Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Elysium

Elysium is an upcoming American science fiction film written and directed by Neill Blomkamp. The film stars Matt Damon and Jodie Foster, and is scheduled to be released on August 9, 2013.

The year is 2154. Two classes of people exist: the very wealthy, who live on a perfect man-made space station called Elysium, and the rest, who live on an overpopulated, bankrupt Earth.  

Earth has become a trash-filled landscape policed by robotic droids. 

Matt Damon plays an ailing Earthling trying to infiltrate Elysium to find a cure for himself, and possibly all of humanity.

He is up against Elysium's Secretary Delacourt (Jodie Foster) and her hard-line forces.

On Monday the director allowed a few hundred film fans in Los Angeles and Berlin an early look at the future home of the 1 per cent as he imaged it, and earned excited reactions.

Vulture's Kyle Buchanan noted that Elysium is an action movie for the "99 percent" while IGN.com's Jim Vejvoda wrote  "Elysium certainly looks as daring and cool as District 9.

"Elysium looks very, very sweet. It seems as human and smart as District 9, but with even more action and visual effects, another piece of thinking man's sci-fi entertainment from Neill Blomkamp."




I loved the movie trailer and even paused it to see if Robert DeNiro was in it around 1.35 mark! What do you think? Is it him?



I loved the idea of the film, the 'white hat', ailing heroes against those 'black hatted' have it alls who aren't giving back to society. Then I remembered another movie which appeared to be of a similar 'rich floating in space - poor living on Earth' film. Wall-E.

Is Mat Damon the new Wall-E? I hope not, but you never know...

kthanxbai!

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Monday, April 8, 2013

American Football - Don't You Cry Now!

Don't you just hate all the dust that gets in the air when you watch videos like the one below?




Jack Hoffman just might go down as the biggest star of the Nebraska spring game.
And he's only 7 years old. 
Hoffman, of Atkinson, Neb., has won the hearts of fans and everyone in the football program for his courageous bout with brain cancer. Star running back Rex Burkhead befriended Jack last year and is the captain of the support network known as "Team Jack."
Wearing a miniature Burkhead uniform complete with a No. 22 jersey, Jack ran onto the field late in Saturday's scrimmage. 
On a fourth-and-1 play, he took a handoff from Taylor Martinez. Jack started running left, but Martinez redirected him. The little guy turned on a dime and followed a wall of blockers down the field. 
Players from the Red and White squads left their sidelines and followed him into the end zone to mob him and lift him on their shoulders after his 69-yard touchdown.
The crowd of 60,174 at Memorial Stadium cheered as Jack celebrated — a moment that left his father, Andy, misty-eyed on the sideline. 
Asked what he was thinking when he ran onto the field, Jack said, "Scoring a touchdown."
And when he broke free and scored? "It felt awesome." And the crowd reaction? "Really awesome."









hat tip - CBS News

kthanxbai!

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Sunday, April 7, 2013

A Few Forgotten Facts

Sadly the group known as 'Anonymous' tried to bring down the internet in Israel today. I'm not sure why, but  it has something to do with the Palestinians and their desire to kill all the Jews.

Well, they might have made a minor misjudgement in this case as the Israeli hackers instead broke into the main Anonymous website and put this up to educate them. And if ever you thought that Israel needed defending, here's your list of reasons why:

A Few Forgotten Facts

1. Israel became a nation in 1312 BCE, two thousand years before the rise of Islam.

2. Arab refugees in Israel began identifying themselves as part of a Palestinian people in 1967, two decades after the establishment of the modern State of Israel.

3. Since the Jewish conquest in 1272 BCE, the Jews have had dominion over the land for one thousand years with a continuous presence in the land for the past 3,300 years.

4. The only Arab dominion since the conquest in 635 CE lasted no more than 22 years.

5. For over 3,300 years, Jerusalem has been the Jewish capital Jerusalem has never been the capital of any Arab or Muslim entity. Even when the Jordanians occupied Jerusalem, they never sought to make it their capital, and Arab leaders did not come to visit.

6. Jerusalem is mentioned over 700 times in Tanach, the Jewish Holy Scriptures. Jerusalem is not mentioned once in the Koran.

7. King David founded the city of Jerusalem. Mohammed never came to Jerusalem.

8. Jews pray facing Jerusalem. Muslims pray with their backs toward Jerusalem.

9. In 1948 the Arab refugees were encouraged to leave Israel by Arab leaders promising to purge the land of Jews. Sixty-eight percent left without ever seeing an Israeli soldier.

10. The Jewish refugees were forced to flee from Arab lands due to Arab brutality, persecution, and slaughter.

11. The number of Arab refugees who left Israel in 1948 is estimated to be around 630,000. The number of Jewish refugees from Arab lands is estimated to be the same.

12. Arab refugees were intentionally not absorbed or integrated into the Arab lands to which they fled, despite the vast Arab territory. Out of the 100,000,000 refugees since World War II, theirs is the only refugee group in the world that has never been absorbed or integrated into their own people's lands. Jewish refugees were completely absorbed into Israel, a country no larger than the state of New Jersey.

13. The Arabs are represented by eight separate nations, not including the Palestinians. There is only one Jewish nation. The Arab nations initiated all five wars and lost. Israel defended itself each time and won.

14. The PLO's Charter still calls for the destruction of the State of Israel. Israel has given the Palestinians most of the West Bank land, autonomy under the Palestinian Authority, and has supplied them.

15. Under Jordanian rule, Jewish holy sites were desecrated and the Jews were denied access to places of worship. Under Israeli rule, all Muslim and Christian sites have been preserved and made accessible to people of all faiths.

16. The UN Record on Israel and the Arabs: of the 175 Security Council resolutions passed before 1990, 97 were directed against Israel.

17. Of the 690 General Assembly resolutions voted on before 1990, 429 were directed against Israel.

18. The UN was silent while 58 Jerusalem Synagogues were destroyed by the Jordanians.

19. The UN was silent while the Jordanians systematically desecrated the ancient Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives.

20. The UN was silent while the Jordanians enforced an apartheid-like a policy of preventing Jews from visiting the Temple Mount and the Western Wall.


 kthanxbai!

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Not A Word Said

I came across this on Facebook today and found it quite beautiful, enthralling and moving;



kthanxbai! http://jumblerant.blogspot.com

Thursday, April 4, 2013

When I Was 9

When I was nine, I played in the garden with my friends and our Star Wars figurines.

When I was nine I was still having 'special time' with the English teacher and my new reading books that no-one else had.

When I was nine I was a cub scout, having pledged, 'to honour the Queen and keep the Cub Scout Law'.

This is what this other kid is up to aged nine:



Yup, Kid President just met The President.

kthanxbai!

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Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Five Steps to Vanquish Any Problem



I'm not a deep and meaningful kind of guy. No, honest, I know I have this blog and that I live on Facebook and Twitter, but even so, I don't consider myself a 'sharer'. But here's the rub, I found an article that gives such resonating advice about stopping thinking like a victim, and to react and act like a hero, that I am going to share it with you here, in it's entirety:

If you don´t see yourself as part of the problem, you cannot be part of the solution.
Every culture teaches this through a similar story. Joseph Campbell, anthropologist and advisor for Star Wars, called it “The Hero with a Thousand Faces.” The hero starts his journey feeling at the mercy of external circumstances. By the end, he realizes he is in control of his destiny. He knows that he can choose how to behave, learn and grow.
Teaching accounting at MIT, I saw how numbers shape perceptions.
Coaching leaders all over the world, I learned how stories shape lives. Good stories inspire you; bad stories disempower you. The worst stories are the ones that have you as a victim.
Heroes are not just mythical characters. They are examples of you at your best. Here are five suggestions to always remember who you are.
1. No problem -- Take the challenge
There is no such thing as a problem. What you call "a problem" is not a thing independent of you, but a situation you don´t like. It is “a problem for you.” To deal with it more effectively, put yourself in the picture. Think of it as your challenge. Take the difficulty as an opportunity to show your true colors.
I often catch myself saying, “the real problem is…” followed by the thought, “…that you don´t agree with me!” Equally often, my counterpart argues that “the real problem is…” that I don´t agree with him. Unless we recognize and give up these bad stories, we will each push hard to overcome the other. Push versus push equals stuck: a very expensive stalemate where we both spend tremendous energy for no result.
2. Drop “Who's responsible?” – Be response-able
You didn't do it. So what? You are suffering from it. People and things are out of control. It is tempting to blame them and play the part of the innocent victim. Don't.The price of innocence is impotence. That which you blame you empower. Become the hero of the story; focus on what you can do to respond to your challenge.
The inspiring question is not, “why is this happening to me!” but “what is the best I can do when this happens?”
I once coached a financial services executive who would always blame external factors: regulation, competition, the economy, his employees, his boss, his peers. All these forces did impinge on his goals. It was the truth, but not the whole truth. The truth that he refused to accept, the one that blocked his growth, was that he was able to respond to these forces. (See the coaching questions I use, here.)
3. Forget what you don´t want – Focus on what you want.
Consider an issue that troubles you. What would you like to have happen? I ask this every time I coach. Infallibly, I learn what my client would like to not have happen anymore. This is a bad end for a hero´s journey. Avoiding what you don´t want will take your energy away from achieving what you do want.
Your brain doesn't compute “no”. What you try to avoid you unconsciously create. If you don´t believe this, try to not think of a white bear right now and notice where your mind goes. Define a positive outcome precisely. Ask yourself, "What do I really want?" and visualize it in as much detail as you can. This will force you to put some flesh on the conceptual bones. Furthermore, ask yourself, “How would I know that I got what I wanted? What would I see? What would I feel?” In this way you will be sure that your vision has observable standards by which to measure success.
4. Take one eye off the ball – Go for the gold.
It’s not about hitting the ball; it’s about winning the game. Set your mind on what you are ultimately trying to achieve. Build a chain from means to ends, taking you from getting the job, to advancing your career, to feeling professionally fulfilled, to being happy. The ultimate goal and measure of success is happiness.
“What would you get, if you achieved X, which is even more important to you than X?” Ask yourself this question and discover that you never ask for what you really want—and neither does anybody else. We all ask for what we think is going to give us what we really want. Have you ever bought set of golf clubs hoping they would make you play better? And what would you get, if you played better, which is even more important to you than playing better?
5. Failure is not an option – Succeed beyond success.
Commit fully to achieve what you really want. Know that you deserve it and give it your best. This will make you more likely to get it. Success, however, is not the most important thing. To be a hero, pursue your goal ethically, as an expression of your highest values. Success may give you pleasure, but integrity leads to happiness.
Don't aim at success--the more you aim at it and make it (your final) target, the more you are going to miss it. For true success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one's personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself. Listen to what your conscience commands you to do and carry it out to the best of your knowledge." -- Viktor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning.


kthanxbai!

http://jumblerant.blogspot.com

Thursday, March 28, 2013

The King of Video Ads

I work in internet advertising. Yes, I get paid to watch YouTube, go on Facebook, LinkedIn and Google all day long. A tough life, but someone has to live it!

Anyway, I came across this amazing video the other day, espoused by many as the pinnacle of video advertising (oh, and it may not be fir for watching at work or at home);



What do you think? Did it make you thirsty?

kthanxbai!

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Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Game of Thrones Season 3

Its back, time to get the good wine out of the fridge, get the cheesy pops out of the cupboard and put your feet up for an enthralling Season 3 of game of Thrones.

Whats going to happen? I have no idea,. but it looks AWESOME







And for the more serious Game of Throne fans out there, if you haven't already seen them, a couple of sessions with the actors and producer regarding the new season, and seasons past.





kthanxbai!

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Sunday, March 24, 2013

Happy Passover

Its been a busy few weeks here, President Obama came to visit, and its always nice to have guests! Spring is on its way too, which has caused some very 'interesting' weather - last Friday we reached 88F and this Friday? Rain. Yup. We're all discombibulated.

So we're at that time of year again. Passover! We clean the house, as best we can, and get ready for more days outside, and less days huddled around the radiators.

Herewith, 2 videos extolling the Passover Festival.







Have a nice day now, y'all.

kthanxbai!

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