Saturday Evening Post sans Norman Rockwell
on the fall of saigon
Today marks the 30th anniversary of what's known to America as the Fall of Saigon and what's known in Vietnam as Reunification Day. A reporter from NPR who was present 30 years ago, was live in Saigon today. Today is a day of jubilation in Vietnam, but, in America, where the wounds of the war are still yet to heal, there is nothing to celebrate. An unjust war never ends well or soon enough. Today, as a nation we should take time to think about that war, the lives it took, the men who fought, and men who sent them to fight. I was not alive during this war, it wasn't a generation I was a part of that was effected, but I still feel strongly for the veterans of Vietnam when someone like Ann Coulter says that one of them is part of the reason we lost that war. It is not their fault. Vietnam was lost by the politicians who forced men to fight and to die for a cause not worth fighting for voluntarily. There are plenty of other sources for information on this occasion around the mediasphere today, please visit them for more information.
on the documentary 'Okie Noodling'
'Okie Noodling' is a documentary that went, like its subject, under the mainstream radar. Taking on the subject of what's known as a pasttime for rednecks without enough money to buy bait and tackle for actual fishing, the film gives profiles of the type of people engaging in noodling. Oh, in case you don't know, noodling, or hand fishing, is wading in shallow creeks and lakes until you find a deep hole, sticking your hand into the hole and letting a catfish, or whatever else is in the hole, bite you. After being bitten, the idea is to drag the fish out while it's still gripping your arm, which is not that easy when your dragging a fish that weighs 40 or 50 pounds. The film was produced by Bradley Beesley, an Oklahoma filmmaker, and was bankrolled by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and OETA. As interesting a topic as noodling culture is, the documentary actually gets pretty dry about halfway through. The stories told by each of the profiled noodlers seem to be repetitive and the footage of beer-bellied, sinewy rednecks mostly submerged in muddy waters digging in unseen holes doesn't make for very compelling visuals. That's to be expected though. 'Okie Noodling' marks the first time a documentary had been attempted on the art of noodling, so very limited stock footage exists to use in such a project. The film deserves an A for its pioneering spirit and soundtrack provided by Okies the Flaming Lips, but a C for its execution. If you have a chance to check out the DVD, it's worth a viewing at only an hour long. Plus, the special section dedicated to the soundtrack features a hilarious commentary by Wayne Coyne in which he discusses what he thought the topic of the film would be when he was first contacted to work on it. Appearently, he and the director had two different ideas of the word 'noodling.' Priceless.
responsible consumption of alcohol
The rum is indeed gone. I can't give any details as to where the rum came from, who consumed the rum, or whose possession the rum has been in, but I can say definitively, "The rum is gone." What I also cannot say is that mixing rum in root beer is good. I cannot say that when you have exhausted all the coca-cola and root beer at your disposal, stealing grape Gatorade mix from your suitemates, mixing up that mix and consequently mixing rum into said Gatorade, is a proper course of action. I can't say these things, not because they are not true, necessarily, but because I am a minor and I live on a dry campus. By the way, I also cannot say that I've watched the new episode of Family Guy everyday since Monday. I can't say that for another reason altogether. However, I can still say, "Fuck you, Rupert Murdoch!"
i am a genius: part 1
Ok, so I bought a half gallon of chocolate milk this afternoon instead of getting one of those little cartons...but I don't have a refridgerator. After I had drunk as much chocolatey goodness as was my fill, I went to see if I could use my suitemates' fridge...they, however, had gone home to Texas for the weekend and chained their door. I had to think fast! I looked around the room and found paper towels, some old styrofoam cups, and a bag. I wrapped the towels around my milk, then put the ice I had in a beverage from earlier in the cup on bottom and put the wrapped milk on top of it. I put a styrofoam cup on top and then covered the whole thing with my plastic bag. The contraption seems to be working. I figure I saved myself at least one more serving of chocolate milk before it goes bad. And that is why...I am a genius.
Today marks the 30th anniversary of what's known to America as the Fall of Saigon and what's known in Vietnam as Reunification Day. A reporter from NPR who was present 30 years ago, was live in Saigon today. Today is a day of jubilation in Vietnam, but, in America, where the wounds of the war are still yet to heal, there is nothing to celebrate. An unjust war never ends well or soon enough. Today, as a nation we should take time to think about that war, the lives it took, the men who fought, and men who sent them to fight. I was not alive during this war, it wasn't a generation I was a part of that was effected, but I still feel strongly for the veterans of Vietnam when someone like Ann Coulter says that one of them is part of the reason we lost that war. It is not their fault. Vietnam was lost by the politicians who forced men to fight and to die for a cause not worth fighting for voluntarily. There are plenty of other sources for information on this occasion around the mediasphere today, please visit them for more information.
on the documentary 'Okie Noodling'
'Okie Noodling' is a documentary that went, like its subject, under the mainstream radar. Taking on the subject of what's known as a pasttime for rednecks without enough money to buy bait and tackle for actual fishing, the film gives profiles of the type of people engaging in noodling. Oh, in case you don't know, noodling, or hand fishing, is wading in shallow creeks and lakes until you find a deep hole, sticking your hand into the hole and letting a catfish, or whatever else is in the hole, bite you. After being bitten, the idea is to drag the fish out while it's still gripping your arm, which is not that easy when your dragging a fish that weighs 40 or 50 pounds. The film was produced by Bradley Beesley, an Oklahoma filmmaker, and was bankrolled by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and OETA. As interesting a topic as noodling culture is, the documentary actually gets pretty dry about halfway through. The stories told by each of the profiled noodlers seem to be repetitive and the footage of beer-bellied, sinewy rednecks mostly submerged in muddy waters digging in unseen holes doesn't make for very compelling visuals. That's to be expected though. 'Okie Noodling' marks the first time a documentary had been attempted on the art of noodling, so very limited stock footage exists to use in such a project. The film deserves an A for its pioneering spirit and soundtrack provided by Okies the Flaming Lips, but a C for its execution. If you have a chance to check out the DVD, it's worth a viewing at only an hour long. Plus, the special section dedicated to the soundtrack features a hilarious commentary by Wayne Coyne in which he discusses what he thought the topic of the film would be when he was first contacted to work on it. Appearently, he and the director had two different ideas of the word 'noodling.' Priceless.
responsible consumption of alcohol
The rum is indeed gone. I can't give any details as to where the rum came from, who consumed the rum, or whose possession the rum has been in, but I can say definitively, "The rum is gone." What I also cannot say is that mixing rum in root beer is good. I cannot say that when you have exhausted all the coca-cola and root beer at your disposal, stealing grape Gatorade mix from your suitemates, mixing up that mix and consequently mixing rum into said Gatorade, is a proper course of action. I can't say these things, not because they are not true, necessarily, but because I am a minor and I live on a dry campus. By the way, I also cannot say that I've watched the new episode of Family Guy everyday since Monday. I can't say that for another reason altogether. However, I can still say, "Fuck you, Rupert Murdoch!"
i am a genius: part 1
Ok, so I bought a half gallon of chocolate milk this afternoon instead of getting one of those little cartons...but I don't have a refridgerator. After I had drunk as much chocolatey goodness as was my fill, I went to see if I could use my suitemates' fridge...they, however, had gone home to Texas for the weekend and chained their door. I had to think fast! I looked around the room and found paper towels, some old styrofoam cups, and a bag. I wrapped the towels around my milk, then put the ice I had in a beverage from earlier in the cup on bottom and put the wrapped milk on top of it. I put a styrofoam cup on top and then covered the whole thing with my plastic bag. The contraption seems to be working. I figure I saved myself at least one more serving of chocolate milk before it goes bad. And that is why...I am a genius.
posted by TheJobey @ 4/30/2005 02:36:00 PM
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