The first (and probably the last) installment for February. New records remain spotty, meanwhile I'm finding lots of old ones to recommend. Just to review, records that previously would have gone into Jazz Prospecting or Recycled Goods wind up here. The former are tailing off, but make up the majority of the new records I've heard this year.
I might as well announce here that I did a major update to the Robert Christgau website tonight. The CG database is now up to date, and the recent articles I'm aware of at least have stubs. Also a few new old articles.
These are short notes/reviews based on streaming records from Rhapsody. They are snap judgments based on one or two plays, accumulated since my last post along these lines, back on January 31. Past reviews and more information are available here (4414 records).


text:
Agathon "Aat" de Roos (15 April 1919 in Bloemendaal, North Holland – 17 March 1992 in Perth, Australia) was a Dutch field hockey player who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics.

He was a member of the Dutch field hockey team, which won the bronze medal. He played four matches as forward.

External links

profile

1919 births
1992 deaths
People from Bloemendaal
Dutch male field hockey players
Olympic field hockey players of the Netherlands
Field hockey players at the 1936 Summer Olympics
Olympic bronze medalists for the Netherlands
Olympic medalists in field hockey
Medalists at the 1936 Summer Olympics
Sportspeople from North Holland
20th-century Dutch people

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
André Penteado San Pablo Brasil, 1970
Most of the time I get the feeling that life is primarily marked by tragic events, both personal and social, big and small. It is the traumatic events, more than the happy moments, that influence our perception of life. Given the unconscious marks they leave, it is with them that we are constantly negotiating.
Based on this thought, I develop a practice that investigates private matters such as loss by suicide and the emotional pain of being an immigrant, as well as historical-political themes of Brazil such as revolutions and endemic corruption.
My work method starts from theoretical research in areas such as psychology, philosophy and history and generally results in projects composed of several works, possessing an aesthetic that I call analytical.
My choice for photography, video and, eventually, graphic works comes from my desire to operate with media generally related to affective memory (memory triggers) and the circulation of information (channels through which tragedies, socially experienced, reach us). In counterpoint to the idea of "document", I use a document/informational aesthetic where the image, although simple and direct, reveals little. In a way, I photograph traces and constructed memories.
I seek to deconstruct the speed and the ideological cutting of the "news". Video works usually use features such as still camera in long scenes, not editing interviews and multiple screens. In all works it is clear the artifice of image construction as a cutout of a complex world and an invitation to contemplation.
I am interested in the conflict that occurs in the observer when he encounters an image that seems simple and recognizable, but that he cannot understand. This can act as a trigger for thoughts that, I hope, go deep into a spiral of questioning from which unconscious or politically manipulated structures can be apprehended.
CONGRESSMEN, 2014
Print on cotton paper
187.5 x 135 cm, edition 3 + 1 AP
(This work is composed of 20 pieces,
individually measuring 33.5 x 30 cm)
The work Congressmen deals with the issues of corruption, political action and visual representation of information.
Its images, that intend to work as "portraits" of a group of politicians suspected of corruption, were created from three sets of information available in the internet, in January 2012: the list of court cases against 329 congressmen found in the website Transparency Brazil – all related to corruption -, the portraits of these congressmen found in the Brazilian Congress website and the number of votes each one of them received in the 2010 election.
Each "portrait" represents one congressman and is the result of the combination of these three pieces of information: the list of court cases is redacted using the colour of their lips selected from their real portraits. The number of votes is placed on the image to work as the key that allows the viewer to search on-line for the name of the politician.
The geometrical shapes that resulted from the process of creating the work reminds us of military artefacts what may make the viewer think about the violence towards the country which corruption represents.
Their simplicity and also mild colors make them pleasing to look at, which also raises the issue that, in Brazil, corruption is sometimes acknowledged and accepted as the norm.
The work also aims to make the point that political change requires effort and the desire to participate.
The "portraits" presented here are from the 20 congressmen with the largest number of court cases against them.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Midland is a city in and the county seat of Midland County, Texas, United States, on the Southern Plains of the state's western area. A small portion of the city extends into Martin County. At the 2010 census, the population of Midland was 111,147, and a 2013 estimate of 123,933 making it the twenty-fifth most populous city in the state of Texas. Due to the oil boom in Midland, certain officials have estimated the population to be hovering around 155,000 to 165,000. The population of the Midland metropolitan area, composed of Midland County, grew 4.6 percent to 151,662 between July 1, 2011, and July 1, 2012, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. It is the principal city of the Midland, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Midland County. The metropolitan area is also a component of the larger Midland−Odessa, Texas Combined Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 295,987 on July 1, 2012. People in Midland are called Midlanders.
Midland was originally founded as the midway point between Fort Worth and El Paso on the Texas and Pacific Railroad in 1881. It has received national recognition as being the hometown of former First Lady Laura Bush, and the onetime home of former Presidents George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush, and former First Lady Barbara Bush.
Midland University is a private liberal arts college with an approximate enrollment of 1,300 students. The 33-acre (13 ha) academic and residential campus is located in Fremont, Nebraska, 25 miles (40 km) northwest of Omaha, Nebraska. The university offers over thirty undergraduate bachelor's degrees and three graduate master's degrees, including Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Education in Leadership, and Master in Professional Accounting.
Fielding athletic teams known as the Midland University Warriors, the college is a member of the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The university's official colors are navy blue, orange, and white. The university offers several extracurricular activities, including 27 varsity athletic teams, leadership and service groups, clubs, and organizations, as well as fraternities and sororities.
Known as Midland Lutheran College from 1962-2010, the university is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.


text:
Francesca Fini
Artworks [21]
Wishlist [11]
Francesca Fini is an interdisciplinary artist focused on experimental cinema, digital animation, new media, installation and performance art. Her live projects, often addressing issues related to femininity, the distortions in the perception of beauty, the influences of society on gender and women's issues, are a mix of traditional media, lo-fi technology, homemade interaction design devices, live audio and video. Primarily interested in video and live art, she also creates artworks assembling performance art relics and video stills.
Fini's practice is primarily digital. She worked for fifteen years in the field of digital media and television. She has shown work internationally, including at 2011 WRO Biennale in Poland, CINEMED Film Festival in Montpellier, NordArt International Art Exhibition, Berlin Directors Lounge and IKONO TV Film Festival in Germany, Videoformes Festival in Clermont Ferrand, Szczecin European Film Festival (SEFF) in Poland, FILE Electronic Language International Festival in Brasil, Athens Videoart Festival, IVHAM New Media Arts Fest and Proyector Festival in Madrid, CYBERFEST and Now&After in Russia, Robot Festival in Bologna, Instants Video numériques et poétiques in Marseille, BORDERCROSSING - official collateral event @ MANIFESTA12, MEM Festival at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, BODY + CAMERA at MANA Contemporary Chicago, Un-Becoming at SomoS Art House Berlin, the Japan Media Arts Festival in Tokyo and the Margaret Guthman Musical Instrument Competition, organized by the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta.
As a pure performance artist, she was part of the iconic first edition of the Venice International Performance Art Week, featuring among others the work of Valie Export, Jan Fabre, Yoko Ono, Marina Abramovic and Hermann Nitsch. In 2014 and 2016 she was artist in residence at Bob Wilson's Watermill Center in New York. In 2016 she wrote and directed Ophelia Did Not Drown; an experimental feature film based on the hybridization between found-footage (from the national archive Istituto Luce Cinecittà) and original contemporary performative language, considered by legendary movie art critic Adriano Aprà, one of the best Italian experimental art film of all times.
She is cited by Treccani Encyclopedia as one of the greatest exponents of cyber-performance in Italy.
Read Francesca Fini's latest interview about her collection A Dream In Stone , on Artribune Art Magazine
Articles Mentioning Artist Browse all news
Interview with Francesca Fini on 'A Dream in Stone'
By Yonca Keremoglu
International Women's Day: Celebrating creativity
By Bolim Jeon
Francesca Fini - GOLEM, Endecameron20
By Sedition
Girl with Butterflies
$36 Gift
Vanitas 2 - Still life
Mother Nature 2
Self Portrait with Venus
Followers [489] More


text:
Q: is delete this + memmove(this,new A(),sizeof(A)) safe and is it a bad idea? I searched some post about delete this in c++,and know that delete this is usually a bad idea,because delete this usually means poor management : the number of new and delete is not match, also it may have some pointers outside the class still point to this.
But the post I searched mostly about just deleting the original object, doesn't discuss the case of replacing the original object with new object.
sometimes I want to recreate the object,because I want the object to go back to initial state, by "realloc" the object using delete this+memmove(this,new A(),sizeof(A)) like this:
class A{
public:
    int value;
    void test(){
        delete this;
        memmove(this,new A(),sizeof(A));
    }
};

is it safe? or is there any undefined behaviour?
also if even it works,is it a bad coding style?

A: This code is heavily in UndefinedBehaviour-land. delete this does more than call the destructor—it deallocates the memory as well. The memmove thus copies into unallocated memory.
Furthermore, it has a memory leak, since the pointer returned from new A() is immediately forgotten.
I believe you intended to do this:
void test()
{
  this->~A();
  new (this) A();
}

This calls the destructor on this, and then the default constructor in the space pointed to by this.
The real questions is why do that, though. It's rather intricate low-level management. In my opinion, it would be better to give a proper assignment operator to the class and do this:
void test()
{
  *this = A();
}

Remember, the easier it is to understand what code does, the better the code generally is.

A: delete this deallocate the memory. So the memmove writes in a dangling pointer which is undefined behavior.
I don't know what you are trying to do, but did you try move constructors introduced in c++11?

A: You can call delete this - the self-destruction mechanisms used in some reference counting implementations work this way BUT you may not refer to this ever again at all because the results are undefined.
If you want to restore the same object to an initial state then can't you provide private cleanup() and init() methods that do the work?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Reflections of a proud father: My daughter Kathryn, declared after graduating from Kindergarten, "Girls can do anything dad. One day, I'm gonna be a doctor!" I responded incredulously, "You go girl!" I will revisit this premise again at the close of this article.
One needs only look at the race for the Alabama Senate in October of 2017 to see how powerful Black women are. The seat was vacated by Attorney General, Jeffrey Beauregard Sessions, pitting Doug Jones against suspected child predator, Roy Moore. Exit polls showed that 98 percent of Black women cast their ballot for Jones, and many election observers credited his surprising win to Black women voters. The majority of Black men also voted for Jones, but two-thirds of white women and nearly three-quarters of white men chose Moore.
The narrative that Black women "saved America" by blocking Roy Moore from the Senate with their votes was picked up in media circles across the country. Political strategists and journalists alike rapidly moved to dissect what Alabama's performance might mean for political contests in 2018 and 2020. The rise of the "Be all that she can be," rescuer narrative obscures another forbidding truth that Black women are a crucial voting bloc capable of winning close contests. They are sorely understated vis-à-vis seats of political power.
Statistics show that most Black women provide services for other families, yet cannot pay for the exact same services for their own families. In addition, they have the highest probability to be fired. In 2015, the unemployment rate for Black Women was 8.9 percent which is one of the highest rates of all races.


text:
Oct 20 – Oct 26, 2007
Check out the latest two editions of our new NY Pulse podcast on the News Service site. The current very timely podcast about flu shots was produced by Megan Kelty, with stories reported by Carolyn Nardiello and Laura Silver. You…
Two of our reporters scored solo bylines in the Times this week: Mathew Warren covered the funeral of a Queens soldier that combined elements of the young man's Buddist background with U.S. military ceremony. And Carolyn Nardiello wrote about vintage…
Oct 6 – Oct 12, 2007
Marlene Peralta got the wood (that's newspaper talk for the front page story) at amNewYork Wednesday with her fine piece on the effects of gentrification on Latinos in Washington Heights and East Harlem. Cristina Alesci attended the opening of Tiffany's…
Using Journalism to Battle Obesity and Diabetes
The CUNY Graduate School of Journalism has been awarded a two-year $50,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to build a new model of consumer health journalism that will focus on combating obsesity and diabetes in the Hunts Point…
Mathew Warren worked on several stories for the Times this week, including this solo piece about Betsy Gotbaum's ill-fated stepdaughter-in-law. Georgia Kral was also busy for the Times, contributing to this story about a lawyer who admitted to destroying evidence…
Summer Internships – A Success Story
They left for the summer as students. They came back as professionals.
Sept 22 – Sept 28, 2007
Mathew Warren shared a byline on this New York Times story about a fatal hit-and-run on Houston Street. Annie Shreffler wrote about the struggles of small contractors to get subcontracting work on large public projects – such as the Croton…
Emily Keller chronicled changes at Habitat for the Humanities for BusinessWeek. Andy Greiner told Daily News readers how NYU is trying to boot elderly tenants out of their long-time Greenwich Village apartment building. Marlene Peralta, Nadia Zonis and Heather Appel,…
Got an Idea for a Web Site? Seed Funding is Available
The City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism today announced that it has received a $100,000, two-year grant from the McCormick Tribune Foundation to provide seed funding to news start-ups developed by students in the school's unique course…
Previous Posts 1 … 109 110 111 112 113 114 Next Posts


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they are great brothers. you captured them before they lost their mum!
I just love these brothers!!! This is so cute!!!!!!!!!!!
Everyone was that adorable. Even Hitler.
This is so cute and heartfelt and beautiful artwork too.
Please don't die of cuteness now!
BUUUUUUUUUT ITTTTT CUUUUUUUUUUUTEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! IM GONNA TAKE THEM HOME WITH MEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!
XD Go ahead. Just hide any Alchemy books you have.
So cute!!!I like the picture with Alphonse crying.
omg they are so cute! must have.


text:
Another third-quarter disaster crushes Lions in loss to 49ers
The Detroit Lions almost pulled off an improbable rally when rookie Tracy Walker stepped in front of a third-down pass in the closing minutes.
Another third-quarter disaster crushes Lions in loss to 49ers The Detroit Lions almost pulled off an improbable rally when rookie Tracy Walker stepped in front of a third-down pass in the closing minutes. Check out this story on detroitnews.com: https://detne.ws/2NdT6st
Justin Rogers, The Detroit News Published 7:35 p.m. ET Sept. 16, 2018 | Updated 5:43 a.m. ET Sept. 17, 2018
The Lions fall to 0-2 after another disappointing loss. We talk about the good, bad and ugly from the 30-27 loss to San Francisco. Justin Rogers, The Detroit News
From left, Detroit Lions center Frank Ragnow (77), offensive tackle Taylor Decker, and running back Kerryon Johnson sit on the bench during the second half.(Photo: Ben Margot, AP)
Santa Clara, Calif. — The Detroit Lions nearly pulled off another signature fourth-quarter rally against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, but the team was unable to overcome a disastrous third quarter in the 30-27 defeat.
In the closing minutes, rookie safety Tracy Walker stepped in front of a third-down pass and returned it deep into San Francisco territory, setting up a potential game-winning score. But a penalty away from the ball negated the stunning turnover and leaves the Lions with stinging memories of a second straight third-quarter meltdown.
"We had some breakdowns in all three phases," Lions coach Matt Patricia said. "We had some opportunities in all three phases, too, but we didn't capitalize on them. That's the biggest thing right now, we have to really capitalize on those opportunities to turn things in our favor, instead of just giving them up."
More: Niyo: At 0-2, Lions have nothing show but a pileup of breakdowns
Coming out of the locker room down 13-10, the Lions allowed 49ers return man D.J. Reed to break free for a 101-yard touchdown return to open the half. Reed was flagged for grabbing a face mask at the end of the return, negating the score, but the 49ers needed just four plays to get back into the end zone, scoring on an 11-yard throw from quarterback Jimmy Garopollo to tight end Garrett Celek.
"Everyone held their blocks," Reed said about his return. "For me, it was easy, and anybody could have done what I did."
BOX SCORE: 49ers 30, Lions 27
The Lions looked for a quick counter, thanks to a 45-yard return by Jamal Agnew and a pair of sizeable gains on the ground by running backs LeGarrette Blount and Kerryon Johnson, which put the team in the red zone. But back-to-back holding calls against Taylor Decker and rookie Frank Ragnow drove the offense back and forced the team to settle for a 43-yard Matt Prater field goal, temporarily cutting the edge back to one score, 20-13.
The two teams traded punts with Detroit's effort pinning San Francisco at its own 3. That's where disaster struck.
The 49ers quickly worked out of the shadow of their own goal line with a 11-yard, play-action pass to Celek before running back Matt Breida burst through the line on consecutive carries, gaining 20 on the first, before a 66-yard touchdown romp.
49ers 30, Lions 27
The 49ers' Pierre Garcon fights off the tackle of the Lions' Quandre Diggs during the fourth quarter. Thearon W. Henderson, Getty Images
Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) looks to throw as San Francisco 49ers defensive ends Arik Armstead (91) and DeForest Buckner (99) look on during the first half. Ben Margot, AP
Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is sacked by 49ers' Cassius Marsh. Ezra Shaw, Getty Images
Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia stands on the sidelines during the second half. Ben Margot, AP
From left, Detroit Lions center Frank Ragnow (77), offensive tackle Taylor Decker, and running back Kerryon Johnson, sit on the bench during the second half. Ben Margot, AP
Detroit Lions tight end Michael Roberts celebrates after scoring a touchdown as San Francisco 49ers defensive back Adrian Colbert (27) and Jimmie Ward, right look on during the second half. Tony Avelar, AP
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Kendrick Bourne carries the ball into the end zone for a touchdown during the first half. Ben Margot, AP
Detroit Lions wide receiver Kenny Golladay runs with the ball as San Francisco 49ers defensive back Adrian Colbert (27) looks on during the first half. Ben Margot, AP
San Francisco 49ers running back Matt Breida (22) runs with the ball as Detroit Lions defensive back Nevin Lawson tries to stop him during the first half. Tony Avelar, AP
Detroit Lions running back Theo Riddick runs with the ball as San Francisco 49ers defensive end DeForest Buckner (99) pursues during the first half. Tony Avelar, AP
Detroit Lions wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. catches the ball for a touchdown as San Francisco 49ers cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon looks on during the second half. Tony Avelar, AP
San Francisco 49ers tight end Garrett Celek (88) gets past Detroit Lions defensive back Glover Quin (27), cornerback Quandre Diggs (28) and defensive back Darius Slay (23) to score a touchdown during the second half. Tony Avelar, AP
Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford throws during the first half of an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018. Tony Avelar, AP
Detroit Lions running back Kerryon Johnson runs with the ball away from San Francisco 49ers defensive end Solomon Thomas during the first half. Tony Avelar, AP
Detroit Lions running back Kerryon Johnson carries the ball as San Francisco 49ers outside linebacker Mark Nzeocha (53) looks on during the first half. Ben Margot, AP
Detroit Lions running back LeGarrette Blount is stopped with the ball during the first half. Tony Avelar, AP
Detroit Lions running back Kerryon Johnson, right, runs with the ball against San Francisco 49ers defensive end Solomon Thomas (94) during the first half. Tony Avelar, AP
San Francisco 49ers kneel before the start of an NFL football game. Tony Avelar, AP
A pair of jets do a flyover above Levi's Stadium before the start of an NFL football game. Tony Avelar, AP
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Dante Pettis runs with the ball during the first half. Tony Avelar, AP
Detroit Lions cornerback Jamal Agnew carries the ball during the first half. Ben Margot, AP
Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford drops back to pass against the San Francisco 49ers during the first quarter. Thearon W. Henderson, Getty Images
Detroit Lions wide receiver Kenny Golladay, front right, scores a touchdown as San Francisco 49ers defensive back Adrian Colbert (27) looks on during the first half. Tony Avelar, AP
Detroit Lions wide receiver Kenny Golladay scores a touchdown as San Francisco 49ers defensive back Adrian Colbert (27) looks on during the first half. Tony Avelar, AP
Detroit Lions wide receiver Kenny Golladay celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the first half. Ben Margot, AP
Lions' Kenny Golladay dives in for a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers. Ezra Shaw, Getty Images
49ers' Dante Pettis catches a pass and runs for a first down against the Detroit Lions during the first quarter. Thearon W. Henderson, Getty Images
Detroit Lions cornerback Jamal Agnew (39) talks with Matt Patricia during warmups before an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018. Ben Margot, AP
Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia watches warmups before an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers. Ben Margot, AP
Detroit Lions owner Martha Firestone Ford watches her team warm up before an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers. Ben Margot, AP
Multiple Lions appeared to miss opportunities to get Breida down, but defensive tackle Ricky Jean Francois, as the first line of defense, took the blame.
Three plays, 97 yards, backs nearly broken.
"I didn't give my team a chance today," Francois said. "I didn't give my team a chance to fight an equal battle with them."
To make matters worse, the Lions lost All-Pro cornerback Darius Slay to a concussion during the disastrous quarter.
The third-quarter struggles come just six days after the Lions allowed the New York Jets to put up 31 points in the third quarter of Detroit's 48-17 season-opening loss.
The lopsided affair was more even through two quarters. Sure, the Lions still had issues, particularly in coverage, but the offensive play-calling and execution certainly looked improved.
After allowing the 49ers to drive into the red zone on their opening possession, the defense held, thanks to back-to-back sacks by linebackers Jarrad Davis and Devon Kennard. That led to a 45-yard field goal by Robbie Gould, giving the 49ers the early lead.
Detroit responded with a seven-play, 69-yard scoring series. The drive was capped with a well-designed, play-action pass to Kenny Golladay after the receiver had motioned inside, suggesting a run.
More: Lions' Quandre Diggs frustrated by 'awful' holding call
More: Justin Rogers' Lions grades: Special teams, secondary, coaching fall below sea-level
Quarterback Matthew Stafford hit Golladay running free into the second level and the receiver did the rest, impressively spinning through a tackle along the sideline before extending the ball across the goal line before landing out of bounds for a 30-yard touchdown.
"He's seen a lot of different looks, he's seen a lot of different coverages than he has in the past," Patricia said. "I think he's doing a good job of just trying to fight through all of those situations."
Detroit's lead was short-lived as the 49ers drove 88 yards on 13 plays. In the red zone, cornerback Teez Tabor blew his coverage assignment as 49ers running back Kendrick Bourne leaked uncovered out of the backfield for 4-yard touchdown.
Tabor declined comment about his role on the play after the game.
The two sides each added a field goal in the second quarter, Gould with a 42-yarder and Prater making from 43 in the half's final seconds to send the teams into the break, 13-10.
After pushing the advantage to 14 in the third quarter, the 49ers extended it to 17 with another Gould field goal with 11:25 remaining.
That's when the Lions started to chip away.
Detroit cut the deficit to 10 thanks to a 5-yard touchdown grab by Marvin Jones. That was set up by a 67-yard catch-and-run by Golden Tate.
Prior to Tate's reception, Blount was ejected from the game for leaving the bench and entering the field of play during an altercation near the sidelines.
"He knows better," Patricia said. "He knows he can't do that."
Blount left the locker room shortly after the final whistle and declined comment on his actions.
After the defense forced the 49ers to go three-and-out, Agnew reversed field on a punt return and found a lane for a 73-yard touchdown, but the play was negated by not one, but two blatant blocks in the back. That didn't stop Stafford from leading the Lions on a 79-yard scoring drive. A 15-yard scoring strike to tight end Michael Roberts made it 30-27 with 3:27 remaining.
Walker's interception, returned to the 7-yard line, looked to put the Lions in position to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, but Quandre Diggs was flagged for holding tight end George Kittle away from the ball.
"(It's) frustrating because I didn't think it was the right call," Diggs said. "I don't think you make that call at the end of the game away from the ball, in clutch time. You don't make that call. And, you know, I'm not going to get fined for it, but I'm not happy with the call.
"The (official) who is supposed to make that call, he said he didn't make the call. I think that says enough."
The Lions still managed to force the 49ers to punt when Kennard dropped Garoppolo for a sack on third down just after the two-minute warning.
That gave Detroit the ball back at its own 16 with 1:08 remaining, but the miracle wasn't to be. Three straight incompletions ended the possession, allowing Garoppolo to take a knee to run out the clock.
Patricia took little joy in the moral victory of his team battling back from 17 down in the final quarter.
"To be honest with you, it's about winning," Patricia said. That's really all that matters, it's about winning. I have to coach better. We have to go out and execute better. "
Stafford completed 34 of 53 passes (64.2 percent) for 347 yards and three touchdowns and no interceptions. He did lose a fumble in the second quarter that resulted in a 49ers field goal.
Tate paced the Lions with seven catches for 109 yards and Golladay added six for 89, plus his TD.
The Lions return home next week to face the New England Patriots on Sunday Night Football.
jdrogers@detroitnews.com
twitter.com/Justin_Rogers
Death of former Red Wing Greg Johnson likely suicide
Tigers' Zimmermann tired of 'getting punched in the face,' searching for a way to hit back
Pistons claim 6-10 power forward Christian Wood off waivers
Turnbull's outing encouraging, but Tigers losing skid hits 10 against Indians
Derrick Walton Jr. on Franz Wagner: 'He's ready to make an impact'
Five difference-makers for MSU heading into the fall


Focus: Jesus Christ is King of the Universe.
Function: Crown him the King of your universe.
Christ seated on his throne, ready to reward each who followed him faithfully.
Behold I am coming soon. I bring with me the recompense I will give to each according to his deeds.
Inside every human heart, there is a kingdom.
This kingdom has great potential. It possesses unfathomable wealth.
This kingdom has an incredible intellect that can be used to accomplish marvelous things.
This kingdom has the power to dramatically influence the lives of others.
This kingdom can be at the service of others or it can be at the service of itself. It can be a wellspring of great good or a never-ending pit of evil.
It can be a kingdom of excellence or a kingdom of mediocrity.
Inside every heart, a battle rages for this kingdom.
A battle rages for the kingship.
Every kingdom has a king.
Who will be the king of your kingdom?
Who sits upon the throne of your heart?
We've been hearing a lot about the Kingdom of God in these final days of Ordinary time.
The Kingdom of Heaven is like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom… (MT 25:1-13, Nov 12).
The Kingdom of Heaven will be as when a man going on a journey called his servants and entrusted his possessions to them…to one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to a third, one. (MT 25:14-20, Nov 19).
The Kingdom of God cannot be observed, and no one will announce "Look, here it is" or "Look, there it is." For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you. (LK 17:20-25, Nov 16).
Brothers and sisters, the Kingdom of God is here and now.
The kingdom of God is among us.
It is here because Jesus is here.
He is here in the Eucharist.
He is here in the Body of Christ which is the community of the Church.
The Kingdom of God is here even though it may be difficult to see it at times.
We have to learn to look for it.
A few summers ago, I participated in a hospital chaplaincy program in the cities. I went to the hospital every morning and visited patients, and I was on-call several nights and weekends during the summer. For someone who likes to be in control and to know what's coming, it was an anxiety-provoking experience.
I found my refuge each day in a nearby parish which offered adoration and daily Mass at a time that allowed me to attend before going to the hospital each day.
At the start of the summer, I was very aware of receiving the Lord in the Eucharist and then bringing him with me, in the pyx of my heart, into the hospital each day. I trusted that, through me, he was present to the patients I encountered throughout the day.
But it wasn't until mid-summer that I realized something else.
I realized that I was beginning to see differently.
It was as if time slowed down. As I walked by someone in the hallway, I began to see them as Jesus would see them. I saw them as a son or daughter of the Father. I became less focused on myself and how I could minister to them and became more focused on them. I began to see Jesus in them. Jesus was not only in my heart from receiving the Eucharist that day, he was also within the sick people I met each day.
That changed everything. It changed how I interacted with them.
We have to learn to see it.
It is ready for us, but we must be ready for it.
Each of us must decide.
You must decide who will be the king of the kingdom within your heart.
Jesus Christ is the rightful king. He is the one who created you, who redeemed you, and who loves you. He went to the Cross for you. You are made to live with him eternally. You are his.
He will separate those who have enthroned him as the King of their Hearts from those who have enthroned someone else.
Those who have him seated on the throne of their hearts will inherit the kingdom that has been prepared for them from the foundation of the world.
Those who have themselves seated on the throne of their hearts, those who find themselves sitting on his throne when he returns, will go off into the eternal fire.
Who sits on the throne of your heart?
Is it Jesus? Or is it you?
Are you wearing his crown? Are you sitting in his chair?
Or are you serving the needs of His Kingdom?
Brothers and sisters, we know.
We know where we compromise.
We know where we cut corners.
We know where we are stingy, where we are selfish, where we choose ourselves over others.
Matthew 25 confronts us face-to-face today.
If you want to know whether Jesus Christ is the King of your Heart, here's the test.
If Jesus Christ is the King of your heart, you see differently.
You see as he sees.
You see others as he sees them.
You recognize others who have him as their king, and you serve him by serving them.
You recognize within others the battle raging for the kingdom…even if they don't recognize it themselves.
The Kingdom of God is about changing how we see. It is about conversion of heart. It is about changing from being "me-focused" to being God-focused, and since God cares for all, that leads us to care for all.
Jesus Christ is the King of the Universe.
Is he the King of your universe?


Please return the application form with the $30 non-refundable application fee to add your child's name to the waiting list.
Please note that enrollment options are for FULL DAYS only and priority is for full-time, full year enrollment.
Internal movement-moving a child from a younger group to an older group on the basis of the child's age, individual readiness, and available opening.
Child of a full time UMD Children's Place staff member.
Child currently enrolled at Children's Place on a part time schedule returning to a full time schedule or vice versa.
Sibling of a child currently enrolled.


Sometimes a first haircut is traumatic enough that it calls for fries afterwards.
He was 20 months old.
Jorje gave Sasha her first haircut after battling lice for over a month.
She and her husband hated how she looked with these too-short bangs, but..
they didn't take long to grow back. This photo was taken just 10 days later.
Jorje has blogged about Attachment Parenting a Child with Lice at Momma Jorje.
Mikko wasn't thrilled with his first haircut.
Mikko's mama, Lauren, blogs at Hobo Mama — and her current 1-year-old, Alrik, hasn't had his first haircut yet!
Tell us about the first haircuts in your family.
We had to "talk up" haircuts to my eldest for 2 weeks before we finally did it. I held her and he (a licensed hairstylist) cut her hair.
It was no big deal for my toddler. But our need arose kind of suddenly.
I thought I should save my daughter's trimmings from her first hair cut. Why? 'Cause my mom had done so with mine. I didn't personally have much attachment to the first haircut, probably because they were more slight trimmings at first.


Detective Sal Iva wins the Shady Lottery!
With some great relief Mayor Hollis today announced that City Officials has been able to carry out the Lotter required to distribute certain 'Shady Funds' back to the Detective community.
"I have great pleasure in announcing that reknowned Villain Hunter Detective Sal Iva has won the grand sum of $309,401." A still somewhat green Hollis stated for the gathered Press. "We hope that this fine upstanding fellow of the Community will use these funds wisely and with better intent than the original holder of said funds."
Whilst the lucky recipient was unavailable for comment, our intrepid reporter spotted a certain gentleman watching proceedings from the rear of the Press throng, and gamely sought comment.
"I aint got nuttin' to say, exceptin' I have no doubts Mr Sal Iva is gonna get exactly what is comin' to him... in spades." Our reporter, wisely, decided to push the issue no further.
We at the City News congratulate the 'lucky' Detective, and suggest that under the circumstances the funds might best be put to use purchasing a ticket abroad and going on a very, very. long holiday!
City Hall refused today to confirm or deny rumors that the Treasury Department is investigating a certain Shady Character. However, an aide who asked not to be named has stated that there may be one or more charges of tax evasion in the works.
City Hall today announced that the Treasury Department has dropped their investigation of a well-known Shady Character, citing lack of evidence of any income at all. An anonymous source claims that certain records normally kept within the City Hall office of Mayor Hollis have gone missing, although the Mayor claims those records never existed.
Mayor Hollis has stated he has 'No Comment' regarding allegations of kickbacks and bribes in connection with the recent thwarting of charges of tax evasion against a certain Shady Character. However, there are new rumors circulating that the investigating T-Men agreed to close the case if a certain amount of funds were distributed back to the public.
The Mayor has announced that Shady funds slotted to be returned to the public will be given to a randomly selected Detective, since the licensed Private Detectives that deal with the Shady Character are the ones who have paid him the most money. Watch here for breaking news regarding the identity of the lucky detective.
The Mayor today expressed his dismay to a gathered throng of media representatives. "We assure the public we are making every effort to conduct the Lottery to dispense certain 'shady funds' as expediently as possible. However, due to a large number of City Officials being incapacitated by a recent spate of food poisoning, linked to the City Hall cafeteria, we have been unable to proceed." When asked if he thought there was anything nefarious taking place, the Mayor smiled nervously, excused himself, and headed for the bathroom.
It's official! Shady has had to give up $309,401 for public lottery, and Detective Sal Iva will profit from Shady's loss. Congratulations, Detective Sal Iva!


Firefighters from the U.S. Forest Service, and the North Fork and Platte Canyon fire departments responded to three wildfires burning near Pine on Thursday.
According to Joe Burgett, Platte Canyon assistant fire chief, the fires are on U.S. Forest Service land.
The Raleigh Peak Fire was just west of Raleigh Peak near the intersection of Southwest Platte River Road and Foxton Road, the Lions Gulch Fire was just southeast of the same intersection, and the Night Hawk Fire was near the intersection of Platte River Road and County Road 67, North Fork Fire representatives said.
As of 5 p.m. Thursday, neither the cause of the fires nor the number of acres burned was known.
This is a developing story. The Courier will provide updates as more information becomes available.


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Q: How do I save files downloaded in my app to Downloads folder in Files app in Swift 4.2? Is it possible to save the files downloaded from my app to be stored in the Downloads folder in Files App?
I am successful in creating my app folder in "On My iPhone" in Files and saving the files there.
However, my requirement is to save it in the Downloads folder in Files.
Is this possible? If so, how do I achieve this?


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Hanging Basket Competition
Stalbridge Garden Society invites all Stalbridge residents to enter their Hanging Basket Competition for the William Dike Memorial Cup, kindly sponsored by Dike & Son Ltd, presenting vouchers for the winners at the Annual Produce, Craft and Flower Show on August 20th at Stalbridge Hall. The closing date for entries is 5.30pm on Thursday 28th July 2022. Competition forms will be available in Local shops from Monday 27th June. Entries are FREE! The prizes, in the form of Dikes Vouchers are: 1st Prize £20, 2nd prize £15, 3rd prize £10. Judging will take place during the week commencing Monday 1st August. Your exhibit must be visible from the road. Winners will be announced at the end of The Annual Produce, Craft and Flower Show on August 20th at Stalbridge Hall. The Garden Society will contact the winners by telephone if they are not present at the prizegiving. Please deliver your completed entry forms to Grace Haine's Opticians in Stalbridge.
Hardy Annual
Stalbridge Garden Society presents their Annual Produce, Craft & Flower Show on Saturday 20th August 2022 in Stalbridge Hall. The show will be opened by Simon Elledge. Doors open at 2.30pm. Prize Giving at 4.00pm, followed by the Raffle. Admission: Adults 50p, children under 16 free . Download the programme or the entry form by visiting the Garden Society webpage
Stalbridge Garden Society
Pews News June/July
OUR NEW RECTOR
The Revd Canon Richard Hancock, TSSF
Richard is married to Kate who is a teacher at Semley CofE School, near Shaftsbury. They have two boys, Alex 23, who recently graduated from the Royal Academy of Music and is beginning his career in Musical Theatre, and Ben 20, having changed his career as a chef, he is now studying for a BA in Drama at UWE Bristol.
Prior to his ordination in 1997 Richard studied Photography at Berkshire College of Art and Design and then worked as a Freelance Professional Photographer. He lived in the Taizé Community in France while testing his vocation, then spent two years as a Full-Time Youth and Children's Officer in the Riverside Team Ministry in the Oxford Diocese. He trained for ministry at both Lincoln Theological College, then after its closure at Westcott House, Cambridge. He served his curacy in the urban parish of St Peter's Didcot, but rural ministry has always been his passion. After his curacy he become Vicar of the Shrivenham & Ashbury Benefice in Southwest Oxfordshire, consisting of seven rural parishes where he served for eighteen years. He also served as an Officiating Chaplain to the Military [OCM] at the Defence Academy Shrivenham.
In the past three years Richard has been Priest in Charge of the Handley Benefice and Rural Field Officer for Dorset working as part of the Rural Hope Team a four-year Salisbury Diocesan project sponsored by the national church.
His hobbies include photography, attending eccentric vintage events, cooking, and he is a fan of real Ale. Recently Richard has qualified as a Scout Leader and has been part of 1st Woodcutts, based in Handley. He's a self-confessed petrol head attending track days in his Caterham 7 and has achieved a 9 min 46 second lap time around the Nürburgring, though recently he has swapped his Caterham for a more sedate MX5, which Kate enjoys.
Richard has a passion for life, people and God's Mission and is looking forward to taking up this new challenge and working alongside people as the new Rector of Spire Hill Benefice and Rural Mission Enabler, helping to build the rural church and community life.
June 19 – First Sunday after Trinity Stalbridge 10am Morning Worship
June 23 – Thursday Stalbridge 10am Holy Communion
June 26 – Second Sunday after Trinity Stock Gaylard 8am Holy Communion. Stourton Caundle 11am Mattins
June 29 – Licensing of The Rector of our Benefice Stalbridge 7pm Followed by refreshments
July 3 – Third Sunday after Trinity Stalbridge 10am Holy Communion
July 10 – Fourth Sunday after Trinity Stourton Caundle 11am Holy Communion. Stalbridge 4pm Evensong
July 17 – Fifth Sunday after Trinity Stalbridge 10am Morning Worship
July 24 – Sixth Sunday after Trinity Stock Gaylard 8am Holy Communion. Stourton Caundle 11am Mattins
July 28 – Thursday Stalbridge 10am Holy Communion
July 31 – Seventh Sunday after Trinity Purse Caundle 11am Benefice Service
STALBRIDGE TEAM
Rector Canon Richard Hancock 01 963 363 367 - Day off Mondays canonrick@icloud.com
LLM Judy Waite 01 963 362 945
Churchwarden Stuart Waite 01 963 362 945
Churchwarden Derek Bollen 01 963 362 771
The Big Platinum Picnic- Take 2
The Big Platinum Jubilee Picnic (postponed from 5th June) will be held at Stalbridge Hall (outside if dry, inside if wet) on Saturday 25th June from 12 noon until 3 pm. Bring a picnic, folding chairs, rugs. There will be a BBQ. Free ice creams. Fun Races. Wear your Jubilee t shirts, crowns and masks! Come and celebrate. Disabled parking only.
U3A presents...
Blackmore Vale U3A presents "Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum"- Come with us as Historian and Arts Society lecturer Dr James Taylor leads us through one of the last Victorian Houses to be built in England. In 1901 Merton Russell-Cotes gave his wife Annie a dream house on a cliff-top, overlooking the sea in Bournemouth as an extraordinary, extravagant birthday present. They filled this exotic seaside villa with beautiful objects from their travels across the world and lined the walls with a remarkable collection of British art, creating a unique atmosphere in a most dramatic setting. A home, an art gallery, and a museum sealed in time. Henstridge Village Hall BA8 0QD. Tuesday 5th July.
Details 01963 362107. Doors open 2.15pm for refreshments Speaker 3pm Visitors £2.50
Stalbridge cycle shop Dorset Cycles is closing for a 1 day holiday on Saturday 11th June and will reopen on Tuesday 14th June. As well as selling and repairing bikes the shop also hires bikes out on an hourly, daily and weekly basis. To find out more visit their page on the Stalbridge Info site.
DORSET CYCLES
Well Done Stalbridge !
Katie Garland from Stalbridge Town Council wishes everyone a fantastic Platinum Jubilee Weekend and thanks all the residents, businesses, groups and organisations who have helped make Stalbridge a special place in which to celebrate. Join in the fun from Thursday 2nd to Sunday 5th.


China's SWS yard won an order for five Capesize bulkers from compatriot Shandong Shipping.
Lloyd's Register granted AiP to Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding for new LNG fuelled Newcastlemax bulker design.
COSCOCS takes delivery of the first of ten 400,000 dwt very large ore carriers from Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding.
CMA CGM Picks Chinese Yards to Build 22,000 TEU Boxships?


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tv_and_movies
Raya takes first step as the newest Disney princess
Raya – Photo via Disney Movies
Ari Curtis and Ari Curtis
From taking the first step, to becoming a real trailblazer, Disney's "Raya and the Last Dragon" is the newest film in the 'Disney princess' franchise. Raya joins Mulan in the Disney princess hall of fame as an empowering Asian warrior, however, Raya takes it a step further as she is the first from the Southeast region of Asia.
"Raya and the Last Dragon" was released on Disney+ on March 5 for premier access only. The release date for all Disney+ subscribers is on June 4. It received a 94% from Rotten Tomatoes and a 7.5/10 from IMDb. According to Box Office Mojo, the fantasy film has grossed over a total of $28.9 million in just the U.S. and Canada alone, ranking No. 1 at the box office for its first three weeks.
In the film, Princess Raya, played by Kelly Marie Tran, must find the last dragon, Sisu, played by Awkwafina, to eradicate the dark force that threatens the land of Kumandra, and restore peace and trust to everyone.
Asian Student Union President Sophia Michalski sees a connection between the film's subject matter and the recent rise in anit-Asian hate crimes.
"I think Disney created (and) released 'Raya and the Last Dragon' because of the popularity surrounding the activism that arose (in response) to the hate crimes and racism," she said.
Although there aren't any whimsical musical numbers in the film, which hasn't been absent in an animated Disney Princess film since "Brave," the film still had familiar elements that qualified it to be a classic Disney fairytale. For instance, there were amazing graphics and colorful sequences that created some unforgettable scenes.
"(It was) much different from what Disney normally does. I thought it was cool that Disney went as far as to include foods … the congee, a very specific porridge made from rice, the stew in which they use different ingredients like palm sugar, bamboo shoots and shrimp paste. Another thing that was more specific to culture, the architecture and their (outfits)," she said.
Before the film's release, there was controversy on the fact that there were only five actors who were of southeast Asian heritage, including lead actress Kelly Marie Tran. The rest were of East Asian Heritage. Michalski addressed this issue, calling out Disney for their laziness.
"Odds are (Disney) could take the time to find some really good unknown Southeast Asian actors and they could've recruited them, but instead they went with people who already have a name, like Awkwafina. If you're basing a movie off of Southeast Asians, don't just have (a few) as the lead, make the entire cast Southeast Asian," she said.
Michalski delved deeper to list the things Disney could have improved on.
"The way they made Kumandra and its inhabitants a kind of mixture for all of Southeast Asia (can be) bad because there's the danger of then saying, 'What's the use of learning these individual cultures, differentiating them, erasing the fact that these are different cultures with their own unique traditions and lifestyles?' Already there's a stereotype that (Asians) all look alike. When people say Asian, they're really thinking about East Asians and it completely erases Southeast, South and West Asians," she said.
"Raya and the Last Dragon" is now available through Premiere Access on Disney Plus, and in select theaters. It is scheduled to be released by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on Digital HD on April 2, and on DVD, Blu-ray and Ultra HD Blu-ray on May 18.


Because regular motorcycles aren't dangerous enough, apparently.
After years of research and development, Malloy Aeronautics has launched a Kickstarter campaign for their proposed hoverbike, which they claim "combine[s] the simplicity of a motorbike and the freedom of a helicopter to create the world's first flying motorcycle."
The Hoverbike is a quadcopter, or a drone that looks somewhat like the speederbikes in Star Wars or the lightcycles in Tron. According to the Kickstarter page, they are in the final stages of constructing a full-size prototype for this contraption and will begin test flights in the next several months. After they achieve a successful test flight, they will submit the Hoverbike to the aviation authorities for certification.
They are also selling a 1/3 size drone that was originally built as a proof of concept, which can fly on a predetermined flight for up to 20 minutes. The above Kickstarter video demonstrates its considerable capabilities as it puts out a fire and delivers pizza to a man's doorstep.
It seems that technology is really heading towards personal flying machines, between this development and Toyota's plans for flying cars.


A major study has found a possible link between paracetamol – the primary ingredient of Calpol medicines – and the risk of children developing asthma.
Calpol is the most popular painkiller in Britain; given to 84% of babies during the first six months of their life, but there are presently no warnings in regards to the possible health risks of the medicine.
In fact, the study, conducted by Spanish scientists, suggests that children who are given Calpol just once each month could be around five times more likely to develop asthma.
Moreover, even those having the medicine just once a year could be up to 70% more at risk claim the researchers behind the study, who have stated their belief that paracetamol may help to explain rising cases of childhood asthma.
Researchers from the University of Da Caruna in northern Spain asked parents of 10,371 children aged 6 to 7, and 10,372 children aged 13 to 14 whether their children were suffering from asthma and if so, the severity of it. Those involved in the study were schoolchildren from six areas in Galicia in Spain, between 2006 and 2007.
In addition, researchers asked the parents how frequently their children were given paracetamol during the previous year and how often during the time they were of infant age.
Children in the younger age group given the medicine at least once a month were apparently over five times more times likely to have asthma and those given it just once a year were found to be approximately 70% more at risk.
However, there are those who have called into question the validity of the study. As the study assessed paracetamol use and asthma symptoms (wheezing) at the same time, it is viable that children with asthma symptoms are simply more likely to be given paracetamol by their parents to help with the symptoms, as opposed to paracetamol directly contributing to the asthma.
Dr Martin Scurr, a GP in London, says it is difficult to draw conclusions from the study and further research needs to be carried out.
Asthma was assessed by asking parents and children only about episodes of wheezing and as such, may not represent an accurate medical diagnosis of asthma. Also, as the paracetamol usage/frequency was self-reported, it is unlikely to be 100% accurate.
Therefore, it would be wrong to suggest a definite connection between paracetamol use and asthma. As with all medicines, paracetamol should only be given to children if it is required.
The number of children developing asthma in Britain has more than doubled in the last 50 years, with many studies being carried out to find out why, and health experts at loggerheads as to what reasons are causing the increase.
An estimated 1.1 million youngsters in Britain are suffering from the lung condition, and added to 4.3 million adults who have asthma, it causes 1,400 deaths each year in the UK.
Visit the 'Asthma and Allergies' area of the Medical Specialists Pharmacy website today for a full list of all the preventer and reliever inhalers we provide for suitable patients.


Ah, it's an old one but it's got good bones.
Want to see something stranger?
IS IT NICE? is a simplified weather app that turns weather forecasts into a personal, emotional and advisory experience.
Is 19ºC nice? How about 77ºF? Is 5mph of wind good or bad? How about 32% humidity? Looking at forecasts typically raises two questions: "is it nice?" and "should I wear a jumper?": 'IS IT NICE' answers both of these questions.


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Home » Blogs » Charles Gaba's blog » North Carolina: BCBSNC reports 85% QHPs paid
North Carolina: BCBSNC reports 85% QHPs paid
News Observer, 05/08/14: Blue Cross signs up 232,000 in NC for federal health care
Hat Tip To:
lazydawg58
BCBSNC reports 232,000 QHPs sold on the ACA exchange...but that's out of about 273,000 total enrollees; they've removed the other 15% who haven't paid their premium yet:
The Blue Cross enrollments reflect insured customers who signed up from October through May 1 and are still paying premiums. About 15 percent of customers who signed up never paid a premium and are not included in the 232,000 figure, Burke said.
So, fine: 85% for Blue Cross of NC. As it happens, NC sold a total of 357,584 policies total, which means BCBSNC sold over 76% of the total.
Now, it's conceivable (but not likely) that 100% of the remaining 84,500 enrollees snapped up by other companies did pay their premiums, but even so, that would only bring the paid percentage up to about 88.5%. So, I think it's safe to say that for North Carolina, 85% is a reasonable "How many have PAID???" figure for the full state until more solid numbers are released.
For a couple of months now, I've been assuming that the final "how many have PAID???" tally will end up being around 93%. As the solid data comes in, it's starting to look like I might have overshot the mark a bit, which is why I've backed off my placeholder "rule of thumb" to 90%. I still think the final national tally could end up above 90%, but until we get a more recent update from California (they reported 85%...back on 4/27), New York, Texas or Florida, the needle is unlikely to move one way or the other much.
Of course, even at 85%, NC is still a good 14% higher than the silly GOP House Committee claim of 71% for the state. That report will never get old, I tell ya...


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There are occasions when a product is so universally known, used and appreciated that we sometimes forget where it came from. One such product is aviator sunglasses - reportedly first developed by Bausch & Lomb back in the mid-thirties as a way to protect the eyes of pilots serving in the US Air Force.
Created as a more suitable replacement for the functional yet cumbersome goggles worn by early 20th century aviators - which incidentally is what gave aviator sunglasses their name – these glasses were the first to give pilots the consistent protection they needed against the sun's rays. Additionally, the glasses helped to minimize the harsh glare experienced when flying at high altitudes.
Used By All Branches of the US Military
While aviator sunglasses grew in popularity in the world of pilots, they were first sold to the general market some 5 years later. Their unmistakable teardrop design struck a chord with consumers. Ray-Ban, a company founded by Bausch & Lomb inventors, was the first to bring the aviator style into the public domain, introducing a range of different models geared toward outdoor living.
The fact that aviator glasses could minimize glare while also providing clarity of vision proved to be a hit with fishermen and hunters alike. When WWII began, US Airforce pilots came to rely upon them for a clear view of their all-important aircraft instrument panels during combat.
So widespread was their use in the armed forces during this time that even General Douglas MacArthur could be seen sporting a pair on the beaches of the Philippines during a critical period of the war. To call aviators iconic might be something of a misnomer, as it would understates their influence at this time. They were ubiquitous in military circles and becoming increasingly popular with the general public.
Influencing the Catwalk From the Cockpit
It wasn't until the mid-1950s that the military styling of aviator sunglasses really took hold in the public psyche. As the glasses made their way from the cockpit to the catwalk over the next two decades, their popularity grew more and more, further enhanced by their use in major 70s motion pictures like Robert De Niro's Taxi Driver. At this point, the glasses transcended from being a mere functional item to a fully-fledged fashion accessory.
Different models came and went, as other big-name fashion brands like Gucci, D&G and Burberry adopted the style and made it their own. One of the biggest moments for the aviator came during the 1980s, when major stars took them to the highest heights.
Who can forget Michael Jackson wearing mirrored aviators at the Grammys or Tom Cruise rocking a pair in the classic film Top Gun? Aviator sunglasses transformed from fashion item to cultural icon, with their classic shape reaching legendary status.
As Popular Today As Ever
They say that class is permanent, and that seems to be true when it comes to aviator sunglasses. In existence now for some 80+ years, aviators continue to be as popular today as they ever have been, with a wide range of different lenses and coatings now available to suit the needs of the wearer.
The fact that the style still endures today is testament to the influence that it has had not only on the military, but also on Hollywood and global pop culture. In the world of aviation today - where the magic of aviators all began - they're still being used by pilots across the world to safeguard the vision of flyers of all types of aircraft while also offering an alluring aesthetic.
Will aviators still be worn by the masses in another 80 years? Who knows? But if any style can endure, its track record and undoubted importance to eye safety would point towards it being so.
Written by Method Seven


Sports holidays on Garda Lake: sports activities by the lake and and motorbike, bike or walking tours.
Surf the waves at sunrise, driven by the legendary Pelér, the strong morning wind, and go trekking at high altitudes in the afternoon, among the mountains and forests. Dedicate yourself to canyoning in the gorges carved out by the rocky mountain streams or relax on a nice trip on a sail boat, taking advantage of the afternoon breezes. Get on a mountain bike and go wild on the trails famous among the bikers from all over Europe and plunge yourself downhill along breathtaking paths. Go further along the mountains, chasing Icarus' dream and flying through the clouds with a paraglider. If doing sports while being in contact with nature is call that you cannot resist, then Lake Garda in Lombardy is the perfect destination for you. The vast territory of the "Lake Garda - Lombardy" Consortium, from Limone to Sirmione is one of the few areas in Europe that offers such a wide array of choice for your sports vacations within a unique natural setting that extends from the lake's expanse of water to 2000m high peaks.
For those in search of excitement, there is canyoning: walking, diving and lowering yourself into the ravines made by the streams with ropes is a unique experience. Then there are water sports: sailing, windsurfing, kite-surfing, scuba diving, canoeing. The lake, with its 370 square km and 158 linear km of coastline, is a unique environment for recreation and fun. It is no accident that the most famous race in the world was born here, which took place on the waterways: the Centomiglia. Even the inland is a large natural gym in the open. With the lake in the background, the hills and Benacensi mountains offer endless possibilities to do sports: hiking tours are offered daily for hiking lovers, many routes and paths specifically designed for lovers of Nordic walking and for fans of mountain biking, cycling in the green on bike paths and routes suitable for the whole family or vent your desire for thrills on the breathtaking downhill rides. Or go horse riding, climbing, do archery, tennis or try your hand at Go-Karting. Last but not least, there is golf. Today, along the Lombardy coast, there are six golf courses, all in settings of great environmental value and which are able to meet, from technical point of view, all the needs of enthusiasts. Open 12 months a year. Lake Garda is a paradise for those who love outdoor holidays. Being bored will be impossible.


Alberto Parada is committed to providing a high quality product that is both environmentally and socially responsible.
Alberto's jewelry contains only reclaimed gold - Gold from the existing supply chain that is recycled and refined. By choosing to use reclaimed gold, Alberto does not contribute to the environmental destruction, waste, and social injustice caused by metal mining.
Alberto is a member of the No Dirty Gold campaign.
Alberto's jewelry is handcrafted and manufactured in the United States using conflict-free diamonds and fair-trade gems.
In October 2007 Alberto was featured at the first Green Fashion week in Seattle, Washington produced by the Zella Company. Alberto has participated in several charity events including United Cerebral Palsy, Professional Football Players Mothers Association, Under The Baoabab Tree, Fashion Fights Poverty, and California Wildlife Center.
© 2007-2014 Alberto Parada. All rights reserved.


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Warwick staff want stalker code
Union leaders at Warwick University have called for more advice and protection for staff faced with harassment after a student was found guilty of stalking her former lecturer this week.
Senior members of the Association of University Teachers branch at the university say that stalking has not been written into Warwick's anti-harassment code, despite being raised on several occasions in meetings between the union and university officials.
Robert Fine, a 50-year-old senior lecturer, won a High Court injunction banning his former student Eileen McLardy from harassing or approaching him.
The judge ordered Mrs McLardy not to go within 200 yards of Dr Fine's home where, he had heard, she daily stood peering in the windows. Mrs McLardy was also ordered to pay Pounds 5,000 damages to Dr Fine for the "stress and strain" she had caused him.
The judge said: "She has conducted a vendetta against Dr Fine, and the reason for it seems to me because of a frivolous complaint against him of sexual harassment. When that was rejected she seems to have embarked upon this course of conduct."
An AUT spokesman said: "Stalking is an issue which has been raised on several occasions as requiring particular attention. But we have not been able to make the degree of detailed progress we would like."
The university's guidelines on harassment do cover areas like "suggestive remarks", "physical threats" and "unwanted contact". The Committee of Vice Chancellors and Principals says it believes its code on student discipline, adopted by many institutions, covers many aspects of stalking. But the AUT said it hoped that universities and union leaders would consider the issue of stalking more closely. A Warwick spokesman commented: "It seems sensible that there should be a dialogue on these questions."


Hey folks, what's the best way to cache search results while querying a web API? Should I cache results for each user query after the cache expiration or there's a better way?
What do you mean "cache results […] after the cache expiration"?
Let's say I set a 1h lifetime to the cache. During this time all queries and results are cached. Each time a query is repeated the results are retrieved from cache. After the expiration, the cache is cleared and the process should be repeated.
It turns out I'm pretty sure this is not the best way, so this thread.
I don't follow you. What's wrong with that way?
It's impossible to say anything concrete without an example. It's fine to cache some things for an hour. Others for only a few minutes, and some not at all.


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While Congress Mulls USPS Reform, Agency Continues to Evaluate Post Office Closures
KUNC | By Grace Hood
After asking for a five-month moratorium in December, Congress has been relatively quiet so far on how it hopes to fix the economically troubled U.S. Postal Service. The Senate was expected to begin debating postal reform legislation this week. But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid decided instead to prioritize the STOCK Act.
Meantime, the USPS is losing $23 million per day.
"That's our revenues versus what we spend," says USPS spokesperson in Denver David Rupert. "So we look forward to a quick resolution to our issues."
Rupert says that the USPS is continuing to evaluate Colorado's 77 post offices under consideration for closure. But no action will be taken until the moratorium lifts on May 15.
Most recently, the USPS denied the appeals of five Phippsburg residents to stop the closure of their post office in Colorado. Rupert says the USPS can't technically move forward with the closure until after the moratorium period is finished.
Out of the original list of 91 Colorado post offices proposed for closure by the USPS, 11 have been pulled from consideration. That includes the small northeastern town of New Raymer, profiled by KUNC last summer.
Meantime, four out of six processing centers in Colorado are also under consideration for closure. The largest of these, in Colorado Springs, stands to lose 250 jobs if it's closed.
Last week the Congressional Research Service issued an overview of USPS issues for Congress. This will no doubt be required reading for both the U.S. Senate and House as they debate separate versions of legislation aimed at overhauling the USPS.
Business U.S. Postal Service (USPS)New RaymerPostal ReformColorado
Grace Hood
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See stories by Grace Hood
Proposed Post Office Closures Spark Anger, Challenge Rural Identity
Small towns across America may soon lose a part of their identity if the U.S. Postal Service has its way. Up to 3,000 post offices are targeted for…
Is Your Post Office Closing? USPS Is Studying Shuttering 3,700 Locations
Eyder Peralta
Citing decreased demand, the U.S. Postal Service said some communities that lose retail locations might get automated locations or a local vendor that sells stamps and flat-rate boxes.
USPS Agrees to Five-Month Moratorium on Closures
The U.S. Postal Service has voluntarily agreed to delay the closing of 252 mail processing centers and 3,700 local post offices until mid-May.The news…


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Trinity United Methodist Church began back in 1828 when a small group of pioneer settlers in this community (known as Whetstone back then) gathered in homes for worship. This was twenty years before Morrow County was formed and Mount Gilead was made the county seat.
On March 4, 1829 this group became a Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church and was served by some circuit riding pastors in the area. Trinity is the oldest church in town.
Our first building was built in 1831. It was a small log cabin. It was used until our present location was purchased in 1843. The lot cost the church a mere $100.00. The second house of worship was completed by 1845 at the cost of $2,150.00. That building was replaced 12 years later and was dedicated to the service and worship of God on March 4, 1900, exactly 71 years to the day when the congregation was originally organized. In the past 100+ years we have seen a number of additions, renovations, and numerous projects which have improved the church property and have aided the church's ministry to its members and to the community.


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SÂVER Debuts Dissolve To Ashes
Posted by Wade Reitz | Feb 20, 2019 | News, Videos | 0 |
They Came With Sunlight is the impending new full-length from SÂVER. Self-described as, "heavy, spaced-out darkness out of Oslo," the atmospheric sludge metal trio features current and past members of Norwegian doom outfits Tombstones and Hymn and will unleash their debut on March 8th via Pelagic Records.
In advance of its release, The Obelisk is pleased to debut the band's video for "Dissolve To Ashes." Issues SÂVER, "With the 'Dissolve To Ashes' video, we wanted to underline our origin by showing the snowy Norwegian country side. As with the different parts in the song, the scenery switches rapidly, from deep valleys, mountains, to barren fields. These images, blended with freezing psychedelics, mirrors us perfectly."
Adds The Obelisk of the track, "With a line of effects/keys/something woven through, the penultimate inclusion starts relatively mellow and stays that way for some time, delivering the album's title line as its opening lyric in the first non-harsh vocals of the outing. There's madness to come, rest assured, and it is all the more a cacophony for that quiet moment preceding – the power of contrast – but even that later barrage is indicative of the control SÂVER exert over their material and the willful nature of their conjuring."
View SÂVER's "Dissolve To Ashes" clip here:
SÂVER's They Came With Sunlight will see release on CD, LP, and digital formats. See preorder options below:
North America: http://bit.ly/saverNA
Europe: http://bit.ly/saverEU
Australia: http://bit.ly/saverAUS
Digital: http://bit.ly/saverDGTL
Tracked in May of 2018 in Norrköping, Sweden while camping out in the Swedish woods nearby,SÂVER's consuming sound is characterized by a strong component of apocalyptic synths and textural electronics hovering above the foundation of heavy guitars and bass – a mélange that works incredibly well for the trio. An album of sublime heaviness, shimmering moogs, fiery vocals, and a devastatingly gnarly tone, fans of bands like Breach, The Old Wind, and Cult Of Luna, pay heed.
"The idea of starting SÂVER was a consequence of ending something," comments bassist/vocalist Ole Christian Helstad. "In the beginning, it was a good mix of loss, in a way, and the excitement of a blank canvas. In hindsight, we shared a feeling of longing for an escape, getting away from the known, and immersing ourselves into something completely different… which is scary and exciting at the same time. It mirrors the band both in a literary sense, as well as the general mood during the writing process.
"A lot of the lyrics are centered around the idea of leaving this world behind, towards something undefined," Helstad continues, "which makes the eternity of cosmos an inevitable image in the viewfinder. Like hitting the road, except upwards with no rear view mirror."
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Q: Adding line to ASP.NET to ListBox I need a line added to a listbox in ASP.NET to provide some separation from the many options the user can choose from.  Currently, we have over 20 different options for the user to choose and I need to put the most popular up top.  I have the logic that puts the popular option on top, but think a line in the listbox will help the user separate them from the rest of the list.  The listbox items are populated in the code behind.

A: You can use the optgroup tag to give separation.
<select>
   <option value="XX"/>
   <optgroup label="separation"/>
   <option value="BB"/>
</select>

To give only a line you will need to do some trickery. See below
<style type="text/css">
    optgroup {border-bottom:solid thin black; width:100%;}
</style>
<select>
   <option value="XX"/>
   <optgroup label=" "/>
   <option value="BB"/>
</select>

If your data is already loaded you could run some jquery after.
$('select option[value="XX"]').after('<optgroup label=""/>');

A: There is no out-of-the box possibility to create option-groups from DropDownLists nor Listboxes in asp.net.
Found those articles providing a server-side and client-side solution to achieve what you are looking for:
Optgroup in .NET Listbox
Dropdownlist control with <optgroup>s for asp.net (webforms)?


You want to animate clouds or something else only with CSS keyframes, then use animation and keyframes so you can either absolute positioned elements with left top right and bottom move in the keyframes or even with transform translate, that's up to you.
To secure that as well and if you move your element from 0px to 850px it will look like a loop because nothing in the visible area suddenly changes position.
You can use hover like other pseudo elements to fire CSS events.
The CSS for this example can be found here, it can be extended or shortened or transferred to SASS or LESS.
Are CSS animations now "bad"?
Opt-In and Opt-Out information here.


ROCKFORD — Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat, signed an executive order restoring public health funding for HIV care.
He signed an executive order to expand access to the medicine known as PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis, which can reduce the chances of getting HIV. PrEP funding was a casualty of the state budget impasse.
The order also increases funding for HIV testing, the African American HIV/AIDS Response Act and other public health initiatives.
He said about 40,000 Illinois residents are living with HIV and at least 1,300 were diagnosed with the virus last year. He said about 50 percent living with HIV are black and 18 percent are Latino.


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"all of life's riddles are answered in the movies"
Archive for 2007
Posted in Crime with tags 2007 on March 31, 2017 by Mark Walker
Director: David Cronenberg.
Screenplay: Steven Knight.
Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Vincent Cassel, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Sinéad Cusack, Jerzy Skolimowski, Donald Sumpter, Tamer Hassan, Josef Altin.
"Anger is dangerous. It makes people do stupid things."
With A History of Violence in 2005, David Cronenberg seemed to take his career in a more mainstream direction. It wasn't the horror or dark science fiction that many had come to know him by, but an arresting thriller that was actually based on a graphic novel. It was a big success and, two years later, led to Cronenberg sticking with his leading man Viggo Mortensen and attempting something similar with Eastern Promises. You could say that their second collaboration delivers something even more satisfying. Continue reading →
Before The Devil Knows You're Dead * * * * 1/2
Posted in Crime, Drama, thriller with tags 2007 on October 12, 2012 by Mark Walker
Director: Sidney Lumet.
Screenplay: Kelly Masterson.
Starring: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Albert Finney, Marisa Tomei, Rosemary Harris, Bryan F. O'Byrne, Amy Ryan, Michael Shannon, Aleksa Palladino, Leonardo Cimino.
Sidney Lumet is a director that's no stranger to crafting intense pieces of work. In fact, he's a master at it. Just look at a few from his highly impressive filmography like "12 Angry Men", "Fail-Safe", "Network" or "Serpico". He's also no stranger to a heist movie, having made one of the sub-genre's best in "Dog Day Afternoon". In "Before The Devil Knows You're Dead" – his last film before his death – Lumet returns to that sub-genre and, once again, delivers with aplomb.
Hank (Ethan Hawke) and Andy (Philip Seymour Hoffman) are two brothers whose financial woes are having a direct effect on their lives. In order to solve their problems, Andy hatches a plan to rob a jewellery store. He calls it a "mom and pop" operation and it's quite literally that: the store is owned by the brothers' parents. If all goes down as it's supposed to, then nobody will get hurt. Like so many crimes of this nature though, things can and do go wrong, dragging everyone down with a devastating turn of events.
Lumet builds his film slowly and assuredly, revealing the characters' motivations bit by bit before peeling away the layers of their downfall. To do this, he cleverly plays with timeframes; changing back, forward and during the robbery itself. The focus is on the two brothers, as well as their emotionally stilted father (Albert Finney). Of course, this type of narrative device is nothing new. We have seen it used many times before but Lumet's skill is in keeping it fresh and gripping. In support of his deft handling of the material, the actors deliver outstanding performances across the board; Tomei nails the ditzy wife routine; Hawke is marvellously high strung and weasel-like; Finney lends his usual reliability and there's a small but welcome role for a threatening Michael Shannon. Unsurprisingly though, it's Hoffman's movie. He has a real presence here shifting from secretive to calculated then deadly with absolute ease. It may be unfair to single out one particular actor but this is another example of Hoffman's incredible ability to completely inhabit a character. His downfall in particular, is of powerful and tragic Shakespearean proportions and he completely captures the intensity of a deeply immoral man.
Sidney Lumet was in his 80's when he directed this, yet it shows a vibrancy that could easily be associated with a much younger director. With a canon of top-quality films behind him, this is as good and as riveting as anything he has done. Sadly it was his last but what a film to go out on.
The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford * * * * 1/2
Posted in Biography, Drama, History, Western with tags 2007 on August 30, 2012 by Mark Walker
Director: Andrew Dominik.
Screenplay: Andrew Dominik.
Starring: Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, Sam Rockwell, Jeremy Renner, Paul Schneider, Sam Shepard, Garret Dillahunt, Mary-Louise Parker, Zooey Deschanel, Michael Parks, Ted Levine, Alison Elliott, James Carville, Tom Aldredge, Pat Healy, Nick Cave.
Narrator: Hugh Ross.
In 2000, director Andrew Dominik exploded onto the scene with low-budget but powerful biographical film "Chopper" about Australian criminal Mark Brandon Read. It not only heralded the arrival of actor Eric Bana but also a new an uncompromising director. For his second feature he tackled another biographical feature about one of the wild west's most notorious gunslingers and this time, Dominik took his uncompromising nature even further.
Retelling of the last months in the life of the legendary outlaw Jesse James and how his reputation was faltering. His gang had disbanded – either dead or in prison and Jesse was beginning to suffer increasing paranoia. After carrying out a train robbery he heads for Kentucky, only to reappear in Missouri for a bank robbery. Two brothers; Charley (Sam Rockwell) and Robert Ford (Casey Affleck) are part of his new gang but Robert has a dangerous and obsessive idolisation of Jesse and one that would finally be the outlaws undoing.
Few film's ever get away with having a title as long as this one and even fewer get away with the manner in which this film is made. That's testament to the skill of Andrew Dominik and the backing of Brad Pitt who refused to yield to Hollywood studios when they wanted to tinker with Dominik's vision. Right from the opening, brutal, train robbery, this film's style is apparent. It's sense of realism is what commands your attention; it goes on to depict stark expansive landscapes, explosive bullet wounds and guns that don't shoot straight but the actual gunslinging is kept to a minimum, while it focuses on the characters themselves. The pace of the film is deliberate, adding to the ethereal feel throughout and one that reminded me of the approach that director Terrence Malick would use. Roger Deakins' cinematography is also a thing of absolute beauty. The entirety of every single frame of this picture is stunningly captured with meticulous attention to detail and Dominik's direction is near flawless. He lingers long on shots and subtle facial expressions and captures the uneasiness in the characters and their situations. By using this methodical style, he manages to get under the skin of his two leading characters and allows both Pitt and especially Affleck the room to deliver sensational performances. Pitt is entirely commanding and charismatic, adding just enough of a glimmer of danger without losing the audience's sympathy and Affleck is on top, creepy and unsettling, form. The chemistry between the two hints at all sorts of possibilities – including homoerotic tension. These two share an uneasy relationship and between them, there are contemporary issues at play; the nature of celebrity and hero worship and the difference between 'the man and the myth'. Even over 100 years ago they had this but although Dominik delivers this insight, he never fully explores it, leaving it all just a bit too ambiguous. I'm not looking for a film to spell everything out for me. On the contrary but for a film that languishes on detail and mood, it could have taken a little time to further explore these themes and the characters' motivations. There's a sense of bewilderment as to why James would even tolerate having Ford around when he, seemingly, knew that something wasn't quite right about him. He was aware that sooner or later he would meet his impending fate but it's unclear why he'd open himself up to it. Another area that lacks any attention, is the females in these men's lives. They are fleetingly visited but are ultimately insignificant and the likes of Mary-Louise Parker and Zooey Deschannel are reduced to mere cameos. I can only assume that these issues could maybe make more sense in Dominik's original 4 hour cut – that played at the Venice film festival before a widespread release reduced the film to it's 2hour 40mins duration. That being said, this is still an aesthetically successful endeavour that, although not fully deserving of the masterpiece status that many consider it to be, it's not far off it.
A contemplative and demanding film that requires the utmost patience. It's highly ambitious, artistic and regularly poetic. Quite simply, it's beautifully done and I found lots to admire but it meanders and like the title itself, it's just a tad too long winded.
Shotgun Stories * * * *
Posted in Drama with tags 2007 on August 20, 2012 by Mark Walker
Director: Jeff Nichols.
Screenplay: Jeff Nichols.
Starring: Michael Shannon, Douglas Ligon, Barlow Jacobs, G. Alan Wilkins, Travis Smith, Michael Abbot Jr, Glenda Pannell, Natalie Canerday, Lynnsee Provence, David Rhodes.
In 2011, relatively unknown writer/director Jeff Nichols took a lot of people by surprise when he delivered one of the best films of the year in "Take Shelter". However, four years prior to that he had already made his debut with Shotgun Stories which is a film that shares a similar downbeat tone. Despite being seen by very few, this impressive debut shows a strong ability from this new director.
In the back roads of South East Arkansas, three close brothers, Son (Michael Shannon), Boy (Douglas Ligon) and Kid (Barlow Jacobs) hear the news of their estranged fathers death. They attend the funeral if only to relate their vehement hatred of the man as he abandoned them in their youth and started a new family. As result of this, their fathers other sons (and half brothers to them) get involved in a feud that reaches dangerous and deadly proportions.
I always find it quite interesting watching the debut of a director you admire, especially when you've been introduced to them at a later date and find yourself looking back at their earlier material just to see where they honed their skills. In this case, it's easy to where Jeff Nichols is coming from. Like "Take Shelter", this film starts off at a deliberate pace. It's in no hurry to tell it's story and favours a slow approach to build up it's characters and the mundane lifestyles they lead. It may be a little slow for some but the story here is all very deliberate and naturally handled. Nichols certainly has an eye for small town America and with help from cinematographer Adam Stone, he effectively captures the vast emptiness of the town which also reflects in the emptiness of the characters' lives. Everything about this film is subtle and understated but all the more brooding and effective for it. Performance wise, there are some faults with the lesser known actors but as always, Shannon delivers a solid show and with scars on his back that resemble shotgun shells, it only serves to fuel the films enigmatic nature and understated detail. When the feud between the half brothers takes hold, the muted first half of the film turns to one of tension as it reaches tragic Shakespearean heights that's handled very impressively and never succumbs to formula. By this, there lies the question on whether the denouement is as satisfactory as it could be but Nichols' handling is undeniably good and it makes for an impressive debut from him. It's not quite as good as "Take Shelter" but this is a director that has started strongly, backed it up with one of the best film's of 2011 and I believe will continue to go from strength to strength – time will tell with his forthcoming film "Mud" released later in 2012.
In "Take Shelter", Nichols dealt with events that had almost biblical proportions and when looking at this you can see that he shares a similar theme. This is a highly accomplished debut from one the most exciting new directors to reach our screens.
No Country For Old Men * * * * *
Posted in Crime, thriller, Western with tags 2007 on May 17, 2012 by Mark Walker
Directors: Joel & Ethan Coen.
Screenplay: Ethan & Joel Coen.
Starring: Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, Tommy Lee Jones, Woody Harrelson, Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Tess Harper, Barry Corbin, Stephen Root, Rodger Boyce, Ana Reeder, Beth Grant, Gene Jones.
Ever since their dark debut "Blood Simple" in 1984, Joel & Ethan Coen have commanded an audience's attention. They followed that up with the wacky and kinetic comedy "Raising Arizona" in 1987, proving early on, that they were comfortable in any genre. That hasn't changed over the years but what it does do, is leave you with feelings of anticipation whenever they deliver another film. You just never know what light or dark delights they are going to deliver. This film is the darkest delight they have delivered so far.
While hunting in the Texas desert, a young mid-west cowboy (Josh Brolin) comes across a botched drug deal and decides to snatch a satchel of cash. Unknowingly, there are bigger things at work here and his foolish decision attracts the attention of a relentless hitman (Javier Bardem) who has been sent to recover the money. As bodies begin to pile in their wake, a local Sheriff (Tommy Lee Jones) has the duty of hunting them down.
To foreshorten the opening lines of this film and give an insight from the disillusioned protagonist Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, we are told "… the crime you see now, it's hard to even take its measure. It's not that I'm afraid of it. I always knew you had to be willing to die to even do this job. But, I don't want to push my chips forward and go out and meet something I don't understand. A man would have to put his soul at hazard. He'd have to say, "O.K., I'll be part of this world."" Sheriff Bell is at a loss to explain human behaviour and the evil actions of people that he has pursued throughout his career in law enforcement. He is the weary heart and soul of this movie and a character that Tommy Lee Jones can do in his sleep. He serves as one part of three characters whose lives explosively intersect. The others include; Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) a foolish young man who doesn't quite grasp the enormity of his actions, which in turn, attract the attention of very disturbed and dangerous killer Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) – who makes decisions on the flip of a coin and wields a hydrolic cattle gun as a weapon. Cleverly, the Coens have them sharing very little (if any) screen time and Jones' Sherrif always two steps behind the aftermath of destructive events.
As always, the Coens are at the top of their game and have a good grasp on this adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's novel. They capture his recurrent themes; isolation, the passing of time and changing epoch's. In "The Road" McCarthy explored a post-apocalyptic change. In this, it's the end of the western way of life and despite life-experienced characters, a lack of understanding in the reasons for it's happening. Throughout their films they have delivered consistent moments of suspense. Here though, the Coens outdo themselves with regular scenes of unbearable tension (done without the use of music). The actors are all up to the task and despite Lee Jones and the Oscar winning Bardem receiving most of the plaudits, Brolin also delivers an absolutely solid, low-key performance. No Coen brothers review would be complete without mentioning the sublime talents of their regular cinematographer Roger Deakins. Yet again, his stark and beautiful camerawork compliments the barren landscapes that these characters roam. As always, his and the Coens' vision complete one another. One of the brothers' finest films and thoroughly deserving of its best picture and director(s) Oscar awards.
If you're aware of the Coen brothers' canon (and most filmgoers are) then combine "Fargo" and "Blood Simple" and this is what you get… only better. A very gripping and powerful neo-western.
Catfish * * * 1/2
Posted in Documentary with tags 2007 on April 17, 2012 by Mark Walker
Directors: Rel Schulman, Henry Joost.
Featuring: Nev Schulman, Angela Wesselman, Melody C. Roscher, Rel Schulman.
The social networking zeitgeist is certainly upon us. It has shaped a generation in their reliance on smartphones and the internet and contributed to a new global means of communication. It has brought us closer but sometimes a bit too close. It has opened up new dangers and has shaped us into voyeurs. This documentary is proof enough in showing this. It also shows how easily people can be manipulated.
Filmmakers Rel Schulman and Henry Joost find themselves in the midst of a film project, tracing an online romance between Rel's brother Nev and a female artist on Facebook. Everything doesn't add up though as the women's real identity becomes in question and her stories don't seem to make sense. Is she really who she says she is?…
After a slow beginning, we are soon informed of where this documented drama is heading and the path it takes becomes dark and intriguing. Prime candidate for mockery, Nev Schulman, is a good sport. He very rarely shy's away from what is ultimately a major piss take of his trust in people. But what it also does, is remind ourselves (or those who use social networking sites) that everything is not as it seems when interacting with faceless names. For those who haven't seen it, I won't give too much away, but it shows the frailties in Internet use, as well as, the frailties in ourselves. The revelation of the strange events is quite awakening but is everything we told even true in itself? Some people took this documentary quite literally. I, however, had to wonder whether it was a double cross. I believed it to a point but there were so many chance happenings that were caught conveniently on camera that it couldn't all have been purely documented.
Questions remain as too how authentic the film actually is but as a social commentary it's message still stands. Despite some inconstancies it remains cleverly constructed.
Lars And The Real Girl * * * *
Posted in Comedy, Drama with tags 2007 on February 2, 2012 by Mark Walker
Director: Craig Gillespie.
Screenplay: Nancy Oliver.
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer, Patricia Clarkson, Kelli Garner, Paul Schneider, Nancy Beatty, Doug Lennox.
When you see the poster for this film, with a moustachioed Ryan Gosling sitting on his sofa, grinning from ear to ear and accompanied by a sex doll, you be forgiven for entering into this and expecting some form of farcical sex-comedy. The poster however, is somewhat misleading. This is more of a drama (with a hint of quirkiness) and it's a sensitive and heartfelt one at that.
Pathologically shy guy Lars Lindstrom (Ryan Gosling) introduces his new 'girlfriend' Bianca, a lifelike plastic doll, to his sister-in-law Karin (Emily Mortimer) and brother Gus (Paul Schneider). Somewhat concerned, they decide to call in sympathetic psychologist Dagmar (Patricia Clarkson) who advises that everyone play along with treating Bianca as a real person to try and get to the bottom of Lars' obvious mental condition.
Lars is a tragic character that Gosling imbues with a real fragile innocence. It's another marvellous and enigmatic performance from him. He keeps the audience at just the right distance. Never letting you in, but still maintaining a likeability. Lars is a character that could so easily be laughed at and ridiculed but it's testament to writer Nancy Oliver, director Craig Gillespie, the supporting cast of Mortimer, Schnieder and Clarkson, and particularly Gosling's lead in bringing the character – and his social trauma – so vividly to life. Instead of being a farcical film of cheap jokes, it becomes a touching exploration of mental health that's quite unlike anything you'll have seen before.
It's deliberately paced and some may even find it lethargic but I found it to be a highly original and deeply sensitive drama anchored by a marvellous central performance.
Index of Reviews:
A-Z Index of Reviews
Classic Scenes (Scripted)
Movie Poster Mash-Up's
My Dad & The Dude
My Top Ten
Polished Performances
The 'Sit-Down' series
Trivia Tidbits
Dead Man's Shoes
Roman J. Israel, Esq