Jose Ibanez Director Oliver Stone and Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez greeted by the press.

Jose Ibanez Oliver Stone won Oscars for blockbuster films like Platoon and Born on the Fourth of July . He has also been a controversial political commentator and documentary film maker.

His latest film, South of the Border , explores Latin America's shift toward socialism led by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

Stone tells NPR's Neal Conan what it was like to meet and film with Chavez, in addition to the leaders of Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil and Cuba's current leader, Fidel Castro's brother, Raul.

Copyright 2010 NPR. For personal, noncommercial use only. See Terms of Use. For other uses, prior permission required.

Now Oliver Stone, one of the great filmmakers of our time - he made "Wall Street" and "JFK," won three Academy Awards, including Best Director for the blockbusters "Platoon" and "Born on the Fourth of July." His follow-up, "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps," is due out later this year. Throughout though, Stone also makes documentaries.

In 2003, both "Persona Non Grata" about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and "Comandante," where he spent several days with Cuban leader Fidel Castro. In his latest documentary, Stone returns to Latin America to focus on another controversial head of state, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, and goes on to speak with the leaders of Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil, and with the current leader in Cuba, Fidel's brother, Raul Castro. He showed "South of the Border" at the Silverdocs Film Festival yesterday at the American Film Institute Silver Theater here in Washington, D.C. The film is now playing in select cities across the country.

If you have questions for Oliver Stone on his work or about his new film, give us a call: 800-989-8255. Email us: . Click on TALK OF THE NATION. Oliver Stone joins us now from his hotel in Washington. Nice to have you on the program with us today.

CONAN: I'm well, thank you. You argue in the film that - well, I'm going to play a clip from here - that most of us had a highly distorted image of Hugo Chavez. And there's a montage of clips from Fox News. Well, here's about 20 seconds worth.

Unidentified Man #1: The Venezuelan president has become more dangerous to the U.S. than Fidel Castro ever was.

Unidentified Woman: Exxon Mobil says it's been ripped off by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

Unidentified Man #3: There is such a thing as a killer clown and he may be it.

Mr. JOHN ROBERTS (Journalist, CNN): He is more dangerous than bin Laden. And the effects of Chavez, his war against America, could eclipse those of 9/11.

CONAN: And much of your film attempts to say, wait a minute, there's a little bit more to this.

Mr. STONE: Okay. So, look, I mean, first of all, I mean it's not opening today. I just want to make clear that's opening in New York City, one theater Friday, and then it opens up gradually over the next few weeks in various cities in United States.

Mr. STONE: Two, film is not really only about Chavez. It's about a big -much bigger issue to me, which is South America. There are six countries there under UNASUR, who are united in their condemnation of the United States meddling in their region and the International Monetary Fund. And they are, each one, in their different ways, with their different societies, are dedicated to the concept of preserving their own resources and returning them to people. And they're going about it in a way - in reform measures.

All - Brazil, Ecuador - you didn't mentioned Paraguay, where there was a Catholic priest who was elected democratically. All these leaders were elected democratically. This is amazing moment in time. There are six countries, never happened before, where there were six individual countries at the same time who wanted independence from the United States.

CONAN: And why do you think that is happening at this particular moment?

Mr. STONE: Because I think, because of the neoliberal economics of Reagan and Thatcher and that era. The 1980s had brought devastating poverty to much of Latin America and Asia and Africa. I think it backfired and there was revolts, natural revolts from the people in Bolivia and Venezuela and in Argentina. And there was a change in government with democratically elected new leaders emerging, people who came from the people, people who were actually born in the lower classes often and worked their way up honestly, not the old corrupt oligarchs and leaders and the educated elite from the Americas that used to rule over most of Latin American.

CONAN: There are some identified in the film as people from - from the American point of view, the good left, and that would be Lula da Silva in Brazil, and people from the bad left, which would be Hugo Chavez.

Mr. STONE: And you might include Evo Morales too, well, yeah, and Raul Carrera from Ecuador.

CONAN: Yes. And why do you think that distinction, because they...

Mr. STONE: The distinction was made in America, not by them.

CONAN: Ah. And why do they see - what - Brazil and Venezuela and Bolivia are very different places.

Mr. STONE: Of course they're much different. They're different societies, different backgrounds, different languages. But Lula and Chavez have expressed tremendous support and admiration for each other over the years. There are differences here and there, but overall it's very clear from the film that they're brothers. They consider themselves brothers. Lula has supported Chavez constantly. And recently, by the way, Chavez - Lula of Brazil has been condemned by the U.S. for so-called meddling in their Iran policy. Now, this raises a whole distinction of what, you know, what is meddling in our - is America the policeman of the world? Do we decide who will - that we are going to run the world by our rules? Are not Brazil and Turkey allowed to talk to Iran? And they actually did come up with a uranium swap there. So some -and by the way, at the security council, they voted - Turkey and Brazil voted on the security council against - vetoed the - against - I mean, voted against the resolution on sanctions in Iran.

CONAN: They're members of the security council at the moment but not the permanent five members. They're the only ones with the...

Mr. STONE: Yeah. That's the first time its happened, I gather.

CONAN: On the occasions of the sanctions against Iran, I believe it's the first time it has not been unanimous or at least with one country abstaining. Lebanon also abstained in that particular vote.

Mr. STONE: That's correct. It's quite something. It's - in other words, there is a third bloc. There was, when I grew up in the 1950s, there was a neutral bloc. It was made up of great nations like Egypt, like India, like Indonesia. And in Africa, there was Kwame Nkrumah. There was a leader - a group of leaders who emerged and that has - and that concept was eroded as each one was destabilized, often by United States' participation against them.

So, you know, now here we are in this post-Soviet world and we're alone. Were trying to ride it out alone, it won't work. China is too big. Venezuela is too big. Russia is way too big. Turkey, by the way, is a regional power. And America seems to want to dominate the world. And these regional powers are, I think, are a very strong and good antidote to our policies.

CONAN: This film was made in the last days of the Bush administration. And there is hope presented in the form of a newly-elected President Barack Obama at the end. Do you think those policies have changed in the year and a half...

Mr. STONE: No, I don't think so and the film says it, but it doesn't say - excuse me, the film doesn't say it. And it ends on the note, because it was made in 2009, of hope. And, unfortunately, I am hoping and I think they are still hoping. But the behavior of United States in the Honduras coup was very disheartening to all of them, and it was universally condemned as a coup. United States did nothing to get that guy out. And now there's a new president who they're saying is illegally elected. So journalists have been killed in Honduras, people tortured. There's - we're back to the old ways. And America was standing - stood on the sidelines. So there was no action.

Also, America expanded under Obama its seven military bases in Colombia. This was a deadly thing to do. Why do we need military bases there? Why, I wonder. We have to ask ourselves. But that, nonetheless, war on drugs is perceived by the rest of them as a war to - of control and of espionage. So, in addition to that, we have also have the four fleet sailing around the waters of South America, which also is a offensive to them. So we don't - you know, what they're asking is mutual respect. They want mutual respect. This is the first time in centuries we've heard that fired back at us from South America. Often, there was one leader in the past who came along, said this kind of things in Guatemala in '54, Arbenz or Allende in Chile, in Argentina, in Brazil.

Separately, and at part, we took them down each one. And now we have a situation where we're working active with them to scramble up, to disunify this group and to take each out - each of these leaders out. And we can because they're democratically elected. And we can always influence elections with money and all the other dirty tricks learned from Nixon. So it's an interesting and ugly situation, but it doesn't -America is still going against the concept of reform, the concept that these people are trying to help the poor. And we always end up on the side of corporations, which brings us back to our situation in this country. And, you know, we are beholden to corporations. We are a corporate-governed state. And I - we seem to be fighting. This is an epic, primal struggle. And America, of course, is coming down on the side of the corporations.

CONAN: Here's an email from Bryan(ph) in Iowa City. Could you ask Oliver Stone how he justifies President Chavez silencing media outlets that criticize him? Would he support an American president shutting down similar media outlets?

Mr. STONE: Oh, that's - you know, this is part of the propaganda war that's been waged against Chavez since the beginning. This is, you know, this is a man, first of all, who's elected three times democratically. Hes also held close to 12 other elections. And each one - not each one, but most of them have been monitored by international organizations such as the European Union Commission, also the Jimmy Carter organization. They have an electronic ballot and they have a paper ballot, which makes them far more transparent democracy than our joke in Florida of 2000. So, you know, let's get off that crap that's been passing around.

Now, the media in Venezuela is outspoken and vibrant and angry. They are owned mostly by private media families, very rich families, very few. They can - and they - their venom is beyond belief. You have to go walk around and you'll see it for yourself. It's like Fox News on steroids down there. And, you know, we have situations where occasionally some of the media stations call for the overthrow of the government or step over the line and do things that are illegal. In our country, we take their license away, and they're doing the same damn thing in Venezuela. Most of the media is completely outrageous. And if you want to go right now to your BlackBerry, pick it up and look at any one of the stations in Venezuela, look what they're writing about him and it's all junk and negative.

And one thing that resembles the American media, it's a war. It's a war of the media against a guy like Chavez. We can declare a war on these people and we get away with it for a certain time. We call it human rights. We call it terrorism violations. We go after them again and again and again until we get them. If we can't get them that way, we put - guess what? We go to plan B. Usually, it's something military.

CONAN: We're talking with director Oliver Stone. His new film is "South of the Border." As he mentioned, it opens on Friday in New York, and then later in other cities around the country. Can I ask you, why do you - if you - if this film succeeds in the documentary world very well, it would be seen by hundreds of thousands of people. If you make - if your film "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" succeeds, itll be seen by many millions of people. Why do you continue to make documentaries?

Mr. STONE: Because theyre - you know, it's a form of exercise where you want to stay close to the field. You want to do the research. You want to stay in touch with people. It's a humbling form because usually it's very fast and not a lot of money to make. And you make it because it cleans you up. It makes you feel better, you know.

Movies - I love movies but they are tremendous effort. They take more than a year. They involve costumes, script, actors. And they have their rewards, certainly. They're big and I enjoy making them if I can make the right movie. But it's a system where you have this tremendous marketing cost and all that. And a documentary, you know, we're making the movie because, really, we consider that's a public service to the American people too.

CONAN: Oliver Stone. You're listening to TALK OF THE NATION from NPR News.

And let's see if we can get a caller up. This is Caroline(ph), Caroline calling us from Anchorage.

CONAN: Good afternoon where we are, but, yes. Go ahead, please.

CAROLINE: I had wanted to ask - first of all, Im very proud of what you do and appreciate that there's someone out there doing these kinds of films. I know you're not alone in that. And if this were the '50s, you'd be blacklisted.

CAROLINE: But I wanted to ask, what do you think was the impact of your experience in Vietnam on how you see how this country operates?

Mr. STONE: Well, it's pretty - (unintelligible) a young man. I grew up here during Cold War. I was - and we know and then one day (unintelligible). There is - even now there's a revisionist approach. Even with the McChrsytal affair, they're saying, you know, that they're going to say, you know, the military was betrayed in Afghanistan by the president. I can see that coming down the tubes.

It's always been this way in America. We've been in this military security gridlock ever since the World War II. So, I'm fighting against it my way. I have a documentary, another documentary I've been working on for two years, more than two years. It's called "The Secret History of the United States" and it goes 10 hours, actually. It's going to be on Showtime early next year.

And it's a lot of work, believe me, to do a documentary. But I'd like to leave something for my kids besides the usual brainwashing that they get in their history books.

CAROLINE: I thank you very much. And I wanted to give you a quick challenge, if you could. My thesis is that we will never have peace until we figure out a way for the corporations to make money on it.

Mr. STONE: Very good. Very good, indeed. And that's a very well and wise statement. You've lived long enough to know.

CONAN: Obviously, when you're making your feature documentaries, well, they're sponsored by corporations, and corporations make a lot of the profits there.

Mr. STONE: Oh, feature films. I'm sorry - yeah, I have to work inside the system. And so, by the way, I work any way I can. I sometimes get feature funding from a studio. Sometimes I get independently. Sometimes I have to go, like with "W.," the movie I did on George Bush, it was financed from France and Hong Kong, primarily, and Australia.

Mr. STONE: The Wall Street movie was with Century Fox. They own the original. I worked with them back in 1987. And they were very cooperative and helpful, and they did not interfere creatively in my process. And the movie represents my point of view.

CONAN: And as we look ahead to it, we remember Gordon Gekko, of course, famously from the first film. I gather Michael Douglas reappears...

CONAN: ...and is the star of the - is it fair to say he's the star of the second film?

Mr. STONE: He's the - yeah, okay. He's the older star of the second film. Shia LaBeouf is the younger star. Josh Brolin is the (unintelligible) star. Carrey Mulligan is the daughter. And Frank Langella is the mentor, the older mentor of Shia LaBeouf.

CONAN: And given recent events on Wall Street, do you see the first film as sort of, well, you have the opportunity now to tell a completely...

Mr. STONE: Well, it's the same story, redux - absurd - what's the word?

Mr. STONE: My Latin fails me. Now, it's gone on. I was shocked because in the '87 film, I thought it was over, that era. But it just kept subtly going on. The greed factor, as Caroline pointed out in the phone call, has driven our corporations to the point of excess. Not just our corporations, not just - but the bank themselves have changed their very nature. They are no longer what the banks I knew in '87. They became essentially private casinos funded by the government and - for losses when they were bailed out, you know. And the bailout was enormous and they got the money, not the people who are unemployed or losing their jobs. So we've come a long way down.

And by the way, Gekko is, in the new movie, is broke at the beginning of the movie. So he has to find a way to back - to get back in. But he has another ballgame to play, which is he realizes the banks control the ballgame.

So it's not just them, but it's the big banks, the big insurance companies. It's - the country's gotten bigger, bigger, bigger. We - Wal-Mart's bigger. We have a bigger empire abroad. We have the Pentagon. We have Afghanistan, Iran. We - Iraq, and now probably Iran, maybe. And now, you know, we're losing it. We can't get - we're too big, Neal. We're just too big, and you can't - it reaches a place of overreach. What happened with McChrystal is interesting because it feels like the praetorian guard with the Roman Empire now.

CONAN: Oliver Stone's new film, "South of the Border," opens in New York City on Friday, and then gradually in other theaters and other cities around the country. He joined us today on the phone from his hotel here in Washington D.C.

Tomorrow on TALK OF THE NATION: SCIENCE FRIDAY, a look at the science of medical marijuana. Can smoking pot be good for your health? Talk to you again on Monday. Have a good weekend, everybody.

It's the TALK OF THE NATION from NPR News. I'm Neal Conan in Washington.

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I've removed my former Community decks page, so if you're wondering where it went, that's where. I removed it because I wasn't getting any submissions from anyone else and didn't want it to be a page of Yokai's decks, lol, and because the abilities and synergies available are in a volatile state right now as Funcom does a lot of last minute balancing and tweaking as they prepare for launch. For example, one of the decks I listed was servicable up to very recently, but now a key ability no longer deserves a slot in a 7/7 build IMO. Next week? Who knows! So rather than focusing on specific decks , I'm taking a different approach and focusing on synergy combos around which you can build decks.

Comments: 4 Show Comments WIKIDOT.forumThreadId = 511405; Add a New Comment Hide All Comments Unfold All Fold All Fold shannong 24 Jun 2012 14:48 Well, that page isn't really gone , it's just hidden. But the main reason I took it down is because one of the cornerstone abilities ( Exquisite Corpse from Blood) was heavily nerfed last week. To the point where I didn't feel that deck was a solid performer any more. That's the the problem with trying to prescribe actual decks while the ability wheel is still a moving target. Lots of things have changed drastically in the past two weeks, making many CB testers scramble to adapt their favorite build concepts. I expect this trend to continue right up to launch. There are literally one or two patch updates nearly every day made to the CB server, and each patch brings new changes as the devs zero in on the few remaining OP synergies and abilities.

I feel my best teaching approach is now reflected in the concept of synergy combos , which you can see has been added to the bottom of my Build mechanics and build philosophy page. Right now it contains just a few combos, but I plan to add more before launch. The basic idea is that you build a deck by making sure the combo(s) you want for the deck concept are in it, and then you fill the remaining slots with whatever suits your fancy. As long as the combos are all in place, the deck will perform reasonably well in all situations, because it's the combo(s) that give the deck its power.

Last edited on 24 Jun 2012 14:49 by shannong Show more Options Unfold by shannong , 24 Jun 2012 14:48 Fold Maluk_TSW 24 Jun 2012 11:48 It was really useful :) Probably some more build will come out as the game starts :) It will be nice if you can publish them back the idea of having a spot where to post and explain decks is really nice!

Options Unfold by Maluk_TSW , 24 Jun 2012 11:48 Fold That is a real pity EarlA 23 Jun 2012 03:44 I was using those builds to teach myself the system. I am sure dense in trying to follow the spreadsheets and track all interactions. Seeing how you did it is/was teaching me a lot. I regret not copying and printing.

Options Unfold That is a real pity by EarlA , 23 Jun 2012 03:44 Fold Mokushiroku 22 Jun 2012 19:38 Any chance you could email those three builds you had up @ moc.liamg|sisenegenivid#moc.liamg|sisenegenivid - I really liked them and was working towards them - What changed that made 1 or all of them obsolete?

Options Unfold by Mokushiroku , 22 Jun 2012 19:38 Permanent Link Edit Delete updates

The traveling "Alegriia," in Costa Mesa on its sixth stop of a 12-city tour, expresses hope for humanity--despite some ugly truths conveyed by 16 "big old birds" dressed in jewel-encrusted silk jackets. Masks of leather and Lycra (tidied daily with Baby Fresh wipes) create their grotesque wrinkled faces.

The tally for one bird costume is more than $10,000, and dressing the entire flock requires 5,000 buttons, rhinestones and faux jewels (all hand-sewn), 1,600 synthetic flowers, 2,000 yards of plastic boning, 300 yards of silk brocade and 160 quarts of purple dye.

With $382,000 allocated for costumes, the creative staff can afford to be picky. Ninety percent of the fabrics are custom-dyed by a seven-member team ensconced in a Montreal technical school. Silk is the fabric of choice because it wears well, dyes beautifully, moves poetically and can be hand-washed and line-dried, a favorite Cirque maintenance technique. Trims attach with snaps or Velcro.

Most of the feathers are rendered in washable chiffon or organza.

Because of the extraordinary wear and tear, new costumes arrive from Montreal in a steady stream. Costumer Emery Comeau prowls the dressing rooms daily, looking for the minor repairs that must be made before every performance: Missing ornaments are replaced; ripped garments are mended, scuffed shoes are repainted.

On a recent sunny afternoon, his chores included hand-finishing a new gold lamee bodysuit for an acrobat and replacing the silver spangles on the back-up singer's net skirt.

In all, 1,000 buttons and jewels are used for the two singers' costumes. But with replacement parts filed away in the myriad drawers and boxes that line his costume-shop trailer, Comeau says, repairs rarely pose a challenge.

Yves Fournier, director of the company's Montreal costume shop, concedes that former Olympic gymnasts don't take instantly to feathers, lace and lamee or leather masks and varnished-acrylic wigs.

"A wig and a mask add five pounds more. And most of the artists have never worn costumes before. So we have to teach them it won't be a problem. For example, when the Russian trapeze team arrived, they said: 'We can't do our act with feathers in back and this big collar around our neck.' Then the trainer tried one, and we changed some little things."

The chanteuse was consoled with fewer layers of tulle. And the Russian clown had the last word. An understanding Lemieux explains: "We did a new coat for him, but he didn't like it. It has to move in a certain way. He's so used to being in one mood, if you put him in a costume that doesn't have that mood, it doesn't work. So the coat he has comes from Moscow."

Kozhikode: Colourful costumes and other flamboyant paraphernalia used for Theyyam, the popular ritual art of north Kerala is on display at an exhibition jointly organised by the Centre for Folklore Studies, Kerala Folklore Akademi and the Institute of Handloom and Textile Technology at the Calicut University Seminar Complex. The exhibition is in connection with a two-day workshop on the preparation of Theyyam costumes.

The programme is meant to explore the possibilities of incorporating Theyyams ritualistic symbols and motifs to the handloom industry, said Govinda Varma Raja, a member of the organising committee. The exhibition showcases a range of paraphernalia including headgears, bangles, anklets and costumes put on by the dancer during the performance to get the appearance of super-human.

The properties on display also comprises make-up materials, ornaments, tooth, nail and other outfits made of tender coconut leaves and other natural substances used by the Theyyam dancers.

More than 300 Theyyam-related properties including, kurutholachamayam, pala, mudi, hair decorations, kaithanda, chilambu, arayuda, and maru are displayed at the exhibition, said Mr. Raja.

Massive headgears and Uduthukettu (waist-dress), usually prepared from areca nut tree and bamboo, and valued Theyyam antiques such as the 200-years-old mudi of Kunnathurpadi Muthappan Thiruvappana Theyyam too find a place on the list.

The properties are displayed under the direction and supervision of noted artist Shiva Krishna.

The two-day exhibition and workshop was inaugurated by Industries Minister Elamaram Karim on Friday. The workshop attended by fashion technology students, artists, painters, technical experts and research scholars working in the area will discuss the possibilities of assimilating aesthetic values of the ritual art form into the industry.

The two-day event which will end on Saturday will also have Theyyam performances by noted dancers in the evening. Entry for public is free.

There are the " good Banshees " that are sad for the lose of life and wants to help the poor soul who will die. They are probably an ancestor to the family, and loved the family very much and wants the soul to have a peaceful passing.

Then there are the " bad Banshees " that were also once part of the family but maybe had a tragic death, or felt that their lives were cut too short. These Banshees want to torture the person and their family. They frighten the poor soul that is about to pass on.

See all 2 photos What does A Banshee Look Like The legends and myths describe the Banshee as an old washer woman, with long white or gray hair. She is crippled over and is, overall, unattractive. They also describe her as a skeletal creature with long white hair and wearing a black hooded cloak. To me, this one sounds like the Banshee that is spiteful and tries to create fear.

The Banshee that sings her sorrow filled song is the one who cares very much for the person that is about to pass, and their family. I picture this Banshee as having long beautiful red or light blond hair , with very blue or green eyes, her skin is very pale and she has bare-feet. She will wear a white flowing dress, and seem to glide gracefully instead of walking.

According to legend, Banshees are attached to a select few Irish families, but they do not follow the family members if they move from Ireland. The five main families that the Banshee has an attachment to are the O'Gradys, the O'Neills, the O'Briens, the O'Connors, and the Kavanaghs

Banshee Costumes Halloween Banshee Makeup..The Wailing Woman of Irish Lore : partyAID= Edwardian Banshee Wig in Costumes Shop by Theme Vampire Edwardian Banshee Women Costume - Adult Costumes Edwardian Banshee Women Costume - Edwardian Banshee Woman A must have! Dress with jagged net detailing, long sleeve bolero jacket with tall collar, waist cincher ... ExtremeHalloween.com: Halloween Costume Makeup, Halloween Makeup, Makeup for Halloween Costumes Extreme Halloween is your online source to buy Halloween makeup, find makeup for costumes, Halloween costume makeup. Homemade Banshee Costumes | eHow.com Homemade Banshee Costumes. The banshee is a spectral, female fantasy creature from Irish mythology. While the banshee has been imagined in many different forms, her image is nearly always associated with fear and ill omens,... How to Create a Banshee Costume for Halloween | eHow.com How to Create a Banshee Costume for Halloween. Banshees are as much a part of Irish myth and legend as are leprechauns. These creatures are thought to move around aimlessly mourning the death of a loved one. Known for their high pitched wails,... Special FX Contact Lenses | Banshee Contact Lenses Our special FX contact lenses make it easy to create any costume. They come in a great choice of scary, dramatic and theatrical designs suitable for any occasion and almost any character. Our range of special effects contact lenses includes classic b The Celtic Woman Beautiful music

The White Lady flows along the small creek, following its twist and turns that will lead her to her family. It has been a year since she was last here. So much death has come in such short a time. Her heart is always heavy with her burden, yet she would do the task. It has been hers to bare for decades. The White Lady would have it no other way even if she had a choice. She loved her family so very much and it saddened her to be the one to fore tale the end of a life, but better her then The Dark One. That one's hatred for the family caused her warnings to be cruel, and always full of terror. If only her sister could accept her fate.

The White Lady's beautiful green eyes start filling with tears as she sees the old cottage up ahead. She can see the soft candle light and hear the joyous laughter of her family. As she comes closer, she can smell the roasted meat as it cooked over the fire and the freshly made coffee that would be setting on the old stove. She looks into a paned window and sees two small girls asleep in a room not much bigger then a closet. They were twins, she knew. Both with hair as red as an autumn leaf. This was her room at one time, and she smiles as she remembers herself and her twin sister curled up together in sleep, so very long ago.

The fog starts to roll in and she moves to the next window. She sees a middle aged woman pouring coffee into three cups while a middle aged man puts his right arm on the shoulder of a much younger man. A father showing his son how much he loves him and how very proud he is of him. The mother smiles as she watches the two men, much affection and respect for one another. The son will be starting school in a far away place soon, and the mother wanted to spend as much time with her son as possible. He would be the first in this family to go off to school and how proud she must be.

The White Lady begins her Banshee's song for the lose soon to come to her family. She drifts away from the house, the fog swirling around her bare feet, her long blond hair flowing in the cold night wind. She raises her arms above her head and begins to sing.

Inside the cottage only one person can hear her beautiful voice. To everyone else, they hear the moaning of the wind. It sound so loud that it wakes the twin girls. They run into the main part of the cottage and jump onto their fathers lap. He laughs and tells them that it is only the wind letting them know that winter was here. And they looked out the paned window and sure enough, snow began to fall down from the heavens. They all begin to laugh and the son puts more wood on the fire but not before his mother sees the worried expression on his face.

Outside, The White Lady continues to sing her sorrow for the family that was so warm and content inside the little cottage.

The next night, the girls were allowed to stay up because their brother would be leaving very early the next morning for his long trip to his new school, and the beginning of a new life. They all sang and dance to the fathers fiddle and drank hot cocoa that their mother made. The son popped corn over the fire, which was a very rare treat. and soon the whole cottage smelled liked delicious popcorn. The girls were happy for their older brother to be given such a wonderful opportunity, and they showered him with hugs and kisses. But only one of the twins was truly heartbroken. She was the brothers favorite and they shared a kindred spirit. She began to cry when the mother announced that it was time to go to bed but her brother took her aside and told her that he would hide a surprise down by the creek before he goes, but she had to promise to stay inside where it was warm until the sun was completely up. She promises that she will wait and as he puts her into her bed with her sister the wind starts howling worse then the night before. The little girl holds her brother tighter and begs him not to go, but he just smiles and tells her that it's just the wind and they were all safe and warm in the cottage. He kisses both his sisters on the cheek and tells them how much he loves them. Then he puts out the candle that was sitting on the nightstand and goes to speak with his parents one last time before he would leave his small little world behind. The mother is looking out the window at the wind blowing through the trees. Thank goodness it wasn't snowing now and by the time her son left, the sun would be up and it would be less hazardous on both the son and his horse. But as she turns around, she sees her son gathering up his things. His father hugged him and as he turned to his mother he saw the fear in her eyes. He told her that he needed to leave immediately if he was to make the train and still have time to make sure his horse was secure in his stall aboard the train. She begins to cry and begs him to stay until morning, that she had a terrible feeling and the howling wind was a bad sign. Her son looks worried for a moment then tells his mother that all will be well and that he must go on. He hugs his father one last time and kisses his crying mother and tells her that he loves her and will see her in the summer. Then he was gone.

The White Lady witnessed all that had happened inside the cottage that night. Her Banshee song was louder and filled with such heartache that even the fog swirled around her, not daring to come close. She watched as the young man saddled his horse and started down the winding trail beside the frozen creek. She was so close that she could almost touch him. Tears rolled down her beautiful white face as he jumped from his horse and went very near the creeks edge. She could hardly see him through her blurry eyes as he leaned down to leave a little doll that he had made for his sister.

The crying woke the child up. It was dark in the cottage, but somehow she knew her brother had already left. She carefully climbed out of bed, making sure not to wake her sister, and put on her house shoes and coat. She could hear her parents in their bedroom, her father snoring in his sleep. She goes to the door and quietly opens it and then sneaks out without a sound. The wind was howling worse then ever and it had started snowing. She followed the trail to the creek and thought she heard someone singing, but it had to be the wind. When she neared the creeks edge she spotted the present that her brother had left for her. As she leaned down to pick up her precious doll she slips on some ice that had collected on the creek bank. She felt herself fall into the freezing creek. She couldn't keep her footing and she felt the current grab her legs and she went under. She was so very cold.

She heard the singing again , but that couldn't be right. She was under water and freezing. Then she looked up and saw the most beautiful woman she had ever seen, and she was the one singing. The White Lady smiled at the young girl. Then she was holding her close, the wind whipping her long blond hair around them both. Her white dress tangled up about them. She started singing again, such comforting words to the child. The little girls bright blue eyes looked up into The White Lady's brilliant green ones and she was not afraid. She was so warm. Her small head rested against the Lady's shoulder. The wind and snow no longer bothered her, and she was thinking about her brother and how happy she was that he would someday be someone of importance. Then she thought of her twin sister and her mother and father, and how thankful she was for such a loving family.

The White Lady put her cheek against the soft red hair and thought of her own child that she had to leave behind so long ago. A child that, no doubt would have looked much like the one she was holding next to her heart.

It was time. She continued to sing to her until the little girl felt herself beginning to float away from her body. The voice was so soothing and she was so warm, then the child let go, and she was gone.

The parents were awakened by an all too familiar wailing. They jumped from the bed and checked on the twins. One was missing. They ran outside and started screaming the girl's name. No answer. The father was about to check the barn when he heard his wife screaming and sobbing. When he reached the creeks edge, his wife had already fished their daughters frozen body from the water.

The dawn was breaking as the parents cried for the lost child, and the fog was starting to roll away, The White Lady in the center of it. As she starts to disappear she looks up the hill to the old family cemetery. The girls body would join all of those who went before her, including the young mans twin brother that died from an accident one year ago today. Then she disappears with the rising sun.

See all 2 photos What do you think a Banshee looks like? An ugly old washer woman A skeletal creature A beautiful girl with flowing white hair A white figure dressed in black See results without voting Screaming banshee of Ireland Irish Folklore | YourIrish.com Screaming banshee of Ireland Irish Folklore Banshee in Ireland - Irish Culture The Banshee is a fairy woman who brings with her cry the notice that there is soon to be a death. - Banshee in Ireland - Irish Culture is a personally written site at BellaOnline /p> 

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Good morning. I'm David Greene. Underoos are those underwear for kids that look like superhero costumes. Well, one hero in Michigan did not have to pretend. Ten-year-old A.J. Hieber found his father sobbing in the bathroom. Turns out his severely allergic dad had been stung by bees while mowing the lawn. A.J. jumped on his bike in plain old underwear. He rode several blocks and found his mom. Neighbors were a bit surprised by the whole scene, but A.J.'s dad said his brave young son saved his life. It's MORNING EDITION.

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RN: I know. That's how I scan those pages, looking for pictures of two men, or two women. The straight couples have become invisible to my eyes.

CP: The gay nuptials were in Provincetown, so of course they had to be untraditional. Those assembled were serenaded by well-known local performer Penny Champagne.

RN: That's my favorite new drag name, next to Claire Voyant and Whitney Biennial.

CP: She did a tasteful little jazz number in lieu of her bluer material. In-laws, you know. Then the groom and groom were whisked away by pedicab.

RN: How romantic. I see that Kevin Keller, the gay character in the Archie comics, is headed to the altar with his boyfriend. But in order to get to the church on time, the blond, lantern-jawed soldier has to return from a war zone, a nod, perhaps, to this week's formal repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

CP: When the newlyweds in these newspaper photos are the same gender, the copy should always refer to them as left and right, or we won't know Jackie from Jill. Also, the late arrival of gay marriage in states like New York and Massachusetts has made for some very long engagements. Two guys in last week's announcements just tied the knot after being together for 47 years.

RN: Sweet. A month ago, I read a story in the Times about a couple who have been together for 39 years. Both men were in failing health, so they were married in an impromptu ceremony at Beth Israel Medical Center, seated in side-by-side wheelchairs, looking festive in matching white sweatpants and sweatshirts. The hospital's food-service chef contributed a two-tiered wedding cake. I cried, naturally.

RN: Although I know you will find it shocking to learn that a fashion designer is gay, here's some other wedding news: Michael Kors and Lance LePere, who met 21 years ago, got hitched, barefoot, in a tasteful beach ceremony in the Hamptons attended by just a few close friends and People magazine. Mazel tov!

CP: You know, like with helicopters hovering and Us Magazine getting the exclusive? Maybe the Coop?

RN: Can you imagine? That could garner more extensive coverage than the Middleton-Windsor and Kardashian-Humphries spectacles, combined. At least on Logo.

"I wish I had done the role better and looked less like a halwai ka beta and more like a nawab ka beta ," laughs Shaikh with his characteristic warm humour. Here's what he told Priyanka Jain about the classic Umrao Jaan :

Why did you accept the role when the film revolved around the female character?

I had worked with Muzaffar sahib before, in a couple of films so when he offered me Nawab Sultan's role in Umrao Jaan , I was more than happy to say yes. It was a very nice experience and an honour working in the film. Muzaffar Ali belongs to a family that has been part of that milieu for several generations, and so the kind of authenticity he brought and the manner in which he could recreate that period was quite interesting to watch and inspiring to be involved in.

Another advantage was to be able to work with an absolutely first rate performer -- Rekha ji was ideally suited for that role. Umrao, as we know, is the story of the courtesan: a woman of letters who became famous for being a poetess. Then there was Naseeruddin Shah who was the best among the three of us ( himself and Raj Babbar included ). He stood out due to the correct note in his performance. He could pick up the mannerisms and lingo very easily.

Nawab Sultan is not a man of strong character, and can be manipulated one way or the other. He can be made to act against his will and he has this great desire not to displease his mother because she has had a bad time with his father.

I had to work on making Nawab appear weak, and not capable of taking a stand. In spite of enjoying the kind of social status he did, he never exercised it. There is one scene in which Rekha gets angry with him and is tearing off his clothes. He could have slapped her half a dozen times, walked off and seen to that she was made to disappear but what we see him doing is standing there doing nothing, like a completely helpless boor.

How did you learn the nuances? What preparations were done back then?

When Muzaffar Ali gave me the script; I first went and bought Ruswa's novel on Umrao's life. I read through that and the script. The script does not adhere to the novel very religiously but takes the spirit of the novel and major incidents, while creating a script of its own. That was material enough for me, and after that I followed the vision of my director.

The nuances were picked up from the details Muzaffar ji provided. As for the poetry and the language one has been reasonably versed with the language. I was always interested in reading and listening to Urdu poetry, so that did not pose a problem.

The problem was to create a character that could hit the right note, where he is portraying the period and the character. Nawab was a weak character, which is why he gives in to pressures of all kinds.

For example, there is an interesting scene where he tells Umrao that his mother has selected a girl for him to marry. Umrao doesn't react badly -- it was the common occurrence in those days -- and promises to meet and keep in touch with him. Then he tells her that his mother does not even approve of that (contact), which is when she feels really let down. Nawab's character could not even bargain with his mother to be true to the woman he loves. That was a little alien to my own personality, and I had to prepare for that.

What did you do overall to make the film and its lingo look more authentic? Did you meet people/Nawabs from Lucknow?

Muzaffar Ali solved that problem for all of us. He cast a lot of people in the small roles from the ones who belonged to that milieu and culture; people who had seen contemporaries of Umrao or had sometime participated in the mujras. Some even remembered the kind of steps the dancer would take; the emoting the courtesan would do.

Amusingly enough, while we were picturising the mujras they would make little remarks to differentiate Umrao's steps from the other courtesans. These were people who knew what these women were like and were familiar with that milieu. Watching, interacting and observing them was a huge help.

Personally too, I had interacted with people from that region, read their poetry and hence knew the cultural ambience that existed at that time.

We shot predominantly in Lucknow, and some parts in Malihabad and Faizabad. An overwhelming amount of work was done in Lucknow and its vicinity. Wherever Muzaffar found appropriate locations he would set it up there.

One such location was Jehangirabad Palace, now a sad parody of what was there that time. He set up a lot of scenes there, and redid the interiors himself. Then there were small havelis and palaces in Malihabad that he redecorated. The mujra picturisation was done in the baradari in Lucknow. A small portion of the kotha where Umrao lived was created in (Mumbai's) Mehboob Studios.

Muzaffar and Subhasini ji (Ali, the costume designer) his then-wife prepared the costumes. Muzaffar had the benefit of being an artist himself, and had a tremendous sense of colour. The visual beauty of the film is thanks to Muzaffar's conceptualisation and what cameraman Pravin Bhatt could capture on his lens. It's a visual treat.

I knew Naseer from before. It was comfortable working with him, as he is a good friend and colleague I respect a lot.

I had happy expectations of Rekha as far as histrionic ability was concerned, but we'd heard a lot of rumours about her 'being difficult to work with' and 'moody to interact with.' However, the experience of working with her was quite the opposite.

Despite adverse working conditions, severe winter, unmanageable crowd, and all kinds of problems, she maintained her cool. If there were 100 people watching the shoot, 99 were there to watch Rekha. She was exemplary in the manner in which she interacted with the entire unit.

What according to you are the main highlights of Muzaffar Ali's Umrao Jaan ? Will the new Umrao Jaan take away from its charm?

Khayyam's music had made the film as memorable as it is today and will be for a long time to come. Whenever you think of Umrao Jaan, you will always remember the Umrao Jaan that Muzaffar Ali made. Probably the same may hold true of what Mr J P Dutta has made but it will not obligate anything from what was made earlier.

Sheriyaar saab 's lyrics, Rekha ji 's portrayal of Umrao, her persona that ran through the character, and Muzaffar Ali's vision. These are the four factors that have made the film absolutely unforgettable.

When you are part of a project that succeeds at the box office, you get spoken about. Hum to bas chalti gadi mein nazar aa rahe the. ( We were just seen in a bus that happened to be running well )

Why don't we see you in any more films? Are you disillusioned with the industry?

I would love do more films if I get the kind of work I enjoy doing. I get offers that put me off the moment I read the script. To do films merely because one should be seen on screen does not appeal to me as an actor. You can never control the result of the film but you can control the process of the making, and that can be done only if you are interested and convinced in what is offered to you.

As of now I am reading scripts and unfortunately saying no to them. I am too dwarfed to do direction.

What do you think about Abhishek Bachchan playing the Nawab Sultan role?

I think it will not take much to better my work in Umrao Jaan as I am not happy with what I did. Abhishek is a competent actor, and I won't be surprised if he portrays the role much better than I did.

slide 1 of 6 Misconceptions Managers and business owners sometimes worry that having all the children around will bring workflow to a stand-still. Employees can feel self-conscious about bringing a child to a workplace where there may be tensions. Even children do not always want to participate in the event; whether they predict boredom or just did not really enjoy the last time that they visited mom or dad at work, the thought of spending eight hours at the business does not sound like fun. Nip these misconceptions in the bud with a modicum of preparation. In this instance it is the business that must take the leadership role and set the stage for a successful event.

slide 2 of 6 Getting Ready: Tips for the Management Team and Employees The Take Our Daughters and Sons To Work Foundation helps business owners and management staff to set up the workplace for the annual event. Plan carefully to meet the needs of the attendees -- but also the requirements of the business.

Management determines ahead of time if the event will be a full-day occasion or only a half-day occurrence. Staff must know in advance if they need to find transportation for the children to go home, or if the youngsters may spend the entire workday on location. Supervisors remind employees of age limitations. The Foundation suggests inviting children over the age of eight to the office, but if you choose to also welcome younger children, be sure to have age-appropriate activities ready for them. Register children prior to the event. Knowing how many youngsters will attend helps with the setup and planning. This is also the appropriate time to ask parents to sign a release form. Employees, too, must plan ahead to make the day a success.

Plan to work ahead. The business must continue to function, even though the children will demand a good bit of attention. Meeting deadlines ahead of time, or delegating work to peers who do not participate in the event, takes planning and good communication. Alert the management team to special considerations the child needs. If a child has dietary limitations or requires medication at certain times throughout the day, let the supervisor in charge of the event know. Explain to the child what types of behaviors are unacceptable. Discuss also how to dress, behave and what to bring or leave at home. slide 3 of 6 Company Program Highlights for Fun and Education Start off the day on the right foot.

Breakfast briefing. Just like the adults, who enjoy a breakfast presentation or staff meeting with donuts, welcome the children in a conference room. Serve donuts, orange juice, chocolate milk and other light breakfast goodies. This is a good time to hand out notebooks, pens or pencils and let the kids know what the agenda for the day will be. Hands-on work. Introduce the children to the office equipment. If the business has some spare cubicles, use them to set up mock workstations with currently unused equipment. Instruct the youngsters how to run a copier, properly answer the business phone, page someone or file paperwork . Grand tours. Have an employee dress up like a safari tour guide and take the children on a tour around the facility. Make it interesting by putting some unexpected dcor items into broom closets; examples include surfboards, cut-outs of wild animals or bikes. Dress-up. Depending on the type of company you run, offer dress-up clothes germane to the various positions. There are secretaries' outfits, lab coats, briefcases, hats, tool belts and a host of other odds and ends the children can use to customize their own costumes. slide 4 of 6 Parent-led Activities These activities can take place at home, to prepare the child for a day at the office or factory, and also while at the parent's workplace.

Set up a small workstation. A large cardboard box can double as a desk. Outfit it with a scratch pad, pencils, crayons and maybe even an old phone. Pretend to call the child on the phone -- for younger kids -- and have conversations in this manner. If there is some lag time between company-led activities, let the child prepare some artwork for your office, cubicle or workstation. Introduce the child to various types of office equipment. Younger children in particular will appreciate learning some rudimentary typing skills. Online typing tutor programs keep children busy while also teaching them about future job skills. Do not forget to let the child push the button of the copier, help fetch the mail from the boxes and turn the key to the storage room. Let the child perform as many tasks as is permissible and safe. Entrust an older child with typing up a memo or collating and stapling a presentation. Introduce basic work skills. If the employee is in the accounting field, the mom or dad can teach the child how to use a calculator and practice 10-key by sight. If the worker is a mail clerk, highlight the need for alphabetization and code recognition. Begin this process at home and allow the child to try out the task at the office. Consider bringing along mock worksheets or mail pieces for the youngster to process. slide 5 of 6 Remember that Take Your Child to Work Day activities need to be planned well in advance of the actual event. Do not try to "wing it" and let children become bored. Moreover, keep the activities age-appropriate; a 15-year-old youngster is unlikely to be excited about crayons or a pretend workstation. This child will be much more likely to appreciate the hands-on activities, like computing, which actually produce a useful result.