When British military commander Col. Katherine Powell (Helen Mirren) is tasked with gathering credible intelligence concerning the whereabouts of a suspected terrorist in advance of a pending raid on a Kenyan radical safe house, the intent is to create conditions enabling the insurgent’s capture. The person in question, Susan Danford (Lex King), a radicalized British citizen, is believed to have recently arrived in Nairobi to collaborate with Somali extremists living there, perhaps to aid in carrying out a terrorist attack.
responsibility
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Arts & Entertainment
‘Embrace of the Serpent’ seeks to define our place in the world
by Brent Marchant April 1, 2016“Embrace of the Serpent” tells two separate but related stories linked by common threads. Based on the diaries of explorers Theodor Koch-Grünberg and Richard Evan Schultes, the film follows the exploits of two similar but fictional adventurers, Theo (Jan Bijvoet) and Evan (Brionne Davis), as they make their way into the jungle in search of the rare yakruna plant, a hallucinogenic botanical related to the rubber plant. The shared element linking these two journeys, which take place 40 years apart, is their shamanic guide, Karamakate, who meets his Western companions first as an impassioned, indignant youth (Nilbio Torres) and later as an old man with a failing memory (Antonio Bolívar Salvador). Through their complex, sometimes-contentious, sometimes-enlightening interactions, Karamakate and his companions bring meaning to one another’s lives – and in ways none of them may have anticipated.
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Arts & Entertainment
‘Irrational Man’ proves beliefs can be funny things
by Brent Marchant July 31, 2015The ivy-clad halls of Newport, Rhode Island’s stoic Braylin College are about to get shaken up (or at least that’s what administrators think). Renowned philosophy professor Abe Lucas (Joaquin Phoenix) has agreed to join the school’s faculty as a visiting instructor for the summer program. His arrival is heralded as a major coup for the university, given his pedigree as one of the field’s most insightful academics. But his standing precedes him in other ways, too; the handsome young scholar has earned quite a reputation as a ladies’ man.
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Arts & Entertainment
‘Tomorrowland’ asks, ‘What kind of world do we want?’
by Brent Marchant May 29, 2015In 1964, aspiring young inventor Frank Walker (Thomas Robinson) attends the New York World’s Fair in hopes of winning a prize in an inventors’ competition. He stakes his claim on his creation of a personal jetpack, a novel idea that, though fun and whimsical, doesn’t quite work. Even though he makes an impassioned case for the merits of his device, the head of the inventors’ contest, David Nix (Hugh Laurie), summarily dismisses the brainchild of the young Edison.
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Caleb Smith (Domhnall Gleeson) is thrilled when he receives some good news at work. As the winner of an internal company competition, the young computer coding whizz for an Internet search firm is the recipient of a much-coveted prize – spending a week with the brilliant, elusive, enigmatic founder of his organization, Nathan Bateman (Oscar Isaac). But that elation soon turns to trepidation when he embarks on his journey to Nathan’s secluded mountain retreat and personal research facility. The well-intentioned, idealistic young programmer quickly discovers he may be in way over his head.
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Arts & Entertainment
‘Wild Tales’ looks at revenge, responsibility and karma
by Brent Marchant March 6, 2015“Wild Tales” consists of six vignettes that explore different aspects of revenge and its consequences, five of which are wickedly funny, with a sixth that’s more serious in nature. The stories include the following
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Arts & EntertainmentFamily & Relationships
‘Chinese Puzzle’ wrestles with life’s complexities
by Brent Marchant October 10, 2014We’ve all undoubtedly had days where we’ve found our heads spinning, overwhelmed by the complexities before us. It’s enough to make us crazy. It’s also enough to get us to ask ourselves. “Why me?” Such are the circumstances served up in the independent comedy, “Chinese Puzzle,” now available on video on-demand and scheduled for release on Blu-ray disk next week.
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Arts & EntertainmentFamily & Relationships
‘Locke’ wrestles with choice, responsibility
by Brent Marchant May 23, 2014Coping with the conditions of our lives can be more than a little challenging at times. We often find ourselves faced with circumstances we dread, some of which may carry difficult choices and demanding responsibilities. But, then, in all fairness, we must also ask how we got ourselves into those dilemmas to begin with. Those are the conundrums a beleaguered protagonist must address for himself in the unconventional personal drama, “Locke.”
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Family & RelationshipsHealth & Well-being
Transform Your Relationship with Everyday Forgiveness
by Susie and Otto Collins August 4, 2013How often do you criticize or beat up on yourself for an array of “little” things? Learn how to forgive yourself….
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Arts & Entertainment
‘Ruby Sparks’ explores the power to create by Brent Marchant
by Brent Marchant August 3, 2012Despite the film’s seemingly lightweight story line, “Ruby Sparks” is anything but frothy fluff; rather, it’s a thoughtful meditation on conscious creation practice. Through Calvin’s exploits, we see that conscious creation is an all-inclusive process that carries with it tremendously potent power.
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Arts & Entertainment
Choice, hope, service themes drive ‘The Dark Knight Rises’
by Brent Marchant July 27, 2012It’s been said that, where there’s life, there’s hope, and that’s certainly the case for the beleaguered City of Gotham in this picture, as well as in our own often-troubled world. As long as we never lose sight of that and are willing to become our own Dark Knights, we can hold on to the prospect of bringing it into being for ourselves.
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Arts & EntertainmentSpirituality
READ: Spiritual assumptions challenged in ‘We Have a Pope’
by Brent Marchant May 4, 2012Challenging assumptions related to our spiritual beliefs can be daunting, to be sure. We often consider such truths as unquestionable givens. Yet there are times when we think we know what we want when, in fact, we don’t. And, when circumstances arise that put such issues to the test, we’re often ill-equipped to handle them. When matters of head and heart, intellect and intuition, thought and feeling, don’t match up in spiritual matters, the result is often a crisis of faith.
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Arts & Entertainment
READ: ‘Margin Call’ dissects the financial meltdown with keen precision
by Brent Marchant February 17, 2012The economy has been on everyone’s mind for several years now, and many have justifiably pondered how we got ourselves into this mess. But, as is becoming increasingly clear, the causes go beyond economics, having as much to do with human nature and what we create as it does with money. These questions are examined in meticulous detail in the Wall Street drama, “Margin Call,” now available on DVD.
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When I speak about vigilance and responsibility, I am speaking about the capacity to take responsibility for the grace that has appeared within the individual life form called “you.” I am not speaking of a duty or a should. I am not speaking of anything that has weight or punishment attached to it. Vigilance is the capacity to take responsibility for where your attention is in the moment and to take responsibility when it habitually goes into the past and future.
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Family & RelationshipsHealth & Well-being
Anger As An Ally – Revisited After The Riots
by Stacy Sheasby August 20, 2011I recently published an article entitled Anger As An Ally wherein I spoke of anger as a “powerful natural resource that can not only be harnessed but directed to create…
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Why is This Happening FOR Me?
by Mike Robbins August 30, 2013“Why is this happening to me?”… learn the power of slightly changing this question we commonly ask ourselves
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Stop Apologizing for Who You Are
by Mike Robbins November 3, 2010Apologizing can be a bit tricky for me. While I pride myself on being someone who is able to look within, take responsibility, and resolve conflicts directly – I also…
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Humans are funny creatures. When it comes to problem solving, we are programmed to waste a great amount of time and energy focusing on the side-effects rather than go to…
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Responsibility
by Ian Paul Marshall March 20, 2010When we embrace responsibility, accept it deep within our core, we begin to tap into an eternal supply of power and inspiration. Learn how to unleash the power within you by taking personal responsibility for your life.