Archive for February, 2008
February 28th, 2008 -- Posted in Story |
This is one of the most fun exercises I have discovered in awhile. I originally got the idea from Paul Piotrowski from InspiredMoneyMaker.com. He writes that it was also a popular exercise of Napoleon Hill of Think and Grow Rich fame.
The idea is to mentally assemble your own Spiritual or Invisible Counsel to help offer you advice or direction when you have a question or difficult decision to make.
It can consist of anywhere between 5 to 10 people (living or dead) that most inspire you. For instance, Bills Gates, Warren Buffet or Donald Trump for money issues. Abraham-Hicks, the Dali Lama or even Jesus Christ for spiritual issues. A favorite athlete for advice on health, or a famous actor or actress if a specific talent or style question is on your mind.
Now close your eyes and mentally imagine that you are sitting in a board room where there is a large boardroom table surrounded by empty chairs. You are sitting at the head of this table and awaiting for each of “your” counsel members to appear. At times you might only want to invite the people who can help with a particular problem such as Mr. Buffet for money matters; but personally I found it more fun to invite a whole bunch of different characters so I could get each of their unique opinions on a subject.
For instance, Warren might be the perfect person to discuss money matters, but I have also found his truly down-to-earth personality has “spoken up” on unrelated topics and given some great advice as well.
Now mentally ask the question that is on your mind and silently wait for each of these people to answer. Pretend as if you were in a real meeting. Do not be discouraged if some do not respond at all. Also note that not every answer may be in verbal form. It might also come in the form of a gesture or a mental picture instead. Just wait patiently for the answer.
So let’s try some examples:
Let’s say you have two credit card bills and you are wondering which one you should pay off first. Your first natural instinct might be to pay off the creditor who is yelling the loudest, but now “ask” Donald Trump the same question and his advice might be “Are you crazy? Pay off the one with the highest rate so it will cost you less in the long run!” (Actually “Donald” is whispering in my ear right now and telling me “I wouldn’t do either of those things. I would call both companies and negotiate a better deal with each one of them!” — You gotta love The Donald.)
Say your question is spiritual in nature or about love, forgiveness, anger, etc. how do you think Jesus Christ would respond? (I’ve gotten some awesomely warm and enlightened answers from him when I have asked.)
What if your question is something as simple as having an occasion coming up and being unsure of what to wear. Dressy? Casual? Your old thought patterns might automatically go to “How will everyone else be dressed? I don’t want to stand out too much. Now imagine that Angelina Jolie or Katherine Hepburn (if you are a woman obviously) are sitting at your table and you ask them that question. One or both would probably respond “Who the he** cares what anyone else is wearing? Create your own style — be your own person!…” A thought that might have never entered your own “habitual” mind.
I have to admit I am having a lot more fun with this exercise than I originally thought I would.
I am getting some really creative and unique responses to questions that I would never have come up with on my “own”.
Is my focusing on these people somehow tapping into their actual energy for answers? I don’t know for sure. Then again, if we are all one and the same energy, maybe it is just the practice of allowing myself to be “open” to all answers that is letting my higher self or Universe come through with the unique answers that it does.
Sometimes we get so used to hearing our “own mental voice” with its habitual way of thinking and solving problems, that we forget that we are actually “allowed” to think outside of our own box.
The best part of this exercise is that I have found that the advice I have gotten works!! Granted at times it has felt a little uncomfortable stretching outside my usual comfort zone, but afterwards I felt great! Like “Wow, I actually did that!” kind of great. And I learn and I grow just a little bit more; which is really what this is all about, isn’t it?
So give it a try today. Take at least 15 minutes of quiet time and “call a meeting.” Ask your question and then patiently wait for your answer. Take notes as you would in a real meeting. Don’t dismiss anything out of hand as not do-able, just take it all down and watch the unique answers you receive. Give yourself some time to get used to the possibility of the idea if it originally feels a little uncomfortable. Ask yourself “What the heck do I have to lose by giving this a shot?”
Not only do you get great advice and get to grow a little, but you get to have fun at the same time!
Happy Creating!
Janeen Clark is a Spiritual Life Coach who has been teaching, studying and applying the Law of Attraction for almost 20 years. If you would like to read more inspiring articles from this author, please visit her daily blog at The Very Happy Human
February 20th, 2008 -- Posted in Story |
Celebrities have in general always been more than willing to help out with local causes, but the very fact they get to travel the world more than the average American means they get to see firsthand what’s going on in the world. It’s tough for the media to soften the blow or filter the news when you are in the face of a real situation caused by poverty or terrorism.
The trend for U.S, superstars to look beyond the borders of their native country for ways to help has been dubbed “the Angelina bump” or “celebrity globalization”. Travelling for film shoots to foreign lands and exotic cities can’t help but give an actor a healthy respect for the reality of cultural differences and how people are forced to exist in countries such as Africa. The world suddenly seems smaller and people that are suffering don’t seem so far away.
It was the grandmother of actress and UNICEF goodwill ambassador Tea Leoni that helped create the organizations that helps thousands upon thousands of international citizens that are in dire circumstances. Leoni has said that stars that have made movies in countries classified as developing nations have seen things firsthand that they could not deny. More and more this sparks them to “use their celebrity” to muscle their way into the foreground with information to educate the rest of us.
Some notable high profile volunteer work includes:
• Angelina Jolie’s work with refugees in Africa
• The efforts of George Clooney and Don Cheadle to raise awareness in Darfur
• Bono’s drive to eliminate Third World debt
• Oprah Winfrey and Madonna’s schools for African girls
• Jewel’s contributions to clean water projects in Latin America
• Salma Hayek’s campaign for a vaccination program
• Sting’s support of the tribes living in the rain forest
The celebrities tell us all that a little can go a long way to help a community that is stricken with severe circumstances. Jewel reported that a project valued at a mere $5,000 can save scores of lives and rescue an entire community from disaster. As mentioned earlier the celebrities are typically in the forefront when it comes to helping out at home, but when the going gets tough in a country like Africa, they often see it as worse than most of the disasters that happen here, and they’re willing to pitch in and do all they can to make a difference.
For more information on Volunteer Africa visit http://www.crossculturalsolutions.org/where_you_can_go/volunteer_africa/
February 16th, 2008 -- Posted in Story |
If you go back through history, would it be possible to find a time when there has been such violence instigated by children in their teenage years and even younger, as there is being reported today? There has to be something that has gone terribly wrong in our society that is causing such violence from our youth.
The many incidents that have taken place since the first reports of the Columbine tragedy, seems to only be growing. They do seem to follow a similar pattern. A troubled youth or perhaps two, descend upon unsuspecting people at school, or most recently, a shopping mall, and begin to kill and injure anyone in their path.
It is really silly for us all to stand back and wonder how and why these acts of violence are taking place. With the hectic lives of many parents today and the pursuit of the American Dream for their families, the children in these families are too often left in the shadows alone to entertain themselves.
It does not matter what kind of entertainment it is, cable, satellite, video games, and even music, can be damaging for many young and impressionable kids who are too often left to their own choices. These situations are only compounded in those youth who are already experiencing emotional problems of some kind.
While it is true that many parents today are taking precautions necessary to shield their children from inappropriate material, whatever form it takes. There are still many others who are so busy or simply think that the horrendous violence that kids are exposed to is not harmful. What are they thinking?
Any child who is already troubled, maybe ignored a little too often, and wants more attention, can easily see in the things they watch, even the news, that violent acts gains you attention.
They may not be capable of fully comprehending the end results of violence, but they comprehend the attention factor, which might be most important and necessary to them at the moment.
We all do not need to be psychiatrist or child behavior specialist to understand that violence begets violence. Adults should have the right to watch and listen to what they want to, but in doing so our children must be protected at the same time.
It is ultimately a parents responsibility to see that these precautions are in place, not societies, although less violent surroundings would be good for us all. With the parental controls and ratings systems that are in place today, there is no excuse for us to not know what our children watching.
Dror Klar offers The Cheapest Montana Direct TV, Dish Network and Montana High Speed Satellite Internet on the web.
February 10th, 2008 -- Posted in Story |
While everyone has been watching tropical storm Ernesto, a new and very powerful storm formed in the pacific ocean off the coast of Mexico. This powerful storm has been given the infamous name Hurricane John. This name is infamous as it has been used already to name a previous major hurricane in 1994. In 1994, Hurricane John formed over the eastern Pacific and grew into a hurricane on Aug. 11, with winds reaching 170 mph making it a devastating hurricane. This new hurricane John also has a lot of power with sustained winds of over 115 mph.
Hurricane John shares a lot with the old 1994 hurricane John. They are both major hurricanes of category 3 or higher. The current Hurricane John has the strength to become a category 4 or even 5 like its predecessor. And they both had potential to cause awesome damage. If the current hurricane John tracks to the right as predicted, the coastal areas of Mexico like Acapulco could be devastated by mudslides, flooding and powerful and deadly flash floods. It is important to note that the high winds and rain are not the worst part of the storm. Resultant flooding, mud slides and flash floods have caused some of the worst tragedies on record.
Hurricane John is right now situated off the cost of Mexico and is taking a north western track parallel to the coastline. Tracking indicates the potential to strengthen in the next 24 hours to a category 4 or even 5 storm with sustained winds of 130-150+. Remember that even though Hurricane Katrina was a category 5 hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico at one time, it was only a category 3 when it made landfall and devastated New Orleans and Biloxi. Just think of what a category 4 or even 5 hurricane could do to a more indigenous population in Mexico. In the rural areas they have less transportation and means of evacuation available to them. To see what could happen, one just needs to look at the impoverished nation of Haiti near Cuba. They have experienced many powerful tropical storms and hurricanes over recent years and have tragically lost many lives.
Hurricane John could also create storm surges like we saw in Katrina. Storm surges of 10 feet or more in rural and indigenous areas can produce enormously tragic results like the Tsunami in Malaysia. Many a typhoon (a hurricane to the west of Hawaii) has caused huge death tolls and massive destruction larger than most of their Atlantic Ocean cousins. Due to the size and geography of the Pacific Ocean, hurricanes and typhoons grow stronger much faster and have fewer conditions that destabilize their growth like shearing winds in the east. China was recently hit by typhoon Samoi which had sustained winds of 170+ mph when it hit China. This was the worst storm to hit China in over 50 years.
Even though the Chinese evacuated over 1 million people beforehand there was still tragic loss of life and massive destruction. Hopefully for the people of Mexico the current hurricane John will track left and away from land and die out at sea
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February 7th, 2008 -- Posted in Story |
WILL SMITH has enjoyed success in a career encompassing hit films, his own television series and multi-platinum records. He earned his first Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal of boxing legend Muhammad Ali in Michael Mann’s acclaimed biopic Ali. Smith more recently starred in and produced the critically acclaimed, true-life drama The Pursuit of Happyness. His performance brought him his second Academy Award nomination, his fourth Golden Globe nomination and a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award nomination for Best Actor.
Smith most recently starred in the blockbusters I am Legend, directed by Francis Lawrence and Hancock, directed by Peter Berg. He will next re-team with the director and producers of The Pursuit of Happyness for Seven Pounds, an emotional drama about a man who will change the lives of seven strangers.
In 2005, Smith starred in and produced the hit romantic comedy Hitch, directed by Andy Tennant. The year prior, he starred in and executive produced the sci-fi smash I, Robot, adapted from the book by Isaac Asimov and directed by Alex Proyas. Also that year, he voiced the central character of Oscar in the blockbuster animated feature Shark Tale, opposite Renee Zellweger, Angelina Jolie and Robert De Niro.
In July 2003, he reunited with Martin Lawrence for Bad Boys II, the sequel to their 1995 hit Bad Boys. Smith had earlier starred in two blockbusters that topped the box office in back-to-back summers. In 1996, he took on alien invaders in Roland Emmerich’s science fiction actioner Independence Day. The following year, he starred with Tommy Lee Jones in Barry Sonnenfeld’s sci-fi comedy Men in Black, for which Smith also recorded the Grammy-winning title song. In 2002, Smith, Jones and Sonnenfeld reteamed for the sequel Men in Black II.
Smith was already a Grammy-winning recording artist when he made his successful transition to acting in television and films. Following roles in the movies Where the Day Takes You and Made in America, he received widespread critical acclaim for his starring role in the drama Six Degrees of Separation, with Stockard Channing and Donald Sutherland. In 1995, he was named ShoWest’s Male Star of Tomorrow. His film credits also include Enemy of the State, opposite Gene Hackman; Wild Wild West, for which he also recorded the hit title song; and the title role in Robert Redford’s The Legend of Bagger Vance.
Smith began his career in the music industry while still in high school. Teaming with his friend Jeff Townes to form DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, Smith became a chart-topping rap artist.
Together, they recorded several platinum and multi-platinum albums and won numerous awards, including two Grammys and three American Music Awards.
As a producer, Smith is partnered with James Lassiter and Ken Stovitz in Overbrook Entertainment, which has produced such projects as Ali, I, Robot, Saving Face, Hitch, ATL, Hancock and The Pursuit of Happyness. Under the Overbrook banner, Smith and his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, also co-created and produced the popular television comedy series “All of Us,” which recently concluded a four-year run. Smith’s upcoming projects as a producer or executive producer include, in addition to Lakeview Terrace, Seven Pounds, directed by Gabriele Muccino and The Human Contract, which marks the feature directorial debut of Jada Pinkett Smith.
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February 4th, 2008 -- Posted in Story |
Spinning panda bonzaa death kick coming your way…Yeah, this movie does sound ridiculous – imagine karate kid but with an endangered species as the protagonist, and you’re half-way there.
Belief seems to be a common theme amongst animated moves; we have seen the green monster who learns to love and the rabbit who teaches himself to slam dunk, but a fighting panda has, until now, been left alone.
Here we have your average everyday panda (aptly named Po), slightly podgy around the edges but loveable all the same. Jack Black does the voiceover for the movie and whilst perfectly executing a few quotes that will be reeled off in kid’s playgrounds up and down the country, he doesn’t really take full advantage of his wild side that we have seen in his previous appearances.
Po is a noodler (is that a word? He works in his father’s noodle shop, anyway!) and when he isn’t slaving behind a hot stove, he dreams of becoming a rather ‘scaled-up’ Bruce Lee Kung Fu hero! Unfortunately for Po, his kung fu moves leave a lot to be desired; imagine a cross between a black and white dancing elephant and bambi in a head band. An unfortunate occurrence results in Po being entered into the toughest Kung Fu competition in the world, where he will be fighting against the most feared contenders known to Pandas and other species alike: Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Crane (David Cross), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Viper (Lucy Liu), and the most feared of them all, the Mantis (Seth Rogen); just the sound of them strikes me with fear.
So Po heads up into the mountains to be transformed into a lean mean fighting machine by kung fu guru, master Shifu.
This is a good family movie, although probably a cut under the cream of the crop (films such as Finding Nemo still hold that accolade in my opinion) and teaches kids a great lesson about believing in yourself even when the odds are stacked against you. As you would expect, there is ample punching, kicking and other moves that have never been attempted before but it is all very mild, as is the language content, so parents you should have no worries about letting your kids watch this film from about the age of 5.
I’m pretty far outside of the target audience, being 23, and this film still kept me entertained and chuckling here and there. I almost get the impression that every now and then an ‘adult’ line is purposely chucked in for our entertainment, flying miles high above the heads of our juniors.
SpittinFlicks.com is a new Film Forum and Film Reviews site that is trying to bring together a community of film lovers.
February 2nd, 2008 -- Posted in Story |
Dating back to the time of the Ancient Greeks musicals started when the Greeks included music and dance in their stage comedies. From the 5th century B.C Musicals have developed into amazing acts and performances not even close to what they were in the past. Some include: Cats, The Phantom of The Opera, Broadway and newer ones like Hairspray and The Producers.
I have not watched very many musicals as they only come out every once in a while but one of the more recent ones is Hairspray. It is about a girl named Tracy Turnbland who manages to show everyone the stupidity in segregation and that ‘coolness’ is on the inside.
Tracy is a severely overweight high school student in Baltimore, Maryland whose favourite TV program is The Corny Collins Show that is broadcasted by Baltimore’s WYZT station every weekday afternoon. The show involves young teens dancing and singing up a storm. The manager of the station, Velma Von Tussle (Michelle Pfeiffer) goes out of her way to ensure her daughter Amber is prominently featured and that the show remains segregated. All of the kids on the show are white. Black kids are only allowed on the show on Negro Day, the last Tuesday of the each month, hosted by local R&B radio DJ Motormouth Maybelle (Queen Latifah).
One day, Corny Collins (James Marsden) announces that one of the dancers is going on a leave of absence and auditions are going to be held for a replacement the following morning – during school hours. Even though their parents are far from supportive, Tracy and her best friend Penny go to audition. Velma turns Tracy away for being overweight and supportive of integration.
Unfortunately for Tracy, she gets caught and sent to detention for skipping school, but lo-and-behold, detention is where all the black kids hang out and dance. Tracy befriends hot detention dancer Seaweed (Elijah Kelley), who as it turns out, is Motormouth Maybelle’s son. Seaweed teaches Tracy some R&B moves that later get her a spot on The Corny Collins Show.
Tracy quickly becomes a big star on the show thanks to her great moves and bubbly personality but Velma does not see it that way. All she sees is how Tracy is a threat to Amber’s position in the “Miss Teenage Hairspray” pageant and Amber’s courtship with Link, the lead performer for The Corny Collins Show.
Out of anger, Velma cancels Negro Day from The Corny Collins Show and the black kids and their leader Maybelle have nowhere to express their talent.
Without giving too much away, Tracy shows everyone the importance of not giving up, of standing up for what you believe in and for the people you are friends with. While racism against blacks and segregation has stopped being the main focus in everyone’s lives, it is still surprisingly popular today among the less accepting of society. This movie shows us that it is important to be proud of who you are and the people you are associated with, whether they are fat, gangly, black or even purple.
Tsoof and Eden love to download full movies from the Internet.