Here and There
by Andrea RademanHBI USA (www.HBIUSA.com), a biomedical device company, makes DreamKeeper 400, which uses a Breath Synchronization Program (BSP) and Parallelized ElectroStatic Field (PESF) technology to rebuild your biological clock and improve your sleep. What that means is that, without prescriptions or pills, the DreamKeeper is very comfortable. There is no electronic current, pain or tingling. It is non-invasive and the effects are long lasting. Clinical studies reported that in just three weeks, 70% of subjects had longer and better sleep without the usual unpleasant side effects. This new technology is like having a personal physician and acupuncturist at home. the DreamKeeper on acupoint P6i (located on the inner wrist) for 30-minutes prior to going to bed (for a period of about three weeks). DreamKeeper’s BSP guides users to slow down their breathing, reducing the activity of the sympathetic nervous system to calm them and prepare for sleep. DreamKeeper stimulates P6 via its PESF technology to adjust its user’s biological clock. Net result in three weeks: prolonged sleep with improved quality About 33% of us experience insomnia; 17% rely on medical treatment. Lack of sleep may lead to heart disease and high blood pressure, and impaired productivity and depression. Priced at $149.99 and can be found at www.Target.com, www.Amazon.com, and www.HBIUSA.com.
With the new Clarisonic Skin Care System, made by the primary inventor of the Sonicare toothbrush, you can now take as much care of your skin as your teeth. This is the first sonic oscillation face brush that deeply cleanses, stimulates and clarifies the skin. Using any nonabrasive facial cleanser, it unclogs pores without stripping the skin and is twice as effective as just soap and water and enhances the results of other skin products such as moisturizers. Just as the Sonicare toothbrush turned into a cult classic, changing the way we care for our teeth, we expect this superior sonic technology to dramatically improve how we care for our face, and in turn, our appearance. Buy it through dermatologists, cosmetic surgeons, medi-spas and retailers such as Sephora, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Beauty.com, and Bliss. Approximate cost: $195. Call 1-888-5-CLARISONIC or go to www.clarisonic.com.
Do you suffer from Digital Eye Fatigue (DEF)? Many of us spend hours every day staring at a computer screen, handheld, workstation or other digital devices and suffer from eye ailments such as dry eye, blurred vision or headaches. Eye drops and exercises, careful lighting and sundry other attempts do little to alleviate these discomforts, the effects of which can progress to Computer Vision Syndrome. So when I read an article in the New York Times about Gunnar Optiks (858-769-2500; sales@gunnaroptiks.com; www.gunnaroptiks.com), a cutting-edge company that specializes in Ocular physiology, I ordered a pair. Their technologists formulated i-AMP™, utilizing polymeric formulations, organic filtering aids, and metallurgic thin film coatings to manufacture glasses with additional visual bandwidth that act as a shield between your eyes and the screen. Go to their website to read about how these innovations work on: Focus, to shape light rays before they meet your eyes; Dry Eye, caused when your blink rate drops 50%-75%; Spectrum, to optimize light transmission; and Glare, the worst offender, caused by too much light, light coming from the wrong angle, or light that competes with your screen. I have only used them for a short while but my eyes already feel less fatigued. Styles include Sphere (ultrawide wraparounds that protect your eyes from glare, heat, and dust); Catalyst (featherweight, strong and flexible, rimless or rimmed); Metallic (ultralight and sleek, handcrafted from pressed aluminum); Attaché (full-framed or semi-rimless, with optional spring hinges for taking them on and off frequently). All styles can accommodate prescription lenses.
It’s a Small World After All
On the 67th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, President-elect Barak Obama named Japanese-American General Eric Shinseki, the first Asian American four-star general in U.S. History, and a highly respected wounded and decorated combat veteran, to be his Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. We congratulate General Shinseki and wish him success.
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences will announce five nominees for foreign language Oscar on Jan. 22 (ceremony is Feb. 22). We’re rooting for DEPARTURES (OKURIBITO), directed by Yojiro Takita, screenplay by Kundo Koyama, inspired by Shinmon Aoki’s memoir, “Coffinman,” A failed cellist, Daigo Kobayashi (Masahiro Motoki), returns to his hometown with his wife, Mika (Ryoko Hirosue), and takes a job preparing bodies in a mortuary for cremation. Sounds icky but it’s delightful. At the 20th Tokyo International Film Festival Best Actor went to Damian Ul for his role in TRICKS (Sztuczki), written and directed by Andrzej Jakimowski and the Polish candidate for the foreign-language film Oscar. This is the heartwarming tale of six-year-old Stefek, whose sister, Elka, teaches him how to bribe fate with little tricks that he hopes will get his father, who left his mother for another woman, to return home. The film played as part of the recent Polish Film Festival Los Angeles (www.polishfilmla.org), organized by the Polish American Film Society.
In the aftermath of the November attack on Mumbai, India, the Taj Group has set up TPS Welfare Trust to provide relief to victims of violence, natural disasters, and other tragic events. Donations: The Taj Public Service Welfare Trust; Mandlik House, 2nd Floor; Mandlik Road; Colaba; Mumbai 400 001 or tpswtrust@tajhotels.com .
January 5-19 (details at pbs.org) If you can’t get to India, or before you go, see THE STORY OF INDIA, the first history of India on western TV, which chronicles the richness and diversity of this fascinating country. The world’s largest democracy and a rising economic giant is a master of computer technology, business and industry as well as the world’s most ancient surviving civilization. India has enjoyed several brilliant golden ages of art and culture. Its thinkers and religious leaders have changed the face of the globe. Now, in the age of globalization, India is an important strategic partner to the U.S. Home to more than a billion people, it is a land of amazing contrasts, from Bangalore’s Silicon Valley to the archaic splendor of the Kumbh Mela festival, when 25 million pilgrims bathe in the sacred river Ganges on a single night. Episodes include: Beginnings (the first migrations out of Africa to South India and Pakistan — India’s first civilization); The Power of Ideas (the Age of the Buddha); Spice Routes & Silk Roads (the Roman Empire, when the spice trade opened India to the world); Ages of Gold (the fall of Rome and India’s golden age from 300 to 1000 AD); The Meeting of Two Oceans (the coming of Islam and the glamorous Moghul Empire); Freedom (British occupation and India’s struggle for freedom).
January 10,11,17,18 Scandinavian Film Festival. During two weekends in January, catch the submissions for Best Foreign Film Academy Awards from Denmark (WORLDS APART, dir. Niels Arden Oplev); Finland (THE HOME OF DARK BUTTERFLIES, dir. Dome Karukoski); Iceland (WHITE NIGHT WEDDING, dir. Baltasar Kormakur); Sweden (EVERLASTING MOMENTS, dir. Jan Troell). Along with these “Oscar” submissions, see the latest feature films, shorts and documentaries from Nordic film makers, including THE KAUTOKEINO REBELLION, Norway; DANCERS, Denmark; HEAVEN’S HEART, Sweden; COUNTRY WEDDING, Iceland, and much more. The audience includes industry professionals, film lovers, visiting filmmakers and celebrities, and delegations from local European/International/Nordic communities. Prepare to be shaken, stirred, tickled, touched, troubled, placated or provoked, but always enlightened and always entertained. Info: 323-661-4273; filmfest@asfla.org . Note: the Norwegian Oscar entry, ODD HORTEN, directed by Bent Hamer (Kitchen Stories, Factotum), opens in February. Horten has been forced to retire after 40 years and his orderly, solitary existence is about to give way to a future of unlikely adventures when he ends up in a pair of women’s red high-heeled shoes and on a nighttime drive with a blindfolded man at the wheel. Once more, Hamer graces us with his wonderfully absurdist vision, great warmth, and a touch of melancholy.
Opens January 30 at the Sunset V Serbis Directed by Brillante Mendoza. Screenplay by Armando Lao. Not for the faint of heart, this controversial cinema verité film is set in a rundown Filipino porn cinema, which the Pineda family both runs and inhabits, and where they interact with their unsavory clientele. In this metaphor for the modern demons of Filipino society, the cacophony of the streets intrudes as they deal with bigamy, boils, unwanted pregnancy, and potential incest. SERBIS screened at the 2008 film fests in Cannes, Toronto, and New York. Mendoza will appear in person on January 23 and 24 at ALL IN THE FAMILY: THE FILMS OF BRILLANTE MENDOZA (SERBIS, SLINGSHOT, THE MASSEUR and FOSTER CHILD) at the Billy Wilder Theater, 10899 Wilshire Blvd. (courtyard level of the Hammer Museum). Info: www.cinema.ucla.edu 310-206-FILM.
DVD corner: Run of the mill superheroes don’t stand a chance against Iron Man. Jon Favreau deftly directs Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, Art Marcum and Matt Holloway’s script based on the character created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Don Heck and Jack Kirby and punched up with snappy dialogue delivered by actors with impressive chops. That includes the wonderful Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, a wealthy playboy who maintains his carefree boozing habits even in an armored military vehicle whizzing around Afghanistan. He escapes a sudden attack by fashioning a gold-titanium alloy suit, in which he goes off to save the world as Iron Man. Terrence Howard is his pal, Rhodey, a charmingly weary Air Force officer, and Gwyneth Paltrow is Pepper Potts, Stark’s lovestruck assistant. Jeff Bridges is Obadiah Stone, his unscrupulous business partner. How could we not love this, when sake is the drink of choice in an unforgettable scene. The plot is less important than the special effects and pseudoscience gimmicks, Iron Man takes superheroes to a new level as he relies on smarts, wit and elbow grease. Director of photography, Matthew Libatique; edited by Dan Lebental; music by Ramin Djawadi; production designer, J. Michael Riva; visual effects by John Nelson; produced by Avi Arad and Kevin Feige; released by Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment. Rated PG-13 for violence and sex. Buy it as a single-disc DVD ($29.99) in widescreen with bonus deleted and extended scenes or invest in the $39.99 Ultimate Edition or Blu-ray with two-discs containing hours of bonus features, such as a six-part featurette, a look at the making of the film, a documentary on the visual effects, Robert Downey Jr’s original screen test, deleted and extended scenes, and behind-the-scenes images on the set.
i P6 (Acupuncture point 6) is located 2-finger widths below the lower crease of the palm, on the inner wrist between the two tendons. P6 is responsible for calming the body, stress relief, and sleep inducement.
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