Hereafter

The assembled reviews of Clint Eastwood's new movie, Hereafter, average out to a score of 50 on Rotten Tomatoes. Given the touchy-feely subject, the afterlife, I guess a split decision is to be expected, but it's better than that.

A.O. Scott in The New York Times wrote:

"One of the reasons that “Hereafter” works as well as it does — it has the power to haunt the skeptical, to mystify the credulous and to fascinate everyone in between — may be that its subject matter is so clearly alien to the sensibilities of its makers. Communication with the dead is a risky business, principally because once the door to the beyond opens a tiny crack, all kinds of maudlin nonsense come rushing in. But one of Mr. Eastwood’s great and undersung (sic) strengths as a director is his ability to wade into swamps of sentimental hokum and come out perfectly dry."

David Denby in The New Yorker is less kind, but does report on the scriptwriter Peter Morgan's motive:

" 'We can be so close to somebody, know everything about them, share everything with them, and then they’re gone and suddenly we know nothing,' Morgan said.  The bafflement that comes with loss is certainly a strong enough emotion to get a story moving, but, by turning to spiritualism, visions, and the afterlife, Morgan has wandered into hokum without illuminating grief."

I can relate to the gone part.

Let's cuddle

Happy Halloween . . .

Ouija

Possumtown

I walked the grounds and river banks of my forefathers a couple of weekends ago.  The first was Vincent, a Huguenot from Poitiers, France who some genealogists say sailed from the Channel Island of Jersey to New Jersey in 1665 on the ship Philip with the future colonial governor of East Jersey, Philip Carteret.  On July 17, 1668, in Elizabethtown, N.J., Vincent married Ann Boutcher, from Hartford, England, under license from Carteret:

 "Whereas I have received information of a Mutual Intent and Agreement betweene Vincent Rongnion of Poitiers in France and Ann Boutcher the daughter of John Boutcher of Hartford in England to Solemnise Marriage together, for which they have requested my lycense.  This couple were joyned in Matrimony July 1668 by me James Bollen."

Vincent and Ann settled on 154 1/2 acres along the Raritan River, which is part of Johnson Park today, where they had seven children.

The Raritan probably looks much the same as it did then, though now the surrounding area is mostly the Rutgers University Busch campus and pharmaceutical and biotechnology parks.

 

This mural of Carteret's landing at the mouth of the Elizabeth River can be seen at the Essex County Courthouse in Newark.

Vincent's descendant Benjamin owned this circa 1780 home which today is part of East Jersey Olde Town Village in the River Road Historic District.

Benjamin and other family members are buried at a family plot on the corner of Possumtown Road and Centennial Avenue in Piscataway.

Juan's Extremism?

"First, a critical distinction has been lost in this debate. NPR News analysts have a distinctive role and set of responsibilities. This is a very different role than that of a commentator or columnist. News analysts may not take personal public positions on controversial issues; doing so undermines their credibility as analysts, and that’s what’s happened in this situation. As you all well know, we offer views of all kinds on your air every day, but those views are expressed by those we interview – not our reporters and analysts." ~ Vivian Schiller, Chief Executive Officer, National Public Radio

Oh really?

 

Signs of the Times

Here are a couple of new ads that say something about today's America.

Chiller Theater

It was a thrill last night to watch the 1925 silent horror film Phantom of the Opera with live organ accompaniment at the 125-year-old Tarrytown Music Hall.

Poor, lovesick Erik (Lon Chaney) had everything over hams like Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees and Michael Meyers.

Yankees 6 - Rangers 5

Another great comeback win.  A five-run 8th inning, fueled by Brett Gardner's head-first slide at first.

Powers of Ten

Before Google Earth . . . there was the 1977 film Powers of Ten, by Charles and Ray Eames, "that takes viewers on a visual journey of scale and magnitude, from the edge of space to a carbon atom in a man's hand. Every 10 seconds, the viewer moves out (and later in), 10 times farther than the point before."  Far out, man.

The Online World

Fascinating.  XKCD's updated map of online communities, where size represents the daily volume of social activity (posts, chat, etc.) based on data gathered in the Spring and Summer of 2010.

Fore!

Just in from The Daily Mail . . .

"This is the moment when Mail on Sunday photographer Mark Pain found himself in the line of fire at the Ryder Cup - and for a brief moment brought the mighty Tiger Woods to a juddering halt.

"The American world No 1 was partnering Steve Stricker and attempting to chip his third shot on the final hole of yesterday morning’s fourball against Europe’s Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher on to the green.

"But Woods hit the ground behind the ball and duffed the shot straight at Pain. The man from The Mail on Sunday didn’t flinch, however, and captured this extraordinary picture just before the ball hit his camera, bounced on to his chest and came to rest at his feet.

"Woods was furious about his blunder, but neither he nor caddie Steve Williams objected to Pain’s position."

Look closely at the crowd to the right behind Tiger.  See the man in the hat with a cigar?  Yes, that one.

Bed Bugs and Beyond

More brilliance from Barry Blitt.

For the kid in all of us

Only $4.99.  Progressives' death threats included.

Mapping Stereotypes

America's Europe.  The geography of prejudice.

FONT YOU!

From the Obama Administration Stimulus files . . .

The Federal Highway Administration's updated Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices requires new signs across the nation that use upper and lower case characters for "improved readability."

According to U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood, "Safety is this department's top priority. These new and updated standards will help make our nation's roads and bridges safer for drivers, construction workers and pedestrians alike."

New York City Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan illuminated the benefits further: "On the Internet, writing in all caps means you're shouting."
 
The cost for NYC to meet these new federal standards and replace its 250,000 all upper-case signs used for more than a century?  $27.6 million.

No, this report isn't from The Onion, it's real.  And I guess it accounts for the jumble of upper case and initial upper-cased words on these signs that litter the country.