text:
Rev. Welton Gaddy
August 29, 2015 – The Struggle for Religious Freedom Goes South
By Jonathan Craig
The Very Dire Consequences of Islamophobia
The Statues and Statutes of Religion Freedom
From the Deep South to Southern Europe, struggles for religious freedom are sending ripples across our communities. This week on State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance's weekly radio show and podcast, Rev. Welton Gaddy takes a look at three different conflicts facing religious communities. We'll hear about Texas Freedom Network's fight to keep Christian education out of public schools. We'll check in with our friend Suhag Shukla at the Hindu American Foundation on the latest debate about adding a Hindu monument to the Ten Commandments monument at the Arkansas State House. And Catherine Orsborne, director of the Shoulder to Shoulder campaign, will tell us about how anti-Muslim bigotry stops us from helping those refugees most in need.
Across the country the Religious Right and their allies in Congress, state legislatures and local school boards, have waged a quiet campaign to bring religious teachings into public schools and to funnel public money to private schools. As they say, everything's bigger in Texas, including the Religious Right's agenda. Dan Quinn, communications director at the Texas Freedom Network, will join Welton this week to fill us in on the most recent struggles around religion in school and what the implications are for the rest of the country.
We all know that anti-Muslim bigotry takes a serious toll on our country. We see it in our political debates, in protests against mosques and community centers, and in policing and national security. But have you ever thought about how it changes our debate about refugees and immigration? This week Catherine Orsborn of Shoulder to Shoulder will discuss how anti-Muslim bigotry has stopped the U.S. and countries across Europe from adequately addressing the refugee crisis in Syria, Sudan and across the Middle East.
When we debate religious freedom in America, we usually debate the statues and laws that govern religious practice in our nation. But, increasingly often these days, we're talking a lot about statues. The Arkansas State Legislature has just mandated a memorial to the Ten Commandments on the capitol grounds. So a group of Hindus petitioned the state to add a Hindu statue to the display, a request that has garnered surprisingly broad interfaith support. Tune in to hear from Suhag Shukla, co-founder and executive director of the Hindu-America Foundation, talk about why the work to make these public displays of religion more inclusive is so important.
January 9, 2021 – Not A Protest, An Insurrection
January 2, 2021 – Best-of State of Belief for New Year's Weekend
New Year's Day 2021 – A Message From Welton
December 26, 2020 – Best-of State of Belief for Christmas
September 9, 2017 – The Death of DACA
August 26, 2017 – Learning from Germany's example
November 5, 2016 – Khizr Khan on the 2016 election
August 19, 2017 – Trump and White Supremacy
Christmas 2020 – A Message From Welton
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SEE ALL OZY NEWSLETTERS
Start your morning with a kick! Catch up and vault ahead with OZY's flagship morning newsletter (with a twist).
Dem Dilemma: Focus on Trump or the Future?
Biden Unveils $1.9T Economic Medicine
Senate to Try Trump ... But Not Now
Is the GOP Breaking Up With Trump?
Get Ready for More Violence, Warns FBI
Read OnlineOZY Monday, January 11, 2021
Bold news. Smooth finish. The newsletter that interesting people love.
Good morning! I like my coffee bitter — it wakes me up. Just like the provocative and perceptive global thinkers you'll hear from today on Wednesday's Capitol attack. If building bridges seems tough, meet a volleyball coach who's doing that between America and China. Speak with aliens to distract yourself. And if bitter flavors leave a bad taste in your mouth, try a silky cousin of the sweet potato.
Charu Sudan Kasturi, Senior Editor
1. How Do You Solve a Problem Like Insurrection?
With the 25th Amendment? Impeachment? Or do you let it slide?That's the dilemma dividing Democrats, who want action against President Donald Trump for provoking the storming of the Capitol last week. However, they are wary of letting a Senate trial define the initial days of the incoming Joe Biden administration. (Sources: NYT, WaPo)
2. Parler Games
Tech giants Amazon, Apple and Google have booted conservative social media app Parler from their platforms and servers, citing violent posts and sparking allegations from critics that they're curbing free speech. Are they? Vote on Twitter or here. (Sources: NBC, FT, WSJ)
3. New Flying Flu
Japanese authorities have found an entirely new strain of COVID-19 in four passengers from Brazil. But as epidemiologist Dr. Anthony Fauci said on The Carlos Watson Show last week, there's no reason COVID-19 vaccines wouldn't work on fresh strains. (Source: Japan Times, OZY)
4. Boeing, Going, Gone
Divers have located the black boxes of an Indonesian Boeing 737-500 airliner that plunged into the Java Sea Saturday with 62 people on board. None of the passengers are expected to have survived. (Source: BBC)
Cops Over Crocs
Australian fishermen rescued a naked fugitive who was hanging from a tree branch over waters filled with crocodiles after he yelled out for help, having decided that the jaws of justice were better than those of the reptiles.
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Sports Coaches: Women on Top
San Antonio Spurs' Becky Hammon recently became the first woman to serve as head coach of an NBA team. Meet the other barrier-breaking female coaches reshaping the world of sports.
1. Victoria Conteh
Dressed in a bright yellow shirt and a matching tie,Conteh marshalled the East End Tigers to a hard-fought draw days after becoming the first female coach of a top-flight Sierra Leone male soccer team in 2019. But the former international player wasn't satisfied. "I know we can do better," she said. Now coach of the national under-20 women's team, she hopes to manage the senior men's team one day. Only7 percent of licensed soccer coaches globally are women. But Conteh — only the second African woman to coach a top club — isn't one to settle.
2. Lang Ping
The star Chinese volleyball player-turned-coach has done what Donald Trump and Xi Jinping can't: deliver a win-win situation for America and China. TheMVP of women's volleyball at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, shecoached the U.S., China's traditional rivals, to a silver medal on her home turf at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 — and got called a traitor by some. Her redemption came in 2016, when she took the Chinese women's team to gold at the Rio Olympics and in the World Cup. She'll be in charge whenChina defends its title at the Tokyo Olympics. They don't call her the "Iron Hammer" for nothing.
3. Sian Kelly
Argentina is a nobody in world cricket. Kelly, a former British county cricketer, istrying to change that for Argentine women. She first visited the country on a study-abroad trip, but has since coached the national women's team to the South American championships. She's also helping Argentina develop the game among young girls — most of whom had previously never heard of cricket.
Capitol Crisis: What's the World Saying?
Some of the smartest — and wittiest — reflections on the mob assault have come from thinkers and ordinary folk around the world.
1. Winnie Byanyima
Winnie Byanyima is a Ugandan polymath — an aeronautical engineer, diplomat, political thinker and UNAIDS executive director — worried that Wednesday's events are a warning shot for the entire world.
2. Pratap Bhanu Mehta
ArguablyIndia's foremost public intellectual, Mehta said in a newspaper column: "It is also tempting to see America as a Hollywood movie writ large; a pantomime show full of guns, violence and cartoon characters that fundamentally change nothing. Its institutions have shown great resilience. But ... this storming of the Capitol may be part of a continuing nightmare, not an ephemeral bad dream."
3. Ilona Szabó de Carvalho
The Brazilian political scientist thinks President Jair Bolsonaro — a Trump ally who has refused to condemn the attack — might want to emulate Wednesday's incident ahead of the 2022 presidential vote in that country. "Have no doubts. That is the plan."
But this tongue-in-cheek comment is my favorite, as it echoed across South America, in reference to the multiple coups the U.S. has fomented.
"One joke going around South America today is that the U.S. coup failed because there was no U.S. Embassy in Washington, D.C., providing logistical support."
Today on 'The Carlos Watson Show'
They broke the internet during the COVID-19 lockdown with their "Verzuz" Instagram livestreams pitching Alicia Keys against John Legend, DMX against Snoop Dogg and many other virtual matchups. Find out who music producer icons Swizz Beatz and Timbaland consider to be the most talented musician they've worked with — and why Swizz Beatz says COVID-19 made him a better husband and father. Watch later today.
Also this week, meet Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, actress Meagan Good, former Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein, and public intellectual Fareed Zakaria. Stay tuned.
From possible extraterrestrial life to the history of the universe, astronomy is in the midst of some of its most cutting-edge discoveries and innovations ever.
1. Anybody Out There?
Someone or something is calling out with greater clarity than we've heard in decades. Astronomers are investigating a mystery signal that's come from the direction of Proxima Centauri, the star closest to the sun.
2. Catch It If You Can
Elon Musk's SpaceX already brings launch rockets back to earth in one piece so that they can be reused. Now, Musk is promising an even bolder idea — that SpaceX will catch returning rockets midair and then slowly bring them to the ground. Where's the catch?
3. Webb of Wonder
NASA is readying the launch of humankind's most ambitious telescope in October. A rocket will carry the James Webb Space Telescope into outer space, where it will peer back in time to track the first galaxies.
Just in Time: Get Your Pair for the New Year
The wait is over! Cariuma's IBI sneakers are back in stock just in time for the new year. We love Cariuma's guilt-free, sustainable and sleek-looking footwear for the entire family. So whether you want to dress it down or dress it up, you'll always be comfy and carefree in these 100 percent vegan kicks. Oh, and just to show you how much we care, use the code OZY to receive $15 off your next purchase. For a limited time only, so don't miss out!
Winter Fruit Wonders
There's more to citrus fruits — though I love them — this season.
1. Bae
This Korean pear tastes best fresh off a tree (it doesn't get sweeter with time, unlike other pears). Juicy, crisp and sweet, you can munch on it, use it in a salad or as a sweetener in Korean curries. It's available in America, so pair up with this pear now!
2. Kiwano
Ever tried fruit-flavored beef? That's just one of the magical ways in which you can use this fruit. Popularly known as the "horned melon," its original homes are Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, South Africa, Malawi and Nigeria.
3. Mamey
It tastes like a baked sweet potato, only creamier, sweeter and smoother. The Cuban fruit isn't easy to cultivate though — it takes two years. But it's worth it: just ask foodies in Miami, where it's now increasingly popular.
On Friday, I asked which nation is likely to vaccinate its entire population first. The answer: Israel. Alex R., Zenovia K., Jane L., Alicia L., Tejnarine G., Marcia P., Marlene H., Cathie S., Myra F., Cheryl S., Patti B., Brenda, Dennis J., Teena K., Karen M., John T., Jean G. and Kathy L. — congratulations!!!
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
The F-15EX Integrated Test & Evaluation 2021 Test Patch worn by Lt. Col Wes Turner during testing at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, Oct. 20, 2021. Turner will be conducting F-15EX Eagle II test and evaluation operations. (U.S. Air Force photo by William R. Lewis)
VIRIN: 211020-F-UT528-1019.JPG
Photo by: William Lewis
Download Image: Full Size
Location: NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev.


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text:
TXP Alumni
Brad Roberson
Owner | Head Coach
Brad started Texas Pistols with his wife, Susan, in 2013. He wanted a competitive environment for his two daughters to be challenged in their volleyball skills. Brad started with one team and TXP has quickly grown to 21 club teams in 2022. Brad knows how to win as a coach- he holds high standards for his teams, he sets goals and keeps the teams focused on their goals for each season. He has won a National Qualifier every year since 2013, with 3rd as his highest finish at Nationals in 2014. This year his 12s team is ranked 4th in the country and his 17s ranked at 19 for 2021. As a Varsity Coach he has 6 consecutive state championships. To top off his 2021 season, Brad WON USAV Girls Nationals with his 12s team. Winning Nationals is the highest honor for all USAV Junior Teams. He has over 30 years of coaching experience and loves to watch players develop in their skills.
© Texas Pistols 2021


text:
MPs and Police Officers pay tributes to Michael Todd
This is the stable version, checked on 9 September 2015. Template/file changes await review.
30 September 2020: South London police officer Matt Ratana shot in custody centre
10 September 2020: Three children seriously injured as bus hits bridge in Winchester, England
23 June 2020: Three killed, three others injured in stabbing attack in Reading, UK
21 June 2020: British supermarket chain Tesco to sell its Polish branch to Salling Group A/S
6 June 2020: Fire at historic Welsh ex-hotel Bontddu Hall kills one
Location of the United Kingdom
Pillars of Wikinews writing
Writing an article
Senior police officers and Members of Parliament in the United Kingdom have paid tribute to Michael J. Todd, the chief constable of the Greater Manchester Police, who was found dead yesterday. He was found dead in North Wales yesterday. It has been reported that he was found at the bottom of a cliff with letters found nearby, either on his body or in his car, which were addressed to family and friends, although this has not been confirmed.
The discovery came after an extensive search by mountain rescue teams, following Todd's unexpected absence on a. According to Greater Manchester Police, the chief constable had been on a walking trip, which was not uncommon, however when he failed to return the alarm was raised.
1 David Blunkett
2 Dave Whatton
3 Chris Huhne
4 Jacqui Smith
5 David Davis
6 Sir Ian Blair
7 Jan Berry
8 Sir Gerald Kaufman
9 Ken Jones
David Blunkett
David Blunkett, the former UK Home secretary commented:
Michael Todd was a decent and committed policeman who did a first-class job in difficult circumstances, including in dealing with counter-terrorism and the tragic death of Detective Constable Oakes.
His death is a real tragedy and I personally feel very sad to hear of his loss. My thoughts are with his family at this time.
Dave Whatton
Dave Whatton, the deputy chief constable for GMP commented:
What I can say is that I and all the officers of Greater Manchester Police and all the members of Greater Manchester Police Authority are absolutely shocked by what's happened today and what's taken place in the last 16 hours.
Chris Huhne
Chris Huhne, who is the Home Affairs spokesperson for the Liberal Democrat party commented:
Michael Todd was a distinguished chief constable with a lifetime of achievement in British policing behind him, who would have continued to make a great contribution to the fight against crime and terrorism. His death is a great loss to policing in this country, and I offer all my sympathy to his family and friends.
Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary commented:
I have been saddened to learn that Greater Manchester Police colleagues believe Ch Con Michael Todd has died.
Chief Con Todd has had a long and distinguished career in various forces and has contributed greatly to the fight against crime and terrorism. My thoughts are with his family, friends and colleagues.
David Davis, the shadow home secretary from the Conservative party commented:
I was shocked and saddened to hear of the death of Chief Constable Mike Todd.
He made an important contribution to policing in Greater Manchester and the other forces he served with. He also gave distinguished service at a national level, in particular in the fight against terrorism, where he always gave frank and thoughtful advice.
He will be greatly missed by all who knew him. My thoughts are with his family and colleagues.
Sir Ian Blair
The Metropolitan police commissioner, Sir Ian Blair commented:
I am shocked and saddened to hear reports of the death of Michael Todd. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and colleagues in the Greater Manchester force at this time.
Michael held a variety of posts and ranks in the MPS. He made a significant contribution to policing.
In London, this culminated in him being assistant commissioner for territorial policing and leading the important fight against street crime. He was held in high esteem and I and colleagues who knew him are truly shocked by this terrible news.
Jan Berry
Jan Berry, who chairs the police federation of England and Wales commented:
This is an extremely sad day for policing and my thoughts are with Mike Todd's family, friends and colleagues as they come to terms with this tragic news.
Mike was a very popular police officer who, despite his rank, never forgot the dangers and pressures those on the frontline face. He was, and will be always be remembered as, a coppers' copper.
Sir Gerald Kaufman
The MP for Manchester Gorton, Sir Gerald Kaufman commented:
I'm shocked and saddened to hear of Michael Todd's sudden death.
He was in the prime of his life and he was a very good chief constable of Greater Manchester.
He will be very much missed.
Ken Jones
Ken Jones, from the association of police chief constables commented:
We now have to address the awful prospect that Mike Todd has lost his life.
Mike has made an enormous contribution to policing in Manchester and nationally throughout his distinguished career.
The news of his apparent death is a tragedy and he will be greatly missed by chief officer colleagues and all who worked with him during his career.
As a personal friend and valued supporter, I will miss him greatly.
Acpo headquarters has received already a huge volume of calls from colleagues across the policing family and in government who were shocked at the news and join us in conveying their support for his family.
Have an opinion on this story? Share it!
"Tributes to chief constable" — BBC News Online, March 11, 2008
"Top UK police chief is found dead" — BBC News Online, March 11, 2008
"Top police chief Michael Todd found dead" — The Daily Telegraph, March 11, 2008
"Profile: Michael Todd" — BBC News, March 11, 2008
Dave Whatton. "Message from Deputy Chief Constable Dave Whatton" — Greater Manchester Police, March 11, 2008
Peter Walker. "Manchester chief constable found dead" — The Guardian, March 11, 2008
Retrieved from "https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=MPs_and_Police_Officers_pay_tributes_to_Michael_Todd&oldid=3806933"
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text:
The Queen has died: 6 extraordinary facts you never knew about her
He was the longest-reigning monarch, serving nearly 70 years. He's now king.
The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral, Buckingham Palace stated. The King and Queen Consort will return to London tomorrow.
Britain will mourn the Queen, who lived a life of service.
Since passports are granted on the monarch's behalf, she couldn't have one. She needed no licence.
She never had a passport
Edward VIII's resignation placed a heavy strain on his speech-impaired brother, George VI. The hardship it inflicted on King George's daughter, then-Princess Elizabeth of York, has received less attention.
If Edward VIII had children, they would have succeeded, and if George VI had male offspring, they would have jumped the line of succession thanks to primogeniture.
She wasn't (necessarily) born to be queen
Queen Elizabeth was lawless. According to the royal family website, "while civil and criminal processes cannot be conducted against the Sovereign as a person under UK law, The Queen is vigilant to ensure that all her personal activities are carried out in strict line with the law."
Only once in British history has a sitting king been arraigned in court. Charles I argued (unsuccessfully) that prosecuting him was legally, religiously, and morally impossible.
She could not be tried for crimes
Parachuting into France was never on the agenda, but Princess Elizabeth joined the military. In 1945, at age 18, she was an honorary'second subaltern' in the Auxiliary Territorial Army.
She worked as a mechanic during World War II
The weight of proof comes with two people: former Labour leader and fellow Gooner Jeremy Corbyn, who claimed to know her sympathies in 2016; and then-Arsenal footballer Cesc Fabregas, who discussed the club with Her Majesty in 2007.
She (apparently) supported Arsenal
World leaders were urged to write notes on a tiny disc that Neil Armstrong was instructed to lay on the moon right below the American flag.
Her words have literally reached the Moon
"On behalf of the British people, I salute the talents and daring that led man to the moon. May this effort improve knowledge and well-being."
Strange Alien Planet Discovered By James Webb Telescope


text:
Q: Moving SSL cert to the edge breaks Shibboleth We are converting a system we inherited: two web servers running IIS and Shibboleth, behind a load balancing server running HAPROXY.  SSL certs are installed on each web server, and HAPROXY is configured as passthrough.
We want to replace the HAPROXY server with one running nginx, and we want to move the SSL cert off of the web servers to the edge, i.e. the nginx server.
So we want to go from this:

to this:

And we are almost there.  There is one snag:  Shibboleth.
We built a new server, installed and configured nginx.  We use the HOSTS file to point back and forth for testing.  Once we are done, we'll repoint using DNS.
Step one, we configured nginx as a passthrough for SSL:

This worked perfectly.
But when we moved the cert to the nginx server, Shibboleth complains:
Unable to locate satisfiable bearer SubjectConfirmation in assertion
When trying to access content not protected by Shibboleth (https://example.com/open), it works fine - so the cert is set up correctly.
If we point HOSTS to HAPROXY, authenticate, then point HOSTS to nginx, it works (confirmed by browser tests while tailing nginx's access.log)  In other words once the SAML cookie is set all is good.  So it seems the problem happens when the IdP tries to send the assertions to .../Shibboleth.sso/SAML2/POST (Fiddler confirms)
I've turned on DEBUG logging on Shibboleth, and maybe I'll find something there but not yet.
Here is the nginx.conf:
worker_processes  1;

events {
    worker_connections  1024;
}

http {
  include             mime.types;
  default_type        application/octet-stream;
  sendfile            on;
  keepalive_timeout   65;

  upstream farm {
    server 192.168.1.42:80; # WEB1
    server 192.168.1.43:80; # WEB2
  }

  server {
    listen              80;
    listen              443 default ssl;
    server_name         example.com;

    ssl_certificate         example.com.crt;
    ssl_certificate_key     example.com.key;
    ssl_trusted_certificate example.com.pem;

    location / {
      proxy_pass              http://farm;
      proxy_next_upstream     error timeout invalid_header http_500 http_502 http_503 http_504;
      proxy_set_header        Host            $host;
      proxy_set_header        X-Real-IP       $remote_addr;
      proxy_set_header        X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
    }
  }

}
And here's shibboleth2.xml
<SPConfig xmlns="urn:mace:shibboleth:2.0:native:sp:config"
    xmlns:conf="urn:mace:shibboleth:2.0:native:sp:config"
    xmlns:saml="urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:2.0:assertion"
    xmlns:samlp="urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:2.0:protocol"
    xmlns:md="urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:2.0:metadata"
    clockSkew="180">

    <InProcess logger="native.logger">
        <ISAPI normalizeRequest="true" safeHeaderNames="true">
            <Site id="3" name="example.com"/>
        </ISAPI>
    </InProcess>

    <TCPListener address="192.168.1.42" port="1600" acl="192.168.1.42 192.168.1.43"/>

    <RequestMapper type="Native">
        <RequestMap>
            <Host name="example.com">
              <Path name="closed" authType="shibboleth" requireSession="true">
              <Path name="open" authType="shibboleth" requireSession="false"/>
            </Host>
        </RequestMap>
    </RequestMapper>

    <ApplicationDefaults entityID="--spEntityId--"
                         REMOTE_USER="eppn persistent-id targeted-id uid"
                         cipherSuites="ECDHE+AESGCM:ECDHE:!aNULL:!eNULL:!LOW:!EXPORT:!RC4:!SHA:!SSLv2"
                         homeURL="https://example.com/closed">

        <Sessions lifetime="28800" timeout="86400" relayState="ss:mem" checkAddress="false" handlerSSL="false" cookieProps="https">
            <SSO entityID="--IdpEntityId--">SAML2 SAML1</SSO>

            <Logout>SAML2 Local</Logout>
            <Handler type="MetadataGenerator" Location="/Metadata" signing="false"/>
            <Handler type="Status" Location="/Status" acl="127.0.0.1 ::1"/>
            <Handler type="Session" Location="/Session" showAttributeValues="true"/>
            <Handler type="DiscoveryFeed" Location="/DiscoFeed"/>
        </Sessions>

        <Errors supportContact="root@localhost"
            helpLocation="/about.html"
            styleSheet="/shibboleth-sp/main.css"
            redirectErrors="/errors/shiberror.html" />

        <MetadataProvider type="XML" path="idp_metadata.xml" />

        <AttributeExtractor type="XML" validate="true" reloadChanges="false" path="attribute-map.xml"/>
        <CredentialResolver type="File" key="file.key" certificate="file.crt"/>
    </ApplicationDefaults>

    <SecurityPolicyProvider type="XML" validate="true" path="security-policy.xml"/>
    <ProtocolProvider type="XML" validate="true" reloadChanges="false" path="protocols.xml"/>
</SPConfig>

I'm stumped.  Can you help?

A: The problem was solved by modifying shibboleth2.xml, changing this:
<InProcess logger="native.logger">
    <ISAPI normalizeRequest="true" safeHeaderNames="true">
        <Site id="3" name="example.com"/>
    </ISAPI>
</InProcess>

to this:
<InProcess logger="native.logger">
    <ISAPI normalizeRequest="true" safeHeaderNames="true">
        <Site id="3" name="example.com" scheme="https" port="443"/>
    </ISAPI>
</InProcess>

That is adding scheme and port attributes to InProcess\ISAPI\Site
My understanding from Scott Cantor in the shibboleth mailing list is this is due to IIS not being able to virtualize servers.  This feature was added to shibboleth as a workaround.

A: See this page;
https://support.aaf.edu.au/support/solutions/articles/19000031196-unable-to-locate-satisfiable-bearer-subjectconfirmation-in-assertion
Essentially the IdP is sending an entityID with an https:// prefix (note the 's'), but because the IIS web servers have been configured (either directly or indirectly) with an entityID with an http:// prefix (note the lack of 's').
The link above refers to a solution when the SP is used on an Apache server (change the ServerName directive to start "https://..."). In your case with IIS I don't know what the equivalent would be within IIS itself, but you could try changing the entityID="" entry in shibboleth2.xml to start https://
A workaround would be to use SSL for traffic between the nginx proxy and the web servers, configuring the IIS bindings for HTTPS again.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text: Q: how can I convert a java based annnotation maven project to spring boot? how can I convert a java based annotation maven project to spring boot? I do not have xml file, instead I have a used webconfig class and webinitializer class. I know how to convert a xml based project to spring boot. you might think what is the difference? the difference for me is like I said I have used webconfig class and webinitializer, my maven project does not have main class in which one of these classes should I add the @SpringbootApplication,  SpringApplication.run(??.class, args);


Chelmsford, Mass.—April 6, 2015—Datawatch Corporation (NASDAQ-CM: DWCH), a leading provider of visual analytics solutions, announced today that it has scheduled the company's second quarter of fiscal year 2015 earnings conference call for Wednesday, April 22, 2015 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time.
To access the conference call, the toll-free dial in number is (877) 407-0782. Internationally, the call may be accessed by dialing (201) 689-8567. The conference call will be broadcast live on the Internet at http://www.investorcalendar.com/IC/CEPage.asp?ID=173742. It is recommended that listeners register to participate and download any necessary audio software from the website 15 minutes prior to the scheduled call. An archived replay of the broadcast will be available for 90 days at the same location.
Datawatch plans to issue its second quarter of fiscal year 2015 earnings release at approximately 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, April 21, 2015, the day before the conference call.
Datawatch Corporation (NASDAQ-CM: DWCH) provides the only platform for visual analytics to leverage any data at any speed – delivering valuable insights for improving business. The unique ability to acquire, prepare, and transform data from structured and multi-structured sources such as PDF and log files, as well as real-time streaming data, into visually rich analytic applications allows users to dynamically discover key factors that impact any operational aspect of their business. This ability to perform visual discovery against any data at any speed sets Datawatch apart in the big data and visualization markets. Organizations of every size, worldwide use Datawatch products, including 93 of the Fortune 100. Datawatch is headquartered in Chelmsford, Massachusetts with offices in New York, London, Frankfurt, Stockholm, Singapore, Melbourne, and Manila and with partners and customers in more than 100 countries worldwide. See the Whole Story for yourself by downloading the free trial at datawatch.imarc.io/free-trial.
© 2015 Datawatch Corporation. Datawatch and the Datawatch logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Datawatch Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.


Your-Writing-Mentor Mary E. Knippel is also the author of The Secret Artist: Give Yourself Permission to Let Your Creativity Shine, is also The Unleashed Homemaker !
June 16 – [Speaker - Free Event] Summer Fun in 2012 - The Connection between Productivity and Creativity – Empowering Women's Event, 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. Concord. Day of insight and information with four dynamic speakers, lunch and complimentary parking included, goodies, door prizes, and great networking. Please e-mail me your RSVP for this amazing day!
Coach Teresa here. I witnessed the readings of the nine 10-minute plays being produced by Redwood Writers & 6th Street Playhouse in Santa Rosa, California.
The winning plays and playwrights include . . . .
The Play's the Thang by Elaine Maikovska, J.D.
Join the playwrights for a Q&A about their plays, their process, and their experience with having a first production of their works.
Maria, Vicki, and other darlings who will not be able to attend–I will get DVDs for you.
Other dear friends, I hope you can make it.
Teresa LeYung-Ryan helps clients identify themes, universal archetypes, front-story and back-story. As author of Build Your Writer's Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW, she says: "Make your name synonymous with the issues you write about." Teresa has built her own platform happily; her novel Love Made of Heart and her short play Answer Me Now carry the theme closest to her heart: mother-daughter relationship. Teresa created the annual "Immigrant Experience Writing Contest" and cheers for all contestants. http://writingcoachteresa.com for her Blog, events, and other resources.
LEFT COAST CRIME is an annual mystery convention sponsored by mystery fans, for mystery fans. It is held during the first quarter of the calendar year in Western North America, as defined by the Mountain Time Zone and all time zones westward to Hawaii.
I see from the 2012 program that my colleagues through the Women's National Book Association (literary agent Verna Dreisbach; mystery authors Penny Warner & Rita Lakin; producer Danna Wilberg) will be at the 2012 LEFT COAST CRIME mystery convention writers conference! I wonder if Margie Yee Webb, author of Cat Mulan's Mindful Musings, will be there; she's everywhere. Cheers to them and everyone who will be in Sacramento!
Story Consultant/Editor/Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan celebrating brilliant story-tellers.
All three writers transport Reader to another place another time masterfully: Carol Sheldon (Mother Lode the novel); Mary Jo McConahay (Maya Roads: One Woman's Journey Among the People of the Rainforest the memoir); and Woody Allen ( Midnight in Paris the screenplay).
Carol Sheldon puts Protagonist Jorie in a blizzard, with no town lights in sight, and it's almost impossible to steer a steady course with the buggy. . . . One wrong move and the gelding could slip into a ditch . . . . I need to get to the sheriff's. I need to get there soon . . . .
By the way, Carol Sheldon will be at Book Passage in Corte Madera, CA on Sunday March 18, 2012 at noon! http://carolsheldon.wordpress.com/ Yours truly Writing Coach Teresa gets to interview Carol on stage at this event!
Mary Jo McConahay hooks in prologue with: . . . I never imagined someday my dream clothes would be loose khaki pants, my dream shoes canvas boots. But something happened when I hit my twenties. Visiting Mexico City . . . I saw an exhibit about the Lacandon Maya Indians . . . The year was 1973 . . . .
Woody Allen dedicated over 3 minutes of visuals and music only (no human voices) to show us his story-world – Paris in day light; Paris in rain light; Paris in night light; the music evokes a sense of longing.
Please review your manuscript. Hook Reader with story-world and what your protagonist wants.
Cheering for you and all writers and readers!


Let me introduce you to ZotSpot!
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Born in 2008,when its founders were still students, ZotSpot has grown to a mature Wi-Fi hotspot solution since.
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to bring you the best experience on a Wi-Fi hotspot.
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One account to connect to all the hotspots in our network.
Or use your social network accounts to connect even faster.
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Free Wi-Fi is cool but Free Secure Wi-Fi is better! Your security is our top priority on ZotSpot.
hand your Wi-Fi sharing to ZotSpot and be safe.
There is always an "option for this" with ZotSpot.
Choose from a base package and add as many options as you need along the way.
ZotSpot flexibility allow for a wide range of applications.
"Un service pratique et performant pour les voyageurs et une solution fiable qui s'adapte presque en temps réel à l'évolution des besoins de l'activité de l'aéroport."
"Une solution bien adaptée et de bonne qualité pour les visiteurs de passage dans nos offices de tourisme."
"Première ville de la Réunion à ouvrir des hotspots wifi sur le domaine public, Saint-Joseph dispose à ce jour de 3 sites distincts. Le réseau ZotSpot de Saint-Joseph gère en moyenne 3 500 connexions mensuelles en conformité avec la réglementation en vigueur."
You have a Wi-Fi project, you want to become a reseller, you need more information?
Please contact us and we will do our best to suit your needs.


By joining New York City Audubon, you can help us protect wild birds and preserve New York City's natural areas for generations to come. You'll enjoy great benefits while knowing that your membership dues will be used locally, for conservation and education programs right here in your own backyard.
Already a NYC Audubon member? Click here to renew your membership today.
Prefer to join by mail? Download and print out a membership form here.You can also join by phone at 212-691-7483. For membership questions or more information, please email membership@nycaudubon.org.
After submitting your membership order, please check your email for membership confirmation information, which includes your Membership Discount Code to receive 30% off most trips and classes (student/senior level and above) when registering online at www.nycaudubon.org/events-a-adventures. Additionally, you will receive a membership card in the mail, which includes your Membership Discount Code on the front.
The eGret, NYC Audubon's monthly e-newsletter features breaking news, program reminders, and special opportunities for members. Many member events are ONLY publicized through the eGret.


The Joint Space Weather Summer Camp (JSWSC) is an opportunity to learn about space physics in the context of meeting a very practical need -- to understand the influence of the sun on the space and upper atmosphere of the earth and its related impact on the technological systems and needs of modern society.
This program involves over twenty students from Alabama, Northern Germany, South Africa, and Italy that participate in a multiple-week series of lectures, hands-on projects, and excursions as they learn both the theoretical underpinnings and practical applications of Space Weather and solar and space physics. Alabama students get a unique opportunity to travel to Germany, and during the camp, students will be enrolled (at no cost) in a summer course at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
JSWSC consists of three parts: (a) on June 29 participants go through orientation in Huntsville, Alabama and depart for Germany on June 30, (b) during July 1 - July 13 the camp takes place in Northern Germany, and (c) during July 14 - July 28 camp participants come back to Huntsville, Alabama.
Eligible expenses including transportation to Huntsville and Germany, meals, lodging, and tuition for this course will be covered.
This opportunity is open to undergraduate and graduate students majoring in physical sciences, computer science, applied mathematics, and engineering at eligible Alabama institutions.


text:
Алесса́ндро Скарла́тті (;  , Палермо, Італія —  , Неаполь) — італійський композитор, родоначальник неаполітанської оперної школи; батько композитора Доменіко Скарлатті.

Біографія
Алессандро Скарлатті народився в Палермо, на Сицилії, музичну освіту отримав у Римі у Джакомо Каріссімі. У 1679 році в Римі була поставлена його перша опера — Gli Equivoci nell'amore. З 1684 року і до самої смерті, з перервою у 1702—1708 роках Алессандро Скарлатті — палацовий капельмейстер у Неаполі.

Скарлатті був надзвичайно плідним композитором: він написав понад сто опер, близько 200 мес й 500 кантат, 7 ораторій, безліч мотетів, псалмів і духовних концертів. Деякі його духовні твори, як, наприклад, «Miserere» і фуга на два хори «Tu es Petrus», написані для папської капели, виконуються дотепер. Скарлатті вважають засновником форми італійської увертюри: allegro, andante, allegro, а також створення трьохчастинної арії. Серед найкращих опер зрілого періоду: «La Rosaura» (1690) і «Pirro e Demetrio» (1694).

Також Скарлатті прославився як віртуоз гри на арфі й клавірі та як співак. З його музикознавчих праць відома брошура «Discorso di musica» 1717 року. Алессандро Скарлатті успішно займався викладацькою діяльністю, серед його учнів — Франческо Дуранте, Л. Лео, Н. Логрошино, Г. Греко та інші, а також його син Доменіко. Його творчість вплинула на багатьох композиторів, серед яких згадується П'єтро Доменіко Парадізі.

Посилання

Алессандро Скарлатті на сторінці peoples.ru

Італійські композитори
Композитори епохи Бароко
Уродженці Палермо

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Cruella. . HD Wallpaper and background images in the Cruella DeVil club tagged: cruella 101 dalmatians disney villains.
This Cruella DeVil photo might contain anime, comic, manga, cartoon, comic buch, karikatur, and comics.


text:
/**
* Author: Bob Chen
*/

package com.jcommerce.core.dao.impl;

import java.util.List;

import org.springframework.stereotype.Repository;

import com.jcommerce.core.dao.EmailSendListDAO;
import com.jcommerce.core.model.EmailSendList;

@Repository
@SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
public class EmailSendListDAOImpl extends DAOImpl implements EmailSendListDAO {
    public EmailSendListDAOImpl() {
        modelClass = EmailSendList.class;
    }

    public List<EmailSendList> getEmailSendListList() {
        return getList();
    }

    public EmailSendList getEmailSendList(Long id) {
        return (EmailSendList)getById(id);
    }

    public void saveEmailSendList(EmailSendList obj) {
        save(obj);
    }

    public void removeEmailSendList(Long id) {
        deleteById(id);
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


This report presents the Deliverable 5.5 – Supporting infrastructure, supply chains and logistics for the deployment of multi-use marine platforms. It presents the supporting infrastructure, supply chains and logistics for the deployment of multi-use marine platforms and investigates both hard and soft infrastructure and required logistics related to the manufacturing, installation, operation and maintenance of the three TROPOS platform concepts Leisure Island, Green & Blue and Sustainable Service Hub.
This report presents the Deliverable 6.2 – Report on Environmental Impact Assessment and Mitigation Strategies. The first and essential step for an evaluation of potential effects on the environment was the collection of available information on the existing environments at the three sites: (i) off Gran Canaria (Spain), (ii) off Crete (Greece), and (iii) off Liuqiu Island (Taiwan). In the second step we developed an appropriate methodology for the environmental impact assessment (EIA) of floating multi-use offshore platforms that may serve as a guideline for future EIAs. The third step involved the identification and summary of potential impacts on the particular environments.
This report presents the Deliverable 6.3 – Report on recommended monitoring strategies. An appropriate environmental monitoring programme is an integral part of ecologically sustainable offshore projects. Based on the results from deliverable D6.2 on impact assessment and mitigation strategies, general monitoring requirements for three TROPOS scenarios were identified.


text:
World Poland formally requests German permission to send Leopard 2...
Poland formally requests German permission to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (R) and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg attend a press conference at the defense ministry in Berlin, Germany, on Tuesday. Photo by Filip Singer/EPA-EFE
Jan. 24 (BP) — Poland said Tuesday that Berlin has received its request to send some of its German-built Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine so it can defend itself against Russia.
Mariusz Blaszczak, Poland's defense minister, said it has formally asked for consent to follow through on Kyiv's request for the tanks. He also pushed for Germany to send more tanks itself.
"The Germans have already received our request for consent to the transfer of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine," Blaszczak said on Twitter. "I also appeal to the German side to join the coalition of countries supporting Ukraine with Leopard 2 tanks. This is our common cause because it is about the security of the whole of Europe."
Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Monday he would seek approval to send 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine but would prepare to move forward without Berlin's support.
During a joint press conference with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg Tuesday, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said the government is still formulating a decision on the tanks.
"I can tell you there is no new information here, the situation has not changed, we are preparing our decision, which will come very soon," said Pistorius.
Pistorius added that training and logistics would have to be worked out, not only teaching Ukrainians how to use the vehicles but supply chains for parts, maintenance and repairs.
"It's not a matter of counting our tanks," he said. "We know how many we have. It's more complicated than that."
The bulk of Ukraine's tank regiment is decades-old Soviet-era T-72 tanks, which cannot militarily compete with more modern tanks like the Leopard 2 or the American M1 Abrams tanks.
During the joint briefing, Stoltenberg praised Germany's past contributions to Ukraine stressed the importance of providing its soldiers with more powerful weaponry
"The only way to lasting peace is to make it clear to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin that he will not win on the battlefield," Stoltenberg.
"Therefore, we must provide heavier and more advanced systems so that the Ukrainian forces are able to repel the Russian forces, not only to survive but to win, take back territory and prevail as a sovereign, independent state in Europe."
Previous articleResignations rock Ukraine government amid corruption crackdown
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text:
Home News	A new American strategy for business in Africa
A new American strategy for business in Africa
By Joseph Stiglitz
We need the right balance between building drone bases and businesses, says Joseph Stiglitz
Africa has many success stories among its 54 countries. Nine of the world's 20 fastest-growing economies of the past two decades are in Africa, and poverty is declining while education and health are improving. Yet both the media headlines and America's priorities are too often concerned only with terrorism, outbreaks of violence, or Ebola.
This week's US-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington offers President Barack Obama a chance to refocus US foreign policy.
The big strategic issue facing the US in Africa today is to find the right balance between building new drone bases to fight terrorism and strengthening business relations that sustain mutually-beneficial economic and social development. While the US's militaristic emphasis may be understandable, its foreign policy in Africa should shift significantly toward support for trade, finance, and cultural co-operation.
US policy must be as variegated as the landscape of Africa. Many African countries have put in place good macroeconomic policies and governance, and yet investment has still not arrived. As a result, even countries that have introduced reforms and achieved high growth have not generated enough formal sector employment to absorb the growing labour force.
Mineral exports have provided foreign exchange and fiscal revenue but not jobs, especially for frustrated youth in urban areas. Mining and oil companies have invested in Africa, but have too often also excelled at exploiting it. The colonial tradition of taking resources out of a country, without thinking how they could be used to develop it, has persisted. Even now, US petroleum companies resist calls for transparency, and use American courts to stymie efforts to enhance it.
There is a broad business agenda: the US should encourage foreign direct investment into labour-intensive light manufacturing and agro-processing industries, where Africa's large pool of unskilled labour could be used. To get the most from limited resources, it could launch programmes and financing schemes to share risk with investors from all over the world.
The African Growth and Opportunity Act has offered incentives for African countries to pursue reforms and open their economies since 1991. But it does not address the biggest challenges for small and medium-sized enterprises. President Obama should make it a priority to renew AGOA well beyond 2015, to provide predictability for manufacturers, buyers, and investors both in the US and Africa. The US should also work to make it more effective – for instance, by relaxing rules of origin and offering tax incentives to US companies investing in non-oil sectors.
Renewing AGOA legislation in this way would offer an opportunity to facilitate the integration of African SMEs into global value chains. The US could also support programmes that include advisory services, marketing information, technology access and training, and access to equipment and warehouses.
In education and research, a vastly expanded Fulbright programme would benefit both Americans and Africans; but, in addition, joint research projects under the auspices of a range of US government departments would promote health, science and agriculture, and help Africa prepare for global warming. US co-operation would yield high pay-offs in making better use of the continent's huge potential for hydro, solar and other renewable resources.
In pharmaceuticals in particular, the US would be on the right side of history in helping to ensure Africa has access both to life-saving drugs and the knowledge necessary for developing them. It is ironic that the US, usually the strongest advocate of intellectual property rights, has not ratified the Convention on Biological Diversity, under pressure from pharmaceutical companies that fear it would provide "excessive" protection for the IP associated with the use in their products of genetic material derived from plants or animals in developing countries.
In pursuing all these objectives, the US should work closely with the international financial institutions. The World Bank has a wealth of expertise on Africa; in fact, many of the ideas in this feature have been proposed by Célestin Monga, one of its most innovative thinkers. While the IFIs have rightly been criticised for the structural adjustment policies of the past, they are now taking new directions. Even in the current disappointing business environments of many African countries, it is possible for good projects and programmes to be implemented in well-designed industrial parks to address infrastructure shortages and ignite industrialisation. In these islands of excellence, competitive industries could be developed in sectors such as agribusiness, light manufacturing or tourism, and serve as entry points for others.
Mr Obama's summit meeting with African leaders provides a unique opportunity for forging a new partnership to exploit America's strengths to the benefit of both the US and Africa.
The writer is a professor at Columbia University and a former chief economist of the World BankCopyright The Financial Times Limited 2014.
See online: A new American strategy for business in Africa
African Cultures, Memory and Space
Bring Back Our Girls – A Poem for the Missing Nigerian Girls by Zimbabwean Poet Batsirai Chigama
Africa RFP Grants – Christian Theology: African Realities...
Are We Living in Sensory Overload or Sensory...
How French "Intellectuals" Ruined the West: Postmodernism and...
A Nation of Vidiots
Before Columbus: Black Explorers of the New World
Andreas Whittam Smith: Western nations are now ripe...
Why Professors Are Writing Crap That Nobody Reads
Argentina considers paying writers a pension
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text:
Shanii22 (Photo: Supplied)[/caption]
Shanii22 discusses the Halifax hip-hop scene, his come up & more
In Halifax's growing hip-hop scene, one artist has captured the hearts of a new generation. Shanii22, a Lebanese-Syrian artist, has been turning heads with a steady barrage of hit tracks and stunning visuals.
During my last visit to Halifax (covering Hopscotch 2019 for HipHopCanada), I judged an MC competition for local artists. Shanii22 had a massive following and when he performed he brought down the roof. It was easy to see that he was an artist to look out for.
Since then, I've stayed in contact with Shanii22 through Instagram, a platform that he uses effectively to promote his music and connect with fans. His latest release is "Like Dijon," which was released on Sept. 11. The song follows his tracks "Scars" and the Just Chase-assisted "You, is." "Like Dijon" is Shanii's sixth official track of 2020.
I sat down with Shanii22 to get the down low on what he's been up to this year. Check out the Q&A below along with the recently released "You, is" visualizer.
Q&A: Shanii22
HipHopCanada: How long have you been rapping?
Shanii22: I've been into the culture of hip-hop for quite some time now; since almost 2005. I started beatboxing when I was younger, kept getting better but I was always in love with the hype that a rapper could bring to a crowd when I used to beatbox for freestyle battles.
So I decided to jump into it about 10 years ago, started like, freestyling in my bedroom, writing raps on my walls. A lot of my friends thought that I was gifted, and the rest is history.
HipHopCanada: Who are some of your influences?
S22: My first hip-hop influence ever, was 50 Cent, specifically the song "Hate it or Love it," a classic. The vibe, the trumpets, the drums, the heavy vocals and chorus, I was like, "Damn." Fast forward to now and I'll say that my top influences would be Kanye West, Jay-Z, Erykah Badu, The Roots, Madlib and DJ Premiere. But I have to also show respect to the newer generation with people like XXXtentacion and Ski Mask the Slump God.
HipHopCanada: What was the name of your first song and what was it about?
S22: My first official release dropped around two years ago. It was called "A Message." An apology letter to a past partner, talking about the things I had learned from my experience with her. Going through different mental viewpoints like depression, heartbreak and therapy. It was almost like a moment of self care for me, I put it out with no mix no master, nothing. I woke up the next day with 1,000 views, by the end of that day I was up to 2,000 with like 1$ of Instagram ads. Then we did, "Habibi."
Shanii22 (Photo: Supplied)
HipHopCanada: What are your thoughts about the hip-hop scene in Halifax?
S22: The hip-hop scene in Halifax is quite interesting. We have so much talent here but the general public doesn't pay much attention because of the "isms" that you get when you hear of a Nova Scotian or Maritime rapper.
But, if we look at the facts, we have people knee deep in the game that have been given the deserved recognition. People like Ghettosocks, Pat Stay, Quake Matthews, and the most popular being Classified. These people are appreciated a lot more outside the city, even internationally, doing shows out in Europe and being listened to religiously.
Nonetheless, I feel as though the emerging artist (especially the good ones) should be pulled up by such artists, further pushing our scene and our city up.
HipHopCanada: What's it like being a Lebabnese-Syrian rapper in the Maritimes? Have you faced any adversity?
S22: At the beginning it was something that I hadn't noticed, but with North America we found that there was a very sharp split. Like, it was either you are a black artist or a white artist, there was no international. There was no room for an international artist, but that's what we were here to do. We are that international movement.
I found out that there were a very large community of Lebanese people in the city, which was definitely exciting for me. Even Quake was Lebanese, which was an immediate connection.
I just want people to see that when I put on, I put on for Syria, Lebanon and Kuwait, but there is no doubt in the fact that Halifax has been my home, and is the place that brought me up to where I am now. Something not very achievable where I was.
HipHopCanada: What is your dream collabo?
S22: My dream collab would be with Drake. Honestly, Drake has consistently made new waves with his music and has raised the bar continuously with the sound of the genre.
He is an artist that pays attention to every single detail on a record. From directing to creating the music, he has always been very multifaceted in my eyes, working with different cultures and not being afraid to dip into a new audiences. He has an impressive roster of classic albums and singles that are undoubtedly on everybody's playlists. He brought an out-of-the-box take on a whole industry, creating that brand, creating the empire, having that legacy. You can't not recognize Drake almost as the 'Michael Jackson' of our era in the way that the next generation will hear about our music.
HipHopCanada: Any final thoughts or shout outs?
S22: Shout out to my family, shout out my team, stit9. Mad love for all the people checking in and showing support. I also want to say الحمدلله for all the blessings that I have received on the road so far, and many more to come.
Major shout out to Fortunato and HipHopCanada for making this happen. We wouldn't go nowhere without people like you.
You can follow @Shanii22 on Instagram.
Written by Fortunato for HipHopCanada
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Low Blow (1986)
Low Blow (1986)-* * *
Directed by: Frank Harris
Starring: Leo Fong, Cameron Mitchell, Troy Donahue, Patti Bowling, Akosua Busia, Diane Stevenett, Woody Farmer, Stack Pierce, and Billy Blanks
"Tell the bank the check is in the mail."-Joe Wong
Joe Wong (Fong) is a private investigator, and he has a unique way of doing his job. He's behind on all his bills, his office is a pig sty, and all he really wants to do is go to his favorite eatery and have some chicken feet soup. He and his perky partner Diane (Stevenett) are barely staying afloat. One day John Templeton (Donahue), not to be confused with The Protector (1999), (who could surely handle this problem on his own), walks into Wong's office and hires him to find his daughter Karen (Bowling) who has gone missing. Despite Wong's warning that he "is expensive", much like Rod Armstrong, Donahue gives him the money and Wong is on his way.
It turns out Karen has been brainwashed by the Universal Enlightenment cult and is spending most days farming at their compound called Unity Village. The leader of this mysterious cult is one Yarakunda (Mitchell) and his "sister-wife" Karma (Busia). Since this secretive organization doesn't take kindly to outsiders, meaning there are plenty of armed guards, Wong hits the local punchfighting (or in this case, pit fighting) circuit to hire some recruits to help him invade the cult and save Karen. Of all the ninjas, women, Chicanos and fat guys that all fight each other, he chooses Fuzzy (Farmer) and some others and then they all go to complete the mission. Using just their martial arts abilities and their wiles, will they succeed?
Here the usual gang of troublemakers (Fong, Pierce, Mitchell and director Frank Harris, among others) reunite once more for another round of wacky, dumb fun. Despite the common low-budget pitfalls of bad film quality, choppy editing, and major issues with what must have been a script at one point, Low Blow remains "Low Brow" entertainment. Fong plays the goofy P.I. with some serious car troubles with nothing but flatly delivered catchphrases. The main issue of Low Blow is you can't hear anything. The sound quality is so amazingly bad, the entire movie is unhearable. It doesn't help that Fong never speaks above a whisper, and he has an accent. But what we could hear is funny. And when he's attacking the bad guys' car with a chainsaw, he always remembers his safety goggles.
Cameron Mitchell, as the Jonestown-inspired guru, wearing a black hooded cloak and sunglasses, never stands up in the movie and appears drunk. It's a more laid-back Cam performance, especially in comparison to his bad guy role in Killpoint (1984). Also as counterpoint to Killpoint, Stack Pierce here is fairly underused as Corky. Yes, his name is Corky. But we can't forget an early appearance of Billy Blanks as a camp guard that fights Joe Wong. Unfortunately, the climax of the movie takes place at night and the filmmakers forgot to turn on any lights, so we can't see what transpires very well.
The introduction of the punch/pit fighting adds a lot of color and flavor to the proceedings, and the addition of Fuzzy to the national consciousness was surely a good thing, though he lacks the joie de vivre of a Jack S. Daniels or a Bear. Also of note is the U.S. Vestron video VHS box art (seen at top of page). While a pretty cool piece of artwork in its own right, this person you see is not in the film. They invented him for the box art. What, was a picture of Leo Fong not good enough? That's shameful. But at least we can now see what it would look like if your fist was basically the size of your head.
Yes, the movie is inept on almost every level, and the attempts at humor are...attempts at humor, but Low Blow proves ineptness isn't always a bad thing - it can be pretty entertaining if you are in the right mood. 'Blow isn't as bad as some say it is (although some technical aspects certainly are, but so what).
If you need more Fong in your life, a good place to continue your obsession would be Low Blow.
Comeuppance Review by: Ty and Brett
Labels: 1986, Akosua Busia, Billy Blanks, Cameron Mitchell, Crown International, Diane Stevenett, Leo Fong, Low Blow, Patti Bowling, Punchfighting, Stack Pierce, Troy Donahue, Vestron Video, VHS, Woody Farmer
Light Blast (1985)
Light Blast (1985)-* * * *
Directed by: Enzo G. Castellari
Starring: Erik Estrada, Peggy Rowe, Michael Pritchard, and Ennio Girolami
When evildoers with a fake news van and a giant super-laser threaten to blow up the city of San Francisco if their ransom of five million dollars (later upped to 20 million) is not given to them, it's up to Inspector Ronn Warren (Estrada) and his partner Lt. Curtis (Michael Pritchard) to stop the nefarious, weight-lifting ex-college professor Dr. Yuri Soboda (Girolami). It's a race against time as Warren must put together the pieces - from a mysterious morgue to the final chase - before everyone in the city by the bay gets their faces melted off! Is he man enough...or is he just a "turkey"?
Light Blast is an incredibly fun, highly entertaining winner. From Estrada's killer entrance, to the super-laser, to the rough-and-tumble action sequences and everything on down. Estrada's never been better than here as the charismatic cop Warren, who wears a cool jacket, and like Last Man Standing's (1996) Kurt Bellmore, has a policy of only hijacking awesome high-powered cars for his chases. Pritchard is lovable as Curtis, and they have a nice camaraderie, as Warren also does with his wife Jacqueline (Rowe). It's "Light" years away from that disgrace to laser movies, No Time To Die (1984). Drench that in an awesome score by Guido and Maurizio De Angelis and the confident direction of the legendary Enzo G. Castellari, and you have a comic-book-style action piece with plenty of re-watchability value.
On top of being fast-paced, funny, violent, well-shot, and consistently good with no dull bits (no mean feat in itself), 80's fanatics will get a kick out of the clothes, cool watches, phones, cars, microfiche, hats, tape players, an early form of GPS, and, of course, the infamous laser with its great effects. You know Soboda is evil because of his scarf and mustache, and like any baddie worth his salt, he has a command center. Light Blast has plenty of mystery and intrigue, and, as if all that wasn't enough, there's even a rockin' revenge sub-plot. It'a a quality production that knows its audience and delivers the goods to it in enthusiastic spades.
Light Blast truly has it all. If you're looking for an upbeat ride of a film to Blast you out of the movie-watching doldrums, this is just the ticket. It made us believe again.
Labels: 4 Stars, Ennio Girolami, Enzo G. Castellari, Erik Estrada, Light Blast, Michael Pritchard, Peggy Rowe
No Time To Die (1984)
No Time To Die (1984)-*
Directed by: Helmut Ashley
Starring: John Phillip Law, Horst Janson, Grazyna Dylong, Winfried Glatzeder, Barry Prima, and Christopher Mitchum
MIC (or "Multi-Industrial Corporation") has developed a super-laser. It must be transported to a mine to cut through the rock to save the trapped miners within. The best man for this dangerous job is one Ted Barner (Law). Of course, he is a motorbike-riding rogue who always has a snappy retort at the ready. It usually involves calling someone a "turkey". He takes his friend Ratno Lesmana (Prima) and also Martin Forster (Janson) along through the treacherous jungles of Jakarta with the giant laser on a flatbed truck. As if this wasn't enough of a challenge, a competitor to MIC, Protex, headed by the diabolical Mr. Gull (Mitchum) has hired Jan Von Clef (Glatzeder) to go after our heroes with all his goons and steal the laser. Von Clef wants to get revenge on Barner for a perceived betrayal in the past. Add to that the presence of Judy Staufer (Dylong), a reporter for "World News Agency" and romantic rival with Barner, and we have a chase through the jungle in a race against time. Will Barner and his crew make it and save the miners, or will Gull and Van Clef prevail?
Not to be confused with A Time To Die (1991), try to imagine some sort of cross between Fugitive Champion (1997) and Shaker Run (1985), and add JPL (John Phillip Law), and you may get some sort of idea of what's going on here. There's a lot of talking and minimal action. There's a lot of corporate intrigue over this laser, which we have to wait for the entire movie to see, and when we finally do, it's pretty lame. For a good laser movie, please see Light Blast (1985). Heck, even Night of the Kickfighters (1988) had more laser action than this half-baked dud.
99% of the movie is a talky setup for this laser, and it doesn't pay off. What could? On the plus side, we have a barfight with absolutely no setup, funny dubbing, scenic Jakarta locations, and a pretty cool score. And it ends on a freeze frame. Towards the end, there are a lot of wacky sound effects and Benny Hill-style fast motion. That would be fine if this was supposed to be a comedy, but we were promised a laser, not hijinks and antics.
Law is fairly charismatic, but both Mitchum and Prima are underused, and this "JPL: Dangerous Roads" should have been named "No Time To Waste".
Released by TransWorld, No Time To Die is a misfire.
Labels: 1984, Barry Prima, Christopher Mitchum, Grazyna Dylong, Horst Janson, John Phillip Law, No Time To Die, Winfried Glatzeder
Young Warriors (1983)
Young Warriors (1983)-* *
Directed by: Lawrence D. Foldes
Starring: James Van Patten, Ernest Borgnine, Linnea Quigley, Richard Roundtree, Mike Norris, Dick Shawn, Lynda Day George, and Casper The Wonder Dog
Kevin Carrigan (Van Patten) is a recent graduate of Malibu High and now is studying animation at Pacific Coast College. All he really wants to do is party down, drink beer, invite babes over to his Phi Delta Tai frat house, engage in quasi-homosexual frat initiations, and did we mention he also just wants to party down? His buddies Fred (Norris), Scott (Tom Reilly), and Jorge (John Alden) are all in on the carefree fun. But when a mysterious gang of bikers rapes and kills Kevin's sister Tiffany (April Dawn), Kevin changes. He realizes there's more to life than keggers and pranks, and he becomes sullen, distant and just plain weird.
Tired of what he sees as too much police incompetence, signified by his own cop father, Lt. Bob Carrigan (Borgnine) and his partner Sgt. John Austin (Roundtree), these former frat-house knuckleheads go out on their own in a jeep with their beloved dog Butch (Casper the Wonder Dog) and try to solve the mystery of his sister's assault. But Kevin and his cronies get deeper and deeper into the seedy underbelly of the city - and its culture of extreme violence - and people like Kevin's mother Beverly (Day George), his girlfriend Lucy (Anne Lockhart) and his professor Hoover (Shawn) - worry Kevin has lost the plot, as well as his mind. Will Kevin's newfound obsession with violence consume him and everything he loves?
In this pickup from Cannon, which infamously combines the 80's teen sex romp and violent revenge genres, we see a major flaw: the movie, despite all the action and shooting and such that we see, actually has an unpleasant, anti-revenge motif. Obviously director/co-writer Foldes didn't realize what audience he was making this film for. You can't make a relatively entertaining, if misguided and overlong, exploitation film catering to drive-ins and hounds of that genre, and then turn around and say "violence and revenge is wrong; don't do it". That's really lame and hypocritical. Just blow up the bad guys with a missile launcher and save your whiny treatises for your shrink (i.e., make a different, less confused, movie).
Another flaw is that our "heroes" are unlikable and you don't care about their plight. The whole first half of the movie is carefully setting up our protagonists as frat-boy jerks. Would it have been so very hard to NOT have done that? So when Kevin flips out and becomes addicted to going out and "fighting crime", the transition isn't as dramatic as it could have been. You know he's really out of it when he wears his bandanna around in daily life. Also we don't know anything about the bad guys or even who they are. They are not established at all. So we don't really even know who Kevin and his buddies are fighting, which detracts from the conflict.
So we have a rockin' title song by Lennie Gale, and the film is dedicated to legendary director King Vidor. I'm sure he's thrilled about that. For some reason, Kevin's father is elderly, and Dick Shawn plays the college professor Kevin talks to, where we get the annoying comment on violence the film puts out there. The theme "violence destroys us all" is just irritating for this type of film. But in the plus column we have Casper the Wonder Dog as Butch. He wears sunglasses and a hat, and, like we've seen so many times before (Killpoint, 1984, and Fist Fighter, 1989) come immediately to mind), he steals the movie.
Here's what Young Warriors SHOULD have been: 1. Kevin and his friends are set up as nice, normal kids 2. The bad guys are established 3. They rape/kill Kevin's sister 4. Kevin and his friends become vigilantes 5. The bad guys kill/injure Kevin and his friends 5. Borgnine and Roundtree go rogue and get revenge for the deaths/injuries to their friends and family, and (OPTIONAL) 6. Ernest Borgnine shoots a missile launcher.
THAT'S IT! If that was the movie, Young Warriors would be a classic for the ages. As it stands, we have a deeply flawed, but still worthwhile watch.
Released in a big-box VHS in the U.S., for all its foibles, there's still some meat on the bone for 80's obsessives to enjoy with Young Warriors.
Labels: 1983, Cannon Films, Casper The Wonder Dog, Dick Shawn, Ernest Borgnine, James Van Patten, Linnea Quigley, Lynda Day George, Richard Roundtree, Young Warriors
Fear (1988)
Fear (1988)-*
Directed by: Robert A. Ferretti
Starring: Cliff De Young, Kay Lenz, Zoe Trilling, Charles Meshack, Scott Schwartz, Robert Factor, and Frank Stallone
"Frank Stallone is Unchained"
The Haden family consists of father Don (De Young), mother Sharon (Lenz), son Brian (Schwartz) and daughter Jennifer (Trilling). They are an "average" suburban upper-middle-class clan with the normal preoccupations and concerns of a modern family of the 80's. Don and Sharon's marriage is on the rocks primarily because she wants to take a job in San Diego so they are constantly bickering, Jennifer is your standard spoiled, self-involved teenager and Brian is the pre-teen eager to get in his dad's good graces. They decide the best way to sort out all their problems is to go to "Uncle Billy's Cabin" in an RV. So they rent the motorhome and head out on a family road trip into the countryside.
Meanwhile, some dangerous convicts are on the loose. They escaped a prison-transfer bus and are armed, dangerous, and looking for a family like the Hadens to provide them with...something. We don't really know. But Armitage (Stallone) is the the pugilistic neo-Nazi, Cyril is the "token African-American", Mitch (Michael Watson) is the confused "new meat" and Jack (Factor) is the Vietnam vet who is mentally disturbed and still believes he is fighting the war, and they take the family hostage. The twist is that the father, Don, is also a 'Nam vet (an ex-Green Beret), and will, eventually, after a lot of stupidity, attempt to save his family from the mixed bag of baddies. Can he do it?
The film starts out with some Vietnam flashbacks, and leads into a bleak, gritty prison setting, so you think there's a chance this might be better than average. Once Fear kicks into being a standard hostage drama that adds nothing whatsoever to that sub-genre, you quickly realize that this is by-the-numbers, predictable fare. Some quality actors try to save it, but it's hopeless. It's just not exciting or entertaining.
The best part of the movie is Scott Schwartz' Kidco (1984) shirt. Fear occupies a unique place in Schwartz' filmography. It's after Kidco, The Toy (1982) and A Christmas Story (1983) but before he started doing porn. We wish we had a Kidco shirt. Cult actress Zoe Trilling also has an interesting shirt. Isn't this review so in depth? She wears a shirt for, seemingly, a band called The Suburbs, but it screams "The costume designer saw this and it's really appropriate/ironic for this setting so now you'll wear it".
Other aspects of Fear worth noting are the visit to "Link Reilly's Country Feed Bin". Just you watch out for that Abraham Lincoln Reilly (Bart Burns). He's yet another Vietnam vet. Also there seem to be two versions of Fear - one with all the swearing intact, and another one with the "dirty words" redubbed in a weird, yet hilarious fashion. I've seen the Virgin Vision VHS, as well as the version now playing on Comcast On Demand, and the On Demand version is redubbed with bizarre, "who are they trying to fool?" ADR, perhaps best exemplified when Frank Stallone aka Armitage shouts angrily, and I quote, "Fight You!" Why they did this is unclear, because other content in the film pretty much ensures this isn't going to be played on TBS anytime soon. It remains an R no matter what. So....why?
This might also explain why, in the only recorded instance in history outside of Gary Busey in Bulletproof (1988), does one character actually say the word "Butthorn"! We rewound the movie to make sure. He says it. This adds fuel to what we said in the Bulletproof review, that "Butthorn" was an insult that really should have caught on, and an effort was made to put it in the popular consciousness, but somehow it just never took off. Despite the best efforts of Frank Stallone and Gary Busey. If that team can't make something work, I don't know what to believe in anymore.
So after a lot of yelling, shooting, and unnecessarily terrorizing a family, I suppose the viewer was meant to come away with the clash of values between the family and the convicts. They're from two totally different worlds, and they clashed. The innocent family ran headlong into the totally new, different, violent world of the criminals. Then the family is supposed to realize that their life isn't so bad after all. But the viewer just doesn't care that much to get that invested.
It may sound harsh, but Fear is really just VHS shelf-filler for the video stores of the 80's and 90's. It needed some kind of spark to make it stand out from the crowd, but sadly, that never happened. And Frank Stallone doesn't even sing.
Comeuppance Review by Brett and Ty
Labels: 1988, Butthorn, Cliff De Young, Fear, Frank Stallone, Kay Lenz, Robert Factor, Scott Schwartz, Zoe Trilling
Killpoint (1984)
Killpoint (1984)-* *
Starring: Leo Fong, Richard Roundtree, Cameron Mitchell, and Stack Pierce
When a cache of guns is stolen from a local armory, and street thugs are running wild shooting everyone in sight, there's only one man tough enough to stop the madness: Lt. James "Jim" Long (Fong)! But he's been feeling depressed lately as his wife had been raped and killed earlier that year. So he teams up with ATF agent Bryant (Roundtree) and the entire Riverside, CA police department to track down the baddies responsible. Luckily for Long's revenge scheme, the same evildoers are behind the attack on his wife as well as the stolen guns: crimelord and all-around kingpin bad guy Joe Marks (Mitchell) and his murderous assistant Nighthawk (Pierce). Will Long and Bryant bring the culprits to justice, and, more importantly, will local TV station KHUD report the story accurately?
The stars of Revenge of the Bushido Blade (1980) reunite for this amateurish, haphazard effort that, while certainly imperfect, has its entertaining qualities and would have been ideal for undiscerning drive-in audiences of the day. For example, the editing is choppy: one minute we're seeing Cam Mitchell having a grand old time as Marks, the next we get a several-minute training sequence with Fong in a gym with absolutely no setup or dialogue, then we're back at the police station with Roundtree, etc.
Add to that the use of mumbling non-actors in a semi-documentary style (members of the Riverside police department are named extensively in the credits), and the hilariously wooden anti-acting (read: clearly reading from a written source) of Michael Farrell (not the guy from MASH) as Long's Captain, Skidmore, and you get a few yuks, but nothing substantial.
Fong as Long is as perfectly wooden as he usually is, and his hair is charmingly Ramones-ish this time around. But the star of the show once again is the immortal Cam Mitchell. He looks like he's having a ball as the nefarious Marks, and hams it to the max, but in the best way imaginable. Marks/Mitchell is the type of villain whose main activities include wearing sunglasses and an ascot to bed, and teaching his dog (Sparky) to smoke, as well as boring stuff like killing prostitutes and enabling the L.A. area to go into martial law. God bless Cameron Mitchell. We'll never see another like him.
Stack Pierce, besides having an awesome name, is suitably menacing as Marks' consigliere, and looks like what would happen if Bill Cosby turned evil. The great Richard Roundtree is under-utilized and should have done much more. After teaming up with Leo Fong, he'll probably go back to teaming up with Harrison Muller, Jr. Either that or Ernest Borgnine.
So yes, it does have some of the trappings of low-budget filmmaking such as poor audio and a weird pace, but it was director Frank Harris' first directorial film. Unfortunately, his mediocrity seems ingrained, as his next two features, Low Blow (1986) and The Patriot (1986) seem to prove. In the action department, it's pretty much shootings and training sequences and not much else, although Fong does give one unlucky suspect an interrogation he'll never forget.
Starring Sparky the dog as himself (as his credit goes) in a movie-stealing performance, though he can't quite top Mitchell, they work well together. Killpoint was released by Crown International, and then put out on VHS in the U.S. by Vestron. Featuring the catchy closing song "Livin' on the Inside" by Ramona Gibbons, Killpoint isn't really a great movie, but its personalities like the repeat-offender crew of Fong, Pierce and Mitchell make it reasonably worthwhile.
Labels: 1984, Cameron Mitchell, Crown International, Killpoint, Leo Fong, Livin' on the Inside, Ramona Gibbons, Richard Roundtree, Stack Pierce, Vestron Video, VHS
Raw Deal (1986)-* * *1\2
Directed by: John Irvin
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Darren McGavin, Joe Regalbuto, Kathryn Harrold, Sam Wanamaker, Ed Lauter, Steven Hill, and Robert Davi
"NO ONE GIVES HIM A RAW DEAL"
Today we thought we'd revisit an Arnie classic. Sometimes the hustle and bustle of reviewing movies from the direct-to-video world makes you forget that staple action movies such as this came to the theater, and they shouldn't be overlooked.
In this Arnold outing, he plays Mark Kominsky, the sheriff of a small town who always gets his man. He was once an FBI big shot, but was "exiled" to the boondocks. When his former FBI chief Harry Shannon (McGavin) informs him he might have a chance to get back to the Bureau, Harry pays attention. It seems a group of mobsters led by the evil Patrovina (Wanamaker) killed Shannon's son, so he does what any grieving father would naturally do: he gets Arnold Schwarzenegger to go undercover in the organization and get an explosive revenge. And if anyone screams "I fit in perfectly with Italian gangsters" it's clearly the Aryan supergod Schwarzenegger with his thick Austrian accent. It's no wonder Shannon tapped him for the job. (In his defense, he did dye his hair black, so, disguise completed).
While taking down the "strongest of the Chicago families", Kominsky runs into a variety of colorful characters. Baxter (Regalbuto) is the federal prosecutor with mysterious motives, Rocca (Paul Shenar) is the "undertaker" for the mob, Lamanski (Hill), not to be confused with "Kominsky" is a mobster honcho, and it's interesting to see "Adam Schiff" in a totally different type of role than his legendary Law and Order character. While away from his wife (Blanche Baker), Kominsky meets a totally different type of woman, Monique (Harrold), a flashy dame, also with questionable motives. Ed Lauter plays the cop one step behind Kominsky, and last but not least is Comeuppance favorite Robert Davi as Max Keller, a mob enforcer suspicious of Kominsky. I guess Kominsky's "undercover name" of "Joe Brenner" didn't convince him like it did everyone else.
But honestly the star attraction here is unquestionably Schwarzenegger, who when we first meet him is wearing a red and black lumberjack shirt and closely resembles the Brawny paper towel man. He quickly and effortlessly charms the audience with his winning smile (even while chomping a cigar), and also with his classic one-liners like "you should not drink and bake" and "magic? Or...magnet?!!??!!" His deadpan wit makes you see what the writers of The Simpsons must have seen with their "McBain" parodies. There's an immense amount of shooting, but it's all good clean fun, really.
And, as opposed to some of its imitators, Raw Deal has impressive widescreen photography and a cool score. Some of the pop songs it uses are interesting too, such as The Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction", which must have cost the filmmakers a pretty penny to use, as well as lesser-known gems like Pamela Stanley's "If Looks Could Kill". Add some humor into the mix, and it all adds up to classic 80's entertainment.
As you probably already know, Raw Deal is foundational for your knowledge of American action films and is a true classic of the genre. If you haven't seen it yet, don't hesitate.
Posted by Ty at 8.1.11
Labels: 1986, 3 and a half stars, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Darren McGavin, Ed Lauter, Joe Regalbuto, Kathryn Harrold, Raw Deal, Robert Davi, Sam Wanamaker, Steven Hill
Nightmare At Noon (1988)
Nightmare At Noon (1988)-* *1\2
Directed by: Nico Mastorakis
Starring: Wings Hauser, Bo Hopkins, Kimberley Beck, Brion James, and George Kennedy
When a mysterious man simply known as "The Albino" (James) decides the best place to try an experiment putting toxins in the water supply is the small town of Canyonland, Utah, all hell breaks loose. Normally-friendly citizens wig out, get extremely violent, and bleed green blood. All this is unbeknownst to entertainment lawyer Ken Griffiths (Wings) and his wife Cheri (Beck), who are traveling through the town in their RV. They stop to pick up the loner Reilly (Hopkins) and when they see the chaos in Canyonland, they decide to fight back. Aiding them is Sheriff Hanks (Kennedy). Will our heroes be able to put an end to the insanity?
The first thing you'll notice about Nightmare at Noon is its killer cast. It's pretty much a B-movie dream come true. However, we weren't totally convinced that it was being used to its full potential. Wings' personality should have shone through more, Kennedy is barely involved, and there isn't a lot of meat to Hopkins' laconic tough-guy. Neal Wheeler as Charley, the first victim, is reminiscent of the notorious cover for the Super Nintendo game "Phalanx". Brion James says literally nothing, but is somewhat intriguing as the main villain (backed up by his goons labeled APE, or, the "Agency for the Protection of the Environment"). He mainly looks through binoculars for most of his screen time. If you've ever wanted to know what it would be like if Johnny or Edgar Winter created small-town zombies in a Western setting that spew Nickelodeon-style Gak, here you go.
What director Mastorakis seemed to be aiming for is evident right in the title. "Nightmare" representing the horror aspect of the film, seemingly influenced by I Drink Your Blood (1970) and The Crazies (1973), as well as any number of zombie films, and "At Noon", representing the Western movie aspect. In fact, the characters even pass a movie marquee showing that High Noon (1952) is playing, and the final chase is taken from innumerable Western films.
A hybrid of this type is a worthy idea, but honestly it needed more blood, gore and nudity to rise to the level of an exploitation classic. It does have plenty of action movie-style thrills such as car blow-ups, stunts and much shooting, but it's hard to say if it all exactly fits. A lot of the elements were there, but not all. It's clear here that the golden 80's were ending, and the less-edgy 90's was on the horizon.
Labels: 1988, Bo Hopkins, Brion James, George Kennedy, Kimberley Beck, Nightmare At Noon, Wings Hauser
Dance Or Die (1987)
Dance Or Die (1987)-* * *1\2
Directed by: Richard W. Munchkin
Starring: Roy Kieffer, Rebecca Barrington, and Will Cavanaugh
If you are lucky enough to find a copy of Dance or Die, and you read the first sentence on the back of the VHS box, you will see this (and I quote): "Jason Chandler wants just two things in life: to stay off drugs, and to choreograph a dance show that rivals Flashdance." If that doesn't make you want to immediately see the film, there is clearly something wrong with you.
The aforementioned Chandler (Kieffer) is a skinny, whiny, effeminate bean pole of a man who is putting his dance troupe through its paces - literally. He lives in Las Vegas and loves to just cruise around aimlessly (a pretty significant portion of the film's running time). He shares an apartment with his buddy Alan, who is a cocaine dealer. This presents a problem for Jason as he is a recovering addict. They're the original odd couple! Why a sitcom spinoff of Dance or Die never materialized, I don't know. One day while Jason is out spandex-ing it up with his troupe, some baddies come in and shoot up his apartment, killing everyone at a backyard barbecue. They even destroyed the inexplicable outdoor fish tank in the middle of the lawn. Realizing they missed Jason in their killing spree, now they are after him. They think he has the coke, or some information, or something. Also the main evil bad guy is named "Turtle".
Another big part of Jason's day is going to his NA meetings. His sponsor is a woman named Kay, and she and Jason have a very, let's just say, dramatic relationship. Jason also has a romantic relationship with Diane (Barrington), but what is she hiding, if anything? Plus Jason is plagued with nightmares about all his troubles - dancing, drugs, the women in his life, the gangsters that are after him, dancing, etc. So he calls in a psychic who looks exactly like Francis Ford Coppola to help sort out his problems in life. Will Jason Chandler be able to jazz hands and spirit fingers his way out of this one?
We originally tracked down this movie because it was directed by Richard Munchkin, of Ring of Fire (1991), Fists of Iron (1995) and Deadly Bet (1992) fame, and it was released by City Lights, the pre-PM company of Pepin and Merhi. Also we try to watch 80's dance movies whenever possible. So this seemed like a winner all around, and we turned out to be right. The absurd outfits, funny music (that plays at ALL times throughout the movie) and wacky dream sequences are worth the money alone.
Yes, there is some choppy editing, it has a cheap video look, and some of the non-acting is not especially convincing, but come on. It was Munchkin's first film. Cut the guy a break. Besides, the movie's highly-entertaining strengths far, far outweigh some minor technical drawbacks. Speaking of which, why Munchkin chose "Roy Kieffer" to be the main hero is puzzling. He's not likable, we know nothing about him (or Jason Chandler, heh heh), in the film he says he's 26 years old but he looks 46, and about halfway through the film, it's like he snaps and just screams and yells at everybody. It seems like he's trying to emulate James Woods, but he's so wimpy it falls painfully short. As if to prove this "fierce and fabulous" dance instructor is totally hetero, for some unknown reason, Rebecca Barrington shows up as his "girlfriend". There's even an utterly unnecessary and unconvincing (I wonder why...?) sex scene between them. Listen, we couldn't care less if he's gay. But that the movie tried so hard to convince us otherwise, for no reason at all, is absolutely hilarious.
As scenes of dancing and dying are intercut in various scenes throughout the film, perhaps Munchkin was trying to give the audience a lesson in the dichotomy of life and death. Sorry that was so pretentious, but the movie does live up to its title. As this great movie ends with Jason Chandler playing some video poker and running into an Eskimo on the streets of Vegas that makes him question the direction of his life, Dance or Die can only be described as an existential film. You will be talking about the "open ending" for weeks to come.
Featuring a notable title song by Pattie Kelly, we heartily recommend Dance or Die.
Labels: 1987, 3 and a half stars, City Lights, Dance Or Die, Pattie Kelly, PM Entertainment, Rebecca Barrington, Richard W. Munchkin, Roy Kieffer, VHS, Will Cavanaugh


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