craichead

No, I just don't think you should really call anybody's ideas and beliefs "crap," especially in a public forum. It's openly shitting on what they hold as important (some would say sacred), and therefore shitting on them as a person because it is at the core of what they believe and makes them who they are. I don't agree with people who think same-sex marriages are crap, but I'm not going to call their ideas "crap." It's what they believe, and if they want to believe it, that's fine with me as long as they don't try to force their ideas on me or anybody else. I respect your views and who you are as a person, so I will not refer to them or you as crap, whether you cared or not. Do you care that what you say (or the way you say it) may insult or hurt your friends? _Pm __ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)

While I understand Val's view (it's her choice, and as she said, to each their own), I am a bit insulted that she was referring to something that is symbolic and important to me and a lot of other people, as "crap." It's just not respectful in an otherwise civil discussion. Wouldn't you be insulted if someone (a friend) told you that your ideas and beliefs were essentially shit? _Pm P.S. - I know Val, I love her dearly, and I know that some of the things she says are taken the wrong way or they rub people the wrong way. Just trying to illustrate a point!

It's incredibly wrong because he's Japanese, not Chinese! I'm really sorry...I had to. And it's okay, cos I'm a slanty-eyed oriental, myself. _Pm __ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)

Calling it "crap" isn't exactly showing respect... _Pm __ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)

This is a Chicago Tribune article about my friend/coworker Usama Alshaibi, who traveled to Baghdad in January 2004 to film a documentary. For those of you in Chicago, I highly recommend going to the Gene Siskel Film Center this Saturday (November 20th) to see his film. More info can be found at his web site. _Pm Edited thread title because not many people seem to care about reading anything about a documentary made by a filmmaker who traveled to a ravaged Baghdad with his family to show the other side of things. http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/chi-0411180003nov18,1,4996526.story Back to Baghdad Filmmaker Alshaibi searches for the common humanity By Robert K. Elder Tribune staff reporter November 18, 2004 On one side of a split screen, Saddam Hussein smiles. He's celebrating the birthday of his youngest daughter in a lavish palace party. The revelers even sing "Happy Birthday" -- in English -- to the beaming child. On the opposite side of the screen, in a harrowing juxtaposition, Iraqis are beaten and tortured. One sequence shows blindfolded prisoners of Saddam's regime, strapped with explosives, led into the country and blown apart by remote control. Chicago's Usama Alshaibi, an Iraqi-American filmmaker, pieced together the short film, "Bombshell: Iraqi Secret Videos and Artifacts From a Fallen Regime" from video compact discs bought from Baghdad street vendors for as little as 50 cents. "It's a type of evidence," says Alshaibi, 34, best known for Chicago's erotic-themed Z Film Festival, which he co-curates with his wife, Kristie. "All the drama of the occupation, the toppling of the statue of Saddam Hussein -- all of these things were not witnessed by Iraqis in the streets. They were witnessed through TV or on these videos," he says. Alshaibi's assembly of Iraqi short films, from Baath Party propaganda to belly-dancing videos, will play at the Gene Siskel Film Center's presentation of "Video Babylon" Saturday in recognition of Arab Heritage Month. The event also showcases "Nice Bombs," a 12-minute excerpt from Alshaibi's documentary-in-progress about his January visit to war-torn Baghdad -- the first time he and his father had returned to Iraq in 24 years. "My mother was horrified," Alshaibi says. "She almost disowned me because she did everything in her power to bring us here. So for me to willingly, voluntarily return in a time of anarchy and turmoil and occupation and war -- and on top of that, bringing my wife -- I had a lot of fear that something was going to happen." Born to a Palestinian mother and an Iraqi father in Baghdad, Alshaibi moved around a great deal after his father, a college professor, refused to join the Baath Party, which made it difficult to find work. Living in the border town of Basra during the Iran-Iraq war, Alshaibi and the other kids picked up bullet casings in the streets. Through his nomadic childhood, Alshaibi lived in Iowa City -- where he learned his flawless English -- Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Iowa again to finish high school. Eventually, he moved to Chicago as an adult and attended Columbia College Chicago. His background made him a prime interview subject for Studs Terkel, who included Alshaibi's biographical story in 2003's "Hope Dies Last: Keeping the Faith in Difficult Times." (Alshaibi also works with Terkel as a video and audio archivist at the Chicago Historical Society.) Terkel was one of the first to encourage the young director to return to Baghdad. "He's a helluva filmmaker," Terkel says. "Geniality is the word. You feel at ease at once with him. I think what he shows are human beings. He looks for the common humanity, and who better to find it than a kid looking for his relatives?" No money The problem was, Alshaibi didn't have the funds. "Not even 100 bucks to put towards the trip," Alshaibi says. Facing a four-week departure deadline, Alshaibi got creative. He sent out e-mails, set up a Web page, called everyone he knew who had money. "One of the first people to push me was Studs. He insisted that I go," Alshaibi says. "He was the first to donate a decent amount to get me going." Within 2 1/2 half weeks, Alshaibi raised more than $6,000 -- enough to fly himself and his wife to Jordan, where his father teaches business administration. Still ahead of them was the dangerous, 11-hour drive through the desert to Baghdad. "That was scary. One of the things was, you have to drive at night. By the time you get to the border of Iraq, you want to make sure it's day," Alshaibi says. "There's highway robbery, kidnappings. All kinds of things happen on the road." Though Alshaibi, his wife and father made the journey and returned in February unscathed, bombings interrupted daily life. "It is a war zone, but also it's surprising how life goes on," Alshaibi says. "You can go to school, shops are still open. Soldiers are around. But there's no police force, no law and order -- still." Warmly welcomed by their relatives, they were showered with affection; their arrival was celebrated with food and dancing. At the end of the night, they slept over an AK-47 kept under the guest bed. Growing up during the Iran-Iraq conflict "was a really violent, traumatic period," Alshaibi says. "So the child in me did not want to go back. The only part of me that wanted to go back was the filmmaker." Once there, he shot 55 hours of footage, including interviews with family members, American soldiers and people on the street. He isn't alone. A large new crop of art-house movies focuses on the Iraqi point of view -- most notably "Voices of Iraq," a film distributed by Magnolia Pictures. Culled from footage shot by Iraqis, the documentary chronicles daily life in a war zone. "When you just get in their homes, you get into a more personal side of their lives," says Archie Drury, co-producer of "Voices of Iraq." "I was there as a Marine in '91, and kids used to come up to our observation towers and hang out with us all day. You find that people are the same everywhere. They have the same dreams, they want to have the opportunities that people everywhere else have." Getting them to open up in public, however, is a very different thing. "They are very passionate people, but they tend not to want to go on camera and tell their personal experiences," Drury says. Navigating cultural nuances That's where Alshaibi and other Arab filmmakers have an advantage. They have access through families and can navigate cultural nuances, says Widad Albassam, director of the arts council at the Arab American Action Network. "American media has been very slanted throughout and we don't get a feeling about what it's like on the ground," Albassam says. "Everyday living -- we don't get a sense of that." During his trip, Alshaibi hoped to chronicle his family's experiences and reveal something of the country's clandestine past. On the street in Baghdad, the Saddam Hussein regime "torture videos are very, very popular," Alshaibi says. "[The Iraqi populace] had heard this happened, but they had never seen them. So there are some rumors that maybe the U.S. government or the military released these things. Nevertheless, they are there. "Keep in mind news media in the Middle East is much more realistic than what we see here. They show the bodies, they show the blood, they show the carnage and consequences. And that is important to Arabs. It's proof." Though pleased that Saddam has been jailed, Alshaibi has mixed feelings about what he considers a botched occupation. "Nice Bombs" is not tied to any particular agenda or political ideology, he says. "What I hope to achieve is just for people to have a sense of humanity and to listen to these stories about what's been going on in Iraq," Alshaibi says. "I don't have any answers." For more information, visit Alshaibi's official Web site http://www.dancehabibi.com, or Http://www.siskelfilmcenter.com for program and ticket details. Copyright © 2004, Chicago Tribune __ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)

Yah, Andy was like that, too. He knew how difficult it was for me to give up my name (as a sacrifice and generally as a logistical PITA), and he wouldn't have objected had I decided to keep it. He was honored that I decided to take his name. _Pm __ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)

That's why Andy and I wear matching (actually, complementary) shirts, instead...he can't really dye his hair to match mine, and I don't want to shave my head. _Pm __ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)

I really liked my maiden name, too. It rolled off the tongue so nicely (once you knew how to pronounce it )! I was happy to take Andy's last name for several reasons. It's not really about about ownership or carrying on an antiquated tradition. It's symbolic of my starting and committing to a new life with him. And "Metcalfe" is a lot easier to spell and pronounce than "Vongkasemsiri"! _Pm __ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)

LOL...they seem so...oddly tasteful and almost artistic compared to today's smut rags! Maybe it's because of the sepia toning. Nerve.com has a similar photo gallery called RetroNerve...probably a lot of the same photos as RetroRaunch. Of course, NSFW! http://www.nerve.com/RetroNerve/ _Pm __ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)

Feel free to write one! _Pm __ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)

Look at the kinds of things I'm forced to look at all day, working here in the Chicago Historical Society archives! For shame! (It's actually quite safe for work.

There was a similar story published in the Chicago Sun-Times yesterday...a landlord demanding sex in lieu of rent/security deposits! _Pm Landlord accused of demanding sex for rent November 16, 2004 LINCOLN, Neb. -- A landlord went on trial Monday over accusations he demanded sex once a week from a woman who wanted to rent a house from him. ''Let's put it on the table ... once a week sounds good,'' a man identified as John Koch tells the woman on the tape. The Justice Department has brought civil action against Koch for allegedly demanding sexual favors from women tenants -- many desperate to find housing -- in lieu of rent and security deposits. Koch's lawyer, Matthew McBride, said Koch's behavior may have been ''immoral,'' but it did not break federal law. ''There were no violent acts committed by Mr. Koch -- that's important here,'' he said. The suit seeks unspecified monetary damages. AP __ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)

Yah, those actions definitely sound more MacGyver than redneck.

The sleeping agent in Tylenol PM is the same ingredient in benadryl (diphenhydramine). I've been having a lot of trouble sleeping lately, and I asked the pharmacist if the OTC sleeping aids really work. She just told me to try taking benadryl, and it has knocked me out pretty quickly... So if you want to be drowsy with the aid of an extra analgesic, Tylenol PM is good. _Pm __ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)

Cool, thanks for doing that. I tried uploading the two separate clips a few days ago, but I think I botched the upload. _Pm __ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)

When I click on your link, I get the attached picture. Hookitt just made it easier for everybody. _Pm __ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)

Yah, I eventually found it by clicking the "Next" link, too--I figured they had just updated photos and the original keys photo that Bo linked to got bumped.

Hrm, when I click on the link, it directs me to the attached picture with the following caption: Flying fit : Women participate in the European Championship Sport and Fitness Aerobics in Rotterdam. (AFP/ANP/Juan Vrijdag) Nice flower formation, but I see neither rigs nor sky! _Pm Edited to add another link (also attached the photo): http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/041111/480/flan10111112343 __ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)

Of course! The zero-calorie diet coke cancels out the rest of the meal's calories. Didn't you know? _Pm __ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)

Happy Birthday, Val! Hmmm...did you want a full-sized leg lamp, or the mini string lights? _Pm __ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)

Well, suspension of disbelief for movie skydiving doesn't work for skydivers because we know better. It's our world--of course we're going to notice and point out the inaccuracies. Whuffos don't know any better, so they think it looks really cool. You also forgot the casual, easy conversation in freefall! _Pm __ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)

Here's the QuickTime movie clip (large) from the US web site (I couldn't access it at work for some reason)...it starts later in the scene, but it captures her oh-so-graceful landing in a pig pen. Her "style" looks like my AFF Level 1 landing! http://www.bridgetjonesmovie.com/movie/clips.php?fileName=bridget_jones_clip_para_700k.mov And, a couple more screen captures from the US web site... _Pm __ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)

AND she's even flying camera with a camera suit! Here's a link to the movie clips you can download (the skydiving clip is the 3rd one down): http://www.bridgetjonesthemovie.com/uk/movieclips/index.htm (direct link to QuickTime large clip) I've also attached some screen captures from the US and international english web sites.

I would get out there and jump it if I could (recovering from surgery)! My hubby is out there right now to jump my share. We normally have this porter, but as you can see, the AC owner decided to lease it to Skydive Pennsylvania. _Pm __ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)

The photo of you is cute, but too innocent and boy-next-door looking...reminds me of my ex-BF. Are there any other recent and clear shots of you on the ground with your skydiving gear? That would make a nice addition to your gallery, I think... Your avatar is definitely hot with the long hair, but if you put that up, it's a misrepresentation of what you look like today. _Pm __ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)