text:
Naresh Gaur (; born 5 October 1952) is an Indian politician and advocate. A member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he currently serves as a Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) in the Delhi Vidhan Sabha from the Babarpur constituency.

Gaur is a graduate of the University of Delhi and Meerut University. He has been elected from Babarpur three times; the only time he lost in 2003. He is married and has three children.

Early life and education
Naresh Gaur was born on 5 October 1952 at Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from Shyam Lal College, affiliated with the University of Delhi. He then attended Meerut University (now Chaudhary Charan Singh University), where he graduated with a Bachelor of Laws.

Political career
Gaur is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the main opposition party in the Indian Parliament and Delhi Vidhan Sabha.

He has contested the Babarpur constituency in four consecutive elections. He was elected for the First Legislative Assembly of Delhi in 1993, defeating runner-up Bhopal Singh of Indian National Congress (commonly known as the Congress) by a margin of 15,301 votes. In the 1998 state assembly election, his margin of victory significantly decreased to 963 votes over runner-up Abdul Hameed of Congress. He lost to Congress candidate Vinay Sharma in 2003 by 4,259 votes. In the 2008 state assembly election, he won from Babarpur Vidhan Sabha Constituency third time after defeating runner-up Haji Dilshad Ali of Bahujan Samaj Party by a margin of 3,826 votes.

Before the 2013 state assembly election, scheduled to be held on 4 December, the BJP conducted an internal survey related to potential candidates. The Times of India reported that this found Gaur, along with five other current members of legislative assembly, to be a "weaker bet" for the election. However, Gaur's candidature from Babarpur Constituency was confirmed by the party on 7 November 2013.

Personal life
Gaur is married to Mani Gaur, and together they have two sons (Varun and Arun) and a daughter (Swati). He lives in Naveen Shahdara neighbourhood of Shahdara, North East Delhi. His interests include reading, politics and history. He is an advocate by profession.

References

Living people
1952 births
People from Bulandshahr
People from North East Delhi district
Delhi MLAs 2008–2013
Bharatiya Janata Party politicians from Delhi
Delhi University alumni
Chaudhary Charan Singh University alumni
Delhi MLAs 2013–2015

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Physical French Phonics was a European Language Label winning project in 2012.
Physical French Phonics is an award-winning, tried-and-tested multisensory approach to teaching French phonics. It has been developed in conjunction with primary and secondary school children and their teachers over the course of several years.
For each phoneme, students learn an action, as well as the graphemes associated with that sound. Cheerful colourful cartoon pictures link the actions to the sounds and help to facilitate learning.
The comprehensive teacher's guide has been completely revised for the second edition and is now in full-colour. It provides a clear step-by-step approach to introducing pupils to French phonemes. It contains practical advice, activities and guidance, along with photocopiable games and reference sheets.
Through using Physical French Phonics your pupils will not only learn to pronounce correctly the French vocabulary introduced, they will also gain the skills to tackle any new vocabulary they encounter with confidence.
Interactive whiteboard files for all the phonemes allowing you to make your own phonic resources to accompany any topic.
The representation of sounds through letters in any language should be seen as a code. It is hoped that Physical French Phonics will provide the key needed to break this code for all French students.
Watch these sample video clips from the CD-Rom to see how the actions and sounds can be used to pronounce and spell marron and septembre.


I am a student at WCC. How do I become a member?
If you didn't register for PEA115 you can still join for a reduced rate of $39 monthly, or you can register with the non-PEA115 option for $140 for the semester. Students must be 18 years of age and enrolled in a minimum of 3 credits in the current term. The monthly fee is payable through electronic funds transfer (EFT) by Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or bank account. Please visit the member service desk at the center to sign the contract. Bring student ID, first month's payment and EFT information. All student memberships require renewal at the end of the semester.
Register for PEA115: The only course that gets you in the gym! Click here to learn more.
Register for PEA115 through WCC. If you are a WCC student, 18 years of age or older and enrolled with a minimum of 3 credits you are eligible for this half credit class. This course can be taken for credit up to six times for a total of 3 credits. The cost of the course is $160. Once registered, students must visit the fitness center to fill out additional paperwork. You will also fill out a questionnaire at time of joining and at the end of the semester, which is required to obtain credit. Once you have filled out your paperwork you will obtain a membership card for entry into the fitness center. Your check-in will affirm your minimum visits at the fitness center to get your credit for this class. Please bring your student ID when you come to the fitness center to join.
For more information on PE115 please click HERE.
The gym is available throughout the day for drop-in use. Availability is on a first come, first serve basis and the court can be used to play half court basketball or volleyball. Basketballs and volleyballs are provided. Full-court basketball games are available on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Volleyball is available on Monday and Wednesday evenings. For specific times and other availability please see our fitness staff. The fitness center currently offers over 100 drop-in classes. Some of the classes available are aqua, Spinning, Pilates, yoga, stretch and tone, and Zumba. Classes are held throughout the day, seven days a week. Studios are available for your use while classes aren't in session. Grab a mat and do your own stretching! We provide mats, balls, and small weights for your use while at the fitness center.
Will club teams from WCC be able to use the center?
Currently, only basketball and volleyball use the gym after hours for practice. There are no plans on use of THFC for other WCC Club sports teams at this time.
For specific questions or more information, please contact Stephanie Branham, Sales Manager at (734) 975-3308 or sbranham@powerwellness.com.


text:
Tags: azar | vaccines | weeks | moderna | pfizer | trump | warpspeed
Azar: Two COVID Vaccines Will Be Available to Americans Within Weeks
Health Secretary Alex Azar (AP)
Monday, 30 November 2020 08:41 AM
The first two vaccines against the novel coronavirus could be available to Americans before Christmas, Health Secretary Alex Azar said on Monday, after Moderna Inc became the second vaccine maker likely to receive U.S. emergency authorization.
The Food and Drug Administration's outside advisers will meet on Dec. 10 to consider authorizing Pfizer Inc.'s (PFE) COVID-19 vaccine. That vaccine could be approved and shipped within days, with Moderna's (MRNA) following one week behind that, Azar said.
"So we could be seeing both of these vaccines out and getting into people's arms before Christmas," Azar said on CBS' "This Morning."
The federal government will ship the vaccines through its normal vaccine distrubution system, with state governors determining where they should go first, Azar said.
"They will be determining which groups to be prioritized. I would hope that the science and the evidence will be clear enough that our governors will follow the recommendations that we will make to them," Azar said.
He said he and Vice President Mike Pence will speak to all the nation's governors later on Monday to discuss the vaccines and which groups of people should be prioritized to get them first.
Moderna Inc will apply for U.S. and European emergency authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine on Monday after full results from a late-stage study showed it was 94.1% effective with no serious safety concerns, the company said.
Moderna also reported that its vaccine's efficacy rate was consistent across age, race, ethnicity and gender demographics as well as having a 100% success rate in preventing severe cases of a disease that has killed nearly 1.5 million people.
The filing sets Moderna's product up to be the second vaccine likely to receive U.S. emergency use authorization this year following a shot developed by Pfizer and BioNTech which had a 95% efficacy rate.
"We believe that we have a vaccine that is very highly efficacious. We now have the data to prove it," Moderna Chief Medical Officer Tal Zaks said. "We expect to be playing a major part in turning around this pandemic."
Of the 196 people who contracted COVID-19 out of over 30,000 volunteers, 185 had received a placebo and 11 got the vaccine. Moderna reported 30 severe cases, all in the placebo group, which means the vaccine was 100% effective against severe cases.
Moderna shares were up 6.7% at $138.58 in U.S. pre-market trade, a record high and a rise of more than 600% this year.
"As the numbers of cases reported grows, confidence grows that this amazing protection will be maintained in a product that can be rolled out to protect the public," said Alexander Edwards, associate professor in biomedical technology at Britain's University of Reading.
In addition to filing its U.S. application, Moderna said it would seek conditional approval from the European Medicines Agency, which is already reviewing its data, and would continue to talk with other regulators doing similar rolling reviews.
"Although we await the full details of these results in published form, we can now assume that this vaccine will be approved for use in December," said Gillies O'Bryan-Tear, chair of policy and communications at Britain's Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine.
He expected Britain's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency to approve the vaccine within two weeks.
Pfizer has already applied for emergency use authorization in the United States and Europe, putting it about a week ahead of Moderna.
'JUST OVERWHELMING'
Moderna said it was on track to have about 20 million doses of its vaccine ready to ship in the United States by the end of 2020, enough to inoculate 10 million people.
Switzerland's Lonza, which has a contract with Moderna to supply ingredients for the vaccine, rose 4.4%.
The vaccines developed by both Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech use a new technology called synthetic messenger RNA (mRNA) whereas others, such as Britain's AstraZeneca, are using more traditional methods.
AstraZeneca has announced an average efficacy rate of 70% for its shot and as much as 90% for a subgroup of trial participants who got a half dose, followed by a full dose. But some scientists have expressed doubts about the robustness of the 90% efficacy figure for the smaller group.
Moderna's latest efficacy result is slightly lower than an interim analysis released on Nov. 16 of 94.5% effectiveness, a difference that Zaks said was not statistically significant.
"At this level of effectiveness, when you just do the math of what it means for the pandemic that's raging around us, it's just overwhelming," said Zaks, who said he cried when he saw the final results over the weekend.
Both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines proved more effective than anticipated and were far superior to the 50% benchmark set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The past few weeks of positive vaccine results have ignited hopes for an end to a pandemic that has battered economies and come as new infections and COVID-19 hospitalizations are at record levels across the United States.
Independent advisers to the FDA are scheduled to meet on Dec. 10 to review Pfizer's data and make a recommendation to the U.S. regulator. They will review Moderna's data a week later.
Soon after getting the green light, Moderna expects its vaccine to be shipped to distribution points across the United States by the government's Operation Warp Speed program and drug distributor McKesson Corp.
The distribution is expected to be easier than Pfizer's because while it needs to be stored in a freezer, it does not require the ultra-cold temperature needed by Pfizer's vaccine.
CONSISTENT ACROSS AGE AND ETHNICITY
Moderna said the 196 COVID-19 cases in its trial included 33 adults over 65 years old and 42 volunteers from racially diverse groups, including 29 Latinos, 6 Blacks, 4 Asian Americans and 3 multiracial participants. There was one death related to COVID-19 in the placebo group during the trial.
"This is as black and white as an effect on a population will be. Your chances of actually being sick if you've been vaccinated are decreased 20-fold," said Moderna's Zaks.
Azra Ghani, chair in infectious disease epidemiology at Imperial College London, said Monday's details confirmed the vaccine was highly effective, including against severe cases.
"Whilst this does not exclude some risk of severe disease after vaccination given the relatively small number of severe cases, these results suggest very high efficacy," she said.
Moderna reported no new side effects since its interim analysis, which showed the most common side effects were fatigue, injection site redness and pain, headache and body aches, which rose after the second dose and were short-lived.
Zaks said the vaccine caused significant flu-like symptoms in some participants which, "goes hand-in-hand with having such a potent vaccine." But it has not caused any significant safety concerns so far, he said.
Moderna plans to start a new trial to test the vaccine in adolescents before the end of the year, followed by another in even younger volunteers early in 2021. It hopes to have the vaccine available for adolescents by September, Zaks said.
azar, vaccines, weeks, moderna, pfizer, trump, warpspeed
Trump to Newsmax: GOP's 'Number One' Priority Is Taking Back the House
Monday, 17 Jan 2022 10:53 AM
Republicans' "number one" priority is taking control of the House back from the Democrat majority, who are "radicalized, . . .
Support Flows to 'Changed' Texas Synagogue After Standoff
The tight-knit congregation at a Texas synagogue where four people were held hostage by an armed captor during a 10-hour . . .

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
require_relative '../../lib/utils/string_utils.rb'
require 'minitest/autorun'

describe StringUtils do
  describe 'sanitize' do
    it 'converts a string into a dasherized git branch safe string' do
      test_string_array = [
        { title: 'User timeline', expectation: 'user-timeline' },
        { title: 'User profile - Certificates & qualifications', expectation: 'user-profile-certificates-qualifications' },
        { title: 'User Upvote/Downvote a post', expectation: 'user-upvote-downvote-a-post' },
        { title: 'Players & Staff - Adding&Removing Individuals', expectation: 'players-staff-adding-removing-individuals' },
      ]

      test_string_array.each do |test_combo|
        sanitized = StringUtils.sanitize(test_combo[:title])
        sanitized.must_equal test_combo[:expectation]
      end
    end
  end

  describe 'branch_sanitize' do
    it 'sanitizes the string and adds id in the end' do
      branch_name = StringUtils.branch_sanitize 'this is a test', '100'
      branch_name.must_equal 'this-is-a-test-100'
    end
  end
end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: code sequence in nodejs I am new to node.js and I thought I was beginning to understand asynchronous functions, but this code made me think that I did not understand it correctly anyway.
I am preparing for an insert to mongoDB with mongoose, and the object to insert is post. What made me wonder is that not always post.kunde or post.leverandor is set before the insert.
I thought that as long there is no asynchronous function, the code should execute line by line.
function create_post(account, dato, fakturanummer, bilag, bilagstype, supplier, customer,
    descr, moms, amount, saldo, comId  ) {
    return new Promise(function(resolve, reject) {
        var post = new Posteringer;
        post.konto = account;
        post.dato = dato;
        post.fakturanummer = fakturanummer;
        post.bilag = bilag;
        post.bilagstype = bilagstype;
        if (Object.keys(supplier).length) {
            post.leverandor = supplier;
        }
        if (Object.keys(customer).length) {
            post.kunde = customer;
        }
        post.tekst = descr;
        post.moms = moms;
        post.belob = amount;
        post.saldo = saldo;
        post.companyId = comId;
        var promise = Accounts.findSingle(comId, account).exec();
        promise.then(function(acc) {
            post.navn = acc.Navn;
            console.log(post);
            post.save(function(err) {
                    if (err) {console.log(err.message);}
                    resolve(true);
            });
        });
    });
}

A: So there are a few things wrong here.  A promise is basically saying "hey, I'm not done doing my stuff yet, but I'll promise to get this to you when I figure out all the things I need to do."
I am not entirely sure how you are calling this, but think of this like a big callback function.  So after this you'd have something like,
create_post(......).then(
                         function(post){
                              post.save(function(err){
                                    if (err) {console.log(err.message);}
                                 });
                         });

The real issue I see is  you are only resolving one promise.  I am not 100% sure if you have to resolve the Mongo promise, unless you are using bluebird promises with it.  Your first promise never gets returned though.
I will redo your code, I think this should work:
function create_post(account, dato, fakturanummer, bilag, bilagstype, supplier, customer,
    descr, moms, amount, saldo, comId  ) {
    return new Promise(function(resolve, reject) {
        var post = new Posteringer;
        post.konto = account;
        post.dato = dato;
        post.fakturanummer = fakturanummer;
        post.bilag = bilag;
        post.bilagstype = bilagstype;
        if (Object.keys(supplier).length) {
            post.leverandor = supplier;
        }
        if (Object.keys(customer).length) {
            post.kunde = customer;
        }
        post.tekst = descr;
        post.moms = moms;
        post.belob = amount;
        post.saldo = saldo;
        post.companyId = comId;
        var promise = Accounts.findSingle(comId, account).exec();
        promise.then(function(acc) {
            post.navn = acc.Navn;
            console.log(post);
        });
        return (err ? reject(err) : resolve(post));

    });
}

Then when you call this function call it like in my first example!
create_post(......).then(
                         function(post){
                              post.save(function(err){
                                    if (err) {console.log(err.message);}
                                 });
                         });

Literally what you are saying is if this resolves and I get my data without any errors, send back post.  Then pass post into my callback function and do whatever you want to do with it.
Edit:
Make sure you always return something from your promises, as far as I know the async call will never resolve as it never receives anything.  Although someone might have an example where this isn't true.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
using lessonweb.Data;
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Web;

namespace lessonweb.web
{
    /// <summary>
    /// Summary description for deletetask
    /// </summary>
    public class deletereward : IHttpHandler
    {

        public void ProcessRequest(HttpContext context)
        {
            string rewardid = context.Request["rewardid"];
            Guid rewID = Guid.Parse(rewardid);
            RewardDefinition.delete(rewID);
        }

        public bool IsReusable
        {
            get
            {
                return false;
            }
        }
    }
}


text:
<!DOCTYPE html>

	<meta charset="utf-8">
	<meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge">
	<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
	<title>Om Browser - Homepage</title>
	<link rel="stylesheet" href="https://maxcdn.bootstrapcdn.com/bootstrap/4.0.0-beta/css/bootstrap.min.css"/>

				<form target="_parent" action="https://www.google.com/search">

			      <input type="text" name="q" class="form-control" placeholder="Google Search" aria-label="Google Search">

			        <button class="btn btn-primary" type="submit">Search</button>

			    </form>

			                        Top Websites

Wikipedia

Yahoo

Gmail

Bing

			                        Top Shopping Websites

Amazon

Flipkart

Myntra

Ebay

Snapdeal

Jabong

Tradus

Yepme

Ajiyo

Alibaba

			                        Top Online Walletes

PAyTM

Airtel Money

Citrus Pay

FreeCharge

Mobikwik

PayU Money

Ola Money

Oxigen Wallet

Jio Money

			                        Top Entertainment Websites

Netflix

Hotstar

IMDB

Fmovies

Santabanta

Scoopwhoop

			                        Top Blogs

Tech Crunch

Mashable

Gizmodo

Engadget

Life Hacker

			                        Top Reading Websites and Forums

Medium

Quora

Stackoverflow

XDA Forums


text:
Tag: fortnightly post
Old School Movie Reviews: Lethal Weapon (1987)
On January 6, 2017 By longandshortofitallIn Quick and dirty, Up for reviewLeave a comment
The movie that launched a thousand parodies, Lethal Weapon occupies a special place set aside for movies that set a standard for a formula which all others must now live up to. Even if it's not particularly great.
I mean, it's not bad. In fact I'd even go so far as to call it good. But it's not great. The acting is often hammy or mediocre, the story is at best ridiculous and at worst senselessly fucking bonkers (why the hell did they use a recognisably CIA-quality bomb to blow up a hooker's house? They could've just stabbed her or something), and the action is contextually over-the-top. Good fun to be sure, but that's about it. Good fun.
And yet this film occupies a position of greatness. Believe it or not, that's for a good reason. Now I don't know if the buddy cop film existed before Lethal Weapon (and quite frankly I don't wanna know), but it was the film that set the standard for what a solid buddy cop film was supposed to be. Created the formula, if you will, that all good buddy cop films follow. And most of that's on the relationship between cranky veteran Murtaugh (Danny Glover) and young possibly-bonkers Riggs (a young possibly bonkers Mel Gibson).
Aside from the fact that Glover and Gibson have excellent chemistry together – they really bounce off one another and you buy the friendship that quickly develops between the characters – the film manages a "these guys are complete opposites" situation without falling into cliche by focusing on a difference in situation rather than a difference in values. It's not "this guy is neat, but this guy is messy," or "this guy is a playboy, but this guy a monogamous-to-a-fault virgin," or even "this guy is honest and straight-laced, but this guy is cynical and not to bothered about committing the odd petty crime himself. Rather Murtaugh is a family man with everything to live for, able to put his experiences in the Vietnam War behind him, while Riggs is a widower with nothing to live for, possibly suicidal, who feels that the only time he was ever really good and useful was when he was breaking things and hurting people back in 'Nam. Murtaugh need Riggs' skills, but Riggs needs Murtaugh's friendship and stability. Surprisingly brilliant for such a silly film.
Throw in the odd bit of social commentary (Murtaugh is obviously uncomfortable when a bunch a African-American children begin asking about his record of shooting black people) and there are more than a few vets these days recently returned from America's latest failed foreign wars, and you end up with a timeless classic. Surprisingly timeless for such a silly film.
If you haven't watched Lethal Weapon before (in which case where the hell have you been for the last thirty years?) I'd recommend giving it a go. It might not be great but it's definitely worth watching.
Old School Reviews: Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
On December 17, 2016 By longandshortofitallIn Quick and dirty, Up for reviewLeave a comment
I think what I love about British crime movies is that they have no issue with building their film around a cast of good honest villains. Career criminals who don't feel the need to lament their lot in life or the cycles of poverty, abuse and violence that led them to a life of crime, who don't need to show guilt over their violent, thieving ways, to be likeable. American gangsters are relatable and empathetic. British crims, proper British crooks, are entertaining.
Case in point we have Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Guy Ritchie's 1998 classic (I'm pretty sure it made it into 1001 Movies to See Before you Die) about four mates, a crooked card game, violent loan sharks, drug dealers, the guys who rob drug dealers, and a pair of antique shotguns. Y'know, guns that fire shot.
Now, I don't think at any point do any of the characters show any real remorse for the life they'd lived. Well, not 'til it all goes to shit at least. Even then, as the threads come together and the bodies start dropping no one blames 'the life.' For our four central characters this isn't one final score that goes horribly wrong. This was a chance at the big leagues that goes horribly wrong, and you know they're going to go straight back into scamming and thieving as soon as they're out of the Barney Rubble. Heh, cockney rhyming slang.
Real funny thing though is that the points that in a Yank film would lead to a heel-face-turn (my family/friends/only people I care about are in danger!) and cause the career criminal to make a determined effort to get out the life (go legit, go to the cops, fake their own death) don't even register. Shit, Big Chris (Vinnie Jones) takes his son out debt collecting with him, despite the danger this can and does lead to. At the end of the film though, the kid's still coming along, even if the business has changed slightly.
Guy Ritchie has long set himself up as a solid (even if not always necessarily brilliant) director and writer, and his feature length debut will always be remembered as one of his best. He gets great performances out of the actors, most notably debuts Vinnie Jones as Big Chris and Jason Statham as Bacon (both of whom are now staple British hard men), and the script is tight and unapologetic of its origins. It starts with Statham rattling off a sale pitch for stolen jewelry ("It's not stolen, it just hasn't been paid for!" and according to the legend part of Statham's audition) and in one notable scene preferring to use subtitles over dumbing down the language. Shit mate, that scene right there is how you do a character introduction. Forces you to pay attention, then reveals cunning, creativity and a predilection towards violence. Everyone's solid though, sometimes a little stilted on occasion but they carry the emotional parts well. Then of course there's the soundtrack. Guy Ritchie knows how to pick a song for a scene, switching through jazz, funk and rock'n'roll to pull you into a and a mood, and when to not bother with any noise at all.
But it all works out in the end. Except for the people who died, of course, but most of them deserved it. Not that anyone really judges, it's just part of the life. The only lesson really learned for our luckless antiheroes is to pick their battles better.
So you should watch this film. It's fun, a little absurdist, Sting tells someone to fuck off, and you get to watch some villains being villains. And then there's a girl named Gloria with a Bren gun. Even if the rest of the movie was shit, it's worth is for Gloria with a Bren gun.
Old school reviews: Young Frankenstein (1974)
On September 1, 2016 By longandshortofitallIn Questions of culture, Quick and dirty, Up for reviewLeave a comment
Not long before I left Australia the family gathered around and slid our copy of Mel Brook's 1974 monster movie satire, Young Frankenstein, into the player. Early in the film, Frederick Frankenstein, is giving a lecture to a group of medical students only to have one of them stand up and begin asking questions about the work of his late grandfather, the famous Victor Frankenstein. The scene goes on, poor Mr Hilltop gets kneed in the balls ("give him an extra dollar") and irritating medical student becomes even more irritating. And then, at some point as he brings up Dr Frunk-en-shteen's heritage, my dad points out that "He looks like Kevin Rudd!"
We all watch the scene, and the actor a little closer. "Oh my god," I think it was my mum then said, "he even talks like Kevin Rudd!" The whole family cracked up laughing. Then cracked up again when Gene Wilder stabbed himself with a scalpel.
There's no point to this anecdote really, beyond saying that loving this film has always been a family affair. Y'see, this is my dad's favourite film. It's not all that hard to make my dad laugh, but when he really loves a bit of comedy, when he's really enjoying himself, well, let's just say it's fucking infectious. As a result Young Frankenstein became something of a family meme. I've talked about how my best mates and I are able to talk almost entirely in movie and Simpsons quotes, but amongst my family the go-to was always something from this movie.
Goddamn, especially that scene where he's dreaming in bed. "DESTINY! DESTINY! NO ESCAPING THAT FOR ME!"
I think that a great film, a really great film, always has this communal aspect. That ability to fit the jokes into other situations, or simply cause a chuckle by invoking memories. Group reverence rather than individual reverence.
This is also the mark of a great actor. It's an amazing thing that even, what, twenty years after he was last in a cinema, Gene Wilder's death has marked so many people so deeply. He had and still has such a profound influence on the popular consciousness. I mean shit, every actor that plays the role of Willy Wonka from now until forever will be compared to the Gene Wilder version, a role that has become subject to some of the longest running memes I've seen on the constantly evolving internet.
A true entertainer and clown, and I say that in the best way possible. Watching him be hilarious seemed like the best tribute I could think of. Watching with my family will be one of the first things I do when I get home.
Life in the Avenger's Barracks (18)
On August 31, 2016 By longandshortofitallIn Longer rants, Not at all trueLeave a comment
Chapter 18: Nobody's ever really ready.
The three men in suits came on a monday when Neil was eight. His ma offered them sweet tea and cookies that she said she'd baked that morning but Neil knew she'd bought from a store the day before. They shook their heads and said thanks but no thanks, there was a girl waiting in the car. Another "special" child that they were taking to the "special" school halfway across the country.
They asked if Neil was ready to go. Asked him, not his parents. He nodded and hugged his ma tight, the straps of his heavy backpack digging deep into his shoulders, then turned to his pa standing in the shadows with an angry look on his face.
Pa didn't like this, didn't trust the government men who'd come to take Neil away. Didn't trust the government before the aliens took over, started hating them after they took away his work. He'd been a ranch-hand once upon a time, would make Neil laugh til it felt like his gut was about to burst with his stories about being a real cowboy. Then they'd banned cows, and pa weren't a cowboy no more. Now they were coming to take his son, and he weren't gonna be a father either.
But he couldn't stop them. They had papers with signatures that gave them no choice. Neil was going with the men in suits, whether pa wanted it or not. Whether Neil wanted it or not. But ma was prouder than he'd ever seen her before about her "special" son, and that was something at least. She began to cry as he climbed into the back seat beside a girl about the same age as him, who said her name was Bell and had hair the colour of dried grass tied back in a messy ponytail.
One of the men stayed behind with Neil's parents – to fill out paperwork or something – while the other two climbed into the front seats. The car started with a low hum and Neil pressed his face against the window for one final look at his parents. Ma was standing at the edge of the footpath, sniffling and waving but with a big smile on her face. Pa stood in the doorway, arms crossed, still scowling but his eyes locked on Neil's face. Bell reached out and took his hand as the car rolled away from the curb and his parents disappeared from sight. It would be the last time he ever saw them.
The men didn't talk as they drove, just switched on the radio to some random music station (the kind pa hated, made with computers instead of real instruments) and kept their eyes on the road ahead. Bell didn't talk either, but she held on to Neil's hand as tight as a bird with a worm. He got the feeling she was scared. He sure as heck was.
It weren't long before they'd driven past the town limits and were driving down one of the long, straight highways towards the city-centres. In a visit before they'd come to pick Neil up the men had said they'd be taking him to Dallas, where they'd put him on a train that'd take him to the new school. He'd been excited about the idea of getting on one of the ADVENT trains. His teacher said they used magnets to float across the tracks faster than a jet plane, and that had sounded like the coolest things ever. Now, watching the sun set over the miles and miles of what his ma would've called desert and his pa would've called scrublands, he weren't so excited. Eventually the sun went down completely and he couldn't even see anything past the white lines on the edge of the road.
The driver cursed something fierce and the car came to a screeching stop, throwing Neil and Bell against forward against their seatbelts. Neil leaned around the driver's seat and stretched his neck as far as he could to see above the dashboard. There was another car parked across the road lit up by their high beams, with its hood up. There was a man perched on the roof, smoking a cigarette and playing with an old-fashioned looking laptop. A lady was walking slowly towards them, shielding her eyes with one hand and waving with the other, a large, sorry smile on her face.
"Think it's an actual breakdown?" the driver asked the second man.
"I doubt it, but nobody else should know we're out here so it might actually be."
"Right across the road."
"I've seen stranger. Still, safeties off and call it in."
The second man climbed out of the car, unbuttoning his jacket as he went then raising his left hand like a stop sign and resting his right hand on his hip. No, not his hip, on a gun hanging from his belt. Neil's eyes went a little wide and he glanced at the driver, wondering if he had a gun as well. Wondered why these men from this "special" school needed guns at all. The driver was frowning at his phone, punching buttons and not seeming to like the results. Outside the lady had stopped.
"Sorry to bother you," she had a funny accent, not local and not even from up north or down south, "but we went over something and spun-"
"Ma'am," the second man spoke over her, "you're going to have to move your vehicle off the road now."
"Yes," still smiling, "that's what I was trying to ask you for help doing before you interrupted me."
"Shit," the driver growled and climbed out of the car, "our signals are being jammed. It's a trap!"
Neil looked over the dashboard at the lady and saw her eyes flash purple. No, really, purple. Then the second man spun around and his face was scared and he had his gun out and he began firing and his shots were so loud. Cracks louder than fireworks that rolled like lightning through the car into Neil's eardrums. Bell began to scream and Neil pulled her towards him, tried to hold her whole body like she'd held his hands.
The driver began jerking as blood began squirting from new holes in his chest and neck, like miniature red fountains. He collapsed on the hood of the car and the second man kept firing. Blood sprayed across the windshield and the second man kept firing and Neil shut his eyes tight. Kept them tight until well after the shots finally stopped.
There was a tap on the window and Neil nearly jumped clear of his skin. He opened his eyes and looked up to see the woman give him a small wave through the glass. Neil looked around and saw that the second man was still standing in the same spot, his eyes wet with tears and the gun pressed up under his chin. His finger was pulling the trigger, but the gun must have been out of bullets. Then the man who had been on the roof of the other car with the laptop walked up beside him and blew half his head away with a big shotgun. The body collapsed out of sight like it didn't have no bones left. Like how Neil imagined an octopus would fall over if it was crawling over land.
There was a thunk and the lady opened the door, Neil looked back at her and pulled Bell in tighter. The girl had stopped screaming but had buried her face deeper into Neil's shoulder. He tried to look threatening as the lady came down on one knee – he guessed so she could look him in the eye – and it must've worked a little 'cause she stayed out of arm's reach.
"Hello there," she said in her funny accent, "Would you be Mister Neil Perry?"
Neil nodded and the lady seemed to become a little brighter. She had short black hair and a tan like pa used to have when he still worked outdoors, with a square jaw and small, pretty mouth. Younger than ma and pa, but not by much.
"I presume the young lady you're doing such a fine job of comforting is Miss Isabelle Franco?"
Neil shrugged, hard to do when he was holding Bell so tight. He didn't know her full name.
"Excellent. My name is Annette and that man over there is my friend, Monsieur Said." She raised her voice a little on that last part, and Monsieur Said smiled behind his cigarette and gave Neil a little wave, "I am sorry you just saw what you did. That was…" her eyes flicked to the blood on the windscreen, "messier than I had hoped it would be. But I need you to trust me right now when I say that I did it to keep you and Miss Isabelle safe."
The lady, Annette, reached towards him slowly, like Neil was a wild animal. She stopped halfway, smile never leaving her face.
"I need you to come with me, so I can take you somewhere safe. You need to know I will force you if I have to. But that is not something that I want to do. Please. Please, take my hand."
Neil looked down at Bell, then back at the lady. Something in the back of his brain told him that she didn't need to ask him to trust her, that all she needed was for her eyes to flash purple again and Neil would do whatever she wanted. Just like the man in the suit shooting the driver. But her eyes remained the same colour, and her smile stayed the same and instead she was asking him.
Maybe that was why he reached out towards her outstretched hand.
The skyranger bounced as it hit some turbulence. Michelle King felt her stomach drop, then her ears pop as the air pressure began to change. One of the red lights above turned green and she heard Louise Seo's voice speak into her ear, "Beginning our descent, five minutes to the L-Z."
Michelle sighed and gave the scarred photograph one final look. Three little girls sat around a smallish dog with a reddish coat and its tongue hanging out, laughing at the camera. A real laugh, with lots of teeth and tears in the eldest girl's eyes. Tiff Martz couldn't remember what she'd said to make the girls laugh like that when she'd taken the picture, just mumbled that she was "always fucking hilarious" and proceeded to tell her all about the dog (half-dingo apparently, making it bloody difficult to fence in). Michelle smiled, folded the photo and slid it into a makeshift pocket of her armour.
Those three girls were a different part of her very compartmentalised life, a part that she hadn't given herself time to think about since arriving at X-Com. It was easy enough to ignore between all the training and nearly getting her face blown off and James' annoying-as-shit deathwish, but then Tiff had turned up. And brought photos.
She still had the same smile on her face as she pulled out her gatling gun and spun the barrels, performing those last minutes checks and rechecks to make sure the weapon would fire when she told it to. It took her a minute to realise that her brother James kept glancing at her as he did the same.
"What?" she asked sharper than she meant to, subconsciously scratching at the scar on the side of her head.
"Nothing. Just haven't you smile like that in a while."
"Like what?" Shit, again more defensive than she was planning.
"Fucking honestly happy, I think," there was a laugh behind the words, "Don't die on me today, alright?"
"Alright," Michelle rolled her eyes, then added, "you too."
"I'll try to avoid it."
"I think we should all avoid dying," Li Ming Cheng added, and elbowed Michelle in the ribs.
"Seconded," Doreen Donaldson piped up as she fiddled with her Gremlin.
"It would be my preference as well," Thierry Leroy added sombrely.
"Yes," Cesar Vargas grinned around the hold, "let us all try not to die."
Michelle laughed and began checking her grenade launcher.
"Do you two ever leave this fucking room?"
Neil was startled enough at the voice coming from right outside his chamber that he nearly jumped out of his chair. He looked up into the smiling face of Miss Tiff, leaning her forehead against her forearm against the ballistic glass.
She seemed to read his mind as she said, "Sorry, door was open and I thought I'd let myself in."
She was wearing a black t-shirt emblazoned with a white, long-haired, somehow female-looking skull and the words "Violent Soho," fatigue trousers rolled up to her calves and a great deal of dark eye-shadow. It was… a hell of a lot different to what she looked like when she first turned up in the Psionic Lab. It made Neil feel overdressed in his neatly pressed coveralls. Over in her own chamber Galina Zinchenko raised her hand in a sort of fist, with her pinky and pointer finger extended.
"Rock and roll?" she asked, one eyebrow cocked.
"Yeah," Miss Tiff chuckled, "rock'n'roll. Seriously though, you two ever even been on a mission?"
"Have you?" Neil asked, a little more defensively than he would have preferred.
"Not for X-Com, but I've only been here a few days. You two have been here for weeks, yeah?"
Neil looked at his feet sheepishly. This had been a sore point between him and Galina for a while now. She thought they were ready for action, was chomping at the bit to fry some poor alien S-O-B's mind with her newly learnt powers. Neil was happy waiting until the Commander felt they were ready. Yeah, he'd volunteered for this and figured the ability to float things around with his mind was a pretty good trade-off for eventually fighting the war, but he was in no rush to get into combat. Miss Tiff didn't need to hear all that though.
"We'll be sent on a mission when we're sent on a mission," he said with a bit of a growl in his voice, "that's all there is to it."
Neil went back to what he'd been reading before Miss Tiff had come in – some old paperback called 'Don Quixote' that Dr Tygen had found for him in Cesar Vargas' growing library of random books – trying very hard to ignore the dark-haired woman who was still smiling down at him.
"I'd like to ask a favour."
That weren't what Neil was expecting her to say. He looked up and saw that she was pressing an envelope against the glass of the chamber. Neil stood up and stepped closer to get a closer look at the letter. Not that there was much to see, it was just a plain white envelope after all. His eyes were drawn instead to the pattern of tattoos that he now saw ran from beneath Miss Tiff's shirt, down her arms and hands to the her short fingernails, an intricate pattern of vines that looked like a solid mass of black green from any distance surrounding a few larger images – on her right arm he could see a clock face, a stylized castle, a rifle crossed over a bunch of arrows.
"Got the rougher ones done when I was in prison," she said and Neil realised she'd seen his eyes wander, "the finer stuff done when I got out."
"Why were you in prison?" Neil asked, them mentally kicked himself for asking such a personal question. Ma and Miss Annette hadn't raised him to pry.
"I killed a lot of people."
"Why?" Galina asked and probably didn't give a damn about prying.
"I had my reasons," Miss Tiff answered in a tone that said she wouldn't be spending anymore time on the subject, "Bradford says you write regularly to your Night Witch. Next time I want you to send this letter along with yours. Please."
"What's on the letter?" Neil asked and wasn't able to keep the suspicion out of his voice.
"I'd rather not tell you."
"I need to know what I'm sending before I send it."
"That's right, but I wanna know anyway before I send Miss Annette anything."
"Miss Annette?" Miss Tiff cocked an eyebrow.
"You don't think everyone walks around calling her the damned Night Witch all the time, do you?"
"Huh," her eyes narrowed, as if she'd never considered someone with Miss Annette's reputation might have been given a real name, "I suppose not." She tapped the envelope with her finger thoughfully for a second than said, "They're names and a location. Two little girls. ADVENT came for them when they were younger because… because I think they're like you. Whatever you are."
"You want Miss Annette to find them?"
"I want Miss Annette to be able to find them. They're safe enough now, but if this," she rolled her head around swivelled her eyes to gesture the whole ship, "all goes tits up that might change."
"Of course we'll send your letter," Galina said and Neil saw no reason to disagree.
"Thanks," Miss Tiff shot the Polish woman in the other chamber a gratefull grin, "I owe you both one."
"You don't owe us anything," Neil grinned, "helping other kids escape whatever the aliens have planned's part of the job. Who're the little girls."
"They're my reasons," Miss Tiff said and her smile became a little more… honest.
Michelle's smile had lasted until they'd made it off the Skyranger.
The air was thick with smoke coloured black and grey or stained orange and red by a dozen different fires. The air tasted of soot and metal and stank of burning shit in a very literal, gag-inducing way. Shadows danced in the half-light followed by twitching barrels and twitchy trigger fingers as Menace One leap-frogged through the wreckage of what had been a small but bustling resistance community, looking for survivors as they made their way towards the sound of gunfire on the opposite edge of the camp.
Pickings were slim and there were a lot more bodies without a pulse than with. They found a small girl huddling with her father hiding behind a woodshed made of scrap-metal, and a teenage boy hiding up in a tree. They were given instructions to head where the skyranger was hovering where Simmons would swing down to pick them up. Dori looked pale as a ghost as she watched the civilians race towards the treeline, and it occurred to Michelle that this might have been the first time the Scotswoman had seen this side of the alien occupation. Wondered if any of the others had made it all the way to X-Com without seeing them murder a bunch of people and then convince everybody else it was all their victims fault.
Leroy screamed a warning over on their left flank and the whole squad swung in his direction. Leroy was firing as something emerged from the smoke, something big and purple running around on too many legs with sharp looking spikes running down its spine and sharp looking mandibles and sharp looking claws, drooling from a gaping mouth like the gates of hell. It screeched out a high-pitched roar (Michelle had thought those were two seperate actions until right that moment) that reverberated through her bones and made her insides feel like jelly, charging at Leroy too quickly, Michelle thought, to stop it from grabbing him between those fucking horrific looking mandibles.
Thankfully she was wrong. Li fired a long burst that tore through the creature's armoured hide, making it stumble but not killing it, then Cesar finished the job with his shotgun.
"Shit," Michelle's voice was calmer than she expected it to be, "shit, shit, fucking shit. What the fuck is that?"
"We called them Crabs when I fought them during the invasion," Leroy said, with a look on his face that Michelle hadn't seen before. Not anger, not shock, not worry…
Terror, she realised, shit, he's fucking terrified of these things.
"We called them Chryssalids," the Commander spoke into all their ears from the Avenger's bridge, "Though Bradford informs me there haven't been any confirmed sightings since the end of the first war."
"Don't let them get too close," Leroy said, breathing hard, his eyes twitching across their surroundings, "or they will impregnate you."
"What?" Dori growled, "What the fuck do you mean impregnate?"
"I get the feeling that we don't want to find out," Michelle said and touched the armour over the photograph.
"No," agreed Leroy, "you don't."
When the gun went off the first time Allie squealed and nearly dropped it. The bullet hit the very edge of the paper target and while Emily hadn't been able to see them, she guessed that Allie had probably squeezed her eyes shut as she'd squeezed the trigger. Still, a hit was a hit and the Italian engineer's face lit up like a fireworks show as she spotted the small chunk missing half a metre to the left of the bullseye.
"Ha!" she yelled triumphantly as she turned grinning towards Emily, though thankfully remembered to keep her pistol aimed downrange, "I got it!"
"Yes you did," Emily tried one of those for one of those 'cheeky' grins that Michelle was fond of giving, "now let's see if you can hit any closer to the bullseye."
"I assure you," Allie said, her voice pure confidence as she turned back towards the targets, "it is only a matter of time."
The sound she made on the second shot could probably be best described as a "squawk." She missed the target completely this time and Emily couldn't contain a giggle.
"Are you shutting your eyes when you shoot?"
"No!" Allie replied a little too quick and a little too defensively to be believable.
"It's a lot easier to aim when you can actually see the target."
Allie fired again, squeaked as she did so, but this time managed to hit the target only twenty centimetres wide of the bullseye.
"See what I mean?" Emily laughed.
The two women had been spending a lot of time together since Allessandra Mancini had joined the crew, rescued from an ADVENT cell by a Menace One team that had included Emily. It had taken Allie a few weeks to recover physically from whatever it was that the aliens had done to her, and so far Dr Colin Lynch (effectively the Avenger's on-staff therapist) was the only one who she talked to about it, but she and Emily had quickly fallen in together. Having a few drinks off-duty, watching a film together, playing checkers in the common room, working on Allie's English and teaching Emily a few words of Italian. It had been a time, even with the deaths.
Truthfully Emily had noticed the other crewmembers pushing them together. Michelle and Li Ming had been the most obvious about it, but Cesar, Gerty Wilders and Charlie Otembe had made efforts to get them in the same room and then leave them alone to their own devices. It'd seemed… what's the word? Presumptive. It'd seen presumptive at first. Yeah, Emily had forced herself past an unrequited crush on Lily Shen and was very prepared to look somewhere else, but just pushing two people together who had, presumptively, compatable sexual orientation doesn't make them compatable relationship. Being gay can't be the only thing you have in common the same way that being straight can't be the only thing you have in common. But it had been a good time, and Emily really did enjoy spending time with Allie.
It had still been a surprise when Allie had asked to be taken down to the firing range in the belly of the Avenger, next to Engineering, and taught how to shoot. Emily had scratched at the bandage still covering the newest scars on her arm and asked why. Allie had laughed and said that she wanted to see what Emily did to relax. Other than drink Louise Seo's ship-made gin, of course.
Allie kept firing until the magazine was empty and the hammer clicked on an empty chamber, squeaking all the way through. Emily wondered how anybody could be that fucking cute while holding a loaded weapon. She'd managed to get closer to the bullseye with her last two rounds, though thankfully all the other shots had still hit the target.
"Nice," Emily had a fresh magazine in her hand already and was reaching towards the pistol still pointed downrange to reload it, "you're still a little tense when-"
Allie stepped in close and kissed her, a touch really, a peck on the corner of her mouth, then stepped back and turned away. Emily's eyes went wide. She heard the sound of something metal landing on the deck and realised she'd dropped the magazine.
"I'm sorry," Allie said, all the confidence having left her voice and a blush starting to spread across her features, "I should have asked."
"N-no. It's alright. May I kiss you back?"
"I would like that."
Were they smart enough to have used the corpse as bait, Michelle wondered, or had they simply not given a shit? Left it in the middle of the road because that's where whoever he'd been had fallen and moved on to find their next victims? A bloody mound of meat with terror written across a middle-aged face, torso split apart and a purple pod (that had already burst open) grown from his guts. They'd approached, morbidly curious, and for a second everyone had focused on this violent artwork that not even Leroy had seen before.
Then the shooting had begun.
Cesar was behind a tree towards the front yelling numbers and Cheng was scrambling behind thick, jagged stump.
James was firing at something Michelle couldn't see through the smoke. A screeching roar ripped through the air as Dori slid behind a fence. She stood up. Aimed somewhere to their rear. Fired. Smiled as another roar was cut short. A burst of plasma fire slammed into her back and she toppled forward into the mud, shock on her face and blood spilling out her mouth.
Michelle might have screamed then. Or it could have been someone else.
It began to rain.
There were chryssalids coming now, left and right, burrowing up from the ground. Michelle fired a burst and saw one stumble a little but then hurl itself behind a pile of boxes.
Heavy drops struck her face, her arms, splattered and hissed as they touched the barrels of her cannon.
A muton appeared forward of her position only to be cut down by Cesar's shotgun. Maybe it was the one that had shot Dori. Another chryssalid charged around Cesar's tree but the Mexican commando already had his sword out and swung it at waist height into the creature, through claw and exoskeleton deep into the crab monster's neck. Pieces of it fell in different directions as it slid off the hissing blad onto the ground.
Rain tickled Michelle's neck and slid down her armour. She had no idea where the rain had come from, where the clouds had been until this moment. They were firing as fast as they could at whatever they could but it wasn't enough. Shit, Michelle couldn't even see everything they needed to kill, rain and smoke turning the world to vague shadows and flashes of colour.
Cheng tried to move towards Dori only to have a burst of plasma force her back behind cover. Dori's gremlin, Titus, was buzzing over her body in tight circles, as if it was unsure what to do now that its master couldn't give it instructions.
There was a roar, a proper growling roar, and something big and maybe pink began stomping towards them, alongside two other somethings. Leroy fired at and it seemed to shudder but not fall.
Shit, why would nothing just fucking go down when they shot it?
There was a scream that Michelle knew too well and she turned to see James on his back trying to fight off another one of the chryssalids as it trampled over him, orange spines and feet like knives stabbing down again and again and again. Blood, spraying in gouts from his stomach.
"Jimmy! Jimmy!" she bellowed hoarsely and spun her gatling cannon towards the fucking crab monster and fired, watched as it shuddered and jerked and fell aside into a steaming heap. Watched as James reached towards his Gremlin, hovering a few feet away, waiting for instructions. Watched as something landed in a puddle not too far away. Watched as it exploded and tossed her brother through the air.
He landed in the mud, a few feet from his Gremlin, and didn't move.
"No!" Michelle screamed, "NO! NO!"
There was another screech, close behind her.
Her name was Dr Mary Song, and she was the daughter of an American soldier and South Korean mathematician. She was a physicist, having developed something of her father's love of numbers, and had been sent to join Dr Tygen's team six weeks before by the resistance in return for recovering some key intelligence. Unlike the soldiers of Menace One, who were rotated regularly to avoid being burnt out by the stress of combat, it often seemed like Tygen's scientists were only occasionally let out of the lab. Dr Song had just happened to decide to spend her one night off in a fortnight getting drunk in the Avenger's bar at the same time that Navneet Banerjee had decided to do the same.
He'd called her Songbird. She'd laughed and called him unoriginal. Later that night they'd fucked behind some crates in a storage room just off the armoury.
Since then they'd seen each other a few times discreetly, when Else was on bridge duty or otherwise distracted, though never while she was on a mission. Screwing around behind her back while she was risking her life somewhere was a step further than he was willing to go. It was a small thing, but he wasn't a complete bastard.
Not that it mattered. Because Else found out anyway.
He sat in the bar, alone, with a bottle of the rotgut Louise Seo distilled somewhere in the hangar, trying to forget the look on Else's face. Angry, yes. Sad, definitely. The worst part though? The complete lack of surprise. Maybe because of his age, maybe she'd spotted his wandering eye, he didn't know exactly how but as he looked at her upset, furious face he'd seen no sign of disappointment. She'd known this day was coming, and whatever they'd had (and Navneet still wasn't sure what it had been) was over.
So he went to the bar, wished he had someone to talk to, and decided to get very, very drunk.
Maybe he wasn't a complete bastard, but he sure as hell felt like one.
There was pain, hot and cold at the same time, as the chrysalid slid its mandibles through her armour and into her guts. Michelle felt herself lifted off the ground, the creature raising her up like an umbrella, arms and legs dangling, eyes watching drops of water slip down her nose and land on its spiked back. Then she was flying through the air and the rain, hitting the ground, bouncing along and leaving pieces of her insides as she went, until finally coming to rest on her side.
Someone yelled her name. Or at least Michelle thought she heard her name. She realised she'd lost her gun, tried to look around. There it was, next to the cunt that had gutted her. That was a bit of her intestines stuck to its face, wasn't it?
A hail of gunfire ripped apart and Michelle gurgled out a laugh. Probably Li. That was probably Li yelling her name as well. Someone was definitely yelling her name…
She managed to reach a hand around and hit a buckle, unfastening the grenade launcher from her back, clutching it to her chest and rolling off her side. It didn't hurt as much as she would have expected. But it felt weird, wrong, like there was something moving inside of her. Probably like whatever had come out of that poor bastard in the middle of the road. Shit, she didn't want that to happen to her as well. Didn't want to be torn to pieces from the inside out, giving birth to something that wanted to murder her friends. She could fucking feel it though.
Michelle twisted her head around. There was Li, still fighting. So was Leroy and Cesar. Three shapes in the rain, taking cover close to each other that weren't friends then. No, 'cause Dori was dead. 'Cause James was dead. Shit, who tell their mum and dad? Got to at least give them something to bury. Somewhere for Tash to visit one day. She smiled and felt blood dribble down the corners of her mouth, hot and thick where the rain was cold and sharp. It splatted on her face and fell into the big fucking hole in her guts.
"Li!" Michelle's voice sounded huge in her ears but it might have been a whisper for all she knew, it was raspy enough, "Li Ming Cheng!" no point waiting for an answer, she doubted anyone would hear it, "You kill whatever's inside me! You fucking kill it Li! I don't… I want to be in one piece Li! When they bring me to her. I want her to see me," shit, she could feel it getting bigger inside of her, "not some fucking cocoon."
She couldn't hear the answer, not over the rain hitting her skin, her armour. The hostiles were still moving in the corner of her vision, but Michelle still had a grenade launcher. Maybe. It was worth a shot.
Twisting slightly, she rested one elbow on the ground and wrapped the opposite hand around the grip. Couldn't raise her head high enough to look down the sights but it was pointing in the right general direction. Maybe.
Fuck it. Michelle pulled the trigger. Heard the whomp of the grenade leaving the barrel and felt the launcher nearly fly out of her numbing hands. A second passed and she heard the crunch of the explosion, a scream that was not human.
Michelle breathed deep and let the grenade launcher slip into the mud, looked up into the sky. Couldn't see much, just grey and black and a little white. Always thought she'd die in the sunlight. Not sure why, just seemed like when she'd go. Outside, hot sun blaring down. If she was lucky, Tash would've been nearby. But not here, not in the mud, not in the rain. Wrong. Right. It didn't matter, did it.
Worst thing was she'd been writing a letter to Tash. She wouldn't be able to finish it now.
Michelle hoped they'd send it anyway as she rested her head in the mud.
Reviewing the Old School: Braveheart (1995)
On July 22, 2016 By longandshortofitallIn Quick and dirty, Up for reviewLeave a comment
I'm not sure if I like this film or not. I used to. Loved this film actually, but I'm not sure I do anymore.
This was another one of those films that my mates and I would just casually quote in conversation. Seriously, we can have complex discussions on current affairs in Simpsons, Family Guy and movie quotes. One mate could pull off a pretty solid Scottish accent and another rocked an impressive Edwards Longshanks. "You dropped your rock," was a common response to queries and commentary, as was "Bring me Wallace. Alive, if possible. Dead, just as good." Amazing how easy it is to fit that into casual conversation.
Rewatching it, Braveheart is still really bloody quotable. Especially Stephen, played wonderfully by David O'Hara with some of the best lines in the film. "The Almighty says don't change the subject, just answer the fucking question!" I fucking love Stephen, still get's me laughing.
But the biggest problems I have with this film are also with the script, which was very obviously written by a Yank. Obviously being because Mel Gibson won't shut up about freedom. It's all "they cannae take our freedom" this and "lead us to freedom" that. I mean, yeah, I get that most of the Scots we see in this film are supposed to be illiterate and uneducated, but William is supposed to speak four different languages (I assume he speaks some version of Gaelic, even if we never hear him say anything Gaelic), surely he has a wider vocabulary than that? In all honesty though the rhetoric we see in this film takes a heavily American slant, focusing on that single word, painting broad strokes with that single brush.
It's funny, when you study nationalistic movements even the groups that have "Freedom" in their name don't just blanket the word around. They talk about independence, self-governance, civil liberties, rule of law, places within the law, ethnic superiority, tribal loyalty and protecting tradition. The slogan of the French Revolution was 'Liberty, Equality and Fraternity' not 'Freedom, Freedom and Freedom.' Basically what I'm trying to say is that I'm old enough to now know how stupid most of the 'inspiring' dialogue is, and rewatching the film was, well, disappointing.
There's more to be said about this film, but I don't want to say it because it's not going to affect my opinion of the film. The historical inaccuracies (the Scots would have been wearing trousers not kilts, and the Battle of Stirling was actually the Battle of Stirling Bridge) and the tacked on romances (I wonder if they'd still get an Oscar for fridging Wallace's sort-of wife in this day and age – also, Wallace fucking a French princess) are more than a little jarring, but these things don't matter nearly as much to me as the fact that the speech in front of the gathered army at Stirling is not nearly as epic as I remember it to be.
But it's still really, really fucking quotable. Or at least Stephen and Edward Longshanks still are. I don't know what to tell you mate. I just can't decide on this one.
Gonna throw it out there as well: this film is pretty homophobic.
Let's call this one a "make up your own mind" and leave it at that, yeah?
Reviewing the Old School: Collateral (2004)
On June 2, 2016 By longandshortofitallIn Quick and dirty, Up for reviewLeave a comment
We all knew that Tom Cruise was crazy back in 2004, yeah? Well y'know, celebrity crazy. Which is still pretty crazy, but it's entertaining and eccentric instead of the heartbreaking sight of some poor bastard with no family and no real idea when or where they are asking for spare change from the edge of a needle-strewn alleyway… But yeah, we'd started making jokes about Tom Cruise jumping up and down on Oprah's couch and arguing about his Thetan levels all the way back in 2004, right?
Why am I bringing this up? Mostly because I remember that being the reason I didn't watch Collateral straight away. I mean aside from me being a broke-arse teenage high school student (as opposed to all those high school students in their late twenties – hey look at film and television, it's a serious problem). Tom Cruise had made a bunch of bad films, he'd broken up with Nicole and married whats-her-face (sorry, just googled that and he married whats-her-face in 2006), and he'd gone crazy. That matters to a kid who reckons they're a film snob while secretly thinking that Shrek was the greatest masterpiece in cinematic history. I blame my dad. I've got less of a problem with that now, and apparently Tom Cruise is just super-lovely. One of the nicest guys in Hollywood. Top bloke. But separating Tom from the characters he was playing, it weren't easy at the time. It wasn't until this film came highly recommended by a mate that I sat down and watched it.
And it's good. Really good. The tale of a relationship that develops between an LA cabbie and his charge as they drive from stop to stop. It just so happens that the customer is a contract killer working for a drug cartel, murdering witnesses before a major indictment. Jamie Foxx plays Max, the cabbie in question, the terrified ordinary citizen who desperately wants to get through the night alive but at the same time is smart enough to know how unlikely that is, and does a great job of it. He's a character that has to constantly push through shock, panic and sheer terror while having a man who's probably going to murder him also try and befriend him. Tom Cruise plays Vincent, the private sector murderer without a conscience. His hair is greyed to make him look older but it's bloody Tom Cruise, you can put him in a clown suit made of daffodils and he'll still bring a powerful presence to the screen when required.
The other actors all do a fantastic job as well. Jada Pinkett Smith plays Annie, a lawyer for the prosecution, appears briefly at the beginning but leaves such a great impression and has such good chemistry with Jamie Foxx that you aren't at all surprised (and can't possibly be displeased) when she appears at the end. Mark Ruffalo looks surprisingly different with facial hair as Detective Fanning. Barry Shabaka Henley talks jazz as Daniel with Vincent and Javier Bardem talks about Black Pedro as Felix with Max. Director Michael Mann knows how to get the best out of his cast, and it is a stella cast (Tom Cruise included). The music, the angles, the closeups which reveal intimacy and the wide shots that show isolation.
But this is a film all about conversation, and writer Stuart Beattie writes some really excellent stuff. It's not the fast-paced banter you'd expect in a Tarantino or Ritchie film, rather it's a slow boil deconstruction of a decent man's soul as that man is on the verge of panic while another man puts a gun to his head and tells him to calm down.
The movie is all about the relationship between Vincent and Max, and it's funny how well Foxx and Cruise pull it off. There's not much chemistry between them, and that seems largely intentional. There's always a distance, at first caused by their relationship as client and cabbie and then by Vincent's pistol. The weird part is how likeable Vincent is. He actually seems like a pretty good guy aside from being very willing to shoot anybody and everybody he runs into. He helps Max deal with an overbearing boss, buys his mother flowers and encourages him to "call the girl." It's weird how he tries (tries so hard) to be a good friend. And that's the thing. It's the reason why he doesn't just shoot Max as soon as the luckless cabbie finds out about Vincent's career goals. Because he's so starved for human contact that he'll spend hours trying to connect with a bloke he's probably gonna top at dawn.
Good stuff. Great film.
Anyway, point is that you shouldn't always judge a film by the actor playing in it. Now Tom's come back and he's done some great stuff in the past couple of years, so I'm not too worried about people prejudging his stuff. Some real shit as well (Oblivion), but a lot of absolutely fantastic (Live Die Repeat) and fun (Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, his cameo in Tropic Thunder) roles in the main. He's a good actor and a good guy.
But, y'know, don't judge whatever new Nicolas Cage film comes out before you see it? I guess? No, no. You can prejudge Nicolas Cage all you want.
Reviewing the Old School: The Siege (1998)
On April 7, 2016 By longandshortofitallIn Questions of culture, Quick and dirty, Up for reviewLeave a comment
I wonder what this film would look like if it was made now. Would the villains be the same? Would the morals be the same? Would the heroes be as black and white? This is a pre-9/11 movie about terrorism after all (set in New York no less), and we live in a post-9/11 world.
Shit, we live in a post-a-lot-of-things world.
Released all the way back in 1998 The Siege stars Denzel Washington as FBI Assistant Special Agent Anthony 'Hub' Hubbard, essentially the bloke in charge of counter-terrorism operations in New York, as he and his team (most notably Tony Shalhoub as Lebanese-American FBI agent Frank Haddad) deal with with a series of escalating attacks in throughout New York, reprisals for the kidnapping of a major religious leader by US forces at the beginning of the film. They're helped and hindered by CIA agent Elise Kraft/Sharon Bridger (starts with the former name, ends with the latter), played by Annette Benning, but as the situation grows worse, the FBI suffers casualties and they are unable to find the other terrorist cells martial law is declared and the army is sent in under the command of Major General William Devereaux.
This is not a perfect movie at all. The acting is solid and most of the characters are sympathetic if not likeable (I fucking love Tony Shalhoub, why doesn't that guy get more roles?), with the sole exception of Annette Bening as the intruding CIA agent. She's not bad in the role, and has some great moments, but the character comes off as whiny and annoying for most of the film, sounding for most of the movie like she's on the verge of tears. Not great for the only female lead, even if it does play to a theme. There are some very action movie moments that are jarring against the realism that the rest of the film is trying to carry. When a bus is blown up at the beginning of the movie it is visceral and realistic. People well outside the blast range are thrown back and windows are shattered. Hub, who is halfway across the no-man's land to the bus is far enough away that in most movies he'd usually just have to shield his eyes, is tossed around, deafened, blood vessels are ruptured (such as in his eye) and afterwards his nose begins to bleed in the middle of a briefing. It's a good scene, and it seems weird when compared to moments later in the movie, such as when the army fucking blows up a building where Hub is trying to make an arrest. We're talking grenades, machine guns and helicopter gunships launching hellfire missiles, and Hub making it out practically unscathed. It's not a good scene.
Thing is though, The Siege still stands as one of the best examples I can think of when it comes to exploring terrorism and those who try to counter it. As I said, not perfect. I don't think those of us over here in the relatively safe and peaceful west can possibly make a perfect film, but a decent one. The Islamic terrorists in the film have every right to be a bit miffed at the Americans. They were trained by the CIA to fight Saddam Hussein, then abandoned to be slaughtered. Many of them are from refugee camps and we are given the idea that the only hope many of them see for themselves and their families is through martyrdom. The attacks are triggered by the extrajudicial kidnapping of an important Islamic cleric by US forces. The film admits that the root causes of a great deal of modern terrorism can be traced back to American foreign policy (successes and failures), admits that these guys have the right to be pissed, though it never condones any of their actions. Blowing up innocent people is wrong regardless of the reasons.
It also shows the level of miscommunication and mistrust between the various branches of the American intelligence, counterintelligence and law enforcement services. Part of what makes Elise Kraft so annoying is her refusal to provide information to Hub and his team over the nature of the threat they faced or her sources. Devereaux makes a point of checking in on Hub and his team in the first half of the film, but otherwise is unwilling to share information with the FBI and, when martial law is declared, actively spies on the surviving members of the FBI. Getting information from other agencies is like pulling teeth, as they're bounced from one organisation to another. Hub and his team still get the job done, but you get the distinct feeling that it could have been so much easier than it was.
The thing that got me about this film, however, is what it got wrong about us. Hub is a good guy. He cares about the law and judicial process. He privately berates a colleague for hitting a suspect. He waits for search warrants before assaulting a probable terrorist safe house. He believes that if you need to follow their rules to win, then you've already lost. Devereaux and Kraft disagree with him. They want to go in guns blazing, are willing to torture and fuck their way to the information they need. The film tells us this is bad. The film tells us, quite correctly, that this only makes things worse. The film tells us that polite society would not allow its morals to be eroded in the name of 'safety and security.'
The film is wrong about that. At the end of the movie the combined multi-denominational might of Jewish, Christian, Muslim and whatever else protesters march upon the army lines chanting "No fear" in opposition to the Army's detainment of thousands of young Muslim men for the crime of being young Muslim men. Hub is proved right, the law wins.
What happened in the real world? Well, Americans sacrificed many of those freedoms and protections the movie holds so dear to the Patriot Act after the Twin Towers fell. Guantanamo Bay is still open (the failure to close the prison down still stands as one of President Obama's greatest failures). The Arab Spring seemed great at the time, but the failure of the USA and the rest of the West to follow it up with support and help has left the Middle East even messier than it already was, and ripe for an organisation like IS to become a legitimate power and threat. At home we've seen the rise of far-right arseholes and jingoistic nationalists, coming to power by spreading fear and anger. Extrajudicial killings and kidnappings are commonplace (just look at the Drone program or the assassination of Osama Bin Laden). And remember when those American nationals were illegally arrested and sent to countries like Egypt to be tortured? Yeah, that happened.
Pop-culture since then has reflected this. Zero Dark Thirty doesn't even blink at 'enhanced interrogation' or assassination, and doesn't expect the audience to either. James Bond and Jack Bauer are tasked with getting the job done outside the law. A bullet to the head fixes the problems better than due process ever did. Guys like Hub are the weak-willed scrawny pencil pushers who haven't been through what the heroes have been through and their adherence to the rules just gets in the way.
So would a movie like The Siege be made now? Yeah. Yeah it would. But I can't say with any certainty that it would end the same way. Be as positive or hopeful. The good guys might not win. The law might not win.
That's a shame. I wish a few more movies were like this.


There has never been a better time to be a start-up in the financial services world. While barriers to entry are still high as the previous article shows, emerging technologies are dramatically reducing the cost of reaching customers, and financial institutions are increasingly interested in tapping into underserved markets. In this context, a variety of financial technology accelerators have emerged, with the aim of increasing the chances of start-up success. Our team surveyed a few of these programs – to see what they are offering, and their potential impact.
Canary Wharf has historically been the center of innovation in London's financial services sector – one of the original "smart cities" in Europe. With the launch of Level39, the Canary Wharf Group, a premier business and shopping district in inner London, is carrying on that tradition, establishing the entire 39th floor of the iconic One Canada Square as an accelerator space that aims to identify the next generation of innovators in financial services.
Level39 endeavors to become a space where "innovation gets traction," according to Eric Van Der Kleij, technology entrepreneur and head of the initiative, in a recent interview. The accelerator space – which officially opened its doors this week – offers an array of unique amenities, including an affordable membership package for early-stage entrepreneurs, and an open-plan kitchen where like-minded professionals can mingle and discuss their innovations over coffee. Level39 "sandboxes" offer comfortable, secure ideation spaces where small companies or larger financial services providers can retreat, brainstorm and develop the next big FinTech innovation.
Lounge39, which Van Der Kleij describes as a blend between a business class lounge and a trendy London club, provides a space for investors and financial executives to interact and gain exposure to new innovators in the finance space. These players will be offered reduced-cost lounge membership if they sign up as mentors to Level39 start-ups – encouraging increased involvement in the accelerator from the investor community.
Already, the Level39 team has received hundreds of inquiries from companies interested in renting space, and the first cohort of entrepreneurs moved in this week. With such high volumes of interest, how are applicants selected? According to Van Der Kleij, the team looks to identify companies that can genuinely use Level39 resources to slingshot into success, such as ventures that address key pain points in the financial services sector. Occupants will further be chosen based on their unique business concepts and skillsets, creating a complementary ecosystem where start-ups can forge partnerships and learn from each other.
In the UK, where 21.6 percent of the GDP comes from financial services, there is a real potential for the country to become a thought leader in financial innovation. In this context, Level39 ultimately aims to be a pioneer in the FinTech space – out of which may emerge the next generation of financial institutions.
Start-ups in the financial inclusion space often fall victim to many of the challenges facing other financial ventures, including limited capital and access to investors. Further, these enterprises often aim to tailor their products or services to meet the needs of base-of-the-pyramid (BOP) consumers – financial offerings that typically result in lower profit margins and may be seen as risky investments. As a result, these promising ventures often lack a "runway" to experiment with new business models – hindering innovation.
The** Accion Venture Lab** was launched in April 2012 to address these challenges, as a US $10 million seed-stage investment initiative that provides capital and technical support to start-ups in the financial inclusion space. Financial support ranges from $100,000 to $300,000 in convertible debt or equity, complemented by management support, access to Accion experts and support in identifying business leads, mentors and investors. The initiative seeks to make approximately 20 investments over the next three years.
While participating enterprises all share an interest in expanding financial services to BOP consumers, the initiative is particularly interested in those that leverage emerging technologies such as data analytics, mobile phones, web portals, or social media. Geographically, the Lab has focused primarily on East Africa and South Asia, but plans to expand into other regions as well.
The center of the US financial sector, New York City, has also emerged as a leader in fostering innovative finance and technology start-ups, with multiple high-profile tech accelerators emerging over the last few years. These include the** FinTech Innovation Lab**,an annual, 12-week incubator program sponsored by Accenture and the New York City Fund, which began in 2010.
The Lab accepts six innovative companies in the FinTech sphere each year, offering direct access to top executives in leading financial services companies, and a series of workshops, discussions and meetings intended to help participants fine-tune and develop their offerings. In December, the Lab co-sponsored NYC's first FinTech Startup Weekend, bringing together innovators and executives to discuss challenges and possibilities in the financial space.
New York-based Women Innovate Mobile further fosters technology innovation, but with a specific focus on women-founded companies leveraging mobile technology. The initiative aims to address a recurring issue in the technology space: the lack of women-founded companies. Of start-ups nurtured by the well-known Y Combinator accelerator in Silicon Valley, for instance, only 4 percent had female founders. Further, women account for only 6 percent of the chief executives of the top 100 technology companies in the US, and just 17 percent of technology professionals in the UK.


Harry Potter stars: then and now!
For the past decade, audiences around the world have watched Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint transform from unknown child actors to bonafide movie stars, commanding millions per movie.
MovieFIX looks at the physical transformations of the three lead Harry Potter stars, and where we'll see them next.
We'll soon see him in 2013's Kill Your Darlings!
So what's he got up next? Now 23, Rupert has a bunch of films on the way including war drama Comrade, Postman Pat: The Movie, British sporting biopic Eddie The Eagle and more.


text:
Ramsdale - We went to the very end
Alex Taylor 09 Apr 2022
Aaron Ramsdale was in a sombre mood after our disappointing 2-1 defeat to Brighton at Emirates Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Our goalkeeper reflected a frustrating performance in N5 and stressed the need to put things right next week against Southampton.
"It's not good enough," Ramsdale told Arsenal.com. "Two games on the spin where the first 45 minutes has got away from us. You make it an uphill battle against any team in the Premier League if you're losing at halftime.
"We were not in the rhythm of the game, that's unlike us, especially at home where we've normally started really well all season. It was a really poor performance and as I said we, went to the end but that's a given at any club, especially this club. When you give a team a step up in the Premier League it's always hard to get back in the game.
"One-nil down is tough enough, two-nil down in the Premier League is even harder, so if we'd have got the first goal back even earlier we might have pushed and pushed but there was too much to do in the end.
"This was supposed to be the reaction game but it wasn't. We've lost and not managed to pick up any points and next week is even bigger. I think we just need to go out there and be free and play our game, you know? It's a game of football and I think in the first half we were very tense and slow so we just need to go out there next week, trust what the manager and the coaching staff are saying and go and play our football, which we've done all season."


Enrolled into Dealer Locator for surpassing sales quota.
Thank you SONOS and SONOS customers!
Locally owned and operated, Electronic Solutions is Gunnison Valley's one-stop-shop for all whole home integration projects. Professionally trained, properly insured, and well equipped to provide the very best in products and services - leaving a wake of satisfied customers throughout this entire valley.
As a member of CEDIA (Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association), we consistently partake in recommended training seminars to ensure we handle each custom project with the knowledge and skills needed to complete in a timely manor. For every product we sell and install, we back it with the full warranty support that helps us all rest easy at night. It is our pleasure to offer customers an instant relief from this complex and overwhelming industry by simplifying the entire process: Site-Surveying, Consultation, Sales, Installations, Programming and Customer Education. Contact Us to get started.
Paul started off as ski instructor here with Crested Butte Mountain Resort, he still skis but his profession is now with Electronic Solutions as the Telephone and Networking Specialist and has been for quite sometime now. In addition to Paul's line of work, he is our expert in the field of Camera Surveillance - providing customers with live feed that can be accessed from anywhere in the world. He is a valuable asset to our team and to this community, we are glad to have him with us. Thanks, Paul!
Setting out for a life in the mountains, Chris left Wisconsin with his wife (Kiley Sahr) in 2005 to take part in this wonderful community and it's surrounding terrain. Chris began in this industry as a younger man working with his grandfather at Sahr's Radio & TV (Est. 1963) and is the 3rd generation in the home entertainment business; this would eventually lead Chris to being Gunnison Valley's "Go-To" specialists on all low-voltage projects. Owning two companies, Electronic Solutions and The Bubble Wrap, while raising two adorable twin girls (Ayla & Alia) is quite the handful but Chris makes it look easy while impressing new and returning clients with the latest and greatest of entertainment and communications.
CEDIA EXPO Attendants - Re-certified as CEDIA members to better assist you! Cheers!
Awarded for consecutively surpassing the expected quarterly quota! Thanks, AVAD!
Areas of expertise: Pre-wiring and Installs, Satellite & Internet Sales, Home & Office Automation, Telephone & Networking, System Design & Program.


text:
A local brain injury service is rated 'outstanding' for safety
A patient's relative told inspectors the service is "friendly, caring and happy"
Inspectors praised the service for "demonstrating a commitment to providing high quality support"
A brain injury service, the Elton Unit of Priory's Highbank Centre, has been rated 'outstanding' for safety.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) gave the service – which also cares for those with other types of complex head injuries, as well as behavioural needs – top marks for its safety regime. The CQC inspects and regulates health and social care in England.
In their review of the "are the services safe" category, the CQC said: "A relative commented, 'All the staff are approachable, care staff, domestic staff, kitchen staff, maintenance staff and management. Overall it is a friendly, caring and happy unit, from our perspective. It appears to be well staffed at all times so the care can be given without compromise.'"
A relative told inspectors, "We feel fortunate that our relative has found a place where we do not worry about care needs not being met to the full."
The service was rated 'good' in all other categories "are the services effective", "caring", "responsive" and "well led".
In their review of the "caring" category the inspectors said, "The atmosphere was calm, friendly and relaxed and people appeared well looked after… A relative commented, 'The residents are all treated as individuals, without exception, and the unit is well managed both locally and from Highbank'". Another relative commented, "Whenever we visit we always witness a caring, responsive and proactive well-run unit."
The CQC went on to say, "All the staff we spoke to demonstrated a commitment to providing high quality support and care to help people who used the service to meet their treatment goal."
The report is full of praise for the service in the other categories. The inspectors commented that a "key strength of the service is providing people with significant nursing support needs to participant in activities". The report explains how the Elton Unit supported patients with special activities for the World Cup and the Royal Wedding. A special projector was recently installed so that a patient could watch football. Patients can provide feedback about the service in Tea and Chat sessions.
The Elton Unit of the Priory Highbank Centre treats people with complex neurological injury and behavioural needs. It is located five miles away from the Priory Highbank Centre's main site. The Priory Highbank Centre is owned by The Priory Group, which specialises in mental healthcare and runs mental health hospitals across the UK.
Sarah Rushton, Registered Manager, said: "I am really proud of what the Elton Unit is achieving. It is a privilege to be rated 'outstanding' in the "safe" category. The CQC were also full of praise for the service in other parts of the report, particularly in the "caring" category. I thank our patients, their relatives and everyone who works at the Elton Unit for achieving so much."
Gair Stott, Managing Director for the North region at Priory Healthcare, said: "I want to take this opportunity to thank Sarah and her team for all the brilliant work they do at the Elton Unit. What stood out for me was how much positive feedback patients' relatives gave about the service, and how highly they regard the staff team there."
For interviews or inquiries, please contact Philip Nicholls on 0207 605 4332 or email communications@priorygroup.com
About Priory Group
The Priory Group is the leading provider of behavioural care in the UK, caring for around 30,000 people a year for conditions including depression, anxiety, drug and alcohol addiction, eating disorders and self-harming. The Group is organised into three divisions – healthcare, education and children's services, and adult care. The Priory Group is owned by NASDAQ-listed Acadia Healthcare, which is recognised as a global leader in behavioural health.
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at Art at Wharepuke in Kerikeri.
that explores text, language and interpretation through art.
Artist's book, Edition 28/30, in collaboration with Mohamed Zakariya.
All art involves a process of translation: from emotion to concept, action to expression.
how word, meaning and belief refract as they are transplanted across contexts, media and histories.
to find work, refuge, escape or because they are trafficked.
At the same time, a global non-culture is proliferated through satellite and digital media.
In the process, news and gossip, stories and myths are interpreted up and down the chain of languages.
As information travels, its meaning and identity mutate.
or are learning a new language and may live temporarily or permanently away from their land of birth.
from which new philosophies may be discovered and new art evoked.
Ema Shin (Australia/Japan), Cayla Skillin-Brauchle (US/India), and Sarita Sundar (India).
Burmese, Thai and Spanish texts and voices.
For more images and information, click here to go to the Art at Wharepuke website.


Because Oak Ridge Chiropractic is fortunate enough to have two highly qualified chiropractors in Oak Ridge, we can normally get new patients in on the same day or within 24 hours.
If you would like to schedule an appointment please call our Oak Ridge Chiropractic office at (865) 481-8989 or e-mail us at OakRidgeChiropractors@gmail.com. If you are emailing to schedule an appointment please include your prefered day and time of day.
Please fill out as much information as possible, and bring the form with you. If you have any questions we can help you when you come in for your first visit.
You can also request an appointment by filling out the form below. We will contact you regarding your appointment.


A handmade card will say "I love you" or even "I like you very much" so much more eloquently and poetically than a mass produced card. Even better a card you have made yourself. But we don't all have the luxury of time and energy to think up the perfect design and then get it just right.
Luckily some people are making it their business to do all that for you.
Here is a list of some brilliant printers on this and the other side of the pond for you to enjoy.
This lady from across the pond creates lovely clean fun designs and ecologically screen prints them just as we do at Anna Prints here in the U.K.
Martina is a screen printer based in Kent. Find this lady's lovely designs on her Etsy shop.
A friend of mine who lino prints his charming and hilarious puns onto cards and larger art prints. He's northern and lovely! Check him out on his Etsy shop.
I love the look and playful feel of the designs this couple create. Their work is bilingual, something I am very keen to get stuck into at Anna Prints... Watch this space!
Katy is a fellow Welsh designer who screen prints her cute designs before applying them to badges, mugs and jewellery.
This morning was a lot earlier than November's post but just as lovely in its own way... Beautiful mist over the river hazing the street lights. Sleepy Penybont looks almost urban in this light... almost.


A good friend of mine asked me this question, but it was hard for me to come up with quick answer other than saying, "because it's cool man!". Then I thought about that question in depth. Why do I shoot film? I will try and break down my thought process, so here it goes.
Going back to childhood, my dad was actually our family documentarian; I wish I could remember the camera he used, all I know is I was mesmerized by those cool disposable flash bulbs making the loud popping sound and the smell of the magnesium scent after it was fired. Makes me smile just thinking about that! It was a hobby of his and the difficult part to share is that all the images he took ended up in a shoe box rather than placed in photo albums or print on the wall. When I decided to venture into this competitive world of photography, I didn't know really what I was doing. A lot of photographers can make a decent salary doing this craft for a living, but they are well established and earned that solid reputation over time. I have yet to establish a name for myself, but I'm on my way.
My desire to shoot film in the digital world isn't to be trendy or hipster but rather an homage to a time that wasn't that long ago. Maybe it's me holding on to a piece of my youth in an era to where times were better than they are today; at least that is how I feel. Put it this way, I sure miss driving my 1968 Mustang listening to The English Beat, dropping my film off to the local Fotomat on a sunny SoCal SoCool day, the window rolled down and the wind blowing in my face, not a care in the world. I was even more excited when I picked up my film and prints in one day; it really was worth the wait.
I value the medium as the results don't quite measure to digital at least for my artistic preference and I love the fact that I can slow down and take a deep breath and try to frame my shot, it's the slow and methodical process that I love.
On this particular week, I was home for Spring Break last year in April 2017; I took my family on day trip to Baby Beach and Long Beach to do some exploring. I brought my 1954 Rolleicord and loaded with Velvia Film. This is my favorite film for landscape by far! I love the fact; I didn't use any filters and no Photoshop other than converting to jpg for web use. This was straight out of this analogue camera and I cannot seem to take my eyes off the images, it was a good day that day.
So there you have it in a nutshell. That is why I shoot film.
Oh, and if you're wondering, last year I bought a lot of photo albums for my dad and all the pictures have been removed from the shoe box and placed into those albums and a few frames. All is well.