"Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," in 3-D, Another Barrage of Bombastic Special Effects Or...

Spawned in theaters one-day shy of a week, "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" is much more than a feud between the two super heroes.

Prior to seeing this movie, I thought combat between Batman and Superman would be ludicrous, not only because they both want true justice, but a physical battle would be one sided either way. On one side of the coin, Superman could simply squash Batman’s head like a soft melon or fly him into outer space, which would obviously kill a mortal like Bruce Wayne (Batman). On the other side of the coin, Batman with all his gadgets and ability to manufacture weapons in his bat cave could simply make Kryptonite spears, arrows or even bullets to end Superman.

The actual fighting between the two was cleverly scripted. The reasoning for their dispute with each other was also extremely well written. Screen writers Chris Terrio and David S. Goyer set the stage for bringing this movie to life by wonderfully catering to children and adults who marvel in the realms of the comic book world. Adult themes such as sex and violence are non-gratuitous, which makes this flick acceptable for the eyes and ears of preschoolers, the PG-13 rating is perfect for this movie.

The psychotic, yet brilliant smarts of the villainess Lex Luthor was spectacularly portrayed by Jesse Eisenberg. Despite all the cities and characters being fictional, Terrio and Goyer made this a realistic story and touched on the real issues and beliefs of God and the Devil Himself. If Superman actually existed, many would consider him a savior and a god, if not the God, while others would consider Superman to be a false prophet and a real danger to the human race.

Batman gets the same grief. Even when Batman brings criminals to face the punishments of the legal justice system, there are always those people who believe the caped crusader is nothing more than a lawless vigilante with selfish goals.

Three stars easy for this flick and highly recommended for viewing on the big screen in 3-D.   

Art of Nature

Today I went on another bike ride in the western hemispheres of the Santa Rosa creek and snapped some pictures with my Sony digital camera. The pictures sparked some more words for my writings I titled Dead Poems.

While my creativity steadily drowns in the gilded cage of work, sometimes my imagination surfaces in the form of Dead Poems or another blog.

Nature IV

Naked trees dwell amidst heavily garbed ones while many cunning

creatures scurry and fly around in lush nature surrounded by

temporary suburbia. California’s state flower, the poppy flourishes

where it sees fit. Tame nature swells into the very depths of eternity.

   Izzy Schurr

Game Two Tonight Between the Spurs & Warriors Overshadows March Madness

While the best of the best teams in college basketball are colliding with each other to determine the national colligate champion, the future 2016 NBA champions go head to head tonight. Forget about any (L)eastern time seizing the title this year.

The Golden State Warriors are poised to win back to back championships, but the San Antonio Spurs my thwart those plans. When the two teams clash in Texas tonight, a streak will continue, or be broken for either team. The Warriors have not won in San Antonio since 1997, when Stephen Curry was 8-years-0ld. This fact is from Comcast Sports Network. The Spurs are 32-0 at home against the Warriors in that span.

Currently both teams have yet to lose two games in a row all season, a feat no NBA team has accomplished in a single season. (CSN) The five time champion Spurs are having the best season of their illustrious career with a 34-0 home record, and the team’s 58-10 mark is its best start ever.

Something has to give, The Warriors set the all-time NBA record this year with 50 straight wins at home in the regular season which started last year. The Warriors are the only professional team in all four major sports to achieve the 50 game home winning streak. (Baseball, basketball, football and hockey; CSN). The Warriors are currently 32-0 at the Oracle Arena. If the Warriors close out the season with an 11-3 record or better, the team will set another NBA record for most wins in one season.   

Since its inaugural season in 1946, no NBA team has finished a season unbeaten at home and this year, both the Spurs and Warriors are only 14 games away from doing so. The Warriors have nine more home games while the Spurs have seven left including tonight’s game.

The Spurs 5^th championship was a mere two years ago, and when the team lost to the Los Angeles Clippers, 4 games to 3 in last year’s playoffs, many people, including LeBron James said the Warriors were lucky to win the title last season because they didn’t have to face the Spurs in the playoffs. Extremely unlikely that will happen this year.

Last Easter, the Spurs walloped the Warriors 107-92 in Texas which snapped a Warrior 12 game winning streak at the time. In January the Warriors returned the favor, smashing the Spurs at home 120-90.

The powers that be have clearly stated the importance of home court advantage, and the Warriors, despite their incredible 62-6 record have a mere four game lead over the Spurs for home court advantage thought the playoffs.

The Warriors have had so many blow-out wins this year, and that is why the team will win another title, their starters get plenty of rest. Stephen Curry has not played in 18 fourth quarters this year (CSN) and his partner in crime, Draymond Green is the only Warrior in the league who’s in the top 20 in minutes played. Green is 18^th on that list. (CSN)

When these two teams meet in the Western Conference finals, the Warriors must always be wary of the Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard. I so wish Leonard was a Warrior, he is not in a class by himself, but roll call is very quick, and the same can be said for that one guy on the Warriors.  

Sony's HX 400 Digital Camera Is Marvelous

The Sony HX 400 is easy to use and also has advanced features for very serious photogs across the universe.

For $377.00 this Sony digital camera is a true bargain for avid photographers. It has the best of both worlds. It's easily a point a shoot camera, and at 20.4 megapixels, the picture quality is excellent. The 50 X optical zoom lens is incredible, especially for a camera that does not have detachable and attachable lens capability, notice the night and day moon shots. The camera retails for almost $500.00, but I got it brand new from Amazon with no instruction booklet, but that was more than OK for me. Youtube.com taught me some cool things.

This camera has all the basic necessities, built in flash, video capability and the ease of sending the pictures to a PC, lap top or a smart phone. This camera also has Wi-Fi and a GPS system, ideal for travelers.

In single shot mode, you can take two pictures in less than two seconds or in speed frame, it will snap 10 pictures a second. The vast picture setting mode is very easy to use and its features could work very well for people who like to dabble in special effect picture taking which is not my forte.

On the top right of the camera, the various 11 settings for picture taking provides written instructions and suggestions on the display screen.

The camera also has a lot of manual settings, such as focus and aperture adjustment, which can be saved or readjusted at any time. Yes, the camera also has auto-focus. The basic point and shoot mode is what I used for all of these pictures.

The camera runs on a lithium battery, which is included, but the SD card is not included, nor is the charging system for the lithium battery. For less than $30.00 on Amazon, I got two spare lithium batteries with a charging system for both the home and car.

Nature III / Dreams

Nature III

The throne of nature dominates our intelligence with her vast

projections of marvelous meteor showers and colossal cascades of

radiant water falls sometimes surrounded by monumental

mountains. Fantastic foliage in the woods, wilds, lakes, streams

and oceans is an awesome array of ancient lore and present day

dominating decor.                  

                                                                                               Izzy Schurr  

                                                

My latest poem inspired by the writings of Edgar Allan Poe. Poe's poem titled "Stanzas" set my mind in action with his poetic words;

Admiring Nature's universal throne; Her woods-her wild-her mountains-the intense reply of HERS to our intelligence!

From the time I was a very young boy to present day, I wish I could draw and play music, especially play music, but those two talents San my soul. Neil Peart, the drummer and lyricist for Rush inspired my desire to write. Peart said words are a lot like music, hence the writing. Words, like music cannot be thrown together in any order. Actually they can, i.e.; run, for, but, too, who, grace, fire and what. Not only is that last sentence grammatically incorrect, but it is also pointless and senseless.

Music is the same way, certain notes in certain orders make or break songs. The magic of poetry is putting words into a combination that excites the imagination, or at least tries to and that's what I was striving for in these two poems.

         

Dreams

An efficacious zephyr hovers my thoughts into the

spheres of inner space.

Madness is music, dreams, and whispered beauty.

Unfiltered emotions riding in wisdom's wave.

Separate thoughts fused forever into time. Infinite

imagination spawns creative desires. Passion to

immortalize, desire to live. To embed ones soul into

the heart of time itself.

                                                               Izzy Schurr

Death & Sports

The primitive lure of dying to compete and competing to live is a never ending Cree of athletes across the globe.

About 250 years B.C, the Romans started gladiator matches. Approximately one or two out of 10 bouts were fought to the death for thousand of Roman spectators. These savage gladiator fights went on for about 650 years. The vast majority of combatants were slaves, but the lure of ultimate competition also drew in volunteers to fight in these deadly battles. Many freelance warriors were ex-soldiers skilled in fighting, upper-class patricians, knights and even senators. http://www.history.com/news/history-lists/10-things-you-may-not-know-about-roman-gladiators

More than 2000 years later, the potential for being killed in competition continues, and it's more then OK with those directly involved.

In January 2013, free style snowmobile bronze medalist, Caleb Moore died when he was 25-year-old while competing in ESPN's Winter X Games. Moore was attempting a backflip in the freestyle event in Aspen when the skis on his 450-pound snowmobile caught the lip of the landing area, sending him flying over the handlebars. Moore landed face first into the snow with his snowmobile rolling over him. http://xgames.espn.go.com/xgames/article/8901435/caleb-moore-died-snowmobile-accident-x-games-aspen

Colten Moore, Caleb's younger brother, a three time gold medalist in the same sport hasn't competed since 2014, but he plans to get back to the X Games. Colten's autobiography detailing his sporting adventures with his brother Caleb was released on January 19, "Catching The Sky." If Colten wins another gold medal, he will once again dedicate it to his deceased brother Caleb like he did with his last gold medal he said. http://xgames.espn.go.com/xgames/athletes/3015324/colten-moore

Colten said on ESPN's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel," he plans to keep pushing the limits, and Colten has already landed the same backflip in competition which killed his brother in 2013.

In January of 2012, Canadian X Games, star Sarah Burke was killed practicing when she hit her head during a fall. At 29-years-old, Burke paid the ultimate price doing what she loved. Burke was a four-time Winter X Games gold medalist, and won the world championship in the halfpipe in 2005.

Spectators are not free from the price of death in Nascar events. Since 1990, at least 47 spectators have died while attending live races. http://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/nascar-auto-racing/thatsracin/article9152399.html

On February 18, 2001 iconic racing sensation Dale Earnhardt was killed while racing at the Daytona 500. http://www.autopsyfiles.org/dearnhardt.htm

Over 100 cyclists have died during races in the past 120 years. The most recent competitor to perish in a major race was 36-year old Wouter Weylandt during the 2011 Giro d’Italia. Over 100 cyclists have died during races in the past 120 years. http://www.thesportster.com/entertainment/top-20-athletes-who-died-in-action/?view=a This same web site also states that on average, two jockeys a year lose their lives during horse races.

Light weight boxing  champion in the 80s, Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini on November, 13, 1982 literally beat Duk Koo Kim to death. Kim died from brain injuries he endured during the fight.  http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/39150762/ray-boom-boom-mancini-tells-his-story-in-new-book-the-good-son

Cheer leading has accounted for approximately 66 percent of all catastrophic injuries in high school girl athletes over the past 25 years. Catastrophic injuries are severe injuries to the spine, spinal cord or brain and can include skull or spinal fractures.

In 2011, there were almost 37,000 emergency room visits for cheer leading injuries among girls aged 6 to 22, according to data from the Consumer Product Safety Commission. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/pediatricians-want-cheerleading-called-a-sport-over-injury-risk/

The risks of being killed in the heat of competition is always prevalent. The lure of live sports entertainment and those directly involved in the games can't seem to get enough and are perpetually pushing the envelope of extreme gaming.

In a high school essay, Caleb Moore wrote, “One of the things I found most memorable was Walden, by Henry David Thoreau. My favorite quote is when he says, ‘I wanted to live deep and suck out all of the marrow of life,’ I agree with him. We only get one shot in this life, so go for it,” Caleb said. http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2016/01/18/colten-moore-carries-on-caleb-moore-x-games-legacy/78972090/ 

"The Cellar" Delves Into the Realms of The Dark Arts and Sends its Readers into A Journey of Sorrow, Hatred and Revenge.

Orphaned, then adopted into a sadistic family at 8-years-old, Muna's entire childhood is spent in the abyss of awful, completely void of love and laughter.

"The Cellar" is a very twisted thematic R rated version of Cinderella. The focal character, Muna is taken out of an orphanage somewhere in England when she is just a child, and from the start, she is abused both physically and sexually before she reaches her 9th birthday.

African immigrants, the Songolis are a married couple with two spoiled boys of their own who hornswoggle an adoption agency to seize the rights to young Muna. Mrs. Songolis, Yetunde, is the true definition of ugly, both physically and spiritually. She beats Muna when her 13-year-old son Olubayo tries to rape her, accusing Muna of being too sexy, which makes it her fault Olubayo wants to ravage her.

Muna is forced to sleep on the concrete floor of the cellar and is frequently raped by Mr. Songolis, Ebuka, in the middle of the night while his family sleeps.

For six years Muna's life is a living hell, and then when she is 14-years-old, it still is, but the tides begin to turn her favor when the Songolis youngest son Abiola turns up missing and the police become regular visitors at the Songolis dwelling for various questioning and investigating. With regular visits by the authorities, Muna is allowed to stay in Abiola's room to give the police a facade of living with a loving and caring family.  

As the story progresses, Muna is convinced the Devil himself lives in the cellar and she claims to communicate with the Dark Lord who aides her in her revenge against the Songolis. Without giving too much of the story away, some of the revenge is indeed sweet to me.

Muna pushes Mr. Songolis down the cellar stairs and he ends up paralyzed and confined to a wheel chair, thus unable to ever rape her again. Muna  tortures Mrs. Songolis to death, a slow painful death which she more then deserves. I relished in my reading as Muna continually buried a heavy hammer into Mrs. Songolis's knee caps until the bones of her knees where broken and exposed from the skin.
Muna claims to have gotten her courage to fight back against the horrid Songolis family via the Devil. Until the very end of the book, it's not clearly known if Muna was indeed in touch with Lucifer.

Best selling novelist Minette Walters enticed my imagination to its very heights. Without directly stating it, the Devil may be a better being then God Himself, after all, the Devil never does anything wrong in the Bible, the Bible rants of the Devils temptations, but Lucifer Himself never commits evil like God does.

From the Bible; The first book of Samuel;

I Samuel; 15; 2-3: 'Thus saith the Lord (God) ...spare them not, slay both man and woman, infant and suckling...' (Exodus; 20; 13, 'Thou shall not kill.') The definition of contradiction.

"The Cellar" is a three and half star read with a fabulous tale of terror, violence and rage which makes a legitimate case that Lucifer may indeed be superior to God.

Local library's are a great source for books as well as movies. "The Cellar" was first published in January of last year.