96% First Position

All Critics (50) | Top Critics (21) | Fresh (48) | Rotten (2)

A number of the performances are plain stunning - Aran and Joan, in particular, seem born to move - and in many ways watching the movie is like watching a sporting event; there are winners and losers and favorites to cheer on.

It's an intense journey, and Kargman captures it all, down to the dancers' bloodied and bruised feet.

Yes, it is possible to create a gripping documentary about the ballet world without resorting to "Black Swan" melodramatics.

Because its subjects are so driven and so talented, "First Position," which is about ballet, is more gripping than the norm.

It's in the quick audience-reaction shots of the young dancers' exultant parents and cringing private instructors that the movie finds its most nakedly human moments.

The film shows the grueling work it takes for young dancers like Zamora to look effortless on stage, and First Position shows teachers who range from supportive to borderline abusive.

Far from the dutiful progeny of "Dance Moms," these are individuals of uncommon skill, self-knowledge, maturity and drive. They're the real deal. And so is First Position.

All of the dollars and expertise that produced this summer's blockbusters could never produce a spectacle as wondrous as 11-year-old Aran Bell dancing his heart out.

Kargman ... brings a welcome empathy to this programmatic film that follows six hopefuls as they compete in something called the Youth America Grand Prix, which we're told is the most comprehensive ballet competition in the world.

The children are almost unearthly in their agility and elegance -- until they remove their shoes, and reveal their all-too-human abrasions and injuries.

It's a wealth of material at odds with a scant running time and shallow focus.

When it's over, you won't remember so much about who won and who lost. Instead, what remains is the expression on a young dancer's face, reflected in a mirror: showing the joy of being in love with what you do.

What we experience is the overwhelming thrill of the competition and the true agony of defeat.

It could very well compete for Best Documentary at next year's Academy Awards.

For someone (like me) who has never been to a ballet, the talent of these teens and tweens is a revelation.

It's 'Spartacus' en pointe.

Inspiring documentary about hardworking young dancers.

Almost loses its sense of good taste entirely in the final act, straining to build suspense and shape heroes. The bias hangs a little ugly in an otherwise passable, somewhat enlightening effort.

The cookie cutter format Kargman uses in presenting her subjects may be unoriginal but a safe way to introduce the filmmaker to her new audience.

Child ballet dancer and former journalist Bess Kargman brings a dancer's passion and insight to her directorial debut, illuminating the addictive magic and fierce demands of a ballet dancer's life.

Really, all of the dancers' evident passion for their art is, well, spellbinding.

These kids are proud of their tights.

More Critic Reviews

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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/first_position_2011/

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Libya's Jibril extends vote lead with Benghazi rout

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/libyas-jibril-extends-lead-latest-vote-tallies-095904828.html

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Rio+20 sustainability conference gets mixed reviews

Public release date: 11-Jul-2012
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Contact: Michael Bernstein
m_bernstein@acs.org
202-872-6042
American Chemical Society

Although a walkout by disgruntled activists may have grabbed headlines, the UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro last month did produce hundreds of individual commitments from participants with potential for having major impacts. That's the topic of the cover story of this week's Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society.

C&EN Senior Correspondent Cheryl Hogue explains that the Rio+20 conference brought together representatives from companies, governments, colleges and universities, the World Bank, nonprofit organizations and others on the 20th anniversary of the 1992 UN Conference on Environment & Development. Out of that landmark conference also held in Rio came treaties on climate change, biodiversity protection and stopping the spread of deserts, as well as a plan for more sustainable development. The follow-up conference, held last month, was intended to build on those agreements and lay the foundation for a greener world economy.

Hogue reports that reviews of Rio+20 were mixed, but some are hopeful about the promises that governments and corporations made. Environmental activists and others marched out of the meeting in protest, and Greenpeace International called the meeting a failure. But some observers expect the commitments to specific, measurable sustainability actions that corporations, colleges and universities and others made will have major impacts on the environment and world markets.

###

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[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 11-Jul-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Michael Bernstein
m_bernstein@acs.org
202-872-6042
American Chemical Society

Although a walkout by disgruntled activists may have grabbed headlines, the UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro last month did produce hundreds of individual commitments from participants with potential for having major impacts. That's the topic of the cover story of this week's Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society.

C&EN Senior Correspondent Cheryl Hogue explains that the Rio+20 conference brought together representatives from companies, governments, colleges and universities, the World Bank, nonprofit organizations and others on the 20th anniversary of the 1992 UN Conference on Environment & Development. Out of that landmark conference also held in Rio came treaties on climate change, biodiversity protection and stopping the spread of deserts, as well as a plan for more sustainable development. The follow-up conference, held last month, was intended to build on those agreements and lay the foundation for a greener world economy.

Hogue reports that reviews of Rio+20 were mixed, but some are hopeful about the promises that governments and corporations made. Environmental activists and others marched out of the meeting in protest, and Greenpeace International called the meeting a failure. But some observers expect the commitments to specific, measurable sustainability actions that corporations, colleges and universities and others made will have major impacts on the environment and world markets.

###

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-07/acs-rsc071112.php

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More at Work on Those Tax Cuts (talking-points-memo)

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Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/237483216?client_source=feed&format=rss

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High School STEM Education and Connecticut's Engineering and ...

Adam Harris

CTC Research Fellow

Although the number of students graduating from Connecticut?s colleges and universities with Engineering degrees declined steadily from 1986 to 2002, the popularity of this field has rebounded over the past decade, with the number of graduates more than doubling between 2002 and 2009. While there may be several factors leading to the rising popularity of this discipline, one of the most significant is an increase in pre-engineering education in Connecticut?s middle schools and high schools. In 1999, Southington High School became the first in the state to institute courses through Project Lead the Way (PLTW), a non-profit organization that has been developing rigorous STEM curricula and training instructors since its inception in 1997. In the thirteen years since this program was introduced to Connecticut, an additional 41 high schools and 16 middle schools have begun offering PLTW course opportunities to their students.

Nationally, the exposure of pre-college students to engineering has had a significant impact on the career and educational futures of those who participate in PLTW. A nationwide study of PLTW alumni showed that students who took these courses in high school were five to ten times more likely to study engineering in college than their peers. In addition, a Milwaukee School of Engineering study suggests that PLTW students have a higher retention rate in their undergraduate fields of study (as much as 25% higher) than their peers who did not take PLTW courses in high school.

This influential program already seems to have had a significant effect on Connecticut students, as the number of CT schools offering PLTW?s engineering curriculum shows an increasing trend over the past decade that correlates strongly with the increasing trend of engineering degrees conferred on graduates from Connecticut?s colleges and universities. The scatter plot below shows data for the years 1999-2011 for the number of schools with PLTW engineering courses (x-axis) and the number of engineering degrees conferred (y-axis). The Line of Best Fit demonstrates a strong relationship between the two variables during this period, with a Correlation (R-squared) of 81.51%. While the strength of this positive relationship does not necessarily prove that PLTW causes students to pursue engineering degrees in college, it does suggest that there is a noteworthy relationship between the two variables.

Although the number of engineering degrees conferred in the Nutmeg State has increased significantly since 2002, other STEM fields have not shown the same growth; according to a 2011 report by the Connecticut Department of Higher Education, the number of Bachelor?s degrees in Computer Science decreased by 40.2% from 2006 to 2009, leaving 1,200 annual openings for computer specialists in the state. Providing insight into the cause of this deficit, a December 2009 article by Washington Post reporter Michael Chandler raised concern about the lack of computer science education in US high schools, suggesting that while American teens are whizzes at using computers, they are unlikely to play a significant role in technological innovations over the coming decades. The incredible effect of PLTW on the engineering field suggests that a similar approach might solve the computer science crisis the State of Connecticut now faces. Early exposure to programming courses, in addition to the training of motivated and inspiring technology teachers, may hold the key to improving the state?s computer science prospects.

Source: http://ct.typepad.com/ctc_blog/2012/07/high-school-stem-education-and-connecticuts-engineering-and-computer-science-fields-.html

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Romney: Economy is ?worse for African Americans in almost every way?

Romney at the NAACP convention in Houston (Evan Vucci/AP)

Mitt Romney offered a direct appeal to African-American voters on Wednesday, arguing in a speech at the NAACP's annual meeting that the black community has been hardest hit by the bad economy and that if elected, he'll seek to improve the quality of life for all Americans, regardless of color.

"I believe that if you understood who I truly am in my heart, and if it were possible to fully communicate what I believe is in the real, enduring best interest of African-American families, you would vote for me for president," Romney said.

The crowd's reception to the speech was mixed?with Romney's discussion of his desire to repeal "Obamacare" receiving sustained boos.

Romney acknowledged "barriers" still exist for black Americans even after Barack Obama became the nation's first black president. He argued the struggling economy has only enhanced those "challenges" and "old inequities."

"If equal opportunity in America were an accomplished fact, then a chronically bad economy would be equally bad for everyone," Romney said. "Instead, it's worse for African-Americans in almost every way."

At 14.4 percent, unemployment among black Americans is much higher than the 8.2 percent national average, while the average income and median family income for African-Americans is much lower, Romney noted.

While Romney does not expect to win the black vote, the Republican candidate's National Association for the Advancement of Colored People speech was aimed at showing he's at least trying. As he regularly does on the campaign trail, Romney cited his experience as governor of Massachusetts to prove he hasn't led by "just talking to Republicans" and that he'll be an inclusive president.

"We have to make our case to every voter. We don't count anybody out, and we sure don't make a habit of presuming anyone's support.?Support is asked for and earned?and that's why I'm here today," Romney said.

If elected, he added, "we will know each other."

He dismissed as "nonsense" Democratic charges that a Romney presidency would only help the rich. "The president wants to make this a campaign about blaming the rich," Romney said. "I want to make this a campaign about helping the middle class."

If he didn't believe his policies would help "families of color" and all Americans more than Obama's, Romney said, "I would not be running for president."

Romney also appealed to the NAACP audience by touting his proposal to increase school choice. The presumptive GOP nominee has repeatedly described education as the "civil rights issue of our era," and on Wednesday, he argued that "mediocre schools" are setting up kids for "failure." In a dig at Obama, he argued that candidates "can't have it both ways" by arguing they'll protect kids while also protecting the interests of teachers unions.

"If equal opportunity in America were an accomplished fact, black families could send their sons and daughters to public schools that truly offer the hope of a better life," Romney said. "Instead, for generations, the African-American community has been waiting and waiting for that promise to be kept.?Today, black children are 17 percent of students nationwide?but they are 42 percent of the students in our worst-performing schools."

Romney also briefly touched on gay marriage?an issue that has divided the black community?pledging that he would work to "defend traditional marriage." (The NAACP passed a resolution backing marriage equality in May.)

While the Republican candidate received polite applause throughout most of the speech, Romney received a few boos?including when he repeated his pledge to repeal Obama's health care law. As the audience jeered the health care line, Romney paused and smiled before continuing on.

But Romney emphasized that if elected, his focus would be almost exclusively on job creation. "If I am president, job one for me will be creating jobs. I have no hidden agenda. If you want a president who will make things better in the African-American community, you are looking at him," Romney declared, as a few audience members booed.

As his campaign readily acknowledges, Romney faces an uphill battle in appealing to black voters. The latest Quinnipiac poll found Obama leads Romney 92 percent to 2 percent among African-Americans.

But Romney cast himself as someone who is still willing to reach out?even to those who don't agree with him. Closing his speech, the former Massachusetts governor spoke about his father, former Michigan Gov. George Romney, a supporter of the civil rights movement during the 1960s. Romney called his father's leadership "an example" in his own life.

"It wasn't just that my dad helped write the civil rights provision for the Michigan Constitution, though he did. It wasn't just that he helped create Michigan's first civil rights commission, or that as governor he marched for civil rights in Detroit?though he did those things, too," Romney said. "It was the kind of man he was, and the way he dealt with every person, black or white. He was a man of the fairest instincts, and a man of faith who knew that every person was a child of God."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/mitt-romney-appeals-black-voters-naacp-speech-141523941.html

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Two-Part Hunger Games Finale Confirmed

We already knew Lionsgate was going to follow in the footsteps of the Harry Potter and Twilight franchises by splitting up the franchise's final installment into two parts, and now that's officially confirmed with news of two release dates for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay. Sticking with the November release dates that were previously held by the Twilight movies (and will be held by the second Hunger Games movie, Catching Fire, which hits theaters on November 22, 2013), fans can expect The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 to arrive on November 21, 2014, with part 2 hitting theaters one year later on November 20th, 2015. This means Hunger Games fans will get one movie over the course of the next three years, which should make those anticipating future installments very happy.

We'll have a lot more on Mockingjay -- and what fans can expect from the two-part movie -- in future Hunger Games Countdown columns, so stay tuned ... [via Deadline]

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1925513/news/1925513/

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