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Hail, Caesar! relentlessly sends up old Hollywood studio system — a film review
If Hail, Caesar! is anything more than a series of send-ups of the Hollywood studio system of the 1950s, then I didn't see it. The Coen Brothers have the luxury of looking back from decades of cynicism that have since passed, so the studio system is immediately suspect as an easy target. However, there is affection to be found in the sincerity that was the basis of the industry of that era, a period when movies were "another potion of balm for aching mankind." And the Coens channel it to make Hail, Caesar! a rather decent if toothless bauble in their filmography.
Our entry into this world is studio honcho Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin), a fixer who greases the wheels of the cumbersome production house that is Capitol Pictures. Privately, he also happens to weep over his betrayal to his wife by lying about his cigarette habit. Mannix's job is to clean up the images of the studio's stable of actors, from digressions like kinky private photo shoots to arranging marriages. He also oversees meetings with religious leaders to assure the studio's biggest production yet — Hail, Caesar! A Tale of the Christ — offends no one's beliefs. Just as the picture is about to wrap production, its star, Baird Whitlock (George Clooney), known to disappear on benders of drink, goes missing. It turns out he was kidnapped by a group of communists who consider movies — gasp — "instruments of capital."
It's a funny film, and a highlight includes the meeting with religious leaders that speaks to the Coens' skills at buoyant humor at the expense of grave subject matter like faith in God. They also go deep into commie humor, referencing not only Marx but also Herbert Marcuse (John Bluthal), who turns out to be one of the kidnappers that Baird quickly warms up to (in a moment of enlightenment while in discussion with his kidnappers, he compares the problems of capitalism with being bamboozled into shaving a famous actor's hairy back). An unlikely hero rises in the form of Hobie Doyle (Alden Ehrenreich), a star in Westerns suddenly shuttled into a comedy of manners at Mannix's whim (one of the film's greatest jokes is highlighted in the film's new trailer below). It is his free thinking, as dim as it might seem, that allows him to crack Baird's disappearance.
The brothers' affection for the films of John Ford, Busby Bekeley and even Vincente Minnelli comes out in extended scenes that pay tribute to the production numbers featured in many films of that bygone era. The meticulously choreographed numbers walk a balance of irony and plain shiny humor. There are over-the-top horse-riding stunts by Hobie and an extended dance sequence featuring a group of sailors led by Channing Tatum. A lengthy synchronized swimming dance number features Scarlett Johansson, who plays a terrific actress modeled after Esther Williams who can hold a perfect smile while doing frightening dives, until the camera turns off to reveal a plucky attitude.
It is in these reveals that the Coens keep the movie engaging, and it never lets up by playing with the artifice with a wry humor. Hail, Caesar! may not reveal anything anyone with an awareness of the Hollywood system would not already know, but its pleasures are as sincere as its inspirations. The machinations of the industry treated actors like commodities and perpetuated a false idealism. Its concern for image and money gave no one seeking true art any real constructive release, and this flick ends up feeling a bit shallow for a movie that one would expect from the team who last gave us a true masterpiece (Film Review: Inside Llewyn Davis offers elegiac portrait of struggling folky). Still, it has a consistently fun tone befitting of the material that also, thankfully, never veers into darker territories to push it off of any edge, but then that also doesn't make it as edgy as some may have hoped for from the Coens.
Hail, Caesar! runs 100 minutes and is rated PG-13. It opens pretty much everywhere this Friday, Feb. 5. SCREENING UPDATE: The film will be coming to O Cinema Wynwood Friday, Feb. 26 for at least a week-long run.Universal Pictures provided all images in this review and invited me to a preview screening for the purpose of this review.
Tagged: Alden Ehrenreich, Channing Tatum, George Clooney, Hail Caesar!, Hollywood, John Bluthal, Josh Brolin, Scarlett Johansson
'Under the Skin' proves sci-fi is a genre best served obtusely
Ten years after Birth either impressed or upset audiences, the uncompromising filmmaker Jonathan Glazer blasts back into the movie theaters with one of the strangest science fiction films ever. Under the Skin follows an alien disguised as a woman (Scarlett Johansson) cruising the streets of Scotland in a big van. She's looking for men. She wants their skin, and she's armed with her sex appeal.
This could sound like a variation of Species, which featured another beautiful celeb playing a man-eater, but Under the Skin is so focused on mood over narrative clarity, it feels like an art film. It's the perfect approach for science fiction. An alien subject should feel alien. Few seem to recall that George Lucas made such a grand first impression with THX 1138 because he presented a future world made incomprehensible on purpose. He did not have characters explain the weird TV shows they watched or how a holding cell can be a pure white backdrop and nothing else.
Under the Skin has a similar moment, except the background is black. Once the alien, who we come to know as "Laura," has caught her prey and lures him past the front door of some decrepit, boarded home, the screen jumps to the black background. Laura walks backward, peeling off her clothes slowly. The man strips naked and stays in steady pursuit of the temptress. With his penis erect and only blackness surrounding them, it is as if desire has metaphorically given way to tunnel vision. Nothing else matters but the beautiful, curvy woman stripping before him. He never seems to notice that with every step he takes, he sinks deeper into the blackness. Laura stops walking backward and removing her clothing only when the top of the man's head disappears below her toes.
There are several variations of this scene, and they begin with Laura pulling up to solitary men with the pretense of asking for directions. What she really wants to know is whether anyone will miss them once they are gone. After hearing the right answers, she will invite them in her van. There's an odd naturalism to the acting during these scenes because, it turns out, the director used hidden cameras to shoot them while he and a few crew members hid in the back of the truck. Johansson the actress seemed unrecognizable to the unsuspecting men she pulled up to under a short, puffy brunette wig, as she ad-libbed many of these chats with a London accent. The idea that these scenes were shot with hidden cameras adds a meta-layer of creep factor to an already uncanny movie.
Johansson dives into the challenge with gusto, working off her environment and situation more so than acting off a fellow actor. It's almost like acting at gunpoint, and she exposes a layer of vulnerability that's both chilling and enchanting. It helps that her character only speaks when she needs to. Her warmest exchanges involve figuring out her prey. There's one incredible moment on a beach where she tries to seduce a swimmer who is trying to rescue a drowning couple, which reveals her single-mindedness to ominous effect. The man leaves her at the shore, the couple's crying baby sits in the distance. Laura's eyes are always fixed on the swimmer. The camera observes the botched rescue from a helpless but observational distance. Even after the scene has ended, Glazer amps the dread up a notch by cutting away later that night to the screaming toddler left alone to languish by the shore, the merciless sea lapping ever so closer to him. This is one unsettling movie.
Glazer came to feature film from a background in commercial and later music video production. That school of filmmaking has given us with such fascinating filmmakers as David Fincher, Spike Jonze and Michel Gondry, among others. Just like these filmmakers, Glazer understands how to present narrative and mood beyond the traditional narrative arc. He's the guy behind the narratively obtuse yet still eerie Radiohead video "Karma Police:"
Also, based on gut, I wondered if he directed this startling video for "Rabbit In Your Headlights," a collaboration between Radiohead vocalist Thom Yorke and the trip-hip duo UNKLE. He did. It happens to feature an amazing bit of acting by Denis Lavant, an actor well-known for pushing his physical limits and working with another inventive director, Leos Carax:
As a man from music videos, Glazer knows how to use music in his cinema. His earlier films, Sexy Beast and Birth had their moments, but Under the Skin stands as his strongest melding between score and visuals yet. During the opening sequence alone, Mica Levi's soundtrack captivates. Fading up from silence, strings rapidly chug and vibrate like some deconstructed version of Bernard Herrmann's Psycho score. A swelling electronic drone fades up until the strings fade out, leaving only the humming drone. Throughout you are left to wonder about the visual accompaniment, a point of red light, the iris of an eye seem to eclipse. The backdrop is clinically white. There may be a needle. The only concrete hint of what might be happening is in the title of Levi's piece: "Creation." Throughout the movie music recurs for both ambiance (variations of the spine-tingling sing-song melody accompanying the scenes in the black room) and illuminating the character's development (a gradual, lush warmth develops in tracks like "Love").
Glazer is indeed a brilliant stylist, but underneath his style lies a complicated ambivalence toward humanity. The film alludes rather directly to the perils of casual sex and the blindness to consequences caused by lustful desire. It's a statement that starts feeling redundant were not for the variation of how many articles of clothing Laura removes in the recurring scene inside the black void and the deeper the director allows the viewer to see into the darkness of where these men end up (and it's a disquieting revelation accompanied only by nearly silent underwater sonics that will leave some viewers feeling a bit claustrophobic).
If predatory Laura embodies the dangerous side of hook-ups, a change will occur alluding to a redeeming, non-judgmental humanity that arises when Laura's last victim emerges (Adam Pearson*). He's the ultimate lonely man. He only goes to the store at night, wearing a hood to hide a face disfigured by tumors. A kink arises from the choice of this victim that puts her on the run. The only one in pursuit seems to be a man on a motorcycle who, at the start of the film, gave her the skin she has donned to roam this world. The motorcyclist (who happens to be played by Irish star motorcycle racer Jeremy McWilliams) rides a sleek crotch rocket and wears a full leather riding suit. He looks like an interstellar traveler even though it's nothing that would appear out-of-the-ordinary on earth. But there are moments when his presence seems to call too much attention to itself. Whether he catches up to her or not maybe does not matter, but who he is might have helped add a bit more substance to his relationship with Laura and his stake in her. Still, the distant high-speed rides featuring McWilliams are one of the film's many invigorating, kinetic visuals.
Further on in Laura's solitary growth, something human emerges from melding with her skin. It's important to consider a brief scene early in the film, when Laura removes the clothing from her deceased doppelgänger. Though seemingly lifeless, the body sheds a single tear as Laura undresses her. This could be seen as an allusion to human awareness carrying on through the skin. Otherwise, it feels difficult to understand why Laura seems to have a change of heart about her mission.
The attempt at transformation goes rather tragically for her, however. She cannot use her body to enjoy the human pleasures of chocolate cake or sex. Despite her human skin, it is nothing but superficial. Between two extremely different encounters between two different men, her story turns heartbreaking. Though first portrayed as a predator, Laura earns the viewer's sympathy in small steps, from tripping in the street to being swarmed by drunk girls to taking in a damaged soul and paying him compliments he's probably never heard. The film drops more of these bits until pummeling the viewer with a well-earned tragic finale.
In the end, science fiction has never felt more enthralling. Glazer obscures narrative enough to create the feeling of threat simply with the unexplained. Levi's soundtrack— her first— stands as one of cinema's greatest scores to amp up the creepy atmosphere, and Glazer couples it with equally disturbing imagery that will remain hard to shake long after leaving the theater. Here's a film where one can honestly say, "You've never seen anything like this."
Under the Skin runs 108 minutes and is Rate R (It's gory and Scarlett Johansson famously does several full nude scenes). It starts May 15 at Miami Beach Cinematheque and the following day Cinema Paradiso – Fort Lauderdale and The Cinema Paradiso – Hollywood.
*Pearson is not a special effect.
Tagged: Adam Pearson, Alien, Jeremy McWilliams, Jonathan Glazer, Mica Levi, Scarlett Johansson, science-fiction, Under the Skin
Film Review: 'Her' explores loner experience by deconstructing intimacy through hyper-real technology
With Her, director Spike Jonze offers one of the strongest and most prescient films of his career. Using a delicate sense of humor and compassion, his fourth feature film ingeniously explores emotional territories perverted by the filter of technology to get to rather melancholy but profound truth. The film follows Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix), a recently separated man in a not too-distant but unspecified future who upgrades his operating system on his computer, which takes care of his calendar and runs his home by peeking into his emails and files on his hard drive or cloud. The OS happens to be gifted with the sound of a pleasant, smoky-voiced woman (Scarlett Johansson), who calls herself Samantha. As they get to know each other, the flesh and blood man and the disembodied voice grow closer. Could this intimacy really be love or some deranged level of madness symptomatic of humanity's ever-growing reliance on computers?
It sounds eerie, but Jonze dives into the question with such a sensitive touch, the film never feels anything less than heartfelt. He never condescends to his characters— be they human or A.I.— or present them as anything less than beings yearning for a little intimate connection. Reminiscent to the delicate touch he used on his previous, criminally underrated, feature, Where the Wild Things Are, Jonze takes you by the hand and asks you to come along on this cinematic journey with as much tender attention he pays to the magic between the film's two main characters' blossoming connection.
The script by Jonze (a winner in last year's Florida Film Critics Circle competition) offers loose-limbed, natural dialogue that focuses on feelings and affection instead of exposition. It doesn't matter how far in the future the film takes place or how computing has evolved to this point. Jonze focuses on emotional connection, using the setting and circumstances to stay zeroed in on the transference between characters.
It helps that Jonze has some brilliant actors to work with. Phoenix elevates mild-mannered to elaborate heights of endearment. He never seems creepy or pathetic. You never pity him as he begins to fall for Samantha. She's chipper and eager to please. Her choice of language is casual but warm in a sense that she cares about her tasks. His reactions to her statements are loaded with bemusement and surprise that double for both the blossoming odd relationship but also a curiosity about the mystery behind the silky voice whispering in his ear via a wireless earpiece.
As the film carries on, there are misunderstandings and attempts at growing intimacy that reveals their relationship as something complex, with varied degrees of longing between both of them, as if they are locked on an emotional see-saw. Many movie directors have clumsily tripped over themselves to present idealized notions of regular people falling in love, and the product is usually superficial. However, Jonze explores so many of the subtle nuances of these little connections, often only using deceptively simple dialogue, he keeps Her from devolving into some gimmick. The director never allows this seeming contrivance to get in the way of his experiment, which is as much about examining the growing bond between two people who were once strangers as it is about some of the deepest connections that defy flesh and blood and come from within the individual.
The film unfolds sometime in an unspecified future. Theodore has a job at a company called BeautifulHandwrittenLetters.com reciting letters for lovers, which are printed out in handwriting. This could be a funny joke if it did not feel so timely. It shows how disconnected humanity has become from its own experience of loving by presenting a world where love has been outsourced to a business. Human disconnectedness is everywhere in Her. In the background, most of the populace wander alone, looking out at the space before them with a distance in their eyes, seemingly talking to themselves, connected to another existence by a single, cordless earpiece. Though the film never specifies an era, it's not far from what we are currently experiencing in public spaces with smart phones.
Jonze considers it all. Why do people seem to settle on unflattering high-waisted pants? Women scarcely wear makeup and bed head seems to be the "in" hairstyle among both genders. Arcade Fire's spare soundtrack even reflects this sense of lack. The music features sighing organs, building toward a climax that never seems to arrive.
On a superficial level, Jonze establishes a beautiful world that seems a mix between Ikea rooms and children's indoor playgrounds. An elevator features the shifting pattern of tree branches projected on the walls, as it climbs upward. The cubicles in Theodore's office feature translucent walls in primary colors. It's a comment on a state of further arrested development adults seem to go through in this future, as escaping more complex and ever-mysterious human relations seems to have become easier for this state of humanity. Theodore half-jokingly confesses to his friends that his evening conundrum is choosing between Internet porn and video games.
Of course these characters are aware of the special and difficult elements of falling in love, or at least the humans with "non-artificial intelligence," as Samantha calls them, have such awareness. As Theodore's friend Amy (Amy Adams) says, "Falling in love is like some socially acceptable form of insanity." To Samantha, it's a new experience, and she offers Theodore a playful, fresh innocence devoid of true consequences. Meanwhile, Theodore's ex-wife Catherine (Rooney Mara) is especially disgusted when Theodore confesses he is "dating" his computer. "You always wanted to have a wife without the challenges of dealing with anything real," she tells him upon hearing this revelation. That she and Theodore have baggage may be a burden, but it's a reality in a world looking for more and more ways to escape reality. However, his workmates do not seem too upset, as it seems this phenomena of having a relationship with an OS is not uncommon in this world, and they go out on double dates together, getting to know Samantha just like any new girl to their world of friendship.
It's a miracle that Jonze does not turn the movie into a freak show. Instead, he has brewed up a rather enthralling essay on loneliness and the role desire plays in the search for another being to fill that ever-present "empty" that informs desire. However, Jonze takes it to a higher level more akin to the notion of Lacan's llamela, that, in simple terms, demonstrates how we all project ourselves in everything we desire, but those things or persons, ironically, can never truly complete us. It is especially associated with the libido and intimate relationships with others. It's amazing how many examples of this appear in Her.
When Theodore goes on a blind date with a woman (Olivia Wilde), the two constantly seem to project on the other in a game of getting-to-know-you that reveals nothing about the other person (the credits fittingly name Wilde's character as "blind date"). When they get buzzed on alcohol, she calls him a puppy dog and he calls her a tiger, but then he switches his animal to a dragon that could tear up a tiger… but won't. It's all rather clumsy and awkward, and when it comes to a decision to move somewhere beyond their self-involved banter, there's little elsewhere for this man and woman to go— alone together.
The disconnection is both a frightening symptom of the escapist possibilities around them and also something that speaks to a rather innate characteristic that is the flawed human being, something unattainable by the artificial intelligence of Samantha. As she works on intuition, she feeds off Theodore's information, which sometimes includes lies he tells himself, but can also come from the tone of his voice. We don't know, and it does not matter. In the end, there is no other. It's just a disembodied sense of self. It's all there in the poster, Theodore's mustachioed face and the lowercase word "her" underneath it.
Her runs 126 minutes and is rated R (language and brief moments of nudity). It opens pretty much everywhere in the U.S. today, Jan. 10. Warner Bros. Pictures sent me an awards screener for consideration in this contest.
Tagged: Amy Adams, Arcade Fire, Florida Film Critics Circle, Her movie, Joaquin Phoenix, Lacan, love, Olivia Wilde, Rooney Mara, Scarlett Johansson, Spike Jonze, the future
The Sounds of Film: 5 great soundtracks in Indie Films you may have missed
Music is an essential component of filmmaking. It adds a layer of expression beyond words. A soundtrack (music or sounds), can envelop an audience in a particular mood. Indeed, creating an atmosphere is truly a work of art and certainly not a given in every film. Crafting a soundtrack is challenging, as it must not distract while also melding into the storytelling. Sometimes songs and sounds are too overt, calling more attention to itself than the action on the screen. Other times, the sounds are predictable and generic, making the audience all too aware of what is to come— enter the high-pitched soprano and some piano chords in D-minor to elicit tears, or the dissonant noises warning the heroine not to go there right before her throat gets slashed. Yes, all cinephiles know these commonplace sounds all too well. I can think of even more examples of sounds gone wrong or feeling too generic, which is why a good soundtrack is worth celebrating. This list represents a small taste of what an important character sounds can play in every film, and how they elevate our experience.
1. Lost in Translation
Sofia Coppola has a gifted ear when it comes to soundtracks. In Lost in Translation, we learn about the inner workings of confused souls in troubled relationships and about Japan! Rare new, ethereal solo music by dream pop pioneer Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine evokes a brilliant sense of lonely ennui of Scarlett Johansson's character. The sounds evoke the longing you feel being in a different country, and the contradictory emotions you find when being at a crossroads— from stillness to rapid-fire boom bips of the pachinko parlor. This is also a rare occasion to find the amazing Bill Murray singing Roxy Music at a Karaoke bar. How could it get any better?
Here's another one of my favorite tracks on the soundtrack by Air, a band that worked closely with Coppola to score her debut feature, the Virgin Suicides:
Click here to own the soundtrack.
2. Submarine
Richard Ayoade's 2010 film is a fantastic coming-of-age story, funny and complicated, complete with original music by Alex Turner of Arctic Monkey's fame. The soft and melodious sound of Turner's songs compliment the plot wherein Oliver Tate (Craig Roberts) faces a mission to save his parents' marriage and lose his virginity— an almost epic journey for a 15-year-old. Turner's lyrics complement this saga in a soft way. For instance, in "Hiding Tonight," Turner's husky voice whispers: "Tomorrow I'll be faster/I'll catch what I've been chasing after/And have time to play/But I'm quite alright hiding today." Though the lyrics suggest that hopeful bright future we both fear and cannot wait for as we are young, the music evokes a nostalgic feeling. The atmospheric quality this soundtrack brings to Submarine translates so well into living life.
Listen here to "Hiding Tonight" from that soundtrack:
Click here to own Turner's EP for the soundtrack.
3. Old Joy
Kelly Reichardt's 2006 small indie film Old Joy has the ability to transport the viewer into that wild terrain of unspoiled nature and masculine feelings. Old Joy captures the friendship between Mark (Daniel London) and Kurt (Will Oldham, a noted indie musician himself) who take a trip in the forest of the Pacific Northwest. The film is heavy with sorrow, regret and unsaid things that have mounted between these two men. Much of the genius of this film comes from an atmospheric quality. There are turbulent waters under the bridge between these two friends. The soundtrack by Yo La Tengo has a nostalgic quality, an instrumental rendering that elevates the film into that feeling of "Old Joy." The album, They Shoot, We Score compiles the music from Old Joy, as well as Junebug, Game 6 and Shortbus, so it's a one-stop-shop for Yo La Tengo fans or independent film buffs.
Here's my favorite track from that album, which if you're feeling any stress, you can just listen to and let it melt away:
4. Rushmore
Melding with the storytelling, this soundtrack provides somewhat of an insight into the mind of Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman). For instance, the sprightly notes of "the Hardest Geometry Problem in the World" by Mark Mothersbaugh are reminiscent of Max's scheming designs to open a million-dollar project to build an aquarium at Rushmore Academy to win a teacher's heart. Mothersbaugh, of Devo fame, is in charge of most of the score with original instrumental music that truly adds to the action on screen. The rest of the songs give us a way into Max Fisher's personality, the prep school reject who is also into writing theatrical plays, is also seriously partial to British pop, including the Who, the Kinks and even the Creation. The compilation plays like a fun mixtape that has some imaginative breaks at the hands of Mothersbaugh.
Here's my favorite track from that album:
5. The Squid and the Whale
Noah Baumbach's 2005 family saga is full of drama, black humor and great music. Less rock and roll than the previous albums on this list, the Squid and the Whale soundtrack has a more folky vibe with songs from Bert Jansch, Kate and Anna McGarrigle and Loudon Wainwright III. The original music comes courtesy of Britta Phillips and Dean Wareham, best known for headlining the indie band Luna or as the duo Dean and Britta. Perhaps it is no coincidence that this couple of musicians can write music so well for the complicated relationship between the two recently divorced writers depicted on screen.
Here's my favorite track from that album (R.I.P. Lou Reed):
What are some of your favorite soundtracks? What is it about music and film that moves us beyond our lived experience? Leave a comment below!
Filed in Film, Music, News, Top 5
Tagged: Alex Turner, atmosphere, Daniel London, Devo, Jason Schwartzman, listicle, Lou Reed, Mark Mothersbaugh, Max Fisher, Old Joy, Richard Ayoade, Scarlett Johansson, short review, Sofia Coppola, Soundtrack, soundtracks, top 5 indie soundtracks, Will Oldham, Yo La Tengo


See the gallery for tag and special word "Squeeze". You can to use those 8 images of quotes as a desktop wallpapers.
It was so kind of you to mention that I don't wear stays. What's the point? If you squeeze it in at one point, it only comes out at the other.
A song just doesn't come on. I've always had to tease it out, squeeze it out.
I'll squeeze the cider out of your adam's apple.
More of quotes gallery for "Squeeze"


" Sports for kids are a great foundation for things like sportsmanship, teamwork, self-esteem, developing habits that lead to being active throughout your life. These are very attainable goals for kids who are playing sports.
With the rise in parents spending more money on youth sports and coaching, rise in commercialization of youth sport has risen (Hyman 2011) . This Makes it difficult for under priveladge youth to participate in youth sports these days.
With the rising costs of youth sport participation there are other ways that sondra can determine whats important and get some ideas through research and educate herself. By finding out her options and education herself she may find outlets to getting her children the benefits she feels they deserve.
according to the article by y Karen Datko there are many options parents can discuss and go by when they are challenged by certain obstacles pertaining to finance.
Be honest with yourself. Has your child demonstrated remarkable ability in a particular sport that justifies the expense?
If not, pick a recreational league sport that doesn't require fancy equipment — and that your child enjoys.
Seek balance. If your child's sports are preventing her or him from engaging in other normal childhood and family activities, perhaps you've gone overboard. The same applies if you have no quality time with your others kids and your spouse.
Donate. If you can easily afford to pay the fees and other costs associated with your children's sports, make a point of donating money to an organization that helps less-well-off kids participate.
So even though Sondra had found herself in a horrible predicament not all is lost there are options she can take and think of, Not all Hope Is lost. The children can play.
Playing For Keeps…the cost of youth sports participation.
Sondra, a mother of four, is in quite a pickle. She wants her two oldest children to play baseball, but is faced with the tough decision of paying $125 that she really doesn't have, or, have them miss out on the educational and social benefits offered by sports. With no financial assistance available, it appears that Sondra's children will have to miss out on participating in baseball due to the heavy financial burden of participation fees.
This situation is not unique to just Sondra, more and more parents are having to make similar decisions all across America.
If more parents are having a tough time paying for youth sports, any increase in price would more than likely result in them withdrawing their children from sports.
The high cost associated with youth sports participation is already limiting access for many families, so if the costs were to continue to increase and further limit or lower participation, would it be ethical to put to use the saying "sports are a privilege, not a right" to justify the increased fees and lower participation rates? Wouldn't this only further emphasize the statement "only the privileged are privileged", which is unethical as well?
Some type of alternative has to be available. There has to be some way to make sports cheaper to participate in. Surely there is a way to make scholarships available to low income families.
Fundraising opportunities, as well sponsorships deals with local businesses would surely alleviate a portion of the participation fees. I believe actions like these, as well as exploring other options could make sport more accessable and affordable to all children and their families.
The current trend must change, as I feel that all children should have access to sports, regardless of their family's financial situation. Sport fosters social growth, as well as promote physical activity, commitment, and accountability, all of which are vital to a child's success later in life. Youth sports participation should not be limited or controlled by the amount of money families possess. Everyone should have equal access.


That sounds great! I don't think growing your own tobacco is legal here in Australia.
Ok. It might be the same here. I hope we see some photos of the progress of your plants.
Yep, I guess germination isn't a foregone conclusion. Hope it happens though. The smell of tobacco leaves is wonderful.


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Home/france/LIVE – Covid-19: the economy "will get much better in the coming months," said Bruno Le Maire
LIVE – Covid-19: the economy "will get much better in the coming months," said Bruno Le Maire
france December 1, 2020 france Comments Off on LIVE – Covid-19: the economy "will get much better in the coming months," said Bruno Le Maire
With the end of containment in England, a new system will come into effect on Wednesday: restrictions are now imposed on a regional scale depending on the incidence of the virus, according to a three-tier alert system. at level 2, which affects 32 million people, pubs will only be able to serve alcohol in addition to a "hearty meal".
But pub customers are more used to sipping pints of beer with a packet of chips than at a real dinner. Will the "scotch egg," a hard-boiled egg wrapped in sausage meat and breadcrumbs, and other snacks popular with the English, be enough to give them the right to order alcohol?
Environment Minister George Eustice, who was called to address concerns, said on Monday that Scotch eggs were a meal when served at the table. But Michael Gove, minister responsible for coordinating government action, appeared to him on Tuesday to relegate this British specialty to the rank of easy entry. When unclear, restaurateurs sometimes rely on instructions from local authorities, as the owner of a pub in the north of England trusts.
By france
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


In the six months since Anthony, Lucy, and George survived a night in the most haunted house in England, Lockwood & Co. hasn't made much progress. The Whispering Skull is the second book of the Lockwood & Co. series. In the six months since Anthony, Lucy, and George survived a night in the most haunted house in England, Lockwood & Co. hasn't made much progress. Quill Kipps and his team of Fittes agents keep swooping in. The Whispering Skull is a young adult thriller novel by Jonathan Stroud. It is the second book in the Lockwood & Co. series. It was released on the 26 February.
Lockwood & Co., Book Two The Whispering Skull [Jonathan Stroud] on Amazon. com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. In the six months since Anthony. Excellent ghost-hunting series stays super scary. Read Common Sense Media's The Whispering Skull: Lockwood & Co., Book 2 review, age rating, and parents. 21 Dec Amazed Earthling: 'I really felt for the Lockwood team and you live on Jonathan Stroud, Lockwood & Co: The Whispering Skull: Book 2.
14 Mar Join Lockwood, Lucy and George as they investigate the strange and unnatural mystery of the whispering skull entombed in a jar. Lockwood. Ghosts and ghouls beware! The smallest, shabbiest, most talented psychic detection agency is back. Life is never exactly peaceful for Lockwood and Co. 17 Oct The Whispering Skull introduces a new set of assignments for Lockwood & co, but also carries over some unsolved mysteries from the first book. Summary: Dealing with the wiles and ruses of a variety of evil ghosts is bad enough, but add in a rival team determined to put Lockwood, Lucy and George out of. 11 Mar - 15 min - Uploaded by Random House Children's Publishers UK. Author Jonathan Stroud reads the first chapter from the second book in the Lockwood & Co.
26 Dec If you are looking for the perfect place to be this Halloween, sitting curled up on the couch reading The Whispering Skull – the latest young adult. Listen to Lockwood & Co., Book 2: The Whispering Skull by Jonathan Stroud with Rakuten Kobo. Narrated by Katie Lyons. In the six months since Anthony, Lucy. 26 Feb Lockwood & Co: The Whispering Skull by Jonathan Stroud. 'Stroud is a genius' Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson series. Ghosts and. 15 Sep The Paperback of the The Whispering Skull (Lockwood & Co. Series #2) by Jonathan Stroud at Barnes & Noble. FREE Shipping on $25 or.
The last time we saw our three heroes, Anthony Lockwood, George and Lucy, they had spent a night in the most haunted house in England and conquered a. Lockwood & Co: The Whispering Skull: Book 2 - Buy Lockwood & Co: The Whispering Skull: Book 2 by Jonathan Stroud only for Rs. at solicitotrabajo.com This is just one of the many questions to be answered in Book 5 of the Lockwood & Co. series. Will Lockwood ever reveal more about his family's past to Lucy?. Londoners Lockwood, Lucy, and George are hired to investigate the strange burial of a man in an iron coffin.


Eat the pies hot straight from the oven, when the filling still has a soft-flowing, custardy consistency or, if you can bear to wait, allow them to cool completely and serve at room temperature - the centre will have set to a delicate jelly. This recipe makes 12 muffin-sized pies, but you can also make 1 large pie, if you prefer (see Cook's tip).
To make the pastry, place the flour and butter in a bowl. Using your fingertips, rub in the butter until it resembles fine breadcrumbs, then add the egg and lemon zest. Using a round-bladed knife to combine, add enough of the lemon juice for the mixture to form a ball. Wrap in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200°C, gas mark 6. Place the pastry in the centre of a lightly floured work surface. Take a lightly floured rolling pin and roll out the pastry using short, sharp strokes, always rolling in one direction only. Give the pastry a quarter-turn, then roll it out again. Continue until the pastry is about as thick as a &poubd;1 coin.
Using an 11cm straight-edged pastry cutter, cut out 12 discs. You may need to gather up the trimmings and re-roll the pastry. Line a deep 12-hole, non-stick muffin tin with the pastry discs then chill for 15-20 minutes. Prick the pastry bases with a fork. Line with baking parchment or muffin cases and fill with baking beans. Blind-bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, until the pastry is almost cooked. Remove the paper and beans and return the pastry to the oven for a further 5 minutes until it has turned slightly golden in colour.
Remove the tin from the oven and allow the pastry to cool slightly. Reduce the temperature of the oven to 150°C, gas mark 2.
Meanwhile, make the filling. Place the lemon zest and juice in a pan, add the sugar and 300ml cold water and heat gently, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
Mix the cornflour to a smooth paste with 6 tablespoons cold water, then gradually stir into the pan with the lemon mixture. Increase the heat and bring to the boil, stirring continuously. Allow to boil for about 1 minute, until smooth, thick and glossy.
Allow to cool slightly, then beat in the egg yolks one at a time. Spoon all the mixture into the pastry cases and level the surfaces.
To make the topping, whisk the egg whites in a large, clean, dry mixing bowl until stiff peaks form, then gradually add the sugar and whisk until thick and glossy. Use a piping nozzle to pipe the meringue mixture over the lemon filling. Alternatively, spoon the mixture over with a teaspoon, then, using a skewer or round-bladed knife, flick or swirl the surface of the meringue to give it some texture.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until the meringue is crisp and golden. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Alternatively, make 1 large pie. Grease a 171/2cm-diameter x 4cm-deep loose-based cake tin. Line with the pastry, gently easing it down the sides into the base. Leave any excess pastry hanging over the edge and set aside and chill for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the fridge and trim the excess pastry by rolling the rolling pin over the top. Blind-bake for 15 minutes, as in the main recipe. Remove the baking parchment then cook for a further 5-10 minutes. Once filled and topped with meringue, cook the pie for 30-35 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before serving, or the lemon centre will ooze out and make it impossible to divide into neat slices.


1950s style calf-length Hobble skirt with elegant Dior-style inverted kick-pleat. Crisp, professional-looking suiting fabric for a businesslike image. A real "secretary" skirt for teetering around the workplace. It looks dynamic and efficient, but gives you the perfect reason to avoid being given arduous tasks. Tight to below the knee, then straight to the hem.
Fully lined. Non-stretch. Easy care washable polyester twill.


On December 19 Igor Sechin, Rosneft President and Chairman of the Management Board held a working meeting with BP CEO Bob Dudley to discuss the integration of Rosneft and TNK-BP. Bob Dudley will become a member of the steering committee co-ordinating the integration that will be chaired by Igor Sechin.
The parties confirmed their commitment to efficient integration of the companies and agreed that the process is a unique opportunity to bring many of the world's best business and technical practices into the combined company in a short timeframe.


Netherlands-based technology firm Roadmap snagged Business Travel News' 2015 Innovator Award yesterday at BTN's Innovate 2015 conference in New York City. Co-founder and CEO Jeroen van Velzen accepted on behalf of his team, which has introduced a corporate travel-oriented solution that blends corporate and consumer mobile travel apps and delivers them in a single app to managed travelers.
The second annual Innovate conference attracted 11 corporate travel innovators to compete for the title. Travel Tech Consulting's Norm Rose, Microsoft global travel lead Eric Bailey, Oracle global travel director Rita Visser and tripBAM CEO Steve Reynolds—last year's Innovate winner—judged the competitors and named the winner. Conference attendees cast their votes for People's Choice, a separate award. Roadmap won both titles.


Yomawari: Night Alone - Someone that was buried in the ground. He looked sad, so I snuck him out.
Oh bloody hellfire, an inconsistency in our coverage of Nippon Ichi's horror games. Because Gaming Hell is cheap and nasty, done as shoestring a budget as possible, we got the Steam version on sale. Hence, all of our screenshots are via the Steam interface's screenshot function in Fullscreen mode, which automatically corrected their size to 1280 x 720, which seems about right for a game originally released on the Vita. From what we can see, though, the games are basically identical, as there's no touch-screen gubbins in the Vita version. So, you know, it's fine. Anyway, we've shrunk the pictures, click to embigulate them.
POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD. AND SORTA-SCARY-BUT-NOT-FULL-FAT-SPOOPY SCREENSHOTS TOO.
Another Nippon Ichi horror game? Clearly didn't learn anything from htoL#NiQ, eh?
Ah, well, see, I kinda wish that game hadn't put me off!
Originally teased with a creepy live-action video, and released in Japan in 2015, Yomawari: Night Alone (just Yomawari in Japan, which is what we'll be using because it requires less typing) was absolutely on my radar. Then, well, it fell off it. No particular reason, really- it just passed us by. Luckily, a localisation was announced and I was absolutely going to get on that... Until NIS Europe decided the best and only way to sell the game's physical Vita version was as a double pack with The Firefly Diary. No, really. Oh my God, no! Don't do that to me, please! Anything but that! So, to my eternal shame, I slept on it. I instead imported A Rose in the Twilight, which was OK but I was never able to get around to analysing it properly for whatever reason (it being a bit more text-heavy that The Firefly Diary didn't help). So, Yomawari fell by the wayside for me, until its Steam release was on sale, and we definitely regret sleeping on it the first time around, because it certainly made an impression! Not the kind of PS Vita-shaped impression in my wall that The Firefly Diary was threatening to do, no, a good one!
The second of Nippon Ichi's Vita-released mini-horror games, Yomawari was directed by Yu Mizokami. In an interview with DualShockers, she explained that the idea for the game came from the Nippon Ichi offices being in the middle of nowhere, and the drive home starting to scare her, and so she wanted to convey that kind of fear in a game. In the starring role is an unnamed elementary-school girl (who, for clarity purposes, we'll be referring to as Ribbon-chan)and during an evening walk with her dog, Poro, things go very, very wrong. Returning home without the dog, her older sister goes out looking for him, and after Ribbon-chan sees her briefly in the park, she doesn't come back either. This quiet town, somewhere in the middle of the Japanese countryside, is now host to innumerable spirits and spectres at night, with ill-intent towards the living. Ribbon-chan must take her sister's flashlight, find her and Poro, and hopefully survive the night.
Rather than a side-scrolling affair like the other Nippon Ichi horror games, Yomawari takes a top-down isometric perspective as you explore the haunted town. While it's split into distinct Chapters, it's not so much divided into levels as with The Firefly Diary, as instead you have a rather large town map that slowly opens up over the course of the game, generally devoting each Chapter to a specific section. You're free to explore as you wish, but for the most parts places you're not meant to go to yet are blocked off either by locked doors or lethal spirits, so early on especially you'll be corralled into the right direction. For most of the game, it sticks to exploring a section of the map, solving puzzles and avoiding spirits, then going back to Ribbon-chan's home to start the next Chapter (after she's filled her diary, which nudges you in the right direction) but there's a few concessions to make things a little easier- you can pay a coin to Jizo statues to make a checkpoint (later Chapters also have their own fairly-regular checkpoints) and warp to other statues you've found, things that can be exmained or hidden inside (more on that later) are indicated by a ! when they're in light, your map is automatically filled in as you explore, and you can return to your house to save at any point, except during Chapter 6. The one downside is that there's no way to save and quit while you're out in the field, although I imagine this was due to its origins on the Vita, where you could just lock the system at any time. The save system does take a little getting used to, but luckily each Chapter is relatively self-contained and short, something that's an important part of its appeal.
The core mechanic of the game, though, is the flashlight and its relationship with the spirits. With a few exceptions such as the gigantic hairy smiling abominations you couldn't miss on a dark street, the harmful spirits you'll be dodging can't be seen unless you shine your flashlight on them. Sometimes you'll get help from street lights, but otherwise you're on your own, and this isn't a twinstick shooter- you can only move the flashlight 45 degrees to the left and right ahead of you. As such, your other warning system is your heartbeat, which works like Silent Hill's broken radio- you'll start to hear it when a spirit is nearby, and it'll beat faster and louder as you get closer. These two systems combine to make the game an incredibly tense experience, as when your heartbeat goes off you'll frantically start looking around with the light, either to find a bush or sign to hide behind (while hiding, enemies appear as clouds you can see) or hoping to catch where they are while your heartbeat gets louder and more intense! It's a restrictive system, yes, but it works amazingly well with what little it has, and while there's a few other things you can do, like throw pebbles to distract spirits or salt to slow them down, for the most part Ribbon-chan is alone and can only evade the night terrors. It's one-touch kills here, so be careful. The criticism to be made here is that, perhaps to artificially raise the tension, your run meter is shortened dramatically the closer you are to spirits. For the most part, this isn't a problem, as spirits will often stop just before they reach you to cue up an attack, letting you escape, but it is an annoyance with the bigger monsters as you really could do with a bit more running time to deal with them.
As for how each Chapter plays out, it's a very strong example of doing a lot with a little. The flashlight mechanics get played around with a lot to great effect, such as having creatures that only move when the flashlight is not aimed at them, forcing you to play Grandmother's Footsteps with them, or others that awaken when light is shone on them, forcing you to use matches to lure them away from you. For being a game with so few actions available to the player, it does a great job of providing as much variety as possible, and while the puzzles are fairly easy to figure out when they're not spelled out to you, mostly of the 'find item, use it' variety (the most you'll be taxed is probably Chapter 5's dual-world puzzle, although it happens in one of my favourite areas of the game), those core flashlight mechanics just nail what the game's going for so effectively I didn't find myself minding that too much. Perhaps the one gripe here is that sometimes, Ribbon-chan's diary entries are a little vague in where to go next, although usually in those cases you'll find some kind of clue just waiting outside the house. A little more direction would've been appreciated, but it's not a huge problem.
Where the game absolutely shines, much like The Firefly Diary, is its presentation and atmosphere, but I'd argue it's even more successful in that regard. While the two human characters have a distinct, chubby style to them, the shades and spirits go in all sorts of horrifying directions all their own, and I think that disconnect between the living and the dead is what makes the spirits so effective at unnerving you- some of them look at least vaguely human, like the hanging and floating corpses, but they're very clearly not of the world of the living, and don't belong anywhere near you. The sound design also really brings this home, with some scary and unsettling noises kicking in when they're nearby, just getting louder and more invasive the closer you are. Even when spirits aren't about, there's details like buzzing street lights, the hum of vending machines, and different footstep noises for just about every kind of surface. Combined with the flashlight mechanics, this adds up to making Yomawari a tense, scary game, one of the scariest I've played in some time. Finally, the story itself is pretty downbeat and effective for what it is and how little text is in the game- at its core, it's about a young child dealing with the idea of mortality, presented strongly from a child's perspective, something hammered home by the crayon-drawn map, her diary narration and the descriptions for the optional collectible items. You don't need them, but you'll stumble upon these trinkets by chance and the descriptions are fittingly child-like, and once you beat the game you can go back and look for the ones you missed... Even if a few of them are a bit morbid (you took a skull home, Ribbon-chan? For real?).
The main negative against the game is that there are a few parts that lean a little too hard on jumpscares and, strangely, cat-like reflexes. Specifically, there are a few 'runner' spirits that sometimes come up on your heartbeat meter (such as the dog in Chapter 3) and, infuriatingly, sometimes don't (a runner spirit from Chapter 2 onwards, and lightning-fast crawler spirits that show up mostly in the downtown area, especially Chapter 5. They do have cues in the form of rapidly-loudening music, and while they always appear from behind, they can always be seen without light, but they just appear that little bit too fast to make it easy to respond to them on the first time. 'Boss' monsters in the later Chapters can also be a problem, specifically the ones that can charge at you, but only in straight lines- the boss of the factory can be fooled although it will take a few tries, but the big hands of the last area have a tendency to get stuck on walls, making it much, much harder to get past them. That last one was especially disheartening as it's literally the last stretch of the game, and while there's a checkpoint just before it, it can be completely demoralising. With that very important caveat in mind, I felt that Yomawari never reached the levels of frustration that The Firefly Diary did. In that, almost everything was completely out of your control, with the game expecting you to do things the controls were simply not up to the task for. Yomawari, at least, gives far more control to the player, avoiding that pitfall, and whereas I trudged through The Firefly Diary (twice! Twice!) begrudgingly, I genuinely wanted to finish this one, in spite of its little slip-ups.
I think the final point to address about the game is something that other games could really learn from- it's short, and that's absolutely a plus point. Yomawari does not feel, at any point, like it's dragging itself out for longer than necessary, and the story does what it needs to do across the course of about 4 hours. You're free to explore the town at your leisure once you're done to find the missing collectible items if you so wish, and there's a few small extras to be seen and found that way, but otherwise it's a short, self-contained story that does its job and then ends. I definitely prefer a brisk game like this to something that overstays its welcome (for words on this subject that are more eloqent than mine, Gaming.moe has an excellent read on it here) and by keeping it short and to the point, the game's made a much stronger, more positive impression than had it stretched things out and kept going after it should've ended. What I'm saying is, don't let that put you off!
Not without its flaws, but a bright spark in the pitch of night.
If you get the Steam version, be sure to grab the digital art book too, but don't read it until you're done!
... Oh man, I guess we'll have to get on with articles on A Rose in the Twilight and Yomawari: Midnight Shadows soon, right?


text:
High School Chemists Shatter "Pharma Bro" Drug Pricing
Second Nexus Staff
[DIGEST: SHM, Chicago Tribune]
In September 2015, Martin Shkreli, the hedge fund manager and CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals, caused widespread outrage when he obtained the manufacturing license for a drug known as Daraprim and raised its price 5,000 percent, from $13.50 to $750 per tablet. Daraprim, a generic drug known as pyrimethamine that is on the World Health Organization's list of essential medicines, was originally created 62 years ago as an antimalarial medication, but has since been found to be effective in treating infections caused by toxoplasmosis, especially in people with HIV and cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment. Shkreli's audacious move underscored the potential for price-gouging by pharmaceutical companies.
Martin Shkreli arrives at federal court in October 2016. (Credit: Source.)
The situation inspired Alice Williamson, a post-doctoral teaching fellow at the University of Sydney in Australia who works with the Open Source Malaria Consortium, to assign a group of 11th-graders at Sydney Grammar School to recreate the drug. The Open Source Malaria Consortium is a project that aims to show how science can be improved when data and results are shared. "Why don't we see if we can try to get the boys to make this medicine?" she said.
They did. Using less than U.S. $30 worth of materials purchased online, the students were able to replicate a very pure 3.7 grams of pyrimethamine, otherwise known as Daraprim. The current value of that quantity of the medicine would be $100,000. Williamson said the Shkreli scandal impressed upon the students the importance of sharing scientific data surrounding life-saving treatments, and the "real-life" nature of the experiment gave more focus to their work in the chemistry lab. They were able to study the patented route to creating the drug, although they did not follow it, due to safety issues involved with some of the reagents used in the original formula. The students created a new, safer pathway to achieve the same result. In the spirit of openness, the group has shared the entire process online.
The experiment also shows how dramatic the markup can be in the pharmaceutical business. Another important treatment, the EpiPen, also saw a price hike from around
$100 a package in 2009 to more than $600 a package in 2016. A 2014 U.S. House of Representatives report found that 10 generic drugs faced a price increase of 420% to 8,000% in a one-year period.
The experiment also amplified the fact that patients who need these medications are still at the mercy of pharmaceutical companies' seemingly whimsical price-gouging. The schoolboys will not be able to market their pure, inexpensive Daraprim, so patients — and the taxpayers and insurance company customers who ultimately pay for many of those prescriptions — will still need to pay the artificially high price.
It's also a uniquely American problem. In Australia, the drug is priced reasonably at U.S. $12.99 for 50 tablets.
Shkreli himself — who is often referred to "Big Pharma Bro" — weighed in via Twitter, noting that drug prices include the costs of research and development using adult chemists.
In the case of Daraprim, those costs were already incurred in the 1950s, when Nobel Prize-winning biochemist Gertrude Belle Elion developed the drug. Shkreli failed to mention any new developments in the drug in 2015 that would necessitate a 5,000% price increase.
The Australian experiment has reopened the discussion about the regulatory environment that enables drug companies to charge needlessly exorbitant prices for medications that could be produced inexpensively, thereby hurting the very patients they purport to serve.
chemistry Daraprim drugs malaria Martin Shkreli pharmaceuticals


text:
El Parc Natural de la Sierra de Baza, està situat al sud-est de la província de Granada, al límit amb la província d'Almeria, en l'entorn semiàrid de la Hoya de Baza, caracteritzat per escasses precipitacions i de distribució irregular. Fou declarat espai natural protegit per la Ley 2/1989, del 18 de juliol, per la qual s'aprova l'inventario d'espais naturals protegits d'Andalusia i s'estableixen mesures addicionals per la seva protecció, comptant amb una extensió total de 53.649 ha, distribuïda entre els termes municipals de Baza, Dólar, Gor, Caniles i Valle del Zalabí.

A la serra hi ha més humitat i s'hi registren unes precipitacions sensiblement superiors a les precipitacions dels terrenys que l'envolten, fent d'aquest indret, com s'ha definit, una illa bioclimàtica, on es dona una gran riquesa i varietat botànica i de fauna, en la qual el paisatge, particularment modelat per l'home que ha viscut a la zona durant almenys els últims 7000 anys, constitueix un element fonamental i definidor, conferint a aquest espai la seva pròpia identitat com a territori.

Flora
En el parc es poden trobar 1.500 espècies de plantes diferents, moltes d'elles endèmiques com Narcissus nevadesis, la genciana, que creix en prats humits molt localitzats, primaveres, etc. Encara que la "joia" de la Sierra de Baza és el pi roig. Els exemplars de Sierra de Baza i els de Sierra Nevada són els exemplars de boscos autòctons més meridionals de la península Ibèrica.

El microclima que es dona en aquest espai muntanyenc, permet que en aquest entorn muntanyenc, al costat de la vegetació esclerofil·la pròpia de la muntanya mediterrània, hi hagi una altra vegetació residual d'èpoques més humides, com passa amb els acers, uns caducifolis que podem trobar a les valls més humides de la zona calcària del parc.

Un dels paisatges més singulars i peculiars d'aquesta serra són els seus boscos de ribera que destaquen entre les immenses extensions de pinedes de reforestació, donant color i vida al paisatge. La vegetació natural d'aquestes arbredes forma part de l'ambient atlàntic i centreeuropeu, que està compost per flora eurosiberiana de caràcter caducifoli, i que en llocs amb clima típicament mediterrani, com la Sierra de Baza, està condicionat a la presència d'aigua abundant. De manera que boscos de ribera mediterranis constitueixen comunitats relíctiques o residuals d'aquells boscos caducifolis quaternària, immersos en un paisatge xerofític, de manera que constitueixen formacions vegetals intrazonals de singular valor ecològic, on destaca la presència de saücs i altres espècies de ribera com els àlbers, el trèmol amb les seves fulles vermelles característiques a la tardor i especialment els pollancres vers que arriben a aconseguir una gran mida en aquesta serra.

Fauna
L'actual fauna de mamífers és la pròpia dels ecosistemes mediterranis. S'han catalogat un total de 37 espècies de mamífers, de les quals cal ressaltar el grup dels quiròpters, ja que suposen un nucli d'alta diversitat per aquest grup que compta amb onze espècies en aquest espai natural protegit catalogades fins al moment, en una llista que no està tancada: el ratpenat de ferradura gros, el ratpenat de ferradura petit, el ratpenat de ferradura mediterrani, el ratpenat d'orelles dentades, el ratpenat de Natterer, el ratpenat de musell llarg, la ratapinyada pipistrel·la, la ratapinyada pipistrel·la nana, la ratapinyada muntanyenca, el ratpenat orellut meridional, el ratpenat de bosc i el ratpenat de dits llargs cavernícola.

Existeixen mamífers d'interès cinegètic com el conill, el cérvol i la llebre. La cabra salvatge ibèrica fou reintroduïda als anys vuitanta.

Les aus són un altre grup que està també ben representat en el parc, amb més de cent espècies, distribuïdes de la següent manera: sedentàries (63), d'estiu (29), d'hivern (8), de pas (4), i que constitueixen el catàleg d'aus presents en aquesta zona.

Referències

Enllaços externs
 http://www.sierradebaza.org
 Parc Natural Sierra de Baza

Sierra de Baza
Geografia de la província de Granada

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Sign 'o' the Times - 101 Films
David Brook
Film Reviews, Reviews
Bait - BFI
Night Tide - Indicator
Winter Kills - Indicator
Edge of the Axe
Andrew Skeates
Holiday (1938) - Criterion
The Exorcist III: Legion
Zoe Gammon
Jay Cluitt
Being There - Criterion
Soundtrack Reviews
Spoiler Episode 55 - Pride
Andy Goulding
Featured, Podcasts, Spoiler Podcast
Spoiler Episode 54 - Dark
Spoiler Episode 53 - Top Gun
Spoiler Episode 52 - The Hound of the Baskervilles
Spoiler Episode 51 - Bohemian Rhapsody
Spoiler Episode 50 - Singin' in the Rain
Blueprint: Review Podcast Mk2 Ep2
Blueprint: Review, Featured, Podcasts
Blueprint: Review Podcast Mk2: Episode 1
Spoiler Episode 49 - Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Blueprint: Review
Spoiler Podcast
100 Greatest Classic Hollywood Animated Shorts - Part 3
Competition: Win Asylum & The House That Dripped Blood Blu-rays
Competitions, Featured, Features
Robert De Niro's Best True Characters
Competition: Win Red Heat & Universal Soldier UHD
Competitions, Features
Competition: Win Moominvalley: Complete 1st Series DVD
Competition: Win That'll be the Day and Stardust DVDs
Cracking the Collection
Gates of Video Hell
Haiku Review
Weekend of Trash
ReviewsFilm Reviews
Kiss Me Deadly – Criterion
Director: Robert Aldrich
Screenplay: A.I. Bezzerides
Based on a Novel by: Mickey Spillane
Starring: Ralph Meeker, Maxine Cooper, Albert Dekker, Paul Stewart, Juano Hernandez, Wesley Addy, Gaby Rodgers, Nick Dennis, Strother Martin
Kiss Me Deadly was one of the first classic film noirs I watched and it blew me away with its hard edge and apocalyptic finale. Whenever I watched any subsequent films from the genre I couldn't help but compare them to it so I often came out a tad disappointed. In more recent years I've been watching a lot more noir though and the distance from my last viewing of Kiss Me Deadly has grown ever greater. So I've been collecting a new handful of favourites to compare against. With Criterion releasing Kiss Me Deadly on Blu-Ray here in the UK, I was presented with a chance to revisit my old favourite though so I couldn't resist checking to see whether it lived up to my fond memory and would once again eclipse the other film noirs I watched following it.
Kiss Me Deadly opens in thrilling fashion with a woman (Cloris Leachman) dressed in only a trench coat running down a road at night. Private detective Mike Hammer (Ralph Meeker) almost runs her over then offers her a lift after seeing she's in trouble. Soon after, her pursuers catch up with the both of them. She is tortured, killed and driven off the edge of a cliff alongside an unconscious Hammer in his car. He survives and becomes determined to find out who did this and why. This sends him into a dangerous and confusing web of intrigue and deception that may not be worth the trouble, but he continues his quest to find what his trusted secretary Velda (Maxine Cooper) dubs "the great whatsit". Gangsters, dames and all manner of other questionable characters are harassed or dispatched by the brutal and insensitive detective, leading to the lives of the tiny number of people he trusts being put in danger too.
Mickey Spillane's series of Mike Hammer novels, which were hugely popular at the time of the film's release, were tough and nasty as they were but Robert Aldrich's depiction of the character takes it to another level. Hammer has few redeeming features here, torturing and harassing even the most innocent of characters during his case. He maims and kills with little remorse and is cruel and mentally abusive to women to boot. Reportedly the director wasn't a fan of the novel and was a liberal man, far from the right-wing Spillane, so his depiction of violence here (and in many of his other films) seems to serve the purpose of highlighting how nasty and destructive these actions popular in much of mainstream entertainment actually were. He didn't want to sugar coat anything, leading you to feel the impact of what Hammer did rather than justify it. As such it acts as a criticism of 50s society. Not everyone saw it this way, with Aldrich and writer A.I. Bezzerides being put under scrutiny by the Kefauver Committee who felt it as a corrupting piece of entertainment, but the film was released as it was (though the final few shots have been tampered with over the years and restored here).
The other comment being made about the 50s, alongside fast-moving modern attitudes, was the era's fear of atomic energy. Bezzerides made a huge number of changes to Spillane's novel but one of the biggest was in making the 'great whatsit' some sort of nuclear Pandora's Box with immense destructive capability. On top of tapping into the worries of the time, it makes for an apocalyptic and nihilistic finale to the film that sets it apart from many other noirs, giving it a modern horror and sci-fi slant.
On top of the nasty, hard edge, which very much plays to my tastes, the film's energy is very impressive. It's a tad long for a noir, a genre of ostensibly B-pictures, but a lot is crammed into the film so it still races along as Hammer hurtles his way through the fog of misinformation and red herrings.
Aldrich and his DOP, the great Ernest Laszlo, craft a stylishly shot noir too. Classic tropes such as strong shadows and effective use of lights at night are apparent, as well as some interesting angles and fantastic use of depth, movement and perspective. The simple trick of the lightbulb in the 'great whatsit' box (and some nifty sound design) is highly effective too and was later referenced/stolen in films such as Goodfellas and Pulp Fiction.
Its nasty edge might not be for everyone (and believe me it still packs a punch 60-odd years later) but I still feel Kiss Me Deadly is one of the best of the bunch when it comes to noir. Thrilling from start to finish and given an added edge with its atomic spin and nihilistic attitude, it grips in its "search for the great whatsit", hard-hitting violence and gutter-poetry dialogue. Noir doesn't get much better than this and if you haven't seen it, you'd better or I might send Hammer over to sort you out.
Kiss Me Deadly is out on 5th August on Blu-Ray in the UK, released by The Criterion Collection. It looks fantastic – detailed and sharp with a rich dynamic range in the blacks, whites and greys. I found the audio wasn't always perfectly clear, but I imagine this was down to the original source rather than a restoration problem.
There are plenty of special features included:
– New high-definition restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
– Audio commentary by film noir specialists Alain Silver and James Ursini
– New video tribute from director Alex Cox (Repo Man, Walker)
– Excerpts from The Long Haul of A. I. Bezzerides, a 2005 documentary on the Kiss Me Deadly screenwriter
– Excerpts from Mike Hammer's Mickey Spillane, a 1998 documentary on the author whose book inspired the film
– A look at the film's locations
– Altered ending
– Theatrical trailer
– PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic J. Hoberman and a 1955 reprint by director Robert Aldrich
The commentary is solid, offering a deep analysis of the film as well as some interesting facts about the production. Alex Cox's piece is brief but passionate and informative. The two documentary excerpts are great, letting the two writers get a say in their differing approaches. Plus I appreciated hearing more about Spillane and his life and work. I've always had a taste for tough detective novels like his. The altered ending isn't drastically different to be honest but makes it less clear what happens to our protagonists following the nihilistic finale. The look at the film's locations is mildly interesting, but not a vital feature, unless you're a big LA history boffin. A decent package overall then.
Kiss Me Deadly - Criterion
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David Brook 100 Greatest Classic Hollywood Animated Shorts – Part 3
Gilbert Noose for a lady
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Or something along those lines.
Good, but way too long.
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The Kidney Foundation of Canada is committed to supporting excellent renal research in Canada. As part of this commitment, the Foundation established the Medal for Research Excellence in 1996. The medal is presented annually to a Canadian resident who is recognized nationally and internationally for excellence in kidney-related research.
The first clinician-researcher to show that statin treatment is effective in managing the cardiovascular risk associated with the early stages of chronic kidney disease, Dr. Tonelli's innovative research has changed Canadian drug policy, improved the health of vulnerable populations, and informed both national and international clinical practice.. .


text:
Following two missed shows, we are now working to bring you an event for 2022.
Main show day 4 August
Preview evening 3 August
Have you downloaded our app?
The first agricultural show in Scotland to have its own app. available o Android and iOS… and it's free.
Use it before, during after to get details of all our events in and outside the main arena, as well as full listings of all trade stands, and a map to help you find everything.
All the fun of the farm
The largest agricultural show in the north draws entries from all over Scotland. Last year's Champion of Champions was this Shetland Pony


text:
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Open to Alumnus of the Promoter, who reside in a country that permits entry and participation in this promotion, and who are over the age of 18. Entrants residing in countries other than Australia must be available to travel at a time coinciding with the 25th Birthday Gala Dinner on 29 July 2016 . Only one entry per person will be permitted. Competition opens 02/03/16 at 12:01 AM and closes 04/05/16 at 12:01 PM. Winner will be announced on 20 May 2016. The total prize pool valued up to $20,350 (incl.GST). The winner's flights and accommodation will be selected and booked at the Promoters' discretion. The Promoter is University of South Australia (ABN 37 191 313 308) of Advancement Services, Level 5, Catherine Helen Spence Building, City West, Adelaide SA 5000.
Global Alumni Reconnect 2016
Terms and Conditions (Skill-Based Competition)
Information on how to enter and prizes form part of the Terms and Conditions. Entry into this competition deems acceptance of these Terms and Conditions.
To the extent of any inconsistency between these Terms and Conditions and any other reference to this competition, these Terms and Conditions prevail.
Subject to clauses 4 and 5, entry is open to individuals who are an Alumnus of the Promoter, are over the age of 18, as of the date of entry, who reside in a country that permits entry and participation in this promotion and who have fulfilled the requirements set out below ('Eligible Entrants').
Alumnus of the Promoter means any:
graduate of the Promoter or its antecedent institution;
student who is currently enrolled in a tertiary or approved course with the Promoter, who will be conferred their award or degree by no later than 4/05/2016
staff member that has been continuously employed by the Promoter for more than 5 years; or
former staff member, that was continuously employed by the Promoter or its antecedent institution, for more than 5 years.
Entrants can check their eligibility status by telephoning the Promoter's Advancement Services on +61 8 8302 7375.
Entrants residing in countries other than Australia must be available to travel to Australia at a time coinciding with the 25th Birthday Gala Dinner on a 29 July 2016 .
The Promoter is University of South Australia (ABN 37 191 313 308) Advancement Services, Level 5, Catherine Helen Spence Building, City West, Adelaide SA 5000 ('Promoter').
Eligible Entrants may enter this competition during the Promotional Period (defined below) by logging onto the Global Alumni Reconnect 2016 competition, confirming their contact details, submitting their best piece of advice in 25 words or less, and verify (activate) their UniSA Global Alumni Connect account.
The winner will be selected (by a judging panel) based on their words of wisdom.
By submitting an entry into this competition entrants consent to receive promotional and other marketing messages from the Promoter (including messages sent electronically for an unlimited period of time). Entrants will be able to opt-out at any time by following the instructions included in each message sent by the Promoter.
When to enter
The competition commences on 02/03/16 at 12:01 AM and closes 04/05/16 at 12:01 PM ('Promotional Period'). All times noted in these Terms and Conditions are local times, based on the location of the Promoter. Entries must be received by the Promoter prior to the competition close date and time.
The winner will be the best valid entry as judged by the judging panel, having regard to skill, creativity and originality, at the Promoter's Premises by 20 May 2016. The Promoter may select additional entries to be used as replacements in the event that the first entrant chosen as a winner cannot satisfy these Terms and Conditions or take a prize.
The winner will be notified by email or phone at the Promoters' descretion.
Arrangements for prizes, and delivery of prizes ( if applicable ) will occur within 8 weeks of the judging date.
Number of Entries permitted
Only one entry per person will be permitted. Entrants found to be submitting multiple entries may have all entries invalidated.
Prize on offer
Total prize value is up to $20,350 (Including GST), as at 26/02/16. The prize on offer is set out below. The airfare and accommodation booking will ultimately be at the Promoters' discretion.
There is one (1) major prize to be won, as follows:
If the winner resides outside of Australia, two (2) return business class tickets to Adelaide, Australia, from the winners nearest capital city , with travel to coincide with the Promoter's 25th Birthday Gala Dinner on 29 July 2016 [valued up to AUD $19,000]
if the winner resides in Australia, two (2) return business class tickets from the winners nearest capital city in Australia to London departing between October 2016 and April 2017 [valued up to $19,000]
Two tickets at the Promoters 25th Birthday Gala Dinner on 29 July [valued at $370]
If the winner resides outside of Australia, three (3) nights' accommodation at the Promoter's preferred hotel in Adelaide (with a minimum rating of 3 stars) Adelaide [valued up to AUD$980] staying between 20 July 2016 and 10 August 2016 at the Promoters discretion
If the winner resides in Australia, three (3) nights' accommodation at the Promoter's preferred hotel in London (with a minimum rating of 3 stars) [valued up to AUD$980]
.Transfers to that hotel, the 25th birthday celebration venue (if the winner resides outside of Australia) and the airport of departure on the return trip. Flights will be with any of Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific or Emirates at the discretion of the Promoter
Prize includes
airport taxes;
booking of the tickets with the Promoter's nominated airline carrier and choice of flight, on the winner's behalf; and
booking of accommodation with the Promoter's nominated hotel, on the winner's behalf.
Prize excludes:
travel insurance. However, it is highly recommended that the winner make their own arrangements in that regard;
meals and activities, other than as already stated;
costs of travel to the city of departure nearest to the winner's residence;
costs of procuring valid passports and any requisite visas, vaccinations and travel documentation;
customs charges;
spending money, gratuities/tips, excess baggage charges, additional transfers, items of a personal nature, in-room hotel charges;
costs associated with amending or cancelling flights or accommodation after booking;
any security deposit which may be payable by the winner and/or their companion in connection with the accommodation; and
all other ancillary costs.
costs of or associated with attendance of other guests ( other than their ticket to the Dinner) who may attend at the 25th Birthday Gala Dinner on the winner's table.
Any travel companion of the winner must be at least 18 years of age as at 1 July 2016.
No part of the prize is redeemable for cash or other items, and the winner will receive no refunds, credits or substitutions based on variations in the airline carrier or hotel accommodation price.
The winner must, as a condition of accepting the prize:
make themselves available on the dates outlined in these Terms;
be willing and able to travel to the locations outlined in these Terms;
submit medical information to the Promoter promptly upon reasonable request, and submit to any reasonable medical examinations or probity or background checks that may be necessary to establish that the winner and any companion are able to travel to the locations described in the relevant Prize(s); and
sign the Promoter's:
deed of release in relation to the use of their names and images for promotional purposes; and
deed of indemnity and exclusion of liability.
Flights and accommodation for the winner and their companion will be booked by the Promoter within fifty six (56 ) days of the draw being notified and the winner must provide the Promoter with all necessary information to complete the booking. Entrants residing in countries other than Australia must be available to travel at a time coinciding with a 25th birthday event scheduled for the Promoter,which is scheduled for 29 July 2016.
The prize will only be awarded following validation and verification of the winner and their entry. The Promoter's decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
If the Promoter is unable to contact the winner to claim fulfilment of the promotional prize or cannot validate or verify the winning entry within 7 days of the draw, or if the winner is unable to attend any element of the prize, that winner will forfeit the prize in its entirety and it shall be awarded to the next runner up in the promotion. The Promoter will not be liable for a winner who cannot be contacted or whose enetry cannot be validated or verified, and therefore forfeits their prize, and no correspondence will be entered into.
Compliance with any health or other government requirements is the responsibility of the prize winner and their travel companions. All prize travel will be subject to the carrier's General Conditions of Carriage. The Promoter and carrier make no representation as to the safety, conditions or other issues that may exist at any destination. International travel advice can be obtained from various sources, including local government, local consular offices and the web site of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade at www.smartraveller.gov.au. Prizes for travel for a particular event or attraction must be taken to coincide with the event or the times and dates during which the attraction is available. Travel insurance is not included in the prize but is highly recommended.
Unless expressly stated in these Terms and Conditions all other expenses are the responsibility of the winners (and their companions) including but not limited to current passports, visas, meals, spending money, transport to and from departure and arrival points, transfers, drinks, incidentals, mini-bar, laundry, room service, telephone calls, activities, gratuities, services charges, travel insurance, pre and post accommodation, optional activities or excursions and all other ancillary costs. A credit card imprint or cash deposit may be required from the winner at check-in to the hotel, for all incidental charges.
By entering the competition, and by collecting a prize, the winner acknowledges and accepts that driving, travel and any other activities comprising the prize, are inherently dangerous and may result in death, injury, incapacity, damage to property or other losses. The Promoter is not responsible for any acts of god, such as adverse weather conditions or industrial action or civil commotion that may occur whilst the winner is travelling. It is the responsibility of the prize-winner to enquire about local issues and conditions at destinations prior to travel. The Promoter does not guarantee that the winner will enjoy the travel prize or be suited to the type of travel prize that is offered.
Further Terms and Conditions
The Promoter reserves the right to amend these Terms and Conditions if this competition cannot be run as originally planned. The Promoter may also cancel or suspend this competition if an event beyond the control of the Promoter corrupts or affect the administration security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of this competition. The Promoter will disqualify any individual who has tampered with the entry process or any other aspect of this competition.
In the event of:
war, terrorism, state of emergency or disaster;
an event affecting the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of the promotion; or
any other circumstance outside the reasonable control of the Promoter,
the Promoter reserves the right to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the promotion and award the prize as otherwise deemed fair and appropriate by the Promoter, subject to any applicable Australian State and Territory legislation and any applicable law of an overseas jurisdiction.
The Promoter and their associated agencies and companies will not be liable or responsible for any problems or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer on line systems, servers, or providers, computer equipment, software, technical problems of the phone or of any phone network, or any misadventure, accident, injury, loss (including but not limited to consequential loss) or claim that may occur; whilst undertaking any travel won on or connected with their entry; in the participation in any prize; as a consequence of late, lost or misdirected mail, email SMS or phone call; due to the broadcast of any program relating to the competition or the publication of any material, including any statements made by any compere, staff member, journalist, other entrants or any other person; any injury or damage to entrant's or any other person's computer software or phone; or any combination thereof, related to or resulting from participation or sending or receiving of any communication or of any materials in this competition.
All entrants must submit ONLY their own original answers. Any such answers, cannot be previously published in any forum worldwide. All entries become the property of the Promoter and cannot be returned. Entries that are found to have been derived from the work or designs of a third party will be considered invalid and, if awarded a prize, that prize must be returned to the Promoter. The winner may be required to sign a statutory declaration regarding the originality of the entry. Without limiting the generality, the Promoter reserves the right to take legal action against anyone found to have breached this term. The Promoter reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any individual who the Promoter has reason to believe has breached any of these conditions, or engaged in any unlawful or other improper misconduct calculated to jeopardise the fair and proper conduct of the promotion. The Promoter's legal rights to recover damages or other compensation are reserved.
If the prize is unavailable, for whatever reason, the Promoter reserves the right to substitute the prize for a prize of equal or greater value, subject to State Regulation. It is a condition of accepting the prize that the winner must comply with all the conditions of use of the prize and prize supplier's requirements. Each prize must be taken as stated and no compensation will be payable if a winner is unable to use the prize as stated.
The Promoter highly recommends a current residential street address be provided when requested for ease of correspondence and potential prize delivery. The Promoter makes all reasonable efforts ( where applicable )to deliver prizes to the addresses provided by competition entrants. The Promoter cannot guarantee that any prizes returned to the Promoter due to non-delivery at the provided address will be re-sent to the prize winner.
The Promoter reserves the right to request winners to sign a winner's deed of release or any other relevant forms or agreements that the Promoter deems necessary, to provide proof of identity, proof of age, proof of residency at the nominated prize delivery address and/or proof of entry validity (including phone bill) in order to claim a prize. Proof of identification, residency, age and entry considered suitable for verification is at the discretion of the Promoter. In the event that a winner cannot provide suitable proof, the winner will forfeit the prize in whole and no substitute will be offered.
The Promoter reserves the right to rejudge in the event of an entrant, claiming to be a winner, being unable to satisfy these Terms and Conditions.
The judges' decision in relation to any aspect of the competition is final and binding on each person who enters. Chance plays no part in determining any winner. No correspondence will be entered into. No responsibility is accepted for late, lost or misdirected entries. Prizes are subject to availability, not transferable or exchangeable and, with the exception of cash prizes, cannot be taken as cash. Prizes will be sent to the winner's nominated address as stated in their original entry. The Promoter and their associated agencies, and companies associated with this promotion will take no responsibility for prizes damaged or lost in transit.
In order for an Entrant to participate in this promotion, it is necessary for the Entrant to provide the Promoter with his/her personal information (Personal Data). The Promoter will be unable to process an entry without the Personal Data and further the Promoter cannot use the Personal Data for any of the purposes mentioned in this section without the Entrant's consent.
Therefore by submitting an entry into this promotion, the Entrant acknowledges, agrees and consents that the Personal Data (including his/her name, telephone number, address, email address and other communication information provided through an entry) may be retained and used by the Promoter and its related entities for the Entrant's participation in this promotion and the other purposes mentioned below should consent be given by the entrant. If Entrant does not agree, please do not submit an entry. The Entrant may however withdraw consent at any time by written notification to the Promoter.
The Personal Data may be used by the Promoter and its related entities for any of the following purposes should consent be given by the entrant:
Direct marketing to the Entrant through sending marketing and promotional messages from the Promoter to the Entrant including messages sent electronically, by electronic mail, short messaging service or otherwise. The Promoter will give Entrants the option to opt-out at any time with instructions provided in each message sent;
Conducting this promotion (including but not limited to determining and notifying winners) and promoting the services and other offerings of the Promoter;
The normal management, operation and maintenance of this promotion.
Investigation of complaints; and
Disclosure as required by relevant laws and regulations.
The Promoter will otherwise handle the Personal Data in accordance with its Privacy Policy available at http://w3.unisa.edu.au/policies/policies/corporate/Privacy/Policy.asp and in accordance with the laws and regulations of the relevant jurisdiction for the entry. You may request access to, check, seek the correction of, or withdraw your consent to use of, your Personal Data by notifying us in writing and addressed to:
Email: alumni@unisa.edu.au
39	You may also lodge a complaint in by writing to the relevant authority for the protection of personal information, and in Australia, this may be The Privacy Officer, University of South Australia, GPO Box 2471, Adelaide SA 5001.
Copyright, Statutory guarantees, Waiver and liability
All entries and any copyright subsisting in the entries become and remain the property of the Promoter who may publish or cause to be published any of the entries received. In participating in the prizes, the winners agree to participate and co-operate as required in all editorial activities relating to the Competition, including but not limited to being interviewed and photographed. The winners (and their companions) agree to granting the Promoter a perpetual and non-exclusive licence to use such footage and photographs in all media worldwide, including online social networking sites, and the winners (and their companions) will not be entitled to any fee for such use.
Prize winners are advised that tax implications may arise from their prize winnings and they should seek independent financial advice prior to acceptance of that prize.
To the maximum extent permitted by law, all conditions, warranties, guarantees, rights, remedies, liabilities and other terms which may be implied by statute, custom or the common law are excluded from the promotion and these Terms. If:
any supply under these Terms is a supply of goods or services to a consumer within the meaning of the Australian Consumer Law; or
these Terms are subject to implied or statutory guarantees or warranties under the law of any applicable jurisdiction which cannot be excluded, nothing contained in these Terms excludes, restricts or modifies the application of any such provision, guarantee or warranty ('Non-Excludable Provisions').
If any supply under these Terms is a supply of goods or services to a consumer within the meaning of the Australian Consumer Law, to the extent that the Australian Consumer Law permits the Promoter to limit its liability, then the Promoter's liability will be limited to:
in the case of services, the cost of supplying the services again or payment of the cost of having the services supplied again; and
in the case of goods, the cost of replacing the goods, supplying equivalent goods or having the goods repaired, or payment of the cost of replacing the goods, supplying the goods or having the goods repaired.
Except for any liability that cannot by law be excluded, including the Non-Excludable Provisions, the Promoter (including its respective officers, employees and agents) is not responsible for and excludes all liability (including negligence), for any personal injury; or any loss or damage (including loss of opportunity); whether direct, indirect, special or consequential, arising in any way out of:
any technical difficulties or equipment malfunction (whether or not under the Promoter's control);
any theft, unauthorised access or third party interference;
any entry or prize claim that is late, lost, altered, damaged or misdirected (whether or not after their receipt by the Promoter) due to any reason beyond the reasonable control of the Promoter;
any variation in prize value to that stated in these Terms;
any tax liability incurred by a winner or Entrant; or
use of a prize (including any travel or activity related thereto).
These Terms are to be exclusively interpreted and governed by the laws applicable in South Australia, Australia.


A tribute album to the late '80s/early '90s hard rock band CIRCUS OF POWER entitled "Working For The Machine" has just been made available via the band's official web site, CircusOfPower.net.
"Working For The Machine" is available for $9.99 plus shipping. Supply is VERY limited.