weekly post from October 15, 2006

Hello my friends & loved ones,

Another week behind us and another week before us. Pretty soon it will be getting into the single digits and the fireplaces and woodstoves will be going full steam. Oh, wait, that's already happened and at our house we've been using the electric blanket for a couple of weeks already. We missed the freak snowstorm this past week but Buffalo got socked and then some. More than 2 feet of snow and the snow causing trees to down power lines in a number of places. Our Northern friends also got socked pretty heavily. We just got back from the New York Wine & Culinary Center. We had some nice NY State wine and Jim had a really dark and heavy beer. For dinner Jim had pork, tomatoes, cheese and some other stuff on ciabatta bread and I had herb crusted filet mignon. I've become really spoiled by Jim's cooking; the food at the Center was decent but I really like Jim's cooking.

I don't know if you've been getting updated on Jennifer "the runaway bride" Wilbanks but I heard this past week about how she's suing her ex-fiancée and how she wants her bridal shower gifts back. Hello!!!!??? Not only was there no wedding but she decided to skip town to ensure there would be no wedding. Why can't we just quit while we're ahead. It seems in our society we want more, more, more. More stuff, more money, more clothes, more food, more this, more that. At one point do we realize that, no, we don't have to have more; we don't need more; we've got plenty as it is. We become so focused on the next thing that we lose sight of what we already have and then we lose it and wonder why. It really is a vicious cycle that continues and continues and continues. When do we stop and really take stock of what we've got right in front of us and say, "Yes, that's plenty, that's all I need." Let's face it, wants and needs are two different things but those two words have become so interchangeable in our world that it's become sad.

paul

movie minute

President intrigue: First of all, needless to say (but I'll say it anyway), it's very bad taste to make a movie about the assassination of a sitting president. Having said that, the film Death Of A President isn't all bad but it's not good either. First the bad news: On October 19, 2007, while speaking in Chicago, President George W. Bush is assassinated. The film, a mockumentary, features "people in Bush's detail" speaking to the camera about Bush and the speaking engagement and the protesters in Chicago. The film leading up to the assassination is somber and eerie and the dreadful sense of foreboding is palpable right up to the point of the actual shooting. The film uses archived footage of Bush (that would be real footage in the public domain) and while we never actually see the real Bush get shot, we do hear the shots. There is also a close-up of Dick Cheney at the funeral (it's supposed to be Bush's funeral but the actual footage is taken from Ronald Reagan's funeral). While delivering the eulogy, however, Bush's name is interjected in the footage. The second part of the film deals with the aftermath and how the government pieces together evidence linking a foreigner to the shooting. Unfortunately the evidence is flimsy and when more damning evidence comes forward proving who the actual shooter was, the reaction of the government is shocking; but only if you don't live in the U.S. Or maybe it will be shocking to those who do live here. In the here and now, 2006, with all of the evidence we've seen of wrongful convictions and false evidence, anyone who is still shocked should be in the minority. It reminded me of "The Innocent Man," John Grisham's recent non-fiction book about wrongfully convicted Oklahoman Ron Williamson. Death isn't a pretty picture, death never is and while it still remains in poor taste, it does have some gruesome yet relevant information for the present day U.S.

Bags of popcorn (out of 5): 2.25

The Queen Cometh: In Stephen Frears's (Dangerous Liaisons, Mrs. Henderson Presnts) film, The Queen, the winds of change are brewing up a storm. The film starts prior to the fatal car accident involving Dodi Fayed and Princess Diana, who would be come to known as the people's princess. As Tony Blair, played here by Michael Sheen (Bright Young Things, Kingdom Of Heaven), comes to power as prime minister with the promise of change, the monarchy struggles to keep up with the times. After Diana's death, the Queen refuses to make a spectacle of her death even as the number of mourners and flowers and tributes pour in and cause the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace to be temporarily displaced. As the Queen (Helen Mirren playing the Queen without begging us to like her) says, "We will handle this quietly and dignified." She is convinced the people want dignity in their Queen and it's the only way she's ever known. While she tries to grasp the fixation of people on Diana, even after her death, the Queen becomes vilified by the press and the people. The film relies on actual footage of people at Buckingham Palace in the days after Diana's death, as well as actual footage of Diana and footage of mourners coming in before her funeral. The characters nail the roles; specifically Sheen as Blair who soon has the press convinced the Queen is bowing to him as he tries to get her to see that while the regime has changed so have the needs of the people in her country. I couldn't just single out Sheen; Mirren as the Queen only cries once and her back is to the camera and we briefly get to see the tears before she wipes them away; much like she wanted to wipe Diana away. While we may never know if this is exactly as it happened, we become certain of one thing; no one is infallible. Even HRH can be out of step with the people. The actual footage used in the film really adds to the film's depth; Frears was smart to include footage of Diana's brother and the common people outside Buckingham Palace. We really get a sense of how the whole world, not just England, was affected by this. When the Queen does finally take the advice that has been handed to her, when she really begins to see how her silence is tarnishing her crown, the result is deftly handled by Mirren. She's an actress who knows how to react and contour her face just enough so that we don't ever entirely dislike her character; a lesser actress would not have been able to pull it off, nor would they have been able to distance themselves from sympathy and still get our sympathy.

Bags of popcorn (out of 5): 4.50

Happy Viewing!!!

peace,

paul

movie minute

Tales Of The Bus: Creamy, the maitre d'; the sex, not bombs, room; and some serious sex are all things to be found in the movie Shortbus. The title, which is meant to signify "special and gifted people" (like the ones that ride real shortbuses) means here the "special and gifted people" in the movie. Those words could be changed to freaks or deviants by less than enlightened people just as the people who ride the real shortbuses could be labeled handicapped or mentally challenged. James and Jamie are a homosexual couple who want to open up their relationship; Sofia is a couples counselor (don't use the term sex therapist) who is married to Rob but he can't give her the one thing she's never had: an orgasm; Severin is a dominatrix who just wants to have a genuine relationship (with feeling) with someone. The whole movie deals with the issue of sex and the hang-ups and blocks we have when it comes to the subject. In our culture, sex is the one thing that polarizes us more than anything else. We can watch a violent movie laden with vulgarity and not blink an eye but give us a movie about sex and we get all a-twitter and even angry and defensive. Why? Sex is supposed to be a natural and liberating thing and as everyone does it (or should, anyway) at one point or another, we shouldn't be afraid of it or try to limit our view of it. To each his own as they say and that should be something everyone should respect. I'm not a prude by any sense of the word, yet I can't help but feel that some of the sex and nudity was gratuitous; the film is very graphic in the area of sex. I'm going to single out PJ DeBoy as Jamie in the relationship of James; he loves James (he used to be Jamie too but now wants to be known by the more formal version of the name) very much but doesn't seem to be enough for James. Justin Bond, a queer performer from New York City, is also in the movie and the movie itself is directed by John Cameron Mitchell, the performer who brought us Hedwig And The Angry Inch which is itself better as a stage show. The film has a lot to say about sex and there are some really funny moments and lines. One in particular involves a vibrating egg, an altercation and a remote control that someone uses to try and change the tv channel. And one character says, "In my show, I use menstrual juice for makeup." To that, another character replies, "It's a period piece." Many people may be put off by the sex of this film, but that's exactly why this film should be seen. These people aren't special or deviant; they are normal and everyday people dealing with the same issues as everyone else; only they are more open about it.

Bags of popcorn (out of 5): 3.25

peace,

paul

I read an interesting piece of an article this past week about how much time it takes for people in certain careers to earn $1,000. For example, it only takes Howard Stern 24 seconds to earn a grand and 4min., 48sec for Brad Pitt to make that amount. A general practitioner can earn that amount in 13hr, 5min and a police officer in 43 hours. It takes 103 hours for a janitor and for me it takes about 80 hours. I want the job where it only takes me 10 seconds to earn that much. Not even a chief executive makes that amount in such a small amount of time; it takes them 2hr, 55min.

Happy Bread making.

paul

movie minute

Hocus Pocus: Two masculine and macho men spend two hours trying to upstage and outwit each other with their testosterone, um, magic. By the way, why are there no women magicians? Anyway, Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (hottie Christian Bale) play the magicians with something to prove; that something would be who can be the best performer in late 19th century London and who can wow the audiences the most. The film The Prestige starts with a field of top hats and from there the rollercoaster begins. After Angier experiences a tragic loss, he vows revenge on Borden and even goes so far as to steal his secrets. It's a pissing contest but with magic. Borden is the better magician in but Angier is the better showman and goes to extreme lengths to get the secrets to Borden's tricks; he even dispatches his assistant to spy on Borden. As the two continue to top each other, the ones that suffer are the ones around them. The director, Christopher Nolan, director of the wonderful movie Memento, has a clever and twisty thriller here. Unfortunately, he is either losing his touch or I've seen too many twisty thrillers. I guessed all of the twists miles before they were revealed, even the final not-quite-so-jaw-dropping (in my case anyway) one. Bale and Jackman give solid performances and Scarlett Johansson (yes, her again) gives a performance that, really, anyone could have done; male or female. And why does she have to be in everything? Jackman and Johansson better be careful or people will start thinking they are having an affair. They also starred in the movie Scoop together. And Bale and Michael Caine better be careful or people will start talking about them. They both starred in Batman Begins and here Caine plays an aging illusionist. The movie feels like an original, however, it's taken from Christopher Priest's novel. If you like magic and bends in the road, check out this movie and make sure you are watching closely.

Bags of popcorn (out of 5): 3

paul

Funnies

Thanks to my friend Julie who sent this. My spouse and I both laughed. Enjoy!

Mr. and Mrs. Fenton are retired. Mrs. Fenton insists that Mr. Fenton go with her to Wal-Mart. He prefers to get in and get out, but Mrs. Fenton loves to browse. He gets bored with all the shopping. Here's a letter sent to her from the store:

Dear Mrs. Fenton:


Over the past six months, your husband has been causing quite a commotion in our store. We cannot tolerate this behavior and may ban both of you from our stores. We have documented all incidents on our video surveillance equipment. All complaints against Mr. Fenton are listed below.

Things Mr. Bill Fenton has done while his spouse was shopping in Wal-Mart.

June 15: Took 24 boxes of condoms and randomly put them in people's carts when they weren’t looking.

July 2: Set all the alarm clocks in Housewares to go off at 5-minute intervals.

July 7: Made a trail of tomato juice on the floor leading to the restrooms.

July 19: Walked up to an employee and told her in an official tone, ‘Code 3' in housewares... and watched what happened.

Aug 4: Went to the Service Desk and asked to put a bag of M&M's on layaway.

Sept 14: Moved a 'CAUTION - WET FLOOR' sign to a carpeted area.

Sept 15: Set up a tent in the camping department and told other shoppers he'd invite them in if they'll bring pillows from the bedding department.

Sept 23: When a clerk asks if they can help him, he begins to cry and asks, 'Why can't you people just leave me alone?'

Oct 4: Looked right into the security camera; used it as a mirror, a nd picked his nose. Nov 10: While handling guns in the hunting department, asked the clerk if he knows where to find the antidepressants.

Dec 3: Darted around the store suspiciously loudly humming the “Mission Impossible" theme.

Dec 6: in the auto department, practiced his "Madonna look" using different size funnels.

Dec 18: Hid in a clothing rack and when people browse through, yelled "PICK ME!" "PICK ME!"

Dec 21: When an announcement came over the loud speaker, he assumes the fetal position and screams "NO! NO! It's those voices again!!!!"

And last, but not least ... Dec 23: Went into a fitting room, shut the door waited awhile, and then yelled very loudly,"There is no toilet paper in here!"

paul

election eggs

The political ads are heating up and getting nasty; nastier than ever it seems. Rush Limbaugh did apologize to Michael J. Fox (but not without saying Fox is exploiting his disease). Limbaugh mocked Fox on his radio show by making the jerky movements Fox made in his ad supporting stem cell research. Limbaugh said that Fox was acting and exaggerating the effects of the Parkinson's disease that Fox has. We all know what an expert on prescription drugs that Limbaugh is. He's been arrested for drug prescription fraud and having prescriptions that didn't bear his name. There's also a really nasty ad in Tennessee between two Senators. Black candidate Harold Ford is on the receiving end of the Republican National Committee's (RNC) ad with some characters facetiously supporting Ford. One woman says she "met Harold at the playboy party." The character is white. She later winks to the camera and says (to Harold), "Call me." The Republican candidate, Bob Corker, is white. Corker denounced the ad and the RNC, after originally standing by the ad, has since pulled it. Are there no longer any candidates who don't stoop to sewer levels to get their point across? These people are Americans (they could be our neighbors) and they are disgusting.

paul

Not into you anymore or the 'It's not you, it's me' syndrome. Wanna break up with that person you thought was the "special someone" in your life? Now you can do it online. Forget the phone, forget face to face, forget even email, now you can get even more impersonal. Shannen Doherty has a break-up show on Oxygen called Breaking Up (natch). Bernd Dressler, a German entrepreneur will dump your SO (significant other) by phone and you don't even have to be on the other end. It's the "Let's Stay Friends" phone call (I say don't hold your breath on the friends part). Dressler will also do the "Stay Away" break up for $25 and will break up with your former love in person for only $63. Or you web surfers can go to DumpMonkey.com and pay $24.95 to break up with the person you are no longer "in love" with. The dumpee receives a 16in. stuffed monkey that has a certificate of break up with the date and time the relationship ended. Lest the poor broken hearted fool think it is a joke, they will also receive a phone call to verify that, yes, the break up is real and they won't be getting any hearts for Valentine's Day. The sad truth is that some people would rather dig into their pockets to do this rather than be the bigger person and break up with the person in person on by phone. No doubt the monkey will provide some comfort at night for the breakee.

peace,

paul

It no more: The game Tag is being dropped from some schools here in the US. Willett Elementary School in Attleboro, MA dropped the game last week and other schools in South Carolina and Wyoming have dropped the game as well. The reason: It could give kids low self-esteem, not to mention kids could get hurt. Other chase games such as touch football have also been dropped. Some advocates of Tag say that the game is good for children who are overweight; these are the same kids whose self-esteem are hurt because they are always "it" because they are overweight and get caught easily. It's a vicious cycle!

paul

settling into Sunday

Today was our big dedication Sunday to celebrate our new church building. We had 92 people (a record) and we had liturgical dance for the first time. Two young women danced in with a flowing blue cloth that represents the river of God's love flowing into the building and service and then they set the altar. They danced in to the song Take Us To The River Afterwards I danced in the book of gospels. My dance represented going from fearing the bible to using it as a spiritual guidance for life and the ability to offer it to others for their lives. While dancing two people were singing the song Travelin' Light by Sara Groves and and then before communion they danced in and presented the bread and wine (we use juice in our church) to the song Let Us Break Bread Together. The choir also performed for the first time in the new church and our keyboardist has been renewed and reenergized; he's really come a long way. We've been getting more African Americans attending the services and Jim really gets off on the answering back and many of the white folks have started trying to answer back as well; Jim can get right into that spirit with the answering back and getting even more fired up.

It was a great service and I've no doubt we will have many many more.

peace,

paul

big numbers

This past week we celebrated the 300,000,000th person to arrive in the US. We had 100,000,000 in 1915; in 1967 we arrived at 200,000,000 and now we've reached the next milestone. Predictions for 400,000,000 put the year at 204?. Growing by leaps and bounds everday.

paul

movie minute

Raising Of The Flag: "Every jackass thinks they know about war, especially those who have never been in one." A dig at our current President? No, just the opening line of Clint Eastwood's new movie, Flags Of Our Fathers. The film follows three men who fought in Iwo Jima and helped capture the island to reach the peak, Mount Suribachi. And it all started with a photo. The photo in question is the photo that Joe Rosenthal took of six men putting the flag up; three men later died before making it back to the states. Following that photo, the US decides to bring the three remaining men home and take them on a whirlwind publicity tour to help raise more money for the war by having people buy more war bonds. The three men are all affected differently: John (Doc) Bradley played by Mr. Reese Witherspoon, I mean Ryan Phillippe is just content to stay out of the limelight but feels it is his duty to help with the war; Rene Gagnon played by Jesse Bradford eats up the attention whether it's the girls, the autographs, or the photos, he is happy to take center stage; Ira Hayes played by Adam Beach thinks it is all a joke. He is convinced they shouldn't be there; they should be back with their unit. At one point he is told incredulously by an army official that the rest of the unit is dead. He also feels the guilt and pain of not having the other three guys there with them to celebrate in their heroism. Which brings up one of the main themes of the movie: What is a hero and how should a hero be treated? Is it better for the hero to stand out or remain hidden? Is it better for the hero for the public to throw attention at them? And what happens to the hero in question once the photos and publicity have died down? Beach has the meaty role here and the roles that Phillippe and Bradford play are really underwritten. The movie would have been more heartfelt if it had gone deeper into the lives of the men as they bring the war back home with them. Also the fight scenes (which were shot mostly in Iceland with some CG effects) don't have the urgency and were not as well done as Spielberg did them in Saving Private Ryan. The film also brings up another point of contention: What photos should be shown during a war? Should we be fooled by the photos that we are winning the war or should we also be shown the real photos; the pain, the death, the heartbreak? This movie is extremely timely especially with the current administration's claims that we are winning the war. People may not remember a couple of years ago when the administration tried everything to stop people from seeing photos coffins with flags draped over them. The film is graphic at times and Eastwood delivers with his directing. Most of the action comes from the fight scenes which some people may be tired of seeing.

It's definitely worth checking out, especially if you are an Eastwood fan.

Bags of popcorn (out of 5): 3

possible oscar noms

Best Director
Best Adapted Screenplay

paul

movie minute

Dearly Departed: Martin Scorsese's new film is, in my humble opinion, his best film to date. The Departed tells the story of Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) and Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson), Sullivan's mentor/"father." Costello is a mob criminal in Boston and Colin is Costello's informer. The clincher is that Colin is an up and coming police detective with the Boston Police; how convenient for Costello. Colin is also a mole that becomes a thorn in the police force's side. Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) is also a mole but he one of Costello's most trusted criminal sidekicks; he's also an ex-cop who is feeding the real feds info on Costello to help them take Costello down once and for all. Are you still with me??? The film is a bit hard to follow at the beginning in terms of what exactly is going down but once it gets going, about 45mins into the film, it's a joyride. This being Martin Scorsese the film is, of course, grandiose and long. The first 45mins don't drag so much as make us anxious for what we know is coming. It's a cat and mouse game through and through and a violent and gory game at that. Yes, this movie does not pull any punches in terms of blood and violence. The two moles scramble to keep their respective identities secret but like all secrets, it doesn't stay secret forever. Not only that but they both fall for the same girl. The movie is not set in NY, which is where Scorsese's films are usually set and it seems like Boston has re-energized the filmmaker. I think he's a great director but I've never been a fan of his movies in terms of the stories they tell. This one was different and I was rapt the whole time. I do have a bone to pick, however. Nicholson is playing another sleazeball (really, a role he can do in his sleep) and did he really have to be the one chosen for this role. He really did wear on me as the mob kingpin and Matt Damon is really not a good actor (I'm prepared for any nasty comments). DiCaprio has the meatier role here, anyway and it is the second best thing I've ever seen him in; the first being What's Eating Gilbert Grape. As Costigan, the criminal who really wanted to be a cop, he begins to doubt himself and his sanity as he scrambles to keep his cover amidst the violence and deception. Alec Baldwin is also in this movie and he's in everything lately. Not only is he on the tv show 30 Rock but he is also in these soon to be released movies: Mini's First Time, The Good Shepherd, Running With Scissors, The Girls' Guide To Hunting & Fishing, and The Forbidden City. Really, is he short on money or something? But I digress.....If you are a fan of Scorsese then chances are you'll really enjoy this movie. The sad part about this being arguably his best film is that it's not original; it's a remake of a terrific 2002 Hong Kong film called Infernal Affairs. Scorsese is more or less true to the original film. Not for the faint of heart though.

Bags of popcorn (out of 5): 3.75

paul

Possible Oscar noms:

Best Director: Martin Scorsese
Best Actor: Jack Nicholson
Best Supp. Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio

word of the week

gayby boom: Yes, this would be the boom in gay/lesbian couples having babies. Whether it's by adoption or children from a previous heterosexual relationship, 25% of gay couples in the U.S. have children. The state with the most gay couples likely to have children: Texas. Yes, the Lonestar state has several cities in the top ten. Houston is fourth, according to the U.S. Census data while Fort Worth-Arlington is fifth. The city in Texas with the most gay couples living with children happens to be San Antonio (steers & queers, indeed!). Maybe they should change their slogan to Don't Mess With Quexas.

paul

photo

This is one of 5 slides at the Tate Modern Gallery in London. This looks like fun and quite a rush.

photo

A double rainbow over Niagara Falls taken from the Maid Of The Mist. Sadly, I wasn't on it. I've yet to ride the Maid Of The Mist. It's on my to do list.

photo

A photo of lightning over Acropolis Hill in Athens. This, of course, is the Parthenon.

movie minute

Famously Bold: Last year a "little" movie called Capote was released and many accolades went to Philip Seymour Hoffman for his portrayal of the writer. Those accolades were deserved and yet the movie was just alright. Now comes another movie about Capote with many of the same characters and yet a bit of a slant on the one Capote told. Whereas Hoffman's movie focused on Capote's struggle to write his megabook "In Cold Blood", Infamous, starring Toby Jones (Finding Neverland, voice of Dobby in Harry Potter & The Chamber of Secrets) as Capote, focuses on that aspect but goes for a deeper story as well. The film decides to focus on the relationship that developed between Capote and killer Perry Smith (wonderfully played here by Daniel Craig). Craig once again proves just how versatile he really is; take that new Bond haters. Craig portrays a smoldering Smith both vulnerable and stone cold. It's long been rumored that there was more to their relationship than met the eye. The film cuts between Capote and best friend Nelle Harper Lee (sadly, a miscast Sandra Bullock) as they gather info for the book and scenes of Capote at swank restaurants and parties with his upper class friends. It's a veritable who's who of actors: Peter Bogdanovich, Isabella Rossellini, Sigourney Weaver, Gwyneth Paltrow, Juliet Stevenson, Jeff Daniels, and Hope Davis. I didn't mind the actors talking to the camera while in character but it was distracting whenever Craig talked to the camera while reading letters that Smith wrote to Capote. The movie is adapted from the book of classmate and friend of Robert Kennedy, George Plimpton. This movie is much more enjoyable than last year's Capote and while I enjoyed Hoffman's performance, Jones goes for the jugular in capturing Capote. I've seen clips and interviews with the real Capote (he died in 1984) and where Hoffman's Capote was muted, Jones's is loud. Hoffman's Capote was fey but Jones's Capote is flamboyant. Jones also nails how repulsive Capote was not just in Kansas but with his high society friends as well. His stature and face are more alike to the real Capote than Hoffman could pull off. The real sad part of this is that this film and the performances might get overlooked because of last year's film; they were both being made at the same time but Capote made it to the finish line first. In Capote there were a number of scenes that were too slow or had too much exposition; there are a couple in Infamous but it's much more enjoyable a film than Capote and definitely worth seeing whether you've seen Capote or not.

Bags of Popcorn(out of 5): 3.75

sniff sniff

Mmmmm....smells like peaches, with a hint of vanilla and an undertone of sandalwood. If you've ever walked into a store and thought you smelled certain smells, you weren't imagining things. It's all the rage now for stores to have smells filtering throughout the store; some sections having their own smells. Even hotels and casinos have gotten in on the act. The thinking is that certain smells put people in a certain mood which is good when spending money is the object. ScentAir is one such company. They send smells to different companies and the companies whittle them down to the best scents. So next time you walk into your hotel lobby and think you smell chocolate chip cookies you shouldn't worry that you have a brain tumor.

peace,

paul

movie minute

Kingdom of Fear: Usually a movie in which one performance is singled out is lackluster and drags when the performer is not on screen; this is not the case with The Last King Of Scotland, the new movie by Touching The Void director Kevin Macdonald. The movie, actually filmed in Uganda, is part fiction but mostly fact and taken from Giles Foden's book of the same name. It is so named because Ugandan President Idi Amin liked all things Scottish (fact part) including his Scottish personal physician who becomes his closest advisor (fiction part). Forest Whitaker plays Amin and gives a tour-de-force performance. Whitaker as Amin exudes confidence and charm. The film opens with Amins ascension to Presidency in the early 1970's as a result of a coup and follows his subsequent paranoia and increasingly volatile behavior. James McAvoy (yes, Mr. Tumnus, the faun from The Chronicles of Narnia) plays the fictional Nicholas Garrigan who moves from Scotland to the second place he touches on his globe (the first place was Canada. Hmmm...another idea for a movie, Canada in the 1970's). Garrigan is a bright-eyed and eager doctor who has recently gotten his degree and shortly after arriving in Uganda is called to fix the President's wrist which has been sprained. Amin is taken with Garrigan and immediately asks him to be his personal physician. Garrigan has an in with Amin and even as those around him begin warning him of Amin and he starts seeing with his own eyes what Amin is capable is, he is still able to be charmed by Amin. Whitaker, of course, never makes this man totally repugnant; he juggles the role with ease and deft. By the time Garrigan realizes just how much trouble he's in (some of the trouble comes from his own actions, it should be noted) it may be too late for him to leave. A personal note of this film: My spouse arrived in Uganda (he had been in Egypt) on the day that President Amin ordered the Asians out of the country. Gillian Anderson, who, sadly, is wasted here, plays the wife of a doctor. Amin reigned until 1979 at which time he was overthrown and following the result of that coup, there was dancing in the streets. By the time all was said and done, Amin had killed more than 300,000 Ugandans. Amin died in exile in Saudi Arabia in 2003. This is a powerful film with a few very graphic scenes but it is a film that could arguably somewhat echo the current American power structure.

Bags of popcorn: 4.25

And always thinking ahead to the Oscars, I'll make some predictions on possible nods for a nom

Best Actor: Forest Whitaker
Best Adapted Screenplaly
Best Supp. Actor: James McAvoy

weekly post from October 7, 2006

Hello friends & loved ones,

Another week is behind us...WHEW!!! I've been praying like it's going out of style this week. Praying for loved ones in Mass., praying for people in church, praying for my spouse, praying for our world. We do live in a world, by the way, we are not alone.

I had a "What the hell did I do?" moment this past week. I got an automated message from Hollywood Video telling me that an item I rented out a month ago may not be returnable. First of all, is it returnable or not? Anyway, I had rented a movie the first week in September and then returned it. Only I returned it to the public library thinking it was a movie I checked out from the library. Needless to say the library had no record of receiving it and I was forced to pay for the movie. Thankfully it was Harvey, a movie from 1950, and it was less than $20. I shudder to think how much it would have been if the movie had been new. It's just not like me to do something like that as I'm usually so anal about that kind of stuff. Yes, I just called myself anal. Mark it in your record books.

I've another comment regarding this past week. Why, oh why, do we as humans let our baggage and ego get in the way of what's important and what matters? I believe we are here to become wiser, more enlightened and certainly better people. We should strive to lead better lives and do good work. A preacher recently preached a sermon in which they included a comment about predatory behavior in the church; that would be vulnerable, nervous, hurting, and scared newcomers coming to a church and then being hit on by someone else in the church. Some people got "all in an uproar" by the fact that the preacher was saying we can't form relationships within the church. We can't find a boyfriend/girlfriend in the church. POINT MISSED!!! No, that is not what the preacher was saying, in fact quite the opposite. Forming relationships (friend, sexual or otherwise) is fine. What's not fine is zooming in on a newcomer and thinking, "One night stand" or "Hey, let's get together and have some fun." These new people need to feel welcomed and safe and secure before they can even think about entering into some sort of sexual relationship. I've talked to new people at church and barely been able to engage them in conversation because they were so uncomfortable or nervous or unsure. Imagine if I tried to hit on them! Another thought that comes to mind is the Mark Foley scandal. Some "pundits" have mentioned the fact that Foley is gay (as if that's the reason he wrote sexually explicit things to the pages). POINT MISSED!!! It doesn't matter if he's gay or Republican or a Southerner or even what religion he is. The fact is that he wrote those things to underage kids. That's the point! We need to be aware of what's being said and look beyond the rhetoric, look beyond the surface, look deeper and see the truth. When we do that then we can be wiser, smarter, better informed and actually see the point. Earlier I mentioned that we let our ego and baggage get in the way of things; just throw them out. Toss them out like nasty smelling trash. And whatever you are doing this weekend look deeper and beyond yourself to see the bigger picture of things.

peace,

paul

on the radio

Rotten remake: Hall & Oates took the song "Out Of Touch" to the top of the charts in December of 1984 and now 22 years later a group called Uniting Nations has remade the song. This is a truly relentlessly repetitive remake. Stick with the original.

Here are a few things I am enjoying on the radio. Alan Jackson, "Like Red On A Rose"; Pink, "Who Knew"; Snow Patrol's "Chasing Cars" and Orson, "Not Tomorrow."

peace,

paul

tube talk

I've only seen the first episode of season three of Lost; the 2nd one is on the dvr ready to watch. Based on the first episode, the question of, "Where did the polar bear come from?" seems to be answered. Seems to be. Kate and Sawyer spent part of the episode trapped in what looked like animal cages from a zoo. There are 3 things, in my humble opinion, that Lost really needs to focus on this season: Who are the others and how did they get there; what happened to Michael and Walt; and some cracks in loyalty between the others and some alliances with the members of flight 815. It's also a given that more answers must be provided. Jim doesn't watch the show anymore because he has it figured out and I think he might be right. He thinks the Others were born on the island as a result of the experiment that the Dharma initiative conducted. They are testing Kate and Sawyer to become one of them to see if they have what it takes. Since Kate and Sawyer exhibit a lot of anti-social behavior, they would be perfect others. Jim also thinks the others had a hand in causing the plane to crash as for how the others know all about the people of flight 815, that remains to be seen. Stay tuned......

And speaking of tv, the season is barely a month old and I've already dropped four shows from my MUST SEE LIST. I started with a record number and have since jettisoned Justice, Kidnapped, Heroes, and Six Degrees. Whew!!!

peace,

paul

this & that Thursday

Secret Smile: The Mona Lisa has been around for a number of years but now thanks to infrared photography, scholars are speculating that Mona Lisa was with child. Apparently Leo had painted a gauzy garment over Lisa and that was the fashion for soon to be moms way back when. So, that's why she's smiling. But I thought Lisa was Leo in drag; oh, wait, that was what The DaVinci Code said.

Lost In Space: And now word comes from an Australian Audio Analyst (aren't the AAA letters already taken?) that Neil Armstrong did not say, "One small step for man" but "One small step for A man." Thanks to static and the limitations of the technology at the time, the word A was garbled. Armstrong had claimed he did say A but we just never got to hear it....until now.

peace,

paul

weekly post from September 24, 2006

Hellooooooo,

Neither my spouse nor I wrote our emails last week; not unusual for me but very unlike my spouse. The leaves are falling in full force now and I've got to make sure I don't get behind in my raking this year. I was really lax in that area last year and it took the grass a while to recover. There is still a small patch right by our front door that hasn't grown back as a result. It's a reminder to me to get my butt out there and do some yardwork.

We had a kind of busy weekend. On Friday, Jim (his day off) was on his way to a doctor's appointment when the doctor's office called to say the doctor is sick and Jim will have to reschedule. Then he had a funeral in the afternoon and we went to see a really funny movie in the evening called Confetti (you can read about it on my blog). I had to work Friday evening (but I'm off tonight). I don't really mind working on a Friday night if I know I'll have Sunday off. I'd much rather have that night off. Saturday we drove to Big Flats to have lunch with a friend from Elmira (I used to live there). We had a lot of fun catching up and our friend, Eric, recently made a big life change but is much more content and less stressed; always a good thing. Now if we could just get him hooked up with a guy.....

Today we had church and on my way to church I listened to the headline news (at least 2hrs each day); either listening or reading. One of the news stories was about a Target in Tampa in which three shoppers had an incident over the new Tickle Me Elmo doll. Yes, the little red furry monster is stirring up trouble again. When the original Tickle Me Elmo came out a number of years ago, he sparked a craze with shoppers by flying off the shelves. This time around Elmo laughs a bit more hysterically and three shoppers at the above mentioned Target ran to the shelf. The problem: There were only 2 left. One man and an elderly woman got there first and the man took one and gave the other one to the elderly lady. The second man then proceeded to threaten the first man's life if he didn't give up Elmo. Elmo as hostage? No, just another example of the uncivilized world we live in. Jim spoke in his sermon today about how we climb and claw at each other to get what we want. We become insensitive and arrogant; we have the "ME FIRST" attitude. Our culture doesn't help; it exacerbates the situation by filling society with messages that #1 is all there is, win at all costs, and the one I find most cringe-worthy, second is the first loser. Really? Then there are a lot of losers around; I'm one of them. If being a loser means I don't compromise my morals and I'm genuine and honest and faithful, then just hand me my emblazoned t-shirt now. I, like a lot of people, have worked hard to get to a place where I like myself and can look at myself in the mirror and not be ashamed. It's something we should all aspire to.

Take a good look at yourselves this week; really look inside and see if there's anything you would like to change. I'm not saying to go all Nip/Tuck on yourself, I'm saying to challenge yourself to be good to yourself and those you love.

peace,

paul

movie minute

Down with the Kings

Yes, it’s another remake and this time it’s not only a remake of an Academy award winning film but of a Pulitzer Prize winning novel. All The Kings Men is the story of Willie Stark, a man raised in rural Louisiana who goes on to become governor of that state. The fictional Stark is actually based on Huey P. Long who was governor of the state of Louisiana from 1928-1932 and a U.S. Senator from 1932-1935. Stark starts out as a working man’s man, someone willing to stand up for the poor farmers of the state. As he rises to power with his raucous speeches declaring he is for the little people, the power begins to change him and corrupt him. He also goes through women like most people go through underwear. Sean Penn plays Willie in the 2006 version and one of the reasons I went to see this movie is because of Sean Penn. His performance as Willie has been getting very good reviews; that’s about the only thing in the movie getting good reviews. The other reason I went to see it is for the rest of the cast: Patricia Clarkson, Mark Ruffalo, Kathy Baker, Anthony Hopkins, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and James Gandolfini also star in the movie. Ninety percent of the movie’s dialogue is in hushed tones as if the characters were in a huge library and the rest of the dialogue is Penn giving one of his heart pounding-epileptic seizure speeches. Seriously, his hand gestures were very limited and they became a distraction very quickly. And the editors did a truly crappy job of editing the movie. Scenes that were left in should not have been and scenes that were cut out (believe me, it was obvious) should have been in. If I had not read the book and seen the original, I would not have known what in the hell was going on. The film also played with the decades in which events took place. Long actually died in 1935 but in the movie it shows him dying in 1954. Penn does give it a nice shot (in the speeches anyway) but he lacks the presence, not to mention the bluster, in the ordinary scenes that Broderick Crawford had tenfold in the original movie. Crawford won a much deserved Oscar for his role as Willie. Clarkson also lacks the punch and is not as feisty as Mercedes McCambridge had in the original. McCambridge also won an Oscar for the role of Sadie Burke. This film won’t be winning the big prize and it will be a surprise if it is even nominated. Most of the film is a snoozefest and the actors should all keep this film off their resumes. Read the book by Robert Penn Warren then watch Robert Rosen’s thrilling 1949 adaptation but forget about the extremely enervated 2006 version.

Bags of popcorn: 1/2

peace,

paul

teabagging it

Here's a great idea (yeah!) let's tea bag our bills (get your mind out of the gutter). That's what thousands of customers in Illinois did to protest the increase in electricity rates by as much as 55% starting next year. Thousands of bills were mailed to ComEd and Ameren with tea bags inside. Who's the creative "genius" behind this ploy? Lt. Gov Pat Quinn. What they should have mailed with their bills are those glitter confetti shapes. Those things go everywhere and are a pain in the ass to clean up. I think that would have made a much bigger statement. But, hey, that's only me.

peace,

paul

Rant of the week

Sen. Bob Packwood has done it; Patrick Kennedy did it after he crashed his car earlier this year; Ben Affleck has done it and Matthew Perry did it while he was on Friends. First Lady Betty Ford did it after her stint in the White House. Now Congressman Mark Foley has done it amidst allegations that he emailed and sent text messages that were sexually explicit to house pages (not to be confused with house boys; that's something entirely different). So what is IT? Checking oneself into rehab for substance abuse. Foley has admitted he is an alcohol problem and he is gay and he was molested between the ages of 13 and 15. The rehab cure all (stay there until the next round of celebrity rehab). I'm not saying that drug and alcohol abuse isn't a problem; I've no doubt that it is. It causes people to do shameful things and destroys lives. What I am suspicious of is the multi-purpose rehab for people in the public eye. I mean, really, are these people going to rehab for real help or to make themselves look better? It just seems too convenient. Got a problem? Check yourself. Molested your neighbor? Go to the Serenity Spa/Rehab Center. It's too bad there's not a stupid rehab clinic for people who do ridiculous things such as driving under the influence while on the way to In-And-Out Burger (paging Paris Hilton).

peace,

paul

the written truth

First, ABC tried to rewrite history and the 9/11 Commission report by changing facts in their tv movie The Path to 9/11. Now, the Republicans are trying to blame Clinton for not doing anything to stop 9/11. Come on, already!!! Clinton did try to catch Osama Bin Laden and even dropped bombs hoping to get him. I'm sick of the current administration and their use of fear and panic. Now Condi Rice is saying that the President did try to stop 9/11 in his first 8 months of office. Well, instead of saying he did something, let's hear what he did Condi. There's plenty of blame to go around for both administrations. And if I see one more speech of Bush and his smarmy smirk I think I'll toss my cookies.

paul

miracles

Many of you may have heard about race car driver Katherine Legge who was injured this past Sunday while racing in Wisconsin. She crashed on "the kink", the high speed corner on the back part of the track which spans 4 miles. A rookie from England, Legge, who was going almost 200 miles an hour, flipped over several times when the rear wing of the car came off. She emerged with only bruises and scrapes. If you've seen the footage, it's truly amazing that she walked away from the accident. That would be what I consider a miracle. How she wasn't hurt or killed is beyond me.

Be safe!

paul

new bird

Ramana Athreya, an amateur bird watcher, discovered something new; twice. Back in 1995 he saw a bird (now classified as a new species called Bugun liocichla) while in India and didn't see it again until earlier this year. The bird, a babbler, lives in tropical forests. Athreya went to the sanctuary where the bird was found and he and some colleagues netted a specimen and were able to get proof of the species. Don't worry, animal lovers, the specimen was not harmed and was set free again. It's 8 inches with and olive- gray body, orange- yellow markings on the eyes, black cap (or head), and patches of white, yellow, and red on its wings. It's named after the Bugun natives that live on the edge of the sanctuary in India.

peace,

paul

quote of the week

A comment by George Bush to NBC reporter David Gregory (after Gregory "fought" with a microphone): "I must say, having gone through those gyrations, you're looking beautiful today, Dave." Gregory no doubt blushed and got weak in the knees at the comment and later the two were seen getting awfully close behind a tree on the White House lawn. I made that last part up, of course, but really, George, does Laura know?

And speaking of Bush, how thick headed and dumb can he get? He can't decipher the Geneva Convention treaty on his own? Let's hope that he doesn't take America down one more shameful and infamous road. Hasn't he caused enough trouble?

paul

movie minute

"I'm a bride's best friend." (pause) "I'm not gay." That's how the new movie Confetti starts out. Three couples enter a contest put on by a magazine to win a dream house. The catch: They have to have the most original wedding. The film, clearly borrowing from the Christopher Guest films, follows three couples: Naturists, not nudists, overbearing tennis players, and movie musical duo. The film shows how each couple deals with the contest and the big day as it nears. Also thrown into the mix are the fabulous wedding planners, the magazine editor and owner and the families of the couples. The movie has a number of truly funny moments but for the most part it lacks the sharpness and peppiness of a Guest film. The film has a finale that pays off but was a little too neat in the wrap up. The standouts in this film are Martin Freeman (excellent as Tim in the British version of The Office) as fiancee Matt and Jason Watkins as Gregory, the queenie wedding planner. It's certainly enjoyable and a good way to whet the appetite for the Christopher Guest film coming out in a couple of months. One small warning: If you are turned off by full frontal nudity, male or female, this film has both. It's only shocking in the sense that it's a semi-mainline film. It's distributed by Fox Searchlight, the independent arm of 20th Century Fox. It's nudity that is not gratuitous but something that would probably never be seen in a mainstream film.

Bags of popcorn (out of 5): 3.3

papal points

Much has been said over comments made by Pope Benedict XVI during a speech in Germany. The Pope quoted Manuel II by saying, "Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." The Pope's aim was to condemn the use of violence under the umbrella of religion, however, he really botched the job. The Pope may be a lot of things but unintelligent is not one of them. I have a hard time believing he didn't know that his comments would incite the furor we have seen. Or, maybe like Richard Armitage (the real cause of PlameGate), he's just truly innocent and didn't know better and made those comments. Armitage (a big ole gossip queen) inadvertently mentioned Valerie Plame's name and in the process outed her as a CIA agent. While the Pope hasn't outed anyone, yet anyway, he has caused some major outrage in the Muslim world. Yes, he's apologized but next time maybe he'll rethink his words and do a little editing before he opens his mouth.

peace,

paul

word of the week

Parental Alienation-A disturbing trend has been creeping into fractured families. Some spouses who are abused and seeking full custody of their children are losing that fight to the abusive spouse because of parental alienation. Some judges are hearing arguments and finding in favor of the abusive spouse. How can this be? There are several reasons: A spouse who is seeking custody of children because of an abusive spouse is rigid when it comes to visitation or custody and the abusive spouse is seen as willing to share custody. Another reason is the fact that most cases of abuse go unreported and when the custody stage comes around, there is no record of past abuses and some judges would throw that out anyway saying that such information is not relevant to custody (yeah, whatever!). The thinking of some judges is that some spouses are tainting the abusive spouse in the eyes of the child; alienating the spouse so that the child will see the spouse in a negative light. I remember growing up, after my parents divorced, that my mom would often bad mouth my dad and make me feel as guilty as possible for wanting to see him.

Some states are fighting back against parental alienation by impeding its use. In Massachusetts in 2004, a staggering 54% of custody cases had the use of parental alienation and the abusive spouse got custody. This isn't really a new thing, however, it first appeared in the 80's with fathers' rights groups. Personally, I can't see how any judge can look at a history of abuse and side with the abuser. At the same time, spouses who are abused need to realize that abuse is not love and teach the abusive spouse a lesson by filing those charges; making the abuse known and getting out of the situation. Not just for their sake but for the sake of the child as well.

peace,

paul

Another outside view

An outside view

Our temporary sign.

Some pics of the church with furniture. There is really more room than what appears in the picture.

A pic of Jim's office in the new church

A view of a mushroom we have in our front yard.

A bird's eye view of a mushroom growing in front of our house.

weekly post from September 9, 2006

Mea culpa. I didn't write last week because I was a lazy slug!!!

Hello my friends & loved ones,

Another week has gone by and the weekend is full upon us. Today we moved into our new church and it is totally fab! There is so much room and storage space (even more than I remember when I originally toured it). Many people from the church met and hauled the stuff in and then set about getting things set. I worked last night (so I can have Sunday night off) till 6:20 this morning and was at the church by 8:15 and after showing off my man muscles (haha) I left around noon. I proceeded to crash when I got home around 1:30 and slept until almost 6. Jim got home a little later than me. Tomorrow is the first Sunday we'll be worshipping in the church and it's so exciting. It's the first time in the history of our church that we've been in an actual church building; it only took 25 years. Better late than never!!! Now we are just lazing around watching the telly. Which brings me to the title of this week's email.

The title does not suggest that I've become a transvestite drug addict. It refers to the start of the tv season and the admission that I really like tv. Jim likes tv too but he isn't as addicted or neurotic about it as I am. Jim addicted and neurotic (that's a laugh and a half). When I watch a show I do watch every week. If I do miss a week, my mood becomes black and dour (I am part Scottish, after all). It's not really that bad but I do get a bit upset. Tv could be described as a bit of an addiction. No, I wouldn't really go that far but as I said earlier, I really like tv. Besides there are worse things I could be "addicted" to. It's cool because there are shows that only I like to watch, shows that only Jim likes and then shows that both of us like watching together. And Jim has been on an ABC Family kick lately picking up 3 shows from that channel (Seventh Heaven, Kyle XY, and Three Moons Over Milford. Seventh Heaven is the only one I find mildly entertaining. Actually the more I watch it the more I get into it.) I think this year marks a record number of shows that I'm going to be watching each week. This year there are no fewer than 20 shows that I will be watching (2 don't start until January). The show that I enjoyed the most last season was American Idol. The returning shows I'm most looking forward to this year are American Idol, Lost, 24, and Survivor. The new shows I'm most looking forward to are Brothers & Sisters, Heroes, The Nine, Ugly Betty, and Six Degrees. I'm very excited about the season this year; it seems like there are a lot more "quality" shows but whether they are any good or remain on the air for the entire season remains to be seen.

peace,

paul

weekly post from August 26, 2006

Hello friends & loved ones,

I never understood why one could not wear white after Labor Day. And if white cannot be worn after Labor Day, what time of year is it acceptable to start wearing white again? Oh well.

Last weekend was our church's 25th anniversary and I daresay a good time was had by all. Friday night was dinner with our Elder and Rev. Delores Berry, an evangelist for the denomination, and her spouse. We went to a steakhouse that Jim and I had been talking about going to for a long time. The food was good and the service (the waitstaff had the white outfits and all) was pretty good. Saturday was an informal discussion with the Elder and then Sat. night we had dinner at a party house and dancing. Another guy and I dj'd and there was plenty of music. There was one request that we were unable to play and it surprised me. The request itself wasn't surprising; the guy who made the request surprised me. A middle aged man requested Pussycat Dolls. I guess young girls aren't the only ones who like that kind of music. Sunday we worshipped at a Unitarian church (not enough room in our church) and it was a fabulous service. This weekend marks our last service in our current church and we'll be worshipping in our new church the weekend of the 10th. We have to be out of the building by Sept. 1, therefore we'll be homeless next weekend. We'll be having service in the park (hopefully it won't rain). It's an exciting time for our church.

It's a quiet evening for us; just sitting around watching a show that Jim has recently started watching. It's not a new show, it's a show that has been on the WB for 10years: Seventh Heaven. We never watched it because it was on the WB (a station we don't get) but it's really not a bad show. Right now we are watching an episode from Feb. 2003. Whatever you are watching this evening, I hope it's enjoyable.

weekly post from August 12, 2006

Hello friends & loved ones,

Another week has passed and another weekend is upon us. Hard to believe that our church will celebrate 25years in Rochester in just one week. It's a cause for celebration and joy. I'm very excited that I will be one of the djays playing music at the dance next weekend. I thought it would be a wonderful idea (and Jim concurred, always a good sign) to start off by playing the song that was #1 in the country the week in 1981 that the church was founded and follow that with the #1 song in the country the week of the 25th year. I've got both songs lined up ready to play. With so much to look forward to, how could I complain?

It seems that our culture thrives on complaining (yes, that is the C word as referenced above). Country artist Terri Clark said it best in one of her songs, Poor, Poor Pitiful Me. Why do we want to wallow in self-pity and focus on the negative things in our lives? When someone asks, "How are you?" instead of answering with a litany of complaints and woe is mes, we should be answering, "I'm healthy, I'm alive, I'm free etc........ Jim and I both have a saying that makes us cringe when we hear it; hanging in there. To me that implies that one is drowning and barely making it. We have so many opportunities and options for reaching out and getting help. We shouldn't be prideful or afraid to ask for assistance if we need it. We may not have the best president but he's not Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. We may not like some things about our country but we don't have to deal with Hamas or Hizballah. It's not a bad life, we should be focusing on what we've got not what we don't have. Sure everyone goes through hard times, however, the mark of character is how one comes out the other side and how one reacts to those difficult times. I'm not saying all complaining is bad, I'm saying we shouldn't make a career out of it.

http://www.bbg.org/vis2/2006/titan/photos/ Check out photos of the death, um, corpse flower. What a vision!

paul

Movie minute

Give us a hiss: Jim and I went to see the summer blockbuster Snakes On A Plane. We went with two girls from church, one of whom is deathly afraid of snakes. Let me just say that afraid is not a word I would use to describe someone's emotional state during this movie. Samuel L. Jackson plays badassssss agent who is assigned to protect a witness to a murder. In an effort to do away with the witness, the killer decides to put a crate full of deadly and I mean deadly snakes on the plane. Logic and belief are thrown out the cockpit door in this movie. I laughed more during this movie than I did during the last ten comedies I've seen. This is camp at its classiest. During one shocking/hilarious scene, the two people sitting several rows down from us got out of their seats and whooped it up because of what had just happened on screen. This movie doesn't even try to be serious; not even the snake expert is a serious character. Julianna Margulies (of ER fame) plays one of the flight attendants who is on her last flight before becoming a lawyer. One (soon to be classic, no doubt) scene has a flight attendant offering to suck the venom out of a fleshy body part of one of the passengers. I won't spoil it by describing it here but it's hysterical. If the filmmakers are smart they kept the bloopers (all of them) and will be offering a blooper deluxe on the DVD. Everyone in the theater laughed during the movie and at the most (in)appropriate parts. This movie offers it straight up and then some. And stick around for the music video during the end credits. A contest was had to see who would score the song for the movie. The group that won, Cobra Starship, can be seeing yukking it up in the video at the end of the movie. The sequel can star Samuel and Julianna on a boat during their honeymoon and the title will read: Snakes On A Boat: The Snakes Bite Back.

I rate the dialogue and acting of this movie 1 bag of popcorn (out of 5). The camp, however, gets a 5.

peace,

paul

Say What???

Quote of the week: This is not a new comment but one that should be pointed out once more. Senator Joe Biden (Delaware) made the comment back in June at an event in New Hampshire; it was captured on tape. "In Delaware, the largest growth of population is Indian-Americans, moving from India. You cannot go to a 7/11 or Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. I'm not joking." How freakin' stupid can one man be? Everyone knows (or should know) a lot of people who work at 7/11 and Dunkin' Donuts are Pakistani. Biden is hoping to run for President in 2008. Let's hope he gets his nationalities straight before then.

paul

the pee-wee planet

Stay alert Sun, you could be next: 2500 delegates in the International Astronomers Union met on Thursday and with a vote decided to strip Pluto of its title of planet. And, no, Earth did not explode; the world did not come to an end. Yes, according to them, Pluto is too small and does not have enough gravity. Pluto is still a planet just not one of the major ones. It is now called a dwarf planet (much to the chagrin of real dwarfs). No doubt they will be suing in the near future.

paul

Paul's peeve page

Not an essay question: Have you ever noticed how people in our society never want to answer a question with yes or no? It's most evident on tv when politicians or interviewees are being asked a "simple" yes or no question and then they go into a long drawn out diatribe and by the time they've finished we've forgotten what the question was let alone the fact that the question was never even answered. Why are we so fearful of committing ourselves to yes or no? Is it so bad to answer with one of those words? Why can't we face the question and answer accordingly? It's really not rocket science? Did you let the dog out? Yes. Have you paid your bills? Yes. Are you going out tonight? No. Did you skip school? Yes. Were there weapons of mass destruction? No. Did you provide Israel with weapons? Yes. See, it's quite easy. We should all answer at least one yes or no question today. But answer all yes or no questions with Y-E-S or N-O. If you really can't speak the words, play the blinking game. Blink once for yes and twice for no. Closing your eyes (and keeping them closed) is NOT an option. Neither is touching your nose.

peace,

paul

Did he do it: John Mark Karr has been arrested and has admitted to killing JonBenet Ramsay. He hasn't been formally charged yet and investigators are being extremely cautious. His ex-wife has said they were together during Christmas time 10 years ago; the same time that JonBenet was murdered. I personally think this suspect coming forward is a little too suspicious. This tale just gets more twisted and bizarre. He has a long line of jobs in which he has either quit or been fired and he's made some really outrageous statements. Stay tuned.....

paul

this & that Thursday

Word of the week: Macaca. Noun. Meaning? It apparently has several different meanings, several of which are considered derogatory. Virginia Senator George Allen greeted an American born male who was of Indian descent with this word. Later, after Allen apologized, he stated he was trying to combine the words mohawk and caca. Yeah, caca is a lot better.

And the big news this week has been that more people know who the 7 dwarfs are than the Supreme Court justices and many people think the only Homer is the dad from The Simpsons. Illi what? Who's Odyssey? Below is an excerpt of a 1999 interview of future President George W. Bush.

Interviewer: "Can you name the President of Chechnya?"

Bush: "No, can you?"

Interviewer: "Can you name the President of Taiwan?"

Bush: "Yeah, Lee."

Interviewer: "Can you name the General who's in charge of Pakistan?"

Bush: "Wait a minute. Is this uh, is this uh, is this a 50 questions? The new Pakistani General has just been elected, he's not elected, this guy took over office. He appears he's gonna bring stability to the country and I think that's good news..."

Interviewer: "Can you name him?"

Bush: "General. I can name the General."

Interviewer: "And it is?"

Bush: "General."

Bush (later): "Uh, the new Prime Minister of India is um, uh, no."

peace,

paul

Here's something interesting, scary and just plain sad. According to the Today show this morning, more people can name the 7 dwarves than can name the 9 Supreme Court justices. And many people cannot even name one (justice). Yes, I can name all 9 on command, however, I may have some trouble with the dwarves (seriously).

paul

Are you going into the hospital soon? You may be able to watch someone have the same surgery as you....online. Yes, the website www.OR-live.com, lets people watch some actual surgeries that were performed (yours may be on there). Beware though; the patients and surgeons on the website are chosen because the best results are expected. Check it out and TLC eat your heart out.

paul

Where in the world......

Something scary is going on in our country. Items with sensitive information are turning up missing. Below is a brief summary of some of those items. If you see them please return them to the nearest government building.

Missing: From the IRS, a laptop was checked as luggage by someone travelling on a commercial flight. The problem: The laptop had some personal info on almost 300 employees AND job applicants. People who don't even work for the IRS yet.

Missing: From Customs, 173 lbs of marijuana and 2.5 lbs of heroin were lost between 1999 and 2001. Someone out got mighty high. Also lost in that time period, 613 badges and 59 weapons. Who knows who's out there roaming around with a real badge but not a real cop.

Missing: From the State Dept., some classified documents (missing almost 10yrs now, please come home) that a man, who just walked into the building, put into his briefcase after briefly rifling through the documents. The man then left the building (a "heavily" guarded one at that). What were the guards doing that day? And the secretaries who watched the man, they must have been paid minimum wage.

Where's YOUR personal info?

paul

movie minute

A Sunshiny Day: The film Little Miss Sunshine is a shining jewel in a summer of lackluster sequels. Directed by Valerie Faris & Jonathan Dayton, the husband and wife team more known for directing videos by artists such as Janet Jackson, Smashing Pumpkins, and Red Hot Chili Peppers, have constructed an original film that is easily one of the best of the summer. The story follows 7-year-old Olive Hoover, played by Abigail Breslin (viewers may recognize her from Mel Gibson's alien movie Signs). Olive was runner-up in the Little Miss Sunshine competition held each year in California. Due to the winner being unable to fulfill her duties, Olive has to take the winner's place in the championships. The family then has to travel (in a VW bus) from New Mexico to CA. I guarantee that after seeing this film one will never view beauty pageants the same ever again. The film has a nice cast: Oscar nominee Toni Collette is Sheryl Hoover, the matriarch who at the beginning of the film fetches her jilted, suicidal, gay-Proust scholar brother, Frank (the remarkable Steve Carell), from the hospital. The rest of the family is as follows: Oscar nom Alan Arkin, the coke-snorting, routine-teaching Grandpa; Oscar nom Greg Kinnear as dad Richard, the struggling motivational speaker; and Paul Dano (a refreshing relative newcomer) as Olive's brother, the mute and brooding Dwayne. As the family travels from N.M. to Ca, we really discover who they are and they realize that their relationships with each other are changing in ways they never expected. There are some funny moments as well as some quite unexpected ones. The family is determined to get Olive to the pageant on time. Several times I thought one thing was going to happen and it didn't. I really appreciate a movie that is nicely structured and written and directed that surprises me. During the filming of this movie, the film The 40-Year-Old Virgin was released and between that and The Office he practically became a household name. In this film he gives a terrifically nuanced and subdued performance. It was exciting to see him in a role where he is not threatening to go into Robin Williams territory; but he's always funnier. Dano as Dwayne is a breakout and a revelation; he's also set to be the voice of Alexander in the film version of Where The Wild Things Are. Sunshine is a feel good movie even though the characters spend much of the film being downtrodden and dour. Olive herself is the ray of sunshine in the family; she's the one that connects everyone. There was one plot point that didn't fit and seemed unbelievable but no movie is perfect. The handling of the film's main theme, what is a winner and what is a loser, is sharp and clever. Sunshine is little in more ways than just its title; I don't expect the big theatre chains to show the movie but it would be a shame to Miss it.

4 bags of popcorn (out of 5).

peace,

paul

movie minute

Soft World: The movie World Trade Center is a quintessential tale of hope and survival. As directed by controversial Oliver Stone, it also marks a new turn in the director's work. The film tells of the first responders to the crisis on the fateful September day. A port authority cop, John McLoughlin (played by go-to guy Nicolas Cage) heads up a team to help evacuate the first tower. Several men step up to assist him; one of them being Willie Jimeno (played by Michael Pena) and once inside the building their nightmare begins. The building collapses and ends up pinning several of the guys under 20ft of rubble. Three of them are pinned and only two of them make it out. It's not giving anything away to say that. The movie cuts between the two guys stuck for hours in the rubble struggling to keep each other awake and the wives of the men and how they are dealing with the news that their husbands are missing and may or may not be dead. The movie has plenty of quiet, touching and mawkish moments; more so than probably any other Oliver Stone film and many of those moments are drawn out and lacking in energy and excitement. Stone has stayed as factual as possible to the plight of the two men including the vision of Jesus that Jimeno sees at one point and the inclusion of Marine Sgt. David Karnes who was called by God to go to the World Trade Center and was instrumental in finding Jimeno and McLoughlin. He was working as an accountant in Connecticut, shaved his head, put on his old uniform and talked his way into the disaster zone. One piece missing from the film is the car he drove in (a Porsche 911). Maria Bello as Donna McLoughlin and Maggie Gyllenhaal as Allison Jimeno give fine performances but the movie never really feels powerful enough. There are hints such as when the men finally find the men and the wives and husbands are reunited but it's lacking in drama. I'm all for telling the story so that people realize we must not be idle-ever but it must hit hard. I may have liked this movie more if I had not seen United 93, the other 9/11 movie released earlier this year. Stone's movie is a nice contrast with United, however, United was relevant and made the viewer feel as if they were there, living it now. One could feel the anxiety, the propulsion of the people who aren't willing to sit idly by and the power of the American people. United 93 is one of the best films of the year while World Trade Center is one of the good movies ofthe year. Stone's WTC is a film that is uplifting but not enough. There's also an awful lot of dialogue that is stilted and trite. The real Jimeno had 8 or 9 surgeries and the real McLoughlin was put into a medically induced coma and ended up having more than 20 surgeries. There was also some controversy about the inclusion of Dominick Pezzulo (Jay Hernandez of Hostel fame). His widow was upset that he was included in the movie and while I can understand why she was angered by this, it's also important to realize that he died a hero and a film like this must be a reminder to all people that we cannot be complacent or doubtful. Anything can happen; 9/11 showed us that and changed our world forever. We can never forget that. The Stone of years past (Natural Born Killers, Platoon, JFK) should have made a movie that was more memorable than the schlock he has here.

3 Bags Of Popcorn (out of 5)

peace out,

paul

Another pic of "our" bear

A photo of a bear we found just sitting in our yard and licking himself. He started walking away by the time I had my camera ready for a picture.

Say hello to my little friend

A photo of Henry the hydrant. This is a real fire hydrant found in Ganonoque, Canada. There were several unusual looking hydrants placed around the town. He's quiet, polite, doesn't talk back and, with no arms or legs, won't run away.

A clock tower that bulges at the bottom. No idea what or who is inside.

A photo of an arch outside of Boldt castle.

My spouse and I recently spent the night in Canada and did a boat tour of the 1000 islands. Here are a few pics from that trip. A photo of Boldt Castle.

Where in the world.....?

A group of Egyptian students come to the US to attend college in Montana and 11 of them disappear. No, it's not the start of a bizarre joke, it's what happened to a group of Egyptian college students who came to the US to attend Montana State University. The 11 students, all between the ages of 18 and 22, have violated their visas and have caused a manhunt by the FBI. Some speculate that they are visiting relatives in NYC (they landed at John F. Kennedy airport on July 29) but why just go MIA? Hello? It is the era of tex messaging. Let someone know where you are. Or maybe they had no plans to attend university after all but had a more sinister plan (cue the creepy theme music....dum dum dum).

peace,

paul

Love Letter

Imagine: You meet a woman at a party and then email her a love letter and then your letter ends up in inboxes all over the world. That's what happened to Joseph Dobbie of Berkshire who emailed Kate Winsall after meeting her at a barbecue. She forwarded the email to friends who in turn emailed the letter to their friends and then their friends emailed the letter to others. Kind of like the REO Speedwago song that starts, "heard it from a friend who heard it from a friend who heard it from another..." Below excerpts of the letter that was read by people in America, Australia and South Africa.

"If I am twice as lucky as I dare to hope, you will find this note charming"

"time stand still" (Dobbie describing the effect of Winsall's smile)

"Regardless of whether we see each other again, I will use it as I do my other special memories. I will call on it when I am disheartened or low"

"My mother uses an expression 'it's cool to be cruel these days' and I just don't want that in my life"

So what are you waiting for? Your love letter and intimate thoughts can become viral (computer lingo) today.

paul

Idol seekers

Today is the first round of auditions for season 6 of American Idol. Taking place in Pasadena, Ca, people are hoping to become the sixth crowned victor with a shot at a record deal.

Speaking of music, I'm enjoying Panic! At The Disco's "I Write Sins Not Tragedies." It's a song that hits on our society's need to beat dead horses (not literally, of course) and not let sleeping dogs lie. Why open a can of worms if it serves no purpose other than to hurt. Another song I'm really into is the South Side Crew's remake of "Go Your Own Way"; the best song remake I've heard in a long time. It keeps the original's uptempo rhythm and then some. The only negative side to this remake is the verses are not included in the remake. I'm also still enjoying the uplifting and positive anthem "Move Along" sung by The All-American Rejects. It's been around for a while and was the best thing about the movie She's The Man; it was played over the end credits.

Whatever you are listening to, crank it up!

paul

weekly post from August 5, 2006

Hello friends & loved ones,

It's hard to believe that July is behind us and August is upon us. Pretty soon the kids will be back at school and the leaves will be starting to turn once again.

Jim and I spent a relaxing night at the Gananoque Inn in Canada and had an enjoyable boat tour of the 1000 islands today. It was a three hour tour and there was no one (that we know of) named Gilligan on the boat. It's such a pretty part of the world. There was one island that was probably about an acre that had a building on it. We couldn't tell if it was a house or not but were appalled that someone would build something on such a small space. That is indicative of our culture, however, if there's empty space we must build. We came home (having been warned beforehand by our pet nanny) to see a big pile of bear doodoo in our front yard. Thankfully the feeders were not knocked down this time.

Whatever you are doing this weekend, enjoy yourself and live fully.

paul

humor

Ten Words That Don't Exist, But Should

1. AQUADEXTROUS (ak wa deks'trus) adj. Possessing the
ability to turn the
bathtub tap on and off with your toes.

2. CARPERPETUATION (kar'pur pet u a shun) n. The act,
when vacuuming,
of running over a string or a piece of lint at least a
dozen times, reaching
over and picking it up, examining it, then putting it
back down to give the
vacuum one more chance.

3. DISCONFECT (dis kon fekt') v. To sterilize the
piece of confection (lollipop)
you dropped on the floor by blowing on it, assuming
this will somehow remove
all the germs.

4. ELBONICS (el bon'iks) n. The actions of two people
maneuvering for one
armrest in a movie theater.

5. FRUST (frust) n. The small line of debris that
refuses to be swept onto
the dust pan and keeps backing a person across the
room until he finally
decides to give up and sweep it under the rug.

6. LACTOMANGULATION (lak' to man gyu lay' shun) n.
Manhandling the "open
here" spout on a milk container so badly that one has
to resort to the
'illegal' side.

7. PEPPIER (peph ee ay') n. The waiter at a fancy
restaurant whose sole
purpose seems to be walking around asking diners if
they want fresh ground
pepper.

8. PHONESIA (fo nee' zhuh) n. The affliction of
dialing a phone number and
forgetting whom you were calling just as they answer.

9. PUPKUS (pup'kus) n. The moist residue left on a
window after a dog
presses its nose to it.

10. TELECRASTINATION (tel e kras tin ay' shun) n. The
act of always letting
the phone ring at least twice before you pick it up,
even when you're only
six inches away.

movie minute

In The Still Of The Night: Robin Williams, in a surprisingly restrained role, stars as gay writer/radio host, Gabriel Noone in the film The Night Listener. Noone is in the midst of a creative struggle because of his deteriorating relationship with Jess (Bobby Cannavale in another gay role himself; he played Will's lover on Will & Grace). After Jess realizes he is not going to die of AIDS, he decides he wants to "live" life and that does not include living Gabriel, his lover of eight years. Jess wants to twist the knife even more by not telling Gabriel that he wants to end their relationship. Usually if a lover moves out, that signifies the end of a relationship; call it what it is. Sorry, I digress. When Gabriel reads a manuscript about a 14-year-old boy with a horrible past, Gabriel becomes phone pals with the kid. The kid, Pete, (played by Rory Culkin; the one who can act) is now safely living with his "new mom" Donna. Donna is played by talented (and not afraid to look homelier than usual or creepy) actress Toni Collette. Collette is racking up quite an impressive body of work, showing how versatile she is. She was wonderful in last year's In Her Shoes and is supposed to be good in Little Miss Sunshine (which I've yet to see).

As Pete and Gabriel become more intimate with each other, the question of how true Pete's story is (which he wants to have published) becomes an obsession with Gabriel. Pete is dying of AIDS and is a "very sick boy" and may not have long to live. Gabriel wants to see him before it's too late but access to the boy is difficult with over-protective Donna.

When I saw that Armistead Maupin was one of the screenplay writers (it's adapted from Maupin's book), I thought it was a good sign. I was wrong. In the book, what we don't see is more suspensful than what we do and the truth is even blurrier than what we're shown in the film. The term Night Listener, an obvious reference to Gabriel's nighttime show, is also a reference to hearing what we want and missing the whole picture. As Gabriel says in a voiceover, "I pick out the shiny parts and discard the rest." It's what we discard that becomes more important that the shiny parts. The discarded parts fill in the blanks that we would miss otherwise.

As Gabriel races to find Pete, he discovers things about himself that he doesn't like and realizes that he's trying to hold on to things that aren't necessarily real. The film has two major flaws that were not portrayed in the book. The first one is discovered early on and the second one is the ending, not to mention parts in the movie when Gabriel travels to Wisconsin. The movie is well acted, don't get me wrong and it's nicely paced. Not a lot is thrown out from the book that would be needed to explain some things. The problem with the visual is that in the book we are left to wonder and draw our own conclusion. In the movie, we are shown too much as if we would be in the dark if we weren't shown everything possible. As a result the film becomes cluttered and unfocused. This is one movie where being in the dark, literally and figuratively, would have worked better.

Bags of popcorn (out of 5): 2.5


peace,

paul

word of the week

More like the phrase of the week. We all know the nickname for NYC but this past week that nickname was taken a step further by being referred to as the Baked Apple. Yes, most of the country saw temps in the 90's and 100's. There have been deaths and power issues as a result and thankfully the humid heatwave is supposed to break today; at least for people in the Northeast. But back to that nickname: Comedian and nighttime host Jimmy Kimmel took that name even a step further by referring to Manhattan as Manhottan.

paul

This & That Thursday

The End: The evangelicals are claiming that the fighting in Israel and Lebanon is a precursor to the end of the world; God is coming again. Based on passages in the Bible, the religious zealots would have us believe that we need to REPENT NOW!!!!! Israel is on its way to reclaiming itself and then we will all see the face of God on Earth. Want more proof that the end is near? We've got Mad Max, er, Mad Mel (Gibson) ready to ascend his throne as The Road Warrior. Now if only we could see that tape of when he was arrested.


Neigh With Me: It may not have stained glass but it's got spirit(uality) among the worshippers. The Life Brand Cowboy Church in Newbury, OH is one of more than 20 congregations that are part of the Cowboy Church Network of North America. Most of the churches are found in the South (natch) and the services are catered to the farmhands and country bumpkins, oops, folk. No need to dress up, just come in your boots, jeans, chaps, and don't forget the hat and the horse makes a great substitute for a pew. And lest you think a stable is an odd place to worship, the big J was supposedly born in a stable.

peace,

paul