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Thursday, November 29, 2012

CANADA AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE: EDC provides USD 300 M in financing to Mexico's CFE in support of Mexican-based Canadian companies

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OTTAWA, Nov. 28, 2012 - Export Development Canada (EDC) today announced it has provided the equivalent of USD 300 million to Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE), Mexico's national electricity company, to help increase opportunities for Canadian companies operating in Mexico.
The financing will be provided in Mexican pesos, reflecting the local currency preference by CFE to help them better match their revenues and expenses.
"Increasing the presence and profile of Canadian companies that have invested in the Mexican market, particularly among large corporate players with significant supply chain needs, is what EDC's work with CFE is really about," said Rajesh Sharma, Senior Vice-President, Business Development, EDC.
"By providing local-currency financing, EDC is able to open doors for Canadian companies by being a valued lender for large corporations with significant, and international, supply chains. It's about creating trade opportunities, rather than just responding to them."
Calgary's TransCanada is among the significant Canadian investors in Mexico and has multiple long-term service contracts with CFE.
"This is EDC's second loan with CFE in the past two years, positioning EDC as a key relationship bank for this important player in a key export sector and market for Canadian expertise," said Sharma. "Having a permanent presence in their market allows us to get to know our customers on a deeper level, better understanding and anticipating their needs, and CFE is a great example of this approach."
Last year, EDC helped 722 Canadian companies undertake nearly CAD 2.5 billion in business in Mexico, primarily in the light manufacturing, transportation and infrastructure/environment sectors.
EDC recently celebrated the 10-year anniversary of its permanent representation in Mexico.  Since its opening, Canadian companies have used EDC's market representatives to complete more than CAD 20 billion in business in this market.
Between 2007 and 2011, EDC has worked with over 880 Canadian companies in the energy sector, in over 120 markets, helping them win and deliver upon CAD 67.8 billion in export trade.
In 2011, more than 600 Albertan companies used EDC's products and/or services in their efforts to grow their international business across 100 markets, to a value of CAD 11.9 billion.
EDC is Canada's export credit agency, offering innovative commercial solutions to help Canadian exporters and investors expand their international business. EDC's knowledge and partnerships are used by more than 7,700 Canadian companies and their global customers in up to 200 markets worldwide each year. EDC is financially self-sustaining and a recognized leader in financial reporting and economic analysis.
For further information:
In Canada:
Phil Taylor
Export Development Canada
Tel: (613) 598-2904
Blackberry:  ptaylor@edc.ca

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Export Development Canada
150 Slater Street, Ottawa, ON K1A 1K3
Tel: 613.598.2500
Online: http://www.edc.ca/contactus

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

BREAKING NEWS: Mayor Rob Ford cannot run in any byelection to replace him, the city's lawyer said Tuesday in a major blow to Ford's battle to keep his job



Mayor Rob Ford cannot run in any byelection to replace him, the city's lawyer said Tuesday in a major blow to Ford's battle to keep his job.
Ford said Monday — in the wake of the bombshell ruling that he breached the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act — that, if a byelection is held, he would be the first name to get on the ballot.
His lawyer, Alan Lenczner, told the Star he interpreted the judge's wording about Ford being barred from running until the "end of the term" to mean the mayor would be able to run after the 14-day period, ending Dec. 10, when Justice Charles Hackland's order for Ford to vacate his office is slated to come into effect.
But city solicitor Anna Kinastowski told city council Tuesday: "It is my opinion that word term means 2010 to 2014.”
“That is our interpretation of that particular fact. If down the road there is a byelection and Mr. Ford does not agree with our intepretation, he can certainly take action to get a judicial interpretation at that time.”
While she spoke then, and during subsequent questions from councillors, the mayor did not look straight ahead at Kinastowski. Instead, he stared to the left toward city manager Joe Pennachetti, who appeared to be reading papers.
Lenczner is expected to go to Divisional Court any time to launch an appeal of Hackland's decision and to ask a three-judge panel to "stay" — or put on hold — his order that Ford leave office.
Kinastowski said the 60-day deadline for council to either appoint a caretaker mayor or trigger a citywide mayoral byelection does not start until after the 14-day period when the judgment comes into effect. However, if the higher court puts the removal order on hold, council would wait for the outcome.
In the meantime, Kinastowski said: "The mayor is the mayor, it is business as usual."
Also Tuesday, former Ford ally Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti called on Ford to step down and let Deputy Mayor Holyday take over the reins of the city until the appeal is concluded.
"The city is in a crisis," and might be losing international investment while its leadership is up in the air, Mammoliti said. Although he has acted as Ford's attack dog, Mammoliti suggested Tuesday that he has in fact been supporting the agenda and that he and the mayor have at times not been on speaking terms.
Other councillors said they are willing to let the process play out and for Ford remain in place during the legal maneuvering.
Councillor Joe Mihevic called "crisis" talk "alarmist", saying the city is in "rough waters" but Torontonians should feel assured that there is a legal pathway ahead and clearly prescribed rules to ensure Toronto has stability at the top.

Monday, November 26, 2012

TELETON 2012: Definen horarios de los bloques para la Teletón


La jornada comenzará con el humor, mientras que a las 3.15 horas será el turno de la vedetón.

26/11/2012 - 12:55
© AGENCIAUNO

La organización de la nueva edición de la Teletón, bajo la consigna "puro corazón", ya definió los horarios de cada uno de sus bloques.
Tras la inauguración de las 22 horas, a la 1 de la madrugada del sábado comenzarán las actividades con el bloque de humor, el cual continuará hasta las 3.15 horas, momento en que se dará paso a la vedetón.
El trasnoche se prolongará entre las 5.00 y las 7.00 horas, para luego dar paso al Desayuno de Chile, entre las 7.00 hasta las 10.00 horas.
En ese momento comenzará Todo el mundo arriba, que se extenderá hasta las 13.00 horas, cuando se lleve a cabo la elección del Mister Teletón, hasta las 18.30 horas.
Finalmente, el cierre en Teatro Teletón se llevará a cabo entre las 18.30 y las 21.00 horas, momento en que los animadores y los rostros se dirigirán hasta el Estadio Nacional para dar cierre a esta nueva jornada de solidaridad.
Hoy se comenzaron a regalar las entradas en el Estadio Nacional y en el Teatro Teletón. Mañana, la repartición de entradas continuará en ambos lugares, en el estadio a partir de las 9 horas y en el teatro desde las 10.
Las tres mil entradas que se entregarán en el Teatro Caupolicán, validas para el sábado 1 de diciembre entre las 14 y las 16.30 horas, se entregarán a partir de las 15 horas de mañana.

Entradas para la Teletón se agotaron en sólo 30 minutos en el Estadio Nacional

Esta mañana se entregaron 20 mil entradas en el recinto deportivo, y mañana ocurrirá lo mismo a partir de las 9.00 horas de la mañana.

por Andrea Hartung - 26/11/2012 - 09:59

A las 9.00 horas de esta mañana comenzó la entrega de entradas en el Estadio Nacional para el show final de la Teletón.
Sólo en media hora se agotaron, ya que desde muy temprano la gente comenzó a hacer la fila para obtener las dos entradas por persona.
Hoy se entregaron 20 mil entradas, las que también serán entregadas mañana, a partir de las 9.00.
En tanto, hoy también comenzó la entrega de 3.500 entradas en el Teatro Teletón, situación que se repetirá mañana.
Además, mañana también se repartirán 3 mil tickets en el Teatro Caupolicán a partir de las 15.00 horas.

Un renovado Ronaldo descarta jugar en el Mundial de Clubes: "Simplemente no puedo"

Pese a mostrar una evidente baja de peso, el ex astro brasileño desestimó la opción de volver a Corinthians pese a la petición de los hinchas.

26/11/2012 - 07:58
Ronaldo mostró una nueva forma en una actividad de la Fórmula Uno. Ronaldo mostró una nueva forma en una actividad de la Fórmula Uno.
Después de que Corinthians derrotara en la final de la Copa Libertadores a Boca Juniors, se especuló en Brasil con la posibilidad de que el ex astro Ronaldo disputara con el "Timao" el Mundial de Clubes. Eso sí, para ello se necesitaba que el goleador histórico de los Mundiales bajara ostensiblemente de peso y que se pusiera en forma.
Y meses después de aquello, mostrando un evidente avance en la lucha contra los kilos, el ex futbolista declaró que "simplemente no puedo" estar con el actual campeón del torneo subcontinental.
"Muchas personas me han pedido que pierda peso para jugar el Mundial de Clubes en diciembre, pero simplemente no puedo", expresó Ronaldo en medio de una actividad relacionada con la Fórmula Uno, que este domingo se disputa en Interlagos.
Asimismo, también confirmó que no podrá acompañar al equipo en Japón pues "voy a estar en la última semana del programa". Lo último, en referencia al espacio televisivo que muestra el proceso de Ronaldo bajando de peso, el que se desarrolla a través de una estricta dieta y ejercicios.
Además, el "fenómeno" se mostró ilusionado con la disputa de un partido de despedida para finales de 2013, cuando se inaugure el nuevo estadio de Corinthians.

BREAKING NEWS: Toronto Mayor Rob Ford was kicked out of office Monday



Twitter pounced on the news that Toronto Mayor Rob Ford was kicked out of office Monday.
The ruling was felt in the Twitterverse much farther than Toronto — ‘Rob Ford’ was trending worldwide. It was covered in blogs, on news sites and even on Craigslist from the GTA, to Los Angeles, to Iceland.
On Facebook, a man in Vienna named Michael Woods, with a Canadian flag patch on his bag, said he was approached by a man who said, “‘Did you hear Rob Ford’s been booted from office?’ I actually almost fell out of my chair. News travels fast.”
Locally, Kids in the Hall alum Mark McKinney tweeted, “This may prove a good day for Toronto but this is a TERRIBLE day for comedy.”
Parody Rob Ford Twitter account, HULKMAYOR, also weighed in on the ruling. He tweeted: “OKAY HULKMAYOR DECIDE WILL CHANGE VOTE ON REPAY FOOTBALL MONEY OKAY? PROBLEM SOLVE!”
A Craigslist user also posted a fake ad for “one slightly used Ford for sale. White with red trim.” The ad notes the $1 item is “ideal for hauling football equipment or towing your gravy train.”

Rob Ford has achieved what no previous Toronto mayor could accomplish — being booted from office, by court order, due to his own pig-headed bumbling. And he can thank no one but himself.
Superior Court Justice Charles Hackland had little choice. Ford blatantly broke Ontario’s conflict-of-interest law when he voted on a city council motion that saved him from paying $3,150, from his own wallet, to return some improperly-raised donations. And the automatic penalty for such violations is disqualification from office.
The judge’s ruling, released Monday morning, put the result bluntly: “I declare the seat of the respondent, Robert Ford, on Toronto city council, vacant.”
That humiliating blow must surely penetrate even through Ford’s notoriously thick hide — especially since this is all Ford’s fault. Had he simply declared a conflict in this matter, and refrained from speaking and voting on the issue, there would be no case against him. The irony is that Ford didn’t even need to enter this particular fray, council ended up voting 22-12 to let him keep his money in his pocket.
The judge specifically rejected Ford’s claim that, despite his 12 years at city hall, including two as mayor, he still didn’t understand the workings of the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act. “It’s difficult to accept an error in judgment defense based essentially on a stubborn sense of entitlement,” Hackland wrote, adding that Ford’s actions amounted to “willful blindness.”
But it’s not all over for Ford. There are 14 days before the decision takes effect. In that time, Ford can file an appeal and seek a stay of Hackland’s verdict until the appeal is heard. If that stay is granted, Ford would remain mayor for several more months, at the minimum.
So it’s not like he’s loading his pencils, stapler and his “World’s Greatest Mayor” mug into a cardboard box right now and heading for an exit. But Ford’s a lot closer to that than he was a few days ago.
In another break in Ford’s favour, he could run for mayor again if he is ultimately ousted and councillors opt to hold a special election to replace him. Hackland could have ordered Ford to stay off city council. But that small gain is surely bleak comfort for the mayor and his supporters.
Despite their disappointment, the judge’s ruling is testament to the strength and quality of democracy at the municipal level. Governing from a “stubborn sense of entitlement” isn’t true leadership. And not even the mayor of Canada’s largest city is above the law. Whether he stays or goes, it’s time Ford learned that lesson.

Related Articles

Read Justice Charles Hackland's decision

Royson James: Judge must punish Ford, not voters (Sept. 5)


The crisis surrounding Mayor Rob Ford deepened Monday with news that Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti, his loyal attack dog for the past two years, is quitting Ford’s executive committee.
Mammoliti said he is responding to a flood of calls and emails to his office from constituents after a judge ruling that Ford broke provincial conflict of interest law. Ford has said he will appeal but, unless he gets another court to put the ruling on hold within 14 days, he will be removed from office.
“My constituents are very clearly telling me I should be quitting (executive committee) because of the judgment,” Mammoliti told reporters outside Ford’s city hall office.
“My gut is telling me that I should be quitting because there’s a lot of work to be done in council and it’s going to take all of us to do it and we have to forget about our partisanship for the next few months and make this thing work.”
Mammoliti has been one of Ford’s staunchest defenders and verbally attacked others who crossed Ford. He whipped votes at council for the administration with a thumb’s up or thumb’s down before important votes.
Mammoliti called that “a very tough role in this administration,” and said he continues to support Ford’s goal of cutting costs but suggested he is finished, at least for now, with officially being part of Ford’s team.
In the ruling that hit city hall like a bomb Monday morning, Justice Charles Hackland said Ford broke the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act by voting at council in February to absolve himself of the need to repay $3,150 he improperly solicited from lobbyists for his private football foundation.
However, aware of the potential chaos he was unleashing, Justice Charles Hackland put his own ruling on hold for 14 days to allow for judicial and civic government maneuvering.
Ford told a crush of reporters outside his office he plans to appeal. His lawyer Alan Lenczner is expected to quickly launch an appeal at Divisional Court and ask for a “stay” of Hackland’s ruling that would allow Ford to continue governing, albeit with a political sword over his head, until the appeal is finished.
Rob Ford out: Text of judge’s decision
James: All Torontonians will pay for Rob Ford's ‘wilful blindness’
Ford has 30 days to appeal. If he fails to get the order for his ouster put on hold, council will have the option of either appointing a councillor to be caretaker mayor until the end of the term in December 2014 or triggering a $7-million byelection. Hackland, who could have banned Ford from seeking re-election for up to seven years, wrote he declined “to impose any further disqualification from holding office beyond the current term.”
John Mascarin, a municipal law expert not directly involved in this case, said he interprets that to mean Ford cannot run in a mayoral byelection if one is held before the end of the current council term, in late 2014.
Ford, pausing after fighting through journalists to get into his office on city hall’s second floor, said: “I’m going to appeal it and carry on with my job. I’m a fighter,” Ford told a crush of reporters outside his city hall office shortly after noon. “I’ve done a lot of great work in this city and sometimes you win, sometimes you lose . . .
“This comes down to left-wing politics. The left wing wants me out of here and they’ll do anything in their power. I’m going to fight tooth and nail to hold on to my job. If they do for some reason get me out I’ll be running right back. As soon as the next election, if there’s a byelection, I’ll be the first name on the ballot.”
Clayton Ruby, the lawyer who argued the conflict of interest allegation in court, said Ford has only himself to blame.
“Today’s decision shows that when you break the rules, there’s a price to pay,” said Ruby, a prominent constitutional lawyer who argued the case pro bono for Toronto resident Paul Magder, who made the conflict complaint.
“It’s important for the courts to assert that nobody is above the law, Rob Ford included . . . Rob Ford has said all along that he did this for the (football player) kids. He deserves credit for working with those kids, but he should have remembered that he had an obligation to those kids to set a good example for them . . . While we’re pleased to have won this case we’re also saddened by it.
“It is tragic that the elected mayor of a great city should bring himself to this and I use that language advisedly – Rob Ford did this to Rob Ford. It could so easily have been avoided. It could have been avoided if Rob Ford had used a bit of common sense and if he had played by the rules.”
Magder, a soft-spoken business executive who has said was motivated to make the complaint by a conviction that politicians must follow the rules — and not anti-Ford politics — started by telling reporters: “I want to say that I love this city. I care about it and all of us who live here . . .
“We have a lot of terrible problems that need our attention. We need to find leaders who are going to work hard to develop solutions and work together to succeed. I’m asking everybody, Let’s work together to build and nuture this city.”
At the February meeting, Ford made an impassioned speech urging council to excuse him — “To ask me to pay it out of my own pocket personally, there is just, there is no sense to this,” he said — and then voted with the 22-12 majority to cancel an earlier council order to reimburse the money.
The Municipal Conflict of Interest Act is strict: members of council cannot speak or vote on issues in which they have a financial interest.
Hackland could have allowed Ford to keep his job, even if he found that Ford broke the law, by accepting the argument that Ford’s actions were inadvertent or a result of an error in judgment, or that the amount of money in question — $3,150 — was unlikely to influence him.
But Hackland rejected all of the arguments put forth by Ford’s lawyer, Alan Lenczner. In dismissing the suggestion that Ford had made an error in judgment, Hackland suggested Ford had deliberately ignored the law in question.
“In view of the respondent’s leadership role in ensuring integrity in municipal government, it is difficult to accept an error in judgment defence based essentially on a stubborn sense of entitlement (concerning his football foundation) and a dismissive and confrontational attitude to the Integrity Commissioner and the Code of Conduct,” Hackland wrote.
“In my opinion, the respondent’s actions were characterized by ignorance of the law and a lack of diligence in securing professional advice, amounting to wilful blindness. As such, I find his actions are incompatible with an error in judgment.”
Hackland wrote, “Inadvertence involves oversight, inattention or carelessness. On the contrary, (Ford)’s participation was a deliberate choice.” And he noted that Ford himself told council in his speech that “personal repayment of $3,150 is precisely the issue that he objects to and delivering this message was his clear reason for speaking and voting as he did at the council meeting.”
Lenczner also contended that the conflict of interest law didn’t apply in this case and that council didn’t have the authority to force Ford to repay the money. Hackland disagreed.
Lenczner contended that the law is unfair if it does not allow councillors to speak in their own defence when they are faced with a financial penalty. Hackland suggested that the law might need reform — but he said the law is what it is at the moment, and the speaking issue “does not have anything to do with and cannot provide a justification for voting (rather than speaking) on a matter, as the respondent chose to do in this case.”
The saga began in 2010, when the city’s integrity commissioner, Janet Leiper, ruled that then-councillor Ford was wrong to use official letterhead and other city resources to solicit donations from people lobbying the city.
Council agreed and ordered Ford to pay the money back. Ford refused to do so, and he ignored six reminders from the integrity commissioner before she brought the issue back to council for the fateful Feb. 7 debate. In March, Toronto resident Paul Magder, aided by prominent lawyer Clayton Ruby, filed a lawsuit alleging Ford broke the law.
At the September court hearing, Ruby argued Ford was “reckless” and “wilfully ignorant” of the law when he did not recuse himself from the debate and vote.
Ford, who was on council for a decade before becoming mayor in late 2010, testified he never read the Conflict of Interest Act or the councillor orientation handbook. Nor, he said, did he attend councillor training sessions that covered conflicts of interest.
The mayor promised in his oath of office to “disclose conflicts of interest” but, when asked by Ruby if he understood the words, Ford said: “No. My interpretation of a conflict of interest, again, is it takes two parties and the city must benefit or a member of council must benefit.”
“As mayor he ought to have had a clear understanding of his obligations,” Ruby said. “This entire pattern of conduct shows that he chose to remain ignorant, and substituted his own view for that of the law,”
Ford, longtime coach of Etobicoke’s Don Bosco Eagles, vehemently disagreed, saying he acted only in the best interests of high school students.
Ford himself went into the trial saying he did nothing wrong. But during the grilling by Ruby, he allowed that, if he had been advised that voting on the matter could land him in court, he wouldn’t have voted.
“I would have declared a conflict like I have every other time,” Ford said. “But now that we’re here, I’m here. I can’t change what happened.”
Magder was directed to Ruby by Adam Chaleff-Freudenthaler, a left-leaning civic activist and former trustee candidate who himself challenged Ford’s campaign financial statements. The city’s compliance audit committee found reason to ask for a forensic audit, which is expected to be completed by the end of December.


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TENIS WTA: Martina Navratilova y Martina Hingis jugarán exhibición en Australia

Las ex tenistas serán las primeras mujeres en jugar en el torneo de exhibición "World Tennis Challenge".

26/11/2012 - 07:59
Hingis será parte de "La batalla de las dos Martinas". Hingis será parte de "La batalla de las dos Martinas".
Las ex tenistas Martina Navratilova y Martina Hingis participarán en enero de un torneo de exhibición en Adelaida, previo al inicio del Abierto de Australia.
Navratilova, de 56 años y Hingis, de 32, serán las primeras mujeres en jugar en el torneo de exhibición "World Tennis Challenge", que se disputará en la ciudad australiana de Adelaida del 8 al 10 de enero.
Navratilova ganó 59 títulos en su carrera y Hingis ostenta como mayor triunfo sus cinco trofeos en torneos Grand Slam. Será el duelo de dos generaciones de campeonas de la WTA. "La batalla de las dos Martinas", promocionó la organización.
El director del torneo, Mark Woodforde, dijo que Navratilova no podía faltar en el evento que originariamente era disputado sólo por hombres.
"Discutimos incluir ahora a mujeres por un año", dijo Woodforde al dominical Sunday Mail. "Nos sentimos muy satisfechos de dar la bienvenida a dos de los nombres más sobresalientes en la historia del tenis femenino", agregó.
"Mi viejo amigo Mark Woodforde me llamó para decirme que el World Tennis Challenge, bajo nueva dirección, deseaba la participación de tenistas femenins", dijo Navratilova.
"Después de haber oído la opinión de otros jugadores sobre el evento y conociendo a Mark me sentí honrada de ser una de las primeras mujeres en ser invitada a jugar", añadió la ex número uno del mundo.
Hingis jugará por vez primera en la ciudad. "Me he enterado sobre el torneo por comentarios de otros jugadores y todo parece indicar que es un evento único y excitante. Es la perfecta combinación del gran tenis y diversión", dijo la suiza.
El tradicional cuadro masculino incluye a jugadores en actividad como Alexandr Dolgopolov, Stanislas Warwinka, Viktor Troiki y el actual número uno australiano Marinko Matosevic. Pero también a "leyendas" como Pat Cash, Hanri Leconte, Mats Wilander y Yannick Noah.

Fiscal y supuesto soborno de DT de Colo Colo Omar Labruna: "Si hay delito, debe ser formalizado"


Andrés Iturra aseveró que, por el momento, no existe una denuncia formal por cohecho. "Si la hay, el ministerio público abrirá una investigación".

26/11/2012 - 17:59
Omar Labruna se vio involucrado en un accidente el pasado domingo 18. Omar Labruna se vio involucrado en un accidente el pasado domingo 18.
Este lunes, el fiscal a cargo de la investigación del accidente protagonizado por Omar Labruna, Andrés Iturra, manifestó que hasta el momento no existe alguna denuncia por cohecho.
"Formalmente no tengo antecedentes de que hayan existido estos regalos. No existe ninguna denuncia formal de delito de cohecho", manifestó el Fiscal.
Iturra recordó que de momento es Carabineros el que realiza una investigación interna al respecto, en la que ya se le tomó declaración a la esposa de Labruna y en que el propio DT espera declarar mañana.
Al respecto, el Fiscal dijo que "en caso de que las diligencias arrojaran como resultado un delito de esa naturaleza, se abrirá una investigación del Ministerio Público".
"Y si es partícipe de un delito, debería ser formalizado", agregó Iturra, dejando en claro -en todo caso- que "todo lo que ha salido ha sido por medio de la prensa".
En tanto, con respecto al accidente, manifestó que "sabemos que hay más cámaras y queremos acceder a ellas".

Sunday, November 25, 2012

REVIEW: Silver Linings Playbook, a doolally delight: Sex, laughter and mental problems. It's not the usual romcom formula - but it works

A doolally delight: Sex, laughter and mental problems. It's not the usual romcom formula - but it works

By Chris Tookey
|
SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK (15)
Verdict: Screwball comedy at its screwiest
Rating: 4 Star Rating
Silver Linings Playbook is written and directed by David O. Russell. His last film was the Oscar-nominated boxing biopic The Fighter, but before that he dealt in comedies with an eccentric tinge, such as Spanking The Monkey, Three Kings and (the funniest of the lot) Flirting With Disaster.
This time, he’s taken a novel about a comically dysfunctional family and turned it into a Hollywood romcom with a difference.
Not only does it include elements of Strictly Come Dancing (or, as they call it in America, Dancing With The Stars), but both the male and female leads (Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence) are physically attractive and mentally disturbed. You could argue this is nothing new in screwball comedy.
Scroll down to watch the trailer
Odd couple: Jennifer Lawrence, left as Tiffany, and Bradley Cooper as Pat Solitano in Silver Linings Playbook
Odd couple: Jennifer Lawrence, left as Tiffany, and Bradley Cooper as Pat Solitano in Silver Linings Playbook
Neither of the two leading characters played by Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn in the 1938 classic Bringing Up Baby was exactly well balanced.
But Silver Linings Playbook tests our patience in unprecedented ways. In the case of the hero, Pat Solitano, you can’t help thinking that if he started taking his medication, most of his problems would disappear.
 
Mind you, then we wouldn’t have a film. And Bradley Cooper does a fine job of making us understand why Pat prefers not to take his drugs; he feels more alive without them. And though he occasionally turns violent, that’s usually because others have tested him beyond endurance.
At several points, I was reminded pleasurably of Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. In an insane world, maybe it’s only the mad man who sees things clearly.

Odd couple: Jennifer Lawrence, left as Tiffany, and Bradley Cooper as Pat Solitano in Silver Linings Playbook
Pat’s just come out of eight months in a psychiatric hospital, where he was sent after beating up a middle-aged teacher he found doing more than showering with his wife.
Pat returns home to live with his parents. Mum (Jacki Weaver) does a decent job of looking after him, as far as she can. Dad (Robert De Niro) is less of a help, suffering from an obsessive compulsive disorder and a gambling problem. Dad also favours Pat’s brother (Shea Whigham), who never wastes any opportunity to crow about his successes.
Living with the parents: Jacki Weaver, left as Pat's mother, and Robert De Niro as his father in the romcom
Living with the parents: Jacki Weaver, left as Pat's mother, and Robert De Niro as his father in the romcom
Pat is crazily determined to win back his wife, but she’s taken out a restraining order on him, and his friends have other ideas.
One (John Ortiz) introduces Pat to his sister-in-law Tiffany (Lawrence), who’s more than a little deranged after the death of her cop husband.
She’s looking for a partner in a local dance competition. She reckons Pat will do, though his early efforts are reminiscent of Michael Vaughan’s in his ‘hanging basket’ phase.
Part of the fun is watching them improve, and not only at dancing. Lawrence has already proved herself a fine actress in The Burning Plain, Winter’s Bone and The Hunger Games.
She’s great at showing emotional turmoil behind a mask of toughness, but here she exhibits a new, comic flair. She is also incredibly sexy. It’s easy to see why she’s the hottest young actress in Hollywood.
Mr Cooper already has his own fan club after movies like The Hangover, but here he shows a depth, vulnerability and charm we haven’t seen before.
The film skates over issues of mental illness, only starts to get going with the belated introduction of Miss Lawrence, and ultimately follows a relatively conventional romcom flightpath.
But there are times when it does something new with the genre — and it does make you care about the protagonists. That’s good enough for me.
Now watch the trailer 
 


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EPL 2012 STANDINGS AS NOV 25; Manchester United 3 QPR 1: Redknapp watches Rangers throw it away as Fletcher scores on league comeback


Manchester United cemented their status as the comeback kings of this Premier League season after falling behind to rudderless QPR but storming to victory with three goals in a devastating seven-minute spell in the second half.
Jamie Mackie put the visitors ahead just after the interval, but Jonny Evans, Darren Fletcher and Javier Hernandez all struck to guarantee three points for United from a losing position - having conceded the first goal for the ninth time in the league this season.
United are back on top of the table until Sunday afternoon at least, when their main title rivals Manchester City and Chelsea meet at Stamford Bridge.
Comeback kid: Darren Fletcher scored what proved to be the winner for Manchester United against QPR
Comeback kid: Darren Fletcher scored what proved to be the winner for Manchester United against QPR

MATCH FACTS

MAN UNITED: Lindegaard; Rafael, Evra, Ferdinand, Evans; Young (Anderson 59), Scholes (Hernandez 59), Fletcher; Rooney, Welbeck (Powell 79), Van Persie Subs not used: De Gea, Jones, Smalling, Cleverley.
Booked: Scholes
Goals: Evans 64, Fletcher 68, Hernandez 72.
QPR: Julio Cesar; Traore (Ferdinand 61), Hill, Nelsen, Derry; Taarabt (Hoilett 73), Dyer, Faurlin (Granero 84), M'bia, Cisse, Mackie Subs not used: Green, Diakite, Wright-Phillips, Ephraim.
Booked: Mbia.
Goals: Mackie 52.
Attendance: 75,603
Referee: Lee Probert (Wiltshire).
Of United's 10 league wins this season, six have come after conceding the first goal.

To put that in context, they have never had more than six comeback wins in any Premier League season over the past 20 years - and have only had six once before, in 2001-02.

Fletcher was celebrating an emotional comeback of his own.

The 28- year-old Scotland midfielder made his first league start for a year after being sidelined for a long period with debilitating ulcerative colitis.
His goal was also his first in more than a year, the last coming in the less than celebratory circumstances of a 6-1 derby defeat by Manchester City in October last year.
If United have a touch of Houdini about them this campaign, finding ways time and again to escape from losing positions, QPR and their own Harry will need to do a Lazarus to get out of their own terrible mess.

No team in the history of England's revamped top division since 1992 have started as poorly as QPR, who have a meagre four points from 13 winless games.
Watching on: Harry Redknapp, confirmed as QPR boss on Saturday morning, was in the stands
Watching on: Harry Redknapp, confirmed as QPR boss on Saturday morning, was in the stands

Keep your seat warm: Mark Bowen took charge of the team following the sacking of Mark Hughes
Keep your seat warm: Mark Bowen took charge of the team following the sacking of Mark Hughes
New manager Harry Redknapp had acknowledged the perilous position pre-match, saying he had a 'challenge' on his hands to try to steer QPR away from relegation trouble. He did not wait for the final whistle here before leaving his seat in the directors' box.
'I expected a surge of determination from them,' said Sir Alex Ferguson of QPR's reaction to the sacking of Mark Hughes, which created the vacancy Redknapp will fill.

That attitude from QPR led to a solid first-half display, allowed them to reach half-time at 0-0, and then take a shock lead when Kieron Dyer set up Mackie for a tap-in.

Bright start: Jamie Mackie gave the bottom club a huge lift when he poked home early in the second half
Bright start: Jamie Mackie gave the bottom club a huge lift when he poked home early in the second half

Bright start: Jamie Mackie gave the bottom club a huge lift when he poked home early in the second half
Ferguson, immortalised this week in the form of a youthful-looking statue outside Old Trafford, admitted his own men were 'lethargic' until that point. He said perhaps it was down to the heavy rain.

United's approach changed utterly after a double substitution just before the hour, when Ashley Young and Paul Scholes were replaced by Anderson and Hernandez.
'Anderson made a difference, no question about that,' Ferguson said. 'For 15 minutes we were terrific … Anderson came on, we scored and we came to life … there was no question we were going to win.'

Ferguson said he was 'delighted' for Fletcher.

Comeback: Jonny Evans powered home an equaliser to spark United's revival
Comeback: Jonny Evans powered home an equaliser to spark United's revival

'It's been a long, hard road back for the boy,' he said. 'He's never let us down and his work-rate is fantastic.'

Of the goal by Hernandez, which iced the cake, Ferguson added: 'It was a marvellous goal. Anderson laid it on a plate for him but it was a wonderful touch [to control the ball] and a wonder finish.'

After the blitz of quick goals the game largely reverted to the urgency-free encounter it had been for large periods of the first half.
Ferguson said that at 3-1 his team had 'idled it out' to the end - and he did not sound impressed by the fact.

On the one hand, coming back from losing positions shows character and that United can dig out results from awkward situations.
Head boy: Darren Fletcher, starting in the Premier League for the first time in a year, grabbed a goal
Head boy: Darren Fletcher, starting in the Premier League for the first time in a year, grabbed a goal

Head boy: Darren Fletcher, starting in the Premier League for the first time in a year, grabbed a goal
On the other, the fact they are falling behind so often before starting to take advantage of their qualitative advantage (in most games) must be a concern for their manager.
It took 20 minutes for them to create a chance of note, Danny Welbeck running to the byline on the left before passing back to Robin van Persie, who smashed a left-foot shot into the side-netting.

Young shot wide a few minutes later after build-up work by Wayne Rooney but that was about as threatening as Young became.

That settles it: Javier Hernandez emerged from the bench to grab his team's third and final goal
That settles it: Javier Hernandez emerged from the bench to grab his team's third and final goal

That settles it: Javier Hernandez emerged from the bench to grab his team's third and final goal
Rooney drew two saves from Julio Cesar in quick succession before QPR had the ball in the net through Mackie, only for the strike to be ruled out for offside.
After Mackie's opener, QPR led for all of 12 minutes before Evans headed United back to parity via a Rooney corner and feeder headers from Welbeck and Hernandez.
United scored again two minutes later, Fletcher leaping to head home powerfully from another Rooney corner.
Anderson then set up the third goal, finished calmly under pressure by Hernandez,who continues to deliver for Ferguson.



 PREMIER LEAGUE
League TableTop ScorersDefence & Attack
Fixtures / ResultsCards ShownReferees
 
 TOTAL
PosTeamPldWDLFADiffPts
Manchester United13 10 3 32 18 14 30 
Manchester City13 8 5 25 10 15 29 
West Bromwich Albion13 8 2 3 23 15 26 
Chelsea13 7 4 2 24 13 11 25 
Everton13 5 6 2 23 17 21 
Arsenal13 5 5 3 23 13 10 20 
West Ham United13 5 5 3 15 12 20 
Tottenham Hotspur13 5 3 5 20 21 -1 18 
Swansea City13 4 5 4 18 16 17 
10 Fulham13 4 4 5 25 23 16 
11 Liverpool13 3 7 3 17 16 16 
12 Stoke City13 3 7 3 11 11 16 
13 Norwich City13 3 6 4 10 19 -9 15 
14 Newcastle United13 3 5 5 13 19 -6 14 
15 Wigan Athletic13 4 2 7 15 23 -8 14 
16 Sunderland12 2 6 4 12 16 -4 12 
17 Southampton13 3 2 8 20 30 -10 11 
18 Aston Villa13 2 4 7 10 22 -12 10 
19 Reading12 1 6 5 16 22 -6 
20 Queens Park Rangers13 4 9 10 26 -16 
 Full Table