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La fille du pharaon ballet. Music by Cesare Pugni. Choreographed by Pierre Lacotte after Marius Petipa. Filmed 2003 at the Bolshoi Theatre. Stars Svetlana Zakharova, Sergei Filin, Gennadiy Yanin, Maria Aleksandrova, Dimitri Gudanov, Inna Petrova, Anna Tsygankova, Anastasia Goryatcheva, Denis Medvedev, Yan Godovsky, Vladimir Moiseev, Anastasia Yatsenko, Ekaterina Shipulina, and Elena Andrienko. Alexander Sotnikov conducts the Orchestra of the Bolshoi Theatre. Staging, stage design, and costumes by Pierre Lacotte. Directed for video by Denis Caïozzi. This disc, unlike all other fine-art HDVDs released to this point, has no traditional menu. Instead the show starts directly. There is a brief message displayed at the beginning telling the viewer that the pop-up menu allows the viewer to change the audio setting and to select scenes. (A note on scene selection: getting to Acts II and III is a bit counterintuitive. After selecting "Scenes" from the pop-up menu, a secondary menu with all of Act I's scenes appears. To get to Acts II and II, the viewer must first go back to the original pop up menu, and suddenly Acts II and III become selectable.) There are no extras. Released 2010, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: A
BelAir is a French company. The disc package and the liner notes are in French and English. But the Chapter titles are presented only in French. Here for your convenience are the Chapter titles in English:
- Introduction / Sandstorm at the Foot of the Pyramids
- The Dream
- The Royal Hunt
- The Monkey
- The Night
- The Royal Hunt (conclusion)
- Taor's Exploit
- Gathering at the Palace
- The Engagement
- The Grand Procession 1 (pas d'action)
- The Mirror
- The Grand Procession 2 (pas d'action)
- The Grand Procession 3
- The Contract
- Escape from the Palace
- The Fishermen's Village
- Three Rivers
- The Kingdom of the Nile
- Condemnation
- Aspicia's Return
- Love's Triumph
- Awakening
Ballet is the most esoteric, fragile, and perishable of the fine arts. A ballet is peculiar to the choreographer creating it, enormously expensive to produce, seen live by few people, almost impossible to document on paper, and hard to record in media. HDVD will benefit ballet more than the other fine arts because high-definition cameras and high-fidelity sound for the first time offer an economical way for more people to enjoy ballet and for the dance movements to be documented adequately for posterity.
Consider the fate of the ballet La fille du pharaon. In 1862, La Fille du Pharaon was the first great success of choreographer Marius Petipa (who was also the lead male dancer and who went on to become the most important choreographer in history). Petipa revived it several times before his death in 1910. The ballet was never performed outside Russia. The last Russian revival was in 1926. After that, the Communists dropped it (I guess because Lord Wilson, the lead male role, was too much of a symbol of imperialistic capitalism).
Knowledge about La fille du pharaon withered. Documents, sets, and costumes were mostly trashed or lost.
When Pierre Lacotte started working on his 2000 reconstruction, there were few people alive who had seen it. The only visual records were sketches and black and white photos. Music scores were in archives, but it seems that no sound recording of the music was ever published. Lacotte found Marina Semionava, who was the last Aspicia when she danced it at age 17. But at about age 88, she could not remember the choreography.
Svetlana Zakharova as Aspicia in 2003.
Eventually, Lacotte was able to sleuth out enough material to piece together a 1 hour and 40 minute version for the Bolshoi Ballet that probably does a decent job of portraying the main roles and at least gives a taste of the spectacular chorus action (the original ballet lasted more than 4 hours and had 400 parts). The truncated version opened in Moscow in 2000 and was recorded in 2003. The DVD was released in 2005 and the HDVD was released on May 25, 2010. Petipa's almost lost work has been rescued from oblivion! (We will never see the full version; nor should we want to. To us, "spectacular" means something like the opening ceremonies at the Summer Olympics.)
So how does La fille du pharaon come across in HDVD? Cesare Pugni was the most prolific ballet composer in history, and he composed much other music as well. But he is today mostly ignored. For example, ArkivMusic offers not a single music recording devoted to Pugni. (Bits of his music can be heard on videos of ballets and compilations of ballet music.) But for someone who isn't even on the radar, Pugni's music is surprising good! For this libretto, a string of pearls is fine; there's no need for architecture or psychological depth. Pugni ceaselessly comes up with new melodies and orchestral combinations that are never boring. He's clearly on a level above, say, the compilations of Lanchbery that we know from La fille mal gardée and Tales of Beatrix Potter. I think Pugni is competitive in this music with most or all of Adams in Giselle and also on occasion approaches some of Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky. And for sure, his music is completely adequate for and well coordinated to what's happening on the stage in La fille du pharaon.
A few reviewers have complained that the choreography is not exciting or original. Such comments may have some validity when you consider all the romantic, classical, and modern dancing what we now know. But this view is also misguided. The dancing we see in La fille du pharaon is not mature Petipa. Rather, these are images from the dawn of grand ballet. But if you have seen much of Petipa's more famous works, you will find in this production green shoots of all that is to come later.
Above, three scenes from a grand celebration. The original production had 400+ roles.
The finale with adulation of the Pharaon.
My favorite scene however, is one where Petipa may have been exceptionally creative. I refer to Chapters 17 and 18 after Aspicia escapes her father's order of unwanted marriage by leaping to her death in the waters. She descends into the courtyard of the God of the Nile (who looks a lot like Neptune). There the desert palate of ochre, red, and gold turns to shades of blue, green, and teal. To melancholy tones of harp, flute, and clarinet, Aspicia dances with the Kings of the great rivers---all in limpid show motion---until the God of the Nile is so touched by her beauty that he restores her to life and sends her back the realm of air.
In love with Lord Wilson, Aspicia rejects the Kings of the great rivers.
The star dancers are young, beautiful, able, and enjoyable to watch. No anorexic near-40s in this show. The female corps doesn't have the precision and polish of, say, the women of the Paris Opera Ballet. But never mind, they make up for it in sass and glamour. I especially liked, in Chapter 19, the temple virgins, or maybe prostitutes, in their skimpy dresses, sexy underwear, and blue hair, all pouting while holding incense lamps. (Sorry guys, this is actually a nice show for the whole family. The blue hair is the only off-color aspect of it, and there is even a cute number where a large corps of children and youths from the Bolshoi school get to show everybody what they have learned.)
This production has many set and costume changes. The sets all looked fine or quite impressive except for one (Chapter 3) with bad seams and an obvious ragged scrim. Mixing tutus and hieroglyphics must have been a nightmare for the costume shop. At first I thought the costumes were a bit gaudy, but I soon got over that and came to admire the huge range of rags you see. After Aspicia arrives, the God of the Nile even gives her a nymph costume and orders her to go behind a rock and change out of her tutu!
The Orchestra of the Bolshoi Ballet plays fluently and is well-recorded. The surround sound is vivid. I usually don't pay much attention to the bass drum. Pugni uses the big drum a lot and gives my sub-woofer a workout. But in softer passages, I'm not sure I can hear the drum, but I can feel it in the air! In this recording I can also often clearly hear the sounds of the dancers' feet clattering on the floor. Then I realize that these girls who appear to be floating on air are really landing hard. This adds a surprising touch of realism to the video, and gives me new insight into what it's like to out there on the stage.
Finally, I have to give a special plug for Denis Caïozzi, the video director. The lighting in the Bolshoi was excellent, and Caïozzi's folks got brilliant, crisp images in high-definition that look wonderful, especially for work done in 2003. The shooting plan was excellent and resulted in a good balance of long-range, mid-range, and near shots. The crews also stayed away from too much extreme close-up work, which probably would have been spoiled by heavy makeup on some of the performers. Most impressive of all, I see almost no motion artefacts in this fast-moving film, even in the dimly-lit scenes.
In summary, this HDVD of La fille du pharaon is an altogether beautiful recording of fine performance of a production of historical importance. On the other hand, it is a bit light-weight compared to the magnificent ballets Petipa produced later. So I think the grade of B+ would be safe for this, but I'll bump that up to "A" to honor the folks who saved this from oblivion. If you are interested in the early history of ballet, this is an "A+" title, and you might also be interested in the marvelous Raymonda ballet we now have in HDVD.


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The LB-5 Load Box helps to prevent the damaging effects of ferroresonance found on lightly or unloaded 3-phase power systems. This situation typically occurs on medium voltage distribution transformers and power cables during single phase switching. As the electric power industry moves towards more efficient transformer design, this condition is becoming more common. If such conditions exist, overvoltage can lead to the breakdown of insulation resulting in damage to the transformer, lightning arresters and other equipment. When using the LB-5 to connect and apply a resistive load on the transformer secondaries, damage to distribution equipment due to ferroresonance can be prevented.
Load Box model LB-5-1 includes an additional switch to disconnect the center of this Y connected load from the ground lead. This is required for corner grounded delta transformer connections.
HD Electric Company is committed to ongoing review and improvement of its product lines, and thus reserves the right to modify product design and specifications without notice.

subset: commoncrawl


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eCommerce Show North 2017Date: 11/10/2017 - 01/01/1970
Time: 9:00 am - 12:00 am
Venue: EventCity, Manchester
Taking place over two days in October 2017 at EventCity, Manchester, #eCSN17 will be the biggest ever gathering of eCommerce companies, vendors and suppliers held outside London.
With 120 businesses exhibiting and up to 4,000 attendees visiting, this event will become the key eCommerce expo for the North for years to come.
eCSN is the only exhibition outside of London dedicated to eCommerce and reflects the huge commercial marketplace that is the North. Market leading companies across the globe are keen to exploit this huge marketplace. Don't miss out! If you'd like more information please contact firstname.lastname@example.com
To find out more, visit the website: ecommerceshownorth.co.uk
« Return to the events listing


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Dear parents
There has been a myriad of events in the past fortnight: Titration Stakes, Girls' Netball and AFL finals, Boys' AFL finals, Touch, 'Defining Moments' Dance Performance Evening, Public Speaking events, Atwell Art Exhibition, Philosothon at John XXIII College, just to name a few. With music students preparing for the Performing Arts Festival for Catholic Schools and Colleges in WA, and Visual Arts students preparing for the Catholic Schools Angelico Exhibition, Term Three will continue to be filled with many opportunities for students.
Child Protection
From time-to-time, I receive 'alerts' from Catholic Education WA. Last week, a female student from a school in Success reported an incident in which a man driving a white sedan approached her asking if she wanted a lift to school. He was persistent so she informed him she would call the police, and as the man stopped the car, she ran away. The matter was reported to police, but I tell this story in the newsletter to invite parents to discuss ways to protect themselves from such incidents.
In light of this incident, I asked Homeroom teachers to urge all students to take care when going to and from school, and to report anything suspicious to parents, school and the police – call 131 444 or the local station to report an incident to police (and only use 000 in an emergency), or 1800 333 000 to reach Crime Stoppers.
Offenders and potential offenders are extremely mobile across the metropolitan area – we continue our professional vigilance in protecting your children during school time and at excursions and camps as much as we can. This is one of the reasons we have been thorough with requesting updated information prior to such learning activities via MCB.
With regards to coming to or from school, here are some simple suggestions to help your child stay safe. Please ask your child to:
- Always travel with company
- Walk on the right hand side of the road so you face oncoming traffic
- Wherever possible, leave space between yourself and the roadway
- Stay in areas that are well lit
- Stay in view – avoid going into areas that are hidden from view (such as parkland bush or behind shopping centres) and plan trips to avoid such locations
- Be alert – earphones and headphones can reduce your awareness considerably
- If you have a mobile phone, have it turned on and ready to dial an emergency number
- If a passing car stops nearby never get too close
- Do not hesitate to run from a situation in which you feel at risk
- Provide this advice to brothers and sisters, especially if younger
- Report suspicious behaviour to parents, school and the police
- If you can get it safely, try to photograph or remember the number plate of the car
- Report numbers plates of cars and the clothing or distinguishing features of individuals to police.
To get the latest community safety information from police, visit WA Police on Facebook www.facebook.com/WA.Police or online at www.police.wa.gov.au
If you have any concerns, please feel free to contact me at the College.
Appointment of Deputy Principal Senior School
After an extensive process, I am pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Damian Scali as the College Deputy Principal Senior School. Mr Scali is currently Acting in this role and was selected unanimously by the Interview Panel for this senior executive role at the College.
Mr Scali was Acting Vice Principal at Servite College, holding the position as Assistant Deputy Principal at Servite for six years, when he joined us in 2014 as a Head of Year. Mr Scali was attracted to Corpus Christi College due to our reputation for developing leaders who are change agents, making a positive difference to student learning and engagement. Mr Scali was keen to 'work at a college that strives for a culture of excellence, whilst providing all students with a well-rounded education with the support of the parents and wider community...'. In recent times, Mr Scali was accredited by CEWA to conduct professional development in schools, including CBC Fremantle, John XXIII College, Mazenod College and St Norbert's College, as part of the implementation of a Child Protection Curriculum across the Catholic system. Prior to his appointment at Servite College, Mr Scali was also a Head of House and the Acting Head of Science at Kolbe Catholic College, having taught Religious Education, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics in a range of schools including Mazenod College and Nagle Catholic College.
Mr Scali holds a Master of Religious Education from the University of Notre Dame, having also completed a Bachelor of Education (Secondary) specialising in science and mathematics, and has achieved the Accreditation to Lead Religious Education qualification.
As an experienced and highly committed educational leader, I am confident that Mr Damian Scali will contribute a great deal to continuing the wonderful work that has made Corpus Christi College a leader in the education of students in the Senior School.
Staffing Matters
After nearly four years, serving the marketing and public relations arm of the College Cam Allen has concluded his contract. He has had an enormous impact on the College which will be ever-lasting, particularly in the design of our House crests, flags and banners, part of the 'soul' of the College. Cam has been involved with Corpus Christi College since he was enrolled in 1988 as a student, was appointed as Head Boy and House Captain in 1992, then returned in 2000 as an Art teacher. After three years, he left to pursue a career as a graphic designer, then returned to Corpus, initially contracted to prepare and print our Yearbook, along with other publications. Although it may be time to pursue other avenues, Cam will always be part of the fabric of the College and we wish him well in his future endeavours.
After nearly three years at Corpus Christi College, specialised Literacy teacher Mrs Christine Gecas has accepted a position in Deaf Education, commencing next term.
Other staff who are leaving us after covering staff on leave include Indonesian Teaching Assistant Mrs Nurmala Simbolon who was employed via a CEWA grant and Education Support Teaching Assistant Mr Luke Walkey.
We wish staff who are on leave all the best: Ms Tamar Caro in Semester Two, Mrs Anna Triscari, Mrs Chanel Fenwick, Mr Linda Kenton and Mrs Kathleen Davey in Term Three.
As is our custom, we will wish our staff leaving farewell at a special morning tea on Friday in the staffroom.
We commence Term Three with a Staff Professional Learning Day, with a focus on our Catholic Identity. We have asked the Reverend Dr Elio Capra sdb to facilitate the day. Like our Archbishop, Fr Elio is a Salesian priest. More information about Fr Elio will be sent to all staff during the holidays however, in the meantime, I include a short biography from his university below:
Reverend Dr Elio Capra sdb
BTheol (MCD) MTheol (Berkley) MTheol (MCD) DTheol (MCD)
Department of Systematic Theology
Department of Pastoral and General Studies
Reverend Dr Elio Capra is a lecturer at Catholic Theological College in Melbourne and is a member of the Department of Systematic Theology and Department of Pastoral and General Studies. He lectures in Liturgy and Sacramental Theology. He is a priest of the Salesians of Don Bosco (sdb).
The Final Word
High achieving students will be acknowledged and presented to the community at the Whole School Assembly on the Tuesday of the last week of term. A complete list of those who received Academic Awards and Colours Awards will be acknowledged on the website. I congratulate these students for their dedication and commitment to their studies, which has contributed to their high achievement.
Students will commence Term Three on Tuesday 18 July, after staff participate in a Professional Learning 'Catholic Identity' Day on Monday 17 July.
For all parents, students and staff, please have a wonderful winter holiday break and return refreshed and ready for the challenges and opportunities that will form part of Term Three.
Best wishes and God bless
Mrs Caroline Payne


text:
Customer Care Supervisor Certification
This course covers the basic skills and knowledge required to successfully supervise front line employees in a Customer Care function. This course teaches the tools, techniques and skills required to keep employees motivated, productive and satisfied.
Learn how to
Course Outline
Who should attend
Length 2 days
Certification Exam
To achieve certification, participants in this course must successfully complete a certification exam. The exam consists of two parts – an online portion and an essay portion. Participants must achieve an overall score of 85% to be certified by the Institute.


text:
the founders
Roland Massenet
CEO & Co-Founder
Sales challenge expert. Former Director of Sales at Dell.
Gen Y engagement expert. Driver of disruptive technologies.
Christophe Coevoet
CTO & Co-Founder
Digital expert. Specialist in sales acceleration software development.
the team
Martin Louvel
Key Account Director
Estelle Vichery
Customer Success Manager
Skyler Schmanski
Demand Generation Manager
Yassine Guedidi
Lead Developer
Adrien Aouate
Key Account Director
Coraline Markwitz
Customer Success Manager
Faouzi Ouizi
Business Developer
Allan Brault


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The SAE J1939 protocol was developed in 1998 by the Society of Automotive Engineering (SAE) and works on the physical layer with CAN high-speed after ISO 11898. It is applied for ECU communication in commercial vehicles. Beside J1939, SAE continues to describe international standards like NMES 2000 (Marine) and ISO 11783 (ISOBUS for farm machines).
A SAE J1939 network connects the ECUs inside a commercial vehicle. SAE has extended the CAN message identifier from 11 to 29 Bit for J1939 to guarantee the compatibility with other, earlier developed commercial vehicle protocols like J1705 and J1587. For that SAE has also developed CAN components and protocol implementations. Additionally CAN in Automation develops some CANopen interface profiles for networks based on J1939 (CiA DSP 413).
SAE J1939 is a multi-master system providing a local network management without channel based communication. Thereby up to 254 logical net nodes and 30 physical ECUs per system are supported. The information is described as parameter and is summed up on 4 memory pages (Data Pages) in parameter groups (PGs).
SAE J1939 enables transmitting measure values and ECU data as well as configuring components. Thereby data from single components can be read out and deleted for diagnostic purposes. Single controls can be calibrated. The kind of transmitting, the structure of messages, their segmentations and the content of the messages are specified in the J1939 protocol. The communication is effected mostly cyclic and can be received by all ECUs. For the transmission of bigger data packages, the transport protocols BAM and CMDT are used.
SAE J1939 ISO/OSI Layer Model
SAE J 1939 is partitioned in several layers corresponding to the OSI layer model. Thereby only layer 5 and 6 are needed.


text:
Cantik - Astrology Top in Ruby
- Minimal coverage bandeau bikini top with front knots, delicate strap detailing & thick elastic back closure
- Italian fabric, ridged corduroy texture
- 80% Nylon, 20% Elastane
- This item is made with ECONYL nylon yarn, an environmentally innovative fibre produced from recycled nylon products
- Match with the Eclipse bottoms
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- size guide
- Runs true to size though offers very minimal coverage. We suggest getting a size up if you're in between sizes or want a little more coverage.
- Please email firstname.lastname@example.com if you're unsure or concerned about which size to get and we will help you find the perfect style that best suits your body shape
- Height 173cm / 5' 7in
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- Height 168cm / 5' 6 in
- Bust 84cm / 33in
- Cup Size C
- Waist 64cm / 25in
- Hips 88cm / 34½ in


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♥ Christian Encouragers #200 ♥
:flow1: WELCOME! :flow1:
You've found a great place to come and vent, share or ask for prayer support :) This is a great group who will be very encouraging, caring and loving...
anyone is welcome to join!
A Servant's Prayer
Jesus, MY Jesus... How marvelous your ways...
Far more splendid than my mind can envision. What an
honor to be chosen by you. A lowly child I am, but empowered
by the Holy Spirit to fulfill the great hope to which you have
called me. I give myself totally to you, Lord. Take my imperfect
heart and make it perfect. Peel away the hardness. Close the doors
I have opened to the temptations of this world. Gently remove the
roots of painful memories, sins, doubts and fears. Discard anything
that separates me from you. Lord, fill the emptiness with the light of
your love that I might be a beacon calling the lost back to you.
To love as you love...
To serve as you serve...
To heal as you heal...
To forgive as you forgive...
always mindful of my nothingness while doing
great and marvelous things in you name and for
you glory. This I pray, Jesus, in YOUR name.
Here is a LINK to the last thread just in case anyone needs to catch up on some reading ;) We have been very busy lately :D
Just click on link below:
Busy has not been the word for our last thread, - it was wild, crazy, I don't know but we sure went through it fast! Just wanted to post you a quick note SunnyD and let you know I DID walk at lunch (a little late 'cause I watched the new Pope) but now I'm at 30.5 miles, :D - we're neck & neck, keep it up, I think we'll make it to 50+ miles!! :dizzy: Have to dispatch the rest of the day so I'm outta here- Margie
Habemus Papam! The new pope is Pope Benedict XVI!!! AKA Joseph Ratzinger! :D
Rachel, go to the last thread!
I have already posted all that information with a pic of him ;)
Woo Hoo Margie B!!!!! :dance:
oh...oops....sorry :lol:
new and desperate
Hi everyone!
I will start by introducing myself...I am Christy. I am a 41 year old mother of 2 sons.... 18 year old and a 9 year old. Married. I weigh about 190. i have been doing adkins but can not budge the scale. I was hoping to lose about 25 lbs by May 17th but in 2 weeks have not lost even 1. I am so dis couraged. Any tips, advice, suggestions are greatly appreciated.
to the thread... Christy!
You are very close to my weight (note graph at bottom of my post)... what is your height? I myself am 48 :o --- & gettin' up there :lol: no children... just 3 furry ones ;) (kitties)
I shouldn't be saying much as far as advice goes with dieting... I myself seem to be at a standstill :?: and I walk 3 miles everyday and watch what I eat (have to for health reasons)... so I just keep on exercising and hope to see some results real soon ;) I have never done Atkins, but I have done the South Beach and found it to be one of the healthiest diets next to doing Weight-Watchers. My girlfriend swears by WW's... she is doing rather well on it.
Maybe someone esle here can lend you a helping hand ;)
Nice to meet you...
Without going back to the last thread to find out who posted the question re curves, but I did join for a year. For someone who is commited it probably would work out fine, but once I get in that car after work, it knows one place...home sweet home.
I do love the graphics. My goal is to figure it out sometime. I'll have to do it at home and not at work...maybe.
welcome cbaumgardner...where are you from?
50 is my upcoming age this Sept. I have goals to reach before then...weight being one of them.
Close to 80 degrees today here in Michigan :dizzy: I WILL walk tonight...I'm going to try for 40 minutes. Then I'm going to rake the front lawn tonight while DH is away so I can surprise him since he certainly can't get out there with his crutches.
The dr. called DH today regarding the constant swelling of that foot of his. The Doc said to expect swelling for 9months to a year because of the damage that was done to the heel. Yikes!
As for me...I am wonderful today. Not much sugar (only fruit) and I feel great.
Mitchy...where are you sweet girl?
Well, I just can't seem to get focused here at work today. I'll ck in tomorrow a.m.
Hugs to you all!
I'm here but i'm not feeling well....i've got the "mean reds" as Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffany's would say. I didn't make it to work yesterday, today i'm in, but so behind and i had to hook up a new computer system (that's the only good news, i FINALLY got a new, decent system), but now i'm having to transfer data and do downloads, it's just ick.
Hello to all new people, God led you here, so i hope you come back soon and let us know how you are doing. Your experience is invaluable. This group is so wonderful! I love all my 3fc CE'ers.
If i can be selfish and ask for prayer please, i'm really struggling and could use some prayer.
MKay? I posted all the names you asked me for on the last thread...
did you see it???
I sure do hope you begin to feel better soon!
I found this... and thought of you Michele :c)
I hope you enjoy them :sunny:
:p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p
:lol: :lol: :lol: :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :lol: :lol: :lol:
{{{Big ole Bear HUGS}}}
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The themes and social commentary of Blindspotting are both timely and important, but the movie's overall effect is one of slightness. That slightness is mostly a function of the way co-screenwriters and stars Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal chose to mix comedy and drama in their examination of gentrification, race relations, and toxic friendships. The result is uneven and too episodic, with comedic interludes that don't quite fit alongside harrowing depictions of everything from lethal police misconduct to a young child getting his hands on a loaded gun. These moments, though, and many more like them, are incredibly powerful, and Diggs and Casal's screenplay handle them with care and a great deal of emotional intelligence.
Blindspotting tells the story of childhood friends Collin (Diggs) and Miles (Casal) and takes place during the final three days of Collin's probation following a conviction for assault. Even though Collin is the felon, it's clear that Miles is the more explosive of the two. While Collin is trying to be on his best behavior to get through probation, so he can put his past behind him, Miles revels in being a bad boy. He buys an unregistered gun, and he's always looking for trouble.
The two men work for a moving company in their hometown of Oakland. Collin's ex-girlfriend, Val, who dumped him following the incident that got him arrested, did them a favor by getting them the job, and Collin is determined to win her back. Everything changes for Collin one night as he sits in the moving truck at a red light on a quiet street. He's trying to make it to his probation-mandated halfway house before the 11 p.m. curfew. As he impatiently waits for the light to turn green, he witnesses events that have become familiar to anyone who pays attention to the news. A black man sprints past Collin's truck. A cop is pursing him on foot. The officer yells for the man to stop. When he doesn't, the cop draws his weapon, and as the man pleads "don't shoot," the cop fires four rounds into the man's back.
Director Carlos López Estrada stages this pivotal moment in the film with a bold stylistic flourish. He uses one unbroken take and an inventive setup to show us all of the action simultaneously. The camera rests next to Collin, who looks out of the driver-side window of his truck. The cop stops next to the window as he draws his weapon. We see, in the truck's large side-view mirror, the man who is fleeing from the officer. The cop fires his weapon. In the mirror, we see the bullets strike the man, and we see him fall to the ground. This sequence sets an expectation early in the film that Blindspotting will be unflinching.
For the most part, it is. Diggs and Casal are real-life childhood friends, and they spent the better part of a decade crafting the screenplay for Blindspotting. The two men grew up together in the San Francisco Bay Area. They wanted to address what they thought was missing from screen depictions of their native area as well as the massive changes it was going through due to aggressive gentrification.
Gentrification is the practice of wealthy developers or citizens (who are usually white) coming in to an economically depressed section of a metropolitan area and pumping money and resources into it. As a consequence, this forces out the original residents (who are usually people of color) because they can no longer afford the now higher-priced goods, services, and property taxes that gentrification brings.
Blindspotting shines a light on this process in hilarious and cutting ways. The bits of comedic relief that work best come from these observations. The opening montage of the movie is a clever series of split-screens that juxtapose the two worlds – the culturally diverse residents who have lived in these neighborhoods for decades and the newer, whiter usurpers – that are colliding. Throughout the picture, Miles is incensed that his beloved Kwik Way burger-joint has changed their menu to cater to the new yuppie hipster invaders. The fries are transformed into "potato wedges," and Kwik Way now caters. It's blasphemy, as far as Miles is concerned. Kwik Way shouldn't cater, because it's quick, and you get it on the way home, hence the name.
Collin is a little more open to changing with the times, like when he buys a ten-dollar ("TEN DOLLARS," screams Miles) bottle of green health juice (which looks like pureed baby food) from the local corner store. Collin is only attempting to get back in the good graces of Val – who practices things like yoga and mindfulness meditation, to the consternation of Miles – and the movie judges him for it. At one point, there is an overhead shot of the store counter, and all we see is the bottle of green juice and Collin's hand as he places two fives on the counter. It's a visual representation of selling out, but we can't be too hard on Collin. He's just doing the best he can under circumstances over which he has very little control.
That lack of control is put into stark relief throughout Blindspotting. The movie draws attention to how trapped Collin is due to his brand-new felon label. He feels he can't speak out about witnessing an officer of the law shoot a fleeing man in the back. He knows that as a convict, who was late for curfew anyway, he will be crushed under the weight of the system if he tries to do the right thing. So, he keeps his mouth shut.
The supervisor of his halfway house informs Collin that he is expected to be perfect. He's a convicted felon, the man tells Collin, and he will always be so until proven otherwise. "Prove otherwise at all times," he says, giving us a hint of how unattainable Collin's expected behavior is, because who among us is perfect?
The movie also delves into the issue of toxic masculinity. Miles is constantly hustling to make extra money by selling things like used curling irons at a beauty salon or unloading a salvaged sailboat (these are two of the comedic episodes that don't quite work). When he isn't selling, he's wrapped up in projecting his tough guy persona. In a stylized flashback late in the movie, we learn about Miles' own part in the assault that got Collin put behind bars. Speaking personally, as someone who deals with my own anger issues, there is a great amount of emotional weight behind Val's reaction to the incident. We are all responsible for how we let our emotions affect us, and men need to realize how others see our emotion-fueled actions.
Anger, rage, and injustice all build to an explosive climax in Blindspotting that, while powerful, borrows a little too heavily from the hip-hop style of Lin-Manuel Miranda's stage musical Hamilton. Daveed Diggs originated the roles of Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson for the show on Broadway.
Throughout the film, Collin and Miles work on rap lyrics that incorporate elements of their everyday lives. These practiced lyrics come spilling out of Collin at a pivotal moment. Diggs' performance and Estrada's direction make the moment compelling, but like the misplaced bits of comedy, it doesn't quite fit within the world that movie has created. This sequence, like the rest of Blindspotting, carries a vital message, and its impact is only slightly dampened by a few of the filmmakers' stylistic choices.
Why it got 3.5 stars:
- The parts of Blindspotting that work are phenomenal. The parts that don't work just sort of sputter along until the plot gets going again. As a film that taps into the current zeitgeist of race relations and police brutality, it's a must see.
Things I forgot to mention in my review, because, well, I'm the Forgetful Film Critic:
- Everything that takes aim at gentrification and stuff that white people like in general is priceless. There was a blog titled "Stuff White People Like" that is also good for a laugh. It hasn't been updated since 2010, but all the old posts are still available. A few of my favorite of these moments from the movie: Val attends Soul Cycle classes, and Collin and Miles see a white dude with a huge beard riding a novelty bike down the street.
- At one point Collin and Miles are helping an artist (played by the great Wayne Knight) move. The artist asks them to have a moment of truth with each other by staring into each other's eyes. They do, and the movie creates an earnest dramatic moment out of it, but it then proceeds to break that moment of tension with a bit of comedy. It's an unsatisfying resolution to the scene.
- There is one unbelievably powerful sequence involving Collin as he goes on his morning run. He passes through a cemetery, and the ghost of the man who was shot by the police officer, as well as other people buried in the cemetery, haunt him. The scene has a huge impact and is staged very effectively.
Close encounters with people who don't know how to act in a movie theater:
- For this screening, Rach and I attended a theater that just opened in Dallas. It's part of a chain called Cinépolis. The hilarity of attending a screening of Blindspotting at this theater is that it's big selling point is being a luxury theater with fully reclining seats and gourmet food served to your seat while you watch the movie. It's also located in a heavily gentrified part of town. Of course, there were a pair of very well-to-do white people right next to us who were so concerned with their food orders and food service that it was a wonder they even knew they were there to watch a movie at all. It was obnoxious, but in a way, I really enjoyed the irony of it all.
Up Next at The Forgetful Film Critic:
- Last year's Get Out began a renaissance of people of color putting their own experiences with racism in America on film. This year has already seen Sorry to Bother You and Blindspotting. Later in the year we'll get Monsters and Men and The Hate U Give. Next week, I'll take a look at one of the masters of addressing race on film. Spike Lee has made a new movie that tells the true story of a black man in the 1970s infiltrating the Ku Klux Klan. It's called BlacKkKlansman, and it is sure to be anything but boring.


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The excitement of tours
Although, I really like Sydney, sometimes I feel the urge to have some excitement in new places.
I decided to visit the lovely and amazing Wollongong tomorrow, a city that I adore very much. I cannot wait to discover this fantastic place even more and get to know some nice guys there. I can only stay there for 1 night, so my visit is going to be short. This is my first time in Wollongong on a tour.
On Tuesday I will be in Perth, where I have been for a weekend only very-very long time ago as a tourist. I had some clients from Perth in Sydney, who explained what are the best places to visit, so I decided to have a proper look. I am happy to get some "secret fun places to see" facts :)
I hope you are as excited about my visit as I am.
See you soon Lovers!


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When it's time, you really know it. You get that feeling in the bottom of your heart and in the pit of your stomach that it is time to let it go. Could be you have been holding on to some kind of anger issue, or some kind of hurt from your childhood or maybe just a big ole' chunk of tension form yesterday at the grocery store.
But whatever it is, it is time to let it go.
Other people hold on to old stuff in their homes. Old half-eaten burritos in the refrigerator or a leftover bologna sandwich that should have been tossed out last Tuesday.
Or old shoes, you know the ones, where you kind of think to yourself, well, if I just wear these around the house and nobody sees me, then it is going to be OK if I keep them.
But those things need to be let go as well.
Still other people are fond of bringing up icky memories form the past. Times when someone was mean to them in the second grade, or their football coach from high school made fun of them during practice. Or maybe just that time you went out on a blind date against your better judgment, and you knew the minute you got there, it was a bad idea. And then it went downhill from there.
Let go of those things too.
You have enough stuff to do during the day with current ideas and issues that crop in your day to day life. There is no need to try to keep all the leftover stuff from yesterday last week, last month, 10 years ago or from when you were a child. It is safe to let those things go now; they are not so valuable anymore. At least they are not as valuable as the things you are doing right now, in this very minute.
Your life is a constant stream.
Of Energy
Of Activity
Of Adventure
Of Excitement
The days that have passed by had their energy. And while you were living those days, you used that energy. Maybe that energy gave you strength, maybe it gave you comfort, maybe sadness, but whatever it gave you was in the past.
No matter what you try to do with those old feelings, those old activities, those old ideas, you cannot re-inflate them into living breathing energetic ideas for right now.
You could have taken all the CPR classes in the world, but none of that training would be of any value at all in trying to bring the past back to life.
The only way you can bring the past back to life is to use the energy you have available today. The energy that was used the first time to live those days is passed by on the stream of life. It is not coming back. You used it already. No harm in that, it was there when you needed it and that was what it was for, to use for that day
That is the way the Universe is set up, you have plenty of energy for the day and you use it. You can use all of it. And interestingly enough, the more energy you use in a day, the more energy you ill have tomorrow.
(OK, maybe the next day, if you are using your energy to dig holes for fence posts.)
But even after you rest up from something like that, you will be rewarded with an astonishing amount of extra energy to use in upcoming days.
That is just the way it works.
It is almost like there is an expiration date on the energy for the day. Once the date has passed by, the energy is not available for consumption anymore. And in order to keep living in the past, you have to keep using up the current day's energy. And then you are left with less for living today.
That really does not work out so well at all.
There really isn't any way to re-live a day from your past. You can remember it, and give it some attention right now, but you cannot re-live it – no matter how hard you try.
It works ever so much better to live within the Universe the way it is set up to work.
Remember yesterday, if you like; but live in today. Keep your CPR skills handy for saving somebody's life who was drowning, but let the past be the past and don't try to bring it back to life.
It doesn't work so well, and only makes you extra tired today, when you could be living the life of your dreams


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I'm really not sure where this idea came from. ::Shrugs:: Vegetables at a slumber party playing "light as a feather," eating junk food, creepin each other out. I dunno. I can't explain what goes on in my brain sometimes.
It's Friday! I can't focus on anything at all for no reason at all. It's gross outside and is going to be gross this whole weekend. Rainy, chilly and gloomy. I'm dog sitting for a friend which means I'll get to enjoy some QT with a large dog, but also means I'll be driving all over creation back and forth from my apt. to his. I'm equal parts excited and exhausted thinking about it. But hey, it IS the weekend, chores aside. And gosh darn it, I'm going to enjoy every rainy, dog-filled moment of it.


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The purpose of the Parish Council is to assist and advise on any pastoral issues. The Council represents the entire Parish and plans and guides the Parish growth.
President: Joe Grant
Vice President: Dan Sizemore
Secretary: Kellie Goebel
Athletics: Jason Prendergast
Faith Formation: Therese Brandon
Finance: Molley Miller
School: Kathy Ramsey
Stewardship & Development: Terry Galuska
Nancy Curd
Kelly England
Amy Rice


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א וַיַּקְהֵל מֹשֶׁה אֶת-כָּל-עֲדַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם אֵלֶּה הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר-צִוָּה יְהוָה לַעֲשֹׂת אֹתָם. ב שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים תֵּעָשֶׂה מְלָאכָה וּבַיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי יִהְיֶה לָכֶם קֹדֶשׁ שַׁבַּת שַׁבָּתוֹן לַיהוָה כָּל-הָעֹשֶׂה בוֹ מְלָאכָה יוּמָת.
"And Moshe assembled the entire assembly of the children of Israel and said to them: These are the things that Hashem commanded to do them. On six days, work may be done, but the seventh day shall be holy for you, a day of complete rest for Hashem. Whoever does work shall be put to death." (Vayakhel 35:1-2)
Chazal are bothered by the following question: Moshe gathered the Jewish people regarding matters on which they were commanded "laasot otam"- to do them. The next pasuk clarifies and says that on Shabbat they were not to do any work. What exactly is it that they were supposed to do? The context of the second pasuk seems to imply that they were not to do any work? If so, the first pasuk should really have said "shelo laasot otam"- not to do them?
Chazal answer this question by explaining that the command "to do them" refers to the first phrase of the next pasuk- "six days shall work be done". This verse relates to the obligation to build the Mishkan during the six days of the week.
One can also explain these pesukim in the following fashion. The first pesukim of this parsha are meant to serve as a contrast to the sin of the golden calf which just took place in Parshat Kee Teesa. Amos Chacham points out that the language used in the first pasuk, reminds us of the sin. "Vayakhel Moshe" corresponds to "Vayikohel Ha'am al Aharon" (Above 32:1). In the previous 'gathering' described in Parshat Kee Teesa, the people erred in attempting to create a symbol of the Divine Presence. In this 'gathering', Moshe commanded them to make a Mishkan which is the true way to bring Hashem's presence into their midst. This gathering was a direct response to the previous gathering.
Furthermore, the language "vayakhel Moshe et kol adat Bnei Yisroel" is instructive. These pesukim were spoken to "kol adat Bnei Yisroel," the entirety of the Jewish people. The people, as a whole, failed in regard to the sin of the golden calf. Even those who were not involved stood by the sidelines and did nothing to attempt to stop their brethren. This is why Moshe spoke to the entire people at this point in time. As a community they needed to understand that they bore responsibility for the nation. These responsibilities are what the words "laasot otam" refer to. The following verse states that the punishment for Shabbat violation is death. Who is responsible for executing this punishment? Kol adat Yisroel- the Jewish people. The people as a nation have a responsibility to uphold the laws. When one Jew sins, the entire people bears responsibility. The people failed in this regard when they allowed the golden calf to be built. Moshe called them together at the beginning of our Parsha, and instructed them that they were being given another chance. Kol ha'oseh bo melacha yumat teaches us that if other Jews are not observing Shabbat, we, as a people, are responsible.
This lesson is more meaningful today than ever before. We all have the ability to serve as role models for Jews throughout the world by modeling a life imbued with the beauty of Shabbat. We have the opportunity to take responsibility for promoting the ideals and values of Shabbat to those around us, thereby spreading the spirit and joy of Shabbat to Jews around the world.


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What to start with? I suppose the basics, most important first:
1. I am a follower of Jesus, although sometimes I don't think I'm quite so faithful. It is my goal to increase in this department.
2. I am happily married to Matt, and we'll be celebrating 6 years this July!
3. I am a new mom, but in my fomer life I was a teacher-I love kids. After having Caleb, I decided to quit my teaching profession temporarily to focus on a raising a happy, heathy little boy!
My other interests include arts and crafts, baking, gardening, reading, being outdoors, and anything else that strikes my fancy at the moment. You'll be able to find out more about these topics here on my blog. Thanks for stopping by!


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text: Join me this Tuesday the 18th for my workshop 'How To Edit Your Images In Lightroom' at 6pm at the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts. In this workshop we will cover how to create clean and consistent edits, while creating a fast efficient workflow. We'll also cover my favorite tips and tricks for editing in Lightroom. For more details or to sign up please visit http://fmopa.org/class-details/132/.


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Swamp Studio [Canon 5D]
January 24, 2010 Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida
(click in the image for a larger version)
I was in south Florida last week giving some presentations and digital darkroom sessions at FOTOfusion, the festival of photography and digital imaging that is hosted every year by the Palm Beach Photographic Centre. This was the first FOTOfusion to take place in the Centre's wonderful new home in downtown West Palm Beach. It was great to link up with old friends and also meet some new ones. All in all, it was a very fun and inspiring week (not to mention missing the torrential rains and some snow that doused my area of California all week while I was away).
Whenever I travel I always try take advantage of the possibilities for making new images in different landscapes and this time was no exception. Although my schedule did not allow for as much free photo time as I would have liked, I did manage to spend one extra day in the cypress swamps of Big Cypress National Preserve, which borders on the northern side of the Everglades National Park. I had a specific pinhole photograph that I wanted to make for my Artifacts of an Uncertain Origin series.
My first visit here was last March, but the fact that it was the end of the dry season, combined with the effects of a long and serious drought, meant that there was no water in the cypress swamps. This put a definite crimp in the plans for the photograph that I wanted to make.
A couple of weeks before I went to Florida this time, I called the visitor center and found out that there was plenty of water in the swamp this time around. The weather and lighting were perfect when I arrived. Since I was heading into unfamiliar terrain that might be populated by large carnivorous reptiles, I did the responsible thing and filled out a back-country permit and told the rangers that I expected to check back in before the end of the day. Then I donned my grubby swamp clothes, grabbed my gear and hiked south along the Florida trail and headed for a nearby stand of cypress trees. It was wet and muddy in the grasslands right from the start, but once the trail ("and "trail" is an approximation...it's hard to call it a trail when it's underwater and hard to see!) entered the stand of cypress trees, the water became clean and clear and there was no more squishy mud. As I continued into the trees, the water got deeper. The average depth was ankle to knee-deep, though in some places it was waist-deep.
At work in the swamp studio (click the image for a larger version)
I finally found an area that would work well for my "swamp studio". There were many beautiful trees, festooned with bromeliads (an "air plant" that uses other plants for support), an area of deeper open water and plenty of places that were not too deep for me to set up my small tripod and the artifacts I was photographing (three industrial gauges). One challenge was the fact that since water covered all of the ground, there was no easy place to set down my camera bag and backpack. Fortunately, I found a tree that had fallen across some other trees and a portion of it formed a perfect level platform where I could stash my gear.
After I had been in the "studio" for about an hour, I noticed an alligator on a log in the middle of a deep pool that was adjacent to the shallower water where I was working. It was not there when I arrived. But he was probably at least 100 feet away and didn't seem too interested in leaving his log. So I kept an eye on him while I continued to make photos. I made a fair amount of noise sloshing through the water taking a few self-timer shots and at that point the gator slipped back into the deep pool and I did not see him again, though I did keep a close watch on the edges of the area where I was working.
My swamp "neighbor" (click the image for a larger version)
In all I spent about three hours in my swamp studio. It was a very beautiful and peaceful place; a biologically and visually rich environment that was fascinating to experience. It is always exciting to explore a new landscape for the first time. And while this was not the first time I had been here, the presence of water made it a very different place from the one I had seen the previous Spring. I will definitely return for another visit to Big Cypress Preserve the next time my travels take me to south Florida and I look forward to wading into the cypress swamp again one day.
Keep an eye on this space. The pinhole photograph I made that day will eventually be posted here.


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NekoCon 2017 Convention Report/
This past Saturday I traveled down to Hampton, Virginia to attend my first NekoCon anime convention. The convention took place over the November 3-5, 2017 weekend although I was only there for one day. This medium-sized con is located near the ocean and had a lot of nice locations nearby and a lot of food options to choose from within reasonable walking distance.
The highlight of my day was probably the Anime SanKyoudai concert which featured Anisong singers Aimee Blackschleger, Joe Inoue, and Diana Garnet. It was just a really fun, energetic concert and it's just a shame that there wasn't a bigger turnout in the audience for it. The Masquerade cosplay contest was also a great event with some really great skits and included a fun Closet Cosplay Contest for the half time event. The Closet Cosplay Contest consisted of two audience members who had 15 minutes to come up with a cosplay/character with the clothing scraps that they are given and the winner is chosen by the audience's cheers.
Overall it was good day. I do wish that they had "End of Line" signs to let people know where to line up for events, and they did have some kind of snafu which resulted in the 2017 convention T-shirts not being delivered in time so I wasn't able to pick up a con T-shirt like I usually do. But overall, I had a good time and will probably return sometime in the future. One interesting thing to end on is the fact that the NekoCon membership badges have a hidden Neko logo that is revealed when you shine an ultraviolet light on it. It made for a quick and easy way for staff members to validate your badges and makes for a neat hidden Easter egg.
Click here to go to my Facebook photography page where I uploaded photos that I took from the RWBY/Roosterteeth and My Hero Academia (Boku no Hero Academia) cosplay photoshoots.
Click here to go to my YouTube channel where I uploaded the videos that I recorded from the Nier: Automata panel featuring voice actors Kyle McCarley (9S) and Kira Buckland (2B), the Anime SanKyoudai concert (pending resolution from the music copyright flags), and the full Masquerade cosplay contest (pending upload at the time of this article's publishing).


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No. Not that Palace! This was Lambeth Palace, the official London residence of The Archbishop of Canterbury. We were invited by The Ronald McDonald House Charity to sing at their fundraising event in aid of a wonderful charity supporting families with seriously ill children. The charity supports families by providing them with accomodation close to where their children are having treatment. £3000.00 was raised on the day. A fantastic result!
Check out our Gallery for more photos of the day