Once again we are seeing things unfold in the Mid-East leaving me dumbfounded. After all these years, at long last I thought we were beginning to see some real progress with the Palestine/Israel situation. Moreover, I thought for sure I would be able to return to Beirut for a vacation next year. All is lost now.

If you have not been following the current news in the region you are either one, Rip Van Winkle, and are still asleep, or you are an American. It has become a total fucking disaster. I am trying to stay positive, thinking we can move back from the brink. But, the reports coming out the region, along with the lack of return of soldiers, says all out war maybe upon us.

How do we stop this? We don’t. I am constantly hopeful that the situation in the Mid-East is going to change. I argue quite often to the contrary, but in my heart I want the blood letting to end. The facts of the matter or easy to read. Over the last 5000 years, give or take a couple, these two groups of people have been slaughtering each other of the same piece of worthless land. I mean, I could understand if this was some prime real estate, Ireland, the Falklands, Cuba, Hawaii, China, insert your idea here, but shit it is SAND! Religion mucks it up again. If you take the religious aspect of the conflict out, which I understand you cannot do, what is left. Ignore the oil for a minute. Can some one say Africa?

Let us hope in the coming weeks, especially the next two, this little “misunderstanding” doesn’t blow up, into a full out, war!

It’s only just begun.

Last year it was defeated in the House and this year it looked like it was going to be beaten in the Senate, but it past. Colorado joins 13 other states to pass an indoor smoking ban! This is the best St. Patty’s day’s gift a boy like me could get!

Smoking, outside!

Chris Penn was found dead yesterday in his apartment. As of right now the police are not saying how he died. They are saying it was not from natural causes.

To bad, another good actor is out.

LA Times
Chris Penn

I don’t know about you, but as I watch the pictures on the TV I am dumbfounded by the sheer force of nature. This Hurricane like many before it has simply shown man how powerless we are to stand in the way of the planet. If good old mother earth wants to wreck the lives of millions, she can and there is nothing that can stop her!

I know that, I have only been here a short time. I have not seen any real agony or destruction in person. Which makes me lucky to live the life that I do and as I watch the people on TV and read online about the hardships now and ahead. I take pause at the amazing life I have been given. I also thank my lucky stars I live 6,700 feet above sea level.

Take sometime today and look at what the earth is capable of doing. Read the stories of people coming together to help each other in this time of need. It is amazing what we can achieve when we are not trying to kill each other of some gold coins. It is sad it takes something wholly horrific to bring us together.

USA Today
Nytimes
The Redcross
Salvation Army

Anne Bancroft died yesterday of uterine cancer. She was only 73 years old. So many more roles left for her to play. She was an amazing woman and a fantastic actress. Over the course of her long career she was featured in over 60 films and is one of the few people to have an Oscar, Tony and Emmy to her credit.

I have to admit Anne Bancroft was one of my favorites. From Mrs. Robinson to Helen Keller to her flawless performance in Home for the Holiday’s she could do no wrong. Just another actress in a long line, I wish I could have met.

Anne Bancroft 31-05
Anne (IMDB)

With the death (or as the Republicans say “starvation”) of Terri Schiavo’s and the imminent loss of the Pope it may seem like the end of the world. Let me reassure you that we have a couple of more years.

Over the last couple of weeks the news has really been inundated with Schiavo’s struggle to die. I have heard both sides from the family and the husband. I have seen the media spin this in so many directions, I think many times last week even they didn’t know what the fuck was going on. I have in my life seen some pretty messed up shit, but what the media and the courts have done to this woman not to mention her family is fucked up.

Let me state right now, if I am a vegetable who can smile and move my eyes, PULL THE PLUG. Game over right, that’s not living. To make it even worse you are going to fight with my no good husband to keep me alive for what I see as selfish reasons. Then put my picture in that state, on national TV. What a nightmare! That poor woman, if there is a heaven she is there, because someone who had to endure such great agony deserves something better.

This is a shinning example of why politics, where it is involved in everything we do, should keep the hell out of this type of situation. White men with power and bad hair should not be allowed to mingle in the affairs of families. When politicians or men with great power see the chance to not only forward there own political future but to elevate other political agendas, evil ensues. They used this woman and her family’s misfortune to build a case for Republican re-election, abortion, the right to die, Jesus and the Presidency of the United States. I am not going to deny the fact the family used the media in the same fashion, to help promote their case. But I would like to think it was out of love and not for power?

Don’t get me wrong, or do see if I give a shit, I feel for the family. I think it would be hard for me to pull the plug on my child. But I would like to think, that I would do the right thing for him/her. To be in that state the whole of your life with no way out. Is that anyway to live?

To my friends the Republicans and the Right to Life crowd, I hope you all end up in some vegetative state trapped in your own minds. Lying there going crazy, blinking your eyes and moving your mouth. As you are trying to tell us to kill you, to end your misery so you don’t have to live like this anymore. I will come and visit you and fight for your right to have the tub removed, because unlike you, I am human and I have respect for all humans not just White Christens.

Schiavo
The Pope

No, I just read Debra Hill died yesterday. The family cited cancer as the cause but no details had been released. She was only 54?

NYTIMES
IMDB

Looks like Hunter S. Thomson got a gun and ended it yesterday. He was 67 and one crazy guy. I read Fear and Loathing once, when I was a bit younger and have seen some of his other musings. He was out there and I am surprised he made it as long as he did? Men like that seem to take their own life much sooner. I mean come on, you made 67 years you can’t put in a couple of more, to see how it’s all going to turn out?

I don’t want to sound insensitive, too late, maybe he had an illness he didn’t want to face. If that was the case or hell if he just wanted to check out, props!

H. Thompson

I was just looking at the last 5 blogs. Someone needs to stop watching Dawson’s Creek. I am not going to say his name.

Katie is in Seventeen this month.

Oh, Joey!

Janet Leigh passed away yesterday at the age of 77. Talk about a lady with an extraordinary life! She stared in over 50 films with some of the biggest names in Hollywood during its golden years. Did I mention she was married to Tony Curtis! I was always sure he was gay. Turns out he was just a pretty boy.

She will truly be missed by this fan.

Leigh
IMDB