Villota was announced as Marussia’s test driver in March, having prior experience driving for Alan Docking Racing in Superleague Formula in Spain.

Posted: February 21st, 2020 by

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Downtown San Diego Real Estate It’s Not All The Same

byadmin

Downtown San Diego real estate can vary greatly. When you consider downtown you are considering a lifestyle not just a place to live. Getting the most out of your real estate investment means have a space that you will absolutely love and that offers you all the amenities that you expect.

The Difference

Real estate can be at a premium which can make you feel like you have to make a rush decision BUT before you make any rash decisions about your real estate options you want to make sure that you are getting all that you can out of the deal. There is a building right in the heart of downtown that you can use as your guide post:

  • Individualized services to cater to your personal needs
  • Concierge services
  • Porter services
  • Luxury car fleet
  • Boat sharing
  • Controlled access entry/elevators/parking
  • Terrace pool

It is hard to find a building that offers the level of amenities and services that can beat the ones above. Some would say impossible but if you are dreaming of the lux lifestyle than those are a short list of the services you should expect from your new residence.

There is a noticeable difference between prime and super prime real estate. The word pampered comes to mind when you think of what super prime real estate means. Prime real estate offers everything you expect and so much more.

Go Right to the Source

You can save yourself the hassle of comparing properties and go right to the highest standard there is in the downtown area. Pacific Gate By Bosa is setting a new standard for what real estate can be. Before you buy anywhere else or make a commitment to buy you want to take a look at what you should have!

Posted: February 21st, 2020 by

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US trade deficit soars to new high of US$61.04 billion

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US trade deficit soars to new high of US$61.04 billion

Tuesday, April 12, 2005

The U.S. Commerce Department released new figures on Tuesday, showing an imbalance of US$61.04 billion as of February. The figure was up 4.3 percent from the US$58.5 billion deficit last January.

“While we imported the necessities, we didn’t sell a lot to the rest of the world,” Joel Naroff, president of Naroff Economic Advisors told Bloomberg. “As for the Fed, this report would likely mean more measured rate hikes,” he said.

“We are sucking in more products faster than we can sell abroad. It will reduce GDP growth a bit, but not a lot,” David Berson, the chief economist for Fannie Mae told Reuters.

The trade deficit has been aggravated by high oil prices and a surge of textile imports after the lifting of quotas on January 1. Oil prices have been close to record levels recently, but light sweet crude fell $1.85 to US$51.86 on Tuesday, after the International Energy Agency issued a prediction that interest rates and fuel costs would slow down demand for oil.

The new trade figures temporarily forced the dollar down against the yen and the euro. But later in the trading day, the dollar recovered lost ground as traders waited for a statement about the U.S. Federal Reserve meeting last March.

Posted: February 21st, 2020 by

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Ontario Votes 2007: Interview with Communist Party candidate Johan Boyden, Toronto Centre

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Ontario Votes 2007: Interview with Communist Party candidate Johan Boyden, Toronto Centre

Friday, October 5, 2007

Johan Boyden is running for the Communist Party in the Ontario provincial election, in the Toronto Centre riding. Wikinews interviewed him regarding his values, his experience, and his campaign.

Posted: February 19th, 2020 by

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Suspected serial killer appears in British court

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Suspected serial killer appears in British court

Friday, May 28, 2010

A man accused of being a serial killer has appeared in Bradford magistrates court in West Yorkshire today charged with three counts of murder. 40-year-old Stephen Griffiths is accused of killing Suzanne Blamires, 36, Susan Rushworth, 43, and Shelley Armitage, 31, all prostitutes.

Griffiths, a former van driver with a degree in psychology and studying for a PhD in criminology, gave his name as “Crossbow Cannibal” when asked. He has been in police custody since Monday when police were alerted to a CCTV recording that appeared to show a murder.

A caretaker had been reviewing footage from the flats where Griffiths lives when he saw footage of a woman and a man enter a flat early on Saturday morning. Two minutes later, she ran out and was followed by the man, who beat her to the ground and shot her in the head with a crossbow. Over the course of the weekend, the man was seen several times with bin bags and a rucksack.

On Tuesday, the day after the arrest of Griffiths, Blamires’ remains were found in the River Aire in nearby Shipley. She had been cut into several pieces and her head was located in a rucksack. Police continue to search for the other two alleged victims; Rushworth has been missing since June last year and Armitage vanished in April.

Police have searched much of Bradford’s red-light district, where Griffiths’ third-floor flat is located. Forensic investigations at the flat are expected to last around three weeks. There are plans to search landfill sites for bodies, and police may yet expand the inquiry to cover three more cold cases, although at present they have not been linked to the current inquiry.

Sniffer dogs have been used throughout the city, and police have been taking away plastic evidence bags. Some alleyways remain closed off. Police charged their suspect yesterday.

Griffiths was known as “the lizard man” in his block of flats owing to his habit of walking his two pet monitor lizards in the area. One neighbour is reported to have quoted him as saying he was studying for “a PhD in murder and Jack the Ripper,” and he has spent time in a high-security psychiatric hospital. During his five-minute court appearance he did not enter a plea, kept his head bowed and fidgeted with his cuffed hands. He said “Here, I guess,” when asked for his address.

As he stood in the glass-fronted dock, guarded by three security officers, he was watched by the families of Rushworth and Armitage, who were accompanied by police family liaison officers. Blamires’ family chose not to be present, but the victim’s mother Nicky Blamires, 54, has told the press that Suzanne was a “much-loved” family member even though she “went down the wrong path and did not have the life she was meant to have.” “Nobody deserves this,” she said. “All these girls were human beings and people’s daughters.”

Griffiths’ morning court appearance was followed by a second one this afternoon, at Bradford Crown Court. This time, he confirmed his name without incident. He was remanded into custody until next month, when he will appear in court again.

British media has been quick to compare the case to Peter Sutcliffe, dubbed the “Yorkshire Ripper”. Sutcliffe was a Bradford killer responsible for thirteen murders and seven attempted murders, including several prostitutes. Since his 1981 conviction he has spent most of the last three decades in Broadmoor high-security psychiatric hospital near London.

Posted: February 19th, 2020 by

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Making The Right Choice: Home Painting In Fairfield County, Ct

byAlma Abell

Paint has the magical power of instantly transforming a home. This can be a blessing or a curse depending on what color you choose. Choosing the right shade for a room is difficult enough, but for something as large as the exterior of your home, some time and thought needs to be taken.

Playing it Safe

Yes, it can be boring, but if you have an older home it can be a safe strategy to stick with the old tried and true color schemes. A farmhouse is often white with a red barn. Colonial homes will frequently be white with either blue, red or black shutters and trim.

Know the Rules

If you live in an historical district or have a Homeowner’s Association your decision may have already been partially decided for you. Home Painting in Fairfield County, CT is like many other communities and these groups often have strong guidelines regarding what home colors are acceptable. Check ahead before you make any choices.

Work With Your Landscaping

Letting your home blend in with its surroundings is a great way for it to look natural and attractive. Terracotta and rust shades work wonderfully in a desert surrounding, pale blue and soft yellows are fabulous on beach homes.

Do What you Love

It foot tall walls of the same shade. Will you still think it is as wonderful then?

Get Help

When it comes to choosing the right type or brand of paint, it can often be a good idea to leave these decisions to the experts. Prism House Painting, LLC is a company that can help answer all your questions about Home Painting in Fairfield County, CT. They offer interior and exterior painting as well as many other home renovation services. Fully licensed and well-respected, you can count on them to help you make the right choice every time. Contact them today for a free estimate on your project.

Posted: February 17th, 2020 by

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