Well, well, well. Living in southern Louisiana or anywhere else on the Gulf Coast means that every once in awhile, there's a chance that a hurricane or tropical storm will blow your way. Just a few years ago, I lived through the biggest hurricane to hit my home in my lifetime. No, it wasn't Katrina (although she did indirectly affect me). It was Rita, the oft forgotten storm that did a ton of damage and left many, many people homeless. Heck, she pretty much wiped Cameron Parish off of the map for awhile there.
Now we have Gustav making his way into the Gulf of Mexico. As of this writing, he's located on the southeastern tip of Cuba and headed west/northwest. The "cone of uncertainty" puts him somewhere between New Orleans (big surprise) and the panhandle of Florida. Lake Charles, where I live, is on the edge of that cone. The strange thing is that if you listen to most of the Lake Charles media, Gustav is making a bee-line straight to us. A friend of mine says that over in Beaumont, the weatherfolk are saying the same thing about east Texas. Guess what else? WWL in NOLA is saying that ol' Gus is aiming for the Big Easy. To play it safe, the Weather Channel has Gus touching down somewhere between Texas and London, England (okay, I lied about the London part, put I said that to make a point).
What amazes me is that these stations are saying all of this for one of two reasons: A) To get people to prepare for a possible damaging storm or B) To get ratings through fear-mongering. My guess is that the majority of these guys are doing it for the second reason. Don't get me wrong. I believe that everybody on the Gulf Coast and on the east coast should prepare for a hurricane when June rolls around, but the Weather Channel and most of the weather guys on said coasts are making a huge deal out of something they have no control over.
Do I worry that Gustav is going to plow through my neighborhood? No. Why? Because if he's coming my way, only God can stop him. Right now it is too early to decide where he's actually going to hit, so I'm going to do what any normal person should do: Be ready to leave town for a couple of days if Gussy shows up on my porch.
By Friday, I think that we'll all have a better understanding of where this puppy is going. Until then, I see no reason to panic, scream, loot or board up houses. Thanks to the media, there are a lot of people scared about Gus. They are the same media that put the fear of God into people by reporting half-truths and out-and-out lies about Katrina and Rita in order to pull in viewers. I can read the computer models for myself and thanks to thirty-two years of experience with hurricanes, tropical storms and depressions, I think I can make just as good a guess of where Gus is heading right now as any certified weather pusher.
Please, anybody reading this, do not think that it's the end of the world just because some suit told you a storm is heading your way. We made it through Rita and, had there been better guidance from Mayor Nagin and Granny Babineaux, Katrina would have had fewer victims in Louisiana. All we can do is wait and see where this thing is going. Don't get scared and do something stupid.
If it helps, throw a hurricane party!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
Bullish About Pit Bulls
I love dogs. I love cats, too. But when you put the two together, chaos can ensue. Last weekend I went out for some milk while my wife was home with the kids. Our daughter was riding her bike up and down the street while our one-year old was walking around in the yard with momma. Our neighbor hollered at my wife and said that a dog had our cat. After a bit of investigating, my wife found out that one of our neighbors' pit bulls had come into our yard, pulled our cat from underneath my truck (while our son was about four feet away), ran into the neighbor's yard, thrashed the cat in its mouth and then slammed our now lifeless cat onto the asphalt. He then scooped it back into his mouth and ran off into the woods.
After a little more investigating, my wife found out that our cat was the third cat killed that day by that stupid dog. It had also attacked two other dogs, but was beaten away by the owners. Animal control was called, and when they arrived, the owner of the pit bull became "distraught" (according to animal control) over the fact that her mutt was going to pound. She was given two options: 1) Build a cage that met strict parish (county for you Yankees) codes or 2) the dog would take a very, very, very long nap.
I wonder if the "distraught" owner realizes than my son was just a few feet from her dog when he killed our cat? I also wonder if she knows that two girls were playing in the yard in which her dog attacked a German Shepherd (and I'm assuming the Shep was trying to protect the little girls)?
I have absolutely no problem with anybody keeping pit bulls as pets. All I ask is that you contain and be responsible for your animal. If it gets loose and kills another animal, I say it should be put to sleep. If it kills a person, especially a child, I'd like to see at a minimum involuntary manslaughter charges brought against the owner AND have the dog ride the lightning.
In my former line of work, I came into contact with a lot of bad dogs. Chihuahuas and other small dogs usually started barking (a few brave ones nipped at me) and antagonized the bigger, meaner dogs. I have an especially bad taste in my mouth for German Shepherds (one bit me), Rottweilers, Pit Bulls and Dobermans.
PETA might think I'm a bad person for wishing an animal dead, but in my opinion, when a dog attacks a person, it's got to go unless it's in a K-9 Unit.
After a little more investigating, my wife found out that our cat was the third cat killed that day by that stupid dog. It had also attacked two other dogs, but was beaten away by the owners. Animal control was called, and when they arrived, the owner of the pit bull became "distraught" (according to animal control) over the fact that her mutt was going to pound. She was given two options: 1) Build a cage that met strict parish (county for you Yankees) codes or 2) the dog would take a very, very, very long nap.
I wonder if the "distraught" owner realizes than my son was just a few feet from her dog when he killed our cat? I also wonder if she knows that two girls were playing in the yard in which her dog attacked a German Shepherd (and I'm assuming the Shep was trying to protect the little girls)?
I have absolutely no problem with anybody keeping pit bulls as pets. All I ask is that you contain and be responsible for your animal. If it gets loose and kills another animal, I say it should be put to sleep. If it kills a person, especially a child, I'd like to see at a minimum involuntary manslaughter charges brought against the owner AND have the dog ride the lightning.
In my former line of work, I came into contact with a lot of bad dogs. Chihuahuas and other small dogs usually started barking (a few brave ones nipped at me) and antagonized the bigger, meaner dogs. I have an especially bad taste in my mouth for German Shepherds (one bit me), Rottweilers, Pit Bulls and Dobermans.
PETA might think I'm a bad person for wishing an animal dead, but in my opinion, when a dog attacks a person, it's got to go unless it's in a K-9 Unit.
Friday, August 22, 2008
The Science Fiction Film List
I got a decent response from my Disney list (okay, so two responses) and it inspired me to make yet another list of my favorites. This time around, I'm listing ten of my favorite science fiction films. I'll make a fantasy list later on, so if you're wondering why some films didn't make the list, it's probably because I felt that some films fit better into that category.
Here goes and, as before, there's no particular order to this list:
1. Jurassic Park--One of the most wonderful science fiction films ever produced. Although it takes a few liberties from the book (including changes to who does and doesn't survive), Steven Spielberg's adaptation of Michael Crichton's genetic/dino thriller is excellent. Created when CGI technology was still in its infancy, the film has near-flawless special effects, making one wonder if those dinosaurs really were on screen!
2. Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back--The bad guys end the film on a high note, filling fans of Luke, Han and Leia with doubts about the futures of their favorite characters. This film introduced the world to Boba Fett as well, who's brief screen time was just enough to earn him his own cult following. From the ice planet Hoth to the swamps of Dagobah, this film covers all sorts of terrain. It's my favorite Star Wars film.
3. Equilibrium--This one might be harder for folks to find, but Kurt Wimmer's futuristic film about a society with suppressed emotions is worth seeking out. It stars Christian Bale as a renegade law enforcer who begins to see the beauty of emotions thanks to characters like those portrayed by Emily Watson and Sean Bean. As Bale begins to appreciate everything from puppies to classical music, he discovers that emotions are what makes the world go round and attempts to start a whole new revolution against an oppressive world government.
4. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country--The final voyage of Captain Kirk and his crew on the Enterprise, Star Trek VI is my favorite film in the Star Trek catalogue. When the Klingons experience a terrible tragedy, they must look to the Federation for help. Could this eventually lead to peace with the Klingons? Not if certain mysterious parties have anything to do with it. The Enterprise is accused of firing on and murdering the Klingon ambassador and Kirk and Bones are sentenced to life imprisonment. Can Spock prove their innocence? Will the Enterprise weed out the real troublemakers in time to save the peace talks?
5. Predator--Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jesse Ventura, Carl Williams and a small group of soldiers go on a rescue mission only to find an alien hunter on the loose in the jungle. It begins taking them out one by one using a strange array of weapons. It strings up and skins its victims, and leaves a bloody trail through the jungle. Can the governator stop the alien?
6. Back To The Future--Michael J. Fox gets a dose of his mom and dad before they were his mom and dad in this wonderful sci-fi comedy. When Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) is attacked for cheating terrorists out of their plutonium, Marty McFly (Fox) jumps into Doc's time machine, a DeLorean, and is hurtled back to the 50's. Once there, he runs into his future parents, makes a terrible time-altering mistake and has to fix everything so that he can exist in the future. Will Marty survive? It's a pretty safe bet that he does, considering this film spawned two sequels.
7. The Iron Giant--The only animated film on this list, The Iron Giant is a wonderful film for older children to watch. Falling to the earth, lost and lonely, a giant befriends a little boy. Together the two learn about friendship, life and death. This film features the voice talents of Harry Connick, Jr. and Jennifer Aniston, as well as the grunts and groans of Vin Diesel as the Giant. There's a brief bit of language in this film, but when compared to the other films on this list, it's the most family-friendly one.
8. Ghostbusters--A paranormal/sci-fi comedy, Ghostbusters is a fun film about a group of men dedicated to catching and containing ghosts. What they don't realize is that there's one particularly nasty ghost who's out to take over the world and an increase in paranormal activity means that a great danger is awaiting the Ghostbusters. It features an all-star cast that includes Bill Murray and Sigourney Weaver.
9. Congo--Yep, another Michael Crichton book adaptation makes the list. This time around, though, a lot of liberties have be taken with the source material. Dylan Walsh heads up a solid cast of scientists, adventurers and telecommunications whizzes who set out for the jungles of Africa to find a missing crew working for a telecom corporation. Diamonds, mutated apes and all sorts of dangers, some man made, some from the jungle itself, await the group. I should note that this film is often disliked by fans of Crichton's book of the same name. However, I rather enjoyed it for what it is.
10. Galaxy Quest--Taking a loving shot at science fiction fans, Galaxy Quest is a hilarious comedy about a bunch of washed up actors from an old sci-fi TV series (hints of Star Trek) who are called upon by an alien race for help with a terrible enemy. The aliens fell in love with the group thanks to "historical documents" (also called television shows) and have created an entire world based around the show believing it to be real. For a comedy, this film features some brilliant special effects. The cast is perfect as well and features Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Daryl "Chill" Mitchell, Sam Rockwell and many others.
This list is far from complete. I'm sure that I'll come up with more science fiction films that I love as time goes by. Let me know if there's any film on here that you disagree with and list your favorites as well.
Here goes and, as before, there's no particular order to this list:
1. Jurassic Park--One of the most wonderful science fiction films ever produced. Although it takes a few liberties from the book (including changes to who does and doesn't survive), Steven Spielberg's adaptation of Michael Crichton's genetic/dino thriller is excellent. Created when CGI technology was still in its infancy, the film has near-flawless special effects, making one wonder if those dinosaurs really were on screen!
2. Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back--The bad guys end the film on a high note, filling fans of Luke, Han and Leia with doubts about the futures of their favorite characters. This film introduced the world to Boba Fett as well, who's brief screen time was just enough to earn him his own cult following. From the ice planet Hoth to the swamps of Dagobah, this film covers all sorts of terrain. It's my favorite Star Wars film.
3. Equilibrium--This one might be harder for folks to find, but Kurt Wimmer's futuristic film about a society with suppressed emotions is worth seeking out. It stars Christian Bale as a renegade law enforcer who begins to see the beauty of emotions thanks to characters like those portrayed by Emily Watson and Sean Bean. As Bale begins to appreciate everything from puppies to classical music, he discovers that emotions are what makes the world go round and attempts to start a whole new revolution against an oppressive world government.
4. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country--The final voyage of Captain Kirk and his crew on the Enterprise, Star Trek VI is my favorite film in the Star Trek catalogue. When the Klingons experience a terrible tragedy, they must look to the Federation for help. Could this eventually lead to peace with the Klingons? Not if certain mysterious parties have anything to do with it. The Enterprise is accused of firing on and murdering the Klingon ambassador and Kirk and Bones are sentenced to life imprisonment. Can Spock prove their innocence? Will the Enterprise weed out the real troublemakers in time to save the peace talks?
5. Predator--Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jesse Ventura, Carl Williams and a small group of soldiers go on a rescue mission only to find an alien hunter on the loose in the jungle. It begins taking them out one by one using a strange array of weapons. It strings up and skins its victims, and leaves a bloody trail through the jungle. Can the governator stop the alien?
6. Back To The Future--Michael J. Fox gets a dose of his mom and dad before they were his mom and dad in this wonderful sci-fi comedy. When Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) is attacked for cheating terrorists out of their plutonium, Marty McFly (Fox) jumps into Doc's time machine, a DeLorean, and is hurtled back to the 50's. Once there, he runs into his future parents, makes a terrible time-altering mistake and has to fix everything so that he can exist in the future. Will Marty survive? It's a pretty safe bet that he does, considering this film spawned two sequels.
7. The Iron Giant--The only animated film on this list, The Iron Giant is a wonderful film for older children to watch. Falling to the earth, lost and lonely, a giant befriends a little boy. Together the two learn about friendship, life and death. This film features the voice talents of Harry Connick, Jr. and Jennifer Aniston, as well as the grunts and groans of Vin Diesel as the Giant. There's a brief bit of language in this film, but when compared to the other films on this list, it's the most family-friendly one.
8. Ghostbusters--A paranormal/sci-fi comedy, Ghostbusters is a fun film about a group of men dedicated to catching and containing ghosts. What they don't realize is that there's one particularly nasty ghost who's out to take over the world and an increase in paranormal activity means that a great danger is awaiting the Ghostbusters. It features an all-star cast that includes Bill Murray and Sigourney Weaver.
9. Congo--Yep, another Michael Crichton book adaptation makes the list. This time around, though, a lot of liberties have be taken with the source material. Dylan Walsh heads up a solid cast of scientists, adventurers and telecommunications whizzes who set out for the jungles of Africa to find a missing crew working for a telecom corporation. Diamonds, mutated apes and all sorts of dangers, some man made, some from the jungle itself, await the group. I should note that this film is often disliked by fans of Crichton's book of the same name. However, I rather enjoyed it for what it is.
10. Galaxy Quest--Taking a loving shot at science fiction fans, Galaxy Quest is a hilarious comedy about a bunch of washed up actors from an old sci-fi TV series (hints of Star Trek) who are called upon by an alien race for help with a terrible enemy. The aliens fell in love with the group thanks to "historical documents" (also called television shows) and have created an entire world based around the show believing it to be real. For a comedy, this film features some brilliant special effects. The cast is perfect as well and features Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Daryl "Chill" Mitchell, Sam Rockwell and many others.
This list is far from complete. I'm sure that I'll come up with more science fiction films that I love as time goes by. Let me know if there's any film on here that you disagree with and list your favorites as well.
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