Saturday, August 31, 2013

Peter and Keith at Us Open

Just watch American Allison Riske win (over #7 Petra)

Pic of the Day: Aug 31

Powell Library from Royce Auditorium.  It may look familiar as it has stood in for Libraries, Dorms, Spy Agencies, Palaces and just about anything a producer can think of when he wants a "prestige" shot in a film.  It is also crowded and stanky around finals time, when it is open 24/7.
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But you walk up to the Quad and it sits beautifully across from Royce Hall.  And it is special in that way only your alma mater can be.

What do you do at the US Open when you aren't watching tennis?

Play CornHole at the Heineken House!  What else.
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Friday, August 30, 2013

Pic of the Day: Aug 30

This is a resort in the Bahamas.  But, to be honest, it is a picture about a piece of mind.  An escape.  A moment.  An ideal and idyllic.

Thursday, August 29, 2013

When No One Raises a Question - No One Knows

Fox host Bill O'Reilly falsely claimed that "no Republicans and no conservatives were invited" to participate in attend the anniversary of the March on Washington. That is, as we say in America, bullshit.
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These Republicans were invited:
 Recovering from illnessRecovering from Illness

 Invited to cover for either Bush - Had "other plans"

 Busy in his home state on recess, Wyoming.  Wait, Wyoming isn't his home state?  Well, something very important was going on there.
 
 Busy Busy Busy.
 Declined
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“We had a very concerted effort, because this is not a political moment,” said Rep. Leah Daughtry, executive producer of the (50th Anniversary of Martin Luther King's Speech) commemoration. “This was about us coming together as a community, so we wanted to be sure that we had all political representations,” Daughtry said. “We attempted very vigorously to have someone from the GOP participate and unfortunately they were unable to find someone who was able to participate.”
RNC chairman Reince Priebus pointed to the fact that Republicans held their own King commemoration Monday, inviting only blacks who are Republicans. Sounds like a fun time — a separate but equal celebration.

Yeah... See How That Doesn't Really Help?

So, is this the NSA trying to makes us feel better?
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Turns out Eric Snowden didn't have access to all the secrets he stole.  He pretended to be someone else.  By using a different person's profile.
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The fact that double-super-secret-spys' access is defined by a profile that any old Sys Admin can spoof doesn't make me feel better.
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FYI -It should be harder to get our nations secrets that it is to use someone else's ATM card.

So Long Gus - We Barely Knew Ye

Gus - the crazy Polar Bear Died.
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I think I must copy what the NY Times wrote about him today (on the Front Page).
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There are not a huge number of ways to become famous as a polar bear. Gus somehow managed to do it by behaving like a perfectly ordinary New Yorker: he was neurotic. He became the Neurotic Polar Bear.
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To be sure, it was his own particular neurosis. Back in the mid-1990s, he began swimming obsessively for hours through his watery habitat in the Central Park Zoo, as if prepping for the Polar Bear Olympics, something he had never done back in his hometown, Toledo, Ohio. The world took notice. Expensive therapy was ordered. Improvement occurred. A furry white celebrity was born.

You're Killing Me Larry

So much to Ed's chagrin, the New York Times often spotlights homes in Los Angeles.  Now I know this is because there are so many bi-coastal people living here (although not us anymore).  But Ed is a little annoyed, mainly because I whine and say, "Honey, look at this."
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Although, in truth, my "honey" probably has about 5 syllables, my "look at this" is accompanied by a violent stabbed at the paper with my forefinger and is often followed by the sad frown of my I-Miss-LA face.
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And so the New York Times Home section day (Thursdays and Sundays) is fraught with peril for Eddie.
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Even more so today.
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First there is an article about an LA couple with a second beach home on Long Island in a converted Barn (soooo cool).
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Then there is an article on an amazing Garden in LA.  And, even more whine-baiting for me, an extra guest room that is from an AirStream!  I LOVE an AirStream!!!
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I can't wait to show Ed when he gets home :-).

Pic of the Day: Aug 29th

We are in the middle of visitor season for us.  During the US Open we see a lot of friends and relatives, which is great.
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If they are lucky - and if there is the right amount of smog over Jersey, everyone gets to see the stunning sight of Lady Liberty at Sunset.  It is a view that can't be beat.

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Pic Of The Day: Aug 28th

This is Rockefeller Center in winter.  There aren't a bazillion people yet because the tree isn't up and the skating rink is being Zambonied.  On rare occasions like this, in the early morning after a snowfall, Rockefeller Center is a gorgeous reminder of how beautiful Art Deco can be when done well.

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

We shouldn't "WIN" - it's not our fight

Listen - I think we ought to give Syria a shot that knocks it back and makes the leaders think "Damn!  No more chemical weapons."
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Blow up the Palace, the Army Headquarters, the City Hall... whatever.  But we aren't in their civil war.
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We cannot "win".  There is no "winning" for us.  No matter what!
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The current President Assad kills civilians, so he sucks.  So we lose if he stays in power.
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The opposition will wreak havoc on the minorities that have been power forever + they are a little to jihadist for us.  So we lose if they gain power.
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Assad's allies are Hezbollah and Iran - so if Assad transfers power and leaves peacefully, then these guys come to power and they will step up attacks on Israel.  So we lose (Be real, Israel is one of the few things our government cares about in the MidEast, now that we have fracking.)
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Repeat after me (as they say in French class:  répéter) There is no option where "we" win.
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Because it isn't a USA fight.  The best we can do is hope to get them to stop using chemical weapons on civilians.  Because it is wrong, evil and actually a war crime.  (After water-boarding by the Cheney/Bush administration, I wouldn't push that whole  "war crime" thing too much though....)

Pic of The Day: Aug 27

The Bank of American Tower from Bryant Park.

Monday, August 26, 2013

Pic of the Day: Aug 26

This is the headpiece from Grand Central Terminal - which just had it's 100th Birthday.
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Phil, Julie, Dora and I wandered over there yesterday and I was reminded again how much I love that place.
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A Little Porn for Eddie

Argh Argh Argh...

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Do You Ever Find Yourself Saying: Scooter - They CANNOT Be As Crazy As You Say...

If you ever find yourself saying, "Scooter, come on, Republicans can't be as crazy as you say."  Then hold on to your tail Eeyore.  Here's the proof they are jackshit crazy.
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LINK

So.. this reminds me of a funny story

Here's the thing.  Sometimes cards make you laugh uproariously for all the wrong reasons.  Allow me to share my particular wrong reason for finding this high-lar-E-ous.
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So, when I was younger and my mother was a very attractive under 30, her mother - kind-o-passive agressive, wanted to tell her she needed to lose some weight.  There are many many MANY bad ways to express this to your adult daughter.  One of the worst, apparently, is to buy her a swimming suit with a little skirt attached.  When she is in her twenties.
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My mother swore this was a non-too subtle affront.
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My grandmother (Honey) swore it was a simple mistake.
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And by swore, I mean not affirmed to our Lord, but rather, released a stream of curse words that built up one on top of the other in an unique and instructional way.  I do not remember how the argument was ultimately settled, but the swimsuit showed up on Honey one day (to prove it was lovely and not built for a fatty) and my mom showed up in a two piece to prove that she wasn't "a hundred years old".
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Today I saw this card, and laughed uproariously remembering back on simpler times.
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Pic of the Day: Aug 25

A storm blows in from the Atlantic to Arcadia National Park.  2008.

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Trevor in the guest bed

Arthur Ashe Kid's Day with Dora

So Dora went to kid's day.  Here she is with the singer Gunther on Shake It Up (real life Kenton Duty).  They met in the elevator before he sang.
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Then here is Julie (Dora's Mom), in the box.  Who is that behind her in the other box.  She looks a little familiar.
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Oh yeah Michelle Obama, the daughters and Billie Jean King.

Pic of the Day: Aug 24

Eddie in Greece at the Parthenon in 2003.

Admission

It's odd, admission means to acknowledge something - which Linda Ronstadt did recently.  Admitting that she has Parkinson's and can no longer sing.  It's got to be a hard thing to admit, you can no longer do what you have committed your life to.
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Admission also means to be invited into a school or club or group.  And with this song - just Linda and a piano - i admit you into my club so you understand how much I loved her in my youth.
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Friday, August 23, 2013

Dora Visits for a few days

Dora is visiting.  She's our niece - and is here with Phil (her dad).  Her mom comes tomorrow.  They are going to the Kids Day at the US Open.
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Until then, she is watching her iPad with Trevor.
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Pic of the Day: Aug 23

A waterfall in the National Park within Rio de Janeiro's city limits.

The Economy, The Congress, Syria... This is how I feel today

Thursday, August 22, 2013

My Brain is Going to Come Ozing Out Of My Ears!: Literally

Because, literally, the dictionary now defines "LITERALLY" as figuratively as well as literally.
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ARGH!
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Per Mirriam Webster (and I only wish I was joking, literally).
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Well Now Do Something

I usually applaud President Obama's patience.  He is never swept up in the passion of the moment, which no doubt comes from being a black man as President of the United States.  He has to worry about appearing too angry, too quick tempered and ruled by emotion.  He can't become a stereotype.  Just like the first Female President wouldn't want to be too bitchy or the first Gay president wouldn't want to be too... well I guess bitchy either.
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But see, here is where his patience bites him on the ass.  President Obama, you said that the use of chemical weapons is a red line.  And this latest round is a big fat Screw You from Syria - you won't do anything.  As much as I want to say stay out of Syria (and still think we should), we should give the heads up that President Assad and everyone in his government has 10 minutes to get out of the Presidential Palace and offices and then blow it the hell up.
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Message sent, don't fuck with us, don't use gas, don't push me.  It's time to be a crazy mother, even if that is a little stereotypical for a Black Man as President.

Well, That's Pretty Damn Definiative

US and allies are now mis-using terrorist laws in order to send journalists a message.
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That message being, apparently, that playing news reporter is all fine and dandy if you quote what we want you to say, but it is terrorism if you find information we didn't give you.
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Remember way back, in the twentieth century, when we had a freedom of the press?  Wasn't that quaint.  Wasn't that was so last-century, bill-of-rights.  What were we even thinking back then?  Damn hippy forefathers.
Long Haired Hippies, won't even wear regular trousers.
The Guardian reported, and UK authorities subsequently confirmed, that David Miranda, Greenwald's Brazilian partner, was detained by British authorities under an anti-terrorism law as he was in transit from Berlin to Brazil and was changing planes at London's Heathrow Airport.
One U.S. security official told Reuters that one of the main purposes of the British government's detention and questioning of Miranda was to send a message to recipients of Snowden's materials, including the Guardian, that the British government was serious about trying to shut down the leaks.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters on Monday that while the United States did not ask British authorities to detain Miranda, British officials had given the United States a "heads up" about the British government's plan to question him.
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The Russian UK government also marched into the Guardian's Offices and pulled disk drives and shredded them to stop the leaks with the quote "You've had your fun..."  Apparently unaware of "the internets" are a magical series of vacuum tubes that allow people to whoosh information all around so that shredding one or two or twenty disk drives in England, doesn't magically destroy the data, which has been whooshed to other locations by sparkly fairy unicorns.

Pic of the Day: Aug 22

A Panda Mom and juvenile from the San Diego Zoo.  Cuteness personified.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Innocuous Headline

So I was wondering if I should comment on the detention of Glenn Greenwald's partner.  And I say this thinking - I don't want to get put on some list.  But it is kind of scary that I actually have to think that.
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In case you haven't heard, let me explain what has happened recently.  I will include no links but you can google any of it yourself.
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Glenn Greenwald is one of the two Guardian Reporters that broke the Snowden / NSA case.  He lives in Brazil (funny story, he actually only lives in Brazil because his partner wasn't allowed to stay in the USA - despite the fact they are married, because DOMA was in force when they tried to get him residency).  Anyway, Mr. Greenwald lives in Brazil.
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His partner was traveling from Berlin  (where the other reporter - another American Laura Poitres who lives in Berlin) to Brazil - and his spouse who is not a reporter, was detained by the UK while in transit under a terrorism law.  Now UK has admitted that he wasn't a terrorist.
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They knew he wasn't a terrorist, and didn't question him about terrorism.  They took all of David Miranda's computers, drives, cameras, digital game consoles- anything electronic.  They did this saying that he might be carrying information between Berlin and Rio between two reporters.  Which might, MIGHT, make sense, but they held him 9 hours - which is the limit they can hold someone without charging them.  They held his partner to scare his friends and family.
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Which is something Russia or China or North Korea does.  By the by, this is why Ms. Poitres lives in Berlin.  She reported on Bradley Manning and every time she came back to the US, Border Control confiscated all of her electronics.  Without a lawyer because before they let you into the country legally they can hold you without a lawyer.
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This is freakish and un-American (and un-British).  Detaining Reporter's spouses out of spite?  The US, by the by, hasn't said dick-all about it.

Well There is Shooting yourself in the foot and Shooting yourself in the face

Dopes, if ever there was an audience that depended on old gay men, this is it.
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This will be my first ever miss of Miss Universe (on purpose).  Old homos around the globe should wear black armbands or something.
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Giving up Stoli was easy.. Miss Universe... Well, important things call for important sacrifices...

This is why you get a friend to review things first

Fundamentalist Preacher Doug Seahorne decided to write a book about child-rearing, entitled Bible Principles of Child Discipline (from the book of Proverbs). To grace the cover of his wholesome ebook, he hit up Google Image Search and stumbled across what he felt was the perfect picture to embody the Biblical principles of disciplining one's child, a picture of a loving husband and wife with their two beautiful daughters and one adorable son. That picture was this.

Pastor Seahorne chose Modern Family's dysfunctional Dunphy family, who in addition to being the intellectual property of Disney, are probably the most ironic family he could have chosen this side of the Bundys. The pastor responded on Facebook once he learned that the picture was from "a wicked TV show involving a gay couple!" with a litany of excuses, including that he hasn't had a TV in 35 years and that he assumed results on Google Image Search were not copyrighted. The ebook is no longer available on Amazon, and the Facebook post has either been deleted or blocked, but nothing truly vanishes on the Internet
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(From towleroad)

{From Scott}  I have to say, when you steal images off the web, you get what you pay for.  To give Paster Seahorn his due: here is his web site LINK

Pic of the Day: Aug 21


Homes designed by Gaudi in Barcelona Spain.  His church is more famous, but the whimsey of the houses captured me.

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Of Course She Is...

To me, she will always be the cute young girl that Eddie and I could easily make blush.  Laura laughs easily and often.  She looks like a true London lady now - all grown up and beautiful.
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But she will always look like this to me....
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1996 - I never did look good in a hat.

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Even now.  You know, with child.  Probably even prettier... glowing...

Pic of the Day: Aug 20

The Istanbul Water Cisterns under the old town.
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These are the Byzantine water systems that were under the old town.  Lost for years when the Turks conquered Byzantium and renamed it Istanbul.  They are very very cool to see.

Monday, August 19, 2013

Last night on Dexter (spoilers)

Our friend Sam (as Zach) and Michael C. Hall on Dexter
This is our friend Sam with Michael C Hall in the car in Dexter.  He is in a multi-episode arc on Dexter (and upcoming in Homeland).  Last night was awesome.
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So I don't spoil it if you watch Dexter (and haven't watched it yet), the spoiler is in white, so you have to highlight the text to see it.
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Last night, after Sam (as rich kid Zach) finally was taken under Dexter's wing, he was killed by the Brain surgeon.  NBC is saying that Dr. Vogel is probably the brain surgeon, but I am not so sure.  Anyway, it was quite the surprise to see poor young Sam dead.  But he was watching with us and when we looked over, he had the cat-that-ate-the-canary look on his face.  Because he managed to surprise us (and everyone).
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Fun

Pic of the Day:: Aug 19th

These are large incense in the Buddhist Temple, Man Mo on Hollywood Street in Hong Kong.
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They hang from the ceiling, and are moved higher as they burn down.  Monks move them almost continually.  When in the temples you can buy packs of small or medium incense, or even these giant incense and light them in prayer or homage to your ancestors, hopes or just as an offering.
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They are beautiful.

Saw Blue Jasmine and Elysium this week-end

On the good news side, Elysium was fun.  I am constantly amazed how Matt Damon does all this "superhero"-ish things, and yet still pulls off the everyman demeanor.  He makes it look like he is working hard - where the Arnolds of the world make playing through the pain look too easy.
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It's a tough act to pull off - often requiring him to look like he's ragged for a while but continue on.  But it is usually believable.  He never looks about to die, then comes to life with super-strength.
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In other news, Jodie Foster is an ice-cool powerful woman in this movie.  Protecting the habitat like a lioness with her cubs.  She isn't evil, but relentless.  Not nasty for power's sake, but power hungry for "saftey's sake".  It is only through force of will that she never falls into the "bitch" stereotype than most other actresses would fall into  in the role.
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The allegorical references to today are both obvious (the haves - whose lives have value versus the 99% who mean nothing) and subtle (Jodie Foster as Obama or Bush or any other leader who values safety over freedom).  And it never overly preaches the references.  The are just a given.
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Having said that, the last fight could be cut by 2/3s and I would have gotten the point.  It is like they said to the director - okay we'll give you parts 1 and 2, but in part 3 you gotta blow more shit up.  They even seemed to create a different set, just where explosions where bigger.
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And then there is Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine.  No one tells Woody what to do anymore.  Which allows him to pull some amazing, touching beautiful performances out of actors both expected (Cate Blanchett) and unexpected (Louie CK).
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Unfortunately, in Blue Jasmine, he pulls out amazing performances only to showcase them in a piece of tacky drivel that doesn't perform the basics of film making.
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Cate Blanchett starts as a crazy, isolated, bitch of a socialite at the beginning of the movie and becomes a crazy, isolated, bitch of a socialite at the end of the movie.
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Apparently unaware of ancient Chinese proverb that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.  In Woody Allen's hands the proverb is turned upside down and a journey of a thousand steps makes an circle.  And since he has made this particular circle a lot, a journey of a thousand steps makes an infinite loop.
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The ancillary characters start one way, are changed by Cate, and then realize it is all bull-shit and end up the same way they started.  Which isn't an emotional journey so much as another way to showcase that Cate Blanchett is an isolated, crazy bitch.
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But the acting is great, I couldn't stand to watch her one more second.

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Saw Hale Woodruff's Murals at the NYU Gallery

I never heard of Hale Woodruff before.  He was an African-American artist and taught at Atlanta University and NYU.
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One of the things he painted were murals at Talladega College.  This was a black college, and he painted the murals on the centennial of the mutiny on the slave ship La Amistad.  Of the six large murals (two are 6 1/2 feet by 80 feet), 3 represent the mutiny, trial and return to Africa of La Amistad's Africans.  The other 3 represent the underground railroad, the founding of the Talladega College and the building of the slave library.
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They are very much in Diego Rivera's style (he was a student of Rivera), although much more colorful and celebratory.
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It was very cool.