Welcome!
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Yuletide Greetings
Festive Christmahannakwanzakah to all!!
Friday, December 24, 2010
Word of the Day: Humanitarian
"[A]llowable humanitarian aid has included cigarettes, Wrigley’s gum, Louisiana hot sauce, weight-loss remedies, body-building supplements and sports rehabilitation equipment sold to the institute that trains Iran’s Olympic athletes."
Not to worry, though: The licensing office that approves humanitarian exemptions allowing manufacturers to ship to blacklisted countries is on the case:
"Take, for instance, chewing gum, sold in a number of blacklisted countries by Mars Inc., which owns Wrigley’s. 'We debated that one for a month. Was it food? Did it have nutritional value? We concluded it did,' Hal Eren, a former senior sanctions adviser at the licensing office, recalled before pausing and conceding, 'We were probably rolled on that issue by outside forces.'”
"Henry Lapidos, export manager for the American Pop Corn Company, acknowledged that calling the Jolly Time popcorn he sold in Sudan and Iran a humanitarian good was 'pushing the envelope,' though he did give it a try. 'It depends on how you look at it — popcorn has fibers, which are helpful to the digestive system,' he explained, before switching to a different tack. 'What’s the harm?' he asked, adding that he didn’t think Iranian soldiers 'would be taking microwavable popcorn' to war."
And if they do, we can always hope that the little kernels getting stuck between their teeth distract them long enough for our boys to finish 'em off.
(Image from Jollytime.com)Thursday, December 23, 2010
Imagine This
Essentially, the movie tells a familiar story of good versus evil. Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) is a former monk involved in eternal skirmishing with Mr. Nick (Waits). The main action of the movie unfolds as the sixteenth birthday of Parnassus's daughter, Valentina (Lily Cole) approaches. Years earlier, Parnassus had made a deal with Mr. Nick to enable him to woo Valentina's mother: Any child born of this union would belong to Nick as of its sixteenth birthday. The Devil loves to gamble, though; he offers Parnassus a way out: Whichever of them can acquire five souls first will win the soul of Lily.
Assisting Parnassus in his quest is an apparently failed suicide named Tony, and here's where the story gets interesting. "Imaginarium" was the final project of the late Heath Ledger. He plays Tony, but he died before finishing the film. Faced with the prospect of abandoning the project, Gilliam and company came up with a novel concept: The part originally played by Ledger was divided among Ledger, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell. In the end, Ledger's scenes occur in what may be thought of as the "real world," and each of the other actors plays a version of Tony within the "Imaginarium": A realm of imagination where people are offered their greatest desires--either somewhat ennobling (if offered by Parnassus) or base (if offered by Mr. Nick).
Thus, the movie ultimately has a great curiosity appeal: How well did the filmmakers pull off this improvisatory gambit? Does the multiple casting work? What would it have been like if the entire role had been played by Ledger (or Depp, Law, or Farrell)? Curiosity, though, can be a distraction from simple enjoyment.
In the end, the movie is certainly worth seeing, especially if you like Terry Gilliam: As with all his films, it is visually beautiful. Unfortunately, the movie's behind-the-scenes story seems almost as compelling as what unfolds on the screen.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Lights
Not streetlights, of which there were virtually none: commercial lights. Halogens shining down on auto dealerships. Multicolored neon beacons advertising the presence of a Best Buy or a Raley's or a Chuck E. Cheese. The Genentech compound with its glowing sign. Bear in mind, we saw all these lights around five o'clock in the morning. On a Sunday.
Not that all the lights bore a commercial message. We passed several refineries--of what, we are unsure. All of these facilities had decorated for the holidays: "Happy Holidays." "Seasons Greetings," "Merry Christmas" strung in lights across vast exterior walls. Most buildings also also had a star glowing from their highest points. We wonder what poor slob in the maintenance department gets stuck risking life and limb to spread joy to the highway riders.
You've probably seen pictures showing the world's illumination at night.
How much energy goes into keeping these retailers brightly lit throughout the night? As the burning of fossil fuels threatens global catastrophe, how much CO2 is released as a result of this needless marketing to virtually no one? How much blood and treasure are sacrificed in Mideast misadventures to ensure a constant flow of oil to light the signs proclaiming "Peace on Earth"?
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
Checking In
The Solipsist has arrived in the Pacific Northwest. We'll be on and off for the next couple of days but thought we'd take a moment to share this with everybody:
A bus-stop bench up here had a sign congratulating "Marshall," which we assume to be a local high school. Why? In recognition of the fact that "77% of your students don't smoke pot."
So, apparently, a marijuana-smoking rate of under 25% is big news for this area.
See you soon.