IN the future, being crippled will be cool.
That's one of the assumptions behind Deus Ex: Human Revolution, a video game in which characters who are rich enough have parts of their bodies surgically removed and replaced with prosthetic limbs.
The world of Human Revolution is pure science-fiction, but — like all the best sci-fi — it isn't complete fantasy.
"It's really starting, it really is starting and it's just a matter of a handful of years 'til all these things really truly begin," says Jonathan Jacques-Belletete, the game's art director, in an interview with news.com.au.
"What's interesting is the way that soldiers that are coming back from Afghanistan or Iraq that have stepped on mines or had their legs blown away.
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"Back in other wars in the 20th century, the thing was you'd get this peg leg, basically, or arm, and then you'd try to hide it.
"I saw this picture on the internet recently, like a totally candid picture... it was taken by a guy who's on the subway, right, and he's sitting on a seat. Imagine you're sitting on a bench and you're just looking at someone who's standing in front of the doors, just waiting for the doors to open and leave the train.
"You see him from the back, and he's dressed up in like, a pretty cool street style, he's got a sports jersey, basketball shorts...
"And then bang, these two robot legs are sticking out. And he's got super cool Nike shoes on, and it's just like: 'Is that for real?'
"So, for the first time ever, I see someone who’s obviously disabled, as opposed to me, and he's so much cooler than I am.
"I think we're going to be very surprised by the stuff that's going to happen in the next 15, 20, 30 years."
Deus Ex: Human Revolution is the third instalment in the Deus Ex series, and the first made by Eidos Montreal.
The game follows Adam Jensen, the Clint Eastwood-style security chief of Sarif Industries — one of the future world's leading augmentation corporations — who becomes entangled in a terrorist conspiracy.
But visually, Human Revolution is more than your average sci-fi game. It's awash in a palette of muted browns, deep blacks and glowing oranges, and draws inspiration from places as unexpected as the paintings of Vermeer.
"I think that it's very, very important for a video game to have its own kind of visual language and its own aesthetic and its own kind of style," says Jacques-Belletete.
"It's really the attention to details in the game, there are over 1300 props, all concept-arted and designed and created in the game, they give so much credibility to all of it.
"The corporations and all the companies and logos that we invented, and we created the fonts for each of them, and things like that."
Jacques-Belletete says that while creating the world of Human Revolution, he tried to move past the genre's most obvious influences.
2011年8月31日星期三
2011年8月30日星期二
'Dirty Dancing' remake decides on a screenwriter
'Dirty Dancing' remake decides on a screenwriter, promises it won't be an exact replica of the original
Production is still a ways off and a release date even further down the line, but audiences are already divided when it comes to Lionsgate's Dirty Dancing remake.
Any reboot or remake is bound to have some doubtful die-hard fans of the original, but Dirty Dancing has the added cred of being one of the defining movies of the '80s.
It was Patrick Swayze's breakthrough into sex symbol-dom and you'll be hard-pressed to find a soul who can't hum along to "(I've Had) the Time of My Life."
But the production studio is moving full steam ahead with their plans to revamp the song-and-dance drama, with High School Musical's Kenny Ortega taking on directorial duties.
And now Ortega, who choreographed the now-iconic dancing for the original flick, has chosen his partner in crime.
According to Deadline, Ortega and Lionsgate have tapped Maria Maggenti to pen the update.
Maggenti doesn't have an incredibly colorful resume just yet, but she does have the girly fun Monte Carlo under her belt. Fox and New Regency were so impressed by her work with the Selena Gomez-Leighton Meester fluff fest that they let her tackle the film adaptation of young adult novel Before I Fall.
Ortega and Maggenti surely have their work cut out for them when it comes to converting the Swayze-purists to warm up to the idea of a remake.
Ortega, for one, knows that the performances of the original will be impossible to recapture or imitate.
"I'm not looking for someone to fill Patrick Swayze's shoes, or Jennifer Grey's shoes. They're one of a kind and they deserve to be called that," he told The Insider.
According to Slash Film, Lionsgate doesn't want to simply find another Baby to put in a corner -- they are planning to use the film simply as a "template" for their next-gen reimagining.
Production is still a ways off and a release date even further down the line, but audiences are already divided when it comes to Lionsgate's Dirty Dancing remake.
Any reboot or remake is bound to have some doubtful die-hard fans of the original, but Dirty Dancing has the added cred of being one of the defining movies of the '80s.
It was Patrick Swayze's breakthrough into sex symbol-dom and you'll be hard-pressed to find a soul who can't hum along to "(I've Had) the Time of My Life."
But the production studio is moving full steam ahead with their plans to revamp the song-and-dance drama, with High School Musical's Kenny Ortega taking on directorial duties.
And now Ortega, who choreographed the now-iconic dancing for the original flick, has chosen his partner in crime.
According to Deadline, Ortega and Lionsgate have tapped Maria Maggenti to pen the update.
Maggenti doesn't have an incredibly colorful resume just yet, but she does have the girly fun Monte Carlo under her belt. Fox and New Regency were so impressed by her work with the Selena Gomez-Leighton Meester fluff fest that they let her tackle the film adaptation of young adult novel Before I Fall.
Ortega and Maggenti surely have their work cut out for them when it comes to converting the Swayze-purists to warm up to the idea of a remake.
Ortega, for one, knows that the performances of the original will be impossible to recapture or imitate.
"I'm not looking for someone to fill Patrick Swayze's shoes, or Jennifer Grey's shoes. They're one of a kind and they deserve to be called that," he told The Insider.
According to Slash Film, Lionsgate doesn't want to simply find another Baby to put in a corner -- they are planning to use the film simply as a "template" for their next-gen reimagining.
2011年8月29日星期一
Irene's wrath gives way to sun in North Carolina
As Hurricane Irene tore northward toward New York and beyond, North Carolinians awoke to a lovely, mild, sunny Sunday morning and began surveying what the storm had wrought.
In the barrier island vacation community of Atlantic Beach, local grocery store worker Grant Fisher, 64, stepped out of his rental home about 7 a.m. to check the neighborhood. He had stayed on the island, despite the warnings, popping the windows of his home open during the worst of it to keep the barometric pressure balanced between inside and out.
It seemed to have worked. The blue-gray house, just behind a larger beachfront home on the dunes, didn't lose a window or much else, save for a rotten window sill. There were scary moments, though. At one point, Fisher said, the water crept up to the beach to the very top of the dunes.
It was still eerily quiet Sunday morning as he walked around his neighborhood of beach cottages. Residents who had fled inland would not be allowed over the high-rise bridge for a few hours yet. He saw a few patches of siding ripped away from homes here and there, a few palm trees down. The first street off the dunes was flooded, but it looked to be about a foot deep here and there.
"They're going to be happy when they come back," he said.
The situation was worse in parts of New Bern, North Carolina's former state capital, about 45 minutes north. The stately, 301-year-old city, at the confluence of the Neuse and Trent rivers, has a history of flooding and Irene delivered as expected. Mayor Lee Bettis Sunday was asked how many homes were flooded. He didn't have an exact number, but whatever it was, he figured it was high.
"It's not houses," he said, "It's communities."
Among the worst-hit neighborhoods was Duffyfield, a poor, historically African American area northwest of the venerable brick buildings of downtown.
Janice Spivey, 59 was in a typical conundrum. Her three-bedroom trailer at the corner of Biddle and Jarvis streets was surrounded by water on all sides. It was ankle-to-knee deep Sunday morning, and receding, but it had been higher, conspiring with the wind and the rain to keep her and her grandchildren stuck inside since Friday evening.
But Sunday was looking better in all sorts of ways. Her power switched on right around 10 a.m., and soon she expected to be able to maneuver her blue Chrysler sedan out of her driveway and get to the grocery store. As she peeked out her door, a city parks and recreation employee sloshed through what remained of the floodwaters in a big, white school bus.
The employee, who declined to give his name, said he'd driven around all day during the storm Saturday, shuttling perhaps 100 people to higher ground. He shouted over to Spivey, asking if she wanted a ride. The McDonald's was open now, he said.
"I ain't waiting in that line," she said, laughing. "I'm going in there to cook."
"Just pray for the folks ahead of us, that they survive it, too," the driver said.
Power company trucks appeared to be just about everywhere in southeastern North Carolina. Some roared down highways. By the sides of roads, some went to work on power lines bent by the fallen branches, gingerly plucking off the limbs like the lightest of guitar strings.
By 11 a.m. about 60% of the power had been restored to New Bern, spokeswoman Colleen Roberts said. Some of the seafood restaurants on Middle Street downtown were serving up burgers and shrimp-salad sandwiches. Tryon Palace, the majestic replica of a former British governor's home, appeared to have made it out fine, though on George Street, the beautiful block of historic homes leading to the palace's iron gates, was a mess of downed limbs.
Everywhere residents were raking their yards. Many Sunday church services had been canceled. Mayor Bettis pulled up to City Hall a little after 11 a.m., sweaty and disheveled, dressed in boat shoes, running shorts and a paint-splattered work shirt. He had spent the morning helping neighbors, moving debris, mending fences. It was what he had planned for the rest of the day.
"We're going to be out working," he said. "Not sitting around in an office."
In the barrier island vacation community of Atlantic Beach, local grocery store worker Grant Fisher, 64, stepped out of his rental home about 7 a.m. to check the neighborhood. He had stayed on the island, despite the warnings, popping the windows of his home open during the worst of it to keep the barometric pressure balanced between inside and out.
It seemed to have worked. The blue-gray house, just behind a larger beachfront home on the dunes, didn't lose a window or much else, save for a rotten window sill. There were scary moments, though. At one point, Fisher said, the water crept up to the beach to the very top of the dunes.
It was still eerily quiet Sunday morning as he walked around his neighborhood of beach cottages. Residents who had fled inland would not be allowed over the high-rise bridge for a few hours yet. He saw a few patches of siding ripped away from homes here and there, a few palm trees down. The first street off the dunes was flooded, but it looked to be about a foot deep here and there.
"They're going to be happy when they come back," he said.
The situation was worse in parts of New Bern, North Carolina's former state capital, about 45 minutes north. The stately, 301-year-old city, at the confluence of the Neuse and Trent rivers, has a history of flooding and Irene delivered as expected. Mayor Lee Bettis Sunday was asked how many homes were flooded. He didn't have an exact number, but whatever it was, he figured it was high.
"It's not houses," he said, "It's communities."
Among the worst-hit neighborhoods was Duffyfield, a poor, historically African American area northwest of the venerable brick buildings of downtown.
Janice Spivey, 59 was in a typical conundrum. Her three-bedroom trailer at the corner of Biddle and Jarvis streets was surrounded by water on all sides. It was ankle-to-knee deep Sunday morning, and receding, but it had been higher, conspiring with the wind and the rain to keep her and her grandchildren stuck inside since Friday evening.
But Sunday was looking better in all sorts of ways. Her power switched on right around 10 a.m., and soon she expected to be able to maneuver her blue Chrysler sedan out of her driveway and get to the grocery store. As she peeked out her door, a city parks and recreation employee sloshed through what remained of the floodwaters in a big, white school bus.
The employee, who declined to give his name, said he'd driven around all day during the storm Saturday, shuttling perhaps 100 people to higher ground. He shouted over to Spivey, asking if she wanted a ride. The McDonald's was open now, he said.
"I ain't waiting in that line," she said, laughing. "I'm going in there to cook."
"Just pray for the folks ahead of us, that they survive it, too," the driver said.
Power company trucks appeared to be just about everywhere in southeastern North Carolina. Some roared down highways. By the sides of roads, some went to work on power lines bent by the fallen branches, gingerly plucking off the limbs like the lightest of guitar strings.
By 11 a.m. about 60% of the power had been restored to New Bern, spokeswoman Colleen Roberts said. Some of the seafood restaurants on Middle Street downtown were serving up burgers and shrimp-salad sandwiches. Tryon Palace, the majestic replica of a former British governor's home, appeared to have made it out fine, though on George Street, the beautiful block of historic homes leading to the palace's iron gates, was a mess of downed limbs.
Everywhere residents were raking their yards. Many Sunday church services had been canceled. Mayor Bettis pulled up to City Hall a little after 11 a.m., sweaty and disheveled, dressed in boat shoes, running shorts and a paint-splattered work shirt. He had spent the morning helping neighbors, moving debris, mending fences. It was what he had planned for the rest of the day.
"We're going to be out working," he said. "Not sitting around in an office."
2011年8月26日星期五
Uncertain Future
Ewelina Bisaga is bent over a worn blue suitcase, Q-tip in hand. A conservator at the Auschwitz Museum, she gently slides the cotton swab along the suitcase’s edges, slowly removing some residue. Almost 70 years ago, that luggage, filled with clothing and personal possessions for what would be its owner’s final journey, was carried into the concentration camp by a prisoner deported there by the Nazis. Today, it lies open, anonymous, never to be claimed, on a table in a whitewashed room at the conservation department in the museum. Its fragile fate is in the hands of Bisaga.
“We try to do the least amount of conservation on an object,” Bisaga, 31, says in Polish, describing how she approaches her daily work. “They are damaged, and their state is telling of their history.”
Bisaga, who lives in Oswiecim, Poland, is one of 11 conservators who work meticulously to preserve the past at the former concentration camp established by the Nazis in occupied Poland during World War II. Bisaga has been working at Auschwitz since 2003.
At the museum, and particularly in this conservation department, which handles fragile items like prisoners’ artwork and thousands of documents, shoes, and suitcases, preservation is seen as an ethical as well as a practical issue. But these conservators must also wrestle with questions about the proper role of restoration. “People who come here don’t want to see a replica of how something might have once looked,” says Ewa Cyrulik, another conservator. “They are looking for the original condition, as if the objects exist as guardians of history.”
Conservation work at Auschwitz is unique; while some basic rules of conservation do apply, others defiantly do not. And threading that needle is an ethical conundrum the conservators face daily. “It’s an experiment in doing something unbelievable, but we have to guide ourselves this way, and work in an orthodox way,” Cyrulik says. “Then we have a chance that these objects will affect the people who come here, that they’ll see these original, historical objects.”
A new conservation department, with new workshops, opened at Auschwitz in 2005. Its budget last year was 11.3 million euros, around $15 million. The Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation is seeking to raise an additional 120 million euros in a two-year campaign ending this year for an endowment to fund future preservation work. So far about 85 million euros, or $122.5 million, has been committed, according to Pawel Sawicki, a spokesman for the museum and a Polish radio journalist, including a subsidy from the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and a grant from the European Infrastructure and Environment Operating Program.
When Auschwitz was liberated by the Soviet army in January 1945, it covered 40 square kilometers, with three camps, sub camps, and an additional area that was supervised by SS administration. “There were some voices [saying] that it should be completely dismantled because this memory is so difficult,” says Sawicki. But a group of former prisoners began talks with the local government to keep the former concentration camp intact as a memorial. The Polish government began initiatives to preserve the site, giving the Ministry of Culture and Art the authority to preserve parts of it. The ministry named former prisoner Tadeusz Wasowicz as the head of the Protection Board, and in 1946 work began on creating a museum.
Since then, the fragile future of artifacts in the museum’s possession has been constantly discussed. Among the artifacts are 110,000 prisoners’ shoes, 3,800 suitcases, 6,000 works of art, and, often most harrowing for visitors, the pile of hair collected from the heads of 30,000 murdered women.
Beyond the artifacts, one of the impending projects is the preservation of 45 brick barracks at Auschwitz-Birkenau’s former women’s camp. Environmental conditions are viewed as the biggest barrier to preservation. “This is very difficult because protecting a standing building is relatively easier than protecting a ruin from all-natural conditions, atmosphere, rain, and cold, which is the biggest threat here,” Sawicki says.
The foundations themselves are also fragile. “The structures in Birkenau were built by prisoners and were not built to last 70 years,” he says. “They were built from weak materials; these are weak constructions. And the fact that they are still standing today is a miracle, and this is more and more difficult to upkeep them and preserve them.”
“We try to do the least amount of conservation on an object,” Bisaga, 31, says in Polish, describing how she approaches her daily work. “They are damaged, and their state is telling of their history.”
Bisaga, who lives in Oswiecim, Poland, is one of 11 conservators who work meticulously to preserve the past at the former concentration camp established by the Nazis in occupied Poland during World War II. Bisaga has been working at Auschwitz since 2003.
At the museum, and particularly in this conservation department, which handles fragile items like prisoners’ artwork and thousands of documents, shoes, and suitcases, preservation is seen as an ethical as well as a practical issue. But these conservators must also wrestle with questions about the proper role of restoration. “People who come here don’t want to see a replica of how something might have once looked,” says Ewa Cyrulik, another conservator. “They are looking for the original condition, as if the objects exist as guardians of history.”
Conservation work at Auschwitz is unique; while some basic rules of conservation do apply, others defiantly do not. And threading that needle is an ethical conundrum the conservators face daily. “It’s an experiment in doing something unbelievable, but we have to guide ourselves this way, and work in an orthodox way,” Cyrulik says. “Then we have a chance that these objects will affect the people who come here, that they’ll see these original, historical objects.”
A new conservation department, with new workshops, opened at Auschwitz in 2005. Its budget last year was 11.3 million euros, around $15 million. The Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation is seeking to raise an additional 120 million euros in a two-year campaign ending this year for an endowment to fund future preservation work. So far about 85 million euros, or $122.5 million, has been committed, according to Pawel Sawicki, a spokesman for the museum and a Polish radio journalist, including a subsidy from the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and a grant from the European Infrastructure and Environment Operating Program.
When Auschwitz was liberated by the Soviet army in January 1945, it covered 40 square kilometers, with three camps, sub camps, and an additional area that was supervised by SS administration. “There were some voices [saying] that it should be completely dismantled because this memory is so difficult,” says Sawicki. But a group of former prisoners began talks with the local government to keep the former concentration camp intact as a memorial. The Polish government began initiatives to preserve the site, giving the Ministry of Culture and Art the authority to preserve parts of it. The ministry named former prisoner Tadeusz Wasowicz as the head of the Protection Board, and in 1946 work began on creating a museum.
Since then, the fragile future of artifacts in the museum’s possession has been constantly discussed. Among the artifacts are 110,000 prisoners’ shoes, 3,800 suitcases, 6,000 works of art, and, often most harrowing for visitors, the pile of hair collected from the heads of 30,000 murdered women.
Beyond the artifacts, one of the impending projects is the preservation of 45 brick barracks at Auschwitz-Birkenau’s former women’s camp. Environmental conditions are viewed as the biggest barrier to preservation. “This is very difficult because protecting a standing building is relatively easier than protecting a ruin from all-natural conditions, atmosphere, rain, and cold, which is the biggest threat here,” Sawicki says.
The foundations themselves are also fragile. “The structures in Birkenau were built by prisoners and were not built to last 70 years,” he says. “They were built from weak materials; these are weak constructions. And the fact that they are still standing today is a miracle, and this is more and more difficult to upkeep them and preserve them.”
2011年8月25日星期四
Secret Florence by Niccolo Rinaldi
I love Florence. It is my favorite and one of the most accessible of Italian cities. I have been there a few times and was lucky enough to stay for almost a week once and really feel a part of the city.
I walked everywhere, seeking out frescoes by the Fras — Angelica and Filippo Lippi. I crossed the Ponte Vecchio in search of Masaccio and Florentine steak. I found Della Robbia ceramic details on buildings while laundering my clothes at the convenient laundromats. I searched out the little devils painted into so many frescoes in churches — it’s not just about angels in Florence. I tried to find a pair of red shoes, which seemed the right sort of Florentine footwear.
I knew that Florence was more than just the tick-it-off-your-list city with the Uffizi and Duomo, but after reading Secret Florence, I realize that I have only just scratched the surface of this enchanting city. I would imagine that even long-time residents might also find many spots in its pages that they have yet to explore. I’m not quite the insider I hoped I was, but this very different sort of guidebook might help me become one. And it definitely makes me want to start planning my next trip.
Secret Florence is very cleverly organized by city section, adding additional guidance to places where travelers will already be headed: Piazza Della Signoria, Duomo/San Lorenzo, Santa Maria Novella, SS Annunziata, Santa Croce, Oltrarno, and the Outskirts of Florence. But in each section the emphasis is on little details that might easily be missed, while you were preoccupied by the bigger, more-travelled sites.
For example, The Palazzo Vecchio at the Piazza Della Signoria is a frequent tourist spot. Its tall clock tower is not only visually impressive, but it makes it a terrific meeting place. It also is still functioning as the city’s town Hall and has a replica of Michelangelo’s famous "David" sculpture outside (for the real one you need to visit the Accademia). But there is also art inside the Palazzo Vecchio, and Secret Florence doesn’t guide you through the masterpieces by Michelangelo and Ghirlandaio as other guide books might, but instead poses an interesting question regarding a “missing” fresco by Leonardo da Vinci.
I walked everywhere, seeking out frescoes by the Fras — Angelica and Filippo Lippi. I crossed the Ponte Vecchio in search of Masaccio and Florentine steak. I found Della Robbia ceramic details on buildings while laundering my clothes at the convenient laundromats. I searched out the little devils painted into so many frescoes in churches — it’s not just about angels in Florence. I tried to find a pair of red shoes, which seemed the right sort of Florentine footwear.
I knew that Florence was more than just the tick-it-off-your-list city with the Uffizi and Duomo, but after reading Secret Florence, I realize that I have only just scratched the surface of this enchanting city. I would imagine that even long-time residents might also find many spots in its pages that they have yet to explore. I’m not quite the insider I hoped I was, but this very different sort of guidebook might help me become one. And it definitely makes me want to start planning my next trip.
Secret Florence is very cleverly organized by city section, adding additional guidance to places where travelers will already be headed: Piazza Della Signoria, Duomo/San Lorenzo, Santa Maria Novella, SS Annunziata, Santa Croce, Oltrarno, and the Outskirts of Florence. But in each section the emphasis is on little details that might easily be missed, while you were preoccupied by the bigger, more-travelled sites.
For example, The Palazzo Vecchio at the Piazza Della Signoria is a frequent tourist spot. Its tall clock tower is not only visually impressive, but it makes it a terrific meeting place. It also is still functioning as the city’s town Hall and has a replica of Michelangelo’s famous "David" sculpture outside (for the real one you need to visit the Accademia). But there is also art inside the Palazzo Vecchio, and Secret Florence doesn’t guide you through the masterpieces by Michelangelo and Ghirlandaio as other guide books might, but instead poses an interesting question regarding a “missing” fresco by Leonardo da Vinci.
2011年8月24日星期三
Airtel dedicates 4th Airtel Delhi Half Marathon to 'Friends'
It’s that time of the year again when Delhi's sports lovers come together to reaffirm their commitment towards converting the city into a healthier and fitter one through the simple, but joyful task of running. Around 30,000 sports loving people and health and fitness enthusiasts are expected to come together to run shoulder to shoulder with some of the world's leading distance runners along with India's best when the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon will be flagged off in Delhi on November 27, 2011, under the aegis of the Athletics Federation of India (AFI). The world's most prestigious Half Marathon race, recognised by IAAF as a "Gold Label Event" and certified by the Association of International Marathons and Road Races, returns for the seventh year, and for the fourth time in its current avatar of the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon. This year the marathon is dedicated to ‘Friends’ and invites all like minded people to come together in true spirit of camaraderie and friendship.
The registrations for the event were declared open by Sanjay Kapoor, CEO-India & South Asia, of Bharti Airtel, in the presence of Smt. Sheila Dikshit, Hon’ble Chief Minister, Government of Delhi, Bipash Basu, the ‘Face of the Event’, high ranking officials from AFI, the various partners to the event and Anil Singh and Vivek B Singh of Procam International, the promoters of the event at a press conference at the Official Host Hotel Le Meridien in New Delhi on Tuesday, August 23.
The occasion was also used to introduce Timex as the new Timing Partner to the event and announce the Inter-Collegiate Sporting Challenge, an exciting initiative targeted at the vast resources of athletic talent present in Delhi’s colleges. Some novel additions aimed at enhancing the running experience of the serious amateur runners were also announced.
Announcing the registrations open, Sanjay Kapoor, CEO-India & South Asia, Bharti Airtel said, “Airtel’s success story is synonymous with determination, perseverance and the ability to never lose sight of the long term goal, just like a seasoned runner. We salute the spirit of forging ahead in the long race and are delighted to be associated with the Delhi Half Marathon for the 4th consecutive year. Taking a leaf out of our new campaign “Har ek friend zaroori hai yaar”, we urge all of you to bring alive the spirit of togetherness and camaraderie. As we come closer to ADHM 2011, I am confident that the city of Delhi will take a lead in inspiring friends to come together and participate in large numbers.”
Prize money of USD 210,000 on offer helps the event maintain its status as the world's richest half marathon and is expected to attract 40 of the world's top 100 male and female long distance athletes. The event will also witness the presence of some of the biggest names from the world of sport as Event Ambassadors.
Boost to serious runners: The practice of putting a chip on the shoes of all half marathon participants since the last two years has been welcomed by one and all and has helped elevate the level of the half marathon field to an extent where all participants in that category can be termed serious runners.
Going further, promoters Procam International will recognize the efforts of the serious runners by offering priority starts to them based on their timings. Based on the timing certificates, runners will be eligible for priority lineups on race day and will be divided into four sections. The first section will be for runners under two hours, followed by those between 2 hours to under 2 hours, 30 minutes. The third section will be for runners between 2 hours, 30 minutes to under 3 hours, while the last section will be for runners of 3 hours and above.
The timing certificate will also ensure that the applicant gets preference over non-timed participants in the registration process. There will also be a number of running places reserved for women applicants to encourage them to train and run in the half marathon. Applicants who are not timed will fall in the open category, for which there will be limited places that will be filled on a first-come-first-served basis.
It is evident from the number of people registering for the half marathon, that the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon has helped inculcate the culture of running and fitness among the populace of Delhi. Last year around 8,000 people registered for the half marathon and the figure is expected to be higher this time around as 10,000 running spaces have been reserved for the Half Marathon category.
The registrations for the event were declared open by Sanjay Kapoor, CEO-India & South Asia, of Bharti Airtel, in the presence of Smt. Sheila Dikshit, Hon’ble Chief Minister, Government of Delhi, Bipash Basu, the ‘Face of the Event’, high ranking officials from AFI, the various partners to the event and Anil Singh and Vivek B Singh of Procam International, the promoters of the event at a press conference at the Official Host Hotel Le Meridien in New Delhi on Tuesday, August 23.
The occasion was also used to introduce Timex as the new Timing Partner to the event and announce the Inter-Collegiate Sporting Challenge, an exciting initiative targeted at the vast resources of athletic talent present in Delhi’s colleges. Some novel additions aimed at enhancing the running experience of the serious amateur runners were also announced.
Announcing the registrations open, Sanjay Kapoor, CEO-India & South Asia, Bharti Airtel said, “Airtel’s success story is synonymous with determination, perseverance and the ability to never lose sight of the long term goal, just like a seasoned runner. We salute the spirit of forging ahead in the long race and are delighted to be associated with the Delhi Half Marathon for the 4th consecutive year. Taking a leaf out of our new campaign “Har ek friend zaroori hai yaar”, we urge all of you to bring alive the spirit of togetherness and camaraderie. As we come closer to ADHM 2011, I am confident that the city of Delhi will take a lead in inspiring friends to come together and participate in large numbers.”
Prize money of USD 210,000 on offer helps the event maintain its status as the world's richest half marathon and is expected to attract 40 of the world's top 100 male and female long distance athletes. The event will also witness the presence of some of the biggest names from the world of sport as Event Ambassadors.
Boost to serious runners: The practice of putting a chip on the shoes of all half marathon participants since the last two years has been welcomed by one and all and has helped elevate the level of the half marathon field to an extent where all participants in that category can be termed serious runners.
Going further, promoters Procam International will recognize the efforts of the serious runners by offering priority starts to them based on their timings. Based on the timing certificates, runners will be eligible for priority lineups on race day and will be divided into four sections. The first section will be for runners under two hours, followed by those between 2 hours to under 2 hours, 30 minutes. The third section will be for runners between 2 hours, 30 minutes to under 3 hours, while the last section will be for runners of 3 hours and above.
The timing certificate will also ensure that the applicant gets preference over non-timed participants in the registration process. There will also be a number of running places reserved for women applicants to encourage them to train and run in the half marathon. Applicants who are not timed will fall in the open category, for which there will be limited places that will be filled on a first-come-first-served basis.
It is evident from the number of people registering for the half marathon, that the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon has helped inculcate the culture of running and fitness among the populace of Delhi. Last year around 8,000 people registered for the half marathon and the figure is expected to be higher this time around as 10,000 running spaces have been reserved for the Half Marathon category.
2011年8月23日星期二
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in St. Louis
The first thing to remember about planning a visit to Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in St. Louis is that the site is much more than the iconic arch. But it's the arch that visitors flock to.
When you're standing under it and looking up to the stainless steel arch, it beats all the pictures you've seen of it. The arch is 630 feet high and 630 feet from end to end, and has the distinction of being America's tallest monument. The modern stainless steel structure represents the Gateway to the West.
The Memorial, located in downtown St. Louis on the Mississippi River across from Illinois, is set in a lovely piece of greenery with walkways and two free-form ponds. The development of the site was a long time in coming. It was first designated a national historic site in 1935, but the arch wasn’t finished until 1965, and the first visitor went up two years later.
A Little History
Before President Thomas Jefferson made the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the United States ended at the Mississippi River. When the country expanded dramatically, President Jefferson sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to find out what was actually contained on this new land. The expedition (1804-1806) took them up the Missouri River, through the Rocky Mountains and eventually to the Pacific. There were other government-sponsored explorations, but the West was now open to the legendary fur traders, mountain men, and soon settlers.
Here are some hints on how to enjoy the whole site: Leave yourself plenty of time - the site is worth almost a full day. Because of its location, Jefferson National Expansion Memorial is used as a city park by St. Louis residents and it can get crowded. There are things to see and do in the Visitor Center and out. Some activities require tickets and you can buy tickets for several combinations of events, saving you money. You can buy tickets on site, but buying tickets in advance on the web is highly recommended.
The City of St. Louis has a marvelous metro system, with a stop for the Arch, one block from the site. The system is well-run and well-signed, much easier to negotiate than driving downtown.
In the Visitor Center
* The highlight of the site is going up to the top of the arch. Visitors sit in a five-person capsule reminiscent of the Jetsons. The four-minute tram ride takes you to the top of the arch where you can get a grand view from both sides of the arch. It is claimed that on a clear day you can see for 30 miles out. On a hot summer Sunday, I waited for an hour on line after my reservation time. Tickets are required.
* Take in the 28-minute movie in the Tucker Theater on how the arch was built. Tickets are required.
* The Odyssey Theater with its wide screen projection and four-story high screen is now showing a 45-minute film on Lewis and Clark's Great Journey West. Tickets are required.
* Plan to spend a while exploring the Museum of Western Expansion. It covers the history from the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 to the closing of the frontier in 1890s. The open-plan space holds a classic teepee and life-sized replicas of horses and a bison. Several modes of transportation are shown, including a red stagecoach trimmed with gold paint, a covered wagon, and a wheel for a steamboat. I would have expected that the museum would be all about Lewis and Clark, but there's surprisingly little about the details of the lives of the two explorers before or after their expedition. Entrance to the museum is free.
* Levee Mercantile is meant to be an old-fashioned store in St. Louis. It offers period hard candy, rag dolls, and other 19th century toys. My eight-year old granddaughter was fascinated by McGuffey’s Eclectic Primer, a reader with short stories that makes Dick and Jane seem risqué. The Primer also illustrates cursive writing including how to link various combinations of letters.
* The visitor center, located underground beneath the arch, has almost airport-like security. Though you don’t have to take off your shoes, you need to go through a metal detector. Rangers look through handbags and daypacks, so remember to leave your pocket knife at home.
When you're standing under it and looking up to the stainless steel arch, it beats all the pictures you've seen of it. The arch is 630 feet high and 630 feet from end to end, and has the distinction of being America's tallest monument. The modern stainless steel structure represents the Gateway to the West.
The Memorial, located in downtown St. Louis on the Mississippi River across from Illinois, is set in a lovely piece of greenery with walkways and two free-form ponds. The development of the site was a long time in coming. It was first designated a national historic site in 1935, but the arch wasn’t finished until 1965, and the first visitor went up two years later.
A Little History
Before President Thomas Jefferson made the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the United States ended at the Mississippi River. When the country expanded dramatically, President Jefferson sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to find out what was actually contained on this new land. The expedition (1804-1806) took them up the Missouri River, through the Rocky Mountains and eventually to the Pacific. There were other government-sponsored explorations, but the West was now open to the legendary fur traders, mountain men, and soon settlers.
Here are some hints on how to enjoy the whole site: Leave yourself plenty of time - the site is worth almost a full day. Because of its location, Jefferson National Expansion Memorial is used as a city park by St. Louis residents and it can get crowded. There are things to see and do in the Visitor Center and out. Some activities require tickets and you can buy tickets for several combinations of events, saving you money. You can buy tickets on site, but buying tickets in advance on the web is highly recommended.
The City of St. Louis has a marvelous metro system, with a stop for the Arch, one block from the site. The system is well-run and well-signed, much easier to negotiate than driving downtown.
In the Visitor Center
* The highlight of the site is going up to the top of the arch. Visitors sit in a five-person capsule reminiscent of the Jetsons. The four-minute tram ride takes you to the top of the arch where you can get a grand view from both sides of the arch. It is claimed that on a clear day you can see for 30 miles out. On a hot summer Sunday, I waited for an hour on line after my reservation time. Tickets are required.
* Take in the 28-minute movie in the Tucker Theater on how the arch was built. Tickets are required.
* The Odyssey Theater with its wide screen projection and four-story high screen is now showing a 45-minute film on Lewis and Clark's Great Journey West. Tickets are required.
* Plan to spend a while exploring the Museum of Western Expansion. It covers the history from the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 to the closing of the frontier in 1890s. The open-plan space holds a classic teepee and life-sized replicas of horses and a bison. Several modes of transportation are shown, including a red stagecoach trimmed with gold paint, a covered wagon, and a wheel for a steamboat. I would have expected that the museum would be all about Lewis and Clark, but there's surprisingly little about the details of the lives of the two explorers before or after their expedition. Entrance to the museum is free.
* Levee Mercantile is meant to be an old-fashioned store in St. Louis. It offers period hard candy, rag dolls, and other 19th century toys. My eight-year old granddaughter was fascinated by McGuffey’s Eclectic Primer, a reader with short stories that makes Dick and Jane seem risqué. The Primer also illustrates cursive writing including how to link various combinations of letters.
* The visitor center, located underground beneath the arch, has almost airport-like security. Though you don’t have to take off your shoes, you need to go through a metal detector. Rangers look through handbags and daypacks, so remember to leave your pocket knife at home.
2011年8月22日星期一
London Toy Company Creates Prince William, Kate Dolls
Toy manufacturers capitalize on the super hero and famous star phenomenon by producing boatloads of games, dolls, clocks, books and playing cards. This week, Arklu, a London-based toy company, launched their own British heroes.
Now on sale are two-foot royal couple miniature look-a-like dolls and the resemblance is fascinating designers across the globe.
The company’s exclusive dolls include two separate products; an individual Princess Catherine Doll, a box set containing the Princess Catherine Doll and the Prince William Doll as a couple, and a Princess Catherine Engagement Doll.
The Royal toys are selling like hotcakes after being put on display at Hamley’s Toy Store in London this week.
The box set of both Princess Catherine and Prince William and the individual dolls are being sold for about $80 to $160.
Arklu designers say the dolls “celebrate the very best of authentic British fashion and design."
British fashion and design leaders worked together to design, dress and accessorize the Arklu Royal dolls.
“The Princess Catherine Doll and Prince William Doll have been developed in line with official guidelines laid out by Clarence House," said company owners.
“Clarence House told our company that ‘we would not wish to object to the production of a doll,’"
Some might say that the Princess Catherine Doll and Prince William Doll are a touch eccentric, but such quirkiness is also a great British tradition.
"Like Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge herself, we are delighted to be able to combine British craftsmanship and cutting-edge modernity for a truly authentic British look for both of our new dolls," said Lucie Follett, of Arklu toy company.
“Both will appeal to collectors, and are sure to be a must-have Christmas gift for children aged 3 and older."
It was the focus on quintessential British style, and attention to detail, that brought so much attention to the dolls being put on sale this week.
The miniature version of Kate features minute details and replicas of her engagement ring, shoes, wedding dress, veil and tiara. Prince William's doll is dressed in a match of his Irish Guards uniform. Each accessory is an exact replica of those worn by the Royal couple.
Now on sale are two-foot royal couple miniature look-a-like dolls and the resemblance is fascinating designers across the globe.
The company’s exclusive dolls include two separate products; an individual Princess Catherine Doll, a box set containing the Princess Catherine Doll and the Prince William Doll as a couple, and a Princess Catherine Engagement Doll.
The Royal toys are selling like hotcakes after being put on display at Hamley’s Toy Store in London this week.
The box set of both Princess Catherine and Prince William and the individual dolls are being sold for about $80 to $160.
Arklu designers say the dolls “celebrate the very best of authentic British fashion and design."
British fashion and design leaders worked together to design, dress and accessorize the Arklu Royal dolls.
“The Princess Catherine Doll and Prince William Doll have been developed in line with official guidelines laid out by Clarence House," said company owners.
“Clarence House told our company that ‘we would not wish to object to the production of a doll,’"
Some might say that the Princess Catherine Doll and Prince William Doll are a touch eccentric, but such quirkiness is also a great British tradition.
"Like Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge herself, we are delighted to be able to combine British craftsmanship and cutting-edge modernity for a truly authentic British look for both of our new dolls," said Lucie Follett, of Arklu toy company.
“Both will appeal to collectors, and are sure to be a must-have Christmas gift for children aged 3 and older."
It was the focus on quintessential British style, and attention to detail, that brought so much attention to the dolls being put on sale this week.
The miniature version of Kate features minute details and replicas of her engagement ring, shoes, wedding dress, veil and tiara. Prince William's doll is dressed in a match of his Irish Guards uniform. Each accessory is an exact replica of those worn by the Royal couple.
2011年8月19日星期五
William and Kate wedding dolls show off mini dress
A doll called Princess Catherine - and wearing a mini replica of the year's most famous wedding dress - has been unveiled.
Maker Arklu showed off the doll - along with another of Prince William, depicted in his wedding outfit, at Hamleys toy store in London.The company had produced a Catherine Engagement Doll before the big day and has worked on the update since.
And although the royal couple vowed to be together "till death us do part", the Catherine doll can be bought separately.
A donation of £1 from every purchase goes to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
Renowned designers and artists have contributed to the Catherine doll on details including the tiara, engagement ring, shoes, make-up, bridal bouquet and "something blue" knickers.
'Reasonable' likenesses "These are just the sort of products you'd expect to appear after a big royal wedding," said Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty magazine.
"They're harmless enough, the likenesses are reasonably good, they seem well made - hence the price - and they will appeal to the north American market in particular.
"But there is no such person as 'Princess Catherine', just as there never was a 'Princess Diana'," he added.
Because she is not of royal blood, she has become Princess William, Duchess of Cambridge - rather than Princess Catherine.
"However, we shouldn't get too sniffy about this," Mr Little said. "We'll be reading about Princess Catherine or Kate Middleton in newspapers for many years to come."
The BBC News website could not get to the bottom of rumours of a planned Pippa Middleton doll.
2011年8月16日星期二
Palos Park Librarian Is a Barbie Girl At Heart
Belinda Bylina has lost track of exactly how many Barbies she owns. Her collection is large enough to fill two rooms in her home, and she estimates her dolls hover around 1,000 strong.
When Bylina, the youth librarian at Palos Park Public Library, was a child she had a habit of losing her Barbies’ shoes. She didn't take particularly good care of them.
Flash-forward to the present day and Bylina takes a markedly different approach. For over 20 years she has collected Barbies and keeps up with more than just their shoes. Her dolls of choice? Barbie and her younger sister Kelly. In her home, the two sisters each have a room dedicated completely to them.
"I'll see little girls asking their moms to buy them a Barbie, and the mom will say, 'another doll? You have too many'. I'll say, 'Mom, you can never have too many dolls'," Bylina said with a laugh. "Then I'll tell them that I collect dolls, and the little girls' faces will light up. The mom gives in and buys them a doll sometimes."
Her fascination with Barbie really took off in 1989. Bylina joined the Windy City Doll Collector's Club in 1990, and has been a member of the Barbie Collector's Club for 12 years. At the height of her collecting, she says that she spent close to $500 a year on dolls. Anything she could find Barbie-themed, she purchased. From jewelry to coloring books, and puzzles to ornaments, you name it she bought it.
She has never sold any of her prized possessions.
"I buy them because I like them, not to sell them," she said. "I don't buy much anymore, though. They've changed the way they make them, and I'm very particular."
The economy has caused the Barbie industry to suffer, with resale prices plummeting in recent years. At the height of their popularity, select dolls were very hard to come by and prices could sky rocket.
Bylina's husband is also a collector and has a room dedicated to his own hobby--trains. She credits his support of her own hobby throughout the years. He would take her to stores in search of a particular doll that she wanted. Once Bylina outgrew her first Barbie room, her husband gave up his train room and swapped with her so she could have more space for her dolls.
The pair have also hosted two of the annual Kelly Konventions, put on by one of the collector's clubs that Bylina belongs to. The most recent convention, held this year, celebrated Kelly's birthday, with a Sweet 16 theme. There were workshops on how to curl the dolls' hair and an auction that helped raise $3,473 for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast cancer foundation.
When Bylina began collecting Kelly dolls in 1994, she realized that she enjoyed having customizable, one-of-a-kind dolls. She gets them made by a fellow Kelly fan in California who takes about three full days to repaint the face of the doll and hand-design her clothes.
Bylina even had a Kelly doll made to be a replica of her daughter on her wedding day. From the necklace around her neck to the glitter on the train of her dress, the doll was a perfect match.
"It brings back my childhood, keeps me young", Bylina said. "I love looking at the dolls. There's always something. You can't appreciate the doll just by looking at her one time. You keep looking and looking and you always find something new that strikes you."
Bylina's first Barbie doll was the Bubble Cut in 1961, named for the bubble cut style in her hair. Even as a child, she had a display of dolls that she would not take down.
Barbie is now in her 50s and her arm candy Ken turns the big 5-0 this year.
For many serious collectors like Bylina the dolls represent something more meaningful than just fashion and accessories.
"There used to be a slogan for Barbie. 'You can be anything you want, just like Barbie.’ They are coming out with a Barbie the architect. There's a policewoman, forewoman and even a Barbie the paleontologist. It shows that just because you're a girl, it doesn't mean you can't do those things," she said. "Barbie is an icon. So many people have played with Barbies. It's like Mickey Mouse. It's not a fad. She's an icon."
When Bylina, the youth librarian at Palos Park Public Library, was a child she had a habit of losing her Barbies’ shoes. She didn't take particularly good care of them.
Flash-forward to the present day and Bylina takes a markedly different approach. For over 20 years she has collected Barbies and keeps up with more than just their shoes. Her dolls of choice? Barbie and her younger sister Kelly. In her home, the two sisters each have a room dedicated completely to them.
"I'll see little girls asking their moms to buy them a Barbie, and the mom will say, 'another doll? You have too many'. I'll say, 'Mom, you can never have too many dolls'," Bylina said with a laugh. "Then I'll tell them that I collect dolls, and the little girls' faces will light up. The mom gives in and buys them a doll sometimes."
Her fascination with Barbie really took off in 1989. Bylina joined the Windy City Doll Collector's Club in 1990, and has been a member of the Barbie Collector's Club for 12 years. At the height of her collecting, she says that she spent close to $500 a year on dolls. Anything she could find Barbie-themed, she purchased. From jewelry to coloring books, and puzzles to ornaments, you name it she bought it.
She has never sold any of her prized possessions.
"I buy them because I like them, not to sell them," she said. "I don't buy much anymore, though. They've changed the way they make them, and I'm very particular."
The economy has caused the Barbie industry to suffer, with resale prices plummeting in recent years. At the height of their popularity, select dolls were very hard to come by and prices could sky rocket.
Bylina's husband is also a collector and has a room dedicated to his own hobby--trains. She credits his support of her own hobby throughout the years. He would take her to stores in search of a particular doll that she wanted. Once Bylina outgrew her first Barbie room, her husband gave up his train room and swapped with her so she could have more space for her dolls.
The pair have also hosted two of the annual Kelly Konventions, put on by one of the collector's clubs that Bylina belongs to. The most recent convention, held this year, celebrated Kelly's birthday, with a Sweet 16 theme. There were workshops on how to curl the dolls' hair and an auction that helped raise $3,473 for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast cancer foundation.
When Bylina began collecting Kelly dolls in 1994, she realized that she enjoyed having customizable, one-of-a-kind dolls. She gets them made by a fellow Kelly fan in California who takes about three full days to repaint the face of the doll and hand-design her clothes.
Bylina even had a Kelly doll made to be a replica of her daughter on her wedding day. From the necklace around her neck to the glitter on the train of her dress, the doll was a perfect match.
"It brings back my childhood, keeps me young", Bylina said. "I love looking at the dolls. There's always something. You can't appreciate the doll just by looking at her one time. You keep looking and looking and you always find something new that strikes you."
Bylina's first Barbie doll was the Bubble Cut in 1961, named for the bubble cut style in her hair. Even as a child, she had a display of dolls that she would not take down.
Barbie is now in her 50s and her arm candy Ken turns the big 5-0 this year.
For many serious collectors like Bylina the dolls represent something more meaningful than just fashion and accessories.
"There used to be a slogan for Barbie. 'You can be anything you want, just like Barbie.’ They are coming out with a Barbie the architect. There's a policewoman, forewoman and even a Barbie the paleontologist. It shows that just because you're a girl, it doesn't mean you can't do those things," she said. "Barbie is an icon. So many people have played with Barbies. It's like Mickey Mouse. It's not a fad. She's an icon."
2011年8月15日星期一
During ‘Elvis Week,' fans remember pivotal year
Every year, thousands of Elvis devotees flock to Memphis to remember the singer's death on Aug. 16, 1977. The main event of “Elvis Week” is the solemn candlelight vigil at Graceland, his longtime home, at midnight Tuesday.
This year, fans have something else to commemorate. It was 55 years ago — 1956 — when the first two Elvis albums were released, launching an international music career that brought Elvis' mix of country, rhythm and blues, and gospel to millions of fans around the world.
“It's a documentation of what I think is rock music's most incredible year,” said Ernst Jorgensen, a music producer and Elvis catalog expert. “Nobody was prepared for Elvis.”
To mark Elvis' breakout year, Jorgensen and his team have assembled a five-CD box set called “Young Man with the Big Beat.” Jorgensen will be unveiling the RCA/Legacy box set Monday at Graceland. The collection goes on sale Sept. 27.
The set includes not only the five CDs, but also an 80-page book that provides a daily chronology of Elvis' year though photos, postcards, fan letters, magazine covers and other memorabilia. The set also includes rare photos, posters and a replica concert ticket stub.
The first two CDs in the set are packed with music from the debut LP “Elvis Presley” and the follow up “Elvis.” Those seminal albums had some of Elvis' most well-known songs: “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Don't Be Cruel,” “Hound Dog,” “Love Me Tender” and more.
Those tunes, recorded in New York, Memphis, Nashville, Tenn., and Hollywood, Calif., helped sell 10 million singles and 800,000 LPs in 1956 alone. They also brought Elvis to television on Milton Berle's show, where he gave a hip-swiveling performance that excited his young fans and shocked their parents.
Elvis' stage presence, soulful voice and love of songs he heard growing up in Memphis put him in a unique position alongside other rock pioneers of his time: Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Bill Haley, Fats Domino.
“We were fascinated about how this one man seemed to change the entire music business in America in 12 months,” Jorgensen said.
But it was the first album, which included “Trying to Get to You” and Ray Charles' “I Got a Woman,” that author Peter Guralnick said is the more important of the two 1956 albums.
“I would look at the first album as an American songbook. It's an homage to all the great genres of American music,” said Guralnick, who wrote two Elvis biographies, “Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley” and “Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley.”
The third CD in the set features rare live recordings that have been re-mastered. They include songs from a previously unreleased concert in Shreveport, La., in December 1956, and a Las Vegas concert where he bombed in front of an older audience.
Jorgensen said he is always looking for undiscovered gems like the Shreveport concert that can make Elvis' music new to longtime fans.
“You try to get all the pieces to the puzzle,” Jorgensen said.
The fourth CD in the set features outtakes from the first RCA recording session in January of that year, and a February session in which Elvis does 12 takes of “Shake, Rattle And Roll.”
The fifth CD includes interviews and two segments of Elvis' rare monologue, “The Truth About Me.” The outtakes and interviews display a sensitive, emotional side of Elvis amid a great deal of criticism.
Guralnick said the criticism didn't start until Elvis became a national star, and it was based on class and social prejudice. It really bothered Elvis when critics put down his fans, Guralnick said.
“He was extremely outspoken that this was unfair, and that every generation needs to have its own style of music,” said Guralnick, who showed a documentary of Sam Phillips, the producer man who discovered Elvis, Saturday at the University of Memphis.
Fans can pre-order “Young Man with the Big Beat” for $109.99 at Elvis1956.com, or wait until Sept. 27 and pay a suggested retail price of $139.98.
This year, fans have something else to commemorate. It was 55 years ago — 1956 — when the first two Elvis albums were released, launching an international music career that brought Elvis' mix of country, rhythm and blues, and gospel to millions of fans around the world.
“It's a documentation of what I think is rock music's most incredible year,” said Ernst Jorgensen, a music producer and Elvis catalog expert. “Nobody was prepared for Elvis.”
To mark Elvis' breakout year, Jorgensen and his team have assembled a five-CD box set called “Young Man with the Big Beat.” Jorgensen will be unveiling the RCA/Legacy box set Monday at Graceland. The collection goes on sale Sept. 27.
The set includes not only the five CDs, but also an 80-page book that provides a daily chronology of Elvis' year though photos, postcards, fan letters, magazine covers and other memorabilia. The set also includes rare photos, posters and a replica concert ticket stub.
The first two CDs in the set are packed with music from the debut LP “Elvis Presley” and the follow up “Elvis.” Those seminal albums had some of Elvis' most well-known songs: “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Don't Be Cruel,” “Hound Dog,” “Love Me Tender” and more.
Those tunes, recorded in New York, Memphis, Nashville, Tenn., and Hollywood, Calif., helped sell 10 million singles and 800,000 LPs in 1956 alone. They also brought Elvis to television on Milton Berle's show, where he gave a hip-swiveling performance that excited his young fans and shocked their parents.
Elvis' stage presence, soulful voice and love of songs he heard growing up in Memphis put him in a unique position alongside other rock pioneers of his time: Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Bill Haley, Fats Domino.
“We were fascinated about how this one man seemed to change the entire music business in America in 12 months,” Jorgensen said.
But it was the first album, which included “Trying to Get to You” and Ray Charles' “I Got a Woman,” that author Peter Guralnick said is the more important of the two 1956 albums.
“I would look at the first album as an American songbook. It's an homage to all the great genres of American music,” said Guralnick, who wrote two Elvis biographies, “Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley” and “Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley.”
The third CD in the set features rare live recordings that have been re-mastered. They include songs from a previously unreleased concert in Shreveport, La., in December 1956, and a Las Vegas concert where he bombed in front of an older audience.
Jorgensen said he is always looking for undiscovered gems like the Shreveport concert that can make Elvis' music new to longtime fans.
“You try to get all the pieces to the puzzle,” Jorgensen said.
The fourth CD in the set features outtakes from the first RCA recording session in January of that year, and a February session in which Elvis does 12 takes of “Shake, Rattle And Roll.”
The fifth CD includes interviews and two segments of Elvis' rare monologue, “The Truth About Me.” The outtakes and interviews display a sensitive, emotional side of Elvis amid a great deal of criticism.
Guralnick said the criticism didn't start until Elvis became a national star, and it was based on class and social prejudice. It really bothered Elvis when critics put down his fans, Guralnick said.
“He was extremely outspoken that this was unfair, and that every generation needs to have its own style of music,” said Guralnick, who showed a documentary of Sam Phillips, the producer man who discovered Elvis, Saturday at the University of Memphis.
Fans can pre-order “Young Man with the Big Beat” for $109.99 at Elvis1956.com, or wait until Sept. 27 and pay a suggested retail price of $139.98.
2011年8月12日星期五
Are England's Riots Coming Here?
A mix of increasing wants, greed and individualism, lack of funds, and respect for people mixed in with drugs and alcohol are the catalyst for an extremely volatile reaction.
I have a friend who lives in Hucknall, just out from Nottingham. He lives about 110 miles (175 km) north of London. Last night (9 Aug 11) he told me (via e-mail) that there was some trouble in Nottingham, and the football (soccer) match between England and Holland, scheduled to be played at Wembley Stadium in London, had to be canceled. He also added that the small towns of Bulwell and Ilkston were expecting trouble. And I heard (via radio) that London experienced a fourth night of riots. So the riots are continuing and spreading.
Here is a link to a BBC video (less than one minute) that has two "ladies" "explaining" why the rioters are rioting. There is one quote in this video that you may not catch: "It's the (Conservative) government's fault, and the rich people."
Is the U.S. next? Are riots coming here? After looking at some facts, draw your conclusion.
Riots Started Because ...
The violence broke out after police shot to death a 29-year-old man in London's economically depressed Tottenham neighborhood late last week. The original Tottenham "outburst" was precipitated by the shooting by police of Mark Duggan, a suspected member of a local criminal gang. It seems he was carrying a replica handgun that had been modified to shoot, but that he was killed while it was still in its cover (a sock, allegedly). A deputation to protest against Mark Duggan's killing outside the police station was ignored by the police for several hours, and so turned into a riot. A peaceful demonstration marking Duggan's death exploded into violence Saturday when protesters threw stones at police, smashed store windows, and set cars and buses on fire. The Independent Police Complaints Commission is carrying out an investigation. But London residents say the riots were spurred by anger over the gloomy economic situation in north London, including high unemployment and reduced public services.
Riots Grew Because...
There has been much discussion about the potential root causes to the series of events that are unfolding in London and the rest of the UK. Some claim that the actual cause is due to the lack of employment for large number of disgruntled youth who see no future and no jobs. The riots seem to be a reaction to much pent-up aggression that has culminated due to institutional racism, a breakdown of the family, socio-economic exclusion, a widening of the rich-poor divide, lack of investment for the under-privileged, and a lack of opportunities. [sound familiar?]
But, some say, the greatest reason of all is a complete lack of morality and guidance. Many of the youth have been brought up in single-parent households where there is no father figure. They spend their time watching violent films, playing violent games or lurking the streets causing nuisance. They are not taught respect at schools, educational establishments, nor from their families. They are actively taught to be atheistic and believe that they came about by chance and will not be accountable for their actions. They see attending youth correction facilities and prisons as being badges of honor that they can show off to fellow gang members and places where they can learn new tools to ply their illegal trades. The capitalistic society that they find themselves in insists that they wear the most expensive trainers (athletic shoes), listen to the latest music, wear the best labels, and have the most advanced electrical equipment. A mix of increasing wants, greed and individualism, lack of funds, and respect for people mixed in with drugs and alcohol are the catalyst for an extremely volatile reaction. [sound familiar?]
Riots Spreading To Other Cities
Rioting has broken out in Birmingham, Liverpool, Nottingham, Bristol, Leeds, Manchester, Salford, West Bromwich, and Gloucester.
Will They Come Here?
Are the austerity protests and riots happening in England right now a glimpse of America's future? There are some differences between England's situation and the situation in the U.S., but there are also similarities. Budget cuts and other austerity measures are being promoted by the political leaders of both countries. English citizens have reacted very negatively to the economic austerity programs that have been implemented. As budget cuts on the federal, state and local levels in the United States start to become painful, will we eventually see the same kind of austerity riots in this country that we are currently seeing in England?
Over the past several decades, the federal government, state governments and local governments have been on the greatest debt binge of all time. We have been living beyond our means for so long that most of us don't even know what "normal" is any more. For example, this year the federal government will take in about 2.2 trillion dollars. It will spend about 3.7 or 3.8 trillion dollars. But it is not just the federal government that is making cuts. State and local governments all over the United States are cutting back as well. Today, state and local government debt has reached at an all-time high of 22 percent of U.S. GDP, a major problem. In many areas of the country, cuts are being made. From coast to coast we are seeing police, firefighters and teachers being laid off.
An Associated Press (AP) story quoted a London rioter: "This is the uprising of the working class. We're redistributing the wealth," said Bryn Phillips, a 28-year-old self-described anarchist, as young people emerged from the store with chocolate bars and ice cream cones. Phillips claimed rioters were motivated by distrust of the police, and drew a link between the rage on London's street and insurgent right-wing politics in the United States. "In America you have the tea party, in England you've got this," he said. [sound familiar?]
In the Guardian newspaper, Stafford Scott wrote, "If the riots at the weekend and the disturbances around London today have come as a surprise to the police and that wider society, the warning signs have long been there for those of us who engage with black youths. Essentially, it boils down to the belief among the young, and poor that "they have no stake in the neighbourhood, and consequently no state in wider society." [sound familiar?]
Obviously, the spread of these riots has been planned. As for the motivation of the vandals and thieves, one need look no further than what one rioter told Sky News reporter Mark Stone: "We're getting our taxes back." In other words, the rioters are stealing designer clothes and gadgets - besides causing property damage - because they can.
"To what purpose," you may ask about riots coming here. The answer is (perhaps), "when the cities are in chaos in 2012, Obama will declare a national emergency, install martial law and suspend elections." This is the scenario leftists said George W. Bush was planning. Their 2008 predictions - that he would dishonor the constitution and install himself as a dictator - lack only the flash mobs that we are beginning to see today. For all of President Obama's complaints about having to deal with congress and "messy" democracy, it would be easier to just do what he wants. [sound familiar?] But that's just my opinion.
I have a friend who lives in Hucknall, just out from Nottingham. He lives about 110 miles (175 km) north of London. Last night (9 Aug 11) he told me (via e-mail) that there was some trouble in Nottingham, and the football (soccer) match between England and Holland, scheduled to be played at Wembley Stadium in London, had to be canceled. He also added that the small towns of Bulwell and Ilkston were expecting trouble. And I heard (via radio) that London experienced a fourth night of riots. So the riots are continuing and spreading.
Here is a link to a BBC video (less than one minute) that has two "ladies" "explaining" why the rioters are rioting. There is one quote in this video that you may not catch: "It's the (Conservative) government's fault, and the rich people."
Is the U.S. next? Are riots coming here? After looking at some facts, draw your conclusion.
Riots Started Because ...
The violence broke out after police shot to death a 29-year-old man in London's economically depressed Tottenham neighborhood late last week. The original Tottenham "outburst" was precipitated by the shooting by police of Mark Duggan, a suspected member of a local criminal gang. It seems he was carrying a replica handgun that had been modified to shoot, but that he was killed while it was still in its cover (a sock, allegedly). A deputation to protest against Mark Duggan's killing outside the police station was ignored by the police for several hours, and so turned into a riot. A peaceful demonstration marking Duggan's death exploded into violence Saturday when protesters threw stones at police, smashed store windows, and set cars and buses on fire. The Independent Police Complaints Commission is carrying out an investigation. But London residents say the riots were spurred by anger over the gloomy economic situation in north London, including high unemployment and reduced public services.
Riots Grew Because...
There has been much discussion about the potential root causes to the series of events that are unfolding in London and the rest of the UK. Some claim that the actual cause is due to the lack of employment for large number of disgruntled youth who see no future and no jobs. The riots seem to be a reaction to much pent-up aggression that has culminated due to institutional racism, a breakdown of the family, socio-economic exclusion, a widening of the rich-poor divide, lack of investment for the under-privileged, and a lack of opportunities. [sound familiar?]
But, some say, the greatest reason of all is a complete lack of morality and guidance. Many of the youth have been brought up in single-parent households where there is no father figure. They spend their time watching violent films, playing violent games or lurking the streets causing nuisance. They are not taught respect at schools, educational establishments, nor from their families. They are actively taught to be atheistic and believe that they came about by chance and will not be accountable for their actions. They see attending youth correction facilities and prisons as being badges of honor that they can show off to fellow gang members and places where they can learn new tools to ply their illegal trades. The capitalistic society that they find themselves in insists that they wear the most expensive trainers (athletic shoes), listen to the latest music, wear the best labels, and have the most advanced electrical equipment. A mix of increasing wants, greed and individualism, lack of funds, and respect for people mixed in with drugs and alcohol are the catalyst for an extremely volatile reaction. [sound familiar?]
Riots Spreading To Other Cities
Rioting has broken out in Birmingham, Liverpool, Nottingham, Bristol, Leeds, Manchester, Salford, West Bromwich, and Gloucester.
Will They Come Here?
Are the austerity protests and riots happening in England right now a glimpse of America's future? There are some differences between England's situation and the situation in the U.S., but there are also similarities. Budget cuts and other austerity measures are being promoted by the political leaders of both countries. English citizens have reacted very negatively to the economic austerity programs that have been implemented. As budget cuts on the federal, state and local levels in the United States start to become painful, will we eventually see the same kind of austerity riots in this country that we are currently seeing in England?
Over the past several decades, the federal government, state governments and local governments have been on the greatest debt binge of all time. We have been living beyond our means for so long that most of us don't even know what "normal" is any more. For example, this year the federal government will take in about 2.2 trillion dollars. It will spend about 3.7 or 3.8 trillion dollars. But it is not just the federal government that is making cuts. State and local governments all over the United States are cutting back as well. Today, state and local government debt has reached at an all-time high of 22 percent of U.S. GDP, a major problem. In many areas of the country, cuts are being made. From coast to coast we are seeing police, firefighters and teachers being laid off.
An Associated Press (AP) story quoted a London rioter: "This is the uprising of the working class. We're redistributing the wealth," said Bryn Phillips, a 28-year-old self-described anarchist, as young people emerged from the store with chocolate bars and ice cream cones. Phillips claimed rioters were motivated by distrust of the police, and drew a link between the rage on London's street and insurgent right-wing politics in the United States. "In America you have the tea party, in England you've got this," he said. [sound familiar?]
In the Guardian newspaper, Stafford Scott wrote, "If the riots at the weekend and the disturbances around London today have come as a surprise to the police and that wider society, the warning signs have long been there for those of us who engage with black youths. Essentially, it boils down to the belief among the young, and poor that "they have no stake in the neighbourhood, and consequently no state in wider society." [sound familiar?]
Obviously, the spread of these riots has been planned. As for the motivation of the vandals and thieves, one need look no further than what one rioter told Sky News reporter Mark Stone: "We're getting our taxes back." In other words, the rioters are stealing designer clothes and gadgets - besides causing property damage - because they can.
"To what purpose," you may ask about riots coming here. The answer is (perhaps), "when the cities are in chaos in 2012, Obama will declare a national emergency, install martial law and suspend elections." This is the scenario leftists said George W. Bush was planning. Their 2008 predictions - that he would dishonor the constitution and install himself as a dictator - lack only the flash mobs that we are beginning to see today. For all of President Obama's complaints about having to deal with congress and "messy" democracy, it would be easier to just do what he wants. [sound familiar?] But that's just my opinion.
2011年8月11日星期四
GRAB & GO KIDS PLANNER: Playwright Festival, Canopy Tours and More
SUMMER PLAYWRIGHT FESTIVAL 2011
When/Where: Friday and Saturday, Aug. 12 and 13 at 7 pm, and Sunday Aug. 14 at 5 pm at Open Space Arts, 16 Hanover Road, Reisterstown, Md., 21136.
Why Go: Bring a picnic and join this magical experience of 10-minute one act plays. The players will explore old characters (Goldilocks, Genies and Dragons) in new situations and creative stories for you to consider what if? Just imagine.
Price: Suggested donations of $9 for adults, $6 students/children.
ST. PIUS X SUMMER MOVIE NIGHT
When/Where: Saturday, Aug. 13 at 7 pm at St. Pius Church 6428 York Road, Baltimore, Md.
Why Go: Tally Ho Disney's Robin Hood, showing in the cozy environment of the community of St. Pius Church. Robbing from the rich and giving to the poor, this story of the legendary outlaw is portrayed with the characters as human-like animals. Two thumbs up.
Price: Free (donations accepted), snacks available for sale.
THE HARPERS FERRY CANOPY TOUR
When/Where: Every day at 1 pm with additional times at 11 am and 3 pm once full at River Riders, Inc, 408 Alstadts Hill Road, Harpers Ferry, W.Va., 25425.
Why Go: About an hour drive from the Baltimore Metro area is this amazing opportunity to see beautiful Harpers Ferry and the surrounding area while flying on a zip line. So zip up and zip down on this Zip Line/Canopy Tour where you will fly high above the ground along seven various length zip lines from 200 to almost 800 feet. Mixed in are several belayed ladder climbs and two bridges. The tour is a three-hour experience and is geared toward those approximately 5 years of age and older and between 40 and 250 pounds.
Price: $89 adults, $79 kids.
FORT MCHENRY GUARD – DEFENDERS RETURN
When/Where: Every Saturday and Sunday weekly from June 4 to Aug. 28 from 11 am to 4 pm at 2400 East Fort Ave., Baltimore, Md., 21230.
Why Go: Experience the daily life of the War of 1812 soldier, sailor and citizen through presentations by the Fort McHenry Guard. The re-creation of a day in the life of an early American soldier is enhanced with actors dressed in replica clothing of the early 19th Century. The guard conducts drills, barracks activities, artillery and musket firing demonstrations, civilian activities and children's programs.
Price: Regular admission prices apply
WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE PARK
When/Where: Sunday, Aug. 14 from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm at Patterson Park Pagoda Hill, 27 S. Patterson Park Ave., Baltimore, Md., 21231
Why Go: You bring the chips and Son de Aqui will provide the Salsa. Their 11-piece band will be sure to get you up and moving with their classic salsa sound, so bring your dancing shoes or at least your flip flops.
Price: Free.
When/Where: Friday and Saturday, Aug. 12 and 13 at 7 pm, and Sunday Aug. 14 at 5 pm at Open Space Arts, 16 Hanover Road, Reisterstown, Md., 21136.
Why Go: Bring a picnic and join this magical experience of 10-minute one act plays. The players will explore old characters (Goldilocks, Genies and Dragons) in new situations and creative stories for you to consider what if? Just imagine.
Price: Suggested donations of $9 for adults, $6 students/children.
ST. PIUS X SUMMER MOVIE NIGHT
When/Where: Saturday, Aug. 13 at 7 pm at St. Pius Church 6428 York Road, Baltimore, Md.
Why Go: Tally Ho Disney's Robin Hood, showing in the cozy environment of the community of St. Pius Church. Robbing from the rich and giving to the poor, this story of the legendary outlaw is portrayed with the characters as human-like animals. Two thumbs up.
Price: Free (donations accepted), snacks available for sale.
THE HARPERS FERRY CANOPY TOUR
When/Where: Every day at 1 pm with additional times at 11 am and 3 pm once full at River Riders, Inc, 408 Alstadts Hill Road, Harpers Ferry, W.Va., 25425.
Why Go: About an hour drive from the Baltimore Metro area is this amazing opportunity to see beautiful Harpers Ferry and the surrounding area while flying on a zip line. So zip up and zip down on this Zip Line/Canopy Tour where you will fly high above the ground along seven various length zip lines from 200 to almost 800 feet. Mixed in are several belayed ladder climbs and two bridges. The tour is a three-hour experience and is geared toward those approximately 5 years of age and older and between 40 and 250 pounds.
Price: $89 adults, $79 kids.
FORT MCHENRY GUARD – DEFENDERS RETURN
When/Where: Every Saturday and Sunday weekly from June 4 to Aug. 28 from 11 am to 4 pm at 2400 East Fort Ave., Baltimore, Md., 21230.
Why Go: Experience the daily life of the War of 1812 soldier, sailor and citizen through presentations by the Fort McHenry Guard. The re-creation of a day in the life of an early American soldier is enhanced with actors dressed in replica clothing of the early 19th Century. The guard conducts drills, barracks activities, artillery and musket firing demonstrations, civilian activities and children's programs.
Price: Regular admission prices apply
WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE PARK
When/Where: Sunday, Aug. 14 from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm at Patterson Park Pagoda Hill, 27 S. Patterson Park Ave., Baltimore, Md., 21231
Why Go: You bring the chips and Son de Aqui will provide the Salsa. Their 11-piece band will be sure to get you up and moving with their classic salsa sound, so bring your dancing shoes or at least your flip flops.
Price: Free.
2011年8月10日星期三
Kate Middleton mannequin 'horrid': Queen
The lace gown that Kate Middleton wore for her wedding to Prince William is the centrepiece of Buckingham Palace's annual open house - fitted on a headless mannequin that Queen Elizabeth II pronounced "horrid."
For £17.50 ($28.38) per adult ticket, you can join the hordes of visitors herded through the palace rooms to gape at the dress, the shoes, the cake, a selection of Faberge eggs, and choice Old Master paintings in a Disneyland-like tour that may entice as many as 500,000 visitors between now and October 3.
Buckingham Palace has linked its summer exhibition to the April 29 nuptials to raise cash for the royal collections while the Queen is on holiday. The wedding is good business: It could add as much as £620 million to the UK economy this year in tourism revenue and food and drink sales, according to Verdict Research, a retail analysis unit of Datamonitor Plc.
Kate Middleton mannequin 'horrid': Queen
August 10, 2011 - 3:19PM
Comments 4
Ads by Google
Your Free 2011 Horoscope
www.life-answers.com
A Free Guide far better than any Astrology report. It's Amazing
"Horrid" ... Kate Middleton and the Queen view the wedding dress display.
"Horrid" ... Kate Middleton and the Queen view the wedding dress display.
The lace gown that Kate Middleton wore for her wedding to Prince William is the centrepiece of Buckingham Palace's annual open house - fitted on a headless mannequin that Queen Elizabeth II pronounced "horrid."
For £17.50 ($28.38) per adult ticket, you can join the hordes of visitors herded through the palace rooms to gape at the dress, the shoes, the cake, a selection of Faberge eggs, and choice Old Master paintings in a Disneyland-like tour that may entice as many as 500,000 visitors between now and October 3.
Buckingham Palace has linked its summer exhibition to the April 29 nuptials to raise cash for the royal collections while the Queen is on holiday. The wedding is good business: It could add as much as £620 million to the UK economy this year in tourism revenue and food and drink sales, according to Verdict Research, a retail analysis unit of Datamonitor Plc.
Advertisement: Story continues below
"It's horrid, isn't it? Horrible," Her Majesty said within earshot of the television cameras as she previewed the ghostly wedding-gown dummy late last month, her own Cartier tiara suspended over it.
Visitors don't see it that way.
"I think it's beautiful," says mother of two Charlotte Philips, as she stoops to peel her bored five-year-old off the carpeted floor. "This is what drew me."
"It's something my eight-year-old will remember, the way I remember seeing Princess Diana's dress when I was 11," she says.
The tour weaves through the throne room, ballroom and dining room, and into the gardens. There, after spending more cash in the temporary cafe and boutique, visitors can take a stroll along Her Majesty's private pond.
The first highlight is the palace throne room. Beneath a tall velvet canopy are the red armchair-like thrones of the Queen and Prince Philip. Placards of the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge smiling on that very spot make the connection with the wedding.
Next, you shuffle past a console topped with a fake arrangement of roses, peonies, and hortensias. Above the faux bouquet is a real Canaletto of Venetian gondolas bobbing in the Grand Canal.
Other pictorial gems include Vermeer's The Music Lesson (1662-5), showing a young lady at her virginal, and Rembrandt's portrait of the rosy-cheeked Agatha Bas (1641), whose left thumb grips the corner of the frame as if she were preparing to climb out.
Visitors are then led into a dimly lit tunnel to ogle vitrines containing the world's finest Faberge collection: bejeweled eggs, miniature instruments, plants, and animals.
"Look at that little frog!" squeals one visitor at a toad-shaped desk seal given to Prince Charles for his 1981 wedding.
The dress display is the climax of the tour. The gown's designer - Sarah Burton of the house of Alexander McQueen - describes on video how her creation was "a real feat of engineering."
To stress the difficulty, framed strips of beaded lace hang nearby, and action shots of the dress are beamed on a plasma screen: You see footage of the wedding, ending, in slow motion, with the royal kiss.
In the ballroom, the gown, perched on a podium under a gauze covering, looks surprisingly small. Beside it are Kate's lace pumps, her earrings, and a replica of her bouquet, which included a flower named Sweet William (which symbolises gallantry).
Isn't £17.50 a high price for a wedding-gown exhibition?
For £17.50 ($28.38) per adult ticket, you can join the hordes of visitors herded through the palace rooms to gape at the dress, the shoes, the cake, a selection of Faberge eggs, and choice Old Master paintings in a Disneyland-like tour that may entice as many as 500,000 visitors between now and October 3.
Buckingham Palace has linked its summer exhibition to the April 29 nuptials to raise cash for the royal collections while the Queen is on holiday. The wedding is good business: It could add as much as £620 million to the UK economy this year in tourism revenue and food and drink sales, according to Verdict Research, a retail analysis unit of Datamonitor Plc.
Kate Middleton mannequin 'horrid': Queen
August 10, 2011 - 3:19PM
Comments 4
Ads by Google
Your Free 2011 Horoscope
www.life-answers.com
A Free Guide far better than any Astrology report. It's Amazing
"Horrid" ... Kate Middleton and the Queen view the wedding dress display.
"Horrid" ... Kate Middleton and the Queen view the wedding dress display.
The lace gown that Kate Middleton wore for her wedding to Prince William is the centrepiece of Buckingham Palace's annual open house - fitted on a headless mannequin that Queen Elizabeth II pronounced "horrid."
For £17.50 ($28.38) per adult ticket, you can join the hordes of visitors herded through the palace rooms to gape at the dress, the shoes, the cake, a selection of Faberge eggs, and choice Old Master paintings in a Disneyland-like tour that may entice as many as 500,000 visitors between now and October 3.
Buckingham Palace has linked its summer exhibition to the April 29 nuptials to raise cash for the royal collections while the Queen is on holiday. The wedding is good business: It could add as much as £620 million to the UK economy this year in tourism revenue and food and drink sales, according to Verdict Research, a retail analysis unit of Datamonitor Plc.
Advertisement: Story continues below
"It's horrid, isn't it? Horrible," Her Majesty said within earshot of the television cameras as she previewed the ghostly wedding-gown dummy late last month, her own Cartier tiara suspended over it.
Visitors don't see it that way.
"I think it's beautiful," says mother of two Charlotte Philips, as she stoops to peel her bored five-year-old off the carpeted floor. "This is what drew me."
"It's something my eight-year-old will remember, the way I remember seeing Princess Diana's dress when I was 11," she says.
The tour weaves through the throne room, ballroom and dining room, and into the gardens. There, after spending more cash in the temporary cafe and boutique, visitors can take a stroll along Her Majesty's private pond.
The first highlight is the palace throne room. Beneath a tall velvet canopy are the red armchair-like thrones of the Queen and Prince Philip. Placards of the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge smiling on that very spot make the connection with the wedding.
Next, you shuffle past a console topped with a fake arrangement of roses, peonies, and hortensias. Above the faux bouquet is a real Canaletto of Venetian gondolas bobbing in the Grand Canal.
Other pictorial gems include Vermeer's The Music Lesson (1662-5), showing a young lady at her virginal, and Rembrandt's portrait of the rosy-cheeked Agatha Bas (1641), whose left thumb grips the corner of the frame as if she were preparing to climb out.
Visitors are then led into a dimly lit tunnel to ogle vitrines containing the world's finest Faberge collection: bejeweled eggs, miniature instruments, plants, and animals.
"Look at that little frog!" squeals one visitor at a toad-shaped desk seal given to Prince Charles for his 1981 wedding.
The dress display is the climax of the tour. The gown's designer - Sarah Burton of the house of Alexander McQueen - describes on video how her creation was "a real feat of engineering."
To stress the difficulty, framed strips of beaded lace hang nearby, and action shots of the dress are beamed on a plasma screen: You see footage of the wedding, ending, in slow motion, with the royal kiss.
In the ballroom, the gown, perched on a podium under a gauze covering, looks surprisingly small. Beside it are Kate's lace pumps, her earrings, and a replica of her bouquet, which included a flower named Sweet William (which symbolises gallantry).
Isn't £17.50 a high price for a wedding-gown exhibition?
2011年8月8日星期一
Chanel Handbags-every Young ladies Fantasy
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2011年8月7日星期日
The experimental nomad
Advertising agency BBDO's new office in Mumbai is the first office where I am tempted to take off my shoes at the entrance. This is precisely its intended effect. A sign outside the front door guides me to the "BBDO Ashram". Incense, chatai mats and a replica of Mahatma Gandhi's "workspace" frame the reception. Inside, the office is composed of a single large room bordered by a conference room, meeting room, dining area and tiny library. Bare white walls, two rows of long wooden benches and ergonomic office chairs highlight the spartan aesthetic.
I am here to meet Josy Paul, the agency's chairman and national creative director, and self-styled veteran "challenger" in the Indian advertising industry. Paul was tasked by BBDO's global arm with setting up the India office in January 2008. Six months ago, he relocated the Mumbai office from a 750 sq. ft space in Khar to a 6,100 sq. ft space in the Paragon Centre—a former mill compound in Worli—and used the opportunity to "create an ashram", he says.
Ashram as social experiment
The idea of building an ashram in an office was "spontaneous and instinctive", Paul says, and inspired by a visit to the Gandhi Ashram at Sabarmati in July 2009 with Ajai Jhala, CEO of BBDO India. Seeking ways to ignite energy in a sealed office environment, he says he was attracted to the "energy of congregations found in religious places, rather than (conventional) boxes and cabins. Sabarmati stunned us by its powerful simplicity and higher ideology. It resonated with our own working philosophy of creating ‘acts, not ads'."
Stripping the office of cubicles and eliminating privacy is "a blind experiment", he admits. There is free seating for all employees, regardless of seniority: no cabins, allocated workstations or partitions between desks. BBDO Mumbai's 35 employees can choose their own spot to seat themselves, just as they would in an ashram or a place of worship. "People tend to choose a spot and come back behaviourally to it," he notes. For confidential talk, co-workers head to the meeting rooms, the sliver-like library or the adjoining terrace patio. Documents and personal possessions are kept in individual lockers in a designated storage area.
Paul's personal workstyle is highly nomadic too as he "fluidly moves from one group to another" in the normal course of the day. "What's nice about this place is that you want to sit with people" rather than being tied to a desk, he says.The day usually starts with ideas being swapped with executive creative director Raj Deepak Das at a particular desk, but Paul is not bound to any one location, and travels light, with only a laptop and notepad, often seating himself at a bench at the reception or in one of the office's designated nooks. Most of his best ideas, he says, actually originated in coffee shops outside the office.
The openness has its challenges, he acknowledges. New recruits are initially "enamoured" by the space, but then find the lack of privacy constraining. Paul encourages this friction between workspace and worker, saying that the office acts as the agency's recruitment "filter", deliberately promoting specific behaviour and weeding out those who are unwilling to adapt.
I am here to meet Josy Paul, the agency's chairman and national creative director, and self-styled veteran "challenger" in the Indian advertising industry. Paul was tasked by BBDO's global arm with setting up the India office in January 2008. Six months ago, he relocated the Mumbai office from a 750 sq. ft space in Khar to a 6,100 sq. ft space in the Paragon Centre—a former mill compound in Worli—and used the opportunity to "create an ashram", he says.
Ashram as social experiment
The idea of building an ashram in an office was "spontaneous and instinctive", Paul says, and inspired by a visit to the Gandhi Ashram at Sabarmati in July 2009 with Ajai Jhala, CEO of BBDO India. Seeking ways to ignite energy in a sealed office environment, he says he was attracted to the "energy of congregations found in religious places, rather than (conventional) boxes and cabins. Sabarmati stunned us by its powerful simplicity and higher ideology. It resonated with our own working philosophy of creating ‘acts, not ads'."
Stripping the office of cubicles and eliminating privacy is "a blind experiment", he admits. There is free seating for all employees, regardless of seniority: no cabins, allocated workstations or partitions between desks. BBDO Mumbai's 35 employees can choose their own spot to seat themselves, just as they would in an ashram or a place of worship. "People tend to choose a spot and come back behaviourally to it," he notes. For confidential talk, co-workers head to the meeting rooms, the sliver-like library or the adjoining terrace patio. Documents and personal possessions are kept in individual lockers in a designated storage area.
Paul's personal workstyle is highly nomadic too as he "fluidly moves from one group to another" in the normal course of the day. "What's nice about this place is that you want to sit with people" rather than being tied to a desk, he says.The day usually starts with ideas being swapped with executive creative director Raj Deepak Das at a particular desk, but Paul is not bound to any one location, and travels light, with only a laptop and notepad, often seating himself at a bench at the reception or in one of the office's designated nooks. Most of his best ideas, he says, actually originated in coffee shops outside the office.
The openness has its challenges, he acknowledges. New recruits are initially "enamoured" by the space, but then find the lack of privacy constraining. Paul encourages this friction between workspace and worker, saying that the office acts as the agency's recruitment "filter", deliberately promoting specific behaviour and weeding out those who are unwilling to adapt.
2011年8月3日星期三
Call of Duty XP attendees get free 'Hardened' edition of MW3, teaming with We Can Pretend
Beyond chomping (hopefully) real burgers at the faux fast-food establishment, Burgertown, Call of Duty XP attendees get a "special redemption code" for Modern Warfare 3's Hardened Edition, for use "when it becomes available worldwide on November 8." Included in the price of admission is also the chance to run through "a life-size replica" of MW2's "Scrapyard" level, so bring an extra extra pair of running shoes (one of the extra pairs will already have been used after heading through "The Pit").
And tucked away in a variety of details about a new comedy series for Call of Duty Elite members (being put together by Jason Bateman and Will Arnett's production company "dumbdumb" and Ben Silverman's Electus Studio, no less) was news that Activision is collaborating with We Can Pretend on a "Modern Warfare-inspired live-action short." We Can Pretend are the folks who put together the "Find Makarov" campaign back in March, misleading many game news outlets to believe that it was a Modern Warfare 3-based ARG due to its high production value.
If the aforementioned amenities weren't enough, Activision is upping the physicality of things with "Juggernaut Sumo" (just what it sounds like) and "a military-style zip-line plunge across the Call of Duty XP compound." Say it with us now: "HOO-AH!"
And tucked away in a variety of details about a new comedy series for Call of Duty Elite members (being put together by Jason Bateman and Will Arnett's production company "dumbdumb" and Ben Silverman's Electus Studio, no less) was news that Activision is collaborating with We Can Pretend on a "Modern Warfare-inspired live-action short." We Can Pretend are the folks who put together the "Find Makarov" campaign back in March, misleading many game news outlets to believe that it was a Modern Warfare 3-based ARG due to its high production value.
If the aforementioned amenities weren't enough, Activision is upping the physicality of things with "Juggernaut Sumo" (just what it sounds like) and "a military-style zip-line plunge across the Call of Duty XP compound." Say it with us now: "HOO-AH!"
2011年8月1日星期一
A place to worship and to rejoice
Dancing barefoot, with teeth gleaming between stretched, smiling lips, the women fill the church with cries of unabashed joy. Drummers accompany the ululation, harmonizing with the sound of a dozen children clapping along, partly in time.
After years of seeking shelter for their spiritual community, the tiny congregation of St. Gebriel Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church has found a home and, in that, cause for celebration.
The pile of shoes at the front door of the Hammonds Plains-area church grew from 8 a.m., when communion, song, and worship began. Socks and skin sank into the sanctuary’s red carpet where the congregation had set up about two dozen plastic or well-worn upholstered chairs, their bare feet an homage to the Old Testament story of God telling Moses to remove his footwear before entering a holy place.
Each person in each chair has his or her own story. But collectively, they represent the narrative of many immigrants who came to Canada hoping for a new life still grounded in the faith and culture of their homeland, said deacon Les Zewdie.
"Most immigrants (from Ethiopia) when they come . . . they are shocked and they don’t stay in Nova Scotia because (there) is no Ethiopian Orthodox Church or community (and) then they just run to big cities to see their culture," the deacon said.
"So one of the things we (asked ourselves) is how are we (going) to help immigrants to stay. So one of the things is what you see today. When they see this (place), they are spiritually happy."
Sixteen years ago, Zewdie came to Nova Scotia from Ethiopia’s capital city of Addis Ababa. His network of Ethiopian friends here grew as he connected with those who shared his faith and his words.
English is the second language for most of those who call themselves part of this congregation of about 30 parishioners. Zewdie and a bishop led the sermon and songs in Amharic, the language most commonly spoken in the eastern African country and something Zewdie said parents in the church want their children to be able to speak and understand.
Edgewood-Oxford United Church and the Coptic Orthodox Church of St. Mena, both in Halifax, used to give them a place to come together. But sharing space meant that the Ethiopian congregation had to limit their time for worship, which can easily run from 8 to 11 a.m.
The congregation was too small to afford to build a church of their own, so Zewdie approached the Nova Scotia diocese of the Anglican Church to see if they had any vacant buildings.
"We heard from them that they really longed for a home to call their home," said Rev. Tammy Hodge.
So she and the congregation at St. Nicholas Anglican Church in Upper Tantallon donated their former place of worship.
After years of seeking shelter for their spiritual community, the tiny congregation of St. Gebriel Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church has found a home and, in that, cause for celebration.
The pile of shoes at the front door of the Hammonds Plains-area church grew from 8 a.m., when communion, song, and worship began. Socks and skin sank into the sanctuary’s red carpet where the congregation had set up about two dozen plastic or well-worn upholstered chairs, their bare feet an homage to the Old Testament story of God telling Moses to remove his footwear before entering a holy place.
Each person in each chair has his or her own story. But collectively, they represent the narrative of many immigrants who came to Canada hoping for a new life still grounded in the faith and culture of their homeland, said deacon Les Zewdie.
"Most immigrants (from Ethiopia) when they come . . . they are shocked and they don’t stay in Nova Scotia because (there) is no Ethiopian Orthodox Church or community (and) then they just run to big cities to see their culture," the deacon said.
"So one of the things we (asked ourselves) is how are we (going) to help immigrants to stay. So one of the things is what you see today. When they see this (place), they are spiritually happy."
Sixteen years ago, Zewdie came to Nova Scotia from Ethiopia’s capital city of Addis Ababa. His network of Ethiopian friends here grew as he connected with those who shared his faith and his words.
English is the second language for most of those who call themselves part of this congregation of about 30 parishioners. Zewdie and a bishop led the sermon and songs in Amharic, the language most commonly spoken in the eastern African country and something Zewdie said parents in the church want their children to be able to speak and understand.
Edgewood-Oxford United Church and the Coptic Orthodox Church of St. Mena, both in Halifax, used to give them a place to come together. But sharing space meant that the Ethiopian congregation had to limit their time for worship, which can easily run from 8 to 11 a.m.
The congregation was too small to afford to build a church of their own, so Zewdie approached the Nova Scotia diocese of the Anglican Church to see if they had any vacant buildings.
"We heard from them that they really longed for a home to call their home," said Rev. Tammy Hodge.
So she and the congregation at St. Nicholas Anglican Church in Upper Tantallon donated their former place of worship.
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