Health Canada to review coroner’s report calling for better cotton swab warnings

Health Canada says it will review a recommendation for more explicit warnings after a Quebec coroner’s report citing use of a cotton swab in a Montreal man’s death last year.

In a statement, Health Canada says it currently requires all manufacturers of cotton swabs marketed in Canada to have a warning on the outer label that clearly indicates they should not be inserted into the ear canal.

“In light of the Quebec City coroner’s report recommending a picture warning on the outer labels, Health Canada will be reviewing this recommendation and will take action, if necessary,” said agency spokeswoman Carole Saindon.Killed by a cotton swab?That has to be a first!Sticking it in your ear?I have never done that.I use them for cleaning cuts.Out-side use only!I wonder what would happen if you put one up your nose?Mmmm!

Israel to Intensify Strikes If Rocket Fire Continues

JERUSALEM, Feb. 7 — Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak threatened Thursday to intensify military operations in the Gaza Strip if fighters continue using the Palestinian territory for rocket attacks on southern Israel. Earlier in the day, Israeli troops supported by tanks, artillery and fighter jets raided Gaza, killing six Palestinian gunmen, according to Palestinian and news service accounts.

Also, a 42-year-old Palestinian high school chemistry teacher was killed when a shell hit a school just before classes started in the morning, said Jamil Suleiman, director of the hospital in the Gaza village of Beit Hanoun. Three 16-year-old Palestinian boys, all students, were wounded, Suleiman said.

ACTING TYPES VS. ACTING SKILLS

ACTING TYPES VS. ACTING SKILLS

by Bob Fraser

THE ACTOR'S TOOL KIT #16

I recently got an email that I felt I should share.

"Dear Bob,

"I was reading your article, Unique Character Presentation
and I have a whole bunch of questions.

"You wrote that we should choose the UCP (type) that fit us
the best, and "align our marketing efforts with our natural
tendencies."

"How does this fit in with versatility? 

"If we market ourselves on our natural tendencies, aren't we
staying in our safety zone, basically portraying ourselves? 

"The reason I'm asking is because I asked my acting teacher
on a level of 1 to 10, 10 being an Oscar/Tony award-winning
performance ... where was my skill level? I want to be at a
very minimum at a level 7 - but preferably an 8 or higher. 

"She said I was at less than a 5, but only because I don't
have the versatility I need. 

"My safety zone I've got down pat, but I need to stretch a
lot more than I have been able to do.

"And how does a character actor like Alfred Molina fit into
UCP typing? He's done just about every type of role imaginable,
huge versatility, although he does "bad guys" more often than
any other type. I admire Molina's acting skills very much,
and consider him one of my role models for what I would like
to achieve in the industry. Not that I want to be "The Outlaw"
type, but I'd like to achieve the quality and versatility he
brings to every role he plays. 

"So, UCP versus versatility? I feel I'm missing an important
piece of knowledge that links the two together harmoniously.

"Thanks for your time."

Signed, Curious

Dear Curious,

I don't (or rarely) discuss acting as a craft. What I focus
on, in my writing, is aimed at getting you working. 

Alfred Molina is very versatile, yes -- but he is a unique
actor with a unique "take" on the characters he plays.

It's much easier to be a "versatile" character actor when
you've got 10 - 15 years of paying work behind you.  And
again, the work that counts is the work that pays money
because then it's for real. 

Look up Molina's credits on IMDb.com and see how far back
they go. And that's just his film and TV work - he also has
a decade or so prior to that as a theatre actor in Britain.
(Getting paid.)

My point about UCP is that it's a way of framing the natural
"typing" that happens on the other side of the casting table. 

If you think you'll have the opportunity to play Juliet or
Lady Macbeth based solely on your acting ability, you will
waste a lot of time trying to practice "theory" and not much
time making money. It's the making of the money that allows
actors to grow - in the context of the professional world. 

What you and your acting teacher have tried to do is quantify
that which cannot be quantified. 

Believe me, if I put you in front of Steven Spielberg tomorrow,
to audition for his next movie -- you wouldn't be talking about
"safety zones." 

You'd be hoping to be picked. 

And you wouldn't care if it was a person just like yourself that
you were being asked to play. 

Please don't attach your skill level to your results. 

That is just a blatant denial of reality. 

Who is a better actor - Nicholson or Tom Cruise? No one can
answer that question without knowing the role, the story, the
purpose of the character they are playing in the story - and
whole lot of other stuff. 

Awards, "good acting on a scale of 1 to 10" "what's the best
method?" - those are party conversation - and IMHO a waste of
time, when it comes to business. 

And I'm strictly talking about business. 

On the other hand, if what's important to you is the approbation
of teachers and other actors ... you might be on the right track. 

I've known some brilliant actors who worked at the post office
and office supply stores. 

In the final analysis it comes down to what your real goal is. 

UCP doesn't fit with versatility because versatility is not what
gets actors in the door, gets them cast in the role or gets them
the opportunity to really "climb the ladder." 

Fully capable professional actors don't show up "full blown" in
Hollywood, New York or London -- they learn their jobs on the job. 

Becoming a brilliant actor and THEN succeeding in the business
is a pipe dream. It happens about as often as Haley's Comet
drops by.

You can take that to the bank.

"Reprinted from ACTOR'S TOOL KIT, the email course just for
subscribers of Show Biz How-To, the free e-zine for actors. 

Get your own subscription at: www.showbizhowto.com

© 2007 Bob Fraser Productions All Rights Reserved"