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A project in memory of Perranwell Station teenager Tanisha Jane has received a £162 donation from a Carnon Downs based events company.
Deborah Martyn Events raised the money for Tanisha's Gift with their animal pen at Truro's Victorian Christmas show, which this year featured two angora goats from Blegan Farm in Camborne.
Martyn Davies, the company's events director, said: "This year we decided to donate the monies to a cause close to home.
"We are always very pleased with the generosity shown by members of the visiting public to the event and have great pleasure in making this donation to the memory of such a |special young lady."
Tanisha's Gift, set up following the sad and unexpected death of the teenager, aged just 19, in August 2012, aims to enable teachers and students to collaborate globally.
In May last year the project sent several of Tanisha's peers to Los Angeles to take part in activities and work with students studying at the Los Angeles Harbor College.


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Adios, La Nada; hola, El Niño!
As California sinks further into drought, farmers and ranchers across the state are ready to see some relief. With El Niño forecast to appear sometime this summer, relief may soon be on its way.
According to Reuters, scientists are still debating the intensity of the potential El Niño. And while it could mean drought for Asia and Australia, the United States could reap some-needed benefits — much-needed rain to drought-hit California.
"El Niño has a bad connotation, undeservedly so in the U.S.," said Harry Hillaker, state climatologist in Iowa. "Given the water supply issues they are having in California, more rain would be helpful."
Unfortunately for the parched state, relief can't come soon enough.
In the latest "Drought Monitor" report, more than two-thirds of the state is in extreme or worse drought, up 8 percentage points from last week's report.
Gov. Jerry Brown issued a drought emergency in mid-January. Earlier this week, he proposed a $687 million aid package to help California get through its water crisis while preparing for the next, according to the San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News.
The legislation calls for speeding up water conservation and clean drinking-water project approvals while offering relief to out-of-work farmers. Towns and cities running out of water could also have access to $15 million in emergency funds.
"The best way to make our communities more resilient to drought is to invest in projects that help us get the most out of every drop of water," said Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, who will carry the legislation. "We're not waiving environmental laws. We're not hiking taxes or fees. We're using money we have available now to save time, save water and help Californians hardest hit by the drought."
Last week, President Barack Obama visited the state to pledge to speed federal assistance to help the state recover from drought, including $100 million in aid to help California farmers and ranchers who have lost livestock due to drought conditions. However, farmers believe Obama's drought relief misses the mark.
"Throwing money at it is not going to solve the problem long-term," Sarah Woolf, a partner with Clark Brothers Farming told the Associated Press.
The Associated Press reports in an article here that officials plan to announce how much water they will release this year through its vast system of rivers, canals and reservoirs, but farmers, especially those in Central Valley, expect little. Last year, the driest year in California history, some farmers received 20 percent of normal. This year that figure could hit zero.

subset: commoncrawl


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Students in Palo Alto are stressed out. They've been stressed for years. The school sits in the shadow of Stanford University, and students face crushing pressure from parents and the community at large to earn a spot at one of the nation's top colleges. Many students are raised by executives at Facebook, Apple, Intel, Sun, Cisco, Google, and other premier companies and do their homework surrounded by some of the most successful self-made business leaders in the world. It's a lot to live up to. Even the kids who aren't driven to study engineering at Cal Tech spend their formative years in a society that can't help but conflate academic performance with a sense of self-worth. The impact on students' anxiety and confidence levels is undeniable, and the epidemic of student suicides in recent years is testament to the need to support these students.
The 2010 report released by the Project Safety Net task force exploring potential sources of student stress places an enormous priority on students' ability to form personal relationships with faculty. It gives them an anchor, someone to turn to for help, and reminds them that they are not invisible and lost in the crowd. Herein lies the value of a teacher advisor program.
I attended Paly from 2001-2005 and lost friends to suicide in 2002 and 2003. This was before Facebook was available to complicate high school social lives to an unimaginable degree, and the national economic outlook was more encouraging than harrowing — people graduated from college and consistently found gainful employment. We were stressed out regardless. I was a typical burned out senior upon graduating, after charging through the typical varsity athletics, model government, AP courses, applying to elite colleges, and so on. Having a teacher advisor I could lean on for guidance was a critical support system for me, and though I felt overwhelmed every week, my TAs kept me from feeling lost.
They helped us with field trip logistics. They guided us through class registration. They made sure we covered all our bases around graduation requirements. They got us into our PSATs and CAHSEEs. They helped us wrap our heads around writing college admission essays. This was all critical, and I don't remember my monthly TA sessions having more than 20 or 25 kids for each faculty member, compared to the 300-plus students assigned to each of Gunn's guidance counselors. More importantly, the TAs were able to keep track of the emotional state within each student, and if grades were suffering, or if we were suffering, they were there to ask us what was going on, and refer us to guidance counselors. That was tremendous. I never took the time to address my own depression issues until after high school, but I vividly remember how supported I felt simply by hearing the words, "are you doing okay?" It was grounding, and it reminded me that somebody had my back through the daily pressures.
When I reflect on how supportive my TAs were, Gunn's lack of a TA program would be laughable if it didn't cast a reminder of the grim circumstances that led us to this discussion. I know that resources are limited. I know that California's school year shrinks with every budget cycle, and I know teachers are under pressure to condense more education into diminishing windows. But that doesn't matter. Paly was able to pull 45 faculty members into an hour-long support session eight or nine times during the school year (I believe it was monthly), and it made an enormous difference in the lives of the students. It still does. The Gunn community should view TA programs as an investment in the success of the other 19 school days each month; if academic rankings are so important to the community, shouldn't we make a minimal effort to ensure that kids are supported enough to absorb the material? More importantly, shouldn't we make a maximum effort to ensure that our children feel more confident than hopeless?
I would like to encourage everybody to attend "Learning About Counseling Changes for Gunn: How Teacher Advisors Can Better Support Our Kids" on May 16, 7 p.m., at St Mark's Episcopal Church at 600 Colorado Ave. in Palo Alto. Denise Clark Pope, a senior lecturer at Stanford, will lead a panel discussion highlighting the merits of a teacher advisor program. I am grateful for the opportunity to share my own positive experience with the TA program, but this panel is a much stronger way to educate the community and rally support for the cause. We have a stress problem in the district. The school district is responding to collective action. Let's continue the progress, and keep pushing for a teacher advisor program at Gunn.


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Here's a quote of the famous simile of the Turtle and the Fish by Bhikkhu Bodhi:
"There was once a turtle who lived in a lake with a group of fish. One day the turtle went for a walk on dry land. He was away from the lake for a few weeks. When he returned he met some of the fish. The fish asked him, "Mister turtle, hello! How are you? We have not seen you for a few weeks. Where have you been? The turtle said, "I was up on the land, I have been spending some time on dry land." The fish were a little puzzled and they said, "Up on dry land? What are you talking about? What is this dry land? Is it wet?" The turtle said "No, it is not," "Is it cool and refreshing?" "No it is not", "Does it have waves and ripples?" "No, it does not have waves and ripples." "Can you swim in it?" "No you can't" So the fish said, "it is not wet, it is not cool there are no waves, you cant swim in it. So this dry land of yours must be completely non-existent, just an imaginary thing, nothing real at all." The turtle said that "Well may be so" and he left the fish and went for another walk on dry land. "
Is this simile found anywhere in the Suttas? I thought I heard somewhere that it was.


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--Trend toward overall survival demonstrated in squamous-cell compared to non-squamous-cell disease
--PDUFA date scheduled for Oct. 12, 2012
Celgene International Sarl, a subsidiary of Celgene Corporation today announced results from multiple presentations evaluating ABRAXANE(R) (paclitaxel protein-bound particles for injectable suspension) (albumin-bound) in combination with carboplatin in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer during the 48th American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago, Ill.
The two reports presented data from retrospective analyses of CA-031, the phase III, multi-center, randomized study where patients received either nab-paclitaxel (100mg/m(2)) weekly plus carboplatin (AUC=6) every three weeks (n=521) or paclitaxel (200mg/m(2)) every three weeks plus carboplatin (AUC=6) (n=531) as first-line therapy for advanced non-small cell lung cancer.
Based on the data from CA-031, Celgene submitted an sNDA for ABRAXANE(R) for the first-line treatment of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in December 2011. The current PDUFA date for the submission is Oct. 12, 2012.
Results of this study published ahead of print on April 30, 2012 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology demonstrated a higher overall response rate (ORR), the approved primary end-point of the study based on a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA), for patients in the nab-paclitaxel arm compared to those in the paclitaxel arm (33% vs. 25%, p=0.005).
The first sub-analysis evaluated elderly patients in the study (age greater-than or equal to 70, n=156) and patients under 70 (n=896). In both groups, ORR was higher in patients receiving nab-paclitaxel, though in elderly patients this difference was not significant. In elderly patients, progression-free survival (PFS) favored nab-paclitaxel (median 8.0 vs. 6.8 months, HR: 0.687, p=0.134) and overall survival was significantly improved (median 19.9 vs. 10.4 months, HR 0.583, p=0.009). For patients under 70, there was no significant difference in PFS or OS between the arms of the study.
In elderly patients, less grade 3/4 neutropenia (54% vs. 74%) and neuropathy (7% vs. 23%) and increased thrombocytopenia (23% vs. 14%) and anemia (23% vs. 10%) in the nab-paclitaxel arm vs. the paclitaxel arm.
The second report evaluated patients with squamous-cell histology (n=450) and non-squamous cell patients (n=602).
In squamous-cell histology patients, the nab-paclitaxel arm demonstrated a significantly higher ORR (41% vs. 24%, p<0.001), similar PFS (5.6 vs. 5.7 months, HR: 0.865) and a slight improvement in OS (10.7 vs. 9.5 months, HR:0.890), compared to the paclitaxel arm. Non-squamous-cell histologies including adenocarcinoma (ADENO), large-cell carcinoma (LC) and not otherwise specified (NOS) were characterized individually for ORR. In these histologies, the ORR in patients receiving nab-paclitaxel compared to paclitaxel was the nab-paclitaxel arm, respectively, was 26% vs. 27% in ADENO, 33% vs. 15% in LC and 24% vs. 15% in NOS. PFS in non-squamous cell histology patients who received nab-paclitaxel compared to those who received paclitaxel, respectively, was 6.9 vs. 6.5 months (hr:0.933)(hr:p=0.532). By histology, median PFS measures for nab-paclitaxel patients compared to paclitaxel patients, respectively, were 6.9 vs. 6.9 months in ADENO, NR (not reached) vs. 3.8 months in LC and 6.4 vs. 4.3 months in NOS. OS by histology for patients receiving nab-paclitaxel compared to those receiving paclitaxel, respectively was 13.9 vs. 13.6 months in ADENO, 12.4 vs. 10.6 months in LC and 10.4 vs. 11.2 months in NOS.
In squamous-cell histology patients, nab-paclitaxel demonstrated produced lower rates of grade 3/4 neuropathy (3% vs. 11%) and neutropenia (43% vs. 51%), and higher rates of anemia (27% vs. 4%) and thrombocytopenia (21% vs. 7%) compared to paclitaxel. In non-squamous-cell histology patients, patients receiving nab-paclitaxel versus paclitaxel, respectively demonstrated lower rates of grade 3/4 neuropathy (3% vs. 12%) and neutropenia (50% vs. 63%), and higher rates of anemia (28% vs. 9%) and thrombocytopenia (16% vs. 11%).
These results are from an investigational study. ABRAXANE is not indicated for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer.
ABRAXANE(R) for Injectable Suspension (paclitaxel protein-bound particles for injectable suspension) is indicated for the treatment of breast cancer after failure of combination chemotherapy for metastatic disease or relapse within 6 months of adjuvant chemotherapy. Prior therapy should have included an anthracycline unless clinically contraindicated.
Important Safety Information
-- ABRAXANE therapy should not be administered to patients with metastatic breast cancer who have baseline neutrophil counts of less than 1,500 cells/mm(3). In order to monitor the occurrence of bone marrow suppression, primarily neutropenia, which may be severe and result in infection, it is recommended that frequent peripheral blood cell counts be performed on all patients receiving ABRAXANE.
-- Note: An albumin form of paclitaxel may substantially affect a drug's functional properties relative to those of drug in solution. DO NOT SUBSTITUTE FOR OR WITH OTHER PACLITAXEL FORMULATIONS.
Neutrophil Counts
-- ABRAXANE should not be used in patients who have baseline neutrophils counts of < 1,500 cells/mm(3)
-- Patients who experience a severe hypersensitivity reaction to ABRAXANE should not be rechallenged with the drug
Hematologic Effects
-- Bone marrow suppression (primarily neutropenia) is dose dependent and a dose limiting toxicity
-- In order to monitor the occurrence of myelotoxicity, perform frequent peripheral blood cell counts
-- Retreat with subsequent cycles of ABRAXANE after neutrophils recover to a level >1,500 cells/mm(3) and platelets recover to >100,000 cells/mm(3)
-- In the case of severe neutropenia (<500 cells/mm(3) for 7 days or more), during a course of ABRAXANE therapy, dose reduce for subsequent courses of therapy
Nervous System
-- Sensory neuropathy occurs frequently with ABRAXANE
-- The occurrence of grade 1 or 2 sensory neuropathy does not generally require dose modification
-- If grade 3 sensory neuropathy develops, treatment should be withheld until resolution to grade 1 or 2 followed by a dose reduction for all subsequent courses of ABRAXANE
Hepatic Impairment
-- Because the exposure and toxicity of paclitaxel can be increased with hepatic impairment, administration of ABRAXANE in patients with hepatic impairment should be performed with caution
-- The starting dose should be reduced for patients with moderate and severe hepatic impairment
Albumin (Human)
-- ABRAXANE contains albumin (human), a derivative of human blood
Use in Pregnancy: Pregnancy Category D
-- ABRAXANE can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman
-- There are no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women receiving ABRAXANE
-- If this drug is used during pregnancy, or if the patient becomes pregnant while receiving this drug, the patient should be apprised of the potential hazard to the fetus
-- Women of childbearing potential should be advised to avoid becoming pregnant while receiving ABRAXANE
Use in Men:
-- Men should be advised to not father a child while receiving ABRAXANE
ADVERSE REACTIONS - Randomized Metastatic Breast Cancer Study
-- Severe cardiovascular events possibly related to single-agent ABRAXANE occurred in approximately 3% of patients. These events included cardiac ischemia/infarction, chest pain, cardiac arrest, supraventricular tachycardia, edema, thrombosis, pulmonary thromboembolism, pulmonary emboli, and hypertension
-- Cases of cerebrovascular attacks (strokes) and transient ischemic attacks have been reported
-- In the randomized metastatic breast cancer study, the most common adverse events (greater-than or equal to 20%) were alopecia (90%), neutropenia (all cases 80%; severe 9%), sensory neuropathy (any symptoms 71%; severe 10%), abnormal ECG (all patients 60%, patients with normal baseline 35%), asthenia (any 47%; severe 8%), myalgia/arthralgia (any 44%; severe 8%), AST (SGOT) elevations (any 39%), alkaline phosphatase elevations (any 36%), anemia (all cases 33%; severe 1%), nausea (any 30%; severe 3%), diarrhea (any 27%; severe <1%) and infections (24%). Other adverse events of note include vomiting (any 18%; severe 4%), and mucositis (any 7%; severe <1%). 3% (7 of 229) of patients discontinued the use of ABRAXANE due to sensory neuropathy.
-- Other adverse events have included ocular/visual disturbances (any 13%; severe 1%), renal dysfunction (any 11%; severe 1%), fluid retention (any 10%; severe 0%), hepatic dysfunction (elevations in bilirubin 7%), hypersensitivity reactions (any 4%; severe 0%), cardiovascular reactions (severe 3%), thrombocytopenia (any 2%; severe <1%), and injection site reactions (<1%). Dehydration and pyrexia were also reported.
Post-Marketing Experience with ABRAXANE and other Paclitaxel Formulations
-- Severe hypersensitivity reactions have also been reported with ABRAXANE
-- During postmarketing surveillance, reports of congestive heart failure and left ventricular dysfunction were observed, primarily among individuals with underlying cardiac history or prior exposure to cardiotoxic drugs like anthracyclines
-- There have been reports of extravasation of ABRAXANE. Given the possibility of extravasation, it is advisable to monitor closely the ABRAXANE infusion site for possible infiltration during drug administration
-- No drug interaction studies have been conducted with ABRAXANE
-- Caution should be exercised when administering ABRAXANE concomitantly with medicines known to inhibit or induce either CYP2C8 or CYP3A4
Nursing Mothers:
-- It is not known whether paclitaxel is excreted in human milk
-- Because many drugs are excreted in human milk and because of the potential for serious adverse reactions in nursing infants, a decision should be made to discontinue nursing or to discontinue the drug, taking into account the importance of the drug to the mother
-- The safety and efficacy of ABRAXANE in pediatric patients have not been evaluated
-- No toxicities occurred notably more frequently among patients greater-than or equal to 65 years of age who received ABRAXANE
Renal Impairment:
-- The use of ABRAXANE has not been studied in patients with renal impairment
-- Patients were excluded for baseline serum bilirubin >1.5 mg/dL or baseline serum creatinine > 2 mg/dL
-- Dose adjustment is recommended for patients with moderate and severe hepatic impairment and patients who experience severe neutropenia or severe sensory neuropathy during treatment with ABRAXANE
Please see full Prescribing Information, including Boxed WARNING, CONTRAINDICATIONS, WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS, and ADVERSE REACTIONS.
About Celgene International Sarl
Celgene International Sarl, located in Boudry, in the Canton of Neuchatel, Switzerland, is a wholly owned subsidiary and international headquarters of Celgene Corporation. Celgene Corporation, headquartered in Summit, New Jersey, is an integrated global pharmaceutical company engaged primarily in the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative therapies for the treatment of cancer and inflammatory diseases through gene and protein regulation. For more information, please visit the Company's website at www.celgene.com .
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements, which are generally statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the words "expects," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "plans," "will," "outlook" and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are based on management's current plans, estimates, assumptions and projections, and speak only as of the date they are made. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement in light of new information or future events, except as otherwise required by law. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, most of which are difficult to predict and are generally beyond our control. Actual results or outcomes may differ materially from those implied by the forward-looking statements as a result of the impact of a number of factors, many of which are discussed in more detail in our Annual Report on Form 10-K and our other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
SOURCE: Celgene Corporation


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I learned one summer on a pitch 'n' putt. Was going under par before the summer was over. Then went to school and the course there is pretty legit. Took me about 5/6 months of playing that course before I got an under par round.
This summer I spent designing a course with a portable basket. Going through Parks & Recs to put it in later this calendar year. I thought I'd made it pretty difficult, but after 4 months of playing the tweaked version of the course I went -2. Only time I'd gone par or under though and there was zero wind that day, so I'm sure that helped.


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We're City Drawers……. your local underwear boutique (and bra shop!)
Pull on a pair that's right for you at this moment:
~ are you heading to the gym?
~ wearing business attire?
~ need something for a special occasion or wedding?
~ need a non-visible solution?
~ want a comfy jean style?
~ going on a date?
~ need something for that time of the month?
~ packing light for a trip?
~ need a little tummy shaping?
~ need some smoothing of your waist?
~ want a panty to match your bra?
~ tired of your panty creeping up?
We have the alternatives and maybe something you'd call your everyday pair, too.
Visit us for Hers, His & Theirs……. solutions.
Ask for a Naker's Dozen card at check-out……. collect a punch for every underwear purchase and your 15th pair is free!


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WorldFest: Wild, Mild and Wicked
Get ready, film fans. The indie invasion of Houston is under way.
The curtains go up Friday, April 9, on Three Seasons, but it will begin the 32nd season for the WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival. The opening film, an unexpected classic of moral simplicity and cinematic beauty, marks a grand return for filmmaker Tony Bui. Only two years ago he left the Houston festival with his first prize anywhere for the short Yellow Lotus; now he has the likes of Harvey Keitel in his cast.
Bui's screening jump-starts nine days of independent filmmakers displaying 40 feature films, and twice that many shorts. Plan on an ending that is satisfyingly Wicked, Michael Steinberg's closer about incest within the confines of a gated community.
While the festival touts a salute to its five Canadian films, Poland has as many movies on display. The special attraction is a Polish import, director Agnieszka Holland, who crafted the 1990 cinema classic Europa Europa. As part of Poland's new wave of filmmakers, she has captured an Oscar nomination, a Golden Globe award and major honors at heavyweight film festivals in Cannes, Berlin and Montreal.
Among her works receiving widespread United States notice are Angry Harvest, Olivier, Olivier and The Secret Garden. Her most impressive film at this festival is Fever, an intriguing if murky look at bomb-tossing radicals of Eastern Europe in the early 1900s.
Upcoming Events
Houston Texans vs. Arizona Cardinals
TicketsSun., Nov. 19, 12:00pm
Rice Owls Football vs. North Texas
TicketsSat., Nov. 25, 12:00pm
Houston Texans vs. San Francisco 49ers
TicketsSun., Dec. 10, 12:00pm
Houston Texans vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
TicketsMon., Dec. 25, 3:30pm
Houston Open - Good Any One Day Grounds
TicketsSun., Apr. 1, 11:59pm
For classics, the festival has unfurled The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, the one-of-a-kind musical that first showcased the stunning Catherine Deneuve.
Filmgoers can find other international stops within the festival screens at General Cinema Meyerland. Bombay is the setting for The Sixth Happiness, a daring and delightful tale of a sardonic boy battling handicaps as well as his family's fascination with all things British.
Paulina awaits to usher viewers into an unusually powerful examination of rural Mexican society, while My American Vacation melds the Far East with the American Midwest. In that one, a colorful Taiwanese grandmother takes the trip that makes peace with her Americanized daughters.
Spliced in with the screen action are several seminars focusing on the finer arts of filmmaking. But the movies make the festival; these selections were culled from about 400 cinematic candidates.
Most entries lack the gloss of Hollywood. Some of them had budgets that would not even buy a respectable gown for Oscar night. While many of these films arrive as unknown quantities, that same quality of not knowing is present at almost every film festival, which, of course, is part of their appeal.
In these days, when moviegoers can feel bludgeoned by PR companies into seeing movies they'll live to regret, there is real delight in walking curiously into a darkened cinema and simply taking a chance on art.
WorldFest runs from Friday, April 9, to Sunday, April 18, at General Cinema Meyerland Plaza, West Loop 610 at Beechnut. (Where noted, some films will screen at St. Thomas' Episcopal School behind the Meyerland theater.) Matinee $4, evening $6.50. Multiscreening passes available at varying prices. (713)965-9955.
Great Trip
The delightful My American Vacation captures the warmth, tenderness and total raving lunacy that make for the most intimate family relationships, and it does it all without the goopy cheese factor that often characterizes so many films about the ties that bind.
The story centers around Grandmother (we never know her actual name), who is flown to the United States from her native Taiwan by her extremely Americanized daughters: the bossy and recently divorced Ming Yee (Kim Miyori) and the artsy, funky writer, Ming Na (Deborah Nishimura). In celebration of their mother's 70th birthday, they decide to go for a trip in an RV camper (they choose the star-spangled "Bicentennial Special"). Along for the ride are Ming Na's husband, Henry (Dennis Dun), and Ming Yee's preadolescent daughter, Melissa (Sasha Hsuczyk).
As the characters drive through the beautifully shot American Midwest, they bicker and chat, explore and make fun of one another. And, as time goes on, the film becomes less about a vacation and more about an examination of the various parts of their complex family web. Ming Na thinks her mother always liked Ming Yee better. Ming Yee can't explain her philandering ex-husband to young Melissa. Grandmother can't forget her dead husband, who visits her in luscious dream sequences throughout the movie. And so on.
Tsai Chin as Grandmother is reason enough to see this film. Chin, also superb in The Joy Luck Club, is tough and hilarious as the sassy, peacemaking, tai chi-loving matriarch. She is the bond that holds the family together, but she's no soft-spoken old woman. The cautionary comebacks she uses with her fighting daughters ("I am old and will die soon") provide much of the film's dry humor.
The entire cast is excellent, but Sasha Hsuczyk is outstanding as the precocious Melissa. Her character is young enough to fearlessly explore and ask questions, yet old enough to sense not all is right with her family. It is especially moving to watch her try to understand why her bitter mother now so publicly hates her father. She is not a "child actor" in that rehearsed miniadult way but is instead remarkably real and one of the film's many highlights.
As the family works through various issues, the gentle mix of American and Taiwanese cultures also adds another layer to the film. Also notable is that, despite Henry's presence, this is a very female-oriented movie that honestly explores what are often some of the most strained of family relationships (mother/daughter, sister/sister). However, it's no "chick flick," in the pejorative sense. Instead it is a very special "human flick" with a real sense of freshness. (Jennifer Mathieu)
My American Vacation Sunday, April 11, at 3 p.m. and Tuesday, April 13, at 7 p.m.
Classy Fever
Fever is the most impressive of the Agnieszka Holland films on display. It follows a series of circa-1905 radicals and bomb-throwers on their difficult daily rounds in an unnamed Eastern European country. The specific politics of this Polish film might be a little murky for American viewers, but lines such as "It is so stirring to kill evil with a bomb" speak for themselves.
Unlike Europa Europa, this is not a tightly plotted film. It drifts from one knot of radicals to another. You're never quite sure when one little story is over and the next one is about to begin, which leaves the viewer feeling appropriately unsettled. The bombers are virtually nameless and are reduced to psychological states. "I bomb to give the masses a sense of power," says one. But Holland humanizes her characters by investing the film with a sly sense of humor.
Particularly touching is her story that follows Wojtech (the fact that he has a name makes him unique) as he comes to the city (we don't know which -- is it Warsaw?) in search of the revolution. Everyone tells him that, following a police crackdown, the revolution has gone so far underground that it might as well be buried. But Wojtech insists so loudly on becoming a radical that he gets himself needlessly hung. His execution is carried out in distancing, matter-of-fact detail and is unlike any cinematic hanging I've ever seen.
The film ends rather arbitrarily and isn't quite at the level of Europa Europa, but it's still an intriguing look at an era that now seems as distant as King Arthur's court. In both content and style, this is the most "foreign" of the films on view in WorldFest. (David Theis)
Fever Saturday, April 17, at 9 p.m.
Count on the Germans for efficiency, even with emotions. Writer/director Michael Bartlett has come through in grand style with the compelling tour of methodical madness in The Little Girl Who Fell from a Tree.
Bartlett opens with a woman systematically cleaning up after her massacre of a family at a chalet in a lush German forest. The scene shifts to an urban apartment house, where Ben, a gynecologist, and his bubbly wife, Jenny, befriend a quiet tenant, Lisa.
Watch out, an elderly woman warns Lisa about her new companion. Jenny has been to the psycho ward. She needs medication, slips in and out of sanity. In her obsession to have a child, she has even resorted at times to padding her tummy to fake pregnancy.
Jenny is neurotic, naturally, but she turns out to be vulnerable rather than villainous. Lisa emerges as the psychopath in grand style befitting 1987's Fatal Attraction and 1992's Single White Female. As Jenny innocently continues their relationship, Lisa seduces her weak-willed husband, dragging him ever deeper into her diabolical desires. She packs Jenny's suitcase with cockroaches and even fabricates a sinister baby-for-sale scheme.
Bartlett takes the film beyond a one-dimensional trek through terror. Flashbacks reveal the roots of Lisa's twisted psyche: a childhood of hiding in the safety of a huge tree until her drunken father takes her down in his own sexual depravity.
A quality cast -- Julia Jager, Floriane Daniel and Dominique Horwitz -- carries the plot without overreaching.
While the unmasking of Lisa is a bit abrupt, the film's pacing builds effective tension for the final jolting twist. It is believable and efficient -- Bartlett would have it no other way. (George Flynn)
The Little Girl Who Fell from a Tree Friday, April 16, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, April 17, at 9 p.m.
Restless Natives
Naturally Native is the first feature film to be funded by a Native American tribe, the Mashatucket Pequot of Connecticut. Given its frankly didactic purpose -- the film wants to make points about the way American Indian people are viewed and treated, by corporate America, by New Age America and by other Native Americans -- the film is surprisingly engaging.
Directed by Jennifer Farmer and Valerie Red-Horse, it tells the story of three sisters who were adopted out of their reservation when their mother died of alcoholism. Twenty years later, the three sisters are still coming to grips with their Indian-ness, which each feels to a different degree. One sister is a newly minted MBA, and another knows how to make herbal remedies and beauty products the Native American way. The third sister, badly in need of a new self-image, tags along as her siblings try to start a business marketing their beauty products.
There are moments of great sincerity and a welcome dose of humor (especially in their clash with an insensitive New Ager). The acting isn't terribly strong, but the film is certainly worth a look for its level of insight. (David Theis)
Naturally Native Saturday, April 10, at 3 p.m. and Monday, April 12, at 9 p.m.
Seasons to Savor
Opening night could scarcely be stronger for WorldFest. Vietnamese-American filmmaker Tony Bui will be on hand for the screening of his ravishing Three Seasons, which is apparently the first United States film to be shot entirely in Vietnam. The Bui-WorldFest connection is a strong one. Two years ago, he took to honors in the festival's short-subject competition (his first prize anywhere). That short, Yellow Lotus, blossomed into Three Seasons, his first feature.
Shot in and around Ho Chi Minh City, Three Seasons interweaves four stories, beginning with that of a Vietnamese woman who picks lotus blossoms in an area pond and later sells them downtown. She sings as she works, and one day the Teacher, the mysterious owner of the blossom pond, calls her into his forbidding home and tells her that her singing has reawakened memories of his childhood. This is particularly poignant for him, as he's about to die of leprosy. His fingers have fallen off, so he can no longer write his lyric poetry. The young woman volunteers to be his surrogate fingers and to copy down the poems he has continued composing in his head. In doing so, she gives the Teacher a last taste of life before he shuffles off the mortal coil.
The other stories are redemption tales as well. Harvey Keitel is on hand as a veteran of the war who has come back to Saigon in search of the daughter he has never met. Another story has a cyclo (a sort of rickshaw) driver winning back the soul of an embittered prostitute. And, finally, there's the street kid who can't come in out of the rain until he finds the crate full of trinkets that has been stolen from him.
Not all of the stories get resolved with equal grace. The Keitel strand, for example, is left slightly dangling. But in the film's moral simplicity and its aching beauty (Lisa Rinzler is a cinematographer to remember), Three Seasons is that rarest of treats: the unexpected masterpiece. (David Theis)
Three Seasons Friday, April 9, at 7 p.m.
Paulina's Pain
Like The Sixth Happiness, Paulina is the kind of film that really needs a festival. An engrossing combination of fiction and documentary, it opens with an actress playing Paulina Cruz Suarez, who in real life was the Mexico City maid to director Vicky Funari's family. As Paulina sinks her choppers into a man's hand as he tries to molest her during a bus ride home -- and as she remembers how her mother advised her to visit the dentist to keep her teeth strong for just such occasions -- the actress morphs into the real Paulina.
The film then becomes a journey down a dark memory lane, as Paulina remembers her early exposure to the perfidy of men. When she was just a nine-year-old, the village strongman was already coming on to her. When an otherwise innocent childhood fall ruptured her hymen, her family announced that she had been raped by the strongman. Everybody believed them, and just like that Paulina became an outcast: a woman. She was rejected at school "because now she was a woman, not a girl," and the strongman's wife taunted her by asking how she'd liked her husband's great big chili, which made Paulina's mother burst into laughter.
Director Funari and Paulina take unflinching looks at Paulina's humiliation as a "woman," and her coming to strength as a woman. This film is also an unusually powerful portrayal of rural Mexican society. (David Theis)
Paulina Saturday, April 10, at 5 p.m. and Monday, April 12, at 9 p.m.
Sheer Happiness
The Sixth Happiness starts out as an Indian version of My Left Foot. Taken from Firdaus Kanga's novel Trying to Grow, the movie also stars the writer. It's hard to imagine anyone else playing the role of Brit (short for both brittle and British), a Bombay boy who grows up misshapen both by "brittle bone disease" and by his middle-class Parsi family's love of all things British.
The disease has made a dwarf of Brit, and his bones break at the slightest provocation. His handicaps inspire love in his mother, who is Anglophile number one -- she's thrilled by Bangladesh's war of separation, as it allows her family to huddle in the basement and imagine the Battle of Britain is raging overhead. But they repel his father, who is humiliated by the sight of his son. Brit's sister is a lovely character who adores her brother even more than she loves spouting Shakespeare. As a Parsi, she's allowed to marry for love, but woe to the suitor that comes for her hand without boning up on the Bard.
Brit is swept off his feet by Cyrus (since Brit looks like he weighs 40 pounds, this isn't much of a physical claim), who has abandoned the demands of the violin and now wants to simply hang out as the family's boarder. Brit also has a lovely and empowering teacher, who overcame the "handicap of poverty" to study in Oxford and at the Sorbonne. She encourages Brit to write, though the film doesn't make very much of his artistic endeavors.
Bombay is also a lively character here. This was my first good look at the attractive coastal city, which, under veteran director Waris Hussein's light touch, looks romantic and inviting.
But more or less playing himself, Kanga is the real revelation. His Brit is almost (but not quite) devoid of self-pity, and he's a sardonic little fellow, though he'd give me a tongue-lashing for calling him little. The film parts company with My Left Foot and lesser ailment flicks when it begins to explore Kanga's sexuality. By its final third, The Sixth Happiness has become both daring and delightful, an unusual combination. (David Theis)
The Sixth Happiness Saturday, April 10, at 7 p.m. and Monday, April 12, at 5 p.m.
Umbrellas Forever
Jacques Demy's The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is being shown in retrospective. Those who caught the classic when it was restored and rereleased a few years ago are probably dying to see it again. There is no other movie quite like Umbrellas, and not just because it stars an almost unbearably radiant Catherine Deneuve in her debut role. Umbrellas is even more notable as perhaps the most down-to-earth musical in the history of film.
Every line, including the homeliest bon jour, monsieur, is sung, which is actually a bit off-putting until the film gathers steam. But as it enters its very straightforward love story between the fabulous Deneuve's Genevieve and Guy, a neighborhood mechanic who manages to successfully woo her, the local angel, Umbrellas plunges into very dark waters for a musical.
Guy is called to war in Algeria and leaves not knowing Genevieve is pregnant or that her anxiously bourgeois mother is pushing her into a more suitable marriage. Guy doesn't write as often as he should, and Genevieve allows herself to be convinced by her mother. Guy comes back crippled by the war and is now faced with heartbreak when he goes looking for his love. Then, as he struggles to accept his fate, the film plunges into an even darker depth of understanding, before coming back up to the light.
Beautifully melancholy, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is a one-of-a-kind masterpiece which looks and sounds great in its newly restored form. How it fits into WorldFest '99's program I can't quite say, but I'm just glad that it's here under any cover. (David Theis)
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg Sunday, April 11, at 1 p.m.
Wicked Ending
Wicked, as the closing-night film, sends WorldFest away on a darkly rousing note. The movie is the latest graduate of the school film founded on the premise that "when you get right down to it, aren't people just naturally nasty." It's also one of the best films on incest, an unhappily trendy topic.
Written by Eric Weiss and directed by Michael Steinberg, Wicked is a cruel study of life in a gated community. The developers should have locked out virtually every resident presented here.
Wicked focuses on the betrayals and travails of one family, headed by philandering parents and home to two very dark girls. One by one, starting with Mom, family members begin to fall, bludgeoned to death by -- whom?
This film is also a satisfying whodunit, as there are plenty of candidates. Is it Lawson (Patrick Muldoon), Mom's cretinous lover next door, the guy she just dumped? Or is it Dad (William R. Moses), whom she has also presented with walking papers. We're supposed to believe it's daughter number one, Ellie (Julia Stiles), who is most believably transformed from a typical 14-year-old to a man-killing vamp after Mom is out of the way. That transformation is chilling, and it makes her father's pathetic weakness, in falling for her, grotesquely believable.
The film works so hard to confound our expectations vis-a-vis the actual murderer that it winds up beyond the pale of credibility, but not before it has made some blood-curdling points. (David Theis)
Wicked Sunday, April 18, at 9 p.m.
Toe Kick
Kick begins with a prep-school sports victory so cliched it seems like a dream sequence. Poor-boy-made-good Matt Grant, against all odds, takes the Lawley College rugby team to victory in an improbable end run. His hot blond girlfriend (from the neighboring girls' school) kisses him. His classmates cheer and lift him onto their shoulders. It's not a dream, but poor Matt, he just doesn't seem to be enjoying perfection. The conflict in this Australian movie, directed by Lynda Heys, centers on Matt's really deep-down desire to be ... a ballet dancer. But can he face the ridicule of the pack of male Neanderthal latents that he counts as his classmates? Should he let them see him wearing tights? Well, duh.
If the plot is dismally simplistic, the ride is just okay. Kick has a spark of passion and some nice bodies doing some nice dance steps, but the leads (Russell Page as Matt, Rebecca Yates as his dance partner, Claire, and Radha Mitchell as his girlfriend, Tamara) lack the necessary magnetism to make a movie like this work, if there is a way to make a movie like this work.
Matt, especially, seems to earn neither his school's adulation, nor his lead role in the ballet Romeo and Juliet, nor the trust of his dance partner, Claire, who is the only one bordering on a real character. Instead, he squeaks by the way you would expect a school sports hero to squeak by, and the ensuing private-school mischief misses almost every opportunity for true humor.
Still, if you're feeling romantic, screenwriter Stuart Beattie picked up the right formula in screenwriting class. It's still possible to sort of enjoy this movie -- if you're not expecting Spicoli or Baryshnikov. (Shaila Dewan)
Kick Sunday, April 11, at 7 p.m. and Tuesday, April 13, at 9 p.m.
Born Loser
Some girls stick with the wrong guy, wishing that it will work, but it never does. That's because the guys are fucking losers, writer/director Jean-Mark Valee says in Loser Love. But there's another message in the movie:Something's severely warped and wrong with the girls.
The film opens at a fancy party thrown by the parents of Lily (Laurel Holloman). When she and her loser boyfriend, Tim (Andy Davolt), go upstairs to have sex, his friend is watching in the shadows -- her boyfriend forgot to mention that. She gets mad, he cheats on her, but she stays with him. He ties her up for some unfun 60-second sex and then turns on the television to Sports Center.
At the outset, this seems to be a girl-power movie where the woman acknowledges her insecurities -- the fact that she can't ever express her anger and is stuck with this miserable man -- but learns to get over him and lives triumphantly ever after. There are moments where it appears that Lily might grow and change. She has a fun, feminist friend, Kilo (Rachel Robinson), who cares for her and wants to do girl things, but the evil boyfriend keeps interfering. Kilo openly hates him for hurting her friend, and he decides she's a lesbian.
Lily stays with the loser until he rapes her anally on her birthday. That's when things finally change. She locks herself inside. Kilo comes over and nurtures her with hot baths, tea and togetherness, candles and comfort.
Meanwhile, Lily's mom is in a parallel relationship with another smarmy, abusive guido (Lily's father) she won't leave because he was her Stanley Kowalski. So she drinks and takes diet pills.
Lily and Kilo plot to kill Lily's loser and frame her father in the murder. Kilo realizes that murder is wrong and psycho so they drift apart. But Lily feels free. So does her mom.
This is an unhealthy movie that takes women a step back. It's written by a man who obviously doesn't think much of women. Lily is whiny and stupid throughout the movie; her mother simply suffers, and Kilo is annoying with her anger. (Wendy Grossman)
Loser Love Saturday, April 10, at 9 p.m. and Monday, April 12, at 5 p.m.
Sweet Love
Love Songs, a compilation of three short films about a tight-knit African-American community in Philadelphia, is a sweet but uncomfortably hokey movie redeemed only by Louis Gossett Jr.'s strong performance as the local bartender and peacekeeper.
Rober Townsend, who wrote the three vignettes, stars in the first one as Otis, a car mechanic who fancies himself a champion boxer. He has a pregnant wife who wishes he would keep out of the ring and worries about how to make ends meet. It's a classic man-versus-himself story line, as Otis struggles with being true to his dreams or choosing the safer route of conformity.
The second segment focuses on a cautious romance between Mister Ellis (Andre Braugher), the local fruit seller, and Miss Jean (Lynn Whitfield), the local cutie. It's a tender story, but the back-and-forth "I hate you but I love you" romantic tension is contrived and has been done hundreds of times before.
The strongest of the pieces ends the movie and stars Gossett as a tough family man and local bartender who is simultaneously dealing with a misbehaving teenage son and a wife-beating brother-in-law. Although the barkeep could easily take on the evil brother-in-law, he tries to prove to his son that violence is not always the best approach. It's a fascinating dilemma, although the story ends abruptly. The mood is killed by a silly attempt to tie everything up, and we are left clueless as to what will happen to the characters.
The story lines are simple, which is not necessarily bad, but the sappy sentiment is often harder to swallow than a mouthful of Cheese Whiz. The dialogue is predictable and strained, the facial expressions exaggerated. Whitfield as the sassy and strong-willed Miss Jean rivals Gossett's acting abilities. Rachel Crawford, as the boxer's nervous wife, has strong talent. But the story line has her rubbing her belly and looking concerned so often that we don't get to see much of it.
In the end, Love Songs is sticky-sweet, and if you're the type of optimistic, bright-eyed person who cried at The Lion King, then you will probably like this movie. (Jennifer Mathieu)
Love Songs Friday, April 9, at 9 p.m.
Crazy Kill
As the central crazy in the psycho-loaded, surrealistic Pure Killjoy, Fred Derf fights -- or flees -- all manner of inner and outer mayhem. He locks himself in his spartan apartment and bangs on a boxing body bag while the white-hot searchlights of clattering police helicopters sweep through his windows.
Airborne cops are trying to find the notorious "Khameleon killer," who has claimed 27 victims in as many days in this Los Angeles of the near future. Fred, though, has already found the serial slayer in mental images, along with those of his own sordid past.
This first film outing by director/screenwriter Aaron Downing, a former runner for the Beverly Hillbillies series, blends bizarre scenes and subjects. He uses the bartender at the Lucky Club to bare his primary theme, that the slayer and seemingly civilized humans still need their "pure kill" to purge their destructive demons of the past.
"What happens when we cease to fear fear?" the barkeep ponders.
Pure kill is an intriguing theory. But Fred (Gregg Rubin in an impressive performance) has amassed so much emotional baggage he would have to slaughter half the city to clear his soul for a fresh start.
He has changed his name and knocked up a teenage girl back in Illinois. When a pickup from Lucky's waits for him in her bed, Fred opts to whack off in the bathroom. He stalks one woman and harasses another by telephone, all the while dodging calls from his mother.
Fred is a freak, but he's definitely not one-dimensional. He's a seven-year CPA and comedian-in-training. And he shows remarkable tenderness and stability in a romantic encounter with an old friend's sister, Angela. Rubin and Christina Gulino team admirably for that most believable episode. Then the sanity jumps ship for a helter-skelter alter-ego finale. He answers the ultimate question in this reality warp: whether he himself can be a killer.
Downing cleverly parallels the edgy pace of the energized mind-game thriller Pi, and he adds a predictable touch of Taxi Driver to the bedlam. Credit his sharp dialogue for the ultimate staying power of this film. But he seems to have overdosed à la David Lynch on the visual presentations; rather than eerie, call it irritating.
He may be saved only by a keen sense of humor, as heard on the background radio broadcasting zany impacts of a two-year drought. Like the khameleon killer, the film itself falters in establishing a true identity. (George Flynn)
Pure Killjoy Saturday, April 10, at 9 p.m. and Monday, April 12, at 7 p.m.
Red October
I almost lost patience with October 22 but was ultimately glad I stuck with it. The Richard Schenkman film opens with a 911 call from an L.A. restaurant where a gunman has opened fire on unsuspecting diners.
From this rather gory opening, which ends with the police drawing on the apparent gunman, ready to blow his brains out, the film flashes back to the beginning of the day and follows the paths of the various diners and waitresses as they wander into harm's way. There's a strong cast, including Colm Meaney, Amanda Plummer and Ernie Hudson, who plays against his usual nice-guy type to terrifying effect. The film stumbles in the beginning, as films that try to tell too many stories often do, but finds its stride about halfway through and ends with a satisfying twist. (David Theis)
October 22 Thursday, April 15, at 9 p.m. and Saturday, April 17, at 3 p.m.
Lost Treasure
You'll need more than a bottle of rum to get through this Treasure Island. Writer/director Peter Rowe takes things that are good, does them again and messes them up. He's the guy who's directing the unnecessary, unfunny The New Addams Family. It's not Star Trek; he didn't even give them a next generation. It's just the same characters, but uglier and boring.
That's basically what he did with Treasure Island. He didn't remake it; he just made it again. It is hard to speculate why -- there's already the 1990 version starring Charlton Heston, not to mention the muppet movie.
The film starts off on a random island where a pirate is burying his treasure. A few pirates are hanging out on the beach making smart remarks. Long John Silver says something Billy Bones doesn't like and -- wham -- his sword slowly slices through Long John's leg.
Five years go by and Billy Bones stumbles into Jim Hawkins's Inn singing, "Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum." (That's how we know he's a pirate.) Then some guy comes and stabs him.
The doctor says he doesn't have time for leeches, which we already watched him put on Jim's grandmother's 80-year-old arm, and he just slowly slices into Billy Bones's mushy skin and bleeds him. That scene encapsulates the whole movie; it's slow, painful and something I didn't want to watch.
A bunch of pirates storm the inn wanting the map to the treasure (which Billy Bones somehow has -- we don't know why or how). All the ensuing fight scenes are horribly slow. Maybe they were trying to be true to the time with everyone loading their guns, stumbling and taking forever to react. But that's where artistic license comes in. Pick up the pace, people. Even the music was slow; people are killing people and they're playing something akin to Enya.
The cast features Patrick Bergin, Kevin Zegers and Jack Palance as Long John. Palance won the Oscar for his supporting role as the cowpoke in 1991's City Slickers, and he still looks more like a cowboy than a pirate in this movie. Despite his presence, the only compelling moment in the film is when Long John Silver starts philosophizing to Jim about who's the real pirate -- the men who worked hard and wanted a share of the treasure, or the squire who stole it.
Long John Silver is supposed to be the most fearsome man to sail the sea. But at the end, the old, tired sailor couldn't remember the names of sails. Jim laughed and looked happy for no apparent reason; he was probably just glad it was over. (Wendy Grossman)
Treasure Island Friday, April 16, at 5 p.m. and Sunday, April 18, at 7 p.m.
Dark Dance
You get the feeling Angel's Dance was supposed to be a studio release -- it stars James Belushi. The film, directed by David Corley, is the story of Tony (Kyle Chandler), who is a contract killer in training, his Zen-ish mentor (Belushi) and Angel (Sheryl Lee), the woman/target he falls in love with.
At his hit-man graduation ceremony, Tony is required by "The Rose," Belushi's hit man extraordinaire, to choose a victim at random from the phone book and off her. Just Tony's luck -- he chooses the wrong woman. His first attempted whacks fail and frighten the originally addle-brained Angel into becoming a tough-minded self-defense expert who winds up doing a little killing of her own. Turns out she likes murder much more than Tony does.
This reads as if the film were a rather nifty black comedy, and it does wind up being worth watching, but only after putting its viewers through quite a bit of foolishness. (David Theis)
Angel's Dance Thursday, April 15, at 5 p.m. and Saturday, April 17, at 7 p.m.
Breakfast Treat
Chocolate for Breakfast, directed by Emily Baer, is the story of the lives and loves of four young women living together in New York City. One's a Wall Street whiz about to have an out-of-wedlock baby, which is taken as a direct affront by her freedom-loving roommates.
There are good things here, including the now-familiar sex-talk-among-gals scenes. And their communal lives, especially the sharing of the bathroom, are nicely observed, as is the women's fierce sense of intimacy, so awe-inspiring to a male viewer such as myself. So this is worth a look, even though it also feels a bit like a boyless episode of Friends. (David Theis)
Chocolate for Breakfast Thursday, April 15, at 9 p.m. and Saturday, April 17, at 5 p.m.
Noble Conquest
The Canadian films that wind up in film festivals tend to be rather small, bloodless affairs. At first I was afraid that description would also apply to Conquest, directed by Piers Haggard. It tells the story of a small Saskatchewan town that is so down-and-out it's on the verge of drying up and blowing away.
But this town called Conquest, and the movie itself, gets a blast of energy from the arrival of a beautiful and mysterious young woman, Daisy MacDonald (Tara Fitzgerald), whose disabled car strands her among the gloomy locals. Even though he's a banker, it doesn't take Pincer Bedier (Lothaire Bluteau) long to fall in love with the mysterious stranger.
Local women are attracted to her as well, seeing as how they're all too old to be threatened by her. Especially taken is Grace, who is inspired by Daisy's Alfa Romeo to dream about Rome. She has always wanted to escape Conquest but never quite got the nerve. This is familiar material, except in its United States version Grace would not be haunted by her memories of the death of Ernest Hemingway, to which her farmer husband was curiously indifferent. After seeing Bluteau suffer spiritually as the Jesuit priest in Black Robe, and as Jesus of Montreal, it was nice to see him get the girl. (David Theis)
Conquest Thursday, April 15, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, April 18, at 5 p.m.
Kids' Turn
Shiloh Season is the best of the festival's children's movies. It begins badly, with an entire novel's worth of voice-over narration, but then settles into a satisfying story. A bitter, alcoholic old man wants back the pup he gave to a young boy. The boy resists, eventually wins the old man over and helps him regain his will to live. The film is directed by Sandy Tung and has a fine cast, including Rod Steiger and Michael Murphy. (David Theis)
Shiloh Season Friday, April 16, at 5 p.m. and Sunday, April 18, at 3 p.m.
Love Shorts
A Short Story About Love is an episode from Krzysztof Kieslowski's monumental Dekalog series, in which he made ten short films, each one illustrating a "Thou Shalt Not" from the Ten Commandments. In Short Story, a young man spies on the promiscuous woman living next door to him. Observing what appear to be her loveless couplings, the young man becomes so depressed that he attempts suicide. Moved by his gesture, the woman turns her attentions to him. Kieslowski can be heavy going, but this film is a wry, sly take on the vagaries of love. (David Theis)
A Short Story About Love Wednesday, April 14, at 9 p.m.
Bland Black Bean
I wanted to like Catfish in Black Bean Sauce more than I did. It has recognizable faces, including the tragically underused Paul Winfield, mixed with total unknowns, and a potentially engaging story line. Winfield's character is a Vietnam vet and father to two grown Vietnamese kids.
As the story begins, their long-lost Vietnamese mother is about to reappear in their lives. That doesn't thrill their stepmother (Mary Alice), who feels threatened by this blast from her husband's past. This is potentially juicy, culture-crossing fare, but it's all so badly executed by director Chi Moui Lo that it's impossible to care. None of the scenes rings true. One in particular is a flashback whose time change is supposed to be indicated by a very bad wig worn by Alice. It is a cinematic disaster, and her character in general is a disaster, and she's pivotal to the film. (David Theis)
Catfish in Black Bean Sauce Wednesday, April 14, at 5 p.m. and Saturday, April 17, at 7 p.m.
Gator Chicks
Wrestling with Alligators certainly sounds like an independent, low-budget film: It's a coming-of-age story set in 1959 America, as both a young girl and a country get ready for momentous changes. It plays a little better than average, with some good performances, but this female-bonding tale is ultimately weighed down by too much talk.
Writer and director Laurie Weltz obviously has her heart in this film, the story of a runaway tomboy who escapes to a boarding house where she finds a new family among her eccentric roommates. She has a first romance with, of all people, a carnival worker, and her adopted family endures such problems as an unwanted pregnancy.
The cast includes Claire Bloom, as a fading silent-screen actress, and Joely Richardson, daughter of Vanessa Redgrave and sister of Natasha, as a runaway.
Far be it from us to use the term "chick flick," but you pretty much are getting what's advertised here. If you like this kind of film, you'll probably get wrapped up in this one; those for whom a little of this goes a long way are not likely to be persuaded otherwise. (Richard Connelly)
Wrestling with Alligators Saturday, April 10, at 5 p.m. and Sunday, April 11, at 9 p.m.
Heaven's Almost Here
The festival had no advance review copy of Seventh Heaven, the penultimate by French director Benoit Jacquot. But if its quality is within shouting distance of his A Girl Alone, which appeared on local screens a couple of years ago, this is a must-see.
It is the kind of film which should have found a local booking a year ago, so be glad it has turned up even for one night.
According to the festival synopsis, the film involves a pretty, young woman married to a successful surgeon. She is undergoing an identity and sexual crisis. When through hypnosis she is able to find a solution to her problems, her husband, who is used to dealing with illness in a clinically rational and logical manner, begins to have an identity crisis of his own. With Sandrine Kiberlain and Vincent Lindon. (David Theis)
Seventh Heaven Sunday, April 18, at 5 p.m.
Rose's Wilt
Rose's is one of the festival's weaker entries. The Frank Patterson film attempts to be a colorful slice of Southern life. It follows a flower-shop owner's befriending a recently released murderer and then asking him to help her dispose of the body of her recently murdered husband (do I detect a whiff of Faulkner's A Rose for Emily?). But the movie founders on its weak acting and poorly drawn characters. The lead actress, Leslie France, is a nonentity in a role that calls for hidden depths. (David Theis)
Rose's Saturday, April 10, at 7 p.m. and Monday, April 12, at 9 p.m.
Coney Friends
Went to Coney Island on a Mission from God ... Be Back by Five is a film directed by Richard Schenkman, who also made the more successful October 22. This film begins poorly -- it's as heavily voiced-over as an episode of The Wonder Years and features a very intrusive soundtrack. Its story about two former high school buddies out to rescue a third pal, who now lives on the streets, unfolds far too slowly and unconvincingly. (David Theis)
Went to Coney Island on a Mission from God Friday, April 16, at 9 p.m. and Saturday, April 17, at 5 p.m.
Cleopatra's Horror
Jon Reiss's debut feature film, Cleopatra's Second Husband, is a harrowing yet delicious and often wickedly funny study of power and submission. What begins as a dark romantic comedy soon morphs into a nightmarish psychological horror film. With Paul Hipp and Boyd Kestner. (not reviewed)
Cleopatra's Second Husband Sunday, April 11, at 7 p.m. and Tuesday, April 13, at 9 p.m.
Climbing Lessons
The Climb is a story of bravery, friendship, death and courage. A 12-year-old boy and a dying man form a unique bond and end up teaching each other about life. Directed by Bob Swaim. With John Hurt, Gregory Smith and David Strathairn. (not reviewed)
The Climb Wednesday, April 14, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, April 11, at 5 p.m.
Streetheart Game
In Le Coeur au Poing ("Streetheart"), Louise is a woman with a thirst for life who devises a game which allows her to enter other people's worlds. At random, she stops passersby on the street and offers herself to them, to do with her as they please for one hour. This Canadian film is directed by Charles Biname, with Pascale Montpetit, Anne-Marie Cadieux and Guy Nadon. (not reviewed)
Le Coeur au Poing ("Streetheart") Wednesday, April 14, at 7 p.m. and Thursday, April 15, at 5 p.m.
Father-Daughter Despair
In La Deroute, Joe Aiello is the father of a mentally handicapped son and a 23-year-old daughter who wants to distance herself from her authoritarian and possessive father. When she runs away and marries a South American refugee, Joe is completely distraught and feels that his hopes have been betrayed. Joe finds himself descending for the first time into a profound state of solitude and despair. A Canadian film directed by Paul Tana. With Tony Nardi, Michele-Barbara Pelletier, Hugolin Cheverette, John Dunn-Hill and Richard Lemire. (not reviewed)
La Deroute Wednesday, April 14, at 9 p.m.
Fair Deal
In The Fair, a young woman pursues her dream of becoming a singer. She is forced to confront her mother's death, her unsupportive father and her crippling stage fright. Directed by Sarah McAnally. With Brigid Brannagh and Neil Vipond. (not reviewed)
The Fair Thursday, April 15, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, April 17, at 3 p.m.
Reaping Reefers
Harvest is the story of what happens when a DEA agent arrives in a small farming town to investigate the suspected growing and selling of marijuana in the area. The lengths to which the farmers have gone to preserve their lives is revealed to the people who love them, and the local sheriff is forced to choose between the law and his friendship with the local farming community. Directed by Stuart Burkin, with Mary McCormack and John Slattery. (not reviewed)
Harvest Sunday, April 11, at 5 p.m. and Tuesday, April 13, at 7 p.m.
Fang Gang
Jacob Two Two Meets the Hooded Fang is a Canadian children's film directed by George Bloomfield. In this story, Jacob Two Two is arrested for insulting an adult and sent to a children's prison where he must face the Hooded Fang. With Gary Busey, Mark McKinney, Miranda Richardson and Ice-T. (not reviewed)
Jacob Two Two Meets the Hooded Fang Saturday, April 10, at 3 p.m. and Tuesday, April 13, at 5 p.m.
Pakistan Politics
Jinnah, directed by Jamil Dehlavi, is a drama telling the story of Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan. It follows his dream of freeing the people of India from the burden and insult of foreign rule, a mission twisted and tempered by the realities and cruelties of politics. (not reviewed)
Jinnah Friday, April 16, at 9 p.m. and Sunday, April 18, at 7 p.m.
Only the Lonely
Polish director Agnieszka Holland will be present for the screening of her Kobieta Samotna ("The Lonely Woman"). In this 1981 production, a poor middle-aged woman who lives alone with her eight-year-old son is forced to steal when she is faced with the funeral costs rather than the inheritance of a relative she was caring for. (not reviewed)
Kobieta Samotna ("The Lonely Woman") Sunday, April 18, at 1 p.m.
Indian Journey
The Long Road Home is directed by Craig Clyde. After his mother's death, a boy is tested in spirit and mind by the cruel grandfather who disowned his mother years before for marrying a Native American marine. With Michael Ansara and T.J. Lowther. (not reviewed)
The Long Road Home at St. Thomas Episcopal School on Friday, April 16, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, April 17, at 9 p.m.
Rockin' Religion
The Life Jacket Is Under Your Seat is a film from Uruguay directed by Leonardo Ricagni. Using wildly colorful visuals, off-kilter compositions and music, it tracks Tuleque, a modern-day Jesus. He tries to save the Great Holy Water Sanctuary from drug lords and a corrupt government by winning top prize at the annual rock and roll contest. With Jorge Esmoris and Pastora Vega. (not reviewed)
The Life Jacket Is Under Your Seat Sunday, April 11, at 9 p.m. and Tuesday, April 13, at 5 p.m.
Down South
Por Si No Te Vuelvo a Ver ("If I Never See You Again") is a Mexican film by Juan Pablo Villasenor. Five elderly men who have formed a musical group escape from a nursing home in search of their dream to play for a live audience. Along the way, they confront the city, nursing-home authorities, the police, their families and everyone who is determined to destroy their only chance to perform. In Spanish with English subtitles. (not reviewed)
Por Si No Te Vuelvo a Ver Wednesday, April 14, at 5 p.m. and Friday, April 16, at 7 p.m.
Hissed Off
In Snake Tales, a young woman is arrested for running over an endangered snake. In defense, she must spin an elaborate tall tale. Directed by Francesca Talenti, with Amalia Stifter and Rupert Reyes. (not reviewed)
Snake Tales at St. Thomas Episcopal School on Friday, April 6, at 9 p.m. and Saturday, April 17, at 7 p.m.
At press time, no synopsis was available for Our God's Brother, a Polish film directed by Krzysztof Zanussi. It screens Saturday, April 10, at 1 p.m.
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Iraq economic & strategic outlook GDP & current account
Iraq's economic growth was lackluster over the period 2000-03. By the end of 2003 real GDP declined sharply by 32.9% reaching a level of ID27bn according to data from Central Bank of Iraq (CBI). World Bank and IMF reported the same declining trend however at different rates. Afterwards, GDP was estimated to have rebounded by 46.5% in 2004, driven mainly by the recovery in oil production. By the end of 2005, GDP continued to grow however at a slower rate of 3.7% in real terms. In 2006, real GDP was estimated to have grown by 3%. Real GDP stood at ID42.2bn in 2006, almost the same level as 2000. As for nominal GDP, World Bank data estimated Iraqi GDP growing by 15.4% for 2006 reaching ID71,188.8bn (US$48.5bn).
Oil revenues continue to be a driving force in determining public and private expenditure due to its sheer contribution to GDP. As a result Iraqi GDP performance shadows the changes in the country's crude oil production. On average, oil contributed around two thirds of Iraqi GDP for the period 2001-05.
According to World Bank estimates for GDP by major category, oil sector contribution to nominal GDP stood at ID39,409.4bn in 2005. Oil share in Iraqi GDP declined from 83.4% in 2000 reaching 63.9% by the end of 2005. This decline mirrored the decline in Iraqi oil production from 2.81mn b/d in 2000 to less than 2mn b/d in 2005. Following oil contribution, social development contributed 11.9% of 2005 nominal GDP.
In real terms, Central Organization for Statistics and Information Technology (COSIT) data on GDP by economic activity revealed that agriculture and social and personal services contributed the most to non-oil GDP. When combined both sectors accounted for more than 50% of non-oil GDP. On another hand, "Social and Personal Services" accounted for 13.7% of real GDP standing at ID5.8bn. Other major contributors to non-oil GDP were "Manufacturing and Industry", "Transport, Communication and Storage" and "Whole Sale and Retail Trade".
According to data from World Bank, consumption expenditure accounted for more than 90% of GDP on average for the period 2004-06. In 2006 private consumption accounted for 42.8% of GDP, almost the same level as 2004, while public consumption stood at 43.8% down from 56.4% reported for 2004. It is important to note that following 2003, gross domestic saving followed an increasing trend reaching 26.5% of GDP in 2006. Despite this increase in saving, gross domestic investment was on the declining trend as it retreated from 26.5% of GDP in 2004 reaching merely 16.2% of GDP in 2006. The decline in investment expenditure mirrored the unstable security situation that hampered reconstruction of the country and investment projects.
Iraq's medium term economic outlook would be highly dependent on the security situation as well as the implementation of oil projects. Iraq's oil output is expected to recover to pre-war levels by 2010, and the non-oil sector is projected to expand rapidly as aid and reconstruction spending flows into the economy. Thus IMF estimates Iraqi GDP to continue growing for the near future at a rate of 7% towards 2010. The recovery in economic growth is predicted based on increased oil production to reach 3.5mn b/d by 2010 without undue interruption. In addition oil prices would remain at favorable levels. Such progress also assumes that Iraq's reconstruction is being undertaken smoothly and security is progressively restored. Similarly, non-oil GDP growth will remain strong supported by high investment levels to implement Iraq reconstruction projects.
Current Account
Trade statistics from central bank revealed that Iraq's trade balance continued to decline for the period 2002-05. Trade balance declined by a CAGR of 59% from US$2.4bn in 2002 to reach US$165.4mn by the end of 2005 or 0.4% of GDP. The surplus reported for 2005 was a result of exports growing rapidly at 33.1% as compared with 10.5% growth in imports. On one side, exports (FOB) stood at US$23.7bn, or 56.4% of 2005 GDP. Oil exports accounted for 99.5% of total exports standing at US$23.6bn. Non-oil exports on the other hand grew marginally by 7.7% to stand at US$118.5mn. Imports (CIF), stood at US$23.5bn, or 56% of 2005 GDP.
Generally, public sector controlled the Iraqi economy for decades. On the trade front, public sector accounted for more than 90% of exports and 70% of imports. This could be easily reported to the sheer size of oil contribution to exports. A sector that has been state-controlled for decades. Similarly, imports continued to be controlled by government due to many accords such as oil for food programs, grants and aid programs. In future, private sector is expected to account for more contribution on all fronts as a result of privatization plans as well as latest amendments facilitating private sector imports of petroleum products.
After three consecutive years of deficit, current account reported its first surplus of US$1.9bn in 2005. During the period 2002-05, goods rather than services balance was the main contributor for current account surplus. Goods balance reported a CAGR of 15.4% over the period. Services balance, on the other hand, continued to report high deficit over the same period. By the end of 2005, goods balance rebounded to report a huge surplus of US$3.7bn as compared with US$3.5bn of deficit reported for 2004. Current transfers on another hand continued its growth for the third consecutive year. In 2005 current transfers reached US$3.2bn, or 74% annual growth. The surplus in goods, transfer and income balances surpluses were more than enough to offset the negative contribution of services balance. Reporting a deficit of US$5.7bn, net services contributed negatively to the current account by 299.2% mainly due to increasing payments. In 2005, services payments grew more than five folds to stand at US$6.1bn as compared with US$972.3mn the year before.
Financial account iterated between surplus and deficit over the period 2002-05 mirroring movements in direct and portfolio investments. Financial account declined sharply during 2005 to report US$1.4bn of deficit as compared with previous year surplus of US$4.8bn.
Balance of payment (BOP) reported net surplus for the last two years. In 2005, BOP stood at US$4.2bn reporting a marginal 0.7% decline from 2004 level. It was the impact of current and capital accounts that support BOP to sustain its surplus for the second year. Current account contributed 45.9% of BOP surplus during 2005. While capital account contributed positively for the first time standing at US$3.5bn of surplus. This increase in current and capital accounts' surpluses were more than enough to offset the 129.6% increase in financial account deficit. As a result, the overall BOP declined but remained positive.
Top Headlines
- global investment house- kuwait – iran economic & strategic outlook – current account –
- Global Investment House – Saudi Arabia Economic & Strategic Outlook – Current Account
- iraq economic & strategic outlook banking sector
- Sudan Economic & Strategic Outlook – GDP, Population & Labor Force
- Techi-UAE spends more than $74 mn on internet and technology


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Australia has notched up a record-breaking 23 years of expansion, but the economy remains fragile as it searches for another source of growth to pick up where the mining boom left off.
The economy did better than expected in the three months to June, official figures on Wednesday showed, but it could do better, JP Morgan chief economist Stephen Walters said.
Australia's economy grew by 0.5 per cent in the June quarter - the weakest quarterly gain since March 2013 and a far cry from the 1.1 per cent rise in the first three months of 2014.
And most of that growth came from a build up of inventories in mining, a source of growth which would not be sustained in coming quarters, Mr Walters said.
"Even with the small upside surprise, today's report card on the economy is pretty underwhelming - let's call it a C-plus," Mr Walters said.
"The economy probably will struggle to hold on to trend growth for a little while yet.
"On today's evidence, the rotation away from mining investment to other sources of growth remains a work in progress, and stubbornly high Australian dollar, brittle confidence and high costs will remain stiff headwinds."
Gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the year to June was 3.1 per cent, seasonally adjusted, the Australian Bureau of Statistics figures showed.
Reserve Bank governor Glenn Stevens told a parliamentary committee in August he expects economic growth will probably be below its long-term trend of 3.25 per cent in the near term, despite low interest rates.
CommSec economist Savanth Sebastian said the economy had still moved into its 24th year of growth despite "all the doom and gloom" surrounding the slowdown in mining investment and the collapse of the manufacturing sector.
"It is pretty clear that the economy is in reasonable shape - certainly in better shape than most other so-called `advanced' economies," he said.
"While it could be argued that growth is a touch on the soft side (given that inventories somewhat perversely was the biggest contributor to growth), the key point is that Australia has completed 23 consecutive years of growth."
Mr Sebastian said the baton was successfully being passed from mining to home building.
But growth was likely to be patchy over the next few months as that transition takes place.
After inventories, the biggest contributors to June quarter GDP growth were household consumption followed by non-dwelling construction and dwelling investment.
The biggest drag on growth was net exports, which fell 0.9 per cent.
RBC Capital Markets head of economics Su-Lin Ong said the figures highlighted the structural challenges facing the economy, which would keep the Reserve Bank on the sidelines with regards to interest rates for at least another year.
"It is not a particularly eloquent description, but the latest national accounts remain consistent with an economy that is largely muddling along amid a transition in growth," Ms Ong said.


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No one ― even in the darkest days of 2009 ― ever imagined the milk-feed ratio going this low.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a preliminary milk-feed ratio of 1.29 for July. That was down significantly from June's ratio of 1.38.
None of the milk-feed ratios on record, going back to 1985, have been this low. The lowest ratio recorded in 2009 was 1.45.
July's number reflects escalating corn and soybean prices.
The corn price jumped almost $1 from June ― $6.37 per bushel to $7.36. The soybean price jumped even more from $13.90 per bushel in June to $15.60.
Alfalfa hay dropped $3 per ton to $198.
The all-milk price used by the USDA in calculating the ratio increased from $16.20 per hundredweight in June to $16.60 in July.
The milk-feed ratio is a rough measure of dairy profitability.
The milk-feed ratio represents the pounds of 16-percent mixed dairy feed equal in value to 1 pound of whole milk. Therefore, with a 1.29 ratio in July, a dairy producer could buy 1.29 pounds of feed for every 1 pound of milk sold.
Some people question how valid the USDA's milk-feed ratio is. See this story. But the USDA has been using the same formula for years, comparing the same commodities. Therefore, it can serve as a relative measure for comparing different points in time.
The ratio is found in USDA's monthly "Agricultural Prices" report.


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Are you worried about overage fees on your wireless data plan when you watch online videos? It appears that ESPN doesn't want its 45+ million digital users to stop watching their content on mobile devices and is considering doing something about it. ESPN sees overage fees and capped data plans being detrimental to the company's business plan, so ESPN wants to give viewers a stress-free mobile experience. They also want to continue raking in the ad dollars, which have to be higher than the bandwidth costs. The catch is that you in order for ESPN to cover your phone or tablet data costs, that you must be using the ESPN App. ESPN will have a deal with carriers where they pay for the bandwidth that their App uses and you wouldn't have to pay for it or have it count against your monthly data plan. You would of course still be responsible for all the other data you consume outside the app, but all your sport needs would be covered by ESPN. What do you think?
No such arrangement is imminent, and ESPN isn't sure if the economics will work out, the people familiar with the matter said. There are also concerns that deals of this nature could attract the scrutiny of telecom regulators. Such a deal would mark a significant development in the wireless business, creating a new model for media and telecom companies to share the costs of bringing bandwidth-guzzling services to consumers. Another way media companies could compensate carriers is by sharing advertising revenue with them.
Comments are closed.


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Director Abel Ferrara on the set of 4:44 Last Day On Earth; click here, or on the image above, to see the trailer for the film.
"In a large apartment high above the city lives our couple. They're in love. She's a painter, he's a successful actor. Just a normal afternoon – except that this isn't a normal afternoon, for them or anyone else. Because tomorrow, at 4:44 am, give or take a few seconds, the world will come to an end far more rapidly than even the worst doomsayer could have imagined. The final meltdown will come not without warnings, but with no means of escape. There will be no survivors. As always, there are those who, as their last cigarette is being lit and the blindfold tightened, will still hope against hope for some kind of reprieve. For a miracle. Not our two lovers. They – like the majority of the Earth's population – have accepted their fate: the world is going to end."
Abel Ferrara has been making films for three decades now, almost always working at the margins of the industry, and always courting controversy with his subject matter. Now, in 4:44 Last Day On Earth, Ferrara tackles the end of the world, much like Lars von Trier's Melancholia, but on a shoestring budget, which is typical for Ferrara, who typically structures his film around one or two major characters, shoots in actual locations quickly, and spews out films that are often uneven, but always visually arresting and deeply ambitious, even if sometimes the individual scenes don't work.
No matter; the subject matter here is New York City, particularly the Lower East Side, and centers on a woman and a man, played by Shanyn Leigh and Willem Dafoe, who say their goodbyes to the people in their lives on Skype, while traffic flows on in Manhattan, seemingly oblivious to the threat of impending doom. The cause for the world's demise is ecological, and when the end comes, it's depicted as a sort of worldwide, lethal vision of Northern Lights, which engulf the planet in an ethereal glow of doom.
Throughout much of the film, Leigh's character, a painter, seems to be working on a very large abstract canvas on the floor, which in the film's final moments is revealed to be a large serpent swallowing itself, with no beginning and no end. Anita Pallenberg, as her mother, checks in by Skype to assure her daughter that she has spent her life honorably, doing solid work, and that when the end comes, she shouldn't be afraid. Some people in the film seek solace in drugs or alcohol; some in prayer; some in partying denial. And some, of course, despite the general consensus that this really is the end of the world, refuse to believe that it's true.
But a news anchor, seen briefly on a flatscreen television that dominates the loft the pair share, sums it up best when he says that he sees no reason to stay on the air and keep telling the world that time is up; he wants to go home to be with his family when 4:44AM rolls around. In the end, as apocalypse hits full force, the screen fades to white, and Leigh's character says softly, "now we're angels." Imperfect, made in a guerrilla fashion, and shot mostly in a first take is the only take basis, the film is nevertheless deeply felt, and certainly worth the 82 minutes of running time it occupies.
4:44 Last Day On Earth isn't by any means a masterpiece, but it's a strangely evocative and transcendent film from a genuine American outlaw, and as such, operates entirely by its own set of rules. And taken on these terms, it is more often than not, successful, and lingers in the mind long after other films have vanished; Ferrara may have no money, but he has imagination and ambition, and he keeps making movies. Just like Leigh's character in the film, this is an honorable thing to do. Next up is a project with Dafoe on the life of the late filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini; who knows what Ferrara will come up with?


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Borrowing from the Museum
The Peabody Museum enhances global knowledge through multidisciplinary research, teaching, and the dissemination of scholarship. The Museum maintains a highly qualified professional staff who insure proper collections care and management and who facilitate use of the collections in research, teaching, and exhibition. Loan policy and procedures have been developed to maintain the integrity and security of the Museum's collection resources.
For a sampling of collections currently traveling, click here.
To learn more about borrowing from the Museum, please follow the links under "Borrowing from the Museum" on left navigation bar.


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Could you feed yourself for $31.50 per week?
EUGENE, Ore. - Could you feed yourself for $31.50 per week?
That's the National Food Stamp Challenge, which runs from November 11-17.
As part of the challenge, participants will spend $31.50 for all of their food for the entire week, which is the average food stamp benefit for individuals.
Other members of the community, including Lauren Lee from KVAL News and some from Food For Lane County, will also be participating in the challenge.
To preview the challenge and to encourage others to participate, Food for Lane County executive director Beverlee Hughes took the challenge one week early.
"One of the reasons I want to do this is I want to see for myself if I can continue to eat in a healthy manner but have to make really difficult choices with a limited amount of money," said Hughes. "I don't pretend at all that this one week challenge is gonna help me understand what a real family is going through, but it was meant to help me have a better understanding than what I have right now of how difficult this must be."
Oregon leads the nation in food stamp use. According to the Census Bureau, in 2011 some 18.9 percent - nearly 1 in 5 families - was receiving the government aid in Oregon.
Nationally, 1 in 8 families rely on food stamps.
"If you're not around it and you don't see the long lines coming out of the back of churches or pantries on the days they're open, I think some people are surprised when they hear our numbers of how high it is - the number of people who are hungry throughout Lane County," said Hughes.
In Lane County, 82,650 people are on food stamps according to October 2012 statistics from the DHS and the SNAP program.
Before the challenge, Hughes planned out every meal for the week and made a list of groceries before she arrived at WinCo.
Dana Baxter, the nutritionist at Food for Lane County, said this is something that's important to do when you have a limited budget.
"The shopping list gives you a lot more focus when you're at the grocery store. It eliminates the chances of buying some of those impulse buys at the grocery store if you don't have a shopping list," said Baxter.
Baxter says there are several ways to save money. She encourages purchasing seasonal fruits and vegetables, shopping in the bulk section of the grocery store, and purchasing ingredients to make a dish rather than pre-packaged, pre-made food.
What about protein? There are less expensive options than meats and poultry.
"Try to focus on plant based proteins like beans, legumes. You can make soups and chiles out of them. They're very high in fiber which a lot of the animal based proteins are not and you still get a lot of protein for not a lot of money," said Baxter.
After her grocery shopping, Hughes spent around $28 on meals for the entire week. We will keep you updated on her progress.
Lauren Lee from KVAL News plans to blog and tweet about her experience during the challenge and the larger issue of hunger in Oregon at #FoodStampState
What is the Food Stamp Challenge?
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - also known as SNAP - makes a difference in the lives of millions of Americans across the country. The Food Stamp Challenge gives participants a view of what life can be like for the nearly 46.6 millions of low-income Americans who use food stamps. The Challenge lasts for one week, and you will live on $31.50 worth of food ($1.50 per meal), which is the average food stamp benefit. During the week - you can only eat food you've purchased with that allotment. This includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and beverages. Our Food Stamp Challenge will be the week of November 11-17, 2012.
Challenge participants are forced to make food shopping choices on a limited budget, and often realize how difficult it is to avoid hunger, afford nutritious foods, and stay healthy with too few resources.
While living on a food stamp budget for just a week cannot come close to the struggles encountered by low-income families week after week and month after month, it does provide those who take the Challenge with a new perspective and greater understanding.
Who is participating in the Food Stamp Challenge?
KVAL reporter Lauren Lee and members of Food For Lane County will be participating in the challenge during November 11-17. Hundreds, if not thousands, of people have participated in national food stamp challenges in the past including Members of Congress, governors, state legislators, mayors, advocates for elderly persons and children, religious and community leaders, reporters, and average citizens have taken the Challenge. We encourage those in the community to participate and share your experiences!
Can I participate in the Food Stamp Challenge?
Yes! Challenge week is from November 11-17. If you would like to participate, let us know! We encourage you to tweet about your experiences, share your recipes with others, ask questions to fellow participants, and more.
We will be using the Twitter hashtag #FoodStampChallenge
What are the challenge guidelines?
1. Each person should spend a set amount for food and beverages during the Challenge week. That amount is $31.50 for all food and beverage.
2. All food purchased and eaten during the Challenge week, including fast food and dining out, must be included in the total spending.
3. During the Challenge, only eat food that you purchase for the project. Do not eat food that you already own (this does not include spices and condiments).
4. Avoid accepting free food from friends, family, or at work, including at receptions, briefings, or other events where food is served.
5. Keep track of receipts on food spending and take note of your experiences throughout the week.
6. Invite others to join you, including family, friends, co-workers, and others.
What is SNAP? Is it like food stamps?
As of Oct. 1, 2008, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the new name for the federal Food Stamp Program. The new name reflects a focus on nutrition and an increase in benefit amounts. SNAP is the federal name for the program. State programs may have different names.


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Rev. Roger D. and Diana L. Crouse are pleased to announce the engagement and forthcoming marriage of their daughter, Megan Marie Crouse of Berry to Elwyn Blane Reed of Woodville Miss, son of Elwyn C. Reed and Stephanie E. Reed also of Woodville, Miss.
The wedding is being planned for 4 p.m. Oct. 20, 2012, at Connersville Christian Church by invitation.
The couple met on a mission trip to Redbird Mission in Clay County in 2010.
Andrew Dailey and Shirley Brock Dailey, of Owenton, will celebrate their 50th anniversary at 1 p.m. on Oct. 27, 2012. They were married at the Stewartsville Baptist Church in 1962 by Rev. Elwood Mack. They have five children and 19 grandchildren. Family and friends welcome.
Plans are under way for the Grant County High School class of 1977 35th year reunion on Oct. 20, 2012. The following classmates and teachers have not been located. If you have an address or phone number for the following teachers or classmates, contact Arlene Gosney at 859-472-3119 or via e-mail at email@example.com.
Tara Boh Klute recognized for promoting pretrial justice
Tara Boh Klute, head of the statewide Pretrial Services program for the Administrative Office of the Courts, has received the 2012 Public Advocate Award from the Kentucky Department of Public Advocacy for promoting pretrial justice. State Public Advocate Ed Monahan presented the award to Klute at the DPA's Public Defender Education Conference in Louisville on June 5. The award is given annually to individuals who advance justice in the commonwealth.
Shelia Hensley of Dry Ridge is pleased to announce the engagement and forthcoming marriage of her daughter, Shelee Marie Hensley to Sonny Lee Browning, son of Pamela Dillion of Independence and Larry Browning of Corinth.
Hensley is also the daughter of the late Audie Webster.
The wedding is being planned for 6 p.m. on Sept. 29 at the Sherman Full Gospel. A reception will follow at St. Joseph Academy Hall.
Dr. William R. Oliver of Crittenden, was named a Fellow of the American Chemical Society at a recent meeting in Philadelphia, Pa.
The ACS, the largest scientific society in the world with 164,000 members, has conferred this honor on fewer than 600 of its members. ACS instituted the Fellows program in 2008 to recognize outstanding achievements in and contributions to science, the Professions and the Society.
The 2012 St. Elizabeth Dragon Boat Team placed fourth overall in the dragon boat races at Paddlefest on Sept. 8.
They competed in three races. The first and second race were qualifying races. The St. Elizabeth Team raised $750 for the Northern Kentucky Community.
Benjamin and Emily Dade of Williamstown would like to announce the birth of their first child. Amilia Kate was born at 6:52 p.m. on July 15, 2012, at St. Elizabeth Medical Center.
She weighed eight pounds and three ounces and was 20 inches long.
Her maternal grandparents are Joe and Jackie Webster of Williamstown. Her maternal great grandparent is Ethel Webster of Williamstown.
Her paternal grandparents are Chris and Maria Dade of Williamstown.
Amilia was welcomed home by pets, Daisy and Bella.
15 Years
Steven B. Thomas and Debra Lynn Smallwood are being wed on Sept. 14 in a private ceremony. A reception for the couple will be held at 6 p.m. following the ceremony at Lloyds Welfare House in Crittenden.
Copyright © 2017
The Grant County News is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in Dry Ridge, KY and the surrounding area.


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At the Palladium Hotels & Resorts, we believe in quality and variety. Thanks to our All-Inclusive Program, the Grand Palladium Bávaro Suites Resort & Spa offers a large selection of exquisite cuisines as well as national and international premium drinks. Enjoy a relaxing day in our Spa & Wellness Center**, orhave fun with any of our activities and shows. No need for reservations. Suject to availability. Pager/beeper service available for restaurants waiting list.
Guest can use any of the facilities located at our three resorts: Grand Palladium Punta Cana Resort & Spa, Grand Palladium Bávaro Suites Resort & Spa and Grand Palladium Palace Resort Spa & Casino, except those located at The Royal Suites Turquesa by Palladium.
** Access to the wet areas (hot tubs, pool, sauna and steam baths) in our Zentropia Palladium Spa & Wellnesscenters will have a $10USD fee per guest, per day for Grand Palladium´s guests.
Our Royal Suites guests and Palladium Travel Club members have their entrance included in their stay. Also there will be offers and special attentions towards our guests.
Also, guests who purchase any of our spa treatments at Zentropia Palladium Spa & Wellness will be given free access to our wet areas that day.


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Product Description
Our Haunted Planet
by John Keel
Foremost Fortean investigator John Keel presents a book filled with evidence of the strange and stories of the unusual. He reveals theories about ultraterrestrials, Men In Black, glass mountains, ancient maps, and advanced civilizations predating the caveman. Are we being manipulated for someone's amusement? For the connoisseur of Fortean phenomena as well as newcomer.
About the Author
John Keel was known worldwide as one of the foremost researchers of strange and unknown phenomena. He was the author of many books, including The Mothman Prophecies and was a longtime columnist for FATE. Keel was a world traveler, having lived in France, Egypt, India, Iraq, and wherever else his Fortean adventures took him.