Mr. Hugo Chavez and the Art of Exercise

So, no matter how we want it to last forever, the summer will end. Not yet, but soon. Our busy schedules return to  full swing, and so does the pressure of being a fit, active member of a society idolizing the disciplined body.
Really- have you seen the gym floor on those first, cold fall days, when people start getting anxious and hating the effects of summer laissez-faire on their physique? It is a cattle fair. Last only a short while, before most people just give up, relax and stop panicking. At the end of the day, life is short. Don´t get me wrong- it is  good to do sports, but it should not be an obsession. And all you Tracy Anderson -wannabes, I hear you, but choose to ignore you. My prerogative, let´s put it this way.

So what to do, to get the inspiration for a jog or two? Let´s turn to the help of the rich and famous.
Surely, a nice fellow from the land of Venezuela can help, no? Meet the friendly dictator  leader Mr. Hugo Chavez, who just recently recovered from some health problems of his own. Now the new lifestyle is just oozing out of him. So much so, that he decided to share his fave moves with the rest of us mere mortals. After all, he is the Man, who claimed capitalism was the reason behind the end of life in Mars. A man to follow, certainly. So there we go. Don´t get all obsessed with the head tilt, though. I´m sure it is not good to do too many repetitions in a row.




Chavez stars in exercise video by reuters

Mr. Hugo Chavez and the Art of Exercise

Inception and the Three dimensions of Power

Christopher Nolan´s science fiction thriller "Inception" has been  a massive phenomenon this year, yet it took me this long to actually have seen it. Was it as good as they claim? Yes, it was- albeit not as difficult to comprehend as some argue.

The whole plot centers around corporate espionage thieves, led by a man named Dominic Cobb (played by Leonardo DiCaprio). The thieves extract information out of the heads of the unsuspecting victims through means of shared dreaming. While dreaming, the mind is vulnerable and reveals the secrets to the voyers in the same dream space. But then the normal mission turns to something more daring: the attempt is to implant an idea into a person´s head, making him believe it is his own. The way to do this is "Inception": a-three-layered dream within a dream within a dream.





This whole idea reminds me of the concept on three dimensions of power, as visioned by Steven Lukes  (Power: a Radical View).
In the first dimension, the use of power over the other party is clearly visible to both sides (shall we say A and B). In the second dimension, the whole agenda is outlined by the party with power (A). So the issues B might have an interest in are not discussed or even a possibility. The reality is outlined by A, but B knows this.
Now, in the third dimension of power, the first and second dimension are incorporated. Use of power does not need to be visible or even an issue. The situation is deemed as natural, and B believes this to be in the best interest of him. B might even think the grand order is his idea. Complicated?  Lukes´ book is a fascinating read, and highly recommended for those who are interested in these sorts of things.

Christopher Nolan designed his screenplay for nine long years, and the initial idea resembled a horror movie. Luckily for us, he decided to turn it into a scifi heist film. In order to stay focused on his grand plot, he used this mind map of the three-layered heist:

Inception and the Three dimensions of Power