97% Blackfish

All Critics (73) | Top Critics (23) | Fresh (71) | Rotten (2)

Informative, earnest, but less than briskly paced.

"Blackfish" makes a compelling case that the cruelty of life in captivity is the cause for a rash of fatal attacks by orcas on their trainers, aggressive behavior that no so-called killer whale ever has exhibited in the wild.

Its ultimate message is clear: Killer whales belong with their families in their natural habitat, not performing for audiences. After listening to this film's many impassioned voices, it's hard to argue.

It not only delivers astonishing, suspenseful footage that makes it a legitimate thriller, but also serves up thoughtful meditations about using wild animals for our own entertainment.

It's hard to imagine anyone coming out of this movie and not swearing off the next vacation trip to Orlando, San Antonio or San Diego.

Unfortunately, this feels like a ten-minute news segment blown up to theatrical proportions.

An engrossing look at animal behavior.

It is gripping and thought-provoking.

As enlightening and passionate as the picture is, Cowperthwaite fails to summon the type of comprehensive journalism this type of story deserves.

The one save-the-whales movie to see when you only have time for one.

There aren't too many animal-rights documentaries that could be described as "metal," but Blackfish, one part horror movie and one part nature film, fits the bill and then some.

Cowperthwaite juxtaposes to devastating effect official PR spin with news reports and eye-witness accounts of marine park tragedies.

[An] impressive, often gripping documentary ...

Engrossing when offers alarming CSI-type forensic analysis into the death of a whale trainer [but] the narrow focus on SeaWorld raises more questions that aren't considered.

Through interviews with whale scientists and several former Sea World trainers, [Cowperthwaite] paints a disturbing picture of the profit-minded climate of deceit that prevailed at the company.

Puts 'killer whales' into wildlife and humanitarian perspective while giving you all of the dangerous action sequences you could possible want. Free Willy, it ain't.

Blackfish marries biography, activism and psycho thriller into a pleasing cinematic shape, starting with a single whale and the trainers who worked with him.

Some of the archive footage is exceedingly harrowing, but the case against commercially condoned cruelty is made without sensationalism, and few will be able to watch this without a growing sense of outrage.

Cruelty begets cruelty and whales don't belong in the circus.

It is never less than gripping, and devastatingly undermines the notion of performing whales as wholesome family entertainment.

Damning and disturbing viewing.

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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/blackfish_2013/

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New findings could help improve development of drugs for addiction

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Scientists have described findings that could enable the development of more effective drugs for addiction with fewer side effects. The study showed in a combination of cell and animal studies that one active compound maintains a strong bias towards a single biological pathway, providing insight into what future drugs could look like.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/wPpqRN04CXY/130802132328.htm

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Another Poll Shows Grimes Ahead (Taegan Goddard's Political Wire)

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Bob Hope, who entertained millions of troops, remembered in new exhibit at WW II museum

NEW ORLEANS - Bob Hope entertained 11 presidents at the White House, hosted the Academy Awards 19 times and told thousands of jokes to some 10 million U.S. troops over the course of four wars.

Now the long life and legacy of the beloved actor and comedian, who died 10 years ago at age 100, is being celebrated at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, where the World Golf Hall of Fame & Museum has brought the "Bob Hope: An American Treasure" travelling exhibition.

More than 160 mementos from Hope's life capture his passion for golf, relationships with presidents, pride in his country and appreciation for military service. The exhibit officially opens to the public Saturday, though a soft opening will be held Friday during regular museum hours.

The exhibit includes vintage photographs of Hope entertaining troops at USO shows overseas, an honorary Oscar statuette and PGA of America money clip. But the highlight is Hope's jokes, which are printed on displays and included in video clips throughout the exhibit.

"It was important to make it funny," said Jack Peter, senior vice-president of the World Golf Hall of Fame and Museum, who was in New Orleans for the opening. "That was one of the requests of the family."

And funny it is.

"I left England when I found out I couldn't be king" is the Hope quote in the section of the exhibit about his immigration to America from England as a young boy.

"He was very proud to be an American immigrant, that he was able to come here and succeed, and he wanted to give something back," said Anthony "Tony" Montalto, Hope's longtime accountant, who over the decades became a good friend and remains a trustee of Hope's estate.

There are pictures and jokes of Hope's time spent playing golf with presidents Dwight Eisenhower, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon and others.

"He's played golf with more presidents than just about anybody," Peter said.

The exhibit also includes a plaque of Hope's induction into the U.S. Blind Golf Association Hall of Fame and his name tag proclaiming him an "active member."

"When I miss a shot, I just think what a beautiful day it is ... then I take a deep breath. I have to do that. That's what gives me the strength to break the club," Hope is quoted as saying.

Jokes aside, the exhibit also captures Hope's appreciation for military service. There are pictures of him shaking hands with injured troops, some who had lost limbs but had smiles on their faces. There are pictures and video of Hope entertaining on stage during World War II, Vietnam and other wars.

"This brings another aspect of the war that we're not always able to tell through our permanent exhibits," said Toni Kiser, the National WWII Museum's curator who put the exhibit together. "It was really important to the troops to get rest and relaxation, and not only did they love to be entertained with music and comedy, it was necessary for them to have that down time, to not be in fight mode the entire time."

Hope, it seemed, knew that.

"I have seen what a laugh can do," he is quoted as saying, in the exhibit space with pictures of him with wounded troops. "It can transform almost unbearable tears into something bearable, even hopeful."

The exhibit will remain on display in New Orleans through Oct. 31.

Source: http://feeds.canada.com/~r/canwest/F294/~3/2XYzB02Ue5c/story.html

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Golf Course Review - Oak Hill Country Club (East Course)

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Source: http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=golf-m/news/newstest.aspx?id=4613543

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Is private equity bullish on India real estate once again? - Firstpost

Even though private equity investment in the Indian real realty has?fallen nearly 50 percent to $276 million in the first half of 2013 due to lack of good projects and weak sentiment, foreign investors are still bullish on the sector.

According to property consulting firm Cushman and Wakefield?about $2 billion (Rs 11,854 crore) is available with private equity firms ready to be deployed in real estate in the next one year, but PE funds want to put in money only in those projects with strong fundamentals.

?While the PE investments in real estate was recorded at $276 million (Rs 1,638 crore) in H1 2013, which is 46 percent lower when compared to first half of 2012 ($ 514 million/Rs 3,050 crore), the PE funds continue to show keen interest in the market with a number of deals in discussion,? C&W said in a statement.

Reuters

According to?C&W Executive Managing Director of South Asia operations Sanjay Dutt, despite the slowdown in the construction market and the reduced number of investible projects in India, real estate is still the fourth most-invested sector by private equity funds.

?We anticipate that in the next few quarters, after some regulatory and politico-economic environment are regularised, the momentum in real estate will pick up throwing open more investible options for the investors,? he said.

So far?in 2013, the highest value PE investment was $131.6 million in Pune, followed by $67.5 million in Mumbai, $38.8 million in the National Capital Region, and $16.9 million in Bangalore.

Even data from Venture Intelligence shows that private equity-Real Estate firms made 13 investments (amounting to $318 million across 12 deals with disclosed values) during the quarter ended June 2013.?The volume of investments perked up significantly from the seven investments in the same period in the previous year (which witnessed $172 million being invested across six transactions with disclosed values) and also the eight investments (worth $569 million) during the Jan-Mar 2013 quarter.)

Data provided by the firm shows that?Ascendas Trust?s Rs 600 crore (about $110 million) acquisition of 2 million sq. ft of office space in Hyderabad from Phoenix Group was the largest investment during the second quarter of FY13. This was followed by Xander?s Rs 280 crore ($52 million) investment in Supertech?s 125 acre township project in Gurgaon and Clearwater Capital?s (along with Ajay Piramal Group non-banking financial company PHL Finance) Rs 300 crore ($50.2 million) investment to finance VGN Developers? acquisition of a land parcel for a gated community project in Chennai.

Earlier this week, Kotak Real?Estate fund said it had raised $200 million (Rs 1,200 crore) from select group of investors and has firmed commitments to raise $200 million more to close its $400 million ?eight-year tenure fund to invest in only residential properties in India?s six metros. ?The ?fund will?invest an average of $15-20 million in each project and will put in money from the first close in 10-12 projects. It is looking to generate a return of 20 percent for investors of the new fund.

Even Tata Realty?has put its 780,000 sq ft IT park in Mumbai?s Goregaon suburb on the block and aims to raise Rs 800 crore through the sale of the park, while?Oman?s State General Reserve Fund and the Government of Singapore Investment Corp (GIC), investment firm Temasek committed to invest $200 million in HDFC Real Estate Fund.

Source: http://www.firstpost.com/economy/is-private-equity-bullish-on-india-real-estate-once-again-1002315.html

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Panasonic unveils 16MP Lumix GX7 Micro Four Thirds camera, 42.5mm f/1.2 lens

There's not much to reveal about Panasonic's Lumix DMC-GX7 since it leaked (nearly) in full just days ago, but now it's official. This 16-megapixel Live MOS shooter is Panny's latest Micro Four Thirds offering aimed squarely at prosumers. This retro-styled camera is a much svelter option than the video-focused GH-3 ($1,500) thanks to its magnesium alloy casing. Along with in-body image stabilization and a swift shutter that tops out at 1/8000th of a second, the ISO tops out at 25,600. If video is your concern, it'll capture 1080p footage at 60 fps (24 Mbps) in AVCHD.

While the GX7 will burst shoot with autofocus tracking at 4.3 fps, its electronic shutter lets it hit 40 fps if pure speed is what you're after -- while we're on it, the shutter will also operate in a silent mode. Notably, a vertically-tiltable 16:9 Live View Finder is onboard, packing a resolution of 2.76 million dots and the ability to fire off the autofocus once it detects an eye. Two control dials aid in manual settings along with a rear-facing LCD touchscreen, which tilts up to 80-degrees. If all that wasn't enough, built-in WiFi and NFC allow for the likes of remote viewfinder apps and sharing media.

Gallery: Panasonic Lumix GX7 press images

The GX7 will hit the US this November in a silver and black colorway priced at $1,100 with a 14-42mm kit lens, and $1,000 for just the body itself. A sleathier all-black variant will also be available, though only in Japan. Aside from the camera, a new Lumix lens with Leica tech will also hit shelves, offering a 45mm 42.5mm focal length with a speedy f/1.2 aperture -- the fastest in the lineup to date. Hit the press releases after the break for more details.

Update: We've corrected the focal length of the fast prime lens, which is 42.5mm rather than the 45mm we originally reported.

Filed under: Cameras

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/01/panasonic-lumix-gx7/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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