While I've thoroughly enjoyed spending time with all of the people I've interviewed for Beyond the Bank, there's no denying that one of the more exciting and powerful interviews I've conducted was sitting down with local attorney, Army veteran and childhood friend Eric Hooper to discuss a variety of topics—including his dedication to his country and his deep affection for South Georgia—especially his home town of Albany.
Although he is now a successful wealth and business planning attorney with Moore, Clarke DuVall and Rogers, and an active volunteer with organizations throughout the community, my connection to Eric goes back to the days when he was just a fresh-faced kid one grade behind me at St. Teresa's and later Westover High.
I think that's why it was so fascinating for me to listen to the now husband (wife Jennifer) and father of two (daughters Elizabeth and Caroline) share some of the incredible things that have transpired in his life since we last saw each other on any kind of regular basis—experiences that have helped make him the impressive man he is today.
Naturally, as children move through school they tend to lose contact with each other—especially once they hit high school and are in different grades—but despite not being in regular contact, Eric was always one of those kids who stayed on my radar.
I distinctly remember how cool it was to learn that he had gone on to attend the prestigious U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and I recall how sobering it was to later learn that he had been squarely in harm's way during the early days of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
I have to admit—it was hard at first to picture that smiling kid from grade school decked out in fatigues, and engaging an enemy half a world away. And although it ultimately made sense for the son of a teacher and a police officer to proudly serve his country, our busy lives had not afforded us the opportunity to discuss what led him down that path until recently.
What I uncovered during that conversation was truly enlightening and deepened my affection for one of South Georgia's most impressive champions, whose time in the service earned him numerous citations, including being awarded the Bronze Star, a Meritorious Service Medal, an Army Commendation Medal and an Army Achievement Medal, among others.
Throughout our chat, Eric was not only open and honest, his responses to my questions were both heartfelt and reflective of the values he lives by—values rooted in his Christian faith and his desire to serve others.
As much as the academy did to strengthen his feelings about service, Eric said he had a strong foundation for giving and doing for others since childhood, thanks in large part to his upbringing in a service-oriented, Catholic family.
"Looking back there were probably a couple of big influences for me," he explained. "One was certainly my parents. They were both public servants—teacher and police officer. So they set the example early on as far as service.
Another equally important factor in Eric's development as a servant was the years he spent in scouting—an organization he still supports today as a member of the board of directors of the South Georgia Council of Boys Scouts of America that encompasses 28 counties in southern Georgia, including Dougherty and Lee counties.
"I think probably the last thing that was a big influence on me was probably the Boy Scouts," said Eric, who first joined the organization as Cub Scout in a tiger den for 1st—graders. "Certainly that made a big difference in my life, and not just because I was an Eagle Scout. I'm proud of that accomplishment, but just the experience of scouting is really good.
In addition to learning how to interact with others and work toward a common goal, Eric said Boy Scouts taught him a fundamentally important aspect of leadership which he believes was vital in his development as a leader later in life.
"I think the toughest leadership you do in life is peer leadership," he said. "It's real easy, when you're in a position of authority, to tell somebody to do something and you're able to do it because you're in a position of leadership and they're not. But when you have to lead your peers, it's much more challenging. And scouting, to me, was my first experience with that.
"Then West Point even built upon that. You know you had these standards and even if you weren't in a position of authority as a cadet, you still had to look at your peers and say, 'I know we're friends and all, but this is the rule I've got to enforce. You need to do that right thing.' And that's a challenge.
In truth, honing those leadership skills he first started to develop in scouts played an important role in his decision to attend West Point in the first place.
As I listened to Eric share his philosophies and beliefs about leadership, service and duty, I started to understand how those important motivating factors were in leading Eric down another important path in his military career.
That course, Eric explained, was chosen during his final year at the academy, when cadets have to make a decision about what they're going to do in the Army, something known as "branching." In "branching" cadets make a list of the areas they'd like to serve in, with the top choice being their preference. Cadet are then assigned to those chosen areas based on class rank.
Since his high class rank virtually assured he would get to serve in his area of preference, I believe his ultimate decision further illustrates the quality of his character, as does his explanation for making his choice.
"I had this kind of soul-searching experience of, 'what do I do,'" Eric told me. "West Point is a great place. To me it's one of the ultimate educational institutions. Money is never a question. You get access to the best of the best. It's tough but it's very rewarding.
"And I kind of had this realization that if our nation had spent as much money as it had on me or my education—cause the joke is that they give you a value on what your education is and I want to say when I graduated they set it at over half a million dollars—I felt you had an obligation to do something serious for the military. And to me, the most serious thing you can do in the military is serve in the combat arms, which is basically, there's infantry officer, an armor officer, an engineer officer, a field artillery officer, or an aviation officer.
When asked to elaborate on the difficulty, Eric's response was forthright and again offered some insight into the things that are important in his life—things like building important relationships, teamwork, and even facing adversity in order to do what you believe is right.
"The mission of the infantry, at its core, is to close with and meet the enemy and destroy them or repel them by force," he said matter-of-factly. "So, it's very physical, it's very personal in the sense that it is, you know, force on force. You see what you're doing. And certainly that was my experience in combat. It is, in some ways, traumatic. The calculus of violence is how I describe it. You're closing with somebody and your job is to kill them before they kill you, and you have to rely on everybody on your team to support you in doing that.
When sharing this Eric speaks from a position of authority, having learned these lessons and tested the skills he learned as West Point firsthand during some of this nation's most difficult times.
Not long after making his decision to serve in an infantry unit—ultimately being assigned to the Third Battalion, Seventh Infantry Regiment, Third Infantry Division based out of Fort Stewart in Savannah—Eric was thrust into conflict.
He said that his company was forward deployed in Kosovo when the 9/11 attacks occurred and because part of his unit's duties was to rotate to Kuwait, Eric and his brothers in arms, despite their personal concerns about what was happening back home, were sent to Kuwait to defend it.
Not long after that, his unit was on the frontlines during the invasion of Iraq in 2002.
In fact, Eric said his rifle company ultimately seized the palace in Baghdad and was featured prominently in some of the early accounts of the war thanks to having an Associated Press reporter and photographer embedded with this company.
Eric said he ended up staying in Iraq until the fall of 2003, having to fill a leadership slot that was vacated when a "sister officer" was hit by an IED and lost his leg. Next he did a mission in Korea and following a few months back home after that, his unit was re-deployed to Iraq, and Eric had another experience that had a profound impact on him.
"It was a challenging situation," he said. "The one that sticks out my mind the most was … a fellow West Point-er, two years behind me, and he went to Iraq at the end of the rotation.
Although sharing stories like that with me was clearly difficult, Eric's warmth and humanity was evident throughout. As he spoke about his time in combat and his time as adjutant, his reverence for his duties was obvious. Those experiences no doubt meant a lot to him and had shaped his approach to future endeavors.
And while his military experiences are certainly important, they are not the only impressive things about the native Albanian.
Like most young servicemen Eric, after a few years of duty, was faced with an important life decision in 2005 and once again his choice was informed by the thoughtful consideration that is a theme throughout his life.
The decision that Eric, who left the Army as a Captain, made was once again informed by his youth.
Hetold me he had always wanted to be lawyer and after finishing law school knew he wanted to return to the Albany area to practice. When asked to elaborate on that desire, Eric shared a little about the special place South Georgia holds in his heart and about how much he enjoys connecting with the people of this region.
"Well, it helps that my wife's from South Georgia," he said with a smile. "She's from Douglas and our families were here. But for me, I've always had a huge sense of identity and connection to South Georgia.
And although he doesn't live in Albany—his family instead lives in Cordele so they can be closer to the medical facilities the family needs to care for special needs daughter Elizabeth—he practices law here and Jennifer spends three days a week in the community taking Elizabeth to therapy sessions.
Because of his close to connection to the community in which he was raised, as well as the rest of South Georgia, Eric also devotes considerable time to various charitable and civic organizations, including the aforementioned South Georgia Council of Boy Scouts.
Additionally, he serves as an emeritus member of the United Way of Southwest Georgia, sits on the board of directors for Community Foundation and he sits on the board of Cordele's preservation committee, to name a few. And again, his decision to serve those organizations is based on his upbringing and the way in which he views the world.
"I put a lot of time into charities that I think are worthwhile," Eric explained. "Boy Scouts, I just think that's a phenomenal program that offers everyone, regardless of your socio-economic background, an opportunity to make yourself better. I love scouting.
"I love the United Way because of its ability, not just to raise money—most people know about it for its campaigns, but what they really don't see, that the United Way does very well, is they really work with charities on helping them figure out how to manage their public charity. They do a lot of coordination among charities.
For Eric housing issues are vitally important for all communities because often housing concerns are indicative of and connected to many of the other issues facing society.
"A lot of the historic districts in all these communities, the ones that have them, a large component is housing, protecting housing, and a lot of times that is lower income housing.
"I've come to the realization that if someone doesn't know where they're going to put their head down at night, or where their next meal is coming from, then it doesn't really matter what we're focusing on at school to give them an education. That primitive need is probably more important than learning the skills or learning the job right now.
Eric said being involved in those types of organizations that are focused on improving life for others also makes him keenly aware of all the blessings he's had in his life, something which solidifies his desire to serve.
"I don't take anything for granted," he said. "I've been very fortunate in my life and I've had opportunities that most people never get. I worked hard, but I didn't do that alone. And I didn't get it just because I worked hard. Some of it was the people that supported me. Some of it, frankly, was luck. Some people call it blessing. But things fell my way so that I had these opportunities. I think any time you've been given an opportunity to make yourself better… well to whom much is given, much is asked.
Of course a large part of Eric's feelings toward his South Georgia community is not simply the fact that there are difficult issues to be faced here. Eric was quick to remind me that his affection for the area is rooted in his love for the people that live here.
In South Georgia, Eric believes, you will find a population full of caring and giving individuals, a fact he was recently reminded of.
"I think this past year, certainly, if there's one that comes out in the tragedies we've had it's that people here still come together to help each other out," he said. "You can't put a price on that. We've got warts, but they're nothing compared to the people we have here.
"I think what makes (South Georgia and its people) remarkable to me, it's not just that resilience. There's still a sense to me, some semblance of corporate-ness and collectiveness and identity. They're the things that make us who we are. It's different things for different people … but at the end of the day there's something that still connects people and there's a sense of obligation that arises out of that—that we're a corporate body and we owe something to each other.
Of course, hearing Eric share his daily motivation for trying to make his community a better place truly says a lot about him.
"Definitely in the last few months I've had a lot of reflection because there've been so many angry at so many things in our nation," he said. "I've decided I can't really move the meter one way or the other to make some cataclysmic shift. But what you can do, and what I've decided I'm going to do is just try to treat everybody with kindness, you know.
"It could be as simple as you see somebody on the street who looks down and you just say, 'Hey, I hope you have a good day.' Or someone calls you upset and you just take the time to listen and hear them out. What I've found is, THAT, typically, is probably one of the best things you can do. It sets the example for what you think is good behavior that others can model. But, more importantly, it shows them that you care and you're trying to understand where they're coming from.
Where he has clearly received blessings in his life, this community and this country have been blessed to count him among our ranks.


The double tank problem is a basic example for a switching system. It contains the dynamics of an upper and a lower tank, connected to each other with a pipe. The goal is to minimize the deviation of a certain fluid level in the lower tank. The problem was introduced and discussed in a variety of publications for the optimal control of constrained switched systems, e.g. [Henrion2014]The entry doesn't exist yet. (Link: Henrion et al.) and [Vasudevan2013]The entry doesn't exist yet. (Link: Vasudevan et al.).
The two states of the system correspond to the fluid levels of an upper and a lower tank. The output of the upper tank flows into the lower tank, the output of the lower tank exits the system, and the flow into the upper tank is restricted to either [lt/s] or [lt/s]. The dynamics in each mode are then derived using Torricelli's law, as shown in constraints 1 and 2. The objective of the optimization is to have the fluid level in the lower tank equal to [m], as reflected in the cost function.
[Henrion2014] The entry doesn't exist yet.
[Vasudevan2013] The entry doesn't exist yet.
VASUDEVAN, Ramanarayan, et al. Consistent Approximations for the Optimal Control of Constrained Switched Systems---Part 2: An Implementable Algorithm. SIAM Journal on Control and Optimization, 2013, 51. Jg., Nr. 6, S. 4484-4503.
This page was last modified on 14 March 2019, at 19:07.


All posts tagged "Closed-End Funds"
There are occasions when a Closed-End Fund (CEF) is preferable to holding a comparable ETF due to the positive effect a high discount has on expected return.
As mentioned in a previous post regarding the opportunity in closed-end funds , a position was initiated in the Strategic Global Income Fund.
As mentioned in the previous post regarding the opportunity in closed-end funds , a position was taken in the Western Asset Emerging Markets Income Fund (EMD).
Having invested in Closed-End Funds (CEF) many times in the past, I'm on the lookout when opportunities present themselves because yields can be enticing if the discounts to Net Asset Value (NAV) are wider than usual.


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This cute little monkey is the center of attention.
Pink Mod Monkey Centerpiece is made of cardboard and assembles easily. Look for matching plates and napkins (sold separately).
Availability Pink Mod Monkey Centerpiece (189201) Orders placed by 4 PM CDT usually ship same day.
LEVER COSTUMES Pink Mod Monkey Centerpiece and interesting games are what make a Halloween party fun. Here are three costumes that are bound to provoke comment and laughter, and a game alled the "spook race" that fits right into the witch-ghost-goblin atmosphere of this October celebration. Dimensions for the costumes can be changed to ccommodate youngsters of different ages.


Susan Fowler | Who Are Your Employees Playing For?
As the young man ducked his head getting into the elevator, I recognized him immediately as a new face on my favorite pro basketball team. I don't seek out celebrity sightings and have never asked for an autograph, but like most people, I think it's fun to see someone in person that you've watched on television.
Of course, on the front of the jersey is the team's name. On the back of the jersey is your own name.
I often think of that promising young player, caught in a situation he couldn't navigate effectively. Currently, he's playing on teams overseas, unable to take advantage of his untapped potential in the NBA.
My heart sank. I could hear the anguish in her voice. It is in our human nature to thrive through meaningful work in concert with like-minded people. Feeling alienated or unable to trust her tribe was threatening her sense of well-being.
As leaders, we need to help employees understand the reasons for their anguish. Then, we need to help them satisfy their psychological needs for autonomy, relatedness, and competence. Employees can't thrive when their psychological needs are thwarted at work. When employees don't thrive, they suffer–and so does the organization. Disengaged employees, who are so overwhelmed by circumstances that they simply give up and begin looking after their own best interests, are costing organizations billions of dollars every year.
As our coaching call continued, three lessons emerged that might help you deal with a disenfranchised employee.
This employee's sense of autonomy was nonexistent. She felt she had no control over the changes "being done to" her. My question to her was, "What do you have control over?" We identified three areas of her role where her choices would make a difference in the quality of her experience.
She felt her sense of relatedness with the organization was compromised. She didn't trust her company or the reasons for the changes being made. When I asked her why, she replied, "The changes are unfair." Nothing erodes an employee's psychological need for relatedness like injustice. My question to her was, "Have you discussed why the changes are taking place with your manager? Have you asked for a rationale so you can understand the reasons for the changes?" She admitted she had not. Should her leader have provided the rationale for change? Sure. But, even the best-intentioned leaders usually share an organizational perspective. People need a personal rationale–they need to understand why the changes are "being done to" them, their job, role, and world. I encouraged her to be a self-leader and seek out the answers she needed. With information in hand, she could then determine if the reasons for the changes were unjust or just unclear.
The employee's sense of competence was diminished because she didn't know how to navigate through ambiguity and uncertainty. But, she realized that identifying ways to refocus her autonomy and relatedness needs already made her feel more confident about moving forward.
I will continue tracking her progress. My hope is to hear about the success and flourishing that both she and her organization experience as she plays for more than the name on the back of her jersey.
Great article. I like the analogy and will use if myself when making a point. Credit will be given to the author.


text:
WOW struggles with storytelling in latest episode
WOW kicked off this week's episode like every other week this season, catching up with the wrestlers in the world title picture. Last week, Jungle Grrrl and The Beast won—by disqualification—their main event match against Havok and Hazard despite their history of antagonism. Rather than embrace The Beast (the woman whose interference in a title match was responsible for the only pinfall loss of her entire career), Jungle Grrrl rejected her show of respect and smashed her back up with a steel chair. It was a tad impolite, I suppose, but well within the realm of face behavior, so I was surprised the show opened this week with Jungle Grrrl turning heel.
Recapping last week's main event, WOW's tendency for self-congratulation reared its ugly head. David McLane claimed that unnamed "experts" had described Jungle Grrrl and The Beast's victory over the Monsters of Madness as the formation of one of the most powerful teams in women's tag team wrestling history. They won by DQ! It's so patronising when wrestling writers pat themselves on the back so hard and expect us to eat it up.
Speaking of patronising, Jungle Grrrl's heel turn arrived in the form of a surprisingly tacky promo about entitled millennials. She had to work really hard to get the crowd to stop cheering her, but they absolutely hated the cheap cracks about phones and lazy youth and continued booing her for the rest of the show.
Fury of the Psycho Sisters faced off with Fire in the first match of the night, a fun little scrap that saw Fire snatch a well-earned victory from the jaws of defeat, her first win since overcoming the Disciplinarian early last season. The Psycho Sisters ruined Fire's big moment with a post-match beatdown, quickly interrupted by Adrenaline. Fire and Adrenaline made a big hullaboo building up to announce they'd be entering the tag title series, but, in a case of shockingly bad editing, the reveal was spoiled in commentary. As he was recapping the highlights of Fury vs Fire, David McLane mentioned the win would propel Fire and Adrenaline forward in the tag title series when they hadn't even entered yet. It was sloppy and confusing and further undercut an already weak promo segment.
Last week, Siren the Voodoo Doll and Holidead kidnapped Princess Aussie after Aussie's loss to Nikki Krampus. This week, Siren cut a video package promo where she casts a rhyming spell that sounds like it's supposed to kill Aussie by burning her bamboo staffs. Siren was in action in the second match of the show against Chantilly Chella. Siren was accompanied by Holidead and Chella made a big deal out of refusing to work the match without backup and headed backstage to avail of Sassy Massy. For all the buildup—and the pop for Massy—she played a limit role in a decent match that saw Siren snatch a win, but, thankfully, not her opponent.
Next up, we got a long, meandering video package recapping the relationship between Lana Star and the Beverly Hills Babe, newly returned to her roots as Amber O'Neal. Lana replaced Amber as her protege with Faith the Lioness, that's the whole feud. Lana and Faith faced off with Amber O'Neal and Jessie Jones in another round of the tag title series whose structure and process remains completely unexplained. The character dynamics in the match were a bit weird, because Amber O'Neal is obviously the face in her feud with Lana and Faith, but Jessie Jones is the most despised heel in the entire roster. The show tells its audience very blatantly through the pre-match video package to cheer for Amber to defeat her shallow, scheming ex-mentor and the flavor of the month who stole her spot. But no one wanted to cheer Jessie Jones, even though she looked phenomenal in the match and stole the show. Her very protected armbar finisher, the Bourbon Stretch, forced Lana Star to tap out. Jones cut a promo after the victory asserting that she and O'Neal don't care what the audience thinks. Usually, when Jones says that, she means she doesn't care if people are offended by her casual racism. It's not clear what that means for Amber O'Neal.
The main event—like three of the four main events so far this season—featured Jungle Grrl and The Beast facing off with at least an implicit number one contendership on the line. It was a terrific, physical match, kicked off with a vicious spear from the Beast to Jungle Grrrl, who returned the favor later. The character dynamics of this match were also pretty confusing. Jungle Grrrl's mild-mannered heel turn was treated like a massive transformation on commentary. David McLane described last week's post-match chair shot as an "emotional breakdown". When his colleague pointed out Jungle Grrrl had been a heel in the past, he went on a whole spiel about how motherhood had changed her. Then the crowd booed Jungle Grrrl, who's been characterised entirely as a vengeful face this entire time, and cheered the Beast, an unstoppable monster heel who cheated Jungle Grrrl out of her zero pinfall streak.
I just couldn't see Jungle Grrrl as the despicable psychopath commentary made her out to be and I felt no sympathy for the Beast, even when Jungle Grrrl pulled a few heelish moves in the ring, like wrenching the Beast's arm over the top rope over and over. I had been thinking how nice it was that WOW finally did an episode without Tessa Blanchard this season after her gratuitous appearance last week, and then Tessa immediately ran in to smack Jungle Grrrl in the face with a steel briefcase. The main event picture is starting to get very repetitive: three of the four main events this season featured Jungle Grrrl and the Beast and ended in a DQ or no contest. The title scene needs to be shaken up or it's gonna get stale.
It already kinda is, even if the in-ring action is still at a high level. I couldn't review last week's episode, but Reyna Reyes seriously impressed in her first singles outing since unmasking. Jessie Jones is undefeated. Give these women an opportunity to shine in the ring with Tessa Blanchard, one of the best wrestlers in the industry today. Even a hard-won loss will help put them over as rising stars. We can afford to take a break from the main event of last season's finale. We don't need to keep reliving it over and over again.
The women on this show turn it out every week. It's a shame the show's sloppy editing and muddled storytelling are undermining their hard work.
October 5, 2019 October 8, 2019 Dean BuckleyFeatured, WOW-Women of Wrestling
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Indie spotlight: Ashley America January 18, 2020
Lana Austin earns a title match against Yuka Sakazaki in Japan January 18, 2020
Kairi Sane cleared to wrestle at WWE house show January 18, 2020
Lacey Evans vs. Bayley scheduled for WWE Royal Rumble January 17, 2020
Charlotte Flair opens up about Kairi Sane and TLC 2019 January 17, 2020
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Will You Buy An iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus?
Home> Resource> iOS Transfer> Will You Buy An iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus?
Apple's new genaration of iPhone is coming, are you ready to get one soon? According to the latest WWDC 2016, the new iPhone removes the traditional headphone jack but includes a force-sensitive "home" button, a new two-camera system and a sharper screen. Apple says "iPhone 7 dramatically improves the most important aspcts of the iPhone experience" in its official website, but after the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, lots of popular media houses are questioned whether the changes will be enough to reignite excitement about the iPhone? So, MobiKin studio have made a market survey about "Will you buy a new iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus" on this site, and now, let's us to check the survey report together.
"Don't want same phone with a couple tweeks added to it. Want completely new looking iPhone and a bunch of new added features. Not worth the money for something I already have with iPhone 6."
"Principally for the new double lens camera."
"My iPhone 6 has not any problems, and if new iPhone is the same like iPhone 6, I won't buy it."
"My phone is pretty old, and I will get the new iPhone 7 Plus"
Obviously, iPhone 7 is not enough attractive for iPhone 6 or iPhone 6s users, but if you're planning to change a phone recently, the new released iPhone 7 is also a good choice. And some simple improvements may also attract lots of users in the future. Too many facts have proved that even though there are lots of negative news about the new model at the beginning, but the sales data is still considerable in the past years. So at present, let's look at the features of the iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus, and decide whether to buy one by yourself.
Read the below tablesheet to compare iPhone 7 or plus to iPhone 6, iPhone 6s and iPhone SE.
Thanks to the above program, you're allows to transfer files like contacts, text messages, music, photos, call logs, voice memos, video, purchased items, etc. from iPhone or Android phone to desktop computer for backup as you like.
Although the phone you're using now is maybe running on iOS, Android, Symbian, Windows phone or even BlackBerry systems, but now you're planning to get a iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus, so it is necessary for you to find a tool that can help you transfer all your needed data like contacts, call logs, photos, etc. from your old phone to the new one. So that you'll save more time on playing with your new iPhone. That's why MobiKin Transfer for Mobile is strongly recommended here.
Even though the transferring process with MobiKin Transfer for Mobile is 100% safe, but sometimes still have accidents. So prepare a good iPhone or Android data recovery software on your desktop computer, can help you get the lost data back at the first time. And sometimes the recovery program also can works well as the backup tool for your iPhone or Android devices. Since the iPhone and Android are running on the different operating systems, so you need to select the right tool according to the OS on your old mobile phone.
Supported File Types: Contacts, text messages, call logs, photos, music, video, notes, calendars, documents, etc.
After transferring all your needed data to the new iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 plus, you'd better to permanently erase the contents & settings on your old phone. Most people will choose to return to factory settings before giving up the old phone, but the facts proved that this method is not 100% useful to avoid data leaking out. So the best way here is to find a tool like MobiKin Eraser for iOS or MobiKin Eraser for Android to help you wipe out everything on your old phone.


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Nothing better to start afresh than a new house! Right? I can't say the contrary, I moved a few weeks ago and couldn't be happier. My dogs and myself have been through what Faye, Hugh and their kids experienced! The boxes, the mess, the planning of everything… But the similarities end here. I moved to a smaller place, while they fulfilled their dream of a big family house in a small village, ready to give Cross House a new life. Also, no big drama forced me to get away, I just wanted to be close to the airport, haha! The novel quickly indicates that something happened, something so traumatizing that Faye still bears scars of it on her mind.
I immediately felt good with this family. It was easy to imagine them, their personalities being defined pretty early in the book. Faye appeared to me to be fragile, vulnerable, like a precious glass. Told from her voice, the narration is tinged with a wary undertone. Not just the worry of a woman, wife and mother about to embark on a new adventure, no, it runs deeper than this. Names from the past are dropped before we leave their previous home and a sort trepidation took hold of me. Along it came questions. What I love about first-person narration is that you have no other choice than to rely on the character who is seeing, thinking, watching. You don't have any other way to experience what the book holds, which makes things exciting and dangerous. Can we really trust what we're told? Unreliable characters are my favourite. I had a feeling Faye would take me places. I didn't know how right I was!
A new house, a new place; it can be spooky, especially when you're settling in an old house (gosh I am so glad I moved to a newly-built apartment!!!). What did the house see with its previous owners? Who walked the corridors? Who took a shower right where you stand in the morning? I know myself, those thoughts would definitely cross my mind should I find myself in Faye's situation. I was surprised that from the excitement of the first pages and the deal on the house, she rapidly got down to seeing the house in a different light. But isn't what sleep-deprivation and the tasks that come with moving do?
If the title was an invitation to lose some sleep, I admit I didn't see the effect coming until I had the wonderful idea to read The Uninvited at night! Have you ever woken up with the feeling someone was in your room? I did. Always have hated it. I like to be alone!!! My biggest surprise was to truly live this awfully nightmare with Faye. In fact, the entire book had me walking on the line between real and … whatever else is here. Now, I am a non-believer in supernatural things unless it's in Buffy the vampire slayer, but there were enough details in what Faye felt, looked, imagined(?) that I was intrigued and had no other choice than to depend on her to find out the truth. I didn't agree with all her decisions and sometimes I rolled my eyes at her actions, frantic and desperate, undermining what she was trying to express to her husband. I couldn't help but understand his reluctance to trust his wife. I mean, her history means she is prone to stress and we all know what it does to our brain. But … But I wasn't entirely convinced. After all, I was with Faye when something breathed near her… Just the thought of it makes me shiver! I took a step back and wondered how I would react. No idea, and I don't want to know!!!
The writing invites the mind to wonder, to fight with reason. I didn't find anything too unbelievable, this is why I liked reading this novel. Had it been too far-fetched I would have turned my back on it. But the combination of hard facts, sunlight, previous traumas, hints, and the constant need to protect this family had be gripped to my Kindle until the end.
While weird things happen, real and tangible events occur too! Old diaries that spooked me as much as what the night held, for example. I really enjoyed the balance the author put in her novel so the reader can never be sure of what's happening.
Chasing the past and unearthing events is challenging, but Cross House is worth it. Old and once so grand, it holds the key to a family mystery and oh I can't resist this kind of secrets frozen in time. The author did a great job at throwing red-herrings, hints, and other obstacles to keep you firmly on that blurry line of what could be and what is. I was happy to see part of my theory validated while getting a couple of surprises.
The Uninvited is a good novel to grab on a cold night if you're looking for a compelling story with a door to escape reality…or slam it on your face!
You're too sweet! Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the review!
This sounds so good! Loved your review!
Thanks a lot! It's a nice read!
Sounds like a deliciously chilling read. I haven't tried this author yet but I have all FIVE of her novels on my TBR. The first one I'll be reading is "Her Dark Retreat".
Oh, I can't wait for your reviews!
Your review of this book reminded me in some ways of Broken Branches. Am I in anyway right here? Maybe the idea of supernatural versus reality scariness.
It sounds a page turned anyway. Glad you enjoyed it.
And yes total cover love!


text:
La Sublim Porta (, de l'àrab , 'porta' i de l'àrab , 'alt') era el departament i residència del gran visir otomà, originalment anomenat Paixà Kapusu o Vezir Kapusu (de kapu, 'porta' en turc). Llavors el palau imperial era el Babialí. Aquest nom es va imposar en el  després de la pau de Passarowitz, i abans s'aplicava més aviat als palaus del soldà o al Diwan-i Humayun.

Sovint, la cort, el palau o el govern d'un sobirà era anomenat Porta o Sol, i així es deia entre els sassànides, a l'Egipte faraònic, al regne d'Israel i al Japó. Els turcs van recollir aquest costum i van anomenar el govern mòbil del gran visir com Ali Kapu; aviat el govern va tenir caràcter estable a Istanbul (fins aleshores residia a Adrianòpolis o Edirne) i llavors es va dir «Sublim Porta» sota el gran visir Nevşehirli Damat İbrahim Paşa, el 1718.

En l'Imperi Otomà, parlar de «la Porta» és equivalent a parlar del govern. La Sublim Porta incloïa, a més de les dependències del gran visir, el Ministeri de l'Interior, els despatxos del Ketkhuda Bey, el d'Afers Exteriors, els serveis del rais ul-küttab o cap de secretaris, el Consell d'Estat i un parell de comissions.

L'edifici en què es desenvolupaven les funcions va servir com a seu de la delegació a Istanbul del govern provisional d'Ankara, el 1922, i després va ser la seu del govern de la wilaya d'Istanbul.

Referències

Fatih
Govern
Imperi Otomà

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Q: Conditions vs objects wait/notify I was reading about Condition objects and how they offer multiple wait-sets per object and also distinguishing which object or group of objects/threads get a specific signal.
Why doesn't a regular Object do that? E.g.
Instead of:
final Condition notFull  = lock.newCondition();
final Condition notEmpty = lock.newCondition();

lock.lock();
try {
  while (count == items.length)
     notFull.await();
  items[putptr] = x;
  if (++putptr == items.length) putptr = 0;
      ++count;
   notEmpty.signal();

We do this:
final Object notFull  = new Object();
final Object notEmpty = new Object();

lock.lock();
try {
  while (count == items.length)
     notFull.wait();
  items[putptr] = x;
  if (++putptr == items.length) putptr = 0;
      ++count;
   notEmpty.notify();

Don't we still have multiple wait-sets and distinguish among notified threads?

A: In your example you created 2 Conditions on one Lock. This is what you can't do with built-in synchronization - you had to use 2 Objects to get 2 conditions.
And your second code is broken because you did not get lock on notFull and notEmpty but call wait / notify - you'll get IllegalMonitorStateException.  But if you tried to lock them both you would see you cannot do that simultaneously. This is the difference

A: You need to synchronize first when calling wait or notify. When you need two different sets, you need two objects to sync on. The nested sync will give you deadlocks.

A: It's not okay. You have to own monitor of the object to use its notFull.wait() method. Even if it was allowed it would still not release lock, so no other thread could access it.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: Rails 3.2.8 form_for submit button is using the 'new' action instead of 'create' action After filling in my form with values. Clicking on f.submit just refreshes my view (new.html.erb). I am attempting to save the form to my db and redirect to my index view.
I have tried the following:

*

*Removed conditional statement from posts_controller create action.

*Changed my nested resources into a singular resource (of posts).

*Passed routing options via the url hash in my form.

I have also followed the pertinent advice in these SO questions with no success.

*

*Rails Create Action Not Workinghttps://stackoverflow.com/editing-help

*rails form_for never invokes the create controller action to use redirect_to

*Rails form posting to /new instead of /create?
Here is my code:
-- views/posts/index.html.erb

Posts#index

Find me in app/views/posts/index.html.erb

    <button><%= link_to "Create a post", new_post_path %></button>

        <% @posts.each do |post| %>

post ID: <%= post.id %>

<%= post.URL %>

            <%= link_to post.description, post %>

submitted <%= time_ago_in_words(post.created_at) %> ago.

            <%= pluralize(post.comments.count, 'comment') %>

            <button class="btn btn-mini btn-success">
                <%= link_to '', post_votes_path(post, vote: "true"), method: :post, remote: true, class: 'icon-arrow-up' %>
            </button>

            <button class="btn btn-mini btn-danger">
                <%= link_to '', post_votes_path(post, vote: "false"), method: :post, remote: true, class: 'icon-arrow-down' %>
            </button>

<%= post.vote_total.to_s + " votes" %>

        <% end %>

-- views/posts/new.html.erb

Posts#new

Find me in app/views/posts/new.html.erb

    <form class="form-horizontal">
        <%= form_for @post do |f| %>

                <%= f.label "Select post type" %>

                <%= f.select :is_link, options_for_select([["Link", true], ["Text", false]]) %>

            <%= f.label :URL %>

                <%= f.text_field :URL %>

            <%= f.label :description %>

                <%= f.text_area :description, rows: 5 %>

                <%= f.submit 'save post' %>
                <% end %>

    </form>

-- posts_controller.rb

class PostsController < ApplicationController
  def index
    @posts = Post.find(:all)
  end

  def new
    @post = Post.new
  end

  def create
    @post = Post.new(params[:post])

    redirect_to root_path
  end

  def show
    # Post
    @post = Post.find(params[:id])

    # Comments assiciated by :post_id
    @comments = @post.comments.all
    @comment = @post.comments.build(params[:comment])
    @comment.save
  end

  def edit
    @post = Post.find(params[:id])
  end
end

-- config/routes.rb

  root to: 'posts#index'

  resources :posts do
    resources :comments
    resources :votes
  end
.
.
.
#match ':controller(/:action(/:id))(.:format)'

--Terminal rake routes

             root        /                                           posts#index
    post_comments GET    /posts/:post_id/comments(.:format)          comments#index
                  POST   /posts/:post_id/comments(.:format)          comments#create
 new_post_comment GET    /posts/:post_id/comments/new(.:format)      comments#new
edit_post_comment GET    /posts/:post_id/comments/:id/edit(.:format) comments#edit
     post_comment GET    /posts/:post_id/comments/:id(.:format)      comments#show
                  PUT    /posts/:post_id/comments/:id(.:format)      comments#update
                  DELETE /posts/:post_id/comments/:id(.:format)      comments#destroy
       post_votes GET    /posts/:post_id/votes(.:format)             votes#index
                  POST   /posts/:post_id/votes(.:format)             votes#create
    new_post_vote GET    /posts/:post_id/votes/new(.:format)         votes#new
   edit_post_vote GET    /posts/:post_id/votes/:id/edit(.:format)    votes#edit
        post_vote GET    /posts/:post_id/votes/:id(.:format)         votes#show
                  PUT    /posts/:post_id/votes/:id(.:format)         votes#update
                  DELETE /posts/:post_id/votes/:id(.:format)         votes#destroy
            posts GET    /posts(.:format)                            posts#index
                  POST   /posts(.:format)                            posts#create
         new_post GET    /posts/new(.:format)                        posts#new
        edit_post GET    /posts/:id/edit(.:format)                   posts#edit
             post GET    /posts/:id(.:format)                        posts#show
                  PUT    /posts/:id(.:format)                        posts#update
                  DELETE /posts/:id(.:format)                        posts#destroy

--WEBrick

Started GET "/posts/new?utf8=%E2%9C%93&authenticity_token=Z8LuvU7i5ytFi1OxiIGpgwYOy%2BWE%2BfiAZv7m7T%2BwYRI%3D&post%5Bis_link%5D=true&post%5BURL%5D=http%3A%2F%2Ffirsttimers.co&post%5Bdescription%5D=My+first+time.&commit=save+post" for 127.0.0.1 at 2012-10-20 22:37:52 -0400
Processing by PostsController#new as HTML
  Parameters: {"utf8"=>"✓", "authenticity_token"=>"Z8LuvU7i5ytFi1OxiIGpgwYOy+WE+fiAZv7m7T+wYRI=", "post"=>{"is_link"=>"true", "URL"=>"http://firsttimers.co", "description"=>"My first time."}, "commit"=>"save post"}
  Rendered posts/new.html.erb within layouts/application (2.0ms)
Completed 200 OK in 12ms (Views: 11.8ms | ActiveRecord: 0.0ms)

Any help towards a solution and/or explanation as to what I am overlooking and whats going on (I hope it's not a typo... lol) will be greatly appreciated.
-- EDIT. HTML Generated code for posts/new.html.erb

<!DOCTYPE html>

  <title>PostEmHigh</title>
  <link href="/assets/application.css?body=1" media="all" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />
<link href="/assets/custom.css?body=1" media="all" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />
<link href="/assets/posts.css?body=1" media="all" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />
<link href="/assets/scaffolds.css?body=1" media="all" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />

  <meta content="authenticity_token" name="csrf-param" />
<meta content="Z8LuvU7i5ytFi1OxiIGpgwYOy+WE+fiAZv7m7T+wYRI=" name="csrf-token" />

Posts#new

Find me in app/views/posts/new.html.erb

    <form class="form-horizontal">
        <form accept-charset="UTF-8" action="/posts" class="new_post" id="new_post" method="post">
<input name="utf8" type="hidden" value="✓" /><input name="authenticity_token" type="hidden" value="Z8LuvU7i5ytFi1OxiIGpgwYOy+WE+fiAZv7m7T+wYRI=" />

                Select post type

                <select id="post_is_link" name="post[is_link]"><option value="true">Link</option>
<option value="false">Text</option></select>

            Url

                <input id="post_URL" name="post[URL]" size="30" type="text" />

            Description

                <textarea cols="40" id="post_description" name="post[description]" rows="5">
</textarea>

                <input name="commit" type="submit" value="save post" />
</form>

    </form>

--- !ruby/hash:ActiveSupport::HashWithIndifferentAccess
utf8: ✓
authenticity_token: Z8LuvU7i5ytFi1OxiIGpgwYOy+WE+fiAZv7m7T+wYRI=
post: !ruby/hash:ActiveSupport::HashWithIndifferentAccess
  is_link: 'true'
  URL: http://firsttimers.co
  description: My first time.
commit: save post
action: new
controller: posts

A: Remove the url option in the form helper and try again
To be sure its not from you,
Run a scaffold generator for your post resource
rails g scaffold post is_link:boolean url description:text

you can use twitter bootstrap themed generator option to regenerate your bootstrap style if you want

A: Could you copy the HTML code generated for your form? Also, try this:
form_for @post, :url => posts_path(), :method => :post

and copy the HTML code of your form.


Faith Drama Productions is a not-for- profit arts based organisation that works mainly within Newham and Surrounding East London areas. FAITH is primarily made up of young professional artistes and previous members who are keen to provide training, work experience and support for people from different backgrounds.
The young people that we work with may be aspiring artists, people who face challenges or disadvantages such as poverty and youngsters keen to meet, help and work with new people whilst having fun. Our artistic pieces are aimed at urban communities and often address issues that affect such communities. These issues can be gun/knife crime, drug abuse, poverty and the affect of gang culture in the community.


text:
Matching tags: marriage, what is madness
Lars and the Real Girl (2007)
Published: Apr 26, 2009 |Updated: Aug 1, 2010
Lars is a 27-year old misfit who lives alone in a garage and mostly keeps to himself. His mother died while giving birth to him, his father kept to himself, and now, relating with humans is fraught with danger. To overcome his challenges, Lars orders a plastic girlfriend from the Internet and pretends that she is real. This is a moving story about the goodness in human beings and the power of symbols, love and compassion as healing agents. And if you look closely, you'll find clues to the importance of being initiated into manhood, the sacred ritual our culture lost.
Lars and the Real Girl
Today on
Click here (later, close Amazon window to return)
Ryan GoslingPaul Schneider
Tags: blood brothers, marriage, mother-son-relationship, physical touch, psychological healing, what is madness
» Mother, where are you?
by Eivind Figenschau Skjellum
Lars Lindstrom is a shy 27-year old, living in the decrepit garage next to his childhood home, now the abode of his brother Gus, his wife Karin, and their unborn baby. Despite their closeness – mere footsteps apart, they share little intimacy. Lars can't handle it; he's sickly shy, and afraid of all human relations - especially the touch of naked skin. But Lars has a big heart, and Karin cares for him deeply, as do most people in their little community in the North. She longs to bond with him, hoping perhaps to bring blood brothers separated by difficult childhood circumstances back together.
Lars works as an office drone in a nondescript company, where he shares booths with an immature action figure- and porn-afficionado called Kurt ("the uninitiated"). It is Kurt who clues Lars in on Real Dolls, a range of realistic, life-size love dolls. Six weeks later, a big box is delivered to Lars's garage. Plastic love has arrived at the Lindstrom's.
But to Lars, the «Real Doll» Bianca is not merely a doll, it is – she is – his Brazilian-Danish missionary girlfriend freshly arrived from the airport, sans luggage. Then the strangest thing happens, Lars invites himself over for dinner. Lars has avoided any sort of connection with his brother and sister-in-law previously to this; in fact Karin is in one scene shown tackling him and pinning him to the ground to get a clear answer as to why he won't come over. But now he stands proudly and sure of himself on their doorstep, and the promise of change lights up the crisp, cool night. And so it happens that Bianca arrives on the couch of the Lindstrom brothers' childhood home – in all her mute, inanimate splendour, leaving Karin and Gus absolutely horrified. Their first introduction to Lars's new-found love is both extremely funny and profoundly moving. «My brother is insane! What are we gonna do?», Gus exclaims. He finds the situation just a little bit more uncomfortable than Karin does, who – perhaps due to motherly instincts, perhaps due to female intuition – takes to the situation with care and understanding, going so far, even, as to serve the sex doll sitting at her dinner table food.
Caring for Bianca
Bianca is, according to Lars, a very religious person, so he feels it highly improper for her to stay in the garage with him. He wants her to sleep in his mom's old room. The room is bright pink, womblike and smelling subtly of a time that is no more, of stories that were once told, before Lars's violent entry into the world stopped the voices all too soon. There is something moving deep in Lars's psyche as he puts Bianca in that bed, spreading the sheets over her in the very same place where his mother, the mother whose death he clearly feels responsible for, dreamt her dreams.
Dr. Dagmar is the general practitioner and psychologist, a wise and soft woman with a very strong, almost enigmatic, presence, who tells Karin and Gus that they have to go along with Lars' delusion. «Delusion? What the hell is he doing with a delusion, for Christ's sake?!?!», screams Gus. «Bianca is in town for a reason,» Dagmar points out. «Go along with it. It's not really a choice.» After some challenging first encounters for the members of the local community with Lars's dream made manifest, everyone teams up, in spectacular fashion, to support Lars's view of Bianca as a real human being.
Soon enough, Bianca is engaged in all kinds of roles in the local community. She volunteers at the hospital, models at the local clothes store, «reads» for children. Bianca is popular, pretty much fully booked in fact, and Lars sees less and less of her. This upsets him and in one scene, he starts «fighting» with Bianca in the pink room. He is, for the first time, starting to break with his fantasy, laying his guilt to rest.
Inheriting our parents
I think this is a pertinent time to go deeper into the theme of parents, their role, and the deeper energies they represent, which I believe is one the movie's thematically strongest undercurrents (the other being healing). Lars's mother died giving birth to him. After she died, his father withdrew into himself, into a dark and lonely realm of introversion and apathy. That's the father Lars knows, but he wasn't always like that, Gus discloses to him in one scene. That doesn't make matters better. It's likely that Lars not only feels responsible for the death of his mother, but that he feels the stain of his father's emotional and spiritual death as well. Lars, essentially, feels responsible for having killed off both of his parents, and now he is convinced that his existence poses a threat to life, which is ever so fragile.
Lars had no real parents, no figures of authority, no-one to receive love or guidance from. Gus fucked off as soon as he could because it felt so painful to live at home after mother died, and Lars was left to fend for himself. He was alone. It is generally understood that children feel responsible for their parents' safety and happiness. Things being what they are, Lars is so laden with guilt and has been decomposing for a long time. His reclusive lifestyle, then, is likely his way of protecting others from himself, offering – in a strange sort of way – his surroundings a form of safety that he never had.
Lars's incredible discomfort with human touch is noteworthy. There is a bodily connection between the unborn son and the pregnant mother. When we are born, it stays with us for a long time. It gives rise to such phenomena as Oedipus syndrome, the desire to «kill dad» to have mother for ourselves. Some guys never sever the emotional-energetic umbilical cord to mother. Actually in today's culture, I venture to say – on danger of offending – that most guys never fully sever that cord. Robert Bly speculates as much in his seminal classic Iron John. We tend to remain with an idealized notion of the transcendent beauty and perfection of feminine purity, such an amazing sight of splendour that we, in pure reverence, withhold our dark and dirty masculine sexual instincts from it.
It is a common complaint among modern women, not so much that many men give them dirty looks or approach them in sleazy ways, but that they give no looks at all, make no attempts to win them over at all. The reason is we are trapped in our idealization of our mother, afraid of a father that feels dark and inaccessible, afraid of the masculine force in ourselves. Adulthood for a man only happens when he is initiated into that scary place of the father and the energies he represents. But initiation requires not only something to be initiated into, but something to be initiated out of, which for men is the attachment to mom. We must "retrieve the key to the wild man from under mother's pillow", as Robert Bly describes it. So prior to the initiation into the masculine, what happens if the feminine, the mother, is absent?
Lars reaches out to the feminine
To get clues to help us answer this question, let's look closer at four key relationships Lars has to women.
Bianca is strictly speaking not a woman, but represents his most important feminine connection, by virtue of what she symbolizes. Bianca is clearly not meant for Lars's carnal pleasure. Bianca, rather, seems to be the object of affection that Lars needs to connect with the mother he never had. He puts her in his mother's room, and idealizes her many good qualities, «born to help people», as Lars would have it in one scene. But being what she is, Bianca cannot offer him maternal, nurturing instincts. So instead, Lars projects his mother into the doll, and devotes himself with feverish intensity to taking good care of her. He is making up for his tremendous, heart-wrenching feelings of guilt by serving the good health and happiness of a plastic love doll.
Karin – Gus's wife – is about to give birth to their first child. This is incredibly disconcerting to Lars. It brings back into focus for him his first screams of life, and the haunting sensation that they blend ever so perfectly with his mother's screams of death. In this relationship there is a blanket, the blanket Lars's mother made for him during her pregnancy – Lars's dearest possession – that carries great symbolic weight. For Lars, it is a symbol of maternal love, and he uses it to protect Karin and her child from the cold.
It is with Dr. Berman – Dagmar – that Lars for the first time connects with a living mother figure. Dagmar is a wise and mature woman, with great love for Lars, oodles of insight and lots of skillful means. She is pretty kick ass. She helps Lars reconnect with his body, the very body that killed his mother, by taking him through progressive training in being touched. He serves him greatly in return; Dagmar is a lonely woman, without children, and so – in her heart – she virtually adopts Lars as her own infant son, helping him become the young man that she misses in her own bloodline. There is great love here.
Then, of course, there is Margo, the new girl at work and Lars's actual love interest. Margo is shy and insecure like Lars, but very likable and sweet. They are a good match, as receptionist Cindy points out. But Lars is not ready for real love yet. He feels he is too dangerous. Margo may die, and so he must remain with Bianca, the plastic girlfriend. But it is she who must die.
In a funny and decidedly twisted turn of events, Lars asks Bianca to marry him, and she says no. Shortly after – curiously lighthearted considering Bianca's refusal – the increasingly free Lars approaches Gus and tells him how in Bianca's culture, they have rites of passages and rituals and ceremonies, that when done – when lived through – you know you are an adult. «Doesn't that sound great?», Lars asks. Now, right here, I light up like a 100 watt light bulb during a power surge. Doesn't that sound great? Yeah, it sure does. Lars has clearly studied these things – Bianca obviously doesn't talk – and now, he seeks initiation into adulthood. «How did you know» Lars asks Gus «that you were a man? Was it sex?». Actually, Gus doesn't know. He is not in a confident space now, because he has not been initiated either. Modern men, as a rule, are not initiated into manhood, which leaves a huge empty space between the neck and the lower belly (as described by Robert Bly in a «personal fable» in Iron John). Gus is a good guy, but has some way to go before being anchored in his own masculine core, which is there – somewhere in the middle. «Go ask Dagmar,» Gus suggests. As if a woman should have the answers to male initiation. This is a subtle hint to how trapped and confused men in today's culture feel: Even when confronted with questions of their core masculinity, their biological and spiritual homebase, they refer to female mother figures for answers.
But Lars presses him, until Gus finally yields to Lars into his own inner wisdom and shares that being a man is working for the common good, not for your own selfish desires – even if it hurts. Gus is a smart guy, who has realized by now that his leaving home early has caused damage to Lars. In searching for answers and healing, Lars's journey opens up a space for Gus, and indeed the rest of the community, to heal.
The alchemy that turns plastic into flesh
Bianca's rejection of Lars's proposal means that Margo can get closer to him. Real life is increasingly tempting to the rapidly healing young man. So they go bowling together. Here, for the first time in the movie, Lars connects – not through Bianca, but on his own – with the colour pink, picking up a bowling ball covered in bright, girly pink hues. It is as if he integrates the feminine, he embraces mother, he holds her in his hand (have a look at the movie poster to understand more deeply the importance of the colour pink as a symbol for mother).
Shortly after, a group of guys enter the bowling alley – Gus's colleagues – and join in. Lars is on a date, and now he is one of the guys too. He is healing. It is time for Bianca to die.
At the lake where Lars's childhood memories still linger like a haunting dream about a life that could have been, he kisses her for the first time. She is ill, very ill. She is going to die. Lars is finally ready to let mum get down from his own weary shoulders and sink silently into the soil, finally there to rest in peace. With the deep hurt of feeling into a mother he never knew, and misses so incredibly much, guilt leaves his body – rivers of release through his eyes – as he carries the dead Bianca into the water. She's returning to the womb, to the place of fantasy where she came from. In her funeral, he wears her pink sweater; mother has been resurrected and put back into her grave, leaving Lars with feelings of love he never had.
Lars's alchemy of the heart has freed him from the bondage of guilt, and led him to a place where he can, for the first time, from a more integrated place, embrace the positive aspect of being initiated into manhood. A wave of confidence and determination washes over his face as he turns to Margo, looks into her eyes and asks «Do you want to go for a walk?»
Lars and the Real Girl is a moving, caring and wise movie. Just like in the extremely likable Sideways, it portrays human beings in a positive light, operating in a world where people try to be good. It also, rather obviously, deals with questions of what constitutes a good healing process for those with psychological «illness» – medication, or love and compassion. It could even be argued that it asks «what is psychological illness». Could it be that the psychologically ill can sometimes be saner than the so-called well adjusted?
More subtly, the movie points to the importance of integrating, as we move into adulthood, the broken shards that remain from our childhood through any means necessary, which normally means examining our parents and our relationships with them. As human beings, we have a tendency to feel that we're doing okay, until circumstances point out that we're fooling ourselves. Life is inherently tricky and is inherently fragile, and the sooner we accept this, the sooner we will accept that our strength is sourced in our vulnerability. And that, my friends, is where initiation comes in...
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All Cities: Barbuto
The Resy Guide to Excellent Private Dining Rooms in New York
New York City's endless supply of standout restaurants are enough to keep a dedicated eater occupied every night of the…
By Jennifer Flowers and Deanna Ting Updated: December 2, 2022
The One Who Keeps the Book New York
How to Get Into Barbuto
Since Barbuto first opened in 2004, scoring a table at Jonathan Waxman's restaurant has been considered a treasured feat by…
By Kathleen Squires September 27, 2022
The Ultimate Resy Guide to Brunch in New York
In a city that treats brunch like a religion, it's easy to become overwhelmed with the multitude of choices. From…
By Juliet Izon August 16, 2022
The Resy Guide to New York's Best Regional American Restaurants, From Coast to Coast
While New York is famously home to cuisines from all over the world, it's also a great place to sample…
By Lauren Vespoli June 29, 2022
Taste Matters New York
The Ingredients May Be New. The Quest For Deliciousness Is Eternal.
In 2012, the longtime Southern restaurant Acme, on Great Jones Street in Manhattan, transformed into a fashionable New Nordic restaurant.…
By Mahira Rivers October 28, 2021
The Resy Guide to the Best Roast Chicken in New York
New York has more than its fair share of iconic meats. Katz's pastrami. Hot dogs at Nathan's. The porterhouse at…
By Noëmie Carrant October 27, 2021
Interviews New York
Barbuto Is Back. And Yes, So Is The Roast Chicken.
Three weeks: That's exactly how long the new Barbuto was open before the pandemic shuttered its doors in March 2020.…
By Deanna Ting October 5, 2021
Favorites New York
What We Miss Most: The New York Edition
If you're the way we are here at Resy, you've been spending the past weeks thinking every day about your…
New on Resy New York
New on Resy: Minetta Tavern, The Grill, Barbuto
From the city's most opulent restaurant to the tavern that reignited the fancy burger craze, these tables have been permanently…
By Noëmie Carrant March 9, 2020
The Hit List New York
Barbuto, Le Crocodile, Rule of Thirds, and Thai Diner: On the March Hit List
Jonathan Waxman has returned. This year's James Beard semifinalists are celebrating. And a number of inventive eateries have arrived on…
By Emily Wilson March 3, 2020


Where does one buy bulk seasoning in the uk that is vegan ?
I would assume that by default most seasonings are vegan, why wouldn't they be?
I can't say that I think twice about the spices that I buy as I normally buy them all individually and then combine them when I cook. I would be more concerned about the salt content and possibly oil content in any mixed spices but that should be easily checked on the label.


There's a lot of competition in the ridesharing game these days, with riders able to shop around for the lowest price. So how do companies keep riders on their platform? For Uber, the answer is a loyalty program. The company is launching Uber Rewards, a multitiered system that doles out benefits for frequent riders. A pilot program will run in nine cities in the United States.
Uber Rewards is free to sign up for. There are four membership levels: Blue, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond. You reach a level by accruing points, and the points are doled out based on how much you spend on Uber's many services. You get one point per dollar spent on UberPool and UberEats, two points per buck for UberX, UberXL, Select and UberWAV, and three points for every dollar dropped on Uber Black and Black SUV.
The membership levels kick in when you reach certain point plateaus. You start out on the Blue tier. At 500 points, you get bumped up to Gold. You reach platinum status at 2,500 points, and you'll need 7,500 points to get to Diamond. It's worth noting that you don't get to stay in a tier forever once you reach it. Earning periods are six months long and are tied to the date you join the program. Once you unlock a tier, you have it for the remainder of the earning period, plus the next six months. You'll have to maintain your travel frequency to keep the status after that.
So what do you get for rewards? Uber Rewards members get $5 in Uber Cash added for every 500 points they earn, and that cash can be spent on rides or Uber Eats. Gold members get more flexible cancellations, with the ability to cancel and rebook an Uber trip within 15 minutes of the fee being refunded, as well as a priority response from Uber support agents. Platinum members get all the Gold benefits, plus price protection on routes that allows them to lock in the price of their most frequently traveled paths. The also get priority pickup at airports. Diamond members get all of the above plus 24/7 phone support, complimentary surprise upgrades from UberX to Uber Black at no extra cost, and an "UberX Diamond" option that only shows you highly rated drivers. They also have the delivery fee waived on three Uber Eats orders.
Uber Rewards will only be available in Miami, New Jersey, Denver, Tampa, New York, Washington, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and San Diego for the time being. The company plans to roll out the loyalty program to the rest of the country over the coming months.


Preconference Workshops will be held Wednesday, October 17.
If you've ever thought about having programs using Virtual Reality (VR) in your library, here's your chance to learn how. The Washington State Library (WSL), the University of Washington's Information School (iSchool), and a few of the participating libraries from the VR in Libraries project will guide you through a hands-on experience using the Oculus Rift and Oculus GO VR systems and share some of the pros and cons learned from the VR in Libraries project. Participants will come away knowing how to develop their own educational program, how to safely operate a VR system in the library setting, and learn what the VR in Libraries project is and how to apply for participation. Think about the impact that the cell phone has made on society, then consider how VR is set to change the way we learn, conduct business, recreate, socialize, and even heal. It's the next tech frontier and your library can be on the forefront, so don't miss out.
Does your library have Gracious Space? Gracious Space is a simple framework developed by the Center for Ethical Leadership that can lead to profound changes in the way we connect, collaborate, and interact with each other and our communities. It's a "spirit" and a "setting" where we "invite the stranger" and "learn in public." Regardless of your title, position, or type of library, you can cultivate positive change in your organization and community by using the Gracious Space framework. You will leave this workshop with practical ideas on how you can plant the seeds of Gracious Space in your library.
Do you work with youth? Do you ever struggle to present STEM activities because you don't "feel like a STEM person"? Are you interested in learning hands-on engineering activities that take advantage of your strengths as a librarian? Would you like more program ideas for tweens and teens? If so, then join us at this hands-on workshop where we'll explore the Designing Our World resources from the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry! These activities were specifically designed to be fun and engaging for 9–14 year-olds, with an emphasis on equity. The activities rely on inexpensive, widely available materials to show kids that engineering is creative, social, and altruistic. Leave with materials you can begin using right away!
With increasing competition from Amazon and other content providers, marketing your library is more important than ever. Case studies show that when you effectively market your library, brand awareness and preference and use-visits/circulation increase. With this interactive workshop, you'll learn how to get started marketing your library, measure success, get internal buy-in and boost collaboration, use tried-and-true marketing strategies, employ digital marketing tips and tools, and build a solid brand and why it matters. You'll learn from library marketing professionals, as well as industry experts. Each topic includes a brief lecture, audience activity, and plenty of time for questions and participation.
Libraries are increasingly turning to outcome-based evaluation to measure their success—but developing, promoting, and measuring outcomes continues to be a challenge for many library staff. How do event and service outcomes relate to strategic plans, missions, and visions? When is it a good idea to use an existing outcome, and when should you craft a new one? Who should be thinking about outcomes, and when should outcomes be measured? In this preconference workshop, attendees will discover how outcomes can be the useful "glue" that staff at all levels can use to connect programs, services, missions, priorities, and plans. Prior to the conference, registered attendees will be asked to complete a short survey to provide the presenters information about a specific service or program they would like to explore in the workshop. Presenters may select some of these services or programs to profile in the workshop, but all attendees will have the opportunity to explore, discuss, and collaborate on developing measurable, supportable outcomes for the services and programs they bring.
Summer reading meets summer camp! Move, groove, sing, and dance while you learn the educational model of Camp Read-a-Rama, a summer day camp for 4 to 11 year-olds that uses children's books as the springboard for all activities. Camp Read-a-Rama integrates science, writing, games, crafts, songs, movement, technology, and more to engage campers in book-centered themes. Staff mantras are "100% engagement 100% of the time" because "Dead time will kill your program." Enrich your summer reading programs with immersive activities, resources, and creative ideas from Camp Read-a-Rama that will help kids learn to "live books."
Fraudulent news and information is all over the Internet and ramping up. Do you want to address the need for better digital information literacy skills in your community but aren't sure where to start? Hear from a teacher, an adult services librarian, and a college instructor at the front lines of this issue. Attendees will learn about resources, curricula, and best practices for engaging students, seniors, and other community members, as well as ways to take the lead in designing programs and classes to foster information literacy in their communities.
Are you curious about how you can support STEM without sacrificing literacy in your library? Learn how you can use makerspaces to build relationships, model successful student engagement, increase capacity, and foster both STEM and literacy. Explore how you can position your library program for recognition in Future Ready Schools, an initiative to maximize digital learning opportunities in schools. Leave with a list of all-ages makerspace activities and tools to promote critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity. Hands-on participatory activities include robotics, engineering, Makey Makey invention kits, 3D pens, and more! Each activity will include corresponding Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and American Association of School Librarians (AASL) standards, as well as a literature connection.


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You are here: Home / Sports / Men, women fall in weekend tournament
Men, women fall in weekend tournament
February 17, 2012 by Bryson Shake
The Lamar Cardinals tennis teams were unkind visitors to Abilene, as their men's and women's tennis teams trumped the Abilene Christian teams Sunday at the Thompson Family Center.
The ACU men fell 4-3, while the women lost 5-2 at the hands of the Division I Cardinals. The loss on the women's side marks the team's first loss of the season.
"My main hope following the loss is that we learn some things from it," head coach Hutton Jones said. "Lamar is a great team, and those matches were a battle. We competed at a very high level, and I'm hoping we grow from the losses. In the grand scheme of things, these losses were not detrimental."
On the women's side, No. 6 ACU (5-1) could not extend its five-match winning streak against the Cardinals (2-3).
The team started the match losing the doubles point, before losing four of the six singles matches that followed.
"Lamar just had our number," Jones said. "I don't think we were as focused or intense as we had been leading up to this point in the season. We are better than those matches showed. As a team, we were very surprised to lose that match. Take nothing away from Lamar, but I felt we didn't play our best tennis."
Sophomore Micah Hermsdorf over Lamar's No. 2 player Natalia Mayagoitia 7-5, 6-3 to retain her unbeaten season record of 6-0.
"I was down 2-5 and the weather was pretty bad, but I kept telling myself to not give up and keep fighting," Hermsdorf said. "My mentality was to take it one point at a time, and I ended up coming back 7-5, and then I won the second set. It was an intense match, and a great reminder to myself to never give up."
Sophomore Felicity Delgado improved to 5-0 with her 6-2, 6-0 win over Helene Czudek.
The doubles duo of Laura Mongin and Brittney Reed won ACU's lone doubles match 8-1.
ACU's top doubles team of Julia Mongin and Hermsdorf lost a back-and-forth 8-6 match.
On the men's side, the Cardinals (1-2) clinched the match during the No. 5 singles match.
Lamar's Carlos Valdenebro held off a vicious comeback by freshman Guilherme Gesser in the match.
"The whole thing came down to the final match and everyone was watching," Jones said. Guilherme lost 7-6 in the third, but boy, did he ever compete. He gave it everything he had, and that made me proud. For a freshman to be in a spot like that and almost pull it out is quite a feat."
Gesser lost the first set 6-1, but won the second set 7-6 before losing the least one.
Sophomore Hans Hach and freshman Michael Morris each won their singles matches and as the No. 3 doubles team.
Hach then improved his singles record to 6-2 with a win in straight sets over Denis Ermilov following the doubles win.
Morris followed by beating Mikko Rajamaki in the No. 6 spot for his second victory of the season.
At the No. 4 singles spot, freshman Borja Cortes won 6-3, 7-5 to even his season record to 4-4.
The men's team will continue its season February 25 at home, while the women's team will travel to Kentucky and Tennessee to play several opponents.
Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: Men's Tennis, Women's Tennis
Wildcats unable to grab win in battle against New Mexico State
Wildcats break four game losing streak with win over UT Arlington
About Bryson Shake


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3.2 miles from Walton On The Hill, UK-H8
Walton On The Hill, Merseyside
The Haunted South: Where Ghosts Still Roam
Ghost Hunting: How to Investigate the Paranormal
Loyd Auerbach
Gateway to the Dead: A Ghost Hunter's Field Guide
Margie Kay
Walton On The Hill, England
10.6 miles from Walton On The Hill, UK-H8
Haunted Cemeteries Across The USA
Gregory Branson-Trent
When the Ghost Screams: True Stories of Victims Who Haunt
Lytham Hall
The former owner, Cuthbert Clifton, is seen and heard stamping around his old grounds. A horse named Witch is also reportedly seen here. (Submitted by Chris Berglund)
Walton On The Hill, Flintshire
Blackpool, Blackpool
24 miles from Walton On The Hill, UK-H8
A ghost named "Cloggy" (named because of the sound his clogs make) haunts the ghost train. The ice rink is known to have the sounds of people ice skating on it despite being empty, a little girl is seen in Sir Hiram Maxim's Gift Shop who moves objects, and the ...
Walton On The Hill, Cheshire East
Unseen World: The Science, Theories, and Phenomena behind Events Paranormal
Picture Yourself Ghost Hunting
The Ghost Hunter's Survival Guide: Protection Techniques for Encounters With The Paranormal
Bodelwyddan Castle Hotel
Bodelwyddan, Denbighshire
The most famous ghost here is that of the Blue Lady (she likes to rattle dishes and pans). Guests feel as if they are being followed, shadows, soldiers, a Victorian woman are seen, EVPs pick up voices, guests have been touched despite being alone, and EMF reading fluctuate fast. (Submitted by ...
Bodelwyddan Castle
A Victorian woman is reported in the sculpture gallery, shadows are reported in the corridors, and soldier is known to also wander around. It is common to pick up orbs or light activity on camera. (Submitted by Chris Berglund)
Denbigh Castle
In the eastern section, shadows are seen running about, and a boy's face looking out a window have been seen. Most commonly seen is the White Lady on the pathway to the Goblin tower. She is surrounded by a white mist. (Submitted by Chris Berglund)
Samlesbury, Lancashire
The ghost of Dorothy Southworth, nicknamed The White Lady, roams this location and is said to slap visitors on the back of the head. Many photographs have also captured disembodied faces. (Submitted by Chris Berglund)
Walton On The Hill, Lancashire
The main spirit here is that of Dorothy Southworth, referred to as the White Lady, seen in the corridors and halls. The bloodstains of an executed priest also reappear in the same place even though he died in the 16th century. (Submitted by Chris Berglund)
The Llindir Inn
Walton On The Hill, Denbighshire
According to legend, a woman named Sylvia was strangled to death here. Things often go missing for a day, objects are moved around, and faucets turn on and off by themselves. (Submitted by Chris Berglund)
Ruthin Gaol
Ruthin, Denbighshire
Only one inmate was executed here (William Hughes). Hughes is reported in the condemned man's cell and visitors (usually women) are touched by him. Heavy doors slam, sometimes one by one. A prison guard who vanished during his shift is also seen here. Visitors feel like they are being followed ...
Chingle Hall
Site to many strange phenomenon, including spontaneously catching on fire without reason, at least 16 ghosts are said to be found here (including a group of monks, various children, a cavalier, a chimney sweep, and someone known as "The Dizzy Man"). Objects are known to move by themselves, noises can ...
Corinne May Botz
World's Most Haunted Places
Jeff Belanger
America's Haunted Universities: Ghosts that Roam Hallowed Halls
Matthew L. Swayne
Mains Hall
Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire
In Room 10, the ghost of a large man is seen and accompanied by the sense of depression. A tall woman is also seen around the beds, and sometimes feel as if someone is sitting on the bed with them. A little girl and a woman are also reported. Submitted by ...
Pensarn Coast
Walton On The Hill, Conwy
A ghost ship is reported to still sail along the Abergele coastline. (Submitted by Chris Berglund)
Bull Hotel
Abergele, Conwy
A young man dressed in leather supposedly died in a motorcycle accident not too far from here; he is seen throughout. A monk believed to have slipped and died from his injuries also is reported, as is a woman. Unusual smells, cold spots, shadows, and unexplained noises are normal here. (Submitted ...
Gwrych Castle
Walton On The Hill, Wales
Shadows and light anomalies are seen; a vortex is also here and has been photographed. EVP's and off EMF readings are also common. (Submitted by Chris Berglund)
The Old Hall Hotel
Sandbach, Cheshire East
The site of this building was once a manor that was destroyed in fire; numerous guests awaken early in the morning because they have a sensation that the hotel is burning down. Two preteen prostitutes have been heard giggling and move objects around. In the Bar and Lounge, keep an ...
Valle Crucis Abbey
Built in the 13th century, not much remains except for the ruins of this abbey. However, faces and figures have been caught on photo or seen running about. Voices are heard chanting without any source; many monks are believed to still be here and there's even a held belief that ...
Ghost Hunters of the South
Haunted House: The World's Most Haunted Houses
Jason Blair
Ghostly Encounters: True Stories of America's Haunted Inns and Hotels
Frances Kermeen
» Cemeteries near Walton On The Hill, UK-H8
» Find museums in Walton On The Hill, UK-H8


With White-on-White kitchens ruling the kitchen design world, many designers and homeowners are looking for ways to inject a little color and character into their kitchen color palettes. White cabinets, white countertops, white backsplash tile – where's the personality?
With all the grout options available, it looks like it's time to have some fun!


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Home > Pop > #metoo
Quaid, Wife Grounded: Randy And Evgenia Sue State Department To Get Passports Back
By Stacy Carey
Randy Quaid and his wife were grounded when their passports were revoked a while back and now they're suing over the incident. Randy and his wife, Evgenia, are aiming to recover their passports and they claim they can't move forward with their lives until the issue is resolved.
ABC News shares that Randy and Evgenia Quaid had their passports revoked some time ago and they have yet to have them returned.The State Department notes that it typically takes away passports for issues related to felony arrest warrants, fraud, criminal court orders barring people from leaving the country or issues revolving around a failure to pay child support.
In the case that led to Randy Quaid and his wife being grounded in the United States without passports, the actor vaguely states that the revocation is related to a failure to take out an insurance policy. He has not shared anything more specific than that, but his version doesn't seem to sync up all that well with other reports regarding the incident.
According to TMZ, the Quaid passport revocation is related to an unpaid hotel bill in California. They allegedly used bogus credit cards to pay for the $10,000 bill and then skipped out. Criminal charges were brought up, but they ran and then felony arrest warrants were put out for them. The two went to Canada, and because the warrants were still active, they were considered fugitives and that led to them losing their passports.
Evgenia says that Randy has had to decline film offers and he had to turn down an opportunity to go to the Cannes Film Festival last year over the issue. She says they can't proceed with their lives and they are now suing John Kerry and the U.S. State Department to get their passports back.
Quaid, the older brother of actor Dennis Quaid, has had a number of legal problems over the past few years. He was accused of vandalizing a home he once owned in addition to the California hotel issue.
Evi was granted citizenship in Canada, it seems, but Randy's request was denied. They have now filed suit claiming that they are unable to identify themselves as citizens of the U.S. and they want new passports so they can return to the States.
Will the approach of filing a lawsuit work in this case? From the sounds of things, Randy Quaid and his wife may be grounded in Canada a bit longer as there are clearly some significant issues yet to be resolved in this case.
[Image via New York Daily News]
Latest #metoo News and Updates


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"Блейд" () e американски филм от 1998 г. за едноименния герой на Марвел Комикс.

Актьорски състав

Награди и номинации

Източници

Външни препратки

Филми от 1998 година
Американски екшъни
Филми с вампири
Филми, базирани на Марвел Комикс
Филми на Ню Лайн Синема
Американски филми на ужасите


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The 'Bitch Awards' – Best/Worst Films of 2012 (#3)
December 26, 2012 by Bitch Stole My Remote
Welcome to the second annual Bitch Awards, celebrating the best and worst films and TV shows of the year. Stick around for the next two weeks as we raise a glass to our favourite works from 2012 (and duck as we unceremoniously throw the remote at our least favourites).
We're nearly halfway through the countdown for best and worst films of the year. Today: #3…
TVAngie
#5: The Dark Knight Rises (Nolan, 2012)
#4: The Vow (Sucsy, 2012)
#3: Magic Mike (Soderbergh, 2012)
Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Ahh Channing Tatum. He has the honour of being in two films on my worst list. What's even more hilarious is that I found him to be the strongest one in this film as his normally grating acting style actually works in this context. Unfortunately, nothing else in this film does. I felt completely dirty (and not in a good way) after seeing this one, much like cinephilactic predicted. And this is courtesy of my disgust for The Kid's (Alex Pettyfer) lack of hygiene throughout the film, coupled with his perfection of the douchebag stereotype. Seeing his crotch in numerous women's faces, knowing full well that he hasn't taken a shower in months just makes me nauseous. And don't get me started on Dallas (Matthew McConaughey), who is the epitome of skeezy slime ball. I don't know it if it is all that spray tan, but when McConaughey takes the stripper stage, I have never been more turned off. Sure, he's in excellent shape, but from the neck up, he's a few steps shy of Skeletor territory.
I suppose I should applaud each of the lead actors for nailing their unlikable characters, but at the end of the day, hating everyone doesn't result in an enjoyable viewing experience. I'll admit, despite cinephilactic's numerous warnings, I thought this film would be campy goodness, and knowing that the most beautiful man in the world, Matt Bomer, is in it, how could I resist? But cinephilactic was completely right: it's laughable at how little screen time Bomer has. Even more shocking was that his dances are ultimately relegated to mere snippets in a quick montage sequence. Remember the trailers full of smiles and ripping shirts? That's all of the Bomer you get…
This film ranks higher on my worst list than my blogging partner because of the disappointment factor. Not only do we get the formulaic, snooze-worthy stripper plot and completely uninspired direction, but this film also denies me any kind of fantasy fulfillment.
cinephilactic
#4: This Means War (McG, 2012)
#3: Wrath Of The Titans (Liebesman, 2012)
Let's clear the air: Clash Of The Titans (Letterier, 2010) is not a great film. But it is a reasonably entertaining film, full of fun CGI action adventure, a decent star turn by Sam Worthington and some decent Greek mythology (yes, your high school English teacher shudders, but in terms of visual realization, there's some fun-ish stuff here).
So what the hell went wrong with Wrath Of The Titans???
Almost immediately the film goes off the rails. It's often a bad sign when a sequel can't secure original cast members, so the casual aside that Io (Gemma Atherton) died in between movies suggests not all is well in the land. Andromeda (Alexa Davalos) has also been replaced (with Rosamund Pike), making it two for two in terms of female stars (apparently they're dismissable or replaceable in generic action films).
Perhaps more problematically, the stars who do return (Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes and Worthington) range from "phoning it in" to "here for the pay check". And then there's the completely indecipherable plot line: blah blah daddy's issues from the original are heightened in the sequel, but without any kind of genuine character beats to anchor them so that the audience – you know – gives a sh*t.
But let's face it – no one is coming to this film for the plot or the characters. We're here for the action. And in this regard, there are some really exciting pieces, including a sequence in a shifting maze and some decent-to-amazing-CGI for the depiction of Chronos (as a giant lava monster). But this doesn't mean anything if your heart doesn't skip a beat or your blood pressures rises a touch during the proceedings. And throughout the overwhelming majority of Wrath Of The Titans, I felt nothing. Everything is simply ho-hum. Oh, Zeus (Neeson) is going to be sacrificed? Meh. Can our heroes survive the maze? Oh, it's already over. Will Perseus (Worthington) and Pegasus survive their flight around Chronos? Oh, it's also already over. It's as though everything remotely interesting is passed over too quickly, or done really poorly, or it's so focused on the CGI that it just feels like spectacle for spectacle's sake. Nothing connects, to the point that it's all just pixels being manipulated.
Early in the film you realize that you simply don't care about any of these people, or their struggles, or their battles. So spending another 90+ minutes watching the "drama" unfold feels like less of an experience and more like a "oh gawd, are we still watching this?" waste of time. It's not terrible – it's just 99 minutes of your life.
#5: Cloud Atlas (Tykwer & The Wachowskis, 2012)
#4: Looper (Johnson, 2012)
#3: Life of Pi (Lee, 2012)
Courtesy of 20th Century Fox
I think I might be the only person on Earth who hasn't read Yann Martel's Life of Pi, but I believe that put me at an advantage when viewing Ang Lee's masterpiece. There's something wonderful about just letting the magic of Lee's visuals wash over you without the worry of comparison.
The story is as fantastical as you can get: the film follows the journey of a young boy from India, Pi (portrayed brilliantly by Suraj Sharma) who has been shipwrecked on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger. I can easily understand why many consider the novel to be unfilmable, as much of the film involves the interplay between Pi and tiger, Richard Parker, aboard a small boat. But Richard Parker is completely realistic: I never once felt that he isn't a real tiger, both visually and behaviourally (don't expect How to Train Your Dragon on a lifeboat).
I found myself easily falling under the film's spell, delving deep in the realms of fantastical imagery and enjoying every moment of it. The iridescent nighttime sequence in particular is absolutely breathtaking (I challenge anyone not to feel moved by it). With strong allusions to the nature of spirituality and religion, I expected the film to be heavy-handed or overly sentimental, but surprisingly, those themes are dealt with in tactful and unassuming ways. I also watched this film in 3D, a technology that I've come to abhor, but in this film, it actually works. The 3D complements the cinematography so perfectly, you wonder why other 3D films have failed to do the same.
The emotion is palpable throughout the film, due in part to the strength of Martel's source material, but also because Lee brings something so fundamentally awe-inspiring in his direction. It's his masterful direction that elevates this tale from an original novel into a true cinematic masterpiece.
#5: Cabin In The Woods (Godard, 2012)
#4: Chronicle (Trank, 2012)
#3: Pitch Perfect (Moore, 2012)
Courtesy of Universal Pictures
Am I embarrassed to include a film about a group of college girls who mash-up Top 40 songs who make music only with their mouths? Maaaaaybe a little. But I would absolutely be lying if I said that Pitch Perfect wasn't one of my favourite movie-going experiences of 2012. Perhaps it's the fact that I saw the film in a packed theatre of overly-enthusiastic moviegoers, or that the film reminds me of "fabulous" teen films Bring It On and Step Up (moreso the sequels than the original Channing Tatum snoozefest), both of which played an integral role in my wedding (suck it haters!).
The real reason that Pitch Perfect lands smack dab in the middle of my 'Best Of' list is because, as I said in my original review, it's a genuinely fun film. Executive producer Elizabeth Banks has created an entertaining film about female friendship to the silver screen, joining John Michael Higgins on-screen as deliriously bitchy acapella judges. The film also cements Rebel Wilson as a star on the rise due to her hilarious portrayal of Fat Amy and features some great singing, mash-ups and (shocker) aka-awesome acapella performances.
Is it a perfect film? Hells no. Is it a film that's a ton of fun that knows exactly what it is and aims to do nothing more than entertain? Absolutely! And a film that does what it sets out to do exceedingly well is a solid hit in my book. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to listening to Anna Kendrick and the other girls mash-up "Just The Way You Are/Just A Dream."
So readers, we've reached the halfway point on our movie lists – what do you think of our picks so far? Chime in with your thoughts in the comments section. We'll be back tomorrow to reveal which films made #2 on our lists, so be sure to visit us again!
Filed Under: Bitch Awards, Film - 2012, Movies Tagged With: Best of Year, Bitch Awards, Life of Pi, Magic Mike, Pitch Perfect, Worst of Year, Wrath Of The Titans