Historical society signing up kids for summer day camps - Chaska ...

Print

Create a hardcopy of this page

Font Size:

Default font size

Larger font size

File photo by Mark W. Olson

Carver County Historical Society

The Carver County Historical Society is located at 555 West First Street in Waconia.

Posted: Thursday, January 24, 2013 4:33 pm

Historical society signing up kids for summer day camps

The Carver County Historical Society is already signing up applicants for its summer day camps. The camps include:

Arts in Carver County Camp

Do you have creative kids? Want them to learn a new creative outlet? Come explore the arts of long ago and today in Carver County. Learn writing and illustrating, weaving and quilt-making, dancing and painting. This camp will be offered to those going into grades 4-8. A bag lunch is needed each day. Space is limited to 12 kids. Cost: $20/members, $30/non-members. Camp is 9 a.m.-4 p.m., June 24-28

Junior Archaeologist Camp

Are your kids explorers? Do they like learning about the past, or finding buried treasures in your yard? Let them become Junior Archaeologists. Learn the art of flintknapping, or stone tool making; explore the archaeologist's "tools of the trade" and assemble a kit to take home; learn to think and interpret like an archaeologist; and learn to conduct an archaeological dig. This camp will be offered to those going into grades 3-6. Space is limited to 12 kids. Cost: $15/members, $25/non-members. Camp is noon to 4 p.m., July 8-12

Pioneer Camp?

It's that time again, time to travel back to early America and learn to live and work like an early settler. Explore farm work and chores, early school days, fun and games and family life. On the last day, visit a farm and get put to work. This camp is offered to those going into grades K-3. Space is limited to 12 kids. Cost: $15/members, $25/non-members. Camp is noon to 4 p.m., July 29-Aug. 2.

More info at www.carvercountyhistoricalsociety.org. The Historical Society is located at 555 West First Street in Waconia.

Posted in General news news on Thursday, January 24, 2013 4:33 pm.

(%remaining%) Remaining Thanks for visiting the chaskaherald.com. You're entitled to view10 free articles every 30 days. Then, if you enjoy our site and want full access, we'll ask you to purchase an affordable subscription.

(%remaining%) Remaining Thanks for visiting The Chaska Herald. You're entitled to view 10 free articles every 30 days, and you currently have (%remaining%) remaining. Then, if you enjoy our site and want full access, we'll ask you to purchase an affordable subscription.

(%remaining%) Remaining We hope you will enjoy this free article on The Chaska Herald. You're entitled to view 10 free articles every 30 days, and you currently have (%remaining%) remaining. Then, if you enjoy our site and want full access, we'll ask you to purchase an affordable subscription.

(%remaining%) Remaining We hope you will enjoy this free article on chaskaherald.com. You're entitled to view 10 free articles every 30 days, and you currently have 1 article remaining. Then, if you enjoy our site and want full access, we'll ask you to purchase an affordable subscription. Or, simply click HERE to purchase an unlimited-access subscription and receive trusted content from chaskaherald.com without interruption.

(%remaining%) Remaining Thank you for reading chaskaherald.com. You have viewed all 10 of your 10 free articles in 30 days. Simply click HERE to purchase an unlimited-access subscription and receive trusted content from chaskaherald.com without interruption.

(%remaining%) Remaining Thank you for reading chaskaherald.com. Because you have already viewed this article, you may view it again as many times as you like without subtracting from your remaining free article views.

(%remaining%) Remaining Thank you for registering on The Chaska Herald. You're entitled to view 10 articles for free every 30 days, and you currently have (%remaining%) remaining. Then, if you enjoy our site and want full access, we'll ask you to purchase an affordable subscription.

(%remaining%) Remaining Thank you for reading The Chaska Herald. You're entitled to view 10 articles for free every 30 days, and you currently have (%remaining%) remaining. Then, if you enjoy our site and want full access, we'll ask you to purchase an affordable subscription.

(%remaining%) Remaining Thank you for reading The Chaska Herald. You're entitled to view 10 articles for free every 30 days, and you currently have (%remaining%) remaining. Then, if you enjoy our site and want full access, we'll ask you to purchase an affordable subscription.

(%remaining%) Remaining Thank you for reading The Chaska Herald. You're entitled to view 10 articles for free every 30 days. This is your last free article this period. On your next article we'll ask you to purchase an affordable subscription.

(%remaining%) Remaining Thank you for reading 10 free articles on our site. You can come back at the end of your 30-day period for another 10 free articles, or you can purchase a subscription and continue to enjoy valuable local news and information. If you need help, please contact our office at 952-345-6682.

Source: http://www.chaskaherald.com/news/general_news_news/historical-society-signing-up-kids-for-summer-day-camps/article_f6812914-869b-583f-8bbd-3ea2ae013a00.html

facebook ipo facebook ipo egypt soccer riot mike kelley puxatony phil josh harvey clemons college football recruiting rankings

Crystal Cruises entices bookings through brand ... - Luxury Daily

Crystal Symphony

Crystal Cruises is eyeing affluent travelers by offering exclusive Mediterranean excursions on its spring itineraries that cannot be accessed through other travel brands.

The cruise line?s new collection of experiences called ?Boutique Adventures? will be available this spring for groups ranging from one to 15 travelers on Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity ships sailing to the Mediterranean. Guests will have exclusive access to estates, art studios, museums, castles and businesses.

?Our guests are looking for different ways to experience destinations and they relish insider access,? said Mimi Weisband, vice president of public relations at?Crystal Cruises, Los Angeles. ?We are continually challenging our tour operators to seek out the unusual, experiential, intimate, cultural adventures.

?Our guests do not want a mass-market excursion ? they will pay more for something if it is unique and authentic,? she said.

Cruising the Mediterranean
There are seven Boutique Adventures that guests can choose. The cost ranges from $223 to more than $1,000 per guest.

Travelers can book the excursions online up to six months before their cruise.

The Florence excursion comprises a viewing of the Uffizi Gallery?s private Contini Bonacossi Collection, which is not accessible to the public.

In Funchal, Portugal, guests will have lunch with a local celebrity at Reid?s Palace or visit a family-run Madeiran winery where they will dine with the owners.

During the Rome experience, guests will make their own jewelry with instruction from a former Valentino model who now designs jewelry.

The Corfu, Greece, excursion consists of a painting lesson from the president of the Corfu Painters Society.

In Italy?s Vetriano, guests will attend the opera at Teatro Concordia, the?smallest public theater in the world.

Teatro Concordia

Excursions in Sorrento and Taormina, Italy, comprise?cooking lessons and meals with local, Michelin-star chefs.

In Taormina in Italy?s Sicily region, travelers will be served a meal while watching a classical concert at a Sicilian castle.

Crystal Cruises will promote the Boutique Adventures via its Web site, quarterly magazine and the on-board Shore Excursion team, per Ms. Weisband.

In addition, travel agents will also inform their clients about the experiences.

?The cruise industry has been becoming more aware of the large portion of the affluent travelers who shy away from cruises due to many misconceptions and overall lack of desire to be on-board the mega-ships,? said D.M. Banks, director at?DMB Public Relations, New York.

?Crystal Cruises is always looking at ways to provide the luxuries of cruises, while providing a boutique experience for their guests,? he said. ?This is another example of them thinking outside of the box to truly connect with their guests.

?Affluent travelers are more than happy to pay a premium for superior services and, more importantly, unique and personalized experiences. These intimate and semi-private excursions are great ways for guest to feel more immersed into the culture and destinations while at port.?

Story time
The new Boutique Adventures are meant to align with Crystal Cruises? ?Begin a New Story? ad campaign that launched last year, per Ms. Weisband.

The cruise line rebranded itself during the second quarter of 2012 through an all-encompassing campaign that centers on the notion of the travel journal and encourages consumers to share memories from past cruises.

The marketing efforts focus on cruise destinations and once-in-a-lifetime experiences, rather than the amenities of the ship.

Begin a New Story uses multiple channels including print ads with digital watermark technology, brochures, online banner ads, email, video and a smartphone app.

For instance, print ads appear in Cond? Nast Traveler, National Geographic Traveler, Town & Country, Travel & Leisure, Coastal Living, Elle D?cor, Food & Wine and Forbes Life.

Consumers can scan the ads with their smartphones to reveal a 60-second video that shows three travelers? experiences in select Crystal Cruises? destinations through watercolor animation.

The brand asked eight watercolor artists to create images that are used in all aspects of the campaign (see story).

?The trend for affluent consumers is more intimate and incredibly special ? both of which are key to these excursions,? Ms. Weisband said.

?Entering someone?s home, sharing a meal with them and just a few other guests, and being able to hear in-depth stories of living and working in that area from your host ? these are experiences that can be deeply personal, bonding and memorable, really expanding one?s understanding of a culture far beyond any info gleaned from merely sight-seeing,? she said.

?Affluent consumers crave such experiences that go beyond the norm, as so many of them travel at a level well above the basics.?

Final Take
Tricia Carr, editorial assistant on Luxury Daily, New York

Tricia Carr is an editorial assistant on Luxury Daily. Her beats are apparel and accessories, arts and entertainment, education, food and beverage, fragrance and personal care, government, healthcare, home furnishings, jewelry, legal/privacy and nonprofits. Reach her at tricia@napean.com.

Like this article? Sign up for a free subscription to Luxury Daily's must-read newsletters. Click here!

Related content: None Found

No comments ?

Tags: Begin a New Story, Boutique Adventures, Crystal Cruises, Crystal Serenity, Crystal Symphony, In-store, luxury, luxury marketing, luxury travel, Mediterranean travel, Mimi Weisband, travel and hospitality, travel marketing

You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Source: http://www.luxurydaily.com/crystal-cruises-entices-bookings-through-brand-exclusive-experiences/

hopkins dear john derrick rose torn acl pacers undrafted free agents braveheart earthquake california

pressure panel: BestThinking / Thinkers / Arts & Entertainment ...

Jan. 22, 2013 1:37 pm

History, proclaimed an old college professor of mine, is just one damned thing after another. Judging by the current landscape of popular culture, history is pretty cool, too. At least for the time being. Think about it. With the popularity of "Lincoln," "Downton Abbey," "Argo," "Django Unchained," "Les Miserables," "Boardwalk Empire," "The Hatfields & McCoys," "Anna Karenina," "Copper,"...? Read?More

Dec. 31, 2012 2:05 pm

This is the time of year when news organizations look back on what they usually call the "notable" deaths of the year. Leaving aside the notion that every death is notable to somebody, we know what is meant by that, don't we? We're talking celebrity; movers and shakers, TV and movie stars, politicians, writers, artists, people of accomplishment, the notorious, and a few who fall into that...? Read?More

Oct. 30, 2012 2:03 pm

With only a few days to go until the Presidential election, as usual each side is convinced that if the other candidate wins it will be a calamity for the country. You know how it goes: Barack Obama, socialist, dangerous foreigner, and architect of towering deficits versus Mitt Romney, who never had a belief that he couldn't deny he ever had, a man who turned memory loss into campaign strategy. ...? Read?More

Sep. 25, 2012 2:42 pm

As we get ready for three television debates between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama, much is being written about the first one between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon 52 years ago. The problem is that so much of it is wrong. Rarely have so many inaccuracies become part of an event's mythology. Over the years I've written about the pivotal Kennedy-Nixon debate several times. I watched it twice...? Read?More

Aug. 27, 2012 5:31 pm

When Steve Jobs died, a satrical publication called The Onion lamented that Jobs was the last American who knew what the hell he was doing. It was a different time and a different world, but Neil Armstrong, who died August 25 at 82, knew what he was doing, too. The first man to walk on the moon; it doesn't get any better than that. In this utterly dispiriting presidential campaign - something...? Read?More

Aug. 21, 2012 5:26 pm

Scott McKenzie may have died, which he did a few days back at the age of 73, but his song San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair) lives on, which is too bad because I hate the damn thing. Always have, by the way. I am no Robert-come-lately. I hated it as much in the summer of 1967, when it first abraded the nation's ears, as I do now. That song has more sap than an entire forest...? Read?More

Aug. 16, 2012 1:47 pm

We live in Santa Fe, New Mexico, which bills itself as "The City Different" - and let me tell you, it isn't kidding. Don't misunderstand - after more than three years, we love it here. Great sunsets, great food, lots of art, very outdoorsy. But to call Santa Fe different doesn't get the job done. This place is nuts. Let me offer some examples: The Woo Woo Factor We lived in California for...? Read?More

Aug. 8, 2012 4:01 pm

I don't watch much television news and every so often it's good to be reminded why. A couple of days ago two self-inflating gas bags on Fox News - where else? - were releasing hot air all over Gabby Douglas and her double gold medal-winning gymnastics performance at the London Olympics. Alisyn Camerota, guest host of Fox's "America Live," pointed out that it was noticed by "some folks,"...? Read?More

Jul. 19, 2012 3:23 pm

You probably weren't at all wondering why 90-plus year old British mystery writer P. D. James thought I was gay. That's okay, I gave it enough thought for all of us. Me, my wife, Dana, and another couple recently indulged ourselves in a trans-Atlantic cruise from New York City to Great Britain via the Queen Mary II. Unlike the standard port-a-day cruises, we got on the ship in New York City and...? Read?More

Jun. 7, 2012 3:08 pm

It seemed as if the great Ray Bradbury always was and always would be, and it does not seem possible that he could die. Many will praise the extraordinary literary legacy he left behind with his death at age 91 - more than 27 novels, 600 short stories, and many classic short story collections, including "The Martian Chronicles," "Fahrenheit 451," "Dandelion Wine," and one of the the greatest...? Read?More

May 28, 2012 4:13 pm

And so, like the song says, another one bites the dust. In this case, "another one" is the New Orleans Times-Picayune, which sometime this fall will go out of business as a daily newspaper, leaving New Orleans as the largest city in the country without one. We should be used to this by now. The newspapers that now Rest In Peace include the Rocky Mountain News in Denver, the Seattle...? Read?More

May 23, 2012 1:10 pm

There was a time, back long before the earth cooled, when you had to get up to change the channel! What! those who are not of a certain age may cry. Impossible! The horror! The brutality of it all! Trust me, it's in all the history books. And who is the man who helped lead us out of this dark and terrifying time? I give you Eugene Polley, inventor of the first wireless channel changer,...? Read?More

May 6, 2012 2:18 pm

A friend recently sent me a copy of an essay by the writer Hilary Mantel that confronted a problem faced by all historical novelists: How did those people talk? As Mantel, author of the excellent novel "Wolf Hall," pointed out, in any era the language in preserved letters, speeches and documents is much more formal than how people really spoke to each other. In Mantel's case, that era is Tudor...? Read?More

May 4, 2012 12:13 pm

I have been asked time and time again - that makes twice - why I was interested in writing two novels about Sam Houston, a man whose name is well known but without anything specific coming to mind for most people. Which is one reason I wanted to write about him. He was, to say the least, colorful, which makes writing about him a lot more enjoyable. I'm sure there are people who yearn to write...? Read?More

Source: http://www.bestthinking.com/thinkers/arts_and_entertainment/literature/fiction_and_literature/robert-wisehart?tab=blog&item=20029

New Girl Avalanna Gigi Chao Jimmy Hoffa Ed Hochuli Opie modern family

Source: http://pressure-panel.blogspot.com/2013/01/bestthinking-thinkers-arts.html

black and tan dwight howard trade ncaa bracket 2012 2012 ncaa bracket john carlson greg smith catamount

Obama's first inaugural speech: promises kept, promises broken (cbsnews)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/278281357?client_source=feed&format=rss

tebow press conference trina rob dyrdek oberon donald driver donald driver robin thicke

Obama, Biden team being sworn in for second term in office

WASHINGTON (AP) ? On the cusp of his second term, President Barack Obama solemnly honored the nation's fallen soldiers Sunday before taking the oath of office in an intimate White House ceremony, a swearing-in ritual he will repeat 24 hours later before a massive crowd at the Capitol.

The day began with a morning swearing-in ceremony for Vice President Joe Biden, who began four more years as the nation's second in command. Biden then joined the president at Arlington National Cemetery for a wreath-laying ceremony on a crisp, sun-splashed January day.

Obama and Biden jointly placed a large wreath, adorned with red, white and blue ribbon, in front of Arlington's Tomb of the Unknowns. Placing their hands over their hearts, the two leaders stood solemnly as a bugler played "Taps."

From there, Obama joined his family at a church service in downtown Washington celebrating his inauguration as well as Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The president's public swearing-in on Monday coincides with the national holiday marking the fallen civil rights leader's birthday, and Obama has invoked King's memory throughout the lead-up to the inauguration.

The Rev. Jonathan V. Newton, an assistant pastor at Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church, prayed for God to prepare Obama for battle, "because sometimes enemies insist on doing it the hard way."

Sunday's centerpiece would be Obama's late morning swearing-in for a second term in office. Only a small group of family members was expected to attend Obama's Sunday swearing-in, including first lady Michelle Obama and daughters Malia and Sasha. A few reporters would also be on hand to witness the event.

Biden was surrounded by family and friends for his brief swearing-in at the Naval Observatory, his official residence in northwest Washington. Justice Sonia Sotomayor, appointed by Obama as the first Hispanic to serve on the Supreme Court, administered the oath of office to Biden, who placed his hand on a Bible his family has used since 1893.

"I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States," Biden said as he recited the oath.

Among the 120 guests on hand to witness the vice president's second swearing-in were Attorney General Eric Holder, departing Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and several Democratic lawmakers.

Sunday's subdued ceremonies are a function of the calendar and of the Constitution, which says presidents automatically begin their new terms at noon on Jan. 20. Because that date fell this year on a Sunday ? a day on which inaugural ceremonies historically are not held ? organizers scheduled a second, public swearing-in for Monday.

A crowd of up to 800,000 people is expected to gather on the National Mall to witness that event, which will take place on the Capitol's red, white and blue bunting-draped west front. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who famously flubbed the oath of office that Obama took in 2009, was to swear the president in both days.

Once the celebrations are over, Obama will plunge into a second-term agenda still dominated by the economy, which slowly churned out of recession during his first four years in office. The president will also try to cement his legacy with sweeping domestic changes, pledging to achieve both an immigration overhaul and stricter gun laws despite opposition from a divided Congress.

But for one weekend at least, Washington was putting politics aside. Obama called the nation's inaugural traditions "a symbol of how our democracy works and how we peacefully transfer power."

"But it should also be an affirmation that we're all in this together," he said Saturday as he opened a weekend of inaugural activities at a Washington elementary school.

Obama was to take the oath of office shortly before noon in the White House Blue Room, an oval space with majestic views of the South Lawn and the Washington Monument.

The room, named for the color of the drapes, upholstery and carpet, primarily has been a reception room as well as the site of the only presidential wedding in the White House, when President Grover Cleveland married Frances Folsom in 1886.

Obama and Biden were to address supporters Sunday evening at an inaugural reception.

The president planned to save his most expansive remarks for Monday's inaugural address to the crowd gathered on the Mall and millions more watching across the country and around the world. Obama started working on the speech in early December and was still tinkering with it into the weekend, aides said.

The president's address will set the stage for the policy objectives he seeks to achieve in his second term, including speeding up the economic recovery, passing comprehensive immigration and gun control measures and ending the war in Afghanistan. Aides said Obama would save the specifics of those agenda items for his Feb. 12 State of the Union address.

Local officials were busy touching up Washington for the hundreds of thousands of guests arriving for Monday's swearing-in. Work crews were trimming overgrown grass and trash from walkways along city underpasses, erecting first aid tents and setting up traffic detours. Swarms of tourists roamed city streets easily on Sunday ahead of the pedestrian gridlock sure to come with Monday's full inaugural program.

The president launched a weekend of inaugural activities Saturday by heading up a National Day of Service. Along with his family, Obama helped hundreds of volunteers spruce up a Washington area elementary school.

Obama wore rubber gloves, picked up a paint brush and helped volunteers stain a bookshelf.

Obama added the service event to the inaugural schedule in 2009 and is hoping it becomes a tradition followed for future presidents.

Mrs. Obama, speaking to volunteers Sunday, espoused the importance of giving back in the midst of the weekend of pomp, circumstance and celebration.

"The reason why we're here, why we're standing here, why we're able to celebrate this weekend is because a lot of people worked hard and supported us, and we've got a job to do, and this is a symbol of the kind of work that we need to be doing the next four years," Michelle Obama said at Burrville Elementary.

___

Associated Press writers Matthew Daly, Darlene Superville and Nancy Benac contributed to this report.

___

Follow Julie Pace at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-biden-being-sworn-second-term-133330992--politics.html

BCS Standings 2012 carrie underwood American Music Awards 2012 oregon ducks oregon ducks rob gronkowski Coughing

QMA partners with ExxonMobil, HMC and Four Seasons Hotel to ...

Qatar Museums Authority (QMA), ExxonMobil, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) and the Four Seasons today organized a free health fair for employees and their families. The fair was held at the Four Seasons hotel, Doha, and aimed to educating attendees on active and healthy lifestyles.

?Our business is not only about being productive, it is also about being creative,? said Ms. Sharoq Al Malki, QMA Chief Human Capital Officer. ?Our employees are at the heart of our organization and they are ambassadors for the State of Qatar as they work to share this country?s heritage. That?s why Qatar Museums Authority is taking such an active stance in promoting health and wellness with our employees. This health fair is one of several initiatives we have undertaken to raise awareness of key health issues and encourage safe and active lifestyles.?

Qatar Museums Authority also offers a Wellbeing Center for employees, which houses an information desk on health and wellness, two fitness centers, a nursery, and a spa with free massages.? The center also offers health and fitness coaching, access to a nutritionist, and programs specific to ladies.

Building on the efforts of Qatar?s leaders to promote healthy and active lifestyles among its people, ExxonMobil also offers many initiatives for its employees.

?At ExxonMobil, we hold our commitment to excellence in safety and health as a core value?one that shapes the decisions we make at every level,? said Bart Cahir, President and General Manager of ExxonMobil Qatar. ?This commitment extends beyond the workplace, to our employees? homes and to their loved ones.? As such, we very much appreciate the opportunity to partner with Qatar Museums Authority to help our employees learn more about healthy and safe behaviors that they can implement in all aspects of their life.?

?

ExxonMobil is further promoting the importance of healthy lifestyles in Qatar through its support of programs such as Your Health First ? a country-wide initiative to increase the public?s awareness of critical health issues and educate the local community about preventive measures, including lifestyle changes.

The fair would not have been a success without the support of HMC, providing a staff of doctors, nurses and expert practitioners in various medical fields.? With more than 20 booths, participants benefited from free health checks and workshops on first aid, CPR, healthy lifestyle habits, nutrition, diabetes and other topics.

?By helping local organizations host health awareness fairs, we are able to give the people in Qatar the knowledge they need to lead healthier, more productive lives which ultimately contributes to the overall well-being of the State of Qatar,? said Dr. Khalid Abdulnoor Saifeldeen, Director of Hamad International Training Centre. ?Creating and sustaining such a healthy environment requires a collective effort and we are pleased to join Qatar Museums Authority and ExxonMobil to help make this a reality.?

?On behalf of the Four Seasons, we are very pleased that we could contribute to this event as a gracious host,? said Mr. Simon Casson, Regional Vice President and General Manager of the Four Seasons Hotel.??Pursuing healthy lifestyles is a life-long journey for all of us, and I commend the State of Qatar, and our organizing partners for helping establish an environment that encourages healthy and safe behaviors.?

In addition to receiving valuable information and participating in health workshops, participants also had the opportunity to give back by giving blood.? A large number of people participated in the blood drive associated with the health fair.

Consider reading these posts

?

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Source: http://www.qatarisbooming.com/2013/01/20/qma-partners-with-exxonmobil-hmc-and-four-seasons-hotel-to-promote-healthy-living-for-employees/

jennifer love hewitt secret service prostitution 4 20 george zimmerman sheree whitfield weather dallas pat summitt

Movie Review: Can Jessica Chastain Save Mama From Horror Flick ...

Location

Wide Release

Dates

Opens Jan 18

It?s January, and we are beginning to head into the season of the annual movie release cycle I dread the most. The Oscar contenders have been released, the nominations announced, and movie screens are filled with the films that were released over the holiday or re-released to capitalize on their luck with the awards season.

What?s new in theaters, however, is the first crop of the studio doldrums, the horror or action films design to create quick buzz, fill seats opening weekend, and secure a DVD deal from their opening numbers. It makes the local marquee look a little schizophrenic. On the one hand, there?s Amour and Django Unchained playing in theaters three and four. In theaters five and six, why it?s Broken City and The Last Stand, featuring the unheralded return of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Also release this week, Mama, a movie that feels a little like a seasonal Frankenstein. On the one hand, it stars Jessica Chastain, one of the finest actors of her generation whose performance in Zero Dark Thirty has earned her a best actress nomination. On the other hand, Mama is exactly the kind of movie you would expect to hit theaters in late January: a panicked father embroiled in some Wall Street shenanigans rushes into the snowy countryside with his two daughters as his life crumbles around him. The car veers off the road (of course), they all survive (of course), and they find shelter in the conveniently located cottage near the crash site. All isn?t well, however. The place is haunted. A twist and a turn of the plot, and then it is five years later and the two girls are discovered, only they are now the feral adopted children of a ghoulish, monstrous mother.

At the top of the opening credits, we get the name Guillermo del Toro, that respected maker of visually stunning monster movies, who is an executive producer of the film whose life began as a del Toro idea for a short. Del Toro?s influence here is that Mama is a movie that cares about its monsters and its jumps and scares, but it is also looking for something of a heart. As the two girls are taken under the care of their uncle Lucas (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and his girlfriend Annabel (Jessica Chastain), Mama becomes in part a story about family, love, and the way trauma afflicts childhood. But it is mostly just about the creepy Mama ghost, who starts haunting Chastain?s Annabel.

The opening sequence tells you just about all you need to know about director Andres Muschietti?s handling of the material. A sketchy backstory provided through news overdubbing, Mama is full of hard-to-swallow plot points, and pointless plotlines. There?s a underdeveloped psychologist character (Daniel Kash); Lucas is a bit of a plot pawn. And then there?s that frustrating horror film clich?: whenever there?s a threatening situation, characters decide to explore things in the pitch dark of night.

Not to play to the name brand, but what kept me through Mama?s scattered and muddled horror-family story was Chastain, who plays a free spirited rocker, with jet black hair and a chip on her shoulder. She?s a reluctant stepmom who becomes their unexpected (sort of) protector. Chastain?s character is so vulnerable and unreliable that it is hard to believe this is the same actor who played the steely lead in Zero Dark Thirty.

Chastain?s performance is a consolation prize, hardly enough to justify suffering through this film. The rest of action unfolds with a serious of thuds, stumbling through a scare piece whose melodrama never quite dissolves into the overall solution. As a result we are neither spooked nor moved. Better get used to it; this the first ride in a few long months before the summer blockbusters hit.

Source: http://frontrow.dmagazine.com/2013/01/movie-review-can-jessica-chastain-save-mama-from-horror-flick-mediocrity/

mariana trench transcendental meditation trayvon martin obama care miss universe canada don draper gallagher

Subway Foot-Long Subs: Actually Only 11 Inches!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/01/subway-foot-long-subs-actually-only-11-inches/

kevin costner whitney houston whitney houston funeral live pat buchanan slither slither naacp glen campbell

Mcallen, TX 2012 GMC Terrain Used SUV Mission, TX Corpus Christi, TX Payne Rio Grande City Ford for $28,257

*The advertised price does not include sales tax, vehicle registration fees, finance charges, documentation charges, and any other fees required by law. We attempt to update this inventory on a regular basis. However, there can be lag time between the sale of a vehicle and the update of the inventory.

EPA mileage estimates are for newly manufactured vehicles only. Your actual mileage will vary depending on how you drive and maintain your vehicle.

Before purchasing this vehicle, it is your responsibility to address any and all differences between information on this website and the actual vehicle specifications and/or any warranties offered prior to the sale of this vehicle. Vehicle data on this website is compiled from publicly available sources believed by the publisher to be reliable. Vehicle data is subject to change without notice. The publisher assumes no responsibility for errors and/or omissions in this data the compilation of this data and makes no representations express or implied to any actual or prospective purchaser of the vehicle as to the condition of the vehicle, vehicle specifications, ownership, vehicle history, equipment/accessories, price or warranties.

Source: http://www.paynemission.com/2012-GMC-Terrain-Mcallen-TX/vd/13162306

macular degeneration whitney houston funeral judi dench bobby brown leaves funeral donnie mcclurkin whitney houston funeral live stream kevin costner whitney houston

Video: Circus is paid $9.3 million settlement from ASPCA

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/50480829/

crossbow airhead atherosclerosis steven tyler tropic thunder carnie wilson missing