Wake Up...to Live!: Is Your Communication Style Insulting or Inspiring?

Is Your Communication Style Insulting or Inspiring?

Is your communication style insulting, belittling, or inspiring? ?When writing comments in the first person, it guarantees me not to exclude myself from what is being discussed. ?Thus, I take on the responsibility to what I write or say. ?I don't direct the comment to someone else. ?Rather I try to influence. ?For instance, "when I am not expressing my own creative potential, I focus on blame in a relationship instead of?focusing?on creativity." ?I take on the responsibility personally.

On the other hand, if I write in third person, I direct the comment to others so that now I am more of a judge and?juror than someone trying to support and uplift. ?For example, "when people aren't expressing their own potential, they focus blame on the relationship instead of focusing on their creativity." ?Do you see the difference? ?Do you feel the difference?

Many of us say and believe we are inspiring others into awareness; but when it really comes down to it, we are judging others; we are not inspiring others. ?I do this myself probably more often than I should. ?Here's another example; but this one is in second person: "As you waste your breath complaining about life, someone out there is breathing their last." ?How do you feel when you read this? ?To me, this one sounds as though the person writing is belittling me and pointing fingers; rather than inspiring me.

Of course, there is a time and place to write and talk in second and third person for sure. ?And, to get a point across, sometimes people need a wake up call with the second person - kind of in your face direct wake up call. ?Third person may be a little more gentle. ?Nonetheless, it is still talking about you and me rather than about the writer.

Why did I write about first, second, and third person pronouns? ?For sometime now, I have been scanning through posts from Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. ?For a while, I couldn't understand why I would get agitated and then "hide" certain posts. ?Me, the curious cat, needed to uncover why this subtle physiological arousal was happening. ?Always interested in communication and relationships especially after reading Marshall B. Rosenberg's books,?Speak Peace in a World of Conflict and Nonviolent Communication, I started to figure out that it is not what is being said but how it is being said. ?Thus, some posts would inspire me and others would agitate me.

To sum up, is your communication style insulting, pointing fingers, or inspiring? ?Just remember that you, me, and they must remember the importance of communication - tone of voice, pronouns and words used, and physiology expressed. ?Additionally, how we communicate things may be more important than what we communicate depending on the purpose of the communication.

A note: This is quite a simplified explanation in regards to communication; but it brings out the basics. ?Using the various pronouns can also be very inspiring. ?So give your words some thought before you verbally express them. ?Or, rather, have your purpose in mind about the conversation you desire. ?Setting an intention, ultimately, will set the tone of the conversation.

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Source: http://www.wakeuptolive.com/2012/12/is-your-communication-style-insulting.html

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UFC 155: Junior Dos Santos Pre-Fight Interview

?Heavyweights finish fights? ? UFC champion Junior dos Santos talks about what he?ll do differently in his rematch with Cain Velasquez, and what won?t change one bit. Watch UFC 155 Live on YouTube: www.youtube.com Full UFC 155 Fight Card: www.ufc.com Check www.ufc.com for the latest UFC info Follow the UFC on Twitter www.twitter.com About the Ultimate Fighting Championship? Universally recognized for its action-packed, can?t-miss events that have sold out some of the biggest arenas and stadiums across the globe, the UFC? is the world?s premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas and with offices in London, Toronto and Beijing, UFC produces more than 30 live events annually and is the largest Pay-Per-View event provider in the world. In 2011, the UFC burst into the mainstream with a landmark seven-year broadcast agreement with FOX Sports Media Group. The agreement includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network annually, with additional fight cards and thousands of hours of programming broadcast on FOX properties FX and FUEL TV. This also includes the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter?, which now airs on FX. In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 149 countries and territories, to nearly one billion homes worldwide, in 20 different languages. UFC content is also distributed commercially in the United States to bars and restaurants ?
Video Rating: 4 / 5

An exciting match-up of two extremely well-rounded lightweight as Jim Miller and Joe Lauzon square off in the co-main event at UFC 155 this Saturday ? Live on Pay-Per-View at 10/7pm ET/PT Watch UFC 155 Live on YouTube: www.youtube.com Full UFC 155 Fight Card: www.ufc.com Check www.ufc.com for the latest UFC info Follow the UFC on Twitter www.twitter.com About the Ultimate Fighting Championship? Universally recognized for its action-packed, can?t-miss events that have sold out some of the biggest arenas and stadiums across the globe, the UFC? is the world?s premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas and with offices in London, Toronto and Beijing, UFC produces more than 30 live events annually and is the largest Pay-Per-View event provider in the world. In 2011, the UFC burst into the mainstream with a landmark seven-year broadcast agreement with FOX Sports Media Group. The agreement includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network annually, with additional fight cards and thousands of hours of programming broadcast on FOX properties FX and FUEL TV. This also includes the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter?, which now airs on FX. In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 149 countries and territories, to nearly one billion homes worldwide, in 20 different languages. UFC content is also distributed commercially in the United States to bars ?

Source: http://ishoutloud.com/blog/ufc-155-junior-dos-santos-pre-fight-interview/

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Man arrested at Union Station month after Far South Side sex assault

Troy A. Graves, 22. (Chicago Police photo / December 30, 2012)

By Mitchell Smith Tribune reporter

5:44 p.m. CST, December 30, 2012

More than a month after Troy A. Graves allegedly kidnapped and sexually assaulted a girl at gunpoint near his Southeast Side home, police arrested him Friday at Union Station.

Graves, of the 700 block of East 130th Place in Chicago?s Altgeld Gardens neighborhood, faces one count of aggravated criminal sexual assault with a weapon and one count of aggravated armed kidnapping in connection with the Nov. 19 incident.

Graves, 22, is accused of attacking and sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl in the 900 block of East 133rd Place. During a Cook County Bond Court appearance Sunday, prosecutors said Grave threatened the girl with the gun while he sexually assaulted her.

Officers learned he would be arriving at Union Station on Friday and arrested him there without incident at 3:30 p.m. Graves was identified by the victim as her attacker, according to a police report.

At Cook County Bond Court on Sunday, Judge Adam Bourgeois Jr. ordered Graves held on $1 million bail. He?ll have to post $100,000 to leave custody. Graves is due back in court on Monday.

mitsmith@tribune.com

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ChicagoBreakingNews/~3/pr8IvFKZlHk/story01.htm

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How The Africa Cup of Nations affects the Premier League and Football League - Group A review

Angola, Cape Verde, Morocco and hosts South Africa are in Group A of the African Cup of Nations and their involvement has either directly or indirectly affected teams such as Everton, Crystal Palace, Oldham Athletic, Norwich City, QPR, Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur and Wrexham.

Next year the African Nations Cup is once again in full flow as Zambia look to defend their title in South Africa. As always the competition will have an effect on global football as many stars players from the bigger leagues consider joining up with their countries in a bid to become kings of their home continent.

The Confederation of African Football has set the deadline for the submission of squads for January 9^th; with the full list of 23-players being named by midnight. Any late submissions will see a substantial fine and the loss of a player from the list.

Some teams have announced their preliminary squads or training camp teams early but this of course doesn?t cater for the English League system whose continued lack of a winter break means most of the English based players will not be available until shortly before the competition starts on the 19^th January.

But which Premier League and football league teams are going to win and lose from the Africa Cup of Nations?

Here is a country-by-country guide for Group A.

South Africa

Unless there is a dramatic U-turn from recent international retiree Everton midfielder Steven Pienaar the Premier League should remain largely unaffected by the host nation?s squad choices. Lower down the football pyramid however and Crystal Palace could be without midfield enforcer Kagisho Dikgacoi and Oldham Athletic could lose Dean Furman to the Bafana Bafana. Norwich City winger Andrew Surman is also eligible but has made his intentions clear that he will not play for the country of his birth.

Angola

No current Premier League interest however former Manchester United and Hull City striker Manucho will be looking to add to his impressive goal record for the Palancas Negras.

Morocco

Interestingly The Atlas Lions qualification could have had a bigger impact on the Premier League than is being felt.?Adel Taarabt is not selected for the squad; the?QPR player had given mixed signals as to whether he would accept a call-up, but there are others who have been.?Oussama Assaidi and Karim El Ahmadi of Liverpool and Aston Villa respectively are in, but?Maraoune Chamakh of Arsenal has also not been selected

Cape Verde

The shock qualifiers from the tiny archipelago nation do not have any current players who play in the UK. However their effect is still felt in the Premier League as they qualified at the expense of Cameroon. That means the likes of QPR defender Stephane M?Bia, Tottenham full-back Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Norwich defender Sebastian Bassong and Wrexham goalie Joslain Mayebi will not be lost at the turn of the year.

Who do you think loses out most from the 2013 African Cup of Nations?

image: ? wonker

Mathew Nash

@MathewNash89more stories from Mathew Nash

I?m Mathew Nash a 23 year old graduate in Sports Studies and I have an insatiable love for sport. With a particularly keen interest for the madcap world of football I have always been known amongst friends as a beacon for bizarre sporting trivia and knowledge. My other passion is for writing and hopefully combining the two will create a superb and entertaining marriage that will create, divide and share opinion.

Source: http://hereisthecity.com/2012/12/21/mn-how-afcon-2013-affects-the-premier-league-group-a-review/

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Ohio spends fewer Medicaid dollars than budgeted

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Ohio has spent fewer dollars on Medicaid than expected under its current two-year budget.

State officials have been working to rein in the cost of the $19.8 billion health program for low-income people. The slowdown in spending comes as Gov. John Kasich prepares to unveil his next two-year spending blueprint in February.

In the budget year that ended in June, state figures show that Ohio spent $590 million less in state and federal dollars than it had anticipated.

Medicaid spending for the current fiscal year is also tracking below projections. The state has spent about $6.2 billion on Medicaid since July. That's about $219 million ? or 3 percent less ? than it is expected to spend through November, according to the latest data available.

Ohio Medicaid Director John McCarthy credited the slowdown to changes in provider reimbursements, more conservative budgeting and better contract negotiations. He also said a new system for processing claims has meant that the state is better at rejecting claims that should have been paid by Medicare or those that don't fit Medicaid rules.

Still, he noted that while the savings seem significant, they're still just a fraction of the federal-state program's cost.

Medicaid spending accounts for roughly a third of all funds Ohio gets from state and federal dollars, fees and other sources.

"The better job we do now of getting control of the program and expenditures, it helps us going into the next budget," McCarthy said. He said the slowdown in spending allows officials to look at what investments or changes they want to make to the program.

Medicaid's growth rate is among the factors state officials are watching as they decide in the coming year whether to expand Medicaid under President Barack Obama's health care law.

The state's cost-wary officials are assessing the long-term impact of expanding Medicaid. And McCarthy said the administration is closely following discussions about the "fiscal cliff" in Washington, fearing that a possible deal to avoid the tax increases and spending cuts could include pushing more of the cost of the Medicaid program toward states.

The state is bracing for hundreds of thousands of eligible Ohioans to sign up for Medicaid once the federal law requires most people to have health insurance.

Ohio officials estimate there will be a roughly $700 million increase in the cost of the program in 2014 and 2015, as 319,000 new people come onto the rolls.

Kasich, a Republican, has said he plans to make known his decision on whether to expand Medicaid when he releases his next budget.

Under the law, the federal government will cover 100 percent of the cost of the first three years of the expansion, gradually phasing down to a 90 percent share ? still a far more generous match than states have traditionally received. The expansion is expected to provide coverage to about half the 30 million uninsured people nationwide who will benefit from the law.

Under the health care law, Medicaid would be expanded on Jan. 1, 2014, to cover people making up to 138 percent of the federal poverty line, or about $15,400 a year for an individual.

Medicaid currently covers roughly 2.3 million low-income and disabled people in Ohio.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ohio-spends-fewer-medicaid-dollars-182516515.html

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The Booming Fitness Industry | What is How to

It is a true fact that Indians are slowly awakening to the benefits of a healthy body. However, this does not imply that we belong to an unhealthy race. Contrary to that, our ancestors were hard-working people who believed in eating healthy as well as following a healthy lifestyle. Also, the ayurvedic system of medicine and yoga were practiced in ancientIndiafor holistic healing.

Increasing awareness about fitness:

These days, with the influence of the west, as well as popular concept of size ?zero?, the fitness industry is slowly gaining importance. The media is largely responsible for young girls and women wanting a figure like that of popular screen characters. The awareness levels about fitness are also increasing. Most of us work throughout the day in offices. This leaves very small room for any kind of physical activity, leading to an increase in the number diseases. Eventually, the idea of being fit vanishes. To fight this disease and to have the desired toned body, people are enrolling themselves into gymnasiums and health clubs.

Fitness Trainer:

With the demand for sculpting perfect bodies comes the demand for fitness trainers. Initially, this profession was not taken seriously, but with the boom in the fitness industry, trained professionals are in demand now. These people train not just the body, but also the mind. This helps individuals in fighting diseases.

Enrolling in a gymnasium:

The most popular aspects of the fitness industry are the gymnasiums and health clubs. Here, you can exercise anytime of the day. However, you have to make sure that the particular gym is opened at your chosen time. Once you are enrolled in a gymnasium, you can take the advice of their in-house trainer. The trainer can help you with the correct way of using various equipments as well the correct exercises that would be ideal for your body.

Joining fitness classes:

You could also join physical fitness classes which specialize in aerobics, Pilates, Zumba or any such form of physical training. Just make sure that your class is conducted by a trained and certified professional. Most of these instructors will also give you a diet chart to follow as simply exercising without controlling your diet will not give the desired results.

Back to the roots

Another form of exercise that has become popular in the fitness industry is Yoga. The credit to this goes mainly to the westerners who realized its benefits, despite it being a slow process. The practitioners claim that yoga not only benefits the body externally, but also purifies it from the inside. Yoga makes you realize your body?s potential, but at the same time, does not advocate straining it.

Power yoga is another kind of yoga which is also gaining popularity these days. As the name suggests, this is more rigorous, but the concept of not straining the body during exercise remains here as well.

Diet and exercise:

A lot of people join the gym. For some, the motivation is losing weight while for others, it as a lifestyle statement. However, whatever the reason is, unless there is a conscious effort in the cutting down of calorie intake, there will be no visible change in the looks. There is no point in straining yourself during a workout in the gymnasium in the morning and gorging on chocolates or other such high calorie food at home. At the same time, it is also important to eat well so that one has the energy to exercise. Hence, it is important to follow a healthy and balanced diet. In many health clubs, there are nutritionists who take care of this aspect.

Author Bio:

Helenais a much sought after fitness trainer. She is a personal trainer who is working with many celebrities. She is a professionally qualified Pilates and Yoga instructor with more than 5 years of experience in the field. She keeps herself updated on the latest in the fitness industry by undergoing different courses.

Source: http://www.whatishowto.net/2012/12/27/the-booming-fitness-industry/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-booming-fitness-industry

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Study ties drug shortage to poorer cancer survival - Salt Lake Tribune

Young cancer patients who couldn?t get a key medicine because of a national drug shortage were more likely to suffer a relapse than others who were able to get the preferred treatment, doctors report. It?s the first evidence that a long-standing drug-supply problem probably has affected cancer treatment results in specific patients.

The study involved more than 200 children and young adults with a blood cancer called Hodgkin lymphoma. Like childhood leukemia, it can be cured nearly 80 percent of the time. But a drug shortage that has worsened since 2009 is threatening that success rate, doctors report in Thursday?s New England Journal of Medicine.

Hundreds of drugs, including sedatives, antibiotics, painkillers and cancer treatments, have gone in and out of short supply in recent years. Reasons include manufacturing and contamination problems, plant shutdowns, and fewer makers and lower profits for certain drugs, especially generics infused during surgery or cancer treatment.

Doctors sometimes substitute different drugs for ones in short supply. But proving that the swaps led to poorer results has been tough, especially for cancer patients whose disease and response to treatment vary so much.

"We really couldn?t put our finger on, did anybody really suffer?" said Dr. Michael Link, a cancer specialist at Stanford University and past president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

The new study, led by Dr. Monika Metzger of St. Jude Children?s Research Hospital in Memphis, gives the best evidence so far that patients are suffering.

It focused on mechlorethamine, or nitrogen mustard, a drug that has been in short supply until last month, when more became available. Doctors compared results among 181 Hodgkin lymphoma patients who received the drug to 40 others who were given a different chemotherapy, cyclophosphamide, when the first choice was unavailable.

Only 75 percent of those given the substitute drug stayed free of cancer for two years versus 88 percent who received the preferred treatment.

"We can think of no credible explanation for this dramatic difference" other than the drug substitution, the authors wrote.

No patients died, but those who relapsed were given more aggressive treatments, including stem-cell transplants that have more side effects and can harm fertility.

story continues below

One of them was Abby Alonzo, of Port St. Lucie, Fla. She was diagnosed with lymphoma three years ago, when she was 10. After eight weeks of treatment with the preferred drug, "she was doing wonderfully," said her mother, Katie Alonzo.

Then doctors said they were out of it.

"I said, what do you mean, we don?t have the medication my child needs?" Katie Alonzo said.

After four weeks on the substitute chemo, Abby?s cancer had returned and spread to more places, her mother said. The child received high doses of chemotherapy and radiation and now seems cancer-free, although the treatments damaged her lung capacity, leaving her short of breath.

"When your child has cancer you live day by day," and to find out a life-saving medicine isn?t available is "very, very frightening," Katie Alonzo said.

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/world/55530514-68/cancer-drug-treatment-patients.html.csp

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Nissan upgrades US Leaf warranties, will 'restore' batteries that lose too much charge

Nissan has thrown down the warranty gauntlet to other EV makers by announcing it would be the first to "restore" battery capacity if a Leaf's full charge fell below 9 out of 12 "bars" within 5 years or 60k miles. The new clause was announced by VP Andy Palmer and will go into effect in spring of next year on all models, including those sold in 2011 and 2012. The company stressed it would only "repair or replace the battery under warranty with a new or remanufactured unit to restore capacity at or above a minimum of nine bars," and not a full charge -- saying a gradual, but not excessive loss of charge was normal. Nissan added that it'd look to improve the accuracy of the battery gauge, since the aforementioned bars on the dash were computer managed and not exactly scientific. All of this applies to US-only vehicles for now, but similar policies will soon be applied worldwide, according to the statement. So, if you've been starting to get range anxiety, check the PR below for all the details.

Continue reading Nissan upgrades US Leaf warranties, will 'restore' batteries that lose too much charge

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Via: Autoblog Green

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/vZhIKlYUXlI/

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Treasury unveils plan to buy time under debt ceiling

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Treasury on Wednesday announced the first of a series of measures that should push back the day when the government will exceed its legal borrowing authority as imposed by Congress by around two months.

Without any action, Treasury said the government is set to reach its $16.4 trillion debt ceiling on December 31.

The government is facing a crunch on the debt ceiling because the issue has become ensnarled in talks to avoid some $600 billion in tax hikes and spending cuts due to begin in early January. Failing to raise the debt ceiling could cause the government to default on its debt.

To cut government spending and delay bumping up against the debt ceiling, the Treasury will suspend issuance of state and local government series securities -- known as "slugs" -- beginning on December 28.

Investments in a government employee pension fund will also be suspended, along with some other measures, although Treasury did not give dates for when these other measures will begin.

"These extraordinary measures ... can create approximately $200 billion in headroom under the debt limit," Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner wrote in a letter to congressional leaders.

Normally, these measures would buy the Treasury about two months time before hitting the debt ceiling, Geithner said in the letter. But a series of planned tax hikes and spending cuts due to take effect in early January could give Treasury further time if they take effect as scheduled, he said.

"Treasury will provide more guidance regarding the expected duration of these measures when the policy outlook becomes clearer," he said.

The instruments known as slugs are special low-interest Treasury securities offered to state and local governments to temporarily invest proceeds from municipal bond sales. They have been suspended several times over the last 20 years to avoid hitting the debt ceiling.

Many analysts believe the measures available to the Treasury can stave that date off into late February.

The U.S. Congress typically authorizes government borrowing in a two-stage process, first drafting plans to spend more than it raises in tax revenues. Every few years, it raises a limit on government borrowing to accommodate annual deficits, a process that this year has become ensnared by the contentious budget talks in Washington.

(Reporting by Anna Yukhananov and Jason Lange; additional reporting by Pedro Da Costa; Editing by Leslie Adler)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/treasury-unveils-plan-buy-time-under-debt-ceiling-224315237--business.html

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Canon Cinema EOS-1D C hits stores in Japan today, expected stateside later this week

At $11,999, this latest Canon 1D is hardly set to become a DSLR bestseller, but there are certainly a few pro shooters willing to line up for an incredibly versatile 18-megapixel 4K cam, with EOS lens compatibility and a full-frame sensor. We were expecting Canon's top-of-the-line beast to sell for just shy of $15,000, so this new sub-$12k sticker is a pleasant surprise. You'll also need to invest in a battery of high-speed (at least 100MB/s) CF cards -- the 1D C captures 4096 x 2160 video at 24 frames per second with an approximate file size of 3.76 gigs per minute of footage, according to the camera's instruction manual, which you'll find, along with a purchase link, at the source link below. The EOS-1D C is expected to hit stores in the US later this week, but a few lucky shooters have been out and about capturing demo reels for the last few weeks -- you'll find some of that footage after the break, along with a few more clips at the coverage links below.

Continue reading Canon Cinema EOS-1D C hits stores in Japan today, expected stateside later this week

Filed under: Cameras, Canon

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Source: Texas Media Systems (purchase), Instruction manual, Canon (Japan)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/26/canon-cinema-eos-1d-c-available/

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Consumer confidence falls to 4-month low

7 hrs.

Reuters

Consumer confidence fell to a four-month low in December as a looming budget crisis sapped what had been a growing sense of optimism about the economy, a private sector report released on Thursday showed.?

The Conference Board, an industry group, said its index of consumer attitudes fell to 65.1 from a downwardly revised 71.5 in November. Economists had expected a reading of 70.0, according to a Reuters poll.?

November's number was originally reported as 73.7.?

While the present situation index rose to 62.8 from an upwardly revised 57.4, its highest in more than four years, the overall survey suggested most consumers expect things to worsen.?

"Consumers' expectations retreated sharply in December resulting in a decline in the overall index," Lynn Franco, director of The Conference Board Consumer Research Center, said in a statement. "The sudden turnaround was most likely caused by uncertainty surrounding the oncoming fiscal cliff."?

The fiscal cliff refers to $600 billion of automatic tax increases and spending cuts set to take effect in January unless Congress acts to stop them. President Barack Obama and Republican leaders have failed to agree to a long-term deficit reduction deal that would avert the situation.?

The expectations index fell to 66.5 from a downwardly revised 80.9. December's reading was the lowest in more than a year.?

Franco said a similar pullback in consumer expectations was seen in August 2011, when political bickering over raising the U.S. debt ceiling led to a sharp drop in the stock market.?

Consumers' labor market outlook also turned a bit more pessimistic. The "jobs hard to get" index fell to 35.6 percent from a revised 37.4 percent the month before, but the "jobs plentiful" index also fell to 10.3 percent from 11.0 percent.?

Consumers' expectations for inflation in the coming 12 months held steady this month at 5.6 percent.?

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/economywatch/cliff-worries-push-consumer-confidence-4-month-low-1C7750594

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From a Manila slum emerges an unlikely ballerina

MANILA, Philippines (AP) ? The ghetto called Aroma reeks of putrefying trash collected by its residents for recycling. Half-naked children with grimy faces play on muddy dirt roads lined by crumbling shanties of tarpaulin walls, cracked tin roofs and communal toilets.?

From this Manila slum of garbage collectors emerged an unlikely Cinderella: ballerina Jessa Balote who at the age of 10 was plucked out of her grubby life by a ballet school to prepare her for a life on stage.?

In four years since her audition in 2008, Jessa has performed in various productions, including Swan Lake, Pinocchio, Don Quixote and a local version of Cinderella. She rode a plane for the first time in August to compete in the 2012 Asian Grand Prix ballet competition for students and young dancers in Hong Kong, where she was a finalist.?

The 14-year-old Jessa's unlikely success is as much a celebration of a unique effort by the Philippines' most famous prima ballerina, Lisa Macuja, to help slum kids of Manila by providing them a scholarship and classical ballet training for six to seven years. ?????

More than a quarter of the Southeast Asian nation's 94 million people live in abject poverty, many in sprawling and unsanitary shanty towns like Aroma in the capital city. Despite a reecent economic upturn, there are not enough full-time jobs. Education skills are lacking and incomes are low. At least 3,000 Filipinos leave their families behind every day to seek employment abroad.?

Jessa, who would have likely followed her family to a life of garbage picking, had not much of a future to look forward to.?

"I used to tag along with my father and mother when they collected garbage in the evening," Jessa said in her home about the size of a shipping container with a small attic.?

Her family would gather trash from houses in the nearby Quiapo district or rummage for scrap metal in the huge garbage dump not far from home.?

That was until her successful audition for the Project Ballet Futures dance scholarship established by Macuja, founder and artistic director of Ballet Manila who is married to business tycoon Fred Elizalde.?

The outreach program of Ballet Manila ? which runs a dance company and a school by the same name ? initially accepted 40 students from Jessa's charity-run school in Manila's Tondo district dump site. Some dropped out, but new batches have been accepted.?????

Today, the program has 55 scholars, aged 9 to 18, from five partner public schools such as Jessa's. They train daily after school along with 60 paying students.?????

"I can help my parents more with what I do now. I earn money from ballet," said Jessa, sitting on a plastic bench in her shorts and t-shirt, her long hair loose. The slim teenager, perhaps so used to dancing on her toes, would often have her toes pointed at the wooden floor even while sitting during the interview.????

Behind her, the plywood wall of the family shack was adorned with pictures of her in gossamer tutu on stage. Sharing the space were frames of ballet certificates and a newspaper clipping about the garbage picker-turned-ballerina. A pair of satin pointe shoes lay on top of a gym bag, a few meters (yards) from sacks of used plastic bottles and other garbage piled up outside the door of her cramped home.? Jessa and other kids are trained in the rigorous Russian Vaganova ballet and are required to keep up with their academics in school. They are provided a monthly stipend of 1,200 pesos to 3,000 pesos ($30 to $73) depending on their ballet level, as well as meals, milk and ballet outfits. They also receive fees of 400 pesos to 1,500 pesos ($10 to $37) for each performance.????

Pointe shoes alone cost $50 to $80 a pair ? a fortune for someone eking a living on $2 a day ? and wear out within weeks or days, said Macuja.

The daughter of a former senior trade official, Macuja was 18 years old when she received a two-year scholarship at the Vaganova Choreographic Institute (now the Academy of Russian Ballet) in Saint Petersburg in 1982, where she graduated with honors.

She was the first foreign principal ballerina for the Kirov Ballet in St. Petersburg before returning to the Philippines, where she worked as artist-in-residence at the Cultural Center of the Philippines and a principal dancer at the Philippine Ballet Theatre.

Macuja, 48, founded Ballet Manila in 1994 with the aim of making the high art of classical ballet more accessible to common people. The dance company has held performances in malls, schools, town halls and remote villages of the archipelago. She set up the scholarship program in 2008 as a way of paying back for her good fortunes.

For Jessa and the other slum children, it opened a whole new world. Literally so, when she flew to Hong Kong for the ballet competition.

Her glee while on a roller coaster in Disneyland was captured in a photo in her humble home.

During the competition in Hong Kong, she said she often felt nervous and shy to be dancing among well-off peers. But she overcame her fear, remembering Macuja's advice "to persist despite the odds and to not let poverty hinder me."

As a company apprentice she makes around 7,000 pesos ($170) a month, sometimes more, from stipend and performance fees. The money is not enough to lift her family from poverty, but ballet has given her a choice in life.

Her father, Gorgonio, works part-time as a construction worker besides collecting garbage. His meager pay is insufficient to feed his large family of six children and two grandchildren. One son works in a factory while another daughter collects garbage.

Jessa's childhood dream is to become a school teacher. But she also wants to dance as a professional ballerina. She says she is challenged by the feisty acting and difficult dance turns of the Black Swan character in Swan Lake and aspires for that role.

For Jamil Montebon, another Project Ballet's beneficiary, the scholarship was a life saver.?

The troubled 18-year-old has left his broken family in a violent slum community not far from Aroma.?

He became a ballet scholar at 13 but then dropped out of high school and ballet last year after a fight with his mother. During his time off from ballet and school, he collected garbage and worked in a junk shop. At night he would go drinking with other kids who often clashed with rival gangs, then sleep in a church where he got one free meal a week.?

He was later accepted back into the program, which demands that children keep good grades and stay out of trouble. After shaping up, he moved into Ballet Manila's dormitory.

"I think that the key really is that these kids have been given hope, and that hope will transform their lives," Macuja said.

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/manila-slum-emerges-unlikely-ballerina-054810130.html

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Chelsea Clinton: Future in Politics Could Happen

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/12/chelsea-clinton-future-in-politics-could-happen/

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Well-wishers console Conn. residents on Christmas

Joanne and Bill Brunetti of Newtown, Conn., part of a group monitoring memorials around the clock, take an early morning shift Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2012, in Newtown, Conn, near a memorial for Sandy Hook Elementary School students and teachers. Gunman Adam Lanza walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, on Friday, Dec. 14, and opened fire, killing 26, including 20 children, before killing himself. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

Joanne and Bill Brunetti of Newtown, Conn., part of a group monitoring memorials around the clock, take an early morning shift Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2012, in Newtown, Conn, near a memorial for Sandy Hook Elementary School students and teachers. Gunman Adam Lanza walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, on Friday, Dec. 14, and opened fire, killing 26, including 20 children, before killing himself. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

A light coating of snow blankets Newtown, Conn. Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2012. The town is dealing with the aftermath following gunman Adam Lanza's shooting spree at the Sandy Hook Elementary School on Friday, Dec. 14, that killed 26, including 20 children, before he killed himself. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

Snow-covered stuffed animals with photos attached sit at a memorial in Newtown, Conn. Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2012. People continue to visit memorials after gunman Adam Lanza walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Friday, Dec. 14, and opened fire, killing 26, including 20 children, before killing himself. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

Among a memorial to the Sandy Hook Elementary students and teachers, Julian Revie of Ottawa, Canada, plays Christmas music on a piano he helped bring to the memorial, Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2012 in Newtown, Conn. People continue to visit memorials after gunman Adam Lanza walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., Dec. 14, and opened fire, killing 26, including 20 children, before killing himself. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

A member of the Rutter family of Sandy Hook, Conn., walks past candles and other offerings that make up a memorial in Newtown, Conn., Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2012. People continue to visit memorials after gunman Adam Lanza walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Friday, Dec. 14, and opened fire, killing 26, including 20 children, before killing himself. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

NEWTOWN, Conn. (AP) ? This Christmas was unlike any other in Newtown.

When a gunman wiped out nearly an entire first-grade class and killed students and adults in two other first-grade classrooms just 11 days before Christmas, it made it impossible for the holiday to be the same this year.

Some residents, like Joanne Brunetti, have found ways to console and help their grieving neighbors. Well-wishers from around the country are stopping by to do the same.

Brunetti watched over 26 candles that had been lit at midnight, just before Christmas Day, in honor of those slain at Sandy Hook Elementary School. She and her husband, Bill, signed up for a three-hour shift and erected a tent to ensure that the candle flames never went out throughout the day.

"You have to do something and you don't know what to do, you know? You really feel very helpless in this situation," she said Tuesday. "People have been wonderful to everybody in Newtown whether you were part of what happened or not. My thought is if we were all this nice to each other all the time maybe things like this wouldn't happen."

At a town hall memorial, Faith Leonard waved to people driving by and handed out Christmas cookies, children's gifts and hugs to anyone who needed it.

"I guess my thought was if I could be here helping out maybe one person would be able to spend more time with their family or grieve in the way they needed to," said Leonard, who drove to Newtown from Gilbert, Ariz., to volunteer on Christmas morning. "I know they've been inundated with support and that's great, but it's always nice to have a present to open on Christmas Day."

Julian Revie played "Silent Night" on a piano on the sidewalk at the downtown memorial. Revie, from Ottawa, Canada, was in the area visiting at the time of the shootings. He canceled his plans to go to Australia, found a piano online and chose to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day playing for the people of Newtown.

"It was such a mood of respectful silence," said Revie, who planned to leave the piano behind. "But yesterday being Christmas Eve and today being Christmas Day, I thought now it's time for some Christmas carols for the children."

Many town residents attended Christmas Eve services Monday evening and spent the morning at home with their families. Others attended church services in search of a new beginning.

At St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church, attended by eight of the child victims of the massacre, the pastor told parishioners that "today is the day we begin everything all over again."

Recalling the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14, the Rev. Robert Weiss said: "The moment the first responder broke through the doors we knew good always overcomes evil."

"We know Christmas in a way we never ever thought we would know it," he said. "We need a little Christmas and we've been given it."

Volunteers hung ornaments on a series of memorial Christmas trees Tuesday morning while police officers from around the state took extra shifts to direct traffic, patrol the town and give police here a break.

"It's a nice thing that they can use us this way," Ted Latiak, a police detective from Greenwich, Conn., said Christmas morning, as he and a fellow detective, each working a half-day shift, came out of a store with bagels and coffee for other officers.

The expansive memorials throughout town have become gathering points for residents and visitors alike. A steady stream of residents, some in pajamas, relit candles that had been extinguished in an overnight snowstorm.

Others took pictures, dropped off toys and fought back tears at a huge sidewalk memorial in the center of Newtown's Sandy Hook section that is filled with stuffed animals, poems, flowers, posters and cards. Snow covered a pile of teddy bears displayed in town.

Newtown officials plan to convert the countless mementos paying tribute to the 20 children and six adults into a memorial. Thousands of flowers, letters, signs, photos, candles, teddy bears and other items at sites around town will be turned into soil and blocks to be used in a memorial, The News Times in Danbury reports.

The mementos will stay up until after the New Year as residents and visitors pay their respects.

Police have yet to offer a possible motive for gunman Adam Lanza's rampage. The 20-year-old Newtown man, who lived at home, killed his mother in her bed before heading to the school and killing 20 children ? all either 6 or 7 years? and six adults. He then killed himself.

____

Associated Press writer Debbi Morello contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-12-26-Connecticut%20School%20Shooting/id-f5a263d5e25444828944a213df91c714

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Nine Extreme SCUBA Diving Destinations | Psycho Solo Diver ...

With the weather here in Southern California being rather cold and rainy lately, I haven?t been in the water this month - sorry.

However, I have been compiling a list of extreme places to SCUBA dive to help me plan future diving trips; I thought you may be interested in my list thus far.

If you find something inaccurate, or more ?extreme,? post a (non-spam) comment so I can update my list, if proven accurate.

1. The Coldest, and Most Remote Place To Dive

Antarctica

This is one diving trip that?s on my bucket list, however, with the initial $13,000 price tag for 14 days, it currently far exceeds my budget on any planned trip.

You have to be Advanced Open Water Certified, with at least 20 dives in a dry suit.

You must be in excellent physical and mental health and will be required to demonstrate your diving abilities before departure.

2. The Highest Altitude SCUBA Dive

Lake Titicaca, Peru

Almost twice the altitude of Lake Tahoe, at 12,500 feet above sea level, Lake Titicaca isn?t the highest lake in the world, and SCUBA diving here won?t set any altitude world records, but this is the highest altitude dive that an average recreational diver could hope to make; at least that I could find.

And when I say hope, I am serious about that.

My Spanish ?es no bueno,? so I can?t refer you to any place that I know has diving trips to Lake Titicaca; however, there are plenty of people on the internet who have dove there.

You may be able contact perudivers.com and see if they can arrange, or know who can arrange, a trip to dive Lake Titicaca.

3. The Most Dangerous Place To Dive

Berbera, Somaliland (Officially Somalia)

Somaliland is the ?safer? northern part of Somalia that declared independence in 1992; unfortunately, nobody recognizes it?s independence, so ?officially? you are going to Somalia.

Apparently, there is (or a least, was) a Diving Club run by a British guy in Berbera, which touts some of the most beautiful and unexplored reefs in the region.

I have emailed him to see if he is still in operation; I have not heard from him as of this date.

By law, to venture outside of the city, you must hire at least one armed guard with a Kalashnikov for $10 a day.

You?ll need a Visa, and be prepared to pay an entrance and exit fee along with being forced to exchange $50 into the local currency at a rip off rate once you arrive at the airport.

Professional Debriefer Paul and I were watching some YouTube videos of Berbera; he made the comment, ?That place looks so dangerous, you?ll probably get jacked once you step off the airplane.?

These guys are just going snorkeling (starts at 5:30), but it gives you an idea of what to expect:

4. The Most Desperate (or Unique?) Place To Dive

Valhalla Missile Silo, Abilene, Texas

You are in the middle of Texas, away from any lake or significant body of water and want to go diving.

Where to?

Well, I guess outside of diving in your swimming pool or bath tub, diving in a missile silo could be considered ?desperate,? or in a way, ?unique.?

The Midwest is very resourceful when it comes to SCUBA diving; lakes and quarries are king, and even though this missile silo isn?t the only divable one in the world, it is the best known.

The missile silo is an old 1960s era ICBM site located 32 miles southwest of Abilene, Texas.

As another website states, ?At 2,420 feet above sea level, the site has the distinction of being a place where you can dive underground to get an altitude certification.?

5. The Most Endangered Dive Spot

The Great Barrier Reef, Australia

This is probably the most famous diving destination on the list.

Rising water temperature, over fishing and agricultural run off have wreaked havoc on this delicate ecosystem.

One Australian Scientist warns that the entire coral reef could die out within the next four decades.

6. The Most Expensive Single Dive

Mandalay Bay Aquarium, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Is watching sharks in an aquarium through glass getting boring?

Assuming you haven?t lost your ass in Vegas, if you have $650 left and are a certified SCUBA diver, you can dive the Mandalay Bay?s 1.3 million gallon Shipwreck Exhibit to swim with sharks, rays, sawfish, green sea turtles and schools of fish.

The dive lasts 45 minutes, or until you run out of air, whichever happens first.

If you can stretch that tank to 45 minutes, your dive will cost $14.44 a minute, however, you do get an aquarium tour and some dive instructions along with the cost of the dive.

7. The Most Macho Place to Dive

Saranda and Himara, Albania

The reason that this is the most macho place to dive?

Because currently, the Albanian government does not recognize SCUBA diving as a recreational sport, there is no infrastructure at all for recreational diving, no medical facilities to treat diving related sickness and Albanians can?t own boats larger than skiffs or peddle boats.

For a number of years, there was the Polish Diving Base in Saranda, but due to investor problems, they left in late 2011, leaving no other facility to take their place.

This is the only diving place on the list that yours truly went on.

I was fortunate enough to hook up with a diving local this last July, who knew a lot of the dive spots and had connections to air sources.

You can read about my entire trip on this blog.

8. The Most Politically Incorrect Place To Dive

Kish Island, Iran

Well, most politically incorrect, if you are a U.S. citizen.

This small island is a free trade zone, and the only part of Iranian soil where an American can enter Iran without a visa.

I have made one contact on Kish Island, via the internet, and was assured, ?Kish Island is beautiful and safe, even for Americans.?

The problem is, to get to Kish Island, you would most likely have to enlist the help of a Travel Agent specializing in hard to get to locations.

Travelocity.com, Kayak.com and Expedia.com do not recognize Kish Island as a valid destination, probably purely due to political reasons.

Your lady, by Islamic Law, will have to cover her head while in public, and there is no alcohol allowed - unless you know a local and have money (so I?ve been told).

9. The Saltiest and Lowest Elevation SCUBA Dive

The Dead Sea, Israel

Although there are bodies of water that are saltier, The Dead Sea is the saltiest body of water that is dove on a regular basis and, at 1,385 feet below sea level, it is hard to argue that this would also be the lowest altitude dive available.

The Dead Sea is so salty, a person can float without any effort or buoyancy device.

Diving here has been described like ?diving around diamonds or ice, but the heat and intense weight that you must carry reminds you otherwise.?

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Source: http://psychosolodiver.com/?p=2476

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Texas Rep. Ralph Hall, re-elected to 17th term at age 89, to be oldest US House member ever (Star Tribune)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

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Poet / publisher Paul Foreman dies. | Haggard & Halloo Publications

Paul Foreman, a native of Granbury, Texas, and a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, began his literary career in the winter of 1970 with the publication of Hyperion, a poetry journal co-edited with his wife, poet Foster Robertson, and friend Judy Hogan. In 1971, Foreman, a writer himself, founded Thorp Springs Press (TSP) in Berkeley to provide an outlet for unpublished writers. While Foreman welcomed unsolicited submissions, he sought contributions from writers he admired and respected that might otherwise never make it into print. Foreman initially focused on publishing poetry, fiction, and drama, but over time branched out to publish essays, historical correspondence, and translations. As a Texan, Foreman championed the work of Texas writers and their unique literary sensibilities.

During TSP?s two decades of operation, Foreman relied upon a community of friends and acquaintances from California, Texas, and across the country. This network of authors, small press publishers, and magazine editors helped him sell TSP books to independent bookstores, advertise TSP publications, and discover new writers outside the San Francisco Bay area. Foreman?s dedication to this community lead to his involvement with COSMEP, the Committee of Small Magazine Editors and Publishers, a formal organization of small presses. Foreman presided as Chair of the Committee from September 1978 to late 1979.

Foreman?s biggest success as a publisher came in 1974 with the publication of The Grassman: a Novel by California writer Len Fulton. (Fulton continues to operate his own press, Dustbooks, which publishes The International Directory of Little Magazines and Small Presses as well as other small press publications.) Other notable TSP titles include The New Populism by 1976 Presidential candidate Fred R. Harris, Goliah: a Utopian Essay by Jack London, Letters from the Hill Country: the Correspondence between Rebekah and Lyndon Baines Johnson, and Foreman?s own Sugarland.

In 1976, Foreman made several attempts to get funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and applied to the federal government to declare TSP a non-profit organization. While the press eventually received several thousand dollars from both state and federal agencies, non-profit status was never granted. TSP remained in Berkeley until the spring of 1978 when Foreman and family moved to Austin, Texas. In 1979, Foreman opened the Brazos Book Shop which carried mostly small press publications. In Austin, Foreman continued his involvement in the small press community, staging poetry readings, organizing workshops, and speaking about his work as a writer and small press publisher.

After publishing nearly 100 books and journals, Foreman closed the Brazos Book Shop, and TSP ceased operations during the early 1990s.

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Source: http://www.haggardandhalloo.com/2012/12/24/poet-paul-foreman-dies/

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My Friend is on Drugs | Drug Rehab Blog

My friend has been on drugs (and sells drugs) pretty much most of his life.? He spends money on prostitutes.? Toronto Police have arrested him for possession and car theft.? I went to an Ontario courthouse speaking in his favour, telling of the addiction treatment program he was doing.? His mother has spent so much money on Ontario treatment programs and on him.? The cycle never changed.

He would go to a program.? He would be thrown out. His family would refuse his coming home.? He would live in the streets.? He eventually would come back home begging his mother to take him back, promising her he was good now, will hold a job, get a life and she would accept him again.? He would go to another program.? He would swear he would quit drugs.? He even helped others get help.?? He would do something stupid and get thrown out of his program again. He would study self-improvement books, religion.? He would try to quit on his own.?? He would call me and talk, getting encouragement.? I would apply my addiction counselor skills, my communication skills and truly care.? I would urge him on.

We would make an appointment for a dinner to meet in a restaurant.? I would show up, wait 45 minutes calling his cell phone periodically but eventually go home knowing he was high on crack somewhere, probably with a prostitute.? And weeks later I noticed him on Yonge street in Toronto, selling drugs. So embarrassed he was.

I kept telling myself that he was a good person. And truthfully is he isn?t all that bad.? I have loaned him money.? He?s paid me back.? I have seen him try desperately to get a girl out of the Toronto massage parlors, and her life of prostitution because he knew she didn?t belong there.? He would call on my help to talk to her because he himself was such a poor example that she couldn?t take him seriously.? He?s promoted self improvement information to his friends.? He loves his family and they, I think, love him but just can?t stand the constant betrayals anymore.

Yet he lies.? He steals if he can. The cravings drive his life.? His mother is on medications herself always concerned for him.? And he lives on government compensation now, diagnosed as disabled due to his own addiction.? He may be on another treatment program somewhere in Ontario; I lost track a year ago.

He tends to stay away from me now because he knows I lead a busy life and have spent so much time on him. And I am still helping people because despite the above example there so many who DO come of drugs and alcohol, and lead a positive life.? And because I have seen so many successes in others I would probably try again to help my old friend if he showed me that he wanted to change.

If you have a friend who is an addict, do try to help him (or her) and do find a program that really helps as it might just work. Help him pay for it if you have to.? But make sure he wants to change for real and give him the support but decide where to draw the line if after years of trying, there is no change yet.? And trust me. There is always hope.? I?ve been there too, long ago.

Brad Melnychuk, Canada.

Source: http://narconon.ca/blog/info-about-drugs/friend-drugs.html

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93% Zero Dark Thirty

All Critics (84) | Top Critics (25) | Fresh (78) | Rotten (6)

What it does in the course of telling a seminal story of our time is what contemporary films so rarely do, serve as brilliant provocation.

The genius of "Zero Dark Thirty" is that we feel exactly what those involved must have felt at the end. Not elation. Not the thrill of victory. Just relief.

A powerful, morally complicated work on an urgent subject. It is a film that deserves-that almost demands-to be seen and argued over.

Movies must move, and this one just lies there like a stack of paper from a classified government filing cabinet.

[Chastain's performance has] a lot of colors, and angles, and is guaranteed to be remembered come awards time. Maya's a real character, all right.

Kathryn Bigelow proves herself once again to be a master of heightened realism and narrative drive in this retelling of the decade-long search for Osama bin Laden.

The decision one has to make is whether it's worth sitting through the first two hours, that provide a fine antidote for insomnia, to see the final 37 minutes.

A masterful piece of action filmmaking that succeeds in generating enormous tension by dramatizing a recent historical event in spite of the fact that everyone knows how it will end.

What makes the movie so effective is its protagonist, a doggedly determined CIA agent played by Jessica Chastain, who never loses sight of her goal in spite of repeated setbacks and bouts of political in-fighting.

The problem at the center of Zero Dark Thirty is that knowing and not knowing constitute a process, a process in which people tell lies and get hurt, in which costs can be overwhelming.

With a protagonist you lack the desire to root for and subject matter that's been shoved down our throats in the 11 years since 9/11, This is one of the only films this year where battling heavy eyelids is more exciting than the film itself.

The result is a remarkably thorough, unexpectedly cinematic, two-and-half-hour chronicle of American persistence.

There is something definitive about Zero Dark Thirty as a piece of filmmaking, as though Bigelow is concluding the entire ordeal for us on the big screen, as a film that could well earn her yet another Oscar.

While the film may not be the best of the year, its true winner is Jessica Chastain's knock-out, Oscar-worthy performance.

Zero Dark Thirty is a skillful -- and somewhat cautious -- look at military bureaucracy. It's both hampered and elevated by its dependence on authenticity.

Don't mess with the chicks. Osama bin Laden did, and look what happened to him.

Kathryn Bigelow's painstaking account of the events that led to the killing of Osama bin Laden favors dramatization over character and suspense.

There's no more perfect title for a film this year, because it manages to suggest a witching hour, a veil of deadly secrecy, and a pinpoint-honed logistical operation all at once.

A feverishly thrilling, decade-spanning CIA procedural.

This is next-level filmmaking -- smart, brave and intense.

Zero Dark Thirty has nary a wasted scene and very little in the way of respite from the intensity and power of its story and execution.

Achieves something rare, presenting a hot-button subject-torture-without the usual moral nudging.

A tense, dramatic and lean film, which is a surprising thing to say about a movie with a near-three-hour running time.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/zero_dark_thirty/

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