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The Tribal Mind: Aussies lose the cinema struggle
To find out what teens think are the key ingredients of the Australian identity, go to Who We Are
by David Dale
It's been a big year at the multiplex, unless you're an Australian filmmaker. It's been a great year for Australian films, except at the box office.
In the past 52 weeks Australians spent $895 million on cinema tickets -- a rise of 3 per cent on 2006. But most of those takings flowed across the Pacific to Los Angeles, with smaller chunks to Britain, France, Sweden and Germany. Less than three per cent of ticket spending was on Australian films, even though the standard of local releases was high.
The enthusiasm with which Australians greeted their own stories on television, as displayed in the ratings for City Homicide, Sea Patrol, All Saints and Home and Away, did not extend to stories on the big screen. In fact, we seemed to be actively avoiding our own. Rogue, a well crafted commercial thriller about a monster crocodile earned only $1.6 milion (our last croc flick, of the Dundee variety, earned $48 million in 1986).
And not even the magic of Harry Potter could earn more than $600,000 for December Boys, which was tame bordering on lame but had the curiosity value of Daniel Radcliffe attempting a South Australian accent.
It's not as if we expect much. Australian films have performed so poorly in recent years that we've fallen into the habit of using the term "hit" for anything that makes more than $3 million. By this criterion, Australia produced four hits last year: Kenny, with $7.6 million, Ten Canoes ($3.3m), Kokoda ($3.1m) and Boy Town ($3.1m). This year we need to lower the threshold to $2.5 million to be able to claim even one hit: Romulus My Father, which made $2.5 million.
We can't even rationalise the miserable results by saying that Australia now focusses its energies on making art films shown to connoisseurs in a few discerning cinemas. In 2007, that audience preferred the work of Swedes, Gauls and Germans. Consider these charts:
The most successful big movies of 2007:
1 Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix $35.4 million
2 Shrek the Third $33.6m
3 Pirates 3: At World's End $33.1m
4 The Simpsons Movie $31.3m
5 Transformers $27.7m
6 Spider-Man 3 $23.8m
7 The Bourne Ultimatum $21.9m
8 Wild Hogs $17.2m
9 Mr Bean's Holiday $16.9
10 Hairspray $16.5m
11 Death at a Funeral $14.9m
12 300 $14.3m
13 Ratatouille $14.3m
14 Knocked Up $14.3m
15 The Pursuit of Happyness $13.7m
(To see how these compare with the all time record breakers, go to The films Australia loved)
The most successful small movies (shown on fewer than 100 screens)
1 As It Is In Heaven $3.0m (Swedish)
2 La Vie en Rose $2.7m (French)
3 The Lives of Others $2.6m (German)
4 Romulus my Father $2.5m (Australian)
5 Pan's Labyrinth $2.1m (Spanish)
6 The Last King of Scotland $1.7m (British)
7 Bra Boys $1.6m (Australian)
8 Dinosaurs 3D - Giants of Patagonia $1.4m
9 Clubland $1.4m (Australian)
10 Paris Je t'Aime $1.4m (International)
11 History Boys $1.3m (British)
12 Gabriel $1.3m (Australian).
Aussie flops that deserved to do better:
1 Noise, a twisted police procedural, $743,000.
2 Lucky Miles, a comedy about boat people lost in the desert, $544,000
3 Home Song Stories, a tortured family saga, $371,000
4 Forbidden Lies, a documentary about a weird woman, $330,000.
5 The Jammed, a thriller about the modern slave trade (from which Saskia Burmeister is pictured above, as a Melbourne prostitute), $252,000.
Ah well, maybe they'll make their budgets back on DVD.
And if I can depart from this column's usual scrupulous impartiality to intrude a personal opinion, my favourite movie of this year was Mr Brooks, a comedy thriller in which Kevin Costner played a serial killer and Demi Moore (pictured here) played a bad-tempered detective. It made $840,000.
David Dale is the author of Who We Are -- A snapshot of Australia today (Allen and Unwin). His latest book is Soffritto -- A delicious Ligurian memoir. For further observations of Australian attitudes and behaviour, go to www.smh.com.au/tribalmind.
Recently - in Budapest - we had an Aussie film week in an art movie. It was fully booked and cherrished so put in one word fantastic. We cuold have seen all the films above, so thanx for every minits and do not give up making it. Thank you
Robert - Hungary
- Posted by: Robert Murakozy on December 16, 2007 9:56 PM
Hey.. all those films that were shown in only 100 cinemas in Sydney..down here in little Devonport, Tas, we had them all!
Tribal Mind replies: That was less than 100 cinemas across Australia, not Sydney.
- Posted by: maggie on December 17, 2007 8:11 AM
Actually I saw very few movies this year (three I think), not exactly sure why. None of them were Australian, mainly because I've never heard of most of them. Not one of the names on the deserving flops list rings a bell, even Romulus my Father I'd never heard of until a couple of weeks ago. The Bra Boys I knew about but had no interest in, Clubland I knew about but never got around to seeing, Gabriel, what's Gabriel?
- Posted by: David S. on December 17, 2007 8:19 AM
The list of top ten $films is instructive - they are all escapist movies, particularly fantasy/ action (eg Harry Potter, Transformers). There are many Australian films that we all cherish - The Year My Voice Broke, Gallipoli and The Dish being a few personal favourites - but to truly get more Australians to go and see their own films - to go out of anything other than charity - we need to tap into more escapist/action works. I believe this starts with our writers. There is a fantasy/ sci fi writing movement in Australia that is fairly marginal but very energetic. But one genre should not be at the expense of the other.
- Posted by: Hugh T on December 17, 2007 10:31 AM
I went to see The Jammed and enjoyed it a great deal. I came out of the cinema feeling angry and sad after seeing it. I found it to be an excellent film, finely acted and well shot. I like to see Australian film, but find it difficult to find a cinema to show them. Living in a semi rural town, I always have to travel a fair bit to see them. All cinema should have a dedicated theatre just for 'art house' and locally produced films. I think if more people have access, more people will see them.
- Posted by: Debbie Ford on December 17, 2007 10:31 AM
The usual answer to this question has been along the lines that our film-makers and script-writers are tunnel-visioned in that they are only interested in black armband stuff that denounces our (always meaning �your�) almost innate racism or our acquiescence in an "incontrovertible" genocide, yet another sad dirge about drug addiction or another dissing everything �mainstream� Australians respect - hence the dreary queue of pictures that 80% of us have little connexion with. In other words, producers, directors, et al., need to get out more, to see how people who don�t dress all in black and can�t carry on a 20-minute discussion about coffee genres, or who reckon that their outer suburban lives are fulfilling and that the fortunes of their local football team are interesting, live their lives. Interesting to know how accurate that assessment is these days.
Tribal Mind replies: None of the films that flopped this year were in the depressing categories you outline.
- Posted by: Leonard Colquhoun on December 17, 2007 10:46 AM
It will be interesting to see how Baz Lurhman's Australia comes out.
Will it be the international success we all expect or will it flop? Will Aussies flock to see it or suffer from the old Tall Poppy Syndrome and stay away even if it goes well overseas?
It is probably our only hope at a resurgence in Oz film making. We need a real success story to give the industry a boost and maybe then producers with money will come out and help regenerate our ailing industry. I know we have the writers, tech people and actors to do top quality films. We just dont seem to be able to get it all together to bring it about.
I hope 08 is a top year for Oz films. It certainly has to be better than this year.
- Posted by: em on December 17, 2007 11:21 AM
Perhaps part of the problem is the movies themselves. At the Chauvel yesterday my family and I saw a trailer for "September". After the trailer, not one of us felt any desire to see the film. One shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but if the trailer makes it like a bog-standard coming-of-age movie (with a bit of political correctness about Aborigines thrown in) and can boast only one laudatory comment (and from M Pomeranz at that!), who in their right mind could be bothered making the effort to go and see it? Australia has a large number of good stories to tell (and sell), but our filmmakers are obsessed with being antipodean Bergmans.
BTW David, you're being disingenuous when you say that none of the "flops" fell into Leonard's "inner city obsessive" category. Boat people, police procedurals (Jesus wept!), a "tortured family saga" about immigrants - sounds like just another OpEd aimed at the SMH demographic to me!
Tribal Mind replies: What is City Homicide (most popular drama on TV), if not a police procedural? And what is Harry Potter if not a tortured family saga about immigrants?
- Posted by: stephen on December 17, 2007 11:41 AM
Jeez, David - if you were a film maker, you'd presumably do a movie of Spicks&Specks (the most popular program on TV) or the news (consistently rates highly on TV).
Voss, properly done, could be a great Australian movie. But, even if the rights issue could be sorted out, it'd probably end up as three hours of long shots of drifting sand, allegories about the Stolen Generation and a Mounted Police procedural. ("Mounted Trooper Smith is called upon to investigate the mysterious disappearance of German explorer JU Voss. His initial investigations are stymied by an attack of sand blight (emblematic of his refusal to view the landscape through indigenous eyes). When his sight is restored, he begins to doubt initial white reports of Voss's having being killed by Aborigines."
- Posted by: stephen on December 17, 2007 12:36 PM
Just had a quick think about what I have seen at the Cinema in the last 12 months, and I realised that I have only been a couple of times. We saw Shrek the 3rd using some freebie tickets, and we went to a special screening of "The Bet".
For the most part it is not worth our time to go the Megaplex. By the time we have bought the tickets and some popcorn, it has already cost us twice what it would to buy it on DVD a few months later and watch it in the comfort of home.
Maybe the days of the Megaplex are over, and movie studios should be putting their efforts into DVD only releases of content. The Megaplex is good for those big screen blockbusters, but it is overkill for other films.
- Posted by: Paul on December 17, 2007 12:56 PM
It's not the stories that is the problem, it's the way they have been told over the past few years. Film makers have taken themselves far too seriously for far too long, and the movie going public avoid them like we avoid the serious and intense people at parties. First and formost movies are and should be entertainment so sure, make a movie about junkies but make it entertaining - realistic acting and good camerawork is not nearly enough. Unfortunately the damage done by the self important, government funded w=nkers who took control of Australia's film industry back at the beginning of the latest culture cringe will take time to fix. I hope and pray that we have ended the period of economic rationalism and are heading into a new and exciting time when all things truly Australian are things to be proud of. Our rejection of American Tv is just the beginning, now if we can just find out once again who we are....
- Posted by: busoag on December 17, 2007 1:22 PM
I've written my own blog piece on Aussie films. Check it out.
- Posted by: Warren Grzic on December 17, 2007 1:30 PM
Maybe what Leonard was trying to say was, less wankery and more stuff like "Kenny"
- Posted by: Margaret Pomegranate on December 17, 2007 1:32 PM
David, any reason for not including Happy Feet?
Tribal Mind replies: George Miller described it as "an international movie".
- Posted by: Stewart on December 17, 2007 1:44 PM
I agree with Hugh T's comments. The blockbusters were dominated by either action movies (with lots of special effects), cartoons and a few comedies. When Australia makes the same genres then the audience come ie The Matrix, Happy Feet and The Castle.
- Posted by: Mark Elliott on December 17, 2007 1:49 PM
Aussie films will continue to get poor returns until the back-slapping luvvies stop making films for their peer group, and start listening to more robust criticism from the average cinema-goer.
I saw the trailer for Noise and was bored just watching that. I made the effort with Clubland but found it trite, while my viewing partner fell asleep in it!
Australain film can currently be summed up as films where "nothing really happens".
- Posted by: Jamie on December 17, 2007 2:09 PM
...holding breath for the newly empowered lefties to start blaming Howard for not funding the arts...., it's simple, if you want people to watch your films, make films people want to watch and stop telling them they are idiots\selfish for not watching a load of miserable, self-indulgent, amateur-hour tripe.
- Posted by: John on December 17, 2007 2:14 PM
Australian drama seems to be pumped out by the same old scriptwriters, cast by the same old casting directors and acted by the same old actors. Before we can reinvent ourselves we need to take a long hard look at who we were and who we are now. Please no more of the usual Aussie cliches. Let's get into the 21st Century without becoming mini-americans.
- Posted by: Mike on December 17, 2007 2:27 PM
Posted by: em on December 17, 2007 11:21 AM
Em, I agree with you ... the Australian industry needs to be sustained, however, what tends to happen is that when the Australian market does well, it then raises the prices and prices itself out of the marketplace...
Also I am in total disagreement with the Tall Poppy Syndrome... I think I was watching an interview with Barry Humphries who also said that he does not really believe it is a real syndrome... if people have quality talent, then they will usually remain at the top or near the top, always allowing for cycles... for example trends... Now if I was to say that Kylie Minogue is a limited actress, am I being truthful or partaking in the Tall Poppy Syndrome. I am being truthful, I actually think that she has made success out of what little acting talent she has... Just because people are Australian, doesn't mean we should heap them with false praise...
- Posted by: kate on December 17, 2007 2:30 PM
"who reckon that their outer suburban lives are fulfilling and that the fortunes of their local football team are interesting"
And did these people flock to see The last Winter? Probably not.
- Posted by: Lulu on December 17, 2007 2:40 PM
Hopefully a film like: 'Cedar Boys',
will finally cross over and make a difference, in 2008.
Original and multicultural in it's story. Can't wait...
- Posted by: RebelBoy on December 17, 2007 2:56 PM
"...And what is Harry Potter if not a tortured family saga about immigrants?" I hope you're not serious. If that kind of thinking was prevalent in the Aust film industry, then it's no wonder we produce so many dreary,unwatchable and unentertaining flicks.
Tribal Mind wonders: What is Harry if not an immigrant in the land of muggles?
- Posted by: Danzo on December 17, 2007 6:02 PM
I would have thought that the reasons why people watch work-a-day television soaps is rather different than why they would go and see a movie.
The reason for the "flops" seems fairly obvious if you look at the list of "box office successes". Look at the difference between the likely demographics for the successes and the flops, and the huge difference in takings.
The sort of Australian movies having success - overseas success anyway - seem to be the "art house" ones shown in Europe. There are a lot more people overseas who would go to see these movies than there are in Australia. The major market in Australia seems to be exactly what is reflected in the successful ones.
What were the takings of Australian movies compared to domestic takings, unless I have misunderstood the article?
Moral of story? Make movies in Australia more like the ones in the successful list above, or continue to make the ones we are making and export them.
Re the movie "Australia" - does anyone really know if this is going to be particularly about Australia - in the present public perception - or a story about a few individuals set in a particular time in Australia. I hope this movie meets public perception, or it could well be another flop. Pity if it is as the title won't be able to be used again.
Tribal Mind replies: All the box office figures quoted in the column are total ticket sales in Australia.
- Posted by: phoenix on December 17, 2007 6:13 PM
The movie experience is now so poor i hardly go to the movies.So much noise & distractions .The print quality & clarity has deteriorated. The print i saw of Elizabeth was colourless & the sound distorted.Plus the annoying ads & annoying phones .Its better to watch a Dvd movie on your own screen.
- Posted by: doug on December 17, 2007 7:22 PM
"The Jammed" was the best film I saw this year, what a little gem of a film! It has a wonderful script, has characters that are 3 dimensionals, and on a whole, is extremely well put together. Unfortunately, as usual,because it is a low budget oz film with no Nic, or Rus, or Mel, people stayed away.
We have the film makers, the writers and the actors to do good films, but we need to spend some money in educating the general public to appreciate them.
- Posted by: Judi Lau on December 17, 2007 7:26 PM
The Australian films you mention have been first class. Home Song stories was supurb. The problem is, I believe, only art house theatres show them. They are never in the megaplexes. I don't understand why not 1 thatre in usually 7 or 8 could not be for australian movies.
- Posted by: Camilla Barlow on December 17, 2007 9:01 PM
I saw (and enjoyed) several of the movies you list, but only because I chose to watch them on Qantas flights to the UK and back: I don't think I've been to the cinema in the past 12 months. All they seem to show locally (Hawthorne Brisbane) are American blockbusters. It didn't appear to me that any of my fellow-passengers on Qantas chose to watch the Aussie films, preferring the American pap on offer. Do we owe this to Australian commercial TV's dominance by Hollywood?
- Posted by: fantine on December 17, 2007 9:44 PM
Thanks for not posting my earlier comment about BitTorrent.
Much better we don't talk about these issues when things are going so well for the local indus...er...
Tribal Mind replies: I have not seen any previous comment from you about BitTorrent or anything else. I have published many comments about BitTorrent over recent months. The readers of this blog are big fans of it. What were you wanting to say about it?
- Posted by: Bob Random on December 17, 2007 10:33 PM
well, tribalmind, it would be interesting to compare the box office receipts of Australian movies in overseas countries with domestic receipts.
If people go in droves to see the sorts of movies in the *successful* list, then isn't it up to producers to listen to the market and either make the movies that they know people will see, or be content to have overseas success in art-house type markets.
The size of the market in Australia for the type of movie being made in Australia doesn't seem big enough to support it.
And have we as a country resolved yet whether an "Australian" movie is a movie made in Australia or a movie about Australia. Movies made in Australia about Australia seem to have consistent appeal to the movie-going marketplace, especially overseas.
- Posted by: phoenix on December 17, 2007 11:47 PM
My children and I looked forward to December Boys for over 12 months only to find that it did not screen on even one cinema on the NSW Central Coast. Our area has the two major cinemas plus a few independent cinemas and I was stunned that with the drawcard of Daniel Radcliffe, cinema operators decided not to run it. No wonder ticket sales were miserable, there actually has to be cinemas that show it!!
- Posted by: ruth single on December 18, 2007 7:58 AM
Is there a reason why you did not include the Australian film Gabriel?
Tribal Mind replied: Read the column again. You will find that Gabriel is listed as No. 12 in the chart of most successful small films.
- Posted by: Lisa on December 18, 2007 9:13 AM
I think the future of Australian cinema lies in a few well-done big-budget A-list movies, then the tons of shoddy $1 ones.
Even Kenny, which was a good movie, could only muster $7.6m. You really need more Aussie blockbusters in the vein of Australia to prop up the industry as a whole (cf The Castle, The Dish, Moulin Rouge, Priscilla...).
- Posted by: arthur on December 18, 2007 9:18 AM
I go to the movies to be entertained and have a laugh. Where have all the entertaining movies gone???
Croc Dundee, The Castle, Kenny, The Dish. What have all these movies got in common?? They were entertaining and made us laugh.
I was at the AFI Awards this year and there was not one film that I would go and see. There was not one film that was writen for us to sit back, enjoy and laugh.
Every movie made in this country now has to have a moral, is this part of the funding crieteria???
Just my 2 cents
- Posted by: Don Collins on December 20, 2007 10:21 AM
As good as these movies are/may have been, as one earlier poster pointed out, its escapism that brings in the audiences. Thanks to our high-minded government film financing bodies, the only projects that usually get funded are serious/intimate dramas or arthouse fare. If it is comedy it has to be "uniquely Australian", read: mocking bogans or bushies.
Even the ones that are privately financed (like Kenny and The Final Winter) are easily stuffed into this pidgeonhole.
Yes adventure, fantasy and sci-fi movies are expensive, but in the film biz you often have to spend money to make money. Which is probably why the low-budget Gabriel failed commercially, though its intentions were noble.
Australian filmmaking is far too fixated on rarefied, ill-defined ideas of "Australian-ness" at the expense of being relevant, or, God forbid, purely entertaining. After all, do we nessecarily go to see Hollywood films for their "American-ness"? Or watch Britsh tv shows for their "English-ness"? Of course not. And clearly, given the box office of our local crop this year, "Australian-ness" is not a commercial draw either.
- Posted by: PT on December 21, 2007 3:28 PM
I'd watch more Aussie films if they catered for deaf people - how many of these films have captions?
Even when finally on DVD the makers don't caption them... this is supposed to be a requirement by law, but is ignored. Can't tell you how many times I have been disappointed after forking out $7 for a DVD hire only to find I couldn't watch it.
- Posted by: Annabel Hill on December 23, 2007 8:41 AM
This may not be the right place to post this but any way.
Why don't we have an extra choice for the people who provide the TV ratings data. I recommend that they be given a button for "no alternative worth watching" or "nothing else to watch". This would give a more true picture of what people really prefer for the ratings other wise we get a false indication of what is worth watchinh
- Posted by: George Kimpton on December 26, 2007 1:19 PM
Ive read plenty of comments criticising the genre of most Australian films. With the right marketing and/or adequate distribution to cinemas Australia wide, aussie films can be presented as better alternative to the 'same old stuff' from hollywood. seriously, there are some quality films out last year that centred on themes of human emotions and personal struggles and dramas. In other words, they have the potential to reach a mainstream audience. Romulus my father, the jammed, the bet, noise, clubland. the quality of american films is pretty average these days. I just think its a lack of supply that naturally results in a lack of demand.
Whats the best way to get a cinema to put on a aussie film if they don't do it initially?
- Posted by: Matt Dillon on December 28, 2007 11:47 AM
Most of you are ignoring a vital issue. Kitchen sink dramas, comedies and possibly low-fi horror film such as Wolf Creek are the only genre of films we can AFFORD to make. Sci-fi escapism costs way too much for us on our government funded budgets. Australians cannot compete with those kind of films and so it doesn't cross their mind to attempt it. 'Gabriel' tried to do sci-fi on a small budget, but look at the results - a hack, derivative piece with production values so bad the only compliments it garnered were a patronising 'good on you guys' for making a film for nothing that kind of looks like an attempt at big budget filmmaking ." Few will deny it was a bad film. So, Australian filmmakers are in a bind. No budgets to make spectacles, so they have to try to make dramas that capture the hearts of audiences or make comedies that make them laugh. Hence the large amount of earnest drama. Furthermore, almost no Australian films have enough budget to actually market their film once they are made. No billboards, no ads on tv, no grand openings, just word of mouth and reviews - that's all they can afford. As a result, most public don't even know about the films when they come out. Certainly, producers should start thinking about structuring their budgets to accomodate much larger 'marketing' costs. But because most films are govt subsidised the institutions that fund them have to start granting budgets that include larger amounts for marketing. There have been some great films this year that didn't get seen apart from in art house cinemas. Exposure in the suburbs is key.
- Posted by: Pete on December 29, 2007 11:35 AM
When an Australian film is being made the question should be asked, who is going to see it. Far too many films being here don't seem to be targeting the general public.
They are made for the arthouse crowd so consequently they're not going to do that well. Sorry guys it's true arthouse films don't make much money, I know it's a new revelation to govt funding bodies.
If you look at some of the films that have done well at the box office (ie The Castle, The Dish, Kenny, heck even Two Hands), they appeal to the average person who can connect with some or all the characters in the film.
Films also need to be entertaining. No one I know is going to say, yeah lets go see that depressing movie about drugs, or death or loss etc etc.
To that people making, or who are about to make films here: who is this for? am I going to be entertained? how hard is that?
- Posted by: Chris on December 30, 2007 2:49 AM
There's enough dumbed down American trash out there. Why should Australia make more of it. Even on a low budget, Australia manages makes more cerebrally satisfying films than America. Unfortunately for us, the promotion for these great films barely exists and if you live far away enough from a Dendy type cinema, the chance of getting to see one is low. The advantage of having a big movie budget is that a lot of it is spent on convincing people that the movie is worth watching.
To those trashing Australian cinema without even watching it, watch it before you criticize! Isn't that obvious!!! To those that make up their minds from watching a trailer, you're just dumb! Let's stop buying into this Hollywood propaganda machine and give Australian cinema a chance!
- Posted by: N.S. on December 30, 2007 10:16 AM
I have to agree with the last few comments. I saw a powerful Aussie film this year called West. When I mentioned it to my friends, no-one had even heard of it. There's no point funding the production of a film if there is no funding for publicity. You should compare the top twenty films with the top twenty advertising budgets. I bet they'd be almost identical.
- Posted by: Brett on December 30, 2007 10:53 AM
While there are some valid points above about the quality and content of Australian Film, I think the real problem lies with the distribution.
As one of the filmmakers whose film didn't even make the "Aussie Flops" list, but whose film was critically acclaimed in this country and screened at several major international festivals, the lack of support we had from our local distributor could only be described as bordering on sabotage. At the very least they were extremely adversorial.
After arriving back in Australia from having success at overseas festivals, the local distributor told us they may not even release the film here. (WTF???)
And when they finally did agree to release it there was no advertising of the film, and so no one knew it was screening.
Having said that, the response from the cinema going public that did see it was overwhelmingly positive.
I can't help thinking that if our distributors and exhibitors got behind our original local product we'd be having far more successes than failures...
- Posted by: Aussie Filmmaker on December 30, 2007 12:56 PM
I agree with N.S. and others. Australia is just not making films worth watching. In general, see one, you've seen them all. Kenny was OK; The Dish, The Castle and some others some people consider significant were just a waste of time as far as I'm concerned. Kid's movies aimed at undiscering adults. Totally forgettable. I don't go to the movies to be dumbed down.
Bad Boy Bubby, Romper Stomper and Amy all had impact. Properly promoted, films like those could establish a reputation of Australian innovation in film making.
- Posted by: Dacelo Gigas on December 30, 2007 2:27 PM
As others have said, its all about the entertainment value.
Australian films of the last few years, put entertainment 2nd (oh thats for those crass Americans) behind getting across some sort of 'message'. And thats usually of course about how our Australian culture is a wasteland of racism or some such lefty gobbly wash.
I know this is probably not reflective of all films, but its the perception thats now in place with the movie going public.
We want to be entertained, not lectured to by chardonnay socialists.
Tribal Mind replies: If you look at the statistics on alcohol consumption, chardonnay is now the national drink. Apparently chardonnay socialists are the majority.
- Posted by: Pete on December 30, 2007 10:33 PM
I think the key is characters. We need good characters.
"As it is in heaven" had about a dozen amazing characters in it, plus it was ridiculously uplifting.
- Posted by: PopGoesCanberra on December 31, 2007 10:40 AM
Tribal Mind � chardonnay is the national tipple in Oz? I reckon I'd have to challenge that damn lie and statistic.
As for antisocialist teetotal Pete and others who reckon "it's all about entertainment", well, of course it is. But entertainment value depends on what one finds entertaining. As the saying goes, small things amuse small minds. Some of us, whatever we might choose to drink, prefer films containing a few more ideas, and a few fewer explosions.
DD replies: if you go to www.smh.com.au/tribalmind and scroll down, you will find a column discussing why those on the far right and the far left who use "chardonnay socialist" as a term of abuse are out of touch with the real nature of australians.
- Posted by: Dacelo Gigas on January 1, 2008 10:24 AM
I watched Romulus my father on the weekend. Whilst it was a powerful, heart wrenching tale, as it was mentioned above "nothing much happens" it was just one event after another often with no real segue from one major event to the other. It was frustrating to watch minutes and minutes of montages without any interrupting dialogue. The average cinema goer would have found it 'boring', especially because Hollywood films contain so much talking, often with one character repeating what the other had just stated. Its that formulaic that appeals to mass audiences as the plot development and a characters feelings are overtly presented.
It's an interesting conundrum: do aussie film makers continue with obscure script writing that seems self indulgent, or do they sell their artistic soul and develop a film that could appeal to a mainstream audience, so that suburban cinema complexes will feel compelled to show more aussie movies.
- Posted by: Matt Dillon on January 1, 2008 12:46 PM
David, I did as you suggested. I see it is predicted that wine consumption will take over from beer by 2009. That is, however, not yet. And all wine is, of course, not chardonnay. I think it might be a fad anyway. As far as I can tell, the trend towards reds continues to continue.
I tried chardonnay once, and didn't much like it. The oaky buttery style you mentioned is exactly what put me off. I prefer a little sharpness. But in any case the so-called chardonnay socialist tag has never made sense. What people like to drink cannot have any bearing on their political leanings, or the value of their opinions. If people think it does, they need to put forward an argument in support of that idea, not just parrot a silly slogan.
Such, I contend, is not the case in respect of what people enjoy in entertainment. Those who favour the latest Mel Gibson here-today, gone-tomorrow blockbuster such as The Passion Of The Christ, for example, may be said to have a shallower appreciation of the world they live in than, say, those who saw and absorbed the ideas put forward in the low budget but forever memorable Jesus Of Montreal.
- Posted by: Dacelo Gigas on January 2, 2008 11:34 AM


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Literary Translation is understood as the transfer of a literary work into another language. It occurs in what linguist Jakobson called inter-linguistic translation and it involves the translation of literary works (poetry, plays, short stories, testimonials, novels.).
Literary translation is considered a literary pursuit in its own right. For example, notable in Spanish-speaking specifically as translators are figures such as Octavio Paz, José Martí, Julio Córtazar, Eliseo Diego.
Other writers, among many who have made a name for themselves as literary translators, include Jorge Luis Borges, Robert Stiller, and Ezra Pound.

subset: commoncrawl


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How to Bake a Simple Birthday Party Cake | Recipe | The Sweetest Journey
This recipe that I am sharing with you today is perfect for a birthday party cake, especially a children's cake. It is sweet, super fluffy, and quick and easy to make. *This recipe is just for the cake, not the frosting or decorations. http://thesweetestjourney.com Ingredients: – 2 Cups Cake Flour – 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder – 1/4 Teaspoon Salt – 4 Eggs, Room Temperature – 2 Cups Sugar – 1… Read More »


text: |Some pictures of Vienna. Last saturday we went to the Naschmarkt, normally a farmer's market but at weekends also a big flea market. I always wonder how teddy bears and stuffed animals happened to get to this market. Who owned them once? Were they loved and cuddled and had to dry tears? I always feel sorry for them when they lay abandoned in the cold.


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Monday, September 5, 2016
Reverse Confetti September Release - Day 1
41 comments:
love, love this, heather! so pretty and totally fabulous.ReplyDelete
Lovely card! Thanks for sharing, I'm starting my shopping list!ReplyDelete
I super duper love this.
Wonderful card, love the sneaky peek at the wheat stalk confetti cut and your use of the new stencil!ReplyDelete
I love the inlaid die and all the great new product lines...how exciting!ReplyDelete
Beautiful card - that wheat die cut is so delicate!ReplyDelete
WOW! Heather, this is STUNNING! LOVE the contemporary yet elegant feel...fabulously designed card!ReplyDelete
Beautiful card. LOVE this sentiment.ReplyDelete
So very pretty Heather! Your layering is always perfect!!ReplyDelete
So sweet and pretty! Love the orange with that icy blue!ReplyDelete
LOVE your card!! The soft colors & design are beautiful!!ReplyDelete
This is a beautiful card. Your choice of colors and the new background paper is perfect!ReplyDelete
A beautiful, inspiring card...the aqua and blue are a lovely combination...ReplyDelete
Beautiful card! Love the colors and fab clean design!ReplyDelete
So delicate and beautiful!ReplyDelete
This is my favorite card today (I don't like Halloween). Lovely colors and balance. That new stencil adds a great detail.ReplyDelete
Hi Heather,ReplyDelete
As always, your card is beautiful and elegant, with lovely detail. TY!🙏🏻
This is beautiful, I love the subtle background. :)ReplyDelete
So soft and pretty! Very peaceful.ReplyDelete
Love the layering.ReplyDelete
The sheath of wheat is so pretty.
Wonderful idea.
thanks for sharing.
Beautiful card! Love the colors and papers and that lovely wheat die! So pretty!ReplyDelete
Love this beautiful card and sentiment! The new wheat die is wonderful!ReplyDelete
Such a sweet and serene card!! Love the color combo you used.ReplyDelete
Love the yummy new colors. They/you made a very pretty card.ReplyDelete
Lovely card. I like the background and the wheat die.ReplyDelete
I love your color and pattern combinations!ReplyDelete
cute card! I love the paper~ReplyDelete
Love the new colors! Great idea to offset the die layers.ReplyDelete
Gorgeous card! The wheat is so simple yet so beautiful!ReplyDelete
WOW - JUST WOW! What a beautiful layout and card.ReplyDelete
So beautiful! LOVE that wheat die!ReplyDelete
Love them allReplyDelete
Just lovely. Love the patterns and colors you used.ReplyDelete
Love your creations and love wheat die.ReplyDelete
Beautiful card and I love the sentiment. The colors are great.ReplyDelete
Very pretty card. Love the colors you chose for the sprig.ReplyDelete
Really like the blue orange colors on the wheat.ReplyDelete
Really pretty wheat die and I love how you all set with 2 as your focal point.ReplyDelete


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Philippe Boesmans - Wintermärchen
La Monnaie-De Munt, 1999
Antonio Pappano, Luc Bondy, Dale Duesing, Susan Chilcott, Anthony Rolfe Johnson, Franz-Josef Selig, Cornelia Kallisch, Juha Kotilainen, Kris Dane, Johanne Saunier, Heinz Zednik
ARTE Concert
As one of Shakespeare's late romances and believed to have been only partly written by him, The Winter's Tale - like Cymbeline, The Tempest and Pericles - seems to be designed to draw together a number of familiar dramatic situations and incidents purely for the sake of dramatic entertainment. To broadly and somewhat crudely lump them together, each of them offer variations on banishment, wild storms at sea, lost siblings cast adrift on the tides of fortune, where they meet adventure in foreign lands, only recognising their true inheritance at the end as they are belatedly reconciled into the noble families whose fortunes have since taken dramatic turns.
A Winter's Tale in particular, although it's by no means alone in this, additionally makes use of several heightened otherworldly set-pieces (or miracles, if you like) that would seem to make it a natural for the lyric stage. With a central theme of a jealous father whose foolhardy actions lead to him become estranged from his daughter, it would seem moreover a natural work for Verdi to tackle as an opera (reminiscent as it is of Rigoletto and particularly Simon Boccanegra), but although a great admirer of the playwright and one of the greatest opera composers of Shakespeare (Otello, Macbeth and Falstaff all being truly great works), I'm not aware of Verdi ever expressing an interest in The Winter's Tale or even being familiar with this particular work.
It's a work nonetheless that would certainly have presented some challenges, even to the great composer that late Verdi was, if we are to judge from the imperfections of Simon Boccanegra. Dutch composer Philippe Boesmans, working with director Luc Bondy, finds a way to draw together some of the more incongruous dramatic elements of The Winter's Tale in their 1999 collaboration on its operatic adaptation, Wintermärchen. Despite the high melodrama, or more likely in some ways due to it, The Winter's Tale carries a strong emotional and psychological undercurrent to it, one that is so expertly and movingly handled at the conclusion that it invites one to overlook the dramatic contrivance elsewhere.
Like almost all adaptations of Shakespeare to the opera, cuts are inevitable and much of the poetry is lost from the original work, but Luc Bondy and Marie-Louise Bischofberger's libretto condenses the drama fairly well for Boesman's four-act opera. If the moral question explored in the work on the subject of jealousy is pushed somewhat to extremes - both in the original drama and the opera - the impact of such behaviour on others is just as important, and similarly pushed to extremes. Luc Bondy's staging of the work for La Monnaie consequently attempts to play the drama as naturalistically as is possible (barring the obvious otherworldly interventions), allowing the staging to take on some of the more melodramatic aspects.
Although the first two acts of the drama take place in Sicily then, the kingdom of King Leontes is depicted as a dark and snowy landscape for the winter's tale that is to take place. A huge wall of ice symbolises the sudden insane jealousy that drives Leontes to attempt to have his friend Polixenes poisoned in the belief that he has had an affair with the Queen and is somehow responsible for her pregnancy. As Leontes watches them from behind the wall, the block of ice becomes an enormous barrier that chills his heart, and separates him from the truth that everyone else around him can see. The close of this first half of the drama even successfully stages the trial of Hermione and brings in the judgement from Delphi as a direct message from Apollo, Boesman's post-Wagnerian orchestration capturing all the impact of the consequences that follow.
By way of contrast, both Bondy and Boesmans take a very different spin on the second half of the work that mainly takes place sixteen years later in Bohemia. Leontes' abandoned daughter has been raised by a shepherd and grown up with the name Perdita unaware of her heritage. Engaged to Prince of Bohemia, against the wishes of his father Polixenes, the mute Perdita and Florizel's romance takes place in what looks like a fenced-in basketball court in a New York backstreet alley, populated by 'bohemian" musicians, pickpockets and street dancers. Boesmans score changes considerably, with most of Act III performed in an avant-jazz style by the group Aka Moon. Florizel is not an opera singer either, but sings more like a pop musician. The language changes too, with English spoken in 'Bohemia' in contrast to the 'court language' German of the first two Acts in Sicily.
The drama and the overall tone however still adheres closely to Shakespeare's play, and in any case it's not really any less naturalistic or realistic than Shakespeare's controversial depiction of the exiles being washed up by a storm on the landlocked shores of Bohemia. The inconsistencies and the otherworldly interventions that overturn the tragic developments of The Winter's Tale for the warmer, happy ending of Leontes being reunited not only with Perdita but also with the dead Queen Hermione are likewise less important than the overall necessity of providing a satisfying conclusion that will warm the hearts of the audience. Boesmans and Bondy carry that off well, particularly in the handling of Hermione's statue coming to life. Holding to the consistency of Wintermärchen's characterisation, the Queen, frozen in time in the wall of ice, breaks through it, restored to life at the return of her daughter.
If there's room to bring a measure of realism to the experiences of the characters in The Winter's Tale through the performances of a good cast, the scoring for the voices for Wintermärchen and the quality of the singing performances can likewise bring out the very real sentiments that lies behind all the drama. This recording of the 1999 performance of the work at La Monnaie, conducted by Antonio Pappano - revived on-line by ARTE in tribute to the recent death of Luc Bondy - benefits from exceptional singing and dramatic performances, particularly from Dale Duesing as Leontes and Susan Chilcott as Hermione. Hermoine's despair at the charges brought against her in Act II are particularly heartfelt in how the scene is scored and in how well it is performed, but Leontes likewise is a challenging role with a wide emotional range to get across. A young Franz-Josef Selig also makes a strong impression here as Camillo, with a particulrly lovely lament for his home at the opening of Act III.
Links: ARTE Concert, La Monnaie


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I'm happy to announce that 3 new pieces from my American Comfort Food series have been taken down to Art Basel Miami by Washington area gallery Art Whino (Dec. 2-Dec. 6). If you happen to be in the neighborhood please stop by to check them out and for those of you who can't make it (like me) here they are!
For more information about the location of the show and special events Art Whino is holding in conjunction with the show, please go here.


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It's been a long time since Pedro Almodóvar didn't direct a comedy. After a series of drama movies, thrillers etc. he came back with I'm So Excited (original title: Los Amantes Pasajeros), an offbeat, demented, sexually liberated and colorful film. And I freaking loved it!
The story takes place on a plane flying to Mexico, but which can't land there, nor anywhere else, due to some odd activity down on Earth. Thus, the movie will focus on the passengers, and more especially the ones in the business class and in the cockpit, considering the fact that the economical class, and stewardess have been drugged, so they're basically, immersed into a deep sleep.
The situation, is not very taking seriously by the crew; the stewards are continuously drunk, and seeking drugs, and pilots were more concerned about their pretty bizarre relationships with guys, and some of them happened to be the stewards actually. In a nutshell, this is a quite big mishmash of sex-relationships and discoveries, and little by little, you learned that the whole crew is actually the fucking gay community reunited!
Now, among the business class, we'll find a couple going on a honeymoon, an old luxury prostitute, a hitman on a mission, a running away business guy, an unfaithful actor, and a 40years-old virgin psychic, and, they were all panicking.
What should we do when people are panicking? Of course, dancing on "I'm Sot Exited" of the Pointer Sisters!
The stewards performed a choreography in order to relax the atmosphere, but of course, that didn't work, on the opposite it made things a little worse, accentuating the belief of their lack of professionalism among the passengers. But the grotesque and ridiculous scene was quite funny, and really showed the craziness of Almodóvar's work. However, the icing on the cake was when drugs were found: mescaline, which is the drug of luve. It was the honey moon guy, who furnished the stewards, and these ones put some in the drinks, and very quickly, everyone was banging everyone. And I must say, there were two scenes when I thought and almost yelled: "what the hell is wrong with you people?!"; the virgin, walked into the economical class, and abused a young sleeping guy and the honey moon girl, who was sleepwalking, had sex with her husband. That's basically the spirit of Los Amantes Pasajeros, and I think we should not ask ourselves a lot of questions while watching it. Or maybe think that it is just trivializing sex in general.
Nonetheless, what is interesting in the movie, is that all characters have something particular, something special to add to the whole nuts comedy. Indeed, throughout the film, you discover about those people lives, as they do themselves, trying to fix little by little what's wrong about them, and they'll soon develop friendly relationships, with no judgmental behaviors, and this will create all the madcap beauty of Los Amantes Pasajeros. And yes, the film is grotesque and might seem a little bit too gay stereotyped? or too sexually liberated? to be funny, but, it is necessary, in my opinion, to watch the movie, as an offbeat comedy, that is pretty much not caring at all about real life codes or fitting into some pre-conceptualized spanish comedy.
The genius of Almodóvar, is proved by the fact that, not only the script is coherent, but the crazy elements are perfectly fitting into it. And well, all the actors, are just flabbergasting and they brought some fresh air, and credit to the director piece of work.
Once again, not disappointed by Pedro Almodóvar, and I think I will never be.


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I am very pleased to report that Mike Carper, WA9PIE and co-founder of Ham Radio Deluxe LLC, saw fit to make the following post on the HRD blog:
Thanks Mike for your kinds words and sharing the QSO Relay documentation with your followers.
I am enjoying the working relationship that has developed over the last couple of months working with Mike and the rest of the HRD team.
73 Chris


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We had a very busy week this week! I worked 4 days and brought a lunch with me every day.
I picked more carrots this week and am planning to pick the rest within the next week or two before the ground freezes.
With temperatures in the 30s at night and daytime temperatures in the 40s and 50s, we have needed to turn the heat on. We set the thermostat to 62 at night and 65 during the day.
A family run apple orchard offered a free family day to all the students at the elementary school. They had lots of activities set up for the kids and the boys had a wonderful time.
We received a refund for medical expenses through the HRA benefit plan from my husband's employer.
I refilled the foaming hand soap dispenser with a little bit of liquid hand soap that I got on sale last year and mixed with water.
We ate three meatless meals this week and had leftovers for other meals during the week.
Our on-going savings:
**Wash laundry in cold water.
**Use online bill pay to pay our bills.
**Earn Swag Bucks for gift cards that I use to buy gifts.
**Earn Recyclebank points for gift cards, coupons and free magazine subscriptions.
**Earn Bing Rewards points for gift cards, Hulu Plus subscription, Skype credits, etc.
**Husband takes lunch to work everyday.
**Turn lights off when not being used.
**Use scrap paper for notes and lists.
**Drive to town once a week for shopping and errands.
**Buy less cereal and eat oatmeal and other homemade breakfasts several times a week.
**Reuse plastic and paper shopping bags for small trash and recycling.


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I haven't made a 'Mixed Tape Monday' post in forever, so here is another mix of my favorites. I am pretty much obsessed with the band Walk off the Earth. They write their own songs, but also do some pretty awesome covers. I have always loved Brett Dennen and I am diggin' Delta Rae's 'If I Loved You."
Thanks to Pandora, late night YouTube sessions with Logan and my constant 'Now Hear This" emails back and forth with my musical soul sister, Raija, I seem to land on a variety of different tunes.
This gem isn't available on Grooveshark yet, so here is the video:
Yup, We are going to this. Puuurty stoked about it.
Delta Rae's "If I Loved You"
Hall and oates singing "I Can't Go For That"
Walk off the Earth doing a cover of one of my favorites


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P.O. Box 419
McElhattan, PA 17748
Phone: (717) 769-7680
North of Route 220 at the McElhattan
Interchange between Legislative Route
18013 and Shoemaker Road, McElhattan, PA.
Clinton County was created from parts of Centre and Lycoming counties in 1839. Lock Haven, founded by Jeremiah Church in 1833, became the county seat of Clinton County in 1844. It is located in one of the most scenic parts of Pennsylvania, where the West Branch of the Susquehanna River and Bald Eagle Creek unite. Its name comes from the fact that a "lock" of a new West Branch Canal system located there and the town offered "haven" for river traffic. The wealth in Lock Haven during the prospering lumber years led to the construction of the present Clinton County Court House in 1867.
Clinton County built its first official jail in 1852 at a cost of $5,557.00. The jail was enlarged twenty years later for $22,240.00 to give it 13 cells. It still stands today at 352 E. Church Street, in Lock Haven.
In 1990, a new facility was dedicated in McElhattan, five miles from Lock Haven, at a cost of over three million dollars. It ascribes to the New Generation Philosophy of jail architecture and inmate management that have been developed to resolve age-old custodial dilemmas that make safe and humane incarceration problematic. More commonly referred to as direct supervision, officers are in direct physical contact with inmates and must display effective leadership skills in resolving problems and conflicts as they occur. In addition, the officer acts as a role-model for offenders.
Total Area :
6.7 Acres
Facility : 31,074 Square Feet
Buildings : 2
Housing Capacity :
Males - 100
Females - 16
The Clinton County Prison generates revenue by housing prisoners from the State system and other Counties.
Commitment Levels : 3
Major : County
Other : State
The mission of the Clinton County Prison is to protect and serve the citizens of Clinton County by providing a range of correctional services for persons in the Clinton County Prison who require such intervention. The prison provides secure incarceration for both pre-trial and convicted offenders. Minimum security, re-entry programming is provided to selected offenders through participation in the highly structured Work Release and Community Release programs.
The prison has as its goals the following:
Protection of the citizens of Clinton County by providing constructive, professional, correctional service for pre-trial and convicted detainees;
Service to inmates by providing the opportunity for self-improvement and successful community re-entry through programs including education and counseling;
Maintain compliance of Pennsylvania Department of Corrections Standards for County Correctional Facilities;
Obtain accreditation by the American Correctional Association;
Develop and maintain a professional staff;
To meet the future correction and rehabilitation needs of the county by means of effective planning and responsible fiscal and resource management.
Eleven types of rehabilitative programs are offered for inmates:


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Buyers for the Federal Government access certain benefits upon registering for an account.
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Kidney Scoops and Gall Bladder Scoops from Sklar Instruments are ideal for specific operations and removal of debris. These surgical scoops are available in multiple sizes and styles, all constructed from surgical stainless steel. Kidney and Gall Bladder Scoops from QuickMedical are suited for the most delicate procedures.


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Discover a Charming Bed and Breakfast in NebraskaRead more →
Well, the hammock is now hung between the old cottonwood stump and the pine tree, a reason for celebration! Laying out there, in the courtyard, on a warm spring day in May, makes me realize how much activity I have missed this winter. During winter's blustery days,Read more →
Yes! It is chokecherry time again at Barn Anew Bed and Breakfast and the branches are bending low with their load of dark, juicy, ripe berries. Bizillions of them! Friends and neighbors have been driving into the yard for the last several days, baskets in hand. OfRead more →
What a beautiful day to hike to the top of Scotts Bluff National Monument! Here it is, mid-July and the temperature topped out in the low 80s. Papery white cactus blossoms dot the hillside. Wild flowers in hues of blues and yellow are still in bloom. ARead more →
Hot, summer days bring my favorite summertime flower, the white canopy of elderberry blossoms. Snow white, tiny blossoms in a cluster, on fragile deep green stems bring promises of the deep magenta berry. It looks like we are going to have a great supply of elderberriesRead more →
When we received a phone call last month from Wyoming, Karyn told us that she was calling to make a reservation for a reunion with an old college friend. They had found Barn Anew on line, and since it was just about at the mid point forRead more →
Time sure flies when you are having fun, and we have been having fun at Barn Anew Bed and Breakfast. Here it is the end of June and we haven't stopped to catch a breath yet. With weddings, showers, family reunions, blue grass jam sessions, wine andRead more →
We want to thank all of our guests for submitting such kind reviews for the Barn. Because of you, Barn Anew Bed and Breakfast has been awarded the Trip Advisor 2014 Certificate of Excellence Award, and we couldn't be happier.Read more →
Deep purple chokecherries hang in heavy clusters, transparent where the sun's golden August rays turn them into glistening orbs. Bowed branches sway heavily in the evening breeze, just ripe for the picking! Buckets full will be carried off by purple-stained, eager hands, to be turned into homemadeRead more →


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View Range
With 294 Grand Prix races won in Road Racing World Championship, Aprilia holds the record for the most wins of any European manufacturer in the history of maximum motorcycle competition.
View Range
MV Agusta
In 1992 Cagiva acquired the MV Agusta brand, re-launching it in 1997 with the groundbreaking F4, a landmark in motorcycle design. Over the last fifteen years MV Agusta has grown exponentially, setting the standard in the high and medium-performance motorcycle market.
Read more +
Royal Enfield
Royal Enfield, originally a British motorcycle company Royal Enfield and is now its successor an Indian motorcycle manufacturing brand with the tag of "the oldest global motorcycle brand in continuous .
View Range
Energica Motor Company S.p.A. is the first Italian manufacturer of supersport electric motorcycles. Energica electric motorcycles are the ultimate expression of Italian luxury, masterfully manufactured in the Italian Motor Valley in Modena, Italy.
View Range
Brough Superior
The first Brough Superior was put on sale to the public in 1921, and the new marque swiftly built an incredible reputation for itself, based on a formidable combination of unrivalled performance, dazzling looks and competition wins.
View Range
Moto Guzzi
Moto Guzzi is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer and the oldest European manufacturer in continuous motorcycle production. The company's first motorcycle was the legendary 8 HP Normale.
Read more +
MV Agusta BRUTALE 800
The New Brutale 800 changes completely to remain loyal to itself, and to its ability to amaze and conquer new generations of enthusiasts. Style, engine, equipment and chassis are all called into question again with the aim of creating the best Brutale of all time.


text: So I am starting up a journal to share everything that I can about my Red Sea Reefer 250 tank. I have lots to learn still and lots to improve on. This forum and a lot of other resources have helped me with the start up and tuning of things. Red Sea Reefer 250 (54 gallons) 2 Radions G4 XR15 2 mp40s Reef Octopus skimmer 150 Reef Octopus DC return pump Apex WIFI 2 Neptune DOS 2 Neptune DDR containers Neptune feeder Avast MR16 algae reactor Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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yay my first linky party!! the plan is to host the party throughout the week and post features over the weekend.
some guidelines:
-only post projects that you have done yourself-preferably a tutorial
-post my button somewhere on your blog or post
-follow my blog and/or like me on facebook
-check out other posts and leave comments!!
so if you have any crafty projects link up here!!


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Ireland's selectors have confirmed their squad for the World Cup next month in Australia and New Zealand. There are no changes to the 15 players named last month for the training camp and tri-series in Dubai against Afghanistan and Scotland.
Captain William Porterfield is one of five players who will be participating in their third World Cup, along with the O'Brien brothers, Ed Joyce, and John Mooney.
Ireland Squad for the ICC World Cup 2015
- William Porterfield (Captain),
- Andrew Balbirnie,
- Peter Chase,
- Alex Cusack,
- George Dockrell,
- Ed Joyce,
- Andrew McBrine,
- John Mooney,
- Max Sorensen,
- Kevin O'Brien,
- Niall O'Brien,
- Paul Stirling,
- Stuart Thompson,
- Gary Wilson,
- Craig Young.


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BREAKING: From NUJS to NLU Jodhpur to SAU Delhi [UPDATED]
London returned Professor Prabhash Ranjan who had, after a bureaucratic dispute, resigned from faculty position at NUJS Kolkata to join NLU Jodhpur will now be joining the South Asian University, Delhi.
11th October, 2013 was Professor Ranjan's last working day at NLU Jodhpur.
According to sources, Prof. Ranjan was not comfortable working with the 'system' at NLU Jodhpur.
One of the NLU Jodhpur students said that Professor Ranjan was "one of the best that we had" and that his resignation was "unexpected and unacceptable" for the students.
UPDATED [October 13, 3.55 PM]
Professor Ranjan's comment: I left NLU J for better career prospects and I don't think much should be read into this. As a professional, I have every right to do so. It is quite normal for people to change jobs.
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Double Bathroom Sink for Large Room
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Pictures of double bathroom sink vanity combo is created to be the inspiration of for you. This image was published on April 17, 2017 and published by Alexey Kalashkin this is fall into the category Bathroom, the size of image is 900 x 675 and this post has 19 related images. If you have any questions please Contact page. Hope it could inspire you, our beloved reader in https:anoceanview.com, back to article please click Double Bathroom Sink for Large Room.


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Surprisingly, this is the first novel that I have read by Mary Monroe and I must say that I really enjoyed it. This novel has all the juicy stuff of past love that hangs around, neglected present love, family jealously, scandal, lies, deceit, double cross and the list goes on.
Christine Thurman's life hasn't always been easy. Growing up she was ignored by her parents who left her to do whatever she wanted and she wasted no time taking full advantage of it. She ran with a rough crowd, stole clothes, electronics and cars, did drugs and had sex with countless and nameless boys. But the only person she kept going back to time and time again was Wade Eddie Fisher, who looked like a "low-income Lenny Kravitz." Wade had big dreams to make it in Hollywood and Christine couldn't get enough of him. But when Wade ignored her after she chased after him to Hollywood, it was time for her to make a change in her life.
Fast forward a few years later, Christine has met and married Jesse Ray "J.R." Thurman, a successful businessman/owner/manager of a few video stores. Her life has changed: new friends, designer clothes, dining out at fancy restaurants, fabulous vacations, big house, etc. However, all this is cut short when she becomes the full time caretaker of J.R.'s live in ailing mother and becomes even more exacerbated when his sister and her family move in with them. Christine is beyond her wits. She gets no support from J.R. and feels trapped.
Christine had signed a prenuptial agreement that would leave her next to nothing. So, she decides to fake a kidnapping with the help of Wade (broke and back in town) to get a half a million dollars from J.R. The rest of the story is a series of twists and turns that will keep you wanting more.
Monroe's descriptions were spot on. The dialogue was realistic and the characters were very well developed. In addition, Monroe handled the past and present scenes flawlessly giving readers the full history of Christine's and Wade's relationship. Let's just say that some folks who don't mean you any good should be left in the rearview mirror and Wade's one of those folks.
However, the only thing left unanswered was the reason why J.R. was spending so much time at work. He would leave several hours early before the video store opened and stayed several hours later when it closed. Christine's friends thought maybe he had another woman but that speculation was never proven. Nevertheless, it was a good and entertaining read!
Some of my favorite lines:
Between sips from a can of Coors Light, he puffed on a thick blunt. A strong haze swirled around his head like a halo. It was some pretty good shit, too. I welcomed the immediate buzz I got from inhaling the secondhand smoke. I hadn't smelled weed this strong and sweet since I was a teenager, more than ten years ago. But within seconds that halo around his head turned into a dark cloud and was moving in my direction.
I swallowed a huge lump that was threatening to block my throat. Then I held my breath as he dialed the number to the video store that my husband owned and managed.
Rating: 4 stars


text: Maximum Efficiency Gas Furnaces – Saving Green for You and the Environment Being green never felt so good. Literally. The most efficient systems we offer, these gas furnaces will keep your space warm and cozy, and they'll do so with outstanding energy efficiency. In fact, these products boast maximum efficiency for all gas furnaces we have. Learn more about each of these furnaces below. After you've narrowed down your selections, give Air Engineers Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning in Jacksonville a call at 904-450-5672. We'll provide a free quote and answer all your furnace replacement questions. SLP98V If we could only use one word to describe the SLP98V, we'd probably pick "amazing." That's pretty convincing in itself, but it doesn't go into much detail about the benefits and features of this dynamic gas furnace. First of all, this is one of the most energy-efficient furnaces you can get.1 Boasting up to 98.2% efficiency and a Most Efficient designation by ENERGY STAR®, this gas furnace can save you more than $800 a year.2 That's nothing to sneeze at. However, it's not the only outstanding feature on this gas furnace. The SLP98V is full of features, including: Variable-capacity system – this means it automatically adjusts as necessary to run at maximum efficiency. We realize we just covered efficiency but this was too good to not share. SilentComfort™ technology and variable speed blower – reduces sound levels Duralok Plus™ Heat Exchanger – ensures high reliability and efficiency Self-calibrating variable speed inducer – for cleaner combustion SureLight Control Board – controls all furnace operations and is iComfort™ compatible What you really need to know is that this unit has seemingly endless features to stay reliable and energy efficient. Call 904-450-5672 or schedule a free appointment online to learn more about gas furnaces in Jacksonville. SL280V Across North America, and in Jacksonville, gas furnaces don't come quieter than this one. The SL280V features a variable speed motor and special sound-absorbing materials to make it 4.5 times quieter than your typical gas furnaces. In fact, it's the quietest in its class3 and lets you feel the comfort without hearing it. We suppose we can make that sacrifice... Find more features of the SL280V, like its: Two-stage gas valve – adjusts the amount of gas used for greater temperature control SureLight® Ignitor – to ensure a long life and reliable operation Sealed Blower Compartment – minimizes heat loss and maximizes efficiency High efficiency variable speed motor – which may help reduce your energy bills EL296E The EL296E gas furnace will convince you with lots of numbers. We've chosen three that make the biggest impact. First, the EL296E has an AFUE rating of up to 96%, which is not only greater average, but it could save hundreds on your yearly energy expenses. Second, the EL296E's Power Saver™ Constant Torque motor is up to 33% more efficient than standard single-stage motors and up to 200% more efficient when it's in constant fan mode. Other features include: ENERGY STAR® qualified Higher SEER ratings in cooling mode – keeps energy waste low Two-stage gas valve – varies heating output for increased efficiency Sound-absorbing insulation – for quiet operation SureLight® igniter and control board – ensures long product life and high reliability Let Air Engineers Service Experts help with all your Jacksonville area gas furnace needs. Schedule your free appointment today. 1 Based on sound pressure levels during steady-state, high-fire and low-fire operation of Lennox SLP98UH070XV36B and leading competitive units as of July 2013 at mid-point temperature rise and minimum external static pressure when set up per Section 4.4.4 of AHRI 260-2012. Efficiency ratings established per test standard: ANSI/ASHRAE 103-2007. 2 Savings amounts depict potential energy savings you can expect from Lennox® furnaces, versus a 65% AFUE model. Your actual savings may vary depending on the weather patterns in your local area, local fuel rates and you individual lifestyle. 3 Based on sound pressure levels during steady-state, high-fire operation of Lennox SL280UH070V36A and leading competitive units at mid-point temperature rise and minimum external static pressure when set up per Section 4.4.4 of AHRI 260-2012.


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Cold calling is the process of approaching your potential customers or buyers who were not expecting to interact with you. The term 'cold' refers to the fact that you have not laid any groundwork for your call and the person on the other hand has expressed no interest or intention in buying your product. Generally, a term called 'Door-knocking' is used for that.
It generally happens via telephonic call. However, in the era of internet, cold calling can also happen via e-mail or connection on social networking websites. There is no general consensus over whether physical/drop-in visits are cold calling or not.
A call from your mobile network service provider to listen to new tariff/SMS plans is an example of cold call. Financial institutions calling you to invest in their attractive schemes is also form of cold calling.
A little bit more:
Cold calling is an initiator for the selling process. Cold calling is one of the difficult tasks in the selling process. It is emotionally demanding because of the variety of responses from the potential customers, from hang-ups to verbal abuses. The effectiveness of this method is fading with the rise in popularity of e-mail and social network platforms.
Hence, this concludes the definition of Cold Calling along with its overview.
Browse the definition and meaning of more terms similar to Cold Calling. The Management Dictionary covers over 7000 business concepts from 6 categories.
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11 Things Only Not-So-GORI Desi Girls Will Understand!
Published: Dec 23, 2015
Desi people are obsessed with gora rung (fairness). Being a dark-skinned desi girl is not easy. Here's what happens when you are a not-so-gori desi girl:
1. People often call you kali because if you are not fair, you are black.
2. When someone tells you only fair girls are beautiful
3. Aunties in your family and neighbourhood keep suggesting totkas for lighter skin
4. People who advice you to use Fair & Lovely are the type of people you don't need in your life
5. You hate the fairness cream adverts the most!
Especially the ones that tell you that your professional abilities are secondary to how fair and/or lovely you are.


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Isn't she adorable!? I never did catch not one episode of LA Ink, but I've heard lots and lots about Miss Kat Von D! I was telling my girl Ray (who has this BEAUTIFUL flower on her shoulder!) about how I want sleeves and she mentioned Kat Von D so then I had to go and google her and now I'm all too pumped up to go and get more and more tats!
I don't care about practicality and the such! It's what I want. I've been drawing stuff out since I got my wrist tattoo and I'm going to keep sketching until I can get my whole arm done; crazy right?! Anyways, in addition to always wanting to open a boutique, I've always wanted to have a tattoo shop! For my final project in school, I wrote up a business plan for a boutique then did one for my tattoo shop! I look at it from time to time; but I just look at it lol!
Anyways, she's my inspiration for the day so I thouht I'd share! I think I need to go visit my homey since grade school, FashionKitty, out in LA so I can go get inked up by Miss Kat Von D herself!


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Archive of all news
Sunday, 20. 11. 2016
We are successfully added both last versions of Tomcat (8 and 9) into our offer of Java hosting. It's running at last version of Java 8.
Tuesday, 1. 4. 2014
Order a web hosting with EU domain - EU registration of new domain to get the first year free of charge!
Thursday, 13. 9. 2012
We've got new discount action for you! You can register new .COM or .NET domain for the special price of 50 CZK without VAT! The discount will automatically add to your order when ordering hosting for the domain.
Tuesday, 21. 8. 2012
All new registered .EU domains are automatically signed with DNSSEC!
Monday, 16. 7. 2012
Until the end of the year you can register new .EU domain for the special price of 30 CZK without VAT! The discount will automatically add to your order when ordering PHP hosting for the domain.
Sunday, 1. 1. 2012
We've got a new webpage!
Thursday, 21. 7. 2011
There is PHP 5.3 on our server Anastacia. You can find how to switch it and another information in controlpanel.
Monday, 7. 4. 2008
We accept PayPal payment method from today. You can select it at the end of your order.
Tuesday, 4. 9. 2007
Today from 00:00 to 01:00 we been upgrading RAM in Anastacia and Eveline server.
Tuesday, 4. 9. 2007
From today we order ASP.NET 2 webhosting. For informations we can contact our here.
Sunday, 29. 7. 2007
Today we upgrade MySQL to 5.0 version.
Thursday, 28. 6. 2007
Dear clients, we apologize for complication wich were cause by drop-out mailserver. Reason was HDD failure. Mailserver is ok now.
Thursday, 14. 6. 2007
Today was startup a new webdesign of G-Hosting.cz. We expanded our offer of hosting and domains.


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|Chris Frey
|[Discuss-gnuradio] Re: Using RFX2400 from C++
|Sun, 7 Jan 2007 16:35:43 -0500
On Wed, Jan 03, 2007 at 01:01:36AM -0800, Dan Halperin wrote: > Hi, > > I'm trying to get the code together to enable the RFX2400 board from a > C++ program. I'm mostly looking in usrp.py, usrp1.py, db_base.py, and > db_flexrf.py and copying commands like write_io and write_oe into their > C++ versions. Is there good documentation on all of these various > commands, and/or is there an easier way to use the Python code to > instantiate the usrp data structure for me? If you don't want to maintain your own C++ interface, you can call the python code from C++ using Boost: http://www.boost.org/libs/python/doc/ - Chris
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text:
Berea's First Choice for Classic Car Restoration
Since 2000, the talented and passionate team at GB Customs & Collision has been providing the best in custom auto body painting, classic car restorations, and custom decals in Kentucky and across the East Coast. Jeff and his team combine a passion for classic cars with an expertise in auto body repair. From wild to mild, the GB team puts precision and passion into every project --- we handle everything from custom auto paint and decals to bodywork and glass repair.
At GB Customs & Collision you are trusting your vehicle to experts with more than 20 years of experience. We use the best parts available and the best techniques in the industry. Our attention to detail and creativity lead to the best custom cars and collision repairs in the area.
We always provide free estimates and a lifetime warranty on all of our body work, paint jobs, and repairs. Our technicians are all ASE certified and have been trained in expert auto body techniques, but it's their passion for awesome automobiles that makes GB Customs & Collision great!
Car Customization & Classic Car Restoration Services in Berea, KY
Do you have a muscle car, antique automobile or classic car? Maybe you want to turn your car, truck, or SUV into a custom show car that will turn heads everywhere you go? GB Customs & Collision has been creating award-winning show cars for over 16 years and offers the quality service you need if you love your car or truck. Our key to success is working directly with our customers to design the car of their dreams. With our custom paint, airbrushing, and decals your car can look like something out of a magazine!
We restore and customize both imported and domestic vehicles, and our custom paint mixing can make your vintage car look like the day it was made. We start every custom job with a completely FREE estimate. We thoroughly inspect your car and report back to you with the details. Once your car body is looking great, we work on the paint. Using custom vinyl decals and custom graphics, our certified paint techs can create your dream car!
Custom Car Services:
- Custom Car Paint
- Dent & Scratch Repair
- Vintage Car Restoration
- Custom Doors & Roofing
- Fiberglass Molds & Repairs
- Bolt-on Accessories
- Auto Glass Repair
- Auto Show Painting
- Custom Fabrication
- Airbrushing & Custom Painting
- Custom Car Restoration
- Engine Modifications
- Promotional Vehicle Painting
- Custom Body Work
- Audio/Video Upgrades
- Wheels & Tires
- Custom Vinyl Decals
- Performance Enhancement
- Custom Accessories
- Smoked Headlights & Taillights
- Lifetime Warranty
Sherwin Williams Certified Auto Body Painting - Custom Car Paint, Airbrushing, and Vinyl Decals
After body work is completed, we can begin painting. We custom mix your color using the Sherwin-Williams FormulaExpress 2.0 to perfectly match what you want. We use Sherwin-Williams automotive finishes because they are the best in the industry and offer a lifetime warranty. We follow a strict set of guidelines for each paint job and offer a lifetime warranty on our work. We use the right air quality, spraying technique, and pressure for your vehicle. Without the proper techniques, your paint job will not last nearly as long or look as good.
Our custom painting work can include artwork, custom graphics, flames, fades, and custom vinyl decals. The key to our custom car painting is that we start by evaluating your car and repairing any dents. Next, we create the design for your car based on what you have requested. We know exactly what everything will look like before we start. Once everything is done we add a clear coat to ensure a great shine and durability.
Our valued customers travel from all over the country for our quality work.
"GB Customs is the best body shop that you will ever find! Jeff and his crew will make your dream come true. My 1941 Chevy Coupe was painted a flawless black, with blue ghost flames in '09 and it still looks as good today as it did then. I have shown the car and have won several 'Best of Show' trophies and everywhere I have taken it people are amazed at the paint and ghost flames. The car made Street Rodder magazine in 2010, I have owned the car for 52 years! I got it when I was 15, my grandfather bought it new. Jeff and his crew can make your dream car come true as he did mine for me." John S.
At GB Customs, we're car people. We put the same care and quality materials into each job as we would our own cars, making us one of the leading auto body and paint shops on the East Coast. Call us today for more information on how we can help you, or fill out the form on this page for a quick quote on any of our services!
Service Area: While we proudly serve all of Southeastern Kentucky from our Corbin, KY location, many of our customers come from as far as Louisville, London, Prospect, Union, and even out of state to have their cars fixed and finished by the talented automotive artists at GB Customs.


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Inspiration & Intention:
Affirmation: The world is your oyster
This piece was created to inspire courage and serenity.
Aquamarine is calming stone known to instill courage and clear communication. It is also known to help find closure and release limiting beliefs and patterns that hold us back.
Pearl is a stone of tranquility known to inspire us to honour our femininity and unique beauty. It is also known to help us connect with our innate wisdom with integrity and honesty.
Product Details:
Each stone is individually wrapped in brass wire and finished with a signature Zorluna hand-forged swirl clasp.
This piece comes in its own Zorluna treasure pouch with an accompanying inspiration card.


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- Types of Grandparents
- How to Connect with Your Grandchildren
- Being an Active Grandparent
- Grandparenting: The Best Job Ever
The word "grand" comes from the Latin "grandis," meaning of large size or extent. When applied to the word parent, it's little wonder that grandparents – be they grandma and grandpa, memaw and pepaw, or mom-mom and pop-pop – are considered a vital part of many thriving families. Supporters, caregivers and providers of advice and assistance, they make life easier and more enjoyable for their adult children and grandchildren alike. Here are a few interesting facts about grandparents across the nation:
- There are more than 70 million grandparents in the US, and that number continues to climb every day.
- 72% of grandparents regularly care for their grandchildren.
- Grandparents spend over 52 billion dollars each year on their grandchildren.
- 60% of grandparents live near their grandchildren.
Types of Grandparents
Naturally, much as each family is different in their beliefs and approaches to child rearing, the style of grandparenting varies depending on factors ranging from distance to custody.
In all permutations of grandparent-grandchild relationships, the goal of the grandparent is the same: to connect with and care for their children's children. There are many roads to that destination and for each grandparent, the route to becoming and living as a grandparent likely falls into one of these categories:
Neighbor Grandparent – These grandparents live close to their adult child or children, enabling them to assist with issues such as pediatrician appointments, spur-of-the-moment babysitting, and keeping children safe and entertained on family trips. They are likely the emergency contact for their adult children, and an active, enduring part of their grandchildren's daily lives. They may live close to their adult children by happy circumstance or they may have taken advantage of retirement to move closer to their family. These neighborly grandparents may be around the block or across town but are generally no more than 15 or 20 minutes away from the home in which their grandchildren reside.
Long-distance Grandparent – Whether their adult children chose to move away from home or they themselves did the moving, these grandparents have a significant amount of miles between their home and that of their grandchildren. The phone and Internet play a big role in their interactions with their grandchildren and photos of their grandchildren's milestones are typically shared in a digital format. Grandchildren may fly or otherwise travel to spend a few weeks with these grandparents, often during summer vacations, both for the purposes of reconnecting with their grandparents and giving their parents a break.
Caregiver Grandparent – These grandparents are responsible for the full-time care of their grandchildren, essentially acting as their parents. This situation occurs for a variety of reasons, including voluntary custody relinquishment from unfit parents, assignment by the state or a request from the grandchildren themselves. They find themselves in the unusual place of raising young children for the second time in their lives but are often better prepared for the task due to experience and maturity. Caregiver grandparents can be responsible for grandchildren of every age, from newborns to high-school-aged young adults.
Surprise Grandparent – With advances in technology and searches online, situations such as rediscovering long-lost family members or adoptive children finding their biological parents are becoming more common. Those in this category have received a phone call, email or letter that suddenly reveals the existence of a grandchild, and in some cases, a child that they didn't previously know about. These grandparents are slowly but surely finding their way, often coming into the picture after the pregnancy and birth that eases other grandparents into the idea of grandchildren. In addition, some grandparents in this category are "adopted" into families that are not biologically their own.
Parental Link Grandparent – These grandparents particularly treasure the bond they share with their grandchild, due to the fact that their adult child has passed away. Connections are carefully made and happy memories are important, as they don't want to serve as a constant reminder of a missing parent. They take pride in watching their grandchild grow up to look or act like their departed adult child and celebrate life alongside the vibrant young spirit a grandchild embodies.
How to Connect with Your Grandchildren
For some grandparents, the challenge of being presented with an active, hyper young mind to entertain can be a little intimidating. This concern is quickly alleviated through chatting with a grandchild, listening to their likes and dislikes, and prompting them accordingly for more information. However, not all grandchildren, especially young adults, are very forthcoming at certain stages of their development.
Here are a few activities that work well to help build connections and open up the lines of communication between a grandparent and grandchild:
Start a tradition – If an expected event is due to happen, it injects some normalcy into the situation for both the grandchild and his or her grandparent. This tradition can be as simple as a drive up the street to a favorite diner for breakfast on a certain day, or as complex as a ten-mile hike to a specific spot for a picnic each year. Repetition builds familiarity, and as a grandchild grows and matures, they will begin to take comfort in this ritual, however small, and let their guard down a little. A grandparent should be receptive and willing to compromise if a grandchild has an idea for their own new tradition, as well.
Take a trip – Covering many miles by car gives ample chances for discussion and observation, and, barring that, mutual enjoyment of a radio program or music genre. If both the grandchild and grandparent are new to traveling together, they should start small. A several-hour day trip should be attempted before a cross-country trek to allow them to ease into the company of one another.
Build something together – The choice of project should reflect the skills of both grandparent and grandchild, and can take the shape of a dog house, macaroni picture, or more advanced undertakings such as car repair. The focus of a project enables both individuals to connect and work together toward a common goal, promoting emotional cooperation along the way. This is also a great way for a grandparent to pass down knowledge – e.g. how to change car oil – to their grandchild.
Get snap happy – A grandparent and grandchild can go on a photo scavenger hunt together, either using traditional cameras or cell phone cameras, to see how many different types of an object they can find in an afternoon. Grandparents that live in the country might opt for wildlife sightings, while city-dwelling grandparents might use street signs as their target. Long-distance grandparents can join in on the fun by instructing their grandchild to upload their hunt photos into a shared online album for counting and comparison.
Being an Active Grandparent
Much like parenting, grandparenting is a job that requires a lot of effort and a lot of love. When a grandparent makes an effort to be an active part of their grandchild's life, it has a very real and meaningful impact on their grandchildren's well being.
While some children may hesitate to tell a parent about a school bully, hopeless crush or trouble with studies, they may be more likely to reveal these troubles to a grandparent: a fairly neutral, supportive third party who has the wisdom of age to their credit. A grandparent can ensure they are making the biggest difference by listening closely to the stories their grandchildren tell, as well as holding their secrets and confessions in confidence – provided they aren't harmful, of course.
Long-distance grandparents can still be a daily or weekly part of their grandchild's life through the use of Internet programs like Skype, which offers free video and voice chatting through a computer. If a grandparent isn't technologically savvy, a timed weekly phone call can accomplish much of the same benefits, along with an "open-door" policy if a grandchild ever needs support or advice for a problem.
If a grandparent doesn't already have a cell phone, they should consider getting a no-frills model for the sake of continual availability–a benefit both their adult children and grandchildren are sure to enjoy.
Grandparenting: The Best Job Ever
The joy of watching not one, but two generations grow under their careful guidance is the reason that a whopping 90% of grandparents involved in one Grandparents.com study confessed to talking about their grandchildren to anyone who would listen. The lessons learned from raising the previous generation make grandparents wise, trustworthy caregivers and companions to the next generation.
Their job is difficult but intensely rewarding, and grandparents typically enjoy a position of both respect and affection in their families, making the title of grandparent one worthy of envy. As culture grows and changes, the coveted role of grandparent continues to shape the future, offering both the roots and wings that are so vital to success in their children's children.


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It's probably worth explaining what I mean when I say no shenanigans. In Epic the Space Marine army has a couple of ways they can place troops unexpectedly on the board - Terminators can teleport, Thunderhawks or Landing Craft can conduct an air assault, infantry can use Planetfall. There are counter-tactics to all of these "shenanigans" (so named by a local player after just having lost to a Marine army) but they are potentially very powerful options. But I wanted to do my army without these - a pure ground-pounder marine army.
Incidentally the basing on these guys is the same as I use on my FoW Hungarians, and I think I'll be using this as my default basing scheme from now on. It looks good, is easy to do, and goes well with the Woodland Scenics surface ("Summer Grass") on my gaming table.


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Mandatory introduction:
You ever notice that when real reviewers are reviewing books, they always make puns?
Well, we here at Wake Up at Seven have a sense of humor, and will take the liberty to make fun of those who are too clever for their own good. We're going to point out any puns that are pasted on the back of YA books, whether they're from another author or from Kirkus reviews.
Anna and the French Kiss
"Smart and sensual, Anna and the French Kiss is everything your heart is longing for. You'll want to live inside this story forever." -Lisa McMann
"Very romantic. You should date this book." -Maureen Johnson
"Anna and the French Kiss charms [readers] with its Parisian setting and a trés bien boy." -MTV.com
Not a whole lot of great ones, although the paperback has a total of eleven blurbs. Yes. Eleven. They really want you to buy this book.
However, I actually like that there isn't a lot of punniness, because most of the praise is true. Although there's a lot of "magicals" and "charmings" and related synonyms, I'm happy to say these outlets meet my approval.
So that was the short segment for today.
Leave a comment if you found any praise puns in other books, and tweet this post if you're a trés bien boy.
Don't forget to check out last
week's month's edition- Anna Dressed in Blood.
Don't forget to check out last


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Throughout his 40-year career, Georgie Fame has recorded over 20 albums and 14 hit singles including number one best sellers, Yeh Yeh (the first recording that knocked The Beatles off the number one spot in the charts), Getaway and 1967's The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde.
Georgie is equally at home in the company of jazz groups and big bands, orchestras, rock groups and his own band, The Blue Flames. As a sideman, he has recorded with many artists, including Gene Vincent, Prince Buster, Muddy Waters, Eric Clapton, Joan Armatrading, Andy Fairweather-Low, Bill Wyman and Van Morrison. Ever on the road, Georgie Fame continues to perform his unique blend of jazz/rhythm and blues for live audiences at clubs and music festivals throughout Europe.
Georgie will appear for this gala concert with one of the UK's busiest composer/arrangers, Guy Barker, along with his sensational ensemble- the Guy Barker Big Band – comprising some of the UK's finest jazz musicians.
Save with the Jazz Multibuy
Buy tickets for two or more concerts and save £2, £3 or £4 off each ticket. Only applies to Sage One and Sage Two concerts. The discount will be automatically added to your order when booking online.


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Find schools and get information on the program that's right for you.
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To our eyes today, both these elements seem a bit naive. Most artists have now long since given up on the idea that there is any kind mainstream art, much less any linear development to it. It seems that our definitions of art have become too broad for it to have a mainstream. And, if ever there was a time when art had much of an impact on society's major problems, I think we're safe in saying it has now passed. when did it pass? That's a little harder to say. Possibly around the end of the 1960s when art historians started talking about the Post-Modern age. But the transition wasn't like passing through a door; it was more accurately like entering a fog.
Although there are those who might cite others, Paul Cťzanne is often credited with having been the first modern artist. Although the Impressionists might accept the second criteria of Modernism to some degree, they were not so much interested in linear development, but in rebellion against what the generation before had wrought. Cťzanne, on the other hand, tried to take Impressionism, and, as he put it, "...make something solid of it," which is linear development, and on top of that, he was very much taken with the idea that art could have a profound civilising effect upon mankind. Perhaps in his day, it could, and did. Whatever the case, whatever Modernism really means, Cťzanne certainly fills the bill as the first of them.
Contributed by Lane, Jim9 June 1998


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Good is serving members. Great is building relationships.
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