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Een stemacteur (soms ook stemartiest) is een persoon die zijn stem leent aan personages in audiovisuele media of voice-overwerk verricht. Hij spreekt bijvoorbeeld radioreclameboodschappen in, geeft commentaar bij documentaires of spreekt de stemmen van tekenfilmfiguren in.

Een wereldberoemde stemacteur is Mel Blanc, die zijn stem leende aan de cartoonhelden Bugs Bunny en Woody Woodpecker. Een zeer bekende stemacteur uit de 21e eeuw is Nolan North, die vooral stemmen inspreekt voor computerspellen. Hij leende zijn stem onder andere aan Deadpool, Nathan Drake en Desmond Miles.

Stemacteren
Bij de ontwikkeling van een teken- of animatiefilm worden de (originele) stemacteurs gevraagd om een personage in te spreken voordat deze wordt uitgetekend. De animators zorgen er daarna voor dat de bewegingen en het acteren van het personage passen bij de ingesproken stem. Dit kan alleen bij de originele versie van een film. Voor andere talen zal er altijd gebruik moeten worden gemaakt van nasynchronisatie, die moet passen op de bewegingen van het personage zijn of haar mond.

Bij motion capture worden naast de stem ook de bewegingen van de acteur in de film verwerkt, zonder de acteur zelf te tonen.

Voice-over
De voice-over is een stem die het verhaal vertelt, de introductie doet of het commentaar verzorgt in een film, televisieprogramma, reclameboodschap of documentaire. Het belangrijkste verschil met nasynchronisatie is dat de stem niet synchroon hoeft te lopen met de oorspronkelijke stem en dat één voice-overstem gebruikt kan worden om alle oorspronkelijke stemmen te vertalen.

Computerspellen
Bij het inspreken van computerspellen wordt vaak een combinatie van motion capture en stemacteren gebruikt.

Bekende Engelstalige stemacteurs voor computerspellen zijn:

Nasynchroniseren
Het nasynchroniseren (inspreken) van tekenfilms gebeurt ook in het Nederlandse taalgebied al heel lang. Vroeger waren er maar een tiental stemmen die regelmatig gebruikt werden. Bekende stemmen van vroeger zijn die van Ger Smit, Frans van Dusschoten, Paul van Gorcum en Elsje Scherjon, vooral bekend van series als de Bereboot en De Fabeltjeskrant. Ook Maria Lindes en Trudy Libosan (die al deelnam aan de 'hoorspelkern') spreken nog steeds veel stemmen in. Sinds de jaren negentig werden ook steeds vaker 'live-actionfilms' nagesynchroniseerd, die niet of slechts ten dele geanimeerd zijn en waarin de originele acteurs worden nagesynchroniseerd in het Nederlands, zoals de films uit de Harry Potter-reeks, 101 Dalmatiërs, 102 Dalmatiërs en Bratz The Movie.

Stemregie
Als een stemacteur veel ervaring heeft opgedaan, kan hij de taak van stemregisseur gaan uitvoeren, een speciale discipline in het regisseursvak. Naast de dramaturgische kennis van de film of serie heeft de regisseur de eindredactie over de vertaling, moet hij/zij de beslissing nemen welke tekst definitief wordt ingesproken, en moet hij of zij verstand hebben van het gebruik van de stem, over hoe een stem moet klinken en hoe de tekst goed synchroon kan lopen met het beeld.

Bekende Engelstalige filmacteurs als stemacteur

Nederlandstalige nasynchronisatie
Ook in Nederland en Vlaanderen lenen diverse acteurs hun stem. In het Nederlandse taalgebied zijn Nederlandse stemacteurs oververtegenwoordigd, doordat de Vlaamse omroepen soms, maar steeds minder, gebruikmaken van Nederlandse nasynchronisatiestudio's, waarvoor vooral uit Nederland afkomstige acteurs werken. Ook een aantal Vlaamse presentatoren wordt vaak gebruikt als stemacteur.

Bekende stemacteurs die nasynchronisatie inspreken zijn onder andere:

Zie ook

Nasynchronisatie
Acteur


News & Work-In-Progress » 09-01-2018 11:09 Info. NTK-Framework v1.16P.1a Winter'17 available to download.
NTK-Framework Premium Edition v1.16P.1a-Winter'17 is now available as a minor upgrade patch.
Just a few fixes, minor enhancements in NTKClass.Lib & NTKReport.Lib.


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Die Villa Rustica von Carisbrooke ist ein römischer Gutshof (Villa rustica) auf der Gemarkung von Carisbrooke, einem Dorf auf der Isle of Wight (Vectis), nahe beim Lukely Brook, einem Zubringerfluss zum River Medina.

Die Villa wurde 1859 entdeckt und ausgegraben. Erneute Grabungen fanden 1969 statt. Die Villa bestand wahrscheinlich zunächst nur aus einem einzigen Raum. Im Laufe der Zeit wurde dieser kleine Bau erweitert und weitere Räume wurden hinzugefügt. Vor allem im Süden wurde eine dreischiffige Halle errichtet. Am Südende der Halle wurde zu einem unbestimmten Zeitpunkt ein Bad eingebaut. Mehrere Räume in der Villa waren mit Mosaiken ausgestattet. Im zentralen Raum, der auch den zuerst erbauten Raum darstellt, gab es ein einfaches Mosaik, das im Zentrum mit einem Schachbrettmuster dekoriert war. Die verwendeten Steine waren rot und weiß. In einem daneben liegenden Raum fand sich ein aufwändigeres Mosaik mit einem Kantharos in der Mitte und stilisierten floralen und geometrischen Mustern. Im selben Raum fanden sich auch Reste von qualitätsvollen Wandmalereien. Das Mosaik dieses Raumes erhielt nach der Ausgrabung ein Schutzdach, wurde aber im Laufe der Zeit vernachlässigt und ist heute zum großen Teil verloren.

Literatur
 David S. Neal, Stephen R. Cosh: Roman Mosaics of Britain, Volume III, South-East Britain, Part I, London 2009, ISBN 978-0-85431-289-4, S. 291–283.

Carisbrooke
Carisbrooke
Bauwerk auf der Isle of Wight

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Telemachus: What Has Happened to All of the 'Anti-Establishment' Boomers We Knew Growing Up?
What Has Happened to All of the 'Anti-Establishment' Boomers We Knew Growing Up?
With similar, less family-friendly words like these, John Belushi as Bluto in 'Animal House' became a 'true leader' and led his fraternity brothers on 'a really futile and stupid gesture'…and wound up becoming U.S. Senator John Blutarsky, if you will remember.
Scott Brown's election to the U.S. Senate last night to represent the Commonwealth of Massachusetts makes us wonder if the Boomers are now returning to their roots of 'anti-bigness'...or is this just one 'really futile and stupid gesture on someone's part'?
We think his election reflects a basic fundamental shift going on in the population towards independent voting, a growing rejection of 'big' political parties and a general attitude of social libertarianism and very strong fiscal conservatism that defies any current political labels.
We have been wondering how the same generation of Boomers that grew up in the rebellious '60's and early '70s hating everything 'big' such as Big Business/ Big Government, could now be entirely comfortable with the Federal Government running every aspect of our health care system and passing more and more bills to make the federal government even 'bigger' than it already is!
Has anyone been to the DMV or Post Office lately? The U.S. Federal Government is as 'Big and Bad' as they come in terms of size, inefficiency and cost since the beginning of time or at least the Roman Empire.
We worked in and around the federal government for a couple of decades and we can promise you that if anything happened quickly, like in less than a year, with 100% exact predicted results and way under-budget, we did not see it. Ever.
We thought we were going to be the Golden Age Generation that was going to do things way differently than our parents (God Forbid!) and in a way that empowered every single person's soul, didn't we? We were supposed to "teach the world to sing in perfect harmony' and all that…or are you having trouble remembering?
For a generation that grew up with such idealism and hope, when, what, how and why did we start believing that "Big Anything!" was a 'good idea'?
Didn't we see a lot of "Question Authority" bumper stickers (remember those?) back then on our Pintos and Ford Falcons? Was there anything that was big, powerful, or represented a concentration of control over something or somebody else that we didn't just feel like was 'wrong' in our guts and hearts?
-The Vietnam War was caused by the 'big' bad old 'military-industrial complex' controlled by the federal government and expansionist American policies under President LBJ.
-ITT and Textron were two negative examples of 'bad' 'multi-national corporations' that were far more interested in profit than doing the right thing.
-"Big" government fostered 'police brutality' and 'illegal wars' overseas such as the overthrow of Salvador Allende in Chile.
"Nothing good will ever came out of anything 'big'", or so we were told and thought in the late '60s and early '70s.
What the heck happened to our 'revolutionary spirit' between the 1970's and now? What evidence have we seen or heard that makes anyone believe big institutions or big governments actually work better and more efficiently than smaller, decentralized units?
We broke away from the King of England because, supposedly, we didn't like being part of their massive Empire, much less paying for it with unfair taxation policies, didn't we?
Do we really want the United States of America to have such massive federal and state governments now 220 years later? Senator Scott Brown replacing Ted Kennedy last night seems to be about as direct of a statement by the voters that they have had enough and are taking things back into their own hands.
This is not an isolated single 'senseless and futile act' by a bunch of rabble-rousers and angry Tea Party people. Watch and see. 'Something is happening here...what it is ain't exactly clear'...yet.


Ahoy hoy all, if you attended our workshop today at English UK London, you can download the accompanying slides here.
If you missed out, we were chatting about revisiting texts and using them to develop skills. Check out the slides and let us know if you have any questions.


What is the importance of starting at 3 years old and experiencing the Early Years environment?
Maria Montessori said learning between three and six years old (the Absorbent Period) takes place spontaneously without effort, leading children to enter Junior Primary with a clear, concrete sense of many abstract concepts. Montessori helps children to become self-motivated, self-disciplined, and to retain the sense of curiosity that so many children lose along the way in traditional classrooms. They tend to act with care and respect toward their environment and each other. They are able to work at their own pace and ability. The three-year Montessori experience tends to nurture a joy of learning that prepares them for further challenges.
When starting some three year-olds begin with half days on a few days a week, but it's not long before they are ready to do more and want to do more. We offer a part-time (2 and 3 day) program for Early Years (ages 3-6) which runs alongside the fulltime program (5 days a week).
Please email us at enrolments@montessori.qld.edu.au if you're interested in finding out more.


Ankle Injury Claims Guide – How Much Compensation Can I Claim For A Ankle Personal Injury? – How To Claim?
The ankle is a complicated joint. It is crucial in supporting the leg, helping us to walk and run. We tend to think that an ankle injury is something that affects sports people, and they are often associated with exercise. If you have had an ankle injury, such as a fractured ankle, sprained ankle, or have twisted your ankle and are reading this guide you will know that ankle injuries do not have to be either related to or caused by exercise. Walking on uneven ground or a simple fall could cause you to suffer serious soft tissue injuries, such as damage to the ligaments supporting the joint.
In this guide, we will look in detail at the circumstances in which you could suffer an ankle injury, as well as looking at some of the most common types of ankle injury suffered in the UK. We will then advise you on the best way to make a personal injury claim for compensation and answer common questions such as "how much can I claim for an ankle injury?". We have also included our contact details at the bottom of this guide.
Ankle Injury Compensation Calculator – How Much Can You Claim?
What Is An Ankle Injury?
Time Limits – How Long Do I Have To Claim Compensation?
The ankle in an important joint and even a simple ankle injury, such as a twisted ankle, can have a big impact on you. As the ankle joint bears the bulk of our weight, it is hardly a surprise that ankle injuries are quite common. In the majority of instances, they will have been caused by everyday activities. You could have simply been walking down the street and tripped over a paving slab. Whilst we can all be a bit clumsy sometimes and cause ourselves an accident, your ankle injury could also be the result of another person's negligence or error. If your ankle injury was caused by another party, we could be able to help you claim compensation.
Some headline statistics surrounding ankle injuries show their prevalence. According to the British Medical Journal, 14% of people attending an A&E with a sprained ankle were classed as a severe ankle injury. This equates to 42,000 with a severely sprained ankle. To find out the answer to questions such as "can I sue for a sprained ankle?" please read the rest of our guide below.
If you have found this advice guide you may have already searched for a personal injury claims calculator to check how much your injury is worth. Whilst such tools may be good for illustrative purposes, they can not tell you the exact amount that you could be awarded. Put simply, there is not accurate average ankle injury claim which we can quote to you. This is why we have not included an ankle injury compensation calculator in our guide. Instead in the table below we have included details of compensation bands for different levels of ankle injury. These figures are taken from the 2018 updated guidelines from the Judicial College. These recommendations are followed by personal injury solicitors and the courts' system.
Very severe £43,900 to £61,110 Injuries falling into this bracket are 'limited' and 'unusual'. Examples include a bilateral fracture causing degeneration in the joint.
Severe £27,450 to £43,900 Injuries which require an extensive rehabilitation period.
Moderate Up to £12,050 Less serious fractures, sprains and ligaments.
Modest £4,820 Injuries will be resolved in a short amount of time.
Remember, we recommend not using online ankle injury compensation calculators other than this table as they may provide you with a false expectation of the value of your injury.
When looking at answering a question such as "how much compensation will I get for a broken ankle?" we need to look at the way compensation settlements are put together and what can be included in them.
How much you will get for an injury such as a broken ankle will be calculated by combining settlements for general damages, the injury itself and special damages, other financial costs incurred because of the accident or injury. We have looked at general damages in the above section and provided up to date examples of compensation settlements.
As stated, special damages are designed to compensate you for the financial effect of your accident and the injuries suffered.
You may find that whilst care is available via the NHS, better care is available in the private sector. You may also need to make contributions towards prescription medication.
Travel expenses which are incurred because of your accident, such as travelling to the hospital, doctors or other medical facilities can also be recovered.
Depending on the severity of your injury, you may find that you needed to take time off to recover. You could lose both income and workplace benefits, such as pension contributions. Your personal injury claim can compensate you for these losses.
For an accurate assessment of how much your ankle injury settlement amount could be worth, talk to a personal injury solicitor.
Your ankle is one of the more complex joints in the body. It has to move through a variety of different plains of motion, rotate and support the body. The joint is made up of several bones, tendons, and ligaments. With a variety of tissue types and functions, the joint is susceptible to a variety of injuries. These include a fractured ankle, twisted ankle, sprains & strains, as well as dislocations.
An injury to any part of the ankle can be very painful and due to the joints function, they can place a severe restriction on your ability to walk and move about. Even minor injuries can result in you needing to take time off and rest the joint.
The talus (foot bone above the heel).
Each of the bumps of bone in your ankle also have specific names.
The bump on the inside of your ankle is called the base of the tibia and is called the medial malleolus.
You can feel a bump on the back of your ankle is again part of the base of the tibia. It is called the posterior malleolus.
At the low end of the fibula, on the outer side of the ankle, you can find the lateral malleolus.
The purpose of the ankle is to allow your foot to move up and down. Below the ankle joint is the subtalar joint. This is the joint allowing side-to-side movement. Surrounding these two joints are ligaments which bind the bones to each other and to the foot.
Lacerations, cuts and severe bruises.
The most common type of injury are ankle sprains and strains. Whilst these can be a relatively simple injury, they can still take between two and six weeks to recover from. In the meantime, you may not be able to properly walk or be able to work. Those injuries which are the most painful may also not be those which take longest to heal. A dislocated ankle is more painful than a ligament injury. But the ligament may take longer to heal.
There will be a significant variation in how severe ankle injuries are and their effects on you. However, even if you have a simpler injury, as long as you can show that someone else was responsible for your accident, you could be able to claim for an ankle injury.
As we have seen, there are several bones in the ankle and the subtalar joint which could be broken or fractured. You can find out more about fractures and breaks, such as a broken ankle, here. The most severe forms of a fractured ankle might require surgery to correct. In some cases, the break or fracture may also damage the supporting ligaments and surrounding tissues. These type of injury will take a little longer to heal and will restrict your mobility whilst you recover. To find out whether you can claim compensation for talus fracture and how much you can claim for a fractured ankle, talk to our experts today.
There are two main types of ankle sprain which you can claim for. These are an inversion ankle sprain and an eversion ankle sprain. You could make a personal injury claim for either type of sprained ankle.
These happen when you roll your ankle inwards or when you twist your ankle in an inverted way. This stretches and damages the lateral ligaments. It a very common type of sprain and in the majority of cases is quite mild.
In these cases, the sprain is caused by your foot turning inwards, rather than outwards. Again, this will affect the ligaments in the ankle. It is less common and can be more serious than the previous category.
If you have twisted, sprained or strained your ankle, you could make an ankle ligament injury claim.
How your ankle injury will be treated and the length of time it will take to heal will depend on the type of injury suffered and its severity. Broadly, the treatment of an ankle injury can be broken into three types. These three are treatments for an ankle fracture, treatment of sprains and treatment of tendon injuries.
Depending on how serious these are there may be cases where invasive or surgical treatment is necessary to correct any damage. In other cases, they can be treated with a combination of rest and recovery. To make a claim for an ankle injury, please contact our advisors today to find out more.
Slips and falls on the street, or whilst walking on private property.
Slips and falls caused by wet or damaged floors.
Car crashes or other road traffic accidents.
Remember, whilst you are often owed a duty of care by drivers of vehicles, public bodies responsible for maintaining the pavement or a shop, you must also exercise your own common sense. If you make a personal injury claim for a sprained ankle or other forms of injury, the courts will determine the degree of negligence the party you are bringing a claim against had.
On average, ankle injury claims will very often involve a slip, trip or a fall. These can happen anywhere from the street to a public park, when crossing the road, in a shop or restaurant or whilst at work. No matter when you slipped or fell over, if another part was responsible for the accident, such as a local authority failing to repair and maintain pavements, you could claim for an ankle injury settlement.
If you suffered a sprain or strain because of a slip or fall accident in a public park, on the street, or when crossing the road, you could make a sprained ankle injury claim against the council.
However, if you suffered a broken or fractured ankle due to a fall in a shopping center, supermarket, or restaurant because they had not observed their duty of care as an occupier, you could make a personal injury claim for your broken ankle against them.
If you are unsure of who was responsible for your accident or whether you have grounds to claim, talk to a personal injury lawyer today to check your eligibility to make a claim.
Whilst you are at work your employer has a duty of care to ensure that you are kept safe and free from harm. This responsibility is the same whether you are in your usual place of work, or somewhere you are sent. There are numerous different ways in which you could sustain an ankle injury at work, but the most common of these are slips and falls.
Having an ankle injury in the workplace could lead to you being immobile for an extended period of time and either reduce your ability to work, or prevent you from doing so. If you make a fractured, twisted or sprained ankle injury claim against your employer, you can include any earnings already lost and future earnings. Find out more about claims against your employer by discussing your case with a personal injury lawyer.
Ankle injuries sustained in a road traffic accident tend to be more serious, such as breaks and fractures to the bones of the ankle. Your road traffic accident could have happened whilst you were a driver, passenger, or even as a pedestrian. It could also have involved any vehicle, such as a car, lorry, bicycle or motorbike. You could also have sustained your accident whilst on public transport. As long as you can show that another road user or person was responsible for the accident happening, you could claim compensation.
Most vehicles do not have any specific safety features to protect your lower legs, so they have a higher chance of being injured. If you have sustained an ankle injury in a road traffic accident, find out how much for a fractured ankle you could claim by contacting a specialist solicitor.
No matter the reason you are making a compensation claim for, you need to make sure that you do so within the appropriate personal injury claims time limit. Currently, this time limit is three years, with the starting point either being taken from the date of the accident, or the date from which your injury was diagnosed and connected to the accident. We have included relevant time limits in this handy table below.
Injuries falling into this bracket are 'limited' and 'unusual'. Examples include a bilateral fracture causing degeneration in the joint.
Ankle injuries to a child Responsible adult can make the claim on behalf of the child till they are, or 3 years from their 18th birthday. Injuries which require an extensive rehabilitation period.
General injury claim limits 3 years Less serious fractures, sprains and ligaments.
Ankle injuries on a flight 2 years Injuries will be resolved in a short amount of time.
When you are injured the first thing that you should do is to get any medical help and treatment you need. Your health should always be your primary concern. To be able to sue for your sprained ankle or other types of injury there are several steps you should take.
Make sure that you report the injury to any relevant parties such as a shop, the local council, driver of a vehicle, etc. Make sure that the injury is recorded in any appropriate accident report books. Combined with the immediate medical report, this begins creating a trail of evidence your solicitor can use in your claim.
Next, we recommend that you do sit down and make a note of your injuries. If you can, accompany this with any photographs of the injury and the area the accident happened in. Also, make a record of any witnesses who could provide evidence.
These immediate steps will help your solicitor or lawyer to build a stronger case for your claim.
We would next recommend contacting a personal injury lawyer or solicitor and obtaining legal advice. These specialists can provide advice as to the validity of your claim and whether or not you are likely to be successful.
If the solicitor takes on your case they will conduct steps such as forwarding evidence of your accident and injuries to the defendant and details of how your case will be pursued. In straightforward cases, it is likely that there will be an out of court settlement. In the majority of cases, the ankle injury claim will be settled out of court.
Across the country, many ankle injury claims are made through no win no fee agreements. These agreements are beneficial for the claimant and solicitor. Such agreements ensure that only claims which are valid are pursued. For the claimant, there are no initial fees to pay and under any eventuality, there are no financial losses.
To learn more about making a no win no fee twisted, sprained or fractured ankle compensation claim, speak to an expert advisor today.
We like to think that our advisors have the knowledge and expertise to help you. They will take the time to listen to you with a friendly and sympathetic approach. If you wish to make a claim with our team, you can take these three simple steps.
Collect together details of your claim and call our team. We will then assess whether you have a valid claim. We will provide you with a solicitor for your claim.
Get in touch with our expert advisors today. You can contact us by calling on 0161 696 9685, or you can use our online contact form by clicking 'contact us' at the top of this page.
In this guide from the NHS, you can find information on fractures and breaks to the ankle.
In this NHS guide, you can find information about treating sprains and strains. We do recommend that you seek medical treatment from a doctor even for a minor injury if you wish to make a claim later.


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Silvia Steiger (Linz, 1940) is een Nederlands beeldend kunstenaar. Van oorsprong Duits, heeft Steiger sinds juni 1989 de Nederlandse nationaliteit. Ze woont en werkt in Amsterdam. Haar kunst is te zien in het Amsterdam Museum, het Stedelijk Museum, Museum Belvédère, Museum LAM, Rijksmuseum Twenthe en verschillende bedrijfs- en privécollecties.

Biografie
Silvia Steiger werd in maart 1940 in Linz geboren en groeide op in het naoorlogse Keulen. Ze studeerde van 1959 tot 1964 Vrije Schilderkunst aan de Kunstacademie Düsseldorf en behaalde in 1964 het diploma Meisterschülerin bij Professor Ferdinand Macketanz.

Op de academie leerde Steiger haar echtgenoot kennen, beeldend kunstenaar Fritz Rahmann. Zij vestigden zich in 1964 in Hichtum, Friesland. Ze stelden zich gelijk actief op in het professionele kunstcircuit en namen deel aan diverse tentoonstellingen in galeries en musea. In 1975 gingen Steiger en Rahmann uit elkaar. Daarna woonde Steiger o.a. in Akersloot en vestigde zich in 1989 in Amsterdam.

In 1980 nodigde Wies Smals van de Galerie De Appel Steiger uit om een project te realiseren dat drie jaar zou duren: "Gevonden tekens uit een landschap". De eindpresentatie vond in 1984 plaats in de Zuiderkerk in Amsterdam. De samenwerking met De Appel was van grote betekenis voor de erkenning van haar werk en kunstenaarschap. Ook brengt het haar nader in contact met het alternatieve kunstcircuit dat haar uitnodigde plaatsgebonden installaties te maken in Nederland en Duitsland.

Sinds 1988 ondersteunden verschillende werk- en reisstipendia van het Fonds Beeldende Kunst, Bouwkunst en Vormgeving, voorloper van het huidige Mondriaan Fonds, haar ontwikkeling.

Van 1994 tot 1999 leidde ze STEIGER 8 MULTIPLES. Dit kunstenaarsinitiatief voor kunstobjecten in oplage, nam succesvol deel aan verschillende kunstbeurzen in Nederland en Duitsland. O.a. de KunstRai en Art Frankfurt en Art Multiple Düsseldorf.

Van 2000 tot 2007 verbleef Steiger twee keer per jaar voor haar werk op het Griekse eiland Kreta.

In 2015 organiseerde Museum Belvédère in Oranjewoud/Heerenveen een overzichtstentoonstelling van haar werk onder de titel "DE NOODZAAK VAN EEN HANDSTAND". Bij deze expositie verscheen de gelijknamige publicatie met een voorwoord van Han Steenbruggen, directeur/conservator van het museum en een essay van kunsthistoricus Huub Mous. In zijn artikel onderzocht Mous de verschillende thema's die de basis voor het werk van Steiger vormen. Toeval en intuïtie; angst en bescherming/beschutting; spoor en schaduw; liefde en verlangen. Ook plaatste hij haar oeuvre in de context van internationale kunststromingen sinds 1960, zoals Fluxus en de conceptuele kunst.

Werkproces
In het voorwoord van de catalogus beschreef Han Steenbruggen wat het werk van Silvia Steiger voor hem opvallend en uniek maakte: de grote verscheidenheid aan uitdrukkingsvormen. Het medium was bij haar geen vast gegeven, maar werd al verkennend en onderzoekend bepaald, zich voegend naar het idee dat haar voor ogen stond. Deze werkwijze verklaarde ook de diversiteit in haar oeuvre: haar verzamelde werk omvat series van tekeningen, schilderijen, objecten, installaties, plaatsgebonden installaties, fotowerken, boeken en multiples.

Bibliografie (selectie)
2006: De Appel 1975 - 1983, Marga van Mechelen, uitgave De Appel.

2008: De kleur van Friesland, beeldende kunst na 1945, Huub Mous, uitgave Fries Museum en Keunstwurk.

2015: De noodzaak van een handstand, oeuvrecatalogus, uitgave Museum Belvédère, Oranjewoud/Heerenveen.

Eigen publicaties:

1983: Gevonden tekens uit een landschap. Amsterdam : Stichting DE APPEL

2012: About those things, Yes! Uitgeverij Blurb.

2012: The party of the trees. Uitgeverij Blurb.

2012: Zeitwert. i.s.m. Belinda Lange. Uitgeverij Blurb.

2013: Landleven, over mijn dieren in Friesland. Uitgeverij Blurb.

2016: Van een verlaten huis. Uitgeverij Blurb.

Nederlands beeldend kunstenaar


The next 15 years promises the biggest and most exciting change in humanity since time began.
As the pace of change accelerates, extraordinary organisations will shape the future – not play catch-up. They will be creative, fearless and collaborative. They will be the innovators.
Those with innovation at their core always make greater impacts. What are the world's most celebrated brands? Disney, Virgin, Google, Apple, and Innocent. Each has innovation at its heart and each is recognised as leading when it comes to ideas around internal culture, product development and customer experience.
And, the need for innovation isn't confined to the private sector – it is just as important in the public and voluntary sectors. In fact, it is a growing imperative.
Bring us in as your Innovation Partner to imagine it, shape it, build it and scale it – through speaking and facilitating workshops at your events, customised training, coaching and mentoring programmes and powerful creative materials.
@jo_lynn13 Mike@thinktastic.co.uk at your service.
Read all about Thinktastic's pro-active approach to community investment.


Our 3.25 inch tall mercury glass votive candle holders add a soft sparkle to your table displays at weddings, holidays, special events and home decor. These votive holders have a metallic gold interior and a light pink exterior with a raised Victorian scroll motif. They each stand 3.25 inches tall and have a diameter opening of 3.25 inches. Add a tea light or votive candle and the soft glow of candlelight creates an inviting atmosphere for you and your guests. See all our Mercury Glass and Candle Accessories.
The vintage-inspired scroll relief on the exterior of this holder lends even more vibrance to your candle light as it dances through the mercury-finished glass.
Our pink blush glass votive candle holders are perfect for the soft glow of a candle, or the vivid colors of a floral arrangement.
Collect the full set of our pink blush holders, pairing them with additional heirloom or hobnail pieces for tabletop texture and variety.


Vernon frowned and nodded. He climbed out of the recliner, waited for Ethan to stand and lead him into the kitchen. He grabbed a flashlight off the table and pointed it downward over the edge. "Look down there," he said, pointing at the floor. His foot sat near the leg. A few cautious, dark strands investigated his laces. Ethan nodded. Vernon clicked the light on. Shadows shrank away from the sudden light, but the glare birthed a strong shadow from the tabletop onto his foot. Unable to move up his leg, it contracted and clamped on his foot. Vernon stumbled as his foot slid under the table. His knee straightened and popped; his thigh bumped into the wood. Vernon hissed in pain and tried to draw back, but it wouldn't let go. He swung the light down his leg. The beam slashed through the shadow, which parted and retreated under the table.
A sharp retort nearly escaped his lips before Vernon could bite it back. Trying to convince him, not get in a shouting match. Besides, it probably did look that way from where he's standing. Maybe he needs to see it for himself. But he didn't want to put Ethan in any danger. He sighed and ran his gaze around the room. His eyes stopped on the upper cupboard next to the sink. That might do the trick. He absentmindedly wiped his hand on his jeans and stepped across the room, motioning for Ethan to follow.
Ethan shrugged. He stared at the shelf for a moment before reaching in up to his elbow. Vernon flashed the light inside one more time then stepped back. Ethan shook his head with a bemused grin and stood still a moment. He opened his mouth as if to say something; his lips curled into a grimace and he tried to pull his arm back.
Squinting, he leaned forward. Vernon could see his arm trembling as he studied the interior of the cabinet. Whatever he saw in there held his attention quite securely. Aside from his eyes scanning side to side and a periodic twitch of his head, Ethan remained stock still. Vernon held his breath. Is this it? He's acting like he sees something. I wish I knew what he was thinking. He took a step, then stopped himself. Don't need to interrupt. Just let him figure it out on his own. Shouldn't be too long now, anyway. He leaned back on the counter, fidgeting with the flashlight. He suppressed a shudder at the memory of little shadows crawling over his hand. How much longer can he stand that? He flipped the flashlight end over end while he waited. He nearly dropped it when Ethan let out a sharp hiss.
"'Whatever?'" His voice rose with incredulity.
"Sounds like a good idea to me," Vernon said and flipped off the lights in the back room.
Part III of Chapter 12 coming soon!


Lagundo (320 m) lies northwest of Merano and is one of South Tyrol's oldest winegrowing areas. Lagundo's municipal coat of arms features a grapevine, indicating the historical importance of winegrowing to the village. The protected location known as the "Meraner Rosengarten" is outstandingly well suited to winegrowing, not to mention numerous other south-facing slopes, e.g. along the Lagundo "Waalweg". Numerous castles, palaces and residences dot the landscape.
Tirolo (595 m) lies on a sunny high plateau, as if on a terrace above Merano. This tongue of land – a moraine cone – faces south. Blessed with favourable climate conditions, the locations of Segenbühl, Zenoberg (Blauburgunder), Sandbichl, Castle Tyrol (Weissburgunder, Merlot, Gewürztraminer) and Küchelberg (Vernatsch) produce grapes for some the Meran Burggräfler Winery's top wines. Tirolo boasts the largest winegrowing area in the Burggrafenamt region. Castle Tyrol, the former seat of the Counts of Tyrol and today home to the South Tyrolean Museum of History – looks down gracefully over the distant Adige Valley.
Scena (600 m) can boast the most hours of sunshine in the Meraner Land. Its eastern terrace location above Merano offers plenty of evening sun. Scena is thus not just one of South Tyrol's favourite tourist destinations, but is also an ideal location for the cultivation of white wines. The landscape is a mix of apple orchards and vineyards. Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer and Kerner are particularly at home here, with Vernatsch also present in places. Scena Castle is one of the most important castles in South Tyrol. Once in the possession of Archduke John of Austria, it is today inhabited by the Spiegelfeld family, Counts of Merano.
Cermes (320 m), with its undulating hills and cypresses among the vineyards, has a touch of Tuscany about it. High above, Lebensberg Castle looks out over the Adige Valley. The higher locations in Cermes catch plenty of morning sun and are highly suited for the cultivation of the Müller Thurgau, Weissburgunder and Sauvignon grape varieties.
Marlengo (330 m) lies to the west of Merano at the entry to the Vinschgau valley. Here the slopes enjoy the early morning sun above all. The romantic hillsides around the Schickenburg and the vineyards towards Nörder are particularly good Vernatsch locations, while Sauvignon and Goldmuskateller also thrive here. The head office of the Meran Burggräfler Winery is located in Marlengo, on the main road between Cermes and Merano (Via Palude 64).
Lana (300m) is the gateway to the south of the Burggrafenamt region. It lies southwest of Merano at the entry to the Ultimo Valley. This historic market town has long been an important commercial centre. In the valley, apple orchards predominate, while on the hillsides grow grapes. The castles of Braunsberg, Leonburg and the ruins of Brandis look out over the Merano basin. The location of Guggenberg in particular produces noble Goldmuskateller, Chardonnay und Weissburgunder grapes.
Rifiano (504 m) and Caines (595 m) lie 5 km north of Merano at the entrance to the Passirio Valley. This is the northern limit of Merano's winegrowing area, with the northernmost vineyards lying beneath the hiking area of the Tessa Group. Weissburgunder and Vernatsch in particular unfold their fresh and fruity notes here.


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What is graphene foam? It's a synthetic "wonder material" made from the same carbon atoms that make up the lead in a pencil. Graphene foam can be used as a "bioscaffold" to mesh with human stem cells and grow new cartilage. In addition to being incredibly strong, graphene foam conducts heat and electricity which helps neurons, or nerve cells, transmit information. Boise State researchers believe graphene foam-enhanced cartilage could one day be used to treat the joint pain caused by osteoarthritis as well as prevent the need for joint replacement. Osteoarthritis is incurable and affects half the U.S. population over the age of 65.
"If we could take graphene foam, adhere a patient's own stem cells on it then and inject that into someone's knee to regrow their own cartilage, that would be the 'pie in the sky,'" said Dave Estrada, co-director of the Boise State University's Advanced Nanomaterials and Manufacturing Laboratory.
A Boise State team led by Katie Yocham, a doctoral student in the Micron School of Materials Science and Engineering, and Estrada have published a study, "Mechanical Properties of Graphene Foam and Graphene Foam-Tissue Composites," in the Advanced Engineering Materials journal.
While earlier studies at Boise State have shown that graphene foam is compatible with cells for growing new cartilage tissue, this is the first study to investigate how that tissue would actually function in a human joint under normal stresses, including high impact activities.
Trevor Lujan, an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, and one of the authors of the study, praised Yocham's work. "Katie's strong efforts on this project have provided the biomedical community with a rigorous characterization of the bulk mechanical behavior of cellularized graphene foam. This baseline knowledge is an important step in the rising use of graphene foam for biomedical applications," he said.
Estrada believes the biomedical use of graphene foam may have other applications, including in the military where a majority combat injuries involve the musculoskeletal system. "Our vision is to develop novel bioscaffolds that can expedite healing, reduce the need for amputation, and help save lives," he added.


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For maps and directions to M & M Remodeling view the map to the right. For reviews of M & M Remodeling see below.


Delatite Wines > Shop > David's Newsletter > Vintage 2014!
Well we're all delighted that another quirky, difficult but ultimately rewarding vintage has finished … at least the harvesting side of it!
After a wet winter, very dry Spring and a couple of mini heat waves in January and February, we started harvesting in early march and finished a week ago. Like many areas, we lost some fruit to a heavy frost in some of the lower parts of the vineyard and then two heatwaves knocked out another 10% or so … more in some varieties than others. The tiny berries were literally 'curranted' (don't think this is a real word but it will do) within a week by the extreme heat. To finish we had 100mm of rain over ten days which, although welcome at any time these days, did mean we left some Merlot and Malbec on the vines.
Over the coming months we're ripping out 2.5ha of Sauvignon blanc as we're tired of trying to compete against the dreaded 'savalanche' from across the ditch. We know our wine (and many other aussie savvys) are just as good, if not better but we're sick of acting like King Canute in trying to stop the tide! We intend to leave the land fallow for 12 months and then replant with multi-clone blocks of Chardonnay and Pinot noir on rootstock. This will then mean around 50% of our 28ha is planted on phylloxera resistant rootstock.
I'm looking forward to our wine and cheese masterclass tomorrow night (a couple of spaces left!) with Locheilan Farmhouse Cheese and the wine dinners next week in Sydney and Brisbane – there are still seats for these and we also have a dinner coming up on 21st May at Vivace in Brighton.
And if you're running short of wine you still have until the end of the month to take advantage of our Easter Garage Sale. Sauv blanc 2010 is finished but we'll substitute the 2011 instead, and the Riesling halves and old label reds have sold well also.


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/**
 *
 * Descripcion: Controlador index para el manejo de la administración del sistema
 *
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 * @package     Controllers
 */

class IndexController extends BackendController {

    /**
     * Método que se ejecuta antes de cualquier acción
     */
    protected function before_filter() {
        return Redirect::to('dashboard');
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     * Método principal
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    public function index() {

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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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The Amina Grace Gardens at Misericordia is a horticultural program that includes an outdoor garden and an indoor vertical hydroponic garden. The program teaches residents how to grow their own food and maximizes their independence through a positive sensory environment.
At the start, the program will engage over 60 residents from across campus. Participants of varying cognitive and physical abilities are challenged to learn about different plants and flowers. Some activities include planting, weeding, watering and participating in educationally based lesson plans.
The garden program will be incorporated into many different areas at Misericordia. Each part of the program has values for the residents as they learn new skills and use them in their daily life. The vegetables and herbs are harvested and used in food preparation by the residents, the zucchini will be used to make the popular zucchini bread in the Misericordia Hearts & Flour Bakery and the herbs are used in the Greenhouse Inn Restaurant (basil has been used to make pesto). An exciting new opportunity coming out of the garden program is that the basil, thyme, rosemary and oregano will be sold in the Heartstrings Gift Shop.


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text:
Q: Matlab: parfor loop and cell arrays not working I get the following error: "The variable X_bs in a parfor cannot be
classified" when trying to run the following parfor loop:
  y = zeros(1000,1)
        parfor bb = 1:1000
            rng(bb)
            % deleted line: X_bs{8} = [];
            for ii = 1:8
                ind = ceil(N(ii)*rand(N(ii),1));
                X_bs{ii} = X{ii}(ind,:);
            end

           y(bb) = another_function(X_bs)

        end

X is a 1x8 cell array, each cell containing a N(ii)x4 matrix (N(ii) changes). The code re-samples rows of X and creates a cell array called X_bs.  I pass X_bs through a function that outputs the variable that I am interested in, y(bb).
Why am I getting this error?  How do I get around this?
Here is an example:
 X{1} = [1 ; 2 ; 3]
 X{2} = [4 ; 5 ; 6; 7]
 N(1) = 3 % size of X{1}
 N(2) = 4 % size of X{2}
    parfor bb=1:10
        rng(bb)
        for ii = 1:2
            X_bs{ii} = zeros(N(ii),1);
            ind = ceil(N(ii)*rand(N(ii),1));
            X_bs{ii} = X{ii}(ind,:);
        end
        % Output is a function of X_bs.  For illustration, say it is the sum
        y(bb) = sum(X_bs{1}) + sum(X_bs{2});
    end

The above code gets the same error as earlier: "The variable X_bs in a parfor cannot be classified".  Here is a simpler version that does work and does not use cell structures:
X = [1 ; 2 ; 3]
N = 3; %size of X
parfor bb=1:10
    rng(bb)
    X_bs = zeros(N,1);
    ind = ceil(N*rand(N,1));
    X_bs= X(ind,:);
    y(bb) = sum(X_bs)
end

The problem (I think) lies within overriding the cell structure.  Perhaps parfor treats cellstructures as a slicing variables rather than temporary variables.  Any thoughts?
Update: Adriaan suggested that there is a problem with the random vector ind and the cell structure X_bs{ii}.  Here is a simpler example that does not invoke the random vector ind and still has the same error:
X{1} = [1 ; 2 ; 3]
 X{2} = [4 ; 5 ; 6; 7]
 N(1) = 3 % size of X{1}
 N(2) = 4 % size of X{2}
    parfor bb=1:10
        for ii = 1:2
            X_bs{ii} = X{ii};
        end
        % Output is a function of X_bs.  For illustration, say it is the sum
        y(bb) = sum(X_bs{1}) + sum(X_bs{2});
    end

Therefore, I am fairly certain MatLab isn't treating the cell structure, X_bs{ii} , as a temporary variable.

A: The problem is created on the line:
ind = ceil(N(ii)*rand(N(ii),1));

and surfaces here:
X_bs{ii} = X{ii}(ind,:);

The size of ind is "unknown" to MATLAB before executing the parfor and hence cannot run. parfor does not run in a consecutive order, making it paramount that all required sizes are specified beforehand. Probably you can circumvent this using clear X_bs just before the invocation of y(bb), this removed them from memory and makes sure the contained matrices are not of different size than the ones you assigned the previous iteration.
If on the other hand this does not solve it, you can't parallelise this, since you are using random sized matrices each time. To expand on this: rand(N(ii)) can produce quite a range of numbers. Regardless of that range, the important fact is that the range is indeterminable, meaning you cannot know what it will be before executing it. Even though this is normally no problem, since the cell will store any old matrix size, the parfor environment requires to know all sizes before hand, in order to optimise memory and CPU usage before assigning jobs to workers.
If possible: get the maximum value ind can attain and initialise the required matrix in a temporary variable to be the maximum allowable size and access only the used entries.

A: A solution (thanks to Andriaan's comment) is to put the forloop that generates X_bs in a nested function, randomize_X.  See below for a solution to the working example:
X{1} = [1 ; 2 ; 3]
X{2} = [4 ; 5 ; 6; 7]
N(1) = 3 % size of X{1}
N(2) = 4 % size of X{2}
parfor bb=1:10
    [X_bs] = randomize_X(X,N)
    % Output is a function of X_bs.  For illustration, say it is the sum
    y(bb) = sum(X_bs{1}) + sum(X_bs{2});
end

where
function [X_bs] = randomize_X(X,N)
  for ii = 1:2
      X_bs{ii} = zeros(N(ii),1);
      ind = ceil(N(ii)*rand(N(ii),1));
      X_bs{ii} = X{ii}(ind,:);
  end
end

I'm fairly certain that the parfor loop treats cell structures as slicing variables, so it needs to be specified beforehand and cannot be overwritten within the parfor loop.  To get around this, a simple trick is send the computation of cell structures to another function.  The parfoor loop has similar problems with the optimization toolbox CVX.  The same trick can be employed - call CVX in a subroutine within parfor.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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text:
Tag: The Crown
End of Year Report, 2019.
On December 30, 2019 December 30, 2019 By ghostof82In 4K UHD, Amazon Prime/VOD, Blu-ray, Movies, Netflix, Television, The 2019 Selection4 Comments
Didn't get my Replicant Pleasure-Model in the mail, nor did my new car launch vertically into the air for a commute to work in the sky-lanes… and neither was I able to book my holiday Off-World, so thanks for 'nowt, Ridley…
But 2019 did come with some great television shows and movies. That said though, there were plenty of clunkers and disappointments. I think what I shall remember most of 2019 is that it was clearly a year when television content surpassed movies in quality by a pretty wide margin.
In my previous post I mentioned that I watched three seasons of The Expanse this year, which was pretty amazing and certainly one of my favourite shows of the year, but there was plenty of other quality shows. Some clunkers too, mind- February brought the first (and thankfully last) season of Nightflyers, a truly abominable creation that so soon after having enjoyed the brilliant The Expanse brought my sci-fi viewing crashing back down to Earth. At the time I was confident it would be the worst piece of television I would see all year, but I was innocently ignorant of Another Life coming later in April. The fact that Another Life has been granted a second season is just mind-boggling and very, very scary.
Certainly the good outweighed the bad, though, if only because you can afford to be judicious with so much content available across Netflix and Amazon Prime. By March I'd also see season two of The Crown, the first outing for The Umbrella Academy, season one of Stranger Things and Love, Death & Robots, a ridiculously entertaining anthology show that was a Fantasia for sci-fi geeks like me, and totally beautiful.
Regards movies though, I had really struggled to see anything really memorable until April, when I saw both Bad Times at the El Royale and Spider Man: Into the Spider-Verse. El Royale really impressed me on a rental, so much so that a few months later I bought the 4K disc. Then in May John Wick Chapter Three: Parabellum blew my mind on a rare trip to the cinema, an absolutely dizzying action-fest that instantly put itself as prime contender for my Film of the Year. In an era of politically-correct naval-gazing and various worthy agendas being shoved in my face all the time, Wick was refreshingly old-school, unfashionably simple action-movie nirvana. May also brought Avengers Endgame, another rare cinema outing that this time proved hugely disappointing. I'm really curious to see if a rewatch will revise my opinion of the film, but even though I bought the 4K disc of the film when it came out a few months back, I still haven't actually watched the disc. I keep thinking I should watch Avengers Infinity War first, maybe the two films in a double-bill over a weekend, but the length of the darn things proves rather daunting. All those Marvel geeks who watch all these movies often and know them inside-out are made of sterner stuff than I. Watching Captain Marvel just once, when the 4K disc came out in July , left me pretty burned-out on all things Marvel- the thought of the ultra-fans watching and re-watching that one is just plain scary.
Away from movies, April brought us the big television disappointment of the year, with season eight of Game of Thrones. In hindsight, it could only ever disappoint, it had hyped up the conclusion and all the show's mysteries and intrigues over several seasons to such a degree, it was inevitable that it would all just implode. Didn't think the crash would be quite so spectacular though. Having bought all the Blu-rays already, I bought the 4K disc set of season eight anyway, and am hoping that when I get the courage to watch it again after all these months the pain will be less, I can make my peace with some of the wilder crazier twists and maybe manage to see something in all the episode three murk now its in 4K UHD. We'll see.
Much better television followed in June: and no, I'm not talking about season two of Star Trek Discovery, but rather it was the month when I caught up with Chernobyl, a breath-taking and harrowing series that was pretty much perfect. Discovery was far, far from perfect- it ably demonstrated that while much television can be great, it can also out-dumb and out-stupid anything Hollywood movie studios can do.
In August, I caught up with both Aquaman (a film that proved DC could still make worse movies than Captain Marvel) and Shazam! (a film that proved DC could actually make great, fun superhero movies). Aquaman would be another of those terribly busy movies that tried to fit three films into one, like some kind of Readers Digest edition of an actual film trilogy. It doesn't work, it just gives me an headache. I watched the 2017 remake of Flatliners, and although I thought that was diabolically appalling, I had no idea I'd also see the Jacobs Ladder remake later in the year, a film which would make the Flatliners remake seem a classic and put me in a total dark funk for a weekend.
Returning to television shows, August also sprung a major surprise with the quite excellent The Boys over on Amazon. The quality television continued into September with the long-awaited (by me, anyway) disc release of the third season of True Detective, which I really enjoyed (I love all three seasons of that show- yes, that includes the maligned second season) and Carnival Row, another Amazon show that was much better than I'd expected, even if it did leave me pining for the superior (and sadly missed) Penny Dreadful.
Sheesh, all these seasons of television shows and all their complicated multi-layered narratives. I suppose I should be glad most movies turned out to be rather less demanding, more simplistic and comfortingly predictable. A prime example would be September's Ad Astra, which I was expecting to be a high-concept sci-fi take on Apocalypse Now. Well, it was certainly a sci-fi take on Apocalypse Now, almost literally so, but with lunar space pirates and a mad Space Baboon, it was rather more Event Horizon than 2001: A Space Odyssey. A disappointment then, and another example of the lack of confidence of movie studios to challenge and provoke audiences as much as HBO etc do on television. I would imagine that had HBO made Ad Astra as a ten-episode serial, it would have proven far more enticing and thought-provoking.It would probably look just as good too- the gap between television and cinema in regards of visual effects is obviously still there, but its much narrower than it used to be, and television more than makes up for any deficit there by better script writing. November's The Lion King would prove to be a startling reminder of what visual majesty only cinema budgets can presently afford, but the same months Spider Man: Far From Home ably demonstrated that cinema could just get dumber and dumber even as it got prettier.
November also presented us with The Irishman, a Martin Scorsese gangster ballad that incredibly came to us via Netflix (I prefer 'ballad' to 'epic' just because its more, well, thoughtful and mature than the joyously questionable glorification of Goodfellas). The idea that a $150 million Scorsese flick could just drop onto Netflix on a Friday night still feels dizzying and possibly game-changing. I really enjoyed the film (its certainly more Once Upon A Time in America than Godfather or Goodfellas).
The Irishman did show, though, just how much has changed during 2019. Streaming services are all the rage now, and really will prove more of a Big Deal in 2020. The prevailing move by studios towards streaming and away from physical media, and indeed away from traditional vendors like cable and satellite television providers, is just a gathering storm that gets windier by the month. For someone like me who likes to own my favourite films and television shows and enjoys special features and commentaries, its pretty worrying. I can see a future not far away where streaming and pay per view is everything. Its clearly inevitable, but its a future where The Irishman can't be purchased on DVD or Blu-ray, a future where you'll probably need to subscribe to Disney+ in order to watch future Star Wars and Marvel movies in the comfort of your own home (and I'm pretty certain that premium content on Disney+ will eventually require additional purchases in-app to watch; it may start as a subscription service but it'll inevitably evolve into a pay-per-view service when alternative avenues like physical media are gone). Hopefully that's more 2029 or 2039 though, and I'll be past caring as long as I have a Blu-ray player working.
The Crown: Season Three
On December 4, 2019 By ghostof82In 4K UHD, Netflix, Television1 Comment
One of my biggest surprises was how much I enjoyed the Netflix series The Crown– hardly a Royalist, I found the real magic of seasons one and two was the way the series brought to life British history, vividly bringing to life national events/crises whilst peppering it with nods to House Windsor and their occasional (and ironic) family strife. The huge production values afforded by Netflix, and the great cast, was all just icing on the cake, and the series one of the streaming giants undoubted successes: genuinely great television.
So with the cast being replaced to reflect the passing of years, I approached this third season with considerable trepidation. Its certainly a brave move by Netflix- traditionally, once viewers have become emotionally invested with an actor's portrayal of a character, its difficult to transfer enthusiasm and acceptance to a new face, never mind an ensemble piece like this. I have to admit, throughout this season I've had a hard time accepting Olivia Colman's Queen Elizabeth, always irritated by the loss of Clare Foy. The jump from Foy's youthful beauty and irrepressible warmth to Colman's middle-aged maturity and cool distance seems too sudden and too far a leap. By the end of the season my wariness had lessened to grudging acceptance, and its hardly Colman's fault- its largely in the writing, but its possibly the seasons biggest miss-step and likely a wholly subjective thing on my part. I just find myself thinking about past tv shows and how closely we identify with particular actors, and how without them they can seem like wholly different shows.
The rest of the new cast seem to be an easier fit. Tobias Menzies, who've I've always been a huge admirer of, makes a better Prince Philip than Matt Smith, who always carried a bit too much Dr Who baggage with him for my liking. Menzies' Duke of Edinburgh is quite formidable and the episodes that focus upon him -chiefly the excellent one about the moon landing and his own mid-life crisis- are amongst the seasons finest. There's just something genuinely interesting and emphatic about him that replaces that which Foy's portrayal of Elizabeth enjoyed. Helena Bonham Carter seems to be playing Princess Margaret so naturally that its no work at all- its perfect casting, and even though the leap in age between herself and previous season's Vanessa Kirby is as jarring, its a more successful transition than between Foy and Colman.
Least successful this season, for me at any rate, are the episodes that dwell on the Royal family and their internal dynamics, and most successful those episodes offering perspective on national history and events. The best of them is 'Aberfan' concerning the terrible disaster of 1966, which is a terribly powerful and effecting hour of television which should be destined for Awards consideration- its so powerful its almost an ordeal getting through it without becoming a trembling wreck. As its the third episode of the season, it oddly feels like it arrives too soon, that its too early a high-point and the season struggles to follow it. It only really recovers at the seventh episode, 'Moondust' and if I had a criticism about the season its that structure, although as its tied to portraying events between 1964 and 1977 its likely unavoidable.
Its also true that Colman's Elizabeth is something of an unknown quantity in the season- its interesting that what one would expect to be a big celebration of the Queens Silver Jubilee year of 1977 ends on a very quiet, restrained, insular shot of her stony-faced gaze at the camera/audience. It fails to be an exultant, triumphant moment- clearly a deliberate commentary but nonetheless an odd one and symptomatic of what the show is obviously trying to do with her character. In the first two seasons Foy's portrayal was open and warm and there was a sense that the character was knowable- now they have replaced her with Colman, they evidently want to add some mystique and sense of the unknown about her. Intellectually its fine and I can understand why they are doing it but the emotional distance is probably the series biggest problem, to me.
It remains great television though, and I really am enthusiastic for the fourth season next year.
The Girl in the Spider's Web (2018)
On May 26, 2019 By ghostof82In Amazon Prime/VOD, Movies1 Comment
I was rather surprised how successful this was, and how much I enjoyed it. Something of a sequel and reboot for the franchise, following the original three films starring Noomi Rapace and the Western remake of the first of that trilogy, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by David Fincher that starred Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander. Phew, that's seems a little complicated looking back on it- and rather symptomatic of the state of the film industry these days. Its enough to make this latest film seem rather cynical.
Which does hang over the whole enterprise. Based on a book by David Lagercrantz, in turn based on characters in the original book series by the late Stieg Larsson, the whole thing is an attempt to extend the original book series and films beyond it- a little like James Bond books and films running far beyond the passing of Bond creator Ian Fleming. Characters can so easily gain an immortality of their own far beyond that of original creators, and while it may have noble intentions there is always a sniff of opportunism and money-making in things like this. Its also rather true that in this film, and possibly the original book, there seems a concious intention to shift away from the dark character-based intensity of the Larsson originals and towards a larger espionage/James Bond thriller vibe- perhaps a little like the Jason Bourne franchise. It does feel a little incongruous for Lisbeth here to be drawn into a thriller about a program that can seize control of the world's nuclear arsenals and leave the world ransom to armageddon- it really does feel more like the plot of a Bond movie.
Which might be a good thing, I don't know. I certainly quite enjoyed it, because it did seem to be stretching the character a little and pushing the boundaries- but does it do that too much? I guess that's more a question for die-hard fans of the Larsson originals to ponder.
Taking over the role of Lisbeth Salander here is Claire Foy, which really seemed a bit of a stretch to me when I became aware of the casting but I have to say it works quite well. There's a few peculiar moments where Foy seems to suddenly channel the Queen from Netflix's The Crown (an occasional inflection of her voice, or flash of her eyes, sometimes) but on the whole she's really intense and surprisingly successful, She manages the physical moments very well too- certainly a far cry from Little Dorrit.
Less successful, and very surprisingly so really, is Sylvia Hoeks as Camilla Salander, the main villain of the film and sister of our heroine. Hoeks was simply brilliant as Luv in BR2049, a really quite complex and nuanced character/performance but here she does seem to simply be a blonde Luv, reprising that role alarmingly in what feels a one-note performance. In Hoeks defence, I suspect it's more the limitations of the part as written, leaving her little else to really do with it, but its similarity to her character in BR2049 is really disappointing. When I saw her name in the credits my interest in the film was raised considerably as I've not seen her in anything else other than BR2049 and I was really curious to see her possibly surprise me, but alas, no, this really is just more of the same.
I gather the box-office returns from this film were quite poor so we are unlikely to see Foy reprise the role in future installments. Perhaps the intent to reboot the series into another film franchise with yet another cast was perceived as cynical and ill-judged, and got the rewards it deserved. For myself, the quality of the film (it's a pretty successful, albeit routine, old-fashioned thriller, and there's nothing particularly wrong with that in a cinema swamped by superhero caped crusaders etc) seemed pretty decent and I found myself enjoying it much more than I had expected. It does make me wonder if sometimes films such as this might be budgeted too highly – I suppose the purported budget of $43 million might seem fairly low in the great scheme of $150 million blockbusters but its returns of just $35 million (with marketing costs etc the film must have been a bit of a bomb financially) would suggest the market simply isn't strong enough to support films budgeted like this. If this is indeed the case then its an unfortunate state of affairs, and possibly suggests this kind of thriller might in future be relegated to Netflix/Amazon productions- which is a little sad, to consider that traditional cinema is no longer the place for thrillers like this.
The Crown Season Two (2017)
On February 4, 2019 February 3, 2019 By ghostof82In 4K UHD, Netflix, Television4 Comments
Last March when I finally took the Netflix plunge, one of the reasons to do so was to watch season two of The Crown, season one of which had wowed me on blu-ray several weeks earlier. Here we are almost a year later, and I've only now gotten around to watching its second season. Partly this is an indication of all the other content on there distracting me, but also the strange thing about The Crown; it isn't the most enticing thing to me in prospect, but when watching it, it gets its hooks into you and is surprisingly brilliant. On paper it should be a fairly horrid soap opera about a dysfunctional family in a modern open society paradoxically plagued by class and entitlement, and of course that's exactly what it is, but it's fascinating nonetheless.
Its a curious dichotomy- I am no Royalist and hate celebrity culture etc and see no reason for someone to be revered simply from chance of birth and certainly have no belief in any divine right to a life of privilege etc. So watching this I'm always as likely to cheer Lizzie's moral fortitude as boo and hiss at her inability to dress herself or open doors, grimace at her oaf of her husband's self-entitled behavior or sneer at the cowering sycophants that are her aides. Its like a love/hate relationship and no show gets me grumbling/shouting at the screen as much as this one does- it's clearly an ideal candidate for Gogglebox (I suppose it's been a subject, but I hate reality tv with a passion too so have no idea).
But as an historical drama, mapping out, from her perspective, the events of the second half of the 20th Century, its utterly captivating and enthralling. Season two continues the series account of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II and the family and politics surrounding her and it's a vividly convincing depiction of 1950s/1960s Britain and its place in the world. Indeed, it's those times and those key events that are the real draw, and far more interesting than the family themselves- although, mind, there is no doubt a morbid interest in its dysfunctional machinations.
Its exquisitely made. The cast are very good, the art direction impeccable, the costumes, the sets, the visual effects hugely impressive, the music very fine (including some brilliant choices in classical music to support the very 'School of Zimmer' score). Its brilliant, enthralling television on a subject that should really leave me cold, and that's the genuine magic of this show. If Netflix manage to see it through to its six-season plan, it should be a major benchmark for period drama; the recasting every two seasons of (I assume) all the cast is a brave and challenging move, mind. I've grown quite attached to Claire Foy's depiction of the young Queen and will be fascinated by any issues reconnecting to the character when played by Olivia Coleman from season three onwards. Afterall, is it the character or the actress playing her that demands the most credit? Our connections to characters and the actors playing them is a curious amalgam of talent and chemistry, and just as our relationships with various incarnations of Dr Who or Batman will testify, some run hot some cold and it's going to be interesting to see if the format and creative team behind the show is the real pull or if some viewers will turn away. For my part, I do have a particular fascination with the Britain of the 1950s and 1960s, in some ways it all seeming like some magical other planet, so strange and yet also familiar, and do wonder if the 1970s will hold the same interest.
Historical accuracy, particularly regards the intimate details of the Royal family, will always be subject to some debate, but the scripts are very well written, each individual episode very often a brilliantly constructed story all of its own, and I look forward to season three with great interest. In some ways, The Crown seems just as much a creative juggernaut as Game of Thrones, as if obeying and subject to a whole different set of rules to other television.
The Netflix Conundrum
On February 25, 2018 February 25, 2018 By ghostof82In Life!, Movies, Television3 Comments
The Cloverfield Paradox: clearly pretty bad but it's got a great Bear McCreary score that I would love to hear in context.
Altered Carbon: if ever a tv show was made for me, this one sounds like it- a great premise, good lead actor and solid production values.
Stranger Things: I still haven't seen anything of it, which makes me feel like a social outcast in geekdom as everyone tells me its great (and then look at me rather strangely as if I'm one of those 'Strange Things' for having not seen it).
The Crown season two: wouldn't say it was exciting me before, but having seen season one on disc, I'm more than curious to see what happens next. She ditches the corgis and raises some dragons instead, yeah? What, it's not like GOT afterall?
Mute: Hey, bit of a mess from what I'm told but like the best of misfires, an intriguing one.
Annihilation: Alex Garland's latest opus won't be hitting cinemas afterall? What?
I think we've just hit Critical Mass folks. It goes against the grain, frankly, paying anything more to watch an increasingly fractured landscape of television programming (I swear, Sky Atlantic will never sully my tv ever…) but I finally may have met my match. I give up, I'm raising the white flag, I'm beat. They've even got The Expanse, that great sci-fi show I've had to import discs over from America in order to watch. Netflix may finally be coming to Ghost Hall in March…
Saving Mr Banks (2013)
On February 3, 2018 By ghostof82In Amazon Prime/VOD, Movies3 Comments
This film has been languishing at the bottom of the digital pile in my Tivo since Christmas 2016 when it originally aired on the BBC. Why exactly it has taken so long for me to finally get around to watching it is quite beyond me, and there's still a few more films sitting in that digital pile. Well, there you go- something else to concern myself about; not just a pile of physical-format films on disc that I have yet to see, I now have films waiting in my Tivo to be seen. As well as those films on my Amazon Prime watchlist. My world, it seems, is full of content waiting to be watched. It almost makes me yearn for the old days of three tv channels, no video recorders and lots of time free for reading and everything else that 'normal' lives were concerned with.
Televisions used to be mono, 4:3 and black and white. Now they are large widescreen stereo monsters that sit there demanding your time. Our eyes endlessly drawn to them, bewitched by them as if by some arcane spell. So many channels. So many films/discs//apps… on my Amazon fire-stick the other night I discovered some kind of 'fireplace tv' thing, a seasonal offering that was a single hour-long shot of a log-fire burning. I actually watched it for something like twenty minutes before I realised I was going mad.
None of which has anything to do with Saving Mr Banks, which I finally go around to watching having allowed it to sit in my Tivo over a year. And what do you know, I feel a bit of a fool having waited so long, because this was an utterly charming, warm and witty movie that I really enjoyed.
I do have a confession to make- the only Mary Poppins I have ever seen was General Leia doing her magical spaceflight in The Last Jedi. Other than a few clips many years ago on the old Disneytime holiday specials that the BBC used to air at Easter etc, I have never seen anything of Mary Poppins, certainly not the whole film, and I have no idea what the original story is. So maybe I was at some disadvantage watching Saving Mr Banks, which is ostensibly the story of how Walt Disney convinced author P L Travers to allow him to make the movie Mary Poppins.
Like, I suspect, the Netflix drama The Crown, this film is a work of fiction masquerading as fact, or at the very least, a dramatic work in which the line between fiction and fact is dimly blurred. Tom Hanks is a very genial, very charming Walt Disney and Emma Thompson a suitably cantankerous P L Travers albeit rather beautiful and charming.There it is again- the word 'charming': it's as if the poster for the film should have read 'Walt Disney presents Saving Mr Banks: Charming! Charming! Charming!'
But it is. And maybe there is more truth to the film than my old cynical soul would have me believe. Is it possible that all this actually happened and that there is far more to the original Mary Poppins story and movie than anyone would have believed? Maybe the simple truth is that it doesn't matter. Saving Mr Banks, true story or Disney myth, is a great heartwarming (bypass that bloody word 'charming' for once) movie that is elegantly written and directed and really has a pretty great cast in top form. I could have looked it all up on the internet and discovered the truth of it, but really, I don't care. Saving Mr Banks was really quite good. And ultimately, that's all that really matters.
Besides, adult fairy tales, which is, I suspect, what this film really is, can be fact or fiction, it doesn't have to mean anything or be validated by truth. It's a damn fine story, regardless, and films could do with more of those, I think.
Now then, what else is lurking within my Tivo…?
The Crown – Season One (2016)
On January 31, 2018 By ghostof82In Blu-ray, Television5 Comments
Another Elizabethan drama about a young Queen in a man's world whose reign marks a turning point for the British Empire and the dawn of a new era. We've seen this before, right? Not exactly- we're not going back to the 16th Century for one thing; this is far more recent history, for this story is about Elizabeth II, and the (miss)fortunes of a fading British Empire following the Second World War, and the role of the modern monarchy in this new world.
I will say this- I didn't expect to enjoy this series as much as I did. As an historical drama recreating the 1930s/1940s and 1950s Britain, this is a very accomplished effort, not withstanding historical accuracy regards the Royal Family etc. It is clearly drama more than documentary -although there is some surprising truth in what it portrays- but it is very accomplished technically and the ten episodes are well written. For a modern epic drama it is pleasantly restrained regards graphic indulgence or sensalitionism. More Downtown Abbey then than Game of Thrones, to be sure, and none the worse for that. The contemporary tendency for television dramas to go for excess and strain credibility (as Hard Sun recently did) is in little evidence here. While it may seem more establishment fairytale than council estate reality, Americans lap this stuff up and us Brits often like to lose ourselves in Downton dreamland in the face of the present-day soap opera of Brexit Westminster.
Personally speaking I'm far from a Royalist and have little affection or interest in the modern generation of privileged Royal elite that 'graces' our Isle, but all my life I have lived during the reign of Elizabeth II and its difficult to ignore the fact that she has been this constant figure in my lifetime, for good or ill. She represents the England of my childhood of the 1960s and 1970s, particularly her Jubilee of 1977 when I was in the Scouts – we had a street party and felt a real sense of community that feels as long gone as, well, my childhood. The inevitable pangs of nostalgia mean something I guess, but in any event, I have, if not affection, then some grudging respect for her if only for what she represents of my childhood: those rose-tinted images of simpler times, less murky politics and social responsibilities. Certainly it is clear from the ten episodes of this first season (of six, apparently) that she has lived through historic times and seen/met many historic figures: perfect recipe for historical drama on television, anyway.
Claire Foy is excellent in the lead role (it seems such a long way from Little Dorrit) , though Dr Who seems rather bereft of his Tardis as the Duke of Edinburgh, but the real surprise is John LIthgow as the raging-against-ageing Winston Churchill, whose story proves just as interesting and involving as that of the Queen. If anyone were to tell me that Lithgow could pull off Churchill I wouldn't have believed them, but he manages with considerable aplomb, damn near stealing the show. The strangest casting decisions sometimes work.
As a whole the rest of the cast manage well enough in fairly routine character roles that seldom really surprise but it is all very entertaining. In the old days this would be the staple of BBC drama and watching this I always had a nagging feeling that this sort of thing is exactly what the Beeb should be doing, but considering the cost and scale of this enterprise perhaps it's just another sign of the changing times this being a Netflix production. It's certainly is much better than I had originally expected and I quite look forward to seeing season two.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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We all know of (or you have likely seen on one of those highly Instagram-able quote images) the Michael Palin quote about travel: "Once the travel bug bites there is no known antidote, and I know that I shall be happily infected until the end of my life." I certainly feel where the comedian is coming from, so when I realized there would be an opportunity to travel to South America with some of my MBA classmates, I could not let it pass me by. I have been blessed to have had the chance to explore and experience a lot of the many corners of this world, but South America was one of the continents I had yet to land on. Before traveling to Brazil and Peru for this course, I felt I had a relatively in-depth concept and handle on experiencing other cultures, visiting other countries and immersing myself in other customs – having traveled through or lived in a large portion of North America, Europe and South-East Asia. Of all the places I've been too, though, the focus was never on business and the way corporations operate in other countries and with respect to other countries. Though the culture immersion part of it all was similar, seeing things from the business lens was very different.
A few concepts were important to understand before heading to Brazil and Peru, that relate to how they operate as countries and therefore how business is conducted within them. In the week before we boarded our flight to Rio de Janeiro, we had five intensive class sessions where we learned about the "universalist" culture in Brazil and Peru, the "communitarianism" philosophy approach, the history of their economies and politics and the daily challenges and opportunities faced by many businesses in each country. Both Brazil and Peru have withstood many peaks and valleys over the last 30 years that have had major implications on the local corporations as well as the global corporations that operate there. While we were in Brazil and Peru we visited a mix of local and global companies that allowed us to take concepts and philosophies we had learned about and see them in their truest form. We met with KPMG, TV Globo Brasil, Hotel Urbano, PwC, Insitum, Liquid and MIQ Logistics. Each corporate visit consisted of a medley of presentations by executives, office tours, Q&As, tasty treats, branded goody bags, new connections and even a behind-the-scenes studio tour of Brazil's top telenovela sets.
My favorite thing, place or experience on the trip? The people. And by the people, I mean the group that I was lucky enough to travel with. No matter where we were, what we were doing or what we were experiencing, this particular group of humans was what mattered. Everyone played an important role on the trip and together we meshed perfectly. Whether it was the guy scouting out the best restaurants/bars to try in each new city, the girl discovering where the nearest Starbucks was (for those who were feening) or the people looking out for each other and ensuring everyone was privy to certain customs or do's and don'ts upon arrival in a new city.
I feel so grateful to have had the opportunity to embark on this journey with Chapman, to have been exposed to so many new and exciting things and to have experienced just a fraction of life and business in South America. We are all but tiny pixels on this great blue and green globe and traveling and immersing oneself in other cultures both brings that idea home and allows you to further appreciate what you do have in your 'home' surroundings. My advice to anyone who is considering traveling with school or working abroad would be to go for it. Let go of the bowlines and set sail. Sleep in trains, boats, vans, buses, airports and on strangers' shoulders. You'll be amazed at what changes in your heart of hearts and what you change in the hearts of others.
Whenever I go away, I go away so that I can come back. So that I can see what I call home with a different light, new colors and fresh perspectives; coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving. I, personally, hope I have the opportunity to work abroad post-graduation and further my learnings and understanding of corporations in other cultures and I know that an experience like I just had with Chapman will be one of the reasons I do so.


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Tag Archives: Eric Schneiderman
Vicky Hartzler defends DOMA on the PBS NewsHour
DOMA, Eric Schneiderman, gay marriage, missouri, PBS NewsHour, Vicky Hartzler
PBS NewsHour had Missouri's Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-4) on this evening to talk about the Supreme Court ruling on DOMA. Her opposite number, the counterpoint to her rather dull point, was New York's Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman, who has distinguished himself by going after bad actors in the world of big finance. Given the brevity of the interview and its formal nature, both of which militate against real argument, it's not fair to say that Schneiderman routed Hartzler – there's an audience that sucks up the standard rightwing lines that she seems to have memorized. But Schneiderman did an excellent job pointing out that there's no room to dither on questions of essential human rights. There's a transcript and video here if you're interested. I include a few highlights (Schneiderman) and lowlights (Hartzler) below:
Hartzler seems to think we must act like bigots for the sake of the children: "it makes sense for children that we have and uphold marriage as between one man and one woman. It's for the best for them, and we should be able to uphold that ideal for them." While Hartzler smiled obliviously and blinked compulsively, Schneiderman neatly parried:
The only children that are being hurt by states that discriminate against marriage equality are the kids being raised by gay couples. There's no harm to our families, straight families who have kids or want to be married or get divorced from authorizing and empowering same-sex couples.
Hartzler repeated a common accusation over the past two days: the Supreme Court's ruling is anti-democratic because it voided California's Prop 8. Here Schneiderman implicitly let the full weight of his contempt fall on poor Hartzler when he pointed out the obvious:
… there is a reason we have a Constitution in this country. There is a reason that there are some laws you just can't pass. You can't pass a law saying black people aren't equal to white people or women aren't equal to men. […] . You can't pass a law that discriminates against gay couples and gay people from — and that's just in keeping with our American tradition. And I think, in 20 or 30 years, people will look back on this as we now look back on Loving v. Virginia and the days of prohibition of interracial marriages and say, what were they thinking?
The funniest thing that Hartzler said, however, was that the reason for DOMA was to avoid administering federal laws while navigating a patchwork of differing laws across the states:
Well, I think it speaks to why they passed that initially, that marriage at the federal level is between one man and one woman, because there's over 1,000 different federal laws that have to do with marriage.
And so it was for a very practical reason. It wasn't for — against — animus against anyone, as if [sic] Justice Kennedy portrayed. It was because of a very practical reason.
She's essentially saying here that the federal government decided to enshrine bigotry in law because folks dedicated to a similar sort of bigotry have commandeered lots of statehouses and passed some nasty laws and to do differently would make life complicated for federal officials. Didn't somebody once say that consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds? Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Vicky Hartzler.