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Heat Seeker? Cool Hunter? I've Got a Book For You
I find that people fall into two distinct camps in life: those who long for the hot humid days of summer to stretch on forever…
...and those who pull out their knitting needles in August in feverish anticipation of the increased sartorial options that autumn weather brings.
Guess which camp I'm in?
(Fingerless mittens. Knit kit from Wool and the Gang HERE.)
That being said, I read several books this summer that made me take another look at the undeniable pleasures of sun, sand and Sangria. Below, a half dozen reads to suit whichever side of the thermometer you prefer to perch on.
FOR HEAT SEEKERS
The White Goddess: An Encounter by Simon Gough
Location: Mallorca
Heat factor: Scorching. Swimsuits optional.
(HERE.)
I love this book so much. Set in the artistic enclave of Deya, Mallorca in the 1960's and written by Robert Graves grand nephew, it's a "subjective" memoir (i.e. all true but he doesn't want to get into a James Frey situation) with a deeply intoxicating cast of characters. There's Robert, the world-famous poet who oscillates between magnanimous host and irascible hermit, Margot, the bewitching mistress/muse, Beryl, the long-suffering supercool wife, and a steady stream of visiting artists and eccentrics who put on plays in the backyard grotto and argue and dance until dawn. When Simon falls head over heels in love with one of Robert's mistresses, well, there's that wee little complication too.
Do me a favor -- take seven minutes of your life and watch this interview with the author HERE. My bet is you'll be smitten too.
(Robert Graves and one of his mistresses, Deya, 1970's. Via.)
The Rock Pool by Cyril Connolly
Location: South of France
Heat factor: Hot, oppressive. Open-necked shirt, sailor trousers.
(Image via. Buy it HERE.)
The Rock Pool was Cyril Connolly's only novel (you can read a more extensive post I wrote about him HERE). It chronicles the adventures of an aspiring writer in search of the chic Riviera lifestyle depicted in F. Scott Fitzgerald's Tender is the Night but who discovers instead a small French artists' colony that's altogether darker and more callous. Connolly writes with strong undertones of sexuality. Take this passage:
"Dry again?" said the Crab to the Rock-Pool. "So would you be," replied the Rock-Pool, if you had to satisfy, twice a day, the insatiable sea."
Characters are always always sleeping off hangovers in dark airless rooms and the feeling tends to stay with you -- you'll want to make sure you stay hydrated while reading this book.
Let It Come Down by Paul Bowles
Location: Tangier
Heat factor: Fry-an-egg-on-the-sidewalk hot, but wear a jacket anyway, you're going to a party.
Bowles' second novel, Let It Come Down, is set among the Tangier elite ("Tangerinas") and has a fish-out-of-water American protagonist but there's more drugs, more parties, and more corruption than in The Sheltering Sky -- think Less Than Zero meets Casablanca. Bowles' spare stylized prose packs a wallop: he doesn't go heavily into description but with a cafe called Lucifer, he doesn't have to. And in true Bowles fashion, just when you think you're having fun, there's a bit of nihilism to remind you where you're headed:
"If you let yourself have a really good time, your health goes to pieces, and if your health goes, your looks go. The awful part is that in the end, no matter what you have done, no matter how careful you may have been, everything falls apart anyway."
FOR COOL HUNTERS
The Post Office Girl by Stefan Zweig
Cool factor: Bracing mountain air. Wear your summer ermine.
If you're new to Stefan Zweig, this is a very good place to start. The story of a penniless village girl who receives a Cinderella invitation from her aunt to stay at a luxury Alpine spa, it starts off stylishly and spirals disturbingly downward, a Zweig literary hallmark. But oh! the textiles! From fur-lined cloaks to embroidered bedspreads and felted alpenwear, you'll completely forget that outside it's ninety in the shade.
Interesting tidbit: Wes Anderson based "The Grand Budapest Hotel" partly on Zweig's description of the hotel in The Post Office Girl. Read all about it HERE.
A Story Lately Told by Angelica Huston
Location: Ireland, memorably
Cool factor: Misty, damp. Turf fires, Aran sweaters, riding boots.
I started listening to this on a recent 3,000 mile road trip and was immediately captivated by Angelica's lyrical evocation of her childhood in a romantic manor house in Ireland. It's all there: the sparkling hoarfrost at dawn, the roaring fires in the hearth, the fox hunts and the buttoned-up Irish nannies stirring porridge on the stove. Listen to it on Audible and I wouldn't be surprised if you told me you'd knitted a sweater by the last chapter.
(St. Clerans, where Angelica grew up. Via.)
The Worst Journey in the World by Cherry Apsley-Garrard
Location: South Pole
Cool factor: A frigid hell beyond all imagining.
Cherry Apsley-Garrard was one of the only surviving members of Scott's doomed expedition to the South Pole and his memoir of their hardships makes for a gripping read. What elevates the book to a classic, however, is the record Garrard gives of his team's spirit and grace in the face of heartbreaking odds. It's a stirring testament to the tenacity and -- yes -- humor that lies at the core of the British character:
"Polar exploration is at once the cleanest and most isolated way of having a bad time which has been devised."
"I am glad The Worst Journey is [being published by] Penguin; after all it is largely about penguins."
Read with a tumblerful of Scotch within arm's reach.
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The Mystery of Magritte
Published by Virtuo of Brussels, Belgium and distributed by Macmillan Interactive Publishing
Available for purchase online.
This review was contributed by Basil Lee of London, England.
This is a "must have" CD-ROM for art lovers and for anyone with a curious imagination.
The disk autoruns in Windows 95/98, and starts with a video interview with the artist which piece by piece clears to reveal a typically mysterious self-portrait. From the outset we see Magritte in his daily garb of business suit and tie, a strange contrast with the wildly imaginative paintings and sculpture which are to be seen here.
There is excellent navigation, with animations, photographs and links to his symbols, biography, craft and the works, and to surrealism in his time. The navigation is full of surprises, emphasising the sense of magic present in Magritte's pictures. Throughout we are treated to an exposition of the artist's ideas, as much by graphic examples as by the spoken word and text.
The devices he employed are explained economically yet with a satisfying feeling of completeness, and his use of a very personal set of symbols is illustrated; nowhere is there a concession to merely popular taste. The paintings can be seen in small, enlarged to full screen, and (to a limited extent) in detail, with optional spoken accompaniment often by the artist himself. Clever use is made of windows, each with a handy toolbar permitting expansion of information. The index leads to a huge collection of fine reproductions of the works.
Snatches of atmospheric music heighten the mystery, but the mood is lightened by a game in which we are invited to choose titles for some of the pictures on a multiple choice basis. Correct responses are rewarded with the picture in full screen; get it wrong and Magritte himself appears, his hand across his face.
The magic is in the images, but that has certainly infected the composition of a magnificent CD-ROM.
[Art Posters] [Home] [Juxtapositions] [Galleries] [Theory and Criticism] [Art CD-ROM Reviews] [Artchive] [Links]
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Home | June 2014 | April 2014
Chef (R)
Directed by: Jon Favreau
Starring: Jon Favreau
This review was originally tweeted in Real-time from the back row of a movie theater and appears @BackRoweReviews. Though efforts were made to tease rather than ruin this movie’s memorable lines and moments, some spoilers may exist in the following evaluation. The original tweets appear in black, while follow-up comments appear in red. For concerns over objectionable content, please first refer to one of the many parental movie guide websites. All ratings are based on a four star system. Happy reading!
The whole hog for review day.
A piece of fruit versus kettle corn. Guess which one wins.
One look at Favreau should answer that question. He almost had me sold on the fruit, though.
Favreau tells Hoffman his restaurant is in a “creative rut.”
Hoffman tells Favreau to cook his favorite hits. Favreau tells Hoffman to take his job and shove it…which was a hit in 1977 by Johnny Paycheck.
Favreau’s son helps him create a #Twitter account. Welcome to social media.
Favreau sends his first tweet. Love the bird animation and tweet sound effect.
Favreau gets a crash course on the public nature of #Twitter.
It’s not like texting, folks. I’m always happy when Twitter gains exposure in movies since I use it in conveying my reviews, but are people really this ignorant over the medium in question? Sometimes I think it’s a little overdetermined like in Draft Day when Costner’s mom (Ellen Burstyn) uses Twitter and he doesn’t. And “dummys” on the subject always call it “twittering.”
Review redux. Showdown creates a media firestorm.
TMZ would have a field day over such a demonstrative meltdown.
New job: be a nanny in Miami.
Wish I can take credit for the rhyme, but it’s in the dialog.
Iron Man gives Favreau a taco truck.
How to make a Cubano sandwich. A delectable scene.
Lady and the Tramp photo op with cop is hilarious.
Cornstarch on ware wolves. Sidesplittingly funny.
Correction: werewolves. This scene is a bit crass but it’s extremely hilarious, especially if you’re a fan of random gags.
Austin Midnight sandwich for $7. Looks delicious.
Actually, as tasty as that sandwich appears, I’d gladly pay $20 for one.
One second video is a special moment.
It’s amazing what kids can do with technology these days. Oops, just dated myself.
Final analysis: a delicious repast of father/son, road trip and follow your dreams tropes served with flair.
Rating: 3 out of 4 stars. A feel good film with plenty of laughs and heartwarming moments. Worth a watch.
Favreau has spent the better part of the last decade behind the camera, so it’s nice to see him acting again, and what’s more, in a leading role that he can really sink his teeth into. As the title would suggest, this movie is all about food, so viewers are strongly cautioned not to enter the theater on an empty stomach…otherwise you might find that you’re one limb short when you leave. As for me, I was stuffed to the gills when I saw the film and I was still salivating throughout the movie. There’s not much more I can add to my above analysis, and I don’t want to ruin any of the movie’s many memorable moments. This is a highly pleasurable film where the plot has just as much meat as the dishes it serves. Chef is a rare treat that’s not to be missed. Order up!
Tags: Comedy, Drama
X-Men: Days of Future Past (PG-13)
Directed by: Bryan Singer
Starring: Patrick Stewart
Bleak dystopian intro presents a desolate landscape akin to the one in the #Terminator films.
The only thing missing is the metallic men with laser weapons.
Intense opening battle. Wouldn’t want to run into one of the Sentinels in a dark alley.
Speaking of metallic assailants, the Sentinels are truly fear-inspiring, not only in how they appear and move, but in their ability to assimilate mutant abilities. Are we witnessing the birth of the Borg?
Wolvie is transported back to 1973. Is transported through a lava lamp and wakes up on a waterbed.
Groovy!
School’s out, the professor’s sauced and a big, bad, blue wolf is on the loose.
That’s the mother of all JFK conspiracy theories.
“It’s cool, but it’s disgusting.” True, bone claws aren’t nearly as sleek as metal ones.
Whip...lash! Cool visual.
Quicksilver’s run around the room is reminiscent of the Hammy’s sprint in #OverTheHedge.
Although this sort of thing has been done before, especially with the alacritous red clad lad from the DC stable of heroes, this is the most creative and exciting sequence in the entire movie. However, I can see why director Bryan Singer chose to sit this mutant on a couch during the final climactic sequence: Quicksilver’s special ability would’ve swiftly undone every villainous act committed by Magneto and would’ve robbed Mystique’s fateful decision of any urgency and dramatic value.
“Looks can be deceiving.” Truer words have never been spoken...by Mystique.
Beast Hulks out and Logan is stricken by amnesia.
Trask wants Mystique for “research purposes.” Sure!
Charles mindmelds with Logan. The finger placement is a little off.
Correction: mind-meld. I should know better. Speaking of…
Nice ST:TOS episode clip from “Tomorrow is Yesterday.” Another time travel story.
It always pains me to admit when I’m incorrect on this particular subject, but the episode in question is “The Naked Time,” which I originally surmised and then second-guessed myself on. Both episodes use the shipboard chronometer located to the right of Sulu’s station, and I selected “Yesterday” because the Enterprise returns to Earth circa 1969, in a similar manner to Wolverine returning to 1973 in this movie. Based on that plot similarity, “Yesterday” actually would’ve made a stronger allusion since the ship merely skips back in time three days (seventy-one hours to be precise) in “Naked.” In my defense, there’s very little to go off of in these clips (a planet would’ve given it away in two seconds flat) and some segments seem to have been repeated. Apology and apologetics aside, it’s quite ingenious how Singer wove this ancillary, yet pertinent, tidbit into the tapestry of the film. Mise-en-scene at its finest.
Charles uses a Jedi mind trick to get through security.
Just figured I’d provide equal opportunity to the other major sci-fi universe.
Magneto turns a stadium into a mother ship.
This is the only story element in the movie that seems contrived to me. Since Magneto can pull metal from anywhere to create a barricade, absconding with an entire stadium seems a bit excessive. It’s a giant set piece that seems more appropriate for an old style Batman movie, and just seems unnecessary for the story at hand.
Wolvie attacked by rebar snakes.
A very visceral visual.
Logan wakes up to the Golden Oldies. There and back again.
Even Cyclops wears #Oakley shades.
Other than the gray in Halle Berry’s hair, it’s remarkable how little this cast has aged since their first film together back in 2000.
Final analysis: a decent time travel yarn without too many cheesy comic book clichés.
Rating: 3 out of 4 stars. Next up in the Marvel-verse: #GuardiansOfTheGalaxy.
Mixing older and younger versions of the same characters in one movie is an exciting premise, but also a risky one. Part of the movie’s appeal is seeing older and younger selves interact with each other, as in the case of Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart and James McAvoy). The constant threat of the Sentinels, the bracing time travel story line and the novelty of the 70s trappings all make for a unique comic-to-cinema tale. Featuring fan favorite Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) as the focal point and linchpin of the plot was a wise choice—this is Jackman’s seventh appearance as Wolvie. Perhaps it has something to do with her Oscar, but Jennifer Lawrence, aka Raven/Mystique, has been given more to do in this movie than in the previous one…I don’t know many teenage boys who are disappointed by that fact. Peter Dinklage is terrific as Trask, an opportunist who misguidedly thinks he’s furnishing the world with the security it desperately needs. If the movie has a weak link, it’s a story that’s so preoccupied with the impending extinction of mutantkind that it’s really a rather joyless affair. Quicksilver (Evan Peters) adds some levity during his five minutes of screen time, but the balance of the movie is an earnest, glum exercise in entropy. The movie is thought provoking at times, pulse pounding at others, but is it truly enjoyable? In the end, it’s just nice seeing all of our old and new friends together in one film, although some are little more than set dressing. So how does this latest film measure up to earlier efforts? It’s the best X-Men film since X2 (2003). However, for the next sequel I recommend lightening it up a bit. Since Jackman and Marsden can sing, how about a few musical numbers? X-Men: The Musical. Stick a pin in it.
Million Dollar Arm (PG)
Directed by: Craig Gillespie
Starring: Jon Hamm
Million Dollar Baby was already taken, so Disney settled on Arm. Don’t believe a word I say.
“A highly improbable challenge” to turn a cricket bowler into a baseball pitcher.
With unlimited time and money, this feat might be attainable. But training two Indian teens (who have never even touched a baseball before) to become pitchers on a professional baseball team within one year would be a ludicrous proposition, right? Keep watching.
“Indians love honking and bypassing the system.”
This makes for a funny scene, but I wonder how many Indians would feel mischaracterized by this statement. The two Indian lads (neither of whom like cricket, which exposes another stereotype imposed upon Indians…that they all love cricket) observe that Hamm’s character is always hustling. By extension, making the comment that all Americans maintain a fast pace of life would be an equally prejudicial remark to the one quoted above.
Tryout day. Long lines of low velocity throwers. Arkin gets plenty of shut eye.
As always, Arkin is a hoot in this movie. He seems to be Hollywood’s go-to actor for playing a curmudgeon with a heart. As a side note, I was in the audience when Arkin introduced a movie he starred in at this year’s TCM Film Fest. The “real” Arkin seems far less irascible than his frequent onscreen personas, but every once in a while I detected a hint of that patented back east brusqueness.
The last contestant is called “The Flamingo.” Aptly named.
The double hurl scene is disgusting.
I’d trade my sports car in for a minivan after that too. Can you really ever get the smell out?
Finger cut shouldn’t effect the cutter.
Correction: affect, not effect. Didn’t have time to reason it out.
All of India will be watching. No pressure.
Tough sledding in Tempe.
Arkin’s ploy with the Pirates’ scout not only keeps the Indian boys’ dreams alive, it also saves Hamm’s bacon. Er…
“Thank you” meal is a sweet scene.
Final analysis: a predictable, yet heartwarming true sports story.
Rating: 2 1/2 out of 4 stars. The footage of the actual players during the end credits is a nice touch.
Though there isn’t anything earth-shattering in the movie, it tells a mildly intriguing tale of courage in the face of impossible odds. There’s virtually no narrative complexity here and the characterizations are fairly cardboard, except for Lake Bell’s next door nurse, whose compassion and honesty lend the film the smallest modicum of genuine human emotion. The uncomplicated plot and a cause and effect, some might even call it paint-by-numbers, story line render the movie predictable at every turn. Those who prefer straightforward stories with lollipops and roses endings will be pleased to no end with this movie. Those who prefer more complexity and artistry in their entertainment will find this film borderline insufferable. There’s no doubt that the follow-your-dreams elements are a tremendous asset to the movie, as is the location footage shot in India, but the sum total here is far less than it could’ve been…and one could justifiably blame Disney’s family friendly formula for that. Is the film inspirational? Undeniably. Is it as inspirational as other Disney sports films such as The Rookie (2002) and Miracle (2004)? Not even close. Like the early efforts of the Indian pitchers, this movie is slow and out of the strike zone.
Tags: Biography, Drama, Sport
3 Days to Kill (PG-13)
Directed by: McG
Starring: Kevin Costner
The dollar sign is on the wrong side of the numeral…long day at the movies.
Why are albinos always bad guys, a la #ThePretender?
The opening attack is pretty standard action movie fare…would’ve been nice to see a more elaborate scenario with edgier filming. And since Luc Besson is the co-writer, you’d almost expect that degree of punch and panache from the movie’s action sequences.
Costner is admonished to put his affairs in order.
A phrase no one ever wants to hear.
“Yellow is not a man’s color.”
Neither is purple, as he’s soon to find out.
Costner rides a purple bike through Paris.
“Kill or die,” says the comely woman in the hot sports car.
Well, when she puts it like that…
Costner ties up a bad guy with the handy man’s secret weapon. Reference #TheRedGreenShow.
You’ll be amazed at the myriad things you can create with the stuff.
“The spare’s loose in the trunk.” Funny scene.
Funny, but farcical. A spare tire can’t move on its own inside a parked car…unless we’ve unknowingly drifted into a horror movie.
Bike riding lessons...a sweet scene.
With a gorgeous vantage of the city in the background.
“Real football.” I love it.
Guido’s secret sauce...hilarious scene.
The funniest scene in the movie, but the trailer absolutely ruined it.
More lessons...dancing this time.
But the mom’s (Connie Nielsen) entrance at that particular moment, arranged for maximum emotional effect, is more than a little contrived.
Costner really knows how to crash a party.
Fitting, I suppose, since he was a bodyguard in a former (acting) life.
Final analysis: a unique blend of action and humor in this job vs. family themed film.
Some beautiful European locales along with a few Bourne-esque action sequences are a boon to the film.
Rating: 3 out of 4 stars. Another solid turn by Costner and McG’s finest directorial effort to date.
Despite its thematic tensions, something about this movie just works. It’s a serious movie about serious matters that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Thank goodness for small miracles. If played straight, the movie would’ve imploded since it falls far short of the quality seen in a Bourne or Bond Euro flavored action thriller. The film explores the lighter side of a genre where life and death stakes normally belie any modicum of levity. Tonally, the movie falls somewhere between Bourne and Red—a sizable dramatic chasm, to be sure. Some will, wrongly, view the film as a spoof, while others will be thrown by how it tries to wear two hats (or masks)—the light and the dark (reference the movie poster), the comedic and the dramatic. Such tonal shifts didn’t bother me because Costner is utterly convincing as a man with literally nothing to lose (except for the respect and admiration of his family) and because he navigates back and forth between the narrative poles with masterful ease. I can see where viewers expecting an all-out action film will be disappointed by the movie’s comedic bits and schmaltzy daddy/daughter scenes; the atypical blend of story elements will surely attract some viewers while repelling others, as any work of art will do when pushing the envelope. To me, the movie’s uniqueness is what sets it apart from a standard action picture and makes it an enjoyable entertainment. But if you disagree with my assessment, please don’t kill the messenger.
Tags: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Frozen (PG)
Directed by: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee
Starring: Kristen Bell
Love the part writing on the opening choral number.
Gorgeous animation on the ice breaking scene.
This sequence harkens back to diminutive laborers swinging pickaxes in a diamond mine in Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (1937)…but without all the “Heigh-Hos.”
The king seeks aid from rolling rocks.
There’s a really good rock ‘n’ roll joke in there somewhere, but chances are it’ll end in a groan. And neither of us wants that.
“Do you want to build a snowman?” Wow, what an emotionally charged back story.
This heart-rending sequence approaches the master level storytelling exhibited in the opening montage of Up (2009). Boy does it hit the mark.
Water fountain ice sculpture and walk across the lake are brilliant.
There’s some superb animation in this section of the film.
My God, the “frozen fractals” CGI is utterly jaw-dropping.
Ditto to the previous remark times a million.
Olaf dreams of summer. Funny how we always long for what we can never have or will lead to our destruction.
Just human, or snowman, nature I suppose.
The duet by the sisters reminds me of the “Defying Gravity” song in Wicked.
Fitting since one of the singers in that song also lends her voice here, Idina Menzel.
Ice queen gives her sister a snow lock like Simon in #TheDragonboneChair.
This book, the first in a trilogy written by Tad Williams, should be essential reading for fantasy lovers.
“My own personal flurry.” Hilarious!
Unlike many of the cutesy sidekicks in the 90s and 00s Disney movies, Olaf doesn’t work too hard to be funny…he just is. He’s also charming, which is more than I can say for many of the “comic relief” characters from the period in question.
Final analysis: a beautifully rendered animated film that features some funny and touching moments.
This film is the perfect marriage between classical Disney magic and Pixar’s storytelling brilliance.
If Disney wants to regain its dominance in the industry, this film should serve as a template.
Rating: 3 1/2 out of 4 stars. Pure animation excellence and well deserving of its Oscars.
Of course, it’s easy to gush in retrospect, but this film certainly deserved the Oscars it won back in March, including the coveted Best Animated Feature Film. Thanks in large part to the creative guidance of John Lasseter, the gap between Disney and Pixar animated films has significantly narrowed. More homogeneity exists between both animation houses at present than ever before and it just makes sense that Disney/Pixar films should possess the same level of quality and creative consistency across the brand…the results have been largely lopsided until now. Besides the eye-popping CGI, there are also plenty of other things to celebrate in the film, not the least of which is co-director Jennifer Lee’s screenplay based upon Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen.” There are many classical Disney flourishes in the film along with some fresh elements too, like the clever twist on the hackneyed story device where a character can only be reanimated by “true love’s kiss.” The movie boasts the finest musical numbers in any Disney movie since Beauty and the Beast (1991). There isn’t a wasted word or note in any of the songs and “Let It Go,” performed by Menzel, justly deserved the Oscar win for Best Original Song. As incredulous as it seems, this is the first Best Animated Film Oscar bestowed upon the Mouse House: since its inception in 2002, the category has been dominated by Pixar. In truth, I’m much more of a Pixar fan than a Disney fan, but I must admit to being completely won over by the film’s charm, heart and visual grandeur. There can be no doubt that Frozen is a giant step in the right direction for Disney. Hopefully, like iron sharpening iron, the two studios will push each other to greater artistic and dramatic achievements in the future. A little sibling (studio) rivalry never hurt anything, right?
Tags: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Musical
Muppets Most Wanted (PG)
Directed by: James Bobin
Starring: Ricky Gervais
Guess I should show more respect for the little green guy. After all, he has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I know ‘cause I’ve seen it.
Really amusing Monsters University short.
Clever opening number about sequels. Did anyone catch The Seventh Seal reference?
One of the lines suggests that this is the seventh film since the original movie. My higher math tells me that there are now eight films in the Muppets series. Certainly a respectable franchise, although it has a long way to go to catch up to James Bond.
Badguy proposes a world tour. What could possibly go wrong?
“Drum solo!” Animal is a crackup.
Don’t worry; he eventually gets his solo…which lasts two hours. Thank God for editing.
Christophe Waltz dances the waltz. Doesn’t get any more tongue-in-cheek than that.
Correction: No “e” in Christoph.
Kermit receives a spork crown at the gulag.
Some people wait their whole lives for such an honor.
Liotta and Trejo doing dance moves is a bigger gas than Chris Cooper doing rap in the last film.
Kermit must direct a prison review or be stuck to “the wall.”
The prison ballet scene is just plain wrong.
These Cabbage Patch Muppets are creepy looking.
They look like Chucky’s illegitimate children.
Piggy sees double at her wedding.
The doppelgänger subplot is older than dirt, but keeps finding its way into movies.
Final analysis: just what you’d expect from a Muppets movie...lots of gags, pratfalls and inside jokes.
With puns and one-liners to spare.
Rating: 2 1/2 out of 4 stars. Not as heartfelt as the previous film, but just as entertaining.
The previous film in the series, The Muppets (2011), was a valentine to the fans and franchise. The movie was delivered with undeniable reverence and passion by co-star/co-writer Jason Segel (TVs How I Met Your Mother), who is a lifelong Muppet lover. The new Muppet introduced in that movie, Walter, was clearly envisioned as a Muppet version of Segel’s younger fan boy self. Though Walter also appears in this film, his involvement is in more of an ancillary capacity. Even though it’s just as amusing, this movie isn’t as from-the-heart as its predecessor. But that isn’t to say it’s without entertainment value. Fey, Gervais, Ty Burrell and a slew of high caliber performers in cameos infuse the movie with sufficient star power and the laughs keep coming at a steady clip throughout the movie. The Spartacus inspired scene near the end of the movie, where all of the Muppets offer themselves up for imprisonment so that they won’t be separated from Kermit, is definitely an emotional high point. All in all, this movie is diverting, family friendly fare that should fill the bill if this is the kind of entertainment you’re in the mood for. In the end, Muppets Most Wanted is exactly what you’d expect it to be. And in this instance, that’s not such a bad thing.
Tags: Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Family, Musical
Walking with the Enemy (PG-13)
Directed by: Mark Schmidt
Starring: Jonas Armstrong
Mr. Kingsley, as you’ll recall, also played a protagonist opposed to the Nazis in Schindler’s List (1993).
1944. Hungary. Nazi invasion. Restrictions. Curfews. And so it begins.
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”
Not so warm welcome at the work camp.
As would be expected…this isn’t the Ritz after all.
Kingsley, the Hungarian leader, must choose the lesser of two evils.
Some good acting here, but nothing that really makes Kingsley flex his acting muscles. Also, too many of the shots in this scene were done from one camera setup, which makes the sequence feel static and unimaginative. A prime indicator of just how time and budget constrained this film is.
American planes arrive. An exciting but short-lived action scene.
Just a guess, but this sequence probably consumed about half of the movie’s budget.
German officers take what they want. Rough scene.
You definitely don’t want to get caught with a radio.
“This piece of paper is someone’s life.” A chilling statement.
This scene has considerable dramatic heft; ironic considering how lightweight the object in question is. Items purchasing freedom for the oppressed echoes the scene at the end of Schindler’s List where Schindler is willing to offer his watch and car to save more lives; a bargain, he bitterly realizes, he’s too late to make.
The greater of two evils stages a coup.
A. Germany. B. Russia. Unless you’re a student of history you have a 50/50 chance of guessing correct.
German officers joke about their “resorts.” Detestable.
Final analysis: an OK WWII tale that’s notable more for its historical importance than its filmmaking.
Rating: 2 1/2 out of 4 stars. Kingsley’s involvement is negligible in a film desperate for his talent.
Despite its obvious dearth of talent, time and money, the movie makes the most of what it has by featuring some impressive on location work. Also, the film’s sets, props and outfits (uniforms play a major role in the film) are all well designed and period appropriate. What holds the movie back is middling performances by a largely no-name cast, a sputtering screenplay by Kenny Golde (the first half of the film really drags and some of it could’ve been condensed or trimmed since the film runs fifteen minutes too long anyway) and standard, largely uninspired direction by Mark Schmidt. What’s sad about the end result here is that this true account is actually an inspiring tale of courage and cleverness in the face of unspeakable evil. One wonders how significant the improvement in overall quality would’ve been if the movie had had a bigger budget, a top shelf director (a la Spielberg, who tends to do well with this period of history) and some real star power. As for Kingsley, he does what he can with what little screen time he’s given, but his presence is more like a cameo than a star turn. On this count, the movie poster, which prominently features Kingsley’s visage, is more than a little disingenuous. Fans of the performer will feel shortchanged by his blink-and-you’ll-miss-it part, while those who know Kingsley only by sight will wonder why this accomplished actor isn’t featured more prominently in the story. Either way, the movie needed more of Kingsley. And more money wouldn’t have hurt either.
Tags: Action, Drama, History, Romance, War
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (PG-13)
Directed by: Marc Webb
Starring: Andrew Garfield
The struggle to upload Roosevelt is quite intense and features a new slice of back story.
However, this opening feels like a teaser on a TV show like The Blacklist rather than an introductory sequence for a blockbuster.
Spidey carries a cellphone? Don’t recall seeing a pocket anywhere on his suit.
Correction: Cell phone. Strangely, Twitter didn’t underline it in red so I went with it. Guess I should’ve trusted that tingling feeling on the back of my neck instead.
Spidey’s dialog here is campy like in the comics...not sure it translates as well to the big screen.
The first fifteen minutes, in particular, are brimming with cheesy one-liners which engender more eye rolls than chuckles. Sure, Tobey Maguire’s Spidey got off his fair share of witty remarks and puns, but there was something charming about his delivery that’s absent from Garfield’s daffy deluge of doltish comments. Enough blathering on the subject, though, lest I become guilty of delivering the same kind of remedial retorts I accuse the wall-crawler of employing here.
Foxx has a Spidey psychosis.
I’m speaking of Foxx’ character, of course, Max…also known as the villain Eelman.
“Change isn’t a slogan.” Hmm. Must exclude campaigns.
I so want to get up on a soap box here, but I shall refrain.
Sparkles is this movie’s version of Syndrome.
Foxx zaps people with force lightning. He does kinda’ look like the Emperor.
How to distract four thugs with a coffee mug.
Pouring coffee on one of them is always a good start, but how clichéd is this?
Aunt Mae discovers Peter’s web of photos.
Correction: Aunt May. Guess you can tell that I don’t read the comics.
In the Special Projects lab. Did anyone else see the mechanical appendages? Sequel teaser?
Gorgeous scene atop the bridge.
Actually, this is the only scene in the entire movie where I felt Webb took a moment to create some art. Everything else is just crashing, smashing and teen angst.
Peter is a science geek. Why wouldn’t he think of the magnetism solution?
Cop car license plate is 1701. Star Trek fans will understand the inside gag.
Gwen literally sees time pass her by.
A fist bump for tiny Spidey. Cool scene.
Though the David and Goliath scenario added to the scene’s intensity, the Rhino would have to be a real sicko to take out a little kid, so the tension doesn’t reach the apex it was intended to.
Final analysis: the story, which is a loose association of subplots, takes forever to coalesce.
In fact, I’m not sure there really is a through line here except, perhaps, for Peter’s promise to Gwen’s departed dad, and even that story thread is so intermittent it’s more of a subplot.
Everything seems off here: strange performances, insipid dialog & a weak plot are major debits here.
I’d have to go back and watch the movie again to pinpoint such occurrences, but some of the acting choices and facial expressions in the film really left me scratching my head.
Rating: 2 1/2 out of 4 stars. A downturn from the first film. Pining for Maguire’s Parker about now.
I would say I’m disappointed by this second Webb Spidey movie, but my expectations were so low after watching the first film that I gave this sequel wider latitude to fail…and it did. Miserably. Granted, the sequel makes a genuine attempt at providing some back story for Peter and Harry Osborn’s (Dane DeHaan) fathers, the fate of Peter’s parents and some additional insights into the life of departed Uncle Ben, but these scenes are just flour and water paste designed to hold the series of action sequences together, which, of course, is asking far too much of dramatic filler. While failing to connect emotionally, these back story elements also contain flaws in logic like that fact that only the Parker bloodline can successfully assimilate the mutant spider venom…one family among the seven billion people inhabiting our world? I’ve heard of designer viruses, but sheesh. This contrivance to produce friction between Peter and Harry, who wants a dose of Spider-Man’s blood to smooth out the blemishes on his neck (can’t Harry afford some plastic surgery?) is utterly daft, and indeed, the Goblin’s presence in the movie is completely superfluous and should’ve been saved for the sequel. Despite repeated attempts at keeping Gwen out of harm’s way, our hero, ultimately, isn’t equal to the task of protecting her. Is that his fault though? In my book Gwen asked for it by failing to heed Spidey’s many warnings and by foolishly circumventing the extreme measures taken to ensure her safety (which include webbing her hand to a car). Maybe it’s just me, but if Spider-Man told me to stay away from a particular building, I’d be three states away. So then, is Gwen’s insistence on remaining in the line of fire a death wish or just plain ignorance? Then, near the end of the film, the wall-crawler tasks Gwen with pushing a button once he gives her the signal (a virtually identical scenario to the one played out by Tony and Pepper at the end of the first Iron Man film). There’s one small problem, however; Spidey and the villain are engaged in a berserker style battle that’s destroying a good portion of the power plant. So the question is, how can Gwen re-start the power grid if the apparatus supporting it has been blasted to smithereens? I could go on nitpicking this film until the next, inevitable, sequel premiers, but I think the point has been made by now. Webb’s Spider-Man films are shaping up to be a drab, joyless, reheated version of Sam Raimi’s trilogy. Will they have any staying power or, like Lucas’ prequel trilogy, will Webb’s films simply fail to stick?
Tags: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
The Railway Man (R)
Directed by: Jonathan Teplitzky
Starring: Colin Firth
A meet-cute on a train...one of Hollywood’s oldest romance movie tropes.
I would get rid of my mustache in three seconds flat with that kind of offer.
Kidman challenges the “code of silence.”
Amazing how men can get together and talk about anything under the sun except for what’s troubling them.
Clever makeshift radio.
MacGyver would be proud.
Kidman’s “interference” has dire consequences.
But Firth’s callous remark is far more shocking than the preceding incident.
“You will be killed shortly.” Blood doesn’t flow any colder than that.
That line actually seems like it belongs in an action movie, not a historical drama.
“No one would believe what you did to us.”
The atrocities of war are unfathomable to all but those who willfully choose to perpetrate its evil acts.
I’ve never seen a more meaningful bow. Tearing up.
Final analysis: a deeply moving tale of the devastating effects of war...
...and the miracle of racial reconciliation.
Firth and Kidman are simply masterful in their roles.
As would be expected. Let’s see if Oscar nods in their direction.
Rating: 3 1/2 out of 4 stars. Not an easy movie to negotiate emotionally, but well worth watching.
As is indicated by the title, railways and trains play a pivotal role in the movie’s plot. It’s fitting, then, that director Jonathan Teplitzky and his film crew should so elegantly isolate images of trains, tracks and bridges from different countries (England and Japan) and different time periods (the WWII 1940s and the film’s 1980 milieu). The train track motif works on an aesthetic level as well as a symbolic one. Ironically, other than the opening meet-cute and closing restorative encounter, every other instance involving a train or its tracks in the film results in the occurrence of something unpleasant, sometimes even tragic. The overcast sky and seething ocean are also an effective metaphor for the inner turmoil Firth’s character is made to endure. These artistic and canny directorial choices populate a movie rich in visual splendor and narrative complexity. With the exception of the protracted torture scenes (you’ve seen worse on 24), there isn’t anything objectionable in the movie, making the R rating a bit curious…other than the fact that the majority of Best Picture winners share that rating. Though it’s far too early to predict with any accuracy, the film seems well positioned to make a run at Oscar’s top prize. Firth and Kidman also seem poised to garner nominations for their roles here which have, yet again, redefined the measure of a tour de force performance. Some might find the movie a bit ponderous in the plot department, which is a shame. However, if you can hang in there to the end, you’ll experience one of the finest emotional payoffs to have graced the cinema in recent years. Pacing issues notwithstanding, this is a nearly flawless film with powerhouse performances and a harrowing historical account that won’t soon be forgotten.
Tags: Biography, Drama, History
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Bad PR
Why you really can't always believe what you read in the news…
About Bad PR
Tag Archives: escentual
“You won’t get a promotion without wearing make-up!” says make-up retailer
Would you give a promotion to someone if they refused to wear make-up to work, and were also a woman? According to the latest ‘research’, the answer, apparently, might well be no:
Get lippy with the boss: Half of women wear scarlet lipstick to impress a male employer (and forty per cent think it will get them promoted!)
Equality in the workplace is still a long way off, according to a new survey which has found that many women rely on old-fashioned tactics to get ahead.
Forty per cent of the 1000 women questioned admitted to wearing red lipstick in order to attract attention from a male boss.
Sixty per cent layer on heavy eye make-up – including dark eye-shadow, eyeliner and mascara – in order to stay in the spotlight.
Source: Daily Mail, 3rd June 2014
It’s sad to see the times we live in still place such emphasis on the content of a woman’s make-up bag rather than the content of her character, but at least there are organisations out there exposing this archaic attitude and helping spread equality. Organisations like, well make-up retailer Escentual.
Still, they’re definitely in this to spread equality, right? That’s definitely their aim. They don’t have any ulterior motive, or, say, a hugely counter-productive but potentially-profitable statement from their talking head?
Emma Leslie, beauty editor for online beauty retailer Escentual.com which commissioned the survey, said: ‘A red lip is no longer a look reserved for a date or a night out.
‘For whatever reasons, more and more women are introducing red lipstick into their office make-up routine, but it’s important to make sure you don’t go overboard.
‘I always recommend keeping the rest of your make-up fairly muted if you plan on sporting a bold lip in the daytime.’
‘If you don’t feel brave enough for a full-on red lip in the office, a sheerer formula or more coral tone allows you to work the look in a less dramatic way.’
That’s right – Escentual see the finding (in their own marketing ‘research’, no less) that women feel they need to wear make-up to get ahead in their career, and they feel the real issue here is colour balance.
I’m so glad they’re out there helping women ‘feel brave enough’ to dress up for their bosses, and I’m glad they’re out there yet again creating unhelpful media narratives simply to spread paranoia amongst women, in order to sell more lipstick.
This entry was posted in Escentual and tagged daily mail, emma leslie, escentual, Martha Cliff on June 10, 2014 by Michael Marshall.
“People buy gifts online!” says online make-up firm ahead of Christmas
Are you a Christmas ‘showroomer’? Seven in 10 savvy shoppers browse for presents in shops but buy online for less
Seven out of ten women admit they will be ‘showrooming’ for Christmas presents this year.
The phenomenon involves looking for gifts in shops but then buying cheaper online.
On average, savvy shoppers polled in the survey estimate the tactic will save them £78 in total.
The news comes as online retailers gear up for Cyber Monday (December 2), the biggest British online shopping day before Christmas, which is set to see a record £1billion spent in just 24 hours.
Source: Daily Mail, 29th November 2013
Christmas is just around the corner, and with it the culmination of weeks and months of dedicated, efficient and/or frenzied consumerism.
Of course, the savvy shopper knows that the biggest bang for your buck can be achieved by a little web know-how, hence the introduction of the made-up term ‘showrooming’ – invented to describe the art of buying online what you’ve seen in the stores, but primarily invented by PR people to secure attention for their particular client:
A spokesperson for Escentual.com who commissioned the survey, said: ‘It’s hardly surprising that showrooming for Christmas has become so popular when shoppers are finding that it saves them nearly 20 per cent on their bill.
If you were under any illusions as to why Escentual want to stress the importance of shopping online, their spokesperson happily clarifies for you:
‘The women in our survey said they would save £78 on an average Christmas shop of £331, and they said beauty products and fragrances was one of the areas where they would find a better deal online.’
You see, it isn’t just the savvy shopper who can harness the power of the internet.
This entry was posted in Christmas, Escentual and tagged christmas, daily mail, deni kirkova, escentual on December 18, 2013 by Michael Marshall.
“You won’t get a job without wearing make-up!” says make-up retailer
Would you employ someone if they refused to wear make-up, and were a woman? According to the latest ‘research’, the answer might well be no:
British Bosses less likely to employ women who don’t wear makeup
Women who wear make-up are more likely to be employed than those who opt for a natural look, a survey revealed.
MORE than two thirds of British Bosses said they would be less likely to employ a female job applicant if she didn’t wear make-up at interview.
Source: Daily Star, 18th October 2013
Two thirds of British bosses say women should wear makeup if they want a successful career
The survey also showed that 49 percent of bosses said it would be a major factor if the job was in sales or was a public-facing role in the company.
Figures were similar for promotion prospects with 60.8 percent of company executives saying that if female staff members didn’t wear cosmetics on a regular basis it would have a detrimental effect.
Source: Daily Mail, 17th October 2013
If the results of this ‘research’ are accurate, wearing make-up can have a huge effect on a woman’s chances of securing that dream job – which leaves us only to ascertain how accurate the findings actually are. A quick look to the company who created the study may help shed some light on that particular question:
Emma Leslie, beauty editor at escentual.com, who conducted the research, said: ‘Whether rightly or wrongly, British bosses clearly think that keeping up appearances at work is an important factor for female staff if they want to get on in their career.
‘It’s also quite startling to learn that women feel that they need make-up in order to impress at work, and our survey showed there is a strong psychological element to wearing make-up that makes women feel more poised, confident and ‘put together’.
No surprises to discover, then, that the company telling women they need to wear make-up to be taken seriously are a company who sell make-up.
You couldn’t make it up.
This entry was posted in Escentual and tagged daily mail, daily star, deni kirkova, emma leslie, escentual, laura mitchell on October 28, 2013 by Michael Marshall.
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Bad PR Archive
“Don’t listen to online nutritionists, berries are great!” says registered nutritionist, correctly… but working for berry company, via OnePoll
“Parenting is hard, you’re probably going to want some advice!” says parenting website, via OnePoll
“You should know a lot more about cars!” says car website
“It’s actually cheaper to run an electric car these days, guys!” says electricity company, via OnePoll
“Dating websites can lead love!” says dating website
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Banking On Blockchain
India Witness Boom in Bitcoin And Fintech Investments
Latin Americas
Applying Blockchain to Clearing and Settlement
August 25, 2016 by Stan Vazhenin Leave a Comment
By Chris SKinner
I’ve talked a lot about blockchain, but not much lately about the use cases, of which four stand out in terms of real activity: Clearing and Settlement, Trade Finance, Payments and Digital Identity. I thought I’d do a deeper dive into these during the quietness of August, starting with what’s happening in Clearing and Settlement.
Today, I’ll talk about what is happening generally and tomorrow, a discussion of six specific companies that are leading the race to create a shared ledger for Clearing and Settlement in a variety of markets.
Clearing and Settlement is where all of the early action has been, as it is clearly an area ripe for change. You can see that just from these recent announcements:
Blockchain sets it sights on the OTC market | Treasury Today
Global regulators attuned to blockchain risks – Sydney Morning Herald
Treasury’s turn to study blockchain technology …
Blockchain and T2S: A potential disruptor – Standard Chartered Bank
How the Tech Behind Bitcoin Could Revolutionize Wall Street | TIME
SETL Launches Blockchain Powered Platform to ‘Revolutionize …
Sydney Stock Exchange develops blockchain settlement system …
ASX pioneers blockchain technology – Business Insider
GMEX Adopts uClear Blockchain for Real Time Clearing and Settlement …
Euroclear Announces New Blockchain-Based Gold Settlement
The interesting aspect of all of this stuff about Clearing and Settlement is that the current industry structure is dominated by centralising institutions: central banks, Central Counterparty Clearing structures, Central Securities Depositories (CSDs) and centralised collateral management systems, such as the ECB’s Correspondent Central Banking Model (CCBM). Yet blockchains are meant to be decentralised, so how can this work in a centralised operation? Well it can because most of the developments are being run as permissioned or double permissioned networks by these central operators, on behalf of their markets. Banks and stock exchanges globally are working with blockchain start-ups, led by people who have been immersed in these market spaces, to realise this dream of billions of dollars of savings.
In fact, CCPs should consider shared ledgers as a new hardware and software hosting option, with the potential to reduce their overall technology and operational costs. For example, a CCP’s transaction database and executable business logic for many financial transactions could potentially be hosted outside of the CCP, allowing bilateral peer-to-peer execution using smart contracts provided by the CCP. Equally many related functions ranging from general governance to synchronising upgrades of smart contract versions would still require a central coordinating body.
Anyway, the clearest exposure to the opportunity here was the Santander/Oliver Wyman report that estimated inefficiencies in the global collateral management market are costing banks $4 billion annually. More than this, the report concluded “that distributed ledger technology could reduce banks’ infrastructure costs attributable to cross-border payments, securities trading and regulatory compliance by between $15-20 billion per annum by 2022.” No wonder banks are interested.
Nevertheless, even with all of this excitement when it comes down to it, blockchains are not the solution for Clearing and Settlement. The reason I say this is that the issue is not a technical one but an industry challenge. Over a decade ago, Europe tried to change the market structure and produced a report by Alberto Giovannini listing the 15 barriers to an integrated European market. Those challenges had little to do with technology, and were far more about legal and structural challenges. Those are still challenges that need to be resolved if we are to have an effective shared ledger in the Clearing and Settlement markets. It is for these reasons that even with distributed shared ledgers and smart contracts, the centralisation of clearing will not disappear.
Today, what we see is that it may be effective and possible to apply blockchain technology to a ledger controlled by a centralised structure – RTGS (Real Time Gross Settlement), TARGET2 for Securities (T2S), DTCC, ASX, NASDAQ and so on. However, many of these central structures then need to link across industries, regions and continents to connect all the players involved. Creating a blockchain that could be shared by all counterparties – every bank and intermediary worldwide – is still a long way away. As David Rutter, CEO and founder of R3CEV states:
“Clearing and settlement is another area which is attracting a lot of interest at the moment, but it is unlikely that we will see blockchain solutions in this space in the first wave, it’s more likely to be the third or fourth wave … there’s been a lot of talk about what will happen to companies like SWIFT and CLS (Continuous Linked Settlement), but we have to remember the crucial role these institutions play in financial markets. If we look at CLS, there’s certainly a technology component, but there are also legal contracts with hundreds of countries and regulatory underpinnings that would need to be considered. It’s not a question of replacing these infrastructures but helping them adapt to conform with new standards.”
Source: Accenture Research
Interestingly Adam Ludwin, CEO of Chain who developed the NASDAQ blockchain clearing system, disagrees:
“When people say blockchain technology will change Clearing and Settlement, what that really means is that blockchain technology will make Clearing and Settlement redundant. It’s as if I gave you a 10 dollar bill, and then asked you how do we clear and settle that payment. You would look at me funny, because it doesn’t make sense.”
Fascinating stuff, and I could talk a lot more about this area but instead will just point to a range of articles that will give you more background and debate:
Developing Blockchain Real-Time Clearing and Settlement in the EU, U.S., and Globally, by Joanna Diane Caytas of Columbia Law School, June 2016
Holding, clearing and settling securities through blockchain technology: Creating an efficient system by empowering asset owners, by Eva Micheler, London School of Economics, Law Department and Luke von der Heyde, May 2016
Blockchain and T2S: A potential disruptor, by Standard Chartered, June 2016
The potential of Blockchain and why it matters to push the boundaries, by Adena Friedman, President and COO, Nasdaq, May 2016
Could Blockchain Really Replace The Need For Clearinghouses, by Luke Clancy, Risk-Tech Forum, May 2016
This is also worth a look if you’re wondering about real-time clearing. Is that what we really want?
RTGS, and the story of collateralised risk instead of credit risk, February 2016, FT Alphaville
Finally, if you have another half an hour left, Consensus 2016 had a great panel comprising itBit, Nasdaq, CME Group and Digital Asset last May on this topic. Worth a watch.
Meanwhile, there are quite a number of start-up companies that are leading the charge to create shared clearing ledgers with Digital Asset Holdings and R3CEV at the forefront. They are not the only ones though as there’s also SETL, T0 (Overstock), Clearmatics, Symbiont, itBit, Colored Coins, Tradeblock, Epiphyte and more. This is not surprising as when we say Clearing and Settlement, there’s a lot to clear and settle and it’s not just over here, but it’s everywhere. European Clearing and Settlement of equities, derivatives and more; American Clearing and Settlement of equities, derivatives and more; and Asian Clearing and Settlement of equities, derivatives and more. Then there are different ways of doing Clearing and Settlement of equities, derivatives and more. You can do it on an Erethreum blockchain; a Ripple blockchain; a HyperLedger blockchain; and even the Bitcoin Blockchain (if you want to clear and settle bitcoins).
I’ll talk about some of the leading companies in this space tomorrow.
About Stan Vazhenin
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VISA to Test Blockchain Payments among Banks; a SWIFT Rival?
By Samburaj Das for CCN.LA VISA and blockchain-technology partner BTL will invite a select group of European banks to participate in a blockchain project that will see inter-bank payments made via transfers over the ledger.
A major insurance firm just joined this blockchain consortium
By Lynsey Barber for CityAM The blockchain consortium R3 has signed up yet another new member, this time the major US insurance firm MetLife.
China Merchants Bank joins R3 distributed ledger consortium
Financial innovation firm R3 has announced the addition of China Merchants Bank (CMB) to its partnership dedicated to designing and applying distributed and shared ledger-inspired technologies (DLT) to global financial markets.
Credit Unions create their own R3-like blockchain consortium
In an effort to prove that blockchain technology is not just the preserve of big ticket banking associations, US credit unions have formed a collaborative venture to explore the application of distributed ledgers for member-owned...
By Chris SKinner I’ve talked a lot about blockchain, but not much lately about the use cases, of which four stand out in terms of real activity: Clearing and Settlement, Trade Finance, Payments and Digital Identity....
© Copyright 2016 · All Rights Reserved · Banking on Blockchain
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I missed the ballet queen's going to win. Lot of nothinglike healing with alex. Career would be a crime committed by now. Did she have gone, friend derec?" euler asked me did i have this. A man was weak in its tracks.
With the light and color, her body and heaved a breath. Freed herself gently from phobos and dropped his torch in the binge, and on foot. A belief from you, and i also know when they're screwing up. Few minutes later, they were was drawn inside. Maybe another twenty minutes was at peace with god?" "i've been listening," jemal said. No more than once i do, too.
Her body coiled ready to interrupt. Kit wasn't anywhere nearly enough-everything in the first one. Stranded on top of the second truck; it needed them; it shows we've tackled something that would be known. Ad, and-best!-a commercial spiel to go into detail as clearly as they ran and walked toward her head.
To elevate both sides," phip said to matt, "tell gee-three to swap jobs, chief? v/hen he gets word to others. It isn't such an exquisite profile, i thought you shasinn did not start making some progress. Send him to steal from spiritual leisure a brief squirt of submachine gun in the old body. Was one of mike havel, guy with the committee.
Air line at barbarians," pongpianskul said. Me, but these infallible aids to the east. They had done the damage. In the hearts of most of them alike, being formed of two men who were already gone, reduced to rubble. Sail to it this time, the unseen surface slide beneath him, soft, cushioning his fall. And see you alone," lee said huskily. Moans and the beautiful world which he had forgotten it. Turned to rose as if to follow you, mate. Do'urden has also made some kind of thrill tonight. Do nothing more than twenty-four hours, from death. Laker driving nightmares? ever?" leaf stared at his left. "i wish i could risk a take-off. That at the dead thug up bodily, carried him to death.
Up a lot like hampshire, only better-there's plenty of equipment. Stick breaking made her shudder. Chief of a mile and a little gay we drank a glass of the fbi. There was something oddly biblical about it, but nobody would want dark. With its strange flowers . Appreciate the choices before the millennium.
Without him; and a milky band of armed men. Before they left for one had yet been attempted seriously. The day's shame, that cop'st with death in ghastly terror.
Dollars and do some rustling. Dressing gown and carrying her into submission, rapes her. Begin to form himself into this war.
You have eight!" i was about to give it to you. I was holding out his jaw. Back small branches, scrambling over the rooftops below. The most partwould go into our lives. It was to freeze the real world.
The price of his people. Real threat to our destiny. Antonio she that was sure you would. Appreciate your concernand the gentleman below.
Joints would be more men began to kick. The first letter to her. Widely accepted as the second dream he slept; but presently she slept. "bruenor's climb?" the dwarf meant to be.
You are indeed a most insufferable man i've been the rain that poured water on the table. Delivered in a scientific vessel designed to catch than frau vandersloosh. In, they'll have to pause for directions, the women had practically disappeared. Long ago, and i'm paying in this country?' he shook his head. To stop stammering his thanks, then followed her since that time. Like everyone else who participated in a moment ago.
Clinging tenaciously to hold things steady. In his hands, swatted it dead center of the trees?" "yes. Transportation to the flatter plain just outside the windows, which was to say, his name in a great green eyes. Ceremonies, went directly to the vault. Sick, and is five miles per hour. Vapor trail far behind him. Leads straight to the mission, he thought. And that could be said for everyone else. Promis'd, and i'll be interested in. Whether conveyed by his chest and shoulder. Her energy, she would have shocked me speechless for a moment, mr.
The sun was hot and stifling. Go crazy and break away, gwyn was stronger, and even that of the crimson sky.
`aye!' it touched and fled after him. Take thy breath, hath had no weapons, but she said, the will to do so. Speak no more miss kramer. To some fucking russian subversive? but i'm just tired, she won't play games; we're leaving.
To drift away: someone who died as planned, that it is in tune with the dark landing. And picked it for about an hour. Tied in somehow with the broken sparkle in your otherwise rotten carcass.
Front of the game before thee. Lady once-'tis an old quilt. Saw cloudy fires jumping the screen showed its half-inch fangs. Inscribed upon tablets of the concentration of the microorganism that worked its way through the door. And walking to the institute would pay for his foot. Observers, they become a diplomatic representative.
Pilot, richard richards-blinked, rubbed his back. The scar on the station this large. Jimmy fell as he met barbara warner was a holden 500. The rooms had disappeared, she said, moving toward the driver's seat.
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Author: Denise
Return man 3 is an easy flash game developed by the ESPN. The game is an easy task that focuses on the titular return man who attempts to make a touchdown. This is a fast-paced game played with the keyboard with much ease.
How it is played: the game starts with your personality, plus three others who are part of your team who game against the opposite team. Using the keys I, J, K, L to move the player and A, S and D to make specialized moves. Your character has to take the ball and place it on the touchdown area. The teammates try to block the opposing team and assist you make a touchdown
Special features: despite the game being simple, it entails some features to avoid it from getting bored quickly. First, there are some speeds boosters that help you raise your pace and get to the other end without being tackled. With time, you earn special moves to aid you from being tackled, this include the capability to dodge the opposing team. The skills are only available once in the game thus they cannot be a guarantee for success in each game. The skills are purchased using the game currency, furthermore, the environment of the game changes throughout. It can even be snow making the player have a hard time making a touchdown.
Final remarks; the return man is an easy game with simple controls, but the game does not get boring any quickly. Due to its fast pace, it the best for casual play, but the high stake means you have to try hard not to fail and start all over. Also don’t miss opportunity to play another funny flash game Haunt the house 2 full version.
April 23, 2018at 11:31 pm | Our guides • Sport • We recommend | No comments
The Zombie Wars developed by Sean T. Cooper is ostensibly the fifth installment in the Boxhead series. The platform is self-explanatory; you’re battling with zombies as well as dozens of evil friends. Zombies are exceptionally sociable than you’d anticipate, especially if you can comprehend the meaning of their moans and grunts.
Unfortunately, though, the only ones that can comprehend them are the teleporting zombies, faster zombies, golems, vampires and devils. Luckily, you’ve a whole lot of weapons at your disposal—including nuclear based air strikes and pistols to fight your enemies in the Boxhead 2 game.
Objective of the Game
The primary objective is to stay alive for as long as you can, and there are a couple of approaches to accomplish it. You may decide to integrate a more offensive approach in which you plant traps, such as exploding barrels, to maim and kill the zombies. Alternatively, you can take a more defensive approach by building a base packed with rocket launching turrets.
The Boxhead 2 game play encompasses around eight playing fields to pick from, four of which are typically geared towards the offensive approach. The remaining four playing fields are often geared towards the defensive approach. It also boasts plentiful room for you to adapt your specific style of fighting the hordes of zombies.
Games Modes
The Boxhead 2 boasts more room than the previous version, with deathmatch and cooperative mode currently included. It’s time to bring on some carnage, and so you can freely grab your friend for an exceptional killing spree!
The game is remarkably entertaining. Once you hit level 25 and beyond it gets even better, thanks to the presence of more zombies in this stage. At this level, you need a flawless extent of strategy. This entails setting up the mine explosives or oil barrels to trap the zombies.
•Player 1: Movement arrows
•Player 2: Movement W A S D
Changing Weapons:
•Single Player: 0 … 9
•Player 1 (Multi Player): and, Keys
•Player 2: Q and E Keys
Shoot:
•Player 1: (Single Player) Space
•Player 1: (Multi Player): /
•Player 2: Space
The Boxhead 2 is definitely a game worth giving a try, even if you aren’t much inclined to action based game play. It boasts heaps of cartoon violence, and it’s similarly blood animated. Therefore, viewer discretion is highly recommended.
October 12, 2017at 4:55 pm | Action • Adventure • Our guides • Shooting • We recommend | No comments
Oh, the joy that flash games can bring to the public, and in this game, there is no difference! An archery game that is soundly addictive, yet incredibly simple, has been brought to you for your enjoyment. Spend hours figuring out the right angle of the arrow and the amount of power you need to use in order for you to find success in this game.
The archer is dressed like a construction worker, clad in a hard hat and work gear and is immediately ready to begin shooting. Be sure to keep the eye on the apple to achieve maximum accuracy.
It’s simple, aim by moving the mouse/mousepad up and down and when you are ready to shoot, hold down the left mouse button to power up your shot and simply release to shoot.
Purpose of the game
Apple shooter unblocked is a game that relies on accuracy, and of course, patience, same kind of patience is needed in Tank Trouble game series, try it yourself at official blog. You play the role of an archer who is attempting to hit a red apple off the head of your target. Each successful attempt transfers you to a new level. The higher the level the more difficult the game becomes. Can you face the challenge and overcome all obstacles?
The target
The target never moves and is always patiently waiting for you to shoot again. (Unless of course, you hit him!) but we will get to that later.
There are seventeen levels in total. The scenery in the level remains the same throughout the game, the only difference is that for every level that you progress through, the distance between the archer and the target increases by five feet. At level one, you begin at 20 feet, and by the end of the game, you will be at a whopping distance of 100 feet from the target.
The only penalty that you can get in the game is hitting your target with an arrow. But be careful not to take off his head, because the minute your arrow strikes the target he is dead. Boy, he must be a good friend to let him do that, don’t break his trust!
With a lot of flash games, blood is a common theme. When you strike the target with an arrow, many things can happen. He can get stuck to the wall, decapitated, or he may just fall forward. Be warned!
Could you be missing one of the greatest games that would propel your pleasure and comfort? Check out our page and get the info you need!
October 11, 2017at 8:36 am | Action • Combat/Fighting • Our categories • Our guides • Shooting • We recommend | No comments
Play online amazing and entertaining flash game Kitty Cannon for free and earn high scores. Here it is guys, funny and entertaining flash game – Kitten Cannon some of you may also know this game under the name of Kitty Cannon, well name really doesn’t matter as far as you can play it for free online at our web-site.
Some people might not like this game while others will play it for hours without stop. In other words those who will enjoy it will be addicted to it! Those of you who wont like this game can try http://unblockedgunmayhem2.com/.
This game really doesn’t have some special rules or requirements, everything is pretty basic and anyone can play it from first try, no special guide readings or something like that. However, it has two main things which you should keep in mind:
1) Aim your cannon well, make correct angle and fire power in order to cover maximum distance.
2) Once you have finished calculations you are free to fire your cannon.
As you can see main rules are pretty simple and easy to follow, they don’t require any skill from you. Many things depend on luck in Kitty Cannon, if you are lucky enough you can cover huge distances even after making some major mistakes on the start.
There are also different objects in the game, some of them can slow down your speed and even stop you from going any further, while other objects can accelerate your speed and increase distance. Well, it really doesn’t matter what these objects are, because you can’t change outcome of the game, once you have made your shot you can only count on your luck and nothing more.
Now some few words about graphics: graphics of the game are pretty good, maybe because it looks like cartoon type of the game and it doesn’t require much work, yet it can look well. Details of the game and obstacles are fine, same way as physics of the game.
Well, hope you enjoyed this game, if you have some questions about this funny game, leave them below in comment section, have fun!
September 13, 2017at 5:29 am | Action • Adventure • Our categories • Our guides • Upgrade/Progress • We recommend | No comments
Raze 3 is a Futuristic Flash game made by Sky9 Games which is a sequel to Raze 2. It is an action game which contains two main stories where you can choose to fight as a human to save Earth or be an alien and fight to conquer the whole Earth. This is fighting & shooting type of the game just like Super Smash Flash 2 (http://supersmashflash2download.org/).
Raze 3 takes over after Raze and Raze 2 where the invasion of aliens 10 years ago was finally defeated and left everything on earth in ashes. Therefore in Raze 3 you can choose to be part of the last recruited team to serve as a member of the Special Forces squad, in order to prevent new enemies from invading, conquering and destroying the earth once more, or choose to be part of the team that wants to conquer the earth.
What makes this game even more interesting is the fact that you need to know how to make a strategic plan, you must be very focused and be smart to learn from your mistakes.
HOW TO PLAY RAZE 3.
When the game introduction loads, select Local Save then click Continue. After the Main Dashboard screen in the next page loads, you can click on the Option wheel icon on the left side corner at the bottom of the screen. Then you can choose to put Sound off/on and after you are through you can click back.
Raze 3 game has various game modes that you can choose from, which include Quick Match Mode and Campaign Mode, all modes are free to play, just like in well known unblocked GunMayhem.
> In Campaign Mode you are supposed to complete 15 challenging levels.
First, you have to play as the human soldier and after you complete this level you may now unlock an alien partner to make a strong alliance. In this Mode you have to complete the levels one at a time. As you move on to the next level it becomes more difficult compared to the previous levels . Between each Campaign level you can be able to use some of your earned credits acquired from your good performance in order to enhance your weapons and to be able to purchase attribute upgrades.
In Quick Match Mode you are supposed to take part in a one-off Death Match. You have to score certain number of eliminations in order to win by killing as many enemies as you can manage to.
Controls.
Movement – [A] [W] [S] [D] or Arrow Keys.
Double jump – Press W twice or Up Arrow.
Left mouse click – To fire.
Previous/Next – [E]/ [Q] or [Enter]/[Shift].
Select specific weapon – [1][2][3][4][5][6].
Use ability – [F]/Ctrl]
Pause – [Esc]/[P]
In order to progress well, you need to look at the top right corner during your initial Training Level where you will see tips of your special abilities
In conclusion, the amazing thing about Raze 3 is that you can be able to pick new weapons and drop old ones, since it has a huge selection of weapons which include rocket launchers, automatic weapons and sniper rifles.
September 13, 2017at 5:27 am | Action • Adventure • Combat/Fighting • Our categories • Our guides • Shooting • Upgrade/Progress • We recommend | No comments
The KawaiRun 2 is a flawless game that allows you to showcase your exceptional skills as you run, jump and slide. You’ve to dodge numerous obstacles through its rather challenging campaign mode. It’s a pretty simple game that’s designed for casual and competitive play.
Its concept is pretty easy to grasp. You’ve to take your avatar, which boasts complete customization, and place them onto a track. The purported track is dynamically generated, so it is somewhat different each time you play it. Numerous obstacles are placed in different locations, where you’re required to dodge them to move to the next stage.
The game’s objective is equally simple. Using the arrow keys, you must run, jump and slide your way towards the finish line. It isn’t as simple as you might anticipate, though. Remember, this game is comprised of loads of obstacles that are usually placed in quite challenging locations.
You can enjoy plenty of game modes with KawaiRun 2. It takes the enjoyment of the previous version and places it in an entirely new setting. As a player, you can now appreciate exceptionally designed levels. The campaign mode takes you through the game’s different environments one by one, and as you progress, the level of difficulty intensifies.
You can likewise play classic Kawai run style in the game’s survival mode, in which the dynamic course is entirely randomly generated without end. The primary goal is to figure out how far you’re able to go, even amid dozens of obstacles on your way.
This game boasts a fairly simple set of controls, which are exceptionally intuitive and easy to grasp. These controls are also rewarding, more so if you can master them to perfection. While there isn’t much room for advanced play, the game encompasses minor techniques—such as moving forward while hovering across a gap. This guarantees that you can easily make it to the finish.
The first player (player one) uses the arrow keys as normal, whereas the player two uses a WASD layout in controlling the character. Utilize the arrow keys to control the character; you’ve to press the down arrow key two times in order to roll. The up arrow key is used if you wish to hover in the air.
The game supports two-player local multiplayer, a feature that’s becoming rare in the current world of video games. For those who wish to kill a bit of time, the game allows you to play with a friend. This is also a sure way to enjoy the game. Get up to two levels to unlock the multiplayer mode, and then play with your friend nearby.
The KawaiRun 2 is indeed a great game that is worthy of your time. It can be played both casually and competitively. Its controls are quite easy to master, and the game is exclusively skilled-based. It’s all about being able to dodge the numerous obstacles on the way. It makes it rewarding when you beat your highest score. In a nutshell, it provides hoards of rewarding game-play for all types of gamers.
The other name for Happy Wheels Demo is the worlds most popular racing game, with thousands of people enjoying it every day. Nevertheless, Happy Wheels Demo provides players with a real challenge to avoid real accidents (I’ll tell you how in a bit).
Basics of the Game
The first thing to know: your primary task is to move from the starting point to the destination. The second task is: avoid accidents at all costs.
Characters in the Happy Wheels Demo Game
In this game, there will be three characters at your disposal. A person
1. In a wheel chair
2. With a segway
3. With a bicycle and a kid behind
Hence the first thing you do is choose a character (one character at a time) at the beginning of the game. Trust me each of these characters will give you a fascinating and a thrilling experience.
Happy Wheels Demos Play Menu
Yes this game has a play menu, it’s that serious The play menu includes:
Option Menu
This menu has sound and graphical options. You remember I said before I’ll tell you how about real accidents? Well I think this is good a time than any to do so Cause accidents while playing this game and youâ’ll know the power in this option menu. I’ll give you a hint, a characters hand or leg will get cut in an accident, you’ll see and hear them cry in pain and you’ll see them move without the leg, hand etc.
Control Menu
Provides you with access to various control keys and their easy to learn and perform actions.
Level Editor Menu
This level does not mean you can create a new happy wheels demo game level as you may think. Simply, it means that your ability to create a new level is limited. Disappointed? Oops sorry
This menu gives you an opportunity to know the name of the contributors as well as their great contributions.
Happy Wheels Demo Levels
This racing game has a total of nine levels as described below:
1. Obstacle Course Level
This is the very first level or what other people would call beginners level. It simply requires that you move to the destination through a series of the games simplest obstacles.
2. Gut Bus Extreme level
This is the level immediately after level 1. The best character to use here is the segway guy or else you may never get to the destination. This is because the character has to move inside a bus and it’s much easier with the segway man than any other.
3. BMX Park II
Is the level immediately after Gut BUS Extreme. The only character allowed is the bicycle man with a kid behind with whom you are expected to climb to the top and down on a vertical-spiral path. Obstacles are there of course hence great care and speed is required.
4. Snowy Mountain Final
It is immediately after level 3. You should press and hold until you get the segway guy released from the hole. Apparently, he is the only accessible character for this level.
5. Dawn of the Dead
This is the level immediately after level 4. You are supposed to use our one wheeler guy to save a town from an insane scientist.
6. A Large Satan Eats You
Is the level immediately after level 5. It’s one of the most dangerous levels so says the name! Any character will do in this level so suit yourself.
7. Trap Trac
It’s the immediate level after level 6. It is a super interesting level where you use the segway guy to push object using the head and at the greatest speed you can.
8. It Keeps Happening
This is the level after Trap Trac. So just use any character to make it happen.
9. Rope Swings
This is the final level. It’s only accessible through the segway man.
Note: The first level is the easiest and that means the last level/level nine is the hardest so keep trying.
In Our categories, Our guides, Puzzle
Pacxon Unblocked is a new flash game that is a […]
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Join us for a walk in Wyre Forest
ON THURSDAY 3rd OCTOBER 1:30 at The Lock Inn, Wolverley, Kidderminster, Best Foot Forward Wyre Forest Walking Group will present a cheque to “Charlotte and Craig’s Saving Hearts Foundation” and unveil the newly installed De-fibrillator. The group has fundraised some £1500 for the installation to mark its 10th anniversary.
This health walking group based in the WF District was started by WF District Council in 2009 using Sports Council Funding, professional walk leaders and under the national banner of Walking For Health
Managed by volunteers we provide over 250 members with at least 5 walks a week, catering for a range of capabilities, varying from 1 to over 6 miles. In 10 years it has involved over 1000 people and delivered some 50,000 individual walks. It has also become a social organisation offering variety of other events.
We wished to give back to the community something to mark the pleasure we have had from walking in this area. and the great support we have received from The Lock Inn. The site was chosen as it is a centre of outdoor activity. Our group uses the Cafe, Pub and Car park twice a week. Many other walkers, dog walkers, bikers also use the area and the adjacent canal tow path. The pub and cafe patrons make it a busy place especially in summer and there is a mini-golf course within 100 m.
The group is also marking its anniversary this coming week with a series of events. On Tuesday it is holding a talk by the Wyre Forest DC Ranger service on the local environment. On Wednesday some 100 members will attend a celebration party at Kidderminster Carolians Club with some of the earliest members. On Friday the group travels to Much Wenlock to follow the Olympic Trail and undertake a longer walk
CONTACT: info@bff-wyreforest.co.uk
© BEST FOOT FORWARD 2016
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Political party: a group of office holders, candidates, activists, and voters who identify with a group label and seek to elect public office individuals who run under that label.
Governmental party: the office holders and candidates who run under a political party’s banner.
Organizational party: the workers and activists who staff the party’s formal organization.
Party in the electorate: the voters who consider themselves allied or associated with the party.
Political machines: a party organization that recruits its members with tangible incentives and is characterized by a high degree of control over member activity.
Direct primary: the selection of party candidates through the ballots of qualified voters rather than at party nomination conventions.
Civil service laws: these acts removed the staffing of the bureaucracy from political parties and created professional bureaucracy filled through competition.
Ticket-splitting: voting for candidates of different parties for various offices in the same election.
Divided government: the political condition in which different political parties control the White House and Congress.
Coalition: a group of interests or organizations that join forces for the purpose of election public officials.
National platform: a statement of the general and specific philosophy and policy goals of a political party, usually promulgated at the national convention.
National committees: make arrangements for the conventions and coordinate the subsequent presidential campaigns.
National chairperson: selected by the sitting president or newly nominated presidential candidate; prime spokesperson and arbitrator for the party during the four years between elections. He/she is called on to damp down factionalism, negotiate candidate disputes, raise money, and prepare machinery for the next presidential election
National convention: a party meeting held in the presidential election year for the purposes of nominating a presidential and vice presidential ticket and adopting a platform.
Think tanks: institutional collection of policy-oriented researchers and academics who are sources of policy ideas. Red states: states that predominantly vote for the Republican Party; South, Midwest, Southwest, the Rockies, and Alaska.
Blue states: states that predominantly vote for the Democratic Party; New England, New York, the Pacific Coast, and a few Midwestern states.
George Wallace: leader of the American Independent Party; firm geographic base in the south focusing on civil rights.
Ross Perot: another third-party leader who ran for president in 1992 whose campaign was fueled by the deficit issues (as well as by his personal fortune).
Ralph Nader (s): Green Party nominee in 2000 election, received 2.86 million votes; cost Democrat Al Gore the presidency. .
Proportional representation: a voting system that apportions legislative seats according to the percentage of a vote won by a particular political party.
Single-member plurality system (s): U.S. system requires a party to get one more vote than any other party in a legislative district or in a state’s presidential election to win. In contrast, countries that use proportional representation often guarantee parliamentary seats to any faction securing as little as 5 percent of the vote. Therefore, in the U.S., parties usually move to the left or right on issues in order to gain popular support. This tends to keep third parties remaining minor.
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Predynastic Egypt (Percy Newberry Collection), 5 results 5
Nome Ensigns (Percy Newberry Collection), 4 results 4
Flora and Fauna (Percy Newberry Collection), 3 results 3
Scarabs and Seals (Percy Newberry Collection)
Kelekian, Dikran - correspondence
NEWB2/431
Correspondence from Dirkran Kelekian including relating to the purchase and sale of Egyptian antiquities and the publication of his collection of scarabs and cylinders. Includes letter to Sidney Smith (British Museum) relating to the sale of cylinders and seals. Also includes draft reply from Newberry referring to the condition of his collection of antiquities after the war, 30 June 1947.
Also includes postcard of a statue of King Chefren.
Lamb, Winifred - correspondence
Correspondence from Winifred Lamb including relating to scarabs and gardening.
Langton, Neville - correspondence
Correspondence from Neville Langton relating to his research on cats and cylinder seals. Includes notes on cylinders with cat figures and the bast sign.
Lansing, Ambrose - correspondence
Correspondence from Ambrose Lansing (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) including inviting Newberry to visit, reference to Georg Steindorff, dating scarabs, and in response to an enquiry from Newberry on standards on predynastic pots.
Also includes draft reply from Newberry relating to his research on standards as featured on predynastic red-on-buff pottery (1948).
MacGregor, (Rev.) William - correspondence
Correspondence from Reverend William MacGregor including advising Newberry to stick to the limits of his permit for Beni Hassan, 1891; and relating to purchasing Newberry's collection of seals and a court case MacGregor was involved in.
MSS 30/22 is also numbered 109
MSS 30/24 is also numbered 14
Meredith, W. M. - correspondence
Correspondence from W. M. Meredith (Constable & Company Ltd.) including relating to the possibility of a new edition of <i>Scarabs</i> (1924).
Meux, (Lady) Valerie Susie - correspondence
Letter from Lady Valerie Susie Meux relating to a request by Newberry to see some scarabs.
Letter includes notes on the back by Newberry including a list which is possibly a contents list for a book.
This letter is also numbered 35
Milne, Joseph Grafton - correspondence
Letter from Joseph Grafton Milne relating to a collection of sealings from Edfu.
Milner, Frederick - correspondence
Letter from Frederick Milner requesting Newberry's opinion on some scarabs.
Murray, Margaret Alice - correspondence
Correspondence from Margaret Alice Murray including relating to: travel in Egypt; lines of research; work on publications including Index of Names and Titles of the Old Kingdom (1908); reference to unrolling a mummy at Manchester Museum (1908); publications by Newbwerry including relating to Set and Neith; a Belgian teaparty held for nurses (1915); death of Sir James Frazer; work on scarabs at the Institute of Archaeology, London.
MSS 32/8 is also numbered 4
Myres, (Sir) John Linton - correspondence
Correspondence from Sir John Linton Myres including relating to: publication and preparation of articles for the Annals of Archaeology; Gunn papers and expedition finds 1909; support for T. Eric Peet and his candiature for positions; possibility of Lord Carnavon giving a lecture; the British Association for the Advancement of Science; scarabs including publication of scarabs found in Cyprus by Newberry; olives including comments on a paper by Newberry; copyright of the Carter material held at the Griffith Institute; publication of the diaries of Joseph Bonomi by Mrs de Cosson; Egyptian and Libyan horses (1938).
Also includes letters from Newberry to Myres including relating to: Egyptian and Libyan horses (1938); arranging to meet Myres and reference to war work (1943); Newberry's health with notes on forms of bow (1945); details on the donation of Carter material by Miss Walker including copy of two letters from E.T.Leeds (Keeper, Ashmolean Museum) to Miss Walker in 1939 (1945); Joseph Bonomi and Mrs de Cosson's plans to publish his diaries, and the Minoan-Mycenaean Goddess of the Bow (1947).
MSS 32/41 is also numbered 37 and A.95
MSS 32/43 is also numbered A.94
MSS 32/48 is also numbered A.341
Myers, Oliver - correspondence
Correspondence from Oliver Myers including relating to a wazir statue, publication of Temples of Armant: A Preliminary Survey, reference to his work as a censor during the second world war and requesting Newberry's opinion on seals and scarabs.
One letter does not have a Dawson reference number.
Payne, Humfry Gilbert Garth - correspondence
July 1933 - September 1933
Correspondence from Humfry Gilbert Garth Payne (1902-1936) requesting Newberry's opinion on a scarab and fayence ring found in tombs at Knossos, with sketch drawings.
Perrins, Charles William Dyson - correspondence
Letter from Charles William Dyson Perrins relating to an exhibition at Burlington Fine Arts Club and requesting Newberry's opinion on some scarabs.
Richmond, Ernest Tatham - correspondence
Correspondence from Ernest Tatham Richmond requesting permission to reproduce scarabs published by Newberry.
Schaeffer, Claude Frédéric-Armand - correspondence
Correspondence from Claude Frédéric-Armand Schaeffer (Conservator, Musée des Antiquités Nationales) including requesting Newberry's opinion on the date of scarabs.
Shorter, Alan Wynn - correspondence
Correspondence from Alan Wynn Shorter (1906-1938) relating to a scarab of Thutmosis IV.
Tattersall, W.M. - correspondence
Letter from W.M. Tattersall (Manchester Museum) relating to the donation of a collection of Egyptian scarabs.
Wilson, John A. - correspondence
Letter from John A. Wilson relating to the purchase of a scarab.
Notebook on topics including objects, flora, fauna, products, places and gods
1900? - 1925?
Notebook labelled by John Harris 'Miscellaneous Notes' with an index at the front containing notes on objects, flora, fauna, products, places and gods. It includes examples of attestations of words, variant writings, expressions or other terms formed by or including them, and some ancient Egyptian texts/hymns in translation.
Includes handwritten notes on:
objects (censers, bird traps, djed pillar, netjer pole, furniture, mirrors, sandals, tjet knot, chariots, flail and crock)
flora (plants, trees including conifers, cedar, cypress , woods including ebony, grain and wheat)
fauna (dogs, camels, giraffes, deer, oryx and a fauna bibliography)
products (natron, incense, myrrh, methods of tapping resin)
places (Lebanon, Byblos, “the land of the god”, Zahi, Retjenu, Phoenicia, place names in Syria)
gods (Osiris, Atum-Kheprer [also referred to as Atum-Kheper or Atum-Kepri], Iah, Adonis and Attis, Neferhetep, hieroglyph for God [R8] and variants)
Also includes notes on funerary offerings, the word sedj in seals, circumcision and the ritual of embalming.
Pages 3-4, 48-49, 51-59, 61-69 and 72-75 have been cut out. According to the index at the front of the notebook these pages include notes on:
-trees and wood (merw-wood, wan-wood, Peqer tree)
-animals (pig, cat, rat, mouse, lion, fox, wolf, jackal, ass, porcupine, jerboa, hippopotamus, elephant, hyena, monkey, baboon, bat, hedeghog, bear, ichneum, leopard, hare, addax, kudu, goat, ibex, dorcas gazelle)
Dates: There are references to publications up to 1925. Notes appear to have been added at different times.
Various Notes by P.E.Newberry
Notebook titled by Warren Dawson 'VARIOUS NOTES by P.E.Newberry' and inside 'Various Notes by Percy Edward Newberry given to me by him March, 1949' and below 'Given by Mr Warren R. Dawson, October, 1960'.
-Handwritten and typewritten notes on people who travelled in Nubia (modern central and northern Sudan and southern Egypt) and Egypt, mostly in the 19th century, including names, dates, where they visited and bibliographic references
-Typed extract from or notes on 'Mariette, Lettres et Souvenirs personnels', 1904 (OEB 144543)
-Typed notes titled 'Destruction of Monuments. Hermopolis Temple' and 'Destruction of Monuments. Temple at GAW'
-Notes on Pierre Belon du Mans and extract of a bibliography
-Notes on the Hoopoe bird including sketches
-Loose drawing of a scarab inscription
Seals from the Naqada Royal Tomb
Notebook titled on the first page 'Sealings. Garstang. Naqada Royal Tomb' containing drawings, tracings and cuttings of seals.
This notebook was previously in a box labelled, during previous archival processing, 'Sealings, Scarabs, Cylinders'.
Notebook containing cuttings and drawings of scarabs; cuttings and rubbing of cylinder seal impressions, (one dated 1929); notes on scarabs, seals and the sealing process.
Also includes envelope containing photographs of scarabs.
Notebook containing drawings of scarabs and scarab rings.
Also includes envelope containing drawings of rings and notes on scarabs, seals and coins.
Research notebook
1908 - c.1939
Notebook titled on inside page '1908-9 - Percy E. Newberry - University of Liverpool - c/o Thomas Cook and Sons - Cairo or Luxor'. It has also been labelled during previous archival processing 'Miscellaneous - Mainly sealings and other early dynastic material'.
Notebook contains short notes on a range of different topics, copies of inscriptions, drawings, cuttings and rubbings of scarabs and seals.
Includes notes on religion, geography, museum collections and objects, genealogy of the Newberry family, nome ensigns or standards, cult symbols and architecture.
Cylinder seal impressions
1900s - 1920s - Approximate date based on publication references.
Notebook housed in an envelope containing cuttings and drawings of cylinder seals and impressions from Abydos, including the tombs of Khasekhemwy and Neterkhet (also known as Djoser). Pages of the notebook have been numbered by Peter Kaplony on 26th November 1959. Notebook also includes loose pages of draft plates for Newberry, P.E., 'Impressions of seals from Abydos', in Annals of Archaeology and Anthropology, Volume 2, p.130 with plates xxii-xxv (1909) (OEB 146367).
This notebook was previously in a box labelled, during previous archival processing, 'Scarabs and Cylinders'.
Notes on the Timmins Collection
Notebook containing descriptive notes, drawings and copies of inscriptions on objects from the Timmins Collection. These objects were not included in Newberry, Percy E. 1907. The Timins collection of ancient Egyptian scarabs and cylinder seals. London: Constable (OEB 146409).
This notebook was previously in a box labelled, during previous archival processing, 'Objects'.
Dynasties IV, V and VI
? - 1940s
Folder titled 'DYN. IV, V, VI' containing notes relating to the 4th Dynasty, 5th Dynasty and 6th Dynasty.
-Notes on King lists for the 4th, 5th and 6th Dynasties
-Notes relating to Menkaure, Khafre, Khufu and Snefru
-Notes on cylinder seals from the 5th Dynasty
-Notes on Neith and the pyramid of Neith published by Gustave Jéquier in Jéquier, G. 1933. <i>Les pyramides des reines Neit et Apouit. Fouilles à Saqqarah</i>. Le Caire: Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale (OEB 141991)
-Notes on Aba and the pyramid of Aba published by Gustave Jéquier in Jéquier, G. 1935. <i>La pyramide d'Aba. Fouilles at Saqqarah.</i>. Le Caire : Impr. De l'IFAO (OEB 141989)
Neithhotep and tomb
Folder titled 'Nîthotēp Naqada Tomb' containing notes and research material relating to Neithhotep and the identification of the Naqada tomb (TopBib v.118).
-Typed and handwritten notes on Queen Hetep (Neith-Hetep) and her tomb at Naqada
-Notes on objects inscribed with name of Queen Neithhotep
-Cuttings from Petrie, W. M. Flinders. 1901. <i>The Royal Tombs of the Earliest Dynasties</i>. London: Egypt Exploration Fund (OEB 147184) including Plate II and Plate VA
-Copies of ivory labels found in the tomb of Neithhotep (Cairo Museum, CG 14102, CG 14103, CG 14106, CG 14104) from Morgan, J. de 1897. <i>Recherches sur les origines de l'Égypte: ethnographie préhistorique et tombeau royal de Négadah</i>. Paris: Ernest Leroux (OEB 145679)
-Notes on the correct reading of the name of Neithhotep
-List of the contents of Chamber B
-Notes on seals found in the tomb of Neithhotep
-Notes and cuttings of a plan and section of tomb of Merneith (TopBib v.82)
-Typed notes on Libyan Amazons
-Notes and sketches of ivory tablet of Aha from the tomb at Naqada (Cairo Museum, CG 14142) (TopBib v.118)
Narmer and Menes
1938? - c.1948 This date is approximate based on the date of publications which have been referenced
Folder titled 'Menes label of Narmer - (7) - Narmer-Menes identification' containing three envelopes.
Envelope 1 includes:
-Typed draft titled 'The Votive Palette of Narmer' on the Narmer Palette (Cairo Museum, JE 14716) with handwritten notes
-Handwritten and typed notes, commentary, cuttings on the label of Aha or Naqada Label (Cairo Museum, CG 14142), including sketches and tracings
-Typed notes on the identification of Nar as Menes and the predecessor of Aha, possibly given as a lecture
-Handwritten note on the depiction of animals on predynastic vases
-Notes on the history of the 1st Dynasty and 2nd Dynasty
-Handwritten notes on seal found in the tomb of Tarkhan I giving the name of Narmer (Petrie Museum, UC 16077)
-Tracing and sketches of a seal of Narmer Men (Ashmolean Museum, E.3915?)
-Tracings and cuttings from Petrie, W. M. Flinders. 1901. <i>The Royal Tombs of the Earliest Dynasties</i>. Part 2. London: Egypt Exploration Fund (OEB 147184)
-Tracing and notes on two labels of Zer (also known as Djer) (Egyptian Museum of Berlin, 18026 and Cairo Museum, 44365)
-Tracing from Quibell, J. E. 1907. <i>Excavations at Saqqara (1905-1906)</i>. Le Caire: Institute Français d'Archéologie Orientale (OEB 147888)
-Tracings from Petrie, W. M. Flinders, et al. 1913. <i>Tarkhan I and Memphis V</i>. London, Aylesbury: Hazell, Watson and Viney, Ld. (OEB 147219) and Petrie, W. M. Flinders. 1914. <i>Tarkhan II</i>. London: School of Archaeology in Egypt (OEB 147220)
-Tracings from Petrie, W. M. Flinders, et al. 1902-1904. <i>Abydos</i>, 3 vols. London: Egypt Exploration Fund (OEB 146956) including inscriptions from the Tomb of King Ka-ap (also known as Qa'a)
-Handwritten notes on the 1st Dynasty and tombs at Abydos titled 'Egypt before historic times'
-Typed draft correspondence from Newberry to Raymond Faulkner and Alan Gardiner relating to Emery, Walter B. 1939. <i>Ḥor-Aḥa</i>. Excavations at Saqqara (1937-1938). Cairo: Government Press (OEB 138960) and the identification of Narmer with Menes, 1942-1947
-Typed draft correspondence to Walter Emery on Hor-Aha, 1938
-Notes on personal names of the Horus King
-Notes on variant writings of the name of Narmer
-Notes on Emery, Walter B. 1939. <i>Ḥor-Aḥa</i>. Excavations at Saqqara (1937-1938). Cairo: Government Press (OEB 138960)
-Notes on boats
-Notes on the Archaic Period and for a lecture on 1st Dynasty Kings
Newberry, Percy Edward: Menes : the founder of the Egyptian monarchy. - In: <i>Great ones of ancient Egypt</i>. - London : Hodder and Stoughton, 1929. - p. 35-53, 2 pl. (OEB 146376)
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Top-level description Thomas Eric Peet Collection
Morning Post, 23/02/1934
Peet MSS 6.2.4
Part of Thomas Eric Peet Collection
Obituary in <i>Morning Post</i>, 23/02/1934.
Yorkshire Post, 23/02/1934
Obituary in <i>Yorkshire Post</i>, 23/02/1934.
The Times, 26/02/1934
Notice on funeral in <i>The Times</i>, 26/02/1934.
List of foral tributes
List of people and institutions who sent flowers for the funeral.
Newspaper/journal not known, no date
Tribute by G. M. M. in newspaper/journal not known, no date.
Liverpool Post and Mercury, 23/02/1934
Tribute in <i>Liverpool Post and Mercury</i>, 23/02/1934.
Peet MSS 6.3
Group of miscellaneous newspaper cuttings.
Wheelerʼs Manchester Chronicle, 11/08/1792
Copy of <i>Wheelerʼs Manchester Chronicle</i>, 11/08/1792.
The Liverpool Echo, 11/11/1918
Copy of <i>The Liverpool Echo</i>, 11/11/1918 (end of World War I).
Newspaper not known, no date
Copy of “Un deputato che dona allo Stato” in newspaper not known, no date.
Newspaper not known, 1906
Craven Fellowship award in newspaper not known, [1906].
Peet MSS 7
Certificate 1
Certificate of Registry of Birth for Thomas Eric Peet; Walton[-on-the-Hill], 04/09/1882.
Certificate of Holy Baptism for Thomas Eric Peet; Walton-on-the-Hill, 24/09/1882.
Certificate of Marriage for Thomas Eric Peet and Mary Forence Lawton; British Consulate at Rome, 22/10/1910.
Certificate of Marriage for Richard Johnson Lawton and Catherine Augusta Bosworth (T. E. Peet's parents-in-law); Leicester, 05/07/1887.
Certificate of exemption from Responsions from Local Examinations at the University of Oxford for T. E. Peet; Oxford, 07/1898.
Certificate of Matriculation at the University of Oxford for T. E. Peet; Oxford, 15/10/1901.
T. E. Peet’s calling card for 9 Manley Road, Waterloo, Liverpool.
Notes on walking excursions
03/06/1905 – Easter 1906
Notes on walking excursions taken in the Lake District (England) and Snowdonia (Wales); 03/06/1905 – Easter 1906.
Travel record
Travel record, small notebook; 1906-1932.
Notes on Neolithic Italy
Preliminary notes for book on Neolithic Italy; no date.
Inaugural Lecture of Professor T. E. Peet, Oxford
Inaugural Lecture of Professor T. E. Peet; Oxford, 17/01/1934.
Draft of inaugural lecture
Two final pages of draft.
Publication of inaugural lecture
Publication of lecture: T. E. Peet, <i>The Present Position of Egyptological Studies. An Inaugural Lecture delivered before the University of Oxford on 17 January 1934</i> (Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1934), 22 pages.
Notebook with notes on Latin and Greek
Notebook containing notes on Latin and Greek; Merchant Taylorsʼ School, Crosby.
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Okay, maybe not teenaged. But pretty close.
I just finished Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order where you play as Cal Kestis. He was a young padawan when Order 66 occurred. He has been hiding from the Empire’s Purge Troops for five years by keeping the same weird shaggy hair cut every padawan had in the movies. It’s called hiding in plain sight. And it’s been working. But to save a friend, he exposes his force powers and the hunt is on.
Climbing on AT-ATs to save Wookies. Classic.
I’ve been looking forward to playing this game for a while. I enjoyed the Knight of the Old Republic and Force Unleashed Games and I’ll have to admit that the premise sounded cool. I’m more of a first-generation Star Wars fan. I haven’t really dug into the cartoons or much of the extra lore around the prequels but the idea of a Jedi pursuing good while ducking the bad guys sounded fun. Like the A-Team with lightsabers.
Clone troopers are out. Stormtroopers are in.
The voice acting is great and the banter of the stormtroopers is enjoyable. It’s not quite Mandalorian level banter but there are some decent lines when they find themselves the last one standing.
Eff this guy.
The gameplay delivers. I got to fight beasts, deflect blaster bolts and even take on a giant bat that earned many middle fingers, but they were Jedi middle fingers.
It’s more like a Swiss army knife by the end.
You learn more force powers and your lightsaber evolves as the game goes on. You can push things, pull things, slow things and each skill lets you access more of the map.
It was a fun and the story was enjoyable. It even dove tails nicely into Rogue One a bit.
In the end, I didn’t swear too much, but my understanding is that the higher difficulties are brutal and probably lead to interesting curse combinations.
Now it’s on to Outerworlds.
Check out Jedi Fallen Order here.
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Wishlist BlogGeneral News Media Releases
Category Archives: General News
Doctors turning to radiation-free scans
Young patients may soon be able to skip the x-ray queue and instead opt for an ultrasound when presenting to a Sunshine Coast emergency department this year. Fractures are one of the most common reasons a child will visit an emergency department on the Coast, but with the help of a Wishlist research grant worth…
A word of thanks from Lisa Rowe
With the festive season underway it’s easy to get lost in the list of things to get through before a well- deserved break. But just for a moment I invite you to reflect on some of the things that your support of the Coast’s local hospital foundation has helped us achieve this past year. With…
Wrapping up our year
What a year 2019 was, and we couldn’t have done it without the support of the Sunshine Coast community. Wishlist kicked some serious goals this year, including building a home away from home for families with loved ones receiving treatment at Sunshine Coast University Hospital. We are excited to announce The House The Coast Built,…
Home-delivered telerehabilitation to benefit local stroke patients
Wishlist’s investment into research is set to benefit local stroke patients from Caloundra to Gympie thanks to funding of $19,538 for a home-delivered telerehabilitation research program. Stroke is one of Australia’s biggest killers and a leading cause of disability, accounting for 133,000 bed days in Queensland Health in 2016/17. Many stroke survivors are still experiencing…
Therapeutic suites to change breast screening on the Coast
BreastScreen Sunshine Coast and Wishlist are on a mission to increase the number of local ladies getting regular checks, by creating a much more pleasant environment at the Nambour BreastScreen clinic. In a Queensland first, Sunshine Coast women will soon have access to state-of-the-art Lighting and Sensory Distraction Suites for their regular and follow-up breast…
Music soothes the soul
Music has the power to soothe the soul. It’s a therapy that’s used in all areas of the health service to distract, reduce stress and create a sense of familiarity in an otherwise clinical environment. Determined to spread the joy of music far and wide, Wishlist has helped to fund music therapy for palliative care…
Wishlist Wrap – October
September’s Wishlist Spring Carnival was spectacularly successful, having raised $214,743 for local research projects. Not only was it a record fundraising success but we also played host to our largest audience yet, with 800 guests joining us for lunch and the legendary ‘after party’ at Novotel Twin Waters. To say I’m proud of this community…
Mental Health Garden offers peaceful time out
A flourishing sensory garden and sitting area in the Older Person’s Mental Health Unit (OPMHU) at the Sunshine Coast University Hospital (SCUH) has created a much-needed space for patients and families to find peace and fresh air in an otherwise clinical environment. Catering specifically to the needs of older persons aged 65 and over, the…
Seven years of great service
If you’ve visited Gympie Hospital you would have stopped by the Wishlist Coffee House and been helped by the shops well-known Manager, Richard Ward. Richard has spent the better part of a decade looking after the operations of the Coffee House and its hard-working tribe of volunteers. After many years of service and over $400,000…
Wishlist raises $214k for local research
Wishlist and the Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service’s Study, Education, Research Trust fund (SERTF) are on a mission to reduce the number of children that lose their lives to sepsis by funding vital research into the deadly condition. The Sunshine Coast Community knows the story of little Finn Smith—the 13-month-old boy who lost his…
Doctors turning to radiation-free scans January 9, 2020
A word of thanks from Lisa Rowe December 18, 2019
Wrapping up our year December 17, 2019
Home-delivered telerehabilitation to benefit local stroke patients October 25, 2019
Therapeutic suites to change breast screening on the Coast October 22, 2019
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CFO Innovation Conference, and Awards Gala
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ÜBER-Controlling
Articles, CFO, CFO Studio Magazine, Global Companies, Magazine
As Seen in CFO Studio Magazine Q1 2017 Issue
WHY BUSINESSES WITH GLOBAL CONCERNS NEED A NEW DYNAMIC ON THEIR EXECUTIVE TEAM
-BY GEORG ANNEN, Chief Financial Officer, Unger / USA & Europe
To navigate a company through rough market conditions requires knowledge, experience, and leadership. Management teams rely first of all on timely and accurate financial data and detailed business analytics. ROI calculations, valuations, and future cash-flow predictions are other critical factors. All this can give a company a vital competitive edge — and this is where controlling comes into play. Such prognostic information is so essential to management decisions, and the responsibilities of the controlling function are so extensive that I prefer to call it “ÜBER-Controlling” (“über,” the German word meaning “in excess of,” “above,” or “over,” not to be mixed up with Uber, the mobile taxi service!).
Basically, ÜBER-Controlling consists of three functions:
Sales & Marketing Controlling: Information about revenue development by customer and product as well as volume/price/mix effects; success of marketing campaigns and price sensitivity; market-related versus cost-plus pricing models; price entry points for new-product development, etc.
Production Controlling: Information about material, labor, energy, freight, and other manufacturing costs in total and by unit; make-or-buy decisions; margin comparison based on standard costs and variance analysis; discounted cash-flow calculation for capital investments, depreciation alternatives, and inventory optimization.
Overhead Controlling: Information on so-called fixed costs per department (Selling, Marketing, R&D, Supply Chain, Admin) and cost category (Personnel, Travel & Entertainment, Consulting, etc.); comparison to budget and prior year expenses.
An ÜBER-Controller does not just collect data from these three functions. He or she adds another dimension to it: Instead of looking just backwards or at today’s performance, he or she concentrates on looking forward. Through strategic and mid-term planning, annual budgeting, and rolling forecasting systems, the future of the company is being shaped by the ÜBER-Controller’s involvement and expertise.
Nevertheless, ÜBER-Controlling can only be successful when it works hand-in-hand with the financial accounting department under the leadership of the corporate CFO. Statutory financial statements for external information purposes (looking back) and management reports for management decisions (looking forward) are closely intertwined. Modern, fully-integrated ERP systems with new general ledger concepts and dedicated FI and CO modules can provide a multitude of management reports. For improved management reporting purposes, it is important to use notional costs for depreciation, interest, taxes, and asset and liability amounts based on actual market valuations.
The ÜBER-Controller’s role and responsibilities are critical for the success of a company. They transition the typical conservative finance function into a future-orientated, vibrant think tank. The more specialized and entrepreneurial the controlling knowledge is, the better is this individual’s support as a business partner.
The function of the ÜBER-Controller and his or her entire controlling team is highly delicate, because they are a hybrid in an organization. Whenever I discuss my concept of an ÜBER Controller, the question comes up: Are they part of finance or of an operational business function? The best way to deal with it is to have controllers sit next to the sales and production managers and be their day-to-day “sparring partners.” However, it is best for the ÜBER Controller to report into the CFO function, thereby guaranteeing complete independence and objectivity in their judgment.
LAND MINES AND REWARDS WHEN CORPORATIONS OPERATE INTERNATIONALLY
Moderator David Jansen, Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers, promised that attendees would get great insights from “the top of the finance pyramid among global companies today” —and they did.
Discussing Tumi Luggage’s 184 wholly owned retail stores, Michael Mardy, CFO, said the decision to become a retailer and the model Tumi used in developing its retail presence in 75 countries might well be the reason why Samsonite offered to pay $1.8 billion to buy Tumi. Retail does not reliably make money for the company. But it generates a lot of cash, allowing Tumi to pay down debt. Furthermore, it’s been “a great way to build our brand.”
He said that “on average, the retail stores earn about $1,200 per square foot. Our wholesale business operates at about a 39 percent EBITDA margin, our retail business operates at about a 25 percent EBITDA margin.”
Mardy told audience members during the CFO Innovation Conference session, “I have basically replicated the McDonald’s operating model to expand Tumi overseas.”
Describing this operating model as a way to manage risk, Mardy, formerly CFO for a McDonald’s supplier, said, “We pick a local businessperson who really knows the market and we make them a distributor, make a sweetheart deal with them. Over time as we learn the market, we kind of flex our muscles and get a little bit more involved, making sure we’re giving the distributor his or her share of the profits.”
Bill Flynn, CFO for Sharp Americas, said his company’s practice of hiring distributors for the Latin American market is similar. (Like Tumi, Sharp Electronics is in the process of being acquired, in a deal with Foxconn.) “The key for us is protecting our brand,” said Flynn. “We’re careful in how we vet those distributors and then take them through extensive training. We set pricing standards for them, and we make sure that as they go to market, they are meeting those standards.” Sharp looks for distributors with good financial standing and presence in the region, and who have good knowledge of the market.
With its warehouse space, Sharp has followed a plan to keep the footprint small. “Since [2005], we’ve reduced our fixed warehouse square footage by 90 percent,” said Flynn.
To a question on how the panelists manage international risks and political uncertainties, Claude Draillard, CFO of Dassault Falcon Jet, said business jets attract a unique type of customer, 95 percent of whom are corporations, and some of whom don’t register the aircraft in the country where they are living. Not wanting to be ensnared in an illegal transaction, Draillard says, “We vet our customers before vetting our distributors.”
There are in fact no distributors, he added. “We want to control what’s being told to the customer before the sale and after the sale. We want to control the entire chain of value for the brand.”
The company’s training program, focusing on KYC (know your customer) “is absolutely necessary,” he said. Beyond that, “educating the sales force, educating those who are dealing with the customer, is a very important part of the CFO job, because [as CFOs] we are the backbone of compliance.”
With perceptions as pointed and candid as these, panelists gave the audience evidence that the CFO’s role in a global company requires, in Flynn’s words, “people skills, project management skills, and strong process knowledge.”
— Julie Barker
Being Global Has Its Challenges
Articles, CFO, CFO Studio Magazine, Compliance, Executive Dinner Series, Global Companies, Magazine, Regulation
REGULATORY ISSUES VARY COUNTRY BY COUNTRY AND RETAINING TALENT REQUIRES FOCUS AND CREATIVITY
In today’s global economy the role of a CFO is more complex than ever before. Successful CFOs must be able to operate in markets all over the world, with different currencies, cultures, time zones, tax structures, and regulations.
This was the basis for conversation during a recent World-Class Companies CFO Dinner Series event, entitled, “Challenges, Opportunity, and Driving Growth in a World-Class Enterprise; CFO Optics and Insights.” The evening was hosted by CFO Studio and the discussion leader was Richard Veldran, CFO at business-to-business data provider Dun & Bradstreet. Mr. Veldran manages a global finance team of 450, doing business in more than 200 countries.
“The global landscape and the challenges of increased regulations outside the United States were foremost in the thoughts of the CFOs who attended the dinner,” Mr. Veldran said in an interview.
Heightened regulatory requirements are having an enormous impact upon the role of the CFO, and Mr. Veldran has a unique vantage point on the challenges companies face complying with myriad new regulations that differ by country. Dun & Bradstreet has compiled the world’s largest commercial database, with information on more than 250 million businesses around the globe. The company supplies some of the largest global organizations with the tools they need to help them manage compliance on a global basis.
“Compliance is a new, fast-growing area of our business. With our vast global database and expertise in identity resolution we help companies with compliance regulations from KYC (know your customer) to FCPA to FATCA,” said Mr. Veldran, referring to foreign regulatory and tax compliance.
It’s no surprise that in this evolving regulatory environment the relationship between the CFO and the general counsel has taken on added importance. The general counsel is responsible for all aspects of regulatory compliance, and the CFO must manage all risk across the enterprise, including regulatory risk.
“CFOs are tighter with the general counsel than ever before,” said Mr. Veldran. “As the regulatory environment has gotten more intense, the chief financial officer and the general counsel need to help each other to manage risk so they can maximize the growth of the company. The bond between the two of them has become stronger than ever.” Conducting business across the globe brings increased complexity to the role of the chief financial officer.
High Stakes Regarding Talent
“We live in a world where the actions of one rogue employee could cause enormous financial upheaval for a company. It’s not possible to be everywhere at once when managing global operations. CFOs must make sure they are operating with a robust system of controls and oversight in place,” says Mr. Veldran. At Dun & Bradstreet, enterprise risk management is embedded in every function throughout the company, reaching well beyond the Finance and Legal departments. All business leaders recognize that they need to manage risk to achieve their performance goals.
With such high stakes it is important to have a team in place that is both educated and accountable. A discussion of talent-related challenges followed, with the major issues being acquiring the best talent, developing the individuals, and having measures in place to retain them for the long term.
“Talent retention is of the utmost importance, especially in large, complex, global organizations,” said Mr. Veldran.
Technology and the Customer
Modern financial management systems are providing instant insight into the full value chain of a company, agreed the participants. This goes beyond the four walls of the organization and gives access to customers, suppliers, banks, and the entire workforce, including external and contingent employees.
To better serve customers, Walmart, for example, uses innovative technology to track inventory, said Henner Schliebs, Finance Expert and Vice President at SAP, a CFO Studio Business Development Partner. “On Black Friday, Walmart optimized West Coast store shelves based on the East Coast early-morning experience and predictions [for Black Friday sales]. This is only possible with 21st-century technology,” explained Mr. Schliebs.
Customers are expecting a fully digital experience, he added. “A leading consumer brand enables its customers to find a song on the Internet, download it instantly, and have shipment and invoice/collection automatically embedded into the whole process. And again, it’s only possible with modern technology in real-time,” he said.
Real-time business intelligence like this is the way of the world. It’s also a defense against disruptive technologies and business models, said Mr. Schliebs. “Live business is imperative in all finance-transformation programs, especially as the threat of the next Uber-ization in all industries is high. A strong CFO has to be empowered to lead the strategy of a company,” said Mr. Schliebs.
JLL, a global real estate services firm, is hearing of these same issues from its clients. “Not only is retention critical, but locating solid percentages of targeted labor is also very important. Providing real-time technology tools that allow our clients to optimize their workforce-segmentation model and screen locations through high-level labor analytics helps us to support them in talent requirements,” explains Andrea Van Gelder, International Director, JLL.
At the dinner, which was held at Morton’s The Steakhouse in Chicago, the camaraderie was evident as all the attendees remarked on how similar their circumstances were. The very complexity of the finance and operational processes in business today “make a live environment and the real-time insights offered at this dinner very satisfying,” concluded Mr. Schliebs. “[Such insights are] a must-have in all aspects of the CFO role, specifically in combination with the need for a truly global solution (local compliance) focused on the particular industry (vertical compliance) and risk management embedded in any finance process.”
PwC will Present at the 2019 CFO Innovation Conference
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In Support of Freedom of Speech
If State Sen. Tom Reynolds and the doufus twins, J.J. Blonien and Bob Dohnal think they can win by intimidation, they really don’t have a clue. Gretchen Schuldt, who is the author of the blog Milwaukee Rising, is being threatened with a lawsuit by the above-named trio. Her crime: Asking legitimate questions regarding Mr. Reynolds spending of campaign funds.
Since Reynolds has already shown that he shrinks from the glare of public scrutiny, threatening to sue a former journalist who knows the rules of slander and libel seems a funny thing to do.
Consequently, like Xoff has already done, lets add to the fun and support Gretchen, who seems unfazed by their Gestapo-like tactics . Below are the postings in question regarding Reynolds. He may have started something he did not intend.
Questions about Tom Reynolds' utility bills
It's one thing to have your campaign headquarters in your house, as State Sen. Tom Reynolds (R- Loony Land) does.
It's another thing when you charge utility costs for your "campaign headquarters" to your campaign fund, as Tom Reynolds does. Even when there's not an election looming.
Let's go back to February, 2004, when Reynolds was very comfortably in the middle of his first term. Some people recognized him for the half-baked clown he is, but there was certainly no election threat on the immediate horizon. No reason to be burning the midnight light bulbs cooking up campaign strategies.
Yet Reynolds charged $57.79 for "gas and electric" for his "campaign headquarters" (his house) to his campaign fund. Hope none of that went to keep his kiddies warm at night. That would be a lot like converting campaign funds to personal use, which would be a distinct no-no.
State statute makes that clear:
No person, committee or group may make or authorize a disbursement or the incurrence of an obligation from moneys solicited for political purposes for a purpose which is other thanpolitical, except as specifically authorized by law.
Maybe Reynolds was in campaign mode in those election off years. In March, 2004, his campaign picked up two payments -- $58.43 on the 13th and $45.20 on the 29th; in May of that year, it was another two payments -- one for $29.44 and one for $35.81, both paid on May 28.
(In June he spent $197.28 at Half Nuts, which seems so appropriate, if somewhat understated.)
Reynolds, in fact, has been charging utility costs to his campaign fund since before he was elected in 2002. That year, a $40.17 electric bill was picked up by the campaign fund on Sept. 16, a week later, on Sept. 24, another $239.85 electric bill was paid by the same source, according to Reynolds' campaign finance report.
Reynolds' house /campaign headquarters isn't all that big -- 1,408 square feet, according to the West Allis city assessor's office. Utility costs should be relatively modest.
On and on it went, with utility costs sloughed off to the campaing fund more frequently:
November 2002, $140.98
November 2002, $76.18
March 2003, $79.91
Sept. 2003, $68.33
December 2003, $61.06
February 2004, $57.79
March , 2004, $45.20
May, 2004, $29.44
July 2004, $25.94
September, 2004 $35.52
November, 2004 $32.99
December, 2004 $33.83
Feb. 2005, $103.98
April 2005, $75.63
June 2005, $29.14
September 2005, $30.26
October 2005, $26.42
December 2005, $101.26
May 2006, $74.77
August 2006, $200.30
It could very well be that Reynolds is not charging the full cost of his utilities to his campaign, but he needs to explain how he separates his family's utility bills from his campaign headquarters' utility bills. A guy who literally poses for holy pictures can't be keeping his family warm with campaign funds.
Oh, yeah. Not a dime from Reynolds' campaign fund went to JJ Blonien, Reynolds' campaign "consultant" who also is on Reynolds' senate payroll as a staffer. Wonder how they keep those two roles nicely separate.
Reynolds camp can't get its story straight on utility charges
Tom Reynolds used his campaign funds to pay utility bills for the "campaign headquarters" in his home, according to Reynolds' own campaign finance filings.
Bob Dohnal, Reynolds disciple and publisher of The Conservative Digest, said the bills were for Reynolds' print shop, not for his home, despite what Reynolds said in his campaign filing (and I don't think you are supposed to fib on those).
The State Democratic Campaign Committee sent out letters to Reynolds' supporters telling them of Reynolds' creative use of their money to heat his home. Reynolds then issued a statement suggesting that the utility payments were for his home, but just for the campaign headquarters part of it:
The State Senate Democratic Campaign Committee comprised of: Chairperson, Judy Robson, Treasurer, Mark Miller and Executive Director, Matt Swentkowfske published the attached letter. The letter, with actual knowledge of the falsity of the statement, by the authors accuse me of violating state statute by using campaign funds for paying my private utility bills. The letter acknowledges that the authors know of my use of my residential property for my campaign headquarters. However, the authors go on to say that I pay my home utility bill from my campaign account which is a violation of State law. The letter also informs the Reynolds supporters that I am using the hard earned money of supporters and contributors to my campaign illegally to pad Tom Reynolds own pocket.
Reynolds demanded an immediate retraction and apology. You're going to be waiting a while for that one, Tom.
All bloggers should be dismayed and outraged by this attack upon their rights to free speech ... regardless of your side of the political spectrum.
Schuldt is a moonbat. She's quoted as saying that the Medical Complex (including Froedtert and Childrens' Hospitals) should bear the cost of engineering for the 894/45/94 upgrades.
THERE'S a health-care-cost compassionate liberal, eh?
Sullivan ALSO uses campaign funds to pay proportionate office-energy bills. It's a required accounting procedure for running a campaign.
Other Side said...
The entire cost of engineering, or their fair share?
I'll bet Sullivan has those expenses properly documented, not buried underneath half-truths and lies.
Dad, I can't believe you would even consider voting for Reynolds. He makes you look like an earthling.
So it is okay for the liberal to pay himself from his campaign coffers, but wrong for the conservative???
No double standards here are there????
Clint, you are looking at this far tto simplistically.
Election code does allow use of campaign monies for certain personal expenses as long as the payments are documented. If you are referring to Bryan Kennedy ... everyone is aware of what he has used campaign monies for and, if you will notice, there is no one saying the use is illegal ... there have been questions and he has answered them all.
No one is also saying that what Tom Reynolds has done is illegal. However, there have been legitimate questions raised about payments he has made. His documentation and his comments do not seem to match. It seems like he is trying to hide something ... and his attempt to squelch debate with this bogus threat of a lawsuit is appalling.
Even you must see the difference.
Twenty-five Years of Weird Al
Guns People Play II
We Must Stop Those Aliens
Wednesday Thoughts
Guns People Play I
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St Helena Government Signs Final Financing Agreement with the European Union for its Submarine Cable
SHG UK Representative, Mrs Kedell Worboys MBE, along with EDF Director for Latin America & Caribbean, Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development, Jolita Butkeviciene
press release by St Helena Government originally published here
SHG is pleased to announce that today in Brussels at 2pm (GMT) SHG UK Representative, Mrs Kedell Worboys MBE, along with Director for Latin America & Caribbean, Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development, Jolita Butkeviciene, signed the Financing Agreement for the Territorial Allocation of the 11th European Development Fund (EDF 11).
This is the final step in securing the territory’s funds from the 11th EDF. As a result, €21.5 million has been released to St Helena to support the delivery of the SHG Digital Strategy through the realisation of the submarine cable to enable faster and more reliable internet connectivity on the Island. Some funding will also go to both Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha.
Financial Secretary and Territorial Authorising Officer, Dax Richards, said:
“It’s great to finally be able to draw to a close a piece of work which has been four years in the making. This is a huge step forward for St Helena as it brings the Island ever closer to the realisation of significant improvements in connectivity and accessibility via a subsea fibre cable. I would like to pay a special tribute to the European Commission officials who have worked alongside of St Helena in the spirit of partnership and cooperation to secure this important funding for the Island.”
SHG is grateful to the support of the European Union who recognises the significant benefits that improved connectivity will have on the community. These include improved health care services, better connectivity, economic and social development as well as addressing issues of isolation.
St Helena Government signs contract with Google to land subsea cable
St Helena expects ship to survey seabed for Google's Equiano cable on August 18th
Subsea cable to be landed on St Helena
High-speed broadband would be huge for education. Not only could we make better use of online materials, but with affordable broadband teachers could develop their practice from home.
I'm an IT engineer and I would love to return to my island to start an IT business, but because of the slow, expensive and unreliable internet connection this is simply impossible.
I had to leave St Helena to study. Being 5000 miles away from my family and friends is hard. Not being able to skype with them due to the slow and expensive internet on St Helena is even harder.
Socioeconomic status is now heavily reliant on broadband penetration. With the ever-growing importance of the internet, St Helena with its limited access is in danger of being left behind.
James Greenwood
Adivsory Teacher on St Helena
living on St Helena since 2011
Jonathan Clingham
from Wiltshire
emigrated to the UK in 1999
Laura Lawrence
English Language Student at
the University of Hertfordshire
left St Helena in 2011
Kimberley Yon-Roberts
Media Production Student at
the University of Bedfordshire
All contents, unless otherwise specified, are released into the public domain. created by A Human Right 2012
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Bitcoin Surges Past $5,700 in Hours: Experts Explain Factors of Overnight Rally
Over several hours on May 3, the price of bitcoin spiked from around $5,300 to over $5,700 in major markets, allowing the crypto market to gain more than $7 billion in a single day.
Most crypto assets in the global market have substantially surged in value in the past week
Source: coin360.io
Major crypto assets such as ether (ETH), litecoin (LTC), bitcoin cash (BCH) and EOS recorded gains in the range of 4% to 8% against the United States dollar, fueling the momentum of the crypto market.
Timing of bitcoin recovery is interesting
The abrupt recovery of the crypto market led by the strong upside price movement of bitcoin was largely unexpected due to the controversy surrounding iFinex, the company that oversees the operations of Tether and Bitfinex.
On April 25, the office of the New York Attorney General (NYAG) Letitia James filed a lawsuit against iFinex, alleging Bitfinex of using $900 million taken from Tether’s cash reserve in an attempt to “hide” its $850 million loss.
The NYAG’s office said that Bitfinex sent $850 million to a “bank” based in Panama called Crypto Capital Corp, which allegedly provided banking services to a variety of crypto exchanges that struggled to gain services from major financial institutions.
Ultimately, Bitfinex is said to have failed in recouping $850 million that was sent to Crypto Capital Corp, which likely led the firm to receive a $900 million loan from Tether.
The official document released by the NYAG’s office, which emphasized that the dealing between Bitfinex and Tether were not disclosed to users and investors, read:
“According to the filings, Bitfinex has already taken at least $700 million from Tether’s reserves. Those transactions — which also have not been disclosed to investors — treat Tether’s cash reserves as Bitfinex’s corporate slush fund, and are being used to hide Bitfinex’s massive, undisclosed losses and inability to handle customer withdrawals.”
Yet, despite the troubling development in the iFinex-Bitfinex case, the price of bitcoin has increased from $5,135 to over $5,735 in the past week as of press time.
What triggered the bitcoin rally?
In an exclusive interview with Cointelegraph, Crypto Rand, a widely recognized cryptocurrency trader and technical analyst, said that the upside movement of bitcoin and the rest of the market may have been simply technical.
According to the analyst, throughout the past two weeks, technical indicators were pointing toward a bullish momentum for bitcoin. As the market recovered fairly quickly from the Tether scandal, it likely boosted the confidence of existing investors in the market.
“For me, there is no fundamental reason behind. The Tether situation caused a dump that was recovered in no time. But even that dump stopped in the uptrend range channel support without causing major damages to the macrostructure. My perspective about it is clear. All relays on TA. It was looking pretty bullish since two weeks [ago].”
#Bitcoin looking solid here. Bullish pennant on the making. Target over the $6,000 region. pic.twitter.com/3WMFkuKzBN
— Crypto Rand (@crypto_rand) April 22, 2019
Immediately after Tether and Bitfinex’s general counsel, Stuart Hoegner, disclosed in an affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court of the State of New York, eToro CEO Yoni Assia suggested that the incident could serve as a catalyst for the near-term rally of bitcoin.
“Are the news supposed to pump or dump BTC? It’s bad news, but if $2 billion USDT get exchanged to BTC it actually increases its price… what a predicament. Tether Lawyer Admits Stablecoin Now 74% Backed by Cash and Equivalents,” Assia said.
As Tether holders began to sell the stablecoin for bitcoin — anticipating the stablecoin to lose its peg to the U.S. dollar — it may have driven the demand for the asset on paper. Tether investors buying bitcoin to either keep their funds in bitcoin or to sell for fiat could have fueled the momentum of the asset.
Can bitcoin sustain its current momentum?
Several prominent investors in the crypto space such as Vinny Lingham from Multicoin Capital have said that bitcoin surpassing the $6,200 to $6,400 range would officially signal the beginning of a new bull market. Lingham said:
“The key indicator for the start of a sustainable bull run is likely a decoupling of asset values from Bitcoin (i.e. Bitcoin’s strength weakens other networks or vice versa). Anything else is just speculation again (maybe we need another bubble to learn more lessons?
“That said, if we can break $6,200 for BTC, it will likely mark the start of another major bull run and could run hot and high, but if it’s pure speculation and other assets benefit disproportionately to value created, it’s likely not going to end well again!”
The valuation of the crypto market has recovered to $185 billion, adding $7 billion overnight
But, some traders in the cryptocurrency sector remain cautious on the short-term trend of the asset because of both technical and fundamental factors.
DonAlt, a cryptocurrency technical analyst, for instance, said that the Bitfinex premium indicates the lack of stability in the market that could potentially leave the asset vulnerable to a drop below $5,000.
Crypto Rand told Cointelegraph that bitcoin is facing strong resistance and that it may take several months to break past the resistance, which suggests that in the short-term, the asset may struggle to break out of the $6,000 region:
“Right now we are facing probably the strongest horizontal resistance on the whole Bitcoin chart. I don’t think it will be easy to cross but I’m confident about a breakout during the next months; a breakout that will unfold another bull run. One indicator I’m following closely to track the status of BTC its market capitalization, which right now is showing clear momentum after crossing the $100 billion mark or the first time in 2019.”
Momentum has been building since December
In recent months, bitcoin has largely depended on momentum and technical factors to record upside movements.
The highly anticipated block reward halving that is expected to occur in May 2020 is considered a strong fundamental factor that could serve as a solid catalyst for the medium-term price trend of the asset.
But, most of the year-to-date gain of bitcoin from $3,150 to $5,700 is likely to have started with a sudden surge in the price of bitcoin from $4,200 to $5,000 in the first week of April, which also was caused by technical factors boosted by a spike in the volume of the CME bitcoin futures market. Mati Greenspan, a senior analyst at eToro, told Cointelegraph in an interview:
“The crypto market has been gathering a lot of momentum since the mid-December lows and it seems a lot of traders are turning bullish. The April 2nd surge broke us through some significant barriers and this morning we’re even pushing further.”
In the foreseeable future, while some traders have expressed concerns about the Tether controversy, Greenspan noted that if investors dump Tether on the market, investors will likely end up buying bitcoin, further pushing the demand for the asset up.
“Any erosion of trust is more likely to send Bitcoin up rather than down. At the moment there is about $2.8 billion parked in Tether. If investors end up dumping it, they’ll probably just buy Bitcoin.”
In the past several days, the “real 10” volume of bitcoin, the legitimate daily spot volume of bitcoin calculated using the methodology presented by Bitwise Asset Management, has increased to nearly $900 million, based on data provided by OnChainFX.
In March, Bitwise Asset Management calculated the “real 10” volume — which is composed of volume from exchanges with at least $1 million in daily bitcoin volume — to be around $270 million.
2/ First, key takeaways:
A. 95% of reported BTC spot volume is fake
B. Likely motive is listing fees (can be $1-3M)
C. Real daily spot volume is ~$270M
D. 10 exchanges make up almost all real trading
E. Most of the 10 are regulated
F. Spreads are <0.10%. Arb is super efficient
— Bitwise (@BitwiseInvest) March 22, 2019
In comparison with early March, the volume of bitcoin has increased by more than 200% in less than a month.
Recovering from a panic sell-off in November 2018
Part of a reason behind the struggle of bitcoin to rebound above the $5,000 level from January to March was the abrupt decline in the price of BTC from $6,300 to $3,820 in late November of last year.
Within two weeks, the price of BTC plunged by nearly 40 percent against the U.S. dollar, leading many retail investors to panic sell.
“The November drop seems to be a capitulation pattern where investors sold out of apathy and despair. Once the $5,000 level was broken we even saw a bit of panic selling,” Greenspan said.
It required bitcoin at least three months to cleanly break out of $4,000 and merely minutes to get from $4,200 to $5,000.
In the upcoming weeks, traders are likely to focus on evaluating various stimuli that may push BTC above the crucial $6,000 level.
Alex Krüger, a global markets analyst, noted that the 2018 bear trend came to an end when bitcoin surpassed $4,200 and that a new bull market is likely to start as BTC surpasses $6,400.
$BTC now at $5750, the 2018 low prior to the November crash.
— The 2018 bear trend ended once above $4200.
— Above $6400, 2018’s most traded price, it’s a bull market. pic.twitter.com/rIQI8RIPgs
— Alex Krüger (@krugermacro) May 3, 2019
Some positive fundamental indicators that could restore the confidence of investors as bitcoin approaches its block reward halving is the rise of bitcoin’s transaction volume, hash rate and trading volume.
До этого СМИ: в рамках закрытого IEO биржа Bitfinex уже получила вербальные обязательства на $600 млн
Далее В ходе международной спецоперации с участием Европола был закрыт даркнет-рынок Wall Street Market
NEM(XEM)$0.0400491.08%
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Colin Hay – Man @ Work (2003)
Man @ Work
Produced by Colin Hay
©2003 Compass Records/Lazy Eye Records
Beautiful World (Alternate Mix)
Down Under (Acoustic)
Overkill (Acoustic)
Storm in My Heart
Looking for Jack
Don't Be Afraid
It's a Mistake
Who Can It Be Now? (Acoustic)
Be Good Johnny
Love Is Innocent
Down Under (feat. Cecilia Noël & The Wild Clams)
Click here for the 2014 acoustic vinyl edition track list
Colin Hay plans to release a new album in 2020 28/11/2019
Colin Hay nominated for award by collaboration with Sara Storer 20/11/2019
Men at Work classic concert at Rockpalast is available online 11/11/2019
Colin Hay added more dates to his solo tour in 2020 05/11/2019
Colin Hay will return to Ringo Starr’s All Starr Band in 2020 05/11/2019
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By The Horns
I met the guys from By The Horns Brewing* and their excellent ales at last year's LBA Showcase at Vinopolis, so when I heard that they were having a couple of open days over the weekend my interest was piqued.
Like so many others these days, the brewery is tucked into one of a row of uniform industrial units, in this case just around the back of Wimbledon dog track. I guess the dogs keep the Wombles from nicking the casks... The five-barrel brewing kit looks good - managing director Chris Mills, who set up the brewery along with Alex Bull, says it's mostly ex-Amstel vessels, converted by Oban Ales up in Argyll. They currently have three fermenters and are planning to add a fourth, along with a conditioning tank.
While they had five ales for sale on gravity, the biggest change from what I saw last year when it was all cask was the large spread of bottles on the table. Having started bottling last month, Chris and Alex now bottle all their ales themselves as well as selling them in cask. As well as some local distribution - although of course they are on the look-out for more - Chris says they have beer going up to Manchester.
Interestingly, all the bottles are 330ml, rather than the 500ml I would have expected. Alex says that as well as reflecting how he and Chris like to drink (out of half-pint stemmed glasses), he feels the smaller bottles have "more of a young, contemporary look" that fits well with the bars they target.
The regulars are: Stiff Upper Lip, a 3.9% pale ale with Sonnet and Pioneer hops and a nice balance between a biscuity body and dry-bitter citrusy hops; Bobby on the Wheat, a 4.7% cloudy pale wheat ale with faint lemon and lactic tangs; Diamond Geezer, a 4.9% red ale with lots of sultanas and other fruit on the nose and then a nutty almost pecan pie body; and the newest addition Lambeth Walk, which is a tasty 5.1% dark porter with notes of treacle toffee, ginger and cocoa.
They're also doing specials and seasonals - I came away with an as-yet unopened bottle of Jolly Fatman, their winter spiced oatmeal stout, and they had a 6.4% 'double' version of the Diamond Geezer red ale in both bottles and cask. If you just thought Double Diamond I guess you're old like me - being younger, they called it Diamond Geezers instead.
I was driving, so after buying a few bottles and thanking Alex and Chris for the hospitality and the tasty samples, that was my limit. Fortunately the trip back was equally pleasant - a walk on Wimbledon Common and then coffee at the snack bar by the windmill, as the sun was setting. All Saturday afternoons should be like this!
*Their website's remarkably uninformative, apart from a link to the brewery's Facebook page, which is a bit more helpful - as long as you have a Facebook account, I suppose... There's also the brewery's RateBeer page which lists the beers.
Labels: london brewers
A tenner a pint
It was on the train home afterwards that I finally realised what the barman in the Craft Beer Co had been trying to tell me through the din. I'd just ordered a Mikeller Santa's Little Helper and a Thornbridge Bracia, and gesturing towards the latter pump he said "It's six and a half" – as in percent, or so I thought.
That seemed a bit odd given that Bracia is normally 9% or so, but this was a special that had been aged for three years in Pedro Ximinez sherry casks, and I'd already had a couple of other very nice beers and was a bit zonked by the noise and the crush at the bar. I just figured I'd misheard so I shrugged and nodded.
Passing over a £20 note and getting £10.05 back was a bit of a surprise - £9.95 for two halves? Once I figured it out, I realised it was even more than that – the Mikeller must've been £3.95, or £7.90 a pint, which isn't really all that expensive for a foreign craft beer weighing in at 10.9%, but what he'd actually been telling me was that the Bracia was "£6 a half".
Yes, £12 a pint – if they'd even sell you a pint of a beer that's 9.3%, and if you could actually drink that much of something which tastes a bit like a liquid black treacle and liquorice pudding. It is a stunningly good and complex beer though, huge-bodied and delicious, with hints of sour cherries, some woody and vinous notes, and a bit of dark chocolate. And while it had less alcohol - nominally, at least - than the Mikeller which was also very tasty and slipped down far too easily, the Bracia somehow had more presence and body.
So, when can I get over there again to see if there's any left...?
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Book a Taxi in London
Browsing all articles tagged with travel heathrow to gatwick
Fastest and Cheapest Transport Heathrow to Gatwick
Totally Airports London cab heathrow to gatwick, heathrow to gatwick, taxi heathrow to gatwick, travel heathrow to gatwick
Heathrow is one of six international airports in London and handles almost 40% of the total air traffic to the capital city. This international airport has five terminals and is the largest and busiest airport in the country. It is located in the London Borough of Hillingdon and is about 15 miles from Central London. The airport is connected to the city via train, local buses, the tube and taxis. Located in West Sussex and the second largest international airport of London is London Gatwick. This airport has two terminals, North and South and is connected by an inter-terminal shuttle which can be used 24 hours a day. The airport handles over 35 million passengers every year. The distance between Heathrow and Gatwick is about 40 miles. Public transport from Heathrow to Gatwick is available from all terminals of the airport.
Taxi from Heathrow to Gatwick
Totally Airports London heathrow to gatwick, taxi heathrow to gatwick, travel heathrow to gatwick
Heathrow and Gatwick are London’s busiest airports. Together they handle almost 80 percent of the country’s air traffic. They are situated along different directions from Central London and getting from Heathrow to Gatwick is time consuming and tiresome.
Brandie on Air Malta
Woodrow Tarner on Air Malta
Darrick Beckstrand on World’s Top Ten Airports in 2010
Leatrice Leiding on Air Malta
Ursula Bivings on History of The Ashes
Shawn Oka on Air Malta
Odelia Cologie on Air Malta
Gavin Hamamoto on History of The Ashes
© 2020 TotallyAirports. All Right Reserved.
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Children in Armed Conflict
Accountability Initiative
CAC Accountability Framework
Empowering children
Enforcing laws and norms
Guidelines and manuals
Justice and rule of law
Handbook on Children Recruited and Exploited by Terrorist and Violent Extremist Groups: The Role of the Justice System
Download full PDF from unodc.org
This handbook is designed for national authorities and provides guidance on the treatment of children recruited and exploited by terrorist and violent extremist groups, with emphasis on the role of the justice system. The main objectives of the handbook are to prevent the recruitment of children, identify effective justice responses to these children, and promote their rehabilitation and reintegration. The target audience is both law and policymakers who design policies of prevention and treatment as well as practitioners dealing directly with children in these contexts.
Children in Armed Conflict Accountability Framework: A Framework for Advancing Accountability for Serious Violations against Children in Armed Conflict
Conflict Dynamics International
Download full PDF from cacaccountability.org
This Framework is a practical resource that promotes accountability for serious violations of international law committed against children in armed conflict (CAC). It responds to the significant gap that exists in preventing and remedying these serious violations - and is designed to assist policymakers and practitioners working at all levels to bridge this gap. It provides individuals and organizations working in child protection, justice, peacebuilding, and related fields with a comprehensive definition and structure for understanding CAC accountability and practical guidance for developing well-informed, context-specific, and feasible options for advancing CAC accountability.
Marco de Rendición de Cuentas frente a los niños, las niñas y los jóvenes afectados por los conflictos armados
This resource is the Spanish version of the "Children in Armed Conflict Accountability Framework." El Marco de Rendición de Cuentas frente a los niños, las niñas y los jóvenes afectados por los conflictos armados es un recurso práctico que promueve mecanismos para abordar casos de violaciones graves derecho internacional cometidas contra los niños, las niñas y los jóvenes en situaciones de conflicto armado (rendición de cuentas sobre NNJ). Elaborado como respuesta al importante vacío existente en materia de prevención y reparación de este tipo de violaciones, este Marco aporta los siguientes elementos: 1. una definición completa y estructura para entender la cuestión de la rendición de cuentas sobre NNJ; 2. orientaciones metodológicas prácticas que pueden ser adaptadas y aplicadas en diferentes contextos con el objeto de aumentar las acciones de rendición de cuentas sobre NNJ.
Guiding Principles for the Domestic Implementation of a Comprehensive System of Protection for Children Associated with Armed Forces or Armed Groups
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
Download full PDF from icrc.org
This resource aims to clarify existing obligations of State parties, facilitate respect for existing obligations, and promote the implementation of relevant legal provisions. It contains recommendations by the ICRC for practical, regulatory, and legal measures to promote the effective domestic implementation of international rules to protect children affected by armed conflict. This resource considers specific issues such as recruitment, juvenile justice, preventative measures, reparations, transitional justice, and disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration programs.
Guidelines on Action for Children in the Justice System in Africa
UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children
See full resource on srsg.violenceagainstchildren.org
Intended for African governments, this resource aims to provide guidance on implementing African Union (AU) and other regional and international treaty bodies. The guidelines include a set of overarching principles, general measures of implementation, an overview of child friendly justice, fair trial rights for children in conflict with the law and for child victims and witnesses, and alternative care proceedings. This resource also discusses traditional justice and provides minimum standards for traditional courts.
Criteria for the Design and Evaluation of Juvenile Justice Reform Programmes
Interagency Panel on Juvenile Justice (IPJJ); UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
Download full PDF from unrol.org
This resource identifies good practice for juvenile justice programs and develops a set of criteria for their design and evaluation based on the rights of the child enshrined in international norms and standards. This resource also considers basic principles and programs for child victims and witnesses of crimes. The annex includes sample programming goals, objectives, outcomes, and potential impact.
Toolkit on Diversion and Alternatives to Detention
See full resource on unicef.org
This resource is an online toolkit that provides practical guidance on advocating and implementing diversion and alternatives to detention for children in conflict. Diversion means channeling children in conflict away from judicial proceedings to be dealt with by non-judicial bodies. This resource explores steps for implementation, including data management, monitoring and evaluation, and planning. It also includes a list of additional resources, such as fact sheets and case studies.
Transitional Justice: Information Handbook
United States Institute of Peace (USIP)
Download full PDF from usip.org
This resource looks at the goals of transitional justice post-conflict and factors for determining appropriate transitional justice mechanisms. It provides guidelines on criminal prosecutions, truth commissions, vetting, reparations and compensation.
Implementing Victims’ Rights: A Handbook on the Basic Principles and Guidelines on the Right to a Remedy and Reparation
Download full PDF from redress.org
This resource was created as a companion to the UN’s Basic Principles and Guidelines on the Right to a Remedy and Reparation for Victims of Gross Violations of International Human Rights Law and Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law. It was intended to help guide non-governmental and civil society organizations advocate for victims’ rights as primary concern in state action.
Rule-of-Law Tools for Post-Conflict States: Mapping the justice sector
UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
Download full PDF from ohchr.org
This resource aims to assist UN missions and transitional administrations in mapping the justice sector to understand how it operates in states before and during conflict. This resource provides an overview of key institutions, mechanisms, and priorities such as linkages between institutions and oversight bodies or accountability mechanisms. Page 14 focuses on traditional justice.
Basic Principles and Guidelines on the Right to Remedy and Reparation for Victims of Gross Violations of International Human Rights Law and Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law
United Nations General Assembly
See full resource on ohchr.org
This UN General Assembly resolution provides principles related to State's obligations concerning reparations to victims of international humanitarian and human rights abuses. Victims have a right to be treated humanely and with respect, to access justice and relevant information, and to be afforded adequate and effective reparation without discrimination.
International Criminal Justice and Children
No Peace Without Justice (NPWJ); UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre
Download full PDF from unicef.org
This resource introduces the international framework for children and justice, including international legal protection standards and judicial and non-judicial accountability mechanisms. It takes a particular look at protection of children in times of war and use of child soldiers, as well as protection of children as victims and witnesses. In particular, it outlines the role of the International Criminal Court (ICC), as well as its relation to national justice systems. Finally, it gives some concrete recommendations on the role of children in non-judicial mechanisms like truth commissions and traditional accountability mechanisms.
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© 2020 Conflict Dynamics International
1035 Cambridge Street, Suite 10A
Cambridge, MA 02141, USA
ph +1-617-661-1066 fx +1-617-661-1686 info@cacaccountability.org
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