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ultrahpfan5blog · 4 years ago

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Rewatching the Bourne series

Just recently rewatched this series. In my opinion, one of the best action-thriller franchises around. I caught onto the Bourne movies fairly late. In fact I think Ultimatum was the first movie I saw in theaters. But I caught up with Bourne Identity and Bourne Supremacy before watching Ultimatum. The initial trilogy in particular is pretty superb trilogy of movies. While I know there are people who don’t like The Bourne Legacy and Jason Bourne, I still find them enjoyable to varying degrees.

The Bourne Identity is my second favorite film in the franchise behind Ultimatum. In context of the series, you can tell this one is made by a different director since the action scenes look different. The film is a bit more of a mystery because we are basically finding out about what is going on as Bourne does, which can be tricky because, if not executed correctly, without knowing who the character is, you can find it hard to feel attached to the character. That’s where I think Liman did a great job in making Bourne seem like an underdog but still making him a complete badass. The relationship with Marie is key here. Unlike in many spy films where romance seems extraneous to the story, here it works to ground Bourne to some sort of normalcy which he craves and which is why he doesn’t want to continue being a killer. The CIA stuff is also compelling because actors like Cooper and Cox are able to deliver exposition in a compelling way. The pacing is key, which is key to the entire franchise. All 4 movies with Damon clock in under two hours and not a minute of the movie is wasted. The action is excellent but the highlight action piece is definitely the car chase, which is superbly coordinated. Also surprisingly affecting in a very short role is Clive Owen. His death scene is exceptionally well executed and his performance in that scene is really well done. What he says in that scenes comes back later in Ultimatum. Matt Damon was all fresh faced around the time this movie came out and it really was a casting against what he had done prior to this and that works big time. He has a casual, unassuming presence but he just turns on the badass in an epic way. The role suits him perfectly and he’s excellent in it. Franka Potente is also great as Marie. A 8.5/10

The Bourne Supremacy is my third favorite film of the series, just a smidge behind Identity. Its still excellent. Its the shortest film of the series and it does feel it at times. It just hurtles along. I was initially a little annoyed at how they killed off Marie to give Bourne a motivation, but I also understand that practically, its impossible for Marie to keep up with Bourne as he shuttles all the way across the world. The scope of this movie is significantly increased. Whereas the first movie was set in interconnected Europe, largely in Paris, this film goes from India, to Naples, to Berlin, to Moscow. The film also gradually expands Bourne’s past as we gradually start learning about the things he’s done. The film acts as part revenge thriller and part mystery as Bourne tries to figure out his memories. There is a bit of narrative convenience here, that Bourne is remembering details of that assassination just as the CIA is digging into the Neski files. But the film flows so well that you can forgive minor narrative conveniences like that. The film introduces Pam Landy and the CIA side of things is given a bit more of a stronger narrative. Whereas in Identity, the CIA guys were the clear antagonists to Bourne, here Pam Landy is also posed as a figure who is trying to do the right thing. Cox and Stiles are back as Abbott and Pasrons respectively. Julia Stiles didn’t have much to do in Identity other than follow orders but you start to see her role get expanded. Cox takes the role of the primary CIA antagonist. Karl Urban as the Russian assassin was a welcome presence, but in the end the film is carried by Damon. He’s a bit angrier and bit more emotional and he’s excellent throughout. The film introduces Greengrass’ now infamous shaky cam action. For me, while I normally don’t like it, Greengrass is one of the few directors who knows how to do it well. Admittedly, the fight scene between Bourne and Jarda is not the best filmed one, so his technique was still a work in progress, but the rest of the action is top class. Again, the car chase sequence in the finale is top notch and thrilling. Also, it has probably the coolest ending of the series. A 8/10

The Bourne Ultimatum was the first Bourne film I watched in theaters and its my favorite. I think the film is near perfect across the board. I think this film makes the best use of all the cast and Greengrass gives us some terrific action sequences throughout the movie. And because this Bourne tracing back his origin, its perhaps the most compelling mystery of the series as he tries to find out how he became who he is. Firstly, the action is the best it is in the series. The Bourne vs Desh fight is the highwater mark when it comes to individual fight scenes in the series. Its compelling, brutal, and you feel every punch. All the chase sequences, be it foot chases or car chases are incredibly intense. I think the CIA part of the movie is the most compelling it has ever been with David Strathairn is excellent as Vosen, who plays the new CIA antagonist, and Joan Allen continues to be terrific as Pam Landy. Them playing counterparts to each other makes it fascinating to watch even the non Bourne scenes. Then Julia Stiles get an even more expanded role as Nicky Parsons. The Bourne and Nicky dynamic is interestingly played with a touch history and one sided romantic tension which is never directly addressed. But it does make it compelling. Albert Finney shows up as the Dr. Frankenstein of the Treadstone/Blackbriar operation and he’s enigmatic as hell. The climax between Bourne and Hirsch is terrifically acted by both parties. We also see a mirror of the scene from Identity where Bourne repeats the same dialogue to Edgar Ramirez’s assassin that Owen’s character had said to him. Damon is superb as always. Completely natural in the action and perfectly balancing stoicism with vulnerability when required. The film ends on a note that would have been perfect if they had chosen to end the series here. A 9/10.

The Bourne Legacy is kind of the step child of this series. The only movie which doesn’t have Damon/Bourne in the series. Intended to start a spinoff series but didn’t quite have the commercial success to do so. I admit that when I first saw the film in theaters, I didn’t like it. Over time, I have grown to appreciate it more although its still well below the original trilogy of films for me. Firstly, what’s good. Jeremy Renner is an excellent protagonist. Being compared to Damon is a thankless job but he managed to forge a different character in Aaron Cross. Rachel Weisz also does a strong job as Dr. Shearing and Renner and Wesiz have decent chemistry. The film doesn’t try and ape the previous Bourne films and it goes for a different angle. Its more a survival film for the protagonists than a mystery. The characters aren’t trying to bring down the program, not trying to find out something, just trying to escape the clutches of the Defense Department. The action scenes are good. However, the film is the longest of the series and it feels like it. The film also royally wastes an actor of the caliber of Edward Norton. He does fine with what he has but he’s literally just there barking orders in front of monitors. He shares one short flashback scene with Renner, but otherwise is disconnected from the other two leads, Whereas in the previous Bourne films and even in Jason Bourne, there were always at least two main characters who had interactions with each in the rooms of the CIA, allowing for some interplay, this time Norton is all on his own which makes the search for Cross and Marta a lot less interesting. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the idea of chems, but I have grown to accept it. The film also doesn’t have any major hand to hand fighting sequences. They hype up the Larx assassin but he ends up dying because Marta pushes hum while he was riding a bike. Pretty underwhelming after all the build up. What I especially didn’t like is how the film tries to undo Ultimatum’s ending. I don’t know who thought that was a good idea but it pissed me off. In the end, its a decently entertaining movie but its disappointing within the context of the franchise. A 5.5-6/10

Jason Bourne is a bit of a polarizing movie. Everyone was really excited when this movie was coming out and a bunch of them were disappointed. While I do think this is not as good as the initial trilogy of movies, I still do enjoy it. My issue with the movie lies on two fronts. The film is essentially divided into 3 sections. The main part is Jason Bourne continuing to track into his past as he finds out that there might be more to his recruitments than he thought. That part works perfectly and its very compelling. There is the CIA backroom drama between Dewey and Lee and the Asset, which is also solid. What doesn’t work is the third angle about the new blackops program connected with Deep Dream. It feels like the writers and the director stretching to try and be very timely and addressing issues of privacy without making it fit very organically to the story. I mean, Bourne isn’t even really connected to that part of the story and whenever that portion of the movie takes focus, its less interesting. In addition, the film doesn’t make it clear exactly how Dewey is connected to Bourne’s past. The film indicates that Bourne knows Dewey but the how isn’t explained. But everything directly connected to Bourne works well and I did like that the Asset is given a more direct personal connection to Bourne, which makes their individual fight be more personal. I think Matt Damon is excellent in this movie. He plays Bourne more broken and on the edge than he’s ever been in this movie. There are several scenes, such as his climactic scene with TLJ, where you feel him teetering. Julia Stiles shows back up as Nicky who starts Bourne on her journey. Like with Marie, I was disappointed she was killed off but I also get that Bourne needs to be alone in order to be able to move as fast he does from one place to another. TLJ is an old pro at roles like these and it shows. He does it with ease. Alicia Vikander is good as Heather Lee but I feel as the role needed someone a little bit older to be believable as someone as high up as her in the agency. But I suppose her being a young ambitious upstart is part of the point. When it comes to the action, I think its all top notch. I know not everyone likes shaky cam but Greengrass uses it well. The Greece sequence, the car chase in the climax, and the hand to hand fight sequence in the end, is all well done. I am also glad thiat it does seem to indicate that not everything that Bourne exposed in Ultimatum was covered up and Blackbriar was exposed, unlike what Legacy indicated. The film doesn’t address Legacy at all apart from listing Outcome and Larx in the list of Blackops programs. Overall still a good movie. A 7/10 for me.

I do think the series should be ended. There is a feeling of the films becoming formulaic setting in at this point and Bourne has taken down everyone who had to do with him becoming who he was and has no figured how he became who he was. So I don’t think there is anything more to explore. I don’t see The Cross series continuing since it underperformed at the BO and its been a long time since that movie came out now.

#the bourne identity #the bourne supremacy #the bourne ultimatum #the bourne series #the bourne legacy #jason bourne #matt damon

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aimless--archer · 7 years ago

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1, 12

1. what would completely break your character?

Unfortunately, we have a canon answer for this- Forsyth’s death. During the game, Forsyth is genuinely one of the only motivating factors in Python’s life, and easily the thing he cares about most. There’s a degree of maturing independently of him that he’ll have to go through postgame, but if he loses him before that, it damages him pretty irreparably and- as we see in his bad ending- leads to his death in a relatively short amount of time. (He does die in battle, rather than being directly suicidal, but I believe that the implication is that it’s a result of recklessness and disregard for his own safety- that he’s putting the continuation of Forsyth’s dream ahead of his own life. I also don’t think it’s a coincidence that the only other character to share the “unable to live after losing their partner” ending is Clive, whose relationship with Mathilda is explicitly romantic.)

12. what are your character’s major flaws?

Laziness. Selfishness. Pessimism. Apathy. The first is informed by the latter two- he’s not lazy only because things are hard and he doesn’t want to do them, it’s also because his worldview makes him genuinely not see the point of a lot of things. As we know, he really doesn’t have that thing in him that excites him and gets him up in the morning- it’s difficult to have that when you tend to think that nothing matters much and nothing you do will make an appreciable difference. Despite his claims to prefer it that way- and even if in some ways his pessimistic worldview turns out to be accurate- it’s still a flaw, because it prevents him from putting forth effort into a lot of things or forming more meaningful relationships. And as much as he complains about it, he’s very lucky to have Forsyth to essentially drag him forward in life- without him, I think he would have stagnated and likely never gotten anywhere beyond a miserable life in his home village, one that he hated but didn’t see the point in trying to escape.

To a degree, this is something he’s working on postgame- he’s never going to be Forsyth, never going to be that person working towards a lofty goal or believing he can change the world. But he is beginning to find things he can do to benefit people other than himself and improve the lot of other commoners. He’ll still tend to see the worst in people and situations, but this can be both a flaw and an asset, especially when compared to someone like Forsyth’s naiveté.

His bluntness and lack of social decorum could also be considered a flaw, but he doesn’t consider it one, and after the war, he mostly just avoids spaces where it would be a problem.

#me: yells endlessly about subtext and how honestly close to canon forsython is #muse development questions #ask meme #headcanon

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sweetlifetownsville · 6 years ago

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It's A Bugger ...But Maybe A Blessing, Too. Do We Need To Clean Up More Than The Mud And Mould?

The deliberate managed flooding of Townsville should be the catalyst for a far-ranging review of how we do things in this city and maybe the way forward is to know how we should not have done them before. Are we entering the phase of the faceless spokesman? Seems so, as Mayor Mullet suddenly refuses to comment on some matters. The floodwaters might have receded but some leeches are still hanging around firmly plonking their suckers on the public tit one exponent of the big suck is particularly prominent or has Shayne Sutton departed our company? and never the twain should meet its not just the Astonisher having problems with keeping the wrong ads away from the wrong story one of Britains more respected papers has dropped a complete clanger Plus your regular illustrated Trump gallery But first Damned If Adani Do, Damned If Adani Dont The Pies favorite acid-tongued columnist, the Guardians Marina Hyde dropped a wonderful line the other day, and while she was referring hopeless and hapless British conservatives, it is so apt for our Queensland goofarium in George Street, The Pie will borrow it the Palaszczuk Government is like a gif of someone lighting their own fart and then being consumed by the fireball. Jackie Treacherous Trad has the box of matches, and our premier is the one whos been chugging down the vindaloo and frothy XXXX, or should that be Adani Ale. Adding to the fireball was Queensland Resources Investment Commissioner Caoilin Chestnutt, who became a roasting chestnut when she described the Black Throated Finch controversy as an absolute mess which would delay any subsequent approval of the Carmichael mine by between six months to two years. That was a bit rich of her, considering she was talking in New Delhi, in a country which knows a fair bit about messes in politics and social ethics. But those critical of what they see as a cynical and dishonest delay are particularly incensed that arch-Greenie Associate Professor Brendan Wintle has been driving the review they see that as akin to having, say, Clive Palmer being out in charge of an inquiry whether chocolate doughnuts should be outlawed. But Bentleys on to the nutty professors game, who seems to have taken a page out of the hunting with hawks manual.

Still Searching For Icebergs

The mans sensitivity and sense of timing (not to mention decency) was on full display at the Casino ballroom a few nights ago, when Clive Palmer hosted a lavish dinner promoting his unicorn plan to build a replica of Titanic. This affair had a feel of as Rome burns, being staged just as the devastating extent of the flood disaster was becoming fully apparent. Clive seems fatally attracted to things that have been destroyed by natural disasters dinosaurs, the Titantic, but the cynical Yabulu disaster was all his own doing but his only nod on the night towards the immense local disaster was a pledge of $100,000 to help fund any class action against insurers that may emerge from a flood inquiry. Very handsome of the man willing to splurge $500million on a wild whim. But the bombast didnt finish on the night. A day or two later, Palmer called for the TCC to be put into administration and the mayor sacked, because of her handling of the flood disaster. While that scenario has been put in this blog and elsewhere as a question to be answered, it hasnt been asserted as a fact, until Clive came along. The response was predictable, but what was interesting was that although a subsequent headline said Mayor Hill Rejects Palmers Claim, the funny thing is she didnt. In fact, as far as The Pie has heard, she hasnt said tickety boo about his attack, and about claims from others that shes going to have to carry the can on this one. Instead, all of sudden, the mayor went all media shy and we got this

Now, all that be as it may, the thing that caught the beady eye were the words a council spokesman. That phrase has been as rare as rocking horse shit ever since former editor Mick Carroll ten years ago ruled that all such spokespeople needed to supply a name and position, no anonymity. (Dolan Hayes went thermonuclear over that one, but he lost anyway.)

So now it seems the council, via a faceless, nameless spokesman (they probably rolled out the rapidly expanding Tony Bligh of the Legal Dept) as an organisation is pre-judging any official findings about what role the mayor played in the deliberate flooding of hundreds of Townsville ratepayers homes. Something to be learned there, Jenna Cairney .. as Mick Carroll said all those years ago, if there is no name and position to go with statements, whats to stop people thinking the paper just made it up. And that is far more relevant now than when Mick was in charge. It Looks Like Its A Whole New And Overdue Ball Game For Townsville A trusted correspondent on this blog we know as Memory Man has offered many intelligent insights here. During the week, he sent in this story from the Guardian

and attached these comments. This stuff is actually serious, and requires very careful consideration. Simplistic fluff from the likes of Col Dwyer about the poor old North not getting its fair share doesnt address the underlying drivers of risk / mitigation that frame the market for regional insurance. I know talking to colleagues in the global insurance market that cutting out a middle man or two would reduce premiums by about 10% straight away. This means going directly to the underwriters. Only a local authority-backed insurance operation can do this. The Gold Coast City Council did this some years ago. The flip side is also risk mitigation. In part this means making sure the right things are built in the right places. This is easier said than done, because the right things is a function of a minimal specification, which in turn is driven by a given assessment of risk and impact magnitude. Now, the rule has been to build to a 1-in-100 year event impact. This isnt as silly as it sounds. Folk whove derided it as a meaningless measure because such levels have occurred more than once in the past 100 years miss the point of of probability. The reason why the measure is relevant is that it also goes to balancing out the costs of building the right thing versus the probable costs of loss (or replacement). Over-engineering is costly to build, and in many cases also unnecessary. Societies accept that there are some things that can be built to a lesser standard, and other things need to be built to a higher standard. Thats what the public debate should be focused on. Critical infrastructure should be built to a higher standard; things that are more easily replaced can be built to a lower standard. Additionally, everyone needs to recognise that the probability of severe events occurring is increasing (as well as the severity of events themselves). So, what would be described presently as a 1-in-100 may be better understood as a 1-in-75, for sake of argument. It also means that so-called 1-in-500 events may have a greater probability of occurring in the future than was the case in the past. So a revision of probability estimates to say, 1-in-400, may be necessary. Bottom line though is that all asset owners need to take proactive decisions to ensure their assets are built to such as level as warranted by the owners own assessment of the trade-off between cost to build today versus value of loss + cost to replace. Where there is a social cost, this externality needs to be added to the equation. The lesson is severe weather is more likely but this shouldnt be a reason to stop things being developed. It simply means being clearer about the right things being built in the right places, with trade-off risks being clear to those concerned especially when it involves public implications. A well debated argument, and The Magpie believes that new infrastructure rules about flood plain developments require urgent review. Chronic Cronyism: It Really Has Got To Stop The massive upheaval at executive level in the council has given us a glimpse of the outrageously blatant jobs for the boys and girls culture that the likes of Mooney (himself a beneficiary of the rort) and the mayor make little effort to hide nowadays. A very good case in point is this woman

Shayne Sutton, who is also the wife of Stephen The Screaming Midget Beckett, the lately punted Mayoral shouter at staff and ratepayers. It is not surprising that the council became stacked with imported Labor odd jobbers with questionable qualifications once Mayor Jenny Hills poisonous report commissioned from the Nous group in Melbourne was adopted by council, but Ms Sutton has added a new dimension in the grandest let them eat cake style. The Labor old mates club could not be shielded from view when Mrs Beckett arrived in town, following hubby north after the Qld Labor Party decided because of his bad manners, bad temper and bad judgements were not appreciated in the corridors of central power in Brisbane. Shayne Sutton has been a Brisbane City Councillors for 14 years when they upped sticks for Townsville. But she hadnt been here five minutes it seemed when she landed a plum $44k p.a spot on Tony Mooneys Townsville Hospital Board this has been reported here more than once. Seems mr Mooney just couldnt find any involved local suitable to his requirements. But what The Pie has just been made aware of is as well as handling that onerous hospital task (less than 6 meetings a year), Ms Sutton was a few weeks later tapped on the shoulder by Mayor Mullet for a newly created, totally bullshit position as wait for it the Executive Director of the North Queensland Regional Organisations of Councils (NQROC). The what, you cry? Well, this

Gosh, that must take a bit of doing, you wonder. Sure does, as the job description attests. The executive Director draws on her deep knowledge of the region, its history and its priorities and Provides strategic advocacy and engagement advice to five North Queensland Mayors and CEOs Facilitates regional collaboration between key internal and external stakeholders to progress agreedstrategic priorities for North Queensland Media management Organisational governance and financial reporting This is a made-up position that in fact didnt exist before, and at a guess since the kings of featherbedding the LGAQ are involved probably commanded a salary of around $70-80K. Gee, well, you say, shed have her hands as well as her purse full maybe, but not so much that didnt apply for a job the board of TAFE as well. Dont known how that went, and maybe well never know the full extent of Ms Suttons contribution to a community in which she has lived for barely a year. But this murky NQROC position seems to have been suddenly de-created as far as one can penetrate the layers of obscurity around these goings on, so perhaps she is on her way. Madam, you are a massive leech and our already benighted community can hardly mourn it if you pass on from our midst to infest some other poor bastards treasury. Making The Best Use Of Your Townsville Bulletin This latest in the series of cringe-worthy self-promotions caught The Magpie eye on Friday.

And good on you Freda, you really do look a very sprightly lady. May The Pie add his hearty congratulations on a milestone hell probably not even get within cooee of. And reading your story, mdear, the old bird now perhaps knows the secret of your wonderful longevity you gave a hint when you said your daily dose of news from the Bulletin was what set me up for a good day. Its part of ones everyday routine and I just cant get on without it. Its the first thing I need in the morning. Indeed, Freda. As it does for so many others, probably works better than prunes and porridge at a guess, youd be getting on by page 3 most days. Guess She Finally Came Out Of The Closet Seems the layout blokes at the Scottish Herald had a wee dram too many when they put this page together but then again, it may just have been the world renowned Scottish sense of humour. Eh, Jenna?

New Aussie Tennis Rankings .. Just released

And The Week In Trumpistan

It has come to our attention that too many of you are paying attention. The New Yorker

.. Back again next week, Allah willing, but have your say 24/7 on blog comments, plenty of frisky opinion out there along with information you wont get anywhere else (that is, until the Astonisher trolls have read the blog Mt Isa railway crisis two weeks after the Nest, anyone?) Hope you enjoy what you read here, and any support for the Magpies Nest will be greatly appreciated, the how to donate button is below. http://www.townsvillemagpie.com.au/its-a-bugger-but-maybe-a-blessing-too-do-we-need-to-clean-up-more-than-the-mud-and-mould/

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tomb-of-ash · 8 years ago

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A Recipe For Kickstarter Disaster: Kewpie-Jazzy

Guest article by Wing See Li.

Figure 1: The main game logo of Kewpie-Jazzy.

Do you want to know what’s the next thing that want me to curse up a storm (in other words, swearing) besides Brexit? It’s Kewpie-Jazzy. The mere mention of the game title makes me want to resort to using profanity.

Ugh… this is Flappy Bird all over again when it comes to unoriginality, the lack of original ideas and creativity, the laziness (copying and pasting assets wise) and the obvious, constant copyright infringement. Not to mention, me continuously ranting about how much I loathe it with every fibre of my being. I can go on.

I’ve seen worse games in my lifetime but Kewpie-Jazzy really takes the cake.

Another thing to hate about this horrid game aside from the spelling, grammar and punctuation mistakes that are giving me an eyesore is the questionable lighting. The lights are so obnoxiously bright; they might possibly cause seizures to gamers. To make matters worse, Dokycamp couldn’t tell the difference between high definition and the colours being unbearably bright. This is enough evidence for the Kickstarter campaign and the game itself to raise red flags.

There’s nothing wrong with drawing inspiration from a different game but there is a fine line between a game being influenced from a different game and a game that’s being a rip-off or a cheap knock-off of something else. Initially, I appreciate Dokycamp for attempting to revive the 3D platforming genre but not like this.

They must learn that lazily making illegal use of ideas and pilfering assets from sources such as the Unreal Engine 4 Marketplace or games (whether they are past, recent or upcoming games) will get them nowhere in life, let alone in the video game industry. Thus, it’s considered to be a copyright infringement and it’s against the law; they’ll land themselves in a court as they’ll end up with a swarm of lawsuits on their tails or they’ll receive criminal records. But it’s not like they care or do anything about any possible consequences.

Take the developing team of Skylar & Plux: Adventure on Clover Island by Right Nice Games, for instance; at least they can design their own assets, backgrounds, characters etc from scratch.

Figure 2: On the left side of Kewpie and Jazzy are Yooka-Laylee assets stolen from the Unreal Engine 4 Marketplace.

The background of Dokycamp is just as sketchy as the members of the game developing team themselves. There is little to no information about them other than their previous works consist of exceedingly obscure games and a fanmade game called Sonic Souls. All the more reason for people to not fund their game.

Figure 3: Close your eyes and who do you see? Timon from Disney’s The Lion King.

At first glance, the game looks promising but I soon realised the layout of the Kickstarter campaign is almost an exact duplicate of Yooka-Laylee’s Kickstarter campaign according to a post uploaded by one of the members from the Yooka-Laylee Bat Ship Crazy Facebook group and this is what sparked my deep hatred for Kewpie-Jazzy. Not only that, but the pie chart and the backer rewards scheme are alike. The likeness is uncanny. This is the kind of feeling I shouldn’t be experiencing when it comes to my second favourite video game genre. Ladies and Gentlemen, this is how you DON’T do a Kickstarter campaign.

Figure 4: The spelling, grammar and punctuation errors are a desperate cry for help!

It is understandable that English isn’t the developing team’s first language but this is no excuse for not finding a proof reader. Hence this is one of the main reasons why it’s hard or impossible for me to take their Kickstarter campaign seriously. Sometimes I wonder if they actually can’t be bothered.

And please don’t get me started on Dokycamp possibly nicking the animal-like running ability from Clive ‘N’ Wrench, according to some of the gameplay videos. Heck, even Kewpie runs identically to Clive the Rabbit from Clive ‘N’ Wrench. If that’s not uninspiring, I don’t know what is.

Dokycamp may have claimed that having a female (feline) character as the main protagonist will bring something new to the table but Right Nice Games (the developing team behind Skylar & Plux: Adventure on Clover Island) have already beaten them to the punch.

As a long-time fanatic of the 3D platforming genre featuring mascots or buddy-duos since Super Mario 64 for the Nintendo 64 back in 1997, Kewpie-Jazzy really sickens me to the pit of my stomach and it’s a complete disgrace to 3D platformers/collect-a-thons and platforming fans everywhere.

The fact Dokycamp blocked me on Twitter goes to show they can’t take constructive criticism and they’re clearly butthurt about my harsh, negative comments. This led me to believe they are oversensitive and they get upset over every little thing. That’s another vital thing to take heed of. They need to grow up and learn to accept constructive criticism lest they desire to never improve on their spelling, grammar and punctuation as well as their technical, modelling, lighting, animation, editing etc abilities. At the moment, their skills are amateur at best. If they can’t take constructive criticism, they definitely can’t take pointers either. Therefore, they keep denying they have a lot of things to improve on and they constantly never admit what they’re doing wrong like for example when I told them to change the lighting or tone down the brightness, they assumed said lighting is high definition, which I beg to differ.

Concerning the storyline, the plot is extremely bare-bones and similar to the gameplay, it isn’t groundbreaking. Kewpie is living peacefully with her pirate parrot friend, Jazzy, on their home island. All is right with the world and all is well, that is until the evil conjuror, Captain Cutlass suddenly interrupted their calm and quiet lifestyles and stole everything except the clothes on their backs. So, Kewpie and Jazzy take it upon themselves to set out in order to collect all of the gold, recover the citizens’ stolen belongings and take down the nefarious magician, Captain Cutlass, once and for all. Together as one, they can save the world from financial ruin.

Along the way, Kewpie and Jazzy will encounter new playable sidekicks such as an octopus and a monkey, which let the players to switch between them and players have the opportunity to unlock new outfits for Kewpie to wear.

Figure 5: Characters from top to bottom – the pirate parrot, Jazzy, and the main protagonist, Kewpie.

As depicted in the screenshot above, Kewpie the pink-coloured cat and Jazzy the Parrot are noticeably crudely modelled. They looked as if they are modelled for a PlayStation 2 or a Nintendo Gamecube game. The same I would say about the supporting, minor characters such as Poptopus the purple-hued or fuchsia-tinted Octopus and DJembe (the so-called, Timon look-alike meerkat or should I say, Timon from Disney’s The Lion King?). Heck, I’ve seen characters, levels, islands and worlds from other game franchises that are better looking than the stuff I’ve witnessed in Kewpie-Jazzy. And this is coming from someone who doesn’t care about the graphics and how the levels, islands and worlds looked aesthetically, majority of the time.

I know I shouldn’t judge a game before its release date or by its game trailer or I shouldn’t judge a game series by its gameplay (in the Ratchet & Clank series’ case) but Kewpie-Jazzy is an exception and it deserves to be harshly criticised in a pessimistic way.

As it stands, I just don’t see this pathetically pitiful, sad excuse of a “promising” platformer to be funded as far as its current amount of money is concerned. In fact, I have a feeling it’s doomed from the start. Therefore, its Kickstarter campaign went downhill before it even started. I’m surprised Kickstarter haven’t taken it down from their website yet.

In my opinion, Kewpie-Jazzy is more of a rip-off, cash-in or a cash cow rather than a legit, glorified 3D platforming game in an attempt to scam its audience, possible, future Kickstarter backers and other people.

On a related note, Dokycamp have recently released a trailer for their forthcoming Kickstarter game, Evolution. Judging by the trailer, it looks like it’s crudely and unprofessionally done and the game itself is a blatant rip-off of Spore. Seriously, how unoriginal can they be? I know I shouldn’t jump to conclusions but do you blame me? It’s difficult or rather… impossible to trust the same developer behind Kewpie-Jazzy with my money. If Evolution eventually launches on Kickstarter, here’s an advice for you: Never, EVER pledge money to that obvious plagiarised game. Both of these games developed by Dokycamp are raising more red flags just as much as they’re raising more questions.

If you want to play TRUE labours of love in terms of upcoming 2D and 3D retro-inspired, indie platformers/collect-a-thons then look no further. I highly recommend you Yooka-Laylee, Shantae: Half Genie Hero, Skylar & Plux: Adventure on Clover Island, Clive ‘N’ Wrench, Rad Rodgers, A Hat In Time, Lobodestroyoyo, Beard Blade and Fox ‘N’ Forests, to name a few. I’d recommend Griff the Winged Lion too but it’s unfortunately sharing the same fate as Kewpie-Jazzy, sans the apparent plagiarising.

All I ask of you is avoid Kewpie-Jazzy and Evolution like the plague just like your life depends on it and heaven forbid, DON’T pledge money to them on Kickstarter whatsoever under no circumstances! You can thank me later.

By Wing See Li.

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#kewpie #jazzy #wing #indie #games #game #gamer #gaming #review #plagiarism #gamersunite

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non-sims · 3 months ago

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#ff16 #final fantasy 16 #clive rosfield #ffxvi #final fantasy xvi #nsgames #look this was going to be a photoset of his outfit and it's details but I need to find a better spot for pics #this is suppose to be tasteful & artistic but it just looks like I just took a picture of his chest...which I have already done before #*clive assets appreciation #ironic of me adding that tag now...

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aaronandpartner · 4 years ago

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What to do with a Nil Rate Band Will Trust on Death of First Spouse

The Nil Rate Band (NRB) Will Trust is a familiar concept in Will drafting for married couples and civil partners.

It was established for Inheritance Tax (IHT) planning purposes but has a far wider application in practice. IHT is only payable on amounts over a set threshold. The current allowance, also known as the NRB, is £325,000. An individual’s available NRB can be affected by lifetime gifts.

The NRB Will Trust usually only applies on the first spouse’s death and provides for a legacy of assets amounting to the maximum sum the deceased can give under his Will without IHT being payable. These assets are transferred to a discretionary Trust under which the surviving spouse, children, and grandchildren are often the potential beneficiaries. Prior to 2007 if the first spouse left their whole estate to the surviving spouse this would pass free of IHT by way of the spousal exemption rules but the first spouse’s NRB allowance was unused and therefore lost. The use of the NRB Will Trust on the death of the first spouse utilized the NRB reducing the amount of assets within the second spouse’s death estate for IHT purposes.

In October 2007 the Chancellor announced a new regime allowing for the use of two NRBs without the need for any formal tax planning in the Wills. The ‘Transferable NRB’ is now a familiar concept. Contrary to popular belief the regime does not simply double the NRB. The change lies in the ability to transfer the unused NRB between spouses and this is in the form of a claim by the executors of the survivor’s estate for the percentage of the unused allowance (on the first death) to be brought forward and applied to the survivor’s estate.

Each individual now has an additional NRB of £175,000 that can only be used against the family home when it is left to direct descendants called the Residence Nil Rate Band (“RNRB”). However, the RNRB is tapered away if an estate is worth more than £2m. The RNRB cannot be claimed when the family home passes into a discretionary Will Trust (even if children and grandchildren are named as beneficiaries) as this is not classed as passing to direct descendants for the purposes of the legislation. Any unused NRB can be transferred to the surviving spouse on the second death.

There are many NRB Will Trusts in existence and the question arises on the death of the first spouse ‘should we keep the NRB Will Trust in place or terminate the Trust by paying out the assets to the survivor?’

Despite the changes to the IHT regime there are a number of reasons to retain the Will Trust. The overriding advantage is that the funds within the Trust are protected. If the survivor were to require nursing care and their own resources were diminished by paying care costs, the assets held in the Trust would be excluded from any means tested assessment for calculating the right to Local Authority assistance. The same argument applies should the surviving spouse suffer financial difficulties, for example, if they became bankrupt. The creditors would not be able to seize any assets belonging to the Will Trust.

The protection of assets is particularly important with second marriages. The assets within the Trust are managed by the Trustees and the Trustees have the discretion as to which of the beneficiaries receive funds, in what amounts and when. The Trustees must act unanimously. The NRB Will Trust protects the assets from a second spouse/partner who may otherwise exhaust the funds or leave everything to someone else contrary to the first deceased’s wishes. With the NRB Will Trust, that part of the estate can be protected for any children or other chosen beneficiaries of the first spouse.

A further reason to retain the Will Trust is the stagnation of the IHT allowance. The NRB has been frozen at £325,000 until 2021 at the earliest. Despite concerns about the property market and low interest rates, assets in the estate are likely to appreciate faster than any future increase in the NRB. Trustees have the option of selecting those assets in the estate that are likely to appreciate faster, which if placed into Trust can still be made available for use by the surviving spouse (at the discretion of the trustees) but do not form part of the survivor’s estate. Any growth in the value of the assets remains in the Trust.

The downside of retaining the NRB Will Trust is twofold; the administrative requirements and taxation. The Will Trust should be registered with HM Revenue and Customs who will issue Trust Tax Returns to the Trustees. The Trustees should meet at least annually and the minutes of that meeting retained on file. Any important decisions should be recorded by way of resolution especially decisions to advance funds to a beneficiary.

When a discretionary Trust receives taxable income which is retained within the Trust, the income is subject to tax at 45% (38.1% for dividends) with the exception that the first £1,000 is taxed at the lower rate of 20% (7.5% for dividends). It is possible to reduce the income tax burden by either investing for capital growth only or in income tax free assets such as National Savings Certificates or a single payment Bond. In addition, where income is paid out to a basic rate tax paying beneficiary that beneficiary can reclaim the additional tax which the Trustees have suffered at the higher rate.

Under present legislation the Trustees of a discretionary Trust have a Capital Gains allowance of one half of that of a private individual. For the current tax year (2020/2021) this amounts to £6,150. This is not a great deal for Capital Gains and the Trustees must always bear this in mind when formulating any investment policy.

For IHT purposes, where the discretionary Will Trust has a capital value exceeding the NRB, IHT is levied at an effective rate of 6% of the excess every 10 years and when assets leave the Trust. The Will Trust is specifically drafted so that only assets up to the NRB pass into the Trust initially. The Trustees should keep an eye on the capital value particularly if assets appreciate quickly. It is possible to avoid an IHT charge on excess funds if assets leave the Trust before the first 10 year anniversary thus reducing the value below the NRB again. One of the benefits of leaving assets in the Will Trust is that they will not form part of the survivor’s estate. Even if there is a charge at 6% on the proportion of assets above the NRB this is a minimal tax charge compared to the standard 40% payable on an individual’s estate on death.

It is possible to unravel the NRB Will Trust provided action is taken before the second year anniversary of the first spouse’s death. A Deed of Appointment is executed by the Trustees paying out the funds to the surviving spouse. Under section 144 of the Inheritance Tax Act 1984, this has the effect of rewriting the Will as if the Trust did not exist. Consequently the now unused NRB can be transferred to the executors on the death of the second spouse under the post 2007regime.

Whilst terminating the NRB Will Trust after the death of the first spouse may be attractive from a simplicity point of view, clients must be advised on the various protections they will lose if assets are simply transferred to the survivor. Each family has its own particular dynamics and estate planning as always should be undertaken on a case by case basis

For further information please contact us here.

Clive Pointon – Chester Office

Partner & Head of Wills, Trusts & Tax Email: [email protected] Tel: 01244 405513

Lynda Richards – Shrewsbury Office

Wills, Trusts & Tax Senior Associate Email: [email protected] Tel: 01743 294122

The post What to do with a Nil Rate Band Will Trust on Death of First Spouse appeared first on Aaron & Partners.

from Aaron & Partners https://www.aaronandpartners.com/what-to-do-with-a-nil-rate-band-will-trust-on-death-of-first-spouse/

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marcos008-blog · 5 years ago

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Warmley & Siston Chronicles 1940 – 1959

Warmley & Siston – One Hundred years of history – Part 4 of 7 – 1940 – 1959

1940

The Phoney War was now over and the real war was raging in earnest. With more and more local government controls, the Union Offices in Stanley Road were abandoned for more spacious accommodation in Warmley House. Power and fuel rationing were organised from the home of Ernest Williams at 10 Station Road, but food rationing still came from Stanley Road.

All the scrap metal was collected, old vehicles, metal fences and even the First World War field gun was taken away for the war effort, saucepans were turned into Spitfires!

The second year of the War saw the heaviest bombing in the area. The Magnal Works drew special attention from the Germans, although only incendiary bombs were dropped. During one raid Ernest Williams had gone down to see the damage to Magnals. He later explained, ‘I couldnt miss that, it was just like fairy land with all the incendiaries blazing away.’

Kingswood was also targeted that night, one young lad exclaimed, ‘Its terrible, the whole of Kingswood is on fire!’ On the 6th December the worst civilian casualties in the area occurred when a German paramine made a direct hit on an air raid shelter to the rear of the Ambassador Cinema killing three and maiming many others.

Had the bomb been forty yards to the west it would have hit the crowded cinema perhaps killing hundreds. Warmley and Siston were directly under the flight path of the Luftwaffe on its horrific raids on Filtons airplane factories.

In September the people of this area were treated to the spectacle of one of the fiercest dog fights over Bristol as nine Hawker Hurricanes of 504 Squadron, RAF., fought off what seemed like hundreds of bombers, forcing them to return the way they came.

As the retreating pilots passed overhead for the second time that day the area was lucky not to have the remaining contents of the bomb bays emptied here so that the fleeing planes could make better progress on their way back home.

1941

If the death and destruction of the war were not enough, everyday tragedies were still occurring. In June of this year Ernest Stone, aged only 10, was swimming in the quarry pools near the brickyard on London Road. The day had been hot and the water looked inviting but the sides of the quarry were steep and just below the surface the water was icy cold. Ernest soon found himself in great difficulty and in no time was sucked under and drowned.

Queen Mary had moved out of London, and was staying with the Duke of Beaufort at his estate at Badminton for the duration of the war. The Queen made several good-will tours of Carsons Factory and to Douglas Works in Kingswood, to boost the moral of the local workforce.

During the Blitz of Bristol in 1940 and 1941, every single fire fighter was called out to assist. Captain Knee and the rest of the Warmley A.F.S. often found themselves in the centre of Bristol helping the Bristol brigades to put out the furnace that was burning the heart of the City Centre.

1942

After the bombing of Pearl Harbour, the Americans were dragged into the War. Just over the Siston border, opposite Fisher Road, the Americans set up a military camp. This was the first time many local people from this area had seen a real Yankee rather than the actor on the silver screen.

When the Americans ventured out for an evenings entertainment it was a great novelty, especially for the girls, to see them in the local public houses.

The camp was set up by a black labour unit and these dark skinned G.I.s were then a cause of great curiosity. A little later, the U.S. 1st Army Medical Corps took over and stayed for about two years while they prepared for the big push. In 1944 this unit was involved in the D Day landings and a large number of the men lost their lives.

Meanwhile, the Home Guard, part of the 6th Gloucestershire Battalion, were becoming a co-ordinated fighting unit. The most dangerous period had passed. Had the Germans landed in force in 1939 or 1940 the Home Guard would have had little chance to repulse them as they were lacking good weapons and training.

With the leadership of Fred Brain and Old Contemptibles like Sergeant Gibbs and Corporal Bill Johnson, the men quickly began to shape up. Weekend manoeuvres and night exercises all helped and on many evenings, the Warmley Home Guard would find themselves attacking units from the surrounding villages, training for the real thing.

1943

On 15th December, the Vicar of St. Barnabas, the Reverend Hen John Say, passed away aged 71. Just prior to his death, and as a mark of appreciation for his long and faithful service to the Diocese of Bristol, The Reverend Say was made an Honorary Canon of Bristol Cathedral.

In his memory, his sister and fellow parishioners placed a beautiful stained glass window in the south east nave of the St. Barnabas Church where he had served for seventeen years.

In his Will, Canon Say had left 500 pounds toward the construction of a Church Hall for the Church and its parishioners. Another five years passed before the hall was built, which gave an enormous boost to the social life of the Church and proved to be a tremendous asset to the School as an assembly hall and home to the local Scouts.

1944

The role of the Vicar of St. Barnabas was filled with the arrival of The Reverend R. Down. During his incumbency the Church, which by now was nearly a hundred years old, was in need of many expensive repairs to its roof and other structures. Large sums were raised to fulfill these needs as well as completing other projects.

In the summer of 1944, strange accents and foreign languages were heard in the locality. An Italian P.O.W. camp was set up in Wraxall Road with about seventy prisoners brought in to help on the nearby farms.

The Italians were given non-political status and as such were considered harmless. Only a handful of guards were needed and during the evening after a hard days work, the P.O.W.s were allowed out of the camp. It was not an uncommon sight to see several men in their chocolate coloured uniforms strolling the nearby lanes or hear them singing at the tops of their voices in perfect harmony.

1945

The end of the war was now inevitable, it was only a matter of time. On 9th May, Hitler was dead and Germany had capitulated.

There was great excitement and many street parties were organised to celebrate the end of the war in Europe. But the war in the far east was still raging and it wasnt until Victory over Japan (V.J.) Day that the people really let their hair down.

The lights were finally turned back on, illuminating the shops and houses surrounding the Memorial Park. There was dancing in the streets and everyone was singing and laughing. An impromptu party began with the musical accompaniment of the ‘Warmley Wonders’ Clive and Terry Whittock.

Soon after, trestle tables and chairs were arranged in the Park in several rows and all the children of the district were given a picnic and party, the like of which had never been seen before. All the stops were pulled out to give the kids a day they would never forget.

It was not all joy in this year, there was a price to pay for victory, another eight names had to be added to the list of heroes from our district who made the supreme sacrifice.

Only one or two people in each century stand out in local memory. At the tail end of the 19th century, and for nearly half of the 20th century, John Lloyd Vaughan Seymour-Williams could be described as the man who put Warmley firmly on the map.

Born in 1868 and educated in Bath, he later joined the firm of solicitors under Mr. W.E. Lawrence, eventually becoming sole partner in the firm of Lawrence, Williams & Co. He was a very energetic and enterprising man, involving himself in many forward looking ventures which were to benefit the area.

In recognition for the excellent work he performed, John Seymour-Williams was made a Knight of the British Empire and T.D ,For six years he was on the Gloucestershire County Council and had been on many committees including the Royal Commission on Local Government and the Council for the Preservation of Rural England.

He was also on the Council of the Coroners Society and he represented this area as the Coroner of the Lower Division of Gloucestershire. Sir John Seymour-Williams became Clerk to Warmley R.D.C. and Warmley Guardians Committee in 1897. He was responsible for guiding these bodies for forty-eight years.

When the estate of Louisa Haskins, widow of Joseph, was sold in 1918, Sir Seymour-Williams was in a position to purchase the Pottery and became Chairman of Haskins Ltd. Warmley Pottery. Sir John lived for many years in the Old Lodge opposite Warmley House and after his death on the 24th January 1945, his widow, Lady Williams, then of the Old Rectory, Siston, made the gift of a splendid pair of gates for St. Barnabas Church, in his memory.

1946

In the post war years, there was an air of optimism, which been kindled by the solidarity shown through the darkest days of the Second World War.

A decision was made to form an Old Boys Association of the Warmley National School.

Its first President was the headmaster of the school from 1913 to 1936, Mr. William Moore. Its aims were to promote and maintain cultural, social and recreational activities amongst the members of the association.

In the early days, the organisation flourished and the first year ended with a carnival on Siston Common. Money was raised, some of which went to a special prize to be presented at the School Prize-giving for the child with the best character. The early days were the high days and this organisation, that had such potential, eventually faded away and was disbanded in 1953.

1947

To commemorate the fallen of the Great War, the people of the district marked the occasion with the erection of the stone column and the laying out of Warmley Green as a Memorial Park. A suitable tribute to the men lost in the Second World War was needed and even before that war was concluded plans were afoot to establish a hall in the community in remembrance of these men.

After three years of planning and fund raising, the Warmley War Memorial Hall and Community Centre was eventually opened.

Since that time, the centre has played a predominant role in the social life of the whole community. In the early years organisations like the Townswomens Guild and the Womens Institute would meet at the centre. There were whist drives and beetle drives and childrens Christmas parties. The centre also held baby shows and carnivals on the adjoining field as well as sports days and bonfires.

Theatre groups, Christmas pantomimes and flower shows have all enlightened and enlivened the community. All of these activities have made the building alive. It wasnt just a centre for activities but a centre for the whole community The Community Centre.

From the very beginning, the committee with its first Chairman, Bill Bowler, has striven to enrich the lives of the community and this great work has been built upon by later committees and chairmen, namely Alan Chubb, R. Minns, Ron Wakeford, Ernie Hall, Keith Williams, Brian Phillips and its present Chairman, Ron Pyle. It must be with much pride that these first far-sighted and community minded men look back to see that after nearly fifty years something very positive was formed from an event that for many was so tragic.

Warmley Community Centre Chairmen

Bill Brown 1947-50 Ernie hall 1978-87 Alan Chubb 1950-60 Keith Williams 1987-91 R. Minns 1960-63 Brian Phillips 1991-93 Ron Wakeford 1963-78 Ron Pyle 1993-

1948

Following the the much deserved retirement of P.C. Charlie Gowing his well worn boots were filled by a succession of P.C.s including P.C. Wheeler. As time went by the old police house in Tower Road was proving unsuitable and by the Late 1960s, when money became available, a purpose built police station with accommodation was built.

This was on the corner of Crown Gardens. It was from here that P.C. Stan Wheeler and his family continued to serve the community until his retirement in 1967 when he, in turn, was succeeded by Doug Hardiman.

On the 14th October, Warmley C.of E. School had received the news that it had been granted controlled status by the Ministry of Education. This led the way to great reorganisation and improvements at the school. By 1951 the senior boys were transferred to a new Secondary Modern School at High Street, Oldland, with Mr. R. Evans a Welshman appointed as its first headmaster.

1949

On the 19th August, the news came of the death of Fred Brain. Frederick William Brain was born in 1885 and was the son of Walter Brain, a corn mill owner of Wick. Walter Brain built a massive flour mill, conveniently situated next to the railway sidings in Chapel Lane, Warmley, employing his sons to run the business. In 1921 Walter went into partnership with Coffins, the Bath Mill owner, and in time the firm became known as James Collins, Sons and Brain.

The trademark was the Camden sign and the product was used in making extra fine quality bread as well as cattle, pig and poultry rations. Later the firm was controlled by the brothers. Alex Brain was the travelling representative and Fred Brain took control at the mill.

In 1918, Fred moved into Warmley House, after purchasing it from the Estate of Louisa Haskins. From the front of the House he could look across the valley to the red bricked mill standing high against the skyline. Throughout his life Fred Brain was a prominent patron of St. Barnabas Church and continued to use the grounds and grottoes of Warmley House as a venue for garden parties and other events to raise funds for the Church.

Fred served as choirmaster at the Church but his great love was playing the organ which he did with passion for 28 years. When the instrument was due for an expensive overhaul, it was Fred who contributed a great deal to the cost.

1950

Another stalwart of the community, who should not be forgotten, was Mr. Joe Clark. Joseph Daniel Clark died on the 18th January 1950 and throughout his life worked hard to improve the lot of others.

Joe was elected to the Siston Parish Council in its sixteenth year (1910), the following year achieving the position of Vice-Chairman. In 1920, the Warmley and District Allotments Ltd., was formed with Joe Clark as its first Chairman.

The aim of the organisation was to provide seed and agricultural implements for the surrounding farmers and other land users. Shares were issued with the added advantage of a 10% discount for shareholders when they made a purchase.

In 1930, Joe became the Chairman of Siston Parish Council, a position he held for a further sixteen years and then, after a short break, he returned to the Chair from 1947 until his death in 1950. Joseph Clark will perhaps be best remembered for his contribution and efforts as a leading member of the team who set up the War Memorial Hall and Community Centre.

1951

This year marked the Festival of Britain and will always be remembered for the return of the famous poet, Minnie Haskins, to Warmley House, her childhood home.

Minnie Louisa Haskins was born in May 1875, the eldest of four daughters of Louisa and Joseph Haskins. At this date Joseph Haskins was still trading as a grocer and living in Warmley Hill. By the 1880s the family had moved to Warmley House where Joseph also owned the Warmley Tower Pottery Manufactory.

Minnie was a very energetic member of the Warmley Congregational Chapel and by the end of the century was a Sunday School teacher, leader of the Womens Bible Class and also a founder of the Christian Endeavour Group.

In 1908 she published a number of her own poems in a small booklet entitled ‘The Desert’. This was to raise funds for missionary work in India. Amongst the many poems was one entitled ‘God Knows’, which was written in the Balcony Room of Warmley House and inspired by a gloomy vision she had one cold and misty night whilst looking down the drive of the house.

For the next thirty years, the poem remained almost unknown but in 1938 the words were printed as a private Christmas card, a copy of which was sent to King George VI. The following Christmas the Empire was at war and in its darkest hour, the King found these words comforting.

It was with this verse that he ended his Christmas broadcast. But who wrote this work? No one seemed to know. After much searching it was eventually revealed that the author was none other than Miss Minnie Haskins, by then a retired lecturer living in Sussex.

In 1951, at the age of 75, Minnie returned once more, at the invitation of Warmley R.D.C., to Warmley House. She unveiled a plaque on the entrance porch to commemorate the visit and recalled her long lost youth in the house and grounds where she loved to think and play.

In 1953, when the King was buried in the Royal Mausoleum at Windsor, a stained-glass window was installed in memory of him. At the foot of it were the words of Miss Haskins that he had quoted in 1939.

The message written at Warmley that went all around the world and began:

‘ I said to the Man who stood at the gate of the year,

Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown

And He replied, ‘Go out into the darkness

And put your hand into the hand of God

That shall be to you better than light

And safer than the known way…’

1952

In January 1951. Warmley School re-opened after its Christmas break as a primary school catering for 158 infants and juniors.

This was a period of great hope and enterprise for the old Victorian school and by September 1952, with a need to strengthen links between the school and home, the Warmley Parent-Teacher Association was formed. Like all P.TA. groups, the principal aim was to create a better educational institute for the pupils, which this one at Warmley did with great success.

In 1960 Warmley was one of the first Primary Schools in the country to have its own television set and many other items were to be presented to the school, courtesy of the P.T.A. It was not all work though, as social activities were also arranged with educational trips to the theatre, coach outings to places of interest, (usually using the services of John Sparkes Coaches of Warmley) and often returning via an historic inn!

The high-lights of the school year, besides the Christmas concert, sports day and prize giving, were the social evenings and the summer fair, as these were the main source of revenue. The fairs, a cross between a carnival and a car boot sale, were held on the tennis court if dry or in the church hail if wet and were enjoyed by the stall holders and public alike.

The first P.T.A, was chaired by the Headmaster, Mr. R. B. Wintle, and presided over by the Prebendary, C.W. Francis. It would be difficult to name teachers who have influenced the children of the parish the most, however, three names come up over and over again.

The first is Mr. William Moore, who was head from 1913 to 1936 whose legacy was the wonderful copper plate handwriting that a generation left school with. The next is Mrs. G.W. Myers, known affectionately as ‘Mini-Myers’; although she seemed to be very stern, underneath she was very loving and cared for her little flock.

The third of this selection has to be Mr. Arthur Deavin. Arthur had probably worked with more head teachers than any other master. He had many opportunities for promotion but passed them over for the love he had for the school and its pupils. The only way to obtained a headship was to move to another school and that was not for Mr. Deavin.

1953

King George VI died on 6th February 1952 and the young Princess Elizabeth was thrown into the role she has performed so well now for over forty years.

The 2nd June 1953 was the beginning of the new Elizabethan era for the country and everyone joined in the celebrations. Food rationing was by now almost phased out and Coronation parties were being organised everywhere.

At the party all the children were presented with their own coronation mug full of sweets. This was a treat indeed! A grand party was held in the canteen of Kingswood Grammar School, to the delight of all who attended. Siston had its own Coronation Queen when Rachel Willmott was crowned. She was the daughter of Lloyd and Winifred Willmott, the newsagents at the corner of High Street and Stanley Road.

There was a huge increase in the sale of television sets this year and for many this was the first opportunity to see ‘the magic box’. That wet June day was spent with most of the neighbours watching the flickering black and white images of the Coronation followed in the evening by more celebrations.

1954

Mervyn and Bertha Whittock and their sons Clive and Terry have entertained the local community for over forty years. During the second world war the family, who were then living in Stanley Road, were often called upon to entertain both British and American troops.

In one year they performed two hundred shows as well as dinner hour concerts at factories. It was therefore not surprising that they were better known by their stage name of the ‘Warmley Wonders’. Clive was the star of the show and had appeared on the same bill as Bing Crosby. He also made broadcasts for the B.B.C., on ‘Workers Playtime’.

Although the family moved from Stanley Road in the early 50s they still found time to serve on the Entertainment Committee at the Community Centre and to produce concerts like the ‘Black & White Minstrel Show’. Even in her 90s Bertha has kept a strong link with the Community and has been Vice Chairlady of Warmley Golden Hour for many years.

1955

Crown Farm has stood for several hundred years on the east side of Tower Road North, Warmley, adjacent to the junction with Station Road. A 1610 map of Kingswood Forest shows a building called Jeffrayes House, this was possibly Crown Farm. The Jeffrayes in the area greatly upset a Siston parish priest, for in a memorandum of the parish registers for 1625 he wrote, ‘Ye Jeffrayes and Tukers of Warmley are rogues, whores and thieves and WT not YT is wicked.’

Records show members of the Jefferies family were living in Crown Farm into the 19th century. In the early part of that century the property was purchased by George M. Davidson of Warmley House and subsequently was owned by the Haskins family.

At one time Crown Farm was divided into several dwellings. In the late 19th century Crown Farm became the venue for the local Council meetings. This continued until 1900 when the new council offices in Stanley Road were built.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Luther Hamblin lived at Crown Farm. He was a haulier and would take leather from Avonmouth to the Kingswood boot factories then return with boots for export.

When Mr. Hamblin moved out, Cyril Turner became the tenant of Crown Farm. Farmer Fred Bryant was the last occupier of Crown Farm and after he moved away on Michelmas Day 1955 the buildings rapidly deteriorated and became the target of vandalism. The farm was knocked down in 1956 and the site left for many years. Factories now cover the fields and the site is owned by Mardon Son and Hall.

The land around Crown Farm which for so many years was used for grazing now produced a very different product. The head office and factory of the Lawson Mardon Group, Wincanton, Mothers Pride Bakery, Motorway Tyres, Ian Williams Limited, decorators, and Dinky Heel Ltd., fill the site.

1956

After the reorganisation in the education system in 1948 secondary schools were required for children of eleven years and above.

The boys were transferred to High Street, Oldland but it would be several years more before the girls school would be completed. The girls eventually went to a separate establishment in North Street, Oldland, which was to be known as Oldland Secondary Modern School for Girls. This was officially opened in September 1956 with Miss Nicholls as headmistress.

1957

early part of the century, the area was supplied with bread from a few small bakers, two of which were in Chapel Lane.

The older belonged to George Lacey, built around 1905, and was opposite the flour mill. The second bakery was owned by Percy White and his home and ovens were opposite the Congregational Chapel.

For over half a century these two men produced most of the loaves needed for Warmley and Siston, and all around the district. At the top of Hill Street, Kingswood, Henry Attwell also had a high-class bakery and bread shop which stood opposite Woodstock Road. However, the days of the small baker were coming to an end.

In 1957, Christopher Bell Ltd., a member of the Hovis McDougall Group, opened a massive bakery at the far end of Crown Road. There was nothing like it this side of Bristol.

Bread, cakes and many other kinds of confectionery were produced and were sold in shops all around the region. At this time the customer could have bread delivered daily to his door and scores of the familiar red and white vans could be seen passing to and fro from the factory. The little Chipmunk on top of the vans became the Christopher Bell trade mark.

In the 1960s Rank took control of the bakery and Mothers Pride bread became the main product. Bread is no longer baked at Warmley and the factory serves only as a warehouse for the container loads of bread brought in from the Midlands.

Bit by bit all the fields that were once part of Crown Farm have been covered with warehousing or factories. This year saw the opening of another distribution depot for the confectionery trade.

United Biscuits, whose products include Jacobs Biscuits, moved to the lower section of Crown Road, bringing much needed work to the area. The company has had a number of structural changes since the 1950s and the depot at Warmley is now the regional distribution point for the Jacobs Biscuits Group of Companies. Before the decade was over Motorway Tyres and Kraft Products were to set up business here.

1959

Many things in life we take for granted and some institutions seem always to have been around. Yet a basic service like the Library has had a relatively short history.

Warmley Community Centre was set up about fifty years earlier as a Reading Room for the people of the area. Books were in short supply and in great demand. About the same time a lending library was in existence in a shop opposite the Kings Arms in Kingswood run by the two daughters of Isaac Green of Stanley Road.

Siston and Warmley has never had its own official library but with the growing population in the Warmley district of Parkwall, a purpose built library was planned.

On 4th July 1959, Cadbury Heath Library in School Road, was opened, the first of the new libraries in the area. Prior to this, boxes of books were allocated and distributed, mainly to schools, from Shire Hall in Gloucester. As our parish was almost at the southern-most end of the County and Bristol dealt within its own boundary, the selection was extremely limited compared to the wide range of books and activities offered today.

A Woman Inspired by Joyce Gale 2004 Warmley.

And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year,

Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown

And he replied:. Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand

Of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way

So I went forth, and finding the Hand of God, trod gladly into the night.

Many of us will have heard the above words at some time in our life, written by Minnie Louise Haskins in 1908. Much later to become famous by King George VI reading it as part of his first Christmas message to the nation at the start of the second World War.

Minnie was born on 12th May 1875 to Louisa and Joseph Haskins the eldest of four daughters. Her father was then trading as a grocer. By 1880 the family moved to Warmley House and Joseph by now owned the Warmley Tower Pottery Company. Minnie attended Warmley Congregational Chapel becoming a Sunday School Teacher and leader of the Womans bible class and Founder of the Christian Endeavour Group.

It was whilst at Warmley House where standing at the upstairs balcony window and looking down the illuminated driveway to the gate that Minnie was inspired to write the words of God Knows which for a while was put away and forgotten.

From 1918-1920 Minnie studied at the London School of Economics. Gaining a Social Science certificate and distinction, also a diploma in Sociology with distinction in Philosophy in 1920. She joined the staff of LSE in Social Science Department becoming a tutor in 1934 retiring in 1939 reappointed and continued until 1944.

In 1933 she was described as a woman of unusual capacity and character with a rare understanding and sympathy with great love and interest in people Privately Minnie printed her poems and verses The Desert later Through Bed of Stone (1928) A Few People (1932) her other articles and pieces were mainly on industry.

King George VI was introduced to God Knows by the Queen mother which was sent to her in a Christmas Card. Minnie was astounded to know her poem was broadcast, although she never heard it herself. The subsequent royalties Minnie donated to charity and by then was living in Sussex.

In 1951 aged seventy five Minnie returned to Warmley House, (which was then owned by Warmley Rural District Council who had purchased it in 1940) to unveil a commemorative plaque during the Festival of Britain. This plaque still remains to this day.

In 1952 King George VI died and was buried at Windsor Castle and at the foot of a stained glass window in his memory are Minnies words the King had quoted in 1939.

Minnie never married and is thought to have died in Crowborough, Sussex in 1957

In 1967 the poem was set to music by American Classical Composer Elinor Remick Warren, called The Gate of the Year

I said to the man, who stood

at the gate of the year

Give me a light that I may

tread safely into the unknown

And he replied Go out into the

darkness and put your hand into

the hand of God. That shall be to

you better than light and safer than a known

Way So I went forth, and finding the

Hand of God, trod gladly into the night.*

And He led me towards the hills

and the breaking of day in the lone East.

So heart be still

What need our little life

Our human life to know,

If God hath comprehension?

In all the dizzy strife

Of things both high and low,

God hideth his intention.

God Knows. His will

Is best. The stretch of years

Which wind ahead, so dim

To our imperfect vision,

Are clear to God, Our fears

Are premature; In Him

All time hath full provision.

Then rest; until

God moves to lift the veil

From our impatient eyes,

When, as the sweeter features

Of lifes stern face we hail,

Fair beyond all surmise

Gods thought around His creatures

Our minds shall fill.

Joyce Gale 2004 Warmley.

Source of Research (Memories of Warmley)

Daily Telegraph 2002.

Pastor Ken Van Schelven USA.who got me on to the research.

Posted by brizzle born and bred on 2009-10-17 16:12:25

Tagged: , chronicles , timeline , 1940 , 1959 , Phoney War , Stanley Road , Ernest Williams , Spitfires , Magnal Works , air raid , Ambassador Cinema , Hawker Hurricane , 504 Squadron , Ernest Stone , Carsons Factory , Douglas Works , Captain Knee , A.F.S. , Fisher Road , American Camp , U.S. 1st Army Medical Corps , 6th Gloucestershire Battalion , Home Guard , Fred Brain , Bill Johnson , John Say , Italian P.O.W. camp , Memorial Park , Whittock , Warmley Wonders , John Seymour-Williams , Warmley Guardians Committee , Old Rectory , William Moore , Bill Bowler , Alan Chubb , Minns , Ron Wakeford , Ernie Hall , Keith Williams , Brian Phillips , Ron Pyle , Warmley Community Centre , P.C. Charlie , P.C. Wheeler , Crown Gardens , Doug Hardiman , Evans , headmaster , Frederick William Brain , Brain , corn mill , flour mill , Coffins , James Collins , Joseph Daniel Clark , Festival of Britain , John Sparkes , Wintle , Francis , Myers , Deavin , Rachel Willmott , American troops , Louisa Haskins , Cadbury-Heath , Kingswood , Filton , Siston , Wick , Warmley , BS30 , WW2

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gyrlversion · 6 years ago

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Whitney Houstons estate reportedly plans new album, hologram tour

Whitney Houston fans still mourning the iconic singer’s passing may get a chance to see their idol in concert once again.

In a New York Times interview Monday, Houston’s estate announced plans for a hologram tour and a posthumous new album, among other potential projects, stemming from the estate’s new deal with the music and marketing company Primary Wave Music Publishing.

Houston was found dead Feb. 11, 2012, in a hotel bathtub in Beverly Hills, just hours before music stars began to gather at the hotel for the annual Clive Davis pre-Grammy party.

“Before she passed, there was so much negativity around the name; it wasn’t about the music anymore,” said Pat Houston, the executor of Whitney Houston’s estate and the late star’s sister-in-law and former manager. “People had forgotten how great she was. They let all the personal things about her life outweigh why they fell in love with her in the first place.”

Since the singer’s death in 2012, the estate has held off on any activity, but Houston said now is the time.

“Everything is about timing for me,” Houston confirmed. “It’s been quite emotional for the past seven years. But now it’s about being strategic.”

Part of that action is a deal with Primary Wave Music Publishing, which the estate signed last week.

Primary Wave will acquire 50 percent of the estate’s assets, including Houston’s royalties from music and film, and merchandising, as well as the right to use her name and likeness.

Larry Mestel, the founder of Primary Wave, told The New York Times that he is already in discussions with Broadway producers about a potential musical and a Vegas-style spectacle. A new album could be comprised of unused tracks from Houston’s 1985 self-titled debut album, which are currently owned by Sony.

“Whitney was America’s sweetheart,” Mestel said. “And the idea now is to remind people that that is what her legacy is.”

Mestel also confirmed that Primary Wave will be considerate about which branding deals they pursue. The company plans to be careful how they present the singer, who appeared in commercials for Diet Coke and AT&T during her career.

“For Whitney Houston, who had an elegant voice and an elegant way about her, we wouldn’t do a fast-food brand relationship, for example,” Mestel said.

As for the hologram, it’s already in development. The hologram, which has “taken precedence over everything,” would be backed by on tour Houston’s original band and backup singers, who include her brother Gary. It would follow previous holograms of musicians like Frank Zappa, Ronnie James Dio and Roy Orbison.

In 2016, a hologram was originally meant to debut during an episode of “The Voice.” The singer was set to duet with Christina Aguilera, but after seeing the footage Houston told ET Online they wanted to pull it.

“After closely viewing the performance, we decided the hologram was not ready to air,” the estate executor said. “We have much respect and appreciation for Christina, and she was absolutely flawless.”

Leaked footage of the performance revealed that Aguilera was meant to sing two songs with Whitney Houston’s hologram, “I Have Nothing” and “I’m Every Woman.”

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newestbalance · 7 years ago

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Benefit of Trump tax cuts overshadowed by technology and misplaced…

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The windfall gains from the tax cuts passed by the U.S. Congress in December have brought back “animal spirits” that encourage risk-taking throughout corporate America, according to some of the participants at the annual Milken Institute Global Conference in California on Monday.

Michael Corbat, CEO of Citigroup, speaks at the Milken Institute’s 21st Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California, U.S. April 30, 2018. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

“Tax reform in the United States has led to, frankly, a number of companies flush with cash and looking for their opportunity to use their balance sheets to affect significant change in their market places as exhibited by two of the big mergers in telecom and energy announced” in the last 24 hours, Robert Smith, founder and CEO of private equity firm Vista Equity Partners, said at a panel discussion.

Late Sunday, T-Mobile US Inc and Sprint Corp said they had agreed to a $26 billion all-stock merger and believed they could win over skeptical U.S. regulators because the merger would create thousands of jobs and help the United States beat China in creating the 5G next generation mobile phone network.

Also on Monday, Marathon Petroleum Corp agreed to buy rival Andeavor for more than $23 billion in the largest-ever tie-up between U.S. oil refiners, giving the combined company a nationwide presence and increased access to growing export markets.

Michael Corbat, the chief executive officer of Citigroup Inc, was also positive about the economic outlook and said the Trump tax cuts have yet to filter through to many businesses.

“The benefits of tax reform aren’t yet fully into our economy. Not yet fully appreciated in terms of the intermediate impact they can have,” he said.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) speaks at the Milken Institute 21st Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., April 30, 2018. REUTERS/Mike Blake

U.S. Representative Kevin McCarthy, the leader of the Republican-majority in the House, said the tax cut bill has been a huge boost for Americans.

“We’ve watched the growth of America expand. People are talking about 3.0 percent growth, we haven’t seen that in quite some time,” McCarthy said, adding that Americans have received pay raises and bonuses.

However, rapidly changing technology is providing challenges for many U.S. businesses and may be driving populist political policies which are undermining the business confidence generated by the U.S. tax cuts, conference speakers said.

Jim McCaughan, chief executive officer at Principal Global Investors, said technological advances are resulting in poor job prospects for some of the world’s population, but politicians are in denial about this and are mistakenly blaming immigration and free trade. As result, the onus is on business leaders to re-train workers, he said.

Jim McCaughan, President, Global Asset Management and CEO, Principal Global Investors, speaks at the Milken Institute’s 21st Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California, U.S. April 30, 2018. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

People “feel angry in part because the reason for their displacement and the lack of good job prospects isn’t the foreigner, the trade, the immigrant, it’s actually technology. And that is why re-skilling is so important”, he said.

One example of the uncertainty created for U.S. business by misplaced policies is President Trump’s tariffs on imported steel and aluminum. The exemptions from the tariffs for some countries expire on Tuesday, but it was still not clear on Monday which U.S. allies would get their exemptions renewed.

The uncertainty resulting from technological changes is also making it hard for chief executives to plan ahead, Vista’s Smith added.

“It’s pretty reasonable to project a strategy for the next 12 months but frankly when you start talking about three to five years, it gets really murky really fast,” he said.

“CEOs are expected to not only understand technologies that didn’t exist one or two years ago but to make strategic decisions as to which investments to make, and the pace of these changes have staggering consequences if you get it wrong,” he said.

“The CEOs I talk to have never been more excited and never been more paranoid at the same time,” Smith said.

Another concern for businesses is rising U.S. interest rates.

Scott Minerd, global chief investment officer at Guggenheim Partners, warned that Trump’s tax cuts could trigger more interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve. “We are coming in the United States to a point where the stimulus and fiscal policy put in place in Washington is colliding with monetary policy.”

Minerd said: “Volatility is going to pick up.”

Additional reporting by Lawrence Delevingne; Edited by Jennifer Ablan and Clive McKeef

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cleopatrarps · 7 years ago