text:
The Crew Flocks to Miami!
by admin
Rio 2 has made its international and domestic debut, breaking Brazil's record for the best opening weekend of the year. However, little does the world know that Rio 2 has been setting international records even before the film's release!
The World Premiere of Rio 2 in Miami Beach, which crewmembers were able to attend, kicked off with Director Carlos Saldanha and a flock of samba dancers eager to set the Guinness World Record for the Largest Samba Dance. Record guidelines required that all dancers had to be clothed traditionally and had to dance to choreographed moves (no freestyling allowed!) for at least five minutes. The historic 256 dancers were then awarded after a Guinness World Records adjudicator verified that all procedures were followed correctly.
For those of you who think it ended there- think again! The five record-breaking minutes that jump-started the premiere at Miami's iconic Fontainebleau Hotel, lead way to an incredible evening of Brazilian inspired grandeur. From the food, Carnaval costumes and drinks, to the live music and appearances by Rio 2 talent, which included Anne Hathaway, Jamie Foxx, George Lopez, Rodrigo Santoro, Andy Garcia, Kristin Chenoweth, Jemaine Clement, Tracy Morgan and Jake T. Austin, it was no wonder Rachel Crow (Carla) said in an interview, "I've never been to a party this fun.. EVER!" [1]
The night continued to pick up momentum when Janelle Monaé took the stage with her hit single from the Rio 2 soundtrack 'What is Love'. On the outdoor stage, Blue Macaws danced on the backdrop screen as a live band with a horn section and back up singers accompanied Janelle's performance. By this time the sun had gone down, allowing colorful lights to illuminate the stage as if Nigel himself was singing 'I Will Survive!'
As the night progressed more incredible performances went down from Ester Dean, Carlinhos Brown, Sergio Mendes, Andy Garcia and Jamie Foxx, whom had no problem getting the crowd fired up in between acts.
According to Director Carlos Saldanha's Assistant, Shanna Robalino, "My favorite part of the night was definitely when Sergio Mendes, Carlinhos Brown and Andy Garcia performed together as we all celebrated the world premiere of our movie - it was definitely a once in a lifetime experience! I must say though," says Robalino, who's been working at Blue Sky for four years this October, "my most memorable moment was when Jemaine Clement photobombed me!"
As the spectacular celebration came to an end, many of the Blue Sky crewmembers got the opportunity to mingle with Rio 2 talent and capture an end of the night photo with our infamous conquering cockatoo, Jemaine Clement (check it out above!).
According to Blue Sky Studios' COO/EVP, Brian Keane, "Celebrating at that type of event with so many Blue Sky crewmembers that worked so hard on the film was great. It's a great way for the crew to meet the talent (voices) of their characters and for the talent to meet and admire the people who created them. To watch them enjoy the film together is an amazing thing."
The opportunity to attend such an event was highly appreciated by the crew, who praised the company culture and generosity in allowing them to experience such a night.
"By allowing crew members to attend the Miami Premiere, it made me feel more motivated," says Human Resource Assistant, Lucy Manos. "The fact that they allowed all walks of the company to attend made us feel so proud and appreciated. The best part was that I got to know a lot of the crew and talent on a personal level. Because of this trip, I am even more excited to be a part of BSS!"
Robalino was another crewmember that felt connected to the crew and talent throughout the night.
"Everyone was just so happy to be together in Miami to celebrate the amazing work that was done on Rio 2," says Robalino. "Whether you were a voice on the movie, an animator, a lighter, a PA or involved in any other department- everyone was just so excited to be together to reflect on what was achieved."
In addition to the celebration, Rio 2, along with talent Jamie Foxx and Andy Garcia, were the first 'Blue Stars' inaugurated into Miami's Walk of Fame. On top of that, Director Carlos Saldanha was honored at Cinemacon in Las Vegas with the International Filmmaker of the Year Award.
We expect to keep the celebration alive the next few months as Rio 2 plays in theaters around the world; the same celebration that helped us kick off the World Premiere of Rio 2 last month down in Miami.
"There was so much joy in partying with the people who worked so hard on the movie," says Rio 2 Producer John Donkin. "The level of enthusiasm was incredible and everyone was charged. The music, the event setting, it was such a nice night- the spirits were high."
Chloe Esposito
[1] "Rio 2 Miami Highlights 20th Century Fox." YouTube.
Retrieved from http://youtu.be/VTvwYo-QT1o, 4 Apr. 2014. Web. 1 Apr. 2014.


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Wireless E911 Location Accuracy Requirements
Federal Register, Volume 79 Issue 111 (Tuesday, June 10, 2014)
Federal Register Volume 79, Number 111 (Tuesday, June 10, 2014)
Proposed Rules
Page 33163
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office www.gpo.gov
FR Doc No: 2014-13533
47 CFR Part 20
PS Docket No. 07-114; FCC 14-13
Wireless E911 Location Accuracy Requirements
AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.
ACTION: Extension of comment deadline.
SUMMARY: The Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau extends the deadline for filing reply comments on the Third Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (Third FNPRM) which was published in the Federal Register on March 28, 2014. The extension will provide commenters with additional time to prepare reply comments in response to the Third FNPRM and initial comments filed in this docket.
DATES: The reply comment period for the proposed rules published at 79 FR 17819, March 28, 2014 is extended. Submit reply comments by July 14, 2014.
ADDRESSES: Submit comments to the Federal Communications Commission, 445 12th Street SW., Washington, DC 20554, identified by PS Docket No. 07-114. Comments may be submitted electronically through the Federal Communications Commission's Web site: http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs2/. Parties wishing to file materials with a claim of confidentiality should follow the procedures set forth in Sec. 0.459 of the Commission's rules. Confidential submissions may not be filed via ECFS but rather should be filed with the Secretary's Office following the procedures set forth in 47 CFR 0.459. Redacted versions of confidential submissions may be filed via ECFS.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dana Zelman of the Policy and Licensing Division of the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, (202) 418-0546 or firstname.lastname@example.com.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a summary of the Order in PS Docket No. 07-114, released on June 4, 2014, which extends the reply comment deadline established in the Third Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking published under FCC No. 14-13 at 79 FR 17819, March 28, 2014. The full text of this document is available for public inspection during regular business hours in the FCC Reference Center, Room CY-A257, 445 12th Street SW., Washington, DC 20554, or online at--http://www.fcc.gov/document/proposes-new-indoor-requirements-and-revisions-existing-e911-rules.
Summary of Order
On February 20, 2014, the Commission adopted a Third Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (Third FNPRM) in this docket, seeking comment on proposed wireless E911 location accuracy requirements. The Third Further NPRM set deadlines for filing comments and reply comments of May 12, 2014 and June 11, 2014, respectively.
On May 29, 2014, CTIA--The Wireless Association (CTIA) filed a request to extend the reply comment deadline an additional 30 days, until July 14, 2014. CTIA states that an extension of time is warranted due to the complex issues presented by the Third NPRM and the large number of initial comments filed in this docket. The National Emergency Number Association, Competitive Carrier Association, and Texas 911 Entities filed letters in support of CTIA's request.
We grant the request for an extension of time. As set forth in Section 1.46 of the Commission's rules, the Commission's policy is that extensions of time for filing comments in rulemaking proceedings shall not be routinely granted. In this case, however, an extension of the reply comment period is warranted for the reasons identified by CTIA. Specifically, we find that extension of the reply comment deadline to July 14, 2014 is warranted to provide commenters with sufficient time to prepare reply comments that fully respond to the complex technical, economic, and policy issues raised in the Third FNPRM and comments filed thereafter.
Accordingly, it is ordered that, pursuant to Section 4(i) of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. 154(i), and Sections 0.191, 0.392, and 1.46 of the Commission's rules, 47 CFR 0.191, 0.392, and 1.46, the Motion for Extension of Time filed by CTIA is granted, and the deadline to file reply comments in this proceeding is extended to July 14, 2014.
Federal Communications Commission.
David G. Simpson,
Chief, Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau.
FR Doc. 2014-13533 Filed 6-9-14; 8:45 am

subset: commoncrawl


text:
1502 Cigars will be adding its first Nicaraguan puro next year, 1502 Nicaragua. Global Premium Cigars CEO Enrique Sánchez told halfwheel that his current 1502 lines use around 90 percent Nicaraguan tobacco, but he felt the need for a cigar made entirely of Nicaraguan tobacco.
"We use tobacco from Esteli, Condega, Jalapa and Ometepe, the four major tobacco regions (of) Nicaragua, and it is being manufactured in Estelí by the Plasencia Family." said Sánchez in an e-mail to halfwheel.
Sánchez would not put a timetable on the release, but indicated it will becoming next year.
In addition, the company will be adding Corona and Lancero sizes to its other three lines. Sánchez said he will start with the 1502 Emerald line, with a possible release in February of next year. The Emerald is currently offered in two box-pressed sizes: Toro (6 x 50) and Torpedo (6 1/2 x 52). There is an additional Robusto size for the 1502 Ruby, while the Black Gold line also features the 6 x 56 Conquistador. In addition, the company makes Perfectos for its lounges.
In the U.S., 1502 is distributed by House of Emilio.


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Oscar special: Journalists on film
Dean Wright is Global Editor, Ethics, Innovation and News Standards. Any opinions are his own.
It's Oscar time, and I'm again reminded of the debt Hollywood and journalists owe each other. Journalists supply Hollywood with great stories and Hollywood sometimes makes us look cool—or at least worth a couple of hours of time and the price of a ticket.
Put aside the fact that a number of Hollywood movies literally are made from the pages of journalism —"Saturday Night Fever," "Dog Day Afternoon" and "Adaptation," to name only a few, were all based on magazine stories. We journalists are also the very characters that Hollywood screenwriters sometimes love.
In addition to sometimes bringing out our cool factor—although, really, what aspiring reporter could resist Robert Redford's corduroy suits in "All the President's Men"? — Hollywood movies can illuminate the kind of ethical, moral and values issues that journalists have to deal with.
This year's slate of Oscar nominees again includes a movie with journalism as its subject. "Frost/Nixon," the film adaptation of the Broadway play about British journalist David Frost's pursuit of the ultimate interview with disgraced former U.S. President Richard Nixon, is nominated for five Oscars.
So here is a completely arbitrary list of my top dozen movies about journalism that have something to say about the way we do our jobs–ethical or unethical, selfish or selfless. Aside from that, about the only thing they have in common is that they all were at least nominated for Oscars. I'll also acknowledge that most of the films are U.S.-oriented, like the Oscars. So I want to especially encourage feedback and suggestions for films from all parts of the world. (A word of warning: There will be plot spoilers.)
The envelope, please.
12: "Roman Holiday" (1953)—A journalist decides that there are things worth more than getting the story– love and happiness, for example. Gregory Peck plays a struggling American reporter for a celebrity-oriented magazine in Rome assigned to cover a princess (Audrey Hepburn) on a state visit. The princess wants a taste of "real" life and escapes her handlers and falls into the arms of Peck, who sees the liaison as a chance to get an exclusive story and escape his down-at-the-heels lifestyle. Naturally, they fall in love and the princess sees just how much fun the common people can have. But Peck decides the exclusive story isn't worth ruining his subject's happiness as the princess reluctantly returns to her duties. Extra points for a bearded Eddie Albert's portrayal of crazed photographer.
11: "Reds" (1981)–A journalist crosses the line from covering his subject to becoming part of the story. Warren Beatty is radical American journalist John Reed, who already writes from a strong point of view. He becomes more involved in leftist party politics, journeys to Russia to cover the 1917 Bolshevik revolution and becomes a semi-official voice for the cause, all the while engaged in a tempestuous love affair with fellow journalist Louise Bryant (Diane Keaton). Extra points for Jack Nicholson's lecherous but poetic role as Eugene O'Neill.
10: "The Year of Living Dangerously" (1982)—A journalist uses his relationships with a lover and colleagues to further his career before deciding that love really is more important. Mel Gibson is an Australian radio reporter sent to Indonesia in the 1960s as President Sukarno breaks with the West. Working with a dwarf photographer named Billy Kwan (a stunning Oscar turn by Linda Hunt), his career prospers and he falls in love with a British diplomat (Sigourney Weaver), who may or may not be using him. As he gets wind of a coup, he must decide between love and his career. Love wins.
9: "The Killing Fields" (1984)–A foreign correspondent learns he can't do his job without his courageous local colleagues and that life and friendship are more important than getting the story. Sam Waterston is New York Times correspondent Sydney Schanberg, stationed in Cambodia as the Khmer Rouge take over. His colleague, Cambodian journalist Dith Pran (Haing S. Ngor) sends his family to the U.S. as the Khmer Rouge move in, but Pran stays behind to work with Schanberg and falls victim to the brutal Khmer Rouge. Schanberg is wracked with guilt and works to ensure that Pran also gets credit for the award-winning journalism. After they were reunited, Pran worked in New York for The Times as a photographer and died last year.
8: "Broadcast News" (1987)—A trio of sad television journalists battle over the authenticity of news and learn that style often trumps substance. William Hurt is a handsome but glib and shallow newsman who's not above staging shots and faking tears. Albert Brooks is his neurotic, by-the-book rival whose ethics, passion and knowledge are no match for Hurt's hollow charm. Both men are after the romantic and professional attention of Holly Hunter's producer, whose journalistic skill and success are equalled only by her private, self-destructive depression. Will the authentic journalist and authentic love win out? Don't count on it.
7: "Citizen Kane" (1941)—It had to be here, didn't it? A newspaperman's youthful idealism turns to power-mad self interest. Orson Welles' magnificent film about the fictional Charles Foster Kane (now who might that be?) tracks the rise and fall of a journalist who got into the business to afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted and dies a lonely, loveless tycoon. A great moment in the idealistic phase, as Kane talks about his creed: "…It is my duty, and I'll let you in on a little secret, it is also my pleasure—to see to it that decent, hard-working people of this community aren't robbed blind by a pack of money-mad pirates just because they haven't anybody to look after their interests."
6: "Frost/Nixon" (2008)—Journalists and politicians can't live without each other and sometimes do the right things for the wrong reasons. In a gripping piece of drama and history, television journalist David Frost (Michael Sheen) seeks to save his career by landing an exclusive interview with former President Richard Nixon (Frank Langella). Frost wants to get the scoop and make news by forcing the disgraced president to confess. Nixon wants a platform to clear his name -–and the $600,000 fee. The truth wins.
5: "The Insider" (1999)—Corporate self-interest clashes with public-service journalism—and people in the middle get hurt. Al Pacino plays an aggressive television producer who wants to tell the story of whistleblower Jeffrey Wigand's (Russell Crowe) revelation that the tobacco industry not only knew their product was dangerous, but deliberately tried to increase its addictiveness. When Pacino's corporate bosses become nervous, Crowe loses his job, his wife and almost everything but his self-respect. Extra points for Christopher Plummer's complex portrayal of Mike Wallace.
4: "Ace in the Hole" (1951)—A journalist who will do anything—and I mean anything—to get the story and revive a career. Once called one of the most cynical movies ever made, this is certainly one of the most cynical portrayals of a journalist. Kirk Douglas is Chuck Tatum, a down-on-his-luck former big-city journalist who stumbles on a story of a man trapped in a cave in New Mexico. Tatum takes charge and prolongs the rescue effort to milk the story for all the headlines it will take to get him back to the big time. ("Bad news sells best. Cause good news is no news.") All the while, Tatum is romancing the trapped man's wife, a blowsy Jan Sterling ("I don't go to church. Kneeling bags my nylons.").
3: "Network" (1976)—The line between news and entertainment blurs to invisibility. Released the same year as "All the President's Men" (below), "Network" portrays journalists in a decidedly less positive way. Longtime network journalist and now ratings-challenged anchor Howard Beale (Peter Finch) has an on-air breakdown after learning he will be fired and promises to kill himself on the air. His struggling network decides to encourage his implosion after Beale's antics begin to catch on, billing him as the "Mad Prophet of the Air Waves." Beale's famous line is, "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it any more," but the more telling one is: " But, man, you're never going to get any truth from us. We'll tell you anything you want to hear; we lie like hell."
2: "All the President's Men" (1976)—Hard-working journalists put their reputations on the line in pursuit of public good. As earnest in its portrayal of journalists as its Oscar-rival "Network" was cynical, Alan Pakula's film focuses on journalists as investigating, crusading watchdogs. A search of the script fails to turn up any references to "ethics", "ethical" or "unethical," but few films about journalists portray reporters—played memorably by Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford—as more dedicated to not just getting the story, but getting it right. And I still get nervous in lonely parking garages.
1: "Good Night, and Good Luck" (2005)—A tough choice for No. 1, but for me no film does a better of job of telling the story of journalists who act courageously and responsibly, fighting powerful corporate pressure to take on injustice. Perpetually wreathed in the tobacco smoke that killed him far too young, storied journalist Edward R. Murrow (David Strathairn) and his producer Fred Friendly (George Clooney) challenge and eventually triumph over Red-baiting Senator Joseph McCarthy. And extra points for Frank Langella ("Frost/Nixon") and his nuanced portrayal of CBS chief Bill Paley.
So what do you think? What are your favorite journalism movies? What would be on your list of films journalists should either pay attention to or ignore? And again, I'd especially like to see suggestions for films made outside the U.S. Let the fray begin.
We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/
Most films portraying the journalism profession are very one sided, the film is usually told from the journalist's point of view, he/she is usually the main protagonist and it is his/her moral dilemmas that are central to the plot – most often in an overly romanticised heroism. As a former news journalist myself (employed by the BBC), these are so far removed from the terrible truth it verges on blatant propaganda. I don't recall a film where the film begins from the worldview of the ordinary people (be they victims of war or simply victims of more ordinary events) and where the journalist is the antagonist, involved in a callous, career-interested cover up, or simply so cynical about the world that he/she takes the side of the forces of repression. Yet some of the reasons which made me leave journalism are precisely found in these realities, things that the Glasgow University Media Group tries in its limited way to challenge – the lack of substance in real public issue stories, language that obscures the truths rather than draws sharply on them (e.g. straightforward truths such as who is being killed and who is doing the killing in the many ethnic-cleansing wars around the globe). An old friend of mine, working as a stringer for Reuters, did not report on a mass grave found in Guatemala deliberately because she said a) she knew Reuters would not be interested in publishing a story on that and she wanted to get ahead in her career (she deserved it, she said) and b) because of her own imperious cynicism and judgmentalism about the resistance movement's failure to live up to her ideas of what she felt they should look and sound like – she didn't care about the people anymore. In fact that view, when you dig just below the surface, is far more common than the heroic journalist – but I can't recall ever seeing it in films…or am I wrong??
I think, also, of the film Live From Bagdad with James Waterston. Of what think you of this film?
"The Gulf War, 1991. No story is worth dying for – but this was the story of a lifetime.
Plot:A group of CNN reporters wrestle with journalistic ethics and the life-and-death perils of reporting during the Gulf War"
Even Superman is a journalist
Under Fire – Nicaragua and the Sandinista revolution. Great cast, especially the villains, and a nice journalistic dilemma – fake a picture and give the revolution a helping hand, or refuse and let the bad guys (in this case America and Somoza) win.
To Kothai's point about his friend's reluctance to report on the finding in Guatemala, I do hope she spoke to her editor before self-censoring. Reuters is not in the business of NOT reporting news. I do agree that cynicism is something journalists need to fight. We can certainly be skeptical without being cynical.
Inese makes an excellent point on Superman, very much a journeyman journalist when he's not protecting Gotham City. Both newspapers and phone booths are getting harder to find these days.
I believe you forgot "Under Fire", with Nick Nolte as a photo journalist caught in the web of guerrilla warfare in Central America and "Salvador", also dealing with political violence in that Central American country.
I may add "A mighty heart",with Angelina Jolie about the killing of the Wall Street Journal reporter, and "The Boys of Brazil", with Gregory Peck and Lawrence Olivier, as Nazi criminal doctor, Mengele, and Nazi Hunter Simon Wiesenthal. Although is not a movie about journalism, the Reuters Vienna bureau appears in the movie.
And let's not forget Alfred Hitchcock's classic "Foreign Correspondent," about an American correspondent in wartime London uncovering spies.
Lovely list there, Dean.
You have already included most of my favorite films, but I am going to try to come up with a few names that include films in languages other than English.
So here goes:
Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita – The movie spawned the word 'paparazzi', and serves as a criticism of what that word represents. But more than anything else, it's a great film. Period.
Almost Famous – A seasoned reporter offers these tips to a fledgling music journalist: "You cannot become friends with the rock stars." "Be honest, and unmerciful." Lots more good advice in the movie.
Cidade de Deus – A great Brazilian film in which a photo journalist is very much part of the violence he seeks to record.
The Hunting Party – Smug entertainment or biting satire? Watch it and decide for yourself. A group of journalists decide to capture a Bosnian Serb, a character who closely resembles Radovan Karadžić.
His Girl Friday – An all-time classic. Nothing much to do with journalism as it is today, but an enjoyable watch nevertheless.
The films of Jean-Luc Godard (Weekend, Contempt, Breathless, Pierrot Goes Wild and Alphaville, a Strange Adventure of Lemmy Caution, to name just a few) and Francois Truffaut (The 400 Blows, Jules and Jim, The Wild Child, and many more) – The two great directors were film journalists before they started making films as a form of reporting on films they liked, or disliked. Brilliant stuff.
Goodfellas – Based on journalist Nicholas Pileggi's book, Wiseguy. You gotta watch it.
Chicago – Tabloid journalism at its best?
Capote – What happens when you fall in love with your subject, and he happens to be a murderer? Spell-binding performance by Philip Seymour Hoffman as the conflicted, and brilliant, Truman Capote.
Anchorman: the Legend of Ron Burgundy – Ha Ha Ha
There are several other films such as On The Waterfront and Costa-Gavras' Z that are based on articles/books written by journalists. But can't think of any more movies revolving around journalism or journalists at the moment. Will add a comment later if something comes mind.
P.S. Dean, Superman's area of operation is called Metropolis. Batman looks after Gotham. Anyway, the best, or most popular, superheroes are closely connected to journalism.
Spider-man/Peter Parker works as a photo journalist.
Clark Kent is a journalist. Batman's love interest Vicki Vale is a journalist. The leading lady of the Superman comics, Lois Lane, is a journalist.
Even that great comic-book hero from Belgium, Tintin, is a journalist.
And we love the comics not because of the superheroes, but because of their alter-egos. And with the alter-egos so closely connected to journalism, does that say something about journalists? 😉
How could I forget?
Wong Kar-wai's In The Mood For Love and sort-of sequel 2046 – You'll love Christopher Doyle's lush cinematography and the Chinese director's penchant for the surreal in these two loosely connected films, in the which the protagonist is a journalist.
Thanks to Pratish for the correction on Superman's area of operations. Who knows how many secret superheroes are quietly working in our profession? And I have tried to take the advice in "Almost Famous" to heart.
Your list is indeed biased. For a less flattering look at journalism, how about "The sweet smell of success" where a brilliant Burt Lancaster plays the role of corrupt columnist.
Great addition from El Cid. "The Sweet Smell of Success" is not only a brilliant look at a corrupt columnist, but is one of the great movies about New York. Lancaster's J.J. Hunsecker has a great line: "I love this dirty town."
Here's another – David Fincher's Zodiac. Jake Gyllenhaal plays former San Francisco Chronicle cartoonist Robert Graysmith, who becomes obsessed with the 'Zodiac' serial killings.
Robert Downey Jr. plays the newspaper's crime reporter who isn't half as interested as Graysmith in the case.
To El Cid, what do you mean by "Your list is indeed biased"? I mean, there's Ace in the Hole, which features lines such as "I can handle big news and little news. And if there's no news, I'll go out and bite a dog", and at No. 3, there's Network, in which the ratings potential of a news show brings Faye Dunaway's 'news producer' character to orgasm. Enough said.
As a Canadian, I'll offer up a couple of great British movies about journalists, one of which is a less than flattering portrayal. My favourite of the two is Defence of the Realm, where e Gabriele Byrne plays a journalist investigating the suspicious crash of a nuclear-armed plane at a U.S. Air Force base in the U.K. The other is Pluoughman's Lunch, with Jonathan Pryce as a creepily ambitious reporter in Thatcherite Britain
Personally, I think journalists suffer at the hands of Hollywood as much as they prosper. Think of all the movies featuring sleazy TV reporters who care only about getting the story. Like the guy in the original Die Hard movie.
Dear Dean,
For me, there is no competition for #1, #2 and #3:
1."Profession: Reporter" (USA title "The Passenger", by Michelangelo Antonioni (1975).
2. "Blowup", by Michelangelo Antonioni (1966).
3. "Prishvin's Paper Eyes", by Valeri Ogorodnikov (Russia, 1989).
Now we can have a debate. I suggest
4. Citizen Kane, by Orson Welles.
5. Good Night and Good Luck, by George Clooney.
6, Reds, by Warren Beatty (if we cut it a few minutes before the end — no carnival in Asia, which is as phony and Hollywoodish as the ending of "The Schindler's List.")
Alexander Soifer
How about a) "Resurrecting the Champ" starring Samuel L. Jackson and Josh Harnett?
It was a touching story of an up-and-coming sportswriter and a down, but not quite out, boxer whose lives intersect and are changed forever. More than anything else, it works as a simple reminder to journos to get the facts right.
b)"One Fine Day" starring Michelle Pfeiffer and George Clooney. Although it's all about one fine day in the lives of two single parents, Clooney's character is a journalist and his rival columnist has "Frankly Speaking," a title which an Indian English news channel uses for its flagship interviews.
There's also Robert Redford's "Lions for lambs" in which Meryl Streep dons the journalistic hat in a role which, I presume, would've resonated with many in DC as a senator (Tom Cruise), who's a key military adviser to the President, tries to steer Streep's character into "selling" a new plan of attack in Afghanistan.
Excellent additions, Alexander.
But why should the list be about films that only deal with journalism? Isn't there space for films that are acts of journalism themselves even though they may not feature characters who are journalists?
I have to say — with a little help from Abraham Lincoln — that if Errol Morris' Gates of Heaven, Marcel Ophüls' The Sorrow and the Pity and Werner Herzog's Encounters at the End of the World, just to name a few, is not journalism, nothing is journalism.
[…] I like the suggestions from Dean Wright, the head of ethics and news standards for Reuters, on his Full Disclosure blog. His list reminded me of a few journalism movies I'd forgotten about or never seen. […]
Also worth a mention is Joel Schumacher's "Veronica Guerin" starring Cate Blanchett as the Irish reporter who paid the ultimate price for her reporting on Ireland's burgeoning drugs trade. The film examines whether Guerin was brave or simply reckless in her pursuit of the inside story of the violent gangs that controlled the trade.
Absence of Malice
You should follow this up with a list of the WORST journalism movies. I nominate the Jack Webb abomination called -30-.
But anyway, as long as you're spotlighting the best, don't forget the great "His Girl Friday."
Ah, yes. -30-. I remember first learning of "double trucks" and Bodoni type faces when, if I recall correctly, Jack Webb orders up a page with a picture of a storm drain with words to the effect of: "I want a double truck with a picture of the drain and a 48 point Bodoni headline, 'Hey, Kids, Stay Away From This." It was certainly public service.
As an ethics guru, I am surprised you did not mention "Absence of Malice" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081974/ which looks very closely at the impact of reporting on the lives of those being reported on.
I also recall liking that a small '70s film called "Between the Lines" which was about a small underground newspaper being taken over by big business.
"Shattered Glass" is one of my favorites. I love to watch the lie(s) unfold as the movie progresses. It's 94 minutes long–a really good one to watch if you're short on time.
[…] Journalists on Film by Dean Wright, Reuters […]
Please accept some random thoughts upon stumbling across this blog posting:
Journalists apply their professionalism (doubtlessly to all degrees of candour c.f. Stephen Glass) to report facts to us through reporting media channels. With similar divergence to keeping true to the facts, the big screen has historically adapted a plethora of media related / journalism stories to challenge box office hits; nothing new.
What is interesting, however, is the contrary; when movies create real facts thereby feeding journalism. Indeed, many fictional stories are predecessors to subsequent real life events, bringing us to question whether the story inspired actionable blueprints and/or to marvel the author's prophetic capabilities.
The abovementioned movie – Ace in the Hole – holds remarkable similarities to what has, is, and will transpire with the trapped Chilean miners.
Many will see cynicism in the similarities and try to pass judgement on the credibility of the operation. Others will refute its relevance to maintain the dignity of this human disaster and authenticity of this timely and successful rescue story. Despite differing opinions, Ace in the Hole provides an interesting 'conversation piece' about how a piece of 1950s American fiction resembles so closely to the current state of affairs in Chile 60 years later.
Journalism is constantly faced with ethical concerns of representing the truth. The question of whether journalism reports the truth or whether it creates the truth can be blatantly clear-cut but also extremely complex. This fine line comes face-to-face with the challenges of our era where facts are labelled 'true' as long as enough people accept them as such.
This debate however, should not impede journalism nor curtail the movie industry. Indeed, both nourish a much sought-after psycho-sociological need in our ever alienating society: 'to confirm the life of others'; nothing new. Hence a blog entry and not a Pulitzer prize!
stsalicoglou gmail com


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CO2 for a clean performance: Rheticus research project by Evonik and Siemens enters phase 2
Evonik and Siemens launched their joint research project Rheticus II. The goal is to develop an efficient and powerful test plant that will use carbon dioxide and water as well as electricity from renewable sources and bacteria to produce specialty chemicals (CO2). In the Rheticus I project ... > more


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On 12th August 2018, five current and former Oxford University Yacht Club sailors started the Royal Ocean Racing Club's Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race. The marathon 1800 nm race, in which yachts circumnavigate the entire UK without stopping, is one of the toughest challenges in ocean racing. In thirteen days we covered 1988 nm, encountered gale force winds on Ireland's rugged west coast, mountainous seas near the Hebrides, mythical islands in heavy fog and flat calms among North Sea oil rigs. OUYC is proud to be the first university team to have completed the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race.
The team – Simon Harwood (skipper), Max Jamilly, Mélisande Besse, Annika Möslein, Will Gibbs and Sean Linsdall – arrived in Gosport on Friday 10th August to prepare for the race. We had already completed several qualifying races this season and Simon had been working tirelessly to bring the boat up to scratch. Max and Sean jumped off the dock at Haslar Marina to give Talisman a thorough clean below the waterline. Annika joined us from Germany and, once the whole team was reunited, we headed to Gunwharf Quays for a drink and some serious race preparation at Tiger Tiger.
Reluctantly we woke early the next morning and hurried to stow over 600 kg of food and water before crossing the Solent to Cowes. Soon disaster struck: the team satellite phone, our connection to the outside world, stopped working. A big shout out to Max and 'sat phone' Gary for spending hours getting it sorted! With Talisman safely berthed at Cowes Yacht Haven, the team headed to the RORC Clubhouse for a briefing and BBQ.
Sunday 12th August was the big day: time to set off on our adventure. Following a last breakfast at Tiffin's, we spent a nervous few hours on the dock while rumours trickled in forecasting 50+ kt winds and 20m seas in the North Atlantic. We enlisted a questionable French photographer for one last team photo and said goodbye to the dock for two weeks.
The race started at 1200 from the Royal Yacht Squadron line, the fleet of 28 yachts all heading east towards No Man's Land Fort, the first mark of the course. After rounding Bembridge Ledge, we did the first of many sail changes as the winds began to gather. The turbulent overfalls off St Catherine's Point claimed our first seasickness casualty – but luckily Sean was fine after a few hours. As the wind shifted to the west we faced a long, uncomfortable beat to Portland Bill. Méli and Max fell ill too: unfortunately, this lasted a few days, complete with prehistoric vomiting noises and a traumatising experience for an unlucky dolphin.
As we approached Land's End, the wind dropped to a pleasant 15 kt with flat seas, a welcome relief from the uncomfortable conditions of the last few days. We rounded Bishop's Rock off the Scilly Isles at midday on 14th August and began our long upwind journey north-west through the Celtic Sea. Overnight the winds built to a steady 28 kt with regular gusts of 35 kt. After a few night time sail changes we woke up flying a double-reefed mainsail and storm jib. Just over twenty-four hours after leaving the Scilly Isles we passed the legendary Fastnet Rock and the jagged western outcrops of Ireland (Bull Rock and Great Skelling). Shrouded in clouds, they only briefly emerged from the fog. But our sights were firmly fixed north: towards the Hebrides and the gathering storms.
Clearing the last outcrops of the Irish coast, we turned north for the 360 nm journey to St Kilda – the last waypoint before Muckle Flugga, a lonely rock in the Shetlands that marks the most northerly point of our course. Each day we received a satellite weather forecast courtesy of Meteorologist Paul (Will's dad, who kindly read us the shipping forecast). This time the news was extreme: we were on track to cross the tail-end of a tropical storm in the next twenty-four hours. Gale force westerlies and high seas were a certainty. We held a crew briefing: being 100+ miles away from the nearest safe harbour, our options were limited so we decided to ride out the storm but be very conservative with our sail choices to minimise the risk.
Approaching St Kilda on the evening of 17th August, the wind was 35 kt and building. We dropped the mainsail, hoisted the trysail and storm jib and braced ourselves for a very rough night. As the waves rose around us, we had a tray of Jane's legendary brownies to celebrate Annika's 22nd birthday. What better way to party than during a storm in the North Atlantic!
Sunrise on 18th August was hidden behind ominous clouds and the wind continued to worsen, as did the fearsome sea state. We measured a maximum gust of 45 kt before the wind instruments died, but bigger gusts continued to blow. Combined with monster waves which towered above Talisman, conditions were perfect for some amazing downwind sailing. All six crew members took the helm to surf at boat speeds over 18 kt. Simon reached 21 kt, a staggering speed with storm sails alone.
After the winds had died down to a moderate 25 kt, it was time to hoist the sails again and get back into the racing mindset. Talisman had other ideas, however: upon hoisting the mainsail we noticed that the top batten pocket had ripped. Méli led a great team effort involving sail patches and Gorilla tape to repair the sail as the wind continued to ease. Soon the conditions were glorious, and we decided it was finally time to make the most of them. Ready for a three-sail reach, we hoisted the lightweight spinnaker – but it spectacularly exploded after less than 5 minutes in the air! Replacing it with the smaller spinnaker, we began to make good progress towards Muckle Flugga.
The last eighteen hours to Muckle Flugga truly was the calm after the storm, a brief stretch of downwind sailing in 15 kt winds. Even with our larger spinnaker destroyed, we made excellent headway through the chilly waters. As dusk gave way to darkness at 2200 on 19th August, we were delighted when Muckle Flugga finally came into sight and toasted with a glass (or two) of Champagne. It was time, at last, to head south into warmer waters.
After rounding Muckle Flugga, the storms of the Northern Atlantic became a distant memory and the first 200 nm of our southwards journey were painfully slow due to weak and fickle winds. Morale was high thanks to Max's constant stream of poor jokes and useless facts (I think we preferred him unconscious and seasick), not to mention regular sightings of dolphins, whales and seabirds and longer, warmer days. The light winds were short-lived and east of Aberdeen the winds picked up again to 35 kt again. We were reefing the mainsail at dusk when a particularly vicious gust tore a metre-long gash in the leech. We rapidly dropped the main and Simon ingeniously fixed the sail using deck sealant, sail patches and Gorilla tape. It was at moments such as this when our strength and cohesion as a team became invaluable. Special mention goes to Annika, who was almost launched skywards when a gust caught the sail as it lay on the deck. Soon the main was patched and re-hoisted just as darkness settled.
After three days' journeying south in very light wind, dodging oil rigs and wind farms in the North Sea the breeze steadily built as we approached the Thames Estuary. For the next 12 hours, our boat speed averaged 10 kt and we were soon at the Strait of Dover. We were ready to turn the corner and begin the final short stretch along the south coast to Cowes. But the conditions did not last: the wind veered to the west and dropped below 15 kt off Dover, before building again above 30 kt off Dungeness. Whilst putting in what we hoped would be the last reef of the race, disaster struck. A two-meter stretch of the mainsail leech ripped, making it unusable and resulting in a long night of beating towards Cowes under headsail alone, in storm force winds in torrential rain.
The end was almost in sight and it was agonising to be making such slow progress. Sailing between the traffic separation scheme and the Suffolk coast for six hours against an unfavourable tide, little progress was made, and team morale was low. But eventually the tide turned, and we began to make progress. After searching Talisman from top to bottom, every available sticky patch was used to fix the mainsail leech. We hoisted our patchwork sail for the last time and turned our sights (and stomachs!) towards the finish line.
At 1200 on 25th August, we passed No Man's Land Fort to port, finally entering the Solent exactly 13 days after we started. Just over an hour later at 13:34 on 25th August, we finished in an elapsed time of 13 days 1 hour 34 minutes and 17 seconds. We finished 11th (IRC adjusted) out of 28 boats who started. The team was warmly welcomed on Trinity Landing by friends, family and the RORC race committee with several bottles of much-needed Champagne. Thrilled but exhausted, we rushed to the RORC Clubhouse for our first showers in two weeks.
OUYC would like to thank RORC and Sevenstar for organising such an incredible race. Most importantly, we would like to thank our skipper, Simon Harwood, for leading us round and, as always, for putting his trust in us whilst sailing Talisman!


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Australia's new prime minister will not walk away from the Paris climate agreement, although his new policies now make it unlikely the country will meet its emissions reduction goal. Ongoing trade talks with the EU could also hinge on how climate policy continues to develop.
The surge in the frequency and intensity of climate change impacts has raised the alarm about how this could hamper coastal activities. Several critical ports in the Indo-Pacific region are hubs of international trade and commerce and at the same time vulnerable to typhoons, taller waves and erosion. India's climate diplomacy at the regional level could activate climate-resilient pathways for port development and management.
The exhibition "Environment, Conflict, Cooperation" (ECC), co-organised by The University of Queensland and adelphi, supported by the German Federal Foreign Office, is shown in Brisbane during 18th July and 4th August. The exhibition is accompanied by a public talk as well as a closing panel discussion:
As climate variability increases over the next decades, we have to dramatically rethink how we govern extractive industry, water resources, and environmental permitting, or else face increased conflict in many resource rich countries, argues Joshua Fisher.
At the Sustainable Pearls Forum, experts and stakeholders discussed how pearl farming can have environmental and social benefits when ocean-dependent livelihoods are endangered by climate change.
The United Nations Small Island States conference (UNSIDS 2014) held in Apia Samoa in early September this year was a momentous gathering of international donors held after 10 years to focus global attention on the predicamen
In another blow to illegal loggers, Australia has passed the Illegal Logging Prohibition Bill, joining the U.S. in outlawing the importation of illegal logged timber from abroad. The new legislation makes it a criminal offense for Australian businesses to import timber from illegal operations.


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Studiomaster C3
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The Studiomaster C3 12ch 1U Mixer provides you with a total of 12 inputs in a compact 1U 19" rack mountable package.
With 4 balanced combination XLR and jack inputs that allow you to connect your microphones or line level equipment. And with flexibility in mind, two inputs are mounted on the front of the unit and two on the rear panel. Also included is a three band EQ, providing you with maximum control across that crucial vocal range. A selection of 4 jack and RCA/phono inputs comprise the last 8 channels, providing versatility suitable for playback of most electronic devices. Each input has an individual level control and the two band EQ in this section provides extra sound sculpting possibilities. Additionally all inputs have access to a pair of pre and post fader auxiliary sends allowing for monitor mixes or effects sends to be set-up.
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Make sure that you read the general guidelines including information about the safety and risks associated with aromatherapy before you experiment with any of the aromatic waters or essential oils.
Aromatherapy may not cure your hot flashes but it is a safe treatment to make you feel better immediately.
How Do Essential Oils and Aromatherapy Work for Hot Flashes?
The theory behind the use of essential oil and aromatherapy as a natural remedy for hot flashes is as follows:
- Aromatherapy and essential oils act on the endocrine system by stimulating specific neurotransmitters that help to relieve menopause symptoms such as hot flashes.
- This works either by inhaling the chemicals in the essential oils (aromatherapy) or by absorbing the substance through the skin.
- If you use essential oils from herbs with phytoestrogens, your body will absorb the chemicals which in turn activate the estrogen receptors in the cells.
Most studies that have been done with scientific methods dispute that aromatherapy has any direct effect on symptoms. However, if it makes you feel better, it certainly is helpful.
Have you ever used Vicks or inhalations of eucalyptus when you had a cold? That is basically the same application with using different essential oils.
Any substance that causes a cooling effect will help with hot flashes, no matter what the studies say. Why wouldn't aromatherapy for hot flashes not work if you use essential oils with familiar cooling qualities?
It was actually other women who wrote to this website and said that they use essential oils successfully to treat their hot flashes. (Please let us know your experience with aromatherapy for hot flashes so we can add it to the site).
Lavender Water
Lavender water is not just helpful for the nerves. It has a wonderful fresh scent which makes it ideal for hot flash relief, as an air freshener and for a linen spray (keeps moths away).
(I use diluted lavender water to help with the dehydrated skin on oversea flights. I just spray it directly on my face to help with the jet lag. But on the next flight I will try the same with the peppermint water. I use an empty facial toner bottle because of the fine mist it produces.)
Rose Water
Rose water and Rose essential oil smell wonderful. The oils of the Rose damascena (which are the essence in both the essential oil and in rose water) are helpful for stress relief (i.e. good for menopause stress). Just like orange blossom water is it beneficial for the skin.
Orange Blossom Water (Neroli)
Orange Blossom water has a wonderful smell and is beneficial for the skin. Orange blossom water is also available under the name Neroli Hydrosol or neroli water. It is produced from the blossoms of the bitter orange tree.
The Best Essential Oils for Aromatherapy for Hot Flashes
Peppermint Essential Oil
Peppermint has great cooling, refreshing and invigorating properties which makes it a great aromatherapy for hot flashes.
The topical application for peppermint oil suggested by our readers is as follows:
- Dip the tip of your little finger into the diluted oil and apply a very small amount into the bottom part of your ear for immediate hot flash relief.
- Put the diluted peppermint oil on the back of your neck and the insides of your wrist.
Instead of peppermint essential oil, you can use spearmint.
Eucalyptus Essential Oil
Just like Peppermint or Spearmint, Eucalyptus contains menthol. Menthol has an immediate cooling effect on the skin. Eucalyptus is a well known expectorant (have you ever used Vicks when you had a cold?) and antiseptic. It is a very potent essential oil and must be used sparingly.
Do not use Eucalyptus essential oil internally because it can be toxic.
Clary Sage Essential Oil
Clary Sage (Salvia sclarea) is an ancient herb that contains plant estrogens. The theory is that the skin absorbs the oil and helps with hot flashes. The same would apply when the oil is inhaled.
The diluted essential oil of clary sage is applied topically as a hot flash remedy.
Do not confuse Clary Sage (Salvia sclarea) with Common Sage (Salvia officinalis). Common Sage is not recommended as an essential oil but is a wonderful herb for teas and tinctures for women with hot flashes and night sweats.
Lemon Essential Oil
You are familiar with lemon essential oil if you ever used lemon zest for cooking or baking. What you smell is the oil that is in the skin of the lemon.
Lemon essential oil causes high photosensitivity in skin. If you are using it as a topical in any way, avoid sun exposure for at least 24 hours.
Lemon oil is great if you use it in a diffuser or room spray because of the fresh lemony smell. The aroma is very uplifting and energizing. Many people report that it helps with concentration problems.
Lemongrass Essential Oil
Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) is a highly fragrant plant with distinct lemony smell. In aromatherapy for hot flashes, its benefits for excessive sweating come into play.
Lemongrass essential oil can cause skin sensitivity, which makes a patch test important (see general guidelines below). Do not use lemongrass essential oil if you have glaucoma.


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Y'all, Lip Sync Battle is my jam. A bunch of gorgeous and talented celebrities go out and have an absolute blast pretending to sing and putting on amazing performances, and it's probably the most fun half hour on TV right now. Read More What I Watched Last Night: Lip Sync Battle
Tag: chrissy teigan
This Week in Misogyny is Scarier than Your Halloween Costume
Y'all. It's been a hell of a week. Of course we're still dealing with GamerGate, plus the backlash to the street harassment video that everyone loved just a few days ago. And don't forget the fucked up Halloween costumes that are already out there! (As usual, trigger warnings for pretty much everything apply.) Read More This Week in Misogyny is Scarier than Your Halloween Costume


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Luke Cage Season 2
Mike Colter, Mustafa Shakir, Alfre Woodard, Theo Rossi, Simone Missick, Reg E. Cathey
Luke Cage isn't a bad show, but it definitely falls short of its obvious inherent potential.
Following on from the events of last season and crossover series The Defenders, season two of Luke Cage (or Marvel's Luke Cage if you prefer) sees the titular Hero for Hire (Mike Colter) settling into the groove of being Harlem's champion-about-town. Old enemies are still around to make life difficult for him, chiefly politician-turned-crime-boss Mariah Dillard/Stokes (Alfre Woodard) and major-domo Shades (Theo Rossi), and a new threat arises in the form of Jamaican gangster Bushmaster (Mustafa Shakir), who wants to take Harlem for himself and has no qualms about employing horrifying violence to do so.
Which sounds like there should be plenty for our man to deal with this year, but unfortunately Luke Cage Season 2 is a fairly sluggish affair. It's a show that absolutely shines in the details but fumbles the big picture, filling the screen with fascinating and vibrant elements of African American culture (the soundtrack, again highlighted by live performances at the nightclub Harlem's Paradise, is all killer), but hampered by leaden pacing and an almost terminal lack of narrative direction. It's always fun to hang out in Luke Cage's Harlem, but this season it seems to have a real problem with figuring out what kind of story it's trying to tell.
That's weirdly appropriate in a way, as Luke's main arc is figuring out what kind of hero he's going to be. He spends a lot of time this season ruminating on his position in the community, and figuring how to get paid (Hero for Hire, remember?) without compromising his ethics – and he's not always successful. In parallel, we get Mariah trying to negotiate her transition from political player to, ultimately, gangster, which is a rough journey and not as well written as you might hope. The series seems to have a real problem with understanding who Mariah is or who they want her to be, and as a result her characterisation is wildly erratic and inconsistent, lurching from calculating mastermind to drunken mess to aggrieved matriarch and back. Luckily Alfre Woodard is an absolute gun and remains eminently watchable even when the script doesn't give her the support she deserves.
Season 2 also continues the grand Marvel thematic tradition of Oh No My Dad Was Problematic, bringing in the late, great Reg E. Cathey (this was his final role and the series is dedicated to him) as Cage Senior, a preacher who has been alienated from his son since the latter was jailed, and who blames the stress of that ordeal for putting his wife into an early grave. Mariah is also struggling with her legacy, trying to reconnect with her daughter, Tilda (Gabrielle Dennis) a doctor-turned-naturopath who has turned her back on the family legacy. Between this and season 2 of Jessica Jones that's two instances of Oh No My Mum Was Problematic we've had from Marvel this year, which is some kind of blow for representation, we guess.
Still, themes of family, legacy and community run deep in Luke Cage, with pretty much every character directed by, or struggling to get out from under, generational issues – old debts, bad blood, family shame, cycles of violence and revenge. Even Bushmaster, a charismatic and ruthless villain with a nice line in capoeira kick-fighting, is driven by the desire for vengeance for crimes against his family. This is the good stuff – by grounding the action of the series in this palpable sense of place and history, the whole thing has a greater dramatic weight.
That weight does slow things down though – although perhaps that's just Netflix's insistence on sticking to their unwieldy 13 episode season plan, which we have griped about before. Once again, there's not enough story to stretch over the 13 hour framework comfortably, and we spend a lot of time spinning our wheels or dealing with needless complications that don't forward either the plot or the themes of the series. This is a problem endemic to the Marvel Netflix stable, and perhaps it's no more prevalent than in most episodic entertainment, but given we're encouraged to binge this stuff, it becomes all the more apparent and damaging in this context.
It does allow time for little detours and fun moments, though, and as we pointed out, it's in these little details that Luke Cage sings. We get a few fun cameos from the broader Marvel Netflixiverse, and we get to spend a lot of time with tough cop and – since the events of The Defenders – amputee Misty Knight (Simone Messick), who refuses to let the loss of a limb slow her down (even if it is eventually dealt with in the most Marvel way possible). One of the most fun interludes involves Knight hanging out with Iron Fist's Colleen Wing (Jessica Henwick) and kicking an impressive amount of ass in a barroom brawl – this might be the closest we get to a Daughters of the Dragon show, but we'll take what we can get.
Which is a good attitude to go into this one with. Luke Cage isn't a bad show, but it definitely falls short of its obvious inherent potential. It's entertaining enough and sports excellent performance scenes, but the whole thing doesn't hang together as well as it should. If we're getting a third season – and S2 leaves us in a place where that seems like a certainty – hopefully it's a tighter and more focused affair. We've hung out enough – it's time to get moving.


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Before I share much more about our life with Bodhi, I want to write about the Lab who came before him. She's the reason, after her passing, that I wanted another Labrador Retriever. She was my sweet baby girl, and the first dog I dearly loved in life and mourned in passing. Zele was the dog I'd always wanted, beginning to end, and that was the last thing I whispered into her ear.
We'd been living in Virginia for a few years when our old Golden Retriever, Maggie, began showing her age. A friend suggested adopting a puppy before Maggie was done, and let the pup learn from her.
I was skeptical. My mind went to training, the kind an owner does. Kelly liked the idea. She was more in the mind of a puppy learning where and how to ask to go potty, how to stay in the yard together, and generally how to behave (in a doggish sort of way). We sat on the idea for a while, until Maggie began slowing down.
I don't know what led me to the breed. We enjoy watching the dog shows every winter, so maybe I'd taken a liking to the Lab's friendly, yet noble features. There's a sturdiness to them, right up until one jumps into your lap, or rolls over for a belly rub.
We found Zele at a back-yard breeder in a Falls Church neighborhood. She was one of two remaining pups. I'd never picked a pup from the litter, so I just climbed into the pen, sat down on the concrete floor of the garage and played with the puppies. Zele was the one who, when she sniffed around me, laid in my lap, rolled over and let me rub her belly, found her way into my heart.
Her name came along a more convoluted path. We'd taken a Southwest driving trip beginning in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and ending in Las Vegas a month before. We'd stopped in Santa Fe, Taos, Flagstaff, the Grand Canyon, and drove through the Painted Desert, Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park. Our trip was shortened by a day as a hurricane approached the Virginia coast, but it was foremost something we both enjoy – a long drive with plenty of time to talk and enjoy the scenery.
After waking in Santa Fe one morning, Kelly suggested we look for a coffee place to grab breakfast. I opened a map on my laptop and, among a handful of local places, found Zele Coffee & Cafe. No doubt it's pronounced zay'-lay, but being me, I pronounced it zelly. Off we went.
Over a cup of good coffee and an egg sandwich I later opined, "Zele (as zelly) would be a good dog name." Kelly replied, "yes, it would."
A month later she joined our family.
Zele was a challenge during her first six months. A friend nicknamed her "Zele-No." This was before we learned that a dog crate is a comfort, not a prison, and that the best way to stop a dog from teething on everything is to provide a dozen or more chew toys, both soft and hard, strewn around the house. We lost a wall-to-wall carpet and some wood trim, but nothing that couldn't be replaced.
I learned something with Zele that I've used with Stella and Bodhi since. Dogs like training, and I do, too. Working with a dog forms a bond and lasting memories. It makes her your dog. The day I began training Zele, which closely followed buying and employing a wire crate kennel, was the day she became a good dog. One sharp correction established the relationship. After that she was a quick study and a joy to work with.
From Zele I also learned to never wrestle with a Labrador. They're one muscle from nose to tail. She was fierce, in a playful sort of way. She was a happy dog, too. I'd often tell her, "I have you. I'll always have you. I'll have you for the rest of your life" when I'd get my arms around her. It meant more to me than simply getting ahold of her.
We took Zele to Atlantic Beach during a trip to visit family in North Carolina. She loved the water. I tossed a bright orange tennis ball into the surf and she darted out after it, paddling back to shore for more. Each throw went further, until I tossed the ball beyond the breakers. She dutifully swam out and, seeing a wave crest over her head pulled down her ears and shut her eyes. The wave broke over her, submerging her head for a few seconds. Then she was in air again, pausing until she realized she was ok, and swam on. She charged the waves without hesitation after that.
Zele was fearless. A close-by thunderstorm would bring her into the room with us, but she'd just lay down and relax. She took everything else with a mildly curious gaze or a sniff. She welcomed strangers with barks and a tail wag, reserving her greatest alertness for a thrown tennis ball and food. I don't believe I ever saw her cower until the end.
Our (now) old Golden, Stella, barks at passing cyclists, cars, and people out front of our home.
Zele would lay looking out the door, see them passing, and watch them go. If she barked at something out front it was worth getting up for.
One of my fondest memories of Zele is how she'd come right over and lay next to me when I'd stretch out on the floor for TV. She'd spend fifteen minutes or a half-hour with me, then roll away. She didn't like heat, but she did like to snuggle. Sometimes she'd be lying under foot near a chair, and scoot herself toward me a few inches at a time after I'd moved to the floor, until I received a wet kiss on my bald head.
I can still remember the scent of her as I'd get down on the floor at the end of each day – she'd sleep on a bed at the foot of our stairs – and tell her what a good dog she was, and that I loved her, and kissed her forehead. I'd receive a lick up the side of my face before she flopped over and shut her eyes. She was a sweet girl.
Zele suffered arthritis in her right hind leg from age one. We think it was exacerbated by a bout of Lyme disease, for which she was successfully treated. Later in life she suffered a torn CCL on the other side, and successfully recovered from remedial surgery. The arthritis, however, grew worse in her later years, and she began hobbling. It didn't slow her down, but we knew she was suffering. Pain and anti-inflammation meds go only so far.
For the final year and a half of her life we met our friend Dr. Betty for an acupuncture session every two weeks. I'd read about the benefits of acupuncture, and now I saw them. There was noticeable improvement by the end of the day each time.
We got to know well the people at Clevenger's Corner Veterinary Care. Everyone seemed to know Zele. I guess we'd become regulars. I always have a good feeling bringing our pets to them, though we've left a couple there the hard way. Good people, good care.
In her last three months Zele began spending less time with us, choosing to snooze the evening away alone in our dining room. Eventually she'd just walk through the living room, look at us, and keep moving. We'd walk around a corner and inadvertently surprise her, and she'd tremble, afraid. Toward the end I think she'd forget who we were until we spoke.
Canine dementia has a more formal name, canine cognitive dysfunction. Zele was not diagnosed with it, but she demonstrated the symptoms I see in my mom, who has had a similar diagnosis. We lose these patients in bits and pieces, and it's heartbreaking.
Zele's last day was set to include an acupuncture session. She loved car rides. Kelly had loaded her into the back of her car, but when I came out to the garage to join them she told me Zele was uncomfortable. She was afraid and cowering, so I rode with her in the back where she hid her head under one of my legs the entire way.
It was clear that although something had gradually been changing, now we'd lost her. She could still get around, but on that last day I have my doubts she knew where she was or with who. If she did, it was fleeting.
Dr. Betty greeted us with her usual, upbeat "hello, how are you guys?," to which I replied, "not good." She was down on the floor with Zele and us immediately. We discussed what was going on, what we'd been experiencing, treatment options. We'd been over this before; nothing new, just worse. No treatment involved a way to help cognition. I knew Zele was among familiar strangers, and that it would only worsen. This was more than I could ask of my beloved friend, so I asked Kelly if she could let Zele go that day. When she said yes, I asked Dr. Betty if we could switch the purpose of the appointment. She understood, and nodded.
The rest still brings me to tears. She was with us, and then she was gone. In hindsight I believe we got every last day out of that sweet girl, and not a moment more. It's hard to know when the time is right, and so painfully easy to second-guess the decision. Our good fortune was suffering neither with Zele.
We had her ashes, a paw print impression, and her collar to remember her by not long after. The collar and paw print, along with a couple of photos, are in a shadow box Kelly put together. Much of her ashes were buried by Kelly among flowering plants that attract butterflies. Zele used to sit and watch the butterflies in our yard. Another portion were scattered by me, alone, upon moving waters in a place I can visit with a long walk.
I noticed something the last time I visited Zele. She's moving away from me. My grief is gone, the sadness has ebbed, and I recall (mostly) only good memories of our time with her. We again have a beautiful young Labrador Retriever, who I love as I did Zele. Balance has been restored: old, red Golden Retriever and young, white Lab.
Kelly says that no matter how many dogs you've had in your life, there's always that one that stays in your heart. I grew up with dogs, adopted one by marriage, and have adopted three more. Zele is the only one who's ever appeared in my dreams.
Zele was the dog I'd always wanted. Lucky me, we had each other for thirteen and a half years.
(Final photo courtesy Kathy Kirkpatrick, who's known a beloved dog or two.)
#Zele #LabradorRetriever #LifeOfADog #BooBooGirl


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A new portal is launching next year with Countrywide and some 30 other estate agency groups signed up, as well as some of the UK's largest housebuilders.
Rummage4Property - the creation of agent Robert May and now headed by Anthony Codling, a former analyst at investment bank Jefferies - says it can offer a listings service for just over a tenth of the cost of market leader Rightmove.
In an interview with this morning's Financial Times, Codling says: "The key selling point is that it is much cheaper than Rightmove, Zoopla and OnTheMarket plc."
The FT article is behind a paywall; in the piece, Codling tells the FT that Rummage4Property would begin by charging a flat fee of £100 a month and would link any changes to house price inflation.
Rightmove currently charges agents a typical £987 a month; OnTheMarket, in addition to including a large number of temporarily-free agent listings, charges others around £235 a month.
Codling, Rummage's chief executive, is likely to be key to the success of the new portal; he is a respected figure in the property industry and made his name at Jefferies, particularly as the author of an analysis of Purplebricks which claimed the hybrid agency sold only around 51 per cent of the properties it listed.
Codling also tells the FT that Rummage4Property will be structured as a membership organisation with agent and housebuilder members able to vote on decisions such as any future sale of the company.
Jeremy Hipkiss, group sales and marketing director at Barratt Developments, the UK's largest housebuilder, is quoted in the FT saying: "We are always looking for ways to invest in new and innovative digital platforms like Rummage4Property to effectively target prospective customers. We're looking forward to working with Rummage4Property as they roll out their pilot project."
Rightmove has an operating profit margin of 74.7 per cent, according to data from S&P Capital IQ. Codling has told the FT this is "quite incredible".
In the summer it was reported that Suzanne Deakins, a former marketing manager at Rightmove, had been hired by the Rummage business.
Last week we reported that TheHouseShop - a platform that lists individual owners' private listings - was displaying properties to let on Facebook Marketplace, echoing an agreement earlier this year started by Zoopla and OnTheMarket.
A Rummage4Property holding page is online here.


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No Mean Affair
No Mean Affair tells the story of a Glasgow housewife's journey from the poverty of the tenements to the centre of British political power in Westminster. The woman was my grandmother
No Mean Affair combines historical facts and family rumour to intertwine her life with that of John Wheatley, an MP whom many Glaswegians revere as one of the 'Red Clydeside' heroes. It has elements of romance, corruption and political intrigue that resonate today.
This novel is published by Foxwell Press, a small but dynamic indie publisher in Birmingham.
You can order No Mean Affair from your local bookshop or from Amazon in either Kindle or paperback: http://amzn.to/U3xKYk
Mary Ireland's story is told in four parts each seen from the viewpoint of the men in her life: her husband, her protector, her lover and her son. The following extracts are the opening paragraphs of each section.
Part 1 – William
Saturday February 19, 1912
The dark mood settled its claws into William's shoulders as he bent over the milk churns at the end of his working day. In the cold of the Glasgow winter, he had lost all feeling in his hands and his flesh-empty fingers looked as if they had been stained with ink. He had already sluiced down the platform of the handcart and was now shining up the insides of the containers ready for the morning.
At this time of year, William had only one round a day but Charley, his sister's husband and his boss, always laid off half the workforce in October so the rounds took twice as long. William kept his job but resented the extra work.
On the walk home, the pain from his hands put a grim look on his thin features. He pushed through a group of street-corner wasters to turn into Duke Street and felt the men's resentment cling to his back like a swirl of fog. He was an incomer who had robbed one of them of work. He could swank along with his pockets clinking with silver, while they, having started the day with a futile vigil at a factory gate, had to pin their hopes for a night's drinking on the generosity of others, or the speed of a horse on a distant English racecourse.
They marked him as different…
Part 2 – Danny
Sunday June 30, 1912
Mary Ireland edged into Danny McAleer's vision carrying a soapbox. She was hugging close to next door's garden wall and stopped as if she recognised that she now encroached onto the bigger house's stretch of pavement. Danny watched the tendons in her delicate wrist strain as she swung the crate down on the Yorkstone slabs. She stepped onto it, ignoring the hands of the men who had followed her as they proffered them in support. She raised her black-bonneted head and harangued the backs of the mob. 'Come on, then – I'll take on the lot of you. Come and smash another face. Take on the smallest woman in Parkhead.' One by one, as her screech swept over them like a wave, they turned back to face her. She stood like a statue, arms rigid, fists clenched at her hip.
'Who's that, JW?' Danny said…
Part 3 – John
Sunday November 19, 1922
On the Sunday following the election, the ten new Glasgow MPs strode at the head of a swarm of hundreds of working men and their women who had come to give them a send off. An even larger assembly had gathered in front of St Enoch's station, the men and women clapping, stomping and hollering.
The new members shouldered their way through the crowd. John Wheatley was distinguished by his heavy coat and bowler hat, while the others were in belted raincoats and trilbies. The men and women around them thumped their representatives' arms and backs and shouted cries of encouragement. John detected an air of envy. These men were taking the fight to London and being paid £400 a year for the privilege!
He absorbed all this as he was swept through the station entrance and towards the London platform. And there she was: Mary Ireland. Her dark eyes wide and bright beneath a black bonnet and her gloved hands clutched to her chest. They acknowledged each other with the briefest flick of the eyelids…
Part 4 – Ronny
Wednesday May 14, 1930
Ronny had never crossed London in a taxi before. It was difficult to keep up with the sights passing the window. He skittered from side to side in the back of the cab, pointing to each famous building and asking his mother to confirm its identity. But the adventure, the knowledge that they were to travel the length of Britain in a train, only became certain when the taxi drove through the arch at the entrance to Euston station. He had only ever seen structures like it in books about Rome. Here in London, the arch's columns, which rose high above the side of the taxi, were black with soot.
The driver stopped the motor and, without leaving his seat, unhitched the leather strap that secured their bags in the open platform alongside him. 'Here you take your case, Ronny', Mary said.
She led him across the hall to the Scotland platform. His heart thumped in his chest…
You can order No Mean Affair from your local bookshop or from Amazon in either Kindle or paperback: http://amzn.to/U3xKYk


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What do you make of the Asia Series currently being played in Taichung, Taiwan? The tournament, begun in 2005, has gone from an official spectacle featuring the champion teams from the Asian countries where high-level baseball is played, to an exhibition series including non-Asian entrants and where teams are not always featuring their best players.
Flash back eight years when the Chiba Lotte Marines won the Japan Series and served as the host team for the first Asia Series. They were joined by the Samsung Lions from the Korea Baseball Organization, the Sinon Bulls of the Chinese Professional Baseball League (Taiwan) and the China Stars, an all-star contingent from the upstart China Baseball League, then managed by American Jim Lefebvre.
It made for a compact, four-team competition played at Tokyo Dome, there was official sponsorship by the Konami Corporation, and attendance was listed at more than 25,000 for games played by the Marines.
Sure, there were some drawbacks, such as the China Stars being blown out of games ended early by the tournament's seven-inning, 10-run-deficit "mercy" rule and the sparse crowds of fewer than 3,000 spectators for weekday afternoon games not involving the Japan champions. Still, the cheering sections of the three visiting teams were spirited, even with their small number of fans.
Bobby Valentine managed the Marines, and foreign players stayed on to participate, despite the fact the event dragged on through mid-November. Lotte won it, and Marines outfielder Benny Agbayani was named the tournament MVP, driving off with a new automobile as his prize.
The Asia Series continued in similar fashion in 2006, with the Trey Hillman-managed Japan Series champion Nippon Ham Fighters winning. Japan stayed on top when the Chunichi Dragons took the 2007 event, and the Seibu Lions won in 2008, the last year of sponsorship by Konami.
No Asia Series was played the following two years, although the Yomiuri Giants beat the KBO Kia Tigers at Nagasaki in a one-game showdown, billed as a Club Championship Game, in 2009. In 2010, Lotte won a three-team club champions series that also included the SK Wyverns of the KBO and the Brother Elephants, representing Chinese Taipei. Games were played in Taiwan and Tokyo.
Without a title sponsor, the Asia Series was revived in 2011 when Korea's Samsung Lions beat Japan's Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in the championship game played in Taiwan. Yomiuri reclaimed the title for Japan in 2012 with a victory over Taiwan's Lamigo Monkeys at Busan, South Korea.
This week we have a six-team event with the Japan Series champion Rakuten Eagles, the KBO winner Samsung Lions, Australian League champ Canberra Cavalry, the top two teams from Taiwan and Italy's Fortitudo Bologna.
Sadly, there are only four clubs remaining in the CPBL, so half of Taiwan's pro teams are participating; the 2013 league pennant-winning Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions and runner-up EDA Rhinos. And what has happened to the development of baseball in mainland China?
The Eagles will not be the same team that won the Japan Series earlier this month, as foreign players Andruw Jones, Casey McGehee, Jim Heuser, Brandon Duckworth and Kenny Ray returned home for the winter the day after Rakuten beat the Giants to clinch the Japan Series title. It was also uncertain prior to the start if ace pitcher Masahiro Tanaka would play in the Asia Series.
With a round-robin format, the teams knocked out after playing two games in the first round apparently will not even face the other three clubs in the field.
Obviously, the Asia Series has not evolved into a high-level season-ending event that carries more importance than the championship finals in the various countries. Rather, it seems to be a mini version of the World Baseball Classic, but on a much lower scale. In the unlikely event of a final between Canberra and Fortitudo, the question raised would be, "Why is it called the 'Asia' Series?"
Should it be scrapped? For sure, the series promotes international good will and the baseball spirit, and the organizers are doing the best they can, but re-acquiring a title sponsor and re-assessing the concept of the Asia Series would appear to be helpful in keeping it going.
For at least one fanatic, though, it is all worthwhile. Larry Lipsher, a New York native and lifelong fan of the game now based in Hong Kong, offered the following comment: "Baseball? I flew to Taiwan for the Asia Series and will see all nine games in six days . . . torture for many — but me? I love it."
*** Contact Wayne Graczyk at: email@example.com