2009 » March - News Items Today

------------------------------- ------------------------------------------ -------------------------------------------------
News Items Today

Archive for March, 2009

Mar 31 2009

A Beautiful Mind - Russell Crowe

Published by christianna under News Edit This

- A BEAUTIFUL MIND - Russell Crowe -

They say that between genius and insanity, lays a very fine line, and the main protagonist shows us with great clarity just how fine a line this can be.

You can only push yourself so far before something gives, and intense commitment to one subject can all too easily result in complete mental breakdown. John Forbes Nash (Russell Crowe) gives us an incredible insight into the mysterious workings of the mind when pushed to its limits.

Genius in one form or another can tip the scale between the two. The mind is a mysterious and delicate object, as I myself found when studying for my degree.

Released in 2001 and starring Russell Crowe. This film lies in the genre Biography/Drama and the story is loosely based on the biography of mathematician John Forbes Nash. Written by Sylvia Nasar. Directed by Ron Howard, and for which he received an Academy award for Best film of 2001. The film chronicles the life of highly regarded mathematician John Forbes Nash Jr, who throughout his life suffered from paranoid schizophrenia.

- A Beautiful Mind -

The film begins by concentrating on the early years of John Forbes Nash when at Princeton University. Nash is an intense personality, insular, and socially inept, and he is completely focused on trying to discover a totally original idea that will turn the world of Mathematics upside down. He rarely socializes with his fellow friends at University, but instead spends his time in his room manically scribbling formula within his many textbooks. He does however forge a close friendship with his room mate Charles (Paul Bettany), who tries to draw him out of himself.

When Nash does venture out to the campus bar on occasions, he is received with ridicule, and perceived as an oddity. His character is obsessive compulsive, and is completely owned and driven by his mathematical genius. One day he discovers the new concept he has been searching for, and his innovative new theory is recognised, and highly acclaimed, and he is offered a post at MIT. An ideal job for Nash, it would seem, as his initial duties would be dealing with code breaking for the US government.

Increasingly Nash becomes more and more introverted and heavily focused on this new job, which takes all his energy, and he becomes detached and withdrawn from society even more. He then meets a beautiful and intelligent woman, Alicia (Jennifer Connelly). He falls in love with her, and makes her his wife. She strikes a chord with him, and he seems to be able to relate to her more so than other people he is in contact with. But with his increasing pressure to crack the intricate codes for the government, she soon takes a back seat, and is a buffer for his black moods, depression, and increasingly erratic behaviour.

Nash begins to encounter psychotic episodes and his medication at this stage begins to bring on intellectual paralysis. It is his decision to stop taking his controlling medication that leads him down a very dangerous road. You begin to wonder at this point if he is losing his grip on reality, and the slow breakdown of character and descent into madness makes compelling viewing indeed. I found myself fascinated with this character study, and the fact that it was a true story added weight to the impact this film was having on me.

What takes place next is the story of Nash’s disintegration of personality. Often painful to watch, this subject is handled delicately within the film, and brings much sympathy to the main protagonist. Russell Crowe does an excellent job of portraying the man with the weight of the world on his shoulders. He shows Nash leading his daily life, whilst maintaining his mental illness. It made me think of all the people out there under similar circumstance. What a painful existence this must be, to lead your whole life under such a handicap.

I should imagine this role took quite a lot out of Crowe, as he gave everything to the part, and I felt a great empathy towards his character. Russell Crowe did a fantastic job of characterisation. He even insisted he was made to look as much like John Forbes Nash as possible, and the make-up department made up a special silicone skin in the likeness of Nash, and Crowe would wear it many hours a day whilst filming. He was also fitted with dentures to provide an extra ‘Overbite’…

Russell Crowe was put up for ‘Best leading actor’ for his role in this film, at the Academy Awards, and I feel he should have won this award hands down, but he did in fact win a BAFTA for Best Actor 2001. There are various characters that interact with him throughout the film; his best friend Charles and his niece Marcee, whom Nash adores. The mysterious Department of Defence agent, William Parcher who appears sporadically in key points of the film. The cast is fairly small in the main, and this is pretty much a one man show, as far as I am concerned. I found the film fascinating.

A brilliant biopic account of the Nobel Prize winning mathematician. Sensitively handled and portrayed by Crowe, and a lucid account of a man’s decline into madness. This is a film that needs to be seen. It won four Academy Awards, including best film of 2001. Never boring, this film makes the subjects of both mathematics, and mental illness interesting and informative viewing.-

Running time: 135 minutes

- Starring -
Russell Crowe
Jennifer Connelly
Ed Harris
Paul Bettany
Directed by Ron Howard
Produced by Brian Grazer
Ron Howard
Written by Sylvia Nasar (book),
Akiva Goldsman
Music by James Horner
Cinematography Roger Deakins

Christianna Garrett-Martin.

Mar 30 2009

Latest - Where is Claudia Lawrence? – Psychic Claims University Yorkshire Chef Has Come to Harm in an Isolated Wood

Published by christianna under News Edit This

Where is Claudia Lawrence? – Psychic Claims University Yorkshire Chef
Has Come to Harm in an Isolated Wood

According to claims made by metaphyisicist, Dr. Karen Stevens, Claudia Lawrence, 35, has been taken to an isolated location by a male friend.

He is a “nasty looking, dark haired man” with a pointed chin, high cheekbones and a thin body. He has a sallow complexion, far set eyes, and is very “nervy and twitchy”.

This came to Dr Stevens in a vision called a “controlled remote viewing”. She saw a scene with a ditch and lots of trees at the side of the road. She then felt she was walking down to a solitary white house.

She has been in talks with detectives and she has told them that Claudia has come to harm in an isolated wood. She has asked the police if she can meet with loved ones of the missing woman to try to pinpoint the location.

Dr. Karen Stevens has an 89% accuracy rate and is in demand by celebrities worldwide.

Meanwhile, Claudia’s father has been handing out leaflets to the public at a local football game. Somebody out there somewhere might have spotted Claudia at some point during Wednesday Night and Thursday.

Any snippet of information, no matter how small, may help in the search for his daughter. It is now 12 days since she was last seen.

At the weekend, Dr John Santamu, the Archbishop of York, lead a candle-lit-service with prayers for the missing woman.

Claudia Lawrence, 35, disappeared somewhere between last Wednesday night and the next day when she would have left her house, in the dark, at 5.30 AM for her 3 mile journey to work at York University.

She never made it…

She also didn’t meet her friend later that day, for an arranged drink at the Nag’s Head, her local pub.

She had been walking to work since her car broke down recently. Her parents had offered her taxi money or use of their car but Claudia had refused, saying she liked the walk.

One of the last sightings of Miss Lawrence was on Wednesday last week at around 2pm. She had just finished work at Goodricke College, where she worked as a chef. She was later spotted on CCTV footage as she walked the return journey home.

Detective Superintendent Ray Galloway, of North Yorkshire Police who is leading this case says his first instinct is that she may have “come to some harm”. He also feels that it is by someone that she knows.

He said he does not think she would just go off, or get into a car with a stranger. It is “totally out of character” and he is “extremely concerned”, though they could not rule out entirely the possibility that she had been abducted.

Police are very interested in finding Miss Lawrence’s small light blue, Karrimor rucksack which contains her chef’s whites for work and her Samsung D900 mobile phone, and it is thought that she would have had this with her when she disappeared.

Her parents last heard from their daughter on Wednesday when she called them but are now extremely concerned as there was no contact on Mother’s Day. It was Miss Lawrence’s day off and her mother says she would normally have come to see her.

There are no fears that Miss Lawrence is suffering from depression or may have committed suicide, everything appeared as normal.

Her mobile phone, which she used a lot, has not been used to send messages since last week at 8.23 on Wednesday night and on Thursday her phone went dead.

Police are now following up on all passive data through communications and contacts extracted from her mobile phone records.

The last positive sighting of Miss Lawrence was by a friend of hers at 3.10 AM, last Wednesday, as she walked back to her house.

Her father has now had posters made up with her image on and he is handing them out in a bid to jog people’s memories in his appeal to the public who may have spotted her at some point that day.

She didn’t take any important documents with her. No passport, credit cards or money. She just appears to have “disappeared into thin air”.

“Miss Lawrence is described as white, around 5ft 6ins and of slim build, with brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, blue skinny jeans and white trainers”. -

Claudia Lawrence Crimewatch Appeal

- Sky News Report -

Photo: Crimewatch

14 responses so far

Mar 29 2009

Red River Rising – North Dakota in the Grips of the Great Flood - Fargo Waits for the Crest

Published by christianna under News Edit This

Red River Rising – North Dakota in the Grips of the Great Flood – Fargo Waits for the Crest - YouTube of the Fargo Floods -

- Fargo in the Grips of the Red River Flood -

The scene looks deceptively tranquil, but at the heart of the matter lies the Fargo population which is gripped with the fear of the Red river mercilessly breeching the levees and flooding their homes.

In a battle seemingly against the odds, the exhausted townsfolk of Fargo have worked tirelessly to try to halt the swelling of the Red river.

3 million sandbags have been placed upon 12 miles of snow covered dykes in hope that the now frozen solid bags would act as a wall to keep the City dry.

The river is rising slowly because the freezing temperatures are keeping the ice solid. Warmer temperatures would cause the ice to melt creating a very real and frightening prospect.

The danger is, when the floodwaters crest. If the levee breaks or is breeched, the flood would engulf Fargo even at the now predicted level of 41 feet.

It would be a disaster of formidable proportions and quite possibly the biggest flood North Dakota’s largest city has seen in its living history.

The 90,000 residents of Fargo are praying that the Red river doesn’t breech the level and swamp their homes.

Residents of Fargo, North Dakota are still on high alert, though today the Red River has thankfully levelled off.

This is good news for the residents of Fargo for the time being and forecasters are saying that the river will remain at below or around 41 feet for a few days to come and possibly for up to a week.

However, these predictions are to open to fluctuations of half a foot to a foot, so the water could still rise way above the 41 foot level.

The crest has not occurred yet the forecasters feel, and for the moment it will remain level at around 40.69 feet. It had originally been thought that the river could peak at 43 feet.

These current high water levels have already broken the record of 40.1 feet, topping the one set 112 years ago in 1897.

The agency had thought that the river could reach as high as 43 feet, which is the height of the city’s dykes, but overnight temperatures of below 10 degrees Fahrenheit had slowed the river’s rise.

“Nobody in this valley, no matter how old they are has ever seen levels like this,” Mayor Dennis Walaker stated about the river’s record-breaking height.

The Red River rising has been caused by above-freezing temperatures, followed by heavy rains last week and then warmer weather which have caused the tributaries of the Red River to swell, and the Red River to rise.

Residents of Fargo have been fighting the river for 8 days now and they have rallied, shoulder to shoulder, laying millions of sandbags in a bid to ward off the threatening river.

Though in the end, the sheer weight of water is a formidable force of nature that cannot be stopped. –

American Red Cross workers from California and National guards from around the state have been brought in to help in the emergency situation.

Manitoba residents on the Canadian side of the northern-flowing Red River were also feeling its wrath, when homes had to be evacuated north of Winnipeg after 20 homes were flooded.

Also, Moorhead, Oakport and Minnesota saw homes lost to the waters and many residents, in the region of 2, 600 had been evacuated from their homes in a directed evacuation rather than a mandatory one.

In Oakport Township, home to 1,600 people, they are feeling the power of the water with windows that have been smashed in by the force and dykes that have been submerged. Leaving residents, who would not leave their homes, stranded.

The dangers of being trapped and trying to escape in the flood, is the temperature of the water, the weight of the ice and the swirling currents.

President Obama is keeping a careful eye on things and he stated: “Even as we face an economic crisis which demands our constant focus, forces of nature can also intervene in ways that create other crises to which we must respond; and respond urgently,” he said.

He has declared North Dakota a federal disaster area with aircraft and army troops observing the dykes and the all clear being given for demolition experts to blast the ice jams if needed.

‘The federal government announced a disaster declaration Thursday for seven Minnesota counties. The entire state of North Dakota had received a disaster designation earlier in the week’.

“We are still on high alert. We have not dropped our guard,” Fargo Deputy Mayor Tim Mahoney said.

The next few hours are critical. -

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Weather Service
Latest Information

- YouTube of the Floods in Fargo -

Photo: L.A Times

2 responses so far

Mar 27 2009

Italian Monster Michele Mongelli Held Daughter as Sex-Slave for 25 Years -Youtube of Mongelli’s Apartment - Josef Fritzl Comparisons

Published by christianna under News Edit This

- Italian Monster Michele Mongelli Held Daughter as Sex-Slave for 25 Years -
Youtube of Mongelli’s Apartment- Josef Fritzl Comparisons - Turin -

- Michele Mongelli -

- Mongelli’s Apartment -

It is unbelievable that only a short while after Monster Josef Fritzl from Austria was convicted on multiple charges relating to the imprisonment and repeated rape of his daughter Elizabeth, that another frighteningly, similar case has now surfaced.

I never thought that in the same century that we would see two such barbaric crimes revealed. But today sadly, in Turin, Italy, we see another sick father who has allegedly held his daughter prisoner at his command, for 25 years, as his sex-slave.

Michele Mongelli, Scrap merchant, 64, and father to 10 children, kept his daughter, ‘Laura’, 34, as she is being called by the press, in a room without electricity.

After a tip off, the police planted listening devices in Mongelli’s car and home and the systematic abuse was discovered.

The father first abused her she was about 9 years old. She did manage to escape once in 1994 and she told her sad story of how she was being raped repeatedly by her father, to the police.

After an explanation from her father that she was “disturbed”, the police chose to believe his story and handed her promptly back to her tormentor.

“Prosecutors said that the 64-year-old also ”groomed” his son, Giuseppe, 41, to abuse his sister and to subject his own young children to horrific sex acts”, and that Giuseppe had in fact abused his own children, aged now 20, 12, eight and 6.

“In one chilling transcript released by police the eight-year-old girl can be heard saying: “Dad, get your hands off me. You are a bastard, stop it.”

Michele Mongelli is also under suspicion for the alleged abuse of his brother’s daughter, which is now being investigated.

Mongelli has 10 children. 2 girls and 8 boys and his other daughter has told the police “My father never laid a finger on any of us. I kiss the ground my father walks on.”

The chief prosecutor in the case, Pietro Forno, said: “The victims were not only subjected to sexual abuse but also psychological abuse.

“I have dealt with many incest cases but this is the worst that I have seen because it lasted for 25 years and also because the main victim is 34 years old.”

Mongelli’s wife, Caterina, who apparently knew of the abuse, is standing by her husband and has said: “None of this is true. It’s all lies. He is a good man.

“My husband is in jail for something he didn’t do. He kept her inside because he was worried something might happen.”

“Mongelli and his son are being held by police in Turin. Their five alleged victims are being looked after by social services” while investigations continue. -

Monster Josef Fritzl Comparisons

- Youtube of Mongelli’s Apartment -

One response so far

Mar 27 2009

The Funeral of Jade Goody and her Book of Remembrance

Published by christianna under News Edit This

- The Funeral of Jade Goody and her Book of Remembrance -

Jade Goody’s Funeral will take place Saturday, 4th April. There has been a Book of Remembrance set-up in the church where she will be buried.

“Visitors can leave a message in the book and have an opportunity for quiet reflection and prayer and the lighting of a candle”, a spokesman for Chelmsford Diocese said.

They will also be able to leave floral tributes inside the church for transfer later to a place set aside in the churchyard’.

One message left inside the book said: “Jade, if it was not for you I would never have had my smear test and I have waited 15 years to have one.”

Another said: “You are going to be responsible for saving the lives of many women in years to come.” -

Flowers and messages have been flooding in since the death of Britain’s, National Treasure, Jade Goody. Fans have been laying bouquets, wreaths and tributes outside her home since the news of her death.

Jade’s mother Jackiey has been deeply moved by all the notes and flowers left for her daughter and hopes to answer them all, in time.

Jade will be buried in her white wedding dress which she wore at her marriage to Jack Tweed, 21, just a few short weeks ago.

Jackiey, Jade’s mother, said: “She looks like Sleeping Beauty.” - “Jade looks so beautiful”.

At the moment “Jade is lying in the chapel of rest. It’s very peaceful and a quiet place where her family and friends can reflect.

The interior has burgundy carpets and cream walls. There are sofas for visitors to sit so they can chat, reflect and talk to Jade,” funeral director Simon Albim, who will be arranging Jade’s funeral, said.

The funeral will be held at St John the Baptist’s Church in Buckhurst Hill, Essex and will take place at 12 noon April 4th.

It will be led by Reverend Corinne Brixton who baptised Goody and her two sons, Bobby, five, and Freddie, four, earlier this month.

21 Daimler cars will form part of the long funeral procession which will carry the coffin to it’s final resting place.

Jack Tweed, Jade’s husband will be allowed to attend her funeral as sentencing has been delayed for his assault charge so that he can say goodbye.

Well wishers, mourners and fans of Jade Goody will also be able to watch the service on giant screens outside the church.

Jade planned her funeral down to the last detail before she died. She said that she wanted her funeral to be a ‘Celebration of her life’.

Jade Goody, is a former reality TV, Big Brother star, who died after a public battle with cervical cancer on Mother’s Day, Sunday 22nd of March at the age of 27.

Her extraordinary courage and bravery in the face of death were remarkable, right up until the end. Her enthusiasm and energy for life were traits which drew people to her.

Her light shines brightly on.

Jade’s heartbreaking battle with cancer touched the hearts of a nation. Jade leaves behind, her two sons, Bobby 5, and Freddie 4. –

Gone but never forgotton -

R.I.P Jade. - Jade Cerisa Lorraine Goody - June 5, 1981 – March 22, 2009 - Mother’s Day

The Life and Legacy of Jade Goody

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2 responses so far

Mar 25 2009

Shark Attacks – Dangerous Sharks in our Waters

Published by christianna under News Edit This

Shark Attacks – Dangerous Sharks in our Waters - YouTubes of Shark Attacks

There is nothing more chilling to the blood than the sight of the pointed dorsal fin of a predator shark slicing its way through the water as it hunts its prey.

Shark attacks are on the increase in our seas. As the waters become warmer due to global warming, sharks are coming closer and closer to the shore and they are also striking with more alarming frequency.

- A Beautiful Creature -

The sight of a huge shark strikes terror into the hearts of mankind around the world like no other creature can. Their ferocity and cold, calculating, predatory nature, give them supreme and formidable status within the world’s oceans.

The music to the film Jaws was perfectly composed and I should imagine that it would just about sum up the mounting terror one would feel when in the throes of an imminent shark attack.

- Jaws Theme Tune - YouTube -

Shark attack increase is also being blamed on an increase in the popularity of aquatic sports; with surfers more at risk than anyone else in the water. Sharks are mistaking the shape of them on a surf board for sea turtles.

Surfing is known as “provocative activity” to sharks and surfers are particularly at risk when riding the waves.

This is mainly because surfers spend most of their time in the “splash zone”, an area in the sea where sharks congregate to look for prey.

Surfers also create splash themselves, adding further weight to the problem. When there is a lot of white water and splash, visibility is reduced, and many sharks will mistake surfers for prey.

- YouTube - Shark Attack on a Surfer by not 1, but 2 Sharks -

A diver in a wetsuit can be mistaken for a seal or sea-lion by a shark. Basically, mass human invasion into the shark’s territory is the main root of the problem; it is as simple as that.

Millions of people flock to sunny hot spots all over the world for holiday or escape and as the population increases, so does the shark attack.

There is another theory and one that seems quite probable. In certain countries, sharks are being enticed into shallow waters for mass feeding events to lure tourists to the beaches.

There are several known organisations in Florida and the Bahamas which plant large food amounts in the water, to lure the sharks into the shallow water as a show for visitors.

Common sense will help to avoid attack and careless actions cost lives and limbs. It’s up to you. -

The serious attacks are made in the main by four species. The Bull shark. the Tiger, the Great White and the Oceanic Whitetip shark.

- To lessen the risk of shark attack: -

Always stay in groups

Do not wander too far from the shore

Do not wear shiny jewellery

Do not enter the water if bleeding

Avoid waters where there are signs of bait fishing

Refrain from excess splashing

Signs of porpoises do not indicate an absence of sharks

Use extra caution when waters are murky

Evacuate the water if sharks are there -

- Shark Attack Graph By Country - 1990 - 2007

Source: http://www.swivel.com/graphs/show/21571300
BBC

2 responses so far

Mar 25 2009

Where is Claudia Lawrence? - Mysterious Disappearance of Yorkshire University Chef

Published by christianna under News Edit This

Where is Claudia Lawrence? - Mysterious Disappearance of Yorkshire University Chef

Claudia Lawrence, 35, disappeared somewhere between last Wednesday night and the next day when she would have left her house, in the dark, at 5.30 AM for her 3 mile journey to work at York University.

She never made it…

She also didn’t meet her friend later that day, for an arranged drink at the Nag’s Head, her local pub.

She had been walking to work since her car broke down recently. Her parents had offered her taxi money or use of their car but Claudia had refused, saying she liked the walk.

One of the last sightings of Miss Lawrence was on Wednesday last week at around 2pm. She had just finished work at Goodricke College, where she worked as a chef. She was later spotted on CCTV footage as she walked the return journey home.

Detective Superintendent Ray Galloway, of North Yorkshire Police who is leading this case says his first instinct is that she may have “come to some harm”. He also feels that it is by someone that she knows.

He said he does not think she would just go off, or get into a car with a stranger. It is “totally out of character” and he is “extremely concerned”, though they could not rule out entirely the possibility that she had been abducted.

Police are very interested in finding Miss Lawrence’s small green/blue rucksack which contains her chef’s whites for work and it is thought that she would have had this with her when she disappeared.

Her parents last heard from their daughter on Wednesday when she called them but are now extremely concerned as there was no contact on Mother’s Day. It was Miss Lawrence’s day off and her mother says she would normally have come to see her.

There are no fears that Miss Lawrence is suffering from depression or may have committed suicide, everything appeared as normal.

Her mobile phone, which she used a lot, has not been touched since last week at 8.23 Wednesday night and on Thursday her phone went dead.

Police are now following up on all passive data through communications and contacts extracted from her mobile.

The last positive sighting of Miss Lawrence was by a friend of hers at 3.10 AM, last Wednesday, as she walked back to her house.

Her father has now had posters made up with her image on and he is handing them out in a bid to jog people’s memories in his appeal to the public who may have spotted her at some point that day.

She didn’t take any important documents with her. No passport, credit cards or money. She just appears to have “disappeared into thin air”.

“Miss Lawrence is described as white, around 5ft 6ins and of slim build, with brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, blue skinny jeans and white trainers”. -

One response so far

Mar 24 2009

Komodo Dragon Attacks – Man Mauled to Death by 2 Komodo Dragons Indonesia

Published by christianna under News Edit This

Komodo Dragon Attacks – Fruit Picker Mauled to Death by 2 Komodo Dragons

The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), or Komodo monitor lizard, is the world’s largest lizard and they can grow anything up to 10 feet long and weigh as much as 150 pounds. They take around three to five years to reach maturity, and can live as long as fifty years.

‘The Komodo dragon is an ancient species whose ancestors date back over 100 million years. The varanid genus originated between 25 and 40 million years ago in Asia. The Komodo descended from this species and evolved to its present form over four million years ago’.
Komodo National Park Facts

There are around 4,000 Komodo dragons in the wild and they are an endangered species. It is thought that there are only 350 breeding females left. The Komodo dragon is a reptile native to the islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, and Gili Motang in Indonesia.

There has been a spate of Komodo dragon attacks recently and today a fruit picker was savaged to death by 2 dragons when he fell out of a sugar tree.

Muhamad Anwar, 31, was attacked on the island of Komodo, where these reptiles run wild. He had lacerations to his legs, body, hands and neck after the 2 Komodo dragons had finished mauling him.

The 2 Komodos were laying in wait and attacked him shortly after he hit the ground. He was losing a lot of blood and was rushed to a clinic on the nearby island of Flores where he died soon after.

In February of this year on the island of Rinca, a Komodo dragon climbed into a hut where the victim was sitting at his desk.

Main, 46, managed to fight off the huge dragon and escaped through a window whilst fellow workers beat the dragon with sticks to make it flee.

He suffered cuts to his foot and hand in the struggle. Main said “I’m lucky I survived,” - “Nothing like this has ever happened to me in 25 years on the job. I’ve never been attacked.”

Komodo dragon attacks on humans are relatively rare, but they do seem to be on the increase in the past few years. ‘The Komodo dragon is a fierce predator with razor-sharp teeth that rip large chunks of flesh off with zeal.

‘Natives blamed the attack on environmentalists who don’t live on the island prohibiting goat sacrifices, causing the Komodo dragons to be denied their expected food source, causing them to wander into human territories in search of food’.

An eight-year-old boy was killed after a savage attack by a Komodo dragon in 2007, on the island of Komodo. He died from massive bleeding of his wounds; this being the first reported fatal attack on a human in 33 years.

‘The Komodo dragon eat mostly carrion, but they will also hunt and ambush prey including invertebrates, birds, and mammals. They will ambush live prey with a stealthy approach, a technique that has allowed the Komodo dragon to capture even the most lethal prey, such as the King Cobra.

When suitable prey arrives near a dragon’s ambush site, it will suddenly charge at the animal and go for the underside or the throat. It is able to locate its prey using its keen sense of smell, which can locate a dead or dying animal from a range of up to 9.5 kilometres (6 miles). Komodo dragons have also been observed knocking down large pigs and deer with their strong tail.

Komodo dragons eat by tearing large chunks of flesh and swallowing them whole while holding the carcass down with their forelegs. For smaller prey up to the size of a goat, their loosely articulated jaws, flexible skull, and expandable stomach allow it to swallow its prey whole. The vegetable contents of the stomach and intestines are typically avoided. Copious amounts of red saliva that the Komodo dragons produce help to lubricate the food, but swallowing is still a long process (15–20 minutes to swallow a goat).

Komodo dragons may attempt to speed up the process by ramming the carcass against a tree to force it down its throat, sometimes ramming so forcefully that the tree is knocked down. To prevent itself from suffocating while swallowing, it breathes using a small tube under the tongue that connects to the lungs. After eating up to 80 per cent of its body weight in one meal it drags itself to a sunny location to speed digestion, as the food could rot and poison the dragon if left undigested for too long.

Because of their slow metabolism, large dragons can survive on as little as 12 meals a year. After digestion, the Komodo dragon regurgitates a mass of horns, hair, and teeth known as the gastric pellet, which is covered in malodorous mucus. After regurgitating the gastric pellet, it rubs its face in the dirt or on bushes to get rid of the mucus, suggesting that it, like humans, does not relish the scent of its own excretions.

The largest animals generally eat first, while the smaller ones follow a hierarchy. The largest male asserts his dominance and the smaller males show their submission by use of body language and rumbling hisses. Dragons of equal size may resort to “wrestling.” Losers usually retreat though they have been known to be killed and eaten by victors’.

wikepedia

2 responses so far

Mar 24 2009

Phil Spector - Wall of Sound - Russian Roulette Murder Re-Trial -

Published by christianna under News Edit This

Phil Spector - Wall of Sound - Russian Roulette Murder Re-Trial -

The jury in the re-trial of the murder of Lana Clarkson, has retired to deliberate. Legendary music producer Phil Spector (Harvey Philip), 69, has been brought back to answer this charge once again.

‘Spector, 69, is accused of shooting dead Lana Clarkson, 40, in the early hours of February 3, 2003, after meeting her for the first time that night after visiting the Hollywood nightclub where she worked.

Spector then invited her back to his mansion for a drink’. Where later, the B movie actress was found with a single, fatal gunshot wound to the mouth.

Spector, famous for his ‘Wall of Sound’ recording technique, which was a “dense, layered effect that reproduced well on AM radio and jukeboxes.

To attain this signature sound, Spector gathered large groups of musicians (playing some instruments not generally used for ensemble playing, such as electric and acoustic guitars) playing orchestrated parts —often doubling and tripling many instruments playing in unison — for a fuller sound. Spector himself called his technique “a Wagnerian approach to rock & roll: little symphonies for the kids”.

The original trial in 2007 saw Spector up on a charge of murder in the second degree for the killing of Lana Clarkson at his hilltop home in 2003.

Spector told the court that Ms Clarkson, best known for her role in Roger Corman’s 1985 cult hit Barbarian Queen, was depressed and shot herself, maybe by accident.

During the 5 month trial there was a mountain of evidence produced and over 70 witness statements to get through.

It concluded in a mis-trial, though the evidence looked pretty solid against Spector with many incriminating testimonies. His first jury deadlocked 10-2 for conviction.

Spector’s driver after hearing a gunshot saw him emerge from his back door with blood on his hands and he said: “I think I killed somebody.”

Jurors also heard from five women who claimed Spector had threatened them with guns, usually after a heavy bout of drinking.

‘Phil Spector’s history of violence against women was like a game of Russian roulette that ended with the shooting death of actress Lana Clarkson at his hilltop mansion’.

Now at the culmination of the March re-trial, at Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown Los Angeles, the jury have now retired to consider their verdict.

Deputy District Attorney Truc Do has urged jurors to find Spector guilty of second-degree murder and not the lesser possibility of involuntary manslaughter.

Spector had a fascination with guns. During recording sessions which weren’t going the way he wanted, he drew guns on both The Ramones and John Lennon it is reputed.

In incidents which happened between 1975 and 1995 several women have stated that Spector confronted them with guns when they tried to leave his presence.

Over the years Spector has become more and more eccentric, with a reclusive temperament and obsessive behavioural tendencies.

Deputy District Attorney Truc Do referred in her closing argument to Spector as becoming “a demonic maniac” when he drank and “a very dangerous man” around women.

‘His increasingly erratic behaviour made it difficult for the producer to settle into projects, notably steering disastrous albums featuring John Lennon and later, punk legends The Ramones’.

“This case is about a man who has had a history of playing Russian roulette with the lives of women,” she said. “Five women got the empty chamber. Lana got the sixth bullet.”

Prosecutor Truc Do said that Spector has a tendency to “grab a gun” when angered, and that he has a “conscious disregard for human life”

“When he’s ignited, he always does the same thing — he grabs a gun” - “In every single one of these incidents, Mr. Spector demonstrates conscious disregard for human life…Her death was a death waiting to happen in his world.”

If convicted of second-degree murder Spector could incur a 15 years to life prison sentence for the murder of Lana Clarkson. If convicted of Involuntary manslaughter he will get two to four years behind bars.

Spector has been released on $1 million bail ever since his original arrest back in 2003.

The jury has now retired to deliver its verdict. –

‘Spector was a pioneer of the 1960s’ girl group sound and clocked in over twenty-five Top 40 hits between 1960 and 1965. In later years he worked with such artists as Ike and Tina Turner, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ramones with similar success, including production work on the Academy Award winning Let It Be and Grammy Award winning Concert for Bangladesh soundtracks. In 1989, Spector was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer. The 1965 song “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’”, produced and co-written by Spector for the The Righteous Brothers, is listed by BMI as the song with the most U.S. air play in the 20th century’. Wikepedia.

2 responses so far

Mar 23 2009

Mulholland Drive Directed by David Lynch

Published by christianna under News Edit This

- Mulholland Drive Directed by David Lynch -

The plot within Mulholland Drive is an enigma and the narrative within the film is highly cryptic. The New York Times wrote “while some people might consider the plot an offence against narrative order, the film is an intoxicating liberation from sense, with moments of feeling all the more powerful for seeming to emerge from the murky night world of the unconscious.” -

As the credits roll we are treated to an energetic display of 50’s dancing. There are many couples doing the jitterbug, bunnyhop, and the Jive. This is a lively sequence and all concerned are having a lot of fun. Suddenly a face surges to the fore cloaked in a white mist and she is featured alone and disjointed from all the others. She wavers, and then disappears back through the crowd again. The whole scene is shot very basically and the colours are subdued. This is a strange opening sequence with very little impact and I began to wonder if this is not going to be one of David Lynches best efforts.-

Then the music changes to a sombre mood. The film begins with a black limousine driving slowly up through the hills of Hollywood. There are two men at the front of the car and a lone woman seated to the back. Suddenly the car pulls over and the woman says “we’re not meant to stop here”. As the man in the passenger seat comes round to open her door for her, we are given glimpses of joy riders coming in the opposite direction, as the film cuts to them driving at breakneck speed and back to the woman again, you just know that something is about to happen. - The joy riders collide head-on with the stationary limo. All goes quiet.

Suddenly the woman who was the passenger in the black limousine crawls out from the wreckage, in shock and confused. She staggers to her feet and you can tell from her face that she is very scared of something. She looks down the hills and sees the lights from the nearest town sparkling, so she makes her way, down through the bushes keeping the lights in her sight, to reach safety. She is unsettled and filled with a sense of foreboding but she doesn’t know why.

Eventually she reaches the town and slips into a house while the door is left open and exhausted, falls into a deep sleep.

In the shower the next day she hears someone entering the room. It is the niece (Betty Elms), of the occupants who have gone away on holiday. Betty has come to the big city to make a name for herself as an actress. She is a wide eyed innocent who has no idea how Hollywood can eat you up and spit you out. All she can see through rose tinted glasses is her name in lights. She finds the woman in the shower and asks who she is. The woman replies Rita, seeing Rita Hayworth’s picture on a poster in the wash room. Later she breaks down and confesses that she doesn’t know who she really is and explains about the car crash. It is apparent that ‘Rita’ is suffering from amnesia…

After seeing a waitress in a diner with a name tag of Rita, she feels that for some reason that might be ‘her’ name. She wants to find out where she lives and she also remembers the name of Mulholland Drive and she decides to go to see if the answer lies there. Betty is compassionate and feels sorry for ‘Rita’ and wants to help her and she devises a plan to become a sleuth and ring the hospital to see if there was indeed a car crash last night on Mulholland Drive. -

This is another dreamy offering from David Lynch. From the opening credits I wasn’t too sure if I was going to like this film. How wrong could I be? It was superb. This is by no means an easy film to follow, but then David Lynch films are much more complex than that. This film actually started its life as a prospective two hour TV pilot and the ending was written in later after the TV Company declined to take up the offer of producing it. So this may add to the disjointed feeling that I got about three quarters of the way through. I think this was deliberate though and that Lynch has purposely left the film open to personal interpretation.

From the very start of Mulholland Drive there are quite a few sub plots which seem unconnected at the time though they do all come together through a series of events during the film. They are just snippets of a life and remembering back can sometimes be hard when you want to connect them later on in the film. The way in which Lynch chooses to offer such small pieces of information is one of the major reasons why I like his work so much. He likes to leave us many clues throughout and each new snippet of information found is another piece to the jigsaw.

David Lynch films make you think, maybe not always on a conscious level. But they certainly play on your mind and long after I have watched one of his films I am still debating if I have come to the right conclusion and not missed anything. I always want and need to watch it again quite soon after the first viewing and I think his films need to be watched in such a fashion. The film is high on suspense in true ‘Hitchcock’ style, a director that David Lynch much admires. He was the director of the original ‘Physco’. Alfred Hitchcock was a master of suspense and a great director of his day.

The music was fantastic once again within Mulholland Drive, as it always is with his work. His long collaboration with Angelo Badalamenti brings sombre dark and dreamy music woven between sweet and innocent bubble gum tunes. The total highlight of the film for me was the breath taking, staggeringly haunting rendition of Roy Orbisons ‘I’m Crying’ sung in Spanish, in a Capella by Rebekah Del Rio. This was a total show stopper and took the film to another level of stripped emotion. David Lynch seems to have a fondness for Roy Orbison songs and used ‘In Dreams’ in Blue Velvet. Roy Orbison has a strange and dreamy tone to his voice that compliments scenes within David Lynch films well.

The music is very much at the core of most of his films and he tends to use atmospheric, jazzy lounge music or mid century pop, which works really well with the strange, surreal nature of his films. Songs such as: I’ve told every little star’ seem to defy by their sweetness the scenes which they are used in. ‘Bring it on home’ and Diane and Camilla are other such examples. The impact lies in the context in which they are used and also the switching from light to dark is used to unsettle and confuse. There are even tracks by David Lynch himself here, being a guitar player and singer and his ‘Mountains falling’ is the most incredible musical display of erotic, dark and insidious electric guitar that I have experienced in a long while.

The plot is an enigma and the narrative within the film is highly cryptic and the New York Times wrote “while some people might consider the plot an offence against narrative order, the film is an intoxicating liberation from sense, with moments of feeling all the more powerful for seeming to emerge from the murky night world of the unconscious.”

The film sits uneasily upon you with an eerie undertone running right through the heart of it. It is on a very surreal plane and doesn’t reach earth for a moment. It is sublime and dark, delicious and dreamy.

The acting is superb from all concerned. The cinematography is stunning. It is used to perfection. The close ups are staggering and the subdued palates are beautifully placed. The film is bizarre and the feel is nightmarish. A dream captured on film, which must be viewed that way. But which parts are in fact the dream and which parts are the reality? You decide. –

Mulholland Drive has to be David Lynch’s best film to date. I loved Blue Velvet, one of his early films but I love this more. It is a visual masterpiece. Enigmatic and entirely elusive, it is delicious and the best two hours and twenty six minutes worth of cinema that I have seen.-

“The film was strongly acclaimed by many critics and earned Lynch the Prix de la mise en scene (Best Director Award) at the Cannes Film Festival as well as an Oscar”.

Mulholland Drive was released in the UK in 2002. Directed and written by David Lynch. Starring Naomi Watts, Laura Elena Harring, Justin Theroux and Ann Miller. - Genre: Drama/ Mystery/Thriller. - Running Time: 146 Minutes. - BBFC Rating: 15. -

Directed by
David Lynch
Written by
David Lynch
-Starring-
Naomi Watts
Laura Elena Harring
Justin Theroux
Ann Miller
Cinematography
Peter Deming

Christianna Garrett-Martin

One response so far

Next »

Bringing You The News Of The Day.

News Items Today

Archive for March, 2009

Pages

Recent Posts

Archives

Blogroll

Tags