Ashton Kutcher & Rob Luketic

Ashton and director Rob Luketic (@RobLuketic) brought us along on this cinematic journey from the beginning, tweeting and streaming the whole way. We watched, glued to our monitors, as Ashton’s character raced along dangerous curves in a sports car with a helicopter in close pursuit. We shivered sympathetically when he jumped into the cold Mediterranean waters. We jumped, startled when an office explosion shook the walls and things flew, narrowly missing the camera. We rode along via Rob’s iphone strapped onto a dolly, down the aisles of a big department store. We laughed as Ashton tried in vain to find someone to take his dare to… uh… ok well we were educated as Ashton read the instructions on a.. oh, um, we won’t go there either, you really had to be there. And we WERE! We formed friendships among the others watching like us. And we became fans.

The credits that roll at the end of a film go on forever. You won’t see MY name on that list, but I feel like I was a part of it, because I was there, virtually!

When the trailer was released, we all watched and squeeled “Oooh! I remember that!.. And that too!” throughout the entire thing. Here is a film, that without having seen ANY outside advertising, has me chomping at the bit to pay to go see. Think about that.

In yet another unprecedented move, the journey continues. We will be allowed to watch the first 13 minutes of Killers online on Facebook (http://facebook.com/killersmovie). Remember, the critics have not yet seen the film.

Lionsgate, well done. While most studios are now including clauses in their contracts strictly forbidding any tweeting or facebook updates during filming, you have embraced it and I for one, hope they recognize your example as a success and follow suit. And we will follow THEM… and RT them, and if they do it half as well as @RobLuketic and @aplusk did, we will become their fans as well. Welcome to decade of the social interwebs.

On January 1, 1998, the FDA started requiring the addition of folic acid to enriched breads, cereals, flours, corn meals, pastas, and other grain products. So chances are you get a nice hefty dose every day. What?? Is this some conspiratorial plot by the government to kill us all? Or perhaps a plot by the pharma companies who make billions and billions a year on cancer treatment? Hmm, actually let me get back to you on that. Until then, let’s assume this is just an innocent lesson in irony.

Folate, the natural form of folic acid, is necessary to synthesize and repair DNA, among other things. Deficiency can cause defects in developing embryos. So the FDA decided gee, we need to catch those embryos early and women don’t always know they’re pregnant, so how can they be taking a supplement? They then had the brilliant idea to fortify basic food products that EVERYONE eats, with folic acid. Because hey, it’s healthy for everyone and we’ll catch those embryos early. Well, thing is… if you’re not a pregnant woman, you don’t need the extra folic acid. In fact, it may just be giving you cancer. But aren’t you glad we caught all those embryos?

Don’t get me wrong. It’s great that extra folic acid saves babies from being born with defects. It’s the method that the FDA employed to do so that’s ridiculous.

This same one-size-fits-all method is also being done with salt. But salt causes high blood pressure, surely salt is a bad thing. Guess what? Salt does NOT cause high blood pressure. Only a percentage of those with high blood pressure is caused by salt/sodium. So even if you have high blood pressure, cutting down your sodium is a blanket across the board let’s just be safe because it might help. Sure, it might, but sodium is VITAL to keep your heart pumping. Sodium and potassium work together. Calcium and magnesium work together. These 4 are electrolytes. Then the sodium/potassium work together with the calcium/magnesium. Too much potassium can cause low blood pressure.

BALANCE is key when it comes to electrolytes (or anything really). We’ve lost control of eating what our bodies need. We listen to advertising, and make no mistake, those ad men are very very good at what they do. And the government gets involved, and make no mistake about that, the corporations fuel those decisions and regulations. In fact, the FDA reads like a who’s who of a corporate boardroom.

So let’s try this. Keep track for a day of what foods you eat and how much folic acid that adds up to in a day. I’m curious. Comment and let me know. Oh and let me know if you’re pregnant or not.

The Mayan Calendar is a system of different calendars used by the Maya civilization, and is still in use today in some remote highlands of Guatemala and Oaxaca, Mexico. Small cycles of 13 days (trecena) and 20 days (veintena) are the main components of the 260-day Tzolkin Count and the 365-day Haab.

The 260 cycle is found many places in nature. It is 9 cycles of the Moon, as well as the 9-month gestation period for humans. It is the interval between Venus rising as an evening star and its rising as a morning star. It is also the interval between planting and harvesting of certain types of corn, which is a staple crop in the areas where the Tzolkin Count was used.

IMIX
(Alligator)
East

Individuals born under this day sign are creative, take initiative, are nurturing and protective of their loved ones.

IK
(Wind)
North

Powerful communicators are born under this day sign, wielding great imagination, they are as much dreamer as planner.

MANIK
(Deer)
West

Peaceful but powerful, those born under this sign are compassionate, skilled and hardworking. They often have the ability to see the spiritual connection between all things.

MULUC
(Water)
East

Water people are intense, profound and deeply emotional. Intelligent and often psychic, they can evoke powerful responses from those that come in contact with them.

EB
(Road)
South

Devoted and hardworking, individuals born under this sign are concerned about the community, often taking care of those less fortunate.

IX
(Jaguar)
North

Earthy and strong, individuals born under this sign often possess intelligence along with the ability to see the unseen, and are often healers.

CIB
(Owl or Vulture)
South

The strong, silent type, individuals born under this sign are introspective and insightful, and will help and defend others in their community and family.

CABAN
(Earth)
East

The intellectual individuals born under this sign are introspective and want to understand how everything works.

CAUAC
(Rainstorm)
West

Curious and young at heart, individuals born under this sign gather knowledge and make great teachers of what they have learned.

ETZNAB
(Knife)
North

Honest and direct, individuals born under this sign are able to cut through right or wrong like a knife.

AHAU
(Light)
South

Artistic and athletic, individuals born under this sign are visionaries who are wise with high expectations for themselves.

Was there no $$ for scriptwriters?? Steve Martin & Alec Baldwin were funny WHEN they were on. Everyone else just came on and said the nominees and/or winner.

Camera work was annoying at best. Tell me, MR. Producerman, WHY were all the young women up close on the stage while hotties Chris Pine and Keanu Reeves, as well as Cathy Bates stuck on the stair pod with a camera shot so far away I felt like I needed binoculars to watch??? Fail. Really. Fail.

They rushed people through their speeches but they let that sleep-inducing dance routine go on wayyyyyy too long. At least the Best Actor, Actress, & Picture acceptance speeches weren’t rushed through.

The little individual tributes for Best Actor and Best Actress were just weird and looked uncomfortable for a lot of the nominees. Speaking of, George you’re adorable, why can’t you wear a handbag to these things that actually SMILES. Just once even.

They didn’t even SAY the nominees for the Best Picture. What was THAT about?? Oh gee, too many nominees, and we’re running out of time, let’s just say the winner and be done with it. Really??

The awards themselves were great. The speeches were good but honestly mostly boring except the rude cow that “Kanye’d” the music award. They need better security at these things ffs. Then there was Miss “I already have 2 of these at home”. Lovely, just lovely.

The dresses were great but no showstoppers there either though I missed the red carpet so I reserve judgement about that. I do want to know who’s brilliant idea this was: when almost every pair that walked out were across the flat stage, with a man for each woman in full gown and high heels to hold onto, yet they made two women walk out together down STAIRS???

I have yet to see The Hurt Locker, The Blind Side or Crazy Heart. Going to have a Twitter Movie Night. You know, just you and me and all my tweeps, a DVD (or streaming, whatever), popcorn, and twitter. It’ll be fun! Are you in? (comment & let me know!) Details coming soon.

Oh oh oh!! This also was the first time the Oscar’s were broadcast live on all timezones. It used to be that the East Coast (and apparently places like Australia which are on a different DAY) got to watch the event live as it happened on the West Coast, while those ON the West Coast had to wait hours before being allowed to see. They also had a website Oscar.com with all sorts of red carpet streaming and other goodies. But come ON. WHEN???? will they get it through their heads that to broadcast online as well as on TV. It’s time. It really is. People should be able to watch from whatever device they happen to be in front of, be it a huge plasma tv, a 15″ laptop or a handheld iPhone. There are advertising opportunities on all of these options. Get with the times. Please.

If you don’t have water stored for an emergency, NOW is a good time to start! You should have food, water and supplies to last at the VERY LEAST 3 days, but 7 days is more optimum and more if you can.

Water needed:

1 gallon/per person/per day

Keep stored water away from sunlight and don’t store in plastic milk containers. Plastic 2-liter soda bottles are ok to start with but can be cumbersome to store as well as replace. You don’t want to refill these as they are not made for indefinite use. You can buy small to large barrels for water storage.

It’s enough to make you so queasy you lose your lunch. HR 875, the “Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009,” is a head-spinning piece of legislation that would radically change the structure of the US government’s regulatory agencies, usurping states rights to federalize food inspection and determine what agricultural practices are permissible. Considerable concern has been voiced about what this bill would mean for small and medium sized farmers, organic farming, the future of conventional and organic seeds, the food localization movement, and even home gardens. HR 875 would give regulators the power to enter private property, which is conveniently redefined as “premises,” and impose enormous fines for noncompliance. Though not discussed in the corporate media, numerous articles about it appear on the internet, launching a debate about whether or not Monsanto is behind the bill.

That means it is stopping and moving backwards. It doesn’t actually stop, nor move backwards, it just appears to from Earth’s vantage point. It’s a time when things, especially things technical or based on communcation, don’t work so smoothly. Tonight was no exception.

For the past few months, I have been manning the video camera as Rick Levine and Jeff Jawer give their monthly astrology talk that have gone up on YouTube. Each time, we change things a little trying to get just the right angles and everything. It’s a little tricky since there are 2 of them, doing a little moving around while they speak, plus the projector screen between them which really messes with the lighting.

So tonight, we moved the camera, on its tripod closer and more central to get better angles. While Jeff and Rick get their setup ready, I check the camera.

Snow??? There’s a little tiny snowman up in the corner of the screen indicating it’s going to compensate the exposure as if there were snow. I try pushing every button I can find to get the menu to pop up but none work. So I call Jeff over before they start and show him and he immediately shows me the buttons ON the screen that I somehow had missed. Ok, that’s fixed.

Did I mention Mercury is stationing retrograde?

Camera seems to be ready and they start their presentation. I click the white button and watch for the numbers to start clocking off the time on the screen. All I see is –:–:–. I click the white button again. Nothing. I check to make sure it’s on “camera”. They keep talking and I’m still NOT recording! 

Uhh… I draw attention to myself and they stop. “I can’t get this to record.” I’m positive it will be “user-error” and that somehow I’m missing something obvious. Jeff, whose camera it is, says “Oh!” as if remembering something and proceeds to dig out a film cartridge for the camera. Phew! I have not lost my mind and/or all technical ability, after all.

Did I mention that Mercury is stationing tonight?

About 5 minutes in, it is clear to me that this setup is just not going to cut it. The tripod is not high enough to clear the heads of the people in the audience at all. I’m also having issues with zooming in and panning smoothly because the counter is next to me and I’m not really behind the camera. I can’t stop them again, but I don’t want to continue on this way.

So I make an executive decision to take the camera off the tripod and manually hold onto it. This would be a relatively easy thing to do if there were a knob on the bottom of the small platform where the camera sits.  Instead, the camera literally screws onto the tripod itself. This means that to remove it, either the camera has to spin around half a dozen times, or the tripod does!

Not wanting to totally ruin any footage, I decide that I should be able to spin the tripod and remove it without anyone being the wiser. So, determined, holding the camera, I lift it and tripod about a foot off the floor. Still looking through the viewfinder screen to keep the footage going, I begin to slowly twist the tripod. As it turns, the legs in turn, hit MY leg and I have to step out of the way, all the while attempting to keep a steady camera. Twist, step, twist, step, without taking my eyes off the screen.

I am failing miserably, and after what seems like 100 spins of the tripod, I’m convinced that both the camera and whatever it’s screwed onto must BOTH be spinning because it doesn’t seem like I’m making enough headway. 

Did I mention Mercury is stationing retrograde?

With eyes on me that I can feel but not see, because my eyes are glued to the screen still trying in vain to keep the shot, Mars in Aries loses patience with the whole ordeal and urges me on. Screw it! (no pun intended.. well, maybe a little) I flip the screen closed and, camera still rolling, grab it firmly and start spinning it off the tripod! 

Finally, I hold it up where it needs to be and continue filming, as Rick uses the moment to point out what kinds of things can be expected during a retrograde Mercury.

Did I mention Mercury is sta… oh yeah, I guess I did. To hear about the month ahead with the planets and stars, watch Rick & Jeff’s forecast on YouTube.

And the way I see it, all they need to do is stick a straw down to reach it. It is the thinnest spot on the Earth’s crust, after all. Ok, that’s Yellowstone, but still.  Full Story

Houses are not poptarts for god’s sake

In San Diego, you can buy a $1.6 million home and get a $400,000 row home for FREE. This marketing ploy works in the grocery store, why shouldn’t it work in real estate? C’mon people, do the math! You’d be getting $2 million worth of home(s) and paying $1.6 million. That’s 20% off. Whoopdedoo. Plus you’ll have to pay taxes on not one, but two homes.  Full Story

Who in their right mind wants to live in San Diego anyway?…

Discrimination against… Blackwater??? 

Yes, that’s right, poor little Blackwater… You know the ones? The army for hire mercinaries that fall under no law? Yeah, well anyway, they’re opening up a new branch in San Diego.

Well, apparently San Diego isn’t too keen on that, and their permits were denied. Not ones to take things lying down, Blackwater went to FEDERAL court asking for a restraining order on the grounds of “irreparable injury”.

Restraining order against the city??? Uh, that’s a new one on me. And irreparable injury is Blackwater’s specialty, not the city’s. Never mind that city permits do NOT belong in Federal Court. 

Poor discriminated against Blackwater… my ass.  Full Story

Citizen? Check.

Seen (and videotaped) on a street in Arizona: Immigration checkpoints. Two things to note here. First of all, this checkpoint is NOT checking people coming across the border. Second of all, there is no probable cause. Everyone is stopped and asked what country they are a citizen of.   

Now I’m all for shutting down our borders and keeping illegal aliens from coming in and getting a free ride courtesy of our government. HOWEVER, that cannot come at the sacrifice of this country’s citizens’ rights.

Apparantly, the Mexicans are somehow (swimming perhaps?) making their way to Canada, so they can smuggle themselves into the country via Washington State by taking state ferries that don’t even cross the border, because those ferries have now become citizenship checkpoints as well. Let me make this clear, you are in Washington State, you get on a Washington State ferry, and you travel by said ferry to another Washington State town. At no point do you leave Washington State, yet you will be stopped and asked what your country of citizenship is.  Full story

Are they doing checkpoints in your state? 

War Crimes file started by FBI till ordered to stop

I know I’m repeating myself. I think this bears repeating though.

The FBI actually started a war crimes file until they were ordered to stop. There are reports of many FBI agents witnessing torture. Sure, we all know about Guantanamo Bay… 

Wait.

Look at yourselves right now. Is Guantanamo Bay a boring topic to bring up? I saw your eyes start to glaze over and your mind going “yeah, yeah, it was horrible but it’s old news.”

WAKE UP!!! This is NEVER old news or boring. THIS is important.

The torture being performed by the United States, in not just Guantanamo Bay; not just Iraq and Afghanistan; and not the torture that is “outsourced” to other countries that have even less conscious than Bush & Co. do. Oh and not on the torture ships out in International Waters, free from any country’s laws and regulations. All this torture has been calculated out. It’s the same in all the places, making it clear that orders were handed down from the top and it wasn’t just some rare rogue group that got carried away.  Full Story

Calling all geeks!

Monitor the election for anomolies as they happen, using these new tools. Black Box Voting is looking for the following types of people to help keep the election straight. Which category do you fit under?

1. Networker (connect with people, organize, gather citizens to action) 

2. Empowerer (provide financial support, donate laptops, video cameras, travel miles) 

3. Hunter-Gatherer (collect assigned, strategic information using the Internet and public records) 

4. Analyzer (Crunch numbers, harvest election-related data, create tools to improve efficiency) 

5. Communicator (connect important information with blogs, mainstream media, public officials, and enforcement authorities)

And now for something completely different

There were two nuns..  

One of them was known as Sister Mathematical (SM),  

and the other one was known as Sister Logical (SL).  

It is getting dark and they are still far away from the convent.

SM: Have you noticed that a man has been following us for The past thirty-eight and a half minutes? I wonder what he wants..  

SL: It’s logical. He wants to rape us.  

SM: Oh, no! At this rate he will reach us in 15 minutes at the most! What can we do?  

SL: The only logical thing to do of course is to walk faster.  

SM: It’s not working.  

SL: Of course it’s not working. The man did the only logical thing. He started to walk faster, too.  

SM : So, what shall we do? At this rate he will reach us in one minute.  

SL: The only logical thing we can do is split You go that way and I’ll go this way. He cannot follow us both.  

So the man decided to follow Sister Logical. 

Sister Mathematical arrives at the convent and is  worried about what has happened to Sister Logical.  

Then Sister Logical arrives.  

SM: Sister Logical ! Thank God you are here!  Tell me what happened!  

SL: The only logical thing happened.  The man couldn’t follow us both, so he followed me  

SM: Yes, yes! But what happened then?  

SL: The only logical thing happened. I started to run as fast as I could and he started to run as fast as he could.  

SM: And?  

SL: The only logical thing happened. He reached me.  

SM: Oh, dear! What did you do?  

SL: The only logical thing to do.  I lifted my dress up.  

SM : Oh, Sister! What did the man do?  

SL : The only logical thing to do. He pulled down his pants.  

SM: Oh, no! What happened then?  

SL: Isn’t it logical, Sister?  A nun with her dress up can run faster than man with his pants down.

Ok, so my sister-in-law actually dragged her family outside to try to see Mars tonight. So what you might ask? Well, you see, she was looking for Mars because according to “google”, Mars was going to be closer than the Moon tonight. Yes, she actually fell for the rumor that’s twisted out of real facts, that has been circulating the internet for years. In 2003, Mars was closer to Earth than it had been in thousands of years. That still means way the hell out there where Mars belongs, not closer than the Moon. The clincher for me, was that she was looking AT the Moon, as if Mars was going to cruise on by between the Moon and Earth, not just inside its orbit path. Never mind that the Moon is in Aquarius and Mars is in Gemini. She’s gonna have an awfully long wait. Oh and never mind gravity and oh just never mind. It’s too funny. “Mommy, why are we staring at the Moon?” I’m SO tempted to tell her to look at the Moon for Mars tomorrow night. She’d probably freak the hell out thinking Mars was causing the eclipse. 

White Man in a hole

While telling me about her newly planned trip to Australia next year for Christmas, my best friend explained that she really wanted to go to a place called Coober Pedy, but wasn’t sure how she would convince her husband and in-laws to make that side-trip. You see, the temperature in Coober Pedy reaches 150, and they would be travelling during Australia’s summer. Why in the world does she want to visit this god-forsaken place that is so desolate that they filmed Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome? Because it’s known for it’s opals. Coober Pedy translates to “white man in a hole”. Most people there live underground. Even the Comfort Inn is underground. 

During her research, my friend found a video with a local (tour guide?) telling a group of tourists not to go wandering around at night. The place has something like 400 million HOLES. Opal hunters have dug holes as far as the eye can see. And apparantly if you’re dumb enough to go wandering around, you’re probably going to end up falling in a hole, and nobody’s going to hear you because nobody else is dumb enough to be out there. We wondered how many bones are at the bottoms of all those holes, and I questioned the true meaning of “white man in a hole”. Maybe that’s just what they tell tourists. Maybe it’s real meaning is “dumb white man in a hole”.

While looking for a picture to show you of all the holes, I ran across travel info and it seems Coober Pedy has a 18-hole golf course. I’ll quote from this site. 

The 18 hole golf course, on the edge of town, is most strange. There is no grass, no sand pits, no water – just great expanses of gravel and dirt. You can rent a piece of astro turf from which to T-off. There are no golf carts and if any cars or mining vehicles drive through, they have the right of way. The golfers have to use florescent balls because they can’t see the white ones and the bearded dragons (a big lizard) think that they are eggs and will carry them away and bury them.

By the way, that “green”? That’s a mixture of sand and motor oil. 

No Props…

**takes her little swatch of astro-turf, day-glo golf balls and telescope and heads out for the day… avoiding jet-skis at all costs**