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Monday, June 28, 2010
Venus Wars
Vinasu Senki; Animated science-fiction war drama, Japan, 1989; D: Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, S: Katsuhida Uekusa, Eriko Hara, Kaneto Shiozawa, Yuko Sasaki
In 2003, an ice comet struck Venus, cooling it off and creating oceans on the surface. Humans quickly seized the opportunity and started the colonization of the planet by 2018. In 2089, Venus' population is in the millions. Susan Sommers, a reporter from Earth, arrives to Venus to cover a story of a civil war between the Ishtar state on the north and Aphrodia on the south. When the Ishtar army starts an invasion and occupation of Io, the capital of Aphrodia, Susan is thrilled to have a story. She joins Hiro and his young gang of motorcycles to start a guerrilla resistance to Ishtar. In a duel, Ishtar's dictator Donner dies in a tank, forcing the forces to leave a now free Io. Hiro unites again with his girlfriend Maggy while Susan returns to Earth.
One of the many unknown cult anime films from the 80s, "Venus Wars" is a slightly lesser Venus version of the Mars anime "Armitage III", minus the android-racism subtext, yet it still dazzles the mind on some occasions, mostly with painstakingly detailed animation and an action spectacle. "Venus" runs on full speed in the first third when it depicts the refreshingly recognizable situation where a reporter, the blond Susan, travels to a war torn country to cover the story there - except that the place is actually the planet from the title, which adds it a nice twist. While watching TV in Io, the capital of Aphrodia state from the southern Hemisphere, the transmission is suddenly interrupted and it turns out that the northern state of Ishtar started an invasion. The sole event is virtuoso directed: tanks roll on the street, shell the buildings and cause a mass panic of people, except, ironically, for Susan who is overwhelmed, happy that she can film the whole event for her report. The switch from her to Hiro, a young motorcycle driver, being the main protagonist in the story as the leader of a resistance, is rather uneven, whereas some rightfully commented how the whole setting on Venus may have been completely unnecessary - there is not a single detail that shows what's the difference of living on that specific planet rather than on ours - yet the film is absolutely astonishing in showing the taste and feel of war: everything, from the occupation to psychological effects on the people, is palpable and handled in an almost documentary way. The action sequences may seem rather tiresome towards the end, yet at least two are examples of pure inspiration: the sequences where Hiro attacks a giant tank with a crane and the finale where a tank is shooting at him on the top of the runaway, causing it to collapse. Unassuming and compact, this is a qualitative piece of anime.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Fast Times at Ridgemont High; Comedy, USA, 1982; D: Amy Heckerling, S: Judge Reinhold, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Robert Romanus, Brian Backer, Sean Penn, Phoebe Cates, Ray Walston, Vincent Schiavelli, Lana Clarkson, Forest Whitaker, Eric Stoltz, Anthony Edwards
Numerous misadventures of teenagers attending Ridgemont High: senior Brad works in a fast food restaurant to pay off his car, but gets fired after losing his temper with an angry customer and his girlfriend dumps him. His sister Stacy starts dating the shy Mark, but decides to have an affair with his friend Mike which leaves her pregnant, so she decides to make an abortion. "Stoned" Jeff is always late for history class, infuriating his strict teacher Mr. Hand. Linda is Stacy's friend. They all attend prom night.
Powerful in reputation, weak in practice, teenage comedy "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" is still non-the-less a sufficient and easily watchable film thanks, among others, to excellent "relaxed" performances by Reinhold, Jason Leigh and Penn, as well as an competent screenplay with an understanding for the young generation, written by the talented future director Cameron Crowe, though it is not clear how much of it was "cheapened" by director Amy Heckerling by adapting it for the mainstream audience. The legendary scene where Phoebe Cates emerged from the pool, unzipped her bra bathing suit and kissed Reinhold's character in a fantasy became so famous that it was spoofed and paid homages to numerous times, but the majority of the film is too episodic, light, blatant and aimless, with especially rough edges when it suddenly switches to a serious tone (Stacy's abortion), though it is luckily much less vulgar than many similar films, whereas many funny jokes in it proved that the authors had inspiration when they just put some effort into it (Stacy, as a waitress, asks a customer, a young lad: "What can I bring you?" and he says: "A coke and your phone number"; while driving a car, Jeff and his friend talk about the new 'Playboy' edition featuring a naked Bo Derek, with his friend absurdly adding how they showed "both of them").
Friday, June 25, 2010
Mulholland Drive
Mulholland Drive; drama / mystery, USA / France, 2001; D: David Lynch, S: Naomi Watts, Laura Herring, Justin Theroux, Ann Miller, Dan Hedaya, Robert Forster
Los Angeles. Rita loses her memory after a car accident and hides in an apartment. It's the home of actress Betty who just moved in. Betty makes friends with Rita, who remembers the name of someone called Diane, who is found dead in her apartment. At the same time, director Adam leaves a film because the producers are trying to impose actress Camilla in the main role. A mysterious cowboy advises Adam to accept it, and he does. Rita opens a magical box: Betty becomes Diana, Rita becomes Camilla. They are lovers, but Camilla loves Adam. Diana commits suicide.
David Lynch rightfully won the award at Cannes and was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe as best director for crafting the excellent dreamy-hypnotic mystery-drama "Mulholland Dr.": his biggest virtue is that he took a chaotic, illogical story and actually made it coherent. It is truly astounding what effect of suggestiveness can be achieved through a moving camera, yet the sole film really has many layers of symbolism, many of whom are noticed only when the viewers pay close attention, that it offers a dozen interpretations of events. Also, many jokes are very stylish: for instance, director Adam is on a session where movie producers want to "slip" actress Camilla in the film. Producer no. 1 takes a sip of cappuccino, spits it out on a napkin and says: "Shit." Adam then stands up and asks: "What is going on here?", while Producer no. 2 shouts: "Stop it!!!" Then Producer no. 1 comments about Camilla: "She is the right one." In another humorous sequence, an assassin kills a man in the office, but his bullet passes through the wall and also wounds a woman in the room next door. In order to maintain the discrete tone, he kills her too, but also the janitor who witnessed the deed by accident. But the thing doesn't end there: to make things worse for the assassin, he shoots the loud vacuum-cleaner, but the smoke causes the fire alarm to go off, causing even more chaos! Regarding the dreamy story "twist", maybe it can be interpreted this way: when Rita opens the magical box, she opens the door to a new dimension in which she became Camilla, while Betty became Diana. In both worlds they became lovers and ended tragic, which symbolizes the determinism of life. Just like in many other Lynch's films, "Mulholland" is also a hermetic puzzle, but it stimulates the subconscious mind so much that it's a delight: it's a film for the right, creative side of the brain that defies logic and simply swims through the esoteric, since many analysis of it lead to a dead end anyway.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Blue Velvet
Blue Velvet; thriller / mystery, USA, 1986; D: David Lynch, S: Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rossellini, Laura Dern, Dennis Hopper, Dean Stockwell
The small city of Lumberton. Young lad Jeffrey has a strange day: first his dad lands in a hospital after a stroke and then he finds a cut ear in the meadow. He brings it to the local Police Detective Williams who explains to Jeffrey that he must not know anything about it, butWilliams' daughter Sandy reveals him that is has something to do with the singer Dorothy Vallens. A curious Jeffrey secretly enters her apartment. There he witnesses how Dorothy must allow gangster Frank to rape her because he kidnapped her husband and son. Jeffrey offers to help her and spies on Frank. When he shoots Frank, Sandy becomes Jeffrey's girlfriend.
After the eclectic "Dune", Kyle MacLachlan and director David Lynch shot the critically acclaimed (surreal) thriller "Blue Velvet" which marked the director's further step from the conventional narrative into the experimental-hermetic subconsciousness: the box office results were thin (8 million $), but the film enjoys cult status. "Blue Velvet" can probably be best described as an "Americana" with a dark twist: in the opening scenes, it depicts an idyllic rural town, Lumberton, where the people are smiling, children happily cross the street and everything seems perfect, until suddenly an older man has a stroke an falls on the garden, roughly breaking the mood. As the camera slowly descends into grass and shows ugly insects, it establishes the theme of yin and yang, namely that besides this pleasant world there is also a darker, evil one. There are many symbolic elements in the film, but the central one is that the main protagonist, the young Jeffrey, lives in this goody-good town but somehow feels bored in it - as he finds himself in the middle of a crime plot, he is somehow fascinated by this other yang world, where evil and darkness prevail. Jeffrey himself is idealistic and almost so good it's corny (like in the humorous scene where he tries to impress Sandy by doing the goofy "duck walk"), but he is not sure if he wants to live in this seemingly unexciting world until he takes a peak at the other side.
But after he does, he realizes it is too much for him, especially in the scene where he witnesses one of the most perverted sex scenes ever filmed on the big screen, the one between Dorothy, who is looking away, and psychopath Frank who is screaming: "Mummy! Mummy!" The scene is simply too nasty: there are some horrors that actually don't turn your stomach, but actually turn your brain upside down because they are intelligently crafted with a stylistic distance, yet here Lynch did not manage to outweigh disgust with style. Jeffrey is anti-Frank, as much as Frank is anti-Jeffrey: they are each others yin and yang - it must not be a coincidence that in one scene in a car Frank turns to Jeffrey and says: "You are just like me!" Frank is the dark side that was awakened in Jeffrey and the hero must kill him so that he can finally return to his "home sweet home" and realize that the quiet, idyllic, goody-good town is what he really wants. However, Lynch demonstrated his talent only in the sequence where Jeffrey secretly breaks into Dorothy's apartment at night and in the finale, while the rest is rather just hermetic gibberish that does not stimulate as much as it should, except for the sole macabre in itself.
Wild at Heart
Wild at Heart; Romantic thriller-drama, USA, 1990; D: David Lynch, S: Nicolas Cage, Laura Dern, Diane Ladd, J.E. Freeman, Harry Dean Stanton, Willem Dafoe, Crispin Glover, Isabella Rossellini
Ex-convict Sailor Ripley, who is on parole after murder, has a passionate love relationship with Lulu. While the couple is driving in a car through America, Lulu's angry mother Marietta hires criminal Santos to kill Sailor, but he kills her husband. In a desert town, due to money shortages, psychopath Bobby persuades Sailor to assist him in a robbery, but the everything ends in a disaster and the police shows up. Bobby dies while Sailor lands in jail for 6 years. When he finally gets released, he returns to Lulu who in the meantime gave birth to a son.
David Lynch won the Golden Palm at Cannes for the radical love thriller farce "Wild at Heart" after he lost the award for his hyped "Blue Velvet", which caused quite a controversy at that festival. It's difficult to say if that is justified, because the film has both flaws and virtues. By that time, Lynch already drifted far away into the surreal-esoteric, and thus "Wild at Heart" is filled with bizarre, most notably with numerous references to "The Wizard of Oz": in one scene, for instance, Lulu says that her thoughts are often interrupted by a witch flying on a broom, and then the latter is really shown on the screen! In another reference, after Lulu was molested by Bobby, she clicks the heels of her shoes and wishes to be "over the rainbow". Except for that charming weirdness, there are a lot of simply hermetic ones, mostly in black humor manifested through twisted characters: while the couple is at a bar, an old man shows up, releasing some sort of a strange sound towards the singers and then says in high-pitch voice (as if he inhaled helium): "Pigeons are spreading diseases and polluting the city". While Lynch is busy with the "romance" between Sailor and Lulu, everything is fine, but when he crosses into crime and violence, he becomes chaotic and sometimes even irritating. For instance, criminal Santos is hired to kills Sailor, but since the two of them never meet anyway, it is not clear what his purpose was in the story. But the finale is pure genius, maybe because it again references "Oz": after he has been beaten up by hooligans, a good witch in pink (!) shows up to Sailor and tells him he must return to his beloved Lulu.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
The Elephant Man
The Elephant Man; drama, UK, 1980; D: David Lynch, S: John Hurt, Anthony Hopkins, Freddie Jones, Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud
London, 1884. For curious people willing to pay for the ticket, Bytes presents a special freak show consisting out of a deformed man called "The Elephant Man". But one day doctor Frederick Treves pays Bytes to bring the man his place to examine him. It turns out his names is Jospeh Merrick and suffers from a disease, the Proteus syndrome, which will eventually kill him. He quickly becomes a medical sensation, but Merrick starts taking and quoting the Bible, making friends with Treves, who tries to cultivate him, sensing he is actually intelligent. But Bytes wants Merrick back and brings him out on the street. There, people are afraid of him, but Treves brings him back. Merrick then dies.
Suggestive tragic drama "The Elephant Man" handles the theme of dignity intensively and plays with the ever present human cliche of a "monster" - ironically in the end showing how sometimes the real "monsters" are people with an ugly soul, not with an ugly appearance. David Lynch directs a completely untypical film for him, unusually calm, quiet and "normal", crafting it cleverly since it establishes a serious tone already in the black and white cinematography and the exposition presenting an elephant. Maybe the touching story does tend to moralize and simplify some things here and there, but it always shows respect towards the main protagonist Merrick, played brilliantly by John Hurt who won the BAFTA and was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe as best actor in a leading role, avoiding sentimentality in the taboo subject that drew attention of the little known disease. The film unravels smoothly for the viewers willing to think about a serious subject, keeping its intrigue with a variety of scenes, like the humorous one where Hopkins' character Treves numbers all the complicated diseases of Merrick and then in the end adds he also "has a cold", whereas despite conventional approach, Lynch shows his talent is conjuring up a strong mood.
Girl Next Door
Girl Next Door; Comedy, USA, 2004; D: Luke Greenfield, S: Emile Hirsch, Elisha Cuthbert, Timothy Olyphant, Chris Marquette, Paul Dano, James Remar
Just a few days before graduating from high school, secluded teenager Matthew realizes he will not remember anything about this time since he never experienced anything: all the wild parties and fun are happening to someone else. However, one day a blond girl, Danielle, moves next door and becomes his friend, showing him all the wild things he missed so far as a teenager. However, he gets angry when his friends Eli and Klitz discover that Danielle is actually a - porn star. Her porn producer Kelly shows up and demands money from Matthew for talking her into quitting her job. Matthew and his friends manage to film a sex education film disguised as a porn and secure enough money to free Danielle from her obligations.
"Girl Next Door" is the most charming in the first third when it clumsily, but somehow honestly and in its own way presents the always fascinating story about a wild girl who stirs up a shy-secluded guy from a "gray existence" and forces him to experience all the wild things of life he missed out so far, paraphrasing such superior classics like Demme's "Something Wild" or (admittedly much more conservative) Hawks' "Bringing Up Baby". Emile Hirsch is wonderfully sustained as the main hero Matthew and Elisha Cuthbert is quite good in her role as Danielle, whereas the story even manages to make the viewers feel some sort of an emotional attachment to them - the opening where Matthew contemplates about how he will probably not remember anything about high school because he never experienced anything is quite sad, whereas at least one sequence is genius: Matthew, Eli and Klitz, who were never invited to parties before, follow Danielle and walk right into a house where a huge party is under way. Some guy starts talking with her while another one puts his arm around Matthew and slowly walks him away from them, telling him to go away because this party isn't for him. But just as everything seems lost, Matthew collects all his courage and walks back, spontaneously kissing Danielle. However, the porn actress subplot is rather underused. Unfortunately, once the bad guy Kelly shows up some 3/5 into the film, it causes the film to crash completely. Whereas the transition from comedy to crime inexplicably had sense in "Something Wild", here it just seems annoying. More so, many dumb ideas poison the good story until it gets completely wrecked. Having a tight grip to resist the wrong choices in a story still seems to be endemic, though the film has its moments.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Mississippi Burning
Mississippi Burning; crime drama, USA, 1988; D: Alan Parker, S: Gene Hackman, Willem Dafoe, Frances McDormand, Brad Dourif, R. Lee Ermey, Gailard Sartain, Stephen Tobolowsky, Michael Rooker
Mississippi, '64. Two FBI agents—Ward, who does everything strictly by the rules, and Anderson, who sometimes uses legally "unconventional" tactics to get some information—try to discover and arrest the murderers of three human rights activists—one of whom was black, while another one was a Jew—who wanted to include African-Americans into the voting process. The perpetrators are seven members of the Ku Klux Klan, among them even Sheriff Stuckey and Deputy Sheriff Pell. After questioning Pell's wife, Anderson is able to locate the corpses of the three activists. However, they have no evidence whereas the Klan increases attacks on local Black people. Luckily, using Anderson's wild methods, they are able to get testimonies and send them to jail.
Excellent and pure crime drama about racism, based on a true case, "Mississippi Burning" is one of those 'old-school' investigation stories that are both qualitative and noble, indulging the viewers' expectation of two idealistic, elevated heroes who descend to a troubled place to bring justice and order. The moody-atmospheric cinematography did well to conjure up the mentality and feel of Mississippi in the 60s, yet the stand-out highlight is the understated performance by masterful actor Gene Hackman as the unconventional FBI agent Anderson, one of his finest hours. Even the sole simple scene where he and a couple of other FBI agents walk with their fine suits into a swamp that reaches their knees to investigate the scene of the crime is already great, let alone all those moments where he would "inventively" clash with the secret members of the Ku Klux Klan—like when he says out loud: "Baseball is the only game where a Black man can raise a stick at a White man without causing a riot" or the comical moment where he questions Pell while giving him a "close shave". The film lapses slightly from a few pale segments, yet it offers some good, unobtrusive messages about humanity and tolerance, without forcing its anti-racism messages like later Oscar-bait films, equipped with refreshing humor here and there (the hilarious scene where the three FBI agents are laxly chasing after the three "Ku Klux Klan" members, i.e. actors, until they both stop because it was all an act) that manage to impress.
Breakfast of Champions
Breakfast of Champions; Satire, USA, 1999; D: Alan Rudolph, S: Bruce Willis, Nick Nolte, Albert Finney, Lukas Haas, Barbara Hershey, Glenne Headley, Omar Epps, Vicki Lewis, Owen Wilson
In Midland City, Dwayne Hoover plans to kill himself, but is interrupted when his maid brings him breakfast. He is a car salesman starring in many commercials and is popular, but suffers from depression because his wife is addicted to pills, his son is a wacky musician, his assistant Harry wears woman's clothes whereas African-American Wayne Hoobler wants a job in his company because their names are similar. Dwayne sees no sense in his life and starts an affair. At the same time, science-fiction writer Kilgore Trout travels through Midland City to attend a ceremony. When the two of the meet, Kilgore tells him about his story from his novel, in which the creator created the Universe as an experiment and that all people, except him, are robots. Kilgore enters into his novel through a mirror whereas Dwayne returns to his family.
Bizarre and confusing satire, an adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut's novel with the same title, "Breakfast of Champions" is too empty and chaotic to be a good film - even Altman and Bergman made films about nothing, yet even they had some sense and said a lot about some aspects of human life. And then again, as many critics noted, Vonnegut's novels are really difficult to adapt to the big screens. Here, director Alan Rudolph leads actors against their typecast: Bruce Willis wears glasses and is depressive (though the role was not handled well) whereas Nick Nolte's character likes to wear a dress. Unusual, but without humor, style or sense, just with nervous babble, though some psychedelic moments are quite inventive and original, like when the brain and the thoughts of the hero are shown or when a person on a bill starts to talk. The satire is hopelessly lost in what it wants to say, which is why the film is a hassle, though it is easily watchable.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Grosse Pointe Blank
Grosse Pointe Blank; crime comedy, USA, 1997; D: George Armitage, S: John Cusack, Minnie Driver, Dan Aykroyd, Jeremy Piven, Joan Cusack, Alan Arkin, Hank Azaria
Martin Q. Blank is a hired assassin who together with his secretary has a rather profitable enterprise, until he gets a call to join the 10 year high school reunion. He thus returns to his home town, Grosse Pointe, where he meets his ex-girlfriend Debi, whom he left without explanation on prom night to join the army. She is now a local D.J. and puts him on air in her studio, which causes a feeling of shame in him. The problem is that his rival Grocer already set two NSA agents to kill him as soon as he does his assignment of assassinating someone there. Still, Martin and Debi go to the reunion and discovers he is suppose to kill her father. Martin refuses and finishes Grocer off, quitting his job and drives off with Debi.
Excellent black comedy by George Armitage, "Grosse Pointe Blank" is a real little treat. It's a pity that some critics were unjustifiably not inclined towards it because it does neither go overboard with the black tone nor does it exaggerate with its characters which it treats in a surprisingly serious and humane way, much more honest and unpretentious than many other films that blend comedy and crime. Laconic direction, dynamic rhythm and amazing soundtrack from all sides are main catalysts of good mood throughout, together with the classic doubts about high school reunions. "Grosse Pointe Blank" found a great little honorary role for comedian Dan Aykroyd as the bad guy Grocer, yet the main two protagonists are the main highlights: John Cusack does a very good job and only occasionally "slips" into hamming around as assassin Martin who is cold at first, but at the same time can be magical and charming, whereas the charming Minnie Driver is wonderfully energetic as DJ Debi, his ex-girlfriend. The sequence where Martin shows up in his home town after he left her 10 years ago without explanation on prom night, is a blast: Debi instantly recognizes him when he enters her Radio studio and kisses him, whereas the magical song "Pressure Drop" by The Specials perfectly catches the vibe of the moment. He then again leaves, exiting the building, but she turns on her microphone and says, on air, that a "long lost acquittance suddenly came back to her, but is now again leaving from her life", which causes him to return from the street back into her studio. An amazing piece of writing. Despite being very simple, this is one of the most shrill off-beat films of 1997.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Jeffrey; Comedy, USA, 1996; D: Christopher Ashley, S: Steven Webber, Michael T. Weiss, Patrick Stewart, Bryan Batt, Christine Baranski, Sigourney Weaver
The name from the title belongs to the cheerful gay waiter and actor who, obviously, loves to sleep with men. But, as the AIDS reports are at an all time high in town, he suddenly decides to not have sex anymore, even though he falls in love with Steve in a gym. When a car runs into him, he is helped by Mother Teresa. The older gay man Sterling advises him to simply have a relationship with the person he likes. But just then, Jeffrey finds out Steve has AIDS, which causes him to live an even more ascetic life. But after a lot of thinking on a gay gathering, Jeffrey decides to give Steve a chance and they start a relationship.
The adaptation of an Off-Broadway play, the first comedy about the AIDS virus, "Jeffrey" is a bravely relaxed and original film that showed that director Christopher Ashley has a talent for opulent, untrammelled characteristics of a complicated subject. The title hero Jeffrey is adequately described as an unusual and cheerful person, whereas the gay theme is presented mostly without cliches. The only scarcely handled ingredient is the sole theme about the AIDS virus, though it was probably done to make it understated. It's interesting how shrill some scenes are: when he meets Steve in a gym, Jeffrey waives with his hand and all of a sudden all the people around him "freeze" while he catches his breath. A similarly inventive situation is when suddenly waiters start cheerfully dancing, but when he says: "We must not have fantasies about each other", it all turns back into normal. Besides that, the story is divided into chapters with titles, all of which have different colors. The second half of this cult film loses a lot of energy, drags slightly with some tiresome characters and is not as half as fun as the opening act. Still, it shows laughs and pain in a dignified manner whereas Patrick Stewart is excellent in the untypical and refreshing role of Jeffrey's mentor Sterling.Grade:++
Seven Years in Tibet
Seven Years in Tibet; Drama, USA/ UK, 1997; D: Jean-Jacques Annaud, S: Brad Pitt, David Thewlis, B.D. Wong, Mako
Autumn of '39: Austrian Heinrich Harrer, an egoistical mountaineer and winner of the Olympic medal, boards a train and starts his journey towards Tibet together with Peter Aufschnaiter. He will not return to Austria for 11 years and his wife will raise their child without him because they will be separated by World War II. Heinrich will be captured in India but will manage to escape to Tibet. There he makes friends with the 14th Dalai Lama, who is still a child, and change into a good person. After the Chinese occupation of Tibet, Dalai Lama flees to India, while Heinrich returns to Austria and begs his family for forgiveness.
After thriller "Seven", Brad Pitt decided to star in another film with that number in the title, "Seven Years in Tibet", but it is indisputably a lot weaker than the first one. Viewers afraid of the dry and limitless boredom do not need to worry since this biopic still contains a fair dose of interesting things, notably towards the end, skillfully avoiding cheap moments. But the story is terminally overlong and does not have that spark that keeps the viewers glued to the screen or any feature that would cause them to see the film again, which is why it turns into an ordinary history lesson. Basically, in the end, it all boils down to the Chinese occupation of Tibet, whereas the mentality of the hero or some deeper spiritual elements stay behind. It is important that the hero turns into a good person, but it is not clear how or why he does that, except maybe for the esoteric Tibet surroundings. A vague adventure with vague experience.Grade:+
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Dr. Dolittle
Dr. Dolittle; Fantasy comedy, USA, 1998; D: Betty Thomas, S: Eddie Murphy, Ossie Davis, Kristen Wilson, Oliver Platt, Richard Schiff, Peter Boyle, Jeffrey Tambor
Dr. Dolittle is a seemingly ordinary family man, except that he once had the ability to talk with the animals as a child, though forgot about it as he grew up. But his past is going to return to his life when he one day accidentally hits a dog with his car and understands everything what the animal is saying. His dialogues are quickly broadened to hamsters, pigeons, ducks, goats...As a doctor with a masters degree, he rationally rejects his ability and lands in a mental asylum, but in the end accepts his skill and decides to help the animals. It all culminates with a surgery on a tiger.The remake of the '67 musical film with the same title, Betty Thomas version of "Dr. Dolittle" is a mostly moderately fun and accessible family comedy that, unlike the original, became a box office hit. Even though it has a pale story, undeveloped and "foggy" situations as well as typically cheap gags here and there for a mainstream film, the stand-out highlight that makes the film easily watchable is again the excellent comic performance by Eddie Murphy, who was used quite often to save thin comedies. At least one of his rants is a small comic jewel (the one when he tries to raise the self-confidence of a tiger who wants to jump from a high story building, where he says: "Remember that song "Eye of the Tiger," from "Rocky 3"? When Rocky was fighting Mr. T, he couldn't beat him - then Apollo Creed played "Eye of the Tiger" for him. Rocky beat the snot out of Mr. T because of "Eye of the Tiger." Because that song moved Rocky inside. Not eye of the moose, eye of the tiger!") whereas some of the interactions with the animals do have some sympathetic charm, especially when the two pigeons are arguing, and one of them (voiced by Julie Kavner) says: "He is a self-hating pigeon". Still, those are just small crumbs of pleasure. When the hero is running through the street at the end, one gets a feeling that a real movie could have started where this one ended, because, though amusing, this comedy leaves rather indifferent.
An American Werewolf in Paris
An American Werewolf in Paris; Horror comedy, USA/ UK/ Luxembourg/ Netherlans/ France, 1997; D: Anthony Waller, S: Tom Everett Scott, Julie Delpy, Vince Vieluf
Teenager Andy arrives with his friends in Paris in search for girls and already on his first night he manages to save the blond Serafine via bungee-jumping from the Eiffel tower. Andy does get injuries, though, and lands in a hospital, but stumbles upon a mysterious girl in a basement where a party is under way - suddenly, people transform into werewolves and one them bites him. When he wakes up, he finds himself in Serafine's home who explains him that will transform into a werewolf during full moon. Still, he manages to break the curse by killing the werewolf who bit him. Then he marries Serafine.Humorous horror sequel "An American Werewolf in Paris" is a solid and moderately correct fun, yet predictably lacks highlights and originality, which is why the story seems to "vegetate" a lot in the film. The biggest flaws are the tendency of director Waller to occasionally force trashy-violent scenes without any measure, just to keep the viewers attention in a cheap way, like when Julie Delpy puts a heart in a mixer. However, the film is still more turned towards the happy ending, which is why it is a lot tamer, but also a lot paler in its content-substance than the excellent original from '81, a classic that blended horror and comedy seamlessly, "An American Werewolf in London". The sequel tried to borrow some elements from it, like the hero's vision of his dead friend who advises him, but it rarely reaches to grasp for something more than a watchable fun.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Elfen Lied
Elfen Lied; animated science-fiction horror thriller-drama series, Japan, 2004; D: Mamoru Kanbe, S: Chihiro Suzuki, Sanae Kobayashi, Mamiko Noto, Yuki Matsuoko
Lucy, a member of the mutant human race Diclonius, escapes from an underground laboratory in which she was trapped using her "vectors", telekinetically controlled arms. However, she gets shot and loses her consciousness, getting adopted by the young Kohta and Yuka who find her on the beach. The secret organization wants to trap her again, though, which causes numerous bloody battles. With time, it turns out that she was a good girl as a child, but the abuse by her fellows mates made her aggressive and she killed Kohta's sister and father 8 years ago. Kohta remembers everything and forgives her. She disappears while he, Yuka, Mayu and Nana live from there on as a happy family.
"Elfen Lied" is one of the strangest experiences of anime by its grasp of some of the most taboo themes in the world, which is why it divided people into a group that calls it "genius" and into a group that calls it "garbage", but, just like "RoboCop" and "Oldboy", it presents the sole main theme, the search for humanity in a cruel world, in the most extreme way. The anime starts off with a Katyn type of massacre in the first episode that is horrifying: using her telekinetically powered invisible arms, the so called "vectors", since she is a girl from the Diclonius race, the naked heroine Lucy, wearing only a helmet on her head, massacres around 30 guards or employees by cutting off their limbs, heads, slicing them with a pencil, pouring blood out of their bodies or simply ripping their heart from their chest, and escapes from an underground laboratory into the outside world, into freedom. After watching that 7-minute blood bath, and taking into consideration the depressive-dreadful song in the intro, the viewers could safely give up upon this show and dismiss it as a disaster. Indeed, the first episode really is garbage, but the violence drops after that – one could safely say that around 50 % of all deaths occurs in the first and the last episode – and turns more towards drama. Because it turns out that the Lucy who did that at the start was not really herself nor did she ever want to be like that, yet her personality split as a schizophrenic into her evil and her good, innocent original self. Furthermore, if the viewers watch it until the end, they will notice an incredible change of their initial opinion: as it goes along the way, "Elfen Lied" actually starts showing more and more signs of improving talent. It is kind of annoying at first that Lucy's good alter-ego Nyu is presented so innocently (yet logical later on since she has a split personality) and some of the attempts at "fan service" humor are lame (Kohta wants to take off Lucy's wet clothes so that she won't catch a cold, but just as she is lying half naked on the floor, Yuka enters the room), yet despite splatter-violence, one must admit that Lynn Okamoto's story has some hermetic stylistic perfection.
It also has at least four excellent characters. One of the them is another Diclonius girl, Nana, who was also imprisoned and underwent brutal experiments in the underground laboratory all her life, but somehow made herself believe that the chief researcher, the cold Kurama, is actually her "daddy". It is a strange and at the same time fragile sight seeing her chained naked in her cell and yet smiling when he enters it. When he and his organization set her lose to find Lucy, she is happy to assist him and only demands his tie to wear it as a headband. The following battle between (the evil) Lucy and Nana on a graveyard is virtuoso directed, both using their "vector" powers to move tombstones. Right there, this anime performs the impossible: it blends splatter-violence with gentle emotions. Namely, in a moment of carelessness, Lucy slices Nana's leg off and massacres her heavily. As Kurama shows up with his team, he boldly approaches the scene, sees Nana in blood and takes her body in his arms. But the only things she says is: "I'm sorry I made your tie dirty. And I'm sorry I disappointed you." He then stands up and punches Lucy, who then escapes. Afterwards, he again returns to comfort Nana. Such example of devotion is one of the most touching moments of all time, and maybe this is the only way it could have been achieved. The story is, in its own way, unusually addictive, and the only way to watch it is to not deny yourself the experience. It also has moments of romance (the beautiful first kiss between Yuka and Kohta), compassion (when Kohta takes the photo of his deceased sister Kanae and tells how he would have liked to apologize to her befoer her death, Lucy cuts her hair to look like Kanae and tells him: "I'm Kanae now! I forgive you, Kohta! Don't cry!") and philosophical touch (it turns out Lucy was a good person until some boys started abusing her when she was a little girl, because she is a Diclonius. After a heavy emotional abuse, she tells to one of the boys: "The only one who is inhuman, is you.") with a powerful metaphor of how cruelty and alienation can make *everything* go wrong in a person, whereas the persecution of the Diclonius race reminds a lot of history of racism. Some complaints could be raised towards some inconsistencies, contrived scenes and the rather shaky final episode. Ville and gory, but this horror-melodrama is unbelievable in showing so many wrong things and yet in the end sending a positive message.
Speed; action, USA, 1994; D: Jan de Bont, S: Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock, Dennis Hopper, Jeff Daniels, Joe Morton
Los Angeles. Criminal Payne is a bomb specialist who takes hostages in an elevator, demanding money. Police officer Jack manages to free the hostages, but Payne manages to escape, continuing his odyssey by planting a bomb on a bus - if the vehicle drives bellow 50 miles per hour, it will explode. Jack boards the bus and gives a passenger, Annie, the wheel after the driver gets killed. They evacuate the passengers and the smash the driving bus into a wall. In addition, Jack kills Payne in the subway.
In "Speed", cinematographer Jan de Bont managed to successfully direct the clever screenplay by Graham Yost, that seems like an action oriented extract of some never produced Hitchcock film - a bus full of passengers must never drive bellow 50 miles per hour, or it will explode. Of course, since the story is playing out in Los Angeles, the traffic causes numerous obstacles. Unfortunately, unlike the imaginative screenplay, the direction is disappointingly bland, and many of the solutions that do engage the viewers come more as a result of the writer than the director who did a solid, but standard job. The characters are also rather stale, with only Sandra Bullock managing to insert some charm, but only to some extent. Many moments fall into cliches and amateurish choices, whereas the opening and the ending are unnecessary, yet the sole story still has power and seizes attention, especially in the scene where the bus arrives at an freeway gap.
Red Rock West
Red Rock West; Thriller, USA, 1992; D: John Dahl, S: Nicolas Cage, J.T. Walsh, Dennis Hopper, Lara Flynn Boyle
With only 5 $ in his pocket, Michael is traveling in his car through Wyoming, looking for a job. In some bar, the rich Wayne mistakes him for a killer he ordered and gives him 5.000 $ to kill his wife Susan. He takes the money but warns her. She then gives him 5.000 $ to kill Wayne. Michael hits some man with his car and brings him to the hospital. There the sheriff waits for him - it is Wayne. He starts prosecuting him, so Michael boards the car of some guy called Lyle. But when it turns out that Lyle is actually the original hired killer, he runs away. Michael and Susan hide and come closer. She tells him that Wayne is a con artist who stole a million $, but then Lyle catches them and demands for that amount. Wayne brings them to a graveyard and dies fighting Lyle. Michael and Susan run away with the money and board a train, but he throws her off after she threatened him with a gun."Red Rock West" is a very good film noir by John Dahl, a specialist for sly crime stories who knows how to conjure up a moody atmosphere. The story here is so filled with surprises and absurd coincidences that intervene more and more that at some moments it almost seems like a black comedy - some of the wackiest situations are when the hero, Michael, gets mistaken for a hired killer in a bar by Wayne who gives him 5.000 $, but he quickly contacts her who gives him another 5.000 $ and demands that he kills Wayne instead; Michael almost runs over a guy with his car who later on turns out to be the original hired killer; the bad guy Wayne just happens to be the local sheriff etc - yet it always keeps its balanced and realistic tone. Dahl has a good pace and sense for the Wyoming mentality, the screenplay is well written whereas the ending is almost ironic in its conclusion about some things in life. Some minor flaws could be attributed to a few too serious moments, stiff solutions or redundancy. A small jewel here is excellent Dennis Hopper who does not play the bad guy Wayne in a conceited way, but with class and elegance, reminding of some of his best roles as a villain.


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Another project completed for the field team, this time at Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site! Tucked away in Brookline, Massachusetts this park is the home of the father of landscape architecture, Frederick Law Olmsted and also the first official landscape architecture office in America. This park has lots of native plants, hemlock trees, and elm trees. Olmsted was very adventurous and liked to travel which inspired his landscape design.
The project at this park had us working on planting shrubs to restore the landscape according to the original planting plans. What this means is as a team we evaluated the planting plan as it looked in the 1930's and planted shrubs throughout the park areas such as the south lawn, hollow, rock garden, and courtyard. Our group planted a variety of plants and shrubs including lilacs, mount pieres, and Japanese yews.
We learned how to read landscape designs and properly plant through our technical expert, Mona McKindley. Mona taught us the proper way of digging and mixing old soil with new soil to help the plant grow after planting. Mona has been a gardener with the National Park Service since the late 90's. She has worked at the White House on the grounds crew and she has a master's in history and art.
The highlights during this project was seeing different areas in the landscape were now filled in with plants and shrubs. We also enjoyed working on our second project together as a team. The only challenges we faced were removing the rocks we would come across when digging the new holes for the plants!
Coming up next is our project summary from our travel project at Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site!

subset: commoncrawl


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Coping with Loneliness in Guantanamo
By Peter Jan Honigsberg
Published By The Huffington Post
Can a person held in a prison cell among neighbors who do not speak his language be as lonely as someone who is held incommunicado in an isolation cell? That question arose in the interview of a former detainee we filmed for the Witness to Guantanamo project (W2G). (Presently, W2G has filmed interviews with 66 people in 11 countries.)
Much has been written about Guantanamo and the torture, isolation and harsh treatment of the men inside the prison as a result of America's rule of law violations and human rights abuses. However, the literature has not been as extensive in comparing the existential experiences of the men. For example, whose fate was worse: the men who were held incommunicado in isolation cells or the men who were held in the general prison population but who were unable to speak to their neighbors because they did not share a common language?
Is the man held in the general prison population less lonely because he sees men nearby engaging in conversation with each other — although he himself cannot converse except through basic sign language? Or, might the man held incommunicado and in strict isolation have the advantage because he must remain very conscious of his situation and know that it is imperative to keep mind and body alive?
One of the men we interviewed recently (we will call him Mohammed) did not speak the lingua franca of the prison — that is, he spoke neither English nor Arabic. During his 8 years in the prison, he was placed in the general prison population but his cell was not near anyone who spoke his language or even a similar language. The result, whether intended by the United States military officials or not, was isolation and a resulting loneliness that informed his life at Guantanamo for those 8 years.
While held in Guantanamo, Mohammed observed human contacts all around him, many of them warm and culturally shared. Perhaps he could have felt that he had a community in having other men present, even if they did not speak the same language. Yet, Mohammed told us that he could not participate in their shared experiences and in their communications the same way that the men who shared a language or a country could.
Sure, he could reach out and communicate through eye contact, hand signs and facial expressions. But he was a shy and quiet man and, apparently, those connections did not provide him adequate human contact. While others who spoke the Arabic language and shared their country's culture had shared identities, he was left to go it alone, he expressed.
Over his 8 long years in the prison, Mohammed made acquaintances and learned minimal Arabic and English. However, he never had the facility for languages that some of the other men had. In addition, and adding a sad irony to his stay in Guantanamo — it was apparent to the interrogators that he was not a threat to the United States government. Hence, after a few initial interviews, his interrogations in GTMO were terminated. The one advantage of an interrogation is that a translator would have been present for him to talk to in full sentences. Mohammed did not even have that avenue as a means to communicate and express himself.
From what we could gather, for nearly eight years Mohammed may have had other humans surrounding him, but he was dreadfully lonely. And his depth of loneliness came through powerfully as he spoke of his life in Guantanamo. I asked him how he coped. "I cried, and then I felt better," he replied. Apparently, he cried often.
To our surprise, he did not seem bitter. Mohammed's tone was one of humility and acceptance. His quiet manner was inspirational, actually. Was it the way he coped in prison that quieted his bitterness? Was it something else in his personality? Who is to say? In stark contrast, we also had interviewed someone who, 5 years after he was released, continued to be intensely angry and bitter over the injustice he suffered.
Based on these interviews and other interviews that W2G has filmed, it appears (common sense would likely confirm) that one's personality helped form one's ability to cope in Guantanamo. That is, what a man made of the conditions to which he was subjected was more important than the conditions themselves. In addition to coping with the issues by crying, Mohammed also believed that his attorneys would ultimately succeed in obtaining his release. Unlike many other men who became disillusioned and depressed in seeing no results from the work of their counsel, Mohammed never gave up believing in his lawyers.
Throughout our many W2G interviews of the detainees, we also found other examples of how one's personality helped form one's ability to cope. In several other interviews of former detainees, we noticed that people who had resisted the authorities, whether mentally or physically, were often more likely to function better in the outside world once they were released, than people who had not resisted while imprisoned. However, since our data is anecdotal, and since the men we interviewed are not statistically representative of all the men who were held in Guantanamo, we cannot make any firm assertions at this time.
Based on our interview with Mohammed, we believe that he is on his way in transcending his isolating Guantanamo existence. Since his release, he has married a Muslim woman, attends school to improve his skills, is learning the local language, and does not look back in anger. Hopefully, his lack of bitterness will make it easier for him to go forward in the world outside Guantanamo. He is determined to make a better life for himself and his family.


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EDITOR WES RAYNAL: A cute little fun-to-drive car at a laughingly absurd price.
I love this engine. It's one of the sweetest in the car business. The gearbox is fine, too. There's just the slightest bit of cowl shake over rough pavement, just a little bit of steering-column shudder. Mostly the platform is quite solid and speaking of the steering, it's as fine as any in the biz.
The seats are comfortable, and it's an easy car to drive hard or just toodle around town in. Some of the plastics inside aren't up to German snuff though and I was quite surprised, then I saw the sticker price and was appalled. BMW has a lot of guts asking this much, but on the other hand, dealers are probably discounting the hell out of it. BMW's own Web site touts low-interest financing and sweet lease deals, and you know how these things go. The manufacturer's site is only the starting point for the discounts, with more to be had at the actual dealership.
EXECUTIVE EDITOR ROGER HART: There is a lot to love here, from the sweet little turbo motor to the crisp-shifting gearbox and the way the clutch engages at just the right spot in the pedal travel. The brake pedal is perfectly positioned to roll your foot over onto the throttle. All the little details have been paid attention to.
The driving experience is equally engaging--this is a fun-to-drive car that rewards you when you drive it hard. The car's giving you plenty of feedback, and I really didn't have any issues with cowl shake. The top operation is easy and fast, just the way it should be.
My only issue with this car is the price. Frankly, it's staggering for a car this size. I like the car, a lot, but just not at this price.
SENIOR EDITOR FOR NEWS BOB GRITZINGER: I echo Roger's observation on the clutch--there may not be a more perfectly weighted and properly engaging clutch in any other car. The gearbox and engine are excellent as well, perfectly matched for each other and the car. It all works right in tune with the driver.
The 1-series hardtop is hard to beat, but chopping the top off one doesn't help its dynamics. It doesn't hurt as much as similar executions in other cars, but there is some shimmy introduced to the body. And whatever bracing and extra stuff BMW did to overcome the roof surgery is severe--the car is really harsh over bumps and road imperfections, to the point where it hops around on bumps on hard corners. Nothing to worry too much about, given that the car is so well planted it recovers easily, but overall, there's an unsettled feeling to the chassis that isn't there in the hardtop.
As for the price, who says you can't make money selling small cars in America? BMW obviously can.
2009 BMW 135i Convertible
In Fleet: Sept. 18-Oct. 2
Base Price: $40,975
As-Tested Price: $46,975
Drivetrain: 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged I6; RWD, six-speed manual
Output: 306 hp @ 5,800 rpm, 295 lb-ft @ 1,300-5,000 rpm
Curb Weight: 3,660 lb
Fuel Economy (EPA/AW): 20/21.2 mpg
Options: Premium package including universal garage-door opener, digital compass mirror, auto-dimming mirrors and rearview mirror, power front seats, lumbar support, BMW Assist ($3,400); Sport package including 18-inch wheels, performance tires, sport seats, M steering wheel, shadowline trim ($1,100); comfort access system ($500); heated front seats ($500); iPod, USB adapter ($400); moonlight black soft top ($100)


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Here are a few pictures and stories from our time in Vietnam. We visited Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hoi An, Phu Quoc Island and Saigon. I listed out our recommendations in the end, but basically all you need to know is this: EAT EVERYTHING.
The coolest roof top deck in Hanoi.
Cafe Sua Da
Our hotel in Hanoi was right next to Hoan Kiem Lake. It's definitely a great place to people watch as you see everything from people exercising to kids hanging out and people on dates. We were stopped by a group of students so they could practice English. It's a very cool spot in a crazy city.
The bridge of Hoan Kiem Lake
Cha Ca La Vong is a restaurant that serves one dish and one dish only in Hanoi. You get fish fried up in oil with turmeric and a lot of greens. Anders liked this dish much better than me, but it's a very popular spot in Hanoi to check out.
Dragon fruit everywhere!
The Sofitel Metropole was named the best hotel in all of Vietnam. It was built in 1901 in the French Colonial style and has been home to many famous people throughout time. It has a lot of history and while it's definitely out of our price range, it's worth stopping in for a tipple in the Bamboo Bar.
It's not the Metropole, but our hotel roof deck and pool wasn't too shabby either.
We stayed on the cutest little boat in Halong Bay. This is our room!
And the boat's dining room...
And the boat's deck...
We got a Tai Chi lesson on the boat one morning. I'm pretty terrible at it, but still thought it was interesting.
A floating snack shack would visit out boat sometimes in case, you know, we wanted chips or beer.
Halong Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the natural wonders of the world. It's beautiful!
Kayaking through the bay was on the agenda, and I loved it.
Breakfast on the boat
We passed a floating fish market while in Halong Bay. It was so neat. Anders and I both love food markets and sellers. Even if we don't buy anything, it's fun to look at all the different food.
Our next stop was in Hoi An, and we stayed at the cutest little boutique hotel with beautiful gardens...
..and a floating restaurant...
And a tropical pool!
And a wild fig tree...
We headed out to Hoi An's ocean front one day. We met this cute furry friend. When we found out that "cho" means dog in Vietnamese, we started calling all dogs Cho.
These round boats are squid boats! I thought they were so unique as I have never seen a boat shaped this way before.
Anders got a shave, a ear and eye cleaning and a massage from the oldest barbershop in Hoi An. Very cool experience.
We also visited the Banh Mi Queen! Delicious! Maybe the best we had!
As I mentioned, Anders and I love walking the food markets. These pictures are all from the central market in Hoi An.
Hoi An is a city of lanterns. They are strung up everywhere and come to life at night.
We splurged on La Veranda Resort on Phu Quoc Island. It's the best there is with beautiful grounds and our own private beach access.
We visited another market while we were there...
...And Sao Beach, which rates up there as one of the best beaches I have ever been to in my life. Definitely in the top 3.
Rory's was a beach bar next door to our resort, which was a welcome break from the high-vibe of La Veranda. Anders and I joked that we were too bohemian for our resort, but next door, with the wind cracked tables and plastic chairs was definitely our speed.
Sunset on Phu Quoc.
Our top recs:
Stay: Tirant Hotel for it's amazing rooftop pool and deck. Ask for a room with a balcony.
Eat: Pho Thin at 13 Lo Duc Street. No menu. Just pay, sit and enjoy.
Cong Caphe for fun coffee drinks and a lounge-y atmosphere
Nem Cua Be Dac Kim for Bun Cha (pork and noodles)
Do: Walk Hoan Kiem Lake and have a drink at the Metropole's Bamboo Bar
Halong Bay
Stay: Galaxy Cruises. They will plan out the itinerary for you. We stayed 1 night and it was perfect.
Hoi An
Stay: Muca Boutique Resort. Free breakfast, beautiful grounds, lovely pool and 1 hour of free spa services every day. It's a bit out of town, but you can rent motorbikes for dirt cheap or they have free bicycles at the hotel. We used both.
Eat: Banh Mi Queen and Banh Mi Phuong (both were the best we had. We couldn't decide which was better)
Thin Nhan - order the tamarind crab and you won't be disappointed. Don't be scared off by the fact that you'll be the only one in the restaurant.
Do: Excellent shopping, visit the central market, take a motorbike to the beach
Phu Quoc
Stay: La Veranda Resort if you want the best of the best. We didn't stay here, but we had lunch at Cassia Cottage and it looked adorable and very much our speed!
Eat: Hieu Family Restaurant. They have very fresh seafood, delicious curry and excellent breakfast noodles
Do: Do not visit this island without going to Sao Beach. It's the very best. The night market it small but worth checking out especially if you want to eat some local seafood. You can also pick up some jars of pepper local too (and it's delicious). The fish sauce factory is also small, but fun to check out!
Eat: Com Nieu Sai Gon. Order the claypot rice (the grilled one) and watch them crack open the pot and throw it through the air!
The Lunch Lady - she only cooks 1 soup a day, so sit down and get ready to be blown away (try to go on a Friday when she makes Bo Bun). It's worth the hype and the travel time to get there.
Banh Mi Thit Nuong - a hidden street stall with no name that I could see. You have to go to 37 Nguyen Trai Street in District 1 after 5:30pm. Find the address and the dark alley and there you will be rewarded with the best grilled pork sandwich with BBQ sauce. Trust us on this one.
Do: Visit Ben Thanh Market and have a drink at the top of the Rex Hotel and The Caravelle for the views and history


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Posts Tagged Classic
Shelby Mustang GT 350 H
In 1966 the Hertz rent a car company agreed to purchase 1000 Shelby GT 350 for their rental fleet. It ended up that 996 cars were finally deliver to Hertz with Three being wrecked in transit and one being returned before it arrived for an unknown mechanical defect. Most of the Hertz's car were made in Black with a gold and most had an automatic transmission. The exceptions to that was the first 100 cars sold to Hertz were 4 speeds. It quickly became apparent to them that the 4 speed cars may have not been a good idea. The performance of the car combined with the driving habits of the rental customer added up to many clutch replacements. Some other colors also showed up in the mix, white, blue and red. All the cars had the gold stripe on the side and most had the racing stripes over the top.
Toyota Etios Sedan
Mileage, Average & Fuel Economy:- Toyota Etios sedan version is equipped with DOHC engine, petrol, 2NR FE, four Cylinder 16V. The engine is manufactured to provide apex power of 90 PS at 5600 rpm & maximum torque of 132 Nano meter at 3000 rpm.
Power:- The vehicle is loaded with new 1.5 ltr petrol engine which can pump up horse power of 90. It's engine displacement is 1496 centimeter cube(cc) & it promises maximum power of 90 PS at 5600 resolution per minute & torque of 132 Nano meter at 3000 rpm. It is blessed with five Speed Manual type suspensions. Thus they saw that Etios make no compromises with its power. The engine acts the role of its power house & supply is prepared smooth through smart engineering. The model presents best torque in its section which adds up to its utility.
Toyota RAV4 2004
The top of the line Limited trim level of Toyota RAV4 is equipped with regular suspension, satellite radio, 17-inch cast-aluminum wheels, upgraded stereo system with six-CD changer, automatic headlights, roof rails, two-zone automatic climate control, heated mirrors, keyless ignition and hard-shell cover for spare tire. All V6 models are equipped with hill-descent control and hill-start assist. Most of the Toyota RAV4 Review say the RAV4 comes with variety of packages which include Premium package which adds leather upholstery and eight-way power driver seat with power lumbar support, while the latter items can be added separately on the Limited and V6-powered models. The standard engine with RAV4 is 2.5 liter inline four-cylinder engine that generate 172 pound feet of torque and 179 horsepower. The engine is mated with four-speed automatic transmission and the estimated fuel economy is 28mpg highway, 22mpg city and 24mpg in combined driving.


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Arne Norell
The History of Arne Norell
Swedish furniture designer Arne Norell was born in 1917. In 1954, Norell started his own workshop in Stockholm, Sweden with just two employees. Four years later he moved his business to Småland, where he founded the company Möbel AB Arne Norell, today known as Norell Möbel AB. It remains one of Sweden's leading manufacturers of chairs.
Arne Norell's design portfolio
Norell's style embodied versatility, experimenting with a wealth of different material combinations. He used wood, leathers, metal and a variety of fabrics to create his furniture, such asand , and his designs focused primarily on comfort and ease. Perhaps Norell's most iconic piece is the Ari armchair that he designed in 1966, which has stood for the past 40 years as Norell Möbel AB's flagship model. Renowned for both its elegance and comfort, the Ari chair was awarded the prestigious "Showpiece of the Year" in 1973 by the British Furniture Manufacturers. Other notable pieces of Arne Norell include the Safari Sirocco chair (1964), and the 40 year old constructive masterpieces of Inca and Ilona, designed without the use of glue or screws and instead held together by a strong leather support.
Arne Norell until today
Arne Norell died in 1971, where his daughter, furniture designer Marie Norell-Möller took the reins of Norell Möbel AB. Many of his designs came into production after his death, and his company continues to manufacture these mid centurywhilst simultaneously incorporating new trends into their furniture.


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Being hungry can be distracting. When your stomach is full, you can focus on learning and growing. With this Gift of Possibilities, you will provide nutritious snacks for a crew of 10 Kids at an Activity Day, making sure they can focus on what is most important – becoming leaders and doing good in the community.
Here's what some Kids in our programs have to say!
"When I started the program, I thought I was a leader. Now I know I am a leader!"
"I've made lots of new friends, learned to extend my creative muscle, and found the leadership within me."
"This program changed my life!"
To make this donation as a gift to someone and to send them a customized e-card, choose "In Honour of" in the "Dedicate this Donation" section below.


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RMRIMS Recruitment 2018 2019 Application Form for 05 Assistant Professor, Section Officer & Assistant Grade III Posts Download Application through Official website www.rmrims.org.in RMRIMS Assistant Professor, Section Officer & Assistant Jobs Notification 2018 Released. RMRIMS invites Off-line applications for appointment in following Assistant Professor, Section Officer & Assistant post in Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences. Candidates are requested to Download Application through Official website www.rmrims.org.in. The last date for submission of applications is 12.01.2018. Prospective candidates will have to apply before carefully reading the advertisement regarding the process of examinations and interview, eligibility criteria, Offline registration processes, payment of prescribed application fee/intimation charges, RMRIMS pattern of examination, RMRIMS Syllabus, RMRIMS Question Paper, RMRIMS Admit Date Release Date, RMRIMS Exam Date, RMRIMS Result Date etc. and ensure that they fulfil the stipulated criteria before Applying
RMRIMS Recruitment 2018 - 05 Assistant Professor, Section Officer & Assistant Posts Application Form:
Organization Name: Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences
Employment Category: Central Govt Jobs
Total No. of Vacancies: 05
Job Location: Patna (Bihar)
Latest RMRIMS Vacancy Details:
Name of the Post & No of Vacancies:
RMRIMS Invites Applications for the Following Posts
1. Assistant Professor (Biotechnology) - 01
2. Section Officer - 01
3. Assistant, Grade III - 03
Eligibility Criteria for RMRIMS Vacancy 2018:
Educational Qualification:
1. Assistant Professor (Biotechnology) - PhD with 1st class or equivalent at the preceding degree M.S.(Pharm)/ M. Pharm/ M.Sc.) In the appropriate branch having teaching/industrial/research experience with good academic record with 5 years Post Ph.D. experience.
2. Section Officer - Graduate with 55% marks or equivalent grade with experience.
3. Assistant, Grade III - Graduate with 50% marks or equivalent with2-3 years' Experience.
Age Limit:
Candidate's Age Limit Should not exceed (For Assistant Professor - 45 Years), (For Post Assistant, Grade III & Section Officer - 40 Years). The Upper age limit is relaxed by 5 years for SC/ST; 3 years for OBC, 10 Years for Persons with Disabilities (15 years for SC/ST PWD's & 13 years for OBC PWD's) and for Ex-S as per Govt. of India rules. Candidates Relaxation in Upper Age limit will be provided as per Govt. Rules. Go through RMRIMS official Notification 2018 for more reference
Pay Scale Details for RMRIMS Assistant Professor, Section Officer & Assistant:
Pay Scale:
1. Assistant Professor (Biotechnology) - Rs. 71700/- (Per Month)
2. Section Officer - Rs. 40970/- (Per Month)
Selection Procedure for RMRIMS Assistant Professor, Section Officer & Assistant:
Candidates will be selected based on Interview
How to Apply for RMRIMS Application Form:
Candidates satisfying the above eligibility conditions Use Following Procedure Given Below to Apply Offline:
1. Log on to RMRIMS Careers Page at official website to www.rmrims.org.in
2. Eligible candidates are advised to open Notification & Application Form
3. Read the Advertisement carefully to be sure about your eligibility
4. Take a print out of application form
4. Fill your Academic Qualification & Other Related Information as per the instructions
5. Ensure the information provided is correct & Make Payments
6. Hard Copies of the signed application (registered online) along with photocopies of (i) ID proof (ii) Proof of Date of Birth (iii) Educational Certificates: Mark-Sheets/Degree Certificate (iv) Caste and attested copies of relevant documents should be addressed to "the Director, NIPER-Hajipur, At - Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences (RMRIMS), Agamkuan, Patna - 800007, Bihar" by post so as to reach us by 12.01.2018. Envelope must be super-scribed with "APPLICATION FOR THE POST OF "……………."
RMRIMS Assistant Professor, Section Officer & Assistant Posts Important Dates:
1. Starting Date for Submission of Application: 20.12.2017
2. Last date for Submission of Application: 12.01.2018
Download RMRIMS Official Notification & Application at www.rmrims.org.in:
RMRIMS Official Website Career Page: Click Here
RMRIMS Official Notification PDF: Click Here to Download
RMRIMS Application Form PDF: Click Here to Download
Related Post:-


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Good Quality Color performance from the semi-clear coat screen
Quite expensive
Commendable color performance
Play a little nicer with the internet
The TV screen displays colors very natural.
ReviewGist helps you find the best products to buy by making sense of online reviews.
We are currently aggregating 376,500 reviews
covering over 29,474 products.
© 2020 ReviewGist.com. All Rights Reserved.


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What our Customers say...
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What Objects Look Good on a Sofa Table?
Sofa or console tables may be between the sofa and wall or situated to ground the sofa away from the walls. These narrow, relatively high tables provide an ideal space for display and decoration in your home. You can opt for seasonal decor or choose pieces that work year-round.
Lamps are a natural choice for a sofa table. They provide adequate light for reading and other activities but can also be used as a softer alternative to harsh overhead lighting. For a symmetrical look, pair two matching lamps, one at each end of your sofa table. If you prefer a less symmetrical look or need only one lamp, opt for a single lamp placed at one end of the table.
Family Photos
Use a sofa table to display treasured family photos. Group a number of photos in coordinating frames on the table, choosing some larger prints and some smaller ones. Vary the height of the photo frames, or opt for multiphoto collage-style frames for some photo prints. Photos work best on a sofa table seen from only one direction, rather than from both the front and back.
Vases and Candles
Vases, candles and other decorative items work well on sofa tables. Add decorative accents in pairs, groups or alone, depending upon your preferences. Choose a color, theme or design element to unite your sofa table display. You might, for instance, opt for all white items for a fresh, clean look or pair rustic and warm woods with soft, rubbed bronze for a relaxed family room.
Holiday Displays
Sofa or console tables can provide the right stage for a holiday or seasonal display. Consider light colors, fresh flowers and greens in the spring, with a vacation or patriotic theme in the summer. Opt for fall colors and pumpkins in the autumn and your favorite winter decorations during the coldest months. If you're more ambitious, change your sofa table to match specific holidays, like Halloween or the Fourth of July.
Photo Credits
- Comstock/Comstock/Getty Images


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Well, I decided to go next door for this interview.....and when I mean next door, I mean over to my FLS's blog today.
We've gone looking for heavy parkas and snow boots...as I don't wear this commonly in Hawaii. I mean could you have picked a colder place Sis? :)
Hope you enjoy todays 777!
Knock, Knock....:)
***For some reason this did not post yesterday in conjunction with my sis's blog...so here we really go...:)
8 hours ago


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Filed under: Found Footage Friday, Review | Tags: 1998, Aaron Pearl, alien abduction, Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County, Alien Abduction: The McPherson Tape, Bart Anderson, Benz Antoine, cinema, cinepub, Dean Alioto, Emmanuelle Chriqui, film, Films, Found Footage, found footage Friday, Gillian Barber, Ingrid Kavelaars, Katlyn Ducharme, Kristian Ayre, Marya Delver, Michael Buie, movie, movies, Paranormal, Paul Chitlik, Review, reviews, supernatural
After the horror that last week's inaugural entry into this feature left me with, I decided I'd go back to a little film that I first saw in the early 2000s. It was a different time and I was a very different person. I was young, idealistic and a fucking idiot. Why do I cast such aspersions on young me? Well I used to believe in everything paranormal. Ghosts, bigfoot, chupacabra. You name it and I believed in it. Hell, the only thing that I didn't believe in was God and it was only as I explored scepticism through the internet that I came to be the rational individual I am today. Much of this blind belief in the supernatural came from growing up in a very specific time when a cultural juggernaut dominated the air waves. That juggernaut was a show called 'The X-Files' and because of it an entire generation grew up to believe in all kinds of crazy bullshit. And the area that interested me the most was the subject that also made up the core of the shows over-arching major plot: alien abduction.
Because of the popularity of the X-Files, supposed "real life" aliens permeated the culture of the 90s. It seemed as though every other day there was a special about the Roswell incident or alien abduction. In 1998, a full year before the 'Blair Witch Project', a little show called 'Alien Abduction: Incident In Lake County'(AKA Alien Abduction: The McPherson Tape) aired. It purported to show actual footage of a family Thanksgiving dinner interrupted and terrorised by visitors from another world. When it hit, there was major debate about whether or not the footage was actually real and apparently this discussion still goes on today in some dark corners of the internet despite the fact that it ends with credits which include a cast list and Emmanuelle Chriqui (who plays Renee) went on to some success including playing Adam Sandler's romantic interest in 'You Don't Mess with the Zohan' and appearing in 'Entourage'. I will say for my own part that I never believed the tape was real even in my silly less sceptical days. Still, that didn't mean that it didn't creep young me the fuck out.
The film begins with a family sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner whilst Tommy (Kristian Ayre) films it all. Suddenly the family experience a power cut and so Tommy and his two elder brothers, Kurt and Brian, head out to investigate. From there, shit goes down. And that's as much synopsis as you're getting from this time because there's a very special surprise for you at the end of this review. If you're wondering if it's the entire film, then well done, you've spoiled the surprise. Arsehole.
Anyway, let me just say before you go watch it that yes, the acting is bad. The special effects are awful and there's a weird pixilation effect that comes up every time the aliens are on screen, I assume to try and obscure just how bad the costumes are. There are also these terrible talking interviews which pop up and are unintentionally hilarious such as when one guy ascertains that this is not a fake because the people are clearly not actors. It almost feels as though he's critiquing the film for you. And then there's this guy, the greatest guy in the history of found footage films relating to alien abduction:
My God. Amaze-Balls. So yeah, anyway, despite how bad almost every aspect of this film is, it still holds a special place in my heart. It reminds me of a simpler time when my world was full of mystery. Stupid, stupid mystery. So enjoy Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County and I'll see you next week for more full found footage review. Not sure what it'll be yet but I'm sure it'll be horror related. Gives me the fear just thinking about it… D'you know what I mean?


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Mumbai's IIT Seeks New York Campus
Around the same time that India's cabinet gave a first green light to a draft bill that would allow foreign universities to set up shop in the country, another discussion also kicked off: for the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay to open an applied science campus in New York City.
Almost a year on, while the foreign universities bill is still waiting to be tabled in Parliament, talks between Mumbai's IIT and the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) are making some progress. Last December, IIT-B received a formal invite to submit a proposal to open a branch in New York, according to Devang V. Khakhar, the institute's director.
"We have been discussing this initiative since almost a year now and NYCEDC sent us a formal invite, signed by Mayor Bloomberg, a couple of months ago," Mr. Khakhar said.
In December, New York's economic development body announced plans to develop an engineering and applied science research campus in the city and invited educational institutions from around the world to express their interest. Schools which haven't been invited by the NYCEDC are also eligible. It wasn't immediately clear how many other institutions had expressed their interest in the project and how likely IIT-B is to clinch the deal.
The deadline set by New York's economic council for receiving letters of interest and proposals from interested parties is March 16. They are yet to set a time frame to announce which proposal has been accepted.
The Big Apple is expected to make a capital contribution to the institute and possibly provide grounds for the campus. Locations include the Navy Hospital Campus at the Brooklyn Navy Yard and the Goldwater Hospital Campus on Roosevelt Island in Manhattan.
In a press statement released at the time, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said establishing this facility was important "because research in the fields of engineering, science and technology is creating the next generation of global business innovations that will propel our economy forward."
While IIT-B still has to hammer out the nitty gritty of the proposal or whether it plans to adapt its existing curriculum to better suit a New York campus, Mr. Khakhar said they have set up a five-member committee to figure things out. The committee is chaired by Subhasis Chaudhuri, head of the institute's international relations department.
Mumbai's IIT is one of the country's most sought-after institutions for higher education, and one which is well-regarded by employers too. Although many of its graduates are employed in multinational companies, at present the institute does not have an international presence.
IIT-B is hoping that opening a New York campus will enable it to expand its international reach. At present, only 50 of its 7,500 students are international.
"We would like to plug into the research and innovation prowess of the city, draw more international students and have more student exchanges for students from both campuses," said Mr. Khakhar.
The Mumbai institute is one of 15 Indian Institutes of Technology of higher education, for technological and engineering studies, that dot India.
Another IIT, the one in Chennai, had already come to the attention of New Yorkers last year when three of its students won the "NYC Next Idea Award 2009-2010" for coming up with an innovative system to store energy in the city.


text: Send writing to the 22nd-annual New Letters Awards in fiction, poetry, and essay. $4,500 in prizes–$1,500 and publication for winners in each category. For guidelines, visit www.newletters.org or send an S.A.S.E. to New Letters Awards for Writers, University of Missouri-Kansas City, 5101 Rockhill Road, Kansas City, MO 64110. Deadline May 18.


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Realty Management Division Technology is seeking an Application Developer to develop and support Technology projects for Realty Management Division. The successful candidate Work closely with a team of Java and Web developers, focusing on architecture, development, maintenance and support of our web applications platform. Candidate will collaborate as a member of a global cross functional team to address various business's needs, provide technical support and would be responsible for diagnosing and resolving application issues to ensure optimal performance and usability for the various systems. As a member of RMD Technology division, applicant must be flexible in adapting to changing business priorities and comfortable filling a variety of development roles and responsibilities.
Realty Management Division (RMD) is primarily involved in the sourcing, acquisition, underwriting and due diligence of performing and distressed real estate and loan assets, real estate management and disposition, credit investing services and portfolio management. RMD provides real estate investment services and asset management to investments where Goldman Sachs has an interest, serving as a partner to other divisions across the firm, including Merchant Banking, Securities and Investment Management. The Realty Management Division has employees in the Americas, Europe and Asia.
• Responsible for design and development of Web Applications including writing code, testing, creating system and unit tests, and bringing technical depth and creativity to projects
• Develop, Build and improve modern web Java/JavaScript-based web systems
• Performs first level troubleshooting of issues and performing periodic tasks required for the ongoing functionality of the software applications.
• Manage project releases through deployment, reporting on team milestones and deliverables.
• Work both individually and also with regional teams to optimize systems and resources.
• Strong experience (5-7 years) in Java development
• Solid experience (4+years) in JavaScript development
• Solid experience (3+years) developing in AngularJS framework
• Solid experience (3+years) with Web Technologies HTML5, CSS, CSS3,SASS, Bootstrap
• Strong experience with REST API and Web Services (3+ years)
• Experience with JAXRS, CDI, J2EE, and ORM Frameworks (3+ years)
• Proficient in test driven development both for UI (Karma, Jasmine) and Backend services (Junit, Mockito etc)
• Experience with SQL and RDMS systems. Oracle/SQL or Sybase is a plus
• Experience developing applications with demonstrated experience with full software lifecycle and deploying applications to Production and experience with Agile methodologies
Preferred Qualifications
• Familiarity with the firm's DASH platform is a preferred.
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is a leading global investment banking, securities and investment management firm that provides a wide range of financial services to a substantial and diversified client base that includes corporations, financial institutions, governments and individuals. Founded in 1869, the firm is headquartered in New York and maintains offices in all major financial centers around the world.
© The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., 2020. All rights reserved Goldman Sachs is an equal employment/affirmative action employer Female/Minority/Disability/Vet.


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This week's blog post is a little less thought provoking and just a little more informational and exciting.
As some of you may have noticed, we have acquired some new equipment lately and we're really excited about it. Below is a list of some of the cool new things that we've picked up, how you're going to see them integrated into class or what the advantage is of having them.
OSO Barbell Clips
These are the best clips on the market today. They lock your plates down and they don't budge. They'll allow you to hit those repetitive barbell workouts that we see a lot of without ever having to adjust your clips. I know some of you are a little disappointed because this is when you catch your breathe, but I guess this means you'll just have to visit the chalk bucket instead, haha.
Flat Benches
Yes, we did hear all of you "Bro's" asking when we're going to bench press and we went out and bought a handful of flat benches and have programmed our first bench press workout for this coming month. Make sure you all attend that day and wear a sleeve-monster t-shirt
Squat Stands
A couple days ago we bought a pair of squat stands and have another pair on the way. This will give us 6 squat rack locations in total, which should be more than enough for even our biggest class on any lifting day when we take the bar off the rack.
Wall mounted pull-up bars
In the next week or two you'll see the famous Cróga wall lined with some wall mounted pull-up bars. This will give us another location besides the rig to get on the bar and will also allow for people working on that side of the gym to not have to find their way through the middle of class when there is a barbell and pull-up bar related element involved.
While most of you are well aware of these already because they are hard to miss with their beautiful gold paint jobs, we are very happy we were able to find these and we will be acquiring more very soon. They are hands down the best piece of conditioning equipment out there and although you may hate them, they're good for you.
Now, for the awesome news about a couple new classes. Starting next week we will be launching an Olympic Lifting class and Open Gym time.
Our Thursday night at 7:30 pm class will change from General CrossFit to Olympic Lifting starting Thursday, 6/25.
Each week we will select a lift and work on improving your feel for, understand of and efficiency with that lift. Some weeks will be technique based, while others will give you an opportunity to go for the home run to PR your snatch or clean & jerk. We're hoping that this class will gain some momentum and we can add another hour or two at different spots in the week in the future.
Our Saturday morning will have 1-hour of Open Gym from 8:00 am to 9:00 am starting Saturday, 6/27.
For those of you that missed a workout during the week that you want to make up or those that need to get in and out of the gym on Saturday before 9 am, we are adding 1-hour of Open Gym. During this hour we will have a general warm-up and the WOD on the board and will have a coach there to supervise and give instruction as needed. However, this will not be a structured class, so please know what you'd like to do with the hour and be accommodating of the other athletes in attendance by keeping your equipment in order and safe. We are also hoping that this hour of Open Gym will be something you all enjoy and we will look to open other hours throughout the week for your use in the future.


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Just hours after the People's Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) detailed several alleged discrepancies in the May 11, 2015 general and regional elections, the American, British and Canadian missions here said the outcome would not change. "Despite investigating, in collaboration with other observer missions, repeated allegations of irregularities, we have found nothing that would materially impact the integrity or credibility of ...Read More »
Daily Archives: May 15, 2015
Ramotar questions integrity of international observers
by Zena Henry President Donald Ramotar Friday afternoon questioned the integrity of international observers, suggesting that they might unwelcomed in countries where they certify rigged elections as free and fair. Ramotar pointed out that more observers help to boost confidence in a country's electoral process but they must be wary of their image being tarnished by giving a clean bill ...Read More »
Pressure piles on PPPC to give up power; PPPC candidate calls for street protests
Guyana's business community and civil society organisations on Friday piled pressure on the People's Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) to concede defeat in last Monday's general elections, even as that party insisted that it would not do so until a recount proves it has lost. A PPPC candidate, Dr Peter Ramsaroop has also called on party supporters to take to the ...Read More »
Official election results in limbo; APNU+AFC says PPPC can't block declaration
The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) on Friday said an official declaration of the winner of the May 11, 2015 general and regional elections would not be made until after midday Saturday to allow parties to make objections but that has is being rejected by the coalition. "Since the last declaration was made this morning, Friday May 15, 2015, the Commission ...Read More »
Pro-PPPC Indian Arrival Committee welcomes, congratulates APNU+AFC-led government
The Indian Arrival Committee (IAC), which is closely aligned to the People's Progressive Party Civic (PPPC), welcomed and congratulated the new government to be led by Retired Brigadier David Granger. "The IAC understands that there will be some exuberance in these celebrations; however it must not be to the discomfort and inconvenience of others. In this regard, while the IAC ...Read More »
PPPC Ministers split over conceding defeat
by Zena Henry The People's Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) administration seem split over the acceptance of an election loss some 23 –years after being the governing party in Guyana. The party lost to the recently formed unity party the A Partnership for National Unity +Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) Coalition, whose mantra is a renewed sense of unity amongst the people, ...Read More »
Go to court if you don't like the election result- European Union
As controversy continues over the accuracy of last Monday's general election results, the European Union (EU) on Friday called on contesting parties to settle any dispute through the courts. "The EU calls on all actors to respect the legal procedures and address any possible grievance through the channels established by the law," the EU said in a statement. The EU's ...Read More »
PPPC, APNU locked in battle over "fake" poll statements, inflated results
by Zena Henry and Denis Chabrol The incumbent People's Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) and A Partnership for National Unity+ Alliance For Change coalition (APNU+ AFC) were Thursday on a collision course over the need for a total recount of all votes cast in the Monday, May 11 general and regional elections. Former President Bharrat Jagdeo said his PPPC would be ...Read More »
PPPC formally asks for total recount; two requests already rejected
The Peoples Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) has already written the Returning Officers (ROs) of 9 of Guyana's 10 electoral districts requesting a total recount of all ballots cast in those districts, with at least two of the ROs already turning down the requests. The party announced today that owing to the revelation of fake statements of polls (SOs) discovered in ...Read More »