text: Helen I. Hwang 2015-03-27T21:26:05-04:00 Helen I. Hwang http://www.huffingtonpost.com/author/index.php?author=helen-i-hwang Copyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Helen I. Hwang Good old fashioned elbow grease. Gong Li and Zhang Yimou Reunite in Coming Home tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2015:/theblog//3.6922980 2015-03-24T11:46:00-04:00 2015-03-24T11:59:01-04:00 Helen I. Hwang http://www.huffingtonpost.com/helen-i-hwang/ When it comes to the Cultural Revolution in China, there are a million different aspects to mine when it comes to the minefield of destroyed lives. The renowned Chinese director Zhang Yimou takes a hard look at mental illness featuring his past muse Gong Li in a not-so-glamorous role, in the film Coming Home. Based on the novel The Criminal Lu Yanshi by Yan Geling, the film screened at the Glasgow Film Festival this year. Li is heartbreakingly wretched as a wife and mother whose husband was imprisoned for more than a decade. After ten years of not seeing her professor-activist husband who has been sent to a re-education camp, she makes a desperate attempt to see him, only to be thwarted by her pubescent, brainwashed, ballerina daughter. Her mind is shattered afterward, and her emotions and memories get locked away in a tiny, safe place in her head. In Li's previous collaborations with Zhang in Red Sorghum and Ju Dou, Li often plays the tragic heroine. Here, her acting chops take a different turn as a middle-aged emotional wreck and she poignantly takes hold of this challenging role with sensitivity and empathy. In her previous films, it was easy to relegate her as a face of classical Chinese looks, who often played into the oh-poor-me-I'm-a-beautiful-helpless-woman but she has evolved into a truly impressive actor rather than just a pretty face. Kudos to Chen Daoming who plays the husband, exhibiting the most amount of grace, devotion and forgiveness in circumstances that have brought him from a prestigious university position to a cot in a shop storeroom. His wife no longer recognizes him when he returns from a labor camp, though she loyally awaits his return.. In six years, China is poised to have the largest movie audience in the world. It pays for non-Chinese filmmakers, especially from Hollywood, to pay attention to what makes a film tick for the mass market. Not to say the screenwriters and directors should be pandering and forgoing their artistic license but the Chinese audience is actually quite discerning. Ultimately, Coming Home ends on a note about optimistic love, devotion, and the acceptance of torn lives that left me surprisingly teary eyed. As tragicomically ridiculous as the ending is, with the husband waiting by his wife's side for his own arrival, it's absolutely conceivable and realistic this happened for thousands of people in the great upheaval of China's societal revamp. The artistic collaboration between actress Gong Li and director Zhang Yimou has evolved into a deeper, more sympathetic depiction of the lives people end up with. Though it does not always look like a pretty picture, the beauty of survival and love can be immeasurable.]]> How Germany Can Make or Break the Euro tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2015:/theblog//3.6894366 2015-03-18T00:36:38-04:00 2015-03-18T14:59:01-04:00 Helen I. Hwang http://www.huffingtonpost.com/helen-i-hwang/ The eurozone's largest economy, Germany can essentially "make or break" the euro, especially now at this critical juncture of the crisis. Though Germany isn't the only European country doing well economically, it's the biggest one in the eurozone. And that heft is putting Germany in the role as "rule-maker -- providing order and discipline," notes Wharton finance professor Bulent Gultekin. It's a no-nonsense approach that has rattled some countries, especially southern European nations that are struggling under the weight of numerous burdens, including austerity programs championed by Germany. Many are questioning whether Germany's severity will lead the eurozone to a confident economic recovery -- or leave it cracked beyond repair. 'Germany Has the Checkbook' Currently, Germany is the fourth-largest economy in the world and the strongest in the 19-member euro bloc, not only in terms of its growth rate, but also its size. "Germany has the power now because it has its own house in order. Austria, Denmark and the Netherlands are doing well, but they certainly don't have the size Twitter," says Mauro Guillén, Wharton management professor and director of The Lauder Institute. "Germany has the checkbook." Germany, by most measures, is successful. The country is experiencing slower economic growth than the U.S. and the U.K., but is still expanding. The Germans regard themselves as a model for the rest of the eurozone, and leadership there wants to apply that same model of fiscal rectitude to the other countries, predicting that economic success will follow, adds Franklin Allen, Wharton finance professor. Germany "believes austerity is the solution,"Guillén says. "I think there's no question that austerity eventually works, like in 10 years. Meanwhile, you have lots of hardship and high unemployment." According to Wharton finance professor Joao Gomes, Germany thinks the struggling economies need to shape up with structural reform and strict budget cuts. "Germany wouldn't call it austerity; they call it reforms,"Gomes notes. "They want to focus [household spending on] what really matters and cut out the extraneous stuff. If people want to spend on things they can't really afford, that's not a growth model." While many economists support the Keynesian view that public sector investment can shore up the economy when the private sector is shrinking during a downturn, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been leading the country with the belief that the government has a very limited role, andmarkets can operate freely in a social market economy. "They have a particular view of the world, and they want to impose that on other countries, in effect,"says Allen, who is also a professor at Imperial College in London and head of its Brevan Howard Centre When the International Monetary Fund first helped Greece in 2010, that support was presented as a bailout. But IMF executive director Paulo Batista told Greek Alpha TV in an interview that the "IMF gave money to save German and French banks, not Greece. In reality, it was more of a bailout of the private creditors for Greece. It required a lot of sacrifice from Greece and not enough sacrifices from Greece's creditors. And I think this needs to change going forward." "I have considerable sympathy for the Greeks, but I don't think that you can blame their plight on the Germans," says Richard Herring, Wharton finance professor and co-director of the Wharton Financial Institutions Center. "Their problem was years in the making, and it is largely attributable to their poor economic policy-making since they joined the euro. The current problem is that given the constraints of being a member of the euro system, they simply don't have powerful enough tools to mitigate the painful cuts in aggregate demand. As members of the eurozone, they cannot change their exchange rate and have no control over monetary policy. That means they must rely on tightening fiscal policy or default," he notes. More than a decade ago, Germany was in the fiscal dumps with a deep recession. "Germany realized that it needed a long-term plan about how the country was going to grow when it went throughreunificationand went through serious questions about who it is and how it is going to compete in the next 10 to 15 years,"Gomes says. "Germany went through major reforms to increase productivity and manufacture goods the rest of the world wants." To continue reading my article on Germany's role in the eurozone crisis, go to Knowledge@Wharton.]]> Feeling the "Pressure" as Divers Stranded Deep Underwater tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2015:/theblog//3.6881872 2015-03-16T18:28:35-04:00 2015-03-17T16:59:01-04:00 Helen I. Hwang http://www.huffingtonpost.com/helen-i-hwang/ Within the first few minutes in the opening scenes of Pressure, the camera trains in on a sign hanging on board an oil rig off the oceans of Africa. It reads: "There are old divers and bold divers but not any old, bold divers." Directed by Ron Scalpello, the ominous, not-too-subtle portend sets the tone, but surprisingly, it doesn't ruin the anticipation of what's to come. Pressure was shown at the Glasgow Film Festival in Scotland. It's gripping and suspenseful, adeptly building tension as the back stories of the main characters unfold in surprising ways. When people are put in untenable positions, survival can bring out the best and worst of all of us. Danny Huston, Matthew Goode, Joe Cole and Alan McKenna are the scuba-diving sailors, each cursed with a hardened core. Each character emotes a sense of psychotic behavior. There's no shortage of hot-button issues that haven't worked themselves out in the therapy sessions that none of these guys would ever partake in in the first place. Each one possesses a deep, dark secret that emboldens them to embark on a lonely career at sea without family or friends, just shipmates. Fresh from Imitation Game fame, Goode does an American accent as a Bible-loving goody two-shoes. He places his faith in God and the company they work for that a rescue team will come. Neither come through. Cole initially presents himself as the young, vain, seemingly superficial novice who turns out to have more backbone and more to live for than the others. Without the strength of the acting from all four talented actors, the rather simplistic plot might not have floated with the audience but it certainly does pull you along. The plot is centered on a crew of four underwater divers who weld and repair oil supply lines deep on the ocean floor. They use a submersible to reach hundreds of feet below sea level, where a frantic swim upward to fresh air can burst your lungs into a million, bloody pieces. As a scuba diver myself, I know how the dangers of diving can kill you. You learn to rely on your own wits and technical know-how more than on any one buddy. As a violent storm approaches the ship, a vital pipeline is fragmenting. The captain, played by Ian Pirie, orders the four men down to the bottom of the ocean, and none of them think it's a wise idea. To work as deep divers who weld in dark waters for a living, you might have to be a bit risky and unwise at times anyhow. They all demonstrate a fearlessness of water that can sometimes defy logic, as many scuba divers feel. After their work is done in the water, their submersible loses all radio contact with their mother ship above. Going out in the waters to investigate, Huston encounters his captain, not in any capacity to pull the submersible back to safety. He's floating dead on the bottom of the sea and the ship has sunk. What happens next is the crux of the story. How the crew rescue and redeem themselves leaves an indelible mark with the audience. "What would you do?" is a question that inevitably goes through one's mind. In the vein of Open Water and 127 Hours, the survivalist film genre can be fascinating to follow. With strong acting, character development, and a riveting plot, Pressure sucks you into its depths and doesn't let you go.]]> Cellist/Composer Atzi Muramatsu and Choreographer Steinvor Palsson Perform in Edinburgh tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2015:/theblog//3.6798764 2015-03-04T13:45:53-05:00 2015-03-04T13:59:01-05:00 Helen I. Hwang http://www.huffingtonpost.com/helen-i-hwang/ When artists take over a public space, it's like watching magic. Not too long ago, a troupe of magnificent dancers choreographed by Steinvor Palsson and cellist Atzi Muramatsu roamed around the stone floor tiles of St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh. They performed brilliant pieces that were to be seen for one day only and possibly never again. They flitted from one space to another and invited the audience along as moving spectators. It was a thing of beauty much like the Tibetan mandala sand sculptures that are meant to be enjoyed thoroughly in the process of creation and then to be relinquished as a passing attachment. I came upon the incredibly ethereal dancing on a gray, wet day in Edinburgh. This church venue was retitled as "WHOLLY:Land." The 30-minute performance set to various pieces from cello and the humongous pipe organ that echoed throughout the cathedral. For this particular performance, Muramatsu composed "The Place of Gargoyles." It has never been heard before and may never be heard again. As well as the original work, the dancers performed to the classical pieces, Cello Suites D minor Sarabande and G major Prelude, both by J.S. Bach. The iconic, well-used church sits in on the Royal Mile close to Waverley Train Station if you walk straight up several steep flights of ancient stony stairs. It's the mother church of Presbyterianism. Queen Elizabeth II recently granted the Order of the Thistle to Prince William, future heir to the throne, was replete with plumed hat and a thick velvet robe. Plenty of tourists stream in and out the High Kirk of Edinburgh, originally built in the year 854. (That's right, 854 -- three digits, not four, and way before the year became 1000!) The venue also holds regular church services, including the last Christmas service where Benedict Cumberbatch attended with then-fiancee Sophie Hunter, The dance was part of a unique arts festival called SCOTS:Land, a recent tradition bringing a fresh dimension to an annual Scottish festival. It involves a mysterious meandering through Edinburgh's Old Town to chance upon music, dance, theatre and film. Participants spin a compass to get a invitations for one of 12 venues near the central National Museum of Scotland. You have no idea what you're in for. As I was watching the performance, I was reminded of Michaelango's The Agony and the Ecstasy painting in the Sistine Chapel. The dancers trained their gazes and movements upward while flitting around in celebration to an unseen higher being. The uplifting cello and resounding pipe organ music was brilliant and eerie. The artistic combination was perfectly fitting for St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh, and I hope others get a chance to see such a thing of beauty again.]]> Why Julianne Moore in Still Alice Was Spot On as an Alzheimer's Sufferer tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2015:/theblog//3.6739250 2015-02-23T17:42:03-05:00 2015-02-23T19:59:01-05:00 Helen I. Hwang http://www.huffingtonpost.com/helen-i-hwang/ Still Alice. Her portrayal of a 50-year-old woman undergoing the early onset of Alzheimer's disease is heartbreaking and compassionate as she characterizes the deterioration and downfall of the life she loved and knew. The film is playing as part of the 2015 Glasgow Film Festival. At the start of the film, she portrayed her character Alice as a confident, accomplished, tenured professor at a prestigious New York City university. She's a high-flying tiger mom as she interacts with her three adult children. With one son in medical school and one daughter (Kate Bosworth) as a lawyer, it was the troubled, emotional relationship with the third child, played by Kristen Stewart, which was fascinating to watch. She was the one who opted out of college to try her hand in theater in Los Angeles. Over dinner, the mother and daughter argue over higher education versus happiness as a jobbing actor. As the film progresses, little things are starting to throw Alice off. She gets lost on the campus where she's taught for years. Suddenly, she's at a loss for words and they drop out of her vocabulary when she prides herself as a linguistics professor. A brain tumor?! -- as many of us tend to wonder when we're having a bad day. Getting old and forgetting things, especially with busy lives and children, is normal. It's the realization when you begin to lose part of your vibrant self that Moore captures so poignantly. If you see someone stricken with Alzheimer's, you might feel sympathy, and even revulsion ashamedly, because you don't know who that person is underneath the verbal mutterings and physical frailties. As I watched my own step-grandfather in Taiwan decline with Alzheimer's disease, you realize what a strange ailment it is, especially if you live halfway around the world and you see them intermittently. One moment he was incoherent at a Thanksgiving dinner in Taiwan, centered on a cooked rooster with its comb burnt black in my grandmother's version of a roasted bird. The next moment, the former lawyer asks a sharp question about your piano playing because he remembered you took lessons from the last visit a few years ago. Meanwhile, he wears a bloodied bandage around his head because he fell as he walked down the stairs. Still Alice also deals with untold pressures on the family members with empathy. Before she completely loses it all, her husband, played by Alec Baldwin, disappoints her, knowing she can't move because she'll lose all familiarity. Still, Alice has to appreciate she's had a great marriage and life can't stop for those around her, even if her life is about to come to a standstill. It's her daughter, with whom she has a contentious relationship, who comes through at the end with the most compassion. That's what love is when someone has Alzheimer's, and there's no easy way to live. Moore portrayed this particular disease with humanity and teaches a lesson for us all.]]> Why Velodrome Cycling was Surprisingly Good to Watch tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2015:/theblog//3.6639238 2015-02-09T15:32:55-05:00 2015-02-09T15:59:01-05:00 Helen I. Hwang http://www.huffingtonpost.com/helen-i-hwang/ Cycling Revolution brought world-class cyclists to the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow this winter. The Revolution Series also takes place in London and Manchester. Surprisingly, I have to say it was much more gripping than I thought it would be. With world-class athletes, like Commonwealth Game gold medalist Lizzie Armitstead and Bobby Lea, the competition was fierce and gripping. I had no idea there were so many different races you could do on a sloping wooden oval track. There were sprint races between two riders over three laps, which involve strategic standstills to outsmart your opponent rather than all-out racing. There's the 1-kilometer Madison time trial, or "kilo," involving teamwork and paired sprinting. The Longest Lap is a new Cycling Revolution race inspired by the Marymoor Crawl, inspired by a race concocted in the United States at the Marymoor Grand Prix. Cyclists balance their bikes around a slow initial lap and can't touch the ground with their shoes so you see cyclists practicing their balancing skills crowded around the start line virtually at a standstill. You never know when the starting gun will fire so it pays to be close to the start line but not quite there. If you're rolling slowly on your bike, you don't want to cross the line, thereby getting you disqualified. The tension is intense. Beginning with a good-natured crowd of competitors, the ones left at the start who don't fall off their bikes or roll across the start line by accident are only a handful. When the starting gun goes off, cyclists sprint one lap around with everything they've got. Meant as a relaxed, goofy race, it breaks up the seriousness of the other competitions. Popular in Japan, another fun race is the Keirin which involves a motorbike on the velodrome track, setting the pace for the cyclists to reach 50 kilometers/hour. Once they get to the right speed, the motorcyclist leaves the track for the riders to take off and finish the race at breathtaking speeds. The helpful announcer geared his spiels from spectator novices like me to obsessed fans. For endurance, the Points race takes the cyclists around the velodrome track 120 times, keeping up a pace for the winner to finish in 35 minutes and 10 seconds. Some cyclists lap the group to score bonus 10 points. Sir Chris Hoy, now retired, even showed up to talk about how much fun the Cycling Revolution races have been for him during this career. The Revolution series is meant as friendly games, breaking up the winter camp training the cyclists participate in between racing seasons. Inspiring all spectators, Paralympic heroine Sarah Storey competed with vroom in the competition against able-bodied cyclists. She's an amazing athlete born without the use of her left hand. Winning Paralympic medals in swimming in Barcelona, Sydney, Atlanta and Athens, she's switched sports to cycling where she went on to win golds at Beijing and London. Next step for her is to break the Hour record in London, becoming the first British woman to attempt the record in 20 years. The Hour is a solo race for the longest distance in one hour from a stationary start. The Scottish racing sessions were sold out so perhaps, I've been missing out on what thousands of fans have already known. Velodrome cycling isn't just watching bicycles go around and around. The races are varied. The racers are incredibly admirable, exhibiting stamina and fortitude from whom I could take a lesson, even if it's not in the cycling realm. I might be back for some more!]]> How to Do Christmas Away From Home With Kids tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2014:/theblog//3.6391346 2014-12-29T18:02:46-05:00 2015-02-28T05:59:01-05:00 Helen I. Hwang http://www.huffingtonpost.com/helen-i-hwang/ Rule #1: Stay in hotels that'll feel homey! We stayed at the Macdonald Antsy House in Coventry, England where there were Christmas trees and garland around a roaring fireplace. It's a manor house built in the 1800s with two fireplaces in our room -- one in the bedroom and one in the bathroom -- so the kids thought Santa would have no problem making his way to the stockings we brought. On Boxing Day, Dec. 26, we headed to London's Athenaeum Hotel in London's tony Mayfair neighborhood, where you can book an elegant, yet comfy, townhouse flat, complete with a clever sofa design that converts to a bunk bed or sofa bed for the kids. The Kids' Concierge provided scooters we could borrow to scoot through Green Park in front of the hotel all the way to Buckingham Palace. Rule #2: Plan an attraction to visit! Even though we get plenty of Harry Potter in our adopted homeland of Scotland, like Hogwarts Express and JK Rowling as an Edinburgh resident, London has Hogwarts at Christmastime in the Warner Brothers' Harry Potter Studio Tour. All eight Harry Potter movies were filmed there so we stepped into Diagon Alley and entered the Great Hall with Christmas Trees and plum puddings alight with real fire. The kids saw how to make fake snow and put their hands in very real-looking, movie-magic fire. You feel like Harry Potter spending Christmas at Hogwarts Wizarding School because he's not at home either. Pretty awesome! Rule #3: Take advantage of your new locale! Afternoon tea in a London is like no other. The InterContinental Park Lane hosts a Christmas Afternoon Tea with the theme of the Twelve Days of Christmas cleverly interwoven throughout the dishes. Five golden candied rings on a tiny chocolate cake! Salmon finger sandwiches! Pigeon and mushroom pie! Pastry shaped like swans where you can bite the heads off! And of course the wide array of teas and fresh scones and clotted cream. Yum!! Plus, the InterContinental Park Lane is where the current Queen called home as a child. Rule #4: See a show! West End in London has the best musicals in the world! Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, directed by Sam Mendes, is incredibly fun. The Roald Dahl story is updated with funny references to computer hacking and Ritalin. The soundtrack included techno, Motown, rap, along with the rousing sing-along numbers. Spending Christmas away from home can be challenging. Creating cool traditions, like incorporating new adventures into the holidays, can be just as fun for the kids as waking up in their own beds.]]> Why the European Christmas Market Is Much Better than the American Equivalent -- the Shopping Mall tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2014:/theblog//3.6359150 2014-12-22T15:59:03-05:00 2015-02-21T05:59:01-05:00 Helen I. Hwang http://www.huffingtonpost.com/helen-i-hwang/ In a tradition that has stood for hundreds of years, the European Christmas Market is a throwback to what it was like to do anticipate the Winter Solstice long before the holidays became so commercialized, especially in America. In Europe, you get a cozy outdoor carnival atmosphere. In the United States, you wander in recirculated artificial air with franchised cookie-cutter stores, one on top of another. Sure, you get holiday music in the background in both environments. Long before online flash deals as you click in your pajamas and tiresome behemoth shopping malls, the holidays were a time to greet people n the community and share the excitement of winter with strangers. Here, the Christmas market is a non-religious celebration so you won't see Jesus Christ on a cross or even much of the loud Santa Claus tat. Here's a rundown of what you'll see at a European Christmas Market: 1. Stalls - These numerous stalls are run by one or two individuals. At Edinburgh's Christmas Market, there are 106 stalls spread over four levels of hilly ground. Featuring plenty of Gluhwein (warm mulled wine, translated from the German for "glow-wine") along other traditional and nontraditional treats. You can get the requisite truffles and marzipan, knitted and ceramic crafts, and amazing German and Austrian bratwurst off a red-lit, charcoal barbeque. You can also get mulled cider and sun-dried and mozzarella haggis snacks. The Scottish twist adds a lot more personality. Recently, CNN rated Edinburgh's Christmas Market as one of the best in Europe. 2. Carnival rides for kids and adults alike - There are neon-lit rides galore speckling the landscape in Edinburgh. The traditional British rides, like Helter Skelter (a long, twisty, roughhewn slide that starts from three stories up), vintage double-decker carousel rides and two outdoor ice-skating rinks are there. The Star Flyer (a harrowing chair swing ride takes you a hundred feet in the air) is alongside the Walter Scott Monument, a historic apex where Ben Whishaw sits atop in the film Cloud Atlas. The Santa Train and Christmas Tree Maze have expanded with more gems to spot like Rudolph peeking out from fir trees. The Santa's Grotto doesn't end at a requisite photo shoot with a uniformed shopping-mall Santa Claus where you're expected to pay for the requisite photograph of your kids frozen in terror sitting atop the lap of a stranger. 3. A Plethora of Shows - Julia Donaldson's Stick Man family show is quirky and well embraced by the children. With a cast of just three actors who mostly bear an uncanny resemblance to skinny, wooden sticks, kids are transported to the perils and tribulations of sticks who come to life with feelings and families to consider. Beach balls and pantomime shout-outs of the tried-and-true jokes about being "behind you" foster audience interaction. Pantomimes are the staple of British shows usually dripping with innuendo and puns. For the grownups, there's also shows from a pub philosopher, camp comedy, a Christmas Ceilidh and an all-male burlesque cabaret called Briefs. Edinburgh has even brought out their Spiegeltent from the summer Edinburgh Fringe Festival for the winter to showcase more acts.]]> Nestled in the Scottish Highlands Sits Crieff Hydro, a Victorian Spa tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2014:/theblog//3.6275672 2014-12-08T11:00:01-05:00 2015-02-07T05:59:01-05:00 Helen I. Hwang http://www.huffingtonpost.com/helen-i-hwang/ As gray clouds rolled in on the setting afternoon sun in the Highlands of Scotland, bagpiper Steve Harper stood guard at the entrance, ringing a haunting melody in front of the Crieff Hydro hotel. Once a Victorian spa retreat built in 1868, the resort has expanded to a 900-acre getaway for families, weddings, hen nights, conferences, and all sorts of escapes, just over an hour's drive from Glasgow or Edinburgh. Crieff used to be the market town for Highland drovers, who brought their cattle down from the remote, hilly countryside, and the Lowland merchants who turned an easy profit from their poorer Scottish brethren. During World War Two, the British government commandeered the hotel and housed the Free Polish troops there. In 1868, Dr. Thomas Meikle founded Crieff Hydro as a hydropathy resort when "water cures" were thought to remedy all sorts of ailments. He chose the Perthshire location for the "salubrity of the climate." One of the endearing fables from the past is the guests used to queue in a "bath procession" in their stylish bathrobes to the bathtubs in the basement since none were in the rooms and "bath maids" would be on hand to help the wealthy visitors. The Victorian spa is still one of the main attractions of the hotel. Above the pool are three murals of cherubs, gods and goddesses, and winged horses so as you do your swimming lengths, you get a glimpse of the view ghosts from yesteryear would've seen as they alleviated their aches. A cozy Jacuzzi sits alongside the pool which I shared with an elderly Scottish woman who began to pour her life story to me. I wondered if that's what spa days were like in the Victorian tradition -- people conversing intimately with strangers so muscles and feelings alike opened up. A blue-lit steam room, sauna and shower area all shared the adults-only pool area. Cordials of lime and blackcurrant as well as tea and coffee were free on a help-yourself basis. Spa treatments are available, and Mhairi provided one the best Swedish back massages, using elbows and deep pressure to iron out my knots. Another leisure area has two pools and a Jacuzzi for families so kids can partake in their "water cure" as well. All are welcome to a challenging treetop outdoor adventure course with zip slides high in the air. My 9-year-old daughter called the experience "epic," where she and her dad relished the bonding experience. The equestrian center is excellent where my 5-year-old happily hopped on for a pony ride for the first time. Usually, she screams to get her off the beasts. Meanwhile, my 9-year-old cantered for the first time with an excellent riding instructor who gave her frequent guidance. Archery also involved high-caliber coaching so that you not only got to try out new skills, you learned more about a hobby to give you a taste for more practice. In the evenings, there was a disco on one night and a celidh, or Scottish dancing, the next night. The DJs were interactive enough to explain dances and entice parents to dance with their kids. It was nice to crawl back to our nearby rooms after an exhausting turn on the dance floor. Included in your stay is 12 hours of daily childcare, which included morning, afternoon and evening sessions. My husband and I took advantage of one session for dinner together before grabbing the kids for the family celidh. Bedrooms are comfortable with a separate adjoining twin room for the kids. Childcare is a hotel feature many Americans aren't familiar with but maybe we should. On-site dining can sometimes be confining but there were several restaurants to choose from. Each menu was varied and cooked to a high standard, so we were pleasantly surprised. Crieff Hydro is what you make of it. The atmosphere felt friendly and relaxed. If you wanted a family vacation, you could have that. If you wanted couple time and have your kids entertained for the whole weekend in a spacious, well-maintained crèche with a gargantuan castle soft play area, you could do that. If you wanted to chill out with friends, you could do that too. With over 200 bedrooms on a sprawling estate, the Victorian spa resort has modernized itself to the needs and wants of what holidaymakers look for today. For more information on bagpiper Steve Harper, go to Sharperpiper.]]> Wong Kar-Wai's 'The Grandmaster' Pays Tribute to Bruce Lee's Teacher Ip Man tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2014:/theblog//3.6253356 2014-12-02T19:44:38-05:00 2015-02-01T05:59:01-05:00 Helen I. Hwang http://www.huffingtonpost.com/helen-i-hwang/ Nothing beats Wong Kar-Wai's stylized cinematic flair, and he punches his characteristic nostalgic imprint on the world of martial arts in his latest theatrical release, The Grandmaster. Opening with a gorgeous choreographed fight scene between two schools of martial arts from the north and south of China, romanticized with a light drizzle and aerial shots of fists flying and roundhouse kicks, the tone is set for an action film infused with the beauty of Kung Fu by slowing down the frames. Centered on the story of Ip Man, the legendary martial arts master from southern China, the plot takes us back to the 1930s before the Japanese invasion of China. Vintage China is a specialty of Wong's where women wear their demure qipaos and opium smoke wafts upward in the air. Zhang Ziyi and Tony Chiu Wai Leung star in this mini epic of how Ip Man popularized the Wing Chun branch of Kung Fu. Eventually, he taught Bruce Lee when Ip Man lived in Hong Kong following the Sino-Japanese War. Lately, there have been a series of films and television series paying tribute to Ip Man whose grave in Hong Kong is still greatly revered. The film takes liberties with the biographical details of Ip Man, but highlights the starvation and family upheaval that affected millions in China in that period of time. Nominated for two 2014 Academy Awards for Best Cinematography (Phillipe Le Sourd) and Best Costume Design (William Chang Suk Ping), the movie did well in the Hong Kong International Film Festival. Zhang Ziyi, who first hit the blockbuster screen in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, has developed from young muse to a mesmerizing actress who can do martial arts and emote through the deep wells of her soul. Here she plays a dutiful daughter who is quite the grandmaster herself but vows to avenge her father through chastity and a promise never to teach martial arts. It's a dazzling film in the genre of martial arts. Wong Kar-Wai's take on the self-defense world is no disappointment as he adds his artistic eye to the perspective that martial art isn't just about violence. It's about art -- the art of movement. There are also philosophical debates, which are sometimes as powerful as a well-directed punch. In the climatic fight between Zhang and Leung in a brothel, the challenge of their fight rests on the premise that the first person to break any decor is the loser. Another duel is more of a combative dance not to break a bao, or bun, in one fighter's hand. Wong is admirable to include these graceful aspects of martial arts that many people don't realize is as essential as a good, defensive block. The beauty of Kung Fu as a tribute to Ip Man is captured in the stylistic intonations of Wong Kar- Wai's The Grandmaster. From the director of In the Mood for Love and Chungking Express, it's exciting Wong Kar-Wai has lent his lens to the world of Kung Fu. For newbies, The Grandmaster may be a perfect induction to martial arts and Wong Kar-Wai's work. For his fans, The Grandmaster is an essential viewing in the Wong Kar-Wai anthology.]]> Winter Sleep, Winner of the Palme d'Or, Tipped for the Academy Awards' Best Foreign Language Film tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2014:/theblog//3.6184704 2014-11-19T17:22:49-05:00 2015-01-19T05:59:01-05:00 Helen I. Hwang http://www.huffingtonpost.com/helen-i-hwang/ However, he regards himself as the de facto village elder since he's one of the richest men in town (via inheritance) with a weekly newspaper column. And his superficial self-esteem is hurt for two reasons. One is he didn't convene the gathering and two, it wasn't his idea to run what is looking like a vibrant charity meeting. To further bruise his tender ego, his wife kicks him out of the room so he won't hijack her pet project, and thereby the cold charade of their marriage begins to unravel. Winter Sleep, winner of the Palme d'Or and FIPRESCI Prizes at this year's Cannes Festival, is a film centered on brilliant dialogue where the subtleties of the relationships are slowly unveiled through conversations of what's said and not said. Running at 196 minutes, it's one of the longest films in this year's offerings. It's a strong contender for the Academy Awards as Turkey's official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film, directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan. Set in Turkey's Anatolia region, cinematographer Gökhan Tiryaki captures the beauty of the area's famed cave dwellings and fairy chimneys during a period many people do not see. The movie takes place just as the end of the tourist season where guests for Aydin's cave hotel peter out and snow sets in, leaving the remote mountain area in hibernation. With few strangers to distract, the unhappiness from the emotional strained relationships between the permanent inhabitants comes in stark light. Aydin and his wife Nihal hardly communicate. Necla, Aydin's middle-aged sister, has recently divorced her husband in Istanbul and has come to stay with them. While Necla tells Nihal that she is "an expert at criticizing by being silent" and is considering going back to her abusive husband to get away from their misery, she also tells her brother that he is full of "soppy romanticism" in his arrogant articles in the local paper Voices of the Steppe. Aydin also fancies himself as an intellectual who's main goal is to write the first tome about the history of Turkish theater. As the owner of several properties rented by poor locals, Aydin also believes he's above the mundane trappings of money, even when he finds out one of his tenant families could not pay the rent and had their refrigerator and television taken away by his henchmen. Still, he doesn't lift a finger to alleviate their suffering. Instead, he soap-boxes in his column about the sloppy appearance of the imam who is his tenant, oblivious and inconsiderate of the fact the imam is struggling to provide for his extended family of five. Written by the director and his wife Ebru Ceylan, the screenplay captures the dialogue of deteriorating relationships succinctly and tersely. Interestingly enough, there's also a writing credit to Anton Chekhov. Toward the end, the characters also realize they only have each other in their circumstance with no tangible or major incentive for changing. The only thing they can work on is themselves, and the audience hopes the realization in their souls will translate to a less toxic relationship between each other. Only time will tell what will happen but this type of human drama can be found in any country and in any language, if we look well beneath the surface. Winter Sleep is now playing at the Glasgow Film Theatre. Directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan.]]> Hauntology and Psychogeography Inspire New Album From Drew Mulholland of Mount Vernon Arts Lab Fame tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2014:/theblog//3.6075710 2014-10-31T17:02:43-04:00 2014-12-31T05:59:01-05:00 Helen I. Hwang http://www.huffingtonpost.com/helen-i-hwang/ Winding through stone corridors down a dungeon-like turret, I placidly follow post-punk musician/academic Drew Mulholland outside into the shocking damp air under the Hogwarts-like maze of a university courtyard. We had just left his spanking-new corner desk at the University of Glasgow's School of Geographical & Earth Sciences, where he has just been appointed as Composer-in-Residence and Research Fellow. Not a bad gig for the avant-garde godfather of hauntology and psychogeography who credits The Clash, Patti Smith, Beatles and Sex Pistols as major influences in his music. Mulholland has just released The Norwood Variations, his first album in 11 years after his last release with the Mount Vernon Arts Lab. As founder and the only permanent member of the cult electronica band, Mulholland released eight albums with Mount Vernon Arts Lab, including one recorded live in an underground nuclear secret bunker outside St. Andrew's in Scotland. "It was a bizarre thing. There were 15-feet concrete walls. You had to enter through what looked like a farmhouse down a long set of stairs that brought you 150 feet below ground. It was the Scottish seat of command in case of a nuclear attack," Mulholland recalls over a steaming cup of cocoa. He had repeatedly written to the Ministry of Defence for permission to hold a concert and record a live album for Mount Vernon Arts Lab. Over 160 people trekked into the wilderness, looking for the location based on National Grid coordinates. Isobel Campbell, formerly of Belle & Sebastian, played cello. The Norwood Variations is an eerily entrancing compilation of six tracks. "Gangen,"a word that alludes to walking, was created by plotting a map of neighborhood points, like Mulholland's childhood school, home and other pertinent pinpoints, against musical composition paper. The score is shocking because it's surprisingly melodic. Based on the discovery of witchcraft and Latin texts about the first principles of antiquated maps found in the university library, another track "Geographia Mundi" celebrates how the past - even the ancient past - influences how we encounter circumstances in the present. Which brings us back to the subject of hauntology. The word comes from a play on the French pronunciation of ontology, explains Muholland. Hauntology is the "study of the persistence of the past. We can never escape. The dead are still with the living. We can't possibly escape from them because it's the thing around us. It all connects together," he explains. Timing is everything and it's probably no coincidence that we scheduled our interview right before Halloween, which has its centuries-old roots in Gaelic and Celtic regions, like Scotland where we meet. Psychogeography is a related field that Mulholland has given lectures in all over the United Kingdom, including the esteemed Cambridge University. "Think of it like a Venn Diagram," says Mulholland. He continues, "Psychogeography is the study of environment, rural or urban, which affects the memory or mood of an individual. It can be in writing, photography, filmmaking and music." Mulholland has finally elevated from the ashes of the Mount Vernon Arts Lab, raised in resurrection with The Norwood Variations. More albums will follow, provided he finds the money to release them. He's also writing books on psychogeography, folklore and hauntology. Avant-garde composer and musician, one-time guitar tech for Patti Smith and academic lecturer, Drew Mulholland has graced his fans with his first album in 11 years. Drew Mulholland is back.]]> Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper Tango Once Again in Serena tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2014:/theblog//3.6068294 2014-10-29T16:19:01-04:00 2014-12-29T05:59:01-05:00 Helen I. Hwang http://www.huffingtonpost.com/helen-i-hwang/ Just when you think Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper can't appear together in another movie, out pops another. In the third film that Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper have starred in, Serena is a dark, somber film focused on emotional entanglements with the slight feel of an independent film. More literary than blockbuster material, it depicts what human nature looks like when life begins to spiral downward, set off by tragic circumstances. In other words, it's not the typical feel-good vehicle that Lawrence and Cooper have usually taken audiences for a ride in. Based on the book of the same name from American author Ron Rash, the plot is centered on a rugged North Carolina timber baron named George Pemberton, played by Bradley Cooper, who logs to make money and provide jobs for the locals, or so he says. His capitalist ambitions are at loggerheads with the local sheriff, played by the delightful Toby Jones, who wants to designate the lands as national parks in order to protect the forests. When Pemberton goes to town to bankroll his operations further, he meets the enigmatic Serena, played by Jennifer Lawrence. He becomes completely enamored with her when he finds out she is the only surviving daughter of another timber family dynasty in Colorado who was wiped out in a fatal fire. Later as their marriage unravels, Serena confesses that she had run away to safety in spite of hearing her younger siblings and mother screaming for her help as they burned alive. This is a pretense to her veiled cold-heartedness when she becomes immensely jealous of her husband's illegitimate toddler after she finds out she can never have children and the innocent will be the only progeny her husband will ever have. The babe becomes the target of her venom. Serena was actually made after Silver Linings Playbook but before American Hustle. Lawrence recommended that Cooper play her co-star after working together as Philly amateur dance competitors. Released only this year with the U.K. premiere at the London Film Festival, producers may have doubted the star treatment that this gloomy film could garner for its lead actors. The U.S. release isn't scheduled until early 2015 after the awards season. Lawrence won an Oscar and Golden Globe for best actress in Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle did well in the 2014 Golden Globes. The movie almost has a feel of a systematic, careful (a bit too careful) independent film, which may not be a driver for box-office sales with superstar names. Watching the plot unfold made me think there was a disconnect from the novel to the screen as Lawrence and Cooper struggled to make sense of their characters' transition from lovebirds in marriage and admirable equals in business to suspicious spouses with obsessions moving in unhealthy, stealth trajectories. The symbolism of uncatchable panthers that might be subtle in a novel translates as a bit too hokey and obvious for the screen. Nonetheless, the cast is engrossing to watch and the set design of a recreated small American lumber town (actually filmed in Czech Republic) is breathtaking and believable. I wouldn't write it off because Serena doesn't have the typical Hollywood pizzazz to a Lawrence-Cooper film. The actors move the film nicely along, even if the plot is a little disjointed. I still came away with a bolstered admiration for Lawrence and Cooper in their acting abilities. I bet this won't be their last film together, even if it may be a while. Serena is now playing in the U.K., including the Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow, Scotland.]]> Roll Up, Roll Up! First Ever Edinburgh Restaurant Festival and Last Chance to See Ming Exhibit tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2014:/theblog//3.5985988 2014-10-14T17:56:44-04:00 2014-12-14T05:59:01-05:00 Helen I. Hwang http://www.huffingtonpost.com/helen-i-hwang/ Edinburgh Restaurant Festival Finally Lands in Scotland The idea of Restaurant Week is in almost every major city in America and finally Edinburgh has had a light-bulb moment by embracing the food-lovers' concept. Or maybe the Edinburgh restaurant scene has reached a dining apex where it can sustain a slew of restaurants offering deals that would make a foodie dine out multiple times in a week. We dined at Restaurant Greenaway, owned by British celebrity chef Mark Greenaway. Rated as one of the top 100 restaurants in the U.K. and boasting 3 rosettes, the establishment exceeded my expectations for British cooking. My plaice and mussels bouillabaisse was delicate and made me want to savor every single morsel to enjoy the complex tastes in the dish. The steak and chips was perfectly cooked. A tongue-and-cheek version of the British pub favorite, the slices of tender sirloin were drizzled with Bearnaise sauce accompanied by a single rectangular hefty block of potato. As a finale, the chocolate dessert, included bonbons, homemade donuts, strips of chocolate and pods of coffee ice cream. It was like a miniature golf course, discovering a treasure of scrumptious delights at every corner. The chocolates were made from IQ Chocolatier in Stirling, Scotland where they use coconut blossom instead of sugar. The market menu on offer is a weekday lunchtime offer offered year round but Greenaway said the Edinburgh Restaurant Festival was a way to highlight the midday deal as a food event year round. And in another nod to the culture of fine dining for all, my two children, along with my friend's two children, were welcomed wholeheartedly to the establishment. We had four children with us, ranging in ages from one to nine. The French maître d', along with the friendly waitstaff, treated our children with respect as paying customers instead of scrutinizing for bad table manners like some servers do. By coincidence, the New York Times Magazine is running a cover story about treating a class of second-graders, roughly averaging around the age of 7, to a $220 meal of gourmet dining in New York City. It turns out Greenaway's maître'd worked at Le Bec Fin, a five-star French restaurant in Philadelphia, where I had taken my eldest daughter to eat as a toddler. It is an American way of life to take your kids to restaurants where they learn to behave and appreciate delicious food from the very start. Most people in Britain don't subscribe to this method, often taking the easy way out, giving their children plain pasta and chips. If fine restaurants don't welcome children now, they're missing out on a future generation of diners. Who wants the art of gourmet food to die out? Mark Greenaway will certainly make sure it doesn't. Go to Mark Greenaway 69 Castle Street, Edinburgh, EH2 3LJ+44 (0) 131-226-1155. Check out Edinburgh Restaurant Festival. Ming: The Golden Empire at the National Museum of Scotland "Ming: the Golden Empire" is a special exhibit at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. On loan from the Nanjing Museum in China, the exhibit makes parallels between China and Scotland. For example, did you know the Ming Dynasty started around the same time as the House of Stewarts in Scotland, around 1368? It ultimately came to its demise in 1644 with invading Manchus. During that time, the Confucian system of scholars where people could gain good jobs by taking rigorous tests was established. The exhibit includes a few examples of the distinctive ceramic pottery originating in China. There is also a special section on Chinese calligraphy, illustrating the black beauty of brush painting with scrolls and a short film on the meticulous effort on how it's properly done. There are Three Perfections for calligraphy, as the placards explain: painting, poetry and calligraphy. A flick of the wrist, a light feather touch with a horse-hair tipped writing instrument, can alter the aesthetics of a literary text. Another uniquely impressive artwork was a pure gold cicada sitting on a rare white piece of jade, delicately carved into a shape of a curved leaf. Jade is usually found with a green tint, almost the shade of fresh bok choy. It's difficult to come across white jade and the craftsmanship of artists to shape an almost lifelike element to the natural world is impressive. Taking children along to visit museum exhibits to appreciate history, art and the world is of vital importance. Kids are seen regularly at museums all over China and Taiwan because adults understand the importance of passing along a sense of intellectual stimulation. My daughters came along with me to see the exhibit, gaining lessons that will sit with them for the rest of their lives. Children shouldn't be shadowed as if they're criminals about to shoplift a museum artefact. Simultaneously, the British Museum is running a similar Ming showcase down in London, encompassing works from all over the world, including the British Museum. Go to Ming Exhibit at the National Museum of Scotland ]]> What Voting Day Is Like for the Scottish Referendum tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2014:/theblog//3.5845908 2014-09-18T17:48:09-04:00 2014-11-18T05:59:03-05:00 Helen I. Hwang http://www.huffingtonpost.com/helen-i-hwang/ I was at the polling station at 8:30 a.m., an hour and a half after you could begin voting at 7 a.m. My husband and I took our two children, age 4 and 9, with us to witness this momentous event before taking them to private school. Two activists on both sides of the campaign carried leaflets and wore "Yes" and "No" badges stood quietly on either side of the entrance. Police presence is at the station. Deciding the fate of independence for a new country. Holding triple citizenship for Britain, America and Taiwan, I got to vote on this bizarre, momentous occasion. Born in Taiwan, the country has been maintaining its independence from China though there is talk that Taiwan may one day vote to join up with China by way of choosing the political leader and their closeness with China. Growing up in America, the U.S. fought for independence from Britain with the American Revolution in the late 1700s. Currently living in Scotland and having acquired my British citizenship in the last year, I hadn't really considered myself Scottish or British. Just more convenient to have the same passports as the rest of my family so I can be in the same queue when we traverse country's borders. My husband is English though he gets to vote on Scottish independence. One mom I know went to the store a few days ago and stocked up in case there was mayhem. She did come from a country that experienced civil war in South Asia. Another mom who brought her two young girls to vote in the European Parliament elections opted not to bring her kids to this election in case the atmosphere got ugly. Political leaders campaigning in walkabouts being shouted down in public places. Eggs had been thrown by "Yes" supporters at other "No" activists. In the morning I woke up with a feeling of dread. Outside of my little insular bubble of other parents at the same private school we went to, almost everyone I spoke to were planning on voting "Yes." The polling stations are in public schools so all those schools were shut today. Oh and they're shut tomorrow for "in-service day." A colleague of my husband, a "Yes" supporter, asked for a vacation for the day after the Referendum vote. My cynical knee-jerk reaction to these extended days of no school and no work is that it would be a reason to get trashed. It doesn't take much of a reason for the British to down a pint. I could imagine voters going to the pub with their mates and getting drunk. Going to the polling stations drunk. Going back to the pub to get more drunk while watching the Referendum coverage rather than their usual sports games. What's strikingly different about this voting coverage is that all the news organizations have agreed to minimize the campaign coverage on the day of the vote. In the U.S., I would be glued to the TV to see what was going on in different regions of the U.S. No exit polls allowed in this particular British election. We won't know the results until the middle of the night as counts finalize. Postal votes are amazingly popular even for people that will be here on election day. The idea was to save voters from going to the polling stations in case they couldn't get to the voting stations on time because of work or personal reasons. They're different from absentee ballots from the U.S., which became crucially important for the Bush versus Gore election in 2000. Postal votes are due by the time polling stations close at 10 p.m. However, fog in the Outer Hebrides has closed the airport on some remote Scottish islands so their votes are being brought to the mainland by fishing boat. Glasgow, where I voted, is the biggest city in Scotland. The government is expecting a 97 percent turnout, which is absolutely democratic and fantastic. True, the Scottish government changed the laws to include anyone age 16 and over. Scottish kids who can't legally buy alcohol in a store or drive a car have the power to decide the birth of a nation. Today, it was surprisingly calm, civil and quiet. Finally a day without shouting, heckling, badgering, shoving and egg-throwing. I've been out in public parks, grocery stores and out to a chippie dinner on a popular thoroughfare. Just a quiet Thursday, like any other week. Tonight, we go to sleep. Tomorrow, do we wake up in a different country?]]>


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Clashes between government and opposition supporters on the Maldives have not spread to the pristine beaches and luxury spas of the Indian Ocean archipelago. So that's all right then. Except that it isn't.
There is more to what has been going on than a bit of trouble in tourist paradise. After weeks of unrest, the country's first democratically elected leader in four decades, Mohamed Nasheed, resigned on Tuesday with a gun to his head in a coup led by the Maldives police. He had been in office just four turbulent years, following the 30-year rule of President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.
The coup appears to have been led by an alliance of Gayoom supporters and hardline Islamists. And its origins seem to lie in Mr Nasheed's efforts to bring Mr Gayoom's allies to justice for corruption and human rights violations, even as hardline Islamists forced the introduction of sharia law. An order to that effect was overturned by the Nasheed government – which feared the collapse of the country's economy. A warrant is now out for Mr Nasheed's arrest on terrorist charges.
Mauritius and the Seychelles have discreetly offered to accommodate the Maldives' tourists. But this is more than a threat to tourism. It is a threat to democracy, and Western governments must exert what pressure they can to bring the restoration of democratic order.
Russell Brand blames Germanwings crash on 'plague of mental illness' catalysed by capitalism
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Saffron Cardamom Lassi
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Click the heart, it's called favoriting. Favorite the stuff you like.Got it!
Food52 Review: I'm officially in love with cardamom. Who knew that those pretty green pods possessed the ability to transform a humble plain yogurt into a lovely little something that could make me go "Mmmm!" The subtle earthiness of the saffron plays well with the cardamom and adds a beautiful yellow color, while the bits of pistachio add a welcome and complimentary crunch. I made this three times with different types of greek yogurt, using three cardamom pods. Each yogurt varied a bit in density, so I added additional water to get it to a drinkable, yet still thick consistency. The most difficult part of making this was not eating it all before the flavors had a chance to blend. Next time, I'll double it for sure. - SwoonMySpoon
Serves 1
- 200-250 milliliters yogurt
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 2-3 saffron threads
- 2 tablespoons hot water
- 2-3 cardamom pods
- 1 tablespoon shelled pistachios
- + more pistachios to serve
- In a small bowl, crumble the saffron into 1 tablespoon of the water and let stand for 5 minutes.
- Whisk together the yogurt, powdered sugar, crushed cardamom seeds and crushed pistachios in a large bowl. Stir in the saffron and water mix. Combine well.
- Refrigerate, whisking a few times, until cold and brightly colored, about 1 hour. Pour into medium glasses and serve with some crushed pistachios on top.
- This recipe is a Community Pick!
- This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Recipe with Cardamom
Tags: breakfast, cardamom, dairy, indian, lassi, nuts, pistachios, saffron, yogurt
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Comments (9) Questions (1)
about 4 years ago SwoonMySpoon
Since the Thursday recipe picks, I've made this 3 times. Love it!
about 4 years ago Table9
This is so beautiful and looks super easy! Cannot wait to try it.
about 4 years ago Egle
I hope you'll like it ;)
about 4 years ago Sundayinthekitchen
Looks tasty -- does it keep well or should it be served right away?
about 4 years ago Egle
it keeps well for 1 or 2 days. while storing in the fridge flavors come deeper, drink tastes more complex. I should say that this is a treat that is really very flavorful and satisfying.
about 4 years ago TheWimpyVegetarian
about 4 years ago Egle
Oh yes... :)
about 4 years ago Sagegreen
about 4 years ago Egle


text:
Nate McMillan would coach a team like Bobcats, but do they want Sloan?
May 7, 2012, 10:48 AM EDT
Apparently the Charlotte Bobcats coaching job is in a lot more demand than I expected… that or right now it's the only job out there so nobody will burn that bridge.
Some bigger names than one might expect have been thrown out there to take over the worst team in NBA history, one stuck in a small market with an owner who has yet to prove himself (as an owner, as a player MJ was pretty solid as I recall).
Former Trail Blazers coach (and North Carolina guy) Nate McMillan told CSNNW.com that he would consider taking on a rebuilding team like the Bobcats.
"The plan in Portland, when I got there was to rebuild and we were lucky to draft some really good players. Injuries just put a damper on things. Coaching is coaching. It would be a new beginning for me. Young team or a veteran team….If you're saying, 'I'm just looking for a veteran team,' that's not true.
"Depends on the opportunity. It takes two to agree to a deal and we'll see whenever that happens. I won't just take anything, it will depend on the situation."
McMillan would be a coup for the Bobcats, a coach much better than the first-timer they are expected to have to take on.
But they may have their eye on former Jazz head man Jerry Sloan, according to Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News. Which would be an interesting choice for a rebuilding team — he is an old-school harda** who would bring some discipline to the Bobcats. But he has clashed with players like Deron Williams in the past and would he really want to come back to the NBA at age 70 to rebuild from literally the bottom? My guess is no, if he wanted to be back in the NBA he would be, he's had teams reach out before.
Either way, the Bobcats have their goals set high.
- acdc363 - May 7, 2012 at 12:03 PM
Well at least the last thing Sloan would have to worry about on the bobcats would be clashing with stars
- thomaskouns - May 7, 2012 at 12:03 PM
Why would Jerry Sloan want to coach one of the worst run and least talented teams in the NBA after his success with the Jazz.
Sloan should be able to get a lot better offers than the Bobcats.
- cantonbound13 - May 7, 2012 at 1:02 PM
Isiah Thomas is available. LOL!!!!!
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Videos tagged "shortanimatedfilm"
Take part in movie a film about Halabjah, بەشداری فیلمێک بۆ هەلەبجە بکە.00:46
4 Plays / 0 Likes / 0 Comments
Take part in movie film about Halabjah بەشداری فیلمێک بۆ هەلەبجە بکە. www.facebook.com/film.about.halabjah By Raafed Jarah www.raafedjarah.com www.jarah-design.com+ More details
Peppercorn Babycorn Unicorn - Teaser00:16
617 Plays / 12 Likes / 1 Comment
A young girl spends the weekend with her imposing Grandmother. While left unattended she hijacks her Grandmother's cauldron and attempts to make a Unicorn. Film by Makoto Koji Voices by Abby Sim, Natalie Kagan Music by Christopher Larkin Foley & Sound design by Christopher Larkin & Timothy Whittington Special thanks to Ari Gibson, Shane McNeil, Katie Powell, Tim Mcburnie, Lilly Sim, Tricia Greig, Friend & Family Made in South Australia Financed through the South Australian Film Corporation's support of the Media Resource Centre A Paper Rabbits Production (c) Makoto Koji, 2015+ More details
For Hujam, jibo Hucam, بۆ هوجام00:22
47 Plays / 1 Likes / 0 Comments
"Hujam" was a "Peshmerga" Kurdish defensive fighter, who fought against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria to the people in Kurdistan children, women, protect elderly people, he has been caught hostage by ISIS, after six months is barbaric been "executed" by ISIS public camera at 31.january.2015 been detacked the head. "Hujam" war ein "Peshmerga" Kurdish defensiv kämpfer, hat gegen den Islamische Staat in Irak und syrien in Kurdistan gekämpft um das Volk Kinder, Frauen, ältere menschen zu schützen, er ist als Geisel von ISIS gefangen worden, nach sechs Monaten ist barbarisch von ISIS öffentliche Kamera am 31.january.2015, den Kopf abgetrent worden, "hingerichtet worden". www.raafedjarah.com www.jarah-design.com+ More details
Short animated film Trailer 2015, by Raafed Jarah00:40
13 Plays / 0 Likes / 0 Comments
www.raafedjarah.com www.jarah-design.com www.vimeo.com/user9330447+ More details
AWARDS: - "Best Film", Rob Knox Film Festival (UK) 2014 - "Audience Award for Best National Short", Festival de Cine de Zaragoza (Spain) 2013 - "Best Animated Film" Festiver Film Festival (Colombia) 2013 - "Best Music Score", Ballston Spa Film Festival (USA) 2013 - "TIDCA Judge Award", Taipei International Digital Content Awards (Taiwan) 2013 - "Third Best Animated Film", Concurs Cinema Ciutat de Cornellà (Spain) - "Honorable Mention", Non Stop Barcelona Animació (Spain) 2014 - "Finalist Animated short Nomination" Soho Int'l Film Festival (USA) 2014 - "Audience Award- 2nd place" and " 2nd Best Film - North America", Animarte (Brazil) 2014 More than 100 SCREENINGS (for the rest of screenings visit promofest.org/films/creamen): - Academy qualifying Short Shorts Film Festival and Asia, 2014 - Festival de cine español Málaga, 2014 - 17th SICAF, Seoul International Cartoon and Animation Festival 2013 - CutOut Fest, Mexico 2013 - 26th Medina del Campo Film Festival, Short films & videoclips - Animayo Animation International Film Festival, Spain, 2013 - Semafor- Stop motion Film festival, Poland 2013 - Montreal Stop motion Film festival, Canada 2013 - Green Int'l Film Festival in Seoul, GIFFS 2013 - Festival Internacional Cortometrajes Torrelavega - 14 Edición, Spain - ISMAILIA Int'l festival for documentary & short films, Egypt - Reel Earth Environmental Film Festival 2013, New Zealand - Festival de Cortometrajes Hayah, Panama - Green Film Fest, Argentina - Women make waves film/vide festivalL, Taiwan - Naoussa Int'l short film and video festival, Greece etc etc etc.. SYNOPSIS: 'Creamen'- taken from the latin word 'crimen', meaning crime, is a colorful, symbolic story about the global warming crisis, which brings together an unlikely group of ice-cream characters who unexpectedly are forced to confront the challenge of a potentially devastating future together- our future. WRITTEN and DIRECTED by: Esther Casas Roura (claymaniak.com) VISIT US ON THE WEB for full credits and movie info: creamenthemovie.com/wp/ JOIN US ON FACEBOOK: facebook.com/groups/creamenthemovie/ FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: twitter.com/claymaniak+ More details
85 Plays / 0 Likes / 1 Comment
A animated comedy student short film by Nicoli E. Whitfield.+ More details
295 Plays / 1 Likes / 0 Comments
Tagline - When the World is Just You The Social Wall is an upcoming computer animated short film that tackles the subject of the world we live in today. The world of social media, cell phones, text messaging, web cams and so much more. It is a light hearted comedy with an interesting plot highlighting this issue. Everything boils down to quality of work and story for the team behind "The Social Wall". We have already worked on some incredible rough sketches of Joseph and the world he lives in. -We have already invested in rough character sketches and the next step is to get full fledged storyboard completed including a final 3D design of our lead Character Joseph. -Once we have received the amount of funding, we will be looking for investors and other venues to secure money to start the production.+ More details
5,083 Plays / 37 Likes / 2 Comments
Questo è il super corto che abbiamo realizzato in Blender per il contest "L'Invasione degli Ultracorti" di Wired Italia! This is the super short we made in Blender exclusively for the contest "L'Invasione degli Ultracorti" by Wired Italy!+ More details
3,873 Plays / 307 Likes / 11 Comments
Bulb is Radicle Animation's first in-house produced short animated film. It tells the funny and yet intriguing story of Doctor Ed, the inventor of the first ever time travel machine. But when Dr. Ed sends his loyal assistant Looee away through time and space, Looee doesn't return as happy as he left off. This triggers Looee to destroy a crucial part of Dr. Ed's machine. Which, on his turn, he needs to replace. By doing this Dr. Ed didn't calculate the consequences that will occur... Credits: Anne-Marie Schmitz - Producer Gael Carpentier - Executive Producer Niels De Vries - Director Alexandre Belbari - Art Director & Animator Thawatchai Chunachai - Animation Director Colas Grasset - Character Design & Storyboard Olivier Fourmanoir - Modeling & Rendering Nicolas Martigne - Sound Design Keep following our work!! http://www.radicle.hk http://www.facebook.com/radicle+ More details
Paperman- Sound Design By Vladimir Sivc04:06
125 Plays / 0 Likes / 0 Comments
This project was from 2013 last year, where I did my first proper sound design work. The short animation film is directed by John Kahrs although I have used the video to implement my own sound effect work into it. All of the sounds were recorded using condenser microphones and a zoom H4n The music used was pre-made it was taken from the classic film "La Dolce Vita" I felt it worked and edited it within. The track name is: Nino Rota- La Dolce Vita+ More details
What are Tags?
Tags are keywords that describe videos. For example, a video of your Hawaiian vacation might be tagged with "Hawaii," "beach," "surfing," and "sunburn."


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The bid opening for the City of Hills' water supply network project has been rescheduled.
Keywords: City of Hills
Contractors will review the City of Hills' plans for a water system this afternoon.
With dry but hot conditions workers were able to complete the Hills Main Street project yesterday morning.
Keywords: City of Hills, Main Street, Road Closure
Main Street in Hills will be closed starting today.
Keywords: City of Hills, Main Street, railroad construction
Main Street in Hills will be closed starting tomorrow.
A bipartisan effort in Kentucky is moving to treat drug addicts rather than jailing them. Is this a good idea?
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I've finalised the layout for the mechanims that will drive the caterpillar model. There are a few small changes that I have made to the original design including mounting the slider inside the box and adding windows to the to side of the box so that the bell cranks are visible.
Just the caterpillar to do!
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It was such a delight to see the Dancing Man model being used on the Belgium TV show de Schuur van Scheire!
I mentioned in my last newsletter that the video was great to see even though I didn't understand the words. Rising to the implied challenge, newsletter subscriber Charles sent me an email with a translation of the video. It goes something like this
In a few words :
Their wives have been complaining about why they do what they do so they decide to find useful things to do with the Dancing Man, each of the scenes then shows one of these ideas:
To replace our king when he is travelling abroard ("and it is cheaper")
As a dance teacher.
For people who want so see more police on the street.
As a goal keeper. Thibaut Courtois
Thanks Charles, that was really helpful!
You can see the video clip here.
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I'm delighted to have had some of my paper models featured on the Belgium TV Show de Schuur van Scheire.
There are loads of clips from the show on YouTube that you can visit via their page.
Including this amazing clip of a giant Dancing Man paper project they they have made from corrugated card. Check out the videos, they're great!
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I'm delighted to present two videos of models both based around the Worm Gear mechanism.
Firstly we have a pop up mole from the creative mind of our friend Mr Cool. His used a free mole model from this Japanese site and added it to the worm gear box to make this charming model.
Then we have a video from regular friend of the website Michael42er featuring a mash-up of the Early Bird model and the worm gear. I particually like the way he has cut out the box side to reveal the worm gear in action!
Thanks for sharing both, I really enjoyed seeing them!
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Turn the handle on the Worm Gear / Cam box and the gear inside advances one turn for each turn of the handle, a speed reduction of 12:1. Inside the box is a snail cam and cam follower which slowly lift as the gear turns and then suddenly drop at the end of the twelve turn cycle.
Use the Worm Gear / Cam as an interesting exercise in pure mechanism or as the starting point for your own character based paper automata.
Members can download this model for free at the link. Thanks for signing up! Non-members can download the project file for £2.50.
Print out the parts onto three sheets of thin card. 230gsm / 67lb is ideal. I have printed the parts onto coloured card to make a colourful model.
Score along all the dotted and dashes line and cut out the cross-hatched holes before carefully cutting out the model.
Fold over the gear to make double thickness card then card carefully cut it out.
Fold over the cam to make double thickness card as well. Once the glue is dry carefully cut it out.
Roll up the three tubes and glue them down lining up the ends with the points of the arrows.
Thread the gear and the snail cam onto the square shaft lining them up with the grey lines. Make sure the cam is the correct way round.
Assemble the cam follower.
Glue on the tab...
...then the short section of tube.
Roll the tab round and glue it into position between the two triangular tubes.
Take a penny piece (20mm diameter 4gram weight) Wrap an off-cut of card tightly round the coin and glue it down. Glue the coin to the cam follower just behind the tube.
Fit the wider tube into the worm axle Line it up with the grey lines.
Start at one end of the spiral grey line, glue a section of worm to the shaft. Try and keep it as perpendicular to the shaft as possible.
Glue the next one in place overlapping the first by one face width of the hexagon tube.
Work your way down the tube in the same way gluing each piece down with a full face overlap.
Once complete glue the five pieces of worm gear together.
Assemble the handle in three steps.
Fold up and glue the triangle tubes on the box ends.
Fold up and glue the right angle triangles on the box top and base.
Glue the sides to the top as shown.
Thread the gear into position and glue in the base. The gear should turn freely in the box holes. If it does not, remove the shaft and expand the holes very gently with a pencil.
Glue in the two box side stiffeners next to the cam shaft but not so close that they stop it turning.
Fit the worm gear into position.
Close the box front locating the worm shaft into position. Glue the handle to the shaft.
Glue the end of the push rod to the cam follower.
From the back of the box, thread the push rod up through the hole in the box top then glue the cam follower to the back of the box. Once the glue is dry turn the handle and the cam will inch round incredibly slowly.
Perfect for making a tortoise that peeps out of her shell? Or a snail creep along or perhaps a sloth in a tree?
Whatever you create with this useful mechanism be sure to share photographs with the rest of the website visitors by emailing them in!
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Late stage prototype for a caterpillar project:
The model uses a double crank with a ninety degree offset on the second crank. The caterpillar is then driven via push rods and a pair of bell cranks to make the Inch-Worm movement.
I have a few tweaks to make to the caterpillar. It catches a little as it moves so I need to make some small changes to the design of the individual sections, I'm also planning on making it a bit smaller so that it goes flatter at full stretch.
Cute though dontcha think?
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Here's the plan. Using the worm drive from the previous post, I'm planning a snail model. Turn the handle and the two cranks in the box will turn really s-l-o-w-l-y moving the snail head back and forth hopefully giving the impression of a slithering snail. The head will be driven by one crank and the tail by a second crank following ninety degrees behind.
Something like this...
Here's my draft version of the double crank.
And here it is fitted into a box and linked up to a couple of bell cranks.
The mechanism also makes a really nice crawling caterpillar. (I think they are called inch worms in the US) So to that end I've also been experimenting with segmented bodies.
The caterpillar will work better without gearing down. I seem to have three or four interesting models on the go here so I'll be concentrating on finishing them off and getting them posted to the site over the next few days. Should be fun!
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I love it! Our friend Mr Cool has mixed one of Walter Ruffler's models with the Essential Mechanisms cam box and come up with this delightful snapping dragon automata. Thanks for sharing!
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After some more experimenting I've put together a working worm gear mechanism with a 12:1 speed reduction. Here's the Instagram video of the model in action.
I tried a variety of different gear profiles before finally settling on the yellow one here.
I put together an almost two turn worm and a geared camshaft.
The two parts fit into a box with a cam follower.
I'll put together a download with this mechanism and probably another with a worm gear driving a crank rather than a cam. I have an idea for a snail model which could be based on this mech, you can see a sketch of it it in my Instagram stream.
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More work on the worm gear. I've been trying out a few different variations in design. This is what I've come up with so far:
In the original version, the walls of the worm part were prone to bending over if to much pressure was applied to them. I've greatly reduced this tendency by reducing the height of the walls and by making the worm section one and a half turns instead of one turn. The biggest change though is that the centre core is now a hexagon instead of a square and is now ten millimetres in diameter instead of eight.
I also changed the size of the driven wheel to nineteen teeth though I think I might reduce it back to about twelve teeth in the next version.
In the hand held test the worm and gear work beautifully smoothly. The true test comes next though, when I mount them both in a box.
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