The southern constellation of Crux, "the cross" // Matt Hughes

The four stars that make up the points of the cross are:

Acrux (α Crucis) at the southern point. It is the 13th brightest star in the night sky and is a sextuple star system. Its name is an Americanism of "Alpha Crucis" created in the 20th century.

Mimosa (β Crucis) at the left point. It is a binary star system. Its name comes from the Latin word for "actor", the same word for the flower of the same name.

Gacrux (γ Crucis) at the northern point. It is the 26th brightest star in the sky, and is a single red giant. Its name is not another modern invention, but seems to be invented by astronomer Elijah Burritt in the early 1800s.

Imai (δ Crucis) at the right point. It is a solitary blue giant. Its name comes from the Mursi people of Ethiopia. As this star sets in the evening sky at dusk in August, it is said that the Omo River rises high enough to flatten the imai grass that grows along its banks.

2017 NFDA Pursuit of Excellence Awards: Funeral Homes Honored for Excellence in Service to Families and Communities

Brookfield, Wis. – The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) is pleased to announce that more than 160 funeral homes have earned the 2017 Pursuit of Excellence Award. This award is presented by NFDA annually to firms that have demonstrated a commitment to raising the bar on funeral service excellence by adhering to strict ethical and professional standards and providing outstanding service to families and communities.

To earn an NFDA Pursuit of Excellence Award, a funeral home must demonstrate proficiency in key areas of funeral service, including compliance with state and federal regulations; providing ongoing education and professional development opportunities for staff; offering outstanding programs and resources to bereaved families; maintaining an active level of involvement in the community; participating and actively serving in the funeral service profession; and promoting funeral home services through a variety of marketing, advertising and public relations programs. Participants are also required to adhere to a Pledge of Ethical Practices.

NFDA will honor the 2017 Pursuit of Excellence Award Recipients on October 30 during the All-Star Recognition Ceremony, which will take place during the 2017 NFDA International Convention & Expo, October 29 through November 1 in Boston, Mass.

Information about the NFDA Pursuit of Excellence program can be found by visiting www.nfda.org/pursuitofexcellence. Registration and application materials for 2018 will be available in late-October 2017.

Best of the Best Award Finalists Announced – NFDA Members to Select Winners All Pursuit of Excellence applicants submitted an essay describing the development and execution of a program or service that had a positive impact on the families they serve or their community, qualifying them for the Best of the Best Award, which recognizes the most novel and innovative programs and services in the profession.

After a thorough review, the Pursuit of Excellence Committee has selected the five finalists for the Best of the Best Award:

NFDA members will, once again, select the recipients of the Best of the Best Award. After reviewing the finalists’ essays, association members will vote for the idea they think is most worthy of the Best of the Best Award. The three firms that earn the most votes will be named the 2017 recipients of the Best of the Best Award.

The 2017 Best of the Best Award finalists are: · Arlington Memorial Chapels, Inc., Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines · Chambers & James, Funeral, Pet & Cremation Services, Wellsburg, W.Va. · Old Bridge Funeral Home, Old Bridge, N.J. · Reynolds Jonkhoff Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Traverse City, Mich. · Spicer-Mullikin Funeral Homes and Crematory, New Castle, Del.

Association members should visit www.nfda.org/pursuitofexcellence to read finalists’ essays and cast their vote. Voting for the Best of the Best Award closes September 8.

NFDA Hall of Excellence Inductees NFDA-member funeral homes are inducted into the Hall of Excellence upon receiving their 10th Pursuit of Excellence Award. In recognition of their consistent display of professional and ethical excellence, four funeral homes will be inducted into the NFDA Hall of Excellence in 2017:

· Lentz Funeral Home, Algona, Iowa · Roller-Owens Funeral Home, North Little Rock, Ark. · Shaughnessey Banks Funeral Home, Fairfield, Conn. · Worlein Funeral Home, Austin, Minn.

2017 NFDA Pursuit of Excellence Award Recipients *Previously inducted into the NFDA Hall of Excellence ***First-time Award Recipient

Abels & French-Hand Funeral Homes, Grundy Center, Iowa *A.H. Peters Funeral Home of Grosse Pointe, Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich. A.H. Peters Funeral Home, Warren, Warren, Mich. *A.J. Desmond & Sons Funeral Directors, Troy, Mich. Anderson & Sons Mortuary, Inc., American Fork, Utah ***Anderson Funeral Home, Alexandria, Minn. ***Anderson Funeral and Cremation Services, Belvidere, Ill. Anderson-Burris Funeral Home & Crematory, Enid, Okla. Arlington Memorial Chapels, Inc., Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines *Arnett & Steele Funeral Home, Inc., Pineville, Ky. Arrington Funeral Directors, Jackson, Tenn. *A.S. Turner & Sons Funeral Home & Crematory, Decatur, Ga. *Baird Funeral Home, Troy, Ohio Ballard-Durand Funeral & Cremation Services, White Plains, N.Y. Baskerville Funeral Home, Wilmington, Ill. Bass Funeral Home, Inc., Gordonsville, Tenn. ***B.C. Bailey Funeral Home, Wallingford, Conn. Brandon G. Thompson Funeral Home, Hammond, La. Brunswick Memorial Home, East Brunswick, N.J. Butler Funeral Home, Bolivar, Mo. *Caldwell & Cowan Funeral Home, Covington, Ga. Cannon Cleveland Funeral Directors, McDonough, Ga. *Cassaday-Turkle-Christian Funeral and Cremation Service, Inc., Alliance, Ohio Chambers & James Funeral, Pet & Cremation Services, Wellsburg, W.Va. Christopher Mitchell Funeral Homes, Inc., Albion, N.Y. Copeland Funeral Service, Beaufort, S.C. ***Cosmopolitan Memorial Chapels, Inc., Cebu City, Philippines *Cozean Memorial Chapel & Crematory, Farmington, Mo. *Cozine Memorial Group, Wichita, Kan. C.R. Lyons & Sons Funeral Directors, Danvers, Mass. Dalin-Hantge Funeral Chapel, Winthrop, Minn. *David C. Brown Funeral Home, Belleville, Mich. *Davis Funeral Home, LLC, Nashua, N.H. Deiters Funeral Home & Crematory, Washington, Ill. *D’Esopo East Hartford Memorial Chapel, East Hartford, Conn. *D’Esopo Funeral Chapel, Wethersfield, Conn. *Dobratz-Hantge Funeral Chapel, Hutchinson, Minn. Duksa Family Funeral Homes at Burritt Hill, New Britain, Conn. *Duksa Family Funeral Homes at Newington Memorial, Newington, Conn. *Dwayne R. Spence Funeral Home, Canal Winchester, Ohio E. Blake Collins Funeral Home, Wilkes Barre, Penn. Emerald Hills Funeral Home and Memorial Park, Kennedale, Texas Emmanuel Johnson Funeral Home, Philadelphia, Penn. ***Ever Rest Funeral Home and Chapel, Muskegon, Mich. Falco Caruso & Leonard Camden Funeral Home, Camden, N.J. Falco Caruso & Leonard Funeral Home, Pennsauken, N.J. Farris Funeral Service and Crematory, Abingdon, Va. Finch & Finch Funeral and Cremation Service, Altavista, Va. Freitas Rupracht Funeral Home, Yerington, Nev. French Funeral Home, Brazil, Ind. Funeraria Hernandez, Pennsauken, N.J. Funeraria La Esperanza S.A., Medellín, Colombia Funeraria San Vicente S.A., Medellín, Colombia *Gamble Funeral Service, Savannah, Ga. Gardinier Funeral Home, Inc., Franklin, Penn. Geisen Funeral Homes, Crown Point, Ind. Geisen-Carlisle Funeral & Cremation Services, Michigan City, Ind. George I. Green Funeral Home, Inc., Munhall, Penn. G.H. Herrmann Funeral Homes, Indianapolis, Ind. *Gorsline-Runciman Funeral Homes, Lansing, Mich. *Gunderson Funeral Home, Madison, Wis. ***Halpin-Bitecola Brookdale Funeral Home, Bloomfield, N.J. Heath Funeral Chapel & Crematory, Lakeland, Fla. *Henderson Funeral Home & Crematory, Pekin, Ill. *Heritage Funeral Home, Nipawin, SK, Canada Holman-Howe Funeral Home, Lebanon, Mo. Howard K. Hill Funeral Services, New Haven, Conn. Hughes Family Tribute Center, Dallas, Texas Hughes-Hantge Funeral Chapel, Hector, Minn. Inglesby & Sons Funeral Home, Pennsauken, N.J. ***Irvin Macz Funeral Homes, Centralia, Ill. James Funeral Home & Northlake Memorial Gardens, Huntersville, N.C. Jennings-Calvey Funeral & Cremation Services, Inc., Clarks Summit, Penn. J. Garcia Lopez Casa Pedregal, Mexico City, Mexico *Johnson-Hagglund Funeral Home and Cremation Service, Litchfield, Minn. Johnson-McBride Funeral Chapel, Glencoe, Minn. *Jones-Wynn Funeral Home & Crematory, Douglasville, Ga. *Jones-Wynn Funeral Home & Crematory, Villa Rica, Ga. *Joseph Vertin and Sons Funeral Home, Breckenridge, Minn. Karrer-Simpson Funeral Home, Port Huron, Mich. *Kerrville Funeral Home, Kerrville, Texas *Kilpatrick Funeral Homes, West Monroe, La. Kimble Funeral Home, Junction, Texas Kok Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Cottage Grove, Minn. ***Kramer Funeral Home – Palouse, Palouse, Wash. ***Krestridge Funeral Home, Levelland, Texas Lakeshore Memorial Services, a Dignity Memorial Provider, Holland, Mich. Lakeside Memorial Funeral Home, Hamburg, N.Y. ***Langley Funeral Home, Camp Hill, Ala. Lentz Funeral Home, Algona, Iowa Leo P. Gallagher & Son Funeral Home, Stamford, Conn. Lord & Stephens Funeral Home, Athens, Ga. Martin & Hightower Funeral Home, Carrollton, Ga. *Martin Funeral, Cremation & Tribute Services – Fairgrove, Fairgrove, Mich. Martin Funeral, Cremation & Tribute Services – Grand Blanc, Grand Blanc, Mich. *Martin Funeral, Cremation & Tribute Services – Mt. Morris, Mount Morris, Mich. *Martin Funeral, Cremation & Tribute Services – Vassar, Vassar, Mich. *Memorial Funeral Home, San Juan, Texas *Memorial Funeral Home, Edinburg, Texas Mercer-Adams Funeral Service, Bethany, Okla. Meredith-Clark Funeral Home, Cremation and Personalization Center, Morgantown, Ind. ***Mililani Memorial Park & Mortuary Chapel, Waipahu, Hawaii *Milward Funeral Directors, Lexington, Ky. ***Molden Funeral Chapel, Bristol, Penn. ***Morada Da Paz, Paulista, PE, Brazil Morgan & Nay Funeral Centre, Madison, Ind. Morris-Baker Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Johnson City, Tenn. Morrissett Funeral & Cremation Service, North Chesterfield, Va. *Myers Mortuary – Roy, Roy, Utah *Myers Mortuary of Brigham City, Brigham City, Utah *Myers Mortuary of Layton, Layton, Utah *Myers Mortuary, Ogden, Utah O’Brien Funeral Home, Brick Location, Brick, N.J. O’Brien Funeral Home, Wall Location, Wall Township, N.J. Oceanside Memorial Home, Lake Como, N.J. *Ochiltree Funeral Service, Winterset, Iowa Old Bridge Funeral Home, Old Bridge, N.J. Oliverie Funeral Home, Manchester, N.J. *Olson Funeral Home and Cremation Service, Sheboygan, Wis. *Patrick T. Lanigan Funeral Home and Crematory, East Pittsburgh, Penn. Pedersen Funeral & Cremation Service, Morris, Minn. *Pixley Funeral Home, Rochester, Mich. *Pray Funeral Home, Inc., Charlotte, Mich. Radney Funeral Home, Alexander City, Ala. Ransford Collon Funeral Home, Caro, Mich. *Reeves Funeral Homes, Ltd., Coal City, Ill. Reichmuth Funeral Home, Elkhorn, Neb. *Reynolds Jonkhoff Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Traverse City, Mich. Roller Coffman-Crouch Funeral Home, Mountain View, Ark. Roller Funeral Home – Paris, Paris, Ark. *Roller Funeral Home, Mountain Home, Ark. *Roller-Chenal Funeral Home, Little Rock, Ark. Roller-Cox Funeral Home, Clarksville, Ark. *Roller-Daniel Funeral Home, Searcy, Ark. *Roller-McNut Funeral Home, Conway, Ark. Roller-McNutt Funeral Home Clinton, Clinton, Ark. Roller-Owens Funeral Home, North Little Rock, Ark. ***Savage-DeMarco Funeral Service, Endicott, N.Y. Seaver-Brown Funeral Service & Crematory, Marion, Va. *Sharer-Stirling-Skivolocke Funeral Home, Alliance, Ohio Shaughnessey Banks Funeral Home, Fairfield, Conn. Smith Family Funeral Home – North Little Rock Funeral Home, North Little Rock, Ark. Spicer-Mullikin Funeral Homes and Crematory, New Castle, Del. St. Peter Chapels, Quezon City, Manila, Philippines *Staab Polk Memorial Home/Cremation Services of Central Illinois, Chatham, Ill. Sunset Funeral Home, Danville, Ill. ***Tetrick Funeral & Cremation Services, Johnson City, Tenn. Tetrick Funeral Home, Elizabethton, Tenn. ***Thomas L. Neilan & Sons Funeral Home, New London, Conn. *Thomas McAfee Funeral Home – Downtown Chapel, Greenville, S.C. Thomas McAfee Funeral Home – Northwest Chapel, Greenville, S.C. Thomas McAfee Funeral Home – Southeast Chapel, Simpsonville, S.C. Titus Funeral Home, Warsaw, Ind. *Twiford Funeral Home, Elizabeth City, N.C. Waid Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Merrill, Wis. Waitt Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Morganville, N.J. Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park & Mortuary, Salt Lake City, Utah Watson Thomas Funeral Home and Crematory, Galesburg, Ill. Weeks’ Dryer Mortuary, Tacoma, Wash. *Weeks’ Enumclaw Funeral Home, Enumclaw, Wash. *Weeks’ Funeral Home, Buckley, Wash. Wieting Family Funeral Home, Chilton, Wis. *Wm. Sullivan & Son Funeral Home, Royal Oak, Mich. *Wm. Sullivan & Son Funeral Home, Utica, Mich. Worlein Funeral Home, Austin, Minn.

NFDA is the world’s leading and largest funeral service association, serving 19,700 individual members who represent more than 10,000 funeral homes in the United States and 49 countries around the world. NFDA is the trusted leader, beacon for ethics and the strongest advocate for the profession. NFDA is the association of choice because it offers funeral professionals comprehensive educational resources, tools to manage successful businesses, guidance to become pillars in their communities and the expertise to foster future generations of funeral professionals. NFDA is headquartered in Brookfield, Wis., and has an office in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.nfda.org.

2017 NFDA Pursuit of Excellence Awards: Funeral Homes Honored for Excellence in Service to Families and Communities published first on YouTube

Both dumped by their girlfriends, two best friends seek refuge in the local mall. Eventually, they decide to try and win back their significant others and take care of their respective nemeses. Credits: TheMovieDb. Film Cast: Rene: Shannen Doherty T.S. Quint: Jeremy London Brodie: Jason Lee Brandi: Claire Forlani Shannon: Ben Affleck Gwen: Joey Lauren Adams Tricia: Renée Humphrey Silent Bob: Kevin Smith Jay: Jason Mewes Willam: Ethan Suplee Stan Lee: Stan Lee Ivannah: Priscilla Barnes Svenning: Michael Rooker La Fours: Sven-Ole Thorsen Security Guard: Carol Banker Arresting Cop #2: Steven Blackwell Pull Toy Kid: Kyle Boe TV Executive #1: David Brinkley Fan Boy: Walt Flanagan Guy Contestant #1: Ethan Flower Girl with Easter Bunny: Chelsea Frye TV Executive #2 – Bentley Garrison: Jeff Gadbois Guy Contestant #2: Ed Hapstak Cop #1: Terry Hempleman Game Show Host: Art James Steve Dave: Bryan Johnson Child at Kiosk #2: Mikey Kovar Fan at Comic Store: David Klein Roddy: Scott Mosier Saleslady at Lingerie Store: Crystal Muirhead-Manik Kid at Poster Kiosk: Tyson Nassauer Gill: Brian O’Halloran Passerby in Parking Lot: Aaron Preusse Child at Kiosk #1: Britt Swenson Teacher: Mary Woolever Team La Fours: Brad Fox Team La Fours: Gino Gori Team La Fours: Zach Perkins Team La Fours: Brad Giddings Team La Fours: Bryce Mack Team La Fours: Christopher O’Larkin Audience Member (uncredited): Earl R. Burt Shopper (uncredited): Tammara Melloy Screaming Girl in Audience (uncredited): Rachel Oliva Shoobie Shake Girl (uncredited): Jessica Sibinski Comic Book Fan (uncredited): Joel Thingvall Film Crew: Supervising Sound Editor: Richard LeGrand Jr. Producer: Sean Daniel Producer: James Jacks Thanks: John Hughes Supervising Music Editor: J.J. George Casting: Don Phillips Writer: Kevin Smith Stunts: Phil Chong Producer: Scott Mosier Stunts: Sven-Ole Thorsen Stunt Coordinator: Robert Apisa Director of Photography: David Klein Original Music Composer: Ira Newborn Editor: Paul Dixon Production Design: Dina Lipton Executive Producer: Caldecot Chubb ADR Mixer: Alan Holly Set Decoration: Diana Stoughton Line Producer: Laura Greenlee Stunts: Chuck Zito Production Supervisor: Beth DePatie Post Production Supervisor: Terra Abroms Foley Artist: Joan Rowe Stunts: Carl Ciarfalio Sound Effects Editor: Charles Maynes ADR Editor: Bob McNabb Makeup Artist: Toni G Main Title Designer: Mike Allred Executive In Charge Of Production: Donna Smith First Assistant Director: Fernando Altschul Stunts: Eric D. Howell Casting Assistant: Ethan Flower Script Supervisor: Carol Banker Second Assistant Director: Louis Shaw Milito Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Michael C. Casper Set Costumer: Roseanne Fiedler Costume Supervisor: Dana Kay Hart Foley Artist: Diane Marshall Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Daniel J. Leahy Location Manager: Ralph B. Meyer Sound Designer: Harry E. Snodgrass Key Makeup Artist: Brigette A. Myre Foley Mixer: James Bolt Sound Editor: William Hooper Sound Recordist: Charlie Ajar Jr. Sound Editor: William Jacobs Costume Design: Dana Allyson Music Supervisor: Kathy Nelson Color Timer: Dennis McNeill Title Designer: Dan Perri Orchestrator: Don Nemitz Stunts: Jake Crawford Prosthetic Makeup Artist: Crist Ballas Supervising ADR Editor: Norval D. Crutcher III Assistant Sound Editor: Samuel Webb Negative Cutter: Gary Burritt Assistant Sound Editor: Michelle Pleis Boom Operator: Anton Herbert Production Coordinator: Lisa Bradley Music Supervisor: Jeff Saltzman First Assistant Editor: Richard J. Rossi Location Manager: Bob Medcraft Art Direction: Sue Savage Cableman: Matthew Magrattan Second Second Assistant Director: Shari Nicotero Assistant Editor: Paul Kieran Hairstylist: Sherry Heart Sound Mixer: Jose Araujo Casting Associate: Dee Dee Wehle Assistant Editor: Elisa Cohen Hair Assistant: Kristin Mosier Movie Reviews: JPV852: Only the second time seeing this (last was probably in the early 2000s on DVD) and thought it was okay but guess like others, this has grown on me. Laughed throughout even when the dialogue wasn’t the greatest, but I have an appreciation...

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