Entertainment

Box office report: ‘Argo’ hits No. 1 with $12.4 million

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Ben Affleck’s C.I.A. thriller Argo is having quite the box office run.

After debuting at number two with $19.5 million, Warner Bros.’ Oscar contender dropped by just 16 percent last weekend to $16.4 million. This weekend, the film notched yet another impressive achievement: it climbed to number one with an estimated $12.4 million (a 25 percent drop) in its third frame, becoming the first film since True Grit to hop to first place in its third weekend.

Argo, which cost $45 million to make, has now earned $60.8 million total, and thanks to terrific word-of-mouth (the film earned an “A+” CinemaScore grade) and early awards buzz, Argo is eyeing a $100 million finish. Though it is running a tad behind Affleck’s last directorial effort, The Town, which had earned $64.1 million at the same point in its run en route to a $92.2 million finish, Argo is enjoying much better week-to-week holds. (The Town, which opened higher Argo with $23.8 million, fell 38 percent to $9.7 million in its third weekend.)

Sony Pictures Animation’s $85 million Adam Sandler-voiced effort Hotel Transylvania jumped two spots into second place with $9.5 million in its fifth weekend. The film, which has scored slim drops since its robust $42.5 million debut in September, only fell 27 percent this weekend — the final frame before Halloween. It will be interesting to see whether Hotel holds up in the holiday’s wake, but it’s already a monster hit. With $130.4 million total, Hotel is already Sony Pictures Animation’s highest grossing film ever, above Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, which grossed $124.9 million in 2009. It’s also given Adam Sandler a much-needed career boost following his back-to-back misfires, Jack and Jill and That’s My Boy.

EW DAILY POLL: ‘Cloud Atlas’ seems….

The pricey novel adaptation Cloud Atlas finished in third place with a weak $9.4 million. Remarkably, that was the best start of any of this weekend’s newcomers, which is a testament to the weakness of the frame. The heady drama, which follows six separate storylines and stars Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, and Hugh Grant in various roles, genders, and races, proved too difficult for mainstream audiences to latch onto. Audiences, which were 77 percent above the age of 25, issued the film a “C+” CinemaScore.

For Warner Bros., Cloud Atlas‘ failure is not the worst news — the studio acquired domestic distribution rights for a reported $15 million and marketed the film — but the real losers here are the Wachowski siblings and the foreign investors who financed the project. Cloud Atlas cost a whopping $100 million, and it has no chance of making that money back — at least not in the States. Another loser? Tom Hanks, whose box office clout has all but disappeared in recent years. Cloud Atlas arrives on the heels of two other box office underperformers: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close ($31.9 million) and Larry Crowne ($35.6 million).

In fourth, Paranormal Activity 4 dropped by a massive 70 percent — a high point for the Paranormal franchise (PA2 dropped by 60 percent in its second weekend. PA3 fell 65 percent) — to $8.7 million. After ten days, Paramount’s $5 million found footage sequel has earned $42.6 million, which is still $10 million less than PA3 grossed in its first weekend.

Taken 2 took fifth place, sliding 40 percent to $8.0 million, which gives Fox’s $45 million action thriller a $117.4 million total. Though the Liam Neeson vehicle is a huge hit, it’s becoming clear that it will not surpass the final $145 million domestic gross of the original Taken. In its fourth weekend, Taken, which opened with half of what Taken 2 made, earned $11.3 million. Taken 2 is falling much faster.

1. Argo – $12.4 million

2. Hotel Transylvania – $9.5 million

3. Cloud Atlas – $9.4 million

4. Paranormal Activity 4 – $8.7 million

5. Taken 2 – $8.0 million

for more visit  Box office report: ‘Argo’ claims No. 1 with $12.4 million; ‘Skyfall’ scores $77.7 million overseas | Inside Movies | EW.com.

Entertainment

The Dragon Prophecy: The Dragonology Chronicles, Volume 4 by Dugald A. Steer – Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists

 

Brother and sister dragonology students Daniel and Beatrice Cook are looking forward to returning to their studies with Dr. Ernest Drake and Erasmus, their half-dragon tutor. But what they learn is that the evil dragonologist Alexandra Gorynitchka, who is bent on controlling (or destroying!) all the world’s dragons, is searching for the fearsome Hammer of the Dragons, an ancient weapon that can kill hundreds of dragons in a single stroke. So it is up to Dr. Drake and the children to pursue her to the Lost Isle, where Alexandra is amassing a large army of enslaved dragons. There the siblings learn of the Dragon Prophecy, which says that the return of the Hammer of the Dragons can only be stopped by two children “wise beyond their years in the ways of dragons.” Could Daniel and Beatrice be the children in the prophecy?(less)

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Random Events, Free Will or Something Darker?

2012 Archive | The Dalai Lama – October schedule – East Coast USA

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Forum in Syracuse, NY, USA on October 8: Dalai Lama will participate in The Forum for Peace at the Goldstein Auditorium, Syracuse University. In the morning he will participate in a panel discussion on The Arab Spring and in the afternoon he will participate in a panel discussion on Shifting the Global Consciousness.

Public Talk in Syracuse, NY, USA on October 9: will give a public talk on Resolving Conflict in One World Community Through Global Consciousness at the Carrier Dome, Syracuse University.

Public Talk in Williamsburg, VA, USA on October 10: Dalai Lama will give a public talk on Human Compassion in the afternoon at the Kaplan Arena, The College of William & Mary.

Panel Discussion in Charlottesville, VA, USA on October 11: Dalai Lama will participate in a panel discussion on Compassionate Care in 21st Century Medicine in the morning at the Paramount Theater.

Public Talk in Charlottesville, VA, USA on October 11: Dalai Lama will give a public talk on Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World in the afternoon at the Charlottesville Pavilion.

Public Talk in Middlebury, VT, USA on October 13: Dalai Lama will give a public talk on Finding Common Ground: Ethics for a Whole World in the morning at Middlebury College. Public Talk in Cambridge, MA, USA on October 14: Dalai Lama will give a public talk on Beyond Religion: Ethics, Values and Wellbeing in the afternoon.

Panel Discussion in Cambridge, MA, USA on October 15: Dalai Lama will participate in a day-long multi-disciplinary forum on Global Systems 2.0 as part of programs at The Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Teachings in Cambridge, MA, USA on October 16: Dalai Lama will give teachings on Kamalashila’s The Middling Stages of Meditation (gomrim barpa) in the morning as part of the 10th year celebration of Prajnopaya at the Massachusetts of Technology.

Public Talk in Providence, RI, USA on October 17: Dalai Lama will give a public talk on A Global Challenge: Creating a Culture of Peace in the afternoon at Brown University.

Public Talk in Danbury, CT, USA on October 18: Dalai Lama will give a public talk on The Art of Compassion in the afternoon at the O’Neill Center, Western Connecticut State University.

Public Talk in Danbury, CT, USA on October 19: Dalai Lama will give a public talk on Advice for Daily Life in the morning at the O’Neill Center, Western Connecticut State University.

Discussion in New York, NY, USA on October 20: Dalai Lama will be having a one-day discussion on Contemplative Practice and Health: Laboratory Findings and Real World Challenges organized by the Mind & Life Institute at the Caspary Auditorium, Rockefeller University.

Teaching in New York, NY on October 21: Dalai Lama will give a teaching on The Essence of Buddhism in the afternoon at the request of the Tibetan and Kalmyk Communities at the Lincoln Center.


View Dalai Lama October 2012 Tour in a larger map

News

What is causing Sandy to be a Super-Storm

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Hurricane Sandy Impact Map

Although Sandy is currently a hurricane, this is not like a normal hurricane. Sandy is a hybrid-storm, or extratropical storm. There are a number of factors for this. Firstly, the Jet Stream that normally sits high above Canada has slipped down over the US, bringing with it an arctic blast – this is why the north west saw snow this week.

An early winter’s storm from the north is feeding into the warm air of the hurricane and intensifying the storm. It is expected there will be heavy snow showers on higher ground.

To the north east, Sandy is encountering a ridge of high pressure from Greenland. These three weather types together have merged into a super-storm, with a reach of over 800 miles.

Sandy started as a hurricane in the Caribbean, and moved up the east coast where she has whipped up the ocean, to create a massive coastal surge. Also, the Full Moon causes higher than average tides, therefore the massive coastal surge is expected to result in extensive flooding. Delaware coastal residents have been told to evacuate, and some predict the New York subway could be flooded.

The combination of high winds, heavy rain and snow is expected to result in widespread power outages, and New York residents have been told to prepare for a couple of days without power. The storm is expected to impact a third of the country.

News

Panic Grips New York Ahead of Frankenstorm

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Hurricane Sandy, also known as Frankenstorm is due to hit the north east tomorrow, and fear is gripping New York residents. Frankenstorm is already being felt in North Carolina where the rain and high winds have begun. Meteorologists are saying Sandy is a “perfect storm”, and could impact 60 million people along the north east coast.

Sandy is no ordinary hurricane, but a hybrid storm, with a reach of over 800 miles – people from the coast to the Great Lakes have been told to prepare. Residents along Delaware’s coast have been evacuated. Some estimate that the super-storm could result in 15-foot seas, resulting in extensive coastal flooding.

A similar storm hit the eastern seaboard in 1991, and was made famous by Sebastian Junger’s best-selling book, “The Perfect Storm”. In 1991 the damage was terrible, but this time round meteorologists predict the depression is much deeper and the storm more severe.

News

Obama Supporters… Hate Obama’s Policies?

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Luke Rudkowski, in a new video by “We Are Change”, interviewed Obama supporters about Romney’s  er Obama’s policies, and the results are interesting.

The results seem to confirm Howard Stern’s opinion.  Voters tend to feel strongly about a candidate, despite not really knowing anything about what they stand for or have done.

Source

News

WHY SO MANY HURRICANES THIS YEAR? “EXPERTS” PERPLEXED

Forcasters in May figured the 2012 hurricane season would be average.

With October winding down, the 2012 hurricane season is shaping up to be one of the busiest on record!

Only seven other ‘seasons’ since 1851 have been this busy.  Three of those were in the last ten years.

Lead ‘hurricane season’ forecaster Gerry Bell, with NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, states that it is unusual to have more storms than forecasted.

Bell blames the underestimate on El Nino in a statement to OurAmazingPlanet.  However there has been no El Nino.

Phil Klotzbach, a Colorado State University hurricane expert says it is a very unusual ‘hurricane season’.

Source Article

News

Al Gore’s Current TV getting out while the getting is good

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Al Gore’s Current TV, launched only 7 years ago as a source of all things … Gore-ish, is now up for sale.

Apparently they had no end of speakers and presenters for Gore-type content, but in viewership or for those wanting to support that content…

Current TV CEO Joel Hyatt as quoted by the New York Post… “Current has been approached many times by media companies interested in acquiring our company. This year alone, we have had three inquiries. As a consequence, we thought it might be useful to engage expertise to help us evaluate our strategic options.”

MSNBC rejects seemed to end up at this station.  Take Keith Olbermann.  His appearance was supposed to save the day, instead Olbermann began to insult the hand feeding him calling them “amateur hour”.

Other hosts were: “Joy Behar: Say Anything!,” “Viewpoint with Eliot Spitzer,” and “The War Room with Jennifer Granholm.”

According to this article’s source, ratings for these shows were “dwarfed by those earned by Dukes of Hazard re-runs.”

Spirituality & Health

“DAY OF THE DEAD” CEREMONY NEXT WEEKEND IN OAKLAND, CA

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Oakland.  While some will be coming off a sugar high and reveling in the halloween spirit of the season others will be hosting another… celebration?

An annual ritual of honoring the dead will be performed in North Oakland on Nov 1.

“It’s about remembering our forefathers, our ancestors, and for me there’s actually something spiritual about that,” stated local event founder K. Ruby Blume.  “It’s also really connected to the seasons … there’s this sense (that) nature is dying. Traditionally, there’s this sensibility that the veil is thin and people can cross over.”

After a march to Dover Park, a ceremony to call out the dead will be performed.  An alter will be built for participants to offer flowers, candles and photos of deceased loved ones.

“It’s very serious, personal and sacred” stated co-organizer Cate Freyer.

Blume was inspired to start a local ritual following 25 years of attending San Francisco’s Dia de los Muertos celebration.  Blume now sees the San Francisco event as “a sort of Burning Man… media-heavy event”.

Blume is hoping for a more intimate milieu in the Oakland location, therefore recording equipment is discouraged.  Event start time will be around 5:30 at either the Driver or McGregor parks, the march will head to Dover Park and the ritual and altar building should be around sunset.

Source

News

CATHOLIC MINISTRY HOLDS PRAYER SERVICE AT SITES OF SAN FRANCISCO HOMICIDES

Father Dan Nascimento, a Priest from the St. Brendan Parish church based in San Francisco, held a prayer service this Thursday at the location of a recent fatal shooting.

Julio Escobar, a coordinator for the archdioceses Restorative Justice Ministry stated, the service is part of an ongoing series of prayer meetings organized by the ministry at sites of homicides in San Francisco.

“This is part of our faith,” Escobar said. “Our faith causes us to deal with the dead. Also, our ministries deal with the family members of the dead.”

Escobar also goes on to say “We want to create a support ministry for both victims family members and family members of those who are incarcerated,”

Source

News

NANNY WHO KILLED CHILDREN HAD BECOME “UNSTABLE”

Yoselyn Ortega who stabbed brother and sister, Lucia and Leo Krim, had allegedly become unstable in recent weeks, and was attending a psychologist. A former neighbour told the media that Ortega had told her she “felt like she was losing her mind.”

The children’s mother arrived home on Thursday evening with her three year old daughter Nessie, to find her six year old daughter and two year old son in the bath, both dead with stab wounds. When Ortega saw Mrs Krim she began to stab herself repeatedly. Neighbours heard the screams from Mrs Krim, and tell how she clung to her remaining daughter. Ortega is still in a critical condition in hospital.

The children’s father, Kevin Krim, a CNBC television executive was away on business when the tragedy occurred.

Neighbours in the Krim’s luxury Manhattan apartment block say Ortega had always greeted them, and had appeared happy, however in recent weeks was more quiet and aloof. It is believe Ortega had financial problems, but was seeking professional help.

News

Hurricane Sandy Continues to Bear Down on US

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Sandy has again reached hurricane status as she moves up the east coast of America. Meteorologists now predict she will hit land on Monday possibly in Delaware. Although Sandy is only a category 1 storm, a number of factors are coming into play to intensify the threat of this “super-storm”. Sandy is expected to merge with winter weather coming down from Canada, as well as a high pressure system from Greenland, the full moon is also causing high tides; all the elements are in place for serious damage, extensive power outages, and flooding. Experts are saying Hurricane Sandy is unique. The conditions are creating a “monstrous hybrid vortex”, explained Bryan Norcross, a meteorologist with the Weather Channel.

“We’re not trying to hype it. What we’re seeing in some of our models is a storm at an intensity that we have not seen in this part of the country in the past century,” said Paul Kocin, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

States of emergency have been declared in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Maine, New Jersey and Connecticut, as well as the District of Columbia. Sandy has already caused 42 deaths in the Caribbean.

For further information: The Telegraph

News

Former Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi Found Guilty of Tax Fraud

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The disgraced former Italian Prime Minister was yesterday convicted of tax fraud and sentenced to 4 years in prison, later reduced to 1 year.

Media reports say Mr Berlusconi will appeal the sentence, saying he is a victim of “intolerable judicial harassment”, from the left leaning judges in Milan.

Berlusconi left office last year admit the growing sexual scandal around his infamous bunga bunga parties, where it is alleged he had sex with an underage prostitute. The trial in this case continues.

The 76 year old media model, received a suspended sentence in 1996 over false book-keeping, that conviction was later reversed on appeal.

Some had tipped Berlusconi to return to political office.

Random Events, Free Will, Pre-destiny or Something Darker ?