Saturday, January 27, 2007

stating the obvious

My thanks to my friend Lady Di for sending me this. These, in my opinion, are funny. The comments after each one are my own (changed from the original comments)....

In Honour of Stupid People . . . In case you needed further proof that the human race is doomed through stupidity, here are some actual label instructions on consumer goods.

On Tesco's Tiramisu dessert (printed on bottom) -- "Do not turn upside down." (Oh, crap!)

On Sainsbury's peanuts -- "Warning: contains nuts." (you're kidding! How is that possible?)

On Boot's Children Cough Medicine -- "Do not drive a car or operate machinery after taking this medication." (make sure your 3-year-old is not the designated driver...wouldn't be prudent)

On Marks &Spencer Bread Pudding -- "Product will be hot after heating." (let's see...oven=heat, ok, yeah I guess it would be hot).

On a Sears hairdryer -- Do not use while sleeping. (Isn't that the best time to use it? One less thing I'd have to do when I wake up)

On a bag of Fritos -- You could be a winner! No purchase necessary. Details inside. (...and officer, that's why I stole the bag.)

On a bar of Dial soap -- "Directions: Use like regular soap." (Wait! How do I use regular soap???)

On some Swanson frozen dinners -- "Serving suggestion: Defrost." (But you don't have to; if you like literally frozen dinners).

On packaging for a Rowenta iron -- "Do not iron clothes on body." (Why? What could happen? And would that be my body or your body?)

On Nytol Sleep Aid -- "Warning: May cause drowsiness." (Is that not the point?)

On most brands of Christmas lights -- "For indoor or outdoor use only." (Is there ANOTHER use I don't know about?)

On a Japanese food processor -- "Not to be used for the other use." (I'll take, "What is the OTHER use" for $500, please).

On an American Airlines packet of nuts -- "Instructions: Open packet, eat nuts.." (like ohmygosh, I don't get it......)

On a child's Superman costume -- "Wearing of this garment does not enable you to fly." (Damnit, why did I buy this stupid costume? I knew I should have chosen Batman).

On a Swedish chainsaw -- "Do not attempt to stop chain with your hands or genitals." (Was this really a problem somewhere? SCARY!)

peace,

paul

Stick 'em up, now put it down, no, really, put it down.

Mozart, the manly and mobile iguana in Belgium, has a problem. A serious one. It seems that Mozart got an erection and kept it; for over a week. Unfortunately for Mozart, since the erection has gone strong for so long, he will have to have the sexual organ amputated. In fact, by the time you read this it may already be done. Thankfully for Mozart male iguanas have two penises. The really sad part of this is that Mozart was jilted by his lover during the sex act. And as a result of the long lasting erection, it is now becoming infected. Love really does hurt. What I want to know, however, is why the second one wasn't erect. How does only one become erect and not the other? Hmmmmmm........

Well, here's hoping that Mozart uses the remaining organ wisely and doesn't get too excited.

peace,

paul

breaking it down

Much to my surprise, I actually predicted better than last year. It's still not great but out of 40 nominees (in the major races) I correctly predicted 32; beating last year's number, 29. The host for this year's show is Ellen DeGeneres. Yes, an out lesbian will be hosting the show which will be broadcast to a billion people around the world. She's proved herself time and time again to be funny, sharp, current and witty without being vulgar.

With that, I'll break down the nominees:

Adapted Screenplay- Borat is the only one of the five I did not correctly predict. The rest of the nominees are not surprising. Dreamgirls and Thank You For Smoking were shut out of this race.

Original Screenplay- No surprises here either. Shut out of this race were The Good Shepherd and Stranger Than Fiction (a terrific film that should be seen on video if missed at the theater).

Supporting Actor- I was surprised by the nominees of Alan Arkin and yes, Mr. Underwear model himself, Mark Wahlberg. In fact, Wahlberg, Eddie Murphy, and Jackie Earle Haley all score their first nomination. Djimon Hounsou scores his second nod and Arkin was last nominated for the 1968 film The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter but lost to Cliff Robertson. This is his third nod. Shut out of this race were Ben Affleck (Hollywoodland), Michael Sheen (The Queen), Brad Pitt (Babel) and Academy darling Jack Nicholson (The Departed) who almost seems to get nominated for just about any movie he does anymore. One other actor I think it would have been nice to see in this category is Kazunari Ninomiya. Who????? Kazunari Ninomiya. He gave a touching performance in the film Letters From Iwo Jima as Saigo, a young soldier who just wants to get back home to his wife and newborn.

Supporting Actress- The only veteran in this race is Cate Blanchett who scores her third nomination. Everyone else is a first-timer. Abigail Breslin, Jennifer Hudson, Rinko Kikuchi, and Adriana Barraza. Shut out were Catherine O'Hara (For Your Consideration) and Emma Thompson (Stranger Than Fiction) both of whom got some Oscar whispers when their films came out. And for the record I correctly predicted all five.

Actor- I didn't do too bad on this category but I should have known Ryan Gosling would get a nod, his first. Another first is Forest Whitaker. Will Smith gets his second nod and Leonardo DiCaprio gets his second lead actor nod and his third total. He was nominated for Blood Diamond which I was surprised about because his performance in The Departed was much more layered and didn't have an annoying accent tied to it which I actually thought detracted from his performance in Diamond. It just didn't make sense for him to get a nod for this film. The other nominee is Peter O'Toole who scores his eighth nod. The last time he was nominated was for the 1982 film My Favorite Year; he lost to Ben Kingsley. Shut out of this race were Edward Norton (The Painted Veil), Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat), and Greg Kinnear (Little Miss Sunshine).

Actress- Another category in which I correctly predicted all five. Penelope Cruz is the only newbie in this category. Kate Winslet gets her third lead nomination and her fifth overall; Helen Mirren scores her first lead nomination and her third overall; Judi Dench gets her fourth lead nod and her sixth overall; and the veteran is Meryl Streep who scores her fourteenth nod; that's two more than Katherine Hepburn ever got. Shut out were Maggie Gyllenhaal (Sherrybaby) which I was actually surprised by but still did not predict she would be in the race, Annette Bening (Running With Scissors) not a surprise she was shut out, however, and Naomi Watts (The Painted Veil).

Picture- The only surprise here is the inclusion of the one film I did not correctly predict; Letters From Iwo Jima. Dreamgirls, the winner of the comedy/musical Golden Globe did not score a nod which probably elicited dropped jaws all over Hollywood. Shut outs were Little Children (was nominated for a Globe) and United 93 (which I thought was the best picture of last year). Thankfully the director got a nod. Which brings us to....

Director- There are two newbies: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and Paul Greengrass who both get nods for their films. Stephen Frears scores his second nod. The last time he was nominated was for the 1990 film The Grifters; he lost to Kevin Costner. Clint Eastwood scores his fourth nomination for directing and the man currently tied with Alfred Hitchcock for most nominations and no wins, Martin Scorsese, scores his sixth nod. If he loses this one, he'll be setting another record for the night. Shut out Pedro Almodovar for Volver and, of course, Bill Condon was shut out for Dreamgirls.

Totally shut out of the major races were Bobby (early on considered a favorite for some nods), The Good German (which I've yet to see because it hasn't opened in my area yet), and The Painted Veil (a film I actually liked).

It will be interesting to see what happens come Feb. 25. The best picture race is actually wide open at this point thanks to the omission of Dreamgirls. I've got my pick for who should win and with a little bit more watching, I'll make predictions of who will win.

One final thought: In 2005, two of the acting races scored wins for black actors. In 2007, that number could increase by one. Forest Whitaker seems a lock to win the best actor race; Jennifer Hudson is the favorite to win the supporting actress race; and, buzzworthy Eddie Murphy seems poised to win supporting actor. That would leave only one white winner come Feb. 25; Helen Mirren who seems a lock to win best actress. This could be a history making year.

Stay tuned.....

peace,

paul

Picture

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

weekly post from January 20, 2007

Friends & loved ones,

Another week has passed and we've got a cold snap going here in the Northeast. It's a balmy 18 degrees right now; yeah, balmy if you live on Mount Everest. We had a quiet day today and had no place to go. Oh, well, Jim did go shopping earlier while I did some cleaning around the house.

Last season, Jim and I started watching American Idol and really enjoyed it; me more than him. The audition phase or the "place where you find the next Willam Hung" as I call it, is entertaining but there's something crueler going on during these auditions than the acerbities that come out of Simon Cowell's mouth. I've no doubt that many of the people who audition and don't make it through go just for the thrill of being on tv. However, many of the people who audition and do, to put it tactfully, not have it, seriously think they have a shot and have no sense of how they sound. That's a problem and it's indicative of society in general. People shy away from constructive criticism for fear of hurting someone's feelings. I'd rather have my feelings hurt, however briefly, than go on national tv and become a punchline, a cruel joke, the reason people are laughing and not with me. We should never have delusions about talent; about whether we have it or not. Just because we are good at something doesn't mean we are the best. We should be aware of what we are good at and what we're not good at and hone any talent we have everyday because, it's true what they say, if we don't use it we lose it. We shouldn't rely on ourselves to determine if we are good at something or not and we should always get constructive criticism. The problem is families, friends, relatives, etc... give false praise and not enough emphasis to other talents that may not be so readily apparent. It's a problem because then we see so many deluded people auditioning on national tv. That doesn't mean they should be jeered or cruelly laughed at and made fun of but it does mean that they should never have made it to that point.

Next time someone asks you your opinion about something think before you speak. Are you giving the person false praise or being honest with them?

peace,

paul

Sunday, January 21, 2007

predictions for nominations

First of all, the shorter season for the Academy Awards is actually damaging the Oscars and they probably don’t even realize it. The nominations used to come out in mid February and were handed out in late March. There was even a time the awards weren’t handed out until April. I’m convinced the shorter time span is the reason why last year Felicity Huffman didn’t win Best Actress and Amy Adams didn’t win Best Supporting Actress; they should have. I’m convinced it’s because voters didn’t have enough time to see these movies, these performances. That, and in Huffman’s case, the performance was too daring, too edgy but that’s no excuse. In fact, when looking at the major nominations from the Golden Globes, there are still four movies that I haven’t seen. Thankfully, two of them will be released on video before the Oscars and the other two should be released in Rottenchester, oops, I mean Rochester, before Feb. 25. I think that Reese Witherspoon and Rachel Weisz were good but they weren’t the best in their respective categories. Adams’s performance in Junebug is exactly the kind of performance the Academy has historically relished rewarding in the Supporting Actress category. Check out past winners such as Dianne Wiest in Hannah And Her Sisters, Geena Davis in The Accidental Tourist, even Mira Sorvino in Mighty Aphrodite and Whoopi Goldberg in Ghost. These performances are the “breakthrough” and “revelation” performance. And considering that many cities have their own awards that are handed out (Boston, LA, NY, etc…), in order for the Oscars to still stay relevant, they need to do something to make sure all of the contenders (especially those who should be winning) are viewed.

Having said that, it's Sunday night and the Academy Award nominations will be announced at 8:30am EST in two days, Jan. 23, 2007. Here are the ones I'm predicting will get recognized.



Best Picture:

Babel
Dreamgirls
Little Miss Sunshine
The Departed
The Queen



Best Director:

Martin Scorsese-The Departed
Stephen Frears-The Queen
Bill Condon-Dreamgirls
Clint Eastwood-Letters From Iwo Jima
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu-Babel
(wild card) Paul Greengrass-United 93



Best Screenplay (Original):

Babel
The Queen
Little Miss Sunshine
Stranger Than Fiction
Pan's Labyrinth
(wild card)-Volver



Best Screenplay (Adapted):

The Departed
Little Children
Children Of Men
Thank You For Smoking
Notes On A Scandal



Best Supporting Actor:

Eddie Murphy-Dreamgirls
Djimon Hounsou-Blood Diamond
Jackie Earle Haley-Little Children
Ben Affleck-Hollywoodland
Jack Nicholson-The Departed



Best Supporting Actress:

Cate Blanchett-Notes On A Scandal
Jennifer Hudson-Dreamgirls
Adriana Barraza-Babel
Rinko Kikuchi-Babel
Abigail Breslin-Little Miss Sunshine



Best Actor:

Forest Whitaker-The Last King Of Scotland
Peter O'Toole-Venus
Will Smith-The Pursuit Of Happyness
Leonardo DiCaprio-The Departed
Sacha Baron Cohen-Borat



Best Actress:

Judi Dench-Notes On A Scandal
Meryl Streep-The Devil Wears Prada
Kate Winslet-Little Children
Helen Mirren-The Queen
Penelope Cruz-Volver
(I should mention a possibility: Maggie Gyllenhaal-Sherrybaby).

peace,

paul

Saturday, January 20, 2007

Humor

Good ole Red Skelton and long live clean humor......

Red Skelton's Perfect Recipe For Marriage:

Two times a week, we go to a nice restaurant, have a little beverage, good food and companionship. She goes on Tuesdays, I go on Fridays.

We also sleep in separate beds. Hers is in California and mine is in Texas.

I take my wife everywhere..... but she keeps finding her way back.

I asked my wife where she wanted to go for our anniversary. "Somewhere I haven't been in a long time!" she said. So I suggested the kitchen.

We always hold hands. If I let go, she shops.

She has an electric blender, electric toaster and electric bread maker. She said "There are too many gadgets and no place to sit down!" So I bought her an electric chair.

My wife told me the car wasn't running well because there was water in the carburetor. I asked where the car was; she told me "In the lake."

She got a mud pack and looked great for two days. Then the mud fell off.

She ran after the garbage truck, yelling "Am I too late for the garbage?" .... The driver said "No, jump in!"

Remember: Marriage is the number one cause of divorce.

I married Miss Right I just didn't know her first name was Always.

I haven't spoken to my wife in 18 months. I don't like to interrupt her.

The last fight was my fault though! My wife asked "What's on the TV?" I said "Dust!"

peace,

paul

Darwin

I received the list of 2006 Darwin award recipients. It's a yearly commemoration of people who accidentally(?) remove themselves from the human race. Please let these next ten people be a caution, a deterrent of sorts.


In Detroit , a 41-year-old man got stuck and drowned in two feet of water after squeezing head first through an 18-inch-wide sewer grate to retrieve his car keys. Whatever happened to calling AAA?

A 49-year-old San Francisco stockbroker, who "totally zoned when he ran," accidentally jogged off a 100-foot-high cliff on his daily run. How about running in an enclosed space?

Buxton , NC : A man died on a beach when an 8-foot-deep hole he had dug caved in on him. Beach-goers said Daniel Jones, 21, dug the hole for fun, or protection from the wind, and had been sitting in a beach chair at the bottom Thursday afternoon when it collapsed, burying him beneath 5 feet of sand. People on the beach, on the outer banks, used their hands andshovels, trying to claw their way to Jones, a resident of Woodbridge , VA , but could not reach him. It took rescue workers using heavy equipment almost an hour to free him while about 200 people looked on. Jones was pronounced dead at a hospital. How about wearing a hood for protection from the wind. Or a hat.

Santiago Alvarado, 24, was killed in Lompoc , CA , as he fell face-first through the ceiling of a bicycle shop he was burglarizing. Death was caused when the long flashlight he had placed in his mouth, to keep his hands free, rammed into the base of his skull as he hit the floor. They do have those miners hats with the lights on the hats.

This one an annual qualifying event: Sylvester Briddell, Jr., 26, was killed in Selbyville, Del, as he won a bet with friends who said he would not put a revolver loaded with four bullets into his mouth and pull the trigger. Just stupid!!!

The following mind-boggling attempt at a crime spree in Washington, DC appeared to be the robber's first (and last), due to his lack of a previous record of violence, and his terminally stupid choices:
1) His target was H&J Leather & Firearms - a gun shop specializing in handguns.
2) The shop was full of customers (firearms customers).
3) To enter the shop the robber had to step around a marked police patrol car parked at the front door.
and
4) A uniformed officer was standing at the counter, having coffee before work. Upon seeing the officer, the would-be robber announced a hold-up and fired a few wild shots from a target pistol. The officer, with a 9mm GLOCK 17, and the clerk, with a .50 DESERT EAGLE, promptly returned fire, assisted by several customers who also drew their guns, several of whom also fired. The robber was pronounced dead at the scene by Paramedics. Crime scene investigators located 47 expended cartridge cases in the shop. The subsequent autopsy revealed 23 gunshot wounds. Ballistics identified rounds from 7 different weapons. No one else was hurt in the exchange of fire. Reminds me of that comedy routine that Bill Engvall did called "There's Your Sign" (Stupidity Sign)

HONORABLE MENTION: Paul Stiller, 47, was hospitalized in AndoverTownship , NJ, and his wife Bonnie was also injured, when a quarter-stick of dynamite blew up in their car. While driving around at 2 AM, the bored couple lit the dynamite and tried to toss it out the window to see what would happen, but the window was closed. They obviously led very dull lives.

RUNNER UP: TACOMA , WA. Kerry Bingham had been drinking with several friends when one of them said they knew a person who had bungee-jumped from the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in the middle of traffic. The conversation grew more heated and at least 10 men, apparently still drinking, trooped along the walkway of the bridge at 4:30 AM. Upon arrival at the midpoint of the bridge where Bingham had volunteered to jump, they discovered that no one had brought a bungee rope. Bingham pointed out a coil of lineman's cable that laid nearby. One end of the cable was secured around his leg and the other end was tied to the bridge. His fall lasted 40 feet before the cable tightened and tore his foot off at the ankle. He miraculously survived his fall into the icy salt water and was rescued by two nearby fishermen. "All I can say" said Bingham, is that God was watching out for me on that night, there's just no other explanation for it." Bingham's foot was not located. Thankfully the cable wasn't tied around his waist.

AND THE WINNER: Overzealous zookeeper Friedrich Riesfeldt ( Paderborn, Germany) fed his constipated elephant Stefan 22 doses of animal laxative and more than a bushel of berries, figs and prunes before the plugged-up pachyderm finally let it fly, suffocating the keeper under 200 pounds of dung. Investigators say ill-fated Friedrich, 46, was attempting to give the ailing elephant an olive oil enema when the relieved beast unloaded on him. "The sheer force of the elephant's unexpected defecation knocked Mr. Riesfeldt to the ground, where he struck his head on a rock and lay unconscious as the elephant continued to evacuate his bowels on top of him," said stunned Paderborn police detective Erik Dern. "With no one there to help him, he laid under all that dung for at least an hour before a watchman came along, and during that time he suffocated." If anything, this proves "S**t happens." I'm guessing he didn't have a grin on his face when he died.

paul

Thursday, January 18, 2007

movie minute

Veiled Love: Another adaptation from a book. This time it's W. Somerset Maugham's 1925 novel The Painted Veil(PG-13). After discovering an affair his wife is having, bacteriologist Walter Fane decides to go to China and help fight a cholera epidemic. He forces his wife, Kitty, to come with him or he will divorce her and name her lover as a defendant. Forced with either possible death or shame, Kitty decides to go with her husband. In flashbacks we see how the two met and how devoted and loving Walter was with Kitty even as Kitty practically willed herself not to love Walter. Maugham discovered a story before Veil was written of a husband who suspected his wife of adultery and decided to take her to a castle in the Maremma, where he hopes the noxious fumes will kill her. Eventually he has her thrown out of a window because she takes so long to die. He should have just killed her in the first place but didn't want to on account of her family. The story in Veil is not that gruesome but was the starting point for the story.

The story is set in the 1920's and as the cholera takes more lives, the couple is forced to rediscover each other; both in their own way. The acting between Edward Norton (Walter) and Naomi Watts (Kitty) is really good and the characters are extremely faithful to the novel. The director, John Curran, does a remarkable job of fleshing out the rather thin novel. The film also includes Toby Jones, who did a better Truman Capote than Philip Seymour Hoffman in the movie Infamous.

The movie, filmed in China, is picturesque and resplendent. Again the ending is more upbeat and dramatic than the one in the book. During filming of the movie, Liev Schreiber (who plays the other man, Charlie Townsend) and Watts met and have since become a couple. It also took a number of years to get this film made because Norton wanted Watts to play the leading lady but had to wait till her schedule wasn't so busy.

It's a love story set amidst an epidemic and spot on acting.

paul

Bags of popcorn (out of 5): 3.75

I'm making some predictions about Oscar nominations even though the movie garnered no major Golden Globe nominations. Here goes....

Best Director
Best Adapted screenplay
Best Actress-Watts

movie minute

Children Of The Neighborhood: In Todd Field's movie, Little Children (R), the focus is on adults and not the noisy little tots who will be the next generation. Kate Winslet plays Sarah Pierce, an unhappy housewife who discovers the handsome "Prom King" father while at the park one day with some other mothers. The "Prom King" father is the dashing and sexy man who makes the other women forget about their dreary days of motherhood. That particular day, Sarah decides to give the women a show and, following a bet, kisses the father and starts up a whole mess of trouble. The other "children" in this tale are Sarah's husband, who likes to sniff "used" undies sent to him in the mail; Brad (the Prom King) who is aiming to take the bar for a third time and hope he passes this time; and Brad's sexy-documentary maker wife, Kathy, who is a workaholic and instead of having sex with her husband let's their son sleep in their bed. There is one other character thrown into the mix, the story that starts this tale: A convicted felon who flashed his privates to an underage child and may or may not have murdered another one. The character of Ronnie J. McGorvey (played by child actor, one of the original Bad News Bears, Jackie Earle Haley) is the boogeyman here and gives the most compelling performance of the movie.

Field directed the Oscar nominated In The Bedroom a few years ago and hasn't lost his touch. What's missing here that was prevalent in the book is the wit of the writing and the characters. The voice over (as if reading a children's story) is a distraction and irritated me and it was very inconsistent, popping up suddenly here and there. These characters are just like children; self-absorbed and unaware. One character, who professes to not be on the committe of Committe for Concerned Parents, but IS the committee is surprised to learn at one point that McGorvey visited the town pool. Yes, for someone who is making it his personal mission to make McGorvey's life a living hell he certainly isn't up on the guy's activities.

The movie is pretty faithful to the book and one of the screenplay writers was the writer himself, Tom Perrotta. There is some tweaking here and there and a newer and more dramatic ending than the bore ending in the book.

Bags of popcorn (out of 5): 3

paul

possible nominations

Best Actress-Winslet
Best Supp. Actor-Haley
Best Adapted Screenplay

Sunday, January 14, 2007

movie minute

Lesbian Notes: The new movie, Notes On A Scandal (R), tells the story of a new and naive teacher who begins an affair with one of her students at a school in London. Barbara Covett (deliciously played by Dame Judi Dench) is a lonely spinster who is a veteran at the school; an old battleax who immediately focuses on the new teacher, Sheba Hart (the truly talented Cate Blanchett). Sheba is befriended by Barbara who doesn't have friends and soon Barbara is "betrayed" when she discovers an affair is going on between Sheba and one of her students. Instead of going public with the affair, however, Barbara uses the knowledge to further her friendship and closeness to Sheba. Unfortunately Sheba has other preoccupations such as a husband and two kids, including one with Downs Syndrome. Barbara records the details of her friendship with Sheba and the specifics of her affair with the student in her diary. The movie is based on the Zoe Heller novel of the same name, although the U.S. editions of the novel included the subtitle, What Was She Thinking? The scandal in Scandal is just as much Barbara's as it is Sheba's. Barbara lives an unexciting and uninteresting life and Sheba comes along to rock her world and she ends up rocking Sheba's as well. Dench infuses her Barbara (and her last name is not a mistake) with sadness, viciousness, and is both pathetic and sympathetic at the same time. It's a claim to Dench's talent that she can turn such a creepy character and fill her with likable qualities. This is fatal attraction for the females; more specifically lesbians. The movie is not entirely faithful to the book but it does work. It also features a somewhat more upbeat ending. The movie takes the book's lesbian undertones and puts them front and center and, thankfully, the subplot about Sheba's rebellious teen daughter is scrapped thereby making a tighter and more suspenseful story. It surprised me how many laughs that Dench's voiceover elicited but, again, the fact that the character could wring so many laughs from an otherwise detestable character is a testament to talent.

Bags of popcorn (out of 5): 4.5

possible Oscar nods

Best Actress

Saturday, January 13, 2007

sad state of affairs

James Brown died on December 25 but his body is still at his home in Georgia. Thanks to wrangling over his estate, Brown's body cannot be buried until it is resolved. His body is being kept in a refrigerated room at his home. It's pathetic that people can't just let the dead rest in peace and get over themselves so that someone can be properly put in the ground. Instead Brown's body is being kept watch over by security guards.

R.I.P. Godfather

paul

quote of the week

President Bush wants to deploy 20,000 more troops to Iraq and now he wants to use some of those troops to capture Iranian and Syrian insurgents. So far no word that those troops will actually cross over into Iran or Syria but on Countdown With Keith Olbermann this past week, Olbermann issued a scathing comment about Bush and the legacy his presidency will surely leave. I'm a big fan of Keith and Keith is a fan of the truth (unlike Bill O'Reilly who just likes the sound of his own voice). A quote from Olbermann's comment. "....And to Iran and Syria and, yes, to the insurgents in Iraq, we must look like a country run by the equivalent of the drunken pest who gets battered to the floor of the saloon by one punch then staggers to his feet and shouts at the other guys' friends, "Ok, which one of you is next?""

Bush has no clue as to how to extract our troops from this mess and that is a problem and I'll be surprised if this is resolved before he takes his final steps from the White House in 2009.

Continue to pray for our troops.

peace,

paul

Thursday, January 11, 2007


Garfield from the front. It looks like he has some sort of disease.
My friend Julie got me a chia Garfield for Christmas. I neglected to take a picture of it before I put the seeds on but here he/she is starting to sprout. It sure does take a long time. These sprouts took a week and a half to begin.

weekly post from January 6, 2007

Hello friends & loved ones,

Well, we've survived the first week of the new year and still no snow here in Western, NY. However, the poor people in Colorado are getting pelted over and over and over. And now comes news that a huge avalanche near Berthoud Pass in Colorado has buried some cars and forced others over the edge of US 40. However, I don't think we should be alarmists. Jim sent out his weekly email a couple of weeks ago and stated how it was nice not to have to deal with the snow at this point in the season and he got a response back from a friend of his chiding Jim for the comment. The friend went on to say that the warm weather is a result of global warming. Be that as it may, we should be thankful for every blessing; even if it being thankful for not getting the kind of wintry weather Colorado is getting or mudslides and wildfires like in California. And while we are thankful we should also pray for those less fortunate; that too is very important.

I'm getting over my fear of deer. I've been driving for 12 years and hit my first deer on the Thursday after Christmas. I was on my way to work and never even saw the deer until I was hitting it. Actually, I did see the deer leaping into the road out of my peripheral vision but I had no time to stop, swerve or brake. There was extensive front end damage to the car, the deer did not survive and I was able to get out of the car unscathed. Considering I hit the deer at about 53 mph, that's a good thing. Thankfully for insurance I'm driving a rental car paid for by insurance and the damages will be covered as well. The last time I heard from the assessor the damages were up to over $6,000 and they are billing it as comprehensive instead of collision. For the first few nights after the accident I was scaring myself by seeing phantom deer crossing the road and every time I saw a real deer I would nearly freeze with fright. The next day after the accident when Jim and I went to see the deer we discovered another dead deer a few miles from where I had hit "mine." Just be careful out there.

We had a lazy day today (sooooo nice) and will be having dinner in a bit with our pet nanny. Tomorrow we'll have church (with our new sound system) and then go see the movie Freedom Writers with Hilary Swank and Patrick Dempsey. I'm hoping it's not another trite, young-naive-ready-to-save-the-world teacher tries to inspire hard-knocked-smart-mouthed-inner city kids. It certainly looks that way. We'll see. By the way, this is a movie Jim wanted to see. I wanted to see the Clive Owen-Julianne Moore movie Children Of Men.

Whatever you are doing this weekend be safe, be happy, and be healthy. Until next time.....

love,

paul

Sunday, January 07, 2007



Again the sidewalk and he is leaning up against a wall.

This is Beever standing on the sidewalk looking ready to dive.

More pavement art. Remember it's not 3-D








Must be seen to be believed


So, Julian Beever is an artist who has done pavement art in the US, Germany, France, Australia, England, and Belgium. These pictures are so cool and so hard to believe that they are drawn on pavement. They are not 3-D, they only look like they are.

movie minute

Writers Of The Wars: Well, it wasn't as trite as I thought it would be; in fact, the writing was actually quite good. I'm talking about the movie Freedom Writers (PG-13) starring Hilary Swank and McDreamy, oops, I mean Patrick Dempsey as husband and wife. Directed by Richard LaGravenese (the writer of the screenplay for The Bridges Of Madison County, among others), the film is based on The Freedom Writers Diary by Erin Gruwell and The Freedom Writers; the kids from Room 203 of Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach, California. Swank plays Gruwell, a young and new teacher full of expectation and ideals for her new freshman charges in the inner city school. It's 1994 just two years after the riots after the Rodney King beating and the school has been forced to integrate students.

The students are the typical hard-luck, tough-knockin', smart-aleck kids who are full of potential and ready for transformation. All they need is a teacher who believes in them. Gruwell turns out to be that teacher. She exposes them to real literature and culture all the while butting heads with her department head played with relish by Imelda Staunton. She really does "evil" well and will soon be seen as the deliciously evil Delores Umbridge in Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix. She was also the abortionist in Vera Drake.

Swank is a very talented actress and she portrays Gruwell with the right amount of toughness and tenderness without ever being over sentimental and the ideas she had to enlighten the kids' minds were very clever and realistic. The storyline with Dempsey, as Gruwell's husband was weak and Dempsey seemed to be doing a variation on his Grey's Anatomy character. This was based on a true story but it's hard to know for sure how much of what is in the movie is actual and how much is just drama. Also it's not clear if Gruwell had other classes beyond the one we see on film. Gruwell went on to teach at one of the Universities in Southern California.

The standout in the film is April L. Hernandez, who plays Eva. Eva is a tough Latino who ends up having to decide whether to send an innocent kid to jail or rat out one of her own. The scene where she enters the classroom after just having read the end of The Diary Of Anne Frank is one of her best.

It's a hopeful movie without too much treacle.

Bags of popcorn (out of 5): 3

Saturday, January 06, 2007

multimedia

I don't thoroughly enjoy a lot of biographies but I just finished Ellen Burstyn's biography titled "Lessons In Becoming Myself". I've been a fan of Burstyn's since the first movie I ever watched that she was in. That would have been the movie she won the Oscar for, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. From there I saw most of her other movies. Reading her book, which is replete with Hollywood anecdotes (and not lame ones either), it's hard to imagine someone with so much talent living such a difficult life and having so many self esteem issues. She tackles the abusive family issue, the issue of sex to feel loved, the self esteem issue, the domestic violence issue; this woman has been through nearly all of it. She's also travelled the world and actually lived on the street in NYC. It's really well written and vividly describes her physical, mental and spiritual journey. The only quibble I have with the book is when the present Ellen goes "back" to try and talk to the past Edna Rae. Yes, Burstyn was actually born Edna Rae Gilooly. The book has made me want to go back and see her movies all over again.

In other media: On the radio I'm enjoying Chris Daughtry's first single, "It's Not Over". Daughtry was one of the 12 finalists in season 5 of American Idol. He was so sure he would win that the look on his face when he was voted off was one of genuine surprise. He was one of the ones Simon predicted would be in the final two. Oops. Daughtry's album is full of catchy tunes and, while his sound is not original, he is talented enough to pull of a solid album.

Another song I'm enjoying is rapper Akon's "I Wanna Love You". Another solid album, Akon has a number of songs on the album that are catchy and almost pop sounding.

Just a few things I'm enjoying in my personal world.

peace,

paul

Friday, January 05, 2007

Call her Mary

A Komodo dragon in Chester, England, awaited the birth of her babies after laying 25 eggs. The babies were due to be born around Christmastime. Why is this story so special? Flora, the dragon, did not have any help with the "babies." Yes, Flora laid the fertilized eggs without the help of a male mate. There are reptiles that reproduce asexually (the process is called parthenogenesis) but it's the first time documented in a Komodo dragon. Flora, who resides at the London zoo, is the second dragon this year to reproduce asexually (the other one also resides at the zoo). It's doubtful that any of the baby dragons will be called Jesus.

peace,

paul

websites

"all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven." So says the gospel of Mark 3:28-29. So, why are the websites http://www.blasphemychallenge.com/ and http://www.rationalresponders.com/ so popular with the heathens? Because they are proving that one doesn't have to be afraid of God. Go to the blasphemy challenge website and you can post a video and upload it to youtube. You can damn your soul to hell by denying the Holy Spirit and be proud of it. It's a joint project by director Brian Flemming (director of "The God Who Wasn't There") and Brian Sapient who is a cofounder of the website rationalresponders.com Of course there is an easier way to NOT be afraid of God without taking such drastics measures. Live the best life you can and realize that God does not dole out punishment here and there.

peace,

paul

Monday, January 01, 2007

weekly post from December 30, 2006

Hello friends & loved ones,

It's hard to believe that 2006 is almost gone. Make sure when you write your checks in the next few days you put 2007 and nothing else.

This past week seemed like it went on forever, however, the good news is I think I've adjusted to my new hours and days. Instead of going in at 9pm I now start at 8pm and I work Mon-Fri instead of Sun-Thur. It's so nice having Sundays off. It's still unbelievable how mild the weather has been. This morning it is only 30 degrees. That does sound cold but considering it's almost January, it's a downright heat wave (ok, now I'm exaggerating).

I was truly disheartened this past week hearing about so many stories of robbers stealing Christmas gifts from families and homes for children and the couple in Indiana who stole tens of thousands of dollars in gifts from packages left by UPS trucks. These two people would follow the trucks in Illinois and Indiana and then steal the packages. Thankfully one of the drivers in Indiana caught them and turned them into the police. A raid of their home found packages, gifts, cards and other stuff purchased online with stolen credit cards and stolen from the homes of other people. Why are people so intent on taking things that do not belong to them? Why can't people respect the property of others? It's free will. People think, "I can take that." "That should be mine." And they take it; they have no respect or regard for what belongs to others. It's a sad state of our country and world today. We have so many rights and benefits of living in the US, however, we can be going along and then have something taken right out from underneath us; not just rights but also property. In the new year, may each of you be cognizant of the property of others; be kind to each other and look out for each other. Be vigilant!

Today Jim and I will have church (I'm consecrating today and, in the prelude to the consecration, my topic will be false advertising) then we will go see the movie Dreamgirls. I'll have a review up shortly.

Celebrate the end of the year and the beginning of a new one and make it a great year. Be good to yourselves. I wanted to write a poem reliving the highlights of the year but poetry is not my strong suit and I wasn't disciplined enough to sit down and do it.


peace,

paul