Long-Weekend Round-Up

TODAY, Canada celebrates (with the exception of Quebec) Victoria Day, which is a federal Canadian statutory holiday celebrated on the last Monday on or before the 24th of May in honor of both Queen Victoria's birthday and the current reigning Canadian sovereign's official birthday. 

FUN NOT-SO-FACT FACT. Speaking of royals, did you know that Princess Cinderella and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart were originally lovers. In fact, they had an offspring who was named "MOZARELLA"! Amazing isn't it?   

BLACKHOLE Discovered. WARNING: Don't try this at home or anywhere ALONE!

Short Film 'The Black Hole' from PHOTOPLAY FILMS on Vimeo.

HAND WASHING. In Amsterdam, Catholic officials including the head of the Salesian religious order have distanced themselves and condemned a Dutch Salesian priest's endorsement of pedophilia and his involvement with a group of pedophiles campaigning for the abolition of the Dutch Government's ban on adult-child sex. READ MORE...

BEST DRESSED FOR CHARITY. Remember this nice lady (pictured below) from the woods who was turned away by security and Royal Wedding officials at Westminster Abbey when she showed up with the best and most creative fascinator (according to the Fashion Police!) in the world? Well, she's back. She's now filing official complaint against eBay and the organizers of the auction of Princess Beatrice's antler-like hat when she lost the bidding, which she claimed was rigged from the very start.  

The newly-hired Lady Gaga costume creative consultant.  

OKAY, okay. In the more serious topic, Princess Beatrice's famous silk bow hat made history over the what-was-supposed-to-be-the-end-of-the-world weekend when it was auctioned off on eBay and reached a whopping $131,648 as the final and winning bid. As long as it's for charity and goodwill, BRING ON the craziness.  

HIV SCARE. In the Land Down Under, Australian Defence (Yes, that's how they spell it.) officials are worried that there may be an unknown number of Australian soldiers who might have been exposed to blood-borne diseases like hepatitis or HIV in what appears to be a breach of medical protocols at the Australian Military's main hospital unit in the Middle East. READ MORE...

END OF HISTORY. One of my favorite social thinkers and intellectuals, Francis Fukuyama has just launched a new book, "Origins of a Political Order."  I agree with him that "Americans are not very good in nation-building."

   

SINGAPOREAN DARK WATER. In what seemed to be an incident that mirrored a horror movie, residents of an apartment complex drank and cooked with corpse-tainted yellowish and foamy water for days until officials discovered that the body of an Indonesian female worker was dumped in the building's water tank. READ MORE...

APOCALYPSE DELAYED. As much as I can, I'd like to stay away from making fun of the rapture believers who flushed their bank accounts, traveled to the West Coast from the East Coast, and many more bucket list to-do's gone awry. Why? Well, ask me later. Anyway, as usual, the now famous Taiwanese animators who did the Tiger Woods incident animation came up with their interpretation of the apocalypse not-so-scary scare. It's sickly funny and outrageously entertaining!     

WHAT'S IN THE NAME? What would you do if your town is named "Crap"? "Hi, I'm from Crap, New York." Or, "I'm going to Crap for the long weekend." Doesn't sound good, right? This is the story of a small town in Australia called "Speed." But wait, there's nothing wrong with speed, right? I think so too. However, the townfolks have gone increasingly worried of the many over speeding incidents in their town's rural roads. So, they've banded together with one unifying aim: change their Town's danger-inviting name. What do you think should be the new name? I suggest "Where Else." Where do you live? Where Else. Where are you going? Where Else.     

Rename Speed 'The Town of Speed' from PHOTOPLAY FILMS on Vimeo.

I want to leave your day on a high note. Watch this empowering video about heroines around the world.

Trailer - Women Are Heroes - English Version from SOCIAL ANIMALS on Vimeo.

Afternoon Tickler

PLANKING PRANK PROBLEM. On last Monday's Afternoon Tickler, I posted a video from an Australian news broadcast about the "planking" craze that has swept the Land Down Under. Now, Australian authorities are cautioning people especially teenagers to be careful and not to attempt crazy stunts that might harm or put them in great danger.

COURAGE. Legendary boxer, Sugar Ray Leonard has revealed that he was sexually molested by a coach in 1976. This guy is nothing short of remarkable and to have the courage to speak out about his dark past makes him the true man of the ring.

TERRIBLE JOKES.  In serious talk, Nazi and Hitler topics are almost always cautioned to the side of sensitivity and respect. I say "almost always" because when talking about Hitler, let's say within the walls of the academe or in the scholarly context, political and social scientists agree that Hitler was a "great" leader in respect to his political acumen. Hitler too was pure evil and the epitome of a misguided fool. 

That said, when Danish director Lars von Trier said that "I am a Nazi," while in jest and deadpan attitude, during the recent Cannes Film Festival press conference for his new film "Melancholia" starring Kirsten Dunst, people were abuzz and the incident resulted in Festival organizers declaring him persona non grata. Clearly, he didn't mean it and the language barrier (he delivered it in German) added to the confusion. More importantly, let's just stay away from making jokes about such serious matters that killed more than 6 million people and changed the course of world history.  

LIKE LIKE. A couple from Central Israel have named their new born daughter "Like." Cute as a Facebook button and really likable. This is another case of people liking their own posts or comments but in this case their offspring. 

For a parting afternoon tickle, here's a photo of what seems to be a very direct advertising:

Note: This photo actually reminds me of someone whom I asked if he washed his hands after taking a leak in the washroom, his reply was: "I didn't pee on my hands!" Enough said.

Afternoon Tickler

GONE TOO SOON. 24-year old Olympic gold medalist Sammy Wanjiru died of internal injuries in his home country Kenya after jumping to his death from the balcony of his apartment in an attempt to escape from his angry wife who caught him in bed with another woman. 

You think I'm tasty? Huh?

TOP CHEF CANADA'S horse hors d'oeuvres sparks controversy in Canada and the US. Ask me what's the big fuss?
I'm a natural omnivore living with carnivores and although I have neither tasted nor feasted on horse meat before, I'm willing to give it a try. Detractors of the upcoming episode (which is tonight!) are weary of the horse meat's source and manner of procurement. They say, the system used to slaughter the horses was designed for cows and not for our equine friends. Did I just say I want to have a taste of our "friends"? 
The high-protein and low-fat horse meat is still consumed in many parts of the world including Italy, Japan, the Philippines, and Brazil. Taboo? I guess only in North America. What about other meats? Camel meat is eaten in the Middle East and Egypt. Norwegians and the Japanese people eat whale meat. Inhabitants of sub-Saharan Africa feast on monkeys.

The more important issues here are: 
1.) Was the meat ethically sourced? Humane way of animal slaughter? (This always makes me confused because how in the world we put the words "humane" and "slaughter" next to each other?)   

2.) Is the animal included in the endangered species list or the protected animal list?

I'm going to eat you first!!! 

They have a different kind of water in the land Down Under. It makes people do "planking"! 

Morning Juice: Manic Monday

SINCE THE the burqa ban in France was first implemented last April 11, there have been 27 offenses recorded already. Amid stern protests from the Muslim communities around France and some European Union member countries, France enacted the law that was passed last year. According to French Prime Minister Francois Fillon, in defense of the burqa ban, the law was "in keeping with (French) national values." 

This ban pertains only to the burqa, which is a full-body covering that includes a mesh over the face with a tiny slit for the eyes, as well as the niqab. Those permitted are the hijab and the chador. The hijab covers only the hair and neck but not the face, while the chador, covers the body but not the face. "The ban does not target the wearing of a headscarf, head gear, scarf or glasses, as long as the accessories do not prevent the person from being identified," the Interior Ministry said in a press release.

HAVE YOU ever watched those little girl beauty pageants on TV? Does TLC's "Toddlers and Tiaras" ring a bell? Or, how about the 2006 Abigail Breslin movie, "Little Miss Sunshine"? America's youngest diva, six-year old Eden Wood, has sparked controversy Down Under when her promoters asked for interview and appointment fees worth thousands of dollars ($20,000 is the highest). She's scheduled to make appearances in Australia late July this year in conjunction with the series of events leading up to the launch of child beauty pageants. 

       

John Demjanjuk during his trial in Munich.

AS A CHILD engrossed in world history, the Alan Arkin 1987 movie, Escape from Sobibór was my first brush of the Holocaust and the Nazi Germany. It was from my father's movie collection, which was still in Betamax form. I was horrified and frightened with what I saw especially the scene where the escapees needed to leave their clothes that got stuck or enmeshed with the barbed wires. I didn't bat an eyelash. I didn't cover my eyes or peeped through in between my fingers. My mother, who was a history teacher that time, explained to me and my brothers the story about the Jews, the Nazis, and concentration camps.   

The experience of watching the movie changed my life, for real. It gave me a clearer but haunting education about one man's evil and the unfortunate victims of the Holocaust (Jews, Christians, Russians, Homosexuals, etc.). For months after that, I became interested as to what happened to the survivors whom I saw depicted in the movie with their eyes beaming with a mix of happiness and fear as they ran for their lives bare naked and free. All in all, there were 27,900 Jews that were murdered in the Sobibór extermination camp in the German-occupied Poland.

Recently, in Munich, the trial of John Demjanjuk, accused of being an accessory to the murders of 27,900 Jews in Sobibór, is finally drawing to a close. The sick and ailing Demjanjuk, now 91 and confined to a wheelchair, draws many questions according to an article in the German Spiegel Online International. Questions like "If the court were to issue a guilty verdict, who benefits from punishment today?" and "Should it serve as a deterrent?" and "Is the intention to rehabilitate an old man?" are yet to be answered as the verdict is expected this week.

ON THE LIGHTER side of life, since it's the dreaded Manic Monday, karma is indeed a bitch and a naughty player especially when it comes to dogs. Just see:

I'VE BEEN TO Portugal twice in my life and I'm looking forward to visit it again in the near future. The recurring feeling I had when I was there the first time was disbelief. I thought, "Is this the Portugal that shared the other half of the world with Spain when the Pope, through the Treaty of Tordessillas, divided the world into two?" But you see, when I came back the second time, I appreciated it more and ultimately succumbed to the charm of Portugal and the Portuguese (They're many if you want to know!). 

And now, in the advent of the financial crisis that hit hard Portugal (including Greece and other EU-member countries) and after a plea for the EU to bail them out the mess, which Finland has opposed, they have creatively come up with this video primarily addressed to the Fins to re-introduce themselves to the world once more.   

Now, watch how some geniuses define FUN with a large red rubber balloon, water from the garden faucet, some tricky acrobatic stunts, and a very expensive high-definition video camera. 

What? Still not fully awake sleepyhead? Now, to perk you up and make you chipper lock your eyes onto the GIF below. 

NOW you're awake!

Early Evening Anti-Snooze Tidbits

Did you know that the Brokeback Mountain boys, the late Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal both auditioned for the role of the penniless writer Christian in Baz Luhrman's 2001 movie "Moulin Rouge"? Okay, Ewan McGregor obviously has more bohemian appeal than the two. 

Mother's Day is this coming Sunday. It's a happy day for mothers. But some Russian mothers are angry when Russian President Dmitry Medvedev cancelled at the last minute his scheduled meeting with the mothers who lost their children in the bloody Beslan crisis (not Aslan!). According to reports, Medvedev was weary the bereaved mothers would bombard him with criticisms primarily directed to his patron and predecessor Vladimir Putin. 

In the Philippines, a country steeped in island-Catholic faith and a country dubbed by Time Magazine as more Catholic than the Vatican, the long-due Reproductive Health Bill is still in limbo despite the Philippine President's call for its immediate resolution. In contrast, France's timely and much-needed move to make the "royal condoms" available to the young especially within schools is gaining good grounds .    

If you think having expensive and intricate weaves and fancy hair can save you from the slammer, think again. Think hard. Common sense is not common to these people pictured below in their glam mugshots before they headed behind bars. Lyndsay Lohan could learn a thing or two from them if they become cellmates.