text:
2018/0046880 Automated Change Detection for Synthetic Aperture Sonar
Methods and systems detect changes occurring over time between synthetic aperture sonar (SAS) images. A processor performs coarse navigational alignment,...
2018/0046879 Salient Video Frame Establishment
Salient video frame establishment is described. In one or more example embodiments, salient frames of a video are established based on multiple photos. An...
2018/0046878 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INFRARED THERMAL IMAGE CONTOUR EXTRACTION
The present disclosure provides a method and apparatus for infrared thermal image contour extraction. The method includes: obtaining an infrared thermal image;...
2018/0046876 IMAGE-PROCESSING APPARATUS, IMAGE-PROCESSING METHOD, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT
According to the present disclosure, an image-processing apparatus identifies for each gradation value a connected component of pixels of not less than or not...
2018/0046875 SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR POSITIONAL REGISTRATION OF MEDICAL IMAGE DATA
A system and method of correlating or coregistering medical images is disclosed herein that includes acquiring a surface image of the patient's skin surface...
2018/0046874 SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MARKER BASED TRACKING
A tracking method is disclosed. The method may be implementable by a rotation and translation detection system. The method may comprise obtaining a first and a...
2018/0046873 REFERENCE LINE SETTING DEVICE, REFERENCE LINE SETTING METHOD AND REFERENCE LINE SETTING PROGRAM
A reference line setting device includes an image acquisition means to acquire an image containing a character region, a recognition means to recognize...
2018/0046872 HANDHELD ARTHROPOD DETECTION DEVICE
Various embodiments include systems and methods of arthropod detection using an electronic arthropod detection device. A processor of an electronic arthropod...
2018/0046871 METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR ENHANCING USER LIVENESS DETECTION
A method for enhancing user liveness detection is provided that includes calculating, by a computing device, a first angle and a second angle for each frame in...
2018/0046870 Method and Apparatus for Providing Driver Information Via Audio and Video Metadata Extraction
A method and/or system is able to provide driver fingerprint via metadata extraction managed by a driver rating ("DR") model trained by a machine learning...
2018/0046869 Method and Apparatus for Providing Information Via Collected and Stored Metadata Using Inferred Attentional Model
A method and/or system is able to improve vehicle safety via metadata extraction by an inferred attentional ("IA") model trained by a virtuous cycle containing...
2018/0046868 DETECTING DEVICE, DETECTING METHOD, AND PROGRAM
To detect a distant object that may become an obstacle to a traveling destination of a moving vehicle or the like more accurately than the conventional, there...
2018/0046867 Lane Departure Warning System And Associated Methods
A lane departure warning system includes a memory and a processor for validating a candidate region as including an image of a lane marker on the road is...
2018/0046866 Method of Detecting a Moving Object by Reconstructive Image Processing
Disclosed is a method of detecting a moving object in video produced in a plurality of CCTV cameras. In the present invention, a video reconstruction is...
2018/0046865 MULTI-TO-MULTI TRACKING IN VIDEO ANALYTICS
Techniques and systems are provided for processing video data. For example, techniques and systems are provided for matching a plurality of bounding boxes to a...
2018/0046864 SONIC SENSING
A method for security and/or automation systems is described. In one embodiment, the method may include receiving image data associated with an area via an...
2018/0046863 METHODS AND SYSTEMS OF MAINTAINING LOST OBJECT TRACKERS IN VIDEO ANALYTICS
Techniques and systems are provided for maintaining lost blob trackers for one or more video frames. In some examples, one or more blob trackers maintained for...
2018/0046862 AUTOMATED PHARMACEUTICAL PILL IDENTIFICATION
A pill identification system identifies a pill type for a pharmaceutical composition from images of the pharmaceutical composition. The system extracts...
2018/0046861 PLACING LARGE OBJECTS AND OBJECTS SEPARATED BY LARGE DISTANCES IN AUGMENTED REALITY
Systems and methods are described for placing large objects and objects separated by large distances in an AR environment. An AR headset system may place and...
2018/0046860 IMAGE MONITORING SYSTEM AND IMAGE MONITORING PROGRAM
An image monitoring system includes a recorder that records an image captured by a camera via a network. The system is controlled to display the present image...
2018/0046859 Apparatus for a Near-Eye Display
An apparatus for providing gaze tracking in a near-eye display. Certain examples provide an apparatus including a light modulator configured to receive light...
2018/0046858 METHODS AND SYSTEMS OF PERFORMING BLOB FILTERING IN VIDEO ANALYTICS
Techniques and systems are provided for processing video data. For example, techniques and systems are provided for performing content-adaptive blob filtering....
2018/0046857 METHODS AND SYSTEMS OF UPDATING MOTION MODELS FOR OBJECT TRACKERS IN VIDEO ANALYTICS
Techniques and systems are provided for processing video data. For example, techniques and systems are provided for performing context-aware object or blob...
2018/0046856 DIGITAL IDENTITY
A digital identity, which may include a user interface that may be displayed on a mobile computing device, may be generated to include information extracted...
2018/0046855 FACE DETECTION AND RECOGNITION
The present invention provides, in at least one aspect, methods and systems that detect at least one face in at least one digital image, determine and store...
2018/0046854 THREE DIMENSIONAL MODELLING
Two related methods of fitting a three dimensional model, and a method of performing facial recognition, are disclosed. One method comprises estimating and...
2018/0046853 METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR DETERMINING USER LIVENESS AND VERIFYING USER IDENTITIES
A method for verifying the identity of a user is provided that includes generating, by a computing device, a parameter for each processed frame in a video of...
A method for enhancing user liveness detection is provided that includes calculating, by a computing device, parameters for each frame in a video of captured...
2018/0046851 COMMAND PROCESSING USING MULTIMODAL SIGNAL ANALYSIS
A first set of signals corresponding to a first signal modality (such as the direction of a gaze) during a time interval is collected from an individual. A...
2018/0046849 AUTHENTICATION DEVICE, IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS, AND AUTHENTICATION METHOD
An authentication device includes an operation panel, a registered handwriting procedure acquiring portion, a long-pressing detecting portion, a handwriting...
2018/0046848 METHOD OF RECOGNIZING FINGERPRINTS, APPARATUS AND TERMINAL DEVICES
A method of recognizing fingerprints, an apparatus and a terminal device are provided. The method of recognizing fingerprints includes following operations. A...
2018/0046847 PATTERN REGISTRATION
A system, method, and computer program product for automatic machine-implemented pattern registration, particularly suited to small sensor systems which...
2018/0046846 APPARATUS AND METHOD OF PROCESSING MEDICAL IMAGE
An apparatus for processing medical images includes a storage unit storing fingerprints that respectively correspond to a plurality of functions, a user input...
2018/0046845 DECODER AND ENCODER FOR A DIGITAL FINGERPRINT CODE
A method to encode and decode a digital fingerprint code by an identification encoder and an identification decoder wherein the digital fingerprint code...
2018/0046844 Application and Picture Display Methods and Apparatuses, and Electronic Device
An application display method of the present disclosure includes receiving a touch operation, obtaining second fingerprint information from the touch...
2018/0046843 ITERATIVE MATCHING METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PARTIAL FINGERPRINT VERIFICATION
An iterative matching method for partial fingerprint verification includes providing database features and input features; initially comparing the input...
2018/0046842 LINE-OF-SIGHT DETECTION DEVICE AND LINE-OF-SIGHT DETECTION METHOD
When a plurality of candidate corneal reflections are extracted from an image of a person, a line-of-sight detection device calculates a movement vector of a...
2018/0046841 FINGERPRINT SENSOR EMPLOYING AN INTEGRATED NOISE REJECTION STRUCTURE
A sensor has drive lines and transverse pickup lines to define an electrode pair where each pickup line crosses a drive line. A reference pickup line is...
2018/0046840 A NON-CONTACT CAPTURE DEVICE
The non-contact capture device allows for an image of an object to be captured when the object is not making contact with any portion of the non-contact...
2018/0046839 VEHICLE FINGERPRINT BOOKMARK
Provided in the present disclosure is a fingerprint bookmark system which may be implemented in a vehicle with one or more configurable interior settings. The...
2018/0046838 FINGER SCANNER, AND METHOD OF SCANNING A FINGER USING THE FINGER SCANNER
A finger scanner comprises a first member and a second member. The first member has a first contact surface configured to contact a first part of a finger, and...
2018/0046837 ELECTRONIC DEVICE INCLUDING PIN HOLE ARRAY MASK ABOVE OPTICAL IMAGE SENSOR AND RELATED METHODS
An electronic device may include an optical image sensor and a pin hole array mask layer above the optical image sensor. The electronic device may also include...
2018/0046836 SINGLE TRANSDUCER FINGERPRINT SYSTEM
Disclosed herein are techniques for generating an image of a target object using a sensor. The sensor includes a substrate and a single transceiver. The...
2018/0046835 MARKER FOR OPTICAL TRACKING, OPTICAL TRACKING SYSTEM, AND OPTICAL TRACKING METHOD
The present disclosure provides a marker with a pattern formed thereon, which includes an optical system. At least a part of the pattern that uniquely appears...
2018/0046834 Reader Apparatus For Upconverting Nanoparticle Ink Printed Images
An improved system and method for reading an upconversion response from nanoparticle inks is provided. A is adapted to direct a near-infrared excitation...
2018/0046833 SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ACTIVITY MONITORING
Aspects of the present invention provides a system for monitoring and reminding a user of specific activities. In one embodiment, a machine detectable element...
2018/0046832 ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND OPERATING METHOD THEREOF
An electronic device and method are disclosed herein. The electronic device may include a housing, a socket disposed in the housing, a tray insertable into the...
2018/0046831 CONTEMPORANEOUS GESTURE AND KEYBOARD ENTRY AUTHENTICATION
A restricted access device such as a cellphone, a tablet or a personal computer, analyzes contemporaneous keyboard inputs of a password and gestures to...
2018/0046830 SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SECURE AUTHENTICATION OF A "SMART" BATTERY BY A HOST
Systems and methods for providing a battery module 110 with secure identity information and authentication of the identity of the battery 110 by a host 120. In...
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text:
Tungi Spirit is the name given to a distilled product made in Saint Helena from the fruit of the prickly or cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica).

Terminology
Tungi is the local Saint Helenian name for the prickly or cactus pear.

Usage
Three principal varieties of tungi grow on Saint Helena, but only two are used in the production of Tungi spirit. These are both examples of the largest fruit grown: the "English" (or yellow) fruit and the "Madeira" (or large red) fruit. These are cultivars of Opuntia ficus indica. The small "spiny red" tungi fruits (O. elatior) are not normally used for distillation, despite remaining in season for almost eight months of the year. By comparison with the large varieties, their juice content is low.

External links

 St Helena Tungi Distillery website

Distilled drinks
Economy of Saint Helena
Saint Helenian culture
Saint Helenian cuisine

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


How often on Maui do you walk into someone's home and your eyes open wide as you exclaim: "Wow, what a fabulous view!" or "What a great house!" The owners smile with feelings of pride, and we would hope with gratitude, to be so fortunate to live in such a beautiful place on such a beautiful island.
Unfortunately, for myself, as a feng shui practitioner, I find fewer opportunities to be dazzled by the view or architecture, as I have been trained instead to observe how the energy (ch'i) is flowing through the home space and landscape. In walking through a house, I can usually tell what health, relationship, money, career or children problems exist in the household. Sometimes these problems are obvious as I walk up to the front door and sometimes even more obviously when the front door opens. The first impressions often tell the whole story.
Unfortunately, architects and builders without a feng shui background, focus first on the artistic design and what they consider to be the most efficient way to utilize available land space. Sad to say, this has resulted in the many dysfunctional dwellings occupied by so many dysfunctional families. For a visitor the impact is dynamic while the individual(s) living in the structure have a different day-by-day reality to report.
The second step for the potential house builder is to review the architect's first sketches with the feng shui practitioner. It is so much easier and cheaper to make changes in the drawings to prevent such potential problems as: positioning a bathroom in the wrong corner of the house which will prevent money or relationships from going "down the toilet;" placing a fireplace in the middle of the house resulting in exhausted adrenals; putting the children's room in a position of power; neglecting to have a solid wall behind the bed or desk for "strong support" in relationship or work; installing a big beautiful window opposite the front door so energy (health or money) can rush out of the house, and the many other mistakes that can be made when designing a home.
In summation, if you are not experiencing easy cash flow, harmony in relationships, success in a career you love, finding support from people you hire to help you (plumbers, electricians, etc.) or health problems that do not seem to respond to all that you do to correct those health problems, you may have poor feng shui. In any of these situations you can usually assume that the home environment is either aggravating the condition or undermining your attempts to alter these difficult situations.
Yes, there is a solution for every problem. Well almost. In some cases, the solution is, at best, merely a band-aid, and in some cases, the best solution would be to move to a house with better feng shui.
The solution for one family dwelling in Pukalani (Maui) for "money going down hill" was a flower farm in that area of the property. So the money going down hill came back as income. For others the solution were to put up a flag pole or to mount a spotlight at the bottom of the hill with the light shining up to the roof line. These are different methods to bring the energy (ch'i) back.
The solution for one family living on the "edge" was to construct a low, wooded fence to give a sense of security. The solution for a dwelling with a missing relationship corner was to plant a beautiful garden. Putting a large mirror on the fence at a "dead end" street gave the illusion that "the road of life continues on." But the best solutions of all are siting and building the house correctly from the very beginning.


Laura Leite, FDN, Kresser Institute Provider and Teacher, Founder of Ancestral Health Center of California.
Laura is accredited in Functional Diagnostic Nutrition, as well as in Functional and Evolutionary Medicine by the Kresser Institute. Laura also holds certifications as a Personal Trainer and Pilates Instructor with over 15 years of experience working with clients in USA and Brasil.
Her health approach was in part informed by her own experience of recovering from autoimmune disease. With Chris Kresser's expertise, as her main physician, she overcame severe autoimmune symptoms that had been triggered by diagnosed genetic mutations. She was able to "turn off" autoimmune gene expressions, uniquely through an ancestral model of nutrition, lifestyle and exercise.
She began studying evolutionary biology on her own in 2009, and started acquiring credentials on the Functional Nutrition and Functional Medicine fields in 2012. Laura also serves as one of the Kresser Institute teachers for Functional Medicine for the one-year training for Health Coaches.
Laura and her partner live in Berkeley, California.
See Laura's full story here.
Josiane Giaretta has a Brazilian Bachelors degree in Dietetics Nutrition and Post-Graduation in Gastronomy.
Josiane worked as a clinician in Brazil and helped to develop Integrative Medicine Prevention Programs for public health that had a widespread impact.
She has a lifelong passion for cooking, which was inherited from her family's traditional cooking legacy. Josiane followed her passion making the transition from the clinical environment to the kitchen.
She was part of a team, who spearheaded an Auto Immune Paleo Protocol (AIP) restaurant service in Berkeley, CA and now works as a farm-to-table chef in Oakland, CA. At the Ancestral Health Center of California she collaborates as a developer for delicious functional recipes.
See Josiane's full story here.


text:
Aims& Scopes
Volume 4, Issue 3 (9-2022) 2022, 4(3): 62-69 | Back to browse issues page
 10.52547/JAD.2022.4.3.8
Rezaei A, Khaledi H, Savari A, Dostshenas B, Mohammad Askari H, Attari R. Ecological baseline analysis of mollusks in the intertidal stations of Ouli, Dayyer, and Kangan, in the Persian Gulf. Journal of Animal Diversity 2022; 4 (3) :62-69
URL: http://jad.lu.ac.ir/article-1-246-en.html
Ecological baseline analysis of mollusks in the intertidal stations of Ouli, Dayyer, and Kangan, in the Persian Gulf
Azadeh Rezaei1 , Hoda Khaledi 2, Ahmad Savari1 , Babak Dostshenas1 , Hosein Mohammad Askari1 , Rezvan Attari3
1- Khorramshahr University of Marine Science and Technology, Khorramshahr, Khuzestan, Iran
2- Iranian National Institute for Oceanography and Atmospheric Science, Tehran, Iran , hodakhaledi@yahoo.com
3- Marine Biology Department of Guilan University, Iran
Macrobenthos play an important role in aquatic ecosystems because they mineralize, promote, and mix the oxygen flux into the sediment, which recycles the organic matter. Sampling of macrobenthos populations for this study was carried out in the supratidal, mid tidal, low tidal, and subtidal regions of the Dayyer, Ouli, and Kangan stations in the Persian Gulf during both cold and warm seasons. Water parameters such as the temperature, salinity, pH, turbidity, and electrical conductivity were assessed, and were indicative of moderate water quality. Representatives of a total of 31 taxonomic families were identified during both seasons, of which 59 were identified to genus and species. The highest average number of species was observed in the low tidal region of Kangan in the warm season at 16.6 ± 1.2 species, and the lowest number was observed in the supratidal regions of Ouli and Kangan in the cold season at 6.6±2 species. The species diversity, as calculated using the Shannon–Wiener Index (H'), showed a significant difference between sampling seasons and sampling stations, as well as pollution level at the beaches. The species diversity index in Ouli, Dayyer, and Kangan stations also differed between the seasons. In both seasons, the Kangan station showed the highest species diversity while the Dayyer station showed the lowest. These results reveal a rich species diversity of macrobenthos and good water quality at the three beaches in the Persian Gulf. Re-assessment of species diversity during an environmental impact assessment prior to urban development should be further conducted to ensure that the
community is not significantly affected and the ecosystem remains intact.
Keywords: Species diversity, macrobenthos, Shannon–Wiener Index, water quality
Full-Text [PDF 1530 kb] (90 Downloads)
Type of Study: Original Research Article | Subject: Ecological Diversity
Received: 2022/08/4 | Accepted: 2022/09/9 | Published: 2022/09/30
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Scientific Publications Commission - Science Ministry
Species Diversity, Genetic Diversity, Ecological Diversity, New Species, Systematics, Taxonomy, Zoogeography, Conservation, Endemic, Fauna, Phylogeny
| Journal of Animal Diversity

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
It's Time to Get Serious About Elder Abuse
Events tied to an awareness day point out the urgent needs
By Bob BlancatoElder AdvocateJune 17, 2015
By Bob Blancato
Credit: Thinkstock
June 15 marked the 10th anniversary of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. In Washington, D.C., the occasion included high profile activities: a Presidential Proclamation, a special White House Conference on Aging event on elder justice and a first-time Global Summit on elder abuse. (More on these in a moment.)
The day itself, inspired by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse, brings attention to a rapidly growing national and international problem — abuse, neglect and exploitation of older adults.
In the United States, the Department of Justice estimates that one in 10 people over 60 is a victim of elder abuse. This translates into nearly 6 million cases a year.
MoreWhy the Older Americans Act Matters
Our focus must be directed to helping the victims and to prevent more older adults from being victimized.
Abuse takes various forms, with neglect and financial exploitation rising fastest. Studies indicate that victims of financial fraud lose an estimated $3 billion a year. (And one recent report suggests the figure might be at least 10 times that amount.)
The majority of elder abuse is committed by family members. The average victim is a woman between the ages of 75 and 80 living alone; almost half of women over 75 in the U.S. now live alone.
Elder abuse "is a public health crisis that crosses all socioeconomic lines and is an affront to human rights around the world," said President Obama in his Proclamation.
A Report From the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day Events
At the Global Summit, speakers addressed aspects of elder abuse such as research, victim services, the role of Adult Protective Services and needed advocacy for further change in policies. Relatives of two high-profile victims, Brooke Astor and Hugette Clark, provided valuable first-hand testimony on their experiences with elder abuse.
The White House Conference on Aging event focused on initiatives taken by the Obama Administration related to elder justice, work that began with the 2010 passage of the landmark Elder Justice Act as part of the Affordable Care Act.
Here's an overview of initiatives discussed:
An interagency group called the Elder Justice Coordinating Council identifies the many federal agencies that work in elder abuse prevention and coordinates their activities. The Council has issued recommendations for further legislative and regulatory action.
An Office of Elder Justice and Adult Protective Services has been established in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, meaning the front line in fighting elder abuse has its first-time federal home.
The U.S. Justice Department last year released its Elder Justice Roadmap Project designed to focus attention on aspects of elder abuse prevention with recommendations for future action around brain health, among other topics.
Under the landmark Dodd-Frank Act, an Office of Older Americans was established in the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and it has spearheaded important educational and awareness-raising work to protect older adults from financial abuse.
Finally, the 2015 White House Conference on Aging, which will be held on July 13, has made elder justice one of its four priorities. Some further administration initiatives around elder justice are expected to be announced at the conference.
What We Need Next
Though progress has been made, our national commitment to fight elder abuse is lagging. The Elder Justice Act only received its first direct funding from Congress in 2014 at a measly $4 million. This has thwarted the ability to fully implement the key provisions of the law, including providing dedicated funding to Adult Protective Services, making the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program stronger and providing direct funding for elder abuse forensic centers.
MoreMy Family's Elder Financial Abuse
The Older Americans Act, which includes funding for elder abuse prevention, is almost five years late in being renewed. The Social Services Block Grant Program, which is the only current source of funding for Adult Protective Services, is always a target to be cut in budget discussions.
Additionally, of all the funding provided to key federal agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control, National Institute on Aging, Office of Violence Against Women, Administration on Aging, National Institute of Justice and the Office of Victims of Crime, only 0.598 percent of their budgets, on average, are used for elder abuse prevention. (At most, 2.5 percent is used.) That has to be improved.
One prime opportunity may exist through a $1.6 billion increase provided by Congress to the Victims of Crime Act (funds collected through fines versus actual appropriations). Having a dedicated portion of these funds going to elder abuse crime victims will be a major step forward in improving our federal response.
Achieve Justice By Fighting Abuse
Our nation has a proud commitment to combating other types of abuse. It began more than 40 years ago with the passage of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, which has resulted in more than $7 billion in funding for these programs. We have the important Violence Against Women Act, which recently observed its 20th anniversary.
Yet, for reasons that puzzle advocates like myself, our society, especially Congress, is much slower to grasp and respond to elder abuse. That can be due to everything from ideology to ageism. However, this must be resolved quickly.
Elder justice is only achieved when elder abuse is prevented. This requires direct investments in data collection, Adult Protective Services, ombudsman services, public awareness campaigns and locally-based prevention activities. Prevention saves programs like Medicaid and Medicare in significant ways, since victims of elder abuse often end up in hospitals or nursing homes. We must also have an immediate focus on services for victims of elder abuse, such as legal aid and emergency housing.
In this year, when we celebrate the 80th anniversary of Social Security and the 50th of Medicare, Medicaid and the Older Americans Act, we marvel at what these programs have done to improve the quality of life for older adults. But elder abuse is a real and potent threat to this quality of life. And it, too, warrants a commitment of federal resources and leadership. Forms of elder abuse like financial abuse truly are the leading crimes of the 21st century and we need to confront them.
It is time for us to get serious as a nation about elder abuse. Our focus must be directed to helping the victims and to prevent more older adults from being victimized. That is elder justice.
Bob Blancato is executive director of the National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs and a 2016 Next Avenue Influencer in Aging.
Next Avenue Editors Also Recommend:
Harper Lee's Book: Stealth Case of Elder Abuse?
Why Elder Financial Abuse is Such a Slippery Crime
What You Can Do to Curb Elder Financial Abuse
How to Spot Signs of Elder Abuse
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The Star's Political Sentimeter project has confirmed that more left-leaning wards are clustered in the downtown core and more right-leaning wards are found among the suburbs.
Mapping our political divides
A team of political scientists has mapped out Toronto's ideological landscape by ward, identifying where the city's political left and right reside.
By Jennifer BillSpecial to the Star
Fri., Jan. 16, 2015timer3 min. read
updateArticle was updated Dec. 08, 2015
You might know all about your neighbours' recycling habits, their problem pets, and when they finally let go of the holiday season and put their tree at the curb. But aside from the campaign signs adorning lawns at election time, you likely don't know much about their politics.
Now you can find out. A team of political scientists from Vox Pop Labs has mapped out Toronto's ideological landscape by ward, affording residents a glimpse into the leanings of their neighbours, and identifying where the city's political left and right reside.
Vox Pop Labs recently identified eight ideological types in Toronto through the Political Sentimeter, an online tool that collects data about how residents think about the world. Created by Vox Pop Labs and launched last month by the Star, the 15-minute survey presents a series of values questions to determine where users fall along the left-right continuum, assigning respondents a group from Post-Materialist Left to Steadfast Right.
Close to 56,000 people have taken the test.
What kind of Torontonian are you?
Sir John A., Jack Layton, Doug Ford? Which one are you most like?
Who's more left-wing — David Peterson or Kardinal Offishall?
The data confirms the existence of a political divide between downtown and the suburbs, but also reveals a level of ideological diversity within neighbourhoods that surprised the Vox Pop Labs team.
"The proportions vary substantially, but there is representation from each of Toronto's ideological groups in every ward," says Clifton van der Linden, founder of Toronto-based Vox Pop Labs. "There is not a single case where one of the eight (types) represents a majority of the residents of a particular ward."
As expected, more left-leaning wards are clustered in the downtown core and more right-leaning wards are found among the suburbs. The five most left-thinking wards are Parkdale-High Park (ward 14), Davenport (18), Toronto-Danforth (30), Trinity-Spadina (19), and St. Paul's (21). Wards most on the right are Etobicoke Centre (3), Etobicoke Centre (4), Scarborough East (44), Etobicoke-Lakeshore (5), and York Centre (9).
On some issues, the downtown-suburban divide was stark; on others, there were surprising commonalities.
Suburbanites were much more likely to agree that the traditional family unit is central to a well-functioning society, for example; whereas opinion was mixed among urban Torontonians. On questions of nationalism, meanwhile, there was virtually no discernible difference between urban and suburban residents.
The breakdown of ideologies by ward seems to closely reflect the electoral dynamics of the city, says van der Linden. The results "neatly map" onto the outcome of October's mayoral election.
In wards where the data shows more progressive elements, there was stronger support for Olivia Chow; where people are more conservative, there was more support for Rob or Doug Ford, and John Tory attracted a majority of the voters living in the middle ground.
This contradicts the oft-expressed view that, in municipal elections, voters are looking simply for the most effective manager, rather than a politician who thinks as they do.
"This can be … interpreted as evidence that citizens of Toronto do not regard their local government exclusively as a service provider," says van der Linden, "but want to see in city hall a reflection of their broader values, beliefs and convictions."
Van der Linden says being aware of how your neighbours feel about social issues is the first step toward healing the divides in the city. He hopes the data collected through the Political Sentimeter project can contribute to that awareness.
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Try the Political Sentimeter and find out where you fall among Toronto's eight ideology groups. Visit sentimeter.thestar.com.


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Tag Archives: independent film
Sideways – Review
I like to think of myself as a pretty open minded guy when it comes to movies. I try to soak in all sorts of films from all around the world and from different points of view. That being said, some genres just don't impress me as much as others. I like comedies as much as the next person, but I'd much rather watch a mystery or a crime thriller. Comedies have to work really hard to win me over, and a good place to look is the work of Alexander Payne. Throughout the years, Payne has walked a thin line between comedy and drama and has garnered a lot of respect. The first movie I've seen of his was Nebraska, and I have to admit that I really couldn't get into it. I'm revisiting his work with an earlier movie from 2004, Sideways, which was also met with many accolades. While I do like this one better than Nebraska, I still just don't think his movies are for me.
Miles (Paul Giamatti) and Jack (Thomas Haden Church) have been best friends since they were room mates in college. They've been through various ups and downs together and, despite their efforts, haven't really made much of an impact on the world. With Jack finally getting married, Miles sees this as a time to take him on a trip through California's wine country where they will spend quality time together and drink a whole lot of wine. Along the way, the two come across Maya (Virginia Madsen), a waitress at one of Miles' favorite restaurants, and they also meet Stephanie (Sandra Oh), a wine pourer at a local vineyard. Jack immediately starts an affair with Stephanie who is oblivious to the fact he's getting married that weekend. Meanwhile, Miles becomes close with Maya, but has a hard time holding in the secret that Jack is keeping from Stephanie. This affair in the middle of wine country will force these best friends to examine who they are, what they are becoming, and how to finally feel fulfilled.
I want to go ahead and talk about what I really loved about this movie, and it has more to do with the way the characters are written than the actual story. Paul Giamatti's character has been through a lot of terrible things, and a lot of it has to do with decisions he's made. By the time this movie starts, he's a broken man trying to find something special to hold onto, which is why this week long trip with his best friend means so much. Thomas Haden Church's character is the exact opposite. He's a loose cannon who feels like he hasn't lived his life to the fullest, and he doesn't realize that his bad decisions are the same things that completely ruined his friend's outlook. It's an interesting friendship that I don't think has been explored this well in movies like this. I feel like Payne really fleshed out these two characters to the point where I understand their feelings without them needing to vocalize them, which is a very strong film making technique. Miles sees a lot of his past in Jack which scares him and Jack sees a potential future in Miles which also scares him. I really can't stress enough how much I enjoyed these two characters and the depth of their connection.
The setting for this movie also really helped put me into the story. Road trip movies now seem to always go for the extreme party cities where shenanigans are bound to happen. The fact that shenanigans occur in the California wine country is certainly different. While the setting is fun and different, I can't really say the same thing about how the story progressed. While there are things that set Sideways apart, at it's core it still follows the same formula set down by buddy and romantic comedies. The movie didn't really throw me any curve balls or offer me any sort of dramatic surprises, which is weird considering how deep Payne worked to make his characters seem unique but he couldn't really do the same with his story. There are some good moments of humor that do feel very original and that helps the story from becoming too stale. While I did chuckle at the movie and laugh out loud pretty hard once, it didn't really strike me as hilarious. I can't help but look at Sideways as a drama more than it is a comedy.
As far as the comedy did go, Giamatti was spot on as always. This is the kind of actor that can naturally find the perfect tone for a movie and strike it without even seeming to try. I wish the same could be said for Thomas Haden Church. I can't really tell if his character annoyed me or his performance annoyed me. He just seemed over the top at times and, while it was a good foil for Giamatti's character, he just didn't have the same effect on me. Virginia Madsen is good in her role although there is one scene where the writing felt a bit too unnatural. Unfortunately, Sandra Oh's character exists solely for an affair to happen. We get glimpses into her life, but she's never really fleshed out to her potential, unlike Madsen. For a movie that's so focused on character development, it's easy to notice when one of them gets next to none.
Sideways is a good movie. I don't think anyone will say otherwise. My only thing is that it isn't really my cup of tea. I found it easy to find flaws because it just struck me as pretentious quite often and unfortunately predictable. Paul Giamatti and Virginia Madsen are excellent while Thomas Haden Church has moments of brilliance but also moments of over the top annoyance. I can't say much for Sandra Oh since she didn't have much to really contribute. Sideways works best as an examination of friendship, aging, and trust while also being a strong character study. It doesn't really hold up quite the same way in the narrative department. As a comedy/drama it still holds up better than many.
Tags: academy awards, affair, alcohol, alcoholism, alexander payne, buddy comedy, california, comedy, drama, film, film review, friendship, independent film, indie, indie film, love, marriage, movie review, movies, oscars, paul giamatti, review, romantic comedy, sandra oh, sideways, thomas haden church, virginia madsen, weding, wine, wine country
Midnight Special – Review
Science fiction is probably my favorite genre of film and literature because it can form such a huge spectrum of stories to be told. Recently, there's been a huge influx of space films like the resurgences of Star Trek and Star Wars, but also completely original ideas like Christopher Nolan's excellent work with Interstellar. If not space, the market seems flooded with science fiction via superhero films. What I don't see a lot of are smaller films that still have a grand story to tell without all the bells and whistles of major Hollywood productions. This is partially why I was so interested with Jeff Nichols' film Midnight Special, along with the fact that it stars my favorite actor, Michael Shannon. With my expectations raised pretty high, I'm thrilled to say that Midnight Special did not disappoint.
On a seemingly quiet night, and AMBER alert is issued for an 8 year old boy named Alton Meyer (Jaeden Lieberher). It's revealed that he's safe and sound in a motel with his father Roy (Michael Shannon) and Roy's close friend Lucas (Joel Edgerton). As the trio hit the road during the darkest hours of the night, the FBI raid a religious cult's farmland to interrogate its founder, Pastor Calvin (Sam Shepard), who raised Alton since Roy and his wife, Sarah (Kirsten Dunst), left the compound. The main interrogator is NSA communication analyst Paul Sevier (Adam Driver) who is more interested with how Calvin was able to get highly classified satellite communications through Alton. It's soon revealed through Roy's travels with Alton with the FBI and members of the cult hot on their tails that Alton may not be of this world, and while his origins are unknown to all parties involved, it's evident that he's about to reveal something that will change the world forever.
Let me just say, the way this story is told is fantastic. The structure that this narrative falls into is really the only way this story can be told. The film begins in medias res with Roy, Lucas, and Alton on the run and we as the audience don't know why. This first part of the movie is so riveting because I really hadn't the slightest idea of what everything meant. Was Alton an alien or some sort of experiment gone wrong? What was the deal with the religious cult? How powerful is Alton and what are his weaknesses. Nichols knows that with a story like this, there's going to be some major questions and he uses that to the film's advantage and creates this mysterious thread that totally morphs into a web. The atmosphere of science fiction blends well with the rural roads our travelers call home during the night, and the mystery of what is actually going on had me hooked from beginning to end.
My last review was of J.C. Chandor's Margin Call, and I really liked that movie except for a problem with certain characters and their relevancy to the story. As much as I really liked Midnight Special, I feel like this film is a bigger offender of the same problem. Early in the movie we get introduced to the religious cult Alton comes from and its charismatic leader, Pastor Calvin. I really liked this element of the story in the way that it seemed to be blending science fiction and religion. It's a theme that's seen pretty frequently in the genre, but it felt really down to earth in this film. Unfortunately, this cult doesn't really amount to much and the only impact they have on the story lasts a few scenes, one of them being quite intense. Still, I would have liked to see a lot more from the cult and especially from Sam Shepard's character, Calvin, because he was really selling that role well.
Like I said, Midnight Special is science fiction brought down to earth. It's something I felt like could be happening at this very moment, and I even thought about if I've ever driven past someone on a dark highway going through some extraordinary even like this, and I would never know. With these huge science fiction films taking us to different worlds and galaxies, it was refreshing to see a movie that just spans a couple of states with a story that deals with real people. While this movie isn't action packed, it still has plenty of really unique special effects that I will forever associate with this film and some larger than life ideas that I feel pay off very well.
Midnight Special is truly just a wonderful story and I have to give Jeff Nichols credit for once again leading me down a road where I couldn't have guessed the destination. This film works as science fiction, family drama, and as a mystery that's wrapped in a very well shot and paced film. The only gripes I have come from some characters that feel underused or just completely forgotten. Still, this is some excellent science fiction that deserves more praise than it gets.
Tags: adam driver, cult, drama, family, family drama, fbi, film, film review, independent film, indie, indie film, jaeden lieberher, jeff nichols, joel edgerton, kirsten dunst, michael shannon, midnight special, movie review, movies, mystery, police, religion, religious cult, review, sam shepard, sci fi, science fiction
Free Fire – Review
Have you ever been so excited for a movie, but knew you had to wait so long to see it that you were convinced it would never be released anywhere around you? Well, that's how I felt about Ben Wheatley's Free Fire. I saw the trailer for this movie months ago, and was so excited to see the cast and the insanity that the trailer had to offer. It also is worth mentioning that this movie has Martin Scorsese as an executive producer. All of the pieces were in place and I've finally gotten to see the movie I've been so excited for… The disappointment has really set in hard.
Chris (Cillian Murphy) and Frank (Michael Smiley) are two IRA members who have travelled to America to buy rifles from a known arms dealer and all around douche bag, Vernon (Sharlto Copley). Along for the ride is Vernon's associate Ord (Armie Hammer), the intermediary Justine (Brie Larson), and some other hired hands to help with the transaction. This is a pretty volatile bunch to begin with, but once it's revealed that Vernon has brought the wrong rifles and that there are hidden tensions shared between a few of the hired hands, things start to go south until shots are fired. Now the two groups are split at opposite sides of the abandoned factory they are meeting in with a suitcase full of money and crates of rifles and ammo standing between them. Whoever is left standing wins.
This as an idea sounds perfect. Put a bunch of volatile criminals in a room together with guns and money and see what happens. It's not something we haven't heard of before, but it looked like a movie that was going to take the idea and inject it with some high energy and lots of laughs. I'm not really sure what happened. As the movie started, I was into the dialogue and the characters. They were setting up the scene very well and when a new character was introduced, I liked seeing their personality matched with everyone else's. I had this picture in my mind that this was just going to be a raucous clash that didn't have time to slow down, but Free Fire is surprisingly boring. There's a lot of sitting around and yelling insults and when a shot is fired, someone is either just clipped or missed all together. And this goes on and on it seems, until things finally pick up the way I wanted it to in the last act of the movie. If the whole film had the energy of the last act, this review would be going a whole other way.
I do have to give it to all the actors in this movie. All of them give their best to their performances, which is really the strongest point of the movie. The characters are what's going to be remembered most. Cillian Murphy,Michael Smiley, and Brie Larson work off each other very well and they spend most of the movie together. If their chemistry didn't work than that would have been a real problem. I also have to give it to Armie Hammer for being surprisingly hilarious as Ord, who just seemed to have an answer for everything. How could I talk about the good performances in Free Fire without talking about Sharlto Copley? This guy is one of my all time favorite actors, and for good reason. He has all of the best lines in this movie, and quite frankly, it's clear that Wheatley wrote Vernon as his favorite character. It shows in every line Copley delivers. He's the best part of the movie, hands down, and I know I may be a little biased in saying that, but I don't really care.
When I think of all my favorite parts in this movie, they all come from the last half hour or so. I was looking at the time all throughout the movie wondering how they were going to fit in what I wanted to see with the time running out so quickly. This is not a long movie, so when I got to the 45 minute mark, I kinda lost hope that this movie was going to be as exciting as I originally thought it was going to be. Then the third act happens and it was a lot of fun, but I couldn't help but wonder where all that energy and excitement and humor was for the beginning and the middle. Ben Wheatley did not handle the material well in his writing and seriously undersold what this movie could have been. The whole thing is a huge missed opportunity, which is sad because I see so much potential.
Free Fire had everything it needed to be a cult classic. It had a really cool idea, memorable characters, a great cast of actors, and a writer/director that has proven his skill in the past. I'm still not sure what happened. The finished product is a lackluster action/comedy that provides a good deal of laughs but is bogged down by an overly short run time and a surprising lack of energy. This film could have been an incident of hilarious contained chaos, but it never reaches this potential which left me wanting so much more. This is one of the bigger cinematic disappointments I've seen in quite some time.
Tags: a24, action, armie hammer, ben wheatley, brie larson, cillian murphy, comedy, crime, criminals, film, free fire, guns, independent, independent film, indie film, martin scorsese, michael smiley, movies, review, sharlto copley, violence, violent
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai – Review
Jim Jarmusch is quite possibly one of the most critically acclaimed film makers working in the industry today. Even with all of this critical feedback, his films rarely see the light of day in terms of the mainstream market, but Jarmusch never compromises his vision for something more accessible, and I respect that. While most of his films are very interesting an defy genre conventions, one that really stands out to me is Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, which was released in 1999. It's a story that combines a mafia crime story with an urban drama that has elements of an Eastern samurai tale. It's a very unique movie that has a lot of elements working together, but sometimes at the expense of other aspects that could have been explored more.
Ghost Dog (Forest Whitaker) is a mysterious hit man that lives by the code of the samurai, which was written in the Hagakure. Part of the code is to honor his boss, a mobster named Louie (John Tormey) who saved his life some years before this story takes place. Part of his honoring Louie is to perform contract hits without question. One of the hits is Handsome Frank (Richard Portnow), a made man who is in a relationship with mafia don Vargo's (Henry Silva) daughter (Tricia Vessey). After successfully performing the hit with the daughter being unexpectedly present for it, Vargo puts a hit on Ghost Dog, much to the chagrin of Louie, who is forced to go along with it to some degree. Now, Ghost Dog is going to have to come out of seclusion, and in the traditional ways of the samurai, get his revenge on the mafia family that wants him dead.
So while this does have a pretty classic revenge story going on, the core of this movie is Ghost Dog. It's more of a character study than anything else. There's bursts of violence that happen, but it's the downtime that sticks with me more. There's a great scene in a park where Ghost Dog is talking to this little girl he just met about different kinds of books. This scene added a lot of humanity to Ghost Dog, a man who is essentially a murderer for hire. This kind of humanity makes him a very conflicted and complicated character whereas he can be gentle to most anyone he meets, but also kill you without batting an eye. This study of Ghost Dog makes for slow paced storytelling, but it works for this movie. What doesn't really work is when the slow pace slows down to a halt. There's a lot of scenes where Ghost Dog is just driving and listening to music, which is brilliantly composed by RZA. As great as the music is, these scenes go on way to long, and unless you're 100% invested in everything in this movie, you'll probably find yourself drifting from time to time.
What really makes Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai unique is the seamless genre blending. Like I said before, this film works as an urban drama and a crime thriller with sprinklings of Eastern philosophies and styles. I really love when movies defy all genre conventions, which is a major strength of Jim Jarmusch. The combination of RZA's hip hop score with the imagery of Ghost Dog practicing with his katana on a rooftop in the middle of the city is just super cool, and when he's comparing the philosophy of the samurai with the violent revenge he's getting on the mafia also makes for a really cool blend. Now, the problem with having all this stuffed into one movie that isn't even 2 hours means that some stuff is lost or pushed aside. Not a lot of Ghost Dog's past is explored and a lot of side characters are just pushed away for long periods of time when a little bit of development would have went a long way. I know this story is more about Ghost Dog, but having certain characters stand out more would have made his actions have more consequence. It's a small price to pay for fitting in all of the cool stuff that is prominent.
Ghost Dog is a really good example of the kind of writing that Jarmusch does and why it's really a style all his own. There's a lot of really cool bits in this movie that shouldn't be under appreciated. There's a Haitian character that doesn't speak or understand a word of English, but he's also Ghost Dog's best friend even though they don't understand each other. There's also a gangster on Ghost Dog's hit list that has a passion for Public Enemy, especially Flavor Flav. This whole movie is filled with these strange moments that make it feel surreal, but also down to earth since everyday life can be surreal. Jarmusch is as much a writer as he is a director, and it really shows in this movie.
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai is definitely a cool and well made movie, and it's one that should be remembered for being something so unique. It's a blending of so many different genres and themes and styles while also being an in depth character study. I just wish it was a little bit longer. There's a lot of different characters and elements to the story that could have been explored a little bit more. Still, what does remain is a very cool story about a one of a kind character. It's definitely worth a watch or three.
Tags: character study, crime, crime thriller, drama, film, forest whitaker, gangsters, ghost dog, ghost dog: the way of the samurai, hagakure, henry silva, hip hop, hit man, independent film, indie, indie film, jim jarmusch, john tormey, movies, philosophy, rap, revenge, review, richard portnow, RZA, samurai, thriller, tricia vessey, urban drama
Willow Creek – Review
In 1967, the Patterson-Gimlin Film was released, which appears to show a giant creature walking along a riverbed somewhere in the forests of California. This footage has been a favorite amongst the cryptozoological community and has been said this is the proof of the existence of Bigfoot, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. When I heard that Bobcat Goldthwait was going to be making a found footage horror film that explores the lore of Bigfoot, I was at the same time confused and intrigued. It's been over three years since the film's release, but I've just gotten around to seeing it, and I have to say that I'm more than a little surprised. Willow Creek is a suspenseful and often frightening film that is full of sharp dialogue, two rich lead characters, and a third act that provided me with some chilling moments.
Jim (Bryce Johnson) is a Bigfoot enthusiast who decides to head to the area of Willow Creek and Bluff Creek to make his own documentary on the Patterson-Gimlin footage and his own attempts to find the area and possibly run into Bigfoot. Along for the ride is his girlfriend Kelly (Alexie Gilmore), who is an adamant denier of the creature, but also wants to support Jim in his efforts to shoot his film. The two finally arrive in Willow Creek and spend some time interviewing locals who have has some sort of encounter with Sasquatch, but some also warn them not to go into the woods. Despite the warnings, Jim and Kelly enter the woods where it is believed Bigfoot resides, and it doesn't take long for them to realize that they are no longer hunting for Bigfoot, but it's Bigfoot that's hunting them.
So let's get what I wasn't a huge fan of out of the way first. For one thing, this is a pretty standard found footage movie when it comes to certain beats and the structure of the narrative. I knew pretty much exactly how the movie was going to play out and, for the most part, I was right. It even has the horror cliché of locals telling the main characters not to go somewhere, and then, of course, they go anyway. Shocker. I also just wanted a little bit more from this movie. This can also be seen as something of a compliment because I was really enjoying the movie and I wanted more of it. If another 10 or 15 minutes were added to it, I would have been thankful for it. I'm all for leaving things kind of ambiguous, and that shouldn't change, nor do I want any more that what is shown, but a couple more scenes to build up some extra tension would have been much appreciated.
There's a lot more to like in Willow Creek than I would've ever thought. For one thing, the two main characters are very well thought out and feel genuine. They have a past and a future and it's briefly explored through dialogue to give them more weight. They aren't just living in the now of the movie. This makes what happens to them later on in the movie even more intense because they've been developed so much that we want them to escape the terrors of the woods. Goldthwait also made the smart choice to make this a slow burn of a horror film. The first 40 minutes or so may seem boring on the surface, but I didn't find them so at all. It took its time building up the characters, the town and its inhabitants, and the lore of Bigfoot. It's a sharply written film that is just as sharp in its execution.
So, let's talk a little bit about the last third of this movie. Holy hell, is it something else. Put yourself in these characters' positions. Stuck in the middle of the woods in the middle of the night with your only protection being the tent that you're sleeping in. There's a 20 minute long take of the couple sitting in the tent and listening to the bone chilling sounds happening outside, like footsteps and howls getting closer and closer to the tent. As this is all happening, their efforts to talk themselves down become futile. The suspense is almost too much and when Willow Creek finally explodes, it will leave you tired. It perfectly utilizes the idea that less is more and what the imagination creates, especially in this atmosphere, can be even more horrifying than anything that exists.
When this movie came out just a few years ago, found footage movies were still over saturating the market, so the only way to do the genre right is to create something special. I think Willow Creek is a special kind of horror movie. It has a tight script with witty dialogue and fully realized characters, but also a really courageous move to make a scene of suspense happen inside a tent during a 20 minute long shot. This is a very impressive film that would have been made even better if some more was added to the story or if some of the derivative moments were removed. Even with these small problems, Willow Creek stands, to me, as an under appreciated gem of modern horror.
Tags: alexie gilmore, bigfoot, bobcat goldthwait, bryce johnson, cryptozoology, dark comedy, darkness, film, found footage, frightening, horror, horror comedy, independent film, indie film, monster, monsters, movies, mythology, patterson-gimlin footage, review, sasquatch, scary, willow creek
Phantasm Series – Review: Part 1
Horror movies have a fair share of memorable boogeymen. In the 1970s and 1980s there was Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees to name a few, but there are also some that have gained more of a cult reputation. One of these boogeymen is the Tall Man from the Phantasm series. I didn't know much about these movies, but he was a character who always piqued my interest, and I also find it odd that I haven't given these movies a chance yet, especially considering their cult status and following. I'm always ready to see some new horror movies, so I'm going to watch all 5 in the series and have a two part review on all of them. Let's see how they are.
In 1979, writer and director Don Coscarelli released the first film in the series.
Jody (Bill Thornbury) and Michael Pearson (A. Michael Baldwin) are two brothers whose parents died a few years prior in a car accident. Michael is practically attached to Jody's hip at times, which isn't always convenient when Jody has things he needs to do. After the death of one of Jody's friends, Michael becomes suspicious of the town's mortician (Angus Scrimm) and the activities he's engaging in in the mortuary. Michael begins his investigation and stumbles across very strange things in the mortuary like hooded dwarves that attack him and a flying silver sphere that will attach to your head and drill through your skull. Soon Jody and his friend, Reggie (Reggie Bannister), join in on the investigation and are quickly sucked into a web of undead minions, hidden planets, and the wrath of the mortician known as the Tall Man.
Say what you will about Phantasm, because either way this is one hell of an original movie. This film came out in 1979, which was an era of slasher films. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Halloween were both released and a year later in 1980 we'd be introduced to Friday the 13th. What Phantasm did was focus more on the supernatural and not so much a high body count. The whole thing feels like it could be a tale told around a campfire with the Tall Man being the boogeyman that would keep everyone up that night. Angus Scrimm plays the Tall Man to perfection, and there's no reason not to see how he became a cult icon in the horror world. There's also plenty of imagination in terms of the story and the design. This film was made on a super low budget, so the fact that writer/director Don Coscarelli pulled it off is amazing. One scene in particular where the silver sphere is attacking Michael in the mortuary is especially memorable and very well made.
So while Phantasm is a horror film that's held up very well over the years in terms of its ambition and originality, there is a lot holding this movie back. My first complaint is something you'll see in a lot of low budget horror movies, and that's the acting. Reggie Bannister and Angus Scrimm both do great work, but A. Michael Baldwin and Bill Thornbury kind of do that weird overemphasizing thing you see in movies like this. It's awkward to watch and must have been awkward to perform. Another big issue is the way the film is paced and structured. For a good portion of the movie, it seems like nothing is happening. There is admittedly some good suspense in this build up, but it just takes way too long, and this is a pretty short movie so there really isn't any time to spare. Finally, there are scenes that are simply uninteresting even though it seems like Coscarelli was definitely trying to make something of them. The one I can think of is a small car chase on a deserted road. It's a car chase that was boring and I couldn't get into. That's a rare thing for me.
All in all, Phantasm should be required viewing for anyone interested in horror films, but it's not something that is necessary for everyone. There's plenty of originality and I admire Don Coscarelli and his crew for making the movie they wanted no matter what the cost. There's some great scenes that will stick with me for quite a long time and Angus Scrimm's Tall Man is one of the great cinematic boogeymen. There's just some serious pacing issues that drag this movie down from being one of the titans of the genre. It's still a really cool movie, but can't be compared to something like the original Nightmare on Elm Street.
Almost a decade later, in 1988, Coscarelli followed up his original movie with the higher budgeted Phantasm II.
After spending years in a psychiatric hospital, Mike (James LeGros) begins having visions of this girl named Liz (Paula Irvine) who is being tormented by the Tall Man (Angus Scrimm reprises his role). He talks his way out of the hospital and meets up with his old friend Reggie (Reggie Bannister also returns), who at first doesn't believe his story of the Tall Man, but quickly comes to realize Mike isn't so crazy. The two get geared up and hit the road, following a trail of desolate towns wiped out by the Tall Man. Soon, the two meet up with Liz and it becomes clear that the Tall Man needs Mike and Liz together because of their strong telepathic bond that becomes apparent in their dreams. Now the trio must once again face the Tall Man, his army of dwarf minions, and his arsenal of deadly flying spheres.
I didn't have too high of expectations going into Phantasm II since I just felt like the first film was pretty good. Still, I went in with a fresh mind and wanted to see that maybe a bigger budget would give Coscarelli some more room to go bigger and build on the lore. This just goes to show that a bigger budget does not make a better movie. For a horror sequel, this isn't a bad film, but it still falls into the same pits that the first film does. The beginning of the movie starts out really strong by picking up right where the first film ended, but as time goes on everything starts to lose its luster. The characters all, once again, fail to really grab me or make me care. The only two that succeed in being interesting characters are the Tall Man, of course, and Reggie. Mike and Liz are both bland and altogether uninteresting, which makes some of the more intense scenes feel like they're missing something. There's also some weird pacing issues, yet again, where the movie slows down to a grinding halt at times and we are left with characters engaging in dialogue that often feels hollow.
I'm still having a little bit of a dilemma. I have a hard time not hyping this movie up because there is still a lot of really cool stuff. The special effects in this movie are a huge step up, and some of the scenes involving them are genuinely shocking. There are a couple of new spheres that offer some of the most memorable scenes in the movie and one particular puppet that was really creepy. There's also a new sense of action in this movie that reminds me a little bit of Evil Dead II. This film has those moments of characters gearing up and customizing their weapons, which serve really well to get the audience hyped up. There are also some attempts at funny tough talk which usually just fails completely. Still, I will say the bigger budget does allow for some great show downs with the Tall Man that was sort of missing from the first film.
Phantasm II is a mixed bag for me. It's missing the wonder, mystery, and suspense of the first film, but it does amp up the action, intensity, and special effects. For me, a horror movie is more about the mystery and suspense while the special effects and intensity come second. This is still a really imaginative movie that builds on the lore of the original, but it doesn't have enough characterization going for it to bolster the content still. Phantasm II isn't bad, but I can't help but feel it's missing something.
Final Grade: C+
In 1994, something unfortunate happened to this series. Universal stated that if Don Coscarelli and his crew were attached to the next Phantasm film, they wouldn't distribute it. Coscarelli said that was fine and went on to make Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead, which was released direct to video.
Picking up right where Phantasm II left off, The Tall Man and his minions are in pursuit of Reggie and Mike (once again played by A. Michael Baldwin). After being seriously injured, Mike is left in a coma and taken by the Tall Man soon after he awakes. Now, Reggie is forced to go head to head with the Tall Man, yet again, but this time he has more help than he's ever had. His first new partner is a young boy named Tim (Kevin Connors), who has survived in a town desolated by the Tall Man. Reggie and Tim also meet Rocky (Gloria Lynn Henry), a tough as nails biker who lost her best friend to the Tall Man. Finally, Mike's brother Jody has returned as one of the Tall Man's spheres that has the ability to take human form for a short period of time. This newly formed gang of heroes each have their reasons to stop the Tall Man once and for all, but will they be strong enough defeat him and his ever growing army of undead minions?
With this being the first direct to video entry in this series, I had very little hope that it was going to do anything for me. Surprisingly, Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead is the one that has entertained me the most so far. Some of the pitfalls that the other two movies fall in are avoided in this third entry. For one thing, Mike isn't in the movie too much, which is a good thing because I wasn't a fan of A. Michael Baldwin's acting in the first film, and it's pretty much the same in this movie. Another huge plus is that the characters of Tim and Rocky both work great with Reggie and provide a lot of cool scenes and comedic relief that works a lot better than it did in Phantasm II. Angus Scrimm and Reggie Bannister also do good work here, as they have continued to do throughout the series leading up to this point.
Much like Phantasm II, this movie is heavy on action. Reggies quad-barreled shotgun makes a return while Tim and Rocky bring a lot of over the top action as well. For a movie that was made for direct to video releasing, this is a pretty good looking movie with some impressive stunts and action sequences. Not only do we get cool action, but there's also a good amount of world building in that we learn more of who the Tall Man is and what he's doing with the bodies he steals and the towns he destroys. To point out one negative, I will say that the last third of the movie falls into an area that can only be described as redundant. It's the big showdown inside a mortuary with a twist at the very end. This is Phantasm 101 and it wouldn't hurt to deviate a little from what's been done in every movie so far.
In the end, Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead doesn't shake up the formula too much but it does offer a lot of good entertainment and fun additions to the cast of these movies. The characters are memorable and the action is fun. It just would be nice to see these movies go in a different direction in some ways.
The first three movies in the Phantasm series can be described as fine. The first and the third have stand out moments that make them memorable, but the second movie just dragged on a bit too much for me. There's still two more movies to go so keep an eye out for part 2.
Tags: a. michael baldwin, angus scrimm, bill thornbury, cult classic, cult film, death, direct to video, don coscarelli, dying, film, gloria lynn henry, horror, independent film, james legros, kevin connors, movies, mystery, paula irvine, phantasm, phantasm II, phantasm III: lord of the dead, reggie bannister, review, sci fi, science fiction, series, suspense, undead, zombies


text:
olam-announces-new-multi-tranche-facility-us1000-million
Olam Announces a New Multi-Tranche Facility of US$1,000 Million
Press release 27th Oct, 2015
Olam International Limited ("Olam'' or "the Company"), a leading agri-business operating across the value chain in 65 countries, announced today that it has secured a revolving credit and term loan facility (the "Facility") aggregating US$1,000 million.
The Facility consists of two tranches, a US$850 million 364-day revolving credit facility and a US$150 million 5-year term loan.
Proceeds from the Facility will be applied towards refinancing of existing debt and meeting working capital and general corporate funding requirements of the Company.
The Company has appointed Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A., Singapore Branch, The Bank of Nova Scotia Asia Limited, The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd., BNP Paribas (acting through its Singapore branch), Commerzbank AG, Singapore Branch, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Singapore Branch Coöperatieve Centrale Raiffeisen-Boerenleenbank B.A., Singapore Branch, DBS Bank Ltd., The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited, Singapore Branch, Intesa Sanpaolo S.p.A., Singapore Branch, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., Singapore Branch, The Korea Development Bank, The Korea Development Bank, Singapore Branch, Mizuho Bank, Ltd., Singapore Branch, National Australia Bank Limited, Natixis, Singapore Branch, Standard Chartered Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Singapore Branch and Westpac Banking Corporation as mandated lead arrangers ("MLAs") for the Facility.
Olam's Executive Director of Finance and Business Development, A. Shekhar said: "This refinancing is a part of our proactive capital management strategy of diversifying our debt portfolio and achieving an optimum mix of tenor and overall borrowing cost. We would like to thank our banking partners for their strong support and continuing commitment for this transaction."
28Oct2015-SingaporeRCF_PressRelease
Olam Named a Top Employer for 3rd Consecutive Year by Top Employer Institute
Olam is proud to announce that it has been named a top employer for the third consecutive year by Top Employer Institute for its operations in Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, and the Africa region.


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On beautiful South Holston Lake in Bristol, TN.
The most family-friendly and accessible marina on South Holston Lake.
Painter Creek is a safe place to bring your family. We encourage guests of all ages to come have fun on South Lake Holston.
Featuring 340 slips, fuel dock with 93-octane Valvetek fuel, and a restaurant with live entertainment.
Located just 10 miles north of Bristol Motor Speedway and 10 miles south of I-81.
Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Featuring burgers, sandwiches, wraps, salads, pizzas, and more.
Featuring live, local entertainment every weekend through September. Check out the Event Calendar for more information.
Enjoy the water up close with a rental boat from our marina. Fully equipped and ready to go for a half or full day.
It's a beautiful day at Painter Creek.


These succulents are fast growers that thrive in a dry environment with humidity from 5% up to 40%. Grown organically and ethically this succulent does great in Terra Sahara and Terra Firma setups. This Aloe is very unique in the aspect that it grows upward in stacks. So it will consistently grow and spread, which is great for your larger and smaller enclosures alike. Easily trimmed and managed, this aloe is a delectable treat for your herbivores and omnivores. To strengthen the plant and to help it grow faster the Dude recommends utilizing his BioShot when planting succulents. This helps with their sturdiness as a plant and their overall health.


text:
Q: Check_constraint on database not working properly Suppose: table_name = t1
Check constraint on column c1 is (Y, N, '').
But when I manually inserted any value in c1 column other than above valid values (like A), database won't give any error and committed successfully.
How do I avoid this?

A: According to MySQL DocsHERE:

The CHECK clause is parsed but ignored by all storage engines.

An alternative of this is to create a BEFORE INSERT trigger.

A: Assuming "The CHECK clause is parsed but ignored by all storage engines.", I have changed my check constraint to accept only Y and N.
I also need to change the code, where i declare and initiallize the variable corresponding to this column.
Thanks for all your replies.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Looking for real estate near Elkhart High School? Use the list below to find your perfect home, investment, or rental property. Elkhart High School is located at 9002 S STATE HWY 19, ELKHART, TX, 75839. The school is part of the ELKHART ISD. To contact the school, call (903) 764-5161. The email address for the school is hneugebauer@elkhartisd.org. Don't see what you want? Try looking nearby in zip code 75839. You may also want to view Elkhart High School in map search.
Jennifer Hurbrough With Landmark Realty LLC.