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So good to now see him contend like he just did at 2001 U.S. Open. He is gritty player who toughs it out on the course and as he so exemplary demonstrates here in his early PGA career and his bout with shoulder cancer.
Love the story about his hitting 3-irons over the motel from the asphalt parking lot. That's got to be a swing that can be trusted.
His anguish and yet peace with death of Payne is still treasured memory of all of us who love this game. Zinger is a winner if he never wins again. But I'm convinced that will not be the case.
Great read worth your pursuit. Lessons to be gleaned.
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C.S. Lewis's story of, The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe is one of the greatest books and definitely one I loved to read!
Lucy was the first to go to the magical land beyond of snow, a place called Narnia. As soon as she finds her way out, tales are told to the others about all the different creatures and things inside of the wardrobe. But all they seem to think of her is that she is a crazy liar. But soon to find out Lucy wasn't lying at all, it was a magical place they saw for themselves. With an evil spell the White Witch made it always winter but never Christmas. Trouble begins when Edmund betrays the others (not knowing anything about her) and takes side with the Witch. Because of Edmund'Lucy, Peter, and Susan need to get Aslan (a lion) to change everything and defeat the White Witch himself to break the spell and get Edmund back with them.
This book's theme can let you learn that you should always think and know before you except upon others. Well at least that's what I learned.
I loved how C.S. Lewis made parts of the book where you thought one thing was going to happen, but then after you read on, you find out you were totally wrong. That was the best thing about this book!
I would let people of all ages read this adventures novel, no matter how old you are. It's a book that you wont be able to stop reading once you start! But what will happen to Edmund, and will Aslan make the Narnia change? Your going to have to read it to find out!
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is the story of Lucy, Edmund, Susan, and Peter who wander through an old wardrobe into the magical world of Narnia. What follows is their adventure as they team with a nation of talking animals and other magical creatures versus the evil powers in the kingdom. The novel climaxes with one extraordinary act of love which tears through the kingdom and changes everything and everyone after.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is such a successful novel. It does serve as a wonderfully powerful read. The book also enlightens the reader with its commentary Christian symbolism on the nature of love. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a classic, and I really think that it is just now coming into what may be its most popular period. The world is pleading for some type of meaning, and here, Lewis is willing to offer it.
The book is about four children from England who are going to a wise grown-up's house to spend the summer at. During the time, they discover a magical wardrobe in the house that leads to a huge country called Narnia, in which they become Kings and Queens. The names of the children are Peter (the oldest), Susan (the 2nd oldest), Edmund (the third oldest), and Lucy (the youngest). One day it is raining outside and they decide to go explore through the house since they can't go outside. When they're exploring they decide to play hide-and-go-seek since the house is huge. Lucy, hides in a wardrobe and discovers there are fur coats that lead to the country Narnia. As she goes in, she discovers there is a center lightpost, where she meets a faun and goes off with him to eat. She was there for hours, then finally, (I don't want to give the secret of the fuan) she decides to go back to the house. When she gets back, she told the others about it and they did not believe her. She was in the country for hours, but then she found out that it had only been a few seconds. Narnia time is different from real time.
Next game, Edmund goes into the center lightpost and a witch on a sledge comes by. She offers him food and to tell the others to come (This witch is evil for real but lies to Edmund to get him to bring the others. I don't think I should tell why though, ruins story). When Edmund comes back, he lies to the others about the country and Lucy gets upset.
Later in the story, they all go in and find it. They find out that they have to save Narnia from the witch's evil spell (It's always Winter), so they meet a great lion named Aslan. Aslan helps him to kill the witch and the spell breaks. Then they become Kings and Queens of Narnia.
That is a brief description about this novel. I would love to write more but the maximum words are 1,000. I highly recommend this book for anyone, even adults. If you ever get the chance, go ahead and read.
To C.S. Lewis:
You are the greatest author I have ever known of. Thank you for making this book. I wish I could meet you someday.
Kellen Kornegay
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Most of the supporting cast is also wonderful. Hats off to the performances by Denzel Washington (Don Pedro), Richard Briers (Seigneur Leonato), Brian Blessed (Seigneur Antonio), Michael Keaton (Constable Dogberry), and a absolutely stunning performance by Kate Beckinsale (Hero). The exceptions in the casting are Keanu Reeves (Don John), Robert Sean Leonard (Claudio) and...yes...Kenneth Brannagh (Benedick). Fortunately Reeves' role is small. Leonard's performance seems too contrived, to the point of distraction. And even though this is Brannagh's baby, Brannagh himself portrays the role of Benedick with a smugness that is a bit nauseating. If you read the play, Benedick is not smug at all. Though I enjoy Brannagh's other work, he seems to use Shakespeare as a way to show superiority. I have seen this in other actors, and find such action reprehensible. Shakespeare wrote plays for people to enjoy and to indugle in escapism...not to give people an excuse to be a snob.
Having said that, this film is very enjoyable, and I've actually had friends become Shakespeare addicts after seeing this particular film. I, personally, particularly love the Tuscan locations, and the costuming is wonderful! No over-the-top lacey outfits in this film, but rather those that would be suited to the climate. This adds another depth of reality that pulls you into the story.
If you are a fan of Shakespeare, or any of the aforementioned actors, this movie is a must-see. It's actually one of the very few film versions of a Shakespeare play that I own. This particular interpretation allows the viewer to become comfortable with Shakespeare's style, thus creating an interest in his other work. Well worth the purchase. And yes, it's VERY funny!
Kenneth Branaugh, Emma Thompson, Denzel Washington, Keanu Reeves, and Michael Keaton give excellent performances in this film that you wouldn't want to miss. Although the film is a period piece and the Shakespearean language is used, you will have no difficulty understanding it perfectly.
The scenery and landscape in this film are exquisite as well. I never thought there could be such a beautiful, untouched place like that on earth. I would suggest watching the film just for the beautiful landscape, but it's the performances and the story that you should really pay attention to.
Anyone who loves Shakespeare would absolutely love this film! Anyone who loves Kenneth Branaugh and what he has done for Shakespeare in the past 10 or 15 years will appreciate this film as well! There isn't one bad thing I can say about this film. Definitely watch it, you won't be disappointed!!!
What he meant by the comment was, humour is most often a culture-specific thing. It is of a time, place, people, and situation--there is very little by way of universal humour in any language construction. Perhaps a pie in the face (or some variant thereof) does have some degree of cross-cultural appeal, but even that has less universality than we would often suppose.
Thus, when I suggested to him that we go see this film when it came out, he was not enthusiastic. He confessed to me afterward that he only did it because he had picked the last film, and intended to require the next two selections when this film turned out to be a bore. He also then confessed that he was wrong.
Brannagh managed in his way to carry much of the humour of this play into the twentieth century in an accessible way -- true, the audience was often silent at word-plays that might have had the Elizabethan audiences roaring, but there was enough in the action, the acting, the nuance and building up of situations to convey the same amount of humour to today's audience that Shakespeare most likely intended for his groups in the balconies and the pit.
The film stars Kenneth Brannagh (who also adapted the play for screen) and Emma Thompson as Benedict and Beatrice, the two central characters. They did their usual good job, with occasional flashes of excellence. Alas, I'll never see Michael Keaton as a Shakespearean actor, but he did a servicable job in the role of the constable (and I shall always remember that 'he is an ass') -- the use of his sidekick as the 'horse' who clomps around has to be a recollection of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, where their 'horses' are sidekicks clapping coconut shells together.
I'll also not see Keanu Reeves as a Shakespearean, yet he was perhaps too well known (type-cast, perhaps) in other ways to pull off the brief-appearing villian in this film.
Lavish sets and costumes accentuate the Italianate-yet-very-English feel of this play. This film succeeds in presenting an excellent but lesser-known Shakespeare work to the public in a way that the public can enjoy.
While this plot seems pretty intense, Curtis has truly captured the voice of a 10 year-old boy. The book is filled with laugh out loud humorous scenes that make it a really enjoyable read. Curtis carefully slips in a great deal of historical events through Bud's experiences without disrupting the overall flow of the book. Bud's voice is one that will draw children into the story and this is truly a book that young readers will enjoy. Check out Bud, Not Buddy for a splash of history, a heap of humor and an overall good book.
Reviewed by Stacey Seay
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers
The people he meets at the end are relevant to the story because they are band members with his grandfather. I would say the themes of this book are determination, courage, and hope. No matter what life throws in Bud's way, he is always focused and determined to find his father. A surprise observation was in the end when you expected the man to be his father but in fact it was his grandfather which was a shock to me as the reader. The plot in the story kept you interested because you always wanted to know if he was going to find his father in the end. There is a lot of figurative language and vocabulary used in the story and Bud's "Rules" provided much laughter during the reading. I think the pacing and tone, as well as the sentence length and structure was appropriate for the grade level that this was set for.
I would recommend this novel to young children who may have never known one of their parents and that they should never give up hope in their search.
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"Carol" tells the story of cold-hearted miser Ebenezer Scrooge, who despises the Christmas holiday and scorns all who celebrate it. But a visit from a series of supernatural beings forces him to reevaluate his attitude--and his life.
With this simple plot Dickens has created one of the enduring triumphs of world literature. It's a robust mix of humor, horror, and (most of all) hope, all leavened with a healthy dash of progressive social criticism. One thing I love about this book is that while it has a focus on a Christian holiday, Dickens puts forth a message that is truly universal; I can imagine this story resonating with people of any religious background, and also with more secular-oriented people.
This is a tale of greed, selfishness, regret, redemption, family, and community, and is enlivened by some of the most memorable characters ever created for English literature. Even if Dickens had never written another word, "A Christmas Carol" would still have, I believe, secured his place as one of the great figures of world literature.
This is what you can call a simple idea, well told. A lonely, bitter old gaffer needs redemption, and thus is visited by three spirits who wish to give him a push in the right direction. You have then a ghost story, a timeslip adventure, and the slow defrosting of old Scrooge's soul. There are certain additions in the more famous filmed versions that help tweak the bare essentials as laid down by Dickens, but really, all the emotional impact and plot development necessary to make it believable that Scrooge is redeemable--and worth redeeming--is brilliantly cozied into place by the great novelist.
The scenes that choke me up the most are in the book; they may not be your favourites. I react very strongly to our very first look at the young Scrooge, sitting alone at school, emotionally abandoned by his father, waiting for his sister to come tell him there may be a happy Christmas. Then there are the various Cratchit scenes, but it is not so much Tiny Tim's appearances or absence that get to me--it's Bob Cratchit's dedication to his ailing son, and his various bits of small talk that either reveal how much he really listens to Tim, or else hide the pain Cratchit is feeling after we witness the family coming to grips with an empty place at the table. Scrooge as Tim's saviour is grandly set up, if only Scrooge can remember the little boy he once was, and start empathizing with the world once again. I especially like all Scrooge's minor epiphanies along his mystical journey; he stops a few times and realizes when he has said the wrong thing to Cratchit, having belittled Bob's low wages and position in life, and only later realizing that he is the miser with his bootheel on Cratchit's back. Plus, he must confront his opposite in business, Fezziwig, who treated his workers so wonderfully, and he watches as true love slips through his fingers again.
It all makes up the perfect Christmas tale, and if anyone can find happiness after having true love slip through his fingers many years ago, surprisingly, it's Scrooge. With the help of several supporting players borrowed from the horror arena, and put to splendid use here.
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1. The types of principalities. Michiavelli lists four types of principalities.
* Hereditary principalities, which are inherited by the ruler.
* Mixed principalities, territories that are annexed to the rulers existing territories.
* New principalities which may be acquired by several methods: by own power, by the power of others by criminal acts or extreme cruelty, or by the will of the people
* Ecclesiastical principalities, namely the papal states belonging to the catholic churches.
2. The character and behavior of the prince. Michiavelli recommends the following character and behavior for princes:
* It is better to be miserly than generous.
* It is better to be cruel than merciful.
* It is better to break promises if keeping than would be against ones interest.
* Princes must avoid making them hated and despised; the goodwill of the people is a better defense than any fortress.
* Princes should undertake great projects to enhance their reputation.
* Princes should choose wise advisors to confide and consult with
3. The types of armies A prince must always pay close attention to military affairs if he wants to remain in power. A prince must lay good foundation and those foundations include good laws and good armies. There cannot be good laws without good armies, and where there are good laws there must be good armies. The study of war should be a prince's main goal, for war is a rulers only art.If princes become too refined to study this art they loose their state. The types of armies are:
* Mercenaries or Auxiliaries (loaned to you by another ruler) are both dangerous and unreliable, as they will maintain their interests preceding yours.
* Native troops composed of ones own citizens or subjects are by far the most desirable kind.
4. Italy's political situation Michiavelli outlines and recommends the following
* The rulers of Italy have lost their states by ignoring the political and military principles.
* Fortune controls half of human affairs, but free will controls the rest, leaving the prince free to act. However, the few princes can adopt their actions to times
In this book, presented in short chapters, one finds a guidebook to taking power and ruling a small country. Nowhere does it suggest using excessive force, nor does it suggest gratuitous violence. It is straightforward and pragmatic. Machiavelli suggests keeping one's goal, political power, in mind all the time, and is not afraid to discuss unpleasant ways of getting and keeping that power. It is the essence of ruthlessness, but what politician doesn't do this every day? In every competitive, demanding occupation, participants must keep goals in mind constantly and work completely toward those goals. Machiavelli was just one of the first to codify how to do it. And codify he does -- the book is filled with suggestions on how to handle everything from whether to hire mercenary troops to how to make the commoners love you.
Though Machiavelli's writing is somewhat archaic and definitely rich in idea density, it is worth the read. I think everybody, from students to politicos to housekeepers to entrepreneurs, would benefit from the information contained herein. I do suggest getting a decent grounding in Italian history before the attempt.
In addition to Donno's excellent translation, this particular edition includes key points from The Discourses, which are guaranteed to astonish the reader with their obvious truth. After reading this numerous times, I found myself highlighting Machiavelli's major points throughout the book. It is not only political instruction but words of wisdom to live by.