Children of Men

Last night, Justen and I decided on a whim to go out for "date night" (since we had tried this weekend, but didnt make the movie). We are trying to make our rounds to see all of the Oscar movies (that we are interested in) before the big night. Last night we decided on dinner at Locale in Astoria, and then seeing CHILDREN OF MEN.

I will talk more about Locale later, as it is one of our frequents, but for now I will talk about CHILDREN OF MEN.

As anyone who knows me can attest, I am not the biggest Sci-Fi fan in the world. Justen has gotten hooked on Battlestar Gallactica, and allthough I think that the show is beautiful, I seem to lose interest. Generally with Sci-Fi, there is so much back-story that I don't know that I don't really buy into the whole thing, and mostly feel kinda dumb when I watch it.

Anyways, CHILDREN OF MEN basically takes place in the year 2023, when the world is infertile and basically collapsing on itself. The major powers of the world have crumbled, and the UK exists as a police state. There are severe treatments of immigrants (very Guantanamo Bay) and sweeping views of rampant warfare (very USA in Iraq) and even a few throwbacks to the Holocaust. And this is just to the casual viewer.

Much of the movie is filmed hand-held with long sweeping shots (which I love). There is even a moment when the lens gets splattered with blood, and you can see how long the shot is because the blood (obviously) stays there.

The film stars Clive Owen and Julianne Moore (and I am a fan of both) and as a wonderful supporting character, Michael Caine. The problem with this film is that I went in expecting one thing, and definitely got another. I went in expecting something very heady, very thick, very suspenseful. Thats not quite what this is. It is very Bourne Identity in the way that it is just an action movie with a very simple plot, yet the former definitely introduces many interesting plot twists that this film does not.

The main twist in this film occurs when you discover that the "rescuers" may or may not have been responsible for a major death in the film. This twist is not quite unexpected, and our protagonists drive on towards their goal.

There is a beautiful scene in the film when the baby is brought through a war zone, and as the baby cries, everyone stops and stares. (There has not been a baby born for almost 19 years). The fighting quickly resumes as our clever Clive Owen manages to dodge bullets that are flying every which-a-way. After all that gun-fire, it seems odd that he is only hit once in the whole film.

The vision of "the future" is not far off from where we are now (which I am sure is intentional) the environment is a wasteland, government is corrupt, and people destitute. You would think that the movie would be more interesting than it is.

My First Couch to 5K training session

Well, I promised that I would update you on the state of my new "Couch Potato to 5k" training.
I ran/walked the first training run of this week. It was actually VERY easy. I barely broke a sweat (well, it is very cold) and I barely lost my breath.
Here is the status of my run:
Basically, I ran for 29:02. There was 5 minutes of warm-up and 5 minutes of cool-down. The graph you see is imported from my Nike+ website, and shows my "pace" throughout the run. Actually, I didn't do too shabby. I bet there are a lot of other beginners out there who don't cover almost 2.5 miles in the training. (Remember you are only running for 60 seconds at a time--then walking for 90 seconds.)

I will keep you posted. Tomorrow, I will do the 8-minute mile again, and go back to the long run on Wednesday.

Hope all is well out in Cyber-bia. (Did I just make that up? If I did, it's mine, if not--oops)

OH- I almost forgot...after my "workout" Lance Armstrong came onto my Ipod, introduced himself, and said "Congratulations, that was your longest workout yet!"
How cool am I?

Please Help Me----

I would like to ask your help. New York State Senate is about to vote on a bill that would increase the punishment for people who run puppy mills, fight animals, etc. Basically, this law would increase the crime to a felony for people who torture, beat, injure or kill, or deprive food or drink to 10 or more animals at a time.


Please politely urge your senator to support S913.

Then sleep a little better tonight knowing that you have given innocent animals a chance to live.

If you do not know what to write, here is a copy of what I wrote to my Senator:

Dear Senator Onorato:
I would like to take a second of your time and urge you to support Senate Bill 913. If it becomes law, S913 will make it a felony to torture, cruelly beat, unjustifiably injure or kill, or deprive of adequate food or drink to 10 or more animals at a time.
As you may know, animal abusers who wrong large numbers of animals—including animal hoarders, puppy-mill operators, and those who fight dogs and birds—are notoriously unlikely to end their cruel ways, especially when they only face misdemeanor charges. This piece of legislation would ensure that such criminals are appropriately charged for their cruel acts.
Thank you so much for taking a stance on this important issue. It is important that we New Yorkers speak up for those who have no voice to speak for themselves.
Best Wishes,Daniel Meredith

Interesting stuff.

What else will they think of.

Should Naomi join?

Dogster: the dog lovers community to share pictures, stories, and information.

Everywhere I went, I was RUNNING

Yesterday, I noticed that I needed new sneakers, so I went to Macy's to take a look. I had a $25 off coupon, and while I was there, I became interested in the new NIKE+ shoe and program. Basically, there is this egg shaped piece of thing that sits in your left shoe, and talks to your ipod while you are running. It keeps up with your distance, speed, pace, etc. and loads it onto the internet.

This inspired me. I had heard about the "Couch to 5K" program before. Basically, it is a training program that gets you from couch potato to 5k runner in 9 weeks. I have decided to give it a shot. I will keep you posted. This is week one, and I have run a mile each day yesterday and today, but tomorrow, I start my "training" which are 20-minute intervals. I will do these intervals 3 days a week. On the days in between, I plan to do the quick little 8 minute mile that I already have started for myself.

Here is a description of what I will be doing this week:
"Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes."

I will let you know how I do. I have also given myself a goal of running four 8 minute miles this month. (These will be separate of the other training. Which is why I have challenged myself to only 4)

Keep your fingers crossed!

SO, Whats in a Name anways?

As of late, I have been researching my ancestry. I think that we all reach a point in out lives where we wonder "Where Did I Come From?" (and not in the birds-and-bees sort of way). This question has plagued me for years. Different members of my family have said different things about "what we are" and I decided to find out for myself. My journey started a couple of years ago with a visit to the genealogy room at the Henderson County Public Library in Hendersonville, NC. (or as I say, "When I lived in the mountains") They have a room specially designed for library users to sit and spend hours tracing their roots. Thats where I began. Well, actually, thats where the thought began. Records of living people are kept confidential in most cases, so the best start for me was to speak with my family. I knew the names of all of my grandparents, and I knew a couple of my great-grandparents, but that was about it. After about a week, it slipped my mind... Until late this fall. I started wondering again--and started searching again. I joined ancestry.com (they had a special) and began my search. After a week or so, not only had I gained a lot of information (both records on ancestry.com and then webpages of people who have gone before and done research) but I had met several cousins in the process! What a small world it is. Bob, a cousin who lives in North Georgia (and who I was strangers with until this research) is a couple of generations older than me and has been researching our family for a while. He had in his records a letter written by my great-great grandfather that explained "Where we came from". In my own words, Here is what I learned....(oh ps, this is about the MEREDITH part of my family) Sometime in the 1760's three brothers left Wales for the United States. Their names were John, Charles, & William Meredith. (the Welsh spelling of my name is Maredudd or Meredydd--and the correct pronunciation is mu RAY duth) The naming system was patronymic, which means that all Meredith's are not related. Patronymic naming systems basically make the son's last name his father's first name. It's really complicated and interesting, and I don't want to go into it. Google it if u care.

John Meredith settled in Virginia and started a family there. His ancestors, according to my great great grandfather Virgil, were the "brained ones int he family". One of his children was Judge Meredith, who "filled Talmage's pulpit while he was touring Europe". Talmadge was a famous Presbyterian minister.

Charles Meredith settled in North Carolina, and most of his offspring began working in the rail road.

William Meredith (my ancestor) settled into South Carolina and lived there until after the Revolutionary War. He served in that war with distinction (as an officer). After the war he married and settled into Franklin County. One of his children, John (my ancestor) along with three of his brothers moved into Wilkinson County, Georgia in the spring of 1802 and settled on the Oconee River at Toomsboro. They were one of the few original settlers of the county. My family stayed there and eventually, my great grandfather (who worked on the rail road) moved to Montgomery, AL and became a foreman for the ACL, or the Atlantic Coast Line rail road.

That story is much abbreviated, but you get the idea.

Since I found out that I am of Welsh heritage, I have looked into Welsh society. My family (which is descended from Lord William Meredith) settles in central and southern Wales. The family had a tartan, but in Welsh society, tartans and kilts were not quite as important as they are to the Scots--all though they were quite important.

The Welsh spelled kilt "cilt" and many Welsh still honor tradition and wear their cilts today--especially in formal occasions. This is a photo of both our "Meredith" tartan and what a welsh cilt looks like. (The blue tartan to the left is the example of a cilt, the yellow and navy tartan to the right is the Meredith tartan. The very green one below is a more "modern" Meredith tartan. I like the classic one better.)

Why blog about all of this, i dunno. Hope you aren't bored.

I thought I wouldnt talk about this....but

My mind has been reeling lately about Isaiah Washington and his use of the word "faggot" on the set of Grey's Anatomy, then his denial, then his joke, then his "meeting" with GLSEN.

First I thought that it was well-placed publicity for ABC, which given their ratings of late, needs absolutely no help. Then my mind started to bend some more. The New York Times recently made the editorial decision NOT to print the word "faggot". CNN has made the editorial decision to allow the use of the word. In a conversation with Glen Beck, talk show host Dave Glover and he had the following exchange: full transcript available here

BECK: Dave, what is the -- what is the controversy? One of the guys called another guy a naughty name.

GLOVER: Yes. Basically you have Isaiah Washington, who's one of the stars of the show, who referred to one of his co-stars during a heated argument as a derogatory term for a gay man that starts with "F", rhymes with maggot. Did it a couple more times after that. And do you like how I did that?

BECK: Yes.

GLOVER: And...

BECK: Do you know that The New York Times wouldn't even print -- I mean, we can say the word. We`re having an adult conversation here. Wouldn't even print the word "fagot [sic]."

GLOVER: Right.

BECK: Wouldn't print it. I find that amazing.

Now I feel like it is my turn to have "an adult conversation" here. I feel, and think that people would agree with me, that the word "faggot" is indeed culturally accepted as defamatory. I also think that people will agree that the rights of homosexuals (since homos are indeed human) is a civil rights issue. I will further purport that people will be able to call to mind (without me listing them all here) many other defamatory words that people use. It is unfortunate that there seems to be a hierarchy of defamation. People today feel less guilty using the word "faggot" and other defamatory homosexual slurs than they do, for instance, making remarks against Jews, African Americans, or Hispanics--among others. This has got to stop.

Andy Towle at towleroad has said, "It is now ABC's turn to step up to the plate and demonstrate that they have zero tolerance for anti-gay bigotry by firing Washington." (source)
And I have to agree with him. Grey's Anatomy is one of the largest shows on television now. We, as caring human beings, need to continue to speak out against this indecency until our voices are heard. It has been reported that Mr. Washington has indeed had a meeting with GLSEN to understand what steps he needs to take to "heal" this wrongdoing. (Mama said always start with an apology--and not to me....to Mr. T.R. Knight). Will this happen? As a publicist, I know that Mr. Washington's publicist will indeed issue all kinds of "statements" that he/she has written for him where Mr. Washington appears to grovel. It is quite possible that Isaiah never wrote, much less read these "statements". Given Mr. Washington's behavior when flippantly making jokes about the remarks he made, I find it hard to believe that he is not a homophobe. What Mr. Washington needs is to be fired.

It has been said that the American people shine lights too brightly onto our celebrities, and whereas I believe that is true, I do know that in order to become a celebrity, you have to make a choice to make it happen, and hire many people to insure that it happens. Celebrities are celebrities because they want to be. It is their responsibility to live a life under a microscope. It is our responsibility to end the attention when we choose fit. How? By merely allowing the person to fall back in to obscurity. From this moment forward, I pledge to do so towards Mr. Isaiah Washington. I intend to never speak or write his name from this moment forward. I will abstain from watching Grey's Anatomy until he is no longer featured. (i'm not a huge fan anyways. I have seen the show twice) I will also use my database to send these sentiments to the producers and executives of the show.

I urge you to do the same thing. Condemn the behavior. Demand catharsis. Remember, ABC is the top network now because we watch it. Never forget that you have the power to change that. Thursdays at 9/8 central.

Courtesy of Andy Towle at TOWLEROAD:

Yesterday, George W. Bush issued a White House proclamation that Sunday was National Sanctity of Human Life Day, 2007:

"America was founded on the principle that we are all endowed by our Creator with the right to life and that every individual has dignity and worth. National Sanctity of Human Life Day helps foster a culture of life and reinforces our commitment to building a compassionate society that respects the value of every human being."

Meanwhile, 12 U.S. soldiers died in a helicopter crash on Saturday, bringing the total number of American troops killed in Iraq to 3,054. Let's not forget the other coalition forces and the thousands of Iraqi civilians. The rest of the grim figures are here.

And Story Landis, the National Institutes of Health official overseeing the implementation of President Bush's embryonic stem cell policy, which is filled with restrictions, made what the Washington Post called "an unusually blunt statement" that the program is "delaying cures".

Yet Bush says he plans to veto a bill passed by the House this month that would lift restrictions.

Bush says he values the sanctity of human life yet pushes policies that say just the opposite. As AmericaBlog notes, a "mind-numbing hypocrisy".

That is so Gay

I copy this post from Sodomy Creek. Its a great blog. I'd love to hear your responses to this, as I agree with the author.
*******
Last week a friend of mine (Amber) did a short post about using the term “retarded” as an insult. I whole heartedly agree with her, although I too have been guilty of using the term when I was younger, but do not use it currently. I really don’t hear the term used as much as I used to. Maybe it is because I am older and most of the people that I hang out with have the common sense not to the use the word retarded in a derogatory manner. It might also just be an internal censoring mechanism of sorts where I just tune out anyone who uses the word in such a way. After all they don’t deserve to be listened to anyway if they talk in such a manner.

However there is one term that I just cannot tune out, when someone says something is “gay”, and it grates on my nerves every time I hear it. I am sure you all know what I am talking about. Very rarely is the person actually saying something is “happy”, nor do they actually mean something is “homosexual” (As in, “Look at that guy in the pink assless chaps, that is so GAY!”). Although the underlying meaning of the word “gay” is meant to be homosexual, the inferred meaning is “stupid”. In essence making Homosexual = Stupid. I suppose the main reason I can’t seem tune it out is, as a gay man, it is offensive to me personally.

I can sometimes hear this phrase echoing through my ears coming from conversations that I am not even a part of, such as several tables away in a crowded restaurant, behind me in a movie theater, across the room at a party, etc. It is usually coming out of the mouth of some teenage boy. If it is a group of young people, then it is often used repeatedly, as if it were the only phrase they knew. However, it is also not that uncommon to hear this phrase coming from someone who you would think should know better.

I bring this up because while I was at lunch the other day with some co-workers. At a table near to us was what appeared to be a mother and her teenage son. During the conversation I heard the boy refer to the person he was talking about as a “retard”. The mother quickly leaned in a whispered what I assume to be a reprimand because the boy said “Yes ma’am, I’m sorry”. There was a brief, uncomfortable pause in the conversation between the two as a result and the boy looked around the restaurant at the big screen TVs which were showing various sporting events. Apparently something about the restaurant’s choice of games was unsatisfactory and less than minute after being admonished the first thing the boy says was “That is so gay! (quite loudly) Why aren’t they showing…?” The boy went on for several minutes, uninterrupted, about how they should be showing such and such game. However, there was no reprimand this time. I was annoyed. Apparently “retarded” was unacceptable but “gay” was perfectly OK.

Key West

Justen and I just got back from a wonderful relaxing week in the Florida Keys. I will post a couple of photos below.

This is Justen and I at the beach called "Sunset Beach" which is in Key Colony Beach. (Its on Marathon Key). The picture, while beautiful, is somewhat staged. We were watching the sunset with Marcus, Jen and Eileen (from TVs Law and Order CI).
This is me with my head through a hole to make a funny picture. In Key West.


This is Justen and I at Mile Marker Zero. (its a big landmark there) The End of The Road....

Here we are at the Southernmost Point. It also could probably qualify as the world's largest Sex Toy. I'm just sayin'
Did you know that Earnest Hemmingway's cats all had 6 toes? Me either. Now you do.

I have plenty more to share, but I don't want to waste it all at once. Patience is a virtue.
Stay tuned loyal readers.....if there are any out there.

I am in Fangoria

This is about the movie that I wrapped this past summer. Just so you know, this is mature-ish content. If you are a child, you shouldnt be reading my page anyway. (But totally SFW)

http://www.fangoria.com/news_article.php?id=3046