Venus Williams used her signature long reach to stretch for the ball, her racket just grazing it as it thundered past her. The crowd cheered wildly as her defiant opponent battled back, forcing a 12-shot rally in the blistering heat.
Eventually the seven-time Grand Slam winner clinched the game. Her challenger, nine-year-old Lola Holmes, was nevertheless thrilled.
"Venus is my favourite player. I was just thinking, wow, how am I even doing this when I was hitting the ball back. It was amazing," Holmes said breathlessly afterwards, clutching her racket and grinning from ear to ear.
She was one of several dozen young children in Nigeria being coached for an afternoon on Wednesday by two of modern tennis' biggest stars. Venus and Serena Williams kicked off an "Africa tour" in promotion of women's rights that will take in Nigeria before moving on to South Africa.
Hundreds packed the upmarket club in Lagos for the tennis clinic, braving the relentless heat as they squeezed into all available spaces. As the sisters, wearing bright pink and orange tops, tossed balls on the neat centre court, office workers hung out the windows of overlooking tower blocks and cheered the budding tennis stars.
"We're here to empower young girls and let them know that if you dare to dream, you can achieve any goal you want to," Serena said at an earlier press conference held by the Breaking The Mould initiative they are representing.
The initiative is aimed at encouraging "more women to break moulds that have stood between them and their potential," the organisation said in a statement. There are 80 million women in Nigeria, but gender disparity is an acute problem. Africa's most populous country ranks 118 out of 134 countries on the Gender Equality Index, according to a British Council study.
"We were able to break the mould when tennis was very dominated by white people. To have a face of colour come in and dominate showed it doesn't matter what your background is and where you come from, if you have dreams and goals, that's all that matters," Serena said.
Looking visibly tired two days after beating Maria Sharapova to win the women's world tennis championships, she said the trip was special in other ways too.
Lagos was the first African city she and her sisters had seen during a plane stopover in 1998, she recalled. "We looked out the window and we were like, we finally made it to Africa. We definitely would love to see more athletes come out of Africa," she added.
But she politely brushed off attempts to claim her as an African superstar, with one particularly enthusiastic journalist suggesting the specific Nigerian town where their ancestors may have been from. "I'd love to say I'm from Africa, but we're from the United States and we're proud to be from there as well," Serena said.
Venus said a planned exhibition match on Friday – their first match in Africa – would be a highlight. "After all the finals everywhere … this will be our final in Nigeria," she said to cheers. "I don't know who's going to win but Serena just won the championship so I know she's ready. I'll have to play my best tennis."
At the lively press conference, the two sisters, who between them hold 22 major singles titles, also faced eager questions from a ten-year-old girl, Zuriah Oluwale, who quizzed Serena on whether she planned to fund any schools in Nigeria as she had done in Kenya in 2008. "I think it would be a good plan for the future," Serena said
"My next two questions are for Venus," Oluwale said, to which Venus jokingly quipped: "I'm ready."
The question – how Venus felt winning her first Wimbledon Grand Slam in 2000, two years before her questioner was born – threw into spotlight how far the sisters' have changed the game of tennis.
"Nigerians love tennis but there has been a lack of Nigerian role models since the early 1990s. It's possible some mothers saw the Williams playing, saw two black women being successful on the court, and maybe that made it easier for us as mothers to think our girls can play tennis seriously too," said Lagos resident Ebifegha Netimah, whose two teenage daughters "want to be Venus and Serena".
While the theme of the tour was empowering girls, the Williams sisters appeal to young players of both genders.
Seventeen-year-old Andrew learnt to play tennis after taking up work as a ballboy in an upmarket club. "I used to go very early or late at night before anybody else was there and hit the ball with the other ball boys. We didn't have money so we used rackets from the sports shop, and then put them back before anybody caught us."
"I really like the Williams sisters. This week I was so excited they were coming, I forgot the tiredness, I just wanted to see them because I know it will encourage me to keep playing," said Andrew.
2012年10月31日星期三
2012年10月25日星期四
Combo inoculants hold promise for best of both worlds
How can a homofermentative inoculant improve milk production by 2 to 3 pounds per cow per day? Can farmers expect that from all homofermentative inoculants? And what are expectations for L. buchneri and the combo inoculants? Those are some of the questions addressed by U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center research engineer Richard Muck during World Dairy Expo in Madison earlier this month.
Muck admits he thought inoculants were improving dry matter digestibility, but two trials with alfalfa silage – and homofermentative inoculants as well as the heterofermenter, L. buchneri – didn’t show that. Muck admits that was “disappointing to us.” However, gas production was lower with some inoculants than predicted.
Muck points out that the main products of rumen fermentation are: Rumen microbes, volatile fatty acids and gases. With inoculants they’ve measured more rumen microbes and less of the gases. Rumen microbes are one of the main sources of protein for the cow. It appears what may be causing the difference in animal performance with inoculated silage is that cow is getting more protein, which supports more milk production. He reports that “inoculated silages from 3 of the 4 inoculants (researched in the lab) produced 8 percent more rumen microbes than untreated silage. That could support up to four pounds more milk per cow per day, he adds.
Muck went on to share results of a lactating cow trial with alfalfa silage (treated with L. plantarum). There was a “nice response” in pH, he mentions of 4.93 untreated silage and 4.56 inoculant-treated. The alfalfa silage was fed at 50 percent of the ration, along with corn silage, high moisture corn and soy hulls. The additional two pounds more milk with the inoculant wasn’t statistically significant. The MUN (milk urea nitrogen) level is noteworthy. Muck says the 10 percent reduction in milk urea N indicates better N utilization by the cows on the inoculated silage, suggesting more rumen microbe production. (That’s also a potentially positive environmental impact with less ammonia loss.)
What more does Muck need to know? He says they have to confirm that more rumen microbes were actually produced in the trial, but he’s fairly confident that’ll show up. He also needs to figure out “why” certain inoculants are causing silages to produce more rumen microbes, and confirm that the in vitro test really does screen for inoculants that can produce a significant animal response.
The bottom line? Muck says there’s “sound evidence that some inoculants can increase rumen microbe production in vitro,” and that “these increases can explain the milk production increases observed with some inoculants.” He adds that the inoculant they tested in their production trial increased milk and reduced MUN like they’d expected. MUN is a good indicator of better nitrogen utilization by the cow.
There’s “good strong evidence” that makes these products look even more attractive now, notes Muck.
“We now have increased confidence that some inoculants can truly increase milk production 2 to 4 pounds per cow per day,” he states, admitting more research is needed to understand why this is happening. He says they also may have a “tool for looking for better inoculants in the future.”
Muck characterizes the homofermenters as the best choice to improve DM recovery and animal performance. They’re a good fit for hay-crop silage, but less likely to be successful on corn silage. However, in vitro tests with corn silage (BMR and regular) indicate production of more rumen microbes (i.e. an effect on the cow). He admits he’s starting to change his tune a tad.
Aside from their preferred use on alfalfa silage, positive outcomes with homofermenters are more likely to occur with corn silage when it’s harvested on the dry side or immediately after a killing frost.
The heterofermentative inoculants like L. buchneri, he says, consistently increase bunk life/aerobic stability (an issue in warm weather with corn and small grain silages). Studies show L. buchneri raises acetic acid and results in higher-pH silage. Because acetic acid inhibits yeasts and molds, L. buchneri-treated silage is more aerobically stable. Heterofermentative inoculants work more consistently across a wide range of conditions, while success with homofermenters are best in hay crop silage with a wilt time of a day.
In terms of DM loss, L. buchneri is intermediate between untreated silage and homofermentative inoculants. That’s not surprising because carbon dioxide gas is made and lost while producing acetic acid. Typically there’s a 1 to 2 percent improvement in DM recovery over untreated silage. In lactation trials with L. buchneri, acetic acid also increased. However, there’s been no effect on DM intake by cows and generally little or no effect on milk production (except in keeping silage cool).
But when combining the two types of inoculants – homofermenters and L. buchneri – it seems there is indeed potential to “get the best of both worlds,” notes Muck of the DM recovery and animal performance of a standard inoculant and the bunk life/aerobic stability of L. buchneri. The potential for more milk appears to be happening on more than one crop, he notes, admitting that more animal trials are needed though.
This ag engineer reminds producers that the bacteria in the inoculant has to be alive when it goes on the crop to work. Keep the inoculant tank cool the best you can in the heat of summer. He also prefers to add the inoculant on the forage harvester as there are multiple opportunities for the inoculant to be mixed with the crop; good distribution is important.
Muck admits he thought inoculants were improving dry matter digestibility, but two trials with alfalfa silage – and homofermentative inoculants as well as the heterofermenter, L. buchneri – didn’t show that. Muck admits that was “disappointing to us.” However, gas production was lower with some inoculants than predicted.
Muck points out that the main products of rumen fermentation are: Rumen microbes, volatile fatty acids and gases. With inoculants they’ve measured more rumen microbes and less of the gases. Rumen microbes are one of the main sources of protein for the cow. It appears what may be causing the difference in animal performance with inoculated silage is that cow is getting more protein, which supports more milk production. He reports that “inoculated silages from 3 of the 4 inoculants (researched in the lab) produced 8 percent more rumen microbes than untreated silage. That could support up to four pounds more milk per cow per day, he adds.
Muck went on to share results of a lactating cow trial with alfalfa silage (treated with L. plantarum). There was a “nice response” in pH, he mentions of 4.93 untreated silage and 4.56 inoculant-treated. The alfalfa silage was fed at 50 percent of the ration, along with corn silage, high moisture corn and soy hulls. The additional two pounds more milk with the inoculant wasn’t statistically significant. The MUN (milk urea nitrogen) level is noteworthy. Muck says the 10 percent reduction in milk urea N indicates better N utilization by the cows on the inoculated silage, suggesting more rumen microbe production. (That’s also a potentially positive environmental impact with less ammonia loss.)
What more does Muck need to know? He says they have to confirm that more rumen microbes were actually produced in the trial, but he’s fairly confident that’ll show up. He also needs to figure out “why” certain inoculants are causing silages to produce more rumen microbes, and confirm that the in vitro test really does screen for inoculants that can produce a significant animal response.
The bottom line? Muck says there’s “sound evidence that some inoculants can increase rumen microbe production in vitro,” and that “these increases can explain the milk production increases observed with some inoculants.” He adds that the inoculant they tested in their production trial increased milk and reduced MUN like they’d expected. MUN is a good indicator of better nitrogen utilization by the cow.
There’s “good strong evidence” that makes these products look even more attractive now, notes Muck.
“We now have increased confidence that some inoculants can truly increase milk production 2 to 4 pounds per cow per day,” he states, admitting more research is needed to understand why this is happening. He says they also may have a “tool for looking for better inoculants in the future.”
Muck characterizes the homofermenters as the best choice to improve DM recovery and animal performance. They’re a good fit for hay-crop silage, but less likely to be successful on corn silage. However, in vitro tests with corn silage (BMR and regular) indicate production of more rumen microbes (i.e. an effect on the cow). He admits he’s starting to change his tune a tad.
Aside from their preferred use on alfalfa silage, positive outcomes with homofermenters are more likely to occur with corn silage when it’s harvested on the dry side or immediately after a killing frost.
The heterofermentative inoculants like L. buchneri, he says, consistently increase bunk life/aerobic stability (an issue in warm weather with corn and small grain silages). Studies show L. buchneri raises acetic acid and results in higher-pH silage. Because acetic acid inhibits yeasts and molds, L. buchneri-treated silage is more aerobically stable. Heterofermentative inoculants work more consistently across a wide range of conditions, while success with homofermenters are best in hay crop silage with a wilt time of a day.
In terms of DM loss, L. buchneri is intermediate between untreated silage and homofermentative inoculants. That’s not surprising because carbon dioxide gas is made and lost while producing acetic acid. Typically there’s a 1 to 2 percent improvement in DM recovery over untreated silage. In lactation trials with L. buchneri, acetic acid also increased. However, there’s been no effect on DM intake by cows and generally little or no effect on milk production (except in keeping silage cool).
But when combining the two types of inoculants – homofermenters and L. buchneri – it seems there is indeed potential to “get the best of both worlds,” notes Muck of the DM recovery and animal performance of a standard inoculant and the bunk life/aerobic stability of L. buchneri. The potential for more milk appears to be happening on more than one crop, he notes, admitting that more animal trials are needed though.
This ag engineer reminds producers that the bacteria in the inoculant has to be alive when it goes on the crop to work. Keep the inoculant tank cool the best you can in the heat of summer. He also prefers to add the inoculant on the forage harvester as there are multiple opportunities for the inoculant to be mixed with the crop; good distribution is important.
2012年10月23日星期二
Joy and Pride Behind the Sorrow
The epic odyssey of the boy Avedis, from the sandstorms of the Iraqi desert, to the golden throne of St James in Jerusalem, wound down to its inevitable close this week, as the coffin slowly descended into the grave, clods of earth raining down upon the lid, a final farewell: earth to earth.
The heavens themselves seemed to blaze forth the death of the prince, Archbishop Torkom Manoogian, Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem, 96th in line of succession from Abraham, the first leader of the Armenian Church in the Holy Land.
In a hauntingly solemn ceremony, his fellow princes had led Manoogian to his final resting place in the Armenian cemetery of St Saviors, a stone's throw from the bullet-riddled Zion Gate, one of seven that punctuate the 500-years old Walls of the Old City.
Thousands of people, some of whom had flown in expressly for the occasion, watched the funeral or accompanied the cortege, the narrow streets of the Old City and the confined space within the cemetery making it impossible to accommodate more than a fraction of their number.
For the first time within living memory, the whole city seemed to have risen as one to pay tribute to the man who gave pungent definition to the terms “glasnost” and “perestroika,” and who helped usher a new era of stability and prosperity for his diminishing and dispirited fold.
Putting aside their differences for a brief spell, leaders or representatives of practically every house of God in Jerusalem, whether Christians, or the ones who call Him Yahweh, or those who call Him Allah, and of every political affiliation in the country, marched in the mournful funeral procession, from the Convent of St James, seat of the Armenian Patriarchate, to the Armenian cemetery.
The presence of the foreign host gave tangible, vociferous recognition of the ineradicable place Armenians continue to occupy in Jerusalem: despite the relentless attrition wars and catastrophes have precipitated in their numbers over the years, Armenians still prefer Jerusalem over their chief joy.
Ask any Armenian, if he or she could remold his destiny "to the heart’s desire," (in Omar Khayyam’s words), where would they like their home to be, and the reply will be unequivocally divided between Yerevan, capital of the Armenian homeland, and Yerusaghem (the Armenian name for Jerusalem).
Pulitzer prize winning novelist William Saroyan said it best: when any two Armenians meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a new Armenia.
The unmistakable attendance of a special envoy from the Lebanon-based Armenian Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia, historic rivals of the mother church in Armenia with which Jerusalem is aligned, gave vivid proof of this unshakable bond of fraternity and solidarity.
And to demonstrate his affinity with the Armenian church (as well as his own personal regard for Manoogian), former Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Michel Sabbah emerged out of self-imposed retirement, to join the funeral procession.
During the past 50 years or so, the Armenians of Jerusalem have had to bury two patriarchs: Guregh Israelian, in 1949, just after the first Arab-Israel war and Israel's proclamation of independence, and Yeghishe Derderian, in 1990.
Derderian had been elected locum tenens ("caretaker") following Israelian's death, and had adhered to that position tenuously for decades before finally succumbing to demands for an election that traditionally should take place after the expiration of a 40-day mourning period.
Church sources doubt this will happen again: within days of the death of Manoogian, the brotherhood of Armenian priests in Jerusalem met in general assembly to elect a new locum tenens, giving the nod to Archbishop Aris Shirvanian, director of the Patriarchate's ecumenical and foreign relations.
It will be his job, among his other caretaker responsibilities, to pave the way for the election of Jerusalem's 97th Armenian patriarch.
In one of the highlights of Manoogian's funeral mass, celebrated in the ornate Cathedral of St James, Shirvanian bent to bless Manoogian's body, dipping his finger in a receptacle holding the holy chrism, and anointing the late patriarch's forehead and right hand.
The gesture is a tacit affirmation of the link of patriarchal succession and points to the symbolic importance of the right hand of an Armenian priest (this is the hand he uses to bless the congregation and offer communion) as evidenced by the fact that relics of Armenian saints are usually housed in golden moulds or replicas of the right hand.
Before coming to Jerusalem, Manoogian had held, reportedly to popular acclaim, the highly prestigious position of Primate of the Eastern Diocese of America, a mandate that gave him spiritual jurisdiction over tens of thousands of Armenians living on America's east coast. But he gave all that up to go and act as shepherd to a mere handful, in the city of Christ.
And Jerusalem turned out to be one mammoth challenge, a fact acknowledged by the Armenian church, as conceded by the late Catholicos of All Armenians, Vazken I, who said of Manoogian: “We see that his task is difficult: a heavy responsibility weighs upon his shoulders. “
Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Manoogian’s successor as Primate, echoed the same sentiments in a eulogy: “He was one of the very few churchmen of his generation to carry the weight of our church on his shoulders. He stood out . . . and seemed to combine all the grace and dignity of the Armenian past, with all our fondest hopes and aspirations for the future. “
Like Manoogian, Barsamian is a member of the priestly Brotherhood of St James, and his name has cropped up as a potential candidate to replace succeed, a prospect he shares with half a dozen others, each no less impressive in his credentials.
Among the front-runners of the eligible candidates among the Brotherhood, two stand out: Archbishop Aris Shirvanian, the locum tenens, and Archbishop Nourhan Manoogian, the Patriarchal Vicar. The former primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of Australia and New Zealand, Archbishop Aghan Baliozian, who died recently, had also been among the undeclared runners.
The Armenians of Jerusalem know that it is not going to be easy to replace Manoogian, the reformer.
"Manoogian was a visionary, an idealist, and despite his foibles, he was able to inspire and consolidate the local Armenian community which had been wrung out to dry during the previous administration," as an observer remarked.
"Under his tutelage, division lines blurred, and people began to feel once more a strong sense of unity, of belonging," he added. "Repercussions of the unhappy, traumatic age of Manoogian's predecessor lost their poignancy. Here was a man who could deliver, who cared for his flock, and showed it."
The heavens themselves seemed to blaze forth the death of the prince, Archbishop Torkom Manoogian, Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem, 96th in line of succession from Abraham, the first leader of the Armenian Church in the Holy Land.
In a hauntingly solemn ceremony, his fellow princes had led Manoogian to his final resting place in the Armenian cemetery of St Saviors, a stone's throw from the bullet-riddled Zion Gate, one of seven that punctuate the 500-years old Walls of the Old City.
Thousands of people, some of whom had flown in expressly for the occasion, watched the funeral or accompanied the cortege, the narrow streets of the Old City and the confined space within the cemetery making it impossible to accommodate more than a fraction of their number.
For the first time within living memory, the whole city seemed to have risen as one to pay tribute to the man who gave pungent definition to the terms “glasnost” and “perestroika,” and who helped usher a new era of stability and prosperity for his diminishing and dispirited fold.
Putting aside their differences for a brief spell, leaders or representatives of practically every house of God in Jerusalem, whether Christians, or the ones who call Him Yahweh, or those who call Him Allah, and of every political affiliation in the country, marched in the mournful funeral procession, from the Convent of St James, seat of the Armenian Patriarchate, to the Armenian cemetery.
The presence of the foreign host gave tangible, vociferous recognition of the ineradicable place Armenians continue to occupy in Jerusalem: despite the relentless attrition wars and catastrophes have precipitated in their numbers over the years, Armenians still prefer Jerusalem over their chief joy.
Ask any Armenian, if he or she could remold his destiny "to the heart’s desire," (in Omar Khayyam’s words), where would they like their home to be, and the reply will be unequivocally divided between Yerevan, capital of the Armenian homeland, and Yerusaghem (the Armenian name for Jerusalem).
Pulitzer prize winning novelist William Saroyan said it best: when any two Armenians meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a new Armenia.
The unmistakable attendance of a special envoy from the Lebanon-based Armenian Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia, historic rivals of the mother church in Armenia with which Jerusalem is aligned, gave vivid proof of this unshakable bond of fraternity and solidarity.
And to demonstrate his affinity with the Armenian church (as well as his own personal regard for Manoogian), former Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Michel Sabbah emerged out of self-imposed retirement, to join the funeral procession.
During the past 50 years or so, the Armenians of Jerusalem have had to bury two patriarchs: Guregh Israelian, in 1949, just after the first Arab-Israel war and Israel's proclamation of independence, and Yeghishe Derderian, in 1990.
Derderian had been elected locum tenens ("caretaker") following Israelian's death, and had adhered to that position tenuously for decades before finally succumbing to demands for an election that traditionally should take place after the expiration of a 40-day mourning period.
Church sources doubt this will happen again: within days of the death of Manoogian, the brotherhood of Armenian priests in Jerusalem met in general assembly to elect a new locum tenens, giving the nod to Archbishop Aris Shirvanian, director of the Patriarchate's ecumenical and foreign relations.
It will be his job, among his other caretaker responsibilities, to pave the way for the election of Jerusalem's 97th Armenian patriarch.
In one of the highlights of Manoogian's funeral mass, celebrated in the ornate Cathedral of St James, Shirvanian bent to bless Manoogian's body, dipping his finger in a receptacle holding the holy chrism, and anointing the late patriarch's forehead and right hand.
The gesture is a tacit affirmation of the link of patriarchal succession and points to the symbolic importance of the right hand of an Armenian priest (this is the hand he uses to bless the congregation and offer communion) as evidenced by the fact that relics of Armenian saints are usually housed in golden moulds or replicas of the right hand.
Before coming to Jerusalem, Manoogian had held, reportedly to popular acclaim, the highly prestigious position of Primate of the Eastern Diocese of America, a mandate that gave him spiritual jurisdiction over tens of thousands of Armenians living on America's east coast. But he gave all that up to go and act as shepherd to a mere handful, in the city of Christ.
And Jerusalem turned out to be one mammoth challenge, a fact acknowledged by the Armenian church, as conceded by the late Catholicos of All Armenians, Vazken I, who said of Manoogian: “We see that his task is difficult: a heavy responsibility weighs upon his shoulders. “
Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Manoogian’s successor as Primate, echoed the same sentiments in a eulogy: “He was one of the very few churchmen of his generation to carry the weight of our church on his shoulders. He stood out . . . and seemed to combine all the grace and dignity of the Armenian past, with all our fondest hopes and aspirations for the future. “
Like Manoogian, Barsamian is a member of the priestly Brotherhood of St James, and his name has cropped up as a potential candidate to replace succeed, a prospect he shares with half a dozen others, each no less impressive in his credentials.
Among the front-runners of the eligible candidates among the Brotherhood, two stand out: Archbishop Aris Shirvanian, the locum tenens, and Archbishop Nourhan Manoogian, the Patriarchal Vicar. The former primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of Australia and New Zealand, Archbishop Aghan Baliozian, who died recently, had also been among the undeclared runners.
The Armenians of Jerusalem know that it is not going to be easy to replace Manoogian, the reformer.
"Manoogian was a visionary, an idealist, and despite his foibles, he was able to inspire and consolidate the local Armenian community which had been wrung out to dry during the previous administration," as an observer remarked.
"Under his tutelage, division lines blurred, and people began to feel once more a strong sense of unity, of belonging," he added. "Repercussions of the unhappy, traumatic age of Manoogian's predecessor lost their poignancy. Here was a man who could deliver, who cared for his flock, and showed it."
2012年10月21日星期日
She loves her Mini
Long ago, my Uncle Cary bought this new and totally cool ’67 Thunderbird. He was cool himself. The car was silver with a black top, and in the back it had the so-called suicide doors hinged on the rear.
It obviously was a Batmobile, so we used it to play Batman whenever he — my uncle, not Batman — drove it to my grandmother’s house. We’d run around sing-screaming the television show’s signature anthem: Dadadadadadadada — Batman!
I saw an identical T-Bird the other day, during something Mississippi Gulf Coast promoters call Cruisin’ the Coast. They bill it as America’s Largest Block Party — and longest, I might add. The extravaganza lasts an entire week. And that week adds about $20 million to the local economy, drawing old-car enthusiasts from 40 states and Canada.
My uncle’s T-Bird didn’t go through Hurricane Katrina in 2005, but the one I saw at Cruisin’ did. Its new owner bought it with that grim knowledge, fixed it up and now drives it every day. It’s not so much a show car as a showy car that he uses.
I saw only one of the official Cruisin’ events, but you can’t miss the old cars parading up and down, up and down, old U.S. Highway 90 by the ocean. It was like visiting Cuba, or what I imagine it would be like if our politicians would let so-called free citizens visit there, where frugal citizens keep old American cars running with spit and spare parts.
The Mississippi Sound was gleaming like a ditch full of diamonds on one side; the eager businesses on the other were enticing Cruisers with free gifts, food and libations. So royal and retro was the welcome, I wondered if the car owners felt like Fonzie and Pinky Tuscadero. One local bank had old 45-rpm records swinging from pink and black ribbons in its trees. Festive, truly.
I kept expecting to hear an “American Graffiti” soundtrack, or see Richard Dreyfus’ elusive dream girl in her ’55 Thunderbird. Every third car or so on 90 was an antique, which doesn’t exclude lots of Camaros, Corvettes and Mustangs. There was a parking lot full of those. Around 6,000 restored cars in all, the registrars reported, from Model T’s to Studebakers.
Men and women stood around comparing notes on gleaming automotive specimens. Now, I don’t know an alternator from an astronaut, but I do know the feel of driving certain cars. I can outline my life by my car choices.
My first was a VW bug; it cost about what you now pay for a pair of good shoes. The Pinto years were lean, indeed, though I always thought that car got a bad rap so far as dependability goes.
My MG-B convertible made me feel like a goddess if only it had stayed out of the shop for two weeks running. The used Alpha Romeo sedan that replaced it wasn’t much better.
Those frivolous forays into foreign resulted in two decades of Fords — Mustangs, Explorers, a van and a couple of pickups. Fords made me feel sensible and got me where I was going.
I’ll have to admit, though, my all-time favorite car is the one I’m driving now. Perhaps it signals a second childhood.
My Mini-Cooper lets me pretend I’m in Paris, even when I’m tooling the streets of Iuka, Miss. I wouldn’t have traded my Mini for any duded-up car on the coast, except maybe that silver and black T-Bird worthy of Batman.
It obviously was a Batmobile, so we used it to play Batman whenever he — my uncle, not Batman — drove it to my grandmother’s house. We’d run around sing-screaming the television show’s signature anthem: Dadadadadadadada — Batman!
I saw an identical T-Bird the other day, during something Mississippi Gulf Coast promoters call Cruisin’ the Coast. They bill it as America’s Largest Block Party — and longest, I might add. The extravaganza lasts an entire week. And that week adds about $20 million to the local economy, drawing old-car enthusiasts from 40 states and Canada.
My uncle’s T-Bird didn’t go through Hurricane Katrina in 2005, but the one I saw at Cruisin’ did. Its new owner bought it with that grim knowledge, fixed it up and now drives it every day. It’s not so much a show car as a showy car that he uses.
I saw only one of the official Cruisin’ events, but you can’t miss the old cars parading up and down, up and down, old U.S. Highway 90 by the ocean. It was like visiting Cuba, or what I imagine it would be like if our politicians would let so-called free citizens visit there, where frugal citizens keep old American cars running with spit and spare parts.
The Mississippi Sound was gleaming like a ditch full of diamonds on one side; the eager businesses on the other were enticing Cruisers with free gifts, food and libations. So royal and retro was the welcome, I wondered if the car owners felt like Fonzie and Pinky Tuscadero. One local bank had old 45-rpm records swinging from pink and black ribbons in its trees. Festive, truly.
I kept expecting to hear an “American Graffiti” soundtrack, or see Richard Dreyfus’ elusive dream girl in her ’55 Thunderbird. Every third car or so on 90 was an antique, which doesn’t exclude lots of Camaros, Corvettes and Mustangs. There was a parking lot full of those. Around 6,000 restored cars in all, the registrars reported, from Model T’s to Studebakers.
Men and women stood around comparing notes on gleaming automotive specimens. Now, I don’t know an alternator from an astronaut, but I do know the feel of driving certain cars. I can outline my life by my car choices.
My first was a VW bug; it cost about what you now pay for a pair of good shoes. The Pinto years were lean, indeed, though I always thought that car got a bad rap so far as dependability goes.
My MG-B convertible made me feel like a goddess if only it had stayed out of the shop for two weeks running. The used Alpha Romeo sedan that replaced it wasn’t much better.
Those frivolous forays into foreign resulted in two decades of Fords — Mustangs, Explorers, a van and a couple of pickups. Fords made me feel sensible and got me where I was going.
I’ll have to admit, though, my all-time favorite car is the one I’m driving now. Perhaps it signals a second childhood.
My Mini-Cooper lets me pretend I’m in Paris, even when I’m tooling the streets of Iuka, Miss. I wouldn’t have traded my Mini for any duded-up car on the coast, except maybe that silver and black T-Bird worthy of Batman.
2012年10月18日星期四
Fire took heavy toll on Monessen landmark business
And the blaze that sparked the alarm was the focus of a note from a reader in Monessen who asked:
“Do you remember the fire that destroyed the Monessen Laundry & Cleaning Company? I think it was in the late 1960s or early 1970s.”
According to a story in The Valley Independent on Jan. 5, 1970, the landmark business at Second Street and Donner Avenue was destroyed by the fie.
William Merritt, president of the corporation, told the newspaper that the building was “a total loss” but he could not estimate how much the damage would run.
Municipal Fire Chief Roy McShaffrey said the entire building was ablaze when they arrived and it took almost an hour to get the fire under control. Firefighters remained on the scene until about 4:30 a.m. Monday morning.
About 50 firefighters from both Monessen companies responded to the alarm and six trucks were used. Nearly a dozen firefighters from Rostraver Central and Webster companies assisted and the companies acted as standby.
McShaffrey said it could not be determined how or where the blaze started as the entire building was in flames when firefighters arrived.
According to Merritt, some maintenance work was being done in the building on Sunday morning but he emphasized that nothing was amiss when he left around noon and when one of his workers left shortly after.
McShaffrey said there was some damage to an apartment and bar next door to the laundry. He did not know the name of the owner of that building but said no one was in the building at the time of the fire.
Merritt told The Valley Independent he could not estimate the cost of garments in the cleaning plant, but he said it would not be as bad as it would have been if the fire had occurred during the week when the bulk of the cleaning is done. Because of the weekend, he said, most of the garments had been picked up by customers. There were garments brought into the plant for cleaning but Merritt said most people “wait until the beginning of the week” to bring in their cleaning.
He also was not able at that time to estimate how much damage there was to the delivery trucks parked in the basement of the building because they were covered with debris.
The newspaper reported that 23 persons were employed at the cleaning establishment located in a one-story 100-by-100-foot brick building.
The business had been located there since 1909, the newspaper said. Merritt had been operating it for the past five or six years.
Monessen Laundry and Cleaning Company garnered considerable media coverage over the years and was a major advertiser in the first Industrial Edition (Illustrated) of The Daily Independent on Friday, Jan. 8, 1915. That special section was a forerunner of what eventually became known as the Progress edition and is now featured as the annual Pride publication of The Valley Independent. As an introduction to the informative edition, The Daily Independent proclaimed:
“More than eight-thousand people find employment in the different mills, factories, workshops, stores, banks and other institutions within the corporate limits of the Borough of Monessen. We are constantly enlarging, broadening out and moving forward and are continually sending out calls for more workmen. This is a productive field for the laborer, mechanic and professional man because of its diversified industries. Capital and labor meet on common grounds, the mill man and the merchant work hand in hand for a greater and better day. The official Census Department count of 1910 gave us a population of 11,775, the census of 1914 gave us over 18,000 souls. We are still growing. At this rate of increase where will be in 1920?”
Monessen Laundry & Cleaning was listed as one of the top employers in Monessen at that time with 56 persons on its monthly payroll of $2,500. Others acknowledged by the Board of Trade as outstanding economic resources were:
The half-page ad also called attention to then-modern technology at the laundry in the form of “The only machine that molds a collar perfectly. Gives your collars that perfect fit and finish demanded by good dressers. The only machine that gives ample tie slide space. Have your collars molded on this machine.”
Another ad appeared in The Daily Independent on April 1, 1924, and offered a drawing of an obviously satisfied female customer displaying a dress. It carried this caption: “No! It Isn’t New. The Monessen Laundry & Cleaning Company Has Cleaned It For Me. I can’t wait until Mrs. Rich’s tea tomorrow afternoon. All my friends will think I have a new gown. The silk is just as lustrous as it was when I bought it and it only cost me a trifle to have it cleaned.”
The company also emphasized that “Months of service, style and good appearance are what we put into last year’s garments when you bring them here.” Additional information was available by calling 223.
The Daily Independent called attention to Monessen Laundry and Cleaning Company’s progress in a Page One story on Monday, Sept. 8, 1930, under this headline: Monessen Laundry Spends Thousands In Modern Equipment.
The newspaper reported that the company “recently installed in its plant here the latest, most modern and highly scientific mechanical appliances known to the laundry industry for the purpose of expanding the business and specializing in domestic washing.” It continued:
“A visit through this plant gives an idea of the successful operating and application of modern, scientific principles which do away with old-time methods that mean hard labor and injury to the clothes. This installation has been done at an added expense of many thousands of dollars, and the laundry is now conducting an extensive campaign for the purpose of selling to the people of this vicinity a service unexcelled by any modern laundry in the country.
“Do you remember the fire that destroyed the Monessen Laundry & Cleaning Company? I think it was in the late 1960s or early 1970s.”
According to a story in The Valley Independent on Jan. 5, 1970, the landmark business at Second Street and Donner Avenue was destroyed by the fie.
William Merritt, president of the corporation, told the newspaper that the building was “a total loss” but he could not estimate how much the damage would run.
Municipal Fire Chief Roy McShaffrey said the entire building was ablaze when they arrived and it took almost an hour to get the fire under control. Firefighters remained on the scene until about 4:30 a.m. Monday morning.
About 50 firefighters from both Monessen companies responded to the alarm and six trucks were used. Nearly a dozen firefighters from Rostraver Central and Webster companies assisted and the companies acted as standby.
McShaffrey said it could not be determined how or where the blaze started as the entire building was in flames when firefighters arrived.
According to Merritt, some maintenance work was being done in the building on Sunday morning but he emphasized that nothing was amiss when he left around noon and when one of his workers left shortly after.
McShaffrey said there was some damage to an apartment and bar next door to the laundry. He did not know the name of the owner of that building but said no one was in the building at the time of the fire.
Merritt told The Valley Independent he could not estimate the cost of garments in the cleaning plant, but he said it would not be as bad as it would have been if the fire had occurred during the week when the bulk of the cleaning is done. Because of the weekend, he said, most of the garments had been picked up by customers. There were garments brought into the plant for cleaning but Merritt said most people “wait until the beginning of the week” to bring in their cleaning.
He also was not able at that time to estimate how much damage there was to the delivery trucks parked in the basement of the building because they were covered with debris.
The newspaper reported that 23 persons were employed at the cleaning establishment located in a one-story 100-by-100-foot brick building.
The business had been located there since 1909, the newspaper said. Merritt had been operating it for the past five or six years.
Monessen Laundry and Cleaning Company garnered considerable media coverage over the years and was a major advertiser in the first Industrial Edition (Illustrated) of The Daily Independent on Friday, Jan. 8, 1915. That special section was a forerunner of what eventually became known as the Progress edition and is now featured as the annual Pride publication of The Valley Independent. As an introduction to the informative edition, The Daily Independent proclaimed:
“More than eight-thousand people find employment in the different mills, factories, workshops, stores, banks and other institutions within the corporate limits of the Borough of Monessen. We are constantly enlarging, broadening out and moving forward and are continually sending out calls for more workmen. This is a productive field for the laborer, mechanic and professional man because of its diversified industries. Capital and labor meet on common grounds, the mill man and the merchant work hand in hand for a greater and better day. The official Census Department count of 1910 gave us a population of 11,775, the census of 1914 gave us over 18,000 souls. We are still growing. At this rate of increase where will be in 1920?”
Monessen Laundry & Cleaning was listed as one of the top employers in Monessen at that time with 56 persons on its monthly payroll of $2,500. Others acknowledged by the Board of Trade as outstanding economic resources were:
The half-page ad also called attention to then-modern technology at the laundry in the form of “The only machine that molds a collar perfectly. Gives your collars that perfect fit and finish demanded by good dressers. The only machine that gives ample tie slide space. Have your collars molded on this machine.”
Another ad appeared in The Daily Independent on April 1, 1924, and offered a drawing of an obviously satisfied female customer displaying a dress. It carried this caption: “No! It Isn’t New. The Monessen Laundry & Cleaning Company Has Cleaned It For Me. I can’t wait until Mrs. Rich’s tea tomorrow afternoon. All my friends will think I have a new gown. The silk is just as lustrous as it was when I bought it and it only cost me a trifle to have it cleaned.”
The company also emphasized that “Months of service, style and good appearance are what we put into last year’s garments when you bring them here.” Additional information was available by calling 223.
The Daily Independent called attention to Monessen Laundry and Cleaning Company’s progress in a Page One story on Monday, Sept. 8, 1930, under this headline: Monessen Laundry Spends Thousands In Modern Equipment.
The newspaper reported that the company “recently installed in its plant here the latest, most modern and highly scientific mechanical appliances known to the laundry industry for the purpose of expanding the business and specializing in domestic washing.” It continued:
“A visit through this plant gives an idea of the successful operating and application of modern, scientific principles which do away with old-time methods that mean hard labor and injury to the clothes. This installation has been done at an added expense of many thousands of dollars, and the laundry is now conducting an extensive campaign for the purpose of selling to the people of this vicinity a service unexcelled by any modern laundry in the country.
2012年10月16日星期二
Auto lightweighting event slated
With lawmakers ratcheting up fuel-economy targets in the U.S. and other key markets, automakers and their suppliers find themselves challenged to meet these heightened standards without sacrificing vehicle performance or driving up costs. Some materials and processes can lighten the load but require unacceptable real-world tooling or production cost changes.
That’s why Plastics News next month is organizing its second annual Plastics in Lightweight Vehicles event in North America. Set for Nov. 6-7 in the Detroit suburb of Livonia, the conference will cover customer requirements and supplier strategies for achieving global fuel-economy standards, while focusing on product deliverability, quality and cost for all members of the supply chain.
PN is again partnering with the Society of Plastics Engineers’ Auto-motive Division, which will hold its annual Automotive Innovation Awards Competition & Gala nearby on the evening of Nov. 7.
Addressing technical topics as well as market trends, PLV conference presenters will assess the role plastics can and will play in interiors, seating, structural powertrain and under-the-hood components, as well as in electric and hybrid vehicles.
Consultant Kim Korth, president and owner of IRN Inc., will set the tone with the keynote address, looking at “Achievable Lightweighting Under Time and Cost Constraints.”
Others assessing materials and process advances will include executives from Plasan Carbon Composites, Johnson Controls Inc. and Bayer MaterialScience LLC. Altair Engineering Inc. will discuss its new Enlighten Award, designed to honor achievements in lightweighting.
Michael Omotoso, senior manager for global powertrain at LMC Automotive US Inc., will examine the broader business impacts of rising fuel-economy standards, while officials from automakers Lotus Engineering and Tata Technologies Ltd. will analyze, respectively, updated research related to lightweighting efforts, and how electric vehicles are likely to impact vehicle design and material choice.
Oliver Kuttner is founder and CEO of Edison2, the $5 million winner of the Mainstream Class of the Automotive X-Prize competition for its Very Light Car vehicle. Kuttner will describe his firm’s ambitious plans to move the VLC from a competition prototype toward a safe, comfortable, highly efficient car — and the lessons that others can learn and apply from those efforts.
Tier 1 suppliers Magna International Inc., IAC Group and Inteva Products LLC will discuss the latest developments in auto interiors, to include electronics and sound quality. A panel of experts from toolmaker and processor Proper Group International, injection press supplier KraussMaffei Corp., and materials/process provider Trexel Inc. will discuss successful examples of how microcellular injection foaming technology is taking weight — but not strength — out of current production vehicles.
That’s why Plastics News next month is organizing its second annual Plastics in Lightweight Vehicles event in North America. Set for Nov. 6-7 in the Detroit suburb of Livonia, the conference will cover customer requirements and supplier strategies for achieving global fuel-economy standards, while focusing on product deliverability, quality and cost for all members of the supply chain.
PN is again partnering with the Society of Plastics Engineers’ Auto-motive Division, which will hold its annual Automotive Innovation Awards Competition & Gala nearby on the evening of Nov. 7.
Addressing technical topics as well as market trends, PLV conference presenters will assess the role plastics can and will play in interiors, seating, structural powertrain and under-the-hood components, as well as in electric and hybrid vehicles.
Consultant Kim Korth, president and owner of IRN Inc., will set the tone with the keynote address, looking at “Achievable Lightweighting Under Time and Cost Constraints.”
Others assessing materials and process advances will include executives from Plasan Carbon Composites, Johnson Controls Inc. and Bayer MaterialScience LLC. Altair Engineering Inc. will discuss its new Enlighten Award, designed to honor achievements in lightweighting.
Michael Omotoso, senior manager for global powertrain at LMC Automotive US Inc., will examine the broader business impacts of rising fuel-economy standards, while officials from automakers Lotus Engineering and Tata Technologies Ltd. will analyze, respectively, updated research related to lightweighting efforts, and how electric vehicles are likely to impact vehicle design and material choice.
Oliver Kuttner is founder and CEO of Edison2, the $5 million winner of the Mainstream Class of the Automotive X-Prize competition for its Very Light Car vehicle. Kuttner will describe his firm’s ambitious plans to move the VLC from a competition prototype toward a safe, comfortable, highly efficient car — and the lessons that others can learn and apply from those efforts.
Tier 1 suppliers Magna International Inc., IAC Group and Inteva Products LLC will discuss the latest developments in auto interiors, to include electronics and sound quality. A panel of experts from toolmaker and processor Proper Group International, injection press supplier KraussMaffei Corp., and materials/process provider Trexel Inc. will discuss successful examples of how microcellular injection foaming technology is taking weight — but not strength — out of current production vehicles.
2012年10月14日星期日
Italian Pinocchio pleases
Call me film/culturally inept, but 30 minutes is the most I’ve lasted in front of a foreign language movie with English subtitles. What can I say? I like words. In a language I can follow.
So imagine my English-speaking jaw hitting the floor as I was put to shame by more than 200 children who didn’t just watch Enzo d’Alo’s Italian version of Pinocchio but were captivated by every rolling Italian ‘r’ that came their way.
The main showcase on Family Day at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival on Saturday, this latest interpretation of Carlo Collodi’s famous book is said to be as faithful to the original text as possible.
Italy’s most famous fictional character, the story of the wooden puppet is known the world over and is the European country’s most translated book.
The Naples-born director is confident and inspiring and was not surprised by the rapturous applause he received after a screening at Abu Dhabi’s Marina Mall.
“This film has been more than 10 years in the making,” said the bubbly Italian. “I started back in 2000 and then took a break. I would lose direction a little.”
Picking up again after the death of his father, D’Alo was inspired in a new way by what he says was a previously unexplored relationship between Pinocchio and his own father, Geppetto the carpenter.
“While Geppetto carves Pinocchio, he sees himself in his face. He imagines what Pinocchio sees when he looks at him and he realises he’s becoming a father too. I wanted to focus on this relationship as more of a metaphor than has ever been illustrated before. He makes a wooden boy but it’s just as important when he’s wooden as when he’s alive. He moulds him, just as every father tries to do for his living son. In the child-puppet he sees his past and his lost expectations, as well. He becomes emotional and nostalgic for the choices he never made.”
The movie has a distinctly Italian feel with music composed by popular singer-songwriter Lucio Dalla, who died in March. Dalla’s last compositions were for the production and he also did the voiceover for Il Pescatore Verde (The Green Fisherman) who attempts to eat Pinocchio.
“The Green Fisherman is a character which many movies, including the Disney version, leave out,” he said. “But I wanted to stay true to the book and he’s there so why wouldn’t we use him? I believe children are not as frightened as we think. They cope with things they see.”
One of the viewers was Aadita Gupta, 8, who was shocked she didn’t finish her popcorn. “The film was very funny and a bit scary so I put it down and I didn’t even finish it. Maybe I can take it home now,” she wondered. “I feel lucky to see this film and I like the bit when Pinocchio is eaten up,” she laughed.
D’Alo rewrote and worked the script more than 15 times before a final version was eventually decided.
Scripted by Umberto Marino, it features illustrations by Lorenzo Mattotti and music by Lucio Dalla. The voice cast Gabriele Caprio, Rocco Papaleo, Paolo Ruffini, Micheli Maurizio and Pino Quartullo all do a fantastic job at adding the layers which keep the youngsters gripped.
While some critics believe the music is too overpowering, D’Alo disagrees – as do the children.
“The film has a pace of running. It’s about Pinocchio’s journey and it increases with speed throughout the entire film. I wanted music to represent this. I believe music is the one thing in this film which is totally universal. It doesn’t matter what language you speak, everyone can interpret music the way they want. It has to work for everyone, to keep them inspired.”
Pinocchio, produced by Cometafilm, Iris Productions, Walking the Dog and 2D-3D Animation, was worked on between Italy, France, Belgium and Luxemburg, and has a very Italian feel.
Maricla Affatato, producer and the voice of the fox, said it would not have been possible without D’Alo.
“The biggest challenge when making a film in Italy is funding,” she said frankly. “Luckily we had a director who was so stubborn it was never going anywhere else. This makes it even more emotional for me. It’s a labour of love which is being loved by children everywhere.”
Alicia Manning, 11, from the UK has lived in Abu Dhabi for four years and watched the film with her cousin, William Trappnell, 12, visiting from England. “I think it was very good,” said Manning, who also wants to be a filmmaker. “I love the colours and the story. At first I thought it would be very hard to watch a film in Italian but it wasn’t. I wish I could speak Italian.”
Trappnell said his favourite bit was when Pinocchio’s nose grows. “I know it’s the bit everyone will say but I think it’s what you wait for. It’s what we know from the other films and it’s funny.”
Donald, 43, and Eliza Turner, 40, from Canada, brought their three children, Betty-May, 6, and twin boys Jonathon and Tristan, 12.
“It was a very interesting movie,” said the father-of-three as the children posed with director Enzo D’Alo. “It’s always interesting to see something with a little more substance than what Hollywood tends to throw out. I think it’s important for the children to know more of the history of these great stories rather than what an American studio wants them to buy into.”
So imagine my English-speaking jaw hitting the floor as I was put to shame by more than 200 children who didn’t just watch Enzo d’Alo’s Italian version of Pinocchio but were captivated by every rolling Italian ‘r’ that came their way.
The main showcase on Family Day at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival on Saturday, this latest interpretation of Carlo Collodi’s famous book is said to be as faithful to the original text as possible.
Italy’s most famous fictional character, the story of the wooden puppet is known the world over and is the European country’s most translated book.
The Naples-born director is confident and inspiring and was not surprised by the rapturous applause he received after a screening at Abu Dhabi’s Marina Mall.
“This film has been more than 10 years in the making,” said the bubbly Italian. “I started back in 2000 and then took a break. I would lose direction a little.”
Picking up again after the death of his father, D’Alo was inspired in a new way by what he says was a previously unexplored relationship between Pinocchio and his own father, Geppetto the carpenter.
“While Geppetto carves Pinocchio, he sees himself in his face. He imagines what Pinocchio sees when he looks at him and he realises he’s becoming a father too. I wanted to focus on this relationship as more of a metaphor than has ever been illustrated before. He makes a wooden boy but it’s just as important when he’s wooden as when he’s alive. He moulds him, just as every father tries to do for his living son. In the child-puppet he sees his past and his lost expectations, as well. He becomes emotional and nostalgic for the choices he never made.”
The movie has a distinctly Italian feel with music composed by popular singer-songwriter Lucio Dalla, who died in March. Dalla’s last compositions were for the production and he also did the voiceover for Il Pescatore Verde (The Green Fisherman) who attempts to eat Pinocchio.
“The Green Fisherman is a character which many movies, including the Disney version, leave out,” he said. “But I wanted to stay true to the book and he’s there so why wouldn’t we use him? I believe children are not as frightened as we think. They cope with things they see.”
One of the viewers was Aadita Gupta, 8, who was shocked she didn’t finish her popcorn. “The film was very funny and a bit scary so I put it down and I didn’t even finish it. Maybe I can take it home now,” she wondered. “I feel lucky to see this film and I like the bit when Pinocchio is eaten up,” she laughed.
D’Alo rewrote and worked the script more than 15 times before a final version was eventually decided.
Scripted by Umberto Marino, it features illustrations by Lorenzo Mattotti and music by Lucio Dalla. The voice cast Gabriele Caprio, Rocco Papaleo, Paolo Ruffini, Micheli Maurizio and Pino Quartullo all do a fantastic job at adding the layers which keep the youngsters gripped.
While some critics believe the music is too overpowering, D’Alo disagrees – as do the children.
“The film has a pace of running. It’s about Pinocchio’s journey and it increases with speed throughout the entire film. I wanted music to represent this. I believe music is the one thing in this film which is totally universal. It doesn’t matter what language you speak, everyone can interpret music the way they want. It has to work for everyone, to keep them inspired.”
Pinocchio, produced by Cometafilm, Iris Productions, Walking the Dog and 2D-3D Animation, was worked on between Italy, France, Belgium and Luxemburg, and has a very Italian feel.
Maricla Affatato, producer and the voice of the fox, said it would not have been possible without D’Alo.
“The biggest challenge when making a film in Italy is funding,” she said frankly. “Luckily we had a director who was so stubborn it was never going anywhere else. This makes it even more emotional for me. It’s a labour of love which is being loved by children everywhere.”
Alicia Manning, 11, from the UK has lived in Abu Dhabi for four years and watched the film with her cousin, William Trappnell, 12, visiting from England. “I think it was very good,” said Manning, who also wants to be a filmmaker. “I love the colours and the story. At first I thought it would be very hard to watch a film in Italian but it wasn’t. I wish I could speak Italian.”
Trappnell said his favourite bit was when Pinocchio’s nose grows. “I know it’s the bit everyone will say but I think it’s what you wait for. It’s what we know from the other films and it’s funny.”
Donald, 43, and Eliza Turner, 40, from Canada, brought their three children, Betty-May, 6, and twin boys Jonathon and Tristan, 12.
“It was a very interesting movie,” said the father-of-three as the children posed with director Enzo D’Alo. “It’s always interesting to see something with a little more substance than what Hollywood tends to throw out. I think it’s important for the children to know more of the history of these great stories rather than what an American studio wants them to buy into.”
2012年10月10日星期三
Homes With Fake Brick
Seeing is not always believing when it comes to today’s home construction. That’s because choices abound for homeowners who want the look of natural materials but not the huge costs and maintenance involved. Like the look of logs, stone or brick? There are faux stand-ins for each one. But fear not. Unlike the cringe-worthy products of yesterday, today’s fakes are truly easy on the eye.
“Once you get past the fact that something, such as stone, is artificial, you can really see its design potential,” says Shane Starkweather of Boulder Creek Stone Products. “A cinderblock wall covered in faux stone can look as if it was built by a skilled mason or craftsman. And because the stone is lightweight, a couple of do-it-yourselfers can often do the work on their own.”
As is the case with many of today’s faux products, manufactured stone owes a lot to advances in technology. Huge molds can turn out replicas of stone that are so realistic, you’d swear they were cut from a quarry, gathered at a riverbank, or pulled from a farmer’s field. Many of these products will last for decades, and not fade. “A lot of people have a knee-jerk reaction to anything that’s fake,” says Starkweather. “But just because something isn’t real doesn’t mean it isn’t quality.”
For those interested in a coastal, New-England aesthetic, shingled exteriors provide almost-instant curb appeal. With their irregular edges, overlapping shadows, and hand-crafted finish, shingles offer texture, charm, and a sense of history. But caring for them can be a serious commitment. That’s why faux shingles, often made of cement or cement composite, can be an effective alternative. They go up in exactly the color you want. And they stay that color for years. In addition, they keep your home warmer and cooler as the season’s temperature’s change.
Another intriguing design option for homeowners–or those in the throes of building–is faux wrought iron. Made of a composite material, it weighs about one-tenth of the back-breaking material that inspires it. As a result, hoisting a decorative wrought iron window filligree onto, say, a circular third-floor window can be done with almost no effort. Plus, faux wrought iron isn’t wobbly like plastic, and it’s strong and substantial to the touch. Metal-like details can be added to exteriors to make it look more historic or authentic without hiring a specialty crew. And this means that basic Mediterranean-style home can be enhanced with faux iron gates or wall trellises at relatively low expense. But the most compelling feature of all? It won’t rust.
Belly casting can also be done at home. There are belly casting kits commercially available among online sellers priced from P800 to P1,800. This not only broadens the reach of the process but also makes it more convenient as expectant moms can do it in the comfort of their homes. Doing the belly cast in a studio with an artist is a bit pricier as the artist will charge for her services along with other fees.
Each of the six casts arrayed at the event last Saturday stood out. There was one painted with loud, vibrant colors in tribal pattern, another one had graffiti, while one came in pink adorned with ribbon, lace and gems.
Onlookers had different reactions to the exhibit. Jose Nucup, a father of three, seemed amused looking at the molds. “I just don’t know where to put my wife’s belly in the house if ever she did one,” he told GMA News Online.
Another guest, Mary An Gonzales, also a mom herself, shared it was “very interesting. If I knew about this, I would have tried it during my pregnancy.”
“Once you get past the fact that something, such as stone, is artificial, you can really see its design potential,” says Shane Starkweather of Boulder Creek Stone Products. “A cinderblock wall covered in faux stone can look as if it was built by a skilled mason or craftsman. And because the stone is lightweight, a couple of do-it-yourselfers can often do the work on their own.”
As is the case with many of today’s faux products, manufactured stone owes a lot to advances in technology. Huge molds can turn out replicas of stone that are so realistic, you’d swear they were cut from a quarry, gathered at a riverbank, or pulled from a farmer’s field. Many of these products will last for decades, and not fade. “A lot of people have a knee-jerk reaction to anything that’s fake,” says Starkweather. “But just because something isn’t real doesn’t mean it isn’t quality.”
For those interested in a coastal, New-England aesthetic, shingled exteriors provide almost-instant curb appeal. With their irregular edges, overlapping shadows, and hand-crafted finish, shingles offer texture, charm, and a sense of history. But caring for them can be a serious commitment. That’s why faux shingles, often made of cement or cement composite, can be an effective alternative. They go up in exactly the color you want. And they stay that color for years. In addition, they keep your home warmer and cooler as the season’s temperature’s change.
Another intriguing design option for homeowners–or those in the throes of building–is faux wrought iron. Made of a composite material, it weighs about one-tenth of the back-breaking material that inspires it. As a result, hoisting a decorative wrought iron window filligree onto, say, a circular third-floor window can be done with almost no effort. Plus, faux wrought iron isn’t wobbly like plastic, and it’s strong and substantial to the touch. Metal-like details can be added to exteriors to make it look more historic or authentic without hiring a specialty crew. And this means that basic Mediterranean-style home can be enhanced with faux iron gates or wall trellises at relatively low expense. But the most compelling feature of all? It won’t rust.
Belly casting can also be done at home. There are belly casting kits commercially available among online sellers priced from P800 to P1,800. This not only broadens the reach of the process but also makes it more convenient as expectant moms can do it in the comfort of their homes. Doing the belly cast in a studio with an artist is a bit pricier as the artist will charge for her services along with other fees.
Each of the six casts arrayed at the event last Saturday stood out. There was one painted with loud, vibrant colors in tribal pattern, another one had graffiti, while one came in pink adorned with ribbon, lace and gems.
Onlookers had different reactions to the exhibit. Jose Nucup, a father of three, seemed amused looking at the molds. “I just don’t know where to put my wife’s belly in the house if ever she did one,” he told GMA News Online.
Another guest, Mary An Gonzales, also a mom herself, shared it was “very interesting. If I knew about this, I would have tried it during my pregnancy.”
2012年10月8日星期一
York and other chocolate moments
If, in a dry moment, you ever find yourself lusting after a Yorkie bar, you may recall the plaid-shirted lorry-driving “hunks” of the 1970s ads. The bar was named after its birthplace, the recently flooded northern city.
But York, still recovering from last month’s rain, now has something sweeter to celebrate. With high street brands such as Smarties, Aero and Kit Kat manufactured there, the city has conched and tempered its cacao resources to offer a bit more than the usual cream teas.
I was in York as part of a Chocolate Indulgence break, launched this week to coincide with National Chocolate Week (until 14 October), which combined a hotel stay with chocolate-themed activities.
The city’s history of Quakerism over the last 350 years originally encouraged abstemious tea-total families to cultivate chocolate houses in the city as an alternative to alcoholic taverns.
That’s part of why York’s illustrious chocolate families include not just Joseph Terry et al, of such classics as Terry’s Chocolate Orange, but Thomas and Mary Ann Craven of Craven’s humbugs and the Rowntrees of Kit Kat fame. In fact, the Terrys and Rowntrees were neighbours in York in the 1960s, apparently.
The York Chocolate Story is a fully interactive chocolate park in the city centre with excellent film footage (local chocolate factory girls singing eeeh bah gum etc), as well as being a repository of facts about the “food of the Gods”. For instance, did you know that the Kit Kat is so popular in Japan that its 47 flavours include wasabi, black squid ink and cherry blossom?
Having zoomed up from London with East Coast Train Lines in less than two hours, we hit a bottleneck at York train station where the line of taxis can only crawl off because of a snail’s pace one-way system. But York is small enough to walk around so we gaily wheeled our cases along the old Roman city walls to Dean Court Hotel which was hosting the chocolate break.
The hotel puts on a special four-course Chocolate Tasting Menu to kick off your stay. We started with pan-seared scallops with white chocolate and truffle-scented risotto before going on to the main of roast loin of Yorkshire-farmed venison rolled in five spice cocoa, baby poached pears, bitter chocolate jelly, vanilla pomme puree and chilli chocolate jus.
The scallops and venison were each very well cooked, both sharp enough to retain base flavour. However, chocolate with savory is a subjective affair and while my mate loved his scallops dabbed with white chocolate, I prefer to taste scallops as fish.
Again, the roast loin worked in its spicy, only slightly chocolately marinade. But vanilla pomme puree is a love it or hate it confection – I prefer spuds to deliver salty punches to the gums while the others at the table couldn’t get enough of the fondanty potato. You can finish with chocolate wine trifle, orange chocolate panna cotta and chocolate banana crumble if you’re not already pasted to the curtains from your sugar rush.
Terry’s descendent, Noel Goddard Terry, lived in the National Trust-owned Goddard House, a beautiful oak-paneled Arts & Crafts 1920s house with four acres of sculpted grounds backing onto York Race Course. The former regional offices of the National Trust only opened up to the public this year. A visit to the house forms part of the chocolate tour where you should get an insight into the domestic lives of the illustrious choc-tycoons.
Perhaps a future choc-tycoon is former events manager and now chocolatier Sophie Jewett, owner of York Cocoa House, launched November 2011. Jewett says that growing up on a farm, miles from the nearest shop, forced her to improvise when indulging her childhood passion of chocolate-making – no fancy gadgets and moulds for her. Today, her cocoa house not only serves deluxe hot chocolates and other foods laced with the brown stuff, she runs chocolate bar and truffle making workshops in which such things as hairdryers are used to temper chocolate.
But York, still recovering from last month’s rain, now has something sweeter to celebrate. With high street brands such as Smarties, Aero and Kit Kat manufactured there, the city has conched and tempered its cacao resources to offer a bit more than the usual cream teas.
I was in York as part of a Chocolate Indulgence break, launched this week to coincide with National Chocolate Week (until 14 October), which combined a hotel stay with chocolate-themed activities.
The city’s history of Quakerism over the last 350 years originally encouraged abstemious tea-total families to cultivate chocolate houses in the city as an alternative to alcoholic taverns.
That’s part of why York’s illustrious chocolate families include not just Joseph Terry et al, of such classics as Terry’s Chocolate Orange, but Thomas and Mary Ann Craven of Craven’s humbugs and the Rowntrees of Kit Kat fame. In fact, the Terrys and Rowntrees were neighbours in York in the 1960s, apparently.
The York Chocolate Story is a fully interactive chocolate park in the city centre with excellent film footage (local chocolate factory girls singing eeeh bah gum etc), as well as being a repository of facts about the “food of the Gods”. For instance, did you know that the Kit Kat is so popular in Japan that its 47 flavours include wasabi, black squid ink and cherry blossom?
Having zoomed up from London with East Coast Train Lines in less than two hours, we hit a bottleneck at York train station where the line of taxis can only crawl off because of a snail’s pace one-way system. But York is small enough to walk around so we gaily wheeled our cases along the old Roman city walls to Dean Court Hotel which was hosting the chocolate break.
The hotel puts on a special four-course Chocolate Tasting Menu to kick off your stay. We started with pan-seared scallops with white chocolate and truffle-scented risotto before going on to the main of roast loin of Yorkshire-farmed venison rolled in five spice cocoa, baby poached pears, bitter chocolate jelly, vanilla pomme puree and chilli chocolate jus.
The scallops and venison were each very well cooked, both sharp enough to retain base flavour. However, chocolate with savory is a subjective affair and while my mate loved his scallops dabbed with white chocolate, I prefer to taste scallops as fish.
Again, the roast loin worked in its spicy, only slightly chocolately marinade. But vanilla pomme puree is a love it or hate it confection – I prefer spuds to deliver salty punches to the gums while the others at the table couldn’t get enough of the fondanty potato. You can finish with chocolate wine trifle, orange chocolate panna cotta and chocolate banana crumble if you’re not already pasted to the curtains from your sugar rush.
Terry’s descendent, Noel Goddard Terry, lived in the National Trust-owned Goddard House, a beautiful oak-paneled Arts & Crafts 1920s house with four acres of sculpted grounds backing onto York Race Course. The former regional offices of the National Trust only opened up to the public this year. A visit to the house forms part of the chocolate tour where you should get an insight into the domestic lives of the illustrious choc-tycoons.
Perhaps a future choc-tycoon is former events manager and now chocolatier Sophie Jewett, owner of York Cocoa House, launched November 2011. Jewett says that growing up on a farm, miles from the nearest shop, forced her to improvise when indulging her childhood passion of chocolate-making – no fancy gadgets and moulds for her. Today, her cocoa house not only serves deluxe hot chocolates and other foods laced with the brown stuff, she runs chocolate bar and truffle making workshops in which such things as hairdryers are used to temper chocolate.
2012年10月7日星期日
It's Darth Vader v the Mona Lisa as Star Wars toys
Until March 17, Les Arts Decoratifs museum in a wing of the Louvre is hosting epic Jedi battles, stormtroopers on the hunt for droids and grooving aliens at the planet Tatooine's Mos Eisley Cantina.
It may seem an usual subject for a museum that also displays Art Nouveau furniture and Lalique glassware, but Dorothee Charles, the curator of its toy department, said there is a place for Star Wars toys in the annals of art.
"Star Wars was a revolution in the toy industry.... This is the story of the graphic evolution of how a universe is presented," she told AFP as gangs of excited children - and quite a few nostalgic adults - buzzed around the opening of the exhibit this week.
The key figure behind the exhibit is Arnaud Grunberg, a toy vendor and collector whose personal collection of thousands of Star Wars toys provided the more than 450 items on display.
An avid Star Wars fan since seeing the first film in 1977 at age 11, Mr Grunberg said he was thrilled to see his collection on display and a new generation of youngsters enjoying his toys.
"We wanted to present a panorama of the Star Wars saga," he said, noting that the collection ranges from some of the first action figures put out in 1978 to toys only just released.
"Star Wars really is a youth phenomenon, it's an expression of childhood, but the exhibit is for everyone," Mr Grunberg said.
A set of two trilogies - three films between 1977 and 1983 and three prequels between 1999 and 2005 - the series piloted by US filmmaker George Lucas has captivated audiences with its pulp storytelling, complex mythology and innovative special effects.
The films spawned a merchandising empire, with millions of action figures sold and the first toys now worth thousands of dollars to collectors.
The movies were an enormous success in France, where the first film was released as La Guerre des Etoiles and the early toys were sold by French toy firm Meccano under licence from US manufacturer Kenner.
The three-room exhibit traces the history of the toys, starting with the earliest prototypes, plastic moulds and design sketches and ending with examples of the finely sculpted action figures that are sold today.
Life-sized Yoda masks, plastic lightsabers and replica blasters are also on display, along with original film and advertising posters and examples of quirkier merchandise such as Chewbacca coffee mugs and a C-3PO tape dispenser.
Monitors run US television ads for the early toys and showcase the history of Star Wars video games, from early 1980s offerings on the Atari to the latest PC and console games.
But - based on the throngs of children surrounding them - the most exciting displays are glassed-in recreations of scenes from the films put together using action figures and toy vehicles.
The attack on the Death Star, Han Solo pointing a blaster at a bounty hunter, dozens of Jedi in an arena lightsaber battle and many more scenes are replicated in detail.
Looking out over one re-creation with two friends, 10-year-old George Sykes summed up the feeling of many youngsters at the show: "It's awesome! It's the best exhibit ever!"
George's mother Amanda Crider Sykes said she hoped the exhibit would act as a gateway for children into the culture of museums.
"It's the kind of subject matter that appeals to him," said Ms Sykes, an American designer living in Paris. "It's a great way to get my son interested in the museum."
It may seem an usual subject for a museum that also displays Art Nouveau furniture and Lalique glassware, but Dorothee Charles, the curator of its toy department, said there is a place for Star Wars toys in the annals of art.
"Star Wars was a revolution in the toy industry.... This is the story of the graphic evolution of how a universe is presented," she told AFP as gangs of excited children - and quite a few nostalgic adults - buzzed around the opening of the exhibit this week.
The key figure behind the exhibit is Arnaud Grunberg, a toy vendor and collector whose personal collection of thousands of Star Wars toys provided the more than 450 items on display.
An avid Star Wars fan since seeing the first film in 1977 at age 11, Mr Grunberg said he was thrilled to see his collection on display and a new generation of youngsters enjoying his toys.
"We wanted to present a panorama of the Star Wars saga," he said, noting that the collection ranges from some of the first action figures put out in 1978 to toys only just released.
"Star Wars really is a youth phenomenon, it's an expression of childhood, but the exhibit is for everyone," Mr Grunberg said.
A set of two trilogies - three films between 1977 and 1983 and three prequels between 1999 and 2005 - the series piloted by US filmmaker George Lucas has captivated audiences with its pulp storytelling, complex mythology and innovative special effects.
The films spawned a merchandising empire, with millions of action figures sold and the first toys now worth thousands of dollars to collectors.
The movies were an enormous success in France, where the first film was released as La Guerre des Etoiles and the early toys were sold by French toy firm Meccano under licence from US manufacturer Kenner.
The three-room exhibit traces the history of the toys, starting with the earliest prototypes, plastic moulds and design sketches and ending with examples of the finely sculpted action figures that are sold today.
Life-sized Yoda masks, plastic lightsabers and replica blasters are also on display, along with original film and advertising posters and examples of quirkier merchandise such as Chewbacca coffee mugs and a C-3PO tape dispenser.
Monitors run US television ads for the early toys and showcase the history of Star Wars video games, from early 1980s offerings on the Atari to the latest PC and console games.
But - based on the throngs of children surrounding them - the most exciting displays are glassed-in recreations of scenes from the films put together using action figures and toy vehicles.
The attack on the Death Star, Han Solo pointing a blaster at a bounty hunter, dozens of Jedi in an arena lightsaber battle and many more scenes are replicated in detail.
Looking out over one re-creation with two friends, 10-year-old George Sykes summed up the feeling of many youngsters at the show: "It's awesome! It's the best exhibit ever!"
George's mother Amanda Crider Sykes said she hoped the exhibit would act as a gateway for children into the culture of museums.
"It's the kind of subject matter that appeals to him," said Ms Sykes, an American designer living in Paris. "It's a great way to get my son interested in the museum."
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