jefF-STOP: people

Showing posts with label people. Show all posts

02/03/09 - Clue

	MOVIE - Coraline, Push, Pink, He's Not... ART - Atl Contemp, "Make Room" -acac- LOCAL - Jesus Gate
	U.S. - The Graveyard Book -harper- FRANCE - President Kadhafi -lemonde- WEB - Carbon footprint -counter-

Part of the cast of S's "Clue Birthday Party"!

MOVIE NEWS - "Coraline", "Push", "Pink Panther 2", and "He's Just Not That Into You" are all coming out this Friday.

"Coraline" seems to be a morality tale about "honor thy family, even if mom is a bad cook" and "the grass is always greener, until they replace your eyes with buttons!" Eat your vegetables...or we will turn you into a stop-action, animated film.

"Push" is the telekenetics vs. the evil government; Stephen King's "Firestarter" meets "Jump". Looks like lots of flying glass and flapping overcoats and leaping dance-fighting, with Dakota Fanning as the new Drew Barrymore. If Chris Evan's shirt flies off, I'm there.

"Pink Panther" is a sequel to a remake and ought to make all those french-hating, slapstick loving movie-goers happy. That would be not me.

"He's Not that Into You" is a chick flick about how men and women miss the boat when trying to get to know each other. I'm not that into it.

Sunday's Superbowl advertising included previews for movies being released a little further out (like August 7 - 6 months away - for "GI Joe"!). All the trailers were posted on www.apple.com/trailers the next day. Seemed like quite a bit of rehash:

"Land of the Lost" - A TV show
"GI Joe Cobra" - A cartoon, based on a toy
"Angels & Demons" - A sequel movie from a prequel book
"Transformers 2" - A sequel, based on a cartoon, based on a toy
"Witch Mountain" - A remake (w/ one original film star bit part)
"Star Trek" - A prequel, based on a TV show, a cartoon, & films.
"Fast Furious" - A sequel to a sequel to a sequel

The other three were a little more original:
"Monsters v. Aliens" - Looks like X-men, with monsters.
"Year One" - 'School of History' w/Jack Black & Michael Cera
"Up" - Pixar

ART NEWS - Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, "Make Room" -acac-. The show starts February 5th.

LOCAL NEWS - The Atlantic Station "Millennium Gate" - you know, the one that caps a Superfund site? - has a latin inscription that translates to: "This American monument was erected to commemorate all peaceful accomplishment since the Birth of Jesus Christ". What? Because all those B.C. "peaceful accomplishments" don't count? ...nor do all those A.C. crusades.

2/17 - Georgia Aquarium - Martha Stewart Book Signing - Really? She's signing a cookbook? What is it..."Martha Stewart's Beluga Whale 7 Ways"? "I Love Penguins...with Bernaise"? -ga aqua-

Last week, The City and The Piedmont Park Conservancy announced they are letting the Peachtree Road Race back into Piedmont Park. Where the heck is the "reporting" in this story? No follow-up questions like:

- What is different this year's from last year banned one?
- Was the Finish Line modified?
- Will the Finish Line have a different impact on the park?
- Is the park grass recovering?
- Is the drought over?
- Are the wells working?
- How has the city changed it's drought policy?
- Is there a city drought/park policy?
- Has the recession affected any of the decision regarding the park?
- Will any other park changes be in place in time for these events?
i.e. new pool/poolhouse, parking deck.

Pride also "gets" to be in Piedmont Park...on the city's terms...and in October. "We know you want to celebrate the June anniversary of the Stonewall Riots - the first time homosexuals stood up to a repressive society - but our grass won't be ready until October. So you can have your little party...the same weekend as Halloween." Thanks.

U.S. NEWS - - Newberry - The Graveyard Book. Read an exerpt of the children's book prize winner about Nobody Owens who was raised by...ghosts. -harper-

Making babies - The story broke that the 46-person medical team asisting a woman expecting to birth a litter of 7 babies was surprised by the birth of an 8th. What shocked me about that? "46-person medical team"! Holy crap! Who's paying for that? My suspicion wasn't confirmed until a few days later - she was taking fertility drugs, even though she already had 6 children...as a single mom! I know who should be paying that medical bill; the woman taking the drugs. Or her church. -ajc-

Superbowl ads -nyt- Best and worst -time-

Eating dirt is good for you -nyt- What I suspected all along. Read this, mom!

Buddy Holly died 50 years ago today. He would have been 72. Pope Pius XXII also died in 1958; he would have been 142.

FRANCE NEWS - Mouammar Kadhafi was elected president of the African Union. I kind of missed reading about that in the American media outlets. -lemonde-

WEB NEWS - Carbon footprint -counter-

...the rest of the story...

01/20/09 - Out w/ the Old

	MOVIE - "Were the World Mine" (not O's) ART - AIA tour of Fulton Cotton Lofts -aia- LOCAL - Sunday liquor sales!? -ajc- Gamble on Underground casino? -ajc-
	U.S. - Andrew Wyeth passed. BUSH - A letter about our ex-president WEB - Bushisms -slate- or wordle.net

Thanks to this week's model...good luck on your clothing line!

MOVIE NEWS - "Were the World Mine" (not Obama's...) - I've been looking forward to this flick...gay kid just trying to fit in at a prep school when the drama teacher puts him in the school play...as a faerie. Puberty ensues (No guest appearance by Zack Efron.)

ART NEWS - 1/24, 2:00 - 5:00 PM - AIA Atlanta tour of Fulton Cotton Lofts -aia-

1/24 - At Primal...Pamela Anderson?!? I'd kinda love to see her...in a "hey, I've met Dolly Parton's, too!" kinda way. -primal-

LOCAL NEWS - Sunday liquor sales!? -ajc- Why should Alabama get all the pro-football boozing revenue? Once again, the legislature may take up the debate on why it's okay to drive to a restaurant, drink, and drive home on Sunday, but you can't buy beer to consume in the safety of your home.

Gamble on Underground casino? -ajc- - Interesting proposal for reinvigorating the draw of Underground Atlanta - a casino. I thought this was reasonable in light of a report on the failings of the initial Underground of the 70's - in addition to increased crime in the city, liquor laws changed in counties surrounding Atlanta; fewer dry counties meant fewer people had to drive to Atlanta to get a drink. It seems Underground survives whenever it can give people something they can't get close to home - alcohol in the 70's and maybe gambling today. If that doesn't work, at least we've still Prostitution!

U.S. NEWS -

http://blog.photoshelter.com/image/christinas_world.jpg

Andrew Wyeth passed away. Just this past weekend, I referred to this painting of his.

Me...on a hill in Piedmont Park...lying on the grass with my legs trailing out behind me... looking up to the Midtown skyline...calling out to a (younger) friend. "Look, I'm Christina!"

He said..."What? You mean that Stephen King car?"

BUSH - (An email to my brother) I do agree that W. doesn't seem to get a lot of support - even from the people that voted him into office - and that we should display a modicum of decency and tolerance when referring to or respectfully disagreeing with the man (some have) chosen to lead our country.

Your email did make me think about what I haven't liked about his presidency (besides the whole anti-gay thing) and to look back and make sure my feelings are based on facts and not just the "liberal media" (I do listen to Rush Limbaugh, occasionally).

Here's what I found out about myself:

The Kyoto Protocol - He rejected it and stated that it was unfair because it excluded some developing countries from following the same guidelines the U.S. would be forced to adopt. To be fair, it seems that Clinton recommended not approving it without first amending the wording. That may be true, but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't work hard to make the planet a cleaner, safer, less-polluted place. (But there is no telling if the Senate would have approved it even if Bush did). The whole thing, while putting Bush in a tough position, does not make him come across as an environmental president - nor one willing to pursue cooperation on a global scale. (NEGATIVE)

The Environment - A Bush's Secretary of the Interior until 2006, Gale Norton advocated drilling in ANWAR, selling of federal land (as a fund-raiser), commercially developing protected land, reducing environmental protections in mining laws, and reducing protection of endangered species. "Many National Park Service employees oppose her rewrite of the service's management philosophy, a rewrite favoring recreational use over conservation." We aren't making any new land, any new species, and any new water; I strongly feel we have to do everything possible to protect what we have (NEGATIVE).

Iraq War - Even if it did seem that there was reason attack a country preemptively to protect the U.S. (because of "weapons of mass destruction"), I don't think that we started the war with any kind of understanding of the existing political/cultural/religious conditions in Iraq. It just seems that whatever concrete reasons we had for attacking, we did not really understand how we could "win". Anytime I start on a project, there has to be a definite list of deliverables to be accomplished and that is how I prove to the customer that I am done, that he should be satisfied, and that I should get paid. I don't think we had that before entering Iraq and the only way I can rationalize that is by thinking we must be really arrogant, that we are the only world's superpower, and we could just go in, kick butt, and declare "Democracy". (NEGATIVE)

Human Rights - I don't understand at all how the greatest nation on earth, and the one with the most liberties, can imprison people (or "detain them") for as long as they like, without formally charging them and without a legal process. NEGATIVE...but maybe arguably just because I have a narrow understanding of wartime" imprisonment).

Israel - It seems like no one can doing anything about that horrifying mess and W. hasn't made it worse or better. (NEUTRAL)

Africa - W does seem to have done a LOT of good there, from AIDS anti-viral treatment programs to agricultural support to debt relief. --- It has been said, in Time Magazine, that Africa is the "triumph of American foreign policy" and is the "Bush Administration's greatest achievement" (POSITIVE)

Grammar - I mean, come on. I'm just not inspired listening to him speak. I know, I know, actions, not words, but I'm sorry, English is my native language and I like to hear the leader of my county use it eloquently. (NEGATIVE)

Katrina - I don't know that anything really could have been done better there. I know (from talking to Shawn's relatives and their friends) that the attitude during an approaching hurricane is so often to "help yourself" and not evacuate, so you can't depend on someone else to take care of you after the fact. BUT, it sure does seem like W's aids didn't do a very good job of helping him understand the gravity of the situation after the fact. People spent up to 4 days at the Convention Center, yet "FEMA head Michael Brown and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff both claimed to have no knowledge of the use of the Convention Center as a shelter until the afternoon of September 1." (SLIGHTLY NEGATIVE, but not for the common, scapegoating reasons most people have.)

China, Japan, South Korea - We seem to have improved relations with most Asian nations (GOOD), but I don't understand why human rights and business relations are okay in Communist China, but not okay in Communist Cuba, so I'm going to remain (NEUTRAL).

International Free Trade - It seems that we have signed free trade treaties with several countries, so I guess some other countries still like the U.S. (POSITIVE).

Immigration - I like what he said in his 2008 State of the Union address - "Yet we also need to acknowledge that we will never fully secure our border until we create a lawful way for foreign workers to come here and support our economy." ...mostly because he acknowledges that people only come here illegally to "support our economy"...because Americans pay them to come here (and mow their lawns or build their houses or raise their children). The next step to be to remove the incentive for illegals to come here by punishing the Americans who pay them to. (NEUTRAL).

National Debt - It's huge. $10 Trillion? I heard people during the election ay-saying Obama for being "socialist"; taking one person's money and giving to someone else. How is it not "socialist" to keep spending money (on ourselves) today that our kids and grandkids and great-grandkids will have to pay off tomorrow? (NEGATIVE).

National Budget - It's huge, too. The budget has grown from $1.9 Trillion in 2001 to $3.1 Trillion for 2009. --- "From FY 2003-2007, the national debt increased approximately $550 billion per year on average. For the first time in FY 2008, the U.S. added $1 trillion to the National Debt. In relative terms, from 2003-2007 the government spent roughly $1.20 for each $1.00 it collected in taxes." (NEGATIVE)

Tax cuts - I am totally for lower taxes, but it's pretty easy to give people back some of their tax money without reducing federal spending; just add it to the National Debt! Republicans were crying foul at Obama's "spread the wealth" comment, but what were the "stimulus checks"? I realize that the (mostly Democratic?) congress probably distorted his original plan, but I DO know that the more money you made, the smaller stimulus check you got. (POSITIVE IDEA, BUT NEGATIVELY EXECUTED and HYPOCRITICALLY PROMOTED).

Size of Government - How can you run as the candidate of the "smaller government is better" party and then oversee the expansion of the federal workforce by 2.5 million employees from 2002 to 2008? It seems that the largest growth was in "contractors", which I have to assume is "civilians" being paid to go to war zones and accomplish all the "non-fighting" work that we don't have enough soldiers to do. ---"They often performed vital work such as researching new vaccines, running federal computer systems and making body armor, weapons and meals for the military." (NEGATIVE).

Gay Rights - I won't even go into the whole "marriage" thing, because it will never be solved. I just want a president that makes it so Shawn can inherit my $$ (and/or my social security and medicare benefits) when I die without having to pay inheritance tax. Let's just call it "Picking one other human being that you want to take care of for the rest of your life". W sez "The amendment should fully protect marriage, while leaving the state legislatures free to make their own choices in defining legal arrangements other than marriage." I find that INCREDIBLY HYPOCRITICAL. Why should the president lead the charge in DENYING me rights at a federal level, then leaving me to cross my fingers and hope that my state government will pick up the slack? Why can't it be U.S. Constitutional Amendment "fully protecting legal arrangements for ALL AMERICANS at the federal level, then leaving states to make their own choices in defining marriage"?

PHEW!

So, after researching all that, I did find a president with values that I share; and he's a Republican!

He distrusted wealthy businessmen and dissolved forty monopolistic corporations as a "trust buster"...he did not disagree with trusts and capitalism in principle but was only against corrupt, illegal practices.

He was the first U.S. president to call for universal health care and national health insurance.

He promoted the conservation movement, emphasizing efficient use of natural resources.

THEODORE ROOSEVELT in '12! (Okay, so he lost to Woodrow Wilson in 1912, but it still sounds good.)

WEB NEWS -
My blog...in 50 words or less:

www.wordle.net

...the rest of the story...

12/21/08 - Christmas

	MOVIE - Valkyrie & The Spirit ART - Sam the Lovesick Snowman -puppets- LOCAL - Sunday liquor sales -ajc-
	U.S. - Snow & planes falling! (Sky ok, so far). -nyt- FRANCE - Human science vs. human stupidity? -géo- WEB - NPR's year end list -IN/OUT-

MERRY CHRISTMAS! Joyeux Noel! Feliz Natal!

MOVIE NEWS - Valkyrie & The Spirit. Both with heroes trying to save us all from mortal enemies, while both probably ought to spend a little time trying to save themselves...from themselves.

ART NEWS - Sam the Lovesick Snowman. The Center for Puppetry Arts is a terrific, local arts center and S & I can't wait to take my nieces! -puppets-

LOCAL NEWS - Sunday liquor sales - It's a matter of money; more days of liquor sales = more money from sales/excise tax. "An official with Publix, one of Georgia’s largest supermarket chains, said the sale of beer and wine at grocery stores on Sunday would result in $1.4 million in extra excise taxes and at least $3.3 million in new sales tax revenue." Doesn't that also mean more drinking? Or just more drinking at home and lower restaurant/bar tax revenue? -ajc-

U.S. NEWS - Snow & planes falling! (Sky ok, so far; don't look at your 401K...). -nyt-

FRANCE NEWS - Human science vs. human stupidity? The front page of Le Monde features an article over the debate of possible solutions to global warming possibly getting us into even more trouble. -géo-

WEB NEWS - NPR's year end list -IN/OUT-

...the rest of the story...

12/07/08 Gingerbread

Practice photoshoot

Kids and Gingerbread

MOVIE/ART/LOCAL/U.S./FRENCH/WEB NEWS

MOVIE NEWS - Netflix browsing...I just happened across two scifi posters that seemed..well...simliar: -dustin-

...so, figuring that wasn't a unique case, I looked for some more: -heston-

But those are old movies...let's look to this week's new releases! They include "The Day the Earth Stood Still"... a remake ... of an old movie. Sigh. I guess the release of this scifi classic redo is a big deal, but look for "The Day Jeff Stood Still"; now THAT would be something...

...that Metropolites just might see that at tonight's "Movie and a Buffet" in Club M at 8:00. Bring a dish to share (and your place setting) and settle in to watch "Love, Actually" with your neighbors.

ART NEWS - 12/9, 7:30 PM, Outwrite - Sports author Bill Konigsberg -outwrite-

12/9, 6:30, Margaret Mitchel House - "Story Corps" - "...the most ambitious oral history project in American history, has collected the memories of more than 20,000 people from all 50 states and every imaginable walk of life, background, identity group, age and state of mind. Now some of these remarkable stories have been gathered into one exemplary volume, Listening is an Act of Love: A Celebration of American Life from the StoryCorps Project, by Dave Isay" -mmh-

12/10, 7:00 PM - Goethe Zentrum shows "Die Gustloff" - auf Deutsch. -gz-

12/11, 6:30, Margaret Mitchel House - Terry Kay "...and the Atlanta Public Schools Elementary Honors Chorus to the Margaret Mitchell House again this year for a festive holiday tradition. Kay will read excerpts from his universal holiday classic To Whom the Angel Spoke." -mmh-

12/13, 8:00 PM, Robert Ferst Center for the Arts - "A Peter White Christmas" - a merry evening of smooth holiday jazz. -ferst-

12/13, 8:30 PM, Variety Playhouse - Don't miss "Kingsized Holiday Show" at the Variety Playhouse...seriously...best Lounge/Elvis/Tiki/Pirate performer out there. -variety-

LOCAL NEWS - 12/12, 6:30, Woodruff Park - Courteous Mass, the law-abiding bicycle ride through town. Take to your bikes...please. -atlbike-

U.S. NEWS - Bailout - of the mortgage giants, of the auto industry, of a military jet, when will the madness stop? -nyt-

FRENCH NEWS - Sarkozy wants to allow (non-cultural or sports-related) businesses to open on Sundays. Retail has been closed on Sundays since the law was passed in 1906 to allow families time together during the Industrial Revolution. What's the real impetus? More time to spend more money? Isn't that how we got into this mess in the first place? -npr- -other Sunday laws in Europe-

WEB NEWS - There are some cyber-shopping pointers on time.com

...the rest of the story...

Ohio - NO MORE!

Welcome Home, Me!

Well, welcome home, but this isn't me.

It's Kenyon Carter, a great jazz saxophonist I was lucky enough to photograph this weekend. If you have a hankerin' for some live jazz, check him out: www.myspace.com/kenyoncarter

So, I'm done with Oh-Hell-Hole; this weekend was the first weekend of my 11 week vacation. I was there for 20 weeks, so now I get 11 weeks off.

Did I mention I have 11 weeks off?

SO...if you need a drinking/partying/movie-going/running/working-out buddy, I'm your guy.

It's going to be a great summer.

Garden update: We planted basil and tomatoes on March 31st, hoping to get a jump start on the growing season. Well, it dropped below freezing 1 week later, on April 7th, but the tomatoes made it! The basil's hurting a little, but the pepper plants look okay, too.

All did not escape unscathed - while planting, I got poison ivy. I'm just getting over it, having gone through all the stages - the "Itching Stage", the "Oozing Stage", the "Scabbing Stage", and now am nearly at the end of the "Baby Gerbil Skin with pieces of Beef Jerky stuck to it Stage".

Now it's going to be a great summer.

...the rest of the story...

Ohio - Missing family

Even though I'm here by myself, I don't feel alone. My cell phone is a big life-saver.

I got to talk to my autistic nephew yesterday. With him, you never know what to expect. I told him I was in Ohio. I could hear grandma prompting him in the background "it's snowing there"**.

"Really, Uncle Jeff? Snowing? I hope you survive. Bye now."

I hope I survive, too. He's one of the people I survive for.

(S. with my nephew's 2 sisters.)

** Today's weather report stated "Definite snow and 80% chance of precipitation"

While I'm here in Compliance, what keeps me company at the gym?

My iPod. And what's on my iPod?

Soundtrack from "Wicked"
Soundtrack from "Rent"
Soundtrack from "Spamalot"
Soundtrack from "Wedding Singer"
Soundtrack from "Avenue Q"
Marilyn Manson

See? I'm not the gayest thing in the gym; my iPod is.

It hasn't exactly gotten me into trouble, but I do have a new work-out rule: Just because there isn't anyone else in the aerobic room - the one with the cushy purple & blue carpeting and the floor-to-ceiling mirrors - just because it's empty when you start lip-synching to the "Lady in the Lake" number from "Spamalot", doesn't mean someone won't walk in on you.

...the rest of the story...

Happy Halloween!

S and I had a terrific Halloween weekend! Our costumes were supposed to be "Really Mad Max" and a jewish cop as a take on Mel Gibson and his anti-semitic arrest, but we just left it at 2/5 of the Village People.

Only the straight guys knew I was "Mad Max".

We had fun staging these pics at "Attention Deficit David's" house, who went all out to decorate...black lights, decapitated dolls, "blood" on the walls and the floor, black cloth draped over everything.

Later, at the "As Seen in a Magazine" party, we decided that the perfect couple costume would have been the two of us in matching blonde wigs, big sunglasses, and slinky dresses. With me being 6'3" and S at 5'6", we would have been Nicole Ritchie...before and after. (Bless her heart).

We had a terrific time at the party, but S said it was time to go when I confronted this vapid, drunken chick, who just kept blathering on around me all night long.

"I was wondering...did you come to the party dressed as a drunken b&%$h, or did you change when you got here?"

She didn't hang around me after that.

Happy Halloween!

...the rest of the story...

Happy Birthday, Grandma

Today, September 8th, is my Father's Mother's birthday.

Grandma Keesee died in 1998.

Soon after she passed away, we went out to California to pay our respects (and go through her stuff, her house, her life). While searching her garage, Dad found her postcard collection and gave it to me. In particular, this postcard of "Skunks and Cats". He said it reminded him of my cat, Crawford.

This one was not like the other postcards; it was sort of a joke, not a vacation destination.

I kept it; it reminded me that my grandma - who spent the last 15 years of her life in a wheelchair - was once a playful young woman (at the time of the postcard, 1934, she would have been ready to turn 25...)

Crawford, died in 2003.

Grandma would have been 97.
Crawford would have been 17.
At 42, I'm right in the middle.

I still have the postcard. It still works. It reminds me that I miss them both.

Happy Birthday, Grandma.

(Grandpa Keesee passed away in 1982...he would have been 106 on September 10th.)

...the rest of the story...

Dragon Con 2006

Holy crap, that was fun!

Every Labor Day weekend since 1987, fans and gamers alike gather in Atlanta for "Dragon Con", a scifi/fantasy convention.

Saturday was their 6th annual parade through downtown Atlanta. I've always wanted to go, and now that I have, it's my 2nd favorite free thing to do in Atlanta - downgraded from "1st" after some discussion with my partner ;)

My austic nephew saw the ad on TV last week and said "Uncle Jeff, will you take me to DragonCon?" I said, sure, but "ask your dad."

He ran into the next room, where I heard him say, "Dad, Uncle Jeff is taking me to DragonCon..." "Hey" - I yelled - "that's not 'asking'".

"Please?"

I was so much fun. All the participants (20,000+ folks attended the convention; it seemed like most of them were in the parade) were super nice each time B. asked "can I take your picture"?

B. loved all the Star Wars guys, but was kind of put off at the prospect of facing more than a half dozen Darth Vaders.

I really can't say enough nice things about the parade and all the participants...everyone was just having a blast.

Favorite moment? Pirates lining-up to give B. gold "doubloons"? Hot super heroes? Randy pirates?

I think it would have to be the "Ghostbuster" guys. As they passed by in their 'buster-mobile, I yelled out "who ya gonna call?"

Not missing a beat, one of them yelled back "somebody else...I'm in a parade!"

My favorite pics are first, followed by a gallery of everything!