The Weekly Poll
Results - Part 1
Current Question
Has there been a particular book or movie that you can say truly changed your life?
Hi there, Poll-fans. I'm back from an unexpected medical interlude. I'm doing the responses in 2 parts as not to overdo it. I tire rather easily and am a bit woozy and fuzzy headed still from the meds I'm taking. I'm gettin' better, though! Thanks to all that expressed concern to Marty the Pal about me. I am truly touched...
First up, Sara from upstate NY who wrote...
I'm a fifty three year old woman who started a family late in life. At 40 I had my third child, my first daughter after two sons, and at 41, a second daughter. Having boys first, was easy. I grew up with three brothers so raising two sons was familiar territory. Nothing prepared me for girls.
You'd think being the same sex would give me insight into being a girl. Not this tomboy. I came upon Phyllis Chessler's book, "Woman's Inhumanity To Woman" when an interview with the author was published in the NY Times Book Review in 2001. Her book, a lengthy 560 pages, documents her relationship with her mother as well as her female relationships with friends, relatives and co-workers. The eye opening stunner is her account of how the women's lib movement imploded. Many high ranking, on the front lines women tried to convince her not to reveal what happened because it was shameful. The most educated women in history turned on each other like the stereotypical cats we're made out to be and cut each other off at the knees. How? By flirting, having affairs and the like with men who could advance their cause even if it meant going against everything they were to trying to change with the movement itself.
I recommend this book highly. Ms. Chessler writes that girls as young as eight years old figure out how to out manipulate other girls so they themselves will be more popular. It's called 'gaslighting'. Once you read how this happens, you'll reflect over and over again your own childhood and whether you were the 'gaslighter' or the on the receiving end of being 'gaslighted'. I'm trying not raise my girls to be "mean girls" which is now so prevalent in our society. Understanding how female social behavior develops and to not let it go unchecked is a daily hurdle but at least I can recognize certain behavioral patterns in my daughters' relationships and maybe quell unnecessary conflict and pain....
(Wow, Sara, I understand completely. Both of my daughters had to endure 'Mean Girls' in school. It broke my heart listening to them talk about being set up)
Next up, ducks writes...
One book is Lord of The Rings. I read it when I was 15 (yes, when it was first published in the US in 1965) and it has influenced or colored (coloured if I am to be proper) my life ever since. I met many of my friends through sharing LOTR, and actually moved West because I have so many friends here in the Shire (Oregon). It is, in my view, the best book ever written. In the years since I first read it, I am sure I have re-read it at least 50 times (yes 5-0). When I am unsure of Life or feeling blue or need something to take my mind off the daily grind, I can pick up any part of the trilogy and read it and delight in the words and images.
By the way, the movies, in spite of all their efforts, sucked.
The other book that changed my life is Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. That book explained a lot or at least clarified many things for me. Through Ishmael, I have also met many friends who had a similar response. It makes so much sense. Definitely an AH HA book. If you have not read LOTR, you should read that one first.If you have read it, then I strongly suggest reading Ishmael. It will open your eyes.
(Thanks, Ducks! I've read the Hobbit and the LOTR twice, but it's been a while. I enjoyed the movie, such as they were, but the Hobbits certainly didn't look as I imagined them from the books...)
Joe hit a chord with me with this...
On the Beach changed me because the actors played it so seriously that I did not recognize them at first except Peck and Ava.
It was a creepy movie everything was dead.
(I know what you mean. I remember the nuke drills in elementary school in the early 60's and my parents being scared to death during the Cuban missile crisis. Yikes! I've always remembered the movie as being 'Twilight Zone' eerie...)
DC Madman has 'seen the light' after seeing this...
I'll answer with a qualified "kinda". I was a conservative who listened
to Bill O'Really, Limpbaugh, and did all the jingoistic, flag-waving, my
Country love it or leave it crap. I watched local and network news
regularly.
After retiring from the Navy, settling down and buying a house I got
satellite TV. Eventually I came across FSTV (Free Speech TV) and saw a
"movie" by Noam Chomsky called "Manufacturing Consent". My life changed.
I watched news using my newly developed bullshit detector. Now I don't
waste my time with that commercial garbage. Google News fills the void
quickly anytime I need a news fix. I actually started to read BOOKS. I
admit I've become lazy and now have books read to me while at work with an
mp3 stick and ear pods. Getting educated/entertained while working, does it
get any better?
I've become a liberal and no longer keep my views to myself. I've come out
of the closet and made my atheist and liberal views known to my family and
community. I fight conservative ignorance by writing letters to the editor
of my local paper and the Seattle papers. More than half get printed, I
must be doing something right. I've even been the only counter protester at
a Republican Rossi recount protest.
Thankfully I'm no longer one of those "real Americans". It does take a
commitment of time and effort to become engaged and informed. It was much
easier to be a "real American" and authoritarian follower. Ignorance was
bliss.
(Thanks, Madman.... I, too, have become more Liberal (and tolerant) after my military career. I credit Bartcop for that. I've been reading him for over 8 years now. I don't always agree with him, but I find myself doing so more often than not. Particularly about guns)
Michelle from AZ happily wrote...
As an only child of a single Mom, books became my windows; as did my upbringing upon the streets of San Francisco. Some fool made an eruptive mistake, and gave me a Bible to read, evidently in pity for my unsavory circumstances, in hopes I'd see the light; (what light that was has yet to "inspire" me, these fifty years after the event). That generous "soul" didn't know that this twelve-year-old had already consumed the huge coffee-table book on World Religions, but had already begun to compare fairy-tales from cultural myths, and made the slim leap of logic from theirs to "ours". After several months of review of the various texts, re-reads of some, I came to the conclusion that they all suffer from lack of foresight; dwell upon punishment for detractors, and demand that their versions of the supernatural be accepted by all, without any proof of their claims. From that research, I became a confirmed secular humanist by the age of 14, and have not deviated from that path in the forty years since.. (..and'm happier'n shit!)
(And I'm happy fer ya! I've always considered myself a 'spiritual' person, but by no means religious. No one, not even my family, knows what my 'beliefs' are because I refuse to speak of them. They are mine and mine alone. Plus, I would NEVER try to influence anyone even unintentionally)
Well then, that's it until tomorrow! Sincere regards to all (and I mean it, dagnabbit!)
BadToTheBoneBob
The New Question
Barack Obama - The Movie Edition
If you were to cast the lead for a movie about Obama's life, campaign and election who would have in the role?
A. Will Smith
B. Denzel Washington
C. Eddie Murphy
D. Samuel L. Jackson
E. Forest Whitaker
F. Other
Send your response, and a (short) reason why, to BadToTheBoneBob ( BCEpoll 'at' aol.com )
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Randi Rhodes: Banks Rob People Twice (huffingtonpost.com)
The banks got the money, the baskets with the torn pieces of your mortgage are spread out all over the world rotting and you are still unable to pay your mortgage.
Sanford Pinsker: Some Straight Talk About Elitism (irascibleprofessor.com)
"Elitism" is one of those words that people quarrel about, particularly in an election year. Having said that, however, let me hasten to point out that what follows, despite the allusion in my title, is less about presidential campaigns than it is an effort to shed a bit of common sense on what has, alas, become a tricky word. There are those who would like nothing better than to tar "elitism" -- and all elites -- with a single brush. Such folks are, we are told, out-of-touch and usually un-American.
Susan Estrich: President Hillary (creators.com)
I saw it on election night, as I scrolled through the exit poll that somehow made its way online (at least at cbsnews.com) even before the polls closed in Ohio. It only took a little calculation for the result to be clear: Had the election been a contest between Hillary Clinton and John McCain, more of McCain's voters would have voted for Hillary than Obama voters for McCain. Based on the exit polls, Hillary not only would have won, but she would have won by more than Obama did.
Froma Harrop: Unions' Creepy Push Against Secret Ballot (creators.com)
The first campaign promise Barack Obama should break is to push through the Employee Free Choice Act. That harmless sounding piece of legislation would let union organizers do an end run around secret-ballot elections: Companies would have to recognize a union if most workers signed cards in support of it.
Roger Ebert: The third most important story of the year
"Oh, we enjoyed being slapped!" Kathrada said, and now he was smiling along with the manager. "This was the man who brought us our letters and took new ones away. He took out Nelson's book. He slipped us newspapers. And he smuggled in Nelson's new grandbaby for him to kiss and love. Slapping us was an excellent cover."
Sick of Sarah on Tour: "Paying Your Dues" (afterellen.com)
Bassist Jamie Holm shares stories from the road in this new monthly column.
Louis Virtel: Gaga for the Lady (advocate.com)
Lady Gaga cavorts in couture. She only dons platinum wigs that suggest the presence of radioactivity. And she yells for you to dance, all in tribute to her favorite muse -- fame.
Jim Halterman: Ellen DeGeneres on Her Variety Special, Prop 8 and Closeted Celebrities (afterellen.com)
Ellen talks about her TBS variety special, her feelings about gay marriage, and the importance of coming out.
BEREN DEMOTIER: Lesbian Lust and "Scooby Doo" (curvemag.com)
A lesbian soccer mom wonders about the "Scooby Doo" influence. Is the new and improved Daphne a gay role model or does she just look cute in purple?
Roger Ebert: Thank you for smoking
This stamp honoring Bette Davis was issued by the U. S. Postal Service on Sept. 18. The portrait by Michael Deas was inspired by a still photo from "All About Eve." Notice anything missing? Before you even read this far, you were thinking, Where's her cigarette? Yes reader, the cigarette in the original photo has been eliminated. We are all familiar, I am sure, with the countless children and teenagers who have been lured into the clutches of tobacco by stamp collecting, which seems so innocent, yet can have such tragic outcomes. But isn't this is carrying the anti-smoking campaign one step over the line?
Sylvia, by Nicole Hollander
Commentoon by Ann Telnaes: No, You Can't
Charlie replied:
Sally said:
Reader Comment
Hiroshima: The Lost Photographs
Hi Marty,
As a person born into, and growing up during the WWII era, I found the blog/article,
Hiroshima: The Lost Photographs (featured on BCE yesterday) absolutely astonishing. I have been violently antiwar as far back as I can remember, and the bombing of Hiroshima is probably reason number one. Do I agree with the bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese? Absolutely not; but the killing of 140,000 innocent people in Hiroshima, and another 80,000, eight days later in Nagasaki (not to mention those who died in agony in ensuing days after the bombings) is entrenched in my psyche. These photo's are Japan's history - but could be OUR future... This is a must read for all - I sure wish I could see all of the collection.
Thank you so much,
Sally P
Thanks, Sally!
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny and not as hot, but the air is still thick & chunky.
Crashes NBCs 'Medium'
Sacha Baron Cohen
Even a make-believe psychic couldn't spot the scam when an actor disrupted a scene for "Medium" involving Patricia Arquette, who stars as psychic Allison DuBois in the NBC drama.
After the unruly extra was ejected by security, the truth became clear: He was chameleonic comic prankster Sacha Baron Cohen in his identity as outrageous fashion reporter Bruno.
It was unclear how Cohen gained entry to the set, and whether he was secretly filming his performance for his own use, according to Entertainment Weekly's Web site, which first reported the incident . But prior to the Nov. 7 invasion in Los Angeles, Cohen had been shooting other "crash" footage for his new film, a followup to his comedy hit "Borat."
Sacha Baron Cohen
Enters Dictionary
'Meh'
'Meh,' the expression of indifference or boredom has gained a place in the Collins English Dictionary after generating a surprising amount of enthusiasm among lexicographers.
Publisher HarperCollins announced Monday the word had been chosen from terms suggested by the public for inclusion in the dictionary's 30th anniversary edition, to be published next year.
The origins of "meh" are murky, but the term grew in popularity after being used in a 2001 episode of "The Simpsons" in which Homer suggests a day trip to his children Bart and Lisa.
The dictionary defines "meh" as an expression of indifference or boredom, or an adjective meaning mediocre or boring. Examples given by the dictionary include "the Canadian election was so meh."
'Meh'
U.N. Messenger of Peace
Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron is the newest U.N. Messenger of Peace, turning her Academy Award-winning fame to ending violence against women and girls around the globe.
Theron, 33, told reporters Monday after being inducted into her new role by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that she was taking on her new responsibilities "very humbly, with a very excited heart."
The South African native vowed to help send a strong message that violence against women and girls was not acceptable in her upcoming travels to assist Ban's campaign dubbed "UNite to End Violence against Women," which was launched in February.
Charlize Theron
Schoolgirl Headed To Japan Pro League
Eri Yoshida
A 16-year-old schoolgirl with a mean knuckleball has been selected as the first woman ever to play alongside the men in Japanese professional baseball.
Eri Yoshida was drafted for a new independent league that will launch in April, drawing attention for a side-armed knuckler that her future manager Yoshihiro Nakata said was a marvel.
"I never dreamed of getting drafted," Yoshida told reporters Monday, a day after she was selected to play for the Kobe 9 Cruise.
Yoshida, 155 centimetres (five feet) tall and weighing 52 kilograms (114 pounds), says she wants to follow in the footsteps of the great Boston Red Sox knuckleballer Tim Wakefield.
Eri Yoshida
Conducting Oscars
Michael Giacchino
The next time an Academy Award winner's acceptance speech runs long, a new conductor will strike up the band to play them off.
Michael Giacchino, whose credits include "Ratatouille" and "Lost," has been tapped as music director for the upcoming Oscar ceremony, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Monday.
The Emmy-winning composer and conductor was selected by producer Laurence Mark and executive producer Bill Condon, themselves newcomers to the show. In Giacchino, Mark and Condon follow a pattern of choosing Academy Awards first-timers that include director Roger Goodman and set designer David Rockwell.
Giacchino, who's never conducted a live telecast before, said he's hoping to inject some Hollywood nostalgia into the ceremony when he leads the orchestra pit for the Feb. 22 ceremony at the Kodak Theatre.
Michael Giacchino
Legitimate Condition
"Gulf War Syndrome"
A report released Monday concluded that "Gulf War Syndrome" is a legitimate condition suffered by more than 175,000 U.S. war veterans who were exposed to chemical toxins in the 1991 Gulf War.
The congressionally mandated report could help veterans who have battled the government for treatment of a wide range of unexplained neurological illnesses, from brain cancer to multiple sclerosis.
The Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses concluded that Gulf War Syndrome is a physical condition distinct from the mental "shell shock" suffered by veterans in other wars. Some earlier studies had concluded it was not a distinct illness.
The committee, composed of independent scientists and veterans, said Congress should boost funding for research on Gulf War veterans' health to at least $60 million per year.
"Gulf War Syndrome"
Sued By Benefactor
Michael Jackson
The son of an Arab monarch took the King of Pop to court Monday, charging that Michael Jackson took $7 million as an advance on an album and an autobiography that he never produced.
Lawyers for Sheikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa say their client paid's Jackson expenses as an advance on the book and joint recording project with the sheikh, who is an amateur songwriter. Jackson claims the money was a gift.
Al Khalifa, 33, was due to testify at London's Royal Courts of Justice Wednesday. Jackson's lawyer Robert Englehart said he was seeking permission to have Jackson testify by video link from Los Angeles.
A lawyer for Al Khalifa said the royal first spoke to Jackson, 50, by telephone while the singer was on trial in California following his 2003 arrest on child molestation charges. Attorney Bankim Thanki said that Al Khalifa wanted to work with Jackson on rebuilding his career. Jackson's finances fell apart after his arrest and he was desperately short of cash.
Michael Jackson
Charged With Insider Trading
Mark Cuban
Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks professional basketball team, was charged with insider trading in shares of Mamma.com Inc, an Internet search engine firm, the Securities and Exchange Commission said on Monday.
Cuban, one of the five finalists to buy the Chicago Cubs pro baseball team, faces civil charges by acting on nonpublic information and selling his entire stake in Mamma.com to avoid more than $750,000 in losses, the SEC alleged.
Cuban, listed by Forbes magazine as one of the 400 richest Americans with an estimated net worth of $2.6 billion, said he intends to contest the allegations. On his blog, Cuban said the matter has no merit and is the result of gross abuse of prosecutorial discretion.
Mark Cuban
Arraignment Scheduled
Heather Locklear
Prosecutors in Santa Barbara have charged Heather Locklear with misdemeanor driving under the influence, citing prescription drugs.
The California Highway Patrol said the actress showed "obvious impairment" when an officer noticed her car parked on a highway and blocking a lane in Montecito in September, but that alcohol was ruled out. She was tested for drugs at a police station and released.
Locklear is scheduled for arraignment on Jan. 26. Her attorney, Blair Berk, did not immediately return an e-mail Monday.
Heather Locklear
Arrested For Unruliness
Mary Delgado
A former NFL cheerleader and winner of "The Bachelor" is out of jail after being arrested in a southwest border-town bar for unruly behavior.
Mary Delgado, who accepted a televised proposal from professional bass fisherman Byron Velvick on 2004's "The Bachelor," was arrested in Del Rio after refusing to leave a local bar.
Delgado, 41, was arrested on charges of disorderly conduct, public intoxication, and resisting arrest. She was released about an hour later.
Mary Delgado
Sues Over Snipped Finger
Patrick Albanese
A hand model, magician and actor blames a Martha Stewart-branded lounge chair for snipping off a bit of his livelihood.
In a lawsuit filed Monday against Kmart Corp. and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Patrick Albanese said he was moving the Martha Stewart Everyday lounge chair on a deck in June when the front tubular legs collapsed, crushing his right index finger between one of the chair legs and a tubular bar on the base of the chair.
Albanese, of the Des Moines suburb of Clive, is seeking compensation for past and future medical expenses, physical and mental pain and suffering, permanent partial disfigurement and loss of earning capacity.
Albanese, who served as the master of ceremonies for Hollywood's Magic Castle for 15 years, has some sensation in the fingertip but has decreased function, his attorney, Guy Cook, said.
Patrick Albanese
Perfume Maker Sues
Prince
A perfume company is claiming that Prince and his music publisher failed to honor a contract to help market a fragrance named for the album "3121."
The breach-of-contract lawsuit was filed by Revelations Perfume and Cosmetics Inc. in New York. The company says it licensed Prince's name, likeness and the album title "3121" to market its fragrance.
Revelations says it put $2.5 million into the project and agreed to pay Universal half of net profits from sales of the perfume.
But the lawsuit claims that since the launch of the fragrance in July 2007, Universal and Prince have failed to participate in various promotions for it.
Prince
NY Judge OKs Copyright Deal
Google
A judge has tentatively approved a settlement of lawsuits between Google and book authors and publishers that may put millions of out-of-print texts online.
The settlement was announced by Google and the publishing industry in October. Final court approval is still needed.
Federal Judge John Sprizzo in Manhattan gave initial approval Friday. His order was put in the public record on Monday.
The settlement calls for Google to pay $125 million to settle two copyright lawsuits contesting its book scanning plans. Google would get 37 percent of future revenue and publishers and authors would share the rest.
Google
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