review – The Book Blog

The Verdict – 1982 DVD

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Frank Galvin (Paul Newman) has all the odds stacked against him. His career is heading nowhere fast, a wrecked personal life, his legal partner (Jack Warden) has had enough, and a whisky habit that could kickstart an economy. He is sinking into a hole near impossible to climb out of. Stanley Ellin in The New York Times Book Review wrote that “the book, by David Mamet, by digging deep into the mysteries of medical, legal and clerical practice, has everything going for it, and makes dramatically potent use of each element.“..

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Romeo and Juliet (Cambridge School Shakespeare)

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This edition of Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ has much to recommend it, not simply for students. Accompanying each page of text is a study section explaining the language and context, but also engaging the reader in a series of questions about their own feelings of what is happening, or what Shakespeare might have intended?

Differing opinion on these questions is inevitable. The play of course, deserves the reputation of the ultimate expression of romantic love in western literature, and we are forced to look for credible reasons for its tragic conclusion. It addresses timeless issues that matter to all humanity.

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In God We Trust -1980 DVD

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From the outset, I had better say, this is not a story with universal appeal. It is a comedy of the old, slapstick style, with prehaps limits for today’s sophisticated CGI audiences. That said, it packs a few laughs in between the cringe moments. However, I write this in memory not just of Marty Feldman’s Brother Ambrose, but Andy Kaufman’s Amageddon T Thunderbird.
This character sends up to perfection those Fundamentalist TV evangelists who cynically prey on whoever listens to their version of the Gospel, but for whoever actually picks up the original, would see their counterparts denounced by Christ and the Apostles.
Two quotes from Armageddon’s TV show (as a taster) ‘Money can’t buy happiness. Only Power can do that!’..’You can fool some of the people some of the time, but some of the people all of the time- and the’re the ones we’re goin’ to get!’ Continue reading In God We Trust -1980 DVD

From Novice to Expert: Excellence and Power in Clinical Nursing Practice

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It is true that nursing as a profession has changed rapidly over the last 25 years, and of course, as with all students, nurses have to prioritise on the latest written information. However, this 1984 publication, well respected as a reflective text, really reaches the heart of what nursing is all about, what motivates people to become nurses, what is expected of nurses in practice, how to address the fears we have as nurses, and how you can go the extra mile and develop the art of expert nursing practice. And as importantly, how people instinctively know the difference between an expert nurse, and the few for whom it is just a job.
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What Women Want -2000 DVD

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What do women want? How does Mars understand Venus? If there was an easy way, most men would take it. I guess this film proves reading women’s minds was no easy way. On the whole, I like to review books and films I really like. With `What women want’ I am going to make an exception, not because it is totally without merit, for example the fine acting of Mel Gibson, Helen Hunt and Marisa Tomei, and the great music. However, in my opinion, it is false to its premise. Before I get criticised for taking it too seriously, this is my disclaimer. I’m going to take it seriously.

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