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2 days ago
Saturday, October 10, 2009
"Pirates" lose 11 more
When these thugs figure out that trying to hijack a ship means jail if not death, sanity will return to that part of the world.
11 suspected pirates captured in Indian Ocean
11 suspected pirates captured in Indian Ocean
U.S. Navy names ship for Medgar Evers
Long overdue.
Navy honors civil rights martyr Medgar Evers
Navy honors civil rights martyr Medgar Evers
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - The widow of slain civil-rights pioneer Medgar Evers fought tears Friday as Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, a former Mississippi governor, announced he's naming a new Navy supply ship for Evers' late husband.
"I think of those who will serve on this ship and those who will see it in different parts of the world. And perhaps they, too, will come to know who Medgar Evers was and what he stood for," Myrlie Evers-Williams said at Jackson State University, where Mabus made the announcement.
Evers was Mississippi field secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People when he was assassinated outside his Jackson home on June 12, 1963. He was 37.
"He gave his life for his country," Mabus told an audience of about 200.
(more via the link)
Friday, October 09, 2009
Thursday, October 08, 2009
Semi-random thoughts
● I added the Wall Street Journal's Pictures of the Day to my daily internet read. Some of the pictures are just stunning. It reminds me of Life Magazine back when it was my primary source of news photography.
● I blocked someone on Facebook who said "voting is for suckers." There's a limit to how much stupidity I will tolerate.
● Utah has granted 80,000 NON-residents permits to carry concealed weapons? Idiocy.
● My box of Shredded Wheat tells me that the cereal has been around for 117 years. This is very impressive. Then I remember that I have been around for over half that period.
● I notice the radio ads for a couple of Broadway plays mention the length of the shows: 80 or 90 minutes. Both of the plays are serious dramas. I guess they figure people might not come if they thought they had to sit through a more normal length performance.
● And speaking of radio ads, this evening WQXR, NYC's classical music station, changes frequencies and becomes a public radio station, owned by WNYC. No more commercials! Yay! But I have to wonder what other changes are in store. Apparently some of its announcers will not be moving over--including Clayelle Dalferes, who is a continuing source of traffic to this blog. They are being replaced by a couple from WNYC (and one other starting next month).
● One evening last week I stopped for a quick bite at The Modern, the excellent Danny Meyer restaurant in the Museum of Modern Art. There is a row of small, round tables parallel to the bar, with a banquet on one side and a chair for each table on the other. There was a vacant one, right next to a pillar. The chair was missing, so I sat on the banquet, at a 45 degree angle to get away a bit from the adjacent table, which was crowded with four people. I placed my order, and a bit later a bus-person? a bus-man? a busser? (I don't think bus-boy is politically correct these days) brought my place setting. But it seemed to offend his sensibilities that I wasn't sitting on the banquet at a 90 degree angle--which is where he put the setting, instead of directly in front of me. I moved it over. Listen, bus-whatever, the place setting is for the diner, not for the furniture.
● I blocked someone on Facebook who said "voting is for suckers." There's a limit to how much stupidity I will tolerate.
● Utah has granted 80,000 NON-residents permits to carry concealed weapons? Idiocy.
● My box of Shredded Wheat tells me that the cereal has been around for 117 years. This is very impressive. Then I remember that I have been around for over half that period.
● I notice the radio ads for a couple of Broadway plays mention the length of the shows: 80 or 90 minutes. Both of the plays are serious dramas. I guess they figure people might not come if they thought they had to sit through a more normal length performance.
● And speaking of radio ads, this evening WQXR, NYC's classical music station, changes frequencies and becomes a public radio station, owned by WNYC. No more commercials! Yay! But I have to wonder what other changes are in store. Apparently some of its announcers will not be moving over--including Clayelle Dalferes, who is a continuing source of traffic to this blog. They are being replaced by a couple from WNYC (and one other starting next month).
● One evening last week I stopped for a quick bite at The Modern, the excellent Danny Meyer restaurant in the Museum of Modern Art. There is a row of small, round tables parallel to the bar, with a banquet on one side and a chair for each table on the other. There was a vacant one, right next to a pillar. The chair was missing, so I sat on the banquet, at a 45 degree angle to get away a bit from the adjacent table, which was crowded with four people. I placed my order, and a bit later a bus-person? a bus-man? a busser? (I don't think bus-boy is politically correct these days) brought my place setting. But it seemed to offend his sensibilities that I wasn't sitting on the banquet at a 90 degree angle--which is where he put the setting, instead of directly in front of me. I moved it over. Listen, bus-whatever, the place setting is for the diner, not for the furniture.
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
France 5, Somali hijackers 0
Somali pirates attack French military vessel
I love it. They made a small mistake--they attacked the command ship of the entire French force in the area! But they're not "pirates." They're organized criminal gangs with boats.
UPDATED ARTICLE
MORE DETAILED ARTICLE
I love it. They made a small mistake--they attacked the command ship of the entire French force in the area! But they're not "pirates." They're organized criminal gangs with boats.
UPDATED ARTICLE
MORE DETAILED ARTICLE
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
Saturday, October 03, 2009
Friday, October 02, 2009
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Fossella making a comeback? Unbelievable
Ex-Rep. Fossella Fuels Comeback Talk at NY Forum
Are the Repugnants going to fall for this jerk again?
Are the Repugnants going to fall for this jerk again?
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Non-random thoughts
occuring while reading the Sunday NY Times business section.
● Fair Game: Too Many ‘No’ Votes to Be Ignored, a column by Gretchen Morgenson about corporate shareholders' disapproval of candidates for boards of directors. For many years I have always voted to withhold approval of all director candidates who are employees of the corporation. In my view, these would-be "inside" directors, the CEO in particular, should be working for the board, not be a part of it. There's a huge conflict of interest there. One thing I seem to have noticed in recent years, though--usually the only inside directors now are the CEOs, not their subordinates. That's at least some improvement. I really could never understand having subordinates having a say on the employment of their boss.
● Digital Domain: What if People Don’t Take the Bait to Go Paperless? a column by Randall Ross, about efforts of companies to get their customers to go to paperless billing. I've accepted such offers for a few bills that are pretty stable, like my phone bills, and my cable TV bill--but I must have an automatic payment set-up with these companies. I don't want to take a chance on an e-mail going astray. I know that snail mail can get lost also, but, perhaps wrongly, I'm more confident in it. It also helps when the company gives me an incentive to go paperless--the cable company deducts a dollar from my bill.
● Economic View: Why Health Care Will Never Be Equal, a column by N. Gregory Mankiw. In it he talks about an estimate that statins (a type of drug used to lower cholesterol) cost a whopping $150,000 for each year of life saved. Most of this cost is born by health insurance companies, who of course have to figure this into the rates that policy holders have to pay. He asks whether it is worth it. As it happens, I have been taking such a drug, Lipitor, for roughly 15 years now. I think it costs me $5 for a 90 day supply. It costs my insurance company $200-something. A couple of times I've gotten letters from my insurance company urging me to get my doctor to switch me to a cheaper medicine. They're not talking about a generic version of Lipitor (which does not yet exist) though, but entirely different drugs. I asked my doctor about it. He saw no good reason to switch--Lipitor has been effective for me, and I've had no side effects. So we're sticking with Lipitor, regardless of how much it costs my insurance company. (Getting back to the column's question, I think he's ignoring an important factor. He's failing to consider the costs of treating the heart disease that high cholesterol can cause. Lipitor doesn't just extend lives--it prevents a costly disease.)
● Can Amazon Be Wal-Mart of the Web?, an article by Brad Stone about Amazon's venturing way beyond being a bookseller, its original endeavor. I'm all for it. I have found it to provide excellent service, with competitive prices. I like the fact that with most items I get free shipping with a $25 order. And its standard shipping is quite fast (once I got my order before they sent me an e-mail saying it had been shipped!)--there is absolutely no need to pay for expedited shipping living where I do. Their return policy is great. The only complaint I really have ever had about Amazon is when they removed all LGBT-related books from their rankings. I did not buy their excuse that it was part of an effort to remove "adult" books--not when they continued to rank anti-LGBT books. Fortunately they quickly reversed their policy, after the change was protested. I got the feeling that some middle-level executives tried to surrepticiously insert their personal anti-LGBT opinions without the knowledge of the Amazon top-management.
● Preoccupations | Jim Remsik: For Writing Software, a Buddy System, a first person article about the use of two-person computer programmer teams to write code. I had never heard of this method, despite having been a programmer for 25 years (I did retire 5 years ago). One person writes, while the other critiques. It sounds like a good idea for writing original software. But I did little of that after 1986, when I left my first IT job. From then on most of what I did was program maintenance, and I don't think the buddy system would be very cost-effective for such work.
● Fair Game: Too Many ‘No’ Votes to Be Ignored, a column by Gretchen Morgenson about corporate shareholders' disapproval of candidates for boards of directors. For many years I have always voted to withhold approval of all director candidates who are employees of the corporation. In my view, these would-be "inside" directors, the CEO in particular, should be working for the board, not be a part of it. There's a huge conflict of interest there. One thing I seem to have noticed in recent years, though--usually the only inside directors now are the CEOs, not their subordinates. That's at least some improvement. I really could never understand having subordinates having a say on the employment of their boss.
● Digital Domain: What if People Don’t Take the Bait to Go Paperless? a column by Randall Ross, about efforts of companies to get their customers to go to paperless billing. I've accepted such offers for a few bills that are pretty stable, like my phone bills, and my cable TV bill--but I must have an automatic payment set-up with these companies. I don't want to take a chance on an e-mail going astray. I know that snail mail can get lost also, but, perhaps wrongly, I'm more confident in it. It also helps when the company gives me an incentive to go paperless--the cable company deducts a dollar from my bill.
● Economic View: Why Health Care Will Never Be Equal, a column by N. Gregory Mankiw. In it he talks about an estimate that statins (a type of drug used to lower cholesterol) cost a whopping $150,000 for each year of life saved. Most of this cost is born by health insurance companies, who of course have to figure this into the rates that policy holders have to pay. He asks whether it is worth it. As it happens, I have been taking such a drug, Lipitor, for roughly 15 years now. I think it costs me $5 for a 90 day supply. It costs my insurance company $200-something. A couple of times I've gotten letters from my insurance company urging me to get my doctor to switch me to a cheaper medicine. They're not talking about a generic version of Lipitor (which does not yet exist) though, but entirely different drugs. I asked my doctor about it. He saw no good reason to switch--Lipitor has been effective for me, and I've had no side effects. So we're sticking with Lipitor, regardless of how much it costs my insurance company. (Getting back to the column's question, I think he's ignoring an important factor. He's failing to consider the costs of treating the heart disease that high cholesterol can cause. Lipitor doesn't just extend lives--it prevents a costly disease.)
● Can Amazon Be Wal-Mart of the Web?, an article by Brad Stone about Amazon's venturing way beyond being a bookseller, its original endeavor. I'm all for it. I have found it to provide excellent service, with competitive prices. I like the fact that with most items I get free shipping with a $25 order. And its standard shipping is quite fast (once I got my order before they sent me an e-mail saying it had been shipped!)--there is absolutely no need to pay for expedited shipping living where I do. Their return policy is great. The only complaint I really have ever had about Amazon is when they removed all LGBT-related books from their rankings. I did not buy their excuse that it was part of an effort to remove "adult" books--not when they continued to rank anti-LGBT books. Fortunately they quickly reversed their policy, after the change was protested. I got the feeling that some middle-level executives tried to surrepticiously insert their personal anti-LGBT opinions without the knowledge of the Amazon top-management.
● Preoccupations | Jim Remsik: For Writing Software, a Buddy System, a first person article about the use of two-person computer programmer teams to write code. I had never heard of this method, despite having been a programmer for 25 years (I did retire 5 years ago). One person writes, while the other critiques. It sounds like a good idea for writing original software. But I did little of that after 1986, when I left my first IT job. From then on most of what I did was program maintenance, and I don't think the buddy system would be very cost-effective for such work.
Quote of the day
Being gay is not a lifestyle. However being filled with hate and stupidity is.--Journal of a Power Dyke in Training
I might have said ignorance instead of stupidity, but yeah.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Facebook status of the day
Hmmmm. when you make penis shaped cupcakes, do you ice the whole thing or just the balls?
HT to Paige Dula
Semi-random thoughts
● Wisconsin's football opponent today is Wofford College. Wofford College? I had to look it up just to find out where the school is located.
● I'm always amazed when people are amazed when they get parking tickets. I will grant you that sometimes it's a little difficult to determine when it's legal to park somewhere, but if you make it a habit of not making sure you are legally parked you are going to keep getting tickets.
● Is race the reason people are out so raucously demonstrating against Pres. Obama's proposed healthcare revisions? I'm sure that's an underlying factor for some of them. But I really think that for a majority it's not that they can't accept a black man in the White House. It's because they can't accept a liberal in the White House. For thirty or forty years, liberals have been so demonized by the right that some people think that liberal policies are "un-American," or that they're socialist. Well, they're not. A majority of the voters put Obama in the White House because they, we, have had enough of the conservatives' failed policies. We voted for a real change in the direction of this country, and the conservative minority had better get used to it.
● I'm always amazed when people are amazed when they get parking tickets. I will grant you that sometimes it's a little difficult to determine when it's legal to park somewhere, but if you make it a habit of not making sure you are legally parked you are going to keep getting tickets.
● Is race the reason people are out so raucously demonstrating against Pres. Obama's proposed healthcare revisions? I'm sure that's an underlying factor for some of them. But I really think that for a majority it's not that they can't accept a black man in the White House. It's because they can't accept a liberal in the White House. For thirty or forty years, liberals have been so demonized by the right that some people think that liberal policies are "un-American," or that they're socialist. Well, they're not. A majority of the voters put Obama in the White House because they, we, have had enough of the conservatives' failed policies. We voted for a real change in the direction of this country, and the conservative minority had better get used to it.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
(Supreme) judges on the dance floor
Three years ago, back when I was writing detailed posts about my activities, I described my experiences at the annual dinner of the LGBT Law Assn. (LeGaL), on whose board I continue to sit. In fact, I am now secretary of the association, and vice president of the LeGaL Foundation. The post was entitled "Judges on the dance floor?", and I related how my image of the judiciary had been radically altered by seeing judges dancing. I asked "can anyone imagine [US Supreme Court Justice] Ruth Bader Ginsburg doing the frug?"
Well, I don't know about Justice Ginsburg and the frug, but there is video evidence of newly-seated Justice Sonia Sotomayor (awkwardly) salsa dancing.
There goes my image of the Supreme Court, too.
HT to Nan Hunter
Well, I don't know about Justice Ginsburg and the frug, but there is video evidence of newly-seated Justice Sonia Sotomayor (awkwardly) salsa dancing.
There goes my image of the Supreme Court, too.
HT to Nan Hunter
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
We need one of these in NYC
Or maybe a row of them, posted under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, to keep out the evil-doers.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
I ♥ Al Franken
I wish I could hear what he was saying.
HT to Air America
A video of an earlier example of Franken's skill. He hadn't learned Alaska and Hawaii yet.
Monday, September 07, 2009
Plat du jour--guest submission
Very seldom. If I only tell the truth then I don't have to try to remember what I told which person. It's much easier.
Sunday, September 06, 2009
Saturday, September 05, 2009
Friday, September 04, 2009
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
I ♥ NYC!
From Overheard in New York:
Hipster to 50-something tourist who is blocking the way: Hey, lady, where you from?
Woman, proudly: Kansas.
Hipster: Well, Dorothy, this is not Kansas. This is Times Square, New York City, now get the fuck out of the way! (crowd cheers)
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Plat du jour
I'm puzzled about this one. There are a couple of restaurants named the Roux, but neither are anywhere near New York.
I ♥ NYC!
From Overheard in New York:
Tourist, taking photo to woman walking in front of camera: Hey! You ruined my picture!
Aggravated city woman: And you ruined my city!
--Grand Central Station
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
Weekly free associations
- Disguised :: Hidden
- Big wheel :: VIP
- Irritating :: Pest
- Care :: Charity
- Grandpa :: Grandma
- Shooting :: Pain
- Sunglasses :: Shades
- Stampede :: Cattle
- Painstakingly :: Exact
- Terrible position :: ??
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Semi-random thoughts
● I got a campaign e-mail from Mark Green, candidate for NYC Public Advocate, which includes his proposals for
● I just ordered a 2-year calendar for 2010-11. I sure hope that isn't tempting fate.
● Does anyone really care what John McCain thinks anymore? (Well I suppose he's a better Republican voice than Rush Limbaugh.)
GOVERNMENT 2.0: NEW TECHNOLOGY FOR A NEW DEMOCRACYalong with other computer/internet-based proposals. But I really have to wonder how good he and he staff will be at these things--the e-mail started "Dear [Firstname]."
•Implement “Open 311” by making 311 accessible over the Internet in real-time.
•Make government information available in real-time through an “Open Data Directive” to leave the era of burdensome freedom of information requests behind.
● I just ordered a 2-year calendar for 2010-11. I sure hope that isn't tempting fate.
● Does anyone really care what John McCain thinks anymore? (Well I suppose he's a better Republican voice than Rush Limbaugh.)
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
Dear God, Please send a hurricane to Florida
Not a real big bad one, you know, just enough of one to shut Crist up.
Thanks,
Caprice
Is God protecting Fla. at Gov. Crist's request?
Thanks,
Caprice
Is God protecting Fla. at Gov. Crist's request?
Weekly free associations
Late again this week.
- Delayed :: Reaction
- Irresponsible :: Teenager
- Stupendous :: Tremendous
- Barcelona :: Spain
- Solution :: Simple
- Simplify :: Explain
- Crumble :: Toast
- Podcast :: Download
- Conversation :: Piece
- Homepage :: Excite
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
Semi-random thoughts
● The current Dear Abby is every bit as good as her mother. Maybe better. She's much better than the advice columnist Newsday uses--although that might be partially due to the fact that they run her column in such a small space.
● Someone commented on a friend's FB post:
● My Amazon Visa card is being upgraded to a Visa Signature card. The big difference is that there will be a new category of rebates. I'll get 2% for gas, dining, and drugstore purchases (and office supply stores also, according to the fine print). My American Express Blue Cash card gives me 5% for gas and drugstores (and supermarkets), but only 1.25% for the others. So it looks like I'll be using the Visa in restaurants and Staples starting in October.
● Someone commented on a friend's FB post:
when you start using words that a ph.d. candidate doesn't know in your facebook status then...A PhD candidate!?!! I learned that word in junior high school (I think it was in connection with an excerpt of Carlyle's Sartor Resartus that we read for English class). Anyhow, I checked his profile and found out that he goes to Stony Brook--so I would take any PhD granted there with a good-sized grain of salt.
(well, i don't know but i wanted to point out that I have no idea what "sartorial" means)
● My Amazon Visa card is being upgraded to a Visa Signature card. The big difference is that there will be a new category of rebates. I'll get 2% for gas, dining, and drugstore purchases (and office supply stores also, according to the fine print). My American Express Blue Cash card gives me 5% for gas and drugstores (and supermarkets), but only 1.25% for the others. So it looks like I'll be using the Visa in restaurants and Staples starting in October.
Best Overheard in New York of the day
Asian girl #1: Hey, did you guys smell that in that building back there?Source
Orthodox Jewish girl and guy: No, what?
Asian girl #1: It totally smelled like bacon!
Asian girl #2: Yeah! You're right, oh...
Orthodox Jewish girl and guy: Yeah... hm. So that's what bacon smells like?
Sunday, August 16, 2009
This is just stupid
It was bad enough they made a 150lb cupcake. Now this:
1,224-pound cupcake sets record as world's largest.
1,224-pound cupcake sets record as world's largest.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
Weekly free associations
I'm late this week.
- Death :: Panel
- Identified :: As
- Saturday :: Night
- Dumped :: Upon
- Division :: Long
- Stilted :: Overly Formal
- Crimes :: Punishments
- Stumped :: No idea
- Future :: Past
- Team :: Work
Glob anniversary
I just noticed that yesterday was the fourth anniversary of this blog. This is the 1,496th post. I've attracted over 58,500 visitors--despite the fact that I no longer try to post every day, I no longer post much about what I'm doing (I now use Facebook and Twitter for that), and I seldom post reviews of anything. Still, people keep coming--an average of 40 per day. So I must be doing something right. Thanks for visiting.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Tweet of the day
Dear gym teacher of 1984, Sorry I went along with the 8th grade in calling you Thunder Thighs. Please know I have them now too. Love, me.--@vmarinelli
Semi-random thoughts
● Why are the plums I just bought more ripe than the remaining ones I got a week ago?
● We arrived back at Penn Station at exactly the same time I was finishing the first Harry Potter book. However, unlike Harry in the last scene in the book, we did not come in on track 9 3/4.
● How did I get a subscription to Rolling Stone?
● My doctor is happy with my blood sugar and cholesterol numbers. So am I.
● I got a notice of our health insurance renewal. Our rate is going up 17%! Granted, it did not go up at all last year, but this is very high even over a 2 year period.
● We arrived back at Penn Station at exactly the same time I was finishing the first Harry Potter book. However, unlike Harry in the last scene in the book, we did not come in on track 9 3/4.
● How did I get a subscription to Rolling Stone?
● My doctor is happy with my blood sugar and cholesterol numbers. So am I.
● I got a notice of our health insurance renewal. Our rate is going up 17%! Granted, it did not go up at all last year, but this is very high even over a 2 year period.
Friday, August 07, 2009
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
I ♥ NYC
From Overheard in New York:
Bible thumper: I love you all... even you, sir.
Man: I hate you.
--A Train
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Facebook status of the day
Mother:"You're President of the abstinence club!"
Daughter: "Well, I wasn't planning on running for a second term."
Monday, August 03, 2009
Plat du jour--Music Department, part 5
This one is a bit confusing. RAGX means ragtime (clue: the plate frame), but 4MI? For me? Four miles? For M.I.? Form I? I dunno.
I thought I didn't want to hear another word about Michael Jackson
But I was wrong.
From Overheard in New York:
From Overheard in New York:
Jew for Jesus, holding out pamphlet: Here, have one.
Woman: Hmm?
Jew for Jesus: It's about Jesus!
Woman: Oh, I'm not interested in him. I thought it was about Michael Jackson.
Sunday, August 02, 2009
Plat du jour--Music Department, part 4
I find a lot of these musically-related plates in the Tanglewood parking lots. This belongs to a string quartet player.
Weekly free associations
I missed a week.
- Memo :: Cube
- Copy :: Machine
- Office :: Depot
- Stapler :: Jammed
- Paycheck :: None
- Watercooler :: Waste
- Desk :: Messy
- Human :: Resources
- Resort :: Last
- Boss :: None
- Taxman :: Beatles
- Material :: Girl
- Format :: Disk
- File cabinet :: Need
- Ignore :: Facebook
- Super! :: Glue!
- Fireproof :: Building
- Blockbuster :: Gone
- Snooper :: Pooper
- Good will :: Hunting
Saturday, August 01, 2009
Movie quiz
If you get 7 out of 10 right you're a "Movie Star," 4 to 6 right a "Best Supporting Actor" and 3 or less a "Lowly Usher." Answers in the comments. (I got 4 right.)
(1) "The Jazz Singer" was the first talking film. What year did it open?
(2) First animation film ever nominated for "Best Foreign Film" Oscar.
(3) The two films receiving the most nominations for an Oscar are "All About Eve" and "Titanic." How many nominations did each receive?
(4) Name 3 of the 7 actors who played "The Magnificent Seven" (1960).
(5) A film about blacklisting in which Woody Allen starred but did not write or direct.
(6) The actor who holds the record for most leading roles, 142 films.
(7) John Huston directed both his daughter and father in movies for which they each won an Oscar. What movies?
(8) Clark Gable did not win the best actor Oscar for "Gone With the Wind." Who did win that year?
(9) Francis Ford Coppola directed 2 films which won consecutive best picture Oscars. Which films?
(10) Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift were film stars in a Theodore Dreiser tragedy. Which film?
HT to Elliot Kanbar, president of the Quad Cinema
(1) "The Jazz Singer" was the first talking film. What year did it open?
(2) First animation film ever nominated for "Best Foreign Film" Oscar.
(3) The two films receiving the most nominations for an Oscar are "All About Eve" and "Titanic." How many nominations did each receive?
(4) Name 3 of the 7 actors who played "The Magnificent Seven" (1960).
(5) A film about blacklisting in which Woody Allen starred but did not write or direct.
(6) The actor who holds the record for most leading roles, 142 films.
(7) John Huston directed both his daughter and father in movies for which they each won an Oscar. What movies?
(8) Clark Gable did not win the best actor Oscar for "Gone With the Wind." Who did win that year?
(9) Francis Ford Coppola directed 2 films which won consecutive best picture Oscars. Which films?
(10) Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift were film stars in a Theodore Dreiser tragedy. Which film?
HT to Elliot Kanbar, president of the Quad Cinema
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Plat du jour
Ironically, I saw this while waiting on the line to get into the Katy Perry performance, which stretched half-way around the block.
EDIT: It was the line that stretched half-way around the block, not the performance. The performance pretty much stuck to the stage, and when she tried to crowd surf at the end her security grabbed her legs and wouldn't let her do it.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Plat du jour--guest submission
.jpg)
Joanne found this one. Perhaps it was on the vehicle they're building in Central Park, right next to the zoo.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Yogi Berra is alive and well, writing for Time Magazine
Sharp was known in Washington as one of the best lawyers nobody knew.
From Inside Bush and Cheney's Final Days
Tweet of the day
(well, yesterday)
When the husband and kids are gone is a great time to let my hair down & do crazy stuff they'd never understand. Now eating brussel sprouts!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
I ♥ NYC!
From Overheard in New York:
Bimbette #1: So then I found out he hooked up with Amy while I was peeing in the bathroom.
Bimbette #2: Did you still sleep with him?
Bimbette #1: Yeah, of course! Why should I let her have all the fun? I just don't know what to do now, though cause I feel like I had her sloppy seconds.
Random lady sitting in front of them: Girls can you shut the hell up already? I'm trying to enjoy a quiet train ride home. No one here cares who you slept with, we all know you're gonna be with a different guy next week, anyway.
(girls jump up and run out of train car, one in tears)
--Penn Station
Semi-random thoughts
● I ♥ superglue.
● I was headlined in a post by Burlesque Magazine on FB. They probably misread the article from last fall that they linked to, thinking I perform. Still, it's an honor to be mentioned in the same sentence with Murray Hill, Angie Pontani, and Peekaboo Pointe.
● Is anything ever monged besides fish?
● I got my new DVR hooked up (the hard drive in the old one died Sunday). It's a new model, and I gained some new functions, but lost some old ones. It's nice getting black (not gray) bars on the sides of 4X3 programs automatically, but I miss being able to buffer two shows at once--though I think if I record both of them I will be able to switch back and forth, fast-forwarding through the commercials. The new remote that came with it can actually power on the TV and the A/V receiver, and control the audio volume via the receiver as well.
● What exactly do they do at the dress rehearsal of a burlesque show?
● I was headlined in a post by Burlesque Magazine on FB. They probably misread the article from last fall that they linked to, thinking I perform. Still, it's an honor to be mentioned in the same sentence with Murray Hill, Angie Pontani, and Peekaboo Pointe.
● Is anything ever monged besides fish?
● I got my new DVR hooked up (the hard drive in the old one died Sunday). It's a new model, and I gained some new functions, but lost some old ones. It's nice getting black (not gray) bars on the sides of 4X3 programs automatically, but I miss being able to buffer two shows at once--though I think if I record both of them I will be able to switch back and forth, fast-forwarding through the commercials. The new remote that came with it can actually power on the TV and the A/V receiver, and control the audio volume via the receiver as well.
● What exactly do they do at the dress rehearsal of a burlesque show?
Monday, July 20, 2009
Twitter exchange of the day
XXXXXXXX:
I'm driving I'm driving - oops guess I shouldn't be tweeting :)YYYYYYYY:
@XXXXXXXX Yay! You get your license back???
Weekly free associations
- Banter :: Yak
- Amazing :: Race
- Towel :: Washcloth
- Cinema :: Movie
- Newspaper :: Times
- Not good :: Bad
- My type :: O+
- Twinkle :: Twinkle Little Star
- Actress :: Actor
- Daft :: Crazy
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Huh?
150-pound Minn. cupcake sets Guinness record
I thought the whole idea of cupcakes is that they're small.
I thought the whole idea of cupcakes is that they're small.
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