-A Storm of Swords (George R.R. Martin)
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Quote of the Day
Everyone knew that bastards were wanton and treacherous by nature, having been born of lust and deceit.
Posted with Blogsy
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Tina Fey on Rape
Summarizing the views of many frustrated pro-choice women, comedian Tina Fey told an audience at a benefit for the Center for Reproductive Rights Wednesday night: “if I have to listen to one more gray-faced man with a two-dollar haircut explain to me what rape is, I’m gonna lose my mind!”
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Pre-Christian influences in Halloween
The Halloween holiday is commonly thought to have pagan roots, even though the etymology of the word is Christian. Historian Nicholas Rogers, exploring the origins of Halloween, notes that while "some folklorists have detected its origins in the Roman feast of Pomona, the goddess of fruits and seeds, or in the festival of the dead called Parentalia, it is more typically linked to the Celtic festival of Samhain, derived from the Old Irish Samuin meaning "summer's end". Samhain was the first and the most important of the four quarter days in the medieval Irish and Scottish calendar and, falling on the last day of autumn, it was a time for stock-taking and preparation for the cold winter months ahead. There was also a sense that this was the time of year when the physical and supernatural worlds were closest and magical things could happen. The souls of the dead were supposed to revisit their homes on Samhain eve. To ward off these spirits, the Gaels built huge, symbolically regenerative bonfires and invoked the help of the gods through animal and perhaps even human sacrifice. In the Western Isles of Scotland the Sluagh, or fairy host was regarded as composed of the souls of the dead flying through the air, and the feast of the dead at Hallowe'en was likewise the festival of the fairies.
Quote of the Day
For the oak recalls the acorn, the acorn dreams the oak, the stump lives in them both.
-A Storm of Swords (George R.R. Martin)
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Quote of the Day
I count no day as lived unless I have loved a woman, slain a foeman, and eaten a fine meal...
-A Storm of Swords (George R.R. Martin)
Christianity and Halloween
Christian attitudes towards Halloween are diverse. In the Anglican Church, some dioceses have chosen to emphasize the Christian traditions associated with All Hallow's Eve. Some of these practises include praying, fasting and attending worship services.
Father, All-Powerful and Ever-Living God, today we rejoice in the holy men and women of every time and place. May their prayers bring us your forgiveness and love. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. —All Hallow's Eve Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours
Other Protestant Christians also celebrate the holiday as Reformation Day, a day to remember the Protestant Reformation, alongside All Hallow's Eve or independently from it. Often, "Harvest Festivals" or "Reformation Festivals" are held, in which children dress up as Bible characters or Reformers.
Father Gabriele Amorth, a Vatican-appointed exorcist in Rome, has said, "if English and American children like to dress up as witches and devils on one night of the year that is not a problem. If it is just a game, there is no harm in that." In more recent years, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston has organized a "Saint Fest" on the holiday.
Similarly, many contemporary Protestant churches view Halloween as a fun event for children, holding events in their churches where children and their parents can dress up, play games, and get candy for free. Many Christians ascribe no negative significance to Halloween, treating it as a purely cultural holiday devoted to celebrating "imaginary spooks" and handing out candy. To these Christians, Halloween holds no threat to the spiritual lives of children: being taught about death and mortality, and the ways of the Celtic ancestors actually being a valuable life lesson and a part of many of their parishioners' heritage. In the Roman Catholic Church, Halloween's Christian connection is sometimes cited, and Halloween celebrations are common in Catholic parochial schools throughout North America and in Ireland. Nevertheless, the Vatican has strongly condemned the traditions popularly associated with Halloween as being "pagan" and "anti-Christian".
Some Christians feel concerned about the modern celebration of Halloween, and reject the holiday because they feel it trivializes – or celebrates – paganism, the occult, or other practices and cultural phenomena deemed incompatible with their beliefs. A response among some fundamentalist and conservative evangelical churches in recent years has been the use of "Hell houses", themed pamphlets, or comic-style tracts such as those created by Jack T. Chick in order to make use of Halloween's popularity as an opportunity for evangelism. Some consider Halloween to be completely incompatible with the Christian faith, believing it to have originated as a pagan "Festival of the Dead".
Friday, October 26, 2012
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Candy apple and Halloween
Because the holiday comes in the wake of the annual apple harvest, candy apples (known as toffee apples outside North America), caramel or taffy apples are common Halloween treats made by rolling whole apples in a sticky sugar syrup, sometimes followed by rolling them in nuts.
At one time, candy apples were commonly given to children, but the practice rapidly waned in the wake of widespread rumors that some individuals were embedding items like pins and razor blades in the apples. While there is evidence of such incidents, they are quite rare and have never resulted in serious injury. Nonetheless, many parents assumed that such heinous practices were rampant because of the mass media. At the peak of the hysteria, some hospitals offered free X-rays of children's Halloween hauls in order to find evidence of tampering. Virtually all of the few known candy poisoning incidents involved parents who poisoned their own children's candy.
Quote of the Day
“Just as every cop is a criminal and all the sinners saints, as heads is tails, just call me Lucifer, cause I’m in need of some restraint.”
-The Rolling Stones, “Sympathy for the Devil”
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
UNICEF and Halloween
UNICEF and Halloween
"Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF" has become a common sight during Halloween in North America. Started as a local event in a Northeast Philadelphia neighborhood in 1950 and expanded nationally in 1952, the program involves the distribution of small boxes by schools (or in modern times, corporate sponsors like Hallmark, at their licensed stores) to trick-or-treaters, in which they can solicit small-change donations from the houses they visit. It is estimated that children have collected more than $118 million for UNICEF since its inception. In Canada, in 2006, UNICEF decided to discontinue their Halloween collection boxes, citing safety and administrative concerns; after consultation with schools, they instead redesigned the program.
Quote of the Day
The north is hard and cold, and has no mercy...
-A Storm of Swords (George R.R. Martin)
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Halloween Fact #2
The earliest known use in print of the term "trick or treat" appears in 1927, from Blackie, Alberta, Canada:
Hallowe'en provided an opportunity for real strenuous fun. No real damage was done except to the temper of some who had to hunt for wagon wheels, gates, wagons, barrels, etc., much of which decorated the front street. The youthful tormentors were at back door and front demanding edible plunder by the word “trick or treat” to which the inmates gladly responded and sent the robbers away rejoicing.
Halloween History
In Britain the rituals of Hallowtide and Halloween came under attack during the Reformation as Protestants denounced purgatory as a "popish" doctrine incompatible with the notion of predestination. In addition the increasing popularity of Guy Fawkes Night (5 November) from 1605 on saw Halloween become eclipsed in Britain with the notable exception of Scotland. There and in Ireland, they had been celebrating Samhain and Halloween since the early Middle Ages, and the kirk took a more pragmatic approach towards Halloween, viewing it as important to the life cycle and rites of passage of local communities and thus ensuring its survival in the country.
North American almanacs of the late 18th and early 19th century give no indication that Halloween was recognized as a holiday. The Puritans of New England, for example, maintained strong opposition to the holiday and it was not until the mass Irish and Scottish immigration during the 19th century that the holiday was introduced to the continent in earnest. Initially confined to the immigrant communities during the mid-19th century, it was gradually assimilated into mainstream society and by the first decade of the 20th century it was being celebrated coast to coast by people of all social, racial and religious backgrounds.
North American almanacs of the late 18th and early 19th century give no indication that Halloween was recognized as a holiday. The Puritans of New England, for example, maintained strong opposition to the holiday and it was not until the mass Irish and Scottish immigration during the 19th century that the holiday was introduced to the continent in earnest. Initially confined to the immigrant communities during the mid-19th century, it was gradually assimilated into mainstream society and by the first decade of the 20th century it was being celebrated coast to coast by people of all social, racial and religious backgrounds.
Halloween Fact
Etymology
The word "Halloween" was first used in the 16th century and represents a Scottish variant of the fuller All-Hallows'-Even ("evening"), that is, the night before All Hallows' Day. Although the phrase All Hallows' is found in Old English (ealra hālgena mæssedæg, mass-day of all saints), All-Hallows-Even is itself not seen until 1556.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Lyrics of the Day
A is for all the times I bit my tongue
B is for bullshit and you fed me some
C is for charity and now you're mine
D is for dollars but you're counting dimes
E is the exit sign backstage at shows
F is my favorite letter, as you know
G is for God loves a patient man
Who spends his days living in ego land
You always write it in the cheapest key
You always blame it on the cheapest key
You always play me in the cheapest key
They say the start's always the hardest part
But like you know, baby, I'm all warmed up
Sometimes I wanna shout your name out loud
And let them in on what you're all about
You always write it in the cheapest key
You always blame it on the cheapest key
You always play me in the cheapest key
But don't get me wrong
Here comes my softer side and there it goes
'Cause I've been on the road too long to sympathize
With what you think you're owed
You always write it in the cheapest key
You always blame it on the cheapest key
You always play me in the cheapest key
The cheapest key, the cheapest
Cheapest Key
Kathleen Edwards
Americans Need More Vacations
As an American living in Spain, I know all ALL about the difference in our two countries in the area of holidays and vacations. Here is a great article by Robert Reich on the subject. Reposted and enjoyed.
By Robert Reich, RobertReich.org
By Robert Reich, RobertReich.org
This originally appeared on Robert Reich’s blog.
Back from three weeks off grid, much of it hiking in Alaska and Australia.
When I left the U.S. economy was in a stall, Greece was on the brink of defaulting, the eurozone couldn’t get its act together, the Fed couldn’t decide on another round of quantitative easing, congressional Democrats and Republicans were in gridlock, much of the nation was broiling, and neither Obama nor Romney had put forward a bold proposal for boosting the economy, slowing climate change, or much of anything else.
What a difference three weeks makes.
Here’s a bold proposal I offer free of charge to Obama or Romney: Every American should get a mandatory minimum of three weeks paid vacation a year.
Most Americans only get two weeks off right now. But many don’t even take the full two weeks out of fear of losing their jobs. One in four gets no paid vacation at all, not even holidays. Overall, Americans have less vacation time than workers in any other advanced economy.
This is absurd. A mandatory three weeks off would be good for everyone — including employers.
Studies show workers who take time off are more productive after their batteries are recharged. They have higher morale, and are less likely to mentally check out on the job.
This means more output per worker — enough to compensate employers for the cost of hiring additional workers to cover for everyone’s three weeks’ vacation time.
It’s also a win for the economy, because these additional workers would bring down the level of unemployment and put more money into more people’s pockets. This extra purchasing power would boost the economy overall.
More and longer vacations would also improve our health. A study by Wisconsin’s Marshfield Clinic shows women who take regular vacations experience less tension and depression year round. Studies also show that men who take regular vacations have less likelihood of heart disease and fewer heart attacks.
Better health is not just good for us as individuals. It also translates into more productive workers, fewer sick days, less absenteeism. And lower healthcare costs.
In other words, a three-week minimum vacation is a win-win-win — good for workers, good for employers, and good for the economy.
And I guarantee it would also be a winner among voters. Obama, Romney — either of you listening?
Robert Reich, one of the nation’s leading experts on work and the economy, is Chancellor’s Professor of Public Policy at the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley. He has served in three national administrations, most recently as secretary of labor under President Bill Clinton. Time Magazine has named him one of the ten most effective cabinet secretaries of the last century. He has written 13 books, including his latest best-seller, “Aftershock: The Next Economy and America’s Future;” “The Work of Nations,” which has been translated into 22 languages; and his newest, an e-book, “Beyond Outrage.” His syndicated columns, television appearances, and public radio commentaries reach millions of people each week. He is also a founding editor of the American Prospect magazine, and Chairman of the citizen’s group Common Cause. His widely-read blog can be found at www.robertreich.org. More Robert Reich.
Friday, October 19, 2012
11 Brands Hilarious in Foreign Language
The Ford Pinto
The Ford Pinto may well have been an iconic car, but that didn’t stop Brazilians from turning the product away. You see, ‘pinto’ is slang for ‘tiny male genitals’ in Brazil, according to Barbara Mueller.
The Sex Pant Pot
Ikea has been running into some problems in Thailand, not the least of which has to due with their unfortunate product titles. One of them, Jättebra, an Ikea plant pot, closely resembles the Thai slang word for ‘sex’, Business Insider reports.
Getting-To-Third-Base Bed
In a further translation error in Thailand, Ikea discovered that their Redalen bed — named after a Norwegian town — is, in fact, the Thai word for getting to third base, Business Insider reports.
Ikea Fails Again
Ikea just cannot catch a break. The Gutvik children’s bed reportedly sounds very much like ‘good fuck’ in German, CNNMoney reports.
Barf Soap
Who knew that washing clothing in barf is totally appropriate in some parts of the world? The Iranian Paxam Company produces a soap called ‘Barf,’ which means ‘snow’ in Farsi, AdWeek reports.
‘Eat Your Fingers Off’
KFC’s signature phrase, “finger-lickin’ good,” doesn’t quite work in China, TIME reports. Apparently, some though the fast food chain was suggesting they wanted to “eat your fingers off.”
Coors: ‘Get Loose Bowls’
Coors’ slogan “turn it loose” may have been gold in America, but it was a laughing stock in Spanish-speaking countries, where it translated into “get loose bowels,” CNNMoney reports.
Pepsi Will Bring Your Ancestors Back From The Grave
Pepsi’s slogan “come alive with Pepsi” doesn’t quite work in China, where some took it to mean “bring your ancestors back from the grave,” according to CNN.
‘Whorehouse’ Tissues
In German, ‘puffs’ is the colloquial term for ‘whorehouse,’ says Barbara Miller. That’s quite the bummer for these guys.
Bite The Wax Tadpole
Coca-Cola may be a household phrase in the West, but Chinese know the soda company, transliterated into English, as ‘ke kou ke le’. Ko-ka-ko-la was already taken by people who ‘bite the wax tadpole’, according to the Coca-Cola Company.
Are You Lactating?
While the ‘Got Milk?’ campaign may have gotten more Americans to buy dairy products, it didn’t work out quite as well in Mexico, where the phrase sounds something more like “Are you Lactating?”, says Barbara Miller.
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Dialogue of the Week
Spock: The ship… out of danger?
Kirk: Yes.
Spock: Don’t grieve, Admiral. It is logical. The needs of the many outweigh…
Kirk: …the needs of the few…
Spock: …Or the one. I never took the Kobayashi Maru test until now. What do you think of my solution? I have been and always shall be your friend.
Kirk: Yes.
Spock: Don’t grieve, Admiral. It is logical. The needs of the many outweigh…
Kirk: …the needs of the few…
Spock: …Or the one. I never took the Kobayashi Maru test until now. What do you think of my solution? I have been and always shall be your friend.
“I have been and always shall be your friend” is just one of the great understated lines of all time.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Quote of the Day
“When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground.”
-A Game of Thrones (George R.R. Martin)
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Quote of the Day
"Distrusting me was the wisest thing you’ve done..."
-A Game of Thrones (George R.R. Martin)
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Bed Bugs and Travelling
In any race, there’s a loser as well as a winner, and Philadelphia tops this year’s list of the most bed bug-infested cities in the U.S. Terminix, the world’s largest pest control company, annually ranks major cities based on the number of infestations confirmed by their staff. This year’s rankings have Cincinnati coming in second and New York City — the most-infested city for the past two years — coming in third. Cleveland, Miami, Houston, Indianapolis and New Haven joined the top 15 this year.
Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius L.) are parasites that feed on human blood and prefer to live in beds or other household furniture. Victims are often attacked in their sleep, unaware that they are being bitten.
Symptoms of bed bug attacks include itchy red welts on the skin and, for some patients, allergic reactions triggered by the insects’ saliva. Because the bites remove some of the victim’s blood, prolonged exposure can in rare cases lead to anemic conditions.
Terminix warns that the national bed bug epidemic, which began a few years ago, will likely spread to more cities as pests hitch rides with unknowing summer travelers. To be on guard against the pests, the company advises travelers to check hotel mattresses, headboards and box springs for bugs, bug exoskeletons and dark blood spots. To avoid picking up the parasites, you should hang all your clothing — don’t store any items in drawers or lay them out on the bed or furniture. Luggage should be kept on the luggage rack or as far away from the floor as possible.
To avoid spreading the bugs after a possible exposure, travelers should immediately vacuum their suitcases and wash their clothing in hot water upon returning home. In neighborhoods already known to be infested, it might be advisable to take even more defensive measures, such as covering mattresses and box springs with a bug-proof plastic cover.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Quote of the Day
“Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armor yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you.”
-A Game of Thrones (George R.R. Martin)
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Fun "Today" Fact
Wow. Today is 10/11/12! Thank you fun-loving detail-driven info-heavy internet for that reveal. You made me smile. :D
Quote of the Day
“A person shouldn’t believe in an -ism. He should believe in himself.”
- Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Who Speaks English?
Who speaks English?
The Economist
Apr 5th 2011, 15:51 by R.L.G. | NEW YORK
EVERYONE knows the stereotypes about foreigners speaking English: Scandinavians are shockingly fluent, while the Japanese lag despite years and billions of yen spent trying. Now a big new study confirms some of those stereotypes. But it holds some surprises as well.
EF Education First, an English-teaching company, compiled the biggest ever internationally comparable sample of English learners: some 2m people took identical tests online in 44 countries. The top five performers were Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and Finland. The bottom five were Panama, Colombia, Thailand, Turkey and Kazakhstan. Among regions, Latin America fared worst. (No African country had enough takers to make the lists’s threshold for the minimum number of participants.)
This was not a statistically controlled study: the subjects took a free test online and of their own accord. They were by definition connected to the internet and interested in testing their English; they will also be younger and more urban than the population at large. But Philip Hult, the boss of EF, says that his sample shows results similar to a more scientifically controlled but smaller study by the British Council.
Several factors correlate with English ability. Wealthy countries do better overall. But smaller wealthy countries do better still: the larger the number of speakers of a country’s main language, the worse that country tends to be at English. This is one reason Scandinavians do so well: what use is Swedish outside Sweden? It may also explain why Spain was the worst performer in western Europe, and why Latin America was the worst-performing region: Spanish’s role as an international language in a big region dampens incentives to learn English.
Export dependency is another correlate with English. Countries that export more are better at English (though it’s not clear which factor causes which). Malaysia, the best English-performer in Asia, is also the sixth-most export-dependent country in the world. (Singapore was too small to make the list, or it probably would have ranked similarly.) This is perhaps surprising, given a recent trend towards anti-colonial and anti-Western sentiment in Malaysia’s politics. The study’s authors surmise that English has become seen as a mere tool, divorced in many minds from its associations with Britain and America.
Teaching plays a role, too. Starting young, while it seems a good idea, may not pay off: children between eight and 12 learn foreign languages faster than younger ones, so each class hour on English is better spent on a 10-year-old than on a six-year-old. Between 1984 and 2000, the study's authors say, the Netherlands and Denmark began English-teaching between 10 and 12, while Spain and Italy began between eight and 11, with considerably worse results. Mr Hult reckons that poor methods, particularly the rote learning he sees in Japan, can be responsible for poor results despite strenuous efforts. (He would say that, as his company sells English-teaching, but it rings true.)
Finally, one surprising result is that China and India are next to each other (29th and 30th of 44) in the rankings, despite India’s reputation as more Anglophone. Mr Hult says that the Chinese have made a broad push for English (they're "practically obsessed with it”). But efforts like this take time to marinade through entire economies, and so may have avoided notice by outsiders. India, by contrast, has long had well-known Anglophone elites, but this is a narrow slice of the population in a country considerably poorer and less educated than China. English has helped India out-compete China in services, while China has excelled in manufacturing. But if China keeps up the push for English, the subcontinental neighbour's advantage may not last.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Quote of the Day
“The sportos, motorheads, geeks, sluts, bloods, wastoids, dweebies, dickheads – they all adore him. They think he’s a righteous dude.”
- Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Monday, October 8, 2012
Quote of the Day
“The common people pray for rain, healthy children, and a summer that never ends,” Ser Jorah told her. “It is no matter to them if the high lords play their game of thrones, so long as they are left in peace.” He gave a shrug. “They never are.”
-A Game of Thrones (George R.R. Martin)
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Quote of the Day
"Let them see that their words can cut you, and you’ll never be free of the mockery. If they want to give you a name, take it, make it your own. Then they can’t hurt you with it anymore.”
-A Game of Thrones (George R.R. Martin)
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Catching Up on Homeland
Homeland's surprise sweep of the Emmys last Sunday has people lining up to check out the Claire Danes/Damian Lewis/Mandy Patinkin-starring suspense saga’s season premiere last Sunday.
That makes this the perfect time to catch up on Season One’s major players, plot twists and unsolved mysteries with our Homeland cheat sheet. Consider this your intelligence briefing.
That makes this the perfect time to catch up on Season One’s major players, plot twists and unsolved mysteries with our Homeland cheat sheet. Consider this your intelligence briefing.
WARNING: Many Season One spoilers ahead....
Sgt. Nicholas Brody is a terrorist …
Captured in Iraq and held prisoner by al Qaeda torturers for eight years, Marine sniper Nick Brody (Damian Lewis) was presumed dead until he was “rescued” by American forces and brought home at last. But it was all an elaborate al Qaeda scheme to use Brody, whom they’d successfully turned against the U.S. while he was in captivity, as a sleeper agent. In fact, the single biggest surprise of Homeland Season One was how quickly it confirmed Brody’s shady status. Sure, they faked us out about his potential innocence now and then, but instead of some big is-he-or-isn’t-he mystery, they made Brody’s true allegiance clear before the pilot’s closing credits rolled.
… a politically well-connected terrorist …
As a returning war hero with a photogenic family, Brody’s a media darling, and he’s been used to help sell the ongoing War on Terror since his first day back. The ambitious, amoral vice president, William Walden, even hand-picked Brody to replace a disgraced congressman in the House of Representatives. This gives Brody the perfect opportunity to get close to political, intelligence and military movers and shakers – an opportunity his al Qaeda minders take advantage of when they send him to blow up the VP and his team with a suicide vest.
… and an actually-not-a-horrible-guy-kinda terrorist.
But as you can tell by the fact that he’s, y’know, alive for Season Two, Brody didn’t go through with it – in part because the bomb malfunctioned, but mostly because he couldn’t bear breaking his family’s hearts or taking innocent lives. His whole motive for joining al Qaeda in the first place was his disgust with the “collateral damage” America’s wars have produced. And in his (unreleased, obviously) video suicide note, he says he set out to kill the vice president not because he hates America, but because he loves it too much to let guys like the VP destroy its honor. He ends the season by rejecting terrorist mastermind Abu Nazir’s violent ways and insisting he can change America’s destructive policies from the inside.
Carrie Mathison spent months trying to stop him …
One woman came closer than anyone else to catching Brody: CIA analyst Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes), who works to protect the country with a white-hot intensity any terrorist would envy. Tipped off about a flipped American POW by a terrorist-turned-informant long before Brody resurfaced, she was a lone voice calling for surveillance of the homecoming hero – surveillance she ended up setting up illegally with help from her ex-spook buddy Virgil (David Marciano) when her requests were denied. No matter how many times he seemed to establish his innocence, Carrie invariably found the one crack in his excuses and alibis.
… and also falling in love with him …
Oh, right – she slept with him, too. We’d already gotten hints that she could be dangerously reckless, but after the Agency pulls the plug on her surveillance program, she decides to keep an eye on Brody by making contact outside of work. Estranged from his wife due to his PTSD, Brody ends up conducting a whirlwind weekend-long affair with Carrie, before breaking it off when he realizes she suspects him of being a sleeper agent. At first it seems like Carrie did this just to try to trip him up, but by season’s end it’s clear she actually does love him, even though she believes he’s guilty as sin. The heart wants what it wants, man.
… and she was right, but no one believed it …
Time and again, circumstances made Brody look innocent. That flipped POW that Carrie was warned about? Turns out Brody’s sniper partner Tom Walker, whom Brody thought he’d beaten to death at his captors’ gunpoint, was still alive and working for al Qaeda as well. The captured terrorist who committed suicide with a smuggled razor blade after a visit from Brody? Turns out there’s a mole inside the Homeland Security apparatus who could have gotten it to him instead. The fact that he’s covering up his encounters in captivity with Nazir, or killing Walker, or converting to Islam and praying behind the closed doors of his garage? Maybe he’s just ashamed of how his captors broke him, or afraid of how his family would react. The suicide bombing Carrie was so convinced Brody was about to commit? Never happened. By that point she may as well have been ranting about Bigfoot.
… and she doesn’t believe it either, because she’s bipolar.
After getting caught in an explosion targeting a member of Brody’s support network who’d outlived his usefulness, Carrie cracks. Her psychiatrist sister has been medicating her for bipolar disorder for years, keeping it a secret from the CIA so she wouldn’t lose security clearance, and the blast sends her into the mother of all manic episodes, during which she loses her job when Brody rats out their affair to the Agency. She becomes so fixated on Brody’s guilt that she shows up at his house, confronting his wife and daughter about the husband and father they love. When the bomb doesn’t blow, she believes she was wrong about everything, and signs up for electroconvulsive therapy in hopes that shock treatment will stop her mania from recurring. Unfortunately, this also wipes out her knowledge of a clue that more or less proves Brody’s guilt.
Abu Nazir is a terrorist mastermind …
The head of al Qaeda in Iraq and Brody’s personal overseer, Abu Nazir (Naveed Nagahban) is the world’s most wanted terrorist. He flipped both Brody and his partner – whom he orders Brody to kill following the failed suicide bombing, in order to prove his continued loyalty – maintains a support network throughout the U.S. and remains in periodic contact with Brody, encouraging him to remember his mission. We’ve heard some pretty sinister things about what happens to the families of people who don’t.
… and Vice President William Walden is pretty much just as bad.
That mission would never have taken place without the actions of Vice President Walden (Jamey Sheridan), who ordered a drone strike on a school in hopes that it’d hit Nazir and ended up killing 82 children, including one very close to both Nazir and Brody. Walden’s now running for president, and he’s accepted Brody into his inner circle in hopes that some of that war-hero glamor will rub off, but he remains committed to the warmongering policies that spurred Nazir and Brody’s quest for vengeance in the first place.
Saul Berenson is the best in the biz …
Saul (Mandy Patinkin) is Carrie’s bushy-bearded, soft-spoken mentor, one of the few people in the Agency who not only recognizes her brilliance – everyone does – but also has found a way to put up with all the impulsivity and intensity that goes with it. Saul may be even smarter than Carrie: His knack for winning the trust of the people he interrogates and his ability to put together a big picture from small details helped him nab several of Nazir’s accomplices. Unfortunately, his workaholism cost him his marriage.
… and David Estes is a tool …
The consummate company man, Estes (David Harewood) was part of Vice President Walden’s inner circle when the order to blow up the school was given, and he helped cover it up even when Carrie and Saul were looking for the reason why Nazir was so active again after months off the radar. He’s very much a political creature, which has made him the Agency’s go-between for Walden and Brody, enabling them to get too close to CIA decision-making for anyone’s good. He was Carrie’s boss, before he fired her over her affair with Brody, her illegal surveillance operation and her bipolar disorder – and oh yeah, he used to date her, which cost him his marriage.
… and any of them could be an al Qaeda mole.
Nazir has someone on the inside, feeding him information and tipping off his minions when the CIA is on their trail, leading to escapes, suicides and even a bombing in the middle of downtown D.C. It could be Saul, who initially failed a polygraph test asking about the smuggled razor blade an al Qaeda prisoner used to kill himself. It could be Galvez (Hrach Titizian), Saul and Carrie’s go-to guy for delicate and demanding operations they can’t pull off themselves, who’s secretly spying on Carrie for Estes. It’sprobably not Estes or Walden, since Brody nearly blew them up, but who knows?
It’s really all about a kid named Issa …
The most important character on Homeland has been dead for three years. When Abu Nazir took Brody out of isolation and gave him limited freedom to win him over, he also “hired” the Marine to teach English to his adorable son Issa (Rohan Chand). The kid learned quickly, and before long the two of them were playing soccer and singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” – Brody was the loving father Nazir could never be, and Issa was the young son Brody’s captivity had robbed him of raising back home. Then Issa and 81 of his classmates died in the vice president’s drone strike, driving Nazir and Brody to plan revenge. Years later Brody would scream Issa’s name while sleeping next to Carrie; when she and Saul uncovered the covered-up drone strike she realized who he was talking about, but seconds later a jolt of ECT wiped the clue from her brain.
… and a teenager named Dana.
Like Carrie, Brody’s teenage daughter Dana (Morgan Saylor) both loves her dad, and suspects him. She’s the one who’s most upset that her mother Jessica (Morena Baccarin) kept her relationship with Brody’s Marine buddy Mike (Diego Klattenhoff) a secret when Brody came back from the dead. She’s the one who catches Brody praying to Allah and keeps the secret of his conversion to Islam out of respect. She’s the one who notices something is wrong in the days leading up to the suicide bombing attempt. And she’s the one who realizes there may be some truth to Carrie’s manic rantings and calls her dad up at the last minute, convincing him not to go through with it without ever fully realizing he was up to anything in the first place.
Quote of the Day
"...a mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge.”
-A Game of Thrones (George R.R. Martin)
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Best Scenes of Princess Bride
Last Tuesday, a new print of the fantasy adventure classic will screen during the New York Film Festival, complete with a reunion of actors Robin Wright, Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Chris Sarandon, Wallace Shawn, Billy Crystal and Carol Kane and director Rob Reiner
Best scenes....
A Special Book
Before we get into the fairy tale, here is the opening and the front bookend of the movie, featuring probably the greatest grandfather/grandson moment ever, in film or otherwise. Really, we could include all of the external, modern day scenes with Peter Falk and Fred Savage as one long scene — we especially love the parts when the main story is broken into by interruptions from either the kid or the old man — but we’re kind of bound here to what we could find in embeddable form. Not satisfied? We could stop right now if you want. Would you rather just watch the whole thing streaming online for a fee? As you wish. Otherwise, keep your shirt on and let’s continue.
Sword fight on the Cliffs of Insantity
One of the greatest bouts of swordplay in cinema, and certainly the most amusing, here Dread Pirate Roberts/Wesley (Elwes) goes up against the master duelist Inigo Montoya (Patinkin), aka the Spaniard. Their fight is one of many in cinema choreographed by legendary (and recently passed on) Olympic fencer Bob Anderson, who is possibly most famous for performing as Darth Vader in the light-saber battles of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. In addition to the skill and artistry on display here, the dialogue is also of note for fencing enthusiasts in the references to historical swordsmen Rocco Bonetti, Capo Ferro, Gérard Thibault d’Anvers and Camillo Agrippa.
Battle of Wits to the Death
For his encounter with the highly intelligent (or so he professes) Sicilian criminal Vizzini (Shawn), Dread Pirate Roberts/Westley engages the little, lisping man in a game of logical thinking, thoughthis is just a sly cover for his trusting his tolerance to a deadly toxin. The poison used, “iocane powder,” is fictional, while the famous line about land wars in Asia being a blunder is definitely true for many men of history and players of Risk.
Miracle Max
This part of the movie could very well have been the most forgettable or it could very well have been unforgettably awful. The Princess Bride is a very funny movie, but it’s not exactly a mad romp nor a pile-on of jokes for jokes sakes. Then Billy Crystal comes in and goes a bit over the top, as does Carol Kane. And somehow the sudden Borscht Belt tone doesn’t detract from the rest of the movie. In fact it fits quite well as one of many little vignettes. But can you imagine if they’d gotten, say, Robin Williams and Bette Midler? Appropriately, the casting is a bit of a bluff while the duo end up a movie couple we truly love
“Hello, my Name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to Die.”
“Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” “Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” “Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” “Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” “Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”
“Mawidge” of “Pwincess Buwwercwup” to Prince Humperdinck
This is more of a performance we love, if you wish to be technical, though the officiating clergyman has a speech impediment in the novel too. Nevertheless, Peter Cook steals the show with his personification and uttering of words like “mawidge” and “twoo wuv.” Sarandon is great here, as well, but we’d believe it if we heard his delivery was actually out of pure agitation (caused by him trying to keep a straight face, that is). It’s a good scene for us to stop with as it reminds us that the movie is comically unkind to speech impediments and clever with different bad pronunciations of “true love.”
Best scenes....
A Special Book
Before we get into the fairy tale, here is the opening and the front bookend of the movie, featuring probably the greatest grandfather/grandson moment ever, in film or otherwise. Really, we could include all of the external, modern day scenes with Peter Falk and Fred Savage as one long scene — we especially love the parts when the main story is broken into by interruptions from either the kid or the old man — but we’re kind of bound here to what we could find in embeddable form. Not satisfied? We could stop right now if you want. Would you rather just watch the whole thing streaming online for a fee? As you wish. Otherwise, keep your shirt on and let’s continue.
Sword fight on the Cliffs of Insantity
One of the greatest bouts of swordplay in cinema, and certainly the most amusing, here Dread Pirate Roberts/Wesley (Elwes) goes up against the master duelist Inigo Montoya (Patinkin), aka the Spaniard. Their fight is one of many in cinema choreographed by legendary (and recently passed on) Olympic fencer Bob Anderson, who is possibly most famous for performing as Darth Vader in the light-saber battles of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. In addition to the skill and artistry on display here, the dialogue is also of note for fencing enthusiasts in the references to historical swordsmen Rocco Bonetti, Capo Ferro, Gérard Thibault d’Anvers and Camillo Agrippa.
Battle of Wits to the Death
For his encounter with the highly intelligent (or so he professes) Sicilian criminal Vizzini (Shawn), Dread Pirate Roberts/Westley engages the little, lisping man in a game of logical thinking, thoughthis is just a sly cover for his trusting his tolerance to a deadly toxin. The poison used, “iocane powder,” is fictional, while the famous line about land wars in Asia being a blunder is definitely true for many men of history and players of Risk.
Miracle Max
This part of the movie could very well have been the most forgettable or it could very well have been unforgettably awful. The Princess Bride is a very funny movie, but it’s not exactly a mad romp nor a pile-on of jokes for jokes sakes. Then Billy Crystal comes in and goes a bit over the top, as does Carol Kane. And somehow the sudden Borscht Belt tone doesn’t detract from the rest of the movie. In fact it fits quite well as one of many little vignettes. But can you imagine if they’d gotten, say, Robin Williams and Bette Midler? Appropriately, the casting is a bit of a bluff while the duo end up a movie couple we truly love
“Hello, my Name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to Die.”
“Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” “Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” “Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” “Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” “Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”
“Mawidge” of “Pwincess Buwwercwup” to Prince Humperdinck
This is more of a performance we love, if you wish to be technical, though the officiating clergyman has a speech impediment in the novel too. Nevertheless, Peter Cook steals the show with his personification and uttering of words like “mawidge” and “twoo wuv.” Sarandon is great here, as well, but we’d believe it if we heard his delivery was actually out of pure agitation (caused by him trying to keep a straight face, that is). It’s a good scene for us to stop with as it reminds us that the movie is comically unkind to speech impediments and clever with different bad pronunciations of “true love.”
Monday, October 1, 2012
Quote of the Day
Driving all night, got a hankering for something
Think I’m in the mood for some hot-man muffins
Mmmm, sounds so fine, yes indeed.
Think I’m in the mood for some hot-man muffins
Mmmm, sounds so fine, yes indeed.
-Foo Fighters - Keep It Clean (Hot Buns)
• performed in front the anti-gay Church of Westboro as they protested a military funeral
Foo Fighters vs Westboro
“God Bless America! It takes all kinds; I don’t care if you’re black or white or purple or green, whether you’re Pennsylvanian or Transylvanian, Lady gaga or Lady Antebellum. Men loving women and women loving men and men loving men and women loving women — you all know we like to watch that. But what I’d like to say is, God Bless America, y’all!”
-Dave Grohl, Foo Fighters: Westboro Baptist Church Counter-Protest after singing 'Keep It Clean (Hot Buns)'
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