Stories

Lepapillon0311 · 发表于 2006-1-24 23:12:59

Josh's Angel
 
 My wife and I have been married for 48--nearly 49 years. We've been blessed with a good marriage, four wonderful children (two of each kind), ten beautiful grandchildren and a precious great grandson. They are all the joy of our live. The story I want to tell you is a true story about our grandson Joshua, who is 24 years old now. The incident happened when Josh was about two years old--maybe less, I'm not sure. But, it happened when he was at the age where he was just learning to walk.
 
 It was shortly after lunch that day. Our daughter, Theresa, was over and she brought Joshua with her. After lunch, as I most always did, I went upstairs to brush my teeth and shave before I went to work. I worked the second shift at that time. Directly at the top of our staircase there is a window, and setting next to the window at the top of the stairs, we kept a large heavy exhaust fan during the warm weather, which we used when we went to bed. Close by the fan is the door leading into the bathroom. The fan was not running at the time since we used it only during the night. When I went upstairs, I went into the bathroom and shut the door behind me as I always did. I did not realize it at the time, but when I closed the bathroom door, Joshua decided to crawl up the steps to see me. As I said--I had no idea that he was doing this. However, right after I shut the door, I brushed my teeth and was going to start shaving. I don't remember exactly how long, maybe a minute or two--I'm not sure. However, for some reason I just decided to open the door and look out into the hallway. I had no reasons to because I hadn't shaved yet and I never opened the door until I was finished shaving. However, for some reason I felt that I should open the door. I did not hear anything that would prompt me to open the door. There was no reason in my mind. I just felt that for some reason I should open the door--something I had to do. Now, I can't explain that feeling--but it was there.
 
 And so, I did open the door. I opened it just in time to see my little grandson, Joshua, on the next to the last step reaching for the fan to hang on to so that he could pull himself up to come and see his grandpa. As he grabbed hold of the fan, it started to tip towards him. I opened the door just in time to grab Josh with my right arm and the fan with my left arm--just in time to keep Josh from rolling down the steps with the big heavy fan on top of him. Had I been one second later--had I been a half-second later--I shudder to think what would have happened. Josh could no doubt have been crippled or perhaps it could have killed him. But I wasn't too late. I was just in time.
 
 In the years that have past, Josh has grown into a fine young man. And I still often rethink that moment. I try to remember what invoked me to open the door--I still can't explain it. No, I can't explain it--but I am certain that it was either God or one of his angels telling me that I had better get out there. Either way, it was God intervening. There is just no other explanation.
 
 I am well aware that anyone can make up a story such as this. It's easy to do and it sounds good. But let me assure you that if I were to make up a story, it certainly would not be about God and His angels.
 
 
 "For the Scriptures say, 'He orders his angels to protect and guard you'." Luke 4:10 NLT
 
 
 Rooftop Angel
 
 
 
 The last thing I wanted to see that night was some teenaged guy in a baseball cap. But there he was, standing by the exit door on the roof. I looked away, trying to give off a vibe: Do Not Disturb. What did he want anyway? Guys weren't interested in fat girls like me. He wasn't scary or anything. He just stood there, staring into space. I'd never seen him before. What was he doing on my roof?
 
 I often came to the top of the parking garage at night. It was quiet. I liked being alone up there, above everyone else, feeling the cold wind off Casco Bay blowing across my face. I felt safer, closer to the stars, closer to something better.
 
 Sometimes I'd pray. All I could ever think to say was, "Help me." But after so many mixed-up years of crash diets and food binges I was beyond help. I simply didn't have faith in myself or in anything else.
 
 That night I decided to jump from the roof. The unknown had to be better than anything I knew. I didn't have a future, and this was the only way to block out the past.
 
 I had been a chubby kid. My brothers laughed at me when we went to the beach. They'd yell, "Watch out for the beached whale!" I didn't make many friends. I mostly kept to myself. Food was my secret comfort. Food never yelled at me, hurt me or called me names. Food was always there for me, something I could rely on. I kept this belief, yet somehow I hoped it would change once I was grown up.
 
 I was grown up now, just out of college. Night after night on the roof I'd tell myself, "Rosemary, act your age." I knew I should take responsibility for my actions. No one forced the food down my throat. But I could not control my behavior. People wouldn't understand. "Come on," they'd say. "Get a life." But somehow I couldn't.
 
 I stared down into the darkness and then up at the stars. This was it. It would only take a second. I stepped up onto the roof ledge. "No, no!" I heard. The kid in the baseball cap was by my side in an instant. "It's going to be okay," he said. I stood still. Dumbfounded. Angry. Get out of my face! I thought.
 
 He reached out to me, but stopped. I didn't like to be touched and he seemed to know it. He shoved his hands in his pockets. His face showed kindness, concern. "Go home," he whispered. "It's going to be all right. Really, I promise."
 
 I hesitated, but he kept his eyes on me. I glanced at the exit door. "Go on," he said. I took a deep breath and stepped down from the ledge. I walked slowly toward the door. I felt a sense of surrender, not in defeat, but in letting go.
 
 I don't know if it was to take a last look at the stars or to thank the kid, but I turned back. I was alone on the roof. Where is he? There was nowhere he could have gone.
 
 I stood there, trying to understand what had just happened to me. I knew I hadn't imagined the guy in the baseball cap. He was as real as the wind off the bay. But something had changed. The wind was still cold, yet I felt warm, as if someone had wrapped a blanket around me. The guy's words had been like that, warm and kind. I started to believe him. Maybe it was going to be okay after all.
 
 The next day I went to Overeaters Anonymous and found people like myself struggling with food issues, body image and depression. Eventually I reduced my weight significantly. I've kept it down ever since. I didn't lose the weight, I let it go. It's gone, just like the past. I believe in the future now because of a stranger who helped me surrender to a faith I didn't know I had.
 
 
 A Letter To God
 
 
 
 
 
 Dear God,
 
 Never let it be said that I won't admit it when I'm wrong or that I never apologize to people when I should. And I have been wrong about you. I thought you'd made a terrible mistake when my child was born and I said some pretty rotten things to you and about you. It seemed so unfair though. I couldn't believe that you'd given me this child as part of "the plan." I was sure you'd made a horrendous mistake and I'm sure you got pretty tired of me begging for a miracle in one breath and then turning around and saying all those mean things about you in the next breath. I'm truly sorry.
 
 I thought my view of the whole situation was right and yours was wrong. I doubted your wisdom, and yes, I even cursed you for doing what you did. Inexcusable, I know. But you have to realize that when she was born, I wasn't nearly the person I am now and in those days you could have bet me a million dollars that I never would be capable of handling everything. (And even though I'm apologizing now, didn't you sometimes doubt your decision?) Anyway, you were right. This child has changed my life. She's made me be all that I'm capable of and more than I ever imagined I could be. She's made me see things would have overlooked before.
 
 Take this compassion thing. Yeah, I knew what the word meant and I really thought I was back then, but I turned away when I saw a person with a disability and sometimes I even stared when I thought no-one was watching. What a jerk I was. My brand of compassion was more like pity for all that they weren't and I never saw them for all that they were. But.... I thought I was being truly compassionate. Thanks for teaching me that.
 
 Then there was that tolerance thing. Sure I thought they should have equal rights and opportunities, but would I have gone out of my way to make sure that happened? Probably not. Now I live with a little person who I expect others to be tolerant of. Makes you realize how tolerant you really were before and helps you to understand where other people are coming from.
 
 And the minority thing. Coming from a middle class white background doesn't even begin to prepare you for all the prejudices and oppression at you face when you become a minority yourself, via your child. Talk about a learning experience! It makes you empathize with all minorities.
 
 Now I have to thank you for all the things you've taken away from me. Pettiness is one of them. When I think of all the things I used to worry about! What a waste of time and energy. But, I have to always remember how I was and how I am now. Those who haven't experienced what I've been through won't know the difference and with all I've learned, I have to remember how I used to feel when I deal with them and I have to remember to understand.
 
 Monetary things are the next. I recently listened to a speaker at a conference and one of the questions she asked was, "If given the choice, would you choose 30 million dollars or peace and happiness?" I was in a room with close to 30 parents who had children with disabilities and not a one of them raised their hand for the 30 million. (Although I briefly thought that 30 million would buy some quality child care and help further the cause for equality.) However, I did realize that it wouldn't make my daughter see, nor would it replace things many other children needed. Ten years ago I would have been convinced that the money was my answer to happiness. Now it's secondary to what is really important.
 
 I know now that all the times I accused you of deserting me, you were, in fact, carrying me just as the FOOTPRINTS poem says. I also know that the bad times are what helps me to grow, so I don't take them so personally now. But just so you'll realize that I'm still me and that I'm still going to need a little help, (and since I've apologized so nicely) could you give me a small miracle and make my little girl see? Well, if you can't, I guess I understand. Miracles might be in short supply today, but just for the record thanks again for letting me see. Amen.
 
 
 Pat Linkhorn is the mother of two daughters with disabilities. Kimberly is 17 and has Autism and Krystal is 15 and is blind due to prematurity. Pat works as a mentor to other parents who have children with disabilities, helping them navigate the educational system.

albert0311 · 发表于 2007-6-5 04:25:20

我的ID啊！
什么时候才能回来？

I need my ID back!

Lepapillon0311 · 发表于 2006-6-5 12:34:10

考研英语误区，07学子莫入 2006考研试题难度同05、04年基本相当，标志着教育部考研英语试题的命题制经过多年的磨练已形成了一套成熟的运作体系，其命题人员、命题思路具有明显的延续性和稳定性，虽然有个别题目有争议但整体上确保了很好的科学性。5432考研论坛是考研人的网上考研家园，主要提供考研资料下载,学习讨论等r8_"_}a};G } 但是根据新航道最近对1000个参加过考研的同学所做的随机调查统计分析，对本次试卷有以下四种态度：考研,考研网,考研论坛,考研资料,考研资讯,考研英语考研数学考研政治,考研医学,金融联考,MBA,法硕\:y?Pd T ① 有52.46%的同学认为本次考研英语试题太难，简直就是看天书，强烈抗议！|考研|考研网HJ#|J iFB@ ② 有24.62bU%的同学认为难，但历年考研都是这样，没有办法，“我为鱼肉,他为刀俎”|考研|考研网5gDV"PV#rRD ③ 有21.55%的同学认为中等，虽然个别题目比较难有争议，但是过最低线应该没问题。bbs.5432.net:J??? ? ? ? ` W*D)J3c._-S ④??? 有1.37%的同学认为不难，很简单，试题还可以稍微再难一点。 这个数据让我们很容易理解到为什么每年能实现自己理想的人都维持在25%左右，而不是50%。当然，最后一种同学属于超级牛人，占的比率太小，不属于我们讨论的范围。我们主要关心其他两种同学（第一种和第二种），他们之所以不成功的原因可以归纳为以下五点： ?缺乏合理的总体计划|考研|考研网8{ZK[,{Sr-lD 凡是预则立,不预则废。任何事情要想办好，必须要有计划，而且是正确合理的计划。考研英语复习也不例外。|考研|考研网M%Q7Mt;pI 绝大部分考生复习阶段都必须经历三个阶段，初级基础阶段，中级强化阶段，最后冲刺阶段。每个阶段都是不可避免的，不可跳跃前进。 初级基础阶段必须以背单词为中心，坚持以单词和真题练习相结合的原则不动摇。时间一般从3月---6月。中级强化阶段必须以专项练习为中心，坚持复习巩固自己背过的单词。时间一般从7月---11月。最后冲刺阶段必须回到真题，适当做模拟题，查漏补缺。 如果一开始就落后于别人的人，准备时间稍后，却又不能更刻苦的话，只能等来年再搏。 盲目追求背单词的方法 其实很多单词背诵的方法就是一个---不断重复。如果重复背诵的单词仍然会混淆，那么就把相似易混单词拿出来对比记忆。客观的说，任何方法都是有用的，但最有效的方法还是重复，温故而知新，不断练习才可能记忆牢固。 更有些同学，片面地认为成绩不好就是词汇量不够，自认为，如果自己词汇量能达到两万以上，考研肯定没有问题。所以开始背字典，背GRE单词。殊不知考研与国外考试不同的地方是我们更注重词汇的使用，|考研|考研网!`.c @[6K.A Xg 更侧重对一词多义的考察，也就是我在课堂上说的灰色词汇，即灰词，如果单词意思不背全面，相似易混单词不对比记忆清楚，那么就很难把握句子的准确含义。 舍本逐末，盲目泛读5432考研论坛是考研人的网上考研家园，主要提供考研资料下载,学习讨论等 h^&^ O7Y{ 很多考生听说考研的文章都是来自于native的文章，所以买了大量的杂志，比如，Newsweek，Time，USA|考研|考研网A4yB| jo(p|S Today，The Washington Post，National5432考研论坛1J0c? ? ? ? w K-cZ2S;J Geographic，Business Week, The2g_#{ \%}} Economist杂志，甚至每天看China5432考研论坛%_k4W9XL Daily等。其实，看国外的杂志都会有很大的挫折感，深受打击，生字很多那是不用说了，就算没有什么生字，也不知道在阐述什么。（看China5432考研论坛d_Y$fm-Yueg/L*Z Daily除外，因为大部分内容肯定都和祖国欣欣向荣的发展有关）其实，我们不主张大家舍本逐末，花太多时间去研究国外杂志，我们的核心问题是解题！一切都是为了把题目做对，所以我们必须掌握大纲范围内的所有知识点！而大纲范围之外的没有任何必要掌握的超纲词，或者什么历史文化的东西都不值得现阶段考研的同学花宝贵的时间去“研究探讨”，去钻牛角尖。命题组的人很清楚我们的研究生公共英语考试不是专业英语考试。 不重视大纲要求我们掌握的知识点，盲目追求解题技巧，犹如盖空中楼阁；相反，不好好珍惜时间，不重视大纲，盲目乱背俚语、成语、字典、无的放矢去研究美国的地理历史人物、去追求高级别的实力素质则无异于学习屠龙之技、自掘坟墓。 题不在多，做精就行。我们不以做题多或少论成败，我们只看准确度和速度是否平衡和谐。做题的目的在于：(1).巩固自己背过的大纲单词；(2).研究真题的规律、正确答案的特点、错误答案的特点、出题风格和知识点；（3）.自己买的复习资料是否每篇文章都能做到和真题类似，不是的话是否有大纲的知识点，可以当作泛读材料；如果风格另类，超纲词过多就可以放弃。因此，在准确地把握住基本知识和方法的基础上做一定量的练习是必要的。做题目的时候要想到总结，是否和辅导班老师讲过的题型类似，运用的是什么方法？为什么自己做对了?为什么自己做错了?前后要联系起来思考，这样才会得到更多的经验和教训，才会胸有成竹地走进考场。精读是泛读的基础，离开精读盲目追求泛读无异于走马观花、囫囵吞枣。初级阶段应该以精读为主，强化阶段精读和泛读应该持平，而冲刺阶段要提高做题速度，可以让泛读多一些。5432考研论坛fY!t"`/{.A 其实冲刺阶段更不能大量做模拟题，模拟题虽然能起到热身的作用，但它毕竟是模拟，只有真题才是最后的模拟题。所以做模拟题要用批判的眼光去看，不要以为模拟题做得很好就可以掉以轻心，不要因为模拟题做得太差而失去信心。5432考研论坛是考研人的网上考研家园，主要提供考研资料下载,学习讨论等_i0xRF"MV"] 好高骛远，自暴自弃5432考研论坛是考研人的网上考研家园，主要提供考研资料下载,学习讨论等.hR`8l7Ur'?2H5i 考研需要激情，更需要理性。不少同学刚开始准备考研的时候，都以为自己是属蛇的，蛇能吞大象啊，或者就摆出意志坚韧、性格刚强的样子，不切实际地去买一大堆的书，什么牛津语法大全、薄冰语法、朗文大字典、张三阅读250篇、李四阅读380篇宝典、王二作文速成法、刘大13句成文秘诀等等。但是，盲目买书不如只研究真题。“宝典”越多越分散精力、越有挫折感、越不能坚持到底。很多同学书的前几页很认真，笔记也不少，但再往后翻就很干净了。考研的语法和高中的语法差不多，只是句子更长些，插入成份更多点而已，根本不值得花时间去研究语法字典，如果真要把这些书看完研究透，我想那可能要等到2046年才可能研究完吧！所以，大部分学生中途就被书压得透不过气来，逐渐产生畏惧心理、失眠做噩梦，直到最后自暴自弃。报名参加考研的人总有不少同学会选择逃避而不进考场，或者考完英语后，第二天就不想再进考场了。其实买一两本书好好做，真题好好研究，时间就差不多用完了。英语学习是|考研|考研网? ? ? ? SVJzxbp8|)E!P/l “逆水行舟，不进则退”，千万不要三天打鱼，两天晒网。我们在合理的计划下持之以恒，就会有所收获。但有趣的是，每年历史都会重复，都会有人来做绿叶，如果后来人（2007年考研人）能越早看到这篇文章，并且越早从中吸取教训改正自己，那么我的目的就达到了。

Lepapillon0311 · 发表于 2006-6-3 23:13:27

London: Britain's Pub HubMost new visitors to London are amazed at how "un-English" it feels. Chinese take-outs outnumber fish-and-chip shops; many hotels are run by foreigners; and curry is the "local" specialty. But there’s at least one place in London that’s straight out of jolly olde England — the pub.The pub is the heart of the people’s England, where folks, for generations, have found their respite from work and a home-away-from-home. These "public houses" were meeting places where groups, clubs, friends, lovers and fellow workers could kick back with a not-so-cold-one. Since many pub-goers were illiterate a century or so ago, pubs were simply named for the picture hung outside (such as the Crooked Stick or the Queen’s Arms — meaning her coat of arms). London’s classic pubs are now national treasures, with great cultural value, rich history, and good beer and grub. Pub-crawling in London is more than a tipsy night out — it’s bona-fide sightseeing. (If you’re interested in historic pub tours, see Bob Steel’s Web site, <a href="http://www.aletrails.com.)" target="_blank"><a href="http://www.aletrails.com.)" target="_blank">www.aletrails.com.)</a></a> The city’s most characteristic pubs range from places where Shakespeare could have made merry to classy 20th-century revivals. Each offer a glimpse — and a taste — of traditional English culture. London’s oldest authentic pub is Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, which was rebuilt in 1667 from a 16th-century tavern (at 145 Fleet St.). Before the late 19th century, this "bar" had no bar. Drinkers gathered around the fireplaces, while tap boys shuttled tankards up from the cellar. The late Victorian era (c. 1880-1905) was the Golden Age for pub building. Back then, the economy was booming and pub owners, drunk on profits, invested in fancying up their watering holes. These swanky places were often decorated with heavy embossed wallpaper ceilings, fine tile work, etched glass, ornate carved stillions (the big central hutch for storing bottles and glass), and even urinals equipped with a place to set your beer. The Princess Louise, built in 1897, is a perfect example (at 208 High Holborn). In the early 20th century, pubs took on a modern art-nouveau look, with organic, highly stylized art and architecture. London’s best is the Black Friar, with carved capitals, lamp holders and quirky phrases worked into the décor (174 Queen Victoria St.).Lately, banks have been turning into pubs. As banks increasingly have gone electronic, they have moved out of lavish, high-rent old buildings. Some of these former banks are being refit as pubs with classy bars and stillions providing a fine centerpiece. Examples are the Old Bank of England (194 Fleet St.) and the Counting House (50 Cornhill).Spend some time in any of these pubs today and you’ll have your finger on the pulse of London. These cozy hangouts are an extended living room, where locals and travelers alike can eat, drink, get out of the rain, watch a sporting event, and make new friends. Like in days past, people go to a pub to be social. If that’s your aim, stick by the bar (rather than a table) and people will assume you’re in the mood to talk. And, of course, there’s the No. 1 reason why people have always flocked to pubs: beer. It comes in many varieties, from American-style lagers, to amber-colored ales, to probably the most typical British beer, bitters. Pub grub is better than it sounds and getting tastier every year. Pubs often serve traditional dishes, such as "bangers and mash" (sausages and mashed potatoes) and roast beef with Yorkshire pudding, but you’re just as likely to find pasta, curried dishes and quiche on the menu. These days, even the old-time pub is starting to move to the beat of London multiculturalism.

Lepapillon0311 · 发表于 2006-6-3 23:06:28

Why Is New York City Called "The Big Apple"?"When and how did New York City come to be called "The Big Apple'?" This is by far the most frequently asked question—and the most hotly debated—to reach our New York History Hotline. There are actually several answers (nothing about New York City is simple, after all). All are explained below, with the last word going, appropriately enough, to SNYCH’s own Joe Zito, one of this burg’s finest purveyors of high-quality urban history. A veteran both of New York City’s inimitable press corps and its police department, Joe—happily for us—is able to provide authoritative first-hand testimony on this topic. Read on! Various accounts have traced the “Big Apple” expression to Depression-Era sidewalk apple vendors, a Harlem night club, and a popular 1930s dance known as the “Big Apple.” One fanciful version even links the name with a notorious 19th-century procuress! In fact, it was the jazz musicians of the 1930s and ‘40s who put the phrase into more or less general circulation. If a jazzman circa 1940 told you he had a gig in the “Big Apple,” you knew he had an engagement to play in the most coveted venue of all, Manhattan, where the audience was the biggest, hippest, and most appreciative in the country. The older generation of jazzmen specifically credit Fletcher Henderson, one of the greatest of the early Big Band leaders and arrangers, with popularizing it, but such things are probably impossible to document. Be that as it may, the ultimate source actually was not the jazz world, but the racetrack. As Damon Runyon (among many others) cheerfully pointed out, New York in those days offered a betting man a lot of places to go broke. There were no fewer than four major tracks nearby, and it required no fewer than three racing journals to cover such a lively scene—The Daily Racing Form (which still survives on newsstands today) and The Running Horse and The New York Morning Telegraph (which do not)—and the ultimate credit for marrying New York to its durable catchphrase goes to columnist John J. FitzGerald, who wrote for the Telegraph for over 20 years. Joe Zito, who joined the paper as a young man some 70-plus years ago, recently reminisced about Jack FitzGerald and his times. In FitzGerald’s honor (and due largely to the strenuous efforts of attorney-etymologist Barry Popick, who, like the columnist, had migrated to NYC from upstate New York) a street sign reading “Big Apple Corner” was installed at Broadway and West 54th Street in 1997, near the hotel where FitzGerald died in poverty in 1963—although a location near the old Telegraph office might arguably have been a happier spot for it. Despite its turf-related origins, by the 1930s and ’40s, the phrase had become firmly linked to the city’s jazz scene. “Big Apple” was the name both of a popular night club at West 135th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem and a jitterbug-style group dance that originated in the South, became a huge phenomenon at Harlem’s great Savoy Ballroom and rapidly spread across the country. (Neat cultural footnote: the great African-American cinema pioneer Oscar Micheaux liked to use the Big Apple as a venue for occasional screenings of his latest feature film or documentary.) A film short called The Big Apple came out in 1938, with an all- Black cast featuring Herbert “Whitey” White’s Lindy Hoppers, Harlem’s top ballroom dancers in the Swing Era. In a book published the same year, bandleader Cab Calloway used the phrase "Big Apple" to mean "the big town, the main stem, Harlem." Anyone who loved the city would have readily agreed with Jack FitzGerald: “There's only one Big Apple. That's New York." The term had grown stale and was in fact generally forgotten by the 1970s. Then Charles Gillett, head of the New York Convention & Visitors Bureau, got the idea of reviving it. The agency was desperately trying to attract tourists to the town Mayor John Lindsay had dubbed “Fun City,” but which had become better-known for its blackouts, strikes, street crime and occasional riots. What could be a more wholesome symbol of renewal than a plump red apple? The city's industrial-strength “I ? NY” campaign was launched toward the end of the Lindsay administration in 1971, complete with a cheerful Big Apple logo in innumerable forms (lapel pins, buttons, bumper stickers, refrigerator magnets, shopping bags, ashtrays, ties, tie tacks, “Big Apple” T-shirts, etc.). Apparently Gillett was on to something, because at this writing, over 35 years later, the campaign he launched—it won him a Tourism Achievement award in 1994, by the way—is still going strong.

Lepapillon0311 · 发表于 2006-6-3 23:03:34

The 'Poseidon' Effect: Hollywood's Greatest DisastersA Tradition of Big-Budget, Star-Studded Earthquakes, Tidal Waves, Killer Storms and Other CatastrophesMay 9, 2006 — ?Never fear a 150-foot tidal wave if you're in Hollywood. The Poseidon will keep sailing as long as it sells, and even if you're not going down with this ship, you're still doomed … to watch the same movie again and again. You can't talk about the remake of "The Poseidon Adventure," which opens Friday, without first mentioning that it's hitting theaters less than six months after a TV remake, also called "The Poseidon Adventure," and we should also acknowledge that the 1972 classic spun off a laughably bad sequel, "Beyond the Poseidon Adventure." Oh, you can quibble with plot changes, if you must. In the NBC version last year, it was a terrorist — not a tidal wave — that caused the cruise ship to capsize. The boat still goes bottom up, and a ragtag group of passengers — led by a priest and a homeland security agent — must scale the decks of the upside-down vessel, if they are to survive. Of course, the new version, simply called "Poseidon" and starring Josh Lucas, Kurt Russell, Richard Dreyfuss and Emmy Rossum, can't help but conjure up memories of a certain iceberg-ravaged ship that counted Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio among its flotsam and jetsam. Indeed, the original "Poseidon" had a tremendous impact on Hollywood, starting a tradition for big-budget, star-studded disaster films that became the rage in the 1970s, and, while fading at points, never really went away. In subsequent films, it was never again quite so easy to recapture those magic, big-screen moments on the sinking boat, like when the grandmotherly Shelley Winters dives into a submerged deck to rescue Gene Hackman or when Ernest Borgnine — in his tattered tuxedo — cries over his dead wife. But producer Irwin Allen — the so-called master of disaster — would move on to "The Towering Inferno" (1974) and then to his killer bee saga, "The Swarm" (1978), before taking on volcanoes in "When Time Ran Out." Perhaps no Hollywood genre gets kicked around as much, but disaster films say a lot about what scares America the most — and those fears have shifted over the years. These films have also had tremendous impact on popular culture, as well as the stars who have appeared in them. Here are reflections on a few of them: "The Towering Inferno" (1974) — The world's largest building burns down on the night it opens in this Allen extravaganza. Few movies grow scarier as the years pass, but the scenes of people jumping from skyscraper windows are nearly impossible to watch without being reminded of the tragedy at the World Trade Center. Don't expect a remake any time soon. Also frightening, but in a far different way, is watching O.J. Simpson in the role that helped launch his film career. In its day, however, "Inferno" was a smash success, earning eight Academy Award nominations, including best picture, and winning in three technical categories. One more scary thought: This film earned the legendary Fred Astaire the only Oscar nomination he'd ever receive, and he doesn't even dance. "Earthquake" (1974) — While an over-emoting Charlton Heston has sent chills up many spines, in this film he's aided with a cinematic innovation — called Sensurround — that caused theater seats to shake as an earthquake reduces Los Angeles to rubble. The Sensurround technology was achieved by installing high-powered bass amplifiers on the theater floor, and the sensation was so strong when the movie premiered at Hollywood's Grauman's Chinese Theatre that it caused plaster to fall from the ceiling as it was being tested. Thank goodness the script for "Earthquake 2" was never produced. In it, stars from the first movie — including George Kennedy, Victoria Principal and Richard Roundtree — were supposed to move to San Francisco to recover from their seismic trauma. Heston — who was uneasy about having to appear in the embarrassing sequel "Beneath the Planet of the Apes" — actually insisted that his "Earthquake" character be killed off. Los Angeles again faced destruction in 1997's "Volcano" and would have been buried in molten lava if not for Tommy Lee Jones and a brainy Anne Heche. "Airport" (1970) — While Kennedy didn't star in "Earthquake 2," he had the distinction of being the only star to appear in all four "Airport" movies, helping to explore nearly every calamity an air traveler could endure, including a hijacking (the original), a midair collision ("Airport 1975"), a nose dive into the ocean ("Airport '77"), and dodging nuclear missiles at supersonic speed ("The Concorde: Airport '79"). While the series didn't actually do much to inspire air safety innovations, surely it inspired the great spoof "Airplane" (and, as Leslie Nielsen would say, don't call me Shirley.) "Twister" (1996) — Before Bill Paxton became TV's most famous polygamist on HBO's "Big Love," he was a weatherman trying to get his storm-chaser wife to sign divorce papers so he could run off with his girlfriend. Soon, the three get caught up in the "suck zone" as it's called, and old passions are stirred up. Paxton could have forecast an advancing front of weather-related disaster films. In the years to come, we'd find George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg as fishermen swallowed by a killer hurricane in "The Perfect Storm" (2000) and Dennis Quaid as a heroic climatologist in "The Day After Tomorrow." "Deep Impact" (1998) — Disaster films are usually a race against time. In this case, it was a race between two asteroid-hitting-Earth movies, both premiering in 1998. "Deep Impact" won the foot race, hitting theaters on May 8, two months ahead of "Armageddon." "Armageddon" won the more important battle by outgrossing its rival internationally by about $200 million. Perhaps moviegoers just went with the more lighthearted film, and that tone was clear in the movies' tag lines. "Deep Impact": " Heaven and Earth are about to collide." "Armageddon": "Earth. It Was Fun While It Lasted." It also might have come down to this: Whom do you want to save the planet? Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton and Ben Affleck, or Robert Duvall, Tea Leoni and Elijah Wood?

Lepapillon0311 · 发表于 2006-6-3 22:56:41

Interview with Former CIA Case Officer Robert BaerFormer CIA Case Officer Robert Baer on attacking Iran, oil at $300 a barrel and dealing with the smartest crazy man in the world.Q: President Bush said today that the ball is now in Iran's court, how do you think the Iranian government will react? A: The Iranians believe they are winning in Iraq. They now see themselves as an equal with the Unites States in the region. They now have no reason to agree to preconditions imposed by the United States. Iran's Ahmedinajad sees this as a unique opportunity for Shia domination in the Gulf. He does not intend to give up this chance. It's also a classic situation where he thinks that he can use an external enemy to solve problems he faces within Iran, like problems with Sunni Iranians and disenchanted students, and a divided leadership. Q. Were you surprised by Secretary Rice's announcement yesterday to change US policy and do you think it will work? A. My new book "Blow The House" down is loosely based on Ahmedinajad. Those of us who have followed his career know he is a person who has in the past and will again take on the US. He's a formidable opponent. In order to employ military force against him we definitely will need the assent of the international community, especially Russia and China, who right now do not want war. In fact, the Bush administration would prefer economic sanctions doing the job. Q. Will sanctions work? A. Probably not. If we understand Ahmedinajad, he welcomes a confrontation. He is feeling supremely confident he could win it. He wants to right Shiite grievances that go back hundreds of years. Q. What do you think will happen next? A. Look, the Israelis are coming to us and saying that they are vulnerable. Iran can hit Israel with a Shahab missile — one day armed with a nuclear warhead — and destroy Tel Aviv. The Israelis are saying that they will take care of Iran if the US does not. This would be worse than an international coalition taking care of the problem. I don't know for sure what Bush will do. But there are many smart people in DC who say that armed conflict is inevitable. As for the Arab states, they are saying the current Iranian regime has to be decapitated. An Arab head of state told me last week that Ahmedinajad has directly threatened to destroy Arab governments' oil supply and facilities in retaliation for a U.S. strike. Q. This all sounds too bad to be true& you agree with Sy Hersh then that an attack on Iran is quite possible? A. If we destroy the Iranian nuclear facilities in the Elburz mountains, Iran will disrupt oil supply in the Gulf. The US will then be face with oil as high as $300 a barrel, will need to send a lot more troops in the region, including into Iraq. This is a nightmare scenario yes, but it's not that far fetched. Again, Ahmedinajad would prefer to get what he wants without a conflict but if he can't he's ready for one. Some think he would even prefer war to peace. The same goes for Bush. In spite of the certain blowback, he does not intend to appease Iran. It's a situation almost like 1914 — no one will come out of this undamaged. Yes I do think Sy Hersh is right. Q. It sounds like you are saying the US wants peace and Iran wants war. A. Look at it this way: Iran wants to be recognized as a pre eminent power, and wants the US out of the way — out of the Middle East. It wants the destruction of Israel. These are demands of course the U.S will never accept. There's this logic of war that worries me. I worry about Ahmedinejad's sanity. When Ahmedinajad denies the holocaust its more than propaganda. He is an apocalyptic Shiite who believes in a final bloody, struggle the way some evangelical Christians do. Q. Where is the hope then? A. The only hope is in that the Iranian clerics will make Ahmedinajad stand down, maybe some saner political forces will take over. Q. Can the US help facilitate regime change in Iran? A. I cannot put a percentage on it. I'm not sure what's happening in the street in that country. And I am skeptical about how much any of the experts on Iran know what is really going on there. Ahmedinajad came out of nowhere, at least for most experts. Also, neither the experts nor the US government know precisely how much control Ahmedinajad really has over Iran. They do know that his power base in the south of the country is very strong. Through the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps he can rely on an almost parallel government. In effect, we are as blind in Iran as we were in Iraq. Q. This all sounds very bad for the U.S. A. It is. Very few foresaw we'd end up in this situation after invading Iraq. Although we should have seen that by putting the Shiites in charge of the Iraqi government we would rekindle Shiite chauvinism. Anyhow, the Shiites have never been as dominant in the region as they are now. Q. Do you think the US would alienate itself even more from the so-called Muslim world if it attacked Iran? A. Sunni look at the attack on Iraq as an attack on Sunni Islam. The Shiites would look at an attack on Iran as an attack on all Shiites — in effect we would be at war with all Muslims. The skeptics say Ahmedinajad is blufffing, he cannot influence the Arab street But what if Ahmedinajad is right? Q. If the US removed Ahmedinajad do you think there would be a power vacuum of the sort we saw in Iraq after Saddam? A. There could be civil war in Iran, but it's the same problems as with Iraq, we just don't know. In Iraq the Neocons said that they could push Iraq down a democratic path but they didn't. They gave us a civil war instead. America does not have anybody in Iran to tell us the situation on the ground, besides a few journalists going on and out. It's a black hole.

Lepapillon0311 · 发表于 2006-6-3 14:38:49

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Lepapillon0311 · 发表于 2006-3-7 17:40:00

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viewsnake · 发表于 2006-2-10 11:11:06

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viewsnake · 发表于 2006-2-10 11:11:03

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