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2019 Grey Cup Preview
Sunday November 24th will be the 107th contesting of the Grey Cup: Canada's big day of football. This will be another contesting of East vs. West, as it should be. This time East is represented by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and West will be represented by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
This Grey Cup will mark the fifth time Calgary's McMahon Stadium will host the Grey Cup. The stadium opened in 1960 and has undergone two renovations and four expansions. In addition to four previous Grey Cups (the last one being in 2009), the Stadium has also hosted the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 1988 Winter Olympic Games of Calgary and was part of the Ozzy Osbourne-led 2008 Monsters Of Rock tour. It normally seats 35,400 but can be expanded to 46,020. The CFL was originally planning to have the Grey Cup located to October two years ago, but that plan didn't go through.
The four-day Grey Cup festival in Calgary started back on November 20th and is to continue until Saturday November 23rd. It will be centred in downtown Calgary and leading to McMahon Stadium. There will be forty festivities and events including a family-friendly festival, pancake breakfast and traditional team parties. There will be a special Grey Cup rodeo at the Stampede Corral and the Fusion Music Festival. The anthem will be sung by Lindsay Kelly with the Calgary Stampede Showband and the half-time show will have Keith Urban.
And Now For The Game
As I mentioned at the beginning, it will be Hamilton Tiger-Cats vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Basically a rematch of the 1984 Grey Cup! The TiCats are the heavy favorites as they led the 2019 Season, but Winnipeg has been a team of surprises. Can they surprise at the Grey Cup too?
Winnipeg is the surprise of the Grey Cup. At the very end of the 2019 CFL season, Winnipeg was third in the West, but the rankings were very tight as Winnipeg was 11 wins and 7 losses while group-topper Calgary was 13-5.
Before the playoffs, started, the chances for Winnipeg looked glum as they lost four of their final six games, including Calgary 33-37. Calgary would be Winnipeg's opponent in the first playoff game. This appeared to be Calgary's for the taking as the Bombers lost both regular-season games against them, but Winnipeg pulled an upset with 35-14. For the Western final, they had to face Saskatchewan; another team that beat them in both regular-season games. Winnipeg seized control in the first quarter and maintained good enough attack and defense to deliver a 20-13 win.
Winnipeg has not won a Grey Cup since 1990. Here in the Grey Cup, they will be facing yet another team they lost to in both their regular-season games against them. They could pull off an upset if they start with Zach Collaros and Andrew Harris. Keep in mind Collaros led Saskatchewan to a win over Hamilton. So there's plenty of chance for an upset over here. However it's about having the right lineup at the start and the team to deliver.
This year has been Hamilton's year. They led the regular season with fifteen wins and three losses. They only had to play the Eastern final game in order to qualify for the Grey Cup and they did so in brilliant fashion: winning 36-16.
Like Winnipeg, Hamilton has had a long wait since their last Grey Cup: back in 1999. Hamilton beat Winnipeg in both regular-season games against them. Hamilton showed brilliant play in their win against Edmonton. Hamilton can do it again against Winnipeg. They have some of the best talent in the CFL. However some of their best players like Brandon Banks and Tevin Mitchell are injured. Winnipeg could use that as an advantage.
Hamilton has been the team that's been the most on all year and they show no signs of letting go. Winnipeg, on the other hand, appears to have arrived like never before at the playoffs and could carry their streak of success to a Grey Cup win. However I will have to go with my best instincts and pick Hamilton to win 35-19.
So there you have it. There's my prediction for the 107th Grey Cup. However it will all be decided in McMahon Stadium on Sunday. Anything can happen.
2017 Grey Cup Preview
It's Canadian tradition during the last Sunday of November. It's Grey Cup Sunday. This will mark the 105th contesting of this momentous event. Once again, the final is East vs. West. Interestingly it's like a rematch of the 2012 Grey Cup. It will be the Calgary Stampeders vs. the Toronto Argonauts.
First Time For TD Place; Seventh Time For Lansdowne Field
This will be the first time the TD Place Stadium, which was completed in 2014, will host the Grey Cup. This will be the seventh time for the field. It hosted five times before as Lansdowne Park between 1925 and 1988. It hosted once as Frank Clair Stadium in 2004. The older stadium was able to field more spectators in the past. TD Place normally has a capacity of 24,000 but it will expand to 36,000 for the Grey Cup. Shaw Cable is the main sponsor for the event. Freedom Mobile will be sponsoring the halftime show which Shania Twain is slated to perform.
And Now The Game
For the second straight year, the Calgary Stampeders will represent the West while Toronto will represent the East. It's easy to predict the Stampeders to win, but don't forget they were the heavy favorites last year. The Argonauts could pull the same upset the RedBlacks pulled last year.
Last year, the Stampeders led the CFL in game stats and entered the Grey Cup as the clear favorites, only to be surprised by the Ottawa RedBlacks in overtime. That's considered by many to be the biggest upset in Grey Cup history.
This year, they find themselves in the same position: the best team in the regular season and the favorites to win.
Despite leading the regular season, they did show some weakness in the team such as losing the last three season games. Some say they simply gave it away since they knew they'd be tops anyways. Even their 32-28 win in their West Final against the Edmonton Eskimos would be in question as they had a convincing lead at the start of the final quarter only to give nine points away.
Calgary has their strengths and their weaknesses. Their strengths were the most present throughout the season. On top of that, they won both their games against the Toronto Argonauts. I know there are no guarantees in sport, but it's hard to see Calgary losing the Cup this time around.
Calgary had the best performance this CFL season. Toronto's, on the other hand, was nine wins and nine losses. Actually all but one team from the West had better win-loss stats than Toronto. It's hard to believe Toronto came out on top of the East. That just goes to show how far ahead most of the West was this season.
Many people predicted that the Grey Cup would be an all-West game, but Toronto prevented this from happening by beating the Saskatchewan RoughRiders 25-21 in the East Final. Admit it. We all want the Grey Cup to be an East vs. West affair.
Even Toronto's win in the East Final showed they do have some issues as they almost gave it away thanks to some strong last-quarter play from Saskatchewan. It took a last-minute touchdown from Cody Fajardo to save the Argos. If they look to win against the Stampeders, they can't give anything away and play like they've never played before this year.
My Prediction
I feel that Calgary will win the Cup 40-15. They've been the best team this season. Plus I feel after the shock and humiliation of losing to the RedBlacks last year, I think they will want this more than ever. Plus I feel winning on the RedBlack's home field will make this extra-sweet.
And there you go. That's my preview of the 105th Grey Cup. Kickoff is 6pm Ottawa-time Sunday. May the best team win!
2015 VIFF Wrap-Up: An Excellent Year
DISCLAIMER: Okay, I know this is a month late but I've had some busy times and two colds plus I was waiting for some certain facts that took forever to come. Nevertheless I decided to finally publish this VIFF wrap-up today.
The Vancouver International Film Festival wrapped itself up the night of Friday, October 9th. The sixteen days were full of excitement throughout the city. It was also quite warm which allowed for some people to pass up films in favor of savoring whatever sunny weather we'll have left for the year. Nevertheless this year's VIFF was still bustling. The format that worked the two previous years continued to work again this year. The three Tinseltown theatres gave the VIFF four extra days.
Volunteering was also good this year. Funny thing is this year we were only to do a single theatre this time around. I originally requested to volunteer for the VanCity theatre. Thing is it was loaded with volunteer requests. They asked me to do one of the other theatres. I obliged to do Tinseltown. That worked for the most part but the thing with me is I like to volunteer on both opening day and closing day: the two days Tinseltown isn't part of the VIFF. That led me during the volunteer training to negotiate with one of the heads of volunteering and she gave me the option of doing Cinematheque those two days. I was happy with that, especially since I could get free popcorn.
Volunteering started off somewhat easy on opening day at the Cinematheque. Things became a bit more difficult when I worked the Tinseltown theatres. There one would have to deal with big crowds. Almost reminding me how busy it was over at the late Granville 7. There was even one time Tinseltown was so booked with volunteers, I was asked to volunteer the Sunday at the nearby SFU theatre. One film was a special event film where one corporate sponsor was giving people popcorn. Problem was food couldn't be allowed in the theatre. You can imagine how peeved the people were. I also remember how busy closing Friday was. I had to do something over at the Centre for Performing Arts in between volunteering at the Cinematheque. Hey, film fests are busy things.
As for films I watched, I saw fourteen including the Reel Youth shorts fest. The feature-length films I saw came from Canada, USA, UK, Germany, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Greece, Ireland, India and Denmark. I saw a lot of good live-action movies as well as some good documentaries. I think the edgiest film I saw was Nina Forever. Hard to say what my favorite was. I found 100 Yen Love the most entertaining and A Flickering Truth to the the most eye-opening documentary I saw. I was hoping to see some Canadian live-action but it just wasn't to be this year.
Anyways here is the 2015 Vancouver International Film Festival by the numbers:
–140,000: estimated gated attendance
–710+: Film and Television forum delegates
–930+: hours of film screened
–900+: volunteers
-520+ accredited industry guests
–549: public screenings
–370: films shown (shorts and feature length)
–99: Canadian Films and shorts shown
–85: countries entering films
–114: Canadian premieres
- 35: North American premieres
- 24: International premieres (first screening outside home country)
- 11: World Premieres
-198: meetings with industry leaders and delegates at VIFF Industry Exchange
–104: guest speakers
–14: entries in the Best Foreign Language Film category for this year's Oscars shown
–16: days of showing films
–9: screens showing films
–7: theatres participating in the VIFF
Now I know some of you want to know the award winners. Here they are:
-BROOKLYN (UK/Ireland/Canada), dir. John Crowley
-INGRID BERGMAN: IN HER OWN (Sweden), dir. Stig Bjorkman
-HAIDA GWAII: ON THE EDGE OF THE WORLD, dir. Charles Wilkinson
-FRACTURED LAND, dirs. Damien Gillis & Fiona Rayher
-ROOM (shared with Ireland), dir. Lenny Abrahamson
-LANDFILL HARMONIC (USA, Paraguay), dir. Brad Algood
#mustseeBC Award (for most anticipated BC film)
-TRICKS ON THE DEAD, dir. Jordan Paterson
-SLEEPING GIANT, dir. Andrew Cividino
-THE SOUND OF TREES, dir. Francois Peloquin
-BLUE-EYED BLONDE, dir. Pascal Plante
-NEVER STEADY, NEVER STILL, dir. Kathleen Hepburn
-FRACTURED LAND, dirs. Damien Gillis & Fiona Rayher
-THE DEVOUT, dir. Connor Gaston
Those were awarded at Friday's closing gala. After the VIFF closed, VIFF repeats happened at the VanCity theatre until Thursday the 15th. The volunteer party went from being held close to the end of the fest to being held on Halloween. It all started at the VanCity theatre as volunteers were treated to three circus-themed thriller films. The first one was held at 10 in the morning and was 1933's Freaks which is frequently shown on Turner Classic Movies. The second was the 1960 British film Circus Of Horrors. The third and last was 1966's Berserk starring Joan Crawford. Goodies and pastries were around for us to much on. Of course there were candies. There were prizes given away as well as prizes for costumes. Then the festivities ended with a three-hour dinner and dance at a nearby cabaret. It was a fun Halloween, that's for sure. Great to see this year's VIFF end on an exciting note.
So there you go. The 2015 Vancouver International Film Festival ended with continued success if not a record and fun for all volunteers. Next year's VIFF is anticipated to be from September 23rd to October 8th, 2015 and should be bigger and better. It's 10 months away but I still can't wait. Anyways we'll see how things go for next year's VIFF. See you next year!
VIFF 2015 Review – Painted Land: In Search Of The Group Of Seven
Seeing the documentary Painted Land reminded me just how much we Canadians lack the knowledge of our artistic history.
The film is more than a documentary of art. It's also a documentary of three adventurers retracing the trips taken by the seven Canadian artists known as the Group of Seven. For those who don't know, the Group Of Seven were a group of seven Canadian artists from Ontario whom in the 20's and 30's visited landscapes of Ontario and painted images of what they saw in their own way. Many can say they were the first artists to define Canadian art. The Seven still rank among Canada's most renowned artists.
In this documentary are three adventurers: author Joanie McGuffin, photographer Gary McGuffin and art historian Michael Burtch. They go on a journey along the various trails, coastlines and waterlines to retrace the route taken by the Seven and even see for themselves the natural places of Canada depicted in their paintings. The trip would involve many years of research, canoeing, portaging, mountain climbing and bushwhacking to retrace their steps and learn of their inspiration. At times, they'd even bring people along like the McGuffin's daughter or other teens interested in art.
The documentary is a documentation of their trip as well as a history lesson of the Group of Seven. We're introduced to Tom Thomson who influenced the Seven shortly before he died mysteriously in 1919. We're taken on the same journey the Seven took as they took their art from place to place and painted what they saw in their own unique way. Frequently we see images of the landscapes and how they match the paintings they painted. We learn of how each of the Seven dealt with each part of the journey and each town or camp area they took up. We occasionally see some moments of the Seven re-enacted by actors. We're even taken to a cabin they once held during their journey. It's an interesting tale as we learn from each story, each trail, each visit and each assimilation of the landscape with the painting that would become the 'painted land.'
We even learn about the negative reception they received as their art premiered. Some people were unhappy with what they saw. Oddly some thought Canada was not ready to have what defined Canadian Art. Keep in mind Canada was just slightly over 50 years old at the time. The most fascinating comment I heard from one art pundit was she hated the paintings so much, she was afraid if she looked any longer, she might love them! Odd.
I found this documentary very valuable. I feel this is a great lesson for anyone who's into art, Canadian or not. I especially feel that Canadian artists should see this as this will give them a good sense of their artistic history, even if the painting style of the Group Of Seven is not their style at all. I feel we as Canadians lack the knowledge of our renowned artists. I myself only learned of the Group Of Seven just as I was watching this documentary. Here in B.C., we're mostly familiar with Emily Carr, who is one of Canada's best artists in her own right. Nevertheless I found learning of the Group Of Seven very valuable and informative. I give the documentary big kudos for that.
For the most part, I feel this is not really a big screen documentary. Even seeing TVO, which is for the educational channel TV Ontario, at the end credits makes it obvious this is a documentary meant for television airing. I think if it were to be aired on the big screen, it would have to be in an art gallery that has a theatre screen or a performance stage, like the Winnipeg Art Gallery. It's possible to show it on an art gallery theatre screen whether or not there's a Group Of Seven exhibit.
Painted Land: In Search Of The Group Of Seven may be more of a television documentary than a big screen documentary. Nevertheless it's a good educational documentary for both art and history.
A VIFF 2014 Wrap-Up: A Record Year
DISCLAIMER: Okay, I know this is a month late but I've had some computer problems plus I was waiting for some certain facts that still have not yet come. Nevertheless I decided to publish this VIFF wrap-up as is today. Especially since I want to get my review of Mommy out soon.
The Vancouver International Film Festival wrapped itself up the night of Friday, October 10th. It was quite the sixteen days of films, discussions, films, events, films. You get the point. Nevertheless the end gave lots for people at the VIFF to smile about.
You may remember last year was about getting used to a new system of theatres with the closure of both the Granville 7 and the Ridge. This led to two new smaller theatres, a back-theatre to a mainstage and temporary use of three theatres in a downtown megaplex. It worked out well in the end in more ways than one. Firstly it helped the VIFF have a very good per-screen average of attended. Secondly it was an opportunity to learn and make improvements for the following year. This year was really excellent both in terms of attendance and festivities. I'll get to the numbers later in my blog. One thing is that the film festival heads were now more familiar with the new format and could make it work better this time.
It seems like each year is a new adventure both in watching films and volunteering. Volunteering was a unique thing this year as people could now schedule their shifts electronically via an online booking system. Nevertheless things were the same that we all still had to sign in and sign out via a paper sheet. Yep, they still keep a total of hours through that method. One of the good things about the electronic system is that it expected people to trade shifts if they couldn't make it or call in to cancel. A confirmation e-mail would be sent to them with a number for them to call and cancel if they couldn't make it. If they didn't, they risked being dropped and having their volunteer card cancelled if they had free movies in mind.
Another unique thing this year was we were not all confined to a single theatre. We could book shifts to as many theatres as we wanted. The commitment level was still expected as we were still expected to meet up with the theatre manager at all our shifts. I was able to book for SFU Woodwards, Cinematheque, The Rio, International Village (Tinseltown) and the Centre for Performing Arts. I think the only ones I didn't do were the VanCity and the Queen Elizabeth Playhouse. Nevertheless it made for some good times. It made for some frustrations too in the case of scanners that delayed their use at times or didn't scan passes or iPhones well.
One unique duty as far as volunteering was surveying. This was something new as I've never seen surveying done before. It wasn't an easy thing to do as there wasn't that huge of a number of people willing to do it at first. When incentives for entry into a contest came up, I made myself willing. There were three times I did it: a Saturday and a Sunday at Tinseltown and closing day at the Centre for Performing Arts including the gala. It was a good focus on attendees with the prime focus on people from out of town.
Filmwatching opportunities were good for me as you can tell by my reviews. However this year was not the year I gave the most reviews. Last year was with 16. This year I was able to review 14 even though I saw 15 in their entirety or close enough. The only one I chose not to review was In Search Of Chopin because it was more a DVD biography of Chopin simply played in front of a big screen. I saw films from France, Canada, the UK, the US, New Zealand, Mexico, the Netherlands and South Korea. I saw comedies, dramas, documentaries, shorts, feature-length films, television shows brought to the screen, independent films and big production company films. It was a good mix though I wish I could see more variety but I'm not complaining. They were all unique and had their own styles. I don't think I saw anything really bad this year. Also I don't think any of the movies I saw pushed the envelope in a big way unlike in the past. I think El Incidente was probably the edgiest because it told a unique story of the supernatural.
The most interesting thing that happened on screen was the unexpected airing of a short before some films showed. The short was called Echoes and I saw it three times: only once in its entirety. The first time I saw it, it was as it was ending and I thought I walked into the theatre just as a film was finishing. I tried looking in my VIFF guide for it but couldn't find it. All I knew was that it was produced by the Weinstein brothers. Then I saw it again just before I saw Haemoo. Once again I walked in long after the short started and it didn't make much sense at first. Also this time it was at the Centre and they had a tent from Lexus where they were signing people up for a Lexus contest, in which I entered. Later on I learned of the title and researched it online. I saw some Youtube videos and write ups about it and how both Lexus and the Weinstein Group are involved in its promotion. It caught my interest but still left me confused what the short was all about. I finally did have a chance to see it in its entirety when I was in my seat long before I saw El Incidente. I finally got what it was all about and the point of airing it before the show. Funny how it wasn't until the very last show when it all made sense.
The number of films I saw could have been higher especially with the Rio having their 11:30 at night screenings for seven of those days. However I would only be willing to see such a late-night film if it was worth it and I was guaranteed to return home in decent time that night. I only saw two 11:30 shows. There were some I passed up: the one the first Friday because of its late start time, the one the second Friday because I was ticket scanning and only finished scanning long after the film started, two because I already saw one film while ushering and that was enough, and the one on the Thursday before closing because I fell ill. Weird how I was still ill but saw the 11:30 Rio show on the last night of the VIFF. Hey, it's a personal tradition of mine I either see the last VIFF movie or volunteer on closing day.
As for the festival itself, the Festival had its third-highest number in terms of flat ticket entries: 144,000. 2011 and 2010 had higher numbers but this year's VIFF of 144,000 entries over 349 films exceeded 2011's record for per-screen attendance of 150,000 over 386 films. The results are especially impressive when you compare it 2012 which had more films and with last year under the new format. Last year's total entries were 130,000: an increase this year by more than 10%. Great job, VIFF!
Anyways here is the 2014 Vancouver International Film Festival by the numbers:
–144,000: estimated gated attendance
–1000+: Film and Television forum delegates
–700+: volunteers
–549: public screenings
–349: films shown
- 219: feature length (60+ minutes)
- 130: short or mid-length films (less than 60 minutes)
–76: Canadian Films shown
–68: countries entering films
–83: Canadian premieres
- 45: North American premieres
- 24: International premieres (first screening outside home country)
- 11: World Premieres
–24: Media Screenings
–19: entries in the Best Foreign Language Film category for this year's Oscars shown
–18: percentage increase of visitors from the US
–17: panels featuring 73 speakers
–16: days of showing films
–9: screens showing films
–7: theatres participating in the VIFF
Now I know some of you want to know the award winners. Here they are:
-THE VANCOUVER ASAHI (Canada), dir. Ishii Yuya
-GLEN CAMPBELL: I'LL BE ME (USA), dir. James Keach
BEST NEW DIRECTOR AWARD (tie)
-MISS AND THE DOCTORS, dir. Axelle Ropert
-REKORDER, dir. Mikhail Red
-ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD, dir. Suzanne Crocker
Runners-Up: MARINONI, dir. Tony Girardin
-JUST EAT IT: A FOOD WASTE STORY, dir. Grant Baldwin
-JUST EAT IT: A FOOD WASTE STORY, dir. Grant Baldwin
-PREGGOLAND, dir. Jacob Tierney
-SITTING ON THE EDGE OF MARLENE, dir. Ana Valine
-VIOLENT, dir. Andrew Huculak
-THE CUT, dir. Geneviève Dulude-Decelles
Honorable Mention:
-VIOLENT, dir. Andrew Huculak
-JUST EAT IT: A FOOD WASTE STORY, dir. Grant Baldwin
-SITTING ON THE EDGE OF MARLENE, dir. Ana Valine
Those were awarded at Friday's closing gala. After the VIFF closed, VIFF repeats happened at select theatres for three more days. I helped volunteer two of those days at the SFU. Then it was the volunteer party on Sunday. I was able to get there right after seeing Still Life. The party was at the Rickshaw Theatre and it started with a showing of the 1972 film The Poseidon Adventure which not only consisted of the movie being shown but a cast re-enacting and spoofing the movie. There were even times they had people from the audience including myself participate. After the showing, it was a feast on appetizers, drinks and dancing to two of the VIFF's favorite bands. Of course there were prizes given away and this year's posters being given out. Great to see this year's VIFF end on an exciting note.
So there you go. The 2014 Vancouver International Film Festival ended with record success and fun for all volunteers. Next year's VIFF is anticipated to be from September 24th to October 9th, 2015 and should be bigger and better. I know last year I said I hoped the VIFF would be one Film Festival added to the FIAPF: the International Federation of Film Producers Associations. However some people prefer that it's not as they feel VIFF not being part of the FIAPF-associated film fests would add to the VIFF's reputation being an unspoiled celebration of film. We'll see in the future. Anyways things look optimistic already and the VIFF's reputation improves over time. See you next year!
A VIFF 2013 Wrap-Up: Better Year Than Expected
The 2013 Vancouver International Film Festival wrapped up show on Friday, October 11th. Almost 350 films were shown on nine different screens in seven movie venues over the sixteen days. This year was expected to be a nervous one as it was trying to fit a new venue format but it worked out well in the end.
Getting used to new venues was part of this year's VIFF. It was with that with us volunteers, the supervisors and the VIFF heads. The theater I volunteered at, the SFU Woodwards, was unique that it was located in the Woodwards Square of Gastown. It's also a campus for film and theatre students of Simon Fraser University. The theatre itself was very good. It's both a screen and a classroom with a seating capacity of 350. Also the theatre didn't have concessions but the shopping square had no shortage of eating facilities.
One of the challenges of this year was separating moviegoers from students. Another was knowing how to set up lines. The venue consisted of the main floor, second floor and theatre on the third floor. On the first day we had the box office on the main floor and throughout the VIFF. Thus we'd have the ticketholders on that floor. We'd organize passholders in a line in the outdoor area of the second floor. On the third day we'd have ticketholder and passholder lines all outside. That became a concern because of the rain. After that we returned to having ticketholders indoors on the first and passholders indoors on the second. A bit of getting used to.
I was able to take advantage of my film viewing opportunities as often as I could. One highlight was the Rio Theatre showing films at 11:30 in the evening. That was actually one of my best chances to see films. Yes, I'd be very tired the following morning but it was worth it for my VIFF fix. This year featured an additional treat for volunteers however it would have to wait until after the Festival was officially finished. The treat was free films for the repeat screenings in the week that followed the Festival. Volunteers were allowed only 5% of the seats during the actual Festival but repeats allowed for 20% of the seats up for volunteers. That explains why you see so many of my reviews coming late. It was great for me because it allowed me to see three more films and do some more volunteering at the SFU Woodwards Theatre. Oh yeah, that's another thing. VIFF repeats were not strictly limited to the Vancity theatre this year. They also added in repeat screenings at both the Rio and the SFU Theatre on Saturday and Sunday. I volunteered at SFU that Sunday and finished the night taking stuff from both SFU and the Rio back to the storage of the main VIFF office downtown.
Those who've followed my blog may have noticed I saw sixteen films in total both at this year's VIFF and the week of repeats. They came from many countries around the world like the US, Australia, South Africa, Israel, Iceland, Mexico, Poland, Croatia, I could go on. The list could even be extended if I add in filming locations like Laos, Cambodia, Cuba or India. The films ranged from dramas, to comedies to thrillers to documentaries to horror films. The quality ranged anywhere from film for art's sake to moviemaking to getting their message across. The material ranged from entertainment-driven to message-driven to envelope-pushing to family friendly. I also saw two nation's official entries for Best Foreign Language Film category at this year's Oscars: Heli and The Rocket. One thing I felt I missed out on this year was my fix of short films. I did get a fix of it over at the reel Youth Film Festival but I would have liked to have seen more shorts shows. Also I only saw two Canadian films. Hopefully I'll see more next year. If you want to see all my reviews of VIFF films, just click here.
The Festival also ended on a positive note for us volunteers. We were all given a volunteer screening at the Vancity Theatre to attend. Actually the VIFF organizers had to do two volunteer screenings of the film in order to accommodate the 700 volunteers for this year. I went to the one that was held late Friday evening. It was a good occasion. Out in the lobby there was your typical party food and we were all treated to at least one free drink. I was able to meet with people I volunteered with. There were door prizes given to people before the movie was shown. Then we were treated to The Fantastic Mr. Fox. I actually saw it four years ago but I was cool with seeing it again. Also have you ever noticed the things you see in a movie the second time you forgot you saw the first time?
As for the Festival itself, the Festival films attracted a total of 130,000 in gated admission. As a flat number, that's 7% lower than last year and 20,000 shy of 2011's record but that's actually a very optimistic number to the VIFF staff. The reason being the new theatre facilities had less total capacity than those of last year and the VIFF staff were anticipating a smaller number. Don't forget there were some facilities that took some time off from showing VIFF films. Like the SFU theatre had all of Monday the 6th off and the evening off on the 7th. Also the three screens at the International Village stopped showing movies on Sunday the 6th. Media coverage was extensive and mostly positive. Audience and filmmaker feedback was also very good regarding the films shown and the facilities. The VIFF wrap-up report called the ticket numbers 'a record year.' I assume that 'record' would be based on a per-screening analysis which is a good estimate of over 250 per screening.
Here is this year's VIFF by the numbers:
-130,000+: gated attendance
-1000+: Film and Television forum delegates
-700+: volunteers
-515: public screenings
-341: films shown
- 212: feature length (60+ minutes)
-92: Canadian Films shown
- 31: feature length
- 55: shorts
- 6: mid-length
-85: non-fiction films shown
- 73: feature length
- 17: Canadian
-75: countries entering films
-64: Canadian premieres
-41: North American premieres
-27: International premieres (first screening outside home country)
-26: World Premieres
-16: days of showing films
-15: entries in the Best Foreign Language Film category for this year's Oscars shown
-9: screens showing films
-7: theatres participating in the VIFF
Bonus Stats:
-27: media screenings
-26: VIFF repeats
Another year of good numbers. Now I know some of you want to know what were the award winners, right? Here they are:
-LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON (Japan) dir. Koreeda Hirokazu,
-DESERT RUNNERS (USA) dir. Jenifer Steinman
–WHEN I WALK, dir. Jason da Silva
-SALMON CONFIDENTIAL(Canada) dir. Twyla Roscovich
-WADJDA (Saudi Arabia/Germany), dir. Haifaa Al Mansour
-DOWN RIVER, dir. Ben Ratner
-SARAH PREFERS TO RUN (Canada) dir. Chloe Robichaud
DRAGONS & TIGERS AWARD for YOUNG CINEMA
-ANATOMY OF A PAPERCLIP (Japan) dir. Ikeda Akira
Runner-Up: TRAP STREET (China), dir. Vivian Qu
Special Mention: FOUR WAYS TO DIE IN MY HOMETOWN (China), dir. Chai Chunya
– (tie)RHYMES WITH YOUNG GHOULS, dir. Jeff Barnaby
THAT BURNING FEELING, dir. Jason James
-Matthieu Arsenault for NATHAN
Honorable Mention: Timothy Yeung for 90 DAYS
-THE DICK KNOST SHOW, dir. Bruce Sweeney
-LEAP 4 OUR LIFE, dir. Gary Hawes
-Matthew Kowalchuk for LAWRENCE & HOLLOMAN
So there you go. Those are the winners of the 2013 Vancouver International Film Festival. A good end to a great VIFF. I know this year was a nervous year as we didn't know what to expect with a new set of theatres to work with. Nevertheless it turned out great and we had our best per-screening rate ever. Next year's VIFF is scheduled from September 25th to October 10th, 2014 and should be bigger and better. Also I hope one year the VIFF grows to achieve accreditation from the FIAPF: the International Federation of Film Producers Associations. Most of the big Film Festivals are accredited and the VIFF being accredited should definitely add to its attraction. Anyways see you next VIFF!
The Grey Cup Plays Its 100th Game
This Sunday will have the 100th contesting of the Grey Cup, the most prestigious prize of Canadian football. It will be an exciting time not just for fans of Canadian football but fans of the Cup itself.
I've already talked about the Grey Cup partially back in a post from last year but I'll elaborate more here. The Grey Cup has more history than the Super Bowl: 58 more years to be exact. Before there was a CFL, the Grey Cup was open to Canadian football teams from all sorts of leagues. The very first Grey Cup was played in 1909 by the University of Toronto Varsity Blues and the Toronto Parkdale Canoe Club at Toronto's Rosedale Field to a crowd of just over 3,800. Yeah, that small. The winner was the Blues 26-6. From 1909 to 1915 the Grey Cup was often a contest between Toronto and Hamilton teams. World War I led to the postponement of four straight Grey Cups until it was revised back in 1920. Those would be the only years the Grey Cup was not contested.
It wasn't until 1921 that the Grey Cup stopped being a contest strictly of Ontario teams when the Edmonton Eskimos qualified for the final. It would pave the way for teams from Regina and Winnipeg to qualify for the final. 1931 was a history-maker for the Grey Cup as it was contested in Montreal's Molson Stadium: the first time ever the Grey Cup was contested outside of Ontario. Just as historic was the match as it featured two teams outside of Ontario: the Regina Roughriders and the Montreal AAA Winged Wheelers. Montreal won 22-0, making them the first team outside of Ontario to win the Grey Cup. The first team from Western Canada to win the Grey Cup was the Winnipeg 'Pegs back in 1935. While the Grey Cup was cancelled during World War I, it was not cancelled during World War II where teams from branches of Canada's armed forces qualified for the finals.
The Grey Cup's popularity grew after World War II as 1948 saw the first Grey Cup with a crowd of 20,000 in attendance for the first time. Then the Canadian Football Council (CFC) became the Canadian Football League (CFL) in 1958 which would propel the Grey Cup to further popularity. Since then, Grey Cup Sunday has become a permanent fixture in Canadiana with the top team from the East competing against the top team from the West. An average crowd of over 50,000 gather to watch the big final in the stadium and millions more watch from their house.
This year marks the 100th contesting of the Grey Cup. To celebrate, there has been a Grey Cup 100 Train Tour with the Cup touring various cities of Canada with three CFL themed railway coaches: a museum car, a railcar with contemporary memorabilia, and a car containing the Grey Cup itself. It started September 9th in an official ceremony in Vancouver, traveled across Canada for ten weeks visiting various Canadian cities including all cities with CFL teams, and ended in Toronto on November 17th. The 100th Grey Cup has also been celebrated through Canada Post. Canada Post has issued commemorative stamps of all the teams and the Cup itself. It has also issued 8*10 pictures of the various Grey Cup stamps and many other gift sets. Rosedale Field–which has had its spectator seats removed years ago and now functions as a field for festivals and community events as part of Rosedale Park– was commemorated during the celebrations in Toronto with a commemorative plaque from Heritage Toronto for its role as host field for the first-ever Grey Cup.
As for this year's Cup, the event will be held at the Rogers Centre, formerly SkyDome, tomorrow night. This is the 46th time Toronto will host it. There will be a fan parade from Varsity Stadium to Rogers Centre. The coin toss of the game will consist of the first 100th commemorative Grey Cup coin struck by the Royal Canadian Mint executed by Governor General David Johnston. There will be various musical acts for both the pre-game show and the halftime show. Pre-game show acts include the Guess Who's Burton Cummings and country singer Johnny Reid. Halftime show performers include Justin Bieber, Carly Rae Jepsen, Marianas Trench and Gordon Lightfoot.
As for game itself, it will be a face-off between the Toronto Argonauts representing the East and the Calgary Stampeders representing the West. So who will win? Here's the breakdown:
EAST – Toronto Argonauts: The Argonauts have not looked like the team most likely to win the berth for the East. They have both won and lost nine games during regular season play and it was looked to be Montreal that would represent the East. Nevertheless Toronto has played brilliantly in their Division playoff games firstly against the Eskimos 42-26 and recently against the Allouettes 27-20. Toronto has an advantage leading into the Cup having won both its regular season games against Calgary. Their veteran quarterback Ricky Ray has been consistently strong and looks strong leading into tomorrow's game. Nevertheless Toronto knows Calgary has a strong defense and they won't overlook it for tomorrow's game. Kevin Huntley even admitted their game against Saskatchewan, which I will talk about later, sent them the message. Nevertheless they have been taking note on Calgary's strengths and weaknesses. They know that Kevin Glenn and Jon Cornish are the ones they have to maintain if they want to win tomorrow. Will they win it again or will it be a change in the game plan?
WEST – Calgary Stampeders: Like Toronto, Calgary was second in their division leading up to the playoffs. The Stampeders have has a better season with twelve wins and six losses. They too have been brilliant in the playoff games winning against Saskatchewan 36-30 and BC 34-29. Their consistency has been their biggest strength. They're not flashy showmen, just a strong team. One important statistic to remember is that Calgary lost both of its regular season games against Toronto. Nevertheless they showed they can come from behind by winning a game against Saskatchewan where they were originally trailing by 17 points with six minutes to go. Quarterback Kevin Glenn has been getting better and stronger as of recent. Their other strong players have played well. Nevertheless they know the Argo's star quarterback Ricky Ray has returned from surgery back in October and is playing strong. Also the Stamps know the Argos have been good at holding Cornish back. Tomorrow could go either way for the Stamps.
So what's my say? This is a hard one to call. both have their strengths and weaknesses. Both have shown they know how to perform when it matters. I have to give the win to Toronto. It's not just about their play against Calgary this year but also balancing things out. Kevin Glenn has become a stronger quarterback but Ricky Ray has returned in a strong way. Also Toronto knows how to hold down Cornish and they have a special edge with Chad Owens winning the CFL award for Most Outstanding Player. So I have to hand it to Toronto. They have the edge but it's going to be a tight game.
Anyways everything will be decided tomorrow in Rogers Centre and it promises to be a great game and a great show. In the end, one city will be left smiling. So may the best team win!
WIKIPEDIA: List Of Grey Cup Champions. Wikipedia.com. 2012. Wikimedia Foundation Inc. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Grey_Cup_champions>
VIFF 2012 Review: The Disappeared
The Disappeared is a story about six men in two boats in the middle of nowhere in the Atlantic and nothing else. To your surprise, it succeeds in being entertaining.
The film begins with the six men in two boats just waking up. They range from a young twentysomething like Little Dickie to an older man like Captain Gerald. They get up and they row along to shore together. It isn't until later we learn that the men are in lifeboats having survived a shipwreck from their fishing boat hundreds of miles from shore. In fact one is badly injured in the arm. All six stick together and row together even tying a rope to each other's boats. They survive with little food and whatever to drink. They have to rely on fishing and hunting skills for any extra food. Sometimes the weather is unpredictable and even dangerous. Any chances of hope are either missed, a mirage or less hopeful than expected.
Things change as the wounded man becomes sicker and then dies. They first leave him in the boat with the two others but eventually becomes just one boat with the five. There are moments of closeness between some but moments of friction too even as Merv becomes downright angry and has a miserable attitude. Eventually all come to terms with what has happened and what may be. They're still willing to chance it back to coast but they all put their last thoughts in writings in a bottle. They still continue rowing despite all hope waning. The ending ends as it does with the men rowing and still missing. It leaves imagery unclear exactly what happened to the five men. I guess that was the point of the film: for the audience to draw their own conclusion.
I have to commend the filmmakers for succeeding in making an entertaining story taking place between one or two boats, six men and nothing else but the vast ocean. The story had a lot of elements in it: humor, tragedy, drama, tense moments, moments of hope, moments that define the human spirit, sea shanties of both fun and pain, basically a lot with what they present. It was not an easy task to do, especially with it being 86 minutes in length, but it does.
I will have to admit that while watching it, I questioned the circumstances with modern thinking. Like would any of them have some sort of cellphone communication with help? Also since they're in lifeboats, wouldn't there be coast guard helicopters circling the ocean area looking for survivors? Yes, thoughts like those did cross my mind. Despite my modern thinking, I will admit it didn't affect my feelings of how well played out the film was. I guess the point of the film was about human emotions during times of crises.
I have to commend writer/director Shandi Mitchell for succeeding in making a watchable entertaining film with such limits. Well done, especially since this is her first feature-length film: Yes, her! It's also great to see a female director succeed in conveying the thoughts and emotions of Nova Scotia men on screen. She was as good at having Nova Scotia machismo down to a tee as she was at giving the male characters their own deep sensitive feelings. Great job. Also good were the acting efforts of all six men. It's hard to say if there was one actor that stood out from the six. None of them looked like they were trying to steal the show, even though the most well-known was Billy Campbell. All of them did a very good effort in creating dimension and including character and emotion in their roles from the beginning to the end. The characters and their feelings could say a lot about us as they do about the six men. Another set of efforts worth commending.
I went to see The Disappeared on the second-last day of the VIFF. I was hoping to see a Canadian live-action feature during the festival and hadn't yet. I've seen many Canadian documentaries and shorts programs but no live-action feature. This caught my attention in the VIFF programme not just for that reason but also because it was listed being from Nova Scotia. Great to see some of the smaller provinces making a contribution to Canada's film industry this year and The Disappeared is an excellent work. It was filmed off the coast of Lunenberg and filed with financial assistance from Film Nova Scotia, TeleFilm Canada and The Movie Network/MovieCentral. It is now making its way in the Canadian film festival circuit. How much further it goes is yet to be determined.
The Disappeared accomplishes a lot with what little it has. It brings six characters in the same local into a story that's entertaining and thought provoking. Excellent effort from all those involved.
VIFF 2012 Review – Shorts Program: Break Even
Once again it was my goal at the VIFF to see at least one program of shorts. I had the good opportunity to see one during my ushering duties. You remember how the four programs of Canadian shorts were given names of the earth's natural resources: Earth, Air, Fire and Water? This year the theme is about breaks. The program I saw was titled Break Even and featured nine shorts done by Canadian filmmakers. So here's the rundown:
-Barefoot-In a Cree community, Alyssa is the third girl in her class expecting to be a mother. She has a supportive boyfriend and a supportive family but she has secrets. The story was meant to be a drama but I think this was a statement to do about teen pregnancy in First Nations reserves. An upsetting story but important as it will hit you with some hard truths.
-Peach Juice-An amusing animated movie using dolls and wrapping paper for the animating. Not the most professional but it succeeded in entertaining. This was another teenage story that has a charming outlook on a certain curiosity.
-OMG-A teenage daughter moves in with her grandmother after a spat over her phone use. Grandma handles her granddaughter's annoying habit well both in her cellphone use and her relationship with her mother. Very clever ability to have a great entertaining story within the same location. Funny and charming.
-Liar-Tara believes her boyfriend Brian lied about being gay when he broke up with her. She and her two girlfriends attempt revenge on Brian but when it goes too far, what will Tara decide? Very good story but it leaves one wondering if it was meant to be a story or a message about violence on gay teens, especially since the bullies were all female?
-First Snow-Siblings and their mother reunite but not in the happiest settings. It's in a hospital and it's to decide who will donate their kidney to save their father's life and it has to be immediate. Who will go forward, especially with all this squabbling? Very comedic with a surprise ending that ends the story well.
-Canoejacked-Two escaped prisoners try to escape across a river with a metal canoe. Only problem is the canoeist is inside with him, and he's a 'canudist'. How will they all escape with them in full view of the officer. They find a way. Quite funny, despite the bizarre situation.
-Hollow Bones-Boy bird loses girl bird in this live-action–yes, it's live-action–short. However he does see hope along the way. Didn't see the point of showing a break-up scene with the actors having birdheads. Wasn't that amused.
-With Jeff-Nydia is in love with Jeff but wants to be a strong teenage girl. She receives a lot of advise from friends but loses herself whenever Jeff takes her on his motorcycle. The story appeared to be a good thoughtful story but the ending didn't make a lot of sense.
-The Worst Day Ever-Bernard is one hard-luck kid. He has one bad incident after one bad incident happen this day. You think things couldn't get any worse for that tyke until…It was a bit shocking to see all this happen to Bernard but it was funny and easy to find comical.
As for the whole segment, I have to say I first had the sense I was watching a program of shorts about teens after the first four shorts. It wasn't until First Snow was showed that I got more of a sense of variety. Sure five of the nine shorts had teen subject matter but the mix of more adult shorts evened it out. Many of the shorts either charmed me or made me think. I'd say five of the nine were both entertaining and professional.
Some of the shorts were filmed by BC companies, some by Ontario companies and others by Quebec. I don't know any of the filmmakers who filmed these shorts but I hope this leads on to bigger projects for them in the future.
The shorts program of Break Even was great to watch. Director wannabes often use short films to try to launch their careers for bigger things in the future. I'd have to say most of them show potential for both the director and even some of the actors involved.
Grey Cup 2011
On Sunday November 27th, fans of Canadian Football will have all their attention fixed on the newly renovated BC Place Stadium for the 99th Annual Grey Cup. For those unfamiliar with Canadian Football or even the Canadian Football League (CFL), the Grey Cup is to Canadian Football what the Super Bowl is to American Football. This year, the rivalry between East and West over the Cup will be the BC Lions against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
For those non-Canadians unfamiliar with the CFL, the CFL is as much a part of Canadiana as the NFL is to Americana. The Grey Cup has been part of league football in Canada since 1909 but it wasn't until the CFL formed in1958 that the Grey Cup was a permanent fixture in Canadiana. For the most part, the CFL consists of nine teams except when something goes wrong with one of them. Usually there is at least one city that has problems with their CFL team. In the 80's and 90's, it was Montreal. Now it's Ottawa. But don't worry. Ottawa will be returning in 2013. Plus there's talk of possible franchises in the future from Quebec City or Halifax.
For the most part, the CFL has been happy to be Canada's own football league. For many decades, it didn't worry about competing with the NFL because it knew it had a very solid dedicated base in Canada. Things became uncomfortable in the late 80's when the CFL tried attracting new players to the league but couldn't compete with the big salaries of the NFL teams. In the 90's, the CFL tried things like offer a $5 million annual salary to Raghib 'Rocket' Ismael to join the Toronto Argonauts in 1991. It turned out to a success for that one year. Sure the Rocket and the Argos won the Grey Cup that year but the Rocket's career went downhill after that. The success of the Rocket led to the CFL to form franchises in cities like Sacramento, Baltimore, Las Vegas and Shreveport. In 1995 Birmingham and Memphis entered the league. The 1995 Grey Cup came as a shocker as the Baltimore Stallions won; the only time an American team won the Grey Cup. After a lot of business issues and bad management from some American teams, the CFL returned to being based completely in Canada since 1996 and we're happy to keep it that way.
Nowadays, the CFL does not need to seek out ways to try to reach the popularity level or moneymaking level of the NFL. Ever since the CFL stopped its expansion into the US, they were reminded again that they can hold their own with loyal Canadian fans. The CFL has the seventh-highest per-game attendance average of 27,000. Its average may be less than that of Major League Baseball and not even half that of the NFL but it has a higher average than the top soccer leagues of Mexico, Italy, Argentina, France and even Brazil. Yeah, that well-attended.
This year's Grey Cup will prove to be an exciting match. Firstly because it is held in BC Place with the new roof. Before the 2010 Winter Olympics, there was a demand for a new roof for the stadium as the air-supported ETFE roof had a tear in 2007. The construction of the new roof began after the 2010 Paralympics and was completed on September 30 of this year. During that time, the Lions returned to the dismantled Empire Field and played in a stadium consisting completely of 25,000 temporary seats. This was quite an experience for me as I saw the Lions' fourth game of theis season in that temporary stadium. A lot of banging, that's for sure. As for BC Place's new roof, it's more high-tech and doesn't require so much air pressure to keep it up. The scoreboard is supported by 36 cables connected to its own mast. The top of the Stadium consists of lighted glass. Looks great from the outside, but now that people couldn't call BC Place 'The Marshmallow' anymore, what could they call it? My pick for the name would be 'The Crown'. Anyways in the very first year of BC Place being 'The Crown', it appropriately hosts the Grey Cup this year. This year the race for the Grey Cup has narrowed the field down to its East and West contenders: the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the home team BC Lions. Here's a wrap-up on how the two stack up:
If one would say at the beginning of the CFL season that the Lions would be in the Grey Cup, most would be laughing. The start of the regular season for the Lions was depressing and even frustrating for fans. The first five games were straight losses. Even I attended the fourth game, against Hamilton, and witnessed the loss. Their sixth game was a win against Saskatchewan only to follow it us with a loss against Edmonton. After that, it was like a miracle turnaround. Eight straight wins propelling themselves to the top of the CFL. There was only one loss after the sixth game, and that was against Hamilton in their 16th game in the regular season. By finishing atop the West Division, they only had to wait until the Division Finals to play their first and only playoff game against Edmonton, in which they won 40-23.
Overall, the 2011 Lions have had an excellent season with 11 wins and 7 losses. They became the first team in CFL history to lose their first five games only to end regular season on top of the CFL. Many teams they lost to at the start of the season they were able to beat in matches later in the season. The only two teams the Lions did not win against this season were the Hamilton TiCats and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. This may come as an Achilles heel for the Lions as they will face Winnipeg for the Cup, and Winnipeg beat Hamilton en route to their East division berth for the Cup. However it may not be a glitch as we should remember that the two losses to Winnipeg came in its first seven games of the season. The Lions have sure changes since then and they could be ready for Winnipeg this time.
Also a bit of Grey Cup trivia. This year's Grey Cup may come in the first year of BC Place's new roof but BC Place hosted the Grey Cup in its opening year: 1983. Like this year, the Lions played in the Cup. Unfortunately they lost. Actually of the three times BC both played in and hosted the Grey Cup, only once were they the Cup winners. Something to think about for Sunday.
The Bombers finished atop the East Division with 10 wins and eight losses. Sounds impressive at first but while the Lions started their regular season weak and ended strong, the Bombers started strong and ended weak. They started off impressively winning all but one of their first eight games of regular season. However there was a surprise turnabout as the Bombers would only win three of the last ten games of regular season. They were known for their strong defence but many of their top defencemen were injured later on in the season. By finishing atop the East division, their only playoff game was the division Final against Hamilton which they won 19-3. If their strength from the beginning of the season has returned to form, then they should be able to beat the Lions for the Cup. It may not be 100% as some of their top defencemen are too injured to play in the Grey Cup. If Winnipeg's defence is still strong, it will be decided in the play for the Cup.
One additional note. While Winnipeg had its own challenges on the playing field, its biggest news this season was of the loss of their Assistant Coach Richard Harris. Harris collapsed at the CanadInns Stadium on Tuesday, July 26 and died that afternoon. He was 63. He was promoted to Assistant Coach this season after being their Defensive Line Coach since 2006. This also came as a loss for the Lions too as he was their Defensive Line Coach from 2011 to 2004. Surely Coach Harris will be on the minds of the Bombers when they play the Grey Cup on Sunday.
For me, it's hard for me to pick who will win or who I should cheer for. I was born in Winnipeg and lived there most of my life. However I've made a home for myself in Vancouver these past ten years. BC has only won the Cup five times compared to ten for Winnipeg, but Winnipeg hasn't won the Cup since 1990 while BC's last won the Cup five years ago. Anyways I decided not to cheer for either team and let the game decide the better team. Anyways, Go Bombers! Go Lions! May the best team win!


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Talk, listen, and respond to your baby
Talking is one of the most important skills your child will learn. It seems to happen naturally, but in fact you have a very important role to play.
The more you talk with your baby and respond to their noises and babbles, the more you help them learn to communicate. This will help them develop good relationships, do well at school and be a confident, happy child.
- Share a book with your child and talk about the pictures
- Sing a nursery rhyme and encourage your baby to join in
- Listen carefully to how your child responds, and react back
Small Talk is a new website from the National Literacy Trust. It's full of guidance, activities and videos for parents of young children to help them chat, play and read with their child at home as much as possible. It's split up into age groups of 0-6 months, 6-12 months, 12-24 months and 2-3 years. Take a look
Tips for how to help your young
children get the most out of
technology. click here.
Talking to your child can fit easily into your day
Talking to your child can fit easily into your daily routine. Why not:
1 - Recite a nursery rhyme while feeding your baby
2 - Talk about the things you see while you are out and about
3 - Describe what you are buying while you are in the shop
4 - Sing songs while you are bathing your baby
5 - Share a book with your child before bedtime
Click the play button below to hear more tips
You may need: Adobe Flash Player.
Having friends and their babies round for a Talk to Your Baby party is a great opportunity to play, talk and laugh with your child. Here are some ideas to help you plan a party.
Playing Copying Games With Your Baby
A Nursery Teacher explains the importance of playing copying games with your baby and shows how they help parents and their babies communicate together in this video from The Essential Parent Company.

subset: commoncrawl


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"Sound, music!" ~William Shakespeare (A Midsummer Night's Dream, IV, i)
Today I'm going to write about something that might not appeal to some people, but it certainly makes me UNunhappy so we're going to go with it. Many of us have movies from our childhood that we remember and that make us feel nostalgic: a few blockbusters that stick out for me were 'The Black Stallion' (I was a typical horse-crazy little girl), 'Star Wars' (my brother and I had every single action figure), 'E.T.' (which I want to believe started me on the track to future X-Files super-fandom), and of course 'Grease' (I wanted to be Olivia Newton-John).
Other lesser-known film gems that I saw as a kid also bring back fond memories, like:
- 'The Cat from Outer Space'
- 'Escape from Witch Mountain'
- 'The Shaggy D.A.'
- 'The Rescuers'
- Any of the 'Benji' or 'Herbie the Love Bug' movies
- (I'd include Wizard of Oz but I firmly blame it for my phobia of tornadoes, sorry Lisa.)
But there's one movie above all the rest that made a life-long impression upon me, and I wasn't even born yet when it was released in 1965. The first time I remember seeing it, I was 8 years old and in the third grade, when our teacher Mrs. Martin asked us to watch it at home because we were going to be putting on a play in class using goat puppets made out of milk cartons and popsicle sticks. She also taught us how to yodel for our singing parts in the play, which we all thought was great fun. Yes, the movie is of course 'The Sound of Music.'
You may think it's sappy or cheesy, with all those singing nuns and curtain-clad kids running around Salzburg. I just think it's pure happiness. It's one of those movies that if I see it while flipping the channels, I'm stuck for the next few hours singing every word to every song – which I, along with millions of others, know by heart since I've seen the movie an estimated 42 times now. (Other movies I'm obligated to watch if I catch them while channel surfing: 'Sense and Sensibility,' 'Love Actually,' 'The Holiday,' 'A Christmas Story,' 'About a Boy,' and yes, I admit it, 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.')
I really have Mrs. Martin to thank for my love of the movie and its songs, as a good portion of that third grade year was spent rehearsing "The Lonely Goatherd," which is definitely the funnest song in the entire movie. But it's not my favorite song of the film – that honor goes to "I Have Confidence." I relate to the words in that song – I've been known to sing it as I'm sitting in my car about to go into a big job interview, or to boost my morale before major meetings or speeches or projects. Just listen, how can you not love this, especially when sung by the indelible Julie Andrews?
I also love her outfit in that scene and I wish I could pull off Maria's simple but chic hairstyle that was unmussed by that fantastic hat. She was confident, despite being faced with an overwhelming and uncertain challenge. Everyone in this movie is facing challenges of one kind or another, which is the main draw of its appeal for many fans (and that all of those challenges get resolved in neat packages by the end, tied up with string) – that, and the fact that it's based on a true story of course. Though the screenwriters took a few liberties with the storyline, the basic tenets are all there, and I've read in-depth accounts of the actual Von Trapp family (it's an extremely interesting history). This past fall my father and stepmom visited the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vermont and brought me back a family anthology book signed by one of the actual grandchildren of the real Maria Von Trapp. It's a treasure and I enjoyed reading every word of it, and hope to eventually visit the Lodge myself sometime.
I also have thought of visiting Austria one day to go on a Sound of Music tour, and yes of course those really exist. A few years ago, right before I moved to Austin, I bought tickets to the now-famous yearly Sound of Music Sing-a-Long at the Hollywood Bowl outdoor amphitheatre in Los Angeles. (By the way, the best 'Will & Grace' episode ever was "Von Trapped," where all the characters get stuck at a Sound of Music Sing-a-Long, it's hilarious & well worth a watch!) But, I couldn't find anyone who wanted to go with me, and I didn't want to travel there by myself, so I ended up selling the tickets; maybe I'll try again this year, the 50th Anniversary year of the movie's release, what better year to go? Everyone dresses up for the Sing-a-Long in their favorite SOM-inspired costume and it's hosted by actress and comedienne Melissa Peterman – what it must sound like for 18,000 fans to be singing all the songs together at the same time! It seems to me that must be what pure joy sounds like. (I wish they would also do one for 'Mary Poppins,' another one of my favorites; Julie Andrews can do no wrong.)
I have many favorite scenes in the movie: when Maria and the Captain are dancing on the patio outside the ball; when she comes back (after leaving) to face her feelings and is reunited with the children, only to find out the Captain is engaged; the scene at the end of Do Re Mi when Julie Andrews hits the highest note in the history of the world; and of course the wedding scene – that train! As a young girl watching both The Sound of Music and Princess Diana's wedding, it's what I wanted my future wedding to be like: in a grand cathedral with a wedding gown train the length of the aisle and a handsomely-uniformed man at the end of the aisle (some dreams are meant to remain dreams I guess).
I read a Vanity Fair interview last week with Dame Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer – she's 79 now and he's 85, it's hard to believe. They have very different memories and opinions of the movie these 50 years later, but it's still a thrill to see them together in photos and tributes after all this time. It's truly heartbreaking that she can no longer sing due to throat surgery gone wrong many years ago; I told my mom as we were watching the Oscars last week that I would have given anything in the world to see Julie Andrews walk out on that stage and sing those songs herself (during a tribute to the movie during the show). They must both know by now the love that fans the world over have for the film and for them – watching 'The Sound of Music' takes me right back to third grade and the goatherd milk carton puppet I made for our class play, and reminds me of happy times.
And I can still do a pretty mean yodel.
À la prochaine!
Ant Kristi


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Trickster Online is being shut down as of today at 8:30 p.m. EST. The official announcement declines to provide a reason for the shutdown, stating only that the game's time has come to an end.
Players who made purchases in the game's cash shop will be eligible for a refund automatically credited to their accounts, although the refund will be in the form of points usable on other games published by SG Interactive. The refunds will extend to purchases made as far back as February of last year; purchases made further back than November will receive less than a full refund. Our condolences to any and all fans of the game left without their favorite haunt in the wake of the closure.
[Thanks to Paul for the tip!]


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Robotic-Assisted Surgery
The surgical team at Sacred Heart Medical Center is committed to providing patients safe, minimally invasive surgical options. To that end, we instituted the robotic-assisted surgery program with the da Vinci™ Si Surgical System in 2009.
Expanded Minimally Invasive Options
The da Vinci™ system is a key tool in our effort to expand options for complex minimally invasive surgery. Robotic-assisted surgery, performed through 1-2 centimeter incisions, has been shown to decrease blood loss, risk of infection and post-operative pain. Patients generally have shorter hospital stays and faster return to normal activities.
The da Vinci™ system's wristed instrumentation and superior visualization of tissue planes, blood vessels and total anatomy enable more precise dissection and suturing. The system allows surgeons to take on more challenging cases and extends minimally invasive approaches to patients who otherwise may not be candidates for surgery.
Program Advancements
The da Vinci™ quickly emerged as an attractive approach for urological, gynecological and cardiac surgery. Most recently, Oregon Heart & Vascular Institute at Sacred Heart launched the first robotic-assisted thoracic surgery program in the state. Otolaryngologists now use the system to treat some benign and malignant throat masses, and our bariatric surgeons have initiated robotic-assisted surgery to treat obesity.
Case Studies
Robotic-Assisted Thoracic Surgery
Robotic-Assisted Heart Surgery
Click Here for a printable factsheet on robotic-assisted surgery. (PDF)


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TUCSON, AZ - April 6, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords on Tuesday will join with representatives of Environment Arizona in releasing a report on how solar energy can be used to power our homes, businesses, farms and neighborhoods."This report shows the possibilities of solar energy and how solar is an achievable path to our energy security," said Giffords. "We still have work to do before solar energy can make up a large percentage of America's energy needs, but we are moving in the right direction.
Arizona congresswoman installs solar panels on roof of her Tucson home to reduce electricity bill and increase energy independence. TUCSON, AZ - January 8, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, one of the leading proponents of solar power in Congress, this week had nine solar panels installed on the roof of her Tucson home – a project that is expected to dramatically cut her electric bill.
VisitMyLuxuryHome Extends Real Estate Marketing Service with Professional DVD Production Package
PHOENIX, AZ (February 12, 2008) — Arizona-based VisitMyLuxuryHome.com today unveiled a new DVD Production Service for real estate professionals. The HomeDVD service allows realtors to supply prospective buyers with DVDs containing room-by-room tours of high-end homes in high definition, full motion video with live commentary by professional presenters
New 'Live' Online Luxury Home Tour Service Debuts in Arizona; Will Aid Realtors &...
PHOENIX, AZ (January 15, 2008) — Arizona-based visitMyLuxuryHome.com today released a new Virtual Open House service enabling prospective buyers to receive room-by-room tours of high-end homes in high definition, full motion video with live commentary by professional presenters. Initially available exclusively in Arizona, the Virtual Open House is a compelling new way for buyers to quickly visit homes online.
RealtyBid.com Sells 16 Phoenix Area New Homes for Lennar
LITCHFIELD PARK, Ariz., Jan. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- RealtyBid.com, the nation's leader in online home auctions, has announced the sale of 16 new Lennar homes in the Phoenix, Ariz., area. Competitive bidding on 17 Lennar-built new homes in the community of Laureates at Savannah in Litchfield Park, Ariz., took place during a two-week online event in late 2007.
Freedom Realty Exchange Delivers another Successful Auction Campaign of Homes in Bullhead City, Arizona
NEWPORT BEACH, CA –– Freedom Realty Exchange (www.FRE.com), a real estate auction website and part of the LFC Group of Companies, sells more resort-style homes in the gated communities of Laughlin Ranch and Talon Pointe in Bullhead City, Arizona.
Nalu Kai Homesites on Sale Beginning November 5 At Hokuli'a
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Nov. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- The Lyle Anderson Company, Inc. has announced that on November 5, a limited number of Nalu Kai Homesites will be available for sale to the public at Hokuli'a, which is being developed by 1250 Oceanside Partners, the latest Lyle Anderson Company community on the Island of Hawai'i.
VaultWare Launches First Consumer Mobile Messaging Service for Apartment Availability Alerts(TM)
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Oct. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Realty DataTrust, the makers of VaultWare, announced today that it has launched Apartment Availability Alerts for consumers who opt in to the free service. For the first time, consumers searching for apartments online can sign up to receive Availability Alerts directly to their mobile phone through text messaging or via email.


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I just heard an amazing piece of music! Edgar Meyer (double bass extraordinaire) and Chris Thile (MANDOLIN!) It's called Fence Post in the Front Yard. Such virtuosos, and it's a wonderful instrumental combination. They're both such beautiful instruments – the bass is majestic and Thile's mandolin, one I always associate with Greek music (and then there's the bouzouki – a similar instruments), has a very elegant curly-cue! Pretty styling!
Here's a YouTube video of this piece:
I loved this piece so much I went to iTunes and downloaded the album. Great song titles too: Ham and Cheese, This is Not the Pig, This is the Pig etc. Chris Thile is born in California and started playing the mandolin as a kid and never stopped. Edgar Meyer is a superb classically trained bass player who plays EVERYTHING. These guys are inspiring and make you want to write music.


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All IUPAT District Council 38 members have their own Business Representative.
Justin Chapman, Painter's Business Representative
Justin is the business representative for Painters Union, Local 138. He is responsible for the administration of collective agreements, negotiations, representation, and dispatching, along with a variety of other duties for the Local 138 members.
Kevin Weston, Lathers Drywall Finishers and Allied Trades Business Representative
Kevin Weston is DC 38's Business Representative for the Lathers Drywall Finishers and Allied Trades, Local 163.
Kevin began his career as a lather apprentice in 1998, and became a Red Seal Journeyman in 2002. During his lathing career, Kevin worked as a foreman and was involved in Collective Agreement bargaining. In 2007 he was elected as a Delegate to the Council, and in 2017 he became the Business Representative for Local 163.
As a business representative, Kevin recruits, organizes, negotiates on behalf of the lathers.
Marv Magnison Jr., Glaziers Business Representative
Marv is the business representative for Glaziers' Union, Local 1527. In this capacity, Marv is responsible for outside glaziers as well as servicing inside members through trips to sites and shops around the Lower Mainland. Marv recruits and dispatches members, takes part in collective agreement bargaining, and attends meetings with WorkSafe BC. A glazier by trade, Marv began his apprenticeship in 1990 and worked as a glazier for over 15 years before being elected as a business representative for DC 38 in 2005.
Orfeo Pagliacci, Director of Manpower and Development
Orfeo (Phil) Pagliacci is responsible for recruitment and organizing. He is also a representative for the Waterblaster members, and provides rep support for all other DC 38 trades. He became a union member in 1981 as painting apprentice in Local 138. In 2003 he joined DC 38 as a full-time organizer, and in 2005 he became the Director of Manpower and Development.
Bryon Hill, Northern BC Business Representative
Bryon began his Interiors Systems Mechanics apprenticeship in 1997 and worked in the industry from 2001 to 2010. He started with DC 38 in January of 2010 as a Business Representative and a trainer for the FTI BC in Prince George. He sits on the Prince George Building Trades Council.
Maureen Allen, Business Representative for Vancouver Island
Maureen represents and services our members and contractors in the Painting, Glazing, Drywall, and Asbestos Abatement industries on Vancouver Island. She started with DC 38 in 1995 and was appointed Business Representative in 2006. Her duties include dispatch and recruiting, membership services, organizing, office administration and job site visits. She administers WHMIS training and respirator fit tests and coordinates safety training and local upgrade classes. Maureen is a delegate on the Vancouver Island Building Trades Council, the Vancouver Island Metal Trades Council, the Federal Government Dockyard Trades and Labour Council, and is a member of the Victoria Shipyard Employment Equity Committee and the Victoria Shipyard Apprenticeship Committee.


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- Community Blog
- Ensign Hickman
Baja & Border News Translations: Possible New Ricketts Case Reported; BC Generated 27,000 Formal Jobs in 2012; Teachers Obtain Geography Training; Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla Primary School Receives Computer Equipment
Possible New Ricketts Case Reported (La Cronica, 1/30/13 by Yerson Martinez)
MEXICALI, BC - A possible new case of Ricketts was reported in fraccionamiento Valle de las Misiones, where an 11 year old child, Esmeralda, died at the General Hospital.
The mother Amparo López Garibay went to the Municipal Palace this morning to request the Mayor Francisco Pérez Tejada Padilla and Governor of the State Jose Guadalupe Osuna Millan does something about the problem.
"Bring a doctor and say where it (Ricketts) comes from now please, or all children will die", she commented.
On Friday, a citizen's public demonstration will convene on the Esplanade of the Municipal Palace, together with Amparo López and leaders of Colonia de la Santos to demand a solution to the issue of Ricketts. http://www.lacronica.com/EdicionEnlinea/Notas/Noticias/30012013/665053.aspx
BC Generated 27,000 Formal Jobs in 2012 (La Cronica, 1/30/13 by Yerson Martinez)
MEXICALI, BC - Baja California generated 27,003 formal jobs during 2012, with data backed by the Mexican Institute of Social Insurance, said Roberto Valero Berrospe. During a conference held this morning, the Economist explained the balance of employment last year under a report by the Center for Economic Studies of Tijuana and Economic Intelligence Monitor Unit.
Data includes jobs in the field, which were identified as follows:
In January 5,871 jobs were generated; for February there were 354; in March they climbed to 18,279; and in April they went down by -6,263.
For May, the figure was negative at -807; in June it was 7,361; July added 223; August only had 64 jobs; and September recovered with 11,178.
October was negative with -1,872, November added 10,715 and December generated an adjustment of 18,100 jobs to Social Security. (Translation note: The totals do not seem to compute as provided.) http://www.lacronica.com/EdicionEnlinea/Notas/Noticias/30012013/664998.aspx
Teachers Obtain Geography Training (La Cronica, 1/30/13)
MEXICALI, BC - With the purpose of strengthening teachers at the secondary level where there is an expectation of students to learn the subject of Geography, the State Educational System organized a training workshop for those teachers who teach this subject.
Applying the methodology of tutor relationships and the exchange of ideas, Felipe Luna Gallegos and Candelaria Ramírez Jáquez, both teachers, trained 150 teachers in a Geography program which analyzed its contents, expected learning and didactic sequences. They also offered attendees five video blocks which are used in telesecundaria (distance learning) and can also be used at the regular secondary level or for added educational elements to enhance their classes.
According to the 2011 Plan of Study, Mexico and World Geography is only taught in first year of high school for five hours a week to provide continuity to what was learned during primary education so that students can further appreciate the concepts of geographic space and natural components of the Earth's surface, as well as biodiversity.
The curriculum was also noted to use informed, reflective and critical participation of students regarding social problems, care of the environment, vulnerability of the population and quality of life scales - nationally and globally. http://www.lacronica.com/EdicionEnlinea/Notas/Noticias/30012013/664968.aspx
Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla Primary School Receives Computer Equipment (La Cronica, 1/30/13)
MEXICALI, BC - Students, teachers and parents of Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla Elementary School located in Colonia Independencia inaugurated their media classroom with 15 working computer stations at their school together with educational authorities.
Around 240 pupils attend the school during its two shifts and are the beneficiaries of these technological instruments, which in the words of David Cervantes, a representative of the Department of Basic Education, provide extra support to obtain better educational results, better grades.
David Cervantes also noted education is a joint task between the authorities, teachers, parents and society in general, as is the case of the support that employers have offered through the UNETE Organization by working in favor of education by participating with the federal and State Governments on technology equipment in schools. The educational official recommended students make good use of the computers and always seek additional information that will help them in their work and to prepare them. He pointed out teachers are a key element in the development of student competences and urged them to always obtain good assessment results.
Yazmin Sandoval Mederos, a student at the school, thanked the authorities on behalf of her colleagues for the delivery of the equipment and said it will be useful for doing homework and school work.
Josué Hiram Aello, Coordinator of Educational Technology of the ESA, explained the Calimax Company participated in the delivery of the computers and completed the connections of the school network to UNETE agency programs and the State Educational System.
The media room was provided with internet service for five years to enable searches for information and to navigate to educational portals; software that allows interaction in teaching computer management; Encarta, a virtual library; and Microsoft Office, for creating text and graphic presentations.
In Mexicali, there are already 125 media classrooms in primary schools and 126 in secondary education schools which promote strengthening interactions between the knowledge acquired in their classes and skills necessary to establish practical and dynamic communication through student's use of technology. http://www.lacronica.com/EdicionEnlinea/Notas/Noticias/30012013/665160.aspx
More like this:
- Baja & Border News Translations: Zárate Provides Stance Towards Vehicle Verification; Normal Basic Education Classes Tomorrow — Jan. 15, 2013
- Baja & Border News Translations: Neighbors Indicate Presence of Dogs at Deceased Child's School; Man Found Shot in the Head — Jan. 12, 2013
- Baja & Border News Translations: Soles de Mexicali Delivers Gifts to Children's Hostel; Classes Suspended by Cold — Jan. 12, 2013
- Baja & Border News Translations: Migrants Abandoned by "Pollero" are Rescued; Stepfather Accused of Raping Minor — Nov. 28, 2012
- Baja & Border News Translations: Communities will have Digital Libraries; Foundation High School Celebrates 40 years — Oct. 25, 2012
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Editor's Note: Any reference to TheStreet Ratings and its underlying recommendation does not reflect the opinion of TheStreet, Inc. or any of its contributors including Jim Cramer or Stephanie Link.
Trade-Ideas LLC identified
) as a "perilous reversal" (up big yesterday but down big today) candidate. In addition to specific proprietary factors, Trade-Ideas identified Synaptics as such a stock due to the following factors:
- SYNA has an average dollar-volume (as measured by average daily share volume multiplied by share price) of $54.6 million.
- SYNA has traded 690,585 shares today.
- SYNA is down 3% today.
- SYNA was up 6.5% yesterday.
EXCLUSIVE OFFER: Get the inside scoop on opportunities in SYNA with the Ticky from Trade-Ideas. See the FREE profile for SYNA NOW at Trade-Ideas
More details on SYNA:
Synaptics Incorporated develops, markets, and sells custom-designed human interface solutions for electronic devices and products primarily in China, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and the United States. SYNA has a PE ratio of 15.0. Currently there are 8 analysts that rate Synaptics a buy, no analysts rate it a sell, and 2 rate it a hold.
The average volume for Synaptics has been 712,200 shares per day over the past 30 days. Synaptics has a market cap of $1.4 billion and is part of the technology sector and computer software & services industry. The stock has a beta of 1.92 and a short float of 24.3% with 5.17 days to cover. Shares are up 45% year to date as of the close of trading on Friday.
STOCKS TO BUY: TheStreet Quant Ratings has identified a handful of stocks that can potentially TRIPLE in the next 12-months. Learn more.
rates Synaptics as a
. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its robust revenue growth, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures, notable return on equity, attractive valuation levels and expanding profit margins. Although the company may harbor some minor weaknesses, we feel they are unlikely to have a significant impact on results.
Highlights from the ratings report include:
- SYNA's very impressive revenue growth greatly exceeded the industry average of 13.8%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues leaped by 67.3%. Growth in the company's revenue appears to have helped boost the earnings per share.
- SYNA's debt-to-equity ratio is very low at 0.00 and is currently below that of the industry average, implying that there has been very successful management of debt levels. Along with this, the company maintains a quick ratio of 3.37, which clearly demonstrates the ability to cover short-term cash needs.
- Current return on equity exceeded its ROE from the same quarter one year prior. This is a clear sign of strength within the company. Compared to other companies in the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry and the overall market, SYNAPTICS INC's return on equity exceeds that of both the industry average and the S&P 500.
- The gross profit margin for SYNAPTICS INC is rather high; currently it is at 51.15%. It has increased from the same quarter the previous year. Along with this, the net profit margin of 19.68% is above that of the industry average.
- You can view the full Synaptics Ratings Report.
STOCKS TO BUY: TheStreet Quant Ratings has identified a handful of stocks that can potentially TRIPLE in the next 12-months. Learn more.


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'When they sprayed him, he just collapsed on the floor. he was throwing up and his eyes were watering. I thought he was going to die'
Npower: 'All personnel on site adhere to strict guidelines and we feel they were fully complied with in this instance'
By Gareth Finighan 14 November 2011
Matthew Swale and Melanie Cunningham were terrified when they were woken up early one morning to see a hoodie-wearing gang armed with crowbars hammering on their front door and shouting obscenities.
The flat-mates became even more distraught when the men sprayed chemicals through their letterbox in a bid to subdue Matthew's anxious Labrador, Jake.
But that fear has now been replaced by anger after it was revealed that last month's 7am raid was carried out by bailiffs sent to sort out an unpaid gas bill - which had been left by a former tenant.
Wrong target: Matthew Swale and his Labrador, Jake.
He was eventually able to convince bailiffs they had targeted the wrong man by producing identification.
And now Matthew and Melanie are demanding compensation from energy supplier npower after having to pay hundreds of pounds in vet and repair bills.
Market trader Matthew, 28, and Melanie, 29, moved into the railway cottage in Grimsby at the beginning of September, and insist that they and their landlady contacted npower to inform them of the new tenancy.
But six weeks later, the company sent round the bailiffs because the previous tenant had still not paid bills totalling £980. The bailiffs were instructed to rip out the gas meter and replace it with a pre-pay one.
'I looked out of the window and saw a group of men wearing scruffy hoodies and tracksuit bottoms who had driven up in a pick-up truck,' Matthew told the Sunday Mirror.
'The man in charge was shouting, "It will make your life a lot easier if you answer the f***ing door".
'I thought they looked dangerous. They were kicking my front door and trying to open it with a crowbar. My flatmate was in tears.'
Matthew said he called the police rather than open the door because the gang - some of whom were sitting on the bonnet of his car - refused to reveal their identities.
After failing to gain access, the bailiffs shot chemical spray into the eyes of Matthew's labrador before breaking in through a back door.
Matthew was eventually able to convince them they had targeted the wrong man by producing his driving licence and his tenancy agreement.
He claims his dog needed £350 worth of veterinary treatment, and he has also had to pay out an additional £400 to get his doors repaired.
'Jake is the most placid dog you could imagine,' Matthew said.
'When they sprayed him, he just collapsed on the floor. He was throwing up and his eyes were watering. I thought he was going to die.
'Since this happened I have telephoned npower dozens of times but nothing has been done.'
Last month regulator Ofgem hit npower with a £2million fine for its sloppy customer service.
An npower spokesman told MailOnline that a trained dog handler had used the spray because 'the dog was still being aggressive and we were unable to gain access' - but insisted the spray was harmless and has no long-term effects.
Jake is the most placid dog you could imagine.
The spokesman acknowledged that a door lock had been drilled out but that 'both the dog and the door were inspected prior to leaving by both the police and the agent and were deemed to be fine'.
And the company denied that Matthew had made contact to tell them he was a new tenant.
The spokesman said: 'We cannot stress enough the importance of letting your energy supplier know as soon as you move in to make sure you're not picking up the previous tenant's bills.
'We will only ever visit a property under these circumstances when all other options have been exhausted - and all personnel on site adhere to strict guidelines and we feel they were fully complied with in this instance.
'We would be more than happy to check any vet bills the owners says he has had to bear.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2061075/npower-bailiffs-break-house-7am-raid-unpaid-gas-bill.html#ixzz2lK5inlDE


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If you're looking for a guide to in San Diego, here it is. Recent graduate Chanelle Doucette shares what makes this city such a special place for twentysomethings.
Recent Grad: Chanelle Doucette
College, major, graduation date: , Psychology, May 2014
Current gig: Residential Specialist at YWCA of San Diego County
What brought you to San Diego? I grew up just north of downtown, in a sleepy beach town, my whole life. I recently moved back and moved in with my sister to downtown East Village. I am just down here for a year in between Reed and graduate school.
What are the pros and cons of living in San Diego?
San Diego is of course known for its beautiful beaches and weather, but it is also just a few hours from the mountains, LA, and the border of Mexico. Living really close to the border also creates a really unique vibe and blend of Mexican-American culture with great food.
One of my favorite parts is the new library (nerdy, I know). It has seven floors, with beautiful views of the entire city, has a charter school on one of the floors, and attracts a blend of all different types of people.
There are attempts to become more bike friendly with a new bike sharing program, but there is still a long way to go—there are still very few bike lanes, and buses as well as drivers have almost run me over on multiple occasions.
Cons: public transportation, cost of living.
What should recent grads/twentysomethings know about living in San Diego?
Downtown San Diego is really changing, especially East Village. Previously there were a lot of abandoned lots and run-down places. Recently a new energy has come to downtown (largely from a growing population of young people) and old parking lots are being converted into community spaces, gardens, cultural hubs, and San Diego's version of food carts (in old storage containers, like ). We are mimicking similar movements by becoming an emerging contender in microbreweries, coffee roasting, and a growing tech scene.


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This example shows how to use MATLAB as AXI Master to access the external DDR memories connected to the FPGA. In the FPGA, there is a Xilinx DDR memory controller instantiated for accessing the DDR memories. This memory controller provides an AXI4 slave interface for read and write operations by other components in the FPGA. The MATLAB as AXI Master feature provides an AXI master component that can be used to access any AXI slave IPs in the FPGA. In this example, we demonstrate how to integrate this AXI master into a Xilinx Vivado project, and read/write to the DDR memory using MATLAB.
Xilinx® Vivado(TM)of compatible version
Artix-7 35T Arty FPGA Evaluation Kit
HDL Verifier™ Support Package for Xilinx FPGA Boards
Step 1: Set up FPGA board Make sure that the Arty board is connected to the host computer via USB JTAG cable.
Step 2: Prepare example in MATLAB Set up the Xilinx Vivado tool path. Use your own Xilinx Vivado installation path when executing the command. For example:
>> hdlsetuptoolpath('ToolName', 'Xilinx Vivado', 'ToolPath', 'C:\Xilinx\Vivado\2016.2\bin\vivado.bat');
Create a folder outside the scope of your MATLAB installation folder into which you can copy the example files. The folder must be writable. This example assumes that the folder is located at C:\MyTests.
Start MATLAB and set the current directory in MATLAB to the folder you just created. For example:
>> cd C:\MyTests
Copy the example files into current directory by executing this command in MATLAB
>> copyXilinxFPGAExampleFiles('aximaster')
Create a Vivado project for this example. This project contains the IP Integrator block diagram as well as constraint file that we created for this example.
>> system('vivado -mode batch -source createproject.tcl')
This command takes about one minute to finish. When it is done, a Vivado project named "arty.xpr" exists in your current directory.
Step 3: Configure Vivado project with Vivado IP To use the MATLAB as AXI Master IP inside Vivado IP Integrator, add the folder that contains the IP to the Vivado project's IP repository path setting. You can add the path to the project from MATLAB with this command :
>> setupAXIMasterForVivado arty.xpr
Next, open the generated Vivado project in GUI mode. You can double-click the project in a file browser, or execute this command in MATLAB
>> system('vivado arty.xpr &')
Step 4: Add MATLAB as AXI Master IP to the FPGA design
In the Vivado GUI, open the block diagram design file design_1.bd. You can find it in the source file sub-window.
Set the address of mig_7series_0 (memory controller) to 0x0000_0000 in the address editor as shown:
Alternatively, you can complete these setup steps by executing tcl commands in Vivado.
open_bd_design {arty.srcs/sources_1/bd/design_1/design_1.bd} create_bd_cell -type ip -vlnv mathworks.com:ip:hdlverifier_axi_master:1.1 hdlverifier_axi_master_0 connect_bd_intf_net [get_bd_intf_pins hdlverifier_axi_master_0/axi4m] [get_bd_intf_pins mig_7series_0/S_AXI] connect_bd_net [get_bd_pins hdlverifier_axi_master_0/aclk] [get_bd_pins mig_7series_0/ui_clk] connect_bd_net [get_bd_pins hdlverifier_axi_master_0/aresetn] [get_bd_pins util_vector_logic_0/Res] regenerate_bd_layout assign_bd_address [get_bd_addr_segs {mig_7series _0/memmap/memaddr }] set_property offset 0x00000000 [get_bd_addr_segs {hdlverifier_axi_master_0/axi4m/SEG_mig_7series_0_memaddr}]
Step 5: Generate FPGA programming file and program FPGA Click "Generate Bitstream" on the left of Vivado window to generate the FPGA programming file. Vivado might prompt you to save the project before moving forward. It takes about 5 to 10 minutes for Vivado to generate the bitstream file.
After generating the bitstream, program the FPGA in MATLAB using the following command:
>> filProgramFPGA('Xilinx Vivado','arty.runs\impl_1\design_1.bit',1)
After programming the FPGA, you can read and write into the AXI slaves connected to the MATLAB as AXI Master IP. In this example, the data will be written to the DDR memory connected to the FPGA, and retrieved back into MATLAB.
First, you need to create the AXI master object in MATLAB
>> h = aximaster('Xilinx', 'TckFrequency', 66)
Here, we set the maximum JTAG clock (Tck) frequency to 66MHz, which is the maximum allowed number for the Artix-7 device on ARTY FPGA board. Then you can run the following two commands to write a single word (32bit) of value 100 into DDR memory at address 0 and read it back by using the AXI master object :
>> writememory(h, 0,100) >> readmemory(h, 0,1)