#can see this making it at least to the international feature shortlist

[chinchillasorchildren]

Films of 2020: Night of the Kings (dir. Philippe Lacote)

Grade: B+

[iamsonyeondone]

heir! seventeen // choi seungcheol

♥ so fluffy!!!

♥ 2 k words

♥ summary: the student body president always had something for you but with you being too oblivious, you simply needed a little bit of help noticing

ok lemme tell you about our leader choi seungcheol

Not only does he have the most beautiful faces I've seen in my entire life, this boy is a dedicated student committee president of Pledis High, an elite school in Seoul

And he's also the second heir to his father's business in Daegu!!

As expected of our president, this boy is the nicest honey baby in the entire school like now wonder he has a whole club of fangirls making sure he's eaten and well-rested

I want to be a part of that protection squad thank you very much

and you on the other hand, despite the average family background, you enrolled into Pledis High by a scholarship!! Look at you!! Making me proud!! You smart baby!!!

And as much as you want to have a balanced high school experience, you. just.couldnt.keep.up and instead used all your time studying at the back of the school

hmm?? people say there's a ghost roaming there?? wELL you don't give two shits because no korean ghost will stop you from getting into a college

ever since that rumour was spread around, your favourite study place is always empty and calm and you don't have to face people and put your anxious cute butt to suffer!!

But one day, you hear shuffling of feet behind the pillar that was blocking you and you just?? froze?? WAS IT THE GHOST?? why would it show up after three months?? and nearing your exams wth piss off >:[

"hYung what the heck everything is scattered!!!"

"it wasn't my fault you switched the fan on, soonyoung,"

"yeA bUt you should've warned me first :(("

"can you two just shut up and pick it up?? the SC room ( aka Student Committee) is in worser condition,"

Who?? Are?? They??

Curiosity got the best of you as you peeked from behind the pillar, spotting two boys picking up papers of the ground and you couldn't help but think that the black-haired one looked so familiar?? or maybe you're myopic who knows

As the wind blew, the scattered papers flew along, one of them sweeping under your feet

Until you see a hand reaching out towards it- wait WHAT "whOAH WHo- what are you doing here??" Seungcheol screamed as he tumbled backwards and fell onto his butt, fear evident on his face

Lo and behold black-haired boy was none other than Pledis's student committee president

"w-what why can't i be here?? You don't own this school," what were you even saying?? All you knew was that your fingers were trembling and your feet were rooted to the ground from the sudden ouTbUrst

"oh hi (y/n)," Soonyoung waved towards you with a wide smile crinkling his eyes

"you know her??"

"oh yeah she's my classmate, pretty quiet but the smartest out of all of us," just as Soonyoung was giving a summarized introduction of yourself to him, you glanced back and forth from your classmate and the student committee president with so much confusion

And as much as Seungcheol flew away from your appearance, he was actually just shocked to see you! Because everyone knows you hunny, who else always tops her classes as you internally deteriorate from the lack of sleep omg

Not only because you're one of the smartest but he's always found you interesting?? And pretty cute ;)))

You grabbed the paper beneath your feet and before you know it, you're helping them gather all the materials and,, walking,, up the stairs,,, with them

When was the last time that you were actually on the same pace as someone else??

"how did you even get that maths question on last weeks test?? I almost squished my head trying to figure it out," Soonyoung was flailing his arms, a stack of paper in each hand as you looked over him cautiously, afraid that all of you had to painstakingly sweep all of them up again

"oH uhm it's pretty easy once you memorised all the formulas, its just applying it in the right sequence," and slowly, it was actually pretty easy to talk to your classmate!! Like he's always bursting with energy but he makes sure he isn't crossing the line

And about Seungcheol?? Well, he's too busy trying to grasp the fact that you,,, are beside him,, and your side profile is so mesmerising to watch– until Soonyoung tosses a question his way and he's just???

And both pair of eyes are staring at him but he's more focused on YOUR eyes staring at him and he kinda shortcircuits, stuttering an excuse when he barely gets to his second word

whiPPeD™

and Soonyoung catches oN and kinda just smirks at him, wiggling his eyeborws and all that pizzazz ',:)

"(y/n) why dont you join as at the SC room?? We have some snacks there and since you helped us out, it's the least we could do!!" Soonyoung exclaims, bouncing on the balls of his feet as his eyes gleamed

"sure why not? but I can't stay for long though, I have extra classes in about an hour,"

"yAY CMON LETS GO"

For the next few minutes or so, the boys bickered among one another about the previous incident and you were introduced to Jihoon, the vice president of the student committee

He's pretty cold at first but after a few jokes, Soonyoung making a fool of himself and being a total savage!! he actually becomes a pretty chill person to hang out with

And amongst all the joking around, Seungcheol finAlly opens up and joins the conversation

Like the two of you would've been best buds if he wasn't so enchanted by you and you being so anxious to meet new people

but look at you two now!! laughing and fooling around awww

But fun always comes to an end as your alarm goes off for you to go to your extra classes :(( you wave goodbye and thank them for the snacks, jogging back to your study place to pack of your things and GO

But your routine slowly changes and you always find yourself at the SC room?? Back of the school who??

It's either you're accompanying Jihoon by studying beside him or having your lunch with Soonyoung and talking about the latest class gossip oR helping Seungcheol out by organizing their documents and talking about anything and everything while doing so

A week later and you open the door to the SC room to only see Seungcheol and he looks panicky and distressed by looking at the laptop in front of him and you wonder where the other two went because their stations are clean and their seats were pushed in

"What's with the long face?" you attempt to joke, but your voice didn't hide the worried tone beneath it

As much as you would want to deny it, your feelings developed for him, seeing more than just the president or a friend

And imagining what it would be like to have your fingers intertwined with his or the feeling of his lips on your forehead and enjoying a cuddle session with him

But that's not your priority right now, you took the seat beside him, head tilting slightly to see his features – his eyes squinting, eyebrows furrowed and his lips curling into a frown

"It's just... you know the upcoming charity festival? The one that Pledis always organize at the end of the year? This time they wanted something different and more appealing to teenagers but Pledis have been doing this for more than a decade and it's difficult to choose an idea something that hasn't been used," he rambled on, letting his palms cover the stress etching his features as he groaned and sigh into them

"first things first, calm down, its not the end of the world. Here, drink some water and let your brain rest a little. I'm sure we'll think of something,"

"we?"

"yeah dumbass, it's impossible if you do all of these yourself," you chuckled, taking control over the laptop as you reviewed the past year's themes and the popularity of each year

After much research on the current trends, you managed to write down a few for Seungcheol to shortlist but just as you were about to call out to him, you were greeted by his sleeping figure, his head rested on his arms as you chuckled to yourself

With no one around, your hands itched to brush away his bangs from his eyes

"why do you have to be so hot? Pfft, if i told you that right now, you would probably be a mess and deny it, just like every compliment I've given you," you chuckled, laying your head on the table to get a better view

"as much as your humbleness is attractive, it gets annoying how you don't accept the praise you deserve. Like wth Seungcheol, you're more than just amazing that I'm not worthy of liking you," you mumble, you fingers moving on its own as you brushed his bangs away from his face

"is that all you wanted to say?" he muttered, taking you aback as you jumped slightly in your seat, hand retracting and all in all being a blushing m e s s

"you were awake this whole time?

"i was just resting my eyes, dummy. But now that you mentioned something.." he trailed off, stretching in his seat and looking towards you a small smirk adorning his face while his tinted red ears were a contrast to his sudden confidence

"so you like me?"

"y-yOu didn't hear anything, I was just... Uhmmmm taLKING to the screen,"

"then why were you brushing through my hair?" he chuckled with that smug smirk you desperately want to wipe off

"i dont know Seungcheol!! Maybe dont look so cute when you rest your damn eyes!!" you exclaimed in panic, eyes wide as you huffed, looking away and towards the laptop in front of you

but then you feel a hand guiding your chin to look towards him, your cheeks practically felt like they were on f i r e

"I've waited so long to say this, don't try to brush of your confession now. I like you too (y/n) oh god i probably liked you before we even became friends. You were always so hardworking, doing whatever it took to get what you wanted. Don't even get me started on how gorgeous you are. Can't you tell? I'm whipped for you, (y/n)," he nervously chuckled, biting his bottom lip in anticipation as he waited for your reply

But words seemed to fail you as you watched on, your mouth gaping

Seungcheol leaned in, brushing your lips with his being an absolute tease

And you couldn't handle it any longer, pulling him by the collar as the both of you properly kissed, surprising him as you took his breath away, his heart racing a mile a minute

And all you could hear was the pounding of your heartbeat against your ears

once you pulled away, you leaned against his chest, weak from feeling his lips against yours as he let out a throaty chuckle

"impatient much, princess?" and the sound of the nickname sends shivers down your spine as you buried your face deeper into his uniform and the heat from your face could possibly start a fire

"You're too cute, what am i going to do with you?" even without having to see his face, you could tell that he had his widest gummy grin plastered on his face and the thought of it brought a smile onto yours

Before you could detach yourself from him, you heard a small thud from behind the door, and the feeling in your gut tells you that something, or somebody, had been there longer than you expected

"soOnyouNg keep it down!! You're gonna give us awAy–"

"bUt HyUng–"

"we should've known we got set up," you groaned, diving into your palms to hide the embarrasment rising to the surface

"well, we wouldn't be here without them, princess," Seungcheol teased, pecking your cheek as you nudged him away yet your bashful smile remained

You wouldn't have it any other way; being in the SC room with your three favourite people.

Of course your dear Seungcheol being the first ;))

A/N: who should i write for the heir! seventeen series next?? :D i also hoped this was fluffy enough because I rewrote this 3 times (i lost it each time :I) but i hope all of you had/is having a nice day ♥

[goyalradss]

Top Free Property Listing Sites in India

Earlier, due to the lack of digital platforms in which one can post information about properties on a platform like Justdial free listing and it is a time-consuming process. But these days, you may just post all the information about your home on online forums. When the user did it, they get prospective buyers in less than a month. In this, you can upload information either by paying charges or even for free. But do you even know what India’s free listing websites are?

Free Listing Sites in India

There are several free listing sites in India, like Justdial free listing but you need to choose which one is best. So that you can post your property and get effective results at an efficient cost.

Benefits of listing the property on free property listing websites:

The great thing about posting a property online is that you will get thousands of views within a short time. Which will automatically make sure that hundreds of buyers will approach you. For that, you don’t have to pay any charges for posting details about your property.

Above that, you need not pay any charge for posting details about your property but are sure to get customers (as seen in most cases). And most importantly, you can give all your problems to these sites and let them handle everything for you, from documents to legal queries.

Now, here is a list of free listing of property websites that can help you:

Magic Bricks

With exclusive service and high-end online features, Magic Bricks is a real estate forum that serves global clients. As Magic Bricks was established in 2006 and were introduced by Times Group. This real estate portal has swiftly become India’s top property portal.

Magic Bricks is the result of original product creation and creative thinking that has been received by the users. Moreover, it is associated with renowned property fairs across the world. Here, distinguished properties of significant Indian metropolises are displayed to audiences in India and internationally. To this day Magic Bricks has hosted 75 domestic and over 15 international property around the globe.

Magic Bricks offer 1 free property listing with the advantage of a Free Professional Photoshoot (if the property is located in a metropolitan city), you will Get Contact Details of up to 5 Responses and get access to 15 lac renters and buyers.

Deal Acres

Deal Acres was founded to assist individuals in locating the best investment opportunities in Gurugram and Delhi NCR area. Our integrated team of Consultants & Property Experts helps you make the best choices possible by combining in-depth market knowledge and the wisdom that comes from experience.

Deal Acres is one of the friendliest and fastest-growing real estate websites in India right now, with some simple and easy facilities for uploading your property. It can be challenging to choose a free property listing site which will help you rent or sell your residential or commercial property. If you see the top free property listing sites in India then Deal Acres is in the first position as it provides 10 free property listings.

The most effective way to connect with potential clients who need to buy or rent a house is through property listings. The top properties from the pool of real estate listings can be shortlisted by homebuyers or tenants. Thus, a builder, owner, or agent does not need to spend hours attempting to rent out their home online or selling it online.

Deal Acres Offers 10 Free property Listing with many benefits like it offers a basic profile to the user, 60 days of property visibility, support by email, technical help, least 5 five leads will be provided per listing.

Housing

Housing.com is India’s most innovative real estate advertising platform for house owners, landlords, developers, and real estate brokers. It was founded in 2012 and was acquired by REA India in 2017. In India, the company provides listings for new and used homes, rentals, plots, and co-living areas.

The company’s experts offer thorough real estate services, including marketing and advertising, sales solutions for developers of real estate, personalized search, virtual viewing, AR&VR content, home loans, end-to-end transaction services, and post-transaction services to consumers for both buying and renting, all supported by solid research and analytics.

Housing.com offer you a single free property listing. With no merits as you have to upload photos by yourself, there is no professional photoshoot. They will offer limited leads for your listings and low visibility to buyers.

99acres

99acres is the no. 1 real estate portal in India, it was established in 2005 and fulfills all the demands of consumers in the real estate sector. It is an online portal where sellers, buyers, agents, and developers can quickly sell their property by exchanging their real estate information.

99acres offers only 1 Free Property Listing to the audience. With no such advantage, they are not providing another platform like Google or Facebook from which users can reach buyers for the property. They do not provide any verification & professional photoshoot of your property.

The property will visible to only 14% of buyers. The free plan is only for 4 months after the activation of the plan.

Square Yard

Square Yards is the largest integrated real estate and mortgage platform in India and one of the most rapidly expanding Property Tech platforms in the United Arab Emirates, the rest of the Middle East, Australia, and Canada.

Square Yards offers an integrated consumer experience & covers the full real-estate journey from search & discovery, transactions, home loans, interiors, rentals, property management, and post-sales service — fully integrating buyers to an extensive network of partner real estate developers, and Agents.

Square Yard provides free property listing with a limited response, you have to connect, manage & showcase your property by yourself.

OLX Homes

One of India’s biggest free classifieds websites is OLX Homes. Due to the minutely updated listings, it is a fantastic website if you want to purchase, sell, or rent properties. Since it is a free website, it receives a lot of traffic from users across India. Olx provides you with an option of uploading only 5 free property listings by using a single account.

If you have posted your property once then you can’t list your property for 90 days. But there is many terms and condition regarding some cities in which you can’t post any other property for 180 days or 365 days.

Quikr

Quikr Homes aims to bring buyers and sellers together on a single platform. Quicker Homes also offer both commercial and residential properties on the platform, which is a significant feature.

In addition, sellers can use the site to promote their properties in addition to listing them. This guarantees that you will receive the greatest deal. Nearly all of India’s major cities have listings on Quikr. As a result, in 2021, it is regarded as one of the most comprehensive real estate websites. Quikr offers you free property listing. with no benefits. There is no guarantee of any leads for your property.

We hope this article will help you to choose which free listing sites in India is appropriate for your property listing. Sell or rent your property with the best real estate website and grab the opportunity by taking all the advantages of it.

[weekendwarriorblog]

The Weekend Warrior’s Top 15 Movies of 2021

It’s been quite a year, and while I may not have written as many reviews in 2021 as 2020, and definitely not as many in my weekly column, which I had to forego somewhat due to my editorial responsibilities at Below the Line – which have now concluded. Hopefully, I’ll have more time to watch and review in the Weekend Warrior. Either way, I watched as much as I possibly could, and there will definitely be a few highly-lauded films that you will not see in this list, because… well, you can figure it out.

15. The Last Duel

I really couldn’t have any sort of year-end list and not include at least one film from the great Sir Ridley Scott, easily one of my favorite directors, probably of all time. But I liked his 14th Century French drama far more than his House of Gucci. With a triple narrative showing the story from three different characters’ point-of-view, leading up to a violent and bloody duel, The Last Duel showed Scott at his very best, maybe since Gladiator. Damon and Driver were great arch-rivals, but Jodie Comer stole the film as the woman first raped and then questioned about her allegations, and then Ben Affleck did his own bit of scene stealing during the middle telling as a sex-addicted royal whose behavior leads to the rivalry between Damon and Driver’s characters. (His reaction to Driver being accused of rape: “Deny! Deny! Deny!”)

14. Flee and The Summit of the Gods

Two foreign language animated films, one a doc, another fiction based on historical information, these two movies did so much more than any of the year’s other animated releases to show what could be done in the art form. Jonas Rasmussen’s Flee has been receiving acclaim since it debuted at Sundance as it told the story of the filmmaker’s friend who escaped from Afghanistan in a grueling journey that took him through Russia before finally arriving in Denmark. It has already been shortlisted not only as doc but also in the international feature category, so I would expect it to receive a couple nominations.

Patrick Imbert’s The Summit of the Gods hasn’t received nearly as much critical attention, but it’s an equally good example of what can be done with animation, as Imbert adapted a Manga about two mountain climbers trying to conquer Mt. Everest. The story is told by a Japanese photographer, Fukamaachi, who believe he has found possible proof of whether George Mallory reached the peak of Everest or not, as he goes out looking for an elusive mountain climber who might have that proof.

13. Tick Tick… Boom and In the Heights

In a year with eleven musicals, it would make sense that my year-end list would include at least a few of that divisive film genre. It made just as much sense to pair these two being that they were connected by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who made his directorial debut with the first, and co-wrote the latter musical, which was a relatively small Broadway hit compared to his follow-up, a little thing called Hamilton.

Starting with In the Heights, it was one of my first really great theatrical experiences towards the beginning of the year, and I was surprised by how much I loved it, because I was fighting it as it began, but it just won me over with all sorts of great numbers, including one in a swimming pool. Director Jon M. Chu was destined to make a great movie musical, and In the Heights was just that.

On the other hand, I loved Tick Tick… Boom almost from the beginning, just because Andrew Garfield gave his all playing Jonathan Larson, and you could tell that this was a true passion project for Miranda, who is actually a pretty decent filmmaker. My favorite scene was the one at the Moondance Diner (which I used to frequent) which Miranda and his team recreated, making it look like it was right in the location where it actually stood with a number with so many great Broadway luminaries.

12. The Suicide Squad

There’s no question that when I have fun watching a movie, as much as I did watching James Gunn’s take on the DC villain superteam, it’s going to be hard for a movie not to get into my Top 10, or Top 15 rather. The Suicide Squad was just as much fun as Guardians of the Galaxy was and did so much with these characters, thanks to another great cast. There’s just so much I loved about the movie, but mostly Gunn’s sense of humor that really comes out and thrives in an R-rated setting vs. the PG-13 of his Marvel movies. And we finally get Starro on the big screen, and that is literally the ONLY way a movie with Starro should be seen, HBO Max or not. This is likely to be a movie I buy on Bluray cause it’s one that just cheers me up whenever I watch it.

11. Being the Ricardos

Aaron Sorkin took on the complicated life of Lucille Ball (Nicole Kidman) and Desi Arnaz (Javier Bardem) as their show “I Love Lucy” was more popular than ever in its second season, essentially putting a target on their backs from the tabloids and other reporters. As much as I enjoyed the performances by Kidman and Bardem, it was just as much about the supporting cast, including J.K. Simmons as William Frawley (aka Fred Mertz) and Nina Arianda as Vivian Vance (Ethel) as well as the whole ensemble cast around the quartered that made this another one of Sorkin’s stronger efforts (ala Steve Jobs, which was my #1 movie a few years back).

10. Language Lessons

Natalie Morales’ directorial debut, a small indie not unlike the ones directed by her co-star Mark Duplass in his early days as a filmmaker, followed the unlikely friendship between a Spanish teacher and her American student, who is dealing with grief. The majority of the movie was done over the type of Zoom-like communications we all got used to doing over the past two years, and yet, the chemistry between Morales and Duplass made it feel as if they were in the room together for every moment. The movie was funny and witty, but also heartfelt and poignant, really showing Morales to be a filmmaker to watch.

9. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Just to prove that I’m not a complete hater, I do have one of this year’s Marvel movies on my year-end list, and that’s Destin Daniel Cretton’s amazing entry into the MCU with a movie based on one of my favorite comic characters as a kid. (One of my greatest losses from selling my comic collection is that my massive run of Master of Kung-Fu has barely been reprinted, but I really loved them.) Even though this movie was very different from the comics with a lot more humor and MCU connections, I thought Simu Liu was fantastic in his first major big screen role with great aid from Awkwafina as his best friend, Katie. Add to that a great villain played by Chinese legend Tony Leung, another great role from Michelle Yeoh, and the surprise appearance by a Marvel villain from an MCU movie that I really hated (thereby legitimizing his earlier appearance), and it made Shang-Chi one of my favorite Marvel movies in quite some time. I cannot wait to see Liu’s Shang-Chi start interacting with the rest of the MCU, whenever that might be.

8. Cyrano

The only reason I’m slightly tentative about including Joe Wright’s musical that included music and songs by one of my favorite bands, The National, is because it didn’t actually open in New York in 2021, which is my general criteria for including movies. That said, I worry that if I wait another year to put this in my list, I will have completely forgotten the movie, since it’s being released in January. (Honestly, I just don’t get some of UA Releasing’s release decisions this year.) This was a fantastic take on the Cyrano de Bergerac story with Peter Dinklage in the title role, Haley Bennett as Roxanne (who has the voice of an angel) and Kelvin Harrison, Jr. as Christian. Oh, also, a terrific turn by Ben Mendelsohn as the Duke, who as nefarious as he is, Mendelsohn still manages to imbue him with a sympathetic side. But it’s really about how Wright creates this touching version of the tale with an epic scale that’s quite operatic… and yeah, the songs by the National are wonderful.

7. Last Night in Soho and The Sparks Brothers

Although most of my docs are relegated to a separate list, it was impossible to ignore the amazing two-for-one we got this year from Edgar Wright, who made his first foray into docs with his movie about the venerable rock group, Sparks, Ron and Russell Mael – who may get an Oscar nomination for their opening tune from their own musical Annette! – and then made the closest thing to a straight-up horror film with a movie set in his own metropolis backyard of London. I was already a Sparks convert from before watching this movie, but I really didn’t know nearly as much about them from their first 4 decades, and Wright did a fantastic job compiling their amazing career into two hours. And then, he delivered Last NIght in Soho, another movie that stands along with his Three-Flavor Cornetto Trilogy, Scott Pilgrim, and Baby Driver, as a movie that manages to combine his sensibilities with a far more female-driven story, aided by his able co-screenwriter Kristy Wilson-Cairns. Both of these movies – like much of Wright’s films – were ones I could watch multiple times and get many levels of enjoyment out of them. In fact, The Sparks Brothers is the first blu-ray I have bought in many years.

6. Stillwater

I’m more than a little surprised that Tom McCarthy’s latest film – one co-written by Thomas Bidegain (Une Prophete), no less – didn’t catch on with more audiences and didn’t get more critical love. Especially with Matt Damon in the lead, playing a red state construction worker who goes to France to visit his daughter (Abigail Breslin), who has been jailed for years, having been accused of murdering her roommate/lover. It all felt very Amanda Knox, maybe because so many of the elements seemed to be ripped from the headlines of the murder Knox was accused of committing. Damon gives a great uncharacteristically tough-guy role (not unlike his role in The Last Duel, in fact), but I was equally impressed with Breslin’s role as his estranged daughter who sits in jail while relying on her father to follow a lead to the possible real murderer of her roommate. The movie also offered a really nice bit of family drama as Damon’s Bill started settling in with a single mother (Camille Cottin, who also played the other woman in House of Gucci), and her impressionable daughter Maya (Lilou Siauvaud). If you’re a fan of the previous work of either Tom, you’re bound to enjoy this film that mixes both their sensibilities equally.

5. Freeland

Maybe the most indie and esoteric movie in my Top 15, this indie drama starring Krisha Fairchild played at the Oxford Film Festival in the summer of 2020 but wasn’t released until this year. Frankly, I liked this even more than Chloë Zhao’s Nomadland (which also was quite great, mind you), as it had Ms. Fairchild playing Devi, an elderly pot farmer in Humboldt County, California, trying to deal with the legalization of pot and how it’s affecting her business and her relationship with her workers (including Lily Gladstone, another popular indie actress!). This really was just a wonderful film from Kate McLean and Mario Furlani that I probably watched three or four times since my first viewing at Oxford last year. More people need to watch this.

4. CODA

It’s really hard not to love Sian Heder’s dramedy which premiered at last year’ Sundance to rave reviews and awards. I really liked it back then but having seen it a number of time since then, it’s nearly impossible not to fall in love with its amazing combination of singing, fishing, ASLing, and it’s wonderful cast including newcomer Emlia Jones in the lead role as Rubi Rossi, the “child of deaf adults” from the film’s acronym title; Marlee Matlin in her best film role in many years; Troy Kotsur, who was just fantastic as her mother; and Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, who has sadly been absent from our movie screens since Sing Street (still one of my favorite Sundance movies ever). I also never really saw too many films with Mexican superstar Eugenio Derbez, but Heder gave him an amazing role as Mr. V, Rose’s singing teacher who allows her to flourish and grow and realize that her all-deaf family can survive without her.

3. King Richard

Plenty has been said about Reinaldo Marcus Green’s highest-profile movie due to the fact that Will Smith is playing Richard Williams, father to Serena and Venus Williams. Yet, the movie is much more than about the inspirational journey of the two tennis superstars. It’s also just a terrific sports movie, a family drama with many great performances around Smith, including Aunjanue Ellis as his wife, Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton as Venus and Serena, and in one of his best and oddest roles to date, Jon Bernthal as trainer Rick Macci. To say the movie is crowdpleasing would be an understatement, and the sad fact that more people decided to watch it on HBO Max then go to theaters and applaud like they did for all the blatant fan service in Spider-Man: No Way Home just shows you what’s wrong with filmgoing and moviegoers right now. Sadly, I don’t expect that to change anytime soon.

2. West Side Story

No, I’m not sure even the Weekend Warrior could have predicted that his favorite musical of the year would be the one directed by Steven Spielberg based on an absolutely ancient stage musical that was already adapted into a multi-Oscar-winning film… which I actually was never a huge fan of. So imagine my surprise when not only did I love Spielberg and screenwriter Tony Kushner’s take on the classic Bernstein-Sondheim collaboration, but I actually watched some of the dance numbers thinking that Spielberg and his team were firing on all cylinders in a way we haven’t seen probably since Saving Private Ryan. The movie is just about perfect from the casting of Ansel Elgort and Rachel Zegler as Tony and Maria, the gang wartorn lovers who are the Romeo and Juliet of what in the 50s was a “modern-day” version of Shakespeare’s romantic drama. And then you have Ariana Debose and David Alvarez as Antia and her boyfriend Bernardo, the boxing brother of Maria, who turns their romance into a reason to go to war. Mike Faist is also great as the leader of the Jets, but in general, every single person in Spielberg’s cast is given a moment to shine, and many of the classic tunes from the original music are given new life in the hands of younger and newer actors and the amazing choreography by Justin Peck. So I went into the movie very cynical but by the end, I was practically in tears from all the amazing emotional moments, including Rita Moreno (who turned 90 the day after the movie was released) performing “There’s a Place for Us.” Such a beautiful movie and in a year of so many great musicals (see earlier in the list), it makes sense that Spielberg would deliver the best.

Okay, this is where we’re going to have some fun, because anyone who knows me even tangentially knows my absolute love for the documentary genre. In most years, I will have anywhere from 1 to 3 movies that are so good, they’re likely to top my year-end list, and in fact, there are two docs this year that earned perfect 10/10 scores and then two that were at about a 9.5/10. Because of this, I’m going to talk about five of this year’s best docs before getting to my inevitable #1 movie of the year. That cool?

1A. Julia

My favorite doc of the year was Julie Cohen and Betsy West’s comprehensive and intimate portrait of “The French Chef” aka Julia Child, which took a different approach to their previous doc, RBG, because their subject had long passed away. It was a beautiful film that does a great job presenting its info using letters between Julia and husband Paul, enhanced by a gorgeous score by Rachel Portman.

1B. Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street

Staying on the PBS track – after these two and Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, you can expect a doc on “The Electric Company” or “Zoom” to top my list sometime in the near future – this fantastic doc from Marilyn Agrelo that goes behind the scenes of “Sesame Street” and how it became such a huge hit and remains popular to this day. Just a wonderful film with so many behind-the-scenes stories and rarely-if-ever seen footage of the show’s early days.

1C. Summer of Soul

The Roots drummer Questlove decided to try his own hand at directing a movie this year, kicking off his filmmaking career with a doc about the Harlem Cultural Festival of 1969. Getting much less attention than the upstate Woodstock Festival, it quietly brought thousands up to a park in New York City’s northern neighborhood for four weekends of music, culture and Black pride with some of the best soul and R&B acts of the time, including Stevie Wonder, Sly and the Family Stone, Gladys Knight, and many more. It was brilliantly cut together with modern-day commentary from people who were there talking about the impact the festival had on them… and watching this film, it’s had a similar impact on many who never knew about it.

1D. The Rescue

The latest from Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, the Oscar-winning duo behind Free Solo, took a different approach to telling the tale of the 2018 rescue of the Thailand youth soccer team from underwater caves that were flooded by a monsoon. The filmmaking couple used a combination of recreations and news footage to put the film together, which really makes you feel as if you were there.

1E. Introducing Selma Blair

Another terrific doc from a first-time filmmaker as Rachel Fleit worked closely with actress Selma Blair, who had been diagnosed with MS and was going through stem cell treatment that was affecting her both mentally and emotionally as Blair gave Fleit so much access into her truly personal journey.

But my #1 movie of the year had to be…

1. The Power of the Dog

No, I really didn’t think a movie by Jane Campion would even make my Top 10, but as you’ve probably heard from so many other critics, there’s just something about this adaptation of Thomas Savage’s novel, whether it’s Benedict Cumberbatch absolutely killing it as the angry and abusive rancher Phil Burbank, just a performance unlike anything else the actor has ever done, and one that’s likely to put him back in the Oscar race… against Will Smith! But it’s also the amazing supporting cast in Kodi Smit-McPhee – his best role to date by far – Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, and wait, is that Thomasin McKenzie playing almost a cameo-sized role?! Also, the way Campion allows the story to play out, revealing more about Phil and those around him slowly but effectively against a vast landscape gorgeously shot by Ari Wegner (who has my vote for Cinematography this year). It’s just an amazing film from beginning to end, but fully driven by Cumberbatch’s character, his obsession with “Bronco Henry,” and never knowing what he might do next. Oh, yeah, and Jonny Greenwood provides one of his best scores of the year, which is also likely to be in the Oscar running.

Honorable Mentions:

My favorite animated movies were: Raya and the Last Dragon, The Mitchells vs. the Machines, Encanto, and Ron’s Gone Wrong

My favorite horror films were: Malignant, A Quiet Place Part II, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It

More great docs: Attica, What Drives Us, Lily Topples The World

That’s it for 2021. I’ll be back in 2022 with a regular weekly Weekend Warrior column but with MORE REVIEWS

Oh, but before we get to that, here are 15 of my favorite albums from 2021, though only partially in any sort of order (and many thanks to the #TimsTwitterListeningParty, which I sadly wasn't able to participate in as much as I did in 2020 due to the job):

The Anchoress - The Art of Losing Japanese Breakfast - Jubilee The Corals - Coral Island The Reytons - Kids Off the Estate Foo Fighters - Medicine at Midnight Royal Blood - Typhoons New Pagans - The Seed, The Vessel, The Roots and All Ist Ist - The Art of Lying Churches - Screen Violence Sir Tom Jones - Surrounded by the Time The Natvral - Tethers The Lathams - How Beautiful Life Can Be Laura Mvula - Pink Noise Lone Lady - Former Things Peter Capaldi - St. Christopher

AND here’s a playlist of some of my favorite songs, many from the albums above and many more:

SPOTIFY

TIDAL

[architectnews]

Iron Line Millom, Cumbria Design Competition

Iron Line at Millom in Cumbria Design Contest, Cumbrian Architecture Competition, Architects, Picture

Iron Line at Millom in Cumbria Design Competition

23 September 2021

Millom Town Deal – Design Competition in Cumbria

Architectural Contest in northwest England, UK

International search for design team to transform Millom asset into inspirational attraction

photo : David Savage

Iron Line at Millom in Cumbria Design Competition News

A global search for landscape and architectural designers with big ideas has been launched – as multi-million pound plans to transform a unique beauty spot in a UK town gather pace.

Working with Copeland Borough Council, the Millom Town Deal Board secured an offer of £20.6 million from the Government’s £3.6 billion Towns Fund initiative earlier this year for projects it identified as local priorities.

The money has been allocated to four projects that required support of Government that will help ensure the area thrives now and for future generations.

Now, a competition has been launched to find a design partner for one of these projects – The Iron Line – which aims to sensitively transform the area around Millom’s coastal lagoon and sea wall into an inspirational, fully inclusive and multi-sensory nationally significant visitor attraction.

The five proposals in the competition that best meet the criteria after the closing date of October 21 will be shortlisted to go through to a second round. These design concepts, created during the second-round stage, will be showcased in a local exhibition so that stakeholders and members of the public can feed into this once-in-a-lifetime process.

Robert Morris-Eyton, chair of the Millom Town Deal Board, described the competition as a pivotal moment in the life of The Iron Line project.

“The Iron Line is an ambitious scheme that sets out the potential for this area to become one of the most unique and beautiful visitor attractions in the region,” he said.

“What we want is for the competition to bring forward teams with a vision for The Iron Line and how it could become an area that marries together the important and delicate ecology and heritage of the area with art and inclusivity.

“What’s especially exciting is that the design will be a collaborative process with residents and stakeholders across the area who will be able to help shape the ideas that come forward. This is something we’re very much looking forward to.”

The Iron Line would feature the historic sea wall and include the area covered by RSPB Hodbarrow.

Dave Blackledge, RSPB Hodbarrow Site Manager, said: “The route will cross RSPB Hodbarrow and we look forward to working with the successful design team on this exciting project.

“The challenge will be to create an engaging trail that informs and educates while enhancing the wildlife and flora of this environmentally sensitive site.”

Millom and Haverigg were among 101 towns invited to bid for a share of the Towns Fund in 2019 – part of the Government’s Levelling Up agenda.

It’s proposal includes four projects set out in Millom and Haverigg’s Town Investment Plan. They aim to help maximise inclusive economic growth and better connectivity for the area while developing a welcoming arts, culture and tourism offer, thriving independent businesses and healthy, active people.

Colander Associates Ltd has been brought in to run The Iron Line design competition on behalf of the Borough Council and Town Deal Board in order to seek the interest of firms both in the UK and internationally.

A dedicated webpage has been launched to offer information for design and architecture firms thinking about putting themselves forward for the project. It can be found here:

https://www.colander.co.uk/architectural-competitions/colander-competitions/iron-line-millom-cumbria

Of key importance for the design team will be the requirement to identify the balance between nature and people – how the critical need for economic prosperity and development to support the local population can sit side by side with the sanctity of the natural environment on this important piece of England’s natural coastline.

The Mayor of Copeland, Mike Starkie, said: “The package of projects that make up Millom’s Town Deal will work together to secure a wide range of benefits for residents and businesses, not least through improved health and wellbeing outcomes for our communities and a prosperous, resilient economy.

“The launch of this competition is a big step forward for The IronLine, and I look forward to other projects gaining shape.”

For more information on the Millom Town Deal Board, visit Towns Fund | Copeland Borough Council

Further information about the competition is available at https://ift.tt/3zyn5OX

Town Deal UK

On July 27, 2019, the Prime Minister announced that the Towns Fund would support an initial 101 places across England to develop Town Deal proposals, to drive economic regeneration and deliver long-term economic and productivity growth. See further details of the announcement: PM speech at Manchester Science and Industry Museum – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

A Town Deal is an agreement in principle between government, the Lead Council and the Town Deal Board. It will set out a vision and strategy for the town, and what each party agrees to do to achieve this vision. See the 101 places being supported to develop Town Deals: list-of-100-places.pdf (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Each of the 101 towns selected to work towards a Town Deal also received accelerated funding last year for investment in capital projects that would have an immediate impact and help places “build back better” in the wake of Covid-19. View a list of accelerated funding by place: towns-fund-accelerated-funding-grants.pdf (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Location: Cumbria, Northwest England, UK

Architecture in Cumbria

Cumbrian Buildings

Cumbria Architecture Designs – selection:

Shortlist for RIBA Stirling Prize 2021 – Windermere Jetty Museum Design: Carmody Groarke Architects photo © Hufton – Crow Windermere Jetty Museum

Dove Cottage and the Museum at Wordsworth Grasmere Exhibition, interpretation & wayfinding: Nissen Richards Studio ; Basebuild architect: Purcell photo : Gareth Gardner Dove Cottage and the Museum at Wordsworth Grasmere

Blackwell – The Arts and Crafts House, Windermere – news Architect: Mackay Hugh Baillie Scott photograph © Tony West Blackwell – The Arts and Crafts House

Furness College, Barrow-in-Furness Design: Broadway Malyan photo from architect Furness College

Cumbria Design Competitions

Moorside Open Design Competition in Cumbria Architecture Competition in Cumbria

Windermere Steamboat Museum Competition Windermere Steamboat Museum Competition

Blackwell – The Arts and Crafts House in the Lake District

Lawson Park, Lake District

Lake District House by Sutherland Hussey Architects

Grizedale Forest Resource Centre

North West English Architecture

Contemporary Lancashire Buildings

Morecombe Bay Design Competition

Lancashire Buildings

Manchester Architecture

Kendal Building

Comments / images for the Iron Line Millom, Cumbria Design Competition page welcome

The post Iron Line Millom, Cumbria Design Competition appeared first on e-architect.

[jeremystrele]

14 Brands Making Waves With The Wiggly Trend

14 Brands Making Waves With The Wiggly Trend

by Sasha Aarons

Wavy serving boards by TS Makers. Photo – Nigel Lough. Stylist – Elizabeth Lough.

Vase collaboration between Hattie Molloy and Nicole Lawrence. Photo – Hattie Molloy.

Nicole Lawrence’s ‘Smooth’ shelves in sand. Photo – Nicholas Wilkins.

Oscar Piccolo’s Lampada Cappello. Photo – Oscar Piccolo.

Photo – courtesy of Kitaboodle.

1. TS Makers

Breadboards need not be merely geometric and utilitarian. TS Makers wooden serving boards are like gentle, giant puzzle pieces perfect for everyday use or special occasions.

Handmade by a husband-and-wife duo in Sydney, each design is made from reclaimed Australian timbers including blue gum, brush box, yellow gum, ironbark, jarrah and spotted gum.

Shop the TS Makers range here.

2. Nicole Lawrence

Alongside lighting pieces, industrial designer Nicole Lawrence makes curvy, colourful steel furniture from her Northcote workshop. Her signature ‘Smooth’ shelf comes in seven different colours (plus a custom option!) and at least three sizes.

Just a few weeks ago, the designer launched a series of curvaceous two-tone vases in collaboration with florist, Hattie Molloy.

See Nicole’s wavy shelves here.

3. Oscar Piccolo

It’s not often that we feature an international designer, but Oscar Piccolo’s Lampada Cappello is so good how could we not? Plus, it’s in every covetable space right now.

The designer is based between London and Sicily, his curved iron bases (crafted by a metalworker in Palermo) topped with a pleated shade are the stuff of Instagram legend. And for good reason!

See more about Oscar Piccolo here.

4. Kitaboodle

When we featured these piped Kitaboodle cushions in the home of Curated Spaces projects manager Leah Holt, they sold out immediately. And we can see why!

The scalloped edged pillows come in a range of alternating colourways such as lilac and cream, peach and green, and red and white. And there are napkin sets to match!

The next drop is available for pre-order here.

The Wavy vase. Photo – Lucas Wearne.

The Formosa coat-stand. Photo – Tom Ross.

Left: The Delilah dining table and Wavy Floor Mirror from Knot Studio. Photo – courtesy of Knot Studio. Right: Candle by Sabu x Memento. Photo – Sabu Studio.

5. Neighbourhood Studio

Lucas Wearne carves his limestone pieces from the back of his Thornbury home, making sculptures, plinths and columns from the rough material. But his curvaceous vases and lamps take the cake!

6. Real Non-Real

We said that big things were in-store for interior designer-in training, Brigitte Owers-Buccianti, when we featured her Formosa coat-stand last year, and considering it’s shortlisted in the furniture category of The Design Files + Laminex Design Awards, our judges clearly agree!

Made under her brand Real Non-Real, the powder-coated, industrial-inspired steel coat stand comprises a white cement conical base, undulating wave racks and a circular mid-height tray. Wardrobe, bedside table, coat-rack: it can be anything you want it to be!

See more from Real Non-Real here.

7. Knot Studio

Founded by Alex Johnson and Joel Taylor in Sydney, the duo drew on their experience in interior design and custom joinery to design an entire wavy collection! Knot Studio‘s beautiful timber pieces comprise wavy mirrors, cupboard handles and a dining table.

We particularly love the wiggly legs on the Delilah Dining Table. So good!

See more from Knot Studio here. 

8. Memento x Sabu

These soy candles are handmade in Melbourne by Sabu Studio in collaboration with online store Memento come in a pair – because two is always better than one!

See more here.

Ella Reweti vases. Photo – Makers’ Mrkt.

Ella Reweti incense vessel. Photo – Makers’ Mrkt.

The Frill table by MakeBelieve. Photo – courtesy of CCSS.

The Drop lamp by MakeBelieve. Photo – courtesy of CCSS.

9. Ella Reweti

How could we do a piece on wavy pieces without including the work of ceramcist Ella Reweti? Impossible! Her corrugated vases and vessels are inspired by the simple repeated patterns found in nature, realised in a soft colour palette inspired by the colours of the Australian bush.

See Ella’s work on her website here or on Makers’ Mrkt here.

10. CCSS

Designed by CCSS founders Clare and Sonam and handmade in Melbourne – the MakeBelieve range is part of the broader CCSS universe. The Drop lamp stands at a metre-and-a-half tall with a rhythmic sculptural stem and covered in black, white, olive or violet enamel gloss paint.

The Frill table is a side-table with a tripod base fringed with waves. They are available in a muted palette of clay pot, beige, light pink or bronze.

See more from MakeBelieve here.

The Ostrea Rock glass vase by Hein Studio from Mette Collections. Photo – courtesy of Mette Collections.

Scalloped table linen from Bed Threads. Photo – Benito Martin.

Two tone napkin and matching placemat sets from Bed Threads. Photo – Benito Martin.

11. Hein Studio

These warped glass Ostrea Rock Vases designed by Danish brand Hein Studio (sourced from Mette Collections) are dappled with soft indentations, making them appear like rippling water as much as curvy waves. Double whammy!

See more here.

12. Bed Threads

Linen aficionados Bed Threads don’t just do beds, they are very into tables now too! Their glorious new range of scalloped napkins and placemats are wiggly and delicious. Perfect table-shaping material.

Shop the range here.

Left: The Foli collection of side tables by Lauren Lea Haynes. Photo – Jess Brohier. Right: Table by Billy Furniture. Photo – courtesy of Billy Howard.

13. Lauren Lea Haynes

Lauren Lea Haynes works in limestone sculpture and furniture, but her powder-coated Foli collection of side-tables are the stars of the show! With large undulating edges, the colourful pieces have sides that roll like a soft swell.

See more here.

14. Billy Furniture

Billy Furniture is helmed by carpenter Billy Howard, who has refined his trade into a craft over the last few years. And he’s found a style of his own in the process.

His Sadie, Beatrice and Evelyn tables carry the same soft petal edges, with timber stems for legs and a colourful top.

See more here.

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 29/05/2021 (Eurovision, BTS, Olivia Rodrigo, Galantis/David Guetta/Little Mix, Anne-Marie & Niall Horan)

What better way to celebrate the end of a week in which I have been consistently ill and surprisingly busy? Sixteen new arrivals, of course! Shoot me, but first, congratulate Olivia Rodrigo for her second #1 as “good 4 u” gets the album boost to overthrow “Body” this week. I can safely say I think it’ll be there for a while. Let’s just start REVIEWING THE CHARTS.

Rundown

Sixteen new arrivals and therefore, kind of a bloodbath. Why are there sixteen new arrivals? We’ll get to it. Other than six new arrivals from last week, we have a couple other drop-outs, the notable of which being those that spent five or more weeks in the UK Top 75 – which I cover – or those that peaked in the top 40. Therefore, those include, rather ironically on Olivia Rodrigo’s album week, former #1 “drivers license” (only dropping out because of a silly UK chart rule that only allows three songs per lead artist on the chart), as well as “Don’t Play” by Anne-Marie, KSI and Digital Farm Animals, “Another Love” by Tom Odell, “Calling My Phone” by Lil Tjay and 6LACK, “Heartbreak Anniversary” by Giveon, “Tonight” by Ghost Killer Track and D-Block Europe featuring OBOY and “Miss the Rage” by Trippie Redd and Playboi Carti. I’m not complaining about most of this, sorry, Giveon.

We have no returning entries – thankfully – so instead we can just focus on notable falls and climbers. I guess we’ll start with notable losses, songs that dropped five or more spots from their placement last week, and of course we do have a few of them at least as a result of, say it with me, sixteen new arrivals. The first few of these are all harsh drops because of ACR, which happened to coincide with the rest of the chaos, including “Little Bit of Love” by Tom Grennan at #24, “BED” by Joel Corry, David Guetta and RAYE at #25, “Friday” (Dopamine Re-Edit) by Riton and Nightcrawlers featuring Musafa & Hypeman at #26, “Peaches” by Justin Bieber featuring Daniel Caesar and Giveon at #29 and “Let’s Go Home Together” by Ella Henderson and Tom Grennan at #33. We also have the losses for J. Cole staying surprisingly slim with “My Life” featuring 21 Savage and Morray at #27, “Pride is the Devil” featuring Lil Baby at #28 and “Amari” at #35. The rest are mostly just expected continuous fallers, like “Wellerman” by Nathan Evans and remixed by 220 KID and Billen Ted at #44, “Nice to Meet Ya” by Wes Nelson and Yxng Bane at #46, “Your Love (9PM)” by ATB, Topic and A7S at #50, “Marea (We’ve Lost Dancing)” by Fred again.. and the Blessed Madonna at #51, “Ferrari Horses” by D-Block Europe featuring RAYE at #53, “Heat Waves” by Glass Animals at #57, “Seeing Green” by Nicki Minaj, Drake and Lil Wayne at #58 off of the debut, “All You Ever Wanted” by Rag’n’Bone Man at #61, “Martin & Gina” by Polo G at #63, “Leave the Door Open” by Silk Sonic at #64, “My Head & My Heart” by Ava Max at #65, Travis Scott’s remix of HVME’s remix of Travis Scott’s “Goosebumps” at #67, “Addicted” by Jorja Smith at #68, “Beautiful Mistakes” by Maroon 5 and Megan Thee Stallion at #70, “Sunshine (The Light)” by Fat Joe, DJ Khaled and Amorphous at #73, “Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi at #74 and finally “Believe Me” by Navos at #75. Phew.

Now what’s interesting is that we have nearly just as many gains, and they’re pretty unique, big surges in most cases, starting with “Cover Me in Sunshine” by P!nk and Willow Sage Heart at #52 thanks to the album boost that also prompted P!nk’s “All I Know So Far” to creep into the top 40 at #39, “Build a Bitch” by Bella Poarch at #32 off of the debut, “Starstruck” by Years & Years at #31 thanks to a bizarrely uncredited Kylie Minogue remix, “Little More Love” by AJ Tracey at #21, “Didn’t Know” by Tom Zanetti at #20, “Higher Power” by Coldplay at #19, “Black Hole” by Griff at #18, Majestic’s remix of Boney M.’s “Rasputin” at #16, “Good Without” by Mimi Webb soaring into the top 10 and hence becoming her first at #10, and Olivia Rodrigo getting her third thanks to the album boost as “deja vu” is at #4. I think that’s more than enough that needs to be said about music that was already on the chart last week, so welcome back to the part of this series where I get either increasingly frustrated or exhausted every time I have to list another song.

NEW ARRIVALS

#72 – “Life Goes On” – PS1 featuring Alex Hosking

Produced by PS1 and Mark Alston

So, what better way to start sixteen new arrivals? A generic piano-house club track, of course. PS1 is a New York DJ and for this track with a 90s-esque piano and synth melody, bassy drop and tight, bland percussion as well as oddly-mixed anonymous female vocals made to sound robotic regardless of genuine emotive performance, he’s enlisted Australian singer Alex Hosking as well as co-songwriting from hit-makers GOODBOYS, both of which make remarkably little difference to the fact that despite being a faux-inspirational club track, this song is incredibly joyless and flailing in as pathetic and one-note of a fashion as possible. Yes, that is one exhaustive sentence chugging on as long as possible, but there’s no better way to parallel this disposable garbage than that.

#71 – “What a Time” – Julia Michaels featuring Niall Horan

Produced by Ian Kirkpatrick and RKCB

Niall Horan coincidentally has two unrelated female-male duets debuting with him in this week. Thankfully, Julia Michaels only has the one track debuting, and for the love of God, I can’t even figure out why she has the one, as this is a track from a 2019 EP that flew massively under every radar except seemingly mine as whilst I have listened to this EP, I cannot remember for the life of me liking any of it besides “Anxiety”, which makes sense since Michaels is at best an uninteresting songwriter and at worst an insufferable vocal presence. Regardless, I’m going to assume the surge is due to TikTok or some kind of residual Niall Horan hype, whatever there is of that, and look at this song two years after the fact. Well, for what it’s worth, I appreciate the vaguely folkish guitar riff, even if it’s going to be drowned out immensely by Michaels’ approach to vocal takes, which is to put as little effort into that first take and then multi-track enough for it to sound listenable, particularly on that bizarrely unfitting chorus in which reminiscing on a wonderful, intimate time with your partner is demonstrated by rote piano chords, an awkward string swell and distant, reverb-drenched incoherency on the vocals. I guess I do like the switch in the final chorus as she changes “what a time” to “what a lie” to emphasise the bitterness of that break-up, but I don’t think that bitterness has to soak the entire master because this song is dripping in apathy that I just don’t have any time for personally in my pop power ballads. Wait, Niall Horan was on this song?

Eurovision Song Contest 2021

Whilst I may not do a special episode on this blog for the Eurovision Song Contest, I’d be lying if I didn’t confess to watching and enjoying it every year. This year’s, the first since 2019 for obvious reasons, was hosted in Rotterdam in the Netherlands and was won by an Italian rock band, with the United Kingdom infamously receiving zero points yet somehow more applause than Israel’s performance. Telling. It’s not all politics though, obviously: the reason songs win is not just the lighting, stage presence, vocal performance or grandiosity, but rather the songs themselves, or at least ostensibly so. The winner this year didn’t have the best of any of those factors in my opinion – no, not even the politics – so it’s clearly about a mixture of this success criteria. This year had some particularly good songs and the most consistency out of Eurovision in a while, naturally leading to quite a few new arrivals, also factored in by the charts being weak, so we essentially get an album bomb. Let’s pile up every new arrival related to Eurovision and talk somewhat more briefly about each song, starting with...

#66 – “Dark Side” – Blind Channel

Representing: FINLAND

The Finnish entry this year is one of two heavy rock entries, both of which charted, and this is a genre represented by about one country annually. There’s always a Gothic-influenced or industrial-esque band in the shortlist or national finals if not the semis and international final, but it doesn’t stop them from being some of the most interesting Eurovision contesters. It’s in English and came sixth with 301 points. Is it any good? Well, it’s far from bad with that pumping electronic groove before it’s crushed by metallic, distorted and rather ugly guitars that remind me of, if anything, scene-era nu metal and crunkcore, especially due to the clean and growling vocal dynamic. The song is still anthemic as all hell and if we ignore the dog barking and stuttering vocals, as well as the fact that these vocalists don’t have that much grit to their performance, we can appreciate the clamouring rock track this is, and I’d be lying if I said that final chorus isn’t pretty epic. Next!

#62 – “Voilá” – Barbara Pravi

Representing: FRANCE

The French entry this year is one my staunchly Italian nationalist online friend immediately had a distaste for, and as someone with British citizenship, I am also legally obliged to give this Worst of the Week. Sorry, Barbara but traditions are traditions. It’s in her native French and came second overall with 499 points. Is it any good? Well, like many French entries and French pop songs in general, it’s in a chanson style that adapts very well to the modern western art-pop sound, as Pravi’s cooing vocals are at full focus in the mix as they skate around more subtle pianos, wonderfully elegant strings and this wistful tone that may or may not make sense for the content. What? I’m not learning a word of French past what was grained into me during primary school. Overall, I think this is a pretty great song with a lot of that almost Bjork-esque swell especially in Pravi’s vocal performance that I think makes for a pretty excellent listen, especially by the time that abrupt finish hits. I’d probably prefer it being a bit less minimal and scattered so the hook hits harder but overall this is one of the best Eurovision entries this year. However, she is French so, next!

#59 – “SHUM” – Go_A

Representing: UKRAINE

The Ukrainian entry, always successful enough to get to the finals, was particularly hyped up prior due to its... eccentricity and ended up in fifth place with 364 points. It’s in their native Ukrainian so they might as well be garbling acid both verbally and as a written text, so I guess I have to judge it on the fact that this is pretty bonkers, with a charismatic and energetic vocal performance that yells over triumphant bassy horns perfectly blended with the 80s bass synths but not so much with those chirping flutes that, whilst cool on paper, kind of just give me a headache when faced against this thumping dance beat that remains decidedly strained for most of its runtime, and annoyingly so as it means the song never has that cathartic of a release, at least to me, but what drop it has ends up deconstructed and janky in something that might fit on PC Music but I’m not sure it does on Ukrainian Eurovision. This has something there, but I’m not into it. Sorry.

#47 – “Embers” – James Newman

REPRESENTING: United Kingdom

A catastrophic loss is British culture at Eurovision, and it’s not the first time in this century that we’ve gotten the infamous null points. James happens to be related to the more noteworthy John Newman, but that didn’t avoid a “nil points catastrophe”, coined by Jochan Embley, who reviewed the song for the Evening Standard and is now set in stone as an utter fool as his quote predicting that not to be the case this year is now forever preserved on the Wikipedia page for this very song. Nice one, Embley. We finished at twenty-sixth and Newman should honestly be glad this embarrassment is charting. The worst part of this whole ordeal is that the song’s actually fine and definitely representative of British pop music with its 90s-esque piano, bassy drop and anonymous vocal performance – if any of that sounds familiar – and I do love the plastic brass added here for the sake of bombast. It’s nothing interesting, and a tad too long considering how little it does with its musical premise, but it’s not worse than half of any given Eurovision. Maybe next year we submit a UK drill song, I’m sure that’ll get the people going. Tion Wayne, do you want to take a flight to Italy in 2022? Maybe bring Young Adz here while you’re at it; that could truly be a fascinatingly out of place Eurovision entry but at least one of these countries – probably Russia – would vote for it. As for now, at least this was funny to see absolutely bomb, and Graham Norton become increasingly hopeless for its success as the night went on.

#43 – “10 Years” – Daoi Freyr

REPRESENTING: Iceland

One part of this guy’s backing band tested positive for COVID-19 so they had to isolate and just show the dress rehearsal again but it didn’t stop them from charting and delivering a pretty damn unique entry, as Iceland is known for doing nowadays. It’s all in English and finished in fourth place with 378 points, and is it any good? Well, for one of the whitest concepts in television, this is the whitest song of this year’s entries, starting with some gentle violins before abruptly careening straight into this Daoi Freyr guy monotonously droning over bass-heavy nu-disco straight out of the 2000s with a level of irony balancing out whatever sincerity there is in the quasi-R&B breakdown, and, you know, it’s fun, at least? I do think the stage performance is remarkably more interesting than this funktronica mess in the studio, but this is catchy and inoffensive, two good ways to get people to care about your song in Eurovision, so it makes sense. Also,  that chiptune synth-solo borderline saves this song, even in all its brevity.

#17 – “ZITTI E BUONI” – Maneskin

REPRESENTING: Italy

So third place didn’t chart – sorry, Switzerland – but we do obviously get the winner charting as high as the top 20. The chart’s weak and the lead singer’s hot and probably does cocaine – it’s a recipe for success, especially when they probably have mafia connections and can threaten or buy their way into the charts. Unrealistic and possibly xenophobic stereotypes aside, this is the Italian entry and whilst I was personally gunning for Portugal, who came twelfth, I can see how this gathered 524 points, even if they had to censor the lyrics for the sake of the contest, not that I can tell because I do not know a lick of Italian. Sorry, Ignacio. Anyway, this song kicks ass and rather disrespectfully at that, as the lead singer breathily sings over garage rock-esque guitar licks and some pretty manic drumming that delivers not only a catchy hook but an undeniable groove, assisted by some slick rapping that comes out of the blue in the second verse and honestly fits the song – and the singer – a lot better than it has any right to. Congratulations, Italy – you’ll be paying out the ass for the next contest. Ciao!

Back to your regularly scheduled programming...

Well, that got a lot out of the way. Not all of it, though.

#60 – “Topshottas Freestyle” – Potter Payper

Produced by Chucks

Potter Payper is basically some guy from Barking, East London, and that’s all you need to sign a record deal with the same label that has Stormzy on payroll so that’s why he’s here. With that said, there’s something deeper here, or at least in the first few lines of this singular verse – without a chorus – in which Potter Payper narrates a street lifestyle, far too common for young working-class British men, retelling what is probably his truth about the consequences of ignoring motherly advices and finding yourself in a situation surrounded by gang violence, drug trafficking and all the paranoia that comes with it. Of course, he then brags about his wordplay, gunplay and fashion, and the rest of the verse just feels aimless with nothing exactly restraining the meandering checklist of clichés, and zilch returning it back to what I thought was going to be the point of the song. I guess this trap beat is okay but this same acoustic guitar and oddly-mastered bass is so common and uninteresting that I find it hard to care. I don’t have an issue with British music being Americanised as that’s just the result of musical evolution and the sharing of culture, but when the only way you can tell this isn’t from the States is the accent does make me question why this is charting amongst Dave and AJ Tracey instead of Lil Baby and Gunna.

#56 – “GANG GANG” – Polo G and Lil Wayne

Produced by Angelo Ferraro

Polo G, after just having the biggest hit of his career with the US #1 hit “RAPSTAR”, follows it up with a Lil Wayne collaboration and thanks to a busy and just misguided release date and timing, it makes a lot less noise than it should. It absolutely deserves that level of attention too, with its chopped-up borderline ambient melody that creates  a perfect foundation for this high-energy bass-heavy trap beat as well as Polo G delivering a lot more energy than on “RAPSTAR” (to the point where I think that’s the reason why his actually interesting songs don’t do as well). The chorus has a pretty great melodic switch-up by the end and whilst the flows are pretty rote, it’s hard to say they aren’t smoothly delivering all of the flexing and gunplay pretty typical of Polo G, and if anything that’s what it’s missing: an extra layer of depth, not that I care of course, because Lil Wayne’s on it. Wayne has been astonishingly great on features recently and this is one of his most impressive features to the point where I could barely write about it on first listen, with some of his slickest flow switches ever and whilst the content doesn’t get any more interesting than pouring his heart out for his lean, his pure charisma outshines anyone who could have been on this track and this means this ends up pretty excellent in terms of 2020s trap-rap. I don’t know when that Polo G album is coming but I hope it has more of this. Also, for the love of God, Wayne, keep this energy up for the next album. I’m begging you.

#42 – “SUN GOES DOWN” – Lil Nas X

Produced by Roy Lenzo, Omar Fedi and Take a Daytrip

As his follow up to “MONTERO”, we have a new, decidedly less sexual Lil Nas X hit debuting again surprisingly low on the chart considering the last single’s success, finally delivering in the musical department as for me, there’s a constant conflict between wanting to like Lil Nas as a character, performer and personality rather than actually enjoying any of the guy’s music. Last time I talked about Lil Nas, I did bring up the Pitchfork album review that questioned if he really liked music and whilst it’s funny, I do see how Lil Nas could have perhaps taken Pitchfork to heart as a result as he practically explains his love of popular music as a way for him to feel like he belonged in a community, which is especially meaningful for a man constantly left alienated because of his own mental health issues as a teenager and struggling to come to terms with his homosexuality, to the point of suicidal thoughts. I just love how the verse ends on a happy note where makes the leap of faith to come out and how now he’s proud of himself, he wants to make sure his fans are proud of him since they’re the people who got him there. For me, those last lines recontextualise the chorus as becoming less about contemplating death but more about ascending to a happier place and rejecting all your struggles that you’ve overcome. It helps that this is all sang pretty soulfully over an almost emo guitar melody with some basic flows but gorgeous multi-tracked vocal melodies accentuated by strings that elevate this song even higher, even if it seems underdeveloped. Sure, it doesn’t have that second verse, but does a victory lap need a re-over?

#38 – “Mask” – Dream

Produced by Perish Beats and Banrisk

Nope.

#22 – “Our Song” – Anne-Marie and Niall Horan

Produced by TMS

Okay, so this is a duet where two ex-lovers – only in the song – attempt to get over each other but end up hearing a song they held special to their relationship and all of the memories and pain comes flooding back. Without the youthful exuberance of Taylor Swift’s song of the same name, this duet should carry some bitterness and resentment but mostly capture a hesitant nostalgia... and despite being oddly Niall Horan-dominated, I guess it does that pretty effectively, or at least would if Niall wasn’t crushed by a misshapen trap beat that drowns this pathetically fluttering guitar loop into a mush that not even Anne-Marie can over-sell. Everything here is so utterly basic that it kind of screws itself over by trying for any energy or passion, and therefore kind of just doesn’t. I’m glad.

#9 – “Heartbreak Anthem” – Galantis, David Guetta and Little Mix

Produced by Bloodshy, Henrik Jonback, David Saint Fleur, Thom Bridges, David Guetta, Mike Hawkins, SONDR and Johnny Goldstein

It really speaks to the power of Little Mix that even with only three members and only one of them not expecting a child, they can bring Galantis back of all people. Although given that Galantis is already a duo, I fail to see why David Guetta needs to be here, and the same can go for any of the other seven credited producers of this song, which actually only includes one half of Galantis! I question if a song ever needs that many, despite the fact that in reality they probably contributed zilch to the song each, just enough to get a pay check. None of that should matter, however, if the song isn’t good and I’ll admit this is far from the worst that any of these guys have delivered, with a string melody and swell not unlike 2015-era house Galantis themselves made, and vocal deliveries from the girls that sound like they were located in vastly different locations from each other (to the point where anyone harmonising with Perrie sounds really awkward regardless of how many vocal manipulation effects you can put on them). For seven producers, that’s inexcusable, but as a song, it’s just a shallow post-break-up song that kind of feels like a dig towards Jesy if anything (although I hope it isn’t). I’m not a fan – I never was going to be – but it works for what it is as this colourful house jam, and not much else. This is Galantis’ first top 10 since 2016, by the way. Yeah, Little Mix are that big.

#7 – “traitor” – Olivia Rodrigo

Produced by Dan Nigro

It couldn’t have been “brutal”? Or “hope ur ok”? Okay, well, if we’re going to have the dullest track on the album bar one I guess we’ll go with the one that follows the “drivers license” formula to a T but without as much passion in the vocals, without as much interesting songwriting quirks and with a whole lot of rote fluff removed far from any indie-girl influence that undercuts what is essentially a teen-pop product. I’m not going to pretend I cannot get caught up in melodrama and embrace that, but this is a slog of a ballad with an almost sing-song, condescending vocal melody in that chorus, multi-tracked and studio-produced to rid her of any of that natural rasp she has when singing live. The song is about being annoyed by an ex finding someone new and the more toxic thoughts that come with being the ex-girlfriend in that situation, but with decidedly low stakes this time around that just make her more unlikeable than relatable. I’m sorry, I didn’t think that album was half-bad at all, but please don’t make this the post-release hit.

#3 – “Butter” – BTS

Produced by Ron Perry, Rob Grimaldi and Stephen Kirk

See, I value my personal information, and I don’t know about you but I’m as scared of these guys as I am Nicki Minaj stans, or Minecraft YouTuber stans, or serial killers, so whilst I doubt my platform is extensive enough to reach that level, I also know that these people are so online that they could easily find me somehow somewhere. With that said, just to clarify, when I say I wish I could “Nope” myself out of this one like I did with Dream because I have consistently little to say about this band, it’s not because I in any way dislike BTS or the band members within, or their record label that manages them and many other K-pop bands which I also do not dislike, or, because I’ve seen this happen, East Asians in general. Is that enough stalling to just say I don’t care about this basic pop fluff? When BTS are in Korean, their lyrics aren’t embarrassing and their production tends to be more experimental or at least catchier, more interesting. I like a fair few Korean BTS songs as a result but I just do not see the appeal in making another stiff, cleanly-produced 80s-esque funk-pop song with some chiptune synths that are admittedly kinda cool other than getting on US radio. There’s some interplay between the boys here but it just leads to a pretty homogenised track where none of them have enough personality to shine through, not even SUGA and RM on the tacked-on rap verse that so awkwardly ends. The synth solo sounds perfectly out of an era of dated 80s synths that I’m not sure anyone other than Bruno Mars actually had nostalgia for, and not even some pretty vocoder can save it. The writing is too clumsy, the production’s not equipped to handle it and there’s not much to speak of in terms of performance. I fear for my life when I say it but I think this is actually pretty bad.

Conclusion

Okay, so, we’re finally finished with this week and God, I’m glad, as there’s not that much quality here to speak of, although what is here is here in droves, so Best of the Week gladly goes to Polo G and Lil Wayne for “GANG GANG”, with “Sun Goes Down” by Lil Nas X following closely behind as an Honourable Mention. In terms of Worst of the Week, it doesn’t actually go to they who shall not or he who should not be named, instead going to the pathetic “Your Song” by Anne-Marie and Niall Horan, with a Dishonourable Mention going to BTS for “Butter”. It’s just “Dynamite” again but with considerably less reason to exist. Here’s this week’s top 10:

If I make it to next week, who knows what’s coming? This is a slower week – hopefully – and I don’t think black midi will chart, though it’d be comical, so I’ll hold off on predictions and just thank you for reading. See you next week!

[devontroxell]

Is It Time to Reconsider and Reprioritize Your Marketing Metrics in the Time of Coronavirus?

A closer look at what marketing tactics seem to be working – and what to watch out for.

Earlier this year, before the world experienced mass disruption, we were putting the finishing touches on a series of eBooks looking at some of the most interesting trends we saw in content, marketing, and business strategy.

Now, as many of us brace for a possible second wave, we thought it might be useful to look back and see if our insights held up.

Did we get it right? What did we miss?

Let’s Look Back

To gain more context on each of these metrics, take a closer look at our report, “Boost Your Success with Personalization, Storytelling, and Metrics that Matter.” Here’s a shortlist of measurements we highlighted:

Cost Per Lead (CPL)

Marketing Qualified Leads (MQL)

Sales Qualified Leads (SQL)

Conversion Rates by Channel

Email Marketing Performance

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)

Revenue Growth

Return on Marketing Investment (ROMI)

Brand Loyalty (repeat visits)

Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)

Net Promoter Score (NPS)

SERP Position Zero

Many of these are foundational — and few marketers would argue they aren’t important. The list just might look a bit “pre-pandemic” is all.

Because, make no mistake, the biggest factor as to whether your business thrived, survived, or didn’t was how much it relied on delivering in-person experiences. And, few people could see that coming.

Since then, travel, restaurants, sporting events, live music, movies, and the theater haven’t fared well. And, as most of us are keenly aware, it’s hard to see a rosy economic outlook for businesses in these areas soon.

Digital Maturity Matters

For an organization that doesn’t depend as much on in-person experiences, the biggest factor that impacted their ability to succeed was how far along it was in its digital transformation.

If your company did not have the digital tools and work methods fully in place before March, likely you would have been caught a bit behind. Those that did were able to pivot in a short amount of time. But those that didn’t had to work harder to catch up.

“97% of enterprise decision-makers believe the pandemic sped up their company’s digital transformation.” – Entrepreneur Magazine

While most marketing teams suddenly adjusted to remote work, their customers made a more definitive switch to digital tools and channels as well.

So, keeping all this in mind, what metrics are worth taking a closer look at?

Maintain Focus on These

Though audience behavior was important to track before, it’s even more critical now. Wherever a real experience can be replaced in part with a digital one, look for engagement to increase. Website traffic, for instance, has exploded. As of this writing, inbound marketing champion Hubspot tracks total monthly volume traffic as having increased more than 30% compared to pre-COVID benchmarks. Interestingly, the number of marketing emails sent increased by about 50%, but response rates went down by about 14%.

What do these numbers tell us? What metrics and actions should marketers prioritize now?

In case you haven’t performed one already, an end-to-end customer experience review could be in order. That includes taking a closer look at your content and channel strategy as well. For some external guidance, consider a few metrics cited as top performers in a recent report published by Salesforce:

Top-Ranked Overall Marketing Program Success Metrics, by Company Performance; High Performers3

Sales effectiveness

Customer satisfaction

Revenue

Social analytics

Web / mobile analytics

Work to Earn More Trust

When you look more deeply into delivering customer satisfaction, trust and transparency emerge as watchwords.

In fact, “Marketers predict that customers will place a higher than ever value on trusting relationships, with 29.3% saying it will be customers’ top priority.” –The CMO Survey

Ask yourself this: Is your core audience of prospects and customers likely to change? Look for patterns in your campaign data that can help you plan better than before.

Track Metrics that Lead

Speaking of change, aim to see what more you can learn from leading indicators. Though more difficult to measure and draw conclusions from, they can help you see whether your latest tactics seem to be working.

Leading indicators can provide useful insights on change:

Daily active users

Unique visitors

Time spent on website / or app

Average revenue per user

“Leading indicators can help an organization’s decision-makers spot issues and act fast. 5” – Julia Ahlfeldt, Julia Ahlfeldt CX Consulting

Lagging indicators help you measure results – which means they are ultimately more important. But while they are more reliable and easier to measure, they are not always as easy to move the needle on:

Key lagging indicators to scrutinize more deeply now:

Email Marketing Performance

Revenue Growth

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)

ROI

Customer Renewal Rate

Churn Rate

Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)

Considering how attention has shifted so dramatically toward digital channels and properties, one piece of advice from our report was pretty much on the nose.

“Two guiding principles to keep in mind for all are to put your audience first and aim to deliver the highest quality customer experience across the entire customer journey.” – Tomorrow People

Zoom-in On Immersive Media

One area that would have been harder to predict, but makes a lot of sense in hindsight, is how video and other immersive visual formats became even more popular since the outbreak and lockdowns.

“87% of U.S. consumers and 80% of UK consumers say they’re consuming more content – broadcast TV, online videos, and online TV streaming take the top spots overall for increased media consumption.” 6 – Global Web Index

On-SERP SEO is still very important. “The ability to rank above number one in Google results, along with the opportunity to provide a featured snippet of content is a powerful way to improve your lead-related metrics.7 ” – Tomorrow People

It barely needs mentioning, but unless you’re in an industry that directly benefited from the newfound focus online, your revenue metrics will require special attention and patience going into next year.

When your business has adjusted to the new normal, consider reinforcing best practices and testing new ideas:

It barely needs mentioning, but unless you’re in an industry that directly benefited from the newfound focus online, your revenue metrics will require special attention and patience going into next year.

When your business has adjusted to the new normal, consider reinforcing best practices and testing new ideas:

Track audience behavior more closely. Maintain any efforts to secure SERP Position Zero for terms important to your brand. Take a closer look at which metrics are most important in this new climate. Should they be reprioritized?

Keep improving on the customer experience you deliver. With video and social media platforms like TikTok having gained more attention – brainstorm ideas that can help you take advantage. Consider producing explainer videos for each of your major products or services at the very least.

Reassess your brand and business. Is your brand seen as trustworthy and helpful? Certainly, you want to provide positive experiences for your customers. But also consider what you can do to assist with your primary constituencies and local communities.

Look for more ways to innovate. Consider running an internal innovation workshop. What can you do to rapidly innovate on your core offerings?

Become more agile, and prepared to pivot as needed. Whether your business was well-prepared ahead of the rapid digital transformation or not – there is always more you can do to prepare for the next disruption.

Is It Time to Reconsider and Reprioritize Your Marketing Metrics in the Time of Coronavirus? published first on https://wabusinessapi.tumblr.com/

[digitalnehaworld]

10 pertinent questions you must ask your international packers and movers - Part 1

Why price must not be your biggest consideration while choosing a professional relocation & moving company? When you are about to choose a relocation company, you’d want to make sure that the professional movers and packers are well established, experienced and secure. To ensure that the company you choose has these and many other essential features, we recommend that you ask the following questions before hiring them.  

Can I see your trade license?

This is the most basic as well as the most important question you must ask the moving company you are thinking of hiring. See their license to make sure that the company is reliable. A license is crucial when considering the company. You’d be better off with a licensed company that charges more than a company with a flimsy legal backing. While checking the license, be sure to look at the license number. Relocation companies in India have a trade license that is issued to them by the municipality office after a thorough survey and verification of documents. Needless to say, checking a license is important.   

For how long have you worked in the packing and moving sector?

This is another important piece of information you should know about the relocation company you want to hire. Ask them for how long have they been in this business. Ask them if they have experience in moving what you’re asking them to. If you’re moving your office space, you should think about hiring corporate relocation services who have relevant experience.

Do you have liability insurance?

It seems strenuous to check so much paperwork but trust us, it’s important when it comes to the safety of your goods. A liability insurance helps you gain compensation for damages done by a third party while moving your goods. So do not hesitate to ask if they have a liability insurance. You shouldn’t have to deal with the aftermath of any damages done by a third party without compensation at least.

Can you put down every transaction on paper?

The best moving companies don’t hesitate to process appropriate paperwork at every step of the way. Believe us, you’d want it that way too. Moving details and related information on paper is important in a business as crucial as relocation. International packers and movers Mumbai and other metropolitan cities, like Writer Relocations, make sure to provide the customers with necessary documents throughout the moving process and keep them in the loop.

References and Recommendations

It is recommended that you ask for references before finalising a relocations company.  Checking those references will help you know the quality of their work from an outside party. You should know what to expect from the move and this will prepare you for it. You should avoid as many surprises as you can during the move and after.

Also, Read -  Why price must not be your biggest consideration while choosing a professional relocation & moving company?

Ask people around you that have moved before for recommendations on a relocation company. Ask about their experiences with them. Even today, the ‘word of mouth’ trick is useful to find a trustworthy hire.

These questions are essential to know the nature of the company. In the next part, let’s discuss the questions you should ask about the move to your shortlisted international movers and packers.  

[biophytopharm]

Information on Herbs: Medicinal, Culinary, and Homeopathic Uses

Information on Herbs: Medicinal, Culinary, and Homeopathic Uses

All of us know what oregano, parsley, garlic, and coriander are....right? They are herbs. But what many people do not know is that herbs are also used for healing. Just 20 years ago, growing herbs was the exclusive province of a few dedicated herbal connoisseurs who often had to order plants by mail from specialists in places as far away as Europe. Given the vagaries of international mail, it is well that herbs are now much more widely available locally, assuming as they do their rightful place amongst the petunias, marigolds, and tomatoes on the annual spring shopping list for the garden. The emphasis today is on the fresh use of herbs. in the freshly picked state, many herbs such as parsley, tarragon, rosemary, basil, and chives are vastly superior to the dried stuff from your neighborhood grocer. Tod aym no self-respecting chef at any of Toronto's best restaurants would dream of being without a regular fresh supply, and some even go to the extreme of installing their own rooftop garden or indoor hydroponic garden. Mystique of herbs Despite the mystique of herbs that lingers from the days when peppercorns were more valuable than gold or when basil was associated with the demons and witches, herbs are remarkably uncomplicated and undemanding as garden subjects go. For one thing, they are often weedy in their natural habitats, and although none of the most popular herbs are natives of Canada, they will grow quite happily in most places where there are at least four hours of exposure to the sun and where the soil drains well. The more sun, however, the better, for the natural essential oils in the leaves become more pronounced in strong light, and it is these oils that give many herbs their exquisite aromas and flavors. If your soil is s heavy clay, then dig in plenty of sand and peat moss to improve drainage and friability. The garden should be dug and prepared for planting when all risk of frost has passed. Some thought should be invested in the placement of a new herb garden, for although it could be treated as a vegetable garden - dug up and planted wholesale each year - many herbs are hardy perennials in the Toronto area and easily become permanent fixtures if encouraged. Close proximity to the kitchen is an important consideration so that fresh herbs are always near at hand whenever the culinary creative juices flow. Not much space is needed: In just a few square feet near the back door, a half a dozen different kinds of herbs could grow. Even apartment dwellers have no excuse for alack of fresh herbs because herbs are quite content to grow in planters on balconies. When you go shopping for herb plants there is one thing to keep in mind: Many plants sold in the Toronto area are mass-produced from seeds. Starting herbs indiscriminately from seeds is a convenience for the commercial grower, but the practice is not always int he best interest of the consumer since several important herbs such as tarragon and mint are better grown from cuttings. Seed-grown tarragon and mint are completely devoid of the aromas and flavors we have come to associate with those herbs. when in doubt, don't be afraid to squeeze a leaf or two (even surreptitiously!) and if they don't smell right, don't buy. Here is a shortlist of herbs to get for your back door her garden: Basil: There are dozens of varieties, but the most popular are the large-leaved and the Italian miniature bush varieties. Absolutely essential for pesto and tomato dishes of all kinds. Chives: Of two kinds: the regular onion-like variety and the very popular flat-leaved garlic chives. Both are hardy perennials. Coriander: Fresh leave coriander is a keynote flavor in Latin American and Oriental cuisines. The common variety is best seeded directly in the garden and harvested at an early stage, with repeat sowings as is necessary to maintain supply. Annual. Dill: For fresh leaves, it needs to be seeded directly in the garden at regular intervals and cut early like coriander. For pickling, use flowers and seed-heads of older plants. Annual. Oregano: Most oregano sold is grown from the wrong seeds. Be sure you get the Greek variety with the strong, spicy aroma. Beware of oregano that has little flavor, and watch out for savory (a lovely herb in its own right) masquerading as oregano in some places. With protection, it survives as a perennial. Parsley: The curled-leaf type is well known for garnishing, but those in the know much prefer the flat-leaved Italian variety, which has more flavor. Treat as an annual. Tarragon: The only true French variety has the characteristic sweet flavor reminiscent of licorice, and it cannot be grown from seeds. With good soil drainage, it survives our winters quite well. Thyme: The common spice-rack thyme is either the English or French cultivar. Both are perennials, but English is a little harder. Lemon thyme is a radical, but an irresistible departure from the common types, terrific on baked seafood and in tea. Herbs and Healing First off, I issue a warning. As with all health matters, PLEASE consult a doctor before undergoing any medical treatments prescribing herbal products. Some herbal products do not mix with each other and some do not mix with pharmecuticals. The Importance of Proper Diagnosis Lately, there has been a renewed interest in one of the world's oldest systems of healing, herbal or botanical medicine, a.k.a. phytomedicine. With the advent of modern technology and the information superhighway, people from all walks of life have been looking for and finding more and more proof that there is really something to "holistic" healing. The modern pharmacy has been in existence for only 1% of the time that man has been preparing medicines. During this brief period, man has redefined these things we call drugs as a refined or synthetic chemical, concentrated and identified. But there is plenty of evidence to show that this purification method is the inevitable prequel to deriving a pure toxic drug from a harmless medicinal plant. As a matter of fact, at this point in time, approximately 25%-40% of all prescription drugs are derived from plants. The word "drug" comes from the medieval German word "rogue," which means a dry herb. Many of you may have taken an herb or vitamin recommended by a friend or retail store clerk, and felt that nothing happened, nothing changed or improved. At this point, you possibly dismissed the whole field of holistic or natural medicine as a hoax. On the other hand, some of you have probably taken the recommended natural product and have had amazing results. The practice of herbal medicine is not simply a matter of going to a store and choosing some remedy that some company tells you to buy. This may be safe and effective in some cases, but when it comes to the majority of health problems seen in practice today one should ideally be properly trained and qualified to make correct diagnoses first, then prescribe the appropriate herbal combination for that specific condition. So how do you make herbs work for you? What are the proper procedures for using these medicinal plants and getting the maximum effect in the shortest amount of time? And what criteria should you use to know when treatment is clinically effective? If you need something for your depression that is natural and herbal, the typical knee jerk - reflex would be to reach for some St. John's Wort. This would be analogous to taking an aspirin for your headache. St. John's Wort may temporarily alleviate the symptom of depression but may have to be taken on a continual basis and still may not necessarily address the "root" of the problem. This example illustrates how important it is to recognize the accuracy of proper diagnosis for the treatment of disease. Importance of Herb Quality

The practice of herbal medicine is not simply a matter of going to the store and choosing a product off a shelf of 200 brand names. This may be safe and effective in some cases, but when it comes to choosing what will work best for you, you must question the quality of the herbal product you are buying. Quality has always been of paramount importance. The source or origin of the herbs used will frequently be the deciding factors as to whether an herb is effective or not. Taste is one method of determining quality since high-quality herbs are often strong-testing and hard on the palate. But you can't sample them off the shelf, and additives can mask the taste of many herbs. Quality today is quite another story. There are many unscrupulous companies out there selling vitamin and herbal supplements, manufactures misidentified and/or adulterated botanical raw materials for distribution and sale. It is not uncommon to see among poor quality herbs, adulteration of a root, seed, leaf, or flower with a stem of the plant, the stem has no medicinal qualities and dilutes the beneficial efforts of the herb. These features can be examined under the microscope and the quality of a medicinal plant can be determined by the microscope plant structures with the plant part in question. Fifteen years ago in America, there were two options if you wanted to use herbs to enhance your health available to you. The first was to grow your own herb garden and make teas. The other was to locate a trustworthy supplier of herbal tinctures or capsules, In either case, you were using the whole herb to obtain a "balancing effect" within your body. In other words, the herbs weren't just treating a symptom, they were correcting the underlying imbalance in the body that was causing the symptom. It represented the ultimate in holistic medicine. This was also herbal medicine the way nature had intended. Whole herbs contain hundreds of different components that work synergistically to achieve positive effects and minimize negative ones. A good example is white willow bark, the whole herb source from which aspirin is derived. White willow bark does not cause the gastrointestinal bleeding and other problems that aspirin does because it contains other compounds that temper these effects. Because herbs were actually correcting problems, not just suppressing symptoms, it was generally understood that treating a problem with herbs might take a little longer than treating it with drugs. The drug companies knew that this was the "Achille's heel" of many herbal treatments. People wanted instant results, and in this regard whole herbs just couldn't compete with powerful drugs. Things began to change around the early 1980s, when there seemed to be an increase in public awareness of natural medicines, for the first time, people could easily research health problems on their own. They were no longer relying on doctors to prescribe drugs, many of which had proven to be ineffective and riddled with side effects. By the end of the 80s, there was overwhelming public demand for things like vitamins and herbal products. Sterilization When plants or other forms of natural ingredients are harvested they are naturally contaminated with all sorts of microorganisms including E-Coli and Salmonella. Both are pathogens, they cause disease. Most manufacturers insist that the final blend be sterilized prior to use to eliminate or lower the Bio-Burden. Sterilization even-though necessary creates a major problem. The two most common methods of sterilization are Ethylene Oxide and Radiation. Ethylene Oxide is a known carcinogen and residues are likely to be left in the product. Radiation appears to violate the principle of "all-natural," and would disturb many who turn to these products to get away from conventional chemical drugs and all their side effects. The consumer has been kept in the dark, and the companies continue to promote their products as all-natural. The Use of Toxic Solvents The ingredients in this discussion are derived from plants, herbs, spices, either the leaves, root or some part of the plant or tree, that come from various sources where there are no controls over the soil, air or the pesticides used. Due to these factors, there needs to be a test done to ensure that a particular dose does not contain more toxic residues or harmful contaminants than the active ingredient. For example, Antioxidants are for the purpose of ridding the body of free radical and harmful toxins. These products are derived from grape seed or pine bark and must go through a purification and reduction process. Those processes use chemicals to accomplish these tasks. The chemicals used are Acetone, Ethyl Acetate, Methylene Chloride, Ethyl Alcohol, and Buty; Alcohol. Throughout these sterilization processes, the product is exposing you to more toxic chemicals than it is purposed to remove. Bioavailability When you examine a label of a product, the ingredients such as Magnesium, selenium, Manganese, Zinc, Chromium, and iron, adjacent to this list, the % of U.S. Recommended Daily Allowances are listed. If the amount of Chromium listed was 35 milligrams and the RDA was 35 milligrams, the consumer would assume that they are getting 100% of the RDA by using the product. Upon closer examination, when the iron is listed, for example, in parenthesis there is a small "Fe" which doesn't mean a lot to the consumer, but this indicates that the iron in the product is actually Ferrous Oxide, a chemical substitute for iron. Iron as "Fe" is not bio-available as natural iron. "Fe" has only 1% bio-availability. This means that the body can only absorb 1% of the required daily allowance. Chromium is listed as "chromium/chromium polysilicon", once a chemical substitute for Chromium and its bio-availability is less than 5%. Selenium is listed as "Sodium Selenate" a chemical substitute for Selenium. Zinc is listed as "Glutconate" another chemical substitute for the real thing. Bio-availability of these chemicals are virtually nonexistent. The Issue of Standardization (The Drug Version of Herbs) The rationale currently being used for standardizing herbs is that it will "correct" the slight chemical variations that occur in each plant due to soil composition, the amount of rainfall they receive, their age, the time of day or season of the year they are harvested, how they are stored, etc... The general assumption is that by using various techniques to ensure that each product has the same amount of active ingredients, the therapeutic results will be more consistent. In theory, standardization sounds plausible and perhaps even preferred, but in reality, it opens up a whole new can of worms. Standardization does not necessarily mean consistency across products. At present, there are no universally accepted methods or legal definition of standardizing herbal products. Ten different manufacturers can (and do) "standardize" the same herb using totally different criteria and manufacturing process. There are three methods generally used to standardized herbal products. One is to dissolve certain active components in a solvent (such as alcohol) to make a tincture. Another method is to blend various batches of herbs together in hopes of getting a more consistent product. The third and cheapest way is referred to as "spiking" a product. In this case, either the active component or synthesized version is added to a base of herbs or other grounded up substances. The end product may not contain any of the initial herb at all, but when checked in a lab it will show it has been "standardized" to contain just the right amount of the active component. The more ethical suppliers steer clear of this shady method. Active Ingredients do not always determine the effectiveness of an herb. Scientists are learning more about herbal compounds each day, and often what they uncover renders previous data obsolete. St. John's Wort is a prime example. For the longest time, scientists believed that hypericin was the sole ingredient that gave St. John's Wort its antidepressant properties. That's why everyone standardizes the herb for hypericin content. But it was recently discovered that other components such as hyper inform are equally responsible for the herb's mood-altering abilities. A similar situation occurred with the herbs valerian and echinacea. It was originally thought that the active ingredient responsible for valerians calming powers was valerenic acid, but later research showed that other compounds produced those effects. Echinacea was being standardized to contain the chemicals called echinacoside, when in fact it was the alkylamines, glycoproteins, and polysaccharides that gave the herb its immune-boosting properties. Products that are "spiked" or made with low-quality herbs likely don't contain any of these other essential components. Standardized herbal products are not more advanced versions of whole herbs. Whole herbs have been used for prevention and treatment of illness for literally thousands of years, and are the primary form of medicine for many cultures around the world today. Standardized forms of these herbs should in no way be considered a substitute for or an improvement on whole herbs. If we allow this misperception to continue, we'll lose the safest and most enduring form of medicine man has ever known. Again, St. John's Wort is a good example. The standardized herb has become so popular for treating depression that it's now tough to find the whole, UNSTANDARDIZED form. As a result, the public is completely missing out on the herbs other benefits that traditional herbalists have known about for decades. While St. John's Wort can be used in teas poultices and tinctures to treat kidney problems, bronchitis, vitiligo, painful menstrual cramps, gastritis and stomach ulcers, nerve pain, recurrent ear infections, gout, and open wounds. Whole and Standardized Uses to Enhance Your Life: Basically the goal is not to denounce standardized herbs, however, do replace them, instead of whole herbs. They both have merits, and both have a place in modern medicine. Standardized herbs should be used to help correct acute health problems and achieve very specific results. Using standardized valerian to counteract stress or insomnia is a good example. Whole Herbs should be used on a very regular basis to protect and preserve good health. Think of green tea. Many cultures around the world drink a few cups of it each day to prevent cancer and other types of degenerative disease. By using the whole plant, you're taking advantage of the synergy of all the plant's components.

Homeopathics Homeopathic: The smallest amount of anything. Homeopathy - is a system of natural medicine that treats illness by the stimulation of the body's own healing powers. Homeopathy gently encourages the body to do more of what it is already doing to heal itself. Homeopathy has the added advantage of using micro-doses, which means that there are no side effects and no risk of toxicity. Homeopathic therapy has three underlying rules: Any pharmacologically active substance can cause a set of symptoms in an otherwise healthy individual. Anyone suffering from a particular disease presents a set of symptoms that is characteristic of that disease. A remission of the symptoms can be obtained by administration of a small quantity of the substance whose experimental effects are similar to the symptoms of the patient. Everyone is encouraged to do an allergy test before using any product. amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true"; amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "gardensnurs0b-20"; amzn_assoc_search_bar_position = "bottom"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "search"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_title = "Shop Related Products"; amzn_assoc_default_search_phrase = "medicinal herbs"; amzn_assoc_default_category = "All"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "4fa3d6fc30fc9ac914d969a956aaefea"; Follow us: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || ).push({}); Read the full article

[weekendwarriorblog]

The Weekend Warrior for January 10, 2020 – 1917, Like A Boss, Just Mercy, Underwater

Well, it looks like we’re back to the usual business now that it’s 2020 with the first weekend with four wide releases – two new movies and two expanding after opening in limited release over Christmas. I’m running a little behind on this so I’ll work on finishing a few reviews before Friday but for now, you can just get a general idea of what’s coming out so you can make some moviegoing plans.

The big movie that I’m most excited for people to see is Sam Mendes’ WWI epic 1917 (Universal), starring George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman as two soldiers sent on an urgent but dangerous mission to the frontlines to prevent an invasion that could leave thousands of British soldiers dead. It’s one of the most exciting movies I saw last year, which is why it ended up on my Top 25 at #2. I already reviewed the movie for ComingSoon.net and did some interviews for VitalThrills.com, so I probably don’t have a ton more to say about it, but it is the one movie I can recommend whole-heartedly this weekend. It is easily one of the best movies I saw last year (twice!)

This weekend also brings the high-concept R-rated comedy LIKE A BOSS (Paramount), which pairs Rose Byrne with Tiffany Haddish and Salma Hayek, three very funny women and great actors in a movie directed by Miguel Arteta (The Good Girl). Essentially, Byrne and Haddish play long-time besties who have been building a small grassroots make-up company and then Hayek comes along as a huge corporate mogul who wants to buy them out who makes a deal that will allow her to get a larger percentage if the two friends break up. You can probably guess the rest. (My review will be posted later tonight since it’s under embargo.)

Mini-Review: It was almost immediately apparent as Like a Boss began that this movie wasn’t going to be for me. It wasn’t the premise or the characters as much as it was the fact that it expects the viewer to be somewhat savvy about the make-up business, something I know (and care) little about.

Byrne and Haddish play best friends Mel and Mia, who have turned their shared love of make-up into a thriving local business that gets the attention of Salma Hayek’s Claire Luna, a big-shot exec at a corporation who wants to buy a stake in their business but with a catch. If for some reason the friends break-up, Luna gets the majority share of the company. This is literally the difference between a 51% and a 49% stake… so not really that big a deal.

I’m not even sure where to begin with this because there’s so much talent involved that generally deserves better, but Haddish has yet to deliver anything on par with her Girls Trip role, and that doesn’t change here. Mind you, I’ve been a big Rose Byrne fan for quite some time, and she’s really been great in movies that allow her to go between humor and drama, but it feels as if she’s trying way too hard to keep up with Haddish, who has actually toned back her character to be more of a 4 or 5 on the Haddish scale.

Jennifer Coolidge seems to be doing the exact same thing she’s done in everything from Legally Blonde to Two Broke Girls, basically acting like a dimwit, and it’s a shame because it’s not really a good part. There’s also Mel and Mia’s three best friends who are so useless at bringing anything to the story that it’s unclear why they’re in the movie at all except to act as a Greek Chorus.  This leaves it up to Billy Porter to steal the movie with but just one scene, and pretty much the only one that delivers a laugh.

I’m not sure if the makers of this movie thought that it would be seen as another pro-feminist movie that women flock to, but the problem might be the simple fact that it’s written and directed by men. That certainly couldn’t have helped, especially since this movie is clearly trying to be another Bridesmaids by pushing the R-rated envelope.

The thing is that if you’re going to make a comedy, you should at least try to make some effort for it to be funny, and the fact that Jennifer Lopez’s Second Act takes place in a similar environment but finds a way to be funnier is telling that Like a Boss just isn’t up to snuff.

It’s doubtful Like A Boss will be anyone’s worst movie of the year, but that’s because it isn’t particularly memorable and will likely be forgotten by February.

Rating: 5/10

Another movie expanding nationwide after a platform release is Dustin Daniel Cretton’s prison drama JUST MERCY (Warner Bros.), which stars Michael B. Jordan as young defense attorney Bryan Stevenson, who finds himself trying to get prisoners on Death Row exonerated. The movie also stars Jamie Foxx as Walter McMillian, a man falsely accused of murder who becomes Bryan’s biggest case to date while Brie Larson plays Eva Ansley, who works with Bryan. I was kind of bored by the movie the first time I saw it, but I gave it another chance recently and generally liked it more, especially towards the last act. I may write a review before Friday if I can find any time but I’m pretty slammed this week.

The last movie of the weekend is actually one I’ve been looking forward to, since the sci-fi thriller UNDERWATER (20th Century Fox) is my kind of movie. It stars Kristen Stewart, Jessica Hardwick (from the Netflix series Iron First), TJ Miller, Vincent Cassell and John Gallagher, Jr. as a team of scientists who are trapped 6 miles below sea level when their station is hit by a catastrophe and they learn that they’re not alone down there. It’s the new movie from William Eubank, a talented filmmaker who I interviewed years agofor his movie The Signal. I’m also still working on my review for this so please check back tonight/tomorrow for it.

Mini-Review:

It’s a bit of a bummer this new undersea horror-thriller probably won’t get a fair shake from critics, because it’s being released in January. Far too many film critics just love their clichés, and when it comes to January movies (other than the ones premiering at Sundance), they expect everything to be horrible. They go in with that thought in mind and then nitpick to make sure they’re theory is right. Maybe it’s true, but it’s also not particularly fair when you have a movie like Underwater that delivers exactly what’s being sold.

The underwater drilling station Kelper rests on the outskirts of the Mariana Trench, and no sooner then we meet Kristen Stewart’s electric engineer Norah, Kepler is hit by a powerful earthquake that tears the station apart, as she and a few of her colleagues do what they can to survive. They soon learn that they’re not down there alone.

Yes, the premise is a bit of a horror cliché we’ve seen many times before, mostly in space thrillers like the classic Alien, but director William Eubank (The Signal) clearly has chops to direct a much bigger-scale movie like this that involves a lot of underwater FX-work.

While the dialogue isn’t always great, and the attempt to make TJ Miller the film’s comic relief doesn’t always work, you generally like the characters played by Stewart, Hardwick, Cassell and Gallagher, which tends to be half the battle when it comes to horror films.  You actually care about them as they face bigger and bigger jeopardy.

I’m sure some women will take issue with Stewart spending a good portion of the movie in a skimpy bathing suit, as soon as she’s out of the bulky deepsea suit she wears for the rest of the movie, but you won’t hear any complaints from me about that.

Like I said, the movie gives you exactly what is being advertised and Eubank has created a movie that’s suitably claustrophobic and at times, legitimately terrifying.

Rating: 7/10

LIMITED RELEASES

The movie opening in limited release that I can recommend highly is Ladj Li’s police thriller LES MISERABLES (Amazon Studios), an amazing police thriller about a group of French detectives trying to deal with issues taking place at the local projects. I thought this French film (France’s shortlisted selection for the Oscar “International Film” category) was fantastic and shows a promising new talent in Li, who wrote and directed the film. If it’s playing in your area, I recommend checking it out, although I’m guessing it will be on Amazon Prime sometime soon as well.

I haven’t seen Jon Avnet’s THREE CHRISTS (IFC FIlms), which has Richard Gere playing Dr. Alan Stone, a psychiatrist in charge of dealing with three schizophrenic patients who all believe they’re Jesus Christ, as played by Peter Dinklage, Walton Goggins and Bradley Whitford. It will open in select cities and On Demand shortly after.

Opening Friday in the States roughly eight months after it opened in the United Kingdom is Ron Scalpello’s crime-thriller THE CORRUPTED (Saban Films), starring Sam Claflin as Liam, an ex-con trying to win back the love of his family, while trying to get out of the tangled web of corruption surrounding him. The movie also stars Timothy Spall, Hugh Bonneville and Charlie Murphy.

Josh Hartnett and Margarita Levieva star in Anthony Jerjen’s Inherit the Viper (Lionsgate), playing siblings Kip and Josie, who are dealing in opioids as their only means of survival.  Kip’s attempts to get out of the family business put him and his sister and younger brother (Owen Teague) in danger. it will open in select cities and On Demand.

Ofra Bloch’s documentary Afterward (1091) debuted at DOC-NYC last year with its look at the issues between Israel and Palestine that came out of the Jews being driven out of Germany during World War II and settling in Israel where they were seen as an enemy by the Palestinians, while trying to give and receive forgiveness. This is a fantastic doc that will open on Friday and then be on VOD January 28.

Alison Reid’s doc The Woman Who Loves Giraffes (Zeitgeist/Kino Lorber) is a little more obvious what it’s about, as it follows Anne Innis Dagg’s solo journey to South Africa in 1956 to study giraffes, featuring voicework by Tatiana Maslany, Victor Garber and more. It opens at New York’s Quad Cinema on Friday and at the Laemmle in Los Angeles on February 21.

Opening today at the Film Forumin New York is Renaud Barret’s doc System K (Artification Release), which looks at the city of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the street artist performance scene that criticizes government corruption and the poverty that has struck the area.

The Sonata (Screen Media) stars Freya Tingley as a virtuoso violinist who inherits the mansion of her composer father (the late Rutger Hauer) after his sudden death, where she discovers a mysterious score with strange symbols that she tries to decipher with her agent and manager (Simon Abkarian).

This week’s Bollywood offering is Meghna Gulzar’s Chaapaak (FIP), starring Deepika Padukone as a woman attacked with acid in New Delhi in 2005 and how she survived it.

REPERTORY

It’s a new year so we’re back with more cool repertory stuff!

METROGRAPH (NYC):

My favorite local rep theater is beginning with two movies by Your Name and Weathering with You director Makoto Shinkai: 2007’s 5 Centimeters per Second and 2011’s Children Who Chase Lost Voices. On Saturday night, the Academy is back at the Metrograph screening Lina Wermüller’s 1976 movie Seven Beauties. Also on Thursday, you can see two “Metrograph Standards,” Jack Hazan’s A Bigger Splash (1974) and Edo Bertoglio’s Downtown 81. Welcome To Metrograph: Reduxwill screen Richard Quine’s 1958 film Bell, Book and Candle, Late Nites at Metrograph will screen Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low  (1963) while the Playtime: Family Matinees  selection is Danny Devito’s Matilda from 1996.

FILM AT LINCOLN CENTER (NYC):

Folllowing up FilmLinc’s amazing Korean cinema series from last year, this week, they’re doing a special “The Bong Show” retrospective, highlighting the work of soon-to-be Oscar nominee Bong Joon-Ho, as well as other related films with Director Bong in person for some of them. It runs through January 14 and besides all of his feature films, there will be a showing of all his shorts on Friday night, January 10, as well as Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Cure  (1997), Deliverance (1972), Intentions of Murder (1964), John Frankenheimer’s Seconds (1966), John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982) and more.

ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE BROOKLYN (NYC)

Tonight’s “Weird Wednesday “is the 1984 Supergirl movie, starring Helen Slater, which is almost sold out. Thursday’s “Cherry Bomb” pick is the 1988 film Shy People. Next week’s “Terror Tuesday” is the horror classic Ghoulies (1984) and “Weird Wednesday” is Tarsem’s The Fall, the latter hosted by Vaiance Films founder Dylan Marchetti.

THE NEW BEVERLY (L.A.):

Today’s “Afternoon Classics” matinee is Norman Jewison’s 1967 film In the Heat of the Night, while the Weds./Thurs night double feature is Secret Ceremony and Boom!, both from 1968, both starring Elizabeth Taylor. Friday’s “Freaky Friday” is the 1985 film Re-Animator, while Tarantino’s own Django Unchained is the Friday midnight movie. This weekend’s Kiddee Matinee is the Studio Ghibli film Ponyo, while the “Cartoon Club” is also running this weekend. The Saturday midnight movie is Martin Scorsese’s classic Taxi Driver  (1976). Monday’s “Monday Matinees” is the Stephen King adaptation Misery (1990), while the double feature running from Monday through Thursday are newer films, Greta Gerwig’s Little Women and Sofia Coppola’s The Beguilded from 2017, both in 35mm.

FILM FORUM (NYC):

On Wednesday, Film Forum will begin screening a 4k restoration of Russian filmmaker István Szabó’s Mephisto (1981) along with screenings of his other movies, Confidence (1980) and Colonel Redl (1985).  This weekend’s “Film Forum Jr.” is one of my all-time favorite comedies, Billy Wilder’s Some Like It Hot(1959), starring Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis.

EGYPTIAN THEATRE (LA):

Apparently, the Egyptian now has two theaters? Sweet! As part of the theater’s “New Year’s Resolutions” its screening the 1993 horror anthology, Necronomicon: The Book of the Dead on Friday in the Spielberg Theater, followed at 10pm by Roar (1981). The Egyptian’s usual theater will screen a double feature of Airplane! (1980) and Stripes  (1981) on Friday. On Saturday, you can see Pacino in Scarface (1983), the sci-fi classic The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) and Terrence Young’s Valley of the Eagles (1951) with an introduction by Joe Dante (schedule-permitting).  Also on Saturday night is a double feature of Rosemary’s Baby (1968) and The Other (1972). Sunday’s “New Year’s Resolution” is “Get More Sleep!” in the form of Akira Kurosawa’s later film Dreams (1990), plus you can also see a 35mm print of The Blue Angel (1930), starring Marlene Dietrich as part of the theater’s “Sunday Print Edition.” Sunday’s New Year’s Resolution is Deliverance (1971)andWake in Fright (1972).

AERO  (LA):

As part of the series “The Films of Marty and Bob, the Aero will screen a matinee of Taxi Driver (1976) on Thursday – two days before the Alamo. (Oops!) Thursday night is a double feature of Douglas Sirk’s 1955 film All That Heaven Allows and Fassbinder’s 1974 film Ali: Fear Eats the Soul. Friday begins an “All About Almodóvar” series with a double feature of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown  (1988) and All About My Mother (1999), Saturday is Bad Education (2004) and Talk to Her (2002) then Sunday is some of the filmmaker’s earlier work, The Law of Desire (1987) and Matador (1986).

QUAD CINEMA (NYC):

This weekend, the Quad will screen four movies by Bernard-Henri Lévy: 2012’s The Oath of Tobruk, a double feature of Peshmerga and The Battle of Mosul, and Bosna! With an introduction by Lévy. Sorry, but I’m not really familiar with his work enough to elaborate. 

MOMA  (NYC):

The Museum of Modern Art has started a new series called “Show Me Love: International Teen Cinema” running through January 19 with some interesting selections including Diane Kurys’ 1977 film Peppermint Soda, Greg Araki’s 1993 filmTotally Fucked Up, Satyajit Ray’s Teen Kanya (Two Daughters) (1961) and more.  Another series that will run through February is Modern Matinees: Jack Lemmon, which will show some of the comedic actor’s best movies, including 1963’s Irma La Douce on Wednesday, Blake Edwards’ Days of Wine and Roses (1962) on Thursday, George Cuckor’s It Should Happen to You from 1954) this Friday. (Most of the movies will be repeated later in the series.) Tuesday’s matinee returns to “The Films of Marty and Bob” with New York, New York(1977).

IFC CENTER (NYC)

The IFC Center is in the middle of a comprehensive “Films of Studio Ghibli” series with a bunch of Studio Ghibli animated films, which will run through next week, as will the 75thanniversary digital restoration of the cinema classic Casablanca. This week’s Late Night Favorite selections are David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive and Eraserhead, Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining and Kathryn Bigelow’s Strange Days (1995).

MUSEUM OF THE MOVING IMAGE (NYC):

MOMI is in the midst of a “Curators’ Choice 2019” made up mostly of new movies vs. repertory stuff. Saturday will be a tribute to the late Carol Spinney with a screening of the 2014 doc I Am Big Bird.

ROXY CINEMA (NYC)

The Nicolas Cage love continues with the 1997 action movie Con Air.

LANDMARK THEATRES NUART  (LA):

Friday’s midnight movie is Rene Laloux’s 1973 animated familyFantastic Planet.

Next week, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are reunited for Bad Boys for Life, taking on Robert Downey Jr. as (Doctor) Dolittle.

[architectnews]

Alan Dunlop Architect, Glasgow

Alan Dunlop Architect Office, Scottish Architecture Studio News, gm+ad Building Projects

Alan Dunlop Architect

Architecture Office in Aberfoyle / Glasgow, Scotland, UK – Scottish Design Studio

post updated 15 September 2021

Alan Dunlop News

Alan Dunlop Architecture, chronological:

Celtic Crossing / Irish Sea Link

Torr Head Panorama Celtic Crossing:

BBC 1 ( all of UK ) Thursday 16th September 9pm. Patrick Kielty: 100 Years of the Union.

On the 100th anniversary of its creation, Patrick Kielty will explore what the future holds for Northern Ireland, in an authored documentary for BBC One. This will include an interview with Scottish architect Alan Dunlop on his proposals for the Celtic Crossing / Irish Sea Link.

Box Girder Bridge Torr Head, Fair Head in background:

7 August 2021 GSA Student Crowdfunding

“Thirty years in teaching, fellow travellers has taught me that art like architecture cannot be taught remotely or on zoom. You need studio access, direct tutor contact and the support of your peers.

So, I’ll be donating two original drawings from my sketchbooks, the two to be chosen by the students, in support of their crowdfunding appeal and their action.”

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/glasgow-school-of-art-cheated-us-with-lack-of-studio-access-students-claim-g3lbnxwx6

17 Mar 2021 Radisson Hotel Roof top extension and changes to front of hotel, Glasgow, Scotland

Info from architect Alan Dunlop:

I discovered that almost all of the original concept and context analysis (Design and Access Statement) supporting the planning application for a roof extension to the Radisson Blu is taken directly from my own writing, without my acknowledgement or approval. Their document includes street views, block plans and multiple 3D views but concludes with the most elementary, least imaginative and crudest, commercially driven proposal.

the roof top extension is certainly overpowering:

Therefore, as the architect of the Radisson, I spent a few hours planning how you might extend the hotel in a way which is conducive to the ideas and context fundamental to its original design. Then made a few rough sketches.

images courtesy of Alan Dunlop architect

Updated 26 Oct 2020 + 23 Aug 2020

The Watch House project is the renovation of a 250 year old listed structure in Crail, on the East Neuk of Fife and a landmark on the Fife Coastal Path. It’s a spectacular site and the building looks onto the North Sea and over to the Isle of May National Nature Reserve. On a clear day, and there are many, you can see down to North Berwick.

The project received planning permission and listed building consent at the turn of this year the drawings are the original planning drawings. I was in the process of forming a design team for the next stages, preparing a building warrant and construction detail and tender drawings when the lockdown started. As a double whammy, my client is a New York based financier, in April New York became the epicentre for COVID in the US and she has been grounded there since. We hope to start again, fingers crossed, in 2021 and complete in 2022

Architecture in Ruin drawings:

Left: Aberfoyle Auld Kirk – Right: Architecture in Ruin Dunnottar Castle

Left: Castle Tioram – Right: St Peter’s Seminary

Left: Bernat Klein Studio – Right: Glasgow School of Art East Gable

Left: Mavisbank House – Right: Old Keiss Castle

Left: Southern Necropolis Lodge House – Right: St Martins RC

New drawings of the Irish Sea tunnel concept, finished 20 Mar 2020:

Approach to the tunnel at the shore level: all drawings courtesy of Alan Dunlop Architect

Kids fishing for crabs and starfish in the undercroft:

18 Mar 2020 Celtic Crossing as Sea Tunnel, Scotland / Northern Ireland, UK

From Alan Dunlop:

“An underground tunnel connects to the A77 and A75, and breaks the coastal edge at Lairds Bay and Port Mora. The structure that supports the tunnel entrance to the sea looks like it might have risen from the rocks, fragments and mass of loose stones at the base of the sea cliffs that run all along the Galloway coastline.

I believe it would be possible for a structure, tunnel or bridge to be designed to harness wave energy from the Irish Sea on a massive scale. So, in the drawing, pontoons support the tunnel below and are connected to the sea bed by cable stays. Each is set out to allow ships to pass through. Similar pontoon and tunnel structures are currently being developed and constructed as part of the Norwegian Coastal Highway, crossing fjords 500 metres deep but here the pontoons are designed also to generate tidal energy.

It is a sea tunnel not a bridge, stretching across the Irish Sea. The tunnel sits 12 metres below the wave line and is supported by and connected to the pontoons, not burrowed below the sea bed.”

25 Aug 2019 Elite University Expert Appraisal and Lecture : Professor Alan Dunlop External Academic Specialist

Wuhan University School of Architecture and Urban design, University of Dundee. Visit 2nd September 2019

Wuhan University Faculty of Architecture and Urban Design was granted by the Ministry of Education to develop a five-year Sino-foreign cooperative education project from 2013 and cooperates with University of Dundee, UK to offer undergraduate architecture programs. Such project was extended for another five years in May 2017.

image by architect

The School now has more than 940 undergraduate students and nearly 300 postgraduates. In addition, the School offers continuing education of various levels, such as adult diploma education, seminars and short-term training classes.

Focusing on the objective of cultivating high-level talents with profound knowledge bases, of broad calibers and with strong abilities, the School continues deepening the education and teaching reform and cultivates international digitalized innovative talents who have profound knowledge in human culture by virtue of the complete discipline system and deep cultural background, achieving great success.

Students of the School have participated in many domestic and international contests and won prizes. The prizes include “UNESCO Award” of International Union of Architects (IUA) which is the highest award of IUA, Red Dot Award, German IF Design Award and Excellent Work Prize of LITE-ON Award.

Professor Alan Dunlop https://ift.tt/1U3Gb9v

16 Apr 2019 Wall House, Tower House and Pool, The Trossachs, central Scotland drawing : Alan Dunlop Wall House, Tower House and Pool in the Trossachs Alan Dunlop has begun discussions with Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Planning Authority to build two, four bedroom family homes and an outdoor pool on his 5 acre studio site.

20 Jun 2012 Chinese Visit Alan Dunlop Alan will be making his first visit to Xi’an Jiaotong, a new school of architecture in Suzhou, China on the 27th June. Professor Dunlop has been appointed as one of the first external examiners at Xi’an Jiaotong- Liverpool University. XJTLU- Liverpool University is the only University in China to offer both UK and Chinese accredited undergraduate degrees. This first visit will be the beginning of a four year contract intended to help steer the new school of architecture toward full RIBA accreditation.

During his ten day stay he will also be meeting up with practices from the UK, Europe and the USA who have set up in Shanghai to discuss opportunities for Scottish architects, including Schmidt Hammer Lassen and RTKL.

He has accepted an invitation to return to Shanghai in October 2012 and present at the Masterplanning the Future international architecture and urban design conference where he will present a paper and lecture on architecture and urban regeneration in Glasgow.

His MArch Unit at Scott Sutherland School of Architecture also intend to base their next two year project in Shanghai, beginning in September 2012.

Alan Dunlop Exhibition

Alan Dunlop Exhibition 21 Feb – 19 Mar 2012 Alan Dunlop exhibition in the House for an Art Lover, Glasgow, Scotland Alan is the first architect invited to show their work at House for an Art Lover. The exhibition will feature new work, original hand drawings not exhibited before and limited edition, signed silk screen prints.

Alan Dunlop Masterclass

Working Drawing – The Hand Generated Image Masterclass, Glasgow, Scotland 17 Mar 2012 “One can learn everything there is to know about an architect by studying their hand drawings, the degree of rigour and research that they bring to their projects, their attitudes and their sensitivities. It is no overstatement to suggest that hand drawing represents the stain of the true architect’s soul on paper.” Alan Dunlop

This full day masterclass is linked to Alan’s Working Drawing exhibition.

26 Sep 2011

Hazelwood School Photo Update

Hazelwood School, Glasgow, Scotland photograph : Andrew Lee Hazelwood School by this architect

2 Sep 2011 Latest Design: South Rotunda, Glasgow, Scotland Alan Dunlop proposal South Rotunda design

16 Jun 2011 Lecture News: AIA International Convention 2011

Alan has accepted an invitation from the American Institute of Architects and BCSE to give a presentation of his work at their international convention in London.

The convention titled; Building Better Schools – Investing in Education will take place between November 9-11, 2011. The keynote presentations will be given in Hammersmith Academy and the aim of the convention will be to explore the possibilities for innovative 21st Century learning environments.

3 Jun 2011 Project News: Edinburgh Bio Quarter, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK images : erz ; Alan Dunlop Shortlisted design (one of two shortlisted) by this Scottish architects practice

Practice News: Kansas State University Lecture This Scottish architect returned to the USA to lecture and presented new work on 5 May and has been invited to judge the Heintzelman Prize at Kansas State University.

image by architect

The college of architecture, planning and design at K-State is listed among the top ten schools of architecture in the United States and the Heintzelman Prize is awarded to their top student. The invitation follows Dunlop’s successful time as the Distinguished Victor L. Regnier Visiting Chair in Architecture and visiting professor at the school.

drawing by architect

This spring 2011 visit continues lectures given by Dunlop in Kansas City, Manhattan, Seattle and Boston in 2010 and at Canterbury and the Bauhaus School in Dessau.

Nearer home Alan presented his work at Pollockshields Heritage on 27 Apr 2011.

First Project by Alan Dunlop Architects First design to be unveiled by this new Scottish architects practice, 12 Aug 2010:

House in Corstorphine, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK Residential area characterised by stone walls and high hedges, hence the design approach, a wall becomes a house

Bauhaus – Dessau Institute of Architecture workshop for masters students on Urban Design : Oct 2010

Lecture at Build Boston 17 – 19 Nov 2010

News Exclusive 29 May 2010 Recently we were the first to report the gm+ad split. Despite rumours of Alan joining another major practice we can confirm he is to go it alone and has set up a Glasgow architecture practice in St Andrew’s Square – address at Glasgow Architects.

Alan Dunlop Architect – Practice Profile

HGI : hand generated image Alan will present his work at the Canterbury School of Architecture, UCA, Kent, England, UK. drawing by architect The lecture titled HGI: hand generated image, is on 13 May 2010.

The architect is the Distinguished Regnier Chair in Architecture, Kansas State University and Visiting Professor at Scott Sutherland School of Architecture Robert Gordon University, Scotland, UK

Mahlum Endowment Lecturer Alan on left with Gordon Murray – photo : joe, simple photography Mahlum Endowment Lecture, University of Washington

USA Professorship for Scottish Architect drawing by architect The partner of Gordon Murray and Alan Dunlop architects will take up his post as the Victor L Regnier Chair of Architecture and visiting professor at Kansas State University this semester.

Oscar Ekdahl Memorial Lecture, Kansas, USA 2009 Oscar Ekdahl Memorial Lecture

Alan Dunlop Drawings drawing by architect

More architectural projects by this Scottish architect online soon

Location: Glasgow, Scotland, UK

Alan Dunlop Architects – Practice Information

Architect studio based in Merchant City, Glasgow, Scotland, UK

Scottish Architects Practices

Glasgow Buildings

Scottish Architects

Scottish Architecture

Scottish Architecture Links

Scottish Architecture : best scottish buildings of the last three decades

Architecture Studios

Comments / photos for the Alan Dunlop Architect – Glaswegian Architecture Studio page welcome

Website: www.alandunloparchitects.com

The post Alan Dunlop Architect, Glasgow appeared first on e-architect.

[footballghana]

Three ways Ajax could line-up next season with Kudus Mohammed

After months of scouting, Ajax have finally got their man in Kudus Mohammed for a fee of  9 million euros – an amount that could rise slightly due to bonuses.

Kudus, who can play as a winger, attacking midfielder or striker has scored 11 goals in 25 Superligaen appearances this season.

He was linked with a host of clubs including Everton, Liverpool, Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund, Borussia Mönchengladbach and Newcastle. However, Netherlands would be his next destination as the Ghanaian would be trying to fill the boots of the departed Hakim Ziyech.

The 19-year-old was recently nominated in the 100-man shortlist for the 2020 Golden Boy award and would be looking to hit the ground running with the Dutch champions next season.

Erik Ten Hag asked for offensive reinforcements this summer and so far has been gifted with two very talented young forwards in Antony and Kudus.

So, how could Ajax be lining up on the first day of next season with the Ghanaian international?

Let’s take a look at three possible options:

The 19-year-old was recently nominated in the 100-man shortlist for the 2020 Golden Boy award and would be looking to hit the ground running with the Dutch champions next season.

Erik Ten Hag asked for offensive reinforcements this summer and so far has been gifted with two very talented young forwards in Antony and Kudus.

So, how could Ajax be lining up on the first day of next season with the Ghanaian international?

Let’s take a look at three possible options:

4-2-3-1

Ten Hag predominantly uses a 4-2-3-1 formation, having used this in over 80% of games over the last two seasons. Tadic usually plays as the false nine allowing the wingers and the attacking midfielder to get into good goal scoring opportunities.

Ajax average close to 20 crosses per game this season with majority of their crosses coming in from the right flank. Movement in this role would be key for Kudus as finding himself in the right positions could see him score lots of goals.

This season, Kudus averaged 2.7 shots per game with FC Nordsjælland and would be relishing the prospect of linking up with Tadic, Neres and Promes upfront.

4-3-3 (A)

Occasionally, when Ten Hag is not using his favorite 4-2-3-1 formation he tends to use a 4-3-3. This allows his team to have more control of the ball and dominate the middle of the park.

Kudus could be deployed in the number eight role which would see him progress the ball more and make more incisive passes. The 19-year-old gives 2.7 progressive passes per 90 as well making 2.7 progressive runs per 90 – demonstrating how well he drives at defences.

Playing in midfield will require greater responsibility in terms of possession retention which is key to Ajax’s philosophy. Kudus fits the midfield role in that regard as he ranks in the 100th percentile when it comes to pass accuracy in the Danish Superligaen this season.

4-3-3 (B)

Still with the 4-3-3 formation and Kudus could be deployed as a right winger. This season, he has featured in some league games coming in from the right wing. Due to his low center of gravity and explosive speed, the Ghanaian never looks out of sorts even when wide.

However, Ten Hag’s wingers tend to operate more centrally as they are tasked with picking up half spaces and linking up with team mates to carve open the defences of opponents.

Kudus enjoys creating space as he ranks in the 100th percentile of successful dribbles per 90. He completed 118 dribbles this season in the Danish Superligaen, at least 27 more than any other player.

Three very potent options for Ajax next season to fit in their new Ghanaian signing. The departure of Ziyech leaves a huge void in the attack of Ajax, one that Ten Hag hopes he can fill sooner rather than later. But with the arrival of Kudus, Ajax do have a potential wizard under their sleeves.

Could they end up replicating their dream run in last season’s Champions League next season?

Suddenly, that doesn’t seem like such a wild suggestion.

source: https://footballghana.com/

[ncmagroup]

by Lauren Kersanske

  Sales battlecards are one of the most common and most important sales enablement assets.

They provide an overview of a specific competitor’s company, products, and services, and provide guidelines on how to win deals against that competitor.

They’re also the ammo you give your sales reps to go into battle against your competitors. The better the cards the better your chances of beating your competitors to the deal.

So, it’s important to get them right.

In this article I’m going to walk you through why battlecards are so important, best practices for building them, and what you need to include in your battlecards to help your reps close deals.

  Why Sales Needs Battlecards

There are two core reasons every sales rep needs battlecards. They help you:

Understand the competitive landscape and how your company positions itself against other players in the market

Understand HOW to tactically sell against specific competitors

Understanding the competitive landscape

Today’s buyer is educated. They do a ton of upfront research before ever speaking to a sales rep. In fact, 60% of buyers prefer to connect with sales during the consideration stage, after they’ve researched the options and come up with a shortlist.

  What does this mean?

It means that today’s buyer is coming into a deal with a lot of knowledge about your company AND your competitors.

So your sales reps better know their stuff when they find themselves in a competitive situation.

Understanding how to sell tactically

Beyond educating the sales rep, another function of a battlecard is to provide guidelines and tactical tips on how to win a deal against a specific competitor.

An effective battlecard is loaded with tactics on how to sell — it is NOT a feature-by-feature comparison.

Battlecards should include digestible soundbites that your reps can leverage on a call with prospects, along with insights into what has worked in the past and what hasn’t.

Best Practice for Battlecards

Before we dive into the nitty-gritty about what to include in a battlecard, there are some best practices that you should know before you start building:

Keep it short: There is a lot of information you could include in a battlecard, but make sure you only include the necessary information. Battlecards are meant to work like a quick reference sheet for your reps on a call. If the information is too dense, it won’t be useful for the sales reps.

Stay up-to-date with the market: Battlecards must always be in sync with market changes. Saying the wrong thing about a competitor can land a sales rep in hot water and break trust with the prospect. Make sure you’re tracking market and competitive intelligence consistently in order to keep your battlecards updated in real-time.

Build for sales reps: This isn’t just a list of bullet points about how you differ from the competition. You should include actionable soundbites that sales can use in conversations with prospects.

Make it discoverable: Sales reps are busy and need battlecards to be at their fingertips. Store your battlecards in a central location where they’re easy to find and access. Your CRM, sales enablement platform, wiki, or Google Drive are all great options.

Make it measurable: Make sure you can measure the view count (both total and unique) of your battlecards to see how often sales reps are utilizing them. Cross-referencing the view count with your win rate against a specific competitor can indicate whether or not your battlecard is effective.

Make it branded: A little internal branding can go a long way towards driving adoption and positive impressions among the sales team.

If you follow these six rules when designing and building your battlecards, your sales reps will thank you.

Now let’s get into what information you need, and how to actually put one together.

How to Build a Sales Battlecard

The information you should include in your battlecards breaks down into four separate categories:

Competitor overview information

Competitive sales tactics

Win/loss insights

Go-to-market information

Depending on your org and the needs of your sales reps, you can include all or just some of this information.

We’re going to take a look at each of these categories a little more closely so you can see how they work together.

Competitor overview

All battlecards should include a competitor overview. Your sales reps need to know at least the basics about the competition, and you don’t want them flying blind when they’re entering a deal.

The bare minimum of a competitor overview should include:

Company name

Website

Location

Number of employees

However, the more information you can include the better. For instance, you may want to include information on your competitors. Things like:

Customers: You can grab this information from the competitor’s website wherever they have logos, case studies, etc.

Partners: These can be VARs, marketing partners, etc.

Target markets and verticals: The key segments and industries your competitor is targeting.

Hiring trends: Growth (or lack thereof) in hiring. Noting which departments and positions your competitor is hiring for can be very helpful in understanding where they are making key investments.

Geographic reach: Which geographic regions your competitor is targeting.

Competitive sales tactics

An overview is important for reps to gain a baseline understanding, but what’s really impactful is giving them short, bite-sized information to leverage in competitive situations with prospects. Here are some examples of competitive tactic topics:

Claims and counters (a.k.a. Objection handling): These are specific claims your competitor makes about your company’s products and/or services, and then the corresponding counter against those claims. If you find that this section of your battlecard is rather long, you can build a separate battlecard specifically for objection handling.

Kill points: These are quick statements that are meant to knock a competitor out of a deal early on. Make sure to provide training on these so reps can use them effectively — the further along a competitor is in the deal, the less effective they will likely be.

Land mines: Questions or topics that put your company at a competitive disadvantage, which more than likely will be tied to a competitor’s strengths. Make sure to include methods on how a sales rep can effectively respond and redirect the conversation.

Warning signs: Phrases, framings, questions, or topics that signal a competitor is in a deal. Prospects often won’t share whether or not they are looking at a competitor, so it’s helpful to include clues for reps so they know how to proceed in the conversation, what questions they should ask the prospect, etc.

Copycat examples: These are examples of how a competitor has copied any of your company’s innovations. This can include product features, service offerings, or broader business strategies. Sales reps can use these to portray the competitor as a company that’s desperately trying to catch up to you, rather than an innovator.

Here are some examples of competitor overview battlecards.

  Win/loss insights & stories

If I’ve learned anything in the past several years working with sales reps, it’s that they don’t thrive on cold hard numbers. They respond to stories, and you can capitalize on that by providing win/loss stories on your battlecards.

Here are 5 types of win/loss stories you can include on your battlecards.

Win stories: Examples of sales reps winning competitive deals. These stories should be straight from the sales rep and be full of practical advice on how to win against a specific competitor.

Loss stories: Same as above, except these should be stories about when a rep lost a deal to a competitor. These stories should demonstrate where the deal went wrong, and where a rep may have missed the opportunity to change the narrative.

“Why We Win”: A list of specific reasons why you win against a certain competitor. This should reflect your product strengths and give advice on how to steer the conversation toward the win.

“Why We Lose”: A list of reasons why you lose to a specific competitor. Similar to the above, you’ll want to provide guidance on how to steer the conversation away from a loss.

Rip-out stories: Examples of when a sales rep sold to a former customer of a competitor. Surface key moments and themes that can help in competitive opportunities.

Go-to-market information

All players in the competitive landscape approach the market differently, and it’s important to outline that for sales. GTM information is often displayed in side-by-side comparison tables to make the offerings between two competitors clear.

Here is some GTM you can include:

Messaging: How your competitor positions themselves in the market. Remember to use their own words straight from their website and/or social profiles.

Strengths and Weaknesses: What are your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses as a company and as a product. Try to frame these around your value proposition as opposed to technical features. An excellent way to draw out strengths and weaknesses is to look at third party reviews on sites like G2, TrustRadius, etc.

Key Differentiators: A list of what makes your company and product better than competitors.

Pricing and Packaging: How your competitors structure their pricing and packaging. Provide context on the strategy so reps can understand how it differs from your own.

Battlecards for the Win

Reps need to understand the competitive landscape, but they also need to understand how to leverage competitive information in the heat of the moment. Battlecards are the key to winning any competitive situation, so make sure to keep 3 things in mind when building them:

Ensure battlecards are continuously updated with market changes, discoverable by reps, and measurable.

Keep content short, digestible, and framed for a sales rep.

Keep it tactical so sales can leverage soundbites and intel on the fly

  Go to our website:   www.ncmalliance.com

Building Sales Battlecards: Best Practice, Tips, and Templates by Lauren Kersanske Sales battlecards are one of the most common and most important sales enablement assets.

[webbygraphic001]

Take Off With Aviationstack’s Real-Time Flight API

In our increasingly global world, people travel by airplane…a lot. With rapid turnaround times, unpredictable weather, and unexpected delays, airlines both domestic and international frequently adjust their flight schedules to keep us moving.

If you’re building a website, a progressive web app, or even a native app that involves any kind of travel, the last thing you want to do is give users out-of-date information, and when it comes to air travel, information is out of date almost as soon as its published. Turbulence en route to Bangkok, can have a devastating impact on queues in Denver. A reliable flight tracker should be one of the first must-haves on your feature list.

aviationstack is an incredibly powerful API that delivers comprehensive data about flights worldwide

Of course, any flight tracker is only as useful as the data that powers it. The minimum standard is access to a dataset that covers the information you need, reports data accurately, and boasts a solid uptime.

For those reasons, if you’re looking to introduce flight data to your site, then one of the best ways to go about it, is integrating with aviationstack.

aviationstack is an incredibly powerful API that delivers comprehensive data about flights worldwide, in a simple-to-use format.

Why Track Flights

Let’s say you’re building a ride-booking app, you absolutely want to be able to track flights in order to minimise disruption, coordinate with drivers right across the fleet, and maximise your profits. Or imagine you’re building a website for a train operator, wouldn’t it be nice to let passengers know whether they’re going to make their connecting flight. And of course, if you’re operating an airline it’s common sense that your users will benefit from this kind of rich data.

But companies that service airline customers aren’t the only ones that benefit from tracking airplanes. If you’re running any kind of business that people may travel to, whether that’s a hotel in Madrid, or a tech conference in Las Vegas, showing people their flight options is one way to remove friction when potential attendees are deciding whether to purchase a ticket.

Sometimes, people need to travel at a moment’s notice, and on unfamiliar routes. It may be that there are unexpectedly great waves off the coast of Big Sur; it might be that a bird, previously thought extinct has been spotted in Iceland; it might be that you’ve accidentally left your son Kevin at home in Chicago while you flew to Paris for the holidays. Whatever niche-interest your site or app caters to, if travel’s involved, then a flight tracker is essential.

Why Use aviationstack

If you’re comparing flight data APIs, then here are a few of the reasons we think aviationstack deserves to be at the top of your shortlist:

more than 13,000 airlines are represented across over 10,000 airports

Firstly, aviationstack’s data is amongst the most extensive available, because it’s drawn from high-quality sources. Using aviationstack you can easily look up flights across airports, cities, and countries; you can check historical flight data; you can even check live flights in real-time. The API covers over 9,000 cities in more than 250 countries; over 19,000 airplanes are divided into more than 300 different types; more than 13,000 airlines are represented across over 10,000 airports. For comprehensive data, aviationstack is hard to beat.

Secondly, aviationstack’s data is accurate to the minute. Many of us get a little anxious when we travel, not least when we’re rushing to catch a connecting flight. When your app or site is providing advice and information to potentially fraught customers, accurate information is invaluable, and can often transform a stressful situation into an exceptional user experience that wins you a loyal customer for life.

Thirdly, aviationstack is built on an incredibly reliable infrastructure. It’s owned and operated by apilayer, one of the best-known names in APIs, which means you can be confident that the API won’t buckle under the pressure. The API is incredibly simple to access, with code examples provided in PHP, Python, Go, Ruby, Nodejs, and even jQuery. It’s so simple that even novice front-end coders will get it up and running quickly, without any difficulty.

Last, and by no means least, aviationstack offers an entirely free plan that grants you 500 requests to the API per month, with full aviation, and real-time flight data. Which means you can try it out with zero risk. Once you’re happy, subscriptions start from just $39.99 (billed annually) and you can cancel at any time.

Head over to aviationstack.com today to see the API in action, and claim your free API key.

  [– This is a sponsored post on behald of aviationstack –]

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[tipsoctopus]

Snubbed: Wolves star wouldn't have looked out of place on the Ballon d'Or shortlist - opinion

This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets… 

Wolverhampton Wanderers’ rise over the last 18 or so months has been nothing short of phenomenal.

Before Fosun’s ownership took charge of the club and appointed Portuguese manager Nuno Santo, they had dipped their toes into League One and were suffering from midtable obscurity in the Championship ever since their relegation from the Premier League in 2012.

In their first season back, Europa League qualification was achieved with a seventh-place finish and this term, the west Midlanders have soared into the knockout stages whilst keeping up their appearances in the top-flight as they currently sit sixth.

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The club were able to attract big names such as Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho, who have won international championships with Portugal while club stalwarts Matt Doherty and captain Conor Coady have come on leaps and bounds under the stewardship of the shrewd Nuno.

Though, the durability, skillset and prowess that Raul Jimenez possesses must be spotlighted most. His 2019 has been that emphatic and that impressive, it was actually a shock not to see him in the Ballon d’Or reckoning.

That’s not to say he should be rivalling Lionel Messi and Virgil van Dijk for the award directly, but he should have at least made the standings in some form.

As of the start of December, the 28-year-old has played 61 games for club and country, across competitions such as the Premier League, Europa League and the Gold Cup.

Jimenez has contributed to 47 goals in that run – 33 scored by himself, 14 assists – which is hugely impressive considering he only ventured into English football at the start of last season, so to put up such insane figures, kickstarted within the first six months in the Midlands, deserves huge credit.

Messi clinched his sixth Ballon d’Or award by scoring 54 times for club and country, so it’s easy to see why he’s been selected this year, but there can’t be many outside the elite three or four names – Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe, etc. – that are putting up numbers like this.

The Mexican striker is only playing for Wolves too, so had he featured in the Champions League in 2019, you’d imagine his credentials would be more substantial, but then again, he’s only making a mockery of what is put in front of him, and that’s all he can do.

Jimenez who is valued at £31.5m by Transfermarkt has, at the very least, won November’s PFA fans Player of the Month award.

In other news, Nuno’s project has seen his stock rise dramatically after a huge turnaround in fortunes under the Portuguese boss….

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