Tag Archive | "World"

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FLICKS: Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Posted on 28 June 2018 by LeslieM

By “Cinema” Dave

cinemadave.livejournal.com

Twenty-one summers ago, I quit my social studies teaching job to pursue full-time my Information Science degree from Florida State University. It was my personal renaissance. I really appreciated the “science” movies that summer like Men in Black, Contact and The Lost World: Jurassic Park. I used many of the vocabulary words that I heard from those movies and incorporated them into many of my research papers.

Much scientific and philosophical debate takes place in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, which opened to better than expected box office gross.

This film is fun and combines jungle adventure with haunted mansion drama featuring a scary monster. There are heroes and villains. There are moments of jolting scares and deep belly laughs. There is science fiction query that raises the question about the meaning of life. Fortunately, none of these scientific distractions get in the way of telling a good story.

It has been three years since the disastrous events from Jurassic World. The abandoned island is suffering from volcanic activity and Professor Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum — reprising his character from the first two Jurassic Park movies) is brought in to testify about rescuing the dinosaurs stranded on the island. When Congress votes to terminate the dinosaurs, a wealthy capitalist, Sir Benjamin Lockwood (James Cromwell) finances a rescue expedition and recruits the two heroes from the last movie, Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) and Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard).

While Owen and Claire debate who dumped who in the last three years, the two are in synch when it comes to rescuing the dinosaurs and in particular, a velociraptor named “Blue” who Owen raised from an egg. It turns out that Lockwood’s underlings have nefarious intentions for Blue and his unique DNA code.

Director J.A. Boyana tells a difficult story, the middle part of a proposed trilogy. Nonetheless, the director fills the two-hour plus screen time with Indiana Jones like thrills.

Like his previous movies The Orphanage and A Monster Calls, Boyana excels with claustrophobic scares. One stand-out scene features Grady and Clare in a cage with a waking Tyrannosaurus Rex. This dark scene balances danger and humor with sophistication.

Certain films need to be seen on the biggest screen imaginable. While it does cost a bit more, this film will be playing at the largest screen in South Florida until the 4th of July, the Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Discovery & Science IMAX. More so than any movie this summer, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is the movie to see for Saturday matinee popcorn-eating fun.

If you attend an early show, take advantage of the package which allows entrance to exhibits too. Besides catching there is an exhibition that focuses on the effects of a hurricane. You can walk into a wind machine and endure 100 mph winds in a secure environment. Fun is where you find it and, if you are not careful, you might learn something…

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JA World Uncorked

Posted on 30 January 2018 by LeslieM

By Rachel Galvin

This year’s, JA World Uncorked event at the Huizenga Center on Broward College’s North Campus on Saturday, Jan. 20, went above and beyond. Besides a long line of tables filled with delectable tidbits from restaurants, and plenty of spirit distributors ready to pour, there was a champagne room and a beer garden. Out front, there was a Plinko game. People paid $20 to play and everyone was a winner of a bag filled with items like wine and wallets. People could also get their photo taken with the fotoboyz and take it home to capture the event. Of course, there was a long line of silent auction items and a raffle. There were so many sponsors involved in making this event a reality, including Presenting Sponsor Breakthru Beverage.

We doubled the amount of food vendors, probably 40 percent more,” said Tim Hogans, who has been on the board for three years and is chair on the governance committee. He also works with Florida Power & Light, which he said has supported Junior Achievement for 25 years.

This Circle of Wise Women Signature Event is a fundraiser for Junior Achievement of South Florida’s educational programs like JA Biz Town, which teaches kids about the work world interactively, instructing them about everything from finances to career opportunities. (https://jasouthflorida.org).

At JA World Uncorked, the entertainment always gets a lot of attention. This year’s was more ambitious than ever. Sponsored by the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood (www.seminolehardrockhollywood.com), the event included a whole stage set up with lights, singers interacting with the crowd, a band and models dancing, and even twirling while suspended above, put together by Event Services Group (http://esgfla.com), said emcee and singer Eliot Valentin, who added that the performers were called Pulse Vibe. The “Pulse” part is the band and the DJ is Vibe, so when they come together, they combine their names. He said they recently performed at an industry holiday party and got asked to do this event by the Hard Rock.

Also, in an alcove nearby, was the very intimate and dimly lit bar by Kuro, which is located inside the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood.

It seemed like around every corner there was something new to see at the event.

This was the first year for Seasons 52.

They reached out to me to see if we wanted to participate,” said Tonya Prueter, sales manager, who was serving up pecan pie with a vanilla mousse on the bottom and also a red velvet dessert. (www.seasons52.com).

Nearby, Liquid Xcream served up ice cream with liquid nitrogen, made on-the-spot. For ice cream flavors, they had the ultra rich tequila strawberry cheesecake and honey cinnamon whiskey ice cream. They have over 70 flavors available, in addition to 20 popcorn flavors. They do not have a brick and mortar store, but just go to events like these. (www.liquidxcream.com).

The Temple Street Eatery (www.TempleStreetEatery.com) has been to the event before. This year, they served up Asian style roast pork sliders, with homemade pickled vegetables, and chocolate mousse with a chocolate cookie crumble.

We try to do a lot of events,” said the manager, B.J. Lee. “This is an amazing cause… to be able to present different career options to kids. Young kids don’t think about culinary as a career. It is nice when kids come into our restaurant and [they can experience flavors they may never have experienced]. They get excited about it.”

The General Manager of the 4 Rivers Smokehouse (www.4RSmokehouse.com), Will Davis, and his crew were very excited to be a part of the event. They opened up in Coral Springs a year and ½ ago.

This event is excellent. I love it!” exclaimed one of the carvers for the meat station they had set up. “I had a lot of fun… with the music playing, it is perfect,” added the caterer.

For more information on this event, visit www.jaworlduncorked.com.

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CLERGY CORNER: Our collective prayer for the world

Posted on 14 September 2017 by LeslieM

As I write this, it’s 4:05 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 8, 2017, and I am hunkered down in my office patiently awaiting Hurricane Irma — stocked with Voltage soda and plenty of candy. This article releases after Irma will have passed, undoubtedly leaving a path of destruction and many asking why? Why God? Why Irma? Why Harvey? Why an earthquake off the coast of Mexico? Why the wildfires in Montana and LA [and Oregon]? Why the flooding in South Asia? Why?

Though we may not be able to fully understand the why ourselves, I do know our God is sovereign — fully in control. Still, naturally, we seek answers; yet it was the apostle Paul, a follower of Jesus, in his letter to the Romans, that writes, “How impossible it is for us to understand His decisions and His ways. For who can know the Lord’s thoughts?” Romans 11:33-34 NLT). So what can we do? James, the brother of Jesus, writes, “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results” (James 5:16 NLT). So let us “[not] worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what [we] need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then [we] will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand” (Philippians 4:6-7 NLT)

With that said, join me in praying in one accord, without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17), the following:

Dear Lord, we first and foremost approach You in thanksgiving. We thank You for Your creation: the land and the seas; the sun that shines so brightly that we need specially approved glasses to gaze upon it. We thank You for salvation through Your Son Jesus — for His sacrifice on the cross that set us free from the punishment of our sins. We thank You for Your Word and the awe-inspiring ways You reveal Yourself to us. You are the Alpha and the Omega; the Beginning and the End. You are our Father in Heaven and we come before you with heavy hearts. God, to those who have experienced the loss of a loved one, beloved pet and/or property, we ask for Your peace and comfort to overflow upon them. Allow them to feel Your presence physically, but also recognize Your care and concern for them through the local body of believers co-laboring alongside them in the restoration efforts.

Father, continue to keep watch over the first responders: the military, police, fire/EMS, medical professionals, power company linemen, disaster relief staff/volunteers and anyone assisting in the relief efforts. We honor them for their sacrifice — physical, mental and financial, as they put their life on the line, and on hold, to serve others. We also pray for and give thanks for those who were unable to physically be present during a global relief event but donated money and/or resources.

Lord, we also pray for the local governments. Let them feel supported by their constituency and not grow weary in the completion of their duties. Remind them that You alone have established them in their role for such a time and place as this (Romans 13:1 NLT); and that they have access to Your power, wisdom and knowledge.

Most High, we also give thanks for and pray for the many churches, corporations and small businesses that have rallied together to provide relief such as shelter, food and other necessities that ensure safety and reestablishes communication between loved ones. Allow the private sector to know our gratitude for their sacrifice, assistance and sense of obligation to the world at large.

Lastly, we pray that through all that has occurred, and is still ongoing that the world will, through our unity, experience Your presence and recognize that you sent us — the Body of Christ (John 17:23 NLT), and that no trouble or calamity, persecution, hunger or danger — not even death; nothing in all creation, which includes natural disasters — can separate them from Christ’s love. “No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is [theirs] through Christ…” (Romans 8:31-39 NLT). To You be the glory. Amen.

C.J. Wetzler is the NextGen pastor at The Church at Deerfield Beach. Before transitioning into full-time ministry, CJ was a commercial airline captain and high school leadership and science teacher. For questions or comments he can be reached at cj@dfb.church.

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CLERGY CORNER: Our Lord’s Beautiful World

Posted on 29 June 2017 by LeslieM

Yes … the world our Lord gave us is beautiful in so many respects!

John Denver wasn’t the only one to see beauty in a rocky mountain high. We see it every day in the beautiful sunrises over our sandy Florida beaches. The Greek sculptor of the Venus de Milo wasn’t the only one to see beauty in the human form. We see it every day in the faces of those we meet. The pilgrims, on that first Thanksgiving Day, weren’t the only ones to be blessed by our Lord’s bounty. We are likewise blessed by the abundance spread before us at produce counters and farmers’ markets. We live in a beautiful, wonderful and abundant world created by our Lord. But it’s not always the paradise we would like it to be; so often, cruelty and anger hold sway. What is missing?

Saint John gives us a one word answer in his exquisitely crafted First Epistle, “God is love, and he that does not love, does not know God.” This simple statement is not a teaching about what love is, as much as an invitation to consider the effect of God’s love on our lives.

The first effect is to give us the assurance that we live in the hands of a benevolent God. If God is love, then it follows that He creates in love, rules in love and judges in love. His love is ever flowing in our lives, and, during those times when it seems He has turned his face from us, the reality is we have likely forsaken our trust in Him. Our assurance of God’s love, in good and bad times, is best realized directionally and positionally, that is, turning toward God on bended knees.

A second effect of God’s love is to make Him known to us. Theologians are quick to contend that knowing God is beyond the ability of the human mind; maybe so, but not beyond the potential of the human heart. God gave us hearts to power our bodies, but He also encoded our hearts to get and give love. Anyone who has ever been truly loved by another person, or anyone who has ever been willing to give their all for their beloved, has been given some hint of God’s love for us. We come closest to knowing God when we open our hearts and share our love with those with whom we share His Body. We can’t think our way to God with our minds; we can only approach Him with our hearts.

And, finally, a most important effect of God’s love, is that it helps dispel the shadow of fear that cruelty and anger casts over our beautiful world and over our individual lives. Dealing with our fears can be tricky because we can’t always eliminate their causes. One way God’s love helps us deal with them is by telling us over and over again that He will not let us “go it alone.” Holy Scripture, from beginning to end, teaches this truth about God’s love. The Old Testament tells us, “Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee” [Psalm 55:22]. The New Testament continues and expands on this teaching, “The God of all comfort; who comforts us in all our tribulation, so we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble” [1 Corinthians 1:3-4]. God created us, freed us from sin and teaches us what we need to know to spend eternity with Him … and He does it all with one word, love.

Johann Arndt, a man much smarter than me, once said, “At the Last Judgement, God will not ask us what we know, but rather how we have loved.” — Yes!

Rev. M. Tracy Smith, SSA, Rector is from the Saint Peter’s Anglican Church, 1416 SE 2 Terr., Deerfield Beach, FL 33441. For more information, call 954-695-0336. Wednesday: Holy Communion at 10 a.m., Sunday: Holy Communion at 10 a.m.

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Get ready for Halloween at Costume World

Posted on 20 October 2016 by LeslieM

costume102016By Rachel Galvin

Halloween is just around the corner, which means it is time to get a costume. Wondering which one to choose? You may want to take a peek into Deerfield’s Costume World. Begun originally more than 40 years ago, this entity not only has costumes to sell, but also to rent. In fact, they are the largest distributor of costumes in the United States. If you have seen a theatrical performance, there is a good chance that the costumes within it came from Costume World. Owner Marilyn Wick also runs the Wick Theatre in Boca Raton so is using many of the costumes for her own actors and actresses.

As far as the retail store, they have a large selection of theatrical makeup, wigs, costumes for adults and kids and more.

When asked what is popular this year, Jadeane Deems, who is in charge of the theatrical division, said “Being that it is an election year, Trump and Hillary masks are popular. People follow what’s hot in movies and TV. Suicide Squad is a big deal. It is the 50th anniversary of Star Trek [so character costumes are popular]. Pikachu is huge again [thanks to Pokemon Go]. Star Wars is big. Pirates never go out of style. Pirates of the Caribbean brought it to the forefront.”

Ready to get your costume? Costume World is located at 950 S. Federal Hwy. in Deerfield Beach. They are open seven days a week from 10 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. They may be extending their hours until 9 p.m. soon. For more information, call 954-418-0308 or visit www.costumeworld.com. In addition to the store here, they also have retail stores in Pittsburgh and Dallas.

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