Scene and heard

I somehow manage to pick out very good books for myself. Most recently, I have read Broken by Daniel Clay, which American reviewers don’t seem to like, but I thought was excellent; and The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright, which I thought was more accessible to more people than Broken and another excellent book. And then I picked up Soul Catcher!

The story dates back to pre-Civil War America, when Slave Catchers were called Soul Catchers by Black people and White abolitionists. It is a high adventure trek from South to North and back again, first in search of and then in the company of two runaway slaves. The book is billed as a story of redemption, which it most certainly is. But the style in which it is written, the depth of the various characters, the description of the journey and the complex relationships of all of the characters set this book apart from most.

Yes, I have read many books that I would recommend to people; many that I have thoroughly enjoyed. But this captivated me in a way that very few books ever have and moves into the upper echelon alongside Birdsong and above such notables as The Secret Life of Bees, To Kill a Mockingbird, Water for Elephants, Tuesdays with Morrie….

When you see this described as an important book, believe it! As avid a reader as I am, I would describe few books as ‘must read’. This one deserves that accolade. Read it!

You may be an asshole if you don’t make room for people to get off trains, particularly in the rush hour.

You are an asshole if you barge through the crowds trying to get off said train.


You may be an asshole if you stand in front of a turnstile in a train (Subway, Underground, Metro, etc.) station fumbling for your commuter pass.

You are an asshole if you stand in front of a turnstile in a train (Subway, Underground, Metro, etc.) station fumbling for your commuter pass in the rush hour.

You are a mega asshole if you stand in front of a turnstile in a train (Subway, Underground, Metro, etc.) station fumbling for your commuter pass in the rush hour while your friend or kid is standing in front of the neighboring turnstile either doing the same or waiting for your pass.


You may be an asshole if you come out of a store onto the pavement/sidewalk without looking, forcing those already there to have to stop in order to not clatter into you.

You are an asshole if you come out of a store onto the pavement/sidewalk without looking, forcing those already there to have to stop in order to not clatter into you in a busy place or during the rush hour.


You may be an asshole if you drive around corners without signaling.

You are an asshole if you drive around corners without signaling, especially when pedestrians who are waiting to cross could have done so if only they knew you wanted to turn.

You are a mega asshole if you drive around corners without signaling, when pedestrians who are waiting to cross could have done so if only they knew you wanted to turn and it is bucketing down with rain or is freezing cold or otherwise dreadful out.


You may be an asshole if you sit on a park bench near people who aren’t smoking, and light one up yourself.

You are an asshole if you sit on a park bench near people who are eating, and proceed to light a cigarette.

You are most definitely a mega asshole if you light up a cigarette before getting all the way outside, while crowds jam the exit staircase and nobody has any means of not breathing your second hand smoke other than holding their breath.


You may be an asshole if you sneeze without putting your hand in front of your mouth when anyone else is around you.

You are an asshole if you sneeze without putting your hand in front of your mouth while in any enclosed space, such as a train or bus.

You are a mega asshole if you sneeze without putting your hand in front of your mouth while in any enclosed space, such as a train or bus, when it is crowded.

You are a multi mega asshole if you sneeze without putting your hand in front of your mouth while in any enclosed space, such as a train or bus, when it is crowded and there is fear of a pandemic.

As with my other film reviews, I will not give away the story beyond what you would see in any other review. This film is, for the most part, the story of a young Mexican gang member whose conscience gets the better of him. He winds up running from his old gang, who are determined to kill him. Before his flight, he introduces his 12 year old brother to the gang, and while on the run, he meets a young Honduran girl who is on her way to the USA with her father and uncle. Although we see her before the two meet, there is no doubting who the story is really about.

And what a story! To be sure, this is not easy viewing. It is tense and violent with no shortage of conscience-free sadism from the gang members. But it is so gripping, you might feel exhausted when it is over.

I consider this to be the best film I have seen in a very long time. Certainly considerably better than Slumdog Millionaire, which I loved. I have to say, if this was an English language film, it would be unlikely to not win the Oscar. Will there be 5 better films than this in 2009? I doubt there have been 5 better films than this any year ever! But such is the way the Academy works, it will be a pleasant surprise if it is one of the nominees.

This isn’t a date movie; at least not for early in a relationship. But it is a film that will have you wanting to talk about it, once your superlatives stop flowing and the stunned feeling you experience lightens.

Is the true mysterious genius of sexual attraction rooted in the beauty of women or in the fact that men find them beautiful? After all, do male goats not find the females of their species to be overwhelmingly attractive? And yet few Humans share this attraction, and those who do, are unlikely do be a discerning as your average gigolo kid (the tail chasing goat that never grows up)! Indeed, how many goats would be aroused by Kate Moss or Halle Berry. Or would a dog be more attracted to Angelina Jolie than Rosie O’Donnell? Just a thought. Some might think it a weird one. :)

I knew it had to happen, the state they left my block in after a mere 7 months camped out here last year. Yes, the endless pit of hard earned and now in short supply, New York taxes, known to some as road contractors, but to me as nothing more than shysters (if I’m being kind), camped back on this block last Monday, March 30th. They started digging one side of the road, in advance of recycling.

When this is done in England, a block of this length would have the surface removed in the morning, would be re-surfaced in the afternoon, and people would be driving on it by the evening rush hour.

Here in New York? Well they have completed the surface on part of the road, but rather more than half is still several inches below the regular street level, including a few feet that they took 2 weeks to resurface towards the end of last year. They will presumably move to this side of the street some time next week and finally move out at around the end of this month.

I did know this was going to happen, but I’m still outraged. The amount of money these people have been paid, as compared to how much the job should have cost if they knew how to do what they are supposed to do, instead of the object of their work being to fleece their paymasters for as much money as will be allowed, is clearly outrageous. Who hires these people!!! Don’t they know how much it should cost and how long it should take? Or is it somehow in their best interest to not know?!!!!!

In the early days of commercial air travel, people used to dress up to get on a plane. This has gone by the wayside because it was ppointless.

People used to dress up to go to the theatre and to restaurants. For the most part, these customs have also gone.

Here’s one that really needs to go.

Apparently, it is improper to make any effort to eat the dregs of food that won’t easily come off of the bottom of a plate in ‘decent’ company. Let us count (some of) the ways in which this is stupid!

1. Growing food uses power and water
2. Water needs power and chemicals in order to be purified
3. The chemicals used in purifying water need power (and probably water) in their production
4. The chemical also need to be transported to the water purifying plants
5. The food is somehow harvested. This uses fuel and manpower
6. The food is then transported. This uses fuel and manpower
7. The food is stored. This takes fuel, manpower and real estate.
8. Food is grown on precious land
9. There is not enough food to feed everyone in the world
10. Food prices are affected by scarcity and food being used for non-food purposes, making it difficult for many to afford a decent diet
11. Fuel, manpower, farmland and real estate cost money and should not be wasted
12. Transportation, chemicals, water and power all have a carbon footprint
13. Cooking/storing food has a carbon footprint

This particular etiquette is socially and environmentally irresponsible and surely, it’s time has been and gone. I am not suggesting that people should loudly scrape or lick their plates in fine restaurants or business gatherings (although wouldn’t the world be a better place if that was seen as a sign of passion for food instead of lowly manners!). Those who leave food because it is proper are anachronisms and should be made to feel such if they cannot accept the sense in changing this behaviour.