text:
Razor wire endangers wildlife at U.S.-Mexico border, environmentalists say
Patrick Timmons
Environmentalists say that concertina wire like the type pictured in Nogales, Ariz., placed along the U.S.-Mexico border endangers rare wildlife like wolves and jaguars. File Photo by Art Foxall/UPI | License Photo
Looking through the border fence from Playas de Tijuana, Mexico, into the United States, concertina wire lies on the ground on November 28. File Photo by Ariana Drehsler/UPI | License Photo
U.S. soldiers install razor wire in Hidalgo, Texas, on November 2. File Photo by Alexandra Minor/U.S. Air Force | License Photo
MEXICO CITY, March 15 (UPI) -- Razor wire newly laid at the U.S.-Mexico border endangers gray wolves and rare jaguars because it cuts them off from food, water, shelter and mating partners, environmentalists said.
Since November, troops have laid 210 miles of the razor wire, dividing the border region to deter migrants from unlawfully entering the United States from Mexico.
"It's a decidedly effective barrier. The wire has razor sharp edges. It would stop people and animals. It's ugly that we have gotten to this point," said Montana state Sen. Mike Phillips, D-Bozeman, a conservation scientist who directs the Turner Endangered Species Fund.
Phillips has worked for more than 30 years to save the Mexican gray wolf from extinction. There are about 114 of these wolves in the wild across northern Mexico and the southwestern United States, according to the conservation nonprofit Defenders of Wildlife of Washington, D.C.
RELATED Disrupting wolf movements could protect vulnerable Canadian caribou
"Any barrier, wall or fence that would stop a person is going to stop a wolf. People are more resourceful than wolves. A wolf is not going to dig a tunnel," Phillips said.
"When species numbers are so low, that's when connectivity becomes really important," Phillips said. With connectivity blocked by border barriers, animals inbreed and genetic diversity suffers, threatening species survival, he said.
'What gets up doesn't get over'
RELATED Border wall threatens nature tourism industry in South Texas
Concertina razor wire is folded in a flattened coil to facilitate installation. The government variety differs from barbed wire because it has hundreds of steel razors rather than small pieces of pointed wire.
"Concertina wire enhances the effectiveness of existing barriers by providing an additional level of fortification, impedance and denial," said Kevin McAleenan, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection commissioner.
Allied Tube and Conduit of Hebron, Ohio, markets steel razor wire for military, border and prison use in its catalog with the slogan, "What gets up doesn't get over." Company labels bearing the U.S. government contract number were found last year in the lower Rio Grande Valley.
RELATED Arizona city demands government remove razor wire from border
The manufacturer secured a $41 million "indefinite delivery contract" to supply the Department of Defense in 2014. It also supplies the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
Imperiled jaguars
Jaguars are another imperiled species in the area, and their habitat straddles the border and its desert mountains. Border barriers and concertina wire affect jaguars, conservationists said, because they need to roam over vast distances for hunting and mating.
"If we are ever going to see this population recover in the United States, where they are extremely rare now, jaguars need to be able to move back and forth across the landscape," said Bryan Bird, southwest program director for conservationist nonprofit Defenders of Wildlife.
"If animals do not exchange genetic material, they go extinct," Bird said.
He added: "Any border barrier creates a death zone around it and poses a danger to people and wildlife. Wildlife are going to end up entangled in the wire, meaning more deaths. In the case of endangered wildlife, we don't have the luxury of losing even one."
Defenders of Wildlife estimates that some 80 to 120 jaguars live on the Arizona border in northern Sonora, Mexico. The organization said this Sonoran jaguar population "is the last hope for recovery in the United States."
In a call to action last summer published in the journal Bioscience, 2,700 scientists from around the world sounded the alarm over border barriers.
"What matters is whether the barrier is passable, and from a jaguar's point of view, an uncrossable fence has the same effect as a wall," the concerned scientists wrote.
No public input
Environmentalists also objected to the U.S. Army installing the wire with no public input.
It was "deployed with no coherent strategy, no regard for public safety and without a thought for the deadly harm it will inflict on wildlife," said Laiken Jordahl, borderlands campaigner with the Center for Biological Diversity in Tucson, Ariz.
"In many South Texas wildlife refuge tracts, the wire has been strung along the river or other irrigation canals, placing a potentially lethal obstruction between wildlife and their water source," Jordahl said.
The sheriff of Santa Cruz County, Ariz., Tony Estrada, said the U.S. government did not ask him about laying concertina wire at and between the three ports of entry in his jurisdiction, which cover 50 miles of the international border.
"The U.S. government has a way of doing things without letting locals know," Estrada said. "They don't consider touching base. They don't ask for opinions. They are afraid to hear we won't want wire. So they just go ahead and do it."
Hurts livestock
Ranchers often use strands of barbed wire to fence in their property and prevent livestock from roaming. Even so, some border ranchers say using razor wire is unthinkable.
"We aren't going to allow wire on our property. We'll take the government to court if they try that, too," said Rey Anzaldua, a South Texas rancher whose family has owned riverfront land on the South Texas border for 10 generations.
The Anzalduas' property abuts the Rio Grande river at the international border. The family is litigating against the government to prevent it from using eminent domain to seize more acres of their land for border barriers.
The family opposes border walls and concertina wire because they say the barriers endanger livestock watering at the Rio Grande river.
"Concertina wire does hurt wildlife," Anzaldua said. "Animals get caught and tangled up in it and die."
Despite opposition from environmentalists and ranchers, the concertina wire at the border is likely permanent. In December, U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, who represents a border district wrote to U.S. Customs and Border Protection requesting removal of the "dangerous wire."
"There are currently no plans to remove the concertina wire," the border security agency said.
Immigration & Border Security


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Ozymandias Now: Not Even Statues?
by Dominic | Jul 6, 2013 | Latest
"Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them,
A shattered visage lies…"
Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem on the failed glory of an ancient empire illustrates two truths, one of irony, and one of human nature.
It is ironic that the inscription on the statue says "My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings. Look on my works ye Mighty, and despair!" This statue has since keeled over onto the desert sands, all traces of Ozymandias' city, monuments and temples have been swallowed by time. We are to infer that the proud ambition of man to be feared and remembered after death is futile.
Secondly, there is also the human desire to be eternal, to fly beyond the bounds of the temporal and live forever. This is the very ache of our immortal nature, surrounded by mortality.
Without Faith, without knowledge of God's plan for our world, the best we have done is to lavish money and labor in building vast burial complexes, great temples and cities, giant commemorative statues and megalithic mysteries. Granted, it doesn't cut it, but makes us feel a little better.
And there's the rub.
We don't do that any more.
No More Megaliths
It used to be that every culture created great works of art, from pyramids to cathedrals out of the hardest material available – granite – so that it would withstand the tests of time. The vision was to stamp a testament of cultural values and timeless truths into the bones of the world for future generations.
Setting aside the Ozymandias Complex, we used to have a healthy pride in the goodness of our works, fed from the springs of Truth, Catechism and culture. This is true for all cultures, and not just Christian culture, because it is human.
And yet today, we've dumped the Ozymandias Complex for a degenerated Present Moment Complex.
God's life in eternity is an eternal Present Moment, and we are all invited to share in this paradigm, as EWTN's Mother Angelica refers to the 'Sacrament of the Present Moment'.
But there's a difference between the Sacrament and the Complex. The Sacrament involves a conscious placement in the here and now, seeking to be aware of the graces God is offering for each of our situations. The Complex involves an ignorance, nay, a dislike of the past, and blinkering of the future, so that we are 100% focused on satisfying our cravings and urges here and now.
And this has translated into our culture. We have none of the high-minded nobility of the Greeks, Indians and Japanese, who reveled in the building of monuments, castles and temples. That was how a living culture bore fruit – an incarnation of values.
Instead, everything we build stems from planned obsolence. Our skyscrapers are made from glass and steel, which might last a century, perhaps three, and then rust through and fall. While we do build all kinds of things, none of them express cultural values and ambitions – or the wrong ones. Our daily lives are founded on the cheapest and quickest products, that deteriorate during our very lifetime.
Perhaps its fair to make a caveat – up to the '50s, we had more of that vision; we carved a mountain to look like our leaders on Rushmore. But since that, for all of our technology, where are our testaments?
Yes, we have broken through barriers in science and medicine, the speed of sound and microbiology, space exploration and cartography. But we are always ever a decade away from returning to the dark ages, and then all these advancements will be inaccessible, and over time, become part of a mythical Golden Age (until we can rediscover them). For all these breakthroughs, we have no monuments.
"Oh, well we are too humble to build them." Nope. We're definitely not humble. It's something else.
Can it actually be… that we are too selfish to be proud?
Header art CC Gaellery

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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CHENG MING SYSTEM
MASTERS◢
Wang Shujin
Wang Fulai
Huang Suchun
Paolo Magagnato
TAIJI QUAN
XINGYI QUAN
BAGUA ZHANG
TRADITIONAL WEAPONRY
ARCHIVE◢
CHENG MING WORLDWIDE
AFFILIATE to Cheng Ming Europe 2018 - 2019
INFORMATION and REGISTRATION FORMS
for new members, renewal, instructors and associations
XINGYIQUAN ( 形意拳, HSING I CHUAN [Wade-Giles], pugilato della forma e della mente)
Cheng Ming school's xingyiquan has a close and direct connection with the origins of the style. Master Wang Shujin, her of the tradition of xingyiquan and baguazhang of the zhongnan men pai (Hebei xingyiquan) moved to Taiwan in the summer of 1948 to be able to teach and spread the knowledge and practice of martial arts. His transmission was therefore not affected by the Cultural Revolution, which had an impact on traditional masters who had remained on the continent.
The period known as "Cultural Revolution" (1966-1969) created a fracture in the complete transmission of martial arts. In that time it was forbidden to practice in public and many masters were put in the pillory or fled. All that had a "traditional" taste was considered related to a mentality that had to be annihilated – and therefore was banned and destroyed. The direct effects of the Cultural Revolution continued at least until 1976 and many martia arts teachings were lost. In every style there are relatively few contemporary schools that could actually benefit form a complete transmission. Masters who passed on the entire body of knowledge had to do it in hiding with few students, at great personal risk.
In Chen Ming Europe xingyiquan is taught to intermediate and advanced students, who already know the taijiquan form and qigong.
Xingyiquan is one of the three main internal styles of Chinese boxing, and is considered one of the most ancient fighting styles in China. Its origins are connected to the legendary hero general Yue Fei, who lived in the XII century, between the Northern Song (960-1127) and Southern Song (1127-1279) Dynasties. At the time the style was called xin yi quan (hear and mind boxing). In more recent times, xingyiquan was rediscovered by Ji Longfeng (also known as Ji Jike), who learnt it on mount Zhongnan in the XVII century. Ji Longfeng is universally acknowledged as the father of modern xingyiquan and almost every school is directly linked to him.
PRINCIPLES OF THE STYLE
Xingyiquan has a profound theory that can be traced back to the concept of yin and yang, the five phases and the twelve animals. The theory of the five phases (metal, water, wood, fire, earth) of traditional Chinese medicine finds its martial application in the five phases boxing (wuxingquan).
The five phases are related to each other, to the internal organs and to the quality of the strength developed in the techniques. The principles of the style are also passed on through the forms of the twelve animal forms boxing (shierxingquan), that are: dragon, tiger, monkey, horse, crocodile, rooster, eagle and bear, Tai bird, snake, falcon, swallow.
There are also some sequences in which elements and animals are associated, and to which we must add the study of postures (zhan zhuang) and, when the level reached by the student is deemed sufficient, traditional weapons.
From a martial point of view, xingyiquan is a linear, practical, straightforward style, in which the emission of force (fajing) prevails. Forms are short repetitions of a limited number of movements, aimed at protecting the body and creating maximum effect on an opponent. Every movement is studied so as to obtain an effective feedback, applicable in self-defence and fighting.
In practice attention is focussed on linking together flowing and loose movements with a body structure that allows resisting to the opponent's blows and releasing explosive power.
ENERGY AND HEALTH
Xingyiquan allows the chest to expand and become flexible, thus benefitting breathing and the heart; it also improves elastic strength and muscle tone, increases the central nervous system's ability of conducting motor control. Among the internal styles, xingyiquan has the greatest impact on the development of strength and willpower.
Like the other internal styles, xingyiquan also strengthens the lower limbs and balance, and makes bones stronger thus fighting osteoporosis.
©2011-2019 Cheng Ming Europe – Cheng Ming is a registered trademark in EU


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Emerger is a Gradle plugin for Groovy/Android development.

Groovy [extension modules](http://www.groovy-lang.org/metaprogramming.html#_extension_modules) need a descriptor file to
declare the new language extensions added by the developer to the existing types.

When developing Android applications, when the app is packaged the Android plugin makes sure there are no collisions
having files with the same name. The problem is that the Groovy ExtensionModule descriptors always are named the same
way and always are located under the same path.

*Emerger* merges all project dependencies extension module descriptors in just one file in order to pass the Android
restrictions.

The same happens with Groovy [global transformations] (http://docs.groovy-lang.org/latest/html/documentation/#transforms-global).
But this time we don't care about packaging these files, because they're only used during compilation time.
Emerger adds a rule to exclude those files from packaging.

#How to use it ?

Emerger depends on the [Android/Groovy plugin](https://github.com/groovy/groovy-android-gradle-plugin). So make sure
you have applied that plugin before going any further.

Then declare the *Emerger* plugin dependency and apply it to your project. Here's an example:

buildscript {
    repositories {
        jcenter()
         maven {
            url  "http://dl.bintray.com/kaleidos/maven"
         }
    }
    dependencies {
        classpath 'com.android.tools.build:gradle:1.2.3' // Android tools
        classpath 'org.codehaus.groovy:gradle-groovy-android-plugin:0.3.6' // Android/Groovy
        classpath 'net.kaleidos.gradle.plugins:emerger:0.0.2' // Emerger
    }
}

apply plugin: 'com.android.application'
apply plugin: 'groovyx.grooid.groovy-android'
apply plugin: 'net.kaleidos.gradle.plugins.emerger'

Now you can use any Groovy library dependency in your Android app without worrying about extension module
or global transformation collisions.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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gets their shine on w/ all-new tracks/freestyles — hosted by P. Diddy.
Who Do You Call....When your track needs saving? Why, naturally you'd call on the King Of The Remixes, Busta Rhymes. Mick Boogie calls on the support of The Flipmode General to whip up this wicked mixtape, which almost needs no introduction.
Busta's held down damn near EVERY hot remix in the past decade-plus, so the man is Remix Royalty. This mixtape gives you a taste of all the classic Busta reworks with the man himself riding shotgun to tell you about the tracks with all the different artists he's annointed..
Featuring classic remixes and collaborations with Busta Rhymes and stars such as A Tribe Called Quest, Talib Kweli, Ying Yang Twins, 50 Cent, SWV & Jay-Z, Joe Budden, .
Swishahouse, D4L, DJ Khaled, Young Dro, BoHagon & Franchize Boyz.
20. Gurls Wit Da Boom RMX - Proof, Royce da 5'9"
In his decade and a half involved with the hip-hop game, Busta Rhymes has flipped a script that not many could dream up. Starting in the game with the Leaders of the New School, this energetic emcee has amassed five multi-platinum certifications, numerous neck-breaking hit singles, his own record label (Flipmode Records), a career-defining album on the way from Aftermath's Dr. Dre, and the mountain of respect one would expect an emcee to acquire after accomplishing these feats over the course of 15 years. But if 2006 is going to be the year of The Big Bang, it begins right now.
Although '06 started rough for Busta, things have started to pick up just in time. With Busta's "Touch It" record reaching #1 on the hip-hop Billboard charts and the All-Star remix getting major music video and mixtape burn, Busta Rhymes stands on the eve of his June 13th release of The Big Bang with New York's hip-hop resurgance rested squarely on his back.
pairs Jeezy/Curtis Mayfield, T.I./James Brown + Ying Yang/Rick James.
Every B.I.G Fan should have 2 of these (1 for the ride & 1 for the house!).
Exclusive, unreleased Biggie tracks & classic BIG over dope blends. Hot!!


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Category Archives: Musical
Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love is renowned filmmaker Nick Broomfield's most personal and romantic film of his career. The Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love starts on the Greek island of Hydra in 1960, where Leonard Cohen, then a struggling and unknown fiction writer, and Marianne Ihlen, a single mother with a young son, became part of community of expat artists, writers and musicians. Never-before-seen footage shot by Broomfield and legendary documentarian D.A. Pennebaker make for a unique portrait of an idyllic 1960's bohemia. The time on Hydra left a lasting imprint on both Marianne and Leonard, whose friendship would last another fifty years before their deaths in 2016. It was on Hydra in 1968 that director Broomfield, then aged 20, first himself met Marianne. She introduced him to Cohen's music and encouraged Nick to make his first film. As she was with so many artists, Marianne was an enormous influence on Broomfield, who went on to direct award-winning documentaries, many about iconic music legends including Whitney Houston, (Whitney Houston: Can I Be Me) Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls, (Tupac and Biggie) Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love (Kurt & Courtney). Director Nick Broomfield joins us to talk about his relationship with Marianne, the undeniable talent and charisma of Cohen, and the profound impact his time on Hydra had on his personal and professional life.
http://www.kuci.org/podcastfiles/683/FS-7-5-19%20Broomfield%20-%20Marianne%20and%20Leonard.mp3
For news and updates go to: marianneandleonardwordsoflove.com
Social Media for Marianne and Leonard:
facebook.com/marianneandleonardwordsoflove
Social Media for Nick Broomfield:
twitter.com/nickbroomfield1
"Love stories are like Tolstoy's unhappy families: no two of them are alike. But even given that, the relationship chronicled in "Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love" has a quality very much its own." – Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
"An impossibly heartfelt portrait of this woman, and her impossible relationship with a brilliant man." – Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service
"Broomfield's personal engagement and his embrace of the complexities of life and love elevate this film, which travels across decades and continents to show the lasting power of one connection." – Joe Blessing, The Playlist
"Unmissable." – Rolling Stone
Posted in Academy Award nominee, BAFTA, BIF - British Independent Film, documentary, Film Festival, Film School interview, foreign, Indie, Music, Musical, Oscar nominated, Sundance, SXSW, Telluride, Tribeca	| Leave a reply
BLUE NOTE RECORDS: BEYOND THE NOTES chronicles one of the most important record labels in the history of jazz — and, by extension, that of American music. Blue Note Records has been home to such groundbreaking artists as Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Bud Powell and Art Blakey, as well as present-day luminaries like Robert Glasper, Ambrose Akinmusire and Norah Jones. Founded in New York in 1939 by German Jewish refugees Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff, the history of Blue Note Records goes beyond the landmark recordings, encompassing the pursuit of musical freedom, the conflict between art and commerce and the idea of music as a transformative and revolutionary force. Through rare archival footage, current recording sessions and conversations with jazz icons Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and today's groundbreaking Blue Note musicians, BLUE NOTE RECORDS: BEYOND THE NOTES reveals a powerful mission and illuminates the vital connections between jazz and hip hop. Filmmaker Sophie Huber gained her filmmaking experience as a member of an award winning Berlin film collective. Huber's debut feature documentary, the critically acclaimed HARRY DEAN STANTON: PARTLY FICTION, premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2012. Director Sophie Huber joins us to talk about chronicling the lives and musical journey for many of the greatest artists of the 20th Century and the German Jewish refugees who provided them with a platform in her second remarkable feature documentary BLUE NOTE RECORD: BEYOND THE NOTES.
http://www.kuci.org/podcastfiles/683/FS-6-28-19%20Huber%20-%20Blue%20Note%20Records.mp3
For news and updates go to: bluenoterecords-film.com
For more about the filmmaker go to: facebook.com/sophie.huber
facebook.com/BlueNoteRecordsFilm
instagram.com/bluenoterecordsfilm
twitter.com/BlueNoteFilm
"Damn near immaculate music documentary" – Leslie Felperin, The Guardian
"Glorious and invaluable documentary by Sophie Huber of the ultimate jazz record label Blue Note Records." – Dennis Dermody, Paper Magazine
"The 85-minute film is a jazz nerd's dream… Jazz's evolution into hip-hop is a major theme in Beyond the Notes, which is in some ways also a hip-hop documentary and a passing of the torch." – Maiysha Kai, The Root
"Jazz lovers will go ape over Blue Note Records: Beyond the Notes… For jazz lovers worldwide, this Swiss doc is heaven-sent and heaven itself." – Doris Toumarkine, The Film Journal
"Seductive and invigorating… taking the viewer beyond the music to immerse them in the talent, drive and sense of heritage that continue to propel the distinct mission …" – Jason Wood, Wire Magazine
"It's about music, yes, but the label and this film concern more: Life-lessons, collaboration, open-minded attitudes and the value of submitting to the now." – Brad Wheeler, Globe and Mail
"A must-see if you love John Coltrane … or Kendrick Lamar… And especially if you think jazz is dead." – Pamela Espeland, Minnpost, Sound Unseen Review
Posted in documentary, drama, Film Festival, Film School interview, Indie, Music, Musical, Netflix	| Leave a reply
LETO / Summer, Co-writers Mikhail Idov and Lili Idova
Avant-garde Russian filmmaker Kirill Serebrennikov (The Student) returns to the big-screen with a tribute to the early years of Russian rock with LETO. Leningrad, in the summer, early eighties. Smuggling LP's by Lou Reed and David Bowie, the underground rock scene is boiling ahead of Perestroika. LETO tells the tale of Viktor Tsoi (Theo U) and the Kino group, about his relationship with Mike Naumenko (Roma the Beast), his wife Natalya (Irina Starshenbaum) and many who were in the vanguard of the rock movement Leningrad in 1981. This is a story about Leningrad of the 80s, about love, searching and high hopes – about a mood that will stay with us forever. LETO is full of music that the characters live and breathe: the Kino group, Mike Naumenko, the cult tracks of that time. Mike and his beautiful wife Natasha meet with young Viktor Tsoï. Together with friends, they will change the trajectory of rock n'roll music in the Soviet Union. Co-writers Mikhail Idov and Lili Idova join us to talk about the working with avant-garde Russian filmmaker Kirill Serebrennikov, celebrating a time of artistic freedom and indelible impression that these artists had on the people who connected to their enthusiasm.
For news and updates go to: twitter.com/michaelidov
"Weaving a glancing love triangle into a poignant observation on the waxing and waning of creativity, Serebrennikov revels in radiant black-and-white scenes of urban grit." – Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times
"Far from an angry political screed, it feels both removed from its fraught larger context and shrewdly, poignantly attuned to it." – Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times
"Leto is a gorgeous, endlessly charming romance drama that's part jukebox musical and part anthropological document. With revolution on the periphery, Leto is a superb picture." – Joshua Brunsting, The CriterionCast
"There is a sprawling sense of time and place to Leto, which blows out the running to over two hours, yet there is not a frame of the film one would want to see excised." – Simon Foster, Screen-Space
Posted in adaptation, drama, dramedy, Film Festival, Film School interview, foreign, Indie, Music, Musical, Political	| Leave a reply
RomCom Fest, Director Miraya Berke
Routinely dismissed by film critics as a lesser genre artistically, romantic comedies aren't simply traditionally beloved, but also a true art form which has produced some of the most classic and enduring films we know today. These films should receive the recognition they deserve along with an experience to bring together a community of film fans that flock to them. To remedy that perception, there is ROMCOM FEST. Rom Com Fest is founded by Miraya Berke, female entrepreneur – founder of Pop Productions event boutique studio and co-founder of Dessert Goals, the popular dessert festival in New York and Los Angeles. With a background in events and partnership and a personal love of romantic comedies, she is passionate about the romantic comedy genre and its legitimization in the eyes of film fans, filmmakers, and critics, in addition to the pure enjoyment of the films themselves. The first ever Rom Com Fest will take place June 20-23 in Los Angeles at Downtown Independent. In addition to a mix of new and classic rom com film screenings, we will host engaging activities and events to connect the community of rom com lovers. Highlights include a 20th anniversary screening of 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU, A special screening of the classic NEVER BEEN KISSED (curated by actress Rachel Bloom), the west coast premiere of actor Joe Cross' directorial debut SUMMER NIGHT, a late night CBD screening of HOW STELLA GOT HER GROOVE BACK, and more. Festival founder and director Miraya Berke joins us to talk about her love of film and her desire to create a unique filmgoing experience.
http://www.kuci.org/podcastfiles/683/FS-6-21-19%20Berke%20-%20RomCom%20Fest.mp3
For news and updates go to: romcomfest.com
Rom Com Fest – June 20-23 in Los Angeles at Downtown Independent
Posted in adaptation, comedy, drama, dramedy, Film Festival, Film School interview, foreign, Golden Globe, Indie, Music, Musical	| Leave a reply
Barbara Rubin & The Exploding NY Underground, Director Chuck Smith
Underground filmmaker Barbara Rubin's 1964 art-porn masterpiece "Christmas on Earth", made when she was only 18 years old, shattered creative and sexist boundaries and shocked NYC's experimental film scene. Working with Jonas Mekas at the Filmmaker's Coop, Rubin was instrumental in creating NYC's thriving underground film community and a rare female voice in a world of powerful men. A rebellious Zelig of the Sixties, she introduced Andy Warhol to the Velvet Underground and Bob Dylan to the Kabbalah. But beyond shaping the spirit of the Sixties, Barbara was seeking the deeper meaning of life. After retiring to a farm with Allen Ginsberg, she shocked everyone by becoming a Hasidic Jew. How and why did one of the 1960's freest spirits submit to a religious life? For years, 94-year-old filmmaker Jonas Mekas has saved all of Barbara's letters and cherished her memory. Working with Mekas' footage and rare clips from the Andy Warhol archives, the film takes us inside the world and mind of Barbara Rubin; a woman who truly believed that film could change the world and then vanished into obscurity. Director Chuck Smith joins us for a conversation on the life and times of a gifted artistic protégé and the impact she had on the people who loved her.
http://www.kuci.org/podcastfiles/683/FS-6-14-19%20Smith%20-%20Barbara%20Rubin%20NY.mp3
For news and updates go to: barbararubinmovie.com
Opening in Los Angeles June 14 at Laemmle Music Hall
Additional screenings on June 17 at:
Laemmle Royal in Los Angeles
Laemmle Playhouse 7 in Pasadena
Laemmle Town Center 5 in Encino
Laemmle Claremont 5 in Claremont
facebook.com/Barbara-Rubin-the-Exploding-NY-Underground
instagram.com/barbararubinfilm
Doc/NYC 2018 – Grand Jury Prize Winner
** NY Times Critics Pick**
"An Overlooked Filmmaker Gets Her Due" – Glenn Kenny The New York Times
"Barbara Rubin & the Exploding NY Underground," an informative and overdue documentary… – Sheri Linden The Hollywood Reporter
"This bold, enthusiastic documentary details the unsung yet important role played by its subject in the 1960s artistic counterculture." – Nick Schager Variety
"An evocative portrait of a vibrant and mysterious artist. It's a riveting tale of an extraordinary, seemingly uncontrollable force, a supremely talented woman dealing with mental illness, a central figure in an artistic movement who was gone too soon." – This Week in New York
…pound for pound, minute for minute, there are few biographical documentaries more impressive than this." – Joshua Brunsting Criterioncast
"A forgotten 1960s film pioneer receives her due." – what (not) to doc
Posted in DOC/NYC, drama, dramedy, Film Festival, Film School interview, Indie, Music, Musical	| Leave a reply
Echo in the Canyon, Director Andrew Slater
ECHO IN THE CANYON celebrates the explosion of popular music that came out of LA's Laurel Canyon in the mid-60s as folk went electric and The Byrds, The Beach Boys, Buffalo Springfield and The Mamas and the Papas gave birth to the California Sound. It was a moment (1965 to 1967) when bands came to LA to emulate The Beatles and Laurel Canyon emerged as a hotbed of creativity and collaboration for a new generation of musicians who would soon put an indelible stamp on the history of American popular music. Featuring Jakob Dylan, the film explores the beginnings of the Laurel Canyon music scene. Dylan uncovers never-before-heard personal details behind the bands and their songs and how that music continues to inspire today. Echo In The Canyon contains candid conversations and performances with Brian Wilson, Ringo Starr, Michelle Phillips, Eric Clapton, Stephen Stills, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Roger McGuinn and Jackson Browne as well as contemporary musicians they influenced such as Tom Petty (in his last film interview), Beck, Fiona Apple, Cat Power, Regina Spektor, and Norah Jones. ECHO IN THE CANYON is directed by former music journalist, record producer and label executive Andrew Slater. Andrew Slater joins us to talk about connecting the lasting impact of the "Canyon's" rock royalty with their modern day torchbearers and his enlistment of Jakob Dylan to be a tour guide and music director.
http://www.kuci.org/podcastfiles/683/FS-5-24-19%20Slater%20-%20Echo%20in%20the%20Canyon.mp3
For news and updates go to: echointhecanyon.com
Echo In The Canyon:
May 24 – Los Angeles at Arclight's Cinerama Dome and The Landmark Theatre
May 31 – New York City at the Angelika and The Landmark at 57 West
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100% on RT
"I have a feeling Echo in the Canyon will be watched for decades into the future as the essential document of a very specific time and place that changed music forever." – Andy Howell, Film Threat
"Rich with revealing observations and engaging anecdotes, Slater's documentary skirts the nostalgia trap by engagingly connecting with an impressive lineup of contemporary singer-songwriters…" Justin Lowe, Hollywood Reporter
"A richly evocative and entertainingly anecdotal overview of the 1960s Laurel Canyon music scene and its influence on contemporary artists." – Joe Leydon, Variety
"Echo In the Canyon has the timeless appeal of a tasty riff. It's the sunny equivalent of a tourist bus trip past the homes of famous rock stars, and director Andrew Slater carefully avoids the dark alleys." – Noah Gittell, Washington City Paper
Posted in documentary, drama, dramedy, Film Festival, Film School interview, foreign, Indie, Los Angeles Film Festival, Music, Musical	| Leave a reply
Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, Executive Director Francis Cullado
** Spotlight on the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival
Visual Communications, the nation's premier Asian Pacific American media arts center, announced its outstanding program of films and events for the upcoming 35th edition of the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) running MAY 2 – MAY 10, 2018. The all encompassing annual film celebration is presented across Los Angeles in West Hollywood, Downtown LA, Little Tokyo, Koreatown, and Hollywood. Visual Communications proudly celebrates the Film Festival's 34 years as Southern California's largest and most prestigious film festival of its kind. LAAPFF launches the celebration of Asian Pacific Heritage Month through this year's slate of over 100 films from both Asian Pacific American and Asian international artists. For over three decades, the Festival has presented nearly 5,000 films by Asian Pacific American and Asian International talent. This year's festival will feature over 130 short films during the nine day fest from May 2 – May 10. These cinema gems from around the globe featuring stories about love, family, heartbreak, friendships, and self acceptance are all part of the exciting line up. The Festival opens May 2nd with the World Premiere of YELLOW ROSE directed by Diane Paragas and starring Broadway legend Lea Salonga and emerging star Eva Noblezada. Two acclaimed festival favorites will screen as the Centerpiece Films at the Festival; GO BACK TO CHINA directed by Emily Ting and MS. PURPLE directed by Justin Chon. The closing night film is the world premiere of EMPTY BY DESIGN directed by Andrea A. Walter premiering on Friday, May 10. LAAPFF Executive Director Francis Cullado of Visual Communications stops by to talk about the ever expanding interest in Asian filmmakers and the trailblazing artistry being done by them.
http://www.kuci.org/podcastfiles/683/FS-5-3-19%20LAAPFF%20-%20Cullado.mp3
For news and updates go to: festival.vcmedia.org/2019
LEARN MORE ABOUT LAAPFF and VISUAL COMMUNICATIONS:
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Posted in Academy Award nominee, adaptation, comedy, documentary, drama, dramedy, Film Festival, Film School interview, foreign, Golden Globe, Indie, Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, Music, Musical, Oscar nominated, Oscar Winner, Political, Sci-fi / horror, Short, Travel	| Leave a reply
Yellow Rose, Director Diane Paragas
** 2019 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival
Anchored by a riveting performance Yellow Rose tells the story of Rose, (Eva Noblezada) an undocumented 17-year old Filipina, dreams of one day leaving her small Texas town to pursue her country music dreams. Her world is shattered when her mom, Priscilla, (Princess Punzalan) suddenly gets picked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Rose, facing this new realty, is forced to flee the scene, leaving behind the only life she knows, and embarks on a journey of self-discovery as she searches for a new home in the honky tonk world of Austin, Texas. Director Diane Paragas stops by to talk about heartwarming and insightful film, working with Dale Watson and the film's World Premiere at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival.
For news and updates go to: yellowrosefilm.com
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Posted in drama, Film Festival, Film School interview, foreign, Indie, Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, Music, Musical	| Leave a reply
20th Anniversary of Newport Beach Film Festival, CEO and Co-founder Gregg Schwenk
For the last 20 years the Newport Beach Film Festival has brought the best of classic and contemporary filmmaking from around the world to Orange County. Under the direction of CEO and Co-founder Gregg Schwenk and the festival's staff have been committed to entertaining and enlightening the public with a first-class international film program as well as providing a forum for cultural understanding and enriching educational opportunities, the Festival focuses on showcasing a diverse collection of both studio and independent films. The Festival supports the creation and advancement of innovative and artistic cinematic works from both emerging and seasoned filmmakers and proudly embraces the passion, vision and independent spirit of these talented artists. With the integration of the local community and educational institutions, the Festival stimulates an interest in the study and appreciation of film and encourages people of all ages and backgrounds to participate. The Community Outreach Program was created with the idea that film offers new perspectives and possibilities for a changing world. Each year, the Festival partners with over 40 non-profit organizations and pairs each philanthropic organization with a film that aligns with their mission. The Festival gives non-profit organizations a forum to voice their message to large audiences and spread awareness of their organization and mission through the medium of film. Areas of focus include the arts, health and human services, the environment, education, children's causes, seniors' and veterans' programs, and alumni clubs. CEO and Co-founder Gregg Schwenk joins us to talk about a remarkable festival line-up of comedies, dramas, short films, action sports, classics, documentaries, musicals and foreign film excellence.
For news, updates and film schedules go to: newportbeachfilmfest.com
For more on the OC FIlm Society go to: newportbeachfilmfest.com/ocfs
Posted in Academy Award nominee, adaptation, animation, comedy, documentary, drama, dramedy, Film Festival, Film School interview, foreign, Horror, Indie, Musical, Oscar nominated, Political, Psychological thriller, Sci-Fi, Sci-fi / horror, Short, Sports, Thriller, Travel, Western	| Leave a reply
Boom, A Film About the Sonics, Director Jordan Albertsen
** 2019 Newport Beach Film Festival Spotlight
BOOM: A Film About the Sonics tells the untold story of one of rock 'n' roll's wildest and most influential bands, The Sonics. For the first time ever, all five original members of the band tell the story of how it all went down, from beginning to end. 'Boom' takes a deep dive, exploring how a relatively unknown band from the Pacific Northwest became a worldwide phenomenon 50-years after their heyday, and in doing so, shaped music for decades to come (whether it was apparent at the time or not). Featuring interviews with homegrown heroes and breakthrough artists alike, Pearl Jam, The Sex Pistols, Heart, Mudhoney, and many, many more. BOOM: A Film About the Sonics is the documentary debut of filmmaker Jordan Albertsen. He joins us to talk about his honest and insightful look into the one of rock music's more subversive bands.
For news and updates go to: sonicsfilm.com
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** 2019 Newport Beach Film Festival screenings – when and where
Best Documentary Feature – Lone Star Film Festival
Best Documentary Feature – Silk Road International Film Festival
Audience Award – Tacoma Film Festival
Audience Award – Olympia Film Festival
Posted in documentary, drama, Film Festival, Film School interview, Indie, Music, Musical	| Leave a reply
Her Smell, Director Alex Ross Perry
Fueled by an incendiary performance by Elisabeth Moss, HER SMELL follows Becky Something (Moss) is a '90s punk rock superstar who once filled arenas with her grungy all-female trio Something She. Now she plays smaller venues while grappling with motherhood, exhausted band mates, nervous record company executives, and a new generation of rising talent eager to usurp her stardom. When Becky's chaos and excesses derail a recording session and national tour, she finds herself shunned, isolated and alone. Forced to get sober, temper her demons, and reckon with the past, she retreats from the spotlight and tries to recapture the creative inspiration that led her band to success. Anchored by a towering, unflinching performance from Golden Globe and Emmy winner Moss, and supported by a stellar ensemble cast, HER SMELL examines the grit, grace and gravitas of an unforgettable fictional rock star crashing down to earth into the harsh realities of mid-life. With his deeply humane sixth feature, writer- director Alex Ross Perry (Listen Up Philip, Golden Exits) pumps up the volume and shines a light on the terrifying moment when superstardom wanes — and quiet becomes the new loud. Alex Ross Perry joins us for a lively conversation on the film's fascinating shooting schedule, collaborating with cinematographer Sean Price Williams and working with a remarkable cast of actors.
http://www.kuci.org/podcastfiles/683/FS-4-19-19%20Perry%20-%20Her%20Smell.mp3
For news and updates go to hersmellmovie.com
"Elisabeth Moss turns in a five-alarm blaze of a performance as a frontwoman who makes Courtney Love look like Mother Teresa." – Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
"Moss varies the volume and the tempo of her performance, calling forth cascades of profane invention and rills of whispery poetry, but she always stays in the same key, the key of Becky." – A.O. Scott, New York Times
"Formally audacious and ferociously intelligent, Her Smell is Perry's greatest achievement yet, a wild saga of prestige and madness that is ultimately rooted in the female bonds keeping women sane." – Natalia Winkelman, The Daily Beast
"Over and above the furious-and ultimately painfully tender-drama, Perry achieves something of a new, grand version of his own cinematic music." – Richard Brody, New Yorker
Posted in Academy Award nominee, comedy, drama, dramedy, Film Festival, Golden Globe, Indie, Music, Musical, Netflix, Oscar nominated	| Leave a reply
OVID.tv, Co-founder of OVID.tv and Director of Icarus Films Jonathan Miller
In a media environment dominated by increasingly concentrated corporate interests, eight distribution companies who have long championed the best in independent features, documentaries, and social issue films, have joined forces to help launch a new subscription streaming service, OVID.tv. Starting today, OVID.tv offers more than 350 quality documentaries and art-house films from the collections of its founding content partners: Bullfrog Films, The dGenerate Films Collection, Distrib Films US, First Run Features, Grasshopper Film, Icarus Films, KimStim, and Women Make Movies. Most of the films on OVID.tv are not available on any other streaming platform, and OVID.tv will be adding even more films every two weeks–14 fiction feature films and one 10-part documentary series are already scheduled for release. Despite the odds and with little capital, Icarus Films, Docuseek, and our partners have decided that the time has come to step forward and build a new, independent space, dedicated to the films that we believe in and care about, and that we believe you care about, and value as well. OVID.tv co-founder Jonathan Miller joins us to talk about an affordable option for film lovers looking for the highest quality cinema experience presented by people who share your passion.
http://www.kuci.org/podcastfiles/683/FS-4-12-19%20Miller%20-%20OVID.mp3
For news and updates go to:ovid.tv
You can read more about OVID on the International Documentary Association website, click here.
For now OVID.tv is only available in the U.S.
"A cornucopia of international movies and documentaries… recent ones as well as classics. It's far better for recent movies than FilmStruck ever was, and its spectrum of new movies is far more substantial than that of Netflix, wider-ranging than that of Amazon." – Richard Brody, The New Yorker, March 22, 2019
Posted in Academy Award nominee, adaptation, animation, comedy, documentary, drama, dramedy, Film Festival, Film School interview, foreign, Horror, Indie, misc, Music, Musical, Oscar nominated, Oscar Winner, Political, Sci-Fi, Sci-fi / horror, Short, Sundance	| Leave a reply
Babylon, Writer Martin Stellman
Never before released in the US, Franco Rosso's incendiary BABYLON had its world premiere at Cannes in 1980 but was deemed "too controversial, and likely to incite racial tension" (Vivien Goldman, Time Out) by the New York Film Festival that same year. Raw and smoldering, it follows a young reggae DJ (Brinsley Forde, frontman of landmark British group Aswad) in Thatcher-era Brixton as he pursues his musical ambitions, while battling fiercely against the racism and xenophobia of employers, neighbors, police, and the National Front. Written by Martin Stellman (QUADROPHENIA) and shot by two-time Oscar® winner Chris Menges (THE KILLING FIELDS) with beautiful, smoky cinematography that's been compared to TAXI DRIVER, BABYLON is fearless and unsentimental, yet tempered by the hazy bliss of the dancehall set to a blistering reggae, dub, and lovers rock soundtrack featuring Aswad, Johnny Clarke, and others, anchored by Dennis Bovell's (The Slits) atmospheric score. BABYLON is the product of outsiders: director Rosso (1941-2016) immigrated from Italy as a child, Stellman is the son of Viennese Jewish immigrants, producer Gavrik Losey is the son of blacklisted Hollywood director Joseph Losey, and composer Bovell immigrated from Barbados, and was falsely imprisoned for running a sound system—the script was partly based on his experiences. Beyond the significance of being the only feature film about London's sound system scene, BABYLON unflinchingly observes the place of marginalized people in a society resistant—to the point of violence—to multiculturalism. Writer Martin Stellman joins us to talk about the impact that Babylon had on the Caribbean diaspora living in London, the neo-realism style of the film and winding path that Babylon has taken over the last 40 years.
http://www.kuci.org/podcastfiles/683/FS-3-22-19%20Stillman%20-%20Babylon.mp3
For news and updates go to: kinolorber.com/film/Babylon
100% on Rotten Tomatoes
"A STORY WITH LITERALLY EPIC STAKES. It's no surprise why the film may resonate now—its themes of finding community through art and trying to exist in a society that doesn't want you are unfortunately both timeless and extremely current." – Jaya Saxena, GQ
"REMARKABLE. Never lets go for a moment." – Derek Malcolm, The Guardian
"FEARLESS. Loud and musical and cheerful and funny, and also tragic." – David Robinson, The Times"EXPLODES IN THE GUT with a powerful mix of pain and pleasure. Like the reggae music that pulses through it, Babylon is RICH, ROUGH and REAL. And like the street life of the young black Londoners it portrays, it's THREATENING, TOUCHING, VIOLENT and FUNNY." – Simon Perry, Variety
"FIVE STARS. One of the greatest British films." – MOJO
"REVOLUTIONARY." – Miguel Cullen, The Independent
Posted in adaptation, BAFTA, BIF - British Independent Film, Cannes, comedy, drama, dramedy, Film Festival, Film School interview, foreign, Indie, Music, Musical, Political	| Leave a reply
Satan and Adam, Director V. Scott Balcerek
A celebration of the transformative power of music, and the bonds that develop when artists collaborate and worlds collide, the film follows Satan & Adam, a blues duo and a fixture on Harlem's sidewalks in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Director V. Scott Balcerek pulls together over two decades of documentary footage to chart the duo's trajectory from busking in the streets of Harlem, where they were happened upon by U2 who were filming for their Rattle and Hum documentary, to bigger and bigger stages, depicting the challenges that both had to overcome to keep Satan & Adam and their friendship together. Playing for years with artists including James Brown, King Curtis and Big Maybelle, Sterling Magee experienced the music industry's exploitation of black musicians firsthand. So he walked away to play on the Harlem streets for "his people." Reborn as Satan, he spread his gospel of freedom and became a New York City legend. When a white Jewish Ivy league scholar and musician named Adam Gussow asked if he could join him one day, both their lives took a powerful turn. Adam put aside the ivory tower life to play in the streets, and Sterling's embrace of his younger apprentice forged a sound that thrust him back in the spotlight. But life on the road took its toll on the duo, and suddenly Sterling vanished without a trace. The separation would test both men's courage, and their journey to find each other again a tale of tragedy, survival and miraculous rebirth. Director V. Scott Balacerek stops by to talk about a 23 year long journey chronicling the twists and turns of two dedicated musicians and an unlikely friendship.
http://www.kuci.org/podcastfiles/683/FS-4-12-19%20Balcerek%20-%20Satan%20and%20Adam.mp3
For news and updates go to: satanandadamfilm.com
April 12 – Opening in New York City – Village East Cinema Village East Cinema: Q&A Friday 4/12 following the 7:10pm show with Director V. Scott Balcerek, Peter Noel, Rachel Faro, and Adam Gussow
April 19 – Opening in Los Angeles – Glendale Laemmle Theatre – Director V. Scott Balcerek will participate in Q&A's following the 7:30 pm shows on Friday, 4/19, and Saturday, 4/20 at the Glendale and on Tuesday, 4/23 at the Monica Film Center. Producer Ryan Suffern will join him on Saturday.
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Grand Jury Prize
2018 Nashville Film Festival
2018 American Film Festival
2018 Tribeca Film Festival
2018 MountainFilm
"John Sayles once told me that he thinks it's music, more than anything, that has the power to bring Americans together across racial lines. Satan & Adam speaks to just such a power and goes beyond that to show us what it's worth." – Jennie Kermode, Eye for Film
"The best third act of any music doc since Searching for Sugar Man." – JB Spins
"Will move your feet and soul." – Unseen Films
"Passionate and moving… Nothing could prepare me for what I would discover." Film Inquiry
"Inspiring… reminds you what it means to be human." – Nonfics
Posted in documentary, Film Festival, Film School interview, Indie, Music, Musical	| Leave a reply
Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, Director of Programming Mike Doughtery
The 17th edition of the fest begins on Thursday, April 11th with an opening night tribute to legendary Indian Actress TABU, who is regarded as one of the most talented Indian actors of her generation, having been honored with two National Film Awards, six Filmfare Awards and notably, the Padma Shri from the Government of India in 2011. In addition to opening with a tribute and moderated discussion with TABU, the festival's opening night gala event will also include a screening of her latest film ANDHADHUN, a feature directed by IFFLA alum Sriram Raghavan (Johnny Gaddaar).
Some other highlights from this year's lineup include:
– A moderated panel featuring successful South Asian professionals working across various fields in the television industry. The panel boasts a lineup that includes actor/comedian Nik Dodani (Murphy Brown, Netflix's Atypical), director Meera Menon (The Walking Dead, GLOW, The Magicians), writer Fawzia Mirza (CBS' upcoming The Red Line), writer Chitra Sampath (Good Behavior, Southland), writer and co-creator of Fox's The Resident Roshan Sethi, and actor Dhruv Uday Singh (Freeform's Good Trouble, CBS pilot Pandas of New York).
-The screening of a trio of Sundance and Slamdance favorites that includes Ronny Sen's unforgettable feature debut CAT STICKS, the exhilarating and imaginative real-life journey of TAKING THE HORSE TO EAT JALEBIS from theatre-turned-film director Anamika Haksar, and PHOTOGRAPH from The Lunchbox director Ritesh Batra.
-Director Megha Ramaswamy's THE ODDS would close out the festival on April 14. THE ODDS is a coming-of-age tale about two teens who skip school on an important exam day and go on a fantastical journey through Mumbai. THE ODDS features supporting turns from Abhay Deol (Dev D) and Priyanka Bose (Lion) and special appearance by Monica Dogra, all of whom are expected to attend the Gala along with Ramaswamy and co-leads Yashaswini Dayama and Karanvir Malhotra.
Director of Programming Mike Dougherty stops by to talk the 2019 edition of IFFLA, the future of Indian cinema and the increasing acceptance among mainstream American film lovers.
For news and updates go to: indianfilmfestival.org/
IFFLA Film Guide
IFFLA ticket information
Regal L.A. LIVE: A Barco Innovation Center
Posted in comedy, documentary, drama, dramedy, Film Festival, Film School interview, foreign, Indie, Music, Musical, Short	| Leave a reply
Amazing Grace, Producer Alan Elliot
The highly anticipated documentary AMAZING GRACE, captures the live recording of Aretha Franklin's album "Amazing Grace" at The New Bethel Baptist Church in Watts, Los Angeles in January 1972. Producer Alan Elliot joins us to talk about the "making of" and the resurrection of this remarkable display of raw talent and consuming passion, the 47-year long path that Amazing Grace has taken and how its arrival in theaters fulfills Aretha Franklin's dying wish.
The Amazing Grace backstory
In 1972 Director Sydney Pollack (Tootsie, 3 Days of the Condor, Out of Africa) was inexperienced in shooting music documentary and shot without clapper boards snapping shut at the beginning of each take to help synchronize sound and picture in post-production. As a result of this mistake, even after months of work by experts, the 20 hours of footage couldn't be synchronized with the audio tracks. The choir director from the Watts recordings was brought in to try to lip-read the reels, but after months of work, only about 150 minutes of footage had been matched with sound, none of it adding up to a complete, useable song. Deadlines passed as the "Amazing Grace" album came out in June 1972, selling millions with no synergy. In August, Warner Bros. officially wrote off and shelved the movie. Pollack never gave up on the project, but constantly had other commitments. In 2007, dying of cancer, Pollack finally handed the documentary project over to producer and music enthusiast Producer Alan Elliott.
http://www.kuci.org/podcastfiles/683/FS-4-5-19%20Elliot%20-%20Amazing%20Grace.mp3
For news and updates go to: amazing-grace-movie.com
CRITIC'S PICK: "Nonetheless, from a distance, this is obviously one of the great music films, less epic in scope than, say, "The Last Waltz" but as glorious in communal feeling and South Los Angeles zeal as "Wattstax" (the natural partner for a double feature) and as musically imaginative as "Stop Making Sense." What distinguishes "Amazing Grace," what lifts it to the penthouse, is a mix of energy and moment…You get both the most lovely gaze a professional camera's ever laid upon Aretha Franklin and some of the mightiest singing she's ever laid on you. The woman practically eulogizes herself. Don't bother with tissues. Bring a towel." – Wesley Morris, NEW YORK TIMES
"The two nights of filmed performances find Franklin-accompanied by the Reverend James Cleveland and the Southern California Community Choir-in spectacular voice and prolific imagination. Her rapturous power and intense concentration are revealed in long, urgent closeups that seem to reflect even the cinematographers' awed astonishment. The film is a triumph of timeless artistry over transitory obstacles; its very existence is a secular miracle." – Richard Brody, NEW YORKER
" … A captivating artifact, the rare making-of documentary that doesn't just comment on but completely merges with its subject. The lift-you-to-the-rafters intensity of Franklin's voice remains so pure and galvanic that "Amazing Grace" is one of the few movies you could watch with your eyes closed, though you would hardly want to." – Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times
Posted in Academy Award nominee, DOC/NYC, documentary, Film Festival, Film School interview, Music, Musical	| Leave a reply
Posted in BAFTA, BIF - British Independent Film, documentary, drama, Film Festival, Film School interview, foreign, Mill Valley, misc, Music, Musical, Sundance	| Leave a reply
Slamdance Film Festival Co-founder Peter Baxter
It all began when a group of cheerful, subversive filmmakers weren't accepted into the Sundance Film Festival. Unwilling to take "no" for an answer, they instead started their own event – Slamdance: Anarchy in Utah. 24 years later, Slamdance has become a year-round organization fostering the development of unique and innovative filmmakers. The organization now consists of the Film Festival, Screenplay Competition and Slamdance Studios. Dan Mirvish, Jon Fitzgerald, Shane Kuhn and Peter Baxter are the founding forefathers who, along with co-conspirator Paul Rachman, fought for truly independent filmmakers by giving them a voice in 1995 at the very first Slamdance Film Festival. Since then, the festival takes place every January in the breathtakingly stunning, snow-capped mountains of Park City, Utah at the exact same time as the Sundance Film Festival, toprovide a more authentic representation of independent filmmaking. Up-and-coming writers, directors and producers, alongside seasoned veterans and film lovers, converge for the weeklong celebration of independent cinema, realizing that Slamdance is a great place to find those next, great, visionary films. Slamdance lives and bleeds by its mantra By Filmmakers For Filmmakers. No other film festival in the world is entirely run and organized by the creative force that can only be found in filmmakers. Slamdance adamantly supports self-governance amongst independents, and exists to deliver what filmmakers go to festivals for – a chance to show their work and a platform to launch their careers. The festival has earned a solid reputation for premiering films by first-time writers and directors working within the creative confines of limited budgets. Co-founder and President Peter Baxter joins us to talk about this year's Slamdance, the groundbreaking films and the innovative new distribution being launched by Slamdance.
http://www.kuci.org/podcastfiles/683/FS-1-18-19%20Baxter%20-%20Slamdance.mp3
For news and updates go to: slamdance.com
Check out the film schedule at slamdance 2019 schedule
Slamdance Film Festival will take place January 25-31, 2019 in Park City, Utah
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Posted in adaptation, animation, comedy, documentary, drama, dramedy, Film Festival, Film School interview, foreign, Horror, Indie, misc, Music, Musical, Sci-Fi, Sci-fi / horror, Short, Slamdance	| Leave a reply
January 18 – Ashley Connor, Cinematographer, Independent Spirit Award Nominee (Madeline's Madeline)
ASHLEY CONNOR is a New York based director of photography. Her work on Josephine Decker's BUTTER ON THE LATCH and THOU WAST MILD AND LOVELY prompted New Yorker critic Richard Brody to name her, alongside Darius Khonji and Fabrice Aragno, as one of the year's best cinematographers. Her breadth of style can be seen in work as diverse as Dustin Guy Defa's PERSON TO PERSON (Sundance '17) and Adam Leon's TRAMPS (TIFF '16), as well as in popular music videos for artists including Jenny Lewis, Angel Olsen and Maggie Rogers. She had two films premiere at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, Josephine Decker's MADELINE'S MADELINE and Desiree Akhavan's Grand Jury Prize winning THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST starring Chloe Moretz and Sasha Lane. Most recently she shot two pilots for A24/Hulu and has three more films coming out in 2018: Olivia Newman's FIRST MATCH (SXSW 2018 Audience Award Winner, Netflix produced), Alex O Eaton's MOUNTAIN REST and an Untitled Daniel Scheinert film. Ashley Connor stops by for a conversation on her work on Josephine Decker's Madeline's Madeline's Madeline and her Spirit Award nomination for her cinematography.
http://www.kuci.org/podcastfiles/683/FS-1-4-19%20Connors%20-%20Madeline.mp3
For news and updates go to: ashleyconnor.net
facebook.com/ashley.connor
Posted in comedy, drama, dramedy, Film Festival, Film School interview, Indie, iTunes, misc, Music, Musical, Spirit Award nominee	| Leave a reply
January 11 – Stu Pollard, President of Lunacy Productions
Lunacy Productions helmed by prolific producer Stu Pollard is excited debut for you their latest film "Rust Creek," which is being distributed theatrically by IFC Midnight beginning January 11th, 2019. "Rust Creek" starring Hermione Corfield ("Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation"), Jay Paulson ("Mad Me"), Sean O'Bryan ("Olympus Has Fallen"), Micah Hauptman ("Homeland"), Daniel R. Hills ("The Resident"), Jeremy Glazer ("Letters From Iwo Jima"), and John Marshall Jones (Con Air"); chronicles the presence of mind and skill an ordinary woman, utilizes while summoning extraordinary courage to survive a nightmare odyssey in this harrowing survival thriller. This film takes the woman in jeopardy premise and turns it on its head with agility and smarts. This is the latest female driven (both in front of & behind the camera) film from Pollard & his team at Lunacy. Lunacy's team are incredibly committed to supporting gender parity in filmmaking, producing several films featuring female protagonists (This Is Home, Rust Creek, Short History, Plus One) and working with female filmmakers like Jen McGowan ("Rust Creek"), Ani Simon Kennedy ("Short History of the Long Road"), and documentarian Alex Shiva ("This Is Home: A Refugee Story") among others. Half of the department heads on "Rust Creek" are women and for many of the female crew, "Rust Creek" was their first feature film or their first opportunity in an elevated position (including DP Michelle Lawler, make-up artist Allie Shehorn, art director Priyanka Guterres, and postproduction supervisor Alex Jensen). Pollard has also directed two features: NICE GUYS SLEEP ALONE and KEEP YOUR DISTANCE. In his spare time he teaches at USC's School of Cinematic Arts and Film Independent. He holds a degree in business from Georgetown and an MFA in film from USC, is a member of the DGA and PGA, and serves on the boards of the Louisville Film Society and GU's Alumni Board of Governors. Director, producer and head of Lunacy Productions Stu Pollard joins us to talk about his company's commitment to gender equity on both sides of the camera.
For news and updates go to: lunacyproductions.com
Vimeo: vimeo.com/lunacy
twitter.com/LunacyProds
facebook.com/LunacyProds
instagram.com/lunacyprods
Posted in comedy, drama, dramedy, Film Challenge, Film Festival, Film School interview, Horror, Indie, misc, Music, Musical, Thriller	| Leave a reply
Love, Gilda, Director Lisa D'Apolito
Gilda Radner puts a smile on the faces of people who remember watching her as one of the original cast members of Saturday Night Live, where she created and portrayed such now-classic comic characters as Roseanne Roseannadanna, Emily Litella and Lisa Loopner. LOVE, GILDA, directed by Lisa D'Apolito, is a true autobiography, told in Gilda's words and in her own voice. Working with the Radner Estate, D'Apolito unearthed a collection of diaries and personal audio and videotapes documenting her childhood, her comedy career, her relationships and ultimately, her struggle with cancer. This never-before-seen footage and journal entries form the narrative spine of the documentary, allowing Gilda to tell her own story– through the laughter and sometimes the tears. Incredibly, she was able to find humor in even the darkest of times. Gilda's spirit lives on in comedy as a female trailblazer who continues to inspire many present day comedic performers, including Bill Hader, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, and Cecily Strong. Also interviewed are SNL original cast members– Chevy Chase, Laraine Newman and Paul Shaffer– as well as, Lorne Michaels (SNL creator and producer), Alan Zweibel (SNL writer), Stephen Schwartz (Broadway composer); Andrew Alexander (CEO of Second City) and long-time friend Martin Short. LOVE, GILDA Director Lisa D'Apolito talks about the unique window her loving film provides into the honest and whimsical world of a beloved performer whose greatest role was sharing her own story.
http://www.kuci.org/podcastfiles/683/FS-12-14-18%20Thompson%20-%20Drugs.mp3
For news and updates go to: lovegilda.com
LOVE, GILDA will air on CNN:
Tuesday, Jan. 1 at 9pm and 11pm Eastern (Tuesday, Jan. 1 at 6pm and 8pm Pacific)
Saturday, Jan. 5 at 9pm Eastern (Saturday, Jan. 5 at 6pm Pacific)
Sunday, Jan. 6 at 12am Eastern (Saturday, Jan. 5 at 9pm Pacific)
And available for playback via CNN on Demand.
facebook.com/LoveGildathefilm
twitter.com/LoveGildaFilm
instagram.com/LoveGildaTheFilm
"A splendid tribute to one of America's comedy legends." – J.R. Kinnard, Film Inquiry
"We come away with the portrait of someone who was never just going along for the ride, but who was always questioning and challenging herself, working toward professional excellence and hoping for an ideal romance." – Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
"'Laughter – that's what hugs me and holds me,' she confides on those muddy cassettes. So does the warm, tender embrace of "Love, Gilda." – Michael Rechtshaffen, Los Angeles Times
"All the laughs-as well as the tears-in the too-brief but shining life of a true comic genius are present and accounted for in this essential, intensely moving doc." – David Noh, Film Journal International
Posted in adaptation, comedy, documentary, drama, dramedy, Film Festival, Film School interview, Indie, misc, Music, Musical	| Leave a reply
Springsteen on Broadway, Director Tommy Zimny
SPRINGSTEEN ON BROADWAY is a solo acoustic performance written and performed by Tony Award, Academy Award, and 20-time Grammy Award winner Bruce Springsteen. Based on his worldwide best-selling autobiography Born to Run and nothing short of the theater event of the year, SPRINGSTEEN ON BROADWAY is a unique evening with Bruce, his guitar, a piano, and own stories—including a special appearance by Patti Scialfa. The intimate performance features personal anecdotes and songs including "Born to Run," "Thunder Road" and "Brilliant Disguise." SPRINGSTEEN ON BROADWAY was filmed live for Netflix at Jujamcyn's Walter Kerr Theatre and directed and produced by Emmy Award-winner Thom Zimny ("Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band: Live in New York City (2001)"). In addition to Zimny, the Netflix original special is produced by the same team that produced "Springsteen On Broadway," including Springsteen manager Jon Landau, Springsteen tour director George Travis, and Landau Management partner Barbara Carr. Director Thom Zimny joins us for a conversation on his working relationship with one of the singular musical artist in recording history and the challenge of capturing the intimacy of a live, Broadway experience.
http://www.kuci.org/podcastfiles/683/FS-12-14-18%20%20Zimney%20-%20Springsteen.mp3
Springsteen on Broadway on netflix.com
Twitter/springsteen
Instagram/springsteen
Facebook/brucespringsteen
"Springsteen has mastered the dynamics needed to keep a mostly talking, partly singing show riveting for a running time that's epic by monologists' standards, if not his own." – Chris Willman, Variety
"For nearly three hours, Springsteen jokes, rails, wails, and yes, plays his heart out, providing an achingly raw, often disarmingly honest breakdown of his life." – Chris Evangelista, Slashfilm
"Not only does "Springsteen on Broadway" work on its own as a Netflix special, it gives you all the same feels seeing the show live at the Walter Kerr Theater brought out." – Joey Madison, AwarsCircuit.com
Posted in Academy Award nominee, adaptation, DOC/NYC, documentary, drama, Film School interview, Music, Musical, Netflix, Oscar nominated, Oscar Winner	| Leave a reply
Avicii: True Stories, Director Levan Tsikurishvili
AVICII: TRUE STORIES, a compelling new documentary film by Levan Tsikurishvili, reveals the unvarnished truth behind the success of Grammy- nominated producer, songwriter and artist Avicii (A.K.A. Tim Bergling). One of the world's highest grossing live music artists whose seemingly sudden decision last year to quit doing live shows came as a complete shock to his fans and the industry. The film traces the artist/DJ's life from his beginnings, all the way to the joy of his success, from his chart-topping global radio hits and subsequent struggles with his physical and mental health. Tsikurishvili followed Bergling for over four years, and captured fly-on-the-wall footage of his experiences and thinking. Featuring appearances by colleagues such as Chris Martin, Nile Rodgers, David Guetta, Tiësto and Wyclef Jean, AVICII: TRUE STORIES is a cautionary tale that explores the taxing nature and intensity of fame from the artist's point of view as much as it is a film for Avicii's die-hard fans.
I wanted to do a brutally honest film about Tim as a person and not only about Avicii. Everybody knows Avicii but very few people know Tim. I think this documentary really shows Tim's struggle and strength of character. Being a worldwide superstar artist is not as easy as it looks on Instagram. – Director Levan Tsikurishvili
http://www.kuci.org/podcastfiles/683/FS-12-14-18%20Tsikurishivili%20-%20Avicii.mp3
For news and updates go to: aviciitruestories.com
"Compelling and Cautionary Tale" – Variety
"Insight into the life of a special young artist" – Cine Magazine
"Truthful, thought provoking…compelling documentary – 5 stars" – one EDM
"An unusually sincere documentary that – unlike AMY – ends with a personal triumph." – Alfred Bos, IndieBioscoo
Posted in DOC/NYC, documentary, drama, Film Festival, Film School interview, foreign, misc, Music, Musical, Netflix	| Leave a reply


Can isolation of DNA done with perfection?how?
How to identify highly mutated aminoacid from clustalw?
it is a common experience that if we go on burping simultaneously and consciously(i.e.purposely,as in a non- natural action),our stomach starts aching.Why does this happen?
WHY YOU SELECT BIOINFORMATICS AS YOUR MAJOR FIELD??
what are databases used in bioinformatics?
what is the difference between present and oldest drug discovery methods?
what is the meaning of science?
How can we find the direction of an nucleotide substitution, for example; C to T or T to C?
How is the position of a nucleotide substitution on genome detected? I mean that it is on exon, intron or promoter region?
What is the difference in terms of connectivity between a scale free network and random network?
Bootstrap analysis evaluates evolutionary trees by sampling columns from the original alignment with replacement (multiplying or removing some of them) and computing a proportion of times that a particular branch appears in the resulting trees. What is the main idea behind this approach?
What are the main differences between parsimony,distance and likelihood-based algorithms?
What is a DNA array?


TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team has finished one of the most demanding rallies of the year with all three cars in the top 10, after ..
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team finished with both crews inside the top 10 for the second time this year, on what was widely acknowledged ..
Rally Mexico presented a challenging opening day for all the competitors, with the first two proper stages cancelled following a delay in getting ..
An encouraging start for the Toyota Yaris WRC on Rallye Monte-Carlo, with Juho Hanninen setting a third-fastest stage time on Thursday night. ..
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing has completed its testing program ahead of its long-awaited return to the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) after a break ..
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing is delighted to announce that Finnish driver Juho Hänninen and his co-driver Kaj Lindström will compete in the 2017 ..
Hyundai Shell World Rally Team has completed a trouble-free day of competition in the slippery conditions of day two at Wales Rally GB, with ..
The Hyundai Shell World Rally Team will begin the second day of Wales Rally GB with all three Hyundai i20 WRC cars running after a day of mixed ..
Hyundai Shell WRT complete its debut season in 2014 WRC at Wales Rally GB. FIA World Rally Championship season will completed with Wales ..
Hyundai Shell World Rally Team has continued to make progress in this weekend's Rally Finland with its two remaining Hyundai i20 WRC cars ..


Next → Next post: NAVIGATION – Culturally accepted or not?
Hello, where do I buy your magazine?
The magazine is available via subscription or at selected Oncology Units and Hospitals.
Please download the subscription form and return it to us with proof of payment, next issue will be out early April.


Canva provides templates with the correct size for FB ads along with samples and (some) stock images. When we're working quickly to get client approval for ad copy and images, it is great to be able to correctly resize an image for an ad without having to look up the correct size (FB likes to change things!) and therefore it's easier to present our client with a comprehensive promotion plan and start their ads sooner.
You know the type, perhaps you're even one of them! We often have clients who have their own sense of design and want to tweak small details of an ad or social media image. By creating files in Canva and sending them to the client with an editable link, we both have access to the most current version of the file, allowing them to also make changes which can cut down on days (really!) of sending the image back and forth for edits and approvals.
We store all our client files in a central Google drive, but in the past when we have used Adobe products we've been stuck (sometimes) having to spend time hunting down a source file because only the jpg or pdf file was saved in the client folder (that's what the client approved) and the editable source file lived on the designer's local computer. With Canva, our team stays more organized.
We are creating more and more for stories on Instagram and Facebook–and sometimes you just need to do something on the go. Not all Canva sizes are available on the phone (or iPad), but we're generally able to do what we need to do for stories and quick approvals or edits on the phone app.
One of the main reasons we have a Canva for work (paid) account is that we can resize files quickly and easily. This is especially great if we are making social media graphics with lots of text that would be cut off on Twitter (although keep in mind we still recommend clients use a simple square, in general). Note: this feature is not seamless, but again, it saves time because Canva knows the size of each output and we aren't having to check the recommended dimensions each time we want to make a similar file. This also helps with project hand-offs as we sometimes use images and fonts in an ad campaign first, but later want to use it on a flyer or a website banner. Canva makes this easy, again, keeping everything in one central place.
Do you use Canva? Love it? Hate it? We'd love to hear your thoughts on this program.


text:
package org.apache.hyracks.storage.am.common.data;

import org.apache.hyracks.api.dataflow.value.ITypeTraits;
import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
import org.apache.hyracks.api.io.IJsonSerializable;
import org.apache.hyracks.api.io.IPersistedResourceRegistry;
import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.INumeric;
import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointableFactory;
import org.apache.hyracks.storage.am.common.api.IPrimitiveValueProvider;
import org.apache.hyracks.storage.am.common.api.IPrimitiveValueProviderFactory;

import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.JsonNode;
import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.node.ObjectNode;

public class PointablePrimitiveValueProviderFactory implements IPrimitiveValueProviderFactory {
    private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;

    private final IPointableFactory pf;

    public PointablePrimitiveValueProviderFactory(IPointableFactory pf) {
        this.pf = pf;
    }

    @Override
    public IPrimitiveValueProvider createPrimitiveValueProvider() {
        final IPointable p = pf.createPointable();
        ITypeTraits traits = pf.getTypeTraits();
        assert traits.isFixedLength();
        final int length = traits.getFixedLength();
        return new IPrimitiveValueProvider() {
            @Override
            public double getValue(byte[] bytes, int offset) {
                p.set(bytes, offset, length);
                return ((INumeric) p).doubleValue();
            }
        };
    }

    @Override
    public JsonNode toJson(IPersistedResourceRegistry registry) throws HyracksDataException {
        final ObjectNode json = registry.getClassIdentifier(getClass(), serialVersionUID);
        json.set("pf", pf.toJson(registry));
        return json;
    }

    public static IJsonSerializable fromJson(IPersistedResourceRegistry registry, JsonNode json)
            throws HyracksDataException {
        final IPointableFactory pf = (IPointableFactory) registry.deserialize(json.get("pf"));
        return new PointablePrimitiveValueProviderFactory(pf);
    }
}


Lady A's Charles Kelley had a slight wardrobe malfunction on the People's Choice Awards red carpet. His skinny pants split cause they were too tight and it happened too late to change them.
Garth plays his hometown of Tulsa the next few days so they've temporarily renamed some streets after his songs like Low Places Lane & Thunder Rolls Rd. The signs stay up until his last show there January 17.
Jake Owen, Toby Keith, Lady A, Brett Eldredge, Maddie & Tae, Thomas Rhett & more perform tonight on CMT's Ultimate Kickoff Party for the College Football National Championship.
Jay DeMarcus of Rascal Flatts and his wife are on ABC's The Chew this afternoon.
Finally – newlywed Jerrod Niemann's wife Morgan is on TLC's Say Yes to the Dress tonight.


F&Home Radio - wireless intelligent bulding system There are 32 products.
Main controller (server) of the F&Home RADIO system. On a DIN rail.
Battery four-channel transmitter with temperature measurement of the F&Home RADIO system.


text:
Aid-policy coordination to help fight terror
by Hisane Masaki
Japan and the United States will expand cooperation in the U.S.-led campaign against terrorism to include closer aid-policy coordination for Afghanistan and other strategically important countries, government sources said Thursday.
Top-level aid officials from the two countries — by far the world's largest aid donors — will hold talks in Tokyo in the middle of June to kick off full-scale policy coordination efforts, the sources said.
The U.S. participants in the meeting will be officials of USAID, an arm of the State Department, while Japanese representatives will include high-level Foreign Ministry officials, the sources said.
Less than a month after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, the U.S. administration of President George W. Bush launched military operations in Afghanistan to topple the Taliban regime and root out al-Qaeda terrorists.
Although the Taliban regime collapsed and an interim government, headed by Hamid Karzai, took office in December, the U.S.-led antiterror war in Afghanistan continues. Japan dispatched Self-Defense Forces to the Indian Ocean to provide logistic support, such as supplying fuel.
The aid-policy coordination effort apparently reflects the view that it is imperative to ensure the political, economic and social stability of strategically important developing countries for the global antiterrorism campaign to succeed.
According to the government sources, the countries include Yemen and the Philippines, where the U.S. sent troops earlier this year to assist in the fight against terrorists, the sources said.
The sources said that Japan and the U.S. will not necessarily launch joint aid projects, as they did in a wide range of areas, including environment protection and health promotion, under the so-called Common Agenda during the Clinton administration.
In the wake of Sept. 11, calls are growing to help fight poverty, widely perceived as a root cause of terrorism, especially in African countries.
Antiterror efforts and increased assistance for African countries are also expected to top the agenda for the upcoming annual summit of top leaders from the Group of Eight major countries in Canada in late June. The G8 comprises the U.S., Canada, Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Japan and Russia.
In 2001, the U.S. replaced Japan as the world's largest aid donor for the first time in 11 years. The U.S. provided $10.88 billion in official development assistance in 2001, up 9.3 percent from 2000, while Japan extended $9.67 billion, down a sharp 28.4 percent. Germany was ranked a distant third with $4.87 billion.