Six years ago a terrorist in Vienna took hundreds of hostages and the rescue attempt was totally botched. Veteran Henry Pelham (played by Chris Pines), a CIA operative learned that one of its agents may be the reason behind the attack via leaking sensitive information. Pelham along with his college Celia Harrison (played by Thandiwe Newton), also former lover are assigned to figure out who the mole is.
The movie is based on the 2015 spy novel by author Olen Steinhauer. Director Janus Metz adapted his screen from the book. In addition to Pines and Newton, the film also features Laurence Fishburne and Jonathan Pryce.
The movie will be released April 8 on the Amazon streaming platform globally and also in select theaters.
Since it was first published in English in 1927, The Tibetan Book of the Dead has proved to be the most popular book on Tibetan Buddhism in the Western world. At present, there are at least 21 translations in multiple languages and formats. There are also multiple expert commentaries, ranging from scholarly discussions to Buddhist practice guides.
The Tibetan Book of the Dead is an exemplar of Tibetan literary prose and a compelling commentary on the universal experience of death and dying from a Buddhist perspective. A classic of medieval Buddhist literature, it contains vivid descriptions of the bardos or intermediary states between death and rebirth that are, like other medieval texts, often illustrated.
The most important thing to understand about The Tibetan Book of the Dead is that it is meant to be read aloud. This is not surprising when we consider that ancient texts from many cultures were meant to be recited. Reading silently was uncommon in the ancient world.
Not only is The Tibetan Book of the Dead meant to be read aloud, it is meant to be read to the dead. In other words, corpses are the intended audience for the work, which makes it unique among the world’s literary classics. Its opening lines speak directly to the deceased:
O, Alas! Alas! Fortunate Child of Buddha Nature, Do not be oppressed by the forces of ignorance and delusion! But rise up now with resolve and courage! Entranced by ignorance from beginningless time until now, You have had more than enough time to sleep. So do not slumber any longer, but strive after virtue with body, speech and mind!
In this opening passage, we encounter the book’s fundamental messages. The first and perhaps most important message is that all beings are, in their fundamental nature, no different to the Buddha – sublime and perfect. This means that we can all become enlightened, just as the Buddha was enlightened. The next message is that a subtle, pared-back form of consciousness remains alert in the corpse for some time after death, existing in what is known as a bardo, an intermediate state of existence between death and rebirth.
A bardo is a mind-state rather than a place, a transitional state that is neither here nor there, not of this life but also not of the next. Etymologically, the word bardo breaks down into “bar”, which translates as movement or flow, like a stream, and “do” which translates as a stepping stone or island in the stream.
The idea of an island of stillness within a stream of movement is profoundly important in the Buddhist teachings, because it points to the hidden profundity of present experience, to the immediacy that is being in the now, which can open us to a direct and intimate experience of what Tibetan Buddhists call our true nature, or Buddha Nature.
An island of stillness within a stream of movement. Shutterstock
The cycle of life
The final message of the lines quoted above is that physical death is not an ultimate end or oblivion. Indeed, it may be an opportunity. Even in the disembodied, post-mortem state of the bardo, there is still a chance for what Buddhists call Nirvana or liberation, which is freedom from the tyranny of cyclic existence.
Cyclic existence is birth, suffering, death, then rebirth into another life of suffering and death, on and on without end. Buddhists believe that we have all been trapped in this cycle of misery since the beginning of time and will remain trapped forever unless we do something about it.
The Tibetan Book of the Dead tells us what to do about it. It tells us how to achieve liberation in the moment of death and fulfil our potential as spiritually awakened beings, as Buddhas. This profoundly appealing promise is at the heart of Tibetan Buddhist beliefs about life and death.
Origins
As a book, The Tibetan Book of the Dead has a mystical origin story and a publication history unlike any other. According to Tibetan tradition it was created in the 8th century (around 750 CE) by Padmasambhava, a mystic and prophet from Oddiyana, in what is now far northern Pakistan, who established tantric Buddhism in the Tibetan Empire.
Padmasambhava did not write or compose the text, but rather spontaneously dictated it to Yeshe Tsogyal, a Tibetan princess, who was his most important disciple and the first Tibetan to achieve enlightenment. Yeshe Tsogyal is one of the few women in recorded history to be venerated as a fully awakened Buddha.
Padmasambhava told his exceptional disciple that the book’s message was not for that time, but for some future time, so Yeshe Tsogyal hid the text in a cave high on a mountain in central Tibet. Padmasambhava then prophesised that the text would be rediscovered more than 500 years later, when it would be needed by the people of Tibet and the world.
Exactly as prophesised, around 1341, when the bubonic plague was cutting down millions in Europe and Asia, a spiritually precocious 15-year-old boy, following instructions he had received in dreams and visions, climbed the mountain, entered the cave, and found the text.
The boy was Karma Lingpa, from then on renowned as a saint and visionary and the prophesied terton, or “treasure-revealer”, of the spiritual treasure that is The Tibetan Book of the Dead. The text was copied and distributed throughout Tibet and the lands where tantric Buddhism flourished – Bhutan, Nepal, Ladakh, Sikkim, Mongolia and China. It became one of the most treasured texts of Tibetan Buddhism.
If we accept the traditional version of events, The Tibetan Book of the Dead was created centuries before the epic poem Beowulf was composed in England, but was not made public or widely distributed until around the time when Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales. This has to be one of the longest publishing schedules in history, spanning nearly 600 years. True or not, the origin story adds to the book’s mystique.
The universality of death
The publication date for The Tibetan Book of the Dead, 1341 CE or thereabouts, gives us the historical context for the work’s appeal. The perilous time in which it was disseminated, at the height of the Black Death in Asia and Europe, meant that its unique vision of death as an opportunity for enlightenment resonated with a terrified population.
Its emergence or rediscovery at the time of the bubonic plague, and the Buddhist promise it holds of liberation from the cycle of rebirth and suffering, made it the most sought after text in the medieval Buddhist world. Its depiction of death and dying offered guidance in a time when human beings felt under siege by plague and conflict.
Of course, death is not just a medieval concern. All beings die and all beings grieve, human and non-human animals alike, so death both fascinates and terrifies. Although the Black Death no longer stalks the world, other plagues and pandemics have emerged with unsettling frequency: cholera, smallpox, yellow fever, tuberculosis, influenza, AIDS and COVID 19.
There are always wars, earthquakes, tsunamis, wildfires, accidents and other calamities. Death is our shadow. It darkens our steps from the minute we are born and endures after our life is lost, casting a pall of grief over those we have left behind. The Tibetan Book of the Dead became and remains the most well-known book about Buddhism in the Western world because it deals with the only topic common to us all: the inevitability of death and our need to psychologically or spiritually process that truth.
Translation and reception in the West
The story behind The Tibetan Book of the Dead’s translation and publication in the West is almost as unusual as its origin story. The book was first published in English in 1927. In Tibetan the title is Bardo Thodol, which does not translate as The Tibetan Book of the Dead at all, but as “Liberation through Hearing during the Intermediate State”.
The English title was thought up by Walter Evans-Wentz (1878–1965) as a nod to The Egyptian Book of the Dead, a popular book among spiritualists at the time. Wentz, a theosophist determined to link the Tibetan text to his own fanciful spiritualist philosophy, was credited as the translator of The Tibetan Book of the Dead, but he did not actually do the translating. The translation was done by Kazi Dawa Samdup (1868–1922), the headmaster of a boarding school in the Sikkimese capital of Gangtok and a one-time interpreter for the British Raj.
Wentz not only took credit for the translation; he altered it in such fundamental ways that it was no longer a translation at all, but a kind of literary fabrication that distorted the book’s Buddhist messages to conform to his own cooked-up spiritualist ideas. As a result, The Tibetan Book of the Dead, in that first edition produced by Wentz, was a kind of psychedelic travelogue of an afterlife that Buddhists do not believe in.
The spiritualist and quasi-psychedelic threads Wentz introduced are among the main reasons the book became popular among Western spiritualists of the 1930s and 1940s, some of whom later introduced it into the American counterculture of the 1960s.
In 1964, The Psychedelic Experience: A Manual Based on The Tibetan Book of the Dead was published, solidifying the link between the text and altered or psychedelic states of consciousness. Authored by notorious psychologists and psychedelics “researchers” Timothy Leary, Ralph Metzner and Richard Alpert (later the Hindu guru Ram Dass), the work takes Wentz’s fabrications and runs wild with them.
The link to psychedelic drugs and spooky spiritualism contributes to The Tibetan Book of the Dead’s ongoing appeal to a certain alternative Western non-Buddhist reader. However, this does not wholly explain its enduring popularity. More recent translations are true translations, rather than spiritualist fabrications or psychedelic imaginings. This has done nothing to reduce the book’s popularity. And it brings us to the real reason it is still one of the bestselling books about Tibetan Buddhism – its vision of what happens to us after death.
This vision resonates with Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike, because it provides a philosophy about life and death that addresses both our fascination with and fear of death. It treats death not as a final end, but as an opportunity to become more than we are, to become what we are in our fundamental nature, which, according to Buddhism, is perfect and at one with everything.
This satisfies two very human needs: the need to process the truth of death, and the need for our short and often limited lives to have meaning beyond mere survival or biological reproduction.
The Tibetan Book of the Dead, or rather the Bardo Thodol, shows us how to achieve both. Whether we believe in Buddhist notions of rebirth and cyclic existence or not, the message this text contains is unique, which is why it has become a classic of world literature and will likely remain one.
It is not easy to make the decision that you want to stop drinking. And once you make the decision to quit, there are many different types of strategies out there, which often vary and are unique to each person.
There is no one way to successfully quit drinking since there are often times many more factors that contribute to staying sober (i.e. daily stressors, access to resources, ect.) and these are often unknown or unclear until we are in a situation (sober) where we must confront them.
Regardless of your reasons to stop drinking, there are only benefits available, ultimately, to be achieved by learning and building your knowledge regarding addiction and alcoholism. One of the best, proven, ways to do that is to pick up a book.
The books we’ve selected below can help readers gain some insight, and perhaps find other ways of thinking and being, when it comes to starting and, perhaps even more importantly, staying on the journey towards recovery and long term sobriety.
Please take a look at the list below, which are of some of the best books available that are about quitting drinking. We have included book information provided by the publisher, as well as links, if you are interested in getting more information or picking up a copy.
This is the definitive, ground-breaking guide to alcohol and alcoholism. It explains how alcohol affects human beings on a chemical, physiological and psychological level, from those first drinks right up to chronic alcoholism.
Alcoholism and problem drinking seems illogical to those on the outside, indeed it is equally perplexing for the alcoholic or problem drinker. This book provides a logical, easy to follow explanation of the phenomenon and detailed instructions on how to beat it.
Despite being entirely scientific and factual in nature the book is presented in an accessible and easily understandable format.
Many people question whether drinking has become too big a part of their lives, and worry that it may even be affecting their health.
But, they resist change because they fear losing the pleasure and stress-relief associated with alcohol, and assume giving it up will involve deprivation and misery. This Naked Mindoffers a new, positive solution.
Here, Annie Grace clearly presents the psychological and neurological components of alcohol use based on the latest science, and reveals the cultural, social, and industry factors that support alcohol dependence in all of us.
Written in an uplifting, easy-to-follow format, “Alcohol and You” clearly explains: The best, scientifically-proven ways to reduce or quit drinking. How to self-diagnose alcohol dependence in minutes. How to motivate yourself to change and enjoy the process.
How to decide whether cutting down or quitting is right for you. Medications and strategies to help deal with cravings. The best, free support to help maintain your progress over time.“Alcohol and You” will leave you feeling inspired, fully-informed, and excited about your future. Order this book today and say good-bye to alcohol problems.
In The Power of Habit, award-winning business reporterCharles Duhigg takes us to the thrilling edge of scientific discoveries that explain why habits exist and how they can be changed.
Distilling vast amounts of information into engrossing narratives that take us from the boardrooms of Procter & Gamble to the sidelines of the NFL to the front lines of the civil rights movement, Duhigg presents a whole new understanding of human nature and its potential.
At its core, The Power of Habit contains an exhilarating argument: The key to exercising regularly, losing weight, being more productive, and achieving success is understanding how habits work. As Duhigg shows, by harnessing this new science, we can transform our businesses, our communities, and our lives.
This book is the story of a year in Clare’s life. A year that started with her quitting booze having been drinking more than a bottle of wine every day.
It sees her starting a hugely successful blog, then getting and beating breast cancer. By the end of the year she is booze free and cancer free, two stone lighter and with a life that is so much richer, healthier and more rewarding than ever before.
Sober Diaries is an upbeat, funny and positive look at how to live life to the full.
Here, in straight-talking chapters filled with personal stories, McKowen addresses issues such as facing facts, the question of AA, and other people’s drinking.
Without sugarcoating the struggles of sobriety, she relentlessly emphasizes the many blessings of an honest life, one without secrets and debilitating shame. Click to check out “We are the Luckiest“.
Please notice that we are including links below in case you’d like to view the items directly on Amazon. These are also affiliate links that benefit Lynxoitc but represent no charge to you. Thank you for your support and kind attention.
With spring now finally in full swing and pretty much all of us looking forward to getting out of our winter caves, taking to the wilds, in whatever part of the country we are in. Hiking while bird and animal watching can be an incredible treat to add more to the pleasure of the outdoors. Rather than relying on our trusty smart phones and a voice assistant or google search, why not go the tried and true route using a vinyl reinforced guide book with the photos and information right at your fingertips? If you do this right there won’t be cellular data reception anyway! Peterson just happens to have a fantastic assortment of guides for just this purpose, so, no matter what part of the US you find yourself in, or which species or category of living creature you expect to encounter check out the guides people as a perfect companion for your journey!
Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Eastern and Central North America, 6th Edition
Guide to birds of eastern and central north america guides a unique identification system, which has been called the greatest invention since binoculars.
This guide is illustrated with drawings and photographs in color and black and white and all provide up to date range information and the most useful descriptions, pinpoints key field marks for quick recognition and easy comparison of species.
This guide will feature updated text and range maps, and art updated to reflect current knowledge in ornithology. This is the most popular book for the area of the US that has the absolute highest number and greatest diversity of bird watching opportunities.
A comprehensive field guide that uses an innovative Sound Index to allow readers to quickly identify unfamiliar songs and calls of birds in western North America.
Bird songs and calls are at least as important as visual field marks in identifying birds. Yet short of memorizing each bird’s repertoire, it’s difficult to sort through them all. Now, with the western edition of this groundbreaking book, it’s possible to visually distinguish bird sounds and identify birds using a field-guide format.
At the core of this guide is the spectrogram, a visual graph of sound. With a brief introduction to five key aspects–speed, repetition, pauses, pitch pattern, and tone quality–readers can translate what they hear into visual recognition, without any musical training or auditory memorization.
This fourth edition has been completely rewritten, with all-new range maps and illustrations for all species
A Field Guide to Mammals of North America The most comprehensive, in-depth, and current guide to North American mammals, this book covers all the mammals found in North America north of Mexico, including those that live in near-shore waters.
The only guide to include paintings and photographs of the animals as well as photographs of mammal skulls, it has 80 color plates, plus 46 additional color illustrations and black-and-white drawings, nearly 400 range maps, and more than 100 color photographs.
With global warming on the horizon it’s more important than ever to learn about and appreciate the incredible mammals that exist on our planet.
Detailed descriptions of insect orders, families, and many individual species are illustrated with 1,200 drawings and 142 superb color paintings.
Illustrations – which use the unique Peterson Identification System to distinguish one insect from another – include size lines to show the actual length of each insect.
A helpful glossary explains the technical terms of insect anatomy.
Donald J. Borror has worked as a professor of entomology at Ohio State University. With Dwight M. DeLong, he is coauthor of An Introduction to the Study of Insects, a widely used textbook. Dr. Borror recorded The Songs of Insects, one of the Sounds of Nature disks in the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology series, with Richard D. Alexander.
A completely updated edition, including 122 newly recognized or recently established non-native species of reptiles and amphibians.The new edition of this definitive guide reflects 25 years’ worth of changes in our knowledge of reptiles and amphibians.
It includes descriptions of 122 newly recognized or recently established non-native species, updated maps, and new figures and photos. Color illustrations and drawings show key details for accurate identification. More than 100 color photographs and 322 color distribution maps accompany the species descriptions.
Clear and concise species accounts provide key characteristics, similar species, habitats, and ranges, as well as subspecies, voice descriptions, and conservation status. This edition will be a crucial resource for professional and amateur herpetologists, naturalists, outdoor enthusiasts, and students.
There are nearly 1,000 species of freshwater fishes in North America alone, and identifying them can sometimes be a daunting task. In fact, in just the twenty years since publication of the first edition of the Peterson Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes, the number of species has risen by almost 150, including 19 marine invaders and 16 newly established nonnative species.
This second edition incorporates all of these new species, plus all-new maps and a collection of new and revised plates. Some of the species can be told apart only by minute differences in coloration or shape, and these beautifully illustrated plates reveal exactly how to distinguish each species.
The guide includes detailed maps and information showing where to locate each species of fish–whether that species can be found in miles-long stretches of river or small pools that cover only dozens of square feet. The ichthyologic world of the twenty-first century is not the same as it was in the twentieth, and this brand-new edition of the definitive field guide to freshwater fishes reflects these many changes.
Best Selling Author takes to HBO in new Documentary-series
Professor, Researcher, and multiple best-seller Brene Brown has a new 5 part docuseries starting March 31st on the streaming platform HBO Max. The series, which was filmed in front of a studio audience shows Brene asking the crowd meaningful questions about the trajectory of their lives. Themes of envy, anxiety and fear are some of the topics discussed in the series and how language is the portal that takes us through those themes in our own lives.
Her new book continues to share her expertise on the ways of courage, vulnerability, shame and empathy
In her newest released book “Atlas of the Heart”, Dr. Brené maps out both an actionable framework and the necessary skills to make meaningful connections.
By using her 20 year experience in the field, Brown is able to artfully explain to readers the journey of our emotions and experiences and how jointly the two help define what it means to be a human being.
The connection with others, being brave and sharing vulnerable moments she believes in the true language of the human experience.
Finding our way back to ourselves and each other, especially in the midst of uncertainty, anxiety and fear – building confidence, courage to walk along side people
Her docuseries based on her book is coming out at the very important time, with the pandemic still not eradicated and when many of us have been very disconnected.
Brown shares, “I want this book to be an atlas for all of us, because I believe that, with an adventurous heart and the right maps, we can travel anywhere and never fear losing ourselves.”
Curious about aliens encounters, extraterrestrial life and UFO sightings? Us humans have and continue to search for answers on that big question. And it seems like the more we uncover about our vast universe, the more questions and less we actually know.
Life beyond Earth has held a long been an interest and have made a resurgence in news. Including mysterious monoliths appears in different parts of the world. Even reports from a former Israeli space program claiming an existing government alliance between aliens (via the Galactic Federation) with humans.
AS SEEN ON ANCIENT ALIENS’ “THE ALIEN PHENOMENON” Now in a beautiful 50th anniversary edition with a new foreword and afterword by the author, this is the groundbreaking classic that introduced the theory that ancient Earth established contact with aliens.
Immediately recognized as a work of monumental importance, Chariots of the Godsendures as proof that Earth has been visited repeatedly by advanced aliens from other worlds. Here, Erich von Däniken examines ancient ruins, lost cities, spaceports, and a myriad of hard scientific facts that point to extraterrestrial intervention in human history. Most incredible of all, however, is von Däniken’s theory that we are the descendants of these galactic pioneers–and he reveals the archaeological discoveries that prove it… An alien astronaut preserved in a pyramid * Thousand-year-old spaceflight navigation charts * Computer astronomy from Incan and Egyptian ruins * A map of the land beneath the ice cap of Antarctica * A giant spaceport discovered in the Andes Includes remarkable photos that document mankind’s first contact with aliens at the dawn of civilization
Gateway
Click to see “Gateway” and help independent bookstores. Also available on Amazon.
WINNER OF THE HUGO AND NEBULA AWARDS – Frederik Pohl stands shoulder to shoulder with Philip K. Dick, Larry Niven, Robert Heinlein, and Ray Bradbury as one of the brilliant vision-aries in the science fiction stratosphere. Gateway is a modern masterpiece that defines–and transcends–its genre.
Seeded among the stars are troves of valuable artifactsleft behind by the enigmatic, long-vanished alien racecalled the Heechee. For the right price, anyone can climb aboard one of the abandoned Heechee spaceships, castoff on an autopilot voyage to parts unknown, and takea chance on finding wealth . . . or facing death.
Robinette Broadhead took that chance and walked awaya winner. But at what cost? Despite living a millionaire’s life of material luxury, he’s haunted by crippling despair–and the dark secrets buried deep in his psyche. With the help of his computerized psychiatrist, the truth about whathappened “out there” could set Broadhead free. But only after a personal journey more terrifying and, ultimately, more devastating than his last fateful trip into space. Click to see “Gateway” and help independent bookstores. Also available on Amazon.
The Left Hand of Darkness: 50th Anniversary Edition
50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION–WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY DAVID MITCHELL AND A NEW AFTERWORD BY CHARLIE JANE ANDERS Ursula K. Le Guin’s groundbreaking work of science fiction–winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards. A lone human ambassador is sent to the icebound planet of Winter, a world without sexual prejudice, where the inhabitants’ gender is fluid.
His goal is to facilitate Winter’s inclusion in a growing intergalactic civilization. But to do so he must bridge the gulf between his own views and those of the strange, intriguing culture he encounters… Embracing the aspects of psychology, society, and human emotion on an alien world, The Left Hand of Darkness stands as a landmark achievement in the annals of intellectual science fiction. Click to see “The Left Hand of Darkness” and help bookstores. Also available on Amazon.
UFOs: Generals, Pilots, and Government Officials Go on the Record
Click to see “UFOs” and help independent bookstores. Also available on Amazon.
Leslie Kean, a veteran investigative reporter who has spent the past ten years studying the still-unexplained UFO phenomenon, reviewed hundreds of government documents, aviation reports, radar data, and case studies with corroborating physical evidence. She interviewed dozens of high-level officials and aviation witnesses from around the world.
Among them, five Air Force generals and a host of high-level sources–including Fife Symington III, former governor of Arizona, and Nick Pope, former head of the British Defence Ministry’s UFO Investigative Unit–have written their own breathtaking, firsthand accounts about UFO encounters and investigations exclusively for this book. With the support of former White House chief of staff John Podesta, Kean lifts the veil on decades of U.S. government misinformation about this mysterious phenomenon and presents irrefutable evidence that unknown flying objects–metallic, luminous, and seemingly able to maneuver in ways that defy the laws of physics–actually exist. Click to see “UFOs” and help independent bookstores. Also available on Amazon.
The 2022 Academy Awards came and went with over-the-top controversy, thank you very much. However, don’t forget there is also a list of great Oscar winning, and Oscar nominated, films that are on Netflix today, but not for long, as they will disappear to make room for new content starting April 1st.
This is a huge list of movie titles that offer a great mix of comedy, erotic thrillers, love stories and family favorites, so there is, without a doubt, something for everyone.
Below we’ve included the top 3 most noteworthy gems (with trailers) that we are definitely going to re-watch, as well as the whole huge list that will be going -going – gone at the stroke of midnight March 31st.
‘Blood Diamond’
‘Interview With the Vampire’
‘Bright Star’
All Titles Leaving March 31st:
Leaving March 31
300 A River Runs Through It As Good as It Gets Bad Teacher Bee Movie Blood Diamond Braveheart Bright Star Despicable Me Despicable Me 2 Eight Legged Freaks Free Willy 4: Escape from Pirate’s Cove G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra Ghosts of Girlfriends Past Good Burger Gremlins The Hangover Happy Feet Two The Holiday Hook I Love You, Man In the Cut Interview with the Vampire Jumanji The Karate Kid Kung Fu Panda The Longest Yard Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa Nacho Libre The NeverEnding Story Paranormal Activity Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You! Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon: Sun & Moon: Ultra Adventures Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon: Sun & Moon: Ultra Legends Runaway Bride The Ugly Truth Wild Wild West Woo
The Ketogenic Diet, popularly referred to as simply “Keto”, is on top of the list of many well-known ways in which people have lost weight by eating food low in carbs. The ketogenic diet isn’t actually anything new and has been utilized for centuries, most commonly used to help diabetes. The diet was also introduced in the 1920’s as treatment for epilepsy in children, as well as tested with people who have cancer, polycystic ovary syndrome (POS) and Alzheimer’s.
Yet, as a popular way to lose weight, Keto can’t take all the credit, since the rise in stature can be largely attributed to The Atkins Diet, which started around the 1970’s and commercialized the low-carb/high protein diet structure. Due to the initial success of The Atkins Diet, many other low carb diets and variations have been put on the map – such as Keto, Paleo, South Beach and The Dukan Diet to name just a few.
The four phases of the Dukan diet:
Attack Phase (1–7 days): You start the diet by eating unlimited lean protein plus 1.5 tablespoons of oat bran per day.
Cruise Phase (1–12 months): Alternate lean protein one day with lean protein and non-starchy veggies the next, plus 2 tablespoons of oat bran every day.
Consolidation Phase (5 days for every pound lost in phases 1 and 2): Unlimited lean protein and veggies, some carbs and fats, one day of lean protein weekly, 2.5 tablespoons of oat bran daily.
Stabilization Phase (indefinite): Follow the Consolidation Phase guidelines but loosen the rules as long as your weight remains stable. Oat bran is increased to 3 tablespoons per day.
The Attack Phase is primarily based on high-protein foods, as well as a few extras that provide low calorie options:
Lean beef, veal, venison, bison, and other game
Lean pork
Poultry without skin
Liver, kidney, and tongue
Fish and shellfish (all types)
Eggs
Non-fat dairy products (restricted to 32 ounces or 1 kg per day), such as milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, and ricotta
So what makes Keto different? The Keto diet stands out from the other low-carb diets because you eat a much higher fat content, which accounts for as much as 70-80% of your food intake and usually, in contrast to other low carb diets, involves also eating only a moderate amount of protein.
The general idea is for your eating plan to include more calories derived from proteins and fat and less from carbohydrates. With a low-carb diet, your body will eventually run out of fuel, usually taken from blood sugar (glucose), which will result in your body starting to break down proteins and fat for energy instead and that will result in weight loss. This metabolic process, described here in a nut-shell, is called ketosis.
Whether you want to just dip your feet in the pooland try out some Keto recipes, or go full hog (pun intended), we have provided some book titles on the most popular books relating to Keto.
What to Eat
Meat (Fish, Beef, Poultry)
Leafy Green Vegetables (Spinach, Kale)
Eggs and Diary (Cheese, Cream, Butter)
Oils
Nuts and Seeds
Avocados
Broccoli and Cauliflower
Berries
Water
What NOT to Eat
Bread (Flour, Wheat, Rice, Cereal)
Pasta
Starches (like Potatoes and Yams)
Sugar
high Fructose Corn Syrup
Corn
Legumes and Beans
Fruit (exception is Berries)
Soda
Milk (has milk sugar)
Being on a ketogenic diet is meant for the short term, rather than permanent, with the main focus being on losing weight and should not be done as a long-term lifestyle diet. This is because there have been some noted and potentially unhealthy takeaways from the diet; one that the diet heavily relies on red meat and other fat-rich processed, high-salt foods that are not optimum for daily consumption. In addition, there have not been enough long term studies to conclude if the the short-term results of weight loss will last or if, after resuming carb intake, the pound will be put right back on again.
As always, whenever choosing a specific elating plan, diet, or weight loss approach, keep in mind that everyone’s body is different and results will vary. Consulting an expert on the matter, like a registered dietitian or general practitioner, is highly recommended for the best guidance on what is best for you.
Since The Keto Diet has been around for a long time, there’s no shortage of books and cookbooks on the topic. However there are now many new and different ways to incorporate Keto, with an offshoot of systems for non-meat eaters, including vegan and vegetarian options.
This is surprising, since when Keto comes to mind, it is normal first to picture high-protein animal products like meat, eggs and cheese at the forefront of what can be eaten on the diet. Knowing that you can have plant-based alternatives to choose from and incorporate for Keto is refreshing, and just might remove some of the biggest potential drawbacks mentioned above.
Ketotarian includes more than 75 recipes that are vegetarian, vegan, or pescatarian, offering a range of delicious and healthy choices for achieving weight loss, renewed health, robust energy, and better brain function. Dr. Will Cole comes to the rescue with Ketotarian, which has all the fat-burning benefits without the antibiotics and hormones that are packed into most keto diets.
Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is a prequel to the extremely popular anime series Jujutsu Kaisen which held #1 slot in Japan for six weeks after its release in December 24 of last year. The Japanese blockbuster is headed for release in the U.S. and its not too late to jump on the anime train for this upcoming action fantasy film.
Jujutsu Kaisen has been a household name in the manga world since 2018. So when the anime series hit it was quickly named “Anime of the Year” in 2021 and was a trending topic on Twitter for weeks after its release.
Jujutsu Kaisen 0 takes place 1 year earlier from Season 1 of the Jujutsu Kaisen anime series. The story follows Yuta Okkotsu a high school who gains control of an powerful evil cursed spirit named Rika. Yuta attempts the dual existence as a regular teenage and also having extreme physical powers that he is unable to control.
Yuta agrees to enter the Tokyo Prefectural Jujutsu High School in order and be trained by sorcerers after he continues to unintentionally harm people because of the Rika spirit.
Yuta must learn to control his power and only use for the greater good. Jujutsu Kaisen 0 gives good fundamental context to the anime series, which again is perfect if you want to start the journey. The second season of Jujutsu Kaisen is said to return later in 2023.
Jujutsu Kaisen 0 will be released in theaters starting March 18 with the option to watch dubbed in English or in Japanese with English subtitles.
Click to Buy “Ulysses” and at the same time help Lynxotic and All Independent Local Bookstores. Also Available on Amazon
The greatest and most Irish book ever written. Credited with the invention of stream of consciousness prose and widely considered the most important work of the 20th century. “Ulysses will immortalize its author with the same certainty that Gargantuaimmortalized Rabelais, and The Brothers Karamazov James Joyce, the twentieth century’s most influential novelist, was born in Dublin on February 2, 1882. After receiving a rigorous Jesuit education, twenty-year-old Joyce renounced his Catholicism and left Dublin in 1902 to spend most of his life as a writer in exile in Paris, Trieste, Rome, and Zurich. His writings include Chamber Music (1907), Dubliners (1914), A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916), Exiles (1918), Ulysses (1922), Pomes Penyeach (1927), and Finnegan’s Wake (1939). Ulysses required seven years to complete and Finnegan’s Wake, took seventeen. Both works revolutionized the form, structure, and content of the novel. Joyce died in Zurich in 1941.immortalized Dostoyevsky…. It comes nearer to being the perfect revelation of a personality than any book in existence.” –The New York Times
“To my mind one of the most significant and beautiful books of our time.” -Gilbert Seldes, in The Nation
“Talk about understanding “feminine psychology”– I have never read anything to surpass it, and I doubt if I have ever read anything to equal it.” -Arnold Bennett
“In the last pages of the book, Joyce soars to such rhapsodies of beauty as have probably never been equaled in English prose fiction.” -Edmund Wilson, in The New Republic
Oscar Wilde – “The Picture of Dorian Gray” (1890)
Click to Buy “The Picture of Dorian Gray” and at the same time help Lynxotic and All Independent Local Bookstores. Also Available on Amazon
Dorian Gray is the subject of a full-length portrait in oil by Basil Hallward, an artist who is impressed and infatuated by Dorian’s beauty; he believes that Dorian’s beauty is responsible for the new mode in his art as a painter. Through Basil, Dorian meets Lord Henry Wotton, and he soon is enthralled by the aristocrat’s hedonistic worldview: that beauty and sensual fulfilment are the only things worth pursuing in life. Newly understanding that his beauty will fade, Dorian expresses the desire to sell his soul, to ensure that the picture, rather than he, will age and fade. The wish is granted, and Dorian pursues a libertine life of varied and amoral experiences; all the while his portrait ages and records every soul-corrupting sin. This cloth-bound book includes a Victorian inspired dust-jacket, and is limited to 100 copies.
C. S. Lewis – “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” (1950)
Four adventurous siblings–Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie–step through a wardrobe door and into the land of Narnia, a land frozen in eternal winter and enslaved by the power of the White Witch. But when almost all hope is lost, the return of the Great Lion, Aslan, signals a great change . . . and a great sacrifice. Journey into the land beyond the wardrobe The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is the second book in C. S. Lewis’s classic fantasy series, which has been captivating readers of all ages for over sixty years. This is a stand-alone novel, but if you would like journey back to Narnia, read The Horse and His Boy, the third book in The Chronicles of Narnia.
James Joyce – “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man” (1916)
His family name is derived from a Greek craftsman who created the Labyrinth and designed wings for himself and his son to fly away from the island they were imprisoned in. But Stephen Dedalus, the young hero of James Joyce’s first novel, is a young man who rises above his baser instincts and seeks a life devoted to the arts. This quintessential coming of age novel describes the early life of Stephen Dedalus. It is set in Ireland during the nineteenth century which was a time of emerging Irish nationalism and conservative Catholicism. Highly autobiographical in nature, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man draws heavily on real events and characters from Joyce’s own life, though he adopts an ironical and often satirical tone. The book is also notable for its being the first one in which Joyce uses innovative “Stream of Consciousness” writing style. A Portrait… follows Stephen Dedalus from his babyhood into early adulthood. One of the most remarkable things about Joyce’s style is that the early chapters are expressed in child like language. For instance, the famous opening lines of the book are, “Once upon a time and a very good time it was there was a moocow coming down the road….” These are lines from a story that Stephen’s father tells him as a baby. The final lines “Welcome, O Life I go to encounter for the millionth time the reality of experience…”
Jared Leto plays WeWork cofounder Adam Neumann and Anne Hathaway plays his wife Rebehak in the new Apple TV+ drama “WeCrashed”. The series will chronicle of how the company’s skyrocketed towards a $47 billion valuation in less than a decade, then quickly and dramatically plummeted.
Neumann, who served as CEO for the company from 2010 to 2019 and later resigned was well known for his megalomania and wild pronouncements of ambition. Becoming ‘King of the world’ was not beyond his imagination. According to reports at the time, his “eccentric behavior” was one of the main reasons he was pressured to step down.
The series is part drama for the entertaining over-the-top reenactments of the antics and impulses of Neumann (Leto) and part exploration of the era of insane exploits at start-ups, as well as part love story, showing their crazy ups, downs, best and worst of times while WeWork is being built.
Not the first to tackle this subject matter, after 2021’s WeWork: Or The Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn, which was a documentary feature, this star driven Apple TV+ series is clearly aimed at being entertaining first, but still is a thoughtful exploration of the excesses and the era that produced them.
Along with the recent trial of Elizabeth Holmes who was found guilty on four out of 11 federal charges relating to her own megalomaniacal fraud spree at billion dollar start-up Theranos, there’s a building oeuvre of film work, such as HBO’s: The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley chronicling the era of excess that is still ongoing.
Apple TV+ is also getting in on the Theranos action. In an upcoming release Jennifer Lawrence will again team up with director Adam McKay (Don’t Look Up, also with JLaw), for Bad Blood. Release date is not yet known, only that it will be based on Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by Pulitzer Prize-winner John Carreyrou.
“WeCrashed: The Rise and Fall of WeWork” will debut its first three episodes on Apple TV+ starting March 18 with new episodes airing every week on Friday.
Loretta Sage (played by Sandra Bullock) is a best-selling author, known for her popular romance novels. Most of her writing career has been spent behind closed doors, alone, creating love stories about her hero character named “Dash”.
All of her book covers have Dash portrayed by model Alan (played by Channing Tatum). During a book tour to promote her latest release, Loretta brings Alan alongside, although she really can’t stand him and thinks he’s just a dumb male model but her female fanbase love him.
On the tour, Loretta is kidnapped by an eccentric billionaire (played by Danielle Radcliffe) who thinks she may have the secrets to ancient lost city’s treasure as she’s written in her book. Alan who wants to prove he is not just the cover model for the character Dash, but can be a real life hero sets out to rescue Loretta.
If you are wondering why Brad Pitt is not mentioned in the plot summary, he is, alas, in a cameo appearance that came about in an amusing way, according to the quote from Sandra Bullock:
“He and I have the same hairdresser and she told him to do my movie and she told me to do his movie. That is — honest to god — the truth. We went through a whole litany of people. He was like the eighth choice.”
– Sandra Bullock on casting for ‘The Lost City’
What comes next is what you can expect from a gold ole treasure hunt in the jungle: snake pits, explosions and a heroine in distress. Just like Netflix’s “Red Notice” although its not an Academy Award winner, it is a guilty pleasure, escapist piece of entertainment.
“The Lost City” will be released in theaters March 25.
The new sci-fi action film debuted at SXSW’s opening night. The title says its all “Everything Everywhere All At Once” deals with the chaotic adventure of an exhausted Chinese American woman, Evelyn who is struggling to finish her taxes. But that’s not all she’s dealing with: a marriage on the fritz, her strained relationship with her daughter, and oh yea, the universes (multi) that are collapsing on each other.
Actress and veteran action star Michelle Yeoh plays Evelyn. Yeoh is best known for her work in “Croching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” yet has been in over 40+ movies including “Shang Chi”, “Crazy Rich Asians” and “Guardians of the Galaxy”.
While at a tax appointment, something strange happens (with her crazed tax auditor played by the iconic Jammie Lee Curtis), she finds herself experiencing alternate selves – versions of Evelyn that has bad-ass martial art skills, one that can speak English fluently, and strangest of all, one where she has hot dogs for fingers!
A full fledged multiverse that’s collapsing and only can be stopped with the help from all of her alt-world counterparts keeps the action and visual stimulation at peak levels with the story, though twisted, still present and accounted for.
The film will be released March 25 and stars Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan, Harry Shum Jr., Jenny Slate with James Hong and Jamie Lee Curtis. Produced by the Russo Brothers of Marvel’s Avengers fame, initial release is for theaters and no streaming platform has been announced at this date.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is revealing new content to be released via Disney+, this time introducing the youngest superhero, Kamala Khan played by Iman Vellani, AKA Ms. Marvel.
At just under 2 minutes, the first trailer showcases some of the type villains a typical high school girl would presumably face, bullies at her high school. She gets picked on in particular because she’s an extreme comic book fangirl who idolizes Captain Marvel (aka Carol Danvers played by Brie Larson).
The original Marvel comic “Ms. Marvel” was first created in 2013, and if the comic is an indicator of the upcoming series story arc, there will be a focus on Kamala’s coming of age struggles (puberty, homework and yes, boys), becoming a superhero, and navigating teenage life with her Pakistani American Family.
“Ms. Marvel” will debut Kamala Khan as the first Muslim teenage superhero. The new series will be available to Disney+ subscribers starting June 8 with new episodes airing weekly. We will also see the young actress later next year sometime in 2023 reprising her role in the sequel to “Captain Marvel” called “The Marvels” which will feature Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel, alongside Vellani.
Watch the first official trailer of “Ms. Marvel” below:
Given the thousands of hours of content that Rogan has produced, the scrutiny is unlikely to stop there. As we argue in our forthcoming book, Rogan’s podcast has long promoted right-wing comedy and libertarian political voices, including some who trade quite gleefully in racism and misogyny.
However, what makes Rogan’s rise particularly important is that it goes beyond the standard partisan political battling that Americans have grown accustomed to in social and broadcast media.
Rogan is not just a purveyor of right-wing ideologies. He is also someone who has built an empire by introducing these ideas – and a wide range of others – to listeners from across the political spectrum. His truly unique skill is drawing in from that spectrum a massive, young, largely male audience that advertisers highly covet.
Ideological whiplash
When the Federal Communications Commission introduced the Fairness Doctrine in 1949, radio and television broadcasters were required to present controversial ideas in a manner that reflected multiple perspectives. However, the combination of cable television, niche consumer targeting and President Ronald Reagan’s deregulatory FCC succeeded in toppling the mandate.
By 1987, conservative talk radio figures such as Rush Limbaugh embraced fully partisan approaches to content creation and audience accumulation. Ignoring their political opponents as potential listeners, they veered further and further to the right, garnering an increasingly homogeneous audience whom advertisers could easily target.
Later, as Fox News’ popularity and reach grew, it took a similar tack, promoting conservative media personalities like Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson and Greg Gutfeld to preach to the right-wing choir.
Today, some conservative voices such as Ben Shapiro and Steven Crowder take this logic a technological step further, embracing the silo-ing effects of social media algorithms to connect with those users most likely to engage with and disseminate their content. Although such figures certainly offend those who disagree with them, their place in the mediasphere is well-established and mostly ignored by opponents.
Rogan, by contrast, is prone to ideological whiplash.
There is no political commonality among these people. But there is a demographic connection. For one, they are all men, as are the vast majority of guests on “The Joe Rogan Experience.”
While Fox News sells politics to TV watchers, Rogan sells a sense of edgy authenticity to podcast listeners. His blend of comedy and controversy certainly has political implications, but from his perspective, it isn’t politics. It’s demographics.
Rogan is, for worse and for better, a true outlier in the world of contemporary talk media. Most political and many comedy podcasts employ the business model of finding an ideological space, connecting via cross-promotion and guest selection with similar shows, and allowing the algorithms of social media to drive traffic their way.
“The Joe Rogan Experience” takes this idea and pulls it in multiple, contradictory directions. Media figures left and right have – until now, at least – coveted opportunities to appear on the show. Once a comedian or podcaster has saturated their own political space, Rogan offers a chance to win over new converts and, in principle, have a discussion that breaks free of partisan constraints. For many Rogan fans, this breadth of discussion and freedom from norms is the heart of the show.
Rogan, however, is far from a neutral host of a new public sphere. His feigned naiveté is all too often a cover to promote edgy, offensive and irresponsible theories that appeal to his audience’s self-styled suspicion of authority.
He pushes the boundaries of political discourse by “just asking questions,” but then hides behind his background as just a comedian to distance himself from any undesirable repercussions.
Spotify, like other streaming services, is primarily built on a wide range of content creators, each of whom attracts a small, dedicated audience, but none of whom are, on their own, particularly powerful.
Rogan is the closest thing to a mass cultural product to be found in the podcast world. He is also one of the only names in podcasting big enough to garner headlines, good or bad. For a company like Spotify trying to boost subscriptions, Rogan’s cross-partisan, youthful, mass appeal is very hard to resist.
Rogan’s recent apologies, however, prove that he is not impervious to pressure. We suspect Spotify will try to thread the needle: covering up Rogan’s penchant for misinformation and offensive provocation just enough to meet the minimum standard of acceptable corporate citizenship without tarnishing the comedian’s brand and demographic appeal.
Film release cancellations in Russia added to boycotts in response to invasion
Just days ahead of the highly anticipated theatrical release of “The Batman”, Warner Bros. made the swift and necessary decision to cease any distribution plans in Russia. A spokesperson for the studio said in a statement, “In light of the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, WarnerMedia is pausing the release of its feature film ‘The Batman’ in Russia”.
While getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, British actor, known for his latest roles in “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and “The Power of the Dog” also called specifically for action to bring the assault on Ukraine to an end, when he emphasized in his speech that “This is no longer a time for avarice or sloth or inactiveness or ineptitude. We need to act.”
Walt Disney Co. and Sony Pictures also have plans to pause any releases of their films in Russia which includes the previously scheduled release of the Pixar film “Turning Red” for March 10, as well as Sony’s “Morbius” which is currently slated for release early April.
The Ukrainian Film Academy called for an international boycott of the Russian film industry. The Motion Pictures Association also condemned Russia for its attack and made the statement that it “stands with the international community in upholding the rule of law and condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”
SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME – Special Features Preview-
Photo / Sony Pictures
Tom Holland’s third time around in the Marvel Franchise, ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’, dominated box office numbers, smashing all time box office records. Not surprisingly, used on all the success, there’s a general attitude to say ‘why not just keep it ‘a-coming?‘.
The rumors of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield making an appearance, that generated major buzz, appear to finally be coming to fruition on the big screen. Now, Sony Pictures is back again quelling more rumors that an extended cut will be available.
The studio took to social media to reveal they are indeed dropping “over 80 minutes” of new and behind the scene footage. They also dropped the gem below, the finger-pointing meme of the 3-generations of Spider-Man.
The Extended cut of Spider-Man: No Way Home will come in digital format for release starting March 22 and a little layer the 4K Ultra HD and Blu-Ray will be available for fans on April 12.
Ghost Rider just celebrated its 50th anniversary. As a way to commemorate the date, Marvel Comics released a brand new on-going series from Benjamin Percy (responsible for works including Wolverine and X-Force) and artist Cory Smith (who has worked on Captain Marvel and Conan the Barbarian comics). The first installment of there series is now available for purchase as of February 23, 2022.
The date also coincides closely with the 15th anniversary and 10th anniversary of the theatrical releases of Ghost Rider and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance both played by actor Nicolas Cage.
The first page insert of the comic teases “When innocent blood is spilled, a spirit of vengeance is born and JOHNNY BLAZE finds himself transformed!” An official trailer previewing the comic was also released for readers that includes plenty of violence, twisted demons and raring flames:
There have been rumors that the main character, Johnny Blaze, would make his MCU debut in the upcoming sequel of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Time will tell, as it is slated for a theatrical release in May 2022.
The 30 second teaser trailer from Sony Pictures starring Brad Pitt has just been released. The video clip comes off as an advertisement for the Nippon Speed Line (NSL), a (fictional) new and fast mode of transportation, with beautiful scenery of Japan alongside soothing and tranquil music. Yet, it appears anything but as we are left with the last frame of battered face Brad Pitt (who plays a character name Lady Bug).
The tag line “Get on Board March 2” is presumably when we can expect the official trailer to be released. The action thriller is based on the international best selling book by Japanese author Kotaro Isaka.
The film follows a group of assassins that are traveling together on a bullet train, soon coming to realize that their individual missions are, in fact, connected. High Speeds, violence and chaos will naturally follow.
Brad Pitt isn’t the only big name within the cast, there are also Sandra Bullock, Joey King, Michael Shannon and Logan Lerman, to name a few. And that’s not mentioning director Leitch who’s onboard, best known best for his work in “John Wick”.
“Bullet Train” is currently scheduled for theatrical release July 15, 2022.
“I’m proud to advocate for this legislation that will help to fight climate change, combat food insecurity, and promote health equity.”
Grammy Award-winning artist Billie Eilish and her mother Maggie Baird attended a Capitol Hill briefing Tuesday in support of legislation that would implement plant-based meals in the U.S. school system.
“I’m proud to advocate for this legislation that will help to fight climate change, combat food insecurity, and promote health equity,” said Eilish, singer, songwriter, and activist.
The bill—the Healthy Future Students and Earth Pilot Program Act (H.R. 4108)—was introduced in June 2021 by Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) The climate group Friends of the Earth (FOE) said it “would create a pilot grant program to help school districts overcome barriers to serving healthy, climate-friendly meals.”
Demand for healthy, plant-based food has exponentially increased in recent years due to growing awareness of animal agriculture’s calamitous impacts on the planet.
Widespread calls to reduce consumption of meat and dairy products follow extensive reporting from environmental studies, including research publishedin Nature Food in September 2021 that found nearly 60% of all global greenhouse gas emissions from food production are attributed to animal-based food, including livestock feed.
Tuesday’s briefing featured a new video, created by a coalition of groups supporting the legislation—showcasing why students across the country are demanding more plant-based options at school.
Watch:
However, schools are having trouble meeting those demands due to policy barriers that prioritize animal-based foods, said FOE.
“By providing schools with the resources they need to serve healthy, plant-based meal options, the Healthy Future Students and Earth Act will help to alleviate food insecurity, improve health and educational outcomes for our children, and fight climate change,” FOE said in a statement.
Bowman said the bill represents an integral part of combating the climate crisis and could lead the way on sustainable food systems—while also advancing food justice in marginalized communities and supporting local farmers of color.
Eilish joined other food and environmental activists at the briefing, including Eloísa Trinidad, New York City chapter president for Hip Hop is Green and executive director of Chilis on Wheels, who noted how the roots of U.S. colonization helped to create the current food, health, and environmental disparities within Black, Indigenous, and minority communities.
“Black women experience the highest rates of chronic diseases, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer, but most of these illnesses can be prevented and often reversed by eating healthy, plant-based foods,” said public health nutritionist Tracye McQuirter, bestselling author of Ageless Vegan and By Any Greens Necessary.
McQuirter said by ensuring all children have access to healthy, plant-based meals, the most vulnerable kids will acquire invaluable eating habits that will help shield them against preexisting inequities within their communities.
“Providing nourishing, plant-based school meals is crucial to improving the health of our kids and protecting the planet that they will inherit from us,” said Baird, founder of Support and Feed, a plant-based food justice organization. “With climate catastrophe looming and racial health disparities worsening, Congress must prioritize passing the Healthy Future Students and Earth Act.”
Originally published on Common Dreams by JENNA MCGUIRE and republished under a Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).
Digital vs. Post-Apocalyptic, the Matrix Resurrections latest trailer continues with mystery and confusion
The new preview hints at repeating loops (deja vu) and even scenes from previous films from the trilogy.
The foundations of the Matrix movies always played with the question of what is reality, and that it can be both artificially created and manipulated.
In a world of two realities – everyday life and what lies behind it – Thomas Anderson will have to choose to follow the white rabbit once more,” reads the movie’s official synopsis. “Choice, while an illusion, is still the only way in or out of the Matrix, which is stronger, more secure, and more dangerous than ever before.”
Fans gets to see Jada Pinkett Smith’s character Niobe with a drastic transformation. In addition it appears that Jonathan Groff’s character is playing Agent Smith.
There’s a hint that something special is lurking beneath the entertaining endless action sequences
Both Neo, looking, just like Keanu a lifetime removed and yet the same, and Trinity appear to be aiding the cause by bringing a kind of effortless perfection to the cast – No need to mention John Wick or any intervening saga, this is a continuation, or more aptly, a resurrection of what was so amazing in the time, place spirit of that original film.
A thread like an unbroken through line, connecting the 1999 moment anew, yet absorbing the intervening changes to the fictional worlds of artifice within the films and to a third, that we, the audience, have grown with bringing us to December 22, 2021.
Naturally, some images produce more curiosity and questions than they answer, even when a still frame is isolated and studied. There is a particularly interesting interaction with the rooftop crowd in this case (above) and the image begs the question: will Neo lead uprisings both within the Matrix and the revolutions in the “real” world?
What kinds of mental challenges and trickery will a more mature Neo encounter while in the Matrix? This shot also produces mystery and begs for speculation regarding the script and how the various logical and illogical pathways will be traversed.
Multiple flash frames do confirm that a romantic adventure and escape will extend the story of Neo & Trinity, and that, while perfectly fitting, also appears to be something that could add more interest on a level above the intervening sequels (2 & 3). For all these reasons and many more, it does look like the buzz and building anticipation will start here and just keep growing until we all have a chance to experience the film in its entirety. On December 22, 2021 either in the Theater (best!) or on HBO Max for subscribers.
If anything, it feels like there is a depth and poignancy to the characters, the images and the implied story that extends and deepens the original, as a great sequel should do. For once it’s as if the maturity of the main stars in the cast is not an obstacle to manage or navigate but a built in feature.
As per W.B. press kit: The film also stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (“Candyman,” the “Aquaman” franchise) Jessica Henwick (TV’s “Iron Fist,” “Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens”), Jonathan Groff (“Hamilton,” TV’s “Mindhunter”), Neil Patrick Harris (“Gone Girl”), Priyanka Chopra Jonas (TV’s “Quantico,”), Christina Ricci (TV’s “Escaping the Madhouse: The Nellie Bly Story,” “The Lizzie Borden Chronicles”), Telma Hopkins (TV’s “Dead to Me,”), Eréndira Ibarra (series “Sense8,” “Ingobernable”), Toby Onwumere (TV’s “Empire”), Max Riemelt (series “Sense8”), Brian J. Smith (series “Sense8,” “Treadstone”), and Jada Pinkett Smith (“Angel Has Fallen,” TV’s “Gotham”).
Lana Wachowski directed from a screenplay by Wachowski & David Mitchell & Aleksander Hemon, based on characters created by The Wachowskis. The film was produced by Grant Hill, James McTeigue and Lana Wachowski. The executive producers were Garrett Grant, Terry Needham, Michael Salven, Jesse Ehrman and Bruce Berman.
Despite the title of the upcoming film, “Nightmare Alley”, the new Bradly Cooper / Cate Blanchett starrer is not a horror movie or anything in the realm of the otherworldly or comic book are fantastical. Instead, it’s a very different type of movie, which perhaps less surprising once you take into account that it is the newest work from Guillermo del Toro who is best known for his supernatural films like “The Shape of Water” or the franchise “Hellboy”.
In this outing, it’s a somewhat obscure genre; a larger-than-life-update to a 40s noir classic with a unique aesthetic, perhaps more fitting for 2021.
Perhaps, given the star studded cast, it aims for academy cred, such as last years “Mank” without the obvious Orson Wells connex.
The official “Nightmare Alley” synopsis from Searchlight Pictures reads: “When charismatic but down-on-his-luck Stanton Carlisle (Bradley Cooper) endears himself to clairvoyant Zeena (Toni Collette) and her has-been mentalist husband Pete (David Strathairn) at a traveling carnival, he crafts a golden ticket to success, using this newly acquired knowledge to grift the wealthy elite of 1940s New York society.
With the virtuous Molly (Rooney Mara) loyally by his side, Stanton plots to con a dangerous tycoon (Richard Jenkins) with the aid of a mysterious psychiatrist (Cate Blanchett) who might be his most formidable opponent yet.”
The remake of the 1947 film noir classic, inspired by the 1946 novel of the same name. The official trailer gives viewers a sneak peak at the upcoming creepy psychological thriller that will premiere in theaters December 17.
