> Secret Agent has a slow, difficult beginning (~hour). Not much happens. And it's not clear why what's happening is happening, particularly for someone unfamiliar with Brazil's political climate in the 1970s.
That's very much the director's philosophy. He values the dead time between things. I saw him talk years ago. He's a bit of an intelectual. Very competent too. I haven't watched Secret Agent yet though.
Beto Brant is another Brazilian director. He is phenomenal. Also artsy but his films usually work on a more traditional level as well. They're more satisfying. I highly recommend him -- particularly "O Invasor", "Ação Entre Amigos" and "Crime Delicado".
Those broads limitations also make writing the stories easier, since the author/worldbuilder doesn't have to come up with 100 different reasons why it can't be done for each particular case. He only have to do it once.
Consider using a TRT[1] Tinnitus hearing aid. It was prescribed me by my ENT doctor and it provides me with great relief. My Tinnitus is persistent and extremely loud. Loud enough that I couldn't get use to it even after many years. I'm not sure what would be the procedure for you to get one in your country. It is not a cure, but it made my life immensely better. I wished I had gotten it sooner. Good luck!
This is a “crônica” about my relationship with computers in Brazil in the 1990s.
The crônica is a uniquely Brazilian format that emerged in Brazilian newspapers in the 19th century. The crônica is very short. It is characterized by a mix of fact, subjectivity, and often fiction that is supposed to reflect or say something about reality (this one has no fiction). Oddly enough, I wrote this crônica directly in English. It was an interesting experience to write something so profoundly Brazilian in English.
Yes, of course. As you said, there is certainly a spectrum between "profit at all costs" and "fixed growth" or similar constraints. That is easy to visualize.
I find it interesting and even inspiring that some economies allow entrepreneurs to make this kind of choice. That is not my reality at all. In South-America, we grab every chance we get and don't let go. There is much less opportunity.
I can say that, while competition is part of every capitalist society, at least in my region of Brazil the search for work-life balance is something few entrepreneurs would be ashamed of.
"A lifestyle business is a business set up and run by its founders primarily with the aim of sustaining a particular level of income and no more; or to provide a foundation from which to enjoy a particular lifestyle."
Seems like a useful concept. What's wrong with it?
> (3) and (4) don't discount the problems inherent in altering one's perception of reality
1. AFAIK, Christianity does not negate the overall use of medicine
2. Mental illnesses are essentially a deviation from normal, healthy patterns of cognition.
3. When well applied, psychiatric medications can bring patients closer to reality instead of the opposite
4. If (and only if) some hallucinogens become universally approved as effective medications for such illnesses, the same reasoning could also be applied to them
5. Therefore, in the context of your interpretation of Christianity, these medications might actually bring patients closer to God.
1. I'm a Christian myself, and I see no contradiction between my religious beliefs and the rational conclusion that science tends to provide the best answers for a vast scope of phenomenons
2. I would never use hallucinogens out of my own volition. But, because science is credible, I would definitely do so if there were a reasonable consensus in the medical community that this category of drugs was beneficial for me.
3. I believe your idea of the effect of hallucinogens is incorrect. They do not disconnect one from reality but merely alters how such reality is perceived. One might even argue that hallucinogens can get you closer to "reality" (whatever that means...) by allowing you to notice a wider range of stimuli that is not available under normal conditions.
4. Maybe hallucinogens are gifts from God, like quinine, lithium, and penicillin.
You know, your position is very common. It stems from the belief that our brain is dissociated from our mind/identity, and therefore existential-like issues should be treated as separate from the brain. But that is incorrect, as any introductory neurology reading (such as the works of Oliver Sacks) will show. Our brain is a body organ. An extremely complex, elusive and puzzling body organ, but a body organ nonetheless. And, like any organ, sometimes it malfunctions. Wishful thinking won't cure a broken leg, and the same is true about the brain.
That's very much the director's philosophy. He values the dead time between things. I saw him talk years ago. He's a bit of an intelectual. Very competent too. I haven't watched Secret Agent yet though.
Beto Brant is another Brazilian director. He is phenomenal. Also artsy but his films usually work on a more traditional level as well. They're more satisfying. I highly recommend him -- particularly "O Invasor", "Ação Entre Amigos" and "Crime Delicado".