Young Kwai Chang Caine: I loved him.
Master Kahn: He was my master.
Young KCC: How did you know where he was?
Kahn: There could be only one place for him. His favorite path in the foothills. We found Master Son's body, in a comfortable position. His back resting against the boulder. Staring down at our valley. His face glistened in the frost. But his lips were black, from the poison of the wild berries.
Young KCC: Everyone loved him. Why did he take his own life? (Master clasps his hands together.) Yin and Yang?!
Kahn: The Yes and the No. In him, the No conquered.
Young KCC: But I sensed that he was in harmony.
Kahn: Perhaps he looked into our valley, knowing that soon he would have to leave it. But instead of the beauty we observe, he saw ugliness.
Young KCC: How is that possible?
Kahn: He looked with his eyes. As we look with ours.
RIP
David Carradine
Friday, June 5, 2009
Transcript From An Episode of 'Kung Fu'
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Inter-Faith Food Shuttle Budget Crisis
The Inter-Faith Food Shuttle needs your support!
In 2008, the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle received $100,000 from the City of Raleigh to fund our programs and provide services to low-income citizens in Raleigh. Just this morning we were informed that the $100,000 we expected to receive for 2009 has been cut and the Food Shuttle has been completely omitted from this year's budget! With $100,000 last year, we were able to provide food to 24,325 Raleigh residents each week and distributed 3,727,595 pounds of food during the year. Simply stated, our services are not possible without the City of Raleigh's support.
Tonight Jill Bullard, Founder, along with our Board of Directors and Food Shuttle staff, will stand before the City Council to request inclusion in this year's budget. Yet, we also need you to let your representatives know how important it is that we continue to drive hunger from our communities. Here's what you can do:
* Meet tonight at 6:30p in front of the City Hall 222 W. Hargett Street. Tonya Post, our Director of Programs will be there to meet you.
*Call and/or write your City of Raleigh Councilor in the next 5 days to let them know food is a basic right for all citizens and the Food Shuttle needs the support of the City of Raleigh to feed people in need! Click on this link to locate your Councilor: http://raleighnc.gov/portal/
Please see the attached document for an overview of programs and people we serve in the Raleigh area.
Raleigh Services ... if this link doesn't work, let me know
Thank you for your time and continued support!
In Service,
Amanda Soltes
Operation Frontline Assistant Coordinator
Inter-Faith Food Shuttle
http://www.foodshuttle.org
919.250.0043
Friday, March 13, 2009
March Movies
The Magic Christian (1969) - another Terry Southern and Peter Sellers film, this time with Ringo Starr playing the adopted-as-an-adult son of Peter Sellers' millionaire. They both go about proving that everyone has their price.
Goodbye Mr. Chips! (1939) - Time and tradition move slowly in an ancient English boys school where a teacher opens up and creates his own definition of family. Sam Wood directed both this and A Night At The Opera.
Picnic (1955) - I loved this tagline "It's too hot to stay home." A lot of time is spent watching William Holden with his shirt off. He seems angry. Kim Novak is strangely attracted to this brooding, half-dressed man. Rosalind Russell makes it for me as the last-chance lady on the edge of Spinsterhood.
Oliver! (1968) Oliver Reed! Jimmy! I mean, Jack Wild!
The Future of Food (2004) - We're screwed! Save your seeds!
Blow Dry (2001) - I caught this at a friend's recommendation only a week before Natasha Richardson's sudden death. Interestingly, she plays a hairdresser dealing with her own death. But it's a musical and a comedy, really. Fun cast including Alan Rickman and Billy Nighy.
Young Bess (1953) - Jean Simmons plays her recurrent role as a feminine but strong-willed woman, this time as the young Queen Elizabeth I.
Moulin Rouge (1952) - Toulouse Lautrec is played by Jose Ferrer who so loved the part he bought the rights. John Huston worked out a deal with him playing the lead if Huston could interpret the movie from the paintings.
Madeleine (1950) Madeleine_Smith
This is an historical drama set in Scotland without a single person bothering to speak in character except one Frenchman.
Don't get me wrong, this movie's lighting, closeups, and direction (David Lean) make it a must-watch. There are subtle edits that just kept me glued.
JFK (1991) - Courtroom speech, Kevin Costner as Jim Garrison
"..The assassination reduced the President to a transient official. His job, his assignment is to speak as often as possible of this nation's desire for peace, while he acts as a business agent in Congress for the military and their hardware manufacturers.."
But of course, my favorite quote is "Back, and to the left. Back, and to the left."
Anyone remember what was the 'magic bullet' in Seinfeld's parody?
Flight of the Conchords: Season 1: Disc 1 (2007) - New Zealand artists sing tongue-in-cheek of the plights of trying to make it in NYC. This sit-com series also has The Daily Show's pixie-voiced Kristen Schaal as their personal fan club.
Doctor Who: Remembrance of the Daleks (1987) - Odin gives two thumbs Up!
Rachael Getting Married (2008) - I wish I could get Robyn Hitchcock to play my event. Anne Hathaway struggles with being a recovering addict waking to the tragedy she created while an ever-distant mother, Debra Winger, just isn't involved.
The Key (1958) - Sophia Loren's giving William Holden nightmares? You'd think it would be the other way around. He doesn't keep his shirt off as much in this one.
A Night At The Opera (1935) - Classic Marx Brothers, showing their incredible range of talent. I LOVED the scene in Groucho's ship cabin.
The Edge of the World (1937) - Filmed on the northeast Shetland island of Foula but based on the 1930 evacuation of the western-most Scottish island of St. Kilda (or Hirta) in the Hebrides. The hardship of life on such a remote island is dramatized as the last few natives make the decision to leave and give the next generation a better chance.
Rain (1932) - Young, big-eyed and pouty Joan Crawford is an escort on Pago Pago, where it is constantly raining. Then she becomes big-eyed and prayerful thanks to the stern preacherman.
Hedda Gabler (1963) - Ingrid Bergman plays the starring role in the made-for-TV adaptation of Henry Ibsen's play.
Pinky and the Brain: Vol. 1: Disc 1 (1993) - Classic evil plotting. Now which one's Brain?
Enchanted April (1992) - Miranda Richardson, Joan Plowright both star in this scenic vacation in April to Italy, circa 1920.
psychocosmos.blogspot.com
Saturday, February 28, 2009
February Movies
Meet the Robinsons - a surprisingly good Disney animated film
Pink Panther Classic Cartoons: Disc 1 - just as it says - Classic - Saturday morning memories
Jean de Florette / Manon of the Spring - one of the best - and it's two movies on one disc!
Nights in Rodanthe - it was where Odin was conceived so I wanted to see more of the area
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb - interesting trivia: Slim Pickens played all his scenes straight. He was not given the rest of the script which would make him realize it was a black comedy. He essentially played himself, a red-blooded Texan. In this clip, instead of "weekend in Vegas" he really said "weekend in Dallas" since he was the token Texan. However, the movie was supposed to have it's first screening on November 22, 1963. Then Kennedy was shot. They dubbed over with "Vegas" and took out the pie-fight scene in the war room at the end. One of the lines in the pie-fight was "Gentlemen! Our gallant young president has been struck down in his prime!" after President Muffley takes a pie in the face. They then moved the premiere to the beginning of 1964.
Religulous - Bill Maher provokes and makes me laugh and makes me miss Politically Incorrect. I hang my head when one of the first places he visits is Raleigh. I recognize churches he passes on the highway. I'm glad he mentions the myths of Krishna, Mithra and Horus, beginning in writings as early as 1280 BC. And I'm glad he doesn't just focus on Christianity. The extra monologues and deleted scenes on the DVD are worth your time, as well. I'll have to say, he found some wise priests high up in the Catholic church (Fathers George Coyne and Reginald Foster) who have a realistic view of the Bible's lack of science and how fundamentalism has given Christianity (and all religions) a bad name. Directed by Larry Charles who brought us such greats as Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Tick, Entourage, Borat, Fridays, Mad about You, etc.
Lust For Life - Kirk Douglas and Anthony Quinn paint and drink absinthe in this biography of Vincent Van Gogh - fun and tragic. Quinn won best supporting actor as Paul Gauguin.
Darling - Julie Christie won best actress for this in 1965 - it's a sardonic look at the sexcapades of a model in the Swinging 60's of London
Fly Me To The Moon - Flies stow away on the Apollo 11 mission. Had to explain to my son that the Apollo landings are most likely accurate, since he knows most cartoons, especially about space, are not. Buzz Aldrin does come on during the end-credits to tell us that it would have been impossible for real flies to live on the spaceship. Aw...
GiGi - musical about a young woman being raised to be a courtesan in Gay 90's Paris - swept the Oscars that year.
W. - I just couldn't get over the casting. It was spot-on!
Kiki's Delivery Service - Another lovely movie by Hayao Miyazaki. A little witch quickly discovers that she can't take her abilities for granted.
Mansfield Park (2007) - Billie Piper, of Doctor Who fame, is Jane Austen's main character, Fanny, in this BBC TV adaptation.
A Nous La Liberte' - Assembly-line work in factories is shown to be no different from assembly-line work in prison. But really, it's a comedy and a musical and a silent film, sorta.
Carnal Knowledge - "You're a real prick, you know that?" Ann Margaret says to Jack Nicholson. She received her first Oscar nomination for this one.
Bob, Carol, Ted & Alice - Free Love, anyone? "I came here because I want a better orgasm. It's just not good enough." Besides that line, I'll watch any movie that opens with a drophead XKE being driven along the winding PCH - especially with Robert Culp and Natalie Wood inside.
30 Rock: Season 1: Disc 2
My Sister Eileen (1942) - my role model, Rosalind Russell, was nominated for an Oscar in this one
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Grand Hotel (1932)
Groundhog Day
Ninotchka - Greta Garbo. Enough said.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Jetpacks Are Here!
I was incredibly disappointed after the turn of this Millenium.
Growing up, we were given visions of the future.
We'd have phones that would allow us to see the person - or just be telepathic, we'd manufacture products by special-order only to eliminate waste, our homes would be completely off the grid, we'd be traveling by air in our flying cars or self-propulsion...
Well, remember the jetpacks on Lost In Space and Bond films?
They were real, but could only take you for a ride of less than a minute fueled by hydrogen-peroxide or less than 10 minutes with jet fuel. Well, now they've created a pack fueled by highly pressured water!
"Designer Ramke's invention can power the rider to a height of 50 feet, has a top speed of 30mph, and can travel almost 200 miles before it needs to be refuelled.
A floating pump powered by a 150 horsepower four-stroke engine sends water through a 140ft-long hose to a pair of nozzles mounted on the jet pack."
The new Jet-Lev Flyer company implores us to "Stop Dreaming! Start Flying!"NOW WHERE'S MY FLYIN' CAR??!!
Nonprofits Team Up to Battle Unhealthy Eating
I am volunteering for OperationFrontline which is essentially nutrition, cooking, budget planning and grocery shopping classes and then in the spring I hope to help set up their inner-city gardens and mini-Farmer's Markets.
I'm so excited to find a charity that is doing EXACTLY what I have had in mind - that poor people need to eat healthfully and save money (on groceries as well as good nutrition since preventative health care always saves $). Maybe I'm an oddball because I don't believe throwing $$ at a problem is always the answer. What better way to walk the talk than "teach a man how to fish" if you know what I mean.
This article is Durham-centric and was published in this past Sunday's Herald Sun
but the program with whom I'm volunteering in Raleigh is the same:
Ingredients: one chef, one dietitian, one class assistant and many hungry participants.
Through healthy cooking classes taught by volunteer professionals, the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, in partnership with Share Our Strength's Operation Frontline, is cooking up a simple recipe for a healthier Durham.
Operation Frontline's classes teach healthy eating, food shopping and budgeting, and basic cooking skills.
"We give participants education on eating healthy, and education on how to do that, and then we give them recipes to put that in to practice," said Katherine Andrew, the Food Shuttle's nutritionist.
Local residents could use the advice.
According to a survey of 310 Durham residents by the N.C. State Center for Health Statistics, 64 percent of adults in Durham were overweight or obese in 2007. People at or near the poverty line are at a higher risk for developing nutritional deficiencies and obesity.
The economic cost of the unhealthy lifestyles of some Durham county adults is more than $347 million annually, according to a February 2008 study by Be Active North Carolina, Inc. The study predicts that this number will climb to $487 by 2011 if current trends continue. Costs from unhealthy lifestyles include medical expenses from obesity-related diseases, such as type-2 diabetes.
Offered once a week, the classes last four to six weeks. In a typical class, students will have a nutrition lesson and then prepare their own healthy recipes under the direction of a chef. After each class, students leave with a grocery bag of ingredients, such as canned goods and vegetables, to make some of the recipes they learned.
Classes follow the same basic model but come in several different varieties based on the population group served. Classes are offered for adults, teenagers, teen parents, children and families.
Kids Up Front classes teach children age 8-12 basic cooking skills, nutrition information and food-safety advice. In a national survey of 1,207 participants, 73 percent said they learned at least one new thing about nutrition, and 89 percent said they learned at least one new thing about cooking.
"I enjoyed seeing the kids pleasantly surprised at how good healthy food can taste," one Kids Up Front instructor said.
A recent Kids Up Front class was offered at the Campus Hill Recreation Center in Northern Durham. Volunteers taught the class to children who were enrolled in the after-school program at the center.
Chef Beverly Tucker taught the children about the "claw" grip. When cutting vegetables, grasp them with your fingers curled inward, so the tips of your fingers are not exposed, she said.
Eating Right classes teach low-income adults how to prepare healthy meals on a limited budget. In a national survey of 1,870 participants, 77 percent reported eating more vegetables at the end of the course and 72 percent reported eating more fruits. And 99 percent said they would recommend Eating Right to a friend.
Classes provide adults with a social setting where they can learn about eating healthy and budgeting for food.
"We do a lot of food-resource management," Andrew said. "Once they know how to budget for food, it frees up money for other things."
An upcoming Eating Right class will be offered at Urban Ministries, a faith-based community shelter and kitchen in downtown Durham.
Operation Frontline courses were first offered in Durham in April. The program is expanding its offerings locally to meet a growing demand.
"There is definitely a bigger demand once people know about the classes," Andrew said. "We have a pretty high interest among adults."
© 2009 by The Durham Herald Company. All rights reserved.
BY KAITLYN JONGKIND : The Herald-Sun
I'm posting the full article because HeraldSun online is a subscription-only newspaper.
Feb 15, 2009
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Grassroots Motorsports April 2009
I want to note that two awesome people are in the April issue of Grassroots Motorsports!
There is no online link for the articles, but I just want to brag for them, to those who know them!
Carlota is on page 68 in "Who's Who?" in the $2008 Challenge. She's in her red 1988 Mazda 323GTX - noted for attending the Gainsville, Florida event despite living in California at the time. That's hardcore dedication!
Sean is on page 80, pictured with Jason and Laurie who went with him to the $2004 Challenge.
He's in the article "25 Choice Challengers", noted for his innovation.
"The Suprang was like nothing before or since, as the vintage Mustang featured the front and rear suspension grafted from a 1982 Toyota Supra. Why? Why not?"
For more on the "Suprang", see suprang.com and www.suprang.com/suprang11 and www.spkorb.org/suprang2
See Original Post for video
