Sunday, November 6, 2011

Frontrunners

  • FRONTRUNNERS is a smart and funny political documentary that follows the student council presidential campaign at one of the country s most prestigious public high schools: Stuyvesant High School in New York City. Follow 4 charming and idiosyncratic candidates as they navigate an electoral process that is said to be one of the most competitive at the high school level. These teenaged candidates fa
FRONTRUNNERS - DVD MovieCaroline Suh’s directorial debut, Frontrunners, is a charming, candid, and almost scary glimpse into the advanced levels of student sophistication in America’s top high schools. In this case, Suh, who has copious experience as a documentary producer, put her documentary research skills to use at Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan, an elite school in which students who aren’t admitted to Top Ten colleges are considered total rejects by their peers. Frontrunner! s charts the arc of the student government elections, starring four kids who want the presidency. Mike Zaytsev, Hannah Freiman, Alex Leonard, and George Zisiadis each select running mates and crave victory with varying degrees of conviction. The documentary is comprised of interview footage with the candidates at school, at home, and sometimes features the parents of the chosen few, expressing concerns about the pressures that are placed upon their children to succeed. The levels of competition are astounding; one scene capturing their "televised" debates shows how this school simulates real-life for hardcore training. Though the interviews are often hilarious, what really carries the film is ample footage of the candidates planning and enacting strategies. George, who seems to have been born to become president, cooks up political platforms as naturally as a thuggish student may shoot spitwads onto the classroom’s ceiling. Hannah, whose office bulletin board commemor! ates her trips to film festivals and theater events, is extrem! ely well -poised in front of a camera, resulting from what some may attribute to having been privy from her early years to a cultured lifestyle. So, as the presidential race unfurls, one sees not only a cutthroat teenage contest but also the ways in which students are shaped by their home lives. Frontrunners should provide proof to parents and public schools alike that youth will indeed succeed if one sets expectations and opportunity high. Bravo to Oscilloscope Laboratories (owned by Beastie Boy Adam Yauch) for releasing this humorously inspiring film. --Trinie Dalton

Flight of the Red Balloon

  • Inspired by Albert Lamorisse'sic 1956 Academy Award®-Winning short*, Flight of the Red Balloon is the latest masterwork from director Hou Hsiao Hsien (Three Times, Millennium Mambo). Expanding on the key elements of Lamorisse's short - a young boy, a red balloon and Paris - Hou weaves the tale of a boy, Simon (Simon Iteanu) dealing with the increased fragility of his loving yet preocc
Inspired by Albert Lamorisse's classic 1956 Academy Award®-Winning short*, Flight of the Red Balloon is the latest masterwork from director Hou Hsiao Hsien (Three Times, Millennium Mambo). Expanding on the key elements of Lamorisse's short - a young boy, a red balloon and Paris - Hou weaves the tale of a boy, Simon (Simon Iteanu) dealing with the increased fragility of his loving yet preoccupied mother, Suzanne (Academy Award® - Winner Juliette Binoche** of The English Patient, Caché). When a Taiwanese film ! student, Song (Fang Song), is hired to help care for Simon, a unique extended family is formed - utterly dependent on each other yet lost in separate dreams mirrored by a delicate, shiny red balloon.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Frontrunners

  • FRONTRUNNERS is a smart and funny political documentary that follows the student council presidential campaign at one of the country s most prestigious public high schools: Stuyvesant High School in New York City. Follow 4 charming and idiosyncratic candidates as they navigate an electoral process that is said to be one of the most competitive at the high school level. These teenaged candidates fa
FRONTRUNNERS - DVD MovieCaroline Suh’s directorial debut, Frontrunners, is a charming, candid, and almost scary glimpse into the advanced levels of student sophistication in America’s top high schools. In this case, Suh, who has copious experience as a documentary producer, put her documentary research skills to use at Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan, an elite school in which students who aren’t admitted to Top Ten colleges are considered total rejects by their peers. Frontrunner! s charts the arc of the student government elections, starring four kids who want the presidency. Mike Zaytsev, Hannah Freiman, Alex Leonard, and George Zisiadis each select running mates and crave victory with varying degrees of conviction. The documentary is comprised of interview footage with the candidates at school, at home, and sometimes features the parents of the chosen few, expressing concerns about the pressures that are placed upon their children to succeed. The levels of competition are astounding; one scene capturing their "televised" debates shows how this school simulates real-life for hardcore training. Though the interviews are often hilarious, what really carries the film is ample footage of the candidates planning and enacting strategies. George, who seems to have been born to become president, cooks up political platforms as naturally as a thuggish student may shoot spitwads onto the classroom’s ceiling. Hannah, whose office bulletin board commemor! ates her trips to film festivals and theater events, is extrem! ely well -poised in front of a camera, resulting from what some may attribute to having been privy from her early years to a cultured lifestyle. So, as the presidential race unfurls, one sees not only a cutthroat teenage contest but also the ways in which students are shaped by their home lives. Frontrunners should provide proof to parents and public schools alike that youth will indeed succeed if one sets expectations and opportunity high. Bravo to Oscilloscope Laboratories (owned by Beastie Boy Adam Yauch) for releasing this humorously inspiring film. --Trinie Dalton

Cradle 2 the Grave (Widescreen Edition)

  • When his daughter is kidnapped and held in exchange for diamonds, the leader of a crew of highly skilled urban thieves (DMX) forges an unlikely alliance with a Taiwanese Intelligence officer (Jet Li) to rescue her. Their race against the clock to find the precious stones ultimately unravels a plot to distribute a deadly new weapon of war.Running Time: 101 min. Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: AC
When his daughter is kidnapped and held in exchange for diamonds, the leader of a crew of highly skilled urban thieves (DMX) forges an unlikely alliance with a Taiwanese Intelligence officer (Jet Li) to rescue her. Their race against the clock to find the precious stones ultimately unravels a plot to distribute a deadly new weapon of war.

DVD Features:
Documentaries:"Ultimate Fighting Champions": Profiles on the martial artists and how they were incorporated in the movie "Choreography of ! the Camera": includes multi-angle car chases
Featurette:"The Descender Rig": Features camera invention that was made for the movie
Music Video:DMX's "X Gon' Give It to Ya"
Other:2 Hidden Bonuses: "Time Lapse Montage" Behind-the-scenes footage and "Rear Projection" featurette on the subway sequence
Theatrical Trailer

The intriguing cross-pollination of rap and kung-fu continues with Cradle 2 the Grave, co-starring high-profile rapper DMX and Hong Kong superstar Jet Li. Master thief Fait (DMX) hits a diamond exhange but comes away with a bag of black gems of mysterious origin. When a crime kingpin steals the gems from Fait, an international arms dealer kidnaps Fait's beloved daughter--and Fait can only get her back with the help of Su (Li), a Taiwanese intelligence agent tracking the gems himself. A summary of the plot doesn't do Cradle 2 the Grave justice; while the basic story elements suggest a dozen gene! ric action flicks, the cast (including Anthony Anderson, Gabr! ielle Un ion, and Kelly Hu) has genuine charisma and the movie layers action on top of action to strong effect. All in all, a much more engaging thrill ride than you'd expect. --Bret Fetzer

How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

  • video
The Grinch has been foiled!

The Grinch hates Christmas, and wants to stop it from coming. So he forms a devious plan: to impersonate Santy Claus and to steal the Whos’ Christmas presents. But come Christmas morning, the Grinch is in for a shocking surprise. He did not stop Christmas from coming! And the Grinch realizes something new. That maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store. That maybe Christmas . . . perhaps . . . means a little bit more!

Now
always available with a foil cover!You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch. But are you rotten enough to ruin Whoville's Christmas Whobilation this year, even after Cindy Lou Who nominates you to be the Cheermeister of the event? Based on Dr. Seuss's wacky and wonderful classic picture book, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and the motion picture screenplay of the same name, th! is novelization elaborates on the story of a holiday gone awry. Little Cindy Lou Who, her cheerfully dopey dad, Lou Lou Who, her semi-delinquent teenage brothers Stu and Drew Lou Who, the Martha Stewartesque Martha May Whovier, and the nastiest, most cynical, evil-hearted Grinch around star in this Christmas comedy. Seventeen color photos from the film are included. (Ages 8 to 12) --Emilie Coulter

How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer

  • In the summer heat of a small Arizona border town, sparks start to fly for three Garcia girls. America Ferrera (Ugly Betty) plays 17-year-old Blanca, who discovers romance, love, and lust for the first time with the new bad boy in town. Her divorced mother Lolita (Elizabeth Pe a, Rush Hour), seems to have hit a dry spell until the husband of one of her customers pays a visit. Meanwhile, Blanca s g
As sweltering summer and romantic drought stretches over a sun-bleached Arizona border town, the Garcia Girls lovingly explore the terrain of longing, desire, and self-realization among three generations of women in a Mexican American family.

The Golden Spiral (Book 2 in the Hourglass Door Trilogy)

  • ISBN13: 9781606416358
  • Condition: New
  • Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
"Arguably the most useful for general readers. Clearly written, reasonably lean and on the whole, balanced in its assessments, it is an excellent primer." --Los Angeles Times

The federal government's efforts to pick and choose among the multitude of immigrants seeking to enter the United States began with the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. Conceived in ignorance and falsely presented to the public, it had undreamt of consequences, and this pattern has been rarely deviated from since. As renowned historian Roger Daniels shows in this brilliant new work, America's inconsistent, often illogical, and always cumbersome immigration policy has profoundly affected our recent past.
Immigration policy in Daniels' skilled hands shows Americans at their best and worst, from the nativist violence that forced Theodore Roosevelt's 1907 "gentlemen's agreement" with Japan to the generous refugee policies adopted after World War Two and throughout the Cold War. And in a conclusion drawn from today's headlines, Daniels makes clear how far ignorance, partisan politics, and unintended consequences have overtaken immigration policy during the current administration's War on Terror.

Irreverent, deeply informed, and authoritative, Guarding the Golden Door presents an unforgettable interpretation of modern American history.
Tucked away in the rolling hills and hidden valleys of idyllic southern California, the Golden Door is the epitome of the luxury spa experience. As the quintessential holistic retreat, the spa is equally renowned for its inspired, bold, and innovative cuisine. In celebration of fifty sensational years, the Golden Door ! shares the secrets of its celebrated kitchen, bringing its fam! ously fr esh and healthful cuisine into your home.

With a focus on lean proteins, whole grains, fresh vegetables, and other wholesome foods combined in astoundingly delicious ways, Golden Door Cooks at Home shares Chef Dean Rucker’s most sought-after recipes, including:

• Spiny Lobster and Mango Gazpacho Shooters
• Soft Rosemary-Lemon Polenta with Sweet Corn, Oyster Mushrooms, and Rainbow Chard
• Adobo-Marinated Grass-Fed Flank Steak with Spinach Salad and Roasted Poblano Dressing
• Grilled Lamb Chops with Rosemary Roasted New Potatoes and Apple-Mint Salad
• Blackberry Nectarine Crisp

Also featured are cooking tips from Chef Rucker’s popular cooking classes, information about how to boost flavor healthfully, recipes for easy-to-make sauces and vinaigrettes, and sidebars on fitness, nutrition, and other aspects of the unique Golden Door experience. Whether you’ve been a guest in the past or have only dreamed of getting a taste o! f the Golden Door, you’ll enjoy this culinary tribute to one of the world’s most restorative and nurturing destinations."I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"â€"the last line of Emma Lazarus's famous poem invites immigrants to enter a land of economic opportunity. Many have accepted that invitation; today, foreign-born workers make up nearly 16 percent of the U.S. workforce and account for almost half of workforce growth over the last decade. Rather than capitalizing on these gains, however, recent immigration reforms have resulted in an inefficient, patchwork system that shortchanges high-skilled immigrants and poorly serves the American public.

Beside the Golden Door: U.S. Immigration Reform in a New Era of Globalization proposes a radical overhaul of current immigration policy designed to strengthen economic competitiveness and long-run growth. Pia M. Orrenius and Madeline Zavodny outline a plan that favors employment-based immigration over family! reunification, making work-based visas the rule, not the exce! ption. T hey argue that immigration policy should favor high-skilled workers while retaining avenues for low-skilled immigration; family reunification should be limited to spouses and minor children; provisional visas should be the norm; and quotas that lead to queuing must be eliminated.

A selective immigration policy focused on high-skilled, high-demand workers will allow the United States to compete in an increasingly global economy while protecting the interests of American citizens and benefiting taxpayers. Orrenius and Zavodny conclude that "while not all potential immigrants who knock at the golden door should be admitted, the door should swing wide open to welcome those who desire nothing more than the opportunity to work for the American dream."A light and luxurious cuisine combining garden-fresh ingredients with classic French cooking.
(20030813)This guidebook was published to help people of all ages and budgets move to Costa Rica successfully and make their! dreams come true and is a candidate for the prestigious Benjamin Franklin Award for Publishing Excellence. Christopher Howard is Costa Rica's most read authority on living and retiring in Costa Rica. He has resided in the country for 31 years and is a Costa Rican citizen. It is not surprising that he has first-hand knowledge and insight into all aspect of Costa Rica's culture, economy, language and its people He has appeared on the NBC Today Show, CNBC World News and is a frequent lecturer at international retirement seminars. People who read this book before coming here often know more about Costa Rica than many long term residents, according to the Association of Residents of Costa Rica (ARCR). For the last fifteen years Mr. Howard has also conducted award-winning relocation and retirement tours (liveincostarica.com) to supplement the information in his book and assist those interested in making the move seamlessly.Here are some the topics covered: Actual accounts and an! ecdotes of foreign resident's experiences here. Live for less ! than you ever dreamed possible and enjoy all the amenities of home How to make the break and start a new exciting life How to really make money in Cosa Rica-surefire information for investing and starting a business How to choose where to live Tips for buying bargain property or buying a home Access to affordable health care Secrets for success in Costa Rica and profiles of those who have done it How to make new friends and even find love and romance 1000's of activities for staying busy and happy Tax savings for foreign residents Shortcuts for learning Spanish Plus loads of "insider" information and all the ins and outs do's and don'ts of living and investing in Costa Rica.

This revised edition includes extensive discussion of undocumented immigrants, the 1990 immigration act, recent changes in refugee status, and the new wave of East European and Soviet immigrants.

His eyes. His touch. His kiss. Dante was unlike anyone Abby had ever met. Now he s gone, and Abby will do anythi! ng to get him back . . . The hourglass door has closed behind Dante, sending him back in time to hunt down Zo, Tony, and V. Abby knows that Dante, as a Master of Time, is the only one who can stop them from destroying time itself. She also knows that he will need her help. But almost immediately, things start to change, and Abby s worst fears are realized when Zo begins targeting her past specifically. As Abby s world fractures around her, she must face a terrible truth: either Dante didn t make it through the door, or he is lost forever. So with Dante s blueprints in hand, she begins construction on a new door, a new time machine that will either save Dante or doom him. With each new change that ripples into her present, Abby s life continues to spiral out of control. Her relationships with Jason, Natalie, and even her family are threatened to the breaking point and beyond. Zo s power is greater than Abby ever imagined, but as she struggles to free Dante, she receives help! from an unexpected and unlikely ally. The bank is eroding. Th! e barrie rs are thinning. And time is running out.

Friday, November 4, 2011

End Gun Violence

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Gang- and drug-related inner-city violence, with its attendant epidemic of incarceration, is the defining crime problem in our country. In some neighborhoods in America, one out of every two hundred young black men is shot to death every year, and few initiatives of government and law enforcement have made much difference. But when David Kennedy, a self-taught and then-unknown criminologist, engineered the "Boston Miracle" in the mid-1990s, he pointed the way toward what few had imagined: a solution.


Don't Shoot tells the story of Kennedy's long journey. Riding with beat cops, hanging with gang members, and stoop-sitting with grandmothers, Kennedy found that all parties misunderstood each other, caught in a spiral of racialized anger and distrust. He envisioned an approach in which everyone-gang members, cops, and commun! ity members-comes together in what is essentially a huge intervention. Offenders are told that the violence must stop, that even the cops want them to stay alive and out of prison, and that even their families support swift law enforcement if the violence continues. In city after city, the same miracle has followed: violence plummets, drug markets dry up, and the relationship between the police and the community is reset.


This is a landmark book, chronicling a paradigm shift in how we address one of America's most shameful social problems. A riveting, page-turning read, it combines the street vérité of The Wire, the social science of Gang Leader for a Day, and the moral urgency and personal journey of Fist Stick Knife Gun. But unlike anybody else, Kennedy shows that there could be an end in sight.

Gang- and drug-related inner-city violence, with its attendant epidemic of incarceration, is the defining crime problem in our countr! y. In some neighborhoods in America, one out of every two hund! red youn g black men is shot to death every year, and few initiatives of government and law enforcement have made much difference. But when David Kennedy, a self-taught and then-unknown criminologist, engineered the "Boston Miracle" in the mid-1990s, he pointed the way toward what few had imagined: a solution.



Don't Shoot tells the story of Kennedy's long journey. Riding with beat cops, hanging with gang members, and stoop-sitting with grandmothers, Kennedy found that all parties misunderstood each other, caught in a spiral of racialized anger and distrust. He envisioned an approach in which everyone-gang members, cops, and community members-comes together in what is essentially a huge intervention. Offenders are told that the violence must stop, that even the cops want them to stay alive and out of prison, and that even their families support swift law enforcement if the violence continues. In city after city, the same miracle has followed: violence plummets! , drug markets dry up, and the relationship between the police and the community is reset.



This is a landmark book, chronicling a paradigm shift in how we address one of America's most shameful social problems. A riveting, page-turning read, it combines the street vérité of The Wire, the social science of Gang Leader for a Day, and the moral urgency and personal journey of Fist Stick Knife Gun. But unlike anybody else, Kennedy shows that there could be an end in sight.

Gang- and drug-related inner-city violence, with its attendant epidemic of incarceration, is the defining crime problem in our country. In some neighborhoods in America, one out of every two hundred young black men is shot to death every year, and few initiatives of government and law enforcement have made much difference. But when David Kennedy, a self-taught and then-unknown criminologist, engineered the "Boston Miracle" in the mid-1990s, he pointed the way to! ward what few had imagined: a solution.



D! on't Sho ot tells the story of Kennedy's long journey. Riding with beat cops, hanging with gang members, and stoop-sitting with grandmothers, Kennedy found that all parties misunderstood each other, caught in a spiral of racialized anger and distrust. He envisioned an approach in which everyone-gang members, cops, and community members-comes together in what is essentially a huge intervention. Offenders are told that the violence must stop, that even the cops want them to stay alive and out of prison, and that even their families support swift law enforcement if the violence continues. In city after city, the same miracle has followed: violence plummets, drug markets dry up, and the relationship between the police and the community is reset.



This is a landmark book, chronicling a paradigm shift in how we address one of America's most shameful social problems. A riveting, page-turning read, it combines the street vérité of The Wire, the social science o! f Gang Leader for a Day, and the moral urgency and personal journey of Fist Stick Knife Gun. But unlike anybody else, Kennedy shows that there could be an end in sight.

Over the past two decades, guitarist and preservationist Ry Cooder has quietly forged one of the most consistently compelling musical careers in film. His 1997 music for director Wim Wenders's uneven exercise in Hollywood metaphor-mongering begins with typically (dare we say it) Cooder-esque exercises in spacious, loping bottleneck electric guitar over subtle, ominous electronic effects, then interweaves cool jazz and even hip-hop influences into one of the musician's most subtle, satisfying efforts yet (featuring the talents of mixer Howie B., accordionist Flaco Jimenez, trumpeter Jon Hassell, drummer Jim Keltner, tenor sax player Gil Bernal, guitarist James "Blood" Ulmer, and son Joachim Cooder on percussion). As is so often the case with Cooder's work, it's a score to savor when the film ! has faded from memory. --Jerry McCulleyCelebrated direc! tor Wim Wenders (Wings of Desire) brings Bill Pullman, Andie MacDowell, and Gabriel Byrne together in an electrifying suspense-thriller that is an "audacious and seductive" (Los Angeles Times) tale of paranoia and murder that Gene Siskel calls "one of my favorite filmsof the year!" Manufacturing on-screen violence has created an entertainment empire for fast-lane Hollywood producer Mike Max (Pullman). But when Max comes into possession of details concerning a top-secret, anti-crime satellite surveillance system, the information turns this master of imaginary mayhem into a real-life victim. Escaping into L.A.'s shadowy underworld, Max is forced into a heart-stopping confrontation with forces beyond his comprehension and violence beyond his deadliest fictional creations. Is this the end of violence...or just the beginning?If Wim Wenders falls prey to overambition in this sprawling story of identity, conscience, and voyeurism in modern Los Angeles, it pays off in a richness absent fro! m so many of Hollywood's safe, sterile films. Bill Pullman is the ostensible hero, a Roger Corman-like producer abruptly kidnapped by a pair of dim thugs who prepare to kill him in the shadow of the L.A. freeway. Gabriel Byrne watches, powerless, from on high, a meek Big Brother wired up through surveillance cameras hidden throughout the city. When Pullman disappears into the faceless population of L.A., adopted by a family of Hispanic gardeners, he begins his own covert investigation in parallel with the official inquiry conducted by movie-buff cop Loren Dean. Ostensibly a thriller, the film has little onscreen violence, but shadowy threats prowl around the edges, and echoes of unseen murders permeate the picture. The narrative is a tangle, neglecting characters and leaving the vast conspiracy more a suggestion than a fully conceived plot, possibly the victim of last-minute reworking after a disastrous showing at Cannes. But Wenders's unerring eye for image and color creat! es a stunning, often startlingly beautiful film of unsettling ! menace a nd haunting mystery, and his generosity of character fills this world with vivid personalities. Cult director Sam Fuller and character actor Henry Silva have small roles, and Traci Lind costars as a young stuntwoman with ambitions of an acting career. As always, Ry Cooder's score is superb. --Sean AxmakerCelebrated director Wim Wenders (Wings of Desire) brings Bill Pullman, Andie MacDowell, and Gabriel Byrne together in an electrifying suspense-thriller that is an "audacious and seductive" (Los Angeles Times) tale of paranoia and murder that Gene Siskel calls "one of my favorite filmsof the year!" Manufacturing on-screen violence has created an entertainment empire for fast-lane Hollywood producer Mike Max (Pullman). But when Max comes into possession of details concerning a top-secret, anti-crime satellite surveillance system, the information turns this master of imaginary mayhem into a real-life victim. Escaping into L.A.'s shadowy underworld, Max is forced into a! heart-stopping confrontation with forces beyond his comprehension and violence beyond his deadliest fictional creations. Is this the end of violence...or just the beginning?If Wim Wenders falls prey to overambition in this sprawling story of identity, conscience, and voyeurism in modern Los Angeles, it pays off in a richness absent from so many of Hollywood's safe, sterile films. Bill Pullman is the ostensible hero, a Roger Corman-like producer abruptly kidnapped by a pair of dim thugs who prepare to kill him in the shadow of the L.A. freeway. Gabriel Byrne watches, powerless, from on high, a meek Big Brother wired up through surveillance cameras hidden throughout the city. When Pullman disappears into the faceless population of L.A., adopted by a family of Hispanic gardeners, he begins his own covert investigation in parallel with the official inquiry conducted by movie-buff cop Loren Dean. Ostensibly a thriller, the film has little onscreen violence, but shadowy threats ! prowl around the edges, and echoes of unseen murders permeate ! the pict ure. The narrative is a tangle, neglecting characters and leaving the vast conspiracy more a suggestion than a fully conceived plot, possibly the victim of last-minute reworking after a disastrous showing at Cannes. But Wenders's unerring eye for image and color creates a stunning, often startlingly beautiful film of unsettling menace and haunting mystery, and his generosity of character fills this world with vivid personalities. Cult director Sam Fuller and character actor Henry Silva have small roles, and Traci Lind costars as a young stuntwoman with ambitions of an acting career. As always, Ry Cooder's score is superb. --Sean AxmakerBlue and white bumper sticker calling for your involvement in helping to end gun violence.

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