Official Great Works Draft (6 Viewers)

[timschochet]

Who will be the judge for the plays and wildcards I select? It was going to be wikkidpissah, but who will handle this chore now?

OK, great!

 

[krista4]

Who will be the judge for the plays and wildcards I select? It was going to be wikkidpissah, but who will handle this chore now?

OK, great!

Just did a quick search, and you have only one so far, right (Macbeth)? Um, you can be sure that will be rated highly. ETA: My highest rated musical is still on the board.

 

[Chiwawa]

MisfitBlondes' Pick

41.14 The Underground Railroad (Wildcard)

The Underground Railroad, a vast network of people who helped fugitive slaves escape to the North and to Canada, was not run by any single organization or person. Rather, it consisted of many individuals -- many whites but predominently black -- who knew only of the local efforts to aid fugitives and not of the overall operation. Still, it effectively moved hundreds of slaves northward each year -- according to one estimate, the South lost 100,000 slaves between 1810 and 1850.

An organized system to assist runaway slaves seems to have begun towards the end of the 18th century. In 1786 George Washington complained about how one of his runaway slaves was helped by a "society of Quakers, formed for such purposes." The system grew, and around 1831 it was dubbed "The Underground Railroad," after the then emerging steam railroads. The system even used terms used in railroading: the homes and businesses where fugitives would rest and eat were called "stations" and "depots" and were run by "stationmasters," those who contributed money or goods were "stockholders," and the "conductor" was responsible for moving fugitives from one station to the next.

For the slave, running away to the North was anything but easy. The first step was to escape from the slaveholder. For many slaves, this meant relying on his or her own resources. Sometimes a "conductor," posing as a slave, would enter a plantation and then guide the runaways northward. The fugitives would move at night. They would generally travel between 10 and 20 miles to the next station, where they would rest and eat, hiding in barns and other out-of-the-way places. While they waited, a message would be sent to the next station to alert its stationmaster.

The fugitives would also travel by train and boat -- conveyances that sometimes had to be paid for. Money was also needed to improve the appearance of the runaways -- a black man, woman, or child in tattered clothes would invariably attract suspicious eyes. This money was donated by individuals and also raised by various groups, including vigilance committees.

Vigilance committees sprang up in the larger towns and cities of the North, most prominently in New York, Philadelphia, and Boston. In addition to soliciting money, the organizations provided food, lodging and money, and helped the fugitives settle into a community by helping them find jobs and providing letters of recommendation.

The Underground Railroad had many notable participants, including John Fairfield in Ohio, the son of a slaveholding family, who made many daring rescues, Levi Coffin, a Quaker who assisted more than 3,000 slaves, and Harriet Tubman, who made 19 trips into the South and escorted over 300 slaves to freedom.

We know the names of a few of the heroes that assisted with the underground railroad such as Harriet Tubman and William Still but many more of them will always remain a mystery. These people acted because of what they believed, not because of money or notoriety. We will never know exactly how many slaves were freed because of these brave volunteers but it was nearly 100,000 by most accounts. What an amazing human achievement!!!

 

[TidesofWar]

Who will be the judge for the plays and wildcards I select? It was going to be wikkidpissah, but who will handle this chore now?

OK, great!

Just did a quick search, and you have only one so far, right (Macbeth)? Um, you can be sure that will be rated highly. ETA: My highest rated musical is still on the board.

CollusionAre we drafting Great Works, or tim and krista's favorites???I say the judging has been rendered as inept and biased as an NBA Finals crew

 

[BobbyLayne]

Who will be the judge for the plays and wildcards I select? It was going to be wikkidpissah, but who will handle this chore now?

OK, great!

Just did a quick search, and you have only one so far, right (Macbeth)? Um, you can be sure that will be rated highly. ETA: My highest rated musical is still on the board.

You're not allowed to give him 21 points for Macbeth
27 picks (plus makeups) to go...think it will make it back to you?Also, I just wanted to point out I picked Macbeth. Had the writeup all done. Decided to update the draft order first. timschochet swooped in with his makeup post while I was finishing that and doing a spellcheck.



Oh well, at least I didn't do a :honda: on that one, too.

 

[BobbyLayne]

CollusionAre we drafting Great Works, or tim and krista's favorites???I say the judging has been rendered as inept and biased as an NBA Finals crew

Shiraz, Syrah or scotch on the rocks?

 

[rodg12]

MisfitBlondes' Pick

41.14 The Underground Railroad (Wildcard)

The Underground Railroad, a vast network of people who helped fugitive slaves escape to the North and to Canada, was not run by any single organization or person. Rather, it consisted of many individuals -- many whites but predominently black -- who knew only of the local efforts to aid fugitives and not of the overall operation. Still, it effectively moved hundreds of slaves northward each year -- according to one estimate, the South lost 100,000 slaves between 1810 and 1850.

An organized system to assist runaway slaves seems to have begun towards the end of the 18th century. In 1786 George Washington complained about how one of his runaway slaves was helped by a "society of Quakers, formed for such purposes." The system grew, and around 1831 it was dubbed "The Underground Railroad," after the then emerging steam railroads. The system even used terms used in railroading: the homes and businesses where fugitives would rest and eat were called "stations" and "depots" and were run by "stationmasters," those who contributed money or goods were "stockholders," and the "conductor" was responsible for moving fugitives from one station to the next.

For the slave, running away to the North was anything but easy. The first step was to escape from the slaveholder. For many slaves, this meant relying on his or her own resources. Sometimes a "conductor," posing as a slave, would enter a plantation and then guide the runaways northward. The fugitives would move at night. They would generally travel between 10 and 20 miles to the next station, where they would rest and eat, hiding in barns and other out-of-the-way places. While they waited, a message would be sent to the next station to alert its stationmaster.

The fugitives would also travel by train and boat -- conveyances that sometimes had to be paid for. Money was also needed to improve the appearance of the runaways -- a black man, woman, or child in tattered clothes would invariably attract suspicious eyes. This money was donated by individuals and also raised by various groups, including vigilance committees.

Vigilance committees sprang up in the larger towns and cities of the North, most prominently in New York, Philadelphia, and Boston. In addition to soliciting money, the organizations provided food, lodging and money, and helped the fugitives settle into a community by helping them find jobs and providing letters of recommendation.

The Underground Railroad had many notable participants, including John Fairfield in Ohio, the son of a slaveholding family, who made many daring rescues, Levi Coffin, a Quaker who assisted more than 3,000 slaves, and Harriet Tubman, who made 19 trips into the South and escorted over 300 slaves to freedom.

We know the names of a few of the heroes that assisted with the underground railroad such as Harriet Tubman and William Still but many more of them will always remain a mystery. These people acted because of what they believed, not because of money or notoriety. We will never know exactly how many slaves were freed because of these brave volunteers but it was nearly 100,000 by most accounts. What an amazing human achievement!!!

Great, great pick! Was totally off my radar.

 

[krista4]

MisfitBlondes' Pick

41.14 The Underground Railroad (Wildcard)

Wow, a great, great choice.

 

[krista4]

Who will be the judge for the plays and wildcards I select? It was going to be wikkidpissah, but who will handle this chore now?

OK, great!

Just did a quick search, and you have only one so far, right (Macbeth)? Um, you can be sure that will be rated highly. ETA: My highest rated musical is still on the board.

You're not allowed to give him 21 points for Macbeth
27 picks (plus makeups) to go...think it will make it back to you?Also, I just wanted to point out I picked Macbeth. Had the writeup all done. Decided to update the draft order first. timschochet swooped in with his makeup post while I was finishing that and doing a spellcheck.



Oh well, at least I didn't do a :honda: on that one, too.

I don't think I'll even choose a play with the next pick. Fennis has been doing great with that category. Sorry about Macbeth. What did you end up with instead?

 

[Abrantes]

Still going back and forth on what to take, but I'll take my cue from the Throne of Blood pick and finish off my movie selections. Originally planned on taking a different Kurosawa film here, but decided that it would've made my collective movie choices way too depressing. Regardless, I'm keepin' it real. No clue how they will be ranked, but as far as sentimental favorites go, there's nothing close to these two in my book.

"I can't afford to hate people. I don't have that kind of time."

39.06 Akira Kurosawa's Ikiru (Movie)

On A Swing

Bureocracy

Out of the Kurosawa films I've seen, this feels the most modern in theme. The futility of struggling against bureocracy and against time are timeless ideas, and allowed Ikiru to age wonderfully. It's not Kurosawa's most revolutionary picture (although the structure is very much his own), but moves along through the sheer vitality and humanity of the characters. A simple story executed wonderfully and covering every emotion you can possibly imagine. Also, Takashi Shimura is underappreciated in the shadow of Mifune, but he is the ####### man.

"Life isn't like in the movies."

40.15 Giuseppe Tornatore's Nuovo Cinema Paradiso (Movie)

Cinema Paradiso Poster

Alternate Poster

The movie that carries much of the blame for my love of movies. Saw it at an early age and it just put me in a trance right from the start. Again, a simple story with phenomenal acting and one of Morricone's finest soundtracks. Truly beautiful from beginning to end, and that ending is a doozy...

 

[BobbyLayne]

OK, great!

Just did a quick search, and you have only one so far, right (Macbeth)? Um, you can be sure that will be rated highly. ETA: My highest rated musical is still on the board.

You're not allowed to give him 21 points for Macbeth
27 picks (plus makeups) to go...think it will make it back to you?Also, I just wanted to point out I picked Macbeth. Had the writeup all done. Decided to update the draft order first. timschochet swooped in with his makeup post while I was finishing that and doing a spellcheck.



Oh well, at least I didn't do a :honda: on that one, too.

I don't think I'll even choose a play with the next pick. Fennis has been doing great with that category. Sorry about Macbeth. :( What did you end up with instead?

I knew that would be a strong cat for your partner. Dude knows stuff.I waited 5 more rounds for Othello. Took an opera and a greek tragedy much, much later. Would like to round it out with one musical and one modern, but we'll see what happens.

Plays - to me anyway - are like Acting Performance and Films. There are a gazillion good ones, so I waited on all three cats.

 

[krista4]

40.15 Giuseppe Tornatore's Nuovo Cinema Paradiso (Movie)

I have no idea how, but I totally forgot about this movie, though it ranks in the top tier on my gazillion-page movie-evaluation list. Spectacular.

 

[krista4]

OK, great!

Just did a quick search, and you have only one so far, right (Macbeth)? Um, you can be sure that will be rated highly. :( ETA: My highest rated musical is still on the board.

You're not allowed to give him 21 points for Macbeth
27 picks (plus makeups) to go...think it will make it back to you?Also, I just wanted to point out I picked Macbeth. Had the writeup all done. Decided to update the draft order first. timschochet swooped in with his makeup post while I was finishing that and doing a spellcheck.



Oh well, at least I didn't do a :honda: on that one, too.

I don't think I'll even choose a play with the next pick. Fennis has been doing great with that category. Sorry about Macbeth. What did you end up with instead?

I knew that would be a strong cat for your partner. Dude knows stuff.I waited 5 more rounds for Othello. Took an opera and a greek tragedy much, much later. Would like to round it out with one musical and one modern, but we'll see what happens.

Plays - to me anyway - are like Acting Performance and Films. There are a gazillion good ones, so I waited on all three cats.

I'm a little freaked out. In one of my last posts, I used "great, great" to describe MB's choice just as rodg used the same awkward term. And now, I used "gazillion" in a post I typed just as you were posting the same word.Are you guys...reading my mind?

 

[Abrantes]

40.15 Giuseppe Tornatore's Nuovo Cinema Paradiso (Movie)

I have no idea how, but I totally forgot about this movie, though it ranks in the top tier on my gazillion-page movie-evaluation list. Spectacular.

Don't expect Ikiru to rank as high, as much as I love it.

 

[Abrantes]

Eleven films left that I wanted to take, with no more room.

 

[rodg12]

Still going back and forth on what to take, but I'll take my cue from the Throne of Blood pick and finish off my movie selections. Originally planned on taking a different Kurosawa film here, but decided that it would've made my collective movie choices way too depressing. Regardless, I'm keepin' it real. No clue how they will be ranked, but as far as sentimental favorites go, there's nothing close to these two in my book.

"I can't afford to hate people. I don't have that kind of time."

39.06 Akira Kurosawa's Ikiru (Movie)

On A Swing

Bureocracy

Out of the Kurosawa films I've seen, this feels the most modern in theme. The futility of struggling against bureocracy and against time are timeless ideas, and allowed Ikiru to age wonderfully. It's not Kurosawa's most revolutionary picture (although the structure is very much his own), but moves along through the sheer vitality and humanity of the characters. A simple story executed wonderfully and covering every emotion you can possibly imagine. Also, Takashi Shimura is underappreciated in the shadow of Mifune, but he is the ####### man.

"Life isn't like in the movies."

40.15 Giuseppe Tornatore's Nuovo Cinema Paradiso (Movie)

Cinema Paradiso Poster

Alternate Poster

The movie that carries much of the blame for my love of movies. Saw it at an early age and it just put me in a trance right from the start. Again, a simple story with phenomenal acting and one of Morricone's finest soundtracks. Truly beautiful from beginning to end, and that ending is a doozy...

No idea what these movies are.

 

[krista4]

40.15 Giuseppe Tornatore's Nuovo Cinema Paradiso (Movie)

I have no idea how, but I totally forgot about this movie, though it ranks in the top tier on my gazillion-page movie-evaluation list. Spectacular.

Don't expect Ikiru to rank as high, as much as I love it.

Oh, I absolutely love Ikiru, too. It is in my third tier, but my third tier still means huge .

 

[krista4]

Eleven films left that I wanted to take, with no more room.

I can't wait to hear the rest of your list.

 

[rodg12]

I'm a little freaked out. In one of my last posts, I used "great, great" to describe MB's choice just as rodg used the same awkward term. And now, I used "gazillion" in a post I typed just as you were posting the same word.

Are you guys...reading my mind?

Freaky, huh?

 

[timschochet]

Anybody know a play that's got a donkey in it? PM me, please.

 

[krista4]

Anybody know a play that's got a donkey in it? PM me, please.

 

[Chiwawa]

Anybody know a play that's got a donkey in it? PM me, please.

Is it really that funny? Still?

 

[Joe Paterno]

Anybody know a play that's got a donkey in it? PM me, please.

Kinky Kelly and the Sexy Stud.

 

[krista4]

Anybody know a play that's got a donkey in it? PM me, please.

Is it really that funny? Still?

Yeah, that's what means.

 

[Abrantes]

Anybody know a play that's got a donkey in it? PM me, please.

Kinky Kelly and the Sexy Stud.

 

[Chiwawa]

Anybody know a play that's got a donkey in it? PM me, please.

Is it really that funny? Still?

Yeah, that's what means.

ok, cool. Maybe it will still be funny in round 60 also.

 

[krista4]

Anybody know a play that's got a donkey in it? PM me, please.

Is it really that funny? Still?

Yeah, that's what means.

ok, cool. Maybe it will still be funny in round 60 also.

I'm sure we'll get a chance to find out.

 

[anborn]

MisfitBlondes' Pick

41.14 The Underground Railroad (Wildcard)

The Underground Railroad, a vast network of people who helped fugitive slaves escape to the North and to Canada, was not run by any single organization or person. Rather, it consisted of many individuals -- many whites but predominently black -- who knew only of the local efforts to aid fugitives and not of the overall operation. Still, it effectively moved hundreds of slaves northward each year -- according to one estimate, the South lost 100,000 slaves between 1810 and 1850.

An organized system to assist runaway slaves seems to have begun towards the end of the 18th century. In 1786 George Washington complained about how one of his runaway slaves was helped by a "society of Quakers, formed for such purposes." The system grew, and around 1831 it was dubbed "The Underground Railroad," after the then emerging steam railroads. The system even used terms used in railroading: the homes and businesses where fugitives would rest and eat were called "stations" and "depots" and were run by "stationmasters," those who contributed money or goods were "stockholders," and the "conductor" was responsible for moving fugitives from one station to the next.

For the slave, running away to the North was anything but easy. The first step was to escape from the slaveholder. For many slaves, this meant relying on his or her own resources. Sometimes a "conductor," posing as a slave, would enter a plantation and then guide the runaways northward. The fugitives would move at night. They would generally travel between 10 and 20 miles to the next station, where they would rest and eat, hiding in barns and other out-of-the-way places. While they waited, a message would be sent to the next station to alert its stationmaster.

The fugitives would also travel by train and boat -- conveyances that sometimes had to be paid for. Money was also needed to improve the appearance of the runaways -- a black man, woman, or child in tattered clothes would invariably attract suspicious eyes. This money was donated by individuals and also raised by various groups, including vigilance committees.

Vigilance committees sprang up in the larger towns and cities of the North, most prominently in New York, Philadelphia, and Boston. In addition to soliciting money, the organizations provided food, lodging and money, and helped the fugitives settle into a community by helping them find jobs and providing letters of recommendation.

The Underground Railroad had many notable participants, including John Fairfield in Ohio, the son of a slaveholding family, who made many daring rescues, Levi Coffin, a Quaker who assisted more than 3,000 slaves, and Harriet Tubman, who made 19 trips into the South and escorted over 300 slaves to freedom.

We know the names of a few of the heroes that assisted with the underground railroad such as Harriet Tubman and William Still but many more of them will always remain a mystery. These people acted because of what they believed, not because of money or notoriety. We will never know exactly how many slaves were freed because of these brave volunteers but it was nearly 100,000 by most accounts. What an amazing human achievement!!!

holysheetcakes... off radar and a badass pick. big thumbsup.

 

[BobbyLayne]

Keeping Score

Hitchcock 5

Coppola 3

Spielberg 3

Kurosawa 3

Chaplin 2

Fleming 2

Kubrick 2

Lucas 2

Fellini 1

Polanski 1

Reed 1

Scorcese 1

Welles 1

Bergman 0

 

[BobbyLayne]

I'm a little freaked out. In one of my last posts, I used "great, great" to describe MB's choice just as rodg used the same awkward term.

Don't worry about it...I made an absolutely outstanding choice.

OKQ - how come every time your team makes an awesome pick, Chiwawa posts it?

 

[rodg12]

Skipped

39.10 - Thatguy

39.11 - El Floppo

39.19 - Tirnan (autoskip if not around)

40.02 - Tirnan (autoskip if not around)

40.10 - El Floppo (autoskip if not here in first 15)

40.11 - Thatguy (autoskip))

41.05 - Doug B (autoskip)

41.06 - Abrantes (autoskip)

41.08 - Tides of War (autoskip after time out)

41.10 - thatguy (autoskip)

41.11 - El Floppo (autoskip if not here in first 15)

41.15 - Bob Lee Swagger - UP

41.16 - Scott Norwood/Anborn

41.17 - DC Thunder

41.18 - Genedoc

41.19 - Tirnan (autoskip if not around - Get Better GB)

41.20 - Yankee23 Fan

 

[BobbyLayne]

I'm a little freaked out. In one of my last posts, I used "great, great" to describe MB's choice just as rodg used the same awkward term.

Don't worry about it...I made an absolutely outstanding choice.

OKQ - how come every time your team makes an awesome pick, Chiwawa posts it?

She's my scribe...I'm usually exhausted after such brilliant thinking.

 

[Abrantes]

Keeping Score

Hitchcock 5

Kurosawa 3

Still time to turn it around!

Bergman 0

 

[Fennis]

I'm going to end up a couple rounds behind. I had a heart attack Saturday morning about 30 minutes after I went for a light run.I'm only 39 years old and from everything the doc said, I gather it was or maybe it could have been a close thing. Total blockage of the Left Anterior Descending artery. I just got home. I'll catch up as I am able.

holy ####. Wow, take it easy and do what the doctor says. Best of luck and keep us posted.

 

[Fennis]

Anybody know a play that's got a donkey in it? PM me, please.

Shrek

 

[Fennis]

Who will be the judge for the plays and wildcards I select? It was going to be wikkidpissah, but who will handle this chore now?

OK, great!

Just did a quick search, and you have only one so far, right (Macbeth)? Um, you can be sure that will be rated highly. ETA: My highest rated musical is still on the board.

CollusionAre we drafting Great Works, or tim and krista's favorites???I say the judging has been rendered as inept and biased as an NBA Finals crew

I think Tim and Krista should judge the entire draft

 

[Fennis]

Tim, I've read a bunch of your posts now in several threads covering many topics. It's occurred to me that you might be jewish. Is that true?

Musical play spoiler for those drafting for the judging.

 

[BobbyLayne]

Keeping Score

Hitchcock 5

Kurosawa 3

Still time to turn it around!

Bergman 0

Not seeing the humor here.I think its the lack of estrogen in the draft. Most of I's men are either cuckolds, impotent, ineffectual.

That or he just bores the #### out of people.

 

[Tirnan]

Thanks for the well wishes folks. I should be ok, I have an excellent cardiologist and cardiac rehab program at the moment. I'll be a bit worn out and such for a while, but I should be able to find some picks in the next couple days.

 

[Fennis]

Thanks for the well wishes folks. I should be ok, I have an excellent cardiologist and cardiac rehab program at the moment. I'll be a bit worn out and such for a while, but I should be able to find some picks in the next couple days.

When you are tan, ready and, rested. You'll make it rain.

 

[Bob Lee Swagger]

Norwood/anborn, go ahead and pick when you're ready. I'm real busy this morning.

 

[Genedoc]

I've picks queued up, but I'll be in and out. Someone PM me when it's our turn.

 

[anborn]

Norwood/anborn, go ahead and pick when you're ready. I'm real busy this morning.

In that case.... Team Norwood/Anborn selects:41.16 - Lance Armstrongs 7 straight Tour de France titles (1999-2005) - Sports Record

He's a freaking machine. And all of it after beating cancer. More will and determination in his little finger than found combined on most professional teams. Some of the seven tours were close, some were pretty obvious, and some just seemed like he was toying with the rest of the main contenders. He dominates on the mountain stages, he's won individual time trials, he's won/led team trials...

Sure some of the other individual athletes are above/beyond their competition (without mentioning names)... but this guy takes the cake and eats it too.

He is the only individual to win seven times, having broken the previous record of five wins, shared by Miguel Indurain and Bernard Hinault, Eddy Merckx and Jacques Anquetil. He has survived testicular cancer, a tumor that metastasized to his brain and lungs, in 1996. His cancer treatments included brain and testicular surgery and extensive chemotherapy, and his prognosis was originally poor.

In 1999, he was named the American Broadcasting Company Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year. In 2000 he won the Prince of Asturias Award in Sports.[2] In 2002, Sports Illustrated magazine named him Sportsman of the Year. He was also named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year for 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005. He received ESPN's ESPY Award for Best Male Athlete in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006, and won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Overseas Personality Award in 2003. Armstrong retired from racing on July 24, 2005, at the end of the 2005 Tour de France, but returned to competitive cycling in January 2009.

You could pretty much bold that entire top part if you wanted.

Before his cancer treatment, Armstrong had won two Tour de France stages. In 1993, he won the 8th stage and in 1995 he took stage 18 in honor of teammate Fabio Casartelli who crashed and died on stage 15. Armstrong dropped out of the 1996 Tour on the 7th stage after becoming ill, a few months before his diagnosis.

Armstrong's cycling comeback began in 1998 when he finished fourth in the Vuelta a España. In 1999 he won the Tour de France, including four stages. He beat the second rider, Alex Zülle, by 7 minutes 37 seconds. However, the absence of Jan Ullrich (injury) and Marco Pantani (drug allegations) meant Armstrong had not yet proven himself against the biggest names. Stage wins included the prologue, stage eight, an individual time trial in Metz, an Alpine stage on stage nine, and the second individual time trial on stage 19.

In 2000, Ullrich and Pantani returned to challenge Armstrong. The race that began a six-year rivalry between Ullrich and Armstrong ended in victory for Armstrong by 6 minutes 2 seconds over Ullrich. Armstrong took one stage in the 2000 Tour, the second individual time trial on stage 19. In 2001, Armstrong again took top honors, beating Ullrich by 6 minutes 44 seconds. In 2002, Ullrich did not participate, and Armstrong won by seven minutes over Joseba Beloki.

The pattern returned in 2003, Armstrong taking first place and Ullrich second. Only 1 minute 1 second separated the two at the end of the final day in Paris. U.S. Postal won the team time trial on stage four, while Armstrong took stage 15, despite being knocked off on the ascent to Luz Ardiden, the final climb, when a spectator's bag caught his right handlebar. Ullrich waited for him, which brought Ullrich fair-play honors.

In 2004, Armstrong finished first, 6 minutes 19 seconds ahead of German Andreas Klöden. Ullrich was fourth, a further 2 minutes 31 seconds behind. Armstrong won a personal best five individual stages, plus the team time trial. He became the first since Gino Bartali in 1948 to win three consecutive mountain stages; 15, 16, and 17. The individual time trial on stage 16 up Alpe d'Huez was won in style by Armstrong as he passed Ivan Basso on the way despite setting out two minutes after the Italian. He won sprint finishes from Basso in stages 13 and 15 and made up a significant gap in the last 250m to nip Klöden at the line in stage 17. He won the final individual time trial, stage 19, to complete his personal record of stage wins.

In his final tour in 2005, Armstrong was beaten by David Zabriskie in the Stage 1 time trial by 2 seconds, despite passing Ullrich on the road. His Discovery Channel team won the team time trial, while Armstrong won the final individual time trial. To complete his record-breaking feat, Armstrong crossed the line on the Champs-Élysées on July 24 to win his 7th consecutive Tour, finishing 4m 40s ahead of Basso, with Ullrich third.

In addition to 7 Tour de France wins, Armstrong won 22 individual stages, 11 time trials, and his team won the team time trial on 3 occasions.

 

[DCThunder]

41.17--Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers (Encyclopedia, or a systematic dictionary of the sciences, arts, and crafts)-edited by Denis Diderot-Non-Fiction

One of the major documents of the Enlightenment, the Encyclopédie was written and published in France between 1751 and 1772, with supplements issued in 1777 and 1782, the Encyclopédie's self-professed aim was "to change the way people think." It was hoped that the work would eventually encompass all of human knowledge; Denis Diderot explained the goal of the project as "All things must be examined, debated, investigated without exception and without regard for anyone's feelings."[1]

The work comprised 35 volumes, with 71,818 articles, and 3,129 illustrations. The first 28 volumes were published between 1751 and 1766 and were edited by Diderot - although some of the later picture-only volumes were not actually printed until 1772. The remaining five volumes were completed by other editors in 1777, along with a two volume index in 1780. Many of the most noted figures of the French enlightenment contributed to the work including Voltaire, Rousseau, and Montesquieu.[2] The single greatest contributor was Louis de Jaucourt who wrote 17,266 articles, or about 8 per day between 1759 and 1765.

The writers of the encyclopedia saw it as a vehicle to covertly destroy superstitions while overtly providing access to human knowledge. It was a summary of thought and belief of the Enlightenment. In ancien régime France it caused a storm of controversy, due mostly to its tone of religious tolerance. The encyclopedia praised Protestant thinkers and challenged Catholic dogma, and classified religion as a branch of philosophy, not as the ultimate source of knowledge and moral advice. The entire work was banned by royal decree and officially closed down after the first seven volumes in 1759;[4] but because it had many highly placed supporters, notably Madame de Pompadour, work continued "in secret". In truth, secular authorities did not want to disrupt the commercial enterprise which employed hundreds of people. To appease the church's enemies of the project, the authorities had officially banned the enterprise, but they turned a blind eye to its continued existence.

It was also a vast compendium of the technologies of the period, describing the traditional craft tools and processes. Much information was taken from the Descriptions des Arts et Métiers.

The Encyclopédie played an important role in the intellectual ferment leading to the French Revolution. "No encyclopaedia perhaps has been of such political importance, or has occupied so conspicuous a place in the civil and literary history of its century. It sought not only to give information, but to guide opinion," wrote the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica. In The Encyclopédie and the Age of Revolution, a work published in conjunction with a 1989 exhibition of the Encyclopédie at the University of California, Los Angeles.

 

[El Floppo]

40.15 Giuseppe Tornatore's Nuovo Cinema Paradiso (Movie)

Cinema Paradiso Poster

Alternate Poster

The movie that carries much of the blame for my love of movies. Saw it at an early age and it just put me in a trance right from the start. Again, a simple story with phenomenal acting and one of Morricone's finest soundtracks. Truly beautiful from beginning to end, and that ending is a doozy...

I get the love for this one, but it marks the beginning of a period of supreme shmaltz in Italian film-making IMO- and makes me want to strangle, as much as embrace, this particular movie.

 

[El Floppo]

Keeping Score

Hitchcock 5

Kurosawa 3

Still time to turn it around!

Bergman 0

Not seeing the humor here.I think its the lack of estrogen in the draft. Most of I's men are either cuckolds, impotent, ineffectual.

That or he just bores the #### out of people.

I had one lined up in case I didn't get my super-elite top tier. I Bergman... mentioned this in the Vid thread- saw an incredible interview of him and Bebe Anderson by **** Cavett, along with 3 of his films (still on DVR). At a negative, his work comes across as maybe too staged, as in meant for theater rather than film. He'll use stunning visuals, but then when the characters engage each other, it becomes more staged and less visual... not sure I'm explaining that right.

 

[El Floppo]

39.11 WildCard- Branch Rickey & Jackie Robinson breaking the Color Barrier in MLB

 

[Abrantes]

40.15 Giuseppe Tornatore's Nuovo Cinema Paradiso (Movie)

Cinema Paradiso Poster

Alternate Poster

The movie that carries much of the blame for my love of movies. Saw it at an early age and it just put me in a trance right from the start. Again, a simple story with phenomenal acting and one of Morricone's finest soundtracks. Truly beautiful from beginning to end, and that ending is a doozy...

I get the love for this one, but it marks the beginning of a period of supreme shmaltz in Italian film-making IMO- and makes me want to strangle, as much as embrace, this particular movie.

Yeah, I know. Unfortunate, but if the film wasn't so damn good in the first place, no one would've tried to recapture its appeal.

 

[El Floppo]

40.10 Painting, Black Square on White- Malevich

 

[Genedoc]

My apologies if I pick anything that's already been selected. I missed 10 days and I checked the first page, so I think I'm OK. Bonzai did an awesome job playing to his strengths, and our team is better off/more balanced because of it. I asked him to focus on philosophy, non-fiction, and a couple of others, and I'd handle Inventions/Science when I returned.

That said, I'm going to play to my strengths and make a pick I knew I'd make when the draft started. I figured Mendel and Darwin would go early based on name recognition, followed closely by Watson/Crick. All important characters in the field of genetics, no doubt. However, IMHO Watson/Crick get way too much credit. Without them, the structure is discovered pretty imminently anyway. Everyone was looking for it, they simply won the race.

Our modern understanding of genetics, biology, inheritance, etc is a beautiful blending of Mendelian genetics with Darwinian evolution. The two dovetail amazingly. However, neither was aware of the other's work, and they only blend together so beautifully because they were both so, so right and so, so visionary in their science. Even considering how right they were, it took nearly half a century to even begin blending the two together. The link which seems so incredibly obvious now was not remotely obvious, which is why it eluded the best and the brightest for so long. It took the work of a true genius to bridge the gap between the two fields. He was a pioneer in the science of genetics and forms a holy trinity with Mendel and Darwin. He did most of the early work in Drosophila melanogaster, creating a model genetic system from scratch. He is responsible for the discoveries of sex-linked inheritance, epistasis, alleles, early genetic mapping - any one of which would have been enough to have defined a career. However, is largest contribution was discovering that genes were contained within chromosomes, a discovery for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1933, making him the first researcher to win the prize for work in the field of genetics (many more have followed). We take his work for granted now, but it was the critical bridge between Darwin and Mendel. He penned the seminal The Mechanism of Mendelian Heredity, and absolutely nailed it. Looking back at the work of Darwin, Mendel, and Morgan, everything makes beautiful, elegant, brilliant sense. Remove any one of those essential pieces, and who knows what becomes of modern biology and genetics. With that write up, Bonzai and I are proud to add...

41.18 - Scientific Discovery - Thomas Hunt Morgan; Genes are Located on Chromosomes