"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Steve Irwin (Crocodile Hunter) Dead - Killed by Stingray
Topic: Current Events
12:41 pm EDT, Sep 4, 2006
Some people say he was a 'victim' of 'animal voyeurism' tv.
What kind of spin is that?
Steve Irwin was a great guy - most of his money went to funding conservation efforts and a wildlife rehabilitation center. He loved animals and was a tremendous conservationist.
He was not some new fangled whim of pop culture - he WAS a terrific conservationist and educator, and this family admired him very much.
We are saddened that he is dead.
Perhaps my husband put it best (although rather coarsely)when he said: "If Tony Blair or Bush died, I'd not give a shit, but Steve Irwin was one of the GOOD GUYS and this just blows."
If you like High Fashion.... If you like Japanese culture... If you appreciate Fine Filmmaking.... If you love good acting.... If you like Depth...... If you love Shoes.... If you like a movie you can DISCUSS...
This movie might be for you. I thought it was a mere chick flick. I was in the mood for one, and LORD KNOWS I am also a recovering high fashion fanatic who owned over 100 pair of shoes at one time.. So I picked this title up. It looked like it would be a pure chick flick.
So I was suprised when my husband decided he'd watch it with me.
We both watched the movie, without getting up. It was not stressful in any way to watch- no nudity, no obsenity, and no violence that I recall.
It was refreshing - it is a really good movie that is so humble and touches on such depth of feeling that I think we all have - loneliness and love, attachment, fear of loss, emptiness, and fulfillment. Daily worries - how could THOSE things make a good movie?
But in this director's hand, a simple, elegant story is presented as a work of art. I did not even realize watching the movie that the 4 main characters were played by 2 people. The acting is THAT good.
The movie made wonderful use of what most techies might call 'white space.' Lingering shots that made the design fall clearly and cleanly into place. Detailed attention was paid to the excellent lighting and the thoughtful desaturation.
2 days later, my husband is still enjoying. We find ourselves talking about the characters and the symbols in the movie, and I'm sitting here wanting to share it with anyone who might read my blog. :)
I think it is definitely worth a rental price because it is the type of movie that helps you focus on those things that enrich your own life. It is art.
It would also be an excellent 'date' movie for a mature relationship.
Where’s Mao? Chinese Revise History Books - New York Times
Topic: Education
2:56 pm EDT, Sep 1, 2006
(Re: Text Books altered on China's history)
Most teachers won't teach it anyway. (I'm just basing that on my own experience. In most of my educational experience, none of the teachers KNEW much about ASIA, so they always told us to skip those chapters. It happened in Highschool, and it happened in not one but 2 colleges that I attended - in multiple classes.) It is sad. Human life is rather cheap in China but we just skip all those chapters, doesn't matter what is in them.
ROSWELL, N.M. - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) special agents today arrested 15 illegal aliens who were working for a local company here that is under contract to paint U.S. military aircraft, including Lockheed C-130 military aircraft.
FACING EAST - Portraits from Asia - A Fine Art Perspective
Topic: Fine Arts
2:50 pm EDT, Sep 1, 2006
This is really well done - it is a nice, short stunningly visual presentation that highlights the unique perspective of the Asian artist, and also gives a small dose of geography.
To start the presentation, Click on the Orange and White Box that says FACING EAST.
ENJOY! ----------------------------------------- ""Facing East: Portraits from Asia," on view July 1 through September 4 at the Smithsonian's Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, explores how portraits expressed identity in Asia and the Near East. Paintings, sculpture, and photographs of Egyptian pharaohs, Chinese empresses, Japanese actors and a host of other subjects, reveal the unique ways that the self was understood, represented, and projected in Asian art.
The exhibition includes approximately 70 masterpieces from the collections of Chinese, Japanese, South Asian, Islamic and Ancient Near Eastern art at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and the Freer Gallery of Art. A number of the works from the Sackler and Freer galleries will be on view for the first time."
In a crudely produced 10-minute video, engineer and former Lockheed Martin project manager Michael DeKort charges there were serious flaws in some work done by Lockheed to upgrade security on Coast Guard vessels.
He calls it a waste of tax dollars that jeopardizes the safety of Americans. (CBS)
The Picture Project - Reclaiming Photos lost by Katrina
Topic: Current Events
1:14 am EDT, Aug 30, 2006
"Underneath the fallen roofs, scattered lumber and torn siding, a family portrait peaked out from behind a wedding photo - both splintered with broken glass from torn-apart frames. With so much clean up to do after the storm, these photographs quickly became labeled as un-repairable debris.
Hurricane Katrina hadn’t just changed the present and future lives of those living in southern Mississippi; she also drowned their past, leaving the memories faded and molded.
The Picture Project was created in order to help the residents of Gulfport and Biloxi, Mississippi, retrieve photographs lost during Hurricane Katrina. Thousands of images have been collected and scanned in hopes of the owners finding them. For the first time so many memories that would be once lost or forgotten now have the chance to go back to southern Mississippi, to be reframed, put into new scrapbooks and for new generations to see.
Kodak, the Biloxi Sun Herald, United Van lines, and many other sponsors have helped to make this possible. If you or someone you know has lost photographs due to damage in the storm, please look through our albums to see if your memories can come back home."
Small-time criminals impersonate honest people in order to steal their money. Targets are ordinary folks whose ID numbers fell into the wrong hands.
Honest people impersonate big-time criminals in order to publicly humiliate them. Targets are leaders and big corporations who put profits ahead of everything else.
I hate these guy's politics, but I admire their technique. They manage to get themselves on TV impersonating important corporate or government spokes people and provide subtly sarcastic commentary.
Class action suit in Australia Against eBay over Store Fee Hike
Topic: Miscellaneous
3:45 am EDT, Aug 29, 2006
"EBAY faces a possible class action from disgruntled Australian sellers pushed out of business after the online auctioneer jacked up its merchant and other fees by as much as 500 per cent. An online forum lists at least 250 Australian-based internet stores that have closed since the US internet auction giant hiked its fees last Monday.
The loss-making eBay traders could sue for unconscionable conduct under the Trade Practices Act, said trade practices barrister Neville Rochow. "
