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This plan is designed for agencies, E-commerce projects, and Businesses with a comprehensive web presence. Cost at $399.95 USD monthly or $3,999.95 for a yearly subscription, it provides you 10,000 reports per day while also offering you a total of 200 Projects, 5,000 keywords to track, 1,000,000 pages to crawl and the capability to track 300 Social Media profiles.
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Home / Literature / American Literature / Characters in the Novel Catcher in the Rye
Language in Catcher in the Rye Pages: 2 (738 words)
Catcher in the Rye as a Symbolic of Salinger's Life Pages: 4 (1162 words)
Holden in the Novel the Catcher in the Rye Pages: 2 (585 words)
Catcher in the Rye Beloved Classic or Bad Influence Pages: 4 (1084 words)
The Catcher in the Rye Reader Response Essay Pages: 2 (661 words)
Protagonist Holden Caulfield in "The Catcher in the Rye" Pages: 4 (1134 words)
Characters in the Novel Catcher in the Rye
Check out more papers on Catcher in The Rye Novel
The world has become more unsafe, this is shown by the many examples of violence experienced around us. Humans are hurting each other like animals without any remorse. To make matters worse these actions are committed by adults upon other adults. In The Catcher in the Rye,a novel written by J.D. Salinger,is a book about a teenager trying to find a way to be true to himself while growing up in a world full of phonies. Holden Caulfield is the novel's narrator and protagonist. He is a junior just expelled from school due to academic failure. Holden narrates in a weary and cynical voice despite his intelligence and sensitivity. In his relation with other characters, he discovers their phoniness and the ugliness of the world which he finds almost unbearable. He tries to protect himself from the disappointment and the pain of the world by having doubts about reality. Through other small characters we are able to unleash the inaction, phoniness and the judgmental nature of Holden Caulfield.
In the novel we get to learn of the death of Holden's brother known as Allie. Being a minor character we are able to learn that Holden has a problem in letting go the trauma he went through when his brother died. When his brother died, Holden injured his fist which he went ahead to use in a fist fight which wasnt the right decision. He narrates that, It probably wouldve hurt him a lot, but I did it with my right hand, and I cant make a good fist with that hand. (Salinger 43).Using the fist that had been injured when mourning the loss of his brother is self-defeating and due to this he ends up getting punched by Stradlater who is also another minor character. Another instance where the audience learns of the inaction by Holden is when he forms a snowball and does not have the desire to throw it at someone. He goes to the school bus with it and narrates, The bus driver opened the doors and made me throw it out. I told him I wasn't going to chuck it at anybody, but he wouldn't believe me. People never believe you. (Salinger 36-37). The bus driver makes him throw the snowball away. This scene helps readers learn about Holden's doubts towards reality and his reluctance to make decisions therefore inaction. In the novel we also get to learn that Holden is also phony despite accusing other characters especially adults of phoniness.
The most famous phrase from the novel is probably phoniness. He uses this term to describe everything that is wrong committed by adults whether itr's running away from hardships or making bad decisions.He uses this excuse from his isolation from adulthood. Holden argues that the world is black and white and therefore categorizes people he meets as either being good or phony. While doing this he also forgets to check himself. He has a misleading personality which he finds unimportant and he in the long run notes that he is a compulsive liar.A good example is where he performs a prank on Mrs. Morrow, he narrates You take a guy like Morrow thatr's always snapping their towel at peopler's asses"really trying to hurt somebody with it (Salinger 57). He criticizes Morrow despite having pranked his mother. Another instance that we get to learn of his phoniness is where he describes another character by narrating that, Sensitive, that killed me. That guy Morrow was about as sensitive as a goddamn toilet seat. (Salinger 55). By referring to Morrow as a toilet seat we get to see the abusive side of Holden. Apart from being indecisive and phony, Holden is also judgmental on almost anything he comes in contact with.
Holden is a peculiar character and one of his peculiar behaviors is how he is judgmental on many things and people that he meets. He criticizes people as being insecure, boring and phony. He writes of how other people, who are acting what would be seen to be normal as rather being phony. He says that That guy had just about everything. Sinus trouble, pimples, lousy teeth, halitosis, crumby fingernails. You had to feel a little sorry for that crazy sonuvabitch. (Salinger 39). You cant help but feel bad for the person being referred to. Holden judges him and body shames him using different parts of his body. In another incidence Holden cannot help himself in judging another character, Ernie, by saying that, "He's so good he's almost corny, in fact. I don't exactly know what I mean by that, but I mean it. I certainly like to hear him play, but sometimes you feel like turning his goddam piano over. I think it's because sometimes when he plays, he sounds like the kind of guy that won't talk to you unless you're a big shot. (Salinger 80). Despite acknowledging that Ernie was a good piano player he still doesnt lack negative words for the artist. In the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, Holden the main character is shaped by other minor characters. Through them we are able to learn about his attitudes and behaviors.
In summary, Secondary characters in the catcher in the Rye novel are used to define the character of Holden, the main character. Through his rival Stradlater and the school bus driver, readers are able to know of his indecisiveness by failing to take action. Readers are also able to learn of his phoniness when he pranks Mrs. Morrow while taking the train. Finally readers also learn that Holden is judgmental by how he judges the piano player, Ernie.
Characters In The Novel Catcher In The Rye. (2019, May 21). Retrieved January 29, 2023 , from
https://studydriver.com/characters-in-the-novel-catcher-in-the-rye/
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


As I wrote earlier, I've been spending my blogging time on trying to index my various sources, to make it easier to find places where a particular word or root is being discussed. It's taking a little longer than I thought, but I'm already seeing benefits. I've found a number of interesting words, and already have a new series lined up for when I get back to writing "full time".
And while they don't mention it in the rules, I'm guessing you can't add the letter vav to the beginning of a word.
I wouldn't have guessed that kaf or bet would have such high values.
However, the dictionaries I consulted did not have that definition, but rather said that the root רצד meant "to dance". This is the popular translation of the word in Tehilim 68:17, but some also offer "ambush".
Some lexicographers see in it a secondary form of רקד [dance], others connect it with Jewish Palestinian Aramaic רצד, Arabic rasada (=he watched with hostility).


Does Your Business fit our group?
Below we have created a list of business categories for business positions within the Gloucester Business Professionals networking group. If you are interested in attending a meeting please contact us!
Building Designer – David DiSpirito – Homesite, Inc.
Barrier Free Designs – David DiSpirito – Homesite, Inc.


A lot was done for the development of the capital market in Bulgaria during the past years, Dimitar Ivanovski, Deputy Finance Minister told Profit.bg today.
"The tax on dividends was reduced and the profit from the transactions is not taxable. As you know, the Xetra trading platform will be introduced in a week and seven stock exchanges are interested in acquiring the government's stake in BSE," Ivanovski told us.
The chairman of the Financial Supervision Commission Apostol Apostolov said that amendments in the law on real estate investment trusts (REIT funds) are being prepared. Mr. Apostolov spoke during the round table "The EU membership and its impact on the development of capital markets in SEE" held in Sofia.
"Those amendments will, of course, be discussed with the companies. REIT funds all over the world can buy and rent out properties, but cannot build, while they do in Bulgaria." If a company wishes to do construction activity and to be listed on the stock exchange, it ought to be listed as a public joint stock company and not a REIT, he explained.
Answering our question as to how can low liquid companies be delisted, Mr. Apostolov said, this could be done via tender offers. Or we can transfer all these companies to a separate segment, which would not be recommended to foreign investors, he added.
We remind that Kamen Kolchev, chairman of Elana Holding, said yesterday that some 200-250 public companies need to be delisted.
Mr. Apostolov mentioned several REIT funds with less than 10 shareholders and others, whose shares have been traded less than 10 times in 2007. "BSE should reconsider its listing criteria," he said in conclusion.


Villa Windu Sari - an elite haven | Pictures, Reviews, Availability | Bali Villas: Private and Luxury Vacation Rentals in Bali.
Villa Windu Sari is a four-bedroom contemporary-styled villa located in a quiet cul-de-sac in fashionable Petitenget, within walking distance of Legian Beach and Seminyak's world-class restaurants and bars. Two pavilions arranged around a sparkling blue 14-metre swimming pool are home to open-to-the-garden living and dining areas, a modern kitchen, spacious ensuite bedrooms, a gym and a media room, and the stylish interiors are beautifully adorned with striking honey-coloured timber panelling, polished marble and vibrant Jim Thompson silks. The villa comes fully staffed with an experienced manager, smiling 24-hour butlers and a talented chef to prepare delicious daily meals. Windu Villas is an exclusive private villa enclave, just off fashionable Jalan Petitenget in the heart of Seminyak. Ten double bedroom suites are available when the 4-bedroom Villa Windu Sari and 6-bedroom Villa Windu Asri are booked together.
Villa Windu Sari sits on the outer edges of the 'golden triangle' of Seminyak – close enough to be convenient but far enough away to enjoy the peace. The villa lies down a long cul-de-sac within a 24-hour guarded community. The area contains a wide mix of high-end villa and resort developments, chic shopping, bars, beachclubs and internationally acclaimed restaurants. Within a kilometre or two of the villa are the famous Ku Dé Ta and the newer Potato Head beach club, and nearby restaurants include La Lucciola, Hu'u Bar, Sarong and the W Retreat. The villa is less than a kilometre from Petitenget Beach, renowned for its surf breaks, panoramic coastline views and legendary sunsets.
8 adults and children (4 ensuite bedrooms with twin beds convertible to king size bed configuration). 2 extra beds may be setup upon guest request (extra charges apply).
Air-conditioned living and dining room with dining for 8, expandable to 14; air-conditioned media room; media room terrace; poolside bale; sun-deck.
14m x 6m. 1.5m-2.2m depth.
Manager; supervisor; chef; butlers; night security; gardener; babysitters and masseuses available on request (extra cost applies).
Priced menu with Western, Asian and BBQ set menus.
WiFi broadband internet access; IDD phone.
Cable TVs; DVD & CD players; Sonos music system; computer; board games; books.
High chairs; baby cot; baby monitor & pool toys. A pool fence may be setup on request and is free of charge.
Air-conditioned gym equipped with a running machine, exercise bike, cross trainer, and weights with bench.
Villa Windu Sari's central Seminyak location means that many attractions are within easy walking distance. If additional transport is required, don't hesitate to ask the villa manager to call one of the island's safe and reasonably priced metered taxis, or to organise day or half-day car and driver hire for sightseeing.
Barbecue grill; safe deposit box in each bedroom; back-up generator ; massage beds.


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Revisiting the Neighborhood
Mosques are OK—on other people's streets.
by David Solway
https://www.meforum.org/islamist-watch/42291/revisiting-the-neighborhood
On February 15, 2013, I posted an article at Front Page Magazine titled "Saving the Neighborhood" that dealt with an invitation the democratic advocacy organization Act! for Canada had extended to British lawyer Gavin Boby, a specialist in town planning law and director of the Law and Freedom Foundation. I referred in that article to Boby's lecture at the Ottawa Public Library on the consequences of allowing mosques to be built in municipal neighborhoods without adequate public consultation and supervision, an event whose reverberations have not yet died away and are unlikely to do so in the foreseeable future as mosque construction continues unabated. (Of the approximately 1200 mosques operating the U.S., for example, nearly 80 percent were built after 9/11; there are no official data for Canada, but it is estimated that there are at least 1000 mosques in the country, a lowball figure.)
Also known as the "mosque buster" — a designation, be it said, not of his choosing — Boby has devoted his time and expertise pro bono to advising the residents of municipal boroughs on the legal recourse at their disposal to prevent local mosque construction. In cases that Boby researched, the presence of mosques had led to the blighting of the quality of life in such residential areas, usually beginning with what he calls the "parking jihad," as Muslim congregants occupy parking spots and private driveways on Friday worship and holy days, seriously limiting residents' mobility, freedom and private property rights. Such disruptions would invariably metastasize. Residents walking their dogs would find themselves molested. Eventually, various forms of vandalism would occur — broken windows, severed TV cables, and the like — to force down the already depressed market value of homes, which were then bought up by Muslim interlopers. Such cases have been meticulously documented by Boby and justify the pursuit of legal impediment against the domestic proliferation of mosques, often camouflaged in civic application forms as "Islamic cultural centers" and "inter-faith community centers" to deceive the unwary and the credulous.
Related Topics: Censorship, Demonstrations, Entertainment / Media, Free Speech, Gender Relations, Government, Head Coverings / Dress, Holidays, Interfaith, Islamic Law (Shari'a), Leaving Islam, Legal, Moderates, Mosques / Imams, Multiculturalism, Police / FBI, Prayers, Schools (Non-Islamic), Segregation, Sexuality receive the latest by email: subscribe to the free mef mailing list


text:
Shut Up Little Man!
from John & Sue's DVD collection
Covert surveillance - catching people with their pants down doing silly, embarrassing or incriminating things - is an idea that's both titillating and terrifying, depending on which side of the recording device you're on. As technology has improved over the years, it has become easier and easier to do just that, as millions of YouTube videos will attest to. Is it a morally defensible act, however?
Living in post-9-11 New York, in which surveillance has been taken to great extremes, I try not to think about all the hidden cameras that follow one around almost everywhere these days - and I'm not even talking about for security purposes. Anyone with a cellphone can catch you on the record for whatever reason they like, and you don't even have to be aware of it. Maybe they think you dress funny and wanna make fun of you on their Facebook page. Maybe you got drunk off your ass at a bar last night and someone posted a video of you on YouTube. And these are the relatively benign examples.
It's disturbing, without a doubt. At what point does it stop becoming entertainment and start becoming an invasion of privacy? I have no idea. It's easy to blame technology, but technology is neither good nor evil. It's all in how it's applied. The truth is, we are little children playing with new toys. We have little sense of restraint and we're more concerned with self-gratification than with any notion of boundaries.
I certainly can't deny that videos and pics of this nature are amusing. I don't actively seek them out, but if I see one and it's funny, I'll laugh, secretly grateful it's not me getting punk'd while ROFLing at how stupid and/or gullible some people can be.
Sometimes seeing these images are necessary in order to negotiate behavior. There's a blogger who takes pictures of people eating like pigs on the subway, and after browsing through the site, I've been scared straight enough to practice more restraint (not to mention cleanliness) if I ever eat anything bigger than a candy bar on the subway (which is not even all that often). But do we need such shame-inducing tactics to get us to behave better? The more I see of people, the more convinced I am that the answer, sadly, is yes, because some people are simply without shame. But that's another post.
This brings me to the phenomenon that is Shut Up Little Man. In the 80s, two dudes living in a dirt cheap San Francisco apartment were subjected to the loud, vitriolic ravings and arguments of two old men (and an occasional visitor) living next door to them. Reasoning with them didn't work, so instead they chose to amuse themselves by secretly recording the old men's conversations - which was easy to do, since they were so loud. They made a bunch of cassette tapes and shared them with their friends, who shared them with their friends, and before long, a cult sensation was born. The title comes from a phrase one of the old dudes constantly repeats in his more agitated states.
The documentary Shut Up Little Man! is the story of how this all came to be. I watched it at John & Sue's place last weekend. Part of the reason they own it is that Sue knows one of the people interviewed (though not directly), but it's still the kind of movie they'd own anyway because it's such a bizarre story.
The appeal of the Little Man tapes is in the level of the unrestrained profanity, bigotry and bile unleashed in a completely real and authentic setting. (Apparently there's a name for this sort of sub-sub-genre: audio verite.) These two old men lived together, yet they bickered and fought on an epic scale, one that makes the Odd Couple look like the Get Along Gang.
The Little Man tapes led to a wide variety of spin-offs in other media, including a stage play, comic books (Ghost World's Daniel Clowes is among the interviewees), a puppet show, songs, and more, and Little Man the doc captures it all. The Australian filmmakers even create dramatizations of selections from the Little Man tapes, in which actors play the roles.
There's much more to the story, including what happened when the surviving old men learned of the Little Man phenomenon, the inevitable Hollywood involvement, the gay angle, and the morality question. It's an utterly fascinating tale, and well worth watching.
Labels: documentary, foreign cinema, friends, sociology and politics, technology
Why does the Lorax speak for the SUVs?
...Yes, it's come to this. Theodor Seuss Geisel's 1971 parable about environmental stewardship is now being used to make people feel less guilty about purchasing Mazda-brand motor vehicles. The Mazda cross-promotion, it turns out, is one of 70 sponsorship deals that Universal has worked out to increase the return on its investment in a feature film version of "The Lorax." Not pictured in the ad: The Truffula tree forest that was clear-cut to make way for the four-lane highway the Once-ler built to sell more Thneeds. (Today Mazda CX-5 owners use that highway to get to their outrageously wasteful, greenhouse gas-spewing subdivisions.)
I never read The Lorax as a kid, but I did see an animated version of it on TV (I forget who made it), so I have a general idea of what it's about. It's an environmental parable, basically, so to see such a story and such a character be used to sell SUVs, of all things, in a movie-tie-in commercial no less, is pretty much the definition of tacky. I urge you to not take your kids, nephews, nieces, rugrats, what have you, to see The Lorax this weekend, and if this really pisses you off, perhaps you'd like to sign this petition against it.
Posted by Rich at 9:01 AM No comments:
Labels: advertisements, animation, travel
Oscar 2011: The winners
Best Picture – The Artist
Best Director – Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Best Actress – Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Best Actor – Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Best Supporting Actress – Octavia Spencer, The Help
Best Supporting Actor – Christopher Plummer, Beginners
The rest.
My happiness at getting twenty out of 24 correct (which has to be a personal record for me) is mitigated by my disappointment at seeing Viola Davis lose, but then again, there's no real shame in losing to Meryl Streep, is there? Still, the injustice of having only one black woman win a Best Actress Oscar remains, and now that we know the demographics of the Academy, at least we have a better idea of what to expect the next time this happens. And whether she has a little gold man or not, the whole world now knows what kind of actress Davis is.
Sheesh. I went 20-for-24. I would've liked a little surprise at least. I guess Dragon Tattoo winning editing is perhaps the biggest surprise.... maybe? Possibly?
Eh. I'm just glad it's all over.
Posted by Rich at 10:57 PM No comments:
Labels: Oscars
The videos of Michael Jackson: Thriller
Michael Jackson made some of the most iconic, visually fascinating music videos of all time. Some of them were more like short films, especially given the level of talent he worked with. For this and every Saturday in February, we'll look at some of his videos as if they were movies and discuss them accordingly.
In watching "Thriller," one gets the impression that director John Landis really tried giving it the hard sell as a legitimate horror movie. Naturally, it invites comparisons with his An American Werewolf in London, a movie that, for all its scary moments, is also balanced with more than its share of dark humor. There's less of that in "Thriller," which is kind of a shame in retrospect. I would've liked to have seen a bit of that kind of sensibility.
Instead, "Thriller" hearkens back to the older, drive-in-era horror B-movies of the 50s, although perhaps that's more fitting, given the tenor of the song itself. The lyrics suggest a supernatural apocalypse of some sort, but in the end it's all a put-on - just another late night creature feature. I mentioned previously how this video came out during a period of parental unrest over alleged satanic messages in rock music, hence Michael Jackson's disclaimer at the beginning that this song is not about devil worship, though it probably would still get a pass today if it was!
This video, of course, has achieved legendary status. It's Jackson at the absolute apex of his popularity. The jacket, the zombie dance, the werewolf transformation (which compares favorably to American Werewolf) - in many ways, this is the video that defined the 80s, defined the MTV generation (ironic, given how long MTV resisted black music). When were videos more popular? When did they ever have more cultural cache? Whether you watched them on MTV or on video music shows (like I did before I got MTV), "Thriller" is emblematic of a time - maybe the last time - when pop music seemed more universal... though that may merely be my nostalgia talking.
"Ghosts"
"Smooth Criminal"
"Bad"
WSW @ The LAMB: Oscar preview
So last year I employed my City Mouse character in a new strip for The LAMB's Oscar preview series, and I thought it was fun enough to bring him back for a second go-round this year. A lot of things went wrong in putting this together - I won't bore you with details - but suffice it to say I managed to get it in before the big show this Sunday. This year, my category is Visual Effects, and I think you'll like seeing CM and Collie in a variety of guises from these movies. Have a look.
WSW @ The LAMB, Oscar style
Labels: cartoons, LAMB, Oscars
Oscar 2011: My predictions
I've decided I'm not gonna bother watching this year but the least I can do is throw out my picks.
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Martin Scorsese, Hugo
Demián Bichir, A Better Life
George Clooney, The Descendants
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Brad Pitt, Moneyball
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis, The Help
Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn
Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Nick Nolte, Warrior
Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Max von Sydow, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
Bérénice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer, The Help
Adapted Screenplay
Albert Nobbs
The Iron Lady
Original Song
"Man or Muppet" from The Muppets
"Real in Rio" from Rio
Hell and Back Again
If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front
Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Bullhead, Belgium
Footnote, Israel
In Darkness, Poland
Monsieur Lazhar, Canada
A Separation, Iran
Short Subject Documentary
The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement
God Is the Bigger Elvis
Incident in New Baghdad
The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom
Live Action Short Film
Time Freak
Tuba Atlantic
Dimanche/Sunday
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
A Morning Stroll
Oscar 2011: The nominees
The argument for Viola Davis
When will Meryl get her third Oscar?
Weighing Serkis' Oscar chances
Five reasons why 'Potter' probably won't get a Best Pic nom
AMPAS to play roulette with Best Pic field
Books: Barbara Stanwyck - The Miracle Woman
Ordinarily I'm not much of a biography (or autobiography) reader. While I always see biographies of people I'm interested enough in to read, it's rare that I'll want to go back and re-read them. When it comes to film/TV autobiographies, I think I have a grand total of three: the recent Carol Burnett memoir This Time Together (which I adored), and two Trek ones by William Shatner and Nichelle Nichols (how can I be a Trekkie and not have one or two?). Of course, some people are more into them than others, but I tend to prefer reading about film history in general. Maybe one day I'll do a post about it.
I saw the news about the book Barbara Stanwyck: The Miracle Woman while looking at the Museum of the Moving Image's schedule of upcoming movies and seeing their twin bill of The Lady Eve and Forty Guns, which screened last Sunday. Author Dan Callahan was in attendance, signing copies as well as introducing the two films. Prior to this event, however, I read a galley version of the book, downloaded from NetGalley (thanks to Clint Kimberling of the University Press of Mississippi for pointing me in this direction).
Callahan's book goes straight to the heart of Stanwyck's long and distinguished career and analyzes her films in depth, grouping them in specific categories - her noirs, her Westerns, her films with Frank Capra, etc. Some films obviously get more scrutiny than others - an entire chapter is devoted to Stella Dallas, for instance - but in each case Callahan discusses the pros and cons of each film as well as his thoughts about Stanwyck's work in each. His analysis is very thoughtful and insightful. While I naturally know more about her big hits, like Double Indemnity and Ball of Fire and Sorry, Wrong Number, I also gained a deeper insight into her earlier films like Ladies of Leisure and The Bitter Tea of General Yen, which Callahan has high praise for as well.
Stany's personal life is given a minimum of discussion, though certain elements resonate throughout the rest of the book. Apparently she had an abusive first husband, which is so hard to believe when you consider all the tough-talking, no-nonsense dames she played. How could a woman like her let any man mistreat her so? But of course, the image on the screen doesn't always line up with reality. Thankfully she kicked him to the curb.
Still, you have to accept the bad with the good. I knew she was a political conservative prior to reading this book, for instance. I did not know, however, that she had an estranged relationship with her adopted son. Again, Callahan doesn't linger for very long on the personal stuff, but in discussing her roles, he often draws parallels with certain aspects of her life - her poor childhood, for instance - and how the one informed the other, and as a result, one gets a greater appreciation of what went into forming her most memorable characters.
I've admired Stanwyck for years, but now I feel like I have a better understanding of her as a woman, warts and all, so to speak. She worked on stage, screen and television, with some of the greatest actors and directors in Hollywood history, in a variety of genres, for a large chunk of the 20th century. Anyone with a love for classic film history will find much to love and appreciate about this book.
Labels: books, classic cinema, movie stars
WSW @ Queens World FF 3/1 - 3/4!
So after getting a taste of an actual film festival last fall, I decided I liked it enough to check out others. One of my goals for this blog in 2012 is to visit more fests, beginning with this one. The Queens World Film Festival is only in its second year, but it's local, obviously, and while I don't expect a lineup of celebrity filmmakers and actors, I do expect the films themselves to be worthwhile. My coverage of QWFF will begin with a brief preview on March 1 and continue throughout the entire weekend. Looking forward to it.
Labels: Queens World FF
The Lady Eve/Forty Guns
The Lady Eve
Forty Guns
seen @ Museum of the Moving Image, Astoria, Queens, NY
It's been a rather dull holiday weekend for me, at least the first half of it. I've mostly spent it catching up on my art and watching TV. (ironically, I just got rid of an older TV earlier in the week). Most of the time, I try not to get distracted by the boob tube because it's so easy to become addicted to it. I still haven't decided if I'm gonna bother watching the Oscars this year. There's only one race I care about and I can always YouTube the acceptance speech the next day. As for the art, I was up against a deadline, so I really had no excuse to sit enslaved by the idiot box for too long anyway.
The rest of the weekend, though, is different. Later today I'll hang out with Vija and friends. This will be the first time I've seen her this year and I've missed her, and besides, I'll get the opportunity to show her what I've been up to art-wise. She's currently in the midst of a long series of paintings of notable women in world history, and she's been posting them on Facebook. I hope she finds a gallery willing to exhibit them, so I can see them all at once.
Also, I had the great pleasure yesterday of returning to MOMI to catch a Barbara Stanwyck twin bill: The Lady Eve and Forty Guns. There's a new biography of Stanwyck coming out which examines her career in great detail. I'll review it tomorrow, but let me just say here that it's always a bit of a letdown to discover your idols are human after all, but reading about her life hasn't diminished my affection for her as a great actress.
Eve, with Henry Fonda, is a Preston Sturges joint about a con artist who falls for her mark. I own this film on DVD. Sturges has always been a favorite director of mine for his witty writing and the great comic performances he got out of his actors, and Stanwyck's is one of his best. Guns, a Western written and directed by Samuel Fuller, was Stanwyck's last film as an A-list movie star before she transitioned to television. I had never seen this one before, but unfortunately, I went to bed really late the previous night and the lack of sleep finally caught up to me while watching this one, so I can't tell you much about it. Stany rides around on a white horse a lot. There's a tornado. People get shot. (It does make an appropriate spiritual predecessor for her TV role in The Big Valley, though.) There's also a singing cowboy-type character who, every time he appeared, I kept wanting John Belushi to come along and smash his guitar against a wall and say "Sorry."
I don't think I've talked about MOMI's main theater. It's really nice - stadium seating facing a screen with a fairly wide stage that includes a podium off to one side. The curtain has an unusual trompe l'oeil pattern of elongated, multi-colored pyramids radiating outwards in all directions from the center. It looks like something you'd see in a modern art museum, which I suppose MOMI is, after all. The walls are a deep cobalt blue, curving upwards to the ceiling, with spotlights on both sides. The ramp leading up to the main door is also back-lit in blue. The aesthetic value of a place like MOMI cannot be underestimated; a lot of thought went into its architecture and it's a big part of its appeal.
At both screenings, there were a lot of people shushing each other in the audience, especially during Eve, which was a bit surprising. One would think that a MOMI crowd would be more respectful of the movie than your average multiplex audience, but maybe this was a fluke. Then again, unruly audience members have been popping up in unlikely places, and more and more people are demanding that theaters do something about it. I didn't think it was out of control yesterday, but this is a general problem that could kill the theater-going experience for good unless it's seriously addressed, and soon.
Labels: audiences, classic cinema, comedy, friends, movie stars, Museum of the Moving Image, romance, television, Western
The videos of Michael Jackson: Bad
He's bad, he's bad, he's really, really bad. Gee, Michael, thanks for the tip. Very enlightening. As I mentioned last week in talking about "Smooth Criminal," whenever Michael Jackson tried to act tough in his videos, it never seemed completely convincing somehow, as if he were trying to convince himself of his masculinity as much as anyone else. In my opinion, anyway.
Bad the album represented a major image change at the time. The young man we knew and grew up with prior to both album and single came across as more innocent, comfortable around ladies but not quite so masculine.
"Bad" the video was different, not only for the black leather outfit and the gritty subway setting, but because of Jackson's facial transformation as well. His skin looked lighter and smoother, his hair was straighter, and his nose was smaller - all of which made him look less identifiably black. (The first time I heard the Kanye West lyric "Got a light-skinned friend look like Michael Jackson/Got a dark-skinned friend look like Michael Jackson" I laughed out loud.) Allegedly there were medical reasons for this, and maybe that was true, but the implications were too big to ignore. Jackson, a "crossover" success story if ever there was one, suddenly seemed to be denying his racial heritage.
I was too young to fully consider these implications at the time Bad came out, however. I was more interested in the video. Directed by none other than Martin Scorsese from a story idea by crime novelist Richard Price, it was set in an actual Brooklyn subway station (shortly after Jackson died, a local politician tried and failed to get the station renamed after him). Scorsese, of course, has always had a great facility for incorporating music into his feature-length films, and his style doesn't feel out of place here, amidst all the dance choreography. Once again, as in "Ghosts," Michael's character is trying to be molded into something that he doesn't want to be and he rebels (IMDB says that this was inspired by a true story), and he magically conjures up a posse to back him up (well, not literally in this case, but they do come out of nowhere).
It's a memorable, iconic video that has stood the test of time (as well as Weird Al parodies). One can't criticize it too much, in the end.
seen online via YouTube
The notion of redemption is a powerful one. As human beings, we know we're imperfect; we know we mess things up more often than not, but we like to think it's possible that we can make up for that somehow. Christianity, of course, is based on the concept of redemption - a single act of selflessness that cancels out all the wrongs we've ever done. But are all sins created equal? Are there some things that simply can't be forgiven?
Forgiveness, naturally, is a key component in redemption. One of the messages in last year's Kinyarwanda is that forgiveness begins with oneself; acknowledging the wrong done and one's role in committing it. That might be the toughest step. I've written about my own struggles in this area before, and I know how difficult it can be to live with the guilt - as well as how uplifting the feeling of forgiveness can be.
Jimmy Stewart's character in Bend of the River faces a similar dilemma - whether or not the good he does in the present can make up for the bad he's done in the past, though I thought the movie didn't go as deeply into this as they could have. Stewart plays a 19th-century cowpoke leading a wagon train of settlers into Oregon, while contesting with Indians, unscrupulous businessmen, and bad men with hidden agendas of their own. He and a fellow traveler he meets on the way both have pasts they're trying to get away from, but this other guy's past is known and as a result, he's not completely trusted. Stewart's character's past is not known to the settlers, and he wonders what they'd do if they found out.
The movie's a little vague about what exactly Stewart did; the implication is that he was some sort of outlaw who may have done a lot of killing. (Hard to believe of a Jimmy Stewart character, I know!) And like I said, while it's a thread in the tapestry of the story, it's not a big one. Maybe I could've believed he had the capacity to kill if we saw him do it. Early on, we see him about to stab a man to death, but someone stops him. Later, he's hunting down the bad guys, but his actions are mostly implied, which sucks because this is a point where he needs to be a total badass in order to save the day and we don't really get to see it. Maybe it was due to the limitations on violence in Hollywood films back then.
Bend is one of eight films (five of them Westerns) Stewart made with director Anthony Mann, whom I first read about at Peter Bogdanovich's blog. I found it quite entertaining, despite the presence of none other than Stepin Fetchit in a small role. His character is a good guy and is more or less accepted by everyone around him, but that voice of his, and his generally servile attitude, just makes me cringe and feel ashamed. But that's another post.
Labels: classic cinema, movie stars, philosophy and religion, Western
Labels: bloopers
What was it about that song?
I'm not gonna link to that song. You know what song I'm talking about. In the days since the tragic death of Whitney Houston, chances are you've heard that song somewhere on the radio or TV, repeatedly, by now. You know.
The Bodyguard came out at just the right time for its stars. Kevin Costner was two years removed from Dances With Wolves and couldn't have been any bigger or hotter. Houston was already an established megastar, with a trunkload of Grammys and poised to take Hollywood by storm. Lawrence Kasdan wrote the screenplay (fun fact: it was originally gonna be for Steve McQueen!), and while British director Mick Jackson may not have been a household name, he was just coming off of the delightful Steve Martin comedy LA Story.
The Bodyguard did not fare well with the critics. Entertainment Weekly's Owen Gleiberman called it "an outrageous piece of saccharine kitsch" and the New York Times' Janet Maslin called it a "long, sprawling semi-travelogue," but audiences loved it enough to make it the seventh-highest grossing film of 1992. (And good or bad, it deserves props for not making a big deal about the interracial aspect of the romance.)
And then there was that soundtrack. And that song.
Let's run the numbers, shall we: fourteen weeks at number one in the US alone. Number one in sixteen different countries. Quadruple-platinum-certified. Grammy-winner for Record of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female. The third-biggest-selling single OF ALL TIME from the biggest-selling soundtrack OF ALL TIME.
And technically, the song's not even hers.
Though she certainly made it hers.
I'm not gonna get into comparisons between the original version and Houston's version. I'm more interested in how The Song in Question got as big as it did.
Was it simply a matter of timing? I remember Houston at her late-80's-early-90's peak. I have some of her records; in fact, it was my father who bought me her debut LP. They still hold up. Prior to The Bodyguard, it did not seem as if she could get any bigger or more successful. She was everywhere. She, along with Michael Jackson, made MTV safe for black people. Did I mention the trunkload of Grammys? And then The Song in Question just catapulted her into the stratosphere. No, she already was in the stratosphere; it put her in orbit.
It's difficult to talk about The Song objectively, because we have all heard it too many times to be objective about it anymore. It's just become part of our collective unconscious, like The Brady Bunch and Smurfs and Tang: it's not a matter of liking it or hating it anymore. It simply is. In fact, I'd argue that The Song, and the way Houston sung it - the bombastic, hitting-all-the-high-notes, playing-to-the-crowd vocal calisthenics - helped paved the way for the American Idol era of music. I think Houston recorded better songs, but something about that one just drove people wild the way "My Heart Will Go On" drove people wild only five years later.
Today being Valentine's Day, it's worth pointing out the ultra-romantic appeal of The Song as well as the movie - which is ironic, because if you look at the lyrics, you'll see that it's actually a sad song. Funny how that gets overlooked most of the time, isn't it? But there have been other love songs from romantic movies, sung by equally talented singers. What made this one so very different?
Maybe it really does come down to timing. Who can say for certain why a certain song hits with people when it does, whether it's The Song in Question or "Don't Worry Be Happy" or "Hey Jude" or even "Friday"? That Houston had world-class talent is indisputable, though, and like so many other musicians before her, from Billie Holiday and Charlie Parker, through Karen Carpenter and Janis Joplin, and on into Kurt Cobain and Amy Winehouse, her struggle with her personal demons consumed her before her time. But the music, as ever, remains.
Labels: movie stars, music, RIP, soundtracks
seen @ Village East Cinemas, New York NY
So once again I found myself watching a movie that I kept seeing written about on other blogs and talked about glowingly. I feel pretty certain in saying that if that hadn't been the case, I would've completely missed out on The Innkeepers, an entertaining and engrossing old-fashioned ghost story. To sum up: a couple of twenty-somethings are working at an old New England (?) inn during its final weekend of operation, one with a reputation for hosting a centuries-old ghost which they're determined to find.
It takes a lot to get me to pay to see a current (American) horror movie these days. It seems like the average horror movie fan's tastes are greatly out of step with my own, but then I'd imagine their tastes are more refined. I enjoy watching a good bloodbath every once in awhile, but these days most horror movies look alike to me, which is one big reason why the horror films I wrote about last Halloween were old ones.
This is why I'm so glad I chose to take a chance on The Innkeepers. I liked the main characters, especially perky Claire, the star, and I cared about what happened to them. The humor feels natural and the scares are definitely earned. Writer-director Ti West takes his time with the story, but when things start happening, they happen in a hurry. It was nice to see Kelly McGillis on the big screen again, even though I totally didn't recognize her. She's aged quite a bit from her Top Gun and The Accused roles back in the 80s, but she still looks good, and she has a plum of a supporting role here.
What impressed me the most about The Innkeepers is how it defied my expectations at every turn. This is a horror movie where everything is taken at face value, and I shouldn't go into any further detail about that because it would mean revealing spoilers. Let's just say that I kept expecting the story to conform to the expected horror movie standards, and it didn't, not out of meta-textual self-awareness, Scream-style, but because everything is presented so straightforwardly. You are led to believe that the danger is real and anything is possible, but even when what happens in the end happens, you still don't quite believe it because you keep waiting for a last-minute reveal or a fake-out of some kind, because that's what we've come to expect from most mainstream horror movies. Not here, though.
It was a busy Saturday night at the Village East. I got there early, and before the movie started, I snuck into a screening of The Artist for a few minutes. I saw the scenes where George and Peppy are rehearsing their dance and Peppy keeps laughing and messing up the take, and then later, when she's alone in George's dressing room and playing with the sleeve of his coat. There are other films I liked better in 2011, but if when this wins Best Picture, I won't be disappointed.
Labels: horror, writing
The videos of Michael Jackson: Smooth Criminal
Michael Jackson's anthology movie Moonwalker never got a theatrical release in America, but segments of the film were released as music videos, such as "Man in the Mirror" and "Leave Me Alone." (It's worth checking out for the freaky Transformer sequence alone. Also, Joe Pesci.) Perhaps the best-known segment is that for the song "Smooth Criminal." Looking resplendent in a white suit with a powder blue shirt and a stylish slouch hat to match, Jackson infiltrates a lair of underground gangsters and molls and... um... controls them through the power of, uh... dance? Something like that.
Unlike the "Beat It" video, where he's out to defuse a violent situation, here he seems to be the instigator, which, I suppose, is consistent with the persona he adapts in the song. We never see anyone that answers to the name Annie, though, and as a result we never know for sure if she is, in fact, okay. You'd think the video would've answered that burning question.
As in the video for "Bad" - and Moonwalker came out around the same time as the album Bad - Jackson projects an air of hyper-masculinity and aggressiveness greatly at odds with the gentler, more androgynous image he had in life, and I have to admit, at times it's kind of amusing to see. I mean, only in a setting like a music video could a skinny little dude like Jackson stand up to dudes bigger and tougher than him and defeat, or at the very least intimidate, them.
Even when he whips out a machine gun and appears to shoot at the cops lurking outside, there's something about it that feels like a put-on. He's never as tough as he comes across in his videos; his well-known public persona made it impossible to take scenes like this completely seriously. (His character in "Ghosts" seems to be a middle ground between the two extremes.)
There's also a strange middle section where the music stops, the lights are dimmed, and Jackson and the others engage in a slow orgy-like groove that makes no damn sense. I don't know what that's supposed to signify, and frankly, I don't wanna think too much about it either.
And once again, lurking on the periphery are little kids who are easily awed at Jackson's antics. Gaining the approval of children was a thing for him. What it means depends, I suppose, on whether you believe Jackson had a weakness for kids. We'll never know the truth one way or another.
I should also mention the Moonwalker video game based on the "Smooth Criminal" video. I remember playing the arcade version. It wasn't bad, although I didn't play it that often. I do remember it being quite popular for a time.
seen @ Sunshine Cinema, New York NY
So Gary Oldman finally got that Best Actor Oscar nomination after all. How about that? Even though he's not likely to win in a field with heavyweights George Clooney and Brad Pitt, plus the star of the likely Best Picture winner, a lot of people are still rooting for him, and not without reason. Though I personally wasn't that crazy about Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, he was certainly very good in it, and he's taken advantage of all the goodwill generated by his Oscar nomination by doing interviews and keeping himself visible. Here in New York, he recently made two appearances as part of retrospectives on his long career: one at the Walter Reade Theater and another at the Sunshine Cinema, where they not only had a Q-and-A with him, but played a bunch of his best films and gave away free tickets online. I couldn't make it to the Q-and-A, but I did go to one of the films the Sunshine screened, the political drama The Contender.
The film stars Joan Allen as a senator picked by the president to become his vice-president after the incumbent dies. Oldman plays the head of the committee holding hearings to determine her fitness to hold the office. When a scandalous secret from her past comes to light, Oldman really comes after her with both barrels, but she steadfastly refuses to publicly address the issue or even its veracity. Allen, like Oldman, has had a career of mostly supporting roles, and Contender, like Tinker for Oldman, was a rare opportunity for her to shine as the lead, and shine she does (though I don't like her as a blonde).
Oldman, with his scraggly, balding pate, looks a little like Paul Giamatti in this one, and with his flawless American accent, you'd never mistake him for the same guy who plays Tinker's George Smiley. As I've talked about before, though, his ability to disappear inside each role he plays is one of, if not his greatest, strengths. He probably won't win Best Actor, but it is nice to see him getting celebrated for his work.
Labels: drama, movie stars, Sunshine Cinema
Freeze Frame: The WSW roundtable take 5
We're back once again for another round of film discussion. This time out there's quite a bit to discuss, too. Once again our panelists for this month are:
Rachel from Rachel's Reel Reviews
Courtney from Big Thoughts From a Small Mind
Jess from Insight Into Entertainment
Tom from Movie Reviews by Tom Clift
And here are the questions:
Labels: bloggers and critics, movie industry, Oscars, world events
seen @ Kew Gardens Cinemas, Kew Gardens, Queens, NY
My father maintained his faculties throughout the final years of his life, so I never got to know what it would be like to see him deteriorate mentally as well as physically. While I wouldn't necessarily call him an intellectual, he always kept his mind engaged and sharp for as long as I knew him, therefore I could never imagine him suffering the way the protagonist's father in A Separation does: afflicted with Alzheimer's disease, spending his life in a haze of lost memory, punctuated by brief moments of lucidity.
We had a number of different home attendants taking care of my father during the day, some of whom I liked, some I didn't. Still, they knew their job, and they knew their responsibilities, and they carried them out professionally. My father always did his best to be friendly with these women. He was a natural conversationalist, and he seemed to genuinely enjoy learning about their lives. He probably also knew that he could set them at ease this way, too - after all, it can't be easy attending to the physical needs of a stranger unable to do so on his own.
This is all a build-up to my point: I know exactly how I'd feel if I seriously thought that any of these women physically endangered my father in any way. None of them did, but when you bring a stranger into your home to take care off someone you love, that's the risk you take. You have to trust that this person will do their job properly, because the alternative is too frightening to contemplate. So when the home attendant in the story makes a grave error in judgment, I was on the protagonist's side completely - but then another twist in the story brings his honesty into question as well, and things get even crazier.
I was riveted throughout this whole film. Even though I didn't completely understand some of the aspects of Iranian culture and law, I understood just enough to follow along. (Most of what I know about Iran I learned through reading Persepolis.) This movie has the total package - directing, writing and acting. While it's not explicitly political, which one might think given the recent events in Iran (and how certain filmmakers have been treated as a result), it certainly says a lot about Iranian jurisprudence and how it ties to the Islamic religion.
And religion plays a huge factor in the story. I don't pretend to know everything about Islam as it's practiced in Iran, and I don't wanna sit in judgment on it (at least not here), but I did like how it provides obstacles for the characters that could not be easily overcome. It influences the law and how it's applied in this particular story. For some of the characters, they live their lives by it - and for one in particular, their faith ends up being used against them.
A Separation is a tough drama to sit through, but well worth it.
Labels: drama, family, foreign cinema, health, philosophy and religion, sociology and politics
The videos of Michael Jackson: Ghosts
Whether intentionally or not, "Ghosts" is surprisingly metatextual. Michael Jackson must have known how very different his life was from the rest of the world, but in this video, he seems to embrace his quirks even as he questions them. By portraying both the strange, mysterious outsider on the fringe of society and the straight-laced, conservative leader of the mob that tries to run him out of town, it's as if he's trying to reconcile dual aspects of his nature: the fun-loving free spirit who lives by his own rules versus the normal guy who just wants to fit into a normal life. We'll never know if this was something he really struggled with, but it's hard not to read such messages into this video.
Make-up whiz Stan Winston directed this video, based on a story idea by Jackson and Stephen King. If you recall, at the very beginning of "Thriller," there's a disclaimer by Jackson stating that the video doesn't endorse demonic beliefs. No such statement appears in "Ghosts," which ramps up the level of demonic and supernatural imagery to eleven - but then, "Thriller" was made during a time when parents were all upset about hidden Satanic messages in rock records. And the make-up work in "Ghosts" is remarkable. In addition to the mob leader, whom I didn't even recognize as Jackson until he starts dancing, there are all sorts of Gothic ghost dancers and Jackson himself, who gets twisted and contorted and reshaped different ways, in different guises. (Scariest moment for me? Near the end, seeing that plastic-surgery-altered face literally crumble.)
As in "Bad," there's a group of people trying to conform Jackson into a certain ideal, but he can only be had on his own terms, and one has to wonder, given how his childhood career was molded by his father, is this him acting out a revenge fantasy on some level? He wants to be free to indulge his idiosyncrasies - he makes a point of saying how he enjoys scaring people - but there's always an adult authority figure who wants to control him. And in this case, that authority figure is him.
But the children are the ones who understand the best, and given how Jackson spent the final years of his life defending himself from charges of pedophilia, one can't help but notice this as well. He always had that Peter Pan aspect to him, an image he consciously cultivated, whether to make up for his lost childhood or something else, we'll never know.
"Ghosts" the song isn't that great, I thought, and both song and video do feel derivative of older material - and did it really need to go on for almost 40 minutes? Still, it's so worth watching just to examine the many layers of subtext on display.
The Movie of My Life Blogathon: The posts
Well, I guess I overestimated the amount of interest in this idea, because the turnout for this was way smaller than I expected. Still, I wanna thank those who did put something together; I appreciate it. Take a look:
Vain Minutia
The Great Movie Project
The Smoking Pen
My Hometown Blogathon: The posts
Labels: blog-a-thons
The Wizard of Oz (Pink Floyd version)
seen @ "Brew & View Movie Mondays" @ Hiro Ballroom, Maritime Hotel, New York NY
My first exposure to Pink Floyd, as I'm sure was the case for many people, was the song "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)." I remember there was a day camp I went to as a child in which some kids sung a version that mocked one of the head counselors. In high school, I got heavily into classic rock and naturally, Floyd was among the many bands I got deeply immersed into, though some of my friends were more into them than others. Of course, I saw the film The Wall during this period, and it freaked the hell out of me like it does for many people who see it for the first time. I'm not sure, but in college I think I went to one of those laser light shows that they used to do at the Planetarium, set to Floyd or other classic rock bands.
If I had to explain Floyd's initial appeal to me, I'd say that for one thing, their music was so unlike anything on the radio (and I grew up as a total Top 40 junkie): atmospheric, moody, and bleak, yet emotional and edgy, with virtuoso guitar riffs and haunting melodies. It's not always the kind of music one can rock out to, but it's artistic and highly refined, and attempts to say things about the human condition.
Labels: alternate venues, childhood, classic cinema, fantasy, food, live-action children's movies, movie stars, music


In October in the central highlands of Tasmania this little plant is in full flower around the sides of mountain lakes. Fantastic vivid colour and great shaped flowers. You have to brave the snow to see them but what a sight!


We are currently recruiting for experienced native teachers for Coporate bussiness English class .
Salary: Teacher will get paid with hourly rate and collect the pay in cash monthly on every 15th.
Location: Quoc Oai industrial zone . The company provides free shuttle bus.
[URGENT] EXPERIENCED NATIVE TEACHERS NEEDED FOR CORPORATE BUSINESS ENGLISH CLASS IN JAPANESE COMPANY ( HANOI, VIET NAM) posted about 1 year ago.


text:
Home Sports Express
Connor Brooks' RBI not enough, Canada falls 10-5 in extras to USA at Pan Am Softball Championships
Connor Brooks . File photo.
Adam Pruchomme
Canada's U17 Men's National Softball Team rallied to force extra innings but couldn't complete the comeback in their Pan American Championships opener in Guatemala on Sunday, falling 10-5 to Team USA in eight innings.
Napanee's Connor Brooks helped Team Canada to an early 2-0 lead, driving an RBI double down the right field line. He came in to score two pitches later on an RBI single.
Brooks came on to pitch in the fifth but ran into a bit of trouble, allowing four runs on five walks and one hit. He did settle down and eventually strike out the side, but not before the Americans had taken a 4-3 lead.
Down to their final three outs in the seventh, Brooks helped to ignite a Canadian rally when he was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. He advanced to second on a bunt, moved to third on a sac fly and came in to score on a two-out single by Owen Rahn.
Rahn would be stranded and the game would move to the eight inning where Team USA erupted for six runs. The Canadians were able to scratch out a run in the bottom half of the inning but it wasn't enough.
Canada will next take on the host Guatemala team tonight at 9 p.m. eastern. A live stream will be available on the Pan American Softball Facebook page.


2021 Jeep Gladiator Price, Release Date, Interior – Any Jeep can be planning a new pickup following quite a few years. These Jeep will certainly, in all of the values, possess a speedy-paced motor vehicle in their game. The most popular 2021 Jeep Gladiator serial type of this particular type has been Comanche, in line with the Cherokee version. The latest top needs to be depending on the following age group of your Wrangler product. Additionally, it is proved with the hidden pictures in the masked prototype. Or else, Jeep will show the latest 2021 Jeep Gladiator when it comes to 2019, that will be depending on Wrangler. Should there be actually standard designs which have designated the background of your auto business? It is unachievable to be able to sidestep the actual Jeep. More than 60 many years, they have determined styles to the picture connected with off-road vehicles.
The latest 2021 Jeep Gladiator design applies for your very first 4×4 person vehicle. With all the development of this approach version, it could be determined that the original approach of your Sports Power Automobile traveler autos has become unaffected so far. A classy body, active travel, some limo comfort, and ease is, and it has continued to be a prominent class ever since the very early nineteen sixties until finally right now. The newest Jeep Gladiator might be modern day, highly effective not to mention mildly. Having an in-depth remodeling of your design, the brand new 2021 Jeep Gladiator features received a great deal of quality, some efficiency which comes out from all the information and also appeals. To avoid the cisco kid from the east rivalry which often is the winner, most importantly, a good traveling by air design. In a nutshell, the principal component is undoubtedly covered with stunning circular front lights along with an intense face mask of your fridge. Along with the aspect, the figure is usually creatively reduced not to mention sleek compared to their precursor. Your back component is generally faultless in their simpleness for distinct collections, even though the sides will be bolstered using muscle mudbugs and additionally enriched along with stainless particulars.
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Our company is wanting to discover 2021 Jeep Gladiator pickup Concept offered regarding a few of the forthcoming significant automobile displays. Nonetheless, it is actually nevertheless challenging to declare once this can happen. Also, it is indeed sometimes uncertain will indeed the following concept may even show up. A vital creation edition is relatively near, for that reason, an essential intent behind showing such as this can be reasonably doubtful except if we will watch hybrid version or anything like this. Rumors, assume the most up-to-date 2021 Jeep Gladiator after 2019. To conclude, the expense of the particular 2021 Jeep Gladiator must not go over $28,000.


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Home » News » Commonwealth Games: Buhari celebrates Team Nigeria amid medals' galore
Commonwealth Games: Buhari celebrates Team Nigeria amid medals' galore
President Muhammadu Buhari has joined millions of other sports loving Nigerians in celebrating the athletes that represented Nigeria gloriously in the the 22nd Commonwealth Games, Birmingham 2022.
The president also watched some of the colourful and spectacular moments in the 11-day competition, which had no fewer than 5,000 athletes representing 72 nations and territories, competing in 280 medal events.
In a statement by his spokesman, Mr Femi Adesina, on Sunday in Abuja, Buhari saluted the memorable display of Team Nigeria athletes.
The president commended the 94 worthy ambassadors that proudly flew the Nigerian flag in nine sporting events.
He lauded them for those exciting moments when the medalists brought smiles to people's faces by breaking world, national and games records, as well as achieving personal bests in their career.
He noted with delight the 35 medals, including 12 gold, 9 silver and 14 bronze harvested already on the late evening of the 10th day of the Games, and more medals likely for the country on the last day,
The president thanked the shining stars of Nigeria for competing among the best in the world and displaying the God-given attributes of the real Nigerian- never give up, strive to the end.
According to the President, it is noteworthy that majority of the medals so far, including 12 gold for the country, were championed by the nation's talented young women and girls.
These, he said, include multi medalist Tobi Amusan (100m Women's Hurdle and 4x100m Relay), Favour Ofili, Rosemary Chukwuma, Grace Nwokocha (4x100m Relay) and Miesinnei Mercy Genesis (50 kg),
Other are, Blessing Oborududu (57 kg) and Odunayo Adekuoroye (57kg) in Women's Freestyle wrestling; as well as Adijat Adenike Olarinoye (55kg) and Rafiatu Folashade Lawal (59kg) in Women's weightlifting.
Other gold medalists are Folashade Oluwafemiayo, Women's heavyweight Para Powerlifting, Eucharia Iyiazi, Women's shot put, Chioma Onyekwere and Goodness Nwachukwu in Women's Discus throw, and Ese Brume, long jump.
''We are proud of these achievements and the memories will linger with the nation forever and for me this is a special moment and a fitting parting gift, being my last Commonwealth Games as Head of State," he said.
The president also lauded the coaching crew and team officials for the passion towards the development of sports in the country.
He assured them that history would remember them for all their contributions in making the athletes shine in the international arena.
CWG: Buhari celebrates Team Nigeria as medal galore increases to 35
Host us too, Youth athletes cry out to Buhari
Marrakech 2014 African Athletics Championships: Team Nigeria 'll win 12 Gold Medals – Alli


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Software patentable in Germany? Data transmission and processing
Software is a broad term – it describes program code as well as algorithms but also computer-based or computer-involved techniques. Whether and, above all, when software is patentable, can be seen from a look at case law.
Software is not generally excluded from patent protection in Germany. The law only excludes software "as such" – this is formulated both in German patent law and in the wording of the European Patent Convention (EPC). This should prevent the patentability of a purely mathematical model of thought or pure program code. Because a patent claim always requires a technical component.
No general definition could be established for a technical invention. An invention is regarded as technical if it influences the real, physical world in some way that makes "forces of nature" controllable. Even technical considerations can give an invention its technical nature. This can be useful for a liberal opening for more patent protection of software inventions.
View into the jurisprudence of Germany
Software does not become patentable solely through storage on a storage medium. The German Patent Act excludes programs for data processing equipment as such from patent protection (Sec. 1 (3) No. 3 in conjunction with (4) Patent Law). Nevertheless, software is patentable under certain conditions, as a glance at the German case law on data transmission and processors shows.
Technical character of data transmission – BGH judgements 2004 to 2010
The claimed teaching must contain instructions which serve the solution of a concrete technical problem with technical means, the BGH already judged in 2004 (X ZB 34/03- Profitability assessment). The automatic data determination and transmission, however, do not give a claimed procedure any technical character in the sense of case law, the BGH added in this judgement.
With its judgement "Steuerungseinrichtung für Untersuchungsmodalitäten" (BGH, X ZB 22/07), the BGH continued this approach in 2009. For the technicality of a teaching in accordance with the invention, its embedding in a technical device was sufficient, the BGH ruled. The decisive factor for patenting is not the result of a weighting of technical and non-technical elements, but rather whether the teaching serves the solution of a concrete technical problem going beyond data processing in the required overall view.
The BGH was presented even more precisely in the judgment Glass Bottle Analyses (BGH, Xa ZR 4/07) of 2010. If a claim directed to an electronic messaging system contains instructions on how the required hardware must be configured – in particular a special memory and a distributor – then these two components constitute a hardware configuration that provides technicality, the Federal Supreme Court ruled.
Accordingly, it was recommended for some time that in to apply for a software or computer programs patent, the signals recorded by the detector should be evaluated using an electronic circuit – on the basis of which a decision level follows. However, it was already known in 2010 that this could also or better be done with a microprocessor.
Data Processing – Federal Patent Court judgement 2018
Such a patent claim may not be held too general either, as the judgement of the Federal Patent Court of June 2018 (BpatG, 18 W (pat) 12/16) shows "Control mechanism based on temporal behaviour information". The patent application concerns a device, a method and a computer program product dealing with the timing of pipeline in a processor. In digital logic systems, an attempt is made to increase the operating frequency while simultaneously reducing power consumption, and the patent provides a solution to this problem.
The frequency and thus also the period in which the time behavior violations are counted should be changed dynamically if environmental conditions, such as temperature or voltage, change. The task was to adapt time behaviour margins in such a way that stable operation of a logic circuit is achieved.
However, the Federal Patent Court did not recognise the patent claim. When realizing the injury frequency, an expert will try to optimally adapt the length of the period to various boundary conditions and process parameters on the basis of the time behavior. In addition, a general method for the reliable recording of time behavior violations in a scanning window is available as a teaching tool, and the procedure formulated in the patent claim is therefore recommended to the expert. Therefore, the subject-matter of the patent claim is not patentable and is not based on an inventive step (§ 4 PatG).
Do you also need support in protecting your patent?
Do you have questions regarding the patentability of software, computer program products or algorithms?
Each case is considered individually and carefully by us. Please feel free to contact us for a callback appointment!
BPatG 18 W (pat) 12/16
ColiN00B /pixabay.com / CCO License
Patent Law Patent, German, BGH, case law, Federal Supreme Court, Software patentable, data processing
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Shell and Jamie Oliver have joined together to offer great food on the go. Looking for as many fresh ideas as you'll find in their products, collectively they appointed us to creatively bring bigger and better choice* to over 500 of Shell's service stations across the UK.
As lead UK creative agency for Shell and with us having worked strategically on consumer insights for Shell's UK convenience retailing business, we were in a great position to take up the challenge. We put dedicated creative and account teams in place, with our Account Director Sarah Wood co-ordinating the many varied work streams.
Beginning with a strategic approach to range naming, we brought both parts of the relationship together as Jamie Oliver deli by Shell – cleverly connecting the pre-existing Jamie's Deli and deli by Shell brands. By combining white and grey marble, a fresh light blue and natural foodie colour palette, a bold striped deli-style pattern, characterful journey-line illustrations and strong typography – our studio created a refreshing visual identity that packed a punch, as a reflection of the clean food that's full of big flavour.
We called upon all of our experience to carefully translate this across multiple specialisms to create a coherent identity and guidelines. Our team has designed around 100 packaging skus, point of sale, brand literature, staff uniforms and a trusted food space that's being installed at Shell's service stations – creating a deli retail environment with white materials contrasted against bold blue-striped walls, striking back-lit branding, natural wood finishes and bright digital screens.
With our sights firmly set on launching the new range, we worked with Jamie Oliver's editorial and art teams to conceive a campaign platform and a messaging approach that unified the flavour of Jamie's tone of voice with references to drivers on-the-go. We loved the sentiment that great food and great journeys go hand in hand – "A new direction, for food on the go. Fast-track to flavour, delicious combos. We've taken it up a gear, fresh ideas & tasty twists. From A to BLT, it's all good." – and alongside our art directed photography of Jamie and tasty food, they made for an attention grabbing forecourt campaign.
To promote the launch we've also scripted two engaging radio adverts – one featuring drivers tucking into and enjoying great food which they say 'sounds' lovely and a second featuring a tempting forecourt announcement: "Would the customer at pump number 6… fancy some big flavours, fresh ideas and tasty new combos?".
Alongside this we've created Shell's UK internal communications platform for food that engages staff and retailers at all levels, focusing on the why behind the collaboration – helping customers to Eat Well, Go Well, wherever it is they're heading.
The new product range has just launched at Shell service stations, across the country.


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Baroness Von Sketch Show Season 4 Trailer
Written By Nona Manis Tuesday, September 17, 2019 Add Comment
While we wait for'Baroness Von Sketch Show' Season 4, here's a trailer from one of the earlier seasons. If you have not seen the series, and enjoy witty comedy, this might be the show for you. Baroness Von Sketch Show Season 4 Release Date: When will it premiere? 'Baroness Von Sketch Show' Season 3 premiered on CBC on September 18, 2018. It's been confirmed that the series will come back for another season, and in fact, the news came before the third season had premiered. We are so proud to be home to Baroness von Sketch Show, said Sally Catto, general manager, programming, CBC. It's intelligent, insightful and ridiculously funny and I look forward to seeing what the brilliant Baronesses have in store for Season 4. On July 25, 2019, IFC announced that 'Baroness Von Sketch Show' Season 4 will release on October 30, 2019. It also revealed that the show has been renewed for a fifth season. It is rare that a show is renewed for two seasons in advance. It obviously reveals the confidence that the network has on Meredith Macneill and her team.
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Q: How can I use ajax to retrieve remote json file $.ajax({
  //url: "https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PjXOSVsTCMBti9CyT3l5UmiThCcn1ziU/view",
  url: "myfile.json",
  data: "{}",
  type: "GET",
  async: "true",
  dataType: "json",
  jsonp: "callback",
  jsonpCallback: "jsonpCallbackfunction",
  contentType: "application/json; charset=utf-8",
  success: function(result)
  {
    console.log(result);
    var output="";
    for (var i in result)
    {
        output+= "

";
    }

    index.html(output);

When using the local file all is working great. When try to use remote file, I get no thing. I heard about same origin but I want a solution.
thanks

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