Far From Heaven is set in 1957 but the movie doesn't try to depict 1957 as it actually was; it shows 1957 through the lens of fifties melodrama films, Douglas Sirk movies in particular. When we first meet this family they seem to have it all: the husband, Frank, is a successful sales executive and they live in a beautiful home in Hartford, CT with two kids. But beneath the surface there's some serious dysfunction here. Things start to go haywire when Cathy discovers Frank getting it on with another dude. Turns out he's been full of man-love for quite some time. Since Cathy can't get any from her husband she becomes drawn to her "negro" gardener Raymond. You can probably guess what happens next. This movie is a bit predictable and by the numbers; I would find myself guessing what would happen and not being too far off. But that doesn't detract from the enjoyment of the film. See this movie for the mood, the music, and the sets and don't be disappionted if your not surpised by the story.

I've been looking for a good book on string theory for a long time. I started with Beyond Einstein but that was about the history of string theory rather than the nuts and bolts. Then I checked out Hawking's Universe in a Nutshell but the chapter on string theory was mostly fluff. Now with The Elegant Universe I finally found what I was looking for: a thorough, readable book about superstrings. But this book isn't just about strings. In the first third of the book, Greene explains what you need to know about general and special relativity and the conlicts those theories have with quantum mechanics. I especially liked the section on the double slit experiment. I had never quite grasped the significance of the experiment when I read about it in other books but Greene explains it perfectly. The section on general relativity that explains how time isn't a fixed entity but instead depends on the relative motion of the person experiencing time was also excellent. Greene really has a knack for illustrating some pretty complex ideas by using analogies.

But the reason I gave the book four stars instead of five is because I was slill left with some unanswered questions. How exactly does string theory resolve the conflict between quantum mechanics and general relativity? How can a certain vibration of a string cause it to become a proton or graviton? Admittedly, some of the answers to these questions may be above the reader's level of understanding but he could have at least tried to answer these basic questions about superstrings. Overall though a thouroughly interesting book.

I was really surprised by how funny the second season of TAT was. The best shows are in the beginning (when he still had money). I loved the segment where he brings a portable mosh pit to all of the presidential canditates. Also hilarious was running ficus the potted plant for congress (He gives you oxygen; can YOUR congressman do that?). It's too bad this show is stuck on bravo this should be on prime time network tv. If only Americans had as good taste as the Brits.

Beyond Einsten tells the story of the quest to find a "Theory of Everything" which would unite the four forces of nature into a single force. Kaku describes the past attempts by Einsten and others to find this elusive theory. He then proposes Superstring theory, which may or may not be the theory of everthing.

I found this book is confusing in parts. For example, sometimes Kaku would introduce a new term and not explain it adequately. Then he would go and use that terms umpteen times and I'd wonder what the hell it meant. If you don't have a background in physics you may have a hard time understanding it too. Also, I wanted more information about the specifics of superstring theory. He explains briefly about how it may unite the four forces but is light on details. An ok book, but not as good as his others.

Micheal Moore has a knack for exposing the problems in America which he demonstrates in this book. The issues he discusses range from the criminal "justice" system to the merging of the democrat and republican parties. I'm really concerned about the state of our country and it's good to know that other people care too. I have hope though. I remember what Mike said in his first book: The chairman of Exxon has the same number of votes as you or me - one. And there's more of us than there are of him.

We've all heard about the great economic miracle of the past twenty years. What we haven't heard, though, is that the rate of growth has significantly slowed from pre-1973 levels. This book explains why, and shows that we may be able to achieve high growth rates again. The authors criticize the "Wall Street Model" of growth, which stresses low inflation and enhanced savings. This model, they say, leads to increased inequality and slower growth. The authors present an alternative "Main Street Model" which instead stresses technological innovation as the main driver of growth. The keys to increasing technological innovation are public investments in R&D and infrastructure, as well as increasing demand through higher minimum wages and a stronger role for unions. This book coherently presents this new model of growth and explains why the Wall Street model is flawed. This book has an unashamedly left-wing bias and some people may be put off by the more opinionated parts of this book. I found myself wishing the authors would stick to facts instead of shoving ideas in your face that can't be backed up. In one part of the book the authors discuss the "neoclassical growth syllogism" and try to show how flawed it is. To do this, they examine each premise of the syllogism and assign a seemingly arbitrary percentage describing how true the premise is. You just can't do that. If you give me a number, you better be able to support it with facts or else you're wasting my time. These authors are probably well educated and they should know better than to whimsically pull numbers out of their [fundaments.]

I remember what it was like to be nineteen. This book captures it perfectly. David Boring is the best graphic novel I've ever read. This "pornographic epic" tells the tale of a dorky nineteen-year-old trying to get laid while the world is about to come to an end. He gets shot, then goes to a deserted island where he has sex with an older woman who then commits suicide. This book is very well written, I really enjoyed it.

I disagree with the findings of this book. I'm poor. I started off working at 7.20 per hour at the job I have now. I opted to live with roommates to save money, rather than live alone as Erenreich does. I worked really hard, asked for raises and now I make 10.85. I live quite comfortably, I have enough money to go to school and go out. This book essentially says that America is a bad place to live. This is far from the truth. Ehrenreich should go try the same experiment in Ethiopia and then she might have a different opinion about America.

This is the most bizarre comic book I've ever read. It has fishwomen and swamis who live in a bathroom. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but don't let that stop you from reading it. Very creative and orginal.

When I first heard Slim Shady LP I was so blown away and I figured Eminem must have used up all his creativity on that album. I don't think I was far off. I would consider at least 5 tracks on SSLP masterpieces: My name is, Two of us, guilty conscience spring immediately to mind. On MMLP the only one is Stan, a brilliant little gem that makes you remember that fan is short for *fanatic*. What made SSLP so incredible was the ingenious structure of the songs: two different rappers acting as an angel and a devil on someone's shoulder; A father promising to love his daughter forever while he's throwing her mother's corpse into the ocean. The songs on MMLP are mostly venting frustrations, and the hilarious wit is missing. They seem very honest, though, and fans get a more complete answer to the question "Who is Slim Shady?". Other standout tracks, like "Criminal" and "Please Stand Up" are cool, but lack the this-guy's-a-friggin-genius factor of SSLP tracks. "Kim" is a wild six-minute prequel to "Two of Us". Bottom-Line: If you must have more Slim, buy it but don't expect another SSLP caliber record. It's worth the price just for Stan.