BEAUTY AND THE BEST

BEAUTY AND THE BEST

Lim : “I guess it is something we really hope. But it is not, Wean. I hate discussing this that you have never seen what the solution appears eventually.”
Wean : “Solution? We have never reached that point, Lim. You know it better than me. You do. And I’ve told you not to defense yourself until you really need it, until you have no words to deny.
Lim : “Defense?”
Wean : “Oh, Lim. C’mon.”
Lim : “Listen, Wean! Indeed I am the one who understands the way you think of something. Your egoism. Your stubbornness. Your cunning. Your provocation. Never do I let myself be in your seduction. Never do I let your trap capture my feet. Never.
Wean : “Oh my, you are so worried about this, aren’t you? It is funny that someone beautiful as you is wary of me. Where is your rightfully proud?”
Lim : “See! You aim at my proud. My rightfully proud. You are a maniac.”
Wean : “So shame. That was all non sense.”
Lim : “You are right. To believe the truth that the best student is you may evoke the sense of hatred. Ha ha ha. You are non sense.”
Wean : “At least I hardly feel the hatred of people on me.”
Lim : “You think so? You are the best jokester ever.
Wean : “Thanks for your praise, princess. Hope that you still remember when people named you ‘sleeping princess’. I am fully sure at that time that you very need a prince to make you awake. Or a frog?” ha ha ha.
Lim : “Is that so?
To be continued . . . . (I am blank)
M. Sayid Wijaya

AVATAR

Avatar (2009 film) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search This article is semi-protected. Avatar Theatrical release poster Directed by James Cameron Produced by James Cameron Jon Landau Written by James Cameron Starring Sam Worthington Zoe Saldana Stephen Lang Michelle Rodriguez Giovanni Ribisi Joel David Moore C. C. H. Pounder Wes Studi Laz Alonso Sigourney Weaver Music by James Horner Cinematography Mauro Fiore Editing by James Cameron John Refoua Stephen E. Rivkin Studio Lightstorm Entertainment Dune Entertainment Ingenious Film Partners Distributed by 20th Century Fox Release date(s) December 10, 2009 (2009-12-10) (London premiere) December 18, 2009 (United States) Running time 162 minutes[1] Country United States Language English Budget $237,000,000[2] Gross revenue $1,335,040,297[3][4] Avatar is a 2009 American science fiction epic film written and directed by James Cameron and starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez and Stephen Lang. The film is set in the year 2154 on Pandora, a moon in the Alpha Centauri star system.[5] Humans are engaged in mining Pandora's reserves of a precious mineral, while the Na'vi—a race of indigenous humanoids—resist the colonists' expansion, which threatens the continued existence of the Na'vi and the Pandoran ecosystem. The film's title refers to the genetically engineered bodies used by the film's characters to interact with the Na'vi.[6] Avatar had been in development since 1994 by Cameron, who wrote an 80-page scriptment for the film.[7] Filming was supposed to take place after the completion of Titanic, and the film would have been released in 1999, but according to Cameron, "technology needed to catch up" with his vision of the film.[8][9] In early 2006, Cameron developed the script, the language,[10] and the culture of Pandora. He mentioned that sequels are possible if Avatar is successful.[11] The film was released in traditional 2-D, as well as 3-D and IMAX 3D formats. Avatar is officially budgeted at $237 million;[2] other estimates put the cost at $280–310 million to produce and $150 million for marketing.[12][13][14] The film is being touted as a breakthrough in terms of filmmaking technology, for its development of 3D viewing and stereoscopic filmmaking with cameras that were specially designed for the film's production.[15] Opening to critical acclaim and commercial success, it grossed $27 million on its opening day [16] and $77 million in the United States and Canada on its opening weekend.[17] Worldwide, Avatar grossed $232 million on its opening weekend,[18] the ninth-largest opening-weekend gross of all time, and the largest for a non-franchise, non-sequel and original film. After 19 days in release, it became the fastest film to reach $1 billion in box office receipts[19] and the fifth to gross more than $1 billion worldwide. Within three weeks of its release, the film became the second highest grossing film of all time worldwide.[20] Contents [hide] * 1 Plot * 2 Cast and characters o 2.1 Humans o 2.2 Na'vi * 3 Production o 3.1 Development o 3.2 Themes and inspirations o 3.3 Filming and effects o 3.4 Music and soundtrack * 4 Marketing o 4.1 Books o 4.2 Video games o 4.3 Action figures * 5 Release o 5.1 Box office + 5.1.1 Performance analysis o 5.2 Critical reception o 5.3 Awards and nominations * 6 See also * 7 References * 8 External links Plot In 2154, the RDA corporation is mining Pandora, a lush, Earth-like moon of the planet Polyphemus,[21] in the Alpha Centauri star system.[5] Parker Selfridge (Giovanni Ribisi) heads the mining operation, and it employs former marines for security. The corporation intends to exploit Pandora's reserves of a valuable mineral called unobtanium. Pandora is inhabited by the Na’vi, a blue-skinned species of sapient humanoids with feline characteristics.[22] Physically stronger and taller than humans, the Na'vi live in harmony with Nature, worshiping a mother goddess called Eywa. Humans cannot survive exposure to Pandora’s atmosphere for very long and use gas masks. In an attempt to improve relations with the natives, scientists create human-Na’vi hybrids called avatars, controlled by genetically-matched human operators.[23] Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a paraplegic former marine, becomes a last-minute replacement for his murdered identical twin brother, a scientist trained to be an avatar operator. Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver), the head of the Avatar Program, considers Sully an inadequate replacement for his brother, and relegates him to a bodyguard role. Jake escorts Augustine and biologist Norm Spellman (Joel David Moore) on an exploratory mission in their avatar forms to make contact with the Na'vi in order to help establish diplomatic relations, solve the problem of resources and end the threat of violence. The group is attacked by a predator, and Jake becomes separated and lost. Forced to survive the night in Pandora’s dangerous jungles, he is rescued by Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), a female Na'vi. Neytiri brings Jake to Hometree, which is inhabited by Neytiri’s clan, the Omaticaya. Mo'at (C. C. H. Pounder), the Na'vi shaman and Neytiri's mother, shows interest in the warrior "Dream-walker" (their term for the Avatars), and instructs her daughter to teach Jake their ways. Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), leader of the security forces for RDA, hears of Jake's unique relationship with the Omaticaya and promises Jake working legs in exchange for intelligence about the natives and what it will take for them to abandon Hometree, which rests above a large deposit of unobtanium. Over three months, Jake grows close to Neytiri and the Omaticaya and begins preferring their lifestyle, eroding his loyalty to RDA's agenda. He is initiated into the Omaticaya, and he and Neytiri reveal their love for each other, choosing each other as mates. Jake's change of loyalty is revealed when he disables a bulldozer's cameras as it destroys the tribe's "Tree of Voices". Col. Quaritch disconnects Jake from his avatar and presents Selfridge and Augustine with a video diary in which Jake admits that his mission is fruitless; the Omaticaya will never abandon Hometree. Selfridge is convinced that negotiations will fail and orders Hometree's destruction. Augustine argues that the destruction of Hometree could affect the vast bio-botanical neural network that all Pandoran organisms are connected to, and Selfridge gives Jake and Augustine one hour to convince the Na’vi to leave Hometree. When he reveals his mission to the Omaticaya, Neytiri accuses him of betraying them, resulting in Jake and Augustine's imprisonment. Quaritch’s forces destroy Hometree, killing Eytucan (Wes Studi), Neytiri's father and clan chief, and many others. Jake and Augustine are disconnected from their avatars and detained for treason along with Norm. Trudy Chacón (Michelle Rodriguez), a security force pilot who is disgusted by the violence, breaks them out. During their escape Quaritch shoots Augustine. With Augustine dying, Jake turns to the Omaticaya for help. To regain their trust he tames a Toruk, a powerful flying beast that only five Na'vi have ever tamed. Jake flies to the Omaticaya, who have gathered at the sacred Tree of Souls, and pleads with Mo'at to heal Augustine. They attempt to transplant her soul into her avatar, but her injuries are too severe and she dies before the ritual can be completed. With the assistance of Neytiri and Tsu'Tey (Laz Alonso), the new leader of the Omaticaya, Jake assembles thousands of Na'vi from other clans. Jake prays to Eywa to intercede on behalf of the Na'vi in the coming battle. Quaritch, noting the mobilization of Na'vi clans, convinces Selfridge to authorize a preemptive strike on the Tree of Souls. Because it is a center of Na'vi religion and culture, its destruction would leave the Na'vi too demoralized to resist further human encroachment. As the corporation's army attacks, the Na'vi retaliate but suffer heavy casualties, among them Tsu'Tey and Trudy. When the Na'vi are on the verge of defeat, the Pandoran wildlife suddenly attacks the corporation's forces, overwhelming them. Neytiri interprets this as Eywa answering Jake's prayer. Jake destroys the main bomber before it can reach the Tree of Souls. Col. Quaritch escapes and finds the avatar interface pod where Jake's human body is located and attacks it, exposing Jake to Pandora's atmosphere. Neytiri kills Quaritch and saves Jake. With the attack repelled, Neytiri and Jake reaffirm their love as she sees his human body for the first time. Selfridge and the military personnel are expelled from Pandora, while Jake, Norm, and the scientists studying Pandora are allowed to remain. Jake is seen wearing the insignia of the Omaticaya leader. The film ends with Jake's consciousness being transplanted into his Na'vi avatar permanently by the Tree of Souls. Cast and characters Main article: Fictional universe in Avatar Humans * Sam Worthington as Corporal Jake Sully, the film's protagonist, is a disabled Marine who becomes part of the Avatar Program. Cameron cast the Australian actor after searching the world for promising young actors, preferring relative unknowns to keep the budget down. Worthington, who was living in his car at the time,[24] auditioned twice early in development,[7] and he has signed on for possible sequels.[25] Cameron felt that because Worthington had not done a major film, he was "game for anything", giving the character "a quality that is really real. He has that quality of being a guy you'd want to have a beer with, and he ultimately becomes a leader who transforms the world".[26] * Sigourney Weaver as Dr. Grace Augustine, a botanist and head of the Avatar Program. She mentors Jake Sully, and was an advocate of peaceful relations with the Na'vi, setting up a school to teach them English.[27] Weaver dyed her hair red for the part.[28] The character was named "Shipley" at one point, a reference to the character she played in Aliens which was directed by Cameron.[29] Weaver said that Augustine reminded her of Cameron, being "very driven and very idealistic".[30] * Michelle Rodriguez as Trudy Chacón, a Marine fighter pilot assigned to support the Avatar Program. Cameron had wanted to work with Rodriguez since seeing her in Girlfight.[31] * Giovanni Ribisi as Parker Selfridge, the corporate administrator for the RDA mining operation and one of the film's primary antagonists.[32] * Joel David Moore as Norm Spellman, an anthropologist[33] who studies plant and nature life as part of the Avatar Program. He arrives on Pandora at the same time as Jake Sully, and assumes control of an avatar. * Stephen Lang as Colonel Miles Quaritch, a security contractor who heads the mining operation's security detail, and serves as the film's primary antagonist. Lang had unsuccessfully auditioned for a role in Cameron's Aliens (1986); the director remembered Lang and cast him in Avatar.[31] Michael Biehn, who was in Aliens, read the script and watched some of the 3D footage with Cameron,[34] but was ultimately not cast in the role. * Dileep Rao as Dr. Max Patel, a scientist who works in the Avatar Program.[35] * Matt Gerald as Corporal Lyle Wainfleet, a security contractor working under Colonel Quaritch.[36] Na'vi * Zoe Saldana as Neytiri, princess of the Omaticaya, the Na'vi clan central to the story, who is attracted to Jake because of his bravery.[37] The character, like all the Na'vi, was created using performance capture, and is entirely computer generated.[38] Saldana has also signed on for potential sequels.[25] * C. C. H. Pounder as Mo'at, the Omaticaya's spiritual leader, Neytiri's mother, and consort to clan leader Eytucan.[39] * Laz Alonso as Tsu'tey, heir to the chieftainship of the tribe, and Neytiri's betrothed, prior to the events of the film. * Wes Studi as Eytucan, the Omaticaya's clan leader, husband of Mo'at and Neytiri's father. * Peter Mensah as Akwey, leader of a plains clan of Na'vi. Production Development In 1994, director James Cameron wrote a 80-page scriptment for Avatar[7] and he reportedly wrote it in just two weeks.[40][41] Cameron said his inspiration was "every single science fiction book I read as a kid", and that he was particularly striving to update the style of Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter series. In August 1996, Cameron announced that after completing Titanic, he would film Avatar, which would make use of synthetic, or computer-generated, actors.[8] The project would cost $100 million and involve at least six actors in leading roles "who appear to be real but do not exist in the physical world".[42] Visual effects house Digital Domain, with whom Cameron has a partnership, joined the project, which was supposed to begin production in the summer of 1997 for a 1999 release.[9] In June 2005, Cameron was announced to be working on a project tentatively titled Project 880, concurrently with another project, Battle Angel.[43] By December, Cameron said that he planned to film Battle Angel first for a mid 2007 release, and to film Project 880 for a 2009 release.[44] In February 2006, Cameron said he had switched goals for the two film projects – Project 880 was now scheduled for 2007 and Battle Angel for 2009. He indicated that the release of Project 880 would possibly be delayed until 2008.[45] Later that February, Cameron revealed that Project 880 was "a retooled version of Avatar", a film that he had tried to make years earlier,[46] citing the technological advances in the creation of the computer-generated characters Gollum, King Kong and Davy Jones.[7] Cameron had chosen Avatar over Battle Angel after completing a five-day camera test in the previous year.[47] Search Wikinews Wikinews has related news: Elvish, Klingon and Na'vi: Constructed languages gain foothold in film Cameron's early scriptment for Avatar had circulated on the Internet for years. When the project was re-announced, copies were subsequently removed from websites.[48] From January to April 2006, Cameron worked on the script. Working with Dr. Paul Frommer, linguist and Director of the Center for Management Communication at USC, he developed a Na'vi language and culture, the indigenous race on Pandora.[7] The language has a vocabulary of about 1000 words, with some 30 having been invented by Cameron. The tongue's phonemes include ejective consonants (such as the "kx" in "skxawng") that are found in the Amharic language of Ethiopia, and the initial "ng" that Cameron may have taken from New Zealand Māori.[10] Jodie S. Holt, professor of plant physiology at UC Riverside, met with Sigourney Weaver and set designers to talk about the way botanists would study and sample plants, but also about the way to explain the communication between plants and the Na'vi.[49] Search Wikinews Wikinews has related news: James Cameron to use Weta Digital for next film In July 2006, Cameron announced that he would film Avatar for a mid 2008 release and planned to begin principal photography with an established cast by February 2007.[50] The following August, the visual effects studio Weta Digital signed on to help Cameron produce Avatar.[51] Stan Winston, who had collaborated with Cameron in the past, joined Avatar to help with the film's designs.[52] In September 2006, Cameron was announced to be using his own Reality Camera System to film in 3-D. The system would use two high-definition cameras in a single camera body to create depth perception.[53] In December 2006, Cameron described Avatar as "a futuristic tale set on a planet 200 years hence [...] an old-fashioned jungle adventure with an environmental conscience [that] aspires to a mythic level of storytelling".[54] The January 2007 press release described the film: "Avatar is also an emotional journey of redemption and revolution. It is the story of a wounded former Marine, thrust unwillingly into an effort to settle and exploit an exotic planet rich in biodiversity, who eventually crosses over to lead the indigenous race in a battle for survival," and "We're creating an entire world, a complete ecosystem of phantasmagorical plants and creatures, and a native people with a rich culture and language."[25] Estimates put the cost of the film at about $280–310 million to produce and an estimated $150 million for marketing, noting that about $30 million in tax credits will lessen the financial impact on the studio and its financiers.[12][13][14] However, a studio spokesperson, speaking with film website The Wrap, said that the budget "is $237 million, with $150 million for promotion, end of story".[2] Cameron stated that if Avatar was successful, he hoped to make two sequels to the film.[11] In a 2009 interview, he stated that the story arc he developed is large enough to cover two more films.[55] Cameron also mentioned that the sequel's story arc would begin after the events of the first film and that it would continue to follow the characters Jake and Neytiri.[56] Themes and inspirations Pandora's floating "Hallelujah Mountains" were inspired by the Chinese Huang Shan mountains[57] Avatar is primarily an action-adventure journey of self-discovery, in the context of imperialism and biodiversity.[58] Cameron has said that Avatar shares themes with the films At Play in the Fields of the Lord and The Emerald Forest, which feature clashes between cultures and civilizations, and acknowledged the film's connection with Dances With Wolves, where a battered soldier finds himself drawn to the culture he was initially fighting against.[59] In a 2007 interview with Time magazine, Cameron addressed the meaning of the film's title: answering the question "What is an avatar, anyway?" Cameron stated, "It's an incarnation of one of the Hindu gods taking a flesh form. In this film what that means is that the human technology in the future is capable of injecting a human's intelligence into a remotely located body, a biological body."[6] The look of the Na'vi, the characters native to the world depicted in the film, was inspired by a dream that Cameron's mother had long before he wrote Avatar. She dreamt about a 12-foot-tall blue woman and he thought "that's kind of a cool image". So in 1976 or 1977, he put into his first screenplay a planet with a native population that was 12 feet tall and blue, and "gorgeous", which later became the basis for the Na'vi in Avatar.[58] For the love story between characters Jake and Neytiri, Cameron applied a star-crossed love theme, and acknowledged its similarity to the pairing of Jack and Rose from his film Titanic. Both couples come from radically different cultures that are contemptuous of their relationship and are forced to choose sides between the competing communities. "They both fall in love with each other, but they need to fight side-by-side," said Cameron, "and so there's that kind of requirement to let the other person go in order to do what you need to do, which is kind of interesting."[60] Though Cameron felt Jake and Neytiri do not fall in love right away, Worthington and Saldana, the characters' portrayers, disagreed. Cameron said Worthington and Saldana "had a great chemistry" during filming.[60] At Comic Con 2009, Cameron told attendees that he wanted to make "something that has this spoonful of sugar of all the action and the adventure and all that". He wanted this to thrill him "as a fan" but also have a conscience "that maybe in the enjoying of it makes you think a little bit about the way you interact with nature and your fellow man".[61] He added that "the Na'vi represent something that is our higher selves, or our aspirational selves, what we would like to think we are" and that even though there are good humans within the film, the humans "represent what we know to be the parts of ourselves that are trashing our world and maybe condemning ourselves to a grim future".[61] The film has vivid scenes of combat, but it is also about peace.[62] Cameron acknowledged that it implicitly criticizes America's War in Iraq and the impersonal nature of mechanized warfare in general.[63] In reference to the use of the term "shock and awe" in the film, Cameron stated, "We know what it feels like to launch the missiles. We don't know what it feels like for them to land on our home soil, not in America." In a later interview, however, Cameron said, "The film is definitely not anti-American."[64] A scene in the film portrays the violent destruction of the towering Na'vi Hometree, which collapses in flames after a missile attack, coating the landscape with ash and floating embers. When asked about the scene's visual resemblance to the events of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, Cameron said he had been "surprised at how much it did look like September 11".[63] Filming and effects In December 2006, Cameron explained that the delay in producing the film since the 1990s had been to wait until the technology necessary to create his project was advanced enough. The director planned to create photo-realistic computer-generated characters by using motion-capture animation technology, on which he had been doing work for the past 14 months. Unlike previous motion-capture systems, where the digital environment is added after the actors' motions have been captured, Cameron's new virtual camera allows him to observe directly on a monitor how the actors' virtual counterparts interact with the movie's digital world in real time and adjust and direct the scenes just as if shooting live action; "It’s like a big, powerful game engine. If I want to fly through space, or change my perspective, I can. I can turn the whole scene into a living miniature and go through it on a 50 to 1 scale."[65] Cameron pioneered a specially designed camera built into a 6-inch boom that allowed the facial expressions of the actors to be captured and digitally recorded for the animators to use later.[66] Cameron planned to continue developing the special effects for Avatar, which he hoped would be released in mid-2009. He also gave fellow directors Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson a chance to test the new technology.[54] Spielberg and George Lucas were also able to visit the set to watch Cameron direct with the equipment.[67] Other technological innovations include "The Volume", a motion-capture stage six times larger than any previously used, and an improved method of capturing facial expressions, enabling full performance capture. To achieve the latter, actors wore individually-made skull caps fitted with a tiny camera positioned in front of the actors' faces; the information collected about their facial expressions and eyes is then transmitted to computers. According to Cameron, the method allows the filmmakers to transfer about 95% of the actors' performances to their digital counterparts. Besides a real-time virtual world, the team also experimented with a way of allowing the computer-generated characters to interact with real actors on a real, live-action set while shooting live action.[68] Avatar was filmed with newly developed stereoscopic cameras that simulate human sight. In this scene, Jake Sully flies into battle to save his newly adopted tribe. In January 2007, Fox announced that the studio's Avatar would be filmed in 3D at 24 frames per second despite Cameron's strong opinion that a 3D film requires higher frame rate to make strobing less noticeable.[69] Cameron described the film as a hybrid with a full live-action shoot in combination with computer-generated characters and live environments. "Ideally at the end of the day the audience has no idea which they’re looking at," Cameron said. The director indicated that he had already worked four months on nonprincipal scenes for the film. Principal photography began in April 2007,[70] and was done around parts of Los Angeles as well as New Zealand. The live action was shot with a modified version of the proprietary digital 3D Fusion Camera System, developed by Cameron and Vince Pace.[71] According to Cameron, the film is composed of 60% computer-generated elements and 40% live action, as well as traditional miniatures.[72] Motion-capture photography would last 31 days at the Hughes Aircraft stage in Playa Vista, Los Angeles, California.[47][73] In October, Cameron was scheduled to shoot live-action in New Zealand[31] for another 31 days.[7] "It's this form of pure creation where if you want to move a tree or a mountain or the sky or change the time of day, you have complete control over the elements." —James Cameron on virtual filmmaking [74] To create the human mining colony on Pandora, production designers visited the Noble Clyde Boudreaux drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico during June 2007. They photographed, measured and filmed every aspect of the rig, which was replicated on-screen with photorealistic CGI.[75] More than a thousand people worked on the production.[73] Cameron sent the cast of Avatar off to the jungle for bonding boot-camp exercises before he started shooting the film.[76] In a 2009 profile in The New Yorker, Cameron claimed that the digital elements of Avatar are believable enough that the audience will be unable to tell reality from computer animation. In Cameron's words, "This film integrates my life's achievements... it's the most complicated stuff anyone's ever done."[77] Music and soundtrack Main article: Avatar: Music from the Motion Picture Composer James Horner scored the film, his third collaboration with Cameron after Aliens and Titanic.[78] Horner recorded parts of the score with a small chorus singing in the alien language Na'vi in March 2008.[79] He has also worked with Wanda Bryant, an ethnomusicologist, to create a music culture for the alien race.[80] The first scoring sessions were planned to take place in Spring 2009.[81] British singer Leona Lewis was chosen to sing the theme song for the film, called "I See You". An accompanying music video, directed by Jake Nava, premiered December 15, 2009 on MySpace.[82] Marketing Cameron at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con promoting the film Cameron, producer Jon Landau, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, and Sigourney Weaver appeared at a panel, moderated by Tom Rothman, at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con on July 23. Twenty-five minutes of footage was screened[83] in Dolby 3D.[84] Weaver and Cameron appeared at additional panels to promote the film, speaking on the 23rd[85] and 24th[86] respectively. James Cameron announced at the Comic-Con Avatar Panel that August 21 will be 'Avatar Day'. On this day the trailer for the film was released in all theatrical formats. The official game trailer and toy line of the film were also unveiled on this day.[87] The 129 second trailer was released online on August 20, 2009.[88] The new 210-second trailer was premiered in theatres with on October 23, 2009, then soon after premiered online on Yahoo! on October 29, 2009, to positive reviews.[89][90] An extended version in IMAX 3D received overwhelmingly positive reviews.[88] The Hollywood Reporter said that audience expectations were coloured by "the [same] establishment skepticism that preceded Titanic" and suggested the showing reflected the desire for original storytelling.[91][92] The teaser has been among the most viewed trailers in the history of film marketing, reaching the 1st place of all trailers viewed on Apple.com with 4 million views.[93] On October 30, to celebrate the opening of the first 3D cinema in Vietnam, Fox allowed Megastar Cinema to screen exclusive 16 minutes of Avatar to a number of press.[94] The three-and-a-half minute trailer of the film premiered live on November 1, 2009 during a Dallas Cowboys football game at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas on the Diamond Vision screen, the world's largest video display, and to TV audiences viewing the game on Fox. It is said to be the largest live motion picture trailer viewing in history.[95][96] The film is heavily promoted in an episode of the Fox Network series Bones in the episode "The Gamer In The Grease" (Season 5, Episode 9). Avatar star Joel David Moore has a recurring role on the program, and is seen in the episode anxiously awaiting the release of the film.[97] Books Avatar: A Confidential Report on the Biological and Social History of Pandora, a 224-page book in the form of a field guide to the film's fictional setting of the planet of Pandora, was released by Harper Entertainment on November 24, 2009.[98] It is presented as a compilation of data collected by the humans about Pandora and the life on it, written by Maria Wilhelm and Dirk Mathison. HarperFestival also released Wilhelm's 48-page James Cameron's Avatar: The Reusable Scrapbook for children.[99] The Art of Avatar: James Cameron's Epic Adventure was released on November 30, 2009 by Abrams Books.[100] The book features detailed production artwork from the film, including production sketches, illustrations by Lisa Fitzpatrick, and film stills. Producer John Landau wrote the foreword, Cameron wrote the epilogue, and director Peter Jackson wrote the preface. In a 2009 interview, Cameron said that he planned to write a novel version of Avatar some time after the film released.[101] Video games Main article: James Cameron's Avatar: The Game Cameron chose Ubisoft Montreal to create an Avatar game for the film in 2007. The filmmakers and game developers collaborated heavily, and Cameron decided to include some of Ubisoft's vehicle and creature designs into the film.[102] James Cameron's Avatar: The Game was released on December 1, 2009,[103] for most home video game consoles (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS, iPhone), Microsoft Windows and December 8 for PSP. All versions are rated T by the ESRB (the iPhone version is rated +9 by Apple).[104] Action figures Mattel Toys announced in December 2009 that it would be introducing a line of Avatar action figures.[105][106] Each action figure will be made with a 3D web tag, called an i-TAG, that consumers can scan using a web cam, revealing unique on-screen content that is special to each specific action figure.[105] A series of toys representing six different characters from the film are also being distributed in McDonald's Happy Meals in the United States, Argentina, Canada and also China.[107] Release Avatar premiered in London on December 10, 2009, and was released theatrically worldwide from December 16–18.[108] The film was originally set for release on May 22, 2009 during filming,[109] but was pushed back to allow more post-production time, and to also give more time for theatres worldwide to install 3-D projectors.[110] Cameron stated that the film's aspect ratio would be 1.78:1 for 3-D screenings and that a 2.39:1 image would be extracted for 2-D screenings.[111] However, the 1.78:1 aspect ratio is actually exclusive to IMAX 3D screenings while all other projection methods (including digital 3-D) use the 2.35:1 extract.[112] The first photo of the film was released on August 14, 2009,[113] and Empire magazine released exclusive images from the film in its October issue.[114] Internationally, Avatar opened between December 16 and 18, on a total of 14,604 screens in 106 territories, of which 3,671 are running it in 3D (56% of the first weekend gross).[115][116] IMAX Corporation and Twentieth Century Fox announced that James Cameron's Avatar would open in 178 IMAX theatres in the US on December 18, 2009, simultaneously with the motion picture's premiere in conventional theatres. The IMAX 3D release also opened in 83 IMAX theatres internationally starting on December 16, for a total of 261 theatres, making this the widest IMAX release to date.[117] The previous IMAX theatres record was 231, when Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince opened up in 161 IMAX theatres in the US, and about 70 international.[118] Avatar was released in a total of 3457 theatres in the US, of which 2032 theatres are running it in 3D. In total 90% of all advance ticket sales for Avatar were for 3D screenings.[119] Box office Avatar earned $3,537,000 from midnight screenings in the United States and Canada, partly due to the fact that it was limited to 2,200 3D screens.[120] The film earned $27 million on its opening day, and $77 million over its opening weekend in the United States and Canada, making it the second largest December opening ever, behind I Am Legend,[3][17] and the 25th largest national United States weekend opening,[3] despite a blizzard which blanketed the East Coast of the United States and reportedly hurt its opening weekend.[12][17][18] International markets generating opening weekend tallies of at least $10 million were Russia ($20.8 million), France ($20.3 million), the UK ($14.1 million), Germany ($13.2 million), Australia ($11.9 million), South Korea ($11.4 million) and Spain ($10.9 million).[121] Avatar's worldwide gross was an estimated $232,180,000 after three days,[3][18] the ninth largest opening-weekend gross of all time, and the largest for a non-franchise, non-sequel and original film.[3] The film's revenues decreased by a mere 1.9% in its second weekend in the United States and Canada markets, earning $75,589,048 to remain in first place at the box office.[122] The film broke The Dark Knight 's record for the biggest second weekend of all time.[123] The film experienced another small decrease in revenue in its third weekend, dropping 9.7% for an estimated $68,300,000 domestically, once again remaining #1 at the box office.[124] This breaks Spider-Man 's long standing record of $45,036,912 as the highest grossing third weekend of all time.[125] On the 17th day of the film's release, it crossed the $1 billion mark worldwide making it the fastest film ever to do so.[19] After only 24 days of being released, Avatar has grossed $429 million in the United States and Canada, and $902 million in other territories after 26 days of release with a worldwide total of $1.331 billion.[3][4] This now makes the film the second highest grossing of all time worldwide, next to Titanic, also directed by Cameron.[20] It is also currently the seventh highest grossing film of all time domestically (unadjusted for inflation).[126] Performance analysis Before its release, various film critics and fan communities predicted the film would be a significant disappointment at the box office, much like had been thought of Cameron's previous film Titanic (though it later became the highest-grossing film of all time).[127][128] This criticism ranged from Avatar's film budget, to its concept and use of 3-D "blue cat people".[127] Slate magazine's Daniel Engber complimented the 3-D effects, but also criticized their character aspect for reminding him of certain CGI characters from the Star Wars prequel films and for having the "uncanny valley" effect.[129] "I think if everybody was embracing the film before the fact, the film could never live up to that expectation. Having that doubt, having it be controversial right now, having people arguing about it, I think is absolutely the healthy place. Have them go with some sense of wanting to find the answer. When they sit down in that movie theatre and the lights go down." —James Cameron on Avatar's criticism[130] Box office analysts' opinions differed from much of the Internet criticism about the film. Traditional analysts estimated that the film would be a box office success.[127][131] "The holy grail of 3-D has finally arrived," said Jeff Bock, box-office analyst for Exhibitor Relations. "This is why all these 3-D venues were built: for Avatar. This is the one. The behemoth."[131] The "cautionary estimate" was that Avatar would bring in around $60 million in its opening weekend. Bock felt that the number would fall between $80 million and 100 million, or more than that.[131] Jeffrey Wells of Hollywood Elsewhere quoted a box-office seer who believed Avatar would make about $70 million on its opening weekend.[132] Additionally, analysts believed the film's three-dimensionality would help its box office performance, given that recent 3-D films had been successful.[127] Cameron said he felt the pressure of the predictions, but that pressure is good for film-makers. "It makes us think about our audiences and what the audience wants," he stated. "We owe them a good time. We owe them a piece of good entertainment."[130] Cameron did not want to preach to the audience, but rather "bring them in" and make sure they have a good time.[130] Though he felt Avatar would appeal to everyone and that the film could not afford to have a target demographic,[130] he especially wanted hard-core science-fiction fans to see it. "If I can just get 'em in the damn theater, the film will act on them in the way it's supposed to, in terms of taking them on an amazing journey and giving them this rich emotional experience," stated Cameron.[133] Regarding sentiment that Avatar would need repeat business to be a true success, Cameron agreed that sharing is a part of successful films. "When people have an experience that's very powerful in the movie theatre, they want to go share it. They want to grab their friend and bring them, so that they can enjoy it," he said. "They want to be the person to bring them the news that this is something worth having in their life. That's how Titanic worked."[130] Since the film's release and unusually strong box office performance, it has been debated as the one film capable of surpassing Titanic's worldwide gross, and its seemingly surreal strength has perplexed box office analysts.[134][135][136][137] "Most films are considered to be healthy if they manage anything less than a 50% drop from their first weekend to their second. Dipping just more 11% from the first to the third is unheard of," relayed Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office analysis for Hollywood.com. "This is just unprecedented," he said. "I had to do a double take. I thought it was a miscalculation."[136] Though other films in recent years have been cited as contenders for surpassing Titanic, most recently The Dark Knight,[137] Avatar is considered the first film with a genuine chance at doing so, and its numbers being aided by higher ticket prices for 3D screenings[134] has failed to explain its thorough success to box office analysts. "What's also impressive is that Avatar made it through the holiday season in first place three consecutive weekends with a number of other highly competitive titles standing in its way," stated Dergarabedian. "Everyone stayed out of the way for Dark Knight. But nobody got out of the way for Avatar."[136] Dergarabedian and other analysts predicted that second place for the all-time box office gross would be guaranteed for the film, but first place is not as certain. "...[I]t's a big, $800 million leap from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King to Titanic," Dergarabedian said. "Avatar still would have to claim the worldwide box-office that 2009's second-place film, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, got during its entire three-month run. Today's films flame out much faster than they did when Titanic was released."[136] Brandon Gray, president of Box Office Mojo, stated, "It certainly has a chance to [beat Titanic]. But it's too early to say because it's only played during the holidays." He said, "While Avatar may beat Titanic's revenue record, it will be tough, and the film is unlikely to surpass Titanic in attendance. Ticket prices were about $3 cheaper in the late 1990s."[136] In December, Cameron had stated, "I don't think it's realistic to try to topple Titanic off its perch. Some pretty good movies have come out in the last few years. Titanic just struck some kind of chord."[138] Though analysts have been unable to pinpoint Avatar's success to one primary factor, explanations for the film's success have been given. Analysts state that January is historically "the dumping ground for the year's weakest films" and that this has also applied to 2010.[139] Cameron himself said he decided to open the film in December so that it would not have much, if any, competition from there into January.[130] Titanic capitalized on the same January predictability, and earned most of its gross in 1998.[139] Additionally, Avatar established itself as a "must-see" event. Gray said, "...At this point, people who are going to see Avatar are going to see Avatar and would even if the slate was strong."[139] Marketing the film as a "novelty factor" also helped. Fox positioned the film as a cinematic event, that if you want to see this film, you must see it in the theatres. "It's really hard to sell the idea that you can have the same experience at home," stated David Mumpower, an analyst at BoxOfficeProphets.com.[139] The "Oscar buzz" surrounding the film and international viewings also helped. "Two-thirds of Titanic's haul was earned overseas, and Avatar is tracking similarly... Avatar opened in 106 markets globally and was No. 1 in all of them" and the markets "such as Russia, where Titanic saw modest receipts in 1997 and 1998, are white-hot today" with "more screens and moviegoers" than before.[139] Films in 3-D accumulated $1.3 billion in 2009, according to Variety, "a threefold increase over 2008 and more than 10 percent of the total 2009 box-office gross". The increased ticket price—an average of $2 to $3 per ticket in most markets— has helped the film.[139] Likewise, Entertainment Weekly attributed the film's success to 3-D glasses, but also to its "astronomic word-of-mouth". Not only do some theaters charge up to $18.50 for IMAX tickets, but "the buzz" created by the new technology is the possible cause for sold-out screenings.[140] The film also became the first to gross over $100 million worldwide in specialized IMAX viewings.[141] Analysts state that the various explanations cannot take away from Avatar's box office performance. "What makes Avatar remarkable is that it has no basis in previously established material. The movie might be derivative of many movies in its story and themes," said Gray, "but it had no direct antecedent like the other top-grossing films: Titanic (historical events), the Star Wars movies (an established film franchise), or The Lord of the Rings (literature). It was a tougher sell, which makes its achievement more impressive."[139] Critical reception The film received generally positive reviews from film critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 82% of 241 professional critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 7.4 out of 10.[142] Among Rotten Tomatoes's Top Critics, which consists of popular and notable critics from the top newspapers, websites, television and radio programs,[143] the film holds an even better overall approval rating of 94%, based on a sample of 35 reviews.[144] The site's general consensus is that "It might be more impressive on a technical level than as a piece of storytelling, but Avatar reaffirms James Cameron's singular gift for imaginative, absorbing filmmaking."[142] On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from film critics, the film has a rating score of 84 based on 35 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[145] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times called the film "extraordinary" and gave it four stars out of four. "Watching Avatar, I felt sort of the same as when I saw Star Wars in 1977," he said. Like Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings, the film "employs a new generation of special effects".[128] A. O. Scott of At The Movies also compared viewing the film to the first time he viewed Star Wars. He said "the script is a little bit ... obvious" but that "is part of what made it work".[146] Todd McCarthy of Variety praised the film. "The King of the World sets his sights on creating another world entirely in Avatar, and it's very much a place worth visiting."[147] Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a positive review. "The screen is alive with more action and the soundtrack pops with more robust music than any dozen sci-fi shoot-'em-ups you care to mention," he stated.[148] Rolling Stone film critic Peter Travers praised the film, giving it 3.5 out of 4 stars and in his print review wrote, "It extends the possibilities of what movies can do. Cameron's talent may just be as big as his dreams."[149] Richard Corliss of TIME Magazine stated, "Embrace the movie — surely the most vivid and convincing creation of a fantasy world ever seen in the history of moving pictures."[150] Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times felt the film has "powerful" visual accomplishments but "flat dialogue" and "obvious characterization".[151] James Berardinelli, film critic for ReelViews, praised the film and its story, giving it 4 out of 4 stars he wrote, "In 3D, it's immersive - but the traditional film elements - story, character, editing, theme, emotional resonance, etc. - are presented with sufficient expertise to make even the 2D version an engrossing 2 1/2-hour experience."[152] Armond White of the New York Press wrote that Cameron used villainous American characters to misrepresent the facts of militarism, capitalism, and imperialism.[153] [154] Russell D. Moore in The Christian Post reasoned propaganda exists in the film and stated, "If you can get a theater full of people in Kentucky to stand and applaud the defeat of their country in war, then you’ve got some amazing special effects."[155] Ross Douthat of The New York Times opined that the film is Cameron’s case for pantheism, which "has been Hollywood’s religion of choice for a generation now".[156] Adam Cohen of The New York Times was more positive, calling the anti-imperialist message "a 22nd-century version of the American colonists vs. the British, India vs. the Raj, or Latin America vs. United Fruit".[157] Annalee Newitz of io9 concluded that Avatar is another film that has the recurring "fantasy about race" where "some white guy" becomes the "most awesome" member of a non-white culture.[158] The various interpretations of the film led Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune to label it the "season's Rorschach blot".[159] In terms of plot, film critic Ty Burr of the Boston Globe called it "the same movie" as Dances with Wolves.[160] Parallels to the concept and use of an avatar were in Poul Anderson's 1957 short story Call Me Joe, where a paralyzed man uses his mind to remotely control an alien body.[161][162] Other reviews have compared it to the films FernGully: The Last Rainforest[163] and Pocahontas.[164] NPR's Morning Edition has compared the film to a montage of tropes, with one friend of an editor stating that Avatar was made by mixing a bunch of film scripts in a blender.[165] In a similar vein, columnist David Brooks describes the story as an "oft-repeated". In this trope, he stated, "a manly young adventurer ... goes into the wilderness in search of thrills and profit" but finds the native people of the wilderness "noble and spiritual and pure. And so ... emerges as their Messiah, leading them on a righteous crusade against his own rotten civilization".[166] Cameron acknowledged that the film is thematically similar to such classic "going-native" films as Dances with Wolves and At Play in the Fields of the Lord.[59] The movie blog /Film accumulated a list of quotes about Avatar from fourteen writers and directors in Hollywood. From Steven Spielberg, "The most evocative and amazing science-fiction movie since Star Wars." Frank Marshall wrote, "Avatar is audacious and awe inspiring. It’s truly extraordinary...". Richard Kelly stated that the film was amazing. John August called the film a "master class". Michael Moore recommended, "Go see Avatar, a brilliant movie [for] our times." The only negative reaction in the list was from Duncan Jones, "It’s not in my top three Jim Cameron films. " ... "at what point in the film did you have any doubt what was going to happen next?"[167] Awards and nominations Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Avatar The New York Film Critics Online have honored the film with its Best Picture award.[168] The film also received nine nominations for the Critics' Choice Awards of the Broadcast Film Critics Association, including those for Best Picture and Best Director.[169] St. Louis Film Critics have nominated the film for two of its annual awards—Best Visual Effects and Most Original, Innovative or Creative Film,[170] and the film won both awards.[171] The film was a runner-up for the best Production Design award of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association annual awards.[172] The film also picked up four nominations for the 67th Golden Globe Awards including Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Director, Best Film Score and Best Film Song.[173] The Austin Film Critics Association and the Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association have placed the film on their top ten films of the year lists,[174][175] while Chicago Film Critics Association has nominated the film for its annual Best Cinematography and Best Original Score awards.[176] The Las Vegas Film Critics Society has awarded the film with Best Art Direction award,[177] and the Florida Film Critics Circle honored the film with Best Cinematography award.[178] London Film Critics' Circle has nominated the film for its Film of the Year and Director of the Year annual awards.[179] Phoenix Film Critics Society has honored the film with Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Production Design and Best Visual Effect awards and also included it on its top-ten films of the year list.[180] The Online Film Critics Society has nominated the film for Best Director, Best Cinematography and Best Editing awards.[181] The film was also nominated by the Producers Guild of America for its Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures.[182] James Cameron has been named as one of the 2009 Nominees for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film awarded by the Directors Guild of America.[183] The film is considered to be a front-runner for Best Picture at the 82nd Academy Awards due to its strong box-office and critical reception, and reportedly successful screening held for Academy members.[184]

PIGS IS PIGS

from American Magazine Pigs is Pigs by Ellis Parker Butler Mike Flannery, the Westcote agent of the Interurban Express Company, leaned over the counter of the express office and shook his fist. Mr. Morehouse, angry and red, stood on the other side of the counter, trembling with rage. The argument had been long and heated, and at last Mr. Morehouse had talked himself speechless. The cause of the trouble stood on the counter between the two men. It was a soap box across the top of which were nailed a number of strips, forming a rough but serviceable cage. In it two spotted guinea-pigs were greedily eating lettuce leaves. "Do as you loike, then!" shouted Flannery, "pay for thim an' take thim, or don't pay for thim and leave thim be. Rules is rules, Misther Morehouse, an' Mike Flannery's not goin' to be called down fer breakin' of thim." "But, you everlastingly stupid idiot!" shouted Mr. Morehouse, madly shaking a flimsy printed book beneath the agent's nose, "can't you read it here -- in your own plain printed rates? 'Pets, domestic, Franklin to Westcote, if properly boxed, twenty-five cents each.'" He threw the book on the counter in disgust. "What more do you want? Aren't they pets? Aren't they domestic? Aren't they properly boxed? What?" He turned and walked back and forth rapidly; frowning ferociously. Suddenly he turned to Flannery, and forcing his voice to an artificial calmness spoke slowly but with intense sarcasm. "Pets," he said, "P-e-t-s! Twenty-five cents each. There are two of them. One! Two! Two times twenty-five are fifty! Can you understand that? I offer you fifty cents." Flannery reached for the book. He ran his hand through the pages and stopped at page sixty-four. "An' I don't take fifty cints," he whispered in mockery. "Here's the rule for ut. 'Whin the agint be in anny doubt regardin' which of two rates applies to a shipmint, he shall charge the larger. The consign-ey may file a claim for the overcharge.' In this case, Misther Morehouse, I be in doubt. Pets thim animals may be, an' domestic they be, but pigs, I'm blame sure they do be, an' me rules says plain as the nose on yer face, 'Pigs, Franklin to Westcote, thirty cints each.' An' Mister Morehouse, by me arithmetical knowledge two times thurty comes to sixty cints." Mr. Morehouse shook his head savagely. "Nonsense!" he shouted, "confounded nonsense, I tell you! Why, you poor ignorant foreigner, that rule means common pigs, domestic pigs, not guinea-pigs!" Flannery was stubborn. "Pigs is pigs," he declared firmly. "Guinea-pigs, or dago pigs or Irish pigs is all the same to the Interurban Express Company an' to Mike Flannery. Th' nationality of the pig creates no differentiality in the rate, Misther Morehouse! 'Twould be the same was they Dutch pigs or Rooshun pigs. Mike Flannery," he added, "is here to tind to the expriss business an' not to hould conversation wid dago pigs in sivinteen languages fer to discover be they Chinese or Tipperary by birth an' nativity." Mr. Morehouse hesitated. He bit his lip and then flung out his arms wildly. "Very well!" he shouted, "you shall hear of this! Your president shall hear of this! It is an outrage! I have offered you fifty cents. You refuse it! Keep the pigs until you are ready to take the fifty cents, but, by George, sir, if one hair of those pigs' heads is harmed I will have the law on you!" He turned and stalked out, slamming the door. Flannery carefully lifted the soap box from the counter and placed it in a corner. He was not worried. He felt the peace that comes to a faithful servant who has done his duty and done it well. Mr. Morehouse went home raging. His boy, who had been awaiting the guinea-pigs, knew better than to ask him for them. He was a normal boy and therefore always had a guilty conscience when his father was angry. So the boy slipped quietly around the house. There is nothing so soothing to a guilty conscience as to be out of the path of the avenger. Mr. Morehouse stormed into the house. "Where's the ink?" he shouted at his wife as soon as his foot was across the door-sill. Mrs. Morehouse jumped, guiltily. She never used ink. She had not seen the ink, nor moved the ink, nor thought of the ink, but her husband's tone convicted her of the guilt of having borne and reared a boy, and she knew that whenever her husband wanted anything in a loud voice the boy had been at it. "I'll find Sammy," she said meekly. When the ink was found Mr. Morehouse wrote rapidly, and he read the completed letter and smiled a triumphant smile. "That will settle that crazy Irishman!" he exclaimed. "When they get that letter he will hunt another job, all right!" A week later Mr. Morehouse received a long official envelope with the card of the Interurban Express Company in the upper left corner. He tore it open eagerly and drew out a sheet of paper. At the top it bore the number A6754. The letter was short. "Subject -- Rate on guinea-pigs," it said, "Dr. Sir -- We are in receipt of your letter regarding rate on guinea-pigs between Franklin and Westcote, addressed to the president of this company. All claims for overcharge should be addressed to the Claims Department." Mr. Morehouse wrote to the Claims Department. He wrote six pages of choice sarcasm, vituperation and argument, and sent them to the Claims Department. A few weeks later he received a reply from the Claims Department. Attached to it was his last letter. "Dr. Sir," said the reply. "Your letter of the 16th inst., addressed to this Department, subject rate on guinea-pigs from Franklin to Westcote, rec'd. We have taken up the matter with our agent at Westcote, and his reply is attached herewith. He informs us that you refused to receive the consignment or to pay the charges. You have therefore no claim against this company, and your letter regarding the proper rate on the consignment should be addressed to our Tariff Department." Mr. Morehouse wrote to the Tariff Department. He stated his case clearly, and gave his arguments in full, quoting a page or two from the encyclopedia to prove that guinea-pigs were not common pigs. With the care that characterizes corporations when they are systematically conducted, Mr. Morehouse's letter was numbered, O. K'd, and started through the regular channels. Duplicate copies of the bill of lading, manifest, Flannery's receipt for the package and several other pertinent papers were pinned to the letter, and they were passed to the head of the Tariff Department. The head of the Tariff Department put his feet on his desk and yawned. He looked through the papers carelessly. "Miss Kane," he said to his stenographer, "take this letter. 'Agent, Westcote, N. J. Please advise why consignment referred to in attached papers was refused domestic pet rates.'" Miss Kane made a series of curves and angles on her note book and waited with pencil poised. The head of the department looked at the papers again. "Huh! guinea-pigs!" he said. "Probably starved to death by this time! Add this to that letter: 'Give condition of consignment at present.'" He tossed the papers on to the stenographer's desk, took his feet from his own desk and went out to lunch. When Mike Flannery received the letter he scratched his head. "Give prisint condition," he repeated thoughtfully. "Now what do thim clerks be wantin' to know, I wonder! 'Prisint condition,' is ut? Thim pigs, praise St. Patrick, do be in good health, so far as I know, but I niver was no veternairy surgeon to dago pigs. Mebby thim clerks wants me to call in the pig docther an' have their pulses took. Wan thing I do know, howiver, which is they've glorious appytites for pigs of their soize. Ate? They'd ate the brass padlocks off of a barn door! If the paddy pig, by the same token, ate as hearty as these dago pigs do, there'd be a famine in Ireland." To assure himself that his report would be up to date, Flannery went to the rear of the office and looked into the cage. The pigs had been transferred to a larger box -- a dry goods box. "Wan, -- two, -- t'ree -- four, -- foive, -- six, -- sivin, -- eight!" he counted. "Sivin spotted an' wan all black. All well an' hearty an' all eatin' loike ragin' hippy-potty-musses." He went back to his desk and wrote. "Mr. Morgan, Head of Tariff Department," he wrote. "Why do I say dago pigs is pigs because they is pigs and will be til you say they ain't which is what the rule book says stop your jollying me you know it as well as I do. As to health they are all well and hoping you are the same. P. S. There are eight now the family increased all good eaters. P. S. I paid out so far two dollars for cabbage which they like shall I put in bill for same what?" Morgan, head of the Tariff Department, when he received this letter, laughed. He read it again and became serious. "By George!" he said, "Flannery is right. 'Pigs is pigs.' I'll have to get authority on this thing. Meanwhile, Miss Kane, take this letter: "Agent, Westcote, N. J. Regarding shipment guinea-pigs, File No. A6754. Rule 83, General Instruction to Agents, clearly states that agents shall collect from consignee all costs of provender, etc., etc., required for live stock while in transit or storage. You will proceed to collect same from consignee." Flannery received this letter next morning, and when he read it he grinned. "Proceed to collect," he said softly. "How thim clerks do loike to be talkin'! Me proceed to collect two dollars and twinty-foive cints off Misther Morehouse! I wonder do thim clerks know Misther Morehouse? I'll git it! Oh, yes! 'Misther Morehouse, two an' a quarter, plaze.' 'Cert'nly, me dear frind Flannery. Delighted!' Not!" Flannery drove the express wagon to Mr. Morehouse's door. Mr. Morehouse answered the bell. "Ah, ha!" he cried as soon as he saw it was Flannery. "So you've come to your senses at last, have you? I thought you would! Bring the box in." "I hev no box," said Flannery coldly. "I hev a bill agin Misther John C. Morehouse for two dollars and twinty-foive cints for kebbages aten by his dago pigs. Wud you wish to pay ut?" "Pay -- Cabbages -- !" gasped Mr. Morehouse. "Do you mean to say that two little guinea-pigs --" "Eight!" said Flannery. "Papa an' mamma an' the six childer. Eight!" For answer Mr. Morehouse slammed the door in Flannery's face. Flannery looked at the door reproachfully. "I take ut the con-sign-y don't want to pay for thim kebbages," he said. "If I know signs of refusal, the con-sign-y refuses to pay for wan dang kebbage leaf an' be hanged to me!" Mr. Morgan, the head of the Tariff Department, consulted the president of the Interurban Express Company regarding guinea-pigs, as to whether they were pigs or not pigs. The president was inclined to treat the matter lightly. "What is the rate on pigs and on pets?" he asked. "Pigs thirty cents, pets twenty-five," said Morgan. "Then of course guinea-pigs are pigs," said the president. "Yes," agreed Morgan, "I look at it that way, too. A thing that can come under two rates is naturally due to be classed as the higher. But are guinea-pigs, pigs? Aren't they rabbits?" "Come to think of it," said the president, "I believe they are more like rabbits. Sort of half-way station between pig and rabbit. I think the question is this -- are guinea-pigs of the domestic pig family? I'll ask Professor Gordon. He is authority on such things. Leave the papers with me." The president put the papers on his desk and wrote a letter to Professor Gordon. Unfortunately the Professor was in South America collecting zoological specimens, and the letter was forwarded to him by his wife. As the Professor was in the highest Andes, where no white man had ever penetrated, the letter was many months in reaching him. The president forgot the guinea-pigs, Morgan forgot them, Mr. Morehouse forgot them, but Flannery did not. One-half of his time he gave to the duties of his agency; the other half was devoted to the guinea-pigs. Long before Professor Gordon received the president's letter Morgan received one from Flannery. "About them dago pigs," it said, "what shall I do they are great in family life, no race suicide for them, there are thirty-two now shall I sell them do you take this express office for a menagerie, answer quick." Morgan reached for a telegraph blank and wrote: "Agent, Westcote. Don't sell pigs." He then wrote Flannery a letter calling his attention to the fact that the pigs were not the property of the company but were merely being held during a settlement of a dispute regarding rates. He advised Flannery to take the best possible care of them. Flannery, letter in hand, looked at the pigs and sighed. The dry-goods box cage had become too small. He boarded up twenty feet of the rear of the express office to make a large and airy home for them, and went about his business. He worked with feverish intensity when out on his rounds, for the pigs required attention and took most of his time. Some months later, in desperation, he seized a sheet of paper and wrote "160" across it and mailed it to Morgan. Morgan returned it asking for explanation. Flannery replied: "There be now one hundred sixty of them dago pigs, for heavens sake let me sell off some, do you want me to go crazy, what." "Sell no pigs." Morgan wired. Not long after this the president of the express company received a letter from Professor Gordon. It was a long and scholarly letter, but the point was that the guinea-pig was the Cavia aparoea while the common pig was the genus Sus of the family Suidae. He remarked that they were prolific and multiplied rapidly. "They are not pigs," said the president, decidedly, to Morgan. "The twenty-five cent rate applies." Morgan made the proper notation on the papers that had accumulated in File A6754, and turned them over to the Audit Department. The Audit Department took some time to look the matter up, and after the usual delay wrote Flannery that he has had on hand one hundred and sixty guinea-pigs, the property of consignee, he should deliver them and collect charges at the rate of twenty-five cents each. Flannery spent a day herding his charges through a narrow opening in their cage so that he might count them. "Audit Dept." he wrote, when he had finished the count, "you are way off there may be was one hundred and sixty dago pigs once, but wake up don't be a back number. I've got even eight hundred, now shall I collect for eight hundred or what, how about sixty-four dollars I paid out for cabbages." It required a great many letters back and forth before the Audit Department was able to understand why the error had been made of billing one hundred and sixty instead of eight hundred, and still more time for it to get the meaning of the "cabbages." Flannery was crowded into a few feet at the extreme front of the office. The pigs had all the rest of the room and two boys were employed constantly attending to them. The day after Flannery had counted the guinea-pigs there were eight more added to his drove, and by the time the Audit Department gave him authority to collect for eight hundred Flannery had given up all attempts to attend to the receipt or the delivery of goods. He was hastily building galleries around the express office, tier above tier. He had four thousand and sixty-four guinea-pigs to care for! More were arriving daily. Immediately following its authorization the Audit Department sent another letter, but Flannery was too busy to open it. They wrote another and then they telegraphed: "Error in guinea-pig bill. Collect for two guinea-pigs, fifty cents. Deliver all to consignee." Flannery read the telegram and cheered up. He wrote out a bill as rapidly as his pencil could travel over paper and ran all the way to the Morehouse home. At the gate he stopped suddenly. The house stared at him with vacant eyes. The windows were bare of curtains and he could see into the empty rooms. A sign on the porch said, "To Let." Mr. Morehouse had moved! Flannery ran all the way back to the express office. Sixty-nine guinea-pigs had been born during his absence. He ran out again and made feverish inquiries in the village. Mr. Morehouse had not only moved, but he had left Westcote. Flannery returned to the express office and found that two hundred and six guinea-pigs had entered the world since he left it. He wrote a telegram to the Audit Department. "Can't collect fifty cents for two dago pigs consignee has left town address unknown what shall I do? Flannery." The telegram was handed to one of the clerks in the Audit Department, and as he read it he laughed. "Flannery must be crazy. He ought to know that the thing to do is to return the consignment here," said the clerk. He telegraphed Flannery to send the pigs to the main office of the company at Franklin. When Flannery received the telegram he set to work. The six boys he had engaged to help him also set to work. They worked with the haste of desperate men, making cages out of soap boxes, cracker boxes, and all kinds of boxes, and as fast as the cages were completed they filled them with guinea-pigs and expressed them to Franklin. Day after day the cages of guinea-pigs flowed in a steady stream from Westcote to Franklin, and still Flannery and his six helpers ripped and nailed and packed -- relentlessly and feverishly. At the end of the week they had shipped two hundred and eighty cases of guinea-pigs, and there were in the express office seven hundred and four more pigs than when they began packing them. "Stop sending pigs. Warehouse full," came a telegram to Flannery. He stopped packing only long enough to wire back, "Can't stop," and kept on sending them. On the next train up from Franklin came one of the company's inspectors. He had instructions to stop the stream of guinea-pigs at all hazards. As his train drew up at Westcote station he saw a cattle car standing on the express company's siding. When he reached the express office he saw the express wagon backed up to the door. Six boys were carrying bushel baskets full of guinea-pigs from the office and dumping them into the wagon. Inside the room Flannery, with his coat and vest off, was shoveling guinea-pigs into bushel baskets with a coal scoop. He was winding up the guinea-pig episode. He looked up at the inspector with a snort of anger. "Wan wagonload more an' I'll be quit of thim, an' niver will ye catch Flannery wid no more foreign pigs on his hands. No, sur! They near was the death o' me. Nixt toime I'll know that pigs of whativer nationality is domistic pets -- an' go at the lowest rate." He began shoveling again rapidly, speaking quickly between breaths. "Rules may be rules, but you can't fool Mike Flannery twice wid the same thrick -- whin ut comes to live stock, dang the rules. So long as Flannery runs this expriss office -- pigs is pets, -- an' cows is pets, -- an' horses is pets, -- an' lions an' tigers an' Rocky Mountain goats is pets, -- an' the rate on thim is twinty-foive cints." He paused long enough to let one of the boys put an empty basket in the place of the one he had just filled. There were only a few guinea-pigs left. As he noted their limited number his natural habit of looking on the bright side returned. "Well, annyhow," he said cheerfully, "'tis not so bad as ut might be. What if thim dago pigs had been elephants!"

UNTITLED

25 kata tak jua

menggugah sadarmu akan pastiku

miris dalam untaian lamun.

Kadang,

ku sibak guratan cinta di pucuk keningmu

samar,

bergantung pada tepi ragu ini

aku cemburu

pada diri yang setia di sini.

Kekasih tak dianggap

bukan lakon roman picisan

hanya sedikit buah non fiksi

dalam pecahan pecahan permata dulu kau tanam di manisku

aku cemburu

pada diri yang setia di sini.

Ku kutip salinan lembar ke tujuh berlabuhnya kita

prakata yang tergurat di punggung pantai

mantra yang menjadi benang pengikat syaraf cinta dusta

tetap saja berebut ombak ombak jelita

kau tetap terbawa arus, dan

aku cemburu

pada diri yang setia di sini.

Sekarang,

dalam sampan kecil ini

ku jamahi lautan, tetap

mengiring pangeran ikan ke palung tak bertepi

mungkin kisahku tak seramai putri buruk rupa dan pangeran kodok

dongeng ber-asa sama jua, tetap

aku cemburu

pada diri yang setia di sini.

Dan,

25 kata tak jua

menggugah sadarmu akan pastiku

miris dalam untaian lamun.