Through the years I’ve heard warnings that cell phones can cause harm. Recently I read an article that neurosurgeons will not use cell phones without ear pieces, in other words they won’t put them near their brains. And these are guys who should know.
There’s a rash of videos on Youtube showing how cell phones ringing can actually pop pop-corn. I love the Japanese kid who immediately ate one of them. (thanks Deborah for the idea)
I got a bit of a kick out of reading that it’s Ian McEwan’s birthday today on Answers.com because just yesterday someone handed me a copy of his novel Black Dogs and just last week I finished rereading his great book The Innocent. I was able to enjoy rereading it, partly because my memory is so bad and I read so many novels that I couldn’t recall some of the most important details of the story line. How is he going to dispose of the body they’d chopped up and stuffed into two suitcases, I kept asking myself? A great read.
The hype on the cover of Black Dogs quotes the Sunday Telegraph saying that it’s “Powerful … Unforgettable.” Of course they always put stuff like that on the covers of paperbacks, but in this case I’ll bet it’s true.
Happy birthday Ian.
I have no idea yet if the novel Black Dogs has anything to do with the following video, but I couldn’t resist:
When it comes to escape reading, for me there’s nothing like the Jack Reacher novels written by Lee Child.
Lee Child has written 12 Jack Reacher thrillers now. I’m just finishing the 11th called Bad Luck and Trouble. To say Jack Reacher is a character larger than life would be an understatement. At one point in the novel, after having reunited with what was left of his former unit to investigate the murder of one of their own, they were engaged in trying to guess the dead guy’s computer pass word. After eleven unsuccessful attempts, with only one chance left, one of them said,
“(Koufax) Should have been your first, out of this list. Franz related to icons, gods, people he admired, performances he idolized….Baseball is a metaphor,” O’Donnell said. “An ace pitcher like Sandy Koufax, a man of great integrity, all alone on the mound, the World Series, stakes high, that’s how Franz wanted to see himself. He probably wouldn’t have articulated it exactly that way, but I can tell you his password would have to be a worthy repository for his devotion. And it would be expressed in a brusque, masculine fashion,…”
Of course the password turned out to be Reacher.
I don’t know about the other millions of readers, but I think what I like is the vicarious pleasure I derive, especially from the violence.
One of my favorite blogs is Kottke.org. Jason Kottke must be one of the hardest working bloggers in town; check out how much he posts each day, and interesting stuff too.
One of his links that I love is The Big Picture, which I’ve seen mentioned on his site twice now. It’s a part of the Boston Globe web site. This is absolutely incredible photography.
The great actor, John Cazale, has an unusual distinction among his fellow actors. He starred in 6 major motion pictures, one, The Godfather Part III, used archival footage after his death, and every one of them was nominated for Best Picture. As usual, Wikipedia has the details.
Cazale’s talent, as often happens, can be overlooked because Al Pacino is so great. Earlier in the film we had a scene which is often called the “kiss of death” in Havana, when Michael says, “You broke my heart, Fredo.” I call the scene below the “look of death” when Michael, while embracing Fredo in seeming forgiveness, gives Neri a look that says “OK, our mother’s dead, you can take care of Fredo now.” With all that going on, one might miss the look on Fredo’s face when he sees his brother, the way he puts the cigarette in the ashtray and the gut-wrenching embrace.
Today is the second anniversary of the elevation of Katharine Jefferts Schori to presiding bishop of the American Episcopal Church. And if you think that’s enough to make the Catholics look twice, just get a load of what she has to say about homosexuality.
Seeing George Takei in the news yesterday made me happy. The original Star Trek and its reruns was such a big part of my life, that still today anything related makes me happy, not to mention how pleased I am with recent developments in the States concerning civil unions.
In these years I’ve enjoyed the controversy about same-gender marriage, often thinking of it as one of the clear dividing issues between conservatives and liberals. Apparently this time around it’s not supposed to be such a dividing issue, at least that’s what I read somewhere.
Yesterday, a blog I just love, Feministe, ran the heartwarming story of Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin, lesbian activists who have been together practically their whole lives. Although the article contains an old pic, which has been around the internet and back again, if ever there were a picture worth a thousand words this is it.
Wikipedia gives a nice map of the situation in Europe. The Netherlands was first, surprisingly as recently as 2001 (is that possible?).
Here’s a clip of the ever-youthful George to enjoy
During the heated contest between Hilary and Barack, I became extremely interested in the American political scene, and I might add, for the first time. I’ve often been reproved by friends and relatives for my apolitical attitude throughout the years. But what was it that pulled me in? Was it the fact that I’m 55 now and have finally exhausted my youthful apathy? Or maybe since I’ve now been an expatriate living in Italy for 20 years, I’ve grown homesick and nostalgic? I think it was that I became fed up with the way things have gone lately, especially with the war in Iraq. We were suddenly considering the possibility of a woman or a black man as president. That would get anyone’s attention.
As I watched, and read, I became fascinated by the intensity of the supporters. I honestly don’t know if that level of interest and enthusiasm is normal, this being my first time following things, but I loved it. I began leaning towards Obama and after hearing a few speeches, or excerpts thereof, I became a fan. I began predicting his success in the Primary.
Now my prediction is that he’ll win by a landslide over McCain, live up to his promises, more or less, and make the US a great nation once again. Now, please don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to pass myself off as an expert in these matters. I don’t have a career in journalism under my belt, and as I’ve said many times, I only recently took interest at all. I have tremendous respect for the real experts, Marc Cooper being one. His wonderful blog often extols the virtues of Obama, see here and here. And truthfully there is no shortage of blogs like his, professional writers, journalists, political pundits, all pushing the Democratic ticket. Certainly these people cannot be immune to prejudices and therefore their comments could be tainted, for example, by contempt for the current administration, hatred of the war in Iraq, concerns for the economy, any number of things.
I chanced upon an article a while back which seemed to have the answer, if the question is simply who is most likely to win. The odds-makers in Las Vegas are completely free of preconceived ideas. Theirs is an untainted prediction, no emotion, no agenda, only a single minded effort at setting the odds in such an exactly fair way that they make money. Read this.
John Turturro ain’t too shabby either.
She met the Greek.
The more I watch it, the better it gets. I love the mildly exaggerated facial expressions and tone of voice when he says, “Only with Ro. With other chicks, I’m Barry White. I go to the meat market”; the scream when he watched and went out of his mind; and the incredible dance number with the cops. It all adds up to a great scene in a great film, Romance and Cigarettes.
Mikeb302000 
