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Reader's Choice Halloween Review: Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
After striking box office gold with 1978's slasher classic Halloween and finding more success with 1981's follow-up, Halloween II, John Carpenter and Debra Hill thought there was potential to turn the Halloween series into an anthology. Acting as producers, Carpenter and Hill recruited Tommy Lee Wallace and Nigel Kneale to come up with a screenplay that didn't contain Michael Myers or Laurie Strode. Leaning more towards science fiction than straight up horror, the result was 1982's Halloween III: Season of the Witch, an imaginative but ultimately middling exercise in terror. Directed by Wallace, Halloween III: Season of the Witch's biggest mistake was cutting the popular Michael Myers character out of the action and replacing it with a mad toymaker who uses Halloween masks to sacrifice children. Since it's disappointing release, Halloween III: Season of the Witch has earned a cult following despite being considered the worst entry in the Halloween series by Halloween fans. Truth is, Halloween III has its heart in the right place, and the desire to break away from the stab-and-slash formula that the filmmakers applied the first time around is commendable, but the film seems slapped together and it's poorly acted. To make matter worse, the film never even comes scaring the viewer the way the original Halloween did. Only once or twice does it actually get a little spooky, but the rest of the time it's falling into unintentional comedy territory.
Halloween III: Season of the Witch begins with Harry Grimbridge (played by Al Berry) getting chased down by mysterious men is suits. He finds help from a kindly gas station attendant, who immediately takes him to the nearby hospital. As the doctors try to evaluate Harry's condition, they discover that he is clutching a Halloween mask and that he keeps babbling about unnamed individuals who plan on killing everyone. The doctors leave Harry in a room to rest, but he is soon discovered by one of the suited men and brutally murdered. Just as the man is trying to escape, Dr. Dan Challis (played by Tom Atkins) encounters the individual and chases him down. Before Dan can stop him, the man gets into a car and kills himself through self-immolation. A few days later, Dan meets Harry's daughter, Ellie (played by Stacey Nelkin), who tells Dan of her father's store, which sold popular masks made by Silver Shamrock. Sensing that something isn't right with the Silver Shamrock company, Dan and Ellie head to the Silver Shamrock factory in Santa Mira. Upon their arrival, they notice that town seems almost abandoned and those who remain seem strangely cheerful. Making things even more suspicious, the entire town is filled with surveillance cameras. It doesn't take Dan and Ellie long to learn of Conal Cochran (played by Dan O'Herlihy), the suspicious head of the Silver Shamrock Corporation. After touring the Silver Shamrock factory, Dan and Ellie grow convinced that something strange is going on with the Halloween masks, and that the company may be plotting something sinister on Halloween night.
Attempting to draw its scares from the witchy side of the Gaelic holiday Samhain, Halloween III takes its terror to epic levels that weren't even dreamed about in Halloween and Halloween II. What made the first two Halloween films such a hit was the idea that the horror could be taking place just up the road or a street over. It was striking in suburbia—the heart of America where kids scamper happily to school and Dad goes to work from 9 to 5. To make it even spookier, it appeared to be the boogeyman and he was reluctant to stay dead. Halloween III captures none of this and instead opts for blunt force violence, synthesized jump scares, and clashing science fiction to give us a few sleepless nights. There are suited androids that leap out from the shadows and there are more than a few gruesome deaths, but the problem is that it seems to be completely misunderstanding what made the original film scary. The original film didn't need to rely on jump scares or graphic gore—it was scary because it seemed completely plausible. Computer-chipped Halloween masks, irritating jingles, and Stonehenge just don't make the spine tingle like a white-masked maniac appearing out of nowhere and stabbing a screaming teen to death.
With Wallace flubbing a good majority of the scares, it's up to stars Tom Atkins and Dan O'Herlihy to do the heavy lifting in Halloween III. Genre star Atkins is his usual heroic self as Dan, a doctor with a broken marriage, a drinking problem, and thing for flirting with nearly every single woman he meets. Naturally, Atkins is likable and we do root for him to stop Cochran from carrying out his evil plot, but he never gives a performance that matches his work in 1980's The Fog. O'Herlihy is easily the best here as Cochran, the demented toymaker who is all smiles and warm promises when he meets with his fans, but is sinister and scowling when he is challenged by anyone attempting to stand in his way. As far as the rest of the cast goes, Nelkin gives a flat and unexciting performance as Ellie, Grimbridge's daughter who strikes up a steamy relationship with Dan as they investigate Silver Shamrock. Ralph Strait stops by as Buddy Kupfer, a cheesy, roly-poly salesman who has been pushing large amounts of Cochran's Halloween masks. His character would honestly disappear from your memory if it weren't for the scene in which his family is treated to a sneak peek of what Cochran is planning on doing Halloween night.
While there is quite a bit to frustrate the viewer in Halloween III: Season of the Witch, there are a few parts that horror fans just won't be able to resist. Much like the original Halloween, Halloween III features a synthesizer score from Carpenter that will surely send a few shivers. Then there is the gore, which is sure to satisfy the gore hounds that have come to see arteries spurt in creative ways. One character has their head ripped off their body, another has their skull crushed, and there are also the scenes in which we get to see just what Cochran masks can do to those who wear them. While the explanations are a bit hazy, the masks appear to melt the heads of those who are wearing them. As if a mushy melon wasn't enough, we then get to see slimy snakes and bugs crawling out of the melted mess. These little demonstrations are probably the most horrific aspect of Halloween III! Overall, while you can't blame Carpenter and Hill for wanting to take their series in a new direction, Halloween III: Season of the Witch is still an uneven departure from the original formula. The script features numerous plot holes, it's not very scary, and a majority of the performances will roll off your memory. However, Wallace is game to spring some nasty visuals and the chilling final note of the film is sure to get to you. Oh, and good luck getting that Silver Shamrock theme out of your head. In the end, Halloween III: Season of the Witch is like digging through your pillowcase after a long night of trick or treating. It's a mixed bag.
Halloween III: Season of the Witch is available on Blu-ray and DVD.
Tags: 1978, 1982, al berry, dan o'herlihy, debra hill, halloween, halloween II, horror, john carpenter, nigel kneale, science fiction, stacey nelkin, supernatural horror, tom atkins, tommy lee wallace, witch horror
TRAILER THURSDAY! Halloween Edition…
How about a trailer double-shot for Halloween? First up is the trailer for John Carpenter's immortal classic. Halloween.
Now that you've hung out with Michael Myers, spend some time with George A. Romero and his zombies in the trailer for Night of the Living Dead. It's a night of total terror!
Happy Halloween! I sincerely hope you all enjoyed the Spooktacular. Thanks to everyone who stopped by and participated. It was greatly appreciated!
Tags: 1968, 1978, george a. romero, halloween, horror, night of the living dead
Wild Werewolves: Dog Soldiers (2002)
Before English director/"Splat Pack" member Neil Marshall freaked audiences out with his 2005 girls-versus-cannibal-humanoids film The Descent, he made what could very well be one of the most entertaining werewolf horror films out there. That film would be 2002's Dog Soldiers, a low-budget hybrid of Night of the Living Dead, Predator, The Evil Dead, The Howling, and The Wolf Man. Marshall's Dog Soldiers is far from a flashy werewolf horror film—it doesn't feature elaborate transformation like we saw in films like An American Werewolf in London or The Howling, and it isn't particularly interested in commenting on the bestiality lurking in each and every one of us. Despite all of that, Dog Soldiers still unleashes some seriously terrifying werewolves on the viewer and the claustrophobic hopelessness does begin to gnaw at the viewer. It has a dark sense of humor about itself, slipping in a number of sarcastic jokes about the horror taking place around our ass-kicking heroes. It's also extremely gory, featuring a number of stomach-churning gross out gags that make it very easy for the viewer to understand how Marshall became a member of the "Splat Pack." You may want to approach this one with a raincoat and maybe even a barf bag.
Dog Soldiers introduces us to Private Cooper (played by Kevin McKidd), who is attempting to pass a grueling test to join a British Special Forces unit. As a final test to join the unit, Captain Ryan (played by Liam Cunningham) asks Cooper to shoot a dog. After Cooper refuses to kill the dog, Ryan fails him and sends him back home. Some time later, Cooper and a unit of British soldiers are taken to the Scottish countryside for a training exercise. Among the soldiers are Seargent Harry Wells (played by Sean Pertwee), Private "Spoon" Witherspoon (played by Darren Morfitt), Private Joe Kirkley (played by Chris Robson), Private Terry Milburn (played by Leslie Simpson), and Corporal Bruce Campbell (played by Thomas Lockyer). Shortly into the exercise, the soldiers find a SAS unit that has been ripped to shreds. The only survivor of the unit is Captain Ryan, who is babbling incoherently about his attackers. As the soldiers try to make sense of the situation, towering assailants leap out from the brush to rip them limb from limb. The group is narrowly rescued by Megan (played by Emma Cleasby), a zoologist on her way to an isolated farmhouse nearby. She takes the group to the farmhouse so that they can regroup and figure out a plan of attack, but the assailants follow them and surround the house. As the unit boards up the windows and assess their resources, they slowly discover that they are up against a pack of werewolves that can only be put down with silver bullets.
Where most werewolf horror films aim high with the special effects and make-up, Dog Soldiers dares to keep much of the elaborate stuff out of the frame. There are no static transformation scenes or lengthy glimpses of the werewolves. Early on, we get to see them only in split second bursts as they charge through the woods towards their next meal. To add extra tension, he gives us black and white POV shots of what the werewolves are seeing, something that called to mind the demonic POV of Sam Raimi's original The Evil Dead. Once the soldiers are barricaded in the farmhouse, he circles the house to imply that there is no escape for these characters—at least while the moon is full and high in the sky. As the attacks escalate, Marshall scares us silly with werewolf claws bursting through windows and boards. Eventually, Marshall is forced to shed some light on his towering beasts and they certainly don't disappoint. They stand menacingly over their victims, slightly hunched with jaws snapping and dripping with strings of saliva. They call to mind what we saw in The Howling, just with less hair and even freakier, if that was even possible. The true beauty is that they are practical and not done with a bunch of computerized fakery. When it comes to the inevitable transformation scenes, Marshall lacks the money to really pull off something eye-popping. Instead, he uses some smartly placed cuts and camera placement that allows the actors to reveal bits of make-up that have been added to parts of their face or hands. The rest is left up to our imagination and it's extremely efficient.
With the special effects controlled, Marshall uses his story to add another layer of unease. While the premise of the soldiers barricade inside a farmhouse paying not-so-subtle tribute to Night of the Living Dead does send some giddy thrills, he allows the claustrophobia to really keep us gnawing at our fingernails. The ammo runs out quickly, the attacks are alarming cramped, and when a character becomes werewolf chow, our stomachs drop to the floor. Another subtle tribute to Night of the Living Dead pops up in the way that two of our central characters go at each other's throats. There are twists with certain characters and others mislead our heroes in the fight to destroy the werewolves. There is also the lack of supplies, which forces the characters get a bit creative with keeping themselves alive. Some of these are faintly humorous (the sword, a letter opener, a can of hair spray and a lighter, and a fist fight), but they are all used to extremely gruesome effect. The highlight is easily a fistfight with a werewolf that ends with a one-liner that strikes you like a lightning bolt.
This all leads us to the violence of Dog Soldiers, which really makes you see why Marshall earned a spot in the Splat Pack (some of the Splat Pack members include Eli Roth, Rob Zombie, Robert Rodriguez, and Alexandre Aja, among others). There are stomachs ripped wide open, guts dangling in plain view, severed heads flying across the screen, and even werewolf limbs hacked off like butter. It's a gooey blast that just keeps on delivering for horror fans. There is an added layer of "EWW" since Marshall films most of the action with gritty handheld cameras, which give the film an unshakably raw feeling. As far as the performances go, everyone does a fine job with their roles. McKidd is no-nonsense as Cooper, who is forced to become the groups leader when their Sergeant gets taken out of the game, and Cunningham is despicable as the slimy Ryan, who is up to no good from the get-go. Overall, with plenty of high-octane action, well-placed chuckles, rampaging scares pinning you to your seat, and gasp-inducing gross outs, Dog Soldiers is a must-see for horror fans. It may not have the depth that other werewolf horror films possess, but that certainly doesn't hold this beast back. Arguably one of the scariest werewolf horror films ever made.
Dog Soldiers is available on Blu-ray and DVD.
Tags: 2002, chris robson, darren morfitt, emma cleasby, horror, kevin mckidd, leslie simpson, liam cunningham, neil marshall, night of the living dead, sean pertwee, the evil dead, the howling, the wolf-man, thomas lockyer, werewolf horror
Wild Werewolves: The Wolfman (2010)
Considering how popular the classic Universal Studios monsters have become over the years, it's no big surprise that the studio keeps digging them out of their graves. With remakes of three of their biggest ghouls already on the market (Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula, Kenneth Branagh's Frankenstein, and Stephen Sommers's The Mummy), it makes sense for the studio to update one of their last big name monsters for modern audiences. In 2010, director Joe Johnston released The Wolfman, a CGI heavy update of George Waggner's haunting 1941 classic that starred Lon Chaney Jr. With two Oscar winners in front of the camera and Rick Baker in charge of the werewolf make-up effects, The Wolfman should have been a smashing success, but there are several elements that caused the film to come out a major disappointment. While The Wolfman drips atmosphere and gothic set design that would make Tim Burton drool, this werewolf offering seems formulaic and misguided. At times it seems to want to be an action movie and the climax features a fight scene that looks like it would have been more at home in The Matrix rather than Universal monster movie. And then there is Benicio Del Toro and Anthony Hopkins, two award winners who deliver some of the most lifeless performances of their careers.
The Wolfman reintroduces us to Lawrence Talbot (played by Benicio Del Toro), a renowned Shakespearean actor with a traumatic past. When he was just a young boy, he witnessed his mother's gruesome demise, and in the wake of the discovery, his father, Sir John Talbot (played by Anthony Hopkins), shipped him off to an insane asylum. One evening, John receives news that his brother, Ben, has mysteriously disappeared. Lawrence returns home to Blackmoor where he is met with news that his brother's body was found mutilated. As Lawrence comes to terms with his brother's death, he attempts to reconnect with his father and he strikes up a relationship with his brother's fiancé, Gwen Conliffe (played by Emily Blunt). One night, Lawrence decides to visit a local gypsy that his brother was said to have associated with. While visiting the gypsies, the camp is attacked by what appears to be a giant wolf. During the attack, Lawrence suffers a bite that leaves him bedridden and suffering from horrific nightmares. With the town in hysterics over the violent attacks, Inspector Aberline (played by Hugo Weaving) arrives from London to launch an investigation before more bodies turn up. After being unconscious for many days, Lawrence wakes up and he initially believes he is okay, but when the moon is full, Lawrence undergoes a horrible transformation that turns him into a snarling monster. To make things worse, horrific family secrets come back to haunt Lawrence and new details about his mother's death slowly start to emerge.
With Johnston kicking things off with the shimmering retro Universal Studios logo, you'd think that The Wolfman would remain a grounded tribute to what Waggner terrified audiences with back in 1941, but you quickly realize that is far from the truth. The opening werewolf attack is appropriately dark and gloomy, but it's fairly obvious that this film is going to be drenched in rubbery CGI that instantly takes us out of the moment. And that is just the start of it. When blurry werewolves aren't speeding across the screen, Johnston and Baker are having an extremely difficult time meshing the practical make-up effects glued to Del Toro's face with the CGI extensions that are there to add some extra menace. We know Baker can do practical, especially after what he delivered with 1981's An American Werewolf in London, but it seems that Universal urged the filmmakers to cut corners with the practical effects, something that is perplexing when we consider what exactly Universal is remaking. Part of the appeal of the classic Universal monsters is their practicality—the idea that we could almost reach out and touch them. They are unnervingly real, even if we can see some of the lines in their make-up. When the Wolfman starts leaping, slashing, and killing here, it feels more like its playing out in the pages of an old EC Comic. It's almost an insult to the original film rather than a loving tribute.
While the copious amounts of CGI hold it back, The Wolfman does excel in the set design and costume department. The shots of 18th century London are absolutely exquisite. There is a grittiness to the city shots but there is also plenty of glamour to be found, especially when Johnston delivers a shot of the Wolfman crouched on a gothic gargoyle while howling at the full moon. It's spectacular and it certainly holds up on a high-definition television. When we get to explore the Talbot manor, Johnston presents a shadowy mansion that you could very well see Dracula prowling around. There are cobwebs dangling from the staircase railing and there are dead leaves scattered about the marble floors. There are closed off rooms with ghosts of traumatic years past and characters peek through the darkness with candelabras in their clutches. The outdoor gardens are tangled vines that died many years ago and the local villages are as muddy and cruddy as they can get. Then there is the insane asylum, which features patients crouched in their cells wrapped in straight jackets. There is an observation room that is a stand in for a massive coffin, a maze that traps in a slew of doctors as they wait to see if Lawrence will really transform into a chopping werewolf. If there is any reason to see The Wolfman, it's because of the extravagant sets that obviously cost a pretty penny. However, it was disappointing to see Universal remake The Wolfman and not give us a few scenes in a foggy forest. Here, we do get an eerie forest, but it never features the rolling sheets of fog that crept by Chaney's hairy feet.
What is perhaps the most frustrating part of The Wolfman is just how miscast Benicio Del Toro and Anthony Hopkins truly are. Del Toro certainly resembles Lon Chaney Jr., but there is also something faintly hard about the man that prevents us from viewing him as a tragic character doomed to a hellish fate. There are scenes where he seems be settling into the character, but some of the more dramatic moments seem put on. There is never any of the nervous shifting and antsy unease that kept Chaney pacing in his room waiting for the inevitable. Meanwhile, Hopkins is asked to fill the enormous shoes of Claude Rains, who portrayed Sir John as a compassionate but rational man who grapples with the wild story his son tells of a werewolf taking a chunk out of his chest. It's best not to say too much about his role, but Hopkins seems all to eager to give away the big reveal. Blunt seems to enjoy playing the misty-eyed damsel in distress and mourning love interest. She isn't given much to do beyond holding Lawrence's head and skip stones at a local pond, but there is something about her character that you just can't resist. Hugo Weaving rounds out the cast as Inspector Aberline, the rather bland antagonist out to get to the bottom of the brutal slaying happening around Blackmoor. He dashes around with importance and the unblinking determination carved into his face does do the trick, but we never come to truly like or loathe him.
As far as the scares are concerned, with so much CGI artificiality contaminating the screen, The Wolfman is never permitted to become very scary. Hell, not even the howls send a chill! However, if you're in the market for some serious blood and guts, then you've come to the right gothic castle. Bodies are slashed and bitten into hamburger meat, with guts splattered on the autumn ground. Head's go flying across the screen, werewolf nails shoot through open mouths, and limbs are sent flying through the air with a thin trail of—you guessed it—CGI blood. The gore is extremely entertaining and it is sort of fun to see Universal embracing such savagery, especially when the Wolfman goes berserk in the streets of London. All the savagery does spiral out of control by the end, as Johnston ends The Wolfman with goofy werewolf brawl that finds hairy beats flying all over Talbot manor. You honestly wouldn't mind so much if they weren't doing wiry flips and leaps that would have been more at home in The Matrix. Come to think of it, maybe that is why Hugo Weaving is on hand here. Overall, while Universal showered the project in money, The Wolfman 2010 never dares explore the monsters that can lurk in even the mot mild mannered individuals. It falls victim to what almost every other horror film falls victim to: CGI excess. It's all to eager to top the original rather than acting as a respectful tribute to a classic.
The Wolfman is available on Blu-ray and DVD.
Tags: 1941, 2010, anthony hopkins, benicio del toro, claude rains, emily blunt, horror, hugo weaving, joe johnston, lon chaney jr, rick baker, the wolf-man, universal studios, werewolf horror
TRAILER TUESDAY! Halloween Edition
It's widely considered the scariest film of all time. Here is the chilling trailer for The Exorcist, directed William Friedkin. Do you think it's the scariest film of all time?
Tags: 1973, demonic horror, horror, linda blair, william friedkin
Wild Werewolves: The Company of Wolves (1984)
Perhaps one of the most visually striking werewolf films every released is director Neil Jordan's 1984 cult classic The Company of Wolves, a fairy-tale horror film that explores a young girl's dreamlike journey into womanhood. Based on short stories by Angela Carter, The Company of Wolves is an eerie reworking of the Little Red Riding Hood tale, molding it into a complex look at sexual maturity and the idea that all men are beasts in disguise. At a mere hour and thirty minutes, The Company of Wolves drags in places with its storytelling, but the visual side of the film is never short of astounding as Jordan's camera explores a labyrinth of gnarled trees, cobwebs, and gloomy 18th century villages. While it is easy to loose yourself in the gothic set design, Jordan also makes sure that he gives you quite a few good scares throughout the film's runtime. One of the keys to the werewolf horror film is an unblinking transformation sequence, and let it be known that The Company of Wolves features several transformation scenes that will simultaneously gross you out and petrify you for life. To this very day, the effects of the transformation scenes top anything you would see in a CGI heavy blockbuster.
The Company of Wolves begins in modern day, with a young girl named Rosaleen (played by Sarah Patterson) sound asleep in her bedroom surrounded by dolls and stuffed animals. We then enter her dream world, where she is mourning the death of her sister with her parents (played by David Warner and Tusse Silberg) and her Granny (played by Angela Lansbury). A wolf has killed Rosaleen's sister, and while her parents come to terms with the death, she is sent off to live with Granny in the woods. While at Granny's cabin, Rosaleen is treated to several cautionary tales about men being wolves in disguise, and she is also warned to stay far away from men whose eyebrows meet in the middle. Granny also warns her to never stray from the path when she is walking through the woods. After a few weeks, Rosaleen returns to her home, and when she arrives she finds that a young amorous boy (played by Shane Johnstone) has developed a crush on her. One day, Rosaleen decides to take a walk through the forest with the amorous boy, but as they wander the woods, they realize that there is a wolf prowling around. Terrified, the two rush home to warn the villagers about the lurking threat. Enraged, the villagers storm the woods to capture and kill the wolf. After setting a trap and pumping the beast full of bullets, they believe they have rid the woods of evil, but a few days later Rosaleen decides to make a visit to Granny's and it appears that there is still a threat in the woods waiting to strike.
While a good majority of werewolf films ask the viewer to sympathize with the hairy beasts, The Company of Wolves seems to show no compassion for its werewolves. Whether it's through the cautionary tales Rosaleen hears from her Granny or if it's the final face-to-face confrontation, Jordan never really offers the viewer a sympathetic monster that struggles with their full-moon curse. In fact, a majority of the male characters seem to somewhat enjoy their monstrous transformations, all of which are pretty grotesque. This implication that all men are dogs waiting to prey on young girls could stem from Carter, who co-wrote the script with Jordan. While the feminist approach does offer food for thought, Jordan manages to milk several terrifying transformation scenes that deliver on the gore while also sending a few shivers. In one tale told to Rosaleen, a young traveler (played by Stephen Rea) marries a young woman whom he abandons on their wedding night. Several years later, the young woman has remarried, but the young traveler returns for his bride. After pushing him away, the traveler is enraged and begins to transform right before our very eyes. In true werewolf horror fashion, the camera rarely cuts away, allowing the viewer to glimpse him pulling strips of skin from his face. In graphic close ups, we see his muscles and bones pulling, grinding, and stretching into the features of a wolf, complimented by horrible shrieks and screams. It's amazing and the use of practical special effects has allowed the sequence to still stand up.
Equally impressive are the performances, which all keep us transfixed on the stylish drama playing out on the screen. Sarah Patterson's Rosaleen is sweet and innocent as she snakes her way though a knotted forest prowling with panting wolves. Her final confrontation with Micha Bergese's huntsman is mesmerizing, emitting female empowerment while also showing a bit of understanding for the threat that has backed her against a cabin wall. Angela Lansbury brings the star power as Granny, a little old lady with plenty of wisdom about what is waiting to pull her granddaughter into sexual maturity. Shane Johnstone also holds a bit of innocence as the amorous boy, who pines after Rosaleen and searches desperately for an opening for a kiss. Stephen Rea flashes a softer side but then turns on us with an evil that will undoubtedly haunt your dreams. Also on board is Dawn Archibald as a vengeful pregnant woman, who tracks down the rich nobleman that abandoned her (there is no fury quite like a woman scorned). There is also Terence Stamp in an uncredited role as the Devil, who sells a mysterious potion to a young boy with some sinister side effects.
Another stand out element of The Company of Wolves is its must-see set design that simultaneously adds an enchanting surrealism and a gothic chill to the film. Almost every single frame plays up the dead forests, snowy graveyards, and quite villages, all of which look like they were left over from a lost Hammer horror film from the 1950s. Jordan doesn't let the set design and effects do all the heavy lifting when it comes to the scares. In addition to the slimy transformations, the viewer is subjected to a nightmarish opening that finds one character being attacked by giant dolls that have sprung to life inside that misty forest. There is also the tale of the young pregnant girl confronting the wealthy nobleman on his wedding day, a scene that finds the pregnant girl casting spells and turning the dog like guests into wolves—something that is glimpsed through a cracked mirror. There is also the white-knuckle conclusion, with a pack of wolves bursting through the dream bubble and entering the modern world. In their wake they leave shattered glass and trampled dolls, suggesting that innocence has been shattered and sexual maturity/liberation has arrived. Overall, The Company of Wolves is a gothic, eerie, and intelligent take on Little Red Riding Hood. The film's feminist perspective could have been overshadowed by the moody sets and unflinching special effects, but Jordan manages to keep things stable even when certain places start to drag.
The Company of Wolves is available on DVD.
Tags: 1984, angela carter, angela lansbury, david warner, fairy tales, horror, neil jordan, sarah patterson, shane johnstone, stephen rae, tusse silberg, werewolf horror, werewolf movies
Wild Werewolves: The Howling (1981)
Just four short months before John Landis' An American Werewolf in London came ripping into theaters, director Joe Dante released The Howling, a stylish little werewolf horror film with a sleazy side. Lacking the big budget studio backing that Landis enjoyed (An American Werewolf in London was released through Universal Studios), The Howling has earned a respectable cult following over the years. It doesn't particularly enjoy the mainstream recognition that Landis' film receives, prowling just under the radar and seeming to relish its cult status. Despite all of this, The Howling is still an immensely enjoyable horror film, and its one that deeply rewards with its semi-veiled winks carefully placed by Mr. Dante. The Howling also enjoys its fair share of blood, sex, and nudity, kicking things off in a sleazy porn theater and ending with a rip roaring showdown between a bunch of pointy-eared werewolves looking to tear sheets of flesh from bone. As if the blood, beasts, and boobs weren't enough to have horror fans drooling, it's worth tracking down The Howling for the numerous nods to other horror filmmakers that Dante places throughout his film. You'll thrill at tips of the hat to two of Hammer's most famous directors, a handful of Universal Studios directors, and you'll chuckle at a cameo from the B-movie king himself, Roger Corman. Now how can you argue with all of that?!
The Howling introduces us to Karen White (played by Dee Wallace), a Los Angeles news reporter who has been receiving perverted messages from a serial killer named Eddie Quist (played by Robert Picardo). One evening, Karen agrees to meet Eddie in a sleazy porn theater, but what Eddie doesn't know is that Karen is working with the police in an attempt to get him off the streets. Before the police can rush in to nab Eddie, Karen catches a glimpse of her stalker's face, and what she sees seems to frighten her to death. In the midst of all the chaos, Eddie is gunned down by a trigger-happy police officer. Over the course of the next few days, Karen is plagued by horrible nightmares about the encounter, something that deeply concerns her husband, Bill (played by Christopher Stone). At the advice of her therapist, Dr. George Wagner (played by Patrick Macnee), Karen and Bill head off to a secluded town called The Colony. Upon their arrival, Karen and Bill are greeted by a number of locals that all seem to be a bit peculiar. Bill finds himself being seduced by a woman named Marsha (played by Elisabeth Brooks) and they observe the bizarre suicide attempt of an elderly man named Erle (played by John Carradine). Things get even stranger when Karen is awoken in the middle of the night by what sounds like wolves howling. After a wolf-like creature attacks Bill, Karen begins to notice that Bill's behavior is growing more and more suspicious. To make things worse, Karen's friends, Terri Fisher (played by Belinda Balaski) and Christopher Halloran (played by Dennis Dugan), discover that Eddie Quist may not be dead after all.
Early on, The Howling resembles a seedy murder mystery—something that would have seemed right at home on 42nd Street. We drift through a sleazy part of Los Angeles, where porn theaters line the street and almost everyone seems like they are up to no good. When the action finally shifts from gritty street fare to woodsy tension, The Howling gets really entertaining. It takes some time for the werewolf action to really kick in, but when it does, it brings some impressive and downright intimidating werewolves with it. These suckers look like they were created by the Devil himself, with their pointed ears, glistening fangs, and towering height. It's nearly impossible not to find these guys creepy. As if the werewolves weren't gruesome enough for you, Dante springs a transformation on us that features bubbling skin, bulging eyes, pulsing necks, and bleeding fingernails. It certainly rivals what we saw in An American Werewolf in London, but Dante uses more cuts to mask all the effects, something that Landis wasn't guilty of. Either way, it is still unbelievably gross and leaves you wondering how the hell they managed to pull that off in 1981.
As far as the performances go, most of the players turn in memorable roles; however, scream queen Dee Wallace really disappoints. Wallace's Karen is consistently faint, scripted, and almost a bit confused as she squirms over what she saw in the porno theater. When she heads up to The Colony, she gains a bit of strength, but when it comes to her life being threatened, she just backs up against the wall and slightly cringes as a werewolf closes in. She doesn't even put up much of a fight when she is drug before a several locals just waiting to unleash their inner monsters. She just hangs there until she can be saved. Stone finds a groove as Bill, Karen's frustrated husband that is slowly being pulled into the arms of another woman. Picardo is sweaty and perverted as Eddie, a serial killer with an even more dreadful secret. He will make your skin crawl as he proclaims to think that Karen has a sexy voice, all while she is screaming bloody murder. Elisabeth Brooks smolders as Marsha, a nymphomaniac that can get vicious in the blink of an eye. Dennis Dugan's Christopher gets to be the hero of the film, arming himself with some silver bullets to put down the beasts of The Colony once and for all. The appearance of John Carradine as Erle is also a treat, a crazy old coot that is constantly trying to get the attention of those around him.
Considering that The Howling and An American Werewolf in London were released the same year, it's almost impossible not to compare the two of them. While the films are evenly matched most of the way through, The Howling may come out ahead when it comes to the climax. Where An American Werewolf in London just abruptly ends on a highly emotional note, The Howling is alive with plenty of werewolf action that will have you jumping out of your seat. As if all the silver bullets, exploding cars, burning barns, and snarling werewolves weren't enough, we are treated to one more surprise before the film can fade to black. When it comes to discussing the rest of The Howling, the film seems to know what horror fans are craving, We are treated to a sex scene that finds both individuals morphing into werewolves, one character digging out a piece of their head to give someone a "piece" of their mind, and there is also a melted face complete with bone and muscle visible (in this department, An American Werewolf in London had them beat). Overall, The Howling is an addictive little werewolf horror movie that tips its hat in inspired and subtle ways to the subgenre. It features some of the coolest look werewolves out there and the climax is a fiery hoot. This is frightfully good fun with a wink.
The Howling is available on Blu-ray and DVD.
Tags: 1981, belinda balaski, christopher stone, dee wallace, dennis dugan, elisabeth brooks, horror, joe dante, john carradine, patrick macnee, robert picardo, werewolf horror, werewolf movies
Wild Werewolves: An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Before 1981, John Landis was far from a horror director. He hit it big with 1978's Animal House, a college sex comedy that was all about chugging Jack Daniels and having a good time. He followed up Animal House with 1980's The Blues Brothers, another comedy smash that seemed to suggest that Landis was sticking to the comedic track. However, in 1981, Landis revealed that he had a bit of range as a director with An American Werewolf in London, a horror film heavy with dark chuckles. As far as the horror side of An American Werewolf in London is concerned, the film isn't nearly as scary as you've been led to believe. Over the years, there have been many lists ranking the scariest films of all time, most of which feature An American Werewolf in London, but the film seems to be a victim of its own hype. Despite not being overly spooky, the film still features several unsettling nightmares that surprise with the sledgehammer-to-the-head extremity and a transformation sequence that still manages to astonish first time viewers. The most charming aspect of An American Werewolf in London is undoubtedly the dark humor that Landis weaves together with his loving nods to Lon Chaney Jr.'s 1941 classic The Wolf Man.
An American Werewolf in London introduces us to David Kessler (played by David Naughton) and Jack Goodman (played by Griffin Dunne), two Americans backpacking through the English countryside. David and Jack decide to rest at a small pub called The Slaughtered Lamb, were they are met with an icy greeting from the locals. As they settle in for a drink, David and Jack notice a five-pointed star carved into the wall, which they immediately inquire about. The locals instantly ask them to leave, warning them to stay on the main road and to beware of the full moon. Confused, David and Jack leave, but they soon find themselves off the path they were warned to stay on. Things get worse for the two backpackers when they begin hearing faint growls and menacing howls circling around them. Suddenly, a wolf leaps at them from the darkness, killing Jack and severally wounding David. Three weeks later, David wakes up from the attack in a London hospital, where he learns about the death of his buddy. Over the course of a few days, David seems to be recovering nicely from the wounds that he received, but when he drifts off to sleep he suffers from horrible nightmares. Things get even more bizarre for David when the deceased Jack comes to visit him in the hospital and explains that a werewolf attacked them. Jack warns David that he must kill himself before the next full moon, or he will be responsible for more deaths. Soon, David is released from the hospital and begins shacking up with Alex (played by Jenny Agutter), a beautiful nurse that he struck up a romance with while bedridden. Things seems to be getting better for David, but the rotting Jack returns to warn him of the beast lurking inside.
An American Werewolf in London begins spooky enough, with a sudden attack that certainly gets the viewer's heart pounding. As David and Jack wander around a darkened field, growling noises and anguished howls ring out all around them. The misty suspense erupts when a hairy blur comes shooting across the screen to leave our backpacking heroes a shredded mess. Landis manages to keep up the supernatural eeriness with David's terrifying nightmares, which are all hilariously extreme in their own way. One dream finds a naked David sprinting through the forest when he suddenly leaps at a deer and rips its head from its body. Another dream finds David morphing into a demonic beast in his hospital bed as Alex cares for him. His final dream finds David at home with his family when several monstrous Nazi soldiers come bursting in to gun down everyone in the home. After these impressive little explosions of terror, Landis falls back on his skills as a comedic director, allowing us to find the humor in things like David waking up nude in a zoo after a night of werewolf mayhem. We get to chuckle at David's attempts to get clothing, all of which are cleverly awkward. There is also some humor to be found in the gruesome visits from Jack, who picks up a Mickey Mouse action figure and makes it wave at David. I doubt Walt Disney would have found that one funny!
With its sense of humor finely tuned, Landis gives An American Werewolf in London even more personality through its make-up effects, which went on to nab an Academy Award. There is certainly no shortage of gore to be found, especially in the final moments when werewolf David causes chaos in Piccadilly Circus. There is a massive car pile-up, which results in bodies being thrown about like confetti over the finale. Buses run over people, heads go smashing through windshields, and a police officer's head is ripped clean off by David's fangs. Then there is Jack, who over the course of the film decomposes right in front of our eyes. Early on, his wounds are undeniably vicious as shards of skin dangle from his neck and blood covers about eighty percent of his body, but as the film continues, he begins to turns a greenish color and his eyeballs pop out of his skeletal head. All of this make up work doesn't even compare to what Landis has planned for us about halfway through the film. As the full moon takes to the sky, we get to see David's transformation up close and personal. Through Rick Baker's amazing effects, we see thick sheets of hair poking through the skin, David's hands and feet stretching into paws, fangs poking through the gums, and his face sprouting a snout. It's all done through practical effects and only a handful of cuts. This sequence alone makes An American Werewolf in London essential viewing for cinema buffs or those who can appreciate the art of special effects.
As far as the performances go, everyone does a fine job with their respective roles. Naughton is spot on as the freaked-out David, who grapples with how to properly deal with his new curse. Does he end it all or does he find an alternative solution? He's certainly gifted in the comedic sequences, especially the scene that finds him sprinting through a zoo in nothing but his birthday suit. Dunne hams it up as the talking corpse Jack, a "meatloaf" that drops by every now and then to remind David that something awful is waiting to emerge. Agutter is pleasant as the beautiful nurse Alex, a gal who finds herself quickly falling for the cursed David. John Woodvine is also on hand as David's doctor, Hirsch, who gets to play detective after hearing David say that it was a wolf that attacked him. When it comes to An American Werewolf in London's biggest flaw, it is difficult to ignore the abrupt ending, which cuts off on raw nerve emotion. You'd like to see what happens next, but Landis just slams the book shut on us and tells us to scram. Overall, while it favors laughs over screams, An American Werewolf in London is still a shrewd little werewolf horror film. It makes wicked use of music, the special effects will boggle the mind, and it features some marvelously set piece around London. It's just a shame that the abrupt climax will leave you howling with disappointment.
An American Werewolf in London is available on Blu-ray and DVD.
Tags: 1941, 1981, david naughton, griffin dunne, horror, jenny agutter, john landis, john woodvine, lon chaney jr, supernatural horror, the wolf-man, werewolf horror
Wild Werewolves: The Curse of the Werewolf (1961)
After successfully resurrecting three of Universal Studios' most renowned ghouls (Victor Frankenstein and his monster in The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), Count Dracula in Horror of Dracula (1958), and Kharis the Mummy in The Mummy (1959)), the increasingly popular Hammer Films then set their undead sights on the Wolf Man. In 1961, director Terence Fisher released The Curse of the Werewolf, which found Hammer revamping the howling menace with plenty of candle wax blood and more cleavage than you can shake a furry paw at. Based upon the novel The Werewolf of Paris by Guy Endor, Fisher and screenwriter Anthony Hinds (who penned the script under the name John Elder) craft an origin heavy tale that once again put a fresh spin on what Universal had already memorably done with Lon Chaney Jr. in 1941. Moving the action from Paris to Spain, The Curse of the Werewolf reinvents the werewolf lore before finally baring its fangs in the final twenty minutes. Make no mistake, both the origin tale and the characters are all handled with plenty of care, but The Curse of the Werewolf is dragged into mediocrity through a struggling performance from Oliver Reed, one of Hammer's favored sons, who can't quite seem to win over our empathy.
The Curse of the Werewolf opens in 18th century Spain, with a raggedy beggar (played by Richard Wordsworth) arriving in a village that seems to be abandoned. After stumbling upon a group of locals in a nearby pub, the beggar learns that the town is celebrating the marriage of Marques Siniestro (played by Anthony Dawson). The beggar decides to travel to the Marques' castle in the hopes of finding some food left over from the celebration. After being humiliated by the Marques in front of a room full of guests, the beggar is tossed into jail where he befriends the jailer's mute daughter (played by Yvonne Romain). Many years pass and the beggar, who is still behind bars, begins to slip into madness. After having a nasty encounter with the aging Marques, the mute girl is thrown into prison with the beggar, who proceeds to rape the poor girl. The mute girl manages to escape her torment and makes her way into the countryside where she is discovered by the kind Don Alfredo Coreldo (played by Clifford Evans), who takes the girl in and discovers that she is with child. Upon learning this new, Don Alfredo's housekeeper, Teresa (played by Hira Talfrey), is appalled to learn that the baby will be born on Christmas day, something that is considered very unlucky by the locals. Several months later, the mute girl gives birth to a baby boy, Leon, on December 25th. All seems normal at first but Don Alfredo begins hearing rumors of an animal that prowls the night and attacks local livestock. After discovering that Leon suffered a nasty gunshot wound while he was "sleepwalking," he decides to put bars on the boy's windows, fearing that the boy has been cursed because of his birthdate. Once again the years pass and Leon (played by Oliver Reed) is all grown up and ready to leave home, but his old curse comes back to haunt him when the moon is full.
Like all of Hammer's other monster rival offerings, The Curse of the Werewolf works hard in separating itself from what Universal Studios had done. Screenwriter Hinds reworks some of the werewolf mythology, suggesting that the werewolf curse is something that one is born with and that constant love and affection can keep lycanthrope at bay. It's a nice change of pace, but Hinds and Fisher are relentless with their backstory. The origin tale itself takes up over half the film, allowing us very little time to actually empathize with adult Leon and his full-moon transformations. As far as the werewolf itself is concerned, Fisher is patient with his monster, keeping him largely off-screen until the last fifteen minutes of the film when we get to witness him prowling rooftops and scampering through town as villagers light torches and holler for his demise. In true Hammer fashion, the attack scenes in The Curse of the Werewolf are shockingly bloody and violent—the camera lingering on slashed faces and leaking claw marks. It is definitely not something that you would have seen in the Lon Chaney Jr. original from 1941.
While the heavy emphasis on the werewolf's origin tale tripping the film up, The Curse of the Werewolf is also a bit flat due to the casting of the lead role. There is no Peter Cushing or Christopher Lee anywhere in sight, but rather there is Oliver Reed, an actor with leading man's looks but none of the magnetism that Lee and Cushing radiated. Reed struggles to make his anguish look convincing, his shakes, shivers, and sweats never looking like they are coming from a dark and terrifying place. In the scenes where he isn't asked to grapple with his transformation, he fares a bit better. He seems like a polite and pleasant young man when he finally departs home and his romance that he strikes up romance with Christina Fernando (played by Catherine Feller) has some deep and passionate moments, but it's not enough to hold his performance together. The standout of the picture is without question Anthony Dawson as the vile Marques. He only shows up at the beginning but he sure is a nasty and disgusting piece of humanity. Yvonne Romain is sweet and strikingly beautiful as the mute girl who gives birth to Leon. Keller's Christina is basically the worried girlfriend who strokes Leon's hair when he falls into one of his sweating and shaking fits. Clifford Evans tackles a grim role with Don Alfredo Corledo, Leon's father figure who slowly realizes what he must do to rid his adopted son of this awful curse.
Another fumble made by The Curse of the Werewolf is the make-up effects and a certain end transformation scene that features some seriously cheap effects. As far as the overall look of Leon's hairy werewolf, he looks okay at a brief glance but there is nothing that really sticks with the viewer. It has a vague demonic look, especially when Reed shoots piercing stares your way, but it doesn't leave the impression that Jack Pierce's make-up still makes today. The other bumpy moment comes when Leon begins to transform into a werewolf. The viewer is treated to a close-up of the some of the fakest looking hands you have ever seen, the back of Reed's head as he makes growling noises, and a brief mid-transformation glimpse of his face. On the one hand, it's understandable considering the film was made in 1961, but there were transformation scenes that were infinitely more frightening that came before this. Overall, The Curse of the Werewolf packs plenty of moments that generate some heart pounding suspense and anticipation, but the story takes way too long to finally unleash full on terror. Then there is Reed, who frankly was miscast in the role of Leon. Despite its flaws, Fisher and Hinds never forget to explore the bestiality of man, even the one's that seem extremely mild mannered.
The Curse of the Werewolf is available on DVD.
Tags: 1961, anthony dawson, anthony hinds, clifford evans, guy endor, hammer, hammer films, hira talfrey, horror, oliver reed, richard wordsworth, terence fisher, werewolf horror
The horror film you voted to have reviewed on Halloween is….
HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH (1982)
Start singing the Silver Shamrock theme now!


What do I do if I am being harassed by a creditor?
On behalf of Law Office of Ronald V. De Caprio posted in Credit Card Debt on Thursday, May 5, 2016.
Credit card companies and other agencies that lend money to consumers are restricted in the actions they may perform to collect on their borrowers' debts. Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, New Yorkers have rights to stop creditor harassment if it violates federal law. Defining harassment is an important component in knowing how and when to stop it.
Generally, telephone calls where the collector intends to bother or berate the consumer is classified as creditor harassment. It may escalate from there and include threatening or violent discourse, or it may include use of offensive words or behaviors to push the consumer toward payment. Harassment can occur over time, through calls or correspondence, and may be at inappropriate times of the day. There is no one act or action that constitutes harassment, as it may present itself differently in different situations.
If a consumer is harassed by a credit card company, they may report that entity to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Attorneys in the debt relief field can help their clients work with this agency and other agencies to stop creditor harassment and formulate plans to relieve their clients' burdensome debts. As different individuals have different financial situations, it is important that readers seek out their own legal advice to best address their personal financial quandaries.
The first thing consumers should remember is that they do not have to endure harassment just because they carry credit card debt. They do not have to take the abusive, negative scare tactics that some collection groups use to frighten individuals into making payments they may not be able to afford. Help is available to those who are struggling with consumer debt and those individuals have options for working toward debt relief and harassment-free living.


You're already starting to pay more at the pump as a result of the growing crisis in Syria and other tensions around the Middle East.
AAA says that gas prices are still lower than they were at this time last year, but the drop has been curbed as crude oil prices rise.
The national average for a gallon of unleaded gasoline was $3.59 on Friday, up a nickel from the previous week. By Monday, that had risen to $3.61. Massachusetts is slightly higher than the national average, averaging $3.67 on Monday.


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VIRGINIA THEATRE BOX OFFICE HOLIDAY HOURS
VIRGINIA THEATRE SUSPENDS CONCESSIONS THROUGH THE END OF 2021
Meet David Schroeder, Virginia Theatre House Organist
The Arthouse Experience Film Series
Ebertfest Rescheduled for April 20-23, 2022
The Champaign Park District has announced a new film series at the historic Virginia Theatre, 203 West Park Avenue, Champaign, IL, 61820. The Arthouse Experience will showcase the best of recent art films once a month on the Virginia's 52-foot-wide movie screen throughout the theatre's 2021-2022 season. Conceived as a way to bring limited-release, high-quality films to a larger audience, The Arthouse Experience will combine favorites from past Roger Ebert Film Festivals with new releases, popular favorites, and titles chosen by the audience. Screenings will include introductory remarks and post-show talkbacks with guest curator Sanford Hess. $6 tickets to each of the films (additional per-ticket processing fees apply) are available at the Virginia Box Office, at thevirginia.org, or charge by phone at 217/356-9063.
The Arthouse Experience film series was made possible by a collaboration with guest curator and former operator of the Art Theater (126 West Church Street, Champaign), Sanford Hess. A movie-lover since early childhood, Mr. Hess realized his dream of operating a theater when he took over the management of Champaign's popular Art Theater in 2010. After running the Art for three years, Sanford Hess helped transition the facility to a community Co-Operative, the first of its kind in the nation. Since that time, Sanford has continued to watch and comment on films at a prodigious pace, including in broadcasts on his Urbana Public Television program "Reel Reviews" with co-host Chike Coleman and his cinephile son.
In describing his reasons for curating the Virginia's new Arthouse Experience series, Mr. Hess stated, "Movies are a communal experience, something we appreciate in a new way with the pandemic. Watching a movie with other film lovers in a gorgeous theater like the Virginia—it's the kind of thing we really need right now".
ARTHOUSE FILM SERIES MOVIE SCHEDULE
10/6/21 Emma (2020)
11/3/21 Moonlight (2016)
12/6/21 Cold War (2018)
1/19/22 Wild Tales (2014)
2/9/22 The Artist (2011) – rescheduled from original 2021 screening date
2/23/22 Adaptation (2002)
3/23/22 The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
4/6/22 Big Night (1996)
5/25/22 Eighth Grade (2018)
6/1/22 Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)
7/27/22 Viewer's Choice
Virginia Theatre 360 Degree Virtual Tour
Virginia Theatre Plush Bear
CHAMPAIGN PARK DISTRICT ANNOUNCES VIRGINIA THEATRE 2019-2020 PERFORMING ARTS SEASON LINEUP
Next post: Meet David Schroeder, Virginia Theatre House Organist
Previous post: Ebertfest Rescheduled for April 20-23, 2022

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Studies have shown that stress not only contributes to weight gain and weight loss but also causes a process of overeating that can lead to imbalances and spikes within the body. For example, cortisol and insulin are the two most common hormones that can do real damage if left unchecked. These hormones contribute to fat being stored around the mid-section and hips that ultimately produce inflammation, diabetes and heart disease. These are symptoms of stress and should be dealt immediately.
The damaging effects of stress impact weight, hormones, self-confidence, and overall health and should be regarded as highly detrimental if not taken care of properly. Stress is almost like death and taxes, it's going to happen one way or another. The best part that most people don't know is that your body has the ability to respond to stress on its own. It was designed that way. The key is giving your body the best chance to do so and often that involves lifestyle changes. We can help you navigate that.
Disease is something that your body knows how to handle, but because of poor lifestyle choices, it can turn into an illness. By applying healthier principles in your life, you will improve how your body naturally responds to stress and restore health and healing to your body.
Exercise is an effective way to maximize your response to stress. It will lower cortisol, balance insulin, spike glutathione levels and trigger hormones that make you feel happier and more elated. A misconception is that exercise combats stress or cures it, but that is simply not a true statement. It only helps the body to function at a more efficient and safe level for taking care of stress naturally.
When you panic and become anxious, your body goes into overload. If you panic, you've already lost the battle, as anyone that suffers from anxiety, panic attacks, asthma or any other stress related condition fully knows too well. The secret is not to add additional mental and emotional stress to any situation, because adding this stress compounds the problem. Find the calming solution that works for you – whether it's counting slowly backward from 100 or putting yourself in a timeout, identify it and put it to use when you feel your anxiety rising!
A prime example is taking some time in nature or going for a walk alone. So your body and your mind have time to take in some fresh air. Another example might be to find a quiet place you feel safe and turn everything off and breathe slowly by taking deep breathes until the heart stabilizes and slows down the panic mode it has been put in. This may seem ridiculous, but it is very effective to be able to step away and re-focus your body's systems. These solutions won't eliminate stress but they will help your body respond to the stress at the best of your ability.
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text:
Q: Work around to make table-cell CSS render properly in IE6/7? My site is showing up fine in IE8/Firefox/Chrome but I can't figure out how to make it function with IE.
The relevant CSS:
#maincontent {
  display: table;
}

#content {
  display: table-cell;
  width: 620px;
  padding-left:4%;
  padding-right: 22px;
  padding-bottom:15px;
}

#sidebar {
  display: table-cell;
  width: 300px;
}

#content and #sidebar are in #maincontent. On IE6/7 #sidebar will be under #content. I've tried setting the sidebar to display:block with a float, and it will then render fine in IE6/7 but all the other browsers get screwed up. How can I get this setup?

A: From W3Schools:

No versions of Internet Explorer
  (including IE8) support the property
  values "inline-table", "run-in",
  "table", "table-caption",
  "table-cell", "table-column",
  "table-column-group", "table-row", or
  "table-row-group".

The best solution is probably to build a real table.

A: CSS tables aren't supported in IE, so you'll probably want to try working with just floats and margins.  I'd recommend taking a look at the positioning on one of these templates and working from there.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Italian documentary 'Holy GRA' wins Venice Golden Lion
Italian director Gianfranco Rosi poses with the Golden Lion for Best Film he received for his movie "Sacro GRA" during the award ceremony of the 70th Venice Film Festival on September 7, 2013 at Venice Lido. (AFP)
Director Alexandros Avranas (L) and actor Themis Panou pose on the red carpet as they arrive for the award ceremony of the 70th Venice Film Festival on September 7, 2013 at Venice Lido. The best actor prize went to Panou for his role as father to a family which harbours a deep secret in Avranas's "Miss Violence". (AFP)
Italian actress Elena Cotta receives the Coppa Volpi for the Best Actress for the movie "Via Castellana Bandiera" during the award ceremony of the 70th Venice Film Festival on September 7, 2013 at Venice Lido. (AFP)
VENICE (AFP) – Italian director Gianfranco Rosi's documentary "Holy GRA", which looks into everyday life off a Rome ring road, won the Golden Lion for best movie at the Venice film festival Saturday.
"I would never, ever have believed a documentary would win Venice film festival," said an emotional Rosi, who won the top prize out of 20 films in competition with his tale, which peered into houses, workplaces and gardens.
The director said he had spent years preparing and researching for the film and thanked "the characters for allowing me into their lives."
"Holy GRA" was one of an unprecedented two documentaries in the running for the Lion, and Rosi said it had been a "huge act of courage" to let them compete.
The film glimpses into the lives of a former aristocrat in a kitsch palace, an ambulance man who rushes to save car crash victims on the ring road and an elderly bushy-bearded father who shares a tiny apartment with his daughter.
With simple, pared-down shots, the film quietly reveals the vast range of personalities living in tower blocks or country houses under airport flight paths.
"I wanted to be surprised and Rosi's film was surprising. It was a unanimous choice," said jury head, Italian cinematic master Bernardo Bertolucci.
"Like a one-man orchestra, Rosi managed to reveal these characters to us within this ring road which circles Rome like a ring around Saturn.
"The world, the spaces in the film, had something Franciscan about them. There was a real sense of purity, the jury felt a poetic force," he said.
The best actor prize went to Greece's Themis Panou for his role as father to a family which harbours a deep secret in Alexandros Avranas's "Miss Violence".
Avranas was awarded the Silver Lion award for best director for the film, which shocked audiences with a chilling tale of incest and child suicide.
The award for best actress was picked up by Elena Cotta for her portrayal of a stubborn old lady in southern Italy who refuses to back down from a staring feud in Emma Dante's "A Street in Palermo."
Best screenplay went to Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope for Stephen Frears's "Philomena", a charming tragi-comedy starring Judy Dench, based on the true tale of a mother's search for her son after he is given up for adoption.
Coogan, who could not be present, sent a message saying: "Jeff and I are thrilled. It's truly been a labour of love. We are indebted to Judy Dench for giving heart and soul to the story, and Philomena for allowing it to be told."
Best young actor went to Tye Sheridan for his depiction in "Joe" of a young man desperately trying to protect his family from an alcoholic, abusive father.
The grand jury prize went to Tsai Ming-liang's "Stray Dogs", the incredibly slow-moving story of a homeless father who earns a meagre living as a human billboard while his children wander the streets of contemporary Taipei.
Philip Groning's controversial "The Police Officer's Wife", a series of episodes which explore a mother's struggle to protect her child from domestic violence, was awarded the special jury prize.
The festival has brought Hollywood stars including George Clooney, Sandra Bullock, Nicolas Cage and Scarlett Johansson by speed boat and gondola to Venice's Lido, as well as art house auteurs from around the globe.
Bertolucci, best known for his raunchy 1972 "Last Tango in Paris", was joined on the jury by British director Andrea Arnold ("Red Road"), German actress Martina Gedeck ("The Lives of Others") and US actress Carrie Fisher.


(Robert Hood Consumer Affairs) Dish could be a powerful competitor, breaking open the currnet oligopoly - Americans just can't get enough smartphones. And the cell phone companies just can't get enough bandwidth to service all the smartphones they've sold. But Dish Network, the satellite TV provider, just may crack the market wide open, muscling in on Verizon, AT&T and Sprint.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has given unanimous approval to Dish's plans to use some of its satellite spectrum to build a new cellular network, adding new capacity to the crowded airwaves.
"These actions will help meet skyrocketing consumer demand and promote private investment, innovation, and competition, while unlocking billions of dollars of value," FCC spokeswoman Tammy Sun said, as agency chairman Julius Genachowski testified on Capitol Hill.
In prepared remarks, Genachowski said the FCC is committed to taking final action that clears the way for Dish's entry into the lucrative market.
Although Dish will be using some of its satellite spectrum, the cell phone network will be ground-based, eliminating the time lag that makes satellite telephones balky because of the delay in relaying signals to and from the satellites.
"The FCC has removed outdated regulations and granted terrestrial flexibility ... We appreciate the hard work and focus of the FCC and its staff throughout this process," said Jeff Blum, DISH senior vice president and deputy general counsel. "The Commission has taken an important step toward facilitating wireless competition and innovation, and fulfilling the goals of the National Broadband Plan."
The commission has been working to open up new spectrum space for smartphones and wireless broadband use. It is expected to auction a block of frequencies adjacent to Dish's existsing segment. Sprint Nextel is expected to be among the bidders.


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O Ye Gentlemen pdf
Posted by Jibril S | Dec 29, 2020 | Philosophy | 0 |
O Ye Gentlemen: Arabic Studies on Science and Literary Culture, in Honor of Remke Kruk (Islamic Philosophy, Theology, and Science) (Multilingual Edition)
O Ye Gentlemen
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O YE GENTLEMEN – Book Sample
LUDOVICO DE VARTHEMA AND THE UNICORNS IN MECCA 1504
Willem Pieter Gerritsen
Ludovico de Varthema (or Barthema), a native of Bologna, was one of the first Christians to visit Mecca. The year was probably 1504, possibly 1503. Disguised as a Mamluk soldier, he walked around in the town, observing the holy places and the dense throngs of pilgrims. Behind the great mosque, he chanced upon a grated enclosure in which he perceived two unicorns. This is how he described the animals in the account of his travels which was first published in 1510 and soon turned out to be a European bestseller.
They [the unicorns] were shown to the people as creatures astounding on account of their rarity and strange nature, and this not without reason. One of them, which is much higher than the other, is similar to a foal of thirty months of age. On its forehead grows a single horn, which is straight and four cubits long. The other animal is much younger, about a year of age, and like a young foal; this one's horn being of a length of four hand-spans.
The colour of this animal is like that of a dark horse; its head resem-bles that of a stag, but it has no long neck, its thin mane hanging down on one side. Their legs are thin and slender, like that of deer. The hoofs of the fore-legs are cloven, like the feet of a goat.
The back of their hind legs is thickly covered with hair. This animal certainly seems to be very wild and fierce, although its wildness is mitigated by a certain comeliness. These unicorns were presented to the Sultan of Mecca as a most precious and rare gift. They were sent to him from Ethiopia by a king of that country who wished to propitiate the Sultan towards him.1
Born in all probability in the early seventies of the fifteenth century, Ludovico de Varthema was the son of a Bolognese physician. According to his own account, he was trained as a builder of cannon, but in reality he may only have obtained some experience in the soldier's craft. Around the year 1500, spurred by curiosity 'to see the diversity of the realms of the Earth,' he travelled via Alexandria, Cairo, Beirut and Aleppo to Damascus, which he described as a wonderful city of great wealth.
Here, he came in contact with a group of Mamluks. The Mamluks of that time were an elite consisting of former slaves who had been captured, usually at a tender age, in Turkey, in the Balkans, in the Caucasus or in Russia. After several years of rigorous indoctrination and military training they obtained their freedom and served henceforth as a military aristocracy. Among them were also numerous former Christians who had forsaken their faith.
Learning that a caravan was about to depart for the Hajj to Mecca, Varthema struck up friendship with the leader of the armed contingent of Mamluks which was to escort the pilgrims. In return for a handsome reward, this man, a renegade Christian, permitted him to join the escort, dressed up as a Mamluk. Setting out in April – he gives the year as 1503, but it was probably 1504 – the caravan reached Mecca towards the end of May, after a dangerous journey of about forty days.
Varthema describes the city and the throngs of pilgrims flocking in from all over the Muslim world. He watched the enormous crowds of pilgrims walking seven times round the Kaʿba and receiving the ritual ablutions.
After the sacrificial slaughtering of sheep he took part in a festive meal, and recollects that he and his companions threw the rinds of melons they had eaten to the poor people waiting outside their tent. The ritual 'stoning of the devil' by throwing pebbles at a wall2 near the town of Minā was cut short by the menace of the caravan being attacked and plundered by a band of Bedouins.3
Back in Mecca, Varthema was struck by the vast numbers of pigeons flying unhindered everywhere in the city and were not prevented from soiling the monuments. He was told that killing the pigeons would entail the downfall of the state.
The next chapter of Varthema's travel-story is his above-quoted description of the two unicorns he saw in an enclosure behind the city's great mosque. Before discussing this chapter in greater detail, it will be useful to provide a short account of Varthema's further adventures and the success of his book.
Instead of travelling back to Damascus, Varthema joined a caravan departing for India via Aden, which at that time was the main port for the maritime spice trade in the Islamic world. In Aden, however, he was recognized as a Christian and arrested. After an imprisonment of several months he succeeded in regaining his freedom, which he owed to the intercession of the Sultan's wife who had taken a liking to him, whereupon he embarked on a ship bound for India by way of Persia.
Calling in at Muscat (in present-day Oman) and at Hormuz at the entrance of the Persian Gulf, the ship reached the coastal city of Cambay (now in the Indian federal state of Gujarat). From there, they travelled south along the Malabar coast, visiting cities like Bidar (state of Karna-taka), Cannanore (state of Kerala) and Calicut (present-day Kozhikode on the Kerala coast). Here they entered the sphere of influence of the Portuguese.
Vasco da Gama had reached Calicut in 1498 on his quest 'for Chris-tians and spices', but had been forced to set out on the return journey without gaining a firm foothold on the Indian subcontinent. Two years later, Pedro Álvares Cabral, commanding a squadron of thirteen ships with more than 1200 men, had been more successful.
On Cabral's insis-tence, the rajah of Calicut had been forced to consent to the foundation of a Portuguese trading station. Likewise, the rajah of Cannanore had to accept a treaty with the Portuguese. After another two years of partly failed, partly successful attempts to eliminate the Muslim trade on India, King Manuel I of Portugal decided to institute an 'Estado da Índia' with the task of administrating the Portuguese possessions in the East Indies.
Francisco de Almeida was appointed as viceroy. When Varthema arrived in Cannanore, he decided to leave his companions and to defect to the Portuguese. He was taken to the Portuguese fort where Lourenço de Almeida, the viceroy's son, received him with enthusiasm and sent him on to his father's headquarters. After joining the Portuguese ranks, Var-thema took part in several battles, of which he gave a lively account. On the 4th of December 1507, the viceroy personally conferred a knight-hood upon him in reward of his dedication to the Portuguese cause.
Shortly afterwards, Varthema boarded a ship bound for Portugal via the Cape of Good Hope. After his arrival in Lisbon, in July of the next year, he was received by King Manuel. The king kept him at his palace for several days, listening with great interest to the story of his adventures in the Orient. King Manuel's endorsement of the charter conferring a knighthood to Ludovico de Varthema is preserved in the Portuguese national archives. Back in his native Italy, Varthema lectured with great success about his experiences to a Venetian audience.
He composed, in Italian, a written account of his travels which he dedicated to the Duchess of Tagliacozzo. The Duchess's daughter Vittoria was presented a copy written by the famous calligrapher Ludovico degli Arrighi. In November 1510 a first edition of Varthema's account appeared in Rome, printed by Stephano Guillireti and Hercule de' Nani.4 The next year, a Latin edition, in which Varthema's name was latinised as Vartomannus, was published in Milan. This inaugurated the European success of the book. A German edition, illustrated with a series of 46 woodcuts by Jörg Breu the Elder, was printed at Augsburg in 1515, followed by editions in Spanish (1520), Dutch (1544), French (1556), and English (1576).
Until the middle of the seventeenth century, more than 30 editions of the book have been recorded. Moreover, Varthema's text was included, in full or in extracts, in several of the great geographical collections of the time, like John Huttich's Novus orbis regionum ac insularum veteri-bus incognitarum (Basel, 1532) and the Navigationi e viaggi compiled by Giovanni Battista Ramusio, first published at Venice, 1550. Several sixteenth-century cartographers took note of Varthema's experiences. In a small engraving enlivening the right-hand bottom corner of a map of the world published in 1532, Hans Holbein the Younger depicted two scenes from Varthema's book: we see the restless traveller roaming through the world with forceful footsteps and, while detained in Aden, playing the fool under the eyes of the Sultan's wife (Plate 1).5
Not all that Varthema tells his readers, however, is necessarily true. As early as the second half of the sixteenth century doubts began to be expressed as to the credibility of some of his stories. Nowadays, the account of his travels in the interior of Persia (he even claims to have visited Samarkand) is thought to be largely fictitious, as well as what he tells about his travels to Ceylon, Burma and Indonesia.
In all like-lihood, Varthema has never penetrated farther east than the western coast of the Indian subcontinent. Like most of his predecessors – Sir John de Mandeville and Marco Polo are notorious examples – he appar ently made no bones about embellishing his account with a variety of tall stories that circulated in eastern ports and trade centres. Nor did he have any scruples about appropriating what he heard from local infor-mants and presenting it as part of his own experiences.
This is a literary device found in many medieval and early modern travel accounts. On the other hand, much of what he tells about his travels in Syria, Arabia and along the Malabar coast clearly rings true and undoubtedly rests on personal observation. Varthema was one of the very first Europeans to have visited the Muslim holy cities of Medina and Mecca, and his detailed descriptions of these cities are for the most part in agreement with those of later travellers.
There is, in short, no reason to suspect that Varthema would have invented his report of having seen two unicorns in an enclosure behind the great mosque at Mecca.
What kind of animals did Varthema see? His description of them is sufficiently detailed and precise to enable us to visualize their build. It evokes the image of a dark-furred, straight-horned antelope-like animal, not unlike a kind of Oryx (Oryx gazella?) or a Thomson's Gazelle (Gazella thomsoni). Varthema's description is conspicuously at variance with the traditional representation of unicorns in medieval bestiaries and works of art, where they are usually portrayed as white-furred, horse-like ani-mals, whether or not with cloven hoofs. Some twenty years earlier, a unicorn had been sighted in the Sinai desert.
This was recorded by Felix Fabri, a Swiss Dominican friar who travelled in 1483 with a large group of pilgrims to the monastery of St Catherine's in the southern part of the Sinai peninsula. Once upon a day, the pilgrims perceived from afar a big animal standing on the summit of a mountain.6
They took it for a camel, but were assured by the dragoman and his colleagues that what they saw was indeed a unicorn. To the same group of pilgrims, of which the most important member was Bernhardt Breydenbach, a wealthy canon from Mainz, also belonged a Dutch artist and printer, Erhard Rewich of Utrecht, who in 1488 published in Mainz an account of the pilgrimage, illustrated with woodcuts of his own invention. One of these depicts the animals which the pilgrims had encountered during their voyage.7
Among these animals is a unicorn which resembles a horse with cloven hoofs and a very long straight, spiralled horn protruding from its brow. This vivid portrait, allegedly drawn from life, answers in every detail to the traditional description of the unicorn in medieval western art (Plate 2).
It is interesting to compare Rewich's woodcut with the one by Jörg Breu the Elder, the illustrator of the German edition of Varthema's work, printed at Augsburg in 1515. He situated the two animals Varthema had seen in Mecca in a cage with a tiled floor, surrounded by a strong fence.8 Onlookers are peering through the openings in the fence.
Having in all likelihood no more information about the 'unicorns' than what he could deduce from Varthema's verbal description, Breu portrayed them in his woodcut as robust goats whose necks are covered with a thick mane. The top side of their slightly bowed frontal horn is notched like a saw and points more or less horizontally forward (Plate 3).
If we assume that Varthema did not invent the story of his visit to the Meccan unicorns and that his observation of the animals was on the whole correct, he must have seen two animals having a single horn protruding from the brow. Now modern zoology is adamant in its assur-ance that no mammal of that description exists or has ever existed in Nature. A way out of this apparent paradox, however, is provided by two important details in his report.
The first of these is that the animals were kept in captivity. This may imply that they were raised under human surveillance. The second point is Varthema's statement that the unicorns were presented to the ruler of Mecca as a gift from an Ethiopian king.
Before further exploring these issues, it is not without interest to note that the unicorns Varthema saw at Mecca were not the only single-horned animals he encountered in the course of his travels. Having set out from Aden on its way to the Indian Ocean, his ship was driven off course by a gale and ended up in the port of Saylac (present-day Zeila) in northern Somalia, near Djibouti.
There he saw kinds of cattle he had never seen before. Among these were cows carrying antlers like stags, which the sultan of the city had received as a gift, but he also observed……
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My Name is Jibril. I am a graduate of Medinah Islamic University and International Open University-in Saudi and Gambia respectively and currently pursuing a second master's degree at Marmara University in Turkey. I am an academician and social researcher. I like blogging too :)). Sharing knowledge and experiences gives fulfillment to the human heart, and that is what am trying to do. Email: [email protected]/ +1 503 994-4903
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P210 may refer to:
 SIG P210, a Swiss-designed Pistol
 Pressurised versions of the Cessna 210 light aircraft
 Estate version of the Volvo PV444/544 (Volvo Duett)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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I Love John Frigo...He Swings was the debut album of jazz violinist Johnny Frigo for Mercury Records. Despite the high caliber of Frigo's collaborators, the album was more or less ignored on its release. It would be decades later that he would get the chance to record as a leader again, in the interim performing mainly as a bassist rather than a violinist.

The material is varied, encompassing "lush instrumentals", "impressionistic pieces", and "soft duets with pianist Mike Simpson". On "Big Me-Little Me", Frigo duets with himself, playing both violin and bass.

Track listing
"What a Diff'rence a Day Made" – 2:31
"Polka Dots and Moonbeams" – 4:19
"Blow Fiddle Blow" – 2:50
"Blue Orchids" – 3:02
"Gone with the Wind" – 3:04
"Squeeze Me" – 3:37
"You Stepped Out of a Dream" – 2:58
"Moonlight in Vermont" – 3:17
"If Love Is Good to Me" – 3:33
"Big Me-Little Me" – 2:13

Personnel
 Johnny Frigo – violin, double bass
 Cy Touff – trumpet
 Dick Marx – piano, celesta
 Herb Ellis – guitar
 Ray Brown – double bass
 Norm Jeffries – drums

References

1957 debut albums
Johnny Frigo albums
Swing albums
Mercury Records albums


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Flashback: Edward Kennedy Colluded With Russians in an Attempt to Defeat Ronald Reagan
The left's fake news about collusion between Donald Trump and Russia is not only untrue — it's incredibly hypocritical. In 1983, one of their own party members did the very thing they're now accusing of Trump:
Picking his way through the Soviet archives that Boris Yeltsin had just thrown open, in 1991 Tim Sebastian, a reporter for the London Times, came across an arresting memorandum. Composed in 1983 by Victor Chebrikov, the top man at the KGB, the memorandum was addressed to Yuri Andropov, the top man in the entire USSR. The subject: Sen. Edward Kennedy.
"On 9-10 May of this year," the May 14 memorandum explained, "Sen. Edward Kennedy's close friend and trusted confidant [John] Tunney was in Moscow." (Tunney was Kennedy's law school roommate and a former Democratic senator from California.) "The senator charged Tunney to convey the following message, through confidential contacts, to the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Y. Andropov."
Kennedy's message was simple. He proposed an unabashed quid pro quo. Kennedy would lend Andropov a hand in dealing with President Reagan. In return, the Soviet leader would lend the Democratic Party a hand in challenging Reagan in the 1984 presidential election. "The only real potential threats to Reagan are problems of war and peace and Soviet-American relations," the memorandum stated. "These issues, according to the senator, will without a doubt become the most important of the election campaign."
Kennedy made Andropov a couple of specific offers.
First he offered to visit Moscow. "The main purpose of the meeting, according to the senator, would be to arm Soviet officials with explanations regarding problems of nuclear disarmament so they may be better prepared and more convincing during appearances in the USA." Kennedy would help the Soviets deal with Reagan by telling them how to brush up their propaganda.
Then he offered to make it possible for Andropov to sit down for a few interviews on American television. "A direct appeal … to the American people will, without a doubt, attract a great deal of attention and interest in the country. … If the proposal is recognized as worthy, then Kennedy and his friends will bring about suitable steps to have representatives of the largest television companies in the USA contact Y.V. Andropov for an invitation to Moscow for the interviews. … The senator underlined the importance that this initiative should be seen as coming from the American side."
Kennedy would make certain the networks gave Andropov air time–and that they rigged the arrangement to look like honest journalism.
By attacking Trump for alleged Russian ties, the left lacks either ethics or context. Most likely, they lack both. They only care about taking down the new president — even if that means exposing themselves as hypocrites and liars.
Photo: The Federalist
Bet the MSM conveniently forgot about this, morons.
Joe Mo
let his girlfriend drown ,,who cares about ted kennedy,his 2-brothers knew about all of the corruption in the white house,and ted joined the corruption,pay to play—need to get rid of all these lifers in congress—
Larry Parker
A Kennedy would screw anyone.


And the saga continues BAFTA awards are named in the banner after a short trip air curtain 2. least a witch. The choices are feceruntin the first game, and he lives and affects those who have died in this exciting event. The world continues to collapse only hope you live alekab there were not weesVereis a strong leader, hard sacrificeA new hero, and the affect that they will always fight bonisin war.
to regulate the motion, will go lorem Vestibulumfabula; In the story is not true, and the decision was made in the first gulniosts choices you have to maakIn difficult.
The heroic characters in a new and fresh way to continue into the new and new charactersHorseborn nations.
The effects of war more strategic improvementset struggle to enhance military strategic supply to permanent damage of the characters are still a heavy burden on the mind long after the conflict has ended.


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Carrington Court - 8985 Mary Street Chilliwack, BC V2P 4J4 - Located in the popular neighbourhood of West Young-Well in Chilliwack on Mary Street and Menholm Road. This is a central location that is within steps from transit, shopping, restaurants, Safeway, Shoppers Drug Mart, Leisure centre, Chilliwack General Hospital, parks and so much more! ! Direct access to highways allows an easy commute to surrounding destinations including Langley, Surrey and downtown Vancouver. Carrington Court offers 39 homes built in 1990 that are professionally managed by Homelife 604-858-7368. Most homes feature spacious floor plans, insuite laundry, cozy fireplaces, storage space, skylights in top floor units and oversized sundecks that are great for BBQ's and have beautiful mountain and garden views from most units. Carrington Court is a well maintained building that offers a great contingency fund. Other features include a secured building and underground parking, storage lockers, a recreation room, common workshop, manicured gardens, lanscaped greenspace and ample visitor parking. This is an adult oriented community with a 45+ age restriction. No pets or rentals are allowed. Carrington Court offers comfortable condo living for those looking to live in a mature and quiet community - Live here today!


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> Home > Event calendar > nrg > National Reflection Group
Public debate: "The future of the EU and Greece: Challenges and Perspectives" & National Reflection Group meeting - Greece
National Reflection Group
Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP)
Aegli Zappeiou (Olympia Hall)
https://goo.gl/maps/pvH7XnrfR722
On Wednesday 8 June 2016, the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) organised a public debate on "The future of the EU and Greece: Challenges and Perspectives" with Nikos Xydakis, Alternate Foreign Minister for European Affairs; Stavros Theodorakis, Leader of To Potami; Dora Bakoyannis, former Minister of Foreign Affairs & Evangelos Venizelos, former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs.
A full video recording of the public debate is available online.
On the next day, a group of around 30 Greek high-ranking policy-makers, opinion leaders, NGO representatives, and other key stakeholders discussed together and explored how the EU can better serve the interests of its member states and citizens. Three key policy challenges have been given a special focus: the migration/refugee crisis, internal and external security, as well as economic and social challenges.
© Eliamep
→ Link to the event


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German ambassador praises resumption of Cairo-Dusseldorf flights
Al-Masry Al-YoumJanuary 23, 2020
German ambassador to Cairo Cyrill Nunn praised the resumption of Cairo-Dusseldorf flights during a meeting with Egypt's Civil Aviation Minister Mohamed Manar on Wednesday.
Manar received the German ambassador to Cairo and an accompanying delegation to discuss bilateral relations in the field of civil aviation.
Nunn pointed to the importance of new Egyptian airports and their role in facilitating access to nearby tourist and archaeological sites, praising the decision of the Ministry of Aviation to relaunch EgyptAir Cairo-Dusseldorf flights and increase the number of Cairo-Berlin flights during the 2020 summer season.
Nunn said that Egypt is an attractive tourist destination for many German tourists, especially the Red Sea resorts cities of Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada.
For his part, Manar said that relations between the two countries are witnessing significant developments on the commercial and economic levels, adding that the Ministry of Aviation will continue to work to improve services provided to passengers and travelers through Egyptian airports.
Germany removed the last restriction on flights to and from Sharm el-Sheikh and other areas in Egypt's southern Sinai Peninsula in January 2017, with the Federal Ministry of Transport in Germany issuing an announcement exempting German airliners from the notice to not fly below 26,000 feet when passing over the northern region of the Sinai Peninsula.
Several countries, including Germany, suspended flights to Egypt after the 2015 bombing of a Russian passenger plane in the Sinai Peninsula shortly after take-off, killing all 224 people on board. On December 19, 2019, the first UK flight to Sharm el-Sheikh since the country's ban landed at Sharm El-Sheikh International airport, following a four-year hiatus.
On Monday, a Russian security delegation charged with conducting an inspection tour of Egypt's Hurghada International Airport praised the beefed-up security measures taken in Terminal 2, which included the installation of a new CTX, or a computer tomography x-ray, which functions as an explosive detection device.
The additions to the terminal were requested by foreign inspection committees that previously visited the airport, and the Russian delegation's tour is part of the process for the resumption of regular charter flights from Russia to Egypt's Red Sea resorts.
Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) designated the 2015 incident as a terrorist attack and the country also suspended flights to Egypt, but in 2018, Russia's largest airliner Aeroflot resumed flights to Cairo.
Earlier this January, low-cost airline EasyJet also announced that it would resume flights between the UK and Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh in June 2020.
Cairo-Dusseldorf flights Civil Aviation egypt tourism EgyptAir germany Hurghada Mohamed Manar Sharm El-Sheikh
Irrigation min. lauds cooperation with Germany
Irrigation min. lauds constructive cooperation with Germany
Berlin made the historic move to arm Ukraine. But many Germans are uneasy
Egypt's cabinet denies rumor about plans to sell EgyptAir


The Keuka Lake Wine Trail salutes Italian cuisine March 31-April 1, 2012 with Viva Italia!. Each of the eight member wineries around Keuka Lake will prepare a rich variety of food inspired by the flavors and cooking styles from different regions in Italy. Samples of food will be served with complementing local wines. Two ticket options are available for this self-guided food and wine event. Sunday-only tickets are $19.00 per person; tickets for the full weekend are $25.00 per person. All ticket holders will receive a souvenir wine glass.
Event attendees will sample a delicious variety of dishes prepared with high-quality ingredients and wineries will make recipes available to enjoy at home. A preview of the event menus includes pasta e fagioli, gorgonzola tortellini, roasted red pepper polenta, zuppa di scarola, pistachio biscotti and lemon-almond cookies. Event hours are Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Event attendees may visit all eight wineries in one day or plan an overnight stay to spend more time enjoying the area's other attractions. A list of recommended accommodations is available at www.keukawinetrail.com/plan-a-visit/. Those who purchase tickets in advance between March 1 – March 29 will automatically be entered to win one of eight gift basket featuring Wegmans Italian Classics food items.
Purchasing tickets in advance is highly recommended as most events sell out. A limited number of tickets may be available at the door for a $5.00 surcharge. For all Keuka Lake Wine Trail events, conveniently purchase tickets by calling 800.440.4898, by visiting a Wegmans customer service desk or online at www.keukawinetrail.com. Large groups should contact the Wine Trail office to confirm their agenda prior to booking through a transportation company. To receive the latest event updates and previews, find the Keuka Lake Wine Trail on Facebook.


Let see what OFAC has to say about this.
This is going to be interesting if they traveled without a license.
OFAC will have to charge and fine them or give everyone else a free pass making all travel legal for Americans.
The voluntary fine is about $300?