text:
Nerdy Bits
Geek Chasers
Toys/Collectibles
Comics Dash
If We Ran Nintendo
We The Gamercast
Quick Time Reviews
Split Screened
The Bases Are Loaded – Fences Review
Posted December 27, 2016 by Jeremy Winslow in Movies
Directed By: Denzel Washington
Written By: August Wilson
Starring: Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Jovan Adepo, Russell Hornsby, Mykelti Williamson, Saniyya Sidney
Hollywood is on an adaptation binge, transcribing the already-established written word into cinematography. Perhaps attributed to the recent success of John Green's novels and The Hunger Games series — as well as, of course, Harry Potter and the myriad book-to-film adaptations that preceded — Hollywood has decided to peruse the literary space for inspiration for films. Of all the containers of literature to poke around in, plays can oftentimes be the most difficult for the director to capture: illustrating the raw emotion of a play (sans the literal stage direction) can make a film feel clunky and obtuse. There have been some successes, most notably James Foley's Glengarry Glen Ross — a 1992 drama adaption of David Mamet's play of the same name — and Tony Kushner's '90s drama Angels In America, but most other adaptations fail to capture the essence that makes a play so alluring, turning a captivating experiencing into an absolute snore fest. Denzel Washington captures that grit, that raw emotion of a play perfectly in his rendition of August Wilson's Fences, even if the film still feels like a play.
"Lookit here, Bono, I love this woman."
Washington doesn't man films too often: Aside from directing and starring in Fences, he's directed 2002's drama Antwone Fisher and 2007's drama The Great Debaters, both of which have received generally favorable reviews, professing Washington as not only an apt actor but an apt director as well. His eye for dramatic positioning and poising actors to be their best selves in Fences is both enthralling and wonderfully chaotic. Regardless of the scene, Washington's deftness with a camera and theatrics shines exquisitely throughout the entirety of the film, even if the whole of the film really takes place in one or two locales. (You can see the essence of the play bursting at the seams in these moments.) Even still, the cinematography accentuates the emotion the script so begs for, pulling you ever closer to Wilson's world.
The film creates an atmosphere that oscillates from inviting to terrifying within seconds.
Denzel Washington and Viola Davis are clearly the stars, extending their talents as far as possible, looking to clutch the probable Oscar nominations. Never mind the hopeful award show recognition, the acting in Fences is superb. Washington uses Wilson's play to construct a believable family filled with drama that realistically ebbs and flows, twists and turns; the emotion is palpable, tangible, pervasive. Davis and Washington play the mother and father of this family and their relationship is plausible, genuine. There is an air of erratic tension, ardent adoration, and gripping heartbreak between the two of them and their on-screen chemistry is excellent. The other actors aren't as pronounced as Washington and Davis' boisterousness, but their subtly strengthens the grandiosity of the two main stars; the side actors' interactions with the two mains are engrossing and emotionally heart wrenching. The rapport between Washington and Stephen McKinley Henderson (Jim Bono) is heartwarming and offers respite, but even this relationship stands on the precipice of collapse as the film goes on. Fences is damn powerful as a play, and the film manages to exert that same power with such gusto, such adroitness the impact is palpable.
"I told you this negro only comes around on payday."
The film follows Troy Maxson (Denzel Washington), a waste collector and father of two — Cory (Jovan Adepo) and Lyons Maxson (Russell Hornsby) — living with his wife, Rose (Viola Davis). It's 1950's Pittsburgh and Troy is fervently entrenched in the belief that racial discrimination barred him from his chance at hitting the home run in the major leagues. Crippled by his age, a bout with illness dubbed the Grim Reaper, and his blatant alcoholism, Troy — growing ever delusional in his old age, stuck in perpetual baseball mode, pushing well into his fifties — is exasperated with his stagnation and looks to alleviate his frustrations. Narratively, Fences isn't aberrant or complex; the plot is rather simple in terms of its premise. It's the skill of the actors and the brilliance in the writing that carries the film. The moments where characters are yelling, the moments where characters are pensive, the moments where characters are telling stories all create an atmosphere that oscillates from inviting to terrifying within seconds.
More than just that, however, are the themes of the play that are the most compelling. The family's relationship physically represented in the fences Troy and Rose incessantly talk about is both beautiful and devastating. The only real quibble with the film is the very last moment that inches toward celestial/quasi-religious territory that doesn't align with the overall themes and sort of disrupts the pace of the film.
"I gave you the lint in my pocket, my blood and sweat — no tears, I ran out of those — and you're worried about me liking you?"
Nevertheless, Washington crafts a beautifully destructive film about a father both disappointed in himself and afraid of his child becoming better than him, and a mother who's given up everything for her family. Centering on the plight of this family, with accents of ethnic struggle to enhance the turmoil, Fences illustrates that no family is perfect, regardless of how relationships may seem at face value.
August Wilson, Denzel Washington, Drama, featured, Fences, Jovan Adepo, movies, Mykelti Williamson, review, Russell Hornsby, Saniyya Sidney, slider, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Viola Davis
Jeremy Winslow
Just a word smithing, coffee loving, vinyl collecting, anime watching, film viewing, video game playing Black guy.
More articles by Jeremy Winslow »
Follow We The Nerdy Here:
Copyright © 2021 We The Nerdy, All Rights Reserved.


text:
VeloNews News
Former rider Christophe Moreau arrested on domestic violence charges
Former racer allegedly threatened to kill his wife and children.
January 20, 2023 VeloNews.com
Christophe Moreau Photo: Nathalie Magniez/AFP via Getty Images
French former professional Christophe Moreau has been arrested on domestic violence charges and is currently in jail.
According to Swiss website Blick, Moreau was arrested Sunday in Porrentruy, Switzerland after allegedly threatening to kill his former wife and two children. He and his wife had recently divorced.
The website reported that he was intoxicated at the time of his arrest. He is in jail as he awaits trial, meanwhile, several shotguns were seized from his home.
Moreau raced between 1995 and 2010, competing primarily for French teams, including Festina, Cerédit Agricole, and AG2R Prévoyance.
He was competing with the Festina team during the 1998 Tour de France when the team was raided and kicked off the race, with several people being arrested. Moreau was among those arrested and he ultimately admitted to taking EPO.
During his career, Moreau won a stage of the Tour de France in 2001 and twice won the Critérium du Dauphiné.
Those who left us — notable deaths in 2022
22 stories for 2022, part 5: Relegation madness, special suspension, awesome Annemiek, #critbeef
22 stories for 2022, part 4: Zwift takes on trainers, Vos wears yellow, Swenson sweeps gravel
22 stories for 2022, part 3: The tragedy of Mo Wilson, the triumph of Evenepoel, the birth of 105 Di2
UCI Road World Championships: Benoît Cosnefroy possible late-hour addition for French
VN ticker: Alex Cataford retires, Franck Bonnamour joins Ag2r-Citroën
Miguel Ángel López fired by Astana for 'probable connection' with doctor investigated for drug trafficking

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Which white would work here?
Hi everyone! I'm looking for some paint color advice. Our house is a 1950s queensland house with high ceilings and VJ walls.
We have been slowly painting and our chosen wall colour is Dulux Dieskau.
We have also painted our ceilings using just a flat white ceiling paint - they have all come up really nice.
But - we have come to paint our lounge and it is the only room with a picture rail so we thought we would try something different. Also this room doesn't get as much light as other rooms.
We painted the picture rail and above using the ceiling paint but I think it looks cold and the VJ features are lost in the blandness.
Is there another 'white' that would work better here? Or would a semigloss improve the look? If we chose another warmer white would we have to paint the ceiling that same colour?
We are also thinking if we change to a warmer white we would have to carry this through to door frames, windows, skirting boards etc when we come to paint all the trims. Is this the case?
I don't mind a more antique white given this is an older style home and to warm up the dieskau but the starker whites also look nice against the dieskau usually - just not in the picture rail!
I also tried ceiling paint about picture rail and was very surprised how terrible it looked. I'd try a 1/4 tint of your wall colour. Both similar enough and different enough for the look you're after.
Thanks @bigreader! I was very surprised. Do you think the stark white colour will look equally as terrible if I use it on trims?
Thanks - not a bad idea and one that I hadn't thought off! That's why I love his forum!
For the trims I'd look at Dulux Natural White. Try some and let us know what you think. We can suggest darker and lighter.
Thanks to both of you for your suggestions. In the pic you can see part of a door trim. It is white but a little more antiquey - and quite yellow with age. I think it might be better to stick with this type of colour. A few years ago we had a painter paint our bathroom and he did do the trims. They might be dulux natural white but I can't remember. In these pics you can the new trim colour -against the dieskau in first pic. Against old trim colour in 2nd pic and against Dulux white on white wall colour in third pic. Does this look like natural white? If it is I think it looks nice against Dieskau.
I think the 1st & 3rd white trims look best. I also think Cipriano's suggestion re painting pic rail darker grey would look dramatic & gorgeous.
Agree, darker grey for the picture rail.
Thanks everyone. If I did the darker grey for picture rail do you think I could leave the wall above it as it is? Or change to a different white?
We just painted our bedroom the same colour, with ceiling white on the ceiling and I used vivid white for all the trims. It's a fairly well lit room with a mid-grey carpet. The contrast with vivid white is a very crisp look. I really wanted to eliminate the existing warmer/yellowy white trims against the grey as I felt it dulled it down, at least it did in our room. It is a lovely calm colour, great pop with the vivid white and I love it every time I walk in the room. Will post a pic later today.
Agree with comment to go quarter strength your wall colour as an option. Crisp white for trims etc really does freshen things up and makes changes later on much easier in terms of wall colours.
Another option is just take the existing wall colour right up and paint the trim a slightly lighter variation of the wall colour if you want to make it a feature.
Wallpaper with a small pattern would look amazing in similar tones to paint on the wall. Unsure about how well it would cover the paneling.
Reb, our house is very old too but a different style to yours, cornices and high skirting boards in every room. I wondered about vivid white too but took the plunge. The paint just makes it look clean and fresh, definitely feels updated without being jarring.
Awesome. Exactly what I needed to hear. Thanks!
Sorry for the poor quality pictures but you should get the idea. The blinds will be going too in favour of white plantation shutters. Hope that helps and good luck!
Thanks for the pics. Looks awesome. It is a great color isn't it? Love the space you've got there. Very nice!
Thanks Jo! They are quite high ceilings but you're right - it is a shame to make the room look lower. I have only undercoat on most of the room at the moment and I'm lovely the height that it creates with just the one colour. Maybe I should just stick with one colour or a lighter shade like you've suggested. Would you suggest doing the rail itself the same lighter colour or keep it white.
Very interesting that by painting above the rail white like the ceiling gives appearance of lower ceiling. Makes perfect sense. I have to agree with advice to paint below & above the pic rail the same colour of grey, and the picture rail a darker grey. I believe that will look amazing.
Would these concrete finishes work in our kitchen?
Which white do you like better?!
Timber ceiling - which white wall colour ?
Which white paint to use...?


I thought I would share with you one of my other activities besides weaving rugs. For exercise, I row in a single shell. Here in Eureka, California we are very lucky to have the Humboldt Bay Rowing Association. It was founded in 1987 by a few of us who had been rowing for about two years. It just can't be beat for exercise, and even though we row in the same places, there is always variety in tidal conditions, currents, other boat traffic, and especially the kinds of birds we see on any given day. Some of the birds out there are sea gulls, brown pelicans, common loons, Canada geese, brant geese, grebes, terns, scoters, kingfishers, various ducks, etc. We have harbor seals in our bay and they are very curious about the boats and pop up to look at us with big brown eyes. Weather permitting, I row with friends three or four mornings a week. Rowing keeps me fit for operating my big rug loom. It works out most muscle groups and is always an exercise in balance, as the boats I row in range in length from 24 feet to 27 feet long, and they are 16-1/2 inches wide. They are quite tippy, so it takes paying attention to business when I'm out there on the water. Here are some photos of me rowing.


text:
Tag Archives: Music DVDs
Classic Rock, Genre, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal
Dio – Finding The Sacred Heart: Live In Philly 1986 (Review)
Dio in his spectacular 80s live prime: explosions, lasers, crystal balls, knights, heraldry and a big fucking dragon! None of that on the CD version though… but have no fear! The music is just as spectacular. The band, including new guitarist Craig Goldy, breathe fire into the new material from the under-rated Sacred Heart album: King Of Rock N' Roll is an explosive opener; Sacred Heart and Like The Beat Of A Heart are stately magnificence; and Hungry For Heaven and Rock N' Roll Children are fun melodic anthems. The powerful band does a great job on the older Dio tracks like We Rock, Stand Up And Shout and Rainbow In The Dark too. In particular, the version of Don't Talk To Strangers here is goosebump city: the best version of the track I've ever heard. Unfortunately, some of the other Dio, Rainbow and Sabbath classics get shoehorned into medleys, which are enjoyable enough but a bit frustrating. Especially when drum, keyboard and guitar solos are allowed to drag…on(!) for 18 minutes of valuable running time. So there's both heaven and hell here for Dio fans. If you can find the sacred skip button, you'll discover golden renditions of your favourites and fresh excitement from some lesser-heard treasures. Buy the live DVD too… it's got a big fucking dragon in it!
1986EagleLive AlbumsMusic DVDs
Classic Rock, Genre, Hard Rock
Danko Jones – Live at Wacken (CD/DVD – Review)
September 29, 2016 Heavy Metal Overload 19 Comments
Wacken Roll
I love a good live album and I love "classic" rock but rarely come across magnificent examples of either these days. And a good live classic rock album is even rarer! So I was hoping that Danko Jones' latest release Live at Wacken would deliver on both accounts. I've only ever heard a few songs of his and never been blown away. It's all a bit too much like a jeans advert. But I hear a lot of people say he (they?) are great live. On the basis of this set I can imagine that's probably the case but the excitement only partially translates to CD/DVD. It's got a great sound and jovial atmosphere. The band is loose and frontman Danko is in charming form, clearly enjoying being the loverman rocker at Europe's Metal Mecca. But for all their self-professed "mean power chords" there's not much in the way of decent riffs or songs. But the energy, witty raps and cheery vibe are winning and some Misfits-style pop punk numbers like the excellent The Twisting Knife add melodic substance in amongst all the two-chord dating-manual songs. It's likely to be the only Danko Jones I will ever want or need but it's enough of a good time to be worth holding on to. Like their festival slot, it's fun for the afternoon but they'll need to do better to score any hot night-time action.
2016CDsLive AlbumsMusic DVDsNew Releases
Super Duper Alice Cooper – Deluxe Edition (Review)
June 12, 2014 Heavy Metal Overload 59 Comments
Super Duper Alice Cooper Deluxe Box Set
Super Duper Alice Cooper (2DVD/BR/CD – £37 Love Music Glasgow)
I do love a good music documentary, which is probably just as well as they seem to be coming down the pipeline at an impressive rate these days. I blame Anvil. But few musicians warrant a film biog more than Alice Cooper. And when the film, Super Duper Alice Cooper, comes courtesy of Banger Productions (Metal: A Headbanger's Journey, VH1's Metal Evolution and Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage) then the prospects are very promising indeed. Hot on the heels of a limited cinema run comes the release on DVD and Blu Ray. I hadn't expected this to come out until later in 2014 so it's a nice surprise to have a copy so soon but does it live up to its promise?
The Eyes of Alice Cooper
THE DOCUMENTARY
Unexpectedly, the film takes the form of an extended montage. There is no footage of the interviewees as they are now, Alice and co-stars providing only voice-overs to the stream of archive footage and images. The 87min running time is a bit miserly for such a huge and important story so the film focuses squarely on Alice the man and performer with little discussion of the music or discography. And even then it all feels a bit breathless. The movie hurtles from anecdote to anecdote faster than you can say "Michael Bruce". Which no-one here does. Not even once. The pace and the effect of only hearing the protagonists' voices renders the whole thing strangely flat. And as the film progresses it is rarely as exciting or as moving as it should be.
He's no' well
On the plus side, the film is a veritable treasure trove of visual material and, by cutting out the modern-day talking heads, a lot of this good stuff is crammed into the brief running time. I can understand the impulse to prioritise the historical footage but the filmmakers haven't employed it with the dramatic and powerful effect of a film like Julien Temple's The Filth and the Fury which took a similar approach. For long-time fans there are interesting and fresh insights into Alice's life. Without spoiling too much, Dennis Dunaway's recollections as the original band drift apart are sad and surprising and there is fascinating new light shed on Cooper's addictions. The portrayal of the singer's descent is harrowing enough to set-up a satisfying feel-good ending, as a healthier, happier Alice bounces back into action in the 80s with support from guitar-gunslinger (literally!) Kane "Rambo" Roberts. Nothing is said of his later career which seems strange as I felt that the reunion of the remaining original members with producer Bob Ezrin for Welcome 2 My Nightmare would have been a satisfying way to bring the story up to date and also full circle.
The individual DVD and Blu-Ray editions come with some extra archive footage, deleted scenes and extra interviews that were filmed for the Metal Evolution series. This deluxe version has even more extras that may prove very tempting for Coop fans. The LP-sized hardcover book has some great photos and some interesting insights from the film-makers which explain why they decided, rightly or wrongly, what approach to take with the documentary. And in addition to the DVD and Blu-Ray of the movie there is two bonus discs. The first is a DVD of footage shot from the 1972 Killer tour in Montreal. Any classic Alice Cooper concert footage is like gold-dust and I can imagine many fans buying this set for this disc alone. Sadly, the footage is very incomplete and the existing visual and audio components cut and pasted together to make as much out of it as possible. As a result the sound is often out of sync with the action and portions of the songs are missing. It's a touch disappointing that the show is so incomplete but it is still a rare treat to the see the band in action at this point in their career. A fourth disc contains an energetic live performance from 2009's Along Came a Spider tour at Montreaux which features some great classic material and great sound. It's only slightly marred by some audible mic problems towards the end. I think all of the tracks here have been performed on other live releases so it's fairly inessential in that respect but it's a lean and rocking set and a nice bonus for any completists out there.
Taken individually the disappointing movie and patchy concert footage leave you wanting slightly more. But viewed together with the book and CD for bonus reading and listening, there's an enjoyable evening of Cooper fun to be had here. And more archive Alice than you can shake a snake at! I still feel like the ultimate Cooper visual retrospective is still out there, waiting to be made, but this is still a welcome addition to the collection alongside Prime Cuts, Good to See You Again Alice Cooper and the many other Coop DVDs out there.
Box SetsMusic DVDs


Nicholas is registered on Crew HQ.
Nicholas's contact details and full profile information is made available to our Professional Members.
Know someone who might like to hire Nicholas?
Log In to access Nicholas's full profile, download their CV, RYA Powerboat Level 2 yachting qualifications and latest yachting references.


text:
FirstPrevious 12..134135136137138..228229 NextLast
Kit-Yin Snyder
Date: Chinese-American artist and filmmaker, born 1934
Biography: Kit-Yin Snyder is known for her site-specific environmental art practice. Born in Guangzhou, China, she immigrated to the United States as a teenager and studied mathematics at the University of Michigan. Snyder achieved wide recognition with her debut film, "Double Exposure," which explores her identity as a Chinese American. She is the recipient of grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York Foundation for the Arts and has exhibited her work at sites both in the United States and abroad. She is also known for her large-scale steel sculpture in Margaret Mitchell Square, in Atlanta, GA, that pays homage to the visuals of "Gone With the Wind," as well as her sculptural installation "Judgement," located in New York City.


Every Saturday at 10:30 a.m., Pueblos community members gather to pick out food, drinks, housing items and clothing.
Within Los Angeles's robust Echo Park, the Dream Center exists as a faith-based outreach and mission organization. Since 1995, the Center has been positively impacting lives affected by poverty, homelessness and addiction. From their ministry of providing warm meals to the homeless presiding in Skid Row and South Central to the 135 blocks that are now "adopted," over 30,000 lives have been affected by the Dream Center.
This latter program, called Adopt-A-Block, serves people in 16 housing projects from Watts to Pueblos located in South LA.
Adopt-A-Block director, Alexa Duerest, oversees 30 weekly outreach programs. For her, Adopt-A-Block functions as an outlet for people to serve by "adopting" communities.
"Through consistency, we believe that true meaningful relationships are built. We don't only bring physical needs but strive to fill the spiritual needs of these communities as well. By doing this we believe and have seen lasting change in the lives of the people we encounter," Duerest said.
Adopt-A-Block has made its presence known in LA since 2000. Over 500 volunteers come together to address the basic needs of under-resourced communities with distinct love and passion.
One of these volunteers, Chelsea Coates, is enrolled in her second year at the Dream Center Leadership School and serves weekly as a volunteer to share the love of Christ in a simple yet powerful way.
Ana Peters, Pueblos site leader for the last nine years, is responsible for short-term mission projects and DCLS students for her site located in South Central.
Adopt-A-Block stands out from other forms of service in that they utilize a practical technique that goes beyond addressing physical needs. Adopt-A-Block offers a simple but applicable concept to live out in everyday life.
Rose de Ocampo, volunteer veteran at Pueblos and current co-leader of the site, understands the importance of consistency, which Adopt-A-Block generates—one that challenges the meaning of being selfless.
"What AAB means to me is giving your time, heart and patience to a community that needs consistency to help build their lives for the better. Be involved in their lives not just for the day, rather, whenever needed," de Ocampo said.


Nyomi's Wellness Coaching provides personalised one-on-one wellness, food and weight loss coaching in person, over the phone and by Skype.
I have a Master of Health Promotion and a science degree in nutrition.
I'm a registered nutritionist with the Nutrition Society of Australia, and a registered and insured wellness, food and weight loss coach.
Coaching sessions are by appointment only. Please contact Nyomi to arrange a time for a coaching session by Skype, phone, or in person in the comfort of your home.


text:
« Di Naye Kapelye/Traktorist - what a treat! | Main | Jewlia Eisenberg and Kugelplex wish you a Happy Hanukkah »
Klára Móricz - The Art of Jewish Music, à la Russe
My knowledge of music in general, and of classical music in specific, is limited. But hearing of a lecture about Russia's Jewish Folk Music Society, during this, the centennial of the society's founding, was exciting. Here's the thing. Back in the early 20th century you had the Jews infiltrating Russian conservatories. They decided to band together and create "Jewish music." But, what did that mean?
First off, the name. Even though the society had little to do with folk music directly (although one society member, Joel Engel, was part of the An.sky expedition, and I'd guess that the expedition, itself, was an outgrowth of the Society's work and the intellectual ferment in which it existed), Russian law basically said that you had to claim to be a folk music society or nothing. So, "Jewish Folk Music Society." The compositional output of the society was primarily modern art song in Yiddish and Hebrew.
Yiddish and Hebrew? Are we speaking about the 20th century with which the rest of us are familiar? Well, one of the issues the Society dealt with was that it spanned communities. While some members were Zionist, some Bundish; some Yiddishist, some Hebraicists; many were apolitical. But all spoke in the language of ideology.
There are some fascinating parallels with modern times. According to the stories, the society was founded when Rimsky-Korsakov, listening to a Jewish-themed composition by one of his students, essentially said, "don't you folks have your own musical culture to build from? Do it?" I've twisted the story just enough to suggest a story told often by Klezmer revivalist Hank Sapoznik about a comment made by one of the bluegrass musicians he was interviewing back in the day.
An even stronger parallel could be made between the Art Song of the Society for Jewish Folk Music and the Radical Jewish Music that has been so popular in New York (although, like the relatively short arc of the SJFM, Radical Jewish Music is less explosive, less influential just a bit over a decade since John Zorn began recording it). There are some interesting differences between the two. In Russia 100 years ago composers were working with Jewish texts in Hebrew or Yiddish (depending on the political views of the composer), but attempting to remove the "oriental" elements from their music. The RJM of our century is largely without text--and most musicians recording on Zorn's label do not have the Jewish knowledge to approach Hebrew or Yiddish. But where they ignore text (however odd that may be for people of the book) they are very focused on Jewish-sounding music. No deracination of sound here.
Tonight's talk by Klára Móricz had nothing to do with Radical Jewish Music. Instead, she spoke about the music and politics and ideology (and lack thereof, in some cases) of these musicians. Ultimately, they had little interest inside Russia, and even those who left—Joseph Achron, Lazare Saminsky, and others, had relatively small influence on Jewish music, or on music in general, although several of them had respectable careers in music.
Móricz has written a recent book, Jewish Identities: Nationalism, Racism, and Utopianism in Twentieth-Century Music (California Studies in 20th-Century Music) . The subject of tonight's lecture is from the first chapter in the book. If the rest is as good as tonight's lecture, I will thoroughly enjoy the book.
Posted by Ari Davidow on December 18, 2008 9:44 PM | Permalink


A young cancer patient named Abi asked us for a Spa experience at Whittlebury Hall for her wish.
She was supposed to go there on her sister's hen weekend last year but unfortunately she was receiving treatment at that time and couldn't go. So she asked for this so she could experience what her sister and friends had on the hen weekend.
We paid for Abi and 3 of her friends to go to Whittlebury Hall for a Spa day and overnight stay. They told us that they had a brilliant time and the staff there were excellent.


Showing results for tags 'nightwatcher'.
We've already seen several of the Nightwatcher and Cultivation's boons and curses having a significant impact on our story. The most obvious is Dalinar, with Cultivation stealing away Odium's champion at exactly the right moment. Lift is also playing an increasingly large role in our story, and her ability to partially interact with the cognitive realm has some wild implications. I also think that the Diagram is all an elaborate piece of Cultivation's long game, and she's manipulating Taravangian and Co. to do exactly what she needs. So this leads me to believe that in fact - all of the boons and curses are part of Cultivation's master plan. Just think about it, what if the surge of gravitation suddenly flips everybody upside down? BOOM Av's Dad can see everything perfectly and has plenty of good cloth. What if Odium makes something really hot that needs retrieving? Av's brother can grab it with his numb hands AND he'll look fantastic with his new haircut. Maybe Baxil finally became useful and got courage for when things get really scary. Each boon/curse is Cultivation playing chess while Odium plays checkers. Go ahead and debate, and I'm excited to be proven 100% right... some time around Book 9.
So the common theory about Lift is that she is 13. She visited the Nightwatcher 3 years ago . Was granted a greater boon/curse like Dalinar , and Teravangion . It Seems that she is cursed to never grow up , or at least she believes ! But I have a hard time believing she is just 10. "The Stormfather rumbled in frustration. That woman! This is a creation specifically meant to defy my will! "Woman?" Dalinar asked, shaking his head. That child is tainted by the Nightwatcher." Excerpt From Oathbringer Brandon Sanderson https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/oathbringer/id1198279804?mt=11 This material may be protected by copyright. The Stormfather first refers to her as that woman . When Dalinar remarked the Stormfather changed it to child. Brandon Too good an author to make reference like that for no reason . Also I have a hard time believing a 10 year old girl , would have the ability to search out the Nightwatcher . I suppose it's possible but I mean really 10 years old , even if she was an urchin ! So I was thinking what if Lift was older When she went to see the nightwatcher? As part of her curse she was reduced to the age of ten and was told she would have that mentality forever? Everyone else that has sought the Nightwatcher was older and facing enormous problems , where they felt the only way was to go to the Nightwatcher as a last resort . What do you guys think ?
I'm not confident enough in this to call it a theory, but I do think there is some significant support for the idea I just had. The Vorins consider the Old Magic and Nightwatcher to be synonymous and blasphemous. Since we know the humans on Roshar originated elsewhere (Ashyn), I believe the Old Magic actually refers to the magic of Ashyn. Since that magic (boon) is granted by sickness (curse), it makes sense that the Nightwatcher's activities would come to be associated with that, particularly after enough time had passed for the Rosharan humans had forgotten their other worldly origins, but would still have vague myths and legends about how the Old Magic operated and it matched up with the Nightwatchers boon/curse game. Now if this is true, it MIGHT imply that ALL magic from Roshar is surgebinding, all magic from Braize is voidbinding, and all magic from Ashyn is the Old Magic...in other words, the shardic source of the investiture doesn't determine the magic, the planet of origin does.
Hello all, I have invested some stake in the idea that Cusicesh the Protector is the third Sibling, referred to as a sleeping "they" by the Stormfather in Oathbringer. The Stormfather refuses to divulge more information than their existence and their relation to himself and the Nightwatcher. Cusicesh is described in Interlude I-5 of the Way of Kings as a spren of great size (over 100 feet tall) with four arms and a body with a deep blue center. It* rises out of the ocean at the same time every day (7:46am, though I won't pretend to know what that means,) and looks toward the Origin for the full ten minutes of its "performance". While doing so, it rapidly changes between human faces--male and female. Axies cannot tell if there are any repetitions of the faces shown. People who have watched Cusicesh have reported feeling drained afterwards. From Oathbringer's exploration of the Cognitive Realm, there is mention of a link between humanity and the spren. If the Sibling is "sleeping" as the Stormfather said, I believe they would still need to sustain that interaction with humanity. So, everyday, Cusicesh wakes up from its pseudo-hibernation, drains some energy from onlookers to sustain itself, and looks toward the Origin with longing, bearing the faces of those it bonded with in the past, then goes back to sleep. *Though I believe Cusicesh to be the Sibling in question, my belief does not constitute as evidence for sentience in said spren, so I will use the pronouns given to me from the book for Cusicesh until I am proven correct or other pronouns are given.
Most of my work comes from speedpainting every day (It was my resolution), but I wanted to slow down for this one and give you guys some of my line work. This scene really jumped out at me from how Sanderson described it.
I might have missed it but are we ever told how old Lift is? i think it's mentioned or hinted that her gift from the Nightwatcher is some sort of Peter Pan, never growing up thing so was just curious as to whether she is a lot older than she appears.
So I've had this theory bouncing around in my head ever since finishing Oathbringer. The theory is: The Nightwatcher is a spren of both Odium AND Cultivation OR foreseeing the future IS NOT of the Voidbringers. Now, there's already been a LOT of speculation going on about the foreseeing part. We know that all Shards can see the future to some extent or another. I'm speaking here of the spren/investiture/influence of the Shards, NOT the Shards themselves. Dalinar's visit is what started me thinking about the Nightwatcher and Odium. It describes the Nightwatcher as a "shadow" that "seeped from the darkness", was made out of "dark mist" and "[stalked] him like a predator" (OB Chapter 114). The things she suggests to Dalinar as boons are quite interesting and unlike the intents we've seen from other Cultivationspren or Cultivation herself -- namely renown, wealth, skill, beauty, followers, glory, and possessions. Note that these boons align VERY CLOSELY with the Odium-driven passions we see in the Unmade and the Voidbringers! Also compare the appearance of the Nightwatcher, a combination of black and green (dark green mist), with the description of Cultivation herself -- brown skin and brown dress, no references to darkness of any kind. The other thing that could point to the Nightwatcher being of Odium is THE DIAGRAM. The purpose of the Diagram (as it is currently understood) is to save the world by anticipating, predicting, and FORESEEING the future. The boon Mr. T received included investiture that gave him FORESIGHT. Here's where the second part of the theory comes in: if the Nightwatcher is truly and purely of Cultivation, then FORESEEING THE FUTURE IS DEFINITELY NOT OF THE VOIDBRINGERS. And really, it's possible that the Nightwatcher is of Odium AND foreseeing the future isn't of the voidbringers. Of course, there's the whole confusing thing with Renarin, and (to my knowledge) we don't know if regular Truthwatchers can foresee the future or if it some twisted result of Renarin's spren. They imply that it's due to the corrupted spren, but I'm not about to trust that until it's a little more solidified not to mention Kaladin's strange foreseeing stunt in Shadesmar. So what do y'all think? Legitimate theory, interesting idea, or just me trying to anticipate a totally unpredictable all-powerful Shard of Awesomeness named Brandon Sanderson?
I saw this idea a while back and thought I would recreate it for people (like myself) who missed it. So there is a classic forum game that I've usually seen called "yes, but". Usually used in reference to wishes. Basically, the first person posts a wish, then the poster after them grants that wish but tacks on a rider to make it awful, then posts their own wish. And so on and so on. The Boons and Curses from the Nightwatcher seem ideal for this. Since the bane doesn't necessarily have to be directly connected to the boon granted, this opens up a bit more leeway, but I think it could still be at least mildly amusing to see what we lurkers of the forums come up with. I'll start: I want the intellect of a zinc compounder constantly.
So, as far as I can remember we have three viewpoint characters that have sought the Old Magic: Dalinar, Taravangian, and Lift. Did any of them actually wind up dealing with the Nightwatcher instead of Cultivation herself? I'm leaning no, given how far what they each got was from what they asked for, and the difficulty of nailing down a discrete boon/curse for any of them. (Taravangian is closest in both these metrics, so I suppose he's most likely to have dealt with the Nightwatcher directly, but the outsize role the Diagram is playing in events makes me suspect Cultivation would have wanted to handle it personally.) The relevant Dalinar flashback implies that Cultivation steps in for some but not all supplicants, so it makes sense that these three, all of whom are going to have a huge role in this Desolation, would merit her attention. It's also possible that the lore we have about the Nightwatcher is unreliable, and even "standard" boons/curses are more complicated than we've been led to believe. It would be nice to have a PoV from somebody with a more standard experience, or even a scene where we see the Nightwatcher do her thing without intervention from the boss. Maybe Baxil will change his mind and be back for an interlude.
I have been trying to figure out what Lift's boon and curse are. I think that her boon is that she can metabolize food into Stormlight (although there might be more to it than that). I used to think that her curse might therefore be, on the flip side, that she cannot draw in Stormlight. There was a discussion thread started a few weeks ago that I found, where this was confirmed - Lift can only derive Stormlight from food, which could be seen as both a blessing and a curse. But there are several reasons to believe that Lift's curse has something to do with nightmares. There is a line in Edgedancer seems to suggest that Lift doesn't like falling asleep, and at the time I thought it was because her curse was having frequent nightmares. Looking back, I am much less certain that this line actually suggests Lift has nightmares, although at the time I read it I was very certain. But there is some evidence in Oathbringer to suggest I might be right. For one thing, we don't know what the Nightwatcher is the spren of - I'm pretty sure this was discussed in an earlier thread. The Stormfather is the spren of the storm, the Sibling is the spren of Urithiru (possibly), and I think that the Nightwatcher is the spren of dreams. It would make a lot of sense, since people go to the Nightwatcher to make their dreams come true, and she rewards them with something good (like a dream) and something bad (like a nightmare). This is further suggested in OB when Dalinar visits the Nightwatcher. So I think it's a real possibility that the Nightwatcher is the spren of dreams. There is an element in Oathbringer that makes me think that Dalinar's visions are sort of like dreams, and so it seems plausible that the Nightwatcher might be able to influence them - the fact that Lift can enter Dalinar's visions. Because Lift can enter his visions, it makes me wonder if her curse is somehow related to the nightmares of other people. I think that the Nightwatcher, being the spren of dreams, cursed her so that every time she sleeps, she sees other people's dreams - "a life she couldn't have" - or other people's nightmares - " a life that terrified her." So Lift is able to enter Dalinar's visions because they are essentially dreams. The Stormfather himself makes a comment when Lift appears that makes it seem like that the Nightwatcher somehow orchestrated Lift's ability to enter the visions. I think it seems possible that the Nightwatcher actually extended her powers to Lift. The Nightwatcher is a spren, and Lift is more sprenlike than normal humans - she is partially in the Cognitive realm at all times, which allows her to touch Wyndle. Lift is also able to turn food into Stormlight, and the Nightwatcher is very connected with Cultivation, who is connected with growth, food and vegetation. And Lift can enter other people's dreams, while the Nightwatcher is the spren of dreams (according to my theory). I am starting to think that Cultivation is launching a major plot behind the scenes to topple Odium in a way he least expects it, and that her plan has something to do with her possible influence over Taravangian, and her possible influence over Lift. I am not sure how Lift's potential ability to see other people's dreams relates to her boon and curse, or if I am wrong about this whole thing, but it's definitely interesting to think about.
Hello everyone! Long time lurker, first time poster. Love these forums. I have a theory that I think hasn't been considered yet by the 17th sharders here yet. What if the Sibling that the Stormfather mentions is a spren from adonalsium itself? I think that the three godspren that the bondsmiths bond to are NOT related to Odium whatsoever, because why would a spren that represents Odium as a god want to work with the Knights Radiant? We know that the original spren of Roshar came from adonalsium, and that the Singers predate the humans and may have predated Honor and Cultivation on Roshar. Who did they worship before Honor and Cultivation? We know that the original rhythms are related to the spiritual realm directly. So perhaps they worshipped adonalsium itself? We also know that Ash swears in Adonalsium's name during the battle of Thaylen City, so the heralds at least know of Adonalsium as well. So I believe that the third godspren represents a god, but not Odium. Adonalsium.
When Dalinar visits the Nightwatcher and she is trying to figure out what to give him she offers a very specific item. Chapter 114 "The Cost" page 1078 of the US hardcover: "Perhaps it is possessions you wish, she said. Spheres, gemstones. Shards. A Blade that bleeds darkness and cannot be defeated." Did the Nightwatcher have possession of Nightblood and was offering to pawn it off on someone else? This was five and half years in the past so Nale might not have had possession of Nightblood at this point in time. It's possible the Nightwatcher was offering to create a new sword that happens to be like Nightblood. Even if that is the case I suspect the Nightwatcher must have seen a sword like Nightblood in order to think of creating one for someone else. Perhaps Vasher visited and part of his cost (or boon) was to have Nightblood taken. Or perhaps Lady Azure visited and asked for a blade that bleeds darkness and cannot be defeated and that's where she acquired her blade.
So this will be rather quick, because I am on my phone (traveling for a signing). I will attach sources when I have my computer. I propose that the original purpose of the Nightwatcher is to power the gigantic fabrial that is Urithiru. She defended the city, allowed the farms to function, and everything else. Her Bondsmith was continuously in attendance for her. Hints about fabrial: Navani already suspects that the tower is a fabrial. The gemstone pillar and the gemstone seams are the heart and veins of the system, as she points out. There are also references to defense systems in the epihraphs, the lifts, and other machinery that would presumably be powered by stormlight. The big pillar is a big giveaway - it would hold almost an almost unthinkable quantity of Investiture. Perfect for holding a huge Splinter of a Shard - especially the Shard whose magic is fabrials. It is pretty obvious that the city was created as a whole piece by Honor and Cultivation. In addition to a Jasnah WoK epigraph suggesting this, the city is laid out with extreme care. The fabrial was simply set in the walls with the plumbing, guideposts, and ultilities. Failure of the farms: Cultivation would almost certainly want to set things up so that humanity could thrive in the mountains. Since it would be hard to grow things naturally, she sent a big Splinter of her power. When the Nightwatcher ultimately left, the farms no longer could sustain any growth, as they are planning on stone, far up the mountains. Other thoughts: There are Radiant gem memory epigraphs that allude to this. The biggest clue is the one that says "Goodnight Sibling," using the same word that the Stormfather uses to describe the Nightwatcher. This could also be why the Shin hold Urithiru in such regard - the biggest Splinter of their god resided there. It may also provide clues on their views about fabrials. Doesn't it seem weird that a big Splinter just sits in a valley near Urithiru and grant wishes? Especially when the Shard is fully aware and unshackled? I doubt that was Cultivation's original goal. Conclusion: The Nightwatcher is Urithiru's spren. There is a lot of evidence to suggest that this is true. She powered the whole system and her presence enabled the farms. The exact circumstances of her leaving are up for debate. Was it when Cultivation "gave up on humanity" after Honor's death? Is this the secret that Taravangian fears the Alethi will discover? Can only the right Bondsmith fix it? We'll see.
So now we know why Dalinar regained his memories despite the boon and curse of the Nightwatcher lasting lifelong. Dalinar's boon and curse came from Cultivation herself and not the Nightwatcher, with the intention to let them fade after time, so Dalinar could deal with his burdens in doses he could handle. Here, Cultivation actively crosses Odium's plan to currupt Dalinar with the Thrill to make him his Champion in the end. Odium seems to be very wary of Cultivation. When Lift appears in the vision where Odium talks to Dalinar, Odium nearly seems frightened and disappeares immediately. Lift has been in the Valley, too. I assume that Lift also has been altered by Cultivation herself and not the Nightwatcher. Dalinar reeks to her like Cultivation, I guess her own smell is much stronger. The little unassuming and awesome girl might become Cultivation's joker and eyes and ears. I am looking forward for more!
Do we *know* that the Nightwatcher is the second Bondsmith spren?
So, we know little of aimians. We however know that at least one of them, Axies, is followed by something called the Curse of Kind. The curse might give bad luck, since Axies says: So, Axies has his curse, and thus we can guess (or is it even confirmed?) that the other Aimians have it as well. Now, how did they get it? Theory: Aimia was scoured some time ago, and most Aimians seems to have been killed. A guess is that the Aimians then went to the Nightwatcher and asked for a boon for their whole people in order to survive. They got it, whatever it is (immortality, perhaps), but also got the Curse of Kind, which brings bad luck upon all of them. What do you guys think?
Hey Sharders! Long time lurker, but first time poster! Hopefully im not regurgitating a theory posted elsewhere, and apologies if this theory expands a bit beyond the confines of roshar, it's about an entity on roshar but by necessity has to expand a bit further! Let me know if i should move this to cosmere theories! but i have some ideas about the origin of the Nightwatcher. It starts with our current understanding of the nature of spren capable of nahel bonds. From what I understand, these spren are small pieces of honor, and cultivation to varying degrees depending on the variety. And have been referred to as splinters of honor or cultivation. These splinters are bits of investiture left without will or a host long enough that it gains sentience. (There has been confirmation in a WoB that spren are splinters similar to the way seons are on sel) I've come accross a number of theories proposing that the nightwatcher is of cultivation, possibly a kind of cognitive shadow similar to the stormfather. This doesnt hold up in my opinion, there is a WoB that i dont know how to link which tells us that cultivations holder is still alive, and from what we know of the old magic, it doesnt seem to fit into the types of investiture made possible by honor and cultivation. (nor the possible iterations of voidbinding that we'll see more of soon) I propose that the nightwatcher is actually a splinter of adonalsium from pre-shattering. There were already other spren on Roshar before any of the shards came there. I think it's possible that this is a magic system that predates all other kinds on roshar, and was put into place before any shards were taken up. The concept of a boon and a curse doesnt feel at all like the symbiosis present in all of the magic from honor, cultivation, or even odium. Thoughts?
Can I have some help from the shard to gather all the Nightwatcher Banes that we know of? I might develop a theory... Thanks!
So, we have a Word of Brandon that Cultivation is alive. Have we ever gotten an actual confirmation from him that Cultivation is currently on Roshar (or anywhere within the Roshar system)? Why? There is a well-known WoB somewhere comparing Nightwatcher and Stormfather. While he did not draw the exact parallel, he did point out that the question was along the correct lines. Stormfather is a Cognitive Shadow of Honor (right?). Nightwatcher may be something of a Cognitive Shadow of Cultivation. But why would a living Shard have a cognitive shadow? Perhaps because it left the proverbial building. Looking through WoBs on this topic, there is one early one where he says "yes" to a statement "Cultivation is a Shard on Roshar", but this can still be interpreted from a historic perspective, not as "Cultivation is on Roshar now". So, has anyone ever asked Brandon if Cultivation is actually ON Roshar during the events of the Stormlight Archive? (counterpoint is Cultivation is heavily Invested in Roshar, and may find it difficult to leave. I argued elsewhere, that Investing Odium in Roshar was part of Honor's plan, which is why Odium was allowed Desolations and own spren. I do not have a good answer to that, except a vague feeling that Cultivation's Intent may be something that might allow her to, at least for a time, not reside on a planet she Invested into... Not certain why or how. Autonomy may be able to do so as well, so it is not out of the realm of impossible).
So with Oathbringer coming up, it's likely we'll finally get the answer to what Dalinar asked, and what his boon/curse were. So I was thinking it would be interesting to see what we all think he asked. Personally, I think that he was responsible for his wife's death, whether directly or indirectly, and asked for the guilt to stop. So I think his boon was forgetting, mainly because in way of Kings were he says he "foolishly" washed her away. So I think he only wanted to forget the things leading up to her death and lost everything, but as for his curse... No clue. What do you think?
So we know Taravangian is acting pretty evilly (although he believes he is saving the world). He is sending assassins after everyone (including Dalinar), and a lot of what he is doing is a direct threat to honor and the radiants. Initially, I thought he was probably somehow under the corruption of odium... But maybe not. You see, everything he does is shaped by his gift from the nightwatcher. And the nightwatcher is a splinter of cultivation. I don't think we know for sure that cultivation's and honor's intents are in perfect accord. Maybe both are trying to save things but they still work against each other to an extent. Odium might well still be involved... But I think we should not assume that cultivation is basically aligned perfectly with honor. Cultivation is a distinct third shard acting on this planet.


'I Can't Wait To Be Your Wife,' Thembisa Mdoda To Her Man! The TV host's mystery man might have finally put a ring on it after months of speculation.
Thembisa has previously revealed how she met her man on the set of 'Our Perfect Wedding' and often sneakily posts about their love on social media.
Taking to Instagram, Thembisa posted a series of posts gushing over her man. "…because love is everything. I can't wait spend the rest of my life telling, showing YOU how love (in its entirety) has healed, changed and lifted me. I can't wait to be your 💍💍💍," she wrote.
Previous article Diva Stole My Bikini! Amanda du Pont Vs Mihlali: Who Wore It Best?


text:
Although tours at Westminster have been stopped until further notice, you can still take a 360° virtual tour and explore the Commons Chamber, Lords Chamber and many other parts of the building. Visit www.parliament.uk/visiting/visiting-and-tours/tours-of-parliament.
When they resume, free guided tours of Parliament are available to constituents. The walking tour of the Palace of Westminster includes -
Westminster Hall, the ancient hall at the heart of the Palace where Parliament first sat and where many historic events have taken place
The House of Commons, including the Speaker's Chair and the famous green benches and the 'lobbies' where MPs actually vote
The House of Lords, including the Royal Throne
The Queen's Robing Room, Royal Gallery and many other fascinating parts of the Palace of Westminster
Please note that tours are very popular and places are limited so generally have to be booked about six months in advance. For more information visit www.parliament.uk/visiting.


text:
Comparing Chinese provinces with countries
All the parities in China
Which countries match the GDP, population and exports of Chinese provinces?
China is now the world's second-biggest economy, but some of its provinces by themselves would rank fairly high in the global league. Our map shows the nearest equivalent country. For example, Guangdong's GDP (at market exchange rates) is almost as big as Indonesia's; the output of both Jiangsu and Shandong exceeds Switzerland's. Some provinces may exaggerate their output: the sum of their reported GDPs is 10% higher than the national total. But over time the latter has consistently been revised up, suggesting that any overstatement is modest.
What about other economic yardsticks? Guangdong exports as much as South Korea, Jiangsu as much as Taiwan. Shanghai's GDP per person is as high as Saudi Arabia's (at purchasing-power parity), though still well below that in China's special administrative regions, Hong Kong and Macau. At the other extreme, the poorest province, Guizhou, has an income per head close to that of India. Note that these figures use the same PPP conversion rate for the whole of China, but prices are likely to be lower in poorer provinces than in richer ones, slightly reducing regional inequality.
Correction, February 25th: The original figure given for Hong Kong's exports included re-exports. This has been changed to refer to domestic exports only.
Also see our other "country equivalents" interactive maps:
US states as countries
Indian states and territories as countries
Brazilian states as countries
petergogo Feb 24th 2011 18:02 GMT
it is really unbelievable for me to see that our Sichuan's GDP and export data are so brilliant among the other inland provinces.By the way,remenber to add Taiwan into the chart,editor!
huhahuha Feb 24th 2011 17:35 GMT
Interesting. India's GDP per capita only equals that of China's poorest province, this must be heart-breaking for our Indian friends who frequent TE's web site.
xiaom Feb 1st 2012 11:25 GMT
Where is Taiwan?It's a political mistake.You must make an apology.
clusterz Feb 24th 2011 15:44 GMT
@sora2000: since Taiwan is in the charts when relevant, i guess that you are just trolling.
manbearpiggy Feb 24th 2011 18:25 GMT
@huhahuha
"Interesting. India's GDP per capita only equals that of China's poorest province, this must be heart-breaking for our Indian friends who frequent TE's web site."
That is your contribution to the discussion? Of course you also noticed that China's GDP per capita equals that of China's 3rd of 4th poorest province, while the richest provinces rank up there with the likes of Singapore and Qatar. Speaks volumes about the spread of the fruits of China's boom to its own citizens.
Wmbrennan Feb 24th 2011 16:21 GMT
@nschomer
I believe a significant percentage of Hong Kong's exports originate in mainland China and just pass through Hong Kong on the way to foriegn markets, you will notice that all the coastal provinces have significantly higher export numbers than landlocked ones, even when the landlocked provinces have comparable GDP figures.
In order to make a fair export map you would have to include interprovincial trade in the export numbers.
nschomer Feb 24th 2011 14:56 GMT
Hong Kong exports as much as Canada? I would think the raw material alone would place them below sea level in short order.
ThePartTimeExplorer Feb 24th 2011 16:41 GMT
Compare these to the States in the United States next.
Parelhas RN Feb 24th 2011 17:23 GMT
U.S.C. United States of China
PL123 Feb 24th 2011 20:21 GMT
huhahuha wrote: Feb 24th 2011 5:35 GMT .Interesting. India's GDP per capita only equals that of China's poorest province, this must be heart-breaking for our Indian friends who frequent TE's web site.
@ huhahuha
You are a jealous type. India has democracy she do things Indian way. Stop critizing the Indians. :-)
whenao Feb 24th 2011 17:29 GMT
Hebei might have the same size of Colombia... but they'll never be as cool as we are.
Legio Yow Feb 24th 2011 19:58 GMT
Thank God this thread is about to be hijacked by nationalists. I don't know what I would do if we could have a civil discussion related to China.
@manbearpiggy:
Seems you can't even tell the difference between GDP per capita on PPP and on exchange rates. This graph shows GDP per capita based on PPP. China's GDP per capita is right in the middle between Fujian and Hebei.
Go back and take an Economics 101 class.
OppositeMoonsign Feb 24th 2011 20:51 GMT
@sora2000,
That's because Taiwan is not part of mainland China, which is currently under the Communist rule. The most distictive difference between Taiwan and mainland China is they have different political institutions leading to the fact they are nearly different in every aspect of life.
Andromaco Feb 24th 2011 16:17 GMT
It makes you see things from a different perspective. Here a similar map done for Mexican States. It shocks to find than certain states have large economies such as Peru, Vietnam or smaller but very developed such as New Zealand. http://datosynumeritos.blogspot.com/2011/02/si-los-estados-mexicanos-fue...
Kevin Sutton Feb 24th 2011 16:48 GMT
I was amazed that Hong Kong's 7 million people could have as many exports as Canada's 34 million, while being poorer at that... then I thought about that for a second.
I realise that we're comparing 2009 to 2010, but even still --How can Hong Kong's GDP be 2/3rds of their exports? Exports are in GDP aren't they?
Proletariet Feb 24th 2011 17:39 GMT
Industriousness and the power/motivation made this possible. America be warned by this chart.
Equal world Feb 24th 2011 18:56 GMT
It is hard to understand the objective of this chart. Was it signal a make-up call for India or portray how China maybe divided in future to prevent it becoming the world dominant economy?
shibakoen Feb 24th 2011 19:14 GMT
@Preston.Nix: It's been done. I think 2 weeks ago.
Munzer Al-Qaneh Feb 24th 2011 21:27 GMT
GDP figures are useful but are often misleading (see definition below). The figure that matters is the net "profits" an economy generates and not just the market value of what it sells.
If we apply the rigor of the fundamental equation to the definition of GDP (i.e., Price= Cost of materials + cost of labor + Profit) we will quickly see how the above map changes dramatically. More important than oil and its politics are the billions of dollars expatriates send to their home countries and the politics of correctly accounting for the remittances of migrant labor. For a nation to earn $10 B of net income from exports of manufactured goods an investment of around $50-$75B and annual sales (turnover) of around $50 B to $ 80 B are typically required. The question with huge political ramifications is how to correctly account for expatriate remittances on the economic checks and balances of young and unstable economies of the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. These economies may be in a much better shape than many think.
Gross Domestic Product: The total market value of all final goods and services produced in a country in a given year, equal to total consumer, investment and government spending, plus the value of exports, minus the value of imports.
Read more: http://www.investorwords.com/2153/GDP.html#ixzz1Eu6WdtRV


text:
Framingham Issues $7,000 Worth of Gathering Fines For 3 November Parties; City Issued $15,000 in Fines Since September
November 27, 2020 November 27, 2020 editor	City of Framingham, Coronavirus, COVID fine, Framingham Health Director Sam Wong, high-risk community, large gatherings
FRAMINGHAM – The City of Framingham issued $7,000 worth of fines for three parties in November.
Earlier this month, the Governor restricted gatherings in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts even more, as the second wave of the coronavirus was hitting the state. The new indoor gathering restriction is 10 people, as of November 6.
Framingham Health Director Sam Wong said with the Governor's new order allows communities to fine $500 per person, as opposed to $500 per gathering,
Wong said if there is a party with 20 people, the City of Framingham, under the Governor's new order, can charge the 10 additional people $500 each, for a $5,000 fine, as opposed to the $500 large gathering fine.
In total, the City of Framingham has issued 20 fines for more than $15,000 for large gatherings since September 11.
On November 17, there were 12 adults at a gathering at 6 Cedar Place, after 9:30 p.m., and the individuals were not wearing masks, according to the City. a $2,000 fine was issued.
The fine was for $500 for the time and $500 for each person over the state's gathering limit of 10 people indoors, said the City of Framingham.
Also on November 17, the City issued a $3,500 fine for 1620 Worcester Road Apartment 2964.
The City said there were 15 people after 9:30 p.m. in the apartments, with no face masks.
Two days later on November 19, the City issued a $1,500 fine for 55 Dinsmore Avenue, Apartmenmt 311.
The City said there were about 30 people in attendance after 9;30 p.m., with no face mask.
Earlier in November, the City of Framingham issued four $500 gathering fines.
The fines were for:
83 Fay Rd #2 on November 3 for a gathering of 15 people, with half not wearing face coverings
17A Second Street on November 5 for a gathering of 10+ people without face coverings
32 Pond Street on November 13, for a gathering after 9:30 p.m.
1610 Worcester Road apartment 2920 on November 13, for a gathering of 13 individuals without face covering.
As of November 18, only one fine has been paid, said Framingham Health Director Sam Wong.
The fines when paid do not go to the health department, but to the city's general fund, said Wong.
Wong has said large gatherings is contributing to the City's increase in coronavirus cases.
The City of Framingham issued its first fine on September 11 to Halstead apartments on Route 9, for a violation of the Governor's COVID gathering orders.
The second $500 fine was issued a couple of weeks later to the owner of Cotton Candy Party Production, after police were called to a Concord Street apartment building, where after-hour parties were taking place n the basement with DJ, alcohol, and few wearing masks.
This fall, the City of Framingham's Health Department announced that there will no longer be warnings for violations of the COVID order, but $500 fines on the first offense.
In Framingham, for single-family homes, it is the property owner or the renters of the homes who could be fined.
For multi-family dwellings, such as apartment and condominium complexes, the City will work to identify the one hosting the gathering to determine who should be fined. If the event is held in a common area of an apartment or condominium complex, the property owner could be liable if the City is unable to identify the person who organized the gathering.
The Framingham Health Department is responsible for enforcing the Covid-19 restrictions and the Police Department is responsible for assisting the Health Department. We will continue to receive reports and respond to large gatherings and groups until this global pandemic ends and the restrictions are lifted, said the police department through its spokesperson Lt. Patricia Grigas.
Responding officers will collect and document as much of the following information as legally and practically possible under the circumstances:
The correct address, including apartment number (if applicable) of the incident;
The home / property owner's name and identifying information;
The name and identifying information of the host and/or person in control of the premises;
An estimate of the number of persons present, both inside and outside;
The number of persons wearing and/or not wearing masks;
Whether or not social distancing is being maintained;
Whether or not there are violations of the Governor's Covid-19 orders and, if so, a description of the violations;
If a gathering appears to violate the order, officers shall inform the host of the violation(s) and request compliance;
Document any compliance or non-compliance.
"The Police Report documenting the violations, will be forwarded to the Framingham Health Department and they will impose a $500 fine for violations. Officers shall strongly encourage voluntary compliance with the Covid-19 restrictions," said the department.
← City of Framingham Announces 72 New COVID Cases & 3 Coronavirus Deaths; Currently at 437 Active Cases
Photo of the Day: City of Framingham Installs Christmas Tree Donated By Resident →


text:
Lighthouse News of the Week
December 27, 2019 December 27, 2019 Wickie from NHLeave a comment
Mission Point Lighthouse to host 2020 Michigan Lighthouse Festival in August The Michigan Lighthouse Festival is a traveling event, taking place at a different lighthouse each year. Mission Point Lighthouse will be the guest of honor as it hosts the 2020 Michigan Lighthouse Festival, August 7-8. That date also coincides with National Lighthouse Day, Aug.… Continue reading Lighthouse News of the Week
Needles Lighthouse in England at Christmas, 1992
This film (in two parts) was filmed in 1992 on board the Needles Lighthouse, Isle of Wight, England. Peter Hall was sent with about with days notice, when the keeper was too ill to go. Hall had been hoping to record Christmas on a lighthouse for posterity, and this is his recording of that trip.… Continue reading Needles Lighthouse in England at Christmas, 1992
Lightships · News
A Lightship Christmas
We thought you might enjoy these videos this holiday season! British Movietone News – A Christmas tree goes to sea (year unknown) Together with suitable Christmas fare, it's put aboard a small fishing boat at Eastbourne for a seven mile trip to the lightship "Royal Sovereign." Lonely Lightship's Christmas – BFI National Archive (1922) Father… Continue reading A Lightship Christmas
Light Hearted ep 39 – John Potvin, Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse, Maryland
Light Hearted
Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse is probably the best-known lighthouse in Maryland, and it has many distinctions. It's the last surviving screwpile lighthouse in Chesapeake Bay, and it's one of the few lighthouses in the United States to be designated a National Historic Landmark. It's weathered many storms but it's now in need of help. John… Continue reading Light Hearted ep 39 – John Potvin, Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse, Maryland
After 90 years, the 'Flying Santa' is still flying to lighthouses and Coast Guard stations In 1929, Captain William Wincapaw wanted to honor the selfless sacrifice of lighthouse keepers and their families in his native Maine. The aviation pioneer decided to deliver Christmas gifts to some of the lighthouses that helped guide him as he… Continue reading Lighthouse News of the Week
Kaptain's Kolumn
Kaptain's Kolumn #27
Captain Joshua Kenney Card here at Portsmouth Harbor Light, over at the New Hampshire Seacoast. As the Christmas holiday is coming up next week I thought I'd tell you a true story about a lighthouse down in Connecticut, with a tie-in to Christmas. I hope you enjoy it. Stamford Harbor Lighthouse is a caisson light… Continue reading Kaptain's Kolumn #27
Call to lighthouse volunteers and staff
Do you work or volunteer at a lighthouse, lightship, or a maritime museum? Do you believe passionately in preserving our maritime history? If so, the producer/host of the U.S. Lighthouse Society's podcast Light Hearted would love to hear from you. What do you love about your lighthouse? Why do you volunteer? Why do you care… Continue reading Call to lighthouse volunteers and staff
Light Hearted ep 38 – Scott Brown, Sakonnet Point Lighthouse, Rhode Island
December 16, 2019 December 16, 2019 Wickie from NH1 Comment
Featured in this episode of Light Hearted is an interview with Scott Brown, president of Friends of Sakonnet Lighthouse. In 1882, Congress appropriated $20,000 for a lighthouse on Little Cormorant Rock at the entrance to Rhode Island's Sakonnet River, near Little Compton. Sakonnet Point Lighthouse is a typical offshore "sparkplug" lighthouse of its period. The… Continue reading Light Hearted ep 38 – Scott Brown, Sakonnet Point Lighthouse, Rhode Island
Light Hearted ep 37 – Bruce Williams and Phil Blagys; Bridgeport, CT, and Black Rock Harbor Lighthouse
December 9, 2019 December 9, 2019 Wickie from NHLeave a comment
With its harbor at the mouth of the Pequonnock River, Bridgeport, Connecticut, became a center of trade, shipbuilding, and whaling. This episode of Light Hearted features two interviews related to the history of lighthouses in the vicinity of Bridgeport, with Bruce Williams and Phil Blagys. Captain's Cove Seaport is a major attraction in Bridgeport, with… Continue reading Light Hearted ep 37 – Bruce Williams and Phil Blagys; Bridgeport, CT, and Black Rock Harbor Lighthouse
Event · News
Holiday Open House at Beavertail Lighthouse, RI
December 6, 2019 Wickie from NHLeave a comment
Please plan to visit the Beavertail Lighthouse Museum for the Holiday Open House on December 8, 2019, from 1 to 4 pm. Tour the Museum and visit the gift shop for a wide variety of lighthouse-related shirts, hats, jewelry, books, postcards, and toys, plus handmade items by local artisans. The Gift Shop will be open… Continue reading Holiday Open House at Beavertail Lighthouse, RI
Wickie from NH
Jeremy D'Entremont is the author of more than 20 books and hundreds of articles on lighthouses and maritime history. He is the president and historian for the American Lighthouse Foundation and founder of Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses, and he has lectured and narrated cruises throughout the Northeast and in other regions. He is also the producer and host of the U.S. Lighthouse Society podcast, "Light Hearted." He can be emailed at Jeremy@uslhs.org


text:
"You Give Love a Bad Name" by Bon Jovi
Genre: Hard Rock
Pop Bits: Bon Jovi's first two albums were moderately successful when released and by the time '86 rolled around each one had been certified gold. Not a bad result, but it just wasn't what the band was looking for. They wanted to be far more successful and they knew that their third album was potentially a make-it-or-break-it moment. To help expand both their sound and commercial viability, the band hired on Bruce Fairbairn to produce and did some songwriting with Desmond Child. The results became the album Slippery When Wet and this first single kicked things off. It debuted low on the Pop chart, but thanks in part to a popular MTV video, the song began to take off. By the end of November, the song topped the chart. It also did well at Rock getting to #9. The hit would help the album reach #1 for a week in October. It would return to the top spot early in '87 for a seven week run. This was exactly the kind of results the band was looking for and soon they would reach superstar status.
ReduxReview: This song grabbed you by the nuts right from the beginning. The opening a cappella chorus followed by the band blasting in with a great guitar lick was quite unforgettable. It was bigger and better than anything the band had done before and it came across like the opening salvo in a war to conquer the charts. They certainly came out winners and deservedly so. I think the key with both this song and the album was that the band sounded energized and fully engaged. They didn't have a good experience on their previous album, so for Slippery they were determined to make it work. They found the right people to work with and that made a big difference as well. This was a huge slice of hooky, radio-friendly hard rock and it was pretty clear that it was going to be a major hit.
Trivia: Desmond Child established himself as a songwriter for other artists when his tune "I Was Made for Lovin' You" became a #11 hit in 1979 for Kiss. He supplied Kiss with more tunes and Cher also recorded a few for her 1982 album I Paralyze. Then producer Jim Steinman approached Child to write a couple songs for Bonnie Tyler's follow-up album to her platinum seller Faster Than the Speed of Night. Steinman had a small list of requirements and Child went to work. One of the songs he came up with was "If You Were a Woman (And I Was a Man)." It fit the bill and Tyler recorded the tune. It would be released as the second single from her LP Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire. Unfortunately, the song didn't catch on and it stalled at a low #77 in the US. It did a little better in Europe and even got to #6 in France, but it certainly wasn't a major charter. Child believed the song to be a hit and thought the record company failed to promote it properly. When Child began writing songs with Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora, he brought the tune along. The trio then rewrote it and then end result was "You Give Love a Bad Name." The revisions were exactly what was needed and the song turned into a major hit.
Darian Dennison August 6, 2019 at 6:35 PM
9/10 for me as well, I always felt this was the song that helped the hair bands gain extensive attention for several years from 1987 to 1990 as you start seeing more of the hair bands score Top 10 singles during that time frame, this is definitely one of Bon Jovi's best songs and was happy for them breaking it big with this song.
▼ Aug 4 (7)
"25 or 6 to 4" by Chicago
"Emotion in Motion" by Ric Ocasek
"Wild Wild Life" by Talking Heads
"Eye of the Zombie" by John Fogerty
"Typical Male" by Tina Turner
"True Colors" by Cyndi Lauper


text:
Q: Count non-blank text cells in a column Data looks like:
A      B
Joe    1
Mary   2.5
Sam    1.2
       0
Frank  1.3
Bob    2.1
       2.2
Tim    0.6

The result should be 6 because six cells in the column have a name, and two are empty.
Disregarding any associated value in ColumnB, how do I count all cells in ColumnA that have no value (are empty)?

A: Just for the sake of an answer:
=COUNTA(A:A)

as mentioned in a comment by @Siddharth Rout.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Audio / visual help
Castellaño
中國傳統
Council & Democracy
Apply / Request
Recycling, Bins and Litter
Social Care & Health
Travel, Roads & Parking
Theatres, Arts & Museums
Leisure & Outdoor Activities
Emergencies and community safety
Covid-secure: 5 steps for your business
Register your business on 100% Sir Gâr
Council Property
Development and Investment
Digital Connectivity
LEADER Programme
Councillors, AMs, MPs & MEPs
Council departments
Committees & Meetings
Council Budget
Consultation & Performance
Net Zero Carbon
Charitable Trust Funds
Page updated on: 03/09/2019
Alert Level 4: Lockdown from midnight 19th December
Services in Carmarthenshire will be affected during this time. We will not be updating our entire website. Go to the Newsroom for information on what is open, closed or where restrictions are in place.
We are here to support, you, your community, or your business. We will continue to update the Newsroom with the latest advice, local information and funding opportunities. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
The Welsh Government website has information on what you can and cannot do.
We must all work together to keep Carmarthenshire safe and stop the spread of Covid-19 throughout our communities.
Stay home – stay safe.
There are a number of charity trust funds that you or your children may be eligible to apply for, each cover different areas and have different eligibility criteria.
Applications for all charitable trust funds open on April the 1st. Closing dates can be found on each individual fund.
The Minnie Morgan Scholarship
Grant to help drama students.
Those under the age of 25 who have attended any of the secondary schools in Llanelli and who are studying drama and dramatic art at the University of Wales or any school of dramatic art approved by the Trustees.
Email CorporateAccountancy@carmarthenshire.gov.uk or phone 01267 224172 to request an application form.
Return applications to:
Head of Financial Services, c/o Emma Davies, Corporate Services Department, Carmarthenshire County Council, County Hall, Carmarthen, SA31 1JP.
The Mary Elizabeth Morris Charity
Type of grants:
Cash grant for pupils transferring from Ysgol Rhys Prichard.
Grants to help beneficiaries pursue a course of further or higher education or to supplement existing awards for those at college or university.
Help towards the cost of education, training, apprenticeship or equipment for those starting work.
Help is also available with the cost of educational travel at home or abroad.
Past and present pupils who are under the age of 25 and have attended Ysgol Rhys Prichard, and Ysgol Pantycelyn plus those pupils attending Ysgol Bro Dinefwr who live within the catchment area of the old Ysgol Pantycelyn.
30th June - primary school pupils
31st October - secondary school pupils
The Dorothy May Edwards Charity
Awards will be made to those students who are pursuing or seeking to pursue higher education courses.
The Trustees will consider applications for awards from persons under the age of 25 years who have attended for not less than 3 years Ysgol Pantycelyn or Ysgol Bro Dinefwr and who live within the catchment area of the old Ysgol Pantycelyn,
The Robert Peel Foundation/Taliaris School Charity
Awards will be made to promote the educational interests of individuals transferring to a recognised course of further or higher education and also to assist deserving school pupils requiring financial assistance.
The Trustees will consider applications for awards from persons under the age of 25 years who are at the time of application resident in the ancient parish of Llandeilo Fawr and have been so for a minimum of two years. Preference will be given to applicants who are members of or connected with the Church in Wales.
The May Price SRN Award
Grants to help with the cost of books and equipment or to supplement existing grants for those studying medicine or medically related studies.
Those who have been resident in Cardiganshire, Carmarthenshire or Pembrokeshire for at least two years and who are pursuing a course in medical or medically related studies. It has been agreed that Carmarthenshire LEA will administer this fund.
The Thomas and Elizabeth Williams Scholarship
Grants towards fees and living expenses for those pursuing post graduate courses at college or university. This usually constitutes a payment of about £5,000 for the academic year. However, there is a preference for those wishing to study in America, and grants for this can be as much as £8,000 for the academic year.
Those who have been resident within the Carmarthenshire for at least two years during the ten years immediately preceding the date of application. Preference is given to the Kidwelly/Llanelli school districts. Applicants must be under 30 years of age at the date of application, and should possess a good honours degree (I or IIA), but under certain circumstances a lower second class honours may be considered.
The Carmarthenshire Intermediate and Technical Educational Fund
Grants to help beneficiaries pursue a course of further or higher education at an university, university college, college of Education or other institution of higher education.
Grants towards the provision of outfits, clothing, instruments or books.
Grants towards the promotion of education including social and physical training.
Pupils who have attended the following schools for not less than two years: Queen Elizabeth High School, Queen Elizabeth Cambria Comprehensive School, Queen Elizabeth Maridunum Comprehensive School and Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Bro Myrddin.
The Charlotte Bauvin Foundation
Grants to promote education, including social and physical training.
Pupils currently attending Glanymor, Coedcae, Bryngwyn or Strade Comprehensive Schools. Preference shall be given in each case to a girl who is an orphan.
By nomination of the head teachers of the above secondary schools.
The T Bryan Davies Trust Fund
Financial assistance to enable a teacher who in the opinion of the Trustees would be suitable to undertake a period of study either within or outside the former County of Dyfed, which would be in support of the Education Service.
Teachers employed within one of the following 3 counties: Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire.
This fund is not currently open. It is only available once every three years
Llanycrwys School Trust Fund
to help pupils with special needs
to help with the cost of education, training, apprenticeship or equipment for those starting work
to help beneficiaries pursue a course of further education
Past pupils of Llanycrwys School up to the age of 25
Send applications to Mrs J E Stacey, The Clerk of Llanycrwys Community Council, Ty'n Waun, Ffaldybrenin, Llanwrda, SA19 8QA.
Covid-19 - School FAQs
Advantages of being bilingual
School Admissions / Changing schools
Apply for a school place: 3 year olds
Apply for a Primary school place
Moving up to Secondary School
Awarding school places: Criteria
Catchment areas
Appeals: Refused a school place
Statutory Assessment of Educational Needs
Educational & child psychology
Specialist provision
Ability to learn
Number or maths
Speech, Language & Communication
Severe Learning Difficulties
Physical and medical problems
English/Welsh as an Additional Language
Behavioural, Emotional and Social Skills
Gypsies and Travellers
Voice of the child / young person
School bus timetables
Emergency school closures
Home schooling - Elective Home Education (EHE)
English GCSE for adults
Maths GCSE for adults
School Crossing Patrol
Kerbcraft
Primary school meals
Secondary school meals
Free breakfast / school milk
Special diets, allergies and intolerances
How we source our produce
Nutritional standards for school meals
Pendine Outdoor Education Centre
Youth Support
College provision for year 11's
Not in education or employment?
Cynnydd
Cam Nesa
Participation and children's rights
Children's rights promise
School sport & leisure
School uniform and equipment grant
School budgets
Modernising Education Programme
Primary School Investment
Secondary School Investment
BREEAM categories
Sustainable design - BREEAM
More from Education & Schools
Tell us more...
Please fill in the "Tell us more" box so that we can improve this page.
Please provide a comment
Please provide an e-mail address so that we can get back to you if we have any further questions.
*** Your vote has not yet been counted ***
You can only vote once.
Tell us about your experience of using our website. If you have a suggestion on how we can improve the website, please let us know.
Tell us your name and email address so that we can give you an update on your feedback.
Thank you for taking the time to get in touch with us. Your feedback is really important to us. If you've provided us with your email address, we will be in touch as soon as possible with an update.
Ask our customer service team a question.
Please ask a question
Please provide an email address
A member of our team will get back to you as soon as possible. Please note this will be during office hours, Monday – Friday 08:30 – 18:00.
Outside normal office hours Delta Wellbeing provides an emergency service on 0300 333 2222. This phone number is for emergencies and is available after 6pm and up until 8:30am on weekdays, and on Saturdays, Sundays, and Bank Holidays.
Welsh Government announcement on schools
The Welsh Government has confirmed that unless there is a significant reduction in cases of coronavirus before January 29 – the date of the next three-week review of regulations – school and college students will continue to learn online until February half-term.
Schools will continue to make on-site provision for children of critical workers as well as vulnerable children where absolutely necessary, however, it is important that children remain at home wherever possible.
Qualifications Wales has also announced that the spring internal assessment window for GCSE, AS, and A level, which were planned to take place between 22 February and 23 April, will not take place and new arrangements will be made.


text:
Running Wild 2017 * * Stars
Director: Alex Ranarivelo
Rating: * * Stars
Cast: Sharon Stone, Tommy Flanagan, Jason Lewis
Martin Scorsese and Paul Verhoeven once saw talent in Sharon Stone. I still see it. Unfortunately, her fledgling acting career has dwindled down to almost nothing. Now, she's co-starring in little seen films made by unknown production companies. Yes I'm talking about 2017's Running Wild (my latest review).
"Wild's" diegesis goes like this: Stella Davis (played by Dorian Brown) becomes a widow after her rancher husband dies in a car crash. Stella's late hubby failed to inform her that he was six million dollars in debt. The improbable solution: Save her soon-to-be, foreclosed ranch by hiring convicts to restore wild horses that happened to wander onto the Davis property.
Anywho, Running Wild's "running" time is 99 minutes. Most of these minutes are monetarily far-fetched. With beautiful scenery (courtesy of Napa Valley) and a feel-good ending, this is the type of cinematic fodder that caters to a certain group of people. For example, the Christian groups love their Left Behind and God's Not Dead movies. The wine connoisseurs, well they dig stuff like Sideways and Bottle Shock. "Wild" seems bent on satisfying the stallion enthusiast in all of us. Case in point: The title card at the end of this flick says, "For all of our horse loving friends". Nuff said.
Directed by Alex Ranarivelo (he competed in the third season of Project Greenlight) and filmed almost a year and a half ago, Running Wild's opening scene is undramatic and quickly edited (that would be the car crash segment mentioned earlier). If I had to classify "Wild", I'd say that it's a straightforward drama with a TV feel. It also contains middle-of-the-road acting, sweeping aerial shots of northern California, and plenty of high-tailed thoroughbreds.
Now "Wild" does have some solicitous moments with Ranarivelo's camera glowingly tracking and the Cali sun glistening. However, it all adds up to the equivalent of watching a filmstrip built on clamoring to the horse whisperers of the world. It's amusing and educational but not quite worth recommending. Bottom line: Running Wild is at best, a last-ditch family rental on a Saturday night. Call it "Graze of Heaven". Rating: 2 stars.
I.T. 2016 * * * Stars
Kong: Skull Island 2017 * * Stars
The Belko Experiment 2016 * * 1/2 Stars
Mad Families 2017 * Star
Life 2017 * * * 1/2 Stars
CHiPs 2017 * 1/2 Stars