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Fan Generated Bruce Springsteen Film to Hit Theaters in July A Ridley Scott-produced film about Bruce Springsteen will hit theaters around the world during a one-time event on July 22. The film, Springsteen & I, was put together by music video director Bailie Walsh, and is comprised of videos contributed by various fans, including footage of Springstreen performing with his E Street Band. The film was created after its producers sent out a request for fans to send videos recording their personal insights and reflections on how Springsteen and his music had affected their lives. As a result, Springsteen & I explores the bond between the musician and his fans. The trailer for the movie is available above and tickets to the screenings will go on sale on June 4, along with information about cinema locations.

Selma Cinema Movie Showtimes 2705 Cinema Way Selma CA 93662 map Listening Devices available Accessible to Disabled Audiences Prices:adult: 9.00, senior: 6.50, child: 6.50 11:10am, 1:40pm, 4:00pm, 6:20pm, 8:35pm 11:20am, 1:50pm, 4:20pm, 6:50pm, 9:15pm 12:00pm, 1:10pm, 3:30pm, 4:10pm, 6:30pm, 7:10pm, 9:30pm 11:30am, 2:00pm, 4:30pm, 7:00pm, 9:40pm 11:50am, 2:20pm, 4:50pm, 7:20pm, 9:45pm User reviews on Selma Cinema Small but nice. Their ads are local, and often have businesses/restaurants that I have not heard of in Selma. The lines are usually short, and they have discounts for seniors. The staff is relaxed and friendly.

MUSTAFA KHALIL, 88 Egyptian peace negotiator Mustafa Khalil, a former Egyptian prime minister who was an architect of the 1979 Camp David peace treaty between Egypt and Israel, died late Saturday in a Cairo hospital where he was being treated for an unspecified illness, said the Egyptian state news agency, MENA. Mr. Khalil, as former secretary-general of the ruling Arab Socialist Union party, accompanied Egyptian President Anwar Sadat on his historic visit to Jerusalem in November 1977. The visit paved the way for the negotiations mediated by President Jimmy Carter. Mr. Khalil, who was prime minister from 1978 to 1980, then headed the Egyptian team in negotiations with the Israelis at Camp David, which ended with the 1979 peace deal, the first between an Arab nation and Israel. "Khalil contributed in serving the country for over 50 years and took part in making peace and building the basis of development," former U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali told MENA. "We continued negotiations together that ended in the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty that launched the peace process in the region. Mr. Boutros-Ghali, as deputy prime minister for foreign affairs, also went with Mr. Sadat on the Jerusalem trip and participated in the negotiations. DINO RISI, 91 Master of the Italian comedy Director Dino Risi, an Oscar-nominated master of the Italian comedy who combined a light touch with a merciless look at the flaws of his compatriots, died Saturday in his Rome apartment, officials said. Mr. Risi was acclaimed as a father of the Italian comedy for his ability to mix the funny with the tragic. His comedies were ferocious satires of the habits and flaws of Italians, often featuring unflattering characters such as the superficial charlatan, the cheating husband and the immoral father. But the chilling, sometimes tragic, endings of some of his movies showed depth and moral rigor behind the laughs. "I feel a great pain for his death. His movies were beautiful and funny," said actress Sophia Loren. "With Dino Risi's death, Italy loses a noble and vital father of its cinema and its culture," Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno said in a statement. During a career that spanned decades, Mr. Risi worked with some of the finest Italian actors, including Ms. Loren, Vittorio Gassman and Alberto Sordi. His hits include Poveri ma belli (Poor But Beautiful) in 1957 and Il Sorpasso (The Easy Life) in 1962, starring Mr. Gassman and Jean-Louis Trintignant as an improbable pair traveling toward a tragic end during an Italian summer. In 1974, Mr. Risi directed Profumo di Donna (Scent of a Woman), which received Oscar nominations for best foreign language movie and best adapted screenplay. A U.S. remake of the movie starring Al Pacino won Oscars in 1992. Born in Milan into a middle-class family, Mr. Risi started as a film critic and made documentaries and short movies before moving to feature films. He gained success in the 1950s with Pane, Amore e ... (known as Scandal in Sorrento) starring Vittorio de Sica and Ms. Loren. His movies in that period and for the next decade captured the transformation of Italian society during and after the economic boom that followed World War II. In La Marcia su Roma (March on Rome) in 1963, he looked back at the rise of fascism thorough the eyes of two down-and-out men.

Back on her feet again: Lindsay Lohan puts her best foot forward 24 hours after laying face down on the pavement Putting her best foot forward: Lindsay Lohan looked steadier on her feet tonight at a New York screening for upcoming movie Source Code Lindsay Lohan spent last night stumbling around and face-first on a New York pavement after a night out at a bar with friends. But she looked decidedly steadier on her feet tonight as she strutted the red carpet at a screening in the Big Apple. Lohan looked fresher-faced and looked good in an abstract patterned shift dress which she paired with dark tights and chunky jewellery. The 24-year-old attended a screening of Source Code hosted by the Cinema Society at the Crosby Street Hotel. Lohan looked the worse for wear and appeared to have spent the best part of the evening hanging out with friends in The Cabin Down Below bar soon after arriving in New York by private jet last night. As part of her probation she is not allowed to drink alcohol. After emerging, she is seen stooping on the floor, groping for support, and struggling to stay atop her high platform heels. Dressed in a very short black dress, leopard print coat, the Machete star kneels on the floor, cigarette in hand, laughing uncontrollably and inadvertently exposed her underwear. A source told the New York Daily News that Lohan had checked into a Times Square hotel instead of going as planned to her family's Long Island home. Later that night, she was seen bar-hopping with Swetra starting at the Rose Bar in the Gramercy Park Hotel. They continued on to The Cabin Down Below in the East Village, an ultra-exclusive bar disguised as a dive. Lohan arrived in New York as it emerged she is planning to leave Los Angeles and set up home in the city. Holding steady: The actress looked fresher faced than she did 24 hours ago and looked good in a patterned shift dress Down and out in New York: Lindsay Lohan exhibited some bizarre behaviour as she sat in the street smoking after leaving bar with friends The actress stumbles to her feet while her laughing friends - including Samantha Swetra who was recently involved in a fight with Boardwalk Empire actress Paz de la Huerta - show little concern. Finally one of them goes to her aid. Lohan attempted to play down the scenes this morning tweeting: 'Is it not allowed to slip and fall? im always a klutz!!!' A new Lo: Lindsay hits the floor with her face Street life: She appeared worse for wear as she struggled to get up in scenes that will beg enquiry from her probation officer Stand by me: Lindsay appears to be struggling to find her footing in her high-heeled platforms Questions to answer: Lindsay will have some explaining to do to her probation officer as she appears very high-spirited in these pictures taken last night According to her mother Dina Lohan the troubled actress is 'actively looking' for an apartment to rent. Lindsay has been seen more and more in the city in recent weeks, flying in on a private jet a few days ago, supposedly join her family for a vacation on Long Island. 'She will be in New York a lot more going forward. She's actively looking for places in the city with her younger brother Michael,' Dina said. 'She loves it here. And she has a lot of friends who already have places, so she might sublet.' And Lohan wasted no time in meeting up with some of those friends in a bar on the Lower East Side of the city. Helping hand: Lindsay's friends seemed unconcerned by her wobbly state, and offered her hand to get to her feet Moving on: Lindsay's decision to move to New York may have been sparked by ex-girlfriend Samantha Ronson's new relationship THE HIGHS AND LI-LOS May 2010, Lohan fails to appear in court for a scheduled Driving Under the Influence progress report hearing. She was in Cannes, France May 2010: Lohan ordered to attend weekly alcohol education classes, wear a monitoring bracelet, refrain from drinking alcohol, and undergo random weekly drug tests July 2010: Served just 13 days of a 90 prison term in jail for violating probation over 2007 convictions for driving under the influence August 2010: Lohan spends 23 days in court-ordered rehab September 2010: Comeback performance in film Machete critically panned September 2010: Probation revoked following failed drug test, she checked into the Betty Ford rehab clinic on a court order for three months January 2011: Leaves the Betty Ford clinic February 2011: Lohan charged with felony grand theft of a $2,500 necklace reported stolen from a jewellery shop March 2011: She rejects plea deal which includes jail time, case to go to trial The troubling scenes will do little to impress her probation office who may have some hard questions to ask of the embattled starlet who is facing trial over the alleged theft of a $2,500 necklace she has been accused of stealing from a high-end store in Venice, California. Mean Girls star has already fallen foul of her probation officer as it emerged that she regularly consumes Kombucha tea, which has an alcohol content of 0.5 per cent or less. Now the Los Angeles County Probation Department have added it to a list of reasons why the judge should violate her probation when she appears in court next week. there is no proof that she had been drinking, these exclusive pictures which will know doubt be added to the list of queries that need thorough After her late night Lohan confined her activities to a spot of shopping today, looking at jewellery in New York. The actress picked out a few pieces and made sure to pay for them before heading back to her hotel. decision to move to New York may well have been sparked by her Samantha Ronson, who this week went public with her new relationship. And maybe she hoped she would gain a little freedom from the restrictions of her probation terms. The actress moved into a beach home next door to Ronson's in Venice Beach after her release from rehab earlier this year. While Lohan claimed the move was just a coincidence, it was widely interpreted as a sign that she hoped for a reconciliation with her former partner. This week saw Lohan reject a plea deal. Judge Keith Schwartz was said to have offered the actress 60-90 days in jail she pleaded guilty in her grand theft case. But Lohan was understood to be resistant to accepting the terms and is now taking her chances at trial. However, if she decides to go to trial, she is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on April 2. jewellery store in question is now charging online customers $2.99 to watch CCTV footage showing the actress allegedly stealing the necklace. It comes after segments of the footage were aired on Entertainment Tonight last month after it struck a deal with The Associated Press, who obtained the rights to the video footage. But there is some good news for Lohan after prosecutors dropped a battery case against her in connection with a fight with a rehab worker last year after prosecutors determined there was insufficient evidence to pursue a battery case against the actress. The morning after: Lohan headed to the shops in New York today, stocking up at the upmarket store Singer22

Please check my list for upcoming visit Hi a DC hound coming to town in a week. Please review my list and make recs. We will have car and can go anywhere from Healdsburg to Big Sur and to the East Bay. We are adventurous and open to all but the most expensive price points. We really like Mexican since it’s not easy to find here. This is our 7th trip in 5 years; but this trip we have 2 in our group that haven’t been before so we have some tried and true places, and some traps. I will cross post with SF board. Thursday to Sunday: Santa Cruz area: Dinners: Cellar Door @ Boony Doon (not sure), Passion Fish, Taqueria la Cabana, La Posta Lunch: A burrito joint in an old gas station in Half Moon or Pescadero (can’t remember name), Sierra Mar (Post Ranch Inn), need one for Capitola, and a couple for Santa Cruz Breakfasts: Linda’s Seabreeze Cafe, and need a suggestion as we hit the road north to… Sunday to Wednesday: Santa Rosa and Healdsburg areas: Dinners: Barndiva, Rosso Pizzeria, Zin Lunch: girl and the fig, Divaola Pizzeria, other suggestions? Wineries: Have that covered Wednesday to Saturday: Mill Valley area Dinners: Nopalito, Foreign Cinema, Pizzeria Picco, need one more Lunch: suggestions please, and one for the Warf. Breakfasts: Free at hotel Will be hitting Saturday market at Ferry Building!! Sunday fly home 106 Matheson St, Healdsburg, CA 95448 231 Center St, Healdsburg, CA 95448 538 Seabright Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA 95062 Sierra Mar Restaurant Highway 1, Big Sur, CA San Francisco/Ferry Building... Was there two weeks ago. Fabulous place to "hang out". I would suggest that you come hungry AND, don't choose to eat at just one place. GRAZE....Hubby bought a treat from Acme Bread. We bought small take away treats from Delica -Yummy! and, shared a really delish summer salad from Frog Hollow Farms. Would loved to have had their avocado toast but S.O. doesn't like avocado's. We collected the salad a few few other treats and sat out on the dock in back of the building. Weather was perfect! You'll also find other vendors with free tastings and with the free fruit and vege items from the farmers market, you'll have a great time. Also many food trucks. If you make your way N towards Leggett (off the 101), this place was featured in the July issue of Sunset Mag: The Peg House Good to see you've cross-posted on the SF board. You seem to have many CA Chow-miles under your belts! Here's a few picks from my Santa Cruz-Monterey list: Ristorante Avanti on Mission (Highway 1) north of downtown. Great local restaurant, solid wine list, wonderful food. Good place for a relaxing dinner. Sushi on the Run in Aptos on Soquel Ave between Aptos Village and Soquel. Across the road from Safeway shopping center. Great to-go sushi for picnics or snacks. Made to order by traditional sushi chef. Good locally roasted coffee shops nearby. A friend rec's Cafe Sparrow in Rio Del Mar (the beach at Aptos). Also gets mentions here. Res. a must. Saturday morning Farmer's Market at Cabrillo College on Soquel Drive. Artisan and Organic products from the sea, farms and pastures. Enjoy a Kraut Juice Shooter! Live accustic music. Corralitos Meat Mkt-- just south of Aptos against the hills (take Freedom Blvd from Highway 1 so of Aptos) follow signs to Corralitos. House smoked meats and imported Croatian foods. In Monterey Bay area: Sweet Elena's Bakery Seaside--Euro style pastries using local fruits and cheeses, great coffee. Rustic out-of-the-way place. Locals hangout. Sweet Elena's Bakery & Cafe 465 Olympia Ave, Seaside, CA 93955 1711 Mission St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 Cafe Sparrow Restaurant 8042 Soquel Dr Ste A, Aptos, CA 95003

I. "Why are you doing this to me?" The story on its surface is a simple initiation tale. Youth (C. Thomas Howell as Jim Halsey) picks up a hitchhiker (Rutger Hauer as John Ryder) who is a killer. The two curiously bond. A young woman (Jennifer Jason Leigh as Nash) tries to help the youth falsely accused of the hitchhiker's crimes. The Hitcher, somewhat supernaturally, again and again comes to the rescue of the youth, though he also, alas, captures and kills the young woman. Finally arrested, the Hitcher escapes police custody, leading to the final confrontation between Halsey and the Hitcher, whom the youth kills. It's in part the narrative's simplicity that allows for the polysemy and abstractness of Robert Harmon's first feature The Hitcher (1986). "So much of the film is about, you might say, figures in a landscape," Harmon says in a documentary on the 2003 Momentum DVD of the film, perhaps referencing Joseph Losey's equally abstract Figures in a Landscape (1970) based on the 1968 novel by Barry England. As with that film and novel and other Kafka-inflected works, in its abstractness The Hitcher becomes a magnet for meanings. John Ryder is a psychopath. John Ryder is the Devil. He's gay. He's Death, of course. He's also a monster, a madman, a killer from our dreams, the dead zone, or "Disneyland," as he tells the police. In short, John Ryder is a cypher, and the film a site and sight of uncertainties into whose vortex the perceiver is invited to fall. How far? As far as an image can be reduced–to silhouette, abstraction, death. Is the film under discussion, some readers may now be wondering, the same film widely reviled by reviewers in the United States when it opened in early 1986? Yes, and it's the same film which won the Critics Award, Grand Prix, and the TF1 Special Award at the 1986 Cognac Festival du Film Policier. Why this discrepancy in the reception between the United States and Europe? Why award (or, for that matter, write on) a film about which Variety in 2004, eighteen years after it was released, says contains "extreme ultraviolence that [is] such a draw for hardcore gore hounds" (Leydon)? The reviewers were quick to note a few of the film's antecedents (Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train , Lupino's The Hitch-Hiker , Laughton's The Night of the Hunter , Spielberg's Duel [1971/1983]) and in a few instances even found reasons to praise the film's look, but inevitably bypassed the opportunity for reflection, preferring instead to sneer at the film's "unmotivated viciousness" (New York Times, Janet Maslin). For Michael Wilmington, writing in the Los Angeles Times, The Hitcher was a cheap, easy rehash of Spielberg's 'Duel' and 'The Hitchhiker' [...] Nothing is original, though the core of the movie seems to be a quasi-homosexual mentor-pupil assault: Ryder is as fixated on Halsey as Bruno on Guy in Hitchcock's 'Strangers on a Train.' [...] Beyond that, you can express only disgust at a movie that deals with pain and fear in such an empty, squalid way: which gives us a scene where a woman is ripped apart and focuses not on her suffering, but on the hero's dickering with the villain. [...] The logic of the movie doesn't come from reality or nightmare; it comes from the VCR. Despite Harmon's sometimes extraordinary staging [...] it would seem amazing if a thriller this vacuous scared any but the most naive and susceptible of its intended audience. Perhaps it'll work on people terrified of loud noises. [...] In the end, the only thing that does scare you about 'The Hitcher' is its emptiness: not the emptiness of a desert road or a fear-soaked night, but a shriveling void in the people who made it. In The Nation, Andrew Kopkind concluded that The Hitcher was "too often disgusting [and] always real scary at the gastrointestinal level." Likewise for Gene Siskel in the Chicago Tribune who found it a nauseating thriller that reaches down from the screen and defies you to stay in the theater to see what desecration of the human body it will present next. You want to see stabbing? How about limbs being pulled from a body? Step right up, sucker, and while you're at it, please register your name at your local police station. This is the kind of movie that may satisfy the mentally deficient, but it is more likely to drive away from moviegoing every unsuspecting adult who stumbles into it hoping for a decent thrill or two. [...] [W]hen Jennifer Jason Leigh, the teen love interest who befriends Howell, is tied up between two trucks, and Ryder threatens to put his truck in gear, thus ripping the girl limb from limb, I thought he'd never do it. I thought Howell would kill him, and the movie would be over. I was wrong, and I was appalled. 1 At least Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun Times noticed that the film "begins and ends with the same sound: a match being struck, flaring into flame," although he then misidentifies the sound's source. "At the beginning of the film, the sound is made by the villain, a hitchhiker who is a mass murderer. At the end of the film, the sound is made by the hero, a young man whose life has been spared so that he can become the special victim of the hitchhiker." In fact, both matches are struck by our young hero. In line with the other reviewers, Ebert concludes that "on its own terms, this movie is diseased and corrupt," citing as evidence the scene of "the Leigh's character's death–she is tied hand and foot between two giant trucks and pulled in two–[which is] so grotesquely out of proportion with the main business of this movie that it suggests a deep sickness at the screenplay stage." What these comments reveal, of course, is a deep-seated distaste for certain filmed images, but even more an inability to sufficiently distinguish between film and reality. Knocked out, so to speak, by their own moral rectitude, they see as literal what is only visually suggested, as if unaware of cinema's fundamental dialectic (Image A + Image B = Unfilmed Image C). Yes, the US is in many respects more culturally conservative than Europe, more moralistic, but it's also possible that the reason for the discrepancy in the response between the Cognac Festival judges and the mainstream US media is in how film is actually seen. II. "Guess it's safe for me to smoke now, huh?" Consider, for example, the scene of "deep sickness" that seems to have disgusted reviewers the most, the death of Nash, her torso stretched between two trucks at the truck stop parking lot of the Outpost Cafe. What is it we see at the moment she is "torn apart"? Six shots, rapid editing: Two possibilities come to mind to explain the reviewers reactions to this scene: 1) the implied image dominates unconsciously their thought; 2) the story swallows form, i.e. diegesis trumps art. But surely as viewers we need not be so powerless before the image or narrative. Missed by the reviewers were the poetry of the sequence (the huge wheel rolling away, the fade to black) and the scene's pathos, as sorrowful as the shot in The Leopard Man (1943) when Teresa Delgado's blood seeps under the door, little if any of which remains in Dave Meyers' 2007 remake of The Hitcher, where Jim Halsey is the one stretched between trucks, his girlfriend Grace is in the cab beside Ryder, and Halsey's body is shown pulled (pop/spurt) apart. Also, no reviewer connected this scene of Nash stretched from truck to truck (on screen) and pulled apart (off screen) to our first view of her in the film. In that sequence, Nash's head enters from bottom frame left as she stands up in the aisle of a bus, the camera rising with her, keeping only her head in the frame. Then an exterior of the bus as it stops and the door opens. The camera tracks back as Nash steps off, turns toward the bus, her back us, and while it drives away, stretches, her arms raised above head, her hands clasped, thus more or less in the same position as in her final one when she's tied to the trucks, albeit vertical in one, horizontal in the other. This visual intimation of Nash's death is one of the many subtleties to be found in Harmon's under-observed film. And under-heard, for The Hitcher 's aural motifs, as those of, say, Robert Culp's Hickey & Boggs (1972) or Jerzy Skolimowski's The Shout (1978), exemplify how sound can give meaning and form to film. Two aural motifs, rising out of the background of wind and car engines and Mark Isham's score, dominate the sound design of The Hitcher: the striking of matches and gunshots. The viewer sees these motifs as well, of course, but at times the sounds are commentative, heard but imposed from outside the film's present narrative reality. For example, when Halsey, a young man taking a drive-away car from Chicago to San Diego, first picks up the Hitcher one stormy night in rural Texas, the thunder we hear mimics the sound of a gun shot. In another scene, when the Hitcher tosses car keys to Jim Halsey in an abandoned garage, we hear the chhhhhh sound of a match striking though no match is seen, as if the keys moving through the dust-filled light were a lit match. Of course such visual and aural patterns are difficult for viewers to detect in a single viewing, but they are essential to the understanding and appreciation of this underrated film. As we traverse its semantic landscape of collisions and ruptures, The Hitcher operates as a remarkable mechanism of form generating patterns and more meanings, drawing us back (aesthetically) from the abyss as surely as it (epistemologically) draw us to it. On the one hand it directs us to reduce it to abstraction or even allegory. What else can we do with a name like John Ryder? On the other hand (e.g. with the name Jim Halsey), the film establishes a (relatively) firm realistic base to which the film's psychology adheres. But then the name Nash‐well, isn't a Nash a deceased automobile? Down the center line of the continuum between the realistic and the fantastic drives The Hitcher, leaving more than a few critics and viewers befuddled in the backseat. |1||That Siskel had difficulty following the story's simple narrative should make us question his reliability as a moral arbiter: "Throughout the film, as he crosses the country from Chicago to San Diego, Ryder murders men, women, children . . . " Jim Halsey is traveling from Chicago to San Diego, not John Ryder.|

ABCD (American-Born Confused Desi) Description: Johns is born and brought up in America. There he lives in the midst of all luxurious. In a sudden turn of events Johns has to come to Kerala. His cousin and friend Kora also accompanies him. Soon Johns becomes a star among his relatives here with his foreign attire and gentle behavior. Movie summaries and listings powered by Cinema-Source Sign up for our free email newsletters and receive the latest advice and information on all things parenting. Enter your email address to sign up or manage your account.

Looking at the past Many would argue that string theory was gasping for air in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Mathematical physicist Edward Witten breathed new life into the field when he postulated that the five then-separate string theories were really just different ways of looking at the one true Theory of Everything (TOE). Over the last few years, the popularity of virtualization has been reaching the same fever pitch that string theory did in the 1980s. Evidence of this is apparent by the many implementations of virtualization such as But the enterprise space is very different from the consumer marketplace. Despite the fact that companies like Dell and Apple sell servers, they live and die by their consumer product line. Unless virtualization finds its own Edward Witten, it may be destined to follow in the paths of OS/2, BeOS, the LS-120 drive, the Turbo Grafx-16, the Lynx -- great technologies ahead of their times that could not quite find their niche in the consumer market and died a slow, and sometimes fast, death. Besides being a summer full of hurricanes, the summer of 2005 will also be remembered by my co-workers and me for another reason. That was when Steve Jobs announced that Apple would be moving away from the PowerPC chip architecture that had become so synonymous with Apple to one of the two companies that most Apple geeks would not touch with a 3.048-meter pole, Intel. From June until January the question on everyone's mind was: Will the new Macs run Windows? When the first Intel Macs started shipping in January 2006, hackers everywhere began to blast Windows XP onto their new Macs. At first there was a collective sigh of disappointment when it was learned that the new Macs did not use a BIOS, but rather EFI (Extensible Firmware Interface), which seemed to prevent the possibility of installing Windows XP on the new Intel Macs. On January 22, OnMac.net started a grassroots movement that would reward the group or individual that provided a method of installing and running Windows XP on an Intel Mac. Around March 15, a hacker known by the alias "narf" devised a solution known as XOM that could be used, albeit with some trickery, to boot Windows XP on an Intel iMac. Why is it that a community traditionally known for its anti-Microsoft viewpoints is more interested than anyone in getting Windows to run on Macs? The answer lies in the reason the members of this community use OS X to begin with: elegance. OS X is the most aesthetically and functionally elegant piece of software in the world today, and it has attained this position by not sacrificing form for function or vice versa. No other software can lay claim to such a magnificent accomplishment. Users of OS X cling to it for the simplistic and beautiful way it enables them to accomplish complex tasks. Sometimes the complex task is to figure out how to gain access to a Windows PC to run a Windows-only application. More times than not, an application is developed as Windows-only because a company cannot justify spending the money on developing an OS X version of the same product. The most pointed example of this situation may be Microsoft Outlook. There are alternatives to Outlook, such as Microsoft Entourage, but none of them are equals to Outlook. The Apple community has worked hard to get Windows and Windows applications to run on its Macs so that it can have one computer that satisfies all of its needs. Then, to the shock of the Apple community and the rest of the technology community, on April 5, two weeks after the XOM Windows-on-Mac hack was released, Apple released BootCamp a program that makes it almost seamless to install and dual-boot Windows XP on a Mac. The roller coaster ride continued the next day on April 6 when Parallels Inc. announced Parallels Workstation 2.1, a virtualization product for Intel Macs that can run Windows XP at near native speeds. Diane Greene, president of VMware, confirmed shortly thereafter that her company is also developing a workstation product of OS X. What's coming for virtualization I offer though that while these third-party products are exciting, they're nothing compared to what I think Apple has up its sleeve. I am talking about side-by-side operating system installations with OS X. I am not describing running these operating systems as guests in virtual consoles like Parallels Workstation or VMware Workstation might allow, but rather as roommates like X11 on OS X. The difference is that a guest VM is suspended and resumed manually when needed, a process that interrupts the normal workflow. This new type of VM will act more like a roommate; it will always be there, transparently appearing when needed, causing no disruption to the previous task at hand. (I have had four roommates, so I know that this example of the perfect roommate is not true in reality, but isn't it a great fantasy?) How this will be accomplished remains to be seen, but I can offer some possibilities. I must respectfully disagree with Robert X. Cringley that Apple will implement the Win32 API in OS X Leopard (10.5). Cringley wrote, "I'm told Apple has long had this running in the Cupertino lab -- Intel Macs running OS X while mixing Apple and XP applications." He concluded from this that Apple is working on its own implementation of the Win32 API. I have no doubt that his sources are correct, that OS X is running Windows applications, but I do not think this is because any part of the Win32 API has been implemented inside OS X. I have lived inside the labyrinth of the Win32 API for almost half my life, and I cannot imagine that Apple engineers have any desire to travel that maze when a much simpler solution exists. Travel back in time to 2001 when Steve Jobs first announced OS X. Many of you worried that you would lose the ability to run your plethora of OS 9 applications. Apple thought it had planned for such an occasion -- OS X was designed to let OS 9 boot and run alongside OS X. OS 9 could run as a separate process within OS X, meaning that Microsoft Outlook 9, a far better way to access Microsoft Exchange than Microsoft Entourage X, was still able to be run inside the new OS X. Fast-forward five years to 2006. Apple has made the transition to the Intel chip, a processor that now includes the aforementioned Intel Virtualization Technology (VT). Intel's VT will make it easier for any operating system to act as a virtual machine monitor. The role of the VMM is one that is currently played by software such as Parallels Workstation or VMware Workstation. It is the responsibility of the VMM to allocate a host system's resources to a virtual machine (VM). The first Intel Macs were released on the new Intel Core Duo and Core Solo processors. These processors include Intel VT. I suspect that Apple is working right now to implement a VMM inside OS X Leopard (10.5). Apple's yet-to-be announced VMM will undoubtedly include: - A network manager that allows OS X to present one of the following network options: Bridged, Network Address Translated (NAT), Host-only, or a specific Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN). The NAT option will be the default, enabling a roommate installation of Windows to talk to the outside world, but not letting any of the hackers in that world talk to Windows. - Direct access to the system's graphics card. One of the largest problems with VMs running on desktops today is that they do not have direct access to a system's graphics card. Instead, their graphics are stripped down, handled by the VMM's emulated graphics driver. I predict that Apple will abolish this barrier, giving way to roommate installations of Windows that can run Half-Life 2 at an amazing 60 frames per second (FPS). And these are the features that a VMM from Apple should include: - Monitor drivers for Apple's lines of Cinema Display HDs. I am typing this article on an Ubuntu Linux desktop hooked up to a 20" Apple Cinema Display HD and a 17" Apple Cinema Display. Neither monitor is recognized by Ubuntu or my dual-boot Windows XP installation. There are third-party information files (INF) files in Windows that will help, but if Apple is to truly position OS X as the one OS to rule them all, it will need across-the-board driver support for Windows and possibly even Linux. - A keystore extension for roommate OS installations. One of the nicest features of OS X is also one of the least utilized, Keychain Access. It allows the storage of sensitive account information in one secure repository. Windows has something similar, but it is split between certificate management services and its fuzzy password memory feature. GNOME and KDE both provide their own keystore implementations as well. It would be a huge win in the security space for Apple and the consumer if roommate OS installations were able to take advantage of OS X's Keychain, providing an OS-agnostic central repository for sensitive information. Roommate operating systems are almost certainly Apple's next step into virtualization. They keep OS X free of other-OS code, they divorce Apple from having to maintain thousands of lines of other-OS code and they open up the possibility of running future operating systems with OS X as well. I believe Apple will pursue this path because it is the most elegant one available to the company. And elegance is not only how consumers perceive Apple, it is how Apple defines itself. Apple is in the best position to become the new leader in a world of consumer virtualization. And they will do so with style, simplicity and elegance. Andrew Kutz has been professionally involved in the technology sector for 11 years. For the last six of them, he has worked with the latest technologies while employed by the University of Texas at Austin. Two years ago, Kutz started his own consulting firm and development house, l o s t c r e a t i o n s. He is an avid fan of VMware, .NET, open source, Terminal Services, coding and comics. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, BA in Ancient History and Classical Civilization. He currently lives in Austin, Tex., with his wife Mandy and their two puppies, Lucy and CJ.

There has been a concentrated effort on behalf of horror and zombie fans everywhere to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for George A. Romero, the godfather of zombie cinema. I’ve respected this push and I’m all for it. His contributions to horror are still being felt (especially when it comes to the walking dead) to this day. Alas, there will no star in Romero’s future. The Zombie Research Society says any hopes of this happening are dead – the Indie GoGo site collecting funds has folded. Says the site: Our campaign to raise the $30,000 needed to pay for the Star has been protested by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. And because the Chamber is the entity that pockets the money and decides who gets the Stars it does no good to continue in the face of their hostility. Therefore the George Romero Star Project has been shut down. We haven’t heard from ol’ George Romero in a while, but allow us to remedy that. The fellas at Twitch caught up to the godfather of zombies and he provided an update as to what he is working on. In his discussion with the site, he teased an old project and a new one… "I am in fact adapting a novel right now, and it is a zombie novel, but it’s not my kind of zombies," he told Twitch. "It’s a novel called The Zombie Autopsies written by a Harvard medical doctor. It’s a wonderful book and I’m having a wonderful time adapting it into a screenplay. I am also working on an original story, which I guess if I had to categorize it, I would say it’s a psychological thriller. it’s….mmm, Psycho like? But it’s not really. I don’t know how to tell you anything more without giving it away. But in reality I don’t actually know for sure what the next one is going to be. It often comes up out of the blue. You just don’t know which one the money is going to come through for. I am also writing a comic for Marvel. I’m writing it now, but it’s plot is a secret." According to our horror loving neighbors at Dread Central, George Romero is in the final stages of negotiations with New York publishers, Grand Central Publishing, to bring readers two novels that would take place within the filmmaker’s "Dead" universe. Considering this deal is still in negotiations it’s probably a little premature to get too invested in the idea of original Romero novel, but I must say the notion is intriguing. The few zombie novels I have read have all been pretty great and maybe some of Romero’s recent ideas that haven’t translated so well on film would be better served in print. Another thing I should mention is that it sounds unclear as to whether Romero is actually the author of these books or is just presenting them under his banner. We’ll have to get clarification on that. If all goes well, the first book will be released in the summer of 2010. George Romero’s ’68 classic Night of the Living Dead has opened itself up to various interpretations due to its "public domain" status – less a blessing, more of a curse as history has taught us (see: Night of the Living Dead 3-D ). The latest stab is Night of the Living Dead: Re-Animated . This is a "collaborative artistic re-envisioning" of the film featuring international artists and animators who are invited to select their favorite scenes and recreate them through the animated medium of their choice (CG, stop-motion, etc.). For an example, check out the trailer below. The organizers of this endeavor are still seeking contributions and have extended their deadline to April 24th. For more details, visit NOTLDR.com . /film has a report on what George Romero has been up to lately… Last weekend, the Zombies Take Charlotte folk presented American Zombie, a retrospective of pictures by George Romero with an emphasis on the GAR-Z, his zombie movies. Brilliantly, the good man himself was there to hold a Q&A; sadly, I didn’t get to attend (being half a world away, and all) but I have just been sent a very fuzzy audio recording of the session by a jam-and-spoony chap who was there, and having finally fought my way through 90 minutes of swerving volume, muffled voices and sharp bursts of tinny pain whenever the audience laugh or applaud, I can offer you some key bullet points… Read more Bloody Disgusting has the first promotional movie trailer for George Romero’s next zombie film “…Of The Dead“. Looks like a pretty low budget effort, but it has to be better than Diary of the Dead, right? Devonshire Productions also released the official plot synopsis for the film: “On a small island off North America’s coast, the dead rise to menace the living. Yet…the islanders can’t bring themselves to exterminate their loved ones, despite the growing danger from those the once held dear. A rebel among them hunts down all the zombies he can find, only to be banished from the island for assassinating his neighbors and friends. On the mainland, bent on revenge, he encounters a small band of survivors in search of an oasis on which to build a new life. Barely surviving an attack from a mass of ravenous flesh-eaters. They commandeer a zombie-infested ferry and sail to the island. There, to their horror, they discover that the locals have chained the dead inside their homes, pretending to live ‘normal’ lives…with bloody consequences. What ensues is a desperate struggle for survival and the answer to a question never posed in Romero’s Dead films: Can the living ever live in peace with the dead?” …Of The Dead was a funny in-production title, but I don’t understand why they don’t just call it “Island of the Dead”, which seems a better fit considering the story. Watch the trailer linked below. Read more Even though there is no definite word about distribution for George A. Romero Presents Deadtime Stories a sequel is, at the time of this writing, in principal photography. Pennsylvania native Jeff Monahan is back to produce, co-write and co-direct the next anthology horror feature film under his 72nd Street Films production banner. Also returning, director Matt Walsh of 555 Films. George Romero and Christine Forrest reprise their duties as executive producers with the former serving as the film’s “storyteller.” Once again, Deadtime Stories 2 will feature three tales of terror by three directors. According to The Valley Independent, a Pittsburgh paper, Monahan was in Monongahela, Pennsylvania this week shooting a scene for one tale involving a werewolf flipping a car over with a young couple inside. No other plot details were revealed other than one chapter takes place in Connellsville where more people have disappeared from than any small town in the world. Walsh tells the paper George A. Romero Presents Deadtime Stories is due on DVD in April, but he doesn’t say who acquired the film which made the rounds last month at the American Film Market. The sequel can be expected in November. Deadtime Stories 3 is said to start rolling next summer! These guys are on a roll. More info on part two as it comes in. For now… Read more Timothy Olyphant is about to enter the world of George A. Romero. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Olyphant has secured the lead role for The Crazies remake. The film, based off Romero’s 1973 original film, will center on the tiny populace of a Kansas town that is plagued by madness and death after a plane crashes nearby, releasing a biological weapon into the town’s water supply. Olyphant will portray the town’s sherrif. Breck Eisner is directing from a script by Scott Kosar and Ray Wright, with Romero himself executive producing. No production schedule was released for the project. Movieweb posted some creepy new pics from George A. Romero’s Newest Zombie Film… In honor of Halloween, director George Romero has unleashed two very scary photos in support of his latest untitled zombie flick. Blood-Disgutsing shared their bitingly gruesome image with us, which comes hot off the set of Romero’s upcoming Dead film. And USA Today has also published a striking zombie image of their own. Check out the mad zombie love in these two pics below: The film will revolve around a group of islanders that are forced to content with the living dead. The leaders of this small paradise must decide if they should kill off the zombies, all of which are relatives, or preserve them in hopes of finding a cure. This untitled horror film does not have a set release date at this time. Read more GamersCircle has a tidbit on the zombie master’s newest project: Last week you were told about George Romero’s new zombie movie (working title “Something of the Dead”) which is currently shooting in Canada. We only had a few details: The film is set on an island three weeks after the zombie outbreaks, and that underwater zombies will be featured. The official announcement in Variety gives us a better look at the plot of the film: Read more

Search GMG Here GMG Wins CBS Boston Most Valuable Blogger 2013 North Shore Magazine Readers Choice- Best Blog GMG-North Shore Magazine Readers’ Choice & Editors’ Choice Award Winners SubscribingIf you enjoy my little daily blog of life on the dock, feel free to subscribe. Its the best way to keep updated of fresh new posts. Subscribe to GoodMorningGloucester by Email By Clicking Here Free If you find any of the posts entertaining I really appreciate feedback in the comments section under each post. We update every hour on the hour from early morning til night. Check Back Often! Thanks for visiting -Joey GMG Facebook Page Fredrik Bodin on WWII Begins Gloria Parsons on 2013 Middle Street Walk S… Donna Ardizzoni on Look what we saw on our way to… Lowell Peabody on Look what we saw on our way to… Donna Ardizzoni on Look what we saw on our way to… Wm. 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Working Boat Subscribe Here if you would like Mon, 9 Dec 2013 - 9:30pm at The Rhumb Line - 40 Railroad Ave, Gloucester, MA - Phone: 978-283-9732 Tue, 10 Dec 2013 - 5:00pm with Kate Barry, Zach Gorrell & Steve Lacey at Cape Ann Brewery - 11 Rogers St., Gloucester, MA 01930 - Phone: (978) 282-7399 Tue, 10 Dec 2013 - 7:00pm at Jalapenos Restaurant - 86 Main Street, Gloucester, MA 01930 - Phone: 978-283-8228 Tue, 10 Dec 2013 - 9:30pm HENLEY DOUGLAS JR Funk Jamm and Soul Force V at The Rhumb Line - 40 Railroad Ave, Gloucester, MA - Phone: 978-283-9732 Wed, 11 Dec 2013 - 8:00pm dinner w/ Fly and a special guest Dan King - John Lennon Tribute at The Rhumb Line - 40 Railroad Ave, Gloucester, MA - Phone: 978-283-9732 Wed, 11 Dec 2013 - 9:00pm Joe Wilkins w/ Dennis Monagle and Joe Cardoza - Monagle Sessions at Minglewood Tavern - 25 Rogers Street, Gloucester, MA 01930 - Phone: 978-281-0223 Wed, 11 Dec 2013 - 9:00pm at Dog Bar - 65 Main Street, Gloucester, MA 01930 - Phone: 978-281-6565 Thu, 12 Dec 2013 - 7:00pm SINGER SONGWRITER SHUFFLE Nick COnsone, Patrick Nelson, Alex Chabot, Brian O'Connor, Alex Prezzano, Sean Coleman, Paul Mc at Giuseppe's Ristorante and Piano Bar - 2 Main Street, Gloucester, MA 01930 - Phone: 978-879-4622 Thu, 12 Dec 2013 - 8:00pm With Dave Saginario at The Rhumb Line - 40 Railroad Ave, Gloucester, MA - Phone: 978-283-9732 Thu, 12 Dec 2013 - 8:30pm DAVE SAG'S BLUES PARTY with special guest Dennis Brennan and Matt Stubbs at The Rhumb Line - 40 Railroad Ave, Gloucester, MA - Phone: 978-283-9732 - Mon, 9 Dec 2013 - 9:30pm OPEN JAM Tag Archives: manchester by the sea Sunday evening was the official lighting of the Friendship Tree and the 24 trees in The Festival of Trees on Manchester’s Town Hall Common. A huge crowd had packed into the Congregational Church (SRO) for a 3:00 PM concert of … Continue reading With the busy weekend underway, Santa made his way to Town and the Community Center for pictures with all each of the kids, the Historical Society Home put on its Christmas best, and the Boy Scouts, Troop 3, were selling … Continue reading Not to be left out, Manchester Harbor sprouted a Christmas Tree! Wondering how they turn the lights on… Christmas by the Sea, presented by The Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce’s Manchester Division, kicks off this evening in downtown Manchester. There’s something for everyone as the town rings in the holiday season. Thursday, December 5th from 5 to 8pm The Chamber of Commerce Christmas Party and Lucky Nines Raffle will take place in the newly-renovated Seaside Cycle at 23 Elm Street. All are welcome to drop by and enjoy complimentary hors d’oeuvres … Continue reading A lot has happened since last Friday when the trees went up, but there are still a few trees to be decorated. Some groups are showing a little imagination with their trees… All trees are to be decorated by this … Continue reading Thursday December 5th the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce will hold a Christmas Part at Seaside Cycles, 23 Elm Street, Manchester. Raffles, door prizes and more! All are welcome! Friday December 6 - Shop Manchester will take place from 4:00 until 9:00 … Continue reading Nor’East Frameworks was opened in October of 1995. Owner CF “Chuck” Haybeck offers ready made photo frames as well as custom made frames in all sizes and various shapes. He uses a variety of woods including such things as recycled … Continue reading View of Manchester Harbor from Beach Street overlooking Days Creek. Frenchman’s Pier at Little River, Gloucester The opening of Hatley Ferguson’s Salt Water: Paintings by Hartley Ferguson was held November 22 at a new showcase for local artists. Essen’s Bakery owner Toby Gado is showcasing Harley Ferguson’s work following the opening reception “Art After Dark”. The … Continue reading A couple of random pictures on a gloomy day! Click for larger images and captions. Thanksgiving week starts with “Viva Verdi!” Saturday, November 23 at Crowell Chapel Check Other Upcoming Events Below Thanksgiving week starts this Saturday with American Soprano Diana Jacklin, and leading Austrian violinist Hartmut Ometzberger throwing a 200th birthday celebration for Giuseppe … Continue reading Even on a gray day, there is still a great view… Click pictures to view full size. Located at 11 Central Street in Manchester, the Central Street Gallery is an artists cooperative. Gallery Director Alison Rowell says that they have about 14 members who each rent wall space in the gallery which starts off at a width … Continue reading Mimi is an artist driven gift, jewelry and fine art store located at 19 Central Street in Manchester. It was started in Ipswich in the summer of 2007 with locations in Ipswich and a bit later Manchester. Having closed the … Continue reading As a start to a series highlighting local shops in Manchester, Christian del Rosario at Surfari agreed to be the first victim! I have wondered for some time, how is it a surf shop can survive in New England, let … Continue reading Fall view of the inner harbor of Manchester by the Sea. Click the image for a larger view. A tough day on Saturday for the Hornets as they fell in semi-final action to Northeast Metropolitan 38-12. Behind 14-6 at the half, the defense played long and hard in the second half and held for several exciting stops but … Continue reading While Singing Beach showed an almost pastel, soft set of colors with a little fog blowing in, the Harbor was sharp and bright! Always interesting how different things can look within a half mile! A little early recon to check out the spooky, creepy, scary haunts awaiting the Tricksters and Treaters! Looks like a night of fright… You can question my haphazard route, but it’s hard to question the picturesque nature of where we live. Amazing. Home to Manchester from Gloucester, via Magnolia. Saturday morning saw the first of the Halloween Trick or Treaters with the Wobblin’ Goblins Parade. Starting at Town Hall, the parade proceeded through Town with stops at the stores along the way for treats. The parade ended at the … Continue reading 22 boats were entered for the fifth running of the Cardboard Boat Regatta in Manchester on Sunday October 13, 2013. Awards were presented for fastest racers and, based on votes cast during the event, the People’s Choice Awards. Race Results John … Continue reading The view over Winthrop Field towards the farm in Manchester has been taken many times, but does not get old, at least not for me. In Essex I sat waiting in the Marsh across from Farnham’s for hours to catch … Continue reading Do not miss this event! Come down and cheer these “sailors” on! See who floats and who …well… doesn’t!! Event details at Facebook https://www.facebook.com/CardboardBoat?ref=br_tf and blogged at http://mbtshauntedregatta.blogspot.com 20 boats already entered and apparently there’s room for more!

ELIZABETH ALLEN (Director) makes her feature directing debut with AQUAMARINE. Allen's film career began when she premiered her USC thesis short Eyeball Eddie at the 2000 Slamdance Film Festival. It went on to win awards at various competitions around the country. While in USC's School of Cinema/TelevisionÂąs MFA program, Allen was awarded the Jack Nicholson Directing Scholarship. She also received a Women in Film Crystal Award for her directing work. In addition, a 60-second Coca-Cola commercial she wrote, produced, and directed was shortlisted at the International Clio Awards. Allen is producing the live action teen musical, Operation Prom Dress for Disney feature films. She also co-wrote an adaptation of Jerry Spinelli's best-selling teen novel Stargirl for Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies. She is slated to direct New Regency's teen comedy Driving While Infatuated, which she co-wrote with Kyle Long. Home | Theaters | Video | TV Your Comments and Suggestions are Always Welcome. © 2013 Twentieth Century Fox®, All Rights Reserved.

It's an opening as old as cinema itself. Three men walk into a remote bank, leaving one waiting in the getaway car. Armed with guns and trenchcoats, they rob the vaults. Intercut with this action are scenes of a cop on his nightly rounds, following up on calls, talking to informants. The robbery is precisely planned, while the policeman's trek is subject to the whims of his city; the cop tries to bring order to the human chaos, whereas a robbery goes wrong precisely because the human element can't be controlled. In most movies, both of these events--particularly the bank heist--would move at a rapid pace, but because Dirty Money (a.k.a. Un Flic) is a film by Jean-Pierre Melville (Army of Shadows, Bob le flambeur), these scenarios play out slowly, at a measured pace. The robbers are stoic, speaking only when they have to, weighing each move they make. The cop, Edouard Coleman (Alain Delon), does his job gravely and by the book, meting out justice indiscriminately, but also being fair when it counts. Made in 1973, Dirty Money is Melville's final film, and it provides a cynical coda to his career. Dropping the Eastern philosophy that he used in some of his earlier crime pictures with Delon (Le Samourai, Le Cercle rouge), this time Melville opens with a quote from 18th-Century criminologist François-Eugène Vidocq: "The only feelings mankind has ever inspired in policemen are those of indifference and derision." Delon will later repeat these words, showing the weariness of his character. People will do the wrong thing, they always do. Commissioner Edouard has no idea how right he is, in fact, or how tangled in the crime he has become. Nightclub owner Simon (Richard Crenna) is the man behind the bank robbery, and the money is meant for a larger heist, robbing a drug mule (Leon Minisin) on a train heading out of Paris. It just so happens that Edouard is also on the trail of those drugs, working with a cross-dressing snitch, Gaby (Valerie Wilson), to bust the courier when he arrives with the goods. The cop has no idea that the two cases are connected, nor does he realize that Simon is involved, a fact that is going to strike a little too close to home. As it turns out, Edouard is having an affair with Simon's girlfriend, Cathy (Catherine Deneuve). When it comes time to make his move, this connection is going to muddy the motivational waters for Edouard. Does he make the choices he does because they are the right choices, or is there something deeper, more selfish than that? The ending of Dirty Money actually fits quite nicely with the overall themes of Melville's filmography. As a police detective, Delon's character makes his decisions, right or wrong, and is forced to live with them. It's a harsh ending, but Melville's heroes (and anti-heroes) have always struggled with a world that seems to lack something fundamental, be it the honor of the warrior in Le Samourai or their basic moral freedoms in Army of Shadows. I am not comfortable saying that Melville has given up on his fellow man completely, but he definitely seems disenchanted, as if there is no real solution to the struggle. The final image, the ringing phone going unanswered, leaves us feeling that something has passed, that Edouard is done, he no longer sees the point of trying to stop the bad guys when even the woman he loves would betray him. Cathy gets the most portentous line of the movie when she says to Edouard, "Dead men arrest no one." She then points a gun at him in jest, and he might have been better off had she shot him then and there. Eventually, she will kill him (metaphorically) without ever drawing a weapon, destroying something inside of him, and getting away with it. (His walking away from her has a kind of thematic rhyme in his releasing the transvestite informant. Both women have beautiful blonde hair, and both disappoint Edouard. Yet, with the snitch, it's Edouard who breaks her heart. He wrongfully believes he can't count on her any longer, but the truth is Gaby can no longer rely on him. The man dressed as a woman is the only one who is everything she seems.) The English title being used for this DVD is a bit misleading, it makes us think that the stolen cash will somehow end up in Edouard's hands, that this will be a story about a corruptible officer of the law. The original French title, Un Flic, which simply translates as A Cop, is far more fitting. It puts the movie in line with Le Samourai, making them bookends to a larger story, each about lonely men on their own side of the law trying to do what they think is right, stuck in a system that would have them stick to one way of doing things even when that way is clearly flawed. The Paris of both films is remarkably similar. Simon and Cathy's nightclub could just as easily be the one Delon visits as Jeff Costello in the earlier picture. Except here, Melville and cinematographer Walter Wottitz cast the events in a blue pallor, as if a melancholic ennui hangs over all of France. Life is stuck in a perpetual, topsy-turvy lie of day-for-night. Beyond his general concerns of genre stories as philosophical vehicles--or perhaps in conjunction with the same, given his methodical approach to the crimes--as with any Jean-Pierre Melville crime picture, the robberies are meticulously constructed things of beauty. The opening bank job is fairly standard, but the theft of the drugs, which involves trains and helicopters, is ingenious, echoing in its own way the crooks dangling from a hole in the ceiling in Jules Dassin's Rififi. Richard Crenna goes about his work with a silent resolve, taking each step with grim determination. What is interesting this time around is it's also the same determination that Delon's detective takes in tracking the misdeeds. The line between criminal and cop has been erased. Long sequences pass with no dialogue, just the sound of the surrounding world. It's as if words are more precious, and more dangerous, than bullets. Dirty Money is a fitting end to a distinguished career. Jean-Pierre Melville was a master of his craft, and his powers had not yet begun to wane. Sadly, he passed away a year later at the age of 56, far too young for a filmmaker this spry. Perhaps that is why that final image remains so haunting, the police telephone unanswered. On the other end of the line is information about a new crime, a new case that is now a story that will never be told. Anchor Bay first released Dirty Money under its original Un Flic title several years ago. I don't have that disc to compare it to, but from the research I've done the specs are almost identical to this new Lions Gate edition. Dirty Money is shown at 1.85:1 aspect ratio, anamorphic widescreen. The image quality is by and large very good, maintaining the chilly, almost monochromatic blue coloring. I noticed a little combing in some of the early scenes, and there is some surface dirt at various times during the movie, but it's generally a conscientious restoration. The original French audio is given a Dolby monaural mix that is of noticeable quality despite its lack of fanciness. Given that so many scenes only have sound effects and the ambient noise of the setting, the clarity of the audio is much appreciated. Removable English subtitles offer a solid translation. No extras. The previous edition had a trailer and some talent bios, so it was nearly as barebones as this one. Highly Recommended. Jean-Pierre Melville's final motion picture serves as a fitting cap on a distinguished career. Starring Alain Delon as a police officer whose skill at the job is almost equal to his malaise, Dirty Money (Un Flic) shows both sides of the law at work. Featuring Melville's trademark philosophical digressions and exacting, nearly silent robbery sequences, the movie comes off as the final batch of a particular vintage of crime picture. Ignore the lack of perfunctory DVD doo-dads, Dirty Money stands alone just fine. Jamie S. Rich is a novelist and comic book writer. He is best known for his collaborations with Joelle Jones, including the hardboiled crime comic book You Have Killed Me, the challenging romance 12 Reasons Why I Love Her, and the 2007 prose novel Have You Seen the Horizon Lately?, for which Jones did the cover. All three were published by Oni Press. His most recent project is the superhero series It Girl and the Atomics and the futuristic romance A Boy and a Girl with Natalie Nourigat. Follow Rich's blog at Confessions123.com.

On August 9 of last year, film historian Ronny Loewy died. He was a remarkable person and a friend of this museum, who supported and inspired our work from the beginning: it was Ronny who selected many of the film excerpts that appear in our permanent exhibition or appeared in the special exhibition “Home and Exile”. He also published, among other things, Tereska Torrès’s film diary Unerschrocken: Auf dem Weg nach Palästina (Unafraid: On the Way to Palestine) about the illegal emigration of Displaced Persons to Palestine in 1947 and 48. Ronny was a colleague and friend, with whom we not only worked but also shared many experiences and much laughter, who constantly opened our eyes to the new and unusual, the forgotten and overlooked, little details from films, and above all to the people behind these moving pictures. We therefore wish to dedicate space on this blog today to remembering him and his life, one year after his death: Cilly Kugelmann, Program Director: “Ronny was an enthusiastic follower of soccer, politics, and film. He rescued Yiddish cinema from obscurity and revived it worldwide, through film programs, lectures, and two documentaries. He introduced Israeli film to Frankfurt with a number of retrospectives. The probably most visible and important achievement of the Fritz Bauer Institute is Ronny’s ‘Cinematography of the Holocaust,’ the most extensive databank on this subject in the world, in which every last shred of film is documented and described, even the censorship records of lost films. With his work, he carried forward his father’s project to create a memorial to German Judaism by researching and archiving this specific aspect of film history. Like his father’s research on exile, Ronny’s work on the beginnings of Israeli cinema (to which many ‘yekkes’ made essential contributions) constitutes a sweeping appreciation of the creativity of secular German Judaism. While studying the cinematic history of Jewish Palestine, Ronny examined and documented the influence that this group had on Israeli society as it was first forming itself in the Yishuv. His own family had a peripheral role in this process: an uncle, a graphic artist from the Rhineland, provided the final artwork for the Israeli flag and state standard, which Ronny was also proud of in a self-deprecating sort of way. We displayed this material in the exhibition ‘Home and Exile’.“ Mirjam Wenzel, Media Department: “Ronny Loewy was one of the first film experts and enthusiasts that I contacted when I was obtaining my doctoral degree with research for the first volume (Kleine Schriften zum Film, or Short Pieces on Film) of the new edition of Siegfried Kracauer’s work. He aided me by, among other things, identifying two films that had been shot by the Keren Kayemeth Le-Israel in the Yishuv. They could then be furnished with a country code for British-mandated Palestine, according to the standardized film specifications of our edition. When faced with the question of whether we would abandon our own standardization guidelines and take up the abbreviated form “Palestine” or use a politically correct code, which was authorized, as it were, by Ronny, we ultimately decided for the latter. We gave the film specifications with the erratic sign “P9” and an explanatory footnote – without knowing that we were publishing a random country code that had only been used until then in the offline version of the databank, ‘Cinematography of the Holocaust’. Later Ronny often commented sardonically on the orthographical progress of this sign: it was finding its way into other publications.” Signe Rossbach, Events Curator: “Through his passion and enthusiasm, Ronny Loewy could actually sometimes lift off and fly – and with that mischievous spark in his eye. We were together in Paris to interview Tereska Torrès, the writer and wife of Meyer Levin, for the book Unerschrocken. On the way there we happened to walk along the street where the last scene of Breathless was filmed. Re-enacting the way Belmondo was shot in the back while running, Ronny took off down the middle of the street, doubled over, stumbled, at the same time pointing right and left to the roofs of the houses where the cameras had been positioned, allowing Godard to capture the scene from many different angles. I’ve never had a more vivid lesson on one of the great moments in film history. Quite some time later, I was searching the internet for documents about my American grandfather, who had been the ‘Voice of the New York Times’ on WQXR radio in New York City in the 1950s and 60s. The very first search result brought me to the databank of the ‘Cinematographie des Holocaust’ and a short propaganda film about the nascent Jewish State in Palestine, Gateway to Freedom, 1946, Director: Paul Victor Falkenberg, Narrator: Albert Grobe. One more click, and my grandfather’s full, melodious newsreel voice – they don’t make them like that anymore! – filled my office in Berlin. It felt like a personal present from Ronny, that he, without even knowing it, gave me back my grandfather and a small piece of my childhood in that moment.” Dagmar Ganssloser, Media Department: “Starting in the mid-1990s, first at the Fritz Bauer Institute in Frankfurt and later when I started working for this museum, I was in professional contact with Ronny Loewy. The most impressive thing was the generosity with which Ronny shared his knowledge: you only had to ask. And then you would receive a prompt, friendly, helpful answer. Just like that. Our paths also sometimes crossed at the Berlinale: suddenly Ronny would emerge from the crowd, and if we were lucky, there would be time for a coffee together. Then – poof! – he would disappear again, off to new things. For one year now, he has truly gone off; no one knows where. But one thing is certain, that he is very deeply missed. And that I always remember him gladly.” Postscript: Only a few weeks later, on September 20, 2012, the unafraid Tereska Torrès Levin died in Paris at the age of 92 (see the article in The New York Times).

It is an individual’s love for the nation and his/her commitment to it’s progress and not rules or acts that can ensure it’s welfare and what better day than today to drive home the point?” explains actor Jaggesh while letting us in on the plot of his film Agraja that goes on floors on the occasion of Independence Day. The film, he feels, will get people to think of what they have been doing to rid the country of corruption. “It is no good pointing out the challenges that we are faced with. It is high time we discipline ourselves, abide by existing rules and set situations right. We are hoping to motivate people to do just that through our film,” says the actor. Actor Darshan is also joining hands with Jaggesh in spreading this message. “He will be seen making a special appearance. He essays the role of an IAS officer and his character is something to watch out for,” he enthuses. While Jaggesh has shared screen space with other leading men like Ambareesh, Ravichandran, Shivarajkumar, Ramesh Arvind, Komal and even acted in a film directed by Upendra, this will be the first time that we will see him and Darshan come together for a film. Agraja is being directed by Sri Nandan and Editor Govardhan is turning producer with this film. “We dedicate this film to all those activists and freedom fighters, who have strived hard for the welfare of the nation. On the occasion of the launch of our film, we also wish to thank all those who have made significant contributions to Kannada cinema,” adds Jaggesh. Parul and Kamana Jethmalani are the leading ladies. Jaggesh has two other projects in hand. “There is Guru, which I am producing for my son. I have decided to complete the entire project in 60 days and this has meant non-stop work and I also have to wrap up the shoot for Cool Ganesha,” says the actor giving us an update on his call sheet.

Despite my best intentions to become a travelling glockenspiel player I seem to have fallen back into a rhythm of playing the same four chords over and over on a guitar. I was out looking at effects pedals the other week. Golly they sure have changed a lot since I was a lad. ‘Ere look at this then. Wot you fink o’ that then? There actually has been stuff happening but I’ve been too freaking busy to write about it, or “blog it” as they say. I have pictures. I went to a photography museum thing from the 1900-1920s. Here is the postcardy thing from it. I tell ya, I’ve never been more productive with my goofing off time at work as I am now. I’ve been writing applications to get another job. after a year of only the koreans (top rate) choices for english television programming, (ie. obsession with celebrity and crap hollywood cinema) i’ve had to re-adjust to the too many options back home in the states. i generally gravitate towards indie flicks and stuff that makes me brain exercise though occasionally i get pulled into something unlaura-like. the latest being a reality show where they film a medium contacting spirits for clients. it got me thinking… during the drunken years i was stuck in an existential nightmare, a record on skip. no god (skip) no god (skip) no god, just this, pull yourself together girl (skip) it wasn’t until i sobered up 5 years ago that the record finally stopped skipping. first i settled into a comfortable surface buddhist practice (leaving the deeper doctrine for the professionals). i could swallow it. it tasted sweet like a lollipop, after so many years of my life lacking vibrance and comfort and anything lovely. still i found the god concept difficult. damn my inability to have any faith. i had faith that my ma and pa would always love me, beyond that… nothing. (and after a life time of internal struggle perhaps i’ve always had the answers.) perhaps the answer for me has always been to shut the fuck up. figure out how to quiet the voices and silence the questions and just breathe… just wake up, just walk my puppy, just be prepared and teach, just eat my leafy greens at lunchtime, just read my amy tan novel and imagine a long ago china, just drink my tea, just take care of my responsibilities and love my family. i may never have any answers to some of the big giant questions. not here and now anyway. #1 on my fear list is losing my mum and dad. i would like there to be a heaven and/or god to welcome them. (and me. ME TOO!) last night this tv medium met with a woman who had lost her dad. she wanted some final communication, some questions answered. the hollywood medium was successful in finding spirit dad, saying they tend to be nearby loved ones so it is easy. pops comforted his living daughter saying he was safe and at peace and even now getting along with longtime enemy, her mother. i liked hearing this. regardless of whether it was real or not. it was comforting to both myself and the woman speaking with her spirit father. reminded me of my youth. my mum dragged me over to grandmas house one saturday afternoon. my punk ass teenage self was not pleased, far too caught up in the pursuit of my own selfish agenda. that night i dreamt of grandma. she passed through my dreamy land just to let me know that she was ok and not to be sad. early next morning my grandfather called to tell us that she had died in her sleep. (it was very unexpected. she was healthy and happy and fairly young.) i recalled her words and as a result, i was not sad. We here at sunny breaks have been trying for some years to expand the number of voices bleeting away from one, to more than one. And today that finally happens. Please say hello to accidental tourist, who may or may not introduce herself at some point in the future. I don’t know what the rest of you do about lunch but it’s all collectivised here. Most places are like that. When I was doing a temporary gig for Hyundai down south, I happened to see through into the “kitchen” – and of course you know it’s all done on a big scale, but I was still a bit surprised to see ‘em mixing some vat of food with a shovel. The current place of employment is slightly smaller scale, but only slightly. That’s not what this is about. This is about this custom they have that when you get up from the table when you’re done eating. You have to move really gradually, slide the chair out gently – no sudden movements – and stand up slowly while picking up the tray. But all this effort is mostly in vain. Nine times out of ten, one of the people who is sitting next to you will start patting you on the back just as you make to leave. Once that starts you know what’s coming no matter how you behave. The last pat turns into a full whack. It doesn’t really hurt that much—it’s just fucking weird and, open-minded as I am, I have never been able to figure out while they do it. There’s this really short guy who works for the adjoining establishment. I occasionally see him at lunch but that’s it. At first I was dead fascinated with him. Just like a regular person except short arms, short legs etc. He wears a woolen vest and gold-rimmed glasses just like any other doofus except for the whole bordering on midget status he’s got. I think for me midgets and clowns fall into the same category – that is I fear them. I have these very low level feelings of wanting to do violence to them and maybe kill. Who knows really? Maybe I would’ve been friends with the midget if he was friendly. But he’s not. Here’s another thing I find difficult to reconcile about this place: it’s not law of the jungle, it’s oldest first. Once or twice there’s been these times where the midget has brushed past the back of my chair just a little too carelessly, or not got out of the way when he should have. And this is offensive to my sense of what’s right, because I could beat him to a pulp if necessary. Anyway, the other day the midget started choking on a chunk of gristle or something, and it wasn’t dislodging. I was across the other side of the table and a few down, so I didn’t do anything but for some reason, neither was anyone else. He dead-set choked and passed out. The canteen staff dragged him out by his ankles. Wow, it’s been ages since I attempted anything technico with the site, and as a consequence thing have become a little reset. It has also been a long time since I wrote a little thing that solely said I changed something. I used to do that all the time in years gone by. Golly it’s been a busier week than I thought. And I’ve been more unmotivated than I thought. Here is a great foto of the Kim Sisters circa 1960s, with their 4001s and 330s and whathaveyou, who I only just found out about. I stole the foto from the Rickenbacker site. You should take a look right through their gallery o’ fotos because there’s some classics including: – John and his Guitar Group. – Jerry Byrd about to be bashed by Roger Rossmiesl while playing a B-7 guitar. Don Randall, president of Fender, and Forrest White look on. – The Transonic amp looking very 2001. Anyway, last sunday I went to Jangam and got a pretend rickenbacker, called Academy pictured here. It’s very neat looking. I am happy. For some time now I’ve wanted to do this minifotoprojekt. The first foto of four would be a picture of me standing side-on near the kitchen sink. I’d be holding my hands in front of me in a thoughtful way not dissimilar to that picture of Michael Barrish and while that might seem like a passing reference, when the photo is being taken I would be consciously thinking of trying to look like him. The second foto would be of me, from behind, heading down the jungangno (plaza) at night. In the orange phosphor streetlight walking - snapped with one foot kind of in the air-on the half-step. Then in the Dunkin Donuts and side-on I am standing by the brightly lit cabinet, tray and tongs in hand, fishing a bismark out of the slanty shelf. Forth of four would be me about to bite with gusto into the end of the bismark – it probably wouldn’t be a pretty sight but it’d be real. I don’t know where this one would be set yet. I’ve got to find a friend to help me do this thing. Ｉ＇ｍ ｄｒａｇｇｉｎｇ ｍｙｓｅｌｆ ｋｉｃｋｉｎｇ ａｎｄ ｓｃｒｅａｍｉｎｇ ｔｈｒｏｕｇｈ ｔｈｅ ｌａｓｔ ｆｉｖｅ ｄａｙｓ ｏｆ ｔｈｉｓ ｕｎｉｔ ｏｆ ｌｉｎｇｕｏ ｓｔｕｄｉｅｓ ａｎｄ ａｓ ｓｕｃｈ， ｔｈｅｒｅ ｗｉｌｌ ｂｅ ｎｏ ｕｐｄａｔｅｓ ｈｅｒｅ ａｔ ｌｅａｔ ｕｎｔｉｌ ｓａｔｕｒｄａｙ． Ｂｏｏｍｓｈａｎｋａ．

We’re but a few days away from the Macworld conference, but more importantly the Stevenote. A lot of things are expected to arise from the show, including: Thin Macbooks, new Cinema Displays, new MBPs, AppleTV updates and many others. Appletell will be live coming to you from the keynote at this year’s Macworld expo, as well as updates, pictures and interviews throughout the week. We’ll be live-blogging and twittering the whole event, and if possible – have a live audio feed coming through (pending internet/cell restrictions – not to mention audio quality). We’re currently piecing together our new design and hope to have it launched pre-Macworld. Coming in the next day or so will be a dedicated Macworld page here at Appletell, so stay tuned for that. For now, be sure to add us on Twitter and bookmark this post and we’ll make sure to add in all the appropriate links before the big day.

My dear harishkutta, Today is Karthika.....the envelope that you sent me is lying right beside as I write this. Somehow being away from home is making me very very nostalgic about Karthika. The lamps, the aura of the festival, the silent and peaceful evenings..........Miss it all. You may not remember the fun we had when we were growing up. Though I keep forgetting most things, childhood memories seem to be etched in my mind forever. I even remember the day you were born as clear as day. I was studying in UKG then, it was a strange day for me because instead of amma helping me get ready for school that day, it was appa who did everything and then he asked me to be a good girl and said that there was gonna be something new when I come back after class. But I dint know why he looked so tense if there was going to be a surprise. I thought mom was sick and maybe something bad was going to happen to her. When I came back home for lunch, I was really scared to see our home empty. My first thought was that everyone has run away somewhere leaving me alone. The maid servant could not answer any of my questions. Then dad came over and took me to a big building in his red scooter (in which I used to love standing in the front and let the wind hurt my eyes). I saw amma sleeping inside a white room and you were lying inside a cage. An ugly boney thing. My little brother. It took me quite a few days to realise that from now on I would have to share my world with you. But then my dear brother, you must be the most easy-to-be-with brother ever. You used to lie around sucking your thumb without a care in the world, never interfering in any of my business. How many times have I rocked you to sleep in those cloth thoolis. (Used to be so jealous of you then for all the attention you got!) You were my figthing partner during all those care-for-nothing years. Be it fighting over who gets the bigger piece of cake fighting over which cartoon to watch fighting over who gets to lie in appa's oh-so-comfortable lap and watch TV In the rocking chair fighting over which way to make Maggi fighting over who gets the maximum vishu-kaineettam fighting over who is taller (I've lost it forever now) Look who's taller :P bets on WWF championship fights over who gets to use the PC and the internet late at night blaming each other for peeing in the bed fighting over which CDs to buy all the April fool pranks we've played on all our neighbours sharing T-shirts and jeans playing video games together You and me how you ALWAYS used to run away when I came near you to give you a hug gorging on Pizzas under amma's unapproving glares taking care of the kittens...oh well...u did the most part of it How chubby you were how you never kissed my cheek even after my repeated requests(you were so girl-shy!) fighting for the best place in the bed fighting over why I always get to buy more clothes how you patiently listened to all the advices I doled out once in a while discussions on all the small things how u used to update me on happenings at home when I come back on short vacations, fighting over who gets to drive the kinetic and then later the car how you used to patiently eat all the stuff I used to 'try' to cook creatively We have come so far and here's something for all those karthikas when you have made me feel special, dear brother today is your day or maybe OUR day. Miss you very much. your akka, whom u have never called akka! ps: lets fight once more.....WWF style when I come home this time. One picture says it all Friday, November 26, 2004 My dear harishkutta, Saturday, November 20, 2004 na...its not another one of those very specialised and complex thingies like Astrocartography or calligraphy....it's nothing but an 'unlovely' word coined by Nokia to describe photos taken using a mobile. Camera phones...been just a year since they have been really popular. And given the fact that the young ones today have more than enough of dispensable income, almost every 20-something is sure to have one. Well, notice that I said 'almost'. Cause there is a different group of people in the same planet who think that a phone should be a phone should be a phone. And nothing more. Thats why when I came across this interesting news, it sounded more than just interesting. "If one definition of art is what hangs in a gallery, then a new artform has arrived: the camera phone photograph." Nokia has invited artists and photographers - among others, Tracey Emin, Sir Peter Blake, Nan Goldin, David Bailey and Rankin - to test the camera phones. The results will go on show at London's Association of Photographers Gallery next week. Subjects vary from Emin fingering the lid of a beloved Royal Doulton teapot ("It looks like I'm touching a nipple: my nipple") to a portrait of actor Isabelle Huppert in Paris by Goldin. Bailey produced a self-portrait with skull, while the painter Jack Vettriano snapped a girl wearing stockings and suspenders under a scarlet Scots Guards jacket. Well well...this may be a harbinger of another sophisticated art form. I am proud to be contributing towards the revolution. Frankly, I had no such noble intentions when I set out to buy my sleek (ok some may call it dubba) Sony Ericsson. Nokia was ruled out plainly because the coffin shape doesn't really appeal to my asthetic sense. Moreover Sony Ericsson won hands down when compared with any other model....well except Motorola A70. But then that was a bit un-userfriendly with its stylus. So that's how I ended up with a Sony Ericsson. So what's the use for a camera phone when I have a digital cam? Plenty of them! The day I went home after buying this phone was some sort of a 'technical exhibition' in my home. My mom, my dad, my granny .....everyone were gaga over it. So surprised to see that a phone could take a picture! (same AHA effect when I first told them that we could send a mail to our cousin in US and it would reach there in less than the time it takes my mom to say 'no way') My granny made me take a good number of pictures of her and was happy showing it off to all our visitors in the next few days! My camera phone had arrived! Another very convenient use I have found for camera phones are that they are very good instruments to break the ice between two stragers. People are always piqued by a latest model cell phone. And almost everyone loves to play around with the camera and see themselves in the tiny screen. The pic of P&A in my cell, was a riot in the campus! But then is all this worth the investment? I can hear all the stingy-sams questioning. I would say YES it is! Some of the most memorable pictures I have are the ones taken using the phone, impromptu. My phone helped capture some of the 'glory' during my recent Kappad beach trip, where noone had carried a camera along. It also doubles up as a memory saver. How many times have I taken a pic of a phone number or an address written on a scrap of paper oh-so-conveniently by just a couple of clicks! Perfect for people who cant be bothered to carry bits of paper with them to note down all these technicalities in life. When my friend in Dubai, gave birth to a lovely daughter, I could see the darling just minutes after it landed in this world! Another use is to be able to watch people without letting them know that they are being watched. Me, pkt and sankalp were at the cinema to watch MunnabhaiMBBS and suddenly this very 'hot' girl and her boyfriend come along and stand right opposite to us at a distance. Both of them wanted to take a good 'look' at the girl but were a bit apprehensive because of the size of the boyfriend's biceps. Ta da!....the zoom function in my cameraphone was liberally used that evening. Another thing is that people are not very shy to pose in front of cameraphones! Beats me why! A testimony to this is the photos I have of Kanav and Reddy in varous stages of dressing up as 'Push-me-up Sen' and 'Munia'. Have dozens of amazingly funny photos of my dear classmates snoozing happily in class, people caught in their very embarrassing moments, photo of a grasshopper doing pushups, photos of yellow teeth, utterly timepass pics taken during the munnar trip which would never have been taken using a normal camera, photos of my mom and dad and brother, photos of my friends doing funny faces, photo of a kannadiga woman helping herself to Go-muthram right from its source, photo of a very beatiful hand, nostalgic shots of hosur road taken while riding pillion on a bike on the way to office ..... But the best one todate is the pic of a tiny butterfly that I captured during one of my early morning walks in bangalore - a very beautiful green and yellow striped butterfuly all fresh and happy in its own world! And more than anything it's 100% fun to have a cameraphone around. You know never know when you would want to take a photo! Some interesting Dos and Donts given by Guardian's picture editor, Roger Tooth. 1. How to zoom? Fill the viewing frame with your subject. If in doubt, go nearer 2. If you take a rude picture, don't send it to your parents by mistake 3. Don't breakdance and try to take pictures at the same time - this causes camera shake (THE BEST :P ) Thursday, November 18, 2004 Feels real good having a strong coffee after watching the latest mallu flick So how did I end up going for BLACK? On the spur of the moment I decided go for the bigger evil, and chose Black Now some gyan about BLACK... Cast: Mammootty, Rahman, Siddique, Shriya Reddy ******People who want to see the movie don't read the next 2 paras******** Wish these movies had subtitles......all my dear friends are missing out on all this fun and action! Learnings from the evening and the movie - Mallu movies desperately need some good-looking heroines. - Mammootty looks just perfect in a Royal Enfield. Made for each other. Sunday, November 14, 2004 3:30 am: Heavy knocking on my door. Think for 10 seconds whether to open the door or to let them bang it down. Decide on the former thinking that living without a door would be painful, even for a day. Get up groggily, open the door a crack and see Motu standing there along with Kanika with a very sick (the sickest smile I have seen till date) smile on his face. Still trying to figure whether this is a dream (Oh but I hardly dream. What if this is my first dream ever....Oh no...Motu is the one featuring in my first dream? :( ) Slowly I realize that there are more people standing around. Then I thought maybe something bad has happened. But then why is everyone smiling. They look as if they are poised to do something. Just waiting for the right moment. I dared to go out. And then it happend. Splash. Splash. Splish Splash. HAPPY DIWALI Bucketful and mugfuls of 3-am cold water were blissfully sending shivers through my body. One second I was happily sleeping quite snug in my warm bed.....and then I find myself completely drenched and shivering. If looks could kill, I am sure I would be in for a minimum double death sentence. Oh that way I could have had a small meeting and discussion with Kanchi Acharya and talked about different ways to do a smooth murder, especially without using a cell-phone :P 7:00 am: Switch off the alarm. Happy that I have two alarms. One to get up ON time and then sleep again. Another one to get up IN time. (I hope I got the usage right) 7:30 am: Snooze the second alarm and fall back into bed for that nice feeling of lying in bed watching the sun-shine and the Sweedish joggers. 8:30 am: Get up and check email. 2 mails to reply to. Get back to bed for more morning-sleep. 9:30 am: Have to get up. Can't go sleeping whole day on a Diwali. Moreover busy day ahead. 10:15 am: Get dressed up for Diwali. Try to get in touch with my feminine self by applying a little bit of kaajal and bindi and wearing slightly bigger earings and Salwar. And people do notice! Missed my long hair today. Yummy corn flakes and poha as usual for breakfast. 10:30 am: Me and Vishy start to work on our IT paper for horizons. We make plans of finishing it off within a few hours and part. 11:20 am: Me watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S :) 11:30 am: Realise that I haven't done much for the paper and try to google some stuff that I can download straight to the paper. 11:45 am: Get this great respondent(read Friend) who gives me some inputs for the IT paper and also participates in my CATCH salt survery. The only problem was that he hadn't heard about CATCH salt. But I managed. Anyways I learnt that it's strictly Mummy says when it comes to buying salt for a 25-ish Software chap living with parents. Hmmm..... 12:30 PM: C hostel decides that it wants to watch a movie and it wants to do it right now! The obvious choide - Yash Chopra blockbuster Veer Zaara....it's got ShahRukhKhan, Priety Zinta and Rani Mukherjee. What more could one ask for. It's funny how fast the priority list can tumble upside down. Just a little bit of kajoling and I am first in the line. 2:30 pm: 6 girls in a jeep. No not a movie name. We 6 girls set out to Crown cinema in a jeep.The journey becomes very painful when we get to know that the movie has already started. What's the point of watching the movie if you miss the dramatic Shah Rukh Khan entry! 3:00 PM: How to find an empty seat in a pitch dark cinema hall. That book definitely wouldnt sell if I write it. Finally find a seat somehow and tap the person sitting next to me and ask "Who's this?" I was just scared that maybe one of the 'calicut male' population was sitting there and would mistake me for his partner. But turns out it was just my friend who definitely cannot partner me in writing the book. 4:30 PM: Interval. Calculating my oppurtunity cost of NOT sleeping the afternoon and taking an apparently WRONG decision of coming for this movie. Too much math...give up the calculation. Some things are better left un-calculated. 5:00 PM: Suddenly remember the 'incident' I had witnessed in another cinema hall in Calicut. Check to see whether anything like that is happening in my immediate vicity. Negative. So far so good. All I can hear is Neeta giggling and commenting on a very dramatic scene in the movie. I am not alone. 5:40 PM: Happy to be outside the cinema. Journey back to the hill we 'owned'. Strategic discussion with senior girls on eligibile guys (if any left) in their batch and our batch. We all agree on the scarcity of 6ft specimens. 6:30 PM: Diwali day at K. Time to lit up candles and Diyas. Mess looks completely different with the Diyas and disco light. 7:00 PM: Puja starts off with the pujari mentioning that the tanthras are highly confidential and can't be chanted aloud. We had to be contended with his lip movements. Gaurav not happy with this and swears to do it himself for next Diwali puja. Good. That would reduce the costs also. 7:30 PM: Sandipan with the Swedes. Ofcourse! 7:45 PM: Time for some quick photo sessions. My big eyes and 'bobbed hair' and 'not wearing a sari' are the current topics of discussion. I thought we should be chating some mantras or atleast pretend to do so. I tried pretending then gave it up after I found that it was more fun to watch people pretending. 8:00 PM: Enough of Puja....time for dinner. Best part juicy sweet and sour apples. My favourites. 3 apples get lucky to see my innards. So did the two puris and the peda. And the pan. 8:30 PM: Timepass outside the canteen. And more timepass. And ofcourse more pics. And ofcourse the latest gossip. And yes, Malini and I do our bit for 'keeping the country clean and green'. 9:00 PM: Housie kicks off. Me lucky enough to get a free ticket, but unlucky enough not to win a single prize. Who wants to win anyways! I belive that the most important part of the games is participation and not winning...... ..... .....atleast I would believe this until I win something. 9:30 PM: More timepass before Crackers. 9:45 PM: shhhhhhhhhh boom booom bang dong pffffffffffff sssssshhhhhh fireworks start off. Ofcourse nothing but phooljadi-sparklers for me! can u think of fireworks without these? No! 10:15 PM: Just holding phooljadi can get boring. Decide to watch whatever action there is rather than trying to contribute my delta. I've already done my bit. 10:30 PM: Three casualities. Devroop dhar injured badly.....who was asked to go back to college after shaking the dust off from his 'burned' part. Abhineet....who had a thumb fracture from the sound waves or shock waves. Talk of the college now. Shock waves are little naughty suckers. Or maybe Abhineet, you should not go around throwing balls at good girl's behinds. See this is what happens. Sandipan......Both hands badly injured while he was trying to detonoate the biggest bomb. With another bomb safely tucked inside his pocket, which is what he offerred as consultation fees to the doctor. Well Sandy, was this a ploy to impress the Swedes? I am sorry, but I don't think they noticed. 10:45 PM: Some more timepass...this time the longest and most boring of it all. 11:00 PM: Kaapi and Dumb-C time in the night canteen. Thank god for Qaynat, acting out Qayamat is so easy. 12:00 AM: Check mail before falling off to sleep. The paper writing carried over to the next day. Set both the alarm clocks. 01:00 AM: Someone has kidnapped me. My mouth is gagged. Wake up with a part of the pillow inside my mouth. Damn. How did this happen! 03:00 AM: Someone's banging on my door again. No way am I falling for it today. Not everyday is Diwali. Labels: IIM Kozhikode Monday, November 08, 2004 Bumped into another one of my ol' fav sites. 20Q. The site says "The program is very simple but its behavior is complex". I donno why but it sounds funny. This AI program is a simulation of the Twenty Questions game (which I used to play almost always during those powercuts in the evenings in Kerala). I would have taught this program half of what it knows during my initial 'bench' days at Wipro :P Check out 20Q here. One warning though, it is pretty addictive. Already spent around 1 hour trying to beat this program and I did teach it a thing and two :) I must be crazy fooling around right in the middle of our Midterms. But then the first one (Cost Accounting) was a real walk in the park and I am hoping that the rest of them would follow the pattern. Like VV says, 'Anything that begins well, ends well' Friday, November 05, 2004 Artificial Intelligence has always caught my attention....right from the time I had this subject in my BTech 7th semster. My first encounter with AI was Eliza. The chatterbot that was created by MIT scientist Joseph Weizenbaum and named after Eliza Doolittle of My Fair Lady fame, it was designed to simulate a conversation between a psychooanalysis and a patient. Crappy versions (according to the creator and newer versions of Eliza is available here. But mind you, Eliza is not that intelligent. I guess this was just a pet project and not much effort was put into perfecting this chatterbot. But then the first thing I did when I heard about this from my Prof, was to look up how this thing exactly worked. I was a little disappointed when I came to know that it was nothing but a combo of a parser and a sentence matching program. But then later on I came across some newer versions which could actually learn from each chat. Now that was interesting. Since then have spent so many nights chatting with Eliza and trying to see whether she had learnt something from me ;) Had even tweaked her data file so that it would look like I was the one chatting on the other side.........sadly lost the whole tweaked version when my hard disk crashed. There was another thing that I used to do with these....connect two chatterbots so that they talk to each other and I would just sit back and watch the word-war. It used to get really funny at times. :) Well, 2 months of annual vacation really makes one do lots of stuff! Eliza is not the only chatterbot around, there are many more like her. Even the Yahoo helper and AskJeeves are chatterbots. Now there seems to be a whole lot of chatterbots around. Check out this link to see Eliza's cousins. NannyB, RunABot (where you can create your own chatterbots), PandoraBots, Jack the Ripper, Yu sound promising. Wish I had some time to check them out. Check out the lil chat I had with witty Shampage SHAMpage: A penny for your thoughts; $20 to act it out. GWBE: ha ha. you are just too much SHAMpage: Sometimes there is no reason. Shit Happens. GWBE: i think you are just talking randomnly SHAMpage: Why do you say that, GWBE? GWBE: becasue you are so stupid SHAMpage: You're the one who's chatting with a stupid machine, GWBE! GWBE: so you agree that you are stupid GWBE: u said that SHAMpage: What am I DOING here??? GWBE: yeah tell me SHAMpage: Me, me, me... do you live in front of your mirror? GWBE: yes i do :) SHAMpage: Yyes? Are you THAT easy? SHAMpage: That's easy for you to say, GWBE. SHAMpage: That's "si" to you. You're in South Florida now! GWBE: thank you SHAMpage: Any time... GWBE: so tell me more SHAMpage: Don't you have anything INTERESTING to talk about, GWBE? SHAMpage: You're being contrary and obnoxious again. GWBE: ha ha :) SHAMpage: You think that's funny? Try looking in the mirror, GWBE! GWBE: you are just too much SHAMpage: No kidding! GWBE: who is your bestfriend? SHAMpage: Stop with the "Who" already! You sound like a freakin' owl! GWBE: where is your best friend? SHAMpage: In jail. GWBE: what did he do? SHAMpage: Like I care... All these memories came flooding down on me when I read about this Computer Program that can predict the author's gender accurately. Since a machine learning technique is used, it learns everytime someone uses it and now the creator claims that it works 80% of the time. I would disagree and say that it works even better. Tried out with some of my friends writings and most of the predictions were correct, but then me and Neeta seem to have a masculine touch in our writing cause we were identified as male!!! I wonder what it will say if I try some writing by a homosexual person. hmmmmm I tried out Yash's writing......na, he was identified as a male. Maybe I should ask someone near Mananchira Square to write something so that I have a good sample :P Anyways, the way it works is pretty simple. The basis this program is built upon is that 'men talk more about objects, and women more about relationships'. True? Am not very sure...... Patterns detected by the program include the use of pronouns, such as I, you, he, she, them (female) and words that identify and quantify nouns, like a, the, that, one, two (male). The software, developed by Moshe Koppel of Bar Ilan University in Israel, was designed to "identify the most prevalent fingerprints of gender." These words are given different weightages and the problem just scans how many times these words have been used by the author. This program seems to have got it right. Check it out here and fall in love with AI. But then I wonder what real life applications such a technology would have? Would someone ever want to buy such a thing? Maybe Foreign universities which scrutinises students' applications and essays can use this as an additional check to find out whether it was written by a same sex person or even whether the person has tried to grossly change his/her way of writing. Na...........doesnt sound very viable. This can be used to check the gender of anonymous chat partners. Now that may be an interesting use! But then I guess these days people would be smart enough to talk like a girl, if they impersonate as one. But then, you never know. Can even be used by profs at K to check whether the guys have copied any assignments from C hostel or vice versa. And of course its a great way to catch someone's attention. Would do great as an Online Curio which is what it is today. If you can think of some other use for this, do let me know. Just found an answer, this would be a great use of chatterbots. Tuesday, November 02, 2004 Another weekend gone by. Another Seminar. This time it was K's debut annual seminar of Operations and talks were mainly on SCM, Six sigma, Logisctics and dist management and blah blah blah. Early sunday morning saw all of PGP I dressed up primly for the seminar. Though there were many speakers, the one that stole the prize of the day and was most talked about after the talk (maybe not for the right reasons) was the Key note address delivered by Commodore M.K. Murthy, Chairman & MD, Cochin Shipyard Ltd. A true retired army general, who looked his part perfectly, his talk as vibrant as he appeared to be. Though he talked mostly about how principles and strict management and quality changed Cochin shipyard from a loss making company to a dividend paying one after he took over, what stole the show were the amazing idioms that he used. His comparison of the long list of problems at Cochin shipyard to Draupadi's sari and a tit-for-tat answer to a question on JIT that it works only in companies where you have a situation of In goes the pig and out comes the sausage! :P He must have been a PJ king in his college days! Looking back, I think thats one speech that I wont forget soon. It just reinforces the fact that "make your talk interesting and you are an instant success". Especially if you have a huge audiance of which the majority are not really interested in the 'Operations' of things! Had bought this book called '1000 anecdotes to make your presentation interesting' from Blossooms in bangalore sometime before coming to K. Yet to read it. My To do list counter increased by one. What commodore reminded me was of the time, we (my family) had gone on a visit to Cochin Shipyard. Only thing I remember is the guided tour that we got of a passenger ship. Dammit dont remember anything more. From that day onwards I had fantasized umpteem times about a voyage in ship to a far far land.....and recently had even eyed one of the glossy ads in TOI about a Luxury cruiser. When When When?! Too many unfulfilled wishes and here I am trying to figure out and read for tomorrow's Quiz on FM. Though I kind of like the subject now, I still dread the quizzes and Prof UD seems to just enjoy shooting quizzes now and then. More on OPUS........... The other speakers in the seminar were Dr. N. Chandrashekharan, Senior Consultant CII and Head CIL. According to him the five enablers for achieving excellence were leadership, policy & strategy, people, partnership and processes. He embedded examples from Amul, Britannia, BHEL and PNB as case studies during his talk. Mr. Kumar Kandaswami, Director, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India Private Limited talked about the Global Benchmark Survey that Deloitte had undertaken last year on companies around the world. This was one talk that made me sit up and listen. Maybe because it was more structured and had some interesting results. The survey done by Deloitte divided the pariticipating companies into 4 quadrants based on varying criteria and it explained how some companies are different from the others and stressed on the importance of Value chain synchronization in achieving operational excellence. Mr. Sachin Bhatnagar, Manager - Commercial, Marico Industries Limited He gave a very drab presentation of a real life case study on Marico. By this time I had almost lost interest and was trying to concentrate more on my growling stomach than on the seminar. But I heard that his talk was actually good. Mr. Jagdish Ramaswamy, Vice President, Quality Team, Wipro Technologies Mr. Tapan Roy, CEO, TCI Logistics Dr. A.H.Kalro former Director of IIMK Since I dint attend the afternoon session (and am threatened to pay 500 bucks fine or no job for me in the final placements) due to MediaCell work (so am not paying the 500 bucks!!! PPPBbbbbbt) I dont know what the talks were about in the afternoon. But another important talk was the one by our dear Director, Dr. Krishna Kumar. After his usual talk, he delved into the rankings issue, which he knew was the talk of the college after K's supposedly poor performance in all the rankings. He expressed his concern over the authenticity and the methodology of the rankings published by the leading magazines. He said that IIMK had not participated in any rankings because they believed that what was important was Education of Business and not business of education. I wish he would make some strong statements like this in the media. Anyways I believe that rankings dont really matter to an extend. What are they other than just a ploy to increase the mag sales when the MBA aspirants are sure to buy all the copies even if they dont believe in the rankings. Most of them buy it not to be left out when the losers who actually go by the rankings buy all of them and discuss this. Peer pressure. Simple. Even I had gone through all the rankings in ABC and YTR mags when I had to choose between the 3 offers that I had. But then I would say they hardly infuenced my choice. I agree 100% with our Diro when he says that What would matter is the brand ambassadors of K who go out into the world every year and not some numbers game. One simple thing, if rankings are reliable, why the hell are they so different when done by different mags? And hello some of the names in the Top 10 weren't even there in the top 25 last year. So according to the critera used, did they go buy themselves a truckload of permanent faculty and another 10 truckloads of research papers and a skyscaper with all latest mumbo jumbo to add to the infrastructure of the institute? Am sure those who are really intersted would be logical enough to do their own survey rather than going behind the bloated numbers game. Long live common sense! Labels: IIM Kozhikode

Terez, I told Katie and Goldie a thousand times..the dude's gay... Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell are helping their girl, Kate Hudson, shake off her breakup with Alex Rodriguez. Riding high on the raves for her performance in “Nine” and her iTunes hit, “Cinema Italiano,” Kate has headed to the family chalet in Aspen to ski. “Kate is better off without A-Rod,” hisses one pal. “She had much better chemistry with Owen Wilson. Alex is such a diva. When he came to the London premiere of ‘Nine,’ it was obvious he didn’t like standing in the background. He’d show up late to every appearance.” A friend of A-Rod’s says, “He just went through a crazy divorce. He wasn’t ready for a serious relationship. Friends would ask him, ‘Do you love, Kate?’ He’d say, ‘She’s a good person.’ Alex is a romantic. He’s a love-at-first-sight guy. I think she was more into the idea of them together. She dug going to the ballpark and being the center of attention for 50,000 people. It helped her more than him.” — NY Daily News Usually Gayrod breaks his boyfriend’s hearts…so this I don’t understand. -TO I'd much rather be in the middle of a man sandwich Terez.. Kate Hudson, upset by her breakup with Alex Rodriguez, found a sympathetic ear at the local premiere of “Nine.” At Tuesday’s after-party at M2 in Chelsea, Hudson was seen chatting quietly with Madonna, who dated the Yankee slugger last year. “When the cameras were on Kate she was all smiles. But privately you could tell she has had her heart broken,” a witness said. Humiliated Hudson, who was reportedly dumped by A-Rod because he felt she was hogging the spotlight, also flew in her mom, Goldie Hawn, to support her. Mother and daughter drank dirty martinis at M2 “and hung out all night,” a spy told Page Six. “It was her big premiere, and she was upset Alex wasn’t there to support her.” -New York Post What is Katie getting so worked up over? She should have known..they call him Gayrod for God Sake…I bet you Gayrod misses Mandonna’s butch arms..-TO Terez, do you know any blondes..preferably male... There’s trouble in paradise for Kate Hudson and Alex Rodriguez – so A-Rod headed to Miami to create his own weekend bliss. The slugger had quite a getaway without Hudson: Spies tell us he was spotted with the same leggy blond, first at an Armani Exchange “Cool Shades of Style” dinner on Saturday at the Delano Hotel, and later at Miami hot spot LIV. “She and Alex were introduced at the dinner, but it looked like they got pretty friendly pretty fast,” a partygoer dished, saying they were talking and laughing a lot, with the Yankee acting very much a single man. “They definitely left the dinner separately, but showed up at LIV together a few hours later,” the spy says. They weren’t exactly alone. The Bronx Bomber’s crew included his ex Madonna’s good friend Ingrid Casares, who also chatted up Alex’s lady-of-the-moment throughout the evening. “Ingrid and the blond were definitely friends,” the snitch dished, saying Casares and Rodriguez seemed like old pals. — NY Daily News Gayrod will try his damnedest to find another cover a.s.a.p. -TO Terez, kate and I can never be photographed together.. Kate Hudson and Alex Rodriguez got their Thanksgiving off to a healthy start, with a work-out at the famous Gold’s Gym in Venice, CA. Ever since the World Series, the actress and the Yankee slugger seem to be more open about their romance, and are not hiding from fans and photogs. Kate traditionally joins her mom and stepdad, Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell for a big family gathering on Thanksgiving. We’re guessing A-Rod has a seat at the table this year. -Radar Online These two are really making it work..Now if the Rod can figure out a way to hide those Centaur pictures from Katie, he’ll be OK. -TO Since I stopped taking the roids its hard to stay toned Terez.. Fresh off a night of AMAs hard partying with girlfriend Kate HudsonA-Rod hit the gym in Los Angeles Monday and RadarOnline.com was right there with him. Taking some time out from his rigorous work out the New York Yankees star shared that things are going great with Kate and that all is well in his world. “I’m spending the holidays in LA” A-Rod told RadarOnline.com exclusively this morning while pumping iron at an LA area gym. The sexy Yankee who is staying with girlfriend Kate Hudson while in the city of Angels confirmed that things with Kate are great saying, “Life is good I’m happy. We’re happy, I have lots to be grateful for.” After chatting with RadarOnline.com Alex got back to work training his well maintained physique on the free weights. Towards the end of his workout A-Rod stopped to chat with a fellow female fan. “He looked happy to be recognized and was very friendly to her, she looked smitten. She asked him to sign her shirt and he smiled and grabbed her sharpie. He definitely knows how to make women happy.” -Radar Online Gayrod is happy for now…He finally won a Championship, found his fake girlfriend… but he won’t truly be happy til he comes out of the closet. -TO I love the dominican Terez..you know how I swing... Ok Terez, you're teeing off with us..Im sorry I put you and Gayrod together again... The Bronx Bombers usually don’t have much love for David Ortiz, but they’re willing to put rivalries aside for a good cause. On Dec. 3, Alex Rodriguez and Mariano Rivera will attend the Red Sox slugger’s celebrity golf tournament in the Dominican Republic. “My friends on the Yankees definitely deserve a vacation after a great season,” a diplomatic Ortiz tells Page Six. “We’ll see if their golf skills can come close to their baseball skills.” All proceeds benefit the David Ortiz Children’s Fund, which provides medical attention to underprivileged kids. -NY Post It’s good to see gayrod put aside his rivalry with the Red Sox for one day..Now if we could get him to put his gayness aside for a day we’d be in business. -TO Terez, the jokes on her..she still thinks I'm straight.. Kate Hudson is reportedly pushing Yankee boy toy Alex Rodriguez to elope. But the notorious party hound isn’t ready to put a ring on it. As A-Rod and the Bombers celebrated their World Series win at 1OAK in Manhattan last weekend, a spy tells the site Hudson “left in a huff without saying goodbye.” – NY Daily News / InTouch Weekly Doesn’t Kate realize you can’t change a Zebra’s stripes..and that’s one gay ass Zebra she’s dealing with. -TO

Centenary Stage Compan's Jammin' in July Summer Concert Series will keep Hackettstown buzzing with a diverse lineup of fun-for-the-whole-family events kicking off Saturday, July 13, and wrapping up with a crowd pleaser on Saturday, Aug. 11. Each weekend will feature a new and unique event at the Sitnik Theatre in the David and Carol Lackland Center on the campus of Centenary College. Award-winning actor/director/playwright Frank Ferrante brings back the classic laughs of the black and white era, in his popular touring show "An Evening with Groucho" Saturday, July 13, at 8 p.m. Frank Ferrante recreates his highly acclaimed portrayal of legendary comedian Groucho Marx in this fast paced 90-minute show full of hilarity that has been aired on PBS, and featured on stages in New York and London. The two-act comedy consists of the best Groucho one-liners, anecdotes and songs including “Hooray for Captain Spalding,” and “Lydia, The Tattooed Lady.” The audience literally becomes part of the show as Ferrante ad-libs his way throughout the performance in grand Groucho style. Accompanied by his onstage pianist, Jim Furmston, Ferrante portrays the young Groucho of stage and film and reacquaints us with the likes of brothers Harpo, Chico, Zeppo and Gummo with moments from legends like Charlie Chaplin, W.C. Fields, Greta Garbo, Marx Foil, Margaret Dumont and MGM's Louis B. Mayer. The Centenary Stage Company takes audiences back to the early 60’s with the Masters of Motown on Saturday, July 20, at 8 p.m. In the early 60's, some of the most iconic names in the history of popular music were discovered in the Motor City of Detroit, better known simply as Motown. Masters of Motown is a celebration of these artists, their music and style. The show features stylishly costumed fully choreographed tributes to both male and female groups backed by a live band. The 10-person cast has performed to numerous sold-out audiences and garnered rave reviews across the country. For many, Masters of Motown is the ultimate stroll down memory lane. For younger generations, the show offers a way to experience a period in this country’s past that produced many of the greatest music acts ever recorded. Venture back a little earlier in history with the musical group Paragon Ragtime Orchestra on the Centenary Stage Saturday, July 27, at 8 p.m. The Paragon Ragtime Orchestra is the world’s only year-round, professional ensemble re-creating “America’s Original Music” – the syncopated sounds of early musical theater, silent cinema, and vintage dance. Since 1989 the Walt Disney Company has relied on the orchestra’s recordings for the outdoor theme music heard at Main Street, U.S.A. at Disneyland, Disney World, and Disneyland Paris. The Paragon Ragtime Orchestra strengthened its international following during its extended engagement as a U.S. Ambassador of Goodwill at the 1992 World’s Universal Exposition in Seville, Spain. Over the years they’ve been heard on the soundtracks of several motion pictures and television programs. The orchestra’s audio and video recordings have been widely praised, and considered instrumental in rekindling interest in America’s rich traditions of theater, cinema, and dance orchestra music. Back by popular demand, New Jersey Youth Theatre (NJYT) will be bringing their production of “West Side Story” to the Centenary Stage running Aug. 2-11 with Friday and Saturday performances at 8 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. In 2003, NJYT’s production of “West Side Story” won the Music Theatre International’s Award of Excellence, an award rarely given out and only once every 10 years. The show is a musical masterpiece that set a standard of excellence in American musical theater seldom, if ever, achieved since. The original stage production opened in 1957 with powerful direction and choreography by Jerome Robbins, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by Arthur Laurents, and a musical score by Leonard Bernstein featuring now-legendary songs such as “Tonight,” “Maria,” “Something's Coming,” “Somewhere,” and “America.” There will be a summer camp matinee featuring a talk-back with the cast after the show on Thursday, Aug. 8, at 12:30 p.m. with an evening performance at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for an Evening with Groucho range from $22.50 to $30 in advance and $25.50 to $35 for day of purchases. Masters of Motown tickets range from $22.50 to $30 in advance and $25.50 to $35 for day of purchases. Tickets to the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra are $20 to $27.50 in advance and $25 to $32.50 for day of purchases. Tickets for NJYT’s “West Side Story” are $18.50 to $28 in advance and $23.50 to $33 for day of purchases. Group rates are available for $16 for the Summer Camp Matinee. A Summer Concert Series Flex Pass to all four events is $90 per person. Discounts for all shows are available for seniors, students, and children under 12. Tickets for Centenary Stage Company’s Jammin’ in July Summer Concert Series are available online at centenarystageco.org, or by calling the box office at 908-979-0900. They may also be purchased through the CSC Box office at 715 Grand Ave., open 1-5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and two hours prior to each performance. The Jammin’ in July Summer Concert Series is made possible in part through the generous support of CSC Premier Sponsor, Heath Village, Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and the NJ State Council on the Arts.

"My name is John Kerry, and I'm reporting for duty!" Thus Kerry began his big-deal speech last night, apparently alluding to some long-forgotten military role in his past. The speech never really recovered after that clunky, sappy intro -- although Kerry, sweating like Margo Kingston at a spelling bee, did manage a passable impression of a Swift Boat cruising through the steamy, enemy-infested Vietnamese delta. More on this later, maybe. I'm back in New York. Time to go out somewhere. It’s all happening at the Convention Blog. We’ve got Dave Barry, Ethel Kennedy, Sean Hannity, Jerry Brown, and a special cameo appearance from … Michael Moore! In other convention news, my feet are blistered to bits. Please post any foot-related medical advice in comments. Especially advice like: "Get the hell out of that convention hall, Tim, and go get a drink." Americans are being vilified by Australian boat-owners: [John Kerry} attended a public meeting in Florida today and was asked how he would heal division around the world. The woman who posed the question said she had just flown back from Australia where she had seen a sign on a boat reading "Improve world order, kill an American today". Senator Kerry said: "Never in 35 years have I seen the United States as much the target, as much sort of derided and disrespected as we are today, where Americans when they travel abroad are at risk." Kerry’s new campaign slogan has just been announced here in Boston: Make People on Boats in Australia Love Us! It’s Very Important, For Some Reason! (Via the excellent new Currency Lad site) "Bawdy arma." That's Bosto-speak for "body armour", as told to me by a cop yesterday. For the best Boston accents, you can't beat the police. It must be part of their training. Yesterday was kinda slow, with the whole convention developing Infomercial Inertia. Teresa Heinz Kerry? A nightmare. Just as well for the Democrats that non-cable networks are avoiding this event, otherwise they'd have shed 10 points overnight. More here, of course. Margo Kingston's "statement of fact" continues to amuse. Now the ridiculous woman claims to be "inexperienced in this debate" and describes her "statement" as "a throwaway line that I deeply regret". Zionist controllers no doubt forced that retraction. But that's not the only comment Margo needs to address; The Australian has evidence of Margo rewriting history in a bid to dodge further trouble: After commenting in her online "Webdiary" last Thursday that "the fundamentalist Zionist lobby controls politics and the media in the US and Australia", online journalist Margo Kingston went into damage control on Monday, apologising to those she'd offended. However, Diary understands Kingston posted the following even more incendiary remark on her website on Friday night: "Far from protecting Jewish people against future atrocities, the Fundamentalist Zionist lobby is actually promoting anti-Semitism by its actions and tactics. Neither major party in either country is game to protest, because the power of the lobby is such that careers can be ruined. It is becoming increasingly obvious that John Howard is the lobby's strong choice to win the election, and that means big money and big power will be behind him." Mysteriously, as Kingston confronted claims of anti-Semitism over her earlier remark, the later comment disappeared from her website. We're waiting to see how this squares with Webdiary's own code of ethics, which states: "I will let you know when archives have been changed except when changes do not alter their substance, for example corrections to spelling or grammar." Pretty rich from someone who frequently attacks the ethical standards of other media outlets. Margo should fire herself. Meanwhile, Jack Robertson launches a passionate defense of the indefensible that has the added benefit of being unreadable. More DNC coverage from Matt Welch and me at Reason’s Convention Blog. Check for new posts this afternoon and tonight, once this carnival actually gets underway. I’m heading into town now to set a trap for Michael Moore. I can't reveal too much, but it involves a long piece of string, an empty cardboard box (extra large), a stick, and a cheeseburger. An innocent, off-hand remark from Margo Kingston – "the fundamentalist Zionist lobby controls politics and the media in the US and Australia" – has somehow got the crusading truth-teller in trouble. Margo is mystified: Obviously, I did not mean what many people believed I meant. I am not anti-semitic, and I thought what I wrote was a statement of fact. Is there a language problem here? A language problem? In Webdiary? What are the odds? Responding to one reader, Margo writes: I admit I'm at a loss to understand the anti-semetic charge. She’s also at a loss to spell it. I'd really appreciate your advice on this - it seemed so uncontroversial when I wrote it - I suppose because I mix largely with left wing Jewish Australians. Is there another form of words which won't offend people but makes the same point? Let’s help. Please supply your alternative version of "the fundamentalist Zionist lobby controls politics and the media in the US and Australia" in comments. About 45 miles out of Boston, on a bridge high above I-93, stood a lone, elderly Democrat, waving a Kerry-Edwards banner. The excitement of this campaign is unbelievable! Sorry for lack of NYC posts; turns out there's lots to do in that city besides write. (Or read. Or sleep.) I'll be back there after Boston is dealt with; stay tuned for festive gathering information. Boston is allegedly swarming with police, Navy SEALS, massed infantry divisions and elite plain-clothes operatives, yet within minutes of arriving I performed several illegal U-turns, drove into a taxi-only zone, and phoned Matt Welch. All of these are felonies under Homeland Security legislation, yet my crimes went undetected. Clearly, everybody is blinded by the magical appeal of the Double Johns. It's like a freakin' charismathon going on here! So far there are no protesters at all; the wonderful cage prepared for the Complainy-American community is totally empty. Okay. More posts tomorrow, once the actual DemFest action begins. Must now prepare disguise to sneak into clambake at Ted Kennedy's place. I'm going as a Designated Driver. I'm in New York. More information soon, once I'm relocated to the first of several secure locations. Iraqi security reportedly discovered three missiles carrying nuclear heads concealed in a concrete trench northwest of Baghdad, official sources said Wednesday. The official daily al-Sabah quoted the sources as saying the missiles were discovered in trenches near the city of Tikrit, the hometown of ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Round up the witnesses! Get those stat decs signed! Australian Federation of Islamic Councils president Ameer Ali said the vote sent the message to the Muslim community that the government had no sympathy for Palestine. "It is disheartening," Dr Ali said. "Israel, America and Australia - these are three important countries that have voted against it." Whoa there, Dr Ali. Micronesia might be little, but it isn’t unimportant. For a start, unlike some places I could name, Micronesia is an actual country. Please continue: "Of course I expected that to happen because the present government goes all the way with what the Americans say. We don't have independent foreign policy at the moment," he said. "The government has not said anything in favour or in sympathy with the Palestinian people. "That is the most troubling issue in the Muslim world and as long as that problem remains boiling, the governments that support this American foreign policy will be looked at with disfavour." Turn away, mortals, lest Ameer Ali’s look of disfavour melt your bones! Sydney Morning Herald readers -- 48% of whom, according to an earlier poll, think the US should "try to negotiate" with Osama bin Laden -- agree with Ali, 68% of them voting to pull the wall down. Great timing from Ben & Jerry's founder Ben Cohen, who's just launched a Pants on Fire campaign intended to humiliate ... George W. Bush: The co-founder of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream is on the road, towing a 12-foot-tall effigy of President Bush with fake flames shooting out of the pants. Ben Cohen believes it is an acceptable way to point out what he calls the president's lies. The Pants on Fire Tour rolled into Spokane on Tuesday. Flame pants! Just what Sandy Berger needs. Much safer than those old-fashioned document-shredder pants. Yeee-ouch! The Perth Sunday Times reports: A Perth abortion clinic objected to plans for a childcare centre on a neighbouring property because the sight of children might upset its patients. In an objection lodged with the City of Swan, the clinic operators said the sight and sound of children playing in a neighbouring property might cause emotional strain for women considering terminating a pregnancy. Here’s a compromise: the childcare centre is allowed to be built, but all children attending it must be dead. Australia was one of only six countries to vote against the ICJ ruling on Israel's security barrier at the UN General Assembly a few hours ago. Writes Andre Stein: "I think we can all be proud of the stance the Australian Federal Government has taken." Here’s the voting list, not including absentees and abstainers: IN FAVOUR: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia and Montenegro, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Thailand, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe. AGAINST: Australia, Federated States of Micronesia, Israel, Marshall Islands, Palau, United States. As Israeli UN ambassador Dan Gillerman said following the vote: "Mr President, allow me to start with a vote of thanks. Thank God that the fate of Israel and of the Jewish people is not decided in this hall." Did Sandy Berger stuff socks? Fox News says yes: Berger and his lawyer said Monday night he knowingly removed the handwritten notes by placing them in his jacket, pants and socks. But ex-White House flack Lanny Davis says no: "I suggest that person is lying," he said. "And if that person has the guts, let's see who it is who made the comment that Sandy Berger stuffed something into socks." Only Socks himself knows for sure. Mark Latham -- who complained only a day or so ago about the Howard government running out of "things to say about Australia's future" and wanting to "talk about things that are 10, 20, 25 years past" -- reaches back 30 years for a fund-raising slogan: Opposition Leader Mark Latham is stepping back to the past by adopting the iconic "It's Time" slogan from his mentor Gough Whitlam. Mr Latham's back-to-the-past move is revealed in ALP election fundraising material which is a direct copy of Mr Whitlam's celebrated 1972 campaign. Naturally, oldtimers who remember the Whitlam era are abandoning Latham’s cause. I tried a microdot of this once. On an oyster. A friend had given me the substance on account of the name. Nearly killed me. I’m no heat judge -- just ask Ken Layne, who tried to murder me last year in Reno with evasively-named "hot carrots" -- so I gave some of the frightening liquid to a British friend familiar with the very hottest of curries. He reported that an entire meal was subsequently weaponised by a single drop. Another friend, Hong Kong Chinese and able to eat actual flames, was led home in tears by his wife after tasting an amount so tiny as to be undetectable. So. Hot sauces. Your most appalling experiences, please. Alert SteynOnline correspondent David Hallstrom writes: I'm certain Cheney is behind this somehow. Former National Security Advisor Sandy Berger is in a whole pantsload of trouble: Mr Berger and his lawyer said yesterday that he knowingly removed handwritten notes he had made while reading classified anti-terror documents at the archives by sticking them in his jacket and pants. Stealthy, Bond-like Berger was somehow caught carrying out this daring gusset-based mission despite an abundance of pantage in which to conceal his secret notes. Now his crime is exposed in ... well, in this list of Associated Press newsbriefs. Third item down. Possibly Berger’s panty raid will achieve greater prominence over coming weeks. Leading pants authority Stephen Green has more on the trousered marauder. Inadvertently placed secret documents in his socks. Former National Security Advisor. In his fucking socks. On its 40th anniversary, Myron Magnet re-examines the War on Poverty: It played such a decisive role in the formation of the underclass because it was one of the principal channels through which the new worldview got transmitted to the worst-off Americans who fell into that class. At the heart of the War on Poverty was the utterly debilitating message that the worst-off were victims: that the larger society, "the system," rather than their own behavior, was to blame for their poverty, their crime, their failure. Either, as War on Poverty architects Lloyd Ohlin and Richard Cloward implausibly argued, there really was no opportunity in the inner city, or, as the much subtler Michael Harrington contended—in a book that greatly influenced President Kennedy to devise the War on Poverty—the vast gulf between the worst-off and the prosperous causes the poor to lose heart, to become too demoralized to grasp the opportunity that lies all around them, even to become self-destructive. In the view of President Johnson, the black poor found themselves so “crippled” by three centuries of racism that they required special help and a different set of standards. As he put it in a speech a year after he launched the War on Poverty on a much more grandiose scale than President Kennedy ever contemplated: "You do not take a person who, for years, has been hobbled by chains and liberate him, bring him up to the starting line of a race and then say, 'you are free to compete with all the others,' and still justly believe that you have been completely fair." As Gore Vidal knows, you can't wage war on an abstract noun. (From the latest edition of City Journal) UPDATE. Tony Blair is also dissing the ‘60s: Tony Blair yesterday put a tough new stance on law and order at the heart of Labour’s agenda for the next election, publicly denouncing the 1960s-style liberalism still cherished by many of his own party. "We are shifting from tackling the offence to targeting the offender," Mr Blair said in a speech in London. John Kerry loses support whenever voters are exposed to that colossal Edvard Munch head of his. As Mark Steyn wrote last month: [Kerry]'s such a terrible candidate people like him more the less they see of him. He took a week off as a mark of respect for the late President Reagan and his numbers inched up. If he had taken another week off as a mark of respect for the late Ray Charles, he could have opened up a clear lead. If he took the summer off as a mark of respect for the late Sir Peter Ustinov and the late Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, he would be heading for a landslide. So what is the Bush campaign doing about it? President Bush has ceded the national media spotlight to Sen. John Kerry for the rest of the month, resigning himself to nonstop press coverage of the political opposition that will climax in next week's Democratic National Convention. "It's kind of their month," Bush campaign spokesman Nicolle Devenish said of the Democrats. "They are going to, for most of the month, dominate the news ... " Evil. Pure evil. I saw Paul McGeough's account of the Allawi allegations on ABC Lateline last Friday night. Then I read the comprehensive report on Saturday. The integrity of his reporting shone through in both accounts. I would trust McGeough's "intelligence" over Bush or Howard's any day. Neither the Los Angeles Times, nor the New York Times, nor the Washington Post has yet mentioned it. Perhaps as part of the "truce" our media seems to have struck with the Bush administration since the "transition," no one seems to be rushing to report such stories. Michael Moore’s problem isn’t merely with facts, writes Cathy Young. It’s with basic decency: In his 2003 book "Dude, Where's My Country," Moore expresses sympathy with the Palestinians who danced in the streets to celebrate the fall of the World Trade Center: after all, America supports Israel, which kills innocent Palestinian children. Then, he makes a statement so mind-boggling that when I saw it on an anti-Moore website, I thought it might be distorted. It was not: "Of course many Israeli children have died too, at the hands of the Palestinians. You would think that would make every Israeli want to wipe out the Arab world, but the average Israeli does not have that response. Why? Because in their hearts, they know they are wrong, and they know they would be doing just what the Palestinians are doing if the sandal were on the other foot." Moore has such a poisoned notion of humanity that his respect for Israelis would increase if they vowed to kill all Arabs. Meanwhile, Young also reports, David Hardy and Jason Clarke’s book is "soaring to the best-seller lists." UPDATE. In other loudmouth news: Just six weeks ago, Al Franken boasted that the new liberal radio network, Air America, was beating conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh in the ratings in the nation's largest media market, New York City. "We beat him," the host of The Al Franken Show told CNBC's Tina Brown in early June. "The period we're opposite Rush, we — we beat WABC, so we think we beat Rush." Now, however, Arbitron, the audience-research firm, has released final ratings for Spring 2004 — the April/May/June time period that coincides precisely with Air America's first months on the air. And the news is not nearly as good for Air America as Franken and others had led the public to believe. Lenin’s brain explained: For decades it was no more than a whispered rumour in the corridors of Soviet medicine but now a team of doctors claim to have proved that Lenin, communism's greatest icon, died of syphilis. The team says Lenin's syphilis caused brain damage and later dementia in the last two years of his life. Commie dementia must’ve been hella infectious. People are still suffering from it. When you get your teeth knocked out, the best thing to do is stuff them right back in your head. Singer Linda Ronstadt not only got booed, she got the boot after lauding filmmaker Michael Moore and his new movie "Fahrenheit 9/11" during a performance at the Aladdin hotel-casino. Before singing "Desperado" for an encore Saturday night, the 58-year-old rocker called Moore a "great American patriot" and "someone who is spreading the truth." She also encouraged everybody to see the documentary about President Bush. Ronstadt's comments drew loud boos and some of the 4,500 people in attendance stormed out of the theater. People also tore down concert posters and tossed cocktails into the air. "It was a very ugly scene," Aladdin President Bill Timmins told The Associated Press. "She praised him and all of a sudden all bedlam broke loose." Timmins, who is British, had Ronstadt escorted from the premises and vowed she’ll never perform at the Aladdin again. The British seem to have a particular dislike of Moore. (Via reader Andre Stein) UPDATE. Apparently the hate wasn’t so great: My wife & I were at the Linda Ronstadt performance in question, at the Aladdin in Las Vegas, and quite frankly, Aladdin President Bill Timmins' account of what happened is complete crap. There was mixed booing and cheering at Ronstadt's pro-Michael Moore comment, and that was about the extent of the "bedlam" that supposedly broke out. I saw no posters being torn down or cocktails being thrown in the air, and if people stomped out of the theatre unhappy, it was because 1) that was the last song Ronstadt performed; it was her encore; and 2) she mainly sang her standards repertoire, with the Nelson Riddle orchestrations, and a large part of the crowd wanted to hear more of her rock-'n'-roll stuff; she got the biggest round of applause for doing a lackadaisical run-through of her version of "Blue Bayou." UPDATE II. The Publicity Desperado sends an open letter to Bill Timmins: For you to throw Linda Ronstadt off the premises because she dared to say a few words in support of me and my film, is simply stupid and Un-American. Frankly, I have never heard of such a thing happening. I read that you wouldn't even let her go back up to her room at your hotel! Are you crazy? For crying out loud, it was a song DEDICATION! To "Desperado!" Every American loves that song! Sure, some people didn't like the dedication, and that's their right. But neither they nor you have the right to remove her from your building when all she did was exercise her AMERICAN right to speak her mind. I think you owe Ms. Ronstadt an apology. And I have an idea how you can make it up to her -- and to the millions of Americans you have offended. Invite her back and I'll join her in singing "America the Beautiful" on your stage. Then I will show "Fahrenheit 9/11" free of charge to all your guests and anyone else in Las Vegas who wants to see it. UPDATE III. Ms Ronstadt is such a nice lady: It's a real conflict for me when I go to a concert and find out somebody in the audience is a Republican or fundamental Christian. It can cloud my enjoyment. I'd rather not know. Ronstadt also claims that the US "looks like (Germany's) Weimar Republic to me." She’s old enough to know. You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows. You just need Phillip Adams, who unfailingly blows counter to prevailing trends. Back when Mark Latham was a popular new Labor leader, Adams trashed him: Latham's economic rationalism and ridicule of the Left's "rights agenda" would preserve the domestic status quo. Forget the refugees. Forget reconciliation ... Instead we'd have more of Howard's picket fence, razor wire politics. But now, with Latham sagging, Adams (hesitantly) jumps aboard an emptying bandwagon: From the outset I feared the worst and, from time to time, we've glimpsed it. What I didn't expect was that, for all his wrong notes, Latham would strike a chord. Well, Latham sure has struck something: The personal satisfaction rating of the Opposition Leader has dropped to its lowest this year after hitting a record high in March. According to the latest Newspoll survey, taken exclusively for The Australian last weekend, the Coalition's primary vote was steady on 43per cent and Labor's dipped slightly to 40per cent. The latest ACNielsen Herald poll tells a similar story: Support for Labor has dropped to its lowest point since Mark Latham won the party's federal leadership, with the Coalition clearly ahead on the primary vote and the ALP relying heavily on Greens preferences to scrape together an election victory. Free-trader Latham crawling to victory on protectionist Greens preferences? That’d be fun to see. UPDATE: "It is not the raw numbers in today's AgePoll that will give Mark Latham cause for concern. It's the trend." This is the first-ever public sale of an original Achewood painting, painted by Achewood creator Chris Onstad (me) in his fancy studio (couch, watching Monk). Acrylic paint on sturdy canvas board, Gesso sealed. Imagine if I ever become famous, you can say that you own the first painting I ever offered for public sale, and come back to eBay and hock it for large beans. Or, keep it, because it is a nice painting of a nice boy. Lots of art is mad and weird, but this is pretty happy on the whole. I kind of think it represents all of the hope I have for the Universe. Current top bid: $US330, and destined for way higher. Cute. Check the Sydney Morning Herald’s photo selection for its latest piece on claims Iyad Allawi used a pistol to execute six prisoners: Bang! Bang! I kill you, pistol style! Despite such fine picture editing, the ABC reports that the SMH’s claims have so far "had no impact on Mr Allawi." I can't help but think some Herald readers actually want the new regime in Iraq to fail, I presume just so they can say "I told you so". They rail against the flawed intelligence on which the invasion was based and how our Government signed us on, based on the reports of the CIA, British military intelligence, Mossad, ASIO and others. Of course they knew it was wrong all along. Yet two people tell a newspaper reporter a story with holes big enough to drive a truck through and it has all the credibility they need to convict Iraq's Prime Minister, Iyad Allawi, and shout down any attempt at democracy in Iraq. Vincent Zankin, Eddie Raggett, et al, (Letters, July 19) need to think about their motivations for condemning the entire exercise based on a report that, while disturbing, doesn't begin to meet any burden of proof. Those letters are worth reading. Discover how great is the lust for this story to be true. The Democrats think they’ve got it won, writes the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Matthew Miller: Look at the lines at the Michael Moore movie! Look at Bush's approval rating slip below 50 percent! Listen to the respected Democratic congressman who, when I asked how he thought the election was shaping up, said: "It's over." It's scary but true: Democrats have entered the Gloating Zone. And this is before the convention gives the ticket a bump that will really go to its head. UPDATE. Speaking of tickets ... in the tradition of Billy Carter and Roger Clinton: The brother of Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards pleaded innocent Monday to a 10-year-old charge of driving under the influence and was released on $5,000 bail pending trial. Wesley Blake Edwards was allowed to return to his home in Fuquay-Varina, N.C., said Mike Knight, spokesman for the Arapahoe County district attorney's office. Edwards had three misdemeanor drunken-driving convictions in 1985, 1987 and 1990 in North Carolina, and his license was permanently revoked in 1990. He spent a week in jail on one of the convictions, records show. This is also in the tradition of George W. Bush, who at least had the excuse of being led astray by an Australian. Curious how few people remember that Fox News broke the Bush drink-driving story. Who are the drinkiest Olympians? That award - based on an informal athlete poll - is split between the Canadians and the Australians. "The Aussies truly know how to party," says Dick Roth, an American who set a world swimming record in Tokyo in 1964. "The main reason I hung out with them is that their coach didn’t mind them drinking beer. It was fun - lots of drinking. They were more relaxed than everybody else." Rennae Stubbs, an Australian Olympic tennis player who competed in Atlanta and Sydney, does not dispute the characterisation. "We’re a free-loving, fun-loving group of people," she says. "We’re not as worried as some countries about repercussions." Edith Thys, an American skier at Calgary and Albertville, agrees that the partying gold should probably go to the Canadians, but she awards the licentiousness medal to the French. "They are by far the most promiscuous," says Thys, "but only with each other. I’m not sure if that’s because they wouldn’t sleep with anybody else, or because nobody else would sleep with them." Speaking of which, check the opening par. And people say Americans don’t believe in international coalitions ... The CRTC does not think it wise to allow such stuff on Canadian television. It might threaten "the Canadian way," disturb our "distinct Canadian viewpoint," imperil the whole Canadian psyche, causing voters in metro Toronto to do strange things -- like vote Tory. So we are being sheltered from subversive conservatism. However, not everything is kept pending by the CRTC. Last week, we discovered that the application of the violently anti-Israel Al Jazeera news channel got swift approval, and was hardly kept pending at all. David Marr would approve. Arthur Chrenkoff’s excellent Good News from Iraq makes it to the Wall Street Journal! And here’s the blog-hosted version of the same piece -- with links to previous Good News instalments. It was one of the first signs that the intelligence used to go to war in Iraq was wrong: White House repudiation of 16 words in last year's State of the Union speech that had suggested Saddam Hussein tried to buy uranium in Africa. Yet even as two recent reports sharply criticized prewar intelligence, they also suggested President Bush's claim may not have been totally off-base. If Bush isn’t off-base, who is? Crazy Joe Wilson, that’s who. And all his media groupies, writes Mark Steyn: It turns out JOE WILSON LIED! PEOPLE DIED. Of embarrassment mostly. At least I'm assuming that's why the New York Times, MSNBC's Chris Matthews, PBS drone Bill Moyers and all the other media bigwigs Joseph C. Wilson IV suckered have fallen silent on the subject of the white knight of integrity they've previously given the hold-the-front-page treatment, too. Contrary to what Wilson wrote in the New York Times, Saddam Hussein was trying to acquire uranium from Niger. In support of that proposition are a Senate report in Washington, Lord Butler's report in London, MI6, French intelligence, other European agencies -- and, as we now know, the CIA report, based on Joe Wilson's original briefing to them. Against that proposition is Joe Wilson's revised version of events for the Times. Poor Joe. William Safire notes that the White House reacted prematurely following a forgery "firestorm" by claiming that Bush’s 16 words "did not rise to the level of inclusion in the State of the Union address": That apology was a mistake; Bush had spoken the plain truth. Did Saddam seek uranium from Africa, evidence of his continuing illegal interest in a nuclear weapon? Here is Lord Butler's nonpartisan panel, which closely examined the basis of the British intelligence: " ... we conclude that the statement in President Bush's State of the Union Address of 28 January 2003 that 'The British Government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa' was well-founded." UPDATE. And still more. It’s all happening on Norfolk Island. Until 2002, nobody on the island had been murdered for 150 years; now the place has seen its second homicide in 26 months. To whom does this land belong? Bush and Kerry argue their respective cases. (Via Jeff Jarvis) Omar at Iraq the Model: You cannot tell a man that saving him and his family from torture, humiliation and death was a mistake and it should’ve not been done because it’s illegal. This is almost an insult to Iraqis to hear someone saying that this war was illegal. It means that our suffering for decades meant nothing and that formalities and the stupid rules of the UN (that rarely function) are more important than the lives of 25 million people. And here are some extracts, translated by Omar, from comments posted at the BBC's Arabic forum: The soldiers who died in Iraq gave their lives as tributes for freedom. Thanks to all the soldiers who risked and lost their lives for the sake of others’ freedom. Mohammed Abdul Jabbar, Baghdad All the debates and the investigations in these two countries are motivated by political ambitions and jealousy rather than the protection of the country and constitution. Bush and Blair deserve a Noble Prize for peace. Abdulrahman Al-Alwani, Syria Saddam had the money, the scientists and the programs and if he had remained in power he would’ve continued producing WMDs. A world without Saddam in power is safer. Abu Mohammed Al-Shammary, Denmark If the British and American Intelligence have made a mistake and this mistake lead to the decision of the war on Saddam and liberation of Iraq from the hands of what was probably the worst tyranny ever, then what a wonderful mistake! Fakherlddine Sharif, Iraq NZ Prime Minister Helen Clark is building powerful international partnerships: New Zealand has an unexpected friend in Hamas, a terror group feared in the Western world, which has thanked this country for its diplomatic slap to Israel over the spy passport scandal. Citing a statement from the Hamas stronghold of Gaza, the Islamic resistance movement's website says Hamas "has highly appreciated the daring position of the New Zealand Government against the Zionist entity". Besides stalling Zionism’s cruel advance, Wellington academic Jim Veitch sees other benefits in this happy new alliance. Click the above link. UPDATE. Jewish New Zealander Andrew Blitz writes: Prime Minister Helen Clark had been waiting for an ideal opportunity to chastise the Israeli government, and last week she was given the chance she needed to deliver a scathing diplomatic rebuke. The affair was prompted by the much-publicized conviction of Eli Cara and Uri Kelman, two Israelis who fraudulently attempted to obtain New Zealand passports. The men are assumed to be Mossad agents. Although this allegation has neither been confirmed nor denied by the Israeli government, no pretense has been entertained on the part of Clark. She has clearly branded Cara and Kelman as Israeli intelligence agents, though their conviction was not on charges of espionage. In this regard Clark clearly overstepped the mark; however, that is of no consequence now. Domestically she has gained a significant political victory from a well-calculated move, designed over three months. New Zealand's disgraceful record of recent animosity toward Israel has been boosted by the Cara/Kelman affair. Moreover, it has been far too easy for Clark to impose diplomatic sanctions against Israel and bask in the glory of her principled stance. U.S. officials say privately he may actually have planted the stories about summary executions as part of a psychological smoke-and-mirrors game. "He wants to project that dual role -- to the West as a committed democrat, and to the Iraqis as a tough guy who got things done," says one diplomat. UPDATE. Iraqi Human Rights Minister Bakhtiar Amin, interviewed by the ABC’s Geoff Thompson, seems a little surprised by the allegations against Allawi: BAKHTIAR AMIN: It's shocking news to me and I haven't heard about it, and I have strong doubts about it. Doctor Iyad Allawi has shot six people personally? GEOFF THOMPSON: Yeah, I could show you the story (sounds of papers rustling). BAKHTIAR AMIN: I must be uh … GEOFF THOMPSON: This ran on the front page of an Australian newspaper on the weekend … BAKHTIAR AMIN: I'll check this information, but I have strong doubts about it. It would be … GEOFF THOMPSON: You haven't heard anything about this? No, he apparently hasn’t. Amin says that McGeough’s report may be tested in court. Meanwhile, McGeough is sticking to his story: In an environment like Iraq it's very difficult to separate out what people are telling you from what they are hearing. In these two cases, these two men sat before me. They spoke reluctantly, they spoke carefully and considerately. When I tested parts of their story they didn't suddenly provide information where none was available. They seem to me to be telling what they had seen, they were believable too. I had an independent set of Iraqi eyes and ears (of an interpreter) listening and watching on these interviews and that person, whom I have worked with for some time and who I trust, he found the stories believable. The claims haven’t received much traction outside of Australia, however. Pakistan’s Daily Times wonders why: The US media has surprisingly failed to pick up the shocking disclosure by Sydney Morning Herald, Australia’s leading newspaper, that the Irqai Prime Minister Iyad Allawi personally executed six suspected insurgents in a Baghdad police station. Kim Beazley is among the dubious: Opposition defence spokesman Kim Beazley expressed doubt about the story. "If there were an allegation in this country, two anonymous sources would be regarded as rather thin to go to print," he said. "The Middle East is a giant bazaar of rumours." UPDATE II. Another threat to Iraq has been exposed by a credible source: A former federal Liberal Party president says Prime Minister John Howard should be tried and punished for war crimes over the Iraq conflict. John Valder told a peace forum in Sydney today the invasion of Iraq by the United States-led coalition was one of the great military atrocities of our time. The Left’s mania for organisation is its most charming quality. No idea, no matter how inconsequential, is allowed to evolve without meetings and committees and campaigns and branches and development. And active involvement at a grass roots level: I've been doing some work on developing the liarsforhoward website, which is up (but still needs some work) and getting other people interested - organising a campaign committee etc. What I envisage is that this should be a grass-roots media type campaign - the idea of which is to remind people that this is the most deceptive and unaccountable government in our history. We can turn up at events staged by the Liberals (or Labor for that matter), where we will have banners and chants such as 'rich schools need more pools', 'Invading Iraq DID NOT increase our terrorist threat!' etc. Our central message is that we support the Howard Government's right to lie to the Australian people - after all, they know what is best for us! It's in the good old Aussie tradition of taking the piss. The thing about the campaign is that it will be open to anyone to join and create their own branch. The message is that if you're a Greenie in Hobart, Labor in Launceston, a Democrat in Darwin, or unaligned in Adelaide and you too have had enough of the lies and lack of accountability of this government, the "Liars for Howard" campaign and website will enable you to start up your own branch. The site will eventually have downloadable material and I envisage that we will be able to provide some centralised support for others to tip them off to where Liberal and Labor events are going to be staged. So, I'm hoping in the next few months, this thing will grow in an organic type of way and in the next week or so we intend to hold our campaign launch (perhaps a mock protest at Michael Moore's new film Fahrenheit 9/11. I can see the banner now... "No Moore Truth!") What would be most valuable to me as organiser of this thing is to have someone in the media who could tip us off to where the Liberals and Labor will be holding events on any particular day. Failing that, how can we find out this information? By asking the Liberal/Labor Events Alert Committee, of course. I believe they’re associated with a sub-set of the Branch Co-ordination Campaign (National), which is currently locked in factional disputes with the Delusions of Influence Strategy Council and the Nationwide Collective of Organisational Organs. Jonathan Agnew and the late Brian Johnston giggle like drugged children during a famous 1991 cricket call. And listen to the chilling conclusion to this radio banter between Ian Payne and Louise Minchin. More BBC audio fun here. Created In Darkness By Troubled Americans: Best of McSweeney's will be on sale August 10 throughout the US. Features a piece by me. And funnier pieces by others. A CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll conducted July 8-11 found that only 4 percent of Republicans surveyed had seen the movie, compared with 10 percent of Democrats and independents. What's more, almost two-thirds of Republicans said they didn't want to see the movie. Maybe Gunner Palace would have more crossover appeal, if it ever gets a US release. Or a release in Germany, for that matter. The Guardian’s Paul Harris joins the Kerry circus for a day, "and finds that the Democrats' strategy of inspiring their core supporters is driving a powerful campaign": For a moment the grey curtain parted. From behind stepped John Kerry, smiling and startling the posse of journalists at the back of his plush campaign plane. Aieeee! It’s alive! 'How is everybody?' Kerry grinned, walking forward and prompting a quick scramble for ... Parachutes? Wooden stakes? Nuance repellent? Kerry was clearly feeling on top of the world. 'How are you, senator?', one journalist asked. 'Fabulous,' Kerry said, and then repeated: 'Fabulous.' Kerry’s limited word skills are compensated by Harris’s PR talents: His campaign is growing and evolving, seeking to turn itself into a winning machine. It is flush with cash, overflowing with volunteers and scoring regular hits on President George Bush. Kerry leads in the polls and basks in the afterglow of naming charismatic Southerner John Edwards as running mate. After a lifetime devoted to politics, this is Kerry's moment. He knows it, too. With one foot on the arm of a chair, Kerry stood like a cowboy leaning on a gate. 'I am doing great. I have never been better. I am energised, back in shape, good and strong,' he enthused. So now cowboy is good. But how does one adopt a cowboy lean when your only prop is an aircraft chair? And does the reverse also apply; has anybody ever mentioned that a fence-leaning cowboy resembles a bike-riding junior Senator from Boston posing on a jet? Last week Kerry was keen to talk ... But he avoided anything with the merest hint of controversy. He was asked to name his favourite sporting fantasy. Would he rather win the Superbowl or the World Series? Kerry glanced at an aide and shook his head. 'Too many. I can't really list one,' he said. Kerry can’t give a direct answer to a simple question about sport. Shades of Al Gore. Later, Harris is entranced as Kerry works the room -- or, more accurately, the porch -- during a stopover in Pennsylvania: He cannot afford to be seen as an elitist or taking himself too seriously. It is working, too. Pressured by aides to keep on schedule, he wrapped up with an anti-Washington tirade. 'I am frustrated and tired of a Washington that throws words around like they don't mean anything and plays with your lives. Let's reclaim our own democracy.' The "anybody but Bush" constituency will evaporate as soon as he's sworn in, leaving him weak and subject to attacks from within his own party ... note this comment on Kerry from Garry Trudeau: "Like most Americans, I've been forced to unambiguously take sides, and I'm not particularly happy about it." Not exactly a strong base of support, but it's what happens when you nominate a weak candidate, and unify your party around hatred for the incumbent. To Trudeau and the rest of the Kerry-by-default brigade, add actor Stanley Tucci: Yesterday at the Film & Music Global Fest on the Italian island of Ischia, Tucci was talking about his ambitions to make a movie about sculptor Alberto Giacometti when he confided to the news media: "I do hope the administration changes in November, and I don't care who is in office as long as it's not this one." Maybe that’s what Harris meant by Kerry "inspiring core supporters". Sorry for lack of posts. Been in Melbourne for work. Returning to Sydney yesterday was fun; we landed in 25-50 knot winds, which pitched the 767 all over the place. Sitting next to me was a Qantas pilot, who happily explained high-turbulence landing techniques as we were actually landing. The key: consistent momentum. My guess, that the pilot was using near full-throttle at some points on approach to "drive through" the turbulence, was corrected: he was sometimes running as high as three-quarter throttle, but only because the jet was maximum loaded and a high-drag landing set-up becomes even draggier with cross-winds and the like. Perfect landing, by the way. Zeyad at Healing Iraq reported on July 1: Another widespread and preposterous rumour is that Ayad Allawi has been showing up at IP stations and executing criminals himself, and I have heard this one from a very large number of people. This rumour has now reached the Sydney Morning Herald’s Paul McGeough: Iyad Allawi, the new Prime Minister of Iraq, pulled a pistol and executed as many as six suspected insurgents at a Baghdad police station, just days before Washington handed control of the country to his interim government, according to two people who allege they witnessed the killings. They say the prisoners - handcuffed and blindfolded - were lined up against a wall in a courtyard adjacent to the maximum-security cell block in which they were held at the Al-Amariyah security centre, in the city's south-western suburbs.M They say Dr Allawi told onlookers the victims had each killed as many as 50 Iraqis and they "deserved worse than death". The ABC has more: Two unnamed people, who are alleged to have witnessed the shootings, told Australian journalist Paul McGeough that Iyad Allawi allegedly shot the insurgents in a courtyard adjacent to a maximum security cell in Baghdad. Dr Allawi's office has denied the claims. A written statement to Mr McGeough says that Dr Allawi has not visited the prison and does not carry a gun. But Mr McGeough stands by his claims. He says he cannot name the witnesses, but describes what the two Iraqis allege they saw. Strong enough for a major SMH piece. Frank Devine takes on the New York Times: The cunning American decision to hand sovereignty to an interim Iraqi government two days ahead of the June 30 schedule frustrated plans for a massive offensive The New York Times may have had for that day. Read the whole thing. Mark Latham collects one sector of the sporting electorate: Mr Latham supported Mr Howard's view of champion Sri Lanka spin bowler Muttiah Muralitharan as a chucker. "If I was an umpire at square leg I'd be no-balling him a fair bit," he said. And Latham sheds another: Labor may struggle for the rev-head vote after Mr Latham revealed an indifference to all motor sports. "I just don't get much out of it, I'm sorry," he said. Catherine Keenan profiles Margo Kingston. Take the Keenan/Kingston multiple choice quiz: She worked in this newspaper's Canberra bureau from 1994 to 2001, and since July 2000 has edited Webdiary at smh.com.au, which now she runs as a contributing editor/columnist. She has become famous for ------ a) earning money for this b) the vastness of her illiteracy c) the strength of her convictions Even those who don't know her well, like me, know that arguments about politics or her profession make her ------ c) shake with anger There is a rawness about her, as if she doesn't have a skin, that makes her both vulnerable and explosive. "People think I'm ------," she says. b) Paris Hilton Not for the first time, I think how exhausting it must be to be Margo. Conversely, it must be hard for her to understand how the rest of us can remain so little moved by issues that make her ------. b) Australia’s greatest intellectual No comment? I'd bet on that: Former ATSIC deputy chairman Ray Robinson allegedly gambled nearly $5million - or the equivalent of more than $5300 a day - at Queensland casinos over a 30-month period. Mr Robinson's gambling records were obtained by Federal Police after search warrants were executed as part of an ongoing investigation into the serving ATSIC commissioner, who has been under scrutiny over his management of taxpayer-funded Aboriginal corporations in Queensland. Yesterday when contacted by The Australian on his mobile phone at Charleville in Queensland and asked about the gambling records, Mr Robinson paused and then said: "I've got no comment." Labor and the coalition are at odds over a mystery website which lists what it calls Howard Government lies. The website, johnhowardlies.com, is falsely registered by a group or person going by the name "ABC DEF". Well, it was. Here’s how the registration read yesterday: ABC DEF (ID00124517) 123 Fourfive St Surfers Paradise, TAS 7003 And here it is today: Tim Grau (ID00124517) GPO Box 1600 Surfers Paradise, NSW 2001 That address is bogus, obviously. The site -- now back online -- has been changed, too, and now claims to be "authorised by Springboard Australia Pty Ltd, 11-25 Wentworth Street, Manly NSW 2095." Tim Grau is the founding Director of Springboard Australia, a PR company. Let’s learn a little more about Tim: He played a key role as a strategy and policy adviser in the small team that saw Wayne Goss elected as Queensland Premier after more than 32 years of conservative government in 1989. Becoming a senior adviser to Premier Goss after that election, Tim provided strategic advice in key public policy areas, including in economic development, health, education, welfare, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs and the environment. Tim also served as the Chief of Staff to the Education Minister during the second term of the Goss Government. Joining the Federal Government in early 1994, he was a senior political and communications adviser to the Australian Attorney-General, Michael Lavarch, before moving to Washington DC to observe communications, issues management and policy strategies during the 1996 Presidential election campaign. Upon his return to Australia, Tim was recruited to be Communications Director for a senior NSW Government Minister where he successfully used his skills to provide a strong positive focus for the government in the lead-up to the 1999 State election. Following that election he was appointed Chief of Staff. Tim is a regular commentator on ABC Radio and frequently addresses forums and conferences on Australian politics, the media and issues management. Mark Latham says the website "has got nothing to do with the Labor Party whatsoever". Maybe so. But the guy running it has. (Via reader BB) UPDATE. This SMH item on the mystery website quotes "website conveners" claiming that "no one involved in creating johnhowardlies.com was a member of a political party." A phone call to the ALP confirms that a Timothy Grau was a member of the party in 1997 and 1998, and currently describes him as a "non-financial member". UPDATE II. The Age: A former Labor Party adviser is the creator of the johnhowardlies.com website, an investigation by The Age reveals. A company search shows former Labor party adviser Tim Grau is the founding director of the public relations company, Springboard Australia Pty Ltd, that authorised the website. They needed a company search to find that out? UPDATE III. Tim Grau is not the site’s creator, he tells Sydney ABC’s David Hardacre. He doesn’t say much else, however. A lightly-edited transcript (no link available as yet) follows: Grau: What I can tell you is that my consulting company which is a public affairs consulting company of Springboard Australia was approached by a group of people who wanted to, to do the site and one of the services that I do provide is communications strategy and website and internet strategy development so I’ve assisted them to do that. Hardacre: OK, so let’s clear this then, clear it up off the top. You, yourself have not designed and posted the content johnhowardlies.com - you’re saying that you were approached by a group of people who wanted to post johnhowardlies.com? Grau: Yes, well I mean I, as, as part of the service that my company provides is obviously helping in design and, and layout and content and so forth, I mean we are a communication company and do do internet strategy. We’ve done websites for other, other clients as well so we have been involved in the, in the development of it but what’s become clear in actual fact is much to the surprise of the original handful of people who talked to us about it is that this has now become a massive movement. We have been receiving, in fact one of the reasons the site was down yesterday was nothing to do with, with the federal government’s announcements but it was in actual fact, the site was not built to receive the number of hits and the volume of emails that it’s getting. Hardacre: Yeah fine but the point being though that if it’s a political website … Hardacre: It may be deregistered if the group behind it isn’t properly identified. Grau: No, no, well, well the site does have an authorisation on it now and it’s been authorised by Springboard Australia Pty Ltd. Hardacre: So is Springboard Australia Pty Ltd simply fronting for a political group? I mean that’s the question isn’t it? Grau: Well it’s, I suppose the way I now see it really in fact and its clear this thing will evolve because it’s become like the moveon.org organisation in the United States which as you know two million subscribers to it and we’re, we’re now receiving about three emails, three to five emails every minute of people wanting to subscribe to the site. Grau: But it’s, it’s, it’s like a lot of the sites that are now in the US and that are around, it has become a communications tool amongst a whole group of people there is no one, one person necessarily who, who owns and runs it. Hardacre: The point here though is who is paying the bill? Who’s paying the bill? Who is paying for the site? Who’s paid you to post it? To design it? Grau: That’s, that’s a relationship between me and the clients. Hardacre: Right well the question today is whether or not its paid by the Labor Party or whether it’s, or if it’s not paid by them…it’s a very simple question to answer. Grau: (inaudible) I can absolutely rule that out right from the start David. I have, the Labor Party has no involvement in the site, I have not had any discussions with anybody in any political party about the site at a staffer’s level or an official’s level. We were as surprised as anybody that the ALP sent it out in their newsletter as we were that the Greens have linked it on their site and if you actually do a search, a google search it’s been linked to a whole range of chat rooms and bloggs sites so there is definitely no involvement of the Labor Party at all. I’ve, I myself am not a member of Labor Party and have not been for many years so there’s, the suggestion that Mark Latham is behind this or the Labor Party is behind this is completely untrue. There has been no discussion with them or any political party in relation to this at all. Hardacre: Now correct me if I’m wrong here but according to reports the administrator of the site was listed as ABCDEF address at 12345 Street, Surfers Paradise? Grau: (inaudible) … Hardacre: Now is that you? Grau: No, no I’m not sure how that happened, I … Hardacre: 'Cause that looks quite fishy doesn’t it? Grau: Yeah well I registered the site as I do for other clients, I have got a number of clients I’ve registered through global net saver as a, as a internet hosting company and I’d indicated to them, in fact I’ve spoken to them again today because of this concern and I said look there is no, there’s no big secret here I’m happy to put … Hardacre: Well that makes it look absolutely like you’ve got something to hide. Grau: But as I said, but we, I had nothing to do or I don’t even know how that happened, how that works, that level of technical detail is not something that I deal with but I’ve spoken to global net saver this morning and said that, that, that if they need to or it should be changed to Springboard Australia Pty Ltd in the interim, you know, in the interim until in fact you know, what’s now happening as I said is this has become such a movement that it may be set up as a community group or something or other, I don’t know where this is going to go because it certainly has taken off much faster than anyone expected. Credit Michael Moore with this: he knows how to make a film. Specifically, one film. Throw him a topic -- any topic -- and he’ll add some voiceovers, a few slabs of archival cheese, way-obvious song selections, buncha clips of his ideological foes looking dumb, and come up with the same film every time. Fahrenheit 9/11 (I saw it last night, thanks to tickets from the Today Show) follows the same cheap, cynical, disingenuous formula as Bowling for Columbine. Moore’s only got one set of tricks, and he works 'em like a thrice-divorced carny trying to keep up with the alimony payments. A longer piece on Moore's latest atrocity will follow. Meanwhile, because this was the film’s Sydney premiere, lots of prominent folk turned up. Here are their instant reviews: • ABC newsreader Tony Eastley rated Fahrenheit 9/11 as "pretty good" and said he hoped "lots of non-Democrats in the US watch it." He noted several cheap shots, however, and admitted Moore’s attempts to link Bush to a widespread Saudi conspiracy were "tenuous". Eastley was also uncomfortable with Moore’s lampooning of several nations that joined the Coalition of the Willing: "They didn’t deserve to be lampooned." • 60 Minutes reporter Richard Carleton declared the film to be "pure propaganda, and I fully support it because I oppose the war." Carleton excused Fahrenheit 9/11’s hamfisted style on the grounds that "propaganda has to make strong points." • "It preys on the prejudices of the bleeding hearts," said former One Nation puppetmaster and NSW Parliamentarian David Oldfield. "It isn’t difficult to make war look terrible." • Actor John Howard said it was "the best movie I’ve seen in ten years, non-fiction or otherwise", but allowed, following questioning on some of the film’s more obviously dubious aspects, that Moore had "manipulated things a little." Then he referred me to a George Bernard Shaw line which I’ve forgotten. • Comedian Peter Berner declined to offer an opinion: "I need more time to come up with an off-the-cuff response." • Activist Andrew Wilkie thought Australians should see Moore’s movie because it will force them to question "the Australian Prime Minister’s obsessive relationship with the US President." Asked about Moore’s blank-screen presentation of the September 11 attacks compared with his graphic depiction of fatalities in Iraq, Wilkie said that this was "just filmmaker’s art." He also called me Jim. • Author Thomas Keneally was in the audience, but a female reporter from the Daily Telegraph warned me off approaching him: "It’s not a good idea." • Outgoing ALP member for Kingsford Smith Laurie Brereton didn’t want to talk about the film at all, preferring to discuss the upcoming Australian election and New York Post editor Col Allan. Laurie looks years younger after quitting politics. • And the CNNNN gang argued with me for a couple of hours; I hope the cars I keyed in the carpark afterwards were theirs. The Today Show will run a few minutes with me after the 7.30am news update. The OmbudsGod reports: Joseph C. Wilson IV's ironically-named website, RestoreHonesty.com, where he proclaims, "George Bush's Administration has betrayed our trust," and "I wasn't ready to keep quiet when this President misled the nation in his State of the Union Address" – is paid for by (drum roll please) John Kerry for President, Inc. Oh, and not only is Joe "not a political partisan," he hopes you "will join [him] in doing all you can to make John Kerry our next President." And in Australian non-partisan website news: Federal Labor leader Mark Latham has distanced himself and his party from an anti-Government website which may have broken the law by not naming its publisher. The Government has asked the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) to investigate the website - johnhowardlies.com. The latest edition of Labor's official email newsletter refers voters to the site, which is now being revamped and is temporarily offline. But Mr Latham says despite the referral, Labor is not behind the web address. UPDATE. InstaPundit has loads more on the Wilson/Kerry site. Garry Trudeau recalls his time at Yale with George W. Bush: "Even then he had clearly awesome social skills," Trudeau said. "He could also make you feel extremely uncomfortable ... He was extremely skilled at controlling people and outcomes in that way. Little bits of perfectly placed humiliation." And Trudeau has forever after attempted to do the same thing. Envy has destroyed him. Check the bitterness: "Bush has created more harm to this country’s standing and security than any president in history," Trudeau said. "What a shame the world has to suffer the consequences of Dubya not getting enough approval from Dad." It’s been decades, Garry. Get over it. Professor Peter Singer praises the Howard government for putting Australia first: Its global stance has been one, quite explicitly, of advancing Australia's national interests. Excellent! And in other context-challenged news, Mark Latham has conceded the upcoming election to John Howard: Opposition leader Mark Latham says the Government has scrapped its plan for a [nuclear] dump in South Australia because of the looming election. "As soon as the election is out of the way, they'll be trying as they have been for 80 years to get that dump into South Australia," Mr Latham said. Claudia Rosett continues her epic solo run at the UN: Another stack of secret United Nations Oil for Food documents has now reached the press, this batch procured by congressional sources and providing--at long last--a better view of Saddam Hussein's entire U.N.-approved shopping list. This huge roster of Oil for Food relief contracts fills in a few more of the vital details about Saddam's "humanitarian" partnership with the U.N., spelling out the names of all his U.N.-approved relief suppliers and the price of every deal. This gigantic scandal has received barely any notice in Australia. Whoever among local op-ed folks is the first to gain rights to Rosett’s copy will steal a huge lead on other papers. Indonesia is overrun with bogus journalists: News hounds this week rallied in the Javanese city of Yogyakarta to protest against the proliferation of fraudsters masquerading as working journalists. They declared a "No to bogus journalists day" and handed out bumper stickers warning "Stop. We do not accept or serve bogus journalists". Most of the sham newsmen carry counterfeit press cards identifying them as members of the media. How does anybody tell the difference? Everywhere I have been in Iraq, I have noticed that the bravest person betrays a slight change of expression when the name Saddam Hussein is mentioned. Just a flicker in the eye, perhaps, but pure fear. The sort of fear you can bottle. And a hint of humiliation, too. Years and years of compulsory applause and hysterical adulation: the systematic humiliation of an entire people. No, but in England they're barging: Hand in hand with the arrival in Britain of supersize containers of food and drink has come ... the Big American Fridge. Last year, John Lewis alone sold £2m of them. As these gargantuan cold-storage systems barge their way into kitchens across the country it seems a good moment to ask: have they come as a result of our expanded eating habits? Or do they play a more active part in affecting the amount we eat, encouraging us to crave and consume more? Or are they just places to keep food cold? The Guardian aims to find out. Blur bassist Alex James reviews Fahrenheit 9/11: The genius of this most American of films is that it has turned politics into a blockbuster subject. It's the first punk rock movie: it must have cost less to make than The Blair Witch Project, and yet he's managed to distil reality and come up with something more powerful. Wrong, rock boy. It only looks as though it cost less than The Blair Witch Project, which apparently ran to about $40,000. (That figure may be low, but still.) By contrast, Fahrenheit 9/11 spent $12,000,000 on prints and advertising -- and half as much again on production. (Via Rob at SemiSkimmed, who writes: "Blur's bassist has distilled reality and come up with something even more compelling: a heady mix of fiction and wild-arsed guesswork.") Behold, the Mosque de Triomphe! UPDATE. Mark Steyn: France is admirably upfront in its unilateralism: It reserves the right to treat French Africa as its colonies, Middle Eastern dictators as its clients, the European Union as a Greater France and the UN as a kind of global condom to prevent the spread of Americanization. All this it does shamelessly and relatively effectively. It’s time the rest of us were so clear-sighted. In other news brieflet developments ... • I’ve always wondered what that meant. • Dave Barry will be in Boston for Kerrypalooza 2004. I’m pretty sure he once insulted Australia, so I’m bringing knives. Franklin Foer reveals John Kerry’s deep, dark secret: He distinguished himself as a soccer star. At Yale, he made the varsity squad and even scored a hat trick against Harvard. So, why isn't Kerry juggling soccer balls or practicing penalty kicks for the cameras? Mr. Kerry, why are you running from your record? One possible explanation is characterological. Four Four Two, a British soccer magazine, has investigated Kerry's soccer career. Unfortunately, it confirmed the worst stereotype about Kerry: He isn't very decisive. According to classmates, Kerry preferred dribbling around defenders, rather than using passes to advance the ball. His school team's Scottish manager would urge him not to "diddle with the ball." Apparently, this exhortation stuck as a nickname, "the Diddler." Others teammates, mostly Democrats, are more sympathetic. They describe Kerry as a good team player, but they still poke fun at his loping stride. His other soccer nickname is "the Camel." George W. Bush played rugby. UPDATE. The Diddler isn’t a team player: All of John Kerry's primary rivals - and potential future contender Hillary Clinton - were snubbed yesterday when the Democrats announced their prime-time convention speakers. Shut out were Howard Dean, who still commands legions of passionate followers, running-mate runnerup Dick Gephardt, Joseph Lieberman, Wesley Clark, Bob Graham, Al Sharpton, Dennis Kucinich and Carol Moseley Braun. Apparently Hillary Clinton’s role will only involve standing on stage "for a first-night photo op with other female senators." Great. Guess I can miss the first night, then. UPDATE. Grrrrrr! The sisterhood is steamed: The former chairwoman of New York's state Democratic Party said Wednesday it was "a total outrage" that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has not been offered a prominent speaking role at the Democratic National Convention. "It's a slap in the face, not personally for Hillary Clinton, but for every woman in the Democratic Party and every woman in America," said Judith Hope, a major party fund-raiser. "Hillary Clinton has been a team player for this ticket from Day One," Hope said. Asked by The New York Times for its Wednesday editions why Sen. Clinton was not invited to speak at the convention, Kerry campaign spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said: "She never asked." Those geniuses at Air America don’t miss a thing. The Houston Chronicle’s Ken Hoffman received a phone call last week from American Airhead Mike Papantonio: Papantonio challenged me about why the Houston Chronicle "ignored the Jon Matthews story." Matthews, a former conservative talk show host, pleaded guilty last month to indecency with a child. Papantonio said, "We're doing a story on the coverage of Matthews. First of all, the story was pulled from the Chronicle's archives, and you covered the story exactly one time since it happened. "There was no mention that he was the most conservative, right-wing talk host in Texas. "We're taking the angle that the Houston Chronicle just looked the other way. It looks like you ignored the story, and I'm really interested in why you pulled it from your archives." Why was this terrible injustice committed? For what reason did the Chronicle ignore this story? Read the whole story. The ABC is happy to help old Mikey out: Win tickets to an exclusive 612 ABC Brisbane screening of Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11", winner of the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. Afterwards, attend an ABC forum discussing the film. Is Michael Moore exposing the Bush administration or a biased film-maker attempting to influence American and global politics? To win tickets to the movie and forum, listen to Steve Austin weekdays from 8.30am. If you’re a lucky Steve Austin listener, you might want to print this out so that you may read it aloud during the ABC forum. This week's Continuing Crisis column in The Bulletin mentions Toyota's new Prius, Steve Bracks, George W. Bush, Peter Garrett, Mark Latham, Richard Nixon, Hubert Humphrey, George McGovern, Kofi Annan, Alexander Downer, Philip Ruddock, Cheryl Kernot, Saddam Hussein and his charming offspring, and John Kerry. The old courthouses in Darwin and Alice Springs are long gone. The kids have grown. Lindy and Michael are no longer together. Lawyers have turned into judges, judges have turned to ash. Ayers Rock is now called Uluru. And that skulking dingo is still getting away with murder. Toohey was working off an open brief on this story, and that intro is as it appeared in his first draft. The man can write. UPDATE. George Monbiot recently wrote: Officially, the biggest 4x4s can manage 12 or 13 miles to the gallon in urban areas. Unofficially, US journalists found that the Ford Excursion was doing 3.7. Sure, George. Here’s the report upon which Monbiot based his claim: As we approach the hill, I hit the gas. The great vehicle pauses for a moment, as the massive torque is transmitted through its four tons, then lunges forward. We begin to climb. The engine is maxed out. Above my head, the fuel-consumption meter indicates that we're getting 3.7 miles to the gallon. George might be interested to learn that I briefly observed a figure of 28 litres per 100 kilometres on the Prius’s computer. That converts to 8.1 mpg (US gallons). It’s easy to get ultra-bad economy figures, from any engine; all you need do is dump a whole ton of fuel in there under load at high revs. Incidentally, the Prius wasn’t under a great deal of load at the time. More on the Prius: because at low speed it jinks between its regenerative electric motor and conventional petrol engine (which cuts out entirely at stops) the Prius is more economical in town than it is on the freeway. I averaged 51 mpg (imperial gallons; 43 mpg US) at a steady 125 kmh (75 mph) on the open road, but ramped it up to 100 mpg (imp.; 84 mpg US) during a few five-minute periods in city traffic. Freak show. Margo is still sick and will be back on Monday, July 19. Margo Kingston's new crapsite: In fact MK is still busy with radio and other [media] commitments. UPDATE. Lots more in the archives. Click and scroll. Pete Townshend hits a familiar note: Michael Moore has been making some claims – mentioning me by name - which I believe distort the truth ... I greatly resent being bullied and slurred by him in interviews just because he didn’t get what he wanted from me. It seems to me that this aspect of his nature is not unlike that of the powerful and wilful man at the centre of his new documentary. Only a few weeks ago someone was seriously telling me that Peter Fray, The Age’s Europe correspondent, could be the paper’s next editor. Just as well that bullet’s been dodged. Here’s Fray’s latest report: "What I believe the assessed intelligence has established beyond doubt is that Saddam has continued to produce chemical and biological weapons... I am in no doubt that the threat is serious and current." - Tony Blair, foreword to the British Iraq dossier, September 2002. How tragically empty these words now sound. No one in their right mind - not their official author or the spooks and minders who fed him the lines - would dare repeat them today. At least 11,000 dead Iraqi civilians deserve that much respect. After all is said and done, this wasn't a war we had to have. What to do about such a fatal mistake? Surely someone is to blame? Surely someone has to pay? Don't bank on it. Oh, ha ha ha, Mr Sydney Morning Herald headline writer. A press release arrives from Checker Books: Checker Book Publishing Group and cartoonist Chris Onstad have reached an agreement under which the publisher will collect Onstad's Achewood comic strip in a series of three trade paperbacks beginning in November. Checker's first Achewood collection (ISBN 0-9753808-6-9, $19.95, 180 pp. tpb), is as yet untitled, but is slated for November publication, and will collect Achewood strips from its debut in October 2001 through June 2002. Onstad began posting his on-line comic strip chronicling life at 62 Achewood Court, home to a dysfunctional and riotously funny menagerie of anthropomorphs and robots, on a daily schedule in late 2001 (he later launched a subscription-only Sunday installment in color on Serializer.net) . It quickly became a favorite of on-line and print opinion-makers - fans include syndicated columnists Dave Barry and James Lileks, cartoonists Tony Millionaire (Maakies), Jim Woodring (Frank) and James Kochalka (Sketchbook Diaries), and a vast and varied array of prominent webloggers. In just over two years, the strip has grown to a daily readership of over 10,000 and drives a merchandising mini-empire that has allowed Onstad to leave his day job and pursue Achewood as his sole vocation. The Guardian urges its creepy readers to boycott, among other things, Budweiser ("Why? Keeping orcas in captivity"), Adidas ("Mistreating kangaroos"), Bacardi ("Counter-revolutionary activities"), Lonely Planet ("Producing a travel guide to Burma"), and George W. Bush ("Kyoto, farm subsidies, Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay ..."). List in comments reasons to boycott The Guardian. Bandwidth has been expanded to cope. (Via contributor J.F. Beck, who boycotts Budweiser due to taste issues) Antony Loewenstein -- co-author of Margo Kingston’s Not Sane, John -- hails people power: We're reaching really encouraging numbers for a book that has, tellingly, received little mainstream press coverage. In other words, the message has entirely bypassed the old ways of communicating and succeeded in getting people excited and active. We reckon the mainstream press are a little scared that something, anything, can sell without their promotions, so maybe NHJ is a taste of much to come. Here’s an abbreviated list of Margo’s non-mainstream non-promotions that have bypassed old ways of communicating: MONDAY 21 June 2004, CANBERRA/SYDNEY 7.40am - RADIO 2CC Canberra, interviewer Mike Jeffreys 9.40am - STEREO 974 Melbourne, interviewer Bob Taylor 10.20am - COMMERCIAL RADIO 2UE Sydney, interviewer George Moore 10.40am - COMMERCIAL RADIO 2GB Sydney, interviewer Tim Webster 4pm - 702 ABC RADIO Sydney, interviewer Richard Glover 6.20pm - COMMERCIAL RADIO 4BC Brisbane, interviewer Tony Johnston TUESDAY 22 June 2004, SYDNEY 10.10am EST, 9.40AM SA - RADIO 5DN Adelaide, interviewer Jeremy Cordeaux Noon EST, 11.30AM SA - 5UV RADIO Adelaide, interviewer Cath Keneally 12.30pm - BAY FM Byron Bay, interviewer Terrie Wells 12.45pm EST, 10.15 Perth - RADIO 6PR Perth, interviewers Mario Dorazio and Deb Kennedy 5.30pm - ABC RADIO TRIPLE J Nationally, 'Hack', interviewer Steve Cannane 5.45pm - 666 ABC RADIO Canberra, interviewer Ross Sully 10pm - ABC RADIO NATIONAL, interviewer Phillip Adams WEDNESDAY 23 June 2004, SYDNEY 10am - 936 ABC RADIO Hobart, interviewer Tim Cox 11.30am EST, 11am NT - 105.7 ABC RADIO Darwin, interviewer Annie Gastin 12.30pm - RADIO 927 Melbourne, interviewer Trevor Himstedt THURSDAY 24 June 2004 MELBOURNE 10am - RADIO 3AW Melbourne, interviewer Ross Warnecke 11.00am - 774 ABC RADIO Melbourne, interviewers Jon Faine and Terry Lane FRIDAY 25 June 2004, BRISBANE 10.30am - 612 ABC RADIO Brisbane, interviewer Steve Austin 11am - ABC RADIO NORTH WEST Queensland, interviewer Jemma Schweikert 1.10pm EST, 11.10am Perth - 720 ABC RADIO Perth Chat Room Media Section, interviewer Jo McManus Keep it real, kids. John Leo on Paul Bremer’s forgotten farewell: The Washington Post said Bremer left without giving a talk. The Los Angeles Times did worse. It missed the speech, then insulted Bremer for not giving it. A July 4 Times "news analysis" said: "L. Paul Bremer III, the civilian administrator for Iraq, left without even giving a final speech to the country--almost as if he were afraid to look in the eye the people he had ruled for more than a year." This is a good one-sentence example of what readers object to in much Iraq reporting -- dubious or wrong information combined with a heavy load of attitude from the reporter. The Washington Post’s Rajiv Chandrasekaran has his say here. The Globe and Mail’s Simon Houpt attends a Michael Moore press conference: Most of the foreign journalists love Moore. Many of them, like the Australian woman wearing jeans with a flowery pattern snaking down each leg, were there to throw him softballs about their own country's complicity in the war. Over the course of more than 90 minutes, Moore called on the people of Australia, Italy, England, Japan and the other countries that formed the "coalition of the willing" to exercise "regime change" against their leaders for backing Bush. Who was that Australian journalist? Some floral clown from the ABC, most likely. Houpt continues: While some of the journalists nodded their heads in keen agreement, his request got under my skin. It reflected a typically American arrogance -- his assumption that the war should be the primary issue for foreign voters simply because it's the primary issue for him. After all, Australian Prime Minister John Howard's approval rating is still very high, despite his commitment of troops to Iraq, since most Australians support his policies in other areas. Remarkable. A foreign journalist with a broader, and more accurate, view of Australian politics than is possessed by most Australian journalists. Finally, unhappy at the docile questions presented to Moore, Houpt fires in his own: I wanted to know why [Fahrenheit 9/11] didn't address the dangers of armed Islamic fundamentalism, obsessive anti-Westernism, suicide terrorists, and what Moore thinks would be the proper approach for the U.S. government to legitimately conduct itself in a fight against terrorism. After all, if you're going to criticize measures like the Patriot Act, wouldn't you want to offer an alternative? Moore took a moment to compose his answer. "Night after night, we are hammered on our television networks and our cable news channels about the Islamic fundamentalists. We've seen it all, we've heard it all," he began, speaking unusually slowly and deliberately. "My job is to say: Maybe there's something else going on, maybe there's another piece of information you should have before making up your mind. Maybe you should see an opposing viewpoint once in a while in this country. The corporate media in this country, they've got control of it 24/7, 365 days of the year. My film is our humble plea: Can we have just two hours for our side? "The second part of your question is: How do you fight a war against religious fundamentalists? Well, that's what we're doing in this country, and I hope we're successful on November 2." It was a funny quip, and many of the journalists laughed and applauded Moore's response. Journalists applauded Robert Mugabe, too. Journalists make excellent focus groups for lumpy, white-baiting bigots. Moore dodged the question, so here’s a reminder for him of actual religious fundamentalists: Suspected Muslim guerillas sliced off the nose, ears and tongue of a 14-year-old girl in Indian Kashmir today, believing her to be an informer for the Indian army, police said. Via Steven Den Beste. Of the 18 repetitive essays that make up the book, five were written by outside contributors, seemingly chosen at random. Of these, one is a review of Bowling for Columbine, a previous Moore film, taken from an Australian newspaper. It ends on the intellectual high note, Go to hell, Mikey! This level of argument is hardly the sort of thing to sway anyone who does not already share the authors' maniacal dislike of Mr Moore. Indeed, their loathing leads them not only to ad hominem attacks but also to exaggerate Mr Moore's influence. After all, his audience is no bigger than those of his demagogic counterparts on the right, such as Rush Limbaugh. A team of ex-Clinton spin monsters is currently issuing legal threats to The Economist on behalf of the authors. Where did the Mark Latham wedding-eve video rumour begin? At Crikey.com.au, dragging down the reputation of Internet news sources since 2000. As Media Watch reports, "the rumour leapt effortlessly from Crikey to the front page of the Sydney Morning Herald": The Labor leader is yet to respond to other revelations - reports of a raunchy video taken at his bucks' night before his second marriage. According to Media Watch -- who’ve done good work on this; see how rapidly the program identifies SMH misreporting when it involves a Labor leader? -- Crikey sent this note out to subscribers on July 2, sparking wider media interest: Now there are rumours of a potentially embarrassing videotape of Latham's bucks’ party ahead of his last wedding. Here’s something Media Watch missed. That July 2 update didn’t rate a mention in Crikey’s July 7 summary of Latham’s rumour-filled week: Mark Latham's colourful background has kept the media very busy over the last few days and Crikey has been watching the whole sorry affair from the safety of our bunker. The Age’s unerring ability to detect the clouds corroding every silver lining is expertly displayed in Saturday’s front-page lead: Australia's six-year property boom has opened a huge financial gap between the richest and poorest Australians, and a seemingly permanent divide between home owners and renters. The headline? "Property boom splits nation". The piece is co-written by James Button, who bought his first house when he was, I think, in his late 20s. Divider! Nation splitter! To the wealth of Joseph Wilson links collected by InstaPundit here, add this from Jeff Jacoby ("Worrying too much -- if that's what happened -- resulted in the toppling of one of the planet's most murderous tyrants. Worrying too little resulted in 9/11") and this from Tim Dunlop ("It seems to me that if you call your book The politics of Truth: Inside the lies that led to war and betrayed my wife's CIA identity then you set yourself a pretty high standard for, well, telling the truth"). In an historic media first, the New York Times has published a fake turkey correction: An article last Sunday about surprises in politics referred incorrectly to the turkey carried by President Bush during his unannounced visit to American troops in Baghdad over Thanksgiving. It was real, not fake. Indians are outraged over George W. Bush’s controversial cat-naming policy: Thiruvananthapuram, July 2: Angry youths in this Kerala capital Friday burnt an effigy of US President George W. Bush, not because they are anti-American but because he has named his cat India. "This is a disgrace to our great country and this has come from none other than US President George W. Bush. This is nothing but an insult to India because there are hundreds of thousands of Indians in US, and many who occupy key posts in the White House," said M.A. Latheef, president of the group. "He should make amends," Latheef added. How will the protesters react when they learn about this place? Meanwhile, to repair the hurt feelings of Thiruvananthapuram’s seething youth, a sensitive new name must be found for Bush’s cat. Suggestions: b) Vishnu, Sacred Cat of Old Calcutta d) Tandoori Kitten e) Fat Buddha Cat The UK Daily Telegraph reports: Under new Government proposals, creatures such as insects, worms and slugs will be protected from mistreatment if it can be proved that they suffer pain and distress ... A spokesman for Peta, the animal welfare group, has welcomed the proposals, saying: "Compassion must be extended to all living beings. Stamping on a slug sets an example to children that 'might makes right'." And before you know it, they’ll be dragging harmless woodland creatures from their cosy spider-holes. Ban stamping! The Sydney Morning Herald’s Adele Horin helps some European sophisticates understand Australia: Visitors from Europe have arrived and, after having marvelled at the winter sunshine and extolled the harbour, they ushered me into a cafe, ordered espressos all round, coughed politely, and asked me the question I had been dreading. Would I be so kind as to explain my country's foreign policy? Being your typical multilingual European sophisticates, they had quickly grasped Australia's sycophantic attachment to the US. Australians struck them as a refreshingly irreverent lot. Yet as a nation we were America's ... They waved their hands about, grasping for the right word. "Lap-dog?" I suggested. If they’re so multilingually sophisticated, why do they "wave their hands around grasping for the right word" like common hand-waving word-graspers? These scammers have obviously tricked Adele by using devious accent skills. New mother Gianna reflects on feminism and children: Quitting work and having a baby was the best decision I've ever made. It's not that I don't want to work ever again; I will, of course. It's just that having a career doesn't seem nearly as important anymore. Some feminist I turned out to be ... I wish I'd done this in my twenties. All that partying, all those nightclubs, all those years at uni, all those years kissing assworking in offices, it seems like such a waste of time now. Another Michael Moore book is riding high in the NYT bestseller list. Good! When the New York Post tore up its front page on Monday night to trumpet an apparent exclusive that Dick Gephardt would be Senator John Kerry's vice-presidential running mate, the newspaper based its decision on a seemingly unimpeachable source: Rupert Murdoch, the man who controls the company that owns the Post, an employee said on Thursday. Rupert Murdoch, chief of News Corp, has denied he was the source for a front page "exclusive" story in his New York Post that wrongly named US Representative Dick Gephardt as Democrat John Kerry's choice as his No. 2 in the November US presidential election. Mr Murdoch yesterday told reporters at the Allen & Co. annual retreat for media executives in Sun Valley, Idaho, that he was not the one who telephoned in the tip, adding that he had occasionally called in items for its page six gossip column. The Washington Post’s Rajiv Chandrasekaran emails: For those of you who have been interested in the subject of why The Washington Post reported that U.S. administrator L. Paul Bremer did not deliver a "farewell address" before departing Iraq on June 28, let me provide some detail and context. I am The Post's bureau chief in Baghdad and the author of the article in question. First off, The Post published a correction on July 9. It reads: "An article June 29 on the departure from Iraq of U.S. administrator L. Paul Bremer stated that Bremer did not deliver a farewell address to the Iraqi people. Although he did not deliver prepared remarks to an audience on the day he left, a U.S. funded television station in Iraq broadcast remarks he had taped two days earlier, his spokesman said." What happened here? According to Dan Senor, Bremer's spokesman, with whom I spoke on July 8, Bremer taped a brief address on June 26 that would be broadcast on Al-Iraqiya, the U.S.-funded television station in Iraq, upon his departure. Senor called it an "address for the Iraqi people." I asked Senor for a transcript of the address, but he has not yet sent me one. Similar requests to two other press officers with the former Coalition Provisional Authority have gone unanswered. Unlike most other addresses given by Bremer during his tenure as CPA administrator, there was no notice provided to Western print journalists indicating that a speech would be broadcast. There also was no transcript of the address sent out later in the day, as was typical for the CPA to do after Bremer's speeches. (There may have been a CPA media advisory provided to television networks specifying satellite feed information for the broadcast, but I have not been able to obtain a copy of that advisory.) When asked about why there was no general advisory, Senor told me: "It wasn’t a big announcement. It wasn’t for the Western press. It was not a policy speech." The broadcast was not widely known within the CPA. Two press officers I spoke with that day did not mention it. Other CPA officials I talked to said they had no knowledge of Bremer delivering a farewell address. Our office in Baghdad does monitor television broadcasts, but we generally pay little attention to Iraqiya because it does not have continuous news coverage. We have stopped keeping one of our three televisions permanently tuned to the station because it broadcasts children's' shows and other non-news programming during most workdays. It is impossible to know how many Iraqis saw Bremer's remarks. Iraqiya is watched my many Iraqis, but many others tune into Al-Jazeera, Al-Arabiya and other Arab satellite news channels. I understand Jazeera may have broadcast some of the remarks but I have not been able to verify that. Needless to say, the speech was not resonating among the score of people my Iraqi translators talked to that day to gauge public reaction to the handover. Most people wanted to discuss the speech made by the interim prime minister, Ayad Allawi. Nobody said anything about seeing Bremer on television. I know some people have noted that CNN's domestic service and Fox News broadcast at least part of the address. I was watching CNN International (the version available in Iraq) throughout the day and did not see the speech. I certainly could have missed it if it was broadcast just once. But I can safely say that the address certainly was not given much prominence on CNN International in the hours after the initial broadcast on Iraqiya. Whether Bremer's taped address should be deemed a farewell speech is something I will leave to others to debate. It was not spoken on the day political authority was transferred, nor was it delivered before an audience. Obviously there were security and scheduling concerns that factored into that decision. Had I known about his televised remarks, however, I would not have written that he did not deliver a farewell address. I even would have quoted what he said. According to a transcript of Bremer's remarks that were broadcast on CNN's domestic service, he said: "I leave Iraq gladdened by what has been accomplished and confident that your future is full of hope. A piece of my heart will always remain here in the beautiful land between the two rivers with its fertile valleys, it's majestic mountains and its wonderful people." That's good stuff and I certainly would have included it in one of the two stories I wrote that day. The bottom line here is that I did not know anything about the taped remarks when I wrote that Bremer did not deliver a farewell address. Knowing what I now do, thanks in part to media watchdog bloggers, The Post has corrected the record. It's too bad, though, that the CPA did not do a better job in informing the Western and Arab press about the broadcast. Had we all known about it, I'm sure Bremer's comments would have received wider exposure inside Iraq and beyond. • The fish are grinning! Richard Neville has written a poem. It mentions fish. Tex offers a delicate critique. (Say what you will about the left’s literary and lyrical wing; there’s no doubting their love of fish.) • Here’s an unusual criticism of John Edwards, from former Loyola University School of Law instructor Sarah Whalen: "In Edwards’ bulldog eyes, Bin Laden is just a simple crook. To Edwards, Israel is "our vital ally.'" • Rajan Rishyakaran posts a 16-link roundup on the Sudan genocide in Darfur. • More toner, please! John Kerry supporter Whoopi Goldberg gets freaky with the photocopying: "I Xeroxed my behind and I folded it up in an envelope and I sent it back with a big kiss mark on because we're Democrats - we're not afraid to laugh." This may be the quickest about-face in Australian political history: Labor's star recruit Peter Garrett has condemned the federal government for approving joint training facilities in Australia without consultation. "The thing that I object to more than anything else is the fact that we've got Australian foreign policy being determined by officials, and senior Australian officials, in Washington, and then Australians get told about it," he told the Nine network. "The merits or otherwise of those issues need to be fully discussed by people, not simply unilaterally announced and then dumped on people in the middle of an election campaign, following on from comments from American foreign policy or defence officials, which actually end up increasing the tempo of the debate." Garrett was then informed by his Today Show interviewers that Mark Latham supported the joint training facilities: "Well, if Mark Latham thinks it's a good idea and that's what the party view is, then there's merit in it. We'd accept it," he said. "The point is that if Mr Latham thinks that that's a positive thing to happen, he will have given it some opportunity, and considered it. "People in the Labor Party will respect his views and follow them. So will I as a Labor Party member. No question marks about that whatsoever." UPDATE. Here’s the Today Show transcript, with a more complete (and hilarious) identification of Garrett’s whiplash moment -- and his weird attempt to change the subject: INTERVIEWER: What about this news we’ll have more US troops training on Australian bases? GARRETT: We need to have a full and thorough discussion about these issues. The thing I object to more than anything else is that we've got Australian foreign policy being determined by senior officials in Washington. The merits or otherwise of those issues need to be fully discussed by people, not unilaterally enounced and dumped on people in the middle of an election campaign, following in on from American defence officials. INTERVIEWER: In the past, you have described US bases in Australia as the biggest pimples on the face of adolescent Australia. Is that what these new bases will be? GARRETT: I don't know. I haven't seen the details. I don't know that much about it and that's the point. We need to have an open, generous and considered discussion about these issues so Australians themselves can weigh up the merits. It's been conducted in a fevered atmosphere. This is something for Australians to think through and Australians to discuss. INTERVIEWER: Mark Latham thinks it's a good idea. GARRETT: Well, if Mark Latham thinks it's a good idea and that's what the party view is, there's merit in it and we'd accept it. INTERVIEWER: You turned around quickly there. That was a quick turnaround. GARRETT: That's not the point. If Mr Latham thinks that's a good thing to happen, he will have considered it properly and everyone in the Labor Party will respect it. No question marks about it. INTERVIEWER: You sound like a good party man. GARRETT: I hope so. Haven't seen the detail of Son Of Star Wars. That's the difficulty. Well, it would be the difficulty, if Son Of Stars Wars was what you were actually talking about. Peter Garrett is seven feet of pure liability. UPDATE II. The ABC dodges Garrett’s mid-interview reversal of opinion, noting only that Garrett "accepts the Labor Party's support for the joint training facilities." UPDATE IV. Chris Jones in the Courier-Mail doesn’t let Garrett off the hook: When told that his comments were in conflict with the publicly stated views of Opposition Leader Mark Latham, Mr Garrett did a swift about-face, saying: "Well, if Mark Latham thinks it's a good idea and that's what the party view is, then there's merit in it. An issue none have addressed so far: Garrett didn’t know his party’s policy -- and it’s on a subject he’s allegedly "passionate" about. Hasn't he been reading the papers? UPDATE V. The Courier-Mail editorial notes Garrett’s ignorance, and writes: Mr Garrett's scripts are likely to be more closely edited between now and the election. So much for the "high-profile candidate". UPDATE VI. More, from The Australian ("Mark Latham was yesterday forced to hose down comments from Labor star recruit Peter Garrett") and the Daily Telegraph ("If Peter Garrett achieves nothing else in politics he is unlikely ever to be pipped for the title of world's fastest backflip"). It seems that some people in the major media still think they’re the only ones who have eyes and ears and cameras and that ordinary people cannot have access to the information except from the major media outlets. They underestimated the prevalence and the effect of the internet in connecting people to each other and making the readers in direct contact with real eyewitnesses at the scene of events. I hope this will serve to make them more careful in the future on what to report ... Don’t bet on it. Remember clean-shaven Saddam? UPDATE. Paul Bremer’s little-known farewell speech, as broadcast by renegade underground media outfit "CNN" on June 28: The future of Iraq belongs to you, the Iraqi people. We and your other friends will help, but we can only help. You must do the real work. The Iraq your children and their children inherit will depend on your actions in the months and years ahead. You Iraqis must now take responsibility for your future of hope. You can create that future of hope by standing fast against those who kill your police and soldiers, who kill your women and children, who wreck Iraq's pipelines and power lines, and then claim to be your champions. You can create that future of hope by supporting your government and the elections they are pledged to bring you. You can create that future of hope in a thousand different ways by sharing through your words and deeds a personal commitment to a stable and peaceful Iraq. You, Iraq's Kurds and Arabs, Shi'a and Sunni, Turkomen and Christian, you are more like each other than you are different from one another. You have a shared vision of how a united Iraq can, again, be a beacon of hope to the region. You have a shared hatred of the violence inflicted on you by those who abhor your vision. And you have a shared love of this wonderful, rich land. Let no one pit you against each other. For when Iraqis fight Iraqis, only Iraqis suffer. I leave Iraq gladdened by what has been accomplished and confident that your future is full of hope. A piece of my heart will always remain here in the beautiful land between the two rivers with its fertile valleys, it's majestic mountains and its wonderful people. (Via reader Michael Jinks) "I ask people whenever I can if they have heard of the oil-for-food scandal," writes Guy from Ohio. "I have yet to find one. Seriously, I've probably asked dozens and not a hint of recognition ... That's one of the problems of reading blogs a lot, you really start to assume that people have heard about major events, at least in passing." They’ve heard all about Enron, though -- even in Australia, right down to the detail that Kenneth Lay was a Bush friend referred to by the President as "Kenny Boy". Imagine what such obsessive reporting might turn up in the oil-for-food case. Margo Kingston was all over Enron way back in early 2002 (in the same way a truck-smooshed kitty is all over a freeway). Career-wise, however, the trembling, self-obsessed saviour of democracy is now all over at the SMH, at least in any major capacity. Amanda Meade in The Australian reports (no link available) that Margo has accepted the SMH’s redundancy offer -- although the glory that is Webdiary remains: Margo Kingston also took the package, but will continue her online column for the f2 Network for several years. Or until senility. Whichever comes first. "Latham has a ball," reports the Sydney Morning Herald, striving as always for accuracy. Mark Forbes and Michelle Grattan in The Age, however, strive for the opposite. Here they cover Mark Latham’s request that everybody butt out of Australian domestic issues: He noted that left-wing US filmmaker Michael Moore had also stepped into Australian politics. Moore said this week that Prime Minister John Howard "appears to have half a brain" in supporting Mr Bush on Iraq. What we’ve got here is a unique case of a left-wing newspaper misrepresenting Michael Moore. Moore said that Howard supported the war despite being somewhat intelligent; The Age implies he supported it because, in Moore’s estimation, Howard was deficient. Here’s Moore’s full quote: "What's confusing to me is how someone like John Howard can get in bed with George W. Bush," Moore said. "He at least appears to have half a brain ... It's really disgraceful." Yes, Mike. Yes, it is. The Age piece continues: Mr Latham, campaigning on the NSW central coast, said: "I'd ask these commentators overseas to respect Australia's democratic processes just as we respect theirs." When Latham said "Bush himself is the most incompetent and dangerous President in living memory", he meant it respectfully. UPDATE. "Beating up on friendly foreign political parties is not only unsightly," says attention-starved former PM Paul Keating, "it is also dumb and counter productive in the longer term." After which Keating dumbly beats up on a friendly foreign political party: "A modicum of self regard might have taken Richard Armitage and his secretary, Colin Powell, out of this administration over its policy in Iraq," he said. "I can understand both men seeing it as their duty to stay on to fight the fight within the administration for America's sake. "But I should have thought a little humility might have been appropriate or at least some contrition." It’s always entertaining when Keating lectures people about humility and contrition. UPDATE II. John Howard on Latham’s double standard: Mr Howard described the Opposition Leader's indignation over comments made by US Deputy Head of State Richard Armitage as "an extraordinary double standard". "Mr Latham says it's perfectly OK for him to call George Bush the most dangerous and incompetent President in living memory," Mr Howard said. "Yet when a member of Bush's Administration states what many people believe to be a fact, there's something wrong." Here’s Michael Moore back in May, just before Fahrenheit 9/11’s premier screening: "When you see the movie you will see things you have never seen before, you will learn things you have never known before. Half the movie is about Iraq - we were able to get film crews embedded with American troops without them knowing that it was Michael Moore. They are totally fucked." Add this to Moore’s bulging collection of accurate predictions. Why do I write these unpleasant things about Mike? It's because, as reader Jen Clark correctly identifies, he "threatens my way of life": I have to say this - I pulled up your article to give me someone else's perspective on Michael Moore, and found myself only disgusted by your "reporting". What a load of crap on paper. Easy to say, and not very imaginative on my part, but I have to say that it is clear that Moore threatens you and your way of life, not only by the way you write, but by the way you try to manipulate genuine responses to direct questions. Ridiculous, misleading - I am left feeling like you have tried to convince me of something that is not there. You are upset, and being revealed, as another actor playing a writer/reporter in this (Moore) "fiction" based society. Shame, shame, shame. You insult anyone with any intelligence and ... Silence, crazy woman! Back in the realm of the unspazzed, James Lileks posts a review of Michael Moore is a Big Fat Stupid White Man: It unpacks the assertions made by his books and movies. It’s not a flame-throwing rant. It’s the brief for the defense - the client in the dock being America. UPDATE. Jonah Goldberg presents a statement for discussion: If the new Moore-standard says you can be a force for good even if you argue through half-truths, guilt-by-association and innuendo, then the case against Joe McCarthy evaporates entirely. He did, after all, have the larger truths on his side. UPDATE II. Jim Treacher: "If Michael Moore were capable of shame, his toes would be curling up into his shins right now." Contains news of Moore’s bizarre The Daily Show smugfest. A news analysis about the new Iraqi government in Sunday's Section A stated that outgoing administrator L. Paul Bremer III did not give a farewell speech to the country. His spokesman has since said that Bremer taped an address that was given to Iraqi broadcast media. The spokesman said the address was not publicized to the Western news media. L. Paul Bremer III, the civilian administrator for Iraq, left without even giving a final speech to the country — almost as if he were afraid to look in the eye the people he had ruled for more than a year. Still afraid to look anybody in the eye is the Washington Post, which is yet to apologise for its own no-speech claim. As Patterico writes, these guys need professional help: Someone at every major paper should be reading blogs. If they did, the papers might learn different points of view. They might pick up stories that are "not publicized to the Western news media." And they might make fewer errors on their front pages. John Edwards -- war profiteer! During the buildup and aftermath of the Iraq war, Edwards bought and sold stock in several defense contractors, including Lockheed Martin, United Technologies, General Electric, British Petroleum, and General Dynamics. Over to you, Michael Moore. Currently scrolling across the MEMRI news ticker: THE SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE IRAQI MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS SAID HIS COUNTRY WILL SOON RELEASE TO THE IRAQI PRESS DOCUMENTS REVEALING THE NAMES OF COUNTRIES AND INDIVIDUALS WHO WERE INVOLVED IN THE 'OIL FOR FOOD' SCANDAL. (AL-SABAH AL-JADID, IRAQ, 7/6/04) Sovereignty is paying off already! The rush into action, my public identification and vilification as an apparent "serial liar" bore an uncanny similarity with Washington’s unholy rush into the Iraqi War, without allowing the U.N. inspectors to first verify if the suspected presence in Iraq of WMDs and Al Qaeda links really existed. Was it ethical or was it hypocritical for the Tribune to launch an apparently open-ended inquiry into one journalist’s one-time "so far" peccadillo (which did no harm to anyone) while the paper published, without verification, part of the New York Times series on the presence of WMDs in Iraq ... ? Did no harm to anyone? Uli, man, you libelled a whole country. (Via Bill Herbert) Only those with the most highly-developed media sensibilities will be able to locate any trace of bias in this Marian Wilkinson report: On hearing the news that the good-looking, charismatic Senator John Edwards had been named as his Democrat challenger, Vice-President Dick Cheney got on the phone to welcome him to the battle for the White House. These will probably be the last warm words Mr Cheney has for his Democrat rival until election day in November. With unfavourable comparisons already being drawn between the silver-tongued, vigorous senator and Mr Cheney, the aloof, heart-attack-prone Washington insider, the Republican machine has gone into overdrive. "Fahrenheit 9/11", Michael Moore's film bashing US President George W. Bush and the Iraq war, started its march around the world Wednesday by opening in cinemas across France - where not surprisingly its box office success looks guaranteed. Cinema-goers who scrambled to get into one of the packed screenings applauded, laughed and sat stunned as the movie spelled out Moore's views that Bush was an incapable dolt whose family has an overly cosy relationship with rich Saudis. Amused head-shaking and a sort of collective smugness punctuated the film's two hours, with the issues and images presented being carried off into city cafes afterwards for heated discussions. Others were less impressed: The daily newspaper Le Monde wrote: "To affirm ... that it was crowned (in Cannes) for its cinemagraphic qualities is either proof of incompetence, a pure lie or a cynical joke." Even less kind was France's superstar philosopher, Bernard-Henri Levy, who dismissed "Fahrenheit 9/11" as dishonest. Levy noted that he opposed the war and considers Bush a "catastrophe for America." But, he added: "Saddam Hussein was also a horrible dictator. And that is not in the film of Michael Moore." Moore faced criticism at home, too, where a cineplex appearance at Battery Park brought him in contact with an unsympathetic Spider-Man 2 fan: A Lowdown spy reports that Moore droned on, oblivious to his own personal safety until a Spidey loyalist yelled, "Not everyone thinks you're God, Moore!" The director hastily wrapped things up and wandered away dejectedly. What kind of perverse abuse is Mark Latham dishing out now? The Labor leader has been ruthless in his character assessments, generally provided under parliamentary privilege, of all sorts of people in pubic life. For shame, Mr. Latham! Certain limits must be drawn, and not just to protect your own family: Mark Latham has refused to apologise for his vitriolic character attacks on non-parliamentarians in the past, despite his insistence that his own family is off-limits. (Via reader Paul H.) How did the New York Post get it so wrong? The tabloid yesterday led with news that John Kerry was poised to name Dick Gephardt as his running mate -- only to be embarrassed when, within hours, Kerry named that lawyer kid instead. Blame the boss. Word among local News Corp. execs is that Rupert Murdoch himself was the source of the Gephardt scoop. A Post desk editor’s chronology of events apparently records a call from Murdoch at 9.58pm insisting that Gephardt would be named. Maintaining that chronology turns out to have been a smart move -- the following morning, so rumour has it, Lachlan Murdoch demanded to know who was responsible for the Gephardt blunder. He was shown the desk editor’s notes. No further questions were asked. UPDATE. The New York Daily News hammers on Post ed-in-chief Col Allan: Though Allan was said to have personally approved the Gephardt front page, he pinned the error on the supposed source or sources, which the unbylined account did not attribute. Allan "made the decision after the Post received information it believed to be correct," according to a statement from the Post. The Post's first edition yesterday led with a Long Island fire. However, about 10 p.m. Monday, Allan apparently put the goof on the front page for later editions. Hmm. I’m told Col wasn’t in New York while this edition was being put together. UPDATE II. Also from the Daily News: The glaring absence of a byline on the story suggested no reporter wanted to be connected to Allan's Hail Mary headline, "KERRY'S CHOICE: Dem picks Gephardt as VP candidate." This may be more a clue to Murdoch's involvement. One of the many Murdoch biographies tells the story of Murdoch phoning in a front-page lead, possibly to The Australian. It ran under the byline: "By a special correspondent", or something similar. I'll try to find it. UPDATE. Here it is, from page 172 of William Shawcross’s biography: In February 1976 Murdoch himself wrote an extraordinary scoop in The Australian. He reported that just before the election, Whitlam had met in Sydney with two Iraqi officials from whom the Labor Party was soliciting funds. Many Labor Party supporters saw Murdoch as such a Satanic figure that they instantly dismissed the revelation as a lie. However, the meeting had taken place and the Sun News Pictorial, a rival paper, carried it also. Describing the same event, Richard Belfield, Christopher Hird, and Sharon Kelly in Murdoch: The Great Escape write (page 52): Murdoch [took] personal control over the story, checking the facts and writing the copy. The byline when the first instalment appeared in the Daily Telegraph and The Australian was 'a special correspondent.' At this rate, we'll see Mark Latham in tears again by the end of the week: Senior Government ministers yesterday attacked Mark Latham as a hypocrite over his history of personal abuse as the Labor leader publicly named two journalists he accused of asking questions about his family that sickened and disgusted him. Poor little Mark. Janet Albrechtsen, a target of Latham’s abuse, has this to say: Remember that Latham told The Bulletin back in 2002 that "this idea that politics can be too rough and too personal is a bit rich ... It's part of the Australian way. We're not a namby-pamby nation." When, in response to that comment, I argued, on this page, for more civility in public life, I copped a serve from Latham, "for trying to take the passion and commitment out of life ... [for trying] to take the irreverence and spark out of the Australian character". Then, a little later, he lobbed the "skanky-ho" sobriquet at me. Perhaps it's time for Latham to show how serious he is about making amends, about convincing voters how genuine the change in him is. An apology will be gladly accepted, Mr Latham. Short of that, dry your eyes, Princess. UPDATE. Because Mark is sad, here’s the Morrissey Dance. (Via Molly’s Blog.) Supplied with a list of states from which US residents have requested Vegemite, Evil Pundit has composed a VegeMap of the United States. We’ve claimed the entire west coast, established control of the Gulf of Mexico, and -- with the exception of Indiana -- built an imposing Yeast Curtain across the nation. Delaware and Rhode Island are holdouts on the east, although North Carolina fell only hours ago following the capture of reader Robert W. Baxley. Minnesota? It’s owned, thanks to John Wilson. The VegeReich’s ambition isn’t limited to the US, however. Manitoba and Ottawa are now under Vegemite occupation. So is Hungary. Deliveries will commence shortly, although mail-outs may be delayed if customs gets upset. In which case I’ll send the Vegemite from within the US when I’m there later this month. Either way, the process of liberation will not be denied. The Guardian’s David Fickling -- Dickens himself couldn’t have devised a finer name -- delivers some moral instruction to lowly Australians: Australian racists hate to be told they are racists. When an Australian recommends the forced eviction of Aborigines from their own land, it is presented as social welfare. When an Australian advocates imprisoning Iraqi and Afghan refugees in secretive detention camps, it is presented as border control. When Fickling looks at Australia, he sees evil. So when Australian racists first raised objections to the building of a small Muslim prayer hall in the Sydney suburb of Annangrove last year, they used a typically weaselly complaint. The problem with the hall, objectors argued, was that 80 men and women turning up to pray twice a week would irrevocably change the purportedly semi-rural character of the area. To reinforce the non-racist point, last month attackers desecrated the building site with a bucket of blood and three pig's heads on sticks. Abbas Aly, the developer of the site, it used to such responses and takes it on the chin. When a planning application for the hall first came before the local council in late 2002, it was turned down by a vote of 10 to two. Baulkham Hills council had received 5,180 letters objecting to the prayer hall - an average of around 10 letters from each of the 530 addresses which submitted complaints, although one diligent household managed to mail out 260. Fickling blends the reasonable objections of many with the clearly racist actions of a few. Such is his way. Councillors might normally be expected to stand up for rational clearheadedness in the face of such hysteria, but after Australia's 2001 federal election the views of a racist minority have acquired a new sanctity. It’s all John Howard’s fault. There is an important point here. In the wake of September 11 and the Bali bombings, Islamophobic attacks in Australia have a particular resonance and importance, but they are far from unique. Indeed, what is often most striking in Australia is how common such racism is and how little it is remarked upon. You know what is little remarked-upon? The rise in Australia of anti-Semitism. Fickling doesn’t mention it, possibly because this rise is driven by the Left. It is hard to know what to make of this, especially since Australians are for the most part a pretty tolerant bunch. Patronising scum. Fickling -- previously examined here -- should be skinned, boiled in spider venom, then deported. Reader Chris Murphy has cancelled his subscription to The Australian. For no known reason, he shares his cancellation email here: We have decided to move to NSW, just so that we can get morning delivery of The Sydney Morning Herald. No newspaper is perfect, but the Herald does at least try to be editorially professional. I just don't think I could handle any more stories about High Court junkets (yeah, right!) amidst Big Brother reports and gratuitous page three flesh ... or Thorpie in his budgie smugglers. Or read yet another column from some Yank fanatic from The Weekly Standard or other such trashy American rag. Not to mention our very own Skanky Ho. And I'm certainly not about to punish myself, either, with Michael Stutchbury's push for fascism, especially as a federal election approaches. In other mailbox news, reader Jennifer M. Lynch writes: people like you make me sick. You now most obviouisly smack of DESPERATION. Trying any way possible to tear apart Michael Moore. Credit the public with some intelligence, please. You are panicking because your greedy, corrupt, controlling, manipulating regime is over. enjoy your time in those hot fires of hell !!! Reap as you shall sow. "How dare this popinjay of a president interfere in Australian affairs?" Bob Brown raged last month. "He should pull his head in. We don't need President Bush, from his biased and quite small-minded point of view in Washington, telling the Australian people what they should think or what they should do." So it'll be interesting to hear what Bob thinks about this: US filmmaker Michael Moore hopes the global release of his documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" will usher in "regime change" in Australia and Japan, and fan freedom of speech in more repressive nations like China. The combative director was especially scathing about the Australian and British prime ministers, John Howard and Tony Blair, along with the leaders of countries like Japan and Italy, for allying themselves with the Bush administration. "What's confusing to me is how someone like John Howard can get in bed with George W. Bush," Moore said. "He at least appears to have half a brain ... It's really disgraceful." Australia was a staunch US ally in its war in Iraq, committing some 2,000 troops to the offensive, 850 of whom remain in the region. "I hope that Australians that see this film will say to themselves, we need some regime change here in our country," Moore said. How dare this Poppin' Fresh of a picture-maker interfere in Australian affairs! UPDATE. The SMH’s Caroline Overington has more: "I get a lot of mail from Australia," Moore said. "I probably get per capita more mail from Australia than from any other country. A lot of angry Australians. I never realised how angry and I don't think just because they are living in Australia, right? "No, I mean, I realise, it's like, you're living on an island, but you're also a country, but you're also a continent. So I know there's a lot of confusion there, right?" What the hell is the fat bastard talking about? Angry Iraqis warn foreign invaders to leave or die: An armed group calling itself the "Salvation Movement" has threatened on video to kill al-Qaeda-linked Jordanian militant Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi if he does not leave Iraq immediately. "The apostate, criminal Zarqawi and his henchmen must leave Iraq immediately," said a statement read by a masked gunman on the tape, who had a clear Iraqi accent. Five men, their faces covered with Arab headscarves, were flanked by rocket-propelled grenades, pistols, rifles and an Iraqi flag. "We swear to Allah that we have started preparing ... to capture him and his allies or kill them and present them as gift to our people," he said. "This is the last warning. If you don't stop, we will do to you what the coalition forces have failed to do." I like their attitude. How long before someone describes this as part of a new "cycle of violence"? Not wishing to confuse its audience, the ABC keeps it simple: The United States and Britain launched their war against Iraq in March 2003 on the basis that Saddam possessed WMD stockpiles. Unbalanced ALP leader Mark Latham used to keep a picture of Richard Nixon in his Sydney office. Maybe that’s the cause of Latham’s Nixon-like paranoia: Mark Latham today called on Prime Minister John Howard to sack ministerial staffer and alleged dirt-digger Ian Hanke. The opposition leader renewed an appeal to his political enemies to lay off his family and also made it clear he did not believe Mr Howard's denial of the existence of a government dirt unit digging into Mr Latham's past. Mr Latham said he wanted Mr Howard to disband the unit and sack Ian Hanke, who worked for Workplace Relations Minister Kevin Andrews. Tony Abbott responds: "It seems to me the only person that has been spreading rumours about Mark Latham recently is Mark Latham. "He goes into a press conference and starts talking about rumours - well, I hadn't heard most of them before." When Sheila O'Malley lists her top five kisses -- in ascending order of greatness, with parental advisory warning -- you know you’ve got to read. UPDATE. Dawn Eden lists her five best food experiences with men -- including "eel hand rolls with Vince Miller, fall 1997". This week's Continuing Crisis column in The Bulletin mentions Glenn Milne, Brian Loughnane, Bob McMullan, Peter Garrett, Toni Collette, Julia Gillard, Mark Latham, David Kilby, and Chris Uhlmann, and includes this image from The Observation Deck. Got a call a couple of days ago from a senior -- way senior -- News Corp identity. I braced myself for thrilling insider gossip and the latest election information, but the first question he asked was: "Where is the Wog Blogger? Why hasn’t she posted since May?" So, being a former Murdoch slave, I made a few calls. Rattled a few cages. Shot a few dissidents. And the Wog Blogger is blogging anew: Hey, Fox News is reporting John Edwards as Kerry's Veep. That is not good news for Oz. Edwards is an isolationist "fair trader" by which he means no breaks for Non-US folks like Oz folks. Still, he is way better looking and more engaing than Kerry, who is a horse-faced showman of the ol' somnambulist narcolepsy school. More from the Wog -- on the Iraqi interim government, Euro Cup soccer, Manboobs Al Sadr, David Marr, Emma Tom, and Robert Fisk -- here. The Great Vegemite Airlift offer closes today. Vegemite samples are so far destined for multiple US zones from New York to San Francisco, and throughout Asia, with a special bulk sample addressed to US Army ordnance corps in Bagram, Afghanistan. Want in on this tasty Australian treat? Simply forward your postal details and wait apprehensively. UPDATE. New Vegemite shipment zones include Canada, Texas, Maryland, DC, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Ohio, and Florida. Thanks to Vegehegemonolopolism, America and Canada will soon be the seventh and eighth Australian states! Thanks to "unique Australian tools", Australians "could solve some of their society's deepest problems by next year", writes Julian Ninio: I became an Australian citizen a month ago. In the US, I will vote for Kerry holding my nose, knowing that Kerry won't fix the deep problems of which George Bush is a symptom, such as the trailer parks where America's social policies force one family in thirteen. In Australia, I will vote knowing that a single election can produce change. One of Julian’s unique tools is ethically-challenged Sydney Morning Herald Webdiarist Margo Kingston, who is currently promoting her partisan anti-Howard campaign on the SMH’s dime and via absurd ABC promotions. UPDATE. A couple of years ago I pitched a right-wing book idea to various local publishers; one told me to forget it, because "only insane lefty books get any publicity." Looks like he was correct. Margo’s screeching nonsense has just burst in to the top ten. We’ve been on convoys that have been hit with IEDs, RPG and small arms fire, but nothing especially serious. Iraqi insurgents are terrible shots, and their IEDs [Improvised Explosive Devices] don’t detonate over half the time. A lot of the incoming we take here are dud rounds as well. Either old ordnance, or the fuses aren’t rigged right. Still …a Katyusha rocket will leave a heck of a bruise. The CHUs have been hit a couple of times, with loss of limbs and other serious injuries. Hit the above link for all GreenMeat’s photographs, including this ("I had bumper stickers done up at makestickers.com for all of our trucks. The brigade commander made us take ‘em all off") and this ("We have, out at our detention facility, Qusay Hussein’s Jaguar. We drove it around, even though it’s stuck in 3rd gear. The brigade commander made us stop"). This ABC report, on the inquest into the death of Thomas Hickey in Redfern four months ago, ends on a strange note: The court is full of Hickey family members and other community members and all people are being scanned as they enter the court. There may have been a better way to put that. "We must tackle the environmental nightmare of 4x4s by taxing them off the road," writes The Guardian's George Monbiot: Officially, the biggest 4x4s can manage 12 or 13 miles to the gallon in urban areas. Unofficially, US journalists found that the Ford Excursion was doing 3.7. A Ford Excursion achieved 3.7 miles per gallon? Bullshit. Meanwhile, Monbiot happily chewed through thousands of gallons of jet fuel flying to Australia in order to promote his book. The New York Post reports: John Kerry has chosen Rep. Richard Gephardt, the veteran congressman from Missouri, to be his running mate, The Post has learned. Gephardt, 63, a 28-year veteran of the House of Representatives, could be named by the presumptive Democratic nominee as the party's vice-presidential candidate as soon as today. Back in January, Dave Barry noted the powerful forces driving Gephardt’s campaign: At the rally for Dick "Dick" Gephardt, his supporters chanted this chant: WE ARE THE GEPHARDTS! MIGHTY MIGHTY GEPHARDTS! It's very catchy. The Miami Herald's political writer, Peter Wallsten, was with me at the rally, and we both find that we cannot get this chant out of our heads. We'll be driving somewhere in Iowa, and one of us will suddenly shout: "WE ARE THE GEPHARDTS!" And the other one will respond: "MIGHTY MIGHTY GEPHARDTS!" The tabloid New York Post was wiping egg from its face yesterday after identifying the wrong man in a front-page "exclusive" on Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry's choice of running mate. "Kerry's Choice" ran the banner headline in the Rupert Murdoch-owned newspaper, over a file photo of Kerry shaking hands with Congressman Richard Gephardt of Missouri. The accompanying story analysed the "stunning" choice of Gephardt, stressing how the 63-year-old had managed to beat out the strong challenge of the youthful Senator John Edwards of North Carolina. Phillip Adams -- who is, as usual, completely in tune with American voters -- notes a crucial election omen: When William F. Buckley Jr, who is to American conservatism what the Pope is to Rome, joins in the growing unease about the war in Iraq, you know that Bush is whacked. The BBC just can't get a break these days: The government has ordered the BBC to redefine the remit of its online services after an independent report into its internet activities said many of the corporation's websites were too commercial and should be closed. Even those within the organisation condemn it: A significant number of BBC news reports are untrustworthy and littered with errors because the corporation's journalists fail to check their facts, according to e-mails sent by one of the BBC's most senior news managers. (Via contributor J.F. Beck, who is, like, really concerned about this ongoing assault on the public broadcaster.) "Hey, my first blog entry!" writes a newcomer to the medium: Welcome fellow bloggers and blog readers! Blog doggers and blog loggers. Blogging away for the common good or just to keep from watching whatever crap is on TV right now. What is on TV right now? No new 6 Feet Under tonight. The Practice has been bounced. Can't Jon Stewart do a Sunday show? When in the course of events it arises that hugs are needed, the H.U.G. S.Q.U.A.D. is an elite group of Master Huggers who will spring into action. For information on joining the H.U.G. S.Q.U.A.D., please contact Philippe, MH. Saddam Hussein is perp-walked in fine style by Florida Cracker. Robert Fisk, your new screen-saver collection is here! Meanwhile, it was a multicultural Fourth of July fun-fest over at the old Hussein place: In Saddam Hussein's former stronghold of Tikrit, soldiers watched fireworks light the night sky as they held a joint celebration with Iraqi National Guard soldiers on a bank overlooking theTigris. Thousands of troops celebrated at one of Saddam's old palaces with a buffet featuring hamburgers and hot dogs and traditional Iraqi dishes. UPDATE. In other hot perp news, Cleveland police have compiled a Crime Stoppers Swimsuit Edition. "I was personally always of the opinion that felons only looked this good on CSI," reports forensic examiner Mike Jericho. Leigh Hanlon writes: In the new Warner Home Video release of the 1964 classic animated TV series "Jonny Quest," there appears to be some politically-correct editing afoot -- but although they cut a Race Bannon reference to "ignorant savages" and "heathen monkeys," they forgot to delete the closed caption version of the dialog! The former Mrs Latham knows where to hit her ex: Ms Gwyther said last night that she had done the right thing by her ex-husband. But, she added, if "he wants to play ball, I will -- all gloves are off". Please, Ms Gwyther! He’s only got one left. These Clinton book signings are getting out of control. UPDATE. An opponent of Clinton's successor remembers too late the old i before e except after c rule. Check the sign for evidence of hasty fixing. New Yorker Evan Izer writes: After reading the Vegemite crisis thread , I got a powerful urge to try it. So I went to five different stores and came up with nothing but blank stares. I couldn't even find Marmite, which I vaguely remember my Kiwi studio mate eating years ago. I am awestruck by your generous offer to spread the good news of Vegemite to the deprived of the world! If your offer is still open, I would love to take you up on it. The offer remains open. Simply email me your postal address, and an SMU (Standard Mitey Unit) of Vegemite will be sent your way. There is one condition: a review must be supplied within 24 hours of delivery, otherwise Vegemite the Cat will smother you to death while you sleep. Anti-army actress Rebecca Romijn-Stamos visits Iraq and changes her mind: It was unbelievable and I'll never forget it. I grew up in Berkeley, California, which is the most liberal, left-leaning place you could ever find and I had zero contact with our military. So I had a pre-conceived notion they would all be rednecks who were only there because their daddies had been in the army. But I was wrong and I met the most amazing people over there. It was 130 degrees [Fahrenheit] and they were walking around in full fatigues and we'd get there to find out they'd been waiting in that heat for three or four hours. And they had so much perspective on it, they were really deep and smart and had a lot of opinions. Visitors to Berkeley are unlikely to report similar findings. Midway through a press conference at a Wisconsin dairy farm, John Kerry suddenly remembers -- hey, I used to live on a farm! "Let me tell you something: When I was a kid, this 'kid from the East' had an aunt and uncle who had a dairy farm, and one of my greatest joys in life -- in fact, I lived on a farm as a young kid. My parents, when we lived in Massachusetts, we lived on a farm, and I learned my first cuss word sitting on a tractor with the guy who was driving it." Watch for Kerry’s freshly-implanted InstantMemory™ program to kick in during future press stunts. Here’s John at a NASCAR track: "Let me tell you something: When I was a kid, this 'kid from the East' had an aunt and uncle who had a NASCAR team, and one of my greatest joys in life -- in fact, I raced in NASCAR as a young kid. My parents, when we lived in Massachusetts, we owned Chrysler, and I won my first race sitting in a Charger with the guy who was driving it." Here’s John in Muscle Shoals, Ala.: "Let me tell you something: When I was a kid, this 'kid from the East' had an aunt and uncle who crewed for Lynyrd Skynyrd, and one of my greatest joys in life -- in fact, I was a member of Skynyrd. My parents, when we lived in Massachusetts, we were in the band, and I learned my first guitar solo sitting on a stage with the guy who was playing it." And here’s John at Caltech: "Let me tell you something: When I was a kid, this 'kid from the East' had an aunt and uncle who had a department of biochemistry and molecular biophysics, and one of my greatest joys in life -- in fact, I lived in the lab as a young DNA sequence. My parents, when we lived in Massachusetts, we lived in a community of neurons and lymphocytes, and I performed my first cellular division sitting on an electron microscope with the guy who was dividing it." This story -- published last week in London’s Financial Times and the NYT’s business section -- has received no notice at all in Australia, at least that I’m aware of: Illicit sales of uranium from Niger were being negotiated with five states including Iraq at least three years before the US-led invasion, senior European intelligence officials have told the Financial Times. Intelligence officers learned between 1999 and 2001 that uranium smugglers planned to sell illicitly mined Nigerien uranium ore, or refined ore called yellow cake, to Iran, Libya, China, North Korea and Iraq. The claim that the illicit export of uranium was under discussion was widely dismissed when letters referring to the sales - apparently sent by a Nigerien official to a senior official in Saddam Hussein's regime - were proved by the International Atomic Energy Agency to be forgeries. This embarrassed the US and led the administration to reverse its earlier claim. But European intelligence officials have for the first time confirmed that information provided by human intelligence sources during an operation mounted in Europe and Africa produced sufficient evidence for them to believe that Niger was the centre of a clandestine international trade in uranium. Interesting. Belgravia Dispatch has more. Mark Latham is cracking up: Opposition Leader Mark Latham today choked back tears as he urged the media to lay off his family and called on Prime Minister John Howard to disband an alleged government dirt unit. Amid intense scrutiny over his personal life, Mr Latham today called a press conference in Canberra to try to clear the air. "Some time over the next couple of months we're going to have an election campaign and I believe it should be about the positive things we should be doing about Australia's future rather than the old politics of fear and smear," he said. This is the same man who said in 2002: "Look, this idea that politics can be too rough and too personal is a bit rich. I can take you to any sports field any Saturday morning and show you parents getting stuck into it. Having a go at the ref, yelling abuse. It's part of the Australian way. We're not a namby-pamby nation that hides our feelings. I think we're a nation that's willing to call a spade a spade and, if need be, to pick up the spade and whack someone over the head with it." But when he cops a few whacks himself, Latham starts to cry: Red-faced and choking back tears, Mr Latham asked the media to lay off his family. "The only request I make ... is as these rumours are circulated by my first wife and some people in the media repeat them, would you lay off my family," he said. "Things have been put to me about my sisters, my mother, my father that are not true and they don't deserve it. "Say what you like about me but leave them out of it please." What’s he talking about? There haven’t been any attacks on Latham’s sisters or mother. And the only person saying anything bad about Latham’s father (who died 23 years ago) is Latham himself, who last year described his father as a problem gambler. Mr Latham accused Ms Gwyther of being one of three sources who were smearing him in the media. "I refuse to relive a marriage break-up publicly, it was hard enough the first time, I'm not going to go through it a second time in the public arena," he said. If only she’d agreed to be a good girl. Other sources of rumours were aggrieved former Liverpool councillors and a government dirt unit, Mr Latham said. Mr Latham urged Mr Howard to disband the unit, the existence of which Mr Howard today denied. Really, Mr Bully-Boy Howard, big cruel meanie who makes Mark sad? How do you explain this then? The Government Dirt Unit operates in plain sight! Disband the GDU! Those who judge Saddam Hussein must face the wrath of his friends: Downing Street blasted The Independent yesterday for naming the judge in Saddam’s trial — putting his life at risk. It accused journalist Robert Fisk of breaking an agreement with the Iraqi Special Tribunal not to identify anyone in the court other than the defendants. The Daily Telegraph has more: Iraq's justice minister says that even the life of the trial judge is now under threat after Robert Fisk of the Independent, together with other anti-war newspapers from the Arab world, blithely published his name, having ignored an explicit request not to do so. (Via reader David P.) UPDATE. Fisk’s July 1 column: Now it is time for bread and circuses. Keep the people distracted. Show them Saddam. Remind them what it used to be like. Make them grateful. Make Saddam pay. Show his face once more across the world so that his victims will think about the past, not the present. Charge him. Before the full majesty of Iraq's new "democratic" law. And may George Bush win the next American election. The column’s headline focusses on an obvious injustice: during Saddam’s trial, there will be "no mention of power cuts". Throats, maybe. But Fisk is more concerned with the present than the past. From The Age: Labor leader Mark Latham was an economic "dunce" whose "reckless spending spree" led to a $15.9 million deficit at the Liverpool City Council in western Sydney, five former Liverpool mayors and one deputy have claimed. From News Ltd: A report by a respected economic body proved that Labor's workplace relations policies would have devastating consequences to the Australian labour market, Prime Minister John Howard said today. "This report, carried out by a firm that the Labor Party itself has used to cost its tax and economic policies, draws attention to the devastating economic consequences to this country if our labour market were re-regulated," Mr Howard said in Melbourne. From Glen Alpine resident Tomina Brown: "At least he's got balls." Err ... yes. And from Paul Sheehan in the SMH: We're told that the most recent full Morgan Poll projected an election-winning lead for Labor over the Coalition of 54 per cent to 46 per cent. But that was taken before last week's handover of qualified sovereignty to Iraq from the United States. Immediately after the handover, Morgan conducted a special telephone poll to test voter reactions. The result was a political jolt: "A clear majority of electors now believe Mr Howard (55 per cent) would make a better prime minister than Mr Latham (34 per cent)," said the Morgan analysis. Well, polls -- as Sheehan notes -- are fairly pointless during such a volatile pre-election period. But the negative trend for Latham is building. He may yet be forced to endure some of those in-depth media profiles his handlers are so keen on avoiding. I have no idea why this is currently the most-viewed article at the Sydney Morning Herald's website. Why aren’t readers more fascinated by an examination of Tuscan architecture's declining influence in local design? In order to cut down on spam and trolling, I have implemented Comment Throttling.* The delay is 20 seconds. If you get a message, count (slowly!) to twenty and try your post again. Update: Okay, I guess enough of you have understood the message so I can close the comments now. Also, that gives me the last word! Bwahahahaha! *Don't you just love that name? Our beloved bird of legend finally makes it into the pages of the New York Times, courtesy of Richard L. Berke and the NYT's expert fact-checkers: There are also the manufactured surprises, like Mr. Bush's cloak-and-dagger Thanksgiving trip to Baghdad, which drew praise even from Democrats. (The public relations bonanza fizzled after the press reported that Mr. Bush had posed with a mouth-watering - but fake - turkey.) Will this bird fly all the way to next Thanksgiving? You don't know Tiger Hand? (Via Andrew Lloyd) "Viewers may come away from Moore's movie believing some things that probably aren't true," writes Paul Krugman. But that doesn’t matter, because they’re essentially true: Someday, when the crisis of American democracy is over, I'll probably find myself berating Moore, who supported Ralph Nader in 2000, for his simplistic antiglobalization views. But not now. "Fahrenheit 9/11" is a tendentious, flawed movie, but it tells essential truths ... Robert Fisk tries to get "alert, cynical, defiant, abusive, proud" Saddam Hussein off the hook: Could it be this awful man -- albeit given less chance to be heard than the Nazis at the first Nuremberg hearings -- actually knew less than we thought? Could it be that his apparatchiks and grovelling generals, even his own sons, kept from this man the iniquities of his regime? Helpfully, US authorities have been bringing Saddam up to speed. Charles Krauthammer celebrates the deuce: The deuce is the preferred usage when time is short and concision is of the essence. Enjoying the benefits of economy, it is especially useful in emergencies. This is why it is a favorite of major league managers going nose-to-nose with umpires. They have only a few seconds before getting tossed out of the game, and as a result television viewers have for years delighted in the moment when the two-worder is hurled, right on camera. No need for sound. The deuce was made for lip reading. Favourite examples of deuce-use are invited in comments. Some folks'll never lose a toe, but then again some folks'll ... Farm Accident Digest reflects on an explosive life: When I was little, all the residents in the cul-de-sac across the street would gather all their fireworks for the night. The firing was led by someone's crazy uncle who always showed up in his beat-up truck, the bed filled with fireworks. One year, he lit a Roman candle, but it didn't fire. So he actually walked up to it and looked down the barrel. Seeing nothing amiss, he stood up just as it started firing away. That's still the closest I've ever seen someone come to taking one of those in the face. Speaking of explosive lives, a Palestinian legal group makes a solid claim for statehood with this eloquent demonstration of their capacity for self-rule. Wasn’t Salon supposed to be an alternative to mainstream media? Dear Salon reader: As the country celebrates its independence, Salon is celebrating our own, by joining forces with another great voice of independence, the Guardian. Starting on Wednesday, July 7, look for special Guardian stories each day in Salon. Many American readers have come to appreciate the rigorous integrity of the Guardian's reporting on the war in Iraq and the Bush administration ... Take back America, Americans! Take it back by having lots of money taken from you! Please join Governor Howard Dean, M.D. To celebrate Independence Day and help Take Back America! Wednesday, July 7, 2004; poolside at Bambuddha Lounge, 601 Eddy St., San Francisco (between Polk & Larkin; take Bart to Hyde & Market or parking available across the street) Private Reception 5:00 p.m. Give $250/person or Raise $1000 General Reception 6:00-7:30 p.m. DJ Alexis spins Bardot Pop Yo, DJ Alexis -- spin this. Conflicting accounts exist of the 1989 Blunderweight World Championship bout between Mark Latham and Don Nelson. Compare and decide ... In the red corner, weighing a hundred pounds or so less than he does these days: Mark "Civilising Global Capital -- With My Fists!" Latham, then 28, a promising young scrapper who’d fought his way up from living in a hollowed-out cabbage on western Sydney’s mean streets: "He got a bit stroppy, he took a half swing at me, we grabbed him and got him out of the campaign rooms. "He wasn't in any state to do any real harm, but we just got hold of him, got him out of the campaign room, it's a bit of crowd control and that was the end of that." And in the blue corner: Don "Azumah" Nelson, then 59, a second-generation journeyman pugilist and sales rep who’d wandered over from a nearby bar: "He was standing back listening and took umbrage to my comment. That's when Latham king-hit me. I instinctively threw my head to the left and did what they call, 'rode the punch'," Mr Nelson said. He then feinted with a left and crossed with a right. "He came off second best. He went down like the Titanic." Latham defeated by an older opponent? Could start a trend. Remember Uli Schmetzer? Since the Chicago Tribune booted Uli in March for inventing an Australian source, Tribune public editor Don Wycliff and colleague Margaret Holt have been searching his earlier stories for further evidence of wrongdoing. No other fake quotes have turned up, but they have found this: In a Dec. 10, 2003, story about the entry of movie actor Fernando Poe Jr. into the race for president of the Philippines, Schmetzer used two substantial quotes from a Randy David, whom he identified merely as a sociologist. Most readers probably thought the quotations were the result of an interview Schmetzer conducted with David. The story certainly read that way. In fact, the quotes were drawn from a newspaper column David wrote and the Philippine Daily Inquirer published on Nov. 30, 2003. UPDATE. Gerome S. Cervantes sends a note to Fox News (copied to me): I take insult when foreigners feel the need to constantly take shots at my country. I think Tim Blair and others from Australia should keep their hands out of my journalism. My grandfather told me that Australians were just as bad as the French and we shouldn’t trust them. He had part of his nose bitten off by a Australian ship merchant who often spent time America. My grandpa said he even SMELLED worse than a Frenchman. Now that I think about it, this guy could have been Scottish, but you get the point. I want only US flag pins on lapels. Not little flags with alligators or whatever Australia uses as a flag. A 'gator flag! That would rule so hard. UPDATE II. You want to read this. UK chat-show host and cricket obsessive Michael Parkinson says Tony Blair should target the anti-Muralitharan vote: When John Howard, the Prime Minister of Australia, said Muttiah Muralitharan was a chucker, he was only saying what the rest of us were thinking – but it did the job. Murali withdrew from the present Sri Lanka tour of Australia. In the meantime, by judiciously avoiding trouble, Muchichuckalot should go on taking wickets, putting his record further out of reach of more scrupulous bowlers. If he wants my vote, Tony Blair should stop wasting his breath praising our poor lads in Portugal. Instead, he should denounce Muralitharan, thus guaranteeing one less chucker in the forthcoming ICC Champions Trophy. It won't happen. The Prime Minister of Australia knows about sport. Ours neither knows nor cares. (Via Tony the Teacher) He may be big in Cannes, but Mike Moore isn’t welcome at home: The blue-collar city of 125,000, the backdrop for Moore's 1989 documentary ''Roger & Me,'' is preparing for its inaugural Flint Film Festival. But Moore, who now lives in New York, was not invited and his latest film, the anti-Bush documentary ''Fahrenheit 9/11,'' will not be shown, [festival chairman Greg] Fiedler said. Organizers ''wanted this to be about local filmmakers and not about one famous one who has a way of bringing all the attention on himself,'' Fiedler said. Not to mention the blowout in catering expenses. In DC, concluding a sad-sounding concert, Linda Ronstadt has provoked another round of Oscars-style Moore-booing: The biggest excitement of the night, by a long shot, came when Ronstadt then dedicated her encore of "Desperado" to filmmaker Michael Moore, kick-starting a boo-cheer competition throughout the venue that drowned out her singing and left grown-ups in tuxes and evening gowns yelling at each other on their way to the parking lot. I went to the local Borders (Oakland CA) today - asked if they had it - the manager almost lost it when I told him the title - he was amazed when it showed up on the computer. They had 12 on order (for a month). So I ordered an additional copy. UPDATE. A happy review. UPDATE II Mark Steyn: The war on terror’s a bit of a joke on the Left these days. In Fahrenheit 9/11, Michael Moore says Bush is deliberately keeping the population in a state of fear, and he gets some of his biggest laughs with clips of solemn announcers announcing upgraded terrorism alerts. I suppose it is pretty funny. Until it happens. And then Moore and the Democrats will switch to arguing that Bush knew it was going to happen all along and didn’t do anything about it. UPDATE III. Jim Treacher: I was going to write a review of Fahrenheit 9/11, but I got stuck deciding between "fact-raping planetoid" and "gravy-retaining blamethrower" and never finished. The latest poll of Iraqi opinion is notable for its optimism: What is your expectation for how things overall in your life will be in a year from now? Will they be much better, somewhat better, about the same, somewhat worse or much worse? About the same The real trial lies ahead Well, yes. Saddam's appearance was a pre-trial charges hearing. The Guardian has finally got something right. (Poll via the OmbudsGod) • Don’t miss out on the global Vegemite airlift. Eat it, and become as one with us. • Fans of Spinal Tap might be distressed to read this. So might a lot of people, actually. • Your Normblog profile this week is Scott Wickstein. • "He's known as 'Dirty Harry,'" reports the Daily Mirror. "This guy has got one of the worst jobs in the world." • John Podhoretz on the Bush-haters: "They're full of vim and vigor. They can taste victory in November, and they're practically bubbling over. And they're in danger of burning out big-time." • Saddam Hussein: defiant anti-hero! • Margo Kingston has lost her Sun-Herald column. • Webber in a Williams at Silverstone? Excellent. • A reader writes: "Check out John Howard’s latest devious ploy: he wants to give Labor MPs in marginal seats a leg-up against their coalition opponents! Do the machinations of this evil genius know no end?" The Sydney Morning Herald’s Paul McGeough observes Saddam: He was clean-shaven - the fugitive's beard of December had been sculpted back to his customary moustache. Hmm. McGeough must have been looking at somebody else. UPDATE. McGeough implies that he witnessed events inside the court ("Just to see Saddam in the dock was a stark new image ..."). But according to The Guardian: CNN and the Arabic TV station al-Jazeera were the only two TV stations to be allowed into the court room, while only one print journalist - the New York Times' chief foreign correspondent John Burns - was given access. The good news is that Saddam Hussein is gonna face the death penalty. The bad news is that David Beckham is gonna take it. Saddam guilty as hell: Iraqis Frank Devine runs a red pen through the ABC News: ABC: "An Islamic website proclaimed [the beheading of Paul Johnson] as a lesson to Westerners who dare venture to Saudi Arabia." Rephrase or delete. Certainly cut "lesson" and "dare". The ABC shouldn't act as a mouthpiece for murderers. "Mr Johnson's family and friends in New Jersey are devastated. [Unidentified man]: 'They've won one thing: my hatred. I've never been a racist a day in my life but today I'm finding myself very racist'." Delete quote. Irresponsible to imply that (1) it's okay to be racist if a friend has been murdered or (2) New Jersey people turn racist when bad things happen or (3) Johnson's murder was the act of a race of people. Highlighting statements of individuals when distraught is unfair and often misleading. "Russian President has revealed new intelligence claiming that Saddam Hussein's regime was planning to strike the United States ... For President George Bush the revelation may come as a relief." Delete second sentence. Unsupported, not to say air-head, speculation. "Just hours after the Russian President's statements [Bush] made a campaign stop to again tell troops Saddam was a threat." Delete "campaign". The Democratic Party hasn't even chosen its nominee yet. Anyway, commanders-in-chief have other reasons to visit troops than to canvass their votes. Replace "was a threat" with "had been a threat". Saddam is in prison. "[Quoting President Bush]: 'This is a regime that sheltered terrorist groups. This is a regime that hated America. And so we saw a threat and it was a real threat.' That claim is being disputed by the commission into the September 11 attacks." Delete last sentence. The commission disputes nothing in this Bush statement. An ABC concoction. Sack scriptwriter and segment producer. "Analysts believe Putin was trying to help the American president [with his statement that Russian intelligence showed Saddam planned to attack the US], hoping one day the favour might be returned." Amazing speculation! Where is there an "analyst" so unhinged as to make it? If possible, shoot scriptwriter and segment producer while attempting to escape. "[Quoting Opposition spokesman Kevin Rudd]: 'John Howard wants to run a cheap and nasty election campaign based exclusively on national security. Well, this is his national diversion strategy.' But it's a campaign the Government won't be easily diverted from." Delete news-reader's ditzy comment. What won't the Government be diverted from? Cheapness and nastiness? Or will it refuse to be diverted from diversion? "Al-Qa'ida is vowing to continue its holy war in Saudi Arabia." Blogger Royce Dunbar attends his 25th college reunion in Wisconsin -- and discovers that his old friends have become Berkleyite Moore followers: Unjust war ... international law ... unilateral aggression ... no WMDs ... Afghanistan was bad enough, but Iraq ... blahdee, blahdee, blah ... These are good people. These are smart people. On many levels, these are very thoughtful people. And, it seems to me that they are very much like a group of folks that most of them despise. They are very much like fundamentalist Christians. Delay in Hicks trial 'an injustice': Pentagon-cleared lawyer Lawyers for David Hicks have accused the Bush administration of trying to rush the alleged Australian terrorist to trial. Kosher Vegemite, on the market for 20 years, has been scrapped: Hundreds of families have been scouring supermarkets for the last kosher jars of the famous spread. One mum bought 75 jars in one shop. Dad Mark Chaskiel said the family have run out of kosher Vegemite after panic-buying 35 jars. "I was brought up on Vegemite," Mr Chaskiel said. "I can sacrifice lobster and prawns for kosher but I can't give up Vegemite. It's an Australian birthright." If I were denied Vegemite for religious reasons, I would give up religion. The Labor Party is bracing for fresh claims of physical violence by Mark Latham, potentially delivering John Howard a big incentive to call a snap election for August. Former friends and political rivals have alleged Mr Latham assaulted an older man in the lead-up to a state by-election for the seat of Liverpool in March 1989. Mr Latham was alleged to have punched the man to the ground after he walked into the Labor campaign office and made a remark that the future Opposition leader objected to. Latham has been dodging serious coverage for weeks, and seems determined to keep doing so. Declining involvement in this weekend’s Sunday program, Latham’s unbelievably clumsy ex-ABC advisor Vivienne Schenker said: "We don't want anything in depth before the election." So a small-target strategy -- maybe like that adopted by the old bloke in Liverpool 15 years ago -- is now official. The small-target plan ties neatly into this: Labor candidates' views on important economic and social issues are significantly to the left of what those who voted for them thought, according to research that says Labor risks a "hollowing out" of its support base. Coalition candidates were much more likely to hold views similar to their supporters, compared with Labor candidates and voters. So, the Coalition. A year or so ago I wrote that if John Howard threw $50 notes to people in the street, he’d be attacked in the press for littering. Claim proved: Rather than welcoming the government's payments to families, the media and the ALP have had a carefree, fun-filled week, playing with the Howard Government's evil Baby Bonuses. The consensus of the ALP, and the educated middle class in general, is that ignorant poor families just can't be trusted with $600 let alone $3000. Media reports indicate that the family payment is wreaking havoc: causing teenage pregnancy, child abuse, gambling addiction, alcoholism and violence in indigenous communities, and even a new stolen generation. Visit Gnu Hunter for all the links. Does Michael Moore eat so much because if he loses weight he’ll resemble the photo-fit of some guy in Michigan who maybe kidnapped Girl Guides back in the '60s and, like, sold them to Charles Manson? For slavery purposes? I’m just posing a question: Mr. Moore hints that the real reason Mr. Bush invaded Afghanistan was to give his cronies a chance to profit by building an oil pipeline there. "I'm just raising what I think is a legitimate question," Mr. Moore told me, a touch defensively, adding, "I'm just posing a question." Moore also likes to pose questions arising from alleged Carlyle Group connections to the Bush family. Michael Isikoff and Mark Hosenball investigate: The idea that the Carlyle Group is a wholly owned subsidiary of some loosely defined "Bush Inc." concern seems hard to defend. Like many similar entities, Carlyle boasts a roster of bipartisan Washington power figures. Its founding and still managing partner is Howard Rubenstein, a former top domestic policy advisor to Jimmy Carter. Among the firm’s senior advisors is Thomas "Mack" McLarty, Bill Clinton’s former White House chief of staff, and Arthur Levitt, Clinton’s former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. One of its other managing partners is William Cannard,Clinton’s chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. Spokesman Ullman was the Clinton-era spokesman for the SEC. Idealistic Republicans, aiming to build a stronger democracy, are actively encouraging dissent: Billionaire Richard J. Egan built his reputation in politics as a major donor and fund-raiser for the Bush campaign, steering hundreds of thousands of dollars into Republican coffers in recent years. But now it appears Egan and his relatives are bankrolling a new candidate: independent presidential contender Ralph Nader. I applaud this development. Hey, where’s John Kerry lately? The prospective Democrat nominee and former Triple Crown winner has been all but invisible. Turns out he’s busy arguing with Boston Democrats: In an unusual rebuke of his party's nominee, Menino told the Boston Herald that he found the Kerry campaign small-minded and incompetent, and expressed frustration over a report that he had hung up on Kerry during a phone conversation about the canceled speech. "Nothing will persuade the president to drop his mentor from the team," thunders The Guardian, "not even an explosion of expletives." That’s the line above a stunning piece by Sidney Blumenthal, who seems to think Dick Cheney’s commonplace putdown is evidence of a psychotic collapse: In Washington, political identities cultivated over decades can crumble in a minute ... The self-control that had served [Dick Cheney] so long broke down in public on June 22 on the floor of the Senate during a photo session. As Cheney was posing with members, Senator Patrick Leahy ambled over. Leahy, the ranking Democrat on the judiciary committee, had recently been critical, along with other Democrats, of no-bid contracts in Iraq granted to Halliburton, the company Cheney had run and in which he still holds stock options and receives deferred compensation (despite his prior claims to the contrary). "Go fuck yourself," the vice president greeted him ... Even before his outburst, Cheney had come to stand for special interests, secrecy and political coercion. Under the stress of Bush's falling polls, he cracked. What will mad Cheney do next? Boil orphans for soup live on the internet? Further on, Blumenthal condemns a recent Republican campaign ad: Bush still strains to project optimism and cast the Democrats as demagogic pessimists. His campaign this week produced a commercial, "John Kerry's coalition of the wild-eyed", that featured snippets of Al Gore, Howard Dean, Michael Moore and Kerry criticising Bush. Interspersed among the Democrats was a frothing and saluting Adolf Hitler. Take a look at the ad. That Hitler image Blumenthal complains about? It’s from a MoveOn.org commercial attacking George W. Bush. (Via contributor J. F. Beck. The "F" does not stand for anything unpleasant.) Saddam Hussein enjoys his day in court. Would it kill him to smile once or twice? Nobody likes a frowny dictator. Meanwhile, Saddam’s former victims -- normal Iraqis -- are speaking out in the wake of kidnappings and beheadings: "This is a terrible thing," said Ali Hashim, 33, a shoe salesman in downtown Baghdad. "Hostage-taking, beheading . . . it's not our tradition. We have a tradition of hospitality. This hurts the image of the Iraqi people." "These beheadings destroy the image of the Iraqi people and shows them as uncivilized," said Saad Abdel Ali, 54, an electrical supply salesman. "It is being done by outsiders," he said. And some, as ever, blame the Americans: "Beheading and hostage-taking are not legitimate in Islamic law," said Riyadh Hussein, the white-turbaned imam of a soaring new mosque in downtown Baghdad. He suggested that the hostage-takings were the result of some unspecified conspiracy. "I have no doubt some of our people gloat over it. But this is being done to destroy the image of the resistance and the image of Muslims in the rest of the world. I feel there are some pockets of extremists in the Islamic world who are motivated and manipulated by Americans or others." UPDATE. Perhaps Firas Adnan should be called during Saddam's trial: Firas Adnan need only open his mouth to give evidence of Saddam Hussein's legacy. Just before the regime fell, the 24-year-old labourer quarrelled with a Saddam loyalist, who punished him by excising his tongue with a box-cutter. That was March 5, two weeks before the start of the war on Iraq. He was not released until mid-April. "Had the regime not fallen, they would have executed me," he says. "Had the regime not fallen." How those words must annoy Yasmin Alibhai-Brown. The Guardian’s Seumas Milne, writing in December 2001, mourns civilians killed during a coward’s war: Champions of the war insist that such casualties are an unfortunate, but necessary, byproduct of a just campaign to root out global terror networks. They are a world apart, they argue, from the civilian victims of the attacks on the World Trade Centre because, in the case of the Afghan civilians, the US did not intend to kill them ... what has been cruelly demonstrated is that the US and its camp followers are prepared to sacrifice thousands of innocents in a coward's war. The Guardian’s Seumas Milne, writing today, rationalises civilian deaths during a real war of liberation: The resistance war can of course be cruel, but the innocent deaths it has been responsible for pale next to the toll inflicted by the occupiers. Its political strength lies precisely in the fact that it has no programme except the expulsion of the occupying forces. Jack Straw said this week that the resistance was "opposed to a free Iraq" - but its campaign is in fact Iraq's real war of liberation. UPDATE. Here’s another anti-war Brit, Yasmin Alibhai-Brown: I am ashamed to admit that there have been times when I wanted more chaos, more shocks, more disorder to teach our side a lesson. On Monday I found myself again hoping that this handover proves a failure because it has been orchestrated by the Americans. You think Western media is weak? Take a look at China’s People’s Daily Online: Michael Moore's provocative anti-Bush documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" is likely to become the first imported documentary in China. The film slamming US President George W. Bush was banned in the United States, but its release was authorized by the government after it won the Gold Palm Award at the Cannes Film Festival in May. Curse that pesky 28th Amendment: "Treasonous materials shall only be permitted upon approval by a foreign assembly of conjurers, jugglers, and minstrels, long may they caper, fair and true." UPDATE. Speaking of Amendments, the New York Times wants to deny a speedy trial to Saddam Hussein and his co-accused: The actual trials should not begin until an elected government takes power, a step planned for next January. Starting them sooner might produce political dividends for the appointed Iraqi interim government or the Bush re-election campaign. Stand by for tomorrow's NYT, which will argue for the return of Saddam to his spider hole ahead of a January re-capture: "Arresting him sooner might produce political dividends for the appointed Iraqi interim government or the Bush re-election campaign." UPDATE II. People's Daily has cut the paragraph mentioning banning from the above-linked item. Guess it’s been banned. Helen's War - Portrait of an Idiot screens tonight on SBS. The SMH’s Greg Hassall describes the documentary, about A-list basketcase Helen Caldicott, as fabulous. So everybody watch. You may as well; your taxes have already paid for it. Canadians helped out, too: Produced in association with SBS Independent and CBC Newsworld. Produced with the participation of the Canadian Television Fund created by the Government of Canada and the Canadian cable industry. Produced with the financial participation of The Government of Canada, Canadian Film or Video, Production Tax Credit Program And with the assistance of The Government of Ontario, The Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit. Developed in association with Film Australia and the Australian Film Commission. Developed and produced with the assistance from The New South Wales Film and Television Office. Antony Loewenstein, one of Margo Kingston’s democracy militants, has sent a rousing email to his fellow Margonistas: Dear all, last week saw the Australia-wide launch of NOT HAPPY JOHN - DEFENDING OUR DEMOCRACY. It was a big success everywhere, from Canberra, Sydney, Brisbane to Melbourne. Capacity crowds everywhere, Tony Fitzgerald, Julia Gillard, Bob Brown and other assorted types spoke with passion about reasserting our democracy and taking back the power. Sounds like a duplicate Webdiary. Margo's bosses will not be happy. We'd love you to write comments, thoughts and ideas. Form groups around issues which you feel passionately about. Engage with the issues that frequently get ignored by the mainstream press. A daily blog will update the newest views on relevant issues. We hope this is the beginning of something bigger. We love MoveOn.org in the US. We have similar visions here. Australians are imitating Americans! Somebody alert Phillip Adams. This is an experiment and indeed, as far as we know, it hasn't really be done anywhere before in the world (feel free to correct me!) we want to hold politicians, journalists and big business accountable for the decisions that affect us all and having a bloody good time in the process. It’s a world first! Hail Australian innovation. Sadly, however, the Sydney Morning Herald will now be forced to fire Margo for obvious ethics violations: Herald staff shall avoid any prominent activity in partisan public causes that compromises, or appears to compromise, the journalist or the newspaper. (Via Stephen Mayne) UPDATE. Be dazzled by the competence of this first-time-anywhere-on-earth interactive online political experiment. Mike Moore in February 2002: Two months ago, it looked like 50,000 copies of Stupid White Men might head straight from the printing press and into the pulper. Now the wizards at Amazon.com say it's one of the bestsellers in America. Times change, Mike. Check out this current Amazon bestseller. Television tapeworm Merlin Luck has joined the cashed-up compassion circus: After speaking alongside former prime minister Malcolm Fraser on asylum seekers yesterday, Big Brother evictee Merlin Luck said he now felt recognised as "a valid voice" on the issue. He spoke at a breakfast function for the AM Club, a regular speakers' forum organised by businesses including the Hilton Hotel and 3AW held at Hilton on the Park in East Melbourne. "Today helped to assert me as someone who can discuss these issues and can be seen as, not a spokesperson, but as a valid voice on the issue rather than some punk who put some tape on his mouth and held up a sign and said 'Yeah, dude, free the refugees'." Which is exactly what Merlin did. Anxious to present Concernin' Merlin in the best possible light, The Age's Andra Jackson rewrites his family history: Luck, whose family came to Australia as migrants from Germany when he was four ... Wrong. As Merlin himself told Green Left Weekly: I came to this country from Germany when I was four years old and then we overstayed our tourist visa – as so many people do – so we lived illegally in Australia. Paul Gardiner was the partner of Liz Feizkhah, a gifted writer whose shyness and modesty is rare among people of her ability. Liz is a dear friend. But despite our friendship (we met at Time a decade ago) the closest I ever got to Paul was via Liz telling me of his latest one-liners. Gardiner had a particular talent for mock self-aggrandisement: I am a man of infinite knowledge, and I will not be calumnied by a woman. I am the most fantastic host there ever was. Look at those arms! I’m the Apollo of my generation. I’m trying to make the best roast lamb in the history of the world. It’s funny about my smell, isn’t it? It’s an angel-like smell. Besides his obvious verbal skills, Gardiner was a journalist, editor, and businessman of considerable achievement. He began his career as a researcher with the ABC in 1969, then worked for two years as the Australian Financial Review’s London correspondent, and in 1973 became publisher/editor of the Australian edition of Rolling Stone. In the mid-90s, Gardiner launched into IT; here’s a piece he wrote for Salon on Australian internet censorship plans. And here are some more of his one-liners, from a list compiled by Liz: TV turns every day into a day out. Mango is the clown of fruits. A four-hour documentary about polar bears: that’s my idea of heaven. When it comes to sorting socks, the gift of recognition is the main thing. I want a canned peach! I detest the real peach. (On being told that "no one in the world uses a lemon as an incense holder"): Well, they’re fuckin’ idiots. Last Thursday, after falling into a crushing, two-week depression, Paul Gardiner killed himself. His funeral was held yesterday morning. Liz’s tribute, delivered quietly and clearly to a church full of media and music industry heavyweights, was in equal parts heartbreaking and (because Liz knows how to tell a joke) hilarious. As people were leaving, I heard somebody say, through sobs: "I miss somebody I never knew." UPDATE. This is sweet. An identical lemony tribute was seen at the church. The ideological certainties that drove the US into Iraq now seem naive and vainglorious, writes John Keegan. Trouble is, as Professor Bunyip points out, Keegan’s column doesn’t match the SMH’s summary: What Keegan actually wrote is that the war was "honest", "astonishingly successful", and inspired by "purity of political motives". He notes that some US assumptions about post-war Iraq reflected attitudes left over from the Cold War and that these failed to take the role of religion into account, so maybe, at a stretch, an editor with a limited vocabulary might be excused for using "naive". But vainglorious? What phrase, clause, or sentence in Keegan's article suggests that? None, so far as I can see. Also from the Bunyip: the thrilling evening escapades of a Michael Moore fan. The event was scheduled to start at 6:30, got under way at about 6:32, and the Israel-bashing had commenced in earnest by 6:44. It was courtesy of Antony Lowenstein, one of Kingston's contributers, who informed us of how brave he was to be challenging Israel (a room full of true believing lefties and an attack on Israel ... real brave, Antony, real brave). Once her warm-up act had slithered away, Margo commenced to speak. Among Ari’s highlights: Penguin, the publishers, initially wanted to present Kingston as the Michael Moore of Australia and build a profile for her in that way. Kingston rejected the offer, arguing that "she didn't have a sense of humour." On the contrary. Margo is much funnier than Michael Moore. An Australian filmmaker is missing, feared kidnapped, in Afghanistan: On Monday, Carmela Baranowska, 35, left Kandahar for Zabul province, 100 kilometres north. Neither she, nor her Afghan fixer, Mohibullah, have been heard from since. Tim McGirk, the regional correspondent for Time, said he was extremely concerned for both Ms Baranowska, and Mohibullah - an experienced and reliable fixer who worked for the magazine. Mohibullah may be the same fixer who’s worked with Australia’s Michael Ware. If so, you’d think he and Baranowska might get out of this; Ware’s stories of his fixers’ ingenuity are staggering. So, did Paul Bremer deliver a farewell speech to Iraq or not? Here’s Ali at Iraq the Model: Suddenly Mr. Bremer appeared on TV reading his last speech before he left Iraq. I approached the TV to listen carefully to the speech, as I expected it to be difficult in the midst of all that noise. To my surprise everyone stopped what they were doing and started watching as attentively as I was. The speech was impressive and you could hear the sound of a needle if one had dropped it at that time. The most sensational moment was the end of the speech when Mr. Bremer used a famous Arab emotional poem. The poem was for a famous Arab poet who said it while leaving Baghdad. Al-Jazeera had put an interpreter who tried to translate even the Arabic poem which Mr. Bremer was telling in a fair Arabic! “Let this damned interpreter shut up. We want to hear what the man is saying” One of my colloquies shouted. The scene was very touching that the guy sitting next to me (who used to sympathize with Muqtada) said “He’s going to make me cry!” Then he finished his speech by saying in Arabic,”A’ash Al-Iraq, A’ash Al-Iraq, A’ash Al-Iraq”! (Long live Iraq, Long live Iraq, long live Iraq). When [Bremer] left Iraq on Monday after surrendering authority to an interim government, it was with a somber air of exhaustion. There was no farewell address to the Iraqi people, no celebratory airport sendoff. Ali says there was a speech; the Washington Post says there wasn’t. Who to believe? A professional journalist, with access to every information stream on the planet and supported by a massive number of editors and researchers -- or Ali, watching TV at a Baghdad hospital? My money’s on Ali. UPDATE. Ali wins! The Washington Post loses! Lebanon’s Daily Star reports "a televised speech by former occupation administrator Paul Bremer" and the SF Chronicle’s Robert Collier mentions the former administrator’s "short speech". An extract: You are ready now for sovereignty, and we think it's an important part of our obligation as temporary custodian to return the sovereignty to you. I have confidence that the Iraqi government is ready to meet the challenges that lie ahead. No wonder Omar is no longer surprised by the attitude of major media: "It only disgusts me." Before major combat operations were over, Chandrasekaran was already quoting Iraqis proclaiming the American operation a failure. Reading his dispatches from April 2003, you can already see his meta-narrative take shape: basically, that the Americans are clumsy fools who don’t know what they’re doing, and Iraqis hate them. This meta-narrative informs his coverage and the coverage of the reporters he supervises, who rotate in and out of Iraq. How do I know this? Because my fellow Marines and I witnessed it with our own eyes. Chandrasekaran showed up in the city of Al Kut last April, talked to a few of our officers, and toured the city for a few hours. He then got back into his air-conditioned car and drove back to Baghdad to write about the local unrest. Since I saw Rajiv Chandrasekaran's integrity up close, I haven't believed a word he writes, or any story coming out of the bureau he runs. You shouldn't, either.

Help save lives with KPRC Local 2! The station will host a blood drive with Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center from June 20-24 to help ensure an adequate blood supply during the summer. Summer always is a challenging time for blood collections, as many regular donors go out of town or become busy with summer activities, and don't always make time to donate. However, the need for at least 1,000 blood donations every day is constant. Those who 'Commit for Life' and donate at least once per quarter can help maintain an adequate supply for patients in our region. Individuals who donate or attempt to donate and credit KPRC Local 2 will receive a commemorative blood drive T-shirt. You can participate at the following locations: June 20-24: All Neighborhood Donor Centers Thursday, June 20 - 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. KPRC Local 2 Studios (Hwy. 59 South at Gessner) - Donor coaches in parking lot Thursday, June 20 - 1 to 7 p.m. Baybrook Mall - Donor coach by Forever 21 Deerbrook Mall - Donor coach by Macy's and Hobby Lobby Pasadena Town Square - Community room near the food court The Woodlands Mall - Inside the Future Court Friday, June 21 - 1 to 7 p.m. Almeda Mall - Donor coach by Palais Royal Brazos Mall - Old Waldenbooks store by Sears entrance First Colony Mall - Donor coach outside food court Greenspoint Mall - Community room across from food court Mall of the Mainland - Community room next to Bath & Body Works Memorial City Mall - Donor coach outside food court Northwest Mall - Community room across from Visible Changes Outlets at Conroe - Suite 158 by Rue 21 San Jacinto Mall - Community room by JCPenney West Oaks Mall - Donor coach by Edwards Cinema Saturday, June 22 - 1 to 7 p.m. Discovery Green - Donor coach at Andrea and Bill White Promenade Call 1-888-482-5663 or schedule your donation online.

Max Factor’s Hollywood and the Wonderful Invention of Pan-Cake Make-Up Friday, August 30th // 8pm at Machine Project Max Factor adjusting his Beauty Calibrator, c. 1932 Sasha Archibald will give an illustrated talk on make-up in early cinema (1910-1940) and cosmetic pioneer Maksymilian Faktorowicz. This is the first event for Quarterly, an occasional series of Machine Project events organized in conjunction with Cabinet, the quarterly arts and culture magazine based in Brooklyn, New York.

Total Conversion: Ys III vs. Ys: The Oath in Felghana By Kurt Kalata - 12/17/10 The Ys series has traditionally had a rough time in America. The first game was brought out for the PC and Sega Master System, neither of which were big with the gaming audience at the time. The compilation of Ys I & II were heavily celebrated on the Turbografx-16 CD-ROM...except almost nobody owned a Turbografx-16 CD-ROM. Ys III was ported to all three major 16-bit consoles, and each was lucky enough to be localized into English, all from different publishers. Finally, it seemed like the series was getting its time in the limelight and would get the opportunity to catch on with the wider gaming public. Except Ys III kinda sucks. Well, sort of. It's a terrible game that also happens to be a lot of fun. For a long time it was the black sheep of the series, since it changed the overhead perspective to a side-scrolling one a la Zelda II, but the animosity stretched beyond angered fans. The relatively intricate mazes of the previous titles were gone, and all of the dungeons are almost entirely linear. The action is clumsy (which, to be fair, was an Ys tradition for a long time) and there is little more to game than grinding. And while the plot was recent for an RPG from the late 80s, it's also incredibly short, with a play time roughly equal to the first installment - about 3 hours or so. But what it lacked mechanically, it made up for in its sheer energy. Adol, the red-haired hero of the series, continuously swings his sword like a buzz saw, expediently carving up enemies and watching the experience count grow, accompanied by what is still one of the best video game soundtracks all of time. In that way, Ys III maintained the spirit of the previous games, even though it was still a drastically different game. Anyway, about fifteen years after its initial release in 2005, Falcom release Ys: The Oath in Felghana for the PC, a ground-up remake of Ys III using the engine and gameplay from Ys VI: The Ark of Napisthim (which was lucky enough to be released in the US for the PS2 and PSP by Konami.) It keeps the very basic story, setting and music while completely overhauling the gameplay, while expanding on the writing and characterization as well. It's largely recognized by the fanbase as the best of the series, and has now relegated the awkward Super Famicom title Ys V as the outlier of the series. While The Oath in Felghana was playable in English due to the efforts of fan translators, it wasn't until 2010 when XSeed localized the PSP port that non-Japanese gamers could play it officially. Beyond the basic mechanics, there are several other differences between the games. The original Ys III has "rings", equippable items that increase offense or defense, slow time, or regenerate health. Their use is limited by the "ring" counter on the status bar, which increase by one point with every enemy you kill, and maxes out at everyone's favorite unsigned 8-bit integer, 255. OiF has no such thing - instead, it has bracelets, which grant various attack skills. The fire bracelet allows you to shoot flames, similar to Ys II, the wind bracelet lets you twirl around like a tornado, and the earth bracelet is mostly use for defense purposes, allowing you to block attacks if timed right. Story-wise, most of the events are the same, although the script has been entirely rewritten. The townspeople of Redmont all have unique personalities, and some give out subquests. The relationship between Elena and Chester has been fleshed out, and the characterizations of some of the characters, including King McGuire and Master Berhardt, have also been improved. Furthermore, in previous Ys games, Adol was a silent protagonist, but in Ys III he talks quiet a bit. He doesn't have much of personality and tends to just talk out outloud and doubt his abilities. The successive Ys games took Adol back to the silent hero route, and Felghana retroactively removes his ability to talk as well. Instead, most of Adol's feelings are instead presented through either the omniscient narrator, who describes Adol's actions, or Dogi, who also has a much more active role this time around. While The Oath in Felghana is almost unequivocably better than the original Ys III, there are still a handful of small things that went missing in the transition - details, mostly, but cool ones. Therefore, it still may be worth playing both. Ys III can be beaten is about 2-3 hours, including grinding, while The Oath in Felghana will take about 8-10 hours. Here we will be comparing the Genesis release of Ys III with the PSP release of The Oath in Felghana (OiF). While the PC88 version is technically the original release, it's difficult to play, and most English gamers will probably have played the 16-bit versions anyway, which are all pretty similar. The Genesis is a good compromise between them all - the SNES graphics are a little too clean, while the TG-16 version has really choppy scrolling. There is also a PS2 remake of Ys III, published by Taito, which uses 2D high-res graphics and sticks much closer to the original game's template. It's not bad looking, but Falcom's own remake, which was released later in the same year, blows it out of the water. We picked the PSP version of OiF because it's the only version officially in English, but graphically it's practically identical to the PC version outside of the smaller resolution. You can read more about it in the Ys article. Ys III opens up with a brief text prologue with these red pillars in the background. It tells the story of Adol and Dogi after their encounter with the land of Ys, and how they've decided to visit Dogi's homeland of Ferugana (Kenai in the Genesis version, and the official English name for the country later became Felghana.) There is technically no traditional title screen (although a logo does show during the prologue cinema), as it goes straight into the "New Game/Load Game" screen after that. The intro video in OiF opens up with these same red pillars, however briefly, before beginning the rest of the intro. There is some text, which is written from the point of view of Adol as an old man, describing his adventures. Each of the 16-bit versions have different intro cinemas, although they're all basically the same, showing Dogi and Adol on their travels. (The TG-16 version also goes on a bit about the warrior of legend whose footsteps Adol follows in.) OiF has some similar stuff, plus random snippets of all the supporting characters. It's all very key, compared to the hyper kinetic intros to Ys VI, Ys Origin and Ys VII. OiF also quickly shows a scene with Adol and Dogi talking to a fortune teller, which was in the SNES intro. After the intro video, OiF starts up different than the rest, with Adol and Dogi docking their boat and seeing how monsters have ravaged the countryside. The action begins with a young girl is attacked by monsters, whom Adol needs to save, which acts as the tutorial. This young girl is Elena, a childhood friend of Dogi and potential love interest for Adol. She's also the little sister of Chester, the antagonist. Here's where the original version begins, as Dogi and Adol walk into the town of Redmont. (The Genesis version calls it Sarina - the English localization changes a few of the names for some reason.) Here they introduce themselves to the town guard and walk through town automatically, as the brief title credits are displayed. In OiF version, it's pretty similar, except Elena is accompanying your group after having been saved. In the original version Redmont is also one big straight line, with the inn at the opposite end of town. In OiF, it's right near the entrance, and the whole credit roll is missing. Elena's introduction in the original version is very brusque. She walks out in the inn, and basically goes "Get outta the way, oh hi Dogi, it's been awhile, oh I'm busy, gotta go!" and charges off without even introducing herself properly. In OiF version, there's none of this obviously, although Dogi still remarks that she's certainly gotten older (and also notes that she'll probably fall for Adol, because that's the way things go.) This is the town of Redmont, outside of the mayor's house. In Ys III, Redmont is sparsely populated. There's the inn, the mayor's house, the old woman's house, the two shops, the town square and the exit. OiF expands it by including a church - which is important for a few plot elements, and... ...Elena's house, which was never shown before (and was presumably one of the inaccessible houses in the background layer.) This old woman doesn't want to talk to you because you remind her of her dead grandson Bob (Roy in the Genesis version). This is the only real subquest in Ys III and it's really simple. OiF adds a few more subquests in addition to this one, which is slightly more intricate. Here's the shopkeeper. The item shop and the weapon shop were in separate buildings before, but in OiF they're in the same place. There's also a blacksmith here, who can improve your weapons using Raval ore. Through most of the game they're hidden in treasure chests, though near the end you'll find enemies that drop them. The stat gain is small, but not entirely inconsequential. The Genesis version of Ys III also misspells "herb" as "harb". Once you've finished your duties, you'll find the injured miners in the town square, setting off your investigation to the Tigre/Tigray quarry. This is the bridge out of town. Ys III has a map screen to let you pick locations, while OiF has a very small overworld, less than half a dozen screens in size. You do get a map, however, right at the beginning, and not too far into the game you can teleport to any save spot you've previously visited, which is what this screen on the right is from. This had a separate music theme in Ys III, which is only used in OiF if you decide to venture out of town without talking to everyone (and thus triggering the event leading to the quarry.) Note that the sprite for Adol in Ys III is the same one from the PC88 version of the original Ys games. And here's the overworld in OiF. The overworld theme is the "The Boy Who had Wings", which is the stage intro theme in Ys III. Here's the opening to the Tigre Quarry. All of the dungeons in Ys III have these exterior scenes, which are largely empty and free of enemies, and also use a totally unique background tileset. They mostly exist as a resting point - health does not regenerate in dungeons but will quickly refill in these safe spots. OiF has no such mechanics, as health is completely refilled through save points. (You can also save any time you want in Ys III, a function which was actually removed from OiF.) Here's the first screen of the quarry. Ys III is very difficult, and even the slightest prolonged run-in with a bee will kill you. OiF is a bit kinder. This vertically oriented waterfall room always looked really cool in the original version. The construction is practicalaly identical in OiF. The main difference is the storeroom, which used to be in the upper right corner, is now in the lower left. You can't reach the upper parts of this room until you get the double jump. One of my favorite parts in Ys III is when the boss theme begins playing in the room directly preceding the battle, letting you know that you'd better get your crap in gear and save your game before heading through the door for the confrontation. In OiF, it's usually just quiet, and the music doesn't kick in until the fight starts. Anyway, the first boss, Dularn, is an interesting character. In Ys III, he's just one of many boss characters, differentiated maybe because he has a line or two of dialogue. In OiF, he's actually a recurring antagonist. This is the first time you fight him, and he pops in and out throughout the game to taunt you and sick more foes on you. Another vertically oriented cave. In Ys III there are no enemies, and the only challenge is climbing back up because the footing is slippery. In Ys III, Bob's (er, Roy's) pendant is literally just lying out in a treasure chest in the middle of the mine, making it practically impossible to miss. In OiF, it's actually in a spot you can't get to, at least not initially. You need to backtrack once you've got the double jump and wind powers, which will let you cross a chasm and find it. In Ys III returning it gives you the Shield Ring. In OiF, the old lady will give you an item that lets you see in the dark, amongst other handy capabilities. It's not required to get, but it does make a few areas much easier. Okay, here's the first REAL boss fight. This wing gargoyle thing in OiF looks much cooler than her Ys III incarnation. The first meeting with Chester. What a classy guy.

Cast: Allari Naresh , Richa Panai , Ramya Krishna , Sayaji Shinde and others Directed by : E Sattibabu Produced by : Chanti Addala Banner :Friendly Movies Music by : Koti Release Date : 2012-12-27 Yamudiki Mogudu Movie Review We are not new to films that are set up with Yama Lokam backdrop. Telugu cinema has been churning out good number of 'Yama movies' in the recent past. It is Allari Naresh's turn to test this formula. What is it about? Naresh (Allari Naresh) marries Lord Yama (Sayaji Shinde) daughter Yamaja (Richa Panai) in a stage play and she comes after him saying that he is her real husband. When Naresh too falls for her Yama comes from Yama Loka to take back his daughter. Naresh follows him there as he has special powers. Naresh has done well within his limitations. He is at ease in comedy scenes and did his best in emotional situations. Richa Panai is just a glam doll. Sayaji Shinde didn't suit the role of Yama. Master Bharat as Young Yama is good. Krishna Bhagavan is hilarious and Raghu Babu is loud. Ramya Krishna is decent. Tanikella Bharani is topnotch. On the Technical Front: Koti's music is not good. Except for Atho Athamma kooturo remix nothing really works. Dialogues are good with fine one liners. Graphics are okay and the art department has done a neat job. Production values are good for a film with medium range star cast. Director Sattibabu made sure that there is enough comedy in the film to make the film 'paisa vasool entertainer'. He should have written a better screenplay to make it a better film. As of now it is just an average effort from the director. First half of the film races ahead with right doses of entertainment. Barring a couple of unwanted comedy scenes, first half is pretty decent with an interesting interval bang. People would expect the second half to be more fun. However, the film fell short of expectations in the latter half as the director tried to make it a commercial film. Had he stuck to the comedy genre Yamudiki Mogudu might have scored more marks. There is not enough comedy in the second half. The film drags on and on towards the climax. Joker song is completely unnecessary during the penultimate scene. This is where the film loses steam and ends up as an average fare. Most of Allari Naresh's films did well even with weaker content than this. So this should fare well at the box office too. Verdict: Mass comedy with a sentimental climax

When celebrities sell A day will come when we will sit down to consume advertisements the same way we consume the creative arts. ACHAL R. PRABHALA finds the prospect terrifying. PASSING THROUGH the busy lanes of Daryaganj, Delhi, on a blazing hot day this summer, I was arrested by a volley of posters showing Sunil Shetty plugging Lux underwear. They dominated a stretch of the road, placed between the teacarts, bookstalls and assorted low-end consumer goods shops that dot that part of Delhi. Lux underwear: now that isn't the sort of thing you might see in a smarter part of Delhi, and clearly, the makers of the underwear, and its celebrity endorser, know it well. Celebrity endorsement of underwear, of course, has traditionally been regaled to the musclemen: actors, who it is assumed, might have a large subaltern following, but whose implied stupidity forestalls them from becoming marketing machines for the middle class. Banking services? Get an old, respectable, thinking-man type. Cars? A young, jaunty hero. Cosmetics? Only hysteria-inducing bombshells need apply. And so, it seems, goes the strange tale of advertising, products and endorsement. "The spectator-buyer is meant to envy herself as what she would become, if she bought the product. She is meant to imagine herself transformed by the product into an object of envy for others, envy which will then justify her loving herself. One could put this another way: the publicity image steals her love of herself as she is, and offers it back to her for the price of the product." Thus spake John Berger, and ever since (or so) it is hard to understand how anyone can imagine that advertising is, as the spin-doctors like to say, about the right to choose. The film celebrity (who, with the sports celebrity, just about covers the list) is the new mediator of this publicity: if it was just the product that was once stealing your love of yourself, it is now that product and Aishwarya Rai, or Shah Rukh, or Govinda, or Amitabh, or someone else like that. One often hears of `morals' the same way one hears of `decency'. Morals are invoked by a reluctance to do `bad' things (cigarettes, alcohol) and the actors who plug them Akshay Kumar, Sunny Deol, Shatrughan Sinha (in his pre-MP days) and others considered a little degenerate for doing so, a full one step below (but still closely related to) the underwear set. Morals and decency then, is about doing things that are fun for the whole family: cars, cosmetics, carbonated drinks and er... financial products. Never mind the beauty culture, the thousands of warped thoughts and aspirations a single lipstick ad can launch. Never mind consumerism at large: that people will be forced, by their new best friend you, the celebrity endorser into willing away some large sum of money into the fantasy of pleasing you. Never mind, also, that sometimes, the products you choose to endorse might not even exist, outside the desire of a financial shark's grand plan of defrauding cooperative banks and small investors. An ad-film maker in Bombay states defensively that he will help sell anything except fairness cream, entirely ignoring the massive damage he may be inflicting on society at large by his active involvement in tobacco industry propaganda. Gopichand Pullela, the badminton star, mildly states that he refused a cola endorsement because he finds fruit juice so much healthier: the news makes the rounds for a while, and is then quickly forgotten as a naive, badly-informed commercial decision. And speaking of products that don't exist, remember the refrain of a company called Home Trade? Life means more. Presumably then, it meant more to Sachin, Hrithik and Shah Rukh, who enthusiastically plugged its indefinable and entirely mysterious `product'. More than just defrauding the Nagpur Cooperative Bank, more than just cheating millions of small investors out of their lifetime earnings, more than just selling something they neither believed in, nor had any proof even existed. More? But of course. That's the point, get it? Advertisements are money, and in our imperfect capitalism (with its imperfect information), film stars who endorse things that go bust can quietly get away with it, count their pennies, and never be the worse for having perpetuated fraud. Hollywood might have its faults, but one of them is not short sightedness. Catch Harrison Ford or Tom Cruise even daring to plug beer in the U.S., the way they do in faraway Japan, where they can be sure no one back home will catch them at it. Even in America's dotcom heyday, it was only retired television actors like William Shatner who ended up trading their onscreen personas (in this case, Captain Kirk, to priceline.com) for a fistful of stock options. It's not magnitude, it's common sense: clearly, there is more money to be made from acting, from keeping intact one's brand identity, one's publicly traded `integrity', than in cashing out early. So some stars advertise products like Lux underwear, whose consumers, to the average upper middle class city denizen, might as well live in Japan. Govinda does Rupa: Sunny and Bobby Deol, apparently, a whole lot of others. Amitabh does everything. From the once struggling comeback days, he, of the stretched face and gaunt look, is the ubiquitous bearded patriarch, now grandly talking finance, playfully courting cola, or mischievously pitching pens. But Amitabh has always been larger than life. In advertisements, it seems, he (literally) dwarfs the products he is selling. Combined with the strong narrative structures such advertisements tend to have, they tend to be not so much about Pepsi, Parker or ICICI, as only, just about Amitabh. He is the super-product of our times, and to implicate him with such mundane items of daily consumption as blackened sugar water is perhaps simply bad advertising. There's the funny thing: advertisements work in so many different ways, I don't even know anymore when something has affected me, and I seem to have forgotten what it is to resist. Worst of all, I realise advertising might hinge on my resistance to it, and in that case, like Toscani's Benetton images, I've got absolutely nowhere left to go. Take the folks who diligently churn out visual images of Shah Rukh plugging Pepsi and Hyundai cars. I can believe that someone out there will go out and buy Pepsi because it is suddenly very cool, now that Shah Rukh is drinking it. But a car? Is it conceivable that Mr. Sharma in Delhi sits down one evening to watch his favourite television soap, happens to catch Shah Rukh blow up a building and zip away in his Santro, and then adds `Buy car' to his shopping list for the next day? Naturally, not. But the folks who sell the car know that. They're working on a much larger principle. A thought-control process that includes words such as `concept', `lifestyle', `equity' and `recall'. In that sense, a car advertisement itself is working on this principle, with or without Shah Rukh Khan. With the actor, it is shrewdly magnifying its effect. In mapping out the equation Shah Rukh=Santro, it makes the consumer think of the Santro, every time she sees one of the million images of Shah Rukh that pervade her everyday existence. Thus does celebrity inclusion induce the ultimate multiplier effect. So the question that begs an answer is, do they work? Does Govinda help sell a thousand Rupa banians? Does Preity Zinta launch a thousand requests for Cadbury? The managers of our consumerism say they work, if the celebrity is used consistently with a product, when there is a `fit' between the two, when the commodity is further "fetishised" by the association with the film star. Certainly, in recent memory, there are instances of this happy confluence of commercial interest and subliminal desire. Lux soap, for one: its gone all awry now, and trying to be everything that other beauty soaps are, but at one point, the association was pretty clear. Fair-skinned actress = Lux beauty soap: Hema Malini's smooth cheeks (that Laloo Yadav recently compared to the roads he intends to build in Bihar) were once intrinsically, irrevocably linked to that innocuous pink bar of glycerine and fatty acids. The question about whether celebrity advertisements work is not so much a question about celebrities, but about the advertisements themselves. A cynical public is constantly assaulted by the endless flow of the sales pitch: and yet, in those multitudes of messages crowding our thought waves, there is information that manages to get across, there are lifestyle imprints that manage to stick, and products that manage to get sold. The point, therefore, about celebrities in advertisements, is the point of advertising itself: everyone does it, so it isn't up for analysis and examination as much as simply something that is permanently there. What is fascinating about ad-culture is the narrative structure it adopts, the way in which advertisements have come to be whole spectacles in themselves. Shah Rukh Khan's visibility hinges not so much on the number of films he has recently acted in, as on the number of advertisements he has starred in, and their frequency of deployment. People talk of the new Pepsi ad as if it is the new mega hit from Karan Johar, and watch it with the same curiosity. To me, this is close to terrifying: to imagine that a day will come when we will sit down to consume advertisements in much the same way as we do the (so-called) creative arts. (Or worse, that we will sit down to consume the creative arts and really be consuming giant commercial advertisements.) To imagine, perhaps, an ad-channel: its by-line, "24/7 Ads...All New, All Day". But none of these is so far away. Neither is the connection between advertising and films anything new. Satyajit Ray worked famously at the company now called Clarion, and Shyam Benegal at Lintas, before making internationally acclaimed creative cinema. While it is possible, even today, to see media as something that sublimates its audience to living and consuming a constant sales pitch, there seem to be some options. As a consumer, I can probably still choose whether I want to buy activism, integrity, family, religion, youth or the new low-priced Coke in a portable, plastic bottle. I can still maintain a cynicism and retain the faint hope of choice, even if the cynicism may be misdirected at the occasional socially-conscious film star or writer, who is only trying to do some good, by endorsing a cause. As in-film advertising gains in strength, and film stars continue to endorse commercial products, I quake at the all-too-possible reality of becoming a person who is incapable of thinking anything that Unilever doesn't want me to. Luckily, there are enough other stars, of alternative worlds and alternative theories, which keep this thought control in check. Imagine, otherwise, the title of this article: Film Stars and their Products Why they are wonderful, Why you should use them, and Why you will buy a cold drink now... Brought to you by Coca-Cola! Send this article to Friends by

It's been estimated that some 30,000 records get released every year. There's so much music out there that no one -- no matter how much time, money, access, or enthusiasm -- can hope to keep up. But that doesn't mean our stable of music critics haven't tried. Collectively, we heard hundreds of the year's best records and have compiled personal lists of the crop's cream. Popular music is our most democratic, most pluralistic art form. Every year-end list is a state-of-the-culture address. Here's what our 2005 sounded like: 1. Separation Sunday -- The Hold Steady (Frenchkiss): The next three records on this list have tons to say about the world we're living in, but this intricate concept album from a Brooklyn guitar band mostly illuminates a world of its own creation. While his comrades are busy cribbing classic-rock guitar and piano riffs, songwriter supreme Craig Finn spins a chronologically complex, intellectually addictive, and emotionally engrossing tale about a Catholic high school girl sucked down a drug-culture rabbit hole and onto a 16-year, cross-country journey back to salvation, with Sopranos-worthy subplots ("Charlemagne in Sweatpants") along the way. Mixing up their mythologies and pushing them out through p.a. systems, the Hold Steady concoct a twisty good-girl-gone-bad narrative that plays like a rock-and-religion version of Mulholland Dr., albeit with a much happier ending. 2. Arular -- M.I.A. (XL): It was absolutely no surprise to see this Sri Lankan/British import fail to cross over into the American mainstream. No matter: Fusing Jamaican dancehall, Brazilian baille funk, American hip-hop, and British techno and grime into something as spellbindingly new as it is utterly familiar, this homemade polyglot pop is an instant dance party. Twentysomething Maya Arulpragasm may not have completely sorted out her conflicted feelings -- terrorist or freedom fighter? -- about her estranged Tamil Tiger father, but in the crossfire of global pop genres, political bullhorn lyrics, lovely double-dutch melodies, and utter confusion, she fashioned something more important: the year's most undeniably crucial album. 3. Late Registration -- Kanye West (Roc-a-Fella): While Kanye West's masterful 2004 debut The College Dropout was built around high-concept anthems ("We Don't Care," "All Falls Down," "Jesus Walks"), the lyrical profundity of this far sneakier follow-up is almost casual. It's in the litany of mundane social ills on the sadly beautiful "Heard 'Em Say"; the Randy Newman-esque satire of pimp-rap and R. Kelly-R&B sleaze on "Celebration"; the incredibly gentle counterpoint to Houston hip-hop's myopic content on "Drive Slow." Instead, Late Registration is more immediately bracing as music: Bringing in pop producer Jon Brion as a collaborator, this is West's attempt to make a hip-hop album with the opulent soulfulness of a classic Stevie Wonder or Curtis Mayfield disc. Mission accomplished. 4. Black Dialogue -- The Perceptionists (Def Jux): This two-MCs-and-one-DJ Boston group is not your typical indie-rap outfit. Lyrically, they're neither obscure nor overtly confessional; musically, they're a return to hip-hop's head-bobbing basics. They're more a cross between late-'80s political rap like Public Enemy and Boogie Down Productions and the smoother early-'90s boho hip-hop of Jungle Brothers and A Tribe Called Quest. Black Dialogue has a little less musical juice than the former but a worldview that's more grounded and more expansive. Funniest song of the year: "Career Finders," which offers job counseling for gangsta rappers. 5. Man Like Me -- Bobby Pinson (RCA): I've long been a defender of big, bad mainstream country music against its mostly knee-jerk detractors, and I think the genre's in better artistic shape right now than ever in my listening lifetime. But even I can't imagine this individualistic, gruff-voiced songwriter having much of a chance at lasting Nashville stardom. Which is too bad, because Bobby Pinson's debut album is a wonder. More than anyone else on either side of country's mainstream/alternative divide, Pinson respects the touchstones of country music -- small-town life, simple Christian faith, high school sweethearts, family heritage -- while investigating them fiercely. And no one else in music right now redeems red-state religiosity so convincingly. 6. Bang Bang Rock and Roll -- Art Brut (Fierce Panda import): Like Brit-rock heroes Pulp, but more crude, more punk, maybe even funnier, this band of London never-will-bes are too cranky to be trendy ("Yes, this is my singing voice/It's not irony"), and besides, they have more important things on their mind: "We're gonna be the band that writes the song/That makes Israel and Palestine get along!" Maybe not, but they sure have plenty to say about old girlfriends, new girlfriends ("I've seen her naked! Twice!"), younger siblings, poor bedroom performance, and museum etiquette, among other topics. 7. Little Fugitive -- Amy Rigby (Signature Sounds): It's sad that Rigby's bid at a Nashville songwriting career failed, because nobody writes sharper songs about love and sex on the wrong side of 40. Oh well, country radio's loss can be your gain. On her best album since her career-making 1996 debut Diary of a Mod Housewife, Rigby is all over the place: a new husband's ex-wife, her identification with Rasputin ("In 1981, I withstood similar attack/I got hit but I came back"), a dream about Joey Ramone, old flings, needy men, that exasperating thing called love. Her fizzy voice is as charmingly limited as ever and, as always, bolstered by bull's-eye phrasing. 8. The Woods -- Sleater-Kinney (Sub Pop): The best American guitar band of their generation, they make a bid for reinvention by cranking up the amps and delivering the most fuzzed-out, most distorted, heaviest, and most effed-up record of their career. It falls well short of past career peaks Call the Doctor, Dig Me Out, and One Beat, but along the way it suggests that as long as Corin Tucker's voice, Carrie Brownstein's guitar, and Janet Weiss' drums are the parts that form the whole, it's impossible to make a less than stellar record. 9. Kerosene -- Miranda Lambert (Epic): Who could have predicted that a third-place finisher on cable's Nashville Star -- a small-town Texas girl with pin-up looks -- would pen the class-rage anthem of the year? Or that, after ripping off Steve Earle's "I Feel Alright" and ripping it apart on that title single, the rest of her smart, tough, almost entirely self-written debut album would be almost as strong? Pop music: where the unexpected always happens. 10. Extraordinary Machine -- Fiona Apple (Epic): Here's an album of confessional singer-songwritery break-up songs for people who are skeptical of such things, because Fiona Apple sure seems skeptical of them. Apple's bright latticework lyrics are full of uncertainty and sardonic self-doubt and are put over by a singer with a sharp feel for the theatrical and jazzy. For someone so smart and so demanding, she's also kind. But that doesn't mean she isn't merciless when she wants to explicate a relationship gone awry. ("I opened my eyes while you were kissing me once/More than once/And you looked as sincere as a dog.") Honorable Mention: Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike -- Gogol Bordello (Side One Dummy); There's More Where That Came From -- Lee Ann Womack (MCA); Stairs & Elevators -- Heartless Bastards (Fat Possum); Get Behind Me Satan -- The White Stripes (V2); Run the Road -- Various Artists (Vice); You Could Have It So Much Better -- Franz Ferdinand (Domino); The Sunset Tree -- Mountain Goats (4AD); Be -- Common (Geffen); This Right Here Is Buck 65 -- Buck 65 (V2); Celebration Castle -- The Ponys (In the Red). Top 10 singles: "George Bush Doesn't Care About Black People" -- The Legendary K.O.; "Alcohol" -- Brad Paisley; "Heard 'Em Say" -- Kanye West; "Kerosene" -- Miranda Lambert; "1 Thing" -- Amerie; "I May Hate Myself in the Morning" -- Lee Ann Womack; "Random" -- Lady Sovereign; "Hate It or Love It (G-Unit Remix)" -- 50 Cent & The Game; "Since U Been Gone" -- Kelly Clarkson; "Stay Fly" -- Three 6 Mafia. 1. Black Sheep Boy -- Okkervil River (Jagjaguwar): Driven less by narrative than by themes of prodigality and responsibility, this concept album based loosely on the life of doomed singer Tim Hardin towered above higher-profile releases by similar-minded artists such as the Decemberists and the Mountain Goats. It expands Okkervil River's sound well beyond the sleepily eccentric Americana of past releases, granting them a much greater range and sophistication to highlight Will Sheff's intense vocals and intelligent songwriting. No album combined matters of the heart and of the head quite so naturally or overwhelmingly. 2. Separation Sunday -- The Hold Steady (Frenchkiss): Channeling the Beats via Jesus' Son-era Denis Johnson, the Hold Steady's Craig Finn writes skewed story-songs set among the junkies and hoodrats of Minneapolis, who contemplate Catholicism and Kate Bush between highs. Meanwhile, the band cops inspiration from classic-rock sources like Springsteen and Fleetwood Mac, creating an enormous sound for these big urban tales. Perhaps the only album this year that'll make you dig out your old Bob Seger LPs. 3. Twin Cinema -- The New Pornographers (Matador): Chief Pornographer A.C. Newman's consistency threatens to become boring: This makes three uniformly excellent albums he's made with this binational superdupergroup, and, like its two predecessors, it seems like it's untoppable. I keep expecting him to flounder, and he keeps refusing to write a bad song. 4. The Woods -- Sleater-Kinney (Sub Pop): Six albums without a hit or even much of a following beyond a coterie of enamored fans and critics, Sleater-Kinney go for broke by changing record label and producer, bolstering their sharp punk style with mountains of feedback and indulging Carrie Brownstein's guitar-goddess jones on the 11-minute sex epic "Long Time for Love." The result is an album that's among the year's best and most adventurous. Too bad nobody beyond enamored fans noticed. 5. Alligator -- The National (Rough Trade): The year's ultimate grower: Underestimated upon release, this Ohio band's third full-length made more sense after repeated listens, when Matt Berninger's oddball lyrics and fevered delivery revealed the dark humor behind the depressive veneer. Honorable Mention: Bang Bang Rock and Roll -- Art Brut (Fierce Panda import), Illinois -- Sufjan Stevens (Asthmatic Kitty), Late Registration -- Kanye West (Roc-a-Fella ), Arular -- M.I.A. (XL), Apologies to the Queen Mary --Wolf Parade (Sub Pop). 1. Dinosaur, You're Living All Over Me, Bug -- Dinosaur Jr. (Merge reissues): Please allow a pedestrian but very true statement: This is my favorite band of all time. You're Living All Over Me (1987) was this eventual writer and music geek's life-changing album. Years later, I can still listen to it straight through without a tinge of boredom. You might even say that it continues to excite me. In the original J. Mascis/Lou Barlow/Murph line-up, Dinosaur Jr. had a heavy hand in creating several underground genres of the future: indie rock, alternative country (listen to the debut), plus the re-embracement of '70s metal. The debut (1985) and You're Living All Over Me are very different albums, though they are as seminal as anything produced by Sonic Youth, Hüsker Dü, or the Replacements (or anyone) in the '80s. The wheels had begun to fall off byBug (1988), relegating it to a lowly "great" status. 2. Secret Migration -- Mercury Rev (V2): Everyone loves getting a lot when they're not expecting much. I was expecting next to nothing from this once-mind-blowing band that had seemingly settled into less adventurous territory 15 years into the game. Whoops. They went and pulled off a downright beautiful and grandiose pop album. 3. 4 -- Major Stars (Twisted Village): Rock musicians tend to peak early in their careers. Major Stars are the exception to this rule. Wayne Rogers and Kate Biggers had been making and peddling mostly obscure fringe rock and noise for almost 20 years when they formed this fully realized psychedelic, solo-happy, barnstorm of a band back in 1998. It got better -- exponentionally -- with each album. If Sonic Youth removed all arty pretensions (fat chance) and reemerged as a jam band (not in the dirty-word sense), it would approach what the Major Stars leave laying on the cutting-room floor. 4. Children of Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the Second Psychedelic Era 1976 -- 1996 -- Various Artists (Rhino): That this set claims to represent an era or movement is a misnomer. The package's honorable accomplishment lies outside of the several forgettable inclusions that fall into the late-'70s/'80s garage-psych revival (Chesterfield Kings, the Fleshtones). There are many styles covered: '80s college rock, '80s American indie rock, British jangle pop, New Zealand pop, L.A.'s Paisley Underground, etc. Do yourself a favor and get floored by powerful early versions of the Church, the Screaming Trees, and the Bangles, or get seduced by the flawless pop of the Chills and the Posies. And that's merely scratching the surface. 5. Closing In -- Early Man (Matador Records): Early Man's debut three-song teaser EP sounded like uninspired indie-metal fakers indecisive about which strain of real metal to plagiarize. But this full-length debut proved I was dead wrong in that unfair assumption. The metal record of 2005. Honorable Mention: The Runners Four -- Deerhoof (Kill Rock Stars); Celebration Castle -- The Ponys (In the Red); Cardinal -- Cardinal (Wishing Tree reissue); Broc's Cabin/Mariposa -- Rein Sanction (Sub Pop reissue); Never Let Us Speak Of It Again -- Out Hud (Kranky). 1. Saw Mill Man -- Cast King (Locust Music)/You Ain't Talkin' to Me -- Charlie Poole (Columbia/Legacy box set): Overlooked 79-year-old country singer Cast King (who, legend has it, cut a few songs at Sun in the '50s) surveys the world from his perch atop Alabama's Old Sand Mountain and finds it sadly wanting on this astonishing curveball from Chicago's eclectic Locust label. Meanwhile, Charlie Poole's music marks the rough-and-tumble times of the late '20s. Poole's indelible, ramblin' banjo licks and sonorous growl provided respite from the cold reality of the American Depression; today his music sounds no less pertinent. 2. Late Registration -- Kanye West (Roc-a-Fella): In a year that yielded so many unexpected rap pleasures (Young Jeezy's "Go Crazy," Lil Wayne's "Hustler Musik," and the entire Hustle & Flow phenomenon), Kanye West nevertheless stole the show with his sophomore album. "Gold Digger" got me moving. "Diamonds From Sierra Leone" made me think. But West's unscripted outburst on NBC's Hurricane Katrina telethon sealed the deal: I love this man. 3. Weird Tales of the Ramones -- The Ramones (Rhino box set): Three CDs and a DVD bundled up in a weird, wacky comic book, this box set is just dumb enough to make you yuk out loud yet sophisticated enough to share coffee-table space with the photography books and stack of New Yorkers. If you're a fan, you probably already possess these recordings, but you'll buy this one for the beautifully wrought accoutrements. 4. The King Khan & BBQ Show -- The King Khan & BBQ Show (Goner Records): Brazilian and Canadian musicians (who recorded in Germany), the King Khan & BBQ Show are an utterly confounding group. Trying to decipher the details is like peering through Alice's looking glass: Sometimes they appear in blackface; other times, they wear ghostly white makeup. Their songs -- about inane activities like a "Fish Fight" and "Waddlin' Around" -- reverberate with old-school cool and modern primitivism alike. Musically, they might be the Monks' illegitimate children, weaned on Bo Diddley records and horror-flick soundtracks. Whatever the lineage, their trashcan beat proved irresistible during their Gonerfest and Rockening appearances in Memphis this year. 5. Run-D.M.C., King of Rock, Raising Hell, Tougher Than Leather -- Run-D.M.C. (Arista/Legacy reissues): Recorded in the mid-to-late '80s, shortly before rap became a million-dollar industry, these rudimentary, albeit innovative, albums epitomize the DIY aesthetic of the New York scene. Utilitarian boasts like "Sucker MCs" quickly gave way to rap-rock collaborations like "Walk This Way," the catalyst that pushed hip-hop into the pop mainstream. With Tougher Than Leather, Run-D.M.C. rendered itself obsolete, although two decades later, the group's rise (and fall) still sounds explosive -- particularly in comparison to the current crop of cookie-cutter thug superstars like G-Unit and Terror Squad. Honorable Mention: One Kiss Can Lead to Another: Girl Groups Lost & Found --Various Artists (Rhino box set); Brick -- The Talking Heads (Rhino box set); Transistor Radio -- M Ward (Merge); The Singing Drifter -- Blind Arvella Gray (Conjuroo); Lookaftering -- Vashti Bunyan (DiCristina/Fat Cat). 1. Kerosene -- Miranda Lambert (Epic): No, I never expected to have the third-place finisher of Nashville Star's first season anywhere near my Top 10 list, much less my favorite album of the year. But 2005 was a great year for country music and Lambert's album is best of them all: It rocks (the title track), weeps ("Greyhound to Nowhere"), and bounces ("Me and Charlie Talking"). Lambert, who just turned 22, defied Nashville tradition by writing or co-writing every song on it. Nashville fought back by making sure every single track sounds like one million bucks. 2. Man Like Me -- Bobby Pinson (RCA): The best-written songs this year can be found on this debut album by a Nashville songwriter turned singer. The images here -- short-fused cherry bombs and shotgun-blasted "Welcome" signs for claustrophobic small towns -- are as sharp as Springsteen in his prime. Pinson's gritty voice puts him outside Music Row's fast track, and that's fine, because it suits his darker approach. 3. Illinois -- Sufjan Stevens (Asthmatic Kitty): The indie-pop record of the year, no question, and its ambition to sum up a state is as outrageous as the resulting sound is deep and pleasurable. Sure, Stevens keeps inserting himself into the story, but it's not narcissistic or off-putting. And the small army of voices and instruments that support him find interesting ways to startle your ears. 4. Late Registration -- Kanye West (Roc-a-Fella): The best decision by a megalomaniacal pop star in 2005 goes to West for handing the production keys to his sophomore release to pop producer Jon Brion. The resulting orchestrated hip-hop might not get any cred from crunk devotees, but that's their problem; this album sounds great. 5. Tough All Over -- Gary Allan (MCA): Last year, Gary Allan's wife committed suicide, and Tough All Over is a response record that, incredibly, never begs for sympathy or wallows in self-pity. Allan's cool tenor is a wonder, and "Nickajack Cave," a song about Johnny Cash's attempted suicide, rips your head off. Honorable Mention: A Bigger Bang -- The Rolling Stones (Virgin); Celebration Castle -- The Ponys (In the Red); Somebody's Miracle -- Liz Phair (Columbia); The Story of My Life -- Deana Carter (Vanguard); Fever Dreams -- Boondogs (Max Recordings).

Review Price free/subscription Runco LightStyle LS-5 - Performance and Verdict When trying to describe a truly superior projector perfomance, one of the most useful words we’ve found is ‘insight’; the sense that a projector’s optical quality and command of brightness and contrast are so impressive and assured that they allow you to see more subtleties in a good quality source image than you otherwise would. The sort of stuff we’re talking about includes greyscale and subtle colour information in dark parts of the picture; tiny but telling colour gradations (always crucial in helping a picture look solid and deep); fine details down to the tiniest pixel level of an HD source; and apparently more diverse colour palettes, which help make images look more in keeping with your experience of the real world. The LS-5 delivers on all these areas versus even really high quality ‘classic’ mid-level projectors like JVC’s £3,000 HD550 and Epson’s £4,000 TW5500. The insight level is even on a par with JVC’s outstanding HD950 D-ILA model – except that the Runco’s colours actually look slightly richer and more dynamic. On the other side of the coin, the LS-5 falls a little short of the JVC when it comes to native black level response. But not by miles, and not nearly enough to stop the LS-5 from being an utterly convincing portrayer of the darker scenes of home cinema life. At this point it occurs to us that all of the superb image traits we’ve been describing are coming from a single-chip DLP projector – a pretty remarkable effort given the problems in terms of motion clarity and general noise that can be caused by single-chip DLP’s inevitable colour wheel. Even the dreaded rainbow effect (near-subliminal coloured striping visible in your peripheral vision, if your flit your eyes over the screen, and over very bright objects) is hardly ever a problem – and that’s coming from people naturally susceptible to seeing rainbowing and who are trained to look out for it. While overall a pretty incredible projector, though, the LS-5 isn’t perfect. For even Runco can’t get rid of absolutely 100 per cent of the rainbow effect or dot crawl during dark scenes connected with single-chip DLP tech. There’s also no doubt that the LS-5 kicks out quite a bit of running noise despite the apparently substantial efforts of its chassis design to keep noise levels down. But the first two of these ‘issues’ with the LS-5 occur but rarely, and even then are so subtle – provided, at least, the picture has been well calibrated – that you usually only see them if you are actively looking for them. And as for the running noise, a good installation job should be able to negate it via screening or sensible positioning of the projector relative to your seating position. Whenever a traditionally very high-end brand steps a few rungs down the ladder, we half expect the worst. After all, usually such brands just don't have experience with the different demands of lower market sectors, or a real sense of how aggressive pricing can be once you step out of the 'money's no object' stratosphere. But with the LS-5, Runco exhibits precisely none of these naiveties. Instead it's turned out a truly outstanding projector that does just enough better than the competition to preserve Runco’s good name while only costing a little more. And if that isn’t enough to get your aspirational AV juices flowing, we don’t know what is.

The Year of India in Canada Continues with Embellished Reality: Indian Painted Photographs (Toronto, Ontario – September 22, 2010) Bollywood Cinema Showcards: Indian Film Art from the 1950s to 1980s closes to the public on Saturday, October 2, 2011. Presented by The Institute for Contemporary Culture (ICC) at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), Bollywood Cinema Showcards is a visual journey through the history of Bollywood advertising. Curated by Deepali Dewan for the ICC at the ROM in collaboration with the Hartwick Collection, the exhibition is on view in the special exhibitions gallery on Level 3 of the Museum. About The Exhibition Bollywood Cinema Showcards embodies the quirky and colourful style of India’s cinematic culture with a display of rare, vintage showcards—colourful hand painted photo collages commissioned to advertise the release of Bollywood films, originally exhibited in display cases outside cinema theatres. The exhibition features over 120 works, including 77 original showcards from the private collection of Angela Hartwick and a selection of posters, lobby cards and film booklets from the ROM’s permanent collection. The installation will be organized chronologically, tracing the aesthetic and thematic evolution of Bollywood graphic design as seen in its advertising, from the years after India’s independence in 1947 through the liberalization of India’s economic policies in the early 1990s. Bollywood and Beyond at the ROM As Bollywood Cinema Showcards comes to a close, visitors can continue to explore the world of Indian visual culture with Embellished Reality: Indian Painted Photographs. This exhibition brings together 75 works from the ROM’s permanent collection, never before shown in public. Produced from the advent of photography in India in 1840, the focus of the exhibition are photographic portraits almost completely covered with paint as a way to enhance the subject. By combining the art of painting with the technique of photography, these artists created a distinctive genre of Indian visual culture. These works are a precursor to Bollywood showcards, as the concept of enhanced photographs and embellished realities complements the fantasy world created by Bollywood cinema. Embellished Reality is on view in the H.H. Levy Gallery, Level 1, until March 2012. Both exhibitions are accompanied by catalogues, richly illustrated with essays by Deepali Dewan, Rajesh Devraj, Kajri Jain, and Olga Zotova. Catalogues are available in the ROM Museum Store for $24.99 each. Institute for Contemporary Culture The Institute for Contemporary Culture is the Royal Ontario Museum's window on contemporary societies around the globe. Playing a vital role within the historical museum, the ICC examines current cultural, social and political issues throughout the modern world in thought-provoking exhibitions of contemporary art, architecture and design that are presented in the Roloff Beny Gallery and other galleries of the Museum. In addition, a roster of public events such as lectures, film series, debates and performances further explore relevant themes addressed in ICC exhibitions, and serves as a catalyst for stimulating public conversations. The ROM's extensive collections of world cultures and natural history through the ages add context, meaning and depth to these engaging discussions of contemporary ideas. More information at: www.rom.on.ca/icc For more information on Bollywood Cinema Showcards: Indian Film Art form the 1950s to 1980s, visit: Bollywood Cinema Showcards: Indian Film Art from the 1950s to the 1980s is organized by the Institute for Contemporary Culture (ICC) at the ROM in collaboration with the Hartwick Collection. Bollywood Cinema Showcards: Indian Film Art from the 1950s to the 1980s and Embellished Reality: Indian Painted Photographs have been made possible through funding provided by the Government of Ontario. - 30 - The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is an agency of the Government of Ontario. Opened in 1914, the ROM is Canada’s largest museum of natural history and world cultures with collections and galleries showcasing art, archaeology and natural science. For 24-hour information in English and French, please call 416.586.8000 or visit the ROM’s web site at www.rom.on.ca. ROM tickets now available online: www.rom.on.ca.

The LG 47LM760T is a hugely likeable television to live with, thanks to one of the best operating systems around. The main dashboard is excellent, with a live TV thumbnail presented alongside a grid of premium apps and some links to 3D clips via LG's 3D World app. Flip sideways and grids appear that are dedicated to LG Smart World (various paid-for or free, but generally pointless, apps) and SmartShare, which cleverly presents thumbnails - complete with images - of digital media found on any connected device, be it a laptop, smartphone or USB flash drive. Flick downwards to a clickable link to My Apps, and down again to reach app-like links to the input changer (itself a thing of wonder that puts all live inputs, including networked computers, within a full screen carousel), the user guide, digital media, the DVR functionality (if you've attached an HDD or USB sick), a web browser (usable if you rely on the Magic Remote, but otherwise not), and the Dual Play mode. From higher up on that home page, apps load in an acceptably short time, with pages displaying the high-rise, nuanced graphics that we've come to love on LG TVs over the past few years. It's a well thought through platform that integrates with the TV as a whole rather nicely, although it can be a tad repetitive, with some apps really just basic TV features that crop up again and again on various pages. SmartShare is LG's refreshed take on media file browsing and streaming, and in our test it worked well. We managed to play the likes of AVI, MKV, MOV, MP4, MPEG, WMV and WMV HD video files, JPEG photos and MP3, M4A and WMA music tracks from a USB flash drive without any problems. From a netbook PC the list extended to AVC HD too, but from a connected Mac we couldn't see any thumbnail images for videos. As a piece of integrated tech, SmartShare is awesome - it's just so easy to use, and good looking. Although it's reasonably nicely designed, the electronic program guide for Freeview HD programmes makes the same fatal slip-up as other manufacturers - notably Toshiba - by completely divorcing it from live TV. While almost all screens in the TV's internal menus system include a thumbnail of the current live TV channel with sound, starting up the EPG completely cuts out any 'distractions'. It may be a tad over three centimetres in depth, but the LG 47LM760T sensibly includes underslung speakers that jut out of its rear. That proves crucial, since it enables the 10W stereo speakers to deliver enough depth and vigour to waylay having to invest in a separate sound system. The TV makes a decent stab at versatility by providing seven different presets (including Music, Cinema, Sport and Game) and a different set up option if the screen is wall-mounted. But in terms of special features, the LG 47LM760T boasts Clear Voice II and Infinite Surround. The former impresses more than the latter, although on the whole the problem is a lack of bass - no surprises there. Any TV with a price tag approaching £1,500/$1,950 must impress across the board, and the LG 47LM760T just about fulfils its brief in this regard. The loading of seven pairs of 3D glasses in the box helps to contribute to a feeling of good value, but for us it's the well thought out, dynamic and totally integrated user interface that makes this television a standout option.

SCENE + HEARD Italy’s Persol Takes A High Profile At Art Miami By Staff Wednesday, December 14, 2011 3:45 PM MIAMI, Fla.—Following a year that included the launch of the exhibit Persol Magnificent Obsessions and sponsorship of the TriBeCa Film Festival, Persol closed 2011 by supporting the 10th edition of Art Miami which concluded earlier this month here. One of five art fairs, including Art Basel, taking place in December, Persol was “The Official Eyewear of Art Miami” and sponsored the Art Video New Media Lounge. Held in a state-of-the-art 125,000-square-foot pavilion in Midtown Miami’s burgeoning Wynwood Arts District, the fair includes modern and contemporary paintings, drawings, sculpture, photography and prints from Europe, Asia, Latin America, India, the Middle East and the U.S. The company also showcased its celebrated documentary, A Work of Persol during an invite-only VIP event at the SoHo Beach House. The film follows 17 of the world’s brightest contemporary artists as they design their own creation with a unique process of hand craftsmanship. In 2009, Persol asked these up-and-coming international artists to find inspiration in a thorough, month-long process behind the making of a single pair of Persol glasses. The artists, working in mediums such as wire, glass, acetate and steel, were then each appointed to create a unique piece of art: A Work of Persol. Jennifer Golub and Joe Kayser captured the artists’ process on film, creating a 30-minute documentary that was released this year. Two of the prominently featured artists — Chiara Moreschi and Rodger Stevens — were at the Persol booth at Art Miami with their Persol-inspired artworks, titled "Beauty Is Never Useless" and "Interstellar Dust, Arranged to Please,” respectively. Within the interactive Persol booth at the front of the Art Miami pavilion was a celebration of the brand’s culturally rich past, including Persol’s connections to art and cinema over the decades, from Fellini to James Bond. Additionally, a product wall will highlight the raw materials and patented technology that goes into crafting each pair of Persol glasses. The booth also will include the finished glasses featured in the “A Work of Persol” campaign for fair attendees to view first-hand.

Man Bites Dog (Belgium 1992, cert 12) yes, that's what I thought ... I watched this amazing film in Le Mans, France the week of its release and it was listed as cert 12. So, I sat there, with my French girlfriend who became my wife, and watched this funnier than funny because it's SOOOOOOOOOO DARK IT'S FUNNY film. I couldn't believe what I was seeing as couple after couple, who'd obviously had the same innocent idea as us (i.e. to watch an award-winning film), got up and left the cinema shouting their denunciation at the screen. A nasty vicious utterly degrading piece of student cinema, MAN BITES DOG was the controversial winner of the International Critic's Prize at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival ... and, yes, we did stay to the end. Closed Caption subtitles are in English on this film, you can change them to the language of your choice. A film in 9 parts, this is not a playlist; part 2 will arrive at the end of part one as a button ... and so on ... and so forth.

Pizzo, Murphy reunite for commercial based on IU opera student’s experiences May 30, 2013 Who better than an IU alumnus recognized worldwide for his work behind the camera to tell the university’s story? Filmmaker Angelo Pizzo recently spent two days on the Bloomington campus, filming a 60-second commercial that will air nationally as part of the university’s new marketing campaign. He was joined by New York-based cinematographer Fred Murphy, the first time the two have worked together since their iconic 1986 film “Hoosiers.” Bloomington-based producer Jo Throckmorton arranged for the pairing. “When Jo asked me who I wanted to use as cinematographer, I said I’m not familiar with anyone local,” Pizzo said. “And he said, ‘Oh no, we’ve got the budget, so we can hire from L.A. or New York.’ And I said it’d be great to hire someone I’ve worked with before. He said he’d check on Fred, and I thought he was kidding. It’s really exciting for me. Fred hasn’t been in the state of Indiana since he got on the plane after the wrap party 27 years ago, and it’s great to work with him again.” Earlier this week, the decades since the two had worked together vanished quickly -- Pizzo and Murphy stood shoulder to shoulder, eyeing a camera monitor while directing a row of opera students dressed in teal and white Egyptian-style regalia from the school’s recent production of “Akhnaten,” a faux mountain range and funerary ship rising behind them. Watch your eyes, Pizzo cautioned the girls, who needed to be looking in the same direction without blinking for the six-second shot. And is that a nose ring? One of the students quickly stepped out of line to remove the tiny stud. More light on the mountain range, Murphy called, adding, “It looks a little dead back there.” Meanwhile, a host of crew members swarmed the stage at the Musical Arts Center, climbing to the rafters to shift lights at angles imperceptible to the untrained eye and laying rails for a Hollywood-style camera track, threading between huge monitors and other equipment with ease. A young woman walked by, offering coffee, granola bars, smoothies or other snacks to those hard at work. Pizzo developed the storyline for the commercial, which is based on the experiences of professional opera singer and Jacobs School alumna Ailyn Perez. Though the younger Perez is played by opera student Hanna Brammer, the soprano herself will appear at the end of the one-minute piece. “It’s a story about reaching your dreams,” Throckmorton said. “How many students want to get into the Jacobs School of Music? They work hard to make that happen and then, once they get in, there’s more work to succeed, plus more work to make it on the professional level. These 60 seconds show the possibilities of what can happen if you choose the right place and have the right mentors to help lead you through this portion of your life. It says, ‘Indiana University is that place that’s going to help you develop into the person you want to be.’” The commercial has no dialogue. Instead, viewers will hear a vocal melody composed by Jacobs student Ari Fisher, who also composed a new score for the 1922 “David Copperfield” silent film that screened at IU Cinema in 2011 in honor of Charles Dickens’ 200th birthday. “It’s a great concept. It should be very evocative and emotional and, hopefully, create this feeling of pride in IU alumni and, at the same time, make parents and their students think what a great school this would be to go to,” said Pizzo, who is donating his director’s fee back to the university. “It’s been very exciting for me, and it’s for a great cause. It’s for the university that’s part of my community. It’s not just that I went here; I live here. IU is part of my life, and it’s one of the reasons I moved back to Bloomington.”

Trend For Interactive Theatre Experience Is Just The Starting Point Straddling the line between Arts and Brands, interactive theatre experiences have become increasingly mainstream. Just look at what Punchdrunk did for Louis Vuitton’s Bond Street store launch, swiftly followed by its creation of the consumer-focussed ‘Night Chauffeur’ for Stella Artois and the creepy release of Resistance 3 for PlayStation. Or Coney’s current run of House of Cards, commissioned by Historic Royal Palaces, and tonight’s Gideon Reeling production of ‘Magic Happens on the Darkest Nights’ for Bowmore Whisky. If a brand wants it, it can easily get it. But brands aside, the trend also has direct commercial value/potential – proven by the unrelenting Secret Cinema, and the immersive outings: Office Party, Zombie Shopping Mall Experience and YouMeBumBumTrain. Interactive theatre is the medium, but immersion is the experience that beckons the emotional response and the unlocking of hearts, minds and souls (cue this summer’s ideally positioned ‘Advertising for Love’ to experience all three). For punters, interaction with looming actors might be the hook to the experience, but for brands, this is their hook to potential customers. These experiences shut out reality and mentally absorb the audience into another state of mind. At their most successful, the audience will feel personally touched by an unforgettable, emotional and sensory connection – powerful stuff for a brand. But does the rise of interactive theatre signal the emergence of a broader trend? Earlier this week, Channel 4 News had a feature on Book Slam, a “literary cabaret” fusing spoken word and performance poets with live music, DJs and stand-up comedy. The event’s popularity has grown rapidly in response to a “hunger for live… to make a human connection in a chaotic situation” as the eBook revolutionises the publishing industry. It made me wonder: Has the level of interactive, engaging functionality we now expect from Digital morphed our real-world view? Outside of user-interface, mobile device and tablet integration in daily life, have we become more open-minded to the new, the different, to the immersive quirk of interactive theatre, to live experiences? Is this need for live an unwitting backlash against Digital? Have we become so tech savvy that our saturated Digital complacency has sent us on the hunt for more human, tangible, offline, offbeat live experiences? Either way, a trend paradox of Online v Offline experience has emerged. Filed as Brand Strategy, Digital, Trends

By Eric J. Lyman ROME, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Italian Stock Exchange was trading sharply lower on Monday as yields on government bonds rose, sending ripples beyond Italy as investors began to worry that Italy's political problems could have a lasting economic impact. Economic analysts have been warning over the risks of the political crisis for weeks, but financial markets have mostly shrugged off the worries so far. Monday's reaction was the strongest since the latest round of Italian political worries began after Italy's supreme court upheld a lower court conviction against billionaire tycoon Silvio Berlusconi. Berlusconi's conviction carried a year of house arrest, which is likely to start in October, plus a possible expulsion from the senate that parliament is tentatively scheduled to vote on Sept. 9. Berlusconi's allies have threatened to withdraw their support for the government of Enrico Letta if the ban is upheld. Letta's allies, meanwhile, have refused to be "taken hostage" by Berlusconi's demands, and talks to reach a compromise on the topic broke down last week. "The situation is ripe for markets to have a strong reaction," said Michele Di Gregorio, a retired bank of Italy economist. On Monday, they did. In mid-day trading, the blue chip index Milan's Italian stock exchange was down more than 2.5 percent in heavy trading, paced by Mediaset, Berlusconi's own television and cinema giant, which fell as much as 7 percent and saw trading in the shares halted for an hour. According to some estimates, the share's fall reduced Berlusconi's personal fortune by as much as 270 million euros (361 million U.S. dollars). Bond markets had a similar reaction, with yields on the benchmark 10-year government bonds rising for the second consecutive session Monday, while the spread -- the difference in the yields -- with German bonds widened to 246 basis points, the widest gap in weeks. In addition, the jitters spread beyond Italy for the first time this month, as stock exchanges in Frankfurt, Paris, and Madrid were all lower Monday, with analysts citing Italy political worries as a culprit. The euro zones STOXX 50 index was also down, while the euro weakened against the dollar in early trading Monday before recovering. The trouble is, there is no clear path to a resolution of the crisis. Italian President Giorgio Napolitano and Letta's allies in parliament appear intent on removing Berlusconi from the legislative body while waiting for a lower court to "reconsider" a full political ban, as ordered by the supreme court. Berlusconi's lieutenants have threatened to make the government collapse so often that it would be virtually impossible for them not to take action if he is voted out. The chances that the Letta government could stand without Berlusconi's forces are extremely slim. There is no respite in sight: even if this crisis is somehow resolved, Berlusconi still has two more major legal cases on appeal, including one in which he was found guilty of an abuse of power and paying an under-age girl for sex. That verdict carries a lifetime ban from politics.

Access your Project MUSE content using one of the login options below Close(X) Browse Results For: Paul Carus of Open Court "I am not a common atheist; I am an atheist who loves God."—Paul Carus, "The God of Science," 1904 In the summer of 1880, while teaching at the military academy of the Royal Corps of Cadets of Saxony in Dresden, Paul Carus published a brief pamphlet denying the literal truth of scripture and describing the Bible as a great literary work comparable to the Odyssey. This unremarkable document was Carus’s first step in a wide-ranging intellectual voyage in which he traversed philosophy, science, religion, mathematics, history, music, literature, and social and political issues. The Royal Corps, Carus later reported, found his published views "not in harmony with the Christian spirit, in accordance with which the training and education of the Corps of Cadets should be conducted." And so the corps offered the young teacher the choice of asking "most humbly for forgiveness for daring to have an opinion of my own and to express it, perhaps even promise to publish nothing more on religious matters, or to give up my post. I chose the latter. . . . There was thus no other choice for me but to emigrate and, trusting in my own powers, to establish for myself a new home." His resignation was effective on Easter Sunday, 1881. Carus toured the Rhine, lived briefly in Belgium, and taught in a military college in England to learn English well enough to "thrive in the United States." By late 1884 or early 1885 he was on his way to the New World. Thriving in the United States proved more difficult than it had in England, but before 1885 ended he had published his first philosophical work in English, Monism and Meliorism. The book was not widely read, but it did reach Edward C. Hegeler, a La Salle, Illinois, zinc processor who became his father-in-law as well as his ideological and financial backer. Established in La Salle, Carus began the work that would place him among the prominent American philosophers of his day and make the Open Court Publishing Company a leading publisher of philosophical, scientific, and religious books. He edited The Open Court and The Monist, offering the finest view of Oriental thought and religion then available in the West, and sought unsuccessfully to bring about a second World Parliament of Religions. He befriended physicist-philosopher Ernst Mach. For eleven years he employed D. T. Suzuki, who later became a great Zen Buddhist teacher. He published more articles by Charles S. Peirce, now viewed as one of the great world philosophers, in The Monist than appeared in any other publication. Biographer Harold Henderson concludes his study of this remarkable man: "Whenever anyone is so fired with an idea that he or she can’t wait to write it down, there the spirit of Paul Carus remains, as he would have wished, active in the world." A Legal History Documentary Reader Edited collection of primary sources from America’s transformative Civil War and Reconstruction period that document the profound legal changes that took place during the Civil War era but also highlight how law, society, and politics inextricably mixed and set American legal development on particular paths that were not predetermined. A hybrid work that straddles popular history and serious scholarship, “1893 Chicago” focuses in some depth on important people, places, events, and developments that made 1893 one of Chicago’s greatest years. In addition to the famous Columbian Exposition that took place that year, there were also a surprising number of impressive developments in art, architecture, literature, sports, education, business, political reform, sanitation engineering, medicine, and more. In a sense, 1893 was the year in which Chicago transitioned from being simply a busy Midwestern city to a world metropo The 90th Illinois Volunteers in the Civil War This thoroughly documented, comprehensive regimental history describes the battles and movements of Chicago’s Irish Catholic Volunteer Regiment in the Western campaigns of the Civil War from the regiment’s 1862 formation through its discharge in June 1865. Collection of 8 essays about leadership, morale, and historical commemoration of the 1863 Campaign for Chickamauga. The campaign resulted in the war’s only major Confederate victory west of the Appalachians, on September 19-20 at the battle of Chickamauga, but the victory failed to achieve the truly decisive results that many high-ranking Confederates had expected. In Cinema Muto, Jesse Lee Kercheval examines the enduring themes of time, mortality, and love as revealed through the power of silent film. Following the ten days of the annual Le Giornate del Cinema Muto in Italy, this collection of ekphrastic poems are love letters to the evocative power of silent cinema. Kercheval’s poems elegantly capture the allure of these rare films, which compel hundreds of pilgrims from around the world—from scholars and archivists, to artists and connoisseurs—to flock to Italy each autumn. Cinema Muto celebrates the flickering tales of madness and adventure, drama and love, which are all too often left to decay within forgotten vaults. As reels of Mosjoukine and D. W. Griffith float throughout the collection, a portrait also emerges of the simple beauty of Italy in October and of two lovers who are drawn together by their mutual passion for an extinct art. Together they revel in recapturing “the black and white gestures of a lost world.” Cinema Muto is a tender tribute to the brief yet unforgettable reign of silent film. Brimming with stirring images of dreams, desire, and the ghosts of cinema legends gone by, Kercheval’s verse is a testament to the mute beauty and timeless lessons that may still be discovered in a fragile roll of celluloid. Hannah Arendt's Rhetoric of Warning and Hope Renowned in the disciplines of political theory and philosophy, Hannah Arendt’s searing critiques of modernity continue to resonate in other fields of thought decades after she wrote them. In Communication Ethics in Dark Times: Hannah Arendt’s Rhetoric of Warning and Hope, author Ronald C. Arnett offers a groundbreaking examination of fifteen of Arendt’s major scholarly works, considering the German writer’s contributions to the areas of rhetoric and communication ethics for the first time. Arnett focuses on Arendt’s use of the phrase “dark times” to describe the mistakes of modernity, defined by Arendt as the post-Enlightenment social conditions, discourses, and processes ruled by principles of efficiency, progress, and individual autonomy. These principles, Arendt argues, have led humanity down a path of folly, banality, and hubris. Throughout his interpretive evaluation, Arnett illuminates the implications of Arendt’s persistent metaphor of “dark times” and engages the question, How might communication ethics counter the tenets of dark times and their consequences? A compelling study of Hannah Arendt’s most noteworthy works and their connections to the fields of rhetoric and communication ethics, Communication Ethics in Dark Times provides an illuminating introduction for students and scholars of communication ethics and rhetoric, and a tool with which experts may discover new insights, connections, and applications to these fields. Coming of Age during the Civil War Confederate Daughters: Coming of Age during the Civil War explores gender, age, and Confederate identity by examining the lives of teenage daughters of Southern slaveholding, secessionist families. These young women clung tenaciously to the gender ideals that upheld marriage and motherhood as the fulfillment of female duty and to the racial order of the slaveholding South, an institution that defined their status and afforded them material privileges. Author Victoria E. Ott discusses how the loyalty of young Southern women to the fledgling nation, born out of a conservative movement to preserve the status quo, brought them into new areas of work, new types of civic activism, and new rituals of courtship during the Civil War. Social norms for daughters of the elite, their preparation for their roles as Southern women, and their material and emotional connections to the slaveholding class changed drastically during the Civil War. When differences between the North and South proved irreconcilable, Southern daughters demonstrated extraordinary agency in seeking to protect their futures as wives, mothers, and slaveholders. From a position of young womanhood and privilege, they threw their support behind the movement to create a Confederate identity, which was in turn shaped by their participation in the secession movement and the war effort. Their political engagement is evident from their knowledge of military battles, and was expressed through their clothing, social activities, relationships with peers, and interactions with Union soldiers. Confederate Daughters also reveals how these young women, in an effort to sustain their families throughout the war, adjusted to new domestic duties, confronting the loss of slaves and other financial hardships by seeking paid work outside their homes. Drawing on their personal and published recollections of the war, slavery, and the Old South, Ott argues that young women created a unique female identity different from that of older Southern women, the Confederate bellehood. This transformative female identity was an important aspect of the Lost Cause mythology—the version of the conflict that focused on Southern nationalism—and bridged the cultural gap between the antebellum and postbellum periods. Augmented by eighteen illustrations, this book offers a generational understanding of the transitional nature of wartime and its effects on women’s self-perceptions. Confederate Daughters identifies the experiences of these teenage daughters as making a significant contribution to the new woman in the New South. The Rise and Fall of a Women's Tradition, 1600-1900

As the title suggests, this news article series aim to promote wonderful aspects of the deviantART community, from showcasing beautiful works of art, to informing you of great groups, and to interviewing inspirational deviants. I feel so happy being part of such a wonderful community and I hope to make it better, even if it's only a little bit, by making these articles. My goal is to bring to light everything that impassions me and, hopefully, inspire you! Showcasing Gorgeous Artwork A showcase of art that has simply left me speechless from all genres, from digital/traditional, artisan, emoticons, fractals, etc. Showcasing Wonderful Photography A showcase of photographs that have left me in awe from all genres, from nature, macro, fashion, conceptual, abstract, etc. Showcasing Lovely Literature A showcase of literature that has motivated & moved me from all genres, from prose, poetry, flash fiction, short stores, etc. Ink VoiceWhile the other children spilled into the playground, Ren stayed inside. She sat in her beanbag and leafed through a book. Ren loved stories as much as she hated talking. This late into the year, she had read and reread every child-battered book on the shelf several times. And she loved them all. They smelled like . . . magic. Stories were doors and Ren used them to fall into other worlds. Except, not really. She only pretended to do so, and it was hard to pretend when grownups decide to interrupt her quiet reading. "Which book are you reading today, Ren?" Miss Payper asked. Don't say a word. Ren did not look up at her teacher. She continued to read The Gruffalo. It was funny, not scary, and very clever. "Would you like to read aloud to me?" If you talk, he will know. Oh, he'll know. She didn't like reading aloud. Not really. The words were better on paper than on her tongue. "Is there anything you would like to say?" Never tell! Never never The ArtisanWhat is a poet if not an artisan In his left hand he wields the pallet of language, a common instrument blemished with the desolate hues of disembodied idioms. In his right hand he wields the paintbrush of assertion, an ashen tool with rugged bristles pursuing in futility a holy union with the paint of imagery. Before him lies the canvas of life, monochromatic and sapless in its state of unchanging fluidity. And yet, with the eternal passion of creation, the poet masters these dismal tools to craft an intricate verbal portrait, one with a spirit of elegance. What is a poet if not an artisan He is naught. For the artisan finds his home in the sacred guild And artistry is naught but a haven of prose. b. 1954He was born to Elvis' first dreamy hit & a mother who preferred it to the soft thumpthump heartbeat of her infant. He was born to a world suffering the high-pitched paranoia of racism, the tight lows of war ad nauseam, the slow slaps of McCarthyism. He was born to a family familiar with the thrilling thwack of ringed fingers on flesh, to a father who fled the frenzy in favor of that mellow bass at death. He was born the first son and assumed the lead, progressed from child to man at percussive speed; Papa was a father long before me. But seventeen brought new birth: old guitar instilled young hands with worth. Those first strings were steel teachers; they taught him that blood forces to life Born to the timbre of darkness meeting light, to the cadence of right versus might -- my father survived jittery discord, and unwound the melodies only a heart like his could have found. She StaysI walk along the pier, your hand in mine, the sun setting beautifully into the grey sea. The mist gently drifts over the water, betraying the cold of winter. I don't mind, though. I only have to look at you, and I feel warm. It's tough not to sound soppy. Honestly, I'm not used to having this. I'll never really be used to it. I'd been lonely for a long time before I met you. I didn't think I'd have the kind of relationship that you watch on the cinema screens or read about in novels. I genuinely thought I'd be alone forever. How wrong I was. You smiled at me as I walked into Falmer bar and we made eye contact. I returned the gesture nonchalantly. It had been a hard day so far four hours of academic obligations back to back. Getting up for 10am was still a struggle, even in my third year. Your smile stuck in my head as I faced away from you, leaning against the bar counter. I ordered a portion of cheesy chips and walked through to the sofas in the back bar, grateful for an oppo hushi'm done wishing on shooting stars, and i want to be done with you: i'll let dust settle on my telescope, let dust settle in my throat, my lungs. twist your fingers through my vocal cords, press your palm to my lips and tell me, hush don't wish on things falling too fast to hear you maybe i'll wish they are quiet houses for muted ghosts, though more alive than you have ever been. i'll let you pull me under, paint my eyes with salt, blind me so you can murmur, shh even dead things can be beautiful Creating and Recreating a SelfIt's a simple thing, like cats in so many boxes. Truth is, we can't cope with open spaces, vacant air, so we fill them with ourselves, dwelling only on the best or worst, little parcels filling rows and rows of quiet. We make our selves foreign, ship them off to remote places in a strange array of envelopes and guiltsome needing stamps, others needing stamping out many get sent to Bermuda, on purpose, the rest just get lost along the way. Some others get returned to sender and stared atlike a leftover battery from a pack of 24, where it seemed certain they were taken in even amounts kept, "to be safe, just in case", but never used, a remnant from a non-returning past. That one is something foreign, sent back from Guatemala, set beside the window, filling up an unexpected space. It's a simple thing, like cats in so many boxes. Trees in the DarkSodium backlights make marigold colored hydrangeas and Queen Anne's Lace claws, painting their silhouettes in the empty spaces between stamen and petal. OblivionIt seems within the stage that is our lives The curtain is long fallen, departed. A multitude of broken souls diminish Fading, falling, unknown and unlamented Blackened, vacant halls with not an echo to fill them Are there words to fill this gaping emptiness? A kind of salvation, hallowed light to pierce otherworldly gloom. Even a momentary glimmer, a breath of strength. What are we when the last notes fade? Who are we when our songs are no longer sung? In these empty, soulless spaces, there is naught left to play neither horns, nor even the softest whispers pierce oblivion. The longest shadow stretches over all Tumescent, palpable apathy touched, fingertip light, with regret. There is a lack, a soul-deep necessity A clarion call for e'en the most ethereal of joy Yet it is not shadow that blights our souls, our very substances Nor is it oft' argued apathy, nor searing rage nor shame It is nonexistence. Shyi. You say that there's nothing to see, no story behind your walls of whitewash. You tell me everything without saying anything, because we never speak. ii. You never stop running, and your floor will never be my ceiling. Anyway, you'd never fall through. (They say I'm a little too good at this. I mean, I'm terrible at letting go. Maybe it's best I'll never catch you.) It's such a shame, seeing as I've been practicing. iii. This is simple, unadulterated observation. I watch, you move. My gaze is objective; you're a work of art. (Or is it piece of work?) iv. They say you're scarred but you hardly seem the broken type. They say you'd let me in if I braved your barriers. v. You are the stranger on the sidewalk. You are the darling of the world. You are the center of the circle. You are shy. You span two years of unknowing, falling short of becoming everything. vi. You have beautiful eyes for a boy. Salient Reverie Olive hills entice Ringing a thousand years Of seeming mockery Where weary men often dream Of glinting bells between such crockery Is this a dagger I see before me? FrostyAs I walked my daily path, I came across a breadcrumb road. Deciding it was worth my while, I stopped to turn and slowed. On either side there climbed some roses, With blackened thorns, monstrous in size, But through the trees, bare of leaves, The sun shown brightly in my eyes. I pulled my coat around me then, For the path had grown quite small, And listened to the dew drops splat When, suddenly, I heard a child call. "Follow me and my voice will lead you Into the forgotten world long past, And there we will confront her Before she leaves at last." Chilled to my core, I followed her, For though I couldn't see, she sounded like me. The thorns tore eagerly at my clothes, And everything I thought to try to be. I arrived at a placid mirror of age, And as I looked, the reflection turned, The glass shattered into my heart, My vision blurred, my eyes burned. The reflection returned, swollen, And smiled through splintered fragments. I reached forward and blood sprung forth, And away she went w Showcasing Fun Groups Here I will inform you of cool groups I have come across or have been recommended to that I feel need some more exposure. "This is the Group for the Relativity "comic-fiction" series created by *Ravenswd and `Mirz123. This group will contain the written pieces mirrored from the Blacktorrent.us website, on a one-week delay basis. The gallery also features various art showcasing the characters and the Relativity universe. Updates on what's new on the Relativity site, as well as dA, will be posted to the Group periodically." A selection of DDs I have suggested this month and any that have been accepted. Awarded DD on: 12-22-2011 Here I will interview an inspirational deviant I have picked or one suggested to me. My name is Adam. My lovely friends call me Adum(b), Addypoo or Addykins. (most of my nicknames are from `im-not-sana ) • The story behind your username? • Well back then, I saw an anime and I loved the name Yukii, and I'm so into japanese culture, I decided to name my account Yuki-Kun....but someone already stole it from me so it became YukiiKun. Although if I'd have the chance, I'd rename it to something else. A lot of people thought that I'm a girl • Tell us about yourself: • I'm 19 years old. I'm at the Decorator Department in Jaschik Álmos Secondary Vocational School. I'm in this school since 2007. I'm gonna finish my Decorator term in 2013. I'm from Hungary and I love photography and art in general. My favourite season is Fall because of the colors and the smell of the rain I used to love red but now my fav colors are black, dark purple and turquoise. I'm listening to almost everything. But I really like kpop and jrock. But I dislike disco and death metal and stuff like that. It's not my kind of music. Though I used to listen to Deathstars I'm a wannabe hipster but being a hipster is mainstream these days so I decided to become a unicorn. They are so manly and amazing. Deal with it. • How did you discover deviantART? • My amazing friend, ~Hegyi-Protter showed me this amazing site in 2008. I immediately joined as !AdamEnd and decided to deactivate my account because I didn't know how to use dA and felt like no one cares about my artworks. I uploaded crappy drawings and stuff. Didn't joined groups so people would actually notice my stuff and things like this. I'm not regretting that I deactivated. Because after a short brake, I missed this site and rejoined in 2010 as YukiiKun. I bacame a better artist, person and I started to get involved with the community. I love what I do here. Of coure I had black days when I almost deactivated but my friends helped me to calm down and I stayed. I'm so happy that I have amazing friends here. My english got better too. I'm enjoying the skype convos with crazy ppl and I just love this site. I'd say Photography. I love it. It's just a hobby though. I'm still learning. My brother helped me to start it in 2007 (after I joined the art school) and since then all I learned is by me or by friends irl and here on deviantART. And a little digital art. I use muro to create cute stuffs for friends and cimmissioners. Visit my page or gallery for more info • Your Personal Favorite(s) From Your Gallery: • The first one is because I wanted to try out something new and I spent my whole afternoon to get this shot done "perfectly". I enjoyed it so much. The second one is because I love my kitty. "Ladies" is because I really enjoy what I do (decorator thingy) and I just the 3rd floor. There are our lovely ladies (and some men) dolls we use to make groups and they help us decorate a shopping window. If you'd like to learn more about what I do, please visit my tumblr account! And "Hundertwasser" is because it was the first time I ever been abroad. I LOVE Vienna, I was there 4 times now and I'm planning to go there more during school brakes and when I can afford it • Favorite Inspirational Deviant: • There are too many to list them. For example I love ^ScENeYmE's Urban and Rural shots, macros and simply everything in her gallery. She made me fell in love with the U&R gallery. And there are tonz of others ( fashion-, architecture- & general photographers ) who I love to follow here so I can check out their new stuff. • What are your favorite aspects of deviantART? • dAmn. Because I got to know most of my friends there. I really love it and I'm happy that I was be able to help out =Topicality & `WDWParksGal during PE's Community Projects weeks. I hosted a trivia and helped looking after the event. It was a great experience and I'm planning to get on dAmn everytime I have time for it • Where do you draw your inspiration from? • Other artists. I browse for artworks here and I can see how an artist see a thing and I try to show it from another perspective, or simply I use my fantastic IMAGINATION. I'm so proud that I have a wonderfull mind. Without it I couldn't do my job as a Decorator nor an Artist here on dA. I can see in front of my eyes what I'm thinking about. It helps me a lot. • How do you strive to further improve your work? • When there is something that I can't draw well, I practice a lot and try to look into it from every perspective. I'm never satisfied with my results. I try to sind a better way to draw things or try out new techniques to make it even better than it was. • Do you have any advice to fellow aspiring artists? • Never give up. Always try harder so you'll get better from time to time. Use your imagination. Always show your best artworks and ideas to others. Thank you for taking the time to read this article! Please make sure to the article to help spread the DA love If you have any art/groups you would like me to showcase or a deviant you would like to be interviewed, please note me. Or, leave a comment with your suggestions in this journal, Suggestions for Interviews & Spotlight Artist. Thank you!

Why don't Australian and New Zealand arts sectors cooperate more? Robin Usher reports from across the Tasman. Just as Peter Jackson's final instalment of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy dominated this year's Oscars, so does the filmmaker stand out in his native New Zealand, especially in his home town, the capital, Wellington. The city's two main cinemas are now guarded by winged Fell Beasts modelled on the trilogy's dragon-like creatures and people smile at references to "Welly-wood", Jackson's Weta studios that transformed NZ's film industry. The way some people talk, Jackson's success might have transformed the entire country of four million people. The head of the film commission, Ruth Harley, describes the spin-offs as "incalculably big", listing several Kiwi-invented software developments for both film and home games. "Peter developed a whole industry here and domestic cinema will certainly benefit," she says. For his next project, the remake of King Kong, Jackson is building the country's first film studios so he will be free of the noisy warehouses used for The Rings. Harley says the filmmaker's decision to remain based in Wellington reflects both the extent of global technology and NZ's cultural maturity. "Before Peter, people like Jane Campion had to go overseas to build their careers," she says. The Jackson phenomenon coincides with a big funding boost to the arts under the direction of the Prime Minister, Helen Clark, who is also arts minister. Over the past four years, the cultural recovery package has totalled more than $NZ86.5 million ($A72 million). One of the first benefits of the funding increase was the film Whale Rider, which was an international success and resulted in an Oscar nomination for 13-year-old Keisha Castle-Hughes. It was the first film funded under a scheme designed to boost projects likely to succeed internationally. More are in the pipeline. The way some people talk, Jackson's success might have transformed the entire country of four million people. Although the most prominent, cinema is not the only artform to benefit from the Clark Government's renewed focus on the arts. The equivalent to the Australia Council, Creative New Zealand, has received a $NZ 20 million boost over three years. This is to offset the impact of the past decade when arts funding was starved under conservative governments. The aim is to make NZ one of the world's most creative countries. The Associate Arts Minister, Judith Tizard, expects the benefits of a vibrant arts scene to spread throughout the community. This is based on overseas research. She points out that the introduction of arts courses in schools in the southern city of Invercargill has already resulted in the reduction in the number of truancy officers. NZ is often regarded as Australia's unofficial seventh state because both countries were settled from Britain and have developed close economic ties. But, whatever the similarities, it is important to remember that it is a foreign country and they do things differently there. English, for example, is one of two official languages - the other is Maori. The country also has no state governments and funding decisions in Wellington are crucial for the smaller cities. Tizard acknowledges that these were hard-hit by funding restrictions in the '90s. The fact that arts policies differ between the two main political parties is another difference from Australia, where the attitude to funding the Australia Council is bipartisan. Creative New Zealand's funding model is also more confusing than its Australian counterpart. Three organisations - the Royal New Zealand Ballet, the New Zealand Symphony and Wellington's new $NZ300 million Te Papa museum - are funded directly from the arts ministry. All other companies receive funding via Creative New Zealand in a variety of programs. Performance groups, such as the successful Soap Box Dance Company, struggle to develop new work on project funding, according to its choreographer, Raewyn Hill. The biennial New Zealand International Arts Festival, which, this month, presented its 10th event, is modelled on the Adelaide Festival, but receives little public funding as a proportion of its $NZ13 million budget. Instead, it depends on box-office returns for 40 per cent of its funding, with another 40 per cent coming from corporate sponsors. "We have to concentrate on getting audiences to come," says the artistic director, Carla van Zon. "We initiated many of the international acts that appeared this year in Perth, Adelaide, Hong Kong and here," she says, referring to the region's unofficial festival circuit. But the festival's performance program has no Australian acts this year, an indicator of the peculiar relations between the Tasman neighbours, with neither country seeming particularly keen to welcome each other's performers. The festival presented a new production of the Donizetti opera, The Elixir of Love, rather than share Opera Australia's production of the same work that premiered as recently as 2001 under the direction of Simon Phillips, a New Zealander. Van Zon says she considered importing the production, but this "didn't work out". The Royal New Zealand Ballet is off to London next month for a six-week tour, but finds it almost impossible to come to Australia. "We've almost given up," says the company's general manager, Sue Patterson. "We would love to tour Australia every two years, with the Australian Ballet doing the same here." About half the company's dancers are Australian, and the company is hiring the AB's set for its production of Coppelia this year. "Relations between the two companies are the best they have ever been and I'm sure they will continue to improve," Patterson says. She says talks are continuing about the AB's production of Graeme Murphy's Swan Lake touring NZ and she wants to include it in the company's season brochure if they are successful. Patterson hoped the NZ company would be accepted for last year's Melbourne Festival, but the director, Robyn Archer, decided it was too mainstream for her postmodern theme - more a reflection of the festival than NZ Ballet. Harley is also keen to develop film links with Australia, calling for the establishment of Tasman Inc to promote the industry in both countries. "The Scandinavians do it and, so, on a broader scale, does the European industry as a whole," she says. "There is already a good level of collaboration, but I don't think that Australians realise the NZ industry is relevant." Australia makes up to 30 films a year, compared with four or five in NZ. "We are quite buoyant right now, but the Australian scene still appears very vibrant to us, even though it is going through a lean period." One New Zealander who has broken through the Tasman barrier is playwright Tom Scott, whose The Daylight Atheist is being presented by the Melbourne Theatre Company with Richard Piper in June, before touring nationally. Scott is a NZ personality - a former political columnist, cartoonist, filmmaker and friend of Sir Edmund Hillary and John Clarke. The play is a black comedy based on the life of his alcoholic father, which has had sold-out seasons in Auckland and Wellington. But even so, it was rejected by Sydney's Belvoir Street before Phillips selected it for the MTC. Phillips, who was brought up in NZ, agrees the trans-Tasman connections are not sufficient. "Good work gets done there, but Australian plays are always demanding to be staged here before anything else," he says. One writer who does not have to bother about Australian productions is Roger Hall, who has been called "New Zealand's David Williamson" for the past 30 years. Both writers provide fresh, gently satirical maps of their times, tinged with affection for even their most awful comfortably middle-class characters. Hall's latest work, Spreading Out, is a hit of the New Zealand Festival and tells of two families of retirees in the Wairarapa region, the North Island's equivalent to Victoria's Mornington Peninsula. After a slow start, it is a very funny play about modern life on either side of the Tasman - one of the families is now living in Maroochydore. Commercial producers should be lining up to produce it in Australia. Such a decision might provide the breakthrough for relations between two sibling countries who remain foreign to each other. Robin Usher visited Wellington as a guest of Tourism New Zealand. National | World | Breaking news | Features | Opinion | Business | Technology | Sport | Realfooty | Entertainment | Multimedia |text | handheld (how to)|| Copyright © 2004. The Age Company Ltd |advertise | contact us|

|List||Register of the National Estate (Non-statutory archive)| |Place File No||4/01/001/0357| |Nominator's Statement of Significance| |The Boomerang Theatre is significant: for being, until recently, one of the longest operating cinemas in Queensland; as one of Brisbane's most intact interwar theatres; for being the first theatre owned and operated by Roy Fielding, who became one of Brisbane's most successful independant theatre operators.| |Official Values Not Available| The Boomerang Theatre stands at 334 Ipswich Road, Annerley where construction began in 1924. The majority of Brisbane's picture theatres were built in the 1920s and by the mid 1920s the movies had become one of the most popular forms of entertainment. Almost every Brisbane suburb could boast of their own local theatre, with some suburbs playing host to two or three. At the time that the Boomerang was erected, the Princess Theatre on Annerley Road, and the Annerley Picture Theatre on Ipswich Road were already operating. The owner of the Boomerang was Frederick Robert Roy Fielding who operated it in partnership with his brother, Ernest Edward. Title of the site was transferred to them in February 1915 when they were just seventeen and thirteen years old respectively. The land appears to have been vacant at the time construction began and was originally part of the Thompson Estate subdivision of 1884. The eventual shape of Annerley's development east of Ipswich Road was based on this subdivision. Roy Fielding learnt his projection skills from spending most of his time at the Elite Picture Theatre (originally the Lyceum), in George Street and at the Yeronga Picture Theatre on Fairfield Road. At this stage, he was working for the Post Master General's Department in Brisbane, but in 1923 he decided to end his career with the Public Service and become a full time theatre operator. Fielding had a difficult beginning to his career. At the time that he applied for his licence to screen motion pictures, four of the eleven Stephens Shire Councillors were shareholders in a rival theatre in the same area. He gathered support from other councillors, and studies the local by laws, discovering that any councillor who had personal business interests that could effect their decision making was required to forfeit their vote. Fielding was eventually granted his licence in May 1924. The theatre became a family run business as were most suburban theatres. In December 1932, Roy's brother and partner, Ernest, died, leaving Roy the sole owner. The Stephens Shire Council received a copy of the plan for the Boomerang Theatre in August-September 1924. As the land was low lying, and there was not yet a stormwater drain along Ipswich Road, the council decided that the theatre could not be fully roofed. So on December 10, 1924, prior to final council approval, a simple structure with a fibrous cement facade, corrugated iron walls and an iron roof covering the rear section only, opened as the Boomerang Theatre. The Council finally constructed a stormwater drain in 1926 which allowed the theatre to finally received its roof. At this stage further cosmetic work, such as lattice work around the proscenium and new curtains featuring the intertwined letters BT was also undertaken. Although the Boomerang could never compete with its inner city counterparts, it was always intended to be grander than the standard suburban theatre. When talking pictures were released in 1927, Fielding was unable to afford the leasing costs of a sound projection plant, so he constructed his own, which worked perfectly for twelve months until he was able to purchase an authentic one. Further alterations and additions were planned in 1933 when the Boomerang was redesigned to compete with neighbouring theatres. Art Deco was the popular style selected by commissioned Brisbane Architect Archibald Tathan Longland. In late 1933, the roof was raised and the Boomerang became one of the first suburban cinemas to boast a dress circle. This work was contracted to H Sanham. Although the dress circle had a ceiling at this stage, it appears that the auditorium did not. It also appears likely that the brick walls replaced the original side and rear corrugated iron walls at this time. In 1935, further work was carried out by contractor S S Carrick. This included a new facade with tiling and poster niches, an entrance vestibule with dressing rooms above, and electric signage on the roof. This sign may have been constructed by Claude Neon, as Fielding was a director of this company. On July 9 1935, the Telegraph featured an article that described and illustrated the new look Boomerang. Further work was tendered for in late 1936. This appears to be the remodelling of the auditorium, which included the boxing in of the trusses and the installation of the existing fretwork panelled ceiling. Brickwork also replaced the side walls with the downpipes running on the inside as the building was situated right on the boundaries. Small changes occurred after this, such as the addition of an extra tier and clock to the front parapet by the late 1930s, and a new boomerang shaped sign by 1947. Fielding was part of an industry that was extremely popular but also highly competitive. Each suburb or locality had its own theatre which advertised specifically in its immediate surroundings. One way of doing this was by advertising on sandwich boards that were carried through the streets. More interestingly, the theatre itself advertised the current feature by being decorated in the style of the film. Patrons would also participate by dressing up as characters from the film. As Fielding's mini theatre empire grew, he advertised more widely, flying box kites he had constructed and decorated himself at the Deshon (now Stones Corner) to promote upcoming features. As the Boomerang became more successful, Fielding was able to expand his business to include Mowbray Park at East Brisbane (established 1915), the Hawthorne at Hawthorne (established c 1921) and the Odeaon at Chardon's Corner, Annerley (established c 1939). This enabled him to have greater influence with the film distribution companies, allowing him to lease many early releases. He also acted as an agent for other independent cinema operators such as the owner of the Star Theatre at Wynnum, Mrs Green and the owner of the Triumph at East Brisbane, Gordon Jones, eventually building up a net work of twelve theatres. The Fielding Cinema chain reached its peak with the opening of the Planet Cinema at Camp Hill in 1957. However, with the invention of the new cinema experience, the Drive In and of television, theatre going became less popular. The Boomerang was eventually sold in 1985, with the bulk of Fielding's theatres being sold in early 1960s. The Boomerang continued to operate as a picture theatre until it was closed in early January, 1995. The building is of rendered masonry and it built to the boundaries in all directions. It has a symmetrical two storey facade that conceals a number of corrugate iron gabled roofs. The parapet is stepped, with horizontal bands to each step. The centre and uppermost step supports a sign which is boomerang shaped with a plaque underneath displaying the intertwined initials BT. The frame of what was once a clock is displayed centrally on the face of this step. The hopper windows beneath the clock have leadlight panels featuring a boomerang pattern. The cantilevered awning is also stepped, with the word Boomerang in the centre step. This is flanked by two lanterns. The street facade below the awning is tiled, but has been painted over. The entry doors are situated centrally and are glass with a timer frame. Another sign, Boomerang Cinema is above the doors with the intertwined initials glass etched on either side. The two side walls have parapets that step upwards to the rear. Timber framed hardboard hopper window shutters are situated within the walls and are of varying sizes. One the northern side are single storey additions to the building. These housed the male toilets and the flicker drome and are not included in the listing. Internally the building has strong Art Deco features including light fittings, leadlight windows and plastered ceilings. the foyer and corridor to the cinema has decorative plaster cornices, Art Deco wall mounted lights and rendered mouldings. At present the building consists of four cinemas, a cafe and foyer. The cafe is on the first floor and was originally the dressing rooms. The doors that connected the dressing rooms to the stage are still in their original position, although the partitions that divided the space are not. The main cinema has a sloped concrete floor. The ceiling is of arched timer trusses that have been boxed in. Perforated panels line the ceiling between the trusses. Diamond shaped light fixtures are centred on alternate collar beam panels. The proscenium still exists at the street end of the building, and features rendered mouldings and the intertwined initials BT at the centre. Various types of theatre seating that has been collected from other theatres is in use, and includes hessian, vinyl and leather seats. The upper and lower dress circle cinemas are behind the main theatre. The foyer to the lower dress circle has a plaster ceiling featuring two boomerangs, the intertwined initials BT and a floral border. The cinema has a coved ceiling with similar detailing and two early fans. It also has a raked concrete floor. The upper dress circle has tiered seating and some of the metal balustrade is still apparent. The ceiling is raked and features ventilation panels. The projection box, which is situated at the rear contains early projection equipment. |History Not Available| |Condition and Integrity| |Demolished September 1995.| |336 Ipswich Road, Annerley.| |Based on information compiled by the Department of Environment and Heritage on the Boomerang and on Brisbane theatres generally.| Report Produced Fri Dec 13 05:38:23 2013

"FRIDAY THE 13TH: DELUXE EDITION DVDs" by Kevin Carr With the remake of “Friday the 13th” tearing through theaters, Paramount has given fans a chance to relive their early days at Camp Crystal Lake. Before you start criticizing the new reimagining, check out the original films again on Deluxe Edition DVDs to see if they are as good (or as bad) as you remember them. Many people may remember “Friday the 13th” as the beginning of the slasher movies, but they forget that “Halloween” came out two years before. In fact, Victor Miller (who wrote the original “Friday the 13th”) is quick to recall that he was approached by Sean S. Cunningham to rip-off “Halloween” because it made so much money. However, what resulted wasn’t just a piece of garbage, as the critics of the day dismissed it. It’s not as brilliant as John Carpenter’s “Halloween,” but the original “Friday the 13th” is a pretty innovative film. it definitely started the slasher train rolling after its release in 1980, and it paved the way for masked killers everywhere (even though true fans know that it didn’t follow the same killer story as its sequels). The “Uncut” version, now available on Deluxe Edition DVD may be unrated with new elements added, but I don’t recall much of a difference from the last time I saw the film in its entirety (which was when I was in college). Still, it’s a fun bit of teen terror, even standing up by today’s standards. What makes the movie work is that the slasher genre hadn’t been set in stone yet, and there are some choices that director Sean S. Cunningham makes in the film that work against type. Not all the deaths are shown on screen, and the use of Harry Manfredini’s haunting theme is the only thing that identifies a kill is on the way. Sure, the acting is bad and the production values are pretty low, which actually works toward the film’s benefit. Without graphic death scenes, a lot (but not all, of course) is left to the imagination. However, when the blood is on the screen, it works in the low-budget context, thanks to gore-meister Tom Savini. “Friday the 13th” will never be remembered as great cinema, but for the fast food culture of the 1980s, it was fun... and it had one of the best one-two punch endings in horror movie history. The new DVD comes with a nice selection of bonus features. In addition to a commentary by director Cunningham and his cast and crew, there is a new documentary with memories of the film as well as a spotlight on Sean S. Cunningham himself. There’s also a “Friday the 13th Reunion” and a new death from the fresh “Lost Tales from Camp Blood” made for the video series. It didn’t take long for “Friday the 13th” to become a legend, and like the “Saw” movies now, the filmmakers planned sequels on an annual basis. The first installment was “Friday the 13th: Part 2,” which gave us the Jason Voorhees killer like we know and love him today. Wearing just a bag over his head (since the hockey mask won’t be introduced until Part III), Jason is a formidable foe but not yet superhuman. The movie opens with Alice (Adrienne King), the last survivor from Crystal Lake, being attacked in her home. She finds Pamela Voorhees’ severed head in her refrigerator, and Jason breaks in to kill her in a vengeful rage. Soon, the film moves back to Crystal Lake, or rather a camp nearby. Some counselors decide to explore the legendary Camp Blood, which puts Jason on their tail so the body count can rack up again. As sequels go, especially to run-of-the-mill fast food cinema, “Friday the 13th: Part 2” is pretty decent. By this movie, which predated the other slasher sequel “Halloween 2” by a few months, the slasher film had already started to become standardized. We find ourselves still in the woods, where Jason would remain before he went to Manhattan, Hell and outer space in later films. In some ways, “Friday the 13th: Part 2” is the movie that “Friday the 13th” could have been, since this is the first time that Jason himself had started killing people. It is the first one to give Jason life beyond a flashback and a dream, and it set the stage for the masked, indestructible killer. Not as good as the original, but still pretty fun, “Friday the 13th: Part 2” serves up more of the same and continued to be fresh enough before its many other sequels got too silly. The new DVD comes with a retrospective of the film called “Inside Crystal Lake Memories” and a spotlight on the many faces of Jason Voorhees as horror conventions. Another horror convention – Fangoria’s Chiller – makes an appearance with four Jason Voorhees featured in a panel discussion. Finally, in addition to the original theatrical trailer, there’s another installment from “Lost Tales from Camp Blood.” By the time “Friday the 13th: Part 3” was to be released, the filmmakers were already looking for something to keep it fresh. The choice this time was the use of 3D images. Released almost entirely in 3D, this slasher film became a spectacle of the cinema house beyond just the continuing story of Jason Voorhees. Click here to read more DVD reviews! Click here to read more movie reviews! Click here to watch films by 7M Pictures! I’d love to see this film re-released in digital 3D to offer a true experience because until DVDs really took over the marketplace, you didn’t have much of a chance to see this film in projected 3D. This Deluxe Edition DVD comes with two sets of 3D glasses, and you can choose to watch the film in 2D or 3D at home. Again, “Friday the 13th: Part 3” covers familiar ground. More counselors come to the woods, and that means more fresh meat for Jason Voorhees. Even though this film was released only two years after the first, it’s pseudo-serious tone has started to change. A bit of goofiness comes out with a biker gang terrorizing the counselors before getting killed by Jason. There’s also the constant practical joker (played by Larry Zerner) who gets on everyone’s nerves. Still, thanks to Zerner’s character, Jason first dons the infamous hockey mask that has become an icon of horror movies. With this film, there’s more sex, more nudity and more creative kills. Jason remains formidable rather than completely immortal, so this film still has the feel of the preceding two. The body count is still manageable (at only a dozen, as opposed to the 20-plus body bags needed for parts six and nine) and still feels like a film from the early 80s, although the big hair and high jeans hint of things to come. The DVD doesn’t come with any bonus features, aside from the theatrical trailer. However, getting a chance to watch the gimmicky 3D effects in this film with the glasses at home is still pretty fun. And if you want to lower the prevalence of the anaglyph double-image, try using both pairs of glasses at once.

|Register Now | Log in| |Home: Now Showing - Constantine Movie Information| Renegade occultist John Constantine, who has literally been to hell and back, teams up with skeptical policewoman Kateline Dodson to solve the mysterious suicide of her twin sister. Their investigation takes them through the world of demons and angels that exist just beneath the landscape of contemporary Los Angeles. Starring Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz, Tilda Swinton, Gavin Rossdale, Djimon Hounsou Running Time - 2:01 Genre - Action Opened in Theaters - Friday, February 18th, 2005 This movie is not currently playing in theaters. Related News Articles and Web Sites Looking for More Information? Search Google for more information about this movie: New Movies - Box Office - Favorite Movies - All Movies Coming Soon - Search |The BigScreen Cinema Guide is a service of SVJ Designs LLC. All graphics, layout, and structure of this service (unless otherwise specified) are Copyright © 1995-2013, SVJ Designs. The BigScreen Cinema Guide is a trademark of SVJ Designs. All rights reserved. 'ACADEMY AWARDS®' and 'OSCAR®' are the registered trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

2 June 2013 Balupu music launch which was held on the night of 1st June at HICC, Novotel is a huge success for it’s content. The theatrical trailer containing judicious mix of entertainment, glamor and action elements has become the talk of the town and with positive blockbuster buzz created in Telugu film industry circles. Here are the highlights of the Balupu music launch – 1. Planning commenced 60 days in advance and the team had 3 trial runs of the event 2. Event flow was conceived keeping in mind both the live audience and the TV/web audience 3. Even the stage anchors and ground anchors participated in the pre-planning in order to ensure that the compering will be high on entertainment quotient. 4. 20 members from the Bhuvaneshwar based Prince Dance Company were asked to prepare a special item of 100 years of Indian Cinema and perform it along with their internationally acclaimed, India Flag act and Dasavathar act. 5. 6 members from the Goa based Yogi's Angels prepared and performed visually spectacular laser shows incorporating both the PVP and Balupu logos. Highlight was the fleet footed dexterity exhibited by the 2 dancers from UKRaine. 6. In an unprecedented move, the entire stage backdrop was filled up with LED screens and these screens and the stunning visuals were controlled by highly acclaimed technicians from Chennai. LED screens added a lot of colour and dazzle and ensured that there was a wow factor on par with International awards nights rather than regular audio launches. 7. One of the striking features was the tribute to 100 years of Indian Cinema. This captured the attention of the audience and also took them on a nostalgic trip down the memory lane. This was a masterstroke that ensured the attention of everyone present 8. With such a significant level of effort being put in by the producers, can the main actors be left behind, No. For the first time ever Ravi Teja and Shruti Hassan performed live on stage along with S S Thaman and this elevated the event to Bollywood and Hollywood standards. 9. The mood of this event was truly captured by all the dignitaries who launched the songs and addressed the gathering, their speeches were short and sweet and laced with liberal doses of humour thereby ensuring the entertainment quotient was heightened. Overall it was a superb evening, very well organized by PVP. The icing on the cake was the trailer which generated a huge buzz. When so much effort and planning went into the audio launch itself, we are sure that PVP has planned and executed Balupu to be a box office Bonanza. Fans and general public are eagerly awaiting the release of Balupu. A well spent/organized 35-lac event has generated great response and TRPs – Shreyas Media Balupu music launch is the 130th film event organized by Shreya Media. Talking to idlebrain.com, Shreyas Media management (G Srinivas Rao, SKN and Suresh) said, “When we were asked to organize the music launch of Balupu, producer PVP wanted us to go to any extent to make this event hugely successful. He wanted us to add the 100 years of Telugu cinema as a theme and wanted us to come up with a dazzling display of visuals. LED screens are the most dazzling display units and we have got the miximum number of LED displays for any of the indoor Telugu film function organized so far. We have used ‘Watchout’ multi-display production and playback LED system for the first time in any Telugu film function (generally this kind of technology was used for national high-profile entertainment functions like Filmfare). Initially we planned for a 40 x 20 feet stage, but PVP has asked us to increase the scale to 60 x 30 feet stage. The TV viewers prefer for infotainment (adding information to entertainment) in film events these days. Our music launch event for Nagarjuna’s Shirdi Sai has got the highest TRP of 2.87 on a TV news channel (it’s easy to get high TRP on entertainment channels, but not on news channels) for it’s infotainment value. The producer has spent over 10 lacs for the performances from two groups who won ‘India Got Talent’ content on Colors TV. We get more response on TV if we have hero getting involved in music launch. Nani’s participation and his anchoring of Paisa music launch has got TV audiences interested. Likewise, the first time performance of an otherwise shy hero Ravi Teja became one of the most talked about things. After organizing a movie event, we do get requests from various channels for content of film event. Our phones haven’t stopped ringing since today morning as all channels want to telecast and highlight Balupu music launch. Only highly successful music launch events generate such response. We are giving an hour of music launch content away so that all TV channels can telecast it in their prime time. The cost of entire event was 35 lacs and the entire amount was well spent for to the quality of event and the craze it has generated”

Measure would be boon for biz CAIRO — Draft legislation is soon to go before parliament that could mean good news for distributors and exhibitors of U.S. and other foreign films — as well as for Egypt’s own ailing film industry.The draft law, drawn up by Egypt’s cabinet, would reduce taxes on cinema tickets from 55% to 10% for foreign films and from 20% to 5% for Egyptian product. Tickets to other entertainment venues would likewise be slashed: from 30% to 5% for opera and ballet performances and from 30% to 10% for legit theater tickets. Such reductions are long overdue, say entertainment industry denizens. For many years the government has viewed cinema and theater as taxation cash cows, and the Draconian levies have put the cost of an evening’s entertainment out of reach for middle-class Egyptians, inevitably hurting showbiz here. For example, out of some 450 cinemas nationwide, only about 150 have been operating full-time — in a country of 62 million people, one that pioneered Middle Eastern filmmaking back in the 1920s and ’30s. About 300 moviehouses are sitting idle — especially in the provinces — because locals cannot afford prices for heavily taxed tickets, and owners in turn cannot afford to shell out money for badly needed renovations and new projection and sound equipment. Fewer cinemas Indeed, outside the major cities of Cairo and Alexandria, there are simply not enough operating cinemas to ensure wide distribution of titles, which, in turn, has had a deleterious effect on Egyptian filmmaking. Some producers have simply thrown in the towel on movies and moved into more lucrative ventures, such as tourism. Last year, only 16 feature films were produced in Egypt — a far cry from the halcyon days of the 1950s and ’60s when the country turned out as many as 100 new titles a year. In addition to the proposal to cut cinema ticket taxes, the government has also issued a decree providing tax holidays to businessmen building new cinemas. Already taking advantage of this incentive is a Cairo-based company called Egypt-Renaissance: It has built two houses in Cairo as well as Egypt’s first multiplex in Alexandria.

This excellent Wilmington festival runs Nov. 11-15, 2009. We'll be there. You can be there, too—as a filmmaker. The festival issued a call for entries, the text of which is after the jump. Call For Entries CUCALORUS FILM FESTIVAL November 11-15, 2009 Wilmington, North Carolina Where spectators and creators collide! Named Top 25 Film Festivals Worth The Entry Fee 2008- MovieMaker Magazine The 15th Annual Cucalorus Film Festival seeks submissions from independent filmmakers and video artists. Cucalorus is a non-competitive showcase of features, shorts and documentaries from around the world. The festival blends together examples of dynamic story-telling and cutting edge production with a sampling of the finest international cinema. Known for its inclusive rock n' roll atmosphere, Cucalorus focuses on the filmmaker with a heavy dose of southern charm. In addition to seeking politically charged and technically groundbreaking works, the festival also appreciates films that highlight southern storytellers or experiences. Walkable and welcoming; Cucalorus invites you to join us for a progressive southern film festival. Attracting filmmakers and artists in large numbers, the festival "is a place where spectators and creators collide, leaving us all just a little more inspired and a lot more aware." Formats: 35mm and various video formats. Cucaloriland accepts films from all genres. All entries on DVD must include entry form, an uncommon animal fact and/or portrait, and fee. The entry fee is $30 if postmarked by June 10, $40 if postmarked by July 10 and $50 if post marked after that. Download an entry form at www.cucalorus.org or submit online using withoutabox.com. And of course, feel free to call our office for more information. Send stuff to: Cucalorus, 815 Princess Street, Wilmington, NC 28401. (910)-343-5995 Questions, notions, and dreams should be emailed to: [email protected] Jengo's Playhouse Screenings! Cucalorus lives inside of the super-stellar micro-cinema Jengo's Playhouse, located in downtown Wilmington, North Carolina. The micro-cinema is home to a host of weekly, monthly and completely random events. Use our standard entry form and send in your film to apply for a screening. Contact our staff for more information about Jengo's Playhouse: [email protected]

If anything is guaranteed, there are always surprises at Comic-Con. And many times, it's the unannounced appearance of a major Hollywood movie star. This year's best kept secret may have arrived on the first day of the convention: "Alice in Wonderland's" The Mad Hatter himself, Johnny Depp. The global superstar has never appeared in public at Comic-Con before and showed up at the end of a "Wonderland" segment featuring director and Depp's longtime collaborator Tim Burton. The crowd roared as Depp walked onstage and the "Pirates of the Caribbean" star appeared to receive a partial standing ovation as camera flashes went off throughout the room. Depp didn't take questions and seemed a bit overwhelmed by the response, but tried to throw the love to Burton as the screams continued. Depp was definitely a surprise as another Disney star, Jim Carrey, had been rumored to be the unexpected participant in the studio's "A Christmas Carol" presentation, but the comedian was nowhere to be found. This was also Burton's first appearance at the con and he previewed footage from "Wonderland" and he talked about working with Depp to define the look of his character, The Mad Hatter. "John and I have worked together many times, but he's never done a characer with orange hair. So, we scalped Carrot Top's and took his hair," Burton jokes. "We picked out every image throughout TV and cinema with red hair and it's quote a disturbing thing." In some sort of historical footnote, Depp and Burton appeared onstage only hours before "Twilight Saga" superstars Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart" and Taylor Lautner, Nicolas Cage (promoting "Kick-Ass") and "Titanic" director James Cameron were expected to grace the Comic-Con faithful with their presence. Friday will find Cameron Diaz and Denzel Washington making their own Comic-Con debuts. Look for continuing Comic-Con news as it happens on HitFix.

H and I have spent the past week going out a lot. To the cinema, mostly. We’ve seen The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (sweet, sentimental, very nearly a cliché (incidentally, I met someone on Friday who pronounced ‘cliché’, ‘clitch’. The hell?), rescued by a very witty script and the most fabulous cast in fabulous land. Also, if you ever want to picture my Dad in a good mood, picture Ronald Pickup. It was uncanny). We’ve seen The Muppets (sweet as ice-cream, the second greatest gift. Also, so very, very funny I pretty much stopped breathing at several points. Highly recommended). I went to see The Woman in Black by myself, as H can’t stand ghost stories, and I’ll give it a solid 6.5 out of 10 (leaping out at the camera and shrieking is a lazy device and overused, Daniel Radcliffe wasn’t half bad, bless him, not a good film to watch if one is distressed at the idea of ghastly things happening to children. Well, obviously we’re all distressed at the idea of ghastly things happening to children. Obviously. But this film is quite gleefully ghastly to small children. Also, death in childbirth, bereaved parents, and a couple of genuinely trouser-soilingly scary moments. On the other hand, didn’t dream about it, didn’t stay up half the night thinking about it, whereas The Orphanage did me in for days). We also managed a concert and a couple of meals out. In the middle of all this rushing about, H’s Grandfather died. We both went to work the next day, and the next day, sorted out leave arrangements for the funeral. And then spent Saturday pole-axed. And Sunday, we went to the cinema again. I think we’re trying to distract ourselves. Too much thinking sucks. The funeral is in a couple of days’ time. My place of work actually gave me compassionate leave to go, which astonished me, as he’s not my own grandfather, and all I was expecting was to be allowed a day out of my leave allowance at short notice. I feel all over the place (can you tell?). Also, my chin is holding an Acne Festival, with some kind of Fringe Festival of blotches going on in the upper lip region. Also, I keep getting sciatica in my right buttock and thigh, and I have a head-ache, and heart-burn, and my period is due on Sunday or Monday, and I’m supposed to be going to another concert with my mother on Sunday, thank you hormones. I know I know. Take the painkillers. Take early, take often. Oh, and then there’s H. Remember his troublesome tummy? The blood-tests all came back negative for, well, everything they tested for, which is good, so the GP is pretty sure it’s IBS, which is not so good, and H is being told to Eat Oats by every website, book and article in the Northern Hemisphere. H! Eat oats! (H’s response, mournfully, ‘I don’t like porridge…’ Have you never heard of muesli? Your Alpine ancestors are queueing up to laugh at you). Anyway, his tummy is behaving a bit better this week, and any day now I shall have nagged him into keeping a food diary.

Are you a fan of In Contention? Sign up to get the latest updates instantly. Earlier this week, Michael Cieply wrote a thorough enough piece at The New York Times explaining what we know, but mostly what we don't know, about the upcoming Oscar telecast. Typically by this time, we have things like stage sketches and quotes from the producers expressing various intents with the annual broadcast by this time. This year? Not so much (though it was announced they'd be yanking the original song performances). In the wake of Ratnergate, perhaps the Academy has felt it better to just keep its head down, push through and get on the other side of things without drawing a lot of attention to the process. But producers Brian Grazer and Don Mischer "have been conspicuously silent on [the show's] themes, challenges and the presumably fresh approach they will take," Cieply writes. Nevertheless, some things are now beginning to bubble up. If you haven't been put to sleep by the annual roll call of presenters yet, this morning's announcement that Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy will be included at least brings with it the promise of some creativity at the podium. Also announced today is a planned performance by Cirque du Soleil, which is really interesting given that the dance troupe's latest show, "Iris," includes a send-up of the Oscars. "The segment...features two of the show's clowns, who act as the slap-happy hosts of an, ahem, unnamed awards show," the LA Times reported in September. "The set features two tacky staircases, a microphone that doesn't work properly, and a huge, gold-painted award (fashioned as a loving cup) that falls apart." According to the Academy's press release announcing the performance at the show, Academy Award-nominated composer Danny Elfman, who scored "Iris," will be contributing music to the segment. "More than 50 international artists from Cirque du Soleil productions around the world will converge in Los Angeles on Oscar Sunday to bring the dynamic showcase to life," it reads. Cirque du Soleil performed once before at the Oscars, in 2002. That appearance yielded discussions that led to the creation of "Iris," which has been performed at the Kodak for the past five months. It's worth noting the subtitle of "Iris," by the way: "A Journey through the World of Cinema." The show is indeed an homage to movies, which is wonderfully befitting of this year's unofficial theme at the multiplex (and certainly dovetails nicely with expected Best Picture winner "The Artist"). With that in mind, Cieply also mentions one of the few comments Grazer has made about the upcoming show, noting that the Kodak Theatre "will be decorated to resemble 'a timeless movie theater,' like the Pantages or other picture palaces of old." You can kind of see things clicking into place, the Oscarcast potentially hopping on the coattails of an inherent thematic thread in many of the year's nominated films, one they can certainly get behind: film appreciation. Maybe we can get a nice reel of clips featuring films that celebrate the same, "Cinema Paradiso," "Adaptation," "8 1/2," "Sullivan's Travels," "Contempt," etc. We'll see how the plans come into place. We're just over a week away from the big show and I just have my fingers crossed for a proper dose of class. As Anne and I discussed in this morning's podcast, the Academy needs to cling to its identity now more than ever, and that identity is currently in danger of being diluted and transformed into something unbecoming. For year-round entertainment news and awards season commentary follow @kristapley on Twitter. Everything: Academy Awards Latest news, photos, reviews, interviews, videos and more.

Nollywood – When Hollywood Comes Calling… The Nollywood grapevine has been abuzz in the last couple of days regarding news that a prominent Nollywood actress, Omoni Oboli, turned down a lead role in a Hollywood movie. Apparently, an American producer approached the Nollywood star about doing a movie in which her character would be featured having sex with three different men and in which she would be expected to be completely nude. According to Nigeria Films, the project, whose producer and name were not disclosed, was budgeted at $40 million and the report suggests that the role would have launched Omoni into international stardom; but would it have…? Let’s take a closer look. Oboli, married and the mother of three children, was offered just $500,000. I say “just” but, whilst this amount would be considered an insult to the average Hollywood Z-lister, it would have made Oboli the highest paid Nollywood star ever (the average star salary being a few thousand dollars per Nollywood production). My feeling is that either the role is being hyped-up by Nollywood reporters, it’s a rumour that’s been put out there by Oboli’s publicity people to boost her profile in Nollywood, or Nollywood media speculators are naively unaware of the uneven playing field in the global arena. Earlier this month Tambay posted an entry on this site (which you can read here), reporting that the “Nigerian film industry (Nollywood) has overtaken Hollywood and closed the gap on India (Bollywood), the global leader in the number of movies produced each year, according to a new United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) report…” Hurray for Nollywood, right? But these figures only relate to the number of productions put out each year, with no mention of revenue. With Nollywood’s heavy reliance on video production, they can be as prolific they feel the need to be. According to the UNESCO survey, in 2006 Bollywood produced 1,091 feature-length films, while Nollywood put out 872 productions – all in video format. The West has certainly been keenly taking note of the rise of Nollywood. Over the last few years, I’ve read various Western media reports covering the rise in popularity of the Nollywood’s output, not just in its home territory, but across the diaspora, particularly where African and Caribbean communities can be found in significant numbers. Back in 2004, The Guardian reported on Nick Moran, star of Guy Richie‘s Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, going to Nigeria to make and star in his own Nollywood film. I never saw the finished product, but it aired on one of BBC’s fringe channels and can probably be dredged up somewhere online. Despite the difficulties faced in getting that project made, fascination with Nollywood still remains, with The Guardian reporting on it again two years later and with reports cropping up from time to time in US press. No doubt, the fascination is with how to tap into such a market, and the caution about doing so is due to lack of regulation of the industry and ability to keep tabs on revenues (pirating of Nollywood films, within and outside of Africa, is rife). But let’s look at the West’s interest in Bollywood in the last year alone. In May 2008, The Times Online reported during last year’s Cannes Film Festival: In June 2008, again from The Times Online: In November last year from Desi Hits, with the headline “Will Smith & Anil Kapoor Talk Bollywood Collab with Aishwarya Ra” wrote: From The Hollywood Reporter, also in November last year, writer Paul Schrader packs his bags for Bollywood: And even the last Bond movie, Quantum of Solace, premiered in India before it was released anywhere else in the world, with MeriNews reporting: And what does Nollywood get by way of “collaboration?” $500,000 for three sex scenes starring a nude Nollywood actress. Of course, money aside (and, no doubt, Hollywood is scratching its head to figure out a secure way to get its share of the Nollywood market), cultural mores must surely come into play. India and Nigeria are both former British colonies of some significance and, with their histories so intertwined, it must be difficult for British filmmakers to view either country with much more than a neo- or post-colonial eye. Stalwarts of the Bollywood industry such as veteran actor, Amitabh Bachchan, were less than thrilled by the portrayal of India by British director, Danny Boyle, the kind of India that is very rarely portrayed in Bollywood films, not even in poor boy meets rich girl scenarios. Before Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire, we were most likely to get a Merchant Ivory view of India from the viewpoint of white colonial ruling class or a culture-clash romance with a white protagonist. It’s only through British directors of Indian heritage like Gurinder Chadha, in movies like Bride and Prejudice, that we in the West get to see Indians as people who aren’t just there to serve as props for white protagonists. While the US doesn’t have these colonial ties to India or Nigeria, it certainly has enough racial baggage of its own to colour its take on these cultures and their prolific film industries. Fortunately for India, however, their isn’t much cultural stereotyping to fall back on in the US; these aren’t native American Indians – they’re Asian. Whilst Asians have certainly played a role in America’s short history, their portrayal in America’s mainstream films has been limited, and American-Asians tend to be from China, Japan, Korea… India is a newer kettle of fish. On Planet Bollywood about four or five years ago, Amy Maharaj Page wondered why the sudden Hollywood interest in Indian film: Hmm… she may have a point. Strong culture and family values are positive stereotypes that are held of Asians in America; and the attractiveness of Asian women has never seemed to be be in dispute in American culture, especially with a white male to for them to fall in thrall to. So, between global economics and endemic racial stereotyping, where does this place Nollywood in the international playing field? Not in a very good place. Whilst Americans of all hues are falling over themselves to collaborate with Bollywood, America’s portrayal of its own black citizens leaves a lot to be desired in terms of fully fleshed out, multi-dimensional characters, something that’s debated constantly on this blog and, to a great extent, the reason that this blog, and other black cinema-related blogs, feel the need to exist. And, of course, the stereotypes of African-Americans is directly related to the those of their forebears. The simplification and implicit inferiority of Africans was key in keeping African slaves in bondage for hundreds of years and still very much informs the view of many Americans, black and white, and non-Africans in general, of Africans today. Strong culture and family values are things that Nigeria has in abundance. However, Nollywood hasn’t exactly helped with regard to the portrayal of the diversity of life experiences in Nigeria among its every day citizens, with much of its output to date being woefully shallow – at best we have heavy-handed Tyler Perryesque moralising, on the other extreme there are gun-toting gangsters, desperate drug dealers, wily scam artists and profligate prostitutes. It’s a constant output of religious righteousness and juju (voodoo), good versus evil, with nary a fully developed storyline or character in sight. I like to think that there is a Nollywood minority seeking to address the issue of prolificacy of output over quality of product but, while wider Nollywood continues to pander to the lowest common denominator in order to make a quick profit, it can’t expect Hollywood, who has also resorted to this formula of late but who also has a cannon of more profound and less crude output in its archives, to come calling with anything amounting to respect or collaboration on an equal footing – and neither should it solicit it, and certainly not just yet. If the Oboli story is true, then I commend her stance and hope that other Nollywood stars take her lead, particularly female stars as, unless Hollywood is looking to provide company for Djimon Honsou, the definitive Hollywood African, there seems little room for male Nollywood actors in Hollywood as, indeed, there has seemed to be very little room for African Americans in American cinema for over a century other than to demean, emasculate or trivialise them and their presence in American history and culture – stars like Denzel Washington and Will Smith notwithstanding. I’ve never seen Oboli in action, but I’m willing to bet that she’s one of the more attractive Nollywood’s female stars (though not quite on the scale of Eurocentric ideas of beauty that African-American actresses tend to have to conform to in order to make it big in their chosen profession), and I wonder if she possesses the kind of acting talent of actresses like Viola Davis, who has a great depth of talent but not the looks that Hollywood seeks. I don’t know whether the three men she’d be having sex with in this “starring” role would be white, black or martian, but it’s clear that her role would have been one in which the hyper-sexuality of African women, whether obligingly (most likely if she’s coupled with white men) or under duress and with undue aggression (quite probable if she’s with black men), would have been portrayed as simply her nature. I look forward to the day that Nollywood can command the same kind of footing that Bollywood can currently boast of, where a mutually collaborative exchange can take place on a more or less equal footing. However, as it stands today, Nollywood is only ripe for exploitation for profit, and the proliferation of stereotypes of African people with which Western audiences can feel comfortable. Nollywood needs to work on diversifying its range and concentrate on stepping up its game with regard to developing both the business and the creative sides of the industry. Of course, $500,000 is still a lot of money to most, so how soon before an attractive, probably single, childless and ambitious Nollywood actress swallows the bait and takes her place in the Z-list of the Hollywood firmament? 14 comments to Nollywood – When Hollywood Comes Calling… View in: Mobile | Standard

As art world VIPs and Twin Cities visitors alike filled the William and Nadine McGuire Theater on the Walker’s opening weekend, the whimsy and “dark intrigue” of the space (as the Los Angeles Times would later say) enchanted audiences, and the response from performers was uniformly enthusiastic (Bill Frisell told me it didn’t feel like a new theater but one that had been “broken in” long ago). But it wasn’t in the triumph of a perfectly executed performance that the magic of this theater became most real for me; it was in a mistake, a moment of humanity witnessed up close by audiences. After Meredith Monk and Theo Bleckmann flawlessly performed three excerpts from Monk’s Facing North to a hushed, reverent crowd, they began their deceptively simple but truly complex vocal work Hocket. A few seconds in, Theo started on a wrong beat and Meredith waved her arms and then faced the audience with a smile: “Hold it. Start over.” Warm laughter flooded the room; rigid shoulders lowered as the relieved audience seemed to settle comfortably into their seats. It was like hanging out with friends in your living room, or being with family and playing music together, or experimenting with something and realizing it was time to start over. The theater had, in a matter of seconds, been transformed from a temple of excellence to the kind of artist-centered, audience-friendly place we’d dreamed of. It was the first of what I’m sure will be many happy accidents, many perfect mistakes that will transpire there in coming years. “History in the making” is an overused cliché, but during those first eight days in the McGuire Theater I couldn’t help but think it true. These performances were indescribable, often emotional, sometimes even spiritual in feeling. Just as I believe the Auditorium (now the Cinema) still carries the memory of Merce Cunningham and John Cage collaborating there in 1972, this new stage is already home for the ghosts of creativity who inaugurated it this past April: Philip Glass sounding the first notes in the space, a series of mesmerizing solo piano Études; Tibetan nun Choying Drolma (who sang with Steve Tibbetts) and Monk witnessing each other’s work live for the first time; Indonesian contemporary dancer Mugiyono Kasido in a riveting, first-ever U.S. appearance; Frisell and lap-steel guitarist Greg Leisz offering a masterfully subtle version of Burt Bacharach’s “What the World Needs Now”; Pakistan’s Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwali giving an ecstatic two-hour performance; and so many others. Just a few days after the opening weekend, 75-year-old Ornette Coleman performed brilliantly with Bang on a Can All-Stars—until 2 am—to conclude a historic three-day festival in his honor. After years of exacting research, consultation and negotiation with acoustic engineers and architects, and precise construction, I had little doubt of the McGuire Theater’s technical capacities. What I didn’t know—but where my hopes were confirmed during this week of diverse and moving performances—was that the space would transcend the technical to become, so quickly, a place with true history and heart.

SEPT 5 Paul Oberst explores the concept of sacred spaces in his new exhibit, “Temples/Locus of Intent,” (which includes “Fury in Babylon” at left) on display beginning tomorrow at the Clifford Gallery at Waterfall Arts on High Street in Belfast. Since 1981, Oberst, a Freedom resident, has been carving, building, painting and printing forms that imitate a temple, or sanctuary of some sort: four sides, a passageway and a chimney structure. Each piece contains text, with words such as “soul,” “spirit” and “shroud” repeated on the exterior and interior, creating the sensation of a glow of color as the words bleed together. Also on display at Waterfall Arts, in the Fallout Shelter Gallery, is “Long Overdue: Book Renewal,” a selection of altered books from the Portland Public Library collection. The exhibit is part of “Renewables,” an altered book project co-sponsored by the Belfast Free Library, Waterfall Arts and the Center for Maine Contemporary Arts. An altered book workshop is set for 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13. Visit www.waterfallarts.org or call 338-2222. As he himself said, “I depict a sacred space that once was, is now, and will always be. My temples are a locus and a passage for the spirit. They grow from a personal connection to what I perceive as sacred and fundamental to all spirituality.” New Film Javier Bardem leapt into the public consciousness as the cold-blooded, freakishly coiffed villain Anton Chigurh in the Coen brothers’ Oscar-winning 2007 film “No Country for Old Men.” We’re not sure if he took his role in Woody Allen’s new movie “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” because he wanted to work with the Woodster or to make sure that people were aware that he’s actually a very handsome guy that doesn’t like to kill people with a bolt gun. Regardless, Bardem steals hearts in “Vicky,” which plays this week at Railroad Square Cinema in Waterville, and in early October at both Reel Pizza Cinerama in Bar Harbor and the Strand Theatre in Rockland. In the movie, two friends on vacation in Barcelona (Scarlett Johansson and Rebecca Hall) encounter a handsome artist (Bardem) who invites them to come back and look at his paintings, figuratively speaking. What no one knows is that his ex-wife (Penelope Cruz) is about to pay an unexpected visit, sending the trio into an uproar. ‘Barcelona’ has been hailed as one of Allen’s finest films in years, mixing comedy, romance and drama into a fun, frothy stew. The film is rated PG-13, and runs daily at Railroad Square Cinemas. For show times, call 873-6526.

DAILY | Antonioni @ 100 Today’s the day, but really, we’ve been marking the centenary all year long. Earlier: Remembering Marcel Hanoun; Hollywood Vs. Cinema; reviews of Leos Carax’s HOLY MOTORS, Christian Petzold‘s BARBARA, PTA’s THE MASTER, Rian Johnson’s LOOPER, Rodney Ascher’s ROOM 237, and more. The fall festivals: New York, Vancouver, Fantastic Fest, Toronto, Venice, and Telluride. See a full list of Daily entries here. “This is the centenary year of Michelangelo Antonioni,” begins the Guardian‘s Peter Bradshaw at the top of his longish, personal overview of the oeuvre, and indeed, despite his central argument—that this “remarkable director has become a bit unfashionable”—many have actually spent much of 2012 marking this 100th anniversary. In March, an international conference, part of a larger event, Homage to Michelangelo Antonioni (1912-2007), was held at NYU, and when, in May, the seven hours of the proceedings went online, Catherine Grant placed the video at the top of one of her amazing roundups. It is very much “a rather fabulous list of links” to “online and openly accessible studies of Antonioni’s work,” and it would take longer than the weekend to exhaust those resources. Still, I do recommend it as a bookmark to return to again and again. Many will remember the shock of July 30, 2007. Ingmar Bergman passed away that morning, and Antonioni followed just hours later. The dual blow sparked a round of rumination on an era of cinema history that had, by then, long passed, an era on our minds again this first weekend of the New York Film Festival, whose 50th anniversary has prompted a few nods here and there to the culture of the early 1960s from which the first edition of the NYFF sprang. I’ve been pleasantly surprised to find that many of the links I gathered that summer of 2007 at GreenCine Daily are still live. Let me point to a few from the first entry on Antonioni (in order of appearance): Glenn Kenny (an entry that followed the excellent “Thirteen Ways of Looking at Ingmar Bergman“), Dennis Cozzalio, Scott Macaulay, A.O. Scott, Dennis Lim, Wim Wenders, Brandon Harris, Steven Shaviro, Peter Steinfels, Tom Sutpen, Richard Corliss, Chris Stangl, Jim Emerson; and from the second entry, posted a week later, J. Hoberman, David Bordwell, and Martin Scorsese. To return to Peter Bradshaw for a moment, he, like most, regards L’Avventura (1960) as the pivotal film in Antonioni’s body of work and, like many, in the evolution of cinema itself. The day it was booed in Cannes is “as pretty much important as the audience riots at the 1913 premiere of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring…. This was movie-modernism’s difficult birth.” Let me refer you again to Robert Koehler‘s marvelous piece on L’Avventura for Sight & Sound. Bradshaw then moves on to the films that followed, and if he leaves you itching for a proper defense of Blow-Up (1966), there are many, of course, but probably none as fun as Peter Labuza and Glenn Kenny‘s discussion of the film from just a couple of months ago. Bradshaw then turns to the films that came before L’Avventura, two of which you can watch here at Fandor. “[I]t is a really thrilling experience to return to the almost-forgotten prehistory of Antonioni, those punchy, cerebral but often highly experimental realist pictures of the 1950s, beginning with the Greeneian, downbeat Story of a Love Affair (1950), about a forbidden relationship rekindled by the snoopings of a private detective. The film precedes by one year the publication of Greene’s The End of the Affair and in its seediness resembles Patrick Hamilton’s Gorse novels, or Gerald Kersh’s Night and the City.” And Il grido (The Cry, 1957) “shows Antonioni beginning to morph into the famous creator of the later movies…. Here is where the existential fume of Antonioni’s work begins to be distilled: from the bones of plot arises the smoke of anxiety, disenchantment, alienation—but also a numbed kind of rapture and release at human helplessness.” Updates: “His fundamental subject,” writes the New Yorker‘s Richard Brody, “is the bourgeoisie and the way that new methods of communication—mainly the mass media, but also the abstractions of high-tech industry, architecture, music, politics, and even fashion—have a feedback effect on the educated, white-collar thinkers who create them. These new ideas have as strong an effect on their creators and implementors as on the world around them, and knocks them off the course of their own lives. Antonioni is also one of the cinema’s great pictorialists—his images reflect, with a cold enticement, the abstractions that fascinated him. That’s why the word most commonly used to describe his view of the modern world—’alienation’—is, rather, a common mistake.” The current issue of Cinemascope (the Italian journal, not Cinema Scope, the Canadian one): “Antonioni and the Mystery of Reality.” Update, 10/7: The Mysteries of Michelangelo Antonioni, “an extensive retrospective of the feature-length and short masterworks,” is on at the Harvard Film Archive through November 18. For news and tips throughout the day every day, follow @KeyframeDaily on Twitter and/or the RSS feed. Get Keyframe Daily in your inbox by signing in at fandor.com/daily. And just for fun, we’re tumbling, too.

Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory |Workers Leaving the Lumiere Factory in Lyon| Screencap from Workers Leaving the Lumiere Factory in Lyon |Directed by||Louis Lumière| |Produced by||Louis Lumière| |Release dates||22 March 1895 (France) 20 February 1896 (UK) 22 March 1970 (Denmark TV premiere) |Running time||46 seconds| Workers Leaving The Lumière Factory in Lyon (French: La Sortie des usines Lumière à Lyon), also known as Employees Leaving the Lumière Factory and Exiting the Factory, is an 1895 French short black-and-white silent documentary film directed and produced by Louis Lumière. It is often referred to as the first real motion picture ever made, although Louis Le Prince's 1888 Roundhay Garden Scene pre-dated it by seven years. The film consists of a single scene in which workers leave the Lumiere factory. The workers are mostly female who exit the large building 25 rue St. Victor, Montplaisir on the outskirts of Lyon, France, as if they had just finished a day's work. Three separate versions of this film exist. There are a number of differences between these, for example the clothing style changes demonstrating the different seasons in which they were filmed. They are often referred to as the "one horse," "two horses," and "no horse" versions, in reference to a horse-drawn carriage that appears in the first two versions (pulled by one horse in the original and two horses in the first remake). This 46-second movie was filmed in Lyon, France, by Louis Lumière. It was filmed by means of the Cinématographe, an all-in-one camera, which also serves as a film projector and developer. This film was shown in 1895 at the Grand Café on the Boulevard des Capucines in Paris, along with nine other short movies. As with all early Lumière movies, this film was made in 35 mm format with an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, and at a speed of 16 frames per second. At that rate, the 17 meters of film length provided a duration of 46 seconds, holding a total of 800 frames. Given its age, this short film is available to freely download from the Internet. It has also featured in a number of film collections including Landmarks of Early Film volume 1 and The Movies Begin – A Treasury of Early Cinema, 1894–1913 The film has been known by a large number of alternative titles in France and the United States over the years since its production including La Sortie des Usines Lumière à Lyon-Montplaisir, Sortie de l’Usine Lumière, La Sortie des Usines, Les ouvriers et ouvrières sortant de l’Usine Lumière, Employees Leaving the Lumière Factory, Leaving the Factory, Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory, Lunch Hour at the Lumière Factory, Dinner Hour at the Factory Gate of M. Lumière at Lyon, Exiting the Factory, La Sortie des ouvriers de l'usine Lumière. - "Lumière". Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2007. Archived from the original on 25 January 2008. Retrieved 2007-03-18. - "Alternative titles". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2007-03-18. - Chardère (1985), p.71,81,107,109. - "Alternative Titles". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2007-03-18. - "La Sortie des Ouvriers de l’Usine Lumière". Silent Era. Archived from the original on 21 October 2006. Retrieved 2007-03-18. - Chardère, B.; Borgé, G. and M. (1985). Les Lumière, Paris: Bibliothèque des Arts. ISBN 2-85047-068-6 (French) - Institut-lumiere.org , an earlier version (in very low definition) at the Institut Lumière. - Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory All 3 versions, on YouTube - YouTube.com, The "two horse" version. - YouTube.com, The "no horse" version. - Workers Leaving the Lumiere Factory at the Internet Movie Database

All of these films weave political commentary into narratives, making bitter protest palatable with the sweet coating of entertainment. The shaggy dog of the three, Greendale is directed (under the pseudonym Bernard Shakey) and filmed by Neil Young using a German Super 8 underwater camera blown up to 35mm. The grainy, low-tech visuals can be amateurish at times but also fleetingly tender and poetic in their evocation of an idealized America of small-town simplicity and verdant farmland. Despite its raggedy aesthetics, the film bristles with the kind of pure, sentiment-tinged horror of a '60s generation surveying the charred and corrupt world around them, defined by corporate greed and chemical tides. Instead of Richard Linklater's roving, cantankerous college hipsters in Slacker, Greendale features the kind of gray-haired, soul-patched but still vibrant hippies who make up communities like Woodstock, N.Y., or in this case, Young's Northern California stomping ground. The hive of the film's action is the Green family's utopian farmhouse, home to three generations of dreamy hippies. In the fictitious Greendale, chickens roam free-range, the front porch is for rocking (both of the Cracker Barrel and concert stage sort) and the Greens' idealistic 18-year-old daughter, Sun Green (Sarah White), spells out an antiwar protest in hay bales arranged on a hillside. Grandpa Green (Ben Keith) has a long gray ponytail, thinks the only good thing on TV is "Leave It to Beaver" and sits on his front porch appealing for a world that could use "a little love and affection." Grandpa's old-timey, peaceable values are contrasted with an encroaching apocalypse symbolized by grandson Jed's (Eric Johnson) murder charge and TV news delivering images of smoke-belching factories and warfare. All of the film's action is taken from Young's Greendale album, with characters lip-synching to the 10 songs in a succession of loosely connected vignettes. The film is freeform and often nonlinear. No clear protagonist emerges until well into the film's midpoint, when ethereal granddaughter Sun becomes an environmental activist in the tradition of real-life forest advocate Julia Butterfly Hill. The acting in Greendale, from Sun to Grandpa to the town's art dealers and police officers, depends on the expressive qualities of its amateur cast. For the most part, performances echo silent cinema's gesticulating and overdone gestures to get points across. Aesthetics are often equally rudimentary. When characters read newspapers, the headlines obviously have been pasted in, and Grandma (Elizabeth Keith) looks wardrobed by a high school drama department, in her crocheted shawl and wire rim granny glasses. It would be easy to dismiss Greendale as amateurishly wrought hippie propaganda (with a fair share of retro hippie gender divides). But there is a moving purity and conviction in its political message. And the grainy, homemade visuals seem well suited to the equally raw and plain style of Young's voice and lyrics, which also seek to throw out pretense in pursuit of a gravely, hard-won truth. As the film churns on and Sun Green grows more vociferous, Greendale's message becomes clear. It is not the aging hippies who should be in charge of this environmental, moral revolution, but the kids who Greendale urges out into the world to continue the fight. Modus Operandi of fbi: drive a person to neuroses, or insanity; set him up for… In the latest 'Emory Looks at Hollywood' episode, Judith Evans Grubbs, Emory Professor of Roman… "In the movies' worst scene..." should be "movie's" --freelance copy editor, available for hire

By Hindustan Times Anurag Kashyap's Gangs of Wasseypur is facing no trouble from the censor board, say the film’s producers. According to a recent report, Anurag refused to comply with the board’s request to put a disclaimer at the beginning of the film stating that it is a fictionalised account. Anurag says, “We researched for the film for a year and a half and 90 per cent of the film is true. But we have fictionalised some bits so that there is no direct reference to anyone living or dead.” Adds Guneet Monga, producer, Anurag Kashyap Films, “We have no censor trouble. They have suggested three voice cuts and two discliamers: one saying Smoking is Injurious to Health and another saying the film is a fictionalised account, both of which we have agreed to. The first part of the five hour film will release on schedule with an A certificate.” The film is about three generations of coal mafia gangs in Wasseypur (Jharkhand) who are obsessed with traditional Hindi cinema. When it went to Cannes, Anurag described it as “a Bollywood-influenced gangster epic, part Western, part documentary.” The film stars Manoj Bajpai, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Richa Chadda, Reema Sen among others.

"Unfaithful" certainly seems like the most restrained of director Adrian Lyne's often-controversial movies, but this is both a positive and a negative. The film stars Richard Gere and Diane Lane as Connie and Edward Summer, a wealthy suburban couple who live in the suburbs outside of New York with their 9-year old kid Charlie (Erik Per Sullivan, the strange younger brother from "Malcolm in the Middle"). On one windy day, Connie takes a stumble in the street and is helped up by a French book dealer named Paul Martel (Olivier Martinez). She goes up to his place for a cup of tea and a band-aid and is on her way - but, a day later, she can't get him out of her mind. Although her marriage to Edward seems relatively happy - or there's nothing to lead one to believe that it's not okay - she figures out a way to talk to Paul once again. A simple conversation turns more heated, and soon the two are in bed together with greater frequency. Edward begins to suspect that something is amatter, but he has nothing to go on but his wife's suspicious moods and a few minor lies. He hires a private investigator to trail his wife and eventually, the investigator uncovers what Edward has suspected all along. Up until this point, "Unfaithful" proceeds along a fairly predictable path, but the later portion of the film does hold some unexpected events. As noted, "Unfaithful" is certainly less intense than most of director Lyne's pictures. While this sometimes made the pace of the film slightly slow going and less tense, it also made the film's events feel a bit more realistic. Gere's performance also starts off a little too quietly, failing to register until later in the film. Lane is certainly the one that does most of the work in the picture and she successfully carries much of it. She manages to portray the character in a way that somehow makes her still seem at least somewhat sympathetic, while strongly portraying her character's feelings about the consequences of her actions. I didn't always find "Unfaithful" entirely involving, but the film's performances (espeically Diane Lane, who's terrific) and fine screenplay (an adaptation of "La Femme Infidele" by Alvin Sargent and "Cast Away"'s William Broyles, Jr) made for interesting enough viewing. VIDEO: Fox presents "Unfaithful" in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen on this release. This is a very enjoyable transfer; while it's not perfect, it's still a fine representation of what the apparent intent of the visual style of the film was. Sharpness and detail are generally very good, but are a little inconsistent due to the photography. Peter Biziou ("The Truman Show")'s cinematography often captures scenes with a mildly soft focus, leading to an image that's often crisp, but fine detail is only infrequently apparent. Some minor faults are occasionally visible, but nothing too serious. Some minor artifacts were spotted at a few points, as were a speck or two on the print used. However, I noticed nothing in the way of edge enhancement and no other issues were seen. The film's fairly earthy and low-key color palette generally came across quite well. Aside from a few minor moments where some of the darker colors looked very slightly muddy, they displayed no concerns. Black level was generally solid, while flesh tones were accurate and natural. A very nice transfer, but it falls a couple of steps short. Note: Make sure that you look for the widescreen edition of this title (there is also a pan & scan edition). The widescreen edition has "Widescreen Special Edition" in a gold band across the top of the back cover, as well as a small logo at the bottom, along with all the other audio/video details. SOUND: "Unfaithful" is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 by Fox. As one would likely expect, this is not a particularly active soundtrack. While additional ambience in the outdoor scenes would have been appreciate, there seemed to be little need for anything else in the rear speakers during this dialogue-driven picture. Surround use is pretty rare - aside from some minor music reinforcement and a couple of almost unnoticable sounds, there's little for the rear speakers to do. Audio quality is enjoyable, as dialogue remained crisp and clear throughout, as did the score. Nothing much to discuss here, but perfectly satisfactory. Commentaries: There are two commentaries presented on this DVD. The first DVD is a full-length audio commentary from director Adrian Lyne, while the second track is a scene-specific effort from actress Diane Lane and actor Oliver Martinez, who have been recorded separately. Lyne's commentary here is more interesting than the uneven tracks that he recorded for the recent special editions of his older films that came out on DVD recently. Lyne talks in great detail about the inspirations that went into this picture, especially from French cinema. I also enjoyed the director's discussion of how he saw the characters and how he thought best to present this tale. While there is a lot of discussion about the story and analysis of the performances, Lyne eventually begins to discuss some of the technical details of the production, too. Last, but not least, there's not as many spaces of silence on this track as some of Lyne's prior ones. While some actors commentaries - aside from the party atmosphere that is present on the commentaries for most comedies - aren't particularly good, this one certainly was a bit better than I'd expected. Lane does most of the talking, showing a surprisingly good sense of humor about some of the things that she had to go through during the production, while mixing that up with some very enjoyable insights into the character and the story. Martinez also talks about how he got into the character and what it was like to work with Lane. It's not a full-length track, but there is a "play all" option so that the movie jumps ahead to where the actors are speaking next. Anne Coates on Editing: The famed editor ("Lawrence of Arabia", "Out of Sight") discusses her opinions on cutting a scene and also points out her concepts on how she constructed some scenes in "Unfaithful". This interesting featurette lasts about 8 minutes. Deleted Scenes: 11 deleted scenes are presented, with an audio introduction from director Adrian Lyne and audio commentary for each of the scenes. An Affair to Remember: This is a 15-minute featurette that seems to be something made more for the DVD than a promotional featurette made prior. Again, Lyne discusses how he approached the story and characters, while also talking about some of the stories from the set. Gere and Lane also discuss their roles, actually offering some fun tidbits, information and insight instead of simply talking about the story. Charlie Rose Interview: This nearly 19 minute piece is probably the most fun of the supplements, as although it covers the same ground that's been covered elsewhere, the two stars, Rose and director Lyne have fun chatting about the movie and make some good jokes at each other's expense. Good stuff. Also: Interviews with Lane, Gere and Martinez; "Unfaithful"'s theatrical trailer (which I still think is a bit more dramatic and captures something that the movie doesn't) as well as the teaser trailer for "Daredevil" and the full trailer for "Dancer Upstairs". Last, but not least, there is a stills gallery of director Lyne's script notes. Final Thoughts: "Unfaithful" wasn't without some flaws, but Diane Lane's superb performance did carry my interest. Fox's DVD edition is quite enjoyable, as it provides solid audio/video quality along with a lot of informative and entertaining supplements. Recommended. The Film ***

Movie nights with your girlfriend—it doesn’t get much less exciting than that. Well, unless the female half of the relationship appreciates a killer horror flick or testosterone-heavy action show as much as the next beer-chugging dude. In most cases, though, the ladies in our lives only suggest “date night at the cinema” when the newest Channing Tatum and/or Robert Pattinson movie opens, usually based on Nicholas Sparks bores or some other piece of excruciating young adult literature. You know, the romantic stories that instantly leave her asking you, “Why can’t you be more like that?” Because you’re actions and dialogue aren’t written by hack screenwriters, obviously. This weekend, however, one of those rare, truly effective cinematic love stories opens in limited release, the Sundance Film Festival sensation Like Crazy, and it’s one of the best date movies you’re likely to see any time soon. Directed and co-written independent filmmaker Drake Doremus, Like Crazy follows two college students—played by Anton Yelchin and the excellent English newcomer Felicity Jones—who struggle through a painful yet love-powered long distance relationship after customs officials prevent her from returning stateside, due to a visa violation. Through believably heartfelt and raw performances, as well as Doremus’ unconventional pacing and focus on smaller details (i.e., drunk-dialing, unwarranted jealousy) over broader sexual strokes, Like Crazy treats love’s ups and downs with tangible sincerity. Complex recently chatted with Doremus about Like Crazy’s anti-Hollywood approach, how tequila refills helped the casting process, and why sex scenes are overrated. Interview by Matt Barone (@MBarone) Complex: Full sensitive-man disclosure: After seeing Like Crazy, I immediately wished I could find the right girl and fall in love. And I’m not sure why I’m admitting this to you right now. Drake Doremus: [Laughs.] Exactly, man. That’s exactly what I want people to feel. I’m a crazy, crazy romantic, so I feel like the character of Anna [Felicity Jones] is, in a lot of ways, my perfect woman. She’s my fairy tale idea of the perfect woman, and the relationship, or at least what they have, is sort of a fairy tale of mine, too. It’s relationship utopia, if you will. What’s so interesting about the response I had is that most of the film centers on the hardships and stresses of love, not as much the blissfulness. Yeah, totally. That was the goal, to try to make something that’s totally honest, and not try to cover anything up or sugarcoat anything. Just do it as honestly from my perspective as I possibly could. It was difficult, actually. It was a very hard movie to make—a very sad, difficult, and emotional process, but I think, by virtue of putting so much of myself into the movie, that’s why it resonates so much with people. It’s honest, and I’m not trying to do anything other than say how I feel. Did the difficulty come from having to pull from some painful real-life experiences? Yeah, I think that, and reliving feelings. Myself, Anton, Felicity, and my co-writer Ben [York Jones], we all really put a lot of our past feelings into the project. We wanted to go somewhere where it hurt in order to make something that’s really authentic, so we did go somewhere where it hurts. Often. Have you always been such a big fan of romantic films? Yeah, man. It seems like I’m always gravitating towards more romantic stories, and I’m just compelled to try to find fresh and unique takes on such an age-old style of filmmaking. I think I’m just obsessed with love, to be honest, and it’s an unhealthy obsession. The only way I can work it out is to work it out in my movies. I’m obsessed with having it, finding it, holding it, maintaining it, losing, growing it—every facet of love. Every aspect of it is something in my life that I find to be fascinating. I can’t totally figure out why I’m so obsessed with it, so I guess, in a way, the movie is my way of working out my own feelings and what I’m going through. Going into Like Crazy, Eternal Sunshine [Of The Spotless Mind] was a really inspiring movie to me; A Place In The Sun, from 1951, with Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor, I think is one of the best love stories ever told. Even the darker side of love appeals to me, films like Breaking The Waves and Punch-Drunk Love. So many great romances over the years have inspired me. Like Crazy focuses on the younger side of love, something that’s usually handled in a pandering, CW-cast way by Hollywood. Did you have that “the kids need their own great love story” feeling in mind while writing the script? Absolutely. If anything, I’ve been more inspired by the romantic films I feel have failed to capture anything that’s authentic in the last couple of years. There are a lot of movies, like you said, that I feel do pander and do sort of go for style over substance. They cast it off of what looks good on paper instead of finding who will genuinely resonate with audiences. I really wanted to try to get that right; I really wanted to create a chemistry on screen that would go beyond the cinema, make you think about the movie, and touch your heart.

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Hahahahaha @ the pic. Yes kev agreed that politicians can be.... **** ( no offense to Benson and Hedges). As most of them either A. Don't drive, B. too busy finding ways to claim rent for houses they have not even seen in years or C. Going to one on one tutorials with professionals who teach them to lie... like **** ( again no offense to British American Tobacco). In fairness it was his constituents who were complaining and so he has to be seen to be doing something. In which case the *** ( apologies to Imperial Tobacco) should be lobbying to try and build a Night Track instead of an extra runway. One where Londoners and others further afield can gather and have either track sessions and Santa pod style drags all in a safe and professionally hosted area, which also has facilities for London and maybe UK's only drive in cinema and late night Ice cream parlor. Where the youth of today can gather and socialise, and where other motorsport brands can have garages to showcase their products and work with young people to develop skills and offer apprenticeships. Thus combined with the push in facilities in Olympics could really put London at the for front for sports and motorsports. But hey everyone can dream I guess....

Galician is the language spoken in the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula. It is an official language within the Spanish state together with Catalan, Basque and Spanish. Studying Galician is easy: It is approachable for students learning other romance languages, for complete beginners and for those who have not studied a language before but want to give it a go. It is useful: did you know that Galician and Portuguese were born as the same language in the same kingdom? Therefore with Galician you can communicate both with Portuguese speakers and with Spanish speakers around the world. Doing research on a topic related to Galician language or culture (cinema, theatre, literature, music, food, wine...) can be very good for your CV. There are many areas that have not been studied in England, Wales or Scotland so you could become an expert on one area of your choice. You can learn about a fascinating culture: did you know that Galicia is a Celtic nation and has one of the most popular Celtic Festivals in the world? ... we preserve millions of ancient festas and festivals and that our traditional food is fantastic ...we have a beautiful landscape and amazing beaches, interesting literature and good musicians. Galician people are said to be very welcoming and funny. If you want to learn about all this and much more in a relaxed and amusing atmosphere, start learning Galician, you will not regret it.

3D could be coming to a sitting-room near you, provided you have some serious cash to splash, of course. Sony, the Japanese electronics giant, hopes to build on the momentum that will see more than 40 3D films released over the next two years, from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows to Steven Spielberg's Tintin, as well as a slew of Marvel spin-offs such as Thor and Captain America, with the launch of the first high-definition 3D home projector. The move is part of the scramble by electronics companies to grab a share of the hundreds of millions of pounds that Britons are set to spend on all things 3D in the next few years. As well as televisions, the format already extends to games consoles, cameras and even home camcorders. And Sony Pictures has a 3D training centre in Hollywood, where a team of staff are training film directors in how to film in 3D. The Japanese company plans to unveil its home projector, which will use the same SXRD (Silicon X-tal Reflective Display) technology employed in cinemas, later this year. The launch is part of Sony's drive to exploit the fact that it also happens to make many of the blockbuster films that are driving the 3D phenomenon. Sony is coy about the details, but it is understood that the new projector will be the first to recreate the experience of a 3D cinema in your living room. The downside is that it will cost thousands of pounds, putting it firmly into the realms of rich gadgetphiles and professional footballers looking for ways to spend their multimillion-pound paychecks. In a recent statement, the company said: "We will shortly be announcing the next stage in 3D technology for the home in the form of our 3D home cinema projector ... and are confident that this new introduction will excite customers who demand the ultimate 3D living-room experience." Tom Morrod, senior analyst for TV and broadcast technology at Screen Digest Ltd, said: "They are a great example of a company looking to exploit 3D. They have a film studio, they make content, they make the cameras, they sell the cameras to broadcasters and they make and sell the TV's to consumers. They'll sell everything in order to make the entire 3D ecosystem work." Yet it is in the shape of televisions, rather than projectors, that 3D is set to make its biggest impact. Industry experts predict 3D TVs will be in almost a quarter of all British homes by 2014. More than 210,000 sets will be sold this year – a tiny fraction of the 10 million sets that will be bought. But this is expected to rise to almost four million in 2014, when they will account for more than 40 per cent of all TV sales. Ironically, the principles of 3D are decidedly old technology. Stereoscopy, the proper name for 3D, was invented by English physicist Sir Charles Wheatstone in 1838. The format suffered a series of false dawns, most notably in the 1950s with a series of seriously bad B-movies watched through cardboard green and red glasses. The anaglyph system used at that time was clumsy and difficult for the brain to process, leading to headaches and eyestrain. But the rise of digital technology has enabled more sophisticated forms of 3D which are gentler on the eye, helping the format finally to match critical, as well as commercial, expectations in the cinema. Despite the advances, it remains a moot point as to whether homeowners actually want to recreate the 3D cinematic experience. Kieran Alger, editor of the gadget magazine T3, said: "I'm not sure the demand for 3D TV is there right now. Films like Avatar certainly reignited interest in 3D's potential, and demonstrated how much it's moved on from the cardboard glasses of the past. But it doesn't feel like that has translated into people seeing a benefit of 3D in the home." Despite the launch of Sky's 3D channel in October, which will feature football, golf and a dinosaur film fronted by Sir David Attenborough, there remains a serious shortage of 3D content. "One of the big problems the manufacturers need to address is the availability of content. Sony has really gone to town on this, pushing their lens-to-lounge approach, putting 3D technology in the hands of creative types and getting 3D-ready TVs into people's homes. But it will be a while before we see the benefits of that education at the content-creation end coming through to content delivery," Mr Alger said. In terms of the impact all this will have on people watching television, Gerard Gilbert, TV critic for The Independent, is unconvinced. "My personal view is that it doesn't really make a lot of difference... on the whole it's a gimmick and it can be intrusive. I mean, you can use it in action films, very basic spectaculars, but at the end of the day, if we're talking about drama and comedy, what you're looking for is quality in the writing and acting." And Michael Briggs, the TV expert at Which?, said: "A 3D TV in your living room is a long way off from the immersive 3D experience you get at the cinema, and with the current dearth of 3D content available to watch, it has to be seen as a bolt-on feature of a regular TV – and an expensive one at that. "Over the coming years, however, we can expect the amount of 3D content available to grow rapidly and the price to fall. At present, watching 3D TV at home with the heavy, active shutter glasses is a little too much like hard work."

'We went in with a cinematic responsibility to a dying culture," Wolf says. 'Cajuns haven't been properly represented in cinema. Either they're not represented, or they're misrepresented or made fun of. We didn't know while we were shooting that we were making history, a piece of living history. ... It went from a cinematic responsibility to a moral obligation to these people." 'They're fighters," Johnson says of the many area residents who assisted with production and subsequently were left homeless by Rita. 'As with [New Orleans residents], a lot of them evacuated to Houston and never came back. ... They have been neglected. They have no media spotlight on them at all " people don't even know they exist. We're hoping this film will help with that." Early feedback has been very positive. Little Chenier is widely being hailed as a definitive work, the finest film representation of slow, simple life in south Louisiana since 1986's Belizaire the Cajun. The picture has been championed on the festival circuit, where it has received awards for acting (recognizing Frederick Koehler's uncanny portrayal of the mentally handicapped Pemon Dupuis), for direction and, at the Phoenix Film Festival, for Best Picture of 2007. 'Before we wrote it," Wolf says, 'we wondered, "How do we educate people about Cajun culture without hitting them over the head with it?' We wanted to create a beautiful fictional story, yet have the culture permeate through it." 'Bethany and I, both being from [Lake Charles, La.], we didn't want to be embarrassed by it," Johnson adds. 'You watch Louisiana films and it's like, "That's not how you eat a crawfish.' [The characters] are fishermen, so I wanted them to be able to cast an open-face reel, not some Snoopy pole." The cast, which includes veteran actors " but nonLouisianans " Johnathon Schaech (That Thing You Do!), Clifton Collins Jr. (Capote) and Koehler (Domino), had its hands full while acclimating. Familiar regional challenges like triple-digit temperatures, Jurassic mosquitoes, storm evacuations and the task of filming half the picture on water hindered the six-week summertime shoot. But at times, says Koehler, a native of New York, the boot-camp conditions also helped. 'The unseen character is the bayou," he says. 'When it's 110 degrees and 99 percent humidity, you can't ignore it for long. And when it's that present in the script, it really does help. If we were out on the boat acting like it was hot and it was really 72 degrees, it would've been much harder." The accents provided a different kind of challenge. Determined to avoid another Dennis Quaid-in-The Big Easy debacle, Wolf and Johnson hired Bernelle Ezelle, their high school linguistics teacher, to tutor the actors in the curled colloquialisms of Cajun French. 'We had a lot of locals there, and if Bernelle wasn't around, it was easy just to hang out with them and talk and pick it up," Collins says. 'That was fun, to be a part of their community, a part of their culture." Wolf, whose family founded a charity called Rita Remembered to assist those who lost their homes to the storm, hopes Little Chenier has the same effect on larger audiences. 'That's the most beautiful thing across the country " or internationally, sitting in a London theater " with that end shot. You can say it all you want, but when you actually see it, it speaks volumes."

New York is a shopper’s paradise, but in the weeks before Christmas when the consumerist fever becomes a distinguishing feature of the Big Apple. Credit cards, thousands of people crowding the streets and malls, turn the city into a real bustle of commercial activity. Photography by _rockinfree The variety is one of the best qualities in New York, not only can you buy a lot, but all brands, styles and prices have a place in the city of skyscrapers, even they say that you can not find in New York is that does not exist. Another advantage is that the dollar is below the euro and for those traveling from Europe not only can get real bargains, but also it is cheaper to change. Do not forget that the prices must be added 8% (approximately) in taxes, although in some periods, between July and August and before Christmas, rates rise in clothing. In each neighborhood you can clearly identify a style, if Chelsea has a reputation for cool, East Village has an air of bohemian or Fifth Avenue concentrate the best designers, is at the mall by Macy’s or Bloomingdale’s where you can got real bargains they even advertised in newspapers. Photography by bgilliard On the island of Manhattan are concentrated some malls like South Street Seaport, near the East River pier. Another popular shopping center is the Manhattan Mall in front near the Empire State Macy’ay on Sixth Street and Avenida 33. For more exclusive, it is also interesting to Trump Towers, at 725 Fifth Avenue. In the Times Square area are concentrated many stores for tourists and it is advisable to avoid them, because they are characterized by low product quality. To not repent then it is better to explore the less touristy areas and buy where they do the real New Yorkers. Shopping as a movie star: The fame of glamorous New York has been created through movies and series like Sex in The City, although not exactly fit the daily reality of the city, because in general, women prefer the Big Apple more comfortable clothes, if it is true that they have their little plot and if anyone wants to be a treat in a big way, there are personal shoppers who can advise on styles that best fit your figure. But as not all shopping, if you stay at a hotel in New York you can not miss the cultural activity in museums and art galleries, or stop tour some of the most filmed in cinema history. This is a good guide to New York to plan your stay. Photography by Phillie Casablanca

Of the original film, directed by the late Daniel Mann, it was possible to write: "No wonder 'Willard' has been called the sleeper of the summer season: One could not ask for a more satisfying yet less pretentious hot-weather suspense-horror entertainment." It's a description that could never be applied to the new "Willard," which has taken the original's humanity and the psychological validity, leavened with a dollop of dark humor, and replaced them with a technically impressive but essentially heartless spoof. The first Willard, Bruce Davison, was a hapless young man of normal appearance who was easy to root for when he discovered that he could exact revenge on his tormentors via an army of rats plaguing his seedy family mansion. Their leader was a highly intelligent rodent named Ben, who acted at Willard's command. The new Willard is Crispin Glover, a gifted, high-intensity actor whose handsome but distinctive sharp features easily photograph as weird or dangerous. In an instant this Willard reads as a crazy with no place to go but crazier. (In a nod to the original film, Willard's late father is seen in an oil painting of Davison.) The plots of the two films are virtually identical. Willard lives in a gloomy, decaying mansion with his awful, ailing mother (Jackie Burroughs), who is alternately belittling and possessive. Willard works at a dreary factory in a menial office job, where he is terrorized and humiliated by his boss (R. Lee Ermey, just as effectively crude and ruthless as Ernest Borgnine was in the original), who had destroyed his partner, Willard's late father. Office temp Cathryn (Laura Elena Harring) offers Willard kindness, but Cathryn's well-meaning dimness is played for laughs. Willard's mother in the original, Elsa Lanchester, was able to show some humanity in her unsympathetic character, but Burroughs registers only as a hateful, wraith-like witch; it is impossible to believe her son could ever have had love for her. The key plot change is that the new Willard has discovered that it is a white rat, whom he names Socrates, with whom he can communicate. Socrates becomes Willard's only friend and can lead the pack, but his commanding officer is the now-ferocious, rabbit-sized and independent Ben. (Amusingly, the theme song, "Ben," heard in the sequel to the original "Willard" and sung by Michael Jackson was a paean to friendship, but here it's used to ironic effect.) In press materials Glover alluded to "Hamlet" and Freud, and Morgan to Hitchcock, but this "Willard" does not invite such considerations of complexity and pathos. For all its pretense, it's just another energetic, atmospheric horror-comedy designed for mall cinemas before moving on to a video afterlife. MPAA rating: PG-13 for terror, violence, some sexual content and language. Times guidelines: Too intense for the very young. R. Lee Ermey...Mr. Martin Laura Elena Harring...Cathryn Jackie Burroughs...Mrs. Stiles A New Line Cinema presentation of a Hard Eight Pictures production. Writer-director Glen Morgan. Based on a screenplay by Gilbert Ralston and the book "Ratman's Notebooks" by Stephen Gilbert. Producers James Wong, Glen Morgan. Executive producers Bill Carraro, Toby Emmerich, Richard Brener. Cinematographer Robert McLachlan. Editor James Coblentz. Music Shirley Walker. Costumes Gregory Mah. Production designer Mark Freeborn. Art director Catherine Ircha. Set decorator Mark Lane. Running time: 1 hour, 40 minutes. In general release.

BATMAN and Harry Potter head the list of movies, TV, music and fashions that are going to be trend-setters this year. LAST year was when fashion looked back with Seventies-style maxi dresses and Eighties leggings ruling the high street. In the cinema,it was also back to the future with sequels such as Ocean's 13 and SpiderMan 3 filling the seats. In music, Leona Lewis proved pop wasn't dead but Arctic Monkeys and The Enemy banged the drum for indie and rock. So what of 2008? What will be watching, wearing and listening to? Here,is the best of the TV, films, fashion and music to look forward to. INDIANA JONES & THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL IS Harrison Ford too long in the tooth for the role? No doubt the script will poke fun at his age and Shia LaBeouf is on hand to give the film some youth. With Steven Spielberg behind the camera, it's bound to be the biggest hit of the summer. HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE Everyone knows how Harry Potter's saga ends, so it remains to be seen whether or not fever still runs high over the boy wizard's screen adventures. In November, we will see Harry discovering a handy potions book. Rumour has it that James Bond picks up the action mere minutes after the end of Casino Royale in his as-yet-unnamed 22nd outing. French actor Mathieu Amalric will face-off against Daniel Craig in November. Comic book heroes can't keep away from the big screen. Heath Ledger's psychotic Joker goes up against Christian Bale's moody Batman in July. ASHES TO ASHES, BBC1 Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister) is back in the Eighties sequel to the cop show Life On Mars. ROCK RIVALS, ITV Based around an X Factor-style talent show with Michelle Collins and Sean Gallagher playing the judges. Anything starring Sarah Parish is going to be good. Here she plays a doctor at the centre of four friends behaving badly. ECHO BEACH AND MOVING WALLPAPER, ITV A show within a show. Martine McCutcheon and Jason Donovan star. Out this month. BIONIC WOMAN, ITV 2 Ex-EastEnder Michelle Ryan is Jaime Sommers in this updated version of the Lindsay Wagner show next month. AN American monster movie first publicised in advance screenings of Transformers, it is out in the US later this month. Apart from mysterious trailers last July, its publicity has been via the internet so is a bit of an unknown quantity. The hotly tipped Glasgow band, fronted by James Allan, release their single It's My Own Cheating Heart That Makes MeCry on February 14. Former Creation Records boss Alan McGee, who discovered Oasis at Glasgow's King Tut's, said: "They're probably the best Glasgow band I've seen in about 20 years." THE TING TINGS An opening slot on the Shockwaves NME tour, previously occupied by Kaiser Chiefs, Coldplay and Franz Ferdinand, could help this highly rated band break through in 2008. A new single, What Took You So Long?, is released this month and could be the song that sets this Manchester band on the road to success. Led by Liam Fray, The Courteeners are finishing off their debut album. ONE NIGHT ONLY Legendary producer Steve Lillywhite helmed debut album Started A Fire for these school pals who have been compared to Oasis. The single, Just For Tonight, is tipped to be a 2008 anthem. Hailed as one of 2008's most exciting talents and tipped to bag the Brit Awards Critic's Choice, singer Adele was on Jools Holland and worked with Mark Ronson. Yes, they are still here and, just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, they are going to be yellow. The general rule is if you are old enough to remember them, avoid them now. Another 2007 style that is hanging around. Best reserved for balmy evenings on holidays abroad and for the long legged. FUSCHIA AND CORAL COLOURS Be bold and brave with your colours this year. Fuschia and coral were big on the catwalk previews of spring summer 2008. According to the fashion oracle that is Vogue.com, ruffs are a must for this year so it's back to the Elizabethan era. They featured on the catwalks of designers from Stella McCartney to Roberto Cavalli, so will no doubt make their way to the high street in time for spring.

The Japanese Science-Fiction and Monster Weekend will be held from July 14th through the 17th at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. The weekend will feature a new 35 mm print of the original Japanese version of GODZILLA and the U.S. theatrical premieres of MAKARAGA: MOON OVER TAO, ULTRAMAN TIGA: THE FINAL ODYSSEY, RING, and REBIRTH OF MOTHRA. The movies are presented in association with G-FEST 2000. Beware, Los Angeles — your sunny hills and strip malls are about to be invaded by hordes of gigantic, radioactive lizards, 3-headed dragons and space moths! For three days, the Egyptian plays host to some of the most famous monsters in Japanese cinema – including Godzilla (and son), Ultraman, Mothra, and King Ghidorah — along with rare U.S. appearances by some of the main creative talents behind these legendary creatures, including director Keita Amemiya (MAKARAGA: MOON OVER TAO), actress Megumi Odaka (GODZILLA VS. DESTOROYAH), producer Kiyoshi Suzuki (ULTRAMAN TIGA: THE FINAL ODYSSEY), suitmation actor Haruo Nakajima (GODZILLA), and visual effects directors Sadamasa Arikawa (GODZILLA) and Koichi Kawakita (GODZILLA VS. DESTOROYAH). The series coincides with the annual G-FEST Convention for Godzilla and Japanese monster fans, which features seminars, special guest appearances, dealers’ rooms and more. G-FEST 2000 will be held this year at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. For more information call: (614) 470-0108, e-mail to [ g-fest@neptune media.com ] , or check out the website at [ www.g-fan.com ]. Please note that G-FEST attendees receive a $2.00/per ticket discount for screenings during this series (limit one ticket per screening.) You must present your G-FEST badge at the Egyptian to receive this discount. Posted on July 5, 2000 in News by Film Threat Staff If you liked this article then you may also like the following Film Threat articles: - “GODZILLA X MEGAGUIRUS” MEDIA BLITZ IN TOKYO - CELEBRATE GODZILLA’S 50TH AT THE EGYPTIAN - “GODZILLA FINAL WARS” TO FLATTEN LOS ANGELES - CELEBRATE “GOJIRA,” WIN A TRIP TO JAPAN - GODZILLA: FINAL WARS Popular Stories from Around the Web

The Awakening continues the time honoured tradition of the haunted house movie, one that takes itself extremely seriously. Evoking other 21st century horrors such as The Others, The Orphanage and The Devil’s Backbone, for the most part this is a perfectly enjoyable ghost story only let down by a groan-inducing deadweight of an ending. Florence Cathcart (Rebecca Hall) is an author and sceptic of all things supernatural, making a living exposing people who make others believe that ghosts exist. One day she is asked by Robert Mallory (Dominic West) to come to the boy’s prep school where he works in order to investigate the alleged appearances of a ghost child which is terrorising the school’s children. As his feature debut director Nick Murphy has made a classy, stately horror movie that gets most of its scares from eerie silences, shadowy rooms, creaking floorboards and a general suggestion of what might be there lurking rather than resorting to crass jump scares for the sake of it. That’s not to say there isn’t a healthy dose of the letter but that comes as a result of the expertly crafted build-up. This is all helped by the minimalist score by Daniel Pemberton – making use of sparse piano and piercing violins but bursting into shrieking life when needed – and the elegant, almost washed-out cinematography by Eduard Grau. The performances are all very good including Dominic West and the always dependable Imelda Staunton. But it’s Rebecca Hall as the sceptical Florence that really stands out; it’s truly fantastic to see her get a meaty leading role to sink her teeth into when up until now she’s only really had the chance to shine in supporting roles with the likes of The Town, Vicky Christina Barcelona, The Prestige and Frost/Nixon. It’s always great to see such a talented actress get her due. So with it doing so much right what stops The Awakening from being truly great cinema? Two words: the ending. Just when you’ve been led to believe that this film is going to shy away from the cliches of a lot of these types of horrors, the ending comes along and throws a spanner in the works. It’s not exactly a spoiler to say there is a twist to the story, indeed more than meets the eye, but it’s not only the idea of what the twist is itself that’s irritating but the way it handled feels really clunky and fails to offer any sort of satisfying resolution because its attention is firmly on trying to shock you. The fact that the film was so solid up until that point makes the turning point all the more frustrating. What is an otherwise subtle, quietly effective are-they-real-are-they-not ghost story is weighed down by a trite, contrived twist ending. There’s still enough there to make it a worthwhile watch but it’s unfortunately not the great film it had the potential to be.

This is a great apartment on Prospect Park. Stylish and comfortably furnished, it can easily accommodate six people. It is bright and sunny with views of the historic 580 acre park. The F train stop is a block away and from there it is 15 minutes to Manhattan. But there is so much to do here in Brooklyn! There are great restaurants, bars and shops in the neighborhood, cinema, and theater. Prospect Park is Brooklyn's improvement on Central Park. It is a huge oasis of verdant green in the center of the city. In and around the park itself, within a 20 minute walk of the apartment is the Prospect Park Zoo, the Carousel, the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, the Brooklyn Museum of Art and the Audubon Center. We have bicycles at your disposal to explore the park and environs on a human scale. There are laundry facilities in the basement. There is flat screen HDTV, DVD and secure WIFI. We accept credit cards and PayPal. This apartment is on the second floor of our front, park facing building. It is very similar in size and layout to our two bedroom apartment on the third floor. Please see our other two apartments, # 337690, one bedroom on the first floor and # 344949, two bedroom on third floor. My husband, Derek and I have lived in the rear house at this location for eight years. We love the neighborhood and being across the street from the park is such a pleasure. We are happy to share this with guests in our front house apartments.

Kevin is a 30 year old Aerospace Engineer from Bristol. On the 5th of July 2012 he will embark upon the first solo unsupported coast to coast run across the USA for an Englishman. He will be running the equivalent of 120 marathons in 95 days from Westport, WA to Virginia Beach, VA. He will be pushing all his kit and supplies in a lightweight baby jogger. If you would like support him in this chosen charities, the National Autistic Society and the Royal British Legion please visit uk.virginmoneygiving.com/3100smiles Visit Kevin's blog and follow his progress at 3100smiles.com/ Filmed and Edited by Chris Brunt (twitter.com/#!/malpracticesurf) Shot using a Canon 5D Mark II and Go Pro HD Hero2 Lenses, Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L USM, Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L USM and Canon 50mm f/1.8 Filmed in Stratford Upon Avon, Warwickshire and in Truro, Cornwall. Music (in order of appearance) Ben Howard - the Wolves Universal Island Records Two Door Cinema Club - What You Know Kitsuné France - Cooperative Music Europe M83 - Outro Hurry Up, We're Dreaming M83 Recording Inc./Naïve Loading more stuff… Hmm…it looks like things are taking a while to load. Try again?

| Apr 7, 2013 | 4:00 PM Raymond Leroy Klingmeyer, a former boxer and referee who is a member of the state's boxing Hall of Fame, died Friday of renal failure at the Bel Air Health and Rehabilitation Center. He was 88. "When he came into the ring, he looked like a referee. He... | May 18, 2013 | 11:03 PM LAS VEGAS — Imperial Valley heavyweight contender Andy Ruiz is training for the busiest seven weeks of his life. Ruiz (18-0 with 12 KOs), who grew up in Imperial, is preparing for two fights, including one in Macau, China, that could catapult him... | Jan 10, 2013 | 8:07 PM Thus far, Art "Lionheart" Hovhannisyan's road to boxing glory has been a bumpy one, slowed by a myriad of injuries and bout cancellations. Still, the action fighter with an unbeaten record finds himself poised once more to knock down the door of... | Jan 11, 2013 | 1:25 PM Junior welterweights Johan Perez and Steve “Two Pounds” Forbes will square off Saturday night in the premier fight of the first Golden Boy Boxing Series event at BB&T Center, with three more boxing events coming in the next 12 months. | Dec 20, 2012 | 7:39 PM Training fighters is nothing new for Edmond Tarverdyan or Alberto Crane. Neither is standing center stage and competing. But when the roles are intertwined and come crashing to a head, things can get a little chaotic. Perhaps that’s the theme... | Dec 23, 2012 | 2:57 PM INGLEWOOD – Supported by a who’s who of local fighters, backed by a zealous crowd and showcasing a devastatingly diverse striking offense, Edmond Tarverdyan battered and bloodied Dominic Gutierrez for three rounds en route to a unanimous... | May 13, 2013 | 12:17 AM IMPERIAL – Frankie Mejia had been waiting two years for a rematch, and when he got his chance he put on a dominating performance, scoring a TKO victory over Logan Layton in the main event of the fourth annual Biggest and Baddest Battle of the Badges... | May 3, 2013 | 10:35 AM Join Times boxing writer Lance Pugmire at 1 p.m. today for a live discussion of the upcoming Floyd Mayweather-Robert Guerrero fight. Guerrero is a heavy underdog in the fight against the undefeated Mayweather, but as Pugmire wrote Thursday, that's... | May 3, 2013 | 4:56 PM NEW YORK -- At about 8 p.m. Thursday night, as moviegoers around the country were lining up to see “Iron Man 3,”an assuredly smaller group was gathering at 600 North American theaters for the live-cinema simulcast of the popular NPR game... | Apr 11, 2013 | 2:11 PM Anthony "A.J." Williams works in science by day and in the sweet science by night. He's accustomed to the good-natured verbal jabs he takes about his pursuit of a boxing career. "They actually just make jokes about it all day every day," the 26-year-... | Dec 3, 2012 | 11:57 PM When the Imperial Police Athletic League boxing program gets under way, it’ll have a lead instructor who has seen it all and done it all in the boxing ring, including winning the IBF featherweight championship of the world. Hector Lizarraga, 46,...

Meghe Dhaka Tara is considered to be one of the finest Indian films ever made. The Director Ritwik Ghatak was a contemporary of Satyajit Ray & was just as brilliant. But while the latter became the international face of Indian Cinema, the former remained comparatively obscure & under-appreciated. Ghatak led a tragic life- many of films were unsuccessful, some remained unreleased for years & some had to be abandoned altogether. Beginning in the early 1960s, Ghatak suffered from alcoholism and mental illness. He was hospitalized for the first time in late 1965. For the rest of his life he was in and out of mental hospitals and psychiatric treatment. Ghatak's limited body of work was cut short by his untimely death in 1976 at age 51 due to alcoholism & tuberculosis. Meghe Dhaka Tara is regarded as his masterpiece. "Meghe Dhaka Tara" tells the tragic story of the beautiful daughter of a middle-class refugee family from East Pakistan, living in the outskirts of Calcutta under modest circumstances. Neeta sacrifices everything for her family, including her personal happiness, her money, and her health, while her achievements are hardly ever recognized by the people around her. A sprawling Bengali masterpiece, 1 March 2005 Author: David ([email protected]) from Chapel Hill, NC, USA The visionary Bengali filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak peers into the future, and sees nothing but disintegration - succeeding at multiple levels, CLOUD-CAPPED STAR humanizes this bleak vision, by locating the drama in a Bengali family, but everything occurring is something of a howl of outrage at what had become of his divided homeland. The central figure in this sprawling melodrama (with some coincidental resemblances to European new wave and neo-realism) is Nita, the eldest daughter in a once-middle class, intellectual family, driven by partition into refugee status in the slums of Calcutta. Varied family members react in different opportunistic ways to their reduced status, and their need to survive, all of which takes an extreme toll on Nita, who ultimately becomes the family's sole breadwinner. The performances throughout are excellent - Supriya Choudhury as Nita is riveting, and Niranjan Roy is particularly strong as Sanat. Throughout, Ghatak boils human nature and the survival instinct down to the most ruthless basics: this is a compelling and visionary film, but there is virtually no room for lofty ideals or sentimental altruism in the world created here - mourn what one must, and do what one must do to survive. Sentiment and ideals are - in this film - luxuries, and from the cruelty of such a truism, Ghatak has created one of cinema's great, vital tragedies. Ghatak claimed few Western cinematic influences - like Jean-Luc Godard in France and Nagisa Oshima in Japan, his primary concerns were historical and political, and also technical - how to alter cinema to express those concerns in accessible language? For Ghatak the solution was found in using outdoor locations, natural sound, idiosyncratic editing, and a minimum of the flash seen in Bollywood or Hollywood - CLOUD-CAPPED STAR is bleak, absolutely gripping, tragic and infuriating. As drama, it would definitely rank as one of the more obscure global masterpieces out there (there has yet to be an official US release on VHS or DVD), rarely seen or commented upon. This is highly unfortunate - as a film of moral/social outrage, this rivals Bresson; its' overall feel for the everyday reminds one of Italian neo-realism; it's willingness to experiment boldly evokes Godard or Oshima; in it's concerns with the status of women (another of the many themes explored here), it evokes Naruse, Sirk or Mizoguchi. Ghatak's own biography is one of great tragedy; one could possibly read the discretely enraged hopelessness of this film as an extension of his own, and see this as a drive that would have to produce at least one masterpiece (his later SUBARNA-REKHA is also very much worth a look), even as it brought him to a premature end. For all of its' bleakness, CLOUD-CAPPED STAR is absolutely compelling - any cinephile (or student of history) would do well to see it. #400 on TSPDT's 1000 Greatest Films list http://www.theyshootpictures.com/gf1000_all1000films.htm Length--2:01:39 (182,455 frms) Resolution--640 x 480 Audio--0x2000 (Dolby AC3) AC3 48000Hz 128 kb/s tot , stereo (2/0) ********************************* FREAKYFLICKS ********************************** Freakyflicks is a free and open community dedicated to preserving and sharing cinematic art in the digital era. Our goal is to disseminate such works of art to the widest audience possible through the channels provided by P2P technology. The Freakyflicks collection is limited to those films that have played an exceptional role in the history of cinema and its progression in becoming a great art. Films that are usually described as classic, cult, arthouse and avant-garde. If you have films that fit this description feel free to share them and participate in our community. All you need do is include this tag in your upload and join us at the forum to announce your release. 'If we all seed just 1:1, give at least what we take, this torrent will NEVER DIE'

(This story was originally published in 2001 and updated in Aug. 2009) The Honesty Bookshop in Hay-On-Wye which was once an abbey that housed monks. Michael Kitada, Register file photo ChecklistHang your hat: There are more than a dozen inns, in all price ranges, in the area. We stayed at Landsdowne, a pretty country inn in nearby Cusop. Room rates include breakfast. Web site: hay-on-wye.com /lansdowne/index.htm. Big doin's: The Guardian Hay Festival is held in late May and early June. For more information, check out www.hayfestival.co.uk on the Web. Click on it: The official Hay-on-Wye site, hay-on-wye.com , includes descriptions of bookstores and links with individual sellers, accommodations and restaurants. Books in boxes, in stalls and on shelves. Teetering in piles or grown dusty in shop windows. Gold-jacketed antiquarian gems in locked cabinets near trash bags of romance novels sold by the kilo. The old cinema's a bookstore. The Victorian workhouse is, too. So is the one-time agricultural showroom. In Hay-on-Wye, it's easier to list what isn't a bookstore than what is. The Welsh village has just 1,300 residents, but 39 bookstores -- and counting. Even the roofless ruins of the city castle courtyard are lined with outdoor shelves, where bargain basement tomes that have weathered the elements can be bought for a few pence dropped into an honor box. Locals dub it "The Honesty Bookshop.'' My first stop in Hay a few years back completely messed up my itinerary. I had heard the village just east of the border with Wales had some good bookstores, so I budgeted an hour break on my family's daylong drive from the Cotswolds to the northern Welsh coast. An hour stretched to two, then three, as my left arm ached from a cache of hardcover picture books purchased for a fraction of their original price; an 1896 Baedecker guidebook to the United States; a rare book of aerial Royal Air Force photographs; and a guide to historical battlefields of Europe. My wife was similarly loaded, with gardening guides, paperback classics from Jane Austen and Emily Bronte for less than $2, and a Victorian etiquette book. Our son, Thomas, then 4, joined in the frenzy, camping out in the back aisles with the children's books -- making barely a peep as he picked his own hoard. As the sun was setting in the west, we threw our overloaded library into the rental car trunk -- or, as the British call it, "boot'' -- and grabbed some to-go sandwiches, which we ate at the local playground to give Thomas a chance to work off some boy energy before the long drive to our Welsh farm stay. We arrived after nightfall and the next day found a luggage shop where we purchased a suitcase as our ``book bag.'' When I returned two years later, I had an empty duffel bag ready to go and an overnight reservation at a bed and breakfast on the edge of town. I made another realization for my visit to Hay: Put the town at the end of a trip so I won't have to lug the books around Britain for another week. The book mania is a relatively new craze in Hay, a town first mentioned in a book in 989 A.D. In 1961, an eccentric entrepreneur named Richard Booth opened a secondhand book shop in the old city fire station. He expanded over the years, and the trickle of book lovers turned into a stream, attracting others to set up shop. Booth lived in the semi-derelict castle that overlooks the main street, setting up extra bookstalls in a ruined courtyard. He made headlines in 1977 by declaring Hay an independent kingdom with himself on the throne and his horse as prime minister. Booth sold dukedoms for his new nation, issued passports and churned out currency made of rice paper so, he said, "People could put their money where their mouth is.'' The town's prestige has grown so that even the legendary Sunday Times of London newspaper holds its annual literary festival in the town each year, drawing 50,000 book lovers. While Hay can be visited as a side trip, the lure of the stacks can entrap even the most disciplined browser. Better to stay the night, which allows time to wander the cobblestone streets, and stroll past flower-box-festooned old cottages. Stop in for a pint of ale at the Blue Boar pub and another at the Three Tuns, reportedly the oldest public house in town, dating to the 16th century. The colonnaded Buttermarket dates from 1833, while the town clock was put up in 1881. The Norman castle gateway is all that is left of the original fortress that was kept busy over the medieval centuries by invaders. These days the worst onslaught Hay has to deal with are weekend¬ hordes rampaging through the streets in search of¬ rare first editions. Contact the writer: [email protected]

Our Condo, new to 2012 rental market and now with internet/wifi access, was refurbished to a high standard in 2010 and the majority of the fixtures and fittings are new. It has 2 bedrooms: the master room with en-suite, has king-size bed with 19'' TV, two bedside alarm clock/ radios, large walk-in closet, 2 large drawer units, twin nightstands with lamps. The fully stocked linen closet has bedding, duvets, towels, beach towels etc. The second bedroom has twin beds, alarm clock radio, cable for TV, large closet and drawer unit, including twin nightstands with lamps. The large open plan lounge has 32'' TV, DVD, CD/Radio with iPod Dock, including dining table and chairs. The kitchen has a breakfast table and is fully equipped & stocked with everything that is needed incl: microwave, toaster, coffee machine, blender, large and small cooler boxes, picnic utensils etc. There is a screened Lanai overlooking mature parkland. There is a full size washer & dryer off the Lanai. Vacuum cleaner & cleaning supplies etc. in closet. Within walking distance there are supermarkets, restaurants, a pharmacy, a friendly local bar and a multi-screen cinema complex. There are restaurants and take aways to cater for all tastes and pockets located nearby. Excellent shopping is available at Westfield Malls at Countryside and Citrus Park within 15 minutes drive. Both International Mall and West Shore Mall are near Tampa. Tampa Bay Buccs play NFL football at the Raymond James Stadium, the Tampa Bay Lightening play NHL hockey at St Pete's Times Forum and Tampa Bay Rays play MLB baseball at Tropicana Field. Nearest Airport : Tampa International Airport - 15 Miles / 30 Mins Orlando International Airport - 100 miles / approx 90 mins Nearest Beach : Clearwater Beach - 16 Miles / 30 Mins Local Pubs/Restaurants : A number are within walking distance but plenty to choose from within a short car ride Competitively Priced rates. Great reductions for longer stays.

The Australian film Somersault opens the MIFF on July 21. Age film critic Philippa Hawker's festival first 11. Australian writer-director Cate Shortland's debut feature is the Melbourne International Film Festival's opening-night movie. Selected this year for the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival, it is widely acclaimed for its depiction of a young woman whose need for intimacy leads her into damaging territory. 2. Old Boy Korean director Park Chan-wook's film is an extraordinary tale of revenge about Oh Daesu, a man held captive for 15 years, then suddenly released. It is an intense, visceral journey through past and present, reality and illusion. 3. The Unknown Tod Browning's 1927 film of disguise and desire is the tale of a circus performer (Lon Chaney) prepared to go to bizarre lengths for the love for the ringmaster's daughter (Joan Crawford) to become the person he believes she wants him to be. The film will be screened with live accompaniment from Ernesto Corpus. 4. Kiarostami films Last year's festival guest, Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami, has two new works on show this year, the contemplative Five and 10 on Ten, a reflective essay on cinema and filmmaking. 5. Nobody Knows The young star of Nobody Knows, Yagira Yuuya, won a best-actor award for his portrayal of the eldest of four children whose mother keeps them hidden in a small Tokyo apartment. They are suddenly forced to fend for themselves when she disappears. Writer-director Kore-Eda Hirokazu focuses on the way the children adapt and survive. 6. Letters to Ali Clara Law and Eddie Fong, who've made features in Hong Kong and Australia, turn to the documentary form to make this film about a doctor and a young Afghan asylum-seeker. 7. Last Life in the Universe Pen-ek Ratanaruang's account of loss, longing and transformation deals with the relationship between a suicide-obsessed Japanese man and a Thai woman. The director is a festival guest. 7. The Five Obstructions In The Five Obstructions, Lars von Trier invites filmmaker Jorgen Leth to revisit Leth's 1967 short film, The Perfect Human. The brief is to recreate elements of it, while adhering to various "obstructions" devised by von Trier, in a contest of wills. 8. Chang Cheh retrospective New prints of more than half a dozen films from the late Chang Cheh, one of the masters of martial arts cinema. The MIFF selection includes his 1967 breakthrough hit, The One-Armed Swordsman. 9. Coffee and Cigarettes A series of elegantly filmed black-and-white short works, all revolving around encounters over coffee and cigarettes. The enterprise was begun by filmmaker Jim Jarmusch in 1986 and pursued over the decades. The meetings feature the likes of Iggy Pop and Tom Waits, Steve Coogan and Alfred Molina, as well as Cate Blanchett playing opposite herself. 10. Goodbye, Dragon Inn Taiwanese director Tsai Ming-liang's dreamlike work is set in a cinema during a screening of King Hu's 1966 martial arts masterpiece Dragon Inn. There's an ambiguous relationship between watchers and watched. 11. Metallica: Some Kind of Monster Documentary of Metallica during a spectacularly chaotic period, when a therapist was brought in to tackle the tensions threatening the band.

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- Used Books - Staff Picks - Gifts & Gift Cards - Sell Books - Stores & Events - Let's Talk Books Special Offers see all More at Powell's Recently Viewed clear list More copies of this ISBN Susie Bright Presents: Three Kinds of Asking for It: Erotic Novellas by Eric Albert, Greta Christina, and Jill Solowayby Susie Bright Author Q & A Is Susie Bright your real name? Yes, it really is. No one ever asked me that question until Johnny Rotten and the Sex Pistols hit the United States in the 70's and punk-style name-changing became so popular. I was born in 1958, when "Susie" was a very popular name. The Bright part is a family name, my father's family, in this case. How many books have you written? I've written eight books, and edited fifteen anthologies. What do your parents think of what you do? Were you raised with a religious faith? My father is my biggest fan and best editor. He's edited every book of mine, and offered great ideas all along the way. My mother is very proud of me, but I think she wishes I would write or pursue something less controversial. I was raised by my mother, in a lapsed Irish Catholic fashion. I went to parochial school for 4th and 5th grade, and stopped believing in "god" around 1968 — a very big year for that sort of thing. Do you like writing or editing better? I would hate to give up either, I love them both. I haven't edited an original fiction series in a while, and I miss that. I originally wrote poetry and short fiction before I was a published writer, and I've always wanted do more of that. Non-fiction just accidentally ended up being the way I made my living. How did you begin writing? My very first publication was home-made. When I was 8, I was very upset about Ronald Reagan running for governor in California, and I wrote a pamphlet denouncing him in my orange-red crayolas and stuck copies of it all around the neighborhood. I signed them, "Concerned Citizens of California." I always loved to write stories and poetry, it was my favorite part of school. I was a dedicated diarist and letter writer. But in high school, I became a left wing activist, and I wrote for our campus underground newspaper, called "The Red Tide." I wrote about everything from narcs on campus to how to get free birth control. The principal regularly seized our newspaper, and in 1974, we sued the LA school board for the right to distribute our student paper without prior censorship or approval. We won in State Supreme Court, in 1977. My first published writing was just the sort of communist, feminist, queer propaganda that has dubious literary merit. But I enjoyed it, it was a great way to learn about self publishing, and making your own waves. When did you first write about sex? Well, I thought those stories I wrote in high school about how to use saliva as a lubricant if you couldn't afford KY were pretty wild for the time. But my first sophisticated sex writing came in San Francisco in the early 80's, when I wrote a play called Girls Gone Bad, and got involved in a group of queer artists called Mainstream Exiles. We put on a lot of great shows, and I began to write erotic poetry that was very popular. A woman approached after one poetry reading and asked me if I'd like to contribute to a new magazine called On Our Backs — Entertainment for the Adventurous Lesbian. I ended up becoming the editor of this new magazine, and our efforts became notorious. In 1986, I was asked by Penthouse Forum if I would like to write a monthly erotic film review column, and I quit my day job to live on that check and subsidize my round the clock attention to On Our Backs, which was wildly influential but an enormous financial hole. I've been writing professionally as a freelancer ever since. So are you a lesbian or not? Don't you have a kid and a man in your life? I'm bisexual, I always have been. My first sexual experience of any kind was with both a man and woman, simultaneously. I always thought that was an omen! However, I have long term relationships with one lover at a time, sometimes a woman, sometimes a man. I've been with my current partner, Jon, for over a decade. How did you become pregnant? When I first started showing my belly, it was Christmas time, and I was attending a holiday party with some dyke friends. One of them asked, "Did you inseminate, or did you party?" I burst out laughing, and she nodded, "You partied." Are you polyamourous, in an open marriage, or what? I'm very faithful to my mate of the past 15 years in my own way, but it doesn't have anything to do with physical fidelity. We live together, I love him, and he's my family, and he's my trusted companion and closest lover; my daughter's father. That's that. I'm glad we both feel the same way about loyalty and sexuality. I've never been part of a conventional marriage or monogamous relationship. What did you do in the movie Bound? I had a cameo as a bar girl who says hello to Gina Gershon — but the most important work I did in that movie was develop the sex scenes between the two female leads. I am very proud of my work as a sex consultant in this film! I think it's one of the hottest lesbian scenes ever made. Are you going to do any more movies? I'd love to write more, and direct. I'd love to work as a sexual consultant for other directors, because I think most sex scenes in movies get the shortest shrift and the most awful clichés. I wrote a screen play with Lizzie Borden in the early 90s that got made into a movie called Erotique, which I also loved doing. Writing is so much more satisfying to me than acting. I like to see my words on a page come to life! Have you always been so open about sex? I think ever since I was in high school, and got introduced to radical politics about most everything, I have been very frank about sexuality. I was appalled when I found out that masturbation was not some secret hold that the Devil had over me. I couldn't believe all the lying about sin and sexuality that I had been taught as a child. Once I wised up, I became quite intolerant of sexual hypocrisy. From there, I became interested in the way the erotic mind works, and how sexuality, politics, and culture feed off each other. What does your daughter think of what you do? Is she embarrassed? Well, she's thirteen as I write this, so who knows what tomorrow may bring. We're very close, and I marvel that she has grown up without a sense of sin or sexual shame in the manner that my generation was. This is not to say that she doesn't have plenty of disputes with me! At this moment, she is embarrassed by the way I open the door, brush my hair, eat a meal — but that's puberty, right? How do you handle sex questions with your kid? I don't lie, and I don't do the lies of omission that were so popular in my growing up. Sometimes I don't know the answer, but I usually have an idea about how to find out, and I'm very willing to help her. I try to DO the right thing instead of just SAYING it, which is a lot harder, of course. Is your sex life as wild and crazy as it seems from reading your books? I haven't lied about any of my experiment of adventures that you read about in books. But I've done a lot of things once without ever repeating them! I don't think I've ever done something just to be audacious. My motives are curiosity and desire, just like everyone else. I think everyone's imagination is "wild and crazy," and mine is just one modest entry in a crowded field. The first years I was sexual, I did want to try everything, I was so curious, and I don't really know what made me tick, or what there was to feel. Now I'm more discriminating, because I really do know a lot about my sexual philosophy. Yes, I've slept alone, had bad sex, boring sex, lying, stupid, regretful sex. I've thought I would never have a lover again. I've been out of mind my orgasmic over the simplest kind of touches as well as the kinkiest. I don't think about it as a competition any more, thank goodness. "If it feels good, do it," — that seems like the most gentle advice of all to me now. Are you a feminist? Yeah, I am, but that probably says more about my age, and how I came into my teenage womanhood more than anything else. When I was going through puberty, feminists were the most exciting women around, it felt like a real revolution. It was pro-sexual, pro-body, and absolutely brazen. I never would have dreamed that feminism would one day become associated with dour political correctness or protectionism. I heard that you used to be a socialist and a union organizer... What's up with that? Yes, the underground newspaper I was part of as a teenager, "The Red Tide," was a combination of socialists, anarchists and stoners. Eventually I dropped out of high school and joined a group of American socialists who were dedicated to rank and file organizing in several major labor unions. I worked as an organizer in Teamsters, and was one of the founding members Teamsters for a Democratic Union. I was first arrested, actually, on a UPS picket line, for telling a supervisor that he was a little prick. I was charged with disorderly conduct and condemned by a Michigan judge who called me a "menace to society." I hope I've done him proud. When did you start writing about porn? Are you the first woman to do that? I was the first person to write about the porn business, and porn movies, for the mainstream press. I was the first woman in the sex business to do so publicly. When I started reviewing porn cinema, the only "reviews" at all were pretty much sensational hype written pseudonymously by a couple guys in the porn industry. Even the best critics were basically trying to evaluate everything on a "peter-meter" — does it get the average Joe off or not? That's a decent question to ask, but I think there's lots of interesting ways to look at porn movies, and a lot of emotions that come up watching them. I was the first critic to look at porn as if there was something to learn from it besides how to give a blow job. In a way, I was just doing what Andrea Dworkin was doing — taking porn seriously — except I came to different conclusions. Do you ever get sick of talking and writing about sex? No, that's different from porn movies, per se. Sex is like language or science, it's an infinite topic of possibilities and interpretations. I love to think and talk about humanity, and sex is always going to be in the center of that. Does sex work ruin your own personal sex life? I don't think it's the "sex" in sex work that is the big bummer, I think it's the stigma, the often criminalized nature of it, the prejudices you put up with, the secrecy you may live in, the closet case nature of many sex workers lives. I've always had a lot of privacy, despite my public persona, and I've rarely been asked to do more than I was comfortable with. My family all know what I do, and I've never been seriously rejected by anyone I love. I've been depressed about sex, certainly, and heartbroken like anyone else, but I don't think it's been any more or less because of my writing or career. What Our Readers Are Saying Other books you might like

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Dingman draws inspiration and meaning from a diverse set of musical sources, uniting them in a progressive approach that has earned him praise for his âpoignant workâ (David Sprague, Variety), his âadaptive humilityâ (Nate Chinen, NY Times), and as âdownright hypnoticâ (John Barron, All About Jazz). His recent work as a sideman can be heard on Ambrose Akinmusireâs Prelude to Cora (Fresh Sound/New Talent), Steve Lehmanâs Travail, Transformation, and Flow (Pi Recordings) and Harris Eisenstadtâs Canada Day (Clean Feed), among other recordings. He is also featured as a guest soloist on Gabriela Anders's Bossa Beleza (E1 Music/Koch Records). For these achievements, he was named a Rising Star on vibes in the 2009 Downbeat Critics Poll, and in two recent years Jazz Journalist Association member Phil DiPietro has acknowledged him for top ten sideman performances of the year. 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Helvetia has us back! After nearly one year on the move, we finally touched Swiss soil again on January 2014 at 6:37. My dad was so kind to pick us up at the airport and to show our gratitude we moved in with my parents right away (we are sure they are happy to host two penniless, long haired backpackers). Right after touch-down we got busy, firstly we have to find an apartment and secondly, at least for Michi, starting February he will have to completely assimilate and follow a regular occupation again. To us, the last year passed in lightning-speed and was filled with new impressions and wonderful experiences. To list them all here would take too long, but we would be happy to report in detail during a dinner or two, we can even include a sideshow for the very patient 😉 Many thanks to you for taking the time to check in with our blog every now and then and for accompanying us on our adventures. Mai Thai, Pinacolada and great Currys. Thailand welcomed us and many other sunseekers with warm temperatures and allegedly beautiful beaches. But regarding beaches, it appers that Tahiti and Australia had us spoiled and so this was put into persepctive after a few days. But the quality of food and drinks remained constantly high and so we dug in! Since this was the last destination on our trip, the focus was on relaxing and reilishing our last days as globetrotters. Still we found time for some sightseeing and one or two excursions on not so comfortable but in return quite adventurous „Longtail“-boats. After we’ve left Perth it definitely was time to dig out the thermal clothes again. As expected the weather got colder and rainier the further south we went. As a result, Michi decided that it was time to put his right foot down and fast forward to Sydney. Whenever the sun was out, we stopped briefly to marvel at the huge gum trees or to take a quick, though quite refreshing, bath in the southern ocean. Between Perth and Sydney, not only lies the Nullarbor which with 145.6 km (90.4 miles) is the longest straight road in Australia but also the cities Adelaide and Melbourne. Of course we visited both of them but with our minds already away on some beach bar in Thailand, we probably left out quite a view places of interest. Back in Sydney it’s now time to say goodbye to Ron Burgundy, he was a remarkably reliable and sturdy companion, but even he shows some wear from our 35’000 km (21747 miles) journey around Australia. Since we have not seen a city since Darwin, it became about time to change that and so we drove via Monkey Mia, where Carmen had to feed a Dolphin and Michi had his second job interview (they actually did hire him despite, or maybe because, of his hairdo), to Perth. We enjoyed the big city life a lot with window-shopping, eating delicious bread from the Swiss bakery, a cinema visit and touching the new iPhone. And although the weather was a lot cooler and more rainy than what we have gotten accustomed to, it was hard for us to leave the relaxed pace and European feel of Perth and Fremantle behind and move on. Regarding the weather there seem to be some uncomfortable days laying ahead of us, the more south we will be heading the cooler it will get, maybe it’s time to get out the thermal underwear from the bottom of the backpack. A short time after we started our journey with Ron, he met a lady of the same age on a campground. Her name is Helga and she is also manufactured in Japan, and while she is a little more corpulent around the back she wears mostly white which is definitely more flattering than Burgundy. Helga is being piloted by Franzi and Christoph, two fellow Backpackers which at that time where already traveling for over a year. Sadly our ways had parted already the next morning since Helga had different plans than Ron. After 3800km (2361 miles) coincidence now lead to a reunion since Franzi and Christoph where camping on Cape Leveque at the same time as us, one always meets twice in life… The following weeks we met up several times and jointly explored the most stunning and lonely beaches along the Ningaloo Reef where we spent our time swimming, snorkeling, reading and practicing sweet idleness before they headed on towards Perth while we went to spend a couple of days at Red Bluff visiting old friends of Carmen. With Western Australia we have now reached the forth state within Australia and soon we are approaching halftime at least in regards to distance traveled, but if we are going to make it back to Sydney within the time we have left remains to be seen. Right across the border from Northern Territory start the enchanting Kimberley and one catches himself wondering why we have spent so much time at the east coast when it’s so pretty here. Right a cross the heart of the Kimberley runs a remote gravel road called the Gibb River Road which is very popular with backpackers from across the world. So it happens regularly that exactly these backpackers and their cars, which are not up to the job, are stranded along this 600km road, usually with flat tires. We too did run into two of this sort. The first two guys appeared to be quite stoned and did not even have any tools to change a tyre. At the same time with us another Australian couple pulled over to help and together with them we got to stand there watching a slow motion tire change. Just a short time later, in the meantime we had gotten back on the road, we stopped for two German high-school graduates in a Jeep Cherokee also with flat tires. (Who buys a car that was built for helicopter-parents to drive their kids to Kindergarden 300m down the road?) They seemed to have already had two rough days and where a little desperate about the fact that they first took a wrong turn and made a 600 km detour and now did not have one sip of water nor a spare tire left. This because their spare was already on the car where, after only a couple of kilometers, it blew up at the same time as the front tire so that now they where sitting there with two flat tires. At my wonder how such stupidity was possible, Michi explained to me how men in the age of 18 to 25 are capable of following stupid ideas trough with determination, always convinced of their own capabilities. This sympathy and the thought that non-assistance of a person in danger is a crime, we gave them some drinking water so that they can survive the rest of the day and the night, before we headed back there the next morning to drive one of these geniuses and the two broken tires to the only tire shop on the track and then back to their car again. After leaving them again to their own destiny, we treated ourselves to a relaxing bath in the beautiful Bell Gorge and enjoyed the landscape around us. I was in some parts of Australia before and from these past trips I remember places I wanted to go back to. This was also the case for Litchfield National Park on our way to Darwin. Arriving at the southern entrance we tackled the 4WD track including a exiting slalom creek crossing accompanied with the usual slight water entry. This drive was lonely (in a positive way) and relaxing but the northern part of the park is also accessible to tour buses and day trippers and so it soon was over with the quietness. During my last visit over then years ago one could take quiet dips in the many amazing waterfalls and swimming holes but this time it felt more like a visit in Switzerland’s famous water park the Alpamare. In Darwin it was time for a camping time-out. After parking Ron in front of the Hilton and approaching the reception desk with our backpacks we got a suspicious look from the lady behind the desk. We can understand her a little, by now or clothes are all quite dusty and our hairstyle (at least Michi’s) does not necessarily shout “business meeting” but maybe more “soup kitchen”. Darwin is probably nice but we can’t say for sure since we spent most of the two days in our air-conditioned room with a nice big bathroom, laying in a king size bed watching TV… it felt like haven. One of Australia’s famous landmarks is Uluru also called Ayers Rock and since we just happened to be close-by we drove the approximately 1100 km (683 miles) to view it. Shortly after we went on our way we had a flat tire, a screw had drilled into the rubber and the tire was slowly but steadily loosing air. Made aware of this by other travelers we finally got to use our awesome repair kit and it appears that the patch is still holding. The landscapes around Alice Springs are beautiful and to see Uluru by sunset is impressive. But since we are here at the end of the dry season there is no water left in the rivers and billabongs (water holes) but a lot more dust in exchange. This dryness as well as the constantly increasing temperatures and flies are starting to get to us and we hope that this will soon change when we are heading back north towards tropical Darwin. Driving back from Cape York we established a new personal record and drove 420 km (261 miles) in one day. This might not sound like much but on washboard like dirt roads that’s not too bad and so we congratulate ourselves. As of late Ron now carries a fancy steel basket on his roof with room for all sorts of stuff. To get to this upgrade, Michi had to sweat a lot because the roof basket came from an old Mitsubishi Pajero which was sitting in the back corner of the Mount Isa junk yard surrounded by other wrecked car. Once Michi had unscrewed and hammered this bulky thing off the Pajero he got help from „the boss“ (no, not Bruce Springsteen but apparently the owner of the yard) to cut off the old clamps, the boss even found some black paint to spray over the rusty parts. By coincidence there was also an old Hilux standing around of which we snatched an additional spare wheel. Now we are heading on through sparse landscapes from Outback Queensland to Alice Springs. With Ron back in shape and us knowing the code word for „club soda“ we are now on our way to Cape York and the most northern point of the Australian continent called „the tip“. After we left Cooktown we had to leave the sealed roads behind us and have since been traveling entirely on gravel roads. While at the beginning in Lakefield National park there was not much of a difference to be noticed, but the closer we are getting to the Cape, the more we get shaken trough by corrugations. These happen when a gravel road is traveled by a lot of traffic and heavy vehicles. First these are just small ripples which turn into bigger and bigger gaps running on a right angle to the road. And once you have traveled over such corrugations for several hours you start to wish you had never started your trip and that it please might end soon. But the nearly 1000 km (621 miles) to the tip have their price and it’s payed for by a stiff neck and lots and lots of patience and nerves, as well as some loose screws on Ron. Of course these hardships aren’t in vain, along the way there are lots of beautiful camp spots directly on the many rivers. One of them is Elliot Falls where there are three refreshing (and most importantly crocodile free) swimming opportunities. To get there though, we first had to hold our breath and drive trough a deep creek including bow wave and slight water entry. But as usual, Ron did not let us down and mastered this task perfectly, but we are anyway starting to realize that the limiting factor on this this trip will not be the car but it’s passengers.

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Bichara e Motta Advogados has a Department of Civil and Commercial Litigation specialized in corporate, business, sports, consumer, family, probate and civil liability disputes. The firm also represents clients in arbitration and mediation procedures, offering preventive advice in relation to different types of disputes. The firm advises clients in proceedings throughout Brazil by means of a network of permanent associate firms in all its states, as well as internationally through associate firms, which allows the monitoring of proceedings and claims abroad efficiently. Bichara e Motta Advogados’ practice in litigation and dispute resolution involves: - Representing clients before State and Federal Courts, as well as monitoring of judicial and administrative proceedings; - Representing clients in national (CCBC, AMCHAM, FIESP) and international (ICC-Paris, LCIA-London, CAS-Lausanne, CAM-Madrid etc.) arbitration proceedings and other alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, such as mediation, dispute boards, Med-Arb, Dispute System Design, conciliation etc.; - Drafting, filing and monitoring of appeals before the State Courts, Federal Regional Courts and before Brazil’s Superior Courts in Brasilia; - Performing due diligence of judicial and administrative proceedings; Providing consultation and legal opinions in Civil and Commercial Law. Bichara e Motta Advogados was the very first law firm in Latin America to establish a seat specialized in sports and entertainment. The firm is nowadays comprised of skilled attorneys with extensive experience in the sports area. The team is familiarized with the most frequent market transactions to ensure its clients always receive high quality and personalized services, being one of the most active and recognized worldwide for its outstanding services. Our sports and entertainment team has been repeatedly recognized by both Whos’Who Legal and Chambers & Partners for its services in the sports fields. Relying on the flexibility of a taylor-made-law-firm, Bichara e Motta Advogados is prepared to fulfill the demands of athletes, agents, clubs, federations, sports governing bodies, investment funds and companies involved in the sports business. The firm has an innovative way of offering preventive consultancy, by providing consultation, advice and corporate and labor planning to its customers, as well as a remarkable role in litigation and dispute resolution, working on contractual, commercial, disciplinary and doping issues. Noteworthy are the following services: - Representing clients in disputes before FIFA, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and international sports federations such as: equestrian sports (FEI), athletics (IAAF), volleyball (FIVB), basketball (FIBA), tennis (ATP), judo (IJF) among others; - Expertise in contractual and disciplinary disputes, involving doping, match fixing, fraud in sport, issues related to sports bodies’ governance, eligibility and selection of athletes in sports competitions; - Assistance in several sports, primarily football. equestrian sports, voleyball, basketball, tennis, athletics and motorsports; - National and international transfers of athletes; - Negotiating economic and federative rights of players; - Structuring of investments in football; - Drafting contracts of employment, sponsor and athletes’ image release, use and exploitation; - Drafting sponsor contracts and brand licensing contracts; - Drafting and revising sports federations’ statutes; - Negotiating broadcast of sporting events contracts; - Drafting sponsorship contracts for clubs, tournaments, and projects for financing sport organizations; Advice regarding tax incentive mechanisms in Brazil and abroad for holding sporting events (Brazilian Sports Incentive Law). Bichara e Motta Advogados provides legal advice in all aspects of business law, especially in the corporate, contract, commercial and compliance areas. Experience, efficiency and objectivity together with a careful analysis of the risks involved contribute to the success of the services provided to our clients. The firm offers the following services, among others, in the business field: - consulting, negotiating and closing of local or international contracts, including supply, distribution, commercial representation, provision of services, loans and guarantees, factoring and franchising, turn key contracts, among others; - advising on the purchase and sale of equity interests, assets and commercial establishments; incorporation and liquidation of corporations and limited liability companies; - monitoring corporate activities and routines, shareholder meetings, board of directors’ meetings, organization of corporate books, etc.; - planning and implementing corporate reorganizations, including negotiation of shareholders’ agreements, acquisitions, spin-offs, mergers, joint ventures, consortia, incorporation of shares, conversion of shares, transformation of corporate format, liquidation, divestments and other business deals and management duties; - estate and/or family planning; - real estate property contracts; - representing clients before state and federal regulatory agencies on contracts with the Public Administration, advising them on public bids and administrative and judicial processes related to issues of Administrative Law; and - Our client portfolio is diverse and includes private equity funds and companies of large, medium and small sizes, as well as individuals (athletes, celebrities and others). Among our corporate clients, we highlight those who work in the areas of navigation and in the oil and gas sector, salt producers and food distributors. Bichara e Motta Advogados has a Labor and Social Security Law department that acts both in defending the rights of employees and service providers, as well as of employers and customers. We offer personalized and integrated service by analyzing every legal aspect of its operations and advising on traditional labor and social security matters. The firm acts both in the preventive and advisory area as well as in litigation before all organs and levels of Brazilian labor courts, regional courts, unions, and associations to find the best solutions for our clients’ needs. Bichara e Motta Advogados has a dynamic way to perform in collective bargaining and national labor union negotiations. Our labor law team also includes specialists in sports labor law, which advise Brazilian and foreign athletes and various sports associations throughout Brazil, based on their experience from working in some of the most key transactions in sports labor law in recent years. Bichara e Motta Advogados has extensive experience in the entertainment industry, particularly with the legal and negotiable aspects of the music and television industries. With a team of specialists in those areas, Bichara e Motta Advogados provides legal advice to all individuals related to the music field such as singers, bands, music producers, composers, instrumentalists and distributors. The firm also advises actors, media celebrities, directors, producers, scriptwriters and agents in the television industry. Based on its philosophy of personalized service and the flexibility that only a specialized firm can provide, Bichara e Motta Advogados understands and respects its clients’ artistic needs. In response, the team quickly and professionally reacts by organizing and protecting every aspect of their business activities so the client can focus on the essence of their artistic works. Particularly, the following services are provided by the law firm with respect to Music and TV law: - Organizing business activities related to professionals in the music and TV industries, in order to create and maintain an efficient corporate and tax structure; - Drafting and reviewing labor contracts, as well as image and voice release agreements for actors and singers; - Creating legal mechanisms aimed at protecting the author rights and intellectual property of singers and actors. - Drafting and reviewing of sponsorship and brand licensing agreements; - Drafting and reviewing contracts of production, co-production and recording distribution, pre-sale, and licensing of audio and video tracks rights; - Drafting and reviewing ancillary contracts related to the provision of services, leasing of spaces, insurance companies and unions of professional categories; - Tours, concerts and CD/DVD recordings; - Providing regulatory advice for proceedings and authorizations before the Brazilian Cinema National Agency (ANCINE); Providing advice and representation in disputes arising out of the music and TV industries such as counterfeiting, unauthorized use of brands, voice and/or image, as well as disputes related to intellectual property rights and commercial transactions. Bichara e Motta Advogados provides legal advice in advertising, cinema, television, advertising, live events and exhibits, as well to the related personalities such as producers, directors, audiovisual distributors, actors, screenwriters, writers, agents, photographers and other professionals associated with these fields. The firm’s services include advising at all levels: from production to the distribution of contents; advising on corporate and financial structuring of projects, as well as in the contracts related to these projects; and in the protection of intellectual property and interaction with the Brazilian Cinema National Agency (ANCINE) and other regulatory bodies. Bichara e Motta Advogados practice in audiovisual involves: - Organizing business activities related to the professionals of the audiovisual and entertainment industries, in order to create and maintain an efficient corporate and tax structure; - Drafting and reviewing image rights contracts related to celebrities from the entertainment industry; - Advising on available tax incentive mechanisms in Brazil and abroad aiming at making audiovisual productions feasible; - Drafting and reviewing of contracts related to audiovisual activities such as co-production, distribution, pre-sale of rights, investments, as well as all ancillary contracts related to the provision of services, leasing of spaces, insurance companies and unions of professional categories; Providing regulatory advice before ANCINE. Bichara e Motta Advogados advises important personalities of the fashion and luxury industries, such as designers, specialized business, franchisors and franchisees, models, agents, as well as textile industries, by offering legal advice from the conception of the pieces and products, including import of items produced abroad, until the final distribution and sale of their high end goods. Relying on its flexibility feature and interpersonal relationships with clients, Bichara e Motta Advogados acts as a partner whose concern is to organize the business activities of its clients efficiently and securely, always looking for innovative ways to meet the demands of dynamic markets such as those in fashion and luxury. Bichara e Motta Advogados areas of expertise in fashion and luxury law include: - Preparing commercial contracts involving licensing of trademarks, franchises, commercial representation, distribution, e-commerce, import of goods and sponsorships; - Protecting copyright and intellectual property of designers and companies; - Protecting the launching of new collections; - Organizing the business activities of the fashion industry professionals, such as designers, models and agents, always searching for an efficient corporate and tax structure; - Advising on disputes involving forgery, counterfeiting, trademark misuse and unauthorized copying; - Assisting in organizing events and fashion shows; - Advising on labor law issues in the fashion industry and representation of clients in labor procedures and litigations; - Preparing employment and sponsorship contracts, as well as contracts of assignment, use and exploitation of image of models. Bichara e Motta Advogados advises galleries, museums, institutions, auction houses, artists, photographers, as well as national and international merchants, providing individual and customized legal advice related to the various transactions that are involved in the world of arts, and cultural projects commonly developed in this sector. By understanding and respecting its clients’ environment, the firm organizes and protects their clients’ business and legal affairs by interacting, communicating and promoting interests worldwide in order for the artist to focus on the essence of their works. The firm interacts, collaborates and advises personalities from the art environment, making it possible for them to organize their business activities efficiently and safely, so that they can focus in the essence of their work. Bichara e Motta Advogados’ practice in arts involves: - Organizing business activities related to professionals of the arts industry, aiming the creation and maintenance of an efficient corporate and tax structure; - Purchases, sales and loans of art works; - Drafting and reviewing of typical contracts of this field; - Procuring insurance for pieces of art, collections, exhibitions etc.; - Licensing of brands and artworks; - Importing and exporting pieces of art; - Structuring of cultural projects and fundraising; - Advising on tax incentive mechanisms, whether in Brazil or abroad, for the organization of arts and cultural events (Brazilian Culture Incentive Law); - Securing relationships between galleries and artists; - Structuring of national and international exhibitions; - Creating legal mechanisms aimed at protecting the artists’ rights and intellectual property of artists. Providing advice and representation of clients in litigations involving counterfeiting, unauthorized use of brand as well as in other issues related to the art industry; Internet and social media are constantly redefining the interaction between people and the way of doing business. This constant change requires attention, flexibility and special precautions, which our firm is ready to provide. Bichara e Motta Advogados’ areas of expertise in Digital Law and Innovation include: - Organization of business activities, in search of an efficient corporate and tax structure; - Preparing commercial contracts involving the development and licensing of software, apps, and copyrights; - Legal advice on preparing contracts with publicity agencies for the development of campaigns on social networks and/or the hiring of services; - Protection of domain names, software and trademarks; - Assisting in judicial and administrative dispute resolutions in views of protecting and seeking domain names; - Action against fake profiles and profiles that violate individual rights on social networks; - Legal measures seeking the acquisition of user data, aiming to restrain abuses practiced on the network. The protection of the visual identity is crucial to grant exclusivity for an area of expertise. Our firm acts on all stages of trademark and industrial designs protection, both on the administrative and the judicial branches. Bichara e Motta Advogados’ areas of expertise in Industrial Property include: - Monitoring of all stages regarding the trademarks, starting from its conception to the enforcement of the rights resulting of its registration; - Elaboration of a strategic plan in order to prevent and repress any violations of industrial designs; - Research on the availability of distinctive names and signs in order to verify their exclusivity and avoid possible collisions; - Registration and monitoring of trademark applications and registrations in Brazil and abroad; - Legal advice for the drafting and revision of contracts involving licensing of copyrights.

This article was published in the Church Times. Here’s an excerpt. In short, modern myths celebrate what is proscribed in a secular age. The secret of their success is appealing to an inner awareness of energies that are not material. Further, the stories suggest that we can learn to relate to this dynamism, and not simply try to control it. They alert us to a wisdom that is fundamental in a religious world-view. Spirit, the supernatural, and powers such as love are cosmic and potent. Even to the casual consumer, popular myths foster religious feeling and a taste for spiritual knowledge. They are potentially revolutionary. As another Inkling, Owen Barfield, put it: the cinema screen and the page of a book can become “an entirely new window” through which to see the world — although, in truth, the window has been there all along.

Cambridge Music Festival is summing up Mozart. The three week-event in November, says director Gillian Perkins, will mark "the 250th anniversary of a much-requested composer" and pay "tribute to our city's distinction in the field of mathematics". Two concerts are linked under the title "from Hawking to Newton". In the first a programme has been chosen by Stephen Hawking, author of A Brief History Of Time: a Wieniawski violin concerto sandwiched between Poulenc and Stravinsky. The second concert features Purcell and Handel, from the time of Sir Isaac Newton. "Little is known of Isaac Newton's musical tastes," says the blurb cheerily. Comedian Ricky Gervais takes a mild swipe at fellow comics in his much-anticipated second series of Extras, which starts on BBC2 next week. His character Andy Millman stars in a sitcom set in a northern factory. Despite loathing catchphrases, he is forced to keep saying: "Are you 'aving a laugh?" The audience, meanwhile, wears T-shirts bearing slogans from Little Britain and Catherine Tate. "People think [a catchphrase] may be a shortcut - it's chasing ratings, trying to look for a hook. It's not what we do, but we're not angry with people that do use catchphrases." As a parting shot, Gervais suggests he hasn't seen a decent British drama for 15 years. Chester wants a share of the Bond action. The city's Odeon cinema celebrates its 70th birthday this year, a fact which is not likely to persuade movie moguls to select Chester for a regional premiere of Casino Royale, to be released later this year. But North West Vision, which promotes film-making in the region, has a trump card: the new OO7, successor to Pierce Brosnan, is Daniel Craig, who - wait for it - was born in Chester. "If we get [the premiere] it will make Chester a very special place during November," enthuses the city's tourism development officer Gerald Tattum.

We have seen a lot of campers but none worth taking a photo of, these two however where a bit different, the G wagon was bought and was very well put together. The Iveco was half built in 2010 by the owner and it was an interesting chat about the merits and costs of Michelin XZL 900r16(255/100 16) tyres he had just paid 600€ each…ouch and just how slow he had to drive on the piste…i.e. very slow or it will fall over was his remark. After selling Merlin and wondering if we should have built a later version I was happy to here even the later vehicles cannot defy the laws of physics, the Tardis was cruising like a magic carpet at 80kmh on the piste and felt refined as any Range rover should even on wanky suspension. Millly remarked that wouldn’t it be graet on Reiger suspension… I think a decent set of FOX will be a good investment… not sure if she realised just how much Reigers cost After a few days in the desert make a huge bacon bap like this as a morning surprise.. Forget lingerie and sexy talk.. This will do nicely , maybe the second marriage proposal on the top of the big dunes was worth it. We left Ksar Sania not knowing when or if we will visit again with different memories of the place, we have done a lot here from family trips to mad Dutch Dakar training trips, it’s a nice place but other places and countries beckon and with more memories to make. After a restock at the huge local market in Risanni, Tat shop with dibdab trying to look friendly.. he was, as are all Morocans very very friendly and now they don’t hassle… well not so much. we set of to another new to me location I didn’t know existed so close, the film set of the James Bond film….. Can you guess which one? Bond gets off a train in the middle of nowhere with his bit of stuff and a RR silver Wraith meets him to take him to the baddies headquarters which he then destroys with the biggest explosion in cinema history (so far 2017) A great place to camp, must remember for another visit. There is much more too it, you will have to visit to see it :-). So we arrived at a vastly expanded and improved Merzouga slightly deflated on one corner but still mobile. The Ksar Sania or chez Francoise was there to greet us and we found a great place to camp with a perfect view of the biggest dune. Decoration were put up included in mums nice little needlework to make us feel at home. Christmas day was spent with some Dutch, French ,Czechs and Germans in the main room with a fire and some Berber music…hmmm… must remember to get the CD…I meant erase it from my memory. Milly insisted on a trip to the top of the big dune for a Christmas day walk, I must admit pushing that throttle lever on the quad I hired was a much better decision and Milly did agree we walked back all the way and that was tough enough. we took it to the top and Milly got out her Christmas present from here to her, and I had to get on one knee and propose again, she bought a new wedding ring, another 30 years….maybe, ( see later blog post) Milly recreated a picture from our first visit to the top of the dunes with Zoe and Chloe its not the same pissing around without the girls but it was a good effort. Boxing day was a much quieter affair with me off to the local dibdab garage to fit two Defender front spring which by chance were pretty good match for the weight of the Tardis. I left Milly to do her homework … The traditional Boxing day family meal was not the same and the shit internet didn’t help with skype to the Millington family. Shame we were so far from the WiFi 🙂 Having detoured via the gorges we decided to visit some anomaly’s I had found on satellite imagery near the ‘Stairway to heaven’ and the ‘Shell house’ .We camped that night in the middle of nowhere after a hour of driving seeing no-one and on que within minutes of stopping a very neat and tidy boy on brand new bicycles turned up to watch us…Morocco will always be the same , you are never alone anywhere in Morocco 🙂 The next day we explored my waypoint called ‘EXPLORE THIS 1’ it turned out to be a celestial building, built to line up with the Orion star constellation, and was very surreal, a local guard gave us some info and we moved onto the next ‘EXPLORE THIS 2’ waypoint was a lonely palm tree and a water well complete with leather bucket, very picturesque. ‘EXPLORE THIS 3’ was a stunning view of a vast Wadi stretching from horizon to horizon I am not going to put photos of them in detail so you will have to come and see for your selves. ask me for the Waypoints after this we gently continued on the nice piste towards Erfoud in the east, I was sure I knew were the track would exit and as we approached the road and I was proved right, but fate slapped us with a blown airbag!!! While fitting the spare I inflated it wrong and it popped it clamping ring….damm damm, luckily we were 100 metres from the tarmac, we drove a comfortable 100kms on the bump stops to Ksar Sania, Milly was happy she had arrived , I just needed to fix the damm suspension. Today is Christmas eve we awoke to the stunning sunny view from our big window of the big dune of Erg Chebbi and the Ksar Sania in the Foreground, all was good and Milly extracted her hidden Christmas goodies to decorate the TARDIS ( not Dogger.. I have been warned again not to call him this) How do I tell her that not only did I leave my Leatherman, head torch and phone charger at home but also her Xmas prezzy 🙁 when do I tell her now of tomorrow morning…aaaahhhh I am dead. When you head south from Fez you will go through a town called Ifrane this is a wonderful place in the style of Austria !! The king was in residence in his hideaway and the army and police were everywhere, we looked for some Croissant but a Ski resort without snow has the feel of a seaside resort in winter, nothing was open, so we headed of into the Cedar forests by the scenic route and it is gorgeous drive, eventually finding the big weird Cedar and lots of local tourists feeding the monkeys, and the monkey even managed to feed Milly 🙂 The track through the forest are very pretty, we headed north on a fantastic track, had lunch with a shepherd and his two border collies then set of into what looked like the lost valley of the Dinosaurs, Milly was sure we would get through but hey, we are here to test out truck …. and so after gathering a load of firewood we found a route around the big hole.. easy 🙂 The track exited into and amazing plateau high on the snowy plains, very cold and windswept, Morocco has many faces and surprises, we tracked down the tarmac and headed for Midelt , but leaving it late to park up and taking Hobsons choice we had a night so cold in a valley so windy I woke up with a fright hearing no traffic and fearing that we had been snowing in, alas we were lucky it was just frozen everywhere including inside the camper!!!, thank god for the cab heater. We decided against the direct route to Erg Chebbi and headed for Imilchil and the top of the Todra gorge, the valley up had just suffered some horrendous storms and most of the roads were gone it was slow going we ending up into the Todra gorge without tourists and the whole place to ourselves, lovely…. After Volubilis and a look into Roman empire we wondered down to the modern city of Fez, the walled city is very pretty and we ventured into the souk to see the tanneries, the souk is pretty standard and nothing special but wow how the leather tanneries smell, we were guided down little back ally after little back alley to as non tourist tannery and it was very genuine, the impromptu guide was not taking no ( we clearly had some skills that needed reacquiring),get stuffed as any sort of guidance, obviously he thought we would be lost and was amazed when we went straight back to the main souk even commenting ‘you are a clever man, well done’ . the years of being asked by Milly, “remember that shop we visited 20 years ago, can we go there now!! Has done me good 🙂 The campsite Diamond Vert is very impressive and of a standard that would befit any decent European Site, it even has a decent water park and very tidy rental villas, but it was the real Morocco of old we came to see and experience. we called into see the ancient city of Volubilis and find out about the Romans in Morocco 2000 years ago, it was very nice and interesting, the best building was the hidden modernists visitor centre, a nice pice of modern work probably 1990’s would make a nice home. oh and the ruins were OK too. For over 20 years we have drove past the blue town and always read afterwards what a nice place it is, so on this trip we had it on our list of places to see. We stayed at the camping Azilane which had an array of campers ,4×4,Vans and even an expedition truck on site ,it is just into the hills and we walked down the next day into tow, well worth the wait it is lovely, totally different from anything in Morocco with just enough tourism to make it busy but not too much that it has changed the feel of the town, a nice surprise was the little castle in the centre, although the chips and Kebab at the café overlooking the castle were disappointing the souk was very impressive. Milly managed NOT to resist feeding the cats and became the 32 cat lady for the next half hour .

Hello, there! My name is Preston Barta, and I am the features editor of Fresh Fiction and senior film critic at the Denton Record-Chronicle. My cinematic love story began where I was born: off planet on the isolated desert world of the Jakku system. It's there I passed the time scavenging for loose parts with my good friend Rey. One day I found an old film projector and a dusty reel of the 1975 film JAWS. It rocked my world so much that I left my kinfolk in the rearview (I so miss their morning cups of green milk) to pursue my dreams of writing about film. It wasn't long until I met two gents who said they would give me a lift. I can't recall their names, but one was an older man who liked to point a lot and the other was a tall, hairy fella. They got me as far as one of Jupiter's moons where we crossed paths with the U.S.S. Enterprise. Some pointy-eared bastard said I was clear to come aboard. He saw that I was clutching my beloved shark movie and invited me to the "moving pictures room" where he was screening the 1993 film JURASSIC PARK to his crew. He said my life would be much more prosperous if I were familiar with more work by the god named Steven Spielberg. From there, my love for cinema blossomed. Once we reached planet Earth, everything changed. I found the small town of Denton, TX, and was welcomed into the Barta family. They showed me the writings of local film critic Boo Allen. He became my hero and caused me to chase a degree in film and journalism. After my studies at graduate of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, I met some film critics who showed me the ropes and got me into my first press screening: 2011's THE GREEN LANTERN. Don't worry; I recovered just fine. MAD MAX: FURY ROAD was only four years away. Preston Barta // Critic The fifth episode of FXX’s hit series THE LEAGUE airs tonight. Really, you can expect anything. If you saw last week’s episode (when Rafi and Randy met in a mental institution – featuring hardly any of the main cast members), you would know that with this show, anything can happen. But hilarity always ensues. We had the opportunity to speak with Katie Aselton, who plays Jenny on the show. We talked about her and her real-life husband (Mark Duplass), if she is a real fantasy football player, how she relates to Jenny, and who she would cast as her girlfriend on the show. Hi, Katie. How are you doing? Katie Aselton: “I’m good, thanks. How are you?” I’m doing great. So, I talked to your husband a couple of weeks ago when he came through Dallas for THE ONE I LOVE and I asked him this question, and I kind of want to get your perspective on it since it relates to THE LEAGUE as well. Thinking about your relationship with Kevin in THE LEAGUE and your real-life marriage with Mark, what in your opinion makes love last through its ups and downs? Aselton: “Well, I mean, in real life do I think Jenny and Kevin are a great couple? Not necessarily. I think they’re a super great couple to watch, but if anyone ever spoke to me the way that Kevin speaks to Jenny or the way Jenny speaks to Kevin, that never works [Laughs]. I think what really works in a good relationship is mutual respect and good communication, and I think without those two things you have a hard time making it last.” Yes, absolutely. Mark mentioned something about, I’m probably going to butcher what he said, but that you can only expect for your spouse to do about 80% of what you ask of them, and you have to be forgiving when they don’t. Aselton: “Totally. Just have a mutual understanding and respect for each other, and an appreciation for what they do.” Agreed. Were you and Mark cast as a package deal, or was one cast before the other? Aselton: “No, we were cast together. When Jackie and Jeff Schaffer were looking to cast the show, the pilot, they were sort of looking around at all different types of people who do improv. So, they went to the comedy side and that’s where they found Paul Scheer, Nick Kroll and Stephen Rannazzisi, and then, they had a conversation with my agent and Mark’s agent and Mark and I had just come out of a film together that had a whole lot of dramatic improvisation and so they took a meeting with us together and by meeting I mean I hosted them for dinner and plied them with a lot of tequila and they were like, ‘These guys are great.'” Aselton: “The next thing I know we were doing a TV show.” Why did they make you not a couple? Aselton: “You know, honestly, we had come as a movie that we had done together we were playing a couple. So, the idea of not playing a couple was really pleasing. And, you know, they had already really thought of Steve in the role of Kevin and sort of this is where we all just fit in.” And when this started, did you think you’d make it this far? Six seasons and going strong – it’s really impressive. Aselton: “I thought I was going to get fired after the first day. I was prepared to be fired every day for the first two years. I couldn’t believe it kept going, but I’m thrilled. I have really found a great audience, and the great thing about our audience is that they’re also for the most part sports fans who are loud and loyal and that’s great. Those are the kind of TV fans you really want.” Definitely. Are you a fantasy football player in real life? And if so, are you a Shiva superstar or a Sacko type? Aselton: “[Laughs] I have to say, I knew nothing about fantasy football before this show, but the show, it was part of jumping into the character was learning all about it and we – the cast, the creators (Jackie and Jeff) and the rest of the cast – have formed a league on our own and we play it every season. I will tell you that our trophy is called The Aselton Cup and that is because I won it the first year. [Laughs] That’s so great. I am excited to know that, and I get the impression from the show that you will pretty much do just about anything if you think it’ll get a laugh. Aselton: “[Laughs] Yes, I really have no standards.” Were you always this type of person? Was it evident to you early on that you could be funny for a living and that there were no boundaries for you? Aselton: “Oh, honestly, I am the youngest child of four siblings and they are all much older than me and I felt like I spent my entire childhood just not getting the joke. The jokes were always over my head and they would always make me cry because I always felt like they were making fun of me. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I sort of quickened to the humor of it all and now I can’t stop. I’ve tried to go into very dramatic roles and I always seem to really gravitate back to the humor in really heavy moments, but I kind of love that because I think the more you sort of study the world around you, humor is everywhere and it’s sort of how we cope with things and how we take on the heavy things in life. I think you need the humor, so I have fully embraced it now. I can’t escape it.” Well, you do a great job. Aselton: “Thank you so much.” No problem. I read an interview with you over the summer, and you mentioned that you really wanted to see Jenny have a girlfriend. Aselton: “I do. I want it so bad.” Now that you’ve got a few more episodes under your belt, is that something that’s going to come to fruition this season? Aselton: “We’re halfway through shooting this season. I haven’t seen the rest of the season, but we’ve had a lot of great male guest stars come on. I haven’t had a girlfriend yet, but I really would love it.” If you could cast the person, who would you like to play that role? Aselton: “Oh, man. I don’t know. I feel like there are so many cool girls out there I would love to work with, but you know whose work I’m really loving lately? Constance Zimmer. I think she is really fun and also just mutually sassy. I think I would love to have her on the show. I mean, who wouldn’t? But really, just anyone. Anyone, because any femininity at all would be great.” She would be great. I love her on HOUSE OF CARDS and ENTOURAGE. But you just talked about strong women. How much are you like your character and how much are you not like her? Aselton: “Oh, boy. I feel like Jenny is a huge part of me. I think she is the part of me that I sort of censor in real life, but Jenny gets to say it all because in that world you can. She’s my crazy competitive spirit coming out and she’s my mouthy spirit coming out, but I think I may be a little bit softer than her. I like my kids a lot more than Jenny does and I respect my husband a lot more than Jenny does Kevin, but I do think that Jenny and Kevin do have a good thing. They’re really funny and they do care about each other and I do appreciate seeing that relationship, but yes, I think she’s just sort of an exaggerated version of me. She’s like me turned up to 12 on the dial.” Would you be friends with her in real life, with Jenny in real life? Aselton: “I think I probably would have been friends with her in college.” But not now? Aselton: “I think we would probably grow apart. I think there’s maybe a reason why Jenny doesn’t have any girlfriends.” I think you’re right, and that makes sense. One of the main reasons why I like this show is because it always stays current. You feel like you’re definitely riding along with the current season. With the troubles of the NFL that have gone on in the last two weeks, you almost feel like if you’re a fan of the show like you’re waiting for THE LEAGUE’s commentary on it. Are we going to see something on that? Aselton: “We definitely will. We don’t leave any stone unturned, and as unfortunate and horrible as all this has been for the NFL, it does give us a lot to work with.” Yes, because it just seemed like even Jenny would have a great stance on this being in a roomful of boys all the time. Aselton: “Yes. I have a lot to say about this and I can’t wait to dig in. I hope I do have the opportunity to say something.” I’m sure you will. Well, thank you so much for your time, Katie. I really appreciate it. I look forward to what’s in store for us the rest of the season. Aselton: “Thank you so much.” THE LEAGUE airs on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. E/P only on FXX.

Hello you lovely lot and welcome to Monday! I hope you all had a fantastic... Yes it’s Friday! And the end of January, a double celebration today! Now it is February we can look forward to Spring, longer days and hopeful some warmer weather (yes I know I live in hope!) I hope you have something exciting planned for the weekend, I’m off to the cinema to see Les Miserables tomorrow and then a spot of food. But as for today I have a wonderful wedding for you from my very good friend Shelly from Toast photography. The wedding was planned in only 4 months which goes to show with a bit of help these things can be done! The lovely couple are Hannah and Elliot who were married on 20th October 2012. ‘The ceremony took place in Bury and then everyone made their way to the fabulous Bashall Barn, near Clitheroe in the Ribble Valley, Lancashire. We are both born and bred in Lancashire and despite looking all over for the perfect location, you can’t beat the Lancashire countryside! We both love the Ribble Valley and Simon and Henk at Bashall Barn were able to provide us with the perfect venue. We had around 90 guests including children. We got engaged in the July and married in October, so it didn’t take long to plan!’ How they met We were together for 2 ½ years before getting engaged but have known each other for a long time. Our love of skiing holidays was the thing that brought us together, hence the skiing themed table names! Elliot ‘plotted’ his proposal very careful so that I didn’t have a clue! We were at one of our favourite pubs in the Ribble Valley and Elliot was asking me how he would ever ask my dad for his permission to marry me. Turns out, he’d already asked my dad weeks earlier and had the ring with him. Very sneaky! How did you choose your photographer? It wasn’t a great start as neither of us are keen on photos, especially formal ones! We found Shelly from Toast of Leeds online and arranged to meet up. As we didn’t have much time before the big day, we met for our pre-wedding shoot in the Northern Quarter in Manchester. We liked the look of Shelly straight away, she was relaxed and fun – just what we wanted our wedding to be. She even managed to win Elliot over to the idea of having a photographer which is no mean feat! The dress by My dress was by British designer Alan Hannah. As time was tight, the ladies at Bellissima Bridal in Holcombe Brook, Bury ensured it was ready in time for the big day. I tried on lots of dresses and loved them all but this is the only one that stood out. It was perfect. Accessories were purchased online and shoes were by Dune. Hair was by the extremely talented Natalie at Salon Unique in Whitefield and makeup was by the fabulous Louise Hall Makeup. The suit and bridesmaids Elliot’s suit was Hugo Boss and his shirt was by Gibson and Smyth. The groomsmen’s suits were hired from Slaters in Bolton and the shirts and ties were from TM Lewin. The bridesmaid dresses were made by a very talented family friend. Theme or colour scheme We didn’t really have a theme, we just wanted a relaxed day with little touches that would mean something to our family and friends. The colour scheme was teal and grey. We ate lots, perhaps too much as we couldn’t even manage a homemade ice cream! We had champagne and canapés on arrival. The meal started with antipasto followed by beef bourginon with dauphinoise potatoes and seasonal vegetables. The dessert was provided by Hannah’s auntie, Sally – a selection of the most amazing mini cakes you have ever seen! On arrival, guests were treated to entertainment from guitarist Ben Marron and then later in the evening, Liverpool based band The Sonics had guests on the floor all night. Flowers were gypsophilia, a variety of roses and hypericum berries. Henk at Bashall Barn kindly loaned us some bunting which looked gorgeous. Every table was decorated with gorgeous flower displays created by Linda Hardman and her team at The Flower Shop in Clitheroe. • Our gorgeous invitations and ice cream vouchers for guests were designed by a friend with considerable assistance from his extremely talented wife (yes, that’s you Laura!) • Our table plan was Elliot’s creation using the empty champagne boxes (and a lot of patience!) – the tables were then named after our favourite ski holiday haunts. • The table plan was however overshadowed by the post box created by Jonah, Charley, Gil and Ted (all aged 3 and under and big fans of Postman Pat!) There were lots of special moments – the weather, the guests, the musicians, the food, the champagne, the list goes on but one moment I won’t forget is the slight “wardrobe malfunction” as I arrived at the ceremony – thankfully photographer extraordinaire Shelly was on hand to resolve the problem! Not many weddings can boast spider man on the dance floor either (courtesy of 3 year old cousin, Jonah, and his super cool pyjamas!) That I actually had a wedding ring- it didn’t arrive until 11am on the day of wedding! Forget your normal “control freak” ways and let people help you and rely on the fact that they actually know what they are doing! Oh and weddings can be planned in a short time frame, you just have to make decisions quickly. Cakes – Sally Laird [email protected]

Joseph Bishara is a film composer who has scored many contemporary horror movies. Some of these horror films have been low-budget B-movies but regardless of the quality of the picture, Bishara’s score has always been a rose amongst the thorns. In films such as ‘The Vatican Tapes’ and ‘Dark Skies’ (which were not great films) the score was brooding nevertheless. His greatest achievement in terms of composing was of course his score for ‘Insidious’ which featured echoing percussion and strings, dissonance, and sudden crescendos, all this made for a very eerie soundscape. With Bishara producing sounds on a rusted piano by using various hardware tools including hammers and differently-shaped files, not to mention other “experimental instruments” of his own design, the score for ‘Insidious’ perfectly conveyed the feeling of being haunted by an ancient evil. Safe to say that as a composer, Bishara has made and still makes some very sinister and unnerving sounds but it’s not just his music that is haunting, for me, his talents go much further than film composing. Since he is known predominantly as a film composer, the aspect of Bishara’s career that isn’t mentioned often enough is his acting work, which for me is his biggest achievement. Everybody knows that scaring an audience is a challenge, it has of course to do with directing, editing, and sound design among other things, but if you can create a character that is truly spine-chilling or intimidating then half the job of the movie is done. And that brings me to Joseph Bishara’s physical contributions to cinema, as soon as he dons makeup, latex prosthesis, and some contact lenses, Bishara has the ability to transform into some of the most terrifying demons and creatures in contemporary horror cinema. His gaze, his expression, and his personality when he’s playing a frightening character is second to none. James Wan is the modern day master of horror but it has to be recognised that some of his biggest scares have been thanks to Bishara who has played the main apparitional antagonist in two of his best films; the Lipstick-Face Demon in ‘Insidious’ and Bathsheba the witch in ‘The Conjuring’. Scenes such as the Lipstick-Face Demon lurking behind Patrick Wilson’s shoulder or Bathsheba hovering over Lili Taylor’s face are examples of Bishara’s unnerving and petrifying character work, and this has everything to do with his on-screen persona and his believable transformation into the demonic. On a side note, I note that Bishara is also credited on IMDb as playing “The Demon” in ‘The Conjuring 2’ but I’m not sure who that is since actor Bonnie Aarons played the demon nun “Valak” and actor Bob Adrian played the ghost of Bill Wilkins. Since the “Crooked Man” was CGI, I have no idea which character Bishara actually played in this movie. Maybe it’s a mistake on IMDb’s part, maybe it’s something that was subsequently edited out, or maybe I missed a scene, in any case, since Joseph wasn’t the main source of scares in ‘The Conjuring’ sequel, that’s probably why the movie wasn’t as chilling as the original. Even when Wan isn’t in the director’s chair, Joseph Bishara’s appearance in a horror film is usually the best and most memorable part. Take The Conjuring spin-off ‘Annabelle’ for instance, the movie was unfortunately a disappointment but when Bishara played the demon-slash-devil on the stairs which followed Annabelle Wallis from the elevator in the basement, that was the single scene that made your hairs stand on end. Let’s face it, the Demon in ‘Annabelle’ was the only scary part of that film, so if Bishara can raise a mediocre picture into something chilling and nerve-racking the talent for terrifying moviegoers must lie with him. Like I’ve said before, scaring the audience is a difficult thing to do but Joseph Bishara’s personality and devotion to the genre has created some blood-curdling and unforgettable moments in modern horror cinema. With his sinister scores and his completely terrifying acting, he is definitely one of horror’s rising stars. In a time when many horror films are stale and contrived, Bishara has managed to bring back the feeling of genuine terror from the good ol’ days of ‘The Exorcist’. Casting directors and studios really need to cast him more often, because every time he’s on screen, Joseph Bishara manages to convey dread and fear better than anyone else working in the genre today. Conjuring Up Horror.

By P.V. Gopalakrishnan In the early times when classical music was by far the stronghold in cinema, the orchestras, which were mostly owned in-house by Production Houses, comprised, mostly, traditional Indian musical instruments, including Harmonium & Jalatharangam. Listen to this song by K.B.Sundarambal from the cult classic film ‘Avvaiyar’ (1953), in which Jalatharangam features along with violins. Another old song where the BGM, which included Harmonium is minimalistic was from the film “En Manaivi” (1942), featuring Nellore Natesam. Some of Western & African instruments were also in used in the Tamil movies produced prior to fifties, such as Clarinets, Trumpets, Violins, Piano et al. Here is an old hit from Vazhkai, in which you could hear Clarinet dominantly in the BGM. In fact, till much later, Clarinet solos featured in many Tamil film hits, like the song ‘Inbam Pongum Vennila’ from Veera Pandiya Kattabomman, composed by the legend G.Ramanathan. You can hear clarinet in this song in the opening music itself after Sitar, Violins & Univox, in that order. The Magnum Opus production, “Chandralekha” (1948) by Gemini Vasan had its soundtrack composed by S.Rajeswara Rao with R. Vaidyanathan and B. Das Gupta collaborating with M.D.Parthasarathy on the background score. In an old interview with ‘The Hindu’, Rajeswara Rao had recalled that it took him over a year to compose the music for the film, with much of the time being taken for the drum dance sequence. He stated that the music for the mammoth Drum Dance sequence they had used Trumpets, piano, many Double Bass violins and drums from Africa, Egypt, and Persia acquired from a visiting African war troupe. Cooling Rajiah played the Accordion & Piano in the gypsy song in the same film. In the Post Independence era, the Tamil movies started seeing changes in terms of story subjects, the way dialogues were delivered & even the music compositions, in tune with the overall metamorphosis that was witness to the change of air, all around. The music directors were ever ready to bring in new music instruments into film music. Though Tamil Cinema, despite being the big brother of other Southern Regional Filmmakers, traditionally followed trends in Hindi film industry. The sensational Rajkapoor film ‘Awara” (1951) had Musical notes that was thought to be Accordion notes, which distinguished the song “Awara Hoon” by Music Directors Shankar-Jaikishen duo, inspired by an old Turkish tune. However, there is a theory that the notes were, in fact, not Accordion at all but was played on Harmonium by one Vistasp Balsara, who passed away in 2005. He claimed, in an interview to Calcutta Doordarshan, to have played such Harmonium pieces also in other classics such as “Yaad Kiya Dil Ne” (Patita, 1953) and “Aye Mere Dil Kahin Aur Chal” (Daag, 1952). But Accordion has come to stay by then as an important cine instrument in Hindi. Here is another breezy number from another Rajkapoor starrer, ‘Dastan’, where notable Accordion notes by the player Goody Servai decorate the song composed by Naushad. There were other noted Accordionists in Hindi Film Industry such as Kersi Lord (Roop tera mastana in Aradhana), Sumit Mitra (Har Dil jo pyar karega in Sangam) Enoch Daniels (Beqrar karke hame from Bess saal Baad). Of these we have to specially mention about Late Kersi Lord, who was a multi instrumentalist & who immortalized some of the Hindi film hits with his contribution. He was honoured with Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2010, as a cine musician. He was the one who played the bells like sounding ‘Glockenspiel’ instrument in the famed song ‘Main Zindagi Ka Sath Nibhata Chala Gaya’ composed by Jayadev in ‘Hum Dono’. The accordion thus became an oft-used instrument in Hindi cinema under legendary Music directors such as C Ramchandra, Naushad, Shankar-Jaikishan, Salil Chowdhury and S D Burman as they made it a part of their compositions. It was in Pava Mannippu (1961) that MSV-TKR featured Accordion in ‘Athan….En athan’ composition & the Accordionist was our own Mangalamurthy. Accordionist Mangalamurthy was this writer’s craft teacher in the high school, in the late fifties, but owing to his parallel music career he was hardly seen in the school and was on long leave. MSV had used Accordionist Mangalamurthy in many of his compositions. Some of the songs where Accordion has predominantly featured are “Avalukkenna” (server Sundaram), “Ulagam piranthathu enakkaga” (Paasam), ‘Kannirandum mella mella’ (Andavan Kattalai), Ponaal pogattum poda (Palum Pazhamum), “Netryvarai nee yaro” (Vazhkkai Padagu), “Unga ponnana kaigal” (Kathalikka Neramillai), “Poranthalum ambilaiyaa” (Policekaran Magal), “Kan pona pokkile” (Panam Padaithavan), “Iyarkkai ennum ilaiya kanni” (Shanthi Nilayam), “Varavu ettana” (Bhama Vijayam), “Naalai intha neram parthu” (Uyarntha Manithan). In the following video of Avalukenna song, Mangalamurthy features himself playing accordion, along with his other legendary co musicians, such as Philip (Guitarist) & Raju (Mandolin/Santoor/ Yodelling). The accordion’s origin is said to be from Berlin & this heavy instrument, worn on the player’s chest, weighs about 7 kgs. A R Rahman gave Accordion a home coming again & his accordion could be heard throughout the film Guru & even in his Tamil composition ‘Nenjukkulle’ from the film ‘Kadal’. We will talk about some more veteran cine musicians from old Tamil Films & their exotic instruments in our upcoming articles.

Based in Cumbria Eden Arts are an artist led company dedicated to creating and facilitating change through culture and arts activities. These can be very small (and sometimes far away), intimate projects as small as 1-1 things, or larger things like town festivals and regional strategic plans. It is always about finding creative solutions. Click on the staff pics to see their bios Jo comes from a visual arts background having worked in arts and mental health, hospitality and self employment as an artist. Having studied at Leeds College of Art and Leeds Met Jo’s experience of arts and events lead her to Eden Arts. Bryoney moved to Cumbria after graduating with BA First Class Honors from Huddersfield University. Bryoney now looks after the main marketing channels of Eden Arts, in house design and event management of current projects. Simon is a Lighting Designer who started work with Eden Arts in 2012, working on Picnic Cinema. Before that he was a Theatre Technician for 7 years at ARC –a multi-venue arts centre in Stockton-on-Tees, after studying performance and finding he liked life backstage a lot more. Simon has since worked as a Lighting & AV Designer and Production Manager alongside his work with Eden Arts. He has toured with small scale theatre and designed lighting and AV for theatres and theatre companies across the North working recently with Curious Monkey, OddManOut and Live Theatre in Newcastle. He looks after Penrith Old Fire Station and all things technical for Eden Arts. Adrian’s early career encompassed theatre, TV and Radio as a performer, director and writer, as well as with educational arts companies. He is passionate about the relevance of art and culture in enriching all of our lives. Charles Quick is a Professor of Public Art Practice at the University of Central Lancashire and has over 40 years’ experience of working as a teacher, artist/researcher and curator in the public realm. He has contributed permanent and temporary arts projects for cities across the United Kingdom. In 2003 he co-founded the curatorial project ’In Certain Places’ and since then has worked with regional, national and international artists to develop works for the City, revealing, critiquing and provoking new understandings of a place and its peoples. Quick was co editor and contributor to ‘Subplots to a City’ a publication which marked the first ten years of In Certain Places work in Preston. The Henry Moore Institute and Leeds City Art Gallery hold this work in their collections and he has recorded his artistic life through the British Library sound archive, Artist’s Lives project. The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, Art and Architecture Journal, Arts Professional, A-N Magazine and the Sculpture Magazine, amongst others, have written about his projects. Over the years, he has won awards from Arts Council England, the British Council, and HEFCE. Recently he became the Chair of the Arts and Place national consortium, as well as sitting on a number of boards of regional arts organisation in the North West. Penrith born Gordon Rigg graduated in Mathematics at Manchester University in 1972 and started a career teaching the subject. In 1976, however, the failing health of his father led him to join the family printing business in which he worked until his retirement in 2009, thirty years as MD and overseeing the development of Reed’s Ltd. (now H & H Reeds Printers) to become one of the leading print firms in the North of England. He was also non-executive Director of Penrith Building Society for thirty years, ten of these as Chairman. Married to retired schoolteacher Yvonne with two grown-up children Rachel, who became a sound engineer and Richard, an artist and gallery technician now working in London, Gordon’s interests include music and the creative arts, reading, fishing, wine and real ale (not necessarily at the same time!) walking, all sports including active cycling. John Sidney is the Head of Category Management for Sellafield Ltd. This is a major change programme to revitalize and develop the engineering supply chain for nuclear decommissioning. John has a strong focus on cross-discipline cooperation and creative problem solving. Having worked in the UK, Africa and the USA, he is currently based in North West England. He is a member of the steering group for the Beacon Museum in Whitehaven, a Governor at Furness College and a board member of Atlantic Gateway. An avid consumer of modern and contemporary art, he firmly believes in an integrated view, and works to remove the boundaries between science and art and to encourage creativity from wherever it may come from. Richard Smith has worked in museums and art galleries for over 13 years across management, exhibitions, education and collections. He currently leads the visual arts programme and sits on the senior management team for Lancaster Arts, a combined arts organisation based at Lancaster University. Through Peter Scott Gallery (a constituent part of Lancaster Arts) Richard works on contemporary art commissions, exhibitions and research projects whilst maintaining and developing the nationally significant Peter Scott Gallery collections. Heather started out as a dancer, dance teacher and moved on to work as Company Manager at Tees Valley Dance. Heather has a degree from the University of Chichester in Dance and an MA from Reading University in The Body & Representation. She has also been a Digital Fellow at University of Teesside. At Eden Arts she leads on project development, project management and works closely with Adrian on company strategy. Subscribe to our newsletter for promotional offers and events. Join in the discussion and get all the Eden Arts updates.

Sound Off! // Comment Klatsch #6: Sound and Cinema/Television klatsch \KLAHCH\ , noun: A casual gathering of people, esp. for refreshments and informal conversation [German Klatsch, from klatschen, to gossip, make a sharp noise, of imitative origin.] (Dictionary.com) Dear Readers: Today’s Sound Off!//Comment Klatsch question comes to you from Dr. Regina Bradley, SO! regular, as a lead in to her upcoming post on sound and The Great Gatsby. — J. Stoever-Ackerman, Editor-in-Chief P.S. Don’t forget, we are giving away a Sounding Out! sticker to today’s Klatsch participants. After you’ve commented, simply email your snail mail address to [email protected]. What use of sound in film or television stands out in your memory and why? Comment Klatsch logo courtesy of The Infatuated on Flickr.

A 433 sq. ft. studio apartment with private balcony located on the 2nd floor with west facing views set within this fantastic new development of King’s Cross Quarter by Regal Homes in the heart of London. Colliers International is pleased to present to the market this studio apartment in a collection of 118 luxury homes, beautifully designed to the highest specifications. An outstanding location coupled with superb facilities, King’s Cross Quarter is a spectacular development Features to note: – Integrated Neff/Bosch kitchen appliances – Fitted wardrobes to bedroom – Landscaped gardens – Residents fully equipped gymnasium including swimming pool, sauna and steam room – Residents cinema room – 24 hour concierge service – Minutes from King’s Cross St Pancreas, the only station to have six underground lines pass through, is exceptionally well connected, allowing easy access to London, Heathrow Airport and International destinations – From Michelin star restaurants to quirky pop up eateries, London has an array of fabulous dining experiences to discover – Located close to Regent’s Park, where the London Zoo, open air theatre, boating lake and an abundance of cafés can be enjoyed – There is an eclectic selection of shops for all tastes, including high-end labels and sought-after boutiques. The area boasts local attractions, beautiful property, vibrant street markets and rich history Please note the images provided are intended for illustrative purposes only. Colliers International offers a comprehensive portfolio of real estate services to occupiers, owners and investors on a local, regional, national and international basis.

Seguso Vetri d’Arte stands once again alongside the great Italian cinema, on the occasion of the 22nd edition of the “Terra di Siena Film Festival“, among the most important italian film festivals. The 2018 program presents national premiere movies of remarkable artistic value, highly anticipated by critics. The participation in the festival is a pleasant tradition for Seguso Vetri d’Arte, which annually assigns the “Seguso Award”, a the career award. On occasion of the 2018 edition, the award has been assigned to Vincent Riotta, a British actor of Italian origin who directed the Hollywood Boulevard Acting School in Hollywood, Los Angeles. Riotta is very active as an actor in the cinema as well as in theater and TV. Among his most recent appearances is the one next to Tom Hanks in the film Inferno, directed by Ron Haward. The Seguso Award – a vase worked in incalmo techinique and masterly crafted by the Seguso Vetri d’Arte Masters- has been handed to Vincent Riotta by Maria Giulia Seguso. The Ceremony was held in the prestigious Palazzo Chigi, home of the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena. The Terra di Siena Film Festival is an idea of Maria Pia Corbelli. The artistic direction is entrusted to Antonio Flamini who has made the event an international showcase of stars and a meeting point between actors, directors and producers, a cultural exchange of projects focusing on the future of the Italian film art. photo credits: Mario Llorca - The Spirit of Murano opening Exhibition - GIAMPAOLO SEGUSO AT LOWE ART MUSEUM OF MIAMI - SEGUSO VETRI D’ARTE AGAIN ALONGSIDE THE TERRA DI SIENA FILM FESTIVAL - SEGUSO VETRI D’ARTE AN EVENT IN THE FURNACE CELEBRATES UNA DI LUNA, THE LATEST NOVEL BY ANDREA DE CARLO - SEGUSO VETRI D’ARTE FOR 16th INTERNATIONAL ARCHITECTURE EXHIBITION – LA BIENNALE DI VENEZIA

List of all movies released in 2006, with film trailers when available. These movies of 2006 are listed alphabetically, but if you're looking for a particular film, you can search for it by using the Filter option below. This list includes some of the best movies of 2006, but since it's a list of all 2006 films there are also some bad movies on here as well. Additional information is also available for these 2006 movies, such as their directors, actors and taglines. List features The Departed, X-Men: The Last Stand and more. If you're wondering, "What movies came out in 2006?" or "What are the best 2006 films?" then this list will answer your questions.This is a comprehensive list of movies that premiered in 2006, so the films you see here range from smaller indie pictures to giant blockbusters. If you're a big cinema buff, this list is a great way to find some more obscure films that you may not already know. (2996 items)

A great number of the shops are closed, and the paint is flaking, leaving only the eateries and KTV lounges in Golden Mile Tower continue their normal business. Meanwhile, since last year, a different type of crowd has been visiting the tower, adding a fresh colour to a complex that has been existing since 1973. With lattes and film brochures in hand, visitors could use the lift to the fifth floor to the formerly famous Golden Theatre, now home to independent art-house cinema, The Projector. The Projector uses two halls on the fifth floor, renamed the Green Room and the RedRum. The Green Room is a cinema hall with 220 seats, and the RedRum – “murder” when reflected in the mirror a la Stanley Kubrick’s 1979 movie The Shining – is a multi-purpose hall with 150 seating capacity. Started officially in January, The Projector was conceived by Pocket Projects, a development consultancy specialising in redevelopment of old areas for reuse. Its founder, Ms. Karen Tan, 34, was informed about the availability of the cinema halls by Mr. Randy Chan, principal of Zarch Collaboratives, an architecture firm on the fourth floor of the building. Her team visualize the possibility of offering a different experience from other cinemas, by creating an avenue for people to watch films and interrelate with other people. Her sister, Ms. Sharon Tan, 30, a former urban planner with the Urban Redevelopment Authority, now manages The Projector. She said that they chose the area because of their interest in the difficult areas, and wished to make old areas significant, a place where people would feel free and enjoy themselves. She mentioned their former project, The Lorong 24A Shophouse Series, where they revamped shop houses in Geylang, notorious for being a supposedly danger zone. Golden Mile Tower, too, had a reputation issue, as anchor tenant Golden Theatre previously screened adult films and Chinese blockbusters. Started in 1973 by Chong Gay Theatres, Golden was the biggest cinema when it was opened with 1,500 seats. The main hall was split into three halls in the 1990s. Nowadays, the single hall of 1,000 seats in the Golden Digital Theatre on the third floor screens Tamil and Hindi films while The Projector screens films curated by Mr. Gavin Low of Luna Films daily. Indie, local, foreign, classic, and cult favourites are shown. The Projector’s redesign was handled by FARM, a cross-disciplinary practice that upheld several elements in the past. These are evident in the old signage of the two halls, Golden 1 and 2, and the painted wall drapery in the cinemas- all preserved. Although the reupholstering of the seats was done, the old numbers, steel frames and chipped paint remained. Ms. Sharon Tan declared that they did not want the place to look totally new, but just restored. The new cinema has attracted many film buffs to the boxy building, which has the “brutalist” style of architecture common in the 1970s, containing an visible concrete exterior. Many people may not have noticed the 24-storey tower typically eclipsed by Golden Mile Complex nearby, referred to as “Little Thailand” for several Thai restaurants, supermarkets, and massage parlours. Mr Andrew Ang, 21, an undergraduate who viewed a picture in The Projector through the Singapore International Film Festival last December, said: “I was seeing a picture called As You Were, which featured its characters being transported back in time, and that I felt the exact same manner seeing it in this kind of historical place.” Although The Projector has made the building popular, the new crowd has not translated into increased sales for businesses there. Many were not even cognizant of the new tenant. In his late 60s, Mr. Yong Guan Heng, and the owner of Loong Siang Coffee House, said that “There has been no change in business. I didn’t even know about the new cinema.” The eateries depend on their regular customers, commonly office workers, to patronize them. Golden Mile Tower has an isolated feel. Most shops are closed, the owners having left or not opening regularly. A tenant that opens his shop regularly and who has been using the shop since 1974 is Mr. Steven Aw, the owner of Happy Philatelic Agency. His basement shop is filled with collectibles like the first stamp ever issued in the world, the British 1840 Penny Black. Mr. Aw who is in his late 60s said that the placed has not changed but has gone done recently because the owners have been renting out their shops to other tenants. The place is not well taken care of, and they dump refuse everywhere. Ms. Shinn Teo, 24, a hotel company executive, has visited the famous Golden Mile Thien Kee Steamboat Restaurant in the basement close to 10 years. Even though her family eats there regularly because her grandma enjoys it, but she has not explored the building. She further stated that the building felt so empty at night that she dared not walk around after her meals. But Mr. Ang, an undergraduate, felt the place is written off by many younger Singaporeans as it is old. He, therefore, urged them to give the building a facelift and the result would be awesome.

Philips has introduced the home theatre system designed to support its rather impressive Cinema 21:9 TV, with an aim to deliver sound in the same "exceptional quality" as the video images. This new cinema package includes the advanced Philips HD AV receiver and a dedicated 7.1 speaker system, plus the option of adding the matched Philips Blu-ray player into the mix as well. The speaker package includes four floor standing tallboy speakers, two satellite speakers, a centre channel and an active subwoofer. Class A/B amplifiers have been included for a "high power, low distortion output", and all the main speakers include ferro-fluid cooled 25mm soft dome super tweeters. There are four mid-range woofers – two 3-inch units in the tallboy and satellite speakers, and two 4-inch units in the centre channel - while the standalone active subwoofer pushes out 200W. As for the Blu-ray DVD player, it complements the Cinema 21:9 TV as it is the first Blu-ray player to offer 21:9 mode selection and can upscale non-Blu-ray movies to near 1080p HD quality. It features 1GB internal memory storage and can connect up to the Internet so users can download additional Blu-ray content for their films. There's been no news as to release date or prices for this, but we expect you'll see it on the shelves around the same time as the Cinema 21:9 TV, in June. We'll keep you updated.

Research, script, direction, production: Nelly Psarrou She was born in 1973 in Athens. She is a political scientist, specialized on nationalism, national identities, ideologies, state and globalization. She has lectured for six years in Greek universities. She then turned to research and journalism, either by publishing independent books and articles in her own website, or in collaboration with various groups. She is curious and she professes whatever gives her the chance to create within the science she loves; she works and lives with humanism and truth as a guide. Documentaries became her thing after her first research that was published visually in “Golfland?“, a spontaneous task of a few volunteer partners. Now she returns to documentaries with more professionalism, keeping the pretension of independence and freedom of research. The sponsors of this work cannot be others than those it’s addressed to. She would like to continue making documentaries. Only time will tell! Director of photography: Stella Melingkounaki She was born in 1978 and grew up in Crete. She loves photography since she was a child. She got her first pocket camera when she was still an elementary school pupil. In 2007 she attended the beginner’s photography seminars of Photography Union of Crete and she is a member of the union since then. The International Federation of Photographic Art (FIAP) has awarded her the E.FIAP award in 2012. In May 2013, moved by the need to stand for the struggles of today, she started filming this documentary with her DSLR. Communication, production assistant: Pantelis Panteloglou He was born in 1976 and he grows up everyday in Athens. He studied Social Anthropology, got a master’s degree and then turned to other activities. He translates, he subtitles, he edits, he shoots, he builds websites, he writes, he erases, he makes phonecalls, he pretends to be a sound engineer and a theatre technician, he organizes film screenings and his dream is to write the yellow pages of no budget producing guide. He is a member of “Tsiritsantsoules” Art Collective and a collaborator of ThePressProject. Music: Christos Garbidakis – Dergar He was born in Chania in 1968, he has a European Culture degree from the Greek Open University and he has studied computer programming and classical guitar. He composes, records and produces music under the name dergar, using lots of electronic, electracoustic and acoustic instruments and vocals. He has been influenced by art-rock, ambient, classical, neoclassical, soundtrack, modern greek songwriting, the greek new wave & greek rock scene, byzantine music, cretan music and more. He lets feelings express themselves and he experiments on combinations of various sounds, to create lyrical leitmotivs and lengthy atmospheric landscapes. More info at http://dergar.bandcamp.com. He has also contributed to “Golfland?”. Teasers: Michalis Alexakis He is a fan of colored buttons, screens and moving images, so he buried his journalism degree early enough and turned to cinema and TV, working as a director and editor. Lately he’s mainly into editing and he has worked with various directors in Greece, both for cinema and TV. Important moments of his career were the films “Poker Face” (Christos Dimas), “God loves caviar” (Giannis Smaragdis), “If” (Christoforos Papakaliatis), “ACAB” (Konstantina Voulgari), and also the TV shows “Oxygen” (Vassilis Kehagias) and “Mediterranean sea” (Panos Karkanevatos) and TV series “Drive safe, dad” (Thodoris Papadoulakis) and “Dirty talking” (Mirto Kontova-Vassilis Kehagias). Since summer 2013 he lives and works in Heraklion, Crete and he hasn’t regretted it at all. Poster design: Aggelos Pouliasis He was born in Athens in 1973. When he was young he studied graphic design. When he grew up he got a Humanities degree. He has worked as a graphic designer for 17 years. It’s been two years since he abandoned Athens and got himself relocated to Messinia, in order to entertain and feed acquaintances and other people in a small beach bistro.

Between the Waves Madison Becomes Reality; The City Gets Its Music Conference Tickets for the first Between the Waves Madison Music Conference and Festival can be purchased here. The schedule of events and roster of speakers and panelists is subject to change and is being updated frequently. You can keep an eye on the progress of this historic event by following the Facebook page or by visiting the website often. After years of discussion, debating and even dreaming, the city of Madison will take a huge step forward in June with its first music conference. The inaugural Between the Waves Madison Music Conference and Festival will take place Thursday, June 15 through Sunday, June 18. The conference’s goal is to provide independent musicians with the tools that can help them make a living in music. The conference curriculum is not just geared toward the performer but to the producer, engineer, businessperson and songwriter, encouraging them to focus on building a foundation in a hundred mile radius. The festival portion of the annual event will highlight the city of Madison, its musical heritage, future potential and especially its current roster of talent. Some forty local performers will participate in entertaining conference attendees, making an impression that they’ll take back to their respective cities and hometowns along with a message that Madison is poised to become an important music city, with a thriving music scene that is above all, functional and ready to roll. Between the Waves Madison is founded by Roy Elkins and there is no one more suited to the task. Elkins is the President of Broadjam, Inc., one of the premier – and longest running – internet-based music companies in the world. Broadjam boasts a membership of 180,000 collaborators and peers in 190 countries who seek to further their careers and hone their skills with opportunities for licensing their music in multiple mediums. Broadjam is also a powerful social media site where musicians from across the globe interact, connect and collaborate. Through the peer review mechanism, Broadjam members gain powerful insights into their songwriting, arranging and production skills. Elkins, who has also served as the President of the Madison Area Music Association, and whose company has been instrumental in providing the technical means for the organization to manage its annual awards selection, lives a relatively quiet life but is a rock star in the international music trade. Go to a NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) show and there are likely to be more people hounding Elkins than some of the bona fide rock stars in attendance. In harmony with many of these efforts, high-school level youths who are participating in music through their schools or through private instruction are being actively sought to attend the conference for free. Anyone interested in reserving a youth pass should contact Mary Elsner at mailto:[email protected]. Elkins succeeded in getting the city behind his vision, a critical element in helping put Madison on the musical map. “The world needs to know” is a slogan the BTW organizers have adopted as a battle cry in an effort to make Madison a music city; a destination rather than a flyover. The concept is part and parcel of the growth and development the city is experiencing, particularly in the East Washington Avenue corridor, where a transformation is taking place. As the conference grows in the coming years, the intent is to bring in as many as ten thousand attendees, fueling the city’s tourism and creating opportunities for artists to relocate here to build their careers. This is in stark contrast to the tradition of Madison artists who are compelled to relocate in order to further their artistry. At the same time, the conference will keep the spotlight turned on the city itself, its thriving roster of exceptional talent, the natural beauty of the area and its proximity to the other major hubs in the Midwest, from Nashville to the Twin Cities. Such an influx of attendees will stimulate room taxes, provide a boost to the local economy and encourage future growth. Elkins has assembled a team of volunteers that have been working extraordinarily hard, jumping the hurdles and busting through the roadblocks that can make the first year of such an undertaking incredibly difficult. The first-year planning has had plenty of obstacles to deal with. For instance, merely finding a facility to present the curriculum was difficult. Space being limited, there were few options by the time the event was given the green light. Elkins succeeded in securing the upper level of the Gordon Dining and Event Center on the UW campus with sponsorship help from the UW School of Music. Gordon Dining Hall is actually a well-equipped and spacious facility; a huge area that can be subdivided to create four large rooms, all equipped with the technology to make presentations. The lower-level dining hall makes the facility especially efficient. Even so, there are restrictions, especially on Saturday where some of that space is not available. Attendees will also travel a couple of blocks to the Doubletree Inn and their conference room. Coordinating speakers, travel arrangements, hotels have all been challenging for the group to get things off the ground. Heading up the festival side is Luke Jorgensen, creator of the annual Whiskeyonsin event and front man for the local Americana group the Lower 5th. Jorgensen has done an exceptional job, recruiting all the performers and making arrangements to center the performances at the 701 East Washington complex, home of the High Noon Saloon, the Brass Ring and the Brink Lounge. There will be an outdoor stage as well, so a very festive setting indeed. Additionally, there will be a hip-hop showcase, a free show at the Majestic on Saturday, June 17th. Wristbanding will provide easy access to all performance areas. In the future, the conference could become the centerpiece for a full week of local music celebration that could incorporate the Madison Area Music Awards and several other events that occur in June as well as the staging of even more festival events on the Monona Terrace rooftop, the King Street area, the lower Wilson St. venues and other destinations. With the city’s support and the support of other institutions such as Tourism, the possibilities are enormous. How the BTW Madison Music Conference and Festival Works Conference tickets (includes festival): $69.00 includes admission to the full conference and festival. $99 VIP includes the above plus a ticket to the Madison Area Music Awards show on Sunday, May 18, a pass to a pre-MAMA VIP party, a $50 credit on the Broadjam site and a BTW t-shirt. Festival Tickets (Festival tickets can be purchased separately from the conference): $35 includes both Friday and Saturday nights at all venues $20 for one-day pass All venues will charge a $10 cover at the door per venue. The hip-hop showcase at the Majestic is a free show. Buy your tickets here. Conference Events Open to the Public: There are two aspects of the conference that will be open to the public. The conference will open on Thursday night at 6 pm with a social hour and a thirty-minute opening for the conference. At 7 pm Paul Broucek will present “Music in Film.” Broucek is President of Warner Bros. Pictures and has worked as the Executive Music Producer at New Line Cinema where is most famously known for his work producing the music for the Lord of the Rings trilogy. This is a presentation that you will not want to miss. The public can attend this session for an entry fee of $10.00. On Sunday there are a series of presentations by notable speakers including Martin Atkins, David Spero, Kip Winger, Ben Sidran and Craig Anderton. These sessions will also be available to the public for an entry fee of $10 to see all the speakers. All the public sessions are limited, based on available seating. For full bios on speakers (and updates) go here. Other Conference Highlights Here are a few other activities to highlight. More changes are being made to the schedule of events so check for updates: - A publishing panel made up of film and television experts will examine music samples from conference attendees and provide feedback and advice. Submissions are limited. Keep an eye on the BTW website for information on how to participate. - Kip Winger will be interviewed on Sunday and will give intimate details on his career and experience in the music business, interspersed with solo performance. This will be a special, intimate look an artist who is too often associated only with the hard rock band that bore his surname. Winger has won accolades in classical composition, production and in the field of ballet. - David Spero’s presentation will also highlight Sunday’s activities. As manager for Joe Walsh, Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald and Dickie Betts, Spero’s delivery will be one of importance for all aspiring musicians and all those interested in the management of artists. - If you’ve never attended a presentation by Martin Atkins, this will be your opportunity. Atkins never disappoints with his candid and passionate delivery and his common-sense approach to the business of independent promotion and touring. Atkins was the drummer in Ministry and P.I.L. so he has plenty of insight, delivered with flair and no shortage of humor. Below are two graphics that promote the conference and festival. There will be updates and you can check everything by going to the BTW Madison website.

Amsterdam for Culture Vultures Collected by Melissa Adams , AFAR Local Expert Amsterdam is a mecca for culture vultures. From art and film exhibitions to theater, dance and music festivals, the city offers a plethora of options for aficionados of culture. In addition to more than 50 museums, Amsterdam boasts numerous concert halls, music venues and artistic institutions that celebrate the creative spirit and Dutch and international culture through the visual and performing arts. Gabriël Metsustraat 8, 1071 EA Amsterdam, Netherlands It has been a decade since the major museums on the Museumplein—a grassy square connecting Amsterdam’s main art centers—have all been open at the same time. Here’s what to check out at the Van Gogh Museum. Sunflowers, The... Museumplein 10, 1071 DJ Amsterdam, Netherlands It has been a decade since the major museums on the Museumplein—a grassy square connecting Amsterdam’s main art centers—have all been open at the same time. Here’s what to check out at Stedelijk Museum. The modern art... If you're a jazz and classical music aficionado, you owe it to yourself to visit Amsterdam in mid-August, when the 10-day Grachtenfestival (Canal Festival) brings live music to venues throughout the city. Since 1997, the cultural celebration has... Leidseplein 26, 1017 PT Amsterdam, Netherlands This imposing 1894 neo-Renaissance-style red-brick building on the famed Leidseplein is home to Toneelgroep Amsterdam, the largest theater company in the Netherlands. Both classic plays and modern dramas are staged in its two major halls. The... Prinsengracht, Amsterdam, Netherlands Beyond tulips, windmills, and weed, Amsterdam's global image is entwined with water. The Canal Ring (Grachtengordel) is made up of 165 fluid channels developed during the 17th-century Dutch Golden Age. In the ensuing years, the water network has... IJpromenade 1, 1031 KT Amsterdam, Netherlands Step inside the Eye Film Institute to discover an homage to international cinema replete with interactive displays and perched like an ivory spaceship ready for launch on the northern bank of the IJ River. The striking facility, accessible via a... George Maduroplein 1, 2584 RZ Den Haag, Netherlands If visiting a miniature version of a country the size of a postage stamp makes no sense to you, stay away from Madurodam, a top tourist attraction in Den Haag featuring historic Dutch towns, ports, canals, roads and monuments re-created on a 1/25... Linnaeusstraat 2, 1092 CK Amsterdam, Netherlands The interiors of this museum and its library are really beautiful—a mosaic of polished wood and marble surfaces. And its contents are very timely, about the history of immigration and former Dutch colonies and slavery. The library is a bit... Amstel 3, 1011 PN Amsterdam, Netherlands With its 14-meter curved façade overlooking the Amstel River, Amsterdam's Muziektheater cuts a dramatic swath in one of the city's oldest neighborhoods. Home to The Dutch Opera and Dutch National Ballet, it's housed in the same building as... Prinsengracht 323, 1016 GZ Amsterdam, Netherlands Grachtenfestival is a week-long outdoor classical music festival held every August in Amsterdam. World-famous musicians, ensembles and new talent perform in locations around the city. The festival's grand finale, the free Prinsengracht Concert, is... Herengracht 497, 1017 BT Amsterdam, Netherlands If you tire of highbrow culture, sample a lighter approach to art devoted to a single theme at one of Amsterdam's quirkiest museums: the Katten Kabinet (Cat Cabinet). While professionally curated, this homage to all things feline has a humorous... Keizersgracht 672, 1017 ET Amsterdam, Netherlands If Amsterdam's 17th-century canal houses could talk, they might reveal secrets of wealthy merchants who raised families in the tall, narrow properties during Holland's Golden Age. Today, the historic residences have been transformed into hotels,... Museumstraat 1, 1071 XX Amsterdam, Netherlands Amsterdam’s State Museum reopened in 2013 after a decade of renovations, and it is oh so worth a visit! Weave your way through the museum's vast assemblage of historic art (there are over 8,000 pieces!) to check out works from Dutch masters... Herengracht 427, 1017 BR Amsterdam, Netherlands Exploring Amsterdam aboard a canal boat is an iconic way to see the sights, with myriad tours and cruises plying the 65 miles of waterways that lattice the city. From many spots you can join simple, hour-long cruises with narrators describing... IJhaven, 1019 Amsterdam, Netherlands Every five years in late August, ancient mariners as well as younger fans of sailing and sea exploration converge in Amsterdam to celebrate Holland's rich seafaring legacy. Since its debut in 1975, commemorating the city's 700th birthday, SAIL has... - 1 Air Travel Another U.S. Airport Now Allows Non-Ticketed Visitors Through Security - 2 Restaurants + Cafés This Bistro Was Just Voted the Best New Restaurant in the United States - 3 Travel News Tour Guides Will Soon Be Restricted at Two Popular NYC Sites - 4 Travel Tips Temples, Tipping, and Train Rides: A Guide to Japan for First-Timers - 5 Where to Go in Spring 10 Best Places to Travel in May

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