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The Australian Video Art Festival
Video Visions unveiled
Still image from Soda_Jerk Undaddy Mainframe (2014) 1:18 minutes
Explore the spatial aesthetics, look deep into the video vortex and experience the new world – these are the video visions of artists experimenting with the medium today.
Spatial Aesthetics
Georgia Robenstone I’m trying (2014)
I’m trying considers the language and politics of adult bodies engaged. In a broader sense, the video explores what it means to try and articulate that which eludes being spoken about, of grappling for meaning and finding none, but nevertheless trying to see this doubt as a constructive device. The Sisyphean nature of the action, wherein a single task is repeated ‘ad infinitum’, may be considered constructive in the sense that each failed attempt opens up a space for endless new attempts, new understandings and new opportunities; for the tragic, the comedic, and the absurd. As Samuel Beckett writes in Worstward Ho: ‘Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better’.
Alex Cuffe Omega/Static/Automatic/Nature (2014)
This work holds the ability to convey an anxiety, a sense of impending, with no further conclusion. Nothing in the video gives the viewer enough information to determine its origins. The personal content holds little importance to decoding the work. Within the experience is a series of symbols, that if understood would allow a deeper reading into the circumstances surrounding the work. This understanding does not matter. The ecstatic realisation, or synthesis is, simply, there is no further truth or meaning. It is a representation of a reality, manipulated through editing and sound to give a projection of meaning, of purpose. A crushing and ecstatic realism.
Joe Hamilton Regular Division (2014)
Regular Division is a looping spiral of meticulously layered scenes built from video shot in a number of indoor gardens in Europe and Asia. The geographically disconnected locations merge to form a hybrid panorama of foliage under a canopy of gridded glass. The piece directly references histories of landscape painting via expressive paint marks lifted from famous paintings by artists such as Vincent van Gogh and Arthur Streeton and layered over a high-resolution filmic landscape.
Jolene Mok & Troels Primdahl FÓLK. HREYFINGAR. STAÐIR. (2014)
This choreographic documentary shows a series of ‘Interrelational Field Recordings’ from Siglufjörður on the Northern coast of Iceland. Through an artless concept of repetitions and bodily gestures an anthropological portrait of the inhabitants in a small fishing village gradually emerges. Each of them is articulating their own person, not in the dimension of lingual communication, but simply through the similarities and differences that only the viewer is able to comprehend.
Mona Kakanj, ELEPHANT (2014)
Elephant is an experimental short film, focused on perception. A young woman is swinging between two walls in an open space. Next she fights with herself in a boxing ring. The video conveys the inexpressible nature of an action in a situation, where there is deficit of information.Elephant is a film that questions one’s perception of the existence (Dasein) in relation to his identity.
Yongho Moon 5 Studies For Small Space (2013 – 2014)
Ongoing studies for performance based video within the context of the human element in small space.
Daniel Froidevaux and Elisa Gonzalez The Quiet Zone (2013)
The Quiet Zone is an evolving multimedia project by artists Elisa Gonzalez and Daniel Froidevaux, documenting the unique relationship between a community of electro-refugees and the radio astronomy observatory at Greenbank in the heart of the National Radio Quiet Zone. The NRQZ is a federally mandated radio quiet area that has become a refuge for an emerging community of electrically sensitive individuals. Fascinated by an area that is both a centre for scientific discovery, and a refuge for those seeking to escape effects of technological progress, the project contemplates the role of place in creating possibilities for resistance to the permeation of communications technology, and poses questions about what quiet means in the digital age.
Video Vortex
Amelia Johannes Family crockery (whiteness) (2011)
Family crockery (whiteness) is constructed from found family videos, originally recorded on VHS tape. The video content has been edited to create patterns concentrating on the object of white crockery, the occurrence of food and the influence of Colonial tradition within the South African family. This abstract piece has been choreographed to create a sequential video and directed by the materiality of the VHS tape. The final piece conceptualises the significance of repetition as what defines tradition.
The raw VHS footage illustrates recorded memories captured in the late 1980s to early 1990s. This footage has been visually experimented with during the editing process by cropping frames and the collating of repetitive patterns. Family crockery (whiteness) investigates the artist’s mixed South African heritage by visually exploring footage of the family to experiment with perspective, perception, recognition and uncertainty of the video image, analogous to the blurriness of memory and messiness of cultural traditions.
Emma Hicks Intentions (2014)
Intentions is part of an ongoing series of work that began on residency at The Banff Centre in Canada in 2013. Participants of the Our Literal Speed residency were asked via email to submit a how to / instructional You Tube video that related specifically to their art practice.
As Intentions unfolds, the screen becomes a multiplicity of moving images, yellow text is used to identify each participant as twelve You Tube videos become locked in a battle for recognition. Each video vying for attention becomes part of an ongoing performance. Working simultaneously with digital interfaces whilst also addressing these interfaces Intentions becomes not only an archival and indexical representation of artistic intention and production, but also an object to be exhibited and documented across various spaces.
noviki The Displacement (2014)
We are living in times when the displacement takes place simultaneously on many levels.
the displacement of power, force, in the political word,
the displacement of people as sociological phenomenon
the displacement of aesthetic we witness as internet users
the displacement of roles and responsibility of artist / designers
Video has two narratives – conducted equivalent. First is tracking graphics, made for the needs of the group DDG which is placed on my blog aestheticblog.tumblr.com and has been displaced by other users for a dozens of times. I travel to unknown places discovered by the rebloged links of other users to see where my work wandered – in what context my work is shown. Second narrative concerns a problem of internally displaced people. There is no legal definition of this, despite the fact that it is one of the most significant and symptomatic issues of our time, still accumulates and remains unresolved.
These shifts overlap and identify each other, are devoid of boundaries, boundaries of legal, moral, aesthetic, state, political, human, escape into the unknown.
Soda_Jerk Undaddy Mainframe (2014)
Undaddy Mainframe revisits the feminist malware of pioneering Australian art collective VNS Matrix. In this recombinant work the collective’s seminal text ‘A Cyberfeminist Manifesto for the 21st Century’ (1991) is recoded via instructional computer videos of the 1990s. Materials: A Cyberfeminist Manifesto for the 21st Century (1991), HD Green Screen Hand Gesture For iPad Animation (2013), Kids Guide to the Internet (1997), Komputer Tutor: Komputer Kindergarten (1993), The Exorcist (1973) and Googled internet images. With thanks to VNS Matrix: Josephine Starrs, Julianne Pierce, Francesca da Rimini and Virginia Barratt. This project was commissioned for Forever Now, a 21st century collection of artworks created to communicate to outer space. This sequel to the 1977 Voyager Records is curated by Willoh S. Weiland, Brian Ritchie, Thea Baumann & Jeff Khan.
Kym Maxwell Nasa and Moonglow (2015)
This four minute video developed in conversation with Claire Lambe appropriates the pre-code film ‘Just Call Me Savage’ (1932) starring ‘IT’ girl, Clara Bow. The footage accentuates the unusual behaviours and dialogue of characters Nasa and Moonglow and utilises simple double screen editing techniques to draw attention to Nasa and actress Clara Bow and she performs a hysterical overwhelmed state. Within the context of feminist critique her rage offers the vice of ownership over hysteria in light of the provocations of her father and Moonglow the male victim of her juvenile behaviour.
Heath Franco & David Capra Dream Sequence (2015)
In their new work artists Heath Franco and David Capra explore concepts of the Hollywood-style dream sequence, making reference to Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo and Walt Disney’s Dumbo amongst other classic examples. Interested in the moving-image’s ability to represent psychological landscapes, the artists revel in the freedom this storytelling device allows, blurring boundaries between reality and imagination.
Tina Willgren The Movement (2014)
A movement with an as-yet-unidentified cause. An opposition of the future, of the mind or of another dimension.
Michael Robinson The Dark, Krystle (2013)
The cabin is on fire! Krystle can’t stop crying, Alexis won’t stop drinking, and the fabric of existence hangs in the balance, again and again and again.
Deborah Kelly & Christian J Heinrich Earthlings Greeting (2014)
A collaboration between Deborah Kelly and Christian J Heinrich, this one-minute long video artwork was made to be sent into deep space as a message to our future friends.
Lotte Meret Effinger Supernature2014
The video work Supernature is an audiovisual analysis of the correlation between patriarchal structures and the media representation of female power. Symbolic figures are artistically reformulated and therefore removed from their historical and ritual context of meaning. By that the artist gives the symbols a new identity to expose mechanisms of patriarchal structures, power and control. Protagonists, toys, and cosmetics transform to unreal creatures: a female bodybuilder adorns herself with a pink veil, Demons running through the woods, a blonde girl is playing with a glittering ball, manicured hands arrange cosmetic products as an occult ritual, strands of hair fluttering in the wind. In abstract and increasingly concrete tangible movements over textures, skin and objects: people and material falling seamlessly into one another as consumer products. The imagery is alienated by slow motion, producing a dream-like and sacred atmosphere. This impression is intensified by an unsettling soundtrack starring drops, breaking wood and squeaks. The different lengths of the video and audio track played in loop continuously produce ever new and unpredictable constellations which open up a multitude of possible associations.
Pilar Mata Dupont The Embrace (이상적인 포옹) (2013)
After visiting North Korea, undertaking an Asialink Residency at the MMCA National Art Studio in Seoul, and consulting with North Korean communities in Seoul, the artist studies two reunification monuments in North and South Korea: The ‘Three Charters for National Reunification’ near Pyongyang, and the ‘Statue of Brothers’ at the Korean War Memorial in Seoul (appearing in the opening titles). The two figures from the ‘Three Charters for National Reunification’ monument embrace in joy, only to have their bliss dissipate and a new, and unexpectedly uncomfortable, era to emerge.
Xiaowen Zhu Terminal Island (2013)
Terminal Island is a visual and psychological journey inside a recycling company in the Port of Los Angeles, where the world of materials restarts. Through nuanced manipulation of documentary footage, the film presents an alternative perception of time and space in a physically specific yet philosophically ambiguous environment.
Michael Meneghetti Scartato (2015)
My performance work ‘Scartato’ means discarded in Italian and is a durational work that involves me collecting rubbish I encounter on expeditions in public places. I tape these bits to my body until I gradually transform into a human monument of litter.
Anja Loughhead The Australian Screen (2015)
The Australian Screen is a satirical video work by emerging photographer and installation artist Anja Loughhead. Once idyllic ‘documentary’ footage is overlapped to reveal an alternative perspective of the migrant processing at the Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre active in Victoria, Australia from 1947-70. Phrases such as ‘over the sea in a ship’ and “they look tired” deviate from their initial purpose as the words are repeated and distorted throughout the piece. ‘The Australian Screen’ is a tongue and cheek commentary on the way in which Australia continues to capture, record and transmit national immigration policy information through the television screen.
Caroline Garcia Primitive Nostalgia (2014)
Primitive Nostalgia is a unique voyage through Hollywood cinema, featuring some of the most memorable dance numbers ever to be captured on film. In the assemblage of these cinematic samples, which explicitly record portrayals of cultural dances performed by various ethnic troupes, a concern for the construction of cultural identity emerges. Through Garcia’s simple intervention of appropriation, in which she collages herself into the existing footage using green screen technologies and costuming, there is an immediate transformation of familiarly nostalgic dance scenes into a peculiarly humorous and disorientating montage that exposes and interrogates the complexities of the representation of race and otherness. It is her attempt to reclaim the colonised self, to provide an alternate history and to challenge an institution of filmmaking shaped by alterity under Western hegemony.
Chloe Cheuk Waiting for Another Round (2015)
Waiting for Another Round is about the wheel, a symbol of the ruthless encroachment of urbanization. After the clearance of occupied sites, Cheuk patrolled the streets and documented the process of wheels devouring every inch of the remaining trace of the protest over 20 days. As the wheels roll on, different protest sites join together and fall apart endlessly.
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← The constitution is dead?
Troubles in the South – October 2005 →
Maeklong Railway News 2003-2005
Also: Fate of the ex-Maeklong railroad stock
Also: More Maeklong railway stock
Also: Riding the Maeklong Railway
Also: Rail pier: Maeklong
Also: History of the Maeklong Railway
Transit history notes: Seizing the Maeklong Railway - September 29, 2005
Transit history notes: According to the data from National Archives, the Supreme Commander Headquarters applied Article 12 of the Martial Law Act of BE 2457 (AD 1914) to seize control of Maeklong Railway Co.Ltd., electricity generation, and tram services of the Thai Electricity Corporation on January 26, 1942 (a day after the war declaration). Supreme Commander Headquarters told the Minister of Interior to send officers from Samsen Power Plant to take control of Thai Electricity Corporation.
Supreme Commander also asked Royal Railway Dept. to send officers to make a supervision on the government control of Maeklong Railway and report the conditions and current status of Maeklong line--two sets of trams on the railway tracks, some steam locomotives, passenger bogeys, and other types of bogeys. Even though the company could install the power line for the tram from Klong Sarn to Bang Bon (Wat Singh - Bang Bon, approved by Prince Boriphat in 1931), the actual implementation could reach Wat Singh.
Supreme Commander Headquarters also asked the Royal Power Plant (AKA Samsen Power Plant) to send the head of engineers to take control of Wat Laib Power Plant and tram services. Most workers in TEC were Thai people (Chinese workers became the majority in the maintenance section which was directed by a Chinese engineer graduated from Belgium).
Even though the concession of Thachin section expired on November 23, 1942, the government at that time refused to pay any single penny as the compensation to Maeklong Railway even though the company asked the government to purchase Thachin section at the price of 1,020,000 baht.
The talk about the compensation dragged on until the concession of the Mae Klong Section expired on August 14, 1945.
On May 16, 1945, the Supreme Commander Headquarters allowed a raise in the tram ticket price from 6 satang/3km to 10 satang/2.5km.
The Army Headquarters (replaced Supreme Commander Headquarters in August 1945) terminated the controls imposed by Martial Law on Thai Electricity Corporation on October 25, 1945 and Maeklong Railway on November 2, 1945 (the peace declaration was on August 16, 1945). After that, the government at time paid 2,000,000 baht to purchase all sections of the Maeklong Railway, even though the company estimated the price of the railway line to be 4,000,000 baht in 1945.
(Photo: Nils)
Above: Maeklong Market
Closing down Maeklong Station! - translated and summarized from Matichon, June 9, 2005
10:30am, June 8, 2005 - There was meeting of the committee on the relocation of Maeklong Station to solve the traffic problem and the mess and danger from the market along the railway track at Samut Songkram Provincial Hall. The Mayor of Samut Songkram Municipality [Somkiat Saengwanit] and SRT Assistant Governor [Mr. Sayan Rohitarattana] has come up with the resolution that
1) The new Maeklong Terminal Station must be moved to a new place 2 km away before reaching the old terminal next to Lad Yai stop.
2) Preserve the Maeklong Terminal Station which is 107 years old.
3) SRT must improve the area along the railway tracks within Maeklong Municipality.
4) SRT must regulate the stalls along the railway tracks with the Maeklong Municipality.
It is a fortunate that they decided to preserve the old Maeklong Terminal Station instead of demolishing it because a termination sign can be posed on the single paper while preservation is very hard to do so.
Reaction to Mae Klong Station closure plans - June 15, 2005
Wisarut reports: I visited Mae Klong Station and told the railwaymen about the plan to close Mae Klong Station by Maeklong Municipality. They exclaimed that "that must be a dirty scheme of vested interests within Maeklong Municipality. They even dare to violate the decree of Princess Sirindhorn who asked Samut Songkram Provincial Hall to preserve the whole Mae Klong Line."
Above: Maeklong Market after the train has passed through.
Sunday train ride: Plans for the Mae Klong & understanding SRT anger - August 25, 2004
Wisarut reports: I visited the Architecture Department of KMITL (King Mongkut Institute of Technology - near NBIA) to make a photocopy of the OTP report about the plan for the Mae Klong railway track. There are two versions of the plan: The summary version for the cabinet and the complete version. I made a full photocopy of the summary version and partial photocopy of the complete one.
I got the information that after the full project is completed, Mahachai Station, Ban Laem Station and Mae Klong Station have to be moved to other places while the old ones will be abandoned or revived for those who want to make a short trip to Mahachai and Mae Klong.
From KMITL, I walked a long way to Hua Takhae Station (a station still inside KMITL campus but too far for students to walk so SRT has to set up Phra Jom Klao stop for KMITL student which is 850 meters from from Hua Takhae) to ride the train to Phetburi stop.
I asked the SRT officer how I could visit Makkasan Depot & Maintenance center. SRT officers said "You must get a permission only from the SRT Director!" It must be a lot of red tape to try to make contact with the SRT Director.
After SRT opened the double track from Hua Mark to Chachongsao, the riding quality improved since the new double track use concrete sleepers with steel fastenings produced by Italian Thai Development PCL. Furthermore, it uses 100 lb/yard type A welded rail (20 yard/bar)--the heaviest rail type available.
This 100 lb/yard type A must be used for modernizing Mae Klong Railway since Mae Klong Railway uses only 70lb/yard rail (Wongwainyai - Mahachai section) and 50 lb/yard (Ban Laem - Mae Klong section). The latest improvement of Mahachai section was done around 2002 while the earliest improvement of Mae Klong was done in the 1960's.
According to the proposed plan for Mae Klong Railway, the track must be 100 lb/yard with concrete sleepers. Furthermore, the electrification of the new Maeklong EMUs will be 1.5 kv DC power since the relatively short distance with frequent stops for commuters has restricted the application of 25 kv AC 3 phase power. Using electric locomotive is not a good deal for commuter systems. Only the intercity rails will have electric locos to pull the unpowered bogies.
When I ride the regular train No 286 (Chachoengsao - Bangkok), I could see the white signs that read "The space for the construction of Suvannabhumi Airport linking Phayathai - Suvannabhumi Airport" along the tracks.
However, this No 286 train also shows the strong prejudice of SRT railway workers toward both BTSC Skytrain and MRTA Subway--the train refuses to stop at Phyathai Stop while the train does stop at Ratchaprarob stop.
The prejudice against MRTA is quite understandable. Even today, SRT workers are still angry that MRTA has robbed them of the permanent way from Bangsue to Klongtan even though it was SRT that got the land from Bangsue to Klongtan (now, Ratchadaphisek, Thiam Ruam Mitr Road and RCA Road).
Furthermore, the Skytrain route is not going to Makkasan Railway Station and have an interchange as once planned. This has caused serious face losing to SRT as their supremacy has be challenged by BTS and MRTA. Not a surprisingly, SRT workers keep ranting against MRTA and BTS without making any improvement to their stations to serve both Subway and Skytrain.
Since the train did not stop at Phetburi, I have rode all the way to Hua Lamphong...
The plan for improving Mae Klong Railway - translated and summarized from Akharn and Thee Din Weekly, Vol.5, No. 249, February 28-March 5, 2004
The Traffic Policy Office has come up with a plan to connect Hua Lamphong with the Southern Railway (Pak Tho Station) via mae Klong Railway with total distance of 91.6 km. Mae Klong Railway has to be electrified and laided with double track. This will allow the Red Line commuter to be extended to Mae Klong and Pak Tho and cut down the distance of Southern Railway by 45 km.
There will be 3 services for this link
1) Standard Commuter Train
2) Express Commuter Train
3) Long Distance Train
There will be 3 section for this Railway:
1) Hua Lamphong - Mahachai -> 35.5 km with a bridge across Chao Phraya at Si Phraya
2) Mahachai - Mae Klong -> 35 km with a bridge across Tha Chin
3) Mae Klong - Pak Tho -> 21.1 km with a bridge across Mae Klong
The power line will be 25 KV Catenary.
The routes will be:
Section 1) Elevated Railway Line from Hua Lamphong to Talad Ploo (one end of Bangkok Southern Transportation Center) and there will be a new station between Talad Ploo and Chom Thong to be the center of the Bangkok Southern Transportation Center.
Section 2) The line will follow Mae Klong Railway until it reaches km 31 (between Ban Khom and Klong Chak) and the line will be elevated across Ekkachai Road and then go along Rama 2 Highway from km 26.8 to km 32.16 and turn left to go back to Mae Klong railway.
Section 3) The line will go along Mae Klong Railway to reach km 66 after passing Bang Kraboon Station to go parallel with Highway 325 and then go across Mae Klong at km 40.85 of Route 325 before going along Route 3093 to reach Pak Tho. The total budget for this project is 42.423 billion baht.
There will be 3 options for Mae Klong railway Improvement:
1) Hua Lamphong - Pak Tho -> 2006 - 2010
2) Hua Lamphong - Mahachai -> 2006 - 2010 and Mahachai - Pak Tho -> 2006 - 2010
3) Hua Lamphong - Mahachai -> 2006 - 2010, Mahachai - Mae Klong - > 2011 - 2015, and Mae Klong - Pak Tho -> 2016 - 2020
A trip on the Maeklong Commuter - August 2, 2003
Nils Rennenberg writes: As an old railway aficionado, I decided to make a trip with the "Maeklong Commuter" to Samut Sakhon and Samut Songkhram last weekend.
It was quite nice. Actually you don't go from Bangkok to Samut Sakhon and Samut Songkhram if you take the train, but the terminal stations of the first section are of course called Wong Wian Yai and Mahachai, then the line is disrupted because there's no railway bridge across the Mae Nam Tha Chin and you have to take a ferry boat to the other side of the river if you want to continue from Ban Laem station to Maeklong station, which, quite logically, is situated besides the Maeklong River in Samut Songkhram. And more often than not, the locals also like to refer to the two cities like that, Mahachai and Maeklong.
I thought maybe you want to post the station names and timetables on your site, as they are quite hard to come by:
Mahachai Line (18 stations)
Wong Wian Yai - Talat Phlu - Khlong Ton Sai - Chom (Jom) Thong - Wat Sai - Wat Sing(h) - Bang Bon - Kan Keha - Rang Sakae - Rang Pho - Sam Yaek - Phrom Daen [=border to Samut Sakhon Province?] - Thung Si Thong - Bang Nam Juet - Khok Khwai - Ban Khom - Khlong Chak (Jaak) - Mahachai
Maeklong Line (15 stations)
Ban Laem - Tha Chalom - Ban Chi Pha Khao - Khlong Nok Lek - Bang Sikhot - Bang Krajao - Ban Bor - Bang Thorat - Ban Ka Long - Ban Na Khwang - Ban Na Khok - Ket Muang [=Samut Songkhram city limits?] - Lat Yai - Bang Krabun - Maeklong
Note: these are the official station names taken from a timetable in Thai language; the trains don't necessarily stop everywhere, though, it seems.
Timetables (as of July 2003)
Maeklong - Ban Laem
Ban Laem - Maeklong
>6:20
Mahachai - Wong Wian Yai
Wong Wian Yai - Mahachai
5:55*
10:40*
* denotes air-conditioned trains
One more remark: of course the times in my first timetable referred to departure from Maeklong and arrival at Ban Laem, and the other way round. The second one shows only departure times.
Dr. Volker Wangemann writes (September 1, 2003): For all the railway enthusiasts who are interested in that line I can give you the official station names with the exact kilometers.
WONGWIAN YAI KM 0.0
TALAT PHLU KM 1.78
KHLONG TON SAI KM 3.35
CHON THONG KM 4.13
WAT SAI KM 5.76
WAT SING KM 7.15
BANG BON KM 9.76
KHAN KOHA KM 10.23
RANG SAKAE KM 10.53
RANG PHO KM 14.25
SAM YAEK KM 15.83
PHROM DAEN KM 17.29
THUNG SI THONG KM 18.76
BANG NAM JUED KM 19.97
KHOK KHWAI KM 22.99
BAN KHOM KM 26.76
KHLONG CHAK KM 29.76
MAHA CHAI KM 31.22
BAN LAEM KM 0.0
THA CHALOM KM 0.84
BAN CHI PHAKHAO KM 3.71
KHLONG NOK LAK KM 5.41
BANG SI KHOT KM 6.72
BANG KRACHAO KM 8.68
BAN BO KM 10.72
BANG THORAT KM 13.64
BAN KA LONG KM 15.60
BAN NA KHWANG KM 17.76
BAN NA KHOK KM 19.79
KED MUANG KM 23.55
LAD YAI KM 27.48
BANG KRABUN KM 29.98
MAE KHLONG KM 33.57
I don't think these schedules will change very often. In order to find out for sure, you would have to go to one of the stations and have a look at one of the big timetables or try to get a printout in Thai language from a friendly SRT employee.
Both sections are approximately 30 km in length, as already mentioned somewhere in your tramway articles, and serviced by Diesel Railcars, with the ride taking about 1 hour and costing 10 Baht in each case. Ticket booths in the terminal stations open about half an hour before the trains depart, or tickets can be bought right on the train. The ferry in Samut Sakhon costs a whopping 2 Baht. Well, if that isn't a trip for Cheap Charlies!
Soon after you leave Wong Wian Yai, the high building density (partly very close to the tracks; even more so near Maeklong station, where the final 500 m of the line run right through a busy market and the stalls are within 10 cm of the rumbling cars!) quickly decreases, and you'll find yourself in a quiet rural landscape mostly made up of khlongs and orchards. (Of course there's still the occasional factory or Western Outer Ring Road...) In the section behind Samut Sakhon the landscape is of course much more open, with all those fields and saltworks - not really that beautiful, but the view still being nicer than the one from the nearby motorway, I'd say.
The trains aren't all that slow. They accelerate to a maximum of about 45 to 50 kph after all, and at most stations they stop for just about 10 seconds. And there are no traffic jams. Plus they are astonishingly punctual! Other than on the SRT main lines, they actually leave the stations on time. And as there's not so much traffic on these routes, they don't have to wait for oncoming trains very often, though of course there's only a single track. Certainly an old and worn-out (though charming) system, but still a practical (and cheap) alternative to road traffic for many people from the southwestern suburbs.
The only inconvenient and somewhat silly thing is that the timetables of the two sections are not synchronized. Most of the trains reach Mahachai and Ban Laem at about the same time (or five minutes earlier, or ten minutes later) the second train leaves on the other side of the Tha Chin River, meaning you cannot get a direct connection, but have to wait for 45 minutes, 1 hour or even more. Of course you could spend some time in Samut Sakhon (probably eating noodle soup or buying something from the shops near the station), but it's not utterly interesting there... one stopover should be enough for most people in any case, so on the way back you might consider taking one of the busses that leave frequently from the main road down to the pier at Mahachai, which I did.
Here's a scan of the tickets from my Maeklong trip... Please note that I am NOT a woman; they seem to print it on all the tickets.
The two cities themselves are not really worth a visit, except in case you like fish (which I don't), then maybe Samut Sakhon is good for you. But as far as I am concerned, the most pleasant thing is that in both towns, you feel like being far away from Bangkok (note: I like Bangkok very much, too!), partly due to the quiet pace of life there, partly because no foreigner ever seems to go there! (Many supposedly remote places, like Kanchanaburi, OK, maybe not a very good example - well, let's say Nongkhai, are much more touristy.) Accordingly, the local people are very laid-back and friendly and don't hassle you at all. That's especially true for tuk-tuk and samlor drivers. No "hey you", "where you go", they just leave you alone. In general, people rather seem to regard you with a sense of curiosity: What the heck is that Westerner doing here? Heads turn around and children might stare or point at you, and you hear people whisper, "farang, farang." Just as if you were in some Isaan village. Well, of course you could also go to Chachoengsao - also by train! - , for that matter. Close to Bangkok, but with a "provincial" flair, unlike Samut Prakan or Pathum Thani provinces (though the capital of the latter is a very small and sleepy town on the right bank of the Chao Phraya, by the way).
I saw only one other farang during the whole trip. I stayed in Samut Songkhram for the night (in a shabby 150 Baht hotel, which had friendly employees, though; don't know if something better is available there - at least not in the town center, for lack of tourists).
Plus I met some nice people during this journey. It started with the taxi driver who brought me to Wong Wian Yai, a smart guy from Loei who had taught himself to speak English and was quite good at it (though I have to say my Thai was still a bit better). Had a funny and very entertaining talk with him all the way. Then in Samut Songkhram I came across a very nice middle-aged lady when I bought some clothes from her shop inside the market. And on the way back to Bangkok, I met a young couple who handed me their printed timetable after watching how I took notes of the station names! Needless to say they were curious as to what I did in Thailand and, more specific, in that train, and they accompanied me all the way to Ban Laem, on the ferry and on the final leg by bus to Sai Tai Mai.
More comments on the "Maeklong Commuter" - August 4, 2003
Ian Brooker writes: What a great article by Nils Rennenberg! The Maeklong branch has always fascinated me. When I arrived in Thailand in 1988 to work for SRT I kept on coming across references to the line, which were always separate from the main accounts of the railway. I used to ask about it, and I was told with absolute certainty that it had closed.
After a few months of this, I decided to go for a look myself by car. When I got to Samut Songkhram I found the station, but it was pretty clear that the railway was indeed closed as the station was surrounded by a market. I was about to leave when I heard the whistle of a train, and the market parted to see a DMU work its way in straight through the middle. The market closed up again behind the train!
Many years later, in fact about two years ago, I got my ride on the branch. At Wong Wien Yai I was told that it was impossible to get a ticket or train to Samut Songkhram, and it would be better to take a bus (true!). I persevered and got my ticket, and took the train anyway. I confirm what Nils says - the two timetables do not coincide. It is better to spend your time in Samut Sakhon than cross and wait as there is nothing the other side apart from a noodle stall!
The line on the Samut Songkhram side is in very bad repair, and the DMUs look clapped out to me - not surprising given the isolation of this branch.
However, I would say both Samuts are worth visiting. I found them both incredibly vibrant - possibly it was market day and I was lucky. The river crossing is also fascinating, with kites and terns fishing around you. I know Thailand pretty well, and as Nils says, you have to go a long long way to see places as unspoilt as these. Make the most of it - its pretty clear that SRT would love to close the line or convert it to a modern route, and all the charm will be lost.
A wonderful but grueling day trip!
Still more comments on the "Maeklong Commuter" - August 4, 2003
A reader writes: Thank you very much for your positive response and additional remarks about the Maeklong Railway. I especially liked the way you described how the market in Samut Songkhram "opens" and "closes" around the trains. And then you also reminded me of something..... you know, when I went to Wong Wian Yai a week before actually taking the train, just in order to check the timetable, the taxi driver insisted that the station was closed and the trains didn't run anymore! Having been there once before, I knew he couldn't be right, simply replied "Oh, yes?" and went there anyway. And of course the station was bustling with life; there was a board which stated that there were about 15 trains every day; and one of them was just arriving (on time!) from Mahachai......
Very strange, isn't it? Hundreds or even thousands of people use these trains every day, yet some people in Bangkok are convinced the line is dead (and has been for many years already)! It is indeed a very special railway, disconnected both in the middle and from the rest of the Thai railway network, and most people don't seem to know much about it - apart from the Thonburi commuter community. One final message to everyone: use the opportunity to take these trains now! They could REALLY disappear in the future, at least in the current (charming) form.
High-speed Mae Klong rail line map from 2000 - July 30, 2003
With high-speed railways in the news lately we thought we would remind our readers of this proposal we first reported in March, 2000. The Thai-language map (70 K) of the proposed high-speed Mae Klong rail line. We hope we live long enough to see it made a reality! Click here for more info on early ideas for this project (February, 2000).
A ride on the Maeklong Commuter - November 11, 2003
Nils writes: Wisarut posted this link in the forum. If you scroll down, you'll find a photo story about a trip on the Maeklong Commuter in 1998. My comment: "...this Japanese guy (Takashi Koto) also has a complete photo story of the Mahachai and Maeklong lines! Including the procedure where the train passes through the busy market in Samut Songkhram. And he writes a funny English..."
Want a sample? "Small red sheet is attached at the top left side on the front window. It describes Buddha. Maybe it is a prayer of safety. Shop masters often open the parasol near the railroad very much. And most people, both children and adults, often throw garbage to outside of the train through the window during run. Many stations keep clean but there are much garbage near the railroad. Garbage sometimes returns into the car from other window then we have to be careful."
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Recent Posts by Peter Kafka
YouTube Blocks Israeli Hamas Assassination Video — And Puts It Back Up Again
November 15, 2012 at 7:22 am PT
Israel has gone to war with Hamas in Gaza, and it is using the Internet as a weapon, employing services like Twitter, Facebook and Flickr on its behalf.
The idea is familiar to anyone who has a message to push in 2012: Instead of relying on middlemen like the press to convey your story, you can go over their heads, and right to your target audience.
But Internet services themselves are still middlemen, with the ability to block content if they want or need to.
Google, for example, has yanked a video posted by the Israeli military yesterday, which apparently recorded a “pinpoint strike” which killed Hamas military leader Ahmed Jabari in his car.
A message on the world’s largest video site says the clip has been removed because its content violated YouTube’s Terms of Service. “Sorry about that.”*
Update: That was a mistake, YouTube now says. Here’s a comment from a company spokeswoman, via email: “With the massive volume of videos on our site, sometimes we make the wrong call. When it’s brought to our attention that a video has been removed mistakenly, we act quickly to reinstate it.”
What that means in real world terms, according to someone who knows how YouTube’s takedown system works: At some point yesterday, YouTube users “flagged” the video, which triggered a review process, and at some point early this morning, someone at YouTube made the call to take it down. Later on, someone else decided to put it back up.
I don’t know how long the video was off the site, but it was at least three hours, because that’s how long it took me to get the post up after first noticing the clip was gone.
I’ve asked YouTube executives to elaborate. They usually don’t talk about specific takedowns on the record, but I’m hopeful they will in this case, since assassination videos published by military spokespeople are a new YouTube use case.
The company did go into a bit more detail when it blocked an anti-Islam video in Egypt, Libya and other countries in September.
In the meantime, you can peruse the YouTube TOS yourself, and will likely want to pay attention to the part on “community guidelines,” which ban “graphic or gratuitous violence.” A “tips” primer goes into a bit more detail:
“Don’t post videos showing bad stuff like animal abuse, drug abuse, under-age drinking and smoking, or bomb making. Graphic or gratuitous violence is not allowed. If your video shows someone being physically hurt, attacked, or humiliated, don’t post it. YouTube is not a shock site. Don’t post gross-out videos of accidents, dead bodies or similar things intended to shock or disgust.”
And if you want to see the aftereffects of Israel’s strike, YouTube is okay with that, via this AP clip:
*Meanwhile, the Twitter messages Israel initially used to promote the video have been altered, and a new video has been inserted in their place. Can’t figure out who made this choice, or what they’re trying to say:
Tagged with: assassination, Facebook, Flickr, Gaza, Google, Hamas, Israel, politics, terrorism, Twitter, violence, YouTube
Twitter Asks You How You Use Twitter While You Watch TV, While You’re Watching TV and Using Twitter
(Almost) No One Is Reading Your Tweets
Happy Holidays! Facebook Stuffs More Ads in Its Stockings.
Music-Discovery Service ExFM Pulls the Plug
Netflix Doesn’t Have the Market Cornered on Binge TV: Zombies + Walter White Help AMC Win the Fall VOD War
Just as the atom bomb was the weapon that was supposed to render war obsolete, the Internet seems like capitalism’s ultimate feat of self-destructive genius, an economic doomsday device rendering it impossible for anyone to ever make a profit off anything again. It’s especially hopeless for those whose work is easily digitized and accessed free of charge.
— Author Tim Kreider on not getting paid for one’s work
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Home Nature science Rosetta spacecraft to land probe on comet – and make scientific history
Rosetta spacecraft to land probe on comet – and make scientific history
Dutch astrophysicist Dr Fred Jansen is no stranger to the difficulties of space exploration. He led the team that put an X-ray observatory in orbit in the 1990s, and has since overseen exploration operations to Mars and Venus. But the Rosetta mission manager described his latest challenge as the most difficult yet.
On Wednesday, the European Space Agency will try to do the equivalent of transferring an object from one speeding bullet to another. More than 500m km away from Earth, between Jupiter and Mars, a probe named the Philae lander will be ejected from the Rosetta spacecraft and land on a comet for the first time in scientific history.
“The comet and Rosetta are flying through space at 60,000km an hour,” said Dr Jansen, “In many, many aspects this is an absolute first.”
Previous missions to planets like Mars have been far less complex, said Dr Jansen, as ESA has already known about the objects, their densities and their atmospheres.
“With Rosetta this wasn’t the case,” he said, “It’s like the mission impossible because you are trying to achieve something at an object, where you don’t know what the object is like.”
Even the unusual double-lobed shape of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko was not discovered until the orbiter returned images earlier this year.
Since its launch in 2004, ESA has used the gravity of Earth and Mars like a slingshot to accelerate the orbiter into the comet’s trajectory. In August, Rosetta became the first spacecraft to orbit a comet – but the mission faces further trials.
“The main difficulty in putting the lander on the comet is that the lander is passive”, said Dr Jansen. Once released, it will drift independently onto a landing ellipse as wide as 500m… see more
source: independent UK
Land Probe on Comet
Rosetta Spacecraft
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Vickers Wellington Mk.1C
by: Rowan Baylis [ MERLIN ]
The Wellington (or Wimpy, as it was affectionately known by its crews) is something very unusual - an aircraft arguably as famous for how it was constructed as for what it achieved. The reason lies in its use of a geodetic structure, used previously by designer Barnes Wallis for the pre-war Wellesley. The geodetic structure disposed of traditional ribs and stringers and, instead, took the form of a "woven" basket-work. This proved both light and immensely strong - with the consequence that many wartime Wimpys returned safely to base with large areas of their fabric-coverered fuselage and wings torn away by enemy fighters or flak - not surprisingly earning the Wimpy a place in the hearts of grateful crews.
The Wellington embodied the RAF's pre-war philosophy of precision daylight bombing, with the belief that tight formations of heavily armed (by the standards of the day) bombers would be able to fly unescorted and successfully defend themselves against enemy fighters. Early encounters with the Luftwaffe soon brought a rude awakening and despite the replacement of the original hand-held guns in the nose and tail with power-operated turrets, the Wellington still received a mauling.The ventral turret proved very problematic and was often removed in service, being deleted altogether in the Mk.1C which fitted beam-guns positions in its place and included other much-needed improvements such as self-sealing fuel tanks. Nevertheless, the early losses forced a profound rethink of Bomber Command tactics and, most significantly, a switch to night-bombing.
Wellingtons of No.s 99 an d149 Sqns were among the aircraft dispatched on Bomber Command's first raid on Berlin in August 1940, and the Wimpy formed the backbone of Britain's bomber force until the 4-engine "heavies" were available in sufficient numbers. To give some idea of it's importance in the early/mid years of WW2, of the 1,046 aircraft which mounted the first "Thousand Bomber Raid" against Cologne at the end of May 1942, no less than 599 were Wellingtons.
Although replaced in Bomber Command's assault on Germany, the Wimpy continued to give important service with Coastal Command and as a bomber overseas, flying offensive sorties until late 1944 in the Far East and right up to the end of March 1945 in Italy. The Wellington was built in huge numbers compared with its contemporaries - 11,461 as against just 1,432 Hampdens and 1,814 Whitleys - and far outlived them in service, remaining in production right through WW2. The last Wimpy, a Mk. X transport version, was handed over to the RAF in October 1945.
The kit
"A sense of dread" might sound a bit harsh, but after the dubious accuracy of their SM79 and Fw 200, I wasn't holding out much hope for a decent Wellington from Trumpeter. My chief worry was about how they'd handle the fabric surfaces; both the earlier kits feature grossly exaggerated "fabric" effects, so what on earth would the all-fabric Wimpy turn out like?! Based on my experiences with the previous kits, I was actually determined NOT to buy the Wellington - but, as any modeller knows, those sort of resolutions are hard to keep once a new kit hits the shelves! My resolve evaporated entirely when I sneaked a peak inside the box at the LHS and saw... quite a decent representation of the geodetic structure!
But more of that later! What do you get in the sturdy and massive box? Well, for once, I'm not doing my usual piece-by-piece count of the parts. Why? Because the box states that there are 644 of them! The main sprues are packed into separate plastic bags while the clear parts and other details are bagged and protected in a cardbox box at one end of the main package. The contents include:
13 x Pale grey styrene sprues
2 x Clear sprues
13 x Etched parts
1 x Printed fim for the instrument panel
3 x White metal u/c legs, plus steel pins for axles
3 x Vinyl tyres
Decals for 2 colour schemes
As you'd expect with a new kit from one of the "majors", the parts are crisply moulded with little sign of flash. The fuselage includes a geodetic structure moulded throughout the interior, but there's no sign of any sinkmarks due to this on the kit I bought.
The external finish is what's going to make or break the Wimpy - and thankfully Trumpeter have listened to their critics and completely revised how they represent fabric-covered surfaces. The grotesque "lumps" that marred earlier kits have gone and the control surfaces here have delicately depicted ribs. The fuselage is done a bit heavier, but wartime photos of the Wellington show quite a pronounced structure through the fabric, so I don't think it's too OTT. The wings and tail are a bit different - the geodetic effect is definitely overdone, but let's face it, many modellers would complain if it wasn't exagerrated a bit! Personally, I'll knock it back somewhat by applying a few heavy coats of gloss enamel as a "filler" and then gently sanding it to reveal the geodetic ribs again.
One of the biggest surprises is that, at first glance, there aren't any ejector-pin marks inside the fuselage. Closer inspection reveals that they are there - but Trumpeter have been very clever and used rectangular pins matched to the size of the intenal structure. Unfortunately, other areas of the kit aren't so lucky and items like the floor, bulheads, bomb-racks etc. are covered with pin marks. To make matters worse, the mould makers also seem to have had an unerring knack of placing them where they'll be hardest to fill.
Some of the clear parts are rather on the thick side, but they are all beautifully clear and there was no sign of any flow marks.
Test fit
I dry-fitted the fuselage halves and they match up very nicely. Mating surfaces need cleaning up, but the halves are straight with not too much flexing. Surprisingly, even the interior geodetic detail matches at the roof! The wings are perfectly straight, but I wasn't able to attach them to the fuselage at this stage (see below).
Construction breakdown
The instructions are printed as a clearly illustrated 20-page booklet and the assembly is broken down into 35 stages. Trumpeter have packed a lot of detail into the kit, but the painting instructions are disappointingly sparce. Mr Color references are given, but they are few and far between for the interior - and strangely (when Mr Color include RAF Grey-Green in their range) the instructions suggest a mix of RLM 02 and white...
Stages 1-17. With so much detail on the inside of the fuselage halves, it was a fair bet that Trumpeter would devote a good deal of attention to supplying a well detailed cockpit and crew areas. A total of 41 parts are supplied, including a 5-part pilot's seat, a clear instrument panel with foil backing (odd that Trumpter didn't supply an etched panel). Some items, such as the throttle quadrants are very basic, but the foundations are there for a well-detailed office and it almost guaranteed that after-market details will be available to improve matters.
One disappointment, especially as the kit includes an etched fret, is that no seat-harness is provided. Similarly, details like throttle levers would have been neat additions to take advantage of the fret.
A huge variety of bombs is included with a clear loading diagram for the following combinations:
2 x 1000 lb + 6 x 250 lb
2 x 2000 lb AP
18 x 250 lb SAP
6 x 250 lb B
18 x 250 lb GP
9 x 500 lb GP
9 x 500 lb SAP
The turrets are very nicely detailed - probably the best yest in a 1/48 scale injected kit. The kit includes an FN25 ventral turret and herein lies something of a mystery for me. The kit is described as a Mk.1C, but most of my refs state that the ventral turret was deleted on the '1C and beam positions added instead. The exception is 4+ Publictions superbly detailed profile, which states that the turret was fitted to early Mk.1Cs (but the book doesn''t include photographic evidence to back up the statement). I'm tempted to say it best represents a Mk.1A (or an early '1C if you believe 4+). What is clear from period photos is that many Wellingtons captioned as Mk.1Cs didn't have the beam positions - but they weren't fitted with ventral turrets either. "British Aircraft Armament Vol. 1" (PSL, 1993) states that the FN25 turret was only fitted to the first batch of Mk. 1As and those units not used were stored and later became the mounts for Leigh lights.
Stage 18. The engines also look well done, with no less than 14 parts each, including engine-bearers.
Stages 19 & 21 cover the tailplanes which feature separate elevators and trim-tab actuators.
Stages 20, 22 and 23 return to the fuselage interior, adding more items like flares and ammunition storage and feeds, plus the afore-mentioned turrets. The tailwheel is made up from a metal leg and axle with a vinyl tyre. Stage 23 sees the fuselage halves joined.
Stages 24 and 25 assemble the main undercarriage. The wheel wells are a bit unusual as they are lined with etched parts. The main legs are cast in white metal and will need a bit of a clean-up, but at least they should be suitably sturdy to support the finished model. The tyres are again supplied in vinyl, which is never a great favourite of mine, but I must admit they are well moulded, with no flash or other exterior marks to clean off, so they should look fine after painting or with a light sanding to dull them down a bit. (Be careful of allowing vinyl parts to touch unpainted styene as there have been many reports of disaster over the years due to a chemical reaction causing the styrene to melt.)
Stages 26 and 27. Next come the wings, complete with separate ailerons attached by etched hinges and a choice of raised or lowered flaps.
Stage 28. Attaching the wings to the fuselage is rather unusual. Trumpeter supply large blocks with locking clips which must be glued to the fuselage to act as stubby "spars". The instructions don't say so, but obviously these must be allowed to dry firmly before going further. Once they're dry, the wings clip into place. I'm sure the intention is to cement the wings on but, if they clip on firmly enough, it does open up the intriguing possibility of building the kit with detachable wings if storage space is an issue.
Stages 29-35. With the airframe finished, the last details ike the canopy and side glazing go on. Then you must decide whether to display the bomb-bay open or closed. With all those bombs, I doubt that many modellers will go for the latter option - but be warned... if you display the bomb-bay open, be prepared to be patient attaching the doors... there are no less than 30 of them!
Painting and decals
A separate sheet includes colour illustrations of the two featured aicraft. Both are camouflaged with Dark Earth / Dark Green Uppers and Black undersides, with Mr Color matches provided.
The decal sheet is surprisingly small for such a large kit, but reasonable quality with roundels printed in good register. The decals are thin and glossy with minimal carrier film, but the red used is a bit on the bright side and, on my example, there is a very slight "bleeding" of the blue.
Markings are included for 2 aircraft:
1. BL-D - X9889 of 40 Sqn., Malta, 1941
2. AA-C - T2835, 75 Sqn., Norfolk, 1941
Unfortunately there seems to be a bit of a problem with both schemes - and I'm not sure either is appropriate for the kit as supplied. I found a shot of X9889 in "Bomber Squadrons Of The RAF" (MacDonald, 1964) when it was based at Gibralta in late 1941. It's captioned as a Mk. 1C and clearly has beam gun positions and no ventral turret. The squadron codes also seem to be Grey. T2835 is included among the artwork of the 4+ Publications profile, but I haven't been able to find a photo of it. . A sister aircraft - AA-N was photographed at Feltwell in the spring of 1941. Any beam positions are hidden, but the a/c has no ventral turret and, again, seems to be wearing Grey codes. This matches the 4+ rendition of T2835/AA-C which is shown with Medium Sea Grey Codes and Dull Red serials - and no beam positions or ventral turret.
The Wellington is undoubtedly a massive improvement over Trumpeter's earlier 1/48 scale bombers! Apart fom my doubts over whether it really represents a Mk. 1C and the accuracy of the decals, it is a beautiful model, packed with detail. I haven't been able to compare it with scale drawings yet, but I'm sure most modellers will be delighted with it as it stands. It's pretty good value for money - yes, £50 - but you do get a heck of a lot of model for your cash. It's big too! Don't let the fact that it's "only a twin" mislead you - it seems to match up to published dimensions pretty well, which means it's just over 15 inches long with a wingspan of over 21 inches - so make sure you have plenty of space to build and display it. With FM's Halifax on my workbench, I couldn't help but compare the two kits... suffice to say, it's like the difference between night and day in terms of fit and detail! Recommended.
Some Useful References
Vickers-Armstrong Wellington - 4+ Publications, 2003
British Aircraft Armament Vol. 1 - PSL, 1993
Bomber Squadrons Of The RAF - MacDonald, 1964
British Warplanes of WW2 - Grange Books, 2000
Please remember, when contacting retailers or manufacturers, to mention that you saw their products highlighted here on AeroScale.
After giving a very mixed reception to their earlier 1/48 scale bombers, many modellers (myself included) were more than a little sceptical when Trumpeter announced a Vickers Wellington. While often top of wish lists, there was almost a sense of dread at how the first injected quarter-scale Wellington might turn out...
DETAIL: 90%
DECALS: 50%
Mfg. ID: 02808
Suggested Retail: £49.99
NATIONALITY: United Kingdom
About Rowan Baylis (Merlin)
FROM: NO REGIONAL SELECTED, UNITED KINGDOM
I've been modelling for about 40 years, on and off. While I'm happy to build anything, my interests lie primarily in 1/48 scale aircraft. I mostly concentrate on WW2 subjects, although I'm also interested in WW1, Golden Age aviation and the early Jet Age - and have even been known to build the occas...
Copyright ©2019 text by Rowan Baylis [ MERLIN ]. Images also by copyright holder unless otherwise noted. Opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of AeroScale. All rights reserved.
Hi Dave Me too! :-) :-) Common sense said I shouldn't have bought it, because I really just haven't got the space to build anything this big - but since when did common sense have anything to do with modelling?! All the best Rowan
I doubt that they would paint most of the interior as it would add considerable weight for no good reason. Red dope was used to shrink and seal the fabric and only needed on the outside.
Hi again Antoni My thoughts precisely; and as if to back us up - guess what was waiting for me when I got home... yes, the 4+ Publications book! I've hardly started to digest the detail in it - suffice to say, it is phenomenal! - and I'd say to anyone who's goung to build the Trumpeter kit - Don't even think of starting without getting hold of this book. If ever there was an essential reference - this is it! The colour section of the interior is superb. In some places, there's no red-oxide visible at all, in others it soaked through quite strongly (but I'm still convinced this is the result of an external coat): Now - just to throw confusion on whether Mk.1Cs had ventral turrets, the book states that they were fitted on early machines of this version! This contradicts every other reference I've read and, although the book says this, none of the photos it includes show it. What is does include is artwork of T2835/AA-C (the second decal option) showing it without the ventral turret and Medium Sea Grey codes. All the best Rowan
SEP 01, 2006 - 12:16 AM
Thanks for this Rowan, I can't wait to get mine. It will be a while as all my modelling tokens are used up but my LHS promised to get one in for me when they were available, I just hope that he will keep it for me Who will be the first to enter one in the MOM. Mal
Here's a Wellington project for you Merlin LINK Page down and find the 14th and 15th photos of BH.Z. Microstrip or will you wait to see if Eduard produce a PE set?
SEP 02, 2006 - 05:17 PM
Hi Antoni I'll certainly try to review whatever sets Eduard release. There's no chance of me tackling the Wellington this year - I only bought it as a new release to keep us up-to-date in the Reviews department. With so many builds piling up, it'd be sheer disaster if I were to start the Wimpy just now, hard as it is to close the box and put it out of reach; I already tempted fate badly by just test-fitting parts! :-) All the best Rowan
FalkeEins
.. you've just answered my question - a build would have been nice ...no doubt it'll feature in one of the mags .. my local model shop (Hythe Kent models ) has one on the shelves - its taking up an awful lot of room - I was briefly tempted to liberate it ... thanks for the refs ..
Hi Neil I'd love to build the Wimpy straightaway, but there just aren't enough hours in the day. Of course, there nothing to stop someone else submitting a full-build Review... All the best Rowan
maxmwill
Well, I just got the model today. I got it off ebay, the starting bid being 10 bucks! I won the bid at something like 35.00, with an additional 9 dollars for shipping. But, enough of that. This will be a few firsts for me. My first British bomber, and my first Trumpeter kit. And looking at the kit(I went through the kit before I came here to read the review and get a feel for the reactions of others), I find that I have a lot of ground to cover before I start clipping parts from sprue and embark on the path to a completed model. Being that the engines are radials, they are in front, and very exposed. And I like to pay particular attention to the engines(mostly from the fact that a lot of my experience as an A&P had to do with engines, so it kinda rubbed off). A couple months ago, I bid on a Pegasus manual on Ebay. And won the bid. At the time, I wasn't sure when I'd be getting a model that had a Pegasus, but at the time, it seemed like a pretty good idea to have it on hand, just in case. Well, that time is approxmately now, since this Wimpy has a pair of Pegasuses(Pegasi?), so now I'll be able to give the engines a tad better detail than just building it right out of the box. As to the rest of the model, let's just say that I have my work cut out for me with respect to getting more information. But still, at first glance, a very nice kit.
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Emitai (Senegal: 1971)
Ousmane Sembène
Robert Fontaine: Commandant
Michel Remaudeau: Lieutenant
Pierre Blanchard: Colonel
Writing Credits: Ousmane Sembène
Cinematography: Michael Remaudeau
The film, Emitai, is the story of the silent resistance among a Diola tribe in West Africa in early World War II. Desiring a strong army, the French tear through villages rallying up men to be transported to France while leaving the women behind to tend to children and the elderly. The tension between the army and villagers grow when the French demand access to their rice crop. The village resistance ends in violence and uproar because rice is not only essential but also sacred to the village.
David Murphy, Fighting for the Homeland? The Second World Ware in the Films of Ousmane Sembene, Project Muse
Robert Greenspun, Screen: 'Emitai' a Tragic Vignette from Senegal: The Program, The New York Times
Academic Articles:
Petty, Sheila. “Postcolonial Transformations: From Emitaï (Sembène 1971) To Moolaadé (Sembène 2004).” International Journal Of Francophone Studies 14.4 (2011): 323-338. Film & Television Literature Index. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.
Baum, Robert. “Tradition And Resistance In Ousmane Sembène’s Films Emitai And Ceddo.” Black and White in Colour: African History on Screen. 41-58. Athens, OH: Ohio UP, 2007. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.
Peters, Jonathan A. “Aesthetics And Ideology In African Film: Ousmane Sembène’s Emitai.” African Literature in Its Social and Political Dimensions. 69-75. Washington, DC: Three Continents, 1986. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.
Pfaff, Françoise. “Myths, Traditions, And Colonialism In Ousmane Sembène’s Emitai.” College Language Association Journal 24.3 (1981): 336-346. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.
Other movies from Senegal made in
Emitai Senegal 1971 Ousmane Sembène
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myUK
Department of Animal & Food Sciences
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The SWINE program identifies the needs and opportunities of the swine industry in Kentucky, and tailors research, teaching, and extension programs to assist the swine industry in meeting those needs.
The Department of Animal and Food Sciences offers projects and activities in the areas of beef cattle, sheep, swine, goats, dairy, equine, and food science.
The University of Kentucky BUTCHER SHOP is located in the basement of the W.P. Garrigus Building and is open to the public Wednesdays and Fridays from 1:00 to 5:00pm.
Animal Sciences at the University of Kentucky has a long and interesting history. It started as part of the Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station (KAES) in the late 1800s. As the teaching program in Agriculture grew after the A&M College was established, the employees of the KAES developed courses in the Animal Sciences dealing with meat animals, dairy, poultry, and horses. Early courses related to Veterinary Science were taught under one of the umbrellas of Animal Husbandry.
As research and teaching programs evolved, Extension programs were developed under the direction of T.R. Bryant. The Department has had several types of organization. Originally the functions of the KAES and College were officially separate, even though the research group taught classes. This gradually changed, and in 1912 the College and Experiment Station merged into a joint teaching-research unit; most faculty had joint teaching-research appointments. Extension faculty and staff were included later.
Directions to the UK Animal & Food Sciences Department
Pre-Veterinary Medicine
Department Policies & Procedures for employees
Department News & Events
July 16 - MS Defense: Evaluating Costs Associated with Management Decisions of Replacement Dairy Heifers & their Impact on the Total Rearing Investment
Sept 17 - Ag Career Fair
Sept 18 - Education Abroad Fair
Sept 26 - Beef Bash! - Lexington
Oct. 2 - Equine Career & Opportunity Fair
Oct. 8 - Eweprofit II School
Students From University Of Kentucky, University Of Arizona Receive Jockey Club Scholarships
7/15•Paulick Report
99 Wildcats on SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll
Tatum Spangler (Softball) - Animal Science
7/12•UK Now
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Carly Hinkle (Women's Track & Field) - Animal Sciences
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Director Professional Development
Directorship Opportunities
Director Nexus
Business Centre and Member Lounge
Company Director Magazine
The Boardroom Report
2019 back editions
The craft of entrepreneurship
Perth based entrepreneur Bill Withers reflects on the value of long, strong relationships and good culture after selling his global mining business.
Narelle Hooper MAICD
I grew up in Kununurra, on the edge of the Kimberley, in north-east Western Australia. In the 1960s and ’70s, my parents ran a number of small businesses and were very conscious of the stakeholders in the community — although this is not a word they would use. I was educated more by my mum and dad than by school. Mum would read British philosopher Bertrand Russell while we watched the thunderstorms roll in.
My parents were genuine about having a go and giving a fair go. They had an understanding that business and life are part of the same thing. Watching my parents operate had a big impact on my building and running a business.
I got a cadetship in surveyor mapping and computer science with (then) Australian Anglo American. Following graduation, I spent about 12 years as a software engineer, solving mining problems for Metech, which became acQuire. We founded acQuire in 1996 in Perth. At the start, it was Andy Schoemack, Colin Legg, Geoff Forbes and me, but eventually acQuire grew to have 31 employee owners.
We had discovered that geoscientific data collected by resource and mining companies was not well managed, yet was the foundation for every economic and safety decision these companies made. So we built an information management system for geoscience data. We were typical of a technical niche software company. We were never going to be Google, but acQuire grew to have more than 120 people in seven offices in six countries and our software was deployed in more than 50 countries.
I wanted to work in a company with a high level of personal responsibility — one of which was the sustenance of the system that supported us. Business operates in a system and that system’s health is important to the company. It took me time to recognise that the foundation architecture of organisations has a significant impact on how the company evolves and behaves.
Boom & bust
The foundation customers who started with us in the late ’90s are still acQuire customers today. We saw that companies tended to pay the market in a boom and reduce their workforce in a bust — and did the same to us as a supplier. One large company wanted us to reduce everything by 20 per cent; another time, they tried to stretch payment terms from 30 to 90 days. They would be demanding and destructive in a bust and forget how supportive we were of them in the past. They seemed to have no organisation memory and were missing a fundamental point — you are building and nurturing relationships over time.
I did not want to end up in the same situation as my customers. We survived on the sum of the intellectual property held by our people, therefore building a team that could collaborate for a long time was essential. Also, the succession of knowledge became one of the challenges for the team. A lot of people talk of innovating around product and services. We took our entrepreneurial craft and innovated around the organisation and stewardship. In 2006, we set up a small team that we called commercial R&D — as distinct from product R&D. This team helped in our understanding of how we were going to govern acQuire.
The craft of entrepreneurship is just running truckloads of experiments and being able to process the data. What dictates success is timing, team, funding and then the idea. There’s always luck and serendipity, but relentless experimentation and the discipline of listening to the data is the thing.
Changing the model
In 2008, we started an employee ownership scheme for acQuire. To be a Total System Leader, you had to be in the company for at least three years and invest $25,000 or more. We had a proprietary limited structure that worked well for building our Willing Buyer, Willing Seller model. The idea was for me to sell out of the company to employees by the time I was 60. We won awards for our succession model in 2014.
We made lots of mistakes as we changed our governance approach. We decided to collapse our executive and board into one, a peer-to-peer team running the business, akin to executive directors. If we wanted external advice, we paid for it. Business is about building robust high-trust relationships. Everyone has a responsibility for the sustenance of the system and should be trained to look after it like a founder.
The most important thing a leader can do is be focused on culture. How do you build culture as a system? How do you ensure it persists across boundaries and lives beyond your tenure? This is all about working on the business.
In 2013, I stepped back to start ADAPT by Design, a platform to help entrepreneurs and company leaders build sustainable companies based on adaptive business principles — aspiring to fairness for all stakeholders. I sold out of acQuire (to Vela Software) in 2018 and this is now my life’s work.
We help companies build capabilities so that they can take the hits and bounce back. Based on our desire to build ADAPT by Design as a value-creation company, we’re providing the foundation capital through a debt rather than an equity model (the debt funding provided by Andy and I). The intent is to then provide distributions to the value-creating network (employees, customers and suppliers). A key benefit of this is that we don’t need succession of ownership and can sustain for a long time without ownership churn or exit mindset. We want to work on our purpose for decades and this provides the infrastructure.
We help founders build leadership, culture and team frameworks that enable succession of the total system. By doing this, the founder can hand over knowing that the philosophy and knowledge have [also] been handed over. We help them mitigate this risk of this transition, and build a more resilient organisation in the process.
SME power
Small to medium enterprises (SMEs) have a different set of characteristics that can be consciously harnessed. A lot of business education tends to group publicly listed corporates, not-for-profits (NFPs) and SMEs into the one category. However, they are distinctly different types of organisations, which need appropriate governance models. Being big was a requirement in the 1970s; today it’s a distinct disadvantage.
SMEs have an incredible opportunity to harness the characteristics of their business and build for resilience. To do this, we need governance models that recognise the SME as a system. Systems thinking is holistic; it attempts to derive understanding of parts from the behaviour and properties of the whole, rather than derive the behaviour and properties of whole from those of their parts. Twenty-first-century SMEs have the right characteristics to use systems thinking to underpin their governance. We can create companies that build rather than extract value.
We need to innovate different stewardship models for corporations, NFPs, co-ops and SMEs. Their architecture is completely different.
Entrepreneuralism
VIEW THE APRIL ISSUE
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Regulatory changes ahead for directors
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Essential skills when starting out
This three-day program will provide you with a comprehensive overview of the main components of directorship - governance, finance, strategy and risk.
The flagship program in directorship
Gain a greater understanding of your duties and responsibilities with the essential course for directors. Immediately improve your board performance and decision-making with pragmatic professional development that will have a long-lasting impact on your director career.
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Boardroom Mastery is a three day course offering a highly individualised, reflective and transformational learning experience for senior directors.
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See Why New Signing Riyad Mahrez Has Left Man City’s Pre-Season Tour (It’s Bad)
Jul 30, 2018 Jul 30, 2018 admin
Manchester City’s new signing, Riyad Mahrez has left the club’s pre-season tour of the US to return to Manchester.
The Daily Telegraph reports that the Algerian international returned to Manchester wearing a protective boot on his left ankle.
Mahrez was forced off midway during the first half of City’s 3-2 win over Bayern Munich in their third pre-season encounter played on Sunday.
City paid a club-record £60milllion fee to sign Mahrez from Leicester earlier this summer, but he’s now a serious doubt for the start of the English Premier League season, which kicks off on August 8.
The Premier League Champions will clash with Chelsea in the Community Shield on Sunday and Mahrez has now emerged as an early doubt for Pep Guardiola’s men.
SPORTmancity
Secrets Behind Shatta Wale’s Move From ‘Grass To Grace’
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Barcelona Unveil Antoine Griezmann From Atletico Madrid,reveal His Shirt No
Barcelona unveil Antoine Griezmann following £108m move from Atletico Madrid, reveal his shirt No. (Photos) Antoine...
Mikel Obi, Chukwueze, Iwobi, Omeruo, Others Train Ahead Of Semi-Finals Clash
The Nigeria Super Eagles in training ahead of their Semi Final clash vs the #desertfoxes of...
We Won’t Fall For Algerians’ Antics, Omeruo Vows
Players and officials of the Super Eagles have stated that they are fully ready for the...
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Written By:Drew Mendelson - 1981
A future concept you never read before!
As far as anyone knew, all mankind live in The City. The City, a self-enclosed towering single building, had always moved generation by generation across the vast empty landscape.
Brann Adelbran met destiny when his family sector found itself at Tailend. Already the Structors were planning to dismantle his ancestral apartment high on an upper floor of that colossal metropolis. Brann would have to make the pilgrimage to Frontend to re-establish his family there for the generations to come.
But when tradition was suddenly shattered, Brann was forced to flee, not on the established routes and hallways, but down the forbidden shafts into the lost chambers, corridors, and basements which even legend had forgotten.
His pilgrimage became an odyssey of terrors, mysteries, and scientific marvels—leading to the end of the world.
"Of course there are lands!"
Brann exclaimed. "What of the Farmy Fields. what of the mountains?"
"You interpret it incorrectly, young man," the Hegman answered. "You begin from the most erroneous premise, taht there is an inside and an outside to the city, a city and a planet, I suppose, upon which it rests. All that, of course, is nonsense.
"The eye will fill what is empty, young Brann. If there were lands, there would certainly be folk to fill them, and if such folks then we would have seen them. True?"
"True," Brann answered, reluctantly.
"Have we seen such folk?" asked the Hegman.
"No," said Brann.
"There is the city, there are the mountains and the fields. They are one, and all beyond their unity is only the vision of things and this vision is nothing more than that, for the eye abhors emptiness and will fill it always. When you learn the true answer, you must stop questioning and begin to learn," said the Hegman. "And that is that."
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Beauty, ghd, Industry, News August 1, 2017
Does Your Hair Care?
GHD is encouraging women to show that 'Their Hair Cares' in a new photoshoot featuring ghd ambassador Pia Miller. Miller posed in a wig cut and styled by ghd Australia & New Zealand creative director Richard Kavanagh. Kavanagh transformed the actress's long locks to a bob for the My Hair Cares campaign which calls out to users to show their hair cares and provoke conversations about breast cancer awareness. The wig from the shoot will be gifted to breast cancer patient Kelly Faulkner to enhance her confidence at this stage in her treatment. Specialised wigs can cost thousands and is something many women find a daunting experience. Excited to receive her new wig from ghd, Faulkner hopes the campaign reaches those who aren't informed about breast cancer in Australia and New Zealand.
As part of ghd's pink blush collection launch and campaign, ghd is aiming to provide information to women recovering from treatment-related hair loss on how to style their grow back or their wigs easily though a range of hair styling tips and tutorials.
ghd has supported breast cancer charities in Australia and New Zealand for over 14 years and every year creates a limited edition range of stylers and hairdryers where a percentage of the sales goes to breast cancer foundation partners. Funds raised by BCFNZ allow for the latest technologies and equipment for hospitals, access to treatment, research, training for doctors and nurses, support for clinical trials and lobbying for wider access to trials of new drugs.
Previous articleTAYLOR X FARFETCH
Next articleBENEFITS OF CONTACTLESS
Stars Combine For 'When Stars Align'
STARS aren’t aligning, so much as joining forces as Boh Runga, jewellery designer and former lead singer of Stellar*, and fashion designer Kylee Davis…
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2019-06-16 - Sanno Tea Ceremony
Title: Sanno Tea Ceremony
A tea ceremony is hosted for the youth of Tokyo during Sanno Festival.
Rei Hino, Usagi Tsukino, Steven Universe, Kasagami Araki
.***************************** Yamanote High City *****************************.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* Tokyo Tower +*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
This television broadcast tower is also perhaps the most iconic building in
Japan. A lattice giant inspired by the Eiffel Tower, Tokyo Tower looks much
like the French building, but has a more rounded, modern style, and is
painted in a red-orange tone. Bright white bands punctuate its height,
including one for the cylindrical observatory nestled near its peak. At
night, it lights up brilliantly: a cool white during the summer, a warm
orange for the cooler months, and various colors for special occasions. Once
the tallest building in the world, it remains, at 315 meters, the second
tallest in Japan, and is a popular tourist attraction.
Tokyo Tower straddles a four-story building aptly named FootTown, containing
museums, art galleries, and restaurants. Around its middle is the Main
Observatory, which contains a restaurant, a Shinto shrine, and a club for
live music. Near its peak is the Special Observatory, accessible for an
extra fee, which provides a spectacular 360 degree view of the urban
skyline.
Whether it be attributed to its iconic nature, its ability to transmit
long-range signals, or its sheer height, be warned: Tokyo Tower is a
frequent target for supernatural events.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* Players +*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
<Pose Tracker> Rei Hino [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
The morning dawned red -- red like robes, red like phoenixes, red like lanterns. Sanno Festival is really a series of celebrations; some small, some large, in Tokyo's shrines and in festival food on the streets. The gardens arrange flowers, musicians bring out their drums, and priests set up large thatched straw rings on the grounds of their shrines. These are tools of purification -- step through one with a doll, rubbing it on your body as you pass, and it will absorb your sins throughout the last six months.
Somehow, with light hearts, many citizens don't seem to have an an abundance of problems to absolve as they step through. It's been a good year. ("Oh, Gods, forgive me!" A boy in glasses known in Juuban as Umino declares, as he strides through one. "I burned the shrimp I meant to offer to Naru-chan..! ... phew, does this mean I'm forgiven?!")
On even-numbered years, a parade rolls through Hie Shrine on a route through Yamanote to the palace; here, now, in 2015, the mikoshi are not brought out on display. But even if the festivities are lesser than they will be next year, there's still plenty to do. It is an elegant affair, marked by dignity and pageantry in the ceremonial dances and songs sung.
It is a festival which has stood for over three centuries; with all that history, the people behind it know how to bring it forward into the current generation, too. After school, there is an event particularly designed for the youth of Tokyo to enjoy the day: a modified tea ceremony hosted in the venue of Tokyo Tower, not so far from Hie Shrine itself.
(There is a small shrine here, too, on the second floor of the Main Observatory -- particularly popular for its assistance both in love and school exams. The ceremony isn't quite so high up, but many students make the trek up the tower to visit, emboldened by the spiritual strength of the day.)
The venue itself has been transformed, with hanging scrolls, lanterns, and a hundred little chabana flower arrangements -- most consisting of only a single tilted flower. Stone basins called 'tsukubai' have been placed by the entrance, to allow visitors to purify themselves by washing their hands and mouth. There are several groupings of mats, to allow friends to drink together; assistants move through the congregation, instructing younger participants on the particulars of the ceremony. A raised stage hosts traditional drummers, providing a counterpoint to the sound of rain which has begun pattering outside.
Still in her red-and-white shrine maiden's robes from the events of the day, Rei Hino sits attentively at one of the host mats. There is a single hydrangea in a glass vase, tilted away from her, and tea equipment still arranged in its bowl. The guest mat is arranged to allow for her visitors -- and their questions, as is proper.
<Pose Tracker> Usagi Tsukino [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
Snap goes the picture with the flash of Umino. Tap tap go the fingers of the text to Naru. Work work goes the text bubble.
Naru-chan: him burning the fried shrimp in my bento has nothing to do with it! Naru-chan: he knows what he did Naru-chan: So he'd better not bring the gods into it! >:| >:| >:|
Usagi slowly asides to him, "I don't think you scorching her fried shrimp is the problem."
Then in an attempt to console him raises a finger, "It's your sacred duty as Naru-chan's boyfriend to figure out why she's upset with you. If you can't figure it out then it means you probably haven't been listening to her closely enough. A doll cannot save you from your sins when it's between two people in love. Take responsibility for them - rather than trying to shove them on someone else!"
Cue Umino's dramatic tears behind his glasses.
Usagi is wearing a pink sleeveless top and a teal mini-skirt as she lowers herself down in front of Rei's host mat onto her knees. At first she kneels properly, but then her pose shifts, her legs drifting out beneath her. Her expression taking on this jittery thoughtfulness, like she's working herself up to whatever she's thinking. Tapping her fingers on a thigh, her palm against her chin, looking away.
Until-
"Okay Rei-chan I'm just going to ask."
Usagi shifts into a cross-legged position, putting a hand on either thigh.
"Do you think the gods feel left out on the years when there's no parade? I'd feel pretty left out."
<Pose Tracker> Steven Universe [Juuban Public School (6)] has posed.
Steven... absolutely loves these traditional events like this!
Don't get him wrong. He misses the community Fourth of July and Saint Patrick's Day celebrations. But those were casual parties and get-togethers. This type of festival was a whole different kind of beast. There is something about the quiet, the pleasant, the meditative styling that is quite remniscent of the interior of Rose's room. Where everything can bleed away and you are free to shape your thoughts proper.
More metaphorically at the festival, of course.
The child is at the festival, and is actually wearing a hakama sized for his little portly self! It is white that bleeds into light, slightly reflective silver as it follows gravity, with a swirl of pink petals and yellow star-like shapes. To heck if he didn't need to wear it, these outfits are fun and comfy! He will take any loose excuse to wear one.
The boy has been running about at Tokyo Tower, taking photos of practically everything. This ends him at his destination, a tea ceremony spot where he was told to partake, though is surprised to see some folks he recognizes! "...!" Excitement crosses his face as he nearly hustles past them, but quickly backs up, looking toward Rei. "H... Hey! What's up, Rei? Is this the right place for the tea thingy?" he asks, eyes full of wonder as he looks about the room at the decorum. But he feels like he forgot to do something before he sits down. What could it have been? Someone told him to do something before sitting down...
He seems lost in thought, but not before Usagi also gets a wave. Now what was it...
<Pose Tracker> Kasagami Araki [Ohtori Academy (11)] has posed.
Kasagami Araki doesn't participate in the ritual to absorb all of her sins. Is it because she thinks she's without any wrongdoings to repent for?
Nah, she's going to own those sins. Some of them are too precious to let go of. Or so she tells herself anyway. Thus, she leaves the little strawman nicely in front of a gate, with a little note attached.
"To another year of love and beautiful mistakes" Beneath? A 'KA <3 SM' is scribbled. The one it's addressed to might not find it, but maybe the gods will send it her way.
The text with a picture five seconds later might help that.
And so after the parade, she finds herself at Tokyo Tower and this youth event. Someone from the Student Council has to show up, and rather than the man that probably knows something about proper tea ceremonies, Kasagami Araki has shown up. Mostly to show off her reinstated state, and maybe because she heard something about one of Ohtori's own miko were having something to do with the event.
Thus, her gaze is scanning the crowd for reds and whites. The Duelist hasn't taken off her coat. Surely because she doesn't need to, being a well respected member of the Council. It definitely isn't because she's not sure of protocol here!
"Look at all of this! You really did put some effort into this ceremony, Hino-san! I'll bet your Father must be proud." Yeah, sorry Rei, sorry Usagi, she's sitting down. You can't escape.
A brow rises and she's grinning. "Feel better? Ready to face the rest of the year, sin free? Tabula rasa, and all. ....Though I hope you've both been working hard on your academics, the gods and Jesus both can't help you there." She looks like she's about to say more, but up comes Steven. Kassie gives a wave. "Steve-kun! Soaking in some culture today I see! Come on, this will help. I'm sure Hino-san here, as a member of the most prestigious Ohtori Academy, will have you performing tea ceremonies like an expert in no time flat!" No pressure, Rei-chan!
Traditionally, Rei would expect to answer questions about the tea set, the flower arrangement, the scrolls hanging on the walls. But this is an event designed to draw in the youth of Tokyo, and with the pressures of exams and love, not everyone knows the protocol of a tea ceremony.
Enter: Usagi Tsukino, who, give her credit, at least lasts a few moments in proper seiza before she shifts out of it.
Rei raises a finger, a quizzical expression crossing her face. This is how Kasagami, whose coat is surely a fashion statement, finds her; Rei laughs, the gesture turning into a wave of her hand as Kasagami sits. (Of course she'd mention her father.) "Araki-san, please," because she is very polite to her Ohtori seniors, "I had only a small hand in these arrangements! This is the effort of many representatives!" With something this large, of course, anyone would be expected to defer their contributions to the group.
(If it had been Usagi, she might have been much more boastful.)
Steven, too, is here, in a delightful starry hakama. "Steven-kun! Yes, this is the right place," she gestures him to sit. "You look great."
She looks around, but finding no one else to save her from the philosophical questions of a novice, Rei puffs out a breath. "Don't worry, Usagi," she comes back to her question, "the gods wouldn't feel left out! We celebrate by the shrines because that is where they live. The parade is for us, to bring them out into the city they're protecting." Well, for the imperial family, particularly, but that's beside the point.
"As for my academics," she adds, quite proper, "I always strive for greater excellence." And not being held after class to clean erasers because she fell asleep. Look, it only happened the one time! "... but Usagi, you might want to visit the shrine here."
With precise motions, she arranges the tea set out of the pot it's held in, and sets to brewing a pot. "What about you, Araki-san? Is your new position helping you with your classwork?" As Secretary, of course. "And Steven-kun," she smiles to him, less removed, "how have you found things so far? Is this your first Sanno festival?"
Kasagami shows up, and there's a moment where Usagi looks at Kasagami in surprise, then looks thoughtful. You see. Usagi Tsukino hadn't know the idea of parents being proud of her in a long time. Yet Rei Hino's father never shows up, and Usagi is around her all the time.
"I don't know what Rei-chan's father has to do with anything." It's not adversarial. In fact if anything it's said with a sort of gentle confusion. "Rei-chan is just a really hard worker."
She says that as if she feels the idea of Rei being a hard worker is completely disconnected from her father.
Then crossing her arms, she leans back, "Hmmmm-! I'd rather not be a blank slate though. I'd like to have a lot written on mine." There's a sort of cheerfulness to that, "Even the bad things." Before Kasagami mentions the academics, "Well maybe not all of the bad things..." She murmurs in reply.
Before she then takes a quick look at Steven, "Oh! You're really getting into living here Steven!" And she offers a high five to him for his attire.
"Step right up and accept some of Rei-chan's hospitality! She's got more than enough for everyone!"
Fortunately Rei lays out that the gods wouldn't feel left out, and Usagi nods thoughtfully, "Oh sorta keeping them - down to Earth." And it's like all confusion melts away, and understanding dawns. "That's a really good tradition."
Perhaps some part of her instinctively wonders if such traditions were inspired by other former kingdoms.
"New position? She's still on the Student Council?" Usagi sounds pleasantly surprised, "Wow I thought she lost that election but I guess I heard completely wrong!"
"Oh my god I forgot to wash my hands at the thing!" the boy says, tearing off to the stone bowls. He comes back shortly thereafter. His hakama glints in the light given off by the hanging lanterns. "Okay, better."
"Hey Kasagami! How are you?" he asks nicely. He hasn't got to catch up with the young lady in some time since everything, but is good to see her in higher spirits! As goes for everyone. A weight upon the heart lifts a little more. "I have! It looked really fun from the flyers and stuff, and I don't know a bunch about my new home's culture, so I wanted to get in on the business!"
"Thanks a bunch! I like your shrine outfit! Ah, do they have a special name or is 'shrine outfit' okay?" he asks her nicely, finding a small sitting mat to place himself on, like a cute little dumpling on a grape leaf. "I have! I been taking pictures of all the streamers and bells and lanterns... they are everywhere!" A pause. "Yeah, I dunno what it is about just yet except for one piece, which is that shrines are there to help with academics and romance."
"While I am sure I am quite the eligible bachelor," he says matter-of-factly, with a hint of his usual joking demeanor. "...I need help with something important with school and language use."
OOHHHH HIGH FIVE. Steven totally takes the chance! "Thank you Usagi! I just really like these hakamas...?" 'Hakama' is said in that typical questioning inflection, as if he is unsure if he said it right. "I really like tea! With honey and uh, these things at the store that have something sweet on these stirrer things. But I have been meaning to try tea events now. They seem very refined!"
A look to Rei "It okay if I do join?" Best to ask the actual server as well! "What kind of tea is it?" he asks, curiosity overtaking him.
The 'humility' of Rei and her grades, Kasagami gives several firm nods of approval. "Good, good! Now that's what I want to hear out of an Ohtori student! Constantly striving for self improvement, while respecting the work of those around them. ...Though!"
Kassie leans in, staring right in Rei's eyes. "There's nothing wrong with celebrating your own accomplishments. Looking down from where you've climbed by your own two hands and seeing how far you've come? I say enjoy the view." Then she's leaning back into the mat, taking up the seiza pose herself. This, at least, the kendo artist knows how to do perfectly.
That intensity is broken by a laugh. She makes a motion with her hand. "Well, my penmanship isn't as good as my hand with a blade, but it's improving! So that's something. I am, as ever, striving to be an example of grace, academic excellence, and athletic perfection in my field! And as such, I'll be happy to help you with anything you need. I'm sure you can learn much from my example, Hino-san!" Smiiiile! Ignore the fact about her quitting kendo club.
Kassie does blink, eyeing Usagi briefly.
"I'm not teasing. She's taking the time to show us all how a miko properly does a tea ceremony. That shows hard work and a willingness to teach others. It's something any parent would be proud of." Offers the Duelist firmly to Usagi. There's a light frown to her face, and then she looks away from the blonde haired girl. For a few moments, she's ignoring the ceremony at hand, gaze latched onto a teacup.
At least, until Usagi mentions the election. A brow twitches. She looks like she's bitten into something rotten. She tries to look pleasant. "Don't worry about it so much. Ohtori politics is complicated, and I assure you, I was fairly elected to the position." 'Elected' is a stretch here. More like appointed.
Tamping down the urge to give Usagi an involuntary pixie cut with the nearest sharp object, she's peering over to Steven.
The smile he gets is a softer one. "Better. Better than they've been for a while." Is her sudden, honest answer. With a little sigh, she listens to the young man's questions, gaze flitting between newcomer, miko, and Usagi.
"Yes, show us all the beauty of a proper tea ceremony, Hino-san!" Encourages Kassie, making a mic tossing motion.
"Don't worry, Steven," Rei assures the boy as he scrambles back in. "Now you're all set." She's not about to blame him for forgetting -- he's a kid, and he's not even from Japan. He remembered eventually!
It's certainly true that Takashi Hino is absent in Rei's life, and equally true that Rei finds little occasion to mention him. Knowing that, Rei shouldn't be surprised to hear Usagi catching onto the discomfort in her dismissal. Her confusion might be gentle, but it still loosens any tightness in Rei's smile as it comes, leaving something more genuine, if a little embarrassed for it.
Even Kasagami, in the typical Ohtori dance of one-upmanship, seems to appreciate that it's Rei's work which got her here. "If I need anything, I will be sure to come to you," she says, meeting her eyes. "I am sure we can learn from each other." Diplomacy!
She smiles to Steven, with his honest questions. "I'm wearing a hakama and a kosode," she tells him. "And this festival celebrates the spirits from the Hie shrine who protect Tokyo. It's been going on for hundreds of years. Different shrines can help with all sorts of things... for instance, visitors often visit Hikawa shrine for help with their romance!" Takashi Hino might not be involved in Rei's life, but her Grandpa certainly is. "It's okay to join," she encourages him, "and we'll help you with any of your questions!"
Kasagami announces her, and Rei smiles, before she looks to her blonde friend. "Usagi, you really should learn how to do this," She points out, evasive in her own praise. "You have talent in making people feel welcome, if only you'd learn the tradition... here, let me show you. We bow," she demonstrates, and pauses to let the others try too, before continuing: "And I hand you this bowl of tea -- don't drink from the front -- and you take a sip, and wipe the rim, and hand it to the next guest, and we go around like that..."
It's kind of skipping a few steps, but don't tell anyone: Rei didn't always pay attention during tea ceremony classes, either. Children are easily-distracted, especially a child like Rei in an academy like Ohtori.
"Oh hey cool!" the boy says, looking at the teacups and teapot. Such lovely designs on them! He watches as Kasagami picks up a cup. "Thats... really good to hear," he comments toward the Duelist. It has been a bit of an adjustment, but it was nice to not hav badguys and evils baring down everyone's back. "Come by the beach house sometime and we can catch up, yknow? I'm all the way out there on a beachfront begging to do picnics on it!"
He would also love to ask her how Sailor Pluto was, but he can't in good conscience ask that in public.
The boy claps his hands excitedly, knowing he managed to get everything right! At least he thinks he did. Rei seems to think so, and she is a shrine lady! If she didn't know, who would?!
The boy listens intently to Rei's explanation as though she we describing the meaning of life itself. Eyes are fixated on her, and more than once he has to force himself to pull his elbows off the table. "Yeah! I came to get help with my academics as there's a thing I needa get according to my teacher. I gotta get the honorifics right." He purses his lips. "Fuu was helping me but, like, I found out that if you use them wrong you insult people! So I am kinda scared to use them..." He looks down for a moment, but perks badk up. "I was hoping the shrines could help somehow!"
Rei shows Usagi how the art of the ceremony is done, and the boy takes any queues to try it out! Even the bowing! Sampling the tea and sharing it seems to be quite the joy as well! He has a bit of trouble tasting the tea from the correct side and holding it right but there is earnest trying there.
"Such a cool tradition..."
"Too young to date makes you the most eligible bachelor." Usagi beams with a sort of wisdom that only an adolescent girl can offer. Like that of a big sister to a little brother. "Mmm-mmm! I'm a little too casual for this right now." As she puts a hand next to her face and whispers, "Don't take from your senpai's example."
Normally she'd put on her Kimono for this but she's not any good at that unless Ikuko is helping her - and Ikuko was out for the day.
"I didn't say you were teasing - it's just - you keep saying that." Before she prompts, "About whether her father would be proud of her. And I just don't think of Rei-chan as working to make him proud." There's this tiny shrug, and a cheerful little smile, "Rei-chan is just Rei-chan on her own."
Before she then taps a finger to her temple, "Hmmm - if you say so!" Because she has no reason at all to disbelieve her.
Before Rei mentions that she needs to learn how to do this, and Usagi actually has something glimmer in her eyes, "I'll try my best Rei-chan!" Before then bowing. However as Rei starts to hand her the bowl of tea.
And Usagi reaches out - and then hesitates.
Then glances up, and looks Rei Hino in the eyes as she asks anxiously, "You're sure it's okay right? I once got told these bowls can be really expensive and I don't want to end up breaking it and working to pay off a debt at Ohtori for the next twenty years..."
Usagi continues to defend her, and really, it's kind of touching how much she's noticed. So, of course, Rei insists: "Rei-chan is the best Rei-chan!" With all the bravado of someone who doesn't really care. (She cares a lot.)
To Steven, Rei smiles. "Cool, huh? Yeah, festivals are pretty cool." It's something of an odd turn of phrase to describe ancient traditions with, but there's nothing wrong with blending the modern and the traditional.
Or, in fact, with local tradition and people abroad. Rei presses the bowl into Usagi's hands, though she'll make sure she's holding it before she lets go. "Don't worry," she assures her. "You'll be okay, Usagi." Even if she did break the expensive bowl, there's no way Rei would let Usagi Tsukino be indebted to Ohtori. Her father is useless, but she'd still exploit his wealth to get one of her best friends out of that.
Once everyone is done tasting the tea, Rei begins the process of cleansing the equipment. "You could pray to a shrine for courage," she suggests, "or for politeness. You could buy a charm to carry with you, to help you remember. But the most important thing is to practice!" She insists, bold. "Getting things wrong is the first step to getting them right, and each success is built on five mistakes!"
Well, maybe she listens to Kasagami's speeches more than she lets on.
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Bleach: Eve of Eternity :: Character Creation :: Character Profiles :: Approved Arrancar Share
Ayane Mai Hoshi
Rank : Cuarta Espada
Exp : 580
Weapon Skill : Master
HSM : Untrained
Reiatsu : Master
Hakudo : Master
Subject: Ayane Mai Hoshi Mon Mar 24, 2014 5:56 pm
"Without cruelty there is no festival."
~~~Arrancar~~~
Name: Ayane Mai Hoshi
((Ayane - means Kimono Design, Mai - Dance, Hoshi - Star.))
Alias: Aya, Princess Kaguya, Ice Princess
Visual Age: 18
Reiatsu Color: White
Hollow Hole Location: Left Hip
Affiliation: Member of The Espada
Rank: Espada Number 4
Aspect of Death: Vanity
--------------------Persona--------------------
With skin the color of milky translucent porcelain, her ever so long deep mahogany hair accentuates her play complexion. If in a upright position her hair would descend down to her knees, flowing down into corkscrew curls. The hair that would to have framed her gentle face is fashion into loose braids that fall down both sides of her face. Undisclosed to most persons if you were to lift up Ayane's hair and look at the nape of her neck a recognizable four is scrawled on her flesh.
Taking a general review of Ayane's body is rather petite standing stature of five foot six inches tall. In regards to her chest size it is rather generous as it being cupped at a C. Her appendages are fairly sylphlike in size even her fingers follow suit to this. ((Definition of sylphlike - slender and graceful)) Her waist appears to be dainty and her hips being voluptuous, upon her left hip a extensive circular gap can be found this in turn is her Hollow Hole. Now upon looking at her face it appears to look almost like china being almost fragile to the touch. Her lips soft and subtle the color of them is almost but isn't bleached out completely moving up we would find her nose which is both thin and acute. Again moving upwards we approach her eyes first we see her eyelashes which are robust. Finally we come to her eyes which shine like a vivid emerald with a flex of gold inside.
Now in regards to embellishments which Ayane embodies quite a few of. One of which she favors greatly is a beaded tourmaline bracelet that lays around her right wrist the beads follow a pattern of large small large small, the reason she favors this bracelet is do its color which is a pale yet clear pink with specks of red in it. Another embellishment that she wears is usually the first thing a mans eyes will go to, it is located just above her cleavage this embellishment is fastened to her chest. It consists of a coral red five petal flower inside the flower directly in the center is a yellow tourmaline gemstone. A short green tassel hangs down from underneath the coral flower gently resting between her breasts. Her most recently received embellishment is a hair clip that is located on the crown of her head, the cheapest yet well liked piece is designed from amber. The amber is shaped liked cherry blossoms, there is three of them placed next to each other the three flowers are cushioned on top of a bed of white feathers. The last embellishment she wore was a permanent fixture upon her it was in the shape of a crescent moon laying horizontally with the pointed ends of the moon pointed upwards. This moon was the color of ivory and is placed between her eyebrows on the bridge of her nose the tips of the moon itself were not ivory colored but golden. This moon in every aspect was the very remains of her hollow mask.
When it comes to clothing Ayane appears usually in her kimono but unlike the normal way a kimono is to be worn she wears it in a more sultry manor. She only wears three part of the kimono when technically a kimono has a total of seventeen parts. The parts that she wears consist of a nagajuban which is the under kimono which consists of the haneri collar that is normal sticking out and being seen when wearing a traditional kimono. Next part she wears is the kimono itself. And finally a obiage which is normally a scarf wrap the goes over top a obi itself.
Ayane's nagajuban is of sheer lavender color with a white ornate haneri collar, normally no one would be able to see the kimono itself but only the haneri collar but since she casually wears her kimono down past her shoulders one could easily see this kimono without any trouble. Over top of the nagajuban you see her favorite kimono which is both a pale baby blue and royal blue. The royal blue would be found around what would her collar, ends of her sleeves, and the very bottom of her kimono. Around the edges of the royal blue you see a piping of gold thread these same gold is present within the royal blue, inside of the blue there are small gold five petal flower designs. Beside that part the rest of the overall kimono is a pale blue. Keeping her kimono in place Ayane has a deep rich purple obiage wrapped around her waist multiple times and tied in the back with a giant bow.
The kimono is kept in a very casual manner showing a lot of Ayane's skin, firstly it is draped off her arms exposing a lot of skin from her shoulders, back, chest and arms. Then near the bottom of the kimono she splits it open a inch above the knees showing off her bare legs. With most kimonos one is to wear a special pair of socks and shoes known as zori and tabi, but Ayane disregards this and is usual found barefoot. The reason as to why she wears this instead of that of a arrancars outfit is simply due to the fact of the class of beauty that of a arrancars outfit she finds it dull and unappealing being the aspect of vanity beauty always comes first.
Though barefoot most of the time Ayane barely places her feet down upon the ground but instead manipulates reishi underneath her in a form of a platform. She sits upon this platform and floats around she in turn uses this reishi as her means of transportation.
Overall looking at Ayane and all aspects she herself looks almost as if she was a traditional ornate japanese doll.
Ayane is a very honest women when it comes to those she are close with but when around those she is unfamiliar with she seals herself up like a closed book not letting a word out to the other person. She does not judge people for what they say but what they do, she can easily read others simply by their body language and can tell if they are a person she wish to occupy or not. If my chance from reading the body language they appear hostile she won't hesitate to smite them with her powers to the point they put themselves out of their misery.
She can be rather ruthless when it comes to battle, she will show no remorse as one dies if even a friend of her were to die she wouldn't show much remorse the reason for this if they died on the battlefield they either die doing something they love or protecting something the wish to have protected. This at times can be contradicted as she has the very caring side to her to those she is close to. But this is not forced if she were to see someone being slaughtered on the battlefield she would not run up to them and drag them out of the battlefield and bandage them up. They would need to have the common sense and step off the battlefield themselves before she would tend them. In a manner of speaking this was how she came to care for Gabriel.
She also can be negative at times thinking why does one have to fight if they know very well they are gonna lose and die. Why fight and die when you can live tomorrow. This does not mean she will run away from a battle if challenged and she fears she might lose. But she doesn't like the thought that people going into battle know they might just very die in battle and be okay with it.
Laziness is a major issue with Ayane, if she doesn't have to do anything she won't. Plain and simple a example is she floats on a reishi platform as her means of movement instead of walking. I guess this was psychologically implanted due to the fact she doesn't even need to lift a figure while using her ress to kill someone.
She can also be emotionally unattached in the aspects of love due to a past events she simply locked this feeling up thinking there is no such thing as love and never again touch the feeling. Except a small amount of this feeling is leaking out of the dam she place up protecting this emotion when it comes to when she hangs out with Gabriel, we will have to wait and see how this comes to light.
And finally Ayane is vain, almost to vain for one single person. She cares almost to much on material things and appearance that she can overlook certain things in her life. When it comes to encountering another women Ayane would look her over and if she fells as if she might be a threat to Ayane's beautiful she would make the women swiftly kill themselves.
--------------------History--------------------
Human Life -
As a human Ayane was born into a family of kimono makers that personal made kimonos for the royal court of Japan. She was raised rather well never missing a meal and being able to eat healthy, unlike many others. She was born having both parents there and also having a older sister who she looked up to very much. Her sister was only three years older then herself and she usually watched over and protected Ayane. While growing up one could see that Ayane was rather popular amongst that of the neighborhood boys simply due to being very beautiful. What set her apart from that of other girls in the neighbor was her almost flawless complex and vibrant emerald green eyes.
Her eyes even brought the attention to older men and even the royal court. Men came to the family asking her parents if they were ever to want to sell her, of course the answer was no they loved Ayane very dearly. By this time rumor was spreading of Ayane that it even reached the ears of her sister who was at the moment working within the royal court as a ladies maiden to the queen. Thinking nothing of it at the time she wrote to Ayane that her name was appearing within the court in good favour and that when she was age she should head to the palace and ask for a place within the court.
Like her sister recommended she joined the court when she became of age having not seen her sister face to face in a total of three years she was finally resaw each other after so long. To Ayane's sister surprise she had grpwn into a real women that three years she had changed from the little girl she once was. Like when living at home her appearance drew alot attention to those of the men within the court. Ayane would normally ignore this but the crown prince, the king and queen's only son started to fall for her as well.
Within a year she was engaged to the prince, her parents where ever so happy to marry their daughter off to the prince. But this made Ayane's sister isanely jealous to see her younger sister to be married before her. The part that annoyed her the most was the fact Ayane was only there for a year and she herself was there for now four years, working on the prince. While Ayane did nothing and he came for her instead. A week before the wedding Ayane and her sister went to one of their families cottages, this cottage was beside a beautiful river that the two of the used to play in when they were young. Feeling nostagic Ayane stepped into the river and beckoned her sister to join her which she did.
As her sister came in she turned away looking into the clear river. At this point a very sharp pain started radiating from her head and she found herself laying in the river. This pain was caused by that of her sister though she didn't know that until rolling over and looking at her sister as she was holding a rock. What happened next was to fast for that of Ayane to understand. Her sister dropped the rock and came rushing towards Ayane pushing her down with a tackle. She then mounted up ontop of Ayane chest pressing down onto Ayane's ribs knocking out Ayane's last breath, she took her hands and wrapped them around Ayane's neck pushing her head under the water. Having no breath to hold she grasped for air but being underwater all she was taking in was water itself so within a minute died with water having completely filled her lungs, Ayane was only fourteen at the time of her death.
Early Spirit Life -
Having finally reopening her eyes she found herself laying down in a river. Like any normal person she tried standing up but couldn't a sudden heaviness weighed on her. She looked and saw chains wrapped up and down her body and located its origin which was her chest. Her first instanct was to call for help but to no aww no one ever came to rescue. The growing fear that was to drown in this river, for some reason something clicked in her that she had already done that having never knowing why she was here the fear that she had died finally hit her.
She had finally come to grips of her death within a weak of be stuck in the river but she be damned if she were to stay here. She tried wiggling out of her chains after of endless wiggling after two weeks she got her arms out of the bondage of the chains. She had to get out of the chains and the only thing she could think of was to go for the source, so she started tugging at the chain coming out of her chest. She realized that doing this was gonna cause her great pain and she could feel it running all through her body but she could feel the chains start loosening up little did she know the chains weren't loosening up but disappearing and becoming shorter.
She did this for over three months none stop screaming the whole time by doing this once almost reaching for months she could finally move. What was left of her chain as only that of three inches. Thinking she could finally relax cause she could move she gets out of the river and sits on a rock on the riverside. After taking a few days to relax from all the pain she experienced it was to late the chain was gone and what appeared where the chain was? It was a gaping hole. Once seeing the whole a rush of energy sparked up inside and outside of Ayane engulfing her in a bizarre light.
Newborn Hollow -
Once the engulfing light disappeared there Ayane stood as a small sprite like creature with a rose shape appendage and wing attached to her back. She was in a daze she didn't know who or what she was but all she could regonize was a hunger brewing within her. What she hungered she wasn't sure of but she knew she needed to satisfy it. Using her newly made wings she takes off to look for food after hours of fly she came across a delicious smell she then followed this smell for a while and came across a young man. The young man was a traveling swordsman not fully sure who to eat she sat upon his shoulder, after a few minutes something happened small like vine appendages came flying out of rose and entered the nape of the mans neck. Unsure of what was going on the answers started to come forth the hunger she had been feeling was then starting to die down. Put as soon as it started to die down she became even hungrier. Soon within a hour the man collapse down on the ground dead from his soul being eaten, as Ayane was off looking for her next victim.
This way of feeding keep going for twenty years, she had a few chance encounters some with fullbringers, Shinigami and other Hollows. But thanks to her size was able to avoid being killed by any of them. But one day the feeding of humans no longer help deal with Ayane's hunger so at this point she knew she needed to find large pray to feed on. The only thing she could think of to eat was other hollows she knew if she wasn't careful that she would be easily eaten herself. Being small came to her help when eating other hollows she could sneak up behind them and sit on their back and they would never notice. Just like she thought this did help weaken her hunger. She used this same tactic for five years until she was so full she started to transform into a menos, before becoming a menos Ayane could eat two or three hollows a week.
Gillian Arc -
Ayane had then awaken to a new found hunger a hunger she herself had never had experienced with this hunger she was now taken form into a new being. This being was the next step in the evolutionary chain of a hollow, she was reborn as a gillian or to some called a menos grande. This part of her history is hard for Ayane of the present day to remember details as it being very vague.
When in this stage Ayane was not the size she was accustomed to being sprite size she was now a towering beast that only hungered for more. Staying with the other Menos in the forest of menos you would be able to be noticed even with a swarm of other menos. How she stood out was her mask unlike the others who had the same mask matching masks with the long pointed out nose hers was rather flat mask with small hints of gold designs upon it. As a beast she took the opportunity to fill her hunger the best she could possibly do and by that she had resorted to cannibalism by eating her fellow menos grande and even at times taking the treat of a rare delicacy of freshly made Adjuchas who might be lurking within the menos forest.
Though hard to kill the Adjuchas within the menos forest is only targeted the one that freshly made, ones who were sure of what was going on. Though in comparison in strength the Adjuchas were stronger then that of a Gillian using her overwhelming size she would try stepping on them as if they were bugs. At times she might get lucky and be able to get them in one go but if they were to run off would disregard them and let them run off. She knew though if she were to step on them they would be crushed under her foot if not to the point closest to death but one choose enough to paralysis them for a moment which gave her just enough time to grab them and throw them into her gaping mouth.
Though the process of killing the Adjuchas were hard she had only gotten two whole Adjuchas in her whole time as a menos. Though spending at two hundred years as a menos that was all she could ever to get her hands on. The rest of the time she spent hunting her fellow brother menos.
Adjuchas Arc -
After many years Ayane finally reached past of the Menos/Gillian level and entered the Adjuchas level, within this level she started to learn what her true power was. But firstly when firstly being recreated as a Adjuchas was a new feeling for her. She was no longer huge like when she was a Menos she took a more human like appearance, her golden tinted mask was located where it would be upon her face but her body color that was once black was now a dull gray and a large white rose grew from her shoulders up all the way to her neck. Giving her a collar like look her hands took a wooden like branch appearance up to her elbows.
Again like before in the previous stage her hunger started to grew even more causing her to stay a cannibal eating her own kind. Being elusive Ayane stayed within the Menos Forest as the prey was more aboundate having menos and freshly made adjuchas there. In the beginning she mainly targeted menos taking bites of them here and there after a few years of doing this the Menos could no longer help the hunger she had. It was like a pebble being dropped in a lake of water completely useless in the attempts of filling it.
So she needed a better prey and which she started going after newly made adjuchas, to her surprise the feeling of eating them greatly filled her hunger but once the hunger died down it came back twice as hard. During this period of eating Adjuchas she noticed something when she would attack someone instead of them attacking her they would jump a few feet away and started attacking something but nothing being there, later she learned that she could inplant images into someones mine making them seeing things that were never there.
As time came when her hunger was getting harder to fill up she knew she could no longer stay within the Menos Forest why well because yes there were Menos by the hundreds in here but they wouldn't do the trick. Adjuchas themselves were hardly seen within the forest unless they were freshly made but that only happens very rarely maybe once in a few years. Adjuchas once coming to their senses usually head upwards to the desert of Hueco Mundo usually in groups of three or four. Ayane thought about it and decided to head upwards to Hueco Mundo thinking of the possible groups being three times the amount of what she was normally used to when it comes to meals.
When coming up topside she was surprised at how vast the land was and how open it was. It was nothing like what the forest was like being a slightly used to the forest she knew she needed to quickly adjust to her surrounds if she were to live in this world. After about twenty years she was able to be completely in tone with her surroundings though she didn't come across alot of prey when she did she happily devoured them.
The lands within the vast Hueco Mundo was dull not much happened, until one day she caught view of a battle between what she believed where called arrancars she only learned this word from a prey she kicked many years ago. They were hollows but at the same time not hollows in a aspect as they didn't look like what a hollow would normally look like. Amazed as the match she watch it from a careful distant from what they could tell they were fighting over a position, not sure what that meant she continued watching them. How they fought made Ayane feel weak in comparison, they used moves that she had never seen before and before long the battle was over only one stood as victor a young man. Not thinking she clapped her hand in applause of his fight.
Having heard the clapping the man appeared before Ayane and looked straight at her. Scared at how the man looked at her she feared he was gonna kill her. Using her ability at this point having mastered it escaped leaving the man in complete confusion. Once getting a decent distance away from him she reviewed the battle within her mind and she decided she want to be strong just like him. Admiring him she worked hard for about one hundred and fifty years.
During this time she worked hard on fighting other Adjuchas, she kept doing this to the point she learned to fight exhaustion even when presented with fighting a adjuchas that were far harder then her. After a fifty years into her training she learned that it was becoming harder and harder to find a worthy opponent and near the end of the the one hundred and fifty year she was finding it hard to find any adjucha opponents even worthy to fight.
Birth of the rare Vasto Lorde -
Skipping ahead after hundred and fifty years we see Ayane having come to a new level, no longer a adjuchas but that a vasto lorde. This transformation came from her desire to be stronger. Taking the rank of Vasto Lorde came with a new look as well for Ayane. She looked similar to shape of that of the arrancars looking like a human. Firstly her hollow mask now formed fit upon her face unlike before her body which was once gray in appearance is now white the overall look gives her a more female appearance showing her curves. The rose that was once place around her neck like a collar was no longer apparent instead a long opening front skirt connect to her waist wrapping around her back had become the most out standing feature. The skirt still similar yet not to the collar had a flower based look to it, unlike before it looking like it rose it looked as though it was over whelming amount of flower petals that were connected together forming the skirt. The final added which was show was her hair, which flowed down her back whimsically the hair color was the a glistening silver color.
Having fallen in love with her appearance she hoped that she would meet the arrancar once more in the attempts to show him she was so weak anymore. That opportunity came and on that day she was amazed to see him again since it had been a long time since she had seen him she wasn't sure he was even still alive. He recognized her and told her he was impressed on how she used her ability to escape him, she in turn told him after seeing his fight she was inspired to good stronger. He nodded and stated he could see that but he also stated since they last met he had gotten stronger himself. Back then he told her he was only rank as Espada ten and now he was espada four.
Amazed out how he had got stronger she asked if the two could spar together she wanted to know how much further she needed to train. Not telling him it was so she could stand beside him on the battlefield. He agreed to this and so they begun a sparring match between them the match was hardcore to the point that it could be seen for over a mile away. The match was heated in a way that ceros were being set off ever three seconds. Though Ayane knew she couldn't even compare to the arrancar she held her own for a little while against him using illusions to constantly confuse him which in turn made her exhausted as Ayane panted on her knees the man walked over to her.
Once finally appearing in front of her he asked if she would be his fraccion. Confused she as to what means she asked him what it was, he told her that she would basically work beside him. Surprised at his request though out of breathe still was able to scream out yes. With a smile he told her she couldn't go there looking the way she did now and told her she would have to rip off her mask. Scared off what might happened if she were to rip her mask took the word from the man that she would be alright. Reaching upwards grabbing it my the jaw line she ripped it off in a upward movement leaving behind a small piece of it.
Life of Servitude -
Once removing the mask like the man said to do, everything changed first the pain of the mask hit her in they way that tears came rolling down her face. But ultimately her appearance changed she no longer looked like what she need before as a vasto lorde firstly all the skirt she was fashioned in degenerated into what looked like a fine white powder, then her skin took a different look it was no longer white and firm but a very peachy color and soft in a way. Finally her once sparkling white hair was now the the color of brown. Completely confused she looks up at the man with tears still in her eyes.
The mans face completely puzzled her even more he was smiling, why was he smiling was he smiling because the pain she was feeling shortly she figured why he was smiling. It was because she now had joined the race of arrancars. He extended his hand to the naked Ayane and brought her up to her feet wrapping one arm behind her back, he told her that he was gonna take her to los noches to live in the castle with the other arrancars.
Like a lost puppy she followed him to the castle once there he handed her clothes and showed her to a room saying this was to be where she would live from now on. Happy for being able to be with him she started living as if a maid for him always trying to make him happy, as she had fallen in love. But though she tried to her hardest to make him happy he she could never do so he was always mad at her and showed it by hitting her and beating her to the point of deaths door.
She could never understand as to why when he was once so nice to her, and now so mean to her. She started noticing things when she first arrived he told her that other arrancars live within the castle but to her understanding she never once saw any. She loved the man and even a few times told him, even knowing that information he never showed her the kindness of saying it back. It finally dawned on her after piecing it all together he was simply using her almost like a slave.
Rise of a Espada -
Once it all dawned on her Ayane was furious she couldn't understand as to how and why she respected him. She was filled with the urge to kill him and nothing was ever gonna stop that. So took this drive and started training to learn how to expertly use her resurreccion, know full well not to show it to him. The reason as to why she wouldn't show him this simply cause she wished to surprise him with it as to his knowledge he didn't know that she even knew what a resurreccion was. The only reason that she knew what this was, was when she watched his battle back when she was a Adjuchas.
The one day after spending three years training herself he asked her to do something for him and she then quickly responded with do it yourself caught off guard he turned to her with anger in his face but as he turned to her she was already within her resurreccion. He went to draw his blade but when looking down it was gone wondering what had happened to it he looks up and Ayane was holding it. But truthfully it was always beside him this was merely a illusion.
This was the very first time she had ever used her resurreccion so both of them was not sure what to expect, her resurreccion was more or less a powering up of her original abilities but given it harder chances of breaking it. She threw the sword back towards him this time unsheathed at this point he figured it was nothing but a illusion so he didn't dodge it. As the sword came shooting at him it stabbed its way right through his shoulder in turn the man felt it as if it was really in him. He would try to pull it out but no matter how hard he tried it wouldn't budge not even a inch.
The struggled kept going as Ayane watched him with a smile, with each time he would now pull the further it went into him, as if feeling all this pain he screams in agony. At this point vines started to grow up his legs binding them together cause the man to fall forward onto his stomach hitting his head at the same time onto the ground. The vines were but mere illusions but the falling was his own fault but not knowing what realty was anymore it was figured he would fall. Upon impact of the ground he happened to crack his head open on the ground. With blood rushing down his face and in agony he tries to push up off the ground at this point two giant thorns come down piercing both of his hands. At this point his screams were ever so violent.
Having given up fight her he pleads to be released and that he will be nice to her from now on. She said with a gentle smile if u wish to be released bite off your own tongue and drown in your blood. At this point the man started coughing up blood why you may ask while he may be looking at Ayane he wasn't really looking at her at all, he was looking merely at a illusion using misdirection she really slipped behind and grabbed his sword and stabbed once into both lungs. So the reason he was coughing up blood was cause his very lungs were filling up with blood. He died within minutes in agonizing pain though if he could had seen passed the illusions he would have lived but being ignorant it spelled to his demise. After dying Ayane took the liberty to devour his soul. Shortly after having killed him Ayane was given the rank of Espada Four.[b]
Blue Moon War & Post War Time -
[b]By the time the war hit which would be called the Blue Moon War that mainly was between both the shinigami and arrancars Ayane was position as espada four many years. The war itself was brutal having lost three espadas ranked sixth, seventh and tenth. Ayane was worried that moral of the arrancars would soon drop and they would lose the war. Just as she thought the moral of the overall espadas dropped and they were being pushed back to the point that the Shinigami won the war.
Though in the beginning it wasn't all that hard as Ayane dealt with waves of young shinigami with ease and without much effort at all. The longer the war went it she would start to get exhausted as any person would. Upon a battle with a captain and his lieutenant Ayane was easily being over powered but with clever illusions and misdirections took the moment to flee and head towards the ruins of los noches till the end of the war.
Nearing the end of the war she came across a wounded arrancar, this in turn was the first espada named Gabriel Zeil. Gabriel was in very bad condition to the point he was closer to death then he was to living. To most arrancar this would be the time to kill him and take his rank but Ayane could care less for his rank but more for his health, carefully caring for him Gabriel was brought back from the brink of death.
After he was healed Gabriel and Ayane both parted, this was not the end of the two after taking care of him Ayane started to fall for him not having felt this way since she first met the previous fourth espada it was odd to shake. It didn't help when Gabriel popped in once in a while. The two started to become what might call friends neither of the two really knowing what that might me. One day though Gabriel came to visit her and gave her a present the present being a pink tourmaline bracelet. Falling in love with the bracelet Ayane even to this day always wears it where ever she goes.
Last edited by Ayane Mai Hoshi on Thu Mar 27, 2014 12:46 am; edited 2 times in total
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BJP reneges on its 2014 poll promise with lacklustre education budget
by Asians Voice February 6, 2018, 12:44 am
The Modi government’s last budget ahead of the 2019 election was a mixed bag for the education sector, which is plagued with many serious issues aside from the overall lack of funds.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley allocated Rs 85,000 crore (US$13.26 billion) for education, with Rs 50,000 crore for schools and the rest for higher education. This was an increase of just 8% over last year. The allocation for secondary education rose by a similar ratio, from Rs 3,900 crore in 2017-18 to Rs 4,200 crore for the 2018-19 fiscal year.
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In his budget speech, Jaitley expressed concern about the quality of education and announced an extensive training program to upgrade the skills of 1.3 million untrained teachers.
He also proposed treating education “holistically without segmentation from pre-nursery to Class 12”. This could only be possible by extending the Right to Education (RTE) Act 2009 up to the higher secondary level – something Jaitley did not address, seemingly because it would require huge funding.
Instead, he increased the 3% education tax to a 4% ‘health and education’ levy, which should bring an additional Rs 11,000 crore to government coffers. This shows the government is in no mood to prioritize education and has shifted that responsibility to the public.
Strangely, the levy collected in the past was mostly unused. A report by Hindu Businessline said more than Rs 830 billion lay idle in government coffers last year.
India spends least among BRICS nations
Despite the deeply concerning state of education in India, the sector still accounts for only 3.8% of gross domestic product (GDP). In fact, India’s overall allocation to this important sector over the last decade has hovered between 3.8-4.0% of total expenditure.
In its election manifesto for the 2014 election, the ruling Bhartiya Janta Party had promised to allocate 6% of GDP for education, yet India’s outlay on education remains the lowest among peers. A statistical publication put out by BRICS in 2015 reveals that Brazil spent 5.5% of its GDP, Russia 4.4%, China 4.3% and South Africa 6.5% on education in the year 2013.
“The demographic dividend will decide if India will emerge as the fastest growing nation over the next decade. But to ensure that it happens, Indian youths need a conducive regulatory framework and policy support,” educationist Dr Milind Wagh said.
Jaitley’s budget, however, failed to do this. Funds allocated for the government program to universalize elementary education – the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan – increased by just 11%. Funding rose from Rs 235 billion to Rs 261 billion, but that is still far below the resources required.
The midday meal scheme, aimed at improving school-age children’s nutrition, also saw a negligible increase.
No measures were announced either in regard to higher education loans despite Indian banks getting increasingly skeptical about disbursing funds, given the rising number of defaulters.
Jaitley did announce a new “Prime Minister’s scholarship” project, with the aim of keeping highly skilled engineers in the country. However, activists called it an “eyewash” as a large number of scholarships were abolished last year.
Public education grappling with serious issues
Overall, the budget allocation seems minuscule considering the issues the education sector faces. According to Census 2011, there are around 84 million children not even getting to school.
A quarter of public schools lack classrooms, electricity and/or toilets – and 200,000 government schools across the country have been closed. In some states, schools have even been handed over indiscriminately to private players under public-private partnerships.
According to the Annual Survey of Education Report (ASER) 2017, enrolment in secondary schools almost doubled from 11 million to 22 million over the last decade. But children demonstrated poor learning outcomes despite years of schooling. One in four in standard-eight were unable to read standard-two level text. And 42% children could not carry out basic tasks like reading simple sentences in English, division or subtraction.
Pre-primary children have also been neglected. Prof Wagh said: “Despite repeated demands, the government has not bothered to address the needs of pre-primary education. This would require political will and huge money, as the government will have to strengthen its anganwadis [rural shelters] too.”
The number of positions for government teachers that remain unfilled at the secondary level is a staggering 17.5%.
More funds are also needed to implement the basics of the RTE Act in schools but this has largely been ignored, with budget focused more to catchy announcements.
The higher education sector faces similar quality issues with the mushrooming of private institutions, poorly paid under-qualified teachers and a lack of regulation. This has lead to unemployment and under-employment of most graduates.
Sadly, major initiatives announced in Budget 2017 such as a National Testing Agency to conduct all entrance exams and a major push for quality of education are yet to take off.
“Slogans like ‘Upgrading education infrastructure by 2022’ and from ‘blackboard to digital boards’ will [only] work when fundamental concerns of public education are addressed first,” CS Kulkarni, a professor at Mumbai university said.
For the BJP, already struggling to provide jobs to millions of youths, the education budget could be a millstone around its neck next year.
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TMC activists attack cars of BJP leaders and after ransacking burn down 3 BJP offices on fire
BJP workers chased away Trinamul activists flashing black flags at a car ferrying two BJP leaders and ransacked two offices of the Bengal ruling party in Cooch Behar.
Trinamul leaders said the attack had come as a surprise as the party had gradually gained control in the district by elbowing out the Forward Bloc.
After the attack on the car of BJP leaders Locket Chatterjee and Jayprakash Majumdar and the ransacking, Trinamul activists set three BJP offices on fire.
Sources said the BJP had been gaining in strength in several pockets of Cooch Behar near the Bangladesh border, especially among the erstwhile enclave dwellers. Unlike in other districts, sections of minorities seem to be backing the BJP in Cooch Behar.
Several cars - including two police vehicles - two-wheelers and battery-operated autorickshaws were damaged by supporters of both parties.
Locket later said if Trinamul attacked the BJP, "we will reply in the same language".
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Guides vs. Going it Alone
Journeys guest blogger Katina Nichols talks about her growing appreciation for guided trips.
Nepal Update: Blankets distributed in Khokana and Bungamati
Colder weather has arrived in the Khokana and Bungamati regions of Nepal, where Journeys funded the shelter for 20 families. Villagers did not have any outerwear or blankets, so Journeys stepped in and today our Nepal director handed over supplies to the elders, women, men and children of the village. We are very happy to help them again; thank you to the donors who have made this possible!
Nepal wants you back
We asked Journeys Nepal director Narayan to share in his own words why he hopes tourists will return to Nepal in 2016. Here are his thoughts.
Nepal Update: Visit to Baluwa Village
Today Journeys visited the Baluwa Village in the Gorkha District, near the earthquake’s epicenter. The population of this village is 600 people, and most of the houses and buildings were damaged in the earthquake and aftershocks.
Nepal Update: Dhulikhel School is almost ready!
The project to rebuild the Dhulikhel School is almost complete! Our next step is to work on electricity and painting. In a few weeks, it’ll be handed over to the school’s authorities. Thank you to all of our donors for your continued support of our rebuilding efforts in Nepal!
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Brunello di Montalcino, the Pure Expression of Sangiovese
1 Early Origins – Biondi Santi
2 Internal strife: traditional vs modern styles
3 Riserva vs normale classification
4 Location is everything
5 The flavor of youth, and other tasting notes
6 Serving tips
7 Pairing food with Brunello
Brunello di Montalcino is, without a doubt, one of the most highly regarded wines in the world. Adored by critics, collectors, young and old, casual and serious drinkers alike, this Italian red is like a classic Porsche 911. It never goes out of style.
Early Origins – Biondi Santi
The first traces of Brunello di Montalcino as we know it occur in the 1870’s. Il Risorgimento, the unification of all Italian regions into a single state had just occurred, and heralded the return of a young soldier by the name of Ferruccio Biondi-Santi to his home in Montalcino. He began managing his grandfather Clemente Santi’s estate, the Fattoria del Greppo and developed wine-making techniques that would soon spread all over Tuscany.
Wine Spectator included a 1955 Riserva Biondi Santi on their list of the 12 most memorable wines of the 20th century.
Biondi-Santi refused to mix his Sangiovese grapes with other varieties, as was the custom in Tuscany at the time. Instead he kept his Brunello completely separate from any other variety on the estate – from planting through a single fermentation (winemakers at the time also traditionally put their wine through a second fermentation process). The result was a pure, artisanal expression of Sangiovese that was virtually unheard of and quickly caught the attention of wine makers far and wide.
Montalcino is one of the most stunning landscapes in the world.
Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino is still the benchmark producer of this wine today. The traditions of Signor Biondi-Santi are still implemented in its creation, and sampling a bottle of this traditional wine is a goal for many wine connoisseurs today. If one was to be truly lucky, they might sample a Biondi that has been aged for a half century or more. There are Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino wines that date back to the late 1800’s, and tasters all agree that the fruit is still very much present in these rare vintages.
Internal strife: traditional vs modern styles
Santi introduced one other tenet to his unique repertoire, and that was to age his Brunello in large Slavonian oak casks for extended periods of time. In fact, it was not uncommon for a barrel of Biondi-Santi’s Brunello di Montalcino to have been aged for over a decade. Upon emerging from the barrels, the wine was remarkably lively and fruity, but also tremendously delicate and complex, unlike anything made in Tuscany to that point.
The larger Slavonian casks are neutral, imparting very little flavor to the wine. The result? A pure expression of Sangiovese. Wines fermented entirely in these large casks are also quite tannic and that’s why they need many years in bottle to soften soften and become enjoyable.
A cluster of ripe Sangiovese grapes at La Fortuna
As modern winemaking techniques became in vogue over the past few decades, many producers in Montalcino ditched the giant wood casks in favor of smaller french barrels. They did this for a few reasons. Consumer tastes were changing. They wanted immediate gratification, and didn’t want to wait ten years before enjoying a wine. Fermenting in smaller french oak also delivers a much different version of Brunello – one with more chocolaty, vanilla, and brown sugar notes and a softer mouthfeel with less abrasive tannins. In short, a wine that’s a little more flashy, fleshy, fruity, and easier to enjoy upon release. But perhaps not as suitable for long term aging.
Of course, the old guard of Montalcino absolutely hated this modern Bordeaux-influenced approach. They felt like the french oak smothered the delicate nuances of Sangiovese. Franco Bondi went so far as to say the small french barrels should be abolished entirely.
Today you’ll find the debate over the “right” way to make Brunello still rages on. Some producers use only Slavonian oak. Some, like Domenic Clerico for example, prefer small french barriques. Others use a mix of the two.
Riserva vs normale classification
DOCG laws require Brunello to be made from 100% Sangiovese grapes with absolutely no blending. While the composition remains the same, the aging process can differ.
Brunello wines fall into two classifications:
Normale requires aging for 5 years after harvest, with a minimum of two years in oak, and four months aged in a bottle.
Riserva requires aging for 6 years after harvest, with a minimum of two years being aged in oak, and six months aged in a bottle.
Violation of any of these requirements results in a very hefty penalty. Winemakers who cut any corners or misrepresent the aging process of their Brunello di Montalcino can be imprisoned for up to six years on charges of commercial fraud. Not to mention lose their reputation.
Brunellogate
In 2008 a scandal rocked Montalcino. As darker and more jammy Brunello started becoming commonplace on the market, and some questioned whether these examples were in fact 100% Sangiovese. A major Italian newspaper speculated that some producers were adding other varietals like Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon to round out their Brunello and make it more fruity, and thus immediately appealing to the masses. No conclusive proof was ever found but several producers were shamed into declassifying their Brunello into the lower Rosso di Toscana wines to move their inventory.
Location is everything
One of the most fascinating aspects of Brunello’s production is the way that terrain, temperature and micro-climate affect this wine. In fact, the perfect vineyard conditions only come around every so often. The most recent exceptional vintage was 2010, but 2015 and 2016 are shaping up to be excellent as well. In the worst years some producers choose to declassify their Brunello grapes into the lower quality Rosso wines – on the upside this can bring some incredible value to consumers.
Vineyards must be planted on exposed hills that do not rise above 1968 feet above sea level. Vines are pruned short and kept low to ensure smaller yields, which means the clusters that do remain are packed with power. This ensures ripeness and flavor in the grapes, as higher elevations will make for cooler climates.
Even the slope of the hill will change the flavor of the grapes, which is why many producers own vineyards on multiple faces in the finest locations and then combine the grapes for different wine styles. The northern slopes of Montalcino ripen slowly, while the southern and western slopes produce powerful and complex flavors after exposure to extra sunlight and the ocean breeze.
La Fortuna is a producer we discovered on one of our trips to Italy. Super friendly people, and they make some outstanding juice!
The flavor of youth, and other tasting notes
“Young” Brunellos, or those that have been aged under a decade have a markedly different taste than older vintages. From a young Brunello, you can expect bold fruit flavors, extreme tartness and a sharp finish in the mouth that may leave you licking your lips! You’ll detect subtle flowers like violets and potpourri, fruits like cherries, wild strawberries, blackberries and cranberries and earthy notes of soil and espresso.
With at least 10 years of aging, the fresh tartness of the fruit flavors recede and reveal sweeter notes coupled with chocolates and hazel. The acidity mutes and the finish becomes less sharp and striking in older Brunellos as well. You’ll taste figs, sweet cherries, hazelnuts and the notes of leisurely sun-baked leather.
Both young and old will be prone to high tannins, high acidity and prominent fruit flavors that do not recede but merely soften with aging. It can easily age several decades or more.
Serving tips
Any bottle of Brunello di Montalcino should be uncorked well in advance to serving in order to allow it to breathe. Prior to serving, the bottle should be stored in a cool, dark place lying down. It should be served ideally between 64 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit, and if you are serving an older vintage that has been aged ten years or more, the wine should be served in a crystal carafe. Many enthusiasts will let the wine breathe in the carafe overnight to ensure proper aeration and display of its flavors.
Pairing food with Brunello
Brunello di Montalcino, being an Italian wine, naturally has a home at the dinner table.
It pairs best with heavier dishes, such as red meat, game, mushrooms and truffles. Any dish that consists of meat with heavy sauce coverings will be well-paired as well. To give you some inspiration, consider pairing your Brunello with these rosemary lamb chops or a dinner of roast duck.
The Godfather of Montalcino: Tassi
The masters of Brunello: Manzone
Ferruccio Biondi-Santi was responsible for the first single-varietal expressions of Sangiovese which spawned the birth of Brunello di Montalcino as we know it. Click To Tweet
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In some locales, dancers may give a customer a "lap dance", whereby the stripper grinds against the customer's crotch while he is fully clothed in an attempt to arouse him or bring him to climax. Be smart and you will be safe. We cater to active couples and single women in the lifestyle who believe in discretion and building long lasting friendships that have the added excitement of "Swing element". While that type of sex shops continue to exist, since the end of the s there has been an huge evolution in the industry. Prostitution outside the licensed brothels is illegal throughout Nevada. We are fully in support of all efforts to curtail illegal prostitution, sex trafficking and keeping children safe. We wanted everyone who was in this lifestyle to enjoy. Many of transgender patients express that coming out as 'trans' now is what coming out as gay was in the s. Transgender women of color are at an even greater risk for HIV infection than their white rivals. There are thousands of beautiful young women at SecretBenefits. We didn't want one type of group to come out and enjoy our events. Two new types of stores arose in that period, both of them are often though not always, especially not in more socially conservative communities more open to the street and more welcoming to ladies than the older sex shops. The study also indicated that many transgender women may not know their HIV status, due to a series of cultural, social, and economic barriers. If you search online ads and see titles like oriental massage parlor, massage and sauna, beautiful asian girls, exotic massage, complete relief etc. Northern coastal cities such as Eureka have an ongoing problem with significant drug activity, primarily the prevalence of methamphetamine, and property crimes. Most swingers and sexclubs in the U. In some parts of the United States , laws forbid exposure of female nipples, but does not apply if a stripper wears pasties. The latter class of stores tend to be very consciously community-oriented businesses, sponsoring lecture series and being actively involved in sex-related health issues, etc. Strippers in topless clubs can expose their breasts, but not their genitals. On the other hand, there are adult stores that evolved specifically out of a sex-positive culture. Like much of the US, sensitive topics include immigration, race, gay rights, and politics. S citizens visit the state of Baja California, Mexico from California every year with the majority of travelers returning from an enjoyable experience. With over 40 million members, and thousands of transsexual members around the world, TSdates. Gay and Lesbian Want to show your business here? Swinger club differs from a whore house in that, while sex club patrons typically pay an annual membership and nightly entrance fee, they only have an opportunity to have sex with other patrons, and not with sex workers employed by the establishment.
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By FautaurIn Solo Girls4 Comments on Sex clubs in murrieta
4 thoughts on “Sex clubs in murrieta”
Voodoozragore says:
We found that even though you may not have an interest in all types of activities with every couple you meet, we usually find common ground on a friendship level. Northern and Southern California have extremely different cultures, while the rural areas in the Central Valley and Eastern portions of the state differ even more significantly.
Jukora says:
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Gardagami says:
A series of Supreme Court decisions in the s based on the First Amendment to the United States Constitution generally legalized adult shops , while still allowing states and local jurisdictions to limit them through zoning. Currently eight counties in Nevada have active bordellos these are all rural counties ; as of June—July there were 28 legal brothels in Nevada.
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If you are visiting a national or state park, consult park staff to help plan backcountry travel in safer areas.
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JOHN DIES AT THE END (2012)
Studio: Magnet Releasing
Director: Don Coscarelli
Writer: Don Coscarelli, David Wong
Producer: Brad Baruh, Don Coscarelli, Andy Meyers, Roman Perez
Stars: Chase Williamson, Rob Mayes, Clancy Brown, Glynn Turman, Doug Jones, Daniel Roebuck, Paul Giamatti
Two friends and a dog must save mankind from an otherworldly invasion after a sentient drug called Soy Sauce infects users by granting strange psychic abilities.
Through a voice-over, Dave Wong asks a riddle whose answer will reveal the awful secret behind the universe. Dave uses an axe to behead a zombie, but breaks the axe handle in the process. Dave repairs the axe with a new handle from the hardware store. One morning, a small creature appears in his kitchen and he uses the axe again. This time, the blade breaks. Dave repairs the axe with a new blade from the hardware store. Back at home, the zombie Dave killed in the opening scene returns with a new head and says, “that’s the axe that slayed me!” Dave asks, “is he right?”
Reporter Arnie Blondestone meets with Dave in a Chinese restaurant, and Dave begins telling his story. While watching an infomercial for psychic spiritualist Doctor Albert Marconi, Dave receives a phone call from John. At John’s request, Dave goes to John’s place. The two friends meet with a girl named Shelly who says her undead boyfriend is harassing her. The trio goes to the basement of Shelley’s house to investigate. While talking to each other, Dave and John realize that each of them sees Shelly with a different physical appearance. Shelly appears and turns into a bundle of snakes. The doorknob turns into a penis, preventing the two friendss from turning it and leaving. A cooler of meat products assembles itself into a sentient meat monster and mistakes the duo for Marconi. They offer to put the monster on the phone with Marconi and Marconi dispatches the creature over the phone.
Back in the restaurant, Dave accurately predicts the change in Arnie’s pocket and identifies the dates on each coin to prove his heightened abilities. He then accurately describes Arnie’s dream from the night before. Dave then tells Arnie that the story begins two years ago when he went to see John perform with his band Three Arm Sally at a party. Dave talks to his friend Fred Chu by the keg. Justin White plays a joke on Amy Larking by taking her prosthetic hand and throwing it over towards Dave. Amy tells Dave that she has to find her dog because it just bit a Jamaican guy. Dave finds the Jamaican guy, who is impressing partygoers by levitating. The Jamaican guy tells Dave about his last dream and explains its meaning, which mystifies Dave. Dave returns to his truck and finds Amy’s dog, Bark Lee. He takes the dog home.
That night, Dave receives a frantic phone call from John. Dave goes to John and finds him behaving erratically. On the table is a shipping slip. John has no recollection of calling Dave. Dave decides to take John to a hospital. In John’s pocket, Dave finds a syringe. The two friends go to a coffee shop. John says the syringe is filled with a strange drug called Soy Sauce that he got from the Jamaican guy at the party. Among other things, the drug gives John the ability to remember events that have not yet happened. Dave receives a phone call from John even though he is sitting across from him.
Back in the car, Dave calls a priest named Father Shellnut for advice. During the call, Dave accidentally pricks himself with the needle. He sees that the drops from the syringe are alive and he begins hallucinating. Later, a man named Roger North suddenly appears in the backseat. Roger attaches a creature to Dave’s chest and forces Dave to drive. John is passed out. Roger cryptically speaks of an adversary named Korrok and Dave’s important role. Dave uses the car’s cigarette lighter to burn the creature from his chest and then points a gun at Roger. Dave exits the car to finish killing the creature and finds Roger has disappeared when he returns. Detective Lawrence Appleton then appears next to the car and takes Dave and John to the police station.
Appleton interrogates Dave about what happened at the party by the lake. Appleton tells Dave that nine people went to the One Ball Inn after the party. Three of them are missing, five are dead, and John is the only known survivor. Appleton is called from the room. When he returns, he tells Dave that John died.
At the restaurant, Dave takes Arnie outside and shows him a creature in his car to prove that he is telling the truth about all of the strange happenings. Continuing the story, Dave receives a phone call from John, even though John is dead, telling Dave to leave the police station. John tells Dave that the police officer in the room with him is not real. Dave fights the man, whose mustache turns into a creature, and eventually escapes. John proves the surreal nature of their situation by having Dave purchase a bratwurst on the street and using it like a phone.
Dave is directed to the trailer park home of Robert Marley, the Jamaican guy from the party. Inside, he watches footage of himself on the television being shot by Detective Appleton. In the kitchen, Dave finds two pills of Soy Sauce that turn into flies. One flies into his mouth while the other burrows into his face. Dave has a vision of distracting a man at a munitions factory. Appleton enters with a can of gasoline. Appleton tells Dave that when he came to Marley’s to investigate the deaths, he found gangsta wannabee Justin White being consumed by small creatures, but he was untouched when Appleton returned with a shotgun. Appleton just wants to destroy everything. He shoots Dave but the dud bullet from the munitions factory bounces off his chest. With the trailer on fire, Bark Lee drives the truck into the wall and rescues Dave.
John speaks to Dave telepathically through Bark Lee. The Soy Sauce creatures are taking over the planet by hatching inside the host bodies. Justin White waits for Dave at his home. Justin is now consumed by a creature who calls himself “Sh*tload.” Justin captures Dave.
Dave awakens in the back of a truck with John, Fred, Amy, and Bark Lee. Justin takes them to The Mall of the Dead. Inside the abandoned mall is a ghost door. John sees the package that he sent to himself earlier. Justin opens it and the note inside the box leads him to a trashcan outside the mall. When Justin goes to investigate, Appleton appears and kills him. Appleton then captures the group, but he explodes when the creatures hatch inside of him. Freddie is then consumed by the creatures and Dave shoots him. Back in the mall, Amy uses her phantom limb to open the ghost door, but only Dave, John, and Bark Lee make it through.
On the other side, Roger North meets Dave and John. Marconi also appears and explains that Dave and John have the ability to pass through to the other side of the portal in front of them. They are needed to defeat Korrok. Marconi gives them “The Tripper,” a C4 bomb with a hallucinogen, and the duo goes through the portal with Bark Lee to incapacitate Korrok.
In an alternate universe, Dave and John are met by a Largeman surrounded by naked men and women. Everyone is wearing a mask. Dave and John are taken to a shrine in their honor as their coming had been foretold by legend. Largeman explains that their two worlds were on similar timelines that separated with the birth of Cyrus Rooney in 1848. In Dave and John’s world, Rooney died in Tennessee at the age of 17 when he was gored to death while trying to crossbreed a bull with a Clydesdale. In Largeman’s world, Rooney lived and continued his experiments in beastiology. This led to breakthroughs in creating insectile flying machines and a thinking machine from the brain of a pig. When Rooney died, his creation of a bio-organic computer gained sentience and named itself Korrok. Korrok carried on Rooney’s work to advance mankind. Those who did not conform underwent re-education, which is the term for using giant spiders to kill them.
Largeman takes Dave and John to Korrok’s chamber. Those with special wisdom are sacrificed to Korrok so that Korrok may assimilate their knowledge. Largeman plans to serve Dave and John to Korrok so that Korrok can learn how to travel through the portal and conquer Earth. Dave and John resist the henchman but drop the bomb in the process. Bark Lee picks up the bomb and sacrifices himself by jumping into Korrok while Dave and John escape. Back in their world, Marconi explains that Dave and John were actually Bark Lee’s escorts. Bark Lee was psychically connected to Marconi ever since he bit Marley at the lake party. Dave and John were used because they were innocuous and would not be seen as a serious threat.
Dave finishes telling his story to Arnie. Dave realizes that Arnie is actually an old black man, even though Dave sees him as a balding white man. They go outside and find Arnie’s dead body in his car’s trunk. Someone killed Arnie after Dave contacted him and he now exists only in Dave’s imagination. Dave blinks Arnie out of existence.
Dave and John are shooting hoops when their basketball goes through a portal. On the other side, men appear claiming that Dave and John’s coming had been prophesized and they are needed to save this other world. Dave and John say that they have to retrieve some items first and then just go back to their own world, leaving the men on their own.
“John Dies at the End,” or “JDATE” for those who prefer an affectionate abbreviation, is such a psychotropic joyride through horrifyingly imaginative ideas about time, space, and multidimensional alien takeovers that describing it in the limited terms available on this Earth does it a disservice. JDATE begins by posing a hypothetical question about a resilient zombie, a grotesque space slug, and a hand axe that just cannot keep it together. Anyone left scratching his/her head after these first three minutes will still have that itch for the next hour and a half. But anyone cracking a smile when the riddle is revealed can buckle up for that aforementioned joyride.
Describing buddies Dave and John as slackers would not be quite accurate. Regardless of their slightly disheveled college kid appearances, they know how to step up when it comes time to battle interplanetary forces and demonic veal cutlets. A sentient alien drug dubbed “Soy Sauce” has the somewhat desirable side effect of granting transcendent psychic abilities such as remembering events that have not yet happened. What the drug’s users do not know is that they are actually playing host to the machinations of an otherworldly monster determined to rule the planet. Guess who stands in that monster’s way?
Rob Mayes plays John as a more manic Jerry O’Connell while Chase Williamson’s Dave is a more subdued Topher Grace. Together, the duo takes the reins of a sometimes unsteady jalopy and grounds the far out fantasy with a touch of reality that is surprisingly relatable.
Writer/director Don Coscarelli paces the script, based on Justin Pargin’s novel, with a staccato mania that hardly takes a breath. Save for a brief musical interlude during a party scene, there is rarely more than a 10 second gap between lines of dialogue, exchanged at a rate of witticism that would make Trapper and Hawkeye proud. Even scenes of Dave recounting his tale for reporter Arnie Blondestone (Paul Giamatti) while seated in a Chinese restaurant take on a frenetic urgency. Their sweat-beaded foreheads stare each other down while sorting out impossible revelations that Arnie wants to believe, even if his rational mind tells him otherwise. His rapt attention echoes the audience’s while everyone eagerly anticipates the next brain-teasing tidbit of mindbending forbidden knowledge.
JDATE is brimming with ideas that it literally cannot afford to realize. Sadder than the prospect of an impending apocalypse is the dawning notion that JDATE is felled by the arrow of its production checkbook. That Coscarelli even attempted such a broadly imaginative narrative despite missing a zero in the bank account is admirable. Though there are places in the story where wild thoughts burst at seams that are quickly sewn up due to necessity. A good film could have been exceptional if it had the ability to take off its leash and run in every direction it pointed.
Being no stranger to wild ideas on restrictive budgets, Coscarelli still shows his talent for making lemonade by finding inventive ways to wring out a penny like a soaked sponge, and uncovers humor in the process. The meat monster with a turkey head and hot dog sinew is one of the most memorable and original creatures in any recent horror film. Substituting a giant spider massacre with a creative cartoon not only tackles the visual presentation challenge, but the animated diversion adds unique opportunities for comedy. In some ways, the budgetary drawbacks evident on certain FX almost fit the movie’s tone. Green screen halos that would make George Lucas cringe have a charm befitting Dave and John’s rough-edged personalities. And the personality of JDATE, as well.
Like Dave and John, “John Dies at the End” is so likeable that it is hard not to forgive it for being occasionally unreliable. Ire at good friends is usually short-lived, and that is the case here, too. Keeping with that metaphor, “John Dies at the End” is like that friend who shows up at midnight and says, “get in the car” without telling you the destination. Although annoyed by having to get out of bed and entertain a borderline mental case, part of you is thankful that you even know someone out of the ordinary who can inject a breath of adventure into an otherwise dull life. Sometimes you just have to throw average to the wind and take a chance on experiencing something uniquely entertaining.
March 27, 2013 by Ian Sedensky.
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C SDG
Movie audiences reliably enjoy just about every ingredient involved in Bend It Like Beckham, an East-meets-West comedy about an Indian family living in London’s Hounslow borough. It blends the cross-cultural and familial dynamics of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, the cultural accoutrements of Monsoon Wedding, the underdog-athlete-overcoming-obstacles plot of every sports-themed movie from The Rookie to Rocky, and the feel-good milieu of all these films.
Directed by Gurinder Chadha. Parminder K. Nagra, Keira Knightley, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Anupam Kher, Archie Panjabi. Fox Searchlight (2003 US).
Teens & Up*
Sporadic crude language and sexual references; sexual themes including implied nonmarital sex and references to characters’ suspected and actual homosexuality; girls’ locker-room footage (no explicit nudity); occasional profanity; frequent lying to parents; characters praying to the founder of Sikhism.
It also features a love triangle, teenage rebellion and coming of age, comic misunderstandings, and as tidily happy an ending as anyone could wish. As an added bonus, American audiences unfamiliar with football culture abroad (that would be the world of soccer to us) will learn who David Beckham is (an English Premiereship superstar) and what "bending it" means (kicking the ball to curve it past the goalkeeper). So what’s not to like?
On the other hand, Bend It Like Beckham is less inspired and more formulaic than any of the films mentioned above. There’s nothing here to compare to the subtlety, beauty, and moral depth of Monsoon Wedding, the endearing eccentricities of Greek Wedding’s characters (e.g., Toula’s father with his Windex and improvisational etymologies), or The Rookie’s genuine love of its sport and positive Christian background.
Where those movies celebrated family relationships, Bend It Like Beckham is much more a celebration of individuality and pursuing one’s dreams in spite of family opposition. Granted, this is a matter of degree and emphasis; and of course pursuing one’s dreams in spite of family opposition isn’t necessarily bad. Yet the film’s mantra that parents don’t always know what’s best for you, that you have to live your own life, etc., is repeated so often that it becomes tiresome, and overwhelms any positive appreciation for family life, except perhaps appreciation for parents who give children room to Be Themselves.
Jesminder Bhamra (engaging newcomer Parminder Nagra) spends too much of the film running around deceiving her traditional Sikh parents (Bollywood star Anupam Kher and Shaheen Khan) in order to play football after being recruited for a local girls’ team by the team’s star player, rail-shaped Juliette (Keira Knightley, Star Wars: Episode I).
The two girls, androgynously nicknamed Jess and Jules, quickly become fast friends, a relationship that’s always more palpable than the romantic tension either is supposed to have with the team’s brooding coach, Joe (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Ride With the Devil), an Irish lad whose own footballer days were ended by a knee injury.
Besides this rote romantic triangle, the story is overpadded with sitcom misunderstandings, including subplots in which Jess is believed to have been witnessed kissing a blond boy, Jules and Jess are thought by Jules’s overwrought mum (Juliet Stevenson, Nicholas Nickleby) to be lesbian lovers, Jess is caught in Joe’s arms by her father (though he’s actually only comforting her after a racial slur from an opposing player), and a supporting character who is thought to fancy a member of the opposite sex turns out to actually be gay.
In a twist on formula moviemaking convention, it’s the mothers who are unreasonably intolerant of their daughters’ interest and the fathers who are more sympathetic or flexible. Jules’ dad (Frank Harper, Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels) bends the ball with her in their back yard while her mum frets that "there’s a reason why Sporty Spice is the only one without a fellow."
Jess’s mother is similarly disapproving, contrasting Jess unfavorably to her sugar-and-spice older sister, the delicately nicknamed Pinky (Archie Panjabi), who is already engaged to a nice Indian boy, while Jess — Guru Nanak preserve us — cannot even make chapattis. Jess’s dad retains some dignity as a proud immigrant wounded by memories of exclusion from English clubs after first emigrating to the UK, fearful lest his daughter suffer similar ostracism, but open-minded enough to slip into the stands and try to appreciate her talent.
The broadest caricature is Jules’ mother, who lapses into Indian-themed free association whenever she sees Jess ("I made a lovely curry the other day") and creates a humiliating scene over the suspected lesbianism of her daughter and Jess. She’s relieved to finally learn that the girls are not in fact lesbians, though she’s also quick to agree with her daughter’s "not that there’s anything wrong it" disclaimer. ("I was rooting for Martina Navratilova as much as the next person.")
Although it’s not a Bollywood film, like many Indian films Bend It throws in a traditional wedding with lots of color and activity, though director Chadha lacks the visual poetry that Mira Nair brought to Monsoon Wedding. Also, the movie never really lets us care too much about Pinky — and about her fiancé not at all — so there’s no emotional depth to the wedding footage; it’s just an interruption in the football sequences, which are what really matter.
In spite of these weaknesses, the three Js (Jess, Jules, and Joe) are appealing enough to keep things watchable, predictable as the story is. But was it necessary for the film to take such a clear interest in all the locker-room clothes changing? All the closeups of girls in sports bras slipping into and out of their street clothes seem intended to gratify guys accompanying their girlfriends to a girl-empowerment chick flick. Speaking for myself, I would rather have seen more football, well played and well photographed.
Tags: Drama, Romance, Sports
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