ProShares Financial ETFs resumed trading just around noon, after a two-hour halt in the shares of both the Short Financials ProShares (SEF) and UltraShort Financials ProShares (SKF). At 9:33 a.m., the American Stock Exchange halted trading in the UltraShort ETF after it tumbled $22.44, or 19.4%, to $93 and the Short ETF fell $5, or 8%, to $66. Trading in both resumed about 11:40 a.m.

The sharp decline was a direct result of the Security and Exchange Commission’s early Friday ban on the short selling of financial stocks. Short selling is when investors sell shares first in the expectation that they can buy them back later at a lower price. The ban prevents the shorting of 799 financial stocks. CNBC later reported that General Electric and CIT might be added to the list.

The ProShares ETFs give investors the opportunity to short the financial sector in one trade through a long instrument, or as the company says, buying long to go short. The Short ETF give the inverse return of the Dow Jones U.S. Financials Index and the UltraShort tries to give investors double the negative return on a daily basis.

It appears the halt was caused by ProShares refusal to create new shares. After trading resumed ProShares released a statement saying because of the SEC ban on short selling it did not “expected to accept orders from Authorized Participants to create shares until further notice.” Shares will continue to be redeemed. However, the company added that these shares “may trade at prices that are not in line with their intraday indicative values.”

Ironically, the ProShares ETFs should be a great way for market players to short the financial markets in the wake of the SEC ban, but the halt and the decision, or inability, to issue more creation units throws this into doubt.

ETFs are like mutual funds in that they are both open-end investment companies. They create shares when demand increases and they redeem shares when demand drops. The difference is the mutual fund sells its shares directly to individual investors, but ETFs only sells shares to brokers, dealers and market specialists called Authorized Participants, or APs. The specialist needs to buy all the shares in the index, then trades them with the ETFs for an equal number of ETF shares, this is called the “creation unit”. The trade is called the “in-kind trade,” because its shares for shares. The AP then sells the ETF shares on the stock market to investors like you and I. If there’s more investor demand for shares of an ETF, the AP will buy the stocks to trade for more ETF shares, then sell the new shares into the secondary market in the hopes of making a profit.

However, ProShares short funds don’t hold the stocks or short the stocks in the indexes they track. They hold futures contracts that short the indexes and swap agreements. Swaps are contracts between two parties, in this case the ETF provider and a counter party, to exchange a revenue stream. According to ProShares May 13 annual report, the UltraShort ETF held swap agreements equally 200% of its net assets.

Bob Pisani on CNBC said early this morning that with the short restrictions it’s harder for the counter parties to satisfy their obligations. “With restrictions on the short side, firms either cannot provide the swaps or the price of providing them have increased dramatically because dealers who sell the swaps hedge by shorting.” Pisani added that there are now fewer counter parties available. He said there were just four.

As of May, those four were Bank of America, Credit Suisse, J.P. Morgan Chase and UBS Warburg and Lehman Brothers. But Lehman went bankrupt on Monday and its demise left ProShares scrambling to find someone to take on those swaps.

So, if the cost of the swaps goes way up, the only way to hedge is to charge far more for the hedge option. This could significantly increase the costs on these funds, which already charge the extremely high expense ratio of 0.95% annually.

IndexUniverse reported an interesting tidbit. It said the Rydex 2X Inverse Select Sector SPDR Financials (RFN) ETF, which also gives a negative 200% return, traded even as the ProShares ETFs were halted. Rydex said its creation/redemption mechanism continued to function normally. IndexUniverse attributed this to RFN using mostly options to gain exposure to the financial market instead of swaps. Historically, swaps have given investors a more efficient way to track the market, but the deleveraging of swaps has been a large component of what is going wrong with the financial markets this week. And the short-selling ban has only exacerbated that. Meanwhile, the options market continues to function normally.

So, where does that leave the ETFs that short the market? Will they give short sellers the necessary outlet they need to short the markets? Doubtful, because in the end, the fund try to give investors the return of the index. And the index won’t fall much if the component stocks don’t fall much. And the components won’t fall much because, well, they can’t be shorted. However, this shorting ban puts an artifical floor on the financial sector, and the broader market in general.

The first question to ask is can this ban become permanent. Doubtful. There are too many institutional investors that rely on shorting and this essentially removes from them a significant way to hedge their positions. So, if the ban will be removed, what happens when the SEC removes the ban? Obviously, it’s a big unknown, but if the values are not there and today’s rally is a rally on false pretenses, the shorts could come back and put significant pressure on the market. And when one considers how this came about with now warning and totally screwed all the short sellers, they will be out for revenge. Cold blooded revenge and you may see the worst market decline since 1929. If that happens, this next two weeks may give investors a nice opportunity to pick up the SEF, SKF and RFN at a low price amid low volatility and just wait for floodgates to open. Geronimo!

ProShares Financial ETFs resumed trading just around noon, after a two-hour halt in the shares of both the Short Financials ProShares (SEF) and UltraShort Financials ProShares (SKF). At 9:33 a.m., the American Stock Exchange halted trading in the UltraShort ETF after it tumbled $22.44, or 19.4%, to $93 and the Short ETF fell $5, or 8%, to $66. Trading in both resumed about 11:40 a.m.

The sharp decline was a direct result of the Security and Exchange Commission’s early Friday ban on the short selling of financial stocks. Short selling is when investors sell shares first in the expectation that they can buy them back later at a lower price. The ban prevents the shorting of 799 financial stocks. CNBC later reported that General Electric and CIT might be added to the list.

The ProShares ETFs give investors the opportunity to short the financial sector in one trade through a long instrument, or as the company says, buying long to go short. The Short ETF gives the inverse return of the Dow Jones U.S. Financials Index and the UltraShort tries to give investors double the negative return on a daily basis.

It appears the halt was caused by ProShares refusal to create new shares. After trading resumed ProShares released a statement saying because of the SEC ban on short selling it did not “expect to accept orders from Authorized Participants to create shares until further notice.” Shares will continue to be redeemed. However, the company added that these shares “may trade at prices that are not in line with their intraday indicative values.”

Ironically, the ProShares ETFs should be a great way for market players to short the financial markets in the wake of the SEC ban, but the halt and the decision, or inability, to issue more creation units throws this into doubt.

ETFs are like mutual funds in that they are both open-end investment companies. They create shares when demand increases and they redeem shares when demand drops. The difference is the mutual fund sells its shares directly to individual investors, but ETFs only sell shares to brokers, dealers and market specialists called Authorized Participants, or APs. The specialist needs to buy all the shares in the index, then trades them with the ETF for an equal number of ETF shares. This is called the “creation unit”. The trade is called the “in-kind trade,” because it's shares for shares. The AP then sells the ETF shares on the stock market to investors like you and I. If there’s more investor demand for shares of an ETF, the AP will buy the stocks to trade for more ETF shares, then sell the new shares into the secondary market in the hopes of making a profit.

However, ProShares short funds don’t hold the stocks or short the stocks in the indexes they track. They hold futures contracts that short the indexes and swap agreements. Swaps are contracts between two parties, in this case the ETF provider and a counter party, to exchange a revenue stream. According to ProShares May 13 annual report, the UltraShort ETF held swap agreements equally 200% of its net assets.

Bob Pisani on CNBC said early this morning that with the short restrictions it’s harder for the counter parties to satisfy their obligations. “With restrictions on the short side, firms either cannot provide the swaps or the price of providing them has increased dramatically because dealers who sell the swaps hedge by shorting.” Pisani added that there are now fewer counter parties available. He said there were just four.

As of May, those four were Bank of America, Credit Suisse, J.P. Morgan Chase and UBS Warburg and Lehman Brothers. But Lehman went bankrupt on Monday and its demise left ProShares scrambling to find someone to take on those swaps.

So, if the cost of the swaps goes way up, the only way to hedge is to charge far more for the hedge option. This could significantly increase the costs on these funds, which already charge the extremely high expense ratio of 0.95% annually.

IndexUniverse reported an interesting tidbit. It said the Rydex 2X Inverse Select Sector SPDR Financials (RFN) ETF, which also gives a negative 200% return, traded even as the ProShares ETFs were halted. Rydex said its creation/redemption mechanism continued to function normally. IndexUniverse attributed this to RFN using mostly options to gain exposure to the financial market instead of swaps. Historically, swaps have given investors a more efficient way to track the market, but the deleveraging of swaps has been a large component of what is gone wrong with the financial markets this week. And the short-selling ban has only exacerbated that. Meanwhile, the options market continues to function normally.

So, where does that leave the ETFs that short the market? Will they give short sellers the necessary outlet they need to short the markets? Doubtful, because in the end, the funds try to give investors the return of the index. And the index won’t fall much if the component stocks don’t fall much. And the components won’t fall much because, well, they can’t be shorted. However, this shorting ban puts an artifical floor on the financial sector, and the broader market in general.

The first question to ask is can this ban become permanent. Doubtful. There are too many institutional investors that rely on shorting and this essentially removes from them a significant way to hedge their positions. So, if the ban will be removed, what happens when the SEC removes it? Obviously, it’s a big unknown, but if the values are not there and today’s rally is on false pretenses, the shorts could come back and put significant pressure on the market. And when one considers how this came about with no warning and totally screwed all the short sellers, they will be out for revenge. Cold blooded revenge. And you may see the worst market decline since 1929. If that happens. These next two weeks may give investors a nice opportunity to pick up the SEF, SKF and RFN at a low price amid low volatility and just wait for floodgates to open. Geronimo!

Zainteresowani znajdą na YouTubie także wersję spotu zdubbingowaną na angielski oraz zaadaptowaną kulturowo (vide liczba wypowiedzianych słów) wersję hiszpańskojęzyczną:

Z modnego ostatnio punktu widzenia gender, jest w tych spotach wszystko: i zmiana - czy może raczej dekonstrukcja - płci, i zagranie ze stereotypami, wedle których mężczyźni zawsze zatrzymają się przy wypiętej na drodze kobiecie, ba, nawet delikatne zakwestionowanie heteroseksualności bohaterów. No i oczywiście zaskoczenie, a nawet kilka zaskoczeń, dzięki którym łatwo zapamiętujemy opowiedzianą nam historyjkę. A zaraz potem - i to już raczej na nieszczęście dla producenta - uznajemy, że jej przesłanie jest w takim stopniu prawdziwe, w jakim samo zdarzenie jest prawdopodobne.

Co szokujące dla przybysza znad Wisły, reklama sieci supermarketów ze zdrową żywnością Basic najwyraźniej nikogo tu nie oburza. W internecie znalazłem tylko jedną wzmiankę o plakacie: w raczej prześmiewczym artykule w Suddeutsche Zeitung na temat problemów firmy.

A teraz porównajmy ten odzew z niedawną reakcją Polaków na o niebo subtelniejszą kampanię House'a "Strzeż mnie, Ojcze". Jak widać, ojczyznę Byłego Papieża od ojczyzny jego następcy dzielą w kwestii podejścia do reklamy (i wolności wypowiedzi) całe lata świetlne.

By kontynuować wątek sympatii między narodami Europy środkowej, z tej samej gazety dowiedziałem się, czym podniecają się aktualnie nasi sąsiedzi - ci zachodni:

Na koniec najlepsze: "Bild" zaczął promować wśród Niemców miłość do Polaków (podając ku temu dość oryginalne powody)...

Już jutro zobaczymy, co z tego wyniknie.

Już mniej subtelnie, jak widzimy, śmieją się nasi zachodni sąsiedzi z własnego hymnu (swoją drogą, wyobrażacie sobie reakcję KRRiT oraz wszelakich rad reklamy, gdyby w polskim spocie ktoś lał szerokim strumieniem na melodię Mazurka Dąbrowskiego?) i samych siebie: niemieccy kibice w spocie to krótkowzroczne ofermy i łatwowierne gapy. W przeciwieństwie do nich (i w przeciwieństwie do tego, co widzieliśmy w reklamach amerykańskich), Polacy przedstawieni są jako osobnicy diablo inteligentni. Co znamienne, taki obraz wschodniego sąsiada to już w niemieckiej reklamie tradycja - dość wspomnieć choćby głośny przed laty także nad Wisłą spot Media Marktu, w którym polski spryt i obrotność podniesiony został wręcz do rangi cnoty:

Dziwi w tym wszystkim tylko, że przeciw wspomnianym reklamom protestują tak wspaniale w nich odmalowani Polacy. Skromność nową polską cechą narodową?

Aviso: este post tiene pequeños y ligeros posts, pero, nada del otro mundo, lo que parece de otro mundo es lo que explicamos ahora:

Battlestar Galactica
En un lugar impreciso del Universo existe una avanzada civilización humana que habita en 12 planetas.
De acuerdo a la Mitología de ésta civilización, en el principio de los tiempos todos los seres humanos vivían juntos en un mítico planeta llamado Kobol; ese planeta fue el lugar donde los primeros humanos fueron creados y por lo tanto era la cuna de la humanidad.
Los creadores de la humanidad fueron un grupo de Dioses conocidos como los “Señores de Kobol”; y durante un largo período de tiempo los humanos y sus Dioses convivieron juntos en Kobol, hasta que por razones complejas la Humanidad se dividió en varias tribus.
12 de esas tribus partieron hacia un lugar del espacio donde colonizaron otros tantos planetas (cada planeta ocupado por los humanos se convirtió en una colonia); con el paso del tiempo esos 12 planetas o colonias formaron una República Presidencialista Federal, uniéndose en un sólo país.
Su civilización domina los viajes espaciales con una tecnología muy avanzada, permitiendo navegar a miles de naves espaciales comerciales y militares en viajes de muchos años luz; y como parte de esos avances científicos crearon una “raza” de robots conocida como los Cylons para que trabajaran de obreros y sirvientes para los humanos.

Desafortunadamente para los humanos de ésta civilización, los Cylons desarrollaron una mentalidad propia y comenzaron a sentir que eran explotados como esclavos por unos seres corruptos y decadentes (los humanos) que no merecían el don de la vida; por eso los Cylons se rebelaron contra sus amos y esto dio inicio a una sangrienta guerra entre humanos y máquinas.
Al final de esa primera guerra ni los humanos ni los Cylons habían obtenido la victoria en el terreno militar, ya que las fuerzas estaban muy igualadas; por eso se firmó un tratado de armisticio entre el Gobierno Federal de las Doce Colonias de Kobol y los representantes de las fuerzas Cylons. Ese tratado estipulaba que los Cylons debían retirarse de los planetas de las Colonias de Kobol y de las zonas del espacio cercanas, y establecerse en un planeta muy lejano de los humanos; ni los humanos invadirían el planeta de los Cylons ni estos atacarían a las Colonias. Una estación espacial fue construida en el sector del espacio por donde pasaba la línea imaginaria que separaba los dominios Cylons de los humanos; de acuerdo al tratado cada año debía celebrarse una reunión en esa estación entre diplomáticos de ambas civilizaciones para verificar el cumplimiento de las condiciones del acuerdo de paz y negociar cualquier asunto técnico pendiente entre ambas partes. Sin embargo los Cylons no acudieron a ninguna de las citas anuales durante 40 años, aunque la paz se mantuvo sin incidentes.
Entre tanto los humanos se habían recuperado de la guerra y vivían una aparente etapa de progreso económico y satisfacción social; y se preparaban para celebrar los 40 años de paz. Sin embargo, los Cylons habían consagrado sus esfuerzos a construir una arma secreta: Cylons que parecían humanos, porque eran en realidad cyborgs (seres en parte humanos y en parte máquinas).
Esos nuevos Cylons, idénticos en todo a los humanos (en la sangre, la piel, el sistema alimenticio, los órganos reproductores hasta el punto de poder sostener relaciones sexuales y procrear hijos, etc.); se habían infiltrado durante años en la civilización humana, y algunos para cumplir su misión ni siquiera sabían que eran Cylons porque habían sido reprogramados con falsos recuerdos de vidas humanas que no vivieron con el propósito de que sólo pudieran actuar cuando fueran activados (al estilo de células durmientes).
Una espía Cylon logró acceder al sistema de ordenadores del Ministerio de Defensa de los humanos, gracias a su relación sentimental con un famoso científico que trabajaba en proyectos de defensa (el Doctor Gaius Baltar); y de ésta manera los Cylons pudieron desactivar a casi todas las naves de combate de los humanos y los sistemas de armas de sus bases en tierra. De inmediato lanzaron un devastador ataque por sorpresa con armas de destrucción masiva (principalmente armas nucleares) contra las 12 Colonias o planetas habitados por los humanos.
Miles de millones de seres humanos murieron en el ataque y sólo sobrevivieron unos cuantos miles que estaban en órbita en naves civiles comerciales y de turismo; casualmente el día del ataque se realizaba la ceremonia por la cuál la nave pesada de combate espacial (Battlestar, de acuerdo a la denominación oficial de éste tipo de naves en la civilización de las Colonias de Kobol) llamada “Galáctica” era desincorporada del servicio activo por antigüedad y convertida en un museo flotante. Debido a su tecnología antigua Galáctica no estaba conectada en línea con los ordenadores del Ministerio de Defensa y por eso sus sistemas de armas quedan a salvo. La nave, comandada por el Almirante William Adama (un veterano de la primera guerra contra los Cylons); despliega sus naves cazabombarderos (estacionadas en el interior de Galáctica como los aviones en un Portaaviones) y libra la primera batalla de la nueva guerra contra los Cylons.
Mientras tanto, la Secretaria de Educación (Ministra de Educación) del Gobierno Federal de las 12 Colonias, Laura Roslin; se entera del ataque cuando volvía en una nave civil después de estar presente en la ceremonia a bordo de Galáctica. También se entera que debido a la muerte del Presidente de las 12 Colonias, el Vicepresidente y el resto del Gobierno Federal, ella es ahora la nueva Presidente según las leyes de las Colonias; por lo tanto jura el cargo en su nave y reclama la autoridad política sobre los sobrevivientes de la tragedia.
Roslin y Adama llegan a un acuerdo para compartir el poder (él la autoridad suprema en asuntos militares y ella la autoridad en asuntos civiles y administrativos); y reúnen a las naves con los sobrevivientes para iniciar una desesperada huida ante la implacable persecución de los Cylons.

Es entonces cuando el Almirante Adama se aprovecha de una leyenda de la mitología religiosa de los humanos de las 12 Colonias para vencer la desmoralización que prevalece entre los sobrevivientes; según ese mito o leyenda, existió otra tribu humana, la número 13, que se fue a vivir a un mítico y misterioso planeta llamado Tierra. Aunque los menos religiosos y más escépticos creen que esa tribu nunca existió y que el planeta Tierra tampoco, Adama les dice que sabe como llegar a ese mundo que puede ser su refugio luego del desastre; y la mayoría lo cree. Pero mientras Adama sólo buscaba darles una esperanza, pronto Roslin empieza a tener visiones místicas y a creer que ha sido elegida para llevar a los sobrevivientes a la Tierra, que no es un mito sino una realidad.
La serie transcurre en medio de la guerra entre los humanos sobrevivientes y los cylons que los persiguen, pero también entre las intrigas políticas que suceden dentro de las naves que transportan a los humanos. La Presidente Roslin debe enfrentarse a sus numerosos enemigos políticos que quieren destituirla por no considerarla apta para dirigir los destinos de la especie humana en tan terribles momentos, aunque la mayoría de ellos sólo desean el poder; uno de sus enemigos más poderosos es un ex-terrorista llamado Tom Zarek, que estaba en prisión cuando ocurrió el ataque cylon y fue indultado por la propia Presidenta.
Mientras tanto los militares con Adama a la cabeza desconfían de la capacidad de los políticos civiles para mantener el orden y brindar servicios básicos a una población de refugiados que intentan vivir sus vidas como antes de la tragedia dentro de las naves espaciales; por eso los militares se mueven constantemente en la delgada línea entre mantener su lealtad constitucional a la Presidente Roslin o dar un Golpe de Estado para asumir directamente el poder sobre los sobrevivientes que viajan bajo su amparo.
Otra línea argumental es la de los infiltrados cylons dentro de la flota de sobrevivientes, los cuales crean un ambiente de paranoia entre la población sobreviviente; algunos de ellos son fanáticos anti-humanos leales a la causa cylon, pero otros empiezan a dudar de su misión y a cuestionar sus ideas cuando comienzan a sentirse identificados con los humanos y hasta llegan a enamorarse de sus parejas humanas.
Es el caso de la espía llamada Número Seis (llamada así porque los cylons humanoides son producidos en series donde los miembros de cada serie son idénticos entre sí como hermanos gemelos y sólo existen 12 series distintas, perteneciendo ésta espía a la serie 6); la amante del Doctor Baltar que desactivó las defensas humanas para permitir la masacre cometida por sus hermanos cylons. Aunque es una fanática al principio, su amor por su amante humano hace que empiece a cuestionar los motivos de la guerra contra los humanos.
También es el caso de Sharon Boomer Valerii que se enamora de humanos y le da la espalda a sus hermanos cylons.

basado en Wikipedia y la web original de la serie de Universal

---------------/////---------------

Battlestar Gallactica
The world ended with no warning, and all that was left … was hope.

The Cylons were created by the people of the Twelve Colonies. Intelligent robots, they were used as slaves and soldiers to fight humanity's wars. But the Cylons became sentient and they rebelled. Man and machine fought to a bloody stalemate, then the Cylons withdrew to a remote region of space.

A truce between the Twelve Colonies and the Cylons lasted for 40 tense and silent years. Each year, on the anniversary of the treaty-signing, humanity sent an envoy to the neutral ground of Armistice Station to meet with a Cylon envoy. For 39 years, no Cylon envoy came.

Then, on the 40th anniversary, a stunning blonde — a Cylon in human form — met the human envoy … moments before the Cylons vaporized the station and launched a genocidal attack on the Twelve Colonies.

In one devastating day, billions of human lives were consumed by nuclear fires. Only those souls fortunate enough to be aboard starships were able to band together and escape and flee into deep space, led by the sole surviving Colonial warship, the Battlestar Galactica.

The Galactica and its crew seemed to be unlikely saviors for humanity's fewer than 50,000 desperate survivors. The ship was old and had been about to be decommissioned and turned into a museum when the Cylon attack occurred. In the aftermath its commanding officer, William Adama, found himself responsible for safeguarding the last remnants of the human race.

Meanwhile, the annihilation of the Colonial government on Caprica resulted in the succession of Laura Roslin, the Secretary of Education, to the presidency. Driven by prophetic visions and political necessity, she set the fleet upon a quest that will take it into the farthest reaches of unexplored space … in search of the mythical, lost "13th colony" — Earth.

---------------/////---------------
CAST

WILLIAM ADAMA

The Admiral of the fleet and commanding officer of the battlestar Galactica is an experienced, pragmatic leader who does not stand on ceremony, preferring a simple day uniform with a minimum of insignia. Above all, he considers his crew to be his family. Consequently, his recent decision to abandon many of them on Cylon-occupied New Caprica in order to save the Galactica, the Pegasus and the rest of the fleet from destruction was especially difficult — and his determination to return and rescue the colonists is unshakable.

Actor, producer, director and community activist Edward James Olmos was born and raised in East Los Angeles and spent many years in theatrical roles until his mesmerizing performance in the 1978 dramatic musical Zoot Suit led to a Tony Award nomination. He recreated his role for film in 1981 and went on that year to star in Wolfen. Quickly following were the acclaimed historical drama The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez and Ridley Scott's landmark Blade Runner. His highly popular role as Lieutenant Martin Castillo for five years on the hit series Miami Vice earned Olmos an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award, plus an additional nomination each. He was recently seen as Judge Roberto Mendoza, a Supreme Court hopeful, in episodes of The West Wing.
-----------------------------------
LAURA ROSLIN

The former Colonial Secretary of Education was 43rd in the line of succession when she assumed the presidency of the Twelve Colonies on the day of the Cylon attack. While rising to the challenge of leading the fleet, she also waged a private struggle with breast cancer before being cured by a stem-cell treatment from the human-Cylon infant. Projecting class and confidence, she possesses great innate intelligence and stoicism, and she believes that she is destined to lead humanity to a new home on the legendary "13th colony," Earth. For now, however, having lost the presidency to Gaius Baltar, she has become a teacher in the human settlement on New Caprica.

Two-time Oscar-nominated actress Mary McDonnell has transformed both period and present-day screen roles into dynamic character portrayals. As President Laura Roslin in Battlestar Galactica, she brings to the role a naturalistic depth, strength and compassion few other performers could reach.

Her body of work includes the acclaimed art-house hit Donnie Darko and the lighthearted Nola, a selection of the Tribeca Film Festival in May 2003. She also starred in the Fox drama series Ryan Caulfield: Year One.
-----------------------------------
GAIUS BALTAR

This brilliant but unstable scientist — whose unwitting complicity aided the Cylon slaughter of humanity — recently defeated Laura Roslin to become President of the Twelve Colonies and has now surrendered the fledgling human settlement of New Caprica to its Cylon occupiers. Stylish, handsome, and idiosyncratic, he often displays the false humility of the truly arrogant and also is secretly plagued by unexplained visions of the beautiful Cylon Number Six.

London-born James Callis studied English and related literature at the University of York. After graduating in 1993, he gained a place at the renowned London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, from which he graduated in 1996. Since then, he has appeared in various West End stage productions, as well in film and on TV and radio.
-----------------------------------
NUMBER SIX

She wields her drop-dead looks as a weapon, and her keenly intelligent eyes seem to look straight through Gaius Baltar's self-serving lies. Every move and gesture of this human-form Cylon is smooth and precise. She claims that God talks to her … and she, in turn, talks to Baltar. While her manifestation in Baltar's mind remains incorporeal, her numerous physical bodies each possess varying personalities and roles within the Cylon hierarchy.

Victoria's Secret model Tricia Helfer was born in Donalda, Alberta, Canada. The 1992 Ford Supermodel of the World winner and former Elite model has graced the covers of such magazines as Elle, Amica Italia and Cosmopolitan UK, and has walked the runways for Christian Dior, Givenchy, Claude Montana, Emanuel Ungaro and other top fashion designers. Besides Victoria's Secret, she has appeared in advertisements for clients including Giorgio Armani, Oil of Olay and Saks Fifth Avenue.
-----------------------------------
LEE ADAMA “APOLLO”

This former Viper pilot (callsign "Apollo") and only surviving son of Admiral Adama has been promoted to commanding officer of the battlestar Pegasus. Although he controls his emotions as he would a fighter craft, his critical role in humanity's fight for survival has forced him to acknowledge and accept the trauma of his brother Zak's death, a process that has left him closer both to his father and to Zak's one-time fiancée, Kara Thrace. Despite this newfound commitment to family and friends, his loyalty to the law and to his own moral code still rules his actions.

Jamie St. John Bamber Griffith was born in London to an American father, Ralph, and a Northern Irish mother, Liz. He spent his early school years in Paris, where his father worked as a management consultant. His mother had trained and worked as an actress in London before starting a family and moving to France. Jamie is one of seven siblings, having a younger brother and a younger sister as well as four older half-brothers from his father's first marriage, all of whom were raised as a single family. It was Jamie's mother who first awakened his love of drama while she ran a children's theater group at the American Cathedral in Paris; his first role was as the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz, cast by his mother, who as yet lacked a daughter.
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KARA THRACE “STARBUCK”

The fleet's most experienced, impulsive, and rebellious Viper pilot (callsign "Starbuck") has left the Galactica and the military behind to join the settlement on New Caprica with her husband Samuel Anders. Now she finds herself confronted with life under the Cylon occupation — an ordeal of restriction and fear that she finds intolerable.

Katee Sackhoff starred opposite Richard Dreyfuss and Marcia Gay Harden in the CBS series The Education of Max Bickford, and on the big screen played opposite Jamie Lee Curtis in Dimension Films' Halloween: Resurrection. She has also appeared in such feature films as Christine Lahti's My First Mister.
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SHARON VALERII “ATHENA”

Sharon was a well-liked rookie Raptor pilot (callsign "Boomer") until her true identity as a Cylon was revealed — by her attempted public assassination of William Adama. One of her multiple copies became romantically involved with Helo on Caprica, surrendered to custody aboard the Galactica to remain near him, and has since aided the humans against her own people. She bore a daughter, who she and Helo named Hera, and who Sharon believes was murdered on the orders of Adama and Roslin. Her grudge for this perceived betrayal is profound. Regardless, welcomed once more into the ranks of the Galactica's crew, this new avatar of Sharon has resumed her duties as a pilot, with a new callsign: "Athena."

In just a few short years, Grace Park has managed to rack up an impressive list of credits, including the feature Romeo Must Die, the telefilm L.A. Law: The Movie and the popular CBC teen series Edgemont, in which she played Shannon Ng in the ensemble cast. She has appeared on such series as Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction, The Outer Limits, Dark Angel, The Immortal (in which she played the recurring role of Mikiko) and the SCI FI Original Series Stargate SG-1 ("Proving Ground"). She holds a degree in psychology and speaks English and Korean, along with some French and Cantonese. Currently, she is studying Spanish.
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KARL AGATHON “HELO”

Sharon Valerii's former ECO (Electronic Countermeasures Officer) and fellow Raptor pilot (callsign "Helo") was stranded on Cylon-occupied Caprica after the initial attack. There, he met another copy of Sharon, fell in love with her, and eventually returned with her to the Galactica to await the birth of their child, Hera. Recently promoted to executive officer of the Galactica, he struggles to balance his very real loyalty to humanity's fight for survival with his equally real love for the Cylon mother of his child.

A relative newcomer to film and television, in 2003 Tahmoh Penikett was cast as Detective Ray Chase during the final season of the critically acclaimed Canadian TV series Cold Squad. His performance on that series earned him a LEO Award nomination.
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SAUL TIGH

The Galactica's executive officer is the best man for Adama to have at his side — even if Tigh is tightly wound, moody, and a highly functional alcoholic. Although goaded by his wife, Ellen, to seize the reins of power, he has struggled to resist — because the last thing he wants is to be in command. Proving his loyalty to Adama, he spent most of New Caprica's first year of existence aboard the nearly deserted Galactica before finally moving down to the new settlement — just in time for the Cylon arrival. Now, under enemy occupation and cut off from his ship and commander, Tigh must at last become a leader — in the human resistance movement.

One of Canada's most respected actors, Michael Hogan is the patriarch of a fledgling dynasty: His wife, Susan Hogan, has appeared in dozens of films since the '70s, including The Brood, Narrow Margin and Disturbing Behavior, while their son, Gabriel Hogan, has worked in film and TV since his teens and starred in the ESPN ensemble drama Playmakers.
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GALEN TYROL

The Galactica's deck chief has spent a lifetime caring for big machines and the people who fix them. In the process, he has become the kind of man for whom his crew would do anything. After learning that his lover Sharon was a Cylon and then losing her to Helo, he has started a relationship with Specialist Cally, a member of his devoted crew. He moved with Cally to New Caprica, married her, and fathered a child with her. Always looking out for the little guy, Tyrol rallied his fellow workers to protest President Baltar's treatment of the settlement's laborers, and, in the wake of the Cylon occupation, has become a resistance leader.

Featured in such recent films as John Woo's Paycheck, the remake of Walking Tall, the Pitch Black sequel The Chronicles of Riddick and Alex Proyas' Isaac Asimov adaptation I, Robot, Vancouver native Aaron Douglas is one of the hardest-working actors in "Hollywood North."
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FELIX GAETA

The former senior officer of the watch in the Galactica's Combat Information Center (CIC) now serves as an aide to President Baltar on New Caprica. He's a multitalented man who once hoped to use the military as a decorous path to a prestigious career, only to see his ambitions crushed by the Cylon attack. Still, his high-achieving nature has not rendered him cold and emotionless; he has revealed both compassion and loyalty even as he positions himself in close proximity to the fleet's power brokers.

Born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, Alessandro Juliani made his television debut at the age of 11, as Julio, the piano-playing street-kid on the 1986 MacGyver Christmas Special. Critics and audiences raved, but they would have to wait almost a decade before Juliani returned to the small screen, showing his range as a unibrowed transsexual alien in the short-lived but imaginative television series Welcome to Paradox.
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ANASTASIA DUALLA

Anastasia Dualla served in the Galactica's Combat Information Center (CIC) before transferring to the battlestar Pegasus. She is no-nonsense, tough and pragmatic — even when falling in love. After a relationship with President Roslin's assistant Billy Keikeya, she found herself falling for Lee Adama, and it's no coincidence that the two now serve together aboard his ship. She was the first to spot the Cylon fleet as it bore down on New Caprica, and she remains aboard the Pegasus now that it has retreated from the human settlement.

Though her professional acting career is barely older than the new millennium, African-Canadian Kandyse McClure became a popular new face through the Fox Family series Higher Ground (with future Star Wars star Hayden Christensen) and NBC's Saturday-morning series Just Deal. This "young Halle Berry" went on to become a rising SF star through her recurring role as Elizabeth Munroe on Showtime's Jeremiah.
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D’ANNA BIERS

A beautiful and confident member of the Cylon leadership, one of her copies gained unprecedented access to the Galactica's officers and crew by posing as a Fleet News Service reporter producing a documentary about the military. Among the Cylons, her model is also known as Number Three.

New Zealand native Lucy Lawless is best known to American audiences for her starring role as the fierce and beautiful title character of Xena: Warrior Princess, which thrilled audiences worldwide for six years.
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TOM ZAREK

On the day of the attack, political activist Zarek was serving 20 years in prison for terrorist acts against the government of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol. In the profoundly different atmosphere after the Cylon attack, he gained support in the fleet through his outspoken criticism of President Roslin, was elected to the Quorum of Twelve as the representative of Sagittaron, and eventually served as the campaign manager who won the election for Gaius Baltar. His commitment to humanity's survival is indubitable, but his methods remain extreme.

As an actor, Richard Hatch has enjoyed international recognition for more than two decades. He has starred in such series as The Streets of San Francisco and the original Battlestar Galactica, for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. These two series continue to play throughout the world today. In addition, Hatch
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GLOSSARY

actual — Term used to refer to the commanding officer of a vessel during radio communications. One would ask to speak to "Galactica actual" to converse directly with its commander, who would identify himself or herself by saying, "This is actual."

ambrosia — Popular alcoholic beverage

Beast, the — Nickname for the battlestar Pegasus

Bucket, the — Nickname for the battlestar Galactica

Blackbird — Stealth fighter built by Chief Tyrol in the episode "Flight of the Phoenix." Covered in a carbon composite skin, the Blackbird is invisible to dradis and, when operating in deep space, almost imperceptible to the naked eye. In the episode "Resurrection Ship, Part 1," Starbuck uses the Blackbird to fly undetected into the Cylon fleet and take reconnaissance photos.

"boxed" — Cylon term for the cold storage of Cylon memories, usually employed when a reborn Cylon is unable or unwilling to integrate back into Cylon society

C-Bucks — Nickname for the Caprica Buccaneers, a Pyramid team representing the colony of Caprica

Caprica Six — Name given to the Number Six Cylon who was responsible for the infiltration of the Colonial Defense Network. This infiltration allowed the Cylon fleet to overwhelm the defenses of the Twelve Colonies and the Colonial Fleet, leading to the near-annihilation of the human race. Caprica Six and the Number Eight model Sharon who infiltrated the Galactica are considered "heroes of the Cylon."

CBDR — "Constant Bearing, Decreasing Range." Describes a collision course between two objects.

chamalla — Natural extract used as an alternative, holistic treatment for a variety of ailments, including cancer. Priests often use chamalla in religious rituals because they believe it induces visions with which they can predict the future. While taking chamalla to treat her breast cancer, President Laura Roslin had visions that predicted events foretold in the sacred Scrolls of Pythia.

cubits — Colonial unit of currency

Cylon centurion — Metallic variety of Cylon that later evolved into the more advanced, human-looking variant. Also known as "chrome-jobs" and "toasters."

deck gang — Refers to personnel on Colonial space vessels who are responsible for the repair and maintenance of military or civilian aircraft; also referred to as "knuckledraggers"

dradis — Colonial Military equivalent of radar

frak — The Battlestar Galactica equivalent of the "F-Word"

FTL — "Faster-than-Light." Actually a misnomer when used to describe the space-folding drive employed by the Galactica and ships in the Colonial fleet capable of making instantaneous "jumps" across vast distances in space. Colonial Military reconnaissance aircraft known as Raptors are capable of making short jumps to scout ahead of the fleet. Priming an FTL drive for a jump is referred to as "spooling up."

full colors — The "Royal Flush" of Pyramid Poker

human-Cylon hybrid — Offspring of Helo and Sharon. Mastering biological reproduction is a major objective of the Cylons.

New Caprica — Planet located inside a nebula that blinds Cylon sensors. Colonized by order of newly elected President Gaius Baltar and named in honor of a devastated colony world. Invaded and occupied by Cylon forces within one year of being settled.

nugget — Pilot with little or no experience

Picon Panthers — Commander Adama's favorite Pyramid team

pyramid — Sport popular throughout the Twelve Colonies. Resembles a combination of basketball and rugby.

Quorum of Twelve — Political council with representatives from each of the Twelve Colonies

resurrection chamber — Liquid-filled chamber designed for the rebirth of slain human-form Cylons. Rebirth is often traumatic, so other Cylons are present to ease returning Cylons back into the world.

resurrection ship — Vessel employed by Cylons to resurrect Cylons who die far from their homeworld. The exact range of the Cylons' "upload" ability is not known, but Cylons operating more than several light-years from the homeworld require these ships as an essential support mechanism.

RFN — "right frakking now"

sacred scrolls — Set of writings that form the basis of the polytheistic Colonial religion. They contain a history of humanity and recount life on Kobol before the great exodus and the legend of Earth. The Scroll of Pythia is believed by some to foretell humanity's current exodus from the Twelve Colonies.

sit-rep — "situation report"

skin-job — Slang term used by humans for the human-looking variety of Cylon

stims — Stimulants, often used to function for long periods of time without sleep. In the episode "33," Viper pilots resorted to taking stims when they were forced to fend off Cylon attacks every 33 minutes for five consecutive days without rest.

tylium — Mineral that can be refined into a vital fuel and power source for space vessels. In the episode "The Hand of God," Apollo leads a Viper squadron against a Cylon-controlled tylium refinery.
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ALGUNAS IMÁGENES DE LA TEMPORADA 1

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ALGUNAS IMÁGENES DE LA TEMPORADA 2

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ALGUNAS IMÁGENES DE LA TEMPORADA 3

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SIMPSONSTAR GALLACTICA

Dziś próbka tej nowej, powyborczej twórczości, inspirowana nie lada jubileuszem: 65 lat temu (19 listopada 1942) zaczął się pod Stalingradem kontratak wojsk radzieckich na pozycje niemieckie – ofensywa, która zadecydowała o losach III Rzeszy. Uczcimy ten fakt, oglądając najbardziej niemieckiego (z racji pochodzenia) i radzieckiego (z racji urodzenia) z polskich polityków i jego obwoźne show, stylizowane na komedię o pewnym Adolfie:

Pobyt jak najbardziej się udał (ale idealny nie był). Bawiłam się naprawdę świetnie i na brak wspomnień nie narzekam. Moja chrześnica jest absolutnie świetna. Kocham sposób w jaki się uśmiecha. Małe dzieci mają ten dziwny urok, który sprawia, że szybko uczymy się je kochać. Oczywiście magie przerywa głośny płacz, obowiązki i inne nieprzyjemności. Ale już teraz jestem pewna, że bardzo chciałabym mieć dziecko…, niestety nie jestem wiatropylna, więc jeszcze sobie poczekam :P

Na lotnisku pojawiły się nowe środki bezpieczeństwa. Nie wolno przewozić w bagażu podręcznym niczego co ma więcej niż 100ml. W drodze do Niemiec skonfiskowano mi antyperspirant, a podczac kontroli przed powrotem do Polski, kazano mi zostawić żel tonizujący do twarzy. Codownie :] Szczęśliwym zbiegiem okoliczności największa z butelek moich perfum miała 50ml, bo nie potrafiłabym zostawić mojego Miss Dior - Cherie.

Dariusowi nie udało się mnie upoić tym razem. Natomiast mój stryjek czuł się w obowiązku dać mu nauczkę (za to jak straciłam pamięć na imprezie w lutym ubiegłego roku). Nie rozcieńczona brandy zaowocowała ostrym bólem głowy następnego dnia. Biedny Darius :P Haha pod koniec mówił już takie głupstwa (których wstydził się następnego dnia)!
4 rano, rozmowa po przetłumaczeniu:

D - chciałbym się znaleźć w moim łóżku
Ja - wyobrażam sobie (śmiech)
D - o, chciałabyś być w moim łóżku?!
Ja - tego nie powiedziałam!
D - ale pomyślałaś
Ja - (myślę nad ripostom, żeby zyskać na czasie zaczynam się śmiać)
D - wiem, że chciałabyś pójść ze mną do lóżka, spać ze mną
Ja - (czerwona jak burak otwieram usta żeby coś powiedzieć)
D - Lila, C. powiedziała, że dzisiaj śpi u mnie!
L - (śmiech), skoro tak…
D - zaraz zapytam Chrisa (mój stryjek), czy nie ma nic przeciwko
Ja - nie !
D - racja, jesteśmy dorośli, możemy robić co chcemy
(….)
L O O O L

Było naprawdę wiele zabawnych dialogów. Ten był najostrzejszy i pomimo lekkiego upojenia pamiętam go z detalami. Zabawnie było kiedy ciotka powiedziała, że D. jest dla mnie “za stary”, albo kiedy z D. kłóciliśmy się na forum o piłkę nożną i kuzyn zakończył dyskusje twierdzeniem “I właśnie dlatego Darius nie ma dziewczyny”. Takie chwile powinny żyć wiecznie. Żałuję, że nie potrafię ich lepiej zobrazować. Dla kogoś kto nie był tego świadkiem, te sytuacje mogą wydawać się przeciętne, malozabawane; tymczasem JA - która to przeżyła i której to dotyczy, turlałam się ze śmiechu.

Jak donosi dziś PAP, bawarska minister sprawiedliwości Beate Merk przygotowuje projekt ustawy, która uczyni szydzenie z tego, w co wierzą katolicy, przestępstwem federalnym. Po zaakceptowaniu przez bawarski rząd (co wydaje się formalnością, zważywszy na nastroje we władającej landem CSU) projekt ma zostać przedłożony w izbie wyższej niemieckiego parlamentu – Bundesracie.

Zniesienia w Niemczech wolności słowa ostro domaga się bliski współpracownik szefowej Związku Wypędzonych Eriki Steinbach, premier Bawarii Edmund Stoiber. Bezpośrednim powodem wprowadzenia zakazu mówienia, co się myśli o religii, ma być zgoda sądu na wyemitowanie w zeszłym roku przez MTV serialu animowanego "Popetown", pokazującego z przymrużeniem oka, jak na co dzień wygląda życie w Watykanie.

Poniżej pierwszy odcinek kreskówki. Specjalnie dla każdego, kto chciałby się dowiedzieć, czego bawarscy katolicy, gdyby tylko mogli, nie pozwoliliby mu obejrzeć:

[dailymotion id=L4Qn2kjQl87Pm2Pkp]

NA PONIŻSZYM ZDJĘCIU WSKAŻ MISS NIEMIEC:

W razie problemów, zadanie alternatywne: zamknij oczy i wyobraź sobie po kolei seks z każdą z przedstawionych niewiast, a następnie odpowiedz na pytanie: Która była z pejczem?

Knut, mimo że łagodny i przyjaźnie do ludzi nastawiony, ma jednak wrogów. Są nimi, jak się znienacka okazało parę dni temu, działacze z pewnej organizacji "broniącej praw zwierząt". Ludzie ci, którym dobro zagrożonych gatunków leży najwyraźniej na sercu równie mocno, co obrońcom Rospudy czyste powietrze (zwłaszcza nad Augustowem), domagają się, by niedźwiadka natychmiast przestać karmić, każąc mu zdychać w męczarniach – skoro bowiem w naturze nie przeżyłby bez matki, umożliwienie mu przeżycia w zoo wydaje się gwałtem na prawie naturalnym.

Czy niemieccy ekologowie pójdą o krok dalej i – wyciągnąwszy wnioski z faktu, iż ludzie również są zwierzętami – zaczną się domagać likwidacji domów dziecka, ośrodków adopcyjnych, aptek i szpitali, na razie nie wiadomo.

[googlevideo=http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=2103841859203199562]