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Marcus Kramer: “At the Olympic Games Denis Spitsov surprised me most”
Marcus Kramer, the coach of the Russian national Cross-Country Skiing team, gave an interview to the ROC Information Service. German expert spoke about his expectations before the Olympic Games, pointed out the results, that surprised him in Pyeongchang, told about the prospects of future work with our team.
– The season is almost over. There is only one event left, the Championship of Russia, to be held in Syktyvkar from 24 March to 1 April. Will you be there?
– Of course. The Championships will stat on Saturday with the women’s and men’s sprints. I’ll come the night before. It is very interesting to watch both the athletes from the national team and the nearest reserve. The level of competition will be high. Two years ago I went to the Championship of Russia, held in Tyumen, and last year I was in Khanty-Mansiysk.
– It was announced that the Sochi 2014 Olympic champion Alexander Legkov, one of the national team leaders Sergey Ustyugov and other skiers who could not take part in the Olympic Games will participate in this competition. Among other things, you will probably want to check their mood, will you?
– Certainly. Ustyugov, did not go to the Olympic Games, was ill, did not have enough trainings before the subsequent World Cup stages and missed them. I’ll be glad to see him back in line. We’ll talk to the guys about the next season.
– And perhaps, about the more remote prospect?
– Sergey Ustyugov is young (April 8, he will turn 26), so he has to prepare for the Olympic Games in Beijing. As for the 34-year-old Legkov, it is clear that he will not be able to perform in four years, but I hope he will find motivation for another season. The World Cup in Austrian Seefeld still lies ahead, after all.
– You said you wanted to sign a new contract with the Cross Country Ski Federation of Russia? When can this possibly happen?
– We discussed the issue with the President Elena Vyalbe, the other day in Falun. It remains to agree on some details. The President wants me to continue working with the national team. I, in turn, am very motivated, because I know that Russia has a strong and promising team, which is able to show good results in the nearest future. I hope I can work with it in the following four-year period.
– Four-year period?! So far, you’ve signed one-year contracts.
– Now we are talking about an agreement for four years.
– What does your family, living in Germany, think about it?
– It always supports me. My daughter is 23. She lives an independent life. My wife knows that my job is connected with frequent business trips. It’s been going on for over 30 years, so nothing new is happening.
– You have an apartment in Moscow?
– What are you talking about? My house is in Germany. The training camps and competitions are often held in Western Europe, sometimes relatively close to my home, and then my wife, sometimes, joins me for a few days. Sometimes, though, I have to spend 4-5 weeks away from home, but that is the reverse of the job.
– In Pyeongchang, Russian skiers won eight awards – three silver and five bronze. Did you expect such a harvest?
– Of course not! When we went to Korea, I thought that maybe we would win one or two medals, but from the very beginning everything went ok. The young team fought, strived for the maximum result, the skis were well prepared and it seemed that the athletes had wings behind their backs. They felt that they were able to fight against the best and defeat them.
In addition, the guys fought for each other, and for those who stayed home. The athletes wanted to show that the Russian ski team is strong, that they succeed without doping.
– You probably dreamed of one or two medals of after they banned Ustyugov, Legkov, Vylegzhanin, Matveyev, Chekaleva and others. And before that?
– Initially, I, of course, expected more, at least five medals, as in Sochi (at home games, Russian skiers won one gold, three silver and one bronze). But I thought that for the youth team a much more humble result would be good enough.
– A year before the Olympic Games, the ROC organized a trip to the World Cup stage, held in Korea, for a group of experts of the Cross Country Ski Federation of Russia, including service staff who had the opportunity to test the snow and study the track. Was that visit useful?
– It was very useful. Then the World Cup stage in Skiathlon was won by Pyotr Sedov, a member of my group. It is a thinking guy who knows how to capture the peculiarities of the track. He told me in detail about its features, noted what to pay attention to. We also studied the sprint track.
In general, our team had a very high-quality preparation for the Olympic Games. And already in the course of preparation the service staff proved to be excellent. I was the only coach, so together with the manager Yury Charkovsky we were engaged in all daily organizational routine from morning till late night. It wasn’t easy.
– What result in Pyeongchang surprised you most?
– Bronze won by Denis Spitsov, in 15 km Freestyle. I knew that this young man showed good results at the World Cup. But the Olympic Games is a special case. Anyway, he gave me a big surprise. And then he and Bolshunov gave another pleasant surprise, taking silver in the team sprint. After all we went on risk. It was planned that Alexey Chervotkin will run in pair with Bolshunov. But after an illness he was not 100 percent ready. So I decided to put Spitsov.
Another surprise was the women’s relay team. It was important for me that not only men, but also women, perform successfully, because the results of the skiers were still quite humble. And the young girls fought against the strongest. Natalia Nepryaeva from the first stage led the race, as well as Julia Belorukova.
– Bolshunov, as well as Chervotkin, arrived in Pyeongchang after the illness, and suddenly immediately won the bronze medal in the Sprint. How can you explane that?
– The coach Yury Borodavko did a very good job. After Bolshunov and Chervotkin were left the hospital, he took them to the training camp in Seefeld, Austria, and watched them as they recovered step by step. Chervotkin arrived in Korea a few days after Bolshunov, and it was the right decision, made by Yuri. He knows what’s best for his skiers.
– You took a risk not only in determining the composition of the team sprint, but also earlier, when you included Chervotkin into the relay team. Did the risk pay off? After all Alexey did not show the best result on his stage.
– We, certainly, took the risk, because we did not know his level of preparation precisely. But I think, we did the right thing. Chervotkin was not in the best, but still in a pretty good shape. If Ustyugov and Legkov came to Pyeongchang, we would have had a choice. And in the given circumstances we had not so many opportunities.
– All country regretted that Bolshunov didn’t manage to win a distance of 50 kilometers. He made a mistake, deciding not to change the skis before the finish?
– Absolutely. He obviously thought: ‘I can escape while Niskanen is changing the skis’. Bolshunov is a young skier, who had just a few marathons in his career. His mistake is understandable. Next time he won’t make it.
– Within the last season the gap between our ski team and the national team of Norway has decreased?
– Undoubtedly. In the Nations Cup standings on the result of the World Cup stages this season Norway is the leader (both men and women). Russia is in the third place in general, but among men it is on the 2nd position. The other day in Falun I talked with the Norwegian coach Thur Arne Hetland, Olympic champion of Salt Lake City 2002. He praised our relay team and said straightly that Russia is now their main competitor.
© Олимпийский комитет России, 2002—2020


In April 1888, Associated Charities of Cincinnati invited a group of civic leaders to meet and discuss the need for a “home for incurables.” Within two and half years, a house was rented on the corner of Saunders and Bigelow Streets, and a nurse was hired at the salary of $14 per month. The opening of the Home for the Incurables was October, 1890.
Already needing more room the Home was moved to Walnut Hills in 1893. Community support and gifts increased as admissions to the home became more numerous. Less than 12 years after the home first opened its doors, the cornerstone was laid for a new Home to be built on Pogue Avenue. It would accommodate 40 residents on five acres in Hyde Park. Two more wings were added in later years. During this time the name of the Home became The Beechwood Home.
Through the years, the Board of Trustees and the community have been actively involved. Fundraising events such as bazaars, charity balls, carnivals, luncheons, and lawn fetes became popular. The Home’s endowment fund was made possible by these fund-raisers as well as by generous gifts and bequests. In 1968 when it was decided to build a new Home three feet from the existing one, these funds were sufficient to avoid borrowing.
The building standing today has been continually updated to provide efficient and comfortable living for our residents. It was designed for additional wings to be built as needed.
One hundred and twenty five years has not changed the work this home has done for those who have been given lives of tremendous challenge. Beechwood was found as and continues to be a non-profit organization which extends loving arms to those who need care regardless of race, creed, national origin or economic status. The home enters the next one hundred and twenty five years with the same spirit of selflessness which has provided refuge to its residents over the past century and with the hope that someday the need for such a facility will no longer exist.


Jul 01, 1999 Issue
Disorders of Puberty
A more recent article on disorders of puberty is available.
RICHARD D. BLONDELL, M.D., MICHAEL B. FOSTER, M.D., and KAMLESH C. DAVE, M.B.B.S., University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky
Am Fam Physician. 1999 Jul 1;60(1):209-218.
See related patient information handout on early and delayed puberty, written by the authors of this article.
Normal Development
Evaluation of Abnormal Puberty
Premature and Atypical Puberty
Delayed Sexual Development
Normal puberty begins between eight and 14 years of age in girls and between nine and 14 years of age in boys. Pubic hair distribution is used to stage puberty, along with breast size and contour in girls and testicular volume in boys. Some children experience constitutional sexual precocity, but precocity is likely to be pathologic if it occurs in very young children, if there is contrasexual development or if the sequence of normal pubertal milestones is disrupted. Delayed puberty may be constitutional, but pathologic causes should be considered. The etiology of a pubertal disorder can often be determined with the use of a focused medical history, a directed physical examination and appropriate diagnostic tests. Treatment for disorders of puberty is determined by the underlying cause.
Puberty is a process leading to physical and sexual maturation that involves the development of secondary sexual characteristics as well as growth, changes in body composition and psychosocial maturation.
Two processes contribute to the physical manifestations of puberty: adrenarche and gonadarche. Adrenarche normally occurs between six and eight years of age with increased adrenal androgen secretion; its exact biologic role is not well understood. It is accompanied by changes in pilosebaceous units, a transient growth spurt and the appearance of axillary and pubic hair in some children, but no sexual development.1 Gonadarche is initiated by the macroneurons of the hypothalamus that secrete gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) in a critical pulsatile pattern that regulates the release of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) by the anterior pituitary.2 In boys, LH stimulates testosterone production by the Leydig cells and, after spermarche, FSH supports the maturation of spermatozoa. In girls, FSH stimulates estrogen production and follicle formation and, after ovulation, LH stimulates the development of the corpus luteum.
The standard clinical system for describing normal pubertal development and its variations is the five-stage system established by Tanner and Marshall (Tables 1 and 2).3–5 Girls begin puberty with breast buds and skeletal growth, followed by the arrival of pubic hair, axillary hair and menarche. Initially, boys have testicular enlargement followed by the appearance of pubic hair, enlargement of the penis and spermarche. Skeletal and muscle growth are late events in male puberty. The age at which pubertal milestones are attained varies among the population studied and is influenced by activity level and nutritional status. Girls with low body fat (e.g., competitive athletes) may have a significant delay in menarche (up to a year or more).6
Pubertal Milestones in Girls
Tanner stage
Breasts*
Pubic hair*
Prepubertal, elevation of papilla only
Prepubertal, villus hair only
Basal: about 5.0 to 6.0 cm (2.0 to 2.4 in) per year
Adrenarche Ovarian growth
Breast bud appears under enlarged areola (11.2 years)
Sparse growth of slightly pigmented hair along the labia (11.9 years)
Accelerated: about 7.0 to 8.0 cm (2.8 to 3.2 in) per year
Clitoral enlargement Labia pigmentation Uterus enlargement
Breast tissue grows beyond areola without contour separation (12.4 years)
Hair is coarser, curled and pigmented; spreads across the pubes (12.7 years)
Peak velocity: about 8.0 cm (3.2 in) per year (12.5 years)
Axillary hair (13.1 years) Acne (13.2 years)
Projection of areola and papilla forms a secondary mound (13.1 years)
Adult-type hair but no spread to medial thigh (13.4 years)
Deceleration: < 7.0 cm (2.8 in) per year
Menarche (13.3 years) Regular menses (13.9 years)
Adult breast contour with projection of papilla only (14.5 years)
Adult-type hair with spread to medial thigh but not up linea alba (14.6 years)
Cessation at about 16 years
Adult genitalia
*—The Tanner stages of puberty in girls are based on breast size and shape and pubic hair distribution. Mean age of milestone attainment is shown in parentheses for the reference population of Marshall and Tanner. Actual age at milestone attainment may vary among individuals and among different study populations.
Information from references 3 through 5.
Photographs used with permission from Tanner JM. Growth at adolescence. 2d ed. Oxford: Blackwell, 1962.
Pubertal Milestones in Boys
Genitalia*
Prepubertal Testes: < 2.5 cm (1.0 in)
Adrenarche
Thinning and reddening of scrotum (11.9 years) Testes: 2.5 to 3.2 cm (1.0 to 1.28 in)
Sparse growth of slightly pigmented hair at base of penis (12.3 years)
Decrease in total body fat
Growth of penis, especially length (13.2 years) Testes: 3.3 to 4.0 cm (1.32 to 1.6 in)
Thicker, curlier hair spreads to the mons pubis (13.9 years)
Gynecomastia (13.2 years) Voice break (13.5 years) Muscle mass increase
Growth of penis and glands, darkening of scrotum (14.3 years) Testes: 4.1 to 4.5 cm (1.64 to 1.8 in)
Peak velocity: about 10.0 cm (4.0 in) per year (13.8 years)
Axillary hair (14.0 years) Voice change (14.1 years) Acne (14.3 years)
Adult genitalia (15.1 years) Testes: > 4.5 cm (1.8 in)
Adult-type hair with spread to medial thighs but not up linea alba (15.3 years)
Deceleration and cessation (about 17 years)
Facial hair (14.9 years) Muscle mass continues to increase after Stage 5
* —The Tanner stages of puberty in boys are based on the development of the genitalia and pubic hair distribution. Mean age of milestone attainment is shown in parentheses for the reference population of Marshall and Tanner. Actual age at milestone attainment may vary among individuals and among different study populations.
The goal of the initial assessment of children with abnormal puberty is to distinguish children with benign constitutional causes for the abnormality from those with pathologic causes. A focused medical history, a directed physical examination, assessment using a complete growth chart and a radiograph of the left wrist to establish bone age can often help the physician make this distinction.
The history should focus on the child's previous growth and development and the precise timing and sequence of the physical milestones and behavior changes of puberty. A history of medical or surgical treatment may provide clues to an underlying pathologic condition. A detailed dietary history should be obtained in underweight children with delayed puberty. The family history may reveal important information about a familial pattern of precocious or delayed puberty, as well as evidence of genetic disease.
The physical examination should focus on the neurologic and endocrine systems. Examining the optic fundi, estimating the visual fields and evaluating the sense of smell can be helpful, but examination of the genitalia and determination of the status of the pubertal milestones is essential and should be documented for future reference. Photographs are well suited to this purpose. The detailed growth chart that begins at birth is used to estimate the annual growth rate (centimeters [inches] per year) and to determine if and when a growth spurt has occurred (an abrupt increase in the annual growth rate). A radiograph of the left wrist is used to estimate physiologic age for comparison with the child's chronologic age.
The information obtained from this initial assessment is used to classify patients into groups (Figures 1 and 2) for additional assessment and treatment.
View/Print Figure
An approach to the child presenting with premature or atypical puberty. (FSH = follicle-stimulating hormone; LH = luteinizing hormone; TSH = thyroid-stimulating hormone; hCG = human chorionic gonadotropin; GnRH = gonadotropin-releasing hormone; MRI = magnetic resonance imaging; CNS = central nervous system)
An approach to the child presenting with delayed puberty. (FSH = follicle-stimulating hormone; LH = luteinizing hormone; GnRH = gonadotropin-releasing hormone; MRI = magnetic resonance imaging; CNS = central nervous system; TB = tuberculosis)
If the initial assessment is unremarkable, the patient is likely to have a constitutional, central cause for premature puberty. Sometimes pathologic central causes produce premature puberty with normal sequences of milestones, giving the impression of benign causes, and variations of normal puberty may mimic pathologic puberty. Pathologic causes are likely if sexual development occurs in very young children or if there is contrasexual development (e.g., virilization of girls, feminization of boys). Peripheral causes are always pathologic and tend to produce an atypical puberty with loss of synchronicity of pubertal milestones (e.g., penile enlargement without testicular enlargement, extensive pubic hair, or menarche in the absence of breast buds). Girls have a benign central cause for precocious puberty about 50 to 90 percent of the time, but about one half of all boys with early puberty have a pathologic peripheral cause. Thus, all boys with precocious puberty should undergo detailed investigation, but in girls additional investigation can be based on the clinical impression.7
Further diagnostic testing is used to confirm the initial impression of idiopathic precocious puberty, to localize the abnormality of the pathologic cause or to determine which imaging study to obtain. Tests for this purpose include serum levels of FSH and LH, estradiol, testosterone, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), thyroxine (T4) and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). A cost comparison is summarized in Table 3. If a central pathologic cause is suspected after hormone measurements are obtained, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain and pituitary gland, a GnRH stimulation test, or both, may be indicated. The GnRH stimulation test is performed by administering 100 μg of GnRH either intravenously or subcutaneously after overnight fasting.8 Serum levels of FSH and LH are measured at baseline just before the injection and at 15, 30, 45 and 60 minutes after the injection. Test interpretation is controversial, and the pattern of increases of FSH and LH vary with the stage of puberty, but if the patient has central precocious puberty, the hypothalamic-pituitary axis will have been activated, and a two- to threefold rise in FSH and LH will be observed.
Cost Comparison of Tests Used to Evaluate Patients with Abnormal Puberty
Test/profile
Cost*
FSH/LH
hCG, beta subunit (quantitative)
Thyroid panel (TSH, T4, T3, uptake)
GnRH
FSH = follicle-stimulating hormone; LH = luteinizing hormone; TSH = thyroid-stimulating hormone; T4 = thyroxine; T3 = triiodothyronine; hCG = human chorionic gonadotropin; GnRH = gonadotropin-releasing hormone.
*—Costs are examples from a major national laboratory, rounded to the nearest dollar.
If a peripheral cause is suspected from the initial clinical assessment or by the pattern of hormone levels, high-resolution ultrasonographic images of the ovaries or computed tomographic images of the adrenal glands are indicated, depending on the clinical impression. Measurement of serum levels of 17-hydroxyprogesterone and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is advised, especially in girls with virilization.
Some children cannot be easily placed in a diagnostic category even after extensive evaluation. When treatment is necessary, it is directed at the underlying cause. Parental and patient anxiety is common when sexual development is abnormal. Such anxiety should be managed with reassurance and a supportive demeanor. Children with premature sexual development are at risk for psychopathology9 and sexual abuse,10 and may benefit from psychotherapy.
Benign Premature Adrenarche. This is a self-limited condition occurring before six years of age that is characterized by the appearance of pubic and, occasionally, axillary hair, increased sebaceous activity and adult-type body odor but no sexual development. These children have statistically normal growth patterns and chronologically appropriate bone age but may be tall compared with other family members. A modest elevation of serum DHEA to the range found normally in early puberty is characteristic.11 However, other adrenal steroid hormone levels are normal, and sex hormone levels are in the prepubertal range. An adrenocorticotropic (ACTH) stimulation test is used to exclude late-onset congenital adrenal hyperplasia.12 The GnRH test demonstrates a prepubertal pattern, and imaging studies are normal. No treatment other than reassurance is required.
Benign Premature Thelarche. This condition can occur in girls as young as 18 months and is characterized by premature limited breast development without progression to a mature breast contour. Other signs of puberty do not occur, and the growth rate is prepubertal, with a bone age appropriate for chronologic age. Levels of gonadotropins and estradiol are normal, and ultrasound images of the ovaries are unremarkable. The condition usually resolves spontaneously and requires no treatment. A biopsy of the breast tissue should not be obtained because it is the anatomic equivalent of a partial mastectomy, and subsequent breast development will be altered.
Benign Premature Menarche. This is a rare and poorly understood disorder similar to benign premature thelarche and is thought to be due to transient ovarian activity that is self-limited. Some cases may be attributed to exposure to exogenous estrogens of either a medical (such as oral contraceptives) or an agricultural origin.13 Observation and repeated evaluation constitute an appropriate strategy unless another diagnosis is suspected.
Benign Gynecomastia of Adolescence. This is a nearly universal finding among boys in middle to late puberty.14 The breast tissue is usually asymmetric and often tender. If the history and physical examination, including palpation of the testicles, are unremarkable, reassurance and periodic reevaluation are all that is necessary. Most cases resolve in one to two years.
Familial gynecomastia is a fairly common heterogenous disorder transmitted as an X-linked recessive trait or a sex-limited dominant trait causing limited breast development around the time of puberty. It requires no further evaluation in an otherwise normal boy unless associated with hypogonadism.15 Those with severe gynecomastia may require cosmetic surgery.
Pathologic gynecomastia occurs in cases of Klinefelter's syndrome and prolactin-secreting adenomata, and in response to a wide variety of drugs (e.g., marijuana, phenothiazines).
Constitutional and Idiopathic Precocious Puberty. Children with these conditions have premature but otherwise normal-appearing pubertal development. Girls develop breasts and have an early growth spurt with a radiographic bone age in excess of their chronologic age. This causes them to be taller than their peers, but epiphyseal closure occurs early and they mature into short adults. Boys have testicles that are enlarged symmetrically without masses. These children have pubertal levels of FSH, LH and sex hormones, and a pubertal response to the GnRH stimulation test. Thyroid and adrenal hormone levels are normal, as are diagnostic images of the brain, pituitary gland, adrenals and ovaries.
The goal of medical treatment is to return the patient to a prepubertal pattern of growth and development, which is accomplished with the use of one of the GnRH analogs, such as long-acting injectable leuprolide (Lupron) or short-acting intranasal nafarelin (Synarel). These agents desensitize the anterior pituitary gland to the normal pulsatile stimulation of hypothalamic GnRH. Release of FSH and LH by the anterior pituitary may increase initially but, over time (up to three months), release of FSH and LH is suppressed.16 In turn, production of sex hormones declines. Although individual responses vary, therapy offers the greatest advantage for children in whom puberty begins at a very early age, those who demonstrate rapidly accelerating bone age, and those with lower genetic height potential.17
Central Nervous System and Pituitary Lesions. These conditions may cause a clinical picture similar to idiopathic precocious puberty but may be associated with neurologic problems (e.g., visual field defects). Newer, high-resolution MRI techniques may be identifying pituitary or central nervous system lesions that were previously undetectable, resulting in a decline in “idiopathic” cases. Treatment varies with the type of lesion involved.
Gonadotropin-Secreting Tumors. These tumors are uncommon but typically secrete the 3 subunit of hCG or, in rare cases, the β subunit. In boys, this produces a clinical syndrome of incomplete precocious puberty. Girls do not demonstrate premature sexual development from hCG alone; FSH priming is required for estradiol production by the ovaries. Tumors that secrete hCG include hepatomas or hepatoblastomas; teratomas or chorioepitheliomas of the gonads, mediastinum, retroperitoneum or pineal gland; and germinomas of the pineal gland.9 FSH-and LH-secreting tumors are rare. The treatment is usually surgical.
Peripheral Precocious Puberty. This disorder usually produces a clinical picture of incomplete puberty in which some of the milestones of puberty do not appear or fail to achieve the usual synchronicity. Development occurs despite low or prepubertal levels of FSH and LH. Ovarian or adrenal androgens may produce virilization in girls. Clinical investigation may identify the type and source of sex hormone stimulation (Figure 1). Treatment depends on the etiology.
McCune-Albright Syndrome. Patients with this disorder present with the classic triad of polyostotic fibrous dysplasia, café au lait spots and precocious puberty.18 It appears to be a heterogeneous syndrome with multiple types of inheritance patterns and may be associated with hyperthyroidism or Cushing's syndrome. Treatment includes medical and orthopedic management.
Exogenous Sex Hormones. Ingestion of sex hormones by prepubertal children causes the development of secondary sexual features in conjunction with suppressed FSH and LH levels. Girls who take estrogens (oral contraceptives) may develop dark-brown breast areolae that are not usually associated with endogenous types of precocious puberty, and those who have not begun natural puberty will lack pubic hair. Boys taking androgens will have prepubertal-sized testicles. In one survey, 7 percent of male high school seniors were found to have used anabolic steroids, most before 16 years of age.19 Metabolites of the exogenous hormones may be recovered from the urine.
Contrasexual Development. Some form of hyperandrogenism, functional or pathologic, must be considered in any girl with premature or excessive pubic hair. The most common causes are nonclassic adrenal hyperplasia, premature or exaggerated adrenarche in peripubertal girls, and polycystic ovaries in older girls. Hirsutism may be idiopathic or familial, but it also may be produced by some oral contraceptives.20 However, when signs of virilization (e.g., clitoromegaly, increased muscle mass) accompany signs of defeminization (e.g., loss of female contours and breast mass), the cause is always pathologic, and ovarian or adrenal tumors, Cushing's syndrome, hyperprolactinemia, acromegaly, exogenous androgens or abnormalities of androgen action or metabolism must be considered.21 In boys, contrasexual development may be caused by rare, estrogen-secreting adrenal tumors.
A diagnosis should be sought for all children with delayed sexual development, which is usually associated with short stature. In girls, delayed sexual development is defined as lack of any breast development by 14 years of age or when more than five years pass between initial growth of breast tissue and menarche. Girls who develop secondary sexual characteristics but fail to achieve menarche by 16 years of age should be evaluated for primary amenorrhea. In boys, delayed sexual development is defined as no testicular enlargement by 14 years of age or the passing of five years between the initial and complete development of the genitalia. Patients with delayed puberty may be classified into one of three groups (Figure 2), based on the initial clinical assessment: (1) those who appear otherwise normal; (2) those who have the stigma of a chromosomal abnormality; and (3) those who appear to have some type of chronic disease.
Additional testing will be determined by the initial clinical assessment and suspected etiology. Routine diagnostic laboratory profiles might yield important information if an ill-defined chronic disease is suspected. If a hormone abnormality is suspected, determination of the serum levels of TSH, T4, FSH, LH and prolactin is usually indicated, and a GnRH stimulation test will be useful. MRI scanning of the brain and pituitary gland is indicated if an abnormality of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis is suspected. Since not every adolescent with chromosomal abnormalities will have the classic clinical features, a chromosome analysis should be considered, especially in short girls with delayed puberty.
The differential diagnosis of delayed puberty is extensive, but most children who do not have an underlying chronic disease will be found to have a constitutional delay, some form of hypopituitarism, or gonadal failure associated with a sex chromosome abnormality.
Constitutional Delay. Puberty can be delayed in otherwise healthy children. Typically these children have a normal length and weight at birth and appear to grow normally for a few years but then fall below the fifth percentile on standard growth curves, at which time growth velocity returns to a normal rate and continues along a low percentile curve. They demonstrate prepubertal levels of FSH, LH and estradiol or testosterone. Since the GnRH stimulation test shows a prepubertal response, it is difficult to distinguish this condition from a pathologic gonadotropin deficiency unless a structural or biochemical abnormality of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis is found. Spontaneous puberty occurs, allowing the child to become a normal adult. Because of this clinical course, treatment is controversial.
Some authorities recommend continued observation as the only therapy, while others recommend induction of puberty with sex steroids.22 Puberty may also be delayed in children who are elite athletes involved in extensive training, those who have an eating disorder and those who are malnourished.
Hypopituitarism. This condition is caused by a variety of diseases that affect the hypothalamic-pituitary axis.23 Depending on the endocrine functions affected, children may present with growth failure, secondary hypothyroidism, adrenal insufficiency and diabetes insipidus, as well as delayed puberty. Kallmann's syndrome is associated with anosmia or hyposmia, and hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. Treatment is directed at the underlying cause and includes initiation of hormone replacement therapy.
Chromosomal Abnormalities. These abnormalities may be associated with delayed puberty. In girls, the most common is Turner's syndrome (about one case in 3,000 live female births). In these cases, patients may present with only growth failure and pubertal delay, or with the more pathognomonic features of this disorder: inner canthal folds with ptosis, a short webbed neck and a “shield chest” with widely spaced nipples.24 In boys, the most common abnormality is Klinefelter's syndrome (about one case in 700 live male births); patients typically are tall, with a eunuchoid body (i.e., long legs and relatively short arms, a height:arm-span ratio greater than 1.0). The testes are small but firm, and gynecomastia is often present.25 Other syndromes (e.g., Noonan's syndrome) can also be associated with delayed puberty.
Many physical and biochemical problems associated with disorders of puberty may be successfully treated. Puberty is an arduous process for adolescents when normal, but it is more difficult in children with aberrant puberty. These children benefit from management by a knowledgeable and sensitive clinician. Psychotherapy can play an important role in assisting these patients as they develop physically and emotionally.
RICHARD D. BLONDELL, M.D., is a professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Ky. Dr. Blondell received his medical degree from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, N.Y., and completed a residency in family practice at the University of Louisville School of Medicine....
MICHAEL B. FOSTER, M.D., is an associate professor of pediatrics, director of the Division of Endocrinology in the Department of Pediatrics, and assistant dean for admissions and students at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Memphis, College of Medicine, he completed a residency in pediatrics at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, and a fellowship in pediatric endocrinology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine.
KAMLESH C. DAVE, M.B.B.S., graduated from B.J. Medical College of Gujakat University, Ahmedabad, India, and completed a residency in family practice at the University of Louisville School of Medicine.
Address correspondence to Richard D. Blondell, M.D., University of Louisville Department of Family and Community Medicine, Suite 690, 201 Abraham Flexner Way, Louisville, KY 40202. Reprints are not available from the authors.
The authors thank Margaret Pentecost, Murphy Shields and Deena Staples for helping in the preparation of the manuscript.
1. Parker LN. Adrenarche. Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am. 1991;20:71–83....
2. Foster MB. Aberrant puberty. Obstet Gynecol Clin North Am. 1992;19:59–70.
3. Tanner JM. Growth at adolescence. 2d ed. Oxford: Blackwell, 1962.
4. Marshall WA, Tanner JM. Variations in pattern of pubertal changes in girls. Arch Dis Child. 1969;44:291–303.
5. Marshall WA, Tanner JM. Variations in the pattern of pubertal changes in boys. Arch Dis Child. 1970;45:13–23.
6. Warren MP, Shangold MM. Sports gynecology: problems and care of the athletic female. Cambridge, Mass.: Blackwell, 1997:13–25.
7. Bridges NA, Christopher JA, Hindmarsh PC, Brook CG. Sexual precocity: sex incidence and aetiology. Arch Dis Child. 1994;70:116–8.
8. Reiter EO, Kaplan SL, Conte FA, Grumbach MM. Responsivity of pituitary gonadotropes to luteinizing hormone-releasing factor in idiopathic precocious puberty, precocious thelarche, precocious adrenarche, and in patients treated with medroxy-progesterone acetate. Pediatr Res. 1975;9:111–6.
9. Ehrhardt AA, Meyer-Bahlburg HF. Psychosocial aspects of precocious puberty. Horm Res. 1994;41(suppl 2):30–5.
10. Herman-Giddens ME, Sandler AD, Friedman NE. Sexual precocity in girls. An association with sexual abuse? Am J Dis Child. 1988;142:431–3.
11. Wheeler MD, Styne DM. Diagnosis and management of precocious puberty. Pediatr Clin North Am. 1990;37:1255–71.
12. Balducci R, Boscherini B, Mangiantini A, Morellini M, Toscano V. Isolated precocious pubarche: an approach. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1994;79:582–9.
13. Rosenfield RL. Puberty and its disorders in girls. Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am. 1991;20:15–42.
14. Braunstein GD. Gynecomastia. N Engl J Med. 1993;328:490–5.
15. Mahoney CP. Adolescent gynecomastia. Differential diagnosis and management. Pediatr Clin North Am. 1990;37:1389–404.
16. Wheeler MD. Update on therapy for precocious puberty. Compr Ther. 1994;20:351–5.
17. Shankar RR, Pescovitz OH. Precocious puberty. Adv Endocrinol Metab. 1995;6:55–89.
18. Mauras N, Blizzard RM. The McCune-Albright syndrome. Acta Endocrinol Suppl [Copenh]. 1986;279:207–17.
19. Buckley WE, Yesalis CE 3d, Friedl KE, Anderson WA, Streit AL, Wright JE. Estimated prevalence of anabolic steroid use among male high school seniors. JAMA. 1988;260:3441–5.
20. Kalve E, Klein JF. Evaluation of women with hirsutism. Am Fam Physician. 1996;54:117–24.
21. Rosenfield RL. Hyperandrogenism in peripubertal girls. Pediatr Clin North Am. 1990;37:1333–58.
22. Stanhope R, Albanese A, Shalet S. Delayed puberty [Editorial]. BMJ. 1992;305:790.
23. Vance ML. Hypopituitarism. N Engl J Med. 1994;330:1651–62 [Published erratum in N Engl J Med. 1994;331:487].
24. Saenger P. Turner's syndrome. N Engl J Med. 1996;335:1749–54.
25. Schwartz ID, Root AW. The Klinefelter syndrome of testicular dysgenesis. Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am. 1991;20:153–63.
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Video posted on May 29, 2016 September 5, 2016 by moviebloke
(Ireland/UK/Greece 2015)
“Now the fact that you will turn into an animal if you fail to fall in love with someone during your stay here is not something that should upset you or get you down. Just think, as an animal you’ll have a second chance to find a companion. But, even then, you must be careful; you need to choose a companion that is a similar type of animal to you. A wolf and a penguin could never live together, nor could a camel and a hippopotamus. That would be absurd.”
Every now and then, a film so wonderfully unique comes along that you just don’t know what exactly to make of it until you take some time to digest it (I took all summer to write and post this entry). The Lobster is such a film. It’s not going to appeal to everyone—it’s a dark, subtle, absurd, uncomfortable, irreverent, and totally open-ended satire of the desire to be “in a relationship.” None of this is the stuff of a summer movie, but I loved it precisely because of these qualities. So far, The Lobster is easily my favorite film I’ve seen this year—released in Europe last fall, it crossed the Atlantic just this past spring.
In the not-so-distant future in a not-so-distant society, being single is against the law. Regardless of the reason for their singularity (death of a spouse, divorce, being dumped), unattached adults must check into a certain hotel designated for singles and find a suitable match, verified and approved by the hotel manager (Olivia Colman), within 45 days. Everything is regimented with meal times, active learning exercises, forced social events, and a strict prohibition on masturbation (though one form of sex with the housekeeping staff is required). “Guests” can buy additional time by shooting “loners”—rogue outlaw singles who escaped to the woods—on daily hunting excursions that resemble Hunger Games. Those who fail to find someone before their time runs out are transformed into the animal of their choice, selected during their initial processing, and banished to the woods.
The Lobster’s protagonist, mild-mannered David (Colin Farrell), finds himself at the hotel, his brother, Bob—now a dog—in tow, after the end of his marriage. He chooses a lobster as his animal because “lobsters live for over one hundred years, are blue-blooded like aristocrats, and stay fertile all their lives.” He also likes the sea.
WARNING: Potential spoilers ahead!
The Lobster is essentially divided into two acts: the first in the hotel and the second in the woods. David connects with fellow guests the Lisping Man (John C. Reilly) and the Limping Man (Ben Wishaw). David notices that the guests there tend seek others like themselves—except for Heartless Woman (Angeliki Papoulia), an emotionless femmebot who seeks out no one but has a seemingly infinite amount of time left thanks to her ruthless archery skills. David decides to go for her, which leads him to the woods. There, he meets the Short Sighted Woman (Rachel Weisz), who is near-sighted like he is. They connect, but the militaristic Loner Leader (Léa Seydoux) forbids all romance—punishable by mutilation. “We dance alone,” she tells David as she hands him an iPod. “That’s why we only play electronic music.”
Written by Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthimis Filippou, the screenplay feels like a Chuck Palahniuk novel. The story is so bizarre and far fetched that it seems silly on paper, but proves incredibly powerful once in motion—in the same way that Being John Malkovich, another film I love that requires the same suspension of disbelief, didn’t sound like much to me before I saw it. Lanthimos has a taste for sadness and the macabre, and he liberally infuses The Lobster with both. He doesn’t take a dim view of relationships, but he notices the dim things people do to have one. The cinematography by Thimios Bakatakis is fabulously drab, with a cool, monotonous, faded color palette that creates a sense of distance and evokes a sense of resignation. Classical music plays throughout to add a kind of Clockwork Orange weirdness to the whole thing.
Despite the mood here, the story turns out to be oddly beautiful. Farrell gives one of his best performances—he drops all his rakish charm to become a colorless, big-bellied middle-aged schlub I found myself rooting for with each predicament he gets into. The inability of David and the Short Sighted Girl to express their feelings for each other is damn near heartbreaking. The entire cast is outstanding, and not a single character is superfluous. The second act is noticeably slower than the first, and perhaps could have been shorter than it is. Regardless, the momentum continues to build to a brilliantly ironic ending that comes about through David’s nearsightedness.
The Lobster doesn’t resolve in the end, which is my favorite thing about it. The viewer is left to decide what happens—and I’ve already discussed different opinions others have about whether David did, or didn’t. It’s the kind of film that lingers on in your memory and forces you think about it even though you’ll never know for sure.
Side note: the film’s website has a quiz that determines your suitable animal. Mine were an elephant, a horse (which finds pleasure in carrots, music, and oral sex), and a water bear. I chose a horse, of course.
(ArcLight) A-
http://thelobster-movie.com
Posted in 2015, A-, British, comedy, dark comedy, Greece, Greek, ireland, irish, May 2016, satire, summer 2016, UK, United Kingdom, weird	Tagged Angeliki Papoulia, Being John Malkovich, Ben Wishaw, Chuck Palahniuk, Clockwork Orange, Colin Farrell, Efthimis Filippou, Hunger Games, John C. Reilly, Léa Seydoux, Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz, The Lobster, Thimios Bakatakis, Yorgos Lanthimos	Leave a comment
Video posted on May 29, 2016 July 25, 2016 by moviebloke
Last year’s Inherent Vice disappointed me; I dug its ’70s Venice Beach vibe, but I found the story choppy and its execution ultimately lackluster—unforgivable for a film with arguably the best all-star cast in years. Little did I know walking into the theater that Shane Black’s The Nice Guys is exactly what I hoped for with Inherent Vice: an unapologetically dippy and fun action retro-comedy with stylish sets, cool clothes, and a rad soundtrack. Shallow? Maybe. But I enjoyed The Nice Guys a lot more; like old MTV, it’s a fluffy guilty pleasure.
Los Angeles, 1977: Holland March (Ryan Gosling) is a detective—the world’s worst, by his own admission—down on his luck. Amid jobs like the senile widow looking for her missing husband—his ashes are in an urn on the mantle—March is hired by the aunt (Lois Smith) of a dead porn actress, Misty Mountains (Murielle Telio); she claims her niece just visited her, and she wants him to find her. After a run-in with thug-for-hire Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe) and a trail that leads to a girl named Amelia (Margaret Qualley) and an “experimental” skin flick called How Do You Like My Car, Big Boy, March joins forces with Healy to solve a mystery that brings them right to the heart of the porn and auto industries.
The Nice Guys is a treat all around. No one thing carries this film; it’s a successful combination of multiple elements. The story and tone—a mix of the aforementioned Inherent Vice, Lethal Weapon (also by Black), and Boogie Nights with a whiff of Scooby Doo—is surprisingly cohesive, absorbing, and entertaining. Where Lethal Weapon‘s Martin and Roger are buddies, March and Healy are “frienemies:” the former is as drunkenly and sweetly inept as the latter is soberly and brutally efficient. It works; Gosling and Crowe, who looks like John Goodman these days, have a solid chemistry. It’s fun to see them both in something light, and they seem to have a good time here. I never thought of Gosling as a comedic actor, but his timing is great—my favorite scene is Healy busting into the men’s room stall on him. March gets by thanks in large part to his teenaged daughter, Holly (Angourie Rice), who serves as a voice of reason even as he corrects her grammar. Matt Bomer makes a brief, creepy, and violent cameo as John Boy, a hitman with a big mole on his face—anyone familiar with The Waltons no doubt will get the reference right away. Kim Basinger is a welcome surprise as a hard, all-business federal agent. The whole thing ends in a crazy choreograped sequence involving a film canister.
Philippe Rousselot’s cinematography is snappy, with vivid colors that shine though even during the night scenes. The Nice Guys depicts a sleazy era of Los Angeles in a cheeky, over-the-top way—a time I would have loved to have seen it. This is not a film that takes itself seriously—it seems to revel in its frivolity. Seeing it over Memorial Day weekend was a great way to kick off the summer movie season. Indulge, I say.
(ArcLight) B-
http://www.theniceguysmovie.com
Posted in 2016, action, American, B-, comedy, crime, May 2016, mystery, Seventies, summer 2016, USA, violent	Tagged Angourie Rice, Boogie Nights, How Do You Like My Car Big Boy, Inherent Vice, Kim Basinger, Lethal Weapon, Lois Smith, Margaret Qualley, Matt Bomer, MTV, Murielle Telio, Philippe Rousselot, Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling, Scooby Doo, Shane Black, The Nice Guys, The Waltons	Leave a comment
Video posted on May 15, 2016 March 9, 2017 by moviebloke
(UK/USA 1975)
“I, Robert Sabetto,
Pledge allegiance
To the lips
Of The Rocky Horror Picture Show
And to the decadence
For which it stands
One movie, under Richard O’Brien
With sensuous daydreams, erotic nightmares, and sins of the flesh for all.”
—The Rocky Pledge of Allegiance
Through high school and into college, a sure bet on a Saturday night was that two films would be playing at midnight: Pink Floyd’s The Wall and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Every. Damned. Weekend. In the case of Rocky Horror, it’s no wonder: dressing up, shouting at the screen, throwing shit around the theater, and acting and singing along to the movie is more fun than a burlesque science fiction gothic drag hoedown—essentially what it was. At some point during the ’90s, it stopped. I couldn’t resist catching Rocky Horror again with a group of friends when it played at a theater near me.
A movie version of Riff-Raff/Richard O’Brien’s stage musical, the story is silly—stupid, even: a newlywed couple, Brad Majors (Barry Bostwick) and Janet Weiss (Susan Sarandon), are forced off the road during a rainstorm. I love that Janet reads The Plain Dealer in the car. Anyway, they end up at the castle of mad scientist Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry)—he’s just a sweet transvestite from transsexual Transylvania—who’s about to unveil his newest creation that took him just seven days to make: Rocky (Peter Hinwood), a gorgeous tan man with muscles and tight gold shorts. A strange journey of an evening tinged with sexual tension, motorcycles, and music and dance ensues.
The characters and costumes are iconic, and the songs are a campy blast. Watching it this time, I picked up on a sexy overtone that I was kind of surprised to see it retains. Bostwick exudes an adorably dorky charm that I’ve always liked. It’s impossible to picture anyone but Curry as Frank-N-Furter, but Mick Jagger was after the role (http://www.broadway.com/buzz/171159/happy-birthday-dear-rocky-38-freaky-facts-about-the-rocky-horror-picture-show/). Meat Loaf makes for an interesting cast member. And who doesn’t love Magenta (Patricia Quinn)?
The Rocky Horror Picture Show bombed when it was originally released, but an astute marketing person recognized its potential in a different format—the rest is history. It’s an okay movie, but what goes along with it makes it a truly unique experience. Audience participation is a concept created here, and nothing else ever will be—or can be—quite the same.
In 2005, the United States Library of Congress deemed The Rocky Horror Picture Show “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry (https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/complete-national-film-registry-listing/).
(Music Box) C+
http://www.rockyhorror.com
Posted in 1975, American, British, C+, classic, comedy, fantasy, May 2016, musical, play, satire, science fiction, Seventies, sex, thriller, UK, United Kingdom, USA, weird	Tagged Barry Bostwick, Meat Loaf, Mick Jagger, National Film Registry, Patricia Quinn, Peter Hinwood, Pink Floyd, Richard O’Brien, Rocky Horror, Susan Sarandon, The Plain Dealer, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Wall, Tim Curry	Leave a comment
Video posted on May 5, 2016 March 9, 2017 by moviebloke
“You see us as you want to see us, in the simplest terms and the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, and a criminal. Does that answer your question?”
I’ve seen The Breakfast Club too many times to track—so many times, in fact, I can practically recite every line in order. What’s most interesting to me is personal: how volatile my view of this film has been through the years. Seeing it as a teenager in its day, I found it incredibly deep. John Hughes nailed high school social politics better than anyone, and he did it with humor and panache. I was taken aback at how accurately The Breakfast Club depicted my own adolescent perceptions, attitudes, frustrations, fears, and dreams. Seeing it in my 20s and 30s, however, I found it trite—moreso the older I got. Still, I adored its juvenile but sharp and totally quotable lines. Flipping through channels on a recent school night, I noticed that AMC was airing it—in like, five minutes. I hadn’t seen it in awhile, and I couldn’t resist the opportunity to find out what impression it would leave on me now.
The Breakfast Club is an achievement. More like a play than a movie and decidedly minimalist in plot and execution—five characters in search of an exit—it’s unlike anything else Hughes did. The plot is simple: five high school students (Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Ally Sheedy, and newcomer Judd Nelson) from different backgrounds—and more importantly, different cliques—are forced to spend a day together in close quarters for a Saturday detention. Alien and hostile toward each other, they ultimately bond over silly and not so silly stuff. Not much happens, really—there’s a hallway run that ends with Bender (Nelson) shooting hoops for a scholarsheeeeeeeeep—but that’s okay; the drama comes from the personalities of the characters and the friction and attraction between them. Unlike the plot, the statement here is anything but simple: Hughes says a boatload about stereotypes, peer pressure, conformity, rules, family, and social mores—and how we all trap others and ourselves underneath them. In a way that sort of presages Douglas Coupland’s Generation X: Tales of an Accelerated Culture, Hughes turns the “American Dream” on its head: all of these characters simultaneously embody and reject the ideal. Whether he’s hopeful for the future or not, he sees that these kids and this generation do not operate like those who came before it.
What makes The Breakfast Club work is its great ensemble cast. Even the shallow treatment of the adults (Paul Gleason as Principal Vernon and John Kapelos as janitor Carl) doesn’t take away from the film. It’s totally believable: after a deep exchange, I can’t help but think that everyone goes back to what they were doing before. Come Monday, maybe Bender dates Claire, maybe Andy dates Allison, and maybe everyone is nice to Brian—but I doubt it. A major theme here is that everyone is full of shit—even the good guys. The Breakfast Club is rooted in its time and culture (i.e., it’s very ’80s and very white middle class American), but it hits something universal. It’s also totally entertaining: it opens with a Bowie quote, has a classic theme song—”Don’t You (Forget about Me)” by Simple Minds—and is jam packed with snarky lines. What’s not to love?
A word about AMC: like a lot of cable stations, it censors “bad” words. I’m not a fan of that, but obviously it won’t stop me from watching something. That said, AMC could’ve done a better job editing here. The dubbing is horrible; apparently no attempt was made to find replacement words that even remotely match the characters mouths. Ditto for the voiceovers. The censoring often relies not on the word but the context. For example, AMC has an aversion to the word “dick” only when it refers to a penis—not when it refers to a jerk. It doesn’t like “asshole,” but “ass” is okay. It hates all forms of “shit,” replacing it with variations like “it’s the pits,” “eat slaw,” and “hogwash” (for “bullshit”). I recommend sticking with the uncut edition—foul language has a place here and something crucial is lost without it: realness.
In 2016, the United States Library of Congress deemed The Breakfast Club “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry (https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/complete-national-film-registry-listing/).
(AMC) A
Posted in 1985, A, American, comedy, drama, Dramedy, Eighties, May 2016, teenage, USA	Tagged Ally Sheedy, Anthony Michael Hall, David Bowie, Don't You (Forget about Me), Douglas Coupland, Emilio Estevez, Generation X: Tales of an Accelerated Culture, John Hughes, John Kapelos, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, National Film Registry, Paul Gleason, Simple Minds, The Breakfast Club	1 Comment
Video posted on May 4, 2016 July 25, 2016 by moviebloke
Midnight Special was hyped quite a bit. The previews were promising, so naturally my expectations were high.
A take on E.T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind and an apparent tribute to Steven Spielberg, the story is enthralling: a father (Michael Shannon) on the run with his eight-year-old son, Alton (Jaeden Lieberher), comes to the realization that his son is either the messiah or an alien—and perhaps both. Whatever the deal is, Alton’s best interests clearly are not aligned with those of his father and mother (Kirsten Dunst). What’s in store when Alton gets them to their destination in a few days—if they even make it there?
Midnight Special has its moments. The acting is good all around; but Adam Driver as Paul Sevier, a federal agent, adds a nice and much needed touch of goofy, earthy warmth to the mix. Screenwriter/director Jeff Nichols maintains a steady pace and builds momentum with a suspenseful intensity that lasts until about two-thirds of the way through, but then it all grinds to a halt. The film ultimately fizzles because it goes on too long to sustain what it starts. It doesn’t help that Lieberher turns up the creepy factor a notch higher than necessary.
Midnight Special falls short: at heart, it’s a sappy movie about parenting and learning to let go. OK, I guess, but…meh. Not my thing.
(ArcLight) C
http://www.midnightspecialmovie.com
Posted in 2016, American, C, drama, May 2016, science fiction, supernatural, suspense, USA	Tagged Adam Driver, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T., Jaeden Lieberher, Kirsten Dunst, Michael Shannon, Midnight Special, Steven Spielberg	Leave a comment
Ordinary People is exactly the kind of film I love: moody and dark with dysfunctional, even unlikeable characters and an unresolved, downright unhappy ending. Throw in a Chicago North Shore setting, two major sitcom stars, and Robert Redford as director and I’m all over it.
The plot is pretty simple: the Jarrett family is dealing with the death of Buck (Scott Doebler), the older of two teenaged boys. Younger brother Conrad (Timothy Hutton), who lived in Buck’s shadow and survived him in a boating accident, has just returned from a stint at a mental hospital. He can’t quite get back into the normal swing of things. His parents, Calvin (Donald Sutherland) and Beth (Mary Tyler Moore), are also having a tough time. Conrad sees a psychiatrist, Dr. Berger (Judd Hirsch)—whose office is somewhere on Sheridan Road—and the two work on getting him through his survivor’s guilt.
Unlike the plot, the family dynamic is complicated. Difficult. Calvin reaches out to his son and his wife, but he’s painfully awkward. His unsuccessful attempts to find common ground where they can all meet made me wince at times. Beth is in complete denial; absorbed by social events and golfing, she doesn’t seem to notice Conrad. She is incapable of understanding him or helping him heal. It’s causing the family unit to unravel. Maybe it was never strong to begin with.
Ordinary People is a quiet film that sneaks up you—you don’t see how intense it is until the credits roll. It’s chilling and haunting, something that stays with you. The writing is excellent, and the cast couldn’t be better. The drama here is not so much in what happens, but in how the characters face each other. Hutton won an Oscar for his performance (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ordinary_People), and he evokes a boatload of sympathy. However, he succeeds because of his mother: unlike her television persona, Tyler Moore is stone cold. We get a hint that her facade cracks soon after the final scene, but it’s left to our imagination. She does an amazingly powerful job here.
(Home via iTunes) A-
Posted in 1980, A-, American, drama, May 2016, USA	Tagged Donald Sutherland, Judd Hirsch, Mary Tyler Moore, Ordinary People, Robert Redford, Scott Doebler, Timothy Hutton	Leave a comment
URGH! A Music War
Man of Aran
The Leisure Seeker… on Like Crazy [La pazza gioi…
Vertigo – movi… on Vertigo
The Brady Bunch Movi… on The Brady Bunch Movie
Cheryl Cooper on The Hitman’s Bodyguard
Witness – movi… on Blade Runner: The Final C…
Exploitation Film
indian-american
japanimation


Man arrested for funding LTTE
[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 June 1998, 23:59 GMT]
An auto-rickshaw driver was arrested by the Counter Subversive Unit (CSU) of the Batticaloa police in Chinna Oorani, 4 km Northwest of Batticaloa, on Thursday around 5:00 a.m, said sources. He was charged with contributing money to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
The sources said further that the driver, Sri, had made a statement to the police on the previous day stating that persons claiming to be LTTE activists were demanding money from him.
However, he told the police that when he had informed the LTTE, they had given him an assurance that they were not responsible. The driver told the Police that the LTTE had attributed it to the work of impostors.
He was then arrested on Thursday and charged with funding the LTTE on an earlier occasion the sources added.
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=1610


DC’s Tabard Inn Seeks Landmark Status
by Nena Perry-Brown
Photo of the Tabard Inn, courtesy of landmark application. Click to enlarge.
The owner of the Tabard Inn is seeking historic landmark status for the property.
Located at 1737-1741 N Street NW (map), the buildings at the three addresses which comprise the 35-room inn were constructed from 1887 to 1900, each designed by a different architect.
Marie Willoughby Rogers bought the rowhouse at 1739 N Street NW in 1922, and by all indications, the Tabard Inn began formal operations in 1924. Rogers bought the building at 1741 in 1928, followed by the 1737 building in 1936. The application explains the significance of these houses being combined and operated commercially:
"In the early twentieth century, the property was located within an area of Dupont Circle that was known as "the Mayfair of Washington." N Street at the time was still home to some of Washington’s most prominent residents. By establishing the Tabard Inn on this important residential street Mrs. Rogers gave the Tabard Inn the prestige needed to attract patronage; however, its presence also served as a bellwether of a change in Dupont Circle’s character from a residential neighborhood to one dominated by institutional and commercial uses."
Current owner Fritzi Cohen purchased the Inn with her husband in 1974, making the hotel one of the oldest in the city to be owned and operated by a woman since its inception. The hotel's restaurant reopened in 1977 under the guidance of Margee Wright and Nora Pouillon; Pouillon owned a catering company in DC prior to the Cohen's hiring, and in 1979, she went on to open Restaurant Nora, which gained her worldwide recognition as a pioneer in organic and locally-sourced cuisine.
The Historic Preservation Review Board is expected to consider the application next month.
See other articles related to: women's history, tabard inn, landmark application, hotels, history, historic preservation review board, historic landmark, dupont circle
This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/an-application-for-historic-designation-of-the-tabard-inn/16318
Matt McHugh and Heather Davenport
Washington Fine Properties
Capital Bank Home Loans


37 Church Street, Weybridge, KT13 8DG
3,005 sq ft (279 sq m) - LET
The property comprises an attractive two storey character office building providing comfort cooled accommodation with a double height reception area to the front. The ground floor area has been partitioned to offer a number of meeting/training rooms with male, female and disabled WCs and tea station. An open staircase leads to the first floor which offers mainly open plan accommodation with a kitchen/staff room. To the front of the property is a gated forecourt providing parking for approximately 5 to 6 cars with further parking for about 8 cars to the side of the building.
First floor - 1,430 sq ft (132.90 sq m)
Ground offices - 1,360 sq ft (126.3 sq m)
Ground reception area - 250 sq ft (20 sq m)
Total - 3,005 sq ft (279.2 sq m)
Male, Female and Disabled WCs
Perimeter Trunking
Micro Raised Floor with Power Boxes
Suspended Ceilings with Recessed LG7 Lighting
Whole 3,005 sq ft (279 sq m)
Total 3,005 sq ft (279 sq m)
The property is situated on the B374 Church Street which merges into Weybridge High Street. Weybridge is an affluent town and offers an excellent range of shopping, banking and restaurant facilities. The main line railway station is approximately a 15 minute walk away offering a regular service to London Waterloo (approx 35 minute journey time). Junction 11 of the M25 is within 2 miles of the property offering direct access to Heathrow airport and the national motorway network.
The building is available to let on a new full repairing and insuring lease for a term to be agreed.
£72,500 pa excl.
We have been advised the building is elected for VAT.
Whole 3,005 sq ft
(279 sq m) £72,500 pa excl. £43,250 (both floors) £20,20,846.50 (14/15) LET
Total 3,005 sq ft
(279 sq m)
I am enquiring about 37 Church Street, Weybridge, KT13 8DG


Heat use 22-0 late run to top Hawks, 135-121 in OT
US and World Sports
by: TIM REYNOLDS, Associated Press
Posted: Dec 10, 2019 / 10:58 PM EST / Updated: Dec 11, 2019 / 12:07 AM EST
Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) controls the ball as Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2019, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
MIAMI (AP) — Trae Young figured the game was over.
Turns out, Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat were just getting started — on one of the craziest stat nights in team history.
Duncan Robinson tied a franchise record with 10 3-pointers, Butler and Bam Adebayo each had triple-doubles and the Heat went on a wild late flurry to beat the Atlanta Hawks 135-121 in overtime on Tuesday night.
The Heat were down by six with 59 seconds left in regulation, the moment when Young took a celebratory walk back to the Atlanta bench for a timeout — with Butler hearing him shout, “It’s over.”
Miami scored the next 22 points, the last six of regulation and then the first 16 of overtime to improve to 18-6 overall and 11-0 at home.
“I don’t think anybody really thought the Heat were relevant,” Adebayo said. “We’re making people watch us.”
Kendrick Nunn scored a career-high 36 points, one off the Heat rookie single-game record. Robinson scored 34, a career high. Adebayo finished with a career-high 30 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. Butler had 20 points, a career-high 18 rebounds and 10 assists.
And afterward, Butler couldn’t resist a little jab at Young on Instagram — a post that other NBA players like Draymond Green and Klay Thompson quickly noticed.
“Everybody in this locker room has a confidence that they’re the best player on the floor at any given time,” Butler said. “Man, when you’ve got guys who think like that, nothing’s ever over.”
It was the NBA’s widest margin of victory in an overtime game since Oct. 31, 2009, when Philadelphia beat New York 141-127.
De’Andre Hunter scored 28 points, and Young added 21 points and nine assists for Atlanta — which fell to 0-3 against the Heat this season.
“What’s tough is Robinson goes 10 for 14, a career high, two guys with triple-doubles, they played out of their minds a little bit with a couple guys and we still had a six-point lead with under a minute to go,” Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce said. “I feel bad.”
Vince Carter, in the 1,500th regular-season game of his career, scored 12 for the Hawks. Jabari Parker had 16 points and Cam Reddish added 12 for Atlanta.
The Hawks used a 13-0 run to take an eight-point lead early in the fourth, before the Heat clawed back and eventually tied the game at 111-111 on a 3-pointer by Robinson with 3:11 left.
Atlanta scored the next four to reclaim the lead, Butler missed a pair of free throws with 1:18 left and Alex Len had a dunk on the next Hawks possession for a 117-111 lead.
The rest was all Heat.
“Our energy was dead as soon as overtime started,” Young said.
In other words, it was over.
Hawks: Atlanta made 13 3-pointers in the first half, tying a team record set on three other occasions. The Hawks had only nine 2-pointers before intermission. … Hunter returned to the starting lineup, and Reddish played off the bench. … Kevin Huerter remains on a minutes restriction of about 25 per night, though that isn’t expected to last much longer. He played 26 in regulation, then didn’t play in overtime.
Heat: Miami again played without four of its six highest-paid players. Goran Dragic (groin strain), Justise Winslow (back strain), James Johnson (illness) and Dion Waiters (illness) were out. Dragic is working toward a return. Winslow has missed 14 of Miami’s 24 games, Johnson has made only six appearances and Waiters has yet to play.
FAREWELL, VINCE
Barring a playoff meeting or trade, this was Carter’s final game in Miami. He appeared in Miami as an opponent 36 times including playoffs, tying Allan Houston for third-most all-time behind Paul Pierce’s 42 and Patrick Ewing’s 37. Carter’s 714 points are fourth-most of any opponent in Miami, behind Pierce’s 867, Ewing’s 754 and Michael Jordan’s 722.
STAR WARS NIGHT
The Heat threw a “Star Wars”-themed celebration, replete with lightsabers on the court during the pregame delivery of the game ball, Darth Vader patrolling around the arena and radio analyst Ruth Riley Hunter with her hair done like Princess Leia. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is a fan of the sci-fi saga. “Every summer, the whole family gets together in Hawaii and we end up watching ‘Star Wars,’” Spoelstra said.
Hawks: Visit Chicago on Wednesday.
Heat: Host the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday.
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US blockage of judges disables World Trade Organization appeals court
December 10, 2019 04:27:14 pm
Andrew Hursh
The US Ambassador to the World Trade Organization (WTO), Dennis Shea, announced in a speech to that body on Monday that the US would not back a proposal to appoint new judges to the panel. The move has effectively rendered the appellate body unable to function, meaning second-tier trade disputes can no longer be resolved moving forward.
According to the rules of the WTO, three appellate judges are required in order to review panel cases. Decisions of the WTO’s dispute settlement body require consensus, meaning no member present “formally objects to the proposed decision.” There are typically seven judges on the WTO Appeals Court with staggered four-year terms. For over two years, however, the US has been formally objecting to term renewals or new appointments, slowly diminishing the body. The Monday objection finally leaves the court with fewer than three members.
In his speech, Shea reiterated the US government’s problems with the appellate body that led it to carry on the blockage strategy. “[T]he United States has been raising serious concerns with the Appellate Body’s disregard for the rules set by WTO Members,” he said, referring to longstanding complications by which the court’s international jurisprudence has often conflicted with protectionist strategies the US pursues. Despite some countervailing successes at the court over the years, the US’ discontent has spanned administrations. Disagreement with the body has been especially strong in the Trump administration in no small part due to the ways it has tried to leverage trade in its clash with China.
The Director-General of the WTO, Roberto Azevêdo, spoke to the body on Monday about convening consultations to overcome the impasse. “A well-functioning, impartial and binding dispute settlement system is a core pillar of the WTO system,” he said. “Members will continue to resolve WTO disputes through consultations, panels, and other means envisaged in the WTO agreements such as arbitration or good offices of the DG … but we cannot abandon what must be our priority, namely finding a permanent solution for the Appellate Body.”


Register Log In AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums News SAN PEDRO MAN CHARGED WITH MURDER
SAN PEDRO MAN CHARGED WITH MURDER #400537
Twenty three year old Harrison Jacobs, a fisherman of San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye was charged with the murder of Francis Alexander Figueroa Cardinez when he appeared today in the Magistrate’s Court. No plea was taken from Jacobs because his offence is indictable. Neither could the court offer him bail because of the nature of the charge. Jacobs was remanded into custody until March 17th. The incident occurred on Sunday morning, November 28th, 2010 in San Pedro Town. Police reports are that Figueroa Cardinez was involved in a fight with two men and one of them fired two shots at him. The police reported that when they responded to the shooting behind the San Juan area they saw Figueroa Cardinez lying on the ground bleeding from the left temple. Figueroa Cardinez died a couple hours later at the San Pedro Polyclinic.
Re: SAN PEDRO MAN CHARGED WITH MURDER [Re: Marty] #400542
Fisherman Charged For “Pedro” Murder
A San Pedro fisherman was today charged with murder when he appeared in the #5 Magistrate's court. Twenty three year old Harrison Jacobs is said to have caused the death of Francis Alexander Figueroa by unlawful harm, as a result of a fight which broke out between him the victim and a third man.
No plea was taken from Jacobs, and bail was denied due to the nature of the offence. He was remanded into custody until March 17th. The incident occurred on Sunday, November 28, 2010 in the San Juan area of San Pedro Town.
According to reports, Figueroa Cardinez was involved in a fight with two other men and one of them fired two shots at him. The police reported that when they responded to the shooting they saw Figueroa Cardinez lying on the ground with blood coming from the left side of his head. He died hours later at the San Pedro Polyclinic.
Harrison ‘Bin’ Jacobs charged for Murder
Harrison Jacobs, 22-year-old San Pedro resident appeared at the Magistrate's court in Belize City on Thursday February 17th, 2011 to answer to charges of murder for the death of 20 year old Francis Alexander Figuerroa Cardenas, in late November of 2010.
In the early morning of Sunday, November 28th, three gunshots were heard in that area towards the lagoon off Jew Fish Street. Shortly after, another gunshot was heard.
Official reports were that some time before 5:40am on Sunday, November 28th, police were called to the corner of Seaweed and Sand Piper Streets in the San Juan Area of San Pedro Town. There, Police observed a dark skinned person of Creole descent, leaning in a sitting position on a blue concrete fence with what appeared to be a single gunshot wound to the head. The man who was known to police as Bejon Wade was later identified as 20 year old Francis Alexander Figuerroa Cardenas. Mr. Cardenas is of a Belize City address, but was reportedly working on Ambergris Caye.
Cardenas was allegedly beaten and tortured off an isolated road in the San Juan area after which he escaped and was running for his life when his attackers caught up with him just outside his area of residence. He was shot in the head and left to die.
When police arrived at the scene, Mr. Cardenas was still alive. He reportedly succumbed to his injuries around 7:15am on Sunday, while undergoing treatment at the San Pedro Poly Clinic II. His body was taken to the Belize City morgue where a post mortem examination was conducted and declared that he died from massive brain damage caused by a gunshot wound to the head.
At the Magistrates court, Mr. Jacobs was charged for the crime of murder. Due to the nature of the crime, no plea was taken from Jacobs and bail was denied. He was remanded into custody at the Hattieville Prison until March 17th, 2011 when he is scheduled to re-appear in court.
Murder trial for Harrison ‘Bin’ Jacobs begins
Harrison "Bin" Jacobs, charged with murder for the death of Francis Alexander Figuerroa Cardenas
Inquiry into the case of Harrison Jacobs, 22-year-old San Pedro resident was held on Tuesday, February 14th at the San Pedro Magistrate’s Court. Jacobs appeared with his attorney in front of Magistrate Sharon Flowers where his case was committed to the April 19th session of the Supreme Court for hearing.
On Thursday February 17th, 2011, Jacobs aka “Bin” appeared in the Magistrate’s court in Belize City to answer to charges of murder for the death of 20 year old Francis Alexander Figuerroa Cardenas, which occurred on November 28, 2010. In the early morning of Sunday, November 28th, three gunshots were heard in the San Juan area towards the lagoon off Jew Fish Street. Shortly after, a forth gunshot was heard. Official reports were that:
“Sometime before 5:40AM on Sunday, November 28th, police were called to the corner of Seaweed and Sand Piper Streets in the San Juan area of San Pedro Town. There, Police observed a dark skinned person of Creole descent, leaning in a sitting position on a blue concrete fence with what appeared to be a single gunshot wound to the head. The man who was known to police as Bejon Wade was later identified as 20 year old Francis Alexander Figuerroa Cardenas. Mr. Cardenas is of a Belize City address, but was reportedly working on Ambergris Caye.”
Click here to read the rest of the article in the San Pedro Sun
Harrison “Bin” Jacobs walks away from a 2010 murder charge
25-year-old Harrison “Bin” Jacobs, a San Pedro Town resident, walked free of a murder charge on November 4, 2013 after a main witness was not located. Jacobs had been on remand for the murder of 20 year old Francis Alexander Figuerroa Cardenas, which occurred on November 28, 2010.
Sometime around 5:40AM on the date of the incident, Cardenas was allegedly beaten and tortured in an isolated area in the San Juan neighborhood. He managed to escape and as he was running for his life, his attackers caught up with him on Seaweed Street just outside his area of residence. He was shot in the head and left to die. Neighbors heard the single gunshot blast, and seconds later, they noticed Cardenas in a seated position on the edge of a concrete fence, bleeding from the head. A white cart was seen leaving the area.
Police on Ambergris Caye detained Jacobs, citing that on the day of the incident Jacobs had an altercation with the victim which escalated into a fight. According to police, Jacobs was accused of beating Cardenas, who ran away but was later caught and fatally shot to the head. During the investigation, police found a golf cart belonging to Jacobs with blood stains.
During trial, Crown Council Shanice Lovell called ten witnesses to testify against Jacobs. However, on November 4th, during trial, Lovell told Justice Adolph Lucas that their main witness could not be located on the island. Justice Lucas explained that due to the non-appearance of the main witness who was essential in giving key evidence against Jacobs –the case had ended in a nolle prosequi, thus freeing Jacobs of the murder charge.
While Jacobs has been freed from the murder charge, he still has an additional case before the court for wounding and is out on bail. Jacobs was represented in court by Attorney Michael Peyrefitte.
BrusselSprout
"While Jacobs has been freed from the murder charge, he still has an additional case before the court for wounding and is out on bail. "
HOW would someone like this get out on bail...jeezus.
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