"A waggish conceptual venture, Viva is a startlingly pitch-perfect reproduction of the kind of gauzy sex movies from the 1960s and early 1970s that preceded the hard-core revolution," writes Manohla Dargis in the New York Times. "Despite the parallels with Sade''s Justine and the occasional lurid flourish, the depravity never becomes remotely depraved because [writer-director Anna] Biller, despite her commitment to verisimilitude, maintains an ironic detachment throughout - because she''s a Brechtian or a bad actress, or perhaps .........

Are millennials more inclined to cheat to get ahead?

That seems to be suggestion from Barbara Keats, associate professor of management at the WP Carey School of Business.

Keats argues that this generation has grown up in a very different social context, growing up with "helicopter parents" who tried solving their problems for them and who shielded them from moral and ethical uncertainty and who were raised in an achievement oriented society where there has been more tolerance for cutting corners.

Read her arguments and ponder. Personally, I'm not sure I buy .........

Often, children can be very cruel. Without realizing the consequences of their actions, children often pick on their classmates, particularly those that are a bit different from the norm. And people with food allergies definitely fall into that category. I can imagine that for kids who don't have food allergies, someone who's deathly allergic to something benign such as peanut butter or peanut cookies, are freaks and are thus obvious targets for .........

From the US Patent and Trademark Office: A method and instrument for proposing marriage to an individual.

The purpose of this invention is to provide an improved method of proposing marriage to an individual. The method of proposing to an individual generally comprising the steps of meeting the individual; exchanging names with the individual; dating the individual (not necessary); drafting a government document having a proposal to marry the individual incorporated therein; and showing the government document to the .........

Did you ever wonder what happened to Disneyland''s Mine Train, Flying Saucers, or Indian Village? These and other attractions, restaurants, and shops are now collected in Yesterland, a theme park on the Web.

Perhaps you remember some of these attractions from your earlier visits to Disneyland. Or perhaps they were gone before you ever had a chance to experience them. In either case, you can find out all about these long gone attractions at .........

If it quacks like a duck… from the Undiscovery Channel on .........

Do you have trouble spending .........

The secret of all victory lies in the organization of the non-obvious. - Marcus .........

Restricting this 4 year old from riding is not fair, he's been riding for 2 .........

Not usually one to idolise the style choices of fictional teenage girls (childhood ‘Clarissa‘ obsession aside…), I have decided to make an exception and appoint Cassie from hit TV show ‘Skins‘ as my new style crush. .........

Here we go again..... some fool trying to insinuate that helmets don't do any good. Or more specifically, helmet LAWS don't do any good. .........

No, that's not a Corvette, though the similarity is striking. It's a 1964 Pontiac Banshee concept that never got past the prototype stage when GM management worried that it would threaten Corvette's lofty status. No wonder John Delorean eventually left to build his own sports car! Actually the Banshee was intended as a competitor for the Mustang. The dynamic styling and unique overhead-cam inline six certainly would have cut into Mustang sales because of the latter's more conservative styling and uninspiring base six. Fortunately the Banshee was saved from the crusher and .........

Collective muses of the season seem to be “Big Edie” and “Little Edie” of “Grey Gardens” fame. The cult documentary, which followed the squalar, isolation and faded eccentricities of Jackie O’s aunt and cousin in East Hampton, directly inspired Galliano’s S/S show and is currently being remade into a feature film starring Drew Barrymore. .........

Fortune magazine just announced their choices for the Most Admired Companies. General Electric led the .........

Despite cuts in interest rates, the problems on the US real estate and banking markets have still not been solved and form the epicenter of a financial crisis in the OECD countries. The wave of asset-backed securities in the 1990s, in which the banks passed their credits on to the capital market, led to dubious developments. In view of the crisis faced by the British bank Northern Rock, which caused an almost unprecedented shock in Britain, the economist Paul J.J. Welfens sees the inadequate protection of deposits and poor banking supervision in Britain - and in other OECD countries - as the root of the problem. Typically in an article on the ongoing banking crisis recently reported in the springer journal international economics and economic policy, he writes that the leading finance centers are responsible for the shocking international crisis characterized by a loss of confidence in major markets........

You won't find one of these parked by the curb in your neighborhood unless the owner is participating in a notable classic car event. Which is why this historic Ferrari 375 MM, body by Pininfarina, stood still long enough to be photographed. It was one of a number of entrants in the Palm Springs Desert Classic Concours that took to the road for a tour of the area, giving residents and visitors a rare look at some equally rare cars being driven rather than awaiting their place on the grass. Because the 375 MM is as much race car as road car, our photographer reported that its raucous .........

Like me, you might be a bit hesitant to give the sheer trend a go this Spring/Summer, (there is always the inherent risk of looking cheap or inappropriate with the wrong material or design). Also, some of us might still be fighting the old connotation that sheer garments are only decoys to cover up less-than-toned arms or other bodily .........

It looks as if Sienna Miller is finally over the Jude Law .........

A noticeable lack of unembedded reporting on the Iraq war has lead to a corresponding lack of information about the realities of this war. What truths go unreported? Will the Bush administration attack Iran? What will the increased militarization in Pakistan mean for the Middle East? How will the United States government and the people respond?

On this edition, independent journalists David Barsamian and Dahr Jamail tackle Iraq, Iran, Pakistan and our relationship to each of these countries. Hear their provocative conversation
Greener Magazine

An hour-long version of this .........

Way back in a year they once called 2005, I made a post about a snag that had fallen on top of a nearby Blackjack Oak tree, bending it to the ground. Then, just over two years ago, I went back to the tree to see how things were holding up (or down?), and I made a post about what I found .........