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Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios made animation history (and $360 million) in 1995 with the release of the first all-computer animated feature, "Toy Story." Now, they have teamed together again to tell the epic adventure of miniature proportions in "A Bug's Life." The ants on Ant Island, each summer, are invaded by a gang of mean and greedy grasshoppers - led by the wicked bully, Hopper (Kevin Spacey) - and forced to give up most of their food or get stomped out of existence. This annual extortion seems to be the colony's fate forever, until on independent minded ant named Flik (Dave Foley) volunteers to leave the island to find a band of warriors to help them. He mistakenly hires an out-of-work troupe of circus bug performers as his "samurai," but doesn't realize his error 'til too late. Or, is it?
Comparisons will be made between "A Bug's Life" and both "Toy Story" and the DreamWorks animated bug flick, "Antz." For the record, I think "Bugs" falls in between the two. "Toy Story" is an original and a masterpiece of animation and story. "A Bug's Life" represents a leap in the development of computer animation with incredible, hyper-real imagery that makes you feel you are living at a bug's-eye view. The story used, though, is a fairly standard formula that is almost identical to that in "Antz." The main difference is the latter film deals with overcoming an enemy within, while "A Bug's Life" menace is outside the colony.
The original story, by directors John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton with Joe Ranft (who voices the corpulent caterpillar, Heimlich) represents a variation on the old Aesop fable, The Ant and the Grasshopper, where a starving grasshopper begs for food from the hard-working ants. In the writers' twisted version, the grasshoppers are a gang of thugs, a la "The Wild One," who roar into the ant colony with wings buzzing and stomping wherever and whomever they want.
Flik, the self styled inventor and thinker of the colony, risks his life in search of warriors who will save them all. But, instead of the "Seven Samurai" he thought he hired, Flik finds an eclectic collection of colorful, motor-mouthed and funny bugs. Among them are a male ladybug who has a thing about his virility, a hammy old praying mantis magician and his lovely butterfly assistant, Gypsy, a walking stick with airs, a food obsessed Bavarian caterpillar, a friendly black widow spider, two madcap Hungarian pill bugs, and a bashful rhino beetle named Dim. The members of this group of unlikely warriors presents each of their personalities as unique individuals. All are funny and all are likable. Of the grasshoppers, only Hopper and his stammering, ineffectual brother Molt (Richard Kind, "Spin City"), have any real character. With the exception of Flik, Princess Dot (Hayden Panettiere), who believes in our hero, and the Queen Mother ( a funny turn by comedienne Phyllis Diller), the ant characters are little more than two dimensional. "Antz" did the ants better.
Technically, "A Bug's Life" is like nothing you have ever seen before. The detail and perspective of the minuscule world are a treat for the eyes. The opening shot of the "camera" eye swooping from above down into the faces of the hundreds of ants toiling to collect grain and berries for the grasshoppers' tribute is stunning to watch. The technical tour de force continues, unabated, right through to the very end credits. (If you don't usually stay for the end credits, do yourself a favor. Stay. You'll be pleased.) Where "Antz" kept the lighting more muted to, possibly, cover any problems with the big scenes, "A Bug's Life" is brilliantly lit with every attention to detail right out there to see. The winning combination of Disney and Pixar have set yet another standard for the computer animation craft.
"A Bug's Life" has something for kids of all ages. The witty dialog and contemporary humor keep things interesting and entertaining for the adults out there. The kids, even younger ones, have plenty to keep them occupied for 96 minutes. I give it an A-.
"A Bug's Life," the second computer animated film about an ant colony in danger, comes from Pixar and Disney, the folks who created "Toy Story," and has that touch of Disney magic that "Antz" didn't quite attain.
This effort's more targetted at children (although adults will enjoy the
many in jokes and witty barbs) and creates a much brighter world than Dreamwork's darker "Antz."
The creatures are more varied. Flik (voiced by Dave Foley of TV's "Newsradio") is a lavender hued inventor who's seen as a bumbler, particularly by Princess Atta (Julia Louis Dreyfuss) and his Queen (Phyllis Diller, sporting a jaunty flower crown). When he accidentally dumps all the food they've gathered for the bullying grasshoppers (shades of "The Seven Samurai"), Flik suggests getting outside help to fight the grasshoppers (led by Kevin Spacey's evil Hopper) and is encouraged to go by the others merely to be gotten rid of. He travels to 'the city' and through miscommunication winds up with a downtrodden troop of circus performers who believe they're going back to entertain the ants.
The city scenes feature such delightful visual jokes as a centipede mime and a panhandling fly with a sign saying 'Kid pulled my wings off.' The flea circus troop is introduced during a disastrous performance after which they're fired by P.T. Flea (John Ratzenberger, TV's "Cheers"). They're comprised of a huge but sweet rhino beetle (Brad Garrett, "Everybody Loves Raymond"), a pompous praying mantis magician (Jonathan Harris, Dr. Smith of "Lost in Space"), a defensive male ladybug (Denis Leary), a gypsy moth (Madeleine Khan), a black widow spider (Bonnie Hunt, no match for Susan Sarandon's black widow of "James and the Giant Peach"), and two tumbling Hungarian pillbugs, Tuck and Roll. Best of the bunch are David Hyde Pierce's fidgetty stick bug and Joe Ranft's Bavarian caterpillar clown Heimlich.
The film features a very surreal bird attack, a predator even the grasshoppers fear. The bugs use their ingenuity to build a bird glider in hopes of ridding themselves of their enemy, but when the fakery is revealed, Flik discovers Hopper's even greater fear.
Technically, the film is a marvel. While it doesn't quite inspire the awe that "Toy Story" did, it has it's own set pieces, such as raindrops seen as missiles from the ants point of view. The story has good morals for kids and an uplifting ending where Hopper's dimwitted brother Molt (another terrific voice performance from "Spin City's" Richard Kind) is redeemed.
While adults will enjoy Hooper's line "It's a Circle of Life kind of thing" and the treat of hearing Jonathan Harris once more declare "Oh, the pain," do stay for the end credits which the filmmakers have outfitted with 'outtakes' featuring additional sly references.
England, 1553. Ruled by the Catholic zealot, Queen Mary I (Kathy Burke), the country is suffering financial ruin and religious instability. Mary is leading a campaign of repression against the Protestant minority and England is awash with political intrigue, conspiracy and terror. Even the queen's young half-sister Elizabeth (Cate Blanchett, "Oscar and Lucinda") is in danger. But, Mary's final attempt to execute the princess for treason fails and Elizabeth ascends the throne, only to find herself faced with enemies on all sides. The inexperienced young queen initially follows her advisors' advice, instead of her own mind, bringing her and the country to the brink of disaster. Only with the help of her master of spies, Sir Francis Walsingham (Geoffrey Rush "Shine"), can Elizabeth save her life, the throne and England.
The first film about England's Elizabeth I in almost three decades is characterized by its "Godfather"-like intrigues played out with extremely angled camera shots of sinisterly dark scenes spiked with richly luxurious fabrics in jewel tones. Indian director Shekhar Kapur ("The Bandit Queen") dismisses the stodgy trappings of the typical period film to create a vibrant, modern look at one of the world's most effectively powerful women.
Australian actress Cate Blanchett ("Paradise Road," "Oscar and Lucinda") is fiercely luminous as the young Protestant Princess. We're introduced to her as lusty young girl in love with Robert Dudley (Joseph Fiennes) and under the rule of her half sister, Catholic Queen Mary (Kathy Burke, "Nil by Mouth"). Mary, whose fanatical faith has deepened the rift between her countrymen and earned her the moniker Bloody Mary, is near the end of her reign, half crazed with a delusional pregnancy which is actually terminal cancer. She has Elizabeth installed in the Tower on charges of treason, but Elizabeth will not confess to false charges and Mary is too fearful of eternal condemnation to have her executed, even under the strong urgings of the Duke of Norfolk (Christopher Eccleston, "Jude").
Upon Mary's death, Elizabeth is installed on the throne, a young girl centered in a nest of vipers still loyal to the Catholic cause. Her first challenge is to deal with Mary of Guise (Fanny Ardant, "Ridicule"), a French Queen who's been building an army over the Scottish border. Elizabeth's instincts tell her to do
nothing, yet her council all urge her to strike with her depleted forces, except for the mysterious Sir Francis Walsingham (Geoffrey Rush, "Shine"). After a complete rout by the French, Elizabeth despairs, yet pulls herself together as 'her father's daughter' (King Henry VIII).
She decides to meet her internal enemies head on (even the Pope's taken out a hit on her). In one of the film's best sccenes, Elizabeth practices he arguments to the Bishops before taking them all on to promote The Church of England. When one of the bishops protests "You would force us to give up allegiance to our Holy Father!," Elizabeth coyly returns "I cannot force you my lord. I am a woman." Elizabeth also flouts convention by refusing political marriage proposals from Spain and France, creating more enemies and surviving an assassination attempt in the bargain. When even her beloved Dudley is uncovered as a potential traitor, Elizabeth relies exclusively on her master spy Walsingham, who advises her to wipe out her enemies.
Blanchett is superb as the young queen who gives up all for England. Whether grandly proclaiming "Play a Volta!" before openly enjoying a seductive dance with her lover, manipulating a court full of men or wailing for the loss of young men on a battlefield, she portrays strength with vulnerability. It's an attention demanding performance. Also terrific is Rush as the sinister Walsingham, always lurking on the sidelines observing everything in duty to his queen. Rush is smooth, charming and lethal, as he proves when he seduces Mary of Guise in order to murder her, in his first strike against Mary's enemies. (This last climatic montage is intercut with Elizabeth transforming herself into her Virgin Queen persona and is extremely reminiscent of "The Godfather's" baptism scene.) Another standout is Vincent Cassel ("La Heine") as Mary of Guise's nephew, the Duc d'Anjou, a homosexual dandy offered to Elizabeth in marriage. He's outrageous (and Blanchett's dealing with him is a hoot). Kathy Burke makes a strong impression as Mary before being dispatched from the film. The rest of the cast, including Sir Richard Attenborough as Sir William and John Gielgud as the Pope, are serviceable.
The film's look is breathtaking, including cinematography by Remi Adefarasin on location at many of Britain's castles as well on sets at Shepperton Studios designed by John Myhre. Costume design by Alexandra Byrne is exemplary.
Indian director Shekhar Kapur ("Bandit Queen") and an extraordinarily talented crew before and behind the camera have brought a unique and original telling of a period of western history that is both well-studied in film and little known. Films of or about Elizabeth began with John Ford's "Mary of Scotland" in 1936, but the subject has not been broached since the 1971 film, "Mary, Queen of Scots." "Elizabeth" is the first film about the famous monarch to cover the period from just before her ascension to the throne to her metamorphosis into the legendary Virgin Queen.
"Elizabeth" is an accomplished period piece that does a magnificent job of capturing the look and feel of Tudor England while telling a contemporary story of international political machinations, romance and war. The original screenplay by Michael Hirst captures the essence of the young queen and the events that lead to the making of one of the most powerful leaders in European, even world, history.
Shakhur and Hirst also succeed in putting a very modern spin on the material. One example of the contemporary flair of the film has Elizabeth amid the pomp of court proceedings while, behind the scenes, Walsingham stages a coup against her enemies, consolidating the queen's power base. This sequence bears a striking likeness to a very similar sequence in Francis Coppola's "The Godfather." Another, almost gangster-like, scene has the Pope (John Gielgud) ordering a "contract hit" on Elizabeth because of her support of religious diversity. These scenes, and others, raise "Elizabeth" out of what could have
simply been a "frock flick."
Cate Blanchett is radiant as the young princess-turned-queen. She portrays the monarch as a lusty young woman who knows her mind and gets what she wants - mostly at the hand of her lover, Lord Robert Dudley (Joseph Fiennes). Blanchett is magnetic in her performance. Her unusual beauty, lighted to heighten her looks, dominates the screen in all of her scenes. Look forward to a lot of critical, if not popular, acclaim for the young actress.
The supporting cast is solid on all levels. Rush plays the enigmatic Walsingham with a deft touch. Without a lot of dialog, he establishes the master spy as totally loyal and dedicated to his queen. Kathy Burke is notable as Queen Mary. Christopher Ecclestone ("Shallow Grave), as Elizabeth's main opponent, the Duke of Norfolk, is great looking as the evil vizier character, lending an air of menace and cunning to the man. Fiennes plays Lord Robert well enough but is overshadowed in his scenes with Blanchett. Richard Attenborough, as Elizabeth's trusted but aging advisor, Sir William Cecil, acts the role solidly. French actress Fanny Ardant gives a striking performance in the small role of Mary of Guise, who led an invasion of Scotland for the French king.
Technically, "Elizabeth" is a marvelous tour de force. Cinematographer Remi Adefarasin ("Truly, Madly, Deeply") utilizes shadow and contrast to give the film an almost black and white look at times, capturing the interior scenes with exceptional clarity. Costuming by Alexandra Byrne ("Hamlet"), as one would expect of the Elizabethan era, is elegant and colorful with terrific attention to detail, particularly with Elizabeth's wardrobe. Production designer John Myhre gives the film a grand look fitting the story of a queen.
"Elizabeth" should draw a respectable audience with its intelligent appeal, fine production, intriguing story and excellent acting. I give it a solid A.
Big Brother IS watching you! That's the central theme of the latest collaboration between director Tony Scott and producer Jerry Bruckheimer ("Crimson Tide"). Starring Will Smith ("Men in Black") and Gene Hackman ("The Conversation"), "Enemy of the State" is about the most secret branch of the United States government, the National Security Agency (NSA) and a high-ranking member. Thomas Brian Reynolds (John Voight, "Anaconda") has appropriated the vast resources of the Agency to commit murder and conceal an enormous political cover-up. Attorney Robert Clayton Dean (Smith) is an innocent bystander who becomes embroiled in the plot and needs the help of ex-spook Brill (Hackman) to clear his name and save his life.
"Enemy of the State" is a tremendously slick production that starts off running and keeps the frenetic pace for its 2+ hour runtime. Director Scott harnesses a number of different technologies to create a political thriller that blasts the surveillance community for its potential to invade the lives of virtually anyone in the country via phone, satellite or by plain old tailing (with high-tech gear). The questions raised about Big Brother and the violation of the individual right to privacy represents the second thriller this fall ("The Siege" is the other) to intelligently present a story of the violation of our Constitutional rights.
Will Smith as the Everyman hero caught in the middle of violent political intrigue is nicely cast. His jug-handle eared good looks and natural humor help him lend dimension to the character Dean. Bobby Dean is a nice, likable, honest, hard-working family man caught in a web not of his making. There is a good deal of physical action through the film and Smith does a decent job filling the bill. He also gets some dramatic licks in, especially in his scenes with Hackman.
Gene Hackman is one of America's great actors and when he arrives, at the hour mark, the film goes up a notch. His Brill is a renegade who got sick, years before, of the whole spy business and works now to subvert it. Hackman plays the man with subtlety and, with great economy, develops the ex-master spy into a real person who knows just how to turn the system against its owners. For Dean, Brill is the techno-knight who can save his butt and help him get his life back.
The supporting cast is peopled with a talented array of character actors old and new. Jon Voight, as the evil NSA chief is menacing and ruthless, believing that the end always justifies the means, no matter what the means costs. His thugs, such notable young actors as Ian Hart, Jake Busey, Scott Caan, and Loren Dean look good in the roles but have no where to go with their shallowly drawn characters. Regina King, as Dean's lawyer/human rights advocate wife, is miscast in the role. Lisa Bonnet, who plays Dean's confidant and ex-lover, Rachel Banks, should have swapped parts with King. Uncredited Tom Sizemore hits the spot as a Mafia chieftain at odds with Dean, who holds some damaging video on the mobster. Look for cameos by Jason Robards and Gabriel Byrne.
The script, a combination of "Sneakers" meets "The Conversation," is populated with an array of characters, some pretty evil, who are bent on finding Dean and Brill and will go to the greatest lengths imagined. The high-tech NSA surveillance operations is riveting to watch and, by the filmmakers own admission, is probably not even close to showing what the NSA really has for digging into the lives of anyone, anywhere. The inundation of technology keeps the genre fan entertained with its attention to detail of story. Buried in all the gadgetry is also a slight of hand story involving the mob connection presented at the beginning of the film that is a treat of plot twists. The story culminates in a confrontation between the Cosa Nostra and the secret Feds that smacks of Scott's own "True Romance."
Obviously, tech credits are top-of-the-line. One would expect no less in a Jerry Bruckheimer production with Scott at the helm. Newcomer feature cinematographer Dan Mindel uses a variety of cameras, including tiny button-hole surveillance camera, to give the film a fast flow. Editing by Chris Lebenzon ("Crimson Tide") helps give the film its frenetic looks and feel. Sometimes the rapid fire editing style is to hard on the eyes, making some scenes, like inside NSA headquarters, hard to get a feel for the whole picture.
It's good to see an action thriller have a story that has some real meaning and issues that may open quite a few eyes to the fragility of the rights of the individual in a world where things are moving too fast to control. I give "Enemy of the State" a B.
British director Tony Scott ("True Romance") rebounds from the debacle of "The Fan" with his techno-thriller "Enemy of the State." Will Smith is Robert Clayton Dean, a high powered attorney currently fighting for union rights against a mafia boss (Tom Sizemore) who's threatening his life unless Dean returns an incriminating videotape. Dean is married to Carla (Regina King, "Jerry Macguire"), an ACLU attorney with strident beliefs regarding the individual's right to privacy for which her husband affectionately teases her. No sooner can you say 'paranoia' than Dean is unknowingly slipped evidence of a congressman's murder by an an old college buddy (Jason Lee "Chasing Amy") who's promptly killed in front of his eyes.
The renegade NSA team responsible for the crime, led by Reynolds (Jon Voight), is soon tracking and bugging Dean. They plant pictures of him with his colleague and old girlfriend Rachel (Lisa Bonet), with whom he had a marriage-threatening affair, in an incriminating newspaper story and presto, Dean's thrown out of his house by his hurt and angry wife and fired from his prestigious law firm. His credit cards are cut off and he doesn't understand what's happening to him, so attempts to make contact with Rachel's mysterious information source, Brill. The first Brill (Gabriel Byrne) is an NSA plant who attempts to kill him, but the real Brill (Gene Hackman) has been observing and takes Dean at gunpoint. Brill isn't happy To be meeting Dean, promptly puts him in an elevator to confuse the trackers, and begins stripping detection devices off him (Hackman's Brill is a nice homage to his earlier character in the superior film, "The Conversation.") On the rooftop, as a stealth copter approaches, Brill informs Dean that he's still got a tracking device on him and that he'll be surprised if Dean lives another 24 hours. Then he disappears.
Scott makes effective use of rapid-fire cross-cutting of the high tech surveillance following Dean throughout these chase scenes. Star Wars-type satellites orbitting the earth zoom in to real time live pictures of Dean on the run, which allow the NSA team to bark commands to their ground team. As Dean's stripped of his bugs by Brill, the NSA speculate 'He's committed suicide or he's learned to fly!' Dean's forced to strip before hitting the road again, which he does in the hotel room of a Japanese couple to forced comic effect. Eventually he re-teams with the crusty Brill, who turns out to have a deep background with ties back to Dean himself. The film ends almost where it began in a double-triple cross which resembles the climax of "True Romance" while still being more clever than these types of movies generally are.
Smith proves that he can carry a dramatic role - he's a likeable everyman. Hackman is a joy to watch here, creating almost a sequel to a character from over two decades ago and avoiding the complacency he sometimes falls into lately. Voight is good as the NSA guy who's become a renegade in order to move his career ahead after being passed over too long. His team is peopled with such actors as Loren Dean ("Rosewood"), Barry Pepper ("Saving Private Ryan"), Ian Hart ("Backbeat"), Jake Busey ("The Frighteners") and Scott Caan in his debut. Jason Robards is uncredited as the scrupulous congressman who's murdered for his beliefs.
"Enemy of the State" is a fast moving entertainment that dares to infuse its story with more thought and intelligence than many of its genre. Tech credits are superb.
Adapted from the book "Father of Frankenstein" and directed by Bill Comdon, "Gods and Monsters" is a fictional reflection on the last days of homosexual English director James Whale (Ian McKellan). Whale, known for his horror films "Frankenstein" and "Bride of Frankenstein," rejected Hollywood after his true masterpiece, a WWI film, was butchered by the studio and flopped. Rejecting Hollywood also caused him to inadvertently reject his lover of many years who remained in the moviemaking business. Now sickly and retired, Whale lives with his caustic but caring Hungarian housekeeper Hannah (Lynn Redgrave), spending his days painting. When Hannah hires the strapping and handsome Clay Boone (Brendan Fraser) as a gardener, Whale becomes fascinated with the young man and asks him to sit for him. The two form an odd friendship with Clay's honesty causing Whale to unleash a torrent of painful memories that both touch and repel the young man.
"Gods and Monsters" is such a complex portrait of the torture of passion that it makes one believe the story was true. Masterfully intercutting scenes from both "Frankenstein" and "Bride of Frankenstein" with scenes of a silhouetted Fraser as the monster and horrific WWI scenes into the present 1950s action, we're presented with a complexly injured artist railing against the injustices of his life in its final days.
This 'what if' scenario that leads up to Whale's real death (he was found dead in his swimming pool) is an inspired bit of imagination. The openly gay McKellan gives a bravura performance as the retired director whose failing health makes him want to justify his life. His disappointments spill over to the present day, when, invited to a reception for Princess Margaret, he's first mistaken for Cecil Beaton, then learns his invite was rigged by a geeky film student who wanted to reunite him with Boris Karloff and Elsa Lanchester. Brendan Fraser is believable as Clay, a simple man whose humanity allows him to befriend Whale as he furiously rejects Whale's homosexuality. He bristles when Whale reminisces about all male nude swimming parties, but is moved when he recounts the tragic death of his young male lover during WWI. Lynn Redgrave is sharply funny as Hannah, the German housekeeper who frets over Whale but prays for the forgiveness of his 'perversity'. McKellan and Redgrave give two of the most memorable performances of the year.
Technically the film belies its indie roots. The film has a colorful California feel which is jarringly broken up with startling images of war, "Frankenstein" footage, and Fraser traversing fantasy landscapes.
The film neatly dovetails Whale's fate with his most famous monster's, as Clay is gifted with the old man's only pre-production sketch of Frankenstein which he has simply signed 'Friend?'. "Gods and Monsters" is a moving movie experience.
Documentary filmmaker Bennett Miller has come up with an original idea about a truly unique individual, Timothy "Speed" Levitch, in "The Cruise." Speed is a modern day prince of New York City, a homeless man who has the unusual career of tour bus announcer in the Big Apple. Following the scholar of all things New York, Miller keeps the camera on Speed as he expounds upon his love for and symbiosis with the city, talking like a man discussing his lover. All of this philosophizing is tempered with Speed's bus tour commentary, expounding on the city's literary figures, history and architecture.
Miller selected a fascinating subject in Speed Levitch. The nasal voiced, stringy-haired, skinny philosopher is a real-life one-man show with a tremendous knowledge of, and passion for, his city. He tells his passengers, in rapid fire commentary, about what literati lived, loved and died where on Manhattan, the history and qualities of the architecture unique to the city, and of life itself.
One-man-production-team Miller has a good eye for composing his subject and keeping the pace fast, bringing the film in under 80 minutes run-time and filling that time brightly. He is also a low-rent Gordon Willis cinematographer for Woody Allen's "Manhattan") in his photographic style, capturing Manhattan in a way that brings out the dynamics of what some consider the best city in the world.
The off-beat nature of "The Cruise" and its wacky, one-of-a-kind subject make it a treat for the fans of documentary films. Speed's love for New York is a palpable thing and it rings loud under the deft hand of Miller. The popularity of the film at the 1998 Sundance Festival, and its good quality, should propel both Miller and Speed to national attention, if not fame.
I give "The Cruise" a B.
When Angus and Dorian Lever's manipulative mom requests her boys give her cheating husband a good scare, their pursuit of him with an attack copter brings about his heart failure. Momma's boy Angus (Jake Busey) is concerned about the radio frequency crossover during the attack, so enlists Dorian (Luke Wilson) to take a job at the Burger-Matic where the young, single, very pregnant Sally (Drew Barrymore) mans the takeout window wearing a headset. Dorian falls for Sally only to discover that she's carrying his deceased stepdad's child and is now the new target of his own family in "Home Fries."
"Home Fries" is a black romantic comedy that doesn't execute its own good ideas strongly enough. What results is a vaguely sweet, somewhat quirky movie carried by little else than the charisma of its stars.
Drew Barrymore is at her sunniest as Sally, beloved by everyone who meets her. ('Hey, darlin'!' her boss cries when she arrives at work.) Luke Wilson, Barrymore's real life love, is a sweet natured innocent confusedly bumbling through a life made weird by his immediate family. Jake Busey is a madman whose fixation with his mother borders on incestuous and who will stop at nothing in his attempts to please her. Catherine O'Hara is a twisted individual who pulls her sons' strings while maintaining surface normality. The film also features a rare screen appearance by Shelley Duvall as Sally's mom.
Vince Gilligan's script has the right elements, but debuting feature film director Dean Parisot plays them too lightly. When the comedy should be biting, it's just too good natured. He does place his camera well, however, with an establishing shot of Sally accentuating her pregnancy from directly overhead or an incredibly (some might say insufferably) cute tight shot of her wearing a copter pilot helmet that covers half her face. The opening attack sequence at night is eerily effective. Also noteworthy is the score by Rachel Portman which is at turns Beetlejuicesque and romantically melancholy. An offbeat selection of songs include "Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries" and "Macarena."
"Home Fries" probably won't last long at theaters during a crowded holiday season, but it's worth a look on video.
First-time director Dean Parisot makes an ambitious, if not entirely successful, premier effort in bringing the screenplay by "The X-Files" producer/writer Vince Gilligan to the screen. "Home Fries," starring Drew Barrymore and Luke Wilson ("Bottle Rocket"), is a multi-threaded story of murder, mayhem, love, pregnancy, helicopters, fast food, jealousy, vengeance, stalking and more. Parisot bit off more than he could capably chew in trying to tie all these quirky elements together into a coherent, evenly balanced work. A more experienced hand (say, Parisot in a few years) may have been able to keep all the balls in the air as the myriad stories are juggled around.
Drew Barrymore, as almost-white-trash and very pregnant Sally Jackson, is Kewpie doll cute in both her looks and demeanor. Sally is a warm, charming and loving young lady who is ready and willing to admit to her mistakes and rolls up her sleeves to do the right thing for herself and her baby. Even as an illegitimately pregnant, minimum-wage-earning soon-to-be-a-single mother, Barrymore comes across as a good, caring person and strong role model for her responsibilty.
Costar Wilson (Barrymore's real-life main squeeze), as Dorian, is a nice bookend for Sally. There is an aw-sucks kind of chemistry between the two that allows the romance between them to segue into a nice, if predictable, happy ending. Dorian is befuddled (not stupid) by his mixed loyalties to his manipulative mother (Catherine O'Hara, "Waiting For Guffman") and crazy brother, Angus (Jake Busey, "Enemy of the State"), and his budding new love for Sally.
O'Hara, as the possessive, manipulative, conniving Mrs. Lever, the mom-from-hell to Dorian and Angus, gives a nuanced comic performance as a woman more concerned with her now-late husband's infidelity than his death. Busey's Angus is devoted to his mom and is more than willing to do her twisted bidding, right down to frightening his cheating step-father to death or hunting down the man's mistress (Sally) with a fully load Cobra attack helicopter. Shelley Duvall, as Sally's big-hearted, loving mom, gives a perfect spin on a little role.
The screenplay, by Gilligan, is a clever combination of black comedy, shock and romance that rolls along well. Setting the film in a small town dominated by a cigarette company offers some of the many little offbeat moments in the film. A more even handling of all the story threads would have made "Home Fries" a better picture.
Cinematography is straightforward throughout and has a few moments of visual brilliance - one scene, in particular has Angus, with an unwilling Dorian, stalking their philandering step-father at night with an attack 'copter. It has a striking look and is an exciting scene, technically. Other tech credits are solid.
"Home Fries" is a nice little film that tries to be an edgy black comedy and a light romance. It's a hard combo for a successful film. There's a lot of spirit in it, though, and I give it a hearty C+.
Woody Allen's New York set "Celebrity" uses the worlds of filmmaking, book publishing, fashion and television as a backdrop for the romantic misadventures of Lee Simon (Kenneth Branagh), a recently divorced writer who can't decide whether to be a journalist, screenwriter or novelist. Every woman he encounters looks better to him than the one he's currently with, ensuring that his love life is as hopeless a fiasco as his career. His devastated ex-wife Robin (Judy Davis), who frequently encounters her ex amidst glitzy New York happenings, contrastedly finds her career successfully propelled into an area she never would have had confidence in if it weren't for the support of her new lover Tony (Joe Mantegna), a television producer.
One would think that a film based on the notion that 'who we celebrate tells us about ourselves,' as Judy Davis' character states, would be rife for the wit of Woody Allen, who's suffered his own fair share of celebrity. His "Celebrity," however is a shallow, crashing bore.
Kenneth Branaugh, misguidedly aping Allen's neurotic twitchings and vocal inflections, plays a man who immediately always wants another woman once he gets the one he covets. That he ends up hooked on Nola (Winona Ryder), a female version of himself, is one of the film's few satisfactions. The wife he's dumped at the film's beginning evolves into the most interesting character in this ensemble.
Robin (Judy Davis) blossoms under the attentions of TV producer Tony Gardella (Joe Mantegna), a truly nice guy who builds her self confidence. Robin leaves behind her mousy schoolteacher days and becomes a Helen-Mirren-chic TV celebrity interviewer. 'I've become the type of woman I used to hate and now I'm happy!' she declares in wonder. She's so distrustworthy of her own good fortune, she almost destroys it. This couple is the only thing worth routing for in the film.
Leonardo Dicaprio is fun as the spoiled young movie star, Brandon Darrow, who trashes hotel rooms Johnny Depp style. His every whim is attended to as he floats through an empty existence. Melanie Griffith is believable as another movie star who believes she remains faithful to her husband if she only cheats from the waist up. Charlize Theron is a blank slate as a supermodel. Famke Janssen is drab as Simon's publisher. Bebe Neuwirth is dull as a hooker Robin turns to for boudoire advice.
Sven Nykvist's black and white cinematography is striking, yet Allen's beloved New York City is used to the least effect of any of his films. The laughs to be had with "Celebrity" can be counted on one hand. Allen dips into his religious well by sending Robin to a Catholic retreat where nuns become giddy when a television priest visits. Funnier is the casting of Dylan Baker as a priest so soon after his pedophile turn in "Happiness." Tony bemoans the fact that he and Robin went to the West Coast to interview Charlie Manson and he forgot to get his autograph for his nephew.
It would seem that Allen's lead character Lee Simon's resorting to writing puff pieces while riding out writer's block on his novel is an analogy for Allen's film.
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Hi Steve,
1a) For the core book, it seems like your answer here implies that a character can "maintain" a Concentration(Lasting) or Sustained (Lasting) power with the appropriate action and/or concentration check despite having switched said power out for a different Alternate Power in an Array. Do I have this correct?
1b) Side note for clarity: I put quote marks around "maintain" because Sustained Lasting powers in core (and UP) do not stop working entirely just because you aren't "maintaining" them. Concentration(Lasting) Duration powers in core stop working entirely if you don't maintain them, though this is different in Ultimate Power. I presume I have all of this correct.
2) In Ultimate Power, is the answer the same as in 1a)?
Array Switching and maintaining Lasting effects
Ask M&M 2e rules questions that your fellow gamers can't answer. Only Mutants & Masterminds Line Developer (and creator) Steve Kenson can post replies. He visits the boards in between projects and convention appearances so please be patient!
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The Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers have traveled an arduous path to Super Bowl XLVII.
The Ravens, who are chasing the second Super Bowl title in franchise history, battled through a spate of defensive injuries while the offense forged an explosive identity under new coordinator Jim Caldwell. Eventually, Baltimore emerged as the AFC's premier team.
The 49ers will be making their sixth Super Bowl appearance after dealing with the growing pains of a second-year quarterback who was thrust into action in the middle of the season. Switching from Alex Smith to Colin Kaepernick could have ruined the team's chemistry and offensive continuity down the stretch, but to their credit, the Niners' locker room didn't seem to be adversely affected. Kaepernick, meanwhile, has made them nearly unstoppable.
We have slightly less than two weeks to scrutinize and analyze every aspect of each squad. Here's an initial preview of what it will take for the Ravens or 49ers to win the elusive brass ring on Feb. 3:
The Ravens win if ...
Joe Flacco continues to play like an all-star. The oft-criticized fifth-year pro has been sensational this postseason, compiling a passer rating of 114.7 and completing 54.8 percent of his passes with eight touchdowns and zero interceptions. Most impressively, Flacco has averaged 9.2 yards per attempt, showing the full array of skills from the pocket.
Part of Flacco's success has certainly stemmed from Caldwell's superb ability to craft a plan that accentuates the quarterback's strengths as a deep-ball passer. The Ravens have used the entire route tree to create big-play opportunities, from tossing sideline bombs to Torrey Smith on go-routes to going to Anquan Boldin and Dennis Pitta on a variety of square-ins and shallow crossers. The clever utilization of the no-huddle offense, meanwhile, has simplified the game for Flacco while producing a better rhythm and tempo. Consequently, the Ravens have blown through the playoffs behind an offense that is far more explosive and diverse than the regular-season version.
Flacco will need to be at his best to move the ball against a talented 49ers defense that throttles opponents with its collective speed, quickness and physicality. Flacco must pepper San Francisco with a variety of short and intermediate passes before taking a few vertical shots to Smith on the outside against Tarell Brown or Chris Culliver. If Flacco can maintain his poise and patience within the pocket, he could make enough plays to deliver the Lombardi Trophy to Baltimore.
The 49ers win if ...
The offense can befuddle the Ravens with a combination of the zone-read and the vertical play-action passing game from the pistol formation. Kaepernick has executed the clever package masterfully since his insertion as the starter in Week 11, scaring opponents to death with his running abilities while also displaying pinpoint passing skills from the pocket. As a result, defenses have been unable to get a bead on the 49ers' offense, making the unit far more explosive and productive in the postseason.
Increased utilization of the zone-read has obviously been a major factor in San Francisco's success since Kaepernick took over. The concept puts the onus on the quarterback to read a designated defender along the front seven, then decide whether to give the ball to the running back or keep it and take off. The 49ers have implemented the concept -- which Kaepernick ran to perfection during his time at Nevada -- to make the second-year playmaker comfortable and add diversity to their power-running attack. This has enabled San Francisco to pummel opponents with a slew of runs between the tackles, complemented by an occasional outside run by Kaepernick, to exploit overaggressive defenders. When operated in rhythm, the combination can produce the kinds of big plays that break open close games.
The 49ers have also featured a series of play-action passes from the pistol formation to take advantage of one-on-one coverage on the perimeter. Michael Crabtree, Randy Moss and Vernon Davis have shown they can defeat such coverage, and the hard play-action fakes off zone-read plays have created big-gain opportunities down the field. Crabtree, Moss and Davis have consistently been able to run free through the secondary for gains of 20 yards or more.
The 49ers will utilize a combination of zone-read running and play-action passing against a Ravens defense that struggled to contain a similar offensive attack run by Robert Griffin III and the Washington Redskins in Week 14. With two weeks to copy some of the concepts that worked for the Redskins in that game, the 49ers should put together a plan that's chock full of zone-read runs and passes that can keep the Ravens in a state of confusion. If Kaepernick can simply execute without hesitation, the 49ers' new-aged offense could help Jim Harbaugh secure the franchise's sixth Super Bowl title.
Follow Bucky Brooks on Twitter @BuckyBrooks


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Officials reported a total of 29 arrests for day two of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. The majority of the arrests were alcohol related, officials said.
The day was marked by strong winds, but officials said traffic still flowed smoothly and there were no major incidents. The strong winds died down early Sunday morning.
Sunday is expected to be clear with a high of 91 degrees and a low of 65 degrees.


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Nearly a month after it was first reported the Seattle Seahawks cornerbacks Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner were facing four-game suspensions for a violation of the league's performance-enhancing drug policy, Sherman's appeal has finally been scheduled.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Sherman's hearing is expected to take place this Friday. Browner is already serving his suspension after dropping his appeal two weeks ago. Sherman's appeal had initially been scheduled for last Friday, Dec. 14, before being pushed back an extra week.
Sherman has maintained his innocence throughout the appeals process. Sherman reportedly has tested positive for amphetamines with Adderall being the supposed culprit.
It's unlikely a ruling on the appeal would be levied before the Seahawks take on the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night making Sherman still eligible to play. If he is suspended after this weekend, Sherman will miss the team's final regular season game against the St. Louis Rams and up to three games in the playoffs.
With the Seahawks looking likely to earn the 5-seed in the NFC, he could be eligible to return for the Super Bowl. If Seattle doesn't advance that far, any remaining games would carry over to the start of the 2013 season. If Seattle somehow ended up as the 2-seed (which is a very remote possibility), he would be gone for the entire postseason.
Browner has already served two games of his suspension and will be eligible to return for the playoffs. Rookie safety Winston Guy just completed a four-game suspension for a PED violation and has been reinstated by the team. The league has granted a one week roster exemption for Guy allowing him to return to practice. Seattle will have to activate him to the 53-man roster by next Monday.


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Deep sea coral. White Lophelia pertusa coral and lollipop sponges.
Image ID: expn1193, Voyage To Inner Space - Exploring the Seas With NOAA Collect
Photo Date: 2008 September 29 1658
Credit: Lophelia II 2008: Deepwater Coral Expedition: Reefs, Rigs, and Wrecks
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MLB Apparel and MLB Merchandise
The MLB Store at shop.foxsports.com has our bases loaded with MLB Apparel to show your team spirit in the Postseason. Catch vintage styles in our MLB Cooperstown Collection, or go classic with MLB jerseys and baseball hats.
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Welcome! – to the 52nd World Coal Carrying Championships – Easter Monday 6th April 2015 and the 141st Gawthorpe Maypole Feast & Procession – Saturday 2nd May 2015
Hello and welcome to Gawthorpe Maypole site, the home of the Gawthorpe Maypole Procession and World Coal Carrying Championships. Gawthorpe is situated just off the A638 approximately halfway between Junction 40 of the M1 and Dewsbury. It not only holds its annual Mayday celebrations on the first Saturday in May, it also hosts the World Coal Carrying Championships every Easter Monday.
The Coal Carrying Championships are recognised by The Guinness Book of Records and currently sponsored by Eric F Box Funeral Directors Limited.
Latest News…
The Coal Race is now a registered group on Facebook where you can find the latest information on all our events. Just click on the 'f' below and it will take you straight to our site!
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Red Ruffed Lemur
Order: Primates – Monkeys, Apes, Gorillas, Humans
Family: Lemuridae - Lemurs
Scientific name: Varecia variegata rubra
Description: The Red Ruffed Lemur is an arboreal (tree dwelling) primate that can grow to be 3.5 feet long from its head to the end of its tail. The tail alone can account for almost 2 feet of this total length and is used for balance when jumping from branch to branch through the trees. They are the largest member of the Lemuridae family and are called "ruffed" lemurs due to the tufts of long, thick fur on their ears. They have soft fur that is mostly reddish-brown in color with a black face, feet, tail, and belly. They usually have a white patch of fur on the nape of their neck and can weigh anywhere between 7-10 lbs. Their snout is elongated and gives them a fox-like appearance.
Home Range: Island of Madagascar, specifically the Masoala Peninsula in northeastern Madagascar
Habitat type: Tropical rainforests
Reproductive habits: The breeding season occurs from May through July in the wild, with the female in estrus for only a few days during this time, and only fertile one day during estrus. After a gestation period of 90-102 days, the female will produce a litter of 2-6 newborns, with 2-3 being the average. Ruffed lemurs are the only primate that can produce a litter of offspring instead of only a single newborn or twins. They even have six mammae to allow for feeding of all of the young. When born, the Red Ruffed Lemur will have its eyes open and be fully furred, but will not have enough strength to cling to its mother. Because of this, the mother will pick the newborn up and place it in a nest of branches and leaves that she constructed prior to the birth. Often she will pad these nests with fur picked from her own body. The mother may construct several of these nests and move the developing young around to various locations while she is foraging. By the time the young reach 7 weeks of age, they are capable of following the mother around the treetops. Weaning occurs around 4 months, and sexual maturity is reached at about 2 years, but the females do not reproduce until they are about 3 years of age.
Diet in Wild: Ruffed lemurs are completely herbivorous and have a diet consisting of fruits, nectar, seeds, leaves, and flowers.
Diet in Zoo: Zupreem Primate diet, leafeater biscuits, a variety of available seasonal mixed fruit or vegetables.
General Info: The Red Ruffed Lemur has little dexterity in their hands, so they are unable to groom themselves or each other by picking out parasites with their fingers like apes and monkeys do. Instead, they have a row of six teeth on the bottom of their mouth that are called a "toothcomb" that they use to remove parasites. They also have a specialized claw on the second digit of their hind feet that they use to brush their long fur.
These lemurs have a very loud warning system. When a predator is nearby, they use an elaborate series of barks and calls to alert other lemurs in the area to the threat. These newly alerted lemurs will then take up the warning call as well until all those in the area are aware of the danger. The warning call will actually vary depending on whether the threat is on the ground, in the air, or in a tree.
Like most primates, the Red Ruffed Lemurs have a complicated social system. Most social groups consist of 2-5 individuals but some groups have been known to have up to 30 members. The females are always dominant and rank higher in social status than the males.
Red Ruffed Lemurs have an excellent sense of smell and rely heavily on scent as a way to identify group members and mark territories. They have scent glands located on their wrists and on their bottoms that aid in this process.
Predators: Boa constrictors, eagles, hawks, and large mammals
Conservation Status: Listed on Appendix I of CITES and Endangered under Red List. Species Survival Plan (SSP) managed by AZA.
Animal Info Ruffed Lemur, Accessed May 8, 2008
Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. Vol 14. Second Edition. 2004. The Gale Group, Inc., Farmington Hills, MI. pp. 47-52, 58-59.


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Unfinished index
The Unfinished index is an unfinished glossary-index of place-names occurring in The Lord of the Rings.[1] Several quotes from the manuscript were included in The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion.[note 1]
The manuscript, written by J.R.R. Tolkien and edited by Nancy Smith, is entitled Index questions. The manuscript was sold by Christie's in 2002, and a description was featured in the catalogue Christie's Fine Printed Books and Manuscripts 24 May 2002.[2]
According to Patrick H. Wynne, the unfinished index was used by Christopher Tolkien for compiling many of the glosses appearing in the indexes to The Silmarillion and the Unfinished Tales.[3]
From Christie's
TOLKIEN, John Ronald Reuel (1892-1973). Manuscript notes signed ("J.R.R. Tolkien" on page 3, and initial-signed at end), comprising detailed instructions for the index to The Lord of the Rings. 12 March 1958. 4 pages, 4to. With a typed questionnaire headed "Index questions," from Smith annotated by Tolkien in red, 2 pages, 4to.
Following publication of the final volume of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, demand grew among readers for an index to the monumental work and the publisher, George Allen & Unwin Ltd., eventually complied to these requests only after Tolkien himself sought an index for his own use. The managing director of the firm, Rayner S. Unwin offered the assignment to Mrs. Nancy Smith, an editor and family friend. Her husband, Bernard S. Smith, was a British foreign service officer who shared rooms at Oxford with Christopher Tolkien and Rayner Unwin.
Preparation of the index engendered some correspondence between Smith and Tolkien, who wanted the material to be divided into three parts: Persons, Places, and Things. Smith began the index in January of 1958, and it took four months to completion. The finished result, a carbon copy of which accompanies this lot, filled 84 single-spaced typed pages. Mrs. Smith was paid the standard rate of £5 per volume for her work.
Smith sent a two-page typed list of "Index questions," to Tolkien at the early stages of the project. He began annotating the margins in reply to the eight questions posed by Smith, but ended up writing out a four-page outline carefully defining his specific requirements for the index with numerous examples.
"The index is intended primarily for my personal use. I hope to prepare from it some sort of glossary/index such as readers' letters suggest is most desired. But its immediate uses will be: (a) correction (where needed of inconsistencies, in spelling or use, or errors in the present text; and (b) co-ordination of the nomenclature of The Lord of the Rings with other work."
He concludes, "I hope these notes on the queries will be useful. In any points where the compiler is in doubt a (?) query will really be sufficient, as it will warn me that there is an unclarity or doubt, which I can then consider." The index first appeared in published editions of the trilogy in 1962, and has continued to been included at the end of the final volume of subsequent editions of the trilogy to present.
See also
External links
- ↑ Hammond and Scull has noted all occurrences of citations from the Unfinished index in their own Index (cf. pp. 863-4).
- ↑ Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, Preface, p. xv
- ↑ Sale 1083/Lot 409 at Christies.com (accessed 24 June 2011)
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, "Eldarin Hands, Fingers & Numerals and Related Writings — Part Two" (edited by Patrick H. Wynne), in Vinyar Tengwar, Number 48, December 2005, p. 33 (note 22)


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It was Christmastime in 2012 when Jason Takaki decided to take the five pounds of peppers he had in the freezer and cook up a big batch of the green chile for gifts.
For Takaki, a fourth-generation Coloradan, the chile was a natural, since he'd grown up in Pueblo where green chile rules. As he got ready to cook, though, he thought of another green chile that spoke to his heritage — a sauce that was once ubiquitous in the Japanese community in those parts, a group of immigrants who settled in Colorado at the turn of the last century to farm in the San Luis Valley, as well as farther north.
The sauce was a clever adaptation for immigrants so far away from their own country and the ingredients that were a staple of their diet. It was a type of tsukudani, a dish in which various ingredients are simmered in soy sauce. A common tsukudani is made witht the seaweed kombu, which is left over after making the Japanese broth called dashi. The soy-flavored seaweed is often served over rice as a flavorful condiment. But Takaki's ancestors, like other Japanese immigrants in landlocked Colorado had no access to seaweed. So they turned to a local product that was local, plentiful and cheap: green chiles.
These peppers were combined with soy sauce and sugar to produce a condiment that resembled the seaweed in appearance and texture, if not in flavor. It had a kick to it, as anyone who has ever broken a sweat over a bowl of the green stuff knows.
Every family had its own version, Takaki says. Some were thick and spreadable with a knife. Others were more soupy. His family's was chunky. After calling his sister to confirm the basic ratios, he set to work and bottled up his sauce to take to friends.
One of those was also his business associate, Kei Izawa. He and Takaki, a lawyer in Denver, had created a company that shipped agave to Japan, opening the market for the sweetener there. They had decided they wanted to develop a food product for the U.S. market, but they couldn't come up with the right concept.
They considered a teriyaki sauce sweetened with agave but decided it was too hard to differentiate a teriyaki sauce. A sesame oil-based salad dressing, which they also considered, had the same problem.
"(We wanted) to come up with something totally unique. We didn't see it," says Kei, who was raised in South America, and educated in Japan and the United States. Kei, who had been an executive at General Motors, came to Boulder seeking a more balanced life with less stress. He now writes in Japanese for various publications on health and sustainability, as well as pursuing his business ventures.
While Takaki might have connected the dots on some subconscious level as he stirred the family sauce, he wasn't thinking about their business dilemma when he gave Izawa the bottle filled with the soy sauce and green chile that meant so much to Takaki's ancestors.
Izawa, however, saw the potential.
"He brings it. It looked very nice," he says. "My wife and I finished the jar.
"I said, 'Jason, this is it!' "
The two went to work on the product. With their experience in agave, they decided to tweak the recipe to use agave rather than sugar. Similarly, Izawa, with his connection to health and sustainability issues, suggested that they make the sauce gluten free by using a wheat-free tamari, get it non-GMO certified and use organic and natural ingredients.
But as many food entrepreneurs have discovered, the journey from idea to product on the grocer's shelf often contains some obstacles. The first problem was that the recipe was difficult to scale up, partly due to inconsistencies with the chiles themselves. They began working with a small Colorado Springs co-packer, and Takaki also spent about a month tasting the many iterations of the sauce, looking to capture the essence of the condiment that generations of his family had used to flavor their rice.
They also worked on the label and came up with the name Karami, which is a combination of the words karei, which means spicy or hot and mi, which means beautiful.
Beatiful heat.
However, they still weren't sure exactly what the product was. A condiment like mustard or ketchup? Maybe a sauce?
It was the co-packer who nailed that down.
"It's a salsa," he told them.
In the beginning, they toyed with making a hot and mild version, but reducing the heat emphasized the sweet, making the sauce "cloying," according to Izawa. So, they opted to stick with the hot version.
However, it's not like a hot green chile that makes steam come out of your ears, at least metaphorically.
Instead, the flavor profile is nuanced, Takaki says.
He describes the taste experience like this:
"You're starting with the sweet, then a little saltiness from the tamari. Then there's a great kick on the back end from the green chile."
The salsa's versatility is evidenced by two local menus on which it makes an appearance. It garnishes a roll at Sushi Zanmai in Boulder that's made with yellowtail, avocado and mango.
"It's really good. We could almost just sell it on a bowl of rice," says Kyosuke Yamazaki, one of the restaurant's sushi chefs.
The salsa also adorns a barbecued pork and candied bacon sandwich at Miller's Grille in Lafayette.
Rich Womack, who took over the place two years ago and in September converted it to a barbecue, burger and beer place, began putting it on his pulled pork sandwich, the Hawkeye, after his pit master sang its praises.
"It's very smooth," he says. "The sweetness in it rounds out the green chile."
Then there's the soy, which adds more flavor, he says.
In addition to the restaurant venues, the salsa is available at Alfalfa's and Lucky's markets
When Takaki and Izawa approached Alfalfa's Market about carrying the product, store director Dale Kamibayashi was on board right away.
"I really liked the way it was put together," he says. "The (flavor) profile of the heat, the sweet and how adaptable it was to different applications. We even use it in the prepared foods area in various dishes."
Kamibayashi, whose family is also descended farmers who emigrated from Japan, liked the story of the product, too.
"How Japanese-Americans really adapted to the resources available," he says. Kamibayashi has a darker story of adaptation from the history of his own family, who were interned in World War II, as was Takaki's family on his mother's side.
Growing up, Kamibayashi wondered why his family ate cut-up hot dogs sauteed in teriyaki sauce. He came to find out that it was because his family was given hot dogs and Spam to eat at the internment camp. Kamibayashi's dad, who enlisted in the U.S. Army to fight in World War II and served on the front lines in Italy with the all-Japanese 442nd Infantry, had developed a taste for the way his mother added a Japanese twist to the cheap meats. Takaki's grandfather also served in Europe with General George Patton's Third Army.
Tataki and Izawa plan to let their company grow slowly so they can keep strict control of the salsa's quality.
Izawa describes its flavor as being full of umami, the so-called fifth taste recognized in Japan as a flavor that is round, savory and complete.
But it's also a flavor of a particular time and place.
"Boulder umami," Izawa says.
Contact Camera Staff Writer Cindy Sutter at 303-473-1335 or email@example.com


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Policies for Growth E-learning Course - Apply by September 17, 2010
What? E-learning course on
"Policies for Growth [1]"
When? October 1-31, 2010
How to Apply? Please follow this link [2]
Tentative Agenda [3]
The story of growth and poverty reduction is much debated in an ever-changing world. The challenge in the 1960s was how to lift low-income countries from a low-growth trap to a reasonably high-growth path. Fifty years later we have many fast-growing emerging economies but also over a hundred countries unable to move away from low-growth and high-poverty traps.
Between 1960 and 2010, 3 major shifts impacted how we think about growth and poverty. These big shifts were from state-directed 'commanding heights' to market-driven approach, from structural issues of deregulation, liberalization and privatization to sectoral sources of growth, particularly agriculture and financial services, and from macroeconomic to microeconomic (and now macro-micro) approaches to growth. Somewhere along these shifts, there was a recognition that poverty reduction is a goal in itself and does not have to depend on how fast or slow a country is growing. The new wave of globalization that has swept the world during the past two decades has aided growth and poverty reduction in the developing world but the ongoing global economic crisis threatens to undo all those gains and much more.
For policy makers, practitioners and students who want to learn more about growth and poverty reduction in development economics today, the World Bank Institute [4] is offering an e-learning course on Policies for Growth.
The application deadline is September 17, 2010. Please note that a nominal fee of $250 will be assessed for accepted participants.


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Author Notes: While I was studying at Le Cordon Bleu in London (too many years ago now to admit), I lived in a flat near Hammersmith with two charming Brits, both named William. Will #1 and I have connections that run deep: our grandparents were friends, as are our parents, and now the two of us. While both Williams were equally happy to devour the results of my daily practicals at Le Cordon Bleu, Will #1 shared my interest in cooking and would occasionally make supper for the three of us, much to my delight.
His meals typically consisted of simpler fare, like fat, juicy sausages roasted right in the pan with root vegetables, but every once in while he'd whip up his piece de resistance: Portobello mushroom caps topped with a rich, savory mixture of cream cheese, herbs, caramelized shallots and bacon, and then roasted. I can't remember where he got his inspiration, but it doesn't really matter. In my house, as well as in my parents' (for whom he made these seductive mushrooms on a visit to the U.S. a few years ago), they're simply called "Will's Mushrooms."
The following recipe is my best effort at replicating Will's mushrooms. They're easy to make, but quite rich. You'll want to serve one in place of a piece of meat or fish, perhaps accompanied by a green salad and a glass of wine. —Merrill Stubbs
Serves: 4 as a main course
large, beautiful Portobello mushroom caps
slices bacon, diced
large shallot, chopped
cup softened cream cheese
cup crème fraîche (surprise, surprise!)
tablespoons freshly grated parmesan
teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
Freshly ground pepper to taste
- Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Using a damp towel, gently wipe the mushroom caps clean. Arrange them with their gills down on an ovenproof rack set on top of a rimmed baking sheet. Bake the mushrooms for about 15 minutes, until they start to shrink and become tender, releasing a good amount of liquid onto the baking sheet below. Carefully remove the mushrooms from the oven and pour off the liquid, wiping the baking sheet dry. Flip the mushroom caps over and arrange them on the baking sheet again. Turn the oven up to 475 degrees.
- Put the bacon in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the bacon has rendered most of its fat and starts to become crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the shallot and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the shallot is translucent and lightly caramelized, another 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon and shallots to a medium bowl, discarding the bacon fat in the pan.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl and stir gently to combine. (You probably won't want to add any salt, but now's the time to taste just in case.) Top each mushroom cap with about a quarter of the mixture, smoothing it so that it almost reaches the edges. Return the mushrooms to the oven and bake until the cheese starts to brown and bubble, 10 to 15 minutes. Let the mushrooms cool for a few minutes before serving.
- This recipe is a Community Pick!


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Your Excellency:We are writing to express our grave concern at the detention of our esteemed fellow journalist Maziar Bahari and to request his immediate release. Mr. Bahari has been detained since June 21. No charges have been brought against him, and he has not been granted access to a lawyer. As one of the most impartial and committed journalists in his field, he has reported regularly over the past decade from the Middle East, principally from
We request that he be immediately released from custody and be allowed to
resume his work. As a journalist, he was engaged in fulfilling his professional
duties, reporting on critical events following the elections. At a minimum, he
is entitled to the full protection of the laws of
As leading international journalists and editors who wish to ensure that our fellow professionals are permitted to do their work safely and freely, we ask you to consider this petition and return Mr. Bahari to his family, friends, and colleagues without further delay.
Abdulrahman Al-Rashed, Al-Arabiya
Mansoor Al-Jamri,
Walid Al-Omari, Al-Jazeera
Christiane Amanpour, CNN
Jamal Amer,
Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker
Ali Anouzla, Al-
Sally Armstrong, Maclean's,
Abdul Bari Atwan, Al-Quds Al-Arabi
Omar Belhouchet,
Ahmed Reda Benchemsi, TelQuel
Sihem Bensedrine,
Mehmet Ali Birand, CNN TURK
Taoufik Bouachrine, Akhbar
Tony Burman, Al-Jazeera English
Ian Buruma,
Carlos Fernando Chamorro, Confidencial,
Ying Chan,
Noam Chomsky,
Daniel Coronell,
Marites Danguilan Vitug, Newsbreak,
Nicholas Dawes, Mail
and Guardian,
Redi Direko, Radio 702,
Ibrahim Eissa,
Lucio Flavio Pinto,
Tom Friedman, The New York Times
Sami Ghaleb,
Murtada Ghali,
Hussein Abdel Ghani, Al-Jazeera
Mónica Gonzalez, CIPER,
Alma Guillermoprieto,
Lotfi Hajji, Al-Jazeera
Brian Hungwe,
Boubakir Jamai,
Josef Joffe, Die
Hisham Kassem, EOHR,
Rachid Khechana,
Elias Khoury,
Kyung-Ho Kim, Journalists Association of
Sami Kohen,
Mohamed Krichene, Al-Jazeera
Daoud Kuttab,
Andrei Lipsky,
Amadou Mahtar Ba, All
Peter Mansbridge, CBC,
Daniele Mastrogiacomo, La
Veran Matic, B92,
Wilf Mbanga, The Zimbabwean
Adam Michnik,
John Micklethwait, The Economist
Roula Mikkaeil,
Javier Moreno, El País
Caroline Mutoko, Kiss FM,
Adela Navarro Bello,
Fintan O'Toole, Irish Times
Carol Off, CBC,
Teodoro Petkoff, Tal
Alan Philps,
Cristian Tudor, Popescu,
Vladimir Pozner, Independent Journalist,
Antonia Rados, RTL
Sergio Ramírez,
Ahmed Rashid,
Neziha Rejiba,
Lloyd Robertson, CTV
Fernando Rodrigues, Folha
de S. Paulo,
Pierre Rousselin, Le Figaro
Fabrice Rousselot, Libération
Mahjoub Mohamed Saleh,
Daniel Santoro,
Enrique Santos,
Fernando Savater,
Roberto Saviano,
Khaled Sergany,
Najam Sethi, Daily
Sabam Siagian,
Sigrun Slapgard, Norwegian Broadcasting Organisation
Jon Snow, Channel 4,
John Stackhouse, The Globe
Paul Steiger,
Tarun Tejpal,
Franco Venturini, Corriere
della Sera,
Horacio Verbitsky, Página/12,
Lal Wickrematunge, Sunday
Fareed Zakaria, Newsweek


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Rocking your Ole Miss pride from head to toe is something you take very seriously. Having limited footwear options in the past, you'd have to paint your shoes in team colors to stay true to your commitment. Now you can wear these Rebels Wrapped flip flops. With team colors and printed Ole Miss logos on the soles, these flip flops are the perfect way to show your team spirit during warmer game days.
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We value the relationships we have cultivated with our clients as a result of our approach of having at least one partner and experienced associate fully familiar with each client engagement. Because a knowledgeable attorney is always accessible, the client is kept abreast of the issues and all matters are handled efficiently through completion. These are the cornerstones of our success that have resulted in client loyalty and referrals.
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The Cass campus tour - Calcutta House
London Metropolitan University Admissions
Wednesday, 27 June 2018 at 18:00 (BST)
Want to study a subject where you can create, explore and play? Why don't you join us on one of our tours of the Sir John Cass School of Art, Architecture and Design?
One of our student ambassadors will be your guide on this tour of The Cass.* It is your opportunity to experience, first hand, one of Europe's top 100 architecture and design schools (Domus magazine) that is currently located in the heart of London's creative community and is internationally recognised for its high quality teaching, excellent facilities and unique interdisciplinary opportunities.
During these campus tours, you'll get to see our excellent facilities including our wood and metal workshops, laboratories, TV and recording studios, editing suites, darkrooms.
Teaching at The Cass takes place in practitioner-led studios and units and is demanding, creative and challenging. Staff include Florian Beigel, Mark Brearley, Assa Ashuach, Mah Rana, Bruce Ingham, Patrick Brill (Bob and Roberta Smith) and Simone Ten Hompel.
Many of our students have exhibited at major international exhibitions and festivals and have won prestigious awards.
In addition to the campus tours we also have other open events running all year around in which you will have the opportunity to talk to our lectures and have a chat with our current students, find out more about the courses that interest you and get more information about funding your studies, accommodation and student support.
* Tours will leave from Calcutta House at the time stated. If you are unable to make the time, please book an alternative campus tour.
The London Met Admissions Office process student applications for all areas of the University and is the main point of contact for pre-application and applicant enquiries.
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In order to purchase these tickets in installments, you'll need an Eventbrite account. Log in or sign up for a free account to continue.


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Beyonce On The Today Show! (On Breaking Grammy Records, Jay-Z & More) [2-9-10]
Beyonce on the Today show February 2010 talks about Grammys, Acceptance speech about Jay-Z etc
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There's never a good time for injuries, but if a horse is going to get sick or hurt itself you'd prefer it happen now rather than later when all eyes are on the big races this fall and then the Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita Park.
Except for races like last weekend's Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs and the upcoming Gold Cup at Santa Anita next week, this is a down time for horse racing following the excitement of the Triple Crown series.
We'll get a treat on June 28 when the ultra-talented Untapable resurfaces for the first time since her powerful Kentucky Oaks victory to run in the Grade I Mother Goose Stakes at Belmont Park, but otherwise we're all looking forward to late summer and fall when the division championships will be decided.
Good thing, too, because the sport is currently minus four of its biggest stars, including two-time reigning Horse of the Year Wise Dan, Eclipse Award-winning Beholder, defending Breeders' Cup Classic champion Mucho Macho Man and the brilliant Lea, who ran the fastest 1 1/8 miles ever at Gulfstream Park while winning the Grade I Donn Handicap on Feb. 9.
All four are expected to return by fall at the latest when major Breeders' Cup prep races will be run. A quick look at each horse and what we can expect in the coming months:
•Wise Dan: This 7-year-old gelded son of Wiseman's Ferry gave us all a scare last month when he underwent emergency colic surgery, but luckily it wasn't life or even career-threatening and he's expected back in time for the Saratoga meet that begins July 18.
Trainer Charlie LoPresti told the media that Wise Dan surprisingly lost only 5-10 pounds following the procedure.
"That is totally amazing," LoPresti told The Blood-Horse. "I'd have thought this horse, what he's been through, he'd have lost 50 pounds."
Wise Dan started the season with two Grade I victories – the Maker's Mark Mile at Keeneland and the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic at Churchill Downs – before he was sidelined. He's won 12 of his past 13 races and his connections hope he can possibly return in time for the $500,000 Grade II Fourstardave Handicap on Aug. 9 or the $250,000 Grade II Bernard Baruch Handicap on Aug. 30.
•Beholder: The 4-year-old Henny Hughes filly, who dominated one of the most impressive Breeders' Cup Distaff fields ever assembled last fall at Santa Anita, suffered a cut on her left hind pastern during the Ogden Phipps Stakes on Belmont Stakes Day and is probably a no-go for the Del Mar meet that begins July 17.
"So far it looks like it's healing well," Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella said. "We've not had any infection, which is the important thing."
Mandella has the two-time Eclipse Award winner taking long walks to help with her recovery.
Sounds like a return in the Zenyatta Stakes during Santa Anita's fall meeting could be in the cards.
•Mucho Macho Man: We may not see the 6-year-old son of Macho Uno again until Santa Anita, where he could try to duplicate his 2013 victory in the Awesome Again Stakes en route to a return run in the Breeders' Cup Classic.
Mucho Macho Man, who began the year with a resounding victory in the Sunshine Millions Classic at Gulfstream Park in January, has been in light training in Florida since he was diagnosed with bruising of the hind ankles following his disappointing fourth-place finish in the Santa Anita Handicap.
"Our first priority is to do what's best for the horse," trainer Kathy Ritvo told the Daily Racing Form. "If he gets a clean bill of health at the end of July, he'll resume regular training, with the obvious goal to get him back to Santa Anita in top form to defend his title in the Breeders' Cup Classic."
•Lea: This speedster opened some eyes this winter at Gulfstream Park, winning the Donn Handicap in 1:46.86 with his front-running style after beginning the season with a victory in the Grade II Hal's Hope Stakes on Jan. 11.
The 5-year-old son of First Samurai was being pointed toward the $1.5 million Charles Town Classic in April when he came down with a viral infection and had to miss the race. His connections hope he can make the $1.5 million Grade I Whitney Handicap at Saratoga on Aug. 2.
Follow Art Wilson on Twitter at @Sham73


text: New Pentium 4 processors has hyper threading capabilities and when setting this the linux sees 4 cpus on each dual node. I have done some testing with OpenMP programs and found that for OpenMP threaded programs there is no performance gain in using the hypertheading. Using a number of threads that equal the number of real processors seems to be optimal. However, this is the results from just a few OpenMP programs and might not tell a full story. I would like comments from others who has played with threads and hyperthreading in a Pentium 4 processor environment. Hyperthreading is claimed to perform better when running a large number of processes and a high number of threads. But this is most probably different applications or different requests lets say to a web or db. server. -- Ole W. Saastad, Dr.Scient. Scali AS P.O.Box 150 Oppsal 0619 Oslo NORWAY Tel:+47 22 62 89 68(dir) mailto:ole at scali.no http://www.scali.com Are you meeting Petaflop requirements with Gigaflops performance ? - Scali Terarack bringing Teraflops to the masses.


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WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. -- Westchester residents interested in helping a kid attend a summer camp or take swimming lessons, will want to take part in the YMCA of Central and Northern Westchester #GivingTuesday effort, on Nov. 28.
#GivingTuesday is a global day of giving that harnesses the collective power of individuals, communities, and organizations to encourage philanthropy and to celebrate generosity worldwide.
This year, they are reaching for $25,000 to surpass last year's $18,000 raised on #GivingTuesday in large part because of a challenge match by the Board of Governors. Donations were doubled up to $5,000 with the matching gift challenge.
This year, the board is again throwing down the challenge to the community and will match donations dollar for dollar up to $5,000.
"Everyone at our YMCA believes strongly in the cause. The work done by The Y strengthens the entire community. We are so proud that our Board has chosen to support the YMCA #GivingTuesday campaign with another matching gift challenge." said Cynthia Delfino Rubino, president, and CEO of the YMCA of Central and Northern Westchester.
All the monies raised are used to benefit the organization's summer camps, swim lessons, childcare, teen leaders clubs, youth and government clubs and more.
If $25,000 can be raised on #GivingTuesday, 25 children will receive $1,000 scholarships that will enable them to attend and take part in the organization's program.
Those who are interested in joining YMCA of Central and Northern Westchester's #GivingTuesday initiative can visit https://ymca-cnw.causevox.com .
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All items > Knives > Folding Knives > Benchmade (Folding) > 917 Triage
- Overall Length:8.20"
- Blade Length:3.50"
- Blade Thickness:0.13"
- Blade Material:Bohler N680
- Hardness:57-59 RC
- Blade Style:Sheepsfoot
- Blade Grind:Flat
- Finish:Satin
- Edge Type:Serrated
- Handle Length:4.70"
- Handle Thickness:0.53"
- Handle Material:G-10
- Color:Black
- Frame/Liner:Stainless Steel
- Weight:5.10 oz.
- User:Right Hand, Left Hand
- Pocket Clip:Tip-Up
- Knife Type:Manual
- Opener:Thumb Stud
- Lock Type:AXIS®
- Brand:Benchmade
- Model:Triage
- Model Number:915S
- Country of Origin:USA
- Best Use:Tactical
- Product Type:Knife
Benchmade's Triage knife combines their popular AXIS lock with a folding strap cutter safety hook and a glass breaker tip to create the ultimate triple utility tool.
The 915 Triage folder features a modified sheepsfoot blade. The 440C hook-shaped safety cutter conceals in the spine of the handle and opens with smooth operation via the low profile thumb stud. Includes textured G-10 handles with stainless steel liners. Deep reversible tip-up carry pocket clip and carbide glass breaker complete the package.
This Triage 915S model has a satin finished blade with a partially serrated edge and a black G-10 handle.