
More Than Honey: The Survival of Bees and the Future of Our World
Markus Imhoof and Claus-Peter Lieckfeld
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"If 70 percent of all cattle or 30 percent of all chickens were to die annually, states of emergency...

Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana (Christ the Lord, #2)
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Anne Rice’s second book in her hugely ambitious and courageous life of Christ begins during his...

W. J. Stein: A Biography
Johannes Tautz and John M. Wood
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Based on personal knowledge and intimate interviews with his subject, as well as access to W.J....

The Basic Beliefs of Judaism: A Twenty-first-Century Guide To a Timeless Tradition
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One of the oldest monotheistic religions known to humankind, Judaism has withstood the tests of...

Content Delivery Networks: Fundamentals, Design, and Evolution
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The definitive guide to developing robust content delivery networks This book examines the...

Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated The Hunger Games (2012) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
Bringing peace to the land was a nation known as Panem which is ruled by the Capitol. Panem had once consisted of thirteen districts all providing a resource essential to the survival of its people. An uprising against the Capitol caused much anger and destruction resulting in war and the annihilation of its thirteenth district.
With the intent to make sure such an uprising would never happen again, the Capitol required each of the twelve remaining districts to abide by the rules and regulations written in the Treaty of Treason to make sure that there is peace within Panem. Once a year a lottery is held where each of the twelve districts must offer up one young man and one young woman as tributes. This must be done in order to remind the people of Panem what was lost. Each of the 24 tributes must train and then battle for survival in an outdoor arena against each other leaving only one tribute to become the victor. This is known as The Hunger Games.
“The Hunger Games” is based upon the New York times best seller written by Suzanne Collins and directed by Gary Ross who also directed Seabiscuit. The storyline follows the main character Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) who volunteers as tribute in order to save her younger sister from having to fight and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcheson) has also been randomly chosen as tribute for the twelfth district.
The movie mostly follows these two characters on their journey to the battle ground as opposed to the book where we get a little more background into each of the different districts and their tributes. Who will be the victor of the 74th annual Hunger Games?
Let me start off by stating that you do not need to have read the book in order to enjoy this film. However, the movie does follow the book very well. Fans will always have their own very strong opinions as to whether the films follow their favorite books but for someone who read the book after I watched the movie I must say I was not lost nor did I feel disappointed that I did not read it prior to screening it.
This film includes a great cast such as Stanley Tucci, Wes Bentley, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, Donald Sutherland and a surprisingly effectively-cast Lenny Kravitz. Along with a fitting cast the film also offers a great soundtrack, colors that fit each district and great cinematography.
It is always interesting to hear the comments of the other reviewers after the end of a movie screening. Some commented on how they pictured certain characters as a totally different type of character than what was portrayed in the book such as Cinna played by Lenny Kravitz.
One lady pictured him as a slim Asian man while my guest pictured him as a flamboyant white man with a high fashion sense. Others commented on how shaky the cinematography was. Yes, granted it does get shaky in a lot of the scenes but it only adds action to the heart pounding edge of your seat scenes. This film is a kickstart to the season of great movies to come and I predict “The Hunger Games” will reach a bigger audience as it provides elements of action, drama and sci-fi to satisfy a larger audience.
For those of you who have not read the book I do have to warn you some of the scenes and or elements of the story may be just a little too disturbing for some but is a great story nonetheless.

Microservices: Flexible Software Architecture
Book
The Most Complete, Practical, and Actionable Guide to Microservices Going beyond mere theory and...

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2357 KP) rated Killer Thriller in Books
Mar 10, 2019
I enjoyed this one just as much as the first in the series. There is plenty of humor as events progress, some coming from the circumstances and some coming from a skewering of Hollywood thanks to the movie Ian is there to help promote. I did feel some of the humor fell into the adolescent male category, which I didn’t always appreciate, but this isn’t something new for this author. Thanks to well done multiple viewpoint storytelling, we know the slow burn that is happening before Ian and Margo realize they’ve attracted the wrong attention, but once the book really takes off, it becomes impossible to put down. I love the fact that Ian is not a typical thriller hero since he is an overweight, middle age, writer. He and Margo are great main characters. If you are looking for a fun mix of humor and thrills, this is the book for you.

Zoo Animals: Behaviour, Management, and Welfare
Geoff Hosey, Vicky Melfi and Sheila Pankhurst
Book
The keeping of zoo animals is a central tool in the conservation of some of the world's most...

Flashcard Hero
Education and Reference
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Make your own flash cards and take the pressure out of test preparation. Flashcard Hero keeps track...