My Funny Valentine

Eco at the BAFTAs and the Grammys

2012-02-13T06:51:00.001-08:00

"My lords...my ladies....stars, starlets and starlings..... :)

The clever Stephen Fry hosts 2012's BAFTAs (photo: MSN)

The Lovely Ladies of Downton

2012-02-12T12:23:00.001-08:00

The beautiful Elizabeth McGovern as The Right Honourable Cora Crawley, Countess of Grantham

My favourite character, Michelle Dockery as eldest daughter Lady Mary Josephine Crawley, a woman before her time

Lady Mary and Dan Stevens as Matthew Crawley

*****

We'll miss you, Whitney

Vegan Valentine's Day

2012-02-10T10:37:00.000-08:00

What an ingenious recipe - totally vegan, spiked with Cointreau chocolate sweet potato truffles! Nothing has a more beautiful color, tastes sweeter or has a more beautiful perfume than a sweet potato. Recipe from Ricki Heller, author of Sweet Freedom: Desserts You'll Love Without Wheat, Eggs, Dairy or Refined Sugar (source: Nil Zacharias at the Huffington Post - Sinfully Good and Cruelty Free: Vegan Recipes for Valentine's Day). Talk about nectar of the Gods! :)

Sundance Kid

2012-02-10T08:04:00.000-08:00

Fresh from a successful Sundance Film Festival, JGL will direct his first feature film,

a romantic comedy about a modern-day Lothario who sees the error of his ways

Rare Bird

2012-02-10T07:53:00.000-08:00

The Lazuli Bunting - supposed to be wintering in western Mexico, decided upon Wellfleet this year instead

Downton Abbey vs. The Super Bowl

2012-02-06T06:17:00.001-08:00

That was the dilemma at my house, anyway. ;)

'God knows who the next heir will be. Probably a chimney sweep from Solihull!'

Big Miracle

2012-02-04T09:17:00.000-08:00

It Just Wouldn't Be The Super Bowl Without the Budweiser Clydesdales

2012-02-04T07:29:00.000-08:00

They're back - and hooray! Exclusive screen shot from the Budweiser commercial entitled “Return of the King”

premiering during this year’s Super Bowl. (provided with expressed permission from Anheuser-Busch Media
for The Equine Chronicles Online)

Shangri-La

2012-02-03T06:34:00.001-08:00

A beautiful commercial for Shangri-La hotels:

Make Mine Faux

2012-02-02T08:43:00.000-08:00

The beautiful Penelope Cruz in this year's PETA "I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" Campaign -
giving unnatural fur bearers and wearers, and envious fur covetors the evil eye :)
(photos courtesy Huffington Post)

'Ding, dong - the wicked Canadian Seal Hunt is Dead!'

Leaders Behaving Badly
"I would like to see the six million seals, or whatever number is out there, killed and sold, or destroyed or burned. I do not care what happens to them. If there was a market for more seals, the commercial sealers would be hunting and killing seals. The ‘personal use' sealers...cannot sell them because the markets are not there. What they want is the right to go out and kill the seals....and the more they kill, the better I will love it."

- Mr. John Efford, [former, thankfully!] Canadian Federal Minister for Natural Resources and the [former, thankfully!] Minister of Fisheries for the province of Newfoundland.
Lovely. :(

Sign Me Up

2012-02-01T08:32:00.001-08:00

Two of my favorite things - coffee and helping people, wildlife and the environment

"Leonardo DiCaprio announced today that his environmental foundation is partnering with coffee roaster La Colombe Torrefaction on a new, ultra high-end coffee line, called LYON.
One-hundred percent of the net profits from the sale of LYON will be donated to environmental charities supported by the DiCaprio’s foundation." (Source: Ecorazzi)

Just Say "No Way" to The Grey

2012-01-27T13:44:00.000-08:00

The beautiful and much-maligned Canis lupus, the grey wolf, the ancestor of our domestic dog, a bond of friendship
with man created thousands of years ago.
We were given horses to carry us and dogs for companionship, and we need to be better stewards.

Does this wolf look like a vicious killer? Wolves kill for food only.
(Video courtesy of Howling for Justice blog site)

A grizzled Liam Neeson as Ottway in "The Grey"

UPDATE: It is with cautious reserve that I might just admit that this movie could have some merit, as long as the portrayal of wolves are kept in the perspective of fiction and the rumors aren't true. Liam's character sounds quite interesting, as well as the location and the existentialism, and the romantic imagery of the Alpha who has lost his mate.)

"I've arranged a killing or two in my time, when they were necessary. But this is the first time I've ever got the fever."

- from Dashiell Hammett's 'Red Harvest'

Timing is everything. I just in good conscience cannot support this film, especially in light of the fact that the same day this film was released, in Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin Great Lakes Region, the wolf was delisted from Endangered Species protection, and hunts being planned for the fall. Do we automatically resume hunts on other species that have just begun to recover from near extinction? No. There had been a five-year moratorium in Minnesota before hunting could resume after delisting in the previous wolf management plan at the time this new bill was introduced by Gov. Mark Dayton and Republican legislators. It's disappointing because I had held The Great Lakes wolf management as an example for the rest of the country - boy, was I wrong.

Why the rush? The Great Lakes Region has about 4,000 wolves; the hunting limit in MN would be about 700 per year, with 100,000 hunting permits estimated to be issued in MN alone, and a hunting limit of 800 in WI. 4000 - 700 - 800 per year, and most likely going for and eliminating the male and female alpha pair that are the only ones who reproduce in the pack, not including natural causes that they could face such as disease. I think we can see where this is going. You wonder if this film was underwritten by the livestock industry as propaganda in the War on Wolves. I am not against hunting at all if a true hunter, one who respects wild animals, nature and mankind's proper place in it, hunts for food (trophy hunting and captive hunts, no); in fact, I feel it is one of the only things that will keep our wild areas wild. But declaring war on a species for no real reason that holds up is dead wrong. I feel robbed; because I would have loved to have seen what sounds like great adventure film. :( In fairness, I have not seen this film - but from what I have heard and read, I have no wish to. It all sounds rather pointless to me, to sit through two hours of watching ~~paint dry~~ men slogging through an inhospitable Alaskan wilderness in a severe snowstorm, and the man-fighting-nature theme is anachronistic in modern times. An unsympathetic character from the get-go, the main character is a man who makes his living killing wildlife for an oil company. (Real oil workers have been caught taking potshots at polar bears for fun and games, and not for the first time. The tipping point for me was reading the all the crowing about the millions it made its opening weekend, without a thought to the fact that real wolves were killed and eaten during the making of this film. But on the other hand, at the very least, the timing of this film will hopefully create a dialog and bring attention to the wolves' plight - so for that I am thankful.

Obviously, viewing The Grey isn't going to encourage people go out and shoot a wolf after seeing it, as some have ridiculously over-simplified and dismissed concerns about this film, but it will reinforce negative perceptions instilled in our collective unconscious about wolves over the centuries that science has only begun to lay to rest, and desensitize us to their plight today, at the worst possible time. It's supposed to be about mankind's survival, but I have a hard time suspending disbelief when there are seven billion and counting of us on the planet, and the wolves' survival is imperiled. I might feel differently if Joe Carnahan and Co. would go and speak before Congress about putting them back on the Endangered Species list and have them under Federal jurisdiction once again, instead of leaving their welfare the hands of anti-wolf states. Hopefully, it will make its quick 'killing' at the box office and then be gone.

"The way in which Congress acted in trying to achieve a debatable policy change by attaching a rider to the Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act of 2011 is a tearing away, an undermining and a disrespect for the fundamental idea of the rule of law."

- US District Judge Donald Molloy, on reluctanly upholding the recent

budget rider that removed wolves from Endangered Species

protection that was challenged on grounds of constitutionality

I was so disappointed to hear about a film with such irresponsible subject matter as this, at a time when wolves have been removed from endangered species protection and are being used as political pawns (adding a rider for the removal of them from federal protection under the Endangered Species Act alleviated our first budget shutdown! ;) ). They are in a very precarious position everywhere in this country, Canada, Mexico (there are only about 50 of the subspecies Mexican Grey Wolf left in the Southwest), Northern Europe, Russia and the northern countries of the former Soviet Union, with ongoing, active campaigns to eradicate them (however, there are also conservation groups trying to save them); and they occupy a mere shadow of their former territories and their remaining populations are classified as Endangered or Critical, hardly a threat to us. And, for your entertainment, rumors that four real live (and now dead) wolves were trapped and killed to be used as "props" in the film. The trapper that the film "purchased" the wolf carcasses from freely admits that wolves have never attacked nor bothered him in the 25 years he's been hunting them; so he is a wolf predator.

I became leery when I saw the poster for the film in the lobby of my local theater, knowing immediately what it would be about. One of my favorite actors ever, since I saw Schindler's List, was going to be in it. I saw the trailer with a confrontation with wolf and one of my favorite actors wearing what could only be described as a broken liquor bottle set of knuckledusters, looking like what one reviewer discribed as a drunk's version of Wolverine. I'll bet the Alaska (actually British Columbia) scenery is filmed beautifully, though.

As late as the 1800s, humans tortured and paraded captured wolves through towns as pariahs, irrationally treating an animal who behaves as nature intended much as human villains or demonized as evil spirits. So many were killed that their bones were used to line streets. These damaging myths, ignorance and irrational fears persist to this day, and playing to them is irresponsible. Inexplicably, one of my favorite actors proclaims in interviews that one of the wolves that was eventually eaten, I guess as some form of misguided method acting, had been killed for a "misdeed" (implication being that it was ok in that case.). No, a predator taking down prey is not a pretty sight, but it is nature's way. Neither is a human hunter taking down prey, or the inside of a slaughterhouse where animals are processed for human food (they're kept away from the general public for a reason). This illogical lack of reasoning and justification for the continued maltreatment of wildlife and mankind's rationalizing away his own bad behaviour would be amusing if the results weren't so tragic.

I have no doubt it will do well at the box office.   Only in our misguided country could a fine film like War Horse be dismissed by critics as "overly-sentimental" and "emotional" and therefore suspect (the fact that it was adapted from a children's story seemed to be lost on most critics and viewers alike), but something like The Grey would be found admirable, "masculine" and worthy. David Denby of The New Yorker even went so far as to criticize War Horse as being more concerned with an animal than human life, apparently oblivious to the fact that it is human beings who create wars, put themselves in harm's way and cause such meaningless loss of life of every kind in the first place. Oh well. At least War Horse is number one in the UK.   It's enough to make one want to live abroad.

This film could be a misdeed; these animals are struggling to survive. Far from being the outnumbered men going "mano a mano" with a wolf battle that seems to be portrayed in this film; wolves are aerially gunned down in Alaska, and the same tactic is being voted on in Idaho - there are shoot-on-sight laws being considered in Wyoming, and we all know about the "shoot, shovel and shut-up" management plan of the West. No surprise but a disappointment, they have just been delisted today in Minnesota, and predictably, a hunt is being planned for the fall, so the timing of this film couldn't be worse.   Why when the wolf population recover somewhat and they are delisted, a hunt must automatically follow I have no idea.   Yes I do; irrational fear and greed. Wolf populations are kept just at the edge and there is no excuse for it in modern times.

Human fear of wolves is being exploited by that other human quality, greed, with their threats to livestock being overblown.   ~~399~~ 400 of them have been killed in Montana/Idaho wolf hunt in January alone - and the hunt will go on until June. I hope these rumors of wolf carcasses being bought for props aren't true and that the film didn't "put an order in" because it takes some doing to get them (it is always open season on them somewhere), but in any case, you couldn't pay me to watch more human violence against nature and her creatures.    Trapping, snaring and poisoning are about the cruelest form of hunting there is, and also present a danger to other animals and pets (yes, domestic dogs).   But this is a blood-simple, all out war on wolves, so reasoning isn't a part of the equation and any method goes.   Interestingly, Minnesota's Native American lands have been declared a sanctuary and they will not be hunted there. The worst thing ever was to have the delisting attached to our budget bill back in May.

In all of our well-meaning objections to the Keystone XL pipeline - we must remember that there are networks of these things all over our country, and they aren't going away any time soon with our ravenous demand for oil. Sadly, they are the safest, most efficient and economical means of transporting oil. Rail can't transport enough, and we all know the results of shipping it on the high seas.    It's best instead of fighting the inevitable to ensure that they are not built in the most sensitive of ecosystems, like more in Alaska and the Arctic. Oilmen in the Arctic don't belong there. Go home.
In truth, wolf contact with humans is extremely rare with only two documented attacks in the history of North America.  They quite wisely avoid us. There are other predators but none seem to have gained the same unshakable and undeserved reputation of the shy and elusive wolf.   Wolves have had to endure human superstition about them and resulting persecution for centuries, from the times when competition for food was high.   Settlers brought these superstitions with them from Europe (our native peoples did not have this view of wolves) and the "Little Red Riding Hood" (now entertainment but in days of old a fable of warning - I always have enterpreted it as a metaphor for human male seducers! ;) ) mentality of irrational fears is still with us, not based on facts, even though it is the 21st century and we have seven billion people on the planet.  The Grey appears to continue in this time-honored tradition.

The film's producers could at the very least provide a disclaimer in the credits reminding people that the film is total ficition and in no way represents the behaviour of real wolves, except possibly in the extreme circumstances that the film depicts, which all predators would.   Any threatened animal will defend itself, herd animals especially so because they are prey animals.    People should avoid deliberately going to areas where they know predators are - hiking in the Rockies, I justifiably was afraid of running into a grizzly bear, and heeded the warnings, avoiding trails where they had been seen.    If you have pets, take responsibility for them yourself (this is a whole other story in itself) and don't leave them where they can be prey for wild animals of any kind.

Wolves are entitled to hunt for deer, moose, elk and caribou, these animals are not just for humans to hunt, it is how nature made them, and wolves are entitled to their important place in nature.   I don't think our survival is in any jeopardy.   Interestingly, the wolf's social structure probably most closely resembles man's and we share many desirable traits (devotion to family and mate (except that wolves mate for life unless their mate dies), are loyal to their packs, mourn the loss of their pack members, share their food according to the social hierarchy and don't steal from each other! Sure, it's been socialized out of us, but just scratch the surface and you will see it is all still there.)   Man has long since won the battle between himself and nature and it's time for a ceasefire.   It is now overkill. Wolves are not and never were mankind's enemy and a threat to his survival.   If anything, it's quite the reverse. We need to stop perpetuating this kind of harmful nonsense against them. The ones we really need to fear are humanity (see story re American soldiers' war crimes court-martial trial for the serial-killer style murders of at least three innocent Afghan civilians for "sport", in the news recently, as one example.)

The Real Behaviour of Wolves from National Geographic

One of my favorite commercials ever! :)

Goodbye Catherine Willows!

2012-01-26T05:10:00.000-08:00

Catherine leaves CSI for a new job with the FBI - I hope they give her her own spinoff show!

She's got the school-of-hard-knocks type experience for a great Prime Suspect type series.

Solar Shimmers

2012-01-25T14:23:00.001-08:00

Done His Homework - State of the Union

2012-01-24T20:22:00.001-08:00

President Obama gives the remarkable Rep. Gabby Giffords a hug before tonight's wonderful State of the Union address

Happy Year of The Dragon!

2012-01-23T05:57:00.000-08:00

China welcomes in the New Year, the Year of the Dragon, with Lion Dance

(Getty image for Arabian Business News)

For Heath

2012-01-22T05:16:00.000-08:00

A couple of Heath's most memorable roles:

Pagliacci

Dream ... or nightmare? ;) Oscar-winning and standard setting role as Joker

Ennis meets Jack

The beautiful and talented Emmylou Harris celebrated 20 years with the Grand Ole Opry

on Saturday, January 21 at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville

Keystone Cop

2012-01-19T07:22:00.001-08:00

Hooray! The Keystone XL pipeline has been nixed, and the promises of jobs and energy independence unfounded - most of the oil will be for export, and the pipeline will benefit Canada and the oil companies. I'm tired of always selling our country's assets to the highest bidder, especially a potentially devastating proposition to our country's water and food supply such as this one. There's already a pipeline there! But an adjunct one would process and ship the product much faster so that we can keep up with our voracious energy consumption, and therefore more $$$! (But first things first - at least the internet will be running unencumbered and we can continue with our downloading. Our gutless wonders in Washington have caved to industry pressure without proof again and have put SOPA and PIPA on hold (for now) so that the legislation can be reworked. That's a good thing, and that's how the process works. But I'm sure that a new proposal won't be acceptable either - nothing short of running rampant will do. And the GOP's love it!) We all love our internet ~~anarchy~~ freedoms and want to keep it that way, nor do we want to stifle the next brilliant internet entrepeneur, but not to the extent of protecting criminal activity. It's not just big Hollywood; Big Tech is equally as rich and powerful, if not more so.

Chevron has been fined 3 billion dollars (otherwise known as one quarter's profit) to clean up their oil pollution mess in the historic Amazon that they have ignored for three years. For those who feel companies need less regulation, here's what happens when there isn't any - 1.8 billion gallons of toxic waste dumped into the water supply and left without a care. American corporations operating in foreign countries should be held to the same, if not higher, standard as where they are at home, and a moral and ethical standard to the people and environment - no buying off of officials.

Falsely Shouting "Fire!" in a Crowded Theater - Much Ado about SOPA/PIPA

First Amendment Right to Piracy - SOPA and PIPA a slippery slope?

I'll bet you didn't know there was, included in our inalienable first amendment rights, the right to piracy, did you? Apparently it has come about with the Internet Age, the rationale being that since actors and musicians make tons of money anyway, they won't miss a song here or a film there that has been pirated. We're entitled to it! Also, the right to pirate and then have a trial after you've been caught at it several times, the traditional remedies of C&Ds and injunctions notwithstanding. Criminal enterprises will eventually get a trial, you can be sure.   That's all these bills are directed to. FBI MegaUpload Copyright Infringement Press Release Fearmongering and online terrorism does nothing to help your case either, and is also a block to freedom of speech.

This sounds like the argument of the gun lobby - don't want to make any changes because it might open the door to more. I for one am tired as f*ck of internet viruses, counterfeiting and online thievery.   There must come a time when the internet cannot go on as the utopia some would like it to be.   As far as I can see, these bills are aimed solely at rogue foreign websites (yeah but you can still 'buy a gun' by other means, you say).   But having a law in place would cut down on it.

If people are worried about the language in these bills being too broad, then tighten it up - write good legislation to close any potential loopholes.   Artists and businesses are all too aware of the benefits of promotion that making their work available on the internet can offer, so I am sure they would not want to interfere with that, but we must remember that artists as the creators of work are the prime beneficiaries of it for the prescribed amount of time it is protected.    It's not a censorship issue; censorship is about the content, and SOPA/PIPA are about legal right to use.  (I'm honestly not sure if blocking certain sites might have a net result of censoring.) It would only apply to the main piracy sites - it isn't practical to police every internet user, and laws to prevent piracy won't silence the Arab Spring (talk about delusions of grandeur!).   If US sites are involved, then they should be held accountable also.   Consider the sources opposed who have stakes in the outcome, and don't go by a politician's stance; some of them who originally supported the bills are jumping ship faster than the captain of the Costa Concordia if they think they will lose votes.   Adobe, Apple and Dell and many others in tech support anti-piracy laws, and Microsoft is on the fence. Copyright laws were created to strike a fair balance between protecting and fostering individual creativity and product innovation, and the benefit to the public by having free access to it.

We can invoke the 'coolness' factor and hide behind claims of esoteric knowledge that the rest of us could not possibly comprehend, but we've been spoiled to think entitlement to other people's work for free is 'sharing'.   'Sharing' is using something that you own and have the rights to in common with others. If you have permission to share it, fine. The content isn't the issue, you just have to pay to use it, and some don't want to. No matter what changes in technology or how dazzling, stealing is still stealing. And it's not just about internet use - it's about protection against trafficking in counterfeit goods, drugs and services that could harm consumers!    As far as artists, I dare them to cut the umbilical cord from their companies and strike it out on their own on the 'net. You can't have it both ways.   Could an artist be in violation if he posts video of him or herself recording his own and his record company's property?   It depends on their contracts.   If you love your artists, support them.   Big Tech, come up with a cooperative solution that doesn't squelch the creativity of up-and-coming artists.   It is the profiting from someone else's work that is the crime, and plagiarizing it without credit.   We've got to be more creative than that.
Read it and weep - just one paragraph taken from the proposed legislation which shows some of the fears are unfounded, and you need not worry (immunity) if you take steps yourself to remove infringing sites yourself, which whiners either are too lazy or don't want to spend the money to do.   If the offending websites aren't available, average Jane and John don't have to worry about inadvertantly clicking on a landmine - and nobody is "forced" to go to other, illegal sites.   The sites I use, I rely on to obey the law, and it their responsibility, not the end users.   If smaller startup sites can't compete, then they must get out of the game, just like with any other business - a company shouldn't defend something illegal as an impediment.   Making it easier for everyone to afford a 'house' when they can't afford one (and lining their own pocket in the process) is what helped wreck our economy.   Internet piracy costs our country in lost revenue and jobs as well and should not be defended.

The bill specifically states that it will not supersede first amendment rights:

SEC. 2. SAVINGS AND SEVERABILITY CLAUSES.

(a) Savings Clauses-

(1) FIRST AMENDMENT- Nothing in this Act shall be construed to impose a prior restraint on free speech or the press protected under the 1st Amendment to the Constitution.

LIMITATIONS- A service provider shall not be required--
(I) other than as directed under this subparagraph, to modify its network, software, systems, or facilities;
(II) to take any measures with respect to domain name resolutions not performed by its own domain name server; or
(III) to continue to prevent access to a domain name to which access has been effectively disabled by other means.

Link To H.R. 3261 Text

What other countries, such as China, do isn't our business, exept in the event of severe human rights violations. As painful as it may be, not being able to download a video on YouTube or a song just doesn't cut it.

Soldiers Behaving Badly

2012-01-17T07:01:00.000-08:00

Thoroughly disgusted by what I have been reading about regarding the behavior of (some) of our soldiers overseas. Don't like it, don't want it done in our country's name, and want something done about it. If they can't behave like civilized human beings and respect standards of behavior towards the civilian population and their animals, and opposing forces, hold them and their superiors accountable and get 'em outta there!

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

2012-01-16T19:24:00.000-08:00

Gary Oldman as George Smiley

Tom Hardy as Ricki Tarr

Svetlana Khodchenkova and Tom Hardy

All photos courtesy of BoxOfficeMojo

Golden Globes 2012

2012-01-16T08:03:00.000-08:00

Joseph Gordon-Levitt and 50/50 Executive Producer Will Reiser at the Golden Globes,

and a close-up of Joseph looking exceptionally handsome. He was nominated for Best Actor for 50/50.

Michelle Williams wins Best Actress for 'My Week With Marilyn'

Michelle Williams shines as Marilyn Monroe

Zooey Deschanel looking gorgeous at the Golden Globes. She was nominated for The New Girl.

I love her and Joseph together, and their New Year's Eve duet - if only! :)

Zooey and Joe

The retro glam of Zooey Deschanel

*****

From the Sublime:

The retro glam of Lana Del Rey

Love those earrings

The Telegraph asks: "When was the last time you heard a magical singing voice? One of those rarities that makes you salivate, prickle and then zone in, deep in wonder, before repeating the song again and again.'

On Sunday. When I checked in to see what all the ruckus was about a singer named Lana Del Rey I had heard of and not listened to yet, because quite frankly, she appeared to be just another in a line of pop princesses.   Boy, was I wrong.   She's a standout from all the pop princesses. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I was not prepared for the kind of emotions expressed in her song 'Video Games'. Talk about ethereal, in the 'Cosmic Love' way Florence Welch is, but with a bit of the slight edginess of Neko Case and the retro of Dusty Springfield added in, like a wistful old memory.    Singing about a couple in first love, like it never will be again, settling into coupledom - maybe a 'bad' girl and a bad boy, a drunk and a loser, but one who means the world to someone. When he opens up a beer, and his kisses alone make you drunk, and playing video games is sweet and charming; and not when it has become so annoying that she wants to throw his video games out the window.   lol

Lana really captures that first in-love feeling.    Was her performance not perfect? Maybe not - but perfection doesn't always mean good or great to me.   A live performance, while not always perfect, gives you realism, and extras like the embellishments and ad-libs that you might not get on a recording.    Her drummer and pianist seem lost in a dream and who could blame them.    As for performers being manufctured products - really?   When did this realization dawn on everyone? This woman has talent.   All I can say is all the criticism must be some kind of reverse psychology marketing technique, because I cannot get this haunting, dreamy song out of my head.

To the ridiculous:   This great performance has now gone from being described online as bad, terrible, yesterday as horrendous and today, a debacle.   Go figure. :-/   Can't wait to see what it will be tomorrow; they're running out of hyperbolic adjectives.

One of my favorite David Lynch films, with the scariest Dennis Hopper

Daniel Radcliffe looking very Byronic in his new film 'The Woman in Black'

Journey the Wolf

2012-01-15T06:57:00.001-08:00

Photo taken by California Fish and Game trail camera of 'OR-7', Oregon's traveling gray wolf, who has traveled more than 700 miles - from northeastern Oregon into northern California's Shasta County (a perfect spot!) - the first wolf to be seen in California in nearly 90 years! He's been named 'Journey' by two young girls, a 7-year old from ID and an 11-year old from ND, who won the naming contest sponsored by the conservation group Oregon Wild. I have held my breath since hearing about this in fear that something might happen to him; please protect him!

Beautiful drawing by an 8-year old Portland, OR girl, winner of the art portion of Journey's naming contest

(Photo: The Oregonian)

When is it that we are taught to lose this natural curiosity and love of the wonders of nature for supposedly 'growing up'?

Tim Tebow Comes to Town

2012-01-14T04:51:00.001-08:00

The Gentlemen of Downton Abbey

2012-01-11T08:44:00.001-08:00

In no particular order of hotness:

The sublime Mr. Bates played by Brendan Coyle

Handsome first footman Thomas Barrow played by Rob James Collier

The adorable Charlie Cox as the Duke of Crowborough

Heir presumptive Matthew Crawley played by Dan Stevens

Hugh Bonneville as the Right Honourable Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham

Gallantry: Chauffeur Branson (Allen Leech) carrying Lady Sybil to safety

Sweet William Mason played by Thomas Howes

Sexy Scotsman Iain Glen as Sir Richard Carlisle

'Sex-ray vision : "Some day you must come to Istanbul' - The seductive Ottoman Empire Embassy Attaché,
Mr. Kemal Pamuk, played by Theo James

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Or Noir (Black Gold)

2012-01-09T12:11:00.000-08:00

The colorful springtime Hindu festival of Holi, or Festival of Colours

In the spirit of Slumdog Millionaire and Shakespeare in Love, from John Madden in March. Can't wait, and I wish there were such a Shangri-la! :)

And speaking of Bill Nighy, check out PBS' Page Eight, in which he plays a British MI5 officer Johnny Worricker (oh, that name!) opposite the beautiful Rachel Weisz as political activist Nancy Pierpan, with Ralph Fiennes as the Prime Minister, Judy Davis and fellow Harry Potter alum Michael Gambon. Who knew he could be so sexy, especially in that tailored topcoat! More, please! :)

Bill Nighy as Johnny Worricker in David Hare's Page Eight

Mark Strong as Sultan Amar in Or Noir (Black Gold)

Tahar Rahim, Mark Strong, Antonio Banderas and Freida Pinto star in Or Noir (Black Gold) by Jean-Jacques Annaud

Riding Away With The Ratings

2012-01-09T09:22:00.000-08:00

Masterpiece: Portrait of King Charles I by Anthhony Van Dyck (1633) in the dining room at Downton -
on horseback, of course!

Any great leader or warrior, from Alexander the Great, Native American Chiefs, and British, European, Middle Eastern and Asian Kings - have been immortalized in the company of a regal, and thought divine, horse

Codicils, O Codicils

Hooray for Downton Abbey and what promises to be another great season. Still rooting for the pure, true, almost courtly, love, untainted by money and entails, of Lady Mary and Matthew; Anna and Mr. Bates trying for the sweet life together, and O'Brien (with her snippy comments) and Thomas (hope that he will find love or be reunited with his love); anam cara for Branson and Lady Sybil; and of course the Dowager Countess (and her snippy comments); Daisy and Sweet William; Lord and Lady Grantham and Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes, who keep Downton together! :)

The Lady prepares for the Knight to go to war - Edmund Blair Leighton's 'Stitching the Standard' and ' God Speed!'

Mrs. Patmore's Kedgeree for breakfast

Cloud

2012-01-09T07:42:00.000-08:00

Downton Abbey, Season 2

2012-01-08T14:43:00.000-08:00

Or, I love my heroes Byronic. :)

Can't wait for Season 2 of Downton Abbey (cup of tea and tissue box at the ready) - this season is especially intriguing because of WWI and the changes to society it brings, plus more of the sumptuous costumes and romance.     All that - and Nigel Havers and Iain Glen too! :)

I have fallen hard for Downton Abbey, the moment I saw Mr. Bates' train heading to the estate (is there anything more romantic than a steam train?) The characters are so well written and dimensional. Downton Abbey itself is magnificent (played by the real Highclere Castle located just outside London) - so many eaves, dormers, nooks, potted palms and sun stars, Oriental carpets, library, mirrors-with-three-faces, staircases, shuttered rooms and secrets to explore. Maybe it's my HDTV, but the scenes seem to leap with realism. Mr. Carson decanting wine is beautiful (no, the butler couldn't have done it, could he have?). The first episode is an absolute work of art and a treasure. And the Dowager Countess is a priceless treasure.

Occupy Downton ;)

Lady Sybil is most obviously the one who is working towards women's and worker's rights, child labor, and the state of medical care, but in their own ways the other sisters are starting to assert themselves as well.   Lady Mary's aloofness is her disdain for a woman's lot in Edwardian society, from her disinterest in being sold off to the highest bidder for a husband, and she is seduced by their handsome Turkish diplomat guest, only to have her be blamed if it were ever found out about and her reputation damaged, becoming "damaged goods".   Yes, she found him attractive, enjoyed being out for the day with the hunting party like the men do, both of them returning to the estate flushed, disheveld, muddy and energized, but it was a world of entitlement and privilege for men and not for women. I had to step back a little as my modern sensibilities bumped against those of the 19th century for women who didn't have the right to vote yet.   Like her, his family would expect him to honor an arranged marriage. What if he left her pregnant? (Alas, the poor devil is dead now, God rest his soul, so no fear of that!)   Wait, wasn't there some poisonous salt of sorrel for scrubbing the pots down in the kitchen?   Poor Lady Mary was awakened by someone, only to find Mr. Pamuk dead beside her in her bed.

The only male seriously supportive of women seems to be the family chauffeur, the lovely Tom Branson. :)   Very interesting commentary on the inequalities of of sex and class in Edwardian society.

I remain, your most humble servant,

You came here to be with me - Thomas

Yes, among other reasons. - The Duke of Crowborough

Chosen for his beauty, Thomas, though every bit the survivor, is disheartened when he finds he has been no more than a dalliance to that upper class git, the Duke of Crowborough, who plans to fulfill his family obligation to marry, and comes to Downton to 'tidy up a few details' before he does, and who isn't afraid to use his higher social status to threaten Thomas, even if it could result in Thomas' being jailed during this time period. He would, however, like to continue the relationship with Thomas, if he would like.

That said, I hope we see more of the Duke; this reminds me so much of the Merchant/Ivory film of E.M. Forster's Maurice, which I'd always hoped for a sequel to, of some kind. Judging by the amount of letters shared between them (Thomas has kept a sheaf of love letters bound with ribbon from the Duke - sounds more sentimental than blackmail, which the Duke retrieves from Thomas' room; understandable, as in those days, it could ruin him), it seems like it just might be more than a summer in London.   Thomas looks very upset; if it was simply a matter of blackmail (but which I'm sure he would be capable of if he needed to be) plans being thwarted he'd be glowering, and it appears he's shaken and nearly in tears, and the Duke seems resolute, buy I'm not sure if he's happy about doing what must be done, judging by their facial expressions.   Swoon!

The servants are extremely lucky to be in the employ of such an honorable and decent lord which I am sure was not the rule during this time, in the days where working as a servant for a great house was considered a high honor, the position of footman going back to the days of William the Conqueror, and where 'everyone has a part to play' as Lord Grantham puts it, and they do, everyone takes pride in their work and to seeing that Downton runs like a well-oiled clock.   I loved the scene where Mrs. Patman's medical care is seen to.   In today's world, she just might be left to fend for herself.

Nowadays, there's only one class that people aspire to (white collar, anything else is either undesirable or invisible), and corporate magnates' responsibility seems to be to nothing or noone but themselves, and I think chivalry and gentility went out sometime in the late 1950s. I disagree that the program isn't realistic enough, you certainly do get the impression of how difficult it must have been for the servants, especially in that wonderful first episode with the young ~~skullduggery~~ scullery maid Daisy rushing around and lugging an ash bucket, wood and kindling in the dangerous job of lighting the fireplaces in the house in the early morning, and also how difficult it must have been to maintain the roles of the aristocracy.

For some folks, the UK is our Mother Country (my ancestors would have been servants :) ), a formidable, beautiful and much loved dowager countess adjusting to changing history.   :)
I have to have the DVDs for my collection to treasure.

So stamp your passport for another country and era, and enjoy this wonderful blend of a very unsuperficial soap, delightfully Machiavellian Agatha Christie-like whodunnit and British costume drama!

~~Heathcliff and Cathy~~ Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) and Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens) - will they ever be together?

Génération au Feu - Matthew leaves for WWI, in which the UK and Europe lost a generation her young men :'(

Lady Sybil Crawley (Jessican Brown Findlay) goes to work as a Red Cross Nurse

'Be careful, or you'll lose your job... and your heart' - Head Housekeeper Mrs. Hughes 'having a word' with
chauffeur Tom Branson (Allen Leech) about his relationship with kindred spirit Lady Sybil,
and defying social class and mores

The fantastic Dame Maggie Smith as Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham

Why does every day involve a fight with an American? :)

The Three Crawley Sisters - Ladies Sybil, Mary and Edith
The most amazing sets and costumes, my favorite fashion era - couldn't we dress like this forever?

The very modern and free-thinking Lady Sybil

Soul of a poet: the quietly passionate valet Mr. Bates (Brendan Coyle - that voice!) and courageous (impressive!)
Head Housemaid Anna (Joanne Froggatt) - I adore this couple!

Baby, you're the top - First footman and valet Thomas Barrow (Rob James-Collier) and the Duke of Crowborough
(Charlie Cox), one of the best on-screen kisses I have ever seen. I love Thomas - he puts up such a tough, bad exterior, as he goes about his duties, proud of who he is, but alone in Edwardian social rules.

The handsome but sullen Thomas Barrow

Constrained

The Earl and Countess of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern)

Independent-minded and ambitious Gwen (Rose Leslie) and the stately beautiful (but scheming!)
Siobhan Finneran as lady's maid Miss O'Brien (just what is her story? She and Thomas seem to be in cahoots. Hmmm...could she possibly be Thomas' mother? And...gasp!..Thomas is the male heir? And like a lioness, she'll make sure her son gets what's rightfully his? Thomas certainly has the aristocratic bearing for it, as he struts
around Downton Abbey like he owns the place. That's my theory, anyway. :)

The adorable scullery maid Daisy (Sohpie McShera), cook Mrs. Beryl Patmore (Lesley Nichol),
and second footman William Mason (Thomas Howes)

Lady Mary in her riding habit, with Diamond

Happy New Year 2012!

2012-01-01T07:31:00.000-08:00

Vintage New Year Postcards

The Evil That Men Do - War Horse

2011-12-25T16:32:00.000-08:00

"The evil that men do lives after them ..."
- Marc Antony, from Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare

Jeremy Irvine as the young Albert Narracott

Tom Hiddleston as the British Army Captain Nicholls, another who meets Joey along his journey

l to r Benedict Cumberbatch, Patrick Kennedy and Tom Hiddleston

Dashing duo - Director Steven Spielberg and Tom Hiddleston

Young German soldier Gunther (David Kross from 'The Reader') rescues his idealistic an underage younger brother Michael (Leonhard Carow) and horses Joey and Topthorn from the battlefield, hiding out in a windmill in France -

one of the heart-wrenching turns of events

Celine Buckens as the young French girl Emilie, who discovers the horses in the windmill

Emilie and a heroic Neils Arestrup as her grandfather

*****

When young are born, whether a human baby or a young fawn at the woodland edges of the backyard, I always think to myself, 'oh my darling, what kind of world have you been born to', and so it is with War Horse, adapted from the young person's novel by Michael Morpurgo and stage play.

A beautiful foal is born in green fields, to a life of the burden of mankind's whims, subjection and thanklessness.    The colt is bought at auction by a farmer (Peter Mullan) who has no business buying him in the first place, because he can't afford him. He was supposed to come back with a sturdy plowhorse, but outbidding his landlord Mr. Lyons (David Thewlis) is a challenge and a way to bolster his pride, diffuse resentment and compete with a landlord who takes delight in the control he has over his tenants.   When the reality hits that the more lightweight horse built for racing might not be able to get the job done plowing, the man troubled by a war demons of his own considers destroying him due because of his own failings, but after the practical advice of his wife Rose (Emily Watson) gets through to him and when his young son steps in, the horse is spared.   His son, Albert, knows that the horse's life, who he has named Joey, and theirs depend upon the completion this seeming impossible task, and little do they know at the time how far-reaching and life-saving that learning this task will be for Joey.    Albert is determined to train Joey, and train him he does, teaching him to answer to a natural, owl-like call that Albert has read the Native Americans had trained their horses to answer to.

Albert's potential rival you would think would be Mr. Lyons' privileged son, David (Robert Emms), and he drives by Albert and Joey in his fancy new motor car with a pretty girl beside him.    But who turns her head but Albert galloping past them, and Albert enjoys these few winning moments; that is, until Joey stops short at a stone fenceline and Albie falls off on his butt. :)

It is the beginning of a love and friendship between boy and horse that lasts a lifetime, through separation and hardship, when after a failing crop Joey must be sold, and is sold to the British Army at the beginning of WWI.    Joey's new owner, the gentlemanly Captain Nicholls, also greatly admires Joey's spirit and beauty also, and promises to care for him and return him to Albie, if possible.   Before modern photographic equipment, Capt. Nicholls makes the most beautiful sketches of Joey and includes them in letters to Albert.

It's interesting how the horses seem to mirror their human counterparts. After some initial wariness and a little posturing, Joey befriends another horse, Major Jamie Stewart's (Benedict Cumberbatch) horse Topthorn, hands taller and a more aristocratic cavalry horse who hasn't yet learned the yoke, and what happens to Topthorn later is one of the most profoundly heartbreaking and emotionally devastating moments in the film, along with the blind panic of Joey as he tries to run from the dead zone of No Man's Land and becomes entangled in barbed wire.   War may be evil, but those sent to fight it are many times just decent human beings, and soldiers from boths sides see movement, and discover Joey.   In a lovely scene and a nod to the Christmas Truce, a kind-hearted Geordie soldier named Colin (Toby Kebbell) can't stand to watch Joey's suffering anymore, takes a chance, waves the white flag, and runs to try to free Joey from the wire, calling out to the other side, and is joined by a German soldier who offers to help with wire cutters, proceeding as delicately as if disarming an explosive device so that the wires wouldn't snap and injure him further, and I had to remind myself to breathe, the tension was so palpable.   Soldiers rally from both sides in a temporary truce to help the injured Joey.    And the sweet words and human goodness of Toby gentling the horse ("my best beloved") as they worked to free him stole my heart. :)

I had the same thought as one of the films reviewers that with my white tissue aloft shielding and dabbing my eyes during certain parts, that it was as if I was waving the white flag.   When they are captured by the Germans after a terrible battle pitting old guard charge of mounted soldiers with swords against modern machine guns and howitzers,  many of the unneeded horses will be destroyed, and a young soldier Gunther (a heart-breaking David Kross) devises a plan to save them by having them pull ambulances.   Topthorn balks at a yoke at first, but Joey is familiar with it, and like a lead pony at a horserace, calms Topthorn and shows him the way.

Only the most jaded among us couldn't be moved by the ugliness of human nature in this film, mere children executed for desertion; horses worked literally to death, and animal and human alike simply replaced when they are used up, like inanimate objects.   There may be some sugar, but there's nothing saccharine about it, it's the real thing in this film (with no bitter aftertaste except that from after the war), and beauty and simplicity are a welcome relief from the ugliness of war and the sometimes contrived grittiness of current films (although I enjoy them as well), always there, life-affirming and unchanging (unless we humans screw it up, which is looking more and more likely) - although grittiness is certainly there in the battle scenes, in which Spielberg says more with less and the horror and futility of wars will stay with you and leave you shaken (and stirred!). It's a very thought-provoking film. WWI was the first use of trench warfare, chemical weapons and poison gas, killing all life in the vicinity, as well as the point in history where war animals were eventually replaced by machines, brilliantly shown when a tank runs over everything in its sight, humanity in its continuing quest to find bigger, better, faster, stronger ways to kill each other.

Steven Spielberg's War Horse is an old-fashioned film in the best possible sense, in the tradition of National Velvet, Black Beauty, and Lassie. Destined to be a classic. I enjoyed this immensely, and I was lucky enough to be sitting in an audience of what sounded to be fellow horse lovers - quiet murmurs of recognition of the beauty of a horse's personality from birth and throughout his or her life. Even the goose who rules the roost is not simply comic; but based in reality if you've ever observed their behavior over any length of time, wild or domesticated.    Is there some dramatization?   Of course there is; it is a tale of fiction after all, but it's kept to a minimum.

The cinematography by Janusz Kaminski is sweeping and beautiful, and the return from war is full of understanding and forgiveness.   I loved John Williams' score, and by far the most affecting part is the reunion. :)

And from The Vancouver Sun, a wonderful article:

Shed A Tear For The Real Horses Too

*****

Wine label for 14 Hands Winery of Washington State by artist Cynthia Sampson

Merry Christmas 2011

2011-12-25T07:15:00.000-08:00

Happy Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T05:10:00.000-08:00

Peace

How to Destroy Angels - The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

2011-12-22T19:22:00.000-08:00

"How To Destroy Angels" is the title of Trent Reznor's newest band he has with his wife Mariqueen Maandig and Atticus Ross, but it could be an apt description of the events in the story.

I loved it - even more than the original if that's possible.   It seems more vivid, and both main characters are live-wires brimming with energy, thin and taut and quick.    The opening credits were a surprise - I guess I was expecting a dark, broody city streets kind of thing - but what I got was an anapestic kick in the ass wake-up call from Karen O of the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs covering Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song".   It is gorgeous, both to the eyes and ears.

Daniel Craig is tailor-made for the part of Mikael Blomkvist, and he may be a bit more flawed of character than in the original, but still a good man - and Rooney Mara is exceptional as Lisbeth, maybe a touch more vulnerable than in the original, which makes her all the more endearing. After all she has been through, working as a researcher for Mikael, her eyes light up and she is imbued with hope ('I'd like you to help me find a killer of women') and it gives her purpose, and she begins to open up just a little ('I like working with you') - until she is let down again and trashes the chance at a relationship, as if she should have known better than to trust. I love the character of Lisbeth Salander anyway, but then add David Fincher's eye for beautiful details, an ambient, 'art of noise' with background floor-polishers, sirens and vacuum cleaners that put on on edge, score that almost seems to be part of the visuals (I loved the soundtrack/score for The Social Network too), and you get an absolutely amazing and totally engrossing story.    Speaking of the soundtrack, if you are familiar with the story, there's a brilliant bit of foreshadowing done with the music at a critical point. Robin Wright as Mikael's co-editor Erika Berger, Christopher Plummer as family patriarch Henrik Vanger are wonderful - and Stellan Skarsgård is truly frightening.   I have seen all three original films, but I had forgotten a lot it seems, because the readaptation seemed almost new to me.

And the details are gorgeous - cold and snow, wind that sounds like a howling animal, primal shrieks, trains and strong landscapes, but with lots of warmth of illuminated windows, uphostery, fireplaces, hot coffee.   Cityscapes are as beautiful as rural spaces and with the same cold/warmth.   It's a brutal and disturbing story, but one that needs to be told and seen unflinchingly.

I hope they'll make the other two films/books too! :)

Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander

Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara at the premiere of 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' in New York

Other Female Heroines of the Screen

Helen Mirren as DCI Jayne Tennyson in Granada/ITV's 'Prime Suspect'

Oh, how I wish this would be brought to the Big Screen!

Happy Winter Solstice 2011!

2011-12-22T17:28:00.000-08:00

Holly and Ivy Wreath

Happy Hanukkah 2011!

2011-12-20T16:19:00.000-08:00

My favorite Hanukkah song for its spinning, dizzying passion :)

National Day of The Horse, Dec. 13

2011-12-19T20:45:00.000-08:00

National Day of the Horse sounds like a contradiction in our country presently, I know - with the sorry, evil way they are being abused, courtesy of the American Taxpayer, and the devious methods of trying to 'rid' western lands of a national treasure. Thanks to The Atlantic for the folllowing article. You'd never know there was legislation to protect them in place since the early '70s - sounds like the same type of legislation in place to protect wolves in Alaska:

'Forty years after its passage, The Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act is a shadow of its former self, undercut by amendments, the Bureau of Land Management, and the cattle industry.' (full text of article below):

Think Our Wild Horses are Safe?

Coal for Christmas? Or the Return of Acid Rain

2011-12-19T16:07:00.001-08:00

Gods of Thunder

2011-12-18T07:04:00.000-08:00

Wild Bison Calendar 2012 from Buffalo Field Campaign - the first photo with snow-covered faces
makes them look like thunder gods :)

Africa's Western Black Rhino Declared Extinct as of Nov. 2011

2011-12-17T09:34:00.001-08:00

The Keystone XL Pipeline vs. the Ogallala Aquifer

2011-12-17T04:57:00.000-08:00

Holiday Movie Season

2011-12-10T11:26:00.000-08:00

Christian Bale as quite possibly the handsomest Jesuit priest ever in Zhang Yimou's 'The Flowers of War'

Protecting her (or holding her back!) French theatrical poster for David Fincher's remake of
'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' starring Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig.
We loved the Swedish original films and my husband has read the books, so very much looking forward to this one.

Looking forward to seeing Gary Oldman as George Smiley

Meryl Streep as Britain's first woman prime minister, Margaret Thatcher

And of course, who could forget the six-year anniversary of Focus Feature's Brokeback Mountain.
Some films affect you so much you'll never be the same for having seen them.

And because I just can't wait until next summer, the latest poster and trailer for TDKR:

The Rising Tide of Climate Change

2011-12-10T09:01:00.000-08:00

Soon to disappear? The Maldives Islands sit only 1.5 meters average above sea level

*****

Leave it to California, in many ways, the most progressive place in the country, and perhaps, the world (they need to get with the program against Prop 8 tho):

Along one of the San Francisco Bay's most valuable watersheds, healthy salmon runs will soon coexist, at last, with cabernet sauvignon.

The ambitious project to halt erosion in the heart of California's premiere winegrowing region includes 40 landowners voluntarily giving up 135 acres of some of the most prized farmland in the nation, so riverbanks along the Napa River can be stabilized and salmon spawns restored.

"It's valuable property, but we have to be stewards of the land and the environment," said Regina Weinstein, of Honig Vineyard and Winery, which produces sauvignon blanc and cabernet sauvignon in the heart of the restoration area. "We want the land to be here and be healthy in the future, so we can pass on the business to future generations."

Napa Growers Do Their Part to Help Restore Salmon

C'mon, if Napa can do it....

Swimming against the tide - if ever a fish could be called beautiful, the salmon is it

Full Stomachs, Starving Spirits

2011-12-05T18:12:00.001-08:00

"Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house...not a creature was stirring

and even PETA kept quiet!"

Maybe some wouldn't mythologize the Old West so much if there were anything in our spiritually dead, modern age we live in to mythologize? Better to preserve it for the future than remember when.

One of the best articles I've read yet, from The Atlantic - why decry foie gras and shark's fin soup, but not horsemeat?:

"When Congress lifted a ban on slaughtering horses in the U.S. last week even PETA kept quiet. Here's one possible explanation."
The Empathy Test

Anti-horse slaughter advocate Toby Keith (along with Willie Nelson) - cowboy mythology, alive and kickin'

Gorgeous, evocative Annie Leibovitz photograph of the gorgeous Willie Nelson

01.22.2008

A NOTE FROM TOBY KEITH ON HORSE SLAUGHTER

A NOTE FROM TOBY KEITH ON HORSE SLAUGHTER:
Tell Congress It's Time To Stand Up For America's Horses

"When my friend, Willie Nelson, asked me to join him, his family, and the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) in the fight against the slaughter of American horses for human consumption overseas, I said 'Absolutely, count me in.' Truth be known, my sister and I had already been doing what we could to protect horses from slaughter for quite some time; one more case of great minds thinking alike.

"My family shares our 160-acre ranch in Oklahoma with many horses. I also have a 280-acre racehorse training facility nearby that is equipped with a 7/8 mile track with barns, paddocks, walkers, etc. My sister, Tonni, and I keep as many as 200 horses at any given time. A lot of them are retired and brought up here to live out their lives.

"If we get too many, we sell some at auction. However, when we do sell horses, we put a $3,000 reserve on them so that they are too expensive to purchase for slaughter. If we bring one home that doesn't sell, my sis will work until she finds that horse a home, no exceptions. Sometimes we're faced with the tough decision to have our vet come out to put a suffering horse down. The idea has never occurred to me to send my horse to slaughter as a form of euthanasia, because slaughter isn't euthanasia.

"My heroes have always been horses. The reason we take such good care of our horses is because we respect them tremendously. Historically, the horse has earned this respect by accepting the two-legged rider onto his back, fighting in our battles, and helping to settle the frontier. As Winston Churchill once said, 'There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.'

"We owe a great deal of thanks to horses, and now is the time for us to express that gratitude, because they need our help more than ever. More than 100,000 American horses were slaughtered in the U.S. last year and served up in fancy European restaurants. Texas and Illinois have outlawed the practice, closing down the only three foreign-owned horse slaughterhouses on U.S. soil.

"This is great news, but our fight is far from finished. These companies are taking American horses on trucks several hundred miles without food or water across U.S. borders to slaughterhouses in Mexico and Canada where the slaughter is especially brutal.

"The federal American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act of 2011 (~~S. 311/H.R. 503~~ S. 1176/H.R. 2976) would close this route by banning the transport of American horses across U.S. borders for the purpose of slaughter. It will also stop the slaughter industry from simply choosing another state to set up shop.

"It's time for Congress to pass the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act into law. Join me, Willie, Bo Derek, John Corbett, the Animal Welfare Institute and over 75% of Americans in our effort to protect America's horses. Call your elected representatives in Washington, D.C. today and ask them to co-sponsor the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act of 2011 (~~S. 311/H.R. 503~~ S. 1176/H.R. 2976).

"For more information on horse slaughter and how you can help make a difference for our horses visit http://www.awionline.org/. To find your elected representatives, visit http://www.awionline.org/content/compassion-index.

Beautiful Alternatives:

Sanctuary

More kudos: Smithfield Foods, Inc., America's largest pork processor, will phase out gestation crates, the industry practice of keeping pregnant sows confined in cramped metal cages, by 2017!

War Horse

2011-12-03T04:59:00.001-08:00

I cannot wait for this film. I'll be there with bells on! :)

Holding Our Country for Ransom - Again

2011-11-30T08:33:00.000-08:00

The horse is God's gift to mankind. ~ Arabian Proverb

Horse, thou art truly a creature without equal, for thou fliest without wings and conquerest without sword. ~ The Koran

When God created the horse, he said to the magnificent creature: I have made thee as no other. All the treasures of the earth shall lie between thy eyes. Thou shalt cast thy enemies between thy hooves, but thou shalt carry my friends upon thy back. Thy saddle shall be the seat of prayers to me. And thou fly without any wings, and conquer without any sword. ~ The Koran

And God took a handful of southerly wind, blew his breath upon it, and created the horse. ~ Bedouin legend

A man on a horse is spiritually as well as physically bigger than a man on foot. ~ John Steinbeck

Some quotes that I thought truly express the beauty of a horse.

*****

When was the last time we had a real approved budget? Again, an omnibus spending bill has been passed to get us by through December 16, and some sneaky items are included with it - such as reintroducing horse slaughter in the United States, with the taxpayers footing the bill for inspections, paying taxes for something they will never see the benefit from, just misery. Just another roundabout way to remove wild horses from ranchers' land or potential rancher land, and America's bison will be next, and wolf removal is ongoing, as they did the last time back in May with the threat of a government shutdown, when wolves were delisted from the Endangered Species Act.

As far as horse slaughter plants, every year since 2005 the Agriculture Department appropriations bill has included a provision defunding USDA inspections of horse meat for human consumption. That has kept horse slaughtering plants from operating in the United States.

However, the bill President Obama signed into law did not include this defunding provision. Opponents said it could cost U.S. taxpayers about $5 million a year to subsidize government inspections of foreign-owned horse slaughter plants that open in the United States.

Currently, unwanted U.S. horses are transported to slaughtering plants in either Canada or Mexico, and the meat is sold to foreign markets. And guess what? They had been and will continue to be transported to Canada and Mexico, whether or not new plants open in the U.S. or not. The only way to stop it is to ban international and interstate transport of horses. As we know from American Business Practices 101, the shortest distance between two points is the cheapest, not necessarily the domestic, location.

Oh but it's the bad economy's fault, we can no longer take care of our animals, we whine, it's a quality of life issue for the horses. So the slaughterhouse is a better alternative? Give me a break. There are more humane options.

Bad economy or not, we still have a responsibility to those in our care. If there is a rise in neglect and abandonment of horses, it's due to our long-term recession, not because slaughter in the U.S. isn't available! Horse slaughterers were still killing horses for profit; just sending them to Canada and Mexico; the hundreds of thousands of horses were not just comprised of abandoned and abused animals, but former racehorses, carriage horses, wild Mustangs, etc., none of which are raised for food under food safety regulations as with the cattle industry. This has got to be the lamest (duck), ill-thought out, quick and dirty campaign ever, because it all had to be done before the end of December when our wonderful congressmen go on vacation (again! Nice work if you can get it). President Obama wasn't even in the country when the bill was signed by auto-pen. Must everything be reduced to dollar signs in America? No wonder we have such a reputation for superconsumption - bigger, better, faster, stronger (sorry, Daft Punk!) I'd hate to see our beautiful, unique landscape become nothing but concrete and asphalt from one coast to the other, and a barren, over-farmed, over-grazed and over-mined wasteland in between, a spiritually dead place.

Horses have been much venerated over the centuries, since the earliest of times, in all cultures, for the help and benefits they have provided mankind.   It's the same today, where they even are used therapeutically for the disabled, much like seeing-eyes dogs are.    Horses over the centuries have given mankind freedom, power and mobility up until the industrial age; and they are so enduring a symbol that the association continues to this day (where do you think the term "horsepower" comes from.)

It's terrible thing to disrespect them and to reduce them to dollar signs for profit.   Horse slaughter creates more slaughter by creating a market for more animals (talk about perverse incentive!).   As far as wild horses "starving and dying of thirst and dehydration" in the wild without slaughterhouses as "humane intervention", don't think for a minute that horses on the long death march to slaughterhouses in cramped trucks are given ample food and water (it's required by law to have been withheld for 28 hours).   There has even been legislation proposed to divert water supplies away from wild horses to get rid of them!

These horse-slaughter profiteers don't have anyone's welfare in mind but their own. Any wildlife biologist will tell you that animals in the wild go back into the natural food chain, as is nature's design.   I have been advised by wildlife experts to leave the injured and dying to nature if they cannot be saved, where they become food for natural predators.   Animals have a great will to survive, and we should never arrogantly decide what's best for them.

Fix the economy, and don't buy the kids that cute little horsie or pony unless you can make a lifetime commitment to having a companion animal (dogs and cats too).   We are a throw-away society.   Take the kids to visit a working farm to learn about animals; they will love it. It's obvious - if there were any merit to this barbaric practice being brought back, Congress wouldn't have had to sneak it in at the eleventh hour as a bargaining chip for another stopgap budget measure.   Is this the best we can do to 'create jobs' in our country? How low can we sink.

With all the current fuss about too much taxation in our country, this action is really questionable. Between deciding whether or not tomato paste qualifies as a vegetable for school lunches (Congress is too cheap to include actual vegetables for federally-funded school lunch menus) and destroying our iconic American horses so that we can raise beef, beef and more beef for an ever-increasing human population, government isn't doing its job. Meanwhile, our Congresspeople always leave office much wealthier than when they came in - why is that? They are fighting the tax increase on the wealthiest Americans proposal tooth and claw - because they have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo. Continue to insult our intelligence. Vote the bums out in 2012.

If a company were run this way, the top management would be fired. (Hmmm, but they'd lay off all the underlings and escape with a golden parachute.....)

Keep the focus on jobs and cleaning up government and Wall Street!

Alternatives to Horse Auction or Slaughter from the ASPCA

I keep reading vague references to 'tribal' and 'tribes' in all of the horse slaughter support propaganda, but I don't think so. Read up; notice any familiar names? Yep, that's right - "Slaughterhouse Sue" Wallis of Wyoming.

NCAI Sells Out To White Man's Greed - Save Our Wild Horses

Now, some good news. What a lovely, creative solution:

A Home for the Buffalo to Roam

Winter Coats - an FWP employee herding bison back into Yellowstone National Park. Livestock interests and conservationists say they've reached agreement on eventually allowing bison into some parts of Montana,

where they have been absent for decades. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

Yes, our American West is a romantic thing of beauty, and we are the better for preserving it. I hope that ranching interests and conservationists can continue to work together to reach a beautiful solution such as this.

UPDATE: The ignorance and insensitivity surrounding this issue, and floating around the internet, is profound.

First of all, speaking only for myself (and I really resent others speaking for me or my motives in wanting to treat a noble animal well). No, I do not see a horse as "Mr. Ed", "Black Beauty", "Seabiscuit" or "My Little Pony", nor do I attribute anthropomorphic feelings to them, as I have also seen sanctimoniously tut-tutted about. In my actual experience with horses, as well as other animals - and I am amazed everyday with the intelligence and affection, loyalty and feeling they are capable of, if only we would take the time to look - whether cats, dogs, pigs, chickens, geese or horses, sheep and cattle, birds - the list goes on and on. New discoveries are made every day, such as crows having the intelligence to build simple tools. A Rhode Island Red rooster can kill a fox or dog who threatens his flock (swoon.) And a rooster's crow in the morning is such a beautiful, natural alarm clock. My doctor raises vegetables and sheep with llama "watchdogs", his wife spins the wool and drives for miles to help rescue llamas who need new homes because their owners can no longer care for them (in one instance due to an elderly woman who could no longer care for them.) At another farm, the free-range pigs do an good thing for the environment by gobbling up invasive species of plants.

I used to be a "sorta" inner city girl who dreamed of farmland and ranches, and today I live in such a beautiful area. When I want the stimulation of the city, I'm still close enough - but as they say, it's a great place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.

We have come along way since the days of René Descartes, who in the 17th century philosophised that animals had no feeling or souls, and set out to prove it with cruel experiments. Seems the creatures without souls these days are humans. If a bond of love is created between a human and a pet, it is natural and normal, or if people honor horses because they have benefited people in their lives and contributed greatly to the advancement of civilization, all throughout history. No, I do not think we are entitled to eat anything, lay waste to and profit from anything that moves on this planet, just because we can.

Why stop with horses then?   In certain parts of the world, people eat dogs and cats - if a "My Little Pony" theme is appropriate to make light of such a terrible thing as horse slaughter, then perhaps a "Hello Kitty" theme might be fun to post when people are as outraged about that?

Every year, in another of our dirty little secrets, millions of faithful kitty cats and man's best friends are abandoned, abused and in our current economic downturn (that just doesn't seem to end!) people can't always care for them either.   I'm sure statistics will show more of them are being abandoned and neglected as well. Isn't there a market where $$$ can be made here too? (Insert sarcasm here)

No, we don't do this, because we just can't stomach that kind of thing, because it's too close to home for most of us who have pets.    There's a "sentimental connection" there, isn't there.

You can see just how absurd the argment to bring back horse slaughter is when you look at it from this viewpoint. The argument just isn't logical - and it's motivated by greed. Most of you I'll bet don't have horses so of course it's a non-issue to leave to the folks "out there" somewhere else to worry about, and your politicians are banking on what you don't know in many ways. Some children barely know where milk and eggs come from.

PETA has also done a tremendous disservice to the plight of horses with their latest statement as well by agreeing that slaughterhouses are a humane alternative to suffering, when in reality they are nothing but houses of horrors for animals.   I know they have done many good things for animals, but they have made some really questionable moves in how they deliver their messages to people, and I sometimes wonder if they care more about their own self-promotion and agenda than the welfare of animals.   I won't go so far as to call them terrorists, but you get the idea, (especially when we consider how they got their start over in the UK using terror tactics); some of their methods are counterproductive and they give the rest of us animal advocates a bad name because of it.

Significant advances in our society's treatment of animals can be attributed to PETA US, including stopping all car-crash tests on animals worldwide, getting more than 1,000 cosmetics companies to stop testing on rabbits and other animals, and closing massive horse-slaughter operations in the US as well as an international wildlife trafficking outfit.
The goal of trying to get everyone to be vegetarian isn't realistic, but ensuring that animals used for food are treated as humanely as possible is.    I no longer eat red meat myself, but everyone has to choose for themselves what they will eat.   As human predators at the top of the food chain, we really aren't that different from a wolf eating a caribou or an elk, except that we have the capacity for empathy, compassion, mercy and humane treatment of our prey, or at least I thought we did.    Don't cruelly sacrifice or hold hostage one creature while you debate theoretical ethics of meat-eating in general from ivory towers, more animals will be being inhumanely destroyed.

In an ideal world, maybe nobody would eat, harass, enslave or otherwise use other creatures - but we don't live in an ideal world, far from it.   A better goal would be to concentrate on ensuring that animals are respected and treated as well and as humanely as possible, and not consider them entitlements, but to be used for food and medical experiments as little as possible, and with as little interference to them in the wild as possible.   Zoos and especially circuses are outmoded holdovers from Victorian times when animals from exotic land were curiosities, and cause great stress to the animals, and have little relevance in today's society except to hold endangered species that we are making extinct in the wild. What to do about animals we have introduced into the world such as pets and heritage breeds of livestock, where do they fit in the PETA utopia?   Like children, we created them and they are here.   Join the real world.    Stop courting celebs, and making public spectacles that do absolutely no good and do something practical.

The fact remains that this barbaric practice was outlawed in 2008, with assurances from our President that we would never again see horse slaughtering plants operating in our country, which was a practical step in the right direction for humane treatment of all animals. It was only the first step in ongoing legislation which hopefully will stop the transport of horses to Canada and Mexico eventually.   Why advocate a step backwards, PETA? If change is to come, it is a process; it cannot be forced on anyone.

US slaughterhouses being more "humane" than those in Canada or Mexico is a subject for debate.    PETA themselves have uncovered numerous violations and incidents of abuse and animal cruelty in US plants over the years than we can list.   We've had and still may have conflicts of interest with meat industry people serving on their own oversight boards.   And with our country clamoring for less government regulation than more, we may never know what goes on - I'd hate to have to put it to the test and have the animals pay the price.    Don't insult people's intelligence - this is pure, self-serving hypocrisy on PETA's part.    Whether slaughterhouses exist in the US or outside is only the difference between bad and worse.

Horses are not bred for food, but they are bred for their estrogen (PREMARIN) for treatment of post-menopausal symptoms in older women. PREMARIN stands for "pregnant mare's urine" - and means just what it says - the mares are kept pregnant to produce estrogen and then eventually destroyed along with their young when they are of no more "use", and sent to slaughter.    This practice has to stop - it's mostly unnecessary, because menopause is a natural part of a woman's life and has been since the dawn of humanity - until somebody (a man) decided older women should be put out to pasture without it.     Menopause in ancient cultures was just as revered a time in a woman's life as any - even more so, because it was considered a time of great wisdom.    In our modern, youth-obsessed culture this sadly is no longer the case.    It presents health and cancer risks because naturally a woman was not meant to have higher estrogen levels after a certain age.    As a woman I won't take part in this unnecessary practice.     In the cases where estrogen therapy is necessary, there are synthetic alternatives and modern biologic, plant-based alternatives.

Being told from day one that we are (self-proclaimed) God's highest creation by certain religions and minimizing that God, or however you think of a higher power, created every creature on our magnificent planet, it's no wonder we behave as we do to other creatures and the environment - and we've also created hell on earth because of it. (The Vatican took time out from what I am sure is its busy schedule to come out against the perfectly innocent movie "Avatar" because they claimed it celebrated the "evil" worship of nature. How ridiculous is that. Meanwhile, they should be concentrating of eliminating the evils their priests have perpetrated on children.)

No other animal but man has ever killed his own kind en masse, like in wars and the Holocaust, or the enslavement and genocide of native people, fully cognizant of and purely for evil means, greed or land grabs, rationalized away by "manifest destiny".

Civilization or the natural world? I'll take nature, thank you.

Do you really think your average American worker would want to get their hands dirty with this kind of dirty work?    Or want one in their backyard? (NIMBY Syndrome) Slaughterhouse work has been by and large done by illegal immigrants, another thing hypocritally decried by our wonderful politicians. People will be watching, and ready to shut these places down if they do use illegal labor.

An Abattoir by Any Other Name ...

Is still a slaughterhouse.     That said, there will be times when a horse will need to be humanely be put down, whether due to illness or injury - by a veteriarian.   An local or regional abattoir on or accessible by a family farm is one thing, but large-scale factory slaughterhouses are inherently inhumane.    Until retired racehorses and wild Mustangs are rounded up from the 'goodness of hearts', and not dollar signs on the hoof, I'll remain skeptical about altruistic motives.   Horses are not always "anthropomorphized" - they are appreciated for the qualities unique to them.   In some cases, you wouldn't want to ascribe human qualities to them!

In the 1940s (70 years ago!), it was true that people turned to horsemeat - out of desperation.   We were in the midst of a world war and recovering from the Great Depression (our present economy may well be driven there yet, but thankfully we aren't at the moment!) and beef was in short supply.   You can hardly say that today.    Any meat from horses today is solely for export, not for people in the United States.   We would like to see progress, not regress.

Anyone who keeps horses knows there is a lot of work involved, and it truly is a labor of love.   When a horse where I live needed major surgery, the entire community contributed to her.

The employment level is the lowest it has been since 2009 - but if this is the alternative - we ain't that desperate yet.

Information About The New England Heritage Breeds Conservancy

Classy Ladies

2011-11-26T19:36:00.000-08:00

Music's Newest Goddess

Sure, I see elements of Madonna, Bruce Springsteen as well - but performance artist Lady Gaga brings something unique and all her own to her music. And she can cook. Fantastic.

Lol'ing about this take on Mae West by Zooey Deschanel (and hysterically funny Edith Anne!) in her new series The New Girl -'Bad in Bed' episode to air Tuesday, December 6 at 9:00 pm on FOX

I'm totally enchanted by the Metronomy remix of her great song, Yoü And I, and one by the sensual-voiced Wild Beasts. The swoon-croon of Tom Fleming recalls of Joy Division's Ian Curtis, perfectly complemented by the beautiful falsetto of Hayden Thorpe in 'All The King's Men' - part bird, part beast; part angel, part seductive woodland spirit. Reminds me a bit of one of my all-time favorite bands, The Blue Nile, too.

Amazing live version of the bright, liquid guitar shimmers, bounding-through-the-woods bass
and matin' call drums in the playful 'All The Kings Men' by Wild Beasts - sounds even better live

Pan and Psyche by pre-Raphaelite painter Sir Edward Burne-Jones

Pan, the Greek woodland god, or his Celtic equivalent Cerrunos or Jack o' the Green,

falsely demonized by Christianity

(*waves* now this is anthropomorphization)

Photo of Lusitanian horse from Columbia - National Geographic Photo Contest 2011 - 8 Favorite Faces

taken by Nicolas Guzman (Source: Ecorazzi)

Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T13:24:00.000-08:00

Debt of gratitude: In a scene from the PBS Series 'We Shall Remain - After the Mayflower',

Gov. Edward Winslow (Nicholas Irons) welcomes Chief Massasoit of the Wampanoag tribe
(the late Native American actor and activist Marcos Akiaten)

to the new settlement of Patuxet/Plimoth for the first Thanksgiving

It takes a village to make a film. Overseeing the scene are: Nipmuc language consultant David White, director Chris Eyre, Native cultural consultant Cassius Spears, English cultural consultant Emerson Baker and executive producer Sharon Grimberg. More than half a dozen consultants worked with the production team to ensure accuracy for both the Native and English representations of 17th century culture.

Happy Thanksgiving 2011 - 5,000 Meals

2011-11-23T11:13:00.000-08:00

The Occupy Wall Streeters are celebrating Thanksgiving with a community meal - 5,000 plates of roast turkey and all the fixings at Liberty Square. There will be vegan and gluten-free fare as well as acoustic musical performances
(and no pepper spray!).

Food is being donated by restaurants and individual supporters. There will also be a canned food drive to benefit food banks and pantries throughout NYC

Nothing Sacred?

2011-11-22T08:24:00.000-08:00

Protect Wolves on National Forests

Wyoming's long-awaited wolf ~~extermination~~ management plan is here!

Under the new plan finalized by the State of Wyoming, wolves in Bridger-Teton and other National Forests in Wyoming will be treated as predators (Potential predation? How can you kill an animal for something it hasn't done yet? I don't get this.), not wildlife, and killed on sight for most of the year.    Yes, wolves are predators, but many animals are also considered predators - bears, mountain lions, foxes, coyotes, wolverines, praying mantises - and man.

Please ask President Obama and Agriculture Secretary Vilsack, who oversees the Forest Service, to draw a line in the sand and prevent Wyoming's human predators from shooting wolves on sight in Bridger-Teton and other National Forests. (my apologies to Defenders of Wildlife for rewriting their paragraph! - link to petition follows.)

Wolves don't belong to Wyoming or any other state - and they don't recognize state borders - they travel over broad ranges to follow their food supply's migration. It's nature's design.

Protect Wolves on National Forests

I understand that ranchers want to protect their livestock (and they are compensated for any losses from wolf predation by the Federal government), but the National Forests are a bit out of the State of Wyoming's jurisdiction, and the wolves need to have refuge somewhere.   See what happens when you propose leaving controls to the states and then forget about it?   (Republican presidential candidates, we're looking at you.)   Every state will have a different way to define 'wildlife management', and other issues as well. And guess what? That means no federal funds either.   ~~It would be very sad to see our Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, a former rancher, be revealed as nothing but a shill for the cattle industry.~~

This is a wildlife management plan?  How can you even monitor the population this way? It's more like legal hunting season, all year round, no permit needed.

Pepper Spray Cop

2011-11-21T13:18:00.000-08:00

Cute political satire parody of the UC Davis incident from 'Know Your Meme'

Georges Seurat’s A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte (1884)

Hall of Shame

2011-11-20T13:05:00.000-08:00

We no sooner recover from nausea after hearing about the zoo from hell in OH, when we read about a McDonald's egg supplier, Sparboe Farms, where an undercover source took photographic evidence of the deplorable conditions there and revealing cruel and abusive treatment of chickens, such as dead birds being left in cages with live ones, burning the beaks of chicks (so that they don't peck at and hurt themselves of course, due to the unnatural, cramped conditions they are forced to exist in), cruel disposal of live, unwanted male chicks in plastic bags with dead ones, all of which is par for the course and business as usual at factory farms, but the tormenting and torture of captive and defenseless animals is not and should not be tolerated.   Abuse of animals is the sign of sick individuals.

Eating meat, dairy and eggs doesn't mean you shouldn't expect the animals to be raised and handled as humanely as possible.   The company had been given an FDA 483 inspection and received a warning due to observations of serious violations at five of their facilities with regard to salmonella contamination prevention.   Who says we need to eliminate government agencies or reduce government in our lives (already severely cut back under the Bush administration)? Oh yes,' the free market will take care of itself'.

Thank goodnesss McDonald's took the charges seriously this time, dropped the supplier, and the supplier fired the four ~~oxygen thieves~~ workers responsible immediately, before we all take our business elsewhere.   Also, with over 7,000 stores an average of 100 employees per store when you factor in all the support people at the regional level, distribution centers, truck drivers, supply chain, etc., McDonald's is a huge employer of people who might not otherwise have a job, and they have an open dialogue with their customers.   They are about as good as it gets for a corporation - so they are helping, not hurting, our economy.

From The American Veterinary Association:

"Holding suppliers responsible for the care they give animals is essential to ensuring that livestock are treated humanely in production and processing facilities," says Dr. Gail Golab, director of the AVMA Animal Welfare Division. The AVMA applauds McDonald's for ensuring that their suppliers meet reasonable guidelines for animal welfare."

"The AVMA carefully examined the pros and cons of various housing systems --- from cages to free range," Dr. Golab added. "We have established clear policy based on that analysis, and have conveyed that information to industry and humane organizations to ensure that animals are cared for humanely no matter which housing system is used. That makes incidents like this all the more frustrating and heartbreaking. What we observed on today's video isn't about whether hens should be kept in cages or on pasture; it's about poor human behavior --- period."

Text of Full Article

It's a cold, cruel world out there for those who cannot speak for themselves. :(

UPDATE: Target has also dropped Sparboe Farms as a supplier, and Sparboe Farms will be subject to further ABC News investigation.

UPDATE to the update: Sparboe Farms has created a Sustainability Task Force to address the issues and their facilities.

Happy chickens with free run of the yard, similar to the gang of Rhode Island Reds near my house :)

From the Humane Society re the OH zoo:

Yesterday (11/21), a task force created by Ohio Gov. John Kasich—including HSUS’s Ohio state director, Karen Minton—issued its recommendations for legislative action and recommended a ban on private ownership of these animals, except for accredited zoos and sanctuaries. I (Wayne Pacelle, CEO and President of the HSUS) issued a statement yesterday that I was encouraged by the recommendation. Lions, tigers, chimps, and other powerful wild animals do not belong in our backyards or basements, and should only be found in their natural habitats or accredited zoos and sanctuaries where their needs can be met. There should be no “casual ownership” of these animals, as representatives from the Kasich administration have rightly said.

It’s now time for the legislature to act and to do something that is proportional to the nature of this severe problem in Ohio. It should act before the end of the year, so that not another month goes by without strong standards in Ohio. We must prevent any more human tragedies and mass shootings of wildlife. And we must have no half-measures or tepid responses. A ban on keeping these wild animals as pets must be the outcome.

Tall, Dark and Batty

2011-11-19T11:00:00.000-08:00

Just the way I like 'em. Couldn't resist this ad, or clever description, when I saw it. :)

MW as MM

2011-11-19T10:02:00.000-08:00

Michelle Williams as the sweetly beautiful Marilyn Monroe

Oh Those Congresspersons

2011-11-17T10:33:00.000-08:00

Did you know insider trading was illegal for everyone but congress and their staff?

A bill was filed Tuesday by Massachusetts Republican Sen. Scott Brown and Connecticut Independent Sen. Joseph Lieberman would make it illegal for elected congressional officials, their staffs and executive branch employees to use information about pending bills that's not available to the general public in making investment decisions. It would also forbid them from making such information public for personal gain.

Works of Art

2011-11-17T06:54:00.000-08:00

My favorite Lady GaGa outfits yet:

Lady GaGa at the2011 MTV EMAs

The ol' ball and chain - Marry the Night

Lady GaGa - Marry The Night (On MTV EMA 2011) (Live) (2011)

The Metamorphosis - Lady GaGa looking like an exotic silk moth fanning her wings -
the performance in Belfast was stupenda!

Lady Gaga performing an acoustic version of "Marry the Night" in New Delhi, India with just piano and sitar.

I will never think of her as just another passing pop music phenonmenon ever again - she's amazing, and she is so gracious with her fans.

Lady GaGa wearing a sari designed by Indian fashion designer Tarun Tahiliani

(photos: Jamie-James Medina for The Guardian UK/The Observer - Lady GaGa in India - In Pictures)

Lady GaGa with Bollywood stars Arjun Rampal and Shahrukh Kahn. Swoon!

Gorgeous fashion royalty: former Indian supermodels Arjun Rampal and his lovely wife Mehr Jesia

Love the Rohit Bal Achkan/Nehru style coat (photos: Masala!)

Arjun Rampal - again!

Fun interview with British talk show host Alan Carr

Call 9-1-1!

2011-11-14T17:53:00.000-08:00

Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Officer John Blake in 'The Dark Knight Rises'

Love that face

After seeing Joe in the movie '50/50' an adorable young woman named Lindsay Miller who is also a cancer 'liver' as she calls it, has asked him out for coffee. Good for her! I know it's up to him and all, and of course stars' private lives should be respected, but it would be so nice if he does go! :)

A Study In Contrasts

2011-11-14T13:56:00.000-08:00

Leonardo DiCaprio as J. Edgar Hoover

Josh Lucas as the stricken Charles Lindbergh after the kidnapping of his child

Leonardo DiCaprio as J. Edgar Hoover in Clint Eastwood's 'J. Edgar', and in the background,

Armie Hammer as his lifelong friend and possible, probable lover, FBI Deputy Director Clyde Tolson

The saying goes that behind every successful man there is a strong woman: Armie Hammer, Leonardo DiCaprio

and Dame Judi Dench as J. Edgar's powerful and devoted mother, Annie Hoover

Naomi Watts and Leonardo DiCaprio as the younger Helen and J. Edgar

Magnificent makeup and costumes - Naomi Watts, as an older Helen Gandy, Hoover's devoted personal secretary

of 54 years, and keeper of secrets. Beautiful and natural-looking aging.

Holding court, but already spoken for

Elegant

A photo of the real Clyde Tolson and J. Edgar Hoover

It's difficult to make a picture about a such an unlikable character. Throwing Richard Nixon into the mix at the end helps, tho. Noone is all bad or all good, nothing is ever only black and white, but sometimes grey.

But J. Edgar throws some light on a darker historical figure in ways that I didn't realize, such as creating federal kidnapping laws after the terrible Lindbergh kidnapping, and brilliantly changing public opinion so that they eventually held G-men in higher esteem than the gangsters (James Cagney), and setting the stage for modern forensics.    Portrayed as a brilliant, passionate and visionary man, and from a young age, but one who became corrupted by his own power and did some regrettable things - trampling civil rights and the Constitution, but back then it was the order of the day, along with the anti-liberalism, racism, anti-Semitism, homophobia, misogyny and sexism, which is alluded to in the employment positions of African Americans and women, and the snippets of Punch and Judy-esque James Cagney movie scenes with female co-stars, and the film speculates as to how this kind of a society might have shaped Hoover's life.    That was, as Walter Cronkite used to say, "the way it is".

Influenced at by the events of his childhood and Communist scares, he would spend his entire life battling 'subversives' wherever he would find them.    His mother had high hopes for him, and he would also spend his life trying to live up to her demanding expectations for him, even if it meant repressing his own desires for himself, as is strongly suggested in the film, when his mother (Dame Judi Dench) says she'd rather have a dead son than a 'daffodil' for a son, and she lavishes much praise on him at every success.    He seems to regard his mentally ill father with a sense of shame, at a time when mental illness was considered a weakness and homosexuality had to be hidden.   Hoover was the sole support of his family at a difficult time in the early 20th century - the end of WWI, stock market crash, the Depression, Prohibition, the Ku Klux Klan. So simplistic pop pychology might not hold the entire answer.

He begins to date Helen Gandy, one of the nicer women at the fledgling Bureau of Investigations in his estimation, in whom he finds a kindred, if platonic, spirit - as her life is wrapped up in her work also.   She seems to 'get' him and accepts him as he is, 'quirks' and all, whereas other women do not, and that it is ok to be himself when he is with her. On one of his early dates with her, he takes her to the Library of Congress after hours to marvel at it's order and detail. While it's not exactly thrilling for her, she can appreciate it and does like him. They forge a working relationship based on mutual trust and respect that lasts until he dies and beyond, as she honors her promise to him to not let his secret files get into outside hands.   She doesn't always approve of his methods, especially as time goes on and he becomes more and more paranoid, but she remains loyal to her duties, for the good that the Bureau does and represents.

The Bureau of Investigations, which would become the modern FBI, had no power and was an agency in name only.   Its agents couldn't carry guns and were not given the authority to make arrests, hamstrung by Congress (sound familiar?).   All this all changed under Hoover's tenure - and he hired agents more for their cerebral abilities; detail oriented and methodical in their approach rather than gun-toting - accountants - because that is how cases are won. He ran a forensics laboratory out of one of the office conference rooms because he wasn't given enough funding for it, and he believed in it strongly.   Were some of the things he did uses to advance the Bureau in the public's mind? Probably, but it was because it needed to be.

Someone who seemed to have a canny understanding of the power of image, he actively promoted the larger than life persona we associate with him and the Bureau, literally putting books under the legs of his office chair to increase his height.

He is initially drawn to Clyde's good looks, smooth, unflappable polish and how he looks in a suit rather than his resume, but he finds that a simple sheet of paper cannot possibly reveal all the qualities an employee has, such as loyalty, which Hoover valued above all others.   Clyde is drawn to Edgar's intensity and fiery passion, although not always the methods of how his drive to succeed is used.    Their resulting life-long relationship, and how they manage to keep it going, is portrayed quite beautifully. As with Helen, he does give Clyde's opinions a few moments' consideration before dismissing them entirely. The despotic Hoover begins to assemple an inner, trusted circle around him, and he rules the Bureau with an iron fist for almost fifty years (He had Congress pass legislation exempting him from retirement) .   But times change and all reigns come to and end (and Hoover had a very long run).

While not looking exactly like his character, Leo certainly does give the suggestion of his appearance, especially his darkly lensed eyes, and with advancing age.

I found that no matter where one finds themselves on the political spectrum, the film is presented in an objective way, and the facts, such as illegal wiretapping and blackmail, harassing civil rights leaders and protesters, speak for themselves.   It's an important film about an important time in our country's ever-evolving political system.

Meteoric

2011-10-22T08:19:00.000-07:00

The Orionids meteor shower, best viewed just before dawn on Saturday, Oct. 22.

3rd Rock from the Sun promotional still from Joseph Gordon-Levitt Fan site

Harmonious?

Now Joseph is rumored to be in talks with Quentin Tarantino to appear in his new film Django Unchained, a Civil War-era and homage to the Spaghetti Western that he does so well, as the character Scott Harmony. What a great name. Hooray!!!!

Inglorious Sumbitches

As in Inglorious Basterds, Django Unchained is another shameful period in human history where the events are not pretty, with white-sheeted Klansmen as frightening as any Nazi. It will be interesting to see QT's take on it. And I can't wait to see Joe in Steven Spielberg's Lincoln, where he will play Abraham Lincoln's son Robert Todd Lincoln.

Top Hat, Black Tie, Fall Formal: Getting ready for a busy film schedule! The goodnight/finale for Joe's

Fall Formal was incredibly creative and has fantastic lyrics. :)

(photo: GQ)

Spirit Day

2011-10-20T19:07:00.000-07:00

The very handsome Zachary Quinto

"When I found out that Jamey Rodemeyer killed himself - I felt deeply troubled.   But when I found out that Jamey Rodemeyer had made an 'It Gets Better' video only months before taking his own life - I felt indescribable despair.   I also made an 'It Gets Better' video last year - in the wake of the senseless and tragic gay teen suicides that were sweeping the nation at the time.   But in light of Jamey's death - it became clear to me in an instant that living a gay life without publicly acknowledging it - is simply not enough to make any significant contribution to the immense work that lies ahead on the road to complete equality.

Our society needs to recognize the unstoppable momentum toward unequivocal civil equality for every gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered citizen of this country.   Gay kids need to stop killing themselves because they are made to feel worthless by cruel and relentless bullying.   Parents need to teach their children principles of respect and acceptance.   We are witnessing an enormous shift of collective consciousness throughout the world.   We are at the precipice of great transformation within our culture and government.   I believe in the power of intention to change the landscape of our society - and it is my intention to live an authentic life of compassion and integrity and action. Jamey Rodemeyer's life changed mine.   And while his death only makes me wish that I had done this sooner - I am eternally grateful to him for being the catalyst for change within me.   Now I can only hope to serve as the same catalyst for even one other person in this world.   That - I believe - is all that we can ask of ourselves and of each other."

                                                          - Zachary Quinto, from his post 10.16.11 at his official website http://www.zacharyquinto.com/

Autumn Fires

2011-10-19T09:43:00.000-07:00

A recent trip to New Hampshire and Vermont to view the fall foliage has put me in mind of autumn and cooking with the beautiful, colorful ingredients and vegetables of the season, such as butternut squash and sage:

Delicious Butternut Squash Risotto - bewitching! :)

(photo: marthastewart.com)

Butternut Squash Risotto

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth, mixed with 1/2 cup water and heated
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage, plus more for garnish

Directions:

1. In a medium heavy-bottomed cauldron or saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add squash; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until edges soften, 6 to 8 minutes.

2. Add rice; stir to coat. Add wine; cook until almost all liquid has evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes.

3. Reduce heat to medium-low; add 1/2 cup hot broth mixture. Cook, stirring, until almost all liquid is absorbed. Add remaining broth mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until liquid is absorbed before adding more, 35 to 40 minutes total.

4. Stir in Parmesan, sage, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Serve immediately, garnished with more Parmesan and sage, if desired.

(Recipe from Martha Stewart's Every Day Cooking, Oct. 2004)

Scream Awards:

More Autumn fun - Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Gary Oldman a/k/a the swoonworthy Sirius Black, accept the Spike TV Scream award for the most anticipated new film, 'The Dark Knight Rises'. (Note the voice in the introduction from 'The Dark Knight'):

Hahahahahahahahahahaha!

Sparks igniting between Scarlett and Joe?

Or could it be for meetings about the Diablo Cody zombie love story?

They do make a hot couple. :)

The Magnificent Plains Culture

2011-10-14T12:18:00.000-07:00

Better horizons? (photo: Lakota Horse and Children Organization)

Diane Sawyer's year-long researched report on poverty in America, tonight's program focuses on the Lakota children of the Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota (pop. about 40,000), in "Hidden America: The Children of the Plains" tonight on 20/20, 10 pm EST.

While it's wonderful that we are there to help out other countries in times of need and disaster, here are some of the shameful facts about how we treat our indigenous peoples, who live in third world conditions right here in this country:

On the Pine Ridge reservation:

There is no industry, technology, or commercial infrastructure to provide employment. Recent reports point out that the median income on the Pine Ridge reservation is approx 2,600 dollars per year!!

The unemployment rate is 85% - 95% on the reservation.

Life expectancy on the reservation is 48 years old for men and 52 for women.

Teenage suicide rate is 150% higher than the U.S national average for this group.

The infant mortality rate is the highest on this continent and is about 300% higher than the U.S national average.

More than half the reservation's adults battle addiction and disease. Alcoholism, diabetes, heart disease, cancer and malnutrition are rampant!

The rate of diabetes on the reservation is 800% higher than the U.S national average.

Recent reports indicate that almost 50% of the adults on the reservation over the age of 40 have diabetes. Diabetic related blindness, amputations and kidney failure are very common. The tuberculosis rate on the reservation is approx 800% higher than the U.S national average.

Cervical cancer is 500% higher than the U.S national average.

Each winter, reservation Elders are found dead from hypothermia (freezing to death!!).

At least 60% of homes on the Pine Ridge reservation are infested with the Black Mould, Stachybotrys. This infestation causes an often fatal condition with infants, children, elderly, those with damaged immune systems, and those with lung and pulmonary conditions.

Many reservations residents live without health care due to vast travel distances involved in accessing that care.   Additional factors include under-funded, under staffed medical facilities and out-dated or non-existent medical equipment, with little hope for funding for Indian health care.

Preventative healthcare programs are rare, and in most treaties between the U.S government and the Indian Nations, it was agreed to provide adequate medical care for Indians in return for vast quantities of land. The Indian Health Services ( I.H.S) was set up to administer health care for Indians under these treaties and receives an appropriation each year to fund Indian health care. Unfortunately the appropriation is very small compared to the need and the I.H.S is understaffed, ill equipped and cannot possibly address the needs of Indian communities. Now where is this more apparent than on Pine Ridge.

If this seems bad enough, the school drop out rate is over 70%.

According to the Bureau if Indian Affairs , the Pine Ridge reservation schools are in the bottom 10% of school funding by U.S Department of Education and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Teacher turnover is 800% that of the U.S national average.

The small Tribal Housing Authority homes on the reservation are so overcrowded and scarce, that many homeless families often use tents or cars for shelter.   Many families live in old shacks, old trailers, or dilapidated mobile homes.

There is a large homeless population and most families never turn away a family member no matter how distant the blood relation.   As a consequence, many homes have vast overcrowing problems, and have an estimated average of 17 people living in a home that may only have 2-3 rooms!   Some homes built for 6-8 people have up to 30 people living in them!

60% of the reservation families have no phone.

Over 33% of the reservation homes lack basic water and sewage systems, as well as electricity.

Many residents must carry (often contaminated) water from local rivers.

Most reservation families live in rural and often very isolated areas, without basic insulation in their homes, stoves , refrigerators, beds or basic furniture , electricity or water.

Weather is extreme on the reservation, with summer temperatures reaching well over 100 F, and winters bring bitter cold with temperatures that can reach 20-40 degrees below freezing.

Flooding , tornadoes and wildfires are always a risk and there are few improved roads , making many of the homes inaccessible during times of heavy rains or snow.

The U.S. Government has broken, and continues to break, every treaty made with the Lakota people, and this should not still be happening , not in this day and age, and certainly not in the supposedly richest country in the world!!

Sources:   UNPO (Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization): Lakota - The Forgotten People of Pine Ridge and 20/20's "Hidden America - The Children of the Plains"

What Are Friends For

2011-10-05T21:32:00.000-07:00

Screenwriters Will Reiser and Seth Rogen (photo: Box Office Mojo)

A young man is out for a run, listening to his iPod - you get the feeling it's part of his inalterable daily routine.   He stops at a traffic light, and is mildly shocked to see another guy throwing caution to the wind, and running across the intersection before the light turns to "Walk".    He shrugs it off, and continues about his day.

Based on the real-life experiences of Will Reiser (who makes a cameo appearance in the film as one of the partygoers), such is life for Adam Lerner (Joseph Gordon-Levitt).   Hey, I'm not dead yet! He likes order in his life, hates to be late, doesn't like people getting to close to him, and doesn't usually rock the boat by speaking up.    He bites his nails (all that pent-up feeling that isn't expressed has to go somewhere). When he goes to his doctor about some lower back pain he's been having, he receives the ultimate boat-rocking news that he has a rare form of spinal cancer, which changes the course of his life.

I love JGL as an actor, and he is wonderful in this (his facial expressions are so real), but who knew Seth Rogen had so much warmth? Seth plays Kyle, Adam's best friend and does the speaking for Adam, or acting for him as Adam isn't very assertive (it's hilarious when he catches Adam's beautiful but faithless girlfriend Rachael (Bryce Dallas Howard) out with and kissing another guy and gives her her walking papers on Adam's behalf, what Adam probably wanted to say himself. The "baby, your illness has stressed me out so much, I had to cheat on you. But's let's talk about it, ok? Uh, no.   Get the hell out.    She does bring to him a beautifully elegant and loving former racing greyhound dog though. :) One of the warmest scenes is when Kyle tries to convince Adam that 50/50 survival odds aren't so bad, really.

But in her defense, perhaps Adam doesn't really want someone who will get too close to him and so unwittingly allows this kind of behavior (not to excuse it.)   Adam discovers that Kyle has been reading up on the subject, important passages and information underlined and highlighted in the book. His best guy friend cares more about him than the one he considers his most intimate relationship, and he's feeling very alone.     But Adam is far from alone.

When Adam's doctor delivers the news, he speaks into his recorder with the case notes before he even tells Adam what's wrong. (The medical team's interaction with patients leaves a lot to be desired, but thank goodness for their expertise.)   When Adam shares marijuana-infused macaroons with a couple of other chemo patients (wonderfully played by Philip Baker Hall as the weed-smoking older gentleman patient Alan and Matt Frewer as Mitch) and walks down the hospital corridors high, you can see that the mind can only accept what it can process at the moment, as he walks by the various stages of life and death seen in hospitals, and this is very well done, as is when he first gets the news and his senses start to blur and fade.   What? What did you say?

Another well-done scene is that scary time when you have to relinquish control of your life to your anesthesiologist and surgeon. Adam likes to be in control, and this scene is really quite gripping.   The staggeringly frightening aspects of a serious illness are offset by the ironies of how others react, and Seth's humor.    The wonderful Angelica Huston is Adam's mother, who Adam feels is slightly overprotective, but who maybe he has kept at arm's length.

What about Adam's illness' affect on him? Poor Adam. She's left him waiting an hour after his chemo treatment for a ride home (Adam doesn't drive; it's too dangerous.) She doesn't want that kind of energy to affect their world outside the hospital. Translation: she doesn't want to 'catch' anything. So Adam ends up taking the bus on subsequent visits. (You can imagine the bus fumes wouldn't be too pleasant for a chemo patient to breath. ) :(   Anna Kendrick is just lovely as Adam's young newbie therapist, trying her best to be professional but at her best when she is herself.   Adam doesn't like people to get to close to him or touch him, but he finds he needs someone eventually.   They begin to have feelings for each other, despite the professional distance of a doctor/patient relationship, and when they finally take those steps towards a relationship, life is delicious with possibilities. :)

Anna Kendrick as Katherine and Joseph as Adam (photo: Box Office Mojo)

Hesher out on DVD

Hesher in the bath - yum! :) (Screencap from Joseph Gordon-Levitt Fan site)

*****

RIP Steve Jobs

Amazing Feats

2011-09-29T08:39:00.000-07:00

During the rain delay in Baltimore, I switched from the Red Sox game to the Tampa Bay/Yankees game, where the Rays were trailing the Yankees 7-zip in the 8th inning. It crossed my mind that they could still come back, but what a Herculean effort it would have to be. I have seen it done in following the Red Sox.

But imagine my surprise when the Rays did come back to tie the score in the 10th, and win 8-7 in the 12th! Congrats to the Tampa Bay Rays!

And check out the pitch-perfect imitations of Axl Rose and David Bowie by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Jimmy Fallon:

They Always Blame the Manager:

Thanks Terry Francona, for not one, but two, World Series wins and five playoff appearances! Not sure what's going to happen next, but it's pretty shabby treatment after such a remarkable time with the Sox. :(

Hey, Whatever Happened to the Buy America Act?

2011-09-26T15:34:00.000-07:00

The contract for the rebuilding of the iconic San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, a huge project that could have created thousands of U.S. jobs, was awarded to - a Chinese and other countries' companies?   As have the steel, concrete, and other components.   When our country is crying for jobs, how can this be?

Ironically, the Bay Bridge was originally built as a Depession-era project that put many people back to work.   CalTrans says American steel fabricators don't have the capacity for a job like the Bay Bridge.   Since when? At one time US Steel accounted for 30% of the world's steel output, until the 1970's, when it could no longer compete with low-wage producers elsewhere.   An industry practically synonymous with America.

What a slap in the face to American workers.   It should be illegal - circumventing and flouting American union wage and benefits requirements, OSHA rules and environmental laws in order to take advantage of cheap labor and little or no environmental impediments in other countries, exploiting foreign workers (the workers from China on this project, a polisher, for example, is paid as little as $12.00/day), in the name of "free trade".   (Now that's what you call treason!)   The project is way behind schedule, way over budget, and fraught with problems, some of which are because the components have to be shipped from China. Despite claims that oppressive regulations are what is sending jobs overseas, I believe that even if the regulations are eased (and to our country's detriment) companies will still look to other countries because of lower wages and no-benefits requirements. These practices don't allow an economic stimulus policy to do what it is designed to do - create jobs that stimulate the economy, instead of unemployment that is a drain on the budget and economy. And why would a state that's practically bankrupt not use federal funds for an infrastructure project if they could?

It is business practices like this that have, over time, chipped away at our economy and are costing Americans their jobs.   Sure, blame the Unions; they are not pefect, not by a long shot, but without them you too could work for $2.00 an hour with no benefits or protections if you should become injured. I'm sure other countries can do a good job, but so can we as Americans, a great job. We are told this on a regular basis (just like that our economy is improving); but our leadership's actions, state and federal, show otherwise.   America may have the greatest workforce in the world, but we also have some the the world's sleaziest politicians.

What has happened? Just don't blame it on the illegal immigration from Mexico in the border states.   :(

1933:   The Buy American Act

1983: The Buy America Act

2009:

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), commonly referred to as the Stimulus Act, includes a “Buy America” requirement to help put Americans back to work by ensuring that iron, steel, and other manufactured goods used in infrastructure projects are procured from domestic producers in a manner consistent with U.S. trade obligations. (*wink- wink* as in when they they buy our debt.)

2011: President Obama's American Jobs Act Now legislation (pending)

Source (except for my commentary): Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) and Wikipedia

Happy Autumnal Equinox!

2011-09-23T10:25:00.000-07:00

Goodbye and thanks, REM!

Gunning for the EPA

2011-09-22T15:34:00.001-07:00

The Tea Party Congress would like the 3.6 billion dollars in funds appropriated for Hurricane Irene disaster relief to be cut from a government loan process sponsored by the EPA for making cars more fuel efficient, instead of from the 4 billion in (unnecessary) oil subsidies. The Senate turned it down. Yay!!!

Leonardo DiCaprio as J. Edgar Hoover

2011-09-21T07:22:00.000-07:00

DADT Officially Ends

2011-09-20T11:00:00.000-07:00

Making it Official - Dashing couple Navy Lt. Gary Ross, right, and Dan Swezy exchange wedding vows on Tuesday,
Sept. 20, 2011 in Duxbury, Vt. The two men recited their vows at the first possible moment after the formal repeal of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. The partners of 11 years married at the stroke of midnight, just as the ban ended. At center is Justice of the Peace Greg Trulson. / TOBY TALBOT, Free Press
(Source: Burlington FreePress.com)

International Talk-Like-A-Pirate Day

2011-09-19T11:26:00.000-07:00

Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Swann in 'Pirates of the Caribbean'

Shadow and Light

2011-09-16T09:23:00.000-07:00

Lovely and insightful article about Joe in this month's Elle magazine!

More TDKR Mystery

2011-09-14T10:22:00.000-07:00

Anne Hathaway looking mysterious as Selina Kyle - love the outfit especially the coat!

Selina Kyle helping to keep the streets of Gotham safe

Also, 50/50 premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival to a standing ovation!

Joseph, Anna Kendrick and Will Reiser at the 50/50 TIFF premiere

Befriended

2011-09-13T09:15:00.000-07:00

During a walk at the pond after a rainstorm, we saw a Canada goose at the side of the trail - we spoke to her and said hello, and as she walked back with us to our car, we were amazed.    She may have been injured, but seems healthy; we've been visiting her daily with grain, and she seems to be getting ready to leave for migration, getting more independent every day.

She meets us at the same spot, has even called to us  - I'm not sure who is being more conditioned, her or us! :)

UPDATE:   Our goose fledged today and made her first real attempt at flying - she went a good distance, so I think she is out of the woods! We thought her wings looked like they were getting stronger and her flight feathers longer, and sure enough, they were.   So happy that we were able to witness such a miracle of nature.

Reflections: 9/11 Ten Years On

2011-09-11T06:33:00.000-07:00

Never to Be Forgotten: The World Trade Center 9/11 Memorial construction site,

reflected in a New York City shop window (photo: Reuters)

                   Non clamor, sed amor          Not a clamour, but love
                   Non vox, sed votum             Not talking, but a pledge
                   Non cordula, sed cor            Not flagellation, but a heart
                   Psallit in aure Dei                  Make music in the ear of God

                     - from 'Psallit in Aure Dei' by Lisa Gerrard and Patrick Cassidy

*****

8:30 am, near Boston, MA - I had just sat down at my desk at work with a cup of coffee, getting ready to start my work day, maybe shuffling through some paperwork. No reason to think that it would be any different than any other workday.

8:46 am - "A plane has flown into one of the World Trade Center towers!" one of my workmates said, alarmed.

Oh? I thought. Must be a plane crash, a malfunction, of some kind. We all went to the cafeteria/break room to watch CNN news that was continually broadcast, in a kind of backdrop to our days.

9:03 am - Within a few minutes, we saw the second plane crash into the South Tower. These were no ordinary plane crashes, no accidents.

9:37 am - Then the Pentagon crash, and another, at 10:03 am, that may have been an attempt on the Capitol, thwarted by the brave souls aboard United Flight 93, that eventually crashed near Shanksville, PA.

The rest of the morning was chaotic, spent in frantic attempts to try and locate our company's business travellers, colleagues and friends, and telephone calls to loved ones, until we were all eventually sent home, in shock. All of our people were accounted for; but others were not so lucky.

Revenge Not Always Sweet - The Debt

2011-09-08T17:37:00.000-07:00

Helen Mirren and Jessica Chastain as Mossad agent Rachel Singer in a scene from "The Debt"

What if we could go back. Would it be different?

- David, to Rachel, as ex-Mossad agents

A haunted trio of gutsy Israeli Mossad agents emerge from the belly of a C-130 military cargo plane onto the tarmac in Tel Aviv in 1966, first generation Holocaust survivors, as heroes, albeit reluctant heroes, for the bringing of a brutal Nazi war criminal to justice, the Josef Mengele-like Dr. Bernhardt/Dieter Vogel, the infamous 'Surgeon of Birkenau'. (Yes, there were others, but Mengele is probably one of the most notorious, and the face that history has given to these terrible medical practices.)

The young Rachel Singer's (Jessica Chastain) preoccupied facial expression implies that she is carrying a heavy emotional/psychological burden, until she slips effortlessly into her cover identity, and back again. Reflecting back on that time, her face now bearing the scar, she (now played by Hellen Mirren) is still wearing that expression and carrying that burden, and it hasn't eased, but become worse. But as she looks at her daughter and her daughter's husband and young family playing on a beach in the Homeland, perhaps it was all worth it.

There's a romance to this film, and not just the idealistic romance between Rachel and David, but the heroic romance of the formation of the State of Israel, and tears for bringing those responsible for the most heinous crimes in mankind's history to bear, and for the validation and protection of their own. The Nazi regime may have tried to sterilize her, but they would not succeed.

Dr. Vogel (Jesper Christensen) is now a practicing physician in East Berlin, a fertility specialist. Rachel, in the guise of an infertile wife and her husband (Sam Worthington) make an appointment to consult with him in order for the trio to get closer to him and ultimately capture him. Dr. Bernhardt gives her the diagnosis for her infertility and injects her with follicle stimulating hormone.

Back at the safe house, whether due to loneliness or neediness, or of just being brought together, Rachel, wrapped in a towel after a shower, goes to David. He wants her, but cannot break free of the prison he is in. The pragmatic Stephan (Marton Csokas) is all too willing to step in. Dr. Bernhardt deduces pregnancy after observing Rachel's regular bouts with morning sickness after his capture after the mission goes awry and as he is imprisoned with them in the safe house. Still a shockingly unrepentant anti-Semite, he is shown more humanity by his captors than you would imagine someone like him ever would have, and what he says is historically false.

Stephan and Rachel marry eventually (and divorce), and Stephan goes on to becomes a high-ranking member of government, but it doesn't seem to be a marriage based on love - a shared secret, perhaps, and a mutual respect and goals - love more like an alliance, not the idealistic, romantic love she and David feel/felt for each other, although never consummated (and, accept for one attempt by David to get Rachel to leave with him after he returns from abroad, remains unrequited) and the knowledge that he debt still needs to be paid.

A stunning and profound film. The best thing I have seen this year.

Military Commanders Moshe Dayan and Abdullah el Tell reach cease fire agreement, Jerusalem. 30 November 1948

(Source: Wikipedia)

Throwing Down the Gauntlet

2011-09-08T17:06:00.001-07:00

Wonderful speech from our President tonight. You make us very proud! :)

The Prohibition Era (Part 2?)

2011-09-07T09:26:00.000-07:00

Prohibition, a new Ken Burns and Lynn Novick documentary from PBS, premiering October 2, 3 and 4 at 8 pm.

Speakeasy: Today's film stars pose reminiscent of a 1920's prohibition speakeasy

(photo: Vanity Fair's Hollywood Edition)

Jake and Anne

*****

The first GOP presidential candidate debate, Ronald Reagan PresidentialLibrary, Simi Valley, CA
Wednesday, Sept. 7 at 8 pm EST:

The thing that makes an argument for dispensing with Social Security fall flat is that it fails to take into consideration that seniors desire independence, and don't want to rely on family members. It may not even be possible for some. People are living longer and more active lives for the most part due to advances in health and medicine, and after contributing to society for their entire lives, seniors have earned their social security and living their later years in dignity and with independence. The stereotype of an older person is long gone. Investment plans and accounts fail to take into account that certain people on lower incomes don't, one, have the money to invest and certainly not in accounts that fluctuate with the market. Improve and streamline the program, but it's a valuable thing for our society.

I see Mr. Perry's point that its future for younger people is in jeopardy; but he is badly mistaken when he calls Social Security a "Ponzi Scheme" as part of his rhetoric. A Ponzi scheme is an illegal, criminal enterprise where money is "skimmed"; none of this applies to the Social Security Trust Fund, which is insurance. If its future is in jeopardy, fix it. It survived the "Great Recession' of 2008. Privatize it, and you will see who the Ponzi schemers really are (see current UBS investment scandal). Do you want to risk your retirement funds in another 2008-type stock market and housing crash?

Tort reform of outrageous medical malpractice suits and rates of insurance and the overhead associated with it (so high that doctors can't even practice) would go a long way to help ease medical costs. Short of outright negligence, their are always risks involved with certain procedures. Suing for being burned by hot coffee lawsuits should be done away with.

Temperance, er. Tea Party, candidates:

Michele Bachmann - advocating drilling for oil and natural gass in the Everglades? Not only is it the only environment of its kind in the entire world, a national park and treasure, and being lost daily, it's the location of the Biscayne aquifer, the water supply for all of Miami and Dade County. Not to be messed with. There is no such thing as responsible or cautious drilling and exploration in such a fragile, or any, ecosystem.

Ron Paul - and intelligent man, but his ideas and philosophies seem more suited to a Utopia Manifesto and not the real world.

I like Rick Perry's approach to immigration - putting up a fence sends the wrong message and is too much like a Berlin Wall, to me, to have for our neighbors in Mexico. Every effort should be made to encourage legal immigration. I would imagine that if you are not a border state, you wouldn't have much knowledge about it as those states who are, and the deep cultural connection between the US and Mexico in these states. If a child is born in the United States, even if of illegal immigrant parents, he or she is a United States citizen, according to the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution, and entitled to the benefits that come therewith. I'm sure we don't have to be reminded that our parents or parents' parents were immigrants to this country as well. America's freedoms were as much a 'magnet' back then as ithey are now.

The big winners of the night? Jon Huntsman and especially Mitt Romney. Not only were Mitt's answers delivered very naturally and approachably, he was very gracious to Rick Perry regarding the health mandante of Guardasil in Texas. While Mr. Perry's intentions must have been good regarding this public health issue; something bothers me about mandating vaccines to girls only. I guess it's that in sexual matters, the 'after' is always the responsibility of the woman or girl, whether it be birth control, pregnancy, disease, and expected for her to deal with. Men and boys pass the HPV virus too.

50/50

2011-09-03T17:14:00.000-07:00

Joe Jackson sings (ironically) 'Cancer'

TDKR - Misterioso

2011-08-30T07:27:00.000-07:00

Joseph as John Blake looking very mysterious indeed.

Anne Hathaway looking delightfully goth on the cover of September's 'Interview' magazine

Who needs Ravel? Just that bass guitar and Joseph speaking French (and angels from on high),
from the Serge Gainsbourg tribute at the Hollywood Bowl.

Talk about swoon factor - I thought he did a great job with Nirvana's 'Lithium', but this - wow.

'Tu t'appelles comment?' .... I think I just may need to go lie down. :)

More Good News from Your Garden

2011-08-29T14:19:00.000-07:00

First Lady Michelle Obama and children working in the White House kitchen garden

(Photo: Slate/Washington Post)

White House Bees Create Record Honey Crop

Michelle Obama was criticized (why on earth would anyone criticize this? Getting children, and adults, back in touch with where their good, healthy food comes from, is a wonderful thing.) when she announced in 2009 that she wanted the White House to be home to a vegetable garden and honey bees. Her idea was to add an area for bees on the South Lawn which would then provide pollination for the garden. Nearly three years later, her home gardening movement has taken off.

In fact, the White House garden produced almost a ton of food in one year. That’s a pretty big fete for a space that started with a $200 start up cost. The White House can now also boast that a record honey crop has been produced in its third year of production. A massive 225 and a half pounds of honey!

The number seemed to startle staff beekeeper, Charlie Brandts, who claims that most hobby hives produce 60 pounds of honey or 5 gallons annually.

He told U.S. News, “It’s just craziness. They did really well this year.” The honey bees have been considered over producers since they began creating honey at the White House. The first year the bees created 134 pounds of honey and in the second year the buzzing creatures created 183 pounds of syrupy goodness.

According to Bee Culture’s Kim Flottum, the Obama’s honey bees are in “honey bee heaven” because they are in the perfect location with lots of water, nectar from the garden and, “no pest pressure”.

The White House uses the honey the bees create to give gifts to friends, family, and other famous folks, as well as a replacement for sugar and in food and drink products like cookies, salad dressing, and beer.

It is possible that with the record number of honey produced at the White House on the South Lawn that others will catch on to bee keeping. After all, Michelle Obama’s plan to create a White House garden did lead others to create gardens of their own for their homes and help kids learn to create them at their schools all across the country.

What do you think? Ever given any thought to keeping bees? Yes! These beautiful and productive creatures are indispensible to agriculture and life on our planet, and are disappearing at an alarming rate from our modern, polluted world.

Source: Ecorazzi

Batten Down The Hatches!

2011-08-26T09:26:00.000-07:00

Hurricane Warning flags, flying at the beach today (photo: American Red Cross)

American Red Cross Says: Get Your (Hurricane) Kit Ready!

Be Safe!

Late Summer Too - Bounty

2011-08-23T10:54:00.000-07:00

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Late Summer

2011-08-15T12:09:00.000-07:00

Poster designed by actor, surfer and environmental activist Austin Nichols (One Tree Hill, The Day After Tomorrow)

Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid.

2011-08-13T17:13:00.000-07:00

Unfair, but inevitable, comparison?

(Photo: Richard Perry being congratulated by former governor of Texas George W. Bush

as Perry took over as Governor of Texas in 2000 when Bush left for the Presidency.)

Swoon factor: Gov. Perry at the premiere of 'The Alamo' at the Majestic Theater in San Antonio in 2004

Today, blowing into Iowa like a Texas Blue Norther in August, (and I mean that in the best possible way, as in like a breath of fresh air), red state Conservative Republican and Governor of Texas Rick Perry announced his plans to run for President in 2012 in South Carolina - now here's a GOP candiate that could have a strong chance of winning. I hope this won't mean the coming of another four years of Republican leadership and a return to old policies! :(

On the plus side, Gov. Perry knows how to run a big state and has done so for 10 years - balance its budget, has high job creation, tort reform and I admire Texas' hurricane preparedness and its willingness to help Louisiana's Katrina victims. Low wage jobs you say? Low-wage is better than no-wage, and is a means for one to have/contribute to their own health insurance. Gov. Perry seems to speak his mind and not back down from his beliefs and convictions, even if others don't agree with him. Extra points for supporting Al Gore back in '88! ;)

It's been said that "the liberals" didn't like George Bush's Texas swagger, and nothing could be further from the truth for all of us (who could not love Texas); it's not the swagger but the ideology, and swagger needs to be matched with real results to back it up. I'm interested to see GOP plans for protecting the public interest if government is to play a very limited role and without some increase in taxes (what about the FDA, EPA, infrastructure, etc.) We hear a lot about government reform, but there needs to be Wall Street reform as well.

Social Security and Medicaid/Medicare should not be touched other than to eliminate waste and fraud; these two are the things that our country does for its people and are positively sacrosanct, in my opinion. You can't get much more American than that. More safety net than handout, Social Security was created by FDR to protect citizens who lost or nearly lost everything they had and to stablize the economy after the Great Depression as FICA, the Federal Insurance Contributions Act, contributions by employees and employers, egalitarian, and it is still relevant in today's economy, and we may see in the very near future just how relevant. Not to mention that what would the government do without being able to borrow money from it. None of our current economic situation is our President's fault (he inherited quite a mess), but of a Conservative/Tea-Party dominated Congress who will not cooperate with him. If anything is "treasonous" it's certainly not the Fed, who is doing the best it can to keep the economy afloat by "printing money", but some in Congress by their refusal to increase taxes to add revenue.

"Fed Up"? You Bet. I'm tired of the 'I've got mine, don't care about anyone else' mentality of our country; in politics, business and across the boards.

Love him or hate him and his charming brand of political trash-talkin', he's certainly gotten our attention and it should make for an exciting presidential race! Even if Gov. Perry doesn't win his party's nomination, he may just be the force needed to revitalize politics in general, and to kickstart the election and our country into recovery.

*****

Also, on August 4th, a conditional go-ahead was granted to Shell Oil for drilling in the Arctic, in the Beaufort Sea north of Alaska. :(

Running Out: Polar ice is at its lowest levels since they began measuring thirty years ago

'Now comes Shell, claiming in its drilling application that its blowout preventers will work. If not, Shell asserts, it can quickly seal the well. And, should oil escape, the company insists, it will have booms, skimmers and helicopters at the ready.'

(Where have we heard this before?)

'Now imagine the increased danger and difficulty of trying to cope with a similar debacle off Alaska’s northern coast, where waters are sealed by pack ice for eight months of each year, gales roil fog-shrouded seas with waves up to 20 feet high and the temperature, combined with the wind chill, feels like 10 degrees below zero by late September. '*

*Excerpts from an article in the 8/17/11 New York Times by Frances G. Beinecke, the president of the Natural Resources Defense Council, served on the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling. Click link below for complete text:

No To Drilling Off Alaska's Coast

Bipartisanship: President Obama and Former Governor of Utah and Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman -

the most pro-environment Republican candidate? ' Conservation is Conservative'

8/18 - Kudos to Jon Stewart and The Daily Show for calling out MSNBC for a tasteless and misleading remark about Gov. Perry. There will be plenty of mudslinging I am sure in the days leading up to the election, without making more stuff up. Play fair! :)