Success at the village

GENEVA: The tiny Swiss village of Champagne has lost another fight to get its name on the wine it produces, according to a report on Saturday, the latest blow in a long-running legal battle with France over the name. The dispute has pitted the western village in the Swiss canton of Vaud, with its 28 hectares of vineyards and around 750 people, against the might of France’s vigorously protective Champagne region, which produces much of the world’s most sought-after sparkling wine. The village has fought for years for the right to put its name on its wine and other products, with little success. However, it had a win in January when the Vaud government created a new certification — AOC or Controlled Designation of Origin — for its white wine called “Commune de Champagne,” or Champagne municipality. The Vaud government said it felt there was “no risk that the public would believe that still white wine, sold in a Vaudois bottle labelled ‘Commune de Champagne’ and ‘Swiss wine,’ … [Read more...] about Village can’t get name on wine

UPDATED with video: Joaquin Phoenix capped a triumphant awards season on Sunday night when he claimed the Oscar for best actor for Joker , the subversive psychological thriller that defied the conventions of superhero cinema and, in the process, delivered the most unlikely billion-dollar hit in Hollywood history. Joker premiered five months ago to instant acclaim at the 76th Venice Film Festival, the world’s oldest film festival, where the film claimed the Golden Lion for Best Film. Phoenix won the Venice festival’s acting award which propelled him into an awards season of wall-to-wall success. Phoenix claimed every major prize along the way: a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a BAFTA, and a Critics’ Choice Award among them. Related Story Oscars: 'Parasite' Wins Best Picture - The Complete Winners List Phoenix’s season of dominance was punctuated by an Oscar acceptance speech keyed to a message of art transcending the score-keeping nature of … [Read more...] about Joaquin Phoenix, A Hollywood “Scoundrel”, Redeemed With Best Actor Oscar Win

Long before Andrew Lohse became a pariah at Dartmouth College , he was just another scarily accomplished teenager with lofty ambitions. Five feet 10 with large blue eyes and the kind of sweet-faced demeanor that always earned him a pass, he grew up in the not-quite-rural, not-quite-suburban, decidedly middle-class town of Branchburg, New Jersey, and attended a public school where he made mostly A’s, scored 2190 on his SATs and compiled an exhaustive list of extracurricular activities that included varsity lacrosse, model U.N. (he was president), National Honor Society, band, orchestra, Spanish club, debate and – on weekends – a special pre-college program at the Manhattan School of Music, where he received a degree in jazz bass. He also wrote songs; gigged semiprofessionally at restaurants throughout New York, New Jersey and Connecticut; played drums for a rock band; chased, and conquered, numerous girls; and by his high school graduation, in 2008, had reached the pinnacle of … [Read more...] about Confessions of an Ivy League Frat Boy: Inside Dartmouth’s Hazing Abuses

Video Player Close Aerial photo taken on Feb. 24, 2021 shows the scenery of Hani terraced fields in Yuanyang County of Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Xinhua/Chen Xinbo) by Xinhua writers Wang Changshan, Zhao Jiasong and Zeng Wei KUNMING, April 18 (Xinhua) -- In the 1990s, French photographer Yann Layma stunned the Western world with images of cascading rice terraces in southwest China, and till today, the agricultural wonder remains as grand as ever, while the people there are living more radiant lives. The terraced fields in Yuanyang County of Yunnan Province made it onto the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2013. They were created by the local Hani, an ethnic group that mostly inhabits the area across the Ailao Mountains. "I'll show you how to catch fish," Ding Jinan, a 24-year-old Hani, introduced life on the terraced fields to audiences across the country via a short-video platform. Ding quit her job years ago … [Read more...] about China Focus: UNESCO-listed rice terraces wed tradition and transformation

Dog Day Afternoon (1975) Sal, Wyoming’s not a country. Director Sidney Lumet takes the true story of one of the most inept bank robberies in history and makes it better, much better , into something sublime and urgent and hilarious and unforgettable. Lumet makes you feel like a fly on the wall as a bizarrely entertaining life-moment unfurls in early-seventies Brooklyn. Warner Bros. No one famous is involved. Nothing of any consequence happened. Life happened, and life is always so much more fascinating than anything else. Dazed and Confused (1993) Let me tell you this, the older you do get the more rules they’re gonna try to get you to follow. The best movies transport you someplace else, into deep space or medieval times or Kypton. In Dazed and Confused , writer/director Richard Linklater transports you to a simpler place: a small Texas town in 1976 where we join a group of suburban high school kids on their last day of school. … [Read more...] about Countdown: The 165 Greatest American Movies Ever Made (16-40)

#Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh: Corona curfew extended in Bhopal till Apr 26 #Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh: Remdesivir injections 'stolen' from govt hospital #Madhya Pradesh Damoh by-poll: BJP-Congress locked in battle as voting gets underway #Madhya Pradesh Centre asks Madhya Pradesh to implement 5-fold strategy to check coronavirus spread #Madhya Pradesh CCTV shows COVID patient dies at Shivpuri hospital in MP allegedly after ward boy removes oxygen support #Madhya Pradesh Have urged Railways to help transport medical oxygen to MP: CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan For Quick Alerts Subscribe Now Delhi's oxygen quota diverted to other states, alleges Kejriwal amid COVID spike View Sample For Quick Alerts ALLOW NOTIFICATIONS For Daily Alerts Just In 1 hr ago Fight against coronavirus, not farmers: Samyukta Kisan Morcha to govt 2 hrs ago Pink Whatsapp … [Read more...] about Has Madhya Pradesh extended corona curfew till April 30? CM Chouhan asks people to stay indoors

#Farmers Protest Fight against coronavirus, not farmers: Samyukta Kisan Morcha to govt #Farmers Protest Dushyant Chautala urges PM Modi to resume talks with protesting farmers #Farmers Protest In memory of famers who died during protests, RLD to build memorial #Farmers Protest Farmers protest: Punjab farm unions say agitation on, announce march to Delhi on April 21 #Farmers Protest Farmers ready to talk if govt invites, no change in demands: Rakesh Tikait #Farmers Protest Resume talks with protesting farmers, Vij urges Tomar For Quick Alerts Subscribe Now Delhi's oxygen quota diverted to other states, alleges Kejriwal amid COVID spike View Sample For Quick Alerts ALLOW NOTIFICATIONS For Daily Alerts Just In 1 hr ago Fight against coronavirus, not farmers: Samyukta Kisan Morcha to govt 2 hrs ago Pink Whatsapp link real or fake 2 hrs ago … [Read more...] about Protesting farmers show black flags to BJP MP in Haryana

Kindly Share This Story: Shina Abubakar, Osogbo A political group within the Osun state All Progressives Congress, The Osun Progressives (TOP) has described the security situation in the state as “returning to dark days”. The letter which was addressed to the State Governor and copied to former Governor Adebisi Akande, Speaker, Osun House of Assembly, Timothy Owoeye and the Secretary of the party Rasaq Salinsile is signed by the group’s Chairman and Secretary, Alhaji Azeez Adesiji and Sodiq Maruf. Adesiji, an ally of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola was the erstwhile deputy Chairman of the APC in the state and while Sodiq is the Chairman of Oranmiyan worldwide. The letter alleged that the spate of criminal activities in the state is worrisome and demand urgent attention before the situation further deteriorate ahead of the forthcoming gubernatorial election in the state next year. The letter titled, “SECURITY CHALLENGES IN THE STATE OF OSUN” dated April 8, … [Read more...] about Insecurity: Osun returning to dark days, group charges Oyetola

FROM a converted bus cafe in a paddy field to a wishing tree on a beach, there are certainly plenty of interesting sights in Sabak Bernam. While it is rightly famous for its beaches, fishing coves and padi fields, there is much more to explore in that north-west district of Selangor. Be mindful though that tourism activities here are weekend-centric, so those who visit on weekdays may find many of the shops closed. Visitors are encouraged to check into a homestay to really soak up the atmosphere. StarMetro highlights several attractions to look out for in Sabak Bernam, which is a two-hour drive from Kuala Lumpur. Locations featured here follow a south-to-north direction. Sekinchan paddy fields Sekinchan is known as Selangor’s rice bowl and the lush padi fields make an ideal backdrop for photographs. Look out for an old Hino bus which has been converted into a cafe just beside the fields. To enjoy the experience, the minimum spend per customer is RM15 and dining time … [Read more...] about Scenic getaway of Sabak Bernam

Thach Di Thi Phuong Thuy and her husband have their eyes glued to a smartphone screen in their tiny studio apartment in an industrial township near Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. They are on a video call with their son Sarum, 11, who is keen to show them the cashew nuts he helped his grandmother peel that day. Sarum lives with his brother Saruon, 13, about 180km away in the Mekong Delta, where they are being raised by the extended families of Thuy and her husband Thach Saret, who are both ethnic Khmers. For the past three years, video calls like this have been the main source of intimacy for the two boys and their parents, who moved to the city to find jobs in the construction industry and have recently seen their incomes hit due to the Covid-19 pandemic , despite Vietnam’s relative success in containing the virus. “When we decided to move we were very sad. My younger one cried and cried,” Thuy said, her eyes welling with tears. “But I couldn’t make ends meet living at home so I … [Read more...] about As in China, migrant workers in Southeast Asia are leaving behind a generation of children