Archive - Jan 2014

(rated 93% at RottenTomatoes.com) which tells the true story "of the Extreme Mustang Makeover Challenge, an annual contest that dares 100 people to each tame a totally wild mustang in order to get it adopted into a better life beyond federal corrals. Stunning and poignant, Alex Dawson and Greg Gricus' debut feature documentary chronicles a handful of unforgettable characters from their first uneasy meeting with their horses and over three months as they attempt to transform from scared strangers to the closest of friends..."

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Firefighters in Wellesley, Massachusetts braved an icy Charles River over the weekend to save a Golden Retriever named Crosby.

Boston Firefighter Risks Life to Save Husky from Icy Death
Boston firefighter Sean Coyle came to the rescue this morning when he pulled a 13-year-old husky named Sylvie from the brink of death after she fell into 20-degree water.

Sylvie and her owner had been walking along the Boston Harbor when she plunged through the ice near Castle Island. Her owner immediately called 911, and seven-year veteran of Ladder 19 answered the call.

Coyle’s outstretched arm was met by a receptive Sylvie, ever so grateful to have her rescuer’s help. He managed to pull her from the icy water, but needed a rescue for himself when he fell in. He had been judiciously attached to a rope, and was able to be pulled to shore by fellow firefighters.

Both he and Sylvie were gradually warmed up and recovered.

This was the second time Coyle had saved a dog from the water. His first rescue was of a dog stuck below the rocks on Pleasure Bay. He says a life is a life, be it two- or four-legged.

"We look at the pets like citizens," he said. "They're loved by their owners and we want to make sure, whether it's in a burning building or a freezing lake, we just want to get them out safe."

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"Farewell, Peter."
Peter O'Toole (1932-2013)

"We're all missing 'The Big Picture'."
Opening scene of the film 'Creator' starring Peter O'Toole.

"My Favorite Year" - Trailer
Peter O'Toole gives a knock-out performance as Alan Swann...

ABC - "Remembering Peter O'Toole"
Noel Coward: "If you had been any prettier, it would have been Florence of Arabia."

"David Lean's splendid biography of the enigmatic T.E. Lawrence paints a complex portrait of the desert-loving Englishman who united Arab tribes in battle against the Ottoman Turks during World War I. "

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Watch the Queen's Christmas Day message 2013 in full
The Queen reflected on prominent events from the past year during her Christmas broadcast - from the service that marked the 60th anniversary of her coronation to the birth of Prince George

"balance between action and reflection"
"reflection, meditation, prayer help to renew us"
"family, friendship, neighborliness"
"principle and service"

Her broadcast began with the Queen telling her audience how a man she once knew gained a clearer insight into the world after spending a year in a plaster cast recovering from a back operation.
She said: "He read a lot, and thought a lot, and felt miserable. Later, he realised this time of forced retreat from the world had helped him to understand the world more clearly.
"We all need to get the balance right between action and reflection. With so many distractions, it is easy to forget to pause and take stock."

The Queen, who was dressed in a single crepe wool primrose dress which she wore to William and Kate's wedding in April 2011, also said in her broadcast: "As with all who are christened, George was baptised into a joyful faith of Christian duty and service. After the christening, we gathered for the traditional photograph.

"It was a happy occasion, bringing together four generations."

The Queen also looked back over the past 12 months to the 60th anniversary of her coronation, celebrated with a national service in June.

She said: "I myself had cause to reflect this year, at Westminster Abbey, on my own pledge of service made in that great church on Coronation Day 60 years earlier.  read more »