text:
K.J. Farnham
Publication date: April 11th 2019
Genres: Suspense, Young Adult
Sixteen-year-old Jenna Kemp is a typical high school girl, complete with a loyal group of friends and a seemingly understanding boyfriend. But when the demons from Jenna's childhood resurface, she's suddenly spinning out of control–drinking, partying–anything to numb the pain of the past. After distancing herself from her friends and befriending an outcast, her friends and family start questioning and judging her choices.
But when Jenna doesn't come home one night, her friends and family realize it's more than just adolescent rebellion. Jenna's mysterious disappearance proves that there's more on the line than they realized. As they sift through a series of her personal diaries, the truth becomes terrifying. Will Jenna's final diary entry reveal the greatest mystery of all–her whereabouts?
Bonnie KempI take a deep, cleansing breath as I grip the knob of Jenna's bedroom door. It's been thirteen days since I was last in there—a record since bringing her home from the hospital and laying her in her bassinet sixteen years ago.
"Quick in and out, Lulu. Okay?" I ask, glancing down at Jenna's dog. Every few days, the black lab incessantly whines and scratches where the door meets the floor, eager to enter her beloved owner's room. Today happens to be one of those days.
As soon as I open the door a crack, Lulu bolts inside, causing me to lose my grip on the knob and forcing the door to fly wide open. The energetic dog quickly gets to work sniffing every square inch of Jenna's room, as if searching for clues that might reveal her whereabouts.
I smile somberly and shake my head before stepping inside and glancing around the room. The sting in my heart isn't nearly as sharp as I anticipated it would be, but it's there, nonetheless.
My gaze falls on Jenna's desk, which has been left untouched since the police came through to look for items of interest. Surrounding Jenna's Chromebook is a holder for pens and Post-it notes, a tube of lip balm, a basket with random keepsakes, and a few notebooks and textbooks—all items that the police had left behind.
To me, Jenna is missing, not gone for good. Missing, not dead, despite what the Briarwood Police Department may think. I'm furious that they've given up the search. It's like a slap in the face, thinking about all the stones that have probably been left unturned.
I scan the room one last time.
"Come on, Lulu," I say as I head for the hallway. I begin to pull Jenna's door closed, expecting Lulu to make her exit any moment, but she remains seated next to Jenna's nightstand.
"Lulu," I press, "let's go, girl."
The dog still doesn't budge. Instead, she whines, her tail sweeping the floor maniacally. Then she sniffs Jenna's nightstand.
"Ohhh." I say, joining Lulu next to Jenna's bed. "I know what you want." I place my phone on the nightstand and reach for the handle of the second drawer. I close my eyes for a moment, and images of the night I invaded Jenna's privacy by reading her diary play behind my eyelids. It wasn't long after that Jenna started changing, and then she went missing. I'll always wonder if my betrayal was partly to blame.
The guilt in my heart causes me to bring my hands to my face. I press my fingers against my eyelids, as if they're buttons intended to deactivate the troubling thoughts that are always lingering in the back of my mind. The sensation of Lulu's cold, wet nose against my elbow, snaps me out of the trance I've fallen under, and before I have a chance to change my mind, I pull open the drawer.
My gaze immediately falls on Jenna's new diary. It's a replica of the same diary I so callously peeked at last summer, the one Jenna had tossed in the kitchen trashcan after we had a blowout over my betrayal. I'd been shocked to see this new, nearly identical diary (save for the Briarwood High cross-country sticker on the back) when we did a frantic sweep of Jenna's room after two full days with no contact from her.
Lulu whines, once again pulling me from my thoughts and prompting me to pick up the quart-sized Zip-lock bag full of dog bones next to the diary. Lulu's tail thumps wildly, zigzagging from the floor to the nightstand as I pull open the bag and remove a bone. The dog happily accepts a treat, and immediately begs for another, so I give the command Jenna used to give as I toss a second bone a couple feet into the air. "Leap Lulu!"
Lulu isn't quite ready, so the treat bounces off the tip of her nose, falls to the floor, and slides under the two-inch gap beneath the nightstand.
"A little rusty, huh Lulu?" I ask with an amused grin as I get down on my knees and slide a hand under the nightstand to search for the fallen goodie. Lulu whines and pokes her nose under, too, but neither of us can seem to find the treat. "I guess I'll have to get it with the vacuum later today. Or whenever I feel like vacuuming . . ." I say, resigned to leaving the treat for now. But Lulu continues whining and scratching at the base of the nightstand, so I sigh, grab my phone from the bed, and give it a shake to activate the flashlight.
I get back down on my knees, press my cheek to the floor, and with the help of the light, I spot the treat right away. As I reach my hand all the way into the back-left corner, my knuckles brush against a smooth surface on the underside of the nightstand. The texture strikes me as odd, so as soon as I hand the rescued treat over to Lulu, I return my cheek to the floor and shine the light under the nightstand again, this time tilting my gaze upward toward the underside where I see something that causes my breath to halt. I collapse onto my stomach, momentarily paralyzed.
Could it really be?
A gentle tug results in the sound Velcro makes when its hook and loop fasteners separate. Sitting cross-legged with my mouth ajar, I examine my discovery: a diary identical to the one in Jenna's drawer.
It can't be.
I run the fingers of my right hand across the cover and flip it over to reveal something that makes me shudder uncontrollably. Smack-dab in the center of the back cover is a worn Briarwood High School Cross Country team sticker. It's the diary Jenna had thrown away on the night of our big blowout. She must have fished it out of the garbage after everyone had gone to bed.
Realizing what my find could reveal, I frantically open the tattered notebook and flip to the last entry dated Thursday, October 26, 2017.
I exhale a hard, swift breath when recognition sets in. The final entry was written the day before Jenna went missing.
As I read the entry, I have to remind myself to breathe, and I pause several times to ensure I don't pass out and to process and reread the most alarming parts … I can't talk to him anymore . . . he was upset . . . starting to creep me out . . . planned to meet him tomorrow night . . .
I know the howl that echoed through my brain must have escaped me when Joseph rushes into the room. In a daze, I look up at him. His lips are moving, but I can't hear what he's saying. I look over at Lulu who's cowering in the corner and wonder if she knew all along that Jenna's diary was under the nightstand. If so, why didn't she let us know? We would have known about his lies much sooner.
I glance around the spinning room and realize my thoughts are irrational and my anger toward Lulu misplaced.
I look back at Joseph and can finally hear him.
"Bonnie? What's wrong?" He's crouched at my side with his hands cradling my face. "What is it?"
I stare at him, still speechless.
He maintains eye contact for a moment but then follows my gaze as I glance down at the long-lost diary in my lap. "What's . . .? Is that . . ." His eyes widen and remain focused on the object in my lap as he settles onto the floor next to me.
I burst into tears and jump to my feet, clutching the open diary to my chest. "It was him . . . it had to be him . . ."
"Bonnie, wait . . ." Joseph scrambles to his feet and reaches for me, but all he gets is a strand of hair because I'm moving too fast.
"He lied. Dear Lord, Joseph, he lied! And he got away with it!"
Joseph enters the hallway behind me just as Shaina jumps out of my way. I glance back to see her with her back pinned to the wall. Joseph gives her a comforting squeeze on the upper arm as he rushes past, so I turn and continue down the stairs and into the kitchen. Joseph rounds the corner as I'm frantically grabbing my oversized purse from the coat hook next to the garage door and shoving Jenna's recovered diary inside.
"Who? Who lied? And where are you going?!" Joseph asks as he grasps my shoulder. He spins me around with one hand and reaches over my head with the other to hold the door to the garage closed.
"Move your hand, Joseph! I need to get to the police station!" I can barely see through the tears that are flooding my eyes and streaming down my cheeks so fast that the top half of my T-shirt is speckled with drops.
"Okay . . . it's okay," he says, slowly removing his hand from the door and raising both into the air in submission. "Just tell me what's going on. Please. Then I'll drive you wherever you need to go."
I squeeze my eyes closed, acutely aware of each painful breath I'm taking. When I open them, Joseph is looking at Shaina, who's made her way into the kitchen but remains next to the refrigerator. Just like Joseph, Shaina has become accustomed to tiptoeing around the house, especially when I'm having a rough time. A single tear trails down her left cheek in response to my outburst. I want to rush to her, to comfort her, but I can't right now. Not when the key to Jenna's whereabouts could now be in my possession.
"No," I say, calling Joseph's attention back to me. I reach into my bag to retrieve the diary and hold it out to him. "I'll drive. You read." After he takes it, I sniffle and straighten my posture, my expression once again strong, determined, and resolute. "It's the last entry. The one from October twenty-sixth. We're going to find her, Joseph."
Author Bio:
K. J. Farnham writes contemporary fiction for women and young adults. A former educator who grew up in the Milwaukee area, she now resides in western Wisconsin with her husband and three children. To learn more, visit her website at www.kjfarnham.com.


text:
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Frank vs. The Foam Roller
33 comments:
- Big Daddy Diesel said...
HAHAHA too cute (get the boys to play with Frank when you want to do floor exercises)
- November 30, 2010 at 8:38 AM
- abbi said...
Looks familiar - I've got a black lab and a beagle litterally on top of me whenever I try that as well. They eventually go away!
- November 30, 2010 at 8:49 AM
- Brittney said...
I totally feel ya! Clyde does the same thing! I was doing that back stretch the other day where you lay on the floor with your leg one way and your arms out and he was jumping over my face like it was a hurdle! You can't help but laugh though, it is pretty cute.
- November 30, 2010 at 9:01 AM
- Unknown said...
Frank is just awesome!!!
- November 30, 2010 at 9:07 AM
- RunToTheFinish said...
my cats get all freaked out when I use it too or even stretch they are like hey pet me you are on the floor!
- November 30, 2010 at 9:09 AM
- yonca said...
You have a cute puppy.Our dog, Carmen was a black terrier, and a little bit of white on her chest:)
- November 30, 2010 at 9:11 AM
- J said...
He is so cute! If my cat was allowed out of the basement she would probably try to do the same thing. Anything that rolls or moves she loves to attach!
- November 30, 2010 at 9:16 AM
- Jill said...
Haha. So much for stretching!
- November 30, 2010 at 9:22 AM
- Michelle said...
Awww Frank is so cute! My puppy does the same thing to me...problem is now he's 90 lbs!
- November 30, 2010 at 9:30 AM
Frank is SO cute. My pup does the same exact thing. Animals seem to get excited when any sort of physical activity is going on, lol
- November 30, 2010 at 9:45 AM
- The Green Girl said...
Aw, that is too cute! You look so happy with your buddy.
- November 30, 2010 at 10:33 AM
- Johann said...
I love Frank! I have that same problem when I do floor exercises. Have a great week Molly!
- November 30, 2010 at 10:36 AM
- Tinkerbeth said...
Molly, Frank is adorable!! So glad you found the perfect pup! I can't wait to meet him! Copper's Adoption Day is November 9th. Next year we'll have to have a big celebration for Frank and Copper! (You do realize, don't you, that I am going to have to bring the kids over to meet Frank, too? Hope your kids will be willing to share him for an hour or so!) I will leave Copper at home, though!
PS Love your jammies! - November 30, 2010 at 10:55 AM
- Jen said...
I can't believe how cute Frank is!! Oscar also thinks foam roller time is play time, I've learned to cope by playing fetch! Throw - roll like a madman - get drooled on - throw....
- November 30, 2010 at 11:06 AM
- Unknown said...
I love puppies! :) Although my "puppy" is almost 7 and still barks at the foam roller!
- November 30, 2010 at 11:29 AM
- Terri said...
My dogs do exactly the same thing! The floor mat comes out, they assume it's playtime!
- November 30, 2010 at 11:59 AM
- Emz said...
Love this.
YAY frank!! ;) - November 30, 2010 at 1:07 PM
- Pam @ herbieontherun.com said...
Yep! i feel ya! I can start out with not an animal in sight. Then it takes their 6th sense about half a second to kick in. "WHAT?!?!? MOM'S IN THE FLOOR?!?!?!?!"
- November 30, 2010 at 1:25 PM
- Heather said...
Very funny! he's such a cute puppy! my cat doesn't let me exercise either...love the pj pants!
- November 30, 2010 at 2:25 PM
- Love the Decor! said...
That is exactly what happens to me too : )
Cute dog and very cute jammies - November 30, 2010 at 2:46 PM
- Lucas R. Tucker said...
My dog does the same thing. after I got her I gave up on floor exercises in the same room. AND my favorite flannel PJ's have pitbulls wearing santa hats.
- November 30, 2010 at 3:23 PM
- Peggy said...
That's exactly how our dogs act when we try to do any sort of floor exercises! You think it's bad with 1 dog... try having 2 come at you from different directions! hehe
- November 30, 2010 at 3:31 PM
- Julie said...
OMG! Those pictures are the best, I am totally laughing:) I totally needed this Molly! Your dog Frank is so freaking cute!
- November 30, 2010 at 7:46 PM
- ajh said...
Who took the pictures? These are great!
- November 30, 2010 at 7:59 PM
- Jill said...
Hi Again Molly....can you please email me (just reply to this comment) and send me your mailing address so I can send it to your holiday blog exchange buddy? Thanks bunches!!!
- November 30, 2010 at 10:48 PM
- Zaneta @ Runner's Luck said...
What a cute puppy!! :) haha... what were you thinking doing something that didn't involve him?! ;)
- November 30, 2010 at 11:45 PM
- Caratunk Girl said...
Frank is so cute!!! Love him, oh man. That is so funny how he helps you out!
- December 1, 2010 at 3:48 PM
- Amy said...
Frank is so cute! Try doing crunches and "bicycling" your legs. My dog nudges my toes with his nose every time!
- December 2, 2010 at 1:13 AM
- Black Knight said...
See the colour, Frank is a proud member of the Black Knight Army, you will never win against him!
- December 2, 2010 at 6:22 AM
- Tara said...
Haha! Piper (my dog) does the same thing to me. She stands over me and drools and breathes on me. YUCK!
- December 2, 2010 at 5:26 PM
- Susan Fobes said...
Boy it has been a while since I've been here-you have a puppy, and his name is Frank. LOL!
- December 2, 2010 at 6:29 PM
- Christina said...
Too cute!
- December 4, 2010 at 8:53 AM
- Fruit Fly said...
It is so precious when they try to help us out!
- December 10, 2010 at 7:53 PM

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Tuesday, November 02, 2010
Festive goodies to enhance your diwali...
18 comments:
- Vineeta said...
Brilliant round up! I love that you are back in action again :)
- November 2, 2010 at 10:42 PM
- Swati Seth, The Color Caravan said...
Wow! Love almost everything featured here. I want them all for Diwali :)
I esp love the lamps by Matsya. Thanks for featuring the pattachitra bottles :) - November 2, 2010 at 10:56 PM
- Purnima@a creative project said...
Amazing finds!!! I love the color caravan products.. especially the bottles!!! Such detailed and intricate work on everyday items!!
- November 2, 2010 at 10:57 PM
- Kshitiz Anand said...
Super! :)
- November 2, 2010 at 11:03 PM
- CornersandMoments said...
Great stuff...I want it all. Thank for the inspiration Arch ! I will be posting pics from my diwali celebrations in a few days....Hope you check it out and pass me your comments. :) Happy Diwali to you !
- November 2, 2010 at 11:17 PM
- Rithika Kumar said...
A delightful surprise to see the pics of our Pyjama Party products on your blog.Tx :-)
- November 2, 2010 at 11:26 PM
- Archana Srinivas Pottery said...
Thanks all:-) Glad you liked the products as much as I did:-)
Rithika~ Loved the "Pyjama Party' accessories showcased in Bliss.
Do you have your own retail outlet? - November 2, 2010 at 11:36 PM
- Sanghamitra Bhattacherjee(Mukherjee) said...
Amazing!..Loved Matsya lamps and colour caravan products the most!!..Beautiful post :)
- November 2, 2010 at 11:42 PM
- callezee said...
Beautiful design.... Brilliant job
- November 3, 2010 at 12:19 AM
- Shilpa said...
Wheeee..I want it all ! The truck inspired cushions are brilliant
- November 3, 2010 at 1:40 AM
- PreeOccupied said...
What a riot of colors. I totally love all the ideas. Just that cant lay my hands on any of them seven thousand miles away. :-)
- November 3, 2010 at 7:25 AM
- Sound Horn Please said...
Lovely! Thanks for letting me know about the existence of the truck art inspired objects- I am definitely visiting their store the next time I'm in India. I loved the Patachithra stuff to!
- November 3, 2010 at 8:53 AM
- Dithi said...
Happy Diwali Archana, thanks for sharing these ideas - I'll definitely visit loose ends when in Bombay (this Jan, also watch out for the other stores mentioned. Best wishes for you and family, with much love and admiration- dithi.
- November 3, 2010 at 12:37 PM
- shikha choudhary said...
Hi, I relly like the products very much, a very nice collection and you have collected and presented it much more grace, loved the vibrant colors. Great work.
Check out neev products on www.neevdecor.com
we are into home decor products
Shikha - November 4, 2010 at 1:02 AM
Hi Archana, lovely round up. You should definitely do one about stores/products in Bangalore. ~Jaya
- November 4, 2010 at 3:33 AM
- totstylist said...
Your blog makes me want to come running back to India... Love it!
- November 30, 2010 at 9:00 PM
- *Hanu* said...
i've just started reading your blog while browsing some idea for my cousins engagement..and i find your ideas very inspiring..
- December 1, 2010 at 8:44 PM
- lovelifeunderthesun said...
Such a lovely post!and fabulous decor accessories!These would surely light up any space!
- November 7, 2012 at 8:01 AM


text:
What's it like to dangle in a spinning basket 3 stories above a busy street? I learned what Paul already knew. What's it like to fall off a horse in the desert? I discovered what Paul already did. What's it like to float on driftwood in the Mediterranean Sea. You guessed it. I experience a small bit of what Paul suffered.
On September 1st we will release our huge project "St. Paul: Contending for the Faith". It has taken well over a year and a half to put together with 5 weeks of filming in six countries. And of course I can't just walk around talking about Paul, I have to play out the little kid still in me (according to my good wife) and discover adventures everywhere I go. So, Paul and his life now come alive in the very places he lived and suffered for the Gospel.
Want to hear an amazing story, just one of the miracles that happened along the way? Ok, here goes. Does God have control over governments and dignitaries like the Bible says? Yup!
A filming crew needs special permits and visas to work in many countries. Syria and Turkey tend to be the most bureaucratic countries in the world to deal with. After months of negotiating and rangling we still did NOT have our permits to film in either country the day before we left with our crew and equipment. We were scheduled to arrive the next day in Turkey to begin filming in Tarsus and still no permits.
But let me step back a moment. We have always considered the Lord to be our Producer and Director. And he has let me know at times that things would not happen as expected or hoped. Many times things would linger until the last moment so we would KNOW a miracle had taken place. This was one such time . . . so, back to the story.
One hour before we left for the airport to head for Turkey my fax machine rang. I stood and waited. The paper began to move slowly through the machine. Wow! It was permits from Istanbul Turkey giving us visas to enter the country for filming. I just about dropped. But, Syria was still a problem. How do I explain the Damascus Road experience of St. Paul without going to Damascus?
We arrived in Turkey and filmed at Tarsus, Antioch, and Ephesus. Then on to Israel and Rome. Still no word from Syria. From Rome we had plane tickets to fly to Amman Jordan and then guides to drive us across the border into Syria. But still no permits. We called and called. We e-mailed and faxed. We were desperate! Two days before we were to arrive in Damascus I went to the Syrian Embassy in Rome. "Please, you must get us permits! We have been working on this for over six months.â€
"Ha,†they laughed, "It takes dignitaries and politicians over six months to get such permits. Who do you think you are, St. Paul, that you will have a miracle?â€
Well, yes. I did believe God performs miracles. So, my wife and I told all the legal aids and the dignitary, "Yes, I am a Catholic and I believe God DOES perform miracles. In fact, I will be back here tomorrow to pick up my permits and visas so please have them ready for me!â€
Disgusted snorts demonstrated their anger as they turned away and went back into their offices.
The next day, shortly before leaving Rome for Damascus, we were filming at the tomb of St. Paul in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome. We were praying, "St. Paul pray for us†as we filming the segment of his death and burial.
While standing in front of his tomb talking into the camera my cell phone rang. It was the Minister of Information calling from Damascus. "Mr. Ray?†"Yes,†I said. "I hear you want to film in my country.†"Yes,†I said again.
"Good. I am Mr. Ali and I am the Minister of Information in charge of such things in the country of Syria. I personally invite you to my country and will send my people to meet you at the border to help you across. In the meantime, go to the Syrian Embassy in Rome in the morning to pick up your permits and visas. I would like you to visit me in the Government Building during your trip so I can meet you.â€
The dignitaries in the Syrian Embassy were not pleased but they saw the hand of God that day – as did I and my crew. The next day we arrived in Damascus with cameras rolling.
And, for the rest of the story you can watch "Paul, Contending for the Faith†when it is released on video and DVD in September by Ignatius Press.


text: King James Bible God Challenges Job 1Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, 2Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? 3Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. 4Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. 5Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? 6Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; 7When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? 8Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb? 9When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it, 10And brake up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors, 11And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed? 12Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days; and caused the dayspring to know his place; 13That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, that the wicked might be shaken out of it? 14It is turned as clay to the seal; and they stand as a garment. 15And from the wicked their light is withholden, and the high arm shall be broken. 16Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? or hast thou walked in the search of the depth? 17Have the gates of death been opened unto thee? or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death? 18Hast thou perceived the breadth of the earth? declare if thou knowest it all. 19Where is the way where light dwelleth? and as for darkness, where is the place thereof, 20That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof, and that thou shouldest know the paths to the house thereof? 21Knowest thou it, because thou wast then born? or because the number of thy days is great? 22Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail, 23Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war? 24By what way is the light parted, which scattereth the east wind upon the earth? 25Who hath divided a watercourse for the overflowing of waters, or a way for the lightning of thunder; 26To cause it to rain on the earth, where no man is; on the wilderness, wherein there is no man; 27To satisfy the desolate and waste ground; and to cause the bud of the tender herb to spring forth? 28Hath the rain a father? or who hath begotten the drops of dew? 29Out of whose womb came the ice? and the hoary frost of heaven, who hath gendered it? 30The waters are hid as with a stone, and the face of the deep is frozen. 31Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion? 32Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season? or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons? 33Knowest thou the ordinances of heaven? canst thou set the dominion thereof in the earth? 34Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds, that abundance of waters may cover thee? 35Canst thou send lightnings, that they may go, and say unto thee, Here we are? 36Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts? or who hath given understanding to the heart? 37Who can number the clouds in wisdom? or who can stay the bottles of heaven, 38When the dust groweth into hardness, and the clods cleave fast together? 39Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion? or fill the appetite of the young lions, 40When they couch in their dens, and abide in the covert to lie in wait? 41Who provideth for the raven his food? when his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat. King James Bible Text courtesy of BibleProtector.com Section Headings Courtesy INT Bible © 2012, Used by Permission Bible Hub |


text:
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text:
An emulsion is a mixture of two or more liquids that are normally immiscible (unmixable or unblendable) owing to liquid-liquid phase separation. Emulsions are part of a more general class of two-phase systems of matter called colloids. Although the terms colloid and emulsion are sometimes used interchangeably, emulsion should be used when both phases, dispersed and continuous, are liquids. In an emulsion, one liquid (the dispersed phase) is dispersed in the other (the continuous phase). Examples of emulsions include vinaigrettes, homogenized milk, liquid biomolecular condensates, and some cutting fluids for metal working.
Two liquids can form different types of emulsions. As an example, oil and water can form, first, an oil-in-water emulsion, in which the oil is the dispersed phase, and water is the continuous phase. Second, they can form a water-in-oil emulsion, in which water is the dispersed phase and oil is the continuous phase. Multiple emulsions are also possible, including a "water-in-oil-in-water" emulsion and an "oil-in-water-in-oil" emulsion.[1]
Emulsions, being liquids, do not exhibit a static internal structure. The droplets dispersed in the continuous phase (sometimes referred to as the "dispersion medium") are usually assumed to be statistically distributed to produce roughly spherical droplets.
The term "emulsion" is also used to refer to the photo-sensitive side of photographic film. Such a photographic emulsion consists of silver halide colloidal particles dispersed in a gelatin matrix. Nuclear emulsions are similar to photographic emulsions, except that they are used in particle physics to detect high-energy elementary particles.
The word "emulsion" comes from the Latin emulgere "to milk out", from ex "out" + mulgere "to milk", as milk is an emulsion of fat and water, along with other components, including colloidal casein micelles (a type of secreted biomolecular condensate).[2]
Appearance and properties
A fluid system in which liquid droplets are dispersed in a liquid.
Note 1: The definition is based on the definition in ref.[3]
Note 2: The droplets may be amorphous, liquid-crystalline, or any
mixture thereof.Note 3: The diameters of the droplets constituting the dispersed phase
usually range from approximately 10 nm to 100 μm; i.e., the droplets
may exceed the usual size limits for colloidal particles.Note 4: An emulsion is termed an oil/water (o/w) emulsion if the
dispersed phase is an organic material and the continuous phase is
water or an aqueous solution and is termed water/oil (w/o) if the dispersed
phase is water or an aqueous solution and the continuous phase is an
organic liquid (an "oil").Note 5: A w/o emulsion is sometimes called an inverse emulsion.
The term "inverse emulsion" is misleading, suggesting incorrectly that
the emulsion has properties that are the opposite of those of an emulsion.
Its use is, therefore, not recommended.[4]
Emulsions contain both a dispersed and a continuous phase, with the boundary between the phases called the "interface".[5] Emulsions tend to have a cloudy appearance because the many phase interfaces scatter light as it passes through the emulsion. Emulsions appear white when all light is scattered equally. If the emulsion is dilute enough, higher-frequency (low-wavelength) light will be scattered more, and the emulsion will appear bluer – this is called the "Tyndall effect".[6] If the emulsion is concentrated enough, the color will be distorted toward comparatively longer wavelengths, and will appear more yellow. This phenomenon is easily observable when comparing skimmed milk, which contains little fat, to cream, which contains a much higher concentration of milk fat. One example would be a mixture of water and oil.[7]
Two special classes of emulsions – microemulsions and nanoemulsions, with droplet sizes below 100 nm – appear translucent.[8] This property is due to the fact that light waves are scattered by the droplets only if their sizes exceed about one-quarter of the wavelength of the incident light. Since the visible spectrum of light is composed of wavelengths between 390 and 750 nanometers (nm), if the droplet sizes in the emulsion are below about 100 nm, the light can penetrate through the emulsion without being scattered.[9] Due to their similarity in appearance, translucent nanoemulsions and microemulsions are frequently confused. Unlike translucent nanoemulsions, which require specialized equipment to be produced, microemulsions are spontaneously formed by "solubilizing" oil molecules with a mixture of surfactants, co-surfactants, and co-solvents.[8] The required surfactant concentration in a microemulsion is, however, several times higher than that in a translucent nanoemulsion, and significantly exceeds the concentration of the dispersed phase. Because of many undesirable side-effects caused by surfactants, their presence is disadvantageous or prohibitive in many applications. In addition, the stability of a microemulsion is often easily compromised by dilution, by heating, or by changing pH levels.
Common emulsions are inherently unstable and, thus, do not tend to form spontaneously. Energy input – through shaking, stirring, homogenizing, or exposure to power ultrasound[10] – is needed to form an emulsion. Over time, emulsions tend to revert to the stable state of the phases comprising the emulsion. An example of this is seen in the separation of the oil and vinegar components of vinaigrette, an unstable emulsion that will quickly separate unless shaken almost continuously. There are important exceptions to this rule – microemulsions are thermodynamically stable, while translucent nanoemulsions are kinetically stable.[8]
Whether an emulsion of oil and water turns into a "water-in-oil" emulsion or an "oil-in-water" emulsion depends on the volume fraction of both phases and the type of emulsifier (surfactant) (see Emulsifier, below) present.[11]
Emulsion stability refers to the ability of an emulsion to resist change in its properties over time.[12][13] There are four types of instability in emulsions: flocculation, coalescence, creaming/sedimentation, and Ostwald ripening. Flocculation occurs when there is an attractive force between the droplets, so they form flocs, like bunches of grapes. This process can be desired, if controlled in its extent, to tune physical properties of emulsions such as their flow behaviour. [14] Coalescence occurs when droplets bump into each other and combine to form a larger droplet, so the average droplet size increases over time. Emulsions can also undergo creaming, where the droplets rise to the top of the emulsion under the influence of buoyancy, or under the influence of the centripetal force induced when a centrifuge is used.[12] Creaming is a common phenomenon in dairy and non-dairy beverages (i.e. milk, coffee milk, almond milk, soy milk) and usually does not change the droplet size.[15] Sedimentation is the opposite phenomenon of creaming and normally observed in water-in-oil emulsions.[5] Sedimentation happens when the dispersed phase is denser than the continuous phase and the gravitational forces pull the denser globules towards the bottom of the emulsion. Similar to creaming, sedimentation follows Stokes' law.
An appropriate surface active agent (or surfactant) can increase the kinetic stability of an emulsion so that the size of the droplets does not change significantly with time. The stability of an emulsion, like a suspension, can be studied in terms of zeta potential, which indicates the repulsion between droplets or particles. If the size and dispersion of droplets does not change over time, it is said to be stable.[16] For example, oil-in-water emulsions containing mono- and diglycerides and milk protein as surfactant showed that stable oil droplet size over 28 days storage at 25°C.[15]
Monitoring physical stability
The stability of emulsions can be characterized using techniques such as light scattering, focused beam reflectance measurement, centrifugation, and rheology. Each method has advantages and disadvantages.[17]
Accelerating methods for shelf life prediction
The kinetic process of destabilization can be rather long – up to several months, or even years for some products.[18] Often the formulator must accelerate this process in order to test products in a reasonable time during product design. Thermal methods are the most commonly used – these consist of increasing the emulsion temperature to accelerate destabilization (if below critical temperatures for phase inversion or chemical degradation).[19] Temperature affects not only the viscosity but also the interfacial tension in the case of non-ionic surfactants or, on a broader scope, interactions between droplets within the system. Storing an emulsion at high temperatures enables the simulation of realistic conditions for a product (e.g., a tube of sunscreen emulsion in a car in the summer heat), but also accelerates destabilization processes up to 200 times.
Mechanical methods of acceleration, including vibration, centrifugation, and agitation, can also be used.
These methods are almost always empirical, without a sound scientific basis.
An emulsifier is a substance that stabilizes an emulsion by reducing the oil-water interface tension. Emulsifiers are a part of a broader group of compounds known as surfactants, or "surface-active agents".[20] Surfactants are compounds that are typically amphiphilic, meaning they have a polar or hydrophilic (i.e. water-soluble) part and a non-polar (i.e. hydrophobic or lipophilic) part. Emulsifiers[21] that are more soluble in water (and conversely, less soluble in oil) will generally form oil-in-water emulsions, while emulsifiers that are more soluble in oil will form water-in-oil emulsions.[22]
Examples of food emulsifiers are:
- Egg yolk – in which the main emulsifying and thickening agent is lecithin.
- Mustard[23] – where a variety of chemicals in the mucilage surrounding the seed hull act as emulsifiers
- Soy lecithin is another emulsifier and thickener
- Pickering stabilization – uses particles under certain circumstances
- Sodium phosphates – not directly an emulsifier,[24] but modifies behavior of other molecules, e.g. casein
- Mono- and diglycerides – a common emulsifier found in many food products (coffee creamers, ice creams, spreads, breads, cakes)
- Sodium stearoyl lactylate
- DATEM (diacetyl tartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides) – an emulsifier used primarily in baking
- Proteins – those with both hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions, e.g. sodium caseinate, as in meltable cheese product
In food emulsions, the type of emulsifier greatly affects how emulsions are structured in the stomach and how accessible the oil is for gastric lipases, thereby influencing how fast emulsions are digested and trigger a satiety inducing hormone response.[25]
Detergents are another class of surfactant, and will interact physically with both oil and water, thus stabilizing the interface between the oil and water droplets in suspension. This principle is exploited in soap, to remove grease for the purpose of cleaning. Many different emulsifiers are used in pharmacy to prepare emulsions such as creams and lotions. Common examples include emulsifying wax, polysorbate 20, and ceteareth 20.[26]
Sometimes the inner phase itself can act as an emulsifier, and the result is a nanoemulsion, where the inner state disperses into "nano-size" droplets within the outer phase. A well-known example of this phenomenon, the "ouzo effect", happens when water is poured into a strong alcoholic anise-based beverage, such as ouzo, pastis, absinthe, arak, or raki. The anisolic compounds, which are soluble in ethanol, then form nano-size droplets and emulsify within the water. The resulting color of the drink is opaque and milky white.
Mechanisms of emulsification
A number of different chemical and physical processes and mechanisms can be involved in the process of emulsification:[5]
- Surface tension theory – according to this theory, emulsification takes place by reduction of interfacial tension between two phases
- Repulsion theory – According to this theory, the emulsifier creates a film over one phase that forms globules, which repel each other. This repulsive force causes them to remain suspended in the dispersion medium
- Viscosity modification – emulgents like acacia and tragacanth, which are hydrocolloids, as well as PEG (polyethylene glycol), glycerine, and other polymers like CMC (carboxymethyl cellulose), all increase the viscosity of the medium, which helps create and maintain the suspension of globules of dispersed phase
In food
Oil-in-water emulsions are common in food products:
- Mayonnaise and Hollandaise sauces – these are oil-in-water emulsions stabilized with egg yolk lecithin, or with other types of food additives, such as sodium stearoyl lactylate
- Homogenized milk – an emulsion of milk fat in water, with milk proteins as the emulsifier
- Vinaigrette – an emulsion of vegetable oil in vinegar, if this is prepared using only oil and vinegar (i.e., without an emulsifier), an unstable emulsion results
Water-in-oil emulsions are less common in food, but still exist:
Other foods can be turned into products similar to emulsions, for example meat emulsion is a suspension of meat in liquid that is similar to true emulsions.
In health care
In pharmaceutics, hairstyling, personal hygiene, and cosmetics, emulsions are frequently used. These are usually oil and water emulsions but dispersed, and which is continuous depends in many cases on the pharmaceutical formulation. These emulsions may be called creams, ointments, liniments (balms), pastes, films, or liquids, depending mostly on their oil-to-water ratios, other additives, and their intended route of administration.[27][28] The first 5 are topical dosage forms, and may be used on the surface of the skin, transdermally, ophthalmically, rectally, or vaginally. A highly liquid emulsion may also be used orally, or may be injected in some cases.[27]
Microemulsions are used to deliver vaccines and kill microbes.[29] Typical emulsions used in these techniques are nanoemulsions of soybean oil, with particles that are 400–600 nm in diameter.[30] The process is not chemical, as with other types of antimicrobial treatments, but mechanical. The smaller the droplet the greater the surface tension and thus the greater the force required to merge with other lipids. The oil is emulsified with detergents using a high-shear mixer to stabilize the emulsion so, when they encounter the lipids in the cell membrane or envelope of bacteria or viruses, they force the lipids to merge with themselves. On a mass scale, in effect this disintegrates the membrane and kills the pathogen. The soybean oil emulsion does not harm normal human cells, or the cells of most other higher organisms, with the exceptions of sperm cells and blood cells, which are vulnerable to nanoemulsions due to the peculiarities of their membrane structures. For this reason, these nanoemulsions are not currently used intravenously (IV). The most effective application of this type of nanoemulsion is for the disinfection of surfaces. Some types of nanoemulsions have been shown to effectively destroy HIV-1 and tuberculosis pathogens on non-porous surfaces.
In firefighting
Emulsifying agents are effective at extinguishing fires on small, thin-layer spills of flammable liquids (class B fires). Such agents encapsulate the fuel in a fuel-water emulsion, thereby trapping the flammable vapors in the water phase. This emulsion is achieved by applying an aqueous surfactant solution to the fuel through a high-pressure nozzle. Emulsifiers are not effective at extinguishing large fires involving bulk/deep liquid fuels, because the amount of emulsifier agent needed for extinguishment is a function of the volume of the fuel, whereas other agents such as aqueous film-forming foam need cover only the surface of the fuel to achieve vapor mitigation.[31]
Chemical synthesis
Emulsions are used to manufacture polymer dispersions – polymer production in an emulsion 'phase' has a number of process advantages, including prevention of coagulation of product. Products produced by such polymerisations may be used as the emulsions – products including primary components for glues and paints. Synthetic latexes (rubbers) are also produced by this process.
See also
- Emulsion dispersion
- Emulsified fuel
- Homogenizer
- Liquid whistle
- Miniemulsion
- Pickering emulsion
- Rheology
- Water-in-water emulsion
- Khan, A. Y.; Talegaonkar, S; Iqbal, Z; Ahmed, F. J.; Khar, R. K. (2006). "Multiple emulsions: An overview". Current Drug Delivery. 3 (4): 429–43. doi:10.2174/156720106778559056. PMID 17076645.
- Harper, Douglas. "Online Etymology Dictionary". www..etymonline.com. Etymonline. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
- IUPAC (1997). "Emulsion". Compendium of Chemical Terminology (The "Gold Book"). Oxford: Blackwell Scientific Publications. doi:10.1351/goldbook.E02065. ISBN 978-0-9678550-9-7. Archived from the original on 2012-03-10.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - Slomkowski, Stanislaw; Alemán, José V.; Gilbert, Robert G.; Hess, Michael; Horie, Kazuyuki; Jones, Richard G.; Kubisa, Przemyslaw; Meisel, Ingrid; Mormann, Werner; Penczek, Stanisław; Stepto, Robert F. T. (2011). "Terminology of polymers and polymerization processes in dispersed systems (IUPAC Recommendations 2011)" (PDF). Pure and Applied Chemistry. 83 (12): 2229–2259. doi:10.1351/PAC-REC-10-06-03. S2CID 96812603.
- Loi, Chia Chun; Eyres, Graham T.; Birch, E. John (2018), "Protein-Stabilised Emulsions", Reference Module in Food Science, Elsevier, doi:10.1016/b978-0-08-100596-5.22490-6, ISBN 9780081005965
- Joseph Price Remington (1990). Alfonso R. Gennaro (ed.). Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences. Mack Publishing Company (Original from Northwestern University) (Digitized 2010). p. 281. ISBN 9780912734040.
- "Emulsion - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics". www.sciencedirect.com. Retrieved 2022-03-01.
- Mason TG, Wilking JN, Meleson K, Chang CB, Graves SM (2006). "Nanoemulsions: Formation, structure, and physical properties" (PDF). Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter. 18 (41): R635–R666. Bibcode:2006JPCM...18R.635M. doi:10.1088/0953-8984/18/41/R01. S2CID 11570614. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-01-12. Retrieved 2016-10-26.
- Leong TS, Wooster TJ, Kentish SE, Ashokkumar M (2009). "Minimising oil droplet size using ultrasonic emulsification" (PDF). Ultrasonics Sonochemistry. 16 (6): 721–7. doi:10.1016/j.ultsonch.2009.02.008. hdl:11343/129835. PMID 19321375.
- Kentish, S.; Wooster, T.J.; Ashokkumar, M.; Balachandran, S.; Mawson, R.; Simons, L. (2008). "The use of ultrasonics for nanoemulsion preparation". Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies. 9 (2): 170–175. doi:10.1016/j.ifset.2007.07.005. hdl:11343/55431.
- "Emulsion - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics".
- McClements, David Julian (16 December 2004). Food Emulsions: Principles, Practices, and Techniques, Second Edition. Taylor & Francis. pp. 269–. ISBN 978-0-8493-2023-1.
- Silvestre, M.P.C.; Decker, E.A.; McClements, D.J. (1999). "Influence of copper on the stability of whey protein stabilized emulsions". Food Hydrocolloids. 13 (5): 419. doi:10.1016/S0268-005X(99)00027-2.
- Fuhrmann, Philipp L.; Sala, Guido; Stieger, Markus; Scholten, Elke (2019-08-01). "Clustering of oil droplets in o/w emulsions: Controlling cluster size and interaction strength". Food Research International. 122: 537–547. doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2019.04.027. ISSN 0963-9969. PMID 31229109.
- Loi, Chia Chun; Eyres, Graham T.; Birch, E. John (2019). "Effect of mono- and diglycerides on physical properties and stability of a protein-stabilised oil-in-water emulsion". Journal of Food Engineering. 240: 56–64. doi:10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2018.07.016. ISSN 0260-8774. S2CID 106021441.
- Mcclements, David Julian (2007-09-27). "Critical Review of Techniques and Methodologies for Characterization of Emulsion Stability". Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 47 (7): 611–649. doi:10.1080/10408390701289292. ISSN 1040-8398. PMID 17943495. S2CID 37152866.
- Dowding, Peter J.; Goodwin, James W.; Vincent, Brian (2001-11-30). "Factors governing emulsion droplet and solid particle size measurements performed using the focused beam reflectance technique". Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects. 192 (1): 5–13. doi:10.1016/S0927-7757(01)00711-7. ISSN 0927-7757.
- Dickinson, Eric (1993). "Emulsion Stability". In Nishinari, Katsuyoshi; Doi, Etsushiro (eds.). Food Hydrocolloids. Food Hydrocolloids: Structures, Properties, and Functions. Springer US. pp. 387–398. doi:10.1007/978-1-4615-2486-1_61. ISBN 9781461524861.
- Masmoudi, H.; Dréau, Y. Le; Piccerelle, P.; Kister, J. (2005-01-31). "The evaluation of cosmetic and pharmaceutical emulsions aging process using classical techniques and a new method: FTIR" (PDF). International Journal of Pharmaceutics. 289 (1): 117–131. doi:10.1016/j.ijpharm.2004.10.020. ISSN 0378-5173. PMID 15652205.
- "Emulsions: making oil and water mix". www.aocs.org. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
- "Emulsifier | Defination, Classification, Properties & Uses". www.venus-goa.com. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
- Cassidy, L. (n.d.). Emulsions: Making oil and water mix. Retrieved from https://www.aocs.org/stay-informed/inform-magazine/featured-articles/emulsions-making-oil-and-water-mix-april-2014
- Riva Pomerantz (Nov 15, 2017). "KOSHER IN THE LAB". Ami. No. 342.
- John R. Sevenich (1993-11-08). Quote: 'Sodium phosphates are not emulsifiers in the strict sense, i.e. they are not surface-active substances, yet they are commonly included in the group of ingredients called "emulsifying agents". (See Caric et al., Food Microstructure, Vol. 4, pgs. 297-312 (1985).' US patent № 5,466,477 — Preparation of process cheese using liquid sodium phosphate
- Bertsch, Pascal; Steingoetter, Andreas; Arnold, Myrtha; Scheuble, Nathalie; Bergfreund, Jotam; Fedele, Shahana; Liu, Dian; Parker, Helen L.; Langhans, Wolfgang; Rehfeld, Jens F.; Fischer, Peter (30 August 2022). "Lipid emulsion interfacial design modulates human in vivo digestion and satiation hormone response". Food & Function. 13 (17): 9010–9020. doi:10.1039/D2FO01247B. ISSN 2042-650X. PMC 9426722. PMID 35942900.
- Anne-Marie Faiola (2008-05-21). "Using Emulsifying Wax". TeachSoap.com. TeachSoap.com. Retrieved 2008-07-22.
- Aulton, Michael E., ed. (2007). Aulton's Pharmaceutics: The Design and Manufacture of Medicines (3rd ed.). Churchill Livingstone. pp. 92–97, 384, 390–405, 566–69, 573–74, 589–96, 609–10, 611. ISBN 978-0-443-10108-3.
- Troy, David A.; Remington, Joseph P.; Beringer, Paul (2006). Remington: The Science and Practice of Pharmacy (21st ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. pp. 325–336, 886–87. ISBN 978-0-7817-4673-1.
- "Adjuvant Vaccine Development". Archived from the original on 2008-07-05. Retrieved 2008-07-23.
- "Nanoemulsion vaccines show increasing promise". Eurekalert! Public News List. University of Michigan Health System. 2008-02-26. Retrieved 2008-07-22.
- Friedman, Raymond (1998). Principles of Fire Protection Chemistry and Physics. Jones & Bartlett Learning. ISBN 978-0-87765-440-7.
Other sources
- Philip Sherman; British Society of Rheology (1963). Rheology of emulsions: proceedings of a symposium held by the British Society of Rheology ... Harrogate, October 1962. Macmillan. ISBN 9780080102900.
- Handbook of Nanostructured Materials and Nanotechnology; Nalwa, H.S., Ed.; Academic Press: New York, NY, USA, 2000; Volume 5, pp. 501–575


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CAUSES OF DEATH Causes of death data provide insights into diseases and other factors contributing to reduced life expectancy. Underlying causes of death data records the key disease or injury leading directly to death. The death rate for all persons in NSW in 2007 was one of the lowest on record, reflecting a steady decline since 2002, from 6.7 to 5.9 deaths per 1,000 population. This overall decrease in death rates is mainly due to reductions in deaths from heart and cerebrovascular disease. However, deaths from malignant cancer increased from 170 to 174 per 100,000 population between 2001 and 2007. HEALTH RISKS There are a range of issues which can influence health outcomes, including socioeconomic status, environmental factors, genetics and specific lifestyle behaviours such as smoking, exercise and dietary habits. From 2007, Australia adopted eight National Health Priority Areas, being cardiovascular disease, cancer, injuries, arthritis, mental health, diabetes, asthma and obesity. For the total NSW population, comparisons of risk factors between 2001 and 2008 show that more people are overweight or obese (up from 49.8% to 55.7%), more people are sedentary or only undertake low levels of exercise (up from 69.8% to 71.7%) and more people are drinking alcohol at risky or high risk levels (up from 10.8% to 13.3%). By contrast, 19% of the total NSW adult population in 2008 were current daily smokers, down from 22% in 2001. BODY MASS INDEX (BMI) People who have a BMI of 25 or higher are considered to be overweight or obese; this can pose a major risk to their long-term health by increasing the risk of chronic illnesses such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. For the first time since 1995, the 2007–08 National Health Survey measured the height, weight, hip and waist circumference of respondents aged 5 years or more. This data was used to calculate measured BMI (excluding those for whom measurements were not available). Based on this measured data, 27% of males and 21% of females were recorded as obese and 42% of males and 32% of females as overweight. MENTAL HEALTH Mental disorders can be divided into three broad categories; anxiety disorders e.g. agoraphobia; affective disorders e.g. depressive episodes; and substance use disorders e.g. alcohol use disorders. The 2007 National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing revealed that in the 12 months prior to interview, 14.4% of people aged 16-85 years (766,100 people) had an anxiety disorder, 6.4% (340,400 people) had an affective disorder and 4.2% (221,200 people) had a substance use disorder. Women experienced higher rates of mental disorders; 22% of all females compared with 18% of all males. Women experienced higher rates than men of anxiety (18% and 11% respectively) and affective disorders (7.5% and 5.2% respectively). However, men had three times the rate of substance use disorders (6.3% compared with 2.0% for women). AGED CARE The provision of care for the aged continues to increase. The ratio of total care provided, either as places in residential care or as care provided to the aged at home, has increased from 97.4 per 1,000 persons aged 70 years and over in 2003 to 111.5 in 2008. Residential aged care provision increased in absolute terms from 52,313 places at 30 June 2003 to 60,258 places at 30 June 2008. In the same period the provision of Community Aged Care Packages rose from 9,628 to 13,568. Available packages for Extended Aged Care at Home and Extended Aged Care at Home Dementia increased from 990 at 30 June 2006 to 2,090 at 30 June 2008. HOSPITALISATION In 2007–08, there were 2,356,334 hospital separations in NSW, equivalent to an age standardised rate of 33,148.0 separations per 100,000 population. Variations in hospitalisation rates among health areas reflect many factors such as access to primary health care and a tendency to hospitalise people who come from remote areas.
Of the over 2.3 million people admitted to hospital in NSW in 2007-08, approximately 56,300 identified as Indigenous. The most common reason of hospital separation for Indigenous people living in NSW was care involving dialysis (25.4%). External causes of harm, such as transport accidents, assaults, self-inflicted harm and falls, accounted for 11.2% of the hospital separation for Indigenous people living in NSW. Data cubes with detailed statistics are available on the Downloads page.
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New York, December 28, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes today's pardon of five journalists imprisoned in Azerbaijan, but it calls on President Ilham Aliyev to free the three journalists who remain unjustly jailed.
Samir Sadagatoglu, Rafiq Tagi, Faramaz Novruzoglu, Rovshan Kebirli, and Yashar Agazadeh were among 114 prisoners pardoned by presidential decree. The five had been jailed in 2006 and 2007 on charges of defamation and inciting religious hatred. The Baku-based Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety said the pardoned journalists should be freed by early next week.
"We're relieved to hear that our colleagues will be released, but we urge Azerbaijani authorities to set free the remaining journalists who are wrongly jailed for their work," said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon. "Authorities should use this opportunity to decriminalize defamation and stop repressing independent journalists."
Three journalists continue to serve prison terms: Eynulla Fatullayev and the brothers Genimet and Sakit Zakhidov.
Authorities targeted Fatullayev, editor of the independent Russian-language weekly Realny Azerbaijan and the Azeri-language daily Gündalik Azarbaycan, in a series of politically motivated criminal prosecutions in 2007. The persecution began shortly after Fatullayev published an in-depth report alleging an official cover-up in the 2005 slaying of fellow Azerbaijani editor Elmar Huseynov. Fatullayev is now serving a prison term on trumped-up charges of defamation, terrorism, incitement to ethnic hatred, and tax evasion.
Genimet Zakhidov, editor of the prominent opposition daily Azadlig (Freedom), was placed in pretrial detention in November on a "hooliganism" charge. His brother and Azadlyg colleague, Sakit Zakhidov, is serving a three-year sentence on a heroin possession charge. Sakit Zakhidov said a police officer planted the drugs.
Azerbaijan has been one of the world's leading jailers of journalists. Nine editors and reporters were jailed when CPJ conducted its annual census of imprisoned journalists on December 1. On Wednesday, an appeals court in Baku ordered the release of Nazim Guliyev, editor of the pro-government daily Ideal. He had been jailed in November on defamation charges.


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Report on the struggles against austerity in Portugal, focusing on the street demonstrations and riots which continue to escalate.
In the last few years Portugal has been singled out as the well-behaved student of the IMF and EU, quietly taking note of the teacher's class while all the others were wreaking havoc. Unlike Greece and other countries, which regularly provide footage of massive demonstrations for the rest of the world to see, in Portugal, besides minor scuffles and folkloric activism, all was well. There was a broad base of support for the right-wing coalition enforcing the austerity measures, which was after all elected behind the bailout program. People supposedly understood the need for some austerity, as the crisis wasn't so new for Portugal, and the institutional left has been unable to go beyond their usual ritualized forms of mobilization.
While general resentment was brewing underground, and could start to be seen on television talk shows and elsewhere in the general media landscape, people would rather complain in private than act in public. This was all in keeping with an oft-repeated ideological meme spread during the Salazar regime that the Portuguese people, unlike their other southern European counterparts, were quiet and serene when dealing with politics. Of course this was said while countless acts of repression and extreme violence were carried out by the fascist regime, but it was repeated often enough that the idea somehow spread throughout society.
The real reasons for the apparent social peace and the slow pace of radicalization are of course much more complex. First, the cultural heritage of the 1974 Carnation Revolution still carries a significant hegemonic weight in society and most of its political organizations. The democratic instruments of participation from the time of the revolution are still cherished as the best hope for social change and intervention, even if they were flawed from the start, and quickly lost whatever relevance and power they might ever have had. The institutional left is now composed of two parties: the PCP, the Portuguese Communist Party, the biggest organization on the left, and one of the last Stalinist communist parties in Europe; and BE, the Left Bloc, a coalition of several smaller leftist parties, including different tendencies of Trotskyism, post-Maoist sects, and ex-PCP social democrats. The PCP controls the largest union, the CGTP, and is rooted in the south of Portugal, having won control of several of its municipalities over the last few decades. Its historical relationship to social movements, or anything beyond its reach, has been largely authoritarian. It has been known to use physical violence to remove unwanted participants from its union demonstrations, and has even collaborated with police in kettling apparently non-aligned demonstrators. BE, the Left Bloc, plays a softer, but equally problematic role. It has always promoted itself as the parliamentary expression of the social movements, but the reality has been quite the opposite. It typically tries to infiltrate and organize within social movements, as an attempt to control their political directions and choices, often with its members not making their party affiliations apparent. Within the left there have been several other smaller organizations of different tendencies and leanings, but up until now they have had little to offer other than the usual "party-building" initiatives and preoccupations, generally appearing as more competitors vying for the institutional legitimacy to occupy the same places the current actors now take up. Alongside all of this there has been a small anti-authoritarian scene, whose beginnings can in part be traced to the late-90s squatting scenes in Lisbon and nearby Setúbal. Despite its small size, and typical problems, it has raised its head every now and then, but often without any impact outside its clearly defined borders.
This panorama started to change, and fast, with the occupation of Lisbon's central square, Rossio, in May 2011. Largely inspired by what was happening in the Spanish plazas, different groups started an acampadathat lasted for ten days, with around 300 gathering daily for its general assemblies. If it was smaller in its general impact than its Spanish or North American counterparts, it nevertheless provided a meeting place for a number of different realities. Activist movements, the extreme left, some from the anti-authoritarian scene, and other non-aligned young people met and started to develop ties between them, forming an informal network which would come to provide a context for future mobilizations and projects. Though the political discourse elaborated was often plagued by the same problems as the Occupy movement, it nevertheless demonstrated a collective intelligence that by far surpassed any of the previous stances of the individuals taking part. Due to a collective refusal, and a balance of its different tendencies, it has so far refused to let any of its factions gain power over the others (even though all of them, from the extreme left to the eco-activists, tried at one point or another to put in place some sort of formal or informal leadership). It has also embarked on a process of collective learning, mostly taking place in the streets, which has managed to destroy the ideological and identitarian strongholds that have kept movements like this underground, incapable of providing a methodology of political action and organizing that could spread out beyond activist and militant circles.
On March 12th, 2011, a couple of months before the Rossio occupation, a massive non-union and non-party demonstration, the first, happened, following a call originally put out on Facebook that was later picked up by mass media. Hundreds of thousands of people marched through Lisbon, signaling the start of something different: the discontent with Portugal's formal social democracy was taking some shape other than bitter complaining. The momentum quickly dispersed following the demonstration, as its organizers assumed themselves to be the messianic leaders of a new revolution, before falling into public ridicule and general contempt.
A number of demonstrations were organized during the acampada that Spring, but they failed to gather more than those already involved in it. But something more interesting started to happen: several autonomous spaces opened up in Lisbon. These spaces would end up providing a logistical support to the acampada, and then serving as a meeting place after the acampada ended. They carried over the multiplication of relationships and formal and informal networks being formed underground, which would later provide a context for the upcoming social upheaval.
On October 15th, 2011, a demonstration took place that proved something had changed since the Spring. A loose coalition of social movement groups came together to organize a local demonstration in Lisbon as part of an international call for a day of action. 15O gathered people from the different extreme-left groups, activist circles, and the Left Bloc's satellite organizations, all within a tense framework that would fall apart some months later. A few days before the protest a fresh batch of austerity measures was announced by the prime minister: salary bonuses typically given out during the Christmas holidays and summer vacations, known as the 13th and 14th months, were going to be cut. This boosted attendance of the demonstration into the tens of thousands, significantly surpassing the activist milieu which had been active during the previous months. People from all walks of life gathered and marched to the Parliament, where the October 15th coalition had organized a general assembly. The Portuguese Parliament is set on a small square and has a huge stairway leading to the entrance. These stairways would become a central point of confrontation over the next year – with protesters regularly trying to invade, and the police trying to defend – but on October 15th the demonstrators caught police unprepared, and managed to invade and occupy the stairs after two police officers stepped into the crowd to try to arrest an older man. During the scuffles that ensued people managed to break the police line and take the space. This provided one of the first splits within movement: while hundreds of demonstrators were pushing through the police line, a large number of the organizers, through their sound system, tried to order people, without any success whatsoever, to stop advancing and to instead sit quietly. The supposedly open mic was controlled by a collective of Left Bloc professional militants who would censor people whose contribution diverged from the party line. Many people completely disregarded these organizers, and proceeded to occupy the stairway. Just minutes later the same people that were trying to contain the demonstration were cheering for its collective power. This moment proved extremely important and defining for two reasons: the first was that this embryonic movement clearly had no room for self-appointed leaders, which it openly and clearly despised, and that demonstrations and collective actions would become ever more unpredictable and uncontrollable; the second was that people were willing to go much further than these formal and informal leadership groups would, meaning the self-appointed vanguards, striving for some legitimation from institutional power, were in fact a step behind.
Upon the success of the October 15th demonstration, amidst heavy internal strife, the 15O coalition continued to organize demonstrations. A general strike was called by the CGTP for November 24th, and 15O called for an autonomous demonstration to take place on the day, something the CGTP had always avoided doing, fearing it would draw energy away from the union picket lines. Small conflicts with the police again took place in front of the Parliament, with plainclothes cops making a number of violent arrests based solely on people having an "anarchist" style, meaning they were wearing black. On January 21st, 2012, in yet another 15O demonstration, a group of organized fascists tried to join the demonstration and were violently kicked out by an improvised crew of marshalls made up of a broad group of people from every faction of the movement.
The internal conflicts of the organized movement finally made it fall apart on March 22nd, during another general strike. Fearing the moment when another demonstration calling itself "Occupy Everything" would join the 15O demonstration, BE ordered all its satellite organizations to leave the meeting point and to join the CGTP's march instead. BE's militants were then beat up by the CGTP's marshalls after being mistaken for anarchists. Meanwhile, at the "Occupy Everything" demonstration, a fight erupted when police arrested and beat up a demonstrator. The demonstrators reacted and police charged, injuring several people, who responded by hurling everything within reach, the first mass answer to police repression in years.
Around this time changes started to happen in police methods. Previously, the officers assigned to demonstrations were part of rapid response teams, which deal with unexpected street turmoil. These teams of officers were inexperienced in dealing with demonstrations, and were used to only a rapid and strong use of violence, which assured continuous bad press for the government. People were being randomly beat up at demonstrations, journalists had to be saved from police violence by other demonstrators, and such violent charges only made people angrier. Conscious of this, the government started using proper riot police, specially trained to deal with large-scale riots, who wore traditional riot gear and relied on plainclothes teams to make arrests. These new agents maintained their calm even under a rain of rocks, and were less susceptible to provocations from demonstrators. This new strategy also meant that in smaller demonstrations police would now surround those involved and ID them one by one, arresting those who broke any possible law, for example carrying a pocket knife or pills without a prescription.
In the city of Oporto, north of Lisbon, a squatted social center, Escola da Fontinha—which had gained a lot of visibility due to the successful cooperation between locals and activists—was violently evicted. On April 25th, the anniversary of the Carnation Revolution, about 2,000 people, a number unthinkable some months earlier, spontaneously marched to the neighborhood and reoccupied the place. Though it was violently evicted again the morning after, the fact that 2,000 people had joined for a re-occupation was remarkable. In Lisbon, out of solidarity with the struggles around the Oporto squat, an old building belonging to the city hall was also squatted on April 25th. This occupation lasted for a month, until it was also violently evicted. On the morning of the eviction a demonstration was called for that afternoon and about 400 people showed up, a number also remarkable for a demonstration called just a few hours before. Police surrounded the demonstrators and ID'ed everyone, charging dozens of people with illegal street occupation.
And then the summer of 2012 came. To the emerging movement the evictions came as an anti-climatic end to a year of unparalleled political activity. Even if thousands of people had been on the streets, wilder than they ever had been before, even if numerous projects outside of the realm of the institutional left had sprung to life, people still felt that the level of social conflict was far from strong, and that in general apathy and resignation reigned. The movement had grown both in numbers and quality, the streets had proved a powerful school to those who got involved during Rossio one year earlier, but somehow it missed that final push out of normality.
Until September…
In late August a group of people, surprisingly those closer to the Left Bloc, overcame the deep bureaucratization which had surrounded the organization of demonstrations—tedious and never-ending debates over the background color of the poster, or the minutia of the call-out manifesto—and posted an event on Facebook calling for a demonstration. Advance online indications of attendees was limited at at first, and people assumed it would be another smallish protest. But a week before the protest the prime minister announced a new wave of ultra-harsh austerity measures, and attendance numbers on Facebook jumped into the hundreds of thousands. Suddenly it seemed that decades of political "good sense" had vanished, and even historical ideologues of the party in power were saying that the austerity measures were armed robbery. Internal strife between different parties started to cause the right-wing coalition in power to tremble.
On September 15th the biggest demonstration of the last thirty years, maybe ever, took place all over Portugal. Several smaller cities had their first demonstrations in decades, others had the biggest turnouts of anyone's memory. In Lisbon over half a million people turned out, making a compact mass of people from the rallying point to the end of the demonstration. But more than their numbers, these demonstrations were important for what took place within them.
The beginning was a generally quiet affair, where austere conservatives march side by side with insurrectionary anarchists, more aligned with the exercise of civic rights than with any radical perspective. But a general hostility against the police was felt before it even started. People cut the road upon the arrival of the assigned riot police, who afterwards remained invisible for most of the march. Apart from minor skirmishes in front of the IMF offices, the demonstration was quiet until it reached its destination, Praça de Espanha, a square near the city center. There a rumor started to spread that some people were going to the Parliament, and suddenly several thousand were on a spontaneous and illegal march. Several bank windows were smashed along the way, and cops were repeatedly booed away from the march. Upon arrival, people tried to storm the stairs, but were pushed back by riot police. TV reporters were told to stay behind police lines on top of the stairs.
What followed was both the heaviest and quietest riot of the last twenty years. For three hours police endured a solid rain of rocks and bottles without charging, even when people joined arms and tried to cross their lines. The crowd was composed of young people, from the bourgeois and ghetto neighborhoods, anarchists and fashionistas, engineers and unemployed, dockers and hooligans, some in full black bloc attire, others wearing nothing but shorts and flip-flops. A strange stand-off appeared: on the one hand, demonstrators didn't have the weapons to overcome the heavily protected cops; on the other hand, police knew that if they charged, they would turn a wild demonstration into a wild riot, and so refrained from doing so.
This showed the complex relationship between the government and the police. The government, already weak, feared that a violent police charge would just piss people off too much. The police itself also started to show doubts in pursuing political repression. The police in Portugal are especially violent, having absolutely no qualms about beating specific groups of people, mostly black people, soccer ultras and anarchists, but things changed when faced with what they considered to be "normal" people. They were wary of coming to be seen as the Praetorian Guard of the most hated government of our lifetime, in the process becoming a target for popular rage, something which was already well under way. At 2 AM, people were still showering the cops with rocks.
Newspapers and TV all but censored the three hours of rioting, and commentators from both the right and institutional left pretended they didn't happen, or reduced them to insignificant temper tantrums. A week later another demonstration was called in front of the president's official residency, to protest a meeting of the his state advisers. Again the huge and heterogeneous crowd, again the bottles and rocks, again the media silence. Feeling it was losing ground, the CGTP put all its weight into a demonstration it had organized for the following weekend. Its general secretary told the many thousands that the unions were losing patience and that austerity would stop, if not peacefully, then in harsher ways. In fear of more conflicts, the demonstration was ended as quickly as it started, the square being empty at 6 PM.
Another splinter group from 15O, inspired by what had happened in Spain the week before, called for a siege of the Parliament on the occasion of the delivery of the next year's state budget to the different political parties. The institutional left got scared by the call and gave it only minimal attention, shyly talking about it more for fear of losing face than anything else. On October 15th, one year after the occupation of the stairways, 3,000 people gathered again at Parliament. Unlike other times, people were silent rather than screaming their hearts out. When night fell, some people decided to join hands and surround the building. The unexpected movement caused police to react and run towards them, making the rest of the people jump up and tear down the fences protecting the stairway. Bottles and rocks flew continuously towards the police. Some demonstrators used a giant flash drive they had made (the budget was handed out in flash drives) as a shield to try to storm the stairs. Others tried to force open the entrance on another side of the building and threw bottles and rocks at police again. During this action, two undercover cops were spotted in the middle of the demonstration, and were chased away by an angry mob, having to run for safety after being hit in the head by several rocks. Things then quieted down for a while. Numbers were dwindling until some people decided to light up a huge fire in front of the stairs, burning the flash drive and everything else they could find. Some people tried to go around the back and reach the prime minister's official house, finding a weak spot in the perimeter set up by police. Some windows were smashed, and until the riot police arrived the agents hid from the protesters. Fireworks were thrown into the prime minister's backyard. Upon arrival, the riot police charged and several people were beat up, two of them arrested.
If up until now the relative marginality of the radical scene has prevented its means and methods from being adopted by the general population, something that appears to be happening in Greece and Spain, it seems that the social turmoil in Portugal has now surpassed anything seen here in the last thirty years. Demonstrations called through Facebook have multiplied, and are now occurring daily, ranging from symbolic actions like "let's all wear a yellow flower to protest austerity" to "let's storm the prime minister's house." Protests are increasingly wilder, stronger and smarter, with most voicing the need for stronger resistance to power. The military, traditionally on the left, has voiced its discontent with the austerity measures through some of its associations and through its bishop. It also stated that it won't repress the people in the case of further social upheaval. But despite all of these signs and developments, and of an uncontrollable force starting to take shape, there are still many issues at hand.
First is the obvious rise of the far right, not in the shape of a political party or even an organized movement, but in the rise of a populist and nationalist discourse. The Carnation Revolution slogan "the people united will never be defeated" was altered to "the people united don't need a party" by some anti-authoritarian groups a few years ago and it has quickly gained ground in the demonstrations. During this process, however, it has somehow lost its anti-authoritarian appeal, and is now chanted as a critique of the political class, implying not the need for autonomous organization, but for virtuous leaders, impervious to corruption, strong enough to control the "thieves" and "criminals" in power. This kind of populist fascism-lite has always been the main current within the Portuguese right, which is present in the current mobilizations, with half of the protesters singing the national anthem and the other half singing something about the international nature of the anti-austerity movement.
Coupled with this, the movement has been slow to create structures of autonomy or anything that goes beyond the dates of mass mobilization. A small network of social centers, occupied gardens and squats has been taking shape, but so far it hasn't recovered from the blow suffered in the spring of 2012. This disparity between the movement's power in the streets and its power beyond the streets is its biggest challenge, and where the lack of an autonomous organizing tradition shows its weaknesses. If on the one hand this means that the movement isn't overcome by the identitarian and sub-cultural aspects of contemporary anarchist and anti-authoritarian movements, on the other hand it has made it extremely difficult to build any network of communication, discussion and support. As society is changing so rapidly, political focus is often necessarily placed on daily and short-term events to the detriment of longer-term organizing projects.
This text was written as a general introduction to the events taking place in the last two years in Portugal, and as such tries to quickly glance over a complex social situation. In doing so, it obviously simplifies complicated issues and social, political and economic contexts that would merit further analysis and illustrations, and not only from the movement's viewpoint. November of 2012 arrived with a new siege of the Parliament, the approval of 2013's government budget, Angela Merkel's visit to the country, and a new general strike, events that will surely change and complement all that was said here.
On October 5th the state celebrated the end of monarchy and the implementation of a republican regime in 1910, with a holiday and public ceremonies. This year, fearing demonstrations and disruptions, the president of the republic decided to move the celebration indoors to a space closed off from the public, a palace where the city hall functions. Upon the end of the speeches by the mayor and the president, an older woman ran into the hall where the ceremony was taking place and started to cry and scream that she couldn't survive on her salary. Nobody knew what to do, and as security arrived, another woman began to sing an old revolutionary opera song. The attendees—ex-presidents, politicians and political party leaders—were baffled. The ceremony ended with the president quickly leaving the hall and all the others just standing around amidst all the commotion. Earlier someone had sabotaged the flag-raising ceremony, handing the flag upside-down to the president, making sure it would be raised that way on one of the country's most symbolic dates. This anecdote fully illustrates the ongoing internal decomposition and disintegration of the state in Portugal. We couldn't be happier.
Cortez Cienfuegos
From http://year0.org/2013/01/07/youths-in-shorts-and-flip-flops-throwing-rocks-at-cops-update-from-lisbon/
What a ridiculous article.
From what we were told on television these people were all foreign .
These riots were perpetrated by foreigners (less than a 100)
It can only mean that the person who wrote this article is ridiculous and a sensationalist.
On TV, eh? I can't imagine why the corporate and/or state media would choose to misrepresent something like this...
Also, who cares if foreigners were involved? It doesn't detract from legitimate class anger.
In any case, were you there to back up your claims of sensationalism?


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The MIT Mobile Experience lab has just developed this ambitious interactive installation called The Cloud. Located in Firenze, Italy, The Cloud is a sort of sculpture with over 15,000 LEDs and several miles of fiber optics. The tips of the fibers glow, but they also change colors in response to human interaction, including touching it or standing near it. The Cloud uses a combination of proximity and touch sensors to achieve this. It also has two cameras and a microphone, which allows it draw input from various sources and output a much richer, more organic response.
[via Cool Hunting]


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Flight delays are one of the more stressful and frustrating parts of the travel experience. As we're in the dead of winter, many travellers assume that flight delays will get worse due to winter weather conditions - but this is not necessarily the case. This month we explore data on the timing, causes and locations of flight delays at major airports, and provide insight on how to best deal with them.
Despite conventional wisdom, winter is not the worst time of the year for delays. July and August generally have the highest percentage of delays, with June close behind. The best time of year is September through November.
This counter-intuitive timing is supported by data on the causes of flight delays. Weather plays a relatively small part. While there are weather issues at play in the summer (afternoon thunderstorms in the Midwest), there are also more flights as it is a busier travel season. Just like your local highway, more planes cause congestion at the airports and in the air which both lead to, and compound, delays.
Generally, the northeast is the most delay-prone as it has the most congestion. Newark is the worst by almost every measure followed by LaGuardia, Chicago O'Hare, Boston, San Francisco, Dallas-Fort Worth and JFK (the specific order amongst that group varies by the measurement, but they're all poor performers).
Meanwhile, the best airports are dominated by those in the west. As if to prove the theory that weather has only a minor impact, Salt Lake City airport is consistently the best for on time statistics amongst major airports – even in winter. Other top performers are Atlanta, Minneapolis, Detroit, Seattle, Baltimore and San Diego.
In looking at the best airports, there is a common theme – 5 of the 7 are hubs for Delta Air Lines.
Much as Salt Lake City is a perennial best performer amongst airports, Delta is a perennial top performer amongst airlines. The only airline that frequently outperforms it is Hawaiian, whose unique route pattern gives it a distinct statistical advantage.
The question is whether Delta is on time because of the airports it flies into, or do those airports have great stats because so many of their flights are operated by Delta? Looking at historical data, Delta has made significant operational improvements that allow it to lead the industry in on-time performance metrics. Several of their hub airports provide a great environment to do so, but it has largely been led by the airline.
Even though weather has less impact than commonly expected, it still is an issue. When planning flights in the winter, try to avoid connecting at airports that are likely to have winter storms. Even though it may be known as a winter destination, feel confident in Salt Lake City even in the winter. Avoid connections in the northeast at any time of year and know that Delta is the most reliable of the major airlines for on-time performance.
If a flight delay causes a missed connection, an airline will often proactive protect you on another flight option. Many airlines have self-service kiosks where you can scan your boarding pass and it will provide you with your boarding pass for your new flight. If you use the airline app it will also be shown there. In many cases, the airline provided alternative may not meet your needs – contact your UNIGLOBE agent if you need an alternative or faster route than the airline is offering.


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East 106th Street, between Lexington and Third Avenues
This summer, MediaNoche's Handball Court Summer Film Festival will present vintage films that screened in Spanish Harlem four decades ago. While today not a single theater remains, there once were six within a 20 block radius of the handball court on East 106th Street: The Azteca on 102nd Street and Madison Avenue, The Eagle on Third Avenue, between 102nd and 103rd Streets, La Estrella on 107th and Lexington Avenue, El Paraiso ("El Meito") on Madison Avenue and 116th Street, the Cosmos on 116th Street, between Third and Lexington Avenues, and The Sun on Third Avenue and 118th Street. During their heyday, they were multipurpose theaters where film screenings were scheduled along with live performances.
These theaters showcased an international roster of actors, singers and other entertainers from the Caribbean and Latin America, appealing to the tastes of the Puerto Rican diaspora which by the sixties had become a significant market for Latino entertainment in the Northeast. The vintage films reflect a long term relationship between the Puerto Rican community and its Latin American entertainers. Lucha Libre films, the Mexican genre featuring a wrestler as superhero, for example, are fondly remembered by Spanish Harlem residents — and currently satirized in the new Hollywood film Nacho Libre. In addition, films shot in Spanish Harlem will also be featured.
July 1 — Santo contra Capulina, comedy in Spanish
July 8 — Tin Tan's La Marca del Zorrillo, comedy in Spanish
July 15 — The Pawnbroker, drama in English
July 22 — Ansiedad, drama in Spanish with Pedro Infante and Libertad Lamarque
July 29 — Cantinflas' Romeo y Julieta, comedy in Spanish
August 5 — Our Latin Thing, musical concert in Spanish with English subtitles
August 12 — Santo contra las mujeres vampiros, English dubbed version
August 19 — Popi, drama in English
August 26 — Crossover Dreams, drama in English
For more information call: 212.828.0401 or email firstname.lastname@example.com
MediaNoche is a project of PRdream.com. We reserve the right to modify the film program without prior notice.
Program notes by Judith Escalona, Film Curator — ©jescalona2006 All Rights Reserved


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The Adventures Of Tintin: What Didn't Happen
We saw The Adventures of Tintin last night, and didn't care.
It's kind of weird, because Tintin was supposed to be thrilling! Full of chills! A wild, Raiders-style whoop-it-up where you get even crazier stunts!
The problem was that none of these stunts actually happened.
Watching Tintin, I saw a lot of cartoon bodies careening about, but as wonderfully rendered and animated as they were, they were still CGI. You see a movie like Raiders of the Lost Ark, and you know subliminally that somewhere, a stunt man put himself in danger for this. There's a real guy under the truck, a real set of spinning blades, people fighting for balance to not fall off the plane.
Whereas Tintin had bigger stunts, but they were all hollow. I kept looking up admiringly, saying, "That's nice setwork" – but I never really felt like these floppy CGI ragdolls were in any danger, nor did I care. People soared and sailed in a meticulously-choreographed stunts, but why was I invested? Tintin and Captain Haddock had were more random collections of plot hooks and traits than real people, so it certainly wasn't that I was invested in their goals. This was such a happy-fresh movie that it was apparent that Goodness Would Win from the opening credits, so it wasn't like I was worried they'd lose.
(And yes, it's a comic book movie. I'm aware of the origins. But as an introduction to these comic book characters, I didn't much care for Intrepid Boy Reporter Tintin, and Captain Haddock was amusing sidekick relief but so goofy that I wrote him off. It may be accurate, but it didn't really grab me.)
I'm not saying that CGI leads to not caring. I mean, Gini and I nearly wept with tension at the end of Toy Story 3, where the toys were in the garbage heap. But if you're going to treat your characters as comic relief for the entire film, with only brief and obligatory pitstops at the well of We Will Show Our Interior Pain For Thirty Seconds, then I'm not going to care at all.
Whereas with a lot of terrible action films that absolutely no characterization, my reptile brain is still tickled during the action sequences because I go, "Holy crap, someone's in danger." More often than not it's the stunt guy, but when someone's hanging off a building, there's all of these subtle cues that tell me to worry. And I do.
It was interesting. Adventures of Tintin should have been riveting. Everything was bigger than Raiders. But somehow, it wound up being smaller. And I worry this is what Spielberg and Lucas wanted from Star Wars and Raiders in the first place.