Playboy billionaire Tony Stark redefines "mid-life crisis" when his business trip to Afghanistan ends in a terrorist abduction. His captors, hoping to put his genius to work (and not being exactly MENSA material themselves), give him a high-tech workshop and demand that he build them a super-weapon. Of course, he builds a suit of super-armor instead and uses it to escape. Meanwhile back in the States, a nefarious plot has hatched in his absence. What's a now-virtually-indestructable guy to do but foil it?

three go reason you should go and see it

1. Robert Downey, Jr.'s bad-boy reputation makes him the perfect guy to play this conflicted, unlikely superhero. Downey's clean, sober, fit, and ready to save the world.
2. The classic comic's 21st-century makeover consists of more than just trading Vietnam for Afghanistan. The plot's ethical shades of gray give it more dramatic weight than you'll find in a standard funny-book adapation.
3. Not convinced yet of Iron Man's gravitas? Try counting up the stars' Academy Award nominations. The cast of this little comic book movie has earned a total of seven Oscar nods.

There are some  actors who just have to act, even if the movie is a stinker. But, then again, in whose opinion?  So here are my thoughts on the Cage movies I own. Starting alphabetically and some in more depth than others:

8mm: Very good movie and performance by Cage. It is, however a dark and disturbing movie about an "obsessive serach for the truth." Cage handles it well and you walk away haunted. I highly recommend it.

Adaptation: Cage does a good job of becoming a weak, simpering, overweight fool twin. Why in God's name he would want to this is beyond me. This movie doesn't deserve either Cage or Meryl Streep. It cons you into buying it because it was by the creator of Being John Malkovich, an excellent film. The best thing about Adaptation is the cover photo of Cage's face on a broken flower pot.

Captain Corelli's Mandolin: Okay one of the top Chick-Flick, wish you were his co-star, movies of all times. And, he learned to play the Mandolin for it. It's a great romantic story with a sexy lead. Men ask, why the heck is Nicholas Cage considered sexy? I don't know guys, maybe it's the fact that he doesn't hesitate to throw himself into everything he does. He's not afraid to look foolish or dance or learn to play the Mandolin. I don't want men fighting over me. I want a man who keeps living life to the fullest, without shame or fear of looking stupid, and Cage has got that down. He is far from looking stupid in this movie, however. YUMMM!

City of Angels: One of my absolute favorite movies of all time. Talk about living life to the fullest.  There is a line in this movie about rather living a life with you than an eternity without you. Wouldn't we all give anything to have that kind of love? In this movie, the Protagonist gives up immortality for the woman he loves. When you are watching this film you realize that maybe you haven't been living life to the fullest, yourself.  Close your eyes and tell me what a pomegranite tastes like, but tell me with your sense of touch and sound and eyes, not your taste. Just watch it and you will understand.

Con Air: Why I had to buy this is unknown, because Starz plays it about every three months. It's a movie that when nothing else is on, including Two and a Half Men, you can watch it over and over and over and over. And, I have. Cage is sexy as hell in long curly hair and jeans. He hasn't overdone the accent. You want him fighting for your friends and coming home to you. There are some great other actors in this: John Cusack, John Malkovich, and an awsome performance by Steve Buscemi.

The Family Man: This is a movie for when a group of friends are half watching. You won't mind them talking during it. It's good and funny. He goes from being a wealthy womanizing bachelor to a married man. He learns to love his kids and get more out of life than the almighty dollar. Just average stuff.

Guarding Tess: I have no idea why I like this, but I do. Shirley MacLane plays a crudgy retired first lady; escaping her guards and giving Cage a hard time. He's a reluctant body guard but when the chips are down, he's there for her.

LORD OF WAR: Okay, notice the caps. This is my vote for Oscar winning performance and movie. I love this movie. I think this movie should be a must see for high school kids, and maybe for the President. It's based on a real story of an actual illegal gun dealer, who was arrested, I believe, a year after this was out. Cage is fantastic in it. The story is worth the watch. I don't know why it didn't get better reviews, but it deserved them.

 Matchstick Men: Billed as an ingenious, wonderful movie. Not to me. Cage's take on an Obsessive Compulsive does not come close to Tony Shalub's , in Monk.  But, then on the back it says he is "agoraphobe, a germaphone" so obviously the acting did not say anything clear to me. It's okay, when you are sick, have chicken soup and are too tired to read.

Red Rock West: Here's a little known Cage movie that I fell in love with, and not just because the DVD shows the bed scene in Cage's entirety (frankly, I think it's a penis double anyway) but he's just so human in this movie.  It's a great story about a guy who has one thing after another bring him back to a town he would just as soon leave; and for his own safety leave. It will keep you guessing and entertain you too.

The Rock: Okay, if you get Starz, this is the other Cage movie that plays every three months. Sean Connery and Ed Harris are in it with him and they are a great team of actors. I love the opening scene where Cage, as a bored chemical weapons specialist, sits making a rube goldberg contraption to set fire to a toy Hula Dancer. I've watched it a bazillion times (on Starz) and enjoy it every time.

The Weather Man: This one is so good that I barely remember what it is. That's NOT a good sign, especially when Michael Caine is in it too. The billing, to get you to watch says it is part, American Beauty and part About Schmidt. Well, that says it all. It's a waste of time movie. Must have been in the $5.00 bin. I think Cage mailed in his performance too.

Windtalkers: I thought about making this it's own Blog. I do think that Cage deserved an Oscar for this movie. He plays damaged soldier, brave soldier, caring soldier, human soldier excellently. It's all those things and more. Highly recommend!

Out of the mist of history
He'll come again
Sailing on ships across the sea
To a wounded Nation

Signs of a savior
Like fire on the water
It's what we prayed for
One of our own

Just wait
Though while he may roam
Always
A hero comes home
He goes where no one has gone
But always
A hero comes home

Deep in the heart of darkness sparks
A dream of lies
Surrounded by hopelessness
He finds the will to fight

Theres no surrender
Always remember
It doesn't end here
We're not alone

Just wait
Though while he may roam
Always
A hero comes home
He goes where no one has gone
But always
A hero comes home

And he will come back on the crimson tide
Dead or alive
And even though we know the bridge has burned
He will return
He will return

Just wait
Though while he may roam
Always
A hero comes home
He knows of places unknown
But always
A hero comes home

Someday they'll carve in stone
"The hero comes home"

He goes and comes back alone
But always
A hero comes home

Just wait
Though while he may roam
Always
A hero comes home

Lyrics for the closing song of Beowulf (U.S.: Zemeckis, 2007, 115 mins)

Composed by Alan Silvestri, sung by Idina Menzel

The National Intelligence Council (NIC) has completed a new classified assessment that explores how climate change could threaten U.S. security in the next 20 years by causing political instability, mass movements of refugees, terrorism, or conflicts over water and other resources in specific countries. The House Intelligence Committee is scheduled to be briefed Wednesday, June 25, on the main findings.

Climate Change May Challenge National Security, Classified Report Warns

Swedish songsters ABBA inspire a musical feast that's both sweet and surprisingly spicy. Sophie Sheridan is about to be married to her true love, Sky, but has no father to give her away. What's a bride to do but go poking through Mom's past for answers? In the pages of an old diary she finds a shocking secret: any of three men could be her father. She sends a letter to each one, hoping to discover who has the right to escort her down the aisle... and throwing a big fat Greek monkey wrench into Mom's life.

Three go reason you should go and see it

1. The legendary, luminous Meryl Streep scores points for 50+ women everywhere by stealing the show from her equally gorgeous onscreen daughter (Amanda Seyfried of Mean Girls).
2. Fans of the stage show may have thought there was no way to improve on it, but the Greek scenery (including Pelion and Skopelos) provides a breathtaking backdrop for the tale.
3. This is the type of musical where you go into the theater humming the songs. So grab your friends and go prove to the world that disco never died.

Film by Joseph Fusco.

City Farmer News: New Stories from Urban Agriculture is based in Vancouver, B.C., and is provided by the City Farmer group that has been active for 30 years. Its latest article, pointing to a piece in the San Francisco Chronicle, describes a new business in San Francisco called MyFarm that installs and maintains gardens for customers. Where the garden is so large that the residents can't consume all of its harvest, MyFarm sells the surplus to its commercial customers for resale to the public or for serving in restaurants.

Tracey, co-founder of the Low Carbon Community Network in the UK, is one of the organizers of 2gether08, which is going on right now, including a streaming video feed and an event-centered social networking installation. Tracey's questions are basic to the need for sharing knowledge and experience among the countless communities of all sizes that are facing the harsh realities of unaffordable transportation and uncertain climate futures. We know that change is coming, but we don't know in exactly what form.

We know that all of us, down to the household level, need to reduce our carbon footprints and learn to live more sustainably, but we don't know what the impacts will be on each of our locations as global warming intensifies. Just look at the flooding in the American Midwest and the fires in California. Then think about how you'd prepare for such events if you lived in the affected regions.

This is where more grassroots communication and mutual education is essential. Pamphlets and Web pages from FEMA are fine, but they are general and don't benefit from the experiences of citizens on the ground who must deal directly with impending disasters.

England has suffered major flooding and unprecedented heat waves over the past two years. Many of its small towns are taking climate change seriously, and many highly motivated local activists are attending 2gether08, building and strengthening the social networks that will help them all provide smarter leadership for their local communities.

One big idea now emerging at 2gether08 is using online networking, and public service media, to help communities reduce their carbon footprints.

Groups in towns and villages are already starting to share experience nationally and internationally about local projects to tackle the challenge of peak oil and climate change, through the Low Carbon Communities Network and Transition Towns Network.

However as Tracey Todhunter, co-founder of LCCN, explains in this interview, they need technical help on how to raise awareness and communicate better online, by using social media and attracting the interest of public service publishers like Channel 4.

Tracey plans to gather a team on the first day of 2gether08 to add more tools to their current set of blogs, wikis and other communication methods, and develop their networking skills. They’ll work to a brief developed by Tracey and others in the network - and on the second day present back a working demonstration.

Although the main focus of the project is climate change, the tools and networking processes could be applied anywhere that communities seek to collaborate on projects for social benefit.

That’s why Tracey hopes Channel 4 might be interested in sharing ideas on how to do this effectively. In a series of interviews on 2gether08.com, Channel 4 executives have explained how they are moving beyond public service broadcasting to develop a range of interactive tools and programmes with partners.

The tools developed by Tracey and the team at 2gether08 will be used to build a network that will meet face-to-face at a conference in October. This will bring together the Low Carbon Community Network and the Transition Towns Network.

So instead, I will just post this haiku:

GM US sales dropped 18% in june.

Toyota US sales dropped 21% in June.

More imagination is needed.

Source: CNN

With every car and truck and van in the US looking essentially the same and absolutely no effort whatsoever by major car manufacturers to create sexy, well-designed, fuel-efficient, compact cars to give the overpriced mini Cooper and gender-limited VW Bug a run for their money, we are left with a sea of cars no one wants.

Problem #1: Wallet share is tight. Buying a new car in the current economy is already a tough proposition.

Problem #2: Buying a car is an investment. Resale values of vehicles with weak mileage efficiency are dropping fast. Investing in a car today with gas prices looking the way they do (+ market insecurity) means consumers aren't likely to fork out big bucks for a new car anytime soon.

Problem #3: Our "bigger is better" supersize-me attitude needs to change. The days of the macho-by-horsepower association are coming to a close. Deal with it.

Problem #4: Auto manufacturers are not reacting quickly enough to the oil crisis. (As if it wasn't always coming. Didn't anyone have a Plan-B? Really?)

Problem #5: Most cars don't have a purpose or an identity. Nissan's X-Terra's success 8 years ago was due to the fact that it had a very clear place in the pantheon of vehicles. Same with the H2, the Mini Cooper, and the VW bug. Today's contenders are Toyota's FJ Cruiser and to some extent the H3, but that's about it. Every other SUV is just another copy of a copy of a copy. Ford's Mustang GT fills the muscle car void fairly well, but we aren't exactly talking middle of the bell curve here. Crossovers are a nice concept, but I have a tough time getting excited by any new design - they're all the same. Ergo: I'm bored just trying to think of an interesting or unique car i am jonesing for under $30K.

There is a clear absence of imagination in the auto industry, at least in the US. derivative designs create an "also-in" design culture that offers no clear value to anyone. Sure, I can get excited about Aston Martin or Bugati's latest supercars, but when I look at cars I can actually afford - the middle of the bell curve - what am I left with? Where is the sexy, smart, well designed sub-$20K car with great gas mileage and suite of electronic interfaces I have been asking for? Where are my power outlets for laptops and media player recharges? (Real outlets, not cigarette lighter outlets.) Where is my built-in hands-free system for my phone? Where is my media player plug-in?

I'm not saying that we should all adopt the euro supercompact-car concept (although if you live in the city, don't have any kids, and absolutely need a car, perhaps you should consider one), but there is a healthy compromise that can be met. Why is it that we aren't seeing it yet? Every compact car on the market that isn't a mini or a bug is manufactured on the cheap and designed on the quick. This needs to change.

Cars should always be cool. They should always be more than just a set of wheels to go to work or to the store. I'm not sure when the industry shifted to a zero personality model, but auto makers need to turn this around. Cars with personalities sell. Period. They sell because they stand for something. They help their owners express who they are. Identity development needs to become part of every new car design - not just at the brand level (a BMW is a BMW /a Mercedes is a Mercedes) but at the level of the individual model. Scion has adopted the concept 100%, but its designs look like someone got a hold of ten-year-old early concept drafts from 2-3 automakers and actually turned them into production cars without making any changes. (Right idea: Unique models for unique uses, but horrible execution: Not a whole lot of curb appeal, and heinously derivative designs.)

Is it really THAT hard to get this right?

Here's what the next big auto hit looks like:

1. It has so much personality, it could be a Mac. (Sorry, I'm supposed to be the PC guy, but we all know where "cool" lives these days.)

2. It looks GREAT. Not just good, but GREAT. People want to rent it from hertz and budget and Avis. Your friends want to drive it when you show it off at your next together. People on the street stare at it when you drive by.

3. The interior is a mix between the cockpit of a 1930's rallye speedster and the cabin of a brand spanking new custom Leer jet.

4. Real power outlets. Media player interfaces. Hands free wireless interface. Just do it.

5. MPG superstar status. Make it part of the car's identity. Not an afterthought, but at the very core of the car's purpose.

6. $12K-$18K is the sweet spot. It's a compact.

7. But make it look, feel and perform like a $30K+ car.

8. Invent something smarter than a cool cup holder. Like a built-in passive cabin ventilation system for really hot summer days. Or a slot for a portable hard drive inside the dashboard. Or a fully insulated trunk compartment for laptops, cameras and other electronics. Or accessible + concealable storage compartments for passengers. Or a new seat adjustment interface. Or yeah... a better cup holder.

Europeans have been designing very cool, high performance compact cars for decades. Look to Renault, Citroen, Opel and Peugeot, for starters. Even mercedes sells compact cars in Europe now.

Think, guys. Dream a little. Invent something that brings value to the market. More importantly, make your brand, your designs and your every conversation with us, the people who should be dreaming about driving your cars, stand for something. Give us something to desire and crave and get excited about.

A 20% drop in sales might be great for your car lease units, but that isn't where you want to be. Wake up and do something.

Although there are other meanings it the song (equally unknown by the wise, and equally true), the one that is the focus of this post: Happiness can only be truly experienced when the person experiencing it is not aware that it is happiness (or in recalling memories of such)- the moment we realize what it is, it disappears. These theme is also hinted at in the Movie Gladiator: "There was a dream that was Rome. You could only whisper it. Anything more than a whisper and it would vanish, it was so fragile."

From the words above, from philosophy class, and (ultimately and primarily) from my own insight, I have delved into a matter of great concern- a matter  that existentialism was (indirectly) founded to address.

there is a Bible verse, attributed to Jesus- Matthew 6:3 "But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing." Although there is the more obvious maxim "don't do good for praise, or else you'll miss out on the long-term benefits" (Basically Karma, Jesus-style); but there is (IMO) another meaning, and is concerned with happiness and the soul, which will be addressed below:

In Illogical, I noted many questions that circled around the relationship of the "self" to the "consciousness", and also inferred a connection to the "soul" or "psyche". Plato believed that the soul was "caged" in the body, and "locked aware from true knowledge, and having to accept and adapt to deceptions of the truth, dim reflections of the brilliance it rightfully deserves. He illustrates these thoughts in his legendary "Myth of the Cave" allegory. Although I do not agree with Plato's dualism (I am in particular at odds with the "Forms"), I think that these particular thoughts can be reasonably adapted to illustrate the relationship between the consciousness, subconscious, the psyche (soul), and happiness.

[quote from the Matrix] "being the [happy] is just like being in love. No one needs to tell you you are in love, you just know it, through and through" (replaced "one" with "happy")

But here's the rub: We can believe that we're happy ("know"), we can be told (or tell others) we're happy, we can assume we're happy.....But if we actually consider whether we are, we lose that happiness. Try it sometime, and you'll see what I mean. Any time you try to measure your happiness, you will end up with a bittersweet mix of hope and anxiety. Now why is that? Anytime we *actually* are aware of our happiness, we lose it. Love (and being *the one*) doesn't have that advantage, so I guess you could say that's how they *aren't* alike :P

I think that it must be because "part of us" isn't happy- the "psyche", or as Sigmund Freud called it, the "Ego". This raises an important point, as the "Ego" is the "Consciousness". Does that mean we aren't conscious any time we're happy? Well that wouldn't work- but this is where Platos "Myth of the Cave" allegory comes in. The Ego, or soul, is deceived in order to adapt to this very circumstance, so that (And this is the fun part that makes me really "happy") "the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing". Wow, I knew it would all come together, but I didn't think it would sound that cool! lol :P --you have to admit, even if you don't agree it comes together really nicely, doesn't it? And I swear I did not do it that well on purpose- this post is about 80% improvisation (pending knowledge/deductive reasoning/etc, but I've "got all those down". Okay, back to the point:

But this raises another point, and this is where existentialism comes in: If becoming self-conscious results in the corruption of happiness, does that mean our consciousness is unhappy. Platonic dualists would say yes. But what then, is the actual relationship of our subconscious (Id) to our conscious (Ego), and where do "we" (that which we perceive ourself to be overall) come in? Sigmund Freud, if I am understanding him correctly, would say that we identify with society- through the interactions between the Ego and the SuperEgo (our SuperConsciousness, where "super" means "beyond", and "society's consciousness is "consciousness beyond us") ; -- we identify with "ourself" (well more accurately, our "inner-self", or "heart of hearts") But all this is really a bit off-topic :P

Well, although it will take a while to grasp these complexities- at least in theory, the "self" that we are most familiar with, is likely a forced marriage between the Ego and Id. Now the Id is where Happiness actually comes from. That is also particularly interesting to me, because the soul obviously would not trap itself in the body for no reason. As I theorized (independently of philosophy, mind you) in my Reincarnation post (the second one), the soul felt the need to evolve, and found that it could not evolve efficiently without a body. So essentially (in my theory) souls sacrifice their freedom to ensure a better future.

This is where the Id comes in: The Id is pure desire- as such a baby is considered "pure Id". "I don't know what I want, or how to get what I want- all I know is that I want it, and I want it now." But more importantly, Id, as pure desire, is pure instict- the physical intuition. Physical desire, although useless by itself- souls knew it was the best bet for evolution. This resulted in the same irony which, in my experience, permeates the universe: The soul (Ego) controls the Id, but in return sacrifices its freedom, and is held hostage by it. Both Id and Ego are slave and master- quite the paradoxal combination.

But I still feel a sort of sympathy for the soul, because I have (by choice) gained a high level of self-awareness, and have felt much of its pain as a result. I really wonder how things will turn out In The End.

The DVD release features three separate endings, which were supposedly shown at random upon the film's release. Personally I like seeing all of them one after the other because it puts everything into perspective and reveals the film's genius. Clue perfectly sets up every single character and event so that while seperate, the three endings all work out logistically. Characters are kept moving or missing from scenes, and ambigious shots reveal (as mentioned before) absolutely nothing (again in the spirit of the game). It is the DVD-releases third ending which (to me) is the best for several reasons.

First it goes against the logic of the game and implicates everyone except for Mr. Green. The "everyone-is-guilty" gag works well for the spirit of the film, and establishes itself as a seperate entity from the game Clue. Second it allows for repeated watchings, and as previously mentioned reveals the subtle tricks displayed throughout. Second it utilizes many lines and gags from the other two endings, including the wonderful line, "Communism was just a red herring!" Third it manages to capture the chaotic frenzy of the game itself because its all a series of accusations; all of which seek "the truth."

As far as films go this one has to be one of my all-time favorite. Its a shining example of what a "perfect" film looks like: its jokes are easy to unstand yet funny, each perfectly executed and well-timed. It mixes humor with dark subject matters, and reveals many social taboos of the 1950s (the film takes place in 1954). Full enjoyment of Clue really demands an audience because its so fun and entertaining. Enjoying the film alone also works. Whatever the case its certainly a film that should be watched, its well worth the time.

• 7-dollar-a-gallon gas in 2010
• 10 million less vehicles on U.S. roads in 2012
• the continuation of the steep drop in total vehicle miles travelled

*******************

The U.S. Climate Change Science Program - yes, the one that reports to the current Executive Branch of our government - says - according to the Washington Post - that "as greenhouse-gas emissions rise, North America is likely to experience more droughts and excessive heat in some regions even as intense downpours and hurricanes pound others more often." Extreme weather is just giving us a hint of what's to come with more extreme droughts and heat waves, more torrential downpours, It doesn't seem to matter to these scientists that the link between human-caused carbon emissions and the extreme weather can't be proven.

In a conference call with reporters, Karl and the other co-chair, Gerald A. Meehl, senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, said there is no doubt that human-generated heat-trapping gases have helped intensify both the Southwest's current drought and heavy downpours, which have been increasing at a rate three times that of average precipitation over the past century.

"That's a certainty," Karl said. "People aren't questioning whether there's been an increase in heavy downpours."

By the end of the century, he added, models predict that intense bouts of precipitation that might have occurred once every 20 years will take place every five years.

********************

The state of California's air board released a report last week calling for local governments to change land-use practices to help reduce the need for driving. In the state's effort to reduce carbon emissions, it must deal with the fact that a third of those emissions come from vehicles on the road. And with current development and land-use patterns favoring suburban sprawl, it's important that a reversal in that trend be initiated at the local level.

The sad truth of it, though, is that most of the money needed to fund the changes we need is bottled up by the impotence of our federal government. Local efforts have a ceiling to what they can afford to accomplish, beyond which they'll be powerless. Still, there's so much to do in terms of assessment, preparation, public education and public leadership, that it's not like the local governments have time to sit around waiting for the money to put them to work.

True to what pResilience is all about, the fast-developing ICLEI-USA site now includes a Learn From Others section where they're just beginning to post, Model Ordinances, Best Practices and Case Studies along with Success Stories and guidance on local activism. Finally, an adult has arrived in the classroom. This is exactly what needs to happen at the government level and I'm doing my part here to advertise their work, not only to encourage kudos, but to inform more people about their valuable content.

A month ago, ICLEI - in partnership with the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers - held the first ever Municipal Adaptation Workshop where , in ICLEI's words, it "provided an outstanding opportunity to learn more about regional climate impacts as well as mechanisms for preparing for those impacts." The workshop included cool useful stuff like:

• Up-to date forecasted regional climate impacts;
• Training on conducting a community vulnerability assessment;
• Break-out sessions on planning for public health, coastal, freshwater, and ecological impacts;
• Hands-on adaptation action prioritization exercise;
• Assessment of the financial implications of inaction; and
• Exclusive peer networking forum on local climate protection best practices.

Sessions were structured such that attendees were able to begin obtaining the knowledge and skills necessary to begin enhancing resiliency to a changing climate in their respective communities.

[From summary] "This report provides a critical assessment of adaptation costs and benefits in key climate sensitive sectors, as well as at national and global levels. It also moves the discussion beyond cost estimation to the potential and limits of economic and policy instruments - including insurance and risk sharing, environmental markets and pricing, and public private partnerships - that can be used to motivate adaptation actions."

US EPA
http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/cfm/recordisplay.cfm?deid=180143

[From website] "This report examines (1) the combined effects on ecosystems of climate changes and non-climate stressors, and consequent implications for achieving specific management goals; (2) adaptation approaches that reduce the risk of negative impacts on management goals; and (3) ways to overcome barriers or take advantage of opportunities to improve the likelihood of successful adaptation implementation. Through the provision of this information, the desired outcome of this report is an enhanced adaptive capacity to respond to future changes in climate."

Grade: B+

Since I realized this, I took a small break to celebrate, and for a few weeks ignored (for the most part) things like writing, self-improvement, financial concerns...and now I'm back (although I rarely left the house, "back" refers to a state-of-mind, not geographical position :P). I've also put into place the start of some reorganization of this site- specifically adding another. If this is the sugar of my thoughts, the more personal (read: TMI) thoughts must be separated into molasses. I have written a lot of less civilized material, about some skeletons in my closet, and (for now) they are actually on this site. I have hidden them, so that they cannot be accessed directly (unless you know the exact page addresses, of course). This is not for my benefit, but for the benefit of my readers. I wouldn't want to accidentally "violate" anyone with the more dark parts of my past, after all :-(

Now all those skeletons, along with much other personal/unprofessional material, will be moved to a separate site, which I will (with what hesitance that is due) disclose to all those that must know. But FTR, you have been warned :P. Note, there is one merit for me personally- I intend to list my website on my resume, and to do that I must clean out all of that which might give a less-than-desirable impression of me.

I'm also planning a third site, in which I will write (and transfer) all of the material that is personal, but clean in content, and is further emphasizes more metaphysical subject matter. I've decided the site will be located at http://ju5t1n.th3g1vr.com. If you think about it, you will realize the first part to be the 1337-5I*33X equivalent of "justin" (my real [first] name)- and this is for a reason. At first I thought of the site being 0b53rvr.th3g1vr.com, but soon realized that it doesn't look right? After researching a worthy alternative on RhymeZone, I came up with nothing, but realized that "judge" fit the same image I hoped to reflect through 0b53rvr. However, "judge" is too common of a word (I don't like "common" :P) But my name actually means "judge", and thus was doable. This way, I indulge in having a meaning-within-a-meaning, and at the same time meld my own persona with the site itself, and infer that I "lived out my name" (the dream of many parents when naming their children)

So now I've finally "come back down-to-earth"- I can't wait to get all this fresh material down!~

Astro Boy: This seems like one of those shows that wouldn't lend itself very well to a movie. However, it seems like it's going to be following in the footsteps of the CGI Ninja Turtles movie, so it might not be that bad...

A Christmas Carol: As if enough versions of Dickens' classic short story didn't exist already, it seems that Robert Zemeckis of Polar Express fame is intent on bringing us another one. On a positive note, this adaptation stars Jim Carrey as Scrooge, so it might be worth watching.

Dragonball: Fan reactions on this one range from delight to outrage. Indications seem to point to numerous story and character changes from the show, which hasn't helped this movie win any new fans. I'm highly skeptical about this one, but also willing to give it a chance.

Final Destination 4: 3 films too many.

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs: Putting aside the ludicrousness of dinosaurs existing after the KT Extinction event, this one doesn't look too promising. I didn't even like the first Ice Age film... although Scrat was mildly amusing.

Max Payne: I don't know enough about the Max Payne video games to be excited about this one... however, video game film adaptations usually turn out to be disappointments. I'll only see this one if the reviews are very positive.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor: Early reviews of this are positive. Like the first two Mummy films, this promises to be a serviceable and funny action-adventure, and a good popcorn flick.

Spyro The Dragon: Although this film is listed for a 2009 release, it's likely it will be pushed back as it has yet to enter preproduction.

Star Trek: Calling J.J. Abrams' Star Trek 'highly anticipated' would like be calling the Pacific Ocean a puddle of water. Paramount is counting on this powerhouse film to drive their 2009 summer season, and fans are counting on Abrams to give their favorite franchise a worthy remake. Although what has surfaced so far looks promising, I'll reserve judgment until I actually see it next summer.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Unusual character designs aside, this movie (actually the pilot episode for an upcoming Cartoon Network series) looks pretty good. Despite being entirely CGI, the action sequences look just as impressive as the ones from the feature films... which will prove to be important in an action-driven movie. I'll definitely see it.

Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins: As if Terminator III didn't screw over established Terminator continuity badly enough, it seems Warner Brothers is making a new movie without Arnold Schwarzenegger. Heresy, I say! Heresy!

Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen: Unfortunately, it seems that this movie is going to follow the same brainless, frantic and muddled style with which 2007's Transformers disappointed so many longtime fans. At least this movie will continue to show that Michael Bay has the uncanny ability to ruin many a good script with his horrid directing. If Transformers II ends up being good, I'll be surprised.

X Men Origins: Wolverine: Anything with Hugh Jackman as Wolverine is more than welcome in my book.

Well, there you have it. Although many of these films look promising, I have no doubt at least one (and probably more) will wind up as disappointments. I'm still waiting for Hollywood to come up with another great original Sci-Fi franchise... but for now, it seems I'll have to be satisfied with remakes.

Her new film, "The Last Mistress," an adaptation of the 1851 novel by Jules-Amédée Barbey d'Aurevilly, features its fair share of strikingly stylized couplings between Asia Argento’s title character -- a woman of such ferocious willfulness she's said to out-stare the sun -- and Ryno, her longtime lover (newcomer Fu'ad Aït Aattou), a young man of impossibly delicate beauty. But perhaps what jolts most are the painterly instincts of the director that the film brings to the fore.

Speaking from Paris with the assistance of an interpreter, Breillat said that many facets of the story's setting -- 1835 Paris -- attracted her.

"We find the last expression of the 18th century's freedom of speech, which in the 19th century found itself opposed by the rise of liberalism, the rise of capitalism, the rapid expansion of industrialism. To me, these elements are very contemporary because for me there's no difference between the 19th century and the 20th century in terms of our moralizing, in terms of the capitalism and rampant industrialism that we see. The only thing perhaps that has changed is that the rise of these elements is increasing and accelerating."

As much as its free thinking, the aristocracy's dandyism also drew Breillat to the tale of dangerous liaisons.She took particular delight in realizing an unaccustomed depth of visual detail on what was by far her largest budget to date, with a little more than $6 million.

Breillat had been accumulating props, costumes and material for about 10 years, and she insisted on authenticity, from original jewelry to antique handmade silk lace. "If you have a close-up of someone's face with modern lace, the lace just falls flat, it doesn't give the relief, it doesn't give the resonance that you find with the authentic lace," said Breillat, noting that she has long collected pieces of clothing because of their cinematic appeal, among them the red dress that appears in a scene of bondage ritual in her controversial 1999 film "Romance."

For "Mistress," which arrives in U.S. theaters on Friday, Breillat sought "people who didn't have a sense of wearing costumes but who were living in the 18th and 19th century. I wanted real characters and not puppets."

In expanding her canvas from the "chamber pieces" of her earlier films to a novelistic scope, the writer-director assembled a cast with widely divergent levels of experience. Aït Aattou, whom Breillat discovered in a Paris cafe, makes his screen-acting debut, as does 80-year-old Claude Sarraute, a longtime critic for Le Monde. Roxane Mesquida, whose first starring role was in Breillat's 2001 "Fat Girl," plays the third point in the central love triangle, the virginal princess to Argento's fiery Vellini, the illegitimate daughter of an Italian princess and a Spanish bullfighter. Leading the aristocratic Greek chorus are seasoned pros Michael Lonsdale and Yolande Moreau.

Whether selecting first-timers or household names, Breillat casts films with instinctive alacrity, triumphantly referring to the chosen actors as "mine!"

"Deep down, I'm attracted by a certain kind of face, a certain kind of interiority . . . that makes me vibrate, that I'm in tune to, the same way that a painter may be attracted to a certain kind of landscape or a certain kind of light."

Hey, good lookin'

ALTHOUGH THE fevered sexuality of Argento's character is central to "Mistress," the film's chief concern is the young man Ryno, an object of desire. That's something of a departure for the filmmaker but in a sense as much of a break with convention as her female-centric pieces have been.

Citing Michelangelo's ideals of male beauty, Breillat noted drolly: "In American cinema you find handsome men, whereas in French cinema you find male stars who are usually not very good looking at all. Fifty years from now, when people watch French movies and see these absolutely ravishing actresses who fall head over heels in love with Gérard Depardieu, they'll shake their heads and wonder what exactly was wrong with France."

Breillat might have embraced more straightforward -- and less explicit -- storytelling in her 11th film, but she has no intention of relinquishing the mantle of provocateur. In October, she begins shooting her take on the bloody fairy tale "Bluebeard," which she promises will scandalize. After that, she plans the "anything but politically correct" "Bad Love," based on her own novel.

That the 59-year-old Breillat remains so busy after suffering a series of strokes -- a 2004 cerebral hemorrhage left her partially paralyzed and delayed "Mistress" by a year -- is a testament not only to her resilience but also to an urgent need to invent stories, whether scandalous, murderous or accented by handcrafted lace.

"When I was 12, I understood that I wasn't made for this world and that I would have to inhabit a world of my own creation, a world in the movies. And now that's even more true," Breillat said. "When I show my actors what I want them to do on-screen, then I'm able to move exactly as I want. When I'm shooting a film, I'm never tired. I'm simply not made to inhabit a world of disabilities."

As I have expressed in previous articles unhealthy anger can tend to be a paralyzing force that immobilizes individuals from making changes that will allow them to face new circumstances in health ways. The alternative is a healthy anger that energizes and mobilizes adaptation and change. So as the nation faces higher oil prices and a "recession" the question for us all is how will we adapt? Something about the American story tells me that we will emerge from this episode as we have in the past--not consumed by anger and conflict but changed and renewed.

Carlos Todd,LPC

www.masteringanger.com

* * *

This paper examines the burgeoning psychological literature on happiness and hedonic adaptation (a person's capacity to preserve or recapture her level of happiness by adjusting to changed circumstances), bringing this literature to bear on a previously overlooked aspect of the civil litigation process: the probability of pre-trial settlement. The glacial pace of civil litigation is commonly thought of as a regrettable source of costs to the relevant parties. Even relatively straightforward personal injury lawsuits can last for as long as two years, delaying the arrival of necessary redress to the tort victim and forcing the litigants to expend ever greater quantities of resources. Yet these procedural delays are likely to have salutary effects on the litigation system as well. When an individual first suffers a serious injury, she will likely predict that the injury will greatly diminish her future happiness. However, during the time that it takes her case to reach trial the aggrieved plaintiff is likely to adapt hedonically to her injury - even if that injury is permanent - and within two years will report levels of happiness very close to her pre-injury state. Consequently, the amount of money that the plaintiff believes will fairly compensate her for her injury - will make her whole, in the typical parlance of tort damages - will decrease appreciably. The sum that the plaintiff is willing to accept in settlement will decline accordingly, and the chances of settlement increase - perhaps dramatically. The high costs of prolonged civil litigation are thus likely to be offset substantially by the resources saved as adaptive litigants succeed in settling before trial.

This is not how things used to be. There were my share of better days too. When there was pleasure in pain, when waters turned to wine and when my skies were still blue. That was utopia back in school and this is reality: the bitter truth i have to face. Guess Alice in wonderland was just the melodramatic beginning of a tragic end. These four years have been really demanding for me. Say it brought out the man in me and made me stronger i guess, but as they say nothing comes for free, it has cost me my mental tranquility and the peace of mind. All these years i´ve held myself assuring, patronizing and coaxing. Reminding myself time and again that better days would come. Trying to kindle every spark of hope that glinted my way. Retrospecting, now i feel that i would have had better results chasing Santa Claus.

I owe what i am to my parents. They built me, from flesh and bones through all the hard times and made me what i am today. Standing tall and independent. I took them sleepless nights and cursed days to get us all through this, accumulate the affluence and design our lifestyles. Their outlooks are visionary accredited by their lifelong experiences. They are always right from their viewpoint which has been derieved from training their neurons all their life. Never the less i would say the clouds of ego have hindered their sight and the air of superiority have prohibited them from adapting to the modern times. They were probably brought up in a milieu where the riches rolled the dice. I guess its not their fault to be myopic to see the boards of emotional bonding on which the pawns reside. One cannot expect their children to grow golden wings by feeding them with golden spoons, could they?

Debugging pages of code as a programmer is a stressful job. You may have a feeling that being a programmer developing new softwares, hacking networks and cracking codes is fanciful and well paid as well. I say its not fanciful at all especially when you have to return to your dad´s home just to ensure the addendum to your nearly-full-bag of stress. By the time you get to bed, your brain gets stretched to the plastic region where there´s no turning back. The strain´s even more where there´s a quarrel with your girlfriend. That is the precise point where the darker things start to unfold. Escape from reality becomes high-priority process and the modes of evanescence become evident. Drugs become lucrative. There were times in past where i was standing on the ledge and i didnt hesitate to take a freefall even though the landings werent graceful at all. These days i sumbit myself to the agony rather than fight it, which makes things easier.

Its not me to repent on the actions that i have committed. These days i´ve have stopped thinking about the repercussions of my present deeds as well. I dont sin. I do what i feel is right, which would least affect all the people around me. I pump all my energy to fill the emotional voids around me. But i guess circles dont fit where squares should be. Enslaved in the norms, entangled in the legacy i am thriving, jiving, i´m surving in Kathmandu.

The key is knowing what has been enjoyable in the past and adapting the activity for what the senior is now able to do.  My mom used to love to knit; she was an expert knitter.  During the last year of her life when she was in the end stages of Alzheimer's disease, most of the time, she was disoriented to time and place, and many days she did not recognize me or my adult children.  But she enjoyed it when I brought my knitting.  She enjoyed touching the yarn, smelling of it, looking at the colors and the pattern book.  Some days she was able to reminisce a little about items she had knitted in the past and about how she used to help me with the finishing of a sweater. 

Almost all people love to go places and do things.  For seniors with physical and cognitive impairments, combining their interests with adapting the activity to their abilities means thriving, not just surviving.  

At Seniors' Choice at Home, our first priority in hiring care givers is the ability to develop a friendly relationship with clients.  Some examples of enriching, enjoyable and stimulating activities we have done with clients, are:  taking a client for rides around a lake in the fall and out for an ice cream cone; taking a client to a large florist where the displays are gorgeous to see and to smell; taking a man skeet-shooting once a week, because that's what he loved to do; taking a client to museums and galleries; taking a client to tea at a fancy tea shop where wearing a hat was encouraged.; taking a client on a short trip to Branson; taking a client to a golf tournament in a golf cart.

 For more information about Seniors' Choice at Home, check out our website at: www.seniorschoicemn.com or call us at 763-546-1599 

Controversial director Catherine Breillat (ROMANCE, FAT GIRL) delivers her most ambitious film yet with THE LAST MISTRESS. Adapted from the novel by Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly, the film is set in 19th-century France, when the world was a seemingly much more innocent place. Underneath the surface, however, lurk infidelities and other dark secrets. Ryno de Marigny (Fu'ad Ait Aattou) is about to marry the beautiful and sweet Hermangarde (Roxane Mesquida). He is so devoted to her that he has decided to make a clean break from his ongoing affair with the tempestuous Vellini (Asia Argento). One day, Hermangarde's grandmother, the Comtesse d'Artelles (Yolande Moreau), convinces Ryno to tell of his affair with Vellini, which he does. By the end of his story, even she is concerned that he is in too deep with Vellini and that the couple's torrid romance will continue. Nonetheless, Ryno and Hermangarde get married, but Vellini's lure proves too strong a temptation. Breillat's biggest production to date also feels like one of her most personal. While the film has a sedate façade, it is in keeping with the graphic work of her previous films. Argento is a perfect Vellini, at once carnal and terrifying but also sensual and alluring. The striking Ait Aattou, who makes his first screen appears, confirms Breillat's gift of getting the most out of non-actors. THE LAST MISTRESS is a lush period piece that nonetheless has a universal, modern message, and it makes many daring statements about love, lust, and romance.

Thirsting for revenge? Itching to smack someone’s face? You don’t have to use black magic, much less effort to violence to avenge you honor.

Remember that vengeance is sweet and best served cold and casual. Here are a few suggestions on how to get even:

1. Name you pet after your enemy. Calling your slimy iguana after someone you abhor may eventually make you foe’s name less abhorrent to you as you learn to associate it with your beloved pet.
2. Deliberately misspell her name when you’re writing it down, i.e., Enday Pakshet or Mumung Putsanamano.
3. Never say her name when talking about her. Treat her like an inanimate object, avoiding the use of personal pronouns. Instead of saying, “Pretty ba siya?!”, you say “Pretty ba yun?!”.
4. Doodle on her pictures and “transform” her into the most horrific monster you can draw.
5. Conjure up all sorts of terrifying looks when you are looking at her in person. Picture her with a wolf’s tail or with eyes popping out of their sockets.
6. Put her pictures on your bedroom floors you can “walk” all over her.
7. Use her photograph as a dart board.
8. Cut off any links with her. Remove her name & no. from your phonebook & deny knowing her if anyone asks.
9. You may also keep the number & use it to prevent her from having a good night’s sleep. Ring her up in the middle of the night then hang up as she answers.
10. If you do not want her to have your no., send her you psychiatrist’s business card instead.
11. If she requests for your no., do not lie! Give her your old, inactive one instead.
12. If she know the real one & she calls, just let your cellphone ring forever.
13. Call a radio DJ using her name & speak terrible, terrible English.
14. Clog her email by forwarding credit card ads.
15. Send her solicitation letters occasionally.
16. Send her a self-made chain letter that sets a task that is impossible to accomplish within the time set.
17. Top her efforts. If she owns something you also like, get yourself something PRACTICALLY the same but with additional features. Or if you are both writers but her career is doing better than yours, try to win at least a Pulitzer prize.
18. Write to an advice columnist & tear her character to pieces.
19. Make her the star in your future gender-bending novel as a fickle-minded transsexual who, after a sex-change surgery, decides to revert to her original self.
20. Be late if you have an appointment with her.
21. Do not greet her! If you she greets you first, do not respond.
22. Subtly cover your nose when she’s around.
23. Make her pay foe her fare when you are in the same public utility vehicle.
24. Walk ahead of her if you are walking together.
25. Call attention to your best features when you’re face 2 face. Twirl your curly locks or pout your full, red lips.
26. Smile at her significant other. As smiles can draw people to the ones giving them, he might get the wrong romantic idea. But that’s his problem.
27. Fake an accent when talking to her.
28. Turn a deaf ear when she call you.
29. Pick your nose while talking to her.
30. Rid your eyes of “cobwebs” too, while talking to her.
31. Talk brightly about something she knows little about.
32. Don’t laugh at her jokes & don’t applaud after her performance.
33. Pay her false compliments when she least deserves them.
34. Signal her to be quiet when she speaks.
35. Point a wand at her direction. A wand can send her off negative vibes.
36. Point her the electric fan at her direction using the highest setting to ruin her hair.
37. Do a variation of this trick with the air conditioner, setting it in near-freezing temperature for her.
38. Pick at your food if you eat together.
39. Offer her chopsticks if you know she doesn’t know how to use them.
40. When in a group, offer candies, making sure there’s only enough for everyone, except her.
41. Expel “air” and various kinds of “fluids” in her direction.
42. Scrape the scab from a wound when she’s watching.
43. Scrub yourself all over with your hands.
44. “Show off” your athlete’s foot.
45. Shut a door to her face.
46. Support her vices, like offering cigarettes if she smokes.
47. Blow cigarette smoke in her face.
48. Give her a roundabout route if she asks direction.
49. Rev your engine in her direction, if you have a car or any vehicle (a Caterpillar machine is very considerable..)
50. If, in a reconciliatory gesture, she asks, “Are you mad at me?!,” in a syrupy voice, reply, “Whatcha talkin’ about?!” I will suggest you do not like her without having to say so.

By sticking to more moderate & subtler ways of getting even, you may be able to avoid attracting negative karma.