text:
package org.bouncycastle.pqc.jcajce.provider.test;

import java.security.KeyPairGenerator;

import javax.crypto.Cipher;

import org.bouncycastle.pqc.jcajce.spec.McElieceCCA2KeyGenParameterSpec;

public class McElieceFujisakiCipherTest
    extends AsymmetricHybridCipherTest
{

    protected void setUp()
    {
        super.setUp();
        try
        {
            kpg = KeyPairGenerator.getInstance("McElieceFujisaki");
            cipher = Cipher.getInstance("McElieceFujisaki");
        }
        catch (Exception e)
        {
            e.printStackTrace();
        }

    }

    /**
     * Test encryption and decryption performance for SHA256 message digest and parameters
     * m=11, t=50.
     */

    public void testEnDecryption_SHA1_11_50()
        throws Exception
    {
        // initialize key pair generator
        McElieceCCA2KeyGenParameterSpec kpgParams = new McElieceCCA2KeyGenParameterSpec(11, 50, McElieceCCA2KeyGenParameterSpec.SHA1);
        kpg.initialize(kpgParams);

        // perform test
        performEnDecryptionTest(1, 10, 32, null);
    }

    public void testEnDecryption_SHA224_11_50()
        throws Exception
    {
        // initialize key pair generator
        McElieceCCA2KeyGenParameterSpec kpgParams = new McElieceCCA2KeyGenParameterSpec(11, 50, McElieceCCA2KeyGenParameterSpec.SHA224);
        kpg.initialize(kpgParams);

        // perform test
        performEnDecryptionTest(1, 10, 32, null);
    }

    public void testEnDecryption_SHA256_11_50()
        throws Exception
    {
        // initialize key pair generator
        McElieceCCA2KeyGenParameterSpec kpgParams = new McElieceCCA2KeyGenParameterSpec(11, 50, McElieceCCA2KeyGenParameterSpec.SHA256);
        kpg.initialize(kpgParams);

        // perform test
        performEnDecryptionTest(1, 10, 32, null);
    }
}


text:
package com.touchableheroes.drafts.calendar.cmd;

import android.content.ContentResolver;
import android.content.Context;

/**
 * @author asiebert
 */
public abstract class ContextCmd {

	private final Context ctx;

	public ContextCmd(Context ctx) {
		this.ctx = ctx;
	}

	public ContentResolver getContentResolver() {
		return ctx.getContentResolver();
	}
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Mahindra's premium SUV has been launched in two variants with introductory prices ranging between Rs. 26.95 lakh to Rs. 29.95 lakh, ex-showroom India.
Mahindra has marked its entry into the premium SUV segment with the all-new Alturas G4. Launched in two variants, the Alturas has been priced starting 26.95 lakh while the 4WD models is priced at Rs. 29.95 lakh (ex-showroom India). The Alturas G4 will only be available with a diesel engine and automatic gearbox combination.
In terms of design, the Alturas takes a rather conventional approach in comparison to the competition. Up front, it gets the signature Mahindra grille flanked by HID projector headlamps on either side. Prominent lines along the sides add a sense of character to the profile. At the back, the Alturas G4 badge looks a bit overdone for our liking. In terms of dimensions, the Alturas is longer, wider and taller than the Toyota Fortuner.
The Alturas looks absolutely premium on the inside. It has diamond shaped leather wrapped dashboard, premium ventilated front seats and a large touchscreen dominating the front of the cabin. Space in the second row is pretty good too, the third row, however, does feel a bit cramped. The Alturas has a long list of features including electrically adjustable driver seat with memory function, climate control, electrically operated smart tailgate and more. Just like the recently launched Skoda Kodiaq L&K, the Alturas also comes with 360-degree camera and 9 airbags.
At the heart, the Mahindra comes with a 2.2-litre diesel motor that develops 178bhp and 420Nm. This engine comes paired with a 7-speed automatic transmission sourced from Mercedes-Benz. Mahindra has launched the Alturas in 2WD avatar with a four-wheel drive option on offer aswell. There is no petrol engine and manual transmission option on sale as of now.
The Mahindra Alturas G4 slots in a tough market with the Toyota Fortuner, Ford Endeavour, Isuzu MU-X, Honda CR-V and the likes. Mahindra will be selling the Alturas G4 in exclusive World of SUVs section of their existing dealerships. Through this, they intend to offer a premium sales and service experience to customers.


Famous French actor, star of the film "Taxi" Sami Naseri, living in Moscow, beaten at the capital bar.
As it became known "MK", the incident occurred on the night of 5 August in the club "voice" on Tverskaya street. The actor was vacationing there with his brother, Larbi.
At some point they had a conflict with another visitor. The enemy struck Naseri in the face.
On the evening of August 5, Nasseri appealed to the Institute Sklifosovsky. He was given medical care and released. Investigating the incident involved the police.


text:
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Our Top Picks for Art & Museums 2019
By Marielle Bokor on December 31, 2019 • ( Leave a comment )
Photo: Marielle Bokor
Year after year, Chicago adds to its arts and culture accolades with inventive new exhibits and exciting new artist exhibitions. And it's not just the Museum Campus weighing in heavy on our hearts and minds as we consider what we saw this year–great art and museums can be found all over the city in grand mansions and cavernous buildings as well as storefronts and warehouses in just about every neighborhood. Here's a look at some of the best of what we saw everywhere.
Pictures at an Exhibition– Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art
Creating a multi-sensory sensation in October of this year, the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art went all out with their Pictures at an Exhibition event. The event was meant to stir more than simply a music lover's ears and included various other art forms to accompany the classical fare, which included works from lesser known Ukrainian composers as well as the titular tune, as well as a foodie's delight song and small bite pairing and plenty of local libations meant to accompany each part of Mussorgsky's masterpiece while "trippy" animations of the various paintings Pictures at an Exhibition was based on played behind. While it seems like something that could easily spin out of focus, our reviewer Katie Priest found it unique and interesting.
See what's going on at the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art now.
Andy Warhol–From A to B and Back Again at the Art Institute of Chicago
We were excited about Andy Warhol–From A to B and Back Again–it's safe to say everyone was once they heard that the late artist's first American retrospective would be landing in Chicago. In fact, we were so excited about this one, our Editor in Chief gave us a sneak peek by seeing the exhibit at the Whitney on a trip to NYC. Whenever and wherever you see it though, Warhol's work stands the test of time for a reason, and it's more than worth it to stop viewing him on screens only and come face to face with the pop art patriarch's work. One of the best things about this best of though is that it's on display at the Art Insittute of Chicago through January 26th, so if you've not made the trip, you've got nearly a month of 2020 to get it accomplished in.
Find out more about the Warhol exhibit and all of the happenings at the Art Insitute of Chicago here:
Oriental Institute Museum–100 Years
It wasn't a specific exhibit so much as an auspicious occasion that stands out when thinking about the year at the Oriental Institute Museum. After all, it's not every day you reach your centennial. After some renovation, careful curation, a fantastic artist in res and truly epic works by other collaborating artists, the amazing work to preserve artifacts, language, culture and historical records of the cradle of civilization itself make it a museum with a big impact.
Find out what else is going on at the museum during their centennial celebration.
Virgil Abloh–Figures of Speech–Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
Great art starts conversations, inspires and makes you think. It's some of what author and music section editor Julian Ramirez already liked about Virgil Abloh and his ouevre, but Figures of Speech solidified that when it opened up at MCA Chicago and had him contemplating notions of the Tourist and the Purist. Abloh turned out for some interviews and even dished out some criticism on critics, and the exhibit overall was a hit.
Find out what's going to be the next big thing at MCA here.
Screenshot: In the Pause Between the Ringing. Studio Oleomingus.
Studio Oleomingus: Notes in the Margins of History–VGA Gallery
This exhibit is the one that stunned me this year. On the face of it, it's a show featuring the several part anthology of indie games created by two man studio Studio Oleomingus out of India The beautiful, surrealist landscapes inside the games on display are based on the lost works of a semi-fictional poet, but the real treasure inside these works is their commentary on industrialism, colonialism and the destruction of the intangibles and stories that make up the feel of a place, and the way that what's important in a culture is decided not by the people themselves, but by their oppressors. In fact, the talk we got treated to when attending the opening for this exhibit was one of the most compelling talks we've heard all year.
Find out what's coming soon at VGA Gallery.
Hairy Who? 1966-69–Art Institute of Chicago
This is technically a 2018 pick, but we're gonna let it slide because it was the bright colors and geometric wonders of the Hairy Who exhibit that picked us up during the holidays, the haze thereafter and saw us gently into 2019. Hairy Who was provocative and showed off a bold and brazen side of the Art Institute we like to see shine. Looking back it was a fitting way to usher in this year's best of art and museums, and it's a good time to remind you that it's easy to miss some truly great art and exhibits in the rush of the holidays, but the first week of January is a great time to catch them before they're gone, in many cases.
Keep up with what's happening at AIC.
About Face: Stonewall, Revolt, and New Queer Art–Wrightwood 659
Another breathtaking and bold exhibit we saw this year centered around the Stonewall Riots, looks at queer art and artists since the time of the riots and forward. The exhibit, at the beautiful space at Wrightwood 659, was expertly curated and incredibly moving show full of 500 works of art covering every conceivable media that together reflects a shared experience, for better or worse, and the beautiful diversity of each individual part of the whole.
Stay up to date on the space at Wrightwood 659 and its various exhibits here.
Of course, this is just a smattering of the fantastic exhibits to be seen on and off Museum Campus, at art museums and galleries from storefront to national forefront. Chicago has great museums on almost every topic you can imagine, and here at Third Coast we're excited for what next year will bring to our front door. Happy New Year from us at Third Coast Review!
Categories: Art & Museums, Gallery, Installation, Museum
Tagged as: About Face: Stonewall Revolt and New Queer Art, Andy Warhol, Art Institute of Chicago, Hairy Who, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Oriental Institute Museum, Pictures at an Exhibition, Studio Oleomingus, Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art, VGA Gallery, Virgil Abloh, Wrightwood 659
Review: Silly Goose–Why Untitled Goose Game is Great for any Human
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Tag Archives: Winona Ryder
Stranger Things, S3, Ep 5,6,7,8, Spoiler Review by Case Wright
Posted on July 11, 2019 by casewright
I am reviewing these four episodes as a block because only 25 minutes mattered combined. In fact, the show rapidly devolved into gross out scenes, cartoonish hijinks, cartoonish Russians, and a terrible song and dance number duo….really. The only way this season could get rave reviews is if the reviewer binged the show and was too tired to analyze it. I get it- you're around your friend(s), your girlfriend is virtual, and you can barely afford your Brooklyn apartment on your blogger salary; however, that doesn't mean you shouldn't be critical of a show that really should just go away.
I'm adding on to my review here to discuss what makes Stranger Things so terrible now. This series was heavily influenced by Stephen King and likely Salem's Lot because of the repeated Vampire monsters. More importantly, season 1 was great for the same reason that Stephen King's stories are great- It's not about the monster in the house; it's about how the people are living in house with a monster. These are your neighbors and now have to deal with something beyond reality and that was exactly what Stranger Things Season 1 was about. There is one other theme that make Stephen King's stories terrifying: it's not Randall Flagg, the Werewolves, The Clowns; it's about people who are supposed to be caring for you, but in fact do not. This theme is in nearly every Stephen King book and it was present in Stranger Things Season 1. El called Evil Modine "Papa" even though he was an abusive kidnapper who didn't think anything more about El than a piece of lab equipment. The series now has left all those themes behind to become a husk.
The last four episodes broke discretely into three distinct and equally boring and poorly executed quests: 1) Joyce, Hop, Alexi, and Weirdo try to destroy the machine opening the gate. 2) Dustin, Erica, Steve, and Robin try to escape the bunker and annoy everyone. 3) The original gang drag El around so she can get her ass beat.
Episodes 4 – 7: Joyce and Hop go through town looking for answers and end up kidnapping a Russian engineer – Alexi. They take him to the creepy weird guy from last season and without any story arc Alexi is all in to help. He gives them schematics to infiltrate the Starcourt Mall underground bunker and how to destroy the machine. Why does Alexi do all this? Who knows? It's a good thing Alexi is so detailed because he dies later and it doesn't matter. But, we do get A LOT of corny banter and goofy car scenes:
Hop steals this car in the most corny and unrealistic way possible. It's corny, but it makes up for it by being cartoonish and boring. There are A LOT of scenes where they are driving around and mostly Joyce yells a lot at Hop and Hop yells at Joyce for roughly 38 times. It's really dull. They manage to infiltrate the base eventually try to destroy the machine. Do they make it? We have to get through many many pratfalls to find out .. wakka wakka wakka.
Dustin, Erica, Steve, and Robin infiltrate the base…..and Steve and Robin get caught right away. This could have been a great suspenseful plot point, but instead we get hijinks!!! A goofy Russian General who makes this face a lot:
This "torture" sequence goes on for a long long long while and really goes nowhere, which is especially disappointing because there were a couple of episodes that had real suspense. Instead now, we get this comic book torture guy:
It's really goofy. It's like the Duffer Brothers couldn't figure out if this show was horror, comedy, or just paint by numbers garbage. Dustin manages to bust Robin and Steve out because that's super believable after making Dustin the LEAST physical of the bunch for 2.8 seasons.
El and the gang start to battle with the least effective monster ever. For a Big Bad Vampire monster, it can't see very well, it has a vague agenda, and it's unclear what can actually kill it until the penultimate episode, which sets up Hop's likely death. Yes, it looks gross:
BUT it's REALLY REALLY bad at finding and killing things that matter.
They, of course, manage to kill off the big bad, but that was never really in doubt. What was amazing is how the writers derailed the story in favor of WACKINESS!
The "scary" general goofs around A LOT:
So funny how it derails the suspense. Sigh.
There is car driving wackiness:
Above: a not funny joke was made. They laughed for a very long time. The person on the right is Alexis. He dies and it doesn't matter.
The big fight with the big bad where Hop gets sacrificed: the show ruined itself. It didn't just go for wackiness; it stalled the epic last monster fight scene where everyone is about to die for a no kidding Song and Dance sequence- REALLY!
I remember when this song sequence started because I was young man with two newborns. When it ended, I was sending my girls off to college. The third picture? Yep, that's a split screen singing moment. It …. just….kept… going. I was really rooting for the Monster.
Did the first four episodes give me hope? Yes, but that hope and good will was squandered by plain old corny scenes and cartoonish sequences. Maybe, we all entered the upside down because there is no way a third season like this should have made it to daylight without all laws of physics and reason being reversed.
Posted in Horror, science fiction, Stranger Things, TV, TV Review, TV Show, Uncategorized | Tagged Caleb McLaughlin, Cara Bouno, Charlie Heaton, David Harbour, Duffer Brothers, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Joe Keery, Maya Hawke, Millie Bobby Brown, Natalia Dyer, Noah Schnapp, Priah Ferguson, Winona Ryder | 1 Comment
Stranger Things, S03,Ep4, Review By Case Wright
Episode 4 had a lot going on. It's like the show doesn't know how to maintain suspense from one episode to the next. The previous episode had nothin goin on and this one was like 10 pound sausage in a 5 pound bag. This is actually a pretty good season and the creators know that they peaked in the first season because of the incessant flashback clips to season 1.
We open with Heather and Mullet-Renfield setting up her parents to be disgustingly consumed/converted by the Monster Vampire- It's Gross! Of course, after following the NXIVM case, maybe we should let the Vampire Monster win? Are we really that great that ya know we DESERVE to live.
This season is all about breaking up, reuniting, and moving on. Dustin is breaking away and making older friends. I'm pretty sure that Will is about to come out- Good for Him and good for the show!
Speaking of Dustin, he, Robin, and Steve are trying really hard to infiltrate the Russian mall area and they recruit Erica (Sister of Lucas) to do it. I gotta write that she was a scene stealer. It's clear to me that she could be a huge star. Erica fits through the air vents, which are actually normal sized- Good work set department. When they enter the secret room, they hit a BAD button and they accidentally go DEEP underground.
Hop and Joyce are on the hunt for information and they get it by beating the snot out of a very smarmy Mayor (Carey Elwes) we learn that he was on the take with the Russians, the Russians own the mall, and they are buying up most of the town. Evil Mall, Evil Russians, Evil Food Court!
The kids get back together to do battle with Mullet-Renfield. They surmise that because the creature likes cold, they will lock Mullet-Renfield in the pool sauna. And…. it kinda works? They manage to activate Mullet-Guy into a vampire drone, but El, unlike previous seasons, gets her ass beat. It's brutal. She does throw Mullet-guy through a wall, but why do this anyway? Did they really need to prove his guilt? They could've just followed him back to his evil lair and he wouldn't have known they were on them. The problem they all took their stupid pills off camera. Kids yesterday?
It would seem that we have reached a major Arc Spin-around. It would make sense for all the heroes to lose a lot soon. Hop will probably lose his job, Mullet-Renfield has amassed an army for the Sticky Vampire Monster, The Russians are evilling, and Dustin, Robin, Erica and Steve are going down a mineshaft.
Side plot: Creeper and Nancy get fired from the paper by the converted Editor, but she will keep pursuing the story …. for some reason. Nancy, why not just go to community college? What are wasting your time for? Is this Barb guilt?
It's looking grim, BUT this is a good thing. This season is actually keeping my interest and has real suspense even if the episodes themselves are uneven. I'm not sure the series deserves another season yet; so, I'm hoping they give some closure this season.
Posted in Horror, netflix, science fiction, Stranger Things, TV, TV Review, TV Show | Tagged Caleb McLaughlin, Cara Buono, Cary Elwes, Charlie Heaton, Dacre Montgomery, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Francesca Reale, Gaten Matarazzo, Maya Hawke, Michael Park, Millie Bobby Brown, Natalia Dyer, Noah Schnapp, Priah Ferguson, Sadie Sink, Winona Ryder | 1 Comment
Stranger Things S3 Ep2, The Mall Rats, Review by Case Wright
Posted on July 7, 2019 by casewright
I was right again!!! Stranger Things is a VAMPIRE show!!! No one else got that! Season 1- I proved that the show was a Vampire show. This season continues that theme with a Renfield! See my old review HERE!!!
Vampires especially Dracula uses a Renfield as a familiar. These are people who are quasi-vampires who do the bidding of the Vampire and bring them victims and assist them in their lives. This is seen in Dracula, Salem's Lot, What We Do in The Shadows, and Stranger Things Season 3.
This episode is all about change and entropy. In the previous episode, Mullet-Guy was pulled down into the steel mill. In this episode, we learn that this was to make Mullet-guy into a familiar to the New Nosferatu!
If you're not convinced that the new big bad is a Vampire:
Lives in a dark crypt. ✔
Kills small animals to live. ✔
Takes a familiar. ✔
Has familiar bring it a pretty victim. ✔
Familiar is hypnotized. ✔
Vampire moves from small animals to human victims. ✔
What we got here is a case of a Sci-Fi Nosferatu!!!
The big bad is feeding on rats and later has Mullet-Guy bring him a pretty victim to feed upon and likely enslave just like Lucy was enslaved by Dracula in Bram Stokers. The vampire story also explains the Winona Ryder casting because she was in the Bram Stoker Dracula film. Also, Mullet-guy is now dizzy and sick when he's exposed to sunlight! HEARD IT HERE FIRST!!!! *Spikes Ball* *Touchdown Dance*
Mike takes Hops lecture seriously and he starts lying to El. Then, El and Mike break up. Big Whoop. Don't Care. Lucas and his girlfriend are much more interesting characters anyway. They have wit and drama. Mike and El's relationship is basically a one-note in dullsville.
Steve, Robin, and Dustin have decoded the Russian message sort of. I'm actually coming to the belief that neck breaking Russian guy is in the upside down and they are trying to get back to the real world. Also, that the melted Russians from the first episode are actually the Big Bad from Season 2 and Season 3. The experiment fused them and now they are a combined angry monster vampire.
The episode ends as said before with Mullet-Renfield bringing the Monster a pretty victim. Just like in Dracula!
Posted in Horror, netflix, Stranger Things, TV, TV Review, TV Show, Uncategorized | Tagged Caleb McLaughlin, Cara Buono, Charlie Heaton, Dacre Montgomery, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Joe Keery, Maya Hawke, Millie Bobby Brown, Natalia Dyer, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Winona Ryder | 2 Comments
Stranger Things, S3, Ep1, Suzie, Do you copy?, Review By Case Wright, (Dir. Matt and Ross Duffer)
And…..We're Back!
This series is special to me. It's the first I ever reviewed for this site. It was awesome- Read Here
I have watched every episode of this series. The first season was epic and even engendered a ride at Universal Studios. Season 2 was a show that was aired on Netflix with Sean Astin. This season has a new big bad who looks a lot like last years big bad. So….I hope it's better than last year's terribleness. This episode opened with a bit of meh, but better than Season Two's sophomore slump. I'm guessing that it will be kinda of fun to watch. In any case, I write for an entertainment blog, so this is happening!
Cold Open: The Russians are trying to open the gate and they are EVIL! One guy goes full on Ivan Drago (Rocky IV) and lifts a guy by the neck and chokes hims to death! Their experiment apparently releases the smoke monster again and he's pissed at Hawkins!
Our older heroes are really not doing well. Nancy is a gopher at a sexist newspaper. Jake Busey is one of the reporters. I'm not sure if Jake knew this was a role or if he thought, "I've always wanted to work at a newspaper in a dying town!" and just ran with it. Creeper has found his niche working as a creepy photographer for a creepy newspaper. We're better off without elitist journalists anyway. All Hail The Bloggers!!!!
Steve is working at the mall at a terrible ice cream shop and striking out with every girl in Indiana. I suppose this is possible. He wears a dorky outfit, but he's still Steve. I kinda doubted this whole constant rejection he's getting. I think it's the writers were thinking that the moment good looking people leave high school, they are nobody. This doesn't make sense because IRL beautiful people make tons of money as actors and generally do pretty well getting dates. It takes me out of it a little.
The gang is all about their hormones. Mike and El are constantly making out and disrespecting Hop, which I really can't stand. Hop is troubled by and turns to his unrequited love Joyce who tells him to get to get all kumbaya and I just can't watch. This comes to a head at the end of the episode where Hop loses it and I'm hoping he smacks Mike around- in a nice way.
Dustin returned from science camp and he built a Radio Tower to speak with his girlfriend in Utah. Everyone keeps acting totally shocked that Dustin could have a girlfriend. This came across as mean and dickish to me. I mean Dustin isn't Brad Pitt, but he's smart and nice. Anywho, they erect the radio tower and Dustin can't reach her, giving his girlfriend claim a "My girlfriend is in Canada" feel to it. To my Canadian readers, we down south have been claiming that you were our girlfriends for generations. I know this sounds weird, but here we are. He does pick up a signal from the Russians and they are trying to open their own gate to evil town.
Ok, Cara Buono is at the pool as is Mullet-guy. Mullet-guy is now the lifeguard and they going to have an affair. This all seems to be ready to go, but the smoke monster is taking up space in the abandoned Steel Mill and eats him or something. Why a Steel Mill? Well, the Smoke Monster is really into depressed real estate and factories can be converted into lofts for the hipster set. It's really forward thinking on Smokey's part.
I would say this episode is a bit clunky, but good. Is it the thrill ride of the first season? NO NO NO, but honestly what is?! Stranger Things season 1 was a television event up there with The Stand, Shogun, or It. In fact, it was never meant to be a recurring series until the last minute, but hey it's better than watching re-runs of Parks and Rec.
See you soon for ep 2!!!
Posted in Horror, netflix, science fiction, sports, Stranger Things, TV, TV Review, TV Show | Tagged Caleb McLaughlin, Cara Buono, Charlie Heaton, Dacre Montgomery, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Joe Keery, Millie Bobby Brown, Natalia Dyer, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Winona Ryder | 2 Comments
Playing Catch-Up: Autumn in New York, Griffin & Phoenix, Harry & Son, The Life of David Gale
Posted on March 23, 2018 by Lisa Marie Bowman
So, this year I am making a sincere effort to review every film that I see. I know I say that every year but this time, I really mean it.
So, in an effort to catch up, here are four quick reviews of some of the movies that I watched over the past few weeks!
Directed by Joan Chen
Starring Richard Gere, Winona Ryder, Anthony LaPaglia, Elaine Stritch, Vera Farmiga, Sherry Stringfield, Jill Hennessy, J.K. Simmons, Sam Trammell, Mary Beth Hurt
Richard Gere is Will, a fabulously wealthy New Yorker, who has had many girlfriends but who has never been able to find the one. He owns a restaurant and appears on the cover of New York Magazine. He loves food because, according to him, "Food is the only beautiful thing that truly nourishes."
Winona Ryder is Charlotte, a hat designer who is always happy and cheerful and full of life. She's the type who dresses up like Emily Dickinson for Christmas and recites poetry to children, though you get the feeling that, if they ever somehow met in real life, Emily would probably get annoyed with Charlotte fairly quickly. Actually, Charlotte might soon get to meet Emily because she has one of those rare diseases that kills you in a year while still allowing you to look healthy and beautiful.
One night, Will and Charlotte meet and, together, they solve crimes!
No, actually, they fall in love. This is one of those films where a young woman teaches an old man how to live again but then promptly dies so it's not like he actually has to make a huge commitment or anything. The film does, at least, acknowledge that Will is a lot older than Charlotte but it still doesn't make it any less weird that Charlotte would want to spend her last year on Earth dealing with a self-centered, emotionally remote man who is old enough to be her father. (To be honest, when it was revealed that Charlotte was the daughter of a woman who Will had previously dated, I was briefly worried that Autumn in New York was going to take an even stranger turn….)
On the positive side, the films features some pretty shots of New York and there is actually a pretty nice subplot, in which Will tries to connect with the daughter (Vera Farmiga) that he never knew he had. Maybe if Farmiga and Ryder had switched roles, Autumn in New York would have worked out better.
Griffin & Phoenix
Directed by Ed Stone
Starring Dermot Mulroney, Amanda Peet, Blair Brown, and Sarah Paulson
His name is Henry Griffin (Dermot Mulroney).
Her name is Sarah Phoenix (Amanda Peet).
Because they both have highly symbolic last names, we know that they're meant to be together.
They both have cancer. They've both been given a year to live. Of course, they don't realize that when they first meet and fall in love. In fact, when Phoenix comes across several books that Griffin has purchased about dealing with being terminally ill, she assumes that Griffin bought them to try to fool her into falling in love with him. Once they realize that they only have a year to be together, Griffin and Phoenix set out to make every moment count…
It's a sweet-natured and unabashedly sentimental movie but, unfortunately, Dermot Mulroney and Amanda Peet have little romantic chemistry and the film is never quite as successful at inspiring tears as it should be. When Mulroney finally allows himself to get mad and deals with his anger by vandalizing a bunch of cars, it's not a cathartic moment. Instead, you just find yourself wondering how Mulroney could so easily get away with destroying a stranger's windshield in broad daylight.
Harry & Son
Directed by Paul Newman
Starring Paul Newman, Robby Benson, Ellen Barkin, Wilford Brimley, Judith Ivey, Ossie Davis, Morgan Freeman, Katherine Borowitz, Maury Chaykin, Joanne Woodward
Morgan Freeman makes an early film appearance in Harry & Son, though his role is a tiny one. He plays a factory foreman named Siemanowski who, in quick order, gets angry with and then fires a new employee named Howard Keach (Robby Benson). Howard is the son in Harry & Son and he's such an annoying character that you're happy when Freeman shows up and starts yelling at the little twit. As I said, Freeman's role is a small one. Freeman's only on screen for a few minutes. But, in that time, he calls Howard an idiot and it's hard not to feel that he has a point.
Of course, the problem is that we're not supposed to view Howard as being an idiot. Instead, we're supposed to be on Howard's side. Howard has ambitions to be the next Ernest Hemingway. However, his blue-collar father, Harry (Paul Newman, who also directed), demands that Howard get a job. Maybe, like us, he realizes how silly Howard looks whenever he gets hunched over his typewriter. (Robby Benson tries to pull off these "deep thought" facial expressions that simply have to be seen to be believed.) There's actually two problems with Howard. First off, we never believe that he could possibly come up with anything worth reading. Secondly, it's impossible to believe that Paul Newman could ever be the father of such an annoying little creep.
Harry, of course, has problems of his own. He's just lost his construction job. He's having to deal with the fact that he's getting older. Fortunately, his son introduces him to a nymphomaniac (Judith Ivey). Eventually, it all ends with moments of triumph and tragedy, as these things often do.
As always, Newman is believable as a blue-collar guy who believes in hard work and cold beer. The film actually gets off to a good start, with Newman using a wrecking ball to take down an old building. But then Robby Benson shows up, hunched over that typewriter, and the film just becomes unbearable. At least Morgan Freeman's around to yell at the annoying little jerk.
The Life of David Gale
Directed by Alan Parker
Starring Kevin Spacey, Kate Winslet, Laura Linney, Gabriel Mann, Rhona Mitra, Leon Rippy, Matt Craven, Jim Beaver, Melissa McCarthy
For the record, while I won't shed any tears whenever Dzhokahr Tsarnaev is finally executed, I'm against the death penalty. I think that once we accept the idea that the state has the right to execute people, it becomes a lot easier to accept the idea that the state has the right to do a lot of other things. Plus, there's always the danger of innocent people being sent to die. The Life of David Gale also claims to be against the death penalty but it's so obnoxious and self-righteous that I doubt it changed anyone's mind.
David Gale (Kevin Spacey) used to the head of the philosophy department at the University of Texas. He used to be a nationally renowned activist against the death penalty. But then he was arrested for and convicted of the murder of another activist, Constance Harraway (Laura Linney) and now David Gale is sitting on death row himself. With his execution approaching, journalist Bitsey Bloom (Kate Winslet) is convinced that Gale was framed and she finds herself racing against time to prevent Texas from executing an innocent man…
There's a lot of things wrong with The Life of David Gale. First off, it was made during the Bush administration, so the whole film is basically just a hate letter to the state of Texas. Never have I heard so many inauthentic accents in one film. Secondly, only in a truly bad movie, can someone have a name like Bitsey Bloom. Third, the whole film ends with this big twist that makes absolutely no sense and which nearly inspired me to throw a shoe at the TV.
Of course, the main problem with the film is that we're asked to sympathize with a character played by Kevin Spacey. Even before Kevin Spacey was revealed to be a sleazy perv, he was never a particularly sympathetic or really even that versatile of an actor. (Both American Beauty and House of Cards tried to disguise this fact by surrounding him with cartoonish caricatures.) Spacey's so snarky and condescending as Gale that, even if he is innocent of murder, it's hard not to feel that maybe David Gale should be executed for crimes against likability.
Posted in Film, Film Review | Tagged Alan Parker, Amanda Peet, Anthony LaPaglia, Autumn in New York, Blair Brown, Dermot Mulroney, Ed Stone, Elaine Stritch, Ellen Barkin, Film, Gabriel Mann, Griffin & Phoenix, Harry & Son, Harry and Son, J.K. Simmons, Jill Hennessy, Jim Beaver, Joan Chen, Joanne Woodward, Judith Ivey, Kate Winslet, Katharine Borowitz, Kevin Spacey, Laura Linney, Leon Rippy, Lisa Marie Bowman, Mary Beth Hurt, Matt Craven, Maury Chaykin, Melissa McCarthy, Morgan Freeman, movie, Ossie Davis, Paul Newman, review, Rhona Mitra, Richard Gere, Robby Benson, Sam Trammell, Sarah Paulson, Sherry Stringfield, The Life of David Gale, Vera Farmiga, Wilford Brimley, Winona Ryder | 2 Comments
A Movie A Day #173: Great Balls of Fire! (1989, directed by Jim McBride)
Posted on June 30, 2017 by Jedadiah Leland
In the 1950s, Jerry Lee Lewis (Dennis Quaid) plays what his cousin, Jimmy Swaggart (Alec Baldwin), calls the devil's music. After signing a contract with Sam Phillips (Trey Wilson), Jerry becomes a star with his wild man persona and crazed piano playing. When Elvis is drafted, it appears that Jerry is destined to take over as the new King of Rock and Roll. But, then, while touring England, the press discovers that Jerry is married to his 13 year-old cousin, Myra (Winona Ryder). When Jerry refuses to apologize for his private life, his career falls apart.
The real Jerry Lew Lewis has stated many times that he hates this musical biopic and that it has very little in common with his actual life. Jerry has a point. Great Balls of Fire is a highly stylized film, one that greatly sanitizes both the life of Jerry Lee Lewis and the early days of rock and roll. In the film, there's no struggle or even hard work on the road to becoming a star. Jerry just drops off a recording of himself playing piano and viola! He's a star! Soon, teenagers are dancing around his convertible, both civil rights protestors and white Southern cops start dancing whenever they see him driving down the street, the local radio DJ waves whenever he sees them, and Jerry's sneaking into Mississippi so that he can marry his thirteen year-old cousin.
Great Balls of Fire! takes a superficially mater of fact approach to Jerry's marriage to Myra, neither condemning nor excusing, though it does cheat by casting the 18 year-old Winona Ryder as the 13 year-old Myra. (If the film had cast an actress who was closer to Myra's actual age, Great Balls of Fire! would never have been released.) Fortunately, history helped the movie out by making Jimmy Swaggart into Jerry's main critic. Alec Baldwin's performance as Jimmy Swaggart makes his interpretation of Donald Trump look subtle, nuanced, and award-worthy.
Dennis Quaid, at the height of his 80s stardom, is ideally cast as Jerry Lee Lewis, giving a good if broad performance and doing a convincing job lip-syncing to the music. Quaid has said that he was struggling with an addiction to cocaine while filming Great Balls of Fire! and that might have made him the perfect actor to play the always conflicted and always wild Jerry Lee Lewis. The best thing about the film is that Jerry Lee Lewis provided the music, re-recording his best known songs. While the movie may not tell the true story of Jerry Lee Lewis, it does feature enough of his music that it is obvious why Jerry Lee Lewis nearly became the king of rock and roll.
Posted in Film, Film Review | Tagged Alec Baldwin, David R. Ferguson, Dennis Quaid, Great Balls of Fire!, Jerry Lee Lewis, Jim McBride, Jimmie Vaughn, John Doe, Joshua Sheffield, Lisa Blount, Lisa Jane Persky, Michael St. Gerard, Mojo Nixon, Movie A Day, Peter Cook, Robert Lesser, Stephen Tobolowsky, Steve Allen, Trey Wilson, Winona Ryder | Leave a comment
The SAG Nominations are here and … Hello there, Captain Fantastic!
Posted on December 14, 2016 by Lisa Marie Bowman
Earlier the year, I choose not to see Captain Fantastic. Every bit of advertising that I saw for it led me to believe that Captain Fantastic was basically just Wes Anderson-lite and, as we all know, only Wes Anderson can successfully duplicate Wes Anderson.
Well, I think I may have made a mistake because Viggo Mortensen is definitely in the hunt for best actor. Though most of the precursor awards (so far) have gone to Casey Affleck for Manchester By The Sea, Mortensen still seems like a likely nominee.
Just consider this: he got a SAG nomination! And so did Captain Fantastic, itself! It was nominated for best ensemble, which is the SAG equivalent of best picture…
Actually, maybe you shouldn't spend too much time fixating on that. People like me always talk about how the SAG awards are an obvious precursor for the Oscars. Our logic is that the Actor's Branch is the largest voting bloc in the Academy and the members of the Actor's Branch are among those who also vote for the SAG awards.
Of course, we always forget that the majority of SAG members are themselves not a part of the Academy. So, while enough members of SAG may have liked Captain Fantastic for it to get an unexpected ensemble nomination, that doesn't necessarily mean that those voters are also members of the Academy.
I mean, let's consider what happened last year. Beasts of No Nation picked up an ensemble nomination. So did Straight Outta Compton. So did Trumbo. None of those films proved to be an Oscar powerhouse. In fact, Beasts of No Nation received a grand total of zero Oscar nominations.
So, let's put it like this — it's a good sign for a film or a performer to get a SAG nomination. But there's still no guarantee that it will translate into Oscar recognition. Captain Fantastic may have been nominated and La La Land was snubbed (for ensemble). But I imagine that the reverse will happen when the Oscar noms are announced in January.
With all that in mind, here are the SAG nominations!
Best Film Ensemble
Casey Affleck, "Manchester by the Sea"
Andrew Garfield, "Hacksaw Ridge"
Ryan Gosling, "La La Land"
Viggo Mortensen, "Captain Fantastic"
Denzel Washington, "Fences"
Amy Adams, "Arrival"
Emily Blunt, "The Girl on the Train"
Natalie Portman, "Jackie"
Emma Stone, "La La Land"
Meryl Streep, "Florence Foster Jenkins"
Mahershala Ali, "Moonlight"
Jeff Bridges, "Hell or High Water"
Hugh Grant, "Florence Foster Jenkins"
Lucas Hedges, "Manchester by the Sea"
Dev Patel, "Lion"
Viola Davis, "Fences"
Naomie Harris, "Moonlight"
Nicole Kidman, "Lion"
Octavia Spencer, "Hidden Figures
Michelle Williams, "Manchester by the Sea"
Best Stunt Ensemble
"Nocturnal Animals"
Best Comedy Ensemble
Anthony Anderson, "Black-ish"
Titus Burgess, "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt"
William H. Macy, "Shameless"
Jeffrey Tambor, "Transparent"
Uzo Aduba, "Orange is the New Black"
Jane Fonda, "Grace & Frankie"
Ellie Kemper, "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt"
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "Veep"
Lily Tomlin, "Grace & Frankie"
Best Drama Ensemble
Best Drama Actor
Sterling K. Brown, "This Is Us"
Peter Dinklage, "Game of Thrones"
John Lithgow, "The Crown"
Rami Malek, "Mr. Robot"
Kevin Spacey, "House of Cards"
Best Drama Actress
Millie Bobby Brown, "Stranger Things"
Claire Foy, "The Crown"
Thandie Newton, "Westworld"
Winona Ryder, "Stranger Things"
Robin Wright, "House of Cards"
Best Movie/Miniseries Actor
Riz Ahmed, "The Night Of"
Sterling K. Brown, "The People v. O.J. Simpson"
Bryan Cranston, "All The Way"
John Turturro, "The Night Of"
Courtney B Vance, "The People v. O.J. Simpson"
Best Movie/Miniseries Actress
Bryce Dallas Howard, "Black Mirror"
Felicity Huffman, "American Crime"
Audra McDonald, "Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill"
Sarah Paulson, "The People v. O.J. Simpson"
Kerry Washington, "Confirmation"
Posted in Film, TV, TV Show | Tagged Academy Award, Academy Awards, All The Way, American Crime, Amy Adams, Andrew Garfield, Anthony Anderson, Arrival, Audra McDonald, award, awards, Black Mirror, Black-ish, Bryan Cranston, Bryce Dallas Howard, Captain America: Civil War, Captain Fantastic, Casey Affleck, Claire Foy, Confirmation, Courtney B. Vance, Daredevil, Denzel Washington, Dev Patel, Doctor Strange, Downton Abbey, Ellie Kemper, Emily Blunt, Emma Stone, Felicity Huffman, Fences, Film, Films, Florence Foster Jenkins, Game of Thrones, Grace & Frankie, Hacksaw Ridge, Hell or High Water, Hidden Figures, House of Cards, Hugh Grant, Jackie, Jane Fonda, Jason Bourne, Jeff Bridges, Jeffrey Tambor, John Lithgow, John Turturro, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, Kerry Washington, Kevin Spacey, Lady Day At Emerson's Bar & Grill, Lily Tomlin, Lion, Lisa Marie Bowman, Lucas Hedges, Luke Cage, Mahershala Ali, Manchester By The Sea, Meryl Streep, Michelle Williams, Millie Bobby Brown, Modern Family, Moonlight, movie, Movies, Mr. Robot, Naomie Harris, Natalie Portman, Nicole Kidman, Nocturnal Animals, Octavia Spencer, Orange is The New Black, Oscar, Oscars, Peter Dinklage, Rami Malek, Riz Ahmed, Robin Wright, Ryan Gosling, SAG, SAG Awards, Sarah Paulson, Screen Actors Guild, Screen Actors Guild Awards, Shameless, show, Sterling K. Brown, Stranger Things, television, Thandie Newton, The Big Bang Theory, The Crown, The Girl On The Train, The Night of, The People v O.J. Simpson, The People Vs. OJ Simpson, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, The Walking Dead, This is Us, Titus Burgess, Transparent, tv, TV Show, Ty Burrell, Uzo Aduba, Veep, Viggo Mortensen, Viola Davis, Westworld, William H. Macy, Winona Ryder | Leave a comment
Stranger Things: Season 1, Episode 8: The Upside Down, ALT Title: Hop's Redemption
Posted on September 11, 2016 by casewright
Cold Open: Evil Modine's Government Facility: Joyce is screaming and Evil Modine enters. He conveys with cold calm that six people were taken this week and tries to bully Joyce like he did Karen. Joyce isn't having it. Henchwoman is having people taser Hop … A LOT! He tells them that he knows everything about they did. They propose to have him overdose. He counters that they arm him and let him and Joyce go. How does Hop fit into his pants with balls that big?!
High school: The boys are at the school and restless. They realize that Nancy and Creeper are gone.
Joyce's House: They set up several booby traps and the xmas lights, which sets up an inconsistency in the storytelling.
Evil Modine comes to Hop. Hop convinces Evil Modine to to arm him, release him AND Joyce, and allow him to pursue the monster. He offers to forget about him and their project and he'll tell him where El is, if he agrees to his terms.
Hop and Joyce get spacesuited up and enter into the belching gate to the Upside Down.
ROLL CREDITS:
The Upside Down: Hop and Joyce are looking for Will. The respirator noise causes Hop to Flash to happier times.
Hop is in the past… clean-shaven, with his wife and daughter, and happy. His daughter starts to wheeze.
The Upside Down: Nancy and Creeper cut themselves to draw out the Postmodern Vampire. She wonders how she will know when the monster will be coming, which brings us to the story hole: Why would she be screwing the lights back in before if she didn't know that they had a purpose? Steve bangs at the door and forces himself into the house. They both try to get him to leave and Nancy even pulls a gun on him, but then the lights flicker, the monster appears, and Steve's brain breaks a little. They run to Will's room.
The Upside Down: Hop sees the destroyed Castle Byers and a teddy bear causes him to FLASH.
Hospital Room: He is reading to his daughter who is bald from cancer. When he's done reading, he goes into the hospital stairwell and sobs. Poor Hop.
Joyce's House: Steve freaks out and runs to his car, but he sees the lights flickering and decides to become a hero. The monster appears behind Nancy and Creeper. Steve jumps in and starts hitting the monster with an upgraded baseball bat. The monster gets trapped in the bear trap. They set the monster on fire and it disappears. There is smoldering monster blood in the trap. My best guess of what smoldering Vampire Monster smells like is anything on the Arby's menu.
The Upside Down: Hop and Joyce are in her home and they see the blood from the monster. The lights start turning on in Joyce's house.
High School: Dustin finds pudding. We get it; he's the fat kid! Mike talks to El about how his family will quasi-adopt her. Jibber Jabber Jibber Jabber, they kiss. Then, Evil Modine and his Goons arrive to retrieve El. The boys and El run. They make it into a hallway and are cutoff with ….Goons to the Left and Goons to the Right and she's the only El in town! [Sung]
El uses her mojo and melts/explodes the brains and eyes of the Henchwoman and several goons. This brings us to bad ideas: New Coke, The Edsel, Qwikster, The Zune, Grease 2, and cornering a pissed off teenager with lethal mental Superpowers. Hop and Joyce pursue the monster and follow its bloodtrail to the library where Hop has looked for love.
High school: The boys get grabbed by goons and El is passed out from mental exertion. Evil Modine hugs her and promises to make everything better to make her better. The lights flash. Mike sees the blood, the monster breaks through the wall, and envelops Evil Modine. Once again, it's a monster, who hunts at night, and searches for blood. NOSFERATU!!!!!
The Library: Joyce and Hop are in the public library. They see skulls everywhere and viney gooeyness. Lastly, they see Will with a monster snake attached to his mouth.
Flash to Hop's daughter's Hospital Room: We see his daughter intubated and dying. She flatlines. The scene is intercut with Hop watching his daughter dying and him removing Will's monster snake from him.
High school: The goons are fighting the monster and losing. The monster enters the room where the boys are hiding and Lucas tries to kill the monster with the slingshot for some reason. The monster is flung and pinned against the wall. El is awake with red eyes and is really pissed. She looks back at the one boy she ever loved, says good bye, and then using her mind – she creates a bright LIGHT ….AHEM … A Bright Light like the Sun and destroys the monster by disintegrating both herself and it.
Hop and Joyce: Hop is doing CPR on Will with Joyce's help to revive Will. In saving Will, he will have also released himself from the prison of his grief. We flash to the Hop's dying daughter with doctors failing to save her and we see the beginning of his beard. However, in the Upside Down, Hop is able to save Will and, in doing so, himself as well.
High school: Karen arrives and hugs her son.
The Hospital: Will awakens to his family.
The Waiting Room: Everyone is waiting for Will to wake up in the hospital. The tragedy has brought them together as one community, one tribe. When the boys hear that Will is awake, they run in and jibber jabber a bit. Hop goes outside and is picked up by goons, but in a friendly way.
ONE MONTH LATER:
Snow has begun. The boys are playing D&D again. Creeper picks up Will and gets a present from Nancy, but we rapidly see that she isn't his girlfriend. It's a camera. HMMMMM, not sure if that will improve Creeper's prospects of staying out of handcuffs.
Hop Goes to the station and gets some food and makes some wise cracks. He drops off some eggos in a dead drop, which is presumably for El.
Joyce's House: It's all fixed up because the town must have pitched in together. Will heads to the bathroom and barfs up a slug monster, flashes into the Upside Down, and doesn't tell anyone because I guess mash potatoes were all he could think about at that time.
This has been so much fun! Demand more with all your might!!!
Posted in Stranger Things, TV Review, TV Show | Tagged Aimee Mullins, Caleb McLaughlin, Cara Buono, Charlie Heaton, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Hop the Seducer of Librarians, Joe Keery, John Paul Reynolds, Matthew Modine, Milly Bobby Brown, Natalie Dyer, netflix, Noah Schnapp, Randall P. Havens, review, Rob Morgan, Ross Partridge, Shannon Purser, show, Stranger Things, Stranger Things Finale, Stranger Things Spoilers, television, TV Show, Winona Ryder | 1 Comment
Stranger Things: The Bathtub Season 1, Episode 7; ALT Title: Modine, Evil Modine.
Cold Open: Mike cleans off El's face. She touches her head where the wig once was; the wig that made her a little normal and not a lab rat. "Still pretty?" She asks. Mike, "Really pretty." They are about to kiss when Dustin interrupts. At least it wasn't because he found a unopened box of Twinkies. They hear shouting on the walkie talkie. It's Lucas. Lucas has decided F-This. How did I end up in this situation?! And, how come we never see my or Dustin's parents? Did the monster eat them? Lucas is peddling as fast as he can … If he's smart, to Iowa and away from this horrible situation. Lucas continues to shout into the walkie and finally warns his friends. The boys see the Hawkins vans outside of Mike's house and decide to flee.
El sees her "Papa" Evil Modine approach Mike's home. They bike in a hurry to escape and immediately run into Lucas. They are together and cornered- vans in front, vans behind them. Pro tip: Nobody puts El in a corner because she will f#cking kill you. El's response to being cornered is launching the Hawkings van into the air and hurling it toward the pursuers behind her. They escape to the junkyard and everyone makes up.
Hop and Joyce arrive at the station. Joyce is hysterical. The deputies tell Hop that they need to show him something. They show Hop Creeper's trunk. It is filled with monster hunting stuff. Hop confronts Creeper and Creeper tries to give Hop some lip. Really, Creeper?! Really?! Chief Hopper makes Jason Bourne look like Rick Moranis.
Mike's House: Karen is looking for Mike and finds what looks like a kid's nest. Then, she finds a tuft of long blonde hair, which must cause her to wonder- Are all of my kids having sex in my house?! Doorbell rings. It's Modine, Evil Modine! He proceeds to home invade Karen's home without a warrant. Henchlady tries to question Karen and fails. Nebish Dad uses this time to call his son a wuss. Evil Modine uses his eeeeeeevil powers of persuasion to get Karen cooperate. When he says, "Will you trust me?" I got the heebie jeebies. Shudders.
At the station, Hop learns from Nancy and Creeper that the creature is drawn by blood. The World Smallest Bully's mom demands an apology. Hop learns that El is with the boys and is all kinds of superpowered.
Convenience Store: Steve loses his shitty friends and we learn it was his awful guy friend who did the spray painting.
Nancy and Hop are overlooking her home. She wants to confront Evil Modine. Hop shows Nancy that the government hasn't found the boys yet because helicopters are still circling. Creeper tells them that he might be able to communicate with the boys. They go to Joyce's house and Nancy is the first to look at the lights and say- WHOA! Yep, we're in Crazytown, Indiana. Hop gets the boys to give up their location.
The Vandalized Movie Theater: Steve's heart grows three sizes that day and he tries to make amends by cleaning off the marquee his friend defaced.
Junkyard: Modine's goons approach the bus that is hiding the boys and El. Hop quickly dispatches them.
Joyce's house: The Boys, El, Hop, Joyce, and Creeper are all together discussing their next move as one tribe. El tries and fails to use her mojo to find Will. They decide to make a bathtub deprivation tank.
Mr. Clark's house: He is watching a cinematic masterpiece, The Thing, with a waaaay Hot Asian Lady. Mr. Clark, I tip my hat to you Sir. You be you. Dustin calls Mr. Clark- the most patient man alive- pumps him for DIY sensory deprivation tank information and then hangs up. Dustin, you're being a dick.
They get the bath ready and El goes into the black world of the Inbetween. She finds a rotting Barb with monster slugs leaving her. Dear Everyone in the World, stop asking about Barb. She's a rotting incubator for Vampire Monsters. That is all. El finds Castle Byers in the upside down. She comforts Will.
Hop and Joyce go off to Evil Modine's Government Facility and are rapidly captured.
The Upside Down: The Monster destroys Castle Byers and takes Will to turn him into an incubator for monsters.
ROLL CREDITS!!!! If you enjoy these, please tell my Boss- Lisa Bowman! Also, suggest other shows or movies that you would like me to review. Cheers!
Posted in Stranger Things, TV Review, TV Show | Tagged Caleb McLaughlin, Cara Buono, Charlie Heaton, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Joe Keery, John Paul Reynolds, Matthew Modine, Milly Bobby Brown, MK-Ultra, Montauk, Natalie Dyer, netflix, Noah Schnapp, Randall P. Havens, review, Rob Morgan, Ross Partridge, Shannon Purser, show, Stranger Things, television, The Duffer Brothers, TV Show, Winona Ryder | Leave a comment
Stranger Things- Season 1, Episode 6 – The Monster; ALT Title: Are you there God? It's me, El.
Posted on September 8, 2016 by casewright
Cold Open: Creeper is calling for Nancy. She is lost in the Shadow World. In her haste, Nancy is has passed the exit and his alone in the with the monster. Creeper sees the tree portal, then Nancy's outstretched arm, and pulls the love of his life back into the Light World like a forceps baby. The tree's portal closes.
Roll Credits.
Steve is driving with his crew all worried about Nancy. He uses his much improved Ninja Skills to go up to Nancy's bedroom, but is frozen with shock and rage at the sight of Creeper comforting Nancy on her bed.
Joyce's House: Hop is mentally exhausted, but pushes through it. He explains that he saw Will's room because there was a kid's bed and kid's drawing on the wall. However, when Joyce asks, "Was [the drawing] good?" Hop describes it as a kid's drawing. She shows Hop an example of Will's very good artwork. Hop realizes that all this time that he's been looking for another kid. David Harbour plays this scene with a mix of realization and rage that they did this to yet another kid. I haven't seen acting this good since the Robert Mitchum or Gary Cooper. In five years, he'll be holding an Oscar.
Mike's house: Nancy showers off her evil goo. She has Creeper sleep in her bed. Maybe, he'll take some photos of her when she sleeps? You two deserve each other.
Hop and Joyce: They go on a quest to find El's mom, using his library research. Given that was a trolling ground for Hop, I didn't mean to have that previous sentence to read vaguely dirty.
Nancy's Room: Nancy Nancy Drews (sorry had to go there) a theory that the monster is a predator, who hunts at night, and detects blood. HMMMMMMM, whatever could it be???? They decide to set a trap.
Mr. Clark's house: He is visited by Evil Modine's Blonde Henchwoman and is duped into revealing the boys' identities with promises of nerdy tech programs for promising youths.
Flash to El: Evil Modine brings El a one-dollar Target store plant because he wants to her to make contact and he's obviously cheap.
El wakes in the woods. She puts her wig on to become a normal girl again. She looks into the water seeing herself as a freak, a monster, an ersatz girl. El tosses the wig and screams her energy into the lake.
Mike's House: Karen uses her bobby pin to gain access to Nancy's room, expecting to find a sleeping kid. Instead, she sees an empty bed and the indications that a boy spent the night.
Lucas' House: The boys try to make up. It's a bit corny, but in a good way. Lucas is determined to find Will on his own and he's convinced that El is a traitor. Dustin insists that it was pretty awesome; she threw him into the air with her mind. Lucas' face says it all- that's why she sucks, SHE'S NOT HUMAN!
El decides to go shopping for some Eggos. She's dirty, she's weird, and the villagers are scared. FLASH to the Evil Bathtub: El is being submerged into the dark world -the in between space that separates our world and the Shadow World a membrane that acts a terrible bridge. Back to the store where once again, we find a dickish manager. She calls the manager a Mouth Breather; it's pretty awesome. He tries to stop El because she's leaving the store without paying and El's like – LEGGO MY EGGO! BOOM- The sliding glass doors explode.
Hop and Joyce: They arrive at Terry Ives' home to ask her about her daughter. She is catatonic.
Lucas: We see him leaving to find Will. He sees a white Hawkins Power and Light van. Dustin and Mike, separated from Lucas, discuss why Lucas is upset. Dustin explains that Lucas is jealous because he's being replaced by El.
We learn from Terry's sister that she got into MK Ultra in college. They gave Terry loads of LSD, put her in the salt water tank, but she was pregnant. This gave her baby enhanced superpowers. This is an obvious nod to Dean Herbert's Dune, when Lady Jessica takes the Water of Life when she was pregnant; thereby, giving her daughter Alia superpowers. Yep, I just laid some nerd knowledge on you! Boom! Terry's sister explains that Terry believed she would have telekinetic and other badass powers; we flash to El's mojo badassery throughout the series. All the while she describes this, there is baby music playing in the background that is extra creepy.
Lucas uses his compass and arrives at Evil Modine's Government Facility.
Nancy and Creeper find supplies to set their trap. When they go outside, she sees the movie theater marquee – All The Right Moves Starring – Spray Painted – Nancy the Slut Wheeler. She's mortified. She hears spray paint cans being used and finds Steve and his cohorts. She slaps him. Steve starts insulting Creeper and Creeper kicks Steve's ass. The cops arrive and in a funny accidental assault on a police officer, Creeper is arrested.
Hop and Joyce: She's devastated that it's been 12 years since Terry saw her daughter, meaning she may never see Will again. Hop explains that there's still a chance. He explains that he's been through what she's going through, but his daughter was taken permanently, but he will get Will back to her. People in pain will sometimes lash out because a person tries to share their pain, thinking that the sharer is trying to make it about themselves. WRONG! Don't be that way! Pain is not unique. There's sympathy and empathy. Sympathy- wow, that sucks. Empathy- I felt your kind of pain because this happened to me. This is a vulnerable act of sharing, creating intimacy and intimacy is the bedrock of any relationship.
Hop gets a call that Creeper was arrested.
Back at the Police Station, Nancy brings Creeper some ice for his candid photo taking hands.
Lucas: He sees a bunch of Hawkins Power and Light vans. Lucas realizes that the government is on to them.
The Bullies find Dustin and Mike at the Quarry. The World's Smallest Bully (WSB) catches Dustin and threatens to cut out Dustin's baby teeth, if Mike doesn't jump into the quarry. The tension builds and he jumps. The boys run to see a likely dead Mike; instead, Mike is suspended in mid-air and hoisted back to the top of the cliff. We cut to El who has her signature bloody nose. She shoves one bully into the air and breaks the WSB's arm. El says, GO! The bullies do.
Flash to In between dark room: She sees the monster and approaches. She reaches out to it's scaly skin and touches the creature. It shrieks at her with a head full of teeth. El's terror is so great that she releases a huge energy burst that tears a hole in our dimension, linking our world to the shadow world and the Monster.
Back to the quarry, El confesses she opened the gate; therefore, she is the monster. Mike eschews that notion- You saved me El. They all hug.
Dustin, Mike, and El have return to Mike's house and the Hawkins Power and Light Van is waiting for them.
Posted in Stranger Things, TV, TV Review, TV Show | Tagged Aimee Mullins, Caleb McLaughlin, Cara Buono, Charlie Heaton, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Joe Keery, John Paul Reynolds, Matthew Modine, Millie Bobby Brown, Natalie Dyer, netflix, Noah Schnapp, Randall P. Havens, review, Rob Morgan, Ross Partridge, Shannon Purser, show, Stranger Things, television, TV Show, Winona Ryder | Leave a comment


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Diversity and inclusion at CPCS isn't just an HR thing
CPCS
Clara Kayser-Bril has made diversity and inclusion a priority at CPCS. Her actions to foster a global culture of belonging have led CPCS to implement measures such as an employment equity program and inclusive talent management.
"Preaching inclusion is easy with progressive workplace policies, but they tend to be as thin as the paper they are printed on," says Clara, Associate Director at CPCS and leader of the Committee on gender equity, diversity and inclusion.
"Practising inclusion is hard, because it's more than compliance and meeting quotas." It's about correcting unconscious biases and being mindful with gendered words and understanding how they have an impact, to name a few.
It's not enough that CPCS is multicultural. Clara and the Committee are committed to improving the gender ratio and ensuring fair treatment in the workplace.
There is no such thing as "being too inclusive," she says.
Her dedication to diversity and inclusion at CPCS has mobilized universal support across the company. She saw this as a natural thing to do when CPCS already emphasizes gender equality in many of its infrastructure projects.
"Leaning into this principle simply felt right," she adds. "I felt comfortable shaking things up."
Survey findings that sparked change
As a consultant, Clara took great care in not perpetrating stereotypes as she worked with clients around the world. Traveling the world taught her to be mindful of cultural sensitivities at all times.
Her lived experience eventually led her to test the waters at CPCS. At the time, Marc-André Roy and Jean-François Arsenault had just become managing partners, and Clara felt that they would be open to take inclusion to a deeper level.
Clara and the Committee conducted an independent company-wide survey. They found that inclusion wasn't systematically applied across the company.
"Improving inclusion in a company requires a concerted effort from everyone. It's more than an HR thing," concluded Clara.
Action and reflection
The survey highlighted some gender biases in the workplace.
For instance, women reported fewer opportunities to do high-profile tasks and to showcase their work. Women also reported being targets of microaggressions more often.
The same findings applied to ethnic minorities to a lesser extent.
The survey showed that what hinders professional growth are not personal obligations, but organizational barriers.
Though these problems are common in most companies, it's not an excuse to do nothing about it.
The results motivated CPCS to implement measures to reduce or eliminate the barriers that women and minorities face.
Employment equity program and inclusive talent management
The employment equity program is more than making sure the company hires individuals from all ethnicities and orientations. It's also building diversity at all levels of the company.
"This made our hiring process extremely transparent," shares Clara.
Being equitable in our hiring process didn't necessarily make it more challenging. We quickly realized that there are plenty of experts from all walks of life. In fact, we've brought on board some of the most accomplished women as principal consultants in the past two years.
Inclusive talent management means assigning high profile projects to all team members regardless of their gender and skin colour. This led us to formalize our onboarding program so that everybody receives the same training and mentoring. Doing so ensures that we have an inclusive and diverse pool of candidates to lead us in the future.
Adopting an inclusive language matters too
To sensitize people about microaggressions, Clara partnered with her Communications and Marketing teammates to adopt language that reflects diversity and inclusion.
"Our popular employee newsletter has since adopted gender neutral language and constantly encourages others to do the same."
Internal communications at CPCS now promote curiosity about the interesting stories and fun adventures in the daily life of our teammates.
People are more than titles and prestigious degrees.
There is no finish line to achieve inclusion
Diversity and inclusion are the foundations for respect and equality across the board.
But the challenge with inclusion is that concrete changes do not necessarily equate to changes in one's way of thinking.
That's why work towards genuine inclusion will never stop. It's not enough to simply force employees and management to adopt new rules.
True inclusion is when we trust our teammates to do a stellar job and to learn from their unique perspectives.
This is where we want to go. Speaking candidly about this is just one step to get us there.
But with Clara at the helm of the Committee, we're in good hands.
CPCS is always hiring. See our career opportunities or contact us at careers@cpcs.ca.
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Whether you are looking to install a new phone system, replace or expand your existing phone system, Exchange Communications can help you navigate the best business phone system options on the market today.
We understand today's businesses have very different needs, so whether you are a single user or have 100+ employees we can advise on the different types of phone systems that best meet your needs.
With more employees working remotely, we understand how important it is to provide the best choice of business phone and flexible options when it comes to business phone contracts.
Whichever business phone system you decide on, our aim is to ensure you make a return on the investment you have made in Exchange Communications and the products and services we provide.
We offer business phone packages which can include round the clock maintenance services to support your new phone system and provide you with the peace of mind that your communications will be available at all times.
Looking to choose a business phone system?
We are a leading supplier of Avaya Enterprise, Avaya Small/Mid Market and Unify systems in the U.K.
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"Exchange Communications provides your business with the unified communications capabilities you need today with the advanced collaboration capabilities that will drive innovation tomorrow, so you can take advantage of business telephony, messaging and basic conferencing with a platform developed to meet your requirements.
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In simple terms hosted telephony is an offsite system that sits in a data centre (known as the Cloud) rather than at your premises. Calls are made and received over an internet connection to the network. From there they are routed to the normal phone network and mobile devices. Companies manage the system through a web interface or mobile app.


In November 2011, Leah Kypers first presented her "Zones of Regulation" at ESU 10. In September 2012 former ESU 10 employee Jamie Lewis returned to present a basic training followed by an advanced training by Mrs. Kypers in October. Through these opportunities approximately 150 professionals in the ESU 10 area have received training in the Zones of Regulation. These trained individuals are putting their knowledge to use by teaching the "Zones" to individual students, groups, and whole classes throughout the ESU 10 service area.
The Zones of Regulation is a curriculum that helps students with self-regulation and emotional control. Self-regulation is defined as the best state of alertness of both the body and emotions for the specific situation. The lessons help students to identify the Zone they are in, determine if it is the expected zone for the situation, and then develop and use tools to change or maintain their zone. The curriculum also helps students to increase their ability to talk about emotions, understand the emotions of others, and how their behaviors impact others. They learn to identify their triggers, tools for calming and alerting, and problem solving strategies.
There are four Zones of regulation in the program that are identified by colors and associated with traffic signs. The blue zone is associated with a rest area sign and includes emotions such as being sad or tired. The Green zone is associated with a green light and includes being calm and ready to learn. The yellow zone is associated with a caution sign and includes frustration and anxiety. The Red Zone is the out of control zone and is associated with a stop sign. One of the major premises of this curriculum is that there are no bad zones and that all of the zones are expected at different times. Students really enjoy this approach to talking about their feelings and are able to learn it quickly. Teachers and parents can easily learn the vocabulary to support the student's generalization of the knowledge. Therefore, professionals feel that this training has been an asset to their work with a variety of students.


Two years ago, at the end of the "II International Ecomaterials Conference" in Santa Clara, Cuba, Dr. J. Kuchena committed himself to organize an event in Southern Africa. On September 19 he complied with a "MCR Tiles Launch" in Harare.
Kuchena is director of the Building Technology Institute (BTI) at the Scientific and Industrial Research and Development Center (SIRDC) in Zimbabwe. The event was meticulously planned and publicized at the national level and so many people expressed interest that a month prior to the event they had to close the registration. Punctually, at 9 o'clock in the morning, the director of SIRDC, Dr. R. Mafoti, opened the session in presence of high government officials, administrators, owners of business, university professors, directors of non-governmental organizations, and some MCR producers.
Prof. Kurt Rhyner of EcoSur presented a summary of the history and presence of the technology in the world, placing emphasis upon the struggle to guarantee stable quality in the production and use of MCR.
The Minister of Science (Dr. O. N. Muchena) followed in declaring MCR as the launching point in the struggle to achieve the triple aim of lowering the cost of housing, substitutions of imports and creation of high quality craft production. Her intervention caused a great impression upon the participants, especially as a few months ago she bought MCR to use in the reconstruction of the roof of her mother's house in a town in the interior of the country, and found the price favorable.
Dr. Kuchena emphasized the importance of evaluating the materials and technologies together, and drew attention to the fact that their institute has planned to make strong inroads into the MCR production market, creating their own brand, approved by the national MCR standards that have been legally established for several months. At the same time, he wishes to promote the use of rammed earth walls for which they have also established standards together with the National Commission of Standards and Norms.
The South African architect, Peter Dunckley of EcoSur, spoke about the situation of MCR on the continent and drew attention to the importance of a coherent policy to support national decentralized production and, if possible, coordinate among neighboring countries. The practical note was provided by Maytee Campos, a Panamian woman who has lived twelve years in Zimbabwe, and who is the first successful commercial MCR producer in the country. She caused much surprise among the public and positive comments from the Minister of Science, because she (an accountant) did not have a technical education and, in spite of this, has been able to successfully establish a construction materials business.
The Secretariat of the Presidency made a strong declaration in favor of using MCR, and congratulated SIRDC, that is "going onto the market with a good product" and assured government support. There were lively discussions in the work groups, but, above all, during lunch and the cocktails after the event, that leads us to think that MCR has a good future in Zimbabwe.
In Zimbabwe MCR technology has had a varied fortune. Over the years, several workshops had been installed by different organizations, but the great majority have never passed beyond the experimental phase, often the result of insufficient training or rustic equipment. During my visit to Zimbabwe I visited workshops that are part of an international program and which have received moulds so deficient that they are unusable. Such experiences contrast dramatically to the workshops managed by Maytee Campos, SIRDC, and other small entrepreneurs that are producing good quality and have found markets for their product. In order to improve this situation, the week after the SIRDC seminar, EcoSouth gave a follow-up course directed by Peter Dunckley.


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Charge It Up in Southwest Illinois | Great Rivers & Routes
Charge It Up in Southwest Illinois
Trekking across the Midwest in your electric car and suddenly the recharge light starts blinking? Get re-energized at one of southwest Illinois' charging stations. Whether you drive an electric Tesla, Chevrolet, Nissan, Toyota, Ford, Volkswagen, BMW, or Kia, travel assured that you'll have a station nearby to put the zip back in your car for a worry-free road trip!
EV Charging Stations in Southwest Illinois
Most charging stations are open 24 hours and near shopping, lodging, and restaurants. The typical street charger can bring your car to a full charge in 1-3 hours but some rapid-charge stations can bring your vehicle to 80 percent charge in 30 minutes to an hour!
In a region at the crossroads of the Great River Road, the Mother Road of Route 66, The National Road, and the Meeting of the Great Rivers National Scenic Byway, there's miles of green adventure that await!
Local EV Charging Stations
1. ChargePoint Charging Station, SIU School of Dental Medicine Campus, 1719 Annex St., Alton, IL Open 24 hours
2. Tesla Destination Charger, Best Western Premier Hotel, 3559 College Ave., Alton, IL Open 24 hours
3. Electric Vehicle Charging Station, National Great Rivers Research & Education Center, 1 Confluence Way, Alton, IL Open 24 hours
4. Electric Charging Station, Alton City Hall, 101 E. 3rd St., Alton, IL Open 24 hours
5. Electric Vehicle Charging Station, AutoCenters Nissan, 1825 E. Edwardsville Rd., Wood River, IL Open 24 hours
6. Greenlot Station ID 63046, across from Madison County Transit Station, 120 Hillsboro Ave., Edwardsville, IL Open 24 hours
7. ChargePoint Charging Station, Near Taqueria Z and Queen's Cuisine Tea Room, 101 E. Park St., Edwardsville, IL Open 24 hours
8. EVlink Charging Station, Edwardsville Township Community Park, 6368 Center Grove Rd., Edwardsville, IL Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily
9. ChargePoint Charging Station, Anderson Surgery Center, 3403 Anderson Healthcare Dr., Edwardsville, IL Open 24 hours
10. ChargePoint Charging Station, Anderson Hospital, 6800 Illinois Route 162, Maryville, IL Open 24 hours
11. ChargePoint Charging Station, Southwestern Illinois College Campus, 4950 Maryville Rd., Granite City, IL Open 24 hours
12. ChargePoint Charging Station, 1000-1080 Niedringhaus Ave., Granite City, IL Open 24 hours
13. Electrify America Charging Station, Walmart, 1040 Collinsville Crossing Blvd., Collinsville, IL Open 24 hours
14. Tesla Supercharger Station, Casey's Gas Station, 217 N. Bluff Rd., Collinsville, IL Open 24 hours
15. ChargePoint Charging Station, Holiday Inn Express, 2011 Formosa Rd., Troy, IL Open 24 hours
16. Electric Charging Station, MJM Electric Cooperative, 18300 Shipman Rd., Carlinville, IL Open 24 hours
17. Electric Charging Station, Lewis & Clark Community College Campus, 5800 Godfrey Rd., Godfrey, IL Open 24 hours
18. Tesla Supercharger Station, Near City Center, 101 S. Jefferson Lot D., Jerseyville, IL Open 24 hours
19. Argosy Casino Charging Stations, 1 Piasa St., Alton, IL Open 24 hours. Three stations available in the front parking lot.
Kayla Howland
Kayla Howland is a local writer and artist who lives in Alton, IL with her Cairn Terrier, Ripley. She enjoys fiction and non-fiction writing, graphic design, painting, drawing and photography. Kayla is a graduate of Southwestern High School and Lewis & Clark Community College. She has worked doing freelance graphic design, photography and commissioned paintings since 2012.


We combine the science of psychometrics questionnaire with powerful machine learning algorithms to drive smart employment choices.
Talentoday provides smart tools for professionals and individuals that leverage the latest advancements in Psychometrics, data analytics and interactive presentation technology. Our solutions bring the science of predictive analytics to recruitment, human resources and career development. The Talentoday team of experts is a combination of psychologists and data scientists from around the world.
Established by Talentoday, the mYti © (My Talent Inventory) questionnaire is a psychometric tool used to assess individuals by evaluating their unique personality traits and motivations. The questionnaire is built on proven psychometric science and leverages the latest technology in personality assessments. It is tailored to recruiters and talent managers.
The questionnaire was recently recalibrated using a sample of 2,350,430 international users. It assesses 28 different criteria in 128 questions, featuring 20 personality traits and 8 motivations, and only takes 11 minutes.
Talentoday's psychologists are affiliated members of the American Psychological Association (APA).
Talentoday is one of the 64 affiliate members of the International Test Commission (membership ID: A0132).
At Talentoday, we harness the power of cutting edge data analytics and machine learning for career success. Our algorithm was developed by data scientists at MIT and Stanford, to analyze huge data sets and transform them into personalized predictive insights on individuals and job fit. This data is collected from our assessments and crowdsourcing on our website. Both individuals and organizations contribute to these efforts, continuously enriching solutions and making them smarter.
Predictive analytics is the future of recruiting our machine learning technology enables this process and gives practical future insights about candidates. The algorithms determine the behavioral invariants of a successful and fulfilled population in an automated way, defining a Target Profile for a dedicated position, team, business unit, etc. You can then screen a pool of candidates in just one click, revealing the individuals that match those behavioral criteria and help you predict how a candidate will fit in at the company.
This information is used for staffing agencies and enterprises' to increase their efficiency in selecting, developing and engaging their talents.
The key to success is making sure this assessment data is used consistently to drive decisions throughout the employee lifecycle, from recruitment to retention.
At Talentoday we recognize the importance of scalability. We have worked hard to create a mobile and web platform that is innovative yet intuitive. The collaborative platform that allows you to work easily with teammates and the unique presentation of personality traits is easily comprehended by individuals who know little about psychology. The technology can be scaled across small organizations & large global corporations and our certification training is available online to professionals who want to enhance their ability to interpret and effectively use mYti results.
Our simple and intuitive interface is a key driver of our success, it appeals especially to the millennials who grew up utilizing similar technologies. In order to take this technology into the future, we are committed to bringing the assessment to all ages.
Download a comprehensive 10-page guide about Talentoday's questionnaire. Find out details about the questionnaire's construction, standardization, and psychometric properties.


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Undeclared potent ingredients found in 4 skin creams; infant hospitalised
File photo of a baby. (Photo: Jeremy Long)
01 Jul 2019 12:38PM (Updated: 03 Jul 2019 03:28PM)
SINGAPORE: The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) on Monday (Jul 1) warned people against buying or using four skin creams with "undeclared potent ingredients" after an infant was hospitalised.
These include three creams which customers bought to treat eczema, namely D'Splendid Kidzema Cream, CLAĺR DE LUNE P Tuberose Day Cream and CLAĺR DE LUNE S Involcurata Night Cream.
The fourth is an "unlabelled diaper cream supplied by a traditional practitioner in Malaysia", which was used on an infant to treat her diaper rash.
The infant then developed Cushing's syndrome, and suffered symptoms such as "moon-face", "buffalo hump" on the back due to fat accumulation, excessive hair growth on the body and thinning of the skin, said HSA.
"The steroid also led to recurrent infections as it suppressed her immune system and caused poor developmental growth," the authority added in its press release.
READ: Woman suffers from severe heart failure after consuming illegal weight loss product
The product was tested and found to contain a "potent steroid" called betamethasone valerate and an antifungal medicine known as clotrimazole.
The infant, who was hospitalised, has since been discharged and is currently undergoing outpatient treatment, added HSA.
INAPPROPRIATE USE OF ANTIBIOTICS
The other three creams were used by people to treat eczema, but while users experienced "rapid relief" of their condition, it worsened when they stopped using the creams, said HSA.
A mother who purchased D'Splendid Kidzema Cream to treat her child's eczema observed that it cleared up after only two applications of the cream, but the child's condition deteriorated three days after she stopped using the cream.
HSA found undeclared potent ingredients in the D'Splendid Kidzema Cream, which was used to treat eczema. (Photo: HSA)
"It was labelled to relieve skin rashes, eczema, haemorrhoids and mosquito bites for babies and children up to 14 years old," HSA said.
READ: Woman fined for importing thousands of pregnancy, ovulation kits to sell illegally on Qoo10
READ: Illegal codeine cough syrup, other medication worth S$53,000 seized in Geylang
Tests by HSA found that the cream contained ciprofloxacin - a prescription-only antibiotic - and terbinafine, an antifungal medicine not recommended for use in children under the age of 12.
"Inappropriate use of antibiotics and antifungals can lead to decreased effectiveness for future infections," said the authority.
"HSA has directed the company to stop the sale of D'Splendid Kidzema Cream and to recall the affected product from retail outlets."
HSA finds undeclared potent medicinal ingredients in four skin creams. (Table: HSA)
Another consumer, who used both CLAĺR DE LUNE products, also reported that her eczema flared when she stopped using them.
The creams were tainted with multiple potent ingredients, including a steroid in the day cream and an antihistamine in the night cream. Antibiotics and antifungal medicines were also found in both creams, said HSA.
"Use of creams with these potent ingredients can lead to adverse effects, such as thinning of the skin (from prolonged steroid use), skin rash and skin irritation," it added.
A user of CLAĺR DE LUNE skin products reported that her eczema flared up after she stopped using them. (Photo: HSA)
The packaging of CLAĺR DE LUNE skin cream products. (Photo: HSA)
"The products also carried false and misleading claims of 'all natural plant-based ingredients' and 'zero chemical'.
"Website administrators of the local e-commerce platforms have been directed to remove the postings for these creams."
Anyone who supplies adulterated products which contain undeclared potent medicinal ingredients is liable to prosecution and if convicted, may be imprisoned for up to three years, fined up to S$100,000, or both.
HSA advised consumers to do the following:
See a doctor as soon as possible if you or your child are using these products for eczema as sudden stopping of the cream may result in worsening of the condition, or if you or your child have experienced any adverse effects.
Exercise caution when purchasing health products for use in babies and children, including those that are applied on the skin, such as creams.
Do not use unlabelled products or purchase from unfamiliar overseas sources, unknown or dubious websites or from persons posting offers on online platforms. Babies and children are more vulnerable to serious adverse effects, especially if exposed to potent controlled ingredients.
Be wary that not all products that claim to be "all natural plant-based product" or "zero chemical" actually are what they claim to be.
Source: CNA/jt(mi)
health Health Sciences Authority


With the face of healthcare changing, there is a lot to know and likely many questions when it comes to creating a Group Health plan for your company. McCready Insurance is here to help guide you.
McCready Insurance has been that trusted advisor to many of the businesses and companies in Las Vegas and throughout the state of Nevada. Give us a call or take advantage of our secure quote request form and allow us to earn your trust.


Do you trust your automotive service provider?
Your "check engine" light comes on, you need new tires, your vehicle is making an odd sound, or it is time for an oil change – whatever the reason, you can't postpone it any more. It is time to bring your vehicle to your automotive service provider.
As you visit your preferred service provider, or perhaps search for a new service provider, one of the topics to understand is how the shop conducts inspections.


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SunSep 24
AppreciationAwareness
World Day of The Deaf – September 24, 2023
World Day of The Deaf is celebrated every last Sunday of September, falling on September 26 this year. It is a holiday that recognizes the rights of deaf people all around the world and calls on different organizations to help uphold these rights. On World Day of The Deaf, awareness is raised about the challenges of deaf people. It also highlights the importance of sign language, not only for deaf people but for all persons.
History of World Day of The Deaf
World Day of The Deaf was initiated in 1958 by the World Federation of the Deaf. The holiday falls on the Sunday of the International Week of the Deaf and International Day of Sign Languages (introduced later on), which is the last week in the month of September. World Day of The Deaf is a holiday that calls for the attention of governments, non-governmental organizations, philanthropists, and the general society, to support the community of deaf people.
The holiday features the achievements of deaf people all around the world. It helps many people to understand the remarkable works of people who are deaf. It also creates awareness about the challenges faced by deaf people and highlights the importance of sign language for the general public. World Day of The Deaf is recognized every last Sunday of September in order to help deaf people and their communities find a safe space in society at large.
Through this initiative, many people have become interested in helping deaf people fit into society better. Also, the holiday helps to create awareness about hearing loss. It has been found that many people are at risk of avoidable, permanent hearing loss. Organizations like the World Health Organization and United Nations are very much concerned about the issue of deafness, and they have given their support to the World Federation of the Deaf. However, during this holiday, people are encouraged to support those suffering from hearing loss. It is also a day to help create awareness concerning some dangerous habits that can easily lead to hearing loss.
World Day of The Deaf timeline
First World Congress
The first World Congress of the World Federation of the Deaf takes place in Rome, Italy.
World Day of The Deaf is Initiated
The World Federation of the Deaf initiates the holiday to celebrate deaf people.
WFD Receives Consultative Status
The World Federation of the Deaf is recognized by the United Nations and World Health Organization.
International Day of Sign Languages is Recognized
International Day of Sign Languages is marked during the last week in September, along with World Day of The Deaf.
World Day of The Deaf FAQs
Who started World Day of The Deaf?
World Day of The Deaf was initiated by the World Federation of the Deaf in 1958.
Why is World Day of The Deaf important?
It helps to create awareness about deafness and also celebrate the achievements of deaf people.
Can I learn sign language?
Yes, you can learn sign language even if you're not deaf.
How to Observe World Day of The Deaf
Promote the rights of deaf people
Deaf people have special rights that help them cope better in society. We can help uphold these rights.
Sign language is a language like all others. It is interesting to learn, and also helpful in communicating with deaf people.
Support organizations that help deaf people
Give to charities that help create more opportunities for deaf people. Also, reach out to deaf people and help them in any way you can.
5 Facts About Hearing Loss
Many people have hearing loss
More than 460 million people suffer from hearing loss and this number accounts for about 5% of the world population.
Noise is the leading cause of hearing loss
Continuous exposure to loud noise usually causes hearing loss.
Many famous people live with hearing loss
There are several famous individuals (both living and dead) who suffer or have suffered from hearing loss.
Many people are exposed to noise
More than 30 million Americans are exposed to loud noise every day.
There's a risk of hearing loss
According to the World Health Organization, over a billion people are at risk of permanent hearing loss.
Why World Day of The Deaf is Important
We learn more about deafness
On this special holiday, we get to know more about deafness. We learn about hearing loss, and how to cope with deafness.
The holiday celebrates great achievements
Deaf people are responsible for many remarkable feats. They deserve a day to be celebrated.
Learning sign languages
On World Day of The Deaf, we get to see more tips about sign language and how to use it. There is a universal sign language that you can easily pick up.
World Day of The Deaf dates
2022 September 25 Sunday
World Day of The Deaf related holidays
SatSep 23
International Day of Sign Languages
Deaf Dog Awareness Week
TueJun 27
Helen Keller Day
Bluebird of Happiness Day
Gold Star Mother's and Family Day
Innergize Day
Lash Stylists' Day
National Cherries Jubilee Day
National Horchata Day
National Mofongo Day
National Punctuation Day
Our Lady of Mercedes Day
Schwenkfelder Thanksgiving
World Bollywood Day
World Day of The Deaf
World Rivers Day
View all September holidays


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https://www.hoganlovells.com/
Anonymous shared this review of Hogan Lovells on May 30th, 2018
"This firm prides itself in being a great firm for working mothers, however, a lot of these benefits only apply to attorneys. Expectant mothers within business services do not receive the same amount of maternity leave."
Does the CEO support gender diversity?
"Not sure"
One thing Hogan Lovells can improve?
"Improve my compensation"
Assistant, Legal
$50k-$80k
Level of Flexibility
"The firm is moving towards a more flexible culture (i.e. remote working opportunities)"
Work-Life Friendly Attributes:
Culture, Hours
Would you recommend Hogan Lovells to other women?
Anonymous shared this review of Hogan Lovells on Mar 30th, 2018
"Hogan Lovells US LLP review Great location, the HR team in Washington is very fair and supportive."
"Other"
Legal Secretary, Legal
Policies, Culture, Hours
Anonymous shared this review of Hogan Lovells on Jul 22nd, 2017
"Hours are better than peer firms, but barriers persist for raising a family, particularly for women who have small children. "
"Promote more women into leadership positions"
Associate, Legal
>$150k
Anonymous shared this review of Hogan Lovells on Mar 21st, 2016
"Pretty good overall."
Associate, Financial services
"It was generally a good place to work and there are some great people in the firm. However, there is significant pressure from US management to meet targets and to work harder, work longer. There is no real acknowledgement of a work/life balance. Whilst the firm was getting to grips with maternity leave before I left, there was no policy on how to distribute the workloads of those on mat leave so as not to overwork the rest of the team. Returning from mat leave appeared difficult and very few, if any, were able to make part-time work for them."