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Pure cinematic delight
The plot of Killers of the Flower Moon is rather simple: the shocking true story of the series of mysterious deaths of Native Americans from 1910s to 1930s in the oil-rich Osage Nation in Oklahoma. Called the “Reign of Terror,” this horrific period in American history is marked by the uninvestigated murders of the Osage tribe — the richest people in the world per capita at the time due to the vast deposits of oil found in their reservation. As black gold richly flows in their land, white men descend into the territory and begin to systematically murder the Osage tribe to steal their oil money, or headrights. Greed takes the form of grisly, nonchalant murders, compounded by racial injustice. Director Martin Scorsese takes us to Fairfax 1920s, where one such greedy white man, Ernest Buckhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) arrives in the Osage county from a non-combatant role in World War I. His guts destroyed in the war, he seeks a job from his uncle, King Bill (Robert de Niro), the powerful boss in the area and the mastermind behind the Osage killings but pretending to be a “friend to the Osage.” King Bill tells his nephew to marry a beautiful Osage woman, Mollie (Lily Gladstone) in a scheme to get her headrights. The movie focuses on the “love story” of Ernest and Mollie, and how Mollie is slowly poisoned to death. The colossal running time (3.5 hours) is barely felt. This epic revisionist Western drama is a visual spectacle and should be seen on the big screen to experience Scorsese’s glorious cinematic vision. Scorsese adapted David Grann’s 2017 bestselling non-fiction book on this grim chapter in American history. I haven’t read Grann’s book, but research revealed that it’s chiefly a detective story, with the murders viewed from the lens of the newly formed Bureau of Investigation (now the FBI) headed by Tim White. In The Irish Times interview with Scorsese, the director shared that he and co-writer Eric Roth initially wrote a script that was faithful to the book, with Scorsese’s muse, Leonardo DiCaprio, set to play White. But two years into the writing process, DiCaprio made a suggestion that completely overhauled the script, shifting the focus to Ernest (DiCaprio’s modified role) and Mollie. Lacking momentum The script often feels like it lacks momentum and depth, reducing Ernest and King Bill, and even Jesse Plemons as White, to stock characters. Roth is known for overhyped shallow films such as The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Forrest Gump and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, so he’s partly to blame for the lack of insight into the psychology of the film’s fascinating characters. Plemons came in too late into the show, nearly in the third hour. The film feels like it took its leisurely time to establish the greed and the machinations of the non-threatening King Bill, then realized it is getting too long and finally crammed the investigations into the last hour. Punctuated with dark humor, the movie is crafted to entertain rather than to appeal to our sympathy. This feels rather conflicting and mildly disturbing, as the Osage, victims of greedy white men, and whose story is just now spreading into public consciousness, are merely the sideshow. If they were robbed back then, this film also robs them of central attention, choosing to focus instead on their killers, particularly DiCaprio, with a strong supporting role from Gladstone’s Mollie. The Osage are also depicted as gullible and helpless, and we often crave to understand what goes on in their minds, which the movie does not really provide us. But Scorsese’s films have always been from the POV of the criminals, and the title says it all — so perhaps it is unfair to expect a different narrative. Compelling vision Thankfully, Scorsese, despite the oftentimes frustrating script, manages to redeem the entire film with his compelling vision, orchestrating pure cinematic delight with the film’s stunning cinematography, production design and costume. Despite the focus on the killers, he still redeems the Osage by showcasing, with reverence, their culture and pantheistic religion — their belief in the invisible world of Wah-kon-tah and eventual blend with Christianity. The era’s racism and greed are also profoundly felt in the movie — from the white guardians that controlled the Osage money, to the insurance frauds they were subjected to and, most chilling of all, the calm way the whites murdered the Native Americans, as if these people were mere nuisances. Di Caprio, with his fake sordid teeth, delivers, as always, a competent performance. But it is Gladstone, with her regal beauty and intelligent eyes, that truly shines in the film. Killers of the Flower Moon, despite its imperfections, triumphs in fully immersing the viewer in its story and putting the spotlight on an important chapter in American history. It reminds us that theaters are still a necessity for this kind of epic movie experience. 3.5 out of 5 stars/ In cinemas The post Pure cinematic delight appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Nina Lim-Yuson — A lifetime of girl scouting
The president of the Girl Scouts of the Philippines, Nina Lim-Yuson, grew up in a family and home of Girl Scouts. Her grandmother, Pilar Hidalgo-Lim, was one of the co-founders of the GSP. “It was actually my Lola Pilar who suggested to Josefa Llanes Escoda, the GSP founder, to go to America to learn about girl scouting.” This tidbit of history, Nina shared in an online interview with the DAILY TRIBUNE. Pilar Hidalgo-Lim became GSP president, and so did Nina’s mother, Estefania Aldaba-Lim, who served as secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development. Nina’s sister too, the eminent broadcast journalist, Cheche Lazaro, was a Girl Scout. Coming from a lineage of women achievers, Nina could not have chosen a different path. It was scouting that formally introduced the family to social responsibility, skills development and citizenship. Her brothers were also Boy Scouts. “I started when I was six years old and it was my Lola Pilar who inducted me as a Brownie. It used to be called Brownie because we were still using the American pattern,” she related. She belonged to Troop Number One, the first to be organized by the GSP national headquarters. In high school at the Jose Abad Santos Memorial School of the Philippine Women’s University, she became a junior and later a senior Girl Scout. College would briefly end her Girl Scouting as she focused on her studies. Along the way, she also danced with the Bayanihan Folk Dance Company. It was not unexpected that she would return to scouting, her first love, and her first extra-curricular activity. For the last 36 years, she has been active in various organizations and volunteer work. She founded the Museong Pambata. She is a recipient of The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service and is active in its various social development efforts. What Nina brings to her post is the legacy of leadership that had been passed on to her through generations of women leaders in the family. “My Lola Pilar was my idol. She was such a nice person and I never knew her totally as a president. I knew her more as a loving lola from all the stories she related when we rode up to Baguio. “My mother, on the other hand, was the opposite. She was very career-minded. I learned naman from her a lot of things, like being thrifty and having a list of things to do. In terms of organization, she was like that. Because she was in government. And, you know, when we started Museo, while it was actually my concept, I learned a lot from her. She would call me up at 5 o’clock in the morning and she would rattle off what needed to be done, like ‘number one, number two and so on.’ That was her. And I’m glad that I worked with her for six years in Museo. She was the president and I was the executive director for six years. I took over in 2000 as president and chief executive officer. And then, I stepped down in 2017.” Girl Scouts who read and tell stories Nina was elected president of the Girl Scouts of the Philippines for the term 2021-2024 during its 2021 national convention. From day one, she shared, “My purpose was to reach out to the community-based troops because we have always been school-based. Many young women now have social problems so we need to reach out to the communities through our community-based troops.” Also on top of her priorities is literacy development, a cause that she addressed even in the Museo Pambata. She explained, “My advocacy has always been education. So, I was very concerned because the Asian Development Bank reported in 2022 that the World Bank found out that our Filipino children at ages 9 and 10 cannot read. So, I felt that because girl scouting is all over the country, with 96 local councils, the organization could serve as a vehicle for improving literacy in our country. “We started the Girl Scout Storyteller project because storytelling affects the heart first before the mind. When young people start with storytelling, they will love the stories and then the written word. They would then want to read. “We now have storytelling in economically challenged communities and we have partners. We sent out 2,500 books throughout the country with the help of our partner couriers.” Initially, she sought the help of her family foundation “to give a donation. I also sought the help of Ging Montinola, who is into literacy development. Together, we founded the literacy program. We are building this fund to cover the cost of buying children’s books. We will have a storytelling contest next year.” Raising funds for Camp Escoda Nina then shifted the conversation to another major endeavor that she is spearheading as GSP president — fundraising for the 27-hectare Camp Josefa Llanes Escoda in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija, which was donated by the provincial government during the term of Governor Amado Aleta, the father of consul and civic leader Fortune Ledesma. “Palayan is beautiful because it has rolling hills, but it doesn’t have electrical and water facilities and roadworks. It doesn’t have a swimming pool, and it’s so hot in Nueva Ecija. It also does not have a conference hall. This is a big one-time fundraising project because it’s for the future of the girls who are going to the camp. Because as of now, if you go camping there, you have to walk up the hills to get your drinking water. You have to make buhos to take a bath.” She recalled, “In my time as a young Girl Scout, which was of another era, we had to walk in the dark to fetch water to fill up two drums. I was so scared because there were tuko in Los Baños. That taught me to be courageous. Camps really build up your lifetime skills and attitude. Camping is very integral in girl scouting and boy scouting. So, this camp will serve a purpose. It just needs various basic facilities to make it world-class and convenient with the proper amenities, but the girls will continue to learn all those survival techniques and appreciate nature right on the camp.” She praised architect Pippo Carunungan, “who is an environmental planner. He surveyed the site and drew up everything. It will be a beautiful camp, he said, because it’s a gift of nature.” First Lady as Chief Girl Scout Nina recently led the Girl Scouts in a fundraising ball attended by the “First Lady, Liza Araneta-Marcos, who is our Chief Girl Scout. It’s mandated in the GSP constitution that whoever is the female president of the country or the First Lady is the Chief Girl Scout. In the past, we had Imelda Marcos, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. All the first ladies were all Chief Girl Scouts. “Mrs. Liza Marcos spoke before us and she promised to help. She said, ‘We will make it the best campsite.’ Everyone was excited to see her and she obliged everyone who asked to have selfie with her. She is very friendly. She is really a Girl Scout.” Nina shared, “A generous couple is sponsoring the swimming pool at P6 million, while a gentleman entrepreneur is sponsoring the perimeter fence at P1.5 million. Many other businessmen and leaders have pledged to help build this dream GSP project. “We really need to raise about 50 million to have a very good camp. But when the First Lady heard about it, she said, ‘It has to be P250 million.’ But, really, when we have the funds, we can have deep toilets that have running water instead of tabo-tabo. Since we have a little Pampanga river that runs across the camp, we can build a bridge that crosses it and then the girls can have white-water rafting there in the Pampanga river. “Camp Escoda will be a very important and significant venue for our Girl Scouts to gather, bond, learn new skills and develop as morally upright citizens of the country and the world. It is especially so because camping is integral in any Girl Scout’s life. If you don’t have camping, it’s like half of your scouting life is missing. Every Girl Scout remembers that time of her youth. And being the national camp, it will welcome Girl Scouts representing the 96 councils from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao who will participate in various events and trainings.” Girl Scouts of all ages As GSP president, Nina travels to various parts of the country. “We have regional conferences aside from the meeting of the Central Board when regional heads and executives come to Manila. “I had just come from Baguio where I stayed for two-and-a-half days. I met our young Girl Scout representatives from ages 14 to 18. I enjoyed listening to them and exchanging ideas with them. I am so happy that we have a wealth of intelligent girls who want to serve the country. They are the ones who are going to take over. “It’s amazing that GSP is no longer limited to old people on the board. We finally have young ones on the board. Our Escoda committee is headed by Jade Delgado from Iloilo. Then we have Justine Bautista. She’s a psychometrician. She heads the Program Committee, which is a big committee because when we were in Baguio, we had 86 girls from all the councils throughout the country. Many of them are running for SK. “So, in my 70s now, which I don’t feel at all, I don’t take any medicines or something like that. Being with young people is what inspires me. Because at 15, 16 or 17, they already know that they have some kind of a mission.” Nina proudly shared that the venue of the Baguio conference, 'Ating Tahanan' on the South Drive was bought during the tenure of my Lola Pilar. We have four buildings there, including the houses of Senator and actor Rogelio de la Rosa and Carlos Valdes, the accountant. Lola Pilar, according to Carlos Valdes, twisted his arm to get a low price. I’m so thankful for all those who preceded me because they bought these places. It’s on South Drive which is so valuable. We even have a reserved forest behind us.” As she looks forward to the next camping and gets even busier raising funds for Camp Escoda, Nina feels elated that “every one of us in the Girl Scouts has been together in our various undertakings. The nice thing is we are now intergenerational because we try to bring in the old with experience, institutional memory and their wisdom born of their long life, and the young who are full of enthusiasm, energy and new ideas.” A star scout for a granddaughter While Nina does her part for the bright future of girl scouting in the country, her personal family too has not stopped contributing to the roster of members to this worldwide organization. Today, a granddaughter of hers, seven-year-old Rocio Yuson de Guzman, is a Star Scout. She is the daughter of Nina’s daughter, Nicky. No grandmother could have been prouder. Nina said, “Rufio loves being a star scout. When I arrived from the recent world conference in Cyprus, I came back with some badges and I gave some to Rufio who is very proud of the little badges that I got for her.” For sure, Nina will pass on not just the badges to Rufio. More importantly, she will give her granddaughter the once-in-one’s-childhood experience of being a Girl Scout and learning “the values that are identified in the Girl Scout Promise and Laws. I think that while there is so much to enjoy and learn, it is the inculcation of these values that would mold her into a well-rounded human being. As we all know, a Girl Scout’s honor is to be trusted. A Girl Scout is loyal, thrifty, courteous… and so on. It’s like a mantra -- the values that one lives by. “I have reached that point when it is not about success or what one accumulates in life, whether awards or accomplishments or material things. It is more about what I can share and scouting gives me that honor and privilege — to do my part in helping mold our young girls and making them aware even at an early age that they have a mission and worthy purpose in life. It is not just about being good and outstanding on your own but it is also about helping others to become better in what they’re doing and live better lives. “And I need not look far. As a grandmother, I dote on my Star Scout granddaughter, Rufio. There’s a world out there for her to discover and in which she has a role to play and use the skills and values she will learn from scouting.” The post Nina Lim-Yuson — A lifetime of girl scouting appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Tale of two cities
If Mayor Imelda “Emi” Calixto-Rubiano of Pasay City aspires to make her city the first “Eco-City” of the Philippines, Mayor Eric L. Olivarez of Parañaque City wants his city to be the first with the eGov Super App in the country. If Mayor Emi will have her iconic Manhattan in Pasay City, Mayor Eric has his equally iconic Fisherman’s Wharf in Parañaque City. Behind this backdrop of local initiatives, creative planning and responsible leadership are amazing changes in the economy and infrastructure of the two surging cities complementing wonderfully the overwhelming optimism of the national government to transform the Republic of the Philippines into the richest and most beautiful country in the world. Pasay aspires to be the very first eco-sustainable city or “eco-city” in the Philippines, as it continues to strive for excellence and growth while taking utmost consideration of its environment. “To serve its constituents and stakeholders with enthusiasm and efficiency, with a firm commitment to adhering to the principles of good governance, and providing services and infrastructure essential to making the city progressive, healthy and peaceful, worthy of respect and emulation” is the mission of Pasay City. The focus of its mission is ensuring that development ultimately benefits every individual in the City of Pasay, that the service is characterized by the willingness to serve, transparent and responsive to the needs of the constituents. The identified goals to be achieved included: 1) that Pasay City shall be recognized as the new international center for business, knowledge process outsourcing, meetings-incentives-conferences-exhibitions tourism and a model for governance; 2) a safe, secure, livable and inspiringly built environment; 3) efficient infrastructure; 4) carefully managed image of the city; 5) affordable housing to qualified beneficiaries. Why did Pasay City go into reclamation? Pasay City is one of the smallest cities in the National Capital Region. Much of its land is occupied and utilized by the national government. The rest is too limited for the population of the city. It has no choice but to expand its land area by reclamation. The City of Pasay was granted Environment Compliance Certificate, or ECC, No. ECC-CD-1601-003 dated 2017. The reclamation project covers 265 hectares involving two islands with areas of 210 hectares and 55 hectares, respectively. The important landmarks adjacent to the project site include the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the Coconut Palace, the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Hotel, the Philippine International Convention Center, the Government Service Insurance System, Mall of Asia, casinos Okada Manila and Solaire Resort, and Diosdado Macapagal Avenue. Reasons for the 265-hectare reclamation The increasing demand for readily developable land for urban expansion has pushed the real estate market in Metro Manila to its highest since the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Since the other urban centers of Mega Manila have no other way of expanding their existing inventory of land, the increasing requirements for areas to accommodate and satisfy the demand for rapid commercial and residential growth fall on the coastal LGUs. This, therefore, necessitates the creation of more land for economic activities through reclamation developments along the coastal areas of Manila Bay. The Pasay City reclamation project, near the SM Mall of Asia complex, can produce millions of square meters of additional buildable and developable space. This could translate to millions of square meters of building gross floor area, based on the existing buildable vis-a-vis to open space/public area ratio. The additional millions of open meters of building gross floor area can be allocated to tourism, office, residential, commercial and other non-industrial mixed uses. (To be continued) The post Tale of two cities appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Malunggay ice cream for lactating mothers
As mothers dive into breastfeeding, this path is filled with triumphant moments and challenges. They’re not alone on this journey as Fog City Creamery offers a delicious helping hand -- lactation ice cream with malunggay. UNICEF Philippines’ 2017 data highlights the importance of early breastfeeding initiation, with an encouraging 57 percent of infants being breastfed within the first hour after birth. This initial support is crucial for both mothers and babies. However, the numbers dip to around 34 percent for continued exclusive breastfeeding from zero to six months. This disparity underscores many mothers’ challenges in maintaining exclusive breastfeeding, such as managing low milk supply and work demands. “We partnered with Vpharma and used its Mega -Malunggay and Herbilogy products to formulate our lactation ice cream flavors, enriched with galactagogues, such as fenugreek, oats, malunggay and malt, to enhance milk production, and achieve breastfeeding goals,” Edy Gamboa-Liu, managing director of Fog City Creamery, said. Beyond nourishment, Fog City Creamery’s lactation ice cream is a gesture of self-care. You are taking a moment for yourself amidst the beautiful chaos of motherhood, as every spoonful is a celebration of your dedication to your baby and a tribute to the incredible bond you’re building through breastfeeding. Fog City Creamery’s lactation ice cream flavors are Mega-Malunggay, Herbilogy Breastfeeding Milk Tea and Herbilogy Choco Malt Oat Praline with Fenugreek. These are available at P1 Power Plant Mall in Makati City or by order via 0917 883 3344 or fogcitycreamery@gmail.com. The post Malunggay ice cream for lactating mothers appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
‘Ravishing, irresistible’: ‘Here Lies Love’ opens to solid reviews
Here Lies Love, the groundbreaking musical about former First Lady Imelda Marcos, officially opened on Broadway on Thursday night, 20 July, with an all-Filipino cast led by Tony-winning actor Lea Salonga and a guest list headed by Filipino-American entertainers H.E.R. and Jo Koy, who are among the show’s producers. Giselle Tongi, a known actress in the Philippines before migrating to the United States, is also a co-producer who functions as community/cultural liaison. She was joined at the event by other celebrities of Filipino descent, including actress Tia Carrere, fashion designer Josie Natori and drag performer Manila Luzon. There were also Hollywood figures, such as actors Drew Barrymore and Daniel Dae Kim, comedian-TV host Stephen Colbert, filmmaker Spike Lee, singer-songwriter Shoshana Bean and hairstylist Frederic Fekkai. [gallery size="full" ids="161929,161926,161931"] Philippine-based actors Yassi Pressman and Mark Bautista, plus Liza Soberano, who’s trying her luck in the United States, were in attendance, too, along with fashion photographer BJ Pascual and model-host Joey Mead.The show has received mostly raves so far. Charles Isherwood of The Wall Street Journal praised “the irresistible score” that is “like nothing else on Broadway,” a sentiment shared by Peter Marks of the Washington Post who said the show’s “jolting tunes, melodic and insistent, send scintillating vibrations through your nervous system.” Wrote Greg Evans of Deadline: “The real pull of Here Lies Love is the staging, with a malleable performance space, an audience herded to and fro, and cast members finding perches throughout the venue.” [caption id="attachment_161930" align="aligncenter" width="720"] LEA Salonga and Manila Luzon.[/caption] Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune, meanwhile, pointed to “a couple of formidable assets. One is the Byrne-and-Slim soundscape, which is to my mind more beautiful, more exciting and more surprising than any score on Broadway last season… The second strength is director Alex Timbers’ conceptual staging.” “The groundbreaking, floor-shaking Here Lies Love makes space for itself like no Broadway show ever has,” said Adam Feldman in Time Out New York, with the “immersive production” allowing audience members to “get swept up in the shifting tides and undertows of history.” [caption id="attachment_161933" align="aligncenter" width="449"] FILMMAKER Spike Lee (middle). | PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF IG/HERE LIES LOVE[/caption] And Johnny Oleksinki of The New York Post concluded: “Even if Here Lies Love doesn’t reach the emotional highs of Evita… it’s a ravishing sensory experience unlike any other.” Here Lies Love is based on the concept album created by Scottish-American musician/songwriter/record producer David Byrne and English musician/DJ/record producer Fatboy Slim that evolved into a rock musical. It tells the story of Imelda’s rise to power and subsequent fall in the aftermath of the People Power revolution in 1986. The show premiered off-Broadway in 2013 at The Public Theater in New York City. A year later, it moved to the Royal National Theater in London, England, and then was restaged at Seattle Repertory Theater in the U.S. in 2017. Mark Bautista played the role of the late President Ferdinand Marcos in both the London and Seattle productions. In the current Broadway run, Arielle Jacobs plays Imelda and Jose Llana reprises the Ferdinand Marcos role he originated at The Public Theater. Conrad Ricamora takes on the part of Ninoy Aquino, while Lea Salonga portrays Ninoy’s mother Aurora Aquino in a limited run until 13 August. The post ‘Ravishing, irresistible’: ‘Here Lies Love’ opens to solid reviews appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Six ‘best-friends-to-lovers’ titles to watch
ICYMI: Carlo Aquino and Lovi Poe have teamed up for the very first time in a movie. In Seasons, Carlo and Lovi play long-time best friends Kurt and Charlie who decide to strike a deal to help each other find their “lifetimes.” Throw in a spontaneous road trip, a realization, that friendships may be something more beneath the surface, and a difficult predicament to complicate an already messy setup, and you get the perfect recipe for a chaotic love story. So, if you’re a fan of the trope, here are six more films on Netflix with the same theme to binge ahead of Seasons’ 7 July drop! Your Place or Mine (2023) Reese Witherspoon and Ashton Kutcher play total opposites Debbie and Peter, who, after hooking up once in 2003, become the best of friends. The two learn more about each other’s lives after swapping houses for a week and realize that what they’ve been searching for all along might just be each other. Always Be My Maybe (2019) This romantic comedy stars Ali Wong as renowned restaurateur Sasha and Randall Park as musician Marcus, estranged best friends who unexpectedly reconnect as adults. After meeting again, they embark on a journey to reignite their relationship and confront old wounds, all while struggling to adapt to each other’s lives that couldn’t be more different from another. EuroVision: The Story of Fire Saga (2020) This goofy film is about two best friends Lars (Will Ferrell) and Sigrit (Rachel McAdams) from a small Icelandic village who set out to chase their dreams of winning the EuroVision singing competition, a feat that nobody from their country has ever achieved. Tensions and buried emotions arise as they get ready for the competition of their lives, with everything unfolding against the beautiful backdrop of Scotland and Iceland. Single All The Way (2021) Keep this one in your watchlist if you’re looking for something light and fun! Single All The Way is a charming love story between best friends Peter and Nick. To pacify Peter’s family during a holiday trip to his hometown, the two pretend they’re finally in a relationship after years of things strictly platonic when, as is usual, things don’t go as planned. I’m Drunk, I Love You (2017) This film follows best friends Dio and Carson on a spontaneous trip to La Union before their college graduation as they come to terms with their feelings and secrets along the way. If you can relate, we suggest you prepare tissues (lots of it) and maybe some beers to help you tide this ultimate hugot film over. My Amanda (2021) This Piolo Pascual and Alessandra de Rossi starrer tells the story of TJ and Amanda, two best friends navigating their shared and individual experiences in arguably one of the most natural, believable best friend dynamics ever portrayed on the local screen. Get your tissues ready because this one hits hard. The post Six ‘best-friends-to-lovers’ titles to watch appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Klimt’s last portrait sets European record in £74 mn auction
The last portrait painted by Gustav Klimt was sold in London on Tuesday for £74 million ($94.3 million), setting a new European art auction record. The celebrated Austrian symbolist "Dame mit Facher" (Lady with a Fan) went under the hammer at Sotheby's. The previous auction record for an artwork sold in Europe was for Alberto Giacometti's "Walking Man I", which went for £65 million in February 2010. Described as a "beautiful, rich and alluring portrait of an unnamed woman", the portrait was found on his easel in his studio when he died unexpectedly in February 1918 aged 55. Helena Newman, from Sotheby's, said earlier it was painted during Klimt's artistic prime when he was producing some of his most famous and experimental works. "Many of those works, certainly the portraits for which he is best known, were commissions," said Newman, who is in charge of Sotheby's Europe and global head of Impressionist and Modern Art. "This, though, is something completely different -- a technical tour de force, full of boundary-pushing experimentation, as well as a heartfelt ode to absolute beauty." Other earlier record breakers include Claude Monet's "Le bassin aux nympheas" which went for £40.9 million at Christie's in London in June 2008. Last March, Rene Magritte's "L'empire des lumieres" sold for £59.4 million at Sotheby's. Klimt portraits rarely come onto the open market. Sotheby's said the only other of the same standard -- "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II" (1912) -- sold for $87.9 million at Christie's in New York in 2006. Two portraits are reported to have been sold privately for more than $100 million each. "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II", which depicts the wife of a Jewish sugar industrialist, was one of them and went for $150 million in 2017. The other, "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I", sold for $135 million in 2006 to the Neue Galerie in New York. Although the hammer price for Tuesday's Klmit sale was £74 million, the unnamed buyer will pay £85.3 million when the buyer's premium -- the standard fee charged by auction houses -- is factored in. The post Klimt’s last portrait sets European record in £74 mn auction appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Garland denies Hunter Biden probe being interfered with
US Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday denied allegations that the Justice Department interfered with an investigation of President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter. Prosecutors announced earlier this week that Hunter Biden had reached a plea deal on minor tax and gun charges with the US Attorney in his home state of Delaware. Hunter Biden is due to appear in court on 26 July after agreeing to plead guilty to two federal tax charges and admitting to illegally possessing a gun despite having a history of drug use. A whistleblower from the Internal Revenue Service alleged in testimony before the Republican-led House Ways and Means Committee released this week that the Justice Department headed by Garland had slowed the probe into Hunter Biden. Garland, in remarks to reporters on Friday, noted that the US Attorney in Delaware, David Weiss, had been appointed by former President Donald Trump, a Republican. Garland said he personally had given Weiss the authority to continue his investigation into Hunter Biden and “prosecute any way in which he wanted to.” Joe Biden’s son is also facing one count of illegal possession of a firearm. “I don’t know how it would be possible for anybody to block him from bringing a prosecution given that he has this authority,” the attorney general said. “He was given complete authority to make all decisions on his own.” Hunter Biden, 53, is the only surviving child of Joe Biden’s first marriage, which tragically ended in 1972 when his wife and baby daughter were killed in a car accident. Hunter Biden’s business dealings, especially during the time his father was vice president, have been a major target of Joe Biden’s political opponents, and continue to be probed by congressional Republicans. Hunter Biden became a regular focus of Trump’s attacks ahead of the November 2020 presidential election for his work in Ukraine and China. In his memoir, “Beautiful Things,” Hunter Biden insisted he has never done anything unethical and dismissed allegations that he displayed a lack of judgment by accepting a lucrative position on the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma while his father was Barack Obama’s vice president. Under the plea agreement, Hunter Biden is unlikely to face prison time but will be sentenced to probation. According to the charges, Hunter Biden, a Yale-trained lawyer and lobbyist, failed to file his tax returns on time on earnings of more than $1.5 million for 2017 and 2018. In both years, he owed more than $100,000 in taxes on those earnings. Hunter Biden is also facing one count of “possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance.” Hunter Biden has admitted having drug problems in the past and detailed his struggles with crack cocaine in his 2021 memoir, released months after his father took office. Hunter Biden and his wife attended a state dinner at the White House on Thursday for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Asked about his attendance at the event, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said “it is not uncommon for family members to attend events at the White House.” The post Garland denies Hunter Biden probe being interfered with appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
SEA GAMES: The silver that glittered like gold
When the editorial staff of ABS-CBN Sports was tasked to come up with our most memorable coverage, it didn’t take long for this writer to respond. The Philippine men’s volleyball team’s Southeast Asian Games semifinal match was the first thing that came to mind. Pesonally, that game against the highly-fancied Thailand squad topped all the countless volleyball matches that I’ve covered in my career. I’m at a loss for words on how to describe the emotions I felt that chilly night of December 8, 2019. Around 6,700 fans filled the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City not knowing that what they were about to witness was something historic. A magical night that would take away the frustrations they felt the day before when the more popular women’s team finished the preliminary round winless. For us sportswriters covering that assignment, we knew the Filipinos were up for a tough ride. Thailand ruled the last four editions of the event. On the other hand, the Philippines’ last significant outing in the biennial meet was a bronze medal finish back in 1991 – or when the current national team’s oldest member, setter Jessie Lopez was just five-years old. Did we doubt our own team? Let’s just say we prayed to the high heavens to give us something positive to write about. But don’t get us wrong. Those who followed the formation and preparation of the squad knew it would yield results come the SEA Games. After all, in all three batches of the Nationals that participated in the regional sports meet since 2015, this particular team had the longest time to prepare – around eight months to be exact. The team’s composition itself looked really promising. For the first time, two of country’s best hitters in Marck Espejo and Bryan Bagunas, who both have experience playing in the Japan V. League, donned the tricolors together. Espejo returned after skipping the 2017 edition so did his teammates in the 2015 squad Rex Intal and setter Ish Polvorosa. Bagunas was on his second tour of duty along with team captain John Vic De Guzman, Mark Alfafara, RanRan Abdilla and libero Jack Kalingking. Head coach Dante Alinsunurin, who was appointed to handle the team after Oliver Almadro and Sammy Acaylar in 2015 and 2017, respectively, tapped an old hand in Lopez and injected young bloods in playmaker Owa Retamar, Jau Umandal, Kim Malabunga, Ricky Marcos and Francis Saura. As part of their buildup the Nationals joined the Thailand Open Sealect Tuna Championship July last year. The Filipinos achieved a great feat when they won bronze. Fans were able to witness the Nationals’ campaign via YouTube streaming while we volleyball writers, got to file our full stories through the help of De Guzman and Bagunas (God bless their beautiful hearts) who supplied us with game stats and granted postgame interviews. It’s just a shame I never got to cover the team’s training in Japan when the Nationals’ preparation went on full throttle. (Note: A little confusion in the training camp coverage assignments had me flying to Japan with the women’s squad and Lance Agcaoili of Spin.ph joining the men’s team. But it was a great experience, nonetheless, and I’m grateful for Larong Volleyball sa Pilipinas, Inc. for the opportunity.) I was as confused as the other sportswriters present during the draw for the group stage a couple of months before the SEA Games when Alinsunurin chose to join the four-team bracket with Indonesia, Vietnam and Cambodia. Those three teams are considered contenders every SEA Games edition. And earning a semifinal spot would be harder compared to the other group composed of Thailand, Myanmar and Singapore. Fortunately, the gamble was worth it. Espejo and Bagunas were superb offensively, Malabunga and Retamar made their presence felt and the Nationals’ blocking shocked Cambodia and Vietnam as the Filipinos swept them both to secure a semis seat. Then came the steamrolling Indonesians. Honestly, I thought the Nationals would sweep their way to the group’s top seeding. That way the PHI’s would've avoided a semis clash with Thailand. Forced to take on the defending champions, the Filipinos found themselves down in the first set. They got back in the second frame before yielding the third. And when the Thais came to match point, 24-21, in the fourth we all thought it was over. Fans were slowly emptying the bleachers not wanting to see the impending defeat. I was already waiting for the final score. Ready break the result. Then a miracle happened. The Nationals nibbled on the Thais' lead to force a deuce. After another deadlock, the Filipinos stole the set. The fifth frame was classic story of ‘who wants it more will win.’ An extended set made it even more dramatic. I vividly remember that sequence when Bagunas hammered the game-clinching kill off a lob from Lopez. After that all that I can recall was me pumping my fist up in the air and slapping the hardest high-fives I ever did with those inside the press room while howling like a madman. The national team assured itself of a silver after 42 years. A silver after four freaking decades. They did it. Of course, the Indonesians bullied their way to winning the gold medal in a sweep of the inexperienced Filipinos. But who cares, the host team exceeded its podium expectations. That silver that glittered like gold made that coverage truly memorable. But it never crossed my mind that it would be the last important volleyball event that I will get to report. (Note: It would’ve been the UAAP if not for the health crisis that put all sporting events to a halt. Sad.) And that’s why I ended up writing these last few paragraphs. A farewell from this section. From my first article for this website back on December 1, 2014 – a post-mortem of Petron’s breakthrough title in the Philippine Superliga Grand Prix – to my last published story, these were all written with only one thing in mind: in the service of the Filipino sports fan worldwide. Our run may have not been perfect, of course, we had our flaws. We had our fair share of criticisms from fans, athletes, sports personalities and sometimes even from our partner leagues and properties. We accepted our shortcomings. We tried to be better. But we are proud of what we did. We take pride with how we delivered sports stories through various digital executions that showcased sports beyond the confines of competition. On midnight of September 1 while most of you lay sound asleep, deep in slumber, hopefully, having a good dream and hours away from waking up looking forward to a better day, this website will be snapped out of existence. More than half a decade of sharing stories to the Filipino sports fan will be seeing its last presence online on Monday – a holiday to celebrate the nation’s heroes. This website will then hear its final buzzer, its final whistle. Thousands of articles – written with passion, dedication and love – will be taken down as this website goes offline together with majority of ABS-CBN Sports’ social media accounts. But soon, hopefully, it will once again see the light of day. We do hope that you will remember us, for we will remember all of you who made us your Kapamilya. -- 30 -- --- Follow this writer on Twitter, @fromtheriles Mark Escarlote has served as a sub-section editor for ABS-CBN Sports' website since 2014. He is among thousands of ABS-CBN employees who will be retrenched on August 31, 2020. .....»»
SEA GAMES: The silver that glittered like gold
When the editorial staff of ABS-CBN Sports was tasked to come up with our most memorable coverage, it didn’t take long for this writer to respond. The Philippine men’s volleyball team’s Southeast Asian Games semifinal match was the first thing that came to mind. Pesonally, that game against the highly-fancied Thailand squad topped all the countless volleyball matches that I’ve covered in my career. I’m at a loss for words on how to describe the emotions I felt that chilly night of December 8, 2019. Around 6,700 fans filled the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City not knowing that what they were about to witness was something historic. A magical night that would take away the frustrations they felt the day before when the more popular women’s team finished the preliminary round winless. For us sportswriters covering that assignment, we knew the Filipinos were up for a tough ride. Thailand ruled the last four editions of the event. On the other hand, the Philippines’ last significant outing in the biennial meet was a bronze medal finish back in 1991 – or when the current national team’s oldest member, setter Jessie Lopez was just five-years old. Did we doubt our own team? Let’s just say we prayed to the high heavens to give us something positive to write about. But don’t get us wrong. Those who followed the formation and preparation of the squad knew it would yield results come the SEA Games. After all, in all three batches of the Nationals that participated in the regional sports meet since 2015, this particular team had the longest time to prepare – around eight months to be exact. The team’s composition itself looked really promising. For the first time, two of country’s best hitters in Marck Espejo and Bryan Bagunas, who both have experience playing in the Japan V. League, donned the tricolors together. Espejo returned after skipping the 2017 edition so did his teammates in the 2015 squad Rex Intal and setter Ish Polvorosa. Bagunas was on his second tour of duty along with team captain John Vic De Guzman, Mark Alfafara, RanRan Abdilla and libero Jack Kalingking. Head coach Dante Alinsunurin, who was appointed to handle the team after Oliver Almadro and Sammy Acaylar in 2015 and 2017, respectively, tapped an old hand in Lopez and injected young bloods in playmaker Owa Retamar, Jau Umandal, Kim Malabunga, Ricky Marcos and Francis Saura. As part of their buildup the Nationals joined the Thailand Open Sealect Tuna Championship July last year. The Filipinos achieved a great feat when they won bronze. Fans were able to witness the Nationals’ campaign via YouTube streaming while we volleyball writers, got to file our full stories through the help of De Guzman and Bagunas (God bless their beautiful hearts) who supplied us with game stats and granted postgame interviews. It’s just a shame I never got to cover the team’s training in Japan when the Nationals’ preparation went on full throttle. (Note: A little confusion in the training camp coverage assignments had me flying to Japan with the women’s squad and Lance Agcaoili of Spin.ph joining the men’s team. But it was a great experience, nonetheless, and I’m grateful for Larong Volleyball sa Pilipinas, Inc. for the opportunity.) I was as confused as the other sportswriters present during the draw for the group stage a couple of months before the SEA Games when Alinsunurin chose to join the four-team bracket with Indonesia, Vietnam and Cambodia. Those three teams are considered contenders every SEA Games edition. And earning a semifinal spot would be harder compared to the other group composed of Thailand, Myanmar and Singapore. Fortunately, the gamble was worth it. Espejo and Bagunas were superb offensively, Malabunga and Retamar made their presence felt and the Nationals’ blocking shocked Cambodia and Vietnam as the Filipinos swept them both to secure a semis seat. Then came the steamrolling Indonesians. Honestly, I thought the Nationals would sweep their way to the group’s top seeding. That way the PHI’s would've avoided a semis clash with Thailand. Forced to take on the defending champions, the Filipinos found themselves down in the first set. They got back in the second frame before yielding the third. And when the Thais came to match point, 24-21, in the fourth we all thought it was over. Fans were slowly emptying the bleachers not wanting to see the impending defeat. I was already waiting for the final score. Ready break the result. Then a miracle happened. The Nationals nibbled on the Thais' lead to force a deuce. After another deadlock, the Filipinos stole the set. The fifth frame was classic story of ‘who wants it more will win.’ An extended set made it even more dramatic. I vividly remember that sequence when Bagunas hammered the game-clinching kill off a lob from Lopez. After that all that I can recall was me pumping my fist up in the air and slapping the hardest high-fives I ever did with those inside the press room while howling like a madman. The national team assured itself of a silver after 42 years. A silver after four freaking decades. They did it. Of course, the Indonesians bullied their way to winning the gold medal in a sweep of the inexperienced Filipinos. But who cares, the host team exceeded its podium expectations. That silver that glittered like gold made that coverage truly memorable. But it never crossed my mind that it would be the last important volleyball event that I will get to report. (Note: It would’ve been the UAAP if not for the health crisis that put all sporting events to a halt. Sad.) And that’s why I ended up writing these last few paragraphs. A farewell from this section. From my first article for this website back on December 1, 2014 – a post-mortem of Petron’s breakthrough title in the Philippine Superliga Grand Prix – to my last published story, these were all written with only one thing in mind: in the service of the Filipino sports fan worldwide. Our run may have not been perfect, of course, we had our flaws. We had our fair share of criticisms from fans, athletes, sports personalities and sometimes even from our partner leagues and properties. We accepted our shortcomings. We tried to be better. But we are proud of what we did. We take pride with how we delivered sports stories through various digital executions that showcased sports beyond the confines of competition. On midnight of September 1 while most of you lay sound asleep, deep in slumber, hopefully, having a good dream and hours away from waking up looking forward to a better day, this website will be snapped out of existence. More than half a decade of sharing stories to the Filipino sports fan will be seeing its last presence online on Monday – a holiday to celebrate the nation’s heroes. This website will then hear its final buzzer, its final whistle. Thousands of articles – written with passion, dedication and love – will be taken down as this website goes offline together with majority of ABS-CBN Sports’ social media accounts. But soon, hopefully, it will once again see the light of day. We do hope that you will remember us, for we will remember all of you who made us your Kapamilya. -- 30 -- --- Follow this writer on Twitter, @fromtheriles Mark Escarlote has served as a sub-section editor for ABS-CBN Sports' website since 2014. He is among thousands of ABS-CBN employees who will be retrenched on August 31, 2020. .....»»
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