"Despite the Sunday loss to the Colts, I’ll be ready to ride with the Pats if we end up in Indy in the playoffs. That playoff game will be overshadowed by the Nov. 15th gamble on 4th down. The team will be playing to expunge that risky call from his resume. Hey, it’s a storyline. That game will be on Jan. 16, 17 or 24. I’m already planning the tailgate party. I do hope Pouting Peyton makes an appearance at that party."
I was never a particular fan of MJ either - though a girl-friend showed me the Thriller video way back when, and I was impressed - music and effects.
I'm no bleeding heart- I am fond of pointing out to self-righteous vegetarians that there are masses of animals who's habitats are destroyed for their tofu and whole wheat, and that, while the mass-feeding style of meat farming is indeed a mess, free range or managed wild meat can be harvested while allowing all the bugs, birds, lizards, mice, etc to exist in their undisturbed environment.
Back to MJ's song and video - I rarely go to films, but a friend took me out yesterday - I was impressed, as you were, by the professionalism he exhibits - but I was deeply moved by that video, the little girl, the monarch butterflies, the destruction... Of course it is dramatized, but that is no exaggeration, and I have always said that a smart parasite does not kill its host.
Claude Levi-Strauss - "Mr. LEVI-STRAUSS: (Through Translator) There is today a frightful disappearance of living species, be they plants or animal. And it's clear that the density of human beings has become so great, if I can say so, that they have begun to poison themselves. And the world on which I am finishing my existence is no longer a world that I like. "
I don't know what it is you really object to - the music, or is it just too unpleasant to be reminded of what is going on in the world..."
My friend defends her fondness for "We Are the World"
"I feel the need to defend myself. I am not sure what you are concluding in your blog. On the one hand it sounds like you think you were wrong about "We Are the World" but you then say it is no better than that awful "Earth Song."
I need to explain more fully. You can't just compare the merits of the songs themselves. "We Are the World" was a collaboration with so many famous people. You have to remember the video with all those famous people acting like the rest of us and singing in mics together! There was an educational campaign that went with the song. I had a record with the long version, that was like 30 minutes long. This wasn't a song, it was a movement! "Earth Song" may be just as crappy a song and it is no movement.
Plus, I am a sucker for nostalgia. I loved the song a seven (I think) when it came out. You shouldn't fault a seven year old for buying into the hype. That was the spring my parents finished a living room addition on our house. The room was empty while they chose furniture and I remember spending hours playing the record over and over and dancing around the room in my tutu. (I was also taking dance classes at the time; boy was that a failure.) See, you are comparing an apple to an orange. There is no comparison."
"Love your take on basketball, but have to disagree strongly with one of your statements:
"I’m a big Delonte West fan, but bipolar disorder is a serious illness, and whether you can have a long-term career in the NBA when you suffer from such a debilitating disease is a big question."
Bipolar does not have to be a debilitating disease - this is the negative stigma that is continually perpetuated by the press, even in the most innocent of ways. West Can have an extraordinary life and career, even with his diagnosis, given the right tools and support. It certainly isn't just you making these blanket remarks, it's rampant, but not terribly informed.
Ran across your article as I am a basketball fan & follow any articles on bipolar. So, I'm certainly not picking on you, just letting you know that even a casual comment such as yours is detrimental and only continues to fuel the fire of negativity towards those with mental conditions."
I wrote back to this reader to explain that my take on bipolar is colored by my experience with several friends who have had the disease. All bright people, who have struggled to hold down jobs and finish college. I'm sure there are numerous examples of people with bipolar who are doing quite well, but to me, Delonte West's actions suggest that he's in crisis and might benefit from a break from the grind of the NBA. This doesn't mean he can't get things under control and return to the court successfully. But he does face a difficult challenge.
I loved Nobody's Fool, but thought Empire Falls, although a fun read, was a bit of a mess. Good characterizations, but the school shooting plot felt a little forced.
I asked an acquaintance who happens to be brewing cider about cider. He wrote:
"The irony is that Woodchuck contains no cider or apple juice. It's only flavoring. Next time you're in the grocery store, read the label. I like it, but I take it for what it is.
True cider is much harder to find commercially produced. Occasionally you find apple wine, which is very close to what our ancestors drank. Apple juice fermented with the yeast from the skins of apples. That's how I'm going to make it. The only difference is, I'll carbonate mine, which they didn't. It was much more like wine - the distilled juice of a fruit.
The traditional method to making the yeast is simply peeling an apple and placing it in a small fermenting vessel with some cider. The yeast will start to eat the sugar in the cider. You then add the liquid, sans peel, to cider in a fermenter. All of this, of course, has to be done with very sanitized containers. It can easily mold.
You could call the guys from Hammersmith Home Brewing Supply. They're very friendly. I was a regular there before I moved.
You can try the local orchards. Sometimes they'll produce one. It's more likely you'll find it at the farmer's market or a small winery. Unfortunately, you guys aren't so close to the Finger Lakes, as I am. There are some great wineries here. Some of them even have breweries. Although, you should take the Ommegang tour in Cooperstown. Some wineries will produce an apple wine."
Posted on November 18 at 4:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I still prefer Sophie's Choice.
On Film Capsules