BARRIE -- Feces and human waste is floating in basements of several Innisfil homes this weekend.

The Town of Innisfil blames significant rainfall, and the frozen ground for causing a strain on the water treatment system; resulting in wastewater flowing back in neighbouring homes on St. John's Road and 6th line.

Carol Griffith's family spent the weekend cleaning the mess. "This is unacceptable," says Griffith. "Twenty-two years, never a problem."

Restoration crews were in Griffith's home on Monday, trying to remove furniture, carpet and appliances damaged in the mess; more than 48 hours after wastewater started pouring from toilets, showers and sinks.

Walter Malcolm, president of InnServices, says crews were quick to respond.

"We're sympathetic to the residents. This was a tragic event that happened." Malcolm says 65 millimetres of rain fell over the weekend. "This is an extreme climate change weather event that occurred... It was a huge downpour of water that came down at one time."

But Griffith isn't buying the town's response.

"They told me straight out on the phone, the gentleman, that the plant itself overflowed and flooded out," she says.

Her family's basement was submerged in sewage for hours. Family photos and valuables were soiled and lost.

"The dirt and the crap and whatever it all is, the toilet paper; it's all disgusting," says Melanie Pugh of Bristol Restoration.

Mitch Schaub of PuroClean worked alongside a crew of a dozen cleaning floors and walls and removing damaged property in several homes.

"At the bottom step, stairs going down into the basement, that's how high it was, and it was sewage," he explains.

Residents say sump pumps seized up, and furnaces stopped working. They expect hundreds of thousands of dollars in claims and have been told by insurance companies future claims likely won't be covered.

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'This is unacceptable': Basements flooded with sewage and wastewater - CTV News

Following the high-profile renovations of The Secretariat and Tourist Burma Building last year, the latest colonial-era structure to receive another refurbishment is the former Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise office building on the Merchant Road as National Library Myanmar.

In 2016, then-President U Htin Kyaw approved the invocation of Yangon Heritage Trust (YHT) to use the four-storey building as the National Library located in Yankin Township was away from downtown.

The building was left vacant after the countrys administrative seat was moved from Yangon to Nay Pyi Taw in 2006. It had been patched up here and there following the ravages of Cyclone Nargis in 2008.

Daw Moe Moe Lwin, director of conservation at YHT, said I had worked in its first maintenance project as a secretary of the Association of Myanmar Architects back in 2011. The attic and the roof of the building were damaged; the original architectural works need to be preserved so the maintenance team must follow the blueprints precisely.

When the official statement from the President Office has repurposed it as a library, the buildings overhaul restoration began in 2017. The Ministry of Construction handled the restoration and YHT served as an advisory body.

The books will be kept on the ground floor. The upper floors will be used as multipurpose halls for public access, according to the director.

The main challenge lies in fireproofing the building. Since there are many books and ancient scripts, we cant use water to kill the fire. So, we had to install systems to employ gas as a fire extinguisher. The librarys functions will be digitised and therefore we set up digital centres, says Daw Moe Moe.

The building has served different purposes throughout the century. It was constructed in 1908 as an office for the Scottish trading firm Finlay, Fleming & Co. and later became the headquarters of Burmah Oil.

After World War II, it shared premises with a nursing home, called San Pya Clinic. Burmah Oil was nationalised in 1963 and eventually became Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise.

Likewise, Myanmars National Library has had many homes since independence.

It was originally called Bernard Free Library, after Sir Charles Edward Bernard who founded it as the first free public library in 1883. It was located at what is now called No 1 Basic Education High School, Latha Township.

In 1952 the government moved it to the Jubilee Hall on the Shwedagon Pagoda Road and reopened it as the State Library under the then Ministry of Culture. It had not been called the National Library until 1964.

Some years later it was moved, again, to Pansodan Street and then to Yangon City Hall. After moving twice more, the books were temporarily kept in a building in Tamwe Township until it was damaged by Cyclone Nargis in 2008. In October that year, the books were moved to the current location in Yankin.

The National Library is one of the two research libraries in Yangon (the other is Yangon University Library), housing more than 600,000 books, periodicals, handwritten manuscripts of the countrys famous writers and ancient texts. Its original collection was nearly 1 million and some of them are now at the National Library (Nay Pyi Taw).

The restoration of the building was finished late 2019. The books are now being recorded and transported to the new location. The library is expected to open in April 2020. This time, for every citizen, I hope the National Library finds its forever home.

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National Library finally finds forever home? - MYANMORE Yangon

Express News Service

CHENNAI:Mylapore being an amalgamation of temples (old and new), agraharams, modern semi high-rises, commercial establishments and abandoned entities is perhaps one of the most dynamic areas of the city. While the changes over the years have helped it reap the benefits of modernity and assimilation, it has forgotten to keep an eye on the rich heritage it has managed to hold on to. For the number of vintage houses most of them in squalor and some, complete desertion tucked away in its narrow lanes are in danger of being lost to time, all for the want of conservation and the discerning eye. If only we could get our people to wake up to the wonders they coexist with and rally behind the need for its protection. Enter: Madras Inherited.

In an effort to get people to notice and marvel at the tangible history of the ancient settlement, architect Tahaer Zoyab and his team have been leading people down the roads of Mylapore and introducing them to its architectural timeline.The walk hosted on Sunday as part of the Mylapore Festival followed the teams well-researched and wandered route. But for the 50-odd people who showed up at Nadu Street at 7 am, it was a journey of discovery.

Locked beautyThe first stop on this journey a house left abandoned for at least a few decades set the tone for what lay ahead. Minimalism, a soft colour palette, Mangalore tile roof, wood work that had withstood the onslaught of time and natural forces, and a thinnai that had connected the house to the world outside. That the house had been in disuse, despite the beautiful potential it holds for recovery and restoration, was no surprise, says Tahaer. In many cases there is no proper documentation as to who the house belongs to; it might have once been in the hands of the temple trust. The lack of ownership per se that leads to conditions such as this. This house has been locked for as long as we have been doing this walk, he explains.

Architectural marvelsWhile it proved to be true for too many houses curated for the walk, the one next in line was a pleasant surprise. Easily dating back to the 1920s, the two-storey house was as functional as it could be. The owners a charming old couple used to the attention from the heritage walkers greeted the travellers at the door to share some of the secrets of their happy home. The thing with old houses like this is that it was not built with cement. Instead, it used mortar and lime. This and the high ceilings means that we have never had the need for air-conditioning even in the peak of summer, says the woman, as her husband gives a quick explanation of what makes construction lime. The house also had a feature that is becoming increasingly difficult to find in the matchbox apartments of today huge windows. The windows ensure cross-ventilation. There is always enough air, enough light in the house, Tahaer adds.

The house also stood testament to the ways people had to improvise and adapt to the space in hand. In many cases, the staircase was an addition once we all figured out, from a construction perspective, how to build on top of the ground floor. That is one of the reasons a lot of these staircases seem ridiculously small. It is not really a conscious effort to save space; it was what one could do with the space that was available, Tahaer says.

Conserving relicsWhile the couple could not offer the huge crowd a tour of their home, a lived-in house further down the tour was made available for the purpose. This two-storey house came with an inner courtyard too. Typical for its times, this house was marked by its solid columns, sturdy wood work, simple grill work that eschewed ornamentation for the celebration of geometry, small rooms that suggested symmetry but was quite off the mark, staircases within the house that were only wide enough for one. The house was home to architectural relics wooden beams and members supporting the ceiling, a functional hand pump and red-oxide floors the ones that does not leave your feet red. Despite the heritage it represented, its upkeep was far from ideal. For there are few who know about these treasures scattered across the busy town and hence, few who call for its conservation, says Tahaer.

This was evident in the signs of structures that once were a single column left standing, a beautifully decorated wrought-iron signage that now hangs empty, broken statues guarding the gates of old temples. Very few seem to have managed to hold on to the old while changing with the climes. A Dutch-style house had been preserved in form and altered only in paint.Another house from the early 20th century had retained its facade that is begging for restoration while completely rebuilding the rooms inside. Some others had preserved their heritage only in a name or a legend.

More abandoned structures stood testimony to the Nawab of Arcots reign, the Mughal influence, and neo-classical style of architecture. And the stories they held! If only we could get our people to wake up to the wonders they coexist with and rally behind the need for its protection.

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High on heritage - The New Indian Express

Written by Sanjaya Baru | Updated: January 14, 2020 10:41:23 am S Jaishankar, who took as foreign secretary, was to launch the annual Raisina Dialogue, a conclave of foreign policymakers and analysts from around the world.

An important foreign policy initiative that the external affairs minister, S Jaishankar, took as foreign secretary was to launch the annual Raisina Dialogue, a conclave of foreign policymakers and analysts from around the world. The two questions that would be uppermost on the mind of most foreign delegates to the conference would have little to do with the external affairs ministers remit. These would be the medium term prospects for the Indian economy and restoration of normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir and, given widespread student protests, in the rest of the country.

As is now widely accepted, the Rising India narrative scripted over the two post-Cold War decades, 1991 to 2011, was based on the improving performance of the economy and Indias political ability to deal with many longstanding diplomatic challenges within a paradigm of realism. Three successive prime ministers PV Narasimha Rao, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh scripted the narrative of India rising as a plural, secular democracy, as opposed to Chinas rise within an authoritarian system.

Indias improving economic performance had opened up new vistas for cooperation with major powers and neighbours. Now the economys subdued performance and domestic political issues have created new challenges for Indian foreign policy. To add to these external concerns, the new approach to relations with India adopted by both President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping has created a more challenging external environment. What, then, are the prospects for 2020?

Through most of this year, President Donald Trump will remain pre-occupied with his re-election. On the economic side, he is unlikely to resolve all bilateral differences on trade policy. Each time New Delhi has tried to meet a US demand, Washington DC has come up with new demands. Moreover, any resolution of his differences with China, even if short-term and aimed at pleasing domestic consumers before elections, can only reduce whatever little bargaining clout India has. The US has, in fact, actively lodged complaints against India at the World Trade Organisation. On the geopolitical side, US intervention in West Asia has always imposed additional economic burden on India and we must remain prepared for more such initiatives that may not be reassuring for the Indian economy.

There has been continuity and consistency in India-China policy over the past two decades, with some ups and downs, but as the bilateral power differential widens, China has little incentive or compulsion to be accommodative of Indian concerns, much less interests. Xis China never fails to remind India of the growing power differential between the two. In dealing with China, India will have to, paraphrasing Deng Xiaoping, build its strength and bide its time. Russia, the other major power, will remain focused on Eurasian geopolitics and the geo-economics of energy. Both these factors define Russias relations with China, and increasingly, with Pakistan, posing a challenge for India.

The governments Pakistan policy has run its course. It yielded some short-term results thanks to Pakistans efforts not to get black-listed by the Financial Action Task Force, but the fact is that the rest of the world is happily doing business with Pakistan, lending billions in aid. The global community may increasingly accept future pleas from Pakistan that terror attacks in India are home-grown, related to the situation in Kashmir or concerns about the welfare of Muslims, unless incontrovertible evidence to the contrary is offered. India needs a new Pakistan policy. Back channel talks should be resumed and visas given liberally to Pakistani intellectuals, media and entertainers to improve cross-border perceptions as a first step towards improving relations.

If much progress cannot be expected this year in relations with Trumps America and Xis China, then which countries should engage the attention of the external affairs minister? There is a category of nations that share Indias concerns about the direction that Trump and Xi have been taking, especially in trade policy and West Asian geopolitics. Like India, these countries have a stake in what the US and China do, but little influence over either.

Opinion | A new, fractured global order is upon us. Indias response must evolve accordingly

These are the worlds Middle Powers Germany, France, Japan, Australia, Brazil, Indonesia, Vietnam and perhaps South Korea. One could include Russia, Nigeria and South Africa also in this group. It is a mix of developed and developing economies, some friends of the US and others friends of China. It is an amorphous group but can emerge into a grouping of the like-minded in a world of uncertainty capable of taming both the US and China. A new Middle Powers coalition may be the need of the year.

At home, a New India script is being written in a period of domestic and global uncertainty that has already influenced global perceptions about India. We are moving from an era of predictability to an era of unpredictability at home and abroad. Fresh doubts are being raised about Indias place in the world in the 21st century its economic significance, its political standing and its ideological moorings.

An economic turnaround and restoration of domestic political equilibrium will widen the space for foreign policy initiatives. Persistent economic uncertainty and radically disruptive politics at home will mean that the external affairs minister can at best conduct a holding operation, ensuring that the external environment does not also deteriorate.

There is a view among some policy analysts at home that India too can adopt a disruptive approach as a clever tactic in foreign affairs. This is an illusion. Disruption is not an end in itself. It has to be a means to an end. Powerful nations can afford disruption as tactics. However, given that the strategic elements defining Indian foreign policy in the post-Cold War era have not changed, India cannot risk such tactics without measuring the risk they pose to strategy.

Merely because domestic politics has changed, we cannot afford to be adventurous in foreign policy. The principal question for policymakers is: Has a proper risk assessment been undertaken with respect to the external consequences of domestic policy initiatives? The US may be able to pursue policies at home and abroad without adequate measurement of risk. But India has to assess external economic and geopolitical risk carefully and improve the quality of the external communication of her national interests and personality.

This article first appeared in the print edition on January 14, 2020 under the title The world from Raisina. The writer is a policy analyst and former media advisor to prime minister of India.

For all the latest Opinion News, download Indian Express App

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We are moving to an era of unpredictability. A new Middle Powers coalition may be needed - The Indian Express

With his long leathery neck, dull-yellow face and beady eyes, theres just something about Diego.

A tortoise more than 100 years old, Diego has had little trouble mating.

A member of Chelonoidis hoodensis, or the giant tortoise species from Espaola Island in the Galpagos in Ecuador, he was one of 15 tortoises in a captive breeding program at the Fausto Llerena Tortoise Center on the island of Santa Cruz.

Among the males, Diego displayed an exceptional sex drive, so much so, hes credited with helping save his species from extinction.

Now, with the future secured, he gets to retire.

In a statement on Friday, the Galpagos National Park announced the end of the breeding program, saying an evaluation showed it had met its conservation goals.

The program began in 1965, with efforts first dedicated to saving the tortoise population on Pinzn Island, another island in the Galpagos. In 1970, researchers began saving the Espaola Island tortoises.

At the time, there were 14 tortoises left: 12 females and two males, according to the Galpagos Conservancy. In 1976, a third male was introduced to the tortoise restoration breeding program, Diego, who had lived at the San Diego Zoo in the United States for 30 years.

The breeding program helped increase the tortoise population to 2,000 from 15, Jorge Carrin, the director of the Galpagos National Park, said in a statement.

Paternity tests indicate that Diego is responsible for about 40 percent of the offspring produced, James P. Gibbs, a professor of environmental and forest biology at the State University of New York in Syracuse, said.

Another more reserved, less charismatic male E5 has generated about 60 percent, he said. The third male E3 virtually none. So Diego has been critical.

What was it about Diego? Why did he attract so many mates and garner such international attention, especially if another male was more productive?

Professor Gibbs says Diego has a big personality quite aggressive, active and vocal in his mating habits and so I think he has gotten most of the attention.

But it clearly is the other quieter male that has had much more success, he added. Maybe he prefers to mate more at night.

Professor Gibbs said it was all about who the females select.

It might come as a surprise to many but tortoises do form what we would call relationships, he said. The social hierarchies and relationships of giant tortoises are very poorly known.

Mr. Carrin, the director of the national park, had a simpler explanation: Without a doubt, Diego had some characteristics that made him special.

Professor Gibbs said the giant tortoises became endangered because easy access to the island allowed whalers, pirates, fishermen and others to remove them for food primarily in the 1800s.

Feral goats overran the island for many years and not only competed with tortoises for food, but also destroyed much of their habitat, he added.

In an interview on Saturday night, Mr. Carrin said he believed Diego was taken from his home island of Espaola sometime in the 1930s.

Conservationists also worked on the ecological restoration of Espaola Island, including promoting the growth of cactuses, which are a source of food for the tortoises. That, in turn, helped bring the species from the brink of extinction, Mr. Carrin said.

The tortoises uniquely shaped shells allow them stretch to reach food. Diego, fully stretched out, extends about five feet. He weighs about 176 pounds.

The breeding program is a part of the Giant Tortoise Restoration Initiative, a collaborative effort led by the Galpagos Conservancy and the Galpagos National Park Directorate.

The tortoise center on Santa Cruz was established by the Charles Darwin Research Station in 1965, the Galpagos Conservancy said on its website. There are now three tortoise centers, which are all managed by the Park Directorate.

Relying on available data since 1960 about the island and its tortoise population, including a 2019 census, researchers developed mathematical models with projections for the next 100 years.

The conclusion was that the island has sufficient conditions to maintain the tortoise population, which will continue to grow normally even without any new repatriation of juveniles, Washington Tapia, the Galpagos-based director of the Giant Tortoise Restoration Initiative, said in a statement.

Almost 80 years after he was taken, Diego is expected to return to Espaola Island in March.

The island is very dry, arid even, Mr. Carrin said, but to Diego, its home.

Johnny Diaz contributed reporting.

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Diego, the Tortoise Whose High Sex Drive Helped Save His Species, Retires - The New York Times

There are seven homes comprising San Francisco's iconic Painted Ladies row, and one of them is for sale for $2.75 million.

The home at 714 Steiner Street has all of the elements of that quintessential San Francisco charm: the pointed roofs, the crown molding, the ornate detailing, the opulent colors. But the century-old house is also badly in need of a complete interior renovation.

The home's listing agent, Jeremy Rushton with Coldwell Banker, told Business Insider that the property is a "fixer-upper."

Photos show peeling paint, dusty windows, grimy walls, and discolored tile flooring. The famous abode will likely need to have updates to its plumbing and electrical systems and full remodeling of its kitchen and bathrooms, Rushton said. The ownership history of the home is complicated, according to Rushton, and this is the first time it's landed on the market in decades.

The row of Painted Ladies along Alamo Square Park has become one of the most popular tourist attractions in the city. Their namesake originated in a 1978 book about the city's signature architecture, and the site was popularized in part by its appearance in the sitcom "Full House."

Painted Ladies homes on the market are a bit of a rarity only two were listed in the past ten years, Rushton said. In a city with a housing crunch, and with its status as an unofficial San Francisco landmark, it will likely find a buyer despite its needed renovations, even if it's used as a second home, a trend among some deep-pocketed San Francisco homebuyers.

Take a look inside one of the famous, brightly-colored Painted Ladies homes.

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Inside one of San Francisco's iconic Painted Ladies homes that's a 'fixer-upper' and on sale for $2.75 million - Business Insider

BEAUMONT, Texas We're keeping up with power outages around Southeast Texas and as we receive updated information we'll let you know.

10:00 a.m.:Around 7,000 Entergy Texas customers are without power, down from more than 19,000 around 6:00 a.m. this morning. The hardest-hit areas are Grimes, Walker, Montgomery and Hardin Counties, Entergy said in a news release.

Crews are assessing damage and restoring power as quickly as is safely possible. Entergy has brought in additional crews to assist in restoration work.

2:30 a.m.: As the leading edge of the storm passed over Beaumont, more than 3,300 Entergy customers were without power in Southeast Texas according to Entergy's online outage site.

More than 1,600 were in the dark in Liberty County the site said.

Some 12News viewers reported on Facebook that Buna was without power.

At one point almost 900 Entergy customers in Vidor were without power but now appeared to have their service restored.

Heres a tally of Entergy customers without power as of 3:10 a.m.

1 a.m.: The nearly 3,000 Entergy customers in Lumberton who lost power around 11:30 p.m. already have their power restored according to Entergy's online outage site.

A handful of other customers in Southeast Texas are without power including 233 in Hardin County and 191 in Liberty County.

12:15 a.m.: Nearly 3,000 customers were without power in the Lumberton area according to Entergy's online outage site.

Restoration times are estimates only according to the Entergy website.

"Indication that power is restored to your area does not guarantee your house/business has power. We cannot restore power to structures with damaged electrical equipment," according to Entergy.

Entergy has an online outage map where you can view outages in their service area.

MORE |Entergy Outage Map

Heres where to report power outages in Southeast Texas.

Entergy (800) 968-8243

Jasper Newton Electric Cooperative 800-231-9340

Sam Houston Electric Cooperative 800-444-1207

Heres some tips from Entergy.com on being safe after a storm.

After a storm has passed, naturally thoughts center on getting back in, fixing the damage and getting back to normal as quickly as possible. But beware: the time after the storm can be more dangerous than the storm itself. Your safety and the safety of our employees and contractors is a core value.

RELATED: Here's how to get severe weather alerts via the 12NewsNow App

RELATED: Get prepared before the storm: here's what you need to know

Entergy employees will work only when and where conditions are safe and secure to do so. Likewise, you should consider returning home only when you know it is safe.

Don't become careless after a storm and let your safety guard down. Just because you cant see any apparent danger doesnt mean there isnt any. For example, downed power lines may still be energized. Treat them with respect to avoid being electrocuted.

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Power outages across Southeast Texas after severe weather, crews working to restore power - 12newsnow.com KBMT-KJAC

SHREVEPORT, La. - SWEPCO employees and contract crews have restored power to more than half of its customers in the ArkLaTex who lost power after overnight storms broke utility poles, downed wires and felled trees.

RELATED ARTICLE -At least 3 dead as powerful storms push through ArkLaTex

At the peak, about 29,300 customers were without power.

As of 3 p.m. Saturday, approximately 12,500 customers remained without power. A SWEPCO spokeswoman said he company is working as quickly and safely as possible to restore power to about 9,800 customers in Louisiana and 2,700 customers in Texas. Power is expected to be restored to all Arkansas customers by 4 p.m. today.

No matter how harmless a wire looks, never touch it, or go near it. It could be energized, said Tony Rash, SWEPCOs safety & health manager. Stay away and keep others away, especially children and pets.

Power is expected to be restored to 95 percent of customers who can receive power by:

Louisiana

Texas

Customers can receive an email or text message with the latest info for their home or business by signing up for alerts at SWEPCO.com/Alerts.

Nearly 400 additional line and tree personnel are helping SWEPCO employees restore power, including line mechanics from SWEPCOs sister utility Public Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO).

Extensive damage has been reported in Benton and Haughton, Louisiana, and Kilgore and Longview, Texas.

OUTAGE INFO:

SWEPCO Mobile App Report outages, check outage status and more. Download at the App Store or Google Play. See SWEPCO.com/App.

SWEPCO Alerts Get an email or text message with the latest info for your home or business. See SWEPCO.com/Alerts.

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SWEPCO restores power to thousands, restoration for others underway - KTBS

Blu-rayByTom Stockman|January 9, 2020

Ann? Mommy says youre not dead. Is that true?

THE HOUSE BY THE CEMETARY, the outrageous 1981 Italian shocker from The Godfather of Gore, Lucio Fulci, will be available on a 3-Disc Limited Edition / 4K Restorationcoming January 21st from Blue Underground. Pre-order information can be found HERE

NEW!Audio Commentary withTroy Howarth, Author ofSplintered Visions: Lucio Fulci and His Films

Deleted SceneTheatrical TrailersTV SpotPoster & Still Galleries

Disc 2 (Blu-ray) Extras:

Meet the Boyles Interviews with StarsCatriona MacCollandPaolo Malco

Children of the Night Interviews with StarsGiovanni FrezzaandSilvia Collatina

Tales of Laura Gittleson Interview with StarDagmar Lassander

My Time With Terror Interview with StarCarlo De Mejo

A HauntedHouseStory Interviews with Co-WritersDardano SacchettiandElisa Briganti

To Build a Better Death Trap Interviews with CinematographerSergio Salvati, Special Make-Up Effects ArtistMaurizio Trani, Special Effects ArtistGino De Rossi, and ActorGiovanni De Nava

NEW!HouseQuake Interview with Co-WriterGiorgio Mariuzzo

NEW!Catriona MacColl Q&

ANEW!Calling Dr. Freudstein Interview withStephen Thrower, Author ofBeyond Terror: The Films of Lucio Fulc

iDisc 3 (CD):

THEHOUSEBY THECEMETERYOriginal Motion Picture Soundtrack byWalter Rizzati

BONUS! Collectable Booklet with new essay byMichael Gingold

Reviews:

A truly frightening horror film Any fan of Italian horror should see it!Bloody Disgusting

Horror exploitation at its best Plenty of blood, gore, impalements, decapitations, and maggots!Classic-Horror

Nasty, lurid and surprisingly scary Arguably Fulcis strongest movie!Total Sci-Fi Online

The claustrophobic mixture of chills and supernatural poetry would do Mario Bava proud!Mondo Digital

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3-Disc Limited Edition / 4K Restoration of Lucio Fulci's THE HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY Coming January 21st From Blue Underground - We Are Movie Geeks

Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston may both be single now, but theres little chance of the duo rekindling their romance. Aniston laughed right along with her ex-husbands jokes about his dating life when he accepted the Golden Globe for best supporting actor on Jan. 5. But Pitt told Entertainment Tonight that the Friends star is just that a good friend.

Sources told TMZ that although Aniston and Pitt are on good terms, theres nothing romantic between them anymore. The two married in 2000 and divorced in 2005. But if they do decide to get back together, they can move back into the home they shared when they were a couple, which is currently on the market.

When they were married, Pitt and Aniston lived in a sprawling French Normandy Revival-style mansion, noted the website TopTenRealEstateDeals.com. They sold the home after their divorce, but the property recently hit the market again, with a price tag of $44.5 million.

The 5-bedroom, 12-bath estate includes a dining room that can seat up to 20 people, a massive swimming pool, new tennis court, and a guest house. Susan Smith of Hilton & Hyland, Beverly Hills, has the listing.

Aniston and Pitts former abode has a storied Hollywood pedigree. The nearly 12,000-square-foot house, which was designed by Wallace Neff, was built in 1934 for actor Frederic March, who won an Oscar in 1931 for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Later the home was owned by a member of the Vanderbilt family and publisher Walter Annenberg, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Pitt and Aniston bought the house in 2001 for $12.5 million, according to Mansion Global. They sold it in 2006 to a hedge fund manager for $22.5 million.

When they owned the property, Aniston and Pitt made a number of upgrades, including adding a screening room, tennis court pavilion, and guest house.

Among the spacious homes many features are a gourmet kitchen, lower-level bar and sitting area that opens to the pool, and an outdoor living area with a fireplace. Theres also a private exercise room and a light-filled living room with floor-to-ceiling windows. Of course, the home is also ultra-private, with two separate gated entrances.

Over the years, Aniston, 50, has lived in and renovated a number of homes. After breaking up with Pitt, the Horrible Bosses star moved to a beach house in Malibu. Later, she bought a mid-century modern home in Beverly Hills and embarked on a multi-year restoration project.

After getting together with Justin Theroux, the two moved to a home in the Hollywood Hills before buying a different mid-century modern pad in Beverly Hills. That house was featured in Architectural Digest, and Aniston talked to the magazine about her love of design.

If I wasnt an actress, Id want to be a designer. I love the process, she said. Theres something about picking out fabrics and finishes that feeds my soul.

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A Look Inside the Beverly Hills Home Jennifer Aniston Shared with Ex Brad Pitt - Showbiz Cheat Sheet