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The First 15 Bracelet Winners of the 2014 WSOP
The 2014 World Series of Poker is in full swing and we thought now would be a good time to celebrate the first 15 bracelet winners.
Without further ado, here are the winners of the 2014 WSOP Events #1-15.
Event #1: $500 Casino Employees Event - Roland Reparejo
Roland Reparejo took home $82,835 after defeating Corey Emery heads-up in the opening event of the 2014 WSOP.
Event #2: $25,000 Mixed Max - Vanessa Selbst
Vanessa Selbst became only the second female in poker history to win three bracelets when she defeated Jason Mo heads-up. In addition to her third bracelet, Selbst also won $871,148.
Event #3: $1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha - Brandon Shack-Harris
Brandon Shack-Harris won the record-breaking Pot Limit Omaha field, defeating Morgan Popham heads-up to scoop the $205,634 winner's prize.
Event #4: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em - Kyle Cartwright
Kyle Cartwright, a regular on the WSOP Circuit events, finally won a bracelet when he beat Jason Paster in Event #4, a result that bank Cartwright $360,435.
Event #5: $10,000 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw - Tuan Le
Tuan Le knocked out Justin Bonomo at the final hurdle of the first $10,000 event of the series. His prize? $355,324.
Event #6: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout - Alex Bolotin
Ivey Poker Pro Alex Bolotin won $259,211 when he beat former PCA Main Event winner Dimitar Danchev heads-up.
Event #7: $1,500 Seven-Card Razz - Ted Forrest
Ted Forrest stopped Phil Hellmuth winning his 14th bracelet in the razz event. Forrest collected $121,196 in prize money.
Event #8: $1,500 Millionaire Maker - Jonathan Dimmig
The biggest score of the series so far weighs in at $1,319,587 -- Jonathan Dimmig has this sum in his bank account after despatching of Jeffrey Coburn in the Millionaire Maker.
Event #9: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em - Jeff Smith
Jeff Smith was on cloud nine after winning Event #9 after a heads-up battle with Danny Nguyen. Smith is now $323,125 richer.
Event #10: $10,000 Limit Omaha Hi-Low - Brock Parker
Brock Parker spoiled the British party when he bust Richard Ashby heads-up to claim Event #10s bracelet and $443,407.
Event #11: $1,500 Six-Handed No-Limit Hold'em - Justin Bonomo
Justin Bonomo had finished second in WSOP events on numerous occasions but finally got the monkey off his back when he beat Mike Sowers to claim a bracelet and $449,980.
Event #12: $1,500 Pot-Limit Hold'em - Gregory Kolo
Gregory Kolo beat Kazu Oshima for $169,225 in the Pot-Limit Omaha event.
Event #13: $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Single Draw - Paul Volpe
Paul Volpe stopped Daniel Negreanu from winning a bracelet bet when he sent him to the rail in second place in the 2-7 single draw event. Volp added $253,524 to his coffers.
Event #14: $1,500 Limit Omaha Hi-Low - Nick Kost
Nick Kost is $283,275 richer after beating Kal Raichura heads-up in the $1,500 limit Omaha Hi-Low evevt.
Event #15: $3,000 Six-Handed No-Limit Hold'em - Davidi Kitai
Belgium's Davidi Kitai won his third bracelet after a long heads-up battle with Gordon Vayo. Kitai banked $508,640 for his substantial efforts.
Images courtesy of WSOP.com
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Coronavirus, Covid 19, Solano County CA
Spike of COVID deaths in Solano Care facilities continues – 2 more deaths reported today
September 30, 2020 Roger Straw
UPDATE: See today's latest information
[For a complete archive of day by day data, see my Excel ARCHIVE.]
Wednesday, September 30: 26 new cases overnight, 3 hospitalizations, 2 deaths. Since the outbreak began: 6,445 cases, 395 hospitalized, 71 deaths.
Compare previous report, Tuesday, Sept 29:
Solano County reported 26 new cases today, total of 6,445 cases since the outbreak started. Over the last 2 weeks, Solano reported 438 new cases, average of over 31 per day.
Deaths – RECENT SPIKE: 16 deaths reported in the last 8 days including 2 new deaths reported today, total of 71 Solano deaths.
Deaths reported Sept 22 – 30:
– 1 very young person 18-49 years;
– 2 middle agers 50-64 years;
– 13 of our elders aged 65+
For details on yesterday's report of 4 deaths, 3 of which were in Solano care facilities, see the Daily Republic report: Recent Covid-related deaths at Fairfield, Vallejo care centers climb to 9
Active cases – Solano reported 5 more ACTIVE cases today, total of 225. Note that only 14 of these 225 people are hospitalized, so there are a lot of infected folks out among us, hopefully quarantined. Is the County equipped to contact trace so many infected persons? Who knows? To my knowledge, Solano County has offered no reports on contact tracing.
Hospitalizations – the number of currently hospitalized persons fell by 2 today, total of only 14. The total number hospitalized since the outbreak started increased by 3 today, total of 395. (See age group hospitalization stats below).
ICU Beds –The County reported a big reduction in the percentage of ICU beds available, down from 55% to 40%. (After 8 weeks, still no information about availability of ventilators.)
Testing – The County reports today that 1,001 residents were tested overnight, new total of 89,725. Solano has a long way to go, even as we celebrate achieving 20% of Solano County's 447,643 residents (2019) have been tested.
Positive Test Rate
Solano County reported today that our 7-day average test rate fell a bit today from 4.8% to 4.7%.
For the record, Solano's test rate crested the week of July 15-22, when it peaked at 9.3%. The County has hit 7% (or more) three times since, on August 21, September 1 and September 2. In the 4 weeks since then, our test rate has run as high as 6.5% and as low as 2.7% (on Sept 11), averaging 4.1%.
The County's line graph for positive test rate looks like a flat line and tells us little or nothing, not worth posting here.
Percent positive test rates are among the best metrics for measuring the spread of the virus. The much more stable California
7-day test rate remained fell today, from 2.9% to 2.8%. (Note that Solano County displays past weeks and months in a 7-day test positivity line graph which also shows daily results. However, the chart does not display an accurate number of cases for the most recent days, as there is a lag time in receiving test results. The 7-day curve also lags behind current unknown results.)
By Age Group
Youth 17 and under – 6 new cases today, total of 721 cases, representing 11.2% of the 6,445 total cases. No new hospitalizations among this age group today, a total of 6 hospitalizations since the outbreak began. Thankfully, no deaths. In recent weeks it seems too many youth are ignoring public health orders. Cases among Solano youth rose steadily over the summer, from 5.6% of total cases on June 8 to 11% on August 31 and has remained around 11% since then. Youth are 22% of Solano's general population, so this 11% may seem low. The significance is this: 1) youth numbers increased steadily and at a faster rate than the other age groups, and 2) youth are SERIOUSLY NOT IMMUNE (!) – in fact 6 youth have now been hospitalized.
Persons 18-49 years of age – 13 new cases today, total of 3,860 cases. This age group is 41% of the population in Solano, but represents 60% of the total cases, by far the highest percentage of all age groups. The County reported no new hospitalizations in this age group today, total of 129 hospitalized since the outbreak began. No new deaths in this young age group today, total of 5 deaths. Some in this group are surely ignoring public health orders, and many are providing essential services among us. I expect this group is a major factor in the spread of the virus.
Persons 50-64 years of age – 4 new cases today, total of 1,226 cases. This age group represents 19% of the 6,445 total cases.
No new hospitalizations today, total of 105 hospitalized since the outbreak began. No new deaths in this age group today, a total of 13 deaths.
Persons 65 years or older – Today the County reported 3 new cases, total of 637. 3 new hospitalizations, total of 155. 2 new deaths, total of 53 of our elders who died of COVID. Much of the recent spike in this age group is related to outbreaks at Fairfield and Vallejo care facilities. (For details on yesterday's report of 4 deaths, 3 of which were in Solano care facilities, see the Daily Republic report: Recent Covid-related deaths at Fairfield, Vallejo care centers climb to 9.) This age group's 637 cases represent 9.9% of the 6,445 total cases. In this older age group, 24.3% of cases required hospitalization at one time. This group accounts for 53 of the 71 deaths, or 75%.
City Data
Benicia added 3 new cases today, total of 172 cases since the outbreak began.
Dixon added 1 new case today, total of 419 cases.
Fairfield added 6 new cases today, total of 2,088 cases.
Rio Vista remained steady today, total of 52 cases.
Suisun City added 3 new cases today, total of 471 cases.
Vacaville added 3 new cases today, total of 1,083 cases.
Vallejo added 10 new cases today, total of 2,140 cases.
Unincorporated areas remained steady today, total of 20 cases.
The County report on race / ethnicity includes case numbers, hospitalizations, deaths and Solano population statistics. This information is discouragingly similar to national reports that indicate significantly worse outcomes among black and brown Americans. Note that all of this data surely undercounts Latinx Americans, as there is a large group of "Multirace / Others" which likely is composed mostly of Latinex members of our communities.
Asian Americans are 14% of Solano's population, and account for 9% of cases, 11% of hospitalizations, and 18% of deaths.
Black Americans are 14% of Solano's population, and account for 11% of cases, but 18% of hospitalizations, and 24% of deaths.
Latinx Americans are 26% of Solano's population, but account for 30% of cases, 29% of hospitalizations, and 18% of deaths.
White Americans are 39% of the population in Solano County, but only account for 21% of cases, 27% of hospitalizations and as of today 31% of deaths. NOTE: A week ago, the percentage of deaths of White Americans began to rise sharply. After hovering at 20-21% for months, White American deaths rose suddenly on Thursday Sept. 24 to 25%. Then on Monday Sept. 28 to 26%, on Tuesday Sept. 29 to 28% and in today's report to a high of 31%. It seems likely this increase corresponds to the recent spike of cases and deaths in Solano care facilities.
The County's new and improved Coronavirus Dashboard is full of much more information, too extensive to cover here on a daily basis. The Benicia Independent will continue to summarize daily and highlight a report or two. Check out the Dashboard at https://doitgis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=055f81e9fe154da5860257e3f2489d67.
Benicia CACoronavirus COVID 19countDixon CAFairfield CARio Vista CASolano County CASuisun City CAVacaville CAVallejo CA
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Posted on August 25, 2015 by reelsteelcinema
2014/ USA, Germany, UK
Director: Wes Anderson
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, F. Murray Abraham, Mathieu Amalric
Words: R. Topham
"You see, there are still faint glimmers of civilisation left in this barbaric slaughterhouse that was once known as humanity." – M. Gustave, the voice of pessimists everywhere. Possibly Wes Anderson's most aesthetically pleasing film to date, The Grand Budapest Hotel is a delightfully entertaining and slightly surreal cinematic gem that was such a hit with the public and critics that it's since been immortalised as a video game.
Gustave, played spectacularly by Ralph Fiennes, is a legendary concierge at skiing resort The Grand Budapest Hotel during the 1930's when he is framed for the murder of a beloved guest. The latter bequeaths Gustave a very valuable painting in her will, Boy with Apple, much to the dismay of her children. Gustave and recently appointed lobby boy Zero embark on a quest to prove Gustave's innocence, encountering all kinds of surprises along the way, from a prison cell to The Society of the Crossed Keys.
It's a kind of facetious modern twist on a period drama, but it works because the cheeky humour and the sheer ridiculousness of the quick-fire protagonist perfectly compliment the casually chaotic narrative. Much like previous classics such as Moonrise Kingdom and Rushmore, what Wes Anderson did with The Grand Budapest Hotel was interweave wit, style and fun in the most charmingly ostentatious way imaginable. It's evidently an explosion of Anderson's psyche, and, with the help of trusty cinematographer Robert Yeoman, it's an hour and forty minutes of pure brilliance.
And of course a multitude of Anderson's go-to actors have cameos: Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Jeff Goldblum, Jason Schwartzmen, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe – you get the idea. Plus Tilda Swinton, barely recognisable beneath a heavy costume of wrinkles and grey hair, plays Gustave's ill-fated 84 year old lover and nails it. A great cast, an impeccably written script, Academy Award winning make-up and costume design, all the ingredients for a thoroughly enjoyable film.
The Other Side Of 9: Oblivion
2013/ USA
Starring: Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Andrea Riseborough
Words: N. Platts
We've all been there. It's three in the morning, you've just made yourself a soothing cup of good old English tea and you're lying in bed staring at the ceiling. Sleep evades you and your alarm is going off in just four hours. What do you do? Now, maybe most of you will clamp your eyes closed and will yourself to at least get a few hours kip so you can be at least partly human the next day? Maybe you'll make that classic cup of tea a little more Irish and attempt to tackle the situation that way? No? Okay…then maybe, like me, you trawl through Netflix and look for something to watch? Got it? Yes? Good. Bingo. We're on the same page.
Now, hunting out a good film on Netflix (or the equivalent) is often a tenuous affair full of disappointment with the phrase "Seen it" seemingly drifting from between your lips over and over again. However from time to time you find that rarest of gems. A film you've not seen, a film that seems bearable and a film that has been directed by the same bloke that directed for us the return of the Tron universe in Tron: Legacy; a highly underrated film in this man's humble opinion. So, I settled down, sipped my steaming cup of tea, and braced myself for Oblivion.
With a cast headed by miniature action hero Tom Cruise and Newcastle lass Andrea Riseborough, Oblivion depicts humanity within a situation so far up shit creek that you'd need a whole load of Mr Muscle to even see the edge, as Jack Harper (Cruise) and Victoria (Riseborough) are tasked with monitoring the last remnants of planet Earth prior to a worldwide evacuation; whilst also supervising a fleet of drones in their hunting down of the supposedly evil 'Scavs', a bumbling race of laser shooting humanoids that are hiding out on the surface. How bloody dare they!
Jack's memory has been wiped clear by those above him in order to protect some of Earth's secrets from falling into the hands of other hostile forces. However, this cleansing of memories seemingly missed one rather important moment in particular, namely a romantic encounter with an absolute corker in pre-war New-York (played by Olga Kurylenko), who eventually shows up in this debauched wasteland and tells poor old confused Jack; that not everything here is as it seems and that the Earthen authorities are telling him big old porkies!
Now, I won't spoil the film for you by detailing all of the plot to you – not because it'd be spoilers – but because it could barely be called a plot at all. Oblivion discharges information at you at an alarming rate, and given the way in which director Joseph Kosinski dealt with the high-octane story of Tron: Legacy, this is a little bit of a disappointment. Before I even had time to take my first sip of tea, I wasn't really sure who was who, where we were or what the hell was going on. You very quickly begin to feel with this film as if you are on a treadmill with the speed being gradually turned up, you can only stay on board for so long…and as soon as Morgan Freeman shows up in some bad guy turned good guy scenario, you have even less of a chance of tagging along with an already convoluted storyline.
That being said, the art direction and mise-en-scene of this picture are both genuinely outstanding. The sparse CGI is done at a really high level, the setting – most of which was filmed on location in Iceland (the country not your mother's favourite frozen food store…) – gives the film a really pleasing and desolate aesthetic, and the cold clinical nature of Jack and Victoria's surroundings; set the overall tone of a lonesome and thankless life in a way that harks toward a more realistic Mad Max.
Overall however, the film isn't one that grasps me and pulls me into its arms and shouts "Love me!" The world feels genuine, with characters that exude texture and a sombre authenticity to them, especially that of Andrea Riseborough, who gives a stand out performance of pragmatism despite her character of Victoria being rather onerous and marginalised as the film reaches its climax. However, with a plot that twists and turns so rapidly with abject confusion, Kosinski and co. have created a film that I found at least; a little difficult to enjoy. In some aspects, Oblivion hits highs that many a filmgoer would pray to see, and in others it misses the point entirely, leaving you feeling just as empty and confused as poor Jack Harper with no memories nor personality to speak of.
Friday High-5: High School Movies
To coincide with the release of Paper Towns, the Nat Wolff and Cara Delevigne starring adaptation of John Green's coming of age novel, I take a look at the very best High School set movies. Although in fairness Paper Towns never really lives up to its brief, far too often embracing irritating indie sentiments in favour of allowing the very good coming of age aspects of the film to come to the fore, it did inspire me to think back to all the High School movies I have held dearly for so long. Without further ado here are my top five.
Words: J.Wood
5: Dazed & Confused (1993)
Richard Linklater's early film is on the surface a sprawling, uncoordinated mess with very little tying it together and just a series of random arcs clumsily strung into a feature film. Look a little closer however and the film is a lot more than the nostalgia factor that initially drew me into the film. In choosing to show such a wide expanse of High School society what Linklater does is create a film that speaks to absolutely everyone in some way or another. This is not just another film in which the dweeby kids get one over on the jocks, although that does obviously occur, but this is a film that does nothing other than revel in the exuberance and relative innocence of youth. Throughout his career Linklater has exhibited a great taste in his soundtracks and this period setting offers him great opportunities he takes with aplomb. There are a number of familiar faces including Ben Affleck, Milla Jovovich and most memorably Matthew McConaughey to look out for and marvel at how young they look, but for such a young cast the film is remarkably played. Linklater's next film, Everybody Wants Some, claims to be a 'spiritual sequel' to this, a prospect that is truly exciting.
4: Mean Girls (2004)
It may now seem like a mere footnote in the incredibly troubled story of Lindsay Lohan but it is worth remembering just how snarky and of its time this film was. Over ten years on its depiction of the 'Queen Bee' side of High School is likeable while still being sufficiently harsh and judgemental of a particularly nasty aspect of American youth. Tina Fey's screenplay showcases her comedic talents while cleverly making the audience's introduction into this world through a newcomer's eyes, with the jungle metaphor increasingly well chosen. Lohan is very good and one can only wonder quite where her career may have gone had she stayed grounded, and she is more than matched by Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert and Amanda Seyfried as her 'Plastic' cohorts. Even now the term 'Burn Book' is still heavily present in teen lexicon and the scene in which it emerges, and the wonderful sequence that follows really is this film's high point. If I have one quibble with the film it would be that Fey's script goes along with the tropes of the genre a little too much, and the Prom finale is all too predictable, but this does not alter one's enjoyment of the film.
3: Heathers (1988)
Heathers still shocks today at how nihilistically it looks at the American High School, choosing to portray it as a place of untold horrors for the 99% who simply do not fit into the social moulds the 1% have chosen. If the 'Queen Bee' roles in Mean Girls are harsh then Heathers takes a nastily savage viewpoint on the terror that they have reigned upon countless unfortunate souls. The film's blackly comic tone is expertly managed and prevents the film from slipping into a tar pit of deep unpleasantness. At the height of her popularity Winona Ryder is a suitably dangerous presence as Veronica, the insidious presence within the titular group taking them down while still one of them. The film's heightened sense of reality leaves a sense of a time gone by, with the dress and love of croquet of the Heathers giving a sense of Victorian aristocracy rather than the more everyday American teen life John Hughes had been so effectively tapping into in the previous five years. Christian Slater has never topped his performance as J.D. in this film. Less an allusion to the Rebel Without A Cause actor than a direct homage, Slater's performance here is so cool it hurts, and makes his later slide into Jack Nicholson aping parody even harder to bear. With an ending both bleak and uplifting, this is a breathtakingly ambitious effort.
2: Election (1999)
Sideways and Nebraska director Alexander Payne made his first masterpiece with this political drama set in the strange confines of a High School Class Presidential Race. Ferris Bueller actor Matthew Broderick subverts his free spirited 1980s icon with stilted, beige yet likeable teacher Mr McAllister, who is all too aware at the dangers of the Tracy Flicks of this world gaining too much power and influence, even in this most minor of arenas. The film's joy is that it very quickly becomes a farce as McAllister's efforts lead him more and more into trouble, and he slides further and further into personal and professional oblivion. Reese Witherspoon may be better known for Legally Blonde and Walk The Line but to this writer Tracy Flick is her greatest creation. Despite being such an open and likeable persona the audience immediately dislikes her, even before her actions stray from ambiguous to immoral. This being Alexander Payne there is a darkness to the film, not to the same extent that Heathers displays but all the same this is not an out and out comedy despite being constantly funny. Chris Klein gives quite probably his best performance as the dim-witted jock manoeuvred by McAllister to challenge Tracy as a puppet candidate, yet in between two tower house efforts he barely registers. All the same this is a far cleverer movie than it ever needed to be with an ending still pertinent a decade and a half on.
1: The Breakfast Club (1985)
If the truth be told this entire list could have been made from John Hughes movies but, having limited myself to one, this was the clear choice. A great display of limited filmmaking, utilising the all-day detention concept to bring the five characters together, confine them to one location for the entirety of the film, and build a movie less around actions and more around conversations. The leads were all key players in the 'Brat Pack' movement of the 1980s and here all play very much to type as 'The Princess' (Ringwald), 'The Athlete' (Estevaz), 'The Brain' (Hall), 'The Basket Case' (Sheedy) and 'The Criminal' (Nelson). Why does this work so well, creating what I would term filmmaking perfection? The answer lies in the message and the understanding John Hughes showed for the teenage demographic throughout the 1980s. Here he understands that even if from the outside the jocks and the princesses appear to have it made, the criminals do not care about their perception by others, the nerds are happy to just avoid the cool kids and the weirdos have their own circles to stick to, every teenager has feelings, anxieties and issues that they have to deal with day in day out. The film interweaves these five disparate personalities expertly, doesn't rush their acceptance and understanding of one another, and doesn't offer them solutions to their problems at the end, merely coping methods. There have been few speeches as brilliant as 'The Breakfast Club' letter, while the closing scene is simply one of cinema's most iconic shots, and offers a simple reason why I love Don't You (Forget About Me) quite as much as I do. A true piece of classic cinema.
Director: Josh Trank
Starring: Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Bell, Toby Kebbell
Words: J. Senior
It's hard to besmirch this film from the off without identifying who is truly to blame for the failure of Fantastic Four. However, you'll have a job on trying to actually pin the blame on one individual alone. The whole affair has been a behind closed doors debacle, the likes of which blockbusters haven't seen for a good few years. Let's then look at the facts we know; Josh Trank fresh off of indie hit Chronicle directed the film and his name remains attached to the final project, yet an outburst on Twitter last week all but confirmed that Trank had nothing to do with the final cut, and that he has a director's cut ocked away in a vault somewhere that he says is actually "pretty good"… so it's not completely his fault… then who's is it? Simon Kinberg who wrote and produced the thing too has had a hand in there somewhere, and more rumours have circulated that it was he who locked Trank out of the editing suite and finished the movie off in an attempt to polish off the turd that had floated up after filming was over. The fact that Trank was sacked from Star Wars: Rogue One, a Kinberg project also, points a big finger towards a falling out between these two. Finally we can even consider 20th Century Fox to blame, for just rushing another reboot to hang onto the rights to The Fantastic Four, much like Sony did with The Amazing Spider-man 2, which for the record I loved, but the rest of the world hated, leading to a new deal being struck with Marvel to incorporate the character into the MCU. Phew… that's a lot of school playground shit going on there… so let's just say to whoever had the final say on this movie, it absolutely sucked and lets get onto looking at why.
Fantastic Four attempts to reintroduce us to "Marvel's First Family" Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm. Or as I like to call them Stretch, Ghost, Candle and Pebble. The film essentially sets out to bring the characters more in line with the in-vogue darker comic book tales like The Dark Knight and falls flat on its face in comparison. What we have here is 70 minutes of expositional dialogue, interjected with a brief section where some green lava gives four "teenagers" super powers, that then culminates in a twenty minute long action set piece that couldn't even entertain a six year old boy. It really is that bad, at no point is it entertaining or mildly captivating, it fails on all levels of human entertainment. Which is bad for a film that is trying to be gritty and more grounded in reality. Trank has said publicly that three of the action sequences he shot were cut from the movie, so that's one big FU to whoever put this bastard together because it feels like you're watching a half decent film until you realise there's probably a whole hour or so of footage and story they just cut out of the middle. The reasoning for this cannot be confirmed but we never get to see that bit where The Thing falls from a plane and then attacks a tank… shame it looked cool in the trailer. The jump forward 12 months somewhere around the mid point of the movie does little to help this.
If you do a bit of digging alarm bells started ringing for Fox around a year ago when brief snippets of information about the director's intentions for the story began to leak online. Initially Fantastic Four would have seen Reed Richards and Ben Grimm altered by some form of cosmic energy at age Sixteen, giving them their powers, the result being that they were kidnapped by the government and forced to act as super soldiers, this is touched on slightly towards the end of the film, The Thing does this stuff off camera though so we never really confront this notion properly. Had Trank persevered with this story line it doesn't explain how Sue and Johnny Storm get dragged into the mix and is a tad bit confusing, but it's something I wouldn't have minded seeing.
Plus, Tony Kebbell did that interview where he came out and said his character name was Victor Domyshev and he was only called "Doom" online. This is completely altered in the film with some throw away dialogue about how Victor Von Doom is a loose cannon and they briefly allude to the notion that he was a hacker of some sort who dabbled in inter-dimensional travel. It's actually quite clear how badly reworked this is within the film. The villain is often a films selling point and they use sloppy sentences and cut away shots to warp what could have been an interesting and abstract character. It feels here like Fox missed a big chance to produce a villain that would have been much different than any seen in a comic book movie before, but they instead shoe horn Doctor Doom into the plot right at the end and simultaneously kill him off in one fell swoop. Doom spends a period of exactly twelve months in the alternate dimension and suddenly appears dressed in a cloak? WHERE DID HE GET THE CLOAK FROM??? In his scenes on screen, as Doctor Doom, the villain himself is trapped inside a mask that doesn't show his lips move at all so it's obvious Kebbell just recorded some extra dialogue and they got a body double to do all the villainous walking down corridors and stuff. Metal Machiavelli he is, scary he is not.
At points you can actually see the moments where Kinberg or the other editors just simply went "stick that scene there, swap that one for that one, take that out and hey presto", we meet Richards and Grimm when they are kids then jump ahead to when they are supposed to be Seventeen, if you can suspend belief and convince yourself Miles Teller and Jamie Bell look Seventeen then you may enjoy this film. Richards gets picked to join an elite research facility after he nearly blows up his school's gym and after teaming up with Victor Von Doom he solves inter-dimensional travel in a few weeks. Ben Grimm is left out of all this because his family live in a scrapyard and Kate Mara's Sue Storm who is "good at recognising patterns" does things on a big keyboard that seem to help them fix things. The actors on screen are so poorly used that you'll notice Sue Storm never even comes face to face with Ben Grimm until the end of the film when they have their big stand off with Doctor Doom. Good teamwork.
With even more rage: Don't even get me started on the scene where Richards, Johnny Storm and Von Doom decide to drunkenly use the teleporter they've built so that astronauts don't get to use it before them… I'm not even kidding, this happens. Oh I wonder what will happen when a bunch of pissed up teenagers travel to another dimension? That's right they all get fucked up and their bodies turn weird. The sequence where they actually get injured by the aforementioned green lava that gives them their powers, is the most entertaining bit because you think some of them might get killed off, it's the only section with a slight aura of chaos, but they really hammer it home in a literal sense, Ben Grimm get's pelted with rocks and then wakes up after as a big orange rock monster… it's just all a bit wrote. The only reason Ben Grimm is there is because Richards calls him drunk and does the typical "you're my best friend thing" so he turns up thinking he's going to maybe clean up some vomit and put his friend to bed but ends up in a different galaxy, and, comes back with rocks stapled all over his balls, and we only know this because his crotch is on full display after that and The Thing it appears doesn't have a "thing" anymore.
The Fantastic Four are supposed to be a family and a tight knit unit but they never seem like this on screen here. Richards lusts after the aloof Sue Storm, who is cool because she listens to Portishead… Miles Teller spends much of the film pulling a goofy grin whenever she's near him. Johnny Storm just loves being on fire and racing planes, he's obsessed with the notion that he can be a hero by going and blowing up terrorists for the government, thus hammering home the typical America-over-all message. But Ben Grimm really get's the raw end of the deal, to say he's a family member he spends most of the film away from the core group, when he's with them he is either being horribly mutilated (much like Jamie Bell's reputation now will be) or forced to hit things because he is made from rocks or even worse completely ignored.
The arrogance of the final scene nearly had me screaming in my cinema seat, the fact that after all you are forced to sit through in that painfully dull 90 minutes leads to the tease of a sequel is just mind blowing. I see where Trank was coming from, he built a cast of A- List indie up and comers and attempted to deliver a super hero film that was defiantly odd and off beat. I can't say he is exempt from my tirade because a lot of what's on screen is what he shot but he doesn't get all of the burden of this on his shoulders. To whoever banged this monstrosity into shape with the reels of footage Trank had to offer I sincerely hope you someday come across my words. Not only have you made a bad comic book movie, but you have made a comic book movie so bad that it's only equal is Cat Woman and the villain in that film used make up as a super power.
If they make Fantastic Four Part 2 I think I might explode in anger.
The trailer was good though.
Pleasure Island
2014/ UK
Director: Mike Doxford
Starring: Ian Sharp, Gina Bramhill, Rick Warden
Words: C. Abbott
Shot and set in the town of Grimsby, this is a film that, on paper, is truly unique. A film that turns the cinematic spotlight on a part of England that is not only neglected but the target of international mockery (Or it will be). Regardless of any preconceived notions one might have regarding this town, the film itself has to been seen relatively, like any other.
As someone that grew up in the town, this is a film that has been on my radar for quite some time. Shot two years prior to general release, the build-up has been more than intriguing; especially after the reception the final piece has received for early screenings. The results are… better than feared, worse than hoped.
The story follows a soldier returning home after many years on tour, his town has changed and so have the people. He decides to intervene and the consequences soon spiral as both him and his family are faced with increasing danger. Now, obviously the main narrative is nothing new here. This is a tried and tested, by the numbers affair that, on the whole achieves its arch in an entertaining and coherent way. The issues are that nothing really new is to be had. How many times do we expect or even want to see these silent, stoic type characters meander through paper thin narratives and forgettable scripts?
On a personal note, the joy of seeing the familiar streets and locations of the town soon wore off. Geographically speaking it was all over the place but that is neither here nor there. The problems, no matter how crippling all link back to the script. The characters, much like the film as a whole are flawed, flat and one dimensional. This isn't to say the filmmakers didn't try and add layers to these characters; the issue is that nothing was explored to a sufficient extent. We see these characters suffering with addiction and negative traits but we don't feel anything. They are just vehicles to advance a predictable and uninspired plot. In fact, if the script never repeatedly reiterated that the central character was a soldier, than there would be no way of knowing.
Nothing here quite feels fresh or exciting. The acting is serviceable, with performances from Gina Bramhill and Rick Warden being particularly noteworthy. Ian Sharp in the lead did a commendable job with the character that was at odds with a lacklustre script. It is clear that effort was made here by all the cast and crew and it does indeed show. Budgetary limitations may be the reason for the shortcomings but then again, a lot more has been achieved with a lot less.
It is a saddened truth that this is an unfortunate, squandered potential for an area to see more filmmakers unitise its unique landscape. Last year's Catch me Daddy, which was similarly shot and set locally for Sheffield used the rugged Yorkshire wilderness to create an atmosphere and engaging aesthetic. Pleasure Island feels more television than cinematic and that is one of the worst feelings you can have towards a film. This isn't to say Pleasure Island is a bad film; it just isn't a great one.
2008/ UK, USA
Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart
The Dark Knight is critically and publicly regarded as one of, if not the, best Batman films of all time. Not only is this because of Heath Ledger's universally admired performance as The Joker, but because Christopher Nolan is a directorial wizard that injected some life and intensity into a previously struggling franchise. He truly grasped and understood what would constitute an authentic Batman film that honours the characters, story-lines and fans alike.
Hollywood blockbusters can walk a thin line between being an OTT cheese-fest and not delivering quite what was promised or expected. Ask around and prequel Batman Begins was the latter, though it introduces the perpetually solemn Bruce Wayne as a separate entity to Batman in a more authentic and pragmatic way than previous depictions. Christian Bale's method acting and dedication to his work really shines through in this role, and even after the 500th time of watching The Dark Knight he's so intense and convincing it's hard to imagine him not as Batman.
The infamous Gothamite may be tough as nails after all that fancy training with Ra's al Ghul, but he wasn't quite ready for what The Joker was scheming. Core to this film is the binary opposition between good and evil, Batman the former and The Joker the latter. Since his creation, Bruce Wayne/Batman is hailed as the 'good guy', but Nolan cleverly reinforced the complexities in his character, emphasising his slightly twisted undertones that fellow superheroes don't really tap in to. We see this during the interrogation scene, when Batman attempts to intimidate his annoyingly nonchalant nemesis and assert his authority through violence, getting so angry it literally oozes out of him in his spit.
Bruce Wayne is adamant that "Gotham needs a hero with a face" and that Harvey Dent is that hero. The district attorney's fall from grace, however, is perfect because it shows the fragility of human nature and the overwhelming force of grief on our behaviour. Aaron Eckhart was a surprising casting choice, but his portrayal of Harvey Dent, the 'good guy gone bad', is perhaps one of the most underrated roles in the film.
The symbolism of the Batman character – that he could be anyone – is iconic in itself, and The Dark Knight anchors the tensions that a faceless hero acting above the law would unearth in a metropolis like Gotham. As Carmine Falcone reminds us in Batman Begins, people always fear what they don't understand – fear is a foundational emotion in how Bruce Wayne/Batman conducts himself, and beneath the suit and the bravado he's fearful of The Joker because he doesn't, and can't, understand him.
The Dark Knight has become a classic of the genre, a cult phenomenon. Every component of the film is memorable: Hans Zimmer's legendary score, the solid script providing an abundance of unbeatable quotes, Heath Ledger's improvised hospital scene… The list goes on. Ledger's disturbing and tragic interpretation of The Joker will be remembered for generations to come as one of the finest performances of the 21st century, for it remains a true honour to watch.
Director: David Robert Mitchell
Starring: Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, Olivia Luccardi
Words: E. Jackson
David Robert Mitchell's It Follows opens on a teen running from our ominous POV in a suburban street, terrified and stumbling from house to house in the smallest satin lingerie possible. Shortly after this girl is dispatched off camera we move on to watch the heroine, this time in a swimming costume, our gaze no longer murderous but lingering pensively (sleazily) on her shape, her skin. It's a horror trope to have your female characters objectified from the buttocks outward before they're really introduced, I conceded. It's just a nod to the exploitation roots of slashers, pause for a sly wink to the genre fans as is currently trendy. The politics of the film will surely improve. It'll get scarier than that first kill too. Won't it?
The horror portion of the film begins when Jay (Maika Monroe) is drugged and abducted by the boy she was dating (Jake Weary). She is told that their previous sexual encounter has 'passed on' victimhood to an unknown force that will kill her unless she, too, passes on the role by having sex with someone else. To me that set-up is creepy for reasons more basic than supernatural and the allusions to an abuse dynamic are only briefly addressed, but soon enough Jay starts to see that she's being pursued by a thing in myriad forms, invisible to others and characterised by following her at a snail's pace and trying to kill her. So far so good, a chilling concept with room for everyone's idea of frightening. Once this reality is recognised by Jay's mostlylikeable friends, the plot revolves around how they handle this supernatural STD, together and with refreshing openness.
The question of morality in passing 'it' on is less considered here than whether the monster can be killed and if it can harm the group. Worryingly, the issue of whether Jay actually wants to have more sex also takes a back seat, as her increasing vulnerability leads to a clinical attitude of contact based on self-preservation: The sense of exploration and curiosity in related sex-threat movies such as Cherry Falls or Contracted is very much absent. A lingering shot of Monroe exhausted and looking towards a distant boat is intentionally nauseating, the implication being that she will seduce the three men on board just to push herself further down the potential chain of murders. Her predatory element is dismissed quickly in the case of a girl on guy seduction, references to porn culture hinting that for the guys on the boat or in her bed, it would be a short-lived dream come true rather than an unwanted encounter, and she has their inevitable deaths to worry about without having to question the original situation in context.
Conversely if we consider Jay as abused rather than abuser, lines like 'You're a girl, it should be easy for you' (to prostitute for survival regardless of desire) make the film's politics clear, ignoring the idea that the constant objectification and pornification that inevitably accompanies girlhood and attractiveness is also the climate that typifies the vast majority of physical abuse, kidnapping, rape, and murders preceded by stalking in the real world. It could be argued that the scariest place inhabited in this metaphor is the vulnerability to attack brought on by female sexuality itself, but that's a conversation larger than a review will allow for and it certainly seems beyond the scope of the filmmakers as long as sexual identity is used as a bartering tool for the larger theme of menacing STDs.
Simply put, Jay can't win here. For her sin of genuine desire, she's made a carrier for something that either renders her a victim to be killed or a murderous femme fatale by association. Problematic doesn't cover it. Additionally, Monroe's given nothing to do with much of this emotional minefield besides run and panic, and no real personality means we have no real stake in what happens to her character, wasting the talent she demonstrated inThe Guest.
In fairness, male characterisations are equally thin on the ground for It Follows. A few seconds of incestuous horror in one particular scene come across as forced and flat because we have no idea of the existing family dynamic for that victim outside of a threatening context. Perhaps the most insulting of these male arcs, though, is the suggestion of Keir Gilchrist's Paul as a white knight figure for Jay and a sexual partner we should be rooting for. Why is Paul subtly painted as a hero? Purely because he offers to have sex with the good-looking Jay in order to hypothetically sacrifice himself and save her from the unseen pursuer. Absolute gent! If that still seems relatively selfless in light of the murders, consider that it's brought up following many years of post-childhood-kiss attraction in which Jay has (crucially) chosen to reject his apparent advances under the façade of genuine friendship. How heartless of her, then, not to reward his basic humanity and sullenly jealous staring with sexual transaction based on her affection towards him as an old friend, despite years of saying 'no' without saying it aloud. To sympathise with Paul's character as intended is to buy into the sexist conceit of the 'nice guy' myth: That all well-intentioned men have an innate entitlement to be rewarded for good behaviour with female bodies, regardless of how the people inside those bodies truly feel about things. Flying in the face of Jay's active sexual pull towards other men in the film and her many years of non-attraction to Paul, she eventually comes round to the idea that his attitude represents good boyfriend material, and the pair are united based on what's purported to be attraction so deep Jay hid it from herself. It's a sub-plot, but the feminist in me recoiled at what this is telling target audiences.
It Follows is as derivative as it is complex, and the comparison which really stood out for me was David Cronenberg's masterful Shivers, dealing with the same STD-as-enemy metaphor in a manner that's all the more disturbing for its crescendo of culturally inappropriate eroticism. We are told in the unapologetic exposition of It Follows that the pursuer can be anywhere, represent itself as anyone human, and that Monroe's Jay and all her future sexual partners are now trapped by its slow, relentless hunt for them. These criteria are also met inShivers, but there the hunter is parasitic and alien, each new victim's quest for spiritual and sexual awakening likely a wily ruse towards the adversary's goal of survival. Here we are given no such perspective to wrestle with, no rationale leading back to us from the beginning of the chain, nor is there any real sense of magnetism in or out of the film's several sex scenes. As a fan of abstraction and cinematic brevity I'd like to say that all this motivational ambiguity lends the film mystery, but it's just not so.
In a penultimate set piece, the characters gather in an abandoned pool to protect Jay and bait the entity stalking her. Recreating Shivers' terrifying ending seems like a perfect opportunity for Mitchell to more openly 'pay homage to' Cronenberg and go to the extreme yet logical sexual conclusion of the chase. He instead opts for something tamer, perhaps censored for ratings systems that balk at consensual teen sex yet merrily encourage on-screen violence towards potential shaggers. The result is no more frightening or original than previous scenes, but has all the crafty editing and staged grandeur of an event intended to be climactic.
It was another misfire in a film brimming with moments where I wondered if I should be tense, distractedly contemplating why I wasn't and instead enjoying some snazzy, pretty effects work. It was also another instance in which I was reminded of a better film. See also: Being beaten over the head with the deliberately noticeable Carpenter-esque score; theHalloween lighting; Elm Street costuming and casting of Deppish Daniel Zovatto; the Let The Right One In pool terror and Swimfan swim along shots, and many others.
I feel I should note here that the film is indeed visually stylish and competently produced and acted, for all its faults elsewhere. However, if we're to go home terrified by the notion that It Follows, we might first acknowledge that 'it' also plods at a decidedly unthreatening pace, structurally repeats itself beyond effect, acts as a collage of superior movie elements, and ultimately bores and offends in equal measure. That It Follows might polarise viewers is not a reflection of unrecognised skill or interesting controversy so much as indicative that this film, like the creature of the title, represents itself within a variety of guises and some of those may appeal. I have no doubt that the overall retro artifice will draw younger audiences who might see it as new or charmingly ironic rather than tired or desperate, but in my eyes, without exception, all of these skins were worn through long before now. There's nothing more to the chase.
Director: Joe Dante
Starring: Bradford Dillman, Heather Menzies-Urich, Kevin McCarthy
Words: O. Innocent
The runaway success of Steven Spielberg's Jaws (1975) changed a lot of things; the way movies are marketed, the summer blockbuster formula, public perceptions on sharks and swimming in the sea. It also popularised animal horror, inspiring a spate of clones scrambling to make their titular beasts the next big thing. When Jaws blew the floodgates open, all manner of creatures both great and small were awarded their own starring roles. Of course, there were a lot more sharks to be found with the likes of Mako: The Jaws of Death (1976), Tintorera: Tiger Shark (1977) and The Last Shark (1981) openly aping Spielberg's killer shark formula. Taking to the land to dissuade us from making comparisons to Jaws were Grizzly (1976), Day of the Animals (1977) and Prophecy (1979). Not convinced that sharks were the scariest things swimming about in the ocean, other filmmakers brought us such self-explanatory sea creature titles as Orca: The Killer Whale (1977), Tentacles (1977) and Barracuda (1978). While the aforementioned films can no doubt provide hours of schlocky entertainment, perhaps the best of the bunch is Joe Dante's Piranha (1978), where the eponymous fish, mutated as a military experiment, are accidentally let loose to ravage a rural riverside community.
The perfect coalescence of producer Roger Corman's fast-paced bang for your buck exploitation entertainment and director Joe Dante's witty referential humour, Piranha stands as a shining example of low-budget B-Movie filmmaking done right. Corman and Dante know they can't top Jaws so they each address this problem in their own inimitable way. Knowing that a film like Piranha can never match a highly regarded quality film like Jaws, Corman simply ups the exploitation quota, providing blood, nudity and high-octane action aplenty. Indeed, while the film doesn't have the sheen or money of Jaws, what it does have is action, and lots of it; there are car chases, boat stunts, explosions, and scenes of mass fish-related hysteria and the ensuing bloody feeding frenzies to distract from the low-budget. Dante, on the other hand, solves the problem by embracing the fact that his film is a Jaws rip-off, and not taking the admittedly ridiculous premise too seriously. Letting us in on the joke from the offset, Dante has one of the characters play a Jaws arcade game, showing us that, yes, we do know we're copying Spielberg's film, but we're going to have a lot of fun doing so. There's also a scene towards the end of the film where a sunbather is reading Herman Melville's Moby Dick, further cementing its position as a first-rate pastiche of fish and water-related popular culture.
Talking of riffs on pop culture, Piranha is also an unashamed throwback to the creature feature B-Movies of the '50s. Paying ample homage to the monster movies he grew up with, Dante infuses Piranha with the same kind of outlandish exuberance and cheap 'n' cheerful excess that made black and white big bug movies like Them! (1954) so enjoyable. With its overblown score, over-the-top characterisations, questionable science and mutated monsters, it is easy to see where Piranha's influences lie. In turn, Dante's film has itself proved highly influential, its influence being felt in everything from teen slashers like Friday the 13th (1980) (the lakeside camp setting, teens in peril, copious amounts of bare flesh and bloody wounds, etc.) to later animal horrors like Deep Blue Sea (1999). What's most interesting about Piranha, however, is how its blending of horror and humour served as a blueprint for much of Dante's later work, arguably reaching its zenith in Gremlins (1984) and The 'Burbs (1989).
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Posted on August 8, 2015 by reelsteelcinema
2015 – USA
Director: Joss Whedon
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, James Spader, Samuel L. Jackson, Don Cheadle, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Cobie Smulders, Anthony Mackie
Words: J. Harris
If you were to speak to some of the more die-hard Marvel fans they may try to explain how characters (Spiderman, the X-Men, etc) exist in a different 'universe' to one another, this is not the case with The Avengers.
The Avengers Age of Ultron is the second call to action of the Marvel superhero collective, when Tony Stark attempts to jumpstart a global peacekeeping program but creates a being which puts the world under threat.
If you're new to the Marvel superhero franchise you may want to familiarise yourself with the first Avengers movie, as one of the great things about it was that it gave a crash course in each of the characters, and there are some references to their previous solo adventures here
– the cause of the worlds impending doom for instance stems from an object called the Tesseract captured in the first Avengers film, and the story here does pick up from where the first film left us.
However if you don't feel like going on an 8 hour Marvel movie marathon through all the individual outings of each of the characters (though the first Thor film is particularly enjoyable), you can enjoy this blockbuster as a standalone feature without any effort.
We're all familiar enough with characters such as The Hulk (man gets green and angry, green angry man smashes stuff), and unless you've been living under a rock for the past 6 years Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man (who is at the centre of the story here) won't be something new to you.
For those who are a little more Marvel movie familiar you might find some confusion/disappointment with the character Quicksilver who we saw in X-Men Days of Future Past (a standout character not featured enough in the mutant action), isn't referred to here as a 'mutant' but an 'enhanced', has a completely different backstory and is played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson who coincidentally starred alongside the X-Men casting of Evan Peters in the film Kick-Ass.
The action sequences, spectacular special effects and performances by a Hollywood A-list cast make this an exciting ride with moments of seemingly unavoidable doom, conflict between the characters themselves with neat dashes of humour thrown in.
This is a movie which deserves an effort be made to watch on the biggest screen possible with with the volume turned all the way up – a good addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.


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Michael Sheen, David Tennant Carry Amazon's Good Omens
by Allison Shoemaker
"Good Omens" begins, in a sense, with a meet-cute. Two angels—one divine, one fallen—stand high atop a wall that surrounds a garden, or rather, the garden. They watch as two people clad in fig leaves flee paradise, armed only with a hard-earned knowledge that can't be seen, and a flaming sword, which definitely can. And they talk—about the nature of good and evil, the more mundane aspects of their jobs, of the decisions made by the people both upstairs and down, about the weather. It should be obvious to anyone watching that these two beings have well and truly hit it off, that despite the soaring white wings of one and glistening black wings (and snake eyes) of the other, they're somehow meant to be pals. Maybe it's part of the "ineffable" great plan of the creator. Maybe it's just chemistry. Whatever it is, it looks like fun, and watching it ain't half bad either.
Yet that's not the true beginning of "Good Omens"—at least, it's not the beginning of this televised incarnation. It just feels that way. This Amazon/BBC adaptation of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's beloved comic novel starts with a lengthy monologue from God (who is voiced, naturally, by Frances McDormand). It's entertaining writing, lively and often surprising, yet it doesn't hold a candle to that meet-cute. The same can be said of "Good Omens," a series that, like the book from which it springs, dwells endlessly on and is the result of a fast and lasting friendship. Unlike the novel, however, the adaptation doesn't have the luxury of inviting readers directly into the minds of the people who inhabit (and who wrote) these friendships. Instead, it's dependent on a writer adapting his own work, a director making the madhouse world of the novel seem real, and on actors, each attempting their own tiny miracle: To create in moments what's normally built over years of talk. Centuries, if you're an infernal being.
It's one such jointly-created miracle that makes "Good Omens" well worth your time, though its success also threatens to throw the whole affair off-balance. It would seem that putting Michael Sheen and David Tennant together is both blessing and curse—mostly, fortunately, the former.
Aziraphale (Sheen) likes a nice crepe, a linen suit, a fine wine. What he's not great with is questions. It's not that he's got a shortage of them, but rather an excess, and they're not often convenient in his line of work—for example, he asks his direct supervisor, the Archangel Gabriel (an expertly cast Jon Hamm) who actually summons the four horsemen of the apocalypse, and Gabriel shrugs it off with a pointed "not my department. His lightly repressed tendency to question may explain in part his friendship with Crowley (Tennant), an angel-turned demon who "didn't so much fall from grace as slope slowly downward." Crowley, too, loves his earthly pleasures, and that explains (in part) the pair's distress when they learn that the End Times are upon us. Tasked with begrudgingly delivering the Antichrist to his new human parents, Crowley immediately begins brainstorming ways he and Aziraphale can together influence the child and thus forestall armageddon—but an early slip-up means they've got the wrong kid, and the real Son of Satan has grown up as Adam Young (Sam Taylor Buck), a normal-enough boy whose 11th birthday puts him perilously close to bringing about the destruction of life as we know it.
Of course, there's a lot more to it than that. Gaiman and Pratchett's novel meanders through its story in incredibly appealing fashion, stopping with frequency for footnotes that are often as entertaining, if not as integral to the story, as the main body of the text. (Many of those footnotes are adapted into the show in a less abrupt, but also often less amusing, fashion.) That means we have more time to get to know characters like Anathema Device (Adria Arjona), a witch interpreting the surprisingly accurate predictions of her ancestor Agnes Nutter (Josie Lawrence) who we see preparing for her death, which she has also predicted. In the novel, every footnote, every apparent jaunt off-topic, every new character introduced feels as though it's deepening the focus and broadening the palate of this world Aziraphale and Crowley love so much. The more we wander, the more vital the A-story—that would be the saving of the world from angelic and demonic forces at war—becomes.
Would that were the case here. The problem with a story that both wanders and is predicated on a ticking time bomb and race against the clock, is that to spend time on one can weaken the other. The plot moseys alone at a slow but steady pace, bursts of energy often undermined by the same action taking place again an episode or two later, or by filmmaking (from Douglas Mackinnon) more concerned with quirk than with questions. (Get ready for endless conversations about whether or not Aziraphale and Crowley's coworkers can trust them, all painted with the same broad brush and without escalation.) More damaging is the fact that the narrative comes with the built-in contrivance that, while the forces of light and darkness bustle about in bureaucratic fervor, the real action is happening in a suburb none of them has ever even heard of—but that action, centering on Adam and his friends, is rarely anywhere near as compelling as what's happening elsewhere. Both the series and the young actors involved don't seem to be much interested in what's going on (at least, until the final installment); somehow, a secret suburban Antichrist comes off deadly dull.
Then again, some of that might be due to comparison (a fate befalling, though to a lesser extent, actors as gifted as Michael McKean, Miranda Richardson, Anna Maxwell Martin, Nick Offerman, and others). Sheen and Tennant are so good, individually and especially together, that it's possible any disinterest in the other corners of this series may in fact be generated by eagerness to return to wherever Aziraphale and Crowley might be. It's telling that the show's finest installment centers, for most of its runtime, on their friendship over the years, the ways in which it's grown and changed, and the mile-markers at which those changes began. Tennant gives Crowley an aura of undeniable coolness that still somehow feels like the costume of someone taking the role that's been thrust upon them and giving it a good go; when he's with Aziraphale, that mask slips, and those shifts prove endlessly fascinating. Sheen does equally good work as a creature weakly fending off years of doubts exacerbated by a potent affection for a being that his coworkers would write off as purely evil. (Sheen also allows his angel to spend a fair amount of time trying very hard not to stare at Crowley's lips, which is, shall we say, effective.)
Together, it's like watching two musicians at the top of their game play a duet; they positively sing. In those moments, the vibrancy and energy of Gaiman and Pratchett's book shoots to the surface, and is even deepened and enriched by the artists interpreting it. When Gaiman and Mackinnon return to those actors, the series becomes the compelling story of an unlikely friendship, a sort of undefined rom-com between two immortals with the end of the world as a quirky backdrop. That's the "Good Omens" worth watching. The rest of it's not bad—not world-ending, but not exactly heavenly, either.
All episodes screened for review.
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Climate Change: An Integrated Perspective (ADVANCES IN by Jan Rotmans, Pim Martens, J. Rotmans
By Jan Rotmans, Pim Martens, J. Rotmans
International weather swap - swift, gigantic and human caused - could have radical outcomes for all times in the world. The challenge is a posh one, besides the fact that, difficult a multi-disciplinary method. an easy cost-benefit research can't catch the necessities, nor can the difficulty be lowered to an emissions aid video game, because the Kyoto method attempts to do. it really is even more good to undertake an integrative strategy, which unearths that international weather switch should be regarded as a spider in an internet, a triggering issue for quite a number different, similar difficulties - land use adjustments, water offer and insist, nutrients offer, power offer, human well-being, pollution, and so forth. yet an technique like this, which takes account of all goods of data, recognized and unsure, doesn't produce uncomplicated, ultimate and well known solutions. It does offer beneficial insights, in spite of the fact that, with a purpose to permit finished and potent long term weather recommendations to be implement.
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Read or Download Climate Change: An Integrated Perspective (ADVANCES IN GLOBAL CHANGE RESEARCH Volume 1) PDF
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Additional resources for Climate Change: An Integrated Perspective (ADVANCES IN GLOBAL CHANGE RESEARCH Volume 1)
In principle then, a single cell would be set up, which is known as Hadley cell. 5). As the equatorial air rises, air from higher latitudes moves towards the equator to take its place (trade winds). However, trade winds do not blow directly to the equator. The Earth's rotation induces a fictitious force, the Coriolis force, that results in the deflection of all moving objects not at the equator to the right of the direction of motion in the northern atmosphere and to the left in the southern Hemisphere.
For that reason one speaks generally of incoming short-wave and outgoing longwave radiation. As stated before the atmosphere absorbs both short-wave and long-wave radiation. 2b) clearly differ from that emitted by the Sun and Earth, respectively. 2c summarises these differences. Apart from the 'wing' at the ultraviolet side of the solar spectrum, the atmosphere is almost transparent to the incoming short-wave radiation. On the other hand the atmosphere strongly absorbs the outgoing long-wave radiation.
In the above reflection it is assumed that the relative humidity hardly changes with temperature. This assumption strongly influences the strength of the water vapour-temperature feedback. However, concerning the strength of the water vapour-temperature feedback, there is a remarkable agreement between large climate models and with observation data. It is important to notice that the enhanced greenhouse effect is not a positive feedback by itself, but its effect can be amplified or dampened by different feedbacks.
Binary Node Books > Rivers > Climate Change: An Integrated Perspective (ADVANCES IN by Jan Rotmans, Pim Martens, J. Rotmans
Applied Soft Computing Technologies: The Challenge of by Ajith Abraham
German-Jewish Pioneers in Science 1900–1933: Highlights in by D. Nachmansohn


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A Day at the Centre
Our Staff and our Board
Our Partners & Supporters
Art at the Centre
Our Non-judgmental Approach
Send people our way!
Feast Fairly
About Us ›
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Get Involved ›
After Service with Merlin Labron-Johnson
We sat down with guest chef Merlin Labron-Johnson of The Conduit and Portland to discuss his experience of cooking lunch with the team at Refettorio Felix as well as tips on eliminating food waste and incorporating surplus into home cooking.
Merlin, how often do you come to Refettorio Felix?
I come here once a month, at least.
Can you speak a little bit about the experience of being a guest chef here at the Refettorio?
The first time was quite challenging. Actually, it's always a challenge because you never know what you'll be cooking until you arrive. But it gets easier every time. It's always a joy to work with Cleo, Nassim and the whole team here. I've learned a lot from working with them and equally I think they've learned a lot from having guest chefs in the kitchen. I've also met some amazing people, because you have great volunteers and the guests too. The first time I came I didn't really interact with the guests, but overtime you start to build relationships. It's beautiful really.
Has volunteering at the Refettorio influenced your practice in the kitchen?
The more we cook with surplus, the more you open your eyes to what can be achieved with 'food waste'. That's definitely what we do in the restaurant as well. I suppose you do take it into the restaurant, but the food I cook here is completely different.
What are the easiest ways for home-cooks to incorporate surplus into their cooking?
The goal is not to produce waste in the first place. Waste is a rubbish word. There should be other words for waste, like opportunity. As soon as you call it waste, you see it as something that shouldn't be used. You need to be creative, and you'd be surprised by what you can do. That's what we do at The Conduit, we try to do something with everything, and sometimes it doesn't always work out, but sometimes you're like wow, this is really cool.
What changes need to be made in the restaurant industry?
It's an interesting question, because the answers are kind of the same as at home. You think, how can I be inventive? If you're starting with writing a menu, you think how can I write a menu that doesn't produce any food waste in the first place? And it's easier than people might think. There's accidental food waste. You might have a dish that produces a small amount of waste, but then you have to create a dish that uses that waste. That's the easiest way to do it, in the systematic approach to dealing with it before it becomes a problem.
Do you think that now the general population is more receptive to the zero waste conversation than in the past?
The more you look at the problem, the bigger it becomes. I think that the message is getting out there, and yes, it is being well received, but I think the problem is so enormous, that it's hard to see. I think supermarkets need to change. They're at the very heart of the problem and have the power to solve a good part of it if they wanted to. If supermarkets were to even change 10% of what they do in terms of production and food waste, the impact would be massive.
Was producing zero waste part of your culinary education?
My culinary education was the opposite. I worked in multi-Michelin-starred restaurants in Europe where they would take a lettuce and just use the very heart and discard the rest without even thinking. After a while, you want to do something different. After achieving what I wanted to achieve in my career as a chef, all of the awards and stuff like that, I decided that if I was going I was going to put my energy into my career in a more meaningful way.
Interview by Natasha Bunzl.
Support us to fight food waste and support social inclusion
Food for thought, thought for food
We'd Like to Introduce Regular Volunteer Graham
Graham has been volunteering at the centre for many years and when the Covid-19 crisis hit he became a vital part of our story. Read his account of volunteering at this very challenging time.
Online cooking courses reveal the tricks of the trade, please join us…
Ever wanted to learn how to make either delicious gnocchi, egg pasta or English muffins with homemade hollandaise sauce? Now's your chance! Join Italian chef @madebyflour at one of her three interactive cooking masterclasses and raise money for the centre too.
Refettorio Felix Stays Open and Launches a Dedicated Covid-19 Appeal
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Linux From Scratch - Version 11.2
iii. LFS Target Architectures
The primary target architectures of LFS are the AMD/Intel x86 (32-bit) and x86_64 (64-bit) CPUs. On the other hand, the instructions in this book are also known to work, with some modifications, with the Power PC and ARM CPUs. To build a system that utilizes one of these CPUs, the main prerequisite, in addition to those on the next page, is an existing Linux system such as an earlier LFS installation, Ubuntu, Red Hat/Fedora, SuSE, or other distribution that targets the architecture that you have. Also note that a 32-bit distribution can be installed and used as a host system on a 64-bit AMD/Intel computer.
For building LFS, the gain of building on a 64-bit system compared to a 32-bit system is minimal. For example, in a test build of LFS-9.1 on a Core i7-4790 CPU based system, using 4 cores, the following statistics were measured:
Architecture Build Time     Build Size
32-bit       239.9 minutes  3.6 GB
As you can see, on the same hardware, the 64-bit build is only 3% faster and is 22% larger than the 32-bit build. If you plan to use LFS as a LAMP server, or a firewall, a 32-bit CPU may be largely sufficient. On the other hand, several packages in BLFS now need more than 4GB of RAM to be built and/or to run, so that if you plan to use LFS as a desktop, the LFS authors recommend building on a 64-bit system.
The default 64-bit build that results from LFS is considered a "pure" 64-bit system. That is, it supports 64-bit executables only. Building a "multi-lib" system requires compiling many applications twice, once for a 32-bit system and once for a 64-bit system. This is not directly supported in LFS because it would interfere with the educational objective of providing the instructions needed for a straightforward base Linux system. Some LFS/BLFS editors maintain a fork of LFS for multilib, which is accessible at https://www.linuxfromscratch.org/~thomas/multilib/index.html. But it is an advanced topic.


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NYSC's long walk to permanent orientation camp in Anambra
patrick anaso
Also, Edo association targets producing 12,500 cricketers annually.
By Chimezie Anaso, Nigeria News Agency
Gov. Willie Obiano gave this assurance during 2019 World Youth Day celebration held at Alex Ekwueme Square in Awka on Aug. 20.
This promise, though exciting, is not new as it had been part of the government's speech during swearing-in ceremonies and closing of orientation course at the Umunya Temporary Orientation Camp, Oyi council area for some years.
The temporary camp which the NYSC has been using for camp activities is in a school owned by Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Diocese on the Niger.
Speaking at the official opening of orientation course for no fewer than 1,602 Batch B stream II corps members, Mr Kehinde Aremu, Coordinator of NYSC in Anambra, said the temporary camp was no longer conducive for the purpose.
Aremu said the Anglican Church had commenced works for its University Project which it got approval for at the camp, noting that that the project had sacked them from the open field used as parade ground.
The coordinator said apart from disrupting the academic calendar of the mission school due to intermittent camp activities, the temporary site is highly inconvenient and expensive to run.
He regretted that in spite of the robust collaboration between the scheme and the state government, the state remained the only state in the entire South-East without a permanent orientation camp at the moment.
"The owners are now building the their university which they got approval for here, you can see that we no longer have parade ground, I had to appeal to them to allow us have this space for this orientation course.
"So, construction activities is a quit notice to us, we have to move the permanent site if we hope to have mobilisation to Anambra for camping, this temporary site is no more available to us," he said.
Aremu hailed the progress of work at the permanent site which he rated at 75 per cent completion and called for early delivery of the project so that activities would commence there.
He said he had secured the approval of the scheme to site NYSC scheme skill acquisition centre, a joint project of the scheme and a commercial bank in the state, adding work could not begin unless the permanent camp becomes functional.
Aremu said what was left was the finishing aspects of the job including convenience, landscaping and other internal fittings.
"As you can see, the major part of the job had been done, the male and female hostel, the hall and office blocks but some critical facilities like the toilet are still ongoing.
"The completion of this permanent camp will be of immense benefit to the state and the scheme, it will help the commencement of the NYSC skill centre for South-East which the state government has provided land for.
"It is my humble and passionate appeal to Gov. Obiano to make good his promise to deliver the new site as he has always done because this place does not befit his status as the most NYSC friendly governor that I know in Nigeria.
"He has been very supportive, the government pays one of the highest allowance to corps members and we have a robust relationship.
"Indeed it has been a long walk to permanent site but I hope we will get there soon," Aremu said.
Mr Hafford Oseke, a former member of the Anambra House of Assembly, at a different occasion went down memory lane on how the journey to the NYSC permanent camp began in 2014.
Osseke said it would be a dream come true for the NYSC to move into the permanent orientation camp.
He, however, expressed worry over the implementation of job at the site, urging the management of NYSC to monitor the project closely and ensure that it conformed with the original prototype as approved by the government.
He said: "We made available about 48.5 Acres of land for that permanent camp project, but they are concentrating everything in one area, and I am sure that is not what is contained in the prototype of that project.
"I call on the NYSC to monitor the project closely and ensure it is executed according to specifications.
"There is vast land begging to be used, I do not know why the male and female hostels are clustered in one area.
"The contractor should be made to do the right thing and it is not late to do so," he said.
A visit to the permanent camp reveals that works had reached advanced stage, with two gigantic hostels, multipurpose hall and an administrative block have been completed with roofs, doors and windows fitted.
The perimeter fence has also been erected around the large expanse of land.
Meanwhile, the traditional ruler of Umuawulu community one of the host community, Igwe Joel Egwuonwu, has pledged that his community would play good hosts to the NYSC when they eventually commence activities at the camp.
Opinions are that there is need to go beyond mere rhetorics and ensure the funds for the project are released and the contractor made to adhere to project specification and deliver on time. (Features)
KASU promoting research through collaboration with local, foreign varsities – VC
Alleged unjust removal of provost: FECA ASUP suspends academic activities


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G. Eric Long
George E. Long II, Of Counsel
Probate / Administration of Estates
Serving Benton, Marshall County, the Lakes, and the surrounding areas of Western Kentucky
Long & Long, PLLC — Benton, Kentucky Law Firm
Long & Long has deep roots in the Benton, Kentucky community. We serve individuals, families, and businesses of all sizes and at all stages of development. Attorneys G. Eric Long and George E. Long II have devoted the firm's practice exclusively to the areas of real estate, estate planning and probate, and business formation and transactions. Our clients are our friends and neighbors, and concentrating our practice in only a few practice areas means we are able to offer them a depth of legal knowledge and the personal service they deserve.
At Long & Long, we understand and appreciate that each of our clients is unique. Our approach to any legal matter is informed first and foremost by listening to our clients so that we will gain an understanding of their particular circumstances, concerns, and goals. Only after we listen do we speak, offering clear assessments, honest advice, and practical, real-world solutions customized to each client's needs.
We have a saying: Keep one eye on the prize, and the other on the path. You know where you want to go. We know how to help you get there, and we will walk with you every step of the way.
Attorney Eric Long
Long & Long PLLC
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2020 Highlights IFOAM -Organics International
This year, we celebrated 50 years of IFOAM – Organics International.
This meant celebrating five decades of promoting organic all over the world, advocating for the organic community at the highest levels, representing farmers, and supporting policy development that contributes to sustainable food systems.
All year long, from BIOFACH Nuremberg to our anniversary conference in South Korea, we came together to reflect on our collective successes - and exchanged on how to continue our work together, shaping the future of organic as a strong global community for the next 50 years!
Our Events | Our Projects | Our Guiding Documents and Tools
Our Blog's New Members Section | Our Year of Organic Partners
🗓 Our Events
Spreading the Word During the Year of Organics
It's been an exciting time celebrating this Year of Organics! 2022 marked our 50th anniversary, IFOAM Organics Europe's 20th, IFOAM Asia's 10th, and countless milestones by the global organic community.
We teamed up with global partners Arla, Naturland, Organic Plant Protein, and Thise to spread the word on why we #LuvOrganic. A heartfelt thanks for their incredible work and for helping raise awareness of how organics can be a pathway to truly sustainable food systems!
At the IFOAM-Goesan International Organic Expo + Industry Fair in South Korea, we reflected on the last 50 years of achievements and exchanged on how to shape the future of organic together.
Check out the Year of Organics toolkit
The International Conference on Organic Agriculture Policy
Together with the Chungbuk Province, South Korea, we co-hosted the second International Conference on Organic Agriculture Policy from 20–22 July 2022.
Policymakers and experts from more than 10 countries gathered to exchange on how efficient government policy-making is a vital tool for developing the organic sector and bringing us closer to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
The conference drew on case studies spanning from Argentina to Saudi Arabia and Ghana. It also referred to resources gathered in the IFOAM Policy Toolkit, which covers topics from support for organic inputs to Participatory Guarantee Systems.
Another Record-Breaking #IGrowYourFood Action Day
Over the past four years, we've showcased video messages from 300+ organic and agroecological farmers from more than 60 countries through the #IGrowYourFood action day—culminating in yet another record-breaking engagement this year!
The global action day kicked off on 14 September with a launch event and live panel discussion gathering organic farmers from Kenya, India, Peru, and Nigeria.
With a social media reach of 1,207,869 this year—and contributions spanning a testimony from a Chilean agroecological farmer to a message from Ireland's Minister for Land Use & Biodiversity—the #IGrowYourFood platform continues to grow!
See what happened on the action day
💪 Our Projects
Jaratılış: A Training of Trainers Programme in the Kyrgyz Republic
Named after the Kyrgyz word 'Jaratılış' meaning nature and Mother Earth, this project provided representatives from the Kyrgyz Republic's public sector, cooperatives, and farmers a space to learn, exchange and develop in-depth knowledge on how to produce and market organic products. The participants' commitment and enthusiasm resulted in the Jaratılış Reader + Trainers Handbook, a manual on organic agriculture. An additional section on marketing strategies will soon be added to the handbook.
Get yourself a copy of the Jaratılış Reader + Trainers Handbook
Supporting the Ukrainian Organic Sector Through the OT4D Project
This year, we worked closely with the Ukrainian organic sector to support their efforts and ensure access to safe, nutritious food remains accessible to Ukrainians. This work included supporting more than 40 different initiatives as well as guaranteeing the Ukrainian organic community was represented in events like the Organic European Congress, BIOFACH, and the Organic Europe Youth Event. All these efforts were implemented through our Organic Trade 4 Development in Eastern Europe (OT4D) project.
Watch a video message from a Ukrainian participant
🗂 Our Guiding Documents and Tools
Development of guidance documents for groups of operators and control bodies on the group certification according to the EU Regulation 2018/848.
On 1 January 2022, the new EU Regulation 2018/848 and associated secondary legislation came into effect, redefining the rules applicable to thousands of certified organic smallholder groups worldwide. The new regulation meant significant changes to current practices from both groups and control bodies in the Global South. Farmers and certification bodies faced significant challenges navigating complicated regulatory documents.
To support them, we worked with FiBL and IFOAM Organics Europe on two guides that break down how group certification works under the new EU regulation.
Leading experts from around the world collaborated on these documents, making accessible their findings and progress both to our membership and the broader public through online webinars and in-person sessions, including at BIOFACH. The importance of this work showed in the 2,000+ participants that joined from around the world. As a vital tool for our membership, IFOAM - Organics International will continue to work on supporting documents in the future and keep the organic community informed of further developments.
Check out the EU Organic Regulation Guide
New 2022 data on Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) supports our global overview of PGS initiatives
Ever two to three years, IFOAM - Organics International conducts a global survey to gather the latest data on PGS initiatives. This information is displayed in the Global Map of PGS initiatives, which includes an overview of the producers involved, products certified, and how to get in touch with PGS initiatives around the world.
Based on the data collected throughout 2021 (also published in the World of Organic Agriculture yearbook), we estimate that there are at least:
242 PGS initiatives in operation around the world, 63 of which are currently under development.
1,244,239 producers involved in PGS
1,205,050 producers certified by PGS initiatives
As we collected data this year, we launched an updated global PGS map, including a tutorial video explaining how to submit information. We hope this will make it easier for PGS coordinators to regularly update their contact details, annual figures, and general information.
PGS initiatives continue to grow around the world, benefitting countless communities, organic producers and processors building sustainable food systems worldwide! We're proud to support these initiatives by maintaining this global overview and tools available.
More about Participatory Guarantee Systems
Putting the Spotlight on our Members
with a New Blog Section
👩🏽🌾👨🏿🌾👩🏼🌾
With 700+ affiliates spanning more than 100 countries and territories, our members champion organics globally – every day!
You'll find plenty of success stories and inspiring work in this new section on our blog, now dedicated to celebrating our membership in all its breadth and variety; from founders Nature & Progrès to newcomers like Global Seed Savers.
To our members around the world who continue to work for truly sustainable food systems that care for people and planet: we thank you!
👏 Appreciating Our Year of Organics Partners
Thanks to support from the Year of Organics global partners Arla, Naturland, Organic Plant Protein, and Thise, we raised awareness worldwide of the multiple benefits of choosing organic and its impact on our health and the environment. We showcased how organic can be a pathway to truly sustainable food systems and will continue to do so in the next 50 years! Are you interested in promoting organic with us?
Year of Organics 2022 Communications Toolkit - Celebrate with us!
#IGrowYourFood - Meet the farmers who grow your food.


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Brand-Name HDTVs Will See Black Friday Prices by the End of the Year
By Jeff Somogyi, dealnews Media Editor
Black Friday brought with it some sweet deals on TVs, namely impressively low-priced third-tier models. This year, however, in more categories than not, name-brand — specifically LG — TVs dominated the deals. But once Black Friday ended, these rockbottom prices vanished.
The doorbusters may be out of stock, but bargin bin prices aren't gone forever. Just a little bit of patience is all you need before we see comparable cuts on the big brand-name HDTVs again. For the most part, we'll see name brand TVs hit or beat these Black Friday price lows fairly quickly. Our deal archives indicate that, as a general rule of thumb, brand-name LCD HDTVs hit Black Friday price lows during Cyber Monday week and will drop again by the end of December. So if you hold your horses remote and wait it out, you'll likely wind up seeing great deals on name brand HDTVs come around again.
Black Friday Prices Return Quickly for 42" and 47" HDTVs
To determine when brand-name LCD TVs see price lows similar to their low-end Black Friday counterparts, we analyzed our deal archives from 2011; the two sizes that saw the quickest turnaround were 42" and 47" models, which are, nowadays, entry level HDTVs. According to our data, we saw brand-name models beat Black Friday prices within days of Black Friday. The lowest total price for a 42" HDTV on Black Friday last year was $499 for an LG model. Two days later, another deal on that same model tied that price.
A close second, a 47" LG HDTV, which hit $799.99, reappeared for the same price one week later on December 1. This is an abnormally quick turn-around for these prices. The majority of TVs didn't see that kind of immediate price match, but we didn't have to wait that much longer.
Brand-Name HDTV Deals Appear by the End of December
During December, we anticipate most of the HDTV price lows from Black Friday to appear again. Why do we say this? By December 21 last year, we saw an LG 60" 600Hz 1080p Plasma HDTV return to its Black Friday price of $799.99, exactly. The 32" price low for an Element 32" 1080p LCD HDTV on Black Friday 2011 was $199. Just a month later, we saw a Toshiba 32" 720p LCD HDTV fall to $199.99 on December 26.
The only holdouts were 55" HDTVs, which you had to wait almost an entire year — until the lead-up to this year's Black Friday sales — to see a return to such lows price tags. In 2011, we saw a deal on a Dynex 55" 120Hz 1080p LCD HDTV for $599.99 on Black Friday. Yet, there were no deals even approaching this price until November 10, 2012, when we saw a Toshiba 55" 120Hz 1080p LCD HDTV for $637.49! In this one instance, Black Friday was a "buy it or suffer" situation. It goes against years of our price tracking and common sense, but there it is. You can't have a rule with having an exception and this was a big exception!
How Accurate Are Our Price Predictions?
Last year, when we ran this piece, we based it on data from 2010 and we predicted seeing "brand-name LCD HDTVs hit Black Friday price lows during the December to February timeframe." We were pretty accurate, except for that acursed 55" panel (that had to go and ruin everything!). So, this year, we are fairly confident that when we say you'll see 2012 Black Friday prices for brand-name HDTVs by the end of the year, they will.
Some folks may be going crazy having missed outstanding Black Friday price lows on HDTVs. But, as a dealnews reader, it's nice to know that if you skipped the shopping excursion all together or perhaps passed up a deal, you've still got a chance to cash in on a great brand-name HDTV at a great price. Of course, you'll have to be on the lookout for these deals, so we suggest signing up for an email alert for the HDTV of your choice. Remember, a little patience (and some help from dealnews) can lead to a lot of savings.
The Best & Worst Things to Buy in December
Buy This, Not That: 10 Gifts You Shouldn't Buy for Christmas & 10 Alternatives
Best HDTV Deals of the Week
Jeff Somogyi is the dealnews Media Editor. He doesn't care what you get him, as long as you get his a lot of it. See more of what's on his wishlist on Google+, Twitter, or on his blog.
Follow @dealnews on Twitter for the latest roundups, price trend info, and stories. You can also sign up for an email alert for all dealnews features.
uniqst3r
How can I figure out what HDTV I want/need. Is there a website that can just tell me based on my preferences. Like will 60hz/120hz matter, distance from the set, etc. Notebook review forum helps you pick what notebook to buy. Is there something like that for HDTVs?


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Jones Beach Casino Contemplated by Lawmakers
John Del Signore
Modified Nov 1, 2010
Last year Jones Beach had to close Field 1, one of the park's largest parking areas, because of the state's budget mess. (Even worse, the MTA suspended buses to Jones Beach amphitheater, making it a real headache getting out there for Creed.) But a couple of forward-thinking lawmakers have come up with a solution to the budget shortfall: Build a casino at the beach! Reactions to the idea have been mixed, to put it mildly.
"I think Robert Moses would turn over in his grave," Malcolm MacKay, head of the Jones Beach Rescue Organization, tells Newsday (paywall). "A casino at Jones Beach is inappropriate. Jones Beach is an extraordinary public facility for recreation and for preservation and appreciation of the environment." Another preservationist says, "Building a casino at Jones Beach would be like building a mall at Yellowstone—entirely antithetical to the ideals that created the park in the first place, and a real compromise to its historic integrity."
Assemblyman Fred Thiele Jr. (I-Sag Harbor) and Assemblyman Steven Englebright (D-Setauket) are the ones talking about the possibility, which would involve converting state-owned land to the Shinnecock Indian Nation. But when a Newsday reporter called the Shinnecocks's representive, the idea was news to him. And the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation says, "It's not being contemplated, nor would it be consistent with our mission." But the nascent proposal does have the backing from one Donald Trump, who's trying to build a catering facility and restaurant in the heart of the park: "It would be good for my project."
jones beach
shinnecock Nation
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.