Monthly Archives: August 2008

The World And Brett Favre

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Boy; go away for a while and the world turns upside down. War with Russian and Georgia. John Edwards’ Love Child. And oh-so-much-more.

Then there’s Brett Favre, now quarterback for the New York Jets. The Jets??

Some people believe the entire Brett Favre thing was a matter of massive arrogance on his part. Me? I think he simply made a mistake and retired too early — particularly in light of his performance last season with the Packers. It was damned good.

I believe he realized his mistake, and the only thing he could think of was to return. From there, the situation became complicated and troubling. I can understand Green Bay wanting to be able to predict and plan for its future in terms of quarterback Aaron Rodgers. On the other hand, I can understand Brett wanting to come back. Rarely have I seen someone actually enjoy playing the game of football like he enjoys playing the game of football.

I don’t credit Brett Favre with being a nuclear physicist; I credit him with being a legendary quarterback who had a great season last year, retired prematurely, couldn’t go back to Green Bay (still, very sad) but still wanted to — and still can — play great pro football.

On one hand, I’m irate at the Packers; on the other, I can understand their position.

But this won’t surprise you: I’ll not be watching as many Packers games as I used to. Looks like some Jets games are in my future. Hmm: Brett The Jet.

BZ
P.S.
Things on the family front are still tumultuous. I want to thank you all for your prayers, thoughts and kind wishes.
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When It Rains. . .

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. . . it pours.

Last week my wife’s nephew was killed in a drowning accident; he was 17. My wife paid for her sister to come from Texas in order to attend the funeral. We were very busy with arrangements of all kinds and had to attempt to console and keep her sister “occupied,” if you will, while she was present. My wife’s sister left last night at 11 PM, back to Texas and her fiance.

Also yesterday, my father went back into the hospital. It wasn’t good. In a two year period, 2005 to 2006, he survived five major surgeries. Two of them were for colon cancer, two were resections from colostomies and one was an aneurism repair. He has been very tired again, he actually wanted to to go the emergency room yesterday. He will have many tests but it appears his red blood count is very low and his white cell count has literally skyrocketed. The ER doctor and the nurse both are thinking he has leukemia. At his age, 88, there isn’t much that can be done that wouldn’t be incredibly invasive and traumatic to his body. His prior doctor will see him today. We should know more.

In the meantime, I suspect posts will be sporadic. Please understand, and never fail to take the time to tell the people you love how you feel about them.

BZ

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FINAL NOTICE

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The Republican National Committee sent me a letter recently, stamped “FINAL NOTICE” with red letters on the front (see photo). They want me to renew my membership.

You dare to serve a “final notice” to ME?

How about, RNC, I serve a FINAL NOTICE to YOU.

  • It is you that had best manage to get your GOP ducks in a row, and soon.
  • It is you who had best get Republican politicians on the same sheet of Conservative music.
  • It is you who had best take Conservatism back into your fold.
  • It is you who had best take Conservatives back into your fold.

It is you who need to go Back To The Basics:

  • 1. Protect the Nation and protect our liberty and interests;
  • 2. Secure our borders;
  • 3. Ensure that English is the embraced and advocated common language of this nation;
  • 4. Simply enforce the laws currently on the books;
  • 5. This nation does not have a revenue problem — it has a spending problem;
  • 6. Eliminate a full time House and Senate;
  • 7. Minimize government and, with that, you’ll minimize spending;
  • 8. Minimize governmental interference, spending, regulation and taxation;
  • 9. Push government down to the state and local venues;
  • 10. Build infrastructure, build refineries, build sewer plants, water desalinization plants, power plants of all kind, nuclear, coal, wind, water, solar, drill for oil off our coasts, drill in ANWR, drill for oil shale, in the tar sands, provide incentives for all make and manner of alternate energy;
Furthermore, So Sayeth BZ:

  • A. Truth In Bills: no riders. One topic per bill.
  • B. Truth In Budget: a balanced budget, every year, on every level, city, county, state, federal.
  • C. Truth In Donations: Jerry Brown had one thing right: no more than $100 allowed to be donated to any person’s campaign for any office, by either an individual or a corporation.
  • D. Truth In Funding: any monies resulting from any bill, proposition or amendment shall be placed into an account solely for that purpose and shall never be co-mingled into any other fund or account, and shall never be used for any purpose other than that for which it was originally proposed.

You dare to send me a “FINAL NOTICE”, Republican National Committee?

No. Wrong. I instead proffer you yours.

Because unless you jump through my Conservative Hoops, the days of my checks being again written to you are gone gone gone.

BZ
P.S.
“Politician” should never be a full-time job.
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Stan Winston: April 7, 1946 to June 15, 2008

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A legend has fallen, and it is guaranteed that you have seen his wonderful work but not known whom to credit.

I just recently learned that legendary special effects artist Stan Winston passed away in June, at the age of 62.

As opposed to hundreds and hundreds of unimportant actors and actresses whose names you know, Stan Winston, a name you likely don’t know, was awarded four Oscars in his lifetime. John Wayne, for example, only acquired one.

I was familiar with Winston’s work through the magazines Cinefex and Cinefantastique.

His Stan Winston Studio has crafted some of modern cinema’s most fantastic figures. He collaborated with director James Cameron on the fearsome monster effects of “Aliens” (1986) and on both “The Terminator” (1984) and its lavish 1991 sequel “Terminator 2: Judgment Day”. In a similar vein, he designed the alien hunter in “Predator” (1987) and “Predator 2” (1990). Winston and filmmaker Tim Burton were responsible for Johnny Depp’s soulful-eyed and sharp-fingered oddball looks in “Edward Scissorhands” (1990) and Danny DeVito’s grotesque Penguin makeup in “Batman Returns” (1992).

Winston’s last major work was the real-world armor for the movie Iron Man.

As opposed to CGI that, in some clever cases, can be well done, nothing can still replicate the true presence that an actual physical special effect creation brings to the big screen. And that was Stan Winston’s work and genius.

CGI, in my opinion, is too heavily relied-upon in current films (most recently, the terrible CGI in the new Mummy) and can frequently, as the poorly-rendered “humanistic” creatures did in “I Am Legend,” spoil the entire movie.

Mr. Stan Winston was indeed a legend in Hollywood, and he and his work will be missed.

BZ
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