93% Amour

All Critics (162) | Top Critics (44) | Fresh (150) | Rotten (12)

Trintignant perfectly captures the resolve that eventually borders on obsession, as the woman he loves gradually, maddeningly, disappears before his eyes, and he does whatever he can to prevent it, though he knows it's impossible.

Many viewers will find echoes of their grandparents, parents, or even themselves in these characters.

A movie that is utterly worthy of its all-encompassing title.

The resulting interplay of ruthless restraint and unavoidable passion, plus the film's refusal to shrink from depicting the inevitable horrors of physical deterioration, is devastating.

In many ways it's the best horror film I've ever seen. At the same time, it's hard to recommend; I believe I will be struggling to forget this film as long as I live. I doubt I'll succeed.

As remarkable as Haneke's films are, not a one has been as transcendently generous as Amour, which is nominated for five Academy Awards, including best picture, best director and best foreign-language film.

The furthest thing from sweet sorrow imaginable, Amour gets real about the pain of parting in every sense of the word.

This subject matter is ripe for sentimentalization, but Haneke resists it at every turn, opting instead for unflinching honesty. It is the economy of theme paired with the subtle richness of character that make Amour so powerful.

Clearly, Amour, Michael Haneke and Emmanuelle Riva don't really need me to additionally sing their praises (although praise is indeed all I have), so let's discuss Jean-Louis Trintignant for a moment.

All is presented in Haneke's exacting style, one that I find controlling and a bit, well, smothering.

An insightful, memorable film about what it means to love.

A tale about love at its most terribly, backbreakingly difficult.

In many ways, it's a horror film, as the woman descends into helplessness, and - like the audience - the man can only watch. It's a potent piece of filmmaking.

The superb Trintignant and the Oscar-nominated Riva -- who would win, in a just world -- embody once-vigorous people in inevitable decline.

For Haneke, love is just another curious human trait to be dissected and used as a tool to disquiet his audience.

A poignant tale of undying love!

Beautifully acted and unflinching, Amour goes where few movies have the courage to

Riva's performance is undeniably magnificent, as she must chart every step of Anne's physical and mental deteriorating with exacting precision.

Sadly effective, with two standout performances.

Death, illness and tragedy transcend demographics, and the characters in "Amour" are all of us in the end.

Moving, touching and beautifully acted. The question: Do audiences want to spend two hours watching an old couple go from sad to sadder to saddest?

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/771307454/

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Hezbollah Is To Charity As Al Qaeda Is To Urban Planning, Israel Says

The line, which appeared in Prosor?s Foreign Policy article on Friday, is, ?Some European lawmakers continue to argue that Hezbollah is primarily a social-services organization because it spends money on ordinary Lebanese citizens. This is like calling al Qaeda an urban-planning organization because of its desire to level tall buildings.?

The piece goes on to restate what the U.S. and Israel have been alleging for a long time: that Hezbollah is being backed militarily and financially by Iran and various smokescreen foundations that label themselves as ?charities? and collect funds that end up supporting suicide bombings and other terrorist activities.

Iran has always denied this allegation, despite a few slipups: In 2006, a captured Hezbollah operative told the Israeli military he had received weapons training in Iran. In 2007, a Hezbollah deputy in the Lebanese Parliament told an Iranian TV channel that all Hezbollah suicide bombings have to be approved by the ayatollahs in Tehran.

Hezbollah is currently one of the two main parties representing Shiite Muslims in the Lebanese parliament, but is rapidly losing support among the people due to its support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Six countries, including the U.S., Canada and Egypt, consider the entire Hezbollah organization to be a terrorist group. In Europe, only the Netherlands and the UK have all or part of Hezbollah on their terrorist lists, and British Foreign Secretary William Hague has been particularly vocal in pushing the EU to add Hezbollah to its list of terrorist organizations. Israel in particular has been using the bus bombing in Burgas, Bulgaria, last summer as leverage and pressure: Bulgaria just announced last week that the results of their investigation revealed Hezbollah was the perpetrator behind the attack.

Despite this, Hezbollah is considered in many parts of the world to be a legitimate political movement, and its extensive social services in Lebanon have won it deep, grassroots fealty among Lebanese Shias. If the EU classifies Hezbollah as a terrorist group, said Matthew Levitt of the Washington Institute, this will severely hamper its ability to raise funds and train new recruits.

Such a move by the EU looks closer than ever. The announcement of the Burgas findings, as well as the recently concluded trial of a Swedish-Lebanese man believed to be a Hezbollah operative and connected to the Burgas bombing, will probably bring the issue back to the ?front burner,? Levitt said.

Source: http://www.ibtimes.com/hezbollah-charity-al-qaeda-urban-planning-israel-says-1077472

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Authorities say ex-cop barricaded in Calif. cabin

BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif. (AP) ? A fugitive ex-Los Angeles cop sought in three killings was barricaded in a cabin in the San Bernardino Mountains on Tuesday after a shootout with authorities that wounded two officers.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said the two law enforcement officers were being airlifted to a hospital with unknown injuries.

The shootout occurred after deputies who were searching for Christopher Dorner in the Big Bear area responded to a report of a stolen vehicle in the area about 12:20 p.m.

The people whose vehicle was stolen described the suspect as looking very similar to Dorner.

Police located the vehicle, and the suspect ran into the forest and barricaded himself inside a cabin. A short time later there was an exchange of gunfire between law enforcement and the suspect.

It's not clear which agency the two wounded agents belong to, State Fish and Wildlife Assistant Chief Dan Sforza told KCAL.

It's also believed Dorner previously committed a residential burglary of a cabin where a couple was tied up, an officer told The Associated Press.

The officer requested anonymity because the officer was not authorized to speak publicly about the ongoing investigation.

One of the people was able to get away and make a call.

The area is in the Big Bear region where a search for Dorner has been under way since his pickup truck was found there Thursday.

A KCAL-TV reporter in the Angelus Oaks area along Highway 38 reported gunfire in his vicinity. The noise of the gunbattle was broadcast by the station, and someone could be heard yelling at the reporter to get out of the area.

Road blocks were set up around Big Bear.

The shootout occurred in Seven Oaks off Highway 38, about five miles as the crow flies from where Dorner's pickup was found. A ridge with peaks topping 8,000 feet lies between the locations. By road, the two areas are about 30 miles apart.

The former Navy reservist began his run from the law on Feb. 6 after authorities connected the slayings of a former police captain's daughter and her fiance with an angry manifesto they said Dorner posted on Facebook. He vowed to bring "warfare" to Los Angeles police and their family members, which led the department to assign officers to guard more than 50 families connected to his so-called targets.

Within hours of the release of photos of the 6-foot, 270-pounder described as armed and "extremely dangerous," Dorner allegedly unsuccessfully tried to steal a boat in San Diego to flee to Mexico and then ambushed police in Riverside County, shooting three and killing one.

Jumpy officers guarding one of his targets in Torrance on Thursday shot and injured two women delivering newspapers because they mistook their pickup truck for Dorner's.

The hunt for Dorner appeared to go cold after his burned-out pickup was found later that morning in the mountains east of Los Angeles and his footprints disappeared on frozen ground.

Police found charred weapons and camping gear inside the truck, but it wasn't clear if he had fled into the San Bernardino Mountains near the resort town of Big Bear Lake or left the area.

Helicopters using heat-seeking technology searched the forest from above while scores of officers, some using bloodhounds, scoured the ground and checked hundreds of vacation cabins ? many vacant this time of year ? in the area. A snowstorm hindered the search and may have helped cover his tracks, though authorities were hopeful he would leave fresh footprints if hiding in the wilderness.

Dorner's beef with the department dated back at least five years, when he was fired for filing a false report accusing his training officer of kicking a mentally ill suspect. Dorner, who is black, claimed in his manifesto that he was the subject of racism by the department and fired for doing the right thing.

He said he would get even with those who wronged him in an event to reclaim his good name.

"You're going to see what a whistleblower can do when you take everything from him especially his NAME!!!" he wrote. "You have awoken a sleeping giant."

Chief Charlie Beck, who initially dismissed the allegations in Dorner's rant, said he would reopen the investigation into his firing ? not to appease the ex-officer, but to restore confidence in the black community, which long had a fractured relationship with police that has improved in recent years.

One of the targets listed in the manifesto was former LAPD Capt. Randal Quan, who represented Dorner before the disciplinary board. Dorner claimed he put the interests of the department above his.

The first victims were Quan's daughter, Monica Quan, 28, a college basketball coach, and her fiance, Keith Lawrence, 27, who were shot multiple times in their car in a parking garage near their condo.

Dorner served in the Navy, earning a rifle marksman ribbon and pistol expert medal. He was assigned to a naval undersea warfare unit and various aviation training units, according to military records. He took leave from the LAPD for a six-month deployment to Bahrain in 2006 and 2007.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/authorities-ex-cop-barricaded-calif-cabin-221952035.html

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AP Interview: UN envoy says Iraq must hear Sunnis

BAGHDAD (AP) ? The U.N. envoy to Iraq says the Shiite-led government can do more to address demands by the country's restive Sunni minority.

Sunnis have staged mass protests, demanding the release of thousands they say are held arbitrarily under counter-terrorism regulations. They want these laws rescinded, along with other policies they say target Sunnis unfairly. The government formed a committee to consider the demands.

U.N. envoy Martin Kobler told The Associated Press on Monday that "there is more the government could do" to deal with the demands.

He says issues the protesters raised concerning the rule of law and human rights "are all problems the government can solve tomorrow."

At the same time, Kobler says he believes the government is taking the issue seriously.

Government officials were not immediately available for comment.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ap-interview-un-envoy-says-iraq-must-hear-130030605.html

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China joins U.S., Japan, EU in condemning N. Korea nuke test

AFP) - North Korea stages its most powerful nuclear test yet, claiming a breakthrough with a "miniaturized" device in a striking act of defiance that drew condemnation from global powers, including its sole patron China.

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea conducted its third nuclear test on Tuesday in defiance of existing U.N. resolutions, drawing condemnation from around the world, including from its only major ally, China, which summoned the North Korean ambassador to protest.

The reclusive North said the test was an act of self-defense against "U.S. hostility" and threatened further, stronger steps if necessary.

It said the test had "greater explosive force" than the 2006 and 2009 tests. Its KCNA news agency said it had used a "miniaturized" and lighter nuclear device, indicating that it had again used plutonium which is more suitable for use as a missile warhead.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the third of his line to rule the country, has presided over two long-range rocket launches and a nuclear test during his first year in power, pursuing policies that have propelled his impoverished and malnourished country closer to becoming a nuclear weapons power.

China, which has shown signs of increasing exasperation with the recent bellicose tone of its neighbor, summoned the North Korean ambassador in Beijing and protested sternly, the Foreign Ministry said.

Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said China was "strongly dissatisfied and resolutely opposed" to the test and urged North Korea to "stop any rhetoric or acts that could worsen situations and return to the right course of dialogue and consultation as soon as possible".

China is a permanent member of the Security Council.

U.S. President Barack Obama labeled the test a "highly provocative act" that hurt regional stability and pressed for new sanctions.

"The danger posed by North Korea's threatening activities warrants further swift and credible action by the international community. The United States will also continue to take steps necessary to defend ourselves and our allies," Obama said in a statement.

The Security Council will meet on Tuesday to discuss its reaction to the test, although North Korea is already one of the most heavily sanctioned states in the world and has few external economic links that can be targeted.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the test was a "grave threat" that could not be tolerated. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the test was a "clear and grave violation" of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urged North Korea to abandon its nuclear arms program and return to talks. NATO condemned the test as an "irresponsible act" that posed a grave threat to world peace.

The test "was only the first response we took with maximum restraint", an unnamed spokesman for the North Korean Foreign Ministry, which acts as Pyongyang's official voice to the outside world, said in a statement carried by the official KCNA news agency.

"If the United States continues to come out with hostility and complicates the situation, we will be forced to take stronger, second and third responses in consecutive steps."

North Korea often threatens the United States and its "puppet", South Korea, with destruction in colorful terms.

North Korea told the U.N. disarmament forum in Geneva that it would never bow to resolutions on its nuclear program and that prospects were "gloomy" for the denuclearization of the divided Korean peninsula because of a "hostile" U.S. policy.

South Korea, still technically at war with the North after the 1950-53 civil war ended in a mere truce, also denounced the test.

The magnitude was roughly twice as large as that of 2009, Lassina Zerbo, director of the international data centre division of the Vienna-based Comprehensive Nuclear-Test Ban Treaty Organization, said. The U.S. Geological Survey said that a seismic event measuring 5.1 magnitude had occurred.

"It was confirmed that the nuclear test that was carried out at a high level in a safe and perfect manner using a miniaturized and lighter nuclear device with greater explosive force than previously did not pose any negative impact on the surrounding ecological environment," KCNA said.

Source: http://feeds.chicagotribune.com/~r/chicagotribune/news/~3/O_RLk9qNYdw/story01.htm

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Area representatives hope economy, deficit issues covered in State of the Union

By Ian Benjamin
ibenjamin@troyrecord.com

TROY ? President Barack Obama will focus his State of the Union address on boosting job creation and economic growth at a time of high unemployment, underscoring the degree in which the economy could threaten his ability to pursue second-term priorities such as gun-control, immigration policy and climate change.

Obama?s State of the Union marks his second high-profile speech to the nation in about three weeks, after his inaugural address Jan. 21 that opened his second term. Representative Paul Tonko (D ? District 20) is hoping that Obama will use this opportunity to urge the creation of a job climate that will spur private-sector growth.

?We can create public-sector jobs in areas where it spurs innovation or responds to services required, but the big challenge is to create an environment where private-sector job growth can continue,?said Tonko. ?We can do that through an investment in research and an investment in the workforce (?) through workforce development.?

Since the 2008 recession, the country has had 35 consecutive months of private-sector job growth. In that time, the nation has gained nearly 6 million jobs, but has not yet reached pre-recession levels. Around 8.2 jobs were lost during the recession.

The Congressman urged support of advanced manufacturing, clean energy and high-tech innovation jobs especially in fields or areas that do not yet exist. In the Capital District, there are several high-tech companies working on the bleeding-edge of their fields, including the chip fabrication company GlobalFoundries, who recently announced plans to add a second plant to their facility in the Luther Forest Technology Park.

In order to support these high-tech jobs, the Tonko hopes the president will call for support of workforce development, such as programs that will give the private-sector a workforce skilled in high-tech jobs. There are several such programs being fostered in the Capital District, such Hudson Valley Community College TEC-SMART campus ? neighboring the GlobalFoundries facilities in Malta and supported by the company ? and is aimed at educating students to enter the semiconductor manufacturing business.

?We?re one of the hottest real-estate hubs in the nation for clean-energy, high-tech job-growth,? said Tonko.

During a meeting with House Democrats Thursday, the president echoed some of the issues the Gibson emphasized. Obama said he would call for boosting clean-energy production and improvements in education. He also said he is interested in reducing the deficit in ways that will not burden the middle-class, the poor or the elderly.

Representative Chris Gibson (R - District 19) said it would be ideal if the Obama showed support for the deficit-reduction plan of the Simpson-Boules Commission. That plan would, ostensibly, get the budget under control by bringing the deficit to a point where, in ten years, it would be lower than the interest payments on the debt and so create a balanced budget in the years that followed.

?I want to hear the president stand up and embrace that framework to provide leadership so that we can resolve this budget impasse that we?re at,? said Gibson. ?It?s not perfect, but it?s a starting point towards a major agreement.? Continued...

That budget, which was pro-growth and fiscally responsible, said Gibson, was one that could achieve strong bipartisan support.

While Congress is past the fiscal cliff, one half of the circumstances that created that dire situation ? across-the-board spending cuts, known as the sequester ? will need to be addressed before early March, when they are due to go into effect.

?It seems that every three to six months we have a major budget crises down in Washington, D.C.?

If there had been more support for the plan, or its more recent iterations, there never would have been a fiscal cliff, explained Gibson.

Both Congressman will be bringing guests to the State of the Union. Gibson will be bringing an active duty military fellow. Tonko, meanwhile, will be hosting Schenectady native Jennifer Smith, an employee at GE Water and Power who coordinates the Future City competition in the region. In the contest, sixth through eighth graders to use math, science and engineering skills to first model their visions for future cities and then build models of those cities. In late January, the Academy of Holy Names? entry won in the Capital District, and they will be moving onto the National Competition in Washington D.C. in mid-February.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.troyrecord.com/articles/2013/02/12/news/doc5119a97490b91252243058.txt

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Exotics Veterinarians Offer Specialized Care for Birds and Exotic Pets

SCARSDALE, N.Y., Feb. 10, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Central Animal Hospital in Scarsdale, NY is educating exotic pet owners about the importance of receiving veterinary care treatments from veterinarians experienced caring for exotic pets. According to the vets, not all animal hospitals are properly equipped to treat exotic pets such as birds and reptiles. Choosing an animal hospital with the right equipment, training and expertise provides an enhanced level of vet care. The vets at Central Animal Hospital are fully experienced in exotic animal care, including wellness checkups and dietary needs.

Exotic pet owners can benefit from choosing a veterinarian with extensive experience in reptile, avian and pocket pet care, says the veterinary care team at Central Animal Hospital.

"Owning birds, reptiles or other exotic animals can be very rewarding," said veterinarian Dr. Michael Woltz, clinic director for Central Animal Hospital. "However, it's important to keep in mind that these pets require specialty veterinary services that may not be available from every animal hospital. A veterinarian with a special interest in exotic and avian pet medicine, for example, is best positioned to care for birds like parrots."

Central Animal Hospital provides dedicated veterinary care, including wellness exams, for exotic pets. The animal hospital has two veterinarians on staff with a special interest in exotic and avian medicine, Dr. Lester Sills and Dr. Jason Siegelheim.

"Birds such as parrots can live for 50 years or more," said veterinarian, Jason Siegelheim, DVM. "Maintaining their quality of life during this time span is of utmost importance. This includes basic wellness care such as clipping nails, screening for parasites, and ensuring a balanced diet."

Dr. Siegelheim, who's held extensive internships including exotic medicine, cares for exotic animals and pocket pets at the animal hospital in Scarsdale. He recommends that pet owners schedule regular wellness exams to monitor the health of their exotic pets and pocket pets.

Since pocket pets also have limited life expectancy, regular health screenings are critical. Additionally, the veterinary hospital recommends pocket pets receive an exam every six months to one year. For other reptiles and birds, pet owners should schedule an annual health check-up.

"Exotics have very unique nutritional and habitat needs," said Dr. Siegelheim. "Regular wellness exams are an important opportunity to evaluate a pet's health and discuss habitat and dietary needs with pet owners."

Reptiles, for example, have specific needs for heat and humidity to mimic their natural environments. Dietary needs can be complex, as some reptiles required a variety of plant life similar to what they would eat in the wild.

"Our veterinary team can assist pet owners in sourcing food and maintaining habitat integrity for exotics, including reptiles," said Dr. Woltz. "This is a service that requires specialized care and experience with exotics, and is not offered by every animal vet hospital."

Pet owners may learn more about the benefits of an exotic animal hospital by visiting http://bestvets.net.

Central Animal Hospital 888-667-5235

Source: http://globenewswire.com/news-release/2013/02/10/522288/10021089/en/Exotics-Veterinarians-Offer-Specialized-Care-for-Birds-and-Exotic-Pets.html

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