Brett Ratner Hanging Out With Family on Melrose

Here's the skinny. There's a lot to write about, but no time to do so. The girls and I are having dinner with our extended California family. Much prepping to do. Can't really write when I'm rushed, at least not in a professional manner. So, consider this article an email from a very sloppy friend with bad grammar.

There we were on Melrose, taking in the sights. Actually, we crossed over to another boulevard with more interesting looking people, but I can't remember the name. Anyway, there we were. Of course, I was celebrity stalking, you know the deal, hmmmm, is this one a celebrity? Is this one? That kind of thing.

The girls wanted to buy earrings, so I let them shop. Then I saw tai chi man outside of a store and I knew I must snap his picture. The guy was amazing energy on crack. Had a yoga mat and was doing amazing hand stands over and over. You see a lot of that at Venice Beach, but not really on Melrose.

And then, I just kind of hung out, soaking in the energy, scouring faces for some familiarity. The celebrity stalking gods were kind to me. I saw him from a distance on the telephone. Well, at least he wanted people to think he was on the telephone. I would not be deterred. Yes, I knew him from somewhere, but could not figure out where. He wanted to know if I was FBI. I told him yes. He said he was with his family. I said I didn't care. Director, producer, I knew he was a behind the scenes guy. Just could not put my finger on it.

I guess unless they are uber famous, these people aren't used to nobodys from Baltimore coming up to them on the street asking for pictures because once I started telling him how I knew he was a director/producer, just couldn't put my finger on it, Brett Ratner became THE coolest guy ever.

He asked me if I wanted to be in the picture with him, just to prove that I really am the one who took the picture, but I told him, nah, I'm not into that status whore kind of thing. More about this when I have more time to write.

Besides, why mess up a really good picture of Brett Ratner, eh?

CNN Sinks to Toilet Humor for News

Did CNN just run a story about the space station toilet being on the fritz? With guest commentary? And illustrative video? What is wrong with these people, talking about number one and number two on national television. What -- the Sarah Larson and George Clooney breakup not titillating enough for everyone? OMFG.

On Location Correspondent: I'm in the zero gravity chamber, looking at the space station toilet. I am in the toilet. Repeat. In the toilet.

CNN News Anchor (under her breath): So are we.

The state of national news has really deteriorated. Doing my part to spice things up, I'll be spending the day in beautiful downtown Pasadena, California, and then to Studio City for an According to Jim taping. Yes, we found a show that was actually still in production. And the weather? Absolutely fanfreakntabulous.

Halifax - The Beginning

First of all special thanks to Mark Cohene for selling me a Nikon D200 and also lending me a nice 20-35mm Nikkor lens, they both come in very handy.
Well the last month has been either cameraless or quite busy so that explains the lack of photos. However last weekend I drove out to the maritimes with Laura. She accepted a job in Halifax so we drove out there together with a few stops in between. The first night we stayed at her parents trailer in the Kawartha Lakes. It was awfully rainy but I managed to grab this shot before the sun set.

Burmese Monks Defy Ban on Private Relief Efforts.

Myanmar's military government, which has a relief hub just 10 miles north in the town of Bogalay, has not delivered aid to scores of remote villages like this across some of the most devastated areas of the Irrawaddy River delta. For now, the villagers' only hope is goods that arrive from time to time in an underground supply chain operated by Buddhist monks in Bogalay, who are defying the ban on private relief operations in the delta.

James: The Burmese Sangha has shown such courage and compassion toward the people from the protests last year to helping victims of the recent cyclone. They clearly understand the importance of compassion to the point of risking their own lives and safety to help as many people as they can. All despite many monasteries being destroyed and severely damaged.

Their efforts are even more noble when you consider that the monks themselves don't have a lot and usually rely upon the laity for their food. Yet here they are giving and helping in any and all ways they can. However, I'm not surprised being how centered in oneness that these monks know and practice. They intimately know the interconnected between all beings and that helping others is not different and no less important than helping oneself.

It is not an exaggeration to say that monks are trained to help the people. Their vows are quite centered upon working for the betterment and liberation of the people from suffering and their response to the aftermath of this disaster is a powerful expression of those values.

They are a cherished example for me in how to deal with severe suffering in my own life and in the lives of other people. The monks have suffered as much as the people and yet they are being pro-active and not wallowing in their sorrow. They are a wonderful example that helping others can help ease our own suffering. Too often when I am in deep pain and suffering I retreat from others into a place where I feel self-pity as if I am the only person suffering in the world. The monks are a beautiful reminder of why I do my best to follow the Dharma.

In the confusion of the aftermath of cyclone nargis many believe that it was the result of the "bad karma" of the victims. That, however, is somewhat short-sighted says one Burmese monk, "If the government would have warned people, they would not have died. So this disaster is not karma; it is a natural case of cause and effect by humans."

~Peace to all beings~

Cameron Diaz is Completely Bald

Good for Cameron Diaz, dare'n to go completely barren. Cameron adopted a gerblish alien look in the name of her craft. Her new movie, My Sister's Keeper, is currently filming in Santa Monica. Cameron plays the mom of a young girl with lukemia and most likely shaved her head to show solidarity.

Supposedly, Cameron's noggin is covered by a bald cap, but hon, you could have fooled me.

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Miley Cyrus New Picture Sleaze Screams Scandal

Sleazy photographs of the world's richest teenager are causing a universal rise in testosterone.

Miley Cyrus, aka the "Oops I Did It Again Girl," must think she's a Victoria's Secret model. This girl cannot keep her pants on. And those come hither eyes. Talk about kids trying to grow up too fast and parents not giving a damn.

Methinks Miss Hannah Montana has serious mouse issues, like she's taunting the network to can her sexy hide. Meanwhile, Disney executives will have to strategize more damage control, just in case a scandal like the one rocking U.K. Channel 4 rears its ugly head.

Personally, I think Miley needs to put her clothes back on and hire the best shrink money can buy. Other leaked photographs offer a not so pretty behind the scenes look at a scandal in waiting.

Here's a drawing Billy Ray supposedly made of Miley when she was just a tween, apparently practicing her now refined come hither look.

And here she stands apart from her siblings in a picture with Billy Ray practically screaming for attention. Hey, it's great to have your own TV show, fashion line, instant fan recognition, and money to burn, but a little TLC never hurt anyone.

Update: The Vanity Fair photos stoking the rumor mill are controversial but reflect artistic content. Cyrus appears to take pleasure in circulating sleazier photos with no socially redeeming content whatsoever.

My Wife the "Green Collar" Worker.

As some of you know, my wife recently graduated with a degree in accounting all the while working full time. She ended up graduating within the top of her class and thus graduated with honors. She had been in the banking industry for years before and has been wanting to get a job in the green industry (renewable energy and other environmental jobs).

Well she applied to an up and coming solar company in the area awhile back and didn't hear anything back from them for a couple of weeks but then received a phone call from them awhile later to set up an interview. The interview went well and they were quite impressed with her and ended up giving her the job working in their accounting department. She is so excited to be working a green collar job as getting a job working in the green industry has been her dream job.

Part of why she wanted to work in this industry was because being Buddhist she has wanted to gain employment with a company that was involved in giving back to our environment and working to reduce our negative impact on our Earth.

She is also excited to be working for this company because they are just starting to hire for their accounting department so she will be able to start off getting experience in all areas of the field. This is the beginning of her career and she's in a great spot to launch it.

Well today is her first day and I'm anxious to hear how it's been going, she's going to try and call me at lunch. I'm so proud of her and all the hard work that she has put into gaining this higher education to help improve our lives. She is amazing and so incredibly smart that I just had to brag about her a bit here.

Wish her luck!!!

~Peace to all beings~

Icanhascheezburger Teh Special Sauce Lolz

Have to admit, when I first saw so many Facebook friends joining the "icanhascheezburger" fan club, I was a smidge envious. Who was this ican person and how had he/she become so darn popular? I'd been plugging away dutifully for months and The Spewker was still a blip on nobody's radar. Was there something about "cheezburgers" making people go bonkers?

Finally took the plunge and have to admit, the place is a riot. Should have checked it out way sooner and jumped on the bandwagon, but you know, celebrity politics being a full-time job and all, lolz.


see more politics and fun!

Lake Taupo

Whakatani was smaller than expected, but it was a nice place. I had decided we should try and get to our next destination by the next day and our White Island tour lasted two hours longer than we were told, so as soon as we got off the boat from White Island, about 4pm, we took off.



It was during this stage that i realized how fast people drive in New Zealand. The road was very narrow compared to US roads, with no shoulders, cliffs that came right down to the asphalt and constant tight turns. It was actually an exciting drive, and the only reason i wasn't enjoying it was that i was still getting used to driving on the wrong side of the road and operating a manual transmission with my left hand. It felt as awkward as trying to throw a ball with the wrong arm. Anyway, people kept tailgating me, even though i was speeding. At one point i was driving so fast that the little Toyota we were in reached that point where the tires are just beginning to lose traction around the curves, but the guy behind me was STILL right on my bumper! So i had to admit the inadequacy of my vehicle and find somewhere to let him pass (there was no passing on most of the road).


This is the first view you have of Taupo. At first it reminded me of Idaho.

We drove as far as we could through the available daylight with the goal of making it at least to this place called Rotorua. We made it that far with another two hours of daylight to spare. I didn’t like the look or the feel of the place, so we continued on. We did stop to eat at the biggest, most posh McDonalds i've ever been in (solely because it was fast) It was open air too, and full of birds flying around and landing on your table to try and snag fries.


We stayed at the Anchorage Inn, solely because of the name. Ironically, it was the best hotel room that we had during our entire vacation.




The back parking lot of the hotel had terraced fences made out of fern trees. I hear they have stuff like this in Hawaii, but i've never been there or seen anything like that.

Leaving that town the roads became almost completely empty, and we made excellent time until just before sunset when we arrived at a place called Taupo. It was a very relaxing town on the shore of huge Lake Taupo. The lake is a gigantic caldera, the biggest lake in the country at 25 miles long and 18 miles wide (40 x 30 kilometers). I didn't realize how big, because what i thought was the whole lake was just a little bay area where the town was centered. It took an hour to drive down the length of it the next day.


The next day looking north from the southern end of the lake just as we were leaving the region. Notice how all the cinder cones are kind of in a straight line. The town of Taupo is at the far end where the most distant cinder cone (right of center) on the horizon is visible.

Clinton Campaign Jumps the Shark and Should Leave the Building

Does anyone still want Hillary Clinton for V.P. after this bombshell?

Call me old-fashioned, but I'm still a big believer in Freudian slips. And with the Clinton track record and her Sopranos knock-off commercial, I can't regard her remarks as mere silliness. Call me a crazy conspiracy theorist if you like, but there's no room in civil political discourse for a response like this. The reporter asked, "Why [have people tried to push you out of the race since Iowa]?" Rather than consider something plausible, Clinton faulted the media, saying historically it made no sense to push a candidate out before June and then cited the RFK assassination as justification.

Even in the best light, the explanation is irresponsible and, forgive me Clinton supporters, incredibly idiotic. I don't know about everyone else, but I can't stomach the thought of a presidency with Dana Quail, Jr. second in command...

...or the Ralph Nader of 2008.

I have already highlighted numerous other missteps of Senator Clinton's campaign, but none so egregious, so over the top, so incredibly divisive as her most recent gaffe. Please, everyone, for the sake of the Party, join together. Put an end to the candidacy of a politician whose actions serve only to tear us apart. Urge party leaders to dance Hillary off the stage, quickly, quietly, but forcibly, while she still retains a portion of her dignity.

It's over, folks, it's over. She fought the good fight, but she's done.

American Idol Finale Season Seven Picks and Pans

I am just not feeling this outfit, dawg. Red is so not Randy's color. And what's the deal with the painters overalls? Covering up from martini spills?

Just a joke, peoples. Yeesh. But that IS Randy's outfit. I used an old Captain Kangaroo pix for illustration.

The American Idol season seven finale was a blast. Actually enjoyed the mainstream acts. Donna Summer came out singing amazingly, though she did look a little worn and tired. ZZ Top was the fershizzle. Seal rocked. Disagree that Bryan Adams looks too old. Man, what do people expect after twenty years?

Not liking the George Michael gig at the end after buzz reached a fever pitch about some REALLY big star closing the program. Then again, I guess Sir Paul had other plans.

The newer acts had their shine. One Republic sounded good, but not exactly studio. The 13-year old thought Archuleta sounded better, but what does she know? I tried to explain live never sounds as good as the recording unless they're lip syncing. Gotta appreciate those that dare to go live.

So glad Cook ended the show with top honors. Much as I like Archuleta, Cook deserved to be crowned. Such a humble and nice guy, too. Loved when he brought the other Idol finalists out for his swan song. I only hope he keeps his humility.

Finally, props to my girl, Charlotte. Oh yes, that was her on the finale stage. Once again, singing back up for Jordin Sparks. When last season's tour stopped in Baltimore, I made a point to fawn over Charlotte. Unlike last year's finalists, she had no problem signing autographs for fans. As nice as nice could be. It's time that girl took her career to the next level.

Tornados Hit Near our House.

Yesterday was pretty wild here in Northern Colorado, USA. There were seven to eight tornado touchdowns here across a wide area covering at least two counties including the one we live in and the one where my wife works. This amazing video (click here) shows the biggest tornado crossing the major highway that my wife travels everyday to work but thankfully she was at work when it crossed. She did have to take shelter in the basement of their building for about 30 minutes though.

The video below will show you some pictures and footage of the damage from that main tornado slamming into the town of Windsor which was the town hit the hardest. It was a monster tornado that was about a mile in diameter and categorized as an F3 on the Fujita scale (about 150mph or 241kph):Windsor is only about 15-20 miles from where we live (I can drive to it in about 10 minutes). Yesterday I was over at my parent's house spending time with my Dad. We usually get together once a week to go to lunch and watch some movies. Well we were listening to the radio and were told to take cover so we went into our basement and waited out the warning. It turns out that a tornado touched down just north of their house in our city. It hit only about 10 miles away from their house where we were hunkered down but the damage was thankfully minimal with that particular tornado.

It turns out that one person died but it could have been worse as there was a day care that was destroyed. There were 150 children there but they had been evacuated in time and were sheltered in a bank vault across the street. The storm could have been so much worse in terms of loss of life but the property damage is extensive and many are without homes. There are many places with wooden boards strewn about like toothpicks. This is what my wife saw coming home from work:

When I left, I had no idea where the tornado hit in the town where I work, and I happened to go a different way home because I needed to stop somewhere, and I drove right through the path of the tornado. Crazy--power line after power line was down on farmland, and looking ahead, all the trees were "leaning" in the same direction. As I got closer I found that all the trees were actually broken in that direction. I drove by a small area of buildings that were torn apart--it looked like there were some trailer homes. Turns out I drove right by where the fatality was.

So all in all it was quite a lively day around here but everyone I know are fine but many are injured and their houses wiped out. I hope that they can find some comfort and peace. I also hope that they can rebuild their homes without much trouble and cost.

Positively Free Sex and the City Tour

The May 30th New York City premiere of Sex and the City: The Movie has inspired a fever pitch of hype and scramble for affiliation with all things Sarah Jessica Parker. New York City and local entrepreneurs are preparing to cash in.

Soon, a multitude of the fabulous and metrosexual will converge upon Manhattan, gobbling up SATC souvenirs, fighting for glimpses of stars on the red carpet, and spending outrageous sums of money for Sex and the City theme tours. While some tours are a perfectly reasonable way to enjoy the Big Apple, others are sold out, and still others are so obnoxiously expensive they should be banned for excessive opulence.

Truthfully, I'm a little appalled. Spending that much money for a friggn' city tour, are these people nuts? I like the SATC franchise just as much as anyone else, but you don't see me dropping huge wads of cash for something I can do on my own for nothing.

In fact, I'm so adverse to seeing so much money go down the drain, I decided to create an online tour of my own. No, it doesn't include injections of botox or boutique shopping jaunts, but it does give a fairly accurate picture of the SATC "hot spots." Even better, it's positively 100% FREE! I say, save your money for better things.

Like making a donation to my PayPal account.

Or buying your next gallon of gas.

Charlotte gets a free pair of shoes in exchange for a naughty massage.

Samantha impersonates a member of a pool club to cool off on a hot day. There's the pool roof off in the distance.

The ladies pay a visit to The Pleasure Chest where Charlotte purchases a little toy she names "Rabbit."

Remember the episode where Carrie and Samantha start ogling a priest? There's the church where the scenes were filmed. I hear the producers had to offer a hefty donation for the location.

I find it hard to believe the red door with graffiti filled walls is tour worthy, but here's the scene where Samantha exits her apartment building. Funny how the place barely resembles the red door from the series.

The official Sex and the City cosmopolitan is a staple of all the tours. These are being served in a pub, not the restaurant where this scene was shot.

It wouldn't be a "Sex and The City" tour unless you stopped at Magnolia Bakery for cupcakes. Here, the line snakes around the door about 80 people long. In a scene from the series, Carrie tells Miranda about her Aidan crush as they lick cupcakes on an outside bench.

Another popular tour destination is the steps outside Carrie Bradshaw's brownstone. Everyone stops to have pictures taken. The brownstone is actually located in the Village, not the Lower East Side as portrayed in the series.

"Your girl is beautiful, Hubbell," Carrie says to Big, a nod to "The Way We Were." The scene was filmed at the fountain across from The Plaza Hotel, a fitting way to end this tour on a high note.


Just in case you wanted to see some actual people on one of these tours, I'll leave you with the foreign film version. Au revoir, ladies.

Flash Mob Entertainment Goes Global

A flash mob recently convened in Baltimore's Inner Harbor, sparking local interest in the recently popular phenomenon.

I'm more amused by flash mob entertainment from other parts of the world. No need to translate. The humor speaks for itself.

2008 Prediction from an American Idol Dropout

I'm lapping up the blogosphere buzz about last night's American Idol season finale. The Battle of the Davids, as far as I'm concerned, or as Randy so eloquently stated, "The Duel of 2007."

As I've mentioned here before, this season of Idol left me less than enthralled. I stopped tuning in right about the time they narrowed the competition to the final fourteen. Maybe the acts seemed too polished, too commercial, too pat. Only the lunacy of Paula kept me barely engaged.

For what it's worth, my barely turned teenage daughter is mad about David Archuleta. So are all of her friends. He's cute, I'll admit, and he sings like a nightingale, but that's not enough to keep this old 60's rocker entertained. My daughter may have registered a vote or two, but after the judges' gushing comments, her compatriots may have felt safe to let other voters crown tonight's winner. If so, I'm wondering how many other teenyboppers were lured into a smug state of apathy.

From the little I've seen, David Cook's got it down. He's an obscurity who tried out on a whim, one who is brave enough to take chances. He's edgy and dark. Even if he doesn't emerge as this season's winner, he has a bright future ahead. Cook's albums will sell, especially if he maintains the passion of his current convictions. That, and retains the right manager. Enough said about unsavory characters who bilk the unsuspecting.

People like me don't want more of the same. They want music from artists who walk to the beat of their own drum. I didn't bother to vote my opinion as I had in previous seasons. I'd rather vote with my pocketbook when the Davids' debut CDs hit the market.

Whatever happens tonight, David Cook is the real deal. The question on my lips is the fate of the show itself. Can they interest people like me with raw fresh talent? That, my friends, can't be scripted on a note card.

When We Fall.

When we fall on the ground it hurts us, but we also need to rely on the ground to get back up.

-Kathleen McDonald.

James: This reminds me of something Thich Nhat Hanh has said, that we need manure to grow roses. It's a great reminder that our problems, struggles and suffering all have benefits if we look close enough. It sure is difficult to be aware of that when you feel depressed and isolated in a hole of pain but the truth remains.

Also, I wanted to just say Happy Vesak day!! I don't have anything enlightening to say about it except to say that for me it is really poignant this year given the situation in Burma, Tibet, China in the aftermath of the earthquake, Iraq and many other places around the world in turmoil. It seems that now more than ever the world needs the Buddha's message of peace, compassion, loving-kindness and oneness.

~Peace to all beings~

Gary Kasparov Interrupted by Flying Penis

American political candidates aren't the only ones enduring the slings and arrows of opposition. The hilarious effects of glasnost and perestroika were on display as Gary Kasparov, retired chess champion and political activist, interrupted a weekend rally to observe the flight of a wayward wang.

Don't have a cow. The offending operative wasn't real, just hysterically funny.

I'm still trying to figure out Second Life. According to a more astute observer the incident mimicked a similar attack in the alternate reality. According to a report from Belfast,

The prank was staged by 'a couple of pro-Kremlin Young Russia activists' reports the Moscow Times. Mr Kasparov was unharmed.

Kasparov laughed off the incident remarking that it was 'below the belt.'

'I think we have to be thankful for the opposition's demonstration of the level of discourse we need to anticipate,' he said.

An onlooker said the incident was a 'genital reminder about who is in charge.'

Bah-dah-bum.

The flying wang was an immediate crowd pleaser. News correspondents mass recorded the attack and someone quickly downloaded it for prosperity. A dark haired diminutive correspondent ran out of the room so fast, I couldn't tell if he/she was trying to claim first dibs or satisfy a sudden personal urge.

The wang could have been more than just a prank, possibly carrying a recording device of its own. That would explain the actions of a way too serious security guard who quickly disabled the otherwise harmless intruder. Did you see that guy's face? Scary.

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The Ant And The Grasshopper

Aesop's fable 'The Ant And The Grasshopper' dates as far back as the third century. As the fable goes...The ant works hard all summer long collecting food and building his house while the grasshopper plays and dances and calls the ant a fool. When the winter sets in and the snow starts blowing , the ant is nice and warm and well fed and the grasshopper is out in the cold with nothing to eat. The grasshopper either dies out in the cold or has to beg for food from the ant. Your choice as to endings depending on how mean you feel at the time of telling.

The Celebrity Apprentice Rumored to Hire Heather Mills

Looking like he just swallowed a rotten egg, Donald Trump squelched rumors about O.J. Simpson and The Celebrity Apprentice. He then let a giant cat out of the bag. Sir Paul McCartney's evil ex, Heather Mills, is in talks to join the show.



WTG, Donald! When it comes to villains, Heather is about as evil as it gets.

Stuart and This Gay Dude are Going to be Newlyweds

After twenty plus years, Stuart and his domestic partner are getting married. In a narrow 4-3 ruling, the California Supreme Court abolished the ban on gay marriage, setting off squeals of delight in the City of San Francisco. Moral watchdogs have vowed to delay the ruling's effect until voters can have their say at the polls.

Figures. Just when you think wedded bliss is only nano meters away, they pull the rug out from under you.

Right... Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi?

Right... George Takei and Brad Altman?

Right... Jude Law and Jeremy Giley?

Oh, wait a minute. Jude and Jeremy only look like they're getting married. In real life, they're promoting their new political documentary, The Day After Peace, at the Cannes Film Festival.

My bad.