How Depressing

Apparently Texas is the happiest place on Earth after all...

The 20 Happiest Cities

A Pope's Funeral

With all the glamour and pomp & circumstance of Pope John Paul's funeral, I can't wait until Benedictus XVI dies so we can do it all again!

Stuff To Think About

Some of these have been passed around in email chains for a while, but there still worth pondering...

TWO TOUGH QUESTIONS

Question 1:

If you knew a woman who was pregnant, who had 8 kids
already, three who were deaf, two who were blind, one
mentally retarded, and she had syphilis, would you
recommend that she have an abortion?

Read the next question before looking at the answer
for this one.

Question 2:

It is time to elect a new world leader, and only your
vote counts. Here are the facts about the three
leading candidates.

Candidate A -
Associates with crooked politicians, and consults with
astrologists.
He's had two Mistresses. He also chain smokes and
drinks 8 to 10 martinis a day.

Candidate B -
He was kicked out of office twice, sleeps until noon,
used opium in college and drinks a quart of whiskey
every evening.

Candidate C -
He is a decorated war hero. He's a vegetarian, doesn't
smoke, drinks an occasional beer and never cheated on
his wife.

Which of these candidates would be your Choice?

Decide first, no peeking, then scroll down for the
answer.

----------------------------------------------

Candidate A: is Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Candidate B: is Winston Churchill.
Candidate C: is Adolph Hitler.


And, by the way, the answer to the abortion question:
If you said yes, you just killed Beethoven.

Pretty interesting isn't it? Makes a person think
before judging someone.

and in case you never saw this one......

Can you imagine working for a company that has a
little more than 500 employees and has the following
statistics:

* 29 have been accused of spousal abuse
* 7 have been arrested for fraud
* 19 have been accused of writing bad checks
* 117 have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least
2 businesses
* 3 have done time for assault
* 71 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit
* 14 have been arrested on drug-related charges
* 8 have been arrested for shoplifting
* 21 are currently defendants in lawsuits
* 84 have been arrested for drunk driving in the last
year

Can you guess which organization this is?




Give up yet?





It's the 535 members of the United States Congress.
The same group that cranks out hundreds of new laws
each year designed to keep the rest of us in line.

My Favorite Couple...

...were out on the town Sunday night for the premiere of a new Broadway play, The Pillowman.



I have no idea what the play was about, but if I could look as good as seem as happy as these two, I wouldn't really care. Mr. Bowie's looking pretty healthy for almost 60, especially after his clogged artery last year which prematurely ended his world tour.


Supermodel Iman and husband, rock star David Bowie, attend the Broadway premiere of The Pillowman, April 10, 2005. (photos Getty Images)

Saul Bellow Dead at 89

In other news today, Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winning author Saul Bellow died today. I didn't even know he was still alive!

He had five wives, three sons and, at age 84, a daughter.

Guess I should read some of his books.

Peter Jennings Has Cancer

I was disturbed by the news today that my favorite TV news anchor, Peter Jennings, has been diagnosed with lung cancer. Jenning admitted on tonight's broadcast that he was a smoker until about 20 years ago and that he had a relapse during the stressful events of 9/11.

I had noticed in recent weeks that Jennings' voice had become a bit rougher than in the past. Perhaps he had a cold, I thought, or maybe his voice was deepening naturally with age. Apparently the cause of his vocal trouble was more serious than expected, and for tonight's television message he sounded downright raspy.

Although his doctor advised him not to travel for coverage of the Pope's funeral, Jennings said he will continue to anchor ABC's World News Tonight as much as possible during his treatment, which starts next week with chemotherapy. Jennings admitted that some days he may be cranky, but that other days he will be very cranky.

Peter Jennings has worked for ABC News more than 40 years. He was made anchor and senior editor of World News Tonight in 1983.

So many lovers, so little time

In case your life isn't complicated enough yet, feel free to be illuminated by the article linked below which describes the latest trend in multiple romances, "polyamory."

Telegraph | Expat | Free love is fine - but watch out for the wibbles

Who the hell has time for multiple lovers? I don't even have time for one!

Clive Owen to be the next James Bond??

God, please let it be true!!

MI6 Forums :: View topic - Clive Owen to be announced next week as James Bond #6

El Papa Esta Muerto

Yes, finally Pope John Paul II has passed away. He died earlier today and though we have all been expecting his death for weeks, if not months, it is sad to have the finality of his death.

I am neither Catholic nor a believer, but I did feel a fondness toward John Paul. He always seemed like a decent man, and although I disagreed with him on most social issues, I respected the fact that he never waivered in his convictions.


Oy vey, such problems!

He was the Pope for most of my life; the only Pope I have really ever known. And he was an international superstar due to his extensive travels and his savvy use of the modern media. No Pope has had such a high profile.


Even a Pope has to have a sense of humor.

Pope John Paul visited my hometown, Denver, Colorado, when I was a teenager and it was a huge event for everyone. Most of his activities were covered live on television -- it was a World Youth Day conference -- and I watched most of the events on TV.


Pope John Paul II forgives his would-be assassin, Mehmet Ali Acga, Dec 27, 1983.

There was something very inspiring about his presence and the devotion and affection shown to him by so many millions of people around the world. He was a greatly loved man.

Johnnie Cochran

"If the glove doesn't fit, you must acquit." Johnnie Cochran tries on the infamous glove during the O.J. Simpson trial in 1995.

New York Times

Celebrity lawyer Johnnie Cochran has died of a brain tumor at age 67. Although he handled many high profile cases throughout his career, Cochran is undoubtedly most famous for successfully defending former football star O.J. Simpson against murder charges involving the death of Simpson's ex-wife and her friend Ron Golman.

My own personal connection to Mr. Cochran is that I met him once at LAX. I don't remember where I was flying or exactly when the meeting took place, though it was several years after the Simpson trial. Cochran was standing in line ahead of me at the check-in counter of the flight gate. He was trying to catch the flight departing before mine and was very cordial and relaxed, chatting with the airline staff and those of us in line with him. He appeared to have no luggage, perhaps it had already been checked, and he was dressed in a very expensive-looking navy track suit.

The Bob Dylan Show

Had the rare opportunity to see two living legends in the world of music performing live on stage Monday night. Merle Haggard opened for Bob Dylan in a five-night run at the beautiful and historic Pantages Theater in Hollywood.



Although I’ve known of Merle Haggard for years – most of my family still lives in Texas – I didn’t really know much of his music. I still don’t know his music very well, but what I heard tonight was excellent. Haggard has a warm and confident presence on stage, so confident in fact that he stopped his band mid-song, not once, not twice, but three times when he wasn’t happy with the sounds coming from the stage and once when he goofed up some lyrics and started the song over. One got the feeling that Haggard was more interested in playing good music than in impressing any “big city” audience. He even referred to himself and his eight-member group as the “oldest beer-joint band in the world.”

Throughout his one-hour set, the themes of Merle Haggard’s songs ran from romance and family to the working man, and even to current events, such as a show-stopping ballad called “That’s The News.” At one point he quipped to the audience, “Don’t listen to George Bush; keep focusing on Bob Dylan.” There was plenty of humor in his performance as well, especially when he played a few bars of his famous “Okie from Muskogee” number. Haggard showed off his excellent singing voice with his version of the classic “Unforgettable.” One thing is for certain: Merle Haggard is a true pro and his quality musicianship demonstrates why he is still an audience favorite.



Bob Dylan and his band took the stage at 9:00pm sharp. The curtain rose to reveal Dylan and his six-piece band in action. Dylan, in a black cowboy hat and western-style garb, stood behind his piano on the left side of the stage while an attractive lady playing the fiddle took center stage. In addition to the fiddler and the powerful drummer, Dylan surrounded himself with a top-notch crew of guitarists: a rockin’ lead, steady rhythm, strong bass – who also used a stand-up instrument for a few numbers – and one energetic gentleman who alternated between pedal steel guitar, banjo, fiddle, and a tiny little electric about the size of a ukulele. Besides the token female, who wore a short black dress, the entire band wore taupe colored suits with black shirts and cowboy boots and hats.

Dylan never played guitar nor interacted with the audience, except at one point when he said, “Thanks, friends.” Dylan stayed at the piano throughout the performance, leaning down awkwardly to sing – perhaps croak would be more accurate – into the microphone. His trademark nasally voice sounds more like sandpaper today and he purposely over-dramatized many signature lines from his more famous songs from the 1960s.

From his catalogue of music covering more than 40 years, Bob Dylan treated the audience to a wide mix of old and new, well-known and obscure, slow ballads and rocking blues, and even a bit of country swing. The band was top-notch and Dylan seemed to enjoy changing the set list several times during the set. With five nights this week in Los Angeles, they’ll have time and enough material to put on a new show every night.

A few musical highlights for me were a slow country version of “The Times They Are A-Changin’”, a bluesy version of “Just Like A Woman”, a perfect rendition of “Love Sick” from his 1997 Grammy-winning album Time Out of Mind, and a tender “Girl From The North Country.” The show closed with a scorching “All Along The Watchtower”, which owed a lot to the spirit of Jimi Hendrix’s guitar-heavy cover version. The band could really rock out when demanded, yet they were full of nuance and grace during the quieter moments.

Dylan ended the 90-minute set in typical enigmatic fashion. For the curtain call, the group assembled center stage in front of the drums and all simply stood out facing the audience – no bows – as the curtain came down.

Shibuya

(photo by Exion)

If you ever wondered what it would be like to walk around Tokyo, Japan, take a look at this three-minute video which was shot in the trendy Shibuya shopping district, also seen in the film Lost In Translation.

It reminds me of how claustrophobic I felt in Tokyo because of all those god-damn people!!

Check it out...

Spring Starts A Day Earlier

Did you know that spring in North America now comes a day earlier than before? Did you know that the seasons are not equal in duration, and that summer is actually getting longer?

For explanations to these questions and a wealth of other fascinating information, read this article from Space.com.

Boundless Gallery

Check this out when you get a chance-- go to Boundless Gallery and look under "Browse Artists" for Sherea Spalding. That's my sister.

She says, "I just have a few pieces up to see how it looks and works. I am currently working on some new work that I will definitely list here once it is ready."

Some pretty cool stuff!

Online Etymology Dictionary

OK language nerds, want to know the origin of any word in the English language? Go to the Online Etymology Dictionary and search for the word of your choice.

Be sure to spell it correctly!

"Domo arigato....Mr. Roboto"

MSNBC - Japan embraces new generation of robots

Dan Rather Signs Off

"Courage."

CNN story

Advice For New Teachers

I've been teaching for about seven years now, and although that is not terribly long compared to some other experienced teachers I know, it has been long enough for me to offer some practical advice to people just entering the teaching profession.

My advice to new teachers?

Wear comfortable shoes.

Oscar Fever, Post-show Letdown

Well, it was Hollywood's time to shine last weekend, as if the stars don't shine enough, but on Hollywood Boulevard the red carpet was out, the cameras were in place, the flowers, decorations and gold Oscar statues were set to welcome the stars for the 77th Annual Academy Awards Ceremony at the Kodak Theater.

It was fun working there at the heart of the action all week. The street was abuzz with crews running cables, installing spot lights, and setting up bleachers for the fans and platforms for the TV crews.

I was really surprised that the public were allowed to walk on the red carpet at the entrance of the Kodak Theater up until show day. I thought for sure the whole place would be blocked off, but in fact we were allowed to roam pretty much everywhere (except on the carpeted Boulevard itself) despite camera crews setting up lights, cables, and generators everywhere. I would have thought it too risky for insurance purposes, but hell I'm not complaining.

It was great fun also for my tour groups to see all the "magic" in process and to get a behind-the-scenes perspective on the preparations for the awards ceremony broadcast. My favorite part was all the beautiful roses and other greenery they used to decorate the grand entrance way to the theater, known as Awards Walk. The colors were fantastic and the smell was delicious!

Another perk for the tourists was the relatively high visibility of celebrities in and around the theater in preparation for the Oscars broadcast. We saw Sharon Osbourne, Roger Ebert, Chris Connelly (who hosted ABC's red carpet preview show), and Michelle Tuzee and Mark Brown, our local ABC news anchors here in Los Angeles.

This year instead of partying with my friends, I stayed home to watch the show, but I wasn't alone since I was in almost continuous phone contact with my Mom and sister watching together in Denver. Since my cell phone company gives me free weekend and evening minutes, I called long distance and talked for more than three hours for free!

Overall, it was a pretty good year for movies. I was a little disappointed with some of the choices for winners, but not surprised. I had really hoped Martin Scorsese would get his just desserts, but I kinda knew Clint Eastwood would win. And Million Dollar Baby won for Best Picture, even though few people saw it and some of those who did walked out early because of the disturbing ending. I thought The Aviator was a more typical Oscar choice, even though my favorite movie was Sideways. I was at least glad that Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor won the Best Adapted Screenplay award for Sideways 'cause it was a very fresh piece. I'm a real fan of Mr. Payne's style.

Now that the show is over, the winners have been announced, and the festivities have concluded, I feel a little post-partem depression. It's funny -- I often feel this way after a big event. One has waited with much anticipation for an exciting experience and then suddenly it's over so quickly. Not much to look forward to anymore. Oh well, there's always next year.

And Paul Giamatti better get nominated, dammit!

Yes, More Rain

Will it ever end?!



Did you notice where the heaviest stuff is? That's right, directly over Los Angeles!