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metabolic syndrome
I often talk about sugar, and how it increases the risk of fatty liver and cirrhosis.  Juice enables fruit sugar rapid absorption, and can lead to obesity and the metabolic syndrome, particularly if started young. You may consider this article in the NY Times.

About Us

For 30 over years, WGA has been providing high quality GI care to our community.

We are board certified Physicians and our clinical team includes Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants, allowing us to offer comprehensive disease management and state-of-the-art procedures.


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Brody: The symbolism of spirit houses

Published 10:02 am Tuesday, August 21, 2018

Ever heard of a spirit house? I don’t mean a real house with real spirits. I mean a little home for weary travelers on the journey of life to rest a bit, to lay a heavy head down and close eyes that have seen enough.

I used to have one. It was a gift from two friends who made it about the size of a shoe box but taller because of a top dome. I kept it by itself on a simple table in my foyer.

It was yellow and pale blue and decorated with seashells. The front door and two side windows were wide open. One could almost feel the gentle breeze entering, soothing tired furrowed brows.

Spirit houses began in Thailand as part of Buddhism. They are much bigger, and I read that today, they’re commonly used in their worship.

The guardian of the house is the spirit that watches over and protects the home and all in it. This idea of feeling safe appeals to me.

First of all, what does spiritual mean?

One definition is, “Concerned with or affecting the soul,” and “spiritus,” which means breath of God.

The definition I like best is, “The immaterial part of man.”

I kept searching to find out why this idea of a spirit house touched me. I found a quote from Nicolas Chemsort, “To enjoy and make others enjoy without doing ill to anyone, this is the foundation of all morality.”

Oh, how I believe this. Every time I looked at my Spirit House it filled me with sweet promise. Surely there will be peace as we all travel this journey.

And life is a journey we all take together. I believe God has promised never to leave us in darkness and loss.

But I am human and weak for the years of having a little Spirit House, front door and two side windows wide open and welcoming, reassured me life really is eternal and there will be safe little houses all across my path and yours.

I know God could never be contained in a shoe box. The Spirit House is an outward symbol for me of universal love — doors and windows open wide and peace within.

The view from the mountain is wondrous.

Jean Brody is a passionate animal lover and mother. She previously lived in Winchester, but now resides in Littleton, Colorado. Her column has appeared in the Sun for more than 25 years.

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#WVD Public Roadmap updated

We have posted new items on the #WVD Public roadmap. The big changes are around #WindowsVirtualDesktop latency improvements in/near France, Germany, Norway, UK, Korea and South Africa, United Arabic Emirates.  Go to https://aka.ms/wvdroadmap  for the features coming. Recommend to set-up an RSS feed which is the most reliable way not to miss updates of state changes or new features added that you can share with your customers.

via Microsoft 365 Roadmap | Microsoft 365

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Fortum has acquired a 75MW windfarm project from the Swedish wind power developer Arise AB group.

The Solberg site is fully-permitted and construction-ready. It is located in Västernorrland County in northern Sweden. Arise will deliver construction management services to the project.  Construction is subject to Fortum's final investment decision. Fortum will not disclose the value of the arrangement.

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New Wines of Greece: Exploring Crete’s Native Varietals

By Marisa D'Vari

Quick! Think of one of the oldest wine regions in the world! Many of you might say Burgundy or Bordeaux, yet the wines of Crete are over 4000 years old. The Roman Empire treasured these wines for good reason: wines of Crete offer incredible variety and styles to suit any type of cuisine. What’s more, they (today, at least) are affordable, so you need not be a King to afford them.

At today’s tasting with wine communicator Joe Roberts a select group experienced a unique tasting of three white wines, two reds, and one sweet dessert wine from native varietals. The key take-away points are that the whites overall are quite mineral with excellent acidity and fruit that runs a range of spectrums from nuances of peach flavors to the floral notes of the Crete take of a Muscat. The reds were characterized by an enticing milk chocolate/cherry character and good concentration of fruit. And the sweet wines, typically made from grapes dried in the sun, were an incredible (and affordable) experience that could ‘end’ any meal, yet could also be paired with foie gras at the start.

Alexandra Manousakis, pictured above, grew up in Washington DC yet her family produces wine on the island. She makes a fabulous Rhone blend (syrah, grenache, mouvedre) that is very new world, the result of a consultant that advised her father twenty years ago.

Fabulous tasting with some very good “new” ‘old world’ wines!

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Naples Women’s March sees over 2,000 in attendance

Women in Southwest Florida stood together strong for women’s rights this weekend. They led one among thousands of marches that happened this morning across the country. Here, thousands of women gathered to make sure their voices are heard.

People across the nation walked in the fourth annual Women’s March to commemorate women’s rights Saturday.

“It makes you feel like you’re not alone, and there’s other people that care about the same things,” said Laurah Jean, an award recipient.

Over 2,000 people gathered in downtown Naples, using their signs and their voices, to celebrate how far women have come in society and acknowledged how much more can be done to reach equality.

“I just think it empowers you to do more,”” marcher Eliany Pino said. “And it encourages you to spread to how many other people you can do that change can be made.”

Women we spoke to shared their reasons why events like the women’s march are important for today’s generations.

“There is no guarantee that my daughters and my granddaughters are going to enjoy the types of rights even I enjoyed a while back,” Suzanne Cherney, the organizer and co- founder of the SWFL Justice 4 All Coalition.

Other participants said days like today go beyond one purpose.

“Today is not only a day to support women, but it’s a day to support equal justice for everybody,” marcher Frank King said.

The march was organized by several Collier County nonprofit organizations — all with the same mission in mind to have an inclusive celebration of women’s rights and to register people to vote. A women’s march was also organized and hosted in Fort Myers Saturday.

“If we really believe in one person, one vote, we have to do a much better job at taking obstacles away that seem trivial to some but are really real to others,” Cherney said.

The celebration also included an awards ceremony recognizing several influential women in the community.

“This is important work. Gotta get the word out. Gotta get the vote out,” marcher Shelly King said. “Gotta get women out to represent their own interest.”

Reporter:Breana Ross
Writer:Jack Lowenstein
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Winston Law PA

Is my criminal record permanent? In what situations can I have it sealed or Expunged?

Is my criminal record permanent?  In what situations can I have it sealed or Expunged?

As a criminal defense attorney, I am asked on a daily basis by both current and prospective
clients if their criminal records are permanent and if I can help them seal or expunge their records.  In many cases, I can help.

Criminal records can be accessed during background checks by law enforcement, employers, schools, banks, landlords and in many other situations. Even an arrest with no charges being filed can result in an application being denied. If you qualify to seal or expunge your record, Winston Law, P.A. can help you through the process to make sure you meet all the requirements.

First let’s talk about expunging.  If a criminal record is expunged, that means it is essentially erased or destroyed.  If your record has been expunged you do not have to answer ‘yes” if an application asks you if you have ever been arrested.  Because the criminal record is essentially erased, only a handful of government agencies will be able to see the record.  Expunging is preferable to most clients, however, there are very specific instances when a record can be expunged.

According to Florida Statute § 943.0585, the person requesting a record expunction, must have never been adjudicated guilty. never been adjudicated guilty of any act stemming from the arrest pertaining to this request, never received a record expunction or seal before, and to their best knowledge or belief does not have any other petitions before the court.

If you do not qualify for expunging your record, you may qualify to seal your record.  When a record is sealed it is still maintained but access to it is only allowed by a few agencies, such as law
enforcement, the military, and governmental agencies.  Most employers, banks and landlords will not have access to a sealed criminal record.

According to Florida Statute 943.059. the person wanting their record Sealed must have never been adjudicated guilty, never been adjudicated guilty of acts stemming from this arrest, must have never had a previous record seal or expunction, and based upon the person’s knowledge or belief’s is eligible
and does not have another petition before the court.  In addition to these qualifications, there
are some crimes, even if adjudication is withheld that cannot be sealed.  These crimes are outlined in Florida Statute 907.041 and are as follows:

  1. Arson;
  2. Aggravated assault;
  3. Aggravated battery;
  4. Illegal use of explosives;
  5. Child abuse or aggravated child abuse;
  6. Abuse of an elderly person or disabled adult, or aggravated abuse of an elderly person or
    disabled adult;
  7. Aircraft piracy;
  8. Kidnapping;
  9. Homicide;
  10. Manslaughter;
  11. Sexual battery;
  12. Robbery;
  13. Carjacking;
  14. Lewd, lascivious, or indecent assault or act upon or in presence of a child under the age of 16
  15. Sexual activity with a child, who is 12 years of age or older but less than 18 years of age, by
    or at solicitation of person in familial or custodial authority;
  16. Burglary of a dwelling;
  17. Stalking and aggravated stalking;
  18. Act of domestic violence as defined in s. 741.28;
  19. Home invasion robbery;
  20. Act of terrorism as defined in s. 775.30;
  21. Manufacturing any substances in violation of chapter 893; and
  22. Attempting or conspiring to commit any such crime.

If you are interested in sealing or expunging your record a skilled criminal defense attorney can evaluate your record and determine whether you qualify under Florida Statute.  If you have been charged with a crime and are worried that you may have a permanent criminal record, a skilled defense attorney can fight for a positive outcome in your case that will allow you to later seal or expunge your record.

For more information please contact Winston Law, P.A. at (561) 670-9375 or


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NEW for 2021 : 1879 to 1886 Facsimiles

**GIFTS** - Sets

DD Club Info  - Join our Wisden Club today

90% Wisdens arrive next day. Site Open as Normal.

 New Wisden Stock  - The Nightwatchman

Wisden Almanack Auction Website
Welcome fellow Wisden Collectors to WISDENAUCTION.COM, Sponsored by (18M Banners shown)
1896 - 1919 > Rebound - Other > Minus Covers
1900 Wisden Rebind - Perfect for Strategy1 Collectors.
Listing # 421646
Bidder or Seller? Sign in for your status.
Listing Format: Fixed Price
Price per item: Buy Now for £68.00
Shipping Cost: £4.90
Quantity: 1
Closes: 2 Days, 20 Hours +
Location: UK
Started : 08/10/2021 12:52:51
Ends: 28/10/2021 12:52:51
Seller: CAT12 (3751)
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       (view comments)
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Watch this item!
Click on a picture to enlarge or download file.
Wisden Year: 1900
Rebound With?: No Covers - No Adverts
Trimmed: Slightly but no text missing
Foxing: Very Little
Any Repairs?: No
Overall Condition: 6
Tick if No Reserve:
Stock Number: B448

This lot is an 1900 Original Wisden , Rebound in OK to Good condition.

Rebound without covers or adverts.

It is bound in old greenish boards, with gilt to the spine, the binding is quite old and the book has a general read fell to it but still serves its purpose as tightly bound , clean enough pages just has been well loved.  Perfect for strategy 1 collectors

Strategy 1 being the grab any year strategy irrespective of content and condition but at the right price. This being a rebind at a great price makes it fit that perfectly. It would also make a great gift.

Please ask any questions.

Please see the large pictures. More available on request.

More Photos on request.

Payment: Card or Cheque or BACS or Paypal

Postage: £4.90 which covers first recorded delivery & Jiffy Bag.

Happy Collecting!

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Italy requires COVID-19 pass for all workers from Oct. 15

FILE – In this Monday, Sept. 13, 2021 file photo, a teacher, left, has her so-called “Green Pass” checked by a school worker as she arrives at the “Isacco Newton” high school, in Rome. Italian workers in both the public and private sectors will be obligated to provide a health pass to access the workplace from Oct. 15 under a decree passed Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021 by Premier Mario Draghi’s broad-based coalition government. The measures are the first by a major European economy requiring proof of vaccination, a negative result on a recent virus test or having recovered from COVID in the last six months to access places of work. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, File)

MILAN (AP) — Italian workers in both the public and private sectors must display a health pass to access their workplaces from Oct. 15 under a decree adopted Thursday by Premier Mario Draghi’s broad-based coalition government.

The measures are the first by a major European economy requiring proof of vaccination, a recent negative virus test or recovery from COVID in the previous six months for all categories of workers.

“The Green Pass is an instrument of freedom, that will help us make workplaces safer,” Health Minister Roberto Speranza told a press conference. ”The second reason is to reinforce our vaccine campaign.”

Slovenia and Greece adopted similar measures this week. But Italy’s 2-trillion-euro ($2.35 trillion) economy, the third largest in the European Union, is a far larger target, and the measure underscores the government’s determination to avoid another lockdown even as the numbers of new virus infections creeps up, mostly among the unvaccinated.

Ministers said the measures were aimed at reinforcing Italy’s economic recovery, with GDP forecast to grow 6% this year, at a critical moment in the pandemic as schools reopen and cooler fall weather moves more activities indoors, where the virus spreads more easily. They also expressed concern about the impact of any possible new variants.

Workers face fines up to 1,500 euros ($1,765) and employers up to 1,000 euros if they do not comply. Public sector employees risk suspension if they rack up five absences for failure to show up with a Green Pass; private sector workers can be suspended after the first failure. The measures remain in effect as long as Italy is in a state of emergency, currently until Dec. 31.

Labor Minister Andrea Orlando said that no one risked being fired if they didn’t present a Green Pass, and the public administration minister, Renato Brunetta, acknowledged that checks in some workplaces would have to be random.

“It is very likely that the effect of the announcement will already bring in the next four weeks an acceleration in Green Passes, yes, but also of vaccinations,” Brunetta said. ”The result could already be achieved, or partially achieved, or perhaps — optimistically — exceeded, before the decree even takes effect.”

Unions and right-wing parties lobbied unsuccessfully for COVID tests to be provided free of charge to workers. The price will be set at 15 euros for adults, and 8 euros for anyone under 18.

Italy surpassed the threshold of 80% of the eligible population having received at least one dose of the vaccine this month, with more than 81.7 million vaccine doses administered through Thursday. Three-quarters of the population, or 40.5 million people, are fully vaccinated.

While the Green Pass was supported by parties across the political spectrum, critics have signaled concerns about a gradual and ongoing erosion of civil liberties during the pandemic. Court challenges are likely, as the right to work is enshrined in Italy’s constitution.

Legal expert Vitalba Azzollini, a fellow at the Bruno Leoni Institute think tank, said the measures lack the necessary transparency to evaluate if they are proportionate to the situation, without specific goals for adequate vaccination coverage, or guidelines on exactly how often the Green Passes need to be checked.

In addition, she noted, such decrees are supposed to be for emergency situations but this one had been approved a full month before implementation.

“The Green Pass is not a nudge to get vaccinated, it is a not-so-gentle push,″ she said.

Italy was the first country in the West to be hit by local transmission of the virus in February 2020, and the government took the extraordinary measure of closing all non-essential manufacturing for seven weeks as part of a draconian lockdown.

The Green Pass requirement covers 14.7 million private sector workers and 3.2 million in state-supported jobs.

Until now, only medical personnel have been obliged to be vaccinated, while the Green Pass mandate was in place only for school employees. Green Passes also are necessary for indoor leisure activities, such as dining, theater-going or museum visits, and for long-distance domestic travel.

Azzollini also underlined the difficulty in enforcing the Green Pass rules. She noted that even though medical personnel have been subject to an obligation to be vaccinated since April, only a handful have been suspended.

Elena Becatoros in Athens and Dusan Stojanovic in Belgrade contributed.

Follow all of AP’s pandemic coverage at

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Support for 90.7 WMFE is provided by

New Fence At Pulse To Feature Works By Local Artists

Pulse. Photo by Amy Green

The fence around the Pulse nightclub will be replaced.

The new fence will feature a screen commemorating the 49 people killed and more than 50 injured at the club during the worst mass shooting in modern American history.

Right now there’s a chain-link fence surrounding the nightclub where mourners have hung banners, flags and flowers.

The new fence will have a screen displaying works by local artists. The fence also will be smaller, offering more sidewalk space in front of the club. Street barricades will be removed.

Orange County Regional History Center employees will remove most of the memorial items from the site before the fence is installed.

More than 3,500 tribute items have been collected since the June 12 massacre from in front of the nightclub and at sites across the city. They will be cataloged and preserved at the history center.

Flowers also will be removed from Pulse and turned into soil to be used in city gardens.

The new fence will be installed Monday.

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Stay tuned in to our local news coverage: Listen to 90.7 WMFE on your FM or HD radio, the WMFE mobile app or your smart speaker — say “Alexa, play NPR” and you’ll be connected.

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Amy Green

About Amy Green

Reporter and Producer

Amy Green covers the environment and climate change at WMFE News. She is an award-winning journalist and author whose extensive reporting on the Everglades is featured in the book MOVING WATER, published by Johns Hopkins University Press, and podcast DRAINED, available wherever you get your podcasts. Amy’s ... Read Full Bio »


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CNC Machinists in Tonawanda, NY

Keller Technology Posted: 2021-09-27

Tonawanda, NY 14150

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Keller Technology Corporation (KTC) is a global supplier of manufacturing and engineering services, with facilities located in Buffalo, New York, and Charlotte, North Carolina. We specialize in four areas including custom machinery, precision fabrication, automated systems for medical device manufacturing, and contract manufacturing. Keller delivers sophisticated manufacturing solutions for many industries including Engineered Materials, Semiconductors, Robotics, Chemicals, Medical and Life Science, Energy Research, and Industrial Technologies.

We are currently seeking to fill the following positions for our Buffalo location.

CNC Machinists:
We are looking for a highly motivated, well organized, team player with a positive attitude and strong work ethic. High degree of ownership, and desire to make those around you better.

Responsibilities and Duties
1. Operate & set-up on 2nd shift; 5-axis machining center, CNC Vertical & Horizontal Boring mills (s) in cellular configuration.
2. Machine shop math, blueprint reading, set-up and tool selection, value added mindset.
3. Participate in lean, continuous improvement and six-sigma work teams.
4. Participate in meetings, practice, and promote job safety.

Qualifications and Skills:
• Must be an ambitious team player with a positive attitude, strong work ethic who is willing to learn and grow within our organization.
• Must be forward thinking with good problem-solving skills, excellent drive with a high desire to succeed.
• High degree of ownership and willingness to learn.
• Operate CNC Vertical & Horizontal Boring mills, experience w/ Fanuc control is preferred.
• Operate 5 axis Machining Centers, experience w/Heidenhain control is preferred.

Experience: Minimum 3 years’ experience.
Education: High School Diploma or GED, Trade School degree or certificate preferred.

To learn more about KTC, visit below link.

KTC is an Equal Opportunity Employer and strong advocate of workforce diversity. Race/Color/Gender/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity/Religion/National Origin/Disability/Veteran

Apply on Company Site ← Back

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Photo of the Month – August

Hi Folks:

August was a pretty quiet month for us, photographically at least. However, we did have a couple of interesting images to make. Marcia’s first:

One day while we were down at the Inner Harbour, we spotted this yacht in port. She looks to be a converted fishing trawler, beautifully done up! We took three of Marcia’s images and combined them into one triptych.

Happy Faces

Happy Faces!!

About a week later when Mike went to the grocery store he encountered this group, all with the most beautiful, happy faces! It was too good to pass by without making an image!

Okay, that’s it. Now go out and make some photographs!!

Photo of the Month – May

Hi Folks:

We didn’t do a lot of shooting in May, but that can make it more difficult to choose one image from the selects that you have! Decided on this image from Marcia because it profiles one of Crystal Przybille’s ‘The Hands of Time‘ sculptures, commemorating Victoria’s 150th Anniversary in 2012. You can read more about the project here, and you can find a .pdf map of the locations of all 12 of the sculptures here.

The Hands of Time - Holding a Mirror

The Hands of Time – Holding a Mirror

Okay, that’s it! Now go out and make some photographs!

2014: The Year of Hugging Exuberantly

Hi Folks:

Well, this is our fifth year of hugging Victorians (and others); mid-July and we’ve already had six free hugs sessions this year!

Marcia's Hugging Stance

Basic Hugging Attire – Poster, Sun Hat, Winning Smile…!

Continue Reading →

Happy Birthday, Canada!

Hi Folks:

While we may not always be very vocal about it (typically Canadian), us up here in the Great White North are proud to be Canadian, and that’s never more evident than it is today – Canada Day.

When we were downtown yesterday there was someone from the local news channel who was asking people whether (as with this year) Canada Day should be celebrated on July 1, or whether it should be celebrated on say the Monday of that week (like Easter Monday, for example) to allow for a long weekend. While there are some celebrations that are based on a certain day of the week (for example, Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox), July 1, 1867 marked the signing of the British North America Act that made Canada into a country. We’ll keep our date, thanks – quietly, but proudly! Continue Reading →

Photo of the Month – October

Hi Folks:

End of the month again, and while Hallowe’en is tomorrow, I’m not going to post pictures of zombies, ghouls, ghosts or other Hallowe’en characters.Â  I thought I’d mention something else entirely: serendipity.Â  Roughly defined as a ‘happy accident’, serendipity from a photographer’s perspective often comes about from having a camera at just the right moment, to capture something you might otherwise have missed.Â  Most of my photography is landscape work, and while I do go out on photographic expeditions, I usually have a camera with me wherever I go – even if it’s just the camera in my cell phone. Continue Reading →

Photo of the Month: Thunderhead

Hi Folks:

October 4th already and I just realized this morning that I didn’t do a ‘Photo of the Month’ post for September.Â  Yeesh!Â  So, in the ‘better late than never‘ category…

September’s image wasn’t very hard to choose.Â  I wish I could take credit for the clouds, but someone else gets that honour.Â  It was one of those ‘grab shot’ images; I was downtown and walking along the Inner Harbour and the clouds were just amazing.Â  I made several series of images for panoramas, but this one was the best in my opinion.Â  I use Autopano Pro to combine my images into panoramas and process everything in Lightroom.Â  If anyone’s interested, this image was converted to B&W in Lightroom, and then ‘coloured’ using the split-tone settings of:

Hue: 41
Saturation: 23

Balance: +100

Hue: 0
Saturation: 0

It’s a sepia effect that I like.

Here’s the image:

Okay, now go out and make some photographs!

P.S.Â  I entered this image in the recent ‘Tip Squirrel Lightroom Competition‘.Â  If you want to see the original (before) image and Lightroom-processed (after) image together, you can do so here.

P.S. II, the Sequel: You can find more of our posts on photography and Lightroom tutorials here, and you can find links to over 200 other sites that have Lightroom tips, tutorials and videos here.


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Pink regrets not 'reaching out' to Britney Spears - after watching the star's documentary

The pop icons were both at the height of their fame in the early noughties

(Image credit: getty)

They were both megastars in the early noughties and now Pink has spoken out about her friendship with Britney Spears' - and how she wishes she'd 'reached out' to the star.

Pink is of course referring to the Britney Spears documentary which showed how the Toxic singer was constantly bullied by the press and led to her mental health struggles - finally resulting in her father applying for a conservatorship over the singer which, to this day, remains.

Talking to Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live, this week, Pink said she ‘felt bad’ when she learnt how the press treated Britney and wishes she had ‘reached out to her and given her a hug'.

A post shared by P!NK (@pink)

A photo posted by on

Talking about the singer Pink said: “I felt sad that back then, I didn’t know (about her situation) I don’t like feeling helpless or powerless and I can only imagine how she feels.

“She could’ve used some support. The media torn her apart, the paparazzi are scum. I wish I could’ve reached out and given her a hug.”

Pink, who started her career in 2000, and had her first big hit Like a Pill in 2002, when Britney was also at the height of her fame, also went on to say how she had watched the documentary and loved Britney: “All I know is she’s incredibly sweet and I want her to be happy.”

Read more from woman&home:

• Best pillow for a comfortable, pain-free night’s sleep
• Best scented candles for a warm and cozy home this winter
• Best eReaders for literary lovers to buy now - from Kindles to Kobo devices

The documentary Framing Britney Spears aired in January and shed light on the long-running conservatorship the singer has been part of since 2007 - that restricts her medical and financial freedom.

Pink, who is currently promoting her new Amazon documentary went on to say about the Baby One More Time singer:  "None of us knows what’s going on and we’re not there, (but) I would like to, I think we all would like to, and we feel this fierce protectiveness for good reason, [because] she’s a sweetheart."

According to Variety, Britney is set to appear in court on June 23 to discuss her 13-year-long conservatorship. Samuel Ingham, the probate attorney who is appointed to represent the musician, allegedly asked to set a date on an expedited basis, although specifics have yet to be revealed. Motions and accounting issues are set to be discussed on July 14, Variety further reports.

Sarah Finley
Sarah Finley

Sarah is a freelance writer - writing across titles including Woman & Home, Fit & Well, Tech Radar and the BBC. Covering a variety of subjects, including the royals, celebrities and trends in beauty, fashion and wellness - her biggest passions are travel and fitness. She can normally be found trying out the latest fitness class or on a plane to an exotic destination (pandemic allowing) - or writing about either of them.


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Red Snapper Veracruz

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Cal/Serv: 260
Yields: 6
Prep Time: 0 hours 10 mins
Total Time: 0 hours 30 mins
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 c. chopped onion
3 1/2 c. chopped ripe plum tomatoes
1/4 c. pimiento-stuffed green olives
3 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 large fresh jalapeño pepper
1 tbsp. minced garlic
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. Pepper
6 red snapper fillets
c. chopped cilantro
cilantro sprigs
  1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook 5 minutes or until translucent. Add remaining Sauce ingredients. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered 10 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile heat broiler. Place snapper on jelly-roll pan. Broil 3 inches from heat source, without turning, 5 to 8 minutes until fish is just barely opaque when pierced in thickest part.
  3. Stir chopped cilantro into sauce and spoon on serving platter. Place fish on top and garnish with cilantro sprigs.
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Cocktail hour.

[contextly_sidebar id="VQxairl207vVliUs5TGcB3hZla6aBu7T"]Suspected pee enthusiast and Fox News shouty mad face Todd Starnes is having a confuse! You see, the other day Donald Trump talked Jesus words to the virginal students of Liberty University, and he Bibled wrong, because he said "TWO Corinthians" instead of "Second Corinthians," which is crazy, because a man with such a deep relationship with the little Jesus crackers they serve at communion should KNOW how to say Bible, don't you think?

To explain why he screwed up so bad, Trump said his mom was a Scottish, and that's how they say Bible, and besides, Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council wrote that part of his speech, so fuck you.

Todd Starnes would like evangelical hat-o-raders to STFU and stop being mean about Trump's Bible Boner, because how is that even fair? From his Daily Bulletin on TUESDAY:

I'm a bit frustrated by Christian leaders of late, who are attacking Donald Trump. They also rebuked Liberty University for inviting him to speak to their students. And some of these leaders have gone so far as to say that Christians who support Mr. Trump have somehow gone astray! [...]

I'm not a Donald Trump supporter but this theological witch hunt is outrageous! And it's time for the modern day Pharisees to put down their stones and stop casting judgment.

[contextly_sidebar id="xiyyXgp2Hpl3tpuxOX2xb4jJWVQfrVwo"]Take that, you judgy-wudgy bears like Russell Moore, head of the Ethics and Liberty Commission at the Southern Baptist Church, who is on record calling Trump a dice-rolling, play-acting strumpet with ass herpes. (He said it more Baptist-y than that.)

According to Right Wing Watch, Starnes also said this on American Family Association radio on THURSDAY:

He ... told “AFA Today” that evangelical leaders want to subject Trump to “some sort of a theological trial in front of the Liberty University student body as if he had to confess all of his sins and transgressions.” “I really think that was sort of sad that it’s come to this in evangelical Christian circles,” he added.

[contextly_sidebar id="ZDLnBJITQ6ZWBO72wjt3O5i2jn112NmU"]Terrible, horrible, rude assholes. Can you even believe they are being like this to Donald Trump The Obvious Christian, whose favorite Bible verse is either too personal to share, or may not even be in the Bible?

But those mean people obviously aren't listening to Todd Starnes, because here's another mean hater tweeting about Trump being a fake Christian on Thursday, just after Starnes was on the radio telling them to cut it out, you guys:

What a mean fucking twat giblet, to insinuate Trump is so bad at Christianing he can't even pick a Bible verse for himself. It's almost like he is on a "theological witch hunt" and acting like a "modern day Pharisee." Todd Starnes would like to have a word with this "Todd Starnes" character!

The point is that Todd Starnes is a goddamned moron. Or maybe he got marching orders from Jesus or His son Ted Cruz that it's OK to piss all over Trump, and please do that some more, which Todd should enjoy since he is a suspected pee enthusiast.

[Right Wing Watch via JoeMyGod]

Evan Hurst

Evan Hurst is the managing editor of Wonkette, which means he is the boss of you, unless you are Rebecca, who is boss of him. His dog Lula is judging you right now.

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Shaping an MA: an interview with Julia Green

Eden Endfield
The Bath Spa MA in Writing for Young People has been a great success, with many distinctive published writers emerging over the last ten years: Sally Nicholls, Elen Caldecott, Marie-Louise Jensen, Gill Lewis, Sam Gayton, Sheila Rance, Emma Carroll, to name a few.
The course has helped to shape the landscape of emerging British writers for children's fiction from YA to picture book.

In an interview with course director Julia Green, Eden Endfield discusses Julia's role in shaping the course and asks her how she balances her writing with the demands of being a distinguished educator in the field of children's writing.

When and how did the MAWYP start, what were its aims, how was it tailored to be specific for children's writers?
The MA in Writing for Young People began in 2004. It was created as a ‘sister’ course to the well-established MA Creative Writing: we had five published children’s authors on the staff team, and we knew there was a lot of interest from students. We already had a strong undergraduate module in writing for young people.

There are some very specific considerations for writers for young people, and that’s what the new MA addressed: issues of audience, language register, emotional content, for example, and the responsibilities we have towards young readers. We designed a very practical, specialist course, and included a module about the children’s publishing industry. We had advisors from the industry as well as the academic world.

… four of our recent alumni are on the 2014 Branford Boase longlist for debut novelists.

The first intake was 8 enthusiastic students. This year we have 30 students, and four of our recent alumni are on the 2014 Branford Boase longlist for debut novelists. Tutors currently include Steve Voake and international award-winning Lucy Christopher; our professor is David Almond. Our strong team of tutors who are also published authors is key to the success of the course.

Rigorous, supportive workshops are at the heart of the MA, and students also benefit from 1: 1 support and advice from their manuscript supervisor. We stress the importance of reading as a writer. Visiting speakers (agents, editors, authors) provide further input. We update content annually.

How have you influenced the course?
I’ve been involved in everything, from the initial planning committee through all the subsequent developments. I brought in the two-year part-time option, seeing that this was an excellent method of study for people juggling work and family as well as writing.

We care about our students and work very hard to help them write the best book they can. Many stay in contact with us. We’ve created a ‘family’ of writers in Bath and beyond. Our involvement with the Bath Festival of Children’s Literature has consolidated that sense of a writing community.

What is teachable in writing? As one reviewer has said, you are well known for your ‘down to earth realistic teen fiction, which is both relatable and accessible.’ Do you encourage a broad church approach at Bath Spa?
You learn to write by writing; by thinking about writing, by sharing and talking about writing, and by reading. You need to play, and experiment and take risks. You need to have the rigour and discipline to do this every day, or at least as often as you can.

… what re-writing really means: re-visioning, a way of re-seeing your story.

You need to commit to it, and write even when you don’t feel like it. You need to be able to listen to constructive feedback, and to understand what re-writing really means: re-visioning, a way of re-seeing your story.

The MAWYP provides a structure, deadlines, support and advice so this process can happen. It’s not about us teaching a set of rules, and certainly NOT about one right way of doing things or one kind of story. Our students’ novels are as varied and different and original as they are.

What do you think is important to learn/goes into being a writer for children?
A writer for young people must have the capacity to see, feel and experience the world from the viewpoint of a child/teenager. They must be able to connect emotionally with their child-self. You can improve technically as a writer, but you need that sense of connection first and foremost.

It’s not ‘easier’ to write for young people; if anything, it’s more difficult. There’s no room for self-indulgence of a literary kind, or ego. We are all part of a bigger project: engaging young people with stories. The books we read as children stay with us for ever.

How do you balance your work as a writer with being an educator? How do you turn it to your advantage?
My teaching has helped me think about and reflect on my writing process and about how best to pass on the skills I’ve acquired the long way round. I read a lot of contemporary children’s fiction. The need to balance my teaching and writing life has made me use time more efficiently. I learn from my writing colleagues, but from students too – our discussions in workshop are exciting and challenging and keep me engaged.

We are all part of a bigger project: engaging young people with stories. The books we read as children stay with us for ever.

I enjoy all the social contact. I love encouraging the creativity of other people. The downside is that I’m often under pressure from both the writing/publishing and university worlds. I sometimes long for extended periods of quiet immersion in my new novel. But I’m proud of what I’ve written since my first novel (Blue Moon, 2003): seven novels for teenagers, three for younger children plus many short stories and books for the education market. Occasionally, my university has awarded me time for my research - I stayed on a Hebridean island to research This Northern Sky.

In your novels there is always a strong sense of the characters connecting with the landscape and a sense of the transformative power of landscape.  Can you talk about the importance of place in your work, the sense of wonder?

I write about all the things that I consider important: about growing up, friendships, family relationships, love, death, loss, change.

Places have always mattered to me, and are increasingly significant in my fiction. I want to share my love of wild places, and my sense that they are vital for our well-being. That’s one of the themes in This Northern Sky: Kate has to learn to love the island, and the experience changes her.

Some of the events in the novel are based on incidents that happened to me on my first visit to the Outer Hebrides in my early twenties; I returned to these amazing islands off the west coast of Scotland to write the novel, and learned more about the current threats and challenges to island life, as well as experiencing some of the extremes of the weather.

The sound of wind and waves wove their way into everything I wrote and changed the story. I walked and wrote every day I was there. I found out about the proposed huge wind farm (it has since been scrapped, I discovered recently. My characters would be happy about that).

I didn’t want to turn the novel into polemic: it’s not as simple as wind farms being good or bad. All these issues are addressed only in as far as they are seen/thought about by my characters. I believe young people do care about and think about the environment. I recently saw a quotation from Thoreau which resonated with me: “In wildness is the preservation of the world”.

Thank you Julia for giving us your insights into the course, your thoughts on writing, and telling us about your new book. Best of luck with all your future projects, whichever hat you are wearing!

Julia Green lives in Bath. She is a Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University, and Course Director for the specialist MA in Writing for Young People. She's written three novels for young adults, published by Puffin (Blue Moon, Baby Blue, Hunter's Heart) and four published by Bloomsbury (Breathing Underwater, Bringing the Summer, Drawing with Light and This Northern Sky) as well as novels and short stories for younger children.
Her next novel will be Seal Island (OUP, 2014). Julia will be teaching for the Arvon foundation in May: and for Ty Newydd in Wales, in April (Writing the Wild in Fiction for Young People).

Eden Endfield trained as an artist at the Slade, with paintings in the Nat West collection, the National Portrait Gallery and private collections. After the birth of her daughter she rediscovered children’s fiction, and decided to write a children’s story. She is currently editing her first completed novel, a psychological drama for 10+ with gothic elements set on the Jurassic coast, for a London agent. She is writing her second novel, a teen love story set in upstate New York, as part of the MA in Writing for Young People at Bath Spa University. She lives in London with her best supporters and harshest critics – her husband and 14 year old daughter.

  1. So much of that sounds familiar - that balance between the academic and the creative. I love that my day job is so involved with writing.

  2. Thanks, Julia and Eden, you've really capture the essence of the Bath Spa approach and the constructive, supportive environment that Julia champions and which works so well when applied in other critiquing forums, too.

  3. Very insightful interview - thank you Eden and Julia. You're so right about the books we read as children staying with as forever.

  4. Summarizer "knows" how to transfer words into concepts and determine relations between them without breaking the main idea of the whole text. See more manuscript edit

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What You Should Look For In A Preschool

The process of selecting a preschool program for your child can be a big decision. There are so many options with some preschools being far more like daycares than anything else. You want to find a preschool program that can truly help your child develop in the healthiest way possible. Your child learning how to


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Venkatesh Gayatri Mantra

Venkatesh Gayathri Mantra is the powerful Gayatri mantra of Lord Venkateshwara Swamy, the god of Tirupati Tirumala Temple in Andhra Pradesh. Venkatesh Gayatri Mantra is also known as Venkateshwara Gayathri Mantra or Srinivasa Gayatri Mantra. Lord Venkateswara is the main deity of the Tirumala temple, Tirupathi.

The lord is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. He is worshipped by the people with different names like Balaji, Srinivasa, Govinda. Venkateshwara means the Lord who destroys the sins of the people. According the Hindu scriptures, Vishnu, out of love towards his devotees, incarnated as Venkateshwara and appeared for the salvation and upliftment of humanity in this Kali Yuga and is considered the supreme form of Vishnu in this age

Venkatesh Gayatri Mantra

Aum Shri Nilayaya Vidmahe
Venkateshaaya Dhimahee
Thanno Hari Prachodayath

Venkatesh Gayatri Mantra

ॐ निरंजनाय विद्महे ||
निरापस्या धीमहि ||
तन्नो श्रीनिवास  प्रचोदयात ||

Niranjanaya Vidmahe
Nirapasaya Dheemahe
Thanno Srinivasa Prachodayath.

Venkatesh Gayatri Mantra Translation

Om, Let me meditate on the god who is eternal truth,
Oh, God who does not have attachments, give me higher intellect, And let God Srinivasa illuminate my mind.

Venkatesh Gayatri Mantra

Venkateshwara Gayathri Mantra Benefit

This is an extremely powerful Gayathri mantra as it confers worldly pleasures such as properties, progeny, wealth, job, spouse, good health, and everlasting happiness. Chanting of Gayatri mantra of Lord Venkateswara will help to attain good health, wealth, progeny, job promotions, good marriage for unmarried, and long lasting happiness.

Best Time to Chant Venkatesh Gayatri Mantra

Ekadasi thithi and Saturdays Number of Times to Chant : 11, 108, or 1008 times Aum Shri-nilayaaya Vidmahe Venkateshaaya Dhimahee Thanno Hari Prachodayath

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Casino at Planon

Every Friday afternoon we close the week in our bar 'Het Witte Paard', but Friday evening February 15th our restaurant was transformed into a true Casino.

Led by 4 croupiers, over 60 colleagues could gamble at the Roulette table, Blackjack, Dice or an exciting game of Poker. Of course there were also several slot machines present. An evening full of fun, drinks, music and various snacks of Frietwagen Nijmegen made it a resounding success.

Thanks Mobiel Casino Nederland for the beautiful decoration and the great evening!

Would you like to end your working week in a pleasant way? Come work at Planon!


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A private and lively environment !

Private areas

To hell with the roommate…
Enjoy your high-end personal spaces: bedroom, bathroom et toilet.

Common areas

The experience is not lived alone, the common spaces will be shared according to your desires (living room, dining room, kitchen, garden)

Are you interested in our concept?

Join us and live the Working in Lyon experience!


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New York Essential Employers Must Provide Face Masks to Workers

new yorkIf you’re an essential worker in New York, your employer has been obligated to provide you with a face mask since April 15, 2020. On April 12, 2020, Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued executive order No. 202.16 which states that “for all essential businesses or entities, any employees who are present in the workplace shall be provided and shall wear face coverings when in direct contact with customers or members of the public. Businesses must provide, at their expense, such face coverings for their employees.”  Local government and police can enforce the executive order under sections 12 or 12-b of the Public Health Law which gives the government power to punish violators of public health orders with fines, misdemeanor offenses, or even imprisonment.  New York joins several other states that have adopted similar measures to mitigate the spread of coronavirus: Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Hawaii, and Maryland.

Guidance for New York Employers

New York State has offered some guidance for employers that clarify the executive order. For example, employers must obtain or fashion face masks for their employees at no cost to the workers.  Workers can use their own face coverings, especially if they are more protective, but companies cannot force them to do so. Not being able to find face coverings does not relieve an essential service employer from their duty to provide face masks under this law.  New York’s guidance states that employers should contact their local office of emergency management to see if they have extra masks if they have difficulty obtaining or fashioning them.  New York’s guidance also describes what can be considered a face-covering under this law: cloth masks like bandanas, homemade sewn, and quick-cut coverings; face shields, surgical masks, and N-95 respirators.  More information on how to make homemade bandana, sewn, and quick-cut face masks can be found on the CDC’s cloth face-covering tutorial page.

Additionally, employers must try to make reasonable accommodations for employees who are more susceptible to COVID-19 but are not able to wear a face mask.  Matilda’s Law describes New york’s most vulnerable populations: those who are over 70, have compromised immune systems, or have underlying illnesses.  Companies should try to provide these vulnerable workers who can’t wear a face-covering with different PPE, different work locations, or alternate tasks that require fewer interactions with the public and their colleagues if possible to ensure their safety.

Legal Consequences

It is important for employers to follow these legal requirements as they can be held liable for any consequences that their negligence could have on their employees’ health.  As stated, violating this executive order could also result in a fine or even criminal penalties under sections 12 or 12b of the Public Health Law. Thus, essential workers in New York have the right to hold their employers legally accountable for providing masks.

Seek Legal Assistance

If you are an essential worker in New York and your employer has not given you a face covering, seek legal assistance today. The Law Office of Christopher Q. Davis, located in New York City, can assist you. Contact us today at (646) 430-7930 to schedule a free case evaluation and receive experienced legal counsel.


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Family favourite Basil Brush is not to be missed in Retford panto

Basil Brush will feature in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Thursday, 14th October 2021, 8:45 pm
Basil Brush will feature in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at Retford Majestic Theatre

TV legend and all round good fox Basil Brush will join pantomime favourite Stuart Earp in the festive family production of Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs at Retford Majestic Theatre, from January 6 to 9.

Basil Brush will feature as The Magic Mirror, alongside Stuart Earp as Muddles, Harry Moore as Nurse Nellie, Kassie Malam as Snow White, Jessica Fay Long as The Wicked Queen and Sam Emmerson as The Prince.

Producer Kevin Brown explained: “It’s going to be a great pantomime this year after sadly having to cancel last year’s production.

“We cannot wait to get back to Retford and bring fun and laughter to our amazing audiences.

"Basil Brush is a great addition to our show and brings something for all ages as everyone has grown up with his famous catchphrase!”

Details: To find out more about tickets, book online at or call the box office on 01777 706866 .

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers.

With the coronavirus lockdowns having had a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently on the amount of advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper.

Thank you


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Studio at Metal Box Factory
Office 425, 30 Great Guildford Street, Borough, SE1 0HS
Reference no: GG.425
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£1,120 p/m
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Studio at The Shepherds Building
Charecroft Way, W14 0EE
Reference no: SH.315
  • 686 sq ft (64 sq m)
  • Up to 17 people
£3,640 p/m
Enquire now
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Monday, August 11, 2014

Guest Column: Jack the Giant Rip-Off

By Hank Parmer (aka grouchomarxist):

The story so far:

After reading Scott's epic takedown of Jack the Giant Slayer, I mentioned that Netflix streaming has a movie called Jack the Giant Killer, which came out the same year. (IMDB says it was released a remarkably coincidental 12 days after Giant Slayer.) It's been lingering in the Netflix SF and Fantasy list for a while now, like the faint aroma of something that crawled into the wall and died.

Exhibiting my customary near-Holmesian powers of deduction, I opined that, improbable as it might seem, Jack the Giant Killer was virtually guaranteed to be worse than Jack the Giant Slayer. In a spirit which in hindsight seems suspiciously like that of your good buddy, who, when you tell him you have a bucket, a can of gasoline, and some M-80s, encourages you to "Go for it!", Scott suggested I should investigate, then report to the class.

So began my journey into the heart of shoddiness. Forgive me for the length of what follows, but there's simply no other way to convey the richly layered stupid, lavishly garnished with big, chewy chunks of "No fuckin' way!", which awaits the unsuspecting viewer.

I'm sure it won't surprise anyone to learn that the poster for a film which has been created for the sole purpose of glomming onto a far more expensive and better-advertised production and feeding, remora-like, off the scraps shed in its wake, is in fact an utterly shameless lie. The monster is nowhere near this cool, or ferocious. No buildings were even slightly damaged, much less scuffed, during the making of this film, and the hero never wields two mighty swords. Not even one not-so-mighty sword. Would you believe ... the toothpick from a Swiss Army knife?

Now, on to the movie:

Jack the Giant Killer lurches into action with a low-angle shot of a huge beast ambling past in the murky twilight. (It might be the unintended by-blow of Anguirus, the Toho kaiju character, allowing beer goggles to mislead him into a one-night stand with a bobtail brontosaurus.) For one glorious moment, I let myself hope Netflix had screwed up and this was an episode of "Walking with Dinosaurs" -- but no such luck. (Since the script never names the critter I've decided to steal a march on those fancy-pants paleontologists and dub it "Ersatzosaurus Ugottabekiddingus". In your face, Bob Bakker!)

And it has four long pointy spikes sticking up from its back. And six eyes, because -- magic!

Cut to: guy with his head sticking out of his Gumby-Meets-Gundam-Wing mecha. He confronts the Ersatzosaur -- well, "confronts" isn't exactly right, because all he actually does is stand there while the it strides up to him. Bravely defying the monster, he yells "Come on!" -- and the beast promptly gobbles him up whole.

Blackout, then credits roll as the camera swoops above Lancashire's pleasant pastures green. Wow, this is one short movie! This is gonna be way easier than I thought. Silly Billy: this is what's known as a "teaser". It's meant to cozen your average gullible viewer into hoping if they stick with it long enough, there might actually be something entertainment-like embedded somewhere in this pathetic mess. [cue hollow laughter]

I'd like to digress here for a moment to mention what I've discovered to be a near-infallible early-warning indicator for bad movies: if the director has more than one other credit on the film, odds are you're in for rough doings. And the director, DoP and proud author of the screenplay for Jack the Giant Killer, Mark Atkins, is living proof of this maxim. This is definitely a name to watch for -- and run like hell for the nearest exit!

The film proper opens with boy genius Jack Krutchens and his spunky girlfriend Lisa tinkering with his Mecha-Gumby. Since this is taking place before he would have even suspected the Ersatzosaur's existence, I have to wonder: what exactly prompted young Jack to build the thing? And none of the adults in his life exhibits the least bit of concern that their moody teenager is spending all his spare time in the shed out back, putting together a giant death machine that has big, serrated nippers in place of hands?

And what, the director's come over all French Existentialist on us, since we've already seen this ends with Jack and his invention being eaten?

Today is Jack's 18th birthday. He's unhappy, because he's never met his real dad, Newald Krutchens. (Newald disappeared under mysterious circumstances a few months before Jack was born.) Though they live in a fairly posh two-story "cottage", his mother, Sharon, and stepdad, Nigel "The Prick" Mason, are such consummate jerks they won't even spring for a birthday cake big enough to hold 18 candles! Before they can dole out this meager pastry, pony-tailed Crazy Jeff -- who looks a bit like Duane Allman might have, fifty years after "Eat a Peach" -- shows up to carry out a promise he made to his friend Newald 18 years ago. He wants to give a small drawstring pouch to Jack.

Nigel the Prick demands Jeff give it to him first, then he'll decide if Jack can have it. So what if Jack's supposed to be an adult now? I think I'm beginning to appreciate why he's been constructing that killer robot ... and I've got a pretty good idea who's slated to be his first victim.

Jeff tosses the bag to Jack, then gets run off by Nigel the Prick. Then Nigel, Jack's mom, Lisa and Jack stand in the yard while Jack and Nigel argue, and triple-threat Mark Atkins shows off his mad DoP skillz by circling his camera round and round the actors. Around and around and around and ... ohhhh ... I think I'm getting nauseous ... urrrrrrp!

When Nigel the Prick tells Jack he'd better not open that bag, our hero whips out the classic "You're not my real father!" conversational checkmate and storms off. Jack and Lisa blow this bogus scene on his sweet motorbike. (I should mention at this point that judging by props and costuming, "Jack the Giant Killer" is apparently set in the early 1960s. Definitely pre-swinging, though.)

Jack goes off-road and stops in a grassy meadow to check out his inheritance. Instead of something decent, like Daddy Newald's stash of primo Panama Red, it's just a very disappointing handful of lacquered cat droppings. Jack chucks them away in disgust.

Next morning, an excited phone call from Lisa summons Jack to the meadow, where a giant beanstalk has sprouted overnight. Oh, right ... those were beans. There's a surprisingly small crowd, even by rural standards. Just to remind us once again that it's the Sixties, a couple of tourists are filming the stalk with their 8mm Bell and Howells.

Now the obligatory Government Guy -- Ben Cross, the only semi-recognizable, honest-to-God actor in the bunch -- arrives on the scene, accompanied by his assistant, who mostly just keeps to the back, and doesn't get in anyone's way. Cross tackles his role as Agent Hinton with all the gusto you'd expect from an accomplished thespian who's just realized he's committed to a potential career-killer.

We get the first of many interminable reaction shots.

A vaguely sleazy-looking bystander does his homage to the 1950s' version of War of the Worlds, cackling at the prospect of capitalizing on this attraction by putting up some picnic tables and a fish-and-chips stand. Crazy Jeff is there, naturally. He tells Jack this is the boy's beanstalk, because Jack planted the bean, and only he can traverse it. It is his pathway. Before Jeff can haul out his dogeared copy of "Iron John" and start an impromptu drum circle, an unwary female tourist wanders too near the giant beanstalk. Long reaction shot, as she casts a worshipful eye on her new vegetable overlord. A whip-like runner from the stalk suddenly knocks her down.

Jack sprints over and helps her to her feet. Perfect little gentleman that he is, he also gives her his jacket. The tendril reaches down again and snatches Jack into the clouds. Thereby saving the production tons of money, by dispensing with any actual beanstalk-climbing.

Jack regains consciousness, in what may be the most unconvincing I'm-waking-up sequence ever filmed. (The role of Jack, by the way, is played by Jamie Atkins. Although that seems kind of suspicious, neither Jamie nor Mark acknowledges a connection in their IMDB bios. I can see why. And panning his performance would be like kicking a puppy.)

Jack has been magically transported to a desolate mountainside in Wales -- er, I mean, the "Land of the Clouds". Which sounds like it might be a pricey new development near Aspen, but is in fact a place of wonder and enchantment. (Oh, hell, who am I trying to kid?)

Cut to: a chrome-plated castle on an icy peak -- ooo, symbolism! -- which looks something like what might happen if a Hindu temple choked to death halfway through its heroic attempt to devour an I. M. Pei skyscraper. In its lavish though sparsely furnished Late Victorian/Edwardian interior, a spooky-looking brunette (she must be eeeevil, because she's dressed in a black cocktail frock and wears a chintzy-looking black-and-silver necklace with an amulet) is slouched in a chair, legs propped up, in front of her crystal ball. She looks bored -- probably because the only thing on the crystal right now is "Matlock" reruns. She perks up when she spies Jack's image while channel-surfing. She touches her amulet and regally commands, "Bring him to me!"

Her name is Sirena. Get it: Siren-a? Good. Mr. Atkins, you've done it again!

(continued below the fold)

Back to Jack, who's understandably gobsmacked when a huge, floating castle suddenly appears. Well, this one's not so much a "castle" as a cheap pewter replica of a gothic cathedral, with seven or eight spires lashed to its sides. Spires that bear an uncanny likeness to the sort of electrical device which used to arrive by mail, in a plain brown wrapper. While Jack's practicing his open-mouthed, vacant look, a smaller version of the Ersatzosaurus we saw at the beginning -- this one's only about twice the size of an Imperial Mammoth -- comes into view up-slope. It charges down at him. (This is the creature Sirena ordered to fetch Jack. "Soft-mouth, dammit! Soft-mouth!")

Jack chases after the castle in the sky, while the monster chases him. Someone in the castle lowers a rope ladder; Jack clambers up it one jump ahead of the Ersatzosaur.

It's Jack's long-lost real dad! But wait: Jack is 18, yet Newald doesn't look a day over 30! And Newald says only 19 days have passed, since he came to Land of the Clouds. This is a Very Important Plot Point: one day in the Land of the Clouds is equal to one year in the Land Below. (Much will be made of this peculiarity, but, as we will see, the screenplay has some major problems with its math.)

Before we try to digest the next hunk of back-story, pause for a moment to marvel at the floating castle's engine room -- which is obviously just a ratty-looking blacksmith's forge, with a rusted-out hood -- fueled by "magical" coal. (Bowel's Moving Castle!) And the austere splendor of the castle's "control room" -- just a short flight of steps up from the engine room -- consisting of nothing more than an old-timey ship's wheel set in front of a fuzzy back-projection of an enlarged snapshot of a piston rod on a steam engine. If there's some kind of port or viewscreen, so the driver could actually see where they're steering this massive, unwieldy edifice, we'll simply have to take Atkins' word for it.

To continue: The flying castle used to belong to a giant. In fact, Newald killed off all the giants in some never-to-be-explained fashion, before Jack got there. Yes, that's right: we're watching a movie titled "Jack the Giant Killer" and [cue Kathy Bates voice] there aren't any cock-a-doody giants!!!

Newald sheepishly admits the genocide was all a big mistake, a "communication error" because he misinterpreted "Fee! Fi! Fo! Fum!" Worse still, the giants were the only thing keeping the Ersatzosaurs from roaming free and terrorizing the Land o' Clouds. Stupid Dad decides they should fly over and visit Sirena, to see if, together, they can't figure out a way for them to return to the Land Below. You see, Newald can't simply fly his castle down, because he's found it gets "unstable" at higher altitudes.

Meanwhile, back at the base of the beanstalk, Agent Hinton interrogates mom, step-dad and Lisa. Sharon and Nigel the Prick come across as more snippy than distraught. They tell Hinton he should ask Crazy Jeff what's going on -- but he's disappeared. After they leave Hinton, it's time for another heapin' helpin' of back-story:

Nineteen years ago, Sharon and Nigel the Prick were partners with Newald in an "agricultural collective". [insert weed joke here] They were trying to breed "super fruits" to "save the planet". [I'm not even gonna touch that one.] Extra dickishness points go to Nigel for the contempt which fairly drips from his voice when he talks about saving the planet.

Anyway, Newald was unorthodox in his methods. He didn't care about making new plants, but instead wanted to find heirloom varieties, because "he felt the Past was the solution to the Future". (He'd be right at home in today's GOP.) Without bothering to consult his partners, Newald spent all their money on some beans which he believed would solve everything, and disappeared up the beanstalk the next day. At which point, broke and pregnant, Sharon decided her relationship with Newald was just a summer fling, and she really loved Nigel the Prick. Go fig.

And now we find out why Newald and Jack couldn't have just climbed back down the beanstalk: it disintegrates at sunset in the Land Below.

Back to Jack and his dad, as they pay their call on Miz Sirena. They walk in on her while she's taking an incandescent light bath -- under the torrid glare of four, count 'em, four 60-watt bulbs! -- in her parlor, in the nude. (Unfortunately, the nudity is only implied. Remember: this is supposed to be a children's film -- though only a real monster could inflict this cynical tripe on a trusting innocent.) Newald decides to keep Sirena in the dark about that whole one-day-equals-one-year thing, so he introduces Jack as his brother. Sirena hits on Jack.

Back to nighttime in the Land Below: spunky Lisa somehow managed to palm one of the beans. She plants it in the green right in front of the city cathedral, then settles down for a nap on the grass. The beanstalk sprouts and it's up, up and away for her.

[Question: if one LotC day equals one year in the Land Below, and by this point Jack's been in LotC for at least a couple of hours, how much time has passed in the Land Below since Jack disappeared? If you're Mark Atkins, the answer of course is: Screw the math! It's the night of the same day!]

Back to Sirena's castle, for some more back-story. Jack has left the room -- I don't remember his excuse, but, after Sirena's come-on, he may have been looking for a little privacy to ... shall we say ... relieve his tension.

Sirena helpfully supplies her origin story: she was kidnapped from the Land Below by a giant, when she was a young child. We'll find out later that this must have happened sometime in the mid-to-latter 1800s. Thing is, Sirena -- although not hard on the eye -- is clearly pushing 40. So her body's aged something like thirty-five years in maybe 80 to a 100 days, Land o' Clouds time. But Newald's spent 19 days there, and aged only 19 days. As we've seen, math -- not to mention the internal logic of his own damned plot device -- seems to elude this director. But that's ok, because -- magic!

Sirena blames everyone on Earth for allowing the sort of horrible world where giants could abduct children. She's determined to get some payback, or be Empress of Everything, or something. Believe it or not, this -- and some of her subsequent actions -- would make some kind of sense, if Sirena's mental age actually had been four or five years, plus a few months in Land o' Clouds. If the movie had tried to play with the concept of combining magical powers with the mind of a child and the body of a cougar, that might have been interesting -- if a bit skin-crawling when you think about the sexual advances she makes toward Jack and Newald.

By this point, though, I shouldn't have to tell you it ain't gonna happen. Sirena acts and speaks like a woman just shy of forty, albeit one who's not very bright.

Newald, horrified by her plan, tries to go all David Hume on her: how can she know for certain that she came from the Land Below? Nothing doing, she replies. She's seen many creatures in the Land of Clouds -- we won't, of course -- but Newald is the first who looks like her. (Except for the beard -- and a few other minor details.)

Just then, Newald somehow learns of Lisa's arrival in the Land o' Clouds. While she may be something of a whiz at elementary logic, Sirena is easy to trick: Newald sends her for a bottle of wine to celebrate their reunion, and scarpers.

Back Below at the beanstalk, Agent Hinton has been joined by General Blimp and a squad of quack -- I mean, crack infantrymen. I know we're a few years past the highwater mark of Empire, but you'd think the authorities could at least have rustled up a platoon or two. Heck, the poor bastards' uniforms, kit and weaponry are all WWII surplus.

General Blimp has ordered the green cordoned off. This hardly seems necessary, since when you get a glimpse down a side street, people are just walking by and the traffic's moving along. You have to admire British pluck and that whole stiff upper lip thing. Or maybe they're just too darned polite to make a fuss about the giant beanstalk which materialized overnight in the center of their city. The General's itching to turn one guy with a chainsaw loose against this 50-foot diameter plant, but Hinton -- joined now by Sharon and Nigel the Prick -- persuades him to give Lisa a chance and hold off until sunset.

Meanwhile, in the Land o' Clouds, Jack and Newald manage to reach Lisa first. But Sirena, wearing some very stylish black leather pants which she probably borrowed from that Riverdance guy, arrives along with Big Mama Ersatzosaurus and three mammoth-sized babies. Through the power of Sirena's magic amulet -- "Her magic aaaaamulet!" -- she takes control of the beanstalk. The time has come for her and the beasties to take the Tendril Express to the Land Below!

(Note that whenever Sirena's riding a dino, the director conveys this without going to all the bother and expense of CGI or even a paper-mache mock-up of the Ersatzosaur's back. Instead, he uses another low camera angle, and only photographs her from the waist up. While she fakes a riding motion, by dry-humping her invisible saddle. Maybe those leather pants were a good choice, after all.)

General Blimp runs out of patience; he orders chainsaw guy to cut down the beanstalk. Vaguely sleazy guy from earlier in the movie (who identifies himself as the owner of the block) runs up and tells the General to stop: "Stalks don't bother you if you don't bother them!" He then goes full metal Carl Denham, declaring the beanstalk "the Eighth Wonder of the World" and positively salivates over all the money he'll make -- if he can just figure out how to keep it alive for more than a day.

 So much for comic relief. Time for Sirena to make her grand entrance, accompanied by her pets. Rather than embark on an immediate rampage requiring expensive special effects, she gets in a bit of threatening while the beasts mill about, bellow and stamp their feet. They're quite good at milling about, bellowing and stomping. So good, in fact, that from now on they'll devote a lot of screen time to milling about, bellowing and stamping their feet, instead of -- you know -- actually destroying anything.

Sirena then relents a bit, and offers to spare these miserable, cringing cowards of the Land Below if they appoint her Queen of the Universe, promising "[Y]our lives will be full of joy and without pain!" (Because -- magic!) So, what's not to like? Oh ... right ... this is Britain: we'll never give up our lousy food, our abominable weather, our cold-water flats and "Kitchen Sink" school of dramatists!

So General Blimp tells her to piss off, and gets flicked away like a choleric 20-stone booger by a beanstalk tendril. The squad opens fire. Displaying the same superlative grasp of small-unit tactics as the National Guardsmen in "The Creeping Terror", they bunch up and blaze away at the Ersatzosaurs, but to no effect.

In a stunning new development, the dinos mill about, bellow really loudly and stamp their feet  more emphatically. (Didn't it occur to anybody they might just be looking for a place to do their business?) Agent Hinton takes charge and commands the soldiers to cease fire.

Now, remember I mentioned that Sirena is easily fooled? Agent Hinton has a cunning plan: he informs Sirena that she'll have to speak to the man in charge, and that only he -- Hinton -- can get hold of the guy. If she'll be so kind as to proceed with her beasties to a nice large, open area outside of town, he'll bring the man in charge to speak with her. And no stepping on anyone on the way! (Seriously.)

Sirena figures what the heck, why not do what the guy with that humongous chin wants? Furiously dry-humping her dinosaur, she heads for the wide open spaces. Sadly, the audience is reassured General Blimp is not only still alive, but received not so much as a minor boo-boo, despite being smacked way up into the air and landing on top of a nearby six-story building.

The unlucky viewer who hasn't yet been rendered blind or comatose will notice that, starting from when you first see all the beasties together, the CGI animators have real problems getting the baby Ersatzosaurs vs. Big Mama scaling right: Sometimes they're knee-high to the big one, sometimes they're belly-high. In one scene you see them stampeding across the countryside: they're like rabbits gamboling beside a Bull Mastiff! Because -- magic!

Meanwhile, Newald decides there's nothing left for it but to take a gamble and and fly his castle off the edge of Land o' Clouds. Here, the film lays its grubby mitts on a real classic, in an homage to the "Dorothy's house drops out of the sky" sequence in "The Wizard of Oz". The castle doesn't so much fly as plummet, spinning faster and faster. But does this inconvenience Newald, Jack and Lisa, even though centrifugal force ought to be plastering them against the walls, like one of those carnival rides? Certainly not! Because -- magic! Just jiggle the camera, put a couple of off-screen table fans on the actors and blow some smoke into the frame from time to time. It's all good.

Everyone set for the big showdown in the Land Below, in which all the fearsome destructive power of modern weaponry will be unleashed against Sirena and her magic dinosaurs? Ha! You poor, deluded bastards: there's only General Blimp and his squad. The authorities can't spare any more troops -- damn you to Hell, Labour! -- or even respond to General Blimp's pleas for air support. They do provide some artillery, though: a childishly crude CGI animation of the front end of a railway howitzer. The perfect weapon for shooting at fast-moving targets!

Agent Hinton realizes at the last moment that -- oopsy! -- he doesn't have a Prime Minister. Crazy Jeff shows up again -- geez, what do you have to do to get rid of this guy? Since he's providentially chosen to wear his good suit, he gets drafted for the part by General Blimp. Who also tells them they'll only be given five minutes to negotiate, before he opens fire. Thanks a lot, General!

So the negotiations are doomed from the start. But we need to chew up some more running time, so they jaw at each other. Sirena passes Hinton something, while she whispers in his ear. They leave.

Let the battle stupide begin! The big gun lets off some ineffective rounds, there's lots of small arms fire, and nothing much happens. The Ersatzosaurs decide to vary their routine, and punctuate the milling about, bellowing and stamping with the occasional bit of running. Crazy Jeff disappears again -- he comes and goes like the wind.

Time for the Big Reveal: we find out Sirena passed Agent Hinton a photograph of her mother, and wants him to locate her. Soooo ... all this conquering the world stuff was to impress her mom? This, by the way, is when we get the tipoff that Sirena was kidnapped in Victorian times, because the photo looks like a daguerreotype, and the woman in it is dressed in that style.

Things are looking dire for General Blimp and his boys, as Sirena finally realizes she can put an end to this nonsense -- and maybe get a break from all the dry-humping -- simply by trampling them into something the consistency of strawberry jam. General Blimp, in the best tradition of morons everywhere, doffs his cap and stands at attention, manfully facing the unstoppable charge of Big Mama Ersatzosaur.

But Bowel's Moving Castle drops out of the blue and does a Wicked Witch of the East number on Big Mama. Good thing Sirena decided to "ride" one of the babies.

Newald and the kids climb out of the non-wreckage of the castle, unscathed and not even the least bit dizzy, because -- oh, you know. They join Sharon, Nigel the Prick and Agent Hinton for some aimless tooling around in a Range Rover. Newald comes up with another brilliant scheme: capture Sirena and they can control the beasts with her amulet. He runs out into the open, and tries to flag Sirena down. He gets blown up by a poorly CGI'd explosion. (Look, from now on, let's just take it for granted that whenever I mention CGI, I mean "hilariously incompetent and irrepressibly cheap and shoddy computer-generated effects". Ok? In keeping with the M.O. of this production, it'll save us on adjectives.)

Sirena dismounts -- off-camera, of course -- runs to where Newald's been laid low. She really cares ... Ha! Newald's just been playing possum. Clever Dick grabs the magic amulet. Sirena lies badly, too: she tries to convince him it's just a piece of costume jewelry, so give it back. But no dice. Newald smashes the amulet, and she can no longer command her beasties. Which means they now have three huge, invulnerable, out-of-control monsters devastating -- well, sort of, anyway -- the countryside. Another smart move by Newald! Whose side is this wanker on, anyway?

Wait a second: since Big Mama Ersatzosaur just got wasted by a pewter Souvenir of the Gods, doesn't this mean that opening scene was nothing but an elaborate come-on? Was this all just a dream? Uh oh: turns out, Big Mama was only temporarily unconscious. She gets up ... shakes her six-eyed head a couple of times ... she's back in the fight!

(Note that from this point onward, the Three Little Ersatzosaurs just drop out of the movie, without the slightest hint of an explanation. Gosh, how I'll miss them. It seems only yesterday, they were frolicking on the moors. Milling about. Bellowing. Stamping their feet. Good times ...)

Now that she no longer has any monsters to do her bidding, Sirena has a big change of heart and joins forces with Newald and company. Although, of course, it's not like she can actually do anything. Jack asks Hinton to lend him a couple of trucks, so he and Lisa can go collect humanity's final hope: Mecha-Gumby!

After they exit, Newald comes up with his most cunning plan yet. Hinton drives Newald, Sirena, Sharon and Nigel the Prick back to the castle. While Hinton waits in the Range Rover, the foursome enter the castle and shift a few two-by-fours, then start gathering up armloads of things resembling dry-cleaning bags. (Although, given the identity of the castle's previous owner, these could be something the giant picked up at the Land o' Clouds RiteAid in anticipation of a big night -- if you catch my drift. That is, before Newald came along and spoiled everybody's fun by killing them.)

Outside, Big Mama blunders onto the scene, and Cross is mercifully squished. Next, General Blimp is at the radio, demanding reinforcements, when he looks up and -- "Oh, bugger ..." Squish. I laughed and laughed.

As twilight fades into darkness, Newald and his helpers emerge from the castle carrying the bags. They take a moment to reverently tsk-tsk at the sight of the flattened Range Rover. Then they quickly get busy with Newald's latest devilishly clever ploy: The bags are in reality hot-air balloons, powered by votive candles. His plan is to attach wires to them and send them aloft. Then wait for Big Mama to come along and get tangled up and then struck by lightning! (There's a thunderstorm brewing.) How could it possibly fail?

Ever-cooperative, Big Mama wanders off somewhere, maybe to take a short nap, giving them plenty of time to put up ... oh ... looks like a hundred or more CGI'd balloons, arrayed in neat, stationary rows up in the air. For this effect the animator(s) just stuck a bunch of fixed, evenly-spaced cylinders on their graphic. They couldn't even manage to simulate a candle-glow inside the things. Move over, ILM: there's a new kid on the block!

Newald realizes he's yet again neglected one minor detail: how are they going to coax Big Mama into their dino zapper? It's Crazy Jeff to save the day! Yep, he's back again. Riding Jack's spiffy motorcycle, he scoots between Big Mama's legs and tries to lure her into the trap. It looks like he might just bring it off, but the bike develops engine trouble, so -- squish.

But whatever's left of Crazy Jeff didn't end up stuck between Big Mama's toes in vain: Newald and the rest of the group wave their arms and shout at her, so she charges them. Big Mama runs right into Newald's dino zapper, and gets hit by several bolts of lightning. Look, this sort of trick's been sprung on Godzilla something like half a dozen times. Plus there's Newald's undeniable omni-wankery. So you know it's not going to work, right?

Fortunately, they've bought enough time for Jack to return, piloting Mecha-Gumby, and now he's ready to enter the fray.

The producer could only find enough change under the sofa cushions to spring for about four seconds' total of CGI'd Mecha-Gumby, of which we'll now be shown maybe one-and-a-half seconds. The full-scale mechanical mockup is incapable of doing more than slowly opening and closing its nippers and flexing its forearms a bit. So the resourceful Mr. Atkins once again puts on his DoP thinking cap, and comes up with an amazing work-around: Mecha-Gumby's movement is simulated using only two shots.

The first shows its boxy, rubber-skirted "legs", shot from the knees down, shuffling side-by-side through the grass. (I'm fairly certain they used actual cardboard boxes for this.) I'll bet the inside of Mecha-Gumby's thighs must have chafed like a bear.

In the other shot, the camera just scoots past the mockup. Alternate the two, and if we truly believe in fairies and clap our hands hard enough, Jack can shuffle across the moors to his destiny. While wearing a welder's mask as protective headgear, which must do wonders for his night vision.

Jack then stands around for a few minutes, and gets eaten.

We're doomed -- dooooomed, I tells ya! Not so fast: Big Mama Ersatzosaur rears up, bellows a couple of times, and falls over, dead. Nimble-witted Jack has used the nippers on his Mecha-Gumby to burrow his way out through her neck! Yay! (And he won't even have to hose off his miraculously clean Mecha-Gumby! Double yay!) This should serve as a tragic reminder to enormous magic dinos everywhere to chew their Mecha-Gumby at least thirty times before swallowing.

Of the many things which distinguish this cheap, blatant ripoff from your average, run-of-the-mill hunk of cinematic Limburger, what really stands out is the fact that although Jack the Giant Killer is what the people who study folklore call a "hero tale", our protagonist spends roughly 99% of his time doing absolutely nothing heroic. Until the climax of the movie, at which point he exhibits the dauntless courage of a parasitic Alien chest-buster.

Whatever. Jack reconciles with Nigel the Prick, who helpfully reminds any nit-picking types in the audience that, technically, Jack has killed a giant. (And I, technically, am the lost Dauphin.) So neener-neener: the title wasn't complete bullshit! Sirena and Newald are now an item, because she wasn't really evil, just misunderstood. Wait: Lisa has another bean! Noooooooooooooooo!

There is no God.

ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© said...

I'm glad I won't be watching this movie, but that writeup was tremendous.

zombie rotten mcdonald said...

I watched that movie. Why were you so easy on it?

Weird Dave said...

To write a decent review you should probably watch the movie more than once.

I don't think there is that much morphine in the entire world.
My sympathies Mr. Marxist.

grouchomarxist said...

I think I missed a few things while I was wrestling with the arm that went all Dr. Strangelove on me and kept trying to gouge out my eyes. We mortality-challenged types just don't have your natural resistance to pain.

@weird dave:

I watched it twice. Happily, the doctors have assured me I should be ok, except for the occasional blackout, and maybe a teensy psychotic episode or two.

Got to go now: I have this sudden, irresistible urge to smear myself with Cheez Whiz and lime Jello and perform some show tunes.

I'm jist a girl who cain't say no,
I'm in a turrible fix ...

Anonymous said...

grouch : That was...interesting.
I have never seen this movie and have made no plans to do so, despite your rave review.Could it be that you feel the promoters of said Old & Terrible movie were a tad disingenuous when choosing a title and a poster?
I sometimes feel at a disadvantage here because A)I have never seen any of the O&T movies you guys speak of so blithely and b)I could never write about them with the verve and je ne sais quoi that you guys do so apparently effortlessly.
A fine addition to the oeuvre, grouch.Well done.

grouchomarxist said...

Thanks, suezboo.

It takes a certain special kind of masochist to become a bad cinephile. In my case, the training started as a schoolboy in the 60s, learning at the knees of the afternoon Big Show -- I can still hear that theme in my head -- and the various Creature Features which were inexpensive schedule-filler for the local tv stations. If a movie played at a drive-in in the 50s, it was exhumed for the Big Show.

One of my earliest memories is of having the wits scared out of me by Bride of the Monster. That may be some of why JtGK inspired me with such absolute loathing: I know from cheap, but there's no reason why cheap can't also be entertaining. Even Ed Wood had more respect for his audience than this guy.


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Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Books

Judas Unchained

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Judas Unchained

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Author: Peter F. Hamilton
Publisher: Pan Macmillan, 2005
Series: Commonwealth Saga: Book 2

1. Pandora's Star
2. Judas Unchained

Book Type: Novel
Genre: Science-Fiction
Sub-Genre Tags: Space Opera
Alien Invasion
Hard SF
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Peter F. Hamilton's superbly imagined, cunningly plotted interstellar adventures are conceived on a staggeringly epic scale and filled with fully realized human and alien characters as complex as they are engaging. No mere world builder, Hamilton creates entire universes–and he does so with irresistible flair and intelligence. His previous novel, the acclaimed Pandora's Star, introduced the Intersolar Commonwealth, a star-spanning civilization of the twenty-fourth century. Robust, peaceful, and confident, the Commonwealth dispatched a ship to investigate the mystery of a disappearing star, only to inadvertently unleash a predatory alien species that turned on its liberators, striking hard, fast, and utterly without mercy.

The Prime are the Commonwealth's worst nightmare. Coexistence is impossible with the technologically advanced aliens, who are genetically hardwired to exterminate all other forms of life. Twenty-three planets have already fallen to the invaders, with casualties in the hundreds of millions. And no one knows when or where the genocidal Prime will strike next.

Nor are the Prime the only threat. For more than a hundred years, a shadowy cult, the Guardians of Selfhood, has warned that an alien with mind-control abilities impossible to detect or resist–the Starflyer–has secretly infiltrated the Commonwealth. Branded as terrorists, the Guardians and their leader, Bradley Johansson, have been hunted by relentless investigator Paula Myo. But now evidence suggests that the Guardians were right all along, and that the Starflyer has placed agents in vital posts throughout the Commonwealth–agents who are now sabotaging the war effort. Is the Starflyer an ally of the Prime, or has it orchestrated a fight to the death between the two species for its own advantage?

Caught between two deadly enemies, one a brutal invader striking from without, the other a remorseless cancer killing from within, the fractious Commonwealth must unite as never before.

This will be humanity's finest hour–or its last gasp.

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