Holberton School Tulsa helps Tulsa native pursue dream of bridging gap between science and tech (Tulsa World)

Kelsie Merchant had just moved back to Tulsa from Colorado to be closer to family after earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering Physics when she first heard about the Holberton School. She didn’t know what to expect, but she had a goal in mind: to build a bridge between her background in science and coding.

Q & A with Actress Maggie Gyllenhaal (Only Good Movies)

Maggie Gyllenhaal’s (The Dark Knight, Secretary, Sherrybaby) most recent film is Crazy Heart, the poignant tale of aging country musician Bad Blake (Jeff Bridges) and his redemptive relationship with single-mother journalist Jean Craddock (Gyllenhaal). Colin Farrell and Robert Duvall co-star, and Bridges’ performance has already generated a generous helping of Oscar buzz.

Crazy Heart opened at the Angelika Theatre in New York City on December 18th, and those who braved the cold were rewarded with a special Q&A session with Maggie Gyllenhaal immediately following the movie. Roxanne Downer, the intrepid movie critic for our sister site, A1 Movie Reviews, was in attendance, and she both participated in and recorded the session.

We now proudly present a Q&A with actress Maggie Gyllenhaal.

Interview with Filmmaker Brant Sersen (Only Good Movies)

Splinterheads, an indy comedy about life, love, and carnival workers, is now playing in select theaters across the country. A1′s intrepid critic, Roxanne Downer, recently had a chance to talk with director Brant Sersen about his latest project, and he was nice enough to weigh in on fugitive carnies, geo-catching, and even the diminutive Rob Schneider. By the way, you can click on the following link to read Roxanne’s review of Splinterheads.

Only Good Movies: Splinterheads, that’s a pretty specific, unique group of people to build a film around. What made you decide to do that?

Home Is Where the Spa Is (SpaFinder 2010)

At an increasing number of communities around the world, spa-going is now spa living.

A spa residential community has more to offer than merely access to spa services close to home. Whether it’s an apartment complex or a suburban enclave of timeshare condos, an urban high-rise or a rural villa, spa residential communities have a central common theme: They’re dedicated to integrating spa concepts—such as healthful eating, medical supervision, life coaching, and organized athletic activities—into multiple aspects of residents’ lives.

Spa Customs around the World (SpaFinder 2010)

When in Rome—or a Roman spa—do as the local spa-goers do, with our primer on local spa etiquette.

A trip to the spa should be a relaxing, rejuvenating experience, but uncertainty about etiquette and local customs when visiting a spa overseas can be enough to get you all tied up in knots. Here’s a sampling of what you need to know when visiting spas around the globe.

 

A Moveable Feast (Private Air: Aug/Sep 2008)

A Moveable Feast: Years of cooking on the go leads to a rare treat indeed.

For an admittedly nervous flyer, Laurent Tourondel sure knows his way around a galley. Maybe it’s the year the chef behind the popular Manhattan eatery BLT Steak spent cooking up cabbage and potatoes in the French Navy. Or his later tour of duty in the early ’90s as the chef aboard the Honey Fitz, the legendary private yacht that once belonged to the Kennedys. Or maybe it’s just in his genes (although a certified Xanax flier himself, his father was a private pilot).

The $1.3 Million Vacation (Private Air: Aug/Sep 2008)

The $1.3 Million Vacation: An Asian golf outing might set some sort of new record.

If you’re bored with the links at St. Andrews and Pebble is passé, one California-based company thinks it has the golf vacation for you. This past spring, food-and-wine events impresarios Angel’s Share began offering a private jet golf vacation through Asia that may just be the most luxe — and priciest — golf excursion of your life. How pricey, you ask? How’s an even $1.3 million sound?

Iron Man Air (Private Air: May/Jun 2008)

Iron Man Air: The creator of this summer’s most popular wearable aircraft tries his hand at something a little more spacious.

In Iron Man, when billionaire/genius inventor Tony Stark is kidnapped by baddies who try to force him to build WMD, he develops a suit of armor to fly through the sky like a missile. In Private Air, when the editors ask Phil Saunders, the concept co-designer behind all of the movie’s gadgets, to dream up a conveyance for battling the evils of commercial aviation, he develops this baby.

Da Bears (Private Air: May/Jun 2008)

Da Bears: At this fly-in lodge, everyone has salmon on the brain — including some 900-pound guys who really need a shave.

In Katmai National Park on the Alaskan peninsula, spring begins in June. That’s when the icy landscape starts to break up and droves of Pacific salmon — sockeye, chum, pink, silver and Chinook — navigate the long distance from the ocean to the tundra’s thawing tributaries.

The Vacation That Just Keeps Going (Private Air: May/Jun 2008)

The Vacation That Just Keeps Going: Turns out the finest way to fly around the world in 80 days is to make it in 70.

Hopping in the Lear for a brioche breakfast in Paris is probably something you’ve done once or twice. But have you ever followed that with lunch in Gibraltar and dinner in Marrakech? Doubtful unless you’re Phileas Fogg or one of the lucky few on Air Journey’s first around-the-world jaunt.