Tron: Legacy - Hot New Movie for 2011

One of the Top Must-See Movies for 2011 has to be TRON - Legacy. The amazing gaming scenes, the mind-blowing score, and CG graphical "actor-tweaking" are enough reason to enjoy the film on their own. Add a top-notch script, and some nifty acting, and you have a real feast for the senses.

The film also raises some interesting metaphysical questions, flirting with our notions of God, and God's relationship to his creations - that is, to the world he has created and all those who live in it. The world of cyberspace is very much the "creation" of the builder, but it is far from the "perfect world" that it strives to be. As well, some interesting parallels exist in the Father/Son relationship to some of our own religious beliefs.

Though the world inside the computer is sterile by comparison, as well as lacking the lush, tropical vegetation and the switching between the "inside/outside" locales of "Avatar," the special effects in Tron: Legacy are amazing. If anything, the sterility lends itself to one of the major themes, that of striving for perfection.

In Tron: Legacy, the very sterility that, particularly, the ISO programs associate with perfection makes an interesting comment on the nature of perfection. Surely true perfection cannot be so stagnant and passionless? At least, one would hope that is the case, or at least make one wonder if such perfection is worth trying to achieve.

Though there is much to this film to engage the mind and the senses, and much to think about long after the film is over, Tron: Legacy is still a "ripping good yarn" and well worth the price of admission.

Healthy Sauce - Is there any such thing?

Yes, Virginia, there is such a thing as a healthy sauce. Most of the sauces we make nowadays tend to come from packages - mixes that contain so many additives and chemicals with names we can't even begin to pronounce. How on earth can we prepare a tasty dish that won't be so chock-full of additives, or won't be full of other things to avoid - ingredients that are the basis for many traditional sauces, such as butter, heavy cream, and cheese, to name a few?

The name of the game is substitution. Add low-fat cheese in place of full fat, or use a grated, hard cheese in place of a softer one. It will be lower in fat content, and carry a far bigger wallop of flavor. Substitute chicken, beef, or vegetable broth for cream or milk in a sauce, and remember to read the label carefully to ensure the brand you buy is low in sodium and fat. If your recipe calls for cream or sour cream, use low-fat milk, and plain, or low-fat yogurt. Even plain, full-fat yogurt doesn't carry the fat or calorie load of full-fat sour cream, and the taste is virtually indistinguishable.

To be sure, home-made anything takes more time, but surely a little more time to produce a healthier and tastier end-product is well worth a little extra effort.

"But I have no time," I hear you wail. You will be surprised how much time you actually have to prepare and enjoy a family meal together when you involve the whole family in preparing it...and that is Tip Number 2.

Even small children can help lay the table, and clear up after. Older children can make salads, and help with vegetable preparation. Making meals together gives kids a sense of ownership, and they are more likely to enjoy eating what they have helped to prepare.