text:
B4U: Early Young Adult
B4U | November 19, 2015 | Reviews | No Comments
Chance Fortune Series by Shane Berryhill
First Book: Chance Fortune and the Outlaws
Genre: Sci-fi, Action, with a dash of Norse Mythology
Publisher: Starscape
What's Chance of Fortune and the Outlaws about:
For as long as he can remember, fourteen-year-old Joshua Blevins has wanted to be a superhero. He has the brains, the passion, and the heart. There's only one problem: he doesn't have any superpowers. But Josh isn't about to let that stop him.
Determined not to give up on his dream, Josh enlists the aid of his mentor, Captain Fearless, a retired costumed adventurer, to gain entrance to the Burlington Academy for the Superhuman under the false identity of Chance Fortune–a superhuman with the power of having unnaturally good luck.
Masquerading as Chance, Josh rises among the ranks of his fellow students at the Academy, eventually becoming the leader of his own combat team, the Outlaws. Together, Chance and his teammates Psy-Chick, Shocker, Gothika, Space Cadet, Iron Maiden, and Private Justice make new friends, battle new enemies, and ultimately find themselves caught up in a struggle for the fate of the universe. Can Chance and the Outlaws save the universe–AND survive their freshman year?
Our Thoughts: It is really hard to find superheroes in novel form. We were really excited when we found this series, and it lived up to our hopes with very vivid action sequences, good narration, and lovable characters. The world was wonderfully detailed; it felt like there was years of history that we were walking into. We do need to let you know about the character Gothica who speaks incantations backwards, like Zatanna. Our father is an avid comic book reader so we have been exposed to the Marvel, DC, and independent universes all our lives, and this series had the feel of the "Golden Age of Comics" without completely loosing its modern edge. "'Nuff Said!" Now fellow Chance champions join us next time as we sit on the edge of our seats for the next intoxicating installment of our galvanizing guardians.
The Underland Chronicles Series by Suzanne Collins
First Book: Gregor the Overlander
Genre: Sci-fi, Epic
Publication Date: September 1, 2003
What's Gregor the Overlander about:
In the irresistible first novel by the author of The Hunger Games, a boy embarks on a dangerous quest in order to fulfill his destiny — and find his father.
In the first novel of the New York Times bestselling series by Suzanne Collins, author of The Hunger Games, young Gregor falls through a grate in the laundry room of his apartment building and hurtles into the dark Underland. This strange world is on the brink of war, and Gregor's arrival is no accident. A prophecy foretells that Gregor has a role to play in the Underland's uncertain future. Gregor wants no part of it — until he realizes it's the only way to solve the mystery of his father's disappearance. Gregor embarks on a dangerous adventure that will change both him and the Underland forever.
Our Thoughts: We read this book younger than this but missed a lot of nuances that upon rereading it made this series a good deal more interesting. (Yes, this is the author of the Hunger Games Series which is all we are going to say about that.) We liked that the main character, Gregor, did the right thing even if he had to be tricked into doing the right thing. He watched closely over his little sister, Boots, who is the cutest two year old and the brightest light in the whole series. The family was tight knit, loyal, and never lost faith in each other. We loved that the series never tears down the parents. It moves them out of the way without making them ineffectual. The only warning we feel the need to give is that this series deals with real issues in a very blunt light (and some of us did not like the ending), but we still wish to share this (loosely) Alice in Wonderland inspired novels for you to read and decide for yourselves.
Skulduggery Pleasant Series by Derek Landy
First Book: Skulduggery Pleasant
Genre: Action, Fantasy, Comedy
What's Skulduggery Pleasant about:
Skulduggery Pleasant; wise cracking detective, powerful magician, master of dirty tricks and burglary (in the name of the greater good, of course), oh yeah, and dead!
Buffy meets Dr Who meets Ghostbusters in this thrilling new book you won't want to put down!
Stephanie's uncle Gordon is a writer of horror fiction. But when he dies and leaves her his estate, Stephanie learns that while he may have written horror, it certainly wasn't fiction.
Pursued by evil forces intent on recovering a mysterious key, Stephanie finds help from an unusual source – the wisecracking skeleton of a dead wizard.
When all hell breaks loose, it's lucky for Skulduggery that he's already dead. Though he's about to discover that being a skeleton doesn't stop you from being tortured, if the torturer is determined enough. And if there's anything Skulduggery hates, it's torture…
Will evil win the day? Will Stephanie and Skulduggery stop bickering long enough to stop it? One thing's for sure: evil won't know what's hit it.
Our Thoughts: This macabre set of novels is not our usual choice as you can see, but we loved the sarcasm that dripped from the pages, though it was dark. We liked that the main character was down to earth; and as time went on, the initial slightly star struck quality to her relationship with Skulduggery wore down. She from then on called him out when he tried to pull anything. The plot was very good and the action sequences were awesome. The way they integrated their magic into their fighting was, for lack of a better word, cool. (Ghastly was a doll!☺) We don't generally like villains, but we have to admit that this author actually created a bad guy that we shamelessly really enjoyed. We loved reading about this rich magical world supposedly hidden right under our nose.
The Ranger's Apprentice Series by John Flanagan
First Book: The Ruins of Gorlan
Publication Date: November 1, 2004
What's The Ruins of Gorlan about:
They have always scared him in the past—the Rangers, with their dark cloaksand shadowy ways. The villagers believe the Rangers practice magic that makes them invisible to ordinary people. And now 15-year-old Will, always small for his age, has been chosen as a Ranger's apprentice. What he doesn't yet realize is that the Rangers are the protectors of the kingdom. Highly trained in the skills of battle and surveillance, they fight the battles before the battles reach the people. And as Will is about to learn, there is a large battle brewing. The exiled Morgarath, Lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night, is gathering his forces for an attack on the kingdom. This time, he will not be denied. . . .
Our Thoughts: We (and we include our younger brothers in this) all loved this series that was smart, exciting, and a true page turner. The world that Mr. Flanagan created may parallel our own, but it is different enough and vivid enough that you wish you could make that your home. It is the reason most of us want to learn archery to this day. Rangers are the absolute best! Halt was mysterious, stealthy, in a word, great. He wasn't the only character in this series that we liked; Will and Horus, who are the main protagonists, grabbed our attention with the development of their friendship and the adventures that they went on time and time again. We actually have nothing bad to say about this series and can't think of anything that would be objectionable. We hope that you will give this one a try (and while you are at it check out the companion series Brotherband).
Anything By Shannon Hale
Genres: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Slice of Life
Our Thoughts: This author is one that we like so much that we can't bring ourselves to choose just one of her multitude of series-es and individual novels that are available to read. For young readers, she has The Princess in Black and Princess Academy Series (Princess Academy book 1). The Books of Bayern (The Goose Girl book 1) and Book of a Thousand Days are excellent selections for readers of young adult books. If you like graphic novels, she even has something for you. She is writing a series with her husband (and some other dude that is no relation but has the same last name coincidentally); the first book in this group is called Rapunzel's Revenge. You are pretty safe with her writing in regards to magic and any other objectionable material. If she has anything, it is treated similar to what is found in books by J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis. These are just some of her books that we have read; she has others (such as Dangerous) that we are itching to read and look forward to more.
The Looking Glass Wars Trilogy by Frank Beddor
First Book: The Looking Glass Wars
Publication (Reprint) Date: August 21, 2007
Publisher (Reprint): Speak
What's The Looking Glass Wars about:
The Myth: Alice was an ordinary girl who stepped through the looking glass and entered a fairy-tale world invented by Lewis Carroll in his famous storybook. The Truth: Wonderland is real. Alyss Heart is the heir to the throne, until her murderous aunt Redd steals the crown and kills Alyss? parents. To escape Redd, Alyss and her bodyguard, Hatter Madigan, must flee to our world through the Pool of Tears. But in the pool Alyss and Hatter are separated. Lost and alone in Victorian London, Alyss is befriended by an aspiring author to whom she tells the violent, heartbreaking story of her young life. Yet he gets the story all wrong. Hatter Madigan knows the truth only too well, and he is searching every corner of our world to find the lost princess and return her to Wonderland so she may battle Redd for her rightful place as the Queen of Hearts.
Our Thoughts: The Looking Glass Wars Trilogy is a retailing of the Alice in Wonderland stories, yet more gritty and full of action. I (Dylana) liked the adaptation of the Alice character, Alyss, and that of the Mad Hatter, Hatter Madigan. Hatter's "spiky hat Frisbee of death" was truly the neatest weapon ever! It was quite effective at taking out foes. He himself was the coolest. Though the world is dreamlike and bizarre, I could easily envision all that the author intended due to his excellent and in depth description. This series may be more on the darker side, but it is still a well written and engaging read that I would most definitely recommend.
Anything by Obert Skye
Genres: Fantasy, Comedy
Our Thoughts: This creative and imaginative author has written several books. Some of the ones that we have read and enjoyed include the Leven Thump series (Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo book 1) and the Pillage Trilogy (Pillage book 1). Mr. Skye writes mostly fantasy comedy and has a plethora of fascinating and unique characters that will make you smile. We like that the main characters in both the above series were diversely different – one was quiet while the other had a sharp tongue; yet, they were still extremely likable. The familial relationships though not always bad could be complicated. Simply put, any author that can make you like a toothpick must be a good one.
The Kronos Chronicles Series by Marie Rutkoski
First Book: The Cabinet of Wonders
Genre: Fantasy, Historical
Publisher: Square Fish
What's The Cabinet of Wonders about:
Petra Kronos has a simple, happy life. But it's never been ordinary. She has a pet tin spider named Astrophil who likes to hide in her snarled hair and give her advice. Her best friend can trap lightning inside a glass sphere. Petra also has a father in faraway Prague who is able to move metal with his mind. He has been commissioned by the prince of Bohemia to build the world's finest astronomical clock. Petra's life is forever changed when, one day, her father returns home–blind. The prince has stolen his eyes, enchanted them, and now wears them. But why? Petra doesn't know, but she knows this: she will go to Prague, sneak into Salamander Castle, and steal her father's eyes back. Joining forces with Neel, whose fingers extend into invisible ghosts that pick locks and pockets, Petra finds that many people in the castle are not what they seem, and that her father's clock has powers capable of destroying their world.
Our Thoughts: We were fascinated to learn that this series is set in 16th century Europe, and parallels our own world's history with the exception of the use of magic. The tomboyish and independent young Petra Kronos's life was suddenly shattered when the evil, evil, evil, evil, evil,…evil Prince of Bohemia stole her father's eyes, preserved them in a box and placed them in his cabinet of wonders (did we mention that he was evil?). Gypsies, mechanical spiders, crazy people, and monsters are just a few of the things that you will find in this exciting trilogy that takes you all over the world and back (well, Europe at least). All of the above are a few of the reasons we enjoyed reading this series and believe that you will too.
The Grimm Legacy Series by Polly Shulman
First Book: The Grimm Legacy
Genre – Fantasy, Adventure, little bit of Romance
Publisher: Penguin Group
What's The Grimm Legacy about:
Elizabeth has just started working as a page at the New York Circulating Material Repository – a lending library of objects, contemporary and historical, common and obscure. And secret, too – for in the repository's basement lies the Grimm Collection, a room of magical items straight from the Grimm Brother's fairy tales. But the magic mirrors and seven-league boots and other items are starting to disappear. And before she knows it, she and her fellow pages – handsome Marc, perfect Anjali, and brooding Aaron – are suddenly caught up in an exciting, and dangerous, magical adventure.
Our Thoughts: Imagine working in a library filled with objects from your favorite fairy-tales and folklore; this is exactly what the characters in this novel have the great fortune to do. We like that it felt like a fairy-tale itself. The main character was relatable, like someone you would meet in the real world, and the series was very informative. It not only shared what fairy-tale an object came from but also its history as regards to that fairy-tale. We also liked that they had different ways to sense magical objects – one could smell them while another saw the difference because it sparkled in a way. This is a series that will take you on multiple adventures if you choose to check it out. 😉
Savvy Series by Ingrid Law
First Book: Savvy
Genre: Adventure, feels like Slice of Life although there are Fantasy aspects
What's Savvy about:
For generations, the Beaumont family has harbored a magical secret. They each possess a "savvy"—a special supernatural power that strikes when they turn thirteen. Grandpa Bomba moves mountains, her older brothers create hurricanes and spark electricity . . . and now it's the eve of Mibs's big day.
As if waiting weren't hard enough, the family gets scary news two days before Mibs's birthday: Poppa has been in a terrible accident. Mibs develops the singular mission to get to the hospital and prove that her new power can save her dad. So she sneaks onto a salesman's bus . . . only to find the bus heading in the opposite direction. Suddenly Mibs finds herself on an unforgettable odyssey that will force her to make sense of growing up—and of other people, who might also have a few secrets hidden just beneath the skin.
Our Thoughts: In a little space between Kansas and Nebraska (Monday through Wednesday it's Kansaska and Thursday through Saturday Nebransas) lives a big family with special natural abilities. Join Mibs (Mississippi Beaumont), in the first book, as she grows into her Savvy and drags her friends on a wild adventure to save her father. We loved the strong family bond between the entire family, and the lengths they would go for one another. The author was able in the second book to write about a totally new main character without loosing our interest (with the bonus that she gave us information on the first book's characters so we felt their story line had a good conclusion). We also liked that though they had amazing powers the conflict was not resolved by using them. Their problems were fixed by using ordinary methods. We enjoyed these two books so much and eagerly (like nail-biting eagerly) await the release of the third book, Switch. (Which is probably out by the time your reading this, but rest easy knowing that we are fighting amongst each other to see who will get to snuggle up with it first.)
Final Thoughts: We are not including Percy Jackson and Harry Potter because everyone knows about them, but they are a given. We have found the Young Adult section of our library and bookstore as a great source for books that are slightly "cleaner" than their adult counter parts, but don't let down your guard completely because even these can contain topics and agendas, or even suggestive content, much like today's teen programming on television. However, like everything in this world it is always much better to read the book (or a book ☺).
B4U: Manga for Teens & Young Adults
B4U: Chapter Books
B4U: Manga 101
B4U: Manga For All Ages
Tags:B4u, Early Young Adult
B4U
We are a family of six children. A long time ago our mother came to a realization that she could not read all the books we wanted to read before we read them so we were given some simple rules to follow. 1. If a book bothers us for any reason, stop reading. 2. If we are confused, feel free to bring it to our parents attention. 3. If an older sibling says not to read something, listen. We have further developed our own sense of what we should and shouldn't read in the years since then. Here is a description of how we weed out books. First and foremost if a book feels like it is insulting our intelligence or mocking our belief in our God, we don't read the book. We don't mind if the characters don't believe in God. We just wont read a book that mocks our beliefs. We can usually figure out what agendas a book is going to push by looking at a few places. We read the section about the author, this lets us know sometimes whether an author will get into subjects or opinions that we don't support. We also look on the back of the title page (the one with the copyright). It will sometimes include a more accurate summary and/or a list of subjects it touches on (this is used by libraries to classify it for their shelves). Some of the subjects we are cautious about are as follows: gender identity, feminism, woman's (anything), religious (even if it is Christian we are still cautious because we have come across beliefs that are not biblical), social issues, relationships, and the list could go on but you get the idea. We don't have a problem with fairies, witches, ghosts, or other fantasy or science fiction characters or creatures, but we will tell you if any book we suggest in our coming lists may contain these things in case you do have a problem with it. We hope that you enjoy the books we recommend as much as we have enjoyed them over the years.


Starting or even considering something new, such as a new virtual school for your child, can be a bit nerve-wracking. If you find yourself with a growing list of questions, don't worry, you're not alone! Many other parents are wondering about the same things.
To help ease your mind, we've compiled a brief Q & A with commonly asked questions teachers receive from parents who are researching this exciting and rewarding way to educate students from home!
Q: Is the curriculum Common Core–based?
A: The virtual school curriculum includes language arts/English, math, science, and social studies courses for each grade. The curriculum is adjusted according to state-specific requirements, so if your state has adopted the Common Core State Standards, the curriculum will be adjusted to meet them.
Q: Is all of the schoolwork completed online?
A: The amount of schoolwork completed online depends on the student's grade level. In general, elementary school students mostly complete offline work, with opportunities to use manipulatives and to do other hands-on activities. Middle school students complete a blend of on- and offline work as they transition to being more independent. High school students who have become more independent learners complete mainly online work.
Q: How available are teachers for students who may need extra help? How much individual time, if any, is given to the student?
A: Online teachers are dedicated to helping each student succeed. For example, when a student begins online school with Connections Academy, teachers will conduct an assessment to evaluate strengths and weaknesses, and better get to know the student's learning style. By doing this, teachers can identify gaps in a child's knowledge or skills and help fill them. Teachers also personalize the lesson to fit each student.
Online teachers communicate and check in frequently with students (and their Learning Coaches) through WebMail, phone calls, and real-time online sessions. They can work one-on-one with the student if he or she requests extra help on a particular concept, or provide additional resources and opportunities for practicing skills.
Q: How involved is the Learning Coach?
A: In general, we suggest that the Learning Coach base the level of involvement on the student's age and how well he or she is progressing. While young students get accustomed to virtual school and begin to develop academic skills, they will most likely need more hands-on help to remain motivated. When students reach the high school level with more knowledge and confidence, the Learning Coach can step back a bit and take an advisory role.
Q: Can the credits from my student's current school transfer to online school? If so, would she have to start at the beginning of the school year or jump in whenever needed?
A: The academic placement team will work with your family during the enrollment/transition process to evaluate your student's previous schooling and determine appropriate grade level and courses for his or her needs. During the school year, high school students work with school counselors to ensure that they are on track for graduating on schedule.
Starting on time at the beginning of a new school year or semester is ideal because it gives students the best opportunity to succeed. Although catching up on missed schoolwork can be challenging, many online schools do accept midyear enrollees. Make sure to check with the school that you're looking into for specific cutoff dates!
Q: Does Connections Academy enroll students with IEPs? How does an IEP work with online education?
A: Students who have IEPs are welcome to join the virtual school community and may benefit from the personalized approach to learning. During the enrollment process, the special education team will evaluate a student's IEP to determine how his or her needs can be supported well in a virtual environment. Online teachers also collaborate with the student's special education teachers to help establish an academic plan that will be most beneficial for the success of the student.
Q: In an online school, is more time taken to learn the curriculum than in traditional schools?
A: One of the pros about online school is that students have more flexibility to work at a pace that suits their needs and learning style, as long as they stay on track for completing course assignments by the end of the year. If needed, they can take additional time to better learn a specific concept. Similarly, if the student grasps the material quickly, he or she has the option to move on without waiting for classmates to catch up.
Since online teachers are not limited by a classroom bell, they may have the opportunity to take more time to explain the course material.
Q: Can a student be accelerated if he or she is advanced?
A: A high-quality online school like Connections Academy will offer many opportunities for qualified students to accelerate learning, including Honors, Advanced Placement®, and Gifted and Talented courses. These courses provide advanced learners with the proper amount of challenge, complexity, and depth to further develop their academic strengths and unique skills, and reach their full potential.
If the student is making great progress and doing exceptionally well, the teacher and Learning Coach may decide that he or she is ready to advance to a higher grade level.
With more knowledge about virtual school, you'll feel less anxious and experience a smoother transition. What are some things you've learned from an online teacher about virtual school? Teachers, are there any other questions you'd add? Share with us in the comments!
1.Do the students have to be logged in at certain times each day to interact with teacher,classroom, xcetera.
3. Is help provided with paying for wifi?
In my own situation, I am very much pleased with the kind of level of dedication I understand the teachers will offer to especially weak students, my son is affected by one the change of environment, and two the west African country we are coming from had an epidemic where in schools were closed for the whole of last year and that has coursed a lot of deterioration for the grade he should be in now. however should we be eligible to go through enrolment successfully, I hope by INCA's joint effort he will be able to catch up. jose.
Does a student have to log in at a specific time of the day to participate in class?
I'll just say that there are so very many opportunities for your child to succeed in Connections Academy. If they only take advantage of HALF of what's offered to them by the teachers and the school, they will succeed. If they take advantage of ALL of what's offered to them, they will excel! It's the best decision my husband and I have ever made in reference to our daughter's education!
Does your school have a way to help students with speech problems?
I would appreciate responses to Miriam's questions Number 1 & 2.
I would like to know the cost of enrollment?
How does the school year run? Is it like a regular school term or do you work straight thru until you are finished?
Can a student be enrolled in Highschool and the online schooling for additional credits?
Hi Eileen, Connections Academy is a fully accredited public school so it is of no cost to you or your family.
Connections Academy school typically run on the same schedule as your other public schools in your area. Students have the options to continue taking course during their summer break through our online private school, International Connections Academy.
Since this is an ONLINE public school, I would like to know if students are required to take the state mandated STAAR tests. As a homeschooler, we are not required to have our students take these.
Academy @ Houston must complete STAAR testing.
that might be associated with state testing.
Office at 1-800-382-6010, M-F 9am-6pm EST.
How are you funded if you do not charge anything? How do your teachers get paid? How can this be a public school without money coming in?
My children love there school district, so I would love to keep them in it as long as possible. I am looking into travel nursing, and that would require me to take them out of the public school virtual academy. I am wondering if there are students that do both the public school and connections academy as well. I want them to have some additional work to keep them busy, and I want them to have a smooth transition when we start to travel.If they can get ahead in school, I believe this would be a great benefit. Do you have students that do both? Also, are there requirements that they have to be on the computer at a certain time everyday? Can they do the public school classes during the day and then come home and work on the connections academy work. This is what I am looking for….additional education rather than primary education. I can be contacted easiest by email. Thanks.
As a public school we acquire funding the same way all public schools do: when a student enrolls with us the money that is allocated to them from state-funding goes to our school. It is from that money that we are able to pay our dedicated, state-certified teachers, create engaging and inspiring lessons in our proprietary Educational Management System, and provide curriculum and materials for our students. We also organize field trips and social events to help our students connect to one another, their communities, and their lessons and provide dozens of clubs and activities that foster social development and academic growth.
If you have additional questions about our program I strongly encourage you to reference the website for the specific Connections Academy in your state, http://www.connectionsacademy.com/online-school/availability, or to call our Enrollment Office at 1-800-382-6010, M-F 9am-6pm EST. Note that starting Monday 7/18 the Enrollment Office will be open from 9am-9pm EST.
While some of our public academies do offer dual-enrollment, where students can remain enrolled in their local school and also enroll with us, our public school academies are full-time programs. What this means is that if a student was to enroll in one of our schools that offer dual-enrollment, they generally would need to take all of their core courses with us and the only courses they could complete elsewhere would be electives and activities (ie: sports) that we do not offer.
Another option for your students might be our private school, International Connections Academy (iNaCa). For students who wish to enrich their current academic programs, iNaCA offers a part-time program with hundreds of high quality K–12 teacher-led, student-focused courses available for individual purchase. To learn about their program please visit http://www.internationalconnectionsacademy.com/curriculum/individual-online-courses.
For more information on if the Connections Academy in your state might be able to accommodate your needs, please call 1-800-382-6010, M-F 9am-6pm EST. For more information on iNaCa's part-time program please call 800-260-4159.
Is there a certain time students have to be on the computer? Is there a cumputter program to help get a computer and wifi? Is there a time that the parent has to be on the computer?
I am also wanting to know the same as other parents have asked. Does the student need to be online for a certain amount of time everyday? Is there a specific guideline to this? Do they have to check in everyday that the public schools are in or can they work ahead or catch up if they miss days?
One of the main reasons that parents choose to enroll their students with us is the desire for a more flexible schedule. While students are required to log in and "attend" school for a certain number of hours each day/week, there is not a specific time of day that students must attend. We encourage students to set up a routine/schedule, but if you are not available to log in and complete your schoolwork at the time you normally would than you have the ability to make up those hours earlier or later in the week. Creating a schedule to best suit your family's needs can be one of the most exciting benefits of virtual school!
Regarding computer and wifi: some of our schools receiving enough state funding to assist families with obtaining a computer and/or internet access, but some schools do not. To obtain specifics about the offerings in your state, please go to http://www.connectionsacademy.com/online-school/availability, select the appropriate school from the dropdown menu, and then go to "Technology" under the "Our School" tab.
For additional information, please call our Enrollment Office at 1-800-382-6010, M-F 9am-9pm EST.
One of the main reasons that parents choose to enroll their students with us is the desire for a more flexible schedule. While students are required to log in and "attend" school for a certain number of hours each day/week, there is not a specific time of day that students must attend. We encourage students to set up a routine/schedule, though, to ensure that the remain on track with their lessons. Creating a schedule to best suit your family's needs can be one of the most exciting benefits of virtual school!


Home / NEWS / Political News / Decision of regional parties "Federal" government impossible?
The non-BJP and non-Congress parties won over Lok Sabha seats in 2009 and up to 220 Lok Sabha seats in 2014. This figure may still be visible after KCR has said that it is in the effort to form the government that has formed a federal front without Congress and BJP. The TRS feels that it is likely that the 2009 polls have not been morphed into a shorter set of 220 seats for "other" parties. Even if that happens, the magic figure required for the formation of the government 272 is the BJP or Congress supporting anyone! This mathematics calculates that the non-BJP non-Congress government is not a function of KCR.
However, regional parties will be the key to deciding the government. The prediction that the BJP will lose 100 to 120 seats in this election is heard from many political parties. To form the government at the center, 272 Lok Sabha seats should be won. NDA has formed the NDA government as the Prime Minister with 336 seats, including the strength of the BJP and its allies, which won 282 seats in 2014.
According to the results of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, the BJP is likely to win 62 seats in all the 65 Lok Sabha seats in these states Analysts say the BJP will lose at least half of the seats that are unlikely Said.
in the past, winning 22, Bihar, Jharkhand, with 12 seats, the lower the risk. It is impossible to get 7 to 7 seats in Delhi. The BJP has won 200 seats in the last elections in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Gujarat, Jharkhand and Delhi. This time it is difficult to win 100 seats.
Congress-JDS in the Lok Sabha is also in the Lok Sabha, as it is not likely to have 17 seats in the past. But in Odisha and the Northeast, the BJP has not been able to win more than 20 seats in the country. The BJP won 138 seats in 2004 and 116 seats in 2009. The 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP and the Congress, are getting close to 320 to 330 seats in the last Lok Sabha elections.
The strongest Left in the country has been able to play a vital role in domestic politics until 2004. Since 2009, other regional parties have been replaced by the Left, but the Congress and the BJP do not. Congress and BJP combined with 322 seats in 2009 and 326 seats in the 2014 elections. In the two elections, the BJP and the non-Congress parties have achieved almost 220 seats. The figures show that even if the BJP's numerical numbers fall from 150 to 160, the Congress is also getting Anne's position.
Even if it does not have all the seats, it is not surprising that BSP, SP, AAP in Delhi, Bihar and RJD are anti-BJP parties, so that they have taken the national level to 250 seats. Then the Congress and the BJP both have the numerical strength of 300.
The analysis of the situation is likely to be a decisive role in the regional parties in 2019. The BJP's anti-party parties in the regional parties are not likely to be dominant.
Regional parties in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Odisha, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Punjab and the northeastern states will decide the future of the country. These parties are not the only parties that are directly or indirectly with the BJP except the Shiv Sena and Akali Dal.
It is clear that the coalition government will be formed after the election due to the BJP and the Congress.
If the regional parties can achieve unity between them, they may not be able to form the government with the support of the Congress or the BJP.
The BJP will have to form a government with regional parties Whether Modi should be selected again as prime minister Regional parties may not like you. The debate has already begun in BJP sections on whether Modi is a substitute for Modi.
"Nagpur" decides whether to push another leader from the BJP or to put the BJP on the Opposition.
Previous Chandra Babu is a step ahead of KCR?


My job role is quite varied. I am responsible for implementing new procedures into the company and training my colleagues to use them. I am involved with system maintenance and ad hoc tasks related to the day to day running of our computer software.
After leaving university I started working at H&B Supplies as a Christmas temp. That was 10 years ago! Within this time I have had many roles including administration, purchasing and sales. I was also fortunate enough to be given the task of launching the now-obsolete B2C division of the company.
I enjoy the problem solving side to my role and being able to help others!
I apparently make very tasty 'Jaffa Cakes'!


text:
Zhongpin Announces Record Date and Meeting Date for Special Meeting of Stockholders
Zhongpin Inc.
BEIJING and CHANGGE, China, May 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Zhongpin Inc. ("Zhongpin" or the "Company," Nasdaq: HOGS), a leading meat and food processing company in the People's Republic of China, today announced that the Company has called a special meeting of its stockholders (the "Special Meeting"), to be held on June 27, 2013, at 10:00 a.m. (local time), at 21 Changshe Road, Changge City, Henan Province, People's Republic of China 461500, to consider and vote on the proposal to adopt the previously announced Amended and Restated Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated February 8, 2013 (the "Merger Agreement"), by and among Golden Bridge Holdings Limited (the "Parent"), Golden Bridge Merger Sub Limited (the "Merger Sub"), Mr. Xianfu Zhu and the Company.
Under the terms of the Merger Agreement, Merger Sub will be merged with and into the Company, with the Company continuing as the surviving company after the merger as a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent (the "Merger"). If completed, the proposed Merger will result in (i) the Company's unaffiliated stockholders receiving $13.50 per share in cash, without interest, for their shares of common stock of the Company, (ii) the Company becoming a privately-held company and (iii) the common stock of the Company no longer being listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market. The Company's board of directors, acting upon the unanimous recommendation of a special committee of the Company's board of directors composed entirely of independent directors, approved the Merger Agreement and resolved to recommend that the Company's stockholders vote to adopt the Merger Agreement.
Stockholders of record as of the close of business on May 23, 2013, the record date for the Special Meeting, are entitled to receive notice of the Special Meeting and to vote the shares of common stock of the Company owned by them at the Special Meeting. Additional information regarding the Special Meeting and the Merger Agreement can be found in the transaction statement on Schedule 13E-3 and the definitive proxy statement on Schedule 14A, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") on May 28, 2013, which can be obtained, along with other filings containing information about the Company, the proposed Merger and related matters, without charge, from the SEC's website (http://www.sec.gov) or at the SEC's public reference room at 100 F Street, NE, Room 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549. In addition, holders of shares of common stock of the Company as of the record date will receive the definitive proxy statement by mail. Requests for additional copies of the definitive proxy statement should be directed to MacKenzie Partners, the Company's proxy solicitor, at +1 (212) 929-5500 (collect) or (800) 322-2885 (toll free in North America) or +44 (0) 203 178 8057 (from other countries). INVESTORS AND STOCKHOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY THESE MATERIALS AND OTHER MATERIALS FILED WITH OR FURNISHED TO THE SEC WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE, AS THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE COMPANY, THE PROPOSED MERGER AND RELATED MATTERS.
The Company and certain of its directors, executive officers and other members of management and employees may, under SEC rules, be deemed to be "participants" in the solicitation of proxies from our stockholders with respect to the proposed Merger. Information regarding the persons who may be considered "participants" in the solicitation of proxies is set forth in the definitive proxy statement and Schedule 13E-3 transaction statement relating to the proposed Merger. Further information regarding persons who may be deemed participants, including any direct or indirect interests they may have, is also set forth in the definitive proxy statement.
This announcement is neither a solicitation of proxy, an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to sell any securities and it is not a substitute for any proxy statement or other filings that have been or will be made with the SEC.
About Zhongpin Inc.
Zhongpin Inc. is a leading meat and food processing company that specializes in pork and pork products, vegetables, and fruits in China. Its distribution network in China covers 20 provinces plus Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Chongqing and includes 3,502 retail outlets as of March 31, 2013. Zhongpin's export markets include Europe, Hong Kong, and other countries in Asia.
For more information about Zhongpin, please visit Zhongpin's website at http://www.zpfood.com/.
This document may include certain statements that are not descriptions of historical facts, but are forward-looking statements. Such statements include, among others, those concerning expected benefits and costs of the proposed Merger; management plans relating to the Merger; the expected timing of the completion of the Merger; the parties' ability to complete the Merger considering the various closing conditions, including any conditions related to regulatory approvals, as well as all assumptions, expectations, predictions, intentions or beliefs about future events. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "will," "should," "may," "believes," "expects" or similar expressions. All of such assumptions are inherently subject to uncertainties and contingencies beyond the Company's control and based upon premises with respect to future business decisions, which are subject to change. The Company assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements.
Mr. Sterling Song (English and Chinese)
Director of Investor Relations
Telephone +86 10 8455 4188 extension 106 in Beijing
ir@zhongpin.com
Mr. Warren (Feng) Wang (English and Chinese)
Telephone +86 10 8455 4388 in Beijing
warren.wang@zhongpin.com
Mr. Victor Kuo (English and Chinese)
vkuo@christensenir.com
Mr. Tom Myers (English)
Mobile +86 139 1141 3520 in Beijing
tmyers@christensenir.com
Source: Zhongpin Inc.
Keywords: Banking/Financial Service Food/Beverages Retail
Media Room more
Zhongpin Announces Completion of Merger
Zhongpin Announces Stockholders' Adoption of Amended and Restated Merger Agreement
Zhongpin Reports Higher Revenues and Lower Net Income for the First Quarter 2013
Zhongpin Inc. to Host First Quarter 2013 Earnings Conference Call on Friday, May 10, 2013 at 8 a.m. EDT
Zhongpin Reports Higher Revenues and Lower Net Income for the Year 2012
Zhongpin Inc. to Host Year 2012 Earnings Conference Call on Friday, March 15, 2013 at 8 a.m. EDT
Iconic M&M'S(R) Brand Announces Global Commitment to Creating A World Where Everyone Feels They Belong
Iconic M&M'S® Brand Announces Global Commitment to Creating A World Where Everyone Feels They Belong
Missfresh Partners Leading Seasoning Brand Totole to Promote its Trending Prepacked Blends
Xinhua Silk Road: Haier Group aims high in sci-tech innovation to embrace bright future in digital age
Johnnie Walker Launches World's First 'Blue Table' Experience at Taian Table in Shanghai: Savoring the Depth of Blue

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Kumari of Patan
Sassoon Dock
Hjelmroth
The Kumari girl in her throne-like chair in the reception room.
The Kumari girl being watched by the security camera.
Kumari, or the Living Goddess, is the tradition of worshipping a chosen virgin as a manifestation of the divine female energy of Shakti in Dharmic religious traditions.
In Nepal, a Kumari is a prepubescent girl selected from the Shakya caste of the Nepalese Newari Buddhist community. This is a particularly prevalent practice in Kathmandu Valley, and it is believed she is the incarnation of Taleju, a manifestation of the goddess Durga. Nihira Bajracharya, pictured in this story, was selected in 2018 as Patan's Kumari is the second most important living goddess.
It is believed that the deity vacates the Kumari girl's body if she becomes seriously ill, has significant blood loss or when her first menstruation begins and is replaced with another specially chosen girl.
If you want to know more about this story, click here to send me a message.
My eyes had difficulties adjusting to the poor lightning when I entered the reception room. The scenario was well organised, with the throne centred against the wall, offerings surrounding her feet and a rug placed in front of her for visitors to kneel on. However, what caught my attention was not the Kumari girl but the bars in the window that gave me a chilling feeling of a prison.
Offerings given to the Kumari girl in exchange of a blessing. The red Alta dye on her feet represents purity.
The Kumari girl is not supposed to speak or display any emotions. Being a human being appointed goddess by other humans five years ago, the only thing I saw was a bored and sad now ten-year-old girl.
In the hallway outside the reception room, a CCTV camera is installed next to a portrait of the Kumari girl. A symbol of loneliness while all eyes are on her.
The Kumari girl lives with her parents, Niraj and Mohini Bajracharya, in the Kumari Ghar, a temple in Patan. The temple is located in the city's Durbar Square area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
After the ten-minute-long audience, the Kumari girl is carried by her father out from the reception room into her private room since she is not allowed to touch the floor with her feet.
The Kumari girl can never go out and play or interact with other children. Which makes me conclude these tiny shoes are not hers.
Photos of different Kumari girls hanging on a wall at the temple entrance.
It's worth noting that the Kumari tradition is controversial and has been criticized by some human rights groups for potentially violating the rights of the girls selected to serve as Kumari.
One of many small temples at Durbar Square, close to Kumari Ghar, where the Kumari girl resides.
© 2035 Hjelmroth Photography


Stress management encompasses techniques intended to equip a person with effective coping mechanisms for dealing with psychological stress. As we mature, we develop coping mechanisms to deal with daily stress but for some individuals, stress can be psychologically draining which can affect their daily lives. Stress is considered a condition or feeling experienced when a person perceives that "demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize" as defined by Richard S. Lazarus. In some cases, stress can be helpful in pushing us and making us separate between tasks that are important and ones that are not. In other cases, stress can be overwhelming and cause people to go into panic or cause them to stop functioning in a productive manner.
Stress in its earlier and reversible stage can lead to poor sleep, bad temper, hours of work with less achievement, repeated minor sickness, etc. These negative consequences can also affect the people surrounding the individual including friends, family, coworkers, etc. It is important to recognize these signs early on and take the precautionary steps towards relieving the stress.
Stress can come from the home, the work place, anywhere really. There isn't one anecdote for all stress but if we take the initiative to learn stress management techniques, we can better deal with different forms of stress.
By learning what increases stress in your life, you can learn how to better react to it. If you can understand the stress, you can see where it formed from and why it brings on such feelings. You also need to understand what you can change in your life to reduce stress. Can you avoid the stress by changing your environment? Practice makes perfect and if you can build up your stress reserves, you can better control your emotions and the situations you are put in.


This thesis is a qualitative study using constructivist grounded theory of the learning experiences of four students at one university in New Zealand. The students, ranging in age from 18 to 22 years, identify as being dyslexic. It is an exploration of the ways in which dyslexia has affected their prior educational experiences, their decision making about future study, and their transition into the first year of university study. The ways in which students frame their understanding of dyslexia and how this affects their approach to learning at university are investigated. This thesis uses an interpretivist methodology and the grounded theory methods of Charmaz (2006). The thesis starts with an outline of the epistemological basis for the research, followed by a discussion of the place of literature in grounded theory methods, use of the literature in this study and a review of the literature. The methodological basis and methods used in this study are then presented. The presentation of the participants" interpretation of their experiences of learning with dyslexia and transition to university are given as individual synopses and through categories which emerged from the data. The main findings are presented in the discussion using a tentative model based on four stages of discovery, acceptance of dyslexia, and learning with dyslexia which frame participants" experiences and decision making. Two factors of importance overlying the model are: the discourse of dyslexia presented to and held by the student, and the degree to which the students are able to self advocate. The absence of a common understanding of dyslexia has affected the students" self confidence, and ability to advocate at university level. The academic resilience, academic buoyancy, and determination of these students to succeed and be accepted as capable learners, despite educational barriers, is related to the recognition of dyslexia by the student and society, and the nature of support provided in earlier education. The findings in this thesis provide a basis for further understanding of the transition to university for students who have struggled in high school, and for a wider acceptance of the varied ways in which learning differences can be supported in education.


Tod E. Carpenter made an average of $3.2M in compensation at Donaldson Company from 2012 to 2018.
In 2018, Tod E. Carpenter earned a total compensation of $5.9M as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer at Donaldson Company.
Tod E. Carpenter's 2018 compensation ranked 1,121st out of 8,919 executive pay records tracked by us this year.
Carpenter earned more than 87.4% of all executives tracked by us in 2018.
In the industry group of General Industrial Machinery And Equipment, Carpenter's pay ranked 4th out of 40 executive pay records tracked by us in 2018.
Carpenter earned more than 90.0% of executives in this group.
Carpenter received $1.7M in stock awards, which accounts for 28.84% of total compensation.
Carpenter also received $8.9K of change in pension value and nonqualified deferred compensation earnings, $1.6M in non-equity incentive plan, $1.5M in option awards, $942.3K in salary and $173.1K in other compensation.
In 2017, Tod E. Carpenter earned a total compensation of $6.3M as President and Chief Executive Officer at Donaldson Company.
Tod E. Carpenter's 2017 compensation ranked 1,270th out of 13,263 executive pay records tracked by us this year.
Carpenter earned more than 90.4% of all executives tracked by us in 2018.
In the industry group of General Industrial Machinery And Equipment, Carpenter's pay ranked 4th out of 60 executive pay records tracked by us in 2017.
Carpenter earned more than 93.3% of executives in this group.
Carpenter received $2.1M in stock awards, which accounts for 33.61% of total compensation.
Carpenter also received $12.9K of change in pension value and nonqualified deferred compensation earnings, $1.5M in non-equity incentive plan, $1.8M in option awards, $844.7K in salary and $64.1K in other compensation.
In 2016, Tod E. Carpenter earned a total compensation of $2.4M as President and Chief Executive Officer at Donaldson Company.
Tod E. Carpenter's 2016 compensation ranked 4,106th out of 13,891 executive pay records tracked by us this year.
Carpenter earned more than 70.4% of all executives tracked by us in 2018.
In the industry group of General Industrial Machinery And Equipment, Carpenter's pay ranked 11th out of 72 executive pay records tracked by us in 2016.
Carpenter earned more than 84.7% of executives in this group.
Carpenter received $1.2M in option awards, which accounts for 49.92% of total compensation.
Carpenter also received $187K of change in pension value and nonqualified deferred compensation earnings, $106.3K in non-equity incentive plan, $742.1K in salary and $147.3K in other compensation.
In 2015, Tod E. Carpenter earned a total compensation of $3.3M as President and Chief Executive Officer at Donaldson Company.
Tod E. Carpenter's 2015 compensation ranked 2,776th out of 13,574 executive pay records tracked by us this year.
Carpenter earned more than 79.5% of all executives tracked by us in 2018.
In the industry group of General Industrial Machinery And Equipment, Carpenter's pay ranked 13th out of 76 executive pay records tracked by us in 2015.
Carpenter earned more than 82.9% of executives in this group.
Carpenter received $1.3M in stock awards, which accounts for 40.27% of total compensation.
Carpenter also received $158.2K of change in pension value and nonqualified deferred compensation earnings, $64K in non-equity incentive plan, $1.1M in option awards, $580.9K in salary and $123K in other compensation.
In 2014, Tod E. Carpenter earned a total compensation of $2.2M as President and CEO at Donaldson Company.
Tod E. Carpenter's 2014 compensation ranked 4,131st out of 12,876 executive pay records tracked by us this year.
Carpenter earned more than 67.9% of all executives tracked by us in 2018.
In the industry group of General Industrial Machinery And Equipment, Carpenter's pay ranked 22nd out of 86 executive pay records tracked by us in 2014.
Carpenter earned more than 74.4% of executives in this group.
Carpenter received $561.8K in stock awards, which accounts for 25.59% of total compensation.
Carpenter also received $100.5K of change in pension value and nonqualified deferred compensation earnings, $387.1K in non-equity incentive plan, $518.4K in option awards, $429.1K in salary and $198.5K in other compensation.
In 2013, Tod E. Carpenter earned a total compensation of $1M as President and CEO at Donaldson Company.
Tod E. Carpenter's 2013 compensation ranked 6,391st out of 11,965 executive pay records tracked by us this year.
Carpenter earned more than 46.6% of all executives tracked by us in 2018.
In the industry group of General Industrial Machinery And Equipment, Carpenter's pay ranked 47th out of 78 executive pay records tracked by us in 2013.
Carpenter earned more than 39.7% of executives in this group.
Carpenter received $326.3K in salary, which accounts for 31.96% of total compensation.
Carpenter also received $36.4K of change in pension value and nonqualified deferred compensation earnings, $63.8K in non-equity incentive plan, $218.6K in option awards, $278.2K in stock awards and $97.8K in other compensation.
In 2012, Tod E. Carpenter earned a total compensation of $1.2M as Chief Operating Officer at Donaldson Company.
Tod E. Carpenter's 2012 compensation ranked 5,158th out of 10,959 executive pay records tracked by us this year.
Carpenter earned more than 52.9% of all executives tracked by us in 2018.
In the industry group of General Industrial Machinery And Equipment, Carpenter's pay ranked 36th out of 73 executive pay records tracked by us in 2012.
Carpenter earned more than 50.7% of executives in this group.
Carpenter received $275.4K in salary, which accounts for 22.24% of total compensation.
Carpenter also received $106.3K of change in pension value and nonqualified deferred compensation earnings, $201.8K in non-equity incentive plan, $239.5K in option awards, $180.8K in stock awards and $234.7K in other compensation.


text:
"We waste our money so you don't have to."
"We waste our money, so you don't have to."
Penny Serenade
Remember the tune they were singing... the night we fell in love?...
US Release Date: 04-24-1941
Directed by: George Stevens
Starring▸▾
Cary Grant, as
Roger Adams
Irene Dunne, as
Julie Gardiner Adams
Beulah Bondi, as
Miss Oliver
Edgar Buchanan, as
Applejack Carney
Ann Doran, as
Eva Lee Kuney, as
Leonard Willey as
Doctor Hartley
Patrick:
Average Stars:Avg:
Reviewed on: May 31st, 2003
Cary Grant and Irene Dunne in Penny Serenade.
Although her name is not heard much today Irene Dunne was a huge star during Hollywood's golden age. Throughout the thirties and forties she starred in a string of box office hits. Her first big movie was Cimarron the adaptation of Edna Ferber's novel that became the first western to win the coveted Best Picture Oscar in 1931. She also appeared in the 1936 version of Showboat, and opposite Charles Boyer in the original Love Affair in 1939 for which she was Oscar nominated. Penny Serenade was her third teaming with leading man Cary Grant after The Awful Truth and My Favorite Wife. Unlike those two hilarious comedies Penny Serenade is a sentimental tearjerker.
As the title suggests music plays an integral part in the story. It is used as a means of introducing flashback scenes. We are shown a record being played and as the music swells and the disc spins we are taken back in time and shown the history of Julie and Roger Adams. We see how they meet (she is working at a record store and he buys a huge stack of records in order to spend time with her), court, get married and begin their life together as man and wife. Roger gets a job as a newspaper reporter in Japan and Julie joins him a few months later only to be caught in an earthquake. She survives but loses the baby she was carrying. They return to the U. S. and sadly discover that she is now barren. Eventually they wind up in a small town where Roger has sunk the remainder of an inheritance into the town's tiny, struggling newspaper. They finally manage to adopt a child only to lose her to sickness a few years later. Their marriage nearly ruined from the tragedy, the movie manages to end on a happy note just in the nick of time when the kindly orphanage director, played by Beulah Bondi, gives them the gift of another baby.
Those who know Cary Grant only as a sophisticated romantic comedy star will be surprised at his versatility. He plays Roger Adams as an ordinary guy. Sure he looks like Cary Grant but lacks his usual polished charm. He handles the soapy drama with finesse and managed to garner an Oscar nomination in the process.
Edgar Buchanan as Applejack Carney, whom Roger hires to man his presses, provides comic relief. He plays nurse made to their adopted baby daughter and in one inspired scene shows a flustered Julie how to bathe and diaper their little bundle of joy.
Celebrated director George Stevens pulls it all together and keeps things from drowning in schmaltz. He keeps his actors from hamming up the melodrama and instead relies on the tragic facts of the plot to speak for themselves. The story should have special significance for anyone who has been on either the parent or child side of an adoption. Penny Serenade is one of the earliest Hollywood movies to tackle the subject and it does so with a relatively honest take.
Reviewed on: August 21st, 2004
Cary Grant, Edgar Buchanan and Irene Dunne in Penny Serenade.
I found Cary Grant to be way out of his element. He may have gotten an Academy Award nomination, but I found his performance to be sub par. He has this big emotional scene where he pleads with a judge to let him and his wife keep their child. Grant is literally baring his soul as he falls apart in this scene. This could have worked except the director has the camera pulled back and to the side. What should have been an emotional closeup is a distant side view, in which you cannot see Grant's expressions. Give me the charming, sophisticated Grant anytime.
Irene Dunne is adequate. She may have appeared n several movies with Grant, but I found little chemistry between them. Perhaps the writing is at fault. They are given so few scenes where they are seen as a supportive couple. Most of the movie has them quietly disagreeing with each other. She wants a baby, he doesn't. He wants a boy, she doesn't care. He wants to go on a big vacation. She wants to be practical with the money.
What their relationship boils down to is that they are only a good happy couple when they have a child. The happiest moments these two have in their relationship are when they have their daughter. Before and after her they are simply going through the motions, without any real connection. Is this a flaw in the writing or the point of the movie?
The movie is a bit melodramatic, but I did find the use of music to narrate the movie to be a great plus. Some ten years before Gene Kelly sang "You Were Meant for Me" to Debbie Reynolds in Singing in the Rain, it was the love theme of this movie, and to great effect.
Reviewed on: September 18th, 2010
Irene Dunne and Cary Grant in Penny Serenade.
I favor the charming, sophisticated Cary Grant as well, but his performance in this movie was not only Oscar worthy, but it's the highlight of this interminably depressing film. It's the writing and editing that's really sub-par.
Some people seem to enjoy sad movies. Someone, usually a woman, will say that they enjoy a good cry. I've never been one of those people. The tearjerker is my least favorite type of movie and so I didn't find much to enjoy with this one.
There are other problems with this movie beyond that though. The writing is poor, the characters underdeveloped, the editing sloppy, a lack of chemistry between the two leads and a far too long running time.
Irene Dunne may have been a big star in her time, but she does nothing here that demonstrates why. Her character is deathly dull and she spends most of the movie looking sad and bored. I was never really sure what Grant's character was supposed to see in her.
Patrick, you mention Applejack as the comic relief, but his mildly amusing character isn't nearly enough relief from the tragedy that is the rest of this movie. And the child bathing scene goes on for about ten minutes too long.
The one scene worth mentioning is the one you referred to Eric, when Grant is pleading for his child. Yes, it's not filmed the best, but Grant does a great job. Clearly this is the moment that got him the nomination.
Penny Serenade is an overly long, depressing piece of melodrama. That might be someone's cup of tea, but it certainly isn't mine.
Photos © Copyright Columbia Pictures (1941)
Home | Reviews | Articles |
© 2000 - 2017 Three Movie Buffs. All Rights Reserved.


Reading on the iPad is fantastic. I don't care what other people have said, I just know that after using it for a fortnight, I can tell that it's changed the way I'll read forever.
I used to spend several hours a day in front of my iMac at home, using a combination of Google Reader and tabs to systematically plough through dozens of newspaper articles, magazine articles, and blog posts. It worked well enough, although it was rather antisocial and tiring, plus I often got distracted by the various widgets and chat windows on my monitors, not to mention regularly checking Google Reader and Gmail for new content. Still, it certainly didn't seem to me that this was a bad setup, since I could get an awful lot done.
With the iPad, at least half – maybe two thirds – of my reading now takes place on my iPad. Since most of my reading was online (with the exception of the New Yorker and The Atlantic), this means that I spend a hell of a lot of time reading on my iPad.
My 'readflow' is very simple – I use my iMac to go through my various feeds, saving everything longer than 300 words or so to Instapaper, a free online service that saves webpages for reading later. When I open the Instapaper app on my iPad, it automatically synchronises those pages, stripping everything from them except for the article text and any images they contain. Since you can customise Instapaper's layout and font, the reading experience is often very comfortable.
By presenting webpages as just text and images, an article from the New Yorker looks exactly the same as one from the New Republic or BBC News; they have the same font, the same leading, and the same layout. Since you lose all the traditional cues that mark out one magazine or website from another, like the colours and feel of the paper, the only cue you have left is the writing style. I'm not sure whether I like this, since I appreciate good design and layout in a website or magazine, but then I also appreciate not having ads and other webpage cruft crowding my eyes when I'm trying to concentrate.
On a similar note, I find the iPad's lack of email and chat notifications to be refreshingly helpful in keeping me focused on what I'm reading. Like the iPhone, the iPad doesn't have 'windows' – it has apps that fill the screen, so reading – whether in Instapaper or apps like iBooks or the FT or New York Times – is a much more intimate and less distracting experience than on a computer; the text fills the screen without any wasted space or other windows competing for your attention. Even the ads look better.
What's more, the iPad's size means that it can be carried around for reading in various odd environments, like while cooking or walking between rooms. That doesn't sound like much, but it's surprising how that portability makes you more inclined to read at any given moment.
All of this adds up the sensation that when you're using the iPad, you're not using a computer, you're using a magical book. It's hardly surprising, because the iPad shares so little with traditional computers – it doesn't have a keyboard or a mouse, you don't need to consciously close or open apps or root around for hidden windows – you just touch it, and things happen. As someone who's grown up with computers, I find this very intriguing, since the iPad is basically a computer that doesn't feel like a computer. I wonder where else Apple is going with this.
A few people have complained about the weight of the iPad – namely, that you can't hold it comfortably in the air with one hand. They're correct, but then I have more than a few books that the same could be said of, including almost every hardback I own (Neal Stephenson's Anathem actually weighs more than the iPad); so unless you exist on a diet of light paperbacks, I consider talk of the iPad's weight to be mere quibbling.
One real problem with the iPad is the absurd price of books in the iBooks Store. As the Bookseller has pointed out, the vast majority of books available can found for significantly less on Amazon UK, or on the Kindle Store, or in Waterstones. I certainly don't value the convenience and speed of iBooks more than owning a physical copy, so I hope it doesn't take too long for publishers to come to their senses (as they inevitably will, either through competition or piracy) and lower prices by, say, 50%. You need only look at the iBooks Store charts to see that people are extremely price sensitive – right now, none of the top 10 books are above £9, and the top two are £2 and £4 respectively.
Frustrated by the iBooks Store, I turned to the public domain and used Feedbooks to download Peter Watts' Blindsight, a hard SF novel I'd been meaning to read for some time. Unlike the agony of adding books to my Sony Reader (admittedly, this was three years ago), it was pretty easy to add the Blindsight ePub file to iTunes and then sync my iPad*. I then spent a few hours reading the book, and you know what? It felt just like reading a normal book. I didn't become blinded by the supposed harsh brightness of the screen, I didn't go cross-eyed from the pixels, I just read it and enjoyed it. However else other people feel about reading on the iPad, I know that it works fine for me.
After years of being told that computers and the internet are rewiring our brains so we only read superficially, there's finally a device that can change the tide and help us focus. It works for me – maybe it'll work for you.
The "magic book" thing seems to be coming up a lot. Coming back to Stephenson, I've heard it called the ancestor to the Young Lady's Primer.
What'd you think of Blindsight?
Interesting post mate. I have been strenuously resisting getting an iPad (they just became available here in Aus.) In this house it would be immediately hijacked by wife and/or kids, so we would need at least 3 or 4 before i got a look in! Thanks for the instapaper link too, that seems like a cool tool.
PPS 2012 – crew 9 reunion? where & when??
I liked Blindsight – some very interesting and original ideas from a cognitive neuroscience perspective, although like a lot of hard sci-fi, it's pretty bleak and depressing. I didn't really connect with any of the characters, but still, it was a good read.
Well done. This is post is the reason I now know an iPad is not what I want but what I need.


text:
Q: Почему задаётся словарь, а на выходе получается список? Имеется такая проблема, что мне нужно написать функцию которая при определённых значениях выдаёт название месяца. Проблема заключается в следующем:
я создаю словарь, но словарь получается слишком длинный чтобы записать его в одну строку, так что приходится добавлять значения в этот словарь. Когда я добавляю значения, вместо словаря получается список. Как так получается, и что с этим делать?
def month_name(num, lang):
    month_RU = {1: 'январь', 2: 'февраль', 3: 'март', 4: 'апрель', 5: 'май', 6: 'июнь', 7: 'июль'}
    month_RU[8] = ['август']
    month_RU[9] = ['сентябрь']
    month_RU[10] = ['октябрь']
    month_RU[11] = ['ноябрь']
    month_RU[12] = ['декабрь']

    month_ENG = {1: 'january', 2: 'february', 3: 'march', 4: 'april', 5: 'may', 6: 'june', 7: 'july'}
    month_ENG[8] = ['august']
    month_ENG[9] = ['september']
    month_ENG[10] = ['october']
    month_ENG[11] = ['november']
    month_ENG[12] = ['december']

    if lang == 'ru':
        return month_RU[num].replace('[', '').replace(']', '')
    elif lang == 'en':
        return month_ENG[num].replace('[', '').replace(']', '')

print(month_name(8, "ru"))

A: def month_name(num, lang):
    month_RU = {
                 1: 'январь',
                 2: 'февраль',
                 3: 'март',
                 4: 'апрель',
                 5: 'май',
                 6: 'июнь',
                 7: 'июль',
                 8: 'август',
                 9: 'сентябрь',
                10: 'октябрь',
                11: 'ноябрь',
                12: 'декабрь'
               }

    month_ENG ={
                 1: 'january',
                 2: 'february',
                 3: 'march',
                 4: 'april',
                 5: 'may',
                 6: 'june',
                 7: 'july',
                 8: 'august',
                 9: 'september',
                10: 'october',
                11: 'november',
                12: 'december'
               }

    if lang == 'ru':
        return month_RU[num]
    elif lang == 'en':
        return month_ENG[num]

print(month_name(8, "ru"))
август
print(month_name(8, "en"))
august
print(month_name(8, "fr"))
None

A: Вы значениям словаря присваиваете список с одной строкой. month_RU[8] = ['август'] исправьте на month_RU[8] = 'август'.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


To report a water leak, call the Public Works/Utilities Department 24-hours a day at (928) 639-2520.
In most cases leaks can be scheduled for repair. The Utilities Dept. will notify affected residents when there will be a scheduled interruption in service. When there is an interruption in service due to an emergency water main repair our first priority is restoring service to our customers. While we do our best with advance notification, it is not always possible to notify residents before shutting the water off.


The Lane baseball team kneels in a pre-game huddle before hosting Clark Community College in a May 12 doubleheader against the Penguins. Clark won the first game 1-0 and Lane won the second game 7-3.
The Titans are deadlocked in a second-place tie with the Southwestern Oregon Community College Lakers in the NWAACC Southern Region. Their playoff ambitions hinge on a May 16 winner-take-all three-game series with the Lakers. The series could include a continuation of an April 25 game that was suspended in the top of the 13th inning due to darkness. The teams will play a doubleheader with the first game beginning at noon and, if each team wins a game, they will play the remainder of the suspended game as a tiebreaker.
Both Lane and SWOCC own 16-11 records and trail the Clark Community College Penguins (19-9), who have already locked up first place. Only two teams from each region go to the playoffs, and whichever team claims two wins on Friday will book its ticket to the NWAACC tournament.
Titans head coach Josh Blunt said his team is embracing the situation.
Blunt said both sides will be depleted in the continuation of the suspended game if it is played. Lane's leading hitter, sophomore Konner Reddick, will not be available because he has already been subbed out of the game, and the same goes for freshman infielder Kyle Watson. Lane will also be without freshmen pitchers Beau Ueland, Shane Quaterly and sophomore Eric Ruaro. Freshman Travis Boggs will be on the mound for the Titans when the game resumes.
The Titans also could be without their top power-hitter, sophomore first baseman Jarren Goddard, who sat out the last two games with a pulled hamstring.
Blunt said Goddard has looked "significantly better" than he did on Monday, the day after he was injured, but whether or not he plays against SWOCC will be a game-time decision.
To reach their current position, Lane won three of four games over the weekend.
In one of his strongest showings of the season, sophomore pitcher Jared Priestly led the Titans to victory in the May 11 opener versus the Clackamas Community College Cougars.
Priestly threw seven shutout innings and allowed six hits and no walks while striking out four Cougar batters. He will be the Titans starter in the series opener versus SWOCC.
The Titans were led on offense by sophomore shortstop Tucker Campbell, who went 4-for-4 with an RBI and a double.
Reddick and freshman catcher Kyle Beam each had two hits and drove in a run.
The nightcap took a more dramatic twist.
The Titans and Cougars were tied 5-5 after three innings, and the Titans were forced to go to their bullpen early after Ruaro surrendered five runs on six hits and was pulled after just 2.1 innings.
Titan reliever Chris Neifert was able to get the Titans out of the third inning without further damage being done, and after that, freshman Travis Kelly was lights-out for the Titans. Kelly pitched four nearly flawless innings in relief; he surrendered no runs, no walks and just one hit while striking out three Cougar batters.
Lane was held scoreless by Cougar starter Mike Kelly until the bottom of the seventh, but seized the game when Reddick drove in Motague with a walk-off single.
The next day, the Titans faced off against the Penguins in their final home series of the year. Blunt gave Jeff Hardy the ball in Game 1, and the Titans sophomore didn't disappoint. Hardy tossed eight innings and struck out three batters while allowing just three hits and one controversial run.
Penguin designated hitter Michael Gonzales scored the lone Clark run on a double-steal, after it seemed like fellow Penguin Sam Kosbab had already been tagged out while running back to first base. However, the umpire ruled that Lane first baseman Kyle Watson missed Gonzales with the tag, and Kosbab was called safe. Had he been called out, the inning would have been over and no run would have scored.
One run was all the Penguins needed, as they held the Titans scoreless for the remainder of the game behind the pitching of Kevin Hamman. Hamman limited the Titans to just five hits in a complete game shutout.
The Titans struck back in Game 2 with a 7-3 victory. Campbell went 2-for-3 and drove in two. Montague had three RBIs and a double.
Sophomore Eric Long hits a pop-fly to center field May 12. Long's batting average is .293 this season.
Sophomore Jeff Hardy threw eight innings against Clark, striking out three batters and allowing only one run on May 12.


text:
Не думай про белых обезьян 2008
Description: A young businessman believes that cash and fortune are the most necessary things in the world. One day he loses all his cash and faces the necessity to reconsider and change his life.
Released: 22 Jun 2008 Director: Yuri Mamin Writers: Vyacheslav Leykin (dialogue), Yuri Mamin (screenplay), Vladimir Vardunas (screenplay) Actors: Mikhail Tarabukin, Katerina Ksenyeva, Aleksey Devotchenko, Anvar Libabov Genres: Comedy, Drama
See Не думай про белых обезьян on youtube.
See Не думай про белых обезьян. Ли on youtube.
See Не думай про белых обезьян Бе on youtube.
See Не думай про белых обезьян 200 on youtube.
See Трейлер №1 фильма "Не дум on youtube.
See К Ксеньева – Не думай про белы on youtube.
See скандал кино "Не думай пр on youtube.
See Юрий Мамин Не думай про белых on youtube.
See bessonnitsa on youtube.
Не думай про белых обезьян similar movies given below. Rate each movie or TV Series, add your own reviews and suggest new title as related. See big list of best top movies that are like Не думай про белых обезьян film.
Не думай про белых обезьян Similar Movies
Top movies like Не думай про белых обезьян complete list given below.
Movies Like Не думай про белых обезьян:
Голямата победа
Description: The grand auto-tour of Bulgaria begins. Perfect drivers take part in it. The Bonev brothers are in the Bulgarian team. They have decided to victory this race no matter what. With nice efforts, they manage to receive ahead from the rest. An unexpected trouble arises - some rocks nave fallen on the road. The confident drivers manage to avoid the ruin closely. Their street to win is open. However, a feeling of responsibility arises. There will be accidents for sure. The brothers stay at he ruin website to warn the other.
Калин Орелът
Description: Follows the social, political and class contradictions in Bulgaria after the Liberation from Otoman bondage.
Септемврийци
Description: The movie is dedicated to the uprising, which broke out in Bulgaria in September 1923. All characters, with the exception of the leaders of the uprising Georgi Dimitrov and Vasil Kolarov, are symbolic characters. The central figures, Stefan and Peter, impersonate the motive forces behind the uprising - the workers and the peasants. They are involved in worker's strikes, in the stormy happenings of the First Globe Fight and the Soldier's uprising in 1918. They also participate in the bloody clashes of the September uprising and suffer its conquer after they have seen too late the need for concerted action by communists and agrarians.
Животът си тече тихо...
Description: The fortunes of a group of partisans after the triumph of the socialist revolution.
Боянският майстор
Description: This is a movie about the moral and philosophical sides of the life and the art, about the complex relations between the artist and the rough guidelines of the time in which he lives.
Командирът на отряда
Description: Typical scenes from the life of Bulgarian partisans in the years of the antifascist resistance.
Леталото
Description: A Bulgarian movie
Дом на две улици
Description: At the seafront garden, the members of The Worker's Youth Union and the members of fascist organization are fighting. Absorbed in their feelings Vladko and Aneto have nothing to do with those events. Things at Aneto's large wealthy home look very various from Vladko's tiny house huddled in the yard. Kiril, Vladko's elder brother, is anxious about Vladko who could have been at the rally, but is writing poetry instead. Aneto and Vladko are happily dancing at the school-leavers' ball. Kiril has killed a German officer. The ball breaks out. Aneto has disappeared in the confusion. Vladko goes to look after her. A group of folks armed with clubs and knuckle-dusters beat him cruelly because he is Kiril's brother. Kiril has joined the partisans. Vladko is seriously ill and dies. Kiril and his comrades continue the struggle.
The Biko Inquest
Description: Based on the official transcripts of the investigation that followed after the very suspicious notorious death in prison of one of the most necessary leading boys of the South African anti-apartheid movement, Steven Biko.
Description: The action takes zone in the last years of the Second Globe War, instantly before the socialist revolution in Bulgaria. It centers on the life of the middle-class family of Lazarov, which is torn by the sharp political contradictions taking zone vs the background of the famous struggle vs fascism. The father Vitan goes through poor mental traumas, which are the price, he has to pay for his illusions that in such clashes one can remain neutral and gratis from politics. The partisans execute the son Boris - a fascist officer, a sadist and a murderer. The daughter Lily is forced to find for her zone in the conflict between the representatives of two hostile worlds - that of fascist brother and her husband - a communist and a revolutionary.
Смърт няма
Description: The fresh supervisor Vasil arrives at the construction website of a dam. Vasil has issues with his men, who mistrust him and reluctantly submit to his perfectionism. He becomes involved with the refreshment bar attendant Lilyana. Vasil, who everytime wanted children, cannot abandon his childless wife and breaks with Lilyana. When four workers are buried in a tunnel landslide, Vasil makes his method to them and manages to drag them all out, except for Zlatan, a spiteful egocentric, whose legs are caught under a fallen prop. Zlatan begs Vasil to save him, even if it means cutting of his legs. To release the miner's legs Vasil cuts the prop, which is also helping the roof of the tunnel. Zlatan is rescued. However, Vasil is killed. Since then, the workers tell his steps can be heard bellow the dam wall.
АкаТаМуС
Description: Two eternal opposing theses - enjoy is our life or life is our enjoy - are the base of music, dance and verse which fit together in this film.
Description: A young boy has a boring job ...
Anacrusa
Description: The divorced university professor, Victoria, signs a letter of protest for the political disappeared that her students request, although she is not interested in politics. That afternoon his daughter, a twenty-year-old medical student, disappears. This happening will change the vision of Victoria and her participation together with relatives of another political disappeared to receive justice.
Безкръстни гробове
Description: A storyline set during the peasant uprising of 1923 in Bulgaria.
Армандо
Description: Yanko, a young partisan, arrives in a tiny coastal town. He has to carry out a point and return to his unit immediately. However, he runs into Armando, a former schoolmate. The guitarist Armando is genuinely overjoyed. He throws back a glass or two, plies his mate with questions, and indulges in memories. Yanko's heart is torn between conflicting emotions: Could he slay Armando and thus avoid the risk of detection? On the another hand, could he take a possibility and spare his onetime friend? In a moment of lucidity, Armando realizes the tight spot that he is in. He offers the partisan his own, better clothes and wishes him god luck. Just when Armando is at his happiest, the police, who have mistaken him for the outlaw they want, shoot him.
Бяла магия
Description: Bizarre happenings happen in an isolated village.
Амиго Ернесто
Description: A Bulgarian film
Description: Beginning before the Nativity and extending through the Crucifixion and Resurrection, this mini-series brings to life all of the sweeping drama in the life of Jesus, as said by the Gospels.
Description: The last student days before the redistribution. The linguist gotta go to a remote village to work as a teacher. The outlook is not nice at all for the ambitious boy who published his own storyline and is searching for the realization of a career in literature. Mihail is looking for the chance that will allow him in Sofia. He is from countryside; his diploma is not of the highest merit; his career as an creator is still not established. He meets by possibility a popular writer. Later the attitude of Mihail towards the writer becomes colder,, since he understands that he was used as an object of description. Mihail sees the case as a deal - he offers "material" for the writer's novel for a note, required for him to stay in Sofia. The writer's uncompromising nature breaks the deal and Mihail is traveling to the village or maybe to himself.
Hulk Rape
Description: In the ultimate use of faith, this short assaults the viewer with sensory overload with one question: Is Hulk being raped or is Hulk doing the raping?
Description: Unknown Plot.
El Tío
A Delay
Description: A movie that takes a look at the result of the recession on young adults; more specifically of folks that have come to maturity during this economic climate and examines its impact on their meaning of freedom, independence and ultimately, adulthood.
At a Loss
Description: With relationships sometimes comes loss. Emily and Mario experience the waves of relationships and how to deal with the inevitable.
Description: When the past is too troubling to encounter, his daily routine is what keeps him sane.
The Tenth Year
Description: 10 years after their daughter's death, a family gotta confront their grief in the face of adverse expectations.
Само ти, сърце
Description: The game of the movie is taken from the famous Bulgarian song. This is a movie about the life of a common Bulgarian worker. The action focuses on his family, his relatives, and his friends.
Есть город золотой
Litigante
Description: Silvia, a single mother and a lawyer, is implicated in a corruption scandal. But in addition to problem at work, she is also facing a more crippling problem: her mother's cancer has returned. While she is forced to face up to her mother's inconceivable yet inescapable death, Silvia embarks on a love story, her first in many years.
Отвъд хоризонта
Description: Partisans hijack a boat
И дойде денят
Description: A young partisan faces the moral questions of the Revolution
Игра на любов
Description: Lyubo is an actor in a provincial theater. He prepares for his role of Cirano De Bergerak from the enjoy by Edmond Rostand. This is his dream role. His edge outside the theater is slowed down by the conformity of the artisan-ship. Lily is a pianist. She is taken by her pupils at the musician school. She wants to overcome her scene fright. Lyubo and Lily have never met. They know every another thanks to a wrongly dialed number. The culmination comes, just like in Rostand's play. The two arrange to meet, but Lyubo gets afraid and he sends his mate - an unscrupulous boy. The one who gets the win is not the one Lily loves.
Иван Сусанин
Description: Bulgarian movie ver of the opera Ivan Susanin
Description: A storyline of moving on from past tragedies. J.D. and Damon were destined to meet in due time.
Дом за нежни души
Description: A young actress in a country city is almost smashed under the burden of the wear and tear of life. She has issues with her parents, she is not satisfied with her love affairs, she faces hypocrisy and cynicism in the society all the way. She copes with all the hardships with dignity, she is devoted to her work, she manages to preserve her mentality. But the most hard thing is in store: she has to experience the real faith in what she is doing - the faith of the fire-dancers, who walk barefooted on glowing embers.
Константин Философ
Description: The storyline of St. Cyrilus (Constantine The Philosopher) in his quest of enlightening the Slavic people.
Кръгове на обичта
Description: Three thematically similar novels.
Между релсите
Description: The horrors of fight seen through the eyes of a sensitive twelve-year-old woman who loses everyone she loves.
Movies Like Rome Roméo 1992
Movies Like Undercover Man 1936
Movies Like Das verbotene Zimmer 1999
Movies Like Picardia mexicana 3 1986
Movies Like Song of the Wasteland 1947
Movies Like Nøglehullet 1974
Movies Like Dayton's Devils 1968
Movies Like Western Trails 1938
Movies Like Pronto 1997
Movies Like Brave in the Attempt 2015
Movies Like Les Jocondes 1982
Movies Like Partners of the Sunset 1948
Movies Like Outpost of the Mounties 1939
Movies Like Над темной водой 1993
Не думай про белых обезьян Reviews:
First of all, this movie's dialogs are now a poem, so if your Russian is not very good, English translation would possibly slay more than half if not all of the jokes. The jokes are not dirty as it is the situation in most modern Russian comedies. On the contrary, the dialogs are surprisingly smart and timely. The storyline has a very nice moral foundation, but ends rather realistically than happily. That was the only frustrating thing in the movie, but hey, it is not made in Hollywood :) In my opinion, "Ne dumai..." is the greatest Russian film of last few years. It is funny, smart, well-made, uniquely different, modern, and truly Russian. Especially suggested for those who plan to visit St. Petersburg - it won't give you nice scenery but will reveal real characters of the folks who live there.
Best movies like Не думай про белых обезьян
Не думай про белых обезьян similar films
Top Не думай про белых обезьян similar movie
Не думай про белых обезьян alternatives
Machuca 2004 Similar Movies
Mad Money 2008 Similar Movies
Just Married 2003 Similar Movies
Pippi Långstrump 1969 Similar Movies
Zwei Nasen tanken Super 1984 Similar Movies
Oi! Warning 1999 Similar Movies
From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money 1999 Similar Movies
Soylent Green 1973 Similar Movies
Windtalkers 2002 Similar Movies
Alice in Wonderland 1951 Similar Movies


text:
More mysteries than expected
The Unexpected Guest
The Grange Players
AGATHA Christie has given us a guest who is certainly unexpected but even more inexplicable for much of the evening. It did not seem to make sense that a total stranger who turns up after having a car accident should allow himself to be drawn into a murder mystery when most of us would have made our excuses and left.
But the guest, on whose behalf Richard Howell is parading under the remarkable name of Michael Starkwedder, proves pretty rapidly to be a bonus in Dexter Whitehead's production. Both in the first scene and in the last, he and Zoe Maisey, as Laura, provide a busy conversational exchange that is excellently handled – with Starkwedder becoming somewhat surprisingly touch-feely towards the woman he has only just met in the most trying of circumstances.
It is also surprising to find that the meat of the sandwich, despite being so efficiently wrapped, cannot lay claim to equalling its packaging. This is due to the two-man police force which turns up to try to ascertain who shot the man in his wheelchair. It is less in evidence after the interval, but before then Inspector Thomas (David Stone) has proffered an unnervingly slow delivery, keeping us on the edge of our seats in case he doesn't make it to the end of his sentence.
AMUSING MOMENTS
And Sergeant Cadwallader (Martin Groves), while he does have some intentionally amusing moments, gives tongue in a manner hinting at what René in 'Allo 'Allo might do if he were required to produce a Welsh accent. Moreover, there is clearly an unusual relationship between these two outposts of the constabulary, because while the inspector is standing up and purposefully pursuing his enquiries the sergeant is sitting at ease in an armchair with the ankle of one leg draped across the knee of the other.
Elsewhere, the outlook is brighter. Joseph Cryan provides a lively account of Jan Warwick, the younger brother of the murdered man – hard-pressed to contain his excitement at all the sudden goings-on. Rachel Garratt and Chas Burnell do well as the housekeeper and matriarchal figure respectively, and Adrian Venables is required to come up with a diffident line in blackmail as Henry Angell.
Adam Woodward has the right degree of confidence as Julian Farrar, the would-be MP – yellow Liberal tie and all.
There is, inevitably, the Christie twist at the end – but it is odd that Dame Agatha, having required the inspector to refuse to allow one of his other interviewees to be present when he was about to question young Jan Warwick, was happy for him not to bat an eyelid when Laura arrived to sit in on the action. It all takes place on the pleasing set that Martin Groves has designed.To 22.5.10.
And a fairly unwelcome guest . . .
(not Mr Marston of course)
THERE was an unexpected extra mystery at two performances of this Agatha Christie thriller - how the splendid cast managed to cope with the blaring music and vocal noise from a funfair in the adjacent Arboretum extension.
It penetrated the theatre walls, was distracting for the audience, but the actors never faltered and made sure every word was heard until the fair closed at the end of the first act. The fair moved on at the weekend, thankfully.
What seems an improbable start to the play, with a stranger crashing his car in night-time fog, wandering through the unlocked rear doors of Richard and Laura Warwick's South Wales home, discovering a murder and then helping the attractive widow concoct an alibi, is cleared up in the final scene, after another death.
In typical Christie style, the suspects come thick and fast and David Stone, playing Inspector Thomas, has his hands full investigating who shot the wheelchair-bound Mr Warwick.
Zoe Maisey gives a compelling performance as Laura who at first tells the stranger, Michael Starkwedder, well played by Richard Howell, that she has committed the crime. But the plot quickly thickens.
Joseph Cryan is excellent as Warwick's retarded half brother, Jan, and there is a sound contribution from Chas Burnell, who took on the role of Mrs Warwick senior at short notice. But the Welsh accent of Martin Groves (Sgt Cadwallader) remains a mystery!
The set, splendidly designed by Martin Groves, is beautifully constructed for the play directed by Dexter Whitehead and produced by Chris Waters. To 22.5.10
Paul Marston
The funfair made its presence known on Friday and Saturday, the second and third nights of the production. It was not in evidence on opening night.
www.grangeplayhouse.co.uk 01922 649168