... is more more deadly than the male.
The Female of the Species
Rudyard Kipling - 1911
When the Himalayan peasant
meets the he-bear in his pride,
He shouts to scare the monster,
who will often turn aside.
But the she-bear thus accosted
rends the peasant tooth and nail.
For the female of the species
is more deadly than the male.
When Nag the basking cobra
hears the careless foot of man,
He will sometimes wriggle sideways
and avoid it if he can.
But his mate makes no such motion
where she camps beside the trail.
For the female of the species
is more deadly than the male.
When the early Jesuit fathers
preached to Hurons and Choctaws,
They prayed to be delivered
from the vengeance of the squaws.
Twas the women, not the warriors,
turned those stark enthusiasts pale.
For the female of the species
is more deadly than the male.
Man's timid heart is bursting
with the things he must not say,
For the Woman that God gave him
isn't his to give away;
But when hunter meets with husbands,
each confirms the other's tale—
The female of the species
is more deadly than the male.
Man, a bear in most relations—
worm and savage otherwise,—
Man propounds negotiations,
Man accepts the compromise.
Very rarely will he squarely
push the logic of a fact
To its ultimate conclusion
in unmitigated act.
Fear, or foolishness, impels him,
ere he lay the wicked low,
To concede some form of trial
even to his fiercest foe.
Mirth obscene diverts his anger—
Doubt and Pity oft perplex
Him in dealing with an issue—
to the scandal of The Sex!
But the Woman that God gave him,
every fibre of her frame
Proves her launched for one sole issue,
armed and engined for the same;
And to serve that single issue,
lest the generations fail,
The female of the species
must be deadlier than the male.
She who faces Death by torture
for each life beneath her breast
May not deal in doubt or pity—
must not swerve for fact or jest.
These be purely male diversions—
not in these her honour dwells—
She the Other Law we live by,
is that Law and nothing else.
She can bring no more to living
than the powers that make her great
As the Mother of the Infant
and the Mistress of the Mate.
And when Babe and Man are lacking
and she strides unclaimed to claim
Her right as femme (and baron),
her equipment is the same.
She is wedded to convictions—
in default of grosser ties;
Her contentions are her children,
Heaven help him who denies!—
He will meet no suave discussion,
but the instant, white-hot, wild,
Wakened female of the species
warring as for spouse and child.
Unprovoked and awful charges—
even so the she-bear fights,
Speech that drips, corrodes, and poisons—
even so the cobra bites,
Scientific vivisection
of one nerve till it is raw
And the victim writhes in anguish—
like the Jesuit with the squaw!
So it comes that Man, the coward,
when he gathers to confer
With his fellow-braves in council,
dare not leave a place for her
Where, at war with Life and Conscience,
he uplifts his erring hands
To some God of Abstract Justice—
which no woman understands.
And Man knows it! Knows, moreover,
that the Woman that God gave him
Must command but may not govern—
shall enthral but not enslave him.
And She knows, because She warns him,
and Her instincts never fail,
That the Female of Her Species
is more deadly than the Male.
-
Tuesday, June 12, 2018
Sunday, April 29, 2018
IFEL - K-4-61 - QUESTIONS
- Trying to sort out memories from 57 years ago.
The K-4-61 part of the title refers to Korean class of April 1961, at Yale University's Institute of Far Eastern Languages, that I attended as an Airman of the United States Air Force Security Service.
When I arrived, the the Company-sized detachment (Detachment 2 ???) was headquartered in THIS building at 109 Grove Street (???)' ...
THAT building was one of FOUR dormitories we had; only ONE other of which I remember (the one I was assigned to) at 1 Hillhouse Ave, New Haven, CT,
Searches for "1 Hillhouse" come up with THIS pic of Warner House ...
... which looks KINDA familiar ...
... plus THESE, which look a LOT more familiar ...
Mistrusting my 57-year old memory, I HOPE some of you will help me get it RIGHT about Hillhouse.
My arrival was TWO YEARS before the release of "The Haunting" (based on Shirley Jackson's novel, "The Haunting of Hill House"; of which I was NOT aware at that time). but that TOP photo of the Warner House would CERTAINLY qualify as "spooky", and the OTHERS can be unsettling on a "dark and stormy night".
I HOPE some of my IFEL buddies can help me on the questions. If ANY of you have photos from that time, I'd LOVE it if some were scanned and emailed to me. I recall Joseph W*** sending a few, some years ago, but they were LOST when my previous computer DIED in 2015.
I HOPE I can UPDATE or REDO this post, FAR MORE ACCURATELY, down the line.
I'm ALSO gonna see if I can find some department at Yale that might help with the the Hillhouse history.
Thanks, in advance, ;-)
The K-4-61 part of the title refers to Korean class of April 1961, at Yale University's Institute of Far Eastern Languages, that I attended as an Airman of the United States Air Force Security Service.
When I arrived, the the Company-sized detachment (Detachment 2 ???) was headquartered in THIS building at 109 Grove Street (???)' ...
THAT building was one of FOUR dormitories we had; only ONE other of which I remember (the one I was assigned to) at 1 Hillhouse Ave, New Haven, CT,
Searches for "1 Hillhouse" come up with THIS pic of Warner House ...
... plus THESE, which look a LOT more familiar ...
Mistrusting my 57-year old memory, I HOPE some of you will help me get it RIGHT about Hillhouse.
My arrival was TWO YEARS before the release of "The Haunting" (based on Shirley Jackson's novel, "The Haunting of Hill House"; of which I was NOT aware at that time). but that TOP photo of the Warner House would CERTAINLY qualify as "spooky", and the OTHERS can be unsettling on a "dark and stormy night".
I HOPE some of my IFEL buddies can help me on the questions. If ANY of you have photos from that time, I'd LOVE it if some were scanned and emailed to me. I recall Joseph W*** sending a few, some years ago, but they were LOST when my previous computer DIED in 2015.
I HOPE I can UPDATE or REDO this post, FAR MORE ACCURATELY, down the line.
I'm ALSO gonna see if I can find some department at Yale that might help with the the Hillhouse history.
Thanks, in advance, ;-)
Tuesday, April 03, 2018
A post I GOTTA do ...
I hope to elaborate on this facebook post.
GOTTA get around to a blog post about this. I experimented with a beard in the 70's. In 2003, Scott Peterson was caught and convicted for the 1st degree murder of his wife, Laci, and 2nd degree murder of unborn son Drew. It SPOOKED me to see this arrest photo; my 70's look would have been a TWIN.
--
GOTTA get around to a blog post about this. I experimented with a beard in the 70's. In 2003, Scott Peterson was caught and convicted for the 1st degree murder of his wife, Laci, and 2nd degree murder of unborn son Drew. It SPOOKED me to see this arrest photo; my 70's look would have been a TWIN.
--
Friday, September 08, 2017
Friday, July 28, 2017
First surgery - results ...
On Wednesday morning, 26 JUL 2017, I took a taxi to the Michael DeBakey Veterans Hospital for a 7 AM appointment with the eye-sugeon.
This was for surgery to my left eye (the worst one), to remove the cataracts, and to insert a tube to help with drainage (to reduce pressure in the eye).
Because I would need some attention for the next 24 hours, and there was NO ONE to provide it, I stayed overnight. Had to sleep with an eye-patch taped on, to avoid injury to the eye.
When the patch was removed, I really couldn't see ANY difference in vision with that eye. The surgeon had warned me that could be the case, but felt the surgery was necessary.
When asked if I felt any pain or irritation, I mentioned feeling something between my eye and the lower eyelid. He said I was probably feeling some of the stitching. STITCHING on an EYEBALL!!! Trying to IMAGINE that. Perhaps I SHOULDN'T. :-)
He gave me a steel patch (with holes like a pepper shaker) ...
... to tape over my left eye before going to bed. This will be for a week.
He also gave me still MORE eye drops. I've been taking three types of drops, to control the pressure in both eyes. I'll continue with those, but NOW for the right eye only. The left gets three NEW types, for the next four weeks, to control any inflammation resulting from the surgery. SIX types to keep track of. Does THAT sound like FUN? :-)
I see him again, on Thursday, 03 AUG 2017, for a follow-up check.
They tell me it could be six to eight weeks before surgery to the right eye. Dr. Morris (the eye surgeon) is confident of more improvement with THAT eye, as its optic nerve damage is far less.
We shall see. :-)
-
This was for surgery to my left eye (the worst one), to remove the cataracts, and to insert a tube to help with drainage (to reduce pressure in the eye).
Because I would need some attention for the next 24 hours, and there was NO ONE to provide it, I stayed overnight. Had to sleep with an eye-patch taped on, to avoid injury to the eye.
When the patch was removed, I really couldn't see ANY difference in vision with that eye. The surgeon had warned me that could be the case, but felt the surgery was necessary.
When asked if I felt any pain or irritation, I mentioned feeling something between my eye and the lower eyelid. He said I was probably feeling some of the stitching. STITCHING on an EYEBALL!!! Trying to IMAGINE that. Perhaps I SHOULDN'T. :-)
He gave me a steel patch (with holes like a pepper shaker) ...
... to tape over my left eye before going to bed. This will be for a week.
He also gave me still MORE eye drops. I've been taking three types of drops, to control the pressure in both eyes. I'll continue with those, but NOW for the right eye only. The left gets three NEW types, for the next four weeks, to control any inflammation resulting from the surgery. SIX types to keep track of. Does THAT sound like FUN? :-)
I see him again, on Thursday, 03 AUG 2017, for a follow-up check.
They tell me it could be six to eight weeks before surgery to the right eye. Dr. Morris (the eye surgeon) is confident of more improvement with THAT eye, as its optic nerve damage is far less.
We shall see. :-)
-
Saturday, July 01, 2017
Selfie taken in 2009
I STILL look like this (or WOULD, with a decent haircut); someone who takes himself WAY too seriously. I'll try to update this evening, less gloomy than I've been lately. ;-)
Tuesday, June 27, 2017
I WEAR this, wherever I go ...
- (an uncensored version of this) on a cord around my neck.
It's double laminated, so if whatever happens to me is messy, it can be wiped off and read by first responders. I've checked with a few of them, and have been assured that, while their IMMEDIATE priorities may be different, EVENTUALLY someone WILL get around to calling the three numbers on this.
That's a relief, because what will come when the money runs out is SO inevitable, I'm getting resigned to it; almost looking forward to it.
-
It's double laminated, so if whatever happens to me is messy, it can be wiped off and read by first responders. I've checked with a few of them, and have been assured that, while their IMMEDIATE priorities may be different, EVENTUALLY someone WILL get around to calling the three numbers on this.
That's a relief, because what will come when the money runs out is SO inevitable, I'm getting resigned to it; almost looking forward to it.
-
Sunday, June 11, 2017
Frustration; followed by HOPE ...
When I checked my mailbox yesterday (SAT, 10 JUN 2017), I found a package from the VA. I thought it to be the bifocals they had prescribed for me and, (IF they worked as well as I HOPED), on Monday I would go back to the store to TRY to get BACK onto the work scheduje for some DESPERATE:Y NEEDED PAYCHECKS.
Unfortunately, insread of the glasses, it was just more of the eye-drops.
BEFORE those drops, I had spells where (with my RIGHT eye) I think I could MATCH the grouping in the pic.
But, right NOW, it looks as if I'll need half an hour* to hammer out this note (because of typos and trying to hold a magnifier to the screen to find and fix them)
If I state that the situation is such that I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night, reach across the bed and feel between the mattresses to reassure myself that the .44 IS there, and READY, you probably PERFECTLY understand the "Frustration" part of the title.
So, where does "HOPE" come into this"?
Because of my (frequently) expressed fears of being driven to suicide (the financial situation really IS that bad ... becoming HOMELESS scares the HELL out of me), a wonderful lady friend emailed to me ...
"Hey Paul - You're such a drama queen ;=)."
... followed with ...
"Seriously though, I think the cataract surgery might help more than you think. My mom is way older than you and she got cataract surgery a few years back and it helped a lot."
She's probably RIGHT, on BOTH parts. The doc is VERY happy with the pressure reduction (from the eye-drops) and is optimistic that cataract surgery really WILL help (SOME), He also warned me to be carefull when driving, because of how my peripheral vision has been affected.
He strikes me as pretty savvy, and NOT sloppy with his language. Giving me THAT warning, instead of saying, "You have no business even THINKING about ever driving AGAIN." makes me hope that all may NOT be LOST.
???
(* = Took an HOUR and a half.)
-
Unfortunately, insread of the glasses, it was just more of the eye-drops.
BEFORE those drops, I had spells where (with my RIGHT eye) I think I could MATCH the grouping in the pic.
But, right NOW, it looks as if I'll need half an hour* to hammer out this note (because of typos and trying to hold a magnifier to the screen to find and fix them)
If I state that the situation is such that I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night, reach across the bed and feel between the mattresses to reassure myself that the .44 IS there, and READY, you probably PERFECTLY understand the "Frustration" part of the title.
So, where does "HOPE" come into this"?
Because of my (frequently) expressed fears of being driven to suicide (the financial situation really IS that bad ... becoming HOMELESS scares the HELL out of me), a wonderful lady friend emailed to me ...
"Hey Paul - You're such a drama queen ;=)."
... followed with ...
"Seriously though, I think the cataract surgery might help more than you think. My mom is way older than you and she got cataract surgery a few years back and it helped a lot."
She's probably RIGHT, on BOTH parts. The doc is VERY happy with the pressure reduction (from the eye-drops) and is optimistic that cataract surgery really WILL help (SOME), He also warned me to be carefull when driving, because of how my peripheral vision has been affected.
He strikes me as pretty savvy, and NOT sloppy with his language. Giving me THAT warning, instead of saying, "You have no business even THINKING about ever driving AGAIN." makes me hope that all may NOT be LOST.
???
(* = Took an HOUR and a half.)
-
Saturday, May 06, 2017
"The COWARD dies a THOUSAND deaths, ...
... the BRAVE man dies but ONCE."
(Variations attributed to Shakespeare AND Hemingway)
Dear God. I wish I WAS a BRAVE man.
WHAT brought THIS on?
I have faced SO MANY fears in my life. But, THIS one may FINISH me.
I fear that I may be slowly going BLIND.
For some time now, I've had spells of cloudy vision, that would clear up after awhile. But, they are lasting longer and longer. Bright sunlight makes things VERY difficult.
Should I see somebody about this? You BETCHA. BUT, my experience with doctors and clinics is that, before I can get past the receptionist, THIS question arises, "And HOW will you PAY for this, Mr. Gordon?". The ANSWER, "I CAN'T." is GUARANTEED to be a problem.
I'm fairly certain that a proper diagnosis will cost hundreds of dollars, and treatment (if there IS any) probably THOUSANDS.
And THEN, there is THIS problem with the car, mentioned in THIS previous post ...
##############################################################
Could have been KILLED today ...
... but, I lucked out and WASN'T.
At around 5 PM, today (Thursday, 06 APR 2017, I decided to take a hike to Kroger's, to get some groceries. That's about half a mile from my apartment. I can barely walk; lower back pain interfering with balance, and the sun was directly in my eyes a lot of the time, making it difficult to read the terrain on which I was walking. Less than a hundred yards from my apartment, I tripped and fell while crossing a street, and a car, making a fast turn, barely managed to stop in time.
A couple of people got out of their cars and helped to get up. Didn't break anything; just scraped my hands, my left knee has a hell of a bruise, and it ripped part of the left leg of my slacks. Noticing that I was trying to continue on my way (I STILL needed groceries). the one who nearly killed me was nice enough to give me a ride there and back. (Sadly, it was a GUY this time, instead of the nice LADY who helped me when she noticed me struggling with the walk, several years ago. :-).
So, WHY IN HELL was I trying to WALK there?
Thursday, a week ago, I started to drive somewhere, and the automatic transmission, on my 2000 Honda Civic, began slipping and jerking when shifting, and the "Check Engine" light came on. The next day, I had AAA take the car over to A+ Transmission Specialists. They have a fairly comprehensive set of electronic and driving tests they will do for no charge.
On Monday (03 APR 2017) I learned from them that pressure drops, in the transmission, were causing the shifting problems, but to determine the cause of those drops, they would need to completely disassemble the transmission (for $395.00), and (depending on what they find) I could be looking at a total from $1500.00 to $2500.00.
At the moment, there is absolutely NO WAY I can handle THAT. So I got AAA to bring the car home. I am without transportation, for the foreseeable future. If I CANNOT get the car fixed, I can NEVER afford to get another one. my current situation will be THE REST OF MY LIFE..
I STILL have the PayPal "Medical Donation" button near the top of the left column on this page,
in hope of help.
Alternatively, a check can be mailed to
Paul Gordon
3433 West Dallas St, Apt. 1102
Houston, Texas 77019
Email: gordonp@airmail.net
If you CAN help a bit, Thank you.
In earlier posts, I mentioned the possibility of going for Chapter 7 bankruptcy to help with my financial problems. After long consideration (and research) I have taken THAT off the table, concluding that, my current circumstances being so different from the time I exercised that option in 2000, THIS time the end result would most likely be a do-it-yourself .44 caliber lobotomy.
The only REAL possibility I can see is to TRY and get myself into shape to be able to get (and be able to DO) the extra hours I so desperately need.
Today's incident has made me decide to make a note or card, listing several of you (names and telephone numbers) as people to notifiy if something final happens to me. I should have it double laminated, so if it gets covered in blood, that can be wiped off so it can be read.
I hope some of you will KEEP the email you received about this, and if YOU get a call, you can haul out that email, edit the subject line and the content, and pass the news along using "Reply to all".
Thank you.
##############################################################
Put together, I'm looking at THOUSANDS of dollars worth of help that I desperately need.
HOW can I POSSIBLY ask this of you? The plain truth is that I am a very poor investment right now, as it will be a miracle if I'm not DEAD before mid-summer, probably at my own hand.
Right now, all I see in front of me is DEATH.
Kinda DEPRESSING. :(
-
(Variations attributed to Shakespeare AND Hemingway)
Dear God. I wish I WAS a BRAVE man.
WHAT brought THIS on?
I have faced SO MANY fears in my life. But, THIS one may FINISH me.
I fear that I may be slowly going BLIND.
For some time now, I've had spells of cloudy vision, that would clear up after awhile. But, they are lasting longer and longer. Bright sunlight makes things VERY difficult.
Should I see somebody about this? You BETCHA. BUT, my experience with doctors and clinics is that, before I can get past the receptionist, THIS question arises, "And HOW will you PAY for this, Mr. Gordon?". The ANSWER, "I CAN'T." is GUARANTEED to be a problem.
I'm fairly certain that a proper diagnosis will cost hundreds of dollars, and treatment (if there IS any) probably THOUSANDS.
And THEN, there is THIS problem with the car, mentioned in THIS previous post ...
##############################################################
Could have been KILLED today ...
... but, I lucked out and WASN'T.
At around 5 PM, today (Thursday, 06 APR 2017, I decided to take a hike to Kroger's, to get some groceries. That's about half a mile from my apartment. I can barely walk; lower back pain interfering with balance, and the sun was directly in my eyes a lot of the time, making it difficult to read the terrain on which I was walking. Less than a hundred yards from my apartment, I tripped and fell while crossing a street, and a car, making a fast turn, barely managed to stop in time.
A couple of people got out of their cars and helped to get up. Didn't break anything; just scraped my hands, my left knee has a hell of a bruise, and it ripped part of the left leg of my slacks. Noticing that I was trying to continue on my way (I STILL needed groceries). the one who nearly killed me was nice enough to give me a ride there and back. (Sadly, it was a GUY this time, instead of the nice LADY who helped me when she noticed me struggling with the walk, several years ago. :-).
So, WHY IN HELL was I trying to WALK there?
Thursday, a week ago, I started to drive somewhere, and the automatic transmission, on my 2000 Honda Civic, began slipping and jerking when shifting, and the "Check Engine" light came on. The next day, I had AAA take the car over to A+ Transmission Specialists. They have a fairly comprehensive set of electronic and driving tests they will do for no charge.
On Monday (03 APR 2017) I learned from them that pressure drops, in the transmission, were causing the shifting problems, but to determine the cause of those drops, they would need to completely disassemble the transmission (for $395.00), and (depending on what they find) I could be looking at a total from $1500.00 to $2500.00.
At the moment, there is absolutely NO WAY I can handle THAT. So I got AAA to bring the car home. I am without transportation, for the foreseeable future. If I CANNOT get the car fixed, I can NEVER afford to get another one. my current situation will be THE REST OF MY LIFE..
I STILL have the PayPal "Medical Donation" button near the top of the left column on this page,
in hope of help.
Alternatively, a check can be mailed to
Paul Gordon
3433 West Dallas St, Apt. 1102
Houston, Texas 77019
Email: gordonp@airmail.net
If you CAN help a bit, Thank you.
In earlier posts, I mentioned the possibility of going for Chapter 7 bankruptcy to help with my financial problems. After long consideration (and research) I have taken THAT off the table, concluding that, my current circumstances being so different from the time I exercised that option in 2000, THIS time the end result would most likely be a do-it-yourself .44 caliber lobotomy.
The only REAL possibility I can see is to TRY and get myself into shape to be able to get (and be able to DO) the extra hours I so desperately need.
Today's incident has made me decide to make a note or card, listing several of you (names and telephone numbers) as people to notifiy if something final happens to me. I should have it double laminated, so if it gets covered in blood, that can be wiped off so it can be read.
I hope some of you will KEEP the email you received about this, and if YOU get a call, you can haul out that email, edit the subject line and the content, and pass the news along using "Reply to all".
Thank you.
##############################################################
Put together, I'm looking at THOUSANDS of dollars worth of help that I desperately need.
HOW can I POSSIBLY ask this of you? The plain truth is that I am a very poor investment right now, as it will be a miracle if I'm not DEAD before mid-summer, probably at my own hand.
Right now, all I see in front of me is DEATH.
Kinda DEPRESSING. :(
-
Sunday, December 25, 2016
Be still, my heart. :-)
... Notice from Social Security.
This year (2016), it didn't increase by a single penny, staying at the level it was the year before.
NOW, it "... will increase by 0.3% in 2017 because of a rise in the cost of living.".
(Not THREE percent, but THREE TENTHS of a percent.)
Now, in truth, it does NOT actually say that the cost of living rose only 0.3%, BUT, that sure SEEMS to be the implication.
I have NO idea what planet they are thinking of, but it damned sure isn't the one we're living on.
Obviously, THIS is a VENT. :(
-
This year (2016), it didn't increase by a single penny, staying at the level it was the year before.
NOW, it "... will increase by 0.3% in 2017 because of a rise in the cost of living.".
(Not THREE percent, but THREE TENTHS of a percent.)
Now, in truth, it does NOT actually say that the cost of living rose only 0.3%, BUT, that sure SEEMS to be the implication.
I have NO idea what planet they are thinking of, but it damned sure isn't the one we're living on.
Obviously, THIS is a VENT. :(
-
Wednesday, November 09, 2016
TRUMP ... UPDATED 02 DEC 2016
From ibtimes.co.uk
But, the more I actually listened to HIM (rather that what other people were SAYING about him), the more I liked and RESPECTED him.
He's NOT an ideologue. What I saw was a business man, passionate about making things WORK. In THAT regard, he reminded me of Reagan. I soon found myself solidly in his corner.
Last night (08 NOV 2016), I hit the sack just before midnight, very worried because he was not quite there yet.
Around 0130, I woke up, got up, and checked ABC News' website, just in time to see Trump's electoral vote totals go past the 270 needed for victory. Just ten minutes later came the announcement that Hillary had called Trump, to concede.
With the knots in my stomach finally loosening, I felt better than I have in a loooong time.
After EIGHT SOLID YEARS of varying degrees of despair, I now actually have HOPE for the future of this country.
Trump will have a LOT on his plate when he takes office in January.
We shall see, But at the moment I stand with my feeling about who he reminded me of. I truly believe that we have managed to find, and elect, ANOTHER REAGAN.
And I am just FINE with THAT. :-)
UPDATE 02 DEC 2016 - A letter from Ed, posted in Jerry Pournelle's post https://www.jerrypournelle.com/chaosmanor/em-drive-speed-of-light-and-other-science/ made THESE points ...
"I think most observers don’t get that when you base your decisions on values, you make decisions this way. You try one thing on for size – it doesn’t fit, so you toss it away and try on something else, something different. Eventually you zero in on what you want. This is not ideology-based or strategy-based decision making. This is making decisions based on values."
"The problem with ideology-base decision-making is that they make as many mistakes but they don’t correct them. We had many years of not correcting mistakes. I like Trump’s way."
That perfectly describes what I meant about Trump not being an ideologue. and why I feel such hope with him in charge.
-
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
"NEVER tell a soldier ... (Updated 28 JUN 2016)
... that he does not know the cost of war."
~Alan Rickman as Lt. General Frank Benson in Eye in the Sky (2015)
~Alan Rickman as Lt. General Frank Benson in Eye in the Sky (2015)
One of the official trailers on youtube
Caught this yesterday (26 APR 2016), mainly because it starred Helen Mirren (I'd watch almost anything with her in it), and discovered that her co-star was Alan Rickman (in his last performance before his death from pancreatic cancer on 14 JAN 2016 --- see "... and call off Christmas!!!" )
He picked a fine movie to go out on; a wonderful performance in a truly intelligent film. He will be truly missed
The questions raised in this movie just don't have any good answers. It will probably be gone from theaters in another week ot two, but I've seen a July 28 release date for DVD and Blu-Ray.
Update 28 JUN 2016: That release date above was wrong. It's being released June 28 - TODAY.
-
Update 28 JUN 2016: That release date above was wrong. It's being released June 28 - TODAY.
-
Thursday, January 14, 2016
"... and call off Christmas!!!" - (R.I.P. Alan Rickman - 14 JAN 2016)
There actually was something really good in Kevin Costner's Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991).
That something was Alan Rickman, as the Sheriff of Nottingham.
In a previous post, I kinda dumped on The Syfy Channel a bit, for the inclusion of distinctly non-science fiction items in its lineup, including that movie.
(In a conversation with a clerk at Barnes & Noble, I learned that a writer, asking one of the people running The Syfy Channel about why they had changed their name from The "Sci-Fi Channel", was told that "Sci-Fi" is considered shorthand for "Science-Fiction", implying that would be the content; whereas "Syfy" is in fact just a totally meaningless bit of noise, and gives them license to schedule whatever they wish. Okay ... )
Back to Alan then.
Of all the people in this movie, he alone appears to be actually having fun, being so deliciously nasty.
After the Sheriff has said he'll cut out Robin Hood's heart with a spoon ...
Guy of Gisborne: "Why a spoon, cousin? Why not an axe?"
Sheriff: "Because it's DULL, you twit. It'll hurt more."
(Said with a sneer that only Alan Rickman can manage; he has an absolute lock on that.)
Sheriff: (to a wench) "You. My room. 10:30 tonight."
Sheriff: (to another wench) "You. 10:45 ... And bring a friend."
Upon hearing from a scribe about the relationship Robin Hood has with the people...
Sheriff: "Just a minute. Robin Hood steals money from my pocket, forcing me to hurt the public, -- and they love him for it?"
The scribe nods.
Sheriff: "That's it then. Cancel the kitchen scraps for lepers and orphans, no more merciful beheadings, -- and call off Christmas!!!"
One thing I'll always wonder: Was that last parting shot scripted?
Or, was Rickman on a roll at that time and he just ad-libbed it?
At times, he seems to be in an entirely different movie than the rest of the cast is, and almost succeeds in making this bloated epic truly watchable. Unfortunately, as with Ian McShane in the latest "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie, he can't do the job all by himself.
What put him on the map was his role as Hans Gruber (one of the all-time great villains) in Die Hard (1988), opposite Bruce Willis...
Problem with getting on the map that way is the danger of typecasting. In Quigly Down Under (1990), opposite Tom Selleck, he played a villain with a mustache almost fit for twirling. He seemed to be at the top of any list for playing a back-stabbing, conniving SOB, and got quite a bit of work as such.
But, that's not the only side to him. Right after "Quigly", he appeared in Truly Madly Deeply (1990), wherein he was a ghost hanging around his girlfriend who really needed to get on with her life, but found it a bit difficult with him and his ghost friends around all the time, watching videos (what else do you do with all that time in the afterlife?) It was a sweet, warm role totally unexpected for the guy who played Hans Gruber.
His latest work has been as Professor Severus Snape, the "Darth Vader" of the Harry Potter series...
He's actually the most tragic figure in the story, very multi-layered (Yes! I'm quite aware that I use that phrase a lot; I'm drawn to characters that rate it). Rickman succeeds in the challenge of taking a character you've learned to hate, and making you almost weep for him near the end of the last movie.
What can I say? The man is simply so damned good.
(Originally published 2102 CST 08 AUG 2011)
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UPDATE Thursday, 14 JAN 2016: I've just learned that Alan Rickman has left us today...
... FAR TOO SOON. Rest in peace, Sir. :-(
For his LAST performance in a live-action film ...
A FINE way to go out!
frown emoticon
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That something was Alan Rickman, as the Sheriff of Nottingham.
from www.fanpop.com
In a previous post, I kinda dumped on The Syfy Channel a bit, for the inclusion of distinctly non-science fiction items in its lineup, including that movie.
(In a conversation with a clerk at Barnes & Noble, I learned that a writer, asking one of the people running The Syfy Channel about why they had changed their name from The "Sci-Fi Channel", was told that "Sci-Fi" is considered shorthand for "Science-Fiction", implying that would be the content; whereas "Syfy" is in fact just a totally meaningless bit of noise, and gives them license to schedule whatever they wish. Okay ... )
Back to Alan then.
Of all the people in this movie, he alone appears to be actually having fun, being so deliciously nasty.
After the Sheriff has said he'll cut out Robin Hood's heart with a spoon ...
Guy of Gisborne: "Why a spoon, cousin? Why not an axe?"
Sheriff: "Because it's DULL, you twit. It'll hurt more."
(Said with a sneer that only Alan Rickman can manage; he has an absolute lock on that.)
Sheriff: (to a wench) "You. My room. 10:30 tonight."
Sheriff: (to another wench) "You. 10:45 ... And bring a friend."
Upon hearing from a scribe about the relationship Robin Hood has with the people...
Sheriff: "Just a minute. Robin Hood steals money from my pocket, forcing me to hurt the public, -- and they love him for it?"
The scribe nods.
Sheriff: "That's it then. Cancel the kitchen scraps for lepers and orphans, no more merciful beheadings, -- and call off Christmas!!!"
One thing I'll always wonder: Was that last parting shot scripted?
Or, was Rickman on a roll at that time and he just ad-libbed it?
At times, he seems to be in an entirely different movie than the rest of the cast is, and almost succeeds in making this bloated epic truly watchable. Unfortunately, as with Ian McShane in the latest "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie, he can't do the job all by himself.
What put him on the map was his role as Hans Gruber (one of the all-time great villains) in Die Hard (1988), opposite Bruce Willis...
from aveleyman.com
Problem with getting on the map that way is the danger of typecasting. In Quigly Down Under (1990), opposite Tom Selleck, he played a villain with a mustache almost fit for twirling. He seemed to be at the top of any list for playing a back-stabbing, conniving SOB, and got quite a bit of work as such.
But, that's not the only side to him. Right after "Quigly", he appeared in Truly Madly Deeply (1990), wherein he was a ghost hanging around his girlfriend who really needed to get on with her life, but found it a bit difficult with him and his ghost friends around all the time, watching videos (what else do you do with all that time in the afterlife?) It was a sweet, warm role totally unexpected for the guy who played Hans Gruber.
His latest work has been as Professor Severus Snape, the "Darth Vader" of the Harry Potter series...
from www.examiner.com
He's actually the most tragic figure in the story, very multi-layered (Yes! I'm quite aware that I use that phrase a lot; I'm drawn to characters that rate it). Rickman succeeds in the challenge of taking a character you've learned to hate, and making you almost weep for him near the end of the last movie.
What can I say? The man is simply so damned good.
(Originally published 2102 CST 08 AUG 2011)
-
UPDATE Thursday, 14 JAN 2016: I've just learned that Alan Rickman has left us today...
... FAR TOO SOON. Rest in peace, Sir. :-(
For his LAST performance in a live-action film ...
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
"NEVER tell a soldier ... (Updated 28 JUN 2016)
... that he does not know the cost of war."
~Alan Rickman as Lt. General Frank Benson in Eye in the Sky (2015)
~Alan Rickman as Lt. General Frank Benson in Eye in the Sky (2015)
frown emoticon
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Monday, December 14, 2015
"He WON the ones he HAD to."
... Bottom line reply of a couple of British historians on George Washington's military prowess, in response to an argument that, "He LOST more battles than he WON."
I suspect that North Vietnam's General Võ Nguyên Giáp would have understood PERFECTLY.
During our Bicentennial in 1976, CBS ran a number of "Bicentennial Minutes" (short educational American television segments commemorating the bicentennial of the American Revolution).
In one of them, U.S. Army Colonel Harry G. Summers, Jr. talked of his participation in the Paris Peace Talks, in 1973, as part of the delegation negotiating our withdrawal from Vietnam. At that time, he felt deeply humiliated at being party to what amounted to a surrender on our part.
He recalled that one time, when leaving the conference room, he tore into one of the Vietnamese delegates, "You know, you never beat us on the battlefield".
Instead of the argument he was spoiling for, what he got in return was, "That may be so, but it is also irrelevant."
He acknowledged THAT to be "the shortest, most succinct lesson in strategy I have EVER been privileged to hear".
Recently, on The History Channel, I came across Washington the Warrior (2006), (which I now have on order from Amazon). This is an uttelry fascinating look at our first Commander in Chief, which I cannot recommend too highly. There is NOTHING stuffy or boring about him.
To go along with that I would also recommend The Crossing (2000), about Washington's crossing the Delaware to attack a Hessian brigade at Trenton, New Jersey, at a time when his army was almost disintegrated from lack of supplies and support, figuring that the Hessians had everything he was in need of.
Hunt these up and enjoy History at its best.
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I suspect that North Vietnam's General Võ Nguyên Giáp would have understood PERFECTLY.
During our Bicentennial in 1976, CBS ran a number of "Bicentennial Minutes" (short educational American television segments commemorating the bicentennial of the American Revolution).
In one of them, U.S. Army Colonel Harry G. Summers, Jr. talked of his participation in the Paris Peace Talks, in 1973, as part of the delegation negotiating our withdrawal from Vietnam. At that time, he felt deeply humiliated at being party to what amounted to a surrender on our part.
He recalled that one time, when leaving the conference room, he tore into one of the Vietnamese delegates, "You know, you never beat us on the battlefield".
Instead of the argument he was spoiling for, what he got in return was, "That may be so, but it is also irrelevant."
He acknowledged THAT to be "the shortest, most succinct lesson in strategy I have EVER been privileged to hear".
Recently, on The History Channel, I came across Washington the Warrior (2006), (which I now have on order from Amazon). This is an uttelry fascinating look at our first Commander in Chief, which I cannot recommend too highly. There is NOTHING stuffy or boring about him.
To go along with that I would also recommend The Crossing (2000), about Washington's crossing the Delaware to attack a Hessian brigade at Trenton, New Jersey, at a time when his army was almost disintegrated from lack of supplies and support, figuring that the Hessians had everything he was in need of.
Hunt these up and enjoy History at its best.
-
Friday, November 20, 2015
The Accountant
"Since the birth of time, humanity has endeavored to restrain evil men in prisons. But since Cain fled the murder of his brother, evil men have fled the walls of punishment.
"So, it doesn't matter if you're a badass motherf****r on the run, because you think you're better than everyone else, and somehow entitled to do what you gotta do.
"No. Because, you see, badass motherf****rs are never fast enough. In the end, they will all be accounted for."
~The Accountant (Satan's Accountant) in the movie Drive Angry (2011) ...
... a movie I truly love, but am hesitant to recommend. You see, it is R rated for a reason. There are scenes in it that pretty well qualify as porn. But if you can get past that, you'll find that The Accountant more than makes up for that.
John Milton (Nicholas Cage) escapes from Hell (in a black Buick Riviera) to go after some men from a Satanic cult, who have murdered his daughter and taken that daughter's baby to be used as a human sacrifice when the moon is full in a few days.
Milton is pursued by The Accountant (William Fichtner, dressed like a lawyer of coarse :-) who, while never forgetting his primary mission to bring Milton back, decides to help him recover his grandchild when he learns what the cult has done and is preparing to do.
In the third scene of that clip, two young stoners happen upon a crashed car and wonder if anyone is inside, when the door flies off (kicked by The Accountant who was inside) and knocks down the Second Stoner. That scene starts when The Accountant emerges ...
First Stoner: "Jesus!"
The Accountant: "-Carpenter. And despite what you've heard, prefers short hair."
Second Stoner: "You almost fuck**g killed me, man."
The Accountant: "Not even close. I won't see you again until you're 73."
(to the First Stoner): "You, I'll see in three months."
It's rare for Nicholas Cage to be upstaged in a movie he's starring in (the best example I can think of being "The Rock", in which he's partnered with Sean Connery) but Fichtner so owns this movie that when he's on scene, the other actors might as well have stayed home.
Now, in truth, WITHOUT Fichtner, I would have classed this movie as VERY mediocre. But it DOES have him, and that makes all the difference in the world.
I first saw him in "Heat", where he's mob boss Roger Van Zant, who was the owner of a lot of bearer bonds stolen by Neil McCauley (Robert de Niro). When a deal is made for him to buy them back for an amount that would be covered by insurance money, he double crosses McCauley with an ambush (figuring that the LAST thing he needs is for punks on the street to think it Ok to steal from him). After surviving that ambush, McCauley phones Van Zant to tell him, "Forget the money."
van Zant: "Forget it?!!! What are you doing?"
McCauley: "What am I doing? I'm talking to an empty phone. Because there'a dead man on the other end of it."
Fichtner has been in "Contact", "The Perfect Storm", and many others, and always first class.
But, he appears to be having a real blast playing The Accountant, and admits to exactly that in one of the interviews on the DVD. You could make a really fine movie just devoted to this character, and I suspect he would be just fine with that.
-
"So, it doesn't matter if you're a badass motherf****r on the run, because you think you're better than everyone else, and somehow entitled to do what you gotta do.
"No. Because, you see, badass motherf****rs are never fast enough. In the end, they will all be accounted for."
~The Accountant (Satan's Accountant) in the movie Drive Angry (2011) ...
... a movie I truly love, but am hesitant to recommend. You see, it is R rated for a reason. There are scenes in it that pretty well qualify as porn. But if you can get past that, you'll find that The Accountant more than makes up for that.
John Milton (Nicholas Cage) escapes from Hell (in a black Buick Riviera) to go after some men from a Satanic cult, who have murdered his daughter and taken that daughter's baby to be used as a human sacrifice when the moon is full in a few days.
Milton is pursued by The Accountant (William Fichtner, dressed like a lawyer of coarse :-) who, while never forgetting his primary mission to bring Milton back, decides to help him recover his grandchild when he learns what the cult has done and is preparing to do.
In the third scene of that clip, two young stoners happen upon a crashed car and wonder if anyone is inside, when the door flies off (kicked by The Accountant who was inside) and knocks down the Second Stoner. That scene starts when The Accountant emerges ...
First Stoner: "Jesus!"
The Accountant: "-Carpenter. And despite what you've heard, prefers short hair."
Second Stoner: "You almost fuck**g killed me, man."
The Accountant: "Not even close. I won't see you again until you're 73."
(to the First Stoner): "You, I'll see in three months."
It's rare for Nicholas Cage to be upstaged in a movie he's starring in (the best example I can think of being "The Rock", in which he's partnered with Sean Connery) but Fichtner so owns this movie that when he's on scene, the other actors might as well have stayed home.
Now, in truth, WITHOUT Fichtner, I would have classed this movie as VERY mediocre. But it DOES have him, and that makes all the difference in the world.
I first saw him in "Heat", where he's mob boss Roger Van Zant, who was the owner of a lot of bearer bonds stolen by Neil McCauley (Robert de Niro). When a deal is made for him to buy them back for an amount that would be covered by insurance money, he double crosses McCauley with an ambush (figuring that the LAST thing he needs is for punks on the street to think it Ok to steal from him). After surviving that ambush, McCauley phones Van Zant to tell him, "Forget the money."
van Zant: "Forget it?!!! What are you doing?"
McCauley: "What am I doing? I'm talking to an empty phone. Because there'a dead man on the other end of it."
Fichtner has been in "Contact", "The Perfect Storm", and many others, and always first class.
But, he appears to be having a real blast playing The Accountant, and admits to exactly that in one of the interviews on the DVD. You could make a really fine movie just devoted to this character, and I suspect he would be just fine with that.
-
Thursday, October 22, 2015
Six times
When asked by the arraignment judge, “Why did you shoot the man 6 times?"
The woman replied under oath, “Because, when I pulled the trigger the 7th time, it only went click.”
Found on facebook ...
http://www.iamatexan.com/2015/10/21/this-is-why-you-dont-mess-with-texas-women/
18 MAR 2019 - I'm saddened to learn that link NO LONGER EXISTS - Sigh ... :(
Sadly, the article ends with ...
(Yes, this is a joke. Sort of. Don’t think you can get away with purse snatching in Texas. You can’t. Our women are well-armed, know how to defend themselves, and beautiful. And it’s Texas – the law is on their side.)
Oh, Well. New Texas Urban Legend is born. :-)
-
The woman replied under oath, “Because, when I pulled the trigger the 7th time, it only went click.”
18 MAR 2019 - I'm saddened to learn that link NO LONGER EXISTS - Sigh ... :(
Sadly, the article ends with ...
(Yes, this is a joke. Sort of. Don’t think you can get away with purse snatching in Texas. You can’t. Our women are well-armed, know how to defend themselves, and beautiful. And it’s Texas – the law is on their side.)
Oh, Well. New Texas Urban Legend is born. :-)
-
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Survivor
Apologies to all for my recent whining, posted at the beginning of my "The Martian" post ...
----------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks to my accident just before Memorial Day, I don't get out to movies as often as I used to, or as often as I would like. My current situation (inoperable car, not a snowball's chance in Hell of obtaining the funds to make it usable, being half crippled and sometimes barely able to walk a couple of blocks to a bus stop) makes that arduous and painful.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Some of you know that I am definitely in a "down" right now, but I DO have options.
If I can make it to March, without doing anything drastic and final from pure despair, I might be able to do something about that car, which will be a true Godsend. Because of my age, and my income status, I will very likely get ALL of my Federal withholding tax returned, which looks like it will be a bit over $1200.00. I'm confident that THAT should be enough.
Additionally, the absolutely CRUSHING financial position I'm in right now could be relieved by doing Chapter 7 Bankruptcy. I'm not real keen on THAT, as it involves the MOTHER OF ALL PAPERWORK.
But, as an alternative to my final option, it is definitely on the table.
I've had major ups and downs before - a LOT of them. And I'm STILL here.
About thirty years ago, I had such a deep bout of severe depression, I had to see a shrink to avoid losing my job. Now, she was only doing her job, trying to lift me out of the funk I was in, when she told me that she "saw a survivor. You pulled up stakes and moved halfway across the country to start a new career. Wimps don't do that.".
I treasured that. I HAVE to survive this; if for no other reason, than to avoid proving that lady wrong.
Wish me luck And, Thanks. :-)
-
----------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks to my accident just before Memorial Day, I don't get out to movies as often as I used to, or as often as I would like. My current situation (inoperable car, not a snowball's chance in Hell of obtaining the funds to make it usable, being half crippled and sometimes barely able to walk a couple of blocks to a bus stop) makes that arduous and painful.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Some of you know that I am definitely in a "down" right now, but I DO have options.
If I can make it to March, without doing anything drastic and final from pure despair, I might be able to do something about that car, which will be a true Godsend. Because of my age, and my income status, I will very likely get ALL of my Federal withholding tax returned, which looks like it will be a bit over $1200.00. I'm confident that THAT should be enough.
Additionally, the absolutely CRUSHING financial position I'm in right now could be relieved by doing Chapter 7 Bankruptcy. I'm not real keen on THAT, as it involves the MOTHER OF ALL PAPERWORK.
But, as an alternative to my final option, it is definitely on the table.
I've had major ups and downs before - a LOT of them. And I'm STILL here.
About thirty years ago, I had such a deep bout of severe depression, I had to see a shrink to avoid losing my job. Now, she was only doing her job, trying to lift me out of the funk I was in, when she told me that she "saw a survivor. You pulled up stakes and moved halfway across the country to start a new career. Wimps don't do that.".
I treasured that. I HAVE to survive this; if for no other reason, than to avoid proving that lady wrong.
Wish me luck And, Thanks. :-)
-
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
War of Worlds Musical
Watching the episode of "Fargo" I recorded last night, I found a bit of THIS music in it. Sadly, this album appears out iof print; Amazon.com listed ONE new CD at $265.00. If you're interested, you may have no alternative to downloading the music. ...
JEFF WAYNE'S MUSICAL VERSION OF THE WAR OF THE WORLDS - PART 1 - THE EVE OF THE WAR - HQ
Narrated by Richard Burton, this is truly an amazing album, well worth the trouble of finding a download of the full album, if that's the ONLY way you can check it out.
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Narrated by Richard Burton, this is truly an amazing album, well worth the trouble of finding a download of the full album, if that's the ONLY way you can check it out.
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Friday, October 02, 2015
Riders on the Storm ...
... by Jim Morrison and The Doors.
The things you come across when you're looking for something else. While searching for a good video of "Riders on the storm", by Jim Morrison and The Doors, I found THIS piece by Ray Manzarek, keyboardist of The Doors, about how "Riders" came to be ...
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The things you come across when you're looking for something else. While searching for a good video of "Riders on the storm", by Jim Morrison and The Doors, I found THIS piece by Ray Manzarek, keyboardist of The Doors, about how "Riders" came to be ...
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Wednesday, September 23, 2015
"Moby Dick":
... The inspiration.
In 1820, the whaling ship Essex was attacked and sunk by a whale. The story inspired Herman Melville to create his masterpiece, "Moby Dick".
Ron Howard's In the Heart of the Sea (2015) covers the Essex story ...
Originally scheduled for a March 2015 release, the studio decided to move it to 11 DEC 2015, to make it more prominent to those who make Academy Award nominations, indicating a very high degree of confidence that they have a winner here.
This is VERY definitely on my "must see" list.
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In 1820, the whaling ship Essex was attacked and sunk by a whale. The story inspired Herman Melville to create his masterpiece, "Moby Dick".
Ron Howard's In the Heart of the Sea (2015) covers the Essex story ...
Originally scheduled for a March 2015 release, the studio decided to move it to 11 DEC 2015, to make it more prominent to those who make Academy Award nominations, indicating a very high degree of confidence that they have a winner here.
This is VERY definitely on my "must see" list.
-
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