Thursday, June 27, 2013

TOTALLY TEAM Rachel Jeantel

I'm totally TEAM JEANTEL.   Don West, one of the George Zimmerman's defense attorneys is an arrogant, entitled, white, condescending PRICK.

"That's retarded, Sir."    Good for her.    Shame on West, Esq.

Great article in New Yorker:  http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2013/06/trayvon-martin-rachel-jeantel-on-trial.html


I watched Jane Velez Mitchell's show tonight and the asshole who is George Zimmerman's buddy referred to Ms. Jeantel as "Precious."   He denies that it was a referral to the brilliant film, Precious, which would mean it was a very significant slam by a white "cracker" against a young black female who he suggested looks similar to the character in the movie Precious.   White bigots like Frank Taaffe don't use the word "precious" routinely in their vocabulary.  Despite his denial that it was related to the movie, this was a blatant reference to the film and an insult to Rachel, the witness.

The photo at below shows the brilliant actress playing the character 'Precious' in the eponymous film.


This trial shows how much the "cracker" white world still operates, although now a little less overtly, in many of the same ways it did in early years of last century with regards to racism (I'm white and I've always called white straight males like West, Esq a "cracker."  Can't think of a better term for him, quite frankly). It's not politically correct to talk honestly about "racial" issues and to refer to our past heritage as a country.  We should all be ashamed of that past.  But our collective shame as a nation shouldn't take the form of denial.

The fact that we have a black US President seems to have poured gasoline on the fire of racism.  In the big picture, it will probably move the world forward.  But in our immediate world it seems to have not eliminated racism, but it seems to pushed every fucking button of people who were raised with racism.  Paula Deen is an example.  That is the way the world was.  I am fifty.   My father used the "n" word, and everyone around me did as well when I was a child in the sixties and seventies in Lubbock, Texas (I'm ashamed to say).  He was such a racist that he wouldn't let me attend public elementary, at the time of integration, because my teacher was black.  Instead, I was sent to a Catholic school, even though I was methodist.  But that was the culture.  I have spent my entire lifetime ridding myself of all of the programming.  It was wrong then, it's wrong now.  But it DID exist.

For me the definition of a "cracker" is a straight male who is white, bigoted, and "probly" misogynistic and obviously proudly ignorant and not-embarrassed at the ignorance.

Watch HLN.   I'm TEAM JEANTEL in every respect.  The Zimmerman defense lawyer Don West humiliated himself this.  I felt nothing but anger and shame for him.  He looked bufoonish at times especially with his "knock/knock" joke in opening statements and then to his openly racist and bigoted treatment of Rachel Jeantel.   He carries all the shame for that encounter.  Shame on you Don West, Esq.   May this curse you for eternity.

Interesting week for illustrating just how much racism still exists in our country and white "crackers" are starting to dig in their feet against true change:  the Paula Deen controversy and the Zimmerman trial.  Not to mention what SCOTUS gutting of voter's rights protection (this was perhaps the MOST shameful moment?).

For every step forward (SCOTUS DOMA decision) you take twenty steps backward in one week.

Sunday, June 23, 2013

"You have one-too-many posters of Michael Phelps in Speedos". HYSTERICAL breakup letter which shows good reasons for dumping this lousy boyfriend

This is an hysterical breakup letter written by a frustrated girlfriend to her loser boyfriend (she gives many reasons illustrating).   All of reasons she lists are wicked funny, but I think my favorites are the Michael Phelps and One Direction bullet points.  How about you?  Which ones do you think are funniest?

The author of this missive is really very smart and clearly deserves better than this lout??  I read this on Daily Mail. See the link below the photo.

 


The text reads:

WHY I'M DUMPING YOU

  • You think 'Predator 2' was better than the original.
  • It's not Cousint, it's cousin.
  • You referred to your Cockatoo as your baby.
  • The air brushed clothing
  • You eat your cereal with water instead of milk.  So Gross
  • You can name all of the dudes in 1Direction.
  • You have one-too-many posters of Michael Phelps in a speedo.
  • You used air quotes when you talked about the moon landing.
  • "Snow Dogs" is your favorite movie.
  • You insist on calling the President Barrack HUSSAIN Obama.
  • Must you tell EVERY SINGLE PERSON about that time that you were visited by aliens?!
  • You kiss your entire family on the mouth.
  • Your Taz tattoo.
  • Vegans do not eat bacon, dumbass.
  • You wore sweatpants to my grandma's wedding -- and NO it doesn't matter that they were black.
  • Your aol email address.
  • Two words:  Leather Pants.
  • Your favorite actor is Kirk Cameron.
  • You've used the phrase "Jay Leno said the funniest thing..."
  • You told me "put on something sexy, we're going to Red Lobster."


Have a Nice Life!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2346373/You-eat-cereal-water-Girlfriends-hilarious-dumping-boyfriend-hits-internet.html#ixzz2X3qOaDze
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Saturday, June 15, 2013

HENRY CAVILL: Sexiest Man Alive.....undoubtedly. The perfect male form!

I just saw Man of Steel, the new Superman movie that debuted today starring the most perfect man alive, British actor Henry Cavill.   He is utterly, drop-dead gorgeous in this movie.   Sort of makes JFK Jr (R.I.P.) look a little less god-like????? No?
 

His full name is Henry William Dalgliesh Cavill.  He's 30 years old and hails from Jersey, United Kingdom.


I became aware of the beauty and the talent of this actor from the HBO series, The Tudors, which was about King Henry VIII.  Cavill appeared in the series as one of the principal characters, Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, who was King Henry VIII's best friend. (For many years, which is remarkable for anyone who lived around the King didn't really have longevity being a friend Henry's or alive for that matter).

Cavill was astonishingly beautiful in the most manly sort of way in The Tudors. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tudors)   He had a wonderful hairy chest and a sexy full beard.  He was perfect in the role, in a very good television show.

He makes a spectacular Superman in this new reboot of the much-franchised film series.  I was thrilled to see that Henry wasn't waxed/shaved in the Superman film, as is all the fashion these days for men (and so unappealing).   And, he was quite buff.  Although my friend Zack said he thought he was so because of Steroids?  I'm not usually attracted to pumped up men, but Zack is my trainer and I will trust his word. Fortunately, this latest Superman character is buff, but not bizarre looking, which one sees in any gym in your neighborhood.  No Hulks!

At the same time, Cavill's amazing, beautiful, handsome, masculine, virile face in the movie is gaunt. It somehow diminished the steroid-looking body that he displayed.    

He really does fill out the Superman outfit (sans the red speedos which a wardrobe change in this film).

This dude is hot.  Channing Tatum is homely next to this dude.  Voila

Henry Cavill is a very talented actor.   The film, although not my usual cup o' tea, was great.

Go see it!  To enjoy two and a half hours of eye candy.....and a compelling and entertaining film and not just because of the eye candy. 

I really think that we'll be seeing a lot more of Henry Cavill in the future.  He is too talented, and like Bradley Cooper, very handsome.  A double threat?   A triple threat?

Friday, June 14, 2013

EWAN McGregor!







This is one beautiful man.

And really a brilliant actor.  He is performing an amazing range of roles and in many ways outperforming (IMHO) his contemporaries.

One of my very favorite films from last year, and for all time, is Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, starring two genius actors:   Ewan McGregor and the goddess, Emily Blunt.  Not to mention the brilliant Kristin Scott Thomas.







I've watched this film maybe twenty times since it was released.  I watched it again the other day a couple of times.   Ewan is so fucking charming.   But I was utterly enchanted when he used the word "doolally" in his sexy Scottish accent (everything about this dude is sexy).

I LOVE this word, "doolally", that his character uses.    It describes the world in which we live.  This is the definition I found from http://thefreedictionary.com/p/doolally:

doolally [duːˈlælɪ]
adj
Slang out of one's mind; crazy In full doolally tap
[originally military slang, from Deolali, a town near Bombay, the location of a military sanatorium + Hindustani tap fever]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003

Great word to use for out time.   Especially for the insane "Tea" and Republican Party. Not to mention the religions (especially Christian) around the world:   "Fucking" Doolally.

You should see the brilliant movie, Salmon Fishing In the Yemen!







Saturday, June 8, 2013

Elephants mourn

This is a heinous photo of a baby elephant who is mourning its dead mother.   Is that a lion in the background?  And a hyena on the right?

This is hideous.   And this incredibly intelligent and loving creature was slaughtered by mankind.  This was not a kill for food (although the way that lion and hyena are looking, they probably may have had "fast food" for the day).

This was a kill to satiate wretched excessively wealthy people who collect ivory.  This photo breaks my heart.  See article link below.    Also visit my other elephant blog postings, by clicking here.  





http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2317752/Heart-wrenching-moment-baby-elephant-discovers-mother-died--refuses-leave-side.html

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

This is a modern architectural RENOVATION wonder: former cement factory becomes a MEDIEVAL CASTLE in Spain



I love modern architecture.  I took a History of Architecture course at local college and one of the assignments was a "blog" about local medieval architecture samples.  I drove around our community, Palm Springs (Southern California), which is primarily mid-century modern, and find it difficult to see overt medieval architecture influences.  

So I went to the web and searched for interesting samples from around the world.  I found a wonderful home, of architect Ricardo Bofill, in Barcelona, Spain that remade a cement factory into a modern medieval castle/home/office for the architect and his family.

I love this home, because it is at the same time ultra-modern, and yet it incorporates elements of medieval architecture.  The home was originally a cement factory. The architect has literally taken a very unattractive cement factory, the essence of form following function (with little concern for its aesthetics), and transformed it into an elegant, modern castle, while still evoking it's original function with the extensive use of concrete


The photo below shows the cement factory circa 1973 (all photographs in this blog entry are from http://spfaust.wordpress.com/2012/01/11/re-architecture-cement-factory-transformed-into-contemporary-medieval-castle/)



The architect used the original architectural elements of the factory, like the 30 silos that he redesigned to look like castle towers or turrets, transforming the former factory into a modern and very beautiful medieval castle (see photos below illustrating the transformation before and after).
Before


After
 
Bofill incorporated arched windows into the factory's silos, to further create the medieval castle theme, evoking turrets.  The arched windows are seen throughout the property.  I love the interior.  It is furnished very minimally as modern design often is, but the extensive concrete with the arched windows creates truly a unique contemporary experience (see photos at bottom).













I especially LOVE this photo below.  Note how small the grand piano (at bottom left hand corner) seems in this grand room.  Nothing else in the room but a couple of rugs, and concrete.  Which accentuate the arches.



Note the model at the right side of the photo of one of the architect's skyscraper designs.  The United/Continental Holdings headquarters building in Chicago (the photo of the completed skyscraper is below).

 
Bofill is a world-renowned post-modernist architect. To learn more, read here.  He started his architecture firm, 'Taller de Arquitectura', in 1963.  I'm not a big post-modernist fan, but I have to say I love what Mr. Bofill did with his house, which is known as "The Cement Factory."

I think The Cement Factory is the perfect example of how a structure, which was completely utilitarian in form and function, can be transformed into a very elegant, contemporary home, that is both warm and inviting.   I would imagine that when the architects originally designed the factory they would have never guessed that it would one day become a residence.  Certainly not one that is this beautiful.   And he did so using the original structure in its entirety, accentuating it's austerity and adding simple features to make it seem like a medieval castle.  It is a very strange pairing of modern/medieval design which is spectacularly successful, in my opinion.