On the web site of the Hartford Courant today, there's an article, "Perez Supporters Gather For Prayer Vigil," about a prayer vigil for embattled Mayor Eddie Perez, who is currently under indictment on corruption charges,
Regular readers of this blog know that I am a fan of religion.
But aside from those held for victims of illness or of a cataclysmic event (a brutal murder; a devastating car accident, usually involving young people; or a plane crash), I'm not a fan of the public prayer vigil.
Such vigils usually, like this one for Mayor Perez, are more about politics than prayer, and usually center on "crosses," as Mayor Perez described his legal trouble, that are more self-inflicted than anything else.
In your present situation, it's probably a good idea to pray, Eddie, but no one's trying to crucify you, so it behooves you to keep your prayers (and those of your disciples) to yourself.
03 March 2009
01 March 2009
Who cares about the nuclear family, let's encourage the return of the cultured international caregiver
Forget the poll to the right about your favorite Sinatra wife, comment here on your favorite television nanny:
If Bruce Wayne's ward, Dick Grayson, a.k.a., "Robin The Boy Wonder," had been younger, I might have thrown in Alfred Pennyworth (Alan Napier) from the only live action incarnation of Batman worth mentioning, the 60s TV version.
(PS: Wouldn't it have been awesome if Heath Ledger's family accepted his posthumous Academy Award last week in Joker make-up?)
Mr. French from Family Affair (Sebastian Cabot)
Phoebe Figalilly, a. k. a."Nanny," from Nanny and the Professor (Juliet Mills)
Mrs. Livingston from The Courtship of Eddie's Father (Miyoshi Umecki)
Uncle Bub/Uncle Charlie from My Three Sons (Williams Frawley and Demarest)
(Granted, these uncles weren't foreign, per se, but they had been in the military and had seen the world!)
If Bruce Wayne's ward, Dick Grayson, a.k.a., "Robin The Boy Wonder," had been younger, I might have thrown in Alfred Pennyworth (Alan Napier) from the only live action incarnation of Batman worth mentioning, the 60s TV version.
(PS: Wouldn't it have been awesome if Heath Ledger's family accepted his posthumous Academy Award last week in Joker make-up?)
And, nota bene, "Fran Fine" from The Nanny (Fran Drescher) doesn't even come close to meriting a mention in this category, as foreign as she still seems to us all!
The first New Works New Britain Theatre Festival
Last night I attended the inaugural New Works New Britain Theatre Festival at Trinity-on-Main, and I enjoyed it tremendously. Nine one act plays in just under three hours, with a healthy intermission between plays 5 and 6, the event produced by New Britainite Mark Ohanesian and Carolyn Paine, brought to the stage a wide variety of situations and characters, from the silly to the deadly serious, with energy and skill.
Not all were equally successful, some due to confused direction, a less-than-satisfying script, or a pedestrian performance or two. Most, however, worked quite well, especially "Sisters" by Alex Dueben, directed by the aforementioned Mr. Ohanesian with Nick Roesler and Megan Weaver, and, "Driving Force," a little post-coital look at relationships by Jenny Lecce and directed by David McCamish. The former was the play that clicked best on all fronts: script/acting/direction. The latter, while it seemed to wander a bit at times, worked nonetheless because the actors, especially Andre Warmsley as Ben, were so natural in their performances.
The crowd most enjoyed "Stool" by Jacques Lamarre with its broadly comic bumpkins-in-the-big-city theme, but as the woman behind me predicted to her companion the outcome just after the play's halfway mark, its payoff was hardly surprising. The midwesterner in me, admittedly, thought the premise just a wee bit out-dated, but the actors were having fun...and, as I said before, the audience quite enjoyed it.
The most serious of the pieces was "Close Your Eyes" by Erin Striff which dramatized an infanticide by a British tourist in the '90s. While it contained marvelous moments of acting by the mother, Iris McQuillan-Grace, the play was hurt by staging that either the actors didn't execute well or was too confused to be comprehended (by me, at least).
These are minor quibbles, however. Overall, the evening was an undeniable success. Congratulations to all involved. I look forward to New Works New Britain II in 2010!
Not all were equally successful, some due to confused direction, a less-than-satisfying script, or a pedestrian performance or two. Most, however, worked quite well, especially "Sisters" by Alex Dueben, directed by the aforementioned Mr. Ohanesian with Nick Roesler and Megan Weaver, and, "Driving Force," a little post-coital look at relationships by Jenny Lecce and directed by David McCamish. The former was the play that clicked best on all fronts: script/acting/direction. The latter, while it seemed to wander a bit at times, worked nonetheless because the actors, especially Andre Warmsley as Ben, were so natural in their performances.
The crowd most enjoyed "Stool" by Jacques Lamarre with its broadly comic bumpkins-in-the-big-city theme, but as the woman behind me predicted to her companion the outcome just after the play's halfway mark, its payoff was hardly surprising. The midwesterner in me, admittedly, thought the premise just a wee bit out-dated, but the actors were having fun...and, as I said before, the audience quite enjoyed it.
The most serious of the pieces was "Close Your Eyes" by Erin Striff which dramatized an infanticide by a British tourist in the '90s. While it contained marvelous moments of acting by the mother, Iris McQuillan-Grace, the play was hurt by staging that either the actors didn't execute well or was too confused to be comprehended (by me, at least).
These are minor quibbles, however. Overall, the evening was an undeniable success. Congratulations to all involved. I look forward to New Works New Britain II in 2010!
28 February 2009
Put me in, coach, I'm ready to serve...
In today's Hartford Courant, there's a story about "prison coaches" who teach white collar criminals how to survive prison life.
Now there's a job for which having done time would be a condition of my hiring an applicant. No time served, no job offer!
Indeed, I'd have a series of questions, the answers to which would help me determine the suitability of the candidate:
How many times have you seen the following films:
Papillon, starring Dustin Hoffman (1973)
The Birdman of Alcatraz, starring Burt Lancaster (1962)
Carbine Williams, starring Jimmy Stewart (1952)
What prison films should I have been watching all these years to prepare myself -- since I fear these will not help at all?
How many shivs have you made? Out of what materials?
How many shivs have you used? To what effect?
Is there a place I could order a shiv since I'm not all that handy?
Conjugal visits: yea or nay?
If I asked real nicely, what are the odds I can get the top bunk right away?
Preferred cake in which to bake a file: Black Forest, Angel Food, Carrot?
Since I already have one year of law school under my belt, how many sentences need I serve to become a real jailhouse lawyer?
Which image should I have tattooed on my right shoulder to send the appropriate message to my fellow inmates: a Chinese dragon, an axe, or a butterfly (a poignant allusion to Papillon)?
Given my questions, how long do you think I'll survive in prison: 1 day, 2 days, 6 hours?
Now there's a job for which having done time would be a condition of my hiring an applicant. No time served, no job offer!
Indeed, I'd have a series of questions, the answers to which would help me determine the suitability of the candidate:
How many times have you seen the following films:
Papillon, starring Dustin Hoffman (1973)
The Birdman of Alcatraz, starring Burt Lancaster (1962)
Carbine Williams, starring Jimmy Stewart (1952)
What prison films should I have been watching all these years to prepare myself -- since I fear these will not help at all?
How many shivs have you made? Out of what materials?
How many shivs have you used? To what effect?
Is there a place I could order a shiv since I'm not all that handy?
Conjugal visits: yea or nay?
If I asked real nicely, what are the odds I can get the top bunk right away?
Preferred cake in which to bake a file: Black Forest, Angel Food, Carrot?
Since I already have one year of law school under my belt, how many sentences need I serve to become a real jailhouse lawyer?
Which image should I have tattooed on my right shoulder to send the appropriate message to my fellow inmates: a Chinese dragon, an axe, or a butterfly (a poignant allusion to Papillon)?
Given my questions, how long do you think I'll survive in prison: 1 day, 2 days, 6 hours?
27 February 2009
Tattoo You!
I just saw a television commercial for a local tattoo parlor, Ride My Needle, which suggested gift certificates because a tattoo is "the perfect gift for any occasion."
Who knew?
Mother's Day make sense...a nice "MOM" inside a heart on a boy's left bicep would, perhaps, bring a tear to anyone, but:
Birthdays?
Weddings?
Anniversaries?
Graduations?
First Communions?
I'm stocking up now!
Who knew?
Mother's Day make sense...a nice "MOM" inside a heart on a boy's left bicep would, perhaps, bring a tear to anyone, but:
Birthdays?
Weddings?
Anniversaries?
Graduations?
First Communions?
I'm stocking up now!
But God help him if he has any overdue books!
From today's Inside Higher Ed:
Goucher Lets Professor Accused of Genocide Use Library
Goucher College has decided to let Leopold Munyakazi, a visiting French professor who was suspended after Goucher officials learned he is accused of participating in the genocide in Rwanda, use the college library, The Baltimore Sun reported. Munyakazi denies participating in genocide and some human rights experts are skeptical of the charges he faces. Goucher officials said that they decided to let him use the library, despite his suspension, in response to a student-organized petition that argued that scholars should not be denied access to a college library.
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