The More I Read About Food - The Less I Like It

First let me say, I am an omnivore.  I tend to like food.  A child of Southern California with backyard peaches, plums, apricots, oranges and more, I like fruits.  I like vegetables.  True, I grew into vegetable love - and still can't stand lima beans (they're not beans, and they aren't from Peru - they are like giant stale peas!).  And I like meat.  Beef, chicken, pork, even lamb.
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But in reading about staying healthy as you get older, you can't help but read about food.  And there is very little about food that is fun to read.
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Horror stories about the way we feed animals.  Horror stories about the way we process foodish items into food.  Horror stories about fertilizers, pesticides and farm runoff.
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And you can't damn everything equally or I would live on glazed donuts and diet coke.  So I sift through the reams of conflicting stories and try to eat better.  And it works.  A little.
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But am I losing a little weight and feeling better because I am eating better or because I am eating less?  And if it is eating less, is it because I am making a deliberate choice or does food just kind of gross me out now.  (A little of both I think).
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As for natural, things are funny.  The freer the range the chicken, the better the taste.  Factory chickens are bland, California chickens (where the cages have to be bigger by law) are better, free range chickens are really tasty.  That is the only meat I can tell the real difference in.  I can't tell free range beef for farm beef.
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But "heirloom" vegetables from farmer's markets aren't always tastier than regular vegetables.  Sure, the tomatoes are better, but the carrots, onions and potatoes aren't always better.
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And I hate thinking about food.  HATE IT.  But again, the alternative is glazed donuts and diet coke, and I really can't eat that all the time anymore.  Knowing about food is one of the things that takes the fun out of it.

Looks Like SOOOO MUCH FUNNN!

Wow.  I want.

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Asinine

Why?

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Why 21?  Why not outlaw smoking?  Twenty-one serves no purpose.  We have an adult cut-off age, 18. You can go to war, you can vote, you cannot enter into a contract and if you commit a crime you are an adult.  Drinking liquor is an exception (one I disagree with - but that's not the point).  The point is, we have an age at which we say - TaDa! you are capable of making your own decisions.
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Why would we treat smoking differently?  Because it is addictive and leads (after a long time) to death?  By that measure, sugary cereals shouldn't be available to children.
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There are a lot of bad things that people have the right to choose to participate in or not.  And the public bears the cost of mis-use of those things; including driving recklessly (too fast, pre-occupied, etc), eating fattening foods, smoking, skateboarding, roller skating, swimming, hiking in the woods if one is allergic to beestings.  But you shouldn't force decisions on people.  "You can't smoke until 21!"
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Why 21?  (Real Reason - FYI - because the bill's author's mother starting smoking at 16 and regretted it - then died of lung cancer in her 60's - which is a long time to "directly" kill someone, but whatever.)  Given the "logic" here, why not 25? Why not 30?  As our estate planner said, "If you are setting up a trust, make it available when they are 30.  Let them get one marriage under their belt."
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Outlaw large sodas?  Maybe we should outlaw bicycles.  My guess is that we would save large some number of lives if we required all "bi"cycles to be "tri" cycles.
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And why have lights turn green quickly.  We could save a lot of lives if we changed the reds to green with a random 1 - 10 second number generator.  If we delayed them all by 5 seconds, some would jump the light, but a random number generator and a red-light cam and we could save scores of lives.
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Why not hire a state employee to go with you to the grocery store and nag you every time you made a bad choice, "Really Scott?  A moment on the lips and lifetime on the hips!  Two ply?  Can't you really help the environment with single ply?  Why is your ass so special?  Another orange?  Would a spring of brocoli now and then kill you?"*
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Stupid.
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*ps - I totally want to apply for that job.

THIS is what drives Geography Majors Bat-shit Crazy

Now you may say that the drive to Bat-Shit Crazy town isn't too long in my case under the best of circumstances, and you would be right.  Be that as it may, this drives me nuts.  The NY Times has amazing graphics and maps - I have said often.  And I have repeated them here.
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Today's map is (on the whole) equally perfect.  It accompanies an article about the rise of a unique Asian-American-California culture that is different from anything else in the world.  Having grown up as a citizen in an early adopter city of this culture (Gardena), I totally agree.
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So what is to bitch about?  Well, this graphic, which on the whole very cool.  It shows the areas of the largest increase in share of population from 2000 - 2010 for Asians, Whites,  Hispanics and Other (looking at it - I would extrapolate "other" as being African- American).  It is a cool map with one problem.
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Select to increase size and watch Scott's head explode

The problem? The dot marked Los Angeles isn't Los Angeles.  As a matter of fact that dot is about THE ONLY AREA THAT ISN'T LOS ANGELES.  The dot is Beverly Hills, which is surrounded by LA (with the tiny exception of West Hollywood which borders BH on the upper east side, and is also surrounded by LA.  And it isn't like Los Angeles is some hard to define entity.  It is the second biggest city in America.
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1/2 inch to the left and you are in West LA, which is part of Los Angeles - put the dot there.  1/2 an inch to the right and you are in Mid-Wilshire, also in Los Angeles - put the dot there.  1/2 inch down and you are in Palms, also in LA.  1/2 inch up and you are in Bel-Air, also in LA.  1 1/2 inches to the right and you are in Downtown LA.  1 inch up and you are in The Valley, also LA.  In fact, well, you get the idea - you could put the damn dot nearly anywhere else and be correct about Los Angeles.
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In order to make the cities to the East stand out (San Marino, San Gabriel, etc.), the graphic artist (Haeyoun Park) decided to plop LA farther west.  And, rather than choose any semi-city that was part of Los Angeles, he chose Beverly Hills - which is NOT part of LA.
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And it shouldn't bug me, but then neither should speeling bug Ed, or phrasyology bug Jocelyn - but they do two.

What is it with this city and little tiny Diet Coked

On our way out to nimble - UPDATED

 Random spell check error.  How it got to "nimble" I have no idea.

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I tried to write "bumble", and was going to post some pictures.  But then it posted as "nimble" and I laughed a lot.

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Apple is very good about spell-guessing.  Not spell-checking.  They know the little iPhone keys are small and next to other ones, so some of their "corrections" assume you hit the key next to the one you want.

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So I typed "bumble", and it assumed I hit an b instead of a n, then a u instead of an i (both "mistakes" just to the left of the "correct" letter) and fixed my word.

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I often appreciate iPhones spell fixes.  And sometimes they make me laugh.

At The Risk of Losing My Gay Card....

So, at the risk of losing my "international gay" card, I find the Boy Scouts new position more than acceptable.  My problem with scouting was that boys join when they are too young to know if they are gay or straight or whatever.  They are just boys and scouting teaches good morals, provides camping and outdoor experience that is rare in some places (it was great for me being from LA) and a place to make non-school friendships.  To deny these to a boy that honestly expresses his emotions was wrong, especially because scouts teach honest (something my father actively preached against).
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In case you haven't heard the compromise proposed (and to which the Mormons - who run about 1/4 of all scouting troops - agreed) it is that scouts are welcome regardless of how they might grow to identify.  So if you are 12 or 13, know you're gay but haven't starting having sex - you are welcome.  That is perfect as far as I am concerned.
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The compromise does NOT allow gay adults to be scout masters.  Fine.  I think that condition will be obsolete over time, but I understand the worry some people have.  I don't agree, but I get it.  Allow people to change over time.  Some (loud) activists find it unacceptable to imply that gay adult scout leaders aren't allowed, presumably because the couldn't handled their desires.  I agree with those activists that this is hogwash, but by the same token I do understand the worry.  These are children and people still have unjustified fears  - just look at the profusion of laws on helmets, car seats for 10 year olds, well just about everything.  So I don't think they are singling out the gay menace, parents are now afraid of every single menace - regardless of how far fetched.
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So I say, let's start with a nice base agreement that is for the good of the kids.  When they grow up, all this will change.

Bill Moyers is kind of funny - Update

This is from a Bill Moyers commentary - I took part of it out and put it here.  You remember Bill Moyers, the PBS middle of the road polite commentator.  Well he is NOT a happy camper. But funny.
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UPDATE - By the way, I am NOT targeting Republicans or Democrats here.  I pretty much think our Washington "Elected Representatives" all suck at the corporate teat.  They don't care about us, the people, unless we are huge campaign contributors.  The piece goes on about what is really happening and it is just sad.
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(part of a larger piece)
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If you want to see why the public approval rating of Congress is down in the sub-arctic range — an icy 15 percent by last count — all you have to do is take a quick look at how the House and Senate pay worship at the altar of corporations, banks and other special interests at the expense of public aspirations and need. 

Traditionally, political scientists have taught their students that there are two schools of thought about how a legislator should get the job done. One is to vote yay or nay on a bill by following the will of his or her constituency, doing what they say they want. The other is to represent them as that legislator sees fit, acting in the best interest of the voters — whether they like it or not. 

But our current Congress — as cranky and inert as an obnoxious old uncle who refuses to move from his easy chair — never went to either of those schools. Its members rarely have the voter in mind at all, unless, of course, that voter’s a cash-laden heavy hitter with the clout to keep an incumbent on the leash and comfortably in office. 

How else to explain a Congress that still adamantly refuses to do anything, despite some 90 percent of the American public being in favor of background checks for gun purchases and a healthy majority favoring other gun control measures? Last week, they ignored the pleas of Newtown families and the siege of violence in Boston and yielded once again to the fanatical rants of Wayne LaPierre and the National Rifle Association. In just the first three months of this year, as it shoved back against the renewed push for controls, the NRA spent a record $800,000 keeping congressional members in line.

I Hate to be the One to Point Out Your Day to Day Inconsistency, but....

Hum... First the Senate, and now the House vote to change the sequester so as to help the FAA to avoid flight delays.
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But didn't you just say the other day, that this wasn't the fault of the sequester?  Didn't you say, in fact, it was Obama's fault.
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And yet now you can "fix" the sequester.
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Oh, I forgot, we are suppose to have the memories of gerbils.
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Do you think we are morons, or are you just dipshits?  Because it is one or the other.

Trevor's (second worst) Nemesis is Back!

Now the vacuum cleaner always has been and always will be Trevor's true nemesis.  But that doesn't stop other evil-doers from trying to... you know, do evil.
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Well one foe, that Trevor had assumed long vanquished, has returned from beyond the grave.  This called for immediate warnings to me and a surfeit of growls - more than necessary to dispatch cruise ships and blimps.  When will this infernal device leave!?!?!?
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Pippin Last Night

Eddie and I went to see Pippin last night.  Ed had never seen it, nor did he know the music.  I knew the music and remember (vaguely) the PBS version.
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We.were.blown.away.
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First, the show is totally fun.  Second the audience was over the moon.  I mean appreciative - they stopped the show with Andrea Martin (who kicked ass!).  I was a love-fest. Third, the bodies were sick (in the amazing way).  It is done kind of a circus with lots of strength acts.  The bodies on these men and women were amazing.
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Honestly, at one point, Pippin takes off his shirt for an orgy scene and you find yourself saying "a six-pack, that's it?", because the other men and women have 8 packs AND big biceps AND great asses AND and and... Very much in the "Chicago" mold, but more strength.
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Crazy.  And they can sing.  Really - you wanted to smack them.  More than once members of the ensemble as well as Pippin himself run up a pole.  Seriously, they run at a pole (and Pippin wears big black boots) and just continue running up it, sometimes hanging 3 floors up, somethings jumping to the balcony set above, sometimes pushing off at 90 degree angles while someone else sings a chorus.
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AND, because it was the night before Opening Night, Eddie spotted Christine Ebersol as we came up the stairs!  It was a blast.
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Go if you can!
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Very Very Cool Apartment / Office complex in Singapore

So the LINK is here, but I love this building.  They have a public space below, then restaurants, them apartments, but sprinkled through the building are hanging gardens.\
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So very fun.
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Art in Times Square

The Installation

Eddie and I were walking to dinner the other night and we saw this Art Project in one of the public spaces (which is actually a walkway between 42nd and 43rd).
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I am not sure how it will read online, but in person it was cool.
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The Explanation (select to expand)

And Now It Begins to Hurt

So the Republicans are blaming Obama for the sequester.  They are, of course, lying.  Congress, the REPUBLICANS and the DEMOCRATS decided to make a devil's bargin so bad that it would never come to pass.
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And it has.  And, it turns out, it wasn't so bad for anyone with money.  Sure food stamps, child welfare programs, unemployment - all that has been cut, but Congress doesn't give a shit because those people don't donate and vote.
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But now planes are delayed.  Good God Muffy, one may have to wait an hour for the shuttle to Nantucket   Who is to blame?  Well, the Republicans have decided to blame Obama, because he decided to have broad across the board cuts (actually no, again that was Congress - I was being sarcastic).
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But at least since the oligarchy is feeling the pain in terms of flight delays,maybe something will finally happen.

US Senators must swear to uphold the Constitution.  And so it is fair to ask, as Forbes does in the screen shot below, why they forget it when convenient.
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There are some understandable reasons, although a US Senator shouldn't be in thrall to them.
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First, atrocities, like 9/11, stick in people's mind.  A similar actions by similar people, regardless of the scope, draw an immediate connection.  So people might viscerally react by wanting to treat them as enemy combatants, even though our declaration of war was hugely non-specific and still didn't cover these two.  But, as a Representative member of our legislative body, Senator Graham should be able to think beyond that.
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OR, he might think that his constituants are too stupid to understand anything but animal justice.  I wouldn't want a Senator who thought that about me, but Lindsey has been able to represent South Carolina longer than I have, so who knows.
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Of course, I think that Senator Graham is a graven publicity whore and doesn't really give a shit about anything but getting on the news and looking tough.  A bully, if you will, that has the US Army to back his sorry ass up.
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We are a country of laws.  We are a country that doesn't meet out justice based on prejudicies or unfounded conclusions.  At least that is what our country was founded on and our elected officials swore to defend.
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Giving him the benefit of the doubt, let us hope that it was reason number 1, and he changes his mind after he has a moment to ruminate on it.  After all, again, thinking the best, the Senator has to think of the welfare of all Americans - maybe he just overreacted early.

As A Rule...

As a rule, I tend not to like the one man shows, particular from the Irish.  Not to be mean, but they nearly always involved two of the following three things:
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1 - The Potato Famine
2 - Priestly Abuse
3 - The Drunk Family and depresses / disappointed parents
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But Who's Your Daddy? doesn't follow this well worn path (well, it does have #3, but mainly for
comic relief).  It is the story of an Irish Hollywood actor and his trip to Uganda, where he meets his son.  Honestly, he decides this young child of three is his son immediately upon meeting him - and sets off to adopt the boy.  Not an easy task for a semi-employed, bi-sexual, single actor who is mainly in debt.
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The employed part is helped as he is cast as a recurring robot looking for a soul in Stargate Atlantis, but the rest of the story is still trouble.
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It was funny and I liked it.  My review.
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PS - By the picture, you can see it ends well.  Hiking in the Hollywood Hills.

Yuck!

UCLA Football Coach, the first Football Coach to say this (damn straight) "If you can play, you can play."

To The Surprise of No One

The headline "falls short" actually isn't really true.  It fell short of the pocket filibuster   That is, it had enough votes to pass (54) but not enough to end the filibuster - which requires 60 votes.  By the way, this "filibuster" was not a speaking filibuster, just a bunch of old guys that are more scared of their reelection than representing 90% of Americans and a majority of Republicans.
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An aside, some said this would create a registry of gun owners, which is bull-shit.  The comprise actually made creating a registry of gun owners a federal crime.  You know, to win backing of the NRA.  The measure was written by a Republican and a Democrat with spotless NRA support until now.
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FYI: RE: Boston

Regarding Boston.  It is horrible and terrible and real news sites are doing a fine job covering it.  Since I have nothing to add but my best wishes and prayers - I haven't posted on it.  Nor do I plan to.  It's not that I don't care, but this isn't a place to trumpet it.

Great 49 Minute PodCasts

My doctor has prescribed 45 minutes of cardio a day - for a couple things, none of which are critical.  But, since I take the meds I figured I had to take the exercise as well.
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45 minutes is a lot of cardio if you can't go outside (which happens with painful regularity in New York).  I have found PodCasts of NPR's TED Radio Hour - which are about 49 minutes and fascinating.  The PodCasts are free and downloadable on iTunes.  FYI - What is TED?  Here is what they say...
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TED is a global set of conferences owned by the private non-profit Sapling Foundation, formed to disseminate "ideas worth spreading". TED was founded in 1984 as a one-off event. The annual conference began in 1990, in Monterey, California. Wikipedia
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They take a topic (Food, Africa, Creativity, Mental Illness, Happiness) and speak with about 4 to 5 TED speakers.  They use parts of their TED talks as starting points for interviews.  It is a great way to get TED content without watching dry talks on YouTube - and they usually ask follow up questions that make sense.  Normally the speakers are Research or Entrepreneurs in their fields, but not well know to most people and are not selling something.  And they are primarily up-lifting and not doom and gloom.
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I like them.  Try it if you are stuck on cardio for a while (or I guess in the car for a long time)

What if Superman looked Like Louie Anderson

Henry in the new SuperOutfit (no more Yellow Undies)

Henry Cavil will be playing Superman in the new movie and these pictures are of him recently.  And he has the whole Superman look, I get it.
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But...

Henry before shaving and donning the tights

But think about this for a moment.  Superman has super powers because he was born on Krypton, right?  And our sun makes his normal Kryptonian abilities super sized on Earth.  But that doesn't mean he has to look like an Earth Stud, does it?  Right, any fat old bastard from Krypton could be Superman on Earth.
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Why work out.  If flying, lifting trains and stopping bullets is normal, then there is no real "work-out" to make you look like Henry Cavil - Studmuffin.  I mean, it isn't a work out at all.  You would look more like - Louie Anderson from "Splash".

What a real Kryptonian would look like.

Arg: Chairman of the House Sub-Committee on Climate is either a Liar or an Idiot

Chris Stewart, the House Chairman of Sub-Committee on Climate Change is either a Liar or an Idiot.  I don't know which, and don't think it matters.  He wrote an editorial on April 13th in the Salt Lake Tribune and it is often reasonable.  Reasonable enough to make his sprinkled in lies seem plausible.  Disregard if you like, but I need to vent.  So.  Blue is a lie, and Green is reasonable.

Being Sworn in as Chairman

Stewart cautious on climate change

By chris stewart

First Published Apr 13 2013 01:01 am • Last Updated Apr 13 2013 01:01 am

As the newly appointed chairman on the House Sub-Committee on the Environment, I have been given oversight over scientific issues regarding environmental policy. None of the issues before my committee is more controversial than global warming, more recently referred to as climate change.

Though this short space will not allow a detailed discussion, it may be helpful to review some of what we know.

First, there is no doubt that climate change is real. But it has always been real. The earth’s climate is always in flux, with long-standing patterns of warming and cooling. There is no ideal temperature the earth is trying to achieve.

Second, the science regarding climate change is anything but settled. This is not true.  The science regarding climate change IS settled.  It is a phenomena that has been either triggered or massively impacted by man-made actions.. Indeed, there is wide recognition among climate scientists that none of the 20 primary models used to forecast climate change have proven to be reliable.  True, but the fact we cannot completely model it, doesn't mean the science of why it is occurring "unsettled".  What this really means is that the complex interaction of cloud creation, sea temperature changes and ice melts are more complex than we understand. As recently as last week, The Economist had a feature article examining the uncertainty of the modeling behind global warming, noting that global temperatures had not risen in the past 15 years and calling this fact "among the biggest puzzles in climate science."LIAR!  The Economist article said that global temperatures had not risen as fast as predicted in the past 15 years.  Bad clause to leave out.  The Economist also pointed out in big letters that this was a reprieve for people, not a reason to ignore science.

In addition, the emotion behind climate change has led to other scientifically questionable claims, some even asserting that events such as "drought, wildfires and storms like Sandy" are the direct result of climate change. LIAR!  Officials and scientists have gone out of their way, repeatedly and loudly, to say that you cannot blame any one specific drought, storm or anything other single point of weather on Climate Change.  But Climate Change creates the conditions that increase the frequency and intensity of such events. Officials at NOAA, NASA and other agencies that are tasked to further our understanding of climate change have repeatedly rejected such outlandish connections.True.  See, lies and reasonable comments mingle.

There is also uncertainty regarding to what degree man is to blame for global warming. True However, the claim that 98 percent of scientists agree that humans are the singular driver of climate change has been repeatedly discounted. This oft-cited statistic is based on an online survey with a sample size of only 77 people, and the survey didn’t even ask to what degree humans contribute to climate change. Misleading... scientists don't say humans are the "singular" driver of climate change.  Also reputing one bad study is fine, but the massive majority of scientists believe that climate change is being driven by primarily by human actions.

We must also consider the economic cost of suggested remedies. For example, China and India are planning to build a large number of power plants to produce the electrical power that is necessary to lift millions of people out of poverty. Would it be right to deny these people the health benefits and quality of life that would come from having access to affordable power?Absolutely true and correct.

Here at home, were we to implement the proposals of radical environmentalists, trillions of dollars of additional costs would be placed upon the backs of hard-working families and retirees living on fixed incomes. And even these extraordinarily expensive measures would have very little impact on global climate change. True but misleading.  We could implement many proposals of reasonable people that would mitigate the effects, help our economy and not cost trillions of dollars. Depending on which "radical environmentalists" he is referring to, he is talking about the wacky fringe and we shouldn't implement those.

Finally, let’s consider this political fact. In 2009, despite having control of the entire elected government, President Obama and the Democrats in Washington chose not to pass climate change legislation. And why not? Because even the majority of Democrats recognize that the science regarding climate change is uncertain,LIAR!  the majority of Democrats do recognize the science the suggested remedies would likely not work,  and would be devastating to working families. Not true, but not far off the mark.  We are faced with a giant problem and no reasonable answer.  I am fine admitting we don't know what to do and the costs may not be worth a minimal investment.  But be fucking honest.

As a leader on these important issues, I will work to ensure that we have conducted a thorough scientific review, then use that information to advocate for reasonable policy decisions. My Aunt Fanny.

Ljubljana

I was going through some old pics yesterday, moving them between computers and I found a few Ljubljana pictures.  We went to Slovenia (Ljubljana is the capital) in 2010 - and it was a great trip.  The city is so damn cute you just want to hug it.
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Message in Lights at Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM)

I've posted about and from BAM in the past.  That is where I saw Richard III with Shelly and Sam, where Kevin Spacey played the lead.
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Well last night they projected this message for Boston.  There really isn't much else to say (although 24 hour news will say it all repeatedly :-).
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Another Reason to Avoid the F State if you ask me.

Yuck.
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Giant African slugs that eat through plaster board.
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Gross.

My honey is suddenly interested in golf

Okay, I get it.

Who knew golfers worked out?

Adam Scott won the Masters yesterday.  Ed was interested and checking out the "tournament" online.  Then I looked.  I see why Ed was intrigued.  He is a pushover for dimples.
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Dimples - Eddie loves dimples

It's Not You, It's Me (us...)

Dear John (ny Reb),

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I know this might be a hard letter to read, - it is, after all, a hard letter to write.  We've been trying to make this work for a long time, but we both know that it hasn't been going well.  Sure we had some good times, but in the past few years - let's be honest, it's been a sham.
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As for the kids, they're all grown now.  Idaho, Nevada, South Dakota... even the twins Arizona and New Mexico have all grown up and are passing new laws on their own.  (Arizona even looks like you, Johnny.)
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You've always said it wasn't about the slavery and you keep trying to prove.  Over and over. You are outlawing reproductive rights, restricting access to sex education, making gun laws looser (even requiring households to own them in Georgia).  And what is it with you and the Ultrasound wands?
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And me, I know you hate the gay marriage and domestic partnership thing, and my tack on medical marijuana - and up here we are outlawing automatic weapons and magazine clips with over 50 rounds at once.  Maybe we just don't have hogzilla's up here which require a gatling gun to bring down.  You think we are going to hell and we think you're loony tunes.  Maybe we are both wrong (or both right, does it matter?).
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So I think it might best if we just separate amicably.  I'm not going to make simple jokes at your expense, and I hope you won't make them at mine.  Let's just agree to disagree, Johnny.  We'll see you at Christmas and the Super Bowl, so I don't want this to be awkward.
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Geography makes things a little difficult but, it's not something we can't figure it out.  Essentially it is Maryland and all the other states above the old Mason Dixon - but you can keep Pennsylvania.  In the West it is the Coast and Nevada.  Colorado, New Mexico and Montana - well they really fall somewhere between us, maybe kids have to find their own way Johnny.  And as for the upper mid-west - who knows, maybe they'll run off and marry Canada.  Or Sweden. Even though I know some of them still hold a flame for you John.
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I hope you find what you are looking for - a land where fags can be shot on the church steps and children don't learn about babies until they start having them at 14.  A land where the cancerous and infirm get by on oxycotin and moonshine - without any of that wacky tabacky.  Speaking of tabacky, you guys can start marketing that again, thats something, right?
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As for us, it isn't all Lindsey Lohan and the Kardashians - sometimes we are frivolous.  We are still perverts that like Theater and pretend to like Opera (no one really likes Opera John, the last Opera I enjoyed starred Bugs and Elmer).  We will buy stupid cars that go slow, run on farts and say that it doesn't bother us - but it will.  And we are stuck with Octo-mom and that annoying actor that always talks about his Prius.  Oh Johnny, how we will miss the F150s!
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Look on the bright side Johnny, you don't have to pay for Hurricane Sandy or Earthquakes.  And we don't have to pay for New Orleans, Florida, the Outer Banks, Mississippi flooding or Tornados.  You can cut taxes all you want - and we can still tax enough for luxuries like roads and bridges.
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It was a great fun, but it was just one of those things... (yes Johnny, still quoting musicals, I can't help it.)
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Signed the Hedonistic Heathens

Roosevelt Island Day

Eddie and I went to Roosevelt Island today.  It was the Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival.

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We had a great time - even though the Cherry Blossoms were not quite in full bloom yet.  After the Cherry Blossoms we walked down to the end of the island where the Franklin Roosevelt Monument Park was it.
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Before you got to the park, you walked past the old smallpox hospital.  This is a picture of the hospital behind the Japanese music.
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Louis Kahn was a great architect that has since passed away.  His last work (in the 1970s) was a design for Franklin Roosevelt's Four Freedoms Park.  It is kind of meh - but the position at the end of Roosevelt Island overlooking the United Nations is great.  What starts as kind of an okay park ends up being a very moving place.

The Four Freedoms are written on the other side of this rock.  In case you forget what they are in 1941 Franklin Roosevelt outlined what all people, anywhere in the world should expect.  Freedom of Speech & Expression.  Freedom to Worship God as they please.  Freedom from Want.  Freedom from Fear.  And he said, "That is no vision of a distant millennium, it is a definite basis for a kind of world available in our on time and generation."

The park with the UN in the background.

Going to Japanese Festival on the Island

The New York Times LOVED Matilda, but...

So the New York Times loved Matilda.  I loathed Matilda.
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However, I do wonder about Mr. Ben Brantley, the reviewer of the show in the Times.  He is the same man who hated Newsies (too much dancing).  And he fawns over a number in the show (quoting)

This show dares to take us briefly inside the darkest interiors of the Trunchbull’s mind, in a number in which she imagines a world without children, and it’s scarier than any spook house.

The problem is that this number is NOT in the American version of the show.  Mr. Brantley may not have been phoning in his American review, but his recent trip to London may have tainted his recollection.
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Matilda's Family.  subtle

See it for yourself.  Watch the audience squirm and the actors overact (apparently they believe they are playing Met Stadium).

From Cool Hunter - to Share today

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Amazing Places To Experience Around the Globe (Part 5)

The Sphinx, Giza, Egypt

Fjadrargljufur, Iceland

Folegandros, Greece.

Green Lake in Upper Styria, Austria

Hotel Hospes Maricel, Mallorca, Spain

Seven Sisters Waterfall, Norway

Central Park, New York City

Platja D'Aro, Girona, Spain

 

Skatftafeli, Iceland

Bolgheri, Tuscany

Whitehaven Beach, Queensland, Australia

Dingle Peninsula - Ireland

Trolltunga - Odda, Norway

Emerald Lake, Alaska (Pic Lynn Zaik)

 The Devetashkata Cave, Bulgraria

Lefkada Greece

El Nido Palawan Island, Phillippines