January 2008 Archives

It seems a much-needed intervention may be in play after Britney Spears was admitted to UCLA in the early hours of this morning (January 31). The troubled singer was physically removed from her Studio City home by police after the authorities received a call from her psychiatrist. The Los Angeles Times reports she is currently on a "mental health evaluation hold."

Once Britney is released, her mother Lynne, whom TMZ reports is "upset with the shrink," plans to take her home for some much needed R&R. Britney's lawyer, Michael Flanagan, speaking to PageSix.com, said, "Lynne is extremely concerned for her daughter and would like to take Britney back home to Louisiana and get her out of Hollywood."

"Brit has an amazing support system in Louisiana," Flanagan continued. "Lynne was holding up reasonably well, but her first priority and concern right now is with her daughter and helping her through this very tough situation that she is in."

We're very glad to hear that Britney may be going home. Back in September 2007, our in-house astrologer Maria had urged the singer to "Move back to Mississippi or somewhere completely out of the limelight." In the same story she also predicted Britney would loose her children.

What Britney needs right now is solitude. She needs to learn to love herself again, away from the distractions of Hollywood, and the industry that is earning a living off her very public demise there. With friends, relatives, lovers and TV doctors that are all too willing to sell her out for the publicity and windfalls an association, however vague, brings, we hope that Britney rebuilds a relationship with her mom. And indeed, we hope that Britney's mom takes enough time out from pitching books and reality TV shows about being a celebrity mom to actually be one.

Get well soon Britney.

A news reporter doing a story on the problems caused by the over-population of Canadian brown finches got some rather direct feedback from one of their number, who scored a direct hit into said reporter's mouth with something rather unpleasant. This video is only for those with strong constitutions (if player fails to load click HERE to view).

Just as pax is Latin for peace, a crow feeding worms to a hungry stray kitten is surely animal for love. This miraculous story from the cable channel Pax of an unlikely interspecies friendship warms our hearts. In the video (if player fails to load click HERE to view), the older gentleman, Wallace, who along with his wife, Ann, witnessed and recorded this pairing surmises that this cat and bird must have met when each was too young "to know better." We wonder whether they were too young to know worse. Indeed, one lesson of this endearing real-life fable may be that a childlike, innocent outlook leads one to spread caring and nurturance around more liberally.

We also can't help noticing that this isn't a story of just two animals but of four, at least. Yes, a kitten eventually named Cassie, and her crow buddy and caretaker are the stars of the story, but the open-eyed, animal-loving humans who also show love and deliver nourishment play a touching role as well.

May we all learn, despite apparent differences, to play with and care for one another just as this adorable feathered and furred duo do. After all, as Wallace and Ann's veterinarian says, "If you are able to have trust in someone or something then everything is possible." And as Wallace himself astutely observes, "If a crow can take care of a kitten, it shows that two strangers meeting can get along with each other."

In the beginning there was the crazy Cruise Scientology video, which begat the Will Smith remix version. Then came subversive hacker group Anonymous, to defend the planet against Cruise and Smith's evil Scientology ways with yet another video (or two). Now Anonymous has been remixed by the wags at The Huffington Post's department of irreverence, 23/6. Click HERE to view their spoof "Message to Rudy Giuliani from Anonymous." Unlike The Church of Scientology, we don't think Anonymous will be suing to suppress, though they may do the odd bit of hacking; it's in their nature. This is only the beginning.

We thought this piece of dubious exercise equipment was so spectacular in its utter redundancy that it deserved a special edition all of its own in our ongoing series Landfills Were Made For These, which highlights the useless stuff of life (see previous).

The manufacturers of the Hawaii Chair, which features a "2800 rpm hula motor" that rotates the seat, claim their invention "combines the ancient art of the hula with patented health science technology." They promise that "in just 20 minutes a day you can hula your way to a sexier slimmer you," and that the chair will "take the work out of your workout."

But wait. There's more. The folks from HawaiiChair.com say "the Hawaii chair wasn't just designed for at home," and that since office workers routinely spend 40 hours a week behind a desk, you should take your workout chair to work. We think, however, that if you "Hawaii chair while answering phones, using the computer, balancing books or filing paperwork," as this infomercial suggests (if player fails to load click HERE to view), the chair is more likely to take the work out of your life altogether as your boss hands you a pink slip for your peculiar behavior.

But hurry! This offer won't last for long. On their website the chair is reduced from $419.94 to just $293.96. Hmmn? We can't imagine why?

A second anti-Scientology video from hacker group Anonymous has appeared on the web (if player fails to load, click HERE to view). This time the target of the group's frustrations is the press. In a message entitled "Dear News Organizations" an Anonymous digitized voices says:

"The so-called Church of Scientology have actively misused copyright and trademark law in pursuit of its own agenda. They attempt not only to subvert free speech but to recklessly pervert justice to silence those who speak out against them. We find it interesting that you did not mention the other objections in your news reporting: the stifling and punishment of dissent within the totalitarian organization of Scientology, the numerous alleged human right violations, such as the treatment and events that led to the death of victims of the cult such as Lisa McPherson. This cult is nothing but a psychotically driven pyramid scheme. Why are you, the news media, afraid of discussing these matters? It is your duty to report on these matters. You are failing in your duty. Their activities make them an affront to freedom. Remember all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men to do nothing. This information is everywhere. It is your duty to expose it."

Parodying the now-infamous Tom Cruise/ Scientology promo video, in which the actor states being a Scientologist means that "when you drive past an accident it's not like anyone else because you know you have to do something about it because you know you're the only one that can really help," Anonymous continues....

"When Anonymous sees an evil, fascist, brainwashing organization, Anonymous knows it is to help mankind, because Anonymous knows it is only Anonymous that can help. Members of the church, Anonymous is not your enemy. The Church of Scientology is your enemy. The church has enslaved you. Free yourselves. Change does not roll in on the wills of inevitability but comes through continuous struggle. Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor. It must be demanded by the oppressed. Take it. Demand it.

Anonymous began their campaign in response to the Church of Scientology's efforts to suppress the leaked Cruise promotional video. According to the New York Post a spokesman for the Church of Scientology has claimed the publicity surrounding the leaked propaganda video, which was filmed in 2004 when Cruise was honored with a Freedom Medal of Valor award at an International Association of Scientologists event, has actually helped the organization since it “resulted in people searching for Church of Scientology Web sites.”

Meanwhile many Hollywood celebs, such as Cheers star Kirstie Alley (who appears in an early Scientology recruiting video obtained by Defamer.com), have been weighing in on the controversy and coming to their pal’s defense."Tom was using words meant for a Scientology audience. On the web, the video is taken out of context," said Alley, referring to the acronyms Cruise used, such as KSW (which refers to a policy known as “Keep Scientology Working”) and SP (which is short for "suppressive person")."It's like a rabbi addressing a Christian church, speaking in Hebrew. No one would understand him." Fershtay?

Mark "Dr. Tea" Ukra owns West Hollywood's Tea Garden emporium. His family has been in the tea business for over 200 years, and the good doctor has traveled the world in search of the rarest and tastiest examples of the elixir. The boundless energy the drink gave him lead to positive lifestyle changes and health benefits, the secrets to which he passed along to regulars at his store, and to readers of his enlightening new book, The Ultimate Tea Diet (see review). We persuaded him to share a handful of his top tips with the Daily Mantra, so put the kettle on, reach for some tea leaves and a cup, and read on.

• 1. Choose A Little Teapot
  Choosing the proper cookware can influence the way your meal turns out. The same goes for tea. The teapot you use can impact the flavor of your tea. If you prepare tea in a metal pot, the pot will absorb the flavor of the tea. So if you brew a pot of black tea in a metal pot and then brew white tea in the same pot, the white tea will take on some of the black tea notes. Personally I like to use a giant glass teapot. Glass does not absorb the flavor of tea as it is being brewed; neither do china or ceramic pots. So you can brew any kind of tea and the next pot won't be infused with the flavor of the one before.
  

  
  

• 2. I Need My Morning Coffee
  There is only one plant in the world (besides an obscure mushroom) that contains L-theanine, and that plant is, you guessed it, Camellia Sinensis (aka tea). L-theanine is a non-protein based amino acid that constitutes between 1 and 2 percent of the dry weight of tea leaves. Several minutes after the caffeine has entered your system, the L-theanine is secreted from the small intestine into the blood system and into the brain where it stimulates alpha brain waves, which produce a state of relaxed effortless alertness, thus canceling out the harmful effects of caffeine. If you really must drink coffee in the morning, as soon as possible after you have your coffee, drink a cup of tea. That way, you're introducing L-theanine into your system, which will counteract the harmful effects of coffee.
  
  
  
• 3. Like Red Meat? Have Some Tea
  Did you know that powerful mutagens (compounds known to cause cancer) form when you broil or fry meat? Scientists believe these mutagens increase the risk of both breast and colon cancer. So do you have to give up your favorite protein? No way! A study published in the journal Mutation Research in 2002 showed that the application of green tea and black tea to both surfaces of beef before cooking inhibits the formation of mutagens. The more tea you rub on, the fewer cancer causing agents in your beef. And, oh yes - the tastier your beef!
  
  
  
• 4. Tea and Alcohol
  I'm not encouraging anyone to drink alcohol. But if you do, I am encouraging you to drink tea before and after. That's because several animal studies have shown that the antioxidants in tea protect against liver and brain damage caused by alcohol. In a study published in the January 2004 issue of the journal Alcohol, in which laboratory animals (okay, rats) were chronically intoxicated with alcohol for four weeks, green tea prevented damage to their livers. And other studies have shown that tea protects brain tissue against free radical damage cause by alcohol consumption.
  
  
  
• 5. Don't Be Afraid To Drink Tea At Night
  I thought I could not drink tea at night because of the caffeine. So what I learned was not to drink a fresh cup of tea before going to bed. I instead made my tea and then threw out the liquid of that first pot. Then I added additional water and prepared the next pot and drank that one. What we have done is called "rinsing," a way to remove just about all of the small amounts of caffeine in your first cup or pot of tea because caffeine is very soluble.
  

Two thousand years ago, a Roman Senator suggested that all slaves wear white armbands to better identify them.


“No,” said a wiser Senator. “If they see how many of them there are, they may revolt.”

There’s an interesting video going around the internet calling for an international day of protest to coincide with tax day on April 15 (if player fails to load click HERE to view). In it, the filmmakers cite the IRS and the Federal Reserve System as being enemies of the people, in cahoots with corporate America to keep the masses enslaved.

Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times tax policy reporter David Clay Johnston explores this theme in his two books: Perfectly Legal: The Covert Campaign to Rig Our Tax System to Benefit the Super Rich--and Cheat Everybody Else and Free Lunch: How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense (and Stick You with the Bill). The titles of his books (the latter of which was released in December 2007) are self-explanatory. In short, we’re getting screwed by the wealthy and the government, who empower each other in an ever-upward spiral for them, and a downward one for us.

Portfolio.com illustrates this point graphically (click HERE to view). In 1970, the average CEO earned 28 times more than the average worker. Twenty-five years on, despite much talk of “progress,” U.S. CEOs were paid 465 times more than the average worker. Workers such as the striking writers in Hollywood and the protesting tomato pickers in Florida are one the frontlines of this ideological battle (see story).

But where does the IRS and the Federal Reserve System fall into all this. Paying taxes per se, is not a bad thing. Indeed it should be encouraged. Taxes fund vital infrastructure for the betterment of all. Essentially paying taxes are a spiritual and moral duty. They’re a community tithe, and a mechanism for each individual in a society to essentially “love thy neighbor.” Hell, I’d even pay more, if it meant we could get Universal Healthcare to take care of all those in need. In the widest sense of the word, it’s the Christian thing to do.

Where our tax system breaks down, is that it’s part of a system that is so corrupt, that our money gets diverted from the places it should morally and ethically go. Instead our hard earned tax dollars pay for corporate welfare, which is mostly paid to companies who are the least in need. It pays for roads and bridges that go to nowhere. It goes to companies with insider connections who score no-bid government contracts. It gets lost by the billion, and by the palette load, in far off countries. And it pays for obscene amounts of interest paid to world bankers to fund our even more obscene and out of control national debt.

As for the Federal Reserve System, clearly it is a little strange that an institution that is so key to instigating, making and enforcing our government’s financial policy is only a quasi-public (a part private, part government) system. Though too secretive and complex for most, including me, to understand, clearly having private corporations at the heart of such a public institution opens our system up to further abuse, especially while we have a president who’s too busy planning his own clean escape, pushing through legislation via the back door to pardon himself of war crimes he’s yet to be officially accused of, to keep his eyes on the balls we appointed him to watch over on our behalf in the first place.

So while I’m not advocating a general strike, withdrawing money from banks (we don’t need a domestic Northern Rock-like credit crisis), or supporting tax dissent, as this video suggests, I do like the idea of wearing a white band on April 15th to express our displeasure to our leaders in a way I’m sure Ghandi or the Dalai Lama would approve. Now the election season is upon us, don’t get distracted by talk of another tax rebate; it’s just a $600-$800 bribe we’re being encouraged (read brainwashed) to use to “kick start” the economy with, by sending it right back to the very corporations that are dragging our country down.

Instead, as the housing and stock markets tank, not only putting our todays, but our tomorrows in jeopardy too, focus on the real issues. Support those who have your interests at heart. Support those who promise to support you. Support those who say no to institutionalized greed. And support those who are as passionate and angry about it as you should be, after all making sure our tax dollars go to the places and people who need it most is the spiritual thing to do.

A subversive group of hackers called Anonymous have declared war on the Church of Scientology, releasing a press release on January 21 and a YouTube video on January 22 outlining their intentions. Using strategies Scientology founder, science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard, might have written about, over the past week the group have mounted a space-age, hi-tech offensive. As part of their campaign, which the group have christened Project Chanology, Anonymous have clogged church phone lines and sent endless blank faxes, and have crippled the Scientology.org website using denial of service software.

The attack is in response to the Church of Scientology's efforts to suppress a leaked promotional video that featured Tom Cruise (see previous story). The church has taken legal action against Gawker.com for hosting the video, and, according to Anonymous's press release have "filtered anti-Scientology comments" on YouTube and Digg, replacing any negative content with the text "This comment is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Church of Scientology International."

"Over the years we have been watching you, your campaigns of misinformation, your suppression of dissent and your litigious nature. All of these things have caught our eye," says a creepy, digitized Anonymous voice on their video manifesto (click HERE to view). "With the leakage of your latest propaganda video into mainstream circulation the extent of your malign influence over those who have come to trust you as leaders has been made clear to us. Anonymous has therefore decided that your organization should be destroyed."

Xenu.net, a website which disseminates information The Church of Scientology would rather keep away from the public eyes, estimates "the current (conservative) total cost" of the courses required to take members up to "OT9 readiness" is between $365,000 - $380,000. The church has also been accused of preying on the weak, and systematically separating them from friends and family.

Meanwhile the Hollywood film community has come to the defense of the church and its superstar member. In an exclusive statement sent to People magazine, comic actor Adam Sandler said, "To see anyone's private life invaded and mocked like this is sickening. It's especially gross when it happens to a guy like Cruise, who's a great dad, a great husband, and a great friend."

Dustin Hoffman also defended the maligned Mission Impossible actor, saying, "Tom Cruise is an American and has the right to freedom of speech and freedom of religion." Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, Jim Carrey, Ben Stiller, Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder, and mogul Harvey Weinstein have also spoken out in defense of their friend. And in a promotional video for the church obtained by Defamer.com, Cheers actress Kirstie Alley says "Honest to God truth, without Scientology, I would be dead. Personally, I recommend it."

According to the Air Force Times the not so top secret Area 51 base in Nevada, which is the source of much fascination among UFO enthusiasts and conspiracy theorists, has a new, and to be honest, rather boring, name: Homey Airport.

There are no towns near the Groom Lake, Nevada, Area 51 site called Homey. A writer for the Air Force Times speculates the name is derived from a moniker used by pilots in the 1960's while testing the then highly classified A-12 spy plane. Though Area-51 may have been one of the government's worst kept secrets even in the 1960's, pilots were unable to use the base name in their flight logs, listing "Home Plate" instead as their airport of origin, which over time got shortened to "Homey."

"We already know about the designation, but it doesn't have any effect on operations at the base," said Capt. Jessica Martin, a spokeswoman for Nellis Air Force Base, which sits 85 miles south of Homey Airport and is responsible for the site's ground facilities and airspace, which is highly restricted.

A story on the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association website reveals the area, which had appeared in flight planning software and on GPS receivers under the moniker K-XTA (which some wags speculate was short for extraterrestrial), is referred to as Homey Airport on new civilian flight software, the new name appearing alongside a message that reads "Private, VFR, No Fee, Customs Info Unavailable."

Though we speculate the new, and probably intentionally dull name, won’t do much for tourism in the area, The Daily Mantra applauds the military for offering "No Fee" facilities for UFOs. Let's hope the friendly gesture will help win the hearts and minds of our alien friends.

A local San Diego Fox News report says that there were multiple UFO sightings in the area a mere 30 minutes into 2008. Nat Coil, who was partying with friends at a house in Clairemont, just north of San Diego, caught the whole thing on tape (if player fails to load click HERE to view).

"There was a commotion in a corner. We could tell something exciting was going on," says Coil. "I looked up at what they were looking at, and right there I knew it was a once in a lifetime thing, and so I had the camera on me and I started to record."

The group saw a formation of nine lights at around 12.30 a.m. on January 1, 2008. "They all moved uniformly, in a uniform speed. They moved in an arc, they didn't move in a straight line," recalls Coil. "We live with a few guys who are astrophysics majors and they're sitting there running through the list of possible things and we ran out of things before we could identify what it was," says Coil's friend Dustin Cannon, who was also present.

Fox News, who received multiple reports from locals, contacted the nearby Vandenberg Air Force Base to rule out any military explanation. A spokesman for the base said their last missile test prior to the sightings was on Dec 8th 2007. Similar sightings of unexplained, fast moving formations of lights were also reported this month in Texas (click HERE to view story).

The Daily Mantra is saddened to hear that the anti-gay hatemongers from the Westboro Baptist Church plan to picket Brokeback Mountain star Heath Ledger's funeral. The group, which is classified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, hosts the disgraceful godhatesfags.com website where they posted a "news release" detailing their plans.

In the past the group have caused controversy by picketing the funerals of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender individuals, including those who were victims of hate-crimes. More recently the group have picketed the funerals of those fallen in Iraq, believing the war is "God's judgment" on America.

The small Kansas church claims to be Baptist, though has no known affiliation with any formal Baptist institution. Though claiming to do the work of God, we at the Daily Mantra would like to take the time to remind them of his Ten Commandments:

• I am the Lord your God
  
• You shall have no other gods before me
  
• You shall not make for yourself an idol
  
• You shall not make wrongful use of the name of your God
  
• Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy
  
• Honor your Father and Mother
  
• You shall not murder/kill
  
• You shall not commit adultery
  
• You shall not steal
  
• You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor
  
• You shall not covet your neighbor's house
  
• You shall not covet your neighbor's wife
  

While homosexuality doesn't even make God's Top Ten List, "You shall not make wrongful use of the name of your God" does. The disciples of hate at the Westboro Baptist Church might like to think about that as they pass judgment, while clearly ignoring Christianity's prime directive, "Love thy neighbor." We're sure that when folks from Westboro Baptist Church go to hell, they won't find Heath Ledger there, and are very sorry that his grieving friends and family have to deal with this unchristian nonsense.

Virgin Atlantic has announced that it is planning a test flight of a 747 powered by a mix of 20% biofuel and 80% conventional jet fuel. The flight, which will carry no passengers and is scheduled to happen sometime in late February, will be the first biofuel powered commercial jet flight, but what makes it even more unique is airline founder Richard Branson's approach to biofuels.

While traditional biofuels, made from soybean or palm oil, take valuable land area away from food production, Branson has publicly rejected biofuels derived from such crops. What this means is that the source of Virgin's biofuel will most likely be certain types of algae, which can be cultivated with only water, sunlight and carbon dioxide, making the biofuel derived from this unusual crop even more of a sustainable option.

Critics say that Branson's approach to sustainability is hypocritical because of the huge amounts of greenhouse gases given off with each journey made by a plane or train. However, Branson has put his money where his mouth is, setting aside all the profits from his airline and rail businesses to be spent researching and developing alternative energy solutions. Additionally, he has financed a $25 million prize fund with Al Gore, which will be used as an incentive to find an effective way of removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.

Sir Richard Branson, President of Virgin Atlantic, said in a statement that, "This breakthrough will help Virgin Atlantic to fly its planes using clean fuel sooner than expected. The demonstration flight next month will give us crucial knowledge that we can use to dramatically reduce our carbon footprint. Virgin Group pledged to invest all its profits from its transportation companies towards developing clean energy and with this breakthrough we are well down the path to achieving our goals."

Another teaser for the prophetic ABC show Eli Stone.
(If player fails to load click HERE to view.)

A new movie MacHeads explores the cult of the Apple MacIntosh. It's a cult that, for the sake of full disclosure, I'm a proud (stock-owning) member of. In the trailer (if player fails to load click HERE to view) one woman states she has "never knowingly slept with a Windows user." This may seem extreme, but I'm right there with her. My husband (a fellow Mac believer) and I often joke that we would never have got past the first date if one of us has been a PC user. We bonded over arcane Mac keystrokes back when Apple seemed like a lost cause. We loved our Macs in the face of adversity, and brought them with us to our union, having a burgeoning family of eight assorted towers, iMacs and laptops after a decade together. We reveled in the David and Goliath fight of Mac vs. PC, and were proud to be amongst those who "think different." Strangely, though we didn't seek out fellow Mac addicts, as we looked around, more and more of our friends became users too. It warmed the cockles of our heart to see new converts, excited by the mysterious working of an iPod or iPhone, or by the promised beauty of the new MacBook Air. And as Bill Gates prepares to retire while Steve Jobs and his band of merry men and women surge forward with energy and invention, it's good to know that every underdog has the potential to change and inspire the world, and can do so without requiring conformity or ubiquitous domination. Hallelujah and amen to that.

George Clooney was named as a Messenger of Peace by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday January 18th. "I am deeply honored to receive this appointment," Clooney said in a statement. "I look forward to working with the United Nations in order to build public support for its critically important work in some of the most difficult, dangerous and dire places in the world."

Clooney joins eight other internationally renowned individuals, including fellow actor Michael Douglas and cellist Yo-Yo Ma, as Messengers whose role is to "advocate on behalf of the UN" and "focus global attention on its efforts to improve the lives of billions of people." Clooney's area of special focus will be on United Nations peacekeeping. He will receive his designation and meet with representatives from countries contributing to UN peacekeeping efforts at the Organization's Headquarters in New York on January 31st.

Clooney has been outspoken on the issue of Darfur, where, according to UN statistics, 200,000 people have been killed and another 2.2 million forced to flee their homes since fighting between government forces and rebel groups began in 2003. In 2006 he traveled to the region with his journalist father to film a series of video diaries on the problems created by the conflict, which have been compounded by years of drought. The activist actor also appeared in the documentary Darfur Now, and narrated the film Sand And Sorrow , which explores the issue.

Clooney co-founded the humanitarian non-profit Not On Our Watch with Hollywood pals Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle and Jerry Weintraub to raise awareness and funds to help the people of Dafur. So far the organization has raised over $9.3 million. In 2007 Clooney visited China and Egypt with Cheadle to ask for government assistance for Dafur. The pair were subsequently awarded a Summit Peace Award by the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates for their efforts.

But it seems the newly appointed Messenger of Peace has found a rather unexpected role model for his work with the UN. In a recent interview, Clooney sights Spice Girl Geri Halliwell (a.k.a. Ginger Spice) as an inspiration. Halliwell became a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Population Fund in 1998. In her role with the organization she championed reproductive rights for women in developing countries.

"She was always my favorite Spice Girl; I loved her feisty approach and the fact she wasn't afraid to have an opinion," said Clooney. "Her work with UNICEF and [sexual health charity] Marie Stopes in the Third World was inspiring. And her address at a UN Youth summit in 2000 was brave - it's so easy to not get involved and she just gritted her teeth and went for it."

The Scientology fun continues with Crossing Jordan actor Jerry O'Connell parodying Tom Cruise's bizarre AIS Freedom Medal of Valor award acceptance video, in which the Mission Impossible star refers to his religion as "rough and tumble", "wild and wooly", and a "blast" (click HERE if player fails to load). Meanwhile fellow Scientologist John Travolta has come to Cruise's defense, telling a People reporter in Australia this past weekend that, "[Tom] has – we all have – the right to practice how we feel."

Acclaimed Brokeback Mountain actor Heath Ledger was found dead in his New York City apartment today. His was discovered in an unconscious state by Ledger’s housekeeper and a masseuse who entered his bedroom at 3.31 p.m. After attempting to revive him, they called the authorities who pronounced him DOA at the scene. A New York Times report states that pills were found near the body. An autopsy is scheduled for tomorrow. Ledger was just 28 and is survived by his 2-year old daughter, Matilda Rose, whom he had with former fiancée Michelle Williams.

How cool is Chelsea Clinton in this video, which shows her hitting the campaign trail on behalf of her mom with Ugly Betty pal America Ferrera (if player fails to load click HERE to view). Hillary and Bill should be so proud of their daughter. I'm not a fan of nepotism, but will make an exception in this case. We're starting our 'Chelsea for President in 2016' campaign immediately.

After Apple previewed their glamorous, supermodel-slim MacBook Air it seems weightier laptops are feeling the pressure to be thin. "Has Apple considered the implications of its glorification of thin models? Has it once considered the feelings of my 'big boned' HP, and how she's felt living in a society where you're only as attractive as you are thin?," writes the director of this Yahoo short video. "And what about the young processors that are at an impressionable age. Do they need this pressure? I think not."

(If player fails to load click HERE.)

First they came for the Communists,
- but I was not a communist so I did not speak out.
Then they came for the Socialists and the Trade Unionists,
- but I was neither, so I did not speak out.
Then they came for the Jews,
- but I was not a Jew so I did not speak out.
And when they came for me,
- there was no one left to speak out for me.

Pastor Martin Niemöller

Shame on the Foo Fighters and Beyonce for agreeing to cross WGA picket lines and perform at the Grammys this year. Don’t they understand that it’s not just about the writers’ rights but all our rights. I’m sure that neither the Foo Fighters or Beyonce would be happy to receive nothing beyond a modest upfront fee for the exploitation of their creative work. Don’t they understand that if the producers are successful in their union-busting tactics with the writers, which are ultimately aimed at ending the practice of residual payments, other corporations will be emboldened and many more creative people, including musicians, will pay the price. John Lennon would be turning in his grave right now.

A sneak peek of the all-new U.S.S. Enterprise has materialized thanks to the trekkies over at AOL. A teaser trailer has also surfaced online. Click HERE to view. The 11th Star Trek movie, which is imaginatively entitled Star Trek XI, is being helmed by producer / director J.J. Abrams (whose credits include Armageddon and Mission Impossible III). The film, to be released in Dec 2008, will star Zachary Quinto (Heroes) as the young Spock. The Star Wars-style prequel will focus on the early adventures of Spock and James T. Kirk. Leonard Nimoy has signed on to reprise his role, but, controversially, it has yet to be confirmed if the Enterprise's original captain William Shatner will have a place in the film.

Starbucks has announced it will stop offering organic milk. As of February 26th you'll no longer be able to get a tall non-fat organic latte, at least not at Starbucks anyway. What does this mean for coffee addicts? Well, if the primary reason you're committed to drinking organic milk is in order to avoid recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH), which is given to dairy cows in order to increase the amount of milk they produce, Starbucks is now claiming that their regular dairy supply is 100% free of the controversial drug. However, if your reasons for going organic go beyond the issue of rBGH, you may need to go elsewhere for your coffee fix.

According to a press statement, Starbucks say they only began offering organic milk in 2001 "as an interim solution" for customers who wanted milk that was produced without the use of rBGH, which is banned in many countries. At the time the Seatle-based company experienced difficulty sourcing enough rBGH-free milk to supply all their US coffee shops. However, the company now claim that as of the beginning of January their entire dairy supply (milk, half & half, and whipping cream) comes from suppliers that do not use rBGH.

This however doesn't address the concerns of those who go organic because they're worried about the use of other hormones and antibiotics, pesticides in the animals' food supply, or those who care about the general treatment of dairy herds. Nor will it satisfy those seeking the increased nutritional benefits organic milk has been shown to offer. But since the benefits of organic milk go beyond the issue of one specific growth hormone why did Starbucks make the decision to eliminate organic milk from their menu completely? Michelle Gass, the company's senior vice president of global strategy, said that "drinks with organic milk account for less than 1% of Starbucks' beverage sales," and "far and away, the No. 1 reason people are purchasing organic milk is because [it lacks] the growth hormone."

If the reason for Starbucks' about face on organic milk is due to the fact that they do not have the consumer support, in terms of paying an increased cost at the till, this can be a lesson for all of us who talk about supporting organics but don't actually purchase organic products. In a capitalist society, the most powerful way the masses can be heard is through their spending patterns. We can talk about democracy solving all our problems, but the truth is that the almighty dollar reigns supreme, and that is what we need to be voting with on a daily basis. When we buy organic milk, even if it is more expensive, we support the existence and growth of progressive organic farms who need our dollars more than they need our words of praise.

The Daily Mantra is powered by tea. Lots of it. So when we heard about a new diet book called The Ultimate Tea Diet, we just had to take a look. It's written by the self-styled Dr. Tea, a.k.a. Mark Ukra, who owns West Hollywood's Tea Garden emporium. Dr. Tea's family has been in the tea business for over 200 years, and the good doctor has traveled the world in search of the rarest and tastiest examples of the elixir. The boundless energy the drink gave him lead to positive lifestyle changes and health benefits, the secrets to which he passed along to regulars at his store. As he compiled this recipe for a healthy life into a book, Dr. Tea tested his formula on an army of 18 volunteers, who lost a combined total of 197 pounds in just eight weeks.

Dr. Tea's diet is no fad regime though. His tea-infused program is backed by solid scientific research, since it turns out the Camellia sinensis plant, which all true teas (as opposed to fruit and herb infusions or "tisanes") come from, contains three magic compounds which work together to promote health and weight loss. The first of these compounds is caffeine, a stimulant that boosts thermogenesis, the process by which the body creates heat, which therefore burns calories and promotes weight loss. Too much caffeine, as Starbucks junkies can appreciate, can be a bad thing however, which is where the second compound comes in. L-Theanine is an amino acid that counteracts the harmful effects of caffeine, reducing both mental and physical stress and anxiety. The third key ingredient, Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), is a powerful antioxidant which prevents and repairs free-radical damage, providing protection against cancer and heart disease, among other things.

It's the combination and interaction of all three of these compounds, which are only found together in tea (and not coffee), that are at the core of Dr. Tea's hypothesis, which he promises will "boost your metabolism, shrink your appetite, and kick-start remarkable weight loss." These are big promises, but like the diet, the book is balanced, offering a sensible eating regimen, yummy tea-tastic recipes, and exercise advice, while dealing with both the science and the spiritual. After explaining in detail how tea can help us lose weight, Dr. Tea encourages us to find and address the emotional deficiencies or addictions, which we often attempt to fill with food. "The only way to get rid of a habit is to replace it with something else, preferably something new and positive in your life," says Dr. Tea. So reach for some leaves and a cup, put the kettle on, and drink your way to a new and improved you.

Things are getting very silly now. Some wag has mixed Will Smith into Tom Cruise's "rough and tumble", "wild and wooly", "blast" of a Scientology ride. (If player fails to load click HERE to view video.)

Meanwhile TMZ has video of Cruise visiting Jerry Seinfeld at his NYC garage. Apparently Cruise was checking out Seinfeld's Porche (and we all know what that's a replacement for). Seinfeld has previously admitted to a youthful flirtation with Scientology (see story).

In an earlier post we told you about the bizarre Tom Cruise / Scientology video, which has been doing vanishing acts all over the internet, most likely as fast as Church of Scientology lawyers can send out DMCA notices to stop its proliferation. Gawker.com nailed down a copy of the video and posted it on their site yesterday, hosting it on their servers to avoid it self-destructing. "It's newsworthy; and we will not be removing it," they stated.

Predictably, today Gawker got a letter from The Church of Scientology's attorneys demanding that they remove the video from their site. The lawyers claim the video, which was filmed in 2004 when Cruise was honored with a Freedom Medal of Valor award at an International Association of Scientologists event, was stolen from one of their churches. Gawker's lawyer has responded claiming it is "in the public interest" and that therefore their "use is fair." In the meantime, TMZ has tracked down and posted another segment of the video, so expect the legal notices to keep flying.

Mike Huckabee seems to be the personification of a wolf in sheep's clothing. His witty repartee on the chat show circuit has transformed him from a joke/underdog candidate to a serious contender. There's no doubt that he's very smart, which combined with his charm could make him a scarier proposition than Bush, easy going charm being a symptom of sociopaths (and serial killers). You may think that I'm going overboard, but though Bush may have weakened the constitution in many respects, not even he rewrote it as Huckabee wants to do -- all so he can stop the children of illegal immigrants from automatically being entitled to citizenship -- how psychopathic is that? Does Huckabee really think he's wiser than our Founding Fathers? He sure is far more petty if scuppering the future of innocent kids obsesses him so much that he'll scupper the document at the core of our nation's being in the process too.

Calling yourself a Christian then victimizing innocent kids seems like an oxymoron to me, but then it seems Huckabee is hiding a dark, murky, and dare I say unchristian past. In a recent Salon post, a reporter who cut his teeth on local politics at the start of the 90's at the Arkansas Gazette and watched Huckabee rise to the office of Arkansas Governor, and has therefore followed the Southern Baptist minister-cum-politician longer than most, lists a litany of financial misappropriation and misdeeds. How does that sit with the Christian "values" Huckabee purports to hold? It doesn't sit at all well with the Christian values I hold, but I have every confidence it's a comfortable fit with those of Bush, Cheney and Rove.

Guerilla anti-advertising. These New Yorkers were sick of the ubiquitous slogans and images assaulting them everywhere they looked. Considering it corporate graffiti, they decided to do what most local councils do with such unwanted artwork, namely cover it up, but these guys did it in a far more creative and unique way.
(If player fails to load click HERE.)

Now you see it, now you don't. A video of an interview with Tom Cruise about his controversial faith, that was intended for Scientologists's eyes only, has been yanked off YouTube more times than a Viacom video clip.

The video was apparently uploaded to YouTube by a "consortium of church critics." After receiving a tip from investigative reporter Mark Ebner, The Huffington Post put the clip up on their site on Sunday at 10 pm. Within half an hour of posting the clip was yanked from the video sharing site. Since then it has surfaced again on several sites, including PerezHilton.com. Hilton posted it on Tuesday morning, and by noon, like a Mission Impossible tape, it had self-destructed again.

When someone puts this much effort into trying to stop you watching something, naturally it makes you want to see it more. Eager surfers should keep their eyes peeled, since who knows where and when it'll surface next (at time of writing Gawker had posted a viewable version). Fortunately for the curious, gossip mag US Weekly were taking notes, and have published a transcription of some of the highlights:

Tom Cruise: ...I think it's a privilege to call yourself a Scientologist, and it's something that you have to earn because a Scientologist does... has or she the ability to create new and better realities and improve conditions. Being a Scientologist, you look at someone and know absolutely that you can help them.


"Being a Scientologist, when you drive past an accident it's not like anyone else because you know you have to do something about it because you know you're the only one that can really help.


"That's what drives me... I know that we have an opportunity to really help for the first time, effectively change people's lives and I am dedicated to that. I am absolutely, uncompromisingly dedicated to that.


"We have a responsibility....


"We are the authorities on getting people off drugs, we are the authorities on the mind, we are the authorities on improving conditions... we can rehabilitate criminals.


"...We can bring peace and unite cultures...


"Traveling the world and meeting the people that I've met, talking with these leaders in various fields, they want help and they are depending on people who know and who can be effective and do it and that's us. That is our responsibility to do that.


"It is the time now. Now is the time... Being a Scientologist, people are turning to you, so you better know it, you better know it and if you don't, go and learn it, but don't pretend you know it. It's like we're here to help.


"If you're a Scientologist, you see life, you see things the way they are, in all its glory, all of its complexity and the more you know as a Scientologist, you don't become overwhelmed by it.


[very scary, psycho laugh.....and more bizarre rambling]


"Look, I wish the world was a different place. I'd like to go on vacation and go and romp and play and just do that, you know what I mean. That's what I want it to be. There's times I'd like to do that, but I can't because I know, one you know, I have to do something about it.


"I have to do it because I can't live with myself if I don't, and that really is it.


"I'm carrying my load...but I still need to do more."


"So it's our responsibility to educate, create the new reality. We have that responsibility to say, 'Hey, this is the way it should be done because we do it this way and people are actually getting better.'


"And let's get it done. Let's really get it done and have enough love and compassion and toughness that you're really going to do it and do it right.


"I have to tell you something - it is rough and tumble, and it's wild and wooly, and it's a blast, it's a blast, it really is fun because, dammit, there is nothing better than the going out there and fighting the fight and suddenly you see things are better.


"I want to know that I've done everything I could everyday, and I think about those people out there who are depending on us. I think about that and it does make me feel that we've got more work. I need more help, get those spectators either in the playing field or out of the arena. Really, that's how I feel about it.


"I do what I can, and I do it the way I do everything. [laughs] There's nothing part-of-the way for me."

Several residents in and around Stephenville, Texas, a rural community approximately 100 miles southwest of Dallas, have reported UFO sightings over the last week. On January 10th, 2008 a local newspaper printed an account of a sighting by Steve Allen and two of his friends. Since then, dozens more people have come forward with similar stories.

Allen, a freight company owner, who has also worked as a private pilot for more than three decades, and his friend Lance Jones were hanging out at their pal Mike Odom's home in Selden, 9 miles outside of Stephenville, on the evening of Tuesday, January 8th. At approximately 6.15 p.m., while outside admiring the sunset, all three of them saw something they couldn't explain.

"The ship wasn't really visible and was totally silent, but the lights spanned about a mile long and a half mile wide," Allen told a reporter from the Stephenville Empire Tribune. "The lights went from corner to corner. It was directly above Highway 67 traveling towards Stephenville at a high rate of speed - about 3,000 miles per hour is what I would estimate."

Allen and his buddies watched as a single horizontal set of strobe-like lights changed formation, moving into two vertical lines. "The two sets were approximately one-quarter of a mile apart," Allen said. "Then they turned into dirty burning flames. The flames were not blue. They were white in color. About two seconds later it disappeared completely." Ten minutes later the UFO's reappeared. "This time it came from the west traveling east towards Glen Rose," Allen said. "And it was about two or three miles south of 67, and two military jets, possibly F16s, were in pursuit."

After seeing Allen's account in his local paper, machinist Ricky Sorrells, who lives in the nearby town of Dublin, also came forward. Sorrells claims to have seen a flat, metallic object hovering at a low level over the pasture behind is home. "It feels good to hear that other people saw something, because that means I'm not crazy," said Sorrells to an Associated Press reporter.

Lee Roy Gaitan, a police constable and UFO skeptic, also saw something. Armed with binoculars, he saw glowing red lights followed by white flashing lights moving at high speed. "I didn't see a flying saucer and I don't know what it was, but it wasn't an airplane, and I've never seen anything like it," Gaitan said. "I think it must be some kind of military craft - at least I hope it was."

Maj. Karl Lewis, a spokesman for the 301st Fighter Wing at the Joint Reserve Base Naval Air Station in Fort Worth, told the Associated Press that no military craft were flying in the area on the evening of January 8th, which was when most of the sightings occurred. "I'm 90 percent sure this was an airliner," Lewis said. "With the sun's angle, it can play tricks on you."

The US Air Force no longer officially investigates UFOs. Project Blue Book, an X-Files type department which did, was closed in 1970. Since then numerous high-ranking government and military officials have called for the US government to re-open its investigations. Speaking at a UFO conference held at the National Press Club in November 2007, former Arizona Governor Fife Symington (who was himself a witness to the "Phoenix Lights" UFO incident) said, "I believe that our government should take an active role in investigating this very real phenomenon."

Awesome - Ghost In A Jar - The funniest videos are a click away



This is a spooktastic trick to wow your skittish friends with.
(If player fails to load click HERE.)

I wrote a recent post on blind faith and how faith without reason is taking its toll on education, science, the environment, and ultimately our nation as a whole, and it reminded me of a report I saw on Go Left TV a few months ago about the documentary Jesus Camp. The film ventures behind the scenes at a North Dakota Evangelical Christian "Kids On Fire" summer camp, which targeted children between the ages of 7 and 9 and was organized by a group called Kids In Ministry.

In one of the many disturbing scenes we see young children being asked to kiss the feet of a cardboard cut out of George Bush. The "reasoning" behind it, as Kids In Ministry Director and Pastor Becky Fischer explains, is that "the bible tells us to pray for those in authority over us, to pray for all those in government, whether they're good leaders or bad leaders, so that we might live in peace." Also shown on the video is a group of kids who are taken on a field trip to a political protest. “I feel like we’re kinda being trained to be warriors only in a much funner way,” says one blond haired young girl.

I guess the question is are these kids being educated or brainwashed? Watch the clip, peruse the Kids In Ministry website, and if you're inclined watch the full Jesus Camp documentary, and then, armed with knowledge come to your own conclusion, a process, personally, I don't think the kids had the option of on this (blind) faith camp.

This combination may bring some odd ideas to mind, but don't worry, you won't be asked to bare your breasts next time you hit the dentist's chair. It seems that scientists at The University of Texas Dental Branch have noticed a difference in marker proteins found in saliva that indicates the presence of certain cancers and are developing a simple test for these proteins. The benefit of this is that many people visit the dentist more regularly than the doctor, and since you will already be opening your mouth, you might as well get all the health information you can. "Maybe one day it will be feasible to go to the dentist to be screened for a variety of disorders in the body, including breast cancer, " said Professor Damien Walmsley, scientific adviser at the British Dental Association in an interview with the BBC.

If you were to get the news that breast or another cancer was detected, The University of Manchester in England offers some hope. They've made a breakthrough in understanding how cancer makes its way through the body. Speaking to England's Daily Mail, researcher Dr Chris Ward said, "Understanding how cancer cells spread is tremendously important for cancer research. It is the ability of tumors to invade other tissues and spread around the body that makes them so dangerous." It's hoped this information will help create a new generation of targeted drugs. "Potentially, our findings can be applied to the most common form of cancer, carcinoma, found in the breast, lung and gut for example, which makes up 80 to 90 per cent of all cancers."

Snarfd.com reports that "a ten-year haunting mystery in Guangxi City, China, has been solved by two ghost-busting brothers and a crowbar."

Apparently a five story building in the Chinese city was dogged by tales of things that went bump in the night. The persistent spooks had driven the value of the building down to a bargain $6,500, a price the brothers couldn't resist. After taking possession the brothers set about investigating the nocturnal noises, which were loudest in a first story bathroom. When they pounded on the floor the ghostly noises ceased, so they took a crowbar to it to see what lay underneath.

They discovered an ancient septic tank, and as they held their breath something in the dark, pungent murk moved. The mystery ghouls turned out to be a pair of 10 Lb catfish, and their eight offspring. The elder fish had jumped down the toilet several years ago, making a break for freedom, when the building previous building owner brought them into the bathroom in a bucket to clean them.

Seems the catfish were most active during the wee hours, and their thrashing was amplified throughout the building via its network of plumbing pipes. With the "ghosts" gone, the brothers' building is now worth a cool $135,000.00. Not a bad return for an evening's ghostbusting!

Yesterday an Indian car manufacturer unveiled the cheapest brand-new car on the world market, ringing in at the low, low price of about $2,500. What can you possibly get in a car that costs as little as a winter sun vacation? Manufacturers Tata Motors say that their mantra during the design of the tiny Nano was, "Do we need this?". Consequently, the car has no radio, no power steering, no power windows or power door locks, no air conditioning and only one windshield wiper. But for many people in India this little car is a symbol of their rising economic power.

What will happen to the health of the global environment when the estimated 50 million middle class Indians start driving their own cars? Tata insists their new Nano is "environmentally friendly," and that it exceeds current emissions standards in India. However, Indian emissions standards are significantly below current European and American standards, though several major Indian cities plan to adopt European standards by 2010. Furthermore India, which has a rocky road safety record, is set to raise government mandated car safety standards, making anti-lock brakes, air bags and full-body crash tests mandatory, which will ultimately drive the cost of the car upwards as necessary modifications are made.

Despite the fact that the new Nano gets 50 miles to the gallon, the environmental implications of providing affordable cars to the growing middle classes in India and China are staggering. The impact of vehicles currently driving around the globe is already a cause for concern. Adding millions of cars to the world's roads will compound our already dire global warming problem. But how can we shake our hypocritical fingers at middle class Indians who want to drive around just like we do? We need to work towards a solution that improves the quality of everyone's life together. The engineers at Tata may have hit on a gem when they decided to ask themselves, "do we need this?". When we start asking ourselves what we really need, we may just find that we could get to and from work just as well in a small, economical car instead of a seven-seater luxury SUV or monster truck. And if you find that you don't really need a car at all, and could get to work on your bicycle, local transit system or your own two feet, Mother Earth sends her sincere gratitude.

As students of the metaphysical we at the Daily Mantra can often be accused of apophenia. That being said, after nearly two decades of buying furniture at IKEA, we failed to spot any pattern within the seemingly bizarre and random names they gave their furniture. We're surrounded by “Billy” and “Magiker” bookcases, and write on a “Galant” table top while illuminated by “Fado” lamps, but we saw no rhyme or hidden reason in their names.

Fortunately the boffins at Wikipdeia have spent a lot more time pondering this great mystery than we have, and have discovered the cipher to crack the secret Da Vinci-esque code. Apart from some notable exceptions, such as “Ivar” shelves which are named after their designer, the basic formula is as follows:

• Upholstered furniture, coffee tables, rattan furniture, bookshelves, media storage, doorknobs: Swedish placenames (for example: Klippan)

• Beds, wardrobes, hall furniture: Norwegian place names

• Dining tables and chairs: Finnish place names

• Bookcase ranges: Occupations

• Bathroom articles: Scandinavian lakes, rivers and bays

• Kitchens: grammatical terms, sometimes also other names

• Chairs, desks: men's names

• Materials, curtains: women's names

• Garden furniture: Swedish islands

• Carpets: Danish place names

• Lighting: terms from music, chemistry, meteorology, measures, weights, seasons, months, days, boats, nautical terms

• Bedlinen, bed covers, pillows/cushions: flowers, plants, precious stones; words related to sleep, comfort, and cuddling
  
  
• Children's items: mammals, birds, adjectives

• Curtain accessories: mathematical and geometrical terms

• Kitchen utensils: foreign words, spices, herbs, fish, mushrooms, fruits or berries, functional descriptions

• Boxes, wall decoration, pictures and frames, clocks: colloquial expressions, also Swedish placenames
  

You didn't hear it from us. There's a free special screening of our favorite documentary of 2007, The Price of Sugar, with a Q&A session with filmmaker Bill Haney. No RSVP is needed. Entry is on a first come first served basis.

The Huffington Post reports that Will Smith "has joined the ranks of Hollywood power players actively recruiting for the Church of Scientology." Apparently the actor gave crew members who worked with him on his recent project "Hancock" (a comedy which is scheduled for release in July 2008) a gift card for a Scientology personality test. The wrap gift was particularly bizarre given that these initial tests, which serve as a recruiting mechanism for the church, are free anyway.

Smith, who is a close pal of Scientologist Tom Cruise (whom biographer Andrew Morton claims is effectively the church's second in command), has not admitted that he's a member of the church, but did make some complimentary remarks about the religion in an interview with Mens' Vogue last November. "In all of the experiences I've had with Tom and Scientology, like 98 percent of the principles are identical to the principles of the Bible," Smith told writer Hudson Morgan. "The Bible talks about your spirit being immortal, that you were created for existence beyond your physical body. Well, that's no different from Scientology! I don't think that because the word someone uses for spirit is thetan that the definition becomes any different." Yeah, right Will.

Scientology’s policy of targeting stars dates back to the mid fifties (see previous story). To help them achieve their celebrity stalking goals they opened a Celebrity Center in Hollywood on Franklin Avenue. The grand Norman revival style building was originally built as a long-term residential hotel for actors, and once served as home to the likes of Errol Flynn, Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant. It was bought by the church in 1973 for $1 million. New Yorker reporter Dana Goodyear recently ventured inside the church's Celebrity Center. In Goodyear's fascinating feature, Hilary Royce, Scientology's community liaison, explains, "The celebrity is a special public...We've got to help them."

We can only conclude that fawning over celebrities with a special Celebrity Center is one of the other 2% of ideals that Smith doesn't consider “identical to the principles of the Bible,” since we're pretty sure Jesus didn't have a special VIP section at the Sermon on the Mount. But hey, we weren't there, so we could be wrong, perhaps J.C. wasn’t all that egalitarian after all.

Click HERE.

Hillary Clinton has been lambasted for the crime of showing "emotion" in recent days, like it's a bad thing. Has anyone thought that perhaps if we had a president capable of emotion (beyond greed) we wouldn't be in the mess that we're in now. Someone capable of true emotion might weigh up the loss of life against protecting our oil interests in Iraq and come up with a different strategy. They may look at those who have inadequate health care or live in poverty, and be upset enough to actually do something about it.

It seems the media have become hysterical about Hillary's "emotional breakdown" but if you watch the video (click HERE to view) the woman barely teared up. Britney had an "emotional breakdown," Hillary by contrast, for better or worse, just cared enough about the state of our country to show a little emotion (something anyone in their right mind should be rather "emotional" about right now). The only commentator who seems to have it in perspective is The Daily Show's John Stewart, who on last night's show quipped, "That's it? That's the emotional breakdown that blows the election for her? I'm glad no one here ever sees me get a flu shot."

Personally, I'd like to see a few more leaders that are upset about what's going on right now, and care enough about it to cry. As for me, I'm sobbing for my country inside.

A man in Idaho who believed his hand bore the mark of the beast, cut it off with a circular saw and then microwaved it before calling the police. "It had been somewhat cooked by the time the deputy arrived," said sheriff's Capt. Ben Wolfinger. "He put a tourniquet on his arm before, so he didn't bleed to death." The incident, reported by Yahoo News, took place on Saturday night. The Daily Mantra does not recommend you try this at home. What's wrong with a good old fashioned exorcism anyway?

After over indulging and slobbing out over the holidays many of us make diet and exercise a priority come the New Year. The Daily Mantra does not recommend any of the products featured in Part 2 of our "Landfills Were Made For These" series for your 2008 fitness regimens however.

The Hollywood Cookie Diet

This is wrong on so many levels. The words "cookie" and "diet" should never even be used in the same sentence when it comes to healthy dieting, and we're pretty sure the likes of Angelina Jolie and Julia Roberts are not busy munching on these to fit into their Oscar attire. The manufacturers suggest you eat one for breakfast, one mid-morning, one at lunch, and one as an afternoon snack, before eating a sensible dinner. At a rate of four cookies a day, a 12 cookie box, which costs a whopping $19.95, will last just 3 days.

The Power Plate Pro5 AIRdaptive

Looking rather like one of those kitsch 1960's vibrating slimming belt machines, The Power Plate Pro5 AIRdaptive promises "a better body in only 15 minutes a day." The manufacturers claim "its benefits are grounded in extensive academic and independent scientific research." The cost of this dubious piece of hi-tech, pre-landfill: A mere $10,500.00.

Totally Nude Yoga & Tai Chi

"I bought this DVD because I have an enormous TV and wanted something to run constantly in the background. I figured naked women was more interesting than fish, but this DVD challenges that theory," says one very unsatisfied Amazon customer. Like all those exercise videos made by hot actresses and supermodels in the 80's, we're sure no one is buying this DVD to improve their tai chi technique. Sadly it seems that even voyeuristic couch potatoes won't get $19.95-worth of satisfaction, since our intrepid reviewer says the poorly lit footage is not very erotic, featuring "a bunch of strippers posing clumsily." For laughs get Nude Aerobics instead.

(if player fails to load click HERE.)

Sia Furler would probably be the first to agree that she often wears her heart on her sleeve, and puts it out there in her music, her vulnerability being the source of her overflowing soulfulness, both vocally and lyrically.

After rising to prominence in 2001 as one of the stand-out vocalists of English hipster group Zero 7 's ever-changing lineup, Sia launched a successful solo career. Her debut full-length, Healing Is Difficult (2002), garnered rave reviews, but it was her second solo outing, 2004's Colour The Small One, that would firmly establish the Adelaide born singer/songwriter as a force to be reckoned with, the track "Breathe Me" being forever etched in the minds of many as the haunting song that played on as the cast of the HBO series Six Feet Under took their final gasps (click HERE to view).

While Sia's first two albums dealt with the turmoil in her own life, her third album, Some People Have Real Problems, released today, marks strides both musically and emotionally. Having moved from England to Los Angeles, and found a partner she cares enough about to convert to Judaism for, Sia has finally found herself on the road to happiness. The singer talked with the Daily Mantra about her introspective journey, which led her to dabble in both Buddhism and Scientology.

DM: I've noticed that throughout your solo work in some ways you've used your albums for therapy. Is the same true of this album?

Sia: Yes. Yes, it's a note to self. I'm getting a bit rich now, and I might be getting a bit famous, and I need to make sure that I don't lose touch with reality. While we complain about our bourgeois problems like bitter coffee, and things like that, there are people who don't have a mum, or legs, or rice. You know, some people have real problems.

DM: So that may be some kind of progression, because the last two solo albums...

Sia: Have been totally self-indulgent.

DM: Well not at all, because they're beautiful to listen to too, but I guess from a personal point of view this new album is up a notch on the happiness scale since you were able to take yourself out of yourself.

Sia: Yes. Although when I'm writing I don't ever think I'm writing about me. I think I'm writing a story or a notion. I've always thought it was about observation, or my friend's lives, but then sometimes I have to admit that that may have been about me at the time and I wasn't aware of it.

DM: Take me through some of the songs on the new album.

Sia: Well for me lyrically the most fun one was "Academia. "

DM: That's my favorite track.

Sia: That was so fun because that literally just vomited out. Then after I'd written it I then had to go back and do the research, make sure that the semantics were right. Really that's a song about when you're not getting your needs met in a relationship. You're not getting any love or affection, you're just getting palmed off with words. I guess it's when you're in a relationship with an intellectual, and it's just totally cerebral. There's no feeling or warmth. I think I had a bit of that experience with my stepfather because he was a judge and he was very intellectual. He wasn't very warm, and I could remember basically I was metaphorically tap dancing for him for like eight years hoping that he'd notice.

DM: And then you came to a realization that you didn't need to do that?

Sia: No. He left. He just left. I'm still tap dancing.

DM: So how long ago was that?

Sia: I was 17, and I'm 32 next week, so loads of time.

DM: But those things don't leave you.

Sia: Well you know, I think I've dealt with it. When I told you about it it didn't make me feel sick in the guts.

DM: It just made you write a great song.

Sia: Yes. You can't throw a dictionary at someone when they need a hug.

DM: Aside from "I Go To Sleep," which is cover of a song made famous by The Pretenders, are all songs on the album written by you?

Sia: Me and other people, because I don't write by myself. I'm no good at it. I'm not disciplined. Someone else has to be in the room, just to get it going.

DM: Like having an appointment at the doctors so you'll go.

Sia: Yes. Like we start at midday and finish at six. And with some people a song can take less than twenty minutes to be done. It's like channeling.

DM: So you say it's like channeling, where do you think it comes from?

Sia: I don't know. I don't ask.

DM: Do you have any kind of belief system?

Sia: I guess I think more than anything I believe in creating your own reality. But I've dabbled in loads of things, Buddhism, Scientology. I'm trying out Judaism now because I'm dating a Jew. I'll leave no stone unturned, sometimes I like boys, sometimes I like girls. I'm not one to let belief or gender get in the way of a good conversation.

DM: So what would you say you've taken from Buddhism?

Sia: I guess the peace element. You can't control anything so you have to learn to be able to experience everything, and just breathe through it.

DM: And the same question for Scientology?

Sia: I think a lot of it is very similar, like that whole 'only do things to other people that you think you would be able to experience easily yourself.' They're also heavy on the communication, on telling the truth and being above board, and really being as direct as you can be. And the main thing, which is their greatest teaching, is not suppressing anything, saying everything, getting it off your chest. That's what auditing is about. It's about someone listening to you without judgment. They just listen as you get everything you've ever had any shame about off your chest.

DM: And Judaism?

Sia: So far I don't know much about Judaism. I'm really just learning some of the Yiddish. I've yet to delve into that. All I know is I have to do the study otherwise apparently the mum won't like me.

DM: See, you've already got the Jewish guilt down. I think you're already 75% there.

Sia: Totally.

Toyota has replaced Ford as the number two car maker by U.S. sales in 2007. The success of Toyota’s hybrid technology has meant the car company has unlocked Ford’s 75-year stranglehold on the position. General Motors retain their pole position, though overall the year is expected to be the worst for the American car industry in nearly a decade (source AP).

Last night marked another milestone in the two-month long Writers' Guild strike as the late night talk shows inevitably went back on air. Though Leno made a good case in his monologue for returning without writers (for the job security of his non-writing staff), and Letterman didn't have to since his production company came to an interim agreement with The Guild, my bond with my TV has been forever weakened over these past few weeks. This is no bad thing for me, but doesn't bode well for the TV industry, since I'm sure I'm not the only one finding better things to do with my time.

Driven away from TV by the endless repeats, I'm finally moving on from this bad relationship that's already lasted a little too long. Over the holidays I invested in a Netflix subscription, so I can watch works of art rather than a stream of commercial fodder. I plan to pay for my new subscription by reducing the channels of repeat drivel that get beamed into my living room. I've also been reading more books, lots of them, and playing board games with my husband, who has logged in enough hours to finally beat me (big time, which is worrying). And I've been cooking dinner and enjoying the company of my friends, rather than being sucked back into the void that was TV.

Due to the sporadic and seasonal nature of their work, residuals are the only way the majority of writers can make ends meet. And what they're asking for is far less than they were already promised by the producers 20 years ago. Back then, they agreed to reduce their 2.5% residual rate by 80% to help the fledgling home video market take off, with the understanding that once it did, their rate would be restored. Two decades later, with the supposedly temporary VHS rate now being applied to DVDs, the writers have given up waiting for the producers to make good on their promise. Even worse, the writers have been paid nothing at all for streaming internet video, which it's estimated will earn the studios $4.6 billion in ad revenue over the next three years. Ultimately, streaming internet video is how virtually all TV will be consumed. The producers know this of course, and the end game for them is to hold out on this point so they can ultimately do away with writer residuals altogether. (Imagine asking a producer to give up his back end fees!)

To quote one of the many strike blogs, "In 2006 the WGA writers received $56.6 million in DVD and VHS residuals. The same year, Tom Freston received a $60 million severance package when he resigned as chief of Viacom. That means that a single individual was paid $3.4 million more for leaving his job than 10,000 writers earned for the sale of their work." That's the staggering level of greed at play here as we enter 2008 no closer to a resolution to the strike.

"I mean wouldn't faith itself be more valuable if it was arrived at through question and doubt? What's the use of blind faith? Seriously, it's not difficult saying you have faith if the alternative is being burned alive. But does that mean you really have faith?"

These are the musings of the protagonist in British satirist Ben Elton's latest novel Blind Faith. Though ostensibly a work of fiction set in the year 56 AFT (after the flood), the post-apocalyptic, dystopian society Elton's book portrays is but an extrapolation of what we're seeing in America today, and perhaps serves as a dire warning of the logical conclusion of our current course.

In Blind Faith the government plays second fiddle to an authoritarian Temple, which dictates that faith is mandatory. While in America today we have a political climate that's so mindful of the religious right, that politicians are considered unelectable, on all sides, unless they wear the required conservative-white-Christian religious beliefs on their sleeves.

I want our politicians to have faith because they choose to, not because it's a requirement of the job. I also think that a politician has a right to keep his faith (or lack thereof) private, something he has now in theory, but not in practice thanks to the way overbearing pressure from our fundamentalist religious-right "Temple" has warped our political landscape. Something else we also have in theory but not in practice is the separation of church and state, something America's very religious Founding Fathers worked into the Constitution and Bill of Rights for a reason.

I want our politicians to speak of morals, with the understanding that to be moral is innately right, and not because it's a vote winning concept that need never be drawn on in practice. And with such understanding comes reason, rather than the politically savvy, de rigueur, blind faith that mollifies all and truly satisfies none.

In Blind Faith, the Temple declared that the apocalyptic floods were a result of God's will rather than man's overuse of fossil fuels, and in America today many politicians still deny reason and evidence as they deny global warming, yet as long as they proudly proclaim their blind faith they are somehow considered qualified for the job and electable, even if that faith denounces both reason and progress.

I want our politicians to be chosen because of their ability to govern, unhindered by those of faith, as I'd want our men and women of the cloth to be chosen for their abilities in the faith department, unhindered by politics. I want our politicians, who govern over a multi-faith population and must serve all, to be free to make decisions based on facts, reason, and morals (which those of faith have no monopoly on).

Similarly, I want our science teachers to teach science, unhindered by religion, and our religious teachers to teach religion, unhindered, but ironically perhaps helped by, science. It is then up to the masses to make their own decisions and judgments having been empowered by unbiased information and insight. Only then will we have truly evolved, and found enlightenment as a society. For reason does not deny faith, nor faith reason, but some might say, God gave us brains to reason.

"For no society based on nothing more constructive than fear and brutish ignorance could survive forever. No people who raised the least inventive, the least challenging, the least interesting of their number while crushing individual curiosity and endeavor could prosper for long." Ben Elton, Blind Faith, 2007

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