Merhaba from the old Ottoman capıital. Very hot today....Also the city is quite crowded.....whew! We ate kofte and yogurt for dinner... Miss the cat Gizmo.......Would write more but mom would get ticked...gotta catch the night boat back to Buyukada....may actually have a latte a Turkish Starbucks tomorrow....saw The Other Boylen Gırl last night....sorry to see natalie portman lose her head!
Take care....TG
I was reading an article in a travel/business magazine called "Condo Neste Portfolio" until my mom yelled at me for something. I am going to Turkey with her tomorrow. Where are the nerve pills when you need them?
Everyone who reads this blog knows I have been quite vocal about expressing my dislike for Cong. Virgil Goode (R-Va) for his vile, racist comments he made about Muslim immigrants last year.He had the audacity and the gumption to make further racist comments in Congress earlier this year.
The reason for my disgust is two-fold. I am the son of a Turkish immigrant, and I grew up in Roanoke, Va., a mere 25 miles from Goode's hometown of Rocky Mount.
Goode and I actually have common friends, but that's all we have in common.
However, I realize that ranting about the negative qualities of a person, no matter how offensive their views are, only goes so far.
And, the fact of the matter is that there is a genuine, highly-qualified candidate named Tom Perriello from Charlottesville, who is deserving of Goode's seat.
Due to the fact that the Republican House of Delegates gerrymandered the fifth district enabling it to consist of areas with a high white population and conservative political views on matters like guns and abortion, it is going to an uphill for Perriello or anyone to remove Goode. The incumbent is one of the most far right extremists on The Hill (Goode was ironically once a Democrat, but even then he was an arch conservative), and he has a voting record that would make Trent Lott look like Bobby Kennedy to prove it.
But, I am hearing an increase in the amount of people who are tired of Goode, and for good reason.
He is very unpopular among African Americans, thanks in part to a mere 21 percent voting record with the NAACP. And, Goode has also professed a dislike for gays and Hispanics (his views on illegal immigrants are also quite militant).
Today in Danville, Va., I saw a Perriello bumper sticker, but in South Boston- a city that is 35 miles away from Danville, I did see a Virgil Goode bumper sticker. Of course, the car with the Goode sticker was an SUV and there were also bumper stickers for Bush/Cheney (I know it's hard not to laugh) and Virginia's higly unpopular former governor Jim Gilmore who somehow thinks he can beat his senate seat opponent Democrat Mark Warner.
Warner is also a former governor, but one who left with an 80-percent approval rating. The highest approval rating in the nation at the time, and the highest one in Virginia's history.
This illustrates what is wrong in many areas like South Boston. People want to believe in a candidate who represents their views even if they have been lousy at the job in every capacity as Bush/Cheney, Gilmore and Goode each have. People don't read newspapers, watch C-Span or check voter information sites to see what the candidate is really like. And, as a result, congressional reps can get away with just about anything.
But, Goode's opponent is as different from him as Karl Rove is from the late Mother Teresa.
Perriello is active on the campaign trail in a very non-traditional way. He was at the Juneteenth Festival in Martinsville over the weekend, and he has helped start volunteer projects with Habitat for Humanity in Charlottesville and the Edwards Adult Day Care Center in Martinsville. He has also traveled to Africa to help with refugees from the Darfur region of Sudan.
I do not live in the fifth district of Virginia myself. And, I am grateful to be represented by someone who is a noble, ethical person in Cong. Brad Miller (D-NC).
But, Goode is morally unacceptable. In addition to his blatant, unapologetic racism, he has made many friends among oil and energy lobbyists in Washington, DC, and he was once tied to Jack Abramoff.
Like the folks who are trying to take power away from dictator Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe, Perriello is working against a man of wealth and influence who has the full support of the establishment and a disturbing amount of public support from people whose interest Goode votes against on a consistent basis (the fifth district is also one of the poorest regions of Virginia-except for Charlottesville, and many factories and mills have gone overseas).
I have written a letter to Goode to confront him for his views. Like many letters from constituents he does not agree with, it has gone unanswered.
We need Perriello to represent the region I work in. It would be a most welcome change in every regard. Though Perriello is also a superb human being whose qualities speak for themselves.
A Goode spokesperson/yes man told "The Roanoke Times" that Perriello was an out of touch liberal. I can only imagine that if David Duke were running for Congress in Louisiana that he would say the same thing about his opponent.
Let's hope the clear, best man_ Tom Perriello wins this race in November, not just for Virginia, but for allof America.
This is not merely about partisanship as I have expressed warm regard for my friend Cong. Frank Wolf (R-Va). It is about ethics and strong moral leadership, and a hope that there can be a representative who is familiar with the world's plight as America seems to be on a disturbing drift towards geopolitical isolatism_ which the likes of Goode seem to fully support.
Periello is thus recieving my strongest support. This is a full endorsement. And, yes, frankly, I do see Periello as Luke Skywalker and Goode as Darth Vader.
May the force be with him.
http://perrielloforcongress.com
(This is a site in which Tom Periello will take questions on Saturday, check Perriello's campaing site for further details.)
Note: Perriello also has a Facebook page, which is regularly updated. He is also looking for donors and campaign volunteers.
I suppose if one really wants to ask which direction America is going politically one should ask folks who dress like blue whales or grim reapers complete with plastic baby fetuses.
I think since I lean more to the center-left than center-right (my apologies to George Will) I am inclined to think the 'men in black' are a little bit scarier.
But, I must credit the anti-whaling crusaders for this entry. A few weeks ago when I was taking care of business at the Turkish embassy in Washington, DC, I saw two guys dressed like whales protesting outside the Japanese embasssy across the street. No one seemed to be paying any attention to them.
There is also an ad for Greenpeace in the current Sunday edition of "The Washington Post." They are actually looking to pay people!:
"Activism_Greenpeace. Stop Global Warming! $12-13/hour plus bonus and benefits. (202) 595-3368."
(I hope I'm allowed to post their phone number. I know may someone out there might REALLY need a job).
But, not to be out-done, I drove through Boones Mill, Va., today, an area represented by one of the most arch-conservative members of Congress, Virgil Goode who amazingly enough used to be a Democrat! I have been vocal about Goode due to extreme anti-Islamic remarks which he has made on a consistent basis.
(We will be formally endorsing his opponent who happens to be a Facebook friend of mine here shortly.)
There are not one, but two pro-life billboards within five miles of each other around Boones Mill, as if a passerby could somehow miss the first one!
It would be cool if there was someone out there involved with both of these movements. In fact, if there is (Michael Moore, if you are reading this), someone should make a documentary film about them!
Oh, I had promised no entries today. I suppose it's a good thing that us amateur bloggers can do what we want without consequences.........ok, mom, I'll fold the laundry!
Useful Links:
This week's quote comes from "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling, who recently gave the commencement at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. Perhaps, it made some parents feel that they finally got what they paid for:
I am concluding my series in which I take the first and last sentence of a given novel, and let folks decided what happens in between.
I am still in shock! I guess this one goes under: "Dewey Beats Truman." I was watching the EuroCup soccer game from Vienna, Austria, between Turkey and Croatia on ESPN at my mom's house here in Roanoke, Va. I caught a glimpse of this video by the Go-Gos for "Our Lips are Sealed" on VH-1 Classics last night, which was made circa 1981 (I believe).
Since my friend Jim from Springfield, Mass. (aka Moviezzz) is an unabashed Belinda Carlisle fan, I guess it's ok for me to tell the world that I love the Go-Gos.
I actually got one of their releases on a cassette tape for two dollars at a record store in Charlottesville, Va., about seven years ago. I believe it is the last tape I ever purchased.
While cassettes seem to be going the way of the hummer and California condors, according to "Rolling Stone," vinyl sales were actually up last year. My worst vinyl experience was when I found three Talking Heads albums (including the one with "Life During Wartime") that I had purchased at a Salvation Army store in Pittsburg, Kansas, when I was 16, were (ooops!) locked in the trunk of my mom's car on a hot summer afternoon. Even before the advent of global warming, this was still quite a setback.
But, I did find the Talking Heads' classic 1985 album "Little Creatures" at a record store in Roanoke several years later with one of my favorite songs of all time "Road to Nowhere."
Oh, I was talking about The Go-Gos, wasn't I???????????
Hmmmmmmm.............
Tags: The Go-Gos, Talking Heads, Rolling Stone, vinyl
The Russian emigre gypsy-punk band Gogol Bordello is literally performing all over the globe in the next few days. This is a live performance of their song "Not a Crime," which was performed on a show called "Later with Jools Holland" (my presumption is that this is a show out of the UK).
Tonight, they are in Richmond, Va. Then, they go to Philadelphia, Brooklyn and then Istanbul, Turkey!
To see when they might be coming near your zip code, check out http://www.gogolbordello.com
On Friday afternoon (U.S. time), Nihat Kahveci, who scored an astonishing two goals in the last five minutes of the match against the Czech Republic, will take to the field as the Turkish national team faces Croatia in the 2008 EuroCup. It is an elimination game. The winner will face Germany in the next round.
As one might expect, I will hardly be neutral and to show my support for the Turkish side, I am posting the 'unofficial' Turkish national anthem here which is the pop song "Simarik/Kiss Kiss" by Turkey's very own Tarkan.
Tarkan is an internationally recognized star around the world, alas the only market he has not found a niche in is America. He tried to sing a few songs in English to make that happen. They simply aren't as superb as songs like this one............
My friend Gary Frink of Luray, Va., has the rare distinction of running for Congress, once a Democrat and later as a Republican, in his native Michigan. Alas, he lost both times.
But, Frink was spotted in Richmond around the state capitol in 1999 by film director Rod Lurie who was looking for extras to be members of Congress in his film "The Contender" (2000), which was being filmed in Richmond. It starred Jeff Bridges, Joan Allen, Gary Oldman and Christian Slater.
Frink later went on to extra work for "Traffic," "Along Came a Spider" and "Hearts in Atlantis." Most recently Frink was featured in the comedy hit "Evan Almighty," which was filmed around Charlottesville, Va.
And, apparently, though Frink has other gigs, there are indeed people who make a living at it.
I was reminded of this when I spotted the following ad in the May 14th issue of "Independent Weekly," an alternative weekly paper in the Raleigh-Durham, NC, area:
Movie Extras: Up to $200/day. All looks needed to work with film and TV production companies. No experience required. Please call................
With my luck, I'd probably end up in a film like "Howard the Duck!"
Useful Links:
Since this is 'technically,' a political blog, I think it's appropriate for me to join my fellow bloggers in paying homage to Tim Russert. For those who live in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Russert was a leading American political news figure with NBC. He was the host of "Meet the Press." Russert, who was also a best-selling author, died of a heart attack at age 58 on Friday.
Here is an interview he conducted with Republican long-shot candidate Ron Paul, who many of us political rebels (though I am a moderate Democrat as opposed to a Libertarian- the group which most supported Paul), admire a great deal.
My friend Christopher Knight is perhaps one of the leading Paul supporters in North Carolina, and he travelled to Chapel Hill to hear the Texas congressman talk.
Though it sounds like a cliche by now, Russert will be dearly missed. Talk show host Tavis Smiley talked about how he had great affection for Russert last night as he recounted how they were both contestants on a celebrity version of "Jeopardy!."
Useful Links:
http://theknightshift.blogspot.com
Contrary to the header, this entry is NOT about me.
Through a random search for more information on the case of Sabri Bogday, a Turkish barber from Hatay, Turkey, who was residing in Saudi Arabia. Bogday had the misfortune of being accused of cursing to God by an Egyptian neighbor.
For this, he was SENTENCED to DEATH. And, in Saudi Arabia, the form of execution is beheading.
I first heard of the case two months ago, and I decided there was no time to be complacent.
It was thus through this mutual concern that I came across a blog from a Turkish-American in Seattle named Jeremy Orhan Simer, who also happens to be a progressive activist, and he had an extensive entry about the Bogday matter.
We are both looking to see if Bogday has indeed been spared. There is a rumor to that effect, but alas it can not be confirmed.
As it turns out, Simer is now in Istanbul and he has traveled throughout Turkey this summer.
I will be taking my own trip to Turkey later this month.
So, with this in mind, I am posting the pop music duet from Turkish singer Mustafa Sandal and his Greek girlfriend Natalia (this would have been unthinkable 25-30 years ago due to political tensions between the two bordering nations). The song is entitled "Hatirla Beni/Remember Me."
I must profess that I am 'cok kiskanc*' of Sandal, for indeed, Natalia is quite attractive!
*- Turkish term meaning 'very jealous'
Useful Links:
http://jeremyos.blogspot.com (Jeremy's blog)
http://www.turkishdailynews.com
The classic 1987 Coen Brothers film "Raising Arizona" is showing at midnight this Friday and Saturday night at the historic Grandin Theatre in Roanoke, Va.
Even though I wrote a college term paper on the Coens, I still enjoy their films.
I ranked "No Country for Old Men" slightly lower than a lot of other film fans, but it still made my top ten list.
I am in the process of putting together an updated list now that I've seen some of the other highly touted films of last year, including "Control" about Joy Division singer Iain Curtis who alas become a drug addict, fell in love with two women at once and offed himself at age 23.
But, he did leave us with "Love Will Tear Us Apart, Again" which is actually darker than most Coen Bros. films!
Although, "Raising Arizona" does actually qualify as a comedy. I need to ask my friend Moviezzz whatever happened to boxer Randall "Tex" Cobb who is in this film. I would assume he never went back in the ring.
NOTE: This is the original, not official trailer, whatever that means.
And, this marks my 800th entry........unless I am forced to remove my cyborgsex entry, which has so far caused surprsingly little controversy!
Useful Links:
http://www.talkingmoviezzz.blogspot.com
"Howard the Duck" (1986) was one of the six films that I was considering for my series on bad movie posters. But, I thought I would still add the trailer to the film which stars Lea Thompson, Tim Robbins and Jeffrey Jones, here.
"Howard the Duck" laid an egg (pardon the pun) at the box office, but the Marvel comic book created by Steve Gerber, who died in February, remains a classic. Many people think Lex Luthor of "Superman" fame was the first comic book character to run for office, but Howard entered the race against Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter back in 1976.
Strangely enough, "Howard the Duck" is also a Facebook friend of mine. He does claim to live in Cleveland (where the comic book and film took place) and he also proclaims to be an alum of Case Western.
Gerber had a blog, which amazingly enough was still up after his death! But, it has not been updated since April.
I think this makes my third of fourth entry on Howard the Duck........hmm, perhaps, it's time to retire this fowl. But, then again, he is my favorite comic book character of all time.
There is also a new comic book version that I got from Chapel Hill Comics in Chapel Hill,, NC, in which Howard lost his trademark cigar, and a fan actually put together a trailer for the non-existent "Howard the Duck 2."
Useful Links:
http://www.stevegerber.com/sgblog
http://www.chapelhillcomics.com
My first inclination was to post a quote from "Meet the Press" host Tim Russert who died unexpectedly this week. But, I've been sort of depressed out of my skull most of this past week, even before Russert died on Friday.
So, since our last entry featured Chuck Norris, I made a decision that any tabloid journal would be proud of, and that is to include a quote from his infommercial co-host Christie Brinkley, who is hopefully not a right-wing lunatic:
"I wish my butt did not go sideways, but I guess I have to face that."
We should all have these problems!
Useful Links:
Believe it or not, I actually watched "Invasion USA," a 1985 Chuck Norris film, on dvd a few weeks ago.
The intention was to show it along with Michael Moore's "Canadian Bacon" as a doubleheader consisting of two polarizing political films from the opposite sides of the spectrum.
Alas, only my friend Gary showed up and he only stayed for about a half-hour.
Nevertheless, I went ahead and watched this film which would assuredly give Anne Coulter an erection (I know she has a lobster underneath that dress!)
It is really bad, really paranoid and really dated. Though in post-September 11th America, the film will be probably have more followers than it would have otherwise. And, there is also the fact that Chuck Norris has made a cultural comeback without even appearing on television except in a Mike Huckabee campaign ad (or an infommercial for Bowflex).
KGB agents somehow invade America through the Florida Keys, where Norris happens to live alone (I think he has a dog). The Reds then go on to try to blow up a school bus, take a female reporter hostage (she is the symbol for a weak liberal in the film) at gunpoint and they also attempt to bomb a church with lots of old people who sing hymns while coming close to destroying Atlanta in the process (Wait, how do they get from the Florida Keys to Atlanta, so quickly?).
I won't 'spoil' the ending, but it's a keeper. Nevertheless, I have to agree with Leonard Maltin who called the film: "Repellent in the extreme."
My friend Jason Garnett, who is manager of the Grandin Theatre in Roanoke, Va., actually has a copy of "Invasion USA" on film, and if Chuck wants it, he'll have to take it away from him........well, I better not say that.
NOTE: I just noticed that apparently others can not see the Norris poster image on this blog......ERR!!!!!!...........I'll try to fix this if/when I have time.
Useful Links:
According to careerbuilders.com, there is actually an occupation called 'beer taster.' The person performing these duties actually taste and spit beer out all day in the hopes that they will improve the product.
The following image of the Czech beer Pilsner Urgel may cause some controversy (as if the cyborgsex entry won't) as my late father's country Turkey is playing the Czech Republic in Euro Cup 2008 Sunday night. Turkey has had problems with the Czechs, but there is a first time for everything.......!
It should also be pointed out that I wanted to use an image of the Turkish beer Efes Pilsen, but the images were way too large........!
UPDATE (June 16): Hey, Turkey came from two goals down to beat the Czech Republic in Geneva, Switzerland, by a score of 3-2, with two goals being scored in the very last minutes of play! I only wish Turkish goalie Volkan Demirel had not head-butted a Czech player so that he could have played against Croatia. Nevertheless, it has been an exciting EuroCup, and it will be interesting to see who comes away with the cup.
Useful Links:
Lately, I've noticed fewer and fewer hits on this blog. While not taking it personally, I was thinking what could bring people back in droves.
There is no research to prove this, but I think most people who read blogs are guys in my age bracket. And, I was wondering what could lure the 30-39 year old male to a blog. And, then, it came to me:
TERMINATOR SEX!
I hope no kids come to this site, but if they do, well there is a Woody Woodpecker cartoon for them to watch.
It was March 4, 1983. My 13th birthday. The worst day of my life. In fact, it still is. My father had died of an abrupt heart attack at age 62 in his bedroom. I was alone in the house when it happened. Later that afternoon, a thought came to my head: "Is there anything in life, worth looking forward to at all?"
And, for some reason, aside from a family trip to DisneyWorld that June, the only thing I could think of was the fact that "Jaws 3-D" would be out that summer.
This actually marks my second Bess Armstrong film in our mini-series of bad movie posters ("Jekyll and Hyde Together Again" is the other). I think the expectations for this film were so high that every teenage boy in America thought it was going to be awesome. Perhaps, it was going to even top the original "Jaws."
The first sign should have been the fact that Steven Spielberg was not directing this film. Those duties went Joe Alves. Secondly, there was little suspense and the damn 3-D glasses didn't do a thing for the movie at all.
The plot is simple: Jaws goes to Sea World. Dennis Quaid and Louis Gosset Jr., come to the rescue, but everyone is so scared!
I was real depressed that the only thing I was looking forward to besides going to Disney World was such a dud.
I must profess that when I was disappointed by the latest Indy Jones film; I wasn't quite as bummed about it. As a grown-up, you realize life still basically sucks, but summer movie sequels really can't change anything!
Useful Links:
http://www.jabootu.com (where I got the image from)
Yes, it was the summer of 1982. I was 12 years old. And, thanks to films like "Porky's" and "Zapped!," I realized I was a heterosexual male even though I wasn't quite old enough to see them. Fortunately, we got cable the following year.
Perhaps, if Christian fundamentalist nuttcases and there are plenty of 'em in places like Roanoke Rapids, NC (not where I live, but it's similar enough), really want to 'convert' gays they should show sexually confused teenage boys these cheesy teen sex films from the Reagan era.
Ironically enough, Willie Aames of "Eight is Enough" was the co-star in this film, and he is now "Bibleman" on some religious tv network. I know he has also toured with the great Satan himself The Rev. Franklin Graham of Boone, NC. I would personally gladly pay $85 to see a Motley Crue reunion concert instead, even though I think seeing them at their peak in 1987 is enough.
The star of "Zapped!" is Scott Baio, aka Chachi, who was on some reality-tv show on Vh-1 in which he tried to find love. I think it would have been great if Erin Moran, aka Joanie, was one of the contestants. Then, I may have watched!
According to Leonard Maltin, "Zapped!" is a stupid satire of "Carrie" in which two college-age guys have telekinetic powers which allows them to zap! women in their breast area and magically remove their blouses and bras.
This may be one of these rare films which would offend virtually everyone, which would almost make it worth one's time, but alas the time 'tottally' sucks. Maltin gave it a 'generous' one and a half stars.
Amazingly enough, this film is being released this week on dvd.
I have to thank my good friend Moviezzz for the tip.
He is now also releasing his own political blog (see link below), perhaps he'll get some pissed-off Vietnam vets who will go to great lengths to actually defend Dick Cheney. I will end this by shockingly saying something nice about Mr. (Vice) President. He makes me nostalgic for Dan Quayle!
Useful Links:
http://www.talkingmoviezzz.blogspot.com
http://www.stillanotherpoliticalblog.blogspot.com
I projected John McCain's choices several months ago.
Here is my projection list for Barack Obama, with no commentary:
10. Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.)
9. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY)
8. Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D-Kan., pictured)
7. Gov. Tim Kaine (D-Va.)_ A man I volunteered for.
6. Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.)
5. Wes Clark
4. Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.)
3. (former) Sen. Sam Nunn (D-Ga.)_ Conservative commentator George Will's pick.
2. Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.)_ "Washington Post" columnist E.J. Dionne's pick
1. Gov. Bill Richardson (D-New Mexico, pictured)
Today, I continue my series with the first and last sentences from some of my favorite movies with the classic 1980 Tom Robbins' novel "Still Life With Woodpecker."
Robbins was born in Blowing Rock, NC, on July 22, 1936 for those of you who live in the Tarheel State.
I am also including a video with the vintage 1951 Woody Woodpecker cartoon "Puny Express."
Most of the Woody Woodpecker cartoons on Youtube are in Portugese as they appear to be quite popular in Brazil. I am not sure which language this one is in since I am not in a position to actually view the video with sound (I am in a library-type environment).
I used to watch a lot of Woody Woodpecker cartoons myself as a kid during the Jimmy Carter administration from WSLS-10 out of Roanoke, Va. I believe that 4 p.m. time slot is now occupied by Dr. Phil.
And, one has to enjoy Tom Robbins' novels, they are as quirky as William Burroughs is surreal. Alas, one of the few novels of his that was made into a film "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" was a complete dud even though it featured Uma Thurman, whom we sometimes idolize here at "Politics, Culture and Other Wastes of Time."
Here is the first and last sentence from 'Woodpecker:'
"In the last quarter of the twentieth century, at a time when Western civilization was declining too rapidly for comfort and yet too slowly to be very exciting, much of the world sat on the edge of an increasingly expensive theatre seat, waiting-with various combinations of dread, hope, and ennui- for something momentous to occur.
(Before the Epilogue)_ "Still, they were convinced that they could hear the chipmunk at the center of the earth. They could tell that the chipmunk was running smoothly now. Its wheels spun easy and free."
http://www.woodywoodpecker.com
My friend Nejla Yatkin, a modern dancer from Washington, D.C., is on the verge of getting ready to perform her show "Wings of Desire," based on the classic 1987 German film by Wim Wenders (which Hollywood messed up with the remake "City of Angels"), at the International Arts Festival in Avignon, France, from July 7 to August 1.
I expect virtually everyone reading this won't be able to make it, but hopefully there will be some Youtube videos from that performance in the near future.
This particular video which was filmed in New York is among my favorite ones from Yatkin. I expect that you will like it as well.
Useful Links:
http://ny2dance.com (Nejla Yatkin's official web site)
For anyone else who has ever dealt with some sort of political confusion which seems to happen a lot to men my age (I'm 38) when you wonder if the same liberal politics you've believed in since when Gary Hart was running for president are a bit too utopian to uphold, there is a great blog (see link below) which will help you come to realize that the Republican Party and the conservative movement is a group where intelligent moderates, like Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), seem to be excluded and militant baby fetus extremists with links to the Christian Conservative movement, like Sen.Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), move to the top.
And, for those who think Sen. John McCain, a man I admire more than most Republicans, is a moderate, you should look at his voting record! (He votes with the Christian Coalition 85% of the time! I could understand if he was in Alabama, but not in Arizona!).
Currently, there is a simple entry entitled,"Doing My Part" on the Moderate Liberal blog.
The blogger simply states:
"Is Barack Obama a Muslim? No."
I must say that as the son of a Turkish immigrant who was a Muslim, I find the xenophobia on the right is quite tiring. It has not only been encouraged by idiots like Rush Limbaugh, but also elected officials like Cong. Virgil Goode (R-Va.), who actually represents the town I work in.
Yes, we live in an age of terrorism, but Muslims were killed in the World Trade Center as well and if we want to catch these Muslim terrorists, don't you think the FBI will need the help of .............well, Muslims?!
Useful Links:
http://themoderateliberal.blogspot.com
As many regular readers of this blog (all eight of you) know, I have many problems sleeping mainly because I'm a restless person who thinks about all the world's problems, whether it be the War in Iraq or the situation in the Darfur region of Sudan.
I know this problem gets even worse after I see a play like "The Diary of Anne Frank," or a film like "The Bridge," which is a documentary about people who've committed suicide by jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco (don't watch it, if you're taking Lexapro!).
I even have irrational thoughts like my concern that I will one day, somehow become another P.J. O'Rourke (a former "Rolling Stone" writer who went from the far left to the far right politically) because I am now more politically moderate than I was when I was in college even though I agree with Barack Obama 79 percent of the time (according to glassbooth.org).
So, sure enough last night, I was thinking about what I would be watching on tv from my hospital bed at Moses Cone (local hospital in Greensboro, NC) if I were dying of leukemia_ (another irrational concern of mine). And, for some reason, I imagined myself watching a rerun of "Mork and Mindy" on Nick at Nite. Perhaps, it was because I saw a dvd set of it at a record store in Charlotteville, Va., on Saturday afternoon (No Mork doll included!).
I suppose if I were dying I would really choose "Mork" over an interview of Sen. James Webb (D-Va.), someone I truly admire, on "Face the Nation."
And, this leads me to this week's quote.
It is from Robin Williams, who played Mork (the show ran from 1979 to some point during Ronald Reagan's first or second term), and given the topic of this blog, it seems quite appropriate:
"Politics: 'Poli' a Latin word meaning 'many' and 'tics' meaning 'blood-sucking creatures."
Since today is Father's Day, and one of my fondest memories was taking my late stepfather Donald Sullivan out to a minor league baseball game in Salem, Va., where the Salem Avalanche play, some ten years ago, I thought I would use this opportunity to post an entry about minor league baseball team mascots.
This is a relative low-paying job in which you get to wear a hot suit and worry about little boys kicking you in the groin, but you get a lot of attention. Fortunately, when I worked for the Salem Avalanche a few years back, I was not asked to be Mugsy, the team mascot (which is a dog with a baseball cap).
Alas, I didn't see a good image of Mugsy to post here.
But, I did find some images of (in order) mascots for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in Appleton, Wisc. (that is indeed a mascot that is a snake!), The Hickory Crawdads out of Hickory, NC, The Mrytle Beach Pelicans from Myrtle Beach, SC, and lastly this guy who looks like Gumby for the Altoona Curve in Altoona, Pa.
I've heard the temperature in Lynchburg, Va., where the Lynchburg Hillcats play was 97 degrees today. I can't imagine what these guys (and gals) must be going through!
(Note to other bloggers: I don't know how many of you have tried to get four pictures in one entry, but this created problems for me. I also considered using an image of the Winston-Salem Warthogs mascot which was posted on an earlier entry, but I think I'll go with what I have here!)
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http://www.myrtlepeachpelicans.com
http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com
The 1986 teen sex comedy "Hardballs 2" is the sequel to the slightly less dreadful 1984 teen sex comedy "Hardbodies." I will not publicly state whether I saw these two films, but I was a teenage boy when they both came out.
I was also a bit hesitant about posting this as the poster is a bit more unabashed than my usual fare, but after you've had a right-wing fanatic praise Dick Cheney (What??!!!....Well, I suppose there are Robert Mugabe admirers in Zimbabwe) in the comments section of your blog, one feels a bit less cautious of other things.
Amazingly enough, "Hardbodies 2" is no longer in the Internet Movie Database's bottom 100 list, though it has a meager 2.7.
I must profess when I walked out of the movie theatre showing this film in the Bakirkoy section of Istanbul back in...........(of course, I saw the other film showing there, nudge, nudge, wink, wink) ...........the summer of 1987, I did think it was perhaps the worst film ever made.
The plot line is as follows: A film's crew is travelling from America to Rhodes, Greece, to produce a movie. Before their work is done they will have to face many unusual situations.
Neither "Hardbodies" or "Hardbodies 2" is listed in Leonard Maltin's 2005 Movie Guide, which is always by my computer for entries such as these. But, I will take a very wild guess, and presumes that he thinks they both suck. I certainly do (ooops! I wasn't supposed to say that.)
Background: A few weeks ago, I posted an entry about Turkish movie queen Turkan Sorary. Here are some examples of her work, and there is something universal about all three of these clips which go beyond the need for subtitles.
Clip One: This is from Soray's 1990 film "Berdel" with famed Turkish actor Tarik Akan. The film was directed by the late Atif Yilmaz, who was a respected filmmaker in Turkey. Soray is an Anatolian wife who has been betrayed, and she is disgusted by the presence of her husband.
Clip Two: "Hayatim Sana Feda/ My Life Belongs to You, Feda" is a romance comedy which co-starred Cuneyt Arkin, who was best known for action movie roles. This 1970 film which resembles American films of the era like "Pillow Talk" is a personal favorite of mine, though it is not neccessarily a well-made film.
Clip Three: "Dila Hanim"_ vintage clip from 1977 film in which once again a betrayed woman seeks 'intikam' (revenge). Soray's co-star here in Kadir Inanir, another leading man of the era.
I will be away from this blog until Sunday or Monday........
Hope you enjoy these clips
I got this idea when I saw another quote from Brooke Shields about how 'one can't be a good girl' all their life during the previews for the new "Indy Jones' movie.
(Women should know I saw 'Sex and the City' a night later, and I thought that was the better of the two films. And, yes- I am straight! Alas, Brooke is spoken for... though at least, she's no longer with Andre Agassi)
And, I would love to see this other quote posted on the wall at BJ's Grill in Stokesdale, NC. Alas, many restaurants in North Carolina and Virginia still don't have designated 'No Smoking' sections. But, amazingly enough (as reported in this blog- well, we mentioned it), passengers riding buses and taxi cabs in Istanbul, Turkey, must now put out their Camels!
As for her film, as much as I loved Brooke Shields in "The Blue Lagoon," I think "Pretty Baby" is the guiltier of the two guilty pleasures. Brooke turned 43 over the weekend.
Here is the quote:
"Smoking kills. If you're killed, you've lost a very important part of your life."
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PS-Someone do me a favor and permalink this! It was much more of a pain in the neck to post this than you would think............
I must profess that since my blog is only getting eight hits/day (perhaps the nice weather is to blame) that I have been more focused on developing an army of Facebook friends (118 as of press time) and today I surpassed my good friend Leigh-Anne Keatts. And, of course, I wasn't coy about it.
But, since it is the six o'clock hour I thought I'd post these news bloopers from KCCI in Des Moines, Iowa, even though I have yet to actually watch them myself!
Enjoy...........
For my friends in Bursa, Turkey, who may not be aware of why I'm posting this. Yesterday, 'Vice' President Dick Cheney made an incest joke about West Virginia when talking about the surprising genelogical links between him and Barack Obama.
There is a part of me that wants to be forgiving to the man who will be played by Richard Dreyfuss in the Oliver Stone film "W" (see earlier entry) since those of us from Roanoke, Va., have made many West Virginia jokes ourselves.
But, Dick Cheney is not my favorite person in DC, and this is an election year. On top of that, West Virginia is a swing state that Bush-Cheney carried in both 2000 and 2004. So, I dedicate this song for Cheney and I hope he can make future blunders in the coming weeks and months ahead.
For what it's worth, Cheney apologized. But, who cares?!
Trivia about the song: According to local folks in the area, "Country Roads" was actually penned in Mount Jackson, Va. The song does allude to the Shenandoah River in that area.
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