Friday, August 28, 2009

NEW : Review: Halloween II, When Rob Zombie Attacks


Taylor Mane, Halloween IIMarsha LaMarca/Dimension Films
B
Review in a Hurry: A bizarre mashup of grindhouse and art house, Rob Zombie's latest redneck rampage is unlikely to fully satisfy hardcore devotees of either genre. Yet there's a lot going on here that's worth a look, even if the writer-director's reach occasionally exceeds his grasp.
The Bigger Picture: Neither a remake of the 1981 sequel nor a movie to be taken on quite the same terms as Zombie's first stab at masked maniac Michael Myers, Halloween II sees the killer as a psycho drifter—now vaguely resembling Watchmen writer Alan Moore—who still haunts the dreams of li'l sister Laurie (Scout Taylor-Compton). Visions of the late mama Myers (Sheri Moon Zombie) alongside a white horse also abound. The director will undoubtedly be accused of merely looking for a way to shoehorn his wife into the flick, but she does serve a specific plot purpose.
Pushing Laurie even further to the brink is Dr. Loomis (Malcolm McDowell), who, like Michael, has inexplicably survived near-certain death just so there could be a sequel. In Zombie's biggest departure from the source material, Loomis is portrayed as a total ass, a shallow fame junkie who's like a wholly corrupt version of Dr. Drew Pinsky. Eager to exploit his star patient again, Loomis pens a new book revealing the full family connection between Laurie and Michael, and the extent to which surrogate pop, Sheriff Lee Brackett (Brad Dourif), kept it under wraps.
As one would expect, Zombie corrals yet another freak show of classic character actors, from standbys like Batman BeginsMark Boone Jr. and Office Space's Richard Riehle, to TV faves like Howard Hesseman and even Weird Al Yankovic as himself.
More surprising are the stylistic flourishes: Shot on grainy stock in a '70s drive-in style but with harder-edged, realistic brutality, the movie tries to reflect the fracturing perspectives of the Myers siblings by playing around with sound and image, including, if we're not mistaken, visual references to the likes of French cinema pioneer Georges Méliès!
But lest you think Zombie's gone too highfalutin, he still gives characters playful names like "Bruce Cabot" and "Harley David" (of course, "Lee Brackett," carried over from Carpenter's original, is a reference to the coscreenwriter of The Empire Strikes Back, to which Zombie's The Devil's Rejectsowes many plot points).
Halloween II attempts some ambitious genre bending that doesn't always work and that may occasionally evoke laughter. Yet there's often much more in play than the obvious.
The 180—a Second Opinion: If you want anything remotely like John Carpenter's original Halloween, or even a typical slasher flick, you're not gonna get it here.

HOT : Cash In Cali: Schwarzenegger Holds Garage Sale


Howard Cross of Grass Valley, Calif., reads the paper in the desk chair he plans to buy.
EnlargeMax Whittaker/Getty Images
Try Before You Buy: Howard Cross of Grass Valley, Calif., reads the paper as he waits in line on the desk chair he plans to purchase at the Great California Garage Sale.
When times are tough, there's always one way to make a buck: Sell your stuff in a garage sale. And for California, times are plenty tough. So the state is holding a massive sale, as part of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's effort to alleviate the state's budget crisis.
For the two-day event that ends Saturday, the state is selling off seized property and surplus supplies. Officials rounded up everything from chairs to motorcycles to antique pianos.
Bargain-Hunters Set Their Sights
It looks a lot like Toys 'R' Us at the opening of the Christmas shopping season. A line of at least 1,000 bargain-hunters snakes around the state's giant Sacramento warehouse.
"I've been here since 2 a.m.," said Ollie Scott. "These are my daughters. They've been here since 8 last night."
Scott and her daughters, Talissa James and Cherril Scott James, camped out with lawn chairs and doughnuts. Talissa hopes to buy a few things she wouldn't normally be able to afford.
"I'm looking for a laptop for school," she said. "I'm a college student this year, and I'm looking for a projector. I didn't tell anybody about that. I want that in my house."
People wait for the start of California's
EnlargeMax Whittaker/Getty Images
People wait for the start of California's garage sale Thursday afternoon in Sacramento, Calif.
A Rush Of Interest
Before the doors finally opened, an announcer issued a warning, hoping to head off a stampede: "At the opening of the door, please no rushing. Be respectful of others. Thank you very much for coming."
With the doors open, a lot of people make a beeline for the laptops — and at $200 or less, it's understandable. BlackBerries, cameras and office chairs are being snapped up, too.
Fred Aguiar, who heads up the State and Consumer Services Agency, says departments cleaned house and came up with all kinds of surplus state goods.
Describing the spread, Aguiar said, "We've got a surfboard here, we've got watches, rings. We've got bicycles, we've got seven dentist's chairs."
Yes, that's right: dentist's chairs. They came out of state prisons. That's where some of the oldest stuff came from, including thousands of 20-year-old jackets intended for inmates but never worn.
Schwarzenegger On The Scene
There are more than 600 cars and trucks to be auctioned off. The garage sale was the governor's idea. On Friday, Schwarzenegger stopped by for a surprise guest appearance — and to autograph some motorcycles.
Bidding the crowd good morning, Schwarzenegger asked, "You buy anything? You better buy one of those cars."
Tools are displayed Tuesday that will be sold during the Great California Garage Sale in Sacramento
EnlargeRich Pedroncelli/AP
Tools are displayed Tuesday that will be sold during the Great California Garage Sale in Sacramento, Calif.
College student Jessica Marcado took Schwarzenegger's advice. She camped out overnight to get a bargain on a new car.
"For the car I got and the price I got it for, I think it was totally worth it," she said. Then she described the car: "A Chevy Cavalier. It was a 2002; 52,000 miles, and I got it for 2,800 bucks."
The state expects to net around $1 million from the garage sale. That's pennies in the piggy bank by California standards — lawmakers recently closed a $20 billion-plus hole in the state budget.

NEW : La Cañada fire spreads toward Altadena; Big Tujunga Canyon Road closed


Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proclaimed a state of emergency in Los Angeles County today as firefighters continued to battle an out-of-control brush fire in the La Cañada Flintridge area that was spreading toward Altadena. On the western flank of the fire, Big Tujunga Canyon Road has been closed.
More photosThe Station fire in Angeles National Forest was burning near homes on the north side of La Cañada Flintridge. The fire spread southeast overnight, jumping Highway 2 and into the Arroyo Seco area. Fire officials were concerned about homes along Starlight Crest Drive, which runs just east of Highway 2 and is adjacent to a watershed park.The blaze had burned at least 1,500 acres and was 10% contained.
The fire today has moved farther southeast, toward the western edge of Altadena, though officials said no evacuations have been ordered yet in that community, and has spread to the northwest in the forest.
"It's growing," said Dianne Cahir, spokeswoman for Angeles National Forest.
On Starlight Crescent Drive, the southern border of the voluntary evacuation zone in La Cañada Flintridge, helicopters could be seen picking up water from a pond at La Cañada Country Club, flying across a gully and dumping it on flames spreading across a nearby ridge. A few dozen residents pressed against the country club fence to take pictures and wondered aloud whether firefighters would get the blaze under control soon.
Nabila Idroos, 60, a stay-at-home mom, stood near the fence with a towel pressed to her face next to her car packed with valuables — passports, jewelry, insurance documents, laptops and the Koran. She and her husband, a doctor, raised their children in the neighborhood.
“How much can you take when you live in a home for 20 years?” Idroos said. “Hopefully no structures get destroyed. That’s all I’m praying for. Things can get replaced, but not lives.”
Idroos said she lives on nearby Greenwood Street, an area under voluntary evacuation. She said she left home with her husband briefly last night and stopped by La Cañada High School, but returned a few hours later.
“We’ve been here 20 years and I’ve never seen something like this,” Idroos said.
Though several fires were burning in the area, air quality throughout much of the Los Angeles Basin and the San Gabriel Valley was slightly better this morning than in recent days. However, officials said it could get worse later in the day. A smoke advisory was issued for areas near the fires.
“We’re only showing good and moderate air quality, which is somewhat of a surprise,” Sam Atwood, a spokesman for the South Coast Air Quality Management District, said just before 10 a.m.  “I think it’s gotten a little bit better because a lot of the smoke has just dispersed upward aloft, and we’re not seeing a whole lot of smoke at the ground level except for the areas close to the active fires."

More photosA fire on the Palos Verdes Peninsula was 70% contained, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said, after helicopters continued to drop water. The fire burned at least 100 acres and damaged six homes, but no one was injured. Evacuation orders have been lifted.
The Red Cross opened an evacuation center Thursday in the gym of Palos Verdes Peninsula High School. A handful of residents streamed in shortly before midnight, chatting in the parking lot and crowding around a television set tuned to the local news.
"I'm sick," said Mary Lopes, who has lived in the Del Cerro neighborhood for 21 years. Her husband is out of town and she evacuated when sheriff's deputies came through her neighborhood about 9:30 p.m. urging residents to leave on their loudspeakers. "It was scary."
She packed some family pictures and computer equipment.
She said she has seen the neighborhood survive many fires, but is especially worried about this one. "It just feels like it could come," she said. "It's more frightening."
Olga and Bob Jones, who have lived in the same neighborhood for 29 years, evacuated with their three dogs. A glowing red cloud of smoke and flames rose over the area as they left their home Thursday evening.
"I think it's going to be OK," Olga Jones said. "The firefighters are doing their job. They're just wonderful."
The Terranea Resort, a luxury hotel perched on a coastal bluff that opened in June and whose rooms usually go for $264 a night, provided free lodging for evacuees and their pets. "We made the decision as soon as we saw the situation on the news," spokeswoman Wendy Haase said.
Six families had checked in by 12:30 a.m. and more streamed in clutching dogs. Bellboys offered snacks for the pets.
Bernice and Michael Green and their labradoodle Amber were initially going to spend the night at the evacuation center at Palos Verdes Peninsula High, until they heard that there were free rooms at the resort. "It's got to more comfortable than sleeping on a cot," Bernice Green said.
The couple was walking their dog in the evening when they heard about the fire.
Officials told than around 9 p.m. that there was a little smoldering; they were ordered to evacuate their Amber Sky Drive home a short while later. She was optimistic that firefighters would gain the upper hand on the blaze. "They were very confident they would have it under control and contain it," she said. "That makes me feel very comfortable." 
She recalled the community had a big party for firefighters after the last major wildfire in the area three years ago. "We just really admire them," she said.
Fire crews were making headway against the fourth fire, called the Morris fire because it began in the area of Morris Dam north of Azusa and Glendora.
The fire, which started Tuesday, had consumed 1,700 acres and was 45% contained by Thursday evening.
-- Rong-Gong Lin II, with Ann M. Simmons and Alexandra Zavis in La Cañada Flintridge
Photos, from top: Fire helicopters makes runs Thursday night over Rancho Palos Verdes; Flames move down a canyon above La Cañada Flintridge toward Angeles Crest Highway. Credits: Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times; Christine Cotter / Los Angeles Times .

source : http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/08/la-canada-fires-spreads-toward-altadena-big-tujunga-canyon-road-closed.html

HOT : The blog of Philip Garrido, serial rapist and kidnapper: "sound control" gadget hallucinations.

garridoa.jpg
garrido.jpgIn 1991, after having been paroled, convicted kidnapper and rapist Phillip Garrido snatched an 11 year old girl named Jaycee Dugard off the street. He kept her captive for 18 years, repeatedly raped her, and fathered two children from those rapes. Jaycee gave birth to the first child when she was 14.
Garrido maintained a blogspot blogwhich amounts to a disturbing look inside the internal thought process of a monster. That blog includes numerous postings about an electronic invention he wished to patent, that allowed him to "control sound" using his "mental powers." Snip:
This document is to affirm that I Phillip Garrido have clearly demonstrated the ability to control sound with my mind and have developed a device for others to witness this phenomena. by using a sound generator to provide the sound, and a headphone amplification system, ( a device to focuc your hearing so as to increase the sensitivity of what one is listening to) I have produced a set of voices by effectively controlling the sound to pronounce words through my own mental powers.
His brother told the press today that Garrido did a lot of LSD when younger. Phillip Garrido believes that having children with the child he abducted and raped cured him of pedophilia. Blogging under the user name THEMANWHOSPOKEWITHHISMIND, Garrido wrote,
 This all began by God removing a problem from my shoulders that behavioral scientist believe is not possible to remove. since then my life has seen major improvements allowing me to stand here today a free man.
His crazy hallucinations about controlling sound and controlling human thought and will are not at all unrelated to his crimes. Garrido housed his victims in a series of makeshift tents and soundproofed shelters in his back yard, in such a way that neighbors, according to several reports, "never heard a thing."
Picture 14.jpg
Despite Garrido's careful schemes to "control sound" and control the behavior and visibility of his captives, at least one neighbor did suspect something. That observant neighbor reported their suspicions to police. The police came to Garrido's property, and didn't go in the back yard to check.
The deputy determined that no crime had been committed even though he did not enter or ask to enter the backyard, the sheriff said.
I wonder how many other opportunities were missed before an unnamed female campus security officer at UC Berkeley started the chain of events that would lead to Dugard's freedom, and that of her two children.
Here's the Megan's Law database entry for Phillip Garrido. Yesterday, he told reporters:
"It's a disgusting thing that took place with me in the beginning. But I turned my life completely around (...) What's kept me busy the last several years is I've completely turned my life around. And you're going to find the most powerful story coming from the witness, the victim - you wait. If you take this a step at a time, you're going to fall over backwards and in the end, you're going to find the most powerful heart-warming story."
May he rot in hell.
BB commenter Mojave adds,
An interesting little side note to this story is that [his] van was captured on googlestreetview as it left the house of horrors. I think even calling the guy a monster is too nice. Gives monsters a bad name.
And other BB commenters note that related images taken by the Google Street View van on that same day seem to show that Garrido's van may have followed the Google van with interest.


source : http://www.boingboing.net/2009/08/28/the-blog-of-philip-g.html

HOT : Brandon Marshall Practice Picture



Denver Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshalltold ESPN on Thursday night that he’s not trying to force a trade through insubordination but that frustration got the best of him during a churlish display at practice this week.
Although coach Josh McDaniels wouldn’t say why, Marshall apparently was held out of practice Thursday as punishment for his unprofessional conduct at practice a day earlier.
Marshall went on ESPN Thursday night to discuss his actions that were shown on a video from Denver’s ABC affiliate.
In the video aired by KMGH-TV from Wednesday’s portion of practice that was open to the media, Marshallwas shown walking when the rest of the team was running during warmups, insolently punting the ball away instead of handing it to a ball boy and swatting away a pass that was thrown to him.
Marshall said some of the video, which included a shot of him sitting on his pads before practice, was taken out of context. But he acknowledged his frustration boiled over and that it was an error in judgment to act as he did, especially when he punted the ball.
“I think everybody knows there’s a lot of stuff built up there, and me handling it that way wasn’t good,” Marshallsaid.
Marshall said he wasn’t trying to force his way out of town — he asked for a trade this summer after the Broncos declined to rework a contract which will pay him $2.2 million this season.
I’m not out there trying to be a distraction to the team,” Marshall said. Unfortunately, yesterday I kind of let my frustration get the best of me.
Marshall, held out of the Broncos’ preseason game at Seattle on Sunday night after admitting he didn’t know the playbook and running almost strictly with the scout team last week, said he wants to get ready for another good season in Denver.
During a brief post-practice news conference on Thursday, McDaniels refused to say whether Marshall’sabsence was health-related — he has been dealing intermittently with a strained hamstring that sidelined him for most of training camp.
Brandon Marshall Practice VideoI’m not going into it,” McDaniels said. “If they’re not ready or able, they’re not out here.
McDaniels was then asked if Marshall was on the premises.
“I don’t know where he’s at right now. He was in the building this morning,” McDaniels replied.
McDaniels appeared to become irritated when, in a follow-up question, he was asked whether he had spoken with Marshall.
I’m not talking about it,” McDaniels retorted. “He’s not out here at practice. When he’s ready and able to practice, he will practice. That’s it.
The Associated Press sought comment from Marshall’s agent, Kennard McGuire, but was told he was out of the country until Monday.
It appears unlikely that Marshall will make his preseason debut in Sunday night’s exhibition against the Chicago Bears and former teammate Jay Cutler, who forced a trade out of Denver this winter.more info

NEW : Michael Jackson Died Of “Acute Propofol Intoxication”


The Los Angeles County coroner has officially ruled that Michael Jackson’s death was a homicide.
The King of Pop died of “acute propofol intoxication,” the Coroner’s Office said in a press statement on Friday.
michael-jackson-cause-of-death-revealed
“The drugs Propofol and Lorazepam were found to be the primary drugs responsible for Mr. Jackson’s death. Other drugs detected were: Midazolam, Diazepam, Lidocaine and Ephedrine,” the coroner’s office said in the statement.
“The final Coroner’s report, including the complete toxicology report will remain on Security Hold at the request of the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County District Attorney. In accordance with this request, the Department of Coroner will not comment on its completed investigation.”
Saturday, August 29 would have marked Michael’s 51st birthday.

HOT : Jaycee Lee Dugard Pictures


Jaycee Lee Dugard’s Pictures confirmed she is alive. See Jaycee Lee Dugard’s pictures that went missing in 1991, from age 11 till to date. The child returns home as a mother of two. See the voyage of pain through her pictures.
Jaycee Lee Dugrad who was last seen on June 10, 1991 before being abducted by two unidentified persons in some grey sedan at South Lake Tahoe, approached sheriff’s office on Wednesday 27 August and revealed her identity before the police. Earlier today, she had a press conference at 3 pm today whereby, she brought the facts to daylight as to how and whom she would claim her 18-years-sentence as a Sex-Slave.
She is 29 now already a mother of two forced children from Philip Garrido. In the news conference Phillip Garrido, Nancy Garrido and two young children were also present with Jaycee. Garrido admitted the kids were his. The rapist Fred Kollar, the under-sheriff confirmed the news and said Jaycee bore the kids from Garrido who named Jaycee his captive, as Allissa during her dark days.
Her step mother Terry Probyn and Shayna, her 19-years-old half-sister were glad to take Jaycee back home although both the step-parents had already talked to her and were pretty convinced that she was their missing daughter whom they believed would never return.
Carl Probyn, the stepfather considers himself lucky for two reasons; Jaycee is back alive, her kidnappers Phillip & Mrs. Nancy Garrido (58 & 55 respectively) are in the lockup. Carl’s connection with this 18-years long story is that he was the primary suspect in Jaycee’s kidnapping and was already tired of ‘lie-detecting tests.’
The arrest of the Garrido couple is followed by a visit of the authorities involved in investigations to Garrido’s California suburban area home in Antioch, Jaycee’s alleged ‘Prision.’ Garrodo, a registered sex offender is facing charges of rape by force, sexual abuse and penetration, lewd and lascivious acts, and kidnapping where Nancy faces conspiracy.
Here are the pictures of Jaycee Lee Dugard.
Jaycee Lee Dugard Pictures
Jaycee Lee Dugard Pictures

HOT : Benzodiazepine Effect: Inside Michael Jackson's Death

Michael Jackson
LOS ANGELES — With the Los Angeles County coroner's office officially ruling Michael Jackson's death as a homicideon Friday, fans of the music icon are wondering about theBenzodiazepine effect.
The coroner's office determined that Jackson died as a result of acute propofol intoxication. But the agency also noted that the Benzodiazepine effect was a contributing factor in his death, which was the combination of the sedatives Lorazepam, Midazolam, Diazepam, Lidocaine and Ephedrine found in his body.
By definition, Benzodiazepines are medicines that help relieve nervousness, tension, and other symptoms by slowing the central nervous system.
The family of antianxiety drugs known as Benzodiazepines includes Alprazolam (Xanax), Chlordiazepoxide (Librium), Diazepam (Valium) and Lorazepam (Ativan). Benzodiazepines, which begin to take effect rather rapidly, are only available with a physician's prescription.
Dr. Conrad Murray, the singer's personal physician who was with Jackson when he fell ill and later died on June 25, has been the primary target in what has been labeled as a manslaughter investigation in the media.
According to a search warrant unsealed on Monday in Houston, Murray told LAPD detectives that he had been treating Jackson for insomnia for about six weeks by giving him 50 milligrams of propofol each night using an IV.
Michael Jackson Timeline: His Final Hours
The following timeline details the series of sedatives given to Michael Jackson by Dr. Conrad Murray on the day of the singer's death, according to an affidavit released earlier this week in Houston.
1:30 a.m. — 10 milligram tablet of Valium, a sedative.
2 a.m. — 2 milligrams of the sedative lorazepam (brand name Ativan) given intravenously.
3 a.m. — 2 milligrams of the sedative midazolam (brand name Versed) given intravenously.
5 a.m. — 2 milligrams of lorazepam given intravenously.
7:30 a.m. — 2 milligrams of midazolam given intravenously.
10:40 a.m. — 25 milligrams of propofol (brand name Diprivan) given intravenously and diluted with lidocaine (brand name Xylocaine).
10:50 a.m. — Doctor leaves Jackson’s room; returns minutes later to find Jackson not breathing. Begins CPR and gives 0.2 milligrams of flumazenil (brand name Anexate), used to reverse sedatives.

NEW : Babywearing 101: What are the benefits of babywearing?



Insert photo caption or credit here
Wearing your baby is simply carrying your child with the use of a soft baby carrier so that you can hold your baby "hands free." There are many types of carriers available, but regardless of the kind you choose, there are many benefits of babywearing. 
Smarter Babies
Babies that are carried spend a great deal of time in a state of quiet alertness. This is a period of intense learning and interaction. When babies are carried hey can be at the center of the action without being the center of attention. This allows them to hear the conversations and see the sites of the people around them. It also encourages adults to talk with the baby and point things out to them that they might not think to share with a child in a stroller. This increased exposure to language and social interaction can enhance a baby's cognitive development. 
Improved Attachment
Research has shown that infants who are carried in soft carriers are more attached to their mothers than a control group of infants. Maternal-infant attachment is more than just a warm fuzzy feeling. It is an important foundation for psychological development. Securely attached infants and toddlers demonstrate higher levels of social functioning later in life. 
Happier Babies
Babies who are frequently held and carried cry 43% less than babies who are held only for feedings or in response to crying. In cultures where babywearing is the norm, there is no such thing as "colic." American researchers theorize that the "normal" crying of young infants could be greatly mitigated by a decrease in reliance on non-human baby holders such as strollers, swings and bouncy seats. 
Happier Moms
Mothers suffering from postpartum depression and their babies can benefit from the closeness provided by babywearing. Mothers with PPD typically demonstrate decreased responsiveness to their babies. However when babies are worn, a mother's responsiveness increases which increases the attachment between mother and baby. This increased attachment helps boost a mother's confidence in her parenting which can mitigate some of her depression.
More Involved Dads
Babywearing is an excellent way for dads to bond with their babies. When a dad holds his baby close the baby learns his dad's smell, the rhythm of his heart, the sound of his voice, the way he moves. Dad learns his baby's cues and how to respond appropriately. This responsiveness assures the baby that Dad is someone he can trust and depend on. Dads who wear their babies are often more confident and more involved in general baby care. 
More Portable Babies
Baby carriers can go where strollers can't - up and down stairs, on and off busses, up rocky mountainsides. It's much easier to wear your baby than to navigate a stroller through a crowded festival. Plus, babies who are held are generally more content than a baby in a stroller. This quiet contentment makes them welcome guests at museums, boutiques, weddings and other places where noisy babies aren't generally welcomed with open arms. Some mothers have even managed to take their babies to work!
In general, babywearing just makes life easier. When babies are held, they are happy. Wearing your baby allows you to "hold" your baby without hands. This leaves your hands free to wash some dishes, tend to an older child, hold a book, or sip a latte while strolling through the park. And most importantly, it keeps your tiny one close for the very short time that she is tiny.