All right, I survived last week. I am leaving this afternoon for Vancouver.

I am going to try and upload pictures from the city to the blog every night. LOL We’ll see…

Oh, and for those of you asking, sorry I haven’t blogged on it, but suffice to say “Go, Israel!”

This past week has been absolutley hectic trying to get appointments made and arrangements in order for my business trip to Vancouver, B.C., next week. Unfortunately, I am only going to be there for a couple days, so I won’t have much time to see the city. I am trying to work my schedule around so I have at least some free time during the evening.

If you’ve been to Vancouver and know of any excellent restaurants or places to see, let me know.

“Yes, world, there is a silent Arab majority that believes that seventh-century Islam is not fit for 21st-century challenges.”

Excellent article written by Youssef Ibrahim.

It is absolutely disheartening when the worst possible things happen to the greatest among us. How can the light of a dignified individual be extinguished while the shadowed souls of low life scum survive?

On Friday evening, I caught the tail end of a news piece on 20/20. It was about a doctor who had devoted his life to saving and improving the lives of others. Some time ago, he hit a pot hole while riding his bike. He went over the handle bars and landed on his neck, leaving him paralyzed. He could no longer perform surgery. Instead of accepting this “sentence,” he was determined to rehabilitate himself back into form to continue practicing. Although he made huge strides, unfortunately, he passed away before actualizing his goal.

This doctor had saved and improved the lifes of many patients. He had touched the lives of many, many more. This is the sort of man who should serve as a role model for everyone. And yet, gang bangers, criminals, and other vermin are glorified everywhere you look…

It hardly seems fair an individual who has so much to contribute to society is taken away while low life scum survive to see another day…

A couple weeks back I purchased a couple DVDs online, one of them Little Shop of Horrors. The Rick Moranis one from 1986, that is… I had seen it some time ago, back when I was really young. I remember liking it a lot. (Maybe I bought it for nostalgic reasons…?) As soon as it arrived, I watched it again. The songs have been playing over and over and over again in my noggin! They are good and catchy; a little too catchy…

I have to admit… The puppet for Audrey II is amazing! The 12 ft. high “plant” operated by 50+ people looks INCREDIBLE on the screen! How sad a puppet from 1986 looks better than some of these CGI special effects Hollywood is churning out in 2006…

Within the past year or two, I have been trying to find a lot of the really good 1980, 1990 flicks. The good stuff, before the majority of Hollywood went down the tube. Along with Little Shop of Horrors, I’ve purchased other great flicks like Short Circuit, Clue, Cocoon, Gremlins, etc. batteries not included is next on the list.

Jessica Tandy… Now there’s an actress! I will take her in a heartbeat over the likes of Julia Roberts or Angelina Jolie any day.

After putting out a couple fires which occupied the majority of my time…I’m back! To some of you, I am sure you wish I would have stayed gone…

I finally got my house on the market! After one heck of a battle, I got everything situated and was able to list it yesterday. Here’s hoping it sells fast!

Last night, as I was climbing into bed, something out the window caught my eye… Upon further investigation (should read: put my glasses on), I figured out it was the moon, completely blood red. I mean, as deep red as an apple! It was rather ominous..

Life has been hectic lately. I’ve been dealing with all sorts of head aches, from being scammed on eBay to preparing my house to go on the market. I am hoping things calm down by the week’s end. :crosses fingers:

I thank my lucky stars my alarm clock went off yesterday morning. If I would have stayed in bed all day, I would have missed my most glorious re-education!

Did you know calling a person Mexican is racist? True story! So is calling someone Canadian, American, Armenian, Polish, Russian, Pakistani, Briton, etc… I learned this today from a high school drop out who apparently reads the dictionary for fun. Ironically enough, he had no idea “honky” was a racist term… No comment.

So, when you talk about illegal aliens coming across the southern border, you cannot use the word ‘Mexican.’ From now on, ‘Mexican’ should be replaced with ‘citizens of the country of Mexico.’ Apparently there is no derogatory racial implication with the citizens of Mexico bit… :rolls eyes:

Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hail’d at the twilight’s last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro’ the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watch’d, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof thro’ the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore dimly seen thro’ the mists of the deep,
Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o’er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam,
In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream:
‘T is the star-spangled banner: O, long may it wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has wash’d out their foul footsteps’ pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

O, thus be it ever when freemen shall stand,
Between their lov’d homes and the war’s desolation;
Blest with vict’ry and peace, may the heav’n-rescued land
Praise the Pow’r that hath made and preserv’d us as a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause is just,
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

I am not a fan of comic books. Matter of fact, I’ve only purchased one in my lifetime. But, I am a sucker for the big comic book movies! Especially the Spider-Man flicks.

Last week, the trailer for Spider-Man 3 was released. Talk about cruel and unusual punishment… The movie doesn’t come out until 2007! Why else would the studio release the trailer a full year ahead if they didn’t mean to taunt?! Horrible. Absolutely horrible! The trailer got me in the Spidey mood, though, so Saturday night I watched Spider-Man 2.

Excellent movie! In all my times of watching it I failed to notice something very impressive, especially for modern day Hollywood. Next time you watch Spider-Man 2, pay attention; almost every scene in the movie contains an American flag.

I found this especially interesting for two reasons.

The first, also being the most obvious… Tomorrow is the 4th of July, Independence Day! The day the land of the free and the home of the brave celebrate this incredible country! My house is already decked out for the 4th of July, complete with Old Glory.

The second… As I am sure you know, Superman Returns hit theaters last week. The Man of Steel is back, representing “truth, justice and the American way.” Well, now only truth and justice, it seems… Movies.com posted an interview with the screenwriters of Superman Returns. Although hard to gauge by text, they seem to have a strong dislike for America. Apparently, they didn’t want Superman to state his trademark phrase, so it was left to the newspaper’s editor, asking “Does he still stand for truth, justice and all that other stuff?” The screenwriters believe the “American way” is too blasphemous and offensive for Superman to endorse anymore. And the their attack on America’s immigration policy… :shakes head: After reading the article, check out this post by reverse vampyr. Amen, brother; you said it!

It’s rather ironic… A movie based on an American icon who understands the difference between good and evil… Made by people who fail to see America’s current fight to defend good from evil… Uh.

Some time ago I heard a news report DC Comics would use Al-Qaeda terrorists as villains in their upcoming comics. They cited the use of Nazis as villains back in WWII. They also noted Captain America’s representation of real American conflicts of the period. I haven’t yet seen the actualization (see the first paragraph), but I think it’s incredible! DC Comics should be proud. Can you imagine bin Laden facing Batman? “Kidney In A Cave” wouldn’t stand a change against “Freak In Rubber!” Let me know when that comic comes out, and I’ll be the first in line to buy. Glad to see some entertainment outlets stepping up to the plate like those in the past have.

It sucks revisionists are trying to re-write Superman’s history… But, I suppose we should be thankful he’s the only one to fall victim. Thank God those behind the Spider-Man movies as well as the creative teams at DC Comics understand a much larger picture than the simpleton screenwriters of Superman Returns.

And for the record, I support a ban on burning the American flag. I have yet to decide if it should be implemented on a state or federal level, though. In America, when a citizen is arrested for burning Mexico’s flag while the illiberals burn Old Glory without repercussions, something is terribly wrong. Amazing how restrictions on setting fires in public apply to the Mexican flag, but not Old Glory…