More of "Curse of 23" I've come across lately: Cleopatra's son Caesarion (whose father allegedly was Caesar himself) was born on June 23 47 BC. Caesar failed officially recognized him as a son. Caesar was killed by 23 wounds. Caesaron was executed by strangulation by Octavian's orders when he was 17 years old. Octavian was born September 23 63 BC. Interesting loop.

This book is a bestseller? A smashing hit which has “changed the lives of millions”? Try to “criticize” it and you automatically become one of those “overanalyzing” bigot/liberal/radicals? Hmm... Too delicious to pass by. I would be honored to be referred to in this context. Let’s carefully peel off the protective layer of this built in “criticism warning” and try to determine what makes this paper golem, created by Dr. Johnson, pulsate with life.
The characters: Mice: Sniff and Scurry. Little people: Hem and Haw. Big people ( who exist behind the curtain, obviously).
Sniffs and Scurry don’t overanalyze things. They move on in search of new “Chucky Jesus/Cheesus.” The “Littlemen,” on the otherhand, overanalyze everything and so naturally the story is about them.
If proper consideration was given to every ad in this book (and there are pages and pages of them) about the nature of this “masterpiece” that has “the rare ability to be interesting, provocative and succinct,” then it should be considered as nothing short of a mini-cult. People who are not immune to this intellectual rubbish will start rambling like the characters of this book and will begin to associate themselves with mice or “little people,” giving the role of “Big People” to someone else. Actually, this option simply does not exist. You are asked to associate yourselves with either “little people” or “mice” (read: poor people or illegal aliens, which means roughly 95% of the population). This pamphlet is nothing short of an instruction guide for the above on how to behave themselves and keep believing in Myth of Cheesy World, where there are two deities: Mickey Mouse (naturally, the “false deity” for aliens, who think that Disney World is a paradise on Earth) and Cheesus (the true god who can bring you eternal peace and happiness).
Mickey Mouse people have very good instincts, but... no brains. You see, they “don’t overanalyze” things simply because they don’t have the device to “overanalyze” it with. They are mice, for goodness’ sake. Cheesus people, on the other hand, have brains. Unfortunately these brains have been paralyzed by fear. The “yellow brick road” to happiness lies through... getting rid of infected brains and becoming like the mice - hard working, poor and not-thinking SOB’s who with amazing eaze find new Cheese/work and are happy to work for minimum wage. “Little people” with their worries have so much to learn from mice... Luckily for them, the mice don’t have this choice - they did not have to sacrifice their brains to find the Cheesus, they simply act out of survival instincts.
“If you do not change, you can become extinct” - writes Haw. Exactly. If you don’t perform a lobotomy on yourself and become a submissive dumbbell, like this “M.D.” author Spencer Johnson is telling you, you are in serious danger of being left alone with your thoughts. Is this the worst nightmare in America these days? To be left alone and contemplate the complexities of life instead of running around like a rabid lunatic who eats at McDonalds, watches MTV and thinks that he somehow has achieved a moral right to declare his moronic scribbles on the wall “THE handwriting on the wall” (Old Testament allusions?).
The “Big people” were wisely left out of the picture and are only referred to as “they.” “They” control the whole situation like a freckled boy with an outbreak of acne controls a maze box full of roaches and mice. These invisible “big people” control the environment for their “little people” and mice. Little people are conditioned to not even THINK about the “big people.” The whole ordeal is too complicated for their tiny brains, the best they can do is to “adapt” to change and not complain when “they” move the cheese.
“It is safer to search in the maze than remain in a cheeseless situation.” Typical Americanism. Keep running. Don’t stop. Change your beliefs (“Old beliefs do not lead you to New Cheese”). Whatever you do, you’ve got to adapt because you are the little man. The Big Man who you cannot even think about does not need to adapt. He preaches the adaptation to you.
“Adapting to the small changes, helps to adapt to bigger ones.” Dr. Johnson, where have you been?? Of course, now we know - the next time you hear the hurricane warning, adapt to the Change, you, little people and mice of New Orleans! Move on and search for a new Cheese!!
One thing is for certain - Spencer Johnson most certainly did not overanalyze his genius little plot of his for us. He “adapted” and realized that in order to find a Cheesy Paradise, he just needed to write a book free of intellectual sophistication. Lately it seems as if only these kind of books are becoming “bestsellers.”
“Change happens - they keep moving Cheese” - wrote Haw. “Change” in this context is a clear substitute for ‘s#&#.” Hem (a Western “Hamlet,” if you will) kept “overanalyzing” and stayed in a “cheeseless” situation (true American nightmare, I gather). It seems to me, he is the only one who, like Hamlet, makes an effort to analyze who these “they” might be. He is the only one with potential (very slim, that’s true) to become the One who moves the Cheese.
Well, Spencer Johnson is Kafka of a modern America. He created a world populated with four weird creatures, where Cheese is the ultimate prize, religion and success. This cheesy Utopia can rightly compete with Shamalan’s dreams in which he keeps electrocuting the population of the Maze. It looks like this book is giving a subtle description of our society. This book also has its counterpart in the movie called “the Secret” and resembles the general scheme of the books by notorious con-artist, Kevin Trudeau. It used to be the formula of “How to become a millionaire?” Now it is “Want to become a millionaire? Then tell a story which convinces the “little people” that they have a “choice.” Tell the populus something profoundly pathetic and don’t forget to include the typical propaganda band wagon step that everyone absolutely loves, including the New York Times, the staff of which could barely contain the bowel movement in ecstasy after reading it.”
This is a tale in the times of the Idiocracy (a prophetic movie disguised as a comedy).. The cassandric words of Susan Jacoby in her latest book “The Age of American Unreason” proved to be true: “The nation’s memory and attention span may already have sustained so much damage that they cannot be revived by the best efforts of America’s best minds…” These days all hope for intelligent story-telling with creative characters is lost. I realized that when this garbage was presented to teachers in a graduate program as a “masterpiece” to be reflected on. Maybe we deserve “bestsellers” like this, after all. We are what we buy and admire, after all. “We buy therefore we am,” so to speak. In a truly genius novel by John Steinbeck “Of Mice and Men” both categories - men and mice suffer incredibly, mice usually die suffocated by Lenny, Lennies dies suffocated by their dreams. The only way to the next Cheese room is to betray Lenny (like Haw betrayed Hem) and move on. Dr. Johnson thought he provided us with an alternative, Hollywood ending of the story - mice survive and men “find their way” to the next Cheese room. Unfortunately, it is my belief that it is better to be slaughtered like Lenny than to live in this sick Maze where Cheese is as the ultimate goal.
Are you still willing to make the choice of who you are in this “tale”? Have you been convinced by a hologram of lively debate presented after the tale? Or would you rather demand control over the maze “they” tell you you HAVE to live in and be
happy with what they give you? I’ve made my choice - I am turning Spencer Johnson and those alike into “roachpeople” and will start my own experiment on them.

I've entered and got lost in the maze created by PKD. It started with "V.A.L.I.S", continued with "Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch" and "Martian Time Slip". Now it progresses with "Maze of Death" and "Dr.Bloodmoney..."
How in the world did I miss this phenomenon for long?!

Even "IMAX" experience could not save this disaster. I was a long time since I saw something as stupid and pathetic like the new "Transformers" movie. The audience for the most part was transformed into "autobots" secretly wishing to be "decepticons." If we buy the premise of the plot, it would be intellectual suicide not to root for the "bad" robots seeking to destroy this miserable reality.

I caught myself being 100% involved into the plot of this movie. Sam Reimi is definitely aware of many mysteries of the Occult world (and the fact that all of it is neatly placed in the brain of the humans). The match between Hungarian Gypsy's curse and pathetic modern world values ended in favor of Gypsy's curse. I personally saw nothing "funny" (as was promised by many critics) in there. Just plain horror and hopelessness once one decide to involve the Occult into the daily life. One more comment: there is no need to "drag" anyone to hell, it was already "dragged" into our skulls.

This was by far the most beautiful beach in the whole of Florida. Snorkeling and swimming at South Beach at 7 a.m. proved to be simply great. This is the clearest water in the region. The beaches at Sarasota, St. Pete, Naples, Venice, Estero, Bonita Springs and even famous Key Biscayne beach in Miami have been eclipsed by South Beach (I don't take into consideration a disgrace called Fort Myers Beach). The trick is to get there first thing in the morning. Unfortunately, we did not spot a single shark in the water.
Could not forget short conversation with Basil (4 y.o.):
Basil: Uncle Stas, is there such thing as underwater restaurant?
Uncle Stas: Sure, Basil. You see, every time the human drowns, his body turns into one.

"They say that the prospect of being hanged in the morning concentrates a man's mind wonderfully; unfortunately, what the mind inevitably concentrates on is that, in the morning, it will be in a body that is going to be hanged."
This beautiful opening sentence of Terry Pratchett's "Going Postal" slided into garry-porter like narrative. I guess I was missing the above-mentioned concentration of man to be hanged.

"It was unknowable then, but so much of the progress that would define the twentieth century, on both sides of the Atlantic, came down to the battle for a slice of beach only six miles long and two miles wide," Obama said today in France.
Sure, it sounds very noble and dignified (especially when you have movies such as "Saving Private Ryan" to back you up). Let the numbers speak for a moment:
Battle of Stalingrad: one million people killed and wounded from EACH SIDE. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Stalingrad).
Battle of Kursk: over 50,000 killed from EACH SIDE.
And now, the famous "D-Day": 10,000 killed and wounded from American and British forces. About 5,000 killed and wounded from German side.
Everything should be viewed in perspective, dear Mr. President. Sure, the Americans "won" the war, if it pleases you.

The law of synchronicity got me yesterday. Continuous thinking about killer rabbits and Harvey finally materialized into something very down-to-earth and creepy. My neighbor has rabbits and one of them escaped (naturally, the black one). I was "lucky" enough to catch him. But Black Harvey got me the last second before I released him into his cage - his powerful claws slashed my wrist really deep. Neosporin did not help. Naturally, now I think the cuts are infected. Nice. I can feel the inviting breeze from the black rabbit hole.

Actually, it was very funny. For the most part, Maher managed to maintain his cool when talking to religious nuts. Christianity, Islam and Judaism (the Sabbath and circumcision part) were extensively mocked and laughed at. Overall, very good performance, presentation and conclusions (religions poison the mind and should be separated from politics). Sometimes, it was really hilarious. Disney-land Jesus, Mormons, Scientology, self-proclaimed messiahs... Basically, Maher presented his case in the format of "Atheism for Dummies." Some people may see the "hidden agenda" behind this documentary (Maher several times brought up Holocaust and the state of Israel). I would be curious to see a documentary without "hidden agenda", though.

Really enjoyed "Alphaville" by Jean Luc Godard. Done in the spirit of "Brave New World" and "1984."
The strongest episode in the film is the execution scene at the swimming pool. "What is this man condemned for?" - asked the main character. "He wept after his wife died" - was the response. The poor widower was machine-gunned into the pool, where "swimming bathing beauties" elegantly fished out his corpse, doing synchronized swimming moves under applause of the men in the suits standing around the pool. The scene is repeated several times, different crimes (mostly, crimes of expressing the emotions) and every time the female swimmers did their trick of surrounding the dead body in the circle and doing different gracious moves with their legs as they did so. The men in black suits applauded.

I was standing with my friend, Bud, talking about some gnostic issue when an absolutely drunk individual tapped my shoulder. Smelling something bad coming, I pretended not to pay attention and just kept talking to Bud. Then visibly concerned Bud whispered me, "Just bless him and he will go away." (Bud is rather religious guy). "What??" - said I. "Bless him" - repeated Bud.
I turned around and found drunk still there, swaying like a palm tree under the wind.
"BLESS YOU" - I said in his face. As if stricken by lightning, drunk shivered, turned around, made a few steps away from us and... collapsed face down.
"Dude, if you were my priest, I wouldn't want any blessings from YOU." - said Bud.

The world re-emerged with Kirill making his morning jungle wake-up call. Still fogged up and sleepy, I went to change him. He was already standing, eager to be picked up. The revelation took place few seconds later, when I saw his diaper folded in his bed, while his overalls were intact and buttoned up from all sides. How in the world did he take it off without unbuttoning his overalls?! The only "rational" explanation is ... my sleepwalking. I'd rather look for some irrational explanation. Somebody or something is playing with my sanity. Need to pull my "reality" together.

"Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand has successfully made it to the top of my Crap Mountain. This is one of the most pretentious, untalented, uneducated, boring piece of political manifesto disguised as "literature" ever created and artificially elevated to the cult status. "Das Kapital" by Karl Marx is a thriller compared to this wretched text designed to condemn socialism. One movie “There will be blood” (which, contrary to popular opinion, has nothing to do with flat text by Sinclair called “Oil”) has all tools to deconstruct this ugly-looking golem put together by Rand. Unearthed and re-animated by some right-wing nuts, this text is now good only as a pesticide - any given paragraph from “Atlas Shrugged” if read aloud in the room will kill all life forms, including roaches and spiders. I heartily recommend to treat this book as any stinky diaper - put it in a plastic bag and carefully dispose it in the trash. And remember - the more you poke it, the more it stinks!

I got so entrenched into "the Dark Tower" that upon finishing it my life shifted gears. As if proving King's statement that Art determines this "reality" (of course, he wasn't the one who invented this notion), the change of scenery and landscape came immediately.
Not willing to remain in the wastelands of Lee County, I submerged myself into "Valis" by Philip Dick. Very good and relaxing bath of brilliant ideas.
"God is nowhere" is shifting to "God is now here" and back.

A man is standing on the corner of NY street and blowing a whistle. "What in the world are you doing?" asked him a policeman. "Scaring off the elephants", was the reply. "But there are no elephants in here", exclaims the policeman. "You see, it works!" - follows the response.
Isn't this the way the Religion works? If you keep "whistling" (believing), the Church offers "protection" and "guarantees" to keep you away from Hell and Elephants not seen by the regular "observers."
However, a growing number of people beginning to see elephants anyway. And they learned to like elephants and tend to admire Hell (the primary reason of people moving to Florida).
"They are out there to get you!" formula is malfunctioning these days. People find the idea of "someone out there" who is trying to "get them" very comforting. That means somebody sincerely care for them, need them. Even in a capacity of food, nourishment or entertainment.

Once you hear it, you cannot "unhear" it.
The example of how new reality can be "injected" in one's mind:

P.S. The same method was applied to the song "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin.

Joe Plumber simply refuse to be flushed down and stay afloat, stinking up everything around himself. This time he announced to his "respectable" crowd of conservatives that he is "horny." Well, that's just wonderful. Perhaps, he should be helped to get re-united with his beloved plunger.

Is this just me or Pope Benedict is a spitting image of Darth Sidious?..

The deepest, the most complex, goriest and gloomiest of all comics I’ve ever seen. Great special effects. Great delivery, good music. However, besides the Comedian and Rorschach, no acting efforts were detected. Still very good, I wasn't even slightly upset by this.
The same masonic filling as in Batman II (with Joker) this time tasted differently (of course I am talking about inherited stupidity of human beings/sheeple who need to be fed tales in order to behave somewhat decent).
But the greatest joy I felt when I finally found the source of my favorite joke about psychiatrist: “Man goes to doctor. Says he's depressed. Says life seems harsh and cruel. Says he feels all alone in a threatening world where what lies ahead is vague and uncertain. Doctor says "Treatment is simple. Great clown Pagliacci is in town tonight. Go and see him. That should pick you up." Man bursts into tears. Says "But, doctor...I am Pagliacci."
Some other genius quotes from the movie:
“Once you realize what a joke everything is, being the Comedian is the only thing that makes sense.”
News vendor: "I see the world didn't end yesterday." Kovacs: "Are you sure?"
Adrian Veidt: I did the right thing, didn't I? It all worked out in the end.
Dr. Manhattan: 'In the end'? Nothing ends, Adrian. Nothing ever ends.