Be afraid, be very afraid.
How much of our lives are spent in fear? It’s something I’ve thought a lot about over the past few months.
Fear is a horrible thing. It’s used as justification in really bad decision making, whether on the personal level, a societal level, a species level. The self preservation instinct is based somewhat upon fear and that’s something you’d have a lot of trouble casting aspersions on but, when you get right down to it more often than not being afraid seldom is helpful.
The reason I bring the subject up is because I’ve come to realize I’ve spent a majority of my life being afraid of one thing or another.
I remember there was a friend I use to house sit for two decades back. I loved being able to house sit if only to get out of the crappy space I was living in at the time. The only thing I found very disarming was this painting he had done which hung prominently in the living room. It was a birds’ eye view of a small boy walking alone through an alley. It had very dramatic perspective but, the unsettling thing I found looking at it was the expression on the boy’s face.
It was a combination of sadness and fear.
The funny thing was, the painting always felt to be more an accident than anything else, I never attributed the ability or skill to my friend to capture the particular emotion so vividly. No, it was more a matter about what I brought to the table, emotional baggage. The results of a hard journey through life so, when I looked at the painting, saw the expression upon the boy’s face, it made me uncomfortable because I knew the feelings behind it all too well. The isolation etched in those features, the horror felt so deeply it seemed to ooze from his pores.
Anyway, being in a bit of an introspective phase and having to deal with quite a few crises over the last few months have made me focus on the direction I would like life to take. At least that is part of what goes in in my quieter moments. The thing I realize I want more than anything as I move forward through life is to stop being afraid, to stop allowing fear to consume or paralyze me. To vanquish the fear within me and really enjoy each day to its fullest.
Everybody’s life would be a bit better with a little less fear, case in point:
acarophobia fear of itching or of insects causing itching
acrophobia fear of heights
aerophobia fear of flying or draughts
agoraphobia fear of open spaces
agyiophobia fear of crossing busy streets
aichmophobia fear of sharp or pointed objects
ailurophobia fear of cats
algophobia fear of pain
amathophobia fear of dust
amaxophobia fear of riding in a car
ambulophobia fear of walking
anglophobia fear of England or the English
anthrophobia fear of humans
anuptaphobia fear of staying single
aquaphobia fear of water
arachibutyrophobia fear of peanut butter sticking to roof of mouth
arachnophobia fear of spiders
astraphobia fear of being struck by lightning
astrapophobia fear of thunder and lightning
automysophobia fear of being dirty
autophobia fear of solitude
ballistophobia fear of missiles
bathophobia fear of falling from a high place
batophobia fear of heights or being close to tall buildings
batrachophobia fear of frogs and toads
belonephobia fear of pins and needles
bibliophobia fear of books
blennophobia fear of slime
brontophobia fear of thunder and lightning
cancerophobia fear of cancer
cathisophobia fear of sitting
cenophobia fear of empty spaces
chrematophobia fear of money
cibophobia fear of or distaste for food
claustrophobia fear of closed spaces
climacophobia fear of falling down stairs
clinophobia fear of staying in bed
cremnophobia fear of cliffs and precipices
cyberphobia fear of computers
cynophobia fear of dogs
dromophobia fear of crossing streets
dysmorphophobia fear of physical deformities
ecophobia fear of home
eleutherophobia fear of freedom
eosophobia fear of dawn
ergasiophobia fear of work
ergophobia fear of work
erotophobia fear of sex
erythrophobia fear of red lights or of blushing
euphobia fear of good news
Francophobia fear of France or the French
gallophobia fear of France or the French
gamophobia fear of marriage
geniophobia fear of chins
genophobia fear of sex
gerascophobia fear of growing old
graphophobia fear of writing
gymnophobia fear of nudity
heliophobia fear of sunlight
herpetophobia fear of snakes
hierophobia fear of sacred things
homichlophobia fear of fog
homophobia fear of homosexuals
hydrophobia fear of water
hypsophobia fear of high places
iatrophobia fear of going to the doctor
iconophobia fear or hatred of images
kainotophobia fear of change
kakorrhaphiophobia fear of failure
kenophobia fear of empty spaces
ligyrophobia fear of loud noises
linonophobia fear of string
lygophobia fear of darkness
lyssophobia fear of hydrophobia
macrophobia fear of prolonged waiting
metrophobia fear of poetry
monophobia fear of being alone
muriphobia fear of mice
myophobia fear of mice
mysophobia fear of contamination or dirt
nebulaphobia fear of fog
necrophobia fear of corpses
negrophobia fear of blacks
neophobia fear of novelty
nosophobia fear of disease
novercaphobia fear of one's stepmother
nyctophobia fear of the night or darkness
ochlophobia fear of crowds
oenophobia fear or hatred of wine
ombrophobia fear of rain
onomatophobia fear of hearing a certain word
ophidiophobia fear of snakes
ophthalmophobia fear of being stared at
optophobia fear of opening one’s eyes
ornithophobia fear of birds
paedophobia fear of children; fear of dolls
panophobia melancholia marked by groundless fears
pantophobia fear of everything
parthophobia fear of virgins
pathophobia fear of disease
pediculophobia fear of lice
pentheraphobia fear or hatred of one’s mother-in-law
phagophobia fear of eating
phengophobia fear of daylight
phonophobia fear of noise or of speaking aloud
photophobia fear of light
pogonophobia fear of beards
psychrophobia fear of the cold
pteronophobia fear of being tickled by feathers
pyrophobia fear of fire
Russophobia fear of Russia or Russians
satanophobia fear of the devil
sciaphobia fear of shadows
scopophobia fear of being looked at
scoptophobia fear of being looked at
scotophobia fear of the dark
sitiophobia fear of food
sitophobia fear of food or eating
spectrophobia fear of looking in a mirror
symmetrophobia fear of symmetry
syphilophobia fear of syphilis
taphephobia fear of being buried alive
technophobia fear of technology
thalassophobia fear of the sea
thanatophobia fear of death
theophobia fear of God
tocophobia fear of pregnancy or childbirth
tonitrophobia fear of thunder
topophobia fear of performing; fear of certain places
toxicophobia fear of poisoning
toxiphobia fear of poison or being poisoned
triskaidekaphobia fear of the number thirteen
uranophobia fear of heaven
xenophobia fear of foreigners
zelophobia fear of jealousy
zoophobia fear of animals
Jan 19, 2006
Did somone step on a duck?
And speaking of flatuence (as opposed to smelling it), there’s this jewel from this week’s Savage Love advice column by Dan Savage:
I have a sexual interest in the sounds of men using the toilet. I hide a wireless telephone headset in an inconspicuous place in the bathroom of several restaurants close to my home. I can then record, from my home, the sounds of men farting and defecating. My husband is aware of this and tolerates it...
Just proving yet again one person’s nasty business is another’s guilty pleasure.
And speaking of flatuence (as opposed to smelling it), there’s this jewel from this week’s Savage Love advice column by Dan Savage:
I have a sexual interest in the sounds of men using the toilet. I hide a wireless telephone headset in an inconspicuous place in the bathroom of several restaurants close to my home. I can then record, from my home, the sounds of men farting and defecating. My husband is aware of this and tolerates it...
Just proving yet again one person’s nasty business is another’s guilty pleasure.
Howard Stern is a dirty, rotten crook.
Or, the truth behind Fartman.
I always thought the Fartman thing sounded a bit familar. I’ve been going through a lot of old stuff laying around here and I happened to have a couple of stacks of old National Lampoons when I came across the above photo funny. I can swear I’ve heard Stern speak the very words in all three speech ballons during the dream sequence.
Of course, this saw print in 1979! It’s ironic if only because part of the Stern schtick is him purporting to have reinvented the wheel. I like Stern and watched or listened to him through the years but, I do find it troubling he made such a blatant swipe. Especially since he went as far as to trademark the Fartman name! Got to love someone who swipes a concept and brands it as their own.
Or, the truth behind Fartman.
I always thought the Fartman thing sounded a bit familar. I’ve been going through a lot of old stuff laying around here and I happened to have a couple of stacks of old National Lampoons when I came across the above photo funny. I can swear I’ve heard Stern speak the very words in all three speech ballons during the dream sequence.
Of course, this saw print in 1979! It’s ironic if only because part of the Stern schtick is him purporting to have reinvented the wheel. I like Stern and watched or listened to him through the years but, I do find it troubling he made such a blatant swipe. Especially since he went as far as to trademark the Fartman name! Got to love someone who swipes a concept and brands it as their own.
Not with a roar but with a whimper. (from 12/30)
Today was an eventful day of sorts. It was the last Howard Stern show broadcast on K-ROCK. After all the years of entertainment, Stern escaped to the haven of pay radio. The last moments of his show were taken up by a loud shouting match between Hank, the angry, drunken dwarf and BeetleJuice.
I’m not one of those people that will follow Stern to the world of satellite radio, I actually don’t think it’s worth the money.
It’s not that I don’t love radio - I really do. Between some things broadcast on NPR and other shows broadcast on regular radio - I have a great love for the medium. This American Life is a huge favorite of mine, I catch Prarie Home Companion when I remember to, Car Talk, Morning Edition, All Things Considered, The Pet Show with Dr. Warren Eckstein, the Joey Reynolds show, Dr. Joy Brown, Mike and the Mad Dog, Bob Grant, Paul Harvey well, you get the idea. Those shows are just the ones still being broadcast! I can go back into the vaults and pull out a great number of radio shows I miss that are no longer on the air - even some stations that have undergone format changes (WCBS FM being the latest loss).
Radio is great because it can provide you with a background and distraction in a way TV never can - TV being a visual medium demands all of your attention, radio is somewhat less demanding in that regard. You can still work, or just putter around and get things done while radio provides you with a soundtrack to your day.
So, while I’ll miss Stern, I won’t be following him.
Stern was part of what I considered to be one of the best station eras in history. WNBC AM in the 80’s had IMUS on from 6-10 am, then the Soupy Sales show from 10 to 2 followed by Stern. I always thought Stern was a better listen in the afternoon than in the morning, you could catch the whole show and somehow the edginess of his show was better placed in the afternoon.
When NBC fired him unceremoniously during a hurricane of all things, I was very disappointed. The Boy Gary and Fred show that followed for a few weeks after Stern left NBC was a dismal failure (although you rarely hear mention of the ill-fated show today) and was a brief comma in the airwaves until Joey Reynolds took over the timeslot before NBC ultimately went out of business and sold it’s spot on the dial to SportsRadio 1050 WFAN.
Yeah, that was a long, long time ago.
Through the years, I would listen to Stern and then sometimes I would find myself going months without listening to the show having had my fill of all the vitriol and bile which seems part and parcel of his world. Choosing to start my days in a queiter and less angry fashion, I would just wander down the dial for a brief time. I just needed a break from all the rawness Stern brings to the table.
Well, he‘s gone for now - even though there was an incredible media barrage in conjunction with his departure. I’ll miss him but I have to say, as much as I liked listening to him, Howard was never as good as his own press.
Today was an eventful day of sorts. It was the last Howard Stern show broadcast on K-ROCK. After all the years of entertainment, Stern escaped to the haven of pay radio. The last moments of his show were taken up by a loud shouting match between Hank, the angry, drunken dwarf and BeetleJuice.
I’m not one of those people that will follow Stern to the world of satellite radio, I actually don’t think it’s worth the money.
It’s not that I don’t love radio - I really do. Between some things broadcast on NPR and other shows broadcast on regular radio - I have a great love for the medium. This American Life is a huge favorite of mine, I catch Prarie Home Companion when I remember to, Car Talk, Morning Edition, All Things Considered, The Pet Show with Dr. Warren Eckstein, the Joey Reynolds show, Dr. Joy Brown, Mike and the Mad Dog, Bob Grant, Paul Harvey well, you get the idea. Those shows are just the ones still being broadcast! I can go back into the vaults and pull out a great number of radio shows I miss that are no longer on the air - even some stations that have undergone format changes (WCBS FM being the latest loss).
Radio is great because it can provide you with a background and distraction in a way TV never can - TV being a visual medium demands all of your attention, radio is somewhat less demanding in that regard. You can still work, or just putter around and get things done while radio provides you with a soundtrack to your day.
So, while I’ll miss Stern, I won’t be following him.
Stern was part of what I considered to be one of the best station eras in history. WNBC AM in the 80’s had IMUS on from 6-10 am, then the Soupy Sales show from 10 to 2 followed by Stern. I always thought Stern was a better listen in the afternoon than in the morning, you could catch the whole show and somehow the edginess of his show was better placed in the afternoon.
When NBC fired him unceremoniously during a hurricane of all things, I was very disappointed. The Boy Gary and Fred show that followed for a few weeks after Stern left NBC was a dismal failure (although you rarely hear mention of the ill-fated show today) and was a brief comma in the airwaves until Joey Reynolds took over the timeslot before NBC ultimately went out of business and sold it’s spot on the dial to SportsRadio 1050 WFAN.
Yeah, that was a long, long time ago.
Through the years, I would listen to Stern and then sometimes I would find myself going months without listening to the show having had my fill of all the vitriol and bile which seems part and parcel of his world. Choosing to start my days in a queiter and less angry fashion, I would just wander down the dial for a brief time. I just needed a break from all the rawness Stern brings to the table.
Well, he‘s gone for now - even though there was an incredible media barrage in conjunction with his departure. I’ll miss him but I have to say, as much as I liked listening to him, Howard was never as good as his own press.
Jan 16, 2006
Lest we forget.
I have a surname that ends in a vowel but, I can always change my name. I can go and anglicize it, shorten it, or take another name entirely.
Why?
Mainly, because people can (and do) make assumptions about me based around my surname.
It does make a difference.
I know it. But, whatever difference it has made, it hasn’t impacted me much. It’s not like I carry around a big sign or wear a t-shirt with my name prominently displayed on it. I can escape the prejudice inherent in my surname, I am fortunate in I don’t have features clearly putting me into any specific ethnic group or excluding me from the dominant one in this country.
What prompts me to speak about this topic?
Today is a federal holiday - some people taking more notice of it than others. and admittedly, I never placed much import on MLK day but, I was reading something Christopher Priest wrote and it gave me a reason to rethink the significance of the day:
If white people overcame centuries of violent repression, I guarantee you there'd not only BE a day to commemorate that struggle, but that the entire country would shut down to observe it.
And while Priest’s observations on the holiday provided me with some food for thought, reading of his own experiences was a reminder of just how different life can be based solely on skin color:
I was the office mascot. The little black kid. The co-key operator for the Xerox machine (with John Romita, Jr., who enthusiastically relinquished the top slot to me). My how liberal we are. Jim, go grab this, “In a jig.” Staffers, some still in the biz, used to come by and rub my head “for good luck.” One staffer kept little jigaboo figurines on his desk: warped, offensive little gnomes in white face eating watermelon. Denys Cowan stole one off of this guy’s desk and gave it to me as a Christmas present. I keep it on my desk here to remind me some of these people still work there.
Oh sure, our country today is a politically correct society but bigotry and prejudice are still very much a part of some people’s daily lives. I can’t begin to fathom what it is like to be black in America and I have to remind myself there are still serious problems where the issue of race is concerned. When I wrote about my friend Kevin three years ago, it was perhaps the closest I could come to identifying with the issue because it affected somebody who was very important to me, a good friend, a nice person, who felt this weight burdening them, this inescapable reminder which would confront them when they least expected it.
As Kevin described it he had a goal (which he did in fact achieve) which was to make it to the age of 35 without winding up dead or in jail. When I think about it now it makes me really, really sad. Not that Kevin made his goal for which I am infinitely happy but, that our society is such, it made it really clear to him there was only so much he could expect.
Sometimes, I think a lot of what happens in our society today is based around the class of economics. Capitalism in it’s purest form as a way of perpetuating discrimination. If capitalism works, there have to be winners and losers, no? This past year was a reminder of just what is going on in our country - when Americans could be abandoned the way they were in New Orleans after Katrina.
It wasn’t just the abandonment, which was horrible in and of itself, it was more that it was an indictment of our country. Yes, pull back the curtain behind all the go-go economic success, the booming stock market and you come to realize there is some real poverty still out there in this nation. If we were back in the seventies, now is the time I would loudly proclaim, “WE CAN PUT AN AMERICAN ON THE MOON SO WHY CAN’T WE END POVERTY IN THIS COUNTRY?!?!”
Somehow those goals have been left behind us. We, as a nation are prepared to get wrapped up in the sloganeering of a media driven society. A society where, “No child is left behind” or where we conduct a “War on Evildoers” but, all these slogans lack true substance.
Anyway, I digress.
Priest was right on the money about the holiday, it should be more important to everyone than it is. How can a nation which is supposed to have its precepts based upon the concepts of freedom and liberty treat any such holiday in a diminutive fashion? In doing so, doesn’t it diminish us all?
I think things are better for people in the country today than they were when I was young (in terms of race relations and prejudice) but, they still have a very, very long way to go. I don’t know if a day will come in my lifetime where people stop defining themselves according to the color of their skin - hell, over the last decade and a half there has been more proof to me that people want to focus more on what differentiates them than what brings them together. I imagine though that was the intent behind the holiday to begin with, simply put honoring the birth of a man who embodied hope, hope for a better world. That’s something we all should take note of and respect.
I have a surname that ends in a vowel but, I can always change my name. I can go and anglicize it, shorten it, or take another name entirely.
Why?
Mainly, because people can (and do) make assumptions about me based around my surname.
It does make a difference.
I know it. But, whatever difference it has made, it hasn’t impacted me much. It’s not like I carry around a big sign or wear a t-shirt with my name prominently displayed on it. I can escape the prejudice inherent in my surname, I am fortunate in I don’t have features clearly putting me into any specific ethnic group or excluding me from the dominant one in this country.
What prompts me to speak about this topic?
Today is a federal holiday - some people taking more notice of it than others. and admittedly, I never placed much import on MLK day but, I was reading something Christopher Priest wrote and it gave me a reason to rethink the significance of the day:
If white people overcame centuries of violent repression, I guarantee you there'd not only BE a day to commemorate that struggle, but that the entire country would shut down to observe it.
And while Priest’s observations on the holiday provided me with some food for thought, reading of his own experiences was a reminder of just how different life can be based solely on skin color:
I was the office mascot. The little black kid. The co-key operator for the Xerox machine (with John Romita, Jr., who enthusiastically relinquished the top slot to me). My how liberal we are. Jim, go grab this, “In a jig.” Staffers, some still in the biz, used to come by and rub my head “for good luck.” One staffer kept little jigaboo figurines on his desk: warped, offensive little gnomes in white face eating watermelon. Denys Cowan stole one off of this guy’s desk and gave it to me as a Christmas present. I keep it on my desk here to remind me some of these people still work there.
Oh sure, our country today is a politically correct society but bigotry and prejudice are still very much a part of some people’s daily lives. I can’t begin to fathom what it is like to be black in America and I have to remind myself there are still serious problems where the issue of race is concerned. When I wrote about my friend Kevin three years ago, it was perhaps the closest I could come to identifying with the issue because it affected somebody who was very important to me, a good friend, a nice person, who felt this weight burdening them, this inescapable reminder which would confront them when they least expected it.
As Kevin described it he had a goal (which he did in fact achieve) which was to make it to the age of 35 without winding up dead or in jail. When I think about it now it makes me really, really sad. Not that Kevin made his goal for which I am infinitely happy but, that our society is such, it made it really clear to him there was only so much he could expect.
Sometimes, I think a lot of what happens in our society today is based around the class of economics. Capitalism in it’s purest form as a way of perpetuating discrimination. If capitalism works, there have to be winners and losers, no? This past year was a reminder of just what is going on in our country - when Americans could be abandoned the way they were in New Orleans after Katrina.
It wasn’t just the abandonment, which was horrible in and of itself, it was more that it was an indictment of our country. Yes, pull back the curtain behind all the go-go economic success, the booming stock market and you come to realize there is some real poverty still out there in this nation. If we were back in the seventies, now is the time I would loudly proclaim, “WE CAN PUT AN AMERICAN ON THE MOON SO WHY CAN’T WE END POVERTY IN THIS COUNTRY?!?!”
Somehow those goals have been left behind us. We, as a nation are prepared to get wrapped up in the sloganeering of a media driven society. A society where, “No child is left behind” or where we conduct a “War on Evildoers” but, all these slogans lack true substance.
Anyway, I digress.
Priest was right on the money about the holiday, it should be more important to everyone than it is. How can a nation which is supposed to have its precepts based upon the concepts of freedom and liberty treat any such holiday in a diminutive fashion? In doing so, doesn’t it diminish us all?
I think things are better for people in the country today than they were when I was young (in terms of race relations and prejudice) but, they still have a very, very long way to go. I don’t know if a day will come in my lifetime where people stop defining themselves according to the color of their skin - hell, over the last decade and a half there has been more proof to me that people want to focus more on what differentiates them than what brings them together. I imagine though that was the intent behind the holiday to begin with, simply put honoring the birth of a man who embodied hope, hope for a better world. That’s something we all should take note of and respect.
Jan 15, 2006
While we’re talking about the subject...
It’s as good a time as any to take a gander over the stir caused by one of the more infamous examples of bad behavior and the dialog it stirred back in 2004 when the Comics Journal ran a certain editors’ obituary.
This guy’s hands are practically crawling up my dress under the table. Jo got up to go to the ladies’ room and he grabbed me and tried to shove his tongue down my throat.
It was just the old hand on the thigh, hand on the shoulder, hand on the arm, not letting go unless you pull yourself away strongly enough to leave bruises.
(When a 17-year-old Jill Thompson tried to shake his hand) he put his hand out and honked my boob.
The only time I ever spoke to the man, he told me in a condescending tone, “You don’t look like a writer,” then attempted to cop a feel.
It’s as good a time as any to take a gander over the stir caused by one of the more infamous examples of bad behavior and the dialog it stirred back in 2004 when the Comics Journal ran a certain editors’ obituary.
This guy’s hands are practically crawling up my dress under the table. Jo got up to go to the ladies’ room and he grabbed me and tried to shove his tongue down my throat.
—Colleen Doran
It was just the old hand on the thigh, hand on the shoulder, hand on the arm, not letting go unless you pull yourself away strongly enough to leave bruises.
—Jo Duffy
(When a 17-year-old Jill Thompson tried to shake his hand) he put his hand out and honked my boob.
—Jill Thompson
The only time I ever spoke to the man, he told me in a condescending tone, “You don’t look like a writer,” then attempted to cop a feel.
—Poppy Z. Brite
Synchronicity.
I’ve read a few things regarding an incident that took place recently. In a strange bit of coincidence, I came across this story and thought I would email it to Ronee Garcia but I can’t seem to a way to email the woman without registering on some board so, I figured to just post it here and hope it finds its way to her. Given all the debate the incident has stirred I thought it might just be further validation of her argument.
Beating the Erasers.
Susan Drury tells the story of what happens when one of the most respected men in town gets accused of sexual harassment by one of the most trusted women in town. For a lot of the townspeople it was a difficult decision, but they chose to believe him over her. And some of them didn't change their minds, even when the man was later revealed to be a murderer. (21 minutes)
Clicking on the title will download the RealAudio file and clicking on the body will take you to the synopsis of the This American Life episode.
I’ve read a few things regarding an incident that took place recently. In a strange bit of coincidence, I came across this story and thought I would email it to Ronee Garcia but I can’t seem to a way to email the woman without registering on some board so, I figured to just post it here and hope it finds its way to her. Given all the debate the incident has stirred I thought it might just be further validation of her argument.
Beating the Erasers.
Susan Drury tells the story of what happens when one of the most respected men in town gets accused of sexual harassment by one of the most trusted women in town. For a lot of the townspeople it was a difficult decision, but they chose to believe him over her. And some of them didn't change their minds, even when the man was later revealed to be a murderer. (21 minutes)
Clicking on the title will download the RealAudio file and clicking on the body will take you to the synopsis of the This American Life episode.
True tales for a Sunday morning!
You can’t make stories like this up. The guy’s name even adds to the bizarre circumstances surrounding this one:
Jerry Colaitis of Upper Brookville, N.Y., injured his neck while attempting to dodge a piece of hot shrimp playfully tossed at him by a table-side hibachi chef, attorney Andre Ferenzo of Roslyn told the jury.
That neck injury necessitated an operation. An apparent infection forced another procedure.
Months later, Colaitis was dead of a blood-borne infection...
You can’t make stories like this up. The guy’s name even adds to the bizarre circumstances surrounding this one:
Jerry Colaitis of Upper Brookville, N.Y., injured his neck while attempting to dodge a piece of hot shrimp playfully tossed at him by a table-side hibachi chef, attorney Andre Ferenzo of Roslyn told the jury.
That neck injury necessitated an operation. An apparent infection forced another procedure.
Months later, Colaitis was dead of a blood-borne infection...
Jan 14, 2006
Stupid people?
Last night John Stossel hosted a special broadcast of ABC’s 20/20 titled Stupid in America. At one point, Stossel compared public schools in our country to other monopolies, specifically public utilities such as the phone company or the electric company. His argument encompassed the theory that competition was good and that by allowing for there to be competition in the public education system in the form of tax credits and vouchers, education in this country would undergo a dramatic improvement and reform.
It’s a nice theory, really, it is.
But, I’m not buying it.
I’m still on the fence about the whole deregulation thing and whether or not it’s been good in the long run. Monopolies like the electric company were deregulated out of business and suddenly we had rolling blackouts in California a few years back, the whole manipulation of the energy market by the likes of people such as Enron and also there seems to be a growing lack of investment in the upgrade of power generating facilities and the networks that deliver them - there just isn’t as much of a financial incentive for those old monopolies to upgrade their networks in order to make it easier to deliver power other companies will charge users for.
Same thing goes for the phone company. I agree it’s considerably cheaper to make a long distance phone call these days but, much of what has happened in the telecommunications industry is a result of technological breakthroughs that were well on their way. I don’t think deregulation made any difference in the explosive growth of the internet over the last decade. There are outside forces which came to bear on the telecommunications industry foreseen long before they broke up the Bells.
In each instance of comparison too, Stossel is comparing companies providing a very clear, straightforward service. Your lights are either on or their not. Your phone either works or it doesn’t. There may be variables in the amount the consumer pays or in the areas of coverage (in the instance of phone service) but, these are very concrete services being delivered.
I can’t imagine education being such a clear cut service and I think Stossel has done education in this country a great disservice with his oversimplification of the issue and his poor comparisons. Students have as much to do with their success in the classroom as do educators. Families have an even more important role in the formation and education of children in this country. The breakdown of families, the need for households to have dual incomes where both parents are working, the changing expectations for schools as something more than places where a child will go just to get an education all factor in to the state of education in our country.
One instance on the show cited by the online synopsis, talked about students going into schools in Washington DC (hand-picked by the city’s education people) and videotaping what goes on in school. There, a student apparently took off his shirt and started dancing around the teacher which Stossel used to illustrate the breakdown of education in even what are thought of as the best of schools but, I think it’s here where he totally missed the mark.
What about the parents of that kid? Who is raising a child that believes he can be so bold as to act out in this manner? Why does it become the teachers’ fault? If a child is bought up with a lack of respect for his elders or those in authority, how does it become the educators who have to take on the brunt of the blame? If you put a child in a position where they feel they no longer have to fear the repercussions of their actions how does that becomes the educators fault?
It reminds me of an oft told parable I’ve noted on occasion. I was speaking to a relative with two young girls in school. We were talking about education in this country and I wanted to underline something to him. I asked when he was a child if a teacher ever struck him or if he got in trouble in school what the reaction would be when he got home. His response was much in the way I remember my own experiences in that if you got in trouble in school, you would wind up paying for it when you got home - your parents would be asking the question, What did you do wrong?!”
Then I queried if a teacher dared strike his own little angels what his response would be and it was, “What did the teacher do wrong?!?!”
If kids don’t behave all the time around their parents, where is the logic in assuming that the little dear is going to behave once their out of sight of their parents? I mean, honestly! What planet are we on where children are these perfect little angels who behave politely and respectfully at all times? Within the last few years, the New York City school system ended the practice of “social promotion.” When I first heard about social promotion I was dumbstruck. Little Johnny can’t be left back a grade because it might damage his sense of self! Who came up with that one?
Let’s see how this prepares a child for the real world? MMmmmm, let me get this straight, if you don’t do the work and fail to make the grade they’ll not only keep you at your job but give you a raise as well?
Thankfully, social promotion was ended but, the amazing thing was the incredible uproar it caused parents and others who went out and demonstrated in droves against ending the practice! Teachers are not babysitters, they’re not the ones who can provide a child with an authority figure in their life if a parent is too busy or can’t be bothered to assume that role and certainly they have a tougher time doing their job if the very same parents who relinquish these obligations somehow hamstring them further by refusing to at least support teachers when they do try to correct the problem.
I think education in our country is one of the most important issues facing us as a society. It’s of overwhelming importance to have a well-educated citizenry without question. It’s the thing that will insure our nation’s future as a world leader. There is no question we need to look at ways to improve the educational system in our country but, let’s not forget the role parents have in the education of their children. We can go about enacting all kinds of reform, creating millions of charter schools and revamping the whole system in this country as we know it but, if we don’t look at the whole issue and the factors involved it will be akin to building a house on a bad foundation and we’ll just wind up spinning our wheels into stupidity.
Besides, I’ve got to imagine the monopoly in China isn’t hurting the educational system in that country (If Stossel’s observations are accurate - that wouldn’t be the case but it is). A standardized cirriculum controlled by the central government is still in place despite other reforms but, China stills emphasizes vocational training in a way that has fallen by the wayside in our own country. Schools are not businesses supplying a standardized commodity like phone or electric service, they are delivery method for information. As such, it is equally incumbent on the receiver whether or not the transfer of the information is achieved successfully.
Last night John Stossel hosted a special broadcast of ABC’s 20/20 titled Stupid in America. At one point, Stossel compared public schools in our country to other monopolies, specifically public utilities such as the phone company or the electric company. His argument encompassed the theory that competition was good and that by allowing for there to be competition in the public education system in the form of tax credits and vouchers, education in this country would undergo a dramatic improvement and reform.
It’s a nice theory, really, it is.
But, I’m not buying it.
I’m still on the fence about the whole deregulation thing and whether or not it’s been good in the long run. Monopolies like the electric company were deregulated out of business and suddenly we had rolling blackouts in California a few years back, the whole manipulation of the energy market by the likes of people such as Enron and also there seems to be a growing lack of investment in the upgrade of power generating facilities and the networks that deliver them - there just isn’t as much of a financial incentive for those old monopolies to upgrade their networks in order to make it easier to deliver power other companies will charge users for.
Same thing goes for the phone company. I agree it’s considerably cheaper to make a long distance phone call these days but, much of what has happened in the telecommunications industry is a result of technological breakthroughs that were well on their way. I don’t think deregulation made any difference in the explosive growth of the internet over the last decade. There are outside forces which came to bear on the telecommunications industry foreseen long before they broke up the Bells.
In each instance of comparison too, Stossel is comparing companies providing a very clear, straightforward service. Your lights are either on or their not. Your phone either works or it doesn’t. There may be variables in the amount the consumer pays or in the areas of coverage (in the instance of phone service) but, these are very concrete services being delivered.
I can’t imagine education being such a clear cut service and I think Stossel has done education in this country a great disservice with his oversimplification of the issue and his poor comparisons. Students have as much to do with their success in the classroom as do educators. Families have an even more important role in the formation and education of children in this country. The breakdown of families, the need for households to have dual incomes where both parents are working, the changing expectations for schools as something more than places where a child will go just to get an education all factor in to the state of education in our country.
One instance on the show cited by the online synopsis, talked about students going into schools in Washington DC (hand-picked by the city’s education people) and videotaping what goes on in school. There, a student apparently took off his shirt and started dancing around the teacher which Stossel used to illustrate the breakdown of education in even what are thought of as the best of schools but, I think it’s here where he totally missed the mark.
What about the parents of that kid? Who is raising a child that believes he can be so bold as to act out in this manner? Why does it become the teachers’ fault? If a child is bought up with a lack of respect for his elders or those in authority, how does it become the educators who have to take on the brunt of the blame? If you put a child in a position where they feel they no longer have to fear the repercussions of their actions how does that becomes the educators fault?
It reminds me of an oft told parable I’ve noted on occasion. I was speaking to a relative with two young girls in school. We were talking about education in this country and I wanted to underline something to him. I asked when he was a child if a teacher ever struck him or if he got in trouble in school what the reaction would be when he got home. His response was much in the way I remember my own experiences in that if you got in trouble in school, you would wind up paying for it when you got home - your parents would be asking the question, What did you do wrong?!”
Then I queried if a teacher dared strike his own little angels what his response would be and it was, “What did the teacher do wrong?!?!”
If kids don’t behave all the time around their parents, where is the logic in assuming that the little dear is going to behave once their out of sight of their parents? I mean, honestly! What planet are we on where children are these perfect little angels who behave politely and respectfully at all times? Within the last few years, the New York City school system ended the practice of “social promotion.” When I first heard about social promotion I was dumbstruck. Little Johnny can’t be left back a grade because it might damage his sense of self! Who came up with that one?
Let’s see how this prepares a child for the real world? MMmmmm, let me get this straight, if you don’t do the work and fail to make the grade they’ll not only keep you at your job but give you a raise as well?
Thankfully, social promotion was ended but, the amazing thing was the incredible uproar it caused parents and others who went out and demonstrated in droves against ending the practice! Teachers are not babysitters, they’re not the ones who can provide a child with an authority figure in their life if a parent is too busy or can’t be bothered to assume that role and certainly they have a tougher time doing their job if the very same parents who relinquish these obligations somehow hamstring them further by refusing to at least support teachers when they do try to correct the problem.
I think education in our country is one of the most important issues facing us as a society. It’s of overwhelming importance to have a well-educated citizenry without question. It’s the thing that will insure our nation’s future as a world leader. There is no question we need to look at ways to improve the educational system in our country but, let’s not forget the role parents have in the education of their children. We can go about enacting all kinds of reform, creating millions of charter schools and revamping the whole system in this country as we know it but, if we don’t look at the whole issue and the factors involved it will be akin to building a house on a bad foundation and we’ll just wind up spinning our wheels into stupidity.
Besides, I’ve got to imagine the monopoly in China isn’t hurting the educational system in that country (If Stossel’s observations are accurate - that wouldn’t be the case but it is). A standardized cirriculum controlled by the central government is still in place despite other reforms but, China stills emphasizes vocational training in a way that has fallen by the wayside in our own country. Schools are not businesses supplying a standardized commodity like phone or electric service, they are delivery method for information. As such, it is equally incumbent on the receiver whether or not the transfer of the information is achieved successfully.
Jan 13, 2006
Jan 12, 2006
I fail to notice.
“All that is required for evil to prevail
is for good men to do nothing.”
A horrible thing has happened - I come to realize I have become inured to the antics of the current administration. In a sense I imagine it is a victory of sorts for George Jr and Co. and a loss for many of us. Watching, hearing or reading about each new transgression on the civil liberties of our citizens no longer surprises or shocks me in the way it once might have.
I now sit back and await the days for the mid-term election, hoping against hope that some kind of serious push can be made to take the executive branch to task for its wild spending habits, gross mismanagement of resources and waste of public good will.
Whatever opportunity existed in the days following September ’01 to significantly alter and unite or nation are rapidly falling by the wayside. It’s not about Afghanistan, it’s not about Iraq, not anymore for me - it‘s about seeing things like the aftermath of Katrina, a growing trade deficit, rising federal debt, an increasing loss of jobs in the manufacturing sector, chipping away at Social Security, no real tort reform and a lack of any true progress in controlling the costs of medical care, insurance and drugs - don’t even get me going about education.
Like the song goes, I’ve Become Comfortably Numb.
I’m numb yes, but that doesn’t mean I’m asleep though. I’m just waiting. Counting the days until the next election. Tick, tick, tick, tick. All I’m hoping for is that the democrats can get their act together to send a strong, clear message that will resonate not just with their loyal base but, with crossover voters like me. It won’t be such a hard task this time around.
is for good men to do nothing.”
— Edmund Burke
A horrible thing has happened - I come to realize I have become inured to the antics of the current administration. In a sense I imagine it is a victory of sorts for George Jr and Co. and a loss for many of us. Watching, hearing or reading about each new transgression on the civil liberties of our citizens no longer surprises or shocks me in the way it once might have.
I now sit back and await the days for the mid-term election, hoping against hope that some kind of serious push can be made to take the executive branch to task for its wild spending habits, gross mismanagement of resources and waste of public good will.
Whatever opportunity existed in the days following September ’01 to significantly alter and unite or nation are rapidly falling by the wayside. It’s not about Afghanistan, it’s not about Iraq, not anymore for me - it‘s about seeing things like the aftermath of Katrina, a growing trade deficit, rising federal debt, an increasing loss of jobs in the manufacturing sector, chipping away at Social Security, no real tort reform and a lack of any true progress in controlling the costs of medical care, insurance and drugs - don’t even get me going about education.
Like the song goes, I’ve Become Comfortably Numb.
I’m numb yes, but that doesn’t mean I’m asleep though. I’m just waiting. Counting the days until the next election. Tick, tick, tick, tick. All I’m hoping for is that the democrats can get their act together to send a strong, clear message that will resonate not just with their loyal base but, with crossover voters like me. It won’t be such a hard task this time around.
Can anyone tell me?
I got to thinking about this the other day...
So, who won?
I mean for the 18 months or so after Septmber 11th, you would often here, “If we don’t (or can’t what have you) [FILL IN THE BLANK HERE], THE TERRORISTS WILL HAVE WON!”
I don’t know, did we win? Did they? I’m not getting that real big sense of change, any of you getting it maybe?
I got to thinking about this the other day...
So, who won?
I mean for the 18 months or so after Septmber 11th, you would often here, “If we don’t (or can’t what have you) [FILL IN THE BLANK HERE], THE TERRORISTS WILL HAVE WON!”
I don’t know, did we win? Did they? I’m not getting that real big sense of change, any of you getting it maybe?
Objectification.
So, I got a mention on Elanye Riggs blog which really flattered me. I find any kind of attention for the blog a good thing for the most part but admittedly I do operate off in a rather remote part of the internet without a great deal of traffic. I am sure I don’t match the kind of traffic Elanye gets.
I got the mention mainly because there is something of a firestorm brewing in the world of comics over a story making the rounds about harassment of a women by a man (see below). I tried writing something to the issue (unfinished) but still haven’t fleshed out my ideas in a way I would like. In the meantime, I checked back on Elanye’s blog and saw some further comments and then got a bit worried because of a reference that made me think I might be suspect.
See, I have links too around here to half nekkid women and what worried me was I might have offended Elanye in some way.
Now, I happen to like half nekkid women. I am getting older though and the women in question are getting younger, there’s a bigger gap in the ages between me and the women I’m looking at which has an inherent creep factor in it. Truthfully, I don’t want to fall into the creep category. At the same time though, I don’t want to stop looking at half-nekkid women.
I imagine that’s a big part of the problem though.
An issue like this brings out many, much more complicated feelings and factors than are entirely being addressed. Does that mean I would endorse a guy being creepy to a woman? No. As a guy though, I know what guys are like and the truth of the matter is ladies, we are pretty disgusting creatures but, we’re not women. We don’t approach the world with the same outlook or POV that women do and I have to believe as a gender we ever will.
Men pursue, women get to do the picking. Of course, there are exceptions to each and every rule but, it’s pretty much the way things work. So, if a woman is being pursued by a man she finds attractive or interesting or desirable would the behavior displayed be viewed in the same light as the behavior of a man she wanted nothing to do with - in that way?
I am reminded of something that happened this weekend. In the course of my travels, a store I frequent regularly was staffed by a young woman whom I hadn’t remembered seeing before. The establishment in question has a register and sales counter placed a foot or two above the level of the sales floor (no doubt to control shrinkage). In any event, this young women was blessed with very (how shall we put this?) impressive physical attributes on prominent display due to the her choice of garments (not lift and separate here, more of a push together and out). The combination of the lady’s choice of dress along with the construction of the store combined in such a way so when I went to complete my purchase I was eye level, front and center with her assets (a combination of a low cut top underneath some sweater thingee which framed her in a flattering way) with perhaps less than two feet separating us.
I was embarrassed, really. I wanted to look, she was absolutely beautiful. There was no question and it seemed as if the male members of the store’s staff who pointedly fluttered into her orbit in a desperate attempt to gain her attention and approval confirmed that assessment. It didn’t seem as if she was a stranger to the attention.
Now during the course of my purchase, she was involved in movements which, shall we politely put it, made the display all the more obvious. I forcibly made an attempt to look everywhere but her breasts and it’s not I didn’t want to look believe me.
See, I’m a guy, we look. Furthermore, we like looking.
Now, I don’t or won’t justify putting hands on someone’s person in an unwelcome manner. I also won’t abide someone making someone else suffer because they have no interest in having sex. However, when we talk about things like objectification, I think we’re starting to get into a very hazy area here.
Sex sells. There’s just no other way to put it. Am I out there on the street whistling and catcalling at women with a group of construction workers? No, but mainly because I really don’t think most self respecting women are going to fall for that. Recently, I heard a story from someone who met their current beau in a bar. His line? “You are the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen.” Now, my first response was, “AND THAT WORKED?!?!”
The woman in question was very flattered by the comment and in no way doubted its sincerity but, every guy I told the story to had the same knowing smile, it was a line. See, if it came from an ugly, balding troll it probably would have been viewed in harsher terms but, the lady in question found the speaker somewhat attractive and there you have it.
Look, I don’t want to get anyone pissed off or hurt anyone to be sure but, when we talk about these kinds of things it isn’t the zero sum game people would have you believe. I am not a proponent of the ‘she was asking for it’ school of excuses - that’s just bullshit but, I have also witnessed a bunch of times when someone cried ‘harassment.’ It’s unfortunate but true. Each and every time I’ve seen it done (and it’s been more than once - thankfully I’ve not been party to it), it just weakens the argument when someone is really being harassed.
This is a subject, I can’t do justice to with the written word either I feel because there is an antiseptic nature to the written word which doesn’t contain the nuance of speech. Also, it’s a damn complicated one, a few paragraphs here can’t do it justice.
But f**k! I’m damned confused by it all because there are some women who like being objectified, who don’t mind it at all and there aren’t any kind of warning labels on women to make things easier. And men are, really, really stupid. Plus if we didn’t think about sex so much there would probably be a cure for cancer, world peace, an end to hunger in our time and a lot of other good things. I’m not excusing obnoxious behavior but, I also think the world would be a much harsher place if we didn’t recognize some of the things that make us different particularly when it comes to gender.
So, I got a mention on Elanye Riggs blog which really flattered me. I find any kind of attention for the blog a good thing for the most part but admittedly I do operate off in a rather remote part of the internet without a great deal of traffic. I am sure I don’t match the kind of traffic Elanye gets.
I got the mention mainly because there is something of a firestorm brewing in the world of comics over a story making the rounds about harassment of a women by a man (see below). I tried writing something to the issue (unfinished) but still haven’t fleshed out my ideas in a way I would like. In the meantime, I checked back on Elanye’s blog and saw some further comments and then got a bit worried because of a reference that made me think I might be suspect.
See, I have links too around here to half nekkid women and what worried me was I might have offended Elanye in some way.
Now, I happen to like half nekkid women. I am getting older though and the women in question are getting younger, there’s a bigger gap in the ages between me and the women I’m looking at which has an inherent creep factor in it. Truthfully, I don’t want to fall into the creep category. At the same time though, I don’t want to stop looking at half-nekkid women.
I imagine that’s a big part of the problem though.
An issue like this brings out many, much more complicated feelings and factors than are entirely being addressed. Does that mean I would endorse a guy being creepy to a woman? No. As a guy though, I know what guys are like and the truth of the matter is ladies, we are pretty disgusting creatures but, we’re not women. We don’t approach the world with the same outlook or POV that women do and I have to believe as a gender we ever will.
Men pursue, women get to do the picking. Of course, there are exceptions to each and every rule but, it’s pretty much the way things work. So, if a woman is being pursued by a man she finds attractive or interesting or desirable would the behavior displayed be viewed in the same light as the behavior of a man she wanted nothing to do with - in that way?
I am reminded of something that happened this weekend. In the course of my travels, a store I frequent regularly was staffed by a young woman whom I hadn’t remembered seeing before. The establishment in question has a register and sales counter placed a foot or two above the level of the sales floor (no doubt to control shrinkage). In any event, this young women was blessed with very (how shall we put this?) impressive physical attributes on prominent display due to the her choice of garments (not lift and separate here, more of a push together and out). The combination of the lady’s choice of dress along with the construction of the store combined in such a way so when I went to complete my purchase I was eye level, front and center with her assets (a combination of a low cut top underneath some sweater thingee which framed her in a flattering way) with perhaps less than two feet separating us.
I was embarrassed, really. I wanted to look, she was absolutely beautiful. There was no question and it seemed as if the male members of the store’s staff who pointedly fluttered into her orbit in a desperate attempt to gain her attention and approval confirmed that assessment. It didn’t seem as if she was a stranger to the attention.
Now during the course of my purchase, she was involved in movements which, shall we politely put it, made the display all the more obvious. I forcibly made an attempt to look everywhere but her breasts and it’s not I didn’t want to look believe me.
See, I’m a guy, we look. Furthermore, we like looking.
Now, I don’t or won’t justify putting hands on someone’s person in an unwelcome manner. I also won’t abide someone making someone else suffer because they have no interest in having sex. However, when we talk about things like objectification, I think we’re starting to get into a very hazy area here.
Sex sells. There’s just no other way to put it. Am I out there on the street whistling and catcalling at women with a group of construction workers? No, but mainly because I really don’t think most self respecting women are going to fall for that. Recently, I heard a story from someone who met their current beau in a bar. His line? “You are the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen.” Now, my first response was, “AND THAT WORKED?!?!”
The woman in question was very flattered by the comment and in no way doubted its sincerity but, every guy I told the story to had the same knowing smile, it was a line. See, if it came from an ugly, balding troll it probably would have been viewed in harsher terms but, the lady in question found the speaker somewhat attractive and there you have it.
Look, I don’t want to get anyone pissed off or hurt anyone to be sure but, when we talk about these kinds of things it isn’t the zero sum game people would have you believe. I am not a proponent of the ‘she was asking for it’ school of excuses - that’s just bullshit but, I have also witnessed a bunch of times when someone cried ‘harassment.’ It’s unfortunate but true. Each and every time I’ve seen it done (and it’s been more than once - thankfully I’ve not been party to it), it just weakens the argument when someone is really being harassed.
This is a subject, I can’t do justice to with the written word either I feel because there is an antiseptic nature to the written word which doesn’t contain the nuance of speech. Also, it’s a damn complicated one, a few paragraphs here can’t do it justice.
But f**k! I’m damned confused by it all because there are some women who like being objectified, who don’t mind it at all and there aren’t any kind of warning labels on women to make things easier. And men are, really, really stupid. Plus if we didn’t think about sex so much there would probably be a cure for cancer, world peace, an end to hunger in our time and a lot of other good things. I’m not excusing obnoxious behavior but, I also think the world would be a much harsher place if we didn’t recognize some of the things that make us different particularly when it comes to gender.
Jan 10, 2006
An opinion I can agree with:
When every scene can be tossed out or invalidated by the next creative team, it gets that much more difficult for me to make any kind of emotional investment in these fictional characters. If one creative team can kill a character and the next creative team can say, “No, that character’s really alive” and the one following that can say, “Just kidding, the previous guy’s run was a dream” then I can’t help but saying, “deal me out.”
Erik Larsen’s column One Fan’s Opinion has ruffled many feathers in the short time Erik has been writing it but, I have to say more often than not I’ve been finding myself in agreement with his opinions and the column is rapidly becoming a favorite. This week’s column hits the nail right on the head, continuity isn’t the ogre it’s made out to be but to realize that you have to have a little respect for the work that’s been done before you – something that’s been noticeably absent from many comics for the last few years.
When every scene can be tossed out or invalidated by the next creative team, it gets that much more difficult for me to make any kind of emotional investment in these fictional characters. If one creative team can kill a character and the next creative team can say, “No, that character’s really alive” and the one following that can say, “Just kidding, the previous guy’s run was a dream” then I can’t help but saying, “deal me out.”
Erik Larsen’s column One Fan’s Opinion has ruffled many feathers in the short time Erik has been writing it but, I have to say more often than not I’ve been finding myself in agreement with his opinions and the column is rapidly becoming a favorite. This week’s column hits the nail right on the head, continuity isn’t the ogre it’s made out to be but to realize that you have to have a little respect for the work that’s been done before you – something that’s been noticeably absent from many comics for the last few years.
Jan 9, 2006
When is a comic convention like a misogynist convention?
Interesting column over on When Fangirls Attack that’s worth a read.
When I was a teenager I worked at my local comics shop. The staff consisted of the kindly and cantankerous older middle-aged comics fan and a cast of lovable zanies. I had a great time. Until my boss asked me if I could stay late at work one day to help him bag some comics. And so I stayed late and started bagging the comics. And my boss took the opportunity to tell me that he found me sexually arousing. And he asked me to have sex with him. And I started to silently cry — pretty babyish of me, huh? Should I have punched him in the nuts? I didn’t — I cried silently. I was 16, he was in his late 50s.
Interesting column over on When Fangirls Attack that’s worth a read.
When I was a teenager I worked at my local comics shop. The staff consisted of the kindly and cantankerous older middle-aged comics fan and a cast of lovable zanies. I had a great time. Until my boss asked me if I could stay late at work one day to help him bag some comics. And so I stayed late and started bagging the comics. And my boss took the opportunity to tell me that he found me sexually arousing. And he asked me to have sex with him. And I started to silently cry — pretty babyish of me, huh? Should I have punched him in the nuts? I didn’t — I cried silently. I was 16, he was in his late 50s.
Speaking of movies.
I managed to catch a few things on DVD over the past week or two. I was in a place that had a deal of two DVDs for under $10 so I availed myself of some things I had wanted to see but, didn’t feel like getting to the theater for.
Saw Constantine which was passable and a bit of a popcorn film. Good casting even if the script was a little weak and strayed a bit far from the original concepts (Los Angeles can never match London in my book)
The Aviator was very interesting even if it did seem to end a bit abruptly (before Hughes got to Vegas). A visual treat for the viewer.
Miss Congeniality 2 - what?!?!? Yes, I enjoyed it. It was funny. I don’t want to hear any guff for it.
Catwoman, not as insipid as expected given the reviews but, certainly could’ve been much, much better. Again it was a matter of just having a bad script and not really being sure of who you were trying to get into the theater. It wanted to be everything to everybody and managed to fail miserably because of it. I don’t know if it was supposed to appeal to preteen girls, women or men. It didn’t seem the filmmakers knew either.
Alexander was just horrid - I‘ve never been a big Oliver Stone fan and he just confirms my distaste for his movies.
Finally, there was Million Dollar Baby. I wasn’t surprised by any of the movies’ “twists” or “turns,” finding the story direction heavily telegraphed and having been told it was a sad movie in advance without knowing the ending. I must admit though, it still got to me even with the foreknowledge where it was going to wind up so, saying something of the power of the film. It truly is one of those “must sees” but, I was thinking after watching it, it was the kind of movie that at one time was the rule as opposed to the exception. It had a quietness about it that reminded me of another movie I saw long ago, The Shootist.
Movies nowadays are all about quick cuts, lots of camera movement and visual clutter in the frame. Eastwood’s career and experience seem to have proven to him the strong power of the stark image and it shows in his work. There is a minimalism going on, a very straightforward way of shooting without all the cacophony prevalent today. The camera looks at the actors the way you would look upon art in a museum, lovingly with a strong unblinking gaze. Light and shadow are as important as the actors themselves in conveying the emotion and thrust of the story. Really classic work and not surprising it received the awards it did. See it if you haven’t.
I managed to catch a few things on DVD over the past week or two. I was in a place that had a deal of two DVDs for under $10 so I availed myself of some things I had wanted to see but, didn’t feel like getting to the theater for.
Saw Constantine which was passable and a bit of a popcorn film. Good casting even if the script was a little weak and strayed a bit far from the original concepts (Los Angeles can never match London in my book)
The Aviator was very interesting even if it did seem to end a bit abruptly (before Hughes got to Vegas). A visual treat for the viewer.
Miss Congeniality 2 - what?!?!? Yes, I enjoyed it. It was funny. I don’t want to hear any guff for it.
Catwoman, not as insipid as expected given the reviews but, certainly could’ve been much, much better. Again it was a matter of just having a bad script and not really being sure of who you were trying to get into the theater. It wanted to be everything to everybody and managed to fail miserably because of it. I don’t know if it was supposed to appeal to preteen girls, women or men. It didn’t seem the filmmakers knew either.
Alexander was just horrid - I‘ve never been a big Oliver Stone fan and he just confirms my distaste for his movies.
Finally, there was Million Dollar Baby. I wasn’t surprised by any of the movies’ “twists” or “turns,” finding the story direction heavily telegraphed and having been told it was a sad movie in advance without knowing the ending. I must admit though, it still got to me even with the foreknowledge where it was going to wind up so, saying something of the power of the film. It truly is one of those “must sees” but, I was thinking after watching it, it was the kind of movie that at one time was the rule as opposed to the exception. It had a quietness about it that reminded me of another movie I saw long ago, The Shootist.
Movies nowadays are all about quick cuts, lots of camera movement and visual clutter in the frame. Eastwood’s career and experience seem to have proven to him the strong power of the stark image and it shows in his work. There is a minimalism going on, a very straightforward way of shooting without all the cacophony prevalent today. The camera looks at the actors the way you would look upon art in a museum, lovingly with a strong unblinking gaze. Light and shadow are as important as the actors themselves in conveying the emotion and thrust of the story. Really classic work and not surprising it received the awards it did. See it if you haven’t.
The unfinished year.
’06 is rapidly turning into the year of unfinished entries. Everything has been so busy of late or rather, I’ve been so busy of late whenever I do get started on putting keystrokes to html, I find myself either distracted, preoccupied with something else or just out of steam.
This year started on a weird footing in that I came into the year fighting an ear infetion, having EYOC back in the hospital and just managing a full plate otherwise thank you very much.
I did manage to squeeze in seeing a movie the other day. Caught Spielberg‘s latest, Munich.
There is a sequence towards the end where two characters are having a running dialog with the skyline of New York as a backdrop. Seeing as it is supposed to be the early 70s when the conversation is taking place, it was interesting to notice all the buildings in the shot (a couple of new apartment buildings over on the east side along 1st avenue, the new Trump building on 49th and the CitiCorp Center) that weren’t in existence back at that time.
Sounds like I’m being a bit of a stickler but the last shot in the movie as the ending titles run is a digital composite of the skyline of lower Manhattan with the WTC smack dab in the middle of the shot. WTC of course, long gone by the time the movie was filmed but digitally inserted by the filmmaker to make some kind of final point to the movie. A little heavy handed for me though. If the decision was made to put the WTC in they certainly could have digitally removed the newer buildings from the background in the other sequence.
There are some other plot twists which I found very transparent but, my fellow viewer didn’t pick up on them and I won’t go into detail here for fear of spoiling the film, it is worth seeing.
’06 is rapidly turning into the year of unfinished entries. Everything has been so busy of late or rather, I’ve been so busy of late whenever I do get started on putting keystrokes to html, I find myself either distracted, preoccupied with something else or just out of steam.
This year started on a weird footing in that I came into the year fighting an ear infetion, having EYOC back in the hospital and just managing a full plate otherwise thank you very much.
I did manage to squeeze in seeing a movie the other day. Caught Spielberg‘s latest, Munich.
There is a sequence towards the end where two characters are having a running dialog with the skyline of New York as a backdrop. Seeing as it is supposed to be the early 70s when the conversation is taking place, it was interesting to notice all the buildings in the shot (a couple of new apartment buildings over on the east side along 1st avenue, the new Trump building on 49th and the CitiCorp Center) that weren’t in existence back at that time.
Sounds like I’m being a bit of a stickler but the last shot in the movie as the ending titles run is a digital composite of the skyline of lower Manhattan with the WTC smack dab in the middle of the shot. WTC of course, long gone by the time the movie was filmed but digitally inserted by the filmmaker to make some kind of final point to the movie. A little heavy handed for me though. If the decision was made to put the WTC in they certainly could have digitally removed the newer buildings from the background in the other sequence.
There are some other plot twists which I found very transparent but, my fellow viewer didn’t pick up on them and I won’t go into detail here for fear of spoiling the film, it is worth seeing.
Jan 6, 2006
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