2008-12-28
Come Ye to The Fair
In Northern Va., a Republican Brigadoon
I like this headline from The Washington Post. Too bad none of their younger readers are likely to understand it without some research. Since I'm in a giving mood today, I did the research for them. Here's what Wikipedia has to say about Brigadoon.
Incidentally, I acted in this musical years ago in the community theatre. I had a bit part where I got to sing, "Wool and cloth I'm selling there, at the fair, laddy."
2008-12-27
ライオンキング（そっちじゃない）
このテレビ放送を見たが、確か今年の1月頃だったと思う。エドはるみさんなど色々と出ていたが、そのときなぜか大西ライオンが一番気に入った。大阪の影響なのかな？最後クリアできなかったのはとても残念だったが、笑わせてくれたのでお礼を言いたい。ありがとう、大西ライオン！
Perspective
From the Los Angeles Times
In comparison, I'd say that my own divorce went rather smoothly. No more complaining from me. Yikes!
Pardo had stormed his ex-wife's parents' annual holiday party and slaughtered revelers with a barrage of bullets before setting the home on fire.
In comparison, I'd say that my own divorce went rather smoothly. No more complaining from me. Yikes!
2008-12-26
Democracy in Action...Not the Most Nimble, but Nonetheless
You have to create an account to look at them, but the Minneapolis Star-Tribune has a neat feature here where you can see and vote on actual ballots cast in Minnesota for the 2008 election held last month. It becomes glaringly obvious that the recounters' job is not an enviable one, and also that there are a lot of people out there who are either childish, stupid, or like to make meaningless statements.
The backstory:
The Senate seat up for election was bitterly battled over by Republican Norm Coleman and DFL (Democrat) Al Franken. The race was very close on election night, with Coleman eking out a razor thin victory. However, the ballot count was so close that a recount had to be held according to Minnesota law. At the time of this posting, Coleman has lost his lead to Franken, who now leads by a hair's breadth. The general consensus is that no matter who wins the official count, the other will automatically go to court to challenge it due to just how close the margin of victory will be. How it ends up is currently only the matter of speculation, but I find it all extremely interesting.
By the way, the picture on the very top of this web page was taken in Minneapolis, Minnesota by myself about 10 years ago. The river is the Mississippi River and the place is not far from the I35-W bridge which collapsed not too long ago. There's a new bridge up now in its place, but I have not yet seen it with my own eyes.
The backstory:
The Senate seat up for election was bitterly battled over by Republican Norm Coleman and DFL (Democrat) Al Franken. The race was very close on election night, with Coleman eking out a razor thin victory. However, the ballot count was so close that a recount had to be held according to Minnesota law. At the time of this posting, Coleman has lost his lead to Franken, who now leads by a hair's breadth. The general consensus is that no matter who wins the official count, the other will automatically go to court to challenge it due to just how close the margin of victory will be. How it ends up is currently only the matter of speculation, but I find it all extremely interesting.
By the way, the picture on the very top of this web page was taken in Minneapolis, Minnesota by myself about 10 years ago. The river is the Mississippi River and the place is not far from the I35-W bridge which collapsed not too long ago. There's a new bridge up now in its place, but I have not yet seen it with my own eyes.
News & Notes No More
From The Daily Voice:
I must say that I am very disappointed, as I really like this show.
Here's the show's web page.
National Public Radio has canceled "News and Notes," a black radio program hosted by with Farai Chideya out of Los Angeles.
I must say that I am very disappointed, as I really like this show.
Here's the show's web page.
One of the few
One of the very few road trip (?) movies that I have ever liked. This movie is hillarious! (Be warned, this movie is rated at least PG-13)
Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle
Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle
Meat
I like meat, but here's another reason why people may want to cut down their meat consumption somewhat.
2008-12-25
2008-12-22
It'S a Wonderful Life, cont'd
What I respect about George Bailey is that he made the best of what he was given and didn't wallow in misery. The only reason he contemplated suicide was that his uncle accidentally put him in serious legal trouble. At that point all of his life's frustrations came boiling up, but if not for the event of his uncle losing the money, George would have gone on every day looking after his Building and Loan, taking care of his family, and helping the people of his town as best he could. He may have hated his crummy little town, but you would have never known just by watching him from day to day.
When I return to America, I want to be like George. Although I know from visiting that things will be frstrating at times, I want to be positive and build my life as best I can under the circumstances. Just like George.
George's life was truly wonderful, and I know that mine is and will continue to be so as long as I have friends and family. So in that sense, I will be living George's life when I return to America: it's not what I had in mind, but it's wonderful just the same.
When I return to America, I want to be like George. Although I know from visiting that things will be frstrating at times, I want to be positive and build my life as best I can under the circumstances. Just like George.
George's life was truly wonderful, and I know that mine is and will continue to be so as long as I have friends and family. So in that sense, I will be living George's life when I return to America: it's not what I had in mind, but it's wonderful just the same.
2008-12-21
Something to think about
Link to an excellent article about Christianity vis a vis other faiths from the Boston Globe.
2008-12-20
It's a Wonderful Life
I just saw the classic movie It's a Wonderful Life for the first time last night. Hard to believe I had never seen it before in its entirety, but I guess when I was younger I thought anything black and white wasn't worth a look at.
But oh I was so wrong about this movie. This movie was excellent, easily one of the best movies I have ever seen. Aside from the conversation among the angels in the opening sequence, I was enthralled throughout.
Perhaps it's because the current financial situation and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan make it more relavant than when I was a child, when overseas wars were not very popular at all, or perhaps its because I'm old enough now to have had some disappointments in my own life and can relate to George better now, or perhaps it's just because I finally actually sat down to see it from start to finish, but whatever the reason, I really identified with this movie, even if the details of my life are completely different from those of George.
For example, George hates his hometown and wants nothing more than to leave; however, fate has something else in store for him when he becomes the head of the Building and Loan. He must stay in town. I hate to admit it, but I equally dislike the entire state that I'm from in America and always have since I was old enough to form an opinion on the matter.
I specifically remember in the second grade of elementary school an assignment to colour in a picture of a baseball player ready to bat on homeplate. The player of course was from the hometeam, and we were supposed to show our support for the hometeam by colouring it with bright colours and possibly writing in cheers for the batter. Most students did this dutifully, and the teacher was quite pleased.
I, however, didn't understand why I had to support this team for a sport I didn't even particularly like. Baseball was long was boring to my 7 or 8 year old way of thinking. Not only that, but the local team was part of the local culture, but it was a culture I didn't enjoy. To say more would be to give away the team, but suffice it to say that I saw no reason to support the home team because to me, it meant supporting a lot of food and culture that I didn't like before baseball ever entered the picture.
So what did I do? I wrote in as many "boo"es as the page would allow. My teacher asked me why I had done that after class, to which I responded,
"Because I don't like them."
My teacher then asked,
"Well then, who do you like?"
How should I know? I cared about baseball as much as I cared about slime moulds. Actually, I probably would have preferred the moulds given my age and gender. The only team I really even knew was the home team, and that was because my family were fans at the time. So I responded,
"The team that they're playing."
By which I meant to say, "any team other than them," but my teacher apparently took to mean the A's, who was their next opponent.
But the point was that I didn't like where I was, and although I didn't have a concrete idea of where was better, I just knew it wasn't at home.
George didn't know where might be better than his hometown, either. He dreamt of travelling the world, going to exotic locations, and then coming back to America to build things, but he never said specifically where he wanted to end up. He just knew it wasn't in the crummy town where he grew up.
George had to give up that dream, however, along with any other dreams had at the time, when his brother came back from college married and employed. At this point it became clear that George would have to stay at the Building and Loan, for his brother was in no position to take over for him. I remember seeing the look of disappointment on George's face as he realized that his dreams had just gone up in smoke, again. I remember feeling so very sad for him. I felt like giving him a hug and telling him, "I'm so terribly sorry for you."
I guess this is it. This is why I loved this movie so much. I knew exactly the same disappointment that George felt at this moment. When I return to America next year, I will be living my version of his life from that point on.
I just hope that it turns out as nice as his did in the end.
But oh I was so wrong about this movie. This movie was excellent, easily one of the best movies I have ever seen. Aside from the conversation among the angels in the opening sequence, I was enthralled throughout.
Perhaps it's because the current financial situation and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan make it more relavant than when I was a child, when overseas wars were not very popular at all, or perhaps its because I'm old enough now to have had some disappointments in my own life and can relate to George better now, or perhaps it's just because I finally actually sat down to see it from start to finish, but whatever the reason, I really identified with this movie, even if the details of my life are completely different from those of George.
For example, George hates his hometown and wants nothing more than to leave; however, fate has something else in store for him when he becomes the head of the Building and Loan. He must stay in town. I hate to admit it, but I equally dislike the entire state that I'm from in America and always have since I was old enough to form an opinion on the matter.
I specifically remember in the second grade of elementary school an assignment to colour in a picture of a baseball player ready to bat on homeplate. The player of course was from the hometeam, and we were supposed to show our support for the hometeam by colouring it with bright colours and possibly writing in cheers for the batter. Most students did this dutifully, and the teacher was quite pleased.
I, however, didn't understand why I had to support this team for a sport I didn't even particularly like. Baseball was long was boring to my 7 or 8 year old way of thinking. Not only that, but the local team was part of the local culture, but it was a culture I didn't enjoy. To say more would be to give away the team, but suffice it to say that I saw no reason to support the home team because to me, it meant supporting a lot of food and culture that I didn't like before baseball ever entered the picture.
So what did I do? I wrote in as many "boo"es as the page would allow. My teacher asked me why I had done that after class, to which I responded,
"Because I don't like them."
My teacher then asked,
"Well then, who do you like?"
How should I know? I cared about baseball as much as I cared about slime moulds. Actually, I probably would have preferred the moulds given my age and gender. The only team I really even knew was the home team, and that was because my family were fans at the time. So I responded,
"The team that they're playing."
By which I meant to say, "any team other than them," but my teacher apparently took to mean the A's, who was their next opponent.
But the point was that I didn't like where I was, and although I didn't have a concrete idea of where was better, I just knew it wasn't at home.
George didn't know where might be better than his hometown, either. He dreamt of travelling the world, going to exotic locations, and then coming back to America to build things, but he never said specifically where he wanted to end up. He just knew it wasn't in the crummy town where he grew up.
George had to give up that dream, however, along with any other dreams had at the time, when his brother came back from college married and employed. At this point it became clear that George would have to stay at the Building and Loan, for his brother was in no position to take over for him. I remember seeing the look of disappointment on George's face as he realized that his dreams had just gone up in smoke, again. I remember feeling so very sad for him. I felt like giving him a hug and telling him, "I'm so terribly sorry for you."
I guess this is it. This is why I loved this movie so much. I knew exactly the same disappointment that George felt at this moment. When I return to America next year, I will be living my version of his life from that point on.
I just hope that it turns out as nice as his did in the end.
2008-12-06
Would You Like Some O.J.?
From the Chicago Tribune:
This is referring to O.J. Simpson, who apparently got some buddies to help him get back some memorabilia at gunpoint. I'm no O.J. fan, but this seems a bit harsh if you ask me. I'm glad I'm not a judge who has to make such decisions.
The 61-year-old Hall of Famer listened stone-faced, his wrists in shackles, as Judge Jackie Glass pronounced the sentence — 33 years behind bars with eligibility for parole after less than a third of that.
This is referring to O.J. Simpson, who apparently got some buddies to help him get back some memorabilia at gunpoint. I'm no O.J. fan, but this seems a bit harsh if you ask me. I'm glad I'm not a judge who has to make such decisions.
