Category Archives: Uncategorized
Silence Is Golden…Opportunity for Laughing
Remember when Rowan Atkinson Mr. Bean was featured in the London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony?
Of course, you do! Here’s a refresher because, well, it’s Mr. Bean…
(Click Play, then Watch this video on YouTube)
In the era of social media and 24-hour news, Rowan Atkinson’s famously muted character provides a wonderful lesson in the value–in certain situations–of expressing ourselves with just facial expressions and physical movements, and not saying
RIP President George H.W. Bush
“I love you, too.”
Those were the last words of former president George H.W. Bush (called ’41’), who died this past Friday night in Houston, Texas at the towering age of 94. In that final moment, he was responding to his son, former president George W. Bush.
Signing up to serve during World War II on his 18th birthday proved to be his story’s beginning. It’s astonishing, as well as a bit overwhelming, to recap Mr. Bush’s life of public service that led him through World War II to the halls of Congress to the secrecy of the CIA to the vice presidency and, ultimately, to the presidency. And we can’t forget that he was the father to a governor of a major state and a president (’43’), adding his duties and influence as Bush family patriarch that extended beyond his immediate family into our national political family for many years.
The man referred to as 41 was honored today in the U.S. Capitol rotunda as he will lie in state for 41 hours before a funeral service on Wednesday in Washington, D.C. Mr. Bush’s final resting place will be in Texas.
For your resolute service to our country–which fittingly led you to preside behind the Resolute Desk–Americans love you, too, Mr. President.
RIP George H.W. Bush.
P.S. On a lighter yet still appropriate note, my socks this week will be red, white and blue.
History’s Kaleidoscopic Amelioration
The world has never been black and white. Every now and then, it’s important to be reminded of this reality. Need proof with grit and undeniable realism?
That’s coming in a minute.
Dating back to history class with our generations-worn textbooks and age-old documentaries, which project major historical events from the mid-20th century and 19th century (primarily) in black and white, we are almost involuntarily conditioned to imagine life “back then” in a simplistic, unrelatable fashion. Of course, a significant reason for this misguided perception has been the determined yet ever-so-gradual development of film (still and motion).
The arc of technological progress moves at various rates.
Speaking of which, famed ‘Lord of the Rings’ director Peter Jackson, in concert with Warner Bros. Pictures, is aiming to rock our world cinematically by taking a large leap forward to showcase when the world was being rocked for real.
Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy the new trailer for the documentary of the Great War (1914-1918) titled ‘They Shall Not Grow Old.’
Incredible.
To the disbelief of those born into a fully-immersed technicolor world, life has always been in high-definition.
True story.
Our resolution has always been 4K.
Yes.
And hopefully, the technology used to transform the Great War into a vivid, deeply consequential global conflict will be seen as more of something akin to yesteryear and less of simply a time gone by. This film technology, as painstaking a process as it is, needs to be utilized for more history-altering events in human history that will alter how we live in the present and positively impact what will transpire in the future.
We know that if we don’t learn from history, we are doomed to repeat it. But what if we learn (well, see) history in ways we never imagined or perceived were possible?
‘They Shall Not Grow Old’ will be in select theaters on December 17 and December 27.
It Was #GiveFansGoalsOnTuesday for Bayern Munich
A win is a win is a win…
but is a win enough?
The Niko Kovač-led Bayern Munich squad in 2018–we’ll wait and see who the club’s coach is in the spring and fall of 2019–has received understandable pressure from the press and fans alike after a subpar beginning to the 2018/2019 campaign. Sitting at 21 points after 12 matches, which is nine-points out of first-place to heated domestic rival Borussia Dortmund, the Bavarian giants have showcased uncharacteristic weakness and lack of comprehensive identity.
It’s just not good enough.
So what better time (and competition) than the Champions League match against the visiting Portuguese side Benfica to reassert its dominance for 90 minutes?
Ladies and gentlemen, when you score off a short corner–a kiss of death for scoring 99.99% of the time–then you know the game is going your way.
A brace (2 goals) for the ageless #10 Arjen Robben and relentless #9 Robert Lewandowski led the Bavarians to an emphatic 5-1 victory at the Allianz Arena. The Frenchman #7 Franck Ribéry added a laser of a goal in the 76′ for good measure.
Bayern Munich has proven that a win is, in fact, a win. However, is this one win enough to get Mr. Kovač off the hot seat?
No.
Will the remainder of the 2018/2019 season be slowed down to analyzing this Bayern Munich squad, as managed by the enigmatic Niko Kovač, with a tirelessly critical eye on a game-by-game basis?
Yes.
Welcome to FC Hollywood, Mr. Kovač.
P.S. Regardless of what the Bayern Munich business leaders are saying to the press regarding their coach’s job security, accomplished manager Carlo Ancelotti can attest that it’s the Bayern Munich locker room that will ultimately decide their manager’s fate.
Jimmy's Daily Planet 