Yes you've shown your feelings
Yes you've shown your tough
Some things are worth believing
Your tears are not enough
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With the Halo movie on indefinite hold due to budget constraints it looks like the Halo fans will just have to make do with District 9.  District 9 is based off a short independent movie from back in 2005 by Neill Blomkamp called Alive in Joburg which is a documentary (fictional of course) about humans and space aliens revisiting the apartheid issues of the past. Here is below:



Peter Jackson is producing and of course his cronies at Weta Workshop are handling the special effects.    The plot is actually a mystery.  One just can't help but wonder if this is Halo in disguise.  After all Halo's Earth setting is based in South Africa (New Mombasa).

If you have not seen the Halo promo video short put together in anticipation of the Halo film, it is a must see for any Halo fan. But honestly, if you are a Halo fan.  You've seen this stunning short. It' was originally in three parts.  There is combined CGI and real film action.    Here it   more »

How do you teach your son about trust?  Specifically who in life to trust.  Friends can be enemies.   And this is the hardest lesson in life to learn.  I tell a story to friends about a little bird as a joke.  It has a moral to it that some people you think are out to hurt you actually intend to help you and that some people you think want to help you actually mean to do you harm.  

I'm about to let you readers understand something about me this one time.  And despite this insight I grant you.  I'm leaving out some components that will forever keep me safe.

When I was a young boy in my teens I learned the value of friendship.  I learned the value of just 'one' friend.  That is all I needed.  It's all perhaps anyone needs.  I think it is why men and women fall in love--ultimately. Or at least they search for it.   But as I was a young boy growing up in a hard state like Delaware, before all the banks and corporations started injecting new blood into the state, this was a hard place.  I used to joke that the exterior of Delawareans was so hard that you needed to complete a credit check to go out on a date with a girl.  Delaware and life taught me how people could hurt you if your guard was down for even a moment.  If there was something to be gained, then a person would discard your friendship like trash in exchange for their own benefit.  Early on in this time in my life, I was only beginning to understand the concept of how I would approach friendship.  Polonius advice to Laertes stuck in my mind:

Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice;

Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgment.

Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried,

Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel;

I eventually grew beyond this simplistic point of view.  But I didn't abandon it altogether. 

My perspective is not that I see people as only bad, or evil.  I simply know that everyone on this earth, past, present and future are capable of being good and evil all in the same breath.   That understanding has guided me.   At one point in my marriage (when I was married) I learned the smallest of things which triggered my wife into behaving irrational and evil.  I learned, I could love her, but it came with an understanding that I had to appease her so that the evil in her didn't manifest itself.  She epitomized my perception of this rational. 

I think it was during this time I learned "Keep your friends close but your enemies closer."  I began to realize there were few people that I thought of as my friend whom actually were my friend.  And even those that I called friends.   ...Well I learned not to share many of my true opinions.  I'm happy to say that people I don't like, have no clue that I see them for what they are.  I suppose you could say I never tip my hand and I wear a constant poker face to insulate myself against antagonist.

I was in a large group setting today.  One guy was spouting off his point of view about how in this world only the strong survive and the weaker deserve to perish and get what they deserve which is nothing.  He had other pointed comments that in certainly offended some in the room.   I understood then as I have for many years--not to expose my position other than to be perceived as neutral.  When it comes to people I work with, or deal with on  constant basis...  I don't give up my point of view easily. Even then, I'm careful.  For instance, did you know that even here in my blog, I will hide some of my real thoughts on life?

And that is the crux of this article.  It is unwise at best to let anyone know your agenda in life.  Not if you don't want to leave yourself open to attack or betrayal.

Someone once told me, "Your mouth is your enemy."  I'll take that lesson to my grave.    I've added it to my arsenal of checks and balances when I speak.

By the time I hit my twenties I had learned.  Never   more »

The quiet grass roots movement of anti-High Fructose Corn Syrup seems to accomplished a lot in the U.S. with manufacturers.

Snapple is the first to finally get off the empty calorie train.  Snapple is going with the 'honest' tea approach using 'cane' sugar instead of HFCS.   Thank you!

In this case the calories of Snapple have even gone down.  Total with HFCS = 200.  Total with cane sugar = 160.  It's still empty calories.  It's not going to save the world but it's a small step in the direction of healthier drinks.  In our house we drink water, tea, milk OJ and that's about it.  We try and go for concord grape juice and other juices but they usually depend on HFCS, so we end up not buying them at all.

So at least now when I'm on the go and I want to spend a buck on a drink, I may be able to go with Snapple Tea.  We'll see.

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Want to watch Live TV from around the world?

http://mediahopper.com/

Use the live streaming feature. 

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I use this to meet up with friends in paintball and inline skating. 

It's a great idea.  Great for making new friends.  Male and female.  Check it out. 

MeetUp.com
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The old is old and over, the new has just begun
And standing in the rain never felt so much like the sun
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Can you sum up the way you see your life in six words?

For example:  Forced fate, alone but never lonely.



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It's a question many people have raised since the Phantom Menace and the appearance of Jar Jar Binks.  Does the the New Star Wars suck?  A new documentary asks that very question.

Yes, an entire contingent of dedicated fans and critics have assembled to put George Lucas on trial in "The People Vs George Lucas". 

Now when I first saw this, I thought, "My God do we have to discuss Jar Jar Binks again."  I mean in my opinion the movies are done.  It is what it is.  All we can do now is accept the story for what it is.  And really people... these movies were not made for 20 year olds, or 40 year olds.  They were made for kids.  That is the funny thing about all this.  We grew up loving Star Wars but we lost sight of why.  We were kids and it was never that hard to accept the world of Star Wars when you are a young boy or girl.



But... hey.  As a grown, up I had to notice the flaws.  If you pushed me for my opinion.  I have some. 

For instance, how about developing characters?  Darth Maul?.. offers nothing.  He shows up; looks angry and menacing, fights and dies.  What is with that?  I felt no real reason to fear this character, no appreciation for why he used a double-sided light-saber or any connection with him as a truly villianous character. 

Then my big problem that held the remaining two movies back...  Hayden Christensen can't act.  The whining he did as a petulant Anakin Skywalker makes me want to fast forward any time he goes into that bit during the films.  I prayed Lucas would force him into some sorty of heavy duty acting clinic after Episode One.  ...   more »

Stopping and the fear of not being able to stop are both issues new skaters have with inline skating.  Control is a perhaps the most important aspect of inline skating.  When on skates, we want to be in as much control as when we are walking in shoes.  Stopping is a crucial part of the control and peace-of-mind you need in order to enjoy the sport of inline skating.  Want the best tip of all in control when inline skating?  Lower your body.  Get low.  When you are in any trouble, (ex. speed-wobble) the lower you get your body the more control you will get over your skates.  As you read ahead on stopping, take any style of stopping and lower your body to improve it.

SOME BASIC BACKGROUND TO STOPPING WITH INLINE SKATES
There are various methods beyond the standard heel brake.   But so many people want to learn the "no heel brake" methods.  I've assembled these videos which really help people learn to stop.  Keep in mind that aggressive, and recreational inline skates are much easier to learn how to stop in than speed skates (for beginners).  This means you folks watching these videos whom are most likely new to the sport, will have an easier time than the people in these videos at executing stops.

WHAT IS AN AGGRESSIVE INLINE SKATE?
What is an aggressive skate?  They are compact inline skates with very small wheels.  These allow for nimble movement and the slick hard wheels allow the rider to perform tricks due to the absence of friction.

WHAT IS A RECREATIONAL INLINE SKATE?
A recreational skate is your typical inline skate you'll buy at your sporting goods store.  But in terms of design, they have a high 'cuff'.  The cuff is the height of the boot up your ankle.  The higher it is, the more support you have.  New skaters want a high cuff.  Experienced skaters and speed skaters invest in skate boots with lower cuffs.    The exception is the aggressive skates.  They all have a mid to high cuff and it's needed as your ankles demand it.

SO WHAT ABOUT STOPPING?
The key to stopping is simple.  Manage your speed.  Let me say it again.  Manage your speed.  If you are bombing down a hill, the quickest way to stop is using a heel brake.  Shocker huh!  Avoid bombing down a hill unless you are free to coast back to a normal manageable speed.   I said it again. manage your speed.  But do I really need to advise against bombing down a hill if you are concerned about how to stop in the first place? 

This first video features Eddy Matzger.  He's well known in the speed skating world and an ambassador to the sport.  You'll be in awe of his moves and complexity but he keeps it friendly. He goes over everything including slaloming which is my preferred manner to stop because this saves on wheel wear. 



THE VARIOUS WAYS TO STOP ON INLINE SKATES
What are the many ways to stop on Inline Skates?  Let me count the ways. I'll start with the basic or easier moves with the more difficult or technical stopping techniques last. I won't describe how to do each one as the videos I've assembled will cover everything I have listed.  Consider that all the slides and carving require some degree of pronation.  The only time you want to pronate.  (Pronating is when you collapse your weight to one side of your skate which will give you sore ankles and a sore back).