lookin

Listening to Karl Rove rail against divisiveness is sort of like listening to Samuel J. Carter rail against little liver pills.

Perhaps he's tied up.

My fault entirely for not properly baiting the hook. Wannabe Golden Boy Toys figured they had two months to make twenty-five posts. But now they wonder. Will a kindly Wizard come to the rescue, or are they screwed?

Hito, the last time I saw anybody with as many rings as you have, he was tickling the ivories in Vegas. Entranced as I am by your suggestion, I think I'll just stay on the sidelines until you're finished shopping it around on MER. I'm not a Mormon, you know.

Other than that he stick with semiotics and hotel critiques, not a one. Though I wouldn't count on him to give you away should Hito fancy a Church wedding.

Did find this: In discussing homosexuality and the church, here is what Eco says: "I confess that homosexuals who want to be recognized by the Church and priests who want to get married exasperate me. I take off my shoes when I enter a mosque, and when I'm in Jerusalem I accept that in some buildings, on Saturday, the elevators run on automatic and stop on every floor. If I want to keep my shoes on or control the elevator, I go somewhere else." Very interesting.

How to turn off predictive text in the iPad and Samsung Galaxy. No knead to think me.

A boytoy is neither a boy nor a toy. Discuss.

That's some pretty clear thinking, Mister! Very well said.

Believe it or not, I did read the New York Times reviews before seeing the two films, especially Cloud Atlas. What they had to say about that one was not especially enlightening: Together the filmmakers try so hard to give you everything — the secrets of the universe and the human heart; action, laughs and romance; tragedy and mystery — that you may wind up feeling both grateful and disappointed. Well, I knew from reading the book that there wasn't much else they could do. Many believed there wasn't any way they could make the book into a movie, including David Mitchell, the author. One pundit predicted it might be a dog's breakfast of a film. The New Yorker review was a bit more useful: . . . the best thing about “Cloud Atlas” is that it could, and should, turn into a properly divisive film, touching off feuds between the fervid and the splenetic, but one has to ask: does it allow for immersion? Well, yes it does, especially if you remember to take adequate precautions in the parking lot just prior. But, in the end, both reviews encouraged you to go see for yourself, which I had every intention of doing since I enjoyed the book so much. Oh, and did I mention Ben Wishaw? Famous composer Vivyan Ayers doesn't know he needs an amanuensis until Robert Frobisher shows up The Times review of The Flat was more informative but, again, it neither dissuaded me nor made me more fervent about seeing the film. I don't go to a lot of movies and I really hate finding myself sitting through a stinker. So I do tend to read several reviews before plunking down my $6.50. I usually like the New Yorker's reviews best, but more than once I've been very grateful for the tips from my fellow posters here at MER.

True enough. I had the advantage of reading the book first, so I knew who the characters were. Roger Ebert said he'd see it twice. Frankly, I didn't see how they could make a movie of it, and they succeeded by quick cuts (more like television I thought) and loose connections between them. What you'll get is three hours of nonstop entertainment up on the screen. And did I mention it has Ben Wishaw? I don't think it's had a very wide release, but the critics liked it and so did I. Imagine a friendship between a German Jewish family and a high-ranking Nazi officer before, during, and after the war. The film picks up after their death when their Tel Aviv apartment is being cleaned out by their children and grandchildren and the unlikely friendship is discovered and revealed. And it's all true. Amazing to ponder on how many shades of gray there are, and how we can compartmentalize our lives. Again, well worth the price of admission.

Sorry, MsGuy, we work with what we have.

Or didn't see the three movies you asked about. If The Flat or Cloud Atlas gets on your list, I'll be happy to weigh in.

If I've asked her once, I've asked her thirty million times to put the damned cap back on the toothpaste!

Have I won anything? Here's post 1465 and, if I've got it figured out right, this should be my 25th post and I should have hit the bogey. But in re-reading the rules I wonder if I've discovered an ambiguity: Does this mean I have to come back and do a reprise in December, or can I just skulk off now and wait for my new Gold Member prize to kick in?

A $10 million lawsuit for morally damaging 25 thousand concert-goers seems a bit rich to me. That works out to four hundred bucks a head. Hell, I'd be glad to damage their morals for a lot less than that. At least the guys in the audience. At those prices, maybe AdamSmith would be willing to step in and debase the ladies.

Hate to see you go, however briefly. You're a warm presence here. I went through a financial trough many years ago, when Thanksgiving dinner was a turkey and stuffing sandwich from Togo's with cranberry sauce on top no less. Things started improving the following year and kept going till the money literally started rolling in. (And out again too, but that's another post.) Trust your fortunes will improve likewise and just as fast.

Couldn't have said it any better! What's amazing, to me anyway, about Ricky Martin is that he has been cute his entire life! Lots of folks have certain periods they go through when they can be called cute. (For me it was my third summer. ) But I've never seen Ricky Martin look anything but cute. He has got him a fine and long-lasting set of genes!

Really good question. And what if someone decides he's bisexual? Is that enough to warrant an announcement? It would be fun if all twenty thirty forty umpty-ump million decided to come out on the same day.

Actually, 60 Minutes had a good segment last night on college football, and Nick Saban was featured. And Joe Paterno was, as you say, an easy lie. But who can resist a bit of horseplay with a couple of jocks?

When asked by archnemesis, Darius Biederbeck, 'What kind of fiend are you?', Phibes allows, 'The kind that wins, my friend.' And here's how it gets started, along with other quotes from the film and an enthusiastic second to AdamSmith's recommendation. Vincent Price as Dr. Phibes (or is it the other way around?): Victoria, for three years I have rested by your side. Now the moon has risen to the exact position which last occurred two thousand years ago, signaling the opening of this crypt, and the beginning of our greatest adventure. We shall embark to the land of Egypt, where years ago I did prepare for us a wondrous shrine. I shall search for the river of life, which holds the key to resurrection for you and eternal life for both of us. Apparently, his trusted assistant, Vulnavia (!), has been standing by all this time in case he needs her. I call on you once more, Vulnavia, come my trusted aide. [Vulnavia appears] Thank you, my dear, for answering my call. Upstairs, in my safe, is a most precious map of papyrus. The way to a pharaoh's tomb! Beneath which flows, each two thousand years, the River of Life. We must make haste and find the river at its flood. And so they do, never forgetting to stop and smell the flowers along the way.

Thank you! I picked up a little steam when he got to the part about some guy grabbing his enormous bonus, and then the lights went out again.

So one would think. Yesterday, cbnick shared an experience with a pole dancer in Phoenix. Not only did I like the post but I thought, like Lucky, it might give a little encouragement to a new poster if I were to sign in and actually 'like' the post. So that's what I did. I remember how much I enjoyed my first 'like' and wanted to pass the experience on. Imagine my surprise when the 'like' count for the new poster didn't budge. I could see the 'like' in his 'received' list, and I could see it in my 'given' list, but still the 'like' counter didn't move one iota. Just to make sure, I opened the post again this morning, logged in, 'unliked' it, and then 'liked' it again. Same thing. It shows up in his 'received' list, and it shows up in my 'given' list, but it doesn't show up in the poster's total number of 'likes'. As I mentioned, this is a new poster with only a couple of posts, so it's not like the numbers have become too large to keep track of. Is it possible that there is a glitch in the 'likes' software? Or maybe the programmers have decided that some posts, or some posters, or some likers, are just unlikeable? Very odd, whatever the reason, and I'd like to think that it will be fixed. It was also interesting to note that, after a good night's sleep, I was able to open a post and 'unlike' it the next day. Even though this was just an experiment, and I immediately 're-liked' it again, it was nevertheless noteworthy that I was able to 'unlike' a 'like' even after several hours and, presumably, after several days, weeks, or months. That seems to open the door not only for undoing any inadvertent 'likes' one may have given oneself, but also to 'unlike' the posts of others should either the post or the poster not withstand the test of time. While we may start looking forward to seeing our 'like' totals go up as the years roll by, is it likely there will come a time when we notice them starting to go down, just as if some strange presence sits noodling at the keyboard of our self-esteem?

I know! And yet Lucky wonders if I'm contrary. Go figger. While I'm not distressed by the nudity of others, personally, I prefer leaving a little something to the imagination.