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What Did the Lady Forget (1937)
By the time Ozu made his second talkie, he already seems more comfortable with the addition of sound to his cinema. There is none of the awkwardness that seemed to pervade his previous film. In fact, Ozu seems far less concerned with form in general and this work although of value is one of the least formally interesting works of his I have seen.
By spending less time on perfecting the form of his work, Ozu is able to invest an unusual amount of time and energy in exploring numerous themes. He examines the evolving role of the woman in society. He looks at marriage and the balance necessary to keep both sides of the relationship happy and healthy. Ozu also questions other societal norms, such as when a woman is too old to have a baby. In the film, Ozu seems to be comparing and contrasting a number of items - man vs woman, single vs married, adulthood vs youth. Interestingly, for the first time, Ozu also hints at sex in marriage, a subject he almost seemed too shy to address before now.
It is not a very memorable work but a chronologically valuable film linking the end of his early sound period and what I anticipate will be the start of the formally rich period that will last the remainder of Ozu's career.
Posted by Jeffrey Goodman at 2:53 PM No comments: Links to this post
My Top Films Seen in 2019
It was an unusually strong year for a few well-known American filmmakers, all working at the height of their skills and talent. I wasn't prepared. I had silently accepted that a certain type of artful movie would never arrive again on a larger canvas with a larger budget.
I did not see as much as I would like (but that's always the case) but here are the films, new and old, that I saw and most admired in 2019.
James Gray's Ad Astra
The first thing that struck me was that I think Gray actually set out to make a masterpiece. The level of energy and attention he put into every moment are deeply inspired and remarkable. The next thing that struck me was that Gray actually pulled it off. He made what I would consider the most fully accomplished big-budget film to come out of the studio system in many, may years (possibly even since the late seventies and Alien or Close Encounters of the Third Kind).
I have always admired Gray's intelligence and earnest approach to the craft. He emerged essentially in a generation of his own immediately on the heels of the 80s and early 90s American independent explosion that introduced us to the Coen brothers, Jarmusch, Van Sant, Spike Lee, Hartley and Tarantino. In comparison to his predecessors who all preferred their cinema post-modern, flamboyant and ironic, Gray's approach was classic, invisible and sincere.
Although I have been a fan, there seemed always to be something slightly missing from Gray's films. If I had to identify it, I would say they were too restrained or his style so invisible that they never rose to the heights of the great films he deeply admired. Ad Astra almost goes too far in the other direction. The mastery on display is pitched at such a high level from second one to minute 123 that you almost take it for granted. But this is no ordinary work. It is a film that aspires to be great, is great, and gives hope to all filmmakers coming in Gray's wake.
Martin Scorsese's The Irishman
Scorsese's latest work is different than anything else he has done. It pulls back on style and showmanship and in so doing produces two of his richest and most emotionally affecting characters to date (Frank and Russell). The final thirty minutes or so, in particular, allow the film to enter into heavy, deep territory that I would normally equate with Dreyer or Ozu but not Scorsese.
The Irishman is of great interest as a dialogue with Scorsese's entire body of work. Seeing Robbie Robertson's name in the end credits can't help but recall The Last Waltz and Robertson's numerous other collaborations with Scorsese through the years. While Frank's efforts to get through to a stubborn Jimmy Hoffa powerfully evoke Keitel's efforts to do the same for De Niro in Mean Streets. And there are many other reverberations of Scorsese's earlier work flowing underneath and alongside the unfolding of his latest work, with of course memories and similarities to Goodfellas perhaps the strongest.
The Irishman also feels like it is in conversation with Coppola's first two Godfather films. The final shot forces a comparison to the final shot of Coppola's 1972 work. And I can't help but see The Irishman as Scorsese's quest to achieve the same reverence and consideration consistently granted to Coppola's early achievements. Many people revere Goodfellas but almost no one considers it to have the same emotional weight or impact as Coppola's early outings.
Surprising also is the amount of real life that seeps in. It is perhaps the Scorsese narrative film with the most factual events interlaced into the story as we see clips of John and Robert Kennedy and Castro and Cuba. Although given the amount of Scorsese's recent documentary output, perhaps it is a logical new development in his work. And I could not help but see the oldest daughter-father relationship in The Irishman as a possible echo of Scorsese's own life and strained personal relationships.
In the spirit of Gertrud or Rio Lobo, The Irishman is a late great film and suggests exciting new possibilities for Scorsese and his future work.
Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood
Of all of Tarantino's films I have seen to date, this one felt the most personal. It's the work where his nearest and dearest obsessions are most at center and where all of his talents can flourish. What is most impressive is his decision to wrap the story around the Sharon Tate murder. It allows Tarantino more effectively than ever to merge his B-film aspirations with the art film world he loves and reveres.
Although the period interests me musically a little less than Scorsese's other Dylan doc, I have to commend Scorsese for bringing a structure and style to the piece that felt fresh, informative and contemporary. Some of the footage is absolutely remarkable, whether it's Dylan and Ginsberg communing at Kerouac's grave or McGuinn and Dylan harmonizing at the end. I have a new appreciation for this Dylan period and feel once again that late Scorsese may excel more in the form of documentary than in narrative (I made this statement before seeing The Irishman).
Kirill Serebrennikov's Summer
A film that could have just as easily been called Les Inrockuptibles is full of the musical obsessions and spirit at the core of the French magazine. No surprise therefore that it ended up at the very top of the magazine's 2018 year-end list of best films of the year. Its rigorous, bold filmmaking is impressive, as is the heart it creates around its three main leads. The substitution of unrequited, restrained love for 80s Soviet politics is also impressively smart. I question the choice of using the three animated moments of fantasy - "Psycho Killer", "The Passenger" and "Perfect Day" - as they undermined the effectiveness of the rest of the film for me. But otherwise it was a surprisingly powerful effort from a filmmaker I look forward to continuing to watch.
Bi Gan's Long Day's Journey into Night
In terms of sheer mastery of camerawork, lighting and film style, Gan's latest film ranks with the very greatest works of the last ten or so years. In this group I would include Hou Hsiao-hsien's The Assassin, James Gray's Ad Astra, Raoul Ruiz's The Mysteries of Lisbon, Bertrand Bonello's Saint Laurent, Miguel Gomes' Tabu, Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life, Abdellatif Kechiche's Blue Is The Warmest Color and Bi Gan's previous film Kaili Blues. Its narrative is more difficult to follow than the other films in this group and it really asks you to surrender to the undertow of its atmosphere and to let it just take you on this labyrinthine journey. It had me thinking of Tarkovsky and Lynch and at some point I would be interested in revisiting to try to better understand where I have just gone.
Bruno Dumont's Li'l Quiniquin
Although when it came out I was a fan of L'Humanite, Dumont' 1999 film, this is the first work of his that I have seen since. There were several moments that surprisingly are laugh out loud funny and Dumont proves himself adept in a number of areas I would not have expected from him, including young love and a Bunuelian approach to the church. The artsy procedural fits Dumont perfectly, as it also does Lynch, Kiyoshi Kurosawa and Carey Fukunaga.
Agnes Varda's Vagabond
Varda is one of my almost completely blind spots within the Nouvelle Vague. Of course I have seen Cleo and only recently The Beaches of Agnes. I had heard for a long time about Vagabond but knew it was heavy and wanted to see it when I could take it on (in). Its structure is incredibly surprising. I did not really catch on to how it was put together until probably 30-45 minutes in. In the way it begins and continuously looks back it seemed to have influenced both Twin Peaks and perhaps even some of Dumont (Li'l Quinquin, L'Humanite). Bonnaire's performance is full of power and the whole things gets under your skin. But Varda has this strong yet feathery touch that keeps it exactly where it needs to be rather than turning it something cloying or overwrought.
Claire Denis' Keep It for Yourself
It is a wonderful early work by Denis that shows off her incredible eye, ear, and like Jarmusch, incredible feel for the outsider. It is essential Denis that deserves to be seen and talked about.
Pedro Almodovar's Pain and Glory
Almodovar has always been a filmmaker I have admired more than I have loved, even though a few of his films have moved me with Talk to Her being at the top of the list. His obsessions are not necessarily my own but I respect the autobiographical nature of his work and the themes he consistently grapples with from film to film.
He has a loyal group of actors and he repays their trust by giving them some of the best performances of their careers. For instance, I can't remember Banderas ever giving a more satisfying performance than what he delivers here.
Almodovar's latest is one of the better films of his career. Its production design immaculate, its structure masterfully intricate, its direction confident, graceful and elegant. It is a work by a recognized artist that hasn't stopped searching and a film that benefits from Almodovar's restraint, maturity and contemplation.
Posted by Jeffrey Goodman at 7:16 AM No comments: Links to this post
Films Seen in 2019
It was a very satisfying year of films. I wish I had seen more but here is what I was able to take in this year.
1/2 A Paris Education
1/5 Heat Lightning
1/6 Active Measures
1/13 Law of Desire
1/19 La Poison
2/18 Shoplifters
3/2 River of Grass
3/9 Burning, The Hate U Give
3/18 Stretch and Bobbito: Radio That Changed Lives, Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child
3/19 The Naked Dawn
4/17 A Story of Floating Weeds
5/4 Northern Pursuit
5/9 Crazy Horse
5/25 Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men
5/28 Sorry Angel
6/14 Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese
6/15 Keep It for Yourself
6/29 The Dominican Dream, Qualified
7/1 High Life
7/4 Infinite Football
7/8 Model Shop
7/9 Us, The Mule, Free Solo
7/18 Being Evel, Schumann's Bar Talks
7/19 The Image Book
7/22 La Dolce Vita
8/20 The Great Buster – A Celebration
8/23 Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood
9/6 Dans le vent
9/7 Li'l Quinquin, Cape Fear
9/8 Sun Don't Shine
9/12 Horse Feathers
9/14 Uncertain Glory
9/18 Duck Soup
9/21 The Dead Don't Die, Ad Astra
9/23 Saturday, Tale of Cinema
9/27 The Landlord
9/28 Vagabond
9/30 Seven Chances
10/11 The Criminal Code
10/12 Night of the Living Dead
10/13 There Was a Crooked Man…
10/14 The Merry Widow
10/20 Pasolini, Ali: Fear Eats the Soul
11/16 An Elephant Sitting Still
11/18 In the Mood for Love
11/24 Days of Being Wild
11/28 The Irishman
11/30 Long Day's Journey into Night
12/8 Mr. X, a Vision of Leos Carax
12/14 An Inn in Tokyo
12/17 Coincoin and the Extra-Humans
12/23 The Only Son
12/24 Christmas Inventory, Pain and Glory
Posted by Jeffrey Goodman at 11:48 AM No comments: Links to this post
The Only Son (1936)
The first of Ozu talkies is full of interesting items to consider. First, the beginning seems to find Ozu in full experimental mode, not as much testing sound as testing the effectiveness of the long take. In a series of opening shots, Ozu pushes the length of the static frame in ways he had not done in his filmography to date.
The Only Son also reminds once again that Ozu was a cinephile. Not only does a shot of Joan Crawford hang prominently in Ryosuke's Tokyo home but there is an entire scene of a movie-within-a-movie as Ryosuke introduces his mom to the advent of sound in cinema.
Politics also creep in, as we are three years out from the Second World War. A poster that is unclear in the beginning is finally revealed front and center in Ryosuke's Tokyo home as an advertisement for Germany.
It will be interesting to watch Ozu as he uses sound more and more. As to be expected, in his first talkie he does not seem entirely comfortable with it, employing very little ambient sound and using it in more functional than expressive ways.
An Inn in Tokyo (1935)
I picked up yesterday on the series I first began on May 14, 2015 and last wrote about on April 19, 2019.
Not much has changed, as far as I can tell, with Ozu's style and cinema since his previous work, A Story of Floating Weeds. What struck me the most in this film was the discipline behind the movement of Ozu's camera. Every scene contained a static camera with the exception of several scenes that tracked along with the movement of the characters walking. Ozu never moved the camera to adjust the framing of a scene or to accent the emotions of the actors on screen.
At the head of the film, it mentioned that some effort had gone into restoring the film as Ozu had envisioned. Perhaps there were some lost shots, and so my next observation might simply be born of necessity. But there were a couple of moments that contained some relatively quick cutting. For instance the shot that goes from the kids saying, "let's eat dinner" to the family inside of the restaurant feasting on their food.
Thematically the film contains an interesting echo to a moment in Ozu's earlier film, A Mother Should be Loved. Again Ozu has a character, who out of financial necessity must take work inside of a brothel.
As Ozu's final silent film (in 1935!), I must also point out his masterful use of shots that absent of sound become all of the more effective. The two that affected me the most are when Takeshi pours himself an overflowing glass of sake and the scene when he walks the streets and a couple of shots of fireworks burst onscreen.
Favorite Films of the Decade
When I look back on the last decade I am reminded by the number of films that left me astounded by their rigor, their boldness and their treatment of film language in a way that was as masterful and inventive as any moment so far in the history of cinema. Here are the ten films that continue to haunt me the most:
Kenneth Lonergan's Margaret (2011)
I have long been a fan of Paquin and here Lonergan gives her the space to show off her deep layers of talent. The sprawling film is difficult and flawed but also infinitely more rewarding than most of the work currently coming out of the States. It feels most akin to a French art film, something Desplechin or Assayas would attempt.
Abbas Kiarostami's Like Someone in Love (2012)
Here Kiarostami, one of the cinema's warmest practitioners, the lovely wise soul of Iranian cinema, is working in the middle of the Japanese metropolis. Far removed are we (and he) from the wide open expanses of his classic earlier work.
Miguel Gomes' Tabu (2012)
Visually it is absolutely rapturous cinema, using modern black-and-white like the killer poetic weapon it can be when in the right hands (think Wenders' work with Muller or Dead man, again Muller). And Gomes' style, in addition to his visual approach, is as free-wheeling and exciting as Godard can be in his most effective moments.
Olivier Assayas' Clouds of Sils Maria (2014)
Assayas impresses so much that I am forced to reconsider his other work and perhaps consider him as a much greater filmmaker than I once thought. Binoche and Stewart are perfectly cast and turn in as great of performances as at any point in their careers.
Jean-Luc Godard's Goodbye to Language (2014)
It washes over you, drowns you until you feel overwhelmed by its intelligence, superior knowledge, its grappling with something you might not even be advanced enough yet to recognize. But it is the small ideas that jut out (Plato's "Beauty is the splendor of truth") and the arresting images of the human body, dogs, water, and cinema spooling in back of a scene that penetrate deeply.
Hong Sang-soo's Right Now, Wrong Then (2015)
Hong's latest outing once again treads familiar territory - a doppelganger narrative, a filmmaker as main character and plenty of scenes of eating and drinking. This installment especially benefits from Hong's ability to capture so many of those awkward but charged emotions we have all experienced during the early stages of courting.
Kleber Mendonca Filho's Aquarius (2016)
I know nothing of Filho's work, not even if the filmmaker is male or female (although the unusually sensitive treatment of the central female character leads me to think it is the latter). Filho is a graceful filmmaker, reminding me of Moretti in the artful, light way he glides through scenes.
Jim Jarmusch's Paterson (2016)
Like his great previous film, Jarmusch seems to be in an internal dialogue with the past and with art. Whereas the excellent Lovers was with one of his favorite passions, music. This time around Jarmusch seems to be most concerned with another of his primary artistic passions, poetry.
Kelly Reichardt's Certain Women (2017)
I often felt her work was admirably minimal without the heft or depth of a Bresson or Ozu. But her latest feels different to me, saying a tremendous amount without saying much at all. Reichardt uses one of cinema's greatest weapons, silence, to get underneath her themes and wonderfully rich characters and stories.
James Gray's Ad Astra (2019)
The mastery on display is pitched at such a high level from second one to minute 123 that you almost take it for granted. But this is no ordinary work. It is a film that aspires to be great, is great, and gives hope to all filmmakers coming in Gray's wake.
Manoel de Oliveira's The Strange Case of Angelika (2010)
Raul Ruiz's Mysteries of Lisbon (2010)
Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life (2011)
Celine Sciamma's Tomboy (2011)
Abdellatif Kechiche's Blue Is The Warmest Color (2013)
Bruno Dumont's Li'l Quinquin (2014)
Frederick Wiseman's In Jackson Heights (2015)
Bi Gan's Kaili Blues (2015)
Hou Hsiao-hsien's The Assassin (2015)
Todd Haynes' Carol (2015)
Favorite (four), sixty-two
Just like in my other sixty-one posts in this series, I want to take a second to single out the highlights of my recent film viewing. Most of the films I have been glad to see but only a very few have stayed with me. This series is my filter for those and my hope is one or two will be good to you as well.
The first thing that struck me was that I think Gray actually set out to make a masterpiece. The level of energy and attention he put into every moment are deeply inspired and remarkable. The next thing that struck me was that Gray actually pulled it off. He made what I would consider the most fully accomplished big-budget film to come out of the studio system in many, many years (possibly even since the late seventies and Alien or Close Encounters of the Third Kind).
Although I have long been a fan, there seemed always to be something slightly missing from Gray's films. If I had to identify it, I would say they were too restrained or his style so invisible that they never rose to the heights of the great films he deeply admired. Ad Astra almost goes too far in the other direction. The mastery on display is pitched at such a high level from second one to minute 123 that you almost take it for granted. But this is no ordinary work. It is a film that aspires to be great, is great, and gives hope to all filmmakers coming in Gray's wake.
Abel Ferrara's Pasolini
It reminded me of the unique power that Ferrara's cinema can have. With very short, efficient brush strokes, he is able to craft deeply affecting moments. Here it is the scene in a park where a man performs acts on a band of young men or even in a political assassination he very quickly passes over us. Ferrara is an original and masterful at taking on the heavy burden of genre and and deftly and casually re-purposing into something that is so clearly his. He did it with the crime film (specifically The Funeral or 'R Xmas), the bar/club film (Go Go Tales), the vampire film (The Addiction) and now here with the biopic.
Rainer Werner Fassbinder's Ali: Fear Eats the Soul
I still am not all that familiar with Fassbinder's work with this only being the third or fourth of his films that I have seen. But of what I have seen this one impressed me the most. It is unusually artful in its framing and exquisitely attuned to the evolving feelings between a new couple. It is restrained, uncompromising and rigorous in all of the best of ways.
Ad Astra impressed me more than any American film since The Tree of Life. It is everything I ever hoped James Gray would make one day, and more.
Favorite (four), part sixty-one
Just like in my other sixty posts in this series, I want to take a second to single out the highlights of my recent film viewing. Most of the films I have been glad to see but only a very few have stayed with me. This series is my filter for those and my hope is one or two will be good to you as well.
Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood
Bruno Dumont's Li'l Quinquin
Leo McCarey's Duck Soup
I had forgotten how relentlessly funny much of it is. It has such a wonderful child's sense of play and humor and made me, for most of the film, feel like I was on the winning side of some great prank call. I haven't seen all of The Marx Brothers' films but I would be surprised if they ever topped it.
6/14/19 I watched Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese. Although the period interests me musically a little less than Scorsese's other Dylan doc, I have to commend Scorsese for bringing a structure and style to the piece that felt fresh, informative and contemporary. Some of the footage is absolutely remarkable, whether it's Dylan and Ginsberg communing at Kerouac's grave or McGuinn and Dylan harmonizing at the end. I have a new appreciation for this Dylan period and feel once again that late Scorsese may excel more in the form of documentary than in narrative.
8/23/19 I watched Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood. Of all of Tarantino's films I have seen to date, this one felt the most personal. It's the work where his nearest and dearest obsessions are most at center and where all of his talents can flourish. What is most impressive is his decision to wrap the story around the Sharon Tate murder. It allows Tarantino more effectively than ever to merge his B-film aspirations with the art film world he loves and reveres.
9/21/19 I watched Jim Jarmusch's The Dead Don't Die. A bit of a throwaway film for me for one of my favorite working directors. Yet I can still see what motivated him to make it and the metaphor of the cultural ignorant and consumerists to zombies is impactful.
9/22/19 I watched James Gray's Ad Astra. The first thing that struck me was that I think Gray actually set out to make a masterpiece. The level of energy and attention he put into every moment are deeply inspired and remarkable. The next thing that struck me was that Gray actually pulled it off. He made what I would consider the most fully accomplished big-budget film to come out of the studio system in many, may years (possibly even since the late seventies and Alien or Close Encounters of the Third Kind).
11/28/19 I watched Martin Scorsese's The Irishman. It has been a shockingly strong year for three of the most established American filmmakers. I would never have expected 2019 to produce quite possibly my favorite Quentin Tarantino film, my favorite James Gray film and one of my favorite Martin Scorsese films. It gives hope for the future of cinema, American cinema, and is a powerful reminder that great works of art find a way to get made in spite of trends, economies and expectations.
12/24/19 I watched Pedro Almodovar's Pain and Glory. Almodovar has always been a filmmaker I have admired more than I have loved, even though a few of his films have moved me with Talk to Her being at the top of the list. His obsessions are not necessarily my own but I respect the autobiographical nature of his work and the themes he consistently grapples with from film to film.
His latest is one of the better films of his career. Its production design immaculate, its structure masterfully intricate, its direction confident, graceful and elegant. It is a work by a recognized artist that hasn't stopped searching and a film that benefits from Almodovar's restraint, maturity and contemplation.
Favorite (four), part sixty
Just like in my other fifty-nine posts in this series, I want to take a second to single out the highlights of my recent film viewing. Most of the films I have been glad to see but only a very few have stayed with me. This series is my filter for those and my hope is one or two will be good to you as well.
Martin Scorsese's Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story
Although the period interests me musically a little less than Scorsese's other Dylan doc, I have to commend Scorsese for bringing a structure and style to the piece that felt fresh, informative and contemporary. Some of the footage is absolutely remarkable, whether it's Dylan and Ginsberg communing at Kerouac's grave or McGuinn and Dylan harmonizing at the end. I have a new appreciation for this Dylan period and feel once again that late Scorsese may excel more in the form of documentary than in narrative.
Hong Sang-soo's The Day After
Although I prefer Hong's films in color, he proves yet again with this work that he is unusually comfortable in his skin and knows how to use his repetitive style and approach to great effect. The more I watch his films the more I feel he is like an Erik Satie of cinema. It's like he keeps hitting the same key on a piano until suddenly, somehow, through repetition it just begins to sound different. Also, Hong once again impresses with his use of ellipses and the way he is consistently able to transcend budgetary limitations and lack of action to leave the viewer in an elevated emotional state. For instance the final scene of this work which I found particularly masterful and affecting.
A wonderful early work by Denis that shows off her incredible eye, ear, and like Jarmusch, incredible feel for the outsider. It is essential Denis that deserves to be seen and talked about.
Mervyn LeRoy's Heat Lightning
A noir that stands out the most because it never quite allows you to know what it is or where it is going. Everything about it just seems a little off, from the gas station location to the actors' faces to the way the camera moves. I am not sure if it would be considered pre-code but it has a sense of being on the edge and pushing Code boundaries like the other great pre-code cinema I have seen to date.
A Story of Floating Weeds (1934)
It has been nearly six months since my last post on Ozu. Actually more than anything it took me a little while to track down today's entry. But when I saw it was part of the library of Criterion Channel's new streaming service I jumped at the chance to see it.
Stylistically it feels very close to Ozu's previous work, A Mother Should be Loved. It is full of many of the signature aspects of the Ozu style - ellipses, empty frames, long takes and tatami shots.
Among the few stylistically new touches that jumped out at me was Ozu's use of the tatami shot on an approaching train. The effect was unlike any I have seen to date of a filmed, approaching train. It almost gave a 3-D sensation to the movement.
Speaking of movement, this might be the first of Ozu's films that I would characterize as containing the Ozu rhythm, the slow, hypnotic drone of scene progression, unconcerned whether audiences follow or boredom takes over.
Ozu sets the rhythm immediately with a slow fade in (which also feels a little new to Ozu's work). He then immediately jumps into a slow montage of people-less shots that, like A Mother Should be Loved, once again shows shows that Lang's M might have more than impressed Ozu.
Favorite (four), part fifty-nine
Just like in my other fifty-eight posts in this series, I want to take a second to single out the highlights of my recent film viewing. Most of the films I have been glad to see but only a very few have stayed with me. This series is my filter for those and my hope is one or two will be good to you as well.
Jean-Paul Civeyrac's A Paris Education
It's unfortunate that it is shot on digital black-and-white because if it had the cinematography of Garrel's Regular Lovers it would find a place in my small pantheon of truly cherished works. But even as is it's pretty special. It captures some of the poetry of Paris and what the formative years feel like at the fac. That is, time as your captive and endless amounts of it for sitting around among peers, taking walks and formulating dreams for undoing the previous generation's misguided efforts and hopes. The end has a narrative device so brilliantly utilized by Demy in The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Kazan in Slendor in the Grass, Rohmer in My Night at Maud's and to perhaps a slightly lesser degree Chazelle in La La Land. And even though the device is familiar, Civeyrac uses it in a way that feels fresh and new. By fast forwarding with Etienne, it is not a particular romance that he is forced to reckon with but an entire view of the world and of himself.
Matt Wolf's Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell
One of those documentaries that immediately convince you to go out and dig into the work of the featured artist. Prior to watching the film, I had only heard one song by Russell and now I am very curious to spend more time seeing what he was all about. He strikes me as part Scott Walker, part Mark Hollis and perhaps part Nick Drake.
Alice Rohrwacher's Happy as Lazzaro
The first film I have seen from the young Italian filmmaker is impressive. The best way I can describe it is a welcome concoction of Kiarostami's feel for the land, Lynch's ability for rupturing time and early Van Sant's poetic sense for the rough and marginal. Based on this film, Rohrwacher is full of talent and tough to categorize. I am very excited to see what she does next.
Amy Scott's Hal
Another documentary, like the recent one I saw on Arthur Russell, that makes you immediately want to dig further into the subject's body of work. As a long time fan of Ashby, Shampoo for instance might be in my all time top ten, I have always been curious to learn more about the filmmaker. Having seen this doc, which I cannot recommend highly enough to any fan of Ashby, I now can't wait to go back and watch all seven of his films from the seventies.


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When It Comes to the Baseball Stat Rage, Quantification Doesn't Always Make It Science
To paraphrase Inigo Montoya, this baseball stat—"I do not think it means what you think it means"
By Steve Mirsky on April 1, 2014
The lush green expanse of the outfield. The pop of horsehide ball hitting cowhide mitt. The search for hastily discarded syringes. Yes, baseball is back.
On the sacred day when I first discovered the game, the holy trinity of stats was AVG (batting average), HR (home runs) and RBI (runs batted in). Today we have OBP, OPS, UZR and WAR—and plenty more alphabet soup.
To become more nimble with these numbers, back in January I headed to a little collectible store on East 11th Street in Manhattan called Bergino Baseball Clubhouse to hear a talk by Smith College economics professor Andrew Zimbalist, co-author with former New York Mets number cruncher and current Smith visiting math prof Benjamin Baumer of The Sabermetric Revolution: Assessing the Growth of Analytics in Baseball. (That's right—they analyze the analyses. Who watches the watchmen? These guys.)
First, what on turf is sabermetrics? Legendary stat man Bill James coined the term, adding "metrics" to a slightly revised acronym for the Society for American Baseball Research, "SABR." "Sabermetrics," Zimbalist explained, "refers to the use of statistical analysis to understand and evaluate player performance, team strategy and front-office strategy." Sadly, it does not refer to exactly how far down onto his sword a general manager has to fall if his team underperforms.
Sabermetrics got a big boost among the general public from the 2003 book, and later 2011 movie, Moneyball, a story of the surprisingly good 2002 Oakland Athletics. The team's key was deep stats that found low-priced and underappreciated players. And its big stat was OBP, "on-base percentage" (more or less hits plus walks divided by plate appearances), because, as the old baseball adage goes, "A walk is as good as a hit."
In reality, a walk is clearly not as good as a hit when the hit is a home run, even though the homer counts the same as a hit in calculating batting average. Which is why one of the most popular ways to measure hitting now is OPS, "on-base plus slugging percentage," which weights for power. Hence, Lou Gehrig's insane 1928 World Series OPS of 2.433 against the St. Louis Cardinals, off a paltry .545 batting average.
Zimbalist took issue with some of Moneyball's claims. For example, the focus on on-base percentage doesn't explain how the A's team OBP dropped from .360 in 2000, to .345 in 2001, to .339 in its annus mirabilis. But his most salient comments were for those of us who cite Albert Einstein at least as often as Theo Epstein.
Zimbalist and Baumer write in The Sabermetric Revolution that "beyond the rags-to-riches theme, [the book Moneyball] echoes another well-worn refrain in modern culture—the perception that quantification is scientific." If all you do is count, you could tally up a million apples falling off apple trees without coming up with a theory of gravity.
At his talk, Zimbalist also criticized two of the newer stats. UZR, for "ultimate zone rating," alleges to measure notoriously difficult-to-quantify defense. "When Derek Jeter is in the bottom 10 percent of UZR one year and the next year he's in the top 10 percent, you have to question, What is UZR measuring?" A stat that rated the degree of facial symmetry of the models Jeter dates would undoubtedly have a higher correlation from one year to the next.
Finally, there's "wins above replacement," or WAR, which purports to figure the number of wins a player adds to his team total over a standard-issue substitute. The obvious and necessary follow-up question becomes, WAR: What is it good for? Perhaps not absolutely nothing but less than it may appear.
"These are now proprietary metrics," Zimbalist said. "The people who generate these are selling their metrics to teams.... The numbers they're using to feed into their algorithms ... and how they weight all these different numbers—they don't tell us.... And as long as it's a black box, it doesn't make a heck of a lot of sense."
Zimbalist pointed to David Wright, third baseman for the Mets, who received virtually identical WAR values from three different organizations. But the internal aspects of the total stat we do know about were all over the place. So the convergence on a similar value is reminiscent of the four statisticians who went duck hunting. All four missed the duck, but because the average of their shots was where the duck was, they announced, "We got him!" Yeah, about as much as the Cards' pitching staff got out Lou Gehrig.
This article was originally published with the title "Numbers Game" in Scientific American 310, 4, 88 (April 2014)
doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0414-88
Steve Mirsky has been writing the Anti Gravity column since Derek Jeter had a total of 12 base hits in the major leagues. He also hosts the Scientific American podcast Science Talk.
January 21, 2021 — Victoria Knight and Kaiser Health News
4 hours ago — Nidhi Subbaraman, Jeff Tollefson, Giuliana Viglione and Nature magazine
Eric Lander Is Not the Ideal Choice for Presidential Science Advisor
5 hours ago — 500 Women Scientists | Opinion
Alexander Graham Bell Goes and Flies a Kite--For Science
7 hours ago — Leslie Nemo
Scientific American Volume 310, Issue 4

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Ryan Lochte's apology tour is taking place simultaneously on two different TV channels in two different languages.
NBC has been promoting an exclusive interview with Lochte that will be broadcast on Saturday night.
"I just interviewed Ryan Lochte," Globo New York correspondent Felipe Santana tweeted Saturday afternoon.
The interview will be shown on the network's version of the "Nightly News," called "National Journal." It will be translated into Portugese.
Lochte told a sensational robbery story to NBC's Billy Bush; was contradicted by local authorities; then modified the story in a later interview with Matt Lauer. On Friday, he apologized in a statement.
He said he should have been "more careful and candid" from the get-go.
Many questions persist. There could be some big differences in Lauer and Santana's questioning styles. And Lochte's answers will surely be analyzed to see if they are consistent.
Photos show Lochte's private plane landing in Charlotte, N.C., where he lives, after the disgraced swimmer was interviewed Saturday by NBC in New York.


You've prepared for big disasters such as earthquakes by storing drinking water and supplies, but it's wise to prepare for little ones.
Don't wait for a pipe to burst to start looking for a plumber or an electrician when the power's out. That's no time to open the Yellow Pages and pick out a big ad. It's what the guys who charge big for immediate service count on. You're in a jam and they know it.
Instead, be prepared. Ask neighbors whom they use and like. Ask hardware store people, too. Start an emergency phone list by category.
Good guys are always the busiest, so have them do a small repair in a nonemergency situation. When big stuff happens, you'll be established with someone you know and trust.


This entry was posted in Acts of kindness mean everything!, Hey Guys, the way to a woman's heart is... by Susan. Bookmark the permalink.
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text:
Doctrine and Covenants and Church History Lesson 39: "The Hearts of the Children Shall Turn to Their Fathers"
By Ted L. Gibbons June 14, 2017 07:37 PM MDT
President Heber J. Grant told a wonderful story about work for the dead:
"There was [sic] three young men who were as intimate, I think, as any three young men who ever lived could be. They were Heber J. Grant, Feramorz L. Young and Richard W. Young. Feramorz L. Young had been in the East and had been graduated with honors from the Troy Polytechnic Institute, then went on a mission to Mexico, where he died and was buried in the Gulf of Mexico. It always seemed to me a strange thing that a boy with all the education he had, who had made a wonderful success should be taken from us. . . He had to fight for the Church and its doctrines all the time he was in the East.
. . . I thought that with his faith and knowledge, and with all the information he had gained, it was too bad he had to lay down his life while in the Lord's service.
. . . . I do not think that Fera Young in his life ever listened to an unclean story. If anyone started to tell such a story he would excuse himself and walk away. I never heard an unchaste word uttered by him. If there ever was a clean, sweet, absolutely pure young man upon the earth, he was that young man.
When he died his mother said she could not remember a word or thought or act of his life that would bring her the least sorrow or uneasiness. There is many a mother perhaps who might say such a thing of her son, but usually if the man who without exception was the most intimate friend of that son from his boyhood up to the time of his death should tell everything he knew of him the mother could not say that. My mother could not say that of me, if others told her what I did as a youngster, but I could say it of Feramorz Young.
What in the providence of the Lord is the result? . . . A woman came to Sister Young, his mother, with photographs of one of this lady's near and dear friends, a very beautiful women, and said:
'Now, Mrs. Young, I do not believe a thing of what I'm going to tell you. This girl friend of mine was one of the noblest, finest, choicest kind of girls and young women that ever lived. She has come to me in this city of Salt Lake on three separate occasions at night in dreams, and has given me this information: the date of her birth, the date of her death, and all this is necessary, she says, for a record in the temple: and she has told me that your son, Feramorz L. Young, has converted her, and that in addition to converting her he has proposed marriage to her. [She has said to me] "I want you to go to Mrs. Young and give her this information and vouch for my honesty, virtue, integrity and upright life, and have the work done for me and have me married for eternity to her son, Feramorz L. Young."'
This women who visited Mrs. Young said: 'I do not believe a word of it, but the last time this friend of mine came—which was the third time—she said, "There is nobody in Salt Lake City who knows me and can vouch for me except you. You are the only individual that I know in Salt Lake City."' She said further to Mrs. Young: 'I can furnish you any references you may wish regarding my character, from the place where I formerly lived. The last time this young woman came to me she said, "You might just as well go to Mrs. Young and give her this information, because I am going to come, and come, and come, until you do it."' And the woman continued, 'I just cannot bear to have her come again; it is so uncanny, and I do not believe a thing of it.'
This beautiful girl was sealed to Brother Young, and I am convinced that my dear friend lost nothing by dying in his youth" ("Comforting Manifestations": Excerpts from Funeral Sermon delivered by President Heber J. Grant, from the Improvement Era February 1931).
In this lesson we will discuss the work for the dead by referring to the work of four prophets: Elijah, Wilford Woodruff, Joseph F. Smith, and Gordon B. Hinckley.
1. Elijah: "The keys of this dispensation are committed into your hands"
The scriptural account of the coming of Elijah is one of the most repeated passages in the Standard Works. The prophecy of his coming is recited in whole or in part in each of our volumes of scripture
1. D&C 2
2. Malachi 4:5,6
3. 3 Nephi 25:5,6
4. JS-H: 1:38, 39
5. D&C 110:13-15
6. D&C 128:17
The frequency of scriptural references to this event must be evidence of its supernal importance. And of course, it is important. Neal A. Maxwell indicated
"What we do here is so vital, but it is actually a preparation for our labors in paradise in the spirit world. The scope in that spirit world is ten times as large as the demographics of this world" ("Our Preparation for Work in the Spirit World," excerpt from Neal A. Maxwell's address to Religious Educators: Salt Lake Tabernacle, 2 February, 2001).
That the scope of the work in the spirit world is ten times greater than here perhaps gives some explanation of the reason for the continual and repeated emphasis on the mission of Elijah. This understanding also helps us comprehend the great need for temples and abundant temple work here. Prophets have predicted a time when temples—even hundreds or thousands of them—will dot the earth. This is a remarkable prophecy for those of us who grew up when there were so few temples. When my oldest son was four, he could identify every temple in the world from its photo.
Who could do that now? And we have only begun. A resource of hundreds or thousands of temples will be necessary to provide sufficient opportunity to do the work for all of the dead.
"The fulfillment [of the promise of the coming of Elijah] came some twelve years later, on April 3, 1836. On this day Elijah appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in the Kirtland Temple and there conferred upon them his priesthood, which is the power to bind, or seal, on earth and in heaven. The keys of this priesthood were held by Elijah, to whom the Lord gave power over the elements as well as over men, with the authority to seal for time and eternity on the righteous all the ordinances pertaining to the fullness of salvation. The Prophet Joseph Smith said that Elijah was the last prophet that held the keys of this priesthood; he was to come and restore this authority in the last dispensation in order that all the ordinances of the gospel may be attained to in righteousness, and without this authority, the ordinances would not be in righteousness.
"Therefore, the restoration of this authority is the leaven that saves the earth from being utterly wasted at the coming of Jesus Christ. When we get this truth firmly and clearly fixed in our minds, it is easy to see that there would be only confusion and disaster should Christ come and the power of sealing not be here. The Lord does not recognize any ordinance or ceremony, even though it be made or performed in his name, unless it is in accordance with his will and done by one who is recognized as his authorized servant. It was for that reason that he sent from his presence holy messengers to Joseph Smith and others, to restore that which had been taken from the earth, even the fullness of the gospel, and the fullness and the keys of priesthood. In this day of restoration it was necessary not only for Elijah to come with the sealing power to make valid all the ordinances and ceremonies of the gospel, but it was also necessary that the ancient prophets who held keys of dispensations should come from the days of Adam to Peter, James, and John, and restore their authority in this the dispensation of the fulness of times. This is positively stated by Peter and Paul in their instructions to the saints of the church of Jesus Christ of former days. But we have been considering here only the coming of Elijah with the keys of sealing, placing the stamp of approval on all that is done in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints, so that it is recognized in the heavens and before the throne of God" (Joseph Fielding Smith, "The Coming of Elijah," Ensign, Jan. 1972, 5).
The prophet Malachi warned that in the destruction of the Second Coming, the wicked would be left with neither "root or branch" (Malachi 4:1). This phrase also teaches lessons about the mission of Elijah.
"But what is meant by the expression 'that it shall leave them neither root nor branch'? This expression simply means that wicked and indifferent persons who reject the gospel of Jesus Christ will have no family inheritance or patriarchal lineage—neither root (ancestors or progenitors) nor branch (children or posterity). Such persons cannot be received into the celestial kingdom of glory of resurrected beings, but must be content with a lesser blessing" (Theodore M. Burton, CR, April 1965, p. 112).
2. President Wilford Woodruff: "Somebody has got to redeem them"
President Woodruff served for a time as President of the St. George Temple It was in this temple that endowments for the dead were performed for the first time in this dispensation.
Pres. Woodruff had a most remarkable experience while laboring in that temple:
"In 1887, Elder Woodruff was appointed as the first president of the St. George Temple. Here he experienced some marvelous manifestations. It was in this temple that the signers of the Declaration of Independence appeared to him and requested that their temple work be done. As they gathered around him, they wanted to know why he did not redeem them. 'We laid the foundation of the government you now enjoy, and we never apostatized from it, but we remain true to it and were faithful to God'" (JD 19:229).
"Elder Woodruff related that they waited on him for two days and two nights as he was baptized for the signers of the Declaration of Independence and 50 other prominent men, making 100 in all. They included John Wesley, Columbus and others. He was baptized for every president of the United States until that time except three" (Church News, May 1, 1993).
Perhaps in part because of this experience, and no doubt encouraged by the whisperings of the Spirit, President Woodruff had a great affection for this work. He received and recorded a remarkable revelation regarding Family History. President Woodruff said to church members:
"You have now something more to do than you have done. We have not fully carried out those principles in fulfillment of the revelations of God to us, in the sealing of the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to the fathers.
"Then came the substance of the revelation in the simplicity of a single declarative sentence that has ushered in a most marvelous work in this dispensation: 'We want Latter day Saints from this time to trace their genealogies as far as they can, and to be sealed to their fathers and mothers. Have children sealed to their parents, and run this chain through as far as you can get it' (Italics added).
"President Woodruff said, 'In my prayers the Lord revealed to me, that it was my duty to say to all Israel to carry this principle out, and in fulfillment of that revelation, I lay it before this people. I say to all men who are laboring in these temples, carry out this principle, and then we shall make one step in advance of what we have had before. Myself and counselors conversed upon this and we were agreed upon it, and afterwards we laid it before all the Apostles who were here the Lord revealed to every one of these men—and they would bear testimony to it if they were to speak—that that was the word of the Lord to them. I never met with anything in my life in this Church that there was more unity upon than there was upon that principle. They all feel right about it, and that it is our duty'" (Deseret Evening News, May 19, 1894) [Boyd K. Packer, "The Family and Eternity,"Ensign, Feb. 1971, 8].
3. President Joseph F. Smith: "The eyes of my understanding were opened"
At the beginning of the Friday Morning session of the October 1918 General Conference, President Joseph F. Smith said,
"As most of you, I suppose, are aware, I have been undergoing a siege of very serious illness for the last five months . . . . I have not lived alone these five months. I have dwelt in the spirit of prayer, of supplication, of faith and of determination; and I have had my communication with the Spirit of the Lord continuously . . . "
The day before this sermon, Pres. Smith had received the revelation now contained in the Doctrine and Covenants as section 138.
What is the significance of the words in 138:1, 2 that describe what Pres. Smith was doing with the scriptures? How can pondering and reflecting prepare us to receive revelation? Pres. Smith does tell us that he read1 Peter 3,4 (see 138:6), but notice what he did when he had finished reading. "As I pondered over these things which are written . . . " (138:11).
In the revelation that then came to him, the Lord opened the curtain on the spirit world wider than it had ever been opened before. Read this revelation carefully, and then reflect and ponder on what we have been taught. What was the nature of the people who actually saw the Savior during his visit to the spirit world? (138:12-14) Verses 15-18 use words like deliverance, redemption from the bands of death, restored, liberty to the captives. What do these phrases suggest about the feelings we will have when we are separated from our bodies? The prospect of deliverance from the bands and chains of that separation filled them with joy and rejoicing.
What words in 138:20, 21 describe those whom he did not visit?
It was on this occasion that the most enduring and comprehensive mission in the history of this planet was organized.
" . . . from among the righteous, he organized his forces and appointed messengers, clothed with power and authority, and commissioned them to go forth and carry the light of the gospel to them that were in darkness, even to all the spirits of men; and thus was the gospel preached to the dead" (138:30).
I am not particularly excited to be assigned to work in this mission. The transfer process is tough. But the thought of being assigned to work in a district with Ammon or Paul or Wilford is intriguing. Section 138 does specify that elders who leave this life become a part of that mission.
"I beheld that the faithful elders of this dispensation, when they depart from mortal life, continue their labors in the preaching of the gospel of repentance and redemption, through the sacrifice of the Only Begotten Son of God, among those who are in darkness and under the bondage of sin in the great world of the spirits of the dead" (138:57).
4. President Gordon B. Hinckley: "We are determined . . . to take these temples to the people"
The proliferation to temple building around the world is powerful evidence of the need for this work to be done. President Hinckley's desire to make temple blessings available to members in every part of the world is a quiet affirmation of the concurrent need to make those blessings available to those who hear the good news of the gospel in every part of the spirit world. Temples offer incomparable blessings to those who receive their own endowments. Then the blessings multiply. Those whose work is performed by proxy become heirs to those same blessings, and those who perform the work are continually blessed by their presence in the temple and by the instruction and the spirit that occur in the temples.
In this regard Pres. Hinckley said:
"I have a burning desire that a temple be located within reasonable access to Latter day Saints throughout the world. We can proceed only so fast. We try to see that each temple will be in an excellent location, where there will be good neighbors over a long period of time. Real estate prices in such areas are usually high. A temple is a much more complex structure to build than an ordinary meetinghouse or stake center. It is built to a higher standard of architecture. It takes longer and costs more. The work is moving about as fast as we can go. It is my constant prayer that somehow it might be speeded up so that more of our people might have easier access to a sacred house of the Lord" (C.R., Oct. 1995, p. 77).
A short time later, President Hinckley proposed a solution to some of the problems he had mentioned in October of 1995:
" . . . there are many areas of the Church that are remote, where the membership is small and not likely to grow very much in the near future. Are those who live in these places to be denied forever the blessings of the temple ordinances? While visiting such an area a few months ago, we prayerfully pondered this question. The answer, we believe, came bright and clear.
"We will construct small temples in some of these areas, buildings with all of the facilities to administer all of the ordinances. They would be built to temple standards, which are much higher than meetinghouse standards. They would accommodate baptisms for the dead, the endowment service, sealings, and all other ordinances to be had in the Lord's house for both the living and the dead" (Gordon B. Hinckley, "Some Thoughts on Temples, Retention of Converts, and Missionary Service,"Ensign, Nov. 1997, 49).
As we consider the scope of this work on both sides of the veil, we begin to see the cause behind some of the events we might have called tragedies.
"We cannot control what I call 'the great transfer board in the sky.' It's out of our control. And the inconveniences that are sometimes associated with releases from labors here are necessary in order to accelerate the work there. Heavenly Father can't do His work with ten times more people that we have on this planet except He will on occasion take some of the very best sisters and brothers. And the conditions of termination here, painful though they are, are part of the conditions of acceleration there. And we're back to faith and the timing of God. And to be able to say, 'Thy will be done' (and I would paraphrase it, "thy timing be done") is part of letting Him know we will be submissive in that situation too, even when we do not fully understand it" ("Our Preparation for Work in the Spirit World," excerpt from Neal A. Maxwell's address to Religious Educators: Salt Lake Tabernacle, 2 February, 2001).
There is such a great work to be done among our departed sisters and brothers. And we have only begun to get it done. President Kimball said of this work,
"The day is coming not too far ahead of us when all temples on this earth will be going day and night. There will be shifts and people will be coming in the morning hours and in the night hours and in the day hours . . . day and night almost to exhaustion, because of the importance of the work and the great number of people who lie asleep in eternity . . . " (From You to Your Ancestors, Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints, 1978, p. 2).
Lead image from Shutterstock
Joseph F. Smith Wilford Woodruff Doctrine and Covenants Church History Gordon B. Hinckley Sunday School Temples
Ted L. Gibbons
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Editor's note: "Resources to Follow Him" curates study resources, teachings, and thoughts to deepen your study of this week's Come, Follow Me.


Baijiu is one of the quintessence of China's culture. It has found its way into the philosophy, etiquette, literature, sociality, food and many other fields and is accepted as a special drink for traditional ritual and socializing occasions. As time changes, the traditional baijiu culture in pursuit of high degree of alcohol and table manners has been revolutionize along with its history. The traditional culture needs to advance with the times, and the traditional products should be integrated with the contemporary culture.
Jiangxiaobai is the leading baijiu brand of Jiangji Distillery, known as JOYBO as its English name. Jiangxiaobai takes the responsibility that plans to bring the gaoliang liquor back to the young generation's table, and contributed a lot in the following aspects.
First, to lower down the spicy taste of traditional Chinese baijiu. Second, to insist on the brand spirit which highlights PURE, UNIQUE and DIFFERENT to bring forward the fashionable trend of traditional gaoliang liquor.
Jiangxiaobai (hereinafter referring to Jiangji Distillery) is contributing to the renaissance of this traditional drink, and advocates the practices of making baijiu increasingly palatable and fashionable while inheriting the traditional technology.
Jiangxiaobai has never stopped the innovation and research of the methods to make baijiu more acceptable and delicious, and dedicates to crafting wonderful flavor Chinese baijiu. We summarized the standard as SLP (Smooth, Light and Pure) product code, which stands for smooth, light and pure respectively.
3. Pure: namely clean, no unwanted smell and taste.
1. Through making use of several key technical methods which including using the red husk sticky sorghum as the single grain choice, using the natural quartzite stone pits and traditional Sichuan light flavor baijiu crafting skills, Jiangxiaobai removes the unwanted smell and flavor and gets a clear and pure body and authentic taste.
2. We have successfully overcome the major technical difficulties of making high quality low-degree baijiu, namely the unclear liquor body and prominent water taste, finally Jiangxiaobai lowered the liquor degree to 25, 35 and 40 degrees and take these series as the pillar products, which are far lower than the traditional liquor of 53 and 52 degrees so as to provide perfect choices of light flavor baijiu.
3. To lower the drunken degree is to minimize the content of complex components and ease the physical burden brought by the decomposition of complex components. In the trace components of Jiangxiaobai liquor body, the content of aldehydes, higher alcohols and other complex components is much lower than that of other products compared to the products by its counterparts in this industry.
As China plays an increasingly significant role in the global political, economic and cultural fields, China's culture and products have gained more and more attention in the international arena. Based on the results from adequate market research and consumer survey, Jiangxiaobai started the international presence since 2016 with the Korean market as the first step. With important advantages including the smooth taste, palatability, low pungent feel, pure liquor and no miscellaneous smell, low drunken degree, and no physical burden after drinking and floral aromas, the liquor rapidly got the favor of local consumers. Depending on the advantages of products and unique cultural reputation, Jiangxiaobai attracted more and more attention from overseas partners, who have expressed their cooperation intentions.
During the globalization, Jiangxiaobai not only adheres to brewing the Chinese gaoliang liquor with high quality but also continues to optimize and upgrade the product from the aspect of taste, smell, product packaging and aesthetic design to reach the all-round globalization. In addition, it hopes that more and more people from different countries may understand and accept Chinese baijiu, and eventually fall in love with Chinese baijiu.


text:
The Papers >
Affidavit from Andrew M. Hamilton and James B. Hamilton, 20 December 1843, Thomas Bullock Third Copy
Andrew M. Hamilton and
James B. Hamilton
July 1814–20 Oct. 1904. Brick maker, farmer, minister. Born in Tennessee. Married Levisa McQwiten, 15 Nov. 1832, in Edwards Co., Illinois. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, before 5 May 1839. Moved to Missouri. Ordained a seventy,...
, Affidavit, before
22 June 1806–10 May 1877. Farmer, gunmaker. Born in Haddam, Middlesex Co., Connecticut. Son of Didymus Johnson and Ruhamah Stephens. Joined Methodist church, early 1820s. Married Polly Zeruah Kelsey, 13 Sept. 1827, in New Haven, New Haven Co., Connecticut...
Hancock Co.
Formed from Pike Co., 1825. Described in 1837 as predominantly prairie and "deficient in timber." Early settlers came mainly from mid-Atlantic and southern states. Population in 1835 about 3,200; in 1840 about 9,900; and in 1844 at least 15,000. Carthage ...
, IL, 20 Dec. 1843; handwriting of
Thomas Bullock
23 Dec. 1816–10 Feb. 1885. Farmer, excise officer, secretary, clerk. Born in Leek, Staffordshire, England. Son of Thomas Bullock and Mary Hall. Married Henrietta Rushton, 25 June 1838. Moved to Ardee, Co. Louth, Ireland, Nov. 1839; to Isle of Anglesey, Aug...
; one page; JS Office Papers, CHL.
Hide editing marks
State of Illinois) Ss
On the 20th. day of December 1843 personally appeared before me
a Justice of the Peace in and for said
, Andrew M. Hamilton and
Bear Creek precinct
Named after stream that rises near Carthage, Illinois, and flows southwest into Mississippi River. JS arrested in area, 5 June 1841, by Adams Co., Illinois, sheriff Thomas King, acting on warrant from Illinois governor Thomas Carlin, who planned to deliver...
in said
, and being duly sworn depose and say, that on the evening of the second day of December 1843 at Vernon Dotys Mill in said
, Colonel
Levi Williams
18 Apr. 1794–27 Nov. 1860. Postmaster, farmer, military officer. Born in Madison Co., Kentucky. Married Mary (Polly) Reid. Moved to Hancock Co., Illinois, ca. 1831, eventually settling in Green Plains. Served in Black Hawk War, 1832. Served as captain in ...
of said
as principal, John Williams his Son, William Middleton of the County of Clark and State of
; Captn. Mc.Koy [Joseph McCoy] of said county of Clark and State of
; John Fox of Green Plains Precinct, and about a dozen other men armed with Pistols, Dirks, and Bowie Knives, came forcibly upon
Daniel Avery
1 July 1797–16 Oct. 1851. Farmer, carpenter. Born in Oswego Co., New York. Son of Daniel Avery and Sarah. Moved to Franklin Co., Ohio, by 1821. Married Margaret Adams, 4 Jan. 1821, in Franklin Co. Moved to Worthington, Franklin Co., by Sept. 1825; to Perry...
at said Doty's Mill, and seized and bound him; The said
told them to stand off; they said they had a Writ; he observed he would not resist legal authority: They said they would take said
Located at foot of Des Moines rapids of Mississippi River at site of three military forts: Fort Johnson (1814), Cantonment Davis (1815–1818), and Fort Edwards (1816–1824). First settlers participated in fur trade. Important trade and shipping center. Post...
and there try him: the said
replied "I understand you, you will take me to
and then pass me over the
[Mississippi] River
Principal U.S. river running southward from Itasca Lake, Minnesota, to Gulf of Mexico. Covered 3,160-mile course, 1839 (now about 2,350 miles). Drains about 1,100,000 square miles. Steamboat travel on Mississippi very important in 1830s and 1840s for shipping...
," some of said Gang then shouted "lay hold of him, God damn him, lay hold of him, there's no need of parleying": at which Colonel
with a large Bowie Knife in his hand, and others, then forced the said
to submit, telling him, (without a Writ) that his life would be taken if he did not submit. They then tied him with Silk Handkerchiefs; Colonel
and another person then led the said
away, and as they passed your affiants within the distance of about four rods; the said
cried out to one of your said affiants "Tell my friends where I am gone."
Coll. Williams
told said
to hold his peace, for it was of no use: William Middleton then got a horse and after tying him upon said horse as sworn to before by another witness, they then conveyed him to
without Writ or trial as your affiants verily believe. And further your affiants say not.
Andrew M. Hamilton
Subscribed and sworn to this 20th. day of December 1843—— before me—
A. Johnson
— J. P. [p. [1]]
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1. The list of authorized holders of SDRs, apart from the Fund itself and members, has grown to 13 but is not closed. The terms and conditions prescribed by the Fund for all these "other holders" are the same. Other holders have begun to hold and deal in SDRs. The authorization of the Fund is not necessary for the use of the SDR as a unit of account or means of payment under contracts.
2. Increasing use is made of the SDR as a unit of account in the financial activities of the Fund and other international organizations, and for the purposes of new conventions or amendments of existing conventions. The Convention concerning International Transport by Rail for which the acronym, derived from the French text, is COTIF, has novel features in its provisions for increasing the limits on liability expressed in SDRs. These provisions might become a precedent for dealing with the widespread problem of adapting such limits in treaties. A procedure of the kind that is included in the COTIF would be an alternative to indexation, to which a number of states object.
3. The use of the SDR as unit of account in financial and commercial transactions can have reciprocal effects in encouraging the further use of the SDR. Not much evidence is available of use in commerce. FASB Statement No. 52 makes provision for the SDR and Lloyd's has developed a form of contract for salvage that incorporates the provisions on the SDR in the Convention on Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims, 1976 in advance of the effective date of the Convention. The amendment of the Convention of the International Telecommunication Union means that the SDR will be the unit of account for recognized private operating agencies as well as for official administrations.
4. The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) has recommended that the SDR should be the preferred unit of account in conventions or revised conventions, particularly of global application, that contain provisions on the limitation of liability. The possibility of a second monetary unit for the benefit of nonmembers of the Fund is mentioned, but this possibility does not derogate from the choice of the SDR as the preferred solution.
5. UNCITRAL has responded to the request for study of a unit of account of constant purchasing power for use in conventions by recommending the alternatives of a price index appropriate for the particular convention and a special procedure for considering increases in the limits on liability. The latter alternative, perhaps based on the COTIF precedent, seems more likely to be adopted.
6. The Managing Director's summing up endorsed by the Executive Board decision of April 9, 1982 after review of the Fund's principles and procedures for surveillance over the exchange rate policies of its members contains important statements of the constitutional law and practice of the Fund, particularly in clarifying the functions of the Managing Director, the Executive Board, individual Executive Directors, and the staff in surveillance.
7. The summing up encourages members to discuss with the Fund, and in the Fund, the aspects of their policies that have or can have an adverse impact on other members. Members are exhorted also to cooperate by giving serious attention to the views and conclusions of the Executive Board.
8. The need for symmetry in surveillance among all classes of members is emphasized, but a symmetry that does not overlook differences in circumstances among members.
9. The summing up explains that the effectiveness of surveillance can be enhanced if it is exercised not only in relation to members individually but also within a multilateral framework. The idea is adumbrated of conducting consultations with a group of industrial countries or with those among them whose currencies compose the SDR basket.
10. The duty of members to provide comprehensive and prompt information on their exchange rate practices and changes in them is emphasized as essential to the effectiveness of surveillance.
11. The seven Heads of State and Government who participated in the Versailles Summit Meeting in June 1982 attached to their communiqué a joint statement on monetary undertakings in which they reiterated their support of Article IV and the Fund's principles for the guidance of members, declared their intention to strengthen cooperation with the Fund, and referred to their willingness to develop multilateral procedures, particularly among those members whose currencies are included in the SDR basket.
12. The Second Amendment, in permitting members freedom to choose their exchange arrangements, does not absolve them from the necessity of obtaining the Fund's approval of multiple currency practices in accordance with the Articles. It continues to be the law that the provisions on transitional arrangements do not authorize members to introduce or adapt multiple currency practices without the approval of the Fund.
13. The Second Amendment has made changes in the law relating to multiple currency practices as a result of the abrogation of the par value system. In particular, differential exchange rates that develop without official action by a member or its fiscal agencies no longer constitute multiple currency practices.
14. The Fund has adopted a new decision on multiple currency practices that establishes guidelines for determining when official action that produces differential exchange rates will be considered a multiple currency practice. The decision deals with official action relating to spreads between the buying and the selling rate for another member's currency and deviations in the exchange rates for transactions in a member's exchange market from the rates that would be derived for these transactions from transactions in other members' exchange markets.
15. The Fund may be concerned with exchange rates under Article IV even though differential exchange rates in a member's exchange market are not multiple currency practices under the new decision.
16. The new decision deals with the Fund's policies on the approval of multiple currency practices. Past policies are substantially unchanged.
17. Legal consequences flow from the absence of authorization or approval of a member's multiple currency practice: (i) the member is in breach of its obligations under the Articles, and the Fund may react in accordance with the Articles; (ii) the member may be automatically unable to use the Fund's resources under a stand-by or extended arrangement in the present standard form; (iii) the member may be unable to borrow under agreements with official or private entities that are tied to a stand-by or extended arrangement approved by the Fund; (iv) the Fund may find that the member is not meeting the conditions of the two compensatory financing facilities, but this reaction would not be automatic; (v) exchange contracts contrary to exchange control regulations prescribing a multiple currency practice that is not consistent with the Articles are not unenforceable under Article VIII, Section 2(b); (vi) the invalidity under the Articles of a member's multiple currency practice may affect the question of the validity of the exchange rate under the member's domestic law; (vii) the administration of other treaties, and in particular the application of various provisions of the GATT, may be affected.
18. Discriminatory currency arrangements in the form of broken cross rates are more likely under present exchange arrangements, either by design or inadvertence. The Fund has not adopted a general decision on discriminatory currency arrangements comparable to the decision on multiple currency practices, but principles relating to discriminatory currency arrangements can be drawn from decisions and the Fund's practice. Nine principles are formulated. A decision of the Court of Justice of the European Communities on alleged discrimination under the Treaty of Rome emphasized practical effect and not formulation as the test of prohibited discrimination. Therefore, differences based, directly or indirectly, on currency are not automatically discriminatory.
19. The variability of exchange rates has produced many effects in international and national monetary law and practice. One effect is the growing use of units of account. The role of the SDR is referred to in paragraphs 2–5 above. Some members of the European Community have taken steps to assimilate the ECU to foreign currencies in order to promote its use as a unit of account and a means of payment.
20. The floating of sterling, as well as other major currencies, has led to the revolutionary Miliangos doctrine, according to which English courts can now give judgments expressed in foreign currency and under which the rate of exchange at the date of payment applies if settlement is made in sterling. The effects of the doctrine have spread through many aspects of English law. The law as developed by the courts has been provisionally endorsed by the English Law Commission. The reasonable foreseeability of fluctuation by the parties is relevant for some purposes, but it is submitted that foreseeability should be presumed in present conditions.
21. The Miliangos doctrine has affected the solution of exchange rate problems in jurisdictions in which the doctrine does not prevail. The doctrine is likely to have these effects in jurisdictions in which English judicial decisions have persuasive influence. One Canadian court, however, has criticized the "instability" introduced by the Miliangos doctrine into the law of foreign currency obligations.
22. The English Law Commission has provisionally endorsed the economic principle that the rate of interest awarded by a judgment should be related to the currency of the judgment. This principle should be taken into account when plaintiffs are considering the currency in which to formulate their claims. Courts should apply an economic analysis, however, to ensure that the combination of currency of judgment, exchange rate, and rate of interest does not result in overcompensation.
23. Courts should apply an appropriate exchange rate when called upon to translate a foreign currency into the currency of the forum without reference to the consistency of the exchange rate with the issuing member's obligations under the Articles (unless Article VIII, Section 2(b) applies). Only actual rates of exchange can do justice between parties. Problems of the legality under the Articles of the exchange rate for a member's currency involve only the Fund and members.
24. The Articles do not prescribe or prohibit the Miliangos doctrine. But the effect of Article VIII, Section 2(b) may be to prevent recovery in a currency if recovery would be contrary to the exchange control regulations of another member. The absence of a multilateral international agreement on the Miliangos doctrine may encourage "forum shopping" by plaintiffs or the adoption of provisions in agreements for damages that reflect exchange losses because the Miliangos doctrine does not apply.
25. Legal consequences flow from the observance or failure to observe accepted standards of accounting. The variability of exchange rates has intensified problems of accounting. FASB Statement No. 52 in the United States prefers current exchange rates in lieu of historic exchange rates as recommended earlier by FASB Statement No. 8. The use of current exchange rates, however, may not always produce the most desirable results, as is illustrated by a change in one central bank's accounting for its external assets.
26. Problems of the equitable allocation of exchange risks arise between the parties that have entered into a transaction with each other or among parties that have entered into individual transactions with a common opposite entity. The Miliangos doctrine is addressed to problems of the first kind; the principles for distributions in bankruptcy or liquidation are addressed to problems of the second kind. In the choice of one exchange rate rather than another, the Miliangos doctrine gives an advantage to one party and a correlative disadvantage to the other party when the exchange rate is compared with other conceivable choices. In bankruptcy or liquidation, equal treatment, whether advantageous or disadvantageous, for all creditors is the objective in selecting a rate of exchange. The Currency Pooling System of the World Bank is designed to deal with a problem of the second kind. The equal value principle of the Fund as applied to transactions in SDRs deals with a combination of the two kinds of problem.
27. Courts are working their way toward an idea of normal protection against exchange risks that a party should arrange in the present conditions of variable exchange rates. A party's legal position may be affected if it does not arrange this protection up to the due date for payment or possibly up to the date of actual payment when payment is delayed, on the principle that it is choosing to assume exchange risks. The Articles may affect exchange rates for forward transactions.
28. The variability of exchange rates is responsible for a tendency to provide for the adaptation of features of legal instruments that are affected by fluctuations. Buffer stock agreements are examples of this tendency. Provision is made for special procedures to consider the adaptation of financial aspects of the agreement and to deal with them once the procedure is invoked. Another legal technique in other instruments is to provide for automatic adaptations as the result of changes in exchange rates. Present and proposed currency adjustment factors in the maritime industry are examples of this technique. The construction of a formula for adaptation that is satisfactory to all interests may be a difficult undertaking. The case for or against the SDR as the basic datum in a formula has been considered. The specific interests of a trade have a bearing on the acceptability of the SDR as the unit of account in that branch of commerce.
29. The Gold Commission was appointed under statutory direction in the United States to study and make recommendations on the policy of the United States Government concerning the role of gold domestically and internationally. The Commission reported in March 1982 and made recommendations that ranged from matters of minor domestic interest in the United States to matters of the broadest international impact.
30. The Commission was not in favor of restoring a par value system based on gold as the common denominator or in favor of a further "restitution" of the Fund's gold to members that had transferred gold to the Fund. Restitution was opposed so that the gold could be retained by the Fund for possible use in various contingencies, including the restoration of a par value system with gold as the common denominator. The report does not consider what amendments of the Articles would be necessary if an international gold standard were to be instituted or were to evolve within a group of countries or multilaterally.
31. Courts continue to be faced with the problem of applying legal provisions that limit liability by reference to a unit of account defined in terms of gold because the amendment of existing treaties or the substitution of new treaties under which the SDR will be the unit of account has not yet become effective. Various solutions have been applied by courts in different countries or even in the same country. The Netherlands Supreme Court has applied the SDR on the basis of the former definiton of the SDR in terms of gold and the definition of the gold unit of account in a treaty. An appellate court in the United States has decided that provisions based on a gold unit of account will be unenforceable.
32. Some members have adopted legislation or regulations directing how gold units of account are to be translated into the domestic currency.


text:
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