Harlem Globetrotters, the comeback!

  A little bit crazy, often eccentric, but obviously talented, the Harlem Globetrotters come back in Europe for an amazing tour, from the month of March! It is the occasion, for every basket ball lover from the old continent, to enjoy a funny and air show which, each time, fulfils all its promises!

  These “magicians of basketball”, born in 1926 in Chicago, have become a unique sport  legend since by , due to their impressive exploits, and the great nouns who have made up their roster. Team of Basket ball more attracted by fun and derision than competition, but offering a sportive show largely able to make the most famous pros jealous, the Harlem Globetrotters can easily trust their new recruits to represent an 84-year-experience heritage.

  If the idea of watching an entertaining as well as impressive match seduces you, just check your country’s list of exhibitions.

  Since History is always good for your mind, and this one is quite amazing, let’s sum up their   evolution:

  Doing exhibition matches hasn’t always been The Harlem Globetrotters’ vocation, and they incidentally played at a quite good level in 1927, in the Negro American Legion League. At this period  known as “Giles Post” , then “Savoy big five”, it is only when Abe Saperstein buys the club in the same year that they are renamed « Harlem Globe Trotters ». The team only comprises black players, none accepted yet in major leagues.

  It is in 30’s that they start to improvise some “funny mini-shows” during the games. Reece Goose Tatum becomes at the time a kind of expert in this exercise, opening the way to plenty of young « comic-sportive » players.

The last samurai: the forgotten honour

  Some nations can change their own History, but some men dedicate their life to change the destiny of their people.

  Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise) is an American captain recognized for his work against the Indians in the 1870’s. Disillusioned and traumatised by his memories, he tries to forget his despair with alcohol and leads a pathetic and lonely existence. So when he is proposed to help to fight a rebellion in Japan, he accepts without great conviction, more attracted by the greed than the honour of serving the emperor.

  In a Japan torn between modern temptation and persistence of traditions, Algren has to train and lead an army of inexperienced soldiers, far from being ready to fight. At the end of a battle, he is captured and will have to stay in his enemies ‘place: the samurais, former emperor allies, totally devoted to serve him. The confusion is total: Who is really the enemy? Who are this people he considered as wild and hostile? And what does its enigmatic and charismatic leader, Katsumoto (the excellent Ken Watanabe) expect from him?

  This story is above all the crossroad of two destinies: Captain Algren, disillusioned soldier, losing faith and ideal, meets Katsumoto, brave and proud chief, full of spirituality, who would give his life for the cause he defends. Apparently opposite, they will learn from each other and one kind of brotherhood feeling will make them closer.

The Break temptation business

  Organised by the company OutGoing, a famous UK student’s tour operator, the SportsVest (see the previous article untitled "SportsVest, sea, sports, sex and sun") reminds of the really popular and expected Spring break in United States. This meeting of millions students on the hot beaches of Miami, Panama city or Daytona, during the spring holidays and just before the exams period, is the scene of furious parties and drinking games, with uncontrollable students over-excited by the idea of partying, relaxing and chilling for a while.

  Actually, this excitement has gained a lot of foreign countries, and notably European countries like UK, France, or Germany. Spain is often the host of particular events organised by specialized companies, taking advantage of this new tendency. All the trip of the students is planned, and they just have to register on websites. This “spring break industry” is growing quickly and the “break temptation” is declined in several names: spring break, summer break, beach break, etc.
Here are some examples of “break propositions”:

-the french summerbreak and springbreak  in Salou, organised by the company Funbreak in Lyon, France

-the summerbreak in Cornwall, Wales, organised by the company OutGoing, England

the Sportsvest: sea, sports, sex and sun!

  For its 3rd consecutive year, the Sportsvest comes back on the amazing beaches of Lloret del Mar, in Spain, from the 10^th to the 14^th of April, in order to provide UK students with  one of the most popular “sports and social events” of the country.

   Announced as the UK fastest growing sports tour, the Sportsvest proposes to organise big tournaments, of basketball, football, netball, rugby, volleyball, hockey, water polo, tennis, cheerleading, and much more other activities. But if the sportive persons are welcome, the party ones are not forgotten. Parties and excursions are also planned, and give to the event a little taste of spring break... Just before the terrible and feared exams period, English students will be able to forget their nights and days of study, their reports, case studies and other essays with always-too-soon deadline , and take advantage of the sun, and the holiday atmosphere of Lloret del Mar.

  Registered as teams, from all the universities of the country, they will confront each other in friendly matches in order to proudly represent their college! A relaxed atmosphere, the professionalism of the organisers, the sports facilities and celebrity referee appearances will turn  the tournament in an unforgettable event for sports lovers.

   But let’s forget efforts and sweat and focus on the party part: the organisers announce “4 incredible nights of partying and banter that will live with you forever!”. Interesting program, all the more so as superstars DJs are expected! Pool parties, famous night clubs and fancy dress nights must be able to persuade the most hesitant people!

  After tiring days of sports, and exhausting nights of partying, the comfort of accommodation,  that includes Breakfast, Evening meals, Swimming pools, Bars Restaurants and Maid service will enable teams to rest, but not too much, because the time is precious in this kind of event!

 

The Truman show: who is watching you?

  The whole world gets passionate for the more-than-true story of Truman Burbank. From his birth to his wedding, passing by his first tooth and his graduation, his private life is nothing except our own entertainment. Spied by more than 5000 movie cameras 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, Truman leads a peaceful existence in the city of seahaven, without even knowing that his world has been created from scratch, and that all around him is fake, from the sunset he admires every evening to the fellows he lives with. The Truman show is the biggest and most realistic Real TV show ever imagined, and the first one that stars a real human being in his entire private life, from his birth to his death. Or maybe not...

  If you remain fed up with Jim Carrey’s perpetual mimics and jokes, this movie is the perfect way for  you to change your mind. He shows here another side of his playing, more dramatic, deep and touching. Playing a doubtful adult persuaded that his life is not really what it seems, but unable to really point out what the problem is despite the evidences accumulated, he offers an impressive performance, marked by a mix of different feelings: despair, suspicion, doubt, sadness, will of adventure, sometimes aggressiveness. Only a really great actor could be able to express with such intensity so many complex feelings. 

  If Jim Carrey surprises a lot in this movie, Ed Harris, in the role of an ambitious and obsessional real TV show director, shows his talent for playing tortured and complex characters. “We've become bored with watching actors give us phony emotions. We are tired of pyrotechnics and special effects. While the world he inhabits is, in some respects, counterfeit, there's nothing fake about Truman himself. No scripts, no cue cards. It isn't always Shakespeare, but it's genuine. It's a life.” Christof, creator and director of the show, remains a decisive protagonist. Taking advantage of the impressive trend that real TV shows represent, he imagined this crazy project. In one way really attached to Truman, that he saw growing up exactly as a father, in the other way cruel and impassive, the character is this kind of person you don’t know if you have to pity or to hate.

 

The book patch : write your own book on the Internet.

By launching his new website http://www.thebookpatch.com/, the objective of the n°1 New York Times bestselling author Victor Ostrovsky is quite clear: he wants to help young and inexperienced authors to write, edit, publish and sell their book, by offering them a unique and practical set of tools dedicated to make their work easier.

            As everybody knows, it is really difficult for a beginner, whatever his talent is, to enter and to survive in the cruel and closed world of edition. Lack of useful connections, editors and publishers not really inclined to trust the writing of a “rookie”, need of money to publish and sale, are so many reasons that can easily encourage young writers to give up. Even for the old and experienced ones, it is difficult sometimes to end up a book without difficulties. The birth of this website is the result of many years of a professional writer’s observations about this question: what does a writer really need to create a book, from the beginning until its achievement? Inspiration of course, but not only...

Victor Ostrovsky, creator of the website

                The website is the logical and practical answer to this delicate question. And the philosophy of its creator is deliberately announced on the first page: you enter in a “state-of-the-art platform for authors and book lovers”. Everything is done to simplify the work of these “lovers”: The tools proposed cover the 3 important steps to make a successful book: writing, printing and selling as announced on the categories you can click on.