Marathon Man

I just finished watching this awesome film from 1976, starring Dustin Hoffman and Laurence Oliver. If it were made in 2002 I'd say the film showed amazing potential. I'd say, "you see, movies can still be refreshing, surprising and thrilling in unique ways." But it was made in 1976. I can't think of any other movie made quite so well. There were so many nail-biting and surprising points in the movie - from twists in the story to interesting settings to compelling character development.

Thrillers made these days are mostly all the same with very predictable twists and characters. It need not be so.

If you haven't seen it, go see it! The DVD includes two documentaries on the film as well as rehearsal footage.

It is safe!

An Honor I Can Not Refuse

Earlier yesterday I received a strange call, from Congressman Tom Davis' office. I have never been called before by the office of a Congressman. I was invited to become the newest member, in fact an "honorary chairman" of the Business Advisory Council, a division of the National Republican Congressional Committee. Yowee! I am not a registered Republican (nor am I a Democrat) so I have no idea how they found me or why they want me.

Apparently, as the website says, members are chosen for the following reasons:
-Successful entrepreneurial skills
-Committed to conservative business principals
-Ability to display leadership skills in managing a business
-Pro-active communication skills to communicate ideas to party leaders
-Cooperative attitude/ability to generate positive working relationships

Ok, sure, right on!

All honorary chairmen and chairwomen automatically receive the "National Leadership Award." Sounds exciting. Apparently, "This award is given to successful businessmen and businesswomen who share in the Republican ideals of less taxes and regulation on small businesses."

So, from this day forward I require everyone to address me as Chairman Jacob Shwirtz. Does anyone have any messages I should pass along to the leaders of this new club I am now a part of?

Live... At The Apollo... Bill Clinton

Former President of the United States, Bill Clinton, will be headlining a democratic voter registration and fund-raising event tonight at NYC's Apollo Theater, along with Chris Tucker. Earlier in the day the two made some public appearances in Harlem and near NYU. I think it is amazing how popular Bill Clinton is, even 2 years out of office. People love him. He could win a third term in office without campaigning too much.

People often bemoan the lack of leaders (inspirational and otherwise) in these times. While I hesitate to put Bill Clinton or Rudy Giuliani on par with previous generations' leaders, they aren't too shabby on their own merit.

- A great article from USA Today about the President's charisma and how he acted at a recent event in Connecticut (including being nice to the dish washing staff).

- Another recent article from the NY News Day about Bill Clinton's impact one year after moving into Harlem. A cool read. One passage I like: "The word got out (when he dropped in to buy wrapping paper and greeting cards), and people were running down the street saying, 'The President's in Dee's shop! The President's in Dee's shop,'" said owner Dolores Solomon."

History will judge.

By the way, there is a special one-hour documentary on tonight instead of the West Wing. Because NBC's site changes often, I have pasted the show's description here-

REAL-LIFE WEST WING PLAYERS FEATURED IN SPECIAL DOCUMENTARY EPISODE:
The producers of "The West Wing" present a documentary special celebrating the real players inside the White House. The one-hour special will include, among others, interviews with former White House staffers David Gergen, Dee Dee Myers, Henry Kissinger, Leon Panetta and former Presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. The show will also feature highlights of three seasons of the Emmy Award-winning "The West Wing."

Product Advisory Notice

Don't let the alluring, snazzy and flashy website of ConAgra Inc's Act2 Popcorn fool you. Act2 Popcorn is crap. I hope my horrible experience with their defective products will save you, my dear readers.

I recently purchased a case of 24 Light Butter flavor microwave popcorn made by Act2. I was enticed by their claims of "50% less fat and 20% fewer calories than regular microwave popcorn." Hell, how could anyone choose not to purchase "America's #1 microwave popcorn?!"

Don't be fooled! 2 out of every microwave packets are defective. After over 5 minutes in the microwave most are still as flat as the flavor of those that do pop successfully.

Act2 Popcorn is crap. Their packages are defective and should be dropped on Afghanistan.

Stolen Bags

Maybe this has to do with me being from New York, or maybe you have also had these naughty thoughts:

Do you ever wonder how lucky you are when your luggage makes it to you at the conveyor belt of baggge claim areas? How easy is it to steal bags? VERY. I have seldom seen guards check that the bag you're walking out with really belongs to you. It would be so easy for people to go to the airport every single day and steal 1-2 bags. Heck, you could do it on your way back from work. That's what is so tempting - you could fit it so easily into your schedule.

Yet only a small percentage of bags get stolen. Why? I think it is a testament to how amazing our sociaety is.

Similiar lines of thoughts lead me to the same conclusion. We are a pretty great people, Jerry Springer and all.

When was the last time you heard of someone peeing in the corner mailbox?
Or throwing bricks through windows?
Or slashing tires?
Or stealing extra newspapers from the vending machine?

EXACTLY. Few and far between.

I therefore submit for your approval that human kind is, indeed, kind.

Saving the World

This post may seem silly to some, but I don't care. I am a big fan of spy movies, secret organizations, the intelligence game and how leaders make big decisions about saving the world from nuclear oblivion or biological terror.

In some shows/movies the president negotiates settlements and makes the decisions. Like The West Wing.
In some shows a specialist brought in does all the super-hero stuff. Like Clooney in the Peacemaker.
Sometimes the hero is a geeky scientist who shows the experts how it's really done. Like Independence Day.
Sometimes the CIA handles things. Like The Agency.
Sometimes a secret agent from the CIA is the super-hero. Like Mission Impossible.
Sometimes it is a super-secret and "nonexistent" agency. Like La Femme Nikita.

Just this week, the head of the CIA on The Agency saved the world from WWIII between India and Pakistan. Just a few months ago, President Bartlet of The West Wing did the same thing.

I wish the powers that be would decide once and for all who is the lucky guy, girl or group that saves the world. Each of the above has, at one time or another, saved the world from nuclear annihilation. Well, who really does it?

My guess would be that the answer lies in all of the above. Very few CIA, or Mi6 agents are like James Bond or Ethan Hunt. Most sift through tons of terabytes of information all day long. Super-secret groups like Section 1 (La Femme Nikita) or SD-6 (Alias) probably don't exist. And if they do, would I tell YOU? Probably not. There definitely are people/groups at work insuring our survival without our knowing. But most of it gets romanticized (obviously) by our entertainment industries.

It is important to remember that we know very little about their successes. We only find out about their failures. Who knows how many 9-11's have been prevented? How many times has a terrorist come close to setting off a nuclear device? We don't know. We'll never know. It is something to have in mind when we criticize our intelligence agencies (those we know about and those we don't).