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Why can't new superhero movies make their actors into superstars?
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serious crayons
http://www.vulture.com/2013/11/why-superhero-actors-arent-superstars-anymore-thor-chris-hemsworth.html?mid=vulture_newsletter&om_rid=AACJ8k&om_mid=_BSfAZbB82MSeV9
Why the Newest Superhero Movies Can't Seem to Make Their Actors Into Superstars
By Kyle Buchanan
As we spent the last few months gathering data for our annual Most Valuable Stars list, we noticed something unusual: Many of the actors who had starred in the biggest superhero movies of the last several years — including Chris Hemsworth, who takes up the hammer yet again in this weekend's Thor: The Dark World — were consistently cursed with the lowest awareness scores of anyone on our entire list, according to a statistic furnished to us by nationwide surveying company E-Score. Most of the people questioned by E-Score had surely seen or heard of blockbusters like Thor, Captain America, The Amazing Spider-Man, and Man of Steel, but when asked if they recognized the names of Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Andrew Garfield, and Henry Cavill, these regular folks drew a blank. Admittedly, it's harder than ever to grow a bona fide new A-lister — that's why the industry seems to be clinging to the ascendant Jennifer Lawrence like a life raft — but this specific data raises a question that should be troubling for any well-muscled young actor hoping to don a cape and tights someday: If $300 and $400 million–grossing blockbusters can't make you famous anymore, what can?
Consider the evidence: According to E-Poll, Hemsworth's awareness score is 22 out of 100, even though he starred in Thor and prominently co-starred in one of the biggest movies of all time, The Avengers. His comrade-in-arms Chris Evans has an even worse score, 18, despite the fact that before he made Captain America, he'd been kicking around Hollywood longer than Hemsworth. Man of Steel was this year's third biggest hit, earning nearly $300 million domestically, but star Henry Cavill can only manage an 11 awareness score, one measly point higher than Andrew Garfield, our current Spider-Man. And then we come to the actor on our Most Valuable Stars list who had the rock-bottom lowest awareness score: That would be Michael Fassbender, who Fox picked to co-lead 2011's X-Men: First Class, though two years later, he still can't manage an awareness number higher than 7.
Superhero movies are bigger than ever, so why aren't these actors' names just as big? Here are three things to blame for this downturn in star super-power.
The comic-book movie market is oversaturated.
Why didn't last year's The Amazing Spider-Man make Andrew Garfield as famous as the first Spider-Man movie seemed to make Tobey Maguire? Perhaps that's because the thrill is gone: In 2002, when Maguire's first crack at Spider-Man came out, big-budget comic-book movies were still a welcome rarity. Spider-Man was the highest grossing film of the year in 2002, the first superhero film since 1989's Batman to pull off that box-office benchmark, but in the last seven years alone, Spider-Man 3, The Dark Knight, The Avengers, and Iron Man 3 have all topped the annual box office in the years they came out. Even as recently as 2005, when Christian Bale (awareness score: 47) donned the bat-cowl for the first time in Batman Begins, his film was the sole comic-book entry in the top-twenty highest-grossing films of the year. 2012, by contrast, had three superhero movies in the top ten. There's simply no time to really dig into these comic-book blockbusters — and become obsessed with the men who star in them — if another is coming along just a few weeks later.
It's also important to note that when Maguire first starred as Spider-Man, the era of modern effects-driven cinema was still just getting started. The original Spider-Man was a major leap forward in CG-driven action scenes and provided web-slinging sights that felt fresh and exciting. The halo effect of that thrill — the feeling that the movie was showing you something special that you'd never seen on a screen before — couldn't help but bestow movie stardom on its lead actor. The effects work on last year's The Amazing Spider-Man was accomplished, and it's impressive what a team of top-flight artists have realized in Thor: The Dark World, but these movies feel more like a refinement of skills than a great leap forward in moviemaking; is it any surprise that no comic-book movie has won the special effects Oscar since Spider-Man 2 in 2004? Americans will still line up in droves for these comic-book movies, but they don't stick in the mind as long afterward, and sooner than ever, the names of their actors are forgotten, too.
It takes more than a movie to make a movie star.
Chris Hemsworth is a terrifically charismatic person onscreen (he was a delight in Ron Howard's racing drama Rush), but off-screen, he hasn't quite captured the public's imagination — even a recent Esquire cover story on Hemsworth had to invent several fantasy interludes just to make the actor sound more dynamic. Maybe that's why his younger brother Liam has a higher awareness score than Chris, despite the fact that Liam's main claim to onscreen fame thus far has been about ten total minutes in The Hunger Games: Liam dated the controversial Miley Cyrus for years, which garnered far more headlines than a simple film role would have.
If you want to be a well-known movie star these days, it helps, then, to bring a little something extra to the table. Actors like Evans and Cavill aren't known for much else besides their superhero roles; neither of them lands on the pages of People or Us with any regularity, and when they're not doing press for their films, they don't attract much additional attention or awareness. The instructive thing is that in virtually all of these superhero films, the female leads have far higher awareness numbers than the men they're supporting: Compare Natalie Portman's 53 to Chris Hemsworth's 22, or Emma Stone's 39 to Andrew Garfield's 10, or even Amy Adams's 29 to Cavill's 11. It's no wonder that Scarlett Johansson has assumed the female lead in next year's Captain America sequel since she positively dwarfs her co-star Chris Evans when it comes to awareness scores, earning 52 to his 18.
All of these women have plenty going on besides their superhero films — you can't go a day without seeing one of them in a makeup ad or on a magazine cover, and if they break up with a beau or get engaged, it's headline news — which makes audiences more curious about them and more aware of who they are, solidifying their star power. In an era when reality shows and social networks define a new normal that's all about oversharing, it's clear that our most recent superheroes have a lot to learn about getting press (since we still have a lot to learn about them).
These stars feel too expendable to get attached to.
Marvel famously asks its stars to sign multi-film contracts, but if Hemsworth and Evans begin to sour on the superhero process or attempt to play financial hardball, is there any doubt whatsoever that Marvel will have them replaced with other actors before you can say "Avengers assemble"? We've already seen it done with breathtaking speed over the last few years, as Andrew Garfield abruptly snatched the Spider-Man mask from Tobey Maguire after a planned Spider-Man 4 fell through, and Christian Bale barely had any time to bask in his Dark Knight Rises swan song before Ben Affleck was announced as the new Batman. If we now get the feeling that a star is simply the temporary custodian of the super-suit, is it really worth learning who's playing who?
There are a precious few exceptions, of course. Robert Downey Jr. out-rates all of his fellow superheroes with an awareness level of 69, and he's so identified with the Iron Man franchise that Marvel has respectfully put a temporary hold on those films while Downey Jr. mulls over whether he really wants to make more stand-alone movies about Tony Stark. (He's signed up for two more Avengers sequels at present, and that's it.) Meanwhile, Hugh Jackman boasts an awareness score of 59, and he's played Wolverine so indelibly and for so long that Fox just signed him for yet another film about the character, rather than recast a role that Jackman has been playing since the first X-Men movie was released in 2000. Both men broke into comic-book movies when those efforts still felt fairly fresh, and both are reliable headline-getters besides; it's no wonder that they have a tighter claim on their super-suits than low-awareness actors like Cavill, Evans, and Hemsworth.
Or has this awareness crisis been part of Hollywood's nefarious plan all along? With new movie stars seemingly coming fewer and farther between, studio executives now like to say that their intellectual property is the real star, meaning that audiences will still pay to see Superman or Thor regardless of whether the studio has booked a big name to fill the role. And if these superhero parts now create fewer superstars, that makes talent negotiations even simpler: The actors can't demand additional money if nobody really knows who they are, and if the audience still doesn't recognize these would-be stars even after several sequels, that makes the actors easier to replace when their contracts run out. In the end, then, the biggest threat that these superheroes will face has nothing to do with an overpowered arch-villain: Instead, it will come from the executives who are all too eager to move on, and from the audiences who aren't invested enough in these stars to protest.
delalluvia
"Truth is an iron bride"
Re: Why can't new superhero movies make their actors into superstars?
Why does anyone think it should?
Sure Scarlett Johansson is more well known than Chris Evans, but it's hard to not remember a shapely blond who appears scantily clothed on magazine covers. Can you name many movies she been in besides comic book movies?
Perhaps actors who wear tights in movie franchises don't want to be superstars, making multi-millions in paychecks, dating supermodels and living isolated in a villa somewhere in Europe because they can't go out in the streets in the US without attracting a mob.
Perhaps they'd rather be actors, developing their craft and doing smaller parts that interest them and don't want to be type-cast. Sir Alec Guiness will probably forever be known as old Ben Kenobi. He hated that. He wanted to be remembered for his more intricate roles.
And speaking of Star Wars, remember, who became the superstar out of the original trilogy?
It took Indiana Jones to make Harrison Ford a star.
Jeff Wrangler
"He somebody you cowboy'd with?"
Quote from: delalluvia on November 07, 2013, 08:25:58 pm
Girl With a Pearl Earring?
The Other Boleyn Girl?
Match Point?
The Prestige?
Perhaps they'd rather be actors, developing their craft and doing smaller parts that interest them and don't want to be type-cast.
You're kidding here, right?
If that's what they wanted they wouldn't be appearing blockbuster superhero movies. They'd be appearing in quiet little indie flicks.
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.
Quote from: Jeff Wrangler on November 07, 2013, 10:45:48 pm
I'd forgotten most of these. The only ones I remembered was The Island and Lost in Translation, though I couldn't remember the title until you told me.
They do. They play in big blockbuster franchises to pay the bills, so they can afford to spend the rest of their time making small indie movies. Becoming a superstar isn't their goal.
Front-Ranger
I'm marching for her!
Oh, and don't forget her first movie...The Horse Whisperer.
May 2019 be better for us all.
Penthesilea
Well, I for one don't think they should, or should not, but they definitively used to. I'm totally not into superhero movies and have never been. To this day I haven't seen Christopher Reeve as Superman. But I do remember the fuss the movie(s) created and how big Reeves was.
For me, the article was more like "Oh, so I'm not the only one".
Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Andrew Garfield, and Henry Cavill - I'm also drawing a complete blank when hearing these names. Only Chris Hemsworth rang a bell, albeit I couldn't place him. I had thought it was a sign of getting older, having no idea about today's superheroes and the according movies. They used to play a big part in popular culture. No matter if you were interested or not, or if you actually saw the movies or not - they were so much talked about that at least you knew the blurb and the respective actors. Now, not so much.
I think superhero movies and with them the actors are a 'victim' of their own success. The oversaturation mentioned in the article.
I think the last time I went to see a superhero movie was Dark Knight, and that was to see Heath as The Joker.
I did see the Batman movie where Anne Hathaway played Catwoman, but saw it during a trip on a plane, so I didn't pay for it. LOL
It's my understanding that it was either love/hate with Anne in that role. Comic fans did not like her portrayal of Catwoman, while reviewers thought she was great in the role.
I thought she was a very intersting Catwoman.
Nah, I still think you're wrong. They could follow the example of Ryan Gosling, who has never appeared in a superhero blockbuster movie--though I just discovered that he played Hercules as a teenager ( ) in a TV show that I never heard of.
Luvlylittlewing
Am I the only one who likes superhero movies? It is my goal to see every one that comes out, even though I miss a few.
Quote from: Luvlylittlewing on November 08, 2013, 12:15:20 pm
I don't think you are. I saw and liked Man of Steel, and not just because of Henry Cavill. I liked the new "spin" put on the story, showing Clark/Superman coming to terms with who he is, and all, and I liked Amy Adams' Lois Lane. But I was never a reader of superhero comic books, and Superman is really the only superhero who interests me.
I did see Captain America, and I liked that one, too (probably would have skipped it but for the publicity photos of buffed-up Chris Evans ). But Spider-man and Batman have never interested me (I did see the Batman movie that had Chris O'Donnel as Robin in a bulging rubber codpiece but even for that one I waited to see it on TV).
I caught the first Ironman movie on TV, and thought that was kind of fun, but mainly because of the character of Tony Stark. I was very amused to read an article in this morning's newspaper where the writer felt that Tony Stark would be right at home at a cocktail party with Nick and Nora Charles (of the 1930s Thin Man movies).
I guess I just never really cared for a "superhero" who could be killed by an ordinary bullet, assuming he wasn't wearing some sort of body armor.
And the Lone Ranger is more my type anyway. Zorro would do in a pinch, too.
Quote from: Penthesilea on November 08, 2013, 02:59:39 am
Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Andrew Garfield, and Henry Cavill - I'm also drawing a complete blank when hearing these names.
I know Chris Evans mostly from the fantastic Cellular and from this somewhat-less-fantastic but still pretty watchable romcom in which he starred with Anna Faris. I know Andrew Garfield mostly from The Social Network.
Agreed. Over the years, I have enjoyed ones that stood out from the crowd somehow. The early ones like Superman stood out because they were pioneering, Spider Man featured some amazing FX, Tim Burton's Batman and then later Christopher Nolan's Dark Knights (at least the first two) took tone and artistry in new directions, Ironman had Robert Downey Jr., and so on.
But whenever I go to a superhero movie nowadays, even one that's critically acclaimed, I find myself falling asleep. Sustained action sequences bridged with little dialogue or character development just shut off my brain. I slept through the so much of the third Dark Knight I can't even honestly claim to have seen it.
Superhero/comic book movies have become a boring, immature, oversaturated genre that annoys me because their ubiquity implies that, to Hollywood moguls, the tastes of 15-year-old boys trump every other demo's.
Quote from: serious crayons on November 08, 2013, 03:10:09 pm
It's all about who spends the most money in the theaters.
We are all the same. Women, men, gay, straight
I agree about most superhero movies being pretty bad - and sometimes terrible. With one exception - the Spider Man saga - I like the movies staring Toby McGuire and the latest one with Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone (both very good actors. Btw - Andrew Garfield was in The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus) as well. The Spider Man movies are quirky and are as much about Peter Parker as they are about his superhero alter ego.
I find the Christopher Nolan Batman movies....ok. But who really gives a damn about Bruce Wayne/Batman? It´s all about the supporting roles.
As for the recent Superman movies....ouch. Brandon Routh was so bad he has hardly gotten another movie role since, and Henry Caville hardly showed a single emotion.
True, but if that assumption shapes the content, it all becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, doesn't it?
It's true older people don't go out to the movies as often as teenagers, and they're less likely to see a movie multiple times. But I have seen figures lately suggesting that boomers, having more diposable income than other age groups, are a more powerful market force than "old people" are usually given credit for.
I should add that I think the actual key demographic isn't even age, it's nationality. The more a movie appeals to/can be understood by people who aren't American and perhaps don't speak English, the better. A superhero movie or action thriller translates better than a quirky little dialogue- and character-driven indie. And it's the global box office that counts, in the end, these days.
Quote from: Jeff Wrangler on November 08, 2013, 10:18:07 am
Ryan Gosling from the blockbuster The Notebook? That Ryan Gosling?
Nope. I love them, just not all of them.
Superman and the Hulk are boring. Movies about them always have to focus on their social and emotional lives because otherwise, they're invincible, no one can match them.
Batman is boring. The last one I saw was the one with Heath Ledger and I only saw it because of him.
Ironman is annoying. I can only take just so much of RDJs smarminess.
I love Thor, the Fantastic Four, the Avengers and Captain America. Green Lantern was cute, but I just don't like Ryan Reynolds that much.
Yes, that Ryan Gosling. However, The Notebook, I submit, is not a superhero blockbuster, and we are talking here about superhero blockbusters.
You can't wiggle out of this one, Del, by switching blockbusters in midstream.
Yes, it does, but it is what it is, I suppose.
And by the time Hollywood catches up to that, we'll all be dead.
That's a good point.
No, we were basically talking about why some actors do mainstream movies that make a lot of money.
Quote from: delalluvia on November 09, 2013, 02:25:26 am
I don't know that anyone expected The Notebook to be a surefire blockbuster from the get-go. Yes, the Nicholas Sparks novel book on which it is based was probably a bestseller, but a lot of bestselling novels make insignificant movies. Neither Ryan Gosling nor Rachel McAdams was particularly famous at the time. I myself didn't see it until years after it came out on DVD.
No, basically, this thread is about superhero movies.
No, the OP is about superhero movies.
Basically the theme is about mainstream extremely popular movies NOT making their actors superstars. They seem to think this is a recent phenomenon and only limited to superhero movies.
I pointed out Star Wars.
Let me give you another - Michael Biehn. He was in two of the 1980s biggest blockbusters - Terminator and Aliens. He is a good actor, he was good looking and a hero in those movies. He even had a pivotal co-starring role in the Abyss. But his career never took off.
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Mike is a graduate of Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri where he majored in Art. After teaching art and elementary classes for ten years, he began work at the West Des Moines Public Library where he created art, wrote stories, and planned activities for young patrons of the library. He currently works at Dupont Pioneer.
Mike's slightly twisted sense of humor and unique look at life is evident in much of his work. His storytelling ability and illustrations appeal to children and adults alike.


Schools and teachers have the opportunity to provide a model workplace to the students of today, and the future workers of Ontario. The Ministry of Labour inspects schools as part of its targeted enforcement strategy. Watch a new video on what its inspectors look for during an inspection of shops and labs.


Many people have been killed in the four Jurassic Park films. Whether it be getting smooshed by a Tyrannosaurus Rex or sideswiped by a clever Velociraptor we've been blessed with some gnarly dinosaur related deaths. The majority of the deaths have all happened somewhat organically due to the fact that on multiple occasions people been dumb enough to travel to islands filled with carnivorous monsters. Death is par for the course when battling dinosaurs and aside from Peter Stormare being dumb in The Lost World: Jurassic Park, I've never really felt that they were unnecessary or cruel. However, there is one death in Jurassic World that has garnered a lot of attention for being straight up mean. The destruction of Zara the assistant (Katie McGrath – long live A Princess for Christmas) via two Pterosaurs and a Mosasaurus is unique because she is the first women to be killed onscreen in the franchise, and it is a very long and brutal demise that is brought forth by her being forced to be a babysitter.
Zara's death has gotten a lot of press (here, here and here) and her character is even considered to be a hero to some (Thanks Cracked!). I kinda love that one death in a film stuffed with murder via dinosaur has stood out and become a lightning rod. That is why I watched the movie again, took a ton of notes and analyzed pretty much every diagram of the park. The reason I did so much research is that I wanted to know the odds of Zara's death. I'm not here to hate on the film, or create something snarky in regards to Jurassic World. If you've read my other stuff you know I love filling in the blanks via educated guesswork, randomness and burning a lot of my free time.
It was a long day for Zara.
What are the odds that Zara the assistant would be picked up by two Pterosaurs, dumped into the massive lagoon, and swallowed whole by a Mosasaurus while at Jurassic World?
As I tracked Zara's progress through the park I originally came up with odds that were astronomical (1 in 300 billion). After a lot of soul-searching (via punch dancing in abandoned warehouses) I decided to go with a more pragmatic approach. I originally included divorce rates, square mileage, aviary destruction and stupidity in the equation. But, after talking to people who are much smarter than I am, I was able to narrow down the odds and get it to something that slightly resembles a believable number.
Sidenote: There is no way to know the exact answer. However, I've tried to be as pragmatic as possible in an effort to make this number somewhat practical.
According to park numbers, there were 21,216 guests at the park.
I'm guessing that 150 Pterosaurs (and other flying beasts) escaped when the Indomnious Rex and helicopter crashed into the aviary. Let's say one-in-three of the flying beasts (50) were big enough to pick up one of the guests, and that each one picked up one person (50 in 21,216 – 1 in 424).
The majority of the guests had been pushed into the front area of the park. It is a very large area and I'm guessing half of the people were close to the massive lagoon that housed the Mosasaurus. (1 in 2).
If a large Pterosaur attacked you, the odds of it flying off with you alive or able to fight would be about 1 in 2. I gave it those odds because there is an instance where the large flying beast landed on a guy and seemed to be destroying him on the ground.
After being grabbed by a Pterosaur, the odds of you fighting back would be 1 in 2.
If you were picked up close to the water you'd have a 1 in 2 chance of being dropped into the water.
Poor Zara. She didn't deserve such a gnarly fate.
The pragmatic odds of being at Jurassic World during a mass animal escape in which you are picked up by a Pterosaur and dropped into a Mosasaurus tank is 1 in 24,761,600 (3,650 x 424 x 16). There had never been a large scale dinosaur escape in the 10 years the park had been open and nobody had ever been dropped into a large lagoon by a Pterosaur. Also, being that there are 20,000+ people, the odds of being singled out by the 50 attacking Pterosaurs was very slight. Also, I feel terrible for her because she ended up dead because she had to watch two punks while people willingly let out a dinosaur that had active camouflage.
Here is what lead Zara to her death.
She is forced to look after her bosses nephews because their parents are getting a divorce (She's British…she will be great).
The nephews promptly run away from her leaving stressed out, worried and still having to do her day job.
Due to some very bad decisions, the Indomnius Rex is let out of its cage.
The nephews decide to ignore park warnings and stay out in the park in the moving bubble thing.
The nephews hotwire a car and drive back into the park via the west gate.
Zara collects the kids, and they run away from her which forces her to chase them.
The nephews stop in the middle of the carnage and Zara turns to see what they are doing.
A massive pterosaur picks her up and flies away with her.
Another pterosaur steals her away and flies toward the lagoon.
Poor Zara is dropped into the lagoon.
Pterosaurs dive into the water and one of them managed to lift her out of the water.
A Mosasaurus eats both Zara and the bird.
None of the main characters care.
I hope her fiance and parents get a massive settlement.
In conclusion: I feel really bad for Zara.
If you like this post make sure to check out my other dumb data posts! Enjoy!
Haha! Love these numbers! It actually gives some interest level to what is a terrible, terrible, TERRIBLE movie!
Thanks! I tried to be as fair as possible. They seem legit haha.


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"Which Way Nigeria?" The Sunny Okosun 1984 Question
April 06, 2022 NEWS Edit this post
"Which Way Nigeria?" The Sunny Okosun 1984 Question The above caption is a title to a Sunny Okosun's song. Sunny Okosun, a mu...
The above caption is a title to a Sunny Okosun's song. Sunny Okosun, a music legend released this song around 1984. He was one of the few Nigerian music artists that have been bold enough to question the ills of the society, and the wrecked leadership of Nigeria through their songs. Sunny discussed problems that troubled the nation, and also talked the country's development years after her independence. The questioned the false promises made by the leaders and the shattered dreams of children who were always assured that they were tomorrow's leaders, but never had a chance to lead in any way, shape or form.
Sunny singing in the very track said; "Which way is Nigeria heading? Many years after independence, we still find it hard to start. How long shall we be patient till we reach the promised land? Let us save Nigeria, so Nigeria won't die. Which way Nigeria? Which way to go? I love my fatherland, I want to know, Which way Nigeria is heading to…"
If you keenly observe the happenings in Nigeria today, you will unarguably agree that the leaders are bent on destroying the count and everything therein. Since many years gone, Nigeria have been bleeding from all sides on a daily basis. But things have been worst since the inception of this President Muhammadu Buhari led government. Boko Haram, Fulani Herdsmen and several other Fulani terrorist groups have been killing, bombing and destroying everything in the country at will, without any form of resistance or reprisal attempts from the leadership
Very recently, many heartbreaking records of terror activities have been made, where in the lost of many lives are recorded. It numbers from Boko Haram killing Nigeria militaries, to Bandits numbering over 200 ransacked Kaduna airport, to Fulani Herdsmen killing about 200 people in Kaduna South, to Fulani Bandits bombing Kaduna-Abuja railway, which took the lives of so many people, including a young doctor, Chinelo and 3 Nigerian Bar Association(NBA) members, with unidentified number of people still missing till date. It did not stop there. Fulani Bandits also killed many yet unidentified number of persons in Benue, angry Nigeria youth also mobbed FIFA official at Michael Abiola International Stadium Abuja after the Super Eagles failed to qualify for world cup. All these things happened within a space of one week.
You may want to ask what the government has done or planning to do. The answer is "absolutely nothing useful". Their more interest is to maliciously blame the Indigenous People of Biafra(IPOB), led by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu for the ordeals.
To frankly say, I do know were Nigeria is heading to. Sunny Okosun's song questioned what the country's direction was in days when it was still possible to make U-turn. Today, it is clear to all that nothing can fix Nigeria anymore. Nigeria is heady to her irredeemable shameful end.
Mazi Nnamdi Kanu saw these troubles before now and begged that Nigeria should have referendum to determine her future and find lasting solutions to the ills bedeviling her, but the Fulani government, some prominent Igbo elders and the political leaders called for his head. Now, even after they ended up kidnapping Mazi Nnamdi Kanu from Kenya and his subsequent extraordinary rendition to Nigeria, things have not gotten any better. This have rather continued to move from bad to worse every day.
To all those who have lost their dear ones in the cold hands of Fulani people I say may they rest on.
Let us all raise our voices to call for the quickest end of Nigeria, before it ends us all.
Referendum is the right place to start from.
Written by Chidiebere Obulose.
Edited by Okechukwu Chuks.
For Family Writers Press International.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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When We Were Kings
By Jeff Giles On 8/19/01 at 8:00 PM EDT
Bill Murray is working the room: enter at your own risk. It's a drizzly morning in New Jersey, and director Wes Anderson is shooting "The Royal Tenenbaums," a comedy due in December about one deeply eccentric family's attempt to survive divorce, heartache, the '70s and each other. A vast old WPA building has been transformed into a hospital, and between takes Murray rambles around the set. He pretends to scold Gwyneth Paltrow ("Hey, are you in character?"), then pretends to comfort Ben Stiller ("You're our rock. You gotta keep it together"). He pretends to be furious with the soft-spoken director ("Bill?" "What?! You're riding us too hard, Wes!"), then complains to producer Barry Mendel that Anderson's turned into a gonzo taskmaster like the man who directed "Pearl Harbor" ("Hey, Barry, who died and made him Michael Bay?"). In a quiet moment Murray reflects on his chances of winning an Oscar someday. "My only hope's a Hersholt award," he says. "It's a humanitarian thing. I gotta rescue a kid who's about to be run over by a train." Eventually Anderson calls everybody together to shoot a scene at the bedside of a Tenenbaum who just attempted suicide because of a broken heart. Murray groans. "Oh, God, now I've got to know a line."
In truth, the large, unlikely cast of "The Royal Tenenbaums"--which also includes Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Danny Glover and Luke and Owen Wilson--are making the movie as a labor of love and working for the movie-star equivalent of minimum wage. ("Tenenbaums" will cost less than $25 million. On a slick Hollywood picture, that would barely buy you Paltrow and Stiller.) Anderson, 32, has previously directed two comedies from left field, the tiny caper film "Bottle Rocket" and the utterly endearing prep-school story "Rushmore." The latter, which found Murray battling a 15-year-old for the heart of a teacher, popped up on many top-10 lists in 1998 and won Murray an unexpected heap of critics' awards. It also established Anderson and co-writer Owen Wilson as original voices: quirky, deadpan, pure of heart. As a director, Anderson is a 24/7 obsessive. As a person, he is adorably geeky and self-effacing. When he hears, thirdhand, that Paltrow told ex-beau and sometime costar Ben Affleck that "The Royal Tenenbaums" is the most fun she's ever had making a movie, the director nods thoughtfully, then says, "But maybe she was just trying to make him feel bad."
The Tenenbaum children grew up in a storybook New York, and once upon a time they were all prodigies. Margot (Paltrow) was a forlorn playwright by the ninth grade, Chas (Stiller) a dead-serious scientist by the sixth, Richie (Luke Wilson) a tennis champ dressed like Bjorn Borg by the third. Since their parents divorced, however, everything's gone to hell--particularly their relationship with their hilariously gruff father, Royal (Hackman). Early in the script, a penniless Royal gets tossed out of the hotel he's been living in. He hasn't spoken to his ex-wife, Etheline (Huston), in seven years, but he convinces her he's dying of cancer and begs to move back home. Soon Chas has returned as well, and even Margot--who has a fur coat, a secret double life and one wooden finger--abandons her husband (Murray) and moves back to the family town house. Everything that could possibly hit the fan does.
After "The Royal Tenenbaums" wraps, director Anderson sits in a cramped editing suite in Manhattan, fretting over exactly which footage to show a reporter. He's so conflicted it's comical. How about the climactic scene where a certain character shaves off some facial hair? "You can't look at that by itself! That's a heavy deal! You'd need to see the whole lead-up!" How about the scene where Royal and his ex-wife, so long estranged, manage to bond a little during a walk in Central Park? Anderson had said, over lunch, that the scene was great. "Oh, I said that was great? I don't want to show you something I said was great."
After a little badgering--20 minutes' worth, tops--the director caves in and plays scenes scattered throughout the movie. Anderson's eye for detail has become even more acute since he made "Rushmore." It's most striking in "Tenenbaums' " wonderful, highly stylized opening sequence, where the kids are poignantly freakish little geniuses, their bedrooms so packed with '70s relics that the movie looks like a pop-up picture book. (At one point Anderson stares at the monitor and says, with real fondness, "Electric tie rack.") But it's not all the whimsical touches that make "The Royal Tenenbaums" seem so promising. It's a theme running through the movie, a theme that's both touching and unsettling: only your family can help you get over your family.


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Weeding out resumes
Acing the interview
5 Interview Questions to Help You Hire the Best Marketing Candidate
Kaitlyn Witman
co-founder and director of product marketing at Rainfactory
business.com MemberVisit WebsiteNov 18, 2019
Learn how to determine whether a marketing candidate is really qualified for the job.
Hiring for any role can be frustrating. You comb through hundreds of resumes looking for a perfect match, interview top candidates, and go through extensive negotiations, only to discover on the other end that you didn't land the employee you really needed. You're often left wondering if there was a question you didn't ask that could've saved you the headache – and the high cost.
According to the Society for Human Resource Management, the average cost to companies per hire was $4,129 in 2016, and that number has only gone up. When the role you're searching for is in marketing, new strategic developments in areas like paid media might not be reflected well in a candidate's degree or experience.
I've seen business leaders hire marketers who are far too senior for the roles being filled, and the advanced salaries lead to skyrocketing budgets. In other cases, a company hires someone who doesn't spend time learning how the company got where it is, leading to conflicts with the existing team and creating internal rifts. People who come in and try to prove themselves at the expense of other team members hurt the company culture.
We made a similar mistake. We hired someone with industry expertise, who claimed to be an expert in search engine optimization and client management, and a high-impact leader in a small, effective, agile team. He had an MBA to boot. Within his first few weeks, though, he just sat there – idle – waiting to be told what to do and never asking any questions. He had to be shown tasks multiple times and just didn't get it. After turning away promising candidates with "less" experience, we wasted so much time on this hire, and our team morale took a hit.
When you're hiring for a position, there's a real concern that the candidates you're interviewing are falsely representing themselves. An OfficeTeam poll found that 46% of respondents knew someone who had lied on a resume, primarily in the areas of job experience and duties. Likewise, more than half of senior managers suspect the candidates they interview are stretching the truth.
So where does that leave you when the time comes to find your next marketing hire? Are there questions you can ask – or red flags you can spot – that will help you sort the diamonds from the duds?
The first step begins before candidates even come in for the interview. Eagle-eyed hiring managers can spot certain buzzwords or vague terms that point to a candidate's embellishment. You should already know that phrases on a resume like "familiar with" or "involved in" could betray a lack of real experience. On top of this, there are also marketing-specific phrases to watch out for.
When you see the following phrases on a marketer's resume, it might indicate that the candidate is trying to pull a fast one on you:
Programmatic advertising: This is a classic go-to buzzword that is rarely backed up by actual experience. We once interviewed a candidate who put "programmatic advertising" on her resume, then we asked her to explain it in her own words. When she began to clarify that she never actually had done programmatic advertising and had only put data into spreadsheets to analyze, we knew to toss out that experience altogether.
PPC: Almost every marketer will put "PPC" on their resume. While this person might have heard the phrase "pay per click," they might not know how to actually run and launch a campaign. I would bet only a handful of people who put this term on their resumes have ever implemented PPC in a campaign of their own. Ask them to specify discrete metrics that indicate good performance. Bonus points if they can recall a recent scenario in which they had a test that didn't achieve this metric and what they did to optimize.
SEO expert: An expert in search engine optimization shouldn't be looking for a job – at least not in marketing. SEO is really about understanding machine language, the robot that crawls your site, and how to talk to it. Few candidates know the nuances of metadata, latent semantic indexing or robot.txt files. It's about more than just website optimization. As popular as the buzzword is, being good at SEO doesn't really impact the potential hire's ability to be a good marketer or advertiser. Just toss that one out and move on to the next resume.
Account strategist/developer at Google, Facebook, etc.: Don't be fooled by the big brand name. An account rep from Facebook or Google is actually on the sales team, which is a very different animal from advertising. Just because the candidate has worked around or even advised other companies to pump more cash into Facebook or Google, it doesn't mean that person has actually used the platform as you'd imagine. Advertisers are the end users of these platforms and have intimate knowledge of features and metrics that these account strategists are only tangentially familiar with.
AdWords/Facebook/Analytics certifications: I have recommended to people that they get certified. It's a nice box to check, especially if the person is fresh out of college and eager for a first real-world experience. But having a certification does not mean a candidate has managed a campaign. In fact, we've hired people who have run campaigns and never completed their certifications, and they are experts in every right. Don't toss out a candidate simply because they haven't taken the test.
Just one of these buzzwords on a resume is not an automatic indicator of a poor candidate. But it does require some extra finesse in the interview stage to ensure you're actually speaking to the dream employee you hope the person is.
How can interviewers discern whether their marketing candidates are truly qualified? All it takes is asking the right questions.
For those who are beginning the hiring process for their marketing team, here are a few questions you should include to ensure you're properly vetting your candidates.
1. What's your story?
This is always the first question I ask during an interview. Marketers are storytellers. Sure, I have a resume in front of me, and the recruit can walk me through it, but they should truly shine in telling the story behind the job history. This shows me how good the candidate is at controlling the narrative and tailoring a pitch to an audience. Ideally, it gives me the ability to see that the candidate can translate that storytelling ability to the necessary work.
A good story is concise, passionate and memorable. A great story is persuasive and connects with the audience. More often these days, businesses are being built on powerful brand stories. The ability to tell a story is an essential asset for your marketing team.
2. What makes our company the natural next step on your journey?
This is a follow-up to the first question. A candidate's answer to this question tells me whether the recruit has researched our company. Good marketers understand not only the company but also the competition. Depending on the breadth of the answer, it'll tell me whether the candidate is capable of being self-sufficient and able to really hold his or her own through research and homework.
Other important reasons to ask this question are to find out whether the candidate really fits in with the company culture, what their overall career goals are, and what their priorities and preferences are. In other words: Will this person be motivated to get the job done?
3. Explain [insert buzzword from resume] in your own words.
If I see a sophisticated term or buzzword on a candidate's resume, I ask the recruit to describe it in their own words. If the candidate really does have those skills and is a specialist in those areas, the person will be able to tell me without trouble – and provide examples of their work in it. If the candidate can't, I know I need to look elsewhere.
4. What's the first thing you do in [X situation]?
When a candidate says they understand PPC, I'll ask, "What's the first thing you do after launching a campaign?" If the answer isn't, "Go into the dashboard to see if we've got impressions," then the potential hire has never managed a campaign and doesn't have a working understanding of PPC. It's amazing how many people answer with "I don't know." It's not a trick question!
5. What's something you failed at recently?
In a digital marketing context, advertisers are creating, testing, pivoting and moving constantly. We fail daily, in small, incremental ways. This is how we get better. At Rainfactory, we talk about something we've failed at every week. This also is not a trick question: I'm looking for the candidate to tell me about an assumption they had made that was proved wrong and what they learned from it. I'm not looking for someone who tells me, "My greatest weakness is that I care too much."
Hiring a marketing team doesn't have to be about getting whoever is "good enough" and hoping for the best. With an eye for red flags and an ear for the right answers in an interview, you can feel confident knowing you've landed the best candidate possible.
Image Credit: Comstock Images / Getty Images
See Kaitlyn Witman's Profile
Kaitlyn Witman is the co-founder and director of product marketing at Rainfactory, an award-winning full-service digital marketing agency that provides go-to-market strategy and advertising for growth-stage startups. Witman leads a team of digital marketers, designers, and developers to strategize everything needed for a successful product launch and brand growth online.
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THE SOUND BEE HD - New album announced | VKH Press – J-Rock & Visual Kei Coverage Worldwide!
THE SOUND BEE HD has a new album coming out on January 27th! The band's first album in a year, BLooD RaiN~血塗られた景色~ (Chi nurareta keshiki) has a theme of "coming back from the brink of death." It will have 8 tracks, and will be available online and at live venues, and comes with a 12-page booklet. The type A jacket will be available in stores, and the type B jacket will be available at live venues and online. It's limited to 1,000 copies, so make sure you snag yours fast! Check out all the details and listen to samples of the tracks below!


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The Convention Bag Detailed
Saved in: brainmeats, stuff and things, writing
by Adam P. Knave
I've been doing conventions for a while now, selling books. Running a con table takes a lot of stuff and a bunch of thought and so I found myself needing to prepare more and more every show. Eventually I decided on gathering up a con bag. One bag that I could put everything, except stock (and now except one other thing I'll get to), into and just grab and go. I used to use a giant diaper bag from Target for it, as it was big enough, and sturdy enough for the job but over the time the fact that it didn't have a rigid shape started to cause problems. It was hard to load onto the hand truck, it was a pain to carry, and it sort of flopped enough to take up too much extra room under tables….
Saved in: brainmeats, writing
So I feel the need to talk about networking. You know, just did ECCC and a lot of ppl go in about "Well it's a great show to network at, I don't know how to network, aaaa" and really there are two schools of thought to it I know of. ONLY ONE WORKS. There are some people that see "networking" to mean going back and forth between any group you think will be an advantage to you, or your career. It's raw opportunistic hunting. It can look like it works. It 100% doesn't, though. See, everyone knows who that person is, and that they will only be your friend for exactly as long as they think you are of value to them. No one will tell them, to their face, that we all know. But we all talk, and names…
Pavlov's Idiot
Saved in: brainmeats, PDX Life
Back in the dark ages of 2012/2013 the Pebble watch came out. I jumped on the idea quickly. I was, after all, the guy who had email on his phone back when that meant using a Sidekick and making sure it could load telnet so I could check my mail via pine while I was on the road. I liked being in touch. Being that connected way back then (good ol' 2002) paid off, too. I sold at least one story because I could submit it when asked, and there was a time crunch going on. That was how I justified allowing myself to tether to the world that hard. Recently, however, I've felt the need to step back in tiny ways. I find myself longing for the days of a pager, really. I mean I want to be in…
The Once and Future Queen's Future
Saved in: administrative, comics, news
Hey! I heard you have some really important news about The Once and Future Queen? We do. We do. What has happened? Issues #3–#5 of The Once and Future Queen have been cancelled, in print and digital. But there will still be a trade collection of the full series released in November. You can order it by clicking here, right now, in fact. Why did this happen? The comic industry is a fickle thing. The Once and Future Queen was well received by press and its readers, and while it was growing in market awareness, print efforts have been shifted to the book market so we can grow and reach our target audience. So you guys failed then? The hell you say! We crafted a story that we are deeply proud of, that everyone involved is deeply proud of, and that will see the…
Saved in: books, news, writing
A few months ago my first novel in quite some time, THIS STARRY DEEP, was published. In the back of the book it had a small teaser for the sequel THE ENDLESS SKY, to come in 2017. Well that date might slip by a few months into 2018 but to make up for it 2017 will see the first ever ebook version of my novella CRAZY LITTLE THING. CLT is one of my all-time fave things I've written. So I am super excited to be able to share it with you guys again. It's a love story. I mean a love story the way I do them, which…look it's a love story, all right? But that's not all! Along with those two bits of news I can officially announce that around (roughly) a year after THE ENDLESS SKY another novel…
Toy store!
Saved in: brainmeats
Grey sky hung overcast, a damp chill radiating right through my jacket as I walked across the parking lot toward the rich blue-framed glass doors. Toys 'R Us. My old enemy. I thought back to every Toys 'R Us whose doors I'd ever darkened. The pattern fit. Every single damned one of these stores, one thing remained true: They're all depressing. There is nothing joyful about a toy store. Not really. At least not a big giant toy store. Until I stopped and looked directly at the issue I couldn't see it, it merely lingered in the back of my head. An abscess growing in my subconscious until it burst wetly into my stream of consciousness. The only thing I know about, for 100% certain, about the chain of stores is that every trip there you will witness someone crying….
Anti-Life
It's not a mistake that Jack Kirby was the person who invented Darkseid. It's not an accident, ya know? Darkseid is the character created by a man who fought fascists, in person, and wanted to make sure we understood why we needed to never go there again. Darkseid is after the Anti-Life Equation, and it might not be what you think. This isn't a formula that will kill people. It will, instead, kill all free will. That is the opposite of life, in Kirby's mind. I can't say he's wrong. Grant Morrison was the first person to write out the equation itself, and it showed how deeply he understood it: loneliness + alienation + fear + despair + self-worth ÷ mockery ÷ condemnation ÷ misunderstanding × guilt × shame × failure × judgment n=y where y=hope and n=folly, love=lies, life=death,…
The Ten Albums Thing
Saved in: brainmeats, music
I have always liked music. I have not always liked GOOD music. So there's a meme-like post going around asking people to list "10 albums that made a lasting impression on you as a teenager, but only one per band/artist." I decided to give this a shot but to be honest. It's easy to shift and make yourself sound cooler, like you had great musical taste then, and so on. I know I didn't. Not really. Nope. I didn't get into Tom Waits until I was 18, for example. Growing up, my dad played piano and loved Jazz and musicals. I learned to enjoy both these things from a young age. But only one will appear here. For good reason. So anyway here is a list, with details, in no particular order: 1) SPORTS – Huey Lewis and the News:…
Everyone has a secret origin.
Everyone has a secret origin. This is mine. Both my parents were in publishing. My father sold his first short story to a magazine when he was 13. This is not bragging. This is a warning. I grew up being taught how story works. When I was around six I remember sitting at a playground with my dad and him insisting I finish the scene I was working on in in a short story before I could go play. My childhood was…strange. When I was 12 I got my first prose rejection from a major anthology. When I was 18 I realized I hadn't been published yet, and hadn't submitted in a few years, either, and declared myself a total and utter failure. It was the start of a bit of a breakdown that lasted a few years, not that…
Time is a bastard.
Saved in: brainmeats, celeb
Time is a bastard. We lose people, we lose heroes and influences, people close to us across a spectrum. 2016 has been a giant honking reaper-fest for a lot of us. David Bowie | Alan Rickman | Carrie Fisher | Garry Shandling | Prince When you lose someone you might never have met it can feel odd, awkward even. They touched your life, changed it in ways they'd never know, and contributed to who you are and who you will be. Each one of them helped shape you, and you will help shape people in your own life. Patty Duke | Mohamed Ali | Anton Yelchin | Gene Wilder | Florence Henderson A lot of people will be snide, telling you "People die every year." They'll say "Just wait for next year." and sure, that's true, too. But it isn't…


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Wagneriana spicata är en spindelart som först beskrevs av O. Pickard-Cambridge 1889.  Wagneriana spicata ingår i släktet Wagneriana och familjen hjulspindlar. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Källor

Hjulspindlar
spicata

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Hyper-Network for electroMobility
Hyper-Network for eRoaming
Hyper-Network for eCharging
Making electromobility more attractive
NeMo aims to make electro mobility more attractive and facilitate its mass adoption in the road transport sector.
SECURITY & AVAILABILITY
The project aims to facilitate increased service availability and the better planning and more secure electric grid operation.
NeMo will act as catalyst across the entire energy management cycle of electro mobility, including battery and smart grid recharging management.
REDUCING BARRIERS
NeMo will help to make backend data and services accessible to the right actors and bringing down digital and physical barriers.
BUSINESS FACILITATION
NeMo will create business opportunities for electro mobility actors to growth the EV market, to allow electro ecosystem actors and third-party ICT developers to develop new services and products and make them available to a wider market, in a cost-effective way.
WHY NeMo?
Electrification of road transport has the potential to drastically reduce emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases as well as urban noise pollution. Unfortunately, wider adoption of electro-mobility by motorists and road transport operators remains relatively low due to a number of challenges.
EV range and charging issues
A main factor limiting the driving range of Electric Vehicles (EV) is lack of interoperability in existing infrastructure and services related to electro-mobility, such as charging infrastructure. E-mobility actors currently have to deal with a broad spectrum of EV charging system hardware, service providers, standards and protocols, which can vary greatly from a technological perspective. The technological volatility, together with the lack of universal standards, often limits the EV charging options, particularly for users travelling longer distances.
Energy and grid-related issues
E-mobility is also faced with the challenge of the impact on the electric grid network caused by increasing EV numbers but also by new charging technologies. The main issue is to define and deploy a smart way to manage EV recharging. The e-mobility ecosystem is not connected to the grid in a sustainable way, and yearly power subscriptions (current business model used by Charge Point Operators (CPOs) can lead to expensive service pricing.
Data exchange issues
A major challenge in providing a seamless experience and easy service are the complex data structures and different formats in exchanged information. The set-up of a pan-European charging infrastructure is currently hindered by the lack of a common data and information model and the lack of common framework for commercial agreements.
Diverse e-roaming platforms
The lack of interoperability gave rise to the recent concept of electro-mobility roaming platforms, often called e-roaming or eRoaming. The problem of interoperability between platforms still remains. In order to tackle this, the pan-European eRoaming initiative was announced in 2015 and its objective, namely the interconnection of existing eRoaming platforms, is one of the tasks within the NeMo project to improve electro-mobility services.
The European project NeMo – Hyper-Network for Electromobility came first in the awards category for 'Most Feasible Entry' in the MOBI Grand Challenge Phase II Citopia (https://dlt.mobi/mgc/). The award ceremony took place on 12-13 November 2019 during the MOBI...
The NeMo Project is reaching its conclusion this month after three years of research and development, and the consortium partners gathered in Barcelona to present their results at a Final Conference and Exhibition on 19 September. Launched in October 2016 with...
We are pleased to announce the winner of the NeMo Hackathon: the "ChargeSharing" community-based EV charging solution from the German start-up SME e3charge. The NeMo Hackathon was an online competition open to entities outside the consortium, aimed at evaluating...
Last month in Barcelona, the NeMo project began a cross-border drive across Europe under real-life test conditions in an electric car. The project team drove 5,000 kilometres through 9 European countries, stopping at various charge points on the journey to...
NeMo highlights from the Brainport ITS European Congress 2019
Partners of the NeMo Project travelled to the Brainport region of Eindhoven-Helmond in the Southern Netherlands from June 3re to 6th to present the endeavours and achievements of the project to the delegates to the 13th European Intelligent Transport Systems...
NeMo joins the ITS European Congress in Brainport, 3-6 June
Join us at the ITS European Congress in the Dutch Brainport region of Eindhoven-Helmond next week to learn more about electromobility and the NeMo project. The ITS European Congress provides the ideal opportunity for all stakeholders to come together, discuss...
Register now: NeMo Final Conference and Exhibition – From project to market: seamless electromobility services in Europe
As the NeMo project reaches its conclusion this September, this wrap-up conference will present the results of three years of work by the consortium partners through technical presentations and a technology showcase featuring live demonstrations and an exhibition...
NeMo Project begins second test drive to demonstrate cross-country Inter-Roaming
The European project NeMo – Hyper-Network for Electromobility – is carrying out a real-life cross-border test of electromobility Roaming, starting from Barcelona on 20 May. The project team will drive 5.000 kilometres through 9 European countries in an electric...
NeMo welcomes Honda at Turin e-mobility service demonstration
The NeMo project had the opportunity to demonstrate its approach and outputs with regards to the Extended Vehicle and Neutral Server, at an event organised on 5 April 2019 at Centro Ricerche Fiat (CRF), the Research Center of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, in Orbassano,...
Save the date: NeMo Final Conference and Exhibition, Barcelona, Thursday 19 September 2019
#NeMo_Electro
NeMo_Electro @NeMo_Electro
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What Is Saffron? Saffron Benefits & Recipes to Try
Posted on December 12, 2017 December 12, 2017 by origiran
saffron is one of the most valuable and expensive spices known worldwide, thanks to its color, flavor and medicinal properties. What medicinal properties, you may ask? The list is extensive and continues to grow.
As one of the top 14 herbs of the Bible, experimentation is underway when it comes to exploring the new potentials for this versatile spice, a spice that's been shown to boost the heart, mind and more for centuries.
saffron Benefits
1. Boosts Cardiovascular Health
Recent studies have shown great promise of saffron constituents in the promotion of a healthy cardiovascular system. Heat shock proteins (HSPs) 27, 60 and 70 in particular were significantly linked to metabolic syndromeand atherosclerosis so researchers wanted to investigate the effect of this herb on antibody titers to HSP in patients with metabolic syndrome.
The levels of heat shock proteins 27, 60, 65 and 70 were measured in a study published in the Journal of Complementary & Integrative Medicine during supplementation, with 105 participants diagnosed with metabolic syndrome. The participants were randomly divided into two groups and were given either 100 milligrams a day of a placebo or saffron. After three months, the antibodies to heat shock proteins 27 and 70 were reduced greatly in the saffron group. (1)
2. Treats Erectile Dysfunction
Erectile dysfunction (ED) affects more than 150 million males throughout the world. In traditional medicine, saffron was used as an aphrodisiac, with the constituent crocin credited for its aphrodisiac activity.
In a pilot study to evaluate this traditional use, 20 male participants with ED were evaluated for 10 days. Each morning, the participants took a tablet containing 200 milligrams of this spice. The participants underwent the nocturnal penile tumescence test and the international index of erectile function questionnaire (IIEF-15) at the start of supplementation and at the end of 10 days.
After the 10 days of supplementation, there was a statistically significant improvement in tip tumescence and rigidity as well as base tumescence and rigidity. The ILEF-15 total scores were significantly higher in after participants were supplemented with this herb. There was a positive effect on sexual function with increased duration and number of erectile events seen in men with erectile dysfunction only after taking it for 10 days. (2) Thus, this traditional spice also potentially works as a natural remedy for impotence.
3. Possesses Potential Anticancer Effects
Cancer is considered to be the second leading cause of death in the world. saffron as a medicinal plant is known for its anticancer capabilities, making it a potential natural cancer treatment.
In a randomized, double-blind clinical trial published in the Avicenna Journal of Phytomedicine, the effects of saffron on response to treatment in patients suffering from liver metastasis were evaluated. Thirteen participants suffering from liver metastases were included in this study and then divided into two different groups. Both groups received chemotherapy regimen. Participants in group 1 were treated with saffron capsule (50 milligrams, twice daily) during chemotherapy periods while group 2 received a placebo.
A sum of the longest diameter was calculated and compared for all lesions in IV contrast CT scan before and after the treatment. Out of the 13 who participated, six quit and seven continued until the end. In the group treated with saffron, two participants showed partial and complete response (50 percent) whereas in placebo group, no response was seen. Also, two deaths in the placebo and one in saffron group occurred. This research suggests that saffron might be useful in patients suffering from liver metastasis and other cancers. (3)
4. Alleviates Symptoms of PMS
Premenstrual syndromes (PMS) are among the most common health problems reported by women, affecting 2o percent to 40 percent of women of reproductive age. saffron is considered an excellent antispasmodic so researchers at the Tehran University of Medical Sciences' Vali Asr Reproductive Health Research Center assessed whether it could alleviate symptoms of PMS. Women aged 20—45 years with regular menstrual cycles who experienced PMS symptoms for at least six months were eligible for the study. Women were randomly assigned to either group A, who receive 15 milligrams of capsule saffron twice a day in the morning and evening or group B, who received a capsule placebo twice a day for a two menstrual cycles.
The women were evaluated for PMS symptoms using a Premenstrual Daily Symptoms (PDS) questionnaire and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D). Results showed a significant improvement in both tests (PDS and HAM-D) for the women in the saffron group compared to their pre-treatment symptoms and also showed a significant improvement in symptoms compared to the placebo group. (4)
5. Promotes Satiety and Weight loss
In a Malaysian study, researchers wanted to investigate the satiety property of saffron. Women participants were given a capsule of Satiereal twice daily or an inactive placebo with no restrictions in dietary intake. After two months, the participants using the saffron extract reported a decrease in snacking and lost more weight than the control group. (5)
The researchers concluded that this herb can help treat obesity by curbing the appetite, promoting weight loss.
6. Treats Anxiety and Depression
Depression is a serious disorder in today's society with estimates of lifetime prevalence as high as 21 percent of the general population in some developed countries. As a therapeutic plant, saffron was used for depression in Persian traditional medicine, and researchers wanted to assess the efficacy this herb in the treatment of mild to moderate depression in a six-week clinical trial.
Thirty adult outpatients who met the clinical interview for depression participated in the trial. Participants had a baseline Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression score of at least 18. In this double-blind, single-center trial, participants were randomly assigned to receive a capsule of saffron (30 milligrams a day) in group 1 or a capsule of the antidepressant imipramine (100 milligrams per day) in group 2 for a six-week study. saffronat this dose was found to be effective in a similar manner to imipramine in the treatment of mild to moderate depression. (6)
In another study published in the Journal of Complementary & Integrative Medicine, 60 adult participants with anxiety and depression were randomized to receive a 50 milligram saffron capsule or a placebo capsule twice daily for 12 weeks. The questionnaires Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) were used at baseline, six and 12 weeks after starting medication. Fifty-four participants completed the trial. As a result, the supplementation of saffron had a significant effect on the BDI and BAI scores in comparison to placebo during 12 weeks. (7)
Saffron Nutrition
One tablespoon of saffron (two grams) contains about: (8)
1.3 grams carbohydrates
0.2 gram protein
0.1 gram fat
0.1 gram fiber
0.6 milligram manganese (28 percent DV)
1.6 milligrams vitamin C (3 percent DV)
5.3 milligrams magnesium (1 percent DV)
0.2 milligram iron (1 percent DV)
5 milligrams phosphorus (1 percent DV)
34.5 milligrams potassium (1 percent DV)
How to Use and Cook saffron
The edible part of saffron is the stigma, a long, thin, golden stalk within the flower. The main European-producing suppliers are from the La Mancha district of Spain. Asian producers are in China (called safalan), Kashmir (kesar) and Iran (zafran).
Throughout history, this herb has been available as ground or whole stigmas (threads), and it's best to go with the threads for high-quality taste. There is isn't any substitute for saffron, and because of its price, many attempts are made to pass off imitations. Pay caution to the tasteless, cheap, similar-colored spice called safflower.
saffron is highly flavorful and aromatic, with a spicy, pungent and slightly bitter taste. The threads are used in many rice dishes as well as with vegetables, meats, seafood, poultry and in baked goods. They add a sharp, almost medicinal flavor and a beautiful yellow-orange color to the dish.
This spice is readily available in most specialty markets, and because of its high value, it may be stocked in a secured area. So if you don't see any on the shelves, ask the store manager. saffron is usually sold bulk in wooden boxes or to be packaged in foil in order to protect it from harsh conditions such as light and air.
This delicious herb can be used in so many different recipes. For instance, it's a staple in one of my favorite Daniel Fast recipes, harira, and of course is integral to saffron rice. Here are a few other recipes to try:
Enjoy a warm bowl of Saffron Ginger Carrot Soup.
Cook up a plate of Saffron Meyer Lemon Roasted Chicken.
Satisfy your sweet tooth with Persian Saffron Pudding.
saffron History and Interesting Facts
Crocus sativus L., commonly known as saffron, is the raw material for one of the most expensive spices in the world, and it's been used for centuries. Egyptian healers used it to treat gastrointestinal ailments, and in Roman times, it was used to promote wound healing and relieve upper respiratory complaints.
In more recent times, it's been used as an anti-inflammatory and anticancer agent and has also been investigated in the treatment of cognitive defects. Other uses of saffron in traditional medicine include as an abortifacient and in the treatment of spasms, fever, colds, bronchitis and insomnia. In folk and Ayurvedic medicine, it was used as an expectorant, sedative, anti-asthma, adaptogen, emmenagogue and in various opioid preparations for pain relief during the 16th—19th centuries. (9)
This exotic spice is native to Southern Europe and today is cultivated in many countries, mainly Iran, Italy, France, Spain, Greece, Turkey, and the Indian state of Kashmir and Jammu. The dried stigmas hold great importance in the production of cosmetics, pharmaceutics and textile-dye industries, along with cooking.
People would grow saffron all over Europe, but the massively high labor costs of harvesting it and the low yield per plant kept the supply well below the demand — yet the supply was sufficient enough that many people could possess small quantities of the spice for special occasions. These occasions included St. Lucia's Day in Sweden and Christmas festivities of the Provence. It takes 100,000 hand-picked flowers to produce one kilo of dried spice. (10)
Despite the difficulty in growing it in Sweden, it was suggested by writers on Swedish festivals that this amazing spice has long been added to Lucia Day buns. Many cultures adopted its use as a medicinal or dietary substance, even if most can rarely use it.
Ancient Greeks expressed the infinite wealth of the gods by describing Zeus having a bed of saffron. saffron was named "Blood of Hercules" and used as a protective amulet and ritual incense. Baked saffron cakes were served by the Phoenicians in honor of the fertility Goddess Ashtoreth and the moon. In ancient Mediterranean cultures, the spice was associated with strength, fertility, psychic sensitivity and sexual potency. (11) It was a popular healing and cleansing ritual to add it to love sachets and potions as well. (12)
This herb was mentioned in the Old Testament in Songs of Solomon, along with myrrh, aloe, calamus and cinnamon, as one of the most precious spices. It was only to be harvested by women of high status, such as priestesses, who wore garments dyed with saffron. (13)
Egyptians would mix it with honey, and Romans sought saffron as an aphrodisiac, sprinkling their marriage beds with it. Throughout its history saffron has also been used in body washes, as a narcotic, in potpourris, in cosmetics, as an antidepressant and, of course as a spice — both coloring and flavoring all manner of traditional dishes. (14)
Potential Side Effects of saffron
Combining saffron with other herbs or supplements with hypotensive capabilities might increase the risk of hypotension. Some of these herbs and supplements include andrographis, casein peptides, cat's claw, fish oil, CoQ10, L-arginine, stinging nettle, lycium and theanine.
Consuming five grams can lead to saffron poisoning, and symptoms include:
yellow pigmentation of the skin, sclera and mucous membranes (mimicking icterus)
bleeding from the lips, nose, uterus or eyelids
uremic collapse
thrombocytopenic purpura leading to severe necrosis of the nose
It's also reported that consuming 10 grams of saffron can induce abortion, with a lethal dose being 12—20 grams. Allergy-induced asthma and rhinoconjunctivitis have been reported, and anaphylactic reactions can occur within minutes of eating food preparations with saffron. saffron is not to be used during pregnancy either.
Final Thoughts on saffron
saffron is considered to be excellent for alleviating symptoms of PMS, depression, anxiety, and promote weight loss and enhance satiety.
saffron is commercially available at specialty stores and online as a powder or in the form of threads.
It should not be consumed during pregnancy, should always be taken in small doses as directed and should not for an extended period of time.
This entry was posted in Saffron Articles and tagged buy saffron, buy saffron online, iran saffron, iranian saffron, saffron, saffron benefits.
Saffron Review
9 Wonderful Benefits Of Pistachios


Spirits are high at Te Papa Press as our publication Brian Brake: Lens on the World, was nominated in the illustrated non-fiction category of the 2011 New Zealand Post Book Awards. Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony at Wellington's Town Hall on Wednesday 27 July 2011.
Te Papa Press sends hearty congratulations to Athol McCredie, Curator Photography, who edited the book, and to the specialist writers whose contributions offer such depth.
This long-overdue critical examination and evaluation of the work of Brian Brake,New Zealand's best-known photographer, was published in conjunction with a major retrospective exhibition celebrating Brake's work. It brings together over 300 stunning photographic reproductions and six all-new essays.
This is a remarkable book, beautifully produced and meticulously researched to give a careful and fair portrait of the one landmark international photographer this country produced in the 20th century, Brian Brake. Te Papa's photography curator Athol McCredie is to be congratulated on his careful editorial work and a very good choice of contributors.
Kia ora Atholl; I know how hard you worked on both the book and the exhibition; very best of luck. I jope you win!


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text:
Il Dipartimento internazionale del Comitato centrale del PCUS fu un reparto del Comitato centrale del Partito Comunista dell'Unione Sovietica.

Storia
Fu attivo con differenti denominazioni a partire dal 1943, all'indomani dello scioglimento del Comintern. Nel 1957 venne suddiviso in due distinti dipartimenti, uno relativo ai rapporti con i partiti comunisti operanti nei Paesi socialisti e uno relativo ai rapporti con i partiti comunisti operanti nei Paesi capitalisti. Nel 1988, con la soppressione del primo, quest'ultimo tornò ad assumere la denominazione di Dipartimento internazionale.

Dirigenti

Dipartimento internazionale

Georgi Dimitrov (1943-1945)
Michail Suslov (1946-1949)
Vagan Grigor'jan (1949-1953)
Michail Suslov (1953-1954)
Vasilij Stepanov (1954-1955)
Boris Ponomarëv (1955-1957)

Dipartimento per i rapporti con i partiti comunisti dei Paesi socialisti
Jurij Andropov (1957-1967)
Konstantin Rusakov (1968-1972)
Konstantin Katušev (1972-1977)
Konstantin Rusakov (1977-1986)
Vadim Medvedev (1986-1988)

Dipartimento per i rapporti con i partiti comunisti dei Paesi capitalisti

Boris Ponomarëv (1957-1986)
Anatolij Dobrynin (1986-1988)
Valentin Falin (1988-1991)

Note

Bibliografia

Partito Comunista dell'Unione Sovietica


text:
News & Notes 8/29/2016
News And Notes Eighteen
Posted by Mission146
Playtech is Killing It!
As a result of amazing revenues for the first half of 2016, Playtech has approved a dividend of 150 million pounds, almost 170 million USD, to be paid to investors in the form of dividends. This dividend is a, 'Special,' dividend and Playtech, based on its projections, has also decided to raise its interim dividend by 15%.
In other words, Playtech is a strong company and, given these actions, one can assume that it is growing ever stronger. In addition to the promising revenue reports for the first half of the year, the company also points out that they have new contracts with seven of their top ten current licensees and that each contract has at least three years remaining.
Playtech software is used in a wide range of online casinos, including such names as, Betfair, Betfred, Ladbrokes and many others. Established in 1999, Playtech is also one of the first casino software companies out there and has a long history of success. They also have a history of acquiring many other smaller casino companies and appear to be poised to continue to do so if they see a good buy...they certainly have the cash.
While the bingo and poker divisions of Playtech were down compared to the first half of last year, compared to the casino and sports side of the operation, those divisions are minor and the losses in those areas were positively dwarfed by gains in every other area, including land-based casinos. One of the primary sources of land-based revenues for Playtech came from their acquisition of Aristocrat Lotteries, which was fully completed just under two years ago. (It will be two years in just a few days)
For those of you inclined to invest in a company that deals primarily in online casinos, but also one that is intelligent enough to diversify and seems to make good buys in virtually everything it does, Playtech might be a good stock buy for you. Don't take my advice, though, as I know little except for what the immediate data would seem to indicate, do your own research and then make a decision.
Revel No More...Again?
In light of the announced closure of the Trump Taj Mahal, one would think that Atlantic City and New Jersey gaming regulatory authorities would be in a hurry to get the Revel back up and running, but according to Florida investor and owner Glenn Straub, that hasn't been the case.
Glenn Straub's position is essentially that there have been several issues with the state and city that have prevented him from getting the adequate licensing in order to undertake some construction on the property, much less actually open it. The developer claims that he is losing about a million dollars per month just keeping the Revel in its current state as he prepares to open the property.
Earlier this year, Straub claimed that he would have part of the hotel operating by June, but of course, that month has come and gone and Revel remains completely shuttered. Some agencies have reported that he plans to have some parts of the property running by October, while others have said his goals are more in line with early next year.
Straub's official line is something in between: He actually states that the property will have a, 'Soft,' opening on October 1st and he plans to have the property fully functional by the end of the year. He claims to have already hired both hotel and casino management to handle those aspects of the property.
In any case, it is difficult to imagine that Revel will operate profitably during the off-season, regardless of what Straub does with it. However, the few months of operation prior to the high demand season might give the property the ability to work out some kinks and potentially reconnect with people who used to visit the property on weekends, even during the off-season.
One thing that remains certain is that Straub, or the management companies that handle the Casino Formerly Known as Revel, will have to take business where they can get it, including day-trippers and locals, two categories of customer that former Revel CEO Kevin DeSanctis made expressly clear he had no interest in.
Another aspect that remains as something of a question mark for the property is what potential impacts a vote to authorize casinos in Northern New Jersey, which comes up on the ballot in just over two months, might have on his plans for reopening. Thus far, he hasn't really mentioned any of his plans as being contingent on a, 'No,' vote, but at the same time, the bulk of his plans have not really seemed to center on casino operations and have instead included a wide variety of physical activities.
It is also difficult to ascertain what the effect of the Revel reopening could be on other area casinos. The Trump Taj Mahal, for example, would have been likely to close (even if not for the ongoing labor strike) if the vote for the casinos in North New Jersey results in a, 'Yes,' and there is a short list of other casinos (namely Resorts, Tropicana, Bally's and Golden Nugget--probably in that order) that would be at risk of closure if revenues took a dive. Those casinos might well be threatened by an active Revel, as well, so Straub may have a point as there could theoretically be other forces behind the scenes keeping these delays going.
I'm starting to get tired of saying this at relates the Revel, but all we can do is wait and see.
The Strike, 'Worked'
Apparently, the strike at Trump Taj Mahal orchestrated by Unite Here 53 accomplished its intended purpose. Looking at the revenue numbers for Atlantic City casinos for July as opposed to June:
Shows that the Trump Taj Mahal took in 17.338 million in casino win in June as opposed to 17.548 million in July, while that means there were gains in June over July, those gains were well under 1.5% whereas the other Atlantic City casinos enjoyed gaming win increases as high as nearly 45% (looking at you, Borgata) while other casinos ran largely in the 20-30% range with exception to Resorts which had July over June casino win gains of a little under 20%.
Compared to last year, in which the Trump Taj Mahal had a 15.321 million casino win in June as opposed to a 19.120 casino win in July for a gain of nearly 25% (right about this year's average difference for all of Atlantic City, taking Taj out of consideration, for one month against another) the gain of 1.5% in casino win looks truly awful.
Interestingly, the Taj was also one of only two casinos to have a greater gambling win in June of 2016 than they did in June of 2015 (the other was Resorts) so while it is probably not strictly accurate to say things were looking up for the property, they were certainly starting to look a little better.
That will all be for naught, though, unless The Taj comes to terms with a labor agreement that they cannot possibly afford, and even if they did, would result in them closing in the near future anyway. In terms of the public perception, even if they did come to an agreement, the damage has probably already been done for the remainder of this year.
In any case, the strike worked, and it appears ever more likely that the Trump Taj Mahal will close in early October, as announced.
DraftKings and FanDuel Still Working on Nevada
In one of the greater gambling news ironies over the last few months, DraftKings and FanDuel find themselves still working to become regulated in the State of Nevada. What makes it ironic is their patently legal (and regulated) status in several other states, including such states as Tennessee and Virginia, who do not have the most gambling-friendly Legislative histories.
Nevada finds itself in something of a tough spot, because it is difficult to speculate how many actual jobs the presence of these companies would create in the state, and that is certainly something that the legalized commercial casinos accomplish. Furthermore, one can expect that there may be some pushback from the casinos who might prefer that their long-standing sportsbooks not need to compete with DFS sites.
Furthermore, for the price of $10,000, the two sites propose that the State of Nevada create a, 'Daily Fantasy License,' which would be an entirely new category of gambling license.
But, is it really that ironic?
The fact is that there is gambling now, there has always been gambling and there will always be gambling. Nevada is not famous for being the Wild West of gambling, quite the opposite, in fact, Nevada is the state that brought legalized and regulated gambling in first with one of the key intents being to ensure that the end users (the gamblers) got a good product in the sense that everything is fundamentally fair, and minimum returns adhered to. Given the relatively low tax on revenues imposed upon casinos in the State of Nevada, that also gives casinos the ability to offer games with reasonably good returns, at least, compared to other areas of the country.
DFS, in the view of the State, might be looked upon as a patently unfair enterprise that the state would just as soon as not touch, especially if there do not appear to be any concrete reasons why it would benefit either the state or the citizens thereof to do so. That doesn't mean that Nevada is necessarily intent on maintaining the status quo, in fact, they recently broke a little bit of mold with their legalization and regulation of sports entity wagering, it simply means that anything gambling-related is going to have to have a positive expected return for the citizens and visitors of Nevada...not just for the operators of the games.
The State of Alabama Really Hates Money
The article above says it all, another Legislative session, another lottery bill struck down by Alabama lawmakers. This one would have allowed for Video Lottery Terminals at the state's dog tracks. Apparently, animal cruelty really isn't much of an issue, but someone hitting a button on a machine and getting an electronic result...can't have that!
Fortunately, there was a similar bill that was to come to vote just a few days ago, last Friday and…
http://www.wtok.com/content/news/Alabama-lottery-bill-nears-final-passage-391420801.html
That's it for the 2016 Legislative session, ladies and gentlemen. No lottery for Alabama, because they really, really hate money.
People often wonder why the deep south often has a bad reputation, words like, "Backwards rednecks," have often been used, but I'm not the one using them.
Here's some fun reading, the 2016 budget report for Alabama:
"Governor Robert Bentley signed Alabama's fiscal year 2016 budget on September 17, 2015. This signing ended a budget stalemate only two weeks before the fiscal year was to begin (October 1, 2015). The budget cut general fund spending by about 4.5 percent from the previous year. Medicaid, prison, mental health, human resources and state court system spending remained about equal to spending in fiscal year 2015, but many other programs and agencies saw cuts of about 5.5 percent. These cuts were made in order to prevent tax increases. Governor Bentley sought to avoid program cuts through increases in taxes, but was met with opposition in the legislature.[11]
Additionally, the new budget moved about $80 million in tax revenue from the state's education trust fund to the general fund. New taxes on pharmaceuticals and nursing homes were also created to increase revenue for Medicaid."
I'm mostly interested in, "These cuts were made in order to prevent tax increases," and, "The new budget moved about $80 million in tax revenue from the state's education trust fund to the general fund." That's fantastic! For just a moment there, I was concerned that Alabama might not want to drop to the bottom five in the country in education:
But, fortunately, it looks like they are perfectly fine with it.
How do you raise the tax rates without actually raising the tax rates? The answer is simple: A tax on the willing. Hell, if it helps the Legislators sleep at night, don't think of it as a tax at all, but rather a donation. Imagine that: letting the public do what they want to do and actually garnering some revenue in the process.
I'm starting to think I go on this rant, or some rant like this, on a bi-monthly basis. Just when I think it is over and the subject can be dropped for a bit, yet another piece of stupidity hits the news and a State like Alabama refrains from taking advantage of what is only, perhaps, the easiest possible source of revenue for the state. People want to play the lottery, it's stupid, but they do. Some of these people are even travelling to other states, states with Legislators who are at least more intelligent in this regard, and improving the revenues of those states. It's a really simple equation: Money = Good, No Money = Bad.
Congratulations to Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh:
For being recognized as one of the, 'Top Workplaces,' in Pittsburgh for the second consecutive year as well as ranking as one of the best in employee, 'Appreciation.'
The thing about Rivers is that there free play has been a joke, in my experience, but I've spoken with many employees both on and off the property, (Tom's Diner, located in the borough of Dormont, is a popular after work spot for the middle shift) and it seems like the results of the surveys leading to such an award have not been inflated. I've honestly never experienced any of the employees at Rivers say anything negative about the place.
In addition to a reportedly strong benefits package, employees are also taken care of around the holidays with free hams and turkeys. Among other perks, they also have Kennywood (popular Pittsburgh amusement park, almost to the extent of being historic) days. I've spoken to dealers, bartenders and security guys, again, both on and off the property, and they have had nothing but positive things to say about the compensation, benefits and general work environment.
Again, kudos to Rivers Casino Pittsburgh!
1.7 Million Jackpot at Jackpot Junction?
Actually, that should read, "1.7 million jackpot for Jackpot Junction," a casino in Morton, Minnesota that unknowingly found itself the beneficiary of 1.7 million dollars embezzled from the company, AgQuest Financial Services, by former employee of fifteen years, Diane M. Eiler:
Eiler will receive three and a half years in prison and will be expected to make restitution (how?) on her crime which spanned several years and more than 250 fraudulently written checks. The cliff notes version of the crime in the above article has her simply making out fraudulent checks to herself and then covering it up in the accounting by showing that the checks were paid out to customers.
Apparently, she didn't own the place, so I cannot help but find it amazing that it took her over 250 checks to get caught! Authorities found that the fraudulent check writing spanned a period of over eight years and reportedly amounted in some $17,000 a month in fraudulent checks cashed.
As always, I cannot help but find myself amazed by stories like these because, it occurs to me, how can these people ever hope to get back to even? In Eiler's case, I'm not even sure it would have mattered because it isn't like she could simply put the money back given that she created a record of payouts to other people to go along with the checks.
I can't help but be interested in what would compel someone to write the first check. I understand the 32nd check, I understand the 145th check, even though I would never do anything along those lines...the person is apparently getting away with it, but that first check? I also find it amazing that what the above article (in my opinion) very generously calls a, 'Scheme,' could go on for so long, all it takes is for just one person to request a copy of the cancelled check from the bank and, boom, busted! This lady probably roughly tripled to quadrupled her salary, on top of her actual salary, for nearly eight years until she was finally caught.
Some places you can barely get away with walking out with a pen that you, out of habit, tucked behind your ear. I'm just saying.
Sticky Palms Theft
I'm sorry to essentially copy this headline.
But, it's too good to pass up.
Getting sticky in Singapore was all the rage for a trio including Zhou Haiming and Luo Jianguo, who were both arrested, while Huang Xiaomei remains at large.
Just like the theft mentioned above, this is another one that is so comically simple as to border on the absurd. Basically, two of the individuals would distract a player who had played a large bet as well as the dealer while the third simply stuck their palm, laced with double-sided tape, to one of the chips and walk off with it.
Yes, that really was the entire plan.
The news outlet reports that, after nearly three hundred individual attempts at pulling off the heists, the trio were successful an astounding 284 times totalling over $100,000 in chips.
For those of you who might notice the arrest and original findings of guilt are old news, this made the news again because the judge recently decided to increase the sentence in order to serve as a deterrent to future Singapore visitors who might otherwise try the same thing.
And...For Smaller Amounts
Here comes yet another intelligent gambling-related crime out of Florida:
Allegedly, Jayrol Abrego is yet another person who is seemingly impervious to the existence of cameras and what they are used for. Mr. Abrego allegedly stole over $5,000 from his employer's credit card via ATM withdrawals at the Palm Beach Kennel Club. In fact, the seven unauthorized charges spanned a period of only three days, and Abrego was found out when a Capital One representative contacted the owner of the company and told him where the transactions had taken place.
Abrego apparently confessed his crime to the police upon his August 24th arrest, in addition to the fact that he had the physical card, surveillance video (unsurprisingly) shows Abrego using the card to withdraw the cash from the casino's ATMs.
Once again, how in the hell does anyone expect to get away with this? Maybe he was going to go the, 'My card was stolen route,' like previous individuals to find themselves in similar positions have, but even then, who in their right mind believes that the casinos don't have an eye on the ATMs? How anyone hopes to get away with crimes of this nature is beyond me.
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News and Notes (3/13/16)
By Mission146
News & Notes (12/20/2015)
News & Notes (4/3/2016)
News and Notes 2/4/2016
News & Notes 5/1/2016
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