December 2008 Archives

Check out this 1981 ad for VCRs. Not only are they bulky, they cost a small fortune. I’m not sure how much the dollar was worth back in the early ’80s, but $1,400 is a lot for an electronic device today.

Via SA Steve’s Flickr Photostream.

Related articles:

• A tribute to the VCR - The VHS era is winding down BUT there are many things you can do with a VCR and the tapes!
• The Twelve Weird Old Electronics Commercials of Christmas

My friend Glen and I saw Slumdog Millionaire this afternoon. The movie made me cry like an idiot — which can only mean that it was very, very good. I’m not one of those sappy people who cry at the drop of a hat.

Slumdog Millionaire took me to a place that I’ve never been, the slums of India. It is about an Indian boy who grows up in the worst possible conditions. Then, he becomes a contestant on the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.

The difference between life in America and life in India is made obvious by what winning a TV game show means to the common folks. It won’t simply mean being able to buy a bigger house and a more expensive car. For the hero, winning means the freedom to be with the girl he loves. This is a film that enlightens us about just how difficult life can be in other parts of the world.

I absolutely fell in love with the young actor who played the main character. Dev Patel is certain to become a big star in American films. He’s not a typical leading man. But, he’s got more charm and natural ability than any young actor I’ve seen in years.

For those of you who don’t like “foreign” films, don’t worry about this one. It is 90% in English and you won’t have any trouble understanding the actors.

Like all Indian films, it does have a big dance number. However, it is performed during the closing credits rather than in the middle of the movie. Personally, I don’t think putting the dance number in the middle of the film would have been a mistake. It could have been a dream sequence or something.

Slumdog Millionaire gets a rating of five Ganeshas!

 

Related articles:

• “Slumdog Millionaire” Named Best Film By National Review
• ‘Slumdog’ highlights India’s forgotten poor
• Film Review: Slumdog Millionaire
• Danny Boyle on Slumdog Millionnaire

This is another one of those videos that can be customized with your name and photo. My brother Frank sent it to me. Toward the end, my name and a photo of my brother appears on a TV screen. This technology is pretty cool. I’m sure we’ll be seeing it used in many creative ways. This particular promotion is for a motion picture called The Unborn. The last time I saw it used was by MoveOn.org before the November election.

Related articles:

• The Unborn Poster Unveiled

Related articles:

• MTV’s Upcoming Horrible Remake of Rocky Horror
• Exclusive Sneak Peek Video Of “Rocky Horror Show”

Eartha Kitt and Bronski Beat - Cha Cha Heels

Related articles:

• Catwoman actress Eartha Kitt dies aged 81
• The 6 Best Eartha Kitt Videos [Pop Culture]

I went looking at Christmas light displays with my friends Cliff and Norm last night. We came across this one on “Candy Cane Lane” in Pacific Grove. These folks were playing Elvis’ Blue Christmas and are obviously the coolest in the neighborhood.

The life-sized Elvis is spectacular. Have you ever seen anything like this? 

Related articles:

• Website Lets You Sing With Elvis Presley
• Christmas light meltdown an isolated case

The following is my first attempt at shooting and editing video. It was taken last night at the Light Up the Night for Equality candlelight vigil and march here in Monterey. Please forgive the camera work. I still haven’t figured out how to zoom and pan.

I just saw Milk last night and while it was an excellent motion picture, there were a couple of elements that bothered me.

First, it wasn’t as historically accurate as the reviews and news reports have led people to believe. The personal relationship between Milk and Dan White is trivialized and distorted. And, the film didn’t feature many key figures such as Dianne Feinstein. As president of the Board of Supervisors, Feinstein had a major role in the interactions between Milk and White and she wasn’t even in the movie — except in a brief archival news clip. (Feinstein was the person who actually discovered Milk’s body.)

Here’s an excerpt from a recent interview with Feinstein:

At the time, Feinstein was president of the Board of Supervisors and a confidante of Dan White, the ex-supervisor who quit his seat only to want it back. Moscone had plans to appoint someone else and told Feinstein the morning of the slayings. She tried to track down White to explain the decision. She never got the chance. She was sitting at her desk at City Hall and tried speaking to White as he walked by. She did not know that he had just shot and killed the mayor.

“I saw him come in. I said, ‘Dan, can I talk to you?’ And he went by, and I heard the door close, and I heard the shots and smelled the cordite, and I came out of my office. Dan went right by me. Nobody was around, every door was closed.

“I went down the hall. I opened the wrong door. I opened (Milk’s) door. I found Harvey on his stomach. I tried to get a pulse and put my finger through a bullet hole. He was clearly dead. I remember it, actually, as if it was yesterday. And it was one of the hardest moments, if not the hardest moment, of my life,” Feinstein said Tuesday. “It was a devastating moment. For San Francisco, it was a day of infamy.”

[…]

Feinstein described Milk as larger than life, a breakthrough politician and a true leader of the burgeoning gay rights movement. She said White hunted Milk down not because he was homophobic but because he had considered Milk a friend who betrayed him for not helping persuade Moscone to reappoint him. Feinstein said Milk and White, both elected under a new system of district elections, met weekly for coffee in the Castro.

http://insidesocal.com/outinhollywood/2008/11/dianne-feinstein-recalls-the-d.html

That’s right. According to Feinstein, Milk and White had weekly meetings and were really more like friends than moral enemies. Perhaps this is why Feinstein isn’t in the film. Her accounts don’t jive with the mythology that the filmmakers wanted to use. That’s too bad. The truth would have been much more interesting. 

Second, I think the sex scenes featuring Milk were inappropriate and detracted from the plot. Imagine going to see a film about Martin Luther King and seeing King’s bare bottom as he made love to Coretta! Why is it okay to make Milk’s sex life a major part of the film? Is it simply because he’s gay and gay people are viewed as slaves to our sexuality?

I find the film’s focus on Milk’s sex life to be insulting. The screen time used for gratuitous male sex could have been used to explain some of the political issues that were glossed over in the film.

Milk could have been a great film. Unfortunately, in a few decades it will been seen as one of a series of films that uses same-sex relationships as an opportunity to create controversial and inappropriate sex scenes.

No one would make a film about a straight leader and include a scene showing him making love to his wife. I think gay leaders deserve the same level of respect. I look forward to the day when gay and lesbian leaders aren’t sexualized by those who make films and TV shows.

For those of you who think I may be too sensitive regarding this issue, let me end with a couple more examples of scenes you didn’t see in other important films about political leaders:

Gandhi (1982)
Ben Kingsley portrays Mahatma Gandhi. In the opening scene, Gandhi awakes in his first class train compartment in South Africa and begins to masturbate as he dreams of a beautiful Indian woman dancing in the nude. He is thrown off the train when the conductor catches him pleasuring himself.

Kennedy (1983)
Martin Sheen portrays John F. Kennedy. In the opening scene, Kennedy is sitting at his desk in the Oval Office, his eyes are closed and he begins moaning loudly. Then, a nude Marilyn Monroe crawls from underneath the desk and wipes her mouth. She puts on a white mink coat and whispers, “See you tomorrow, Jack!” 

The more I fume about Obama’s selection of an anti-gay bigot to give the invocation at his inaugural, the more I regret voting for him. Check out the latest on Warren’s outrageous and ignorant views on homosexuality in the clip from The Rachel Maddow Show.

There’s a new hairstyle craze sweeping the nation! It is called the Blago Do and it is definitely a hair don’t. Here I am sporting the cut inspired by Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

If you’ve got Photoshop, you can download the Blagojevich wig with a transparent background and see what you and your friends would look like with the Blago Do: blago_hair.psd

If you use the file, leave a link to your post in the comments.

more chartsVia Bunnytude.

My friend Glen had the day off today and suggested that we drive to nearby San Jose (yes, we know the way) and check out a museum there called the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum and Planetarium.

I don’t know much about the Rosicrucian Order, but I love everything about Ancient Egypt. I’ve been fascinated by mummies and Egyptian artifacts since I saw the touring King Tut exhibit back in the 1970s.

Here’s what the museum’s Web site has to say:

The Egyptian Museum at Rosicrucian Park has been a fixture of San José life for so long that it is difficult to conceive of a time without it. Hundreds of thousands of residents and visitors to Northern California have experienced “history coming alive” through the exhibits, tours, lectures and other activities at the Museum. How did this landmark come to be here in the Valley first known for citrus and prunes, and now famous for silicon chips?

From the beginning of the work of the Rosicrucian Order, AMORC in the 20th century, Egypt loomed large. From 1915 to 1927, at the Order’s early headquarters in New York City, San Francisco and Tampa Dr. Lewis, the first Imperator of AMORC began to collect artifacts from “the Orient,” through the generosity of members.

In 1921, Dr. Lewis urged Order members to support the excavations of the Egypt Explorations Society of Boston in Tell el Amarna, the city of the King Akhenaten and as a result garnered significant funds for the project.

In gratitude, the Egypt Explorations Society donated several artifacts from their finds. After the Order’s headquarters settled in its present San Jose location, Dr. Lewis conceived of a public collection, “The Rosicrucian Egyptian Oriental Museum” in 1928. 

It is an interesting place. There are several authentic artifacts and many reproductions of important museum pieces from around the world. 

 
  
 

There are 78 photos in my Flickr set:

http://flickr.com/photos/fritzliess/sets/72157611337605111/ 

It is beginning to look like the change Obama was talking about was changing the Bush nightmare back into the Clinton era. Equality for LGBT people and other progressive issues will not be addressed for at least several years. The war in Iraq will continue for three years or more. Universal health care will probably never become a reality. Obama is pandering to the religious right. Do you feel as if you’ve been thrown under the bus?

Via Pam’s House Blend.

And I better get them cha cha heels!

My friend Glen sent this to me today:

One sunny day in 2009

One sunny day in 2009 an old man approached the White
House from across Pennsylvania Avenue , where he’d been
sitting on a park bench.

He spoke to the U.S. Marine standing guard and said,

“I would like to go in and meet with President Bush.”

The Marine looked at the man and said, “Sir, Mr.

Bush is no longer president and no longer resides here.”

The old man said, “Okay” and walked away.

The following day, the same man approached the White

House and said to the same Marine, “I would like to go

in and meet with President Bush.”

The Marine again told the man, “Sir, as I said

yesterday, Mr. Bush is no longer president  and no longer

resides here.”

The man thanked him and, again, just walked away.

The third day, the same man approached the White House

and spoke to the very same U. S. Marine, saying “I

would like to go in and meet with President Bush.”

The Marine, understandably agitated at this point, looked

at the man and said, “Sir, this is the third day in a

row you have been here asking to speak to Mr. Bush.

I’ve told you already that Mr. Bush is no longer the

president and no longer resides here.  Don’t you

understand?”

The old man looked at the Marine and said, “Oh, I

understand.  I just love hearing it.”

The Marine snapped to attention, saluted, and said,

“See you tomorrow.” 

I just read about the growing controversy surrounding Playboy magazine’s recent Mexican edition that features what is obviously a sexy, half-naked Virgin Mary. WTF?!

Who would be stupid enough to do something like this in Mexico? Many Mexicans revere the Virgin Mary more than God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost combined. Did they really think they could get away with something like this in a country where there are probably more shrines to Mary than modern toilets?

Today, Playboy issued an apology and denied that the cover was meant to portray the Virgin Mary. Hum, then I wonder what the stained glass window and the headline “Te Adoramos, María” is all about. What about that iconic pose? Duh!

I think this is yet another example of people fucking up and then not having the balls to admit that they did something stupid. I’d rather that they just say “Screw you, Catholic Church. We knew this would offend you and we did it anyway.” At least that would show they stand behind their tasteless pornography. Instead, they offer an apology and lie about their intentions.

I’ve read that many Catholics consider this to be blasphemous. But, I think that you have to actually believe in Christianity (or whatever faith you prefer) in order to commit blasphemy. Pornography isn’t very Christian. So, the Catholic Church should focus their outrage on the bigger picture — a magazine with photos of naked ladies. 

Personally, I don’t know why anyone would want to mix religious images with porn. Do many straight guys have fetishes about this kind of thing? I would imagine it to be a major turn off to most guys. I know I wouldn’t want to see a sexy, naked Jesus in gay porn — not that I’m into that kind of thing. 

Elvis Costello - Pump It Up

Bush is such an idiot! In Iraq, throwing a shoe at someone is the worst possible insult. It is something reserved for criminals and tyrants. Bush not only had two shoes thrown at him during a press conference, he had the nerve to trivialize the significance of this in Iraqi culture by saying, “So what if he threw a shoe at me?”

 

What a grade-A asshole! Our president is an embarrassment. He has zero class. He has no concept of deportment. He received one of the highest insults possible in Iraq and he responded by trying to make a joke about it.

Here’s the translation of what the man shouted as he threw the shoes:

First Shoe:

“This is the gift from the Iraqis —  this is the farewell kiss you dog.”

Second Shoe:

“This is from the widows, the orphans and those killed in Iraq.”

Yeah, Iraqi widows and orphans are something to joke about. They’re something that our president can shrug off with a simple “So what?”

Bush must be charged and out on trial for war crimes. He is responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians. They were blown to bits for nothing — a war based on lies and motivated by profit.   

I live in a forested hillside area in Monterey. It is a lovely place and I often take hikes through an area called Skyline Forest, which is about 1/4 mile from my house.

Here’s the view from my front door:

The entire area is lush with trees and full of deer and other wildlife. It is almost like living out in the woods. Well, imagine my surprise when I read the following “police brief” in my local newspaper this morning.

Body found in woods near abandoned car

The body of an adult man was found in the Skyline Forest area Sunday afternoon by Monterey police investigating an abandoned vehicle.

No cause of death has been determined, but Monterey police Lt. Leslie Sonne said the death was not being treated as a homicide.

She said the man’s body was found about 100 yards from Mar Vista and Skyline drives. An autopsy was scheduled today. Police were looking in the area because a vehicle had been left there for several days, she said.

What puzzles me is that I drive on Skyline Drive every day — I have an obsession to take that route. I can’t recall seeing an abandoned car over the last few days. I think I would have noticed. The road is very picturesque and a car sitting at the side of the road would stand out.

I wonder if this was a suicide. The news article doesn’t give any details. I suppose it is likely that someone would choose this location to end his life. It is a beautiful spot and once you walk into the forest, it is very secluded.

For those of you who may have noticed, I’ve been taking a short break from blogging. But, I just have to post a few of the photos I took yesterday at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The aquarium lets locals in free of charge every year and Cliff, Glen and I headed over there with our cameras.

One of my favorite exhibits features jellyfish. I recently read in the newspaper that this jellyfish exhibit will soon be replaced by a new one featuring sea horses. So, I knew that this would be my last chance to take some shots of these awesome creatures.

  
     
 

I stayed up all night editing the photos I took yesterday at several old cemeteries. I like the way they look in color. However, there’s just something eerie about graveyard photos when they are in black and White.

I converted the photos to duotone in Photoshop. I think many of them really turned out great.

 
 
  
 
 

You can view all 188 photos in my Flickr photo set here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fritzliess/sets/72157610799799514/detail/

I just came home from what I call a “photo hike” in Santa Cruz, California. I set out with my camera and get a few hours of exercise three times a week. My friend Glen knows that I love to explore old cemeteries with my camera and he suggested a spot near the Mission called Evergreen Cemetery.

Evergreen Cemetery is quite old and very neglected. Many of the headstones have toppled and it is overgrown with shrubs and patches of poison oak.

As we were photographing the headstones, we came across this one:

A few weeks ago, I started a new photography project. My goal is to photograph all 21 of the California Missions. Yesterday, I drove four miles to Mission San Carlos Borromeo del Rio Carmelo — that’s right this one is so close to my house I could walk there if it were possible.

The Carmel Mission — as it is commonly known — is actually the second Mission San Carlos. The first was built in Monterey in 1770. Father Serra moved the Mission to Carmel-by-the-Sea in 1771. The original San Carlos Cathedral still stands in Monterey as the first stone building constructed in California.

Anyway, the Carmel Mission is a lovely place. Here are a few sample photos:

 
  
  
 

There are 130 photos in this Flickr set:

http://flickr.com/photos/fritzliess/sets/72157610753636236/detail/

The Tourists - I Only Want To Be With You

Back in September, my brother sent me a $40 gift certificate for an online store called Archie McPhee. Trying to figure out how to redeem the gift certificate was somewhat of a nightmare. I tried to make a purchase and ended up being charged for the full amount.

Finally, I got the credit card dispute all settled and was able to use my gift. After careful consideration, I purchased something called a Jumbo Mystery Box:

If you like Archie McPhee then you’ll love the Jumbo Mystery Box, the bigger cousin of our Surprise Bag. Inside this 12” x 12” x 16” cardboard box you’ll find a collection of treasures that are sure to make you squeal with glee (or shake your head in puzzled bewilderment). For less than $40, you get over $250 worth of miraculous miscellany. Collection varies according to stock on hand.

Of course, I couldn’t resist a real live mystery! The box just arrived tonight via UPS and I couldn’t wait to find out what is inside.

I was surprised that the box was so heavy. When I opened it, it was obvious that it contained a lot of merchandise — really weird unique merchandise.

Here the box is about half empty. There are all kinds of goodies: sushi placemats, rubber duckies, playing cards, cocktail napkins, something called “Parasite Pals” and cute stickers.

Good God! What am I going to do with all of this crap lovely merchandise?! Actually, there are tons of cool things in here. It really would cost over $250 to order all of this stuff separately — I checked the catalog.

My brother knows that I like kitchy stuff like this. So, it was a very appropriate birthday present. I’m going to have fun playing with all of my new toys for a very long time.

For some reason, this box of goodies reminds me of the 4th of July. I remember opening up the big box of fireworks that Dad would bring home and marveling at all of the brightly colored packages. That was almost as fun as setting off the fireworks (back in those days, parents just turned the kids loose with the fireworks and box of matches).

Anyway, thanks for the gift, Frank. This was definitely worth the $40 bucks they charge.

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

Since the passage of Prop. 8 in California, many people have been trying to figure out how we can protect minorities and other disenfranchised groups from the “tyranny of the majority.” One idea that has been floating around the blogosphere is a new and improved Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), designed to protect not only women but other classes if people who risk being having their rights taken away by popular vote.

Here is my version of the new ERA:

Section 1. Equality of rights under the law in the United States shall not be denied or abridged by the on account of:

• Gender 
• Sexual orientation
• Gender identity
• Immigration status
• The disbelief or denial of the existence of God or gods
• The choice not to practice a religion or creed
• DNA or genetic differences

Section 2. The United States legislature shall have the ability to give additional classes of people protected status with a simple majority vote.

Section 3. The United States legislature shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.

Section 4. No law, policy, executive order, ruling, constitutional revision or amendment shall be passed at any level of government which prevents a protected class from enjoying full access to civil law or the constitutional protections.

In addition to women, immigrants, LGBT people, and those with genetic disorders and differences, my ERA would protect Americans from religious zealots who want to turn this county into a theocracy.

Section 2 would give Congress the ability to add other classes of people to the list when it becomes necessary.

What do you think? How would you write a new ERA? 

We take you now to the North Pole, where the misled and ill-informed Santa’s Elves passed Proposition D by the narrowest of margins. The controversial ballot initiative defined the profession of “dentist” as only being performed legally by a human being—not an elf, and outlawed red-nose reindeer from “leaping, jumping, prancing or in any way participating and/or joining in” any reindeer games.

Mean makes misfits. There’s room for everyone in this big ol’ world. Everyone has worth. Everyone has value. That’s the message behind Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer. Didn’t everyone see this claymation classic when they were a kid? I guess not.

From Aberrant Clone.

In an article on The Blend today, Autumn Sandeen asked the question, “How diverse should a call be for a “gay contingent” in the Inaugural Parade?”

I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised that the comments for this topic strayed into the issue of “appropriate” dress for the LGBT people who may attend the event. I guess I didn’t want to dwell on the fact that many gay and lesbian people are just as prejudiced against those who express their gender differently as the religious right.

Reading many of the comments reminded me of one of my favorite Star Trek episodes, The Return of the Archons. In this particular episode, Kirk and his crew beam down to a planet where the thoughts of the population are controlled by something named Landru. Those who aren’t under Landru’s control are confronted by men in hooded robes, zapped by a staff and taken away to be absorbed into “the Body.”

When someone with free will was discovered on the planet, the guys in the robes would come for him saying, “You will be absorbed.” Then, the person would be zapped and return a blissful conformist.

Unfortunately, the LGBT community seems to have our own version of Landru. Those of us who don’t conform to “normal” styles of dress are pressured to assimilate, rather than harm “the Cause.” It is most common for our version of the hooded goons to focus their displeasure on gay men who wear leather and those who they consider to be “too flamboyant.”