With “God Refined: A Proposal for Peace”, Robert Kezer answers what may be our most important question: Can the average person make a difference in the world, or are we destined to a future beyond our control -- one of increasing war, environmental destruction, and disparity between the rich and poor?   By Eugene, Oregon author Bob Kezer Today, many people feel religious strife is tearing us apart. Ancient scriptures contradict logic, history, and science: fanatics rule ... [full story]

Televisions that come with no speakers. Headphones that obliterate noise. Movie houses that admonish audiences not to make a sound during the film. Looking at these artifacts of our culture, you might think we live in some golden age of silence - if it weren't for a few small details: The TVs are speakerless so they can be hooked up to a room-busting, boomtastic sound system. The headphones quash noise so that the wearers' eardrums ... [full story]

NEW RELEASES   'ARTHUR AND THE INVISIBLES' -- Pop star Madonna provides the voice for Princess Selenia in Luc Besson's 'Arthur and the Invisibles.' CNS Photo courtesy of Ehunne Geoise. ARTHUR AND THE INVINCIBLES -- Luc Besson's new movie is a little like "The Matrix" redone by troll dolls. Its original French title (translated) is "Arthur and the Minimoys," but since it apparently was decided Americans would have no clue what Minimoys are (and the French do?), ... [full story]

Football will save your sorry soul. It will save you from yourself. It will save you from the bad intentions of others. It will lift you up. It will show you a better place than the one you have accepted for yourself. It will show you your fears and a way to conquer them. It will reveal the better you that is buried under that mound of low self-esteem and personal disrespect that you call ... [full story]

Game: "Neverwinter Nights 2" Publisher: Atari System: Windows XP Cost: $49.99 ESRB Rating: T Review rating: 3 1/2 stars 'NEVERWINTER NIGHTS 2' - If a medieval fantasy world of supernatural beings and exotic locations sounds like cool gaming nirvana, then play Atari's 'Neverwinter Nights 2.' CNS Photo courtesy of Atari.If creating your own adventure in a medieval fantasy world of supernatural beings and exotic locations sounds like gaming nirvana, then you should delve into Atari's ... [full story]

"Pigeons: The Fascinating Saga of the World's Most Revered and Reviled Bird" by Andrew D. Blechman; Grove; 256 pages; $23. In his 1980 movie "Stardust Memories," Woody Allen called pigeons "rats with wings." One had flown into his apartment. "It's probably one of those killer pigeons," he said. "You see? It's got a swastika under its wings." He was being paranoid again, sometimes a funny sight. But people also laughed because pigeons have a reputation. He ... [full story]

What's Kid Rock got that Bruce Springsteen, Mick Jagger and country-music icons Merle Haggard and George Jones don't? Musically speaking, not much, although all of them are featured on "Last Man Standing," the surprisingly robust new album by Jerry Lee Lewis that also features B.B. King, Neil Young and 14 other all-star guests. But Rock, the rap, rock and country vocal upstart from Detroit whose soon-to-be ex-wife is Pamela Anderson, has swagger and attitude to ... [full story]

NEW RELEASES CHILDREN OF MEN --  Here is your post-holiday depression pill: "Children of Men." Not to relieve depression. To cause it. Alfonso Cuaron's film, from a P.D. James novel, should be called "Children of Women." After all, it's about a near-future in which women have been infertile for around 18 years, no babes live (except animals), and only women could stage the natal recovery to get humanity breeding again. It feels like a loose ... [full story]

LOS ANGELES - For an institution with some 30,000 photographs, the J. Paul Getty Museum has never devoted a corresponding amount of wall space to the medium. There has been a mere 1,700 square feet for photography since its grand-scale Brentwood complex opened in 1997. Michael Brand, who became director last year, was intent on altering this scenario. And he has.   BERMAN COLLECTION - The big hair grabs the eye first in William Eggleston's 'Memphis' ... [full story]

In "The Illusionist" (Fox, 3 stars), a mysterious young man becomes the toast of turn-of-the-century Vienna when his elaborate magical tricks dazzle audiences. Eisenheim (Edward Horton) inevitably draws the attention of Crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell), but it is the Duchess Sophie (Jessica Biel) on whom Eisenheim's eyes fall.   'THE ILLUSIONIST - Edward Norton and Jessica Biel star in the romantic drama 'The Illusionist.' CNS Photo courtesy of Glen Wilson.Some 15 years earlier, when Eisenheim ... [full story]

"How I Learned to Cook: Culinary Educations From the World's Greatest Chefs" edited by Kimberly Witherspoon and Peter Meehan; Bloomsbury; 303 pages; $24.95. Do not be fooled by the title of this anthology of essays from 40 top chefs from around the globe. These are love stories. The chefs - Boulud, Colicchio, Danko, Goin, Hazan, Morimoto and Richard, to name just a few - hearken back to "ah-ha!" experiences decades ago that transformed their mere ... [full story]

Absolutely nothing makes David Arquette happier than waking up early in the morning to spend quality time with his 2-year-old daughter Coco before her nanny arrives. Then it's usually time for everybody to visit her mother, Courteney Cox of "Friends" fame, now starring in "Dirt."   DAVID ARQUETTE - David Arquette plays financial whiz Jason Ventress in the TV drama “In Case of Emergency.' CNS Photo courtesy of ABC."It's great," laughed Arquette, 35. "Coco and I ... [full story]

Game: "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess" Publisher: Nintendo System: Nintendo Wii Cost: $49.99 ESRB Rating: T Review rating: 3 1/2 stars   ‘THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: TWILIGHT PRINCESS’ - In “The Legend of Zelda,' you can use a Wii controller for everything from shooting arrows to swinging swords. CNS Photo courtesy of Nintendo.From the first satisfying slash of Link's sword to the ominous enemy boss characters, Nintendo's "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess" is captivating ... [full story]