Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Disney Club 33 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Club 33 is a private club located in the heart of the New Orleans Square section of Disneyland. Officially maintained as a secret feature of the theme park, the entrance of the club is located next to the Blue Bayou Restaurant at "33 Royal Street" with the entrance recognizable by an ornate address plate with the number 33 engraved on it. When riding Pirates of the Caribbean, just as the ride departs, the Blue Bayou restaurant is visible, but the balconies above it are actually a part of Club 33.

Club 33 members and their guests have exclusive access to the club's restaurant, and the premises are not open to the public at large. It is the only location within Disneyland to offer alcoholic beverages, though Disneyland has a park-wide liquor license and has set up bars throughout the park for private events. Club 33's wine list includes vintages priced at $200. In addition to beer and wine, Club 33 has a full bar, though patrons may not order directly from the bar and must place orders through their server.

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[edit] Origin

When Walt Disney was working with various corporate promoters for his attractions at the 1964–1965 New York World's Fair, he noted the various "VIP Lounges" provided as an accommodation for the corporate elite. This gave him the idea that culminated in Club 33. When New Orleans Square was planned, this special area for corporate sponsors and VIPs was included. Disney asked artist Dorothea Redmond to paint renderings and hired Hollywood set director Emil Kuri to decorate the facility.[1] While originally intended for exclusive use by Disneyland's Corporate sponsors and other industry VIPs, when Club 33 opened in May 1967—five months after Disney's death—individual memberships were also offered.

The door to Club 33 at Disneyland.

[edit] Interior

To enter Club 33, a guest must press a buzzer on an intercom concealed by a hidden panel in the doorway. (At one time, a member needed only to insert his/her membership card in a slot near the buzzer and the door would open. However, this process no longer works.) A receptionist will ask for their name over the intercom and, if access is granted, open the door to a small, ornate lobby. Guests have the option of going to the dining level via an antique-style glass lift. The lift is an exact replica of one Disney saw and fell in love with during a vacation in Paris, but the owner of the original refused to sell. Undaunted, Disney sent a team of engineers to the Parisian hotel to take exact measurements for use in the creation of a replica; even a sample of the original finish was taken so that it could be duplicated. A staircase to the second level wraps around the lift.[citation needed]

The second level has two dining rooms. One room (the Trophy Room) has dark wood paneling; the other room (the Main Dining Room) is more formal but has a lighter environment.[2][3]

Once at the dining level, guests can view antique furniture pieces collected by Lillian Disney. The walls are adorned, in part, with butterflies pinned under glass and hand-painted animation cels from the original Fantasia film. Walt Disney also handpicked much of the Victorian bric-a-brac in New Orleans antique stores.[2][4]

The club is also furnished with props from Disney films. There is a fully functional glass telephone booth just off the lift that was used in The Happiest Millionaire and an ornate walnut table with white marble top that was used in Mary Poppins. A video capture from the film on display atop the table shows actors Karen Dotrice, Matthew Garber and David Tomlinson standing immediately to its left. A newly-installed bar prepares drinks for members and their guests.[2][4]

A harpsichord which was rumored to have been an antique was in fact custom-built for Lillian Disney specifically for use in Club 33. The underside of the lid features a Renaissance-style painting that was actually done by Disney artists. Elton John has played this harpsichord, and it can be played by anyone who sits at it.[2]

Walt Disney also wanted to make use of Audio-Animatronic technology within Club 33. Microphones in overhead lighting fixtures would pick up the sounds of normal conversation while an operator would respond via the characters. Though the system was never fully implemented, it was partially installed and remains so to this day. An Audio-Animatronic vulture is perched in one corner of the club's "Trophy Room." The microphones are clearly visible at the bottom of each of the room's lighting fixtures. The animal trophies (Walt inherited them from a friend), for which the room was named, have been removed by Disney family members. Photos of the room with the trophies still installed can be seen on the walls now.[2][4]

In the dining room area one may walk through a door leading to the balcony. The balcony overlooks the water in the New Orleans area of the park. The shows often put on there are also very visible from the balcony.

Disneyland guests participating in the "Walk In Walt's Footsteps" tour are provided entrance to the lobby of Club 33. The tour guide will provide a brief history of the club and explain some of the artifacts in the lobby. The tour members may be photographed in the lift, but are not allowed upstairs.[5]

[edit] Tokyo Disneyland's Club 33

A second Club 33 is located in Tokyo Disneyland. Rather than being located in New Orleans Square, it is located on Center Street off World Bazaar. Members of Disneyland's Club 33 do not have reciprocal privileges in Tokyo Disneyland's Club 33.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ [1] Snopes.com description of Club 33.
  2. ^ a b c d e [2] Bloomberg News article on Club 33.
  3. ^ [3] Site documenting Club 33, with photos.
  4. ^ a b c [4] Napa Valley Register article on Club 33.
  5. ^ [5] Walk in Walt's Footsteps tour page from Disneyland website.

[edit] External links

Note: these websites are not official representations of Disneyland or Club 33. Neither Disney nor Club 33 maintain an official public website for the Club.

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Fantasyland
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Mickey's House and Meet Mickey · Minnie's House · The Barnstormer at Goofy's Wiseacre Farm · Donald's Boat · Chip 'n Dale's Treehouse · Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin · Gadget's Go Coaster · Toontown Hall of Fame · Judge's Tent · Toon Park
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Posted via email from Tony Burkhart

Dressing in Cat3 voice runs by AT+T demarcation

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Posted via email from Tony Burkhart

GSM Cell Phone Interception and Privacy concerns at Defcon


Privacy concerns at Defcon

July 22nd, 2010 by Chris in Uncategorized

I’m planning to give a pretty spectacular demonstration of cellphone insecurity at Defcon, where I will intercept the cellular phone calls of the audience without any action required on their part. As you can imagine, intercepting cellphone calls is a Very Big Deal so I wanted to announce at least some of the plan to reassure everyone of their privacy.

First and foremost – I’m not just making this stuff up. I know when to get advice from a good lawyer, and in this case I’m taking the advice of the very best there is: the EFF. They’ve been kind enough to offer their help and I’m taking it – this is what we’ve worked out.

1. If you’re in an area where your cellphone calls might be intercepted, there will be prominent warning signs about the demo including the time and date as well as a URL for more info. This will be the only time when unknown handsets will be allowed to connect; at all other times only pre-registered handsets will be granted access. You will be clearly warned that by using your cellphone during the demo you are consenting to the interception, and that you should turn your cellphone off during that time if you do not consent. A recorded message with essentially the same info will also be played whenever a call is made from the demo network.

2. The demo itself will be performed from a machine with no hard drive, only a USB key for local storage. At the end of the demo this USB key (including all logs, recordings, and other data) will be handed over to the EFF for destruction. No logs, recordings or other data will be exported from the machine except as necessary to connect calls during operation.

3. Transmit power will be kept to a maximum of 250mW (for comparison, a handset is typically 2W) and will comply with all relevant FCC regulations to operate in the band.

4. At all times, for all connected handsets, a best-effort will be made to connect calls successfully to their destination. It is unlikely that any 911 service can be provided, however a best effort will be made to connect any emergency calls to a suitable local destination.

Also, to be clear, my demonstration should not affect handsets on Verizon or Sprint in any way. The technology I’m working with is GSM and these are not GSM networks; if your handset is not capable of GSM (it must have a SIM card) then it will not possible for your calls to be intercepted by my equipment. That said, I invite all of my attendees to bring a GSM cellphone with them and participate – the more the merrier!

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Posted via email from Tony Burkhart

Sixteen Years in Prison for Videotaping the Police? | MAINE CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION

Sixteen Years in Prison for Videotaping the Police?

The ACLU of Maryland is defending Anthony Graber, who potentially faces sixteen years in prison if found guilty of violating state wiretap laws because he recorded video of an officer drawing a gun during a traffic stop.  In a trend that we've seen across the country, police have become  increasingly hostile to bystanders recording their actions.  You can read some examples herehere and here.

However, the scale of the Maryland State Police reaction to Anthony Graber's video is unprecedented.  Once they learned of the video on YouTube, Graber's parents house was raided, searched, and four of his computers were confiscated.  Graber was arrested, booked and jailed.  Their actions are a calculated method of intimidation.  Another person has since been similarly charged under the same statute.

The wiretap law being used to charge Anthony Graber is intended to protect private communication between two parties.  According to David Rocah, the ACLU attorney handling Mr. Graber's case, "To charge Graber with violating the law, you would have to conclude that a police officer on a public road, wearing a badge and a uniform, performing his official duty, pulling someone over, somehow has a right to privacy when it comes to the conversation he has with the motorist."

http://www.mclu.org/node/653#

Posted via email from Tony Burkhart

Slavery bill H.R. 5741 is now in debate

http://www.examiner.com/x-60483-Long-Beach-City-Buzz-Examiner~y2010m7d26-Slavery-bill-HR-5741-is-now-in-debate

H.R. 5741 is currently being argued in the house of representatives. If passed, H.R. 5741 will give the president the power to require 2 years of compulsory service from every US resident between ages 18 and 42.That's not a misprint: everyone between ages eighteen and forty-two will be required to serve in any capacity at the president's whim.
This bill will destroy US commerce as citizens are reassigned to service. The bill's sponsor is Charles Rangel, a democrat from New York. The bill does not yet have a co-sponsor. It was introduced on July 15th and is now before the armed services committee. 

Posted via email from Tony Burkhart