Happy Halloween From The Angry Birds

Even those funny non-flying Angry Birds take time off from battling the pigs to go trick or treating. But they come up against something so fierce it sends them packing. Luckily for them it really is the sweet loving bird that can inflate itself. Then again one ought to be careful about such pranks. You never know what might come knocking at the door next! 🙂


Premier Exhibitions Announces Shareholder Approval of Merger

PremierExhibitionslogoThe expected approval of the Dinoking merger with Premier Exhibitions took place on 29 Oct 2015. According to the press release, the merger transaction will take place in the next few days. Upon merger completion, Daoping Bao will be appointed the president and chief executive officer of the company. Some shareholders have expressed the hope that Bao will fix the problems caused by poor management of the company.

Source: Premier Exhibitions, Inc. Announces Shareholder Approval of Merger With Dinoking Tech Inc (Globe Newswire-Press Release,30 Oct 2015)


Iconic Belfast Titanic Mural Restored By Artist

Titanic mural at Newtownards Road and Dee Street in Belfast, NI. (Andy Welsh,http://www.flickr.com/photos/wallrevolution/68715920/)
Titanic mural at Newtownards Road and Dee Street in Belfast, NI. (Andy Welsh,http://www.flickr.com/photos/wallrevolution/68715920/)

An iconic Titanic mural painted in 2003 had become shabby looking due to weathering. Located at the corner of Newtownards Road and Dee Street in Belfast, the mural had become a destination for bus and taxi tours. Painted in black and white, the mural honors the ship and the workers who built it. John Stewart, who was the artist who created the mural, was able to raise £3,000 ($4,595 USD) to help complete the restoration that took six weeks.

“I’m delighted with how it looks now and I can’t wait to start my next project.”
(John Stewart to Belfast Telegraph)

Source: Artist Restores Much-Loved Titanic Mural To Former Glory (Belfast Telegraph, 29 Oct 2015)

Auction Results(Updated)

Mrs. J.J. "Molly" Brown presenting trophy cup award to Capt. Arthur Henry Rostron, for his service in the rescue of the Titanic. Photo:Public Domain (US Library of Congress, digital id# cph 3c21013)
Mrs. J.J. “Molly” Brown presenting trophy cup award to Capt. Arthur Henry Rostron, for his service in the rescue of the Titanic.
Photo:Public Domain (US Library of Congress, digital id# cph 3c21013)

Among the other Titanic items that went up for auction at Henry Aldridge & Son on Saturday was a sterling silver cup presented to Captain Rostron by Molly Brown. The cup was given at a ceremony on 29 May 1912 to thank Rostron and crew for rescuing the Titanic survivors.

In grateful recognition and appreciation of his heroic and efficient service in the rescue of the survivors of the Titanic on April 15th 1912,and of the generous and sympathetic treatment he accorded us on his ship. From the Survivors of the Titanic.

Additionally the crew members, based on their rate, received a gold, silver, or bronze medal. The cup was estimated to bring in between $61,000-$91,000. It sold for an astonishing $200,000. The name of the buyer was not revealed.

Source:Molly Brown’s Titanic cup sold at auction for $200,000 (Fox News,26 Oct 2015)

Countdown to Halloween: The Haunting of Hill House

HauntingofHillHousebookcoverOne of the finest ghost stories ever written was Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House. It was made into a 1963 movie The Haunting regarded as one of the best supernatural movies in cinema history. The movie was modestly received when it first came out and scared many viewers. Using cleverly designed sets and distorted angles, the film stands out as a first rate psychological horror movie that is unmatched. A remake in 1999 starring Liam Neeson, Lilli Taylor and Catherine Zeta Jones did not capture the original film’s essence and failed at the box office. Although the 1973 movie The Legend of Hell House incorporates themes of the Hill book, it was based on Richard Matheson’s book and he wrote the screenplay.

There is no gore in the book or original movie but instead relies on the terror the people experience as the entity makes itself known. This theme inspired Stephen King for his book The Shining and later for a made-for-television story Rose Red. As the story unfolds (in the book and movie) it comes clear that Eleanor becomes the target of the entity and one point even possessed by it. The unsettling end where Eleanor dies leaves one to speculate whether it was caused by the entity or her own emotionally disturbed state. There is no doubt the house is haunted by a malevolent entity but now it has claimed a new victim whether by its hand or not. And these haunting words, a voice over by Julie Harris who played Eleanor at the end, sums it all up:

Hill House has stood for 90 years and might stand for 90 more. Within, walls continue upright, bricks meet, floors are firm, and doors are sensibly shut. Silence lies steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House. And we who walk here… walk alone.

Important note to parents: Neither the book or movie is for young kids and has themes that might trouble parents.