Saturday, June 24, 2006
Nobody's Home...
I'm off to the West Coast.
Eureka! California, that is.. (pictured below - Eureka's Carson mansion). This will be another computer-free vacation - see you on July 4!
this entry's permalink
Friday, June 23, 2006
Thursday, June 22, 2006
From The Onion, my favorite feature, “What Do YOU Think?
Question: “Al-Jazeera, the Arab news station, is preparing to launch an international English-language version of their channel. What do you think?”
Answer 1: " Arabic media are just a mouthpiece for Big Falafel. "
Answer 2: " And just the other day I was wondering where I was going to go for some fluff pieces about goat care? "
Answer 3: " Thinly veiled government propaganda disguised as news would never fly in America. "
this entry's permalink
Question: “Al-Jazeera, the Arab news station, is preparing to launch an international English-language version of their channel. What do you think?”
Answer 1: " Arabic media are just a mouthpiece for Big Falafel. " Answer 2: " And just the other day I was wondering where I was going to go for some fluff pieces about goat care? " Answer 3: " Thinly veiled government propaganda disguised as news would never fly in America. "this entry's permalink
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
From The Onion, my favorite feature, “What Do YOU Think?
Question: “South Carolina is reviewing a bill that would ban the sale of sex toys, joining such states as Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and Texas. What do you think?”
Answer 1: " I guess it's just a matter of time before cucumbers and carrots are sold behind the produce counter. "
Answer 2: " I'm no conservative, but I fear that with our increasing dependence on technology, Americans will lose the skills required to masturbate manually. "
Answer 3: " Look, either leave us sex toys or sodomy. You can't prohibit both. "
this entry's permalink
Question: “South Carolina is reviewing a bill that would ban the sale of sex toys, joining such states as Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and Texas. What do you think?”
Answer 1: " I guess it's just a matter of time before cucumbers and carrots are sold behind the produce counter. " Answer 2: " I'm no conservative, but I fear that with our increasing dependence on technology, Americans will lose the skills required to masturbate manually. " Answer 3: " Look, either leave us sex toys or sodomy. You can't prohibit both. "this entry's permalink
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Monday, June 19, 2006
Silence Is Golden (And Expressive) - Part 1
I'm bowled over by the quality and power of classic silent films. Yesterday, I saw F.W. Murnau's 1929 "Sunrise," which many consider to be the finest film of the silent era. Here are some of its unforgettable images:
Facial expressions and body language say so much more than dialogue sometimes.. In the rarefied universe of 'non-talkie,' images have great power. Film was thought to be as much the child of painting and photography as of theater... One French talk show host, Bernard Pivot, liked to ask guest filmmakers whether, if they'd lived in the 19th century, they would have been painters or novelists...
this entry's permalink
Sunday, June 18, 2006
From The Onion, my favorite feature, “What Do YOU Think?
Question: “Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sent President Bush an 18-page letter of suggestions for resolving current international issues. What do you think?”
Answer 1: " It's very presumptuous. We don't hear from Iran since 1979 and now we're supposed to drop everything and read an 18-page letter? "
Answer 2: " Between his willingness to proffer helpful advice and his well-groomed beard, Ahmadinejad is fast becoming the Bob Vila of nuclear standoffs. "
Answer 3: " How quaint–nobody writes letters anymore. It is nice to see a real gentleman in charge of Iran's nuclear weapons development program ."
this entry's permalink
Question: “Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sent President Bush an 18-page letter of suggestions for resolving current international issues. What do you think?”
Answer 1: " It's very presumptuous. We don't hear from Iran since 1979 and now we're supposed to drop everything and read an 18-page letter? " Answer 2: " Between his willingness to proffer helpful advice and his well-groomed beard, Ahmadinejad is fast becoming the Bob Vila of nuclear standoffs. " Answer 3: " How quaint–nobody writes letters anymore. It is nice to see a real gentleman in charge of Iran's nuclear weapons development program ."this entry's permalink
Saturday, June 17, 2006
Tuesday night in Washington Heights, we gathered for an informal homemade Guyanese-Indian dinner. These two lovebirds are our friends Rajat & Norberto. Last November they spent several weeks traveling around India, Rajat's homeland. I think India may be the single most colorful, other-worldly vacation of my many years. Speaking of years, 17 years ago today I came home from a long stint in Argentina, heartsick over whether I'd ever be reunited with my then-boyfriend Andres (we were, and lived together here for four years...)
this entry's permalink
this entry's permalink
Friday, June 16, 2006
Temperature's rising.
It's going to be a classic film-and-air conditioning kind of weekend...
this entry's permalink
It's going to be a classic film-and-air conditioning kind of weekend...
this entry's permalink
Thursday, June 15, 2006
From The Onion, my favorite feature, “What Do YOU Think?
”Question: In a survey of 33 industrialized nations, the United States was shown to have the second-worst infant-mortality rate. What do you think?”
Answer 1: "Hey, don't put this at my feet. I stopped shaking my babies months ago. "
Answer 2: " Fucking unpatriotic dead babies making the United States look bad. "
Answer 3: " Number two? This is bullshit! "
this entry's permalink
”Question: In a survey of 33 industrialized nations, the United States was shown to have the second-worst infant-mortality rate. What do you think?”
Answer 1: "Hey, don't put this at my feet. I stopped shaking my babies months ago. " Answer 2: " Fucking unpatriotic dead babies making the United States look bad. " Answer 3: " Number two? This is bullshit! "this entry's permalink
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Did any of you see the wonderful Argentine film noir, Nine Queens? Many of its key scenes took place in this hotel, the Buenos Aires Hilton... This evening I went way uptown to Washington Heights, to W 151th St, to the apartment of my friends Fernando and Sunil, for a paper plate home-cooked Indian-Guyanese dinner cooked mostly by Sunil's visiting Mom....
this entry's permalink
this entry's permalink
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
From The Onion, my favorite feature, “What Do YOU Think?
Question: The United Nations is being called on to send peacekeeping forces to keep peace and prevent the genocide in Darfur. What do you think?”
Answer 1: " Seems like a clear-cut case of favoritism to me. Isn't Kofi Annan from some place in Africa, too? "
Answer 2: " Tough to see this glass as half-full but, with all the strife on that continent, another "Live Aid" is a real possibility. "
Answer 3: " I will lose all respect for the Sudanese refugees if they fail to ask tough questions about the food-for-oil scandal before accepting aid. "
this entry's permalink
Question: The United Nations is being called on to send peacekeeping forces to keep peace and prevent the genocide in Darfur. What do you think?”
Answer 1: " Seems like a clear-cut case of favoritism to me. Isn't Kofi Annan from some place in Africa, too? " Answer 2: " Tough to see this glass as half-full but, with all the strife on that continent, another "Live Aid" is a real possibility. " Answer 3: " I will lose all respect for the Sudanese refugees if they fail to ask tough questions about the food-for-oil scandal before accepting aid. "this entry's permalink
Monday, June 12, 2006
From The Onion, my favorite feature, “What Do YOU Think?
Question: The release of The Da Vinci Code, the long-awaited film adaptation of the bestselling novel, is being met with controversy. What do you think?”
Answer 1: " This movie is going to be huge. It's got the three elements of every blockbuster: Fine art, obscure religious references, and Audrey Tautou. "
Answer 2: " I've been waiting my whole life to hear, 'Oh, no, Jesus ditn't!' shouted in a movie theater. Perhaps now that dream may come true. "
Answer 3: "Yet another film with an evil albino! I put it to you, Hollywood, when are we going to see a film with a positive albino role model?"
this entry's permalink
Question: The release of The Da Vinci Code, the long-awaited film adaptation of the bestselling novel, is being met with controversy. What do you think?”
Answer 1: " This movie is going to be huge. It's got the three elements of every blockbuster: Fine art, obscure religious references, and Audrey Tautou. " Answer 2: " I've been waiting my whole life to hear, 'Oh, no, Jesus ditn't!' shouted in a movie theater. Perhaps now that dream may come true. " Answer 3: "Yet another film with an evil albino! I put it to you, Hollywood, when are we going to see a film with a positive albino role model?"this entry's permalink
Sunday, June 11, 2006
An abundantly sunny day...
Hung out at Hudson River Park with Christi (pictured below).
this entry's permalink
Hung out at Hudson River Park with Christi (pictured below).
this entry's permalink
Saturday, June 10, 2006
From The Onion, my favorite feature, “What Do YOU Think?
Question: ICANN, the U.S.-based corporation that assigns Internet domain names, rejected the designation ".xxx" earlier this month under pressure from conservative American lawmakers. What do you think?”
Answer 1: " I'm glad they rejected it. It's not specific enough. What we need are designations like .asian or .shaved so we can really get what we're after. "
Answer 2: " This will only hinder the online advertising for my cartoon jugs of hillbilly moonshine."
Answer 3: " If you can tell me a three-letter combination out there that isn't sexually suggestive, I'd love to hear it. "
this entry's permalink
Question: ICANN, the U.S.-based corporation that assigns Internet domain names, rejected the designation ".xxx" earlier this month under pressure from conservative American lawmakers. What do you think?”
Answer 1: " I'm glad they rejected it. It's not specific enough. What we need are designations like .asian or .shaved so we can really get what we're after. " Answer 2: " This will only hinder the online advertising for my cartoon jugs of hillbilly moonshine." Answer 3: " If you can tell me a three-letter combination out there that isn't sexually suggestive, I'd love to hear it. "this entry's permalink
Friday, June 09, 2006
Everready Ex-Presidents?
If Gerald Ford (pictured left), who turns 93 on July 14, can hang on just four more months until November 11, he will become our longest-living President, surpassing Ronald Reagan - of course, he's already the longest-living President to retain his mental faculties... But will Ford become our longest-running former President? That's tougher, as Herbert Hoover left office at 58 and lived until 90, racking up an impressive 31 years and 231 days of secret-service-protected former-presidential life. Gerald Ford's been out of office for over 29 years, but to surpass Hoover, he'll have to live until September 4, 2008, past his 96th birthday. Jimmy Carter, in contrast, has been 'retired' for a mere 25 years and change, and must live until September 4, 2012 to overtake Hoover - happily, he'll still be a spry 87-year-old should he attain that milestone...this entry's permalink
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Is He Or Isn't He?
Celebrity sighting! Tuesday Bart & I wandered into Barnes & Noble and lo and behold, Anderson Cooper was signing copies of his new book, "Dispatches from the Edge: A Memoir of War, Disasters, and Survival." Hundreds of fans formed a line that wound around two dozen rows of bookshelves. I like Anderson, I do. Too bad he appears to be one of those celebrities who'll discuss every aspect of their life and thoughts except their sexuality. I could be wrong. But I doubt it.
Here are pictures:
Here he is signing books at the dais:
Here are the books:
And here is Bart...
this entry's permalink
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
From The Onion, my favorite feature, “What Do YOU Think?
Question: “The United States is proposing developing a missile defense shield for Europe to protect it against a potential threat from Iran. What do you think?”
Answer 1: " Now Europe can be free to depict Muhammad however they want. "
Answer 2: " The only way this won't work is if the computer is forced to play tic-tac-toe against itself. "
Answer 3: " Defense shields never work. I installed an alarm system for my home and an Iranian missile still broke in and stole my VCR. "
this entry's permalink
Question: “The United States is proposing developing a missile defense shield for Europe to protect it against a potential threat from Iran. What do you think?”
Answer 1: " Now Europe can be free to depict Muhammad however they want. " Answer 2: " The only way this won't work is if the computer is forced to play tic-tac-toe against itself. " Answer 3: " Defense shields never work. I installed an alarm system for my home and an Iranian missile still broke in and stole my VCR. "this entry's permalink
