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Welcome to the May 2013 edition of Virtual Vegan Potluck! This is my first time participating in the potluck and I'm pretty stoked to be joining forces with 168 other bloggers to create the ULTIMATE vegan three course meal! If you don't know what the heck I'm talking about, click on the icon above and find out more. Just don't forget to come back!
Hi again. If you've followed the potluck from the start, excellent work. Your virtual stomach must be getting full, but I hope you have a bit of room left for another dessert! Those of you who read my blog regularly already know I have a crazy sweet tooth, and have been known to go a little overboard in the bulk candy aisle at the grocery store from time to time. While I've been trying to scale back my sugar consumption recently, I figured it would be OK to make an exception – this being my Virtual Vegan Potluck and all. So in honour of the occasion I whipped up a batch of these moist, uber decadent Salted Triple Chocolate Rhubarb Brownies!
At this point some of you might be thinking only a crazy person would combine chocolate and rhubarb. But don't call the asylum quite yet! Somehow the tangy punch of rhubarb marries blissfully with the richness of dark chocolate – and despite the 50 percent divorce rate, this couple is together for the long term. Ok, that was a super corny… just believe me, it's a flavour combination that works. Rhubarb is coming into season in this part of the world, and whether you're fan of it or not, I can almost guarantee you'll love these brownies! As an added bonus they're a one-bowl affair, so you can have a clean kitchen and eat your brownies, too. And oh yeah, they taste even better the next day (if they last that long).
If you haven't done so already, be sure to visit the dessert preceding mine in the potluck at The Soulicious Life. And definitely head on over to the next dessert in the lineup at Lucy's Friendly Foods. Finally, props to Vegan Bloggers Unite for hosting the potluck! See you all next time… 🙂
Recipe: Salted Triple Chocolate Rhubarb Brownies
For the brownies (batter adapted from Two Peas & Their Pod)
- 1 1/2 cups granulated cane sugar
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1 1/4 cups unsweetened apple sauce
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 cup rhubarb, diced small
- 1/3 cup dairy-free dark chocolate, chopped into pea-sized chunks
For the icing
- 1/2 cup vegan margarine
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (plus a bit more for garnish)
- 2 teaspoons almond milk
Prepare Brownies
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8 x 11 pan and set aside.
- In a large bowl mix together flour, sugar, coconut oil, apple sauce and vanilla.
- Add cocoa powder, salt and baking powder and mix on low just until everything is combined.
- Gently fold in rhubarb and chocolate chunks.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and set aside to cool on a wire rack.
Prepare Frosting
- In the same bowl you used for the batter (or use a clean one – just trying to save you some work) cream together margarine and vanilla.
- Blend in cocoa powder and salt.
- Blend in powdered sugar one cup at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Beat in almond milk and continue beating until frosting is light and fluffy. [If you find the frosting too dry, add a bit more almond milk. If it's too soft, add more powdered sugar].
- Cover and set aside until you're ready to frost brownies.
- Using a frosting knife or spatula, frost top of brownies.
- Sprinkle a bit of sea salt on top of frosting.
- Cut into squares and serve. Eat!


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In this movie, Adam walks you through the process of choosing a template, downloading and saving it, and starting to populate it with your own data. Through the use of a clear user interface, the template files allow you to get to work quickly without any prior knowledge about how the database functions behind the scenes.
- [Voiceover] Now that we have a better idea…about why we might want to move our data collection,…storage, and retrieval processes into a database,…let's dig into Access and see how we can start to…put these concepts to use.…I'm on a Windows 8 machine, so I'm gonna come down here…to the Start menu, and on the Start screen,…I can either click on the Access tile,…or if I don't see it, I'll just start typing Access here,…and press Enter to launch the program.…When you first start up Access, you'll be presented with…this startup screen.…On the left, you might see a list of…recently used database files if you have any.…You can quickly load them again simply by…clicking on one.…
At the bottom here, you'll have the option to…browse your computer's drives for…additional database files that might have…already been created.…If you're starting a new database,…then you'll want to focus on the center of the screen.…Access requires that a database file be created first,…before you can start working with it.…This is a little different than the sequence…
If you need a deeper dive into the topics discussed, check out Adam's Access 2016 Essential Training course.
- Loading a premade template database
- Exploring the interface
- Defining data types
- Creating tables
- Defining table relationships
- Editing forms
- Creating queries and reports
- Editing reports in Layout view

subset: commoncrawl


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|Version 4 (modified by 13 years ago) (diff),
Update on developments in the first Quarter of 2007
Work has been concentrated on a couple of aspects of the project lately. They are:
- Development of GeoNetwork opensource version 2.1 resulting in beta releases
- Upgrading of the Community website
- Work related to the OSGEO incubation process
Development of version 2.1
A lot of development has been going over the last 9 months. Many new functions have been added and existing ones have been enhanced. The plan is to release a final version 2.1 of the catalog software towards the end of April 2007. Here's a summary of what has been developed for this release:
- Support for the ISO-19115 metadata standard, formatted and validated against the ISO-19139 implementation schema. Read more The ISO19115 / 19139 confusion
- Support for the OGC Catalog Services for the Web (OGC-CSW 2.0.1) base specification. Read more
- Web based harvesting configuration between GeoNetwork opensource nodes and from Web accessible folders Read more


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Aiken Metro Ethernet, FastE, and Gigabit Ethernet via the South Carolina Ethernet Internet Network!
Research Aiken Ethernet Internet Network Instantly Online!
Looking to install an Ethernet Connection in Aiken County, SC? We can assist.
To obtain a Ethernet Internet Network Quote for your business in Aiken County, give us a call at (888) 765-8301 or use our online quote Ethernet price tool (on the left) to get an initial estimate on Ethernet Providers in Aiken. Once we receive your information we'll give you a call to discuss your individual Ethernet Service request.
Why use ethernetinternetnetwork.com for your Online Aiken Ethernet Bandwidth Research?
- Our Aiken Ethernet Internet Network tool does the shopping for you.
- We give an unbiased opinion on Ethernet Services in Aiken County.
- It's FREE
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Ethernet Internet Network Aiken County
We may have a Ethernet Internet Network in the Aiken County Cities:
- Aiken Ethernet
- Bath Ethernet
- Beech Island Ethernet
- Clearwater Ethernet
- Gloverville Ethernet
- Graniteville Ethernet
- Jackson Ethernet
- Langley Ethernet
- Monetta Ethernet
- Montmorenci Ethernet
- New Ellenton Ethernet
- North Augusta Ethernet
- Salley Ethernet
- Vaucluse Ethernet
- Wagener Ethernet
- Warrenville Ethernet
- Windsor Ethernet


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- Start: 5 June 2015 8:00 pm
SCB presents crazed bands THE RATS OF NEW YORK and THE PIGGIES at the 19th installment of SmashCrashBash!!, a monthly rock 'n' roll-themed party at the Half Moon in Hudson, NY, on Friday, June 5, beginning at 9pm. SmashCrashBash!! features live performances by the tops in totally rockin', hand-picked touring bands and DJs spinning the best in punk, garage, vintage glam, rock 'n' roll, and old-school R&B for your dancing and screaming pleasure.
Formed in Mole City, under the NYC subway trains, THE RATS OF NEW YORK bash out tuneful, catchy, hard-edged, melodic punk descended from such unquestionable sources as the Undertones, the Buzzcocks, and the Ramones.
Brooklyn slop rockers THE PIGGIES have a perfectly trashy split single out on the great Norton Records label (the other side features the Crystals' La La Brooks!) and make bluesy sounds a la the Flamin' Groovies, the Real Kids, and the Rolling Stones.
DJing at the June 5 blast will be Ted Barron (Boogiewoogieflu.blogspot,
WFMU) and Stately Wayne Manor (Swamp Fiction Records).
Held on the first Friday of every month, SmashCrashBash!! is the loudest, best, rowdiest—and only—real rock 'n' roll party in the Hudson Valley. See ya there!


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Here is a fun re-styling of a previous Halloween project using one of Kenzie Daley's 3d designs (Snapdragon Snippets) from Silhouette America. She originally created it as a Witch's Boot, and it was wonderfully inspiring that way. I am always trying to find ways to work Santa's "better half" into the Christmas picture, so I started mentally playing with the idea that the boot could easily be red & green and terrific that way, too.
Here it is, with customized green front lacing placket and painted green bead lace ends. The ankle opening has fur trim glued at the edge, and the pointy toe holds a paper "3d jingle bell" and holly with berry detail. I made a shiny black heel piece (filled with doll pellets for some added weight), and glittered designs on boot uppers (double sided adhesive paper is so much fun to cut and embellish with).
Here you can see the back and the glitter designs. I also glued red/green stripe narrow ribbon down the center of the fur trimming.
My boot is shown here with Christmas candy, tinsel shreds and green shiny metallic and clear cello paper with "pic'd" candy peppermints, chocolate squares, marshmallow sants, etc., as prepared by a local candy bouquet basket business.
You could fill it with salt water taffy, peppermint swirls, favorite cookies, wrapped chocolates, etc. Or even put it on that prominent office desk edge with a tent sign inviting pocket-change donations from all who pass, to be directed to the local charity drive at Christmas.
Just in case you are thinking about it, this boot was enlarged at 150% to begin with. That is about as large as I can make it and still have it fit on my screen.
Happy holiday crafting, & Merry Christmas to all.


text: On Monday Kylesa played a last minute show at Public Assembly. Coinciding with the release of their new album titled "Spiral Shadow", the band performed selected tracks from said release, alongside more familiar back catalog material. One of the new songs (Forsaken) is featured in our video edit of the show below. .


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We are in lock down. If you can't make it, just know that your money was paid out to AO like every participant and portions of it will be donated to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation as we do each year.
Have your buddy pick up your swag. No swaps, do not BUY anyone's ticket as you'll waste your money and be asked to leave. Security Roster submitted to a 3rd party security firm.
No need to contact us. There are tons of details associated with operating any given project, hence we must focus on the project at hand. Thank you.
Can't Make It?
Forum for announcements for and discussing Best of USA Marketing's Operation Homeland
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"The power of finding beauty in the humblest things make a home happy and life lovely." ~ Louisa May Alcott
Hello friends and welcome to my HOME ~
I hope you are all having a lovely first week of September.
This week's tea party was a chance to share my Royal Albert Friendship teacup with the lovely shell imprints. You may check it out further in my previous post. I also made some blueberry cobbler to enjoy with blueberry tea.
Now for a few features from last week's party:
One of my favourite posts from last week was Ruthie's at Lady B's Time for Tea who shared the most delightful post about Louisa May Alcott's home and life.
If you like "Little Women," then you will enjoy this post!
Liz @ The Porcelain Rose shared her beautiful garment hangers. Aren't they exquisite?
Wanda @ Victorian 1885 found this mirror at her local Salvation Army store which she painted with AS Duck Egg Blue to match up with her table. Isn't it a pretty vignette?
Poppy @ With a Dash of Color shared her fabulous Mediterranean foyer. You must stop by and have a visit.
And my friend Kathy @ A Delightsome Life shared glimpses of her French Farmhouse kitchen reno.
Sweet with play and calm with sleep.
Help us so that we may give
Beauty to the lives we live.
Let Thy beauty and Thy grace
Shine upon our dwelling place." ~ Edgar A. Guest
Sharing from my heart~ Sandi


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Aloha, people of the internet! Today I will be sharing some cute summer outfits with you! I have compiled 4 different outfits for all you amazing people, some with skirts, jeans, and shorts. Most of them are casual, but a couple are a bit more fancy.
The first outfit consists of high waisted bleached skinny jeans, and a coral tank-top, paired with coral wedges. For jewellery, we have gold hoop earrings, and a gold infinity necklace. You can wear flats with this, or even pair this with a cardigan if the weather is a bit chilly (somehow in the summer :P) This is more on the casual side of the spectrum.
The second outfit consists of a pair of ripped shorts, and a loose tank top with a pair of hightop converse. For jewellery, we have black and white sunglasses, and stud earrings. You can paint your nails a black nail polish to match the outfit as well. This is also on the casual side.
The third outfit consists of a white crop top and a baby blue high-low skirt paired with a pair of white pumps. For jewellery, I chose a turquoise headband and white sunglasses. This outfit is more classy and fancy than the previous ones.
The fourth and final outfit consists of a pair of high waisted jeans with a floral blouse paired with coral wedges. I also added some leather friendship bracelets that are optional. This is also a BIT more fancy, but still quite casual.
*All picture collages are mine, but individual pieces are from google images.
~Rawan M.


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Salman Masalha ||
Our troubles come from us
"This week, Israel celebrated its 67th independence day. It is not easy to speak of this event in an Arab newspaper, because the mere mention of Israel's name in the Arab arena arouses many emotions. For the past decades, Israel's name has, in the imagination of Arab peoples, been tied to the name Palestine and [Palestine's] Nakba. So much ink has been spilled, and so many hours of broadcast have been devoted to discussion of the so-called 'primary problem of the Arabs.'


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March 28, 2014
Dear parents of third, fourth and fifth graders,
As you know, the English Language Arts test is next week—Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
You have probably heard about all the controversy of parents "opting out" of the test and all of the fear and wrangling that's going on. If you haven't, ask around and get up to speed on the current debate in education, because we are in historic times and you can empower yourself and our community with information.
To summarize, many families are taking the extraordinary step of refusing to have their child take the state test because they are worried that there is too much emphasis on the "high stakes" test.
I very much agree with why those families that are protesting—but I think that opting out is the wrong way to approach it. Tests, good and bad, are a part of life.
At our school, we make our own decisions about teacher evaluation and student promotion. Test scores are only a part of those decisions. Our relationships with students and all of the in-class data we collect weigh much more heavily. We put the tests in their proper perspective, and they only serve to confirm or enhance what we already know about how we are doing.
I know that our scholars are ready for the test. We won't be perfect, but we are going to do our best and use the test to show how much we have learned.
I want you to know that we have a number of incentives for doing well on the state test. If students hit their target test scores, they get to attend the Laser Tag trip coming in the fall. But even better, if they try their hardest and do their best (they will judge that with their teachers' help), no matter their score, they will have a special dress-down day and outdoor ice cream party on a sunny day later in April. We are more interested in effort and improvement than we are in going crazy over high stakes scores.
Please support your child to do his or her best—get a good night's sleep, eat a healthy breakfast and be ready to focus and attack that test like a tiger!
Steven Evangelista


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Yahoo Shortlists Cash Bids For Asset Sale
Search company Yahoo has shortlisted nearly 10 bidders, including Verizon
Search company Yahoo has shortlisted nearly 10 bidders as it seeks to sell off its core assets, including large companies such as Verizon and equity capital firm TPG Capital, with most offers being cash bids, according to a report.
The shortlisted companies are mainly large organisations looking to carry out the transaction on their own, rather than the smaller companies that had proposed alliances with other firms to fund a deal, according to a Reuters report citing unnamed sources.
Yellow Pages owner YP was one of the smaller companies excluded from the list, according to the report's sources, who declined to disclose the full list or exactly how many companies are on it.
Yahoo's advisers are reportedly continuing to communicate with some of the companies who aren't on the list, including Liberty Media chairman John Malone.
The deals currently being considered would see Yahoo selling its Internet assets and divesting its 35.5 percent stake in Yahoo Japan, leaving it with a 15 percent stake in China's Alibaba Group Holding. In December Yahoo decided against selling the Alibaba stake due to tax concerns.
Shareholder dispute settled
Last week Yahoo said it had settled a dispute with Jeffrey Smith, chief executive of activist hedge fund Starboard, that will see Smith and three of his appointees join the company's board immediately.
The deal with Smith, who had previously proposed to remove Yahoo's entire board, paves the way for Yahoo to continue with its asset sale and means he and his nominees are now amongst those evaluating bids.
Industry analysts have predicted Verizon is likely to win in Yahoo's auction. Reuters' report didn't indicate whether The Daily Mail parent Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT), which acknowledged last month it was in talks with several unnamed Yahoo bidders, was included in the shortlist.
Yahoo disclosed on Friday that chief executive Marissa Mayer is to be paid $54.8 million (£37m) in cash and stock if she is removed from her position within a year of a sale, a controversial figure since Yahoo's financial position has continued to decline during Mayer's tenure.
Yahoo declined to comment.
Do you know all about the Internet of Things? Take our quiz.


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Did you hear the one about Dustin Hoffman saving a joggers life?
Well he actually did earlier this year (Ba-bum-tish!), when a 27 year old Londoner had a heart attack in Hyde Park, and the Rain Man himself just happened to be first on the scene. For the same 3 or 4 details repeated and rephrased with as much originality as tulips in Amsterdam, you could see the Guardian, the Telegraph or CNN's articles.
Ok, so why regurgitate this old 'news'? Well, it's because the whole of the world's media completely missed the biggest sitter* of an opportunity to make a pun, ever.
'Read all about it'…


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End of Year 2010: Google Not Just a Search Engine Anymore
Search was still the prime focus of Google in 2010, and its new Google Instant Search functionality kept the search engine company's dominant share of the market stable as a result. Google also made strides in social media awareness this year with the inclusion of social media listings at the top of live search results, but suffered some setbacks as the result of privacy concerns from its Google Buzz.
Google also made some interesting acquisitions in 2010, including AdMob, Slide, ITA Software and Like.com (the ITA Software acquisition is ongoing). And the Google Books debate rages on, with ongoing litigation and the approval of a settlement between Google and author/publishing groups pending.
IT Solutions Builder TOP IT RESOURCES TO MOVE YOUR BUSINESS FORWARD
Which topic are you interested in?
Data Storage
IT Management
What is your company size?
What is your job title?
What is your job function?
Searching our resource database to find your matches...


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Quoted from The Eedge Daily: "The New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Bhd (NSTP) and Utusan Melayu (Malaysia) Bhd may be on the verge of a merger to create the country's largest media group. "
Am I reading this right? First, the aquasition of all free TV under Media Prima, then the merger of Sime Darby, Golden Hope. Is we going backward? I was just reading about a Sarawak tycoon plans to buy stakes in Nanyang Press Holdings Bhd and distribute it to the Chinese community. That's good. Then this. (update 2/12/06)
Mergers is not an alien practice in business. It does have it benefits. But newspapers? Do people want to read a monotonous and one sided reports? Oh, this must be the end of Malaysia journalism. I mean quality journalism.


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Ullo! Not updated in ages, terrible! I've been kept busy at my new job and freelance, but I promise more updates in the new year. This is the summoning flame, a spell to wake creatures of the forest :)
As for games,I've been playing near enough everything! All except the mighty Skyrim, which I have reserved January for :P
Friday, December 9, 2011
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{ what to bring }
So it's your first time? No big deal, we were all newbies once too! Here is some more information to help ease your mind and get you feeling confident before you even walk through our doors. Have a question? Email us at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Water Bottle
If you bring an empty water bottle to REV, we have a FREE water bottle filling station. Forgot your water? No worries, we have water for purchase.
Socks and sneakers for cycling classes or bare feet for barre class. You can cycle with sneakers or use our complimentary cycle shoes. We have limited sizes so make sure you always bring your sneakers with you. The barre room does not require socks or sneakers; you may wear socks with grip, if you choose.
What to Wear
Feel free to wear whatever you want. We recommend form-fitting pants, capris, or shorts with a sporting tee or tank. Need a hair tie, ear plugs, towels? Don't worry, REV has you covered.
{ before you come to class }
Hydration is key before and after any type of exercise. Be sure to drink water throughout the day.
For your first class, arrive 15 minutes early to check-in at the front desk. We will sign you in, give you a quick tour and set you up on your bike. If you are running late, please note that 3 minutes before class start, your spot may be given away if there are others waiting for an open spot.


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Android App Develop
Android App Develop
On the off chance that you have been generally distributed your substance the whole time, let eathena change your substance into energizing new android app develop for the new type of portable driven clients. We urge you to be forward intuition and influence new versatile stages to convey your substance. eathena can repackage your substance as new, imaginative, intelligent "Applications". These android app are more gimmick rich than conventional ebooks and can broaden the utility of wise gadgets, for example, the Apple iphone, ipad, and the Google Android, to all the more completely captivate and enthrall your clients.
eathena offers a remarkable blending of versatile stage engineers with inside and out specialized learning, and prepared, content improvement and inventive outline groups, to help distributers totally rethink how their substance is exhibited in rich media forms and to thusly drive new and energizing income streams.
Since android app develop include custom improvement, different imaginative alternatives might be utilized, including:
- Rich media gimmicks, for example, sound, feature, movement, and 3d
- Area mindful usefulness including mapping administrations like Googleearth
- Instructional learning supports including reproductions, tests, and exhibits
- Social network to Facebook, Twitter and other online networking channels
To minimize cost and augment compactness, eathena's android app developer use open guidelines and separate substance from programming at whatever point conceivable, while continually applying cross-gadget measures and the extremely most recent practices of intelligent configuration.


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First, start with my latest project, created for Creative Memories. It's a simple "JOY" garland. Most supplies provided by Creative Memories ***I feel blessed and lucky to join their team, one of the generous company that I ever work with ;)****
More details, can be found HERE
Simple "To and From" Christmas Tag, again most supplies provided by Creative Memories.
2 more projects will follow tomorrow, I promise!
Before I leave I thought you might grab this hybrid freebies provided by Prima.


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There's been more news in Bahasa Indonesia than in English, but apparently extremists for the establishment of an Islamic State in Indonesia have threatened to target the ancient Buddhist monument, Borobudur, for destruction. The central Java army chief is said to be strengthening security in the area.
Borobudur, Islamists target Indonesia's most important Buddhist temple
Asia News, 21 August 2014
ISIS Ancam Ledakkan Candi Borobudur, Ini Sikap Polri
Viva news, 21 August 2014
Candi Borobudur Disebut Jadi Target Teror IS
Tempo, 20 August 2014
ISIS Ancam Hancurkan Borobudur, Ini Tanggapan Pangdam Diponegoro
Liputan, 20 August 2014
Indonesian extremists supporters of the Islamic State (formerly Isis, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) want to target and destroy the most important Buddhist cultural center of the country: the temple of Borobudur, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Central Java Army chief General Sunindyo has stated that he is strengthening security to protect the highly popular site sacred to the Buddhist community throughout South-East Asia and major tourist attraction.
The risk is a repeat of what happened in Afghanistan in 2001,when the madness of Taliban extremism led to the destruction of the famous Bamiyan Buddhas. The local fringe of IS has announced plans to target Borobudur on a Facebook page called "We are an Islamic state".
Indonesian media and social networks had recently warned of a possible attack on the temple. Meeting with journalists in Solo, Gen. Sunindyo recalled that "it is our duty to protect the nation's cultural heritage which is a primary asset for tourism"; he has also called on all "citizens" to "protect our cultural heritage".
Full story here.


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Teaching Kids To Share Is Tricky. Here's How I Did It
We've all seen the exchanges between toddlers and their caregivers:
"It's time to give your truck to Charlie now."
"No, you have to share."
As a mother, I'm very familiar with the feeling of dread that comes over me when my son refuses to share or snatches a toy from another child's hands. There's an immediate urge to apologize for his behavior or point out how he's such a good sharer normally. Often I have to resist the urge to jump in and play referee.
First, we should take a step back and acknowledge that sharing in itself is kind of a weird thing.
It seems like a collective parental mission to perfect our children's ability to share from a very young age, as though their future as a conscientious, functioning member of society depends on it. It's a noble goal — but I also think it's worth examining if we're going about it in the most suitable way.
First, we should probably take a step back and acknowledge that sharing in itself is kind of a weird thing. I mean, if I was in a park playing with my ball and someone walked over and took it away from me, I'd think that was odd. And to then be told by someone else that I had to give it up because it's "time to share" probably wouldn't improve the situation.
And yet this is often exactly the kind of "sharing" that our children experience. It's no wonder they sometimes push back against the idea!
Second, it's really important to keep in mind the developmental state of the people we're talking to. These little beings are exploring their newfound realization of individuality, with the possibility of possession that comes with it. And their underdeveloped sense of time outside the present moment means that they want what they want Right. Now.
On top of all of this, they're still in the early stages of learning impulse control (something that many of us still struggle with as adults).
Finally, consider that the idea of sharing is very conceptual. It doesn't mean much to a toddler outside of the meaning he derives from you when he does, or doesn't, execute it well. In other words: praise him for sharing, and your child will share for the sake of your praise. Scold her for not sharing and she'll share simply to avoid your disapproval.
Sharing for the sake of sharing is lost in those scenarios. It's a shame, because sharing provides a perfect opportunity to expose our children to ideals of empathy and altruism. And isn't that what we're really after with the extreme focus on sharing in the first place?
So, the question remains, given all of this, how do we as parents approach sharing in a more suitable way? Here are three little tricks I've learned that have done wonders for my son's willingness to share:
1. Don't deny ownership — reinforce it.
When my son grabs a toy and proclaims "MINE," I don't shush him. If the toy is actually his, I affirm his statement ("yes, sweetheart, that is your truck").
If the ownership claim was made because someone else was encroaching on the toy, I'll add, "Do you think your friend would like to play with it, too?" This provides security so he knows that giving a turn doesn't mean giving up the toy for good.
If the toy in question doesn't belong to him, I gently correct him: "No, my love. That truck belongs to your friend. Isn't it nice that he's letting you play with it?" This reminds him to actually experience how good it feels to be on the receiving end and also prepares him for leaving the toy behind.
2. Drop the word "share," and don't play referee.
When a dispute over a toy breaks out, instead of imploring kids to share, I suggest taking turns. Since this can be a little conceptual too, I remind them what that means in simple turns. "First, [child with current possession] will have a turn. After she's done, it will be [other child's] turn."
I've found timing the turns to be counterproductive, causing kids to hold on to something in anticipation, or meltdown at the arbitrary "end of the turn" moment. Kids will usually pass the toy on in their own time, or lose interest and walk away.
It rarely comes to this, but if a toy is causing strife and turn-taking isn't resolving it, I'm not beyond suggesting that we put it away for a rest. Taking turns usually looks like a happy alternative immediately.
3. Approach breakdowns as learning opportunities.
No matter how intentional you are about giving your child tools to weather sharing, there will be meltdown moments. Instead of feeling frustrated or embarrassed when they do occur, try to create a safe space for your child to express and process what they're feeling.
Some questions I frequently ask in these moments are:
- What's happening right now, my love?
- What are you feeling?
- How do you think your friend might be feeling right now?
- What do you think it was like for our friend when you grabbed that away from her?
- Can you think of any solution that would make everyone happy?
These questions help kids have a sense of being heard and teach them to watch and regulate their emotions. It also helps them experience empathy by imagining how someone else is feeling. Plus, it helps you to get on their page and establish yourself as a trusted ally. And by inviting their ideas about solutions, you're showing them that you value their opinions.
As with most things in parenting, I've found that how all of this goes depends less on my son's willingness to do what I'm asking of him and more on my own attachment to my expectations of exactly how he should be behaving in any given moment. Softening those attachments has consistently produced a more enjoyable parenting experience.
Related reads:
Ready to learn how to fight inflammation and address autoimmune disease through the power of food? Join our 5-Day Inflammation Video Summit with mindbodygreen's top doctors.


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Film listings are edited by Cheryl Eddy. Reviewers are Kimberly Chun, Max Goldberg, Dennis Harvey, Lynn Rapoport, and Matt Sussman. For rep house showtimes, see Rep Clock. For complete
The 30th San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival runs March 8-18 at the Castro, 429 Castro, SF; Sundance Kabuki, 1881 Post, SF; SF Film Society Cinema, 1746 Post, SF; Pacific Film Archive, 2575 Bancroft, Berk; and Camera 3 Cinemas, 288 S. Second St, San Jose. For tickets (most shows $12) and complete schedule, visit www.caamedia.org. For commentary, see "Here's Looking at You, Kids" and "Docs and Shocks."
*The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye See "Together Forever." (1:12) Embarcadero, Shattuck.
Being Flynn There's an undeniable frisson in seeing Robert De Niro acting paranoid and abusive behind the wheel of an NYC cab again, but Paul Weitz's drama isn't exactly Taxi Driver 2. The actor plays Jonathan Flynn, a bellicose loner who abandoned his wife (Julianne Moore in flashbacks) and son to pursue his destiny as a great writer. Years later, the wife is deceased, the son estranged, but Jonathan remains secure in his delusions of genius — despite the publishing industry's failure to agree. When an assault on noisy neighbors gets him thrown out of his apartment, his gradual descent into homelessness forces a paths-crossing with now-grown only child Nick (Paul Dano), who has taken a job at a shelter in an attempt to do something useful with his own unsettled life. Adapting the real Nick Flynn's memoir, Weitz resists the temptation to make Pops a lovable old coot — he's racist, homophobic, ill-tempered and pathetically arrogant — or to overly sentimentalize a father-son relationship that's never going to have a happy ending. Nonetheless, this competent exercise too often feels like formulaic fiction, the material perhaps demanding a less slick, starry treatment to ring as true as it ought; the fuzzy warm blanket of a song score by Badly Drawn Boy doesn't help. Still, intentions are good and the performances strong enough, including those by support players Lili Taylor, Wes Studi, and Olivia Thirlby. (1:42) Embarcadero. (Harvey)
*The Forgiveness of Blood Joshua Marston's follow-up to his 2004 indie hit Maria Full of Grace is a similarly sensitive, heartbreaking look at a culture not often illuminated by the silver screen. Co-written by Marston and Albanian filmmaker Andamion Murataj, The Forgiveness of Blood takes place in an Albanian town caught between traditions of the past — fiercely upheld by the older generation — and youths whose main areas of interest are texting, scooters, and the internet. When a turf war involving whose horse-cart can pass through whose land boils over, the father of teenage siblings Nik (Tristan Halilaj) and Rudina (Sindi Lacej) goes into hiding, intent on evading both the police and the family of the man he's helped murder. Unfortunately for Nik, the laws of blood feud mean it's now open season on his head, should he venture from his home; this puts an extreme damper on his wooing of the pretty classmate he's just exchanged phone numbers with, not to mention his dreams of opening an internet café in the village. Unfortunately for Rudina, her father's absence means the bright girl must drop out of school and take over his bread-delivery route — a job she excels at, despite her initial reluctance. It's a no-win situation for everyone (mom's working double-time at her factory gig; younger siblings are sullen and frightened), and dad's crime starts to feel more and more like a macho, selfish act as the frustration builds. Though The Forgiveness of Blood was inexplicably passed over for a Best Foreign Language Film nomination (especially considering Marston's success with Maria), it arrives in local theaters having won the Best Screenplay award at the 2011 Berlin International Film Festival. Don't miss it. (1:49) Bridge, Shattuck. (Eddy)
*Friends With Kids Jennifer Westfeldt scans Hollywood's romantic comedy landscape for signs of intelligent life and, finding it to be a barren place possibly recovering from a nuclear holocaust, writes, directs, and stars in this follow-up to 2001's Kissing Jessica Stein, which she co-wrote and starred in. Julie (Westfeldt) and Jason (Adam Scott) are upper-thirtysomething New Yorkers with two decades of friendship behind them. He calls her "doll." They have whispered phone conversations at four in the morning while their insignificant others lie slumbering beside them on the verge of getting dumped. And after a night spent witnessing the tragic toll that procreation has taken on the marriages of their four closest friends — Bridesmaids (2011) reunion party Leslie (Maya Rudolph), Alex (Chris O'Dowd), Missy (Kristen Wiig), and Ben (Jon Hamm), the latter two, surprisingly and less surprisingly, providing some of the film's darkest moments — Jason proposes that they raise a child together platonically, thereby giving any external romantic relationships a fighting chance of survival. In no time, they've worked out the kinks to their satisfaction, insulted and horrified their friends, and awkwardly made a bouncing baby boy. The arrival of significant others (Edward Burns and Megan Fox) signals the second phase of the experiment. Some viewers will be invested in latent sparks of romance between the central pair, others in the success of an alternative family arrangement; one of these demographics is destined for disappointment. Until then, however, both groups and any viewers unwilling to submit to this reductive binary will be treated to a funny, witty, well crafted depiction of two people's attempts to preserve life as they know it while redrawing the parameters of parenthood. (1:40) California, Piedmont. (Rapoport)
John Carter More or less an adaptation of Tarzan author Edgar Rice Burroughs' 1917 sci-fi classic A Princess of Mars, John Carter is yet another film that lavishes special effects (festooned with CG and 3D) on a rote story filled with characters the viewer couldn't give two craps about. Angry Civil War veteran John Carter (Taylor Kitsch, more muscleman than thespian) mysteriously zips to Mars, a planet not only populated by multiple members of the cast of HBO's Rome (Ciarán Hinds, James Purefoy, and the voice of Polly Walker), but also quite a bit of Red Planet unrest. Against his better judgment, and with the encouragement of a comely princess (tragic spray-tan victim Lynn Collins), Carter joins the fight, as red people battle blue people, green four-armed creatures pitch in when needed, and sinister silver people (led by Mark Strong) use zap-tastic powers to manipulate the action for their amusement. If you're expecting John Carter to be a step up from Conan the Barbarian (2011), Prince of Persia (2010), etc., because it's directed by Andrew Stanton (the Pixar superstar who helmed 2008's Finding Nemo and 2010's WALL*E), eh, think again. There's nothing memorable or fun about this would-be adventure; despite its extravagant 3D, it's flatter than a pancake. (2:17) Four Star, Marina. (Eddy)
Let the Bullets Fly A huge blockbuster in China, the latest from director Jiang Wan (1998's Devils on the Doorstep) has received high praise for the zippy wordplay in its script — not such great news for us non-Mandarin speakers stuck reading the not-especially-zippy English subtitles. What's left is an overlong tale of a notorious bandit (Jiang) who stumbles upon an opportunity to fake his way into a governorship after a train robbery goes awry. He and his henchmen (who wear masks styled after mahjong tiles) have no sooner arrived in town when it's made clear that wealth and power will not come easy, since the entire burg is controlled by a gold-toothed gangster (a braying, over-the-top Chow Yun-Fat) who doesn't like to share. Let the bullets fly, indeed, and let the games begin, with occasionally thrilling but often cartoonish results. Tip: if it's a red-hot, nerve-jangling, balls-to-the-wall Asian action import you seek, wait a few weeks for Indonesia's The Raid: Redemption. Yowza. (2:12) Four Star. (Eddy)
*Lou Harrison: A World of Music Doing the late Aptos, Calif. composer justice with its depth and breadth, Lou Harrison: A World of Music is the fortunate product of filmmaker Eva Soltes's relationship with the underappreciated musical genius. Over the course of two decades, she gathered footage of the visionary experimentalist who freely roved the realms of contemporary music and dance, Asian musical traditions, and instrument-making. Her work has borne fruit — here, you get the full, rich scope of Harrison's achievements — from his time in the woods with partner and instrument-making cohort William Colvig to his toils alongside choreographer Mark Morris to his struggles to stage Young Caesar, his opera on a Roman ruler's same-sex revels. What Soltes doesn't get on camera, she manages to trace through still images and interviews with contemporaries and cohorts such as Merce Cunningham, Judith Malina, and Michael Tilson Thomas, filling out Harrison's beginnings at Mills College, mentored by Henry Cowell and collaborating with John Cage; encapsulating his success as a composer, critic, and arranger in NYC; and touching on his breakdown and retreat to his mountain cabin where he sought to write music in peace, yet nevertheless continued to lend his teeming creativity to points close to home, à la the Cabrillo Music Festival, and abroad. (1:30) Roxie. (Chun)
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen A fisheries expert (Ewan McGregor) is tasked by a sheik with bringing fly fishing to the desert in this adaptation of Paul Torday's acclaimed comic novel. (1:52) Embarcadero.
*Silent House Yep, it's another remake of a foreign horror movie — but Uruguay's La casa muda is obscure enough that Silent House, which recycles its plot and filming style, feels like a brand-new experience. Co-directors Chris Kentis and Laura Lau, last seen bobbing in shark-infested waves for 2003's similarly bare-bones Open Water, apply another technical gimmick here: Silent House appears to be shot in one continuous take. Though it's not actually made this way, each shot is extraordinarily long — way longer than you'd expect in a horror film, since the genre often relies on quick edits to build tension. Instead, the film's aim is "real fear captured in real time" (per its tag line), and there's no denying this is one shriek-filled experience. The dwelling in question is an isolated, rambling lake house being fixed up to sell by Sarah (Elizabeth Olsen), her father (Adam Trese), and uncle (Eric Sheffer Stevens). The lights don't work, the windows are boarded up, most doors are padlocked shut, and there are strange noises coming from rooms that should be empty. Much of the film follows Sarah as she descends into deeper and deeper terror, scrabbling from floor to floor trying to hide from whoever (or whatever) is lurking, while at the same time trying to bust her way out. Though the last-act exposition explosion is a little hard to take, the film's slow-burn beginning and frantic middle section offer bona fide chills. For an interview with Silent House co-director and writer Lau, visit www.sfbg.com/pixel_vision. (1:28) (Eddy)
A Thousand Words Karma proves to be quite the bitch when a literary agent (Eddie Murphy) screws over a spiritual guru. (1:31) Shattuck.
Act of Valor (1:45) 1000 Van Ness, Sundance Kabuki.
*The Artist With the charisma-oozing agility of Douglas Fairbanks swashbuckling his way past opponents and the supreme confidence of Rudolph Valentino leaning, mid-swoon, into a maiden, French director-writer Michel Hazanavicius hits a sweet spot, or beauty mark of sorts, with his radiant new film The Artist. In a feat worthy of Fairbanks or Errol Flynn, Hazanavicius juggles a marvelously layered love story between a man and a woman, tensions between the silents and the talkies, and a movie buff's appreciation of the power of film — embodied in particular by early Hollywood's union of European artistry and American commerce. Dashing silent film star George Valentin (Jean Dujardin, who channels Fairbanks, Flynn, and William Powell — and won this year's Cannes best actor prize) is at the height of his career, adorable Jack Russell by his side, until the talkies threaten to relegate him to yesterday's news. The talent nurtured in the thick of the studio system yearns for real power, telling the newspapers, "I'm not a puppet anymore — I'm an artist," and finances and directs his own melodrama, while his youthful protégé Peppy Miller (Bérénice Béjo) becomes a yakky flapper age's new It Girl. Both a crowd-pleasing entertainment and a loving précis on early film history, The Artist never checks its brains at the door, remaining self-aware of its own conceit and its forebears, yet unashamed to touch the audience, without an ounce of cynicism. (1:40) Balboa, California, Embarcadero, Marina, 1000 Van Ness, Piedmont, Sundance Kabuki. (Chun)
*Chico and Rita This Spain-U.K. production is at heart a very old-fashioned musical romance lent novelty by its packaging as a feature cartoon. Chico (voiced by Eman Xor Oña) is a struggling pianist-composer in pre-Castro Havana who's instantly smitten by the sight and sound of Rita (Limara Meneses, with Idania Valdés providing vocals), a chanteuse similarly ripe for a big break. Their stormy relationship eventually sprawls, along with their careers, to Manhattan, Hollywood, Paris, Las Vegas, and Havana again, spanning decades as well as a few large bodies of water. This perpetually hot, cold, hot, cold love story isn't very complicated or interesting — it's pretty much "Boy meets girl, generic complications ensue" — nor is the film's simple graphics style (reminiscent of 1970s Ralph Bakshi, minus the sleaze) all that arresting, despite the established visual expertise of Fernando Trueba's two co directors Javier Mariscal and Tono Errando. When a dream sequence briefly pays specific homage to the modernist animation of the '50s-early '60s, Chico and Rita delights the eye as it should throughout. Still, it's pleasant enough to the eye, and considerably more than that to the ear — there's new music in a retro mode from Bebo Valdes, and plenty of the genuine period article from Monk, Mingus, Dizzy Gillespie, Chano Pozo and more. If you've ever jones'd for a jazzbo's adult Hanna Barbera feature (complete with full-frontal cartoon nudity — female only, of course), your dream has come true. (1:34) Opera Plaza, Smith Rafael. (Harvey)
*Chronicle A misfit (Dane DeHaan) with an abusive father and an ever-present video camera, his affable cousin (Matt Garretty), and a popular jock (Michael B. Jordan) discover a strange, glowing object in the woods; before long, the boys realize they are newly telekinetic. At first, it's all a lark, pulling pranks and — in the movie's most exhilarating scene — learning to fly, but the fun ends when the one with the anger problem (guess which) starts abusing the ol' with-great-power-comes-great-responsibilities creed. Chronicle is a pleasant surprise in a time when it's better not to expect much from films aimed at teens; it grounds the superhero story in a (mostly) believable high-school setting, gently intellectualizes the boys' dilemma ("hubris" is discussed), and also understands how satisfying it is to see superpowers used in the service of pure silliness — like, say, pretending you just happen to be really, really, really, good at magic tricks. First-time feature director Josh Trank and screenwriter Max "son of John" Landis also find creative ways, some more successful than others, to work with the film's "self-shot" structure. The technique (curse you, Blair Witch) is long past feeling innovative, but Chronicle amply justifies its use in telling its story. (1:23) 1000 Van Ness. (Eddy)
*Coriolanus For his film directing debut, Ralph Fiennes has chosen some pretty strong material: a military drama that is among Shakespeare's least popular works, not that adapting the Bard to the screen has ever been easy. (Look how many times Kenneth Branagh, an even more fabled Shakespearean Brit on stage than Ralph, has managed to fumble that task.) The titular war hero, raised to glory in battle and little else, is undone by political backstabbers and his own contempt for the "common people" when appointed to a governmental role requiring some diplomatic finesse. This turn of events puts him right back in the role he was born for: that of ruthless, furious avenger, no matter that now he aims to conquer the Rome he'd hitherto pledged to defend. The setting of a modern city in crisis (threadbare protesting masses vs. oppressive police state) works just fine, Elizabethan language and all, as does Fiennes' choice of a gritty contemporary action feel (using cinematographer Barry Ackroyd of 2006's United 93 and 2008's The Hurt Locker). He's got a strong supporting cast — particularly Vanessa Redgrave as Coriolanus' hawkish mother Volumnia — and an excellent lead in one Ralph Fiennes, who here becomes so warped by bloodthirst he seems to mutate into Lord Voldemort before our eyes, without need of any prosthetics. His crazy eyes under a razored bald pate are a special effect quite alarmingly inhuman enough. (2:03) Opera Plaza. (Harvey)
*Crazy Horse Does the documentary genre need an injection of sex appeal? Leave it to ground-breaking documentarian Frederick Wiseman to do just that, with this hilarious, keenly-observed look into Paris's rightfully legendary Crazy Horse Paris cabaret. For 10 weeks, the filmmaker immersed himself in all aspects of preparation going into a new show, Désirs, by choreographer Philippe Decouflé, and uncovers the guts, discipline, organizational entanglements, and genuine artistry that ensues backstage to produce the at-times laugh-out-loud OTT (e.g., the many routines in which the perky, planet-like posterior is highlighted), at-times truly remarkable numbers (the girl-on-girl spaceship fantasia; the subtle, surreal number that bounces peek-a-boo body parts off a mirrored surface) onstage — moments that should inspire burlesque performers and dance aficionados alike with the sheer imaginative possibilities of dancing in the buff, with a side of brain-teasing titillation, of course. Always silently commenting on the action, Wiseman pokes quiet fun (at the dancer vigorously brushing the horse-hair tail attached to her rear, the obsessed art director, and the sound guy who's a ringer for Philip Seymour Hoffman's Boogie Nights nebbish) while patiently paying respect to the mechanics behind the magic (Decouflé, among others, arguing with management for more time to improve the show, despite the beyond-rigorous seven-days-a-week, twice- to thrice-daily schedule). Crazy Horse provides marvelous proof that the battle of seduction begins with the brain. (2:08) Opera Plaza, Smith Rafael. (Chun)
*The Descendants Like all of Alexander Payne's films save 1996 debut Citizen Ruth, The Descendants is an adaptation, this time from Kaui Hart Hemmings' excellent 2007 novel. Matt King (George Clooney) is a Honolulu lawyer burdened by various things, mostly a) being a haole (i.e. white) person nonetheless descended from Hawaiian royalty, rich in real estate most natives figure his kind stole from them; and b) being father to two children by a wife who's been in a coma since a boating accident three weeks ago. Already having a hard time transitioning from workaholic to hands-on dad, Matt soon finds out this new role is permanent, like it or not — spouse Elizabeth (Patricia Hastie, just briefly seen animate) will not wake up. The Descendants covers the few days in which Matt has to share this news with Elizabeth's loved ones, mostly notably Shailene Woodley and Amara Miller as disparately rebellious teen and 10-year-old daughters. Plus there's the unpleasant discovery that the glam, sporty, demanding wife he'd increasingly seemed "not enough" for had indeed been looking elsewhere. When has George Clooney suggested insecurity enough to play a man afraid he's too small in character for a larger-than-life spouse? But dressed here in oversized shorts and Hawaiian shirts, the usually suave performer looks shrunken and paunchy; his hooded eyes convey the stung joke's-on-me viewpoint of someone who figures acknowledging depression would be an undeserved indulgence. Payne's film can't translate all the book's rueful hilarity, fit in much marital backstory, or quite get across the evolving weirdness of Miller's Scottie — though the young actors are all fine — but the film's reined-in observations of odd yet relatable adult and family lives are all the more satisfying for lack of grandiose ambition. (1:55) Piedmont, SF Center, Sundance Kabuki. (Harvey)
Dr. Seuss' The Lorax (1:26) Balboa, 1000 Van Ness, Presidio, Shattuck.
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (1:36) SF Center.
Gone Still-shaky if now highly self-defensive Jill (Amanda Seyfried) was abducted from her bed a year ago, thrown into a deep hole in a forest outside Portland, Ore., and escaped death only by overcoming her barely-glimpsed captor. Or so she insists — the police never found any corroborating evidence, and given Jill's history of mental instability, wrote off her whole purported adventure as delusional. When sister Molly (Emily Wickersham) goes inexplicably missing the morning of an important exam, however, Jill is convinced the serial kidnapper-killer has struck again, going off on a frantic manhunt of her own with no help from the authorities. There is nothing spectacularly wrong with Gone, but nothing right, either — to justify the ponying up of cash money at a theater these days you have to offer something a little more than the routine execution of a derivative, uninspired script with little suspense but plenty of plot holes. That sort of thing is best experienced at a sleepless 2 a.m. on cable, for free. (1:34) 1000 Van Ness, SF Center. (Harvey)
Hugo Hugo turns on an obviously genius conceit: Martin Scorsese, working with 3D, CGI, and a host of other gimmicky effects, creates a children's fable that ultimately concerns one of early film's pioneering special-effects fantasists. That enthusiasm for moviemaking magic, transferred across more than a century of film history, was catching, judging from Scorsese's fizzy, exhilarating, almost-nauseating vault through an oh-so-faux Parisian train station and his carefully layered vortex of picture planes as Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield), an intrepid engineering genius of an urchin, scrambles across catwalk above a buzzing station and a hotheaded station inspector (Sacha Baron Cohen). Despite the special effects fireworks going off all around him, Hugo has it rough: after the passing of his beloved father (Jude Law), he has been stuck with an nasty drunk of a caretaker uncle (Ray Winstone), who leaves his duties of clock upkeep at a Paris train station to his charge. Hugo must steal croissants to survive and mechanical toy parts to work on the elaborate, enigmatic automaton he was repairing with his father, until he's caught by the fierce toy seller (Ben Kingsley) with a mysterious lousy mood and a cute, bright ward, Isabelle (Chloe Grace Moretz). Although the surprisingly dark-ish Hugo gives Scorsese a chance to dabble a new technological toolbox — and the chance to wax pedantically, if passionately, about the importance of film archival studies — the effort never quite despite transcends its self-conscious dazzle, lagging pacing, diffuse narrative, and simplistic screenplay by John Logan, based on Brian Selznick's book. Even the actorly heavy lifting provided by assets like Kingsley and Moretz and the backloaded love for the fantastic proponents at the dawn of filmmaking fail to help matters. Scorsese attempts to steal a little of the latters' zeal, but one can only imagine what those wizards would do with motion-capture animation or a blockbuster-sized server farm. (2:07) Presidio, Sundance Kabuki. (Chun)
*In Darkness Agnieszka Holland is that kind of filmmaker who can become a well known, respectable veteran without anyone being quite sure what those decades have added up to. Her mentor was Andrzej Wadja, the last half-century's leading Polish director (among those who never left). He helped shape a penchant for heavy historical drama and a sometimes clunky style not far from his own. She commenced her international career with 1985's Angry Harvest, about the amorous relationship between a Polish man and the Austrian, a Jewish woman, he hides during Nazi occupation. Her one indispensable feature is 1990's Europa, Europa, an ideal vehicle for her favored mix of the grotesque, sober, and factual — following a Jewish boy who passed as Aryan German. The new In Darkness is her best since then, and it can't be chance that this too dramatizes a notably bizarre case of real-life peril and survival under the Nazis. Its protagonist is Leopold Socha (Robert Wieckiewicz), an ordinary family man in Lvov (Poland then, Ukraine now) who's not above exploiting the disarray of occupation and war to make ends meet. A sewer inspector, he uses his knowledge of underground tunnels to hide Jews who can pay enough when even the fenced-off ghetto is no longer safe. For such a long, oppressive, and literally dark film, this one passes quickly, maintaining tension as well as a palpable physical discomfort that doubtlessly suggests just a fraction what the refugees actually suffered. In Darkness isn't quite a great movie, but it's a powerful experience. At the end it's impossible to be unmoved, not least because the director's resistance toward Spielbergian exaltation insists on the banal and everyday, even in human triumph. (2:25) Clay, Shattuck. (Harvey)
The Iron Lady Curiously like Clint Eastwood's 2011 J. Edgar, this biopic from director Phyllida Lloyd and scenarist Abi Morgan takes on a political life of length, breadth and controversy — yet it mostly skims over the politics in favor of a generally admiring take on a famous narrow-minded megalomaniac's "gumption" as an underdog who drove herself to the top. Looking back on her career from a senile old age spent in the illusory company of dead spouse Denis (Jim Broadbent), Meryl Streep's ex-British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher steamrolls past hurdles of class and gender while ironically re-enforcing the fustiest Tory values. She's essentially a spluttering Lord in skirts, absolutist in her belief that money and power rule because they ought to, and any protesting rabble don't represent the "real England." That's a mindset that might well have been explored more fruitfully via less flatly literal-minded portraiture, though Lloyd does make a few late, lame efforts at sub-Ken Russell hallucinatory style. Likely to satisfy no one — anywhere on the ideological scale — seriously interested in the motivations and consequences of a major political life, this skin-deep Lady will mostly appeal to those who just want to see another bravura impersonation added to La Streep's gallery. Yes, it's a technically impressive performance, but unlikely to be remembered as one of her more depthed ones, let alone among her better vehicles. (1:45) Albany, Opera Plaza, Presidio. (Harvey)
My Week With Marilyn Statuette-clutching odds are high for Michelle Williams, as her impersonation of a famous dead celebrity is "well-rounded" in the sense that we get to see her drunk, disorderly, depressed, and so forth. Her Marilyn Monroe is a conscientious performance. But when the movie isn't rolling in the expected pathos, it's having other characters point out how instinctive and "magical" Monroe is onscreen — and Williams doesn't have that in her. Who could? Williams is remarkable playing figures so ordinary you might look right through them on the street, in Wendy and Lucy (2008), Blue Valentine (2010), etc. But as Monroe, all she can do is play the little-lost girl behind the sizzle. Without the sizzle. Which is, admittedly, exactly what My Week — based on a dubious true story — asks of her. It is true that in 1956 the Hollywood icon traveled to England to co-star with director Sir Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh) in a fluff romance, The Prince and the Showgirl; and that she drove him crazy with her tardiness, mood swings, and crises. It's debatable whether she really got so chummy with young production gofer Colin Clark, our wistful guide down memory lane. He's played with simpering wide-eyed adoration by Eddie Redmayne, and his suitably same-aged secondary romantic interest (Emma Watson) is even duller. This conceit could have made for a sly semi-factual comedy of egos, neurosis, and miscommunication. But in a rare big-screen foray, U.K. TV staples director Simon Curtis and scenarist Adrian Hodges play it all with formulaic earnestness — Marilyn is the wounded angel who turns a starstruck boy into a brokenhearted but wiser man as the inevitable atrocious score orders our eyes to mist over. (1:36) Castro, Lumiere, Shattuck. (Harvey)
Norwegian Wood Haruki Murakami's global best-seller — a melancholic, late-1960s love story — hits the big screen thanks to Tran Anh Hung (1993's The Scent of the Green Papaya). Kenichi Matsuyama (2011's Gantz, 2005's Linda Linda Linda) and Rinko Kikuchi (2006's Babel) play Watanabe and Naoko, a young couple who reconnect in Tokyo after the suicide of his best friend, who was also her childhood sweetheart. There's love between them, but Naoko is mentally fragile; she flees town suddenly after they sleep together for the first time. Meanwhile, Watanabe meets the vivacious Midori (Kiko Mizuhara) — who is also already involved, though not quite so deeply as he — and they spark, though he's devoted to Naoko, and visits her at the rural hospital where she's (sort of) working through her emotional issues. Tran is an elegant filmmaker, and Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood contributes an appropriately moody score. But amid all the breathless encounters, the uber-emo Norwegian Wood drags a bit at over two hours, and the film never quite crystallizes what it was about Murakami's book that inspired such international rapture. (2:13) Four Star. (Eddy)
*Pina Watching Pina Bausch's choreography on film should not have been as absorbing and deeply affecting of an experience as it was. Dance on film tends to disappoint — the camera flattens the body and distorts perspective, and you either see too many or not enough details. However, improved 3D technology gave Wim Wenders (1999's Buena Vista Social Club; 1987's Wings of Desire) the additional tools he needed to accomplish what he and fellow German Bausch had talked about for 20 years: collaborating on a documentary about her work. Instead of making a film about the rebel dance maker, Wenders made it for Bausch, who died in June 2009, two days before the start of filming. Pina is an eloquent tribute to a tiny, soft-spoken, mousy-looking artist who turned the conventions of theatrical dance upside down. She was a great artist and true innovator. Wenders' biggest accomplishment in this beautifully paced and edited document is its ability to elucidate Bausch's work in a way that words probably cannot. While it's good to see dance's physicality and its multi dimensionality on screen, it's even better that the camera goes inside the dances to touch tiny details and essential qualities in the performers' every gesture. No proscenium theater can offer that kind of intimacy. Appropriately, intimacy (the eternal desire for it) and loneliness (an existential state of being) were the two contradictory forces that Bausch kept exploring over and over. And by taking fragments of the dances into the environment — both natural and artificial — of Wuppertal, Germany, Wenders places them inside the emotional lives of ordinary people, subjects of all of Bausch's work. (1:43) Shattuck, Sundance Kabuki. (Rita Felciano)
Project X Frat boys nostalgic for Girls Gone Wild — and those who continue to have the sneaking suspicion that much better parties are going on wherever they're not —appear to be the target audiences for Project X (not be confused with the 1987 film starring Matthew Broderick, star of this movie's tamer '80s variant, Ferris Bueller's Day Off). It's tough to figure out who else would enjoy this otherwise-standard teen party-movie exercise, given a small shot of energy from its handheld/DIY video conceit. Here, mild-mannered teen Thomas (Thomas Mann) is celebrating his 17th birthday: his parents have left town, and his obnoxious pal Costa (Oliver Cooper) is itching to throw a memorable rager for him and even-geekier chum J.B. (Jonathan Daniel Brown). Multiple text and email blasts, a Craigslist ad, and one viral gossip scene reminiscent of Easy A (2010) later, several thousand party animals are at Thomas's Pasadena house going nuts, getting nekkid in the pool, gobbling E, doing ollies off the roof, swinging from chandeliers, ad nauseam. The problem is — who cares? The lack of smart writing or even the marginal efforts toward character development makes Ferris Bueller look like outright genius — and this movie about as compelling as your standard-issue party jam clip. Unfortunately it also goes on about 85 minutes longer than the average music video. The blowback the kids experience when they go too far almost inspires you to root for the cops — not the effect first-time feature filmmaker Nima Nourizadeh was going for, I suspect. (1:28) California, 1000 Van Ness. (Chun)
Rampart Fans of Dexter and a certain dark knight will empathize with this final holdout for rogue law enforcement, LAPD-style, in the waning days of the last century. And Woody Harrelson makes it easy for everyone else to summon a little sympathy for this devil in a blue uniform: he slips so completely behind the sun- and booze-burnt face of David "Date Rape" Brown, an LAPD cop who ridicules young female cops with the same scary, bullying certainty that he applies to interrogations with bad guys. The picture is complicated, however, by the constellation of women that Date Rape has sheltered himself with. Always cruising for other lonely hearts like lawyer Linda (Robin Wright), he still lives with the two sisters he once married (Cynthia Nixon, Anne Heche) and their daughters, including the rebellious Helen (Brie Larson), who seems to see her father for who he is — a flawed, flailing anti-hero suffering from severe testosterone poisoning and given to acting out. Harrelson does an Oscar-worthy job of humanizing that everyday monster, as director Oren Moverman (2009's The Messenger), who cowrote the screenplay with James Ellroy, takes his time to blur out any residual judgement with bokeh-ish points of light while Brown — a flip, legit side of Travis Bickle — just keeps driving, unable to see his way out of the darkness. (1:48) Lumiere. (Chun)
Safe House Frankly, Denzel Washington watchers are starved for another movie in which he's playing the smartest guy in the room. Despite being hampered by a determinedly murky opening, Safe House should mostly satisfy. Washington's Tobin Frost is well-used to dwelling into a grayed-out borderland of black ops and flipped alliances — a onetime CIA star, he now trades secrets while perpetually on the run. Fleeing from killers of indeterminate origin, Tobin collides headlong with eager young agent Matt (Ryan Reynolds), who's stuck maintaining a safe house in Cape Town, South Africa. Tasked with holding onto Tobin's high-level player by his boss (Brendan Gleeson) and his boss's boss (Sam Shepard), Matt is determined to prove himself, retain and by extension protect Tobin (even when the ex-superspy is throttling him from behind amid a full-speed car chase), and resist the magnetic pull of those many hazardous gray zones. Surrounded by an array of actorly heavies, including Vera Farmiga, who collectively ratchet up and invest this possibly not-very-interesting narrative — "Bourne" there; done that — with heart-pumping intensity, Washington is magnetic and utterly convincing as the jaded mouse-then-cat-then-mouse toying with and playing off Reynolds go-getter innocent. Safe House's narrative doesn't quite fill in the gaps in Tobin Frost's whys and wherefores, and the occasional ludicrous breakthroughs aren't always convincing, but the film's overall, familiar effect should fly, even when it's playing it safe (or overly upstanding, especially when it comes to one crucial, climactic scrap of dialogue from "bad guy" Washington, which rings extremely politically incorrect and tone-deaf). (2:00) 1000 Van Ness, SF Center, Sundance Kabuki. (Chun)
*A Separation Iran's first movie to win Berlin's Golden Bear (as well as all its acting awards), this domestic drama reflecting a larger socio-political backdrop is subtly well-crafted on all levels, but most of all demonstrates the unbeatable virtue of having an intricately balanced, reality-grounded screenplay — director Asghar Farhadi's own — as bedrock. A sort of confrontational impartiality is introduced immediately, as our protagonists Nader (Peyman Moadi) and Simin (Leila Hatami) face the camera — or rather the court magistrate — to plead their separate cases in her filing for divorce, which he opposes. We gradually learn that their 14-year wedlock isn't really irreparable, the feelings between them not entirely hostile. The roadblock is that Simin has finally gotten permission to move abroad, a chance she thinks she must seize for the sake of their daughter, Termeh (Sarina Farhadi). But Nader doesn't want to leave the country, and is not about to let his only child go without him. Farhadi worked in theater before moving into films a decade ago. His close attention to character and performance (developed over several weeks' pre-production rehearsal) has the acuity sported by contemporary playwrights like Kenneth Lonergan and Theresa Rebeck, fitted to a distinctly cinematic urgency of pace and image. There are moments that risk pushing plot mechanizations too far, by A Separation pulls off something very intricate with deceptive simplicity, offering a sort of integrated Rashomon (1950) in which every participant's viewpoint as the wronged party is right — yet in conflict with every other. (2:03) Albany, Embarcadero. (Harvey)
*The Secret World of Arrietty It's been far too long between 2008's Ponyo, the last offering from Studio Ghibli, and this feature-length adaptation of Mary Norton's children's classic, The Borrowers, but the sheer beauty of the studio's hand-drawn animation and the effortless wonder of its tale more than make up for the wait. This U.S. release, under the very apropos auspices of Walt Disney Pictures, comes with an American voice cast (in contrast with the U.K. version), and the transition appears to be seamless — though, of course, the background is subtly emblazoned with kanji, there are details like the dinnertime chopsticks, and the characters' speech rhythms, down to the "sou ka" affirmative that peppers all Japanese dialogue. Here in this down-low, hybridized realm, the fearless, four-inches-tall Arrietty (voiced by Bridgit Mendler) has grown up imaginative yet lonely, believing her petite family is the last of their kind: they're Borrowers, a race of tiny people who live beneath the floorboards of full-sized human's dwellings and take what they need to survive. Despite the worries of her mother Homily (Amy Poehler), Arrietty begins to embark on borrowing expeditions with her father Pod (Will Arnett) — there are crimps in her plans, however: their house's new resident, a sickly boy named Shawn (David Henrie), catches a glimpse of Arrietty in the garden, and caretaker Hara (Carol Burnett) has a bit of an ulterior motive when it comes to rooting out the wee folk. Arrietty might not be for everyone — some kids might churn in their seats with ADD-style impatience at this graceful, gentle throwback to a pre-digital animation age — but in the care of first-time director Hiromasa Yonebayashi and Ghibli mastermind Hayao Miyazaki, who wrote co-wrote the screenplay, Arrietty will transfix other youngsters (and animation fans of all ages) with the glorious detail of its natural world, all beautifully amplified and suffused with everyday magic when viewed through the eyes of a pocket-sized adventurer. (1:35) 1000 Van Ness, Shattuck, Sundance Kabuki. (Chun)
*Shame It's been a big 2011 for Michael Fassbender, with Jane Eyre, X-Men: First Class, Shame, and A Dangerous Method raising his profile from art-house standout to legit movie star (of the "movie stars who can also act" variety). Shame may only reach one-zillionth of X-Men's audience due to its NC-17 rating, but this re-teaming with Hunger (2008) director Steve McQueen is Fassbender's highest achievement to date. He plays Brandon, a New Yorker whose life is tightly calibrated to enable a raging sex addiction within an otherwise sterile existence, including an undefined corporate job and a spartan (yet expensive-looking) apartment. When brash, needy, messy younger sister Cissy (Carey Mulligan, speaking of actors having banner years) shows up, yakking her life all over his, chaos results. Shame is a movie that unfolds in subtle details and oversized actions, with artful direction despite its oft-salacious content. If scattered moments seem forced (loopy Cissy's sudden transformation, for one scene, into a classy jazz singer), the emotions — particularly the titular one — never feel less than real and raw. (1:39) Opera Plaza. (Eddy)
Star Wars: Episode 1: The Phantom Menace 3D (2:16) SF Center.
*Straight Outta Hunters Point 2 In 2001, filmmaker Kevin Epps turned a camera on his own neighborhood: Bayview-Hunters Point, the southeastern San Francisco community best-known by outsiders for Candlestick Park, toxic pollution, and gang violence. Straight Outta Hunters Point was an eye-opener not just locally but internationally, as its runaway success opened doors for Epps to travel with the film and establish his career. These days, Epps is no longer an emerging talent — he's a full-time independent filmmaker with multiple credits (including The Black Rock, a documentary about Alcatraz's African American inmates, and hip-hop film Rap Dreams), collaborations (with Current TV and others), and an artist fellowship at the de Young Museum under his belt. For his newest project, he returns to the scene of his first work. He no longer resides in Bayview-Hunters Point, but he still lives close by, and he's never lost touch with the community that inspired the first film and encouraged him to make its follow-up. Described by Epps as a "continuation of the conversation" launched by the first film, SOHP 2 investigates the community as it stands today, with both external (redevelopment) and internal (violence) pressures shaping the lives of those who live there. It's a raw, real story that unspools with urgency and the unvarnished perspective of an embedded eyewitness. (1:20) Roxie. (Eddy)
This Means War McG (both Charlie's Angels movies, 2009's Terminator Salvation) stretches our understanding of the term "romantic comedy" in this tale of two grounded CIA agents (Chris Pine and Tom Hardy) who use their downtime to compete for the love of a perky, workaholic consumer-products tester (Reese Witherspoon). Broadening the usage of "comedy" are scenes in which best bros and partners FDR (Pine) and Tuck (Hardy) spend large portions of their agency's budget on covert surveillance ops targeting the joint object of their affection, Lauren (Witherspoon). Expanding our notions of the romantic impulse, This Means War jettisons chocolate, roses, final-act sprints through airports, and other such trite gestures in favor of B&E, micro-camera installations, and wiretapping — the PATRIOT Act–style violation of privacy as feverish expression of amour. Without letting slip any spoilers about the eventual lucky winner of the competition, let it simply be said that at no point is the prize afforded the opportunity to comment on the two men's überstalkery style of courtship, though the movie has to end rather abruptly to accomplish that feat. But hey, in the afterglow of Valentine's Day, who's feeling nitpicky? And besides, the real relationship at stake in this unabashedly bromantic film is the love that dare not speak its name, existing as it does between two secret agents. Chelsea Handler supplies the raunch and, as Lauren's closest (only?) friend, manages to drag her through the dirt a few times. Being played by Witherspoon, however, she climbs out looking like she's been sprayed down and scrubbed with one of her focus-grouped all-purpose cleansers. (2:00) 1000 Van Ness. (Rapoport)
*Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie It's almost impossible to describe Adult Swim hit Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, but "cable access on acid" comes pretty close. It's awkward, gross, repetitive, and quotable; it features unsettling characters portrayed by famous comedians and unknowns who may not actually be actors. It all springs from the twisted brains of Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, now on the big screen with Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie. The premise: Tim and Eric (amplified-to-the-extreme versions of Heidecker and Wareheim) get a billion to make a movie, and the end result is a very short film involving a lot of diamonds and a Johnny Depp impersonator. On the run from their angry investors (including a hilariously spitting-mad Robert Loggia), the pair decides to earn back the money managing a run-down mall filled with deserted stores (and weird ones that sell things like used toilet paper) and haunted by a man-eating wolf. Or something. Anyway, the plot is just an excuse to unfurl the Tim and Eric brand of bizarre across the length of a feature film; if you're already in the cult, you've probably already seen the film (it's been On Demand for weeks). Adventurous newcomers, take note: Tim and Eric's comedy is the ultimate love-it-or-hate-it experience. There is no middle ground. There are, however, some righteously juicy poop jokes. (1:32) Lumiere, Shattuck. (Eddy)
*Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Tomas Alfredson (2008's Let the Right One In) directs from Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughan's sterling adaptation of John le Carré's classic spy vs. spy tale, with Gary Oldman making the role of George Smiley (famously embodied by Alec Guinness in the 1979 miniseries) completely his own. Your complete attention is demanded, and deserved, by this tale of a Cold War-era, recently retired MI6 agent (Oldman) pressed back into service at "the Circus" to ferret out a Soviet mole. Building off Oldman's masterful, understated performance, Alfredson layers intrigue and an attention to weird details (a fly buzzing around a car, the sound of toast being scraped with butter) that heighten the film's deceptively beige 1970s palette. With espionage-movie trappings galore (safe houses, code machines), a returned-to flashback to a surreal office Christmas party, and bang-on supporting performances by John Hurt, Mark Strong, Colin Firth, Toby Jones, and the suddenly ubiquitous Benedict Cumberbatch, Tinker Tailor epitomizes rule one of filmmaking: show me, don't tell me. A movie that assumes its audience isn't completely brain-dead is cause for celebration and multiple viewings — not to mention a place among the year's best. (2:07) Piedmont, Sundance Kabuki. (Eddy)
Tyler Perry's Good Deeds (1:51) 1000 Van Ness.
"2011 Oscar-Nominated Short Films, Live Action and Animated" Opera Plaza, Smith Rafael.
Undefeated Daniel Lindsay and T.J. Martin, who previously teamed up on a 2008 doc about beer pong, have a more serious subject for their latest tale: the unlikely heroics of an inner-city Memphis, Tenn. high school football team. The title refers more to the collective spirit rather than the (still pretty damn good) record of the Manassas Tigers, a team comprised of youths challenged by less-than-ideal home lives and anti-authority attitude problems that stem from troubles running deeper than typical teenage rebellion. Into an environment seemingly tailored to assure the kids' failure steps coach Bill Courtney. He's white, they're all African American; he's fairly well-off, while most of them live below the poverty line. Still, he's able to instill confidence in them, both on and off the field, with focus on three players in particular: the athletically-gifted, academically-challenged O.C., who gets a Blind Side-style boost from one of Courtney's assistant coaches; sensitive brain Money, sidelined by a devastating injury; and hot-tempered wild card Chavis, who eventually learns the importance of teamwork. With the heavy-hitting endorsement of celebrity exec producer Sean Combs, Undefeated is a high-quality entry into the "inspiring sports doc" genre: it offers an undeniably uplifting story and sleek production values. But it's a little too familiar to be called the best documentary of the year, despite its recent anointing at the Oscars. If it was gonna be a sports flick, why not the superior, far more complex (yet not even nominated) Senna? (1:53) SF Center. (Eddy)
The Vow A rear-ender on a snowy Chicago night tests the nuptial declarations of a recently and blissfully married couple, recording studio owner Leo (Channing Tatum) and accomplished sculptor Paige (Rachel McAdams). When the latter wakes up from a medically induced coma, she has no memory of her husband, their friends, their life together, or anything else from the important developmental stage in which she dropped out of law school, became estranged from her regressively WASP-y family, stopped frosting her hair and wearing sweater sets, and broke off her engagement to preppy power-douchebag Jeremy (Scott Speedman). Watching Paige malign her own wardrobe and "weird" hair and rediscover the healing powers of a high-end shopping spree is disturbing; she reenters her old life nearly seamlessly, and the warm spark of her attraction to Leo, which we witness in a series of gooey flashbacks, feels utterly extinguished. And, despite the slurry monotone of Tatum's line delivery, one can empathize with a sense of loss that's not mortal but feels like a kind of death — as when Paige gazes at Leo with an expression blending perplexity, anxiety, irritation, and noninvestment. But The Vow wants to pluck on our heartstrings and inspire a glowing, love-story-for-the-ages sort of mood, and the film struggles to make good on the latter promise. Its vague evocations of romantic destiny mostly spark a sense of inevitability, and Leo's endeavors to walk his wife through retakes of scenes from their courtship are a little more creepy and a little less Notebook-y than you might imagine. (1:44) 1000 Van Ness, SF Center. (Rapoport)
*Wanderlust When committed Manhattanites George (Paul Rudd) and Linda (Jennifer Aniston) find themselves in over their heads after George loses his job, the two set off to regroup in Atlanta, with the reluctantly accepted help of George's repellent brother Rick (Ken Marino). Along the way, they stumble upon Elysium, a patchouli-clouded commune out in the Georgia backcountry whose members include original communard Carvin (Alan Alda), a nudist novelist-winemaker named Wayne (Joe Lo Truglio), a glowingly pregnant hippie chick named Almond (Lauren Ambrose), and smarmy, sanctimonious, charismatic leader Seth (Justin Theroux). After a short, violent struggle to adapt to life under Rick's roof, the couple find themselves returning to Elysium to give life in an intentional community a shot, a decision that George starts rethinking when Seth makes a play for his wife. Blissed-out alfresco yoga practice, revelatory ayahuasca tea-induced hallucinations, and lectures about the liberating effects of polyamory notwithstanding, the road to enlightenment proves to be paved with sexual jealousy, alienation, placenta-soup-eating rituals, and group bowel movements. Writer-director David Wain (2001's Wet Hot American Summer, 2008's Role Models) — who shares writing credits with Marino — embraces the hybrid genre of horror comedy in which audience laughter is laced with agonized embarrassment, and his cast gamely partake in the group hug, particularly Theroux and Rudd, who tackles a terrifyingly lengthy scene of personal debasement with admirable gusto. (1:38) 1000 Van Ness, Presidio, SF Center, Shattuck. (Rapoport)
*We Need to Talk About Kevin It's inevitable — whenever a seemingly preventable tragedy occurs, there's public outcry to the tune of "How could this happen?" But after the school shooting in We Need to Talk About Kevin, the more apt question is "How could this not happen?" Lynne Ramsay (2002's Morvern Callar) — directing from the script she co-adapted from Lionel Shriver's novel — uses near-subliminal techniques to stir up atmospheric unease from the very start, with layered sound design and a significant, symbolic use of the color red. While other Columbine-inspired films, including Elephant and Zero Day (both 2003), have focused on their adolescent characters, Kevin revolves almost entirely around Eva Khatchadourian (a potent Tilda Swinton) — grief-stricken, guilt-riddled mother of a very bad seed. The film slides back and forth in time, allowing the tension to build even though we know how the story will end, since it's where the movie starts: with Eva, alone in a crappy little house, working a crappy little job, moving through life with the knowledge that just about everyone in the world hates her guts. Kevin is very nearly a full-blown horror movie, and the demon-seed stuff does get a bit excessive. But it's hard to determine if those scenes are "real life" or simply the way Eva remembers them, since Kevin is so tightly aligned with Eva's point of view. Though she's miserable in the flashbacks, the post-tragedy scenes are even thicker with terror; the film's most unsettling sequence unfolds on Halloween, horror's favorite holiday; Eva drives past a mob of costumed trick-or-treaters as Buddy Holly's "Everyday" (one of several inspired music choices) chimes on the soundtrack. Masked faces are turn to stare — accusingly? Coincidentally? Do they even know she's Kevin's mother? — with nightmarish intensity heightened by slow motion. And indeed, "Everyday" Eva deals with accepting her fate; the film is sympathetic to her even while suggesting that she may actually be responsible. For a longer review of this film, and an interview with director Ramsay, visit www.sfbg.com/pixel_vision. (1:52) SF Center, Shattuck, Sundance Kabuki. (Eddy)


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Do you want to be a housemate?
Are you a musician? Spoken word poet? DJ? Live artist? Producer? Magician? Dancer? Or do you have a special talent you'd like to show off / perform to our succulently supportive audience? If you answer 'AYE', 'YES' or 'A-YESSS' to any of the above, we'd love to hear from you and welcome you into our variety troupe.


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Put down the Queso! We have a tasty healthy chip dip for all occasions! Artichoke and Hummus make an amazing combination and both a loaded with a bunch of nutrient essentials. Artichoke is known for its abundance of fiber which does wonders for digestion. Hummus is made up mostly of chickpeas which is a great source of protein, hummus does contain a lot fat but it is the heart healthy unsaturated fat.
In this episode of Eating by Heart, Colombe whips up a heart-healthy twist on a favorite comfort food dip. Starting with a basic hummus, Colombe jazzes it up by adding spinach and artichoke, making this dip not only healthier but high in fiber and protein. This is a great way to help cut out some junk food in your life, eating healthy doesn't have to taste bad.


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The Australian Copyright Council is an independent, non-profit organisation. Founded in 1968, we represent the peak bodies for professional artists and content creators working in Australia
Provides a free, fair and independent dispute-resolution service for electricity and natural gas consumers who have been unable to resolve a complaint with their energy retailer or distributor.
National workplace relations tribunal. It is an independant body with the power to carry out a range of functions relating to the safety net of minimum wages and employment conditions; enterprise bargaining; industrial action; dispute resolution; termination of employement and other workplace matters.
GetYes solutions offer mediation, specializing in the workplace, workers compensation disputes, community, health and aged care sectors, commercial and boundary fence disputes.
Arbitrator of commercial disputes, building disputes and boundary fences. Specialises in Transport Law.
This entry provides a link to the Law Societies list of approved arbitrators:
Provides arbitration in relation to boundary fence disputes. Also a qualified mediator in respect of building disputes.
The Commission is an independent tribunal established under the Industrial Relations Act 1984.
The Commission's role is related only to the Tasmanian State Service and is to:
- Conciliate and arbitrate to resolve industrial disputes, including claims of unfair dismissal
- Fix wage rates
- Set terms and conditions of employment by making industrial awards and approving enterprise agreements and industrial agreements
- Review an action in respect of which an application for review has been made under section 50(1) of the State Service Act 2000.


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Creamfields Music Festival is FINALLY Coming BACK to Abu Dhabi
Ohhh Creamfields, how we've missed you! Here's some exciting news: Flash Entertainment just announced that one of the world's most popular music festival's will be returning to Abu Dhabi in December… and we couldn't be more excited.
Creamfields was last here in 2014 at du Forum in the capital. Attracting thousands of fans over the years, we've witnessed everyone from Afrojack to Hardwell take over the decks – not to mention one of the best festival atmospheres around.
Well it's back, folks – here's what we know so far:
Creamfields Abu Dhabi returns
Via Facebook | @FLASHEntertainment
Creamfields Abu Dhabi is scheduled to take place at year's end on December 8, 2017. No word yet on where the festival will take place, but du Forum is a likely contender.
No headlining acts have yet been confirmed, but previous editions have featured the likes of Tiësto, John Digweed, Ferry Corsten and many other artists across a range of musical genres.
insydo will keep you updated once details on ticket sales are announced!


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Cold Winter weather is a great match for a hearty hot soup. Minestrone is somewhere between soup and stew.
This is my recipe based on what I like in a minestrone.
2 finely diced brown onions
1 finely diced red capsicum (red is sweeter than green)
4 sliced celery sticks
4 finely diced carrots
2 teaspoons crushed garlic
2 tins diced tomatoes (I buy Australian)
1 tin cannelli white beans (I've substituted a tin of mixed beans at times and it makes a nice change)
1.5 teaspoons powdered stock (I prefer reduced salt or you can use liquid stock and omit water, liquid stock is nice but more expensive)
500g lean mince (I prefer beef)
200g diced bacon makes a nice addition but it can make it a bit salty
2 tins (use the tomato tin) of water
1 teaspoon sugar (optional, but cuts the acid in the tomatoes)
2-3 teaspoons of mixed Italian herbs to taste (I like lots but you might like less)
Fry the onion and capsicum on a medium temperature until starting to become translucent. Don't rush this step as burnt onion can be bitter.
Add the meat (and bacon if using) to brown. Add remaining veg. Add tinned tomatoes, beans, sugar, water, stock and herbs. Simmer on low for at least 2 hours. You can have it earlier but the flavors are not nearly as nice.
Serve sprinkled with Parmesan and mop up with crusty Italian bread.
Skip the meat and ensure the stock is vegetarian.
Super indulgent carb fest?
Add macaroni noodles until just cooked.


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Thanks to so many of you, we exceeded our Kickstarter goal and are able to start production. It was a wonderful experience, talking with supporters, tracking progress, getting surprised whenever we'd get a boost!
Now that bags are beginning, I've open up our website to accept pre-orders as well. We will be delivering additional bags right after our backers' orders are fulfilled, in September.


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Sovereign Awards
Derby Future Pool 4
Dubai WC Cancelled
Rebel Stakes Day
Jeff Ruby Steaks Day
Jockey Corey Nakatani gives Jackson Bend a pat after winning the Carter Handicap.
Date: 04/09/2012
There were 4 graded stakes races run over the Aqueduct main track on Saturday before the crowd of 12,514. The other Grade 1 event on Wood Memorial day is the $400,000 Carter Handicap (G1), a 7 furlong sprint for older horses, an early prep for the Breeders' Cup Sprint. A short field of just 5 (4 betting interests) went to post on Saturday, with Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) winner Caleb's Posse sent off as the 11-10 favorite off his close second in the Tom Fool Handicap (G3) last out. In to challenge him included the two-horse Godolphin entry of Emcee and Tahitian Warrior, as the joint 2-1 second choice, and 3-1 third choice Shackleford, seventh in the Donn Handicap (G1) at Gulfstream. 9-2 Jackson Bend, third in the Gulfstream Park Handicap (G2) completed the field.
The battle down the stretch.
Pgm Horse Jockey Win Place Show 2 Jackson Bend Nakatani 11.40 4.10 - 3 Caleb's Posse Maragh 2.90 - 5 Shackleford Castanon - Winning Time: 1:23:46 $2 Exacta 2-3 24.20
Left: Jackson Bend in the winner's circle. Trainer Nick Zito said, "As fast as Emcee is, and when he (missed the break), I was kind of happy. I said, 'Keep going now, keep going and put something on Shackleford, because we know how game Shackleford is.' You know, I was watching the race, and I basically said, 'It's your race to win now, Jack' when he got up with Shackleford. That was some thrill, I tell you. It's amazing, this business. You know, as a groom, I grew up around here, and I watched [the race] from right over there, where I used to watch it when I rubbed horses. I put my foot under a lucky spot from when I used to rub horses. It's just a great feeling. I have to thank God and thank everything."
Right: Jackson Bend heads bacl to the barns after the race.
Left: Jackson Bend in the paddock.
Right: Jackson Bend heads out to the track before the race. Jockey Corey Nakatani said, "The way he was moving, I felt I'd get next to Shackleford, let Shackleford do a little of the dirty work and go, get near on the turn, and once I got around the turn I was going to see where I was at. When Caleb's Posse started coming at me, this horse has so much heart. It brings a tear to my eye. He's Mighty Mouse. He's so little, 15 hands, but he's got so much heart. This is my second home. I've always loved New York and it's great to win for Nick."
Left: Second place finisher and beaten favorite Caleb's Posse heads out for the post parade. Trainer Donnie Von Hemel said, "He came up a nose short today, so we'll have to come try him again, I guess. Most likely Met Mile. Things changed a little when Emcee broke bad, Jackson Bend kind of made a little earlier move than we did and we just couldn't get him rounded up there. That's horse racing. The horse ran well and we've giving weight to everybody, too. If weight means anything, it means a nose."
Right: Third place finisher Shackleford comes over from the barns before the race. Trainer Dale Romans said, "I thought that (Emcee) would be on the lead, and then we'd have a target, which would be better for us. The way it unfolded, he ran a nice race, they ran really fast for this racetrack today, and it looked like he was back on his game to me."
Jockey Javier Castellano sent Broadway's Alibi to the lead immediately and she set fractions of 23.73, 47.25, and 1:11.74 over the fast track while stalked by Millionreasonswhy. Entering the stretch, Broadway's Alibi extended her lead, finishing up under wraps 3 1/2 lengths in front of Welcome Guest in 1:36.53. It was another 1 1/2 lengths back to Millionreasonswhy third.
Results Chart from DRF.
Left: Broadway's Alibi in the winner's circle. Trainer Todd Pletcher said, "I wanted to make a gradual stretch out, so we were pleased. (As for trying two turns), I don't know yet. We'll take her back to Palm Meadows tomorrow and see how she trains. She was kind enough today to step up to a mile. It's encouraging, but we'll just play it by ear and see. There are a lot of nice races like the Acorn, the Prioress, the Test, so we have to think about it a little bit."
Right: Broadway's Alibi returns after the race. Jockey Javier Castellano said, "I was the only pace-maker in the race. I wanted to do my own thing. I took advantage and broke out of the gate. If they put pressure on, there's nothing I could do. I was much the best in the field. When I asked her, she took off and did it the right way today."
Left: Second place finisher Welcome Guest in the post parade. Trainer Chad Brown said, "Terrific effort coming off a maiden win. She acted really professional in the paddock, she warmed up beautifully, and she acted good in the race. I'm anxious to get her around two turns when I can. We've been gradually stretching her out and it's a nice progression to a one-turn mile. But I'd like to get her around two turns next time. First, we'll see how she comes out of the race, and go from there."
Right: Third place finisher Millionreasonswhy returns after the race. The 3-2 second choice stalked the pace under jockey John Velazquez, but could not improve late, finishing third beaten 5 lengths. The Ignacio Correas trainee improved her record to 3 wins, 1 second, and 1 third in 5 starts, earning $203,340 for owner Sagamore Farm.
On to the Wood Memorial and Bay Shore Stakes also on the card.
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