No Baseball Strike!

God save the queen - the millionaires and billionaires came to an agreement. Now I can go back to sleeping at night.

CNN = Not News or Just Bad News

Air marshals hate their job. Many call in sick and a whole bunch of them are quitting every single day. CNN just did a story on them and the laughable reporter said:

"Apparently they are flying 10 days a week!"

She put such an emphasis on it, making her stupidity that much more funny. I'd also quit my job if I had to do something 10 days a week!

One man's junk is another man's dollar bill

Just got the most interesting non-joke spam I have ever received. It is all about the meaning of the various symbols on the US one dollar bill. The author's final comments are why I chose to republish the email below in its entirety:

Take out a one dollar bill, and look at it. The one dollar bill you're looking at first came off the presses in 1957 in its present design. This so-called paper money is in fact a cotton and linen blend, with red and blue minute silk fibers running through it. It is actually material. We've all washed it without it falling apart. A special blend of ink is used, the contents we will never know. It is overprinted with symbols and then it is starched to make it water resistant and pressed to give it that nice crisp look.

If you look on the front of the bill, you will see the United States Treasury Seal. On the top you will see the scales for a balanced budget. In the center you have a carpenter's square, a tool used for an even cut. Underneath is the Key to the United States Treasury. That's all pretty easy to figure out, but what is on the back of that dollar bill is something we should all know.

If you turn the bill over, you will see two circles. Both circles, together, comprise the Great Seal of the United States. The First Continental Congress requested that Benjamin Franklin and a group of men come up with a Seal. It took them four years to accomplish this task and another two years to get it approved.

If you look at the left-hand circle, you will see a Pyramid. Notice the face is lighted, and the western side is dark. This country was just beginning. We had not begun to explore the West or decided what we could do for Western Civilization. The Pyramid is un-capped, again signifying that we were not even close to being finished. Inside the capstone you have the all-seeing eye, an ancient symbol for divinity. It was Franklin's belief that one man couldn't do it alone, but a group of men, with the help of God, could do anything.

"IN GOD WE TRUST" is on this currency. The Latin above the pyramid, ANNUIT COEPTIS, means, "God has favored our undertaking." The Latin below the pyramid, NOVUS ORDO SECLORUM, means, "a new order has begun." At the base of the pyramid is the Roman Numeral for 1776. If you look at the right-hand circle, and check it carefully, you will learn that it is on every National Cemetery in the United States. It is also on the Parade of Flags Walkway at the Bushnell, Florida National Cemetery, and is the centerpiece of most hero's monuments. Slightly modified, it is the seal of the President of the United States, and it is always visible whenever he speaks, yet very few people know what the symbols mean.

The Bald Eagle was selected as a symbol for victory for two reasons: First, he is not afraid of a storm; he is strong, and he is smart enough to soar above it. Secondly, he wears no material crown. We had just broken from the King of England. Also, notice the shield is unsupported. This country can now stand on its own. At the top of that shield you have a white bar signifying congress, a unifying factor. We were coming together as one nation. In the Eagle's beak you will read, "E PLURIBUS UNUM", meaning, "one nation from many people".

Above the Eagle, you have thirteen stars, representing the thirteen original colonies, and any clouds of misunderstanding rolling away. Again, we were coming together as one. Notice what the Eagle holds in his talons. He holds an olive branch and arrows. This country wants peace, but we will never be afraid to fight to preserve peace. The Eagle always wants to face the olive branch, but in time of war, his gaze turns toward the arrows.

They say that the number 13 is an unlucky number. This is almost a worldwide belief. You will usually never see a room numbered 13, or any hotels or motels with a 13th floor. But think about this: 13 original colonies, 13 signers of the Declaration of Independence, 13 stripes on our flag, 13 steps on the Pyramid, 13 letters in the Latin above, 13 letters in "E Pluribus Unum", 13 stars above the Eagle, 13 bars on that shield, 13 leaves on the olive branch, 13 fruits, and if you look closely, 13 arrows. And, for minorities: the 13th Amendment.

I always ask people, "Why don't you know this?" Your children don't know this, and their history teachers don't know this. Too many veterans have given up too much to ever let the meaning fade. Many veterans remember coming home to an America that didn't care. Too many veterans never came home at all.

"I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am, let's face it."

Just watched my last movie of this, the weekend of movies. And boy what a movie it was!

On the Waterfront (1954) has got to rank within the top 5 greatest movies I have ever seen. Innovation, gimmicks, clever ideas, technology and the like are fine for modern pallets but there will never be anything like the simply awesome quality of great classic movies.

Unlike today, movies such as On the Waterfront are all about the characters and what's happening in their heads. This movie takes on the concepts of betrayal, of staying true to oneself or to the collective good, of being a "d and d or a canary" (either deaf and dumb or an informer).

One of the most classic lines from all of cinema, "I coulda been a contender" is part of what amounts to one of the most powerful, intellectually and emotionally intense scenes from all of cinema. The cab scene is so deeply layered with double-crossing, family strife, betrayal and the question of what being a traitor really is. It compels the viewer to watch, rewatch, drink some coffee and watch again. Can you imagine a screenplay today calling for the reaction Marlon Brando had to his brother, Rod Steiger pulling a gun on him? We'd never see the same slow, calm and disappointed "oh Charley" reaction.

If I were back in film school this posting would be much longer (my various thesis were on Casino, Vertigo and The Graduate). If you've never seen the film then call in sick tomorrow!

If you're wondering, here's a listing of the movies I saw this weekend: (quite the diverse list!)
Simone
NY: A Documentary Film, Part 1
Time Code
Bubble Boy
Black Hawk Down
Rushmore
Beautiful Mind
Serving Sara
On the Waterfront

I'm Salivating Already

Check out the trailer for Jerry Seinfeld' movie Comedian.