November 17, 2006
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FRIDAY FIVE
Appetizer – Do you believe there is intelligent life on other planets?
Actually,
I could care less, but it did make for some great reading when I was in
my high school science fiction period. Some pretty good films too -
klaatu barada nikto! As for life here on earth, may the force be with
you.
Soup – What is one thing you said you’d never do, but you eventually did?
So many broken promises, so little time. On looking up the ten commandments in Wikipedia
I discovered there are as many versions of them as there are religions.
There was a hilarious Stephen Colbert episode recently where he asked
Congressman Lynn Westmoreland, Republican from Georgia who co-sponsors
a bill on the Ten Commandments (I kid you not), to name them. Watch it here
on Youtube. I realized then that I too failed the test. And once I
checked the answers, I figure I’ve broken over half of them.
Salad – Who is the teacher that influenced you the most in school?
This
is sad but I don’t remember a single teacher who stands out as
someone who really encouraged and supported my learning until college
days when I took a Speech class and a kind and diplomatic professor
created an A student out of a panic-stricken, stammering mess.
Main Course – If you could trade places with anyone for one day, who would it be and why?
Buddhism
says all suffering comes from attachment and in my older years I think
I’ve come to know that surfaces are tricky and underneath them almost
everyone has dark places. So rather than trade I’d like to hang out
with: Kathy Kelly, Thich Nhat Hanh, and/or Akiane Kramarik. Tomorrow it will be someone else.
Dessert – What is your favorite dish to prepare?
As
if. Most of us who are the only human in our house know that preparing
actual dishes is time-consuming, costly, and messy. We snack – healthy
or otherwise. Or microwave. Unless we are domestic divas from birth (is
there a word for male domestic divas? and how sexist is that if there
isn’t). I have beaucoup de cookbooks and rarely use them, but a few
times a month I entertain myself with a recipe. Then I store the
leftovers for mini-meals to come. The last such attempt was a pasta
with broccoli and parmesan cheese item – whole wheat pasta and organic
broccoli mind you). Yummy.
Deep Thought:
“I think the best Thanksgiving I ever had was the one where we didn’t
even have a turkey. Mom and Dad sat us kids down and explained that
business hadn’t been good at Dad’s store, so we couldn’t afford a
turkey. We had vegetables and bread and pie, and it was just fine.
Later I went into Mom and Dad’s bedroom to thank them, and I caught
them eating a little turkey. I guess that wasn’t really the best
Thanksgiving.”
Today I am grateful for: A roof over my head
Guess the Movie:
“Who’d you think I was anyway? The guy that walks into a good looking
dame’s front parlour and says, ‘Good afternoon, I sell accident
insurance on husbands… you got one that’s been around too long? One
you’d like to turn into a little hard cash?’” Answer: Double Indemnity, 1944.
Winner: thenarrator.
Waging Peace
by Marianne Williamson
In
the United States, 12 children each day die from gun violence. Homicide
was the second leading cause of death for people ages 10 to 24 in 2001,
with rates 10 times that of other leading industrialized nations. In
2005, there were more than 190,000 reported victims of rape, attempted
rape, or sexual assaults. Acts of terrorism worldwide are up since the
start of the Iraq war. War itself has killed more than half a million
Americans since World War II.
A bill before Congress
would establish a US Department of Peace. This measure would provide
practical, nonviolent solutions for the problems of domestic and
international conflict. It would apply the institutional heft of the US
government to a serious effort not merely at avoiding war or waging war
more effectively. It would take America to the next evolutionary step:
It would proactively wage peace. (Rest of article here.)
Comments (22)
I wouldn’t consider myself a “domestic diva”, but I do love to cook nice meals every night. It’s one of my simple pleasures in life.
*clapping*
woo hoo!
the friday five!
I saw that Colbert Report – laughed my arse off!!!
I saw that on the Colbert Report too! lol It was hilarious. I bet half of those congressmen who suck up to the religious right regarding that whole “placing the Ten Comandments in front of courtrooms” deal, don’t even know what the commandments are. It was especially funny that Westmoreland didn’t know them since he sponsored the bill! lol Anyway, it was interesting because in my religion class a couple of years ago, my professor was saying that he thought it was ridiculous to have the commandments in the court room because none of them are actually laws or anything like that. I think we figured that in the American Legal system you could only be arrested for like 2 of the 10.
a good meal…
Double Indemnity?
Ok, you make my Fridays…
1. Sure, how could there not be? I don’t expect to meet any at the local coffee shop, though.
2. Go back to school. But I’ve kept doing it.
3. Alan Shapiro – English teacher. Read the high school he created here, a school that I think literally saved my life. He told me that I could be a writer… (You can find more of his work at teachablemoment.org
4. I’d like the chance to see the world through the eyes of (Being John Malkovich-like) of a range of brilliant people. To see the world as an astrophysicist does, or the Dalai Lama, or Seamus Heaney…
5. Thick seafood stews
I’m not aware of a term for the male version of a “domestic diva”, but I do like to cook at least one nice meal per day. It’s something I started doing when I was a young and single man.
I’ve never been or even played at being a bleaver, but this heathen can paraphrase all ten of those commandments from memory, though not necessarily in the proper sequence. I guess I’m one up on the congressional fundies.
Yes on Double Indemity! And Shapiro is fantastic.
The movie is Double Indemnity. And I’ve looked all over and can’t find the term for the male diva. Which is ok. The term “diva” comes from the Hindu term for Goddess. Let’s not blow up the egos any more than we have to, ok?
Re: Turtles Can Fly – absolutely brilliant film that everyone should see. So beautiful, so creative (the ability to get inside the children’s point of view), so heartbreaking. I saw it over the summer in an international film series, wish it was everywhere.
And Alan Shapiro proved to me – early on – the power of one person. He fought like a dog to be allowed to work endlessly creating a school he thought would work for all kinds of kids on the edge of dropping out. He then gave us the freedom to rescue ourselves, and re-direct ourselves. He even taught us that failure was ok, that it was the way to learn. Amazing, amazing.
Re your deep thought…. I can’t believe they actually were eating turkey….
*sparkle
Thanks for that Youtube — it was priceless!!!!!
A Department of Peace. What a wonderful thought.
By the time I watched the video and got down browsing all the sites–extensively at Akiane’s–I almost forgot what I was doing here! I’m sure I’ve seen the Ten Commandments somewhere, but don’t feel compelled to look them up, even after laughing at the fool who wants to force them on all of us when he himself can’t name them. Maybe he could get behind something simpler, like my favorite guide to live by: Do the right thing because it’s the right thing to do. That’s much harder than it sounds.
Entertaining & thoughtful, . . as always. Hope your weekend is a good one.
The Buddhist comment is really blowing my mind. I’ve never heard it before & the idea is mind boggling. I doubt there will ever be a Dept. of Peace, though I think it’s a good idea that Kucinich proposed. Especially with the bunch in power now, that wouldn’t fit into the macho posturing that is so prevelant.
I too, saw that episode of The Colbert Report & found it hilarious. I can name most of the 10 Commandments, but I don’t think it belongs in public buildings. Haven’t they heard of the separation of church & state?
You have a site that is different, and I’m always thrilled to find those. I’m going to subscribe to you; I hope that’s ok. Actually I will probably sub from my other site, the81percenter, because I look at it more often. I wish you a happy Thanksgiving.
~Angie
Here I am again to subscribe. I think the Department of Peace would be a great idea, but I suspect people in general could not take it seriously because they have no idea what peace is, whether on a personal or a national level.
~Angie
I don’t consider myself a diva, but love to cook, comes from living in a very small town with only a limited amount of variety.
RYC:
thanks for the compliment on my pictures, I love taking ‘em so glad I can con someone else in to appreciating them too!! marilyn
theo nly modifications are the coloring and a crop.
my sister is throwing mybrother onto this mattress that was proped up against our basement wall, with my mom folding laundry in the next room
Your house eats like mine…I thought I was all alone as a don’t cook .or generally don’t much want to cook woman:)
I actually did all the Thanksgiving cooking two years ago for my family of four. We tried many different things and everyone had a good time and enjoyed themselves; my sister did not get sick and dad ate turkey lol. I don’t think it’s going to happen again any time soon…it’s sad when you don’t have time for those kinds of memories to build up.