Happy Easter

Batman v Batman

I remember not particularly caring for Tim Burton's Batman movies when I was young.  That said, there are a lot of things that child me didn't like, or wouldn't like that post adolescent me does and vice versa (just say no to reliving Power Rangers.)   Having watched Christopher Nolan's version of the story, and in the case of The Dark Knight many times, I realized that I probably would not have enjoyed those 15-20 years ago either.   There was also a child I did not care for who was obsessed with Batman making me hate all things Gothem by proxy, anyway the point is I figured Burton's deserved another try and I am glad i did because now I can say without a doubt I am not a fan. 
Look and Tone:
The film, though dark in a sense, is still extremely cartoonish in nature.  I am not going to compare the special effects because it was the 1980s and trying to make it stand next to what we have today is unfair and honestly ridiculous.  However what Nolan did was make a basically impossible world from the comic books become possible in our world and I like a movie that does that.  Burton didn't. 
In his version Batman floats around, almost flying and villains who should be killed are just transformed into evil by their freak accidents like falling into a toxic vat or  plummeting out a window and being licked by cats.  Any possible enjoyment depends on giving up any knowledge of how the world works but yet it is still set in Gothem which is supposed to be any big city USA ( but really Chicago)
By contrast everything in Nolan's makes sense or at least is explained to a point where you can suspend belief enough to see it being plausible.  Take his villains; we don't know a backstory for the Joker but he is simply a terrorist- granted a very good one but he does everything like a terrorists scheming and plotting his chaos out (I know he has a huge speech about not being a guy with a plan but he is.)  Dent/ Two Face turns evil as an act of vengeance against people who led to the death of his beloved and the partial burning of his face.  Scarecrow is a crazy drug addict and Bane, Ra Al Goul, and Ra Al Goul's daughter can be equated to religious extremists.
Along with real world like villains, the Bat technology is explained in detail of how Lucious Fox builds these amazing things and Batman is a billionaire so money is no object- let's be honest Richard Branson could be Batman if he wanted to and, as for the "unrealistic" ending, Branson could also fake his own death and live out his days abroad when he was done being Batman.
Casting Pet Peeves:
Another big issue is Burton's choice for lead. Michael Keeton is too nerdy and too vanilla for a millionaire or billionaire playboy and lacks the physical attributes to fight crime nightly.  He also lacks the acting skill or care to show anger or passion of wanting to fight for the welfare or Gothem/ avenge his parents death.   On the flip side Christian Bale is an Oscar winner with the perfect mix of handsome and bat-shit crazy that fits the role like a glove. 
Then we have the Joker. We know I have a bias for Ledger but when he was cast people thought the move was insane and when he was done he was such a good actor people thought he'd been so possessed by the Joker, he was.   In Burton's, Jack Nicolson was absolutely amazing at being Jack Nicolson in clown makeup but alas not the better Joker. 
I am sure there are people who will disagree with me but Nolan could make 20 more Dark Knight films and I would probably love them.  Burton should stick to putting googlie eyes on Johnny Depp who, ironically would have made a better Batman than Keeton.

My Cousin in Law is Westchester's Hottest Dad

I mean I could have told you that ever since I first saw him protecting my cousin's bumb a few years ago, but now it is official according to this http://www.weewestchester.com/2013/03/24/meet-westchesters-hottest-dads/#more-8746 From the story:

What Makes Martyn Hot: "Martyn has always been good looking but seeing him as a dad has changed the way I view him. He is so wonderful with our daughter and that really makes me fall in love with him all over again. He is also a great athlete so he takes really good care of himself physically which makes him extra hot," says his wife, Siobhan.
His Best Physical Feature: "His eyes," she says. "They are blue grey and change with what he is wearing."
Sweetest Thing He's Ever Done for His Wife: "Last Christmas, I had enlisted a friend and jewelry maker to make some grandmother necklaces for my mother and my mother-in-law (like with initials and birthstones, etc) and he went behind my back and had her make a matching one for me."
Sweetest Thing He Does With His Daughter: "I love watching the two of them cuddle up and watch Manchester United on Saturday or Sunday mornings. She is so proud to wear the matching jersey."
He Looks Best When He's Wearing: "He is from England so his look is slightly European with (tight) jeans and a button down shirt or a soccer jersey."

The Heath Ledger commemorate Shirt is here

I mentioned in January that Heath Ledger's family had collaborated on a t-shirt to honor Ledger five years after his passing with the proceeds going to charity.  Today is the official opening of the online store: HeathLedger.com.au

Here is an article about it from WA today ( http://m.watoday.com.au/lifestyle/heath-ledgers-official-tshirt-for-sale-20130319-2gdst.html )

Heath Ledger's official T-shirt for sale
JENNA CLARKE March 19, 2013

Heath Ledger's sister Nadia Rosa wearing the limited edition Commemorative T-Shirt. Photo: Nadia Rosa

Heath Ledger's family have combined charity and fashion to officially commemorate the Academy Award winner's life, five years since his death from an accidental overdose.
While some celebrities are remembered thanks to their sprawling estates or monolithic graveside structures, the cool, understated style of Ledger will be officially remembered with a cotton T-shirt.
“His style was what his parents would consider to be 'sloppy',” Ledger's father Kim joked.
“He was never out of T-shirt. He always seemed to be, wherever he went, a bit of a trendsetter and his favourite garment to wear was a T-shirt. You could always tell that it would be that particular article of clothing which best represented Heath, it's a kind of personal statement,” Mr Ledger told Fairfax Media.
Ledger's laidback look never discriminated. Whether it was on a red carpet or just popping out to the shops in Brooklyn, he had a knack for combining colourful accessories and loud T-shirts with tailored suits and combat boots.
The limited edition Heath Ledger Commemorative T-Shirt went on sale on Wednesday and is a joint venture between his fashion designer sister Elana Rosa and old friend, US-based photographer Ben Watts.
Watts and Ledger met through Watts' sister, Naomi, who dated Ledger for around two years.
The shapeless, wide neck T-shirt shirt is emblazoned with a large photo print of a smirking Ledger holding a skate board.
The image was captured by Watts by a dried up river in LA in 2004 – the same year Ledger split from Naomi and filmed Brokeback Mountain. It was also the same year he met his former girlfriend and mother to his daughter, Michelle Williams.
“We tried free boarding from a truck we took down in the dry river bed. Not a lot of people would be willing to give this a go. It can be dangerous and we reached some pretty high speeds; Heath ate it up, even gave us the signal to speed up,” Watts said.
Ms Rosa, a buyer for the upscale fashion boutique Dilettante who cut her designing teeth with women's wear label Empire Rose in Perth, said proceeds from the sale of T-shirts would be donated to Ledger's favourite Perth charity, Telethon, and the Australian's in Film scholarship.
The AiF Heath Ledger Scholarship was founded by the Ledger family in 2008 and financially assists aspiring actors who are working toward their big Hollywood break.
Past winners include model-turned-Tim Burton muse Bella Heathcote, Ryan Corr – star of the Sydney Theatre Company's recent production of Sex With Strangers - and House Husbands regular Anna McGahan. This year the scholarship will be awarded in October as a joint venture with the Australian Film Institute and the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts.
“During the last few years many people have approached our family to ask if they could produce something with Heath's image. The family then approached Ben and I to see if we could come up with a favourite image and garment, something which Heath may have worn. Obviously he would never have worn something with his own face on it, it's more of an homage to his style for his fans,” Ms Rosa said.
“Once it's worn and washed a lot, worn around the house and out and it gets a little bit more deteriorated it will definitely reflect on the way he used to wear things,” Ms Rosa said of finished product.
The project was a convalescent experience for the Ledger's according to Ms Rosa.
“It was a really nice experience, especially since it's been a hard few years. We all had an input to the process, especially his other sisters Kate, Ashleigh, Olivia and Nadia who all got involved and collaborated. Ben and I just colluded on a style and cut for the garment,” she said.
Ms Rosa said that while Ledger's seven-year-old daughter, Matilda, probably would not wear the shirt, she was a living memory of her father's laid back nature and charm.
“I can't say that I'd feel comfortable putting her in one but I'm sure when she grows up she too will donate to charity, just like Heath did,” she said.
Other than the “significantly small quantities of the limited edition T-shirt”, she said there were no future plans to make any other official merchandise.
The Heath Ledger Commemorative T-Shirt is only available from the official online store. Prices start at $105.

For more information follow the Facebook page if you haven't already https://m.facebook.com/Heathledger.com.au

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

survey

Three years ago, a little after I started this blog of those “Get to know your friends” surveys so people could get to know a bit about the person who’s view they were reading about. I figured it would be fun to revisit. Have you ever looked someone straight in the eyes and told them a lie?
Probably in my youth *In the last 3, yrs I haven't unless you count the mirror


When was the last time you cried?
Watching Grey's Anotomy last week/ really lost it crying, Race for Hope *Certainly no longer cry at Grey's but every Race I have. The last time, however, was probably something hormonal. I cry a lot because I am a mushpot

What are some things that make you mad?
intolerance, hitting woman, unfaithfulness *& being taken advantage f


If you could have anyone you want, who would it be?
A guy who loves me and will treat me like i’m the only woman in the world worth loving

Have you ever liked someone so much, it hurt?
Yes

Would you pay someone to kill the last person who hurt you most?
I’d like to believe I can’t actually kill or have someone kill a person for me. Furthermore nobody has ever hurt me so bad I would consider that. *If i get away w/ it Who was your crush in 5th grade?
Fifth was actually a really bad year for me so I wasn’t really paying attention to boys *Derek Jeter


About how many hours of sleep did you get last night?
10

Is your hair naturally straight?
Very wavy!

Who was the last person to make you genuinely smile?
Most days I would say GiGi but today it would be Meghan Grace, she’s three and even though she screams like a banshee her wonderment of the world just makes me smile on the inside. *I watched 10 Things I Hate About You so Ledger or My Graham


Is there something you want to say to someone but can't/won't?
There was a person who I wanted to say so much to, I wanted so bad to tell her off but she is dead now and the urge to verbally beat her is too. *Is it? sometimes it seems here and also "Why the fuck would you ruin us over that whore. I hope you know you made me hate you"


What was going through your mind during your last kiss?
I can’t even remember that far back* I think it had to do with the Yankees Is there anyone who understands your relationship status?
Single is rather understandable but I’m choosy and don’t get to meet a lot of great guys at this point in my life. *Continue to not want to be with a useless jerk. Id rather be single than darkened by a jerk who isn't worth it


Who was the last person you took a picture with?
I think the last pictures I was in were Washington so I assume it was Lauren *Graham is a person to me

Do you want to fix anything with anyone?
Nope * For a long time my bff, I thought she was destined to be another friend who was gone after using me for all I could be but I think/hope it's better. Are you a jealous person?
I can be but most of the time i’m not. It’s definitely not my worst vice


Have you ever been bitten by a horse?
No. Also never been thrown though I was out with a group and I was the only one who wasn’t thrown.

Have you ever had a boy best friend?
No but I was a boy’s best friend once a long time ago


Have you ever slept in the same bed as the same sex?
Sure, cousins and friends. What girl hasn’t at sleepovers?

What book did you last read?
Time Travelers Wife. Currently reading Mr Ed: Dead *Dreams & Nightmares

Are you sarcastic?
yes

How many cell phones have you had?
Four. My last one was my favorite phone but I love my newest because it is a Blackberry. Love the constant internet access. *6


What do you think about when you are falling asleep?
Nothing really, but if I can’t fall asleep I either sing to myself or prey.


What is your favorite color?
Lilac, pink, and red


Do you curse a lot?
Probably more than I should but I’m working on it *still


Do you have someone of the opposite sex you can tell everything to?
No.


When is the last time you had butterflies?
With all the musicians I’ve met in the last two years, you would think it would’ve been more recent but the only person to ever make my stupid and awed was Anderson Cooper, I don’t know why maybe it’s because he’s almost more than human in my book. Probably Finals in my senior year of college; Finals always got me queasy, so two years ago. *when i see the not dead celebrity boy, Everytime. It's out of body and he's handsome


Ever taken a picture kissing somebody?
I feel like I have but don’t know where they are


Are you someone who is an ass because you're so honest?
I don’t think so but I guess that’s not for me to decide


What's your opinion on "no sex before marriage"?
I go back and forth on it to be honest. That being said, so far its still possibility and in the end will probably depend on the person. *ditto


Do you think making out is slutty?
No- public groping is


How often do you give out second chances?
Depends on the severity of the crime


Be honest, ever listened to Aaron Carter?
In my defense I worked for Radio Disney but I’ve never done it on my own free will. *Bieber now i guess? hell no


What about, "My Life Would Suck Without You" by Kelly Clarkson?
Great song to dance and scream away the blues to


Ever had your heart broken? *seem to have lost the answer here but last time it was the afore mentioned boy bestie. Now still not a boyfriend luckily

Interesting take on The Wizard of Oz and Oz the Great & Powerful

I read this theory on reddit.com and it was posted by TurtlingTerran. Though I love and agree with the theory and the comment I posted from the thread, they were not thought up by me.
------------------------------------------------- Theory:

!!WARNING!! Spoilers for Oz below
For the sake of clarity and brevity, Mila Kunis, will be referred to as WWG, or wicked witch green. Not Mila Kunis will be WWY, or wicked witch yellow.
First: Oz establishes the existence of “conduits” for witches. Glinda’s conduit was her wand. Not Mila Kunis’s conduit was her green-jeweled necklace. It didn’t appear that Mila Kunis had one until the broom, but we’ll discuss that later. It was mentioned both in Oz and the Wizard of Oz that the only way to destroy a witch is to destroy her conduit: Oz was supposed to break Glinda’s wand, Dorothy was supposed to retrieve the broom of WWG (who made the broom her conduit in defiance of WOZ). But what is a conduit? I believe that in exchange for a part of themselves, their souls or essences or whatever, imputed into an inanimate object, the witches gave themselves both greater power and possible immortality.
Second: There appear to be two types of magic, similar to the force. So far, we’ve only ever seen destructive magic utilized by evil or evil leaning witches, whereas Glinda’s magic seemed to be more passive, shields and fog and bubbles. This is why WWG being neutral in the beginning was such a big deal. She was essentially powerless as long as she did her best to remain neutral. She fled from ONE winged monkey, cowered from the lion, etc. She did show magic when she was displaying her temper, which was fierce, which brought her closer to the evil side of magic. But why did she only display magic when she was emotional? Her already evil sister commented on how great her sister’s temper was, and when she was very emotional she, like a tiny green ball of rage, wasn’t really able to use her power in a controlled fashion.
Third: The conduits allowed the witches to control their magic, and if using the proper conduit, made them stronger. When the bubble shield was being attacked, Glinda remarked that WWY wasn’t strong enough to breach the wall on her own. I believe that this was because Glinda knew a very important fact. That there are TWO types of magic and thus TWO possible types of conduit, and that while Glinda was good and using her good conduit, WWY was evil and using her good conduit, which made her weaker as her magic and her conduit weren’t aligned. I believe that this is how WWY was able to survive her conduit being destroyed. When she had created her green-jeweled conduit, she had done it with good magic and imputed her good self into it. However, by the time the conduit was destroyed, she was no longer good, and thus it didn’t truly contain her anymore. But without a conduit, and without her sister’s great rage, she wasn’t capable of performing magic to fight Glinda.
Fourth: So what was Mila Kunis’s original conduit? Her heart, which was destroyed by her sister’s spell. Somehow, in her naïve, overly powered way, she had managed to make a piece of herself her conduit, and attempting to force her temper-powered magic through her good conduit was what was preventing her from going over to the evil side. Which is why both sisters experienced a transformation when their good conduits were destroyed, and not total destruction. A magical backlash of evil will do that, apparently. And as stated above, it clearly appeared as if WWG was making the broom her conduit, when she grabbed it and warped it to be more fitting of her.
Fifth: So why does this matter? Think about the plot of Wizard of Oz. Dorothy dropped a house on and “killed” WWY, leaving her MAGICAL RED SHOES! We’ve already seen that WWY likes making shiny things her conduit, so it is not a leap at all to believe that she made the MAGIC RUBY SLIPPERS her true, evil conduit. But as we already know from OZ and WOZ, the only way to truly destroy a witch is to destroy her conduit. So, the plot of the Wizard of Oz is actually about WWG doing everything in her power to get back her sister’s conduit so that she can magically bring back the only person she actually cares about. And she was willing to do anything to get that person back. Meanwhile, Glinda and WOZ are manipulating a simple farm girl into doing what they won’t do themselves in order to end a decades long turf war for control of the land of Oz...

Adding to it was a comment by Gamezeta:

My theory is that the red ring was the wwg "conduit." After the wwy conduit was destroyed by Glinda the wwy lost her power to use magic. After the wwq decided to put some of her red ring magic into slippers for her sister. (Perhaps she put the rest of her power into her broom. This explains why the wwg is so desperate to get her slippers back in Wizard of Oz. Wwg is trying to reclaim all of her power.

Jurrasic Park an allegorical irony...

The original Jurrasic Park turns twenty years old this year and to commemorate the occasion it is being released in 3-D later this year. Last night I was invited to an advanced screening, which due to an agreement I signed I cannot actually get to specific about.  That said I think, being that the film is rather popular, I can talk generally about it enough to make my point. 

If you lived under a rock and have never seen the film, nor read the book the basic premise in a nutshell is man with oodles of money- think Richard Branson decides that since he has so much money, he is going to create a theme park with Dinosaurs as the main attraction.  This ends in disaster because even though he had enough money to buy an island, buy the technology, and pay the scientists and staff to make his dream a reality you can't buy success.

This is reiterated several times over by a young Jeff Goldbloom who talks about chaos theory.   In the film, chaos theory manifested in the electric fences failing and a ton of people getting murdered, maimed, & (the luckiest among them) post traumatic stress syndrome.  Park failed but the 1993 film succeeds.

In fact the film is so popular that it lead to this rerelease and the irony that unfolded.  Creator Steven Spielburg is another man with a lot of money who, unfortunately didn't learn the lesson that just because you have the money to bankroll Jurrasic Park doesn't mean you should follow through on it.  The 3-D is a new element to the movie so I don't know that I can go into details on that part (though hopefully they upgrade it before releasing.)  However I will tell you that everything about this movie is dated.  Watch the dvd or blu-ray and you will immediately notice all of the "state of the art" technology spoken about by the characters is laughably outdated now and while this was initially my biggest beef it soon takes a backseat to the outdated technology that was actually used to create the movie itself. 

Sadly, Jurrasic Park is very much a product of it's time and though the monetary benefits that loomed over it's resurrection seemed to be a good idea at the time, much like the dinosaurs in the film- it should have been left in the past.

Politically Correct or stifling society?

This picture is offensive. Not because it is Michelle Williams nor because of how should looks- which by the way I would never allow a photographer to print me looking so bad.  Apparently this picture is considered offensive because it is racist against Native Americans!!   Why? Personally I think because everything is offensive and racist to somebody, somewhere all of the time. The official reasoning however, is listed as someone other than an Indian dressing up kind of Indian-ish.  Apparently nobody went to the chief in the wigwam and asked for special permission to wear braids and moccasons.  Oh yeah I went there because people are ridiculous! 

Clothing and fashion statements do not belong to one group of people.  Not to mention when one of these controversies arises (like the Victoria Secret model wearing a head dress or anything Al Sharpten has ever talked about) the responses are more racist than the actual thing.  Someone wrote on Perez Hilton how politically correctness has stifled society and it is ridiculous and the next responder claimed that by defending a harmless picture that person was clearly white and therefore found wanting racial equality for "marginalized Americans" ridiculous as well (why is shitting all over white people considered okay by the way?)

For this photoshoot Williams also dressed in several other costumes, including ones that referenced Jackie Kennedy.  Are the Kennedys going to get up in arms I mean she also played Marylin Monroe too? 

God I hate when I have to defend Michelle Williams but people annoy me more than her sometimes.

Beautiful reflection of Heath the man

A few years ago I mentioned that when Heath Ledger died I cut myself off from his movies for a while (http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5859841460379825990#editor/target=post;postID=5078804155438645737) Not only that but I had to cut myself off from reading anything about Ledger. All of a sudden this beautiful soul of an entertainer, whom nobody had ever said a bad thing about, the quiet and softspoken daddy who just wanted a normal life for his daughter was being painted to be a cheater, a junkie, a manslut and a huge mess. I wanted to remember the Heath I had known about not hearsay and gossip from unnamed sources in tabloids. For the year leading up to his death, Ledger's relationship with Michelle Williams was under the microscope and gossip was pretty even on who was the bad guy and what led to their breaking up. After his death, Michelle became cannonized and painted as the sad widow (after a break up with him and moving on but whatever.) As rumors swirled trying to explain how Heath died with legal amounts of medication inside and no clear cause of death ever really identified, Michelle morphed into the saint who tried and tried and dragged addict Ledger to rehab after rehab while the sinner refused to ever check in. The sad truth that two people who moved to fast and had a baby together grew apart when they really got to know each other doesn't sell papers so stories were created and even though Williams denied them, the lies lasted in most of society's collective memory and have become fact for most people. Recently Williams broke up with another "fairy tale" boyfriend, Jason Segel and again the tabs are trying to identify the source of conflict. It reminded me of 2007 which led me to look up the articles where Saint Michelle was villianized as well and Ledger was just a dad trying to do right by Matilda. This was, obviously, the beginning of tumbling down a rabbit-hole of old articles about Ledger which led to a first hand account of Heath the artist, which I needed to share for the few people left like me who remember the kind gentle Heath and choose the first hand accounts of who this dear man was beyond the spotlight, over unfounded rumors. http://chelseatalkssmack.blogspot.com/2008/01/rest-in-peace-heath.html?showComment=1362610430557&m=1

"This is it." "This cannot be it, this is a set up. I mean, I know it's downtown L.A. but seriously, this warehouse??? Look at those creepy dudes over there, I'm not getting out, they'll kidnap me." Crates of oranges had spilled out of what looked like a run down truck and covered the street with a slick of orange light in the sun, and shady characters stared at my friend and I letting us know we were completely out of place. "Shut up and get out of the car, this is it." Earlier that afternoon my friend and I sat on the floor of our apartment watching talk shows and shoving spoonfuls of Lucky Charms into our mouths when my phone rang, it was my agent; "Hey....Ok, I know it's last minute but- I have something for you ....You guys are broke, well, you won't really make that much money, but it's a free meal and maaaybe....$25 bucks?" He knew he'd get me at "free meal" but I needed some more details. "What is it?" "A music video for Ben Harper.....and Heath Ledger is directing it. It's super low budget, and last minute, but they need a couple dancers. Heath is really trying to get into directing and this is his first video....he's doing it as a favor for Ben. That's why there isn't a lot of money involved." "HEATH FUCKING LEDGER?! WHAT?! SHUT YOUR MOUTH! YES I'LL DO IT. WE'LL DO IT." Now, here I am, downtown l.a. about to get mugged. I hesitantly knock on the outside of a dirty garage door..... There weren't any REAL doors to be found. I hear people and the garage starts to lift..... "Hi! I'm Heath! You must be the dancers!" As if I had no idea who even was, even though I'd been obsessing over him since 10 Things I Hate About You. He stretched out his hand with a firm handshake and smiled. "Um, you can just go sit on that couch over there, maybe show me what clothes you brought and we'll get started in a minute...Thank you guys SO much for coming, really." Typical Hollywood protocol involves a crew, wardrobe, catering, production assistant, gaffers, cameramen, assistants to the assistants, etc. I surveyed the room...and it seemed everyone else had, taken the day off?? Half the time you didn't SEE the director let alone speak to him. 6 dancers, 2 cameramen, 1 assistant, Heath, and Ben. Here he comes....I love him, I love him, I love him. -ok, be professional. "K uh. So, this is my first time directing. I came up with the concept- I just really loved the song and Ben is a friend so I wanted to do it. I want it to be really organic. Wear lose fitting clothes, maybe earth tones......and you're just going to improv." He was so passionate, so excited and.... Improv?! Holy hell. I'm going to make a jackass out of myself in front of a creative genius. "I used to modern dance, in Australia and I want it to be....well, like this sort of." This Academy Award nominated actor starts dancing, swinging his arms, exploring levels, high and low, closing his eyes.... "See? Do you guys have any questions?.....Ok, so how about we start with you??" He's pointing at me, dear Lord, he's pointing at me- acknowledging my existence. "SURE!!" I just screamed, tone it down Chels, tone it down. I jump on the stage, the smoke machine starts blowing, my palms are sweating and Heath jumps up next to me, he crosses his legs and grabs onto both ankles like a little boy.... "So.....do you have any suggestions for me??" Did he really just ask if I had suggestions for him?! Me? some chick dancing for a mere 25 dollars, some stranger, and he wants my advice? This was the humblest thing I'd ever seen in Hollywood. "Uhm....no?" "Ok...." He's staring at my face....studying it. "Can you take your hair down? There and flip your head over, tousle it a bit...." I shake my hair out and he reaches towards me, putting both hands in my hair, scratching my scalp and giving it that messy look. "Beautiful." The music starts....my hearts beating and I start to move. 2 minutes pass like nothing, I was "in it", I was going to perform and get lost in the music just as he had in all of his performances.... the song ends and silence fills the room. I peer up and Heath is standing at the end of the stage....he grabs my hand with both of his, looks my straight in the eye and says, "That was brilliant. Really inspiring....I got chills. Thank you." I am in love. He continues with the next dancers, demonstrating movement occasionally- eventually splitting his pants, but he continued anyway. He experimented with lights and smoke, showing his excitement when something worked perfectly. Then we broke for lunch.... I station myself on the dusty warehouse floor and he sits on the ground next to myself and the other dancers, immediately striking up conversation as if we were longtime friends. "I LOVE GRANOLA." I blurt out as I devour handfuls at a time. "That should be a a shirt...you know, like one of those quirky shirts with sayings, that's funny." His voice was charming, a slight Australian accent making words like quirky sound; quirky. The 7 hours passed quickly and he graciously thanked each and everyone one of us, making eye contact and profusely thanking us for the inspiration. He pulled his wallet out and handed us each a hundred bucks. "I know it's not much...." I didn't care. The experience was priceless. Heath (and Ben) was one of the humblest people I have ever met. Unaffected. Warm. Genuine. He listened when people spoke, watched intently, and had the most positive, serene energy. I am blessed to have worked with him in his short life, and it is a tragedy he didn't get to continue on making incredible films and inspiring us all.

True Cost of the Wars....

Bringing this over because somehow, I feel the mainstream media will ignore this

"True Cost of the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
By Bradley Manning, Reader Supported News
02 March 13
 

In full statement, whistleblower says most alarming was the "delightful bloodlust" of US soldiers in Collateral Murder video.
his statement below was read by Bradley E. Bradley at a providence inquiry for his formal plea of guilty to one specification as charged and nine specifications for lesser included offenses. He pled not guilty to 12 other specifications. This rush transcript was taken by journalist Alexa O'Brien at the Article 39(a) session of United States v. Pfc. Bradley Manning on February 28, 2013 at Fort Meade, MD, USA.

Judge Lind: Pfc. Manning you may read your statement.

Pfc. Bradley Manning: Yes, your Honor. I wrote this statement in the confinement facility. The following facts are provided in support of the providence inquiry for my court martial, United States v. Pfc. Bradley E. Manning.

Personal Facts.

I am a twenty-five year old Private First Class in the United States Army currently assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, HHC, US Army Garrison (USAG), Joint Base Myer, Henderson Hall, Fort Meyer, Virginia.

My [missed word] assignment I was assigned to HHC, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, NY. My primary military occupational specialty or MOS is 35 Foxtrot intelligence analyst. I entered active duty status on 2 October 2007. I enlisted with the hope of obtaining both real world experience and earning benefits under the GI Bill for college opportunities.

Facts regarding my position as an intelligence analyst.

In order to enlist in the Army I took the Standard Armed Services Aptitude Battery or [ASVAB?]. My score on this battery was high enough for me to qualify for any enlisted MOS positon. My recruiter informed me that I should select an MOS that complimented my interests outside the military. In response, I told him that I was interested in geopolitical matters and information technology. He suggested that I consider becoming an intelligence analyst.

After researching the intelligence analyst position, I agreed that this would be a good fit for me. In particular, I enjoyed the fact that an analyst could use information derived from a variety of sources to create work products that informed the command of its available choices for determining the best course of action or COA's. Although the MOS required working knowledge of computers, it primarily required me to consider how raw information can be combined with other available intelligence sources in order to create products that assisted the command in it's situational awareness or SA.

I accessed that my natural interest in geopolitical affairs and my computer skills would make me an excellent intelligence analyst. After enlisting I reported to the Fort Meade military entrance processing station on 1 October 2007. I then traveled to and reported at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri on 2 October 2007 to begin basic combat training or BCT.

Once at Fort Leonard Wood I quickly realized that I was neither physically nor mentally prepared for the requirements of basic training. My BCT experience lasted six months instead of the normal ten weeks. Due to medical issues, I was placed on a hold status. A physical examination indicated that I sustained injuries to my right soldier and left foot.

Due to those injuries I was unable to continue 'basic'. During medical hold, I was informed that I may be out processed from the Army, however, I resisted being chaptered out because I felt that I could overcome my medical issues and continue to serve. On 2[8 or 20?] January 2008, I returned to basic combat training. This time I was better prepared and I completed training on 2 April 2008.

I then reported for the MOS specific Advanced Individual Training or AIT on 7 April 2008. AIT was an enjoyable experience for me. Unlike basic training where I felt different from the other soldiers, I fit in did well. I preferred the mental challenges of reviewing a large amount of information from various sources and trying to create useful or actionable products. I especially enjoyed the practice of analysis through the use of computer applications and methods that I was familiar with.

I graduated from AIT on 16 August 2008 and reported to my first duty station, Fort Drum, NY on 28 August 2008. As an analyst, Significant Activities or SigActs were a frequent source of information for me to use in creating work products. I started working extensively with SigActs early after my arrival at Fort Drum. My computer background allowed me to use the tools of organic to the Distributed Common Ground System-Army or D6-A computers to create polished work products for the 2nd Brigade Combat Team chain of command.

The non-commissioned officer in charge, or NCOIC, of the S2 section, then Master Sergeant David P. Adkins recognized my skills and potential and tasked me to work on a tool abandoned by a previously assigned analyst, the incident tracker. The incident tracker was viewed as a back up to the Combined Information Data Network Exchange or CIDNE and as a unit, historical reference to work with.

In the months preceding my upcoming deployment, I worked on creating a new version of the incident tracker and used SigActs to populate it. The SigActs I used were from Afghanistan, because at the time our unit was scheduled to deploy to the Logar and Wardak Provinces of Afghanistan. Later my unit was reassigned to deploy to Eastern Baghdad, Iraq. At that point, I removed the Afghanistan SigActs and switched to Iraq SigActs.

As and analyst I viewed the SigActs as historical data. I believed this view is shared by other all-source analysts as well. SigActs give a first look impression of a specific or isolated event. This event can be an improvised explosive device attack or IED, small arms fire engagement or SAF engagement with a hostile force, or any other event a specific unit documented and recorded in real time.

In my perspective the information contained within a single SigAct or group of SigActs is not very sensitive. The events encapsulated within most SigActs involve either enemy engagements or causalities. Most of this information is publicly reported by the public affairs office or PAO, embedded media pools, or host nation HN media.

As I started working with SigActs I felt they were similar to a daily journal or log that a person may keep. They capture what happens on a particular day in time. They are created immediately after the event, and are potentially updated over a period of hours until final version is published on the Combined Information Data Network Exchange. Each unit has it's own Standard Operating Procedure or SOP for reporting recording SigActs. The SOP may differ between reporting in a particular deployment and reporting in garrison.

In garrison a SigAct normally involves personnel issues such as driving under the influence or DUI incidents or an automobile accident involving the death or serious injury of a soldier. The reports starts at the company level and goes up to the battalion, brigade, and even up to the division level.

In deployed environment a unit may observe or participate in an event and a platoon leader or platoon sergeant may report the event as a SigAct to the company headquarters and the radio transmission operator or RTO. The commander or RTO will then forward the report to the battalion battle captain or battle non-commissioned officer or NCO. Once the battalion battle captain or battle NCO receives the report they will either (1) notify the battalion operations officer or S3; (2) conduct an action, such as launching a quick reaction force; or (3) record the event and report and further report it up the chain of command to the brigade.

The reporting of each event is done by radio or over the Secret Internet Protocol Router Network or SIPRNet, normally by an assigned soldier, usually junior enlisted E-4 and below. Once the SigAct is recorded, the SigAct is further sent up the chain of command. At each level, additional information can either be added or corrected as needed. Normally within 24 to 48 hours, the updating and reporting or a particular SigAct is complete. Eventually all reports and SigActs go through the chain of command from brigade to division and division to corp. At corp level the SigAct is finalized and [missed word].

The CIDNE system contains a database that is used by thousands of Department of Defense - DoD personel including soldiers, civilians, and contractors support. It was the United States Central Command or CENTCOM reporting tool for operational reporting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Two separate but similar databases were maintained for each theater - CIDNE-I for Iraq and CIDNE-A for Afghanistan. Each database encompasses over a hundred types of reports and other historical information for access. The