John Alexander Makes New York Post’s “Page Six”, I Married Darth Vadar?, The Scintas at Las Vegas Hilton, Sacred Singing Bowls, Las Vegas Stillpoint Center for Spiritual Development, Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary, Movies This Weeks movies and Trader Vic’s Grand Opening, Hans Klok”s Beauty of Magic at Planet Hollywood – I liked it!, and more…

 

“May you be in Heaven for a half hour before the Devil knows your dead.”

John Alexander Makes Gossip Monolith New York Post’s “Page Six”. I read “Page Six” every morning even before I check my email. “Page Six” is the most influential gossip site in newspapers and on the internet. This is the column that people pay publicists $4,000 a month for. There isn’t an actress, actor, socialite, politician or restaurant that does not want to be in Page Six. Reputations can, and have been, also be ruined by Page Six. So, it was wonderful to see this in Tuesday morning’s November 6’s column. Spitz Suspected Grasso Affair - New York Post Online Edition: Gossip

Military Option

WHILE one CUNY professor was making a failed attempt to land jobs there for convicted radical lawyer Lynne Stewart, her co-defendant Mohammed Yousry and former Weather Underground member Susan Rosenberg, Marymount Manhattan College was inviting Dr. John Alexander to speak there tomorrow. The former Green Beret, a senior fellow with the Defense Department's Joint Special Operations University and the Army War College, has advised the highest levels of government on intelligence matters and was a mentor to the minister of defense in Afghanistan. Alexander just returned from Rwanda, where he and his wife, Victoria, were tracking silverback mountain gorillas.

I Married Darth Vadar?

While John has no clue (or cares, for that matter) about the importance of being written up in the New York Post’s “Page Six,” Ed Komarek has written an article posted on American Chronicle’s website called “Defending Against Info-war Attack.” But it’s really an attack on my husband. On October 17th Komarek started off his article by saying:

“This article is the third of a series on articles on Info-war. Colonel John Alexander, U.S. Army (retired) has a chapter in his book Future War called Information Warfare. Colonel Alexander is widely considered the Darth Vader of the national security state by leading exopoliticians, one who long ago succumbed to the dark side of the force. One well known individual involved in the UFO/ET field was rumored to have called him the most dangerous man on the planet, an exaggeration of course, but I have and still do consider him a formidable adversary in the ongoing Info-war within and without the UFO/ET community.

One of the main tenets of war is to learn from the adversary, so I consider John a teacher from the dark side. To me John is a microcosm of the national insecurity state and to understand how he thinks is to understand the national insecurity state itself.

In the movie Star Wars, Darth Vader was seduced by the dark side of the force to believe that to fight evil and win one must use evil means. I realize that John and others like him believe they are doing the right thing, as do many of those working in the areas of national security around the world, but to me he is just another casualty of a cosmic info-war that extends right down into every mind on this planet. When John receives this I hope he is paying attention. :-) I learn quickly.” Ed’s blog is: http://exopolitics.blogspot.com. You can read Ed’s unhealthy obsession with John in its entirety here:  American Chronicle: Defending Against Info-war Attack

The Scintas “Laugh Out Loud” at the Las Vegas Hilton. Since The Scintas came to Las Vegas seven years ago, I have seen their show several times. Thanks to Marleen Marino of VegasCommunityOnline.com, a group of us went to see the new Scintas show at the Las Vegas Hilton Saturday night.

The Scintas are brothers Joe and Frank, sister Chrissi and the honorary Scinta, Irishman Peter O’Donnell, who has been with the Scintas for 20 years! The new show is hipper and much better since it has all the Scinta standards – fabulous music, comedy, impressions and Joe’s fed-up persona – and sexier, more current music. Chrissi signs Beyonce’s “Crazy In Love” and Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way.” I haven’t been a big Scinta fan, but this show is terrific! We intend to recommend it to friends visiting Las Vegas. The Scintas mother was in the audience and so was O’Donnell’s surgeon. It must have been a very special night.

As far as the comedy goes, Frank is the ringmaster and really connects with the audience. I laughed out loud. Frank also has a terrific, strong voice. But it was old Joe as Mick Jagger that was really hilarious. If only Chrissi would use her powerful voice to sing Anita Baker or Amy Winehouse. Chrissi, belt out a torch song!

“Laugh Out Loud with The Scintas” opened September 24 in the Shimmer Cabaret. Showtimes are Friday-Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. with a matinee on Monday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $49.99 and 64.99 (plus tax and service charge). Tickets can be purchased at the Las Vegas Hilton box office or by logging onto www.lvhilton.com or by phone at 702-732-5755 or 1-800-222-5361.

 “American Gangster.” Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe had their biggest opening weekend with Ridley Scott’s “American Gangster.”  Will there be an Academy Award smear campaign against “American Gangster” by saying it’s a Hollywood fairy tale? Gossip columnist Janet Charlton posted this interesting item on the movie: “Many of us were entertained by the movie American Gangster this weekend, but did you realize that the movie is stuffing the wallet of the druglord Frank Lucas, who was portrayed by Denzel Washington in the movie? The Harlem heroin dealer was convicted before there was a law banning criminals from profiting from their crimes. So far Lucas has pocketed at last $800,000 from the movie and a sequal is being discussed. Ironically the film glamorizes Lucas as a family oriented brilliant businessman with a "code of honor" surrounded by "dirty" cops. In actuality, Lucas was far from an honorable man - he manipulated his relatives into working for him, callously put out a contract on his own brother, couldn't read and could barely count. Even Lucas admits "only 20 % of the film is true." http://www.janetcharlton.com/. 

Richie Roberts (pictured), the real-life former cop-turned-prosecutor, played by Russell Crowe, is taking issue with the movie’s "depiction of Lucas as almost noble'' and "exaggerations or plain factual errors.'' Roberts told The New York Post's Susannah Cahalan that "the parts of the movie that depict Frank as a family man are ludicrous...They did it for dramatic purposes, you know, to make him look good and me look bad.'' And Cahalan writes that "Roberts says the portrayal of his relationship with his first wife is offensive -- for one, they didn't have a child together, although the film shows them in a custody battle.''

 

Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary. We took an hour boat ride on Lake Victoria to Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Uganda (pictured below, the boat ride back to camp). In Africa, approximately 5,000 chimpanzees are killed by poachers for the bushmeat trade every year. As a by-product of this illegal practice, dozens of infant chimpanzees are taken alive from forests, bound for the pet trade throughout Africa and the rest of the world.  The Ugandan Wildlife Authority established a refuge with a specific mission for these orphaned chimpanzees. Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary was established in October 1998 to care for these individuals confiscated or rescued within Uganda. In addition to providing a safe home and ensuring the welfare of our wild cousins, the establishment's other goals is to care for the environment on Ngamba Island, to provide a high quality educational experience for visitors as well as benefiting the island local communities.

The director (shown below proudly showing off his Sunload bag that charges his computer, cell phone, iPod and camera) urged us not to eat bushmeat. Huh? Who do you know that eats chimpanzee meat? Certainly not anyone assembled.

There is a large market in Europe and the U.S. for bushmeat. Every year several thousands of pounds in weight of illegally-imported bushmeat is seized in Europe. Recently, 2,000 monkey noses(!) were found in a suitcase at Amsterdam airport, showing that the illegal trade is thriving.

A new study of genes in humans and chimpanzees pins down with greater accuracy when the two species split from one. The evolutionary divergence occurred between 5 million and 7 million years ago, an estimate that improves on the previous range of 3 million to 13 million years in the past.

Modern chimps are the closest animal relative to humans.

The very interesting thing about chimpanzees and gorillas is the strictly enforced hierarchy among the males and females. While we moved to “All men are created equal,” the animal world still is dominated by alpha males and females. Watching animals was the example early humans followed.

Knowing when the two split has implication both for understanding how quickly evolution works and for imagining the likelihood of intelligent beings elsewhere in the universe, researchers said today.

"There is considerable interest in knowing when we diverged from our closest relative among animal species," said Sudhir Kumar of Arizona State University. "This divergence time also has considerable importance because it is used to establish how fast genes mutate in humans and to date the historical spread of our species around the globe."

"We can conclude that humans and chimpanzees probably last shared a common ancestor between five and seven million years ago," said research team member Blair Hedges, an astrobiologist at Penn State. “Knowing the timescale of human evolution, and how we changed through time in relation to our environment, could provide valuable clues for understanding—in a more general sense—the evolution of intelligent life."

 

Frankly, and I know this is not a politically correct viewpoint, but it is my feeling that Mankind – not the few wild animal activists – will allow the extinction of chimpanzees and great apes. As Mankind moves further away from acknowledging our place in Nature, and as we have come to believe we are getting more spiritually advanced, moving into an era of entitled enlightenment, higher consciousness and all that New Ageism psychobabble, as well as the belief we are superior to all other creatures, the existence of our “cousins” is a thorny reminder where we evolved from. We will erase our humble beginnings as if it never happened.

Movies This Week: “Things We Lost In the Fire” (No), “Sleuth” (Yes) “Lions for Lambs” (No), “P2” (Yes, but it’s a horror movie), and “Before The Devil Knows Your Dead” (YES!). I can strongly recommend 82 year old director Sidney Lumet’s “Before The Devil Knows Your Dead.” The title refers to this folk saying:
“May you be in Heaven for a half hour before the Devil knows your dead.” It start right off with big belly naked Philip Seymour Hoffman (pictured with co-star Ethan Hawke) having sex with Marisa Tomei (who appears naked several times in the film). After that wild opening, it’s a heist gone wrong with Hoffman doing a terrific job.

Sacred Singing Bowls. My friend Gordon Kuhne (pictured at Peru’s Refugio Altiplano retreat) has just received a large shipment of Tibetan singing bowls. Gordon’s website is Sacred Singing Bowls. Gordon’s website says: For thousands of years, people in cultures all around the world have used sound to help connect themselves with the sacred. Of all the sacred sound tools, the Tibetan singing bowl stands out as one of the most powerful and beautiful tools for connecting to spirit. As an avid collector of rare, antique singing bowls and as a singing bowl healing practitioner, I have found singing bowls to be one of the most useful tools in allowing healing of the body, mind, and spirit to occur.”

 

Along with offering the finest authentic antique singing bowls, Gordon also has Buddhist ritual items and Himalayan artifacts in the world. Each singing bowl on his website is accompanied by short description and sound sample that allows you to see the actual bowl you are buying and to listen to its unique sound characteristics—its spirit. All the bowls Gordon offers are approximately 100 to 400 years old. His supplier is unequaled at finding the best quality singing bowls in the world.

Each singing bowl is unique and of the highest quality. They will work beautifully for healing, meditation, and relaxation. You can contact Gordon Kuhne by phone (817.905.1930) or leave an email on his website.

 

Stillpoint Center for Spiritual Development. If you are in Las Vegas and interested in experiencing a sacred singing bowl meditation, the Stillpoint Center for Spiritual Development offers, among many other programs, a singing bowl meditation on the third Wednesday of each month from 7:00p.m. to 8:00p.m. The facilitator is “Healing Hearts” and the cost is $15 per session and $65 for all five sessions.

 

The “Healing Hearts” meditation uses a type of sound that is produced by the Crystal Singing Bowls. This ancient art of meditation uses rhythm and sound to open the body’s energies, create balance, de-stress the system and encourage a healthy spirit, mind and body.

The Stillpoint Center for Spiritual Development is a non-profit center devoted to spiritual development in Las Vegas. Founded by a group of Roman Catholic women, its focus is interfaith and ecumenical. It is governed by a multi-denominational Board of Directors. The Mission of Stillpoint is to provide a gathering place that is hospitable to and nourishing of the spiritual life. Stillpoint’s programs, informed by Incarnational Theology, provide opportunities for spiritual development, personal growth and social transformation. Stillpoint welcomes individuals and groups of all faiths that genuinely seek the Divine, and those who desire to embrace the sacred in their lives and world. Our goal is that all who come can experience the invitation “Be still and know that I am God.”

Since I was initiated into the Sufi Order by Pir Vilayat Khan when I was 16 years old, I would also like to mention that Stillpoint offers Authentic Sufi Mystical Practices. The Qadiriyya-Boutchichiyya Sufi order seeks to reach gnosis through the mystical dimension of Islam, known as Sufism. Sufis seek direct Knowledge of God, i.e., the Beautific vision, using traditional Islamic methods. Sincere spiritual wayfarers of all faiths are welcome to come and participate in the group chanting, the dhikr, and the peace of heart that comes with it. The facilitator is the Sufi Community and meets every last Friday of every month from 7:00p.m. to 8:00p.m. with refreshments following.

The Stillpoint Center for Spiritual Development is located at 8072 W. Sahara Avenue, Suites E & F, Las Vegas, NV 89117 (located west of Buffalo, on the north side of Sahara, in the northeast section of the R&R Plaza.) Phone: 702-243-4040, Fax: 702-243-8669. Stillpoint’s complete fall schedule is located at http://www.stillpointcsd.org/calender.html. E-mail: stillpoint@lvcoxmail.com

 

Trader Vic’s Las Vegas.  I often went to Manhattan’s Trader Vics. Now we have one in Las Vegas. Trader Vic’s Las Vegas had their VIP/Press Grand Opening on Friday at the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. The 15,000 square foot venue offers unobstructed views of the Las Vegas Strip and the Bellagio fountains from any of its three distinct areas.

The outside patio can accommodate up to 200 guests for cocktails. Trader Vic’s  Polynesian cuisine is world famous! Trader Vic’s has an ultra-lounge is located on the top level, a VIP Celebrity entrance, private elevator, built in DJ area, and unparalleled sound. Did I mention the divine drinks that Trader Vic’s is renowned for? Trader Vic's

 

Hans Klok “Beauty of Magic” at Planet Hollywood. Holland’s Hans Klok has embraced Las Vegas. I see him everywhere! I even saw him at Costco in Summerlin! Hans and his supposedly million-dollar a month assistant Pamela Anderson recently walked the Red Carpet for “Resident Evil: Extinction.”

Pamela disrespected me!

When I asked Pamela about the rumor she was engaged to Paris Hilton’s sex-tape partner Rick Solomon she denied even knowing him. A few days later they were married in Las Vegas! So I am not going to report on Pamela’s performance in Hans show.

I refuse to do Red Carpets interviews again. You have to stand in a line for 2 or more hours and then can only ask stupid questions like “What are you wearing?” and “Are you having a good time in Las Vegas?” What is so wrong with asking, as I did, “What strip clubs have you visited while in Las Vegas?”

Since I was in Peru when Hans Klok opened his show at Planet Hollywood, I wanted to see the show before it closed. So if you are a magic fan and want to see the world’s faster magician, hurry to see handsome, personable Hans.

The show has 40 illusions, 16 dancers, five production numbers and 30 pyrotechnic effects. And yes, Hans is fast! He is very fast!

Did you know that legendary magicians Harry Blackstone, Sr., and Harry Blackstone, Jr.’s famous illusion, the Floating Lightbulb, remains to this day a carefully guarded secret? Klok said he is honored that the Blackstone family has given him permission to perform it.

With its vampire theme - complete with black rubber suited dominatrix - the show dabbles in the dark side of magic. And why not? Magic tricks were considered thought to be witchcraft and magicians were associated with the devil. A person would be burned alive just for performing a trick. Medieval magicians encouraged people to believe they had supernatural powers.

Klok, who is famous for the speed and agility of his illusions is joined by his Divas of Magic Debby Verheij, Nathalie Hoop and Zarina Potapova (pictured with Hans). He has performed with the three women for more than 10 years (so they must know the secret behind the Floating Lightbulb illusion?)

I do hope Klok stays in Las Vegas. His show is extravagant and wonderfully produced. I liked the storyline of Hans, as a young boy, being groomed and guided by his father. http://www.planethollywoodresort.com

General Suggestion. This suggestion is not only for Hans Klok but lots of performers on The Strip. Klok wants applause, but the music was so loud that the audience knew that no matter how much they clapped, Klok and his terrific dancers would not hear them. So why bother? So many magic shows suffer from too loud music. If you want applause, lower the music at the end of each illusion so we know you will hear, and appreciate, our applause.

 

Awake. Feature Film Depicts a Patient Experiencing Anesthetic Awareness. 1 out of 700 patients a year experience anesthetic awareness. It’s not often, never actually, that a press release for a movie gives scientific footnotes! As I am very fond of adding footnotes to my film reviews (two footnotes are in my “The Darjelling Limited” review), I am passing on this information about the new film “Awake” starring Jessica Alba, Hayden Christensen, and Terrence Howard. It is a psychological thriller written and directed by Joby Harold. 

While Jessica Alba hasn’t done any acting in her movie career so far, and her recent work in “Good Luck Chuck” and the franchise “Fantastic Four” have not given her the label “actress,” “Awake” sounds interesting. Can Alba handle her first dramatic role?

The press release for “Awake” says:

 

“According to the American Society of Anesthesiologists and the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, anesthetic awareness is “when surgical patients can recall their surroundings or an event – sometimes even pain – related to their surgery while they were under general anesthesia.”   (1)

 

“According to the Anesthesia & Analgesia journal, anesthetic awareness can include full consciousness during surgery with pain and explicit recall of intraoperative events. (2)

"This film will do to surgery what ‘Jaws’ did to swimming in the ocean," said Deutsch/Open City Films co-founder and producer Joana Vicente. 

“Carol Weihrer, President and Founder of the Anesthesia Awareness Campaign, Inc., stated, “I’ve been following the progress of ‘Awake’ since the project was announced, and as a victim of anesthesia awareness, I dedicated the last nine years to educating the public so help them understand the scope, sheer terror and trauma involved when awareness occurs.  Recently, I attended the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) annual conference and they are finally beginning to publicly acknowledge this problem.  The Anesthesia Awareness Campaign and the ASA are also working together on a database registry of victims, estimated to be at least 100 times a day in the United States.  And while we are working together, there is no way to accurately describe to someone how it feels to be it ‘entombed in a corpse’ as I was.”

 

 

 

“Every year an estimated 20,000 to 40,000 of the 21 million patients who receive general anesthesia wake up during surgery because they are under-anesthetized, usually by mistake or because doctors fear too high a dose of anesthesia could be dangerous. Half of them, can hear or feel what is going on but are unable to communicate what is happening to them because they have been temporarily paralyzed. Nearly 30 percent feel pain, studies have shown.  As a result of the experience, about 50 percent of awareness victims develop serious psychological problems, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), experts say.” (3)

“Awake” may not be suitable for those about to undergo anesthesia for surgery. “Awake” opens in the U.S. on November 30^th.

1.     American Society of Anesthesiologists and the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists. 

http://www.asahq.org/patientEducation/Awarenessbrochure.pdf

2.     Anesthesia & Analgesia journal. 

http://www.anesthesia-analgesia.org/cgi/content/full/95/1/72

3.     Boodman, Sandra G. “Wake-Up Call; Awareness During Surgery, Once Dismissed as Imaginary, Is Real -- and Potentially Devastating. While It Is Rare, Doctors and Hospitals Are Starting to Take It Seriously.”  The Washington Post, November 23, 2004.  http://www.washingtonpost.com