It was a beautiful morning yesterday with the sun glistening on the sea since the dawn. I had a swim after an absence of two days and eat a hearty breakfast. It was a struggle to complete the 50 lengths. On the homeward journey I considered abandoning the plan for the day to make the most of the weather. However I was uncertain if my right big toe is just badly bruised or has a break as it is still painful if knocked which I continue to do several times a day whether I wear shoes or not.
Having worked hard and well so far this week I decided to continue the good work and returned home for the breakfast of a prepared cooked platter of bacon sausages beans, egg and tiny potato cubes, followed be a bowl of cereal and coffee. I then became tired and dozed in front of the telly with the second season second episode of Sopranos and the latest episode of Blue Bloods. In the queue are two episodes of Game of Thrones plus reading and the third episode of the lurid episode of Spartacus. Films still to write about are Tempesta and Saints and Soldiers. There was a biting wind cold day at cricket on Sunday followed by keep abreast with the score of the one day game against Scotland on Monday via the ESPN cricket live site, which has been used over the past two days for the championship game at Worcester.
The major event of the week has been the first visit of a British reigning Monarch to Eire since independence was bitterly fought one just under 100 years ago. The executive head of the International Monetary Fund has been forced to resign after being charged with attempted rape and other charges while visiting New York. There is mounting pressure on a leading Liberal Democrat Member Chris Hulne of the British Cabinet where there appears to be an accusation that he evaded a potential driving ban many tears ago before be became a Member of Parliament. The Justice Minister Ken Clark, cricket lover and whisky drinker also got into hot water by suggesting that there is need to approach the juridical proceedings involving rape in a new way in order to raise the percentage of convictions.
Having reached 10000 completed sets I decided I needed to make better progress by converting existing material most records into sets with the easiest and quickest material that is content confidential and with the files already available in a cabinet I have made good progress with child care issues, completing 90 sets over four days. I will continue to make 20 to 30 sets over the next couple of weeks until all the records have been transferred. From previous experience I will take a short break but then continue.
I also decided it was time to continue with the reorganisation and recording of the location of the work commencing with the second floor and the smallest of the three rooms where I commenced the task last year.
I took a couple of hours on Monday to get prepared and found that I am unable to use my main lap top with wireless. Decided not to waste time sorting this out and am using the other which I sorted the previous week. I can listen to BBC radio cricket with the screen showing the full scoreboard while I use the other lap to record the locations. I had hoped to also undertake printing using the second Brother DCP 125 but it requires a service as paper jam warning continues although appears clear of paper. I will decide on my next venture upstairs if I will take up my other printer which is full works larger and where I am yet to find inexpensive cartridges.
I enjoyed seeing the Italian made film Tempesta again. An America art appraiser, Patrick Donovan arrives in Venice to evaluate three paintings at the historic Galleries deli Academia. The part is played by Scot Williams. This aspect of the film is interesting because of the insight into the present technology available to establish the validity of paintings. He appraises two and finds them genuine but shortly before he is to begin work on Tempesta, the Giorgione Painting it is stolen with the Gallery Director attacked. Before this Patrick has met the adopted daughter of the Gallery Chiara who he appears to connect with given her work as an art restorer and physical attractiveness. His USA Insurers ask him to say on in Venice to and try and locate the painting offering to in effect pay a ransom for its return before the official company representative arrives to deal with the insurance claim.
Against the back cloth of the sights of Venice at Carnival time Patrick finds a very dark world of which he appears amazingly innocent. He finds that Chiara works for a remarkable forger and dealer for some of the most famous paintings in the world (played by Malcolm McDowell). He eventually discoverers a secret art gallery below the man’s work place which contained the most important paintings in the world with his clever forgeries in their place in the galleries throughout the world. The man is killed stabbed through one of eye with a stiletto during Carnival. Chiara is also discovered to having had a sexual relationship with the man and with her adopted father. He also meets a well known private collector who asks him to privately appraise a couple of works one of which is a fake and sold to him by McDowell. He eventually finds both the stolen picture which was a fake to avoid detection before the insurance valuation and the original which is returned to the gallery to. He keeps a record of his investigation on a hand held recorder which contributes to his downfall, He finds that the assassin is Chiara who shoots him dumping us body in the a canal, one more unsolved murder in the city. The film has its charm, the momentary realization of loss of innocence before the young man is murdered. There is no happy ending for him.
The film reminded of the Thomas Crown Affair which was coincidentally being shown, until I realised that it was the Pierce Brosnan 1999 version which centred on the stealing of a major art work the San Giorgio Maggiore at dusk by Monet valued at $100 million and not 1968 version with Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway which I prefer because of the glorious iconic scenes, the meal at the unbuilt beach house, the rowing on the river and the overall adult sophistication, but which involves bank robbery rather than art theft.
The other film which impressed me greatly was Saints and Soldiers and which begins with three soldiers escaping from the Malmedy Massacre where dropped USA parachutists were captured and then shot. They are joined by a fourth, an English pilot whose plane was shot down before he could return to base and report the disposition of the as yet undetected German advance. He persuades the three others to help in breaking through the German advance to warn the allies of the situation. The basic plot story provides the opportunity to explore aspects of the nature of combat for those involved on both sides. The key member of the quartet used to be a missionary working in Berlin which he says was the happiest time in his life. He speaks German and becomes essential in getting the group through the Germany lines. He is in an emotional state with hallucinations because returning fire he had entered what he believed was a building used by the enemy only to find that he had killed two women and six children. He is protected by the Sergeant and the third USA soldier who is a member of the medical corps. He is also helped by the kindness of a Belgium French speaking woman and her daughter who provides temporary shelter and food and who he then rescues from being raped by two German soldiers, one is killed and the other runs off.
Before this incident the English Pilot had set off in the freezing weather conditions to make an immediate attempt to reach allied lines while the others remained in the shelter overnight knowing that he faced certain death because of the cold. Fortunately he encounters the escaping German soldier who turns out to be the son of a household with whom he stayed when a missionary. Deacon allows the German soldier to leave in exchange for information how to get through to the allies and the location of a Jeep being used by the Germans with the bonnet covered in a German flag to protect it from friendly fire. Later the soldier does not give them away when they are going through a German encampment.
Because they forget to remove the German Flag they are nearly blown up by the allies but two of them are successful, the British Airman and the Medical corps soldier so the information is handed over. Deacon carried with a small book which we are never told what it is but the suggestion it is a Bible. Later after Deacon has sacrificed his life to help the others reach the allies, the man in the medical corps who has expressed a lack of belief in anything after death takes the book and seeing a wounded German officer in captivity provides the man with first aid. The Sergeant also dies in the service of the greater good. We also learn that Deacon originated from Snowflake a town founded and populated by those of the Church of the Latter Day Saints. This low budget film around $.75 million was made by a LDS company. The film was given a restricted rating because having established a relationship with each of the four characters two die a violent death which young people would find upsetting.
The need for reconciliation was the basis of the historical state visit on Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to Eire during four days of this week. It is said that Queen Elizabeth has wanted to make such a symbolic visit during her lifetime and asked about doing so soon after the Good Friday agreement was signed a decade and a half ago. However the conditions for making such a visit in safety were not established until recently when it was agreed that the devolved joint Northern Ireland government should take control of policing and Catholic were recruited to the police in numbers for the first time. There were a number of an important visual statements of reconciliations with on the first day the Queen visiting the memorial Garden in Dublin created for those who died in the fight to obtain independence from the British Crown. She also made a visit to the famous Croke Park Stadium built where the first Bloody Sunday massacre of 19 civilians by British forces took place 91 years ago. This had become a stadium for Gaelic Sports. Although the major stadium in Eire International sports such as football and rugby were not played there by British Teams until recently because of the issue of the British National Anthem, The anthem was played several times during the State visit.
The private lunch on the first day was attended by David Trimble one the architects of the Peace agreement on behalf of the Unionists. Sinn Fein declined an invitation but their leader Gerry Adams now a Member of the Irish Parliament who had argued that the time was not yet right for the visit appeared more conciliatory as the visit progressed, Certainly he would not have expected the extent to her majesty alluded to the past at the State dinner held on the second evening.
She commenced her speech with a greeting in Gaelic and expressed recognition of the sad and regrettable reality “ that through history our islands have experienced more than their fair share of heartache, turbulence and loss. These events have touched us all, many of us personally, and are a painful legacy. We can never forget those who have died or been injured and their families. To all those who have suffered as a consequence of our troubled past I extend my sincere thoughts and deep sympathy. With the Benefit of historical hindsight we can all see things which we would wish had been done differently or not at all”.
In response the President of Ireland said she was proud of Ireland’s difficult journey to national sovereignty and a republic which asserted religious and civil liberty. She was particularly proud of her Island’s peacemakers who having experienced first hand the appalling toxic harvest of failing to resolve old hatreds and political differences, rejected the perennial culture of conflict and compromised enough to let a new future in.”
There was a small demonstration outside the location of the dinner as there were at other places visited, kept away from the President and her guests. The streets of journeys were kept clear of vehicles and pedestrians, The visit was not one I anticipated happening during my lifetime.
Having worked hard and well so far this week I decided to continue the good work and returned home for the breakfast of a prepared cooked platter of bacon sausages beans, egg and tiny potato cubes, followed be a bowl of cereal and coffee. I then became tired and dozed in front of the telly with the second season second episode of Sopranos and the latest episode of Blue Bloods. In the queue are two episodes of Game of Thrones plus reading and the third episode of the lurid episode of Spartacus. Films still to write about are Tempesta and Saints and Soldiers. There was a biting wind cold day at cricket on Sunday followed by keep abreast with the score of the one day game against Scotland on Monday via the ESPN cricket live site, which has been used over the past two days for the championship game at Worcester.
The major event of the week has been the first visit of a British reigning Monarch to Eire since independence was bitterly fought one just under 100 years ago. The executive head of the International Monetary Fund has been forced to resign after being charged with attempted rape and other charges while visiting New York. There is mounting pressure on a leading Liberal Democrat Member Chris Hulne of the British Cabinet where there appears to be an accusation that he evaded a potential driving ban many tears ago before be became a Member of Parliament. The Justice Minister Ken Clark, cricket lover and whisky drinker also got into hot water by suggesting that there is need to approach the juridical proceedings involving rape in a new way in order to raise the percentage of convictions.
Having reached 10000 completed sets I decided I needed to make better progress by converting existing material most records into sets with the easiest and quickest material that is content confidential and with the files already available in a cabinet I have made good progress with child care issues, completing 90 sets over four days. I will continue to make 20 to 30 sets over the next couple of weeks until all the records have been transferred. From previous experience I will take a short break but then continue.
I also decided it was time to continue with the reorganisation and recording of the location of the work commencing with the second floor and the smallest of the three rooms where I commenced the task last year.
I took a couple of hours on Monday to get prepared and found that I am unable to use my main lap top with wireless. Decided not to waste time sorting this out and am using the other which I sorted the previous week. I can listen to BBC radio cricket with the screen showing the full scoreboard while I use the other lap to record the locations. I had hoped to also undertake printing using the second Brother DCP 125 but it requires a service as paper jam warning continues although appears clear of paper. I will decide on my next venture upstairs if I will take up my other printer which is full works larger and where I am yet to find inexpensive cartridges.
I enjoyed seeing the Italian made film Tempesta again. An America art appraiser, Patrick Donovan arrives in Venice to evaluate three paintings at the historic Galleries deli Academia. The part is played by Scot Williams. This aspect of the film is interesting because of the insight into the present technology available to establish the validity of paintings. He appraises two and finds them genuine but shortly before he is to begin work on Tempesta, the Giorgione Painting it is stolen with the Gallery Director attacked. Before this Patrick has met the adopted daughter of the Gallery Chiara who he appears to connect with given her work as an art restorer and physical attractiveness. His USA Insurers ask him to say on in Venice to and try and locate the painting offering to in effect pay a ransom for its return before the official company representative arrives to deal with the insurance claim.
Against the back cloth of the sights of Venice at Carnival time Patrick finds a very dark world of which he appears amazingly innocent. He finds that Chiara works for a remarkable forger and dealer for some of the most famous paintings in the world (played by Malcolm McDowell). He eventually discoverers a secret art gallery below the man’s work place which contained the most important paintings in the world with his clever forgeries in their place in the galleries throughout the world. The man is killed stabbed through one of eye with a stiletto during Carnival. Chiara is also discovered to having had a sexual relationship with the man and with her adopted father. He also meets a well known private collector who asks him to privately appraise a couple of works one of which is a fake and sold to him by McDowell. He eventually finds both the stolen picture which was a fake to avoid detection before the insurance valuation and the original which is returned to the gallery to. He keeps a record of his investigation on a hand held recorder which contributes to his downfall, He finds that the assassin is Chiara who shoots him dumping us body in the a canal, one more unsolved murder in the city. The film has its charm, the momentary realization of loss of innocence before the young man is murdered. There is no happy ending for him.
The film reminded of the Thomas Crown Affair which was coincidentally being shown, until I realised that it was the Pierce Brosnan 1999 version which centred on the stealing of a major art work the San Giorgio Maggiore at dusk by Monet valued at $100 million and not 1968 version with Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway which I prefer because of the glorious iconic scenes, the meal at the unbuilt beach house, the rowing on the river and the overall adult sophistication, but which involves bank robbery rather than art theft.
The other film which impressed me greatly was Saints and Soldiers and which begins with three soldiers escaping from the Malmedy Massacre where dropped USA parachutists were captured and then shot. They are joined by a fourth, an English pilot whose plane was shot down before he could return to base and report the disposition of the as yet undetected German advance. He persuades the three others to help in breaking through the German advance to warn the allies of the situation. The basic plot story provides the opportunity to explore aspects of the nature of combat for those involved on both sides. The key member of the quartet used to be a missionary working in Berlin which he says was the happiest time in his life. He speaks German and becomes essential in getting the group through the Germany lines. He is in an emotional state with hallucinations because returning fire he had entered what he believed was a building used by the enemy only to find that he had killed two women and six children. He is protected by the Sergeant and the third USA soldier who is a member of the medical corps. He is also helped by the kindness of a Belgium French speaking woman and her daughter who provides temporary shelter and food and who he then rescues from being raped by two German soldiers, one is killed and the other runs off.
Before this incident the English Pilot had set off in the freezing weather conditions to make an immediate attempt to reach allied lines while the others remained in the shelter overnight knowing that he faced certain death because of the cold. Fortunately he encounters the escaping German soldier who turns out to be the son of a household with whom he stayed when a missionary. Deacon allows the German soldier to leave in exchange for information how to get through to the allies and the location of a Jeep being used by the Germans with the bonnet covered in a German flag to protect it from friendly fire. Later the soldier does not give them away when they are going through a German encampment.
Because they forget to remove the German Flag they are nearly blown up by the allies but two of them are successful, the British Airman and the Medical corps soldier so the information is handed over. Deacon carried with a small book which we are never told what it is but the suggestion it is a Bible. Later after Deacon has sacrificed his life to help the others reach the allies, the man in the medical corps who has expressed a lack of belief in anything after death takes the book and seeing a wounded German officer in captivity provides the man with first aid. The Sergeant also dies in the service of the greater good. We also learn that Deacon originated from Snowflake a town founded and populated by those of the Church of the Latter Day Saints. This low budget film around $.75 million was made by a LDS company. The film was given a restricted rating because having established a relationship with each of the four characters two die a violent death which young people would find upsetting.
The need for reconciliation was the basis of the historical state visit on Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to Eire during four days of this week. It is said that Queen Elizabeth has wanted to make such a symbolic visit during her lifetime and asked about doing so soon after the Good Friday agreement was signed a decade and a half ago. However the conditions for making such a visit in safety were not established until recently when it was agreed that the devolved joint Northern Ireland government should take control of policing and Catholic were recruited to the police in numbers for the first time. There were a number of an important visual statements of reconciliations with on the first day the Queen visiting the memorial Garden in Dublin created for those who died in the fight to obtain independence from the British Crown. She also made a visit to the famous Croke Park Stadium built where the first Bloody Sunday massacre of 19 civilians by British forces took place 91 years ago. This had become a stadium for Gaelic Sports. Although the major stadium in Eire International sports such as football and rugby were not played there by British Teams until recently because of the issue of the British National Anthem, The anthem was played several times during the State visit.
The private lunch on the first day was attended by David Trimble one the architects of the Peace agreement on behalf of the Unionists. Sinn Fein declined an invitation but their leader Gerry Adams now a Member of the Irish Parliament who had argued that the time was not yet right for the visit appeared more conciliatory as the visit progressed, Certainly he would not have expected the extent to her majesty alluded to the past at the State dinner held on the second evening.
She commenced her speech with a greeting in Gaelic and expressed recognition of the sad and regrettable reality “ that through history our islands have experienced more than their fair share of heartache, turbulence and loss. These events have touched us all, many of us personally, and are a painful legacy. We can never forget those who have died or been injured and their families. To all those who have suffered as a consequence of our troubled past I extend my sincere thoughts and deep sympathy. With the Benefit of historical hindsight we can all see things which we would wish had been done differently or not at all”.
In response the President of Ireland said she was proud of Ireland’s difficult journey to national sovereignty and a republic which asserted religious and civil liberty. She was particularly proud of her Island’s peacemakers who having experienced first hand the appalling toxic harvest of failing to resolve old hatreds and political differences, rejected the perennial culture of conflict and compromised enough to let a new future in.”
There was a small demonstration outside the location of the dinner as there were at other places visited, kept away from the President and her guests. The streets of journeys were kept clear of vehicles and pedestrians, The visit was not one I anticipated happening during my lifetime.
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