Forever A Fangirl

Halle Berry & Susan Lucci Do The "Wal-cheer"

Actresses Halle Berry, left, and Susan Lucci doing the Wal-Mart cheer with David Glass, a board member, at the June 4 shareholder meeting.

/me: Wonders how much Halle Berry can be bought for. Surely more than Susan (daytime teevee star) Lucci?

SOURCE
After a judge's ruling, announced last week, gave class-action status to a federal sex-discrimination lawsuit against Wal-Mart Stores, the company's management broadcast a two-part message to its one million employees over the television monitors that hang from store ceilings.

First, employees were told that the ruling means "that there was no finding of guilt and it was all about the class, but that we even disagree with that and are going to appeal it,'' said Jay Allen, a company spokesman. Then there was a second part: "When this is all over with, this company is going to be a better company for it."

Lately, it's been hard to tell what kind of company Wal-Mart plans to become. On one hand, it bans certain magazines from its stores, vigorously fights matters ranging from shareholder proposals to federal lawsuits, and justifies strategies by quoting its long-dead founder in the obsolete manner of Chinese quoting Chairman Mao...

"They make an appropriate move, and we feel we would like to remain involved," said Julie Goodridge, president of Northstar Asset Management in Boston, a money manager emphasizing social responsibility that owns 6,455 Wal-Mart shares and has contemplated selling them. She praised the company for taking action like its nondiscrimination policy toward gay employees. Other moves, like banning magazine titles, "make me feel like, 'what am I, out of my mind?' " Mrs. Goodridge said.

The seesawing suggests that Wal-Mart's prolonged transition from Samuel L. Walton's personal project to giant global corporation has reached a critical stage. Since 1992, the year Mr. Walton - known as Mr. Sam - died, Wal-Mart has had to make its way without the founder and visionary who turned a single five-and-dime into a retailing megalith.

The company has grown rapidly, and the pressure on it, like the sex-discrimination lawsuit that was certified to include as many as 1.6 million female Wal-Mart workers, is the most intense it has ever been...

However, at the shareholder meeting, Wal-Mart's chief executive, H. Lee Scott Jr., announced that new computer programs would ensure that cashiers take their breaks or their machines will be automatically shut down. Another program will prevent store managers from scheduling teenage workers in excess of limits set by local labor laws ...

(Cue spooky music)
Wal-Mart's culture is among the most tightly controlled in the nation. Managers are sent to training sessions at places like the Walton Institute, described tersely on a company Web site as a place that "teaches our culture," where they role play and hear lectures by senior management. At mandatory meetings held once a week, store employees are taught concepts from a "culture topic index" kept by managers, according to the judge's decision in the sex-discrimination lawsuit.

Then there are the daily renditions of the Wal-Mart cheer, which begins, "Give me a W," and requires a shouted response from all. Inside the company, the wisdom of Mr. Sam is regularly quoted by senior executives.

"Augmenting" Our Forces by Force

Forgive me as I try to recover from the massive case of cognitive dissonance that the reading of the following two stories in the same Reuters news email has brought on.

First of all, "the war" (or should it be "The War") was declared officially over more than a year ago, so this involuntary recruitment of retired and discharged ex-soldiers which is explained as a "management tool used in a time of war" doesn't hold any water. Our government knows this but still, I suppose that since our leaders have done such a marvelous job alienating most of the world and running Iraq into the ground pretty much ALL ON OUR OWN, we'll be needing the extra personnel so things don't get out of our control when the new interim government in Baghdad maybe has to defy U.S. authorities on key security issues to establish credibility among ordinary Iraqis.

Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Army on Tuesday defended its plan to mobilize involuntarily 5,600 retired or discharged soldiers as nothing "new or unusual," but critics said it undermines the concept of an all-volunteer military.

The soldiers will be summoned from the Individual Ready Reserve, a seldom-tapped pool of 111,000 people who remain eligible to be called to active duty for eight years after completing their voluntary Army service commitment.

Army officials said these soldiers will be deployed this year to Iraq and Afghanistan to fill shortages in specific jobs such as military police and civil affairs.

"It's a management tool which we've always had available to augment our forces when we need additional personnel in a time of war," said Lt. Col. Pamela Hart, an Army spokeswoman at the Pentagon. "This is nothing that's new or unusual."

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. administration's low key handover of power in Iraq, said by President Bush to usher in a new reign of freedom, leaves the Arab nation on a treacherous path to stability, U.S. experts said.

As Prime Minister Iyad Allawi mulled the possibility of martial law, experts said the new interim government in Baghdad may have to defy U.S. authorities on key security issues to establish credibility among ordinary Iraqis.
The violence that has racked the country in the last year could also worsen further as insurgents try to drive a wedge between the Bush administration and the country's new leaders over hot spots such as Falluja.

Brent Scowcroft, who was national security adviser to President Gerald Ford and to Bush's father, George H.W. Bush, said that was one of two ways in which things could get worse in the country.

The other was a possible power struggle. "You may find an increase in violence among the factions as they jockey for power," the retired Army general said.

The Bush administration put a celebratory face on Tuesday's handover of power, which formally ended 14 months of U.S.-led occupation in a modest ceremony that was moved up by two days partly to foil possible guerrilla attacks.
Bush followed up the transition by renewing his call for countries across the Middle East to embrace democratic reforms. He had said ousting President Saddam Hussein was aimed at making the whole region more peaceful and more democratic.

Critics, however, said his Iraq policy was a diplomatic failure that tarnished U.S. relations with long-standing allies and stirred anti-American anger in the Muslim world. They said it could still result in civil war.

"The Bush administration should have thought two years ago that there actually could be worse things in Iraq than Saddam Hussein," said H.W. Brands, a political historian at Texas A&M University.

"Hope isn't quite dead, but it's sure on its last legs," he said. "What the president is learning is that there's this huge gap between what you can hope for and what you can expect in foreign affairs."

LAST-DITCH EFFORT Continued ...

Lifetimes

Click the thumbnails. ;)

My favourite

"Firewatcher"

Cropped & cleaned up

Pastel

Original unretouched photo of an Easter Egg hunt held by Parents Without Partners. My first and only event. All women & their kids and one nerdy guy participated.

Glastonbury Fest/Shrek II/4th Of July/ Brotherly Love?

I'm pretty content.
I've got very cool excerpts (vid & audio) of the Glastonbury (UK) music fest playing--right now PJ Harvey and she's putting on a riveting performance.

Today was work and then pool. My son wanted to linger, so I ended up floating around soaking up sun for about 30 minutes after doing laps. It's all I can do to just chill like that--doing nothing--but it was really peaceful.

I got some more details about leading the Fourth Of July parade. It's a bit ugh, bigger than I'd thought. It involves chauffeuring the Grand Marshall--a little kid who's in the program for disabled kids--in my Mustang GT convertible in the Fourth of July parade for the entire town.
They are going to decorate the car and everything. My one concern is trying to keep my stick-shift car-with-large-cojones from peeling out as I attempt to maintain "parade" speed.

Anyway, I saw Shrek II tonight and it was better than it's predecessor.
I took my pre-teen son (a label he expressed as his preference) as my spouse was working and I just didn't feel like staying home again (and we'd planned to see it this weekend anyway).
Because of an :ahem: mix-up we confused the movie time and ended up having an hour to kill before the movie so we walked around the pleasantly designed town-like shopping centre.
It was good having unstructured time to chat, though I was more than a little disconcerted that he says he has truly lost all respect for his 21 y.o. brother. Both of them have been expressing very negative feelings about one another of late.
I certainly don't want the youngest to emulate the crash and burn lifestyle of the oldest--so I'm rationalizing I suppose, that it's easier to do this by dismissing him completely.
And I don't blame my younger son. His half-brother has no regard for anyone, including himself. It gets old after years of putting up with it.
Damn, PJ Harvey is really good live. See (and hear) for yourself

There's No Glass In The Oculus

I must admit--the picture grabbed me--but the first person narrative about one facet of the Pantheon in Rome is well worth reading. Makes me ache to go to Europe. :sigh:

SOURCE

A Monument's Minder
By ELIN SCHOEN BROCKMAN

IT'S a chilly May evening, I'm alone in Rome and I've come to the Pantheon to comfort myself, to bask in the positività, as they say in Italy. Hundreds of other people mill around the echoing rotunda, stopping to pay respects at the tombs of King Vittorio Emanuele II, King Umberto I, Queen Margherita di Savoia and Raphael, "the prince of painters," but mostly staring up, way up, to marvel at the vastness of the dome and watch the disk of fading daylight visible through its wide-open oculus.

Suddenly a small woman with short, copper-colored hair zips through the crowd and disappears into an alcove next to the main altar. Seconds later the lights go out. A bell rings. The copper-haired woman reappears. "Prego," she says loudly and clearly, urging the crowd toward the great doors. "Prego, si chiude," closing time, everyone out.

I follow her, fascinated. I want to meet her. I've had an epiphany. The Big Questions that the Pantheon always inspires (for instance, how it's managed to survive in its present form for nearly 1,900 years of fires, earthquakes, lightning, floods and barbarians, not to mention Pope Urban VIII's renewal projects) have given way to smaller yet still pressing concerns, beginning with: Who cleans up in here? What does it take to help this precious monument survive all these people (3.5 million visitors a year, it turns out)?

I catch up with the woman, ask if she has worked here long. "Twenty-four years," she says, smiling, "but not this weekend." If I come by Monday morning we can talk. The earlier the better, before the crowds. "Ask for Saveria," she says. By this time we've reached the gigantic bronze doors. One is already closed. The other is closing slowly, two men pushing and shoving as though it weighed eight tons, which, I later find out, it does. I slip out. Saveria waves. The door clangs shut.

First thing Monday morning, Saveria Maruca and I sit inside the glass booth in the Pantheon's already-crowded foyer sipping cappuccino from Di Rienzo across the piazza. Or rather, I sit. She stands, poised to dart out and stop all who make the mistake of entering here with gelato, panini, animals, tripods, bicycles, skateboards or cigarettes, and anyone lying on the floor, standing on a bench, or (this really happened) climbing up a conservator's scaffold to take pictures. Visitor after visitor taps on the glass. Over and over, Saveria answers the eternal questions: No, there's no glass in the oculus; yes, it does rain in; and lots of others, some having nothing to do with the Pantheon. ("Is there a tattoo parlor nearby?")

She Said A Mouthful

"Nobody denies we have an affinity with the United States, but that is a different matter from having an affinity with the president."
~ Mary O'Rourke, the leader of the Irish Senate, who refused to attend a recent dinner in celebration of Mr. Bush's impending visit at the home of the American ambassador, James C. Kenny.

Cheney Tells Leahy To Go F**k Himself

Sounds like ol' Dickie boy is getting a bit frayed around the seams. Maybe he need a nice, long vacation. He may have to put it off until November though, but I think he'll have plenty of leisure time after that.

SOURCE

Sources: Cheney curses senator over Halliburton criticism
Friday, June 25, 2004 Posted: 11:53 AM EDT (1553 GMT)

Vice President Dick Cheney was chief executive officer of Halliburton before he became George Bush's running mate.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Typically a break from partisan warfare, this year's Senate class photo turned smiles into snarls as Vice President Dick Cheney reportedly used profanity toward one senior Democrat, sources said.

Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, who was on the receiving end of Cheney's ire, confirmed that the vice president used profanity during Tuesday's class photo.

A spokesman for Cheney confirmed there was a "frank exchange of views."

Using profanity on the Senate floor while the Senate is session is against the rules. But the Senate was technically not in session at the time and the normal rules did not apply, a Senate official said.

The story, which was recounted by several sources, goes like this:

Cheney, who as president of the Senate was present for the picture day, turned to Leahy and scolded the senator over his recent criticism of the vice president for Halliburton's alleged war profiteering.

Cheney is the former CEO of Halliburton, and Democrats have suggested that while serving in the Bush administration he helped win lucrative contracts for his former firm, including a no-bid contract to rebuild Iraq.

Cheney's office has said repeatedly that the vice president has no role in government contracting and has severed all financial ties with the Texas-based oil services conglomerate.

Cheney was chief executive officer of Halliburton from 1995 to 2000. He resigned when he became George Bush's running mate.

In response to Cheney, Leahy reminded Cheney that the vice president had once accused him of being a bad Catholic, to which Cheney replied either "f--- off" or "go f--- yourself."

Hologram Image Of Queen Unveiled

Ever been to Disneyland's Haunted Mansion? They have holographic portraits* Edit: that somewhat resemble to this one. I for one, would be thrilled if the Jersey Museum allowed Her Majesty to be loaned out and hung in a spot where she can be appreciated by thousands of people every day.
Story from BBC NEWS

Equanimity

It's rather haunting - a living presence
Christopher Lloyd
~ Surveyor of the Queen's Pictures

To create the image, Levine took more than 10,000 images of the monarch during two sittings in the Yellow Drawing Room of Buckingham Palace before selecting the ones for the final hologram.

'Ya think they made this image to frighten young children?
'Cause hanging this up where they can view it will without a doubt, give them shivers.

A 3-D hologram image of the Queen - the first royal portrait of its kind - has been unveiled.
The image of the unsmiling Queen, by light artist Chris Levine, is tinged in blue light and appears to move as the viewer walks past.

It is suspended between two panes of glass and mounted in a darkened room at The Jersey Museum.

Jersey Heritage Trust commissioned the work to celebrate 800 years of the island's loyalty to the Crown.

In the image the Queen wears a white ermine cape, a string of pearls and the famous Diamond Diadem.

"We tried every one of her capes," Levine said. "When she put on the ermine, the moment had arrived. I knew then that was the image.

"There was something about it. It was incredible. I think we all felt it."

The crown, made for King George IV, was worn by the Queen for her Coronation procession in 1953 and is the one depicted on UK stamps and bank notes.

Levine said the Queen was "surprisingly well informed" about modern processes of portrait making.

"She took to it very well. We were able to chat about how far technology had moved on.

"I showed her the work in progress and we chose the image together.

He added: "It shows calmness and inner strength. It expresses the notion of Equanimity - the name of the piece."

'Equanimity'

Christopher Lloyd, who holds the title of Surveyor of the Queen's Pictures, said it was a landmark in royal portraits.

"People will enjoy moving across and seeing the figure move. It's rather haunting - a living presence."

Equanimity was unveiled by the Prince of Wales during a visit to the Channel Islands on Tuesday.

It cost the Jersey government £150,000 and will be exhibited at The Jersey Museum in St Helier until 23 June before going on permanent display at Mont Orgueil on the island.

An identical copy of the holographic light portrait will be exhibited at The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace, from 17 July to 3 October.

Levine has previously worked with fashion designer Stella McCartney, the brands Swarovski and Cartier, and designed laser elements for one of Massive Attack's tours.

His other creations include a hologram of an Absolut vodka bottle, tinted a similar blue to the Queen, and 3-D images of Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher and Keith Flint from The Prodigy.

Connecticut Reeks

QUOTATION OF THE DAY ~ from NYTimes.com

"I acknowledge that my poor judgment has brought us here."
GOV. JOHN G. ROWLAND, of Connecticut, in announcing his resignation from office.

A Governor Resigns in Disgrace
Published: June 22, 2004

Connecticut has always liked to refer to itself as "the land of steady habits."

And hell, don't I know it. I spent 12 stultifying years from ages 6-18, in that state. I thought I would die of boredom due to the "steadiness' of every day life. Political corruption was as predictable and expected as the changing seasons.

And the state's three-term governor, John Rowland, enjoyed being called the boy wonder of the Republican Party — clearly a politician to watch. The voters apparently failed to watch in the right way. Mr. Rowland wound up facing both an impeachment inquiry at home and a federal political corruption investigation. Yesterday, he announced his resignation. When it comes to public officials, Connecticut's steady habits have been running downhill for a long time. Mr. Rowland is the latest in a string of politicians and political hangers-on to leave office in a thick fog of scandal. The former mayor of Bridgeport is now in jail on corruption charges. The former mayor of Waterbury was imprisoned after being charged in a grisly child sex case. Members of Mr. Rowland's administration have fallen fast and furious, and the allegations in the current impeachment case included everything from state contracts for sale to questions about the financing of "Marvelous Max, the Mansion Mouse," a children's book by the governor's wife.

Aside from a brief reference to "my poor judgment," the governor's resignation speech was peculiarly self-serving. An outsider who had no idea the state had been struggling through a seemingly endless series of scandals might have assumed Mr. Rowland was giving up his job to accept an ambassadorship. In truth, the questionable dealings under Mr. Rowland's leadership ranged from who paid for the vacation house hot tub to a $220 million deal with Enron that left the state taxpayers holding the bag. The inquiries into Mr. Rowland's affairs uncovered a raft of associates who were happy to give the governor gifts, forgive debts or let him in on favorable deals. These same people wound up with state loans or contracts. The best conceivable defense for the governor was that he regarded this as normal.

While the state legislature will no longer have to try to resolve the legal questions surrounding Mr. Rowland's behavior, the state's residents have to ask themselves what ever happened to Connecticut's political culture.

The state's residents have long been content to allow blatant graft and corruption flourish. An acknowledgment of this should be part of the state's motto.

The only thing that seems to rile their puritanical little minds is anyone engaging in anything other than missionary-style sex with a marital partner.

The state of Connecticut is a frelling cesspool. It has a pretty layer of scenery, rolling hills, and lush greenery, but look underneath. It reeks.

Stonehenge Summer Solstice

Story from BBC
Revisiting Britain's biggest free festival

This Monday sees the 30th anniversary of the biggest free festival in British history.
The following BBC News Online story gives a nice thumbnail sketch of how a small gathering of hippies celebrating the summer solstice at Stonehenge evolved into the high point of the British counter-cultural calendar.

The first Stonehenge Free Festival was in 1974

Last year, more than 30,000 people gathered at Stonehenge to mark the summer solstice.
But police in Wiltshire and neighbouring Hampshire warned they would not tolerate any unlicensed "mass gatherings" after the midsummer event.
And officers were out in force to thwart any attempts to hold parties.
Andover divisional commander Superintendent Mark Chatterton said: "We are not being killjoys.
"We are all in favour of people having a good time, provided the event is properly licensed to ensure that it is safe for everyone."

Stonehenge Free Festival was never licensed and in 1985 - after being banned by English Heritage - it became so unsafe that no-one actually reached the ancient stone circle.
Phil Russell, the orphaned son of a wealthy landowner, and Jeremy Ratter, who later co-founded the anarcho-punk band Crass, staged the first Stonehenge Free Festival during the summer solstice of 1974.

Five hundred hippies climbed a barbed wire fence erected by the Ministry of Works.
And after the solstice, a hardcore of 30 defied a court injunction to stay - for another six months.
The publicity surrounding their court case ensured the attendance doubled for the solstice the following year.

Mr Ratter later recalled the 1975 festival: "Wood fires, tents and tipis, free food stalls, stages and bands, music and magic... old friends met new, hands touched, bodies entwined, minds expanded and, in one tiny spot on our Earth, love and peace had become a reality."

But the festival's co-founder was not there.
Arrested for possession of LSD the previous month, Mr Russell had been committed to a psychiatric hospital.
Released immediately after the 10-day festival, he committed suicide weeks later.
Mr Russell's ashes were scattered over the stones during the summer solstice of 1976 - by which time, the festival's attendance had again doubled.
And, fuelled by the myth of martyrdom, the numbers continued to grow at the same rate until 70,000 people attended the 10th annual Stonehenge Free Festival on 21 June 1984.

Greatgrandfather and Baby Jim

This photo is loaded with meaning for me. Firstly, the subjects are my grandfather (now 10 years deceased) and my first son, age 5 months. They are meeting for the first time. Then the setting. It's a cottage that my grandfather built, one of three on Maple Lake in Ontario. He also made almost all the furniture in the house, including the table and chair in this pic. Finally, since I spent 2 months of every summer here for many years, I have clear memories of many people, events, and feelings.

My grandfather is about 91 years old in this pic, my son 5 months.
Frank (which he preferred to be called) lived to age 101.

Some Hometown News/ Michael Moore

Source

Filmmaker Moore hopes Canada doesn't vote Tory
Updated: Fri. Jun. 18 2004 11:17 PM ET

TORONTO — Hopefully Canadians will not set a trend at the end of the current federal election and vote into power a political party that says it would have joined the Bush administration's invasion-of-Iraq coalition, says U.S. filmmaker Michael Moore.

"For you to go backward would be a horrible thing to see happen," the scruffy-faced Moore said when asked about the stance of Conservative Leader Stephen Harper. He said he was grateful the former Liberal government stayed out of Iraq.

Moore arrived in Toronto on Friday to help promote his already-controversial documentary Fahrenheit 9/11, a scathing indictment of President George W. Bush's handling of the events of Sept. 11, 2001.

In an interview, Moore said he resented the criticisms by some right-wing American opponents that his film amounts to liberal propaganda.

"It's a work of journalism," he maintained. "It's the real journalism that the journalists should be doing. The movie is filled with a lot of facts, a lot of background information, a lot of research and then the film is an op ed piece. Propaganda? That's a bit of a strong term. Propagandists believe it's OK to take the facts and tell half-truths and twist them to meet their purposes. I present to you the facts."

As for those who say he isn't playing by the rules because he manages to be both a social satirist and a documentary journalist not held to the traditional rules of impartiality?

"Like bona-fide journalists do? Bona-fide journalists are not impartial. Bona-fide journalists in the U.S. supported this war, cheerleaded this war, got in bed with the administration, never asked the hard questions and completely failed the American people by not doing their job."

And he said those people undoubtedly will come after him because Fahrenheit 9/11 shows things not seen on the nightly TV news.

"And a lot of people are going to leave the theatre wondering why. Why did they put Bush through a filter? Why didn't we see him as he really is? Why don't we hear from the soldiers who are against the war?" Moore asked.

As for the shortage of Moore's traditional sense of humour in the admittedly dark film, he said he decided to leave most of the humour up to Bush.

And Moore doesn't expect to win any hearts and minds among the ultra-right. He says he's preaching to the choir because in America the choir has been asleep by not voting.

"Who's the choir? The 50 per cent of the American people who don't vote. Are they the elite? Are they the rich? Are they the well-educated?

"They are the poor, the working class, the single moms, the young people and the African-Americans."

He said those people have given up, have sunk into despair and cynicism and that it's his job to pull them back and urge them to give it another try.

"I hope to give the choir a song to sing and I hope they sing it loud as they leave the movie theatre."

Asked why he is hated so much by the ultra-right in the U.S., Moore said it's because they smartly perceive that his form of documentary film is effective.

"Unlike most of the left, I have reached a wide mainstream audience, something the left doesn't usually reach. And that is dangerous, and they need to stop that."

Pro-Republican groups in the U.S. have already geared up to oppose the film, including a massive letter-writing campaign to theatre chains. Moore says some theatres will even have security posted.

In the U.S. distributors are appealing to get the film a PG-13 rating, not an R. The Motion Picture Association of America appeals board is scheduled to meet Tuesday. The Ontario Film Review Board will consider the film's rating Monday night.

Moore said it's important that teenagers get to see the film despite its graphic images of death and dying in Iraq.

"My position is that if these kids are going to be asked to go fight a war in a couple of years, they should at the very least be allowed to see what's going on over there on a movie screen."

The film has had a rocky course already. Although winning the top award at the recent Cannes Film Festival, its release by Miramax Films in the U.S. was temporarily blocked last month when parent company Disney argued that it would represent an improper intrusion into the upcoming American election campaign. It has since found other distributors, including Alliance Atlantis in Canada.

© Copyright 2004 Bell Globemedia Inc.

--------------------------------
I'm about two-thirds through my first Michael Moore "book."
The worst I can say is it's a bit shrill every now and again, but Moore (or a voice actor speaking Moore text on disc, in this case) is discussing subjects that a few of us have been known to get shrill about, so I kinda look the other way and listen as closely as I can to what he's saying, whilst zig-zagging about town in the 'stang with the top down.
Michael Moore researches the crap out of a topic that matters to him (and most of the time us) and then latches on to it, sucking up every shred of info. He frequently cites multiple and diverse sources in his what must be painstaking fact-and-information gathering. One cannot listen to his words, let sink in what he's saying, and not care too.

"Dude, Where's My Country," was written last year. It's a sincere, unblinking look at us (or to be precise--you--I'm a citizen of Canada), and what an ugly picture. You want a nice bucket of cold water over the head to snap you out of it and start caring about what the frell is going on in the world--your world?
Read or listen to Michael Moore.
He bullshits you not.
And he's often amusing.
In a shrill-kinda way.

Jack n' Me, Nova Scotia, 1964

I just love the whole image of this little boy.
The too-short pants with those great suspenders, the band-aid on the knee, the buzz cut.

Slave To Service

The last couple of days have illuminated in eye-popping hues how dependent on, and accustomed to "service," I've become.

The backstory is at 3 a.m. on June 14, my Internet cable service disappeared.
Just like that. Poof.
I know it happened then because as is my habit, I was on-line at the time.
Thinking it would be at most an hour of disruption, I puttered around reading that day's newspaper as well as doing other non-computer stuff that one can do while the rest of the house is sleeping (use your imagination).

Two hours later, with several failed attempts to get the juice back on by rebooting the computer whilst crossing my fingers, I moved to the more extreme plug /unplug/ reboot ritual of encouragement.
No go.
Ultimately, I gave up and went to bed.

When I awoke, I phoned Comcast, my Internet "provider" and after the telephone dance whereby I punch "1," indicating I'm a native English speaker, dial in my own telephone number so that once I finally reach a human, he can make note of it and then ask me to repeat it, punch another number for Internet, not cable teevee service, then endure a recording explaining that there are "no outages" in my area and, "Would (I) like to hang up or am I (serious about truly) needing assistance?"

When I connect to a human, I'm told that "the weather in (my) area" is causing my problems.

The weather in my area has been fantastic. Bizarrely so.
Great weather kills cable?

No, no says the human voice. "Somewhere," there is heavy rain and floods and these things have taken away my service.

"Any estimated time of repair?" I ask in a tiny, hopeful voice.

It's a problem covering a "large area," so no estimate can be made, but I can rest assured that it is "a number one priority."

Feeling vaguely reassured, I go about the business of procuring my backup in times like these-- my "Juno" free Internet service provider disc.

Reluctantly, I pull my phone jack out of the wall and attach a new cord from the computer to the wall. I fire up the disc and prepare for the ol' 56k dial-up experience.
Ah, just like the bad ol' days.

But no, actually it's not. These days I have an on-line book business with CUSTOMERS, a 12- year-old who's very fond (read: whose derrière is glued to the computer chair since school let out) of the on-line game "Ashen Empires," and a 21-year-old whose every breathing moment not spent online or watching the Cubs on teevee is spent talking to his girlfriend on the telephone.

All three of us are now supposed to squeeze onto one little telephone line.

It is now the end of day two.
The twenty-one-year-old is (temporarily) in possession of my cellphone. The twelve-year- old is playing non-online games, reading, and doing puzzles, and I'm clogging up the phone lines trying to get online business done, as well as the former pleasures of blog-keeping and commenting, and news and junk reading.
This is NOT working.

I call Comcast again.
I do the telephone dance.
The human I speak with finally is surprised to hear that I still do not have service but...wait a minute...you are not showing up as a customer...this can't be right (Uh-huh, I say)... there are notes right here so you must've called before...

Yesssss, says me (I feel as if I trying to encourage a small child on the brink of maybe, finally getting "it".)

Hmmm, he says, "Since we can't find you in the system, I can't place a service request."
(My brain screams, "What?!?")
"Hmmm. This can't be right," the human continues.

It is NOT right, that's right, I think we both get that. I barely stifle myself from shouting.

"When can you be available tomorrow?" the voice queries.
"Anytime," I say.
"That's good," he says, because he "can't guarantee that anyone will call (me) to book a service visit, so I'd best be home all day in case they call, but if they don't, I should call back by say, 3 p.m."

Which will mean another day of this.
Slave to service, yes I am.

Weekend Update

This weekend was pleasant--a family dinner out at a favorite local restaurant, way too much pool & sun time, and finally a ton of housework and HBO's Six Feet Under capping it off.
It was almost cloudless so I'm red again. I wore sunblock and it was only about an hour or so in the late afternoon. I'm having serious worries about the ozone layer...

Talked briefly by phone to my Dad (he hates to do so--strongly prefers face-to-face) as June 11th was his 74th birthday. He's funny. He's a retired research scientist (chemistry), a very bright, inquisitive man but up until a few months ago didn't have access to surf the web. My one and only bro drove out there (to Maryland--700 miles from here) and installed a computer that we handed down to my folks after Santa and Mom & Dad bought Chris a new one this December past. For their needs, it's just fine and lo' and behold my Dad is on-line for a couple of hours every morning reading up on the world news and especially news from our native country plus whatever else peaks his fancy. I'm so happy for him, because I knew he'd really dig being on-line. The cute thing is when my mom rises for the day, he fills her in on all the interesting stuff.

On the home front, we used all the family time we had on Friday night to hit the China Buffet, check out the Friday night classic car meet, and hit the most recent "big box" addition to the shopper's paradise in which we live, in search of some cool new pool toys (water guns as it turned out--big surprise .)
At the restaurant, my youngest son's attempt at chewing and swallowing his first taste of sushi was quite amusing. I was laughing which made him laugh and that made it impossible for him to swallow.
My big thrill was trying coconut shrimp and really liking it.
I grew up on a sorta bland Scottish/German/Canadian diet. Never tasted Mexican food-- Yum! -- 'till I moved to California, as well as Asian cuisine and others. Can you tell I love to eat? I do, and I'm not ashamed of it. One of life's real pleasures is a good meal.

Spouse worked all weekend at both his full-time (big project) and part-time jobs, so it was just me and the kids. The younger one is totally addicted to an on-line game --Ashen Empires plus he's started doing the IM thing as well as participating on a bb. My little boy is fast becoming an adolescent.
I'd always heard that boys were easier to sheppard through adolescence, but I disagree. It's just as hard in a different way--and I do still recall being that age--it was not easy--so I try to keep that in mind.
Another clue that he's getting older is that I embarrass him when we are out in public. This really cracks me up when I think of all the shall we say, *lighthearted* moments we've shared out among the teeming masses.

Still Blue

Re-interpretation of a photo from last year.

Gollum actor to 'play' King Kong

Story from BBC NEWS

Serkis (left) played Gollum in two of the Lord of the Rings films

British actor Andy Serkis - Gollum in the Lord of the Rings films - will help create the title character in Peter Jackson's upcoming remake of King Kong.
The ape will be a completely computer-generated creature, but Serkis' acting will be used to bring it to life through motion capture technology.

The 40-year-old has also been cast in the human role of Lumpy the cook.

"It will be weird seeing Andy out of his Gollum gimp suit," Jackson said. "I hope we can both make the adjustment.

"I expect this time round will be a very different experience for both Andy and myself as we'll actually get to shoot extended drama sequences together."

Serkis was heavily involved in the creation of warped hobbit Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
He provided the voice of the character, while his facial and bodily movements were mapped on computer.

But he only appeared in the flesh at the beginning of the third installment, The Return of the King.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Jackson - who won a best director Oscar for The Return of the King - has denied using Serkis as a model for Kong will "humanise" the creature.

"While Andy will provide very valuable onset reference, this doesn't mean we will be softening Kong," he said.

"The power of the story lies in the fact that this is a savage beast from a hostile environment, and we don't intend to compromise that."

Team work

King Kong is scheduled to begin shooting in New Zealand in August.

In addition to Serkis, the film will also feature Australian actress Naomi Watts, School of Rock star Jack Black and Oscar-winning actor Adrien Brody.

Jackson will be reunited with many members of the Lord of the Rings crew, including co-writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, composer Howard Shore and cinematographer Andrew Lesnie.

The film - a remake of the 1933 monster classic - will be released in December 2005.

Team Jesus

I thought this was a farked-up week due to the unbelievable and self-serving tripe that's been bandied about concerning the late Ronald Reagan. He "ended the Cold War"? For f*cks sake. Read your history. He happened to be the occupant of the White House when the inevitable end of the USSR took place.

Look, Ronnie may have been a "good Christian man." It seems there are many of that ilk that are responsible for a lot of sh*t. But the "best president of the second half of the 20th Century" and other laudatory remarks make me want to retch.
RR was a friendly, jovial man. He was an ok prez, a lousy father--by all accounts, a middle-of-the-road actor, a wannabe cowboy, henpecked to the extreme ("Mommy" anyone? :shudder:), and lazy (he kept the shortest White House work schedule that anyone can recall).
These are the hallmarks of a "great man"?!?
What are we supposed to say when someone truly great dies?

So in ending this mondo bizarro week, I start flipping through my Kinja log--check it out--there are a couple of shiny new additions--and Anil Dashes Links directs me to this little gem:

Son of Sam blog

Serial killer "Son of Sam"'s blog.
And like a rubber-necker driving past a highway pile-up, I click the link and there he is in all his Christian glory.

I love Christianity. I really do. Where else can one be anything from President of the United States to a serial killer and y'all are on the same playing field trying to win one for Team Jesus?

My fellow Americans...we begin bombing in five minutes...

My fellow Americans...we begin bombing in five minutes

Yesterday, while performing volunteer work at a local charity, I overheard another volunteer comment on how "sad" the week of mourning Ronald Reagan has been. Then she added, "He was a good president."
My knee-jerk reaction, which I stifled, was to exclaim "What???"
Anyone who lived through Reaganomics (example: the "trickle down theory") and "Star Wars" and "The Evil Empire" knows that in balance, RR was just an average president.

He did however, justly earn the title, The Great Communicator.
In Dowd's column below she touches on Reaganomics, the Bushes, White House sniping, and the fulsome tributes that are pouring in for our late leader.

In one word in the second to last sentence, Dowd manages to convey the essence of our 40th president.

OP-ED COLUMNIST
Epitaph and Epigone
By MAUREEN DOWD

Published: June 10, 2004
WASHINGTON

Sometimes I feel as if I'm watching a nation mourn. And sometimes I feel as if I'm watching a paternity suit.

At every opportunity, as the extraordinary procession solemnly wended its way from California to the Capitol, W. was peeping out from behind the majestic Reagan mantle, trying to claim the Gipper as his true political father.

Finally, there's a flag-draped coffin and military funeral that President Bush wants to be associated with, and wants us to see. (It's amazing they could find enough soldiers, given Rummy's depletion of the military.)

"His heart belongs to Reagan," Ken Duberstein declared about Mr. Bush on CNN, in a riff on the old Cole Porter ditty "My Heart Belongs to Daddy." W. "is that bold-stroked primary-colors leader that—— somebody who has this big vision and wants to stick to it." (Well, the two presidents do share a middle initial.)

The Bush-Cheney re-election Web site was totally given over to a Reagan tribute, with selected speeches, including "Empire of Ideals" — too bad we didn't just stick to ideals — and "The Boys of Pointe du Hoc," President Reagan's 1984 Normandy speech, played so often last Sunday that it eclipsed W. at Normandy.

Bush hawks were visibly relieved to be on TV answering questions that had nothing to do with prison torture, phantom W.M.D. or our new C.I.A.-operative-turned-prime-minister in Iraq. What a glorious respite to extol a strong, popular, visionary Republican president who spurred democracy in a big backward chunk of the world — even if it isn't W., and it's the Soviet bloc and not the Middle East.

Showing they haven't lost their taste for hype, some Bushies revved up the theme that Son of Bush was really Son of Reagan.

Never mind that back in 1989, the deferential Bush père couldn't wait to escape the Gipper's Brobdingnagian shadow. Though he liked Ronald Reagan, 41 had a secret disdain for 40's White House. He was dismayed by the way media wizards treated the president like a prop and the Oval Office like an M.G.M. set. He and Barbara, who divide the world into peers and "the help," also hated being treated like "the help" by the Reagans, who did not have them upstairs at the residence for dinner and who did not always thank them for presents.

The Reagans returned the favor. "Kinder and gentler than who?" Nancy sniffed after 41's convention acceptance speech. (As for Barbara, Nancy had warned her off wearing "Nancy Reagan red.")

For the neocons, ideology is thicker than blood. Bush père is the weakling who broke his tax pledge and let Saddam stay in power. Just as Ronnie was a poor kid from Dixon, Ill., who reinvented himself as a brush-clearing cowboy of grand plans and simple tastes, so W. was a rich kid from Yale and Harvard and a blue-blooded political dynasty who reinvented himself as a brush-clearing cowboy of grand plans and simple tastes.

While W. talks the optimistic talk, he doesn't walk the walk; the Bush crew conducted its Iraq adventurism with a noir and bullying tone.

But Richard Perle and Paul Wolfowitz tried to merge Junior and Gipper. Mr. Perle said on CNN that Mr. Reagan wouldn't have been "pushed out of Iraq before completing the mission," and Wolfie agreed that 9/11 had "changed everything. I think it would have changed it for Ronald Reagan. We've gone from just being concerned with the freedom of other people in the Middle East to the threat to our own country from totalitarian regimes that support terrorism."

These maunderings forget that Mr. Reagan sometimes avoided risk, compromised and retreated; when 241 marines were blown up in Beirut, he rejected advisers' pleas and pulled out. Mr. Wolfowitz has told friends this was Mr. Reagan's low point.

The Sopranos, Season 5, Episode 13, "All Due Respect"

The Sopranos
From TVGuide.com: Synopsis:
All Due Respect
60 mins.   

The mob drama wraps up its fifth season, made memorable by the introduction of compelling new characters.
Chief among them was Tony Blundetto (Steve Buscemi), Tony Soprano's ex-con cousin whose hair-trigger temper ruined his big chance to go straight. And since Tony B. ticked off New York boss Johnny Sack (Vincent Curatola), the pressure is on Tony S. to maintain the peace. Although she was almost married to the mob, Adriana paid dearly for crossing Tony Soprano. Should blood relative Blundetto feel any safer? Tonight's show may hold the answer.

Cast: Dominic Chianese, Edie Falco, James Gandolfini, Jamie-Lynn DiScala, Lorraine Bracco, Michael Imperioli, Robert Iler, Steven Van Zandt, Tony Sirico, Aida Turturro, Steve Buscemi, Steven R. Schirripa, Vincent Curatola, John Ventimiglia

Director: John Patterson
Release Year: 2004
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I liked this last episode, though it won't be the one talked about for the next 18 months or until the next (final?)  season of The Sopranos debuts.
The episode that still has people talking is the penultimate one--the second to last. For all it's explosiveness and general greatness, it could have been the season finale. But Chase and Co. don't care if the audience is accustomed to the big, season-ending cliff-hangers of network TV. This is HBO, so Chase will tell the story on his own time line.

The finale itself was good--filled with symbolism and foreshadowing.
Will AJ's success at  "event planning" remove him from consideration from being a successor to Tony? Was he ever a realistic choice? (Yes; and I don't think so. The series went to great lengths to show what a girly boy AJ is.)

How ironic that within a day or so of Tony S's taking out Tony B., that it turned out to be unnecessary with the rounding up of Johnny Sack's crew on what sounded like some stiff evidence (eighteen years worth of charges)?
Fodder for plenty of Tony-sized angst/guilt next season.

Within Tony's "other" family, will Paulie Walnuts continue to express his dissatisfaction with just about every facet of the role Tony has him playing? What about Silvio? Tony spelled it out quite clearly that he has no plans--ever --of allowing Sil to counsel him in the way a true consigliore does. Will Tony then face loss of loyalty from both Paulie and Sil?

What should we be expecting from Christopher next season? In their final scene together, Christopher was  in hiding, fearing that the wrath of Phil Leotardo toward Tony B. would be taken out on him. Tony S. comforted him and they hugged tightly, obviously sharing sorrow. Chris says he's gonna prove to "T" that he's "worthy."
But will Chris step up to the plate next season or will he descend back into his junkie haze?

What about Tony and Carmela?
All season, smugly, Tony never seemed to believe that the divorce would become a reality--and he was right. It appeared as if he was just waiting for her to name her condition for his return. It turned out to be $600,000 for property on which she and her father plan to build a spec house. Will this be Carmela's new exit strategy after this season's attempt to sever ties with Tony and "get (her) share" an utter failure?

It seems that Tony got most of his troubles taken care of in just two episodes. He's back with Carmela. Johnny Sack is no longer a problem. His crew (again) respects him for showing that he's strong enough to follow the code by "taking out" cousin Tony B., and he got the welcome news that  the Feds are not actively moving in on him. Even his worries about AJ's future seem to diminish.

So the season ends with more symbolism. Just as it started with the bear (Tony) locked out of the house, being kept apart from home and hearth, it ended with the real Tony stumbling out of the woods after running from the FBI like he was being chased down by the devil., walking across the patio as the bear did, but instead of shooing him off as she did the real bear, Carmela ushers him in, clucking in a motherly fashion as she notices his bedraggled state.

All seems well again in Sopranoland.

I Am So Fried

I burned myself today by using no sunblock on my back and doing 45 mins of laps at the pool in clear, sunny 90- degree weather. I feel like I'm frying and my stomach hurts now that I've eaten--bleurgh.
I think I'm going to use this as an excuse to flop on the bed and watch the last episode of the Sopranos again with spouse.

Hockey in Florida Never Will Be

...cool.

When I was a kid and lived with my nuclear family, I sorta followed hockey--because my Dad--born and bred to age 35 in Ontario, Canada--followed hockey. It was true for many years and I think often still is, that Canadian kids are put on hockey skates as soon as they can maintain a standing position (out of skates).
Hockey was very different when I was a kid. Back then, if one were to make mention of a Florida-based hockey team --people would look askew at that person.
Anyway, since I've been "out of the house" (I left home at age eighteen) I haven't followed any sports much except my kid's--and the Cubbies when they are doing something interesting (like almost winning ).

Hockey, from what I gather (-ed when my youngest got interested in learning to be a hockey player, then changed his mind about it after a couple years of skating lessons) has changed in at least a couple of ways the last 10-20 years.

Canadians used to be able to say that no matter which team won-- Canada still did, because the bulk of players for both the Canadian & American teams were born in Canada.
Not anymore. Now there are lots of Eastern European names on the rosters, giving both the Canadians & Americans what looks like a run for their money.

So I suppose I can no longer be happy that no matter what, "Canada still wins," but glad rather that someone from a less prosperous part of the world made it big in North America.
That's kinda cool, I think. But hockey in Florida will never be.

Bush Counsel Said Bans On Torture Didn't Bind Him

Source

By NEIL A. LEWIS and ERIC SCHMITT
Published: June 8, 2004
WASHINGTON, June 7 — A team of administration lawyers concluded in a March 2003 legal memorandum that President Bush was not bound by either an international treaty prohibiting torture or by a federal antitorture law because he had the authority as commander in chief to approve any technique needed to protect the nation's security.

The memo, prepared for Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, also said that any executive branch officials, including those in the military, could be immune from domestic and international prohibitions against torture for a variety of reasons.

One reason, the lawyers said, would be if military personnel believed that they were acting on orders from superiors "except where the conduct goes so far as to be patently unlawful."

"In order to respect the president's inherent constitutional authority to manage a military campaign," the lawyers wrote in the 56-page confidential memorandum, the prohibition against torture "must be construed as inapplicable to interrogation undertaken pursuant to his commander-in-chief authority."

Senior Pentagon officials on Monday sought to minimize the significance of the March memo, one of several obtained by The New York Times, as an interim legal analysis that had no effect on revised interrogation procedures that Mr. Rumsfeld approved in April 2003 for the American military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

"The April document was about interrogation techniques and procedures," said Lawrence Di Rita, the Pentagon's chief spokesman. "It was not a legal analysis."

Mr. Di Rita said the 24 interrogation procedures permitted at Guantánamo, four of which required Mr. Rumsfeld's explicit approval, did not constitute torture and were consistent with international treaties.

The March memorandum, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal on Monday, is the latest internal legal study to be disclosed that shows that after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks the administration's lawyers were set to work to find legal arguments to avoid restrictions imposed by international and American law.

A Jan. 22, 2002, memorandum from the Justice Department that provided arguments to keep American officials from being charged with war crimes for the way prisoners were detained and interrogated was used extensively as a basis for the March memorandum on avoiding proscriptions against torture.

The previously disclosed Justice Department memorandum concluded that administration officials were justified in asserting that the Geneva Conventions did not apply to detainees from the Afghanistan war.

Another memorandum obtained by The Times indicates that most of the administration's top lawyers, with the exception of those at the State Department and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, approved of the Justice Department's position that the Geneva Conventions did not apply to the war in Afghanistan. In addition, that memorandum, dated Feb. 2, 2002, noted that lawyers for the Central Intelligence Agency had asked for an explicit understanding that the administration's public pledge to abide by the spirit of the conventions did not apply to its operatives.

The March memo, a copy of which was obtained by The Times, was prepared as part of a review of interrogation techniques by a working group appointed by the Defense Department's general counsel, William J. Haynes. The group itself was led by the Air Force general counsel, Mary Walker, and included military and civilian lawyers from all branches of the armed services.

The review stemmed from concerns raised by Pentagon lawyers and interrogators at Guantánamo after Mr. Rumsfeld approved a set of harsher interrogation techniques in December 2002 to use on a Saudi detainee, Mohamed al-Kahtani, who was believed to be the planned 20th hijacker in the Sept. 11 terror plot.

Mr. Rumsfeld suspended the harsher techniques, including serving the detainee cold, prepackaged food instead of hot rations and shaving off his facial hair, on Jan. 12, pending the outcome of the working group's review. Gen. James T. Hill, head of the military's Southern Command, which oversees Guantánamo, told reporters last Friday that the working group "wanted to do what is humane and what is legal and consistent not only with" the Geneva Conventions, but also "what is right for our soldiers."

Mr. Di Rita said that the Pentagon officials were focused primarily on the interrogation techniques, and that the legal rationale included in the March memo was mostly prepared by the Justice Department and White House counsel's office.

The memo showed that not only lawyers from the Defense and Justice departments and the White House approved of the policy but also that David S. Addington, the counsel to Vice President Dick Cheney, also was involved in the deliberations. The State Department lawyer, William H. Taft IV, dissented, warning that such a position would weaken the protections of the Geneva Conventions for American troops.

The March 6 document about torture provides tightly constructed definitions of torture. For example, if an interrogator "knows that severe pain will result from his actions, if causing such harm is not his objective, he lacks the requisite specific intent even though the defendant did not act in good faith," the report said. "Instead, a defendant is guilty of torture only if he acts with the express purpose of inflicting severe pain or suffering on a person within his control."

The adjective "severe," the report said, "makes plain that the infliction of pain or suffering per se, whether it is physical or mental, is insufficient to amount to torture. Instead, the text provides that pain or suffering must be `severe.' " The report also advised that if an interrogator "has a good faith belief his actions will not result in prolonged mental harm, he lacks the mental state necessary for his actions to constitute torture."

The report also said that interrogators could justify breaching laws or treaties by invoking the doctrine of necessity. An interrogator using techniques that cause harm might be immune from liability if he "believed at the moment that his act is necessary and designed to avoid greater harm."....(snip)

Jamie Fellner, the director of United States programs for Human Rights Watch, said Monday,

"We believe that this memo shows that at the highest levels of the Pentagon there was an interest in using torture as well as a desire to evade the criminal consequences of doing so."

The March memorandum also contains a curious section in which the lawyers argued that any torture committed at Guantánamo would not be a violation of the anti-torture statute because the base was under American legal jurisdiction and the statute concerns only torture committed overseas. That view is in direct conflict with the position the administration has taken in the Supreme Court, where it has argued that prisoners at Guantánamo Bay are not entitled to constitutional protections because the base is outside American jurisdiction.
----------------------------------
That's right, we thumb our noses at International law. We spit on the Geneva Convention.
We make and break our own laws. And we cover our asses really well...most of the time.
We are the rulers of the.....nevermind.

This explains why my almost 12 y.o., an American through and through, refused to take off his jacket on a warm day this week past. He was wearing a t-shirt with the American flag on it. In a conversation that day he'd mentioned that when he grows up he'd like to move to Canada because it's a "better country"--then he cited several reasons why he believes it is.
I've tried to be very balanced in my upbringing of him -- the son of a Canadian and an American living in the US. I am accutely aware that he is American not Canadian, and I don't want to insult him by insulting his country. Besides, I don't have problem with the country--it's the goof-balls at the helm I have "issues" with.
I alway end my opinions about the US with "but there are far worse things going on in other countries in the world." I make sure to make mention of the positives and the US has some amazing positives--we just forget to pull some of them out and use them and get lazy and let a numbskull like Bush represent us to the world.
My son brushed off my attempt to highlight the positives this time.
He is truly pissed off with how this country is being run. I think that's a really bad omen--when the country's brighter children decide the USA is on the wrong course and refuse to fall into lock-step support of it.

Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban

Saw the film last night with my almost 12 y.o. He is a Potter-phile in that he's read the books repeatedly.

First the good. "Azkaban" is better acted, directed, and filmed than the first two Harry Potter film interpretations.

The film, as has been noted in professional reviews, is "darker" than the first two. This makes sense because the author herself states that the book was written with a coming of age/angsty theme to it.
The "darkness," as envisioned by director Alfonso Cuaron, is quite a visual splendor.

This third installment in it's book incarnation, was quite lengthy and even though I haven't read it (or any of the Potter series), as a film-goer I can tell that this is where something got lost from book to screen.

I disagree with the assertion of some, that the film "stands alone."
There are scenes in the film where things are chugging along and then an abrupt jump seems to occur. It's obvious that there's been trimming done to the story and this made it hard to follow the film in places.
A children's film shouldn't be difficult to follow, and the film shouldn't have been made with the assumption that everyone who views the film read "Azkaban," the book.
After the film, I asked my son several questions about what various scenes meant "in the big picture." Readers of JK Rowling's series know these answers; those of us that haven't read her books, don't.
It not a great feeling to feel "lost" in a movie, even momentarily.

Another quibble. The author of the Potter books has been chastised for "borrowing" from a number of sources for material for her books, most notably from other books. I am not the best-read person by any stretch, but even I, having read the Lord Of The
Rings trilogy, instantly recognized Ringwraith clones in the evil Dementors menacing the denizens of Hogwarts.
Tsk, tsk, JK.

Overall, the child actors are aging as they "should" be. The one that stood out as having gained the most poise in front of the camera--Emma Watson--is still the best and most interesting child actor. Daniel Radcliffe or "Dan" as he likes to be called, is a singularly uninteresting actor, as is Rupert Grint, his red haired side-kick. There's talk of replacing the children as they are aging "too fast' for the movies to be made, but I can see Radcliffe and Grint gone easily. I have no attachement to them. Emma Watson however, has personality and more importantly, an evolving talent. She is easily the heart of the trio. I wonder in fact what the story would have been like if she'd been the main character instead of Harry. I also wonder if the reason the main character is male in order to sell more books to the anticipated (bulk of the) demographic--boys.

It's my prediction as I peer into the crystal ball borrowed from "divination" class (taught by the coke-bottle-bottom bespeckled Emma Thompson in an amusing comic turn), that if any of the child actors make the transition to being working adult actors, Watson will be the one.

Speaking of the actors in the movie, I was glad to see Alan Rickman back on hand as the multidimensional Prof. Snape (is he bad, is he good? one is kept guessing) as well as the warm and cuddly Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid.
Overall a good, not great film. Director Cuaron most probably did the best he could with the volumous material that he had to work with.

Who's Been Reading My Blog?

It's always informative, often amusing, and sometimes appalling to check the search phrases folks use to land at my blog.
Clicking over to the hit counter to view the last twenty results, I find that...
... it seems the Rance Blog mania is dying down. Guess that's good. :shrug:

However, Sopranos mania still reigns supreme with five searchers ending up at my page in this several hour period.
This would be good, but these people are often looking for the "Dr. Melfi rape scene" that occurred several seasons ago. Why they'd think I'd have pics of it is anyone's guess. I've not mentioned it until now.

"The highway was jammed with broken heroes on a last-chance power drive." This is a line from the song Born To Run by the god known as Bruce Springsteen.

Guys, girls, get to know Springsteen, okay? Your life will be better if you do. In the Sopranos, when Christopher answered Tony's query about why Chris was late and Chris uttered this line, it was funny in a multi-layered way.
Springsteen's almost life-long sidekick, Steve Van Zant, was shown in the scene, in the character of Silvio--so that was amusing. Springsteen came out of Asbury Park, New Jersey (Jersey is where the Sopranos is set), so the line was a nod to that, and it was just amusing that Christopher was being a smartass. Do you get it now? Kids, it's good that you care enough to try to figure out what the hell Christopher meant when he said that. Really.

"A & F" Christmas Catalog? Golly, are you that desperate for semi-nude piccies? There's plenty of pr0n on the Internet, doesn't it make you feel kinda, I don't know LIKE A BIG LOSER cruising for last Christmas's Abercrombie and Fitch catalog? And speaking of being A BIG LOSER, the winner and all time champion for that title goes to anyone looking for naked photos of children. You are sick twists. It grosses me out that you've *touched* my blog. Get the hell away from me and stay the f*ck away from kids. Get. Help. Now.

Mall phobia. Just say no to malls. Seriously. They are evil. If you can't say no then take Klonopin like I do. (I say"no" anyway though--don't feel bad if you can't.)

Women who think too much. Yup. Guilty. What do you want to know--how to think less? Or maybe how to dumb down your lady? Sorry, no tips here.

Reagan's Reaction to Kent State? Erm, lessee, I think he was president of the Screen Actors Guild at the time and a conservative--so he probably supported Nixon. Just a guess. Reagan wasn't prez until 1980. Time flies, doesn't it? Edit: Oopsie, he was governer of California in 1970 (at the time of the Kent State Murders).

Alanis (at the) Juno Awards-- Pervs again. She was NOT naked. She wore a bodysuit--a thick-looking one at that, but it had naughty bits sewn on it. She was protesting all the brouhaha over the Janet Jackson Nipplegate thing from the Superbowl. It's a very unsexy pic, but you are welcome to take a look.

Prehistoric Whales and the Steward of Gondor are cool, 'cos I dig both. And Michael Rovner border topography1???? I think you made a wrong turn somewhere.
Maybe something to do with the Mars Rover post I did a while back?

Photo Manipulation Can Be Fun, Prom

The perfect picture (and couple) in Jamaica, 1997

"M," ready for her prom.

See? He's still grimacing. I think he may have gotten that from me. :(

Allbritton Back In Iraq

Inspired by Vanessa's "B'lote of the Day": I had to note this for it's (unintentionally) droll irony.

If journalists are captured, there needs to be some time to allow the negotiations to work, and also, no one knows what story the journalists have told their captors. If they say they are Canadian, and it’s all over the news that they’re Americans, it will go very badly for them.

~Chris Allbriton in his blog, Back to Iraq 3.0
Originally from:
http://www.dashes.com/links/
chris allbritton is back in iraq

Allbritton blog quote in full:

This is not to engender sympathy for me specifically but to increase your understanding of how journalists have to work here. You can’t just call up a source — unless you know them well. And even then, there’s a good chance the phone won’t work. The threat of capture or worse is very real. Two Japanese journalists were killed yesterday trying to do their job. An NBC crew was captured in Fallujah earlier this week but — mercifully — released unharmed. There are a lot of kidnappings and detention going on that aren’t reported for very valid reasons: If journalists are captured, there needs to be some time to allow the negotiations to work, and also, no one knows what story the journalists have told their captors. If they say they are Canadian, and it’s all over the news that they’re Americans, it will go very badly for them.

Full blog post here

"Officially" Summer

Not an altogether bad weekend.
The weather was typical for here---cruddy 75% of the time--and I'm being generous.

The high point was a genuine high for me (no, not that kind!)
I received a comment on my blog in which a 14 y.o. girl thanked me for writing about an important historical event that occurred stateside during the Vietnam war.
The "event" was the 1970 Kent State (University) murders of four students by National Guardsmen, whom President Richard Nixon had ordered to the university in order to quell anti-war demonstrations.
The young lady who wrote to me mentioned that she'd not heard of the incident until recently (her mom told her of it--yay for moms!) and she thanked me for writing of it in the blog. Thank me? Thank you, my dear. You are the future and reading your thoughtful comments gives me great hope that there are "kids" out there that really care about your country as passionately as you do.

(topic change)
I did go swimming--the weather broke for one hour before more storms rolled in and I swam my little heart out (heart references just never ring the same way as they used to).

We watched both Kill Bills (one on DVD and the other in the theatre). You have to see them to appreciate them. Uma is devastatingly beautiful though, even caked in dirt and blood.

My husband surprised me and brought home a gigantic gas grill that is now taking up one-third of our deck. He is Bar-b-que Man, so I say go for it baby!

Oh yeah, late last night I finally put my mind to it and bought our plane tickets to California, along with discount Disney passes for our trip in August. We've had to trim back on the holiday, seeing less sights, so most likely we'll see a bit of San Diego but nothing north of Orange County. To say I'm disappointed would be an understatement. But we're going to the happiest place on Earth, so I'm totally jazzed! (Many years ago, I lived about 20 minutes from "the happiest place..." in Huntington Beach-- 2 blocks in from the ocean--Nirvana. Back then, I went whenever I could scrape together the 20 bucks or so. I'd say I've gone about 20 times--and I will continue to never tire of it. It's one of my "little" quirks).

I should have my carcass out the door, but being both compulsive and undisciplined I stayed up until 6 a.m. tending to my four blogs, which resulted in me oversleeping today. Summer is gonna force me back into a somewhat normal schedule for which I'll be grateful. Heh.

The Great Escape by Craig Unger

I've just started reading "Dude, Where's My Country," by Michael Moore.
In it, he posits seven questions to President Bush.
Question number one is regarding the secret evacuation of Saudis by plane that began just after Sept. 11.
It is disappointing though unsurprising that the reply to this question, depending on your perspective is either "We'll never know," or "Isn't it obvious?"

An Op-Ed piece in today's NYTimes makes a comment on this and the 9/11 commission.

OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR

The Great Escape
By CRAIG UNGER
June 1, 2004

Americans who think the 9/11 commission is going to answer all the crucial questions about the terrorist attacks are likely to be sorely disappointed — especially if they're interested in the secret evacuation of Saudis by plane that began just after Sept. 11.

We knew that 15 out of 19 hijackers were Saudis. We knew that Osama bin Laden, a Saudi, was behind 9/11. Yet we did not conduct a police-style investigation of the departing Saudis, of whom two dozen were members. of the bin Laden family. That is not to say that they were complicit in the attacks.

Unfortunately, though, we may never know the real story. The investigative panel has already concluded that there is "no credible evidence that any chartered flights of Saudi Arabian nationals departed the United States before the reopening of national airspace." But the real point is that there were still some restrictions on American airspace when the Saudi flights began.

In addition, new evidence shows that the evacuation involved more than the departure of 142 Saudis on six charter flights that the commission is investigating. According to newly released documents, 160 Saudis left the United States on 55 flights immediately after 9/11 — making a total of about 300 people who left with the apparent approval of the Bush administration, far more than has been reported before. The records were released by the Department of Homeland Security in response to a Freedom of Information Act request filed by Judicial Watch, a conservative, nonpartisan watchdog group in Washington.

The vast majority of the newly disclosed flights were commercial airline flights, not charters, often carrying just two or three Saudi passengers. They originated from more than 20 cities, including Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit and Houston. One Saudi Arabian Airlines flight left Kennedy Airport on Sept. 13 with 46 Saudis. The next day, another Saudi Arabian Airlines flight left with 13 Saudis.

The panel has indicated that it has yet to find any evidence that the F.B.I. checked the manifests of departing flights against its terror watch list. The departures of additional Saudis raise more questions for the panel. Richard Clarke, the former counterterrorism czar, told The Hill newspaper recently that he took full responsibility for approving some flights. But we don't know if other Bush administration officials participated in the decision.

The passengers should have been questioned about any links to Osama bin Laden, or his financing. We have long known that some faction of the Saudi elite has helped funnel money to Islamist terrorists —inadvertently at least. Prince Ahmed bin Salman, who has been accused of being an intermediary between Al Qaeda and the House of Saud, boarded one of the evacuation planes in Kentucky. Was he interrogated by the F.B.I. before he left?

If the commission dares to address these issues, it will undoubtedly be accused of politicizing one of the most important national security investigations in American history — in an election year, no less.

But if it does not, it risks something far worse — the betrayal of the thousands of people who lost their lives that day, not to mention millions of others who want the truth.

Craig Unger is the author of "House of Bush, House of Saud: The Secret Relationship Between the World's Two Most Powerful Dynasties."