Timmy Leong, a self-taught bodybuilder who was one of Hawaii's most prominent musclemen and owner of Timmy's Health Gym, died of natural causes May 16 at the Queen's Medical Center. He was 83.
Leong, of Kaimuki, represented Hawaii in Mr. America and Mr. USA competitions on the mainland in the 1950s. His ripped body, photographed on Hawaii's beaches, also appeared on national magazine covers.
For more than 40 years, Leong ran Timmy's Health Gym, where clients trained for local physique contests and beauty pageants.
Leong's gym became an informal headquarters for visiting professional wrestlers and local and international bodybuilders, including Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Born in Honolulu on Jan. 11, 1927, Leong graduated from McKinley High School as a shy and skinny youth too frail to play football.
Inspired by pro wrestlers, he took up weight training and used magazine articles as references for training, spending hours working out with homemade weights.
"I used to use sand -- anything that was heavy," Leong told the Star-Bulletin in 1995.
In the Army he served as a physical instructor and became a lifeguard at Fort DeRussy.
Leong eventually won all the physique contests in Hawaii and entered the Mr. America contest in 1953, finishing in seventh place and winning the "best back" award.
He entered the Mr. USA contest in 1956, placing fourth, and coming in sixth in 1957, according to the website musclememory.com.
In the early '50s Leong opened Timmy's Health Gym on King Street across from McKinley High School. When King Street was widened, he moved his gym downtown and moved at least two more times, said Tommy Kono, a friend and three-time weightlifting Olympic medalist.
Kono admired Leong for participating in national competitions. "He wasn't afraid to get defeated," Kono said. "He wanted to see how he would do against the best."
In the 1950s and '60s, Leong visited the neighbor islands to put on physique exhibitions, sometimes with Kono, who demonstrated weightlifting.
His nephew Darryl Lee said Leong continued working out and coaching friends on their health until his death.
Leong is survived by sister Audrey N.L. Lee and numerous nieces and nephews.
Family and friends may call at the Diamond Head Mortuary Chapel from 9:30 a.m. Friday. Service begins at 11:15 a.m. with graveside services at Diamond Head Memorial Park from 12:25 p.m. Aloha attire.
***
My dad sent me to Timmy's Gym when I was in the ninth or tenth grade. Nice man.
Monday, May 31, 2010
the comics, they are a changin'
[7/27/10] I'm checking the Sunday comics section.
Mutts, For Better or For Worse, Garfield, Zits, Prince Valiant, Sherman's Lagoon, Dennis The Menace, Agnes, Pearls Before Swine, Pickles, Dog eat Doug, Over The Hedge, Baby Blues, Between Friends, Hagar The Horrible, Brewster Rockit, Dilbert, Mother Goose & Grimm, Cul de Sac, Betty, Pooch Cafe, Sally Forth, Red and Rover, Jump Start, Non Sequitur, Tundra, The Family Circus, Lola, Candorville, Luann, Beetle Bailey, Blondie, Get Fuzzy, The Knight Life, Frazz.
So at least Sally Forth, Agnes, and Brewster Rockit are still in the Sunday comics.
On 7/4, the lineup was Trouble In Paradise, Mutts, For Better or For Worse, Garfield, Zits, Sherman's Lagoon, Doonesbury, Agnes, Pearls Before Swine, Pickles, Dog eat Doug, Over The Hedge, Baby Blues, Between Friends, Retail, Brewster Rockit, Dilbert, Mother Goose & Grimm, Cul de Sac, Betty, Pooch Cafe, Sally Forth, Red and Rover, Jump Start, Non Sequitur, Tundra, Prickly City, Lola, Candorville, Luann, Beetle Bailey, Blondie, Get Fuzzy, The Knight Life, Frazz.
So there weren't that many changes (see below). In are Prince Valiant, Dennis The Menace, Hagar The Horrible, The Family Circus. Out are Trouble In Paradise, Doonesbury, Retail, Prickly City. (And actually Trouble In Paradise, Doonesbury and Prickly City moved. So the only casualty was Retail.)
Physically, Trouble In Paradise vacated the top of the first page. Mutts, For Better or For Worse, Garfield, Zits moved up one spot on the page. And Prince Valiant moved into the bottom of the first page.
Dennis The Menace took the place of Doonesbury on the second page.
Hagar The Horrible took the place of Retail on the third page.
The Family Circus took the place of Prickly City on the fifth page.
[7/12/10] Comparing today's comics section to Saturday. Today there's Baby Blues, Sherman's Lagoon, Blondie, Beetle Bailey, Zits, Mutts, Get Fuzzy, Hagar The Horrible, Frazz, Pickles. Then on the right column, there's Garfield, For Better or For Worse, Mother Goose & Grimm, Betty, Pearls Before Swine, Luanne, Dog Eat Doug, Cul de Sac, Family Circus, Dennis the Menace.
On Saturday the lineup was Baby Blues, Sherman's Lagoon, Doonesbury, Pooch Cafe, Zits, Retail, Get Fuzzy, Sally Forth, Frazz, Pickles. Then Garfield, For Better or For Worse, Prickly City, Betty, Pearls Before Swine, Luanne, Brewster Rockit Space Guy, Agnes, Dog Eat Doug, Cul de Sac.
So, as mentioned below, in are Blondie, Beetle Bailey, Hagar The Horrible, Mother Goose & Grimm, Family Circus, Dennis the Menace. Moved to the editorial section are Doonesbury and Prickly City. And out are Pooch Cafe, Retail, Sally Forth, Brewster Rockit Space Guy, Agnes.
I definitely disagree on the ousting of Sally Forth and Brewster Rockit. Agnes too.
***
Prince Valiant returns to the Sunday comics section. Also returning by popular demand to the Sunday funnies as of today: "Hagar the Horrible," "Dennis the Menace" and "Family Circus."
And tomorrow the Star-Advertiser will welcome to the daily comics lineup "Beetle Bailey," "Blondie," "Dennis the Menace," "Family Circus," "Hagar the Horrible," "Mutts" and "Mother Goose & Grimm." And that will close the books on changes to the comics sections based on readers' comments.
***
With no prior notice, Housebroken was replaced by Dog Eat Doug on 5/3/10 in the Star Bulletin comics section (printed edition). Hmm, I never noticed until now that they had a comics section online.
Not that it matters, since I usually didn't read Housebroken, and I haven't been reading Dog Eat Doug either.
That makes the current lineup Doonesbury, Pooch Cafe, Zits, Get Fuzzy, Brewster Rockit: Space Guy, Dog Eat Doug, Betty, Cul De Sac, Sally Forth, For Better or For Worse, Prickly City, and Sherman's Lagoon. They also feature Garfield on page 3. And Dilbert in the Business section. And Agnes in the Today section.
I just so happen to going through the 3/31/09 paper from my pile (only now). The lineup was For Better or For Worse, Sherman's Lagoon, Zits, Get Fuzzy, Doonesbury, Housebroken, Betty, Cul De Sac, Sally Forth, Shoe, Classic Peanuts, Prickly City, Garfield, Brewster Rockit! Space Guy, Pooch Cafe, Agnes. Plus Dilbert in the Business Section.
So gone besides Housebroken are Shoe and Classic Peanuts, both of which I liked, as the lineup has shrunk from 17 to 15. I think Shoe and Peanuts vanished when the Star Bulletin went tabloid.
***
[6/13/10] Revamped Sunday comics section debuts
[6/6/10] With the debut of the new Star-Advertiser, these comics will appear:
Daily versions of:
» "Baby Blues"
» "Retail"
» "Frazz"
» "Pickles"
» "Pearls Before Swine"
» "Luann"
Sunday versions of:
» "For Better or For Worse"
» "Pearls Before Swine"
» "Retail"
» "Dilbert"
» "Mother Goose & Grimm"
» "Frazz"
» "Sally Forth"
» "Red and Rover"
» "Beetle Bailey"
» "Jump Start"
» "Between Friends"
Weren't we already getting For Better of For Worse, Dilbert, Sally Forth on Sunday? Maybe not. Well, if not, it's about time!
***
Here's some previous changes
2/3/08 - Prickly City and Cul De Sac replace State of the Union and Lucky Cow
7/15/07 - Maintaining added to Sunday section.
4/22/07 - Thorney's Zoo and Calabash added to Sunday lineup
4/15/07 - Zack Hill, La Cucaracha, Preteena booted off. HouseBroken, State of the Union, Brewster Rockit: Space Guy added.
1/8/06 - Peach Fuzz and Van Von Hunter added to Sunday lineup. (I kind of don't remember these, so I guess I never bothered looking at them.)
2/15/04 - 11 new comic strips introduced to Sunday lineup: Spot The Frog, Tina's Groove, PC & Pixel, 9 Chickweed Lane, Slylock Fox, Pickles (one of my favorites), Big Nate, Over the Hedge, Candorville and Rudy Park, Zippy, The Amazing Spiderman. Plus Isaac Asimov's Super Quiz.
9/20/99 - Get Fuzzy debuts
Mutts, For Better or For Worse, Garfield, Zits, Prince Valiant, Sherman's Lagoon, Dennis The Menace, Agnes, Pearls Before Swine, Pickles, Dog eat Doug, Over The Hedge, Baby Blues, Between Friends, Hagar The Horrible, Brewster Rockit, Dilbert, Mother Goose & Grimm, Cul de Sac, Betty, Pooch Cafe, Sally Forth, Red and Rover, Jump Start, Non Sequitur, Tundra, The Family Circus, Lola, Candorville, Luann, Beetle Bailey, Blondie, Get Fuzzy, The Knight Life, Frazz.
So at least Sally Forth, Agnes, and Brewster Rockit are still in the Sunday comics.
On 7/4, the lineup was Trouble In Paradise, Mutts, For Better or For Worse, Garfield, Zits, Sherman's Lagoon, Doonesbury, Agnes, Pearls Before Swine, Pickles, Dog eat Doug, Over The Hedge, Baby Blues, Between Friends, Retail, Brewster Rockit, Dilbert, Mother Goose & Grimm, Cul de Sac, Betty, Pooch Cafe, Sally Forth, Red and Rover, Jump Start, Non Sequitur, Tundra, Prickly City, Lola, Candorville, Luann, Beetle Bailey, Blondie, Get Fuzzy, The Knight Life, Frazz.
So there weren't that many changes (see below). In are Prince Valiant, Dennis The Menace, Hagar The Horrible, The Family Circus. Out are Trouble In Paradise, Doonesbury, Retail, Prickly City. (And actually Trouble In Paradise, Doonesbury and Prickly City moved. So the only casualty was Retail.)
Physically, Trouble In Paradise vacated the top of the first page. Mutts, For Better or For Worse, Garfield, Zits moved up one spot on the page. And Prince Valiant moved into the bottom of the first page.
Dennis The Menace took the place of Doonesbury on the second page.
Hagar The Horrible took the place of Retail on the third page.
The Family Circus took the place of Prickly City on the fifth page.
[7/12/10] Comparing today's comics section to Saturday. Today there's Baby Blues, Sherman's Lagoon, Blondie, Beetle Bailey, Zits, Mutts, Get Fuzzy, Hagar The Horrible, Frazz, Pickles. Then on the right column, there's Garfield, For Better or For Worse, Mother Goose & Grimm, Betty, Pearls Before Swine, Luanne, Dog Eat Doug, Cul de Sac, Family Circus, Dennis the Menace.
On Saturday the lineup was Baby Blues, Sherman's Lagoon, Doonesbury, Pooch Cafe, Zits, Retail, Get Fuzzy, Sally Forth, Frazz, Pickles. Then Garfield, For Better or For Worse, Prickly City, Betty, Pearls Before Swine, Luanne, Brewster Rockit Space Guy, Agnes, Dog Eat Doug, Cul de Sac.
So, as mentioned below, in are Blondie, Beetle Bailey, Hagar The Horrible, Mother Goose & Grimm, Family Circus, Dennis the Menace. Moved to the editorial section are Doonesbury and Prickly City. And out are Pooch Cafe, Retail, Sally Forth, Brewster Rockit Space Guy, Agnes.
I definitely disagree on the ousting of Sally Forth and Brewster Rockit. Agnes too.
***
Prince Valiant returns to the Sunday comics section. Also returning by popular demand to the Sunday funnies as of today: "Hagar the Horrible," "Dennis the Menace" and "Family Circus."
And tomorrow the Star-Advertiser will welcome to the daily comics lineup "Beetle Bailey," "Blondie," "Dennis the Menace," "Family Circus," "Hagar the Horrible," "Mutts" and "Mother Goose & Grimm." And that will close the books on changes to the comics sections based on readers' comments.
***
With no prior notice, Housebroken was replaced by Dog Eat Doug on 5/3/10 in the Star Bulletin comics section (printed edition). Hmm, I never noticed until now that they had a comics section online.
Not that it matters, since I usually didn't read Housebroken, and I haven't been reading Dog Eat Doug either.
That makes the current lineup Doonesbury, Pooch Cafe, Zits, Get Fuzzy, Brewster Rockit: Space Guy, Dog Eat Doug, Betty, Cul De Sac, Sally Forth, For Better or For Worse, Prickly City, and Sherman's Lagoon. They also feature Garfield on page 3. And Dilbert in the Business section. And Agnes in the Today section.
I just so happen to going through the 3/31/09 paper from my pile (only now). The lineup was For Better or For Worse, Sherman's Lagoon, Zits, Get Fuzzy, Doonesbury, Housebroken, Betty, Cul De Sac, Sally Forth, Shoe, Classic Peanuts, Prickly City, Garfield, Brewster Rockit! Space Guy, Pooch Cafe, Agnes. Plus Dilbert in the Business Section.
So gone besides Housebroken are Shoe and Classic Peanuts, both of which I liked, as the lineup has shrunk from 17 to 15. I think Shoe and Peanuts vanished when the Star Bulletin went tabloid.
***
[6/13/10] Revamped Sunday comics section debuts
[6/6/10] With the debut of the new Star-Advertiser, these comics will appear:
Daily versions of:
» "Baby Blues"
» "Retail"
» "Frazz"
» "Pickles"
» "Pearls Before Swine"
» "Luann"
Sunday versions of:
» "For Better or For Worse"
» "Pearls Before Swine"
» "Retail"
» "Dilbert"
» "Mother Goose & Grimm"
» "Frazz"
» "Sally Forth"
» "Red and Rover"
» "Beetle Bailey"
» "Jump Start"
» "Between Friends"
Weren't we already getting For Better of For Worse, Dilbert, Sally Forth on Sunday? Maybe not. Well, if not, it's about time!
***
Here's some previous changes
2/3/08 - Prickly City and Cul De Sac replace State of the Union and Lucky Cow
7/15/07 - Maintaining added to Sunday section.
4/22/07 - Thorney's Zoo and Calabash added to Sunday lineup
4/15/07 - Zack Hill, La Cucaracha, Preteena booted off. HouseBroken, State of the Union, Brewster Rockit: Space Guy added.
1/8/06 - Peach Fuzz and Van Von Hunter added to Sunday lineup. (I kind of don't remember these, so I guess I never bothered looking at them.)
2/15/04 - 11 new comic strips introduced to Sunday lineup: Spot The Frog, Tina's Groove, PC & Pixel, 9 Chickweed Lane, Slylock Fox, Pickles (one of my favorites), Big Nate, Over the Hedge, Candorville and Rudy Park, Zippy, The Amazing Spiderman. Plus Isaac Asimov's Super Quiz.
9/20/99 - Get Fuzzy debuts
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Redbox (and friends)
Redbox is popular on the mainland, but according to their website, there's only one on the island. And somehow it's at Iolani Palace.
However the Safeways here have DVDPlay. And Foodland has DVDXPress. I remember seeing a machine at the Times at Kam Shopping Center. I'll have to check what they have here. [6/6/10 - OK, finally got the spelling right, it's dvmatic.]
What's cool about DVDXpress is I can check what movies are available via the internet.
***
[8/22/10] I noticed RedBox at Walgreens a few weeks ago. And at Foodland too. RedBox is finally here. Looking at the website, I see it's at Foodland (School Street), Walgreens (School Street), K-Mart (Nimitz), Foodland (Dillingham), Foodland (Beretania), Walgreens (Kapiolani), and even at the Salt Lake Longs. In all, Redbox lists 46 on the island.
I even see a few Blu-Ray titles available. These rent for $1.50 per day rather than $1.00.
DVDXpress no longer lists any machines in Hawaii.
However the Safeways here have DVDPlay. And Foodland has DVDXPress. I remember seeing a machine at the Times at Kam Shopping Center. I'll have to check what they have here. [6/6/10 - OK, finally got the spelling right, it's dvmatic.]
What's cool about DVDXpress is I can check what movies are available via the internet.
***
[8/22/10] I noticed RedBox at Walgreens a few weeks ago. And at Foodland too. RedBox is finally here. Looking at the website, I see it's at Foodland (School Street), Walgreens (School Street), K-Mart (Nimitz), Foodland (Dillingham), Foodland (Beretania), Walgreens (Kapiolani), and even at the Salt Lake Longs. In all, Redbox lists 46 on the island.
I even see a few Blu-Ray titles available. These rent for $1.50 per day rather than $1.00.
DVDXpress no longer lists any machines in Hawaii.
Quietus (for tinnitus)
I see this ad in Parade for Quietus which is supposed to cure tinnitus (which I have).
I wonder how good/not good it is. I'm not holding my breath...
I see it's for sale at Amazon for $99.95. 1-1/2 stars with 8 customer reviews.
One five-star review.
Benn using this for 3 weeks and have noticed the ringing slowly going away. great product and nice staff.
The other seven reviews were all one-star. For example,
I suffer from Tinnitus. Everyone from the American Medical Association to my Doctor to the Audio Engineering Society all say the same thing. "Tinnitus is permanent nerve damage. there is no cure"..but like a fool I tried it. Doesn't work.
***
I purchase three months worth of Quietus and can state with conviction that this product is very expensive and doesn't work. Subsequently, you may want to start looking at the root causes of your ailment, which means altering your diet and adjusting your attitudes towards your daily environment.
Many things have to be present in your body chemistry for Tinnitus to occur. Most prevalent is a stressful environment and high counts of salicylic acid in the bloodstream. Work on reducing stress the same way you would if you had a bad heart or high blood pressure. Consult your physician and if you do not have a heart condition immediately stop taking aspirin, which is the purest form of acetylsalicylic acid. Cutting out related ibuprofen pain killers is just as helpful.
Still more difficult is cutting down on or altogether avoiding foods with high levels of salicylic acid. Foods that most people love, including olives, tomato, mushrooms, raisins, dates, almonds, peanuts, curry, mustard, and pistachios. I have noticed that drinking even small quantities of red wine increases ringing in my years, so you may want to check that out as well. None of this is easy, but life's all about choices. Avoiding stressful situations will no doubt have the greatest impact.
Good luck and forget about Quietus.
***
A look around Amazon and other places online will quickly show you that unlike headaches and other bothersome ailments that make our lives miserable, as far as tinnitus is concerned there are very few solutions or miracle cures even being offered. Tinnitus sufferers don't even have the "luxury" of trying dozens of different concoctions in hope of some relief, for there are only a mere handful of so called remedies being offered at all. Quietus was the latest, and third in a line of promised relief that I have tried. Unfortunately, it moves to the head of the class as far as being not only totally ineffective, but the premier example of true highway robbery with its price. I am ashamed to admit that this is one product that I actually decided to spring for simply because I believed that no company would charge this much money for something that didn't work. Or at least work well enough to ease up the suffering just a little bit. I will never be so stupid and naive again.
***
What surprised me was the ad had a table listing ginkgo biloba and minerals: zinc/mag as other choice (obviously not as good as quietus) for tinnitus. That's news to me.
Here's a review of Quietus that mentioned that Gingko Biloba sometimes helps lull the ringing.
Here's reference that states that the regular medication with ginkgo biloba is effective in the treatment of tinnitus.
Here's another report that mentions gingko biloba as well as zinc and magnesium (as well as a lot of other information).
Here's another study that found no effect.
But here's one that found results.
But heck, what do I have to lose? I have some gingko biloba in a bottle that nobody is using anyway.
***
Getting better reviews on Amazon is Clear Tinnitus 60 Capsules for only $9.68. 3-1/2 stars, 11 reviews.
CLEAR TINNITUS, contains a unique proprietary blend of thirteen herbs, scientifically formulated to work in combination with active homeopathic ingredients to provide temporary relief of tinnitus.
Out of the eleven reviews, five were five-star and three were one-star.
I have had tinnitus for some time and have been using Clear Tinnitus for about 2 years off and on. My symptoms improve noticeably when taking two caps per day. When I stop, symptoms return within about a week. I've tried this a few times with the same results each time. I just tried to reduce to one cap in the morning and symptoms started returning. So I'm back to 2 caps in the morning. I was very skeptical after trying a bunch of other vitamins etc but this did help me. I don't think anything is going to be a panacea for everyone, but this does indeed help some people and is worth a try. The whistling is unbearable and while this doesn't stop it altogether, it helps significantly where I barely notice it most of the time... Just be aware that it doesn't work immediately. It starts to work after a few weeks or so.
On the other hand,
I took this product for 7 days before experiencing severe dizziness with vomiting. The room was not "spinning", but it did feel like the room was revolving around me. I didn't take the product again until the next day. Within a few hours of taking it, I again experienced the vertigo and vomiting. Once again, I did not take the product until one day later at which time I suffered the same symptoms for the third time. I quit taking the product and have not experienced the symptoms again. I think the product label should be changed from reading "no side effects" to say that there may be side effects of dizziness, vomiting and vertigo.
[but did the ringing stop? 8]
***
Here's another one, advertised in the 5/10/10 Star Bulletin, called Ring No More.
How good does it work? Well here's one comment.
This product is a scam! I ordered it, it took 3 weeks to deliver almost as the 30 day guarantee trial was up (3 weeks to ship), i had to fight with a supervisor to get a refund 1 day after the 30 day trial period was up, and then they say it will take up to 60 days to provide a refund. I think they make money on floating refunds after people figure out this little white tablet doesn't do a thing to help.
I hope others research before they order. Ringing ears are terrible and this company is preying on people's health issues. DO NOT ORDER THIS product.
And here's a report.
However here are some products that might be worth investigating.
*** [8/15/14]
IF YOUR EARS are ringing, hissing, buzzing, roaring, whistling, chirping or clicking, you may have tinnitus; the term is derived from the Latin word tinnire, which means “to ring.” An estimated 42 million to 50 million adult Americans have tinnitus, which is the perception of a sound in one or both ears when no external sound is present.
Tinnitus can be caused by loud noises, medications such as aspirin that can damage the nerves in the ear, impacted earwax, middle-ear problems (such as infections or vascular tumors), Ménière’s disease (a disorder of the balance mechanism in the inner ear), aging or clenching one’s jaw or grinding one’s teeth.
“Many things can trigger tinnitus, but the most common thing by far is hearing loss,” says Dr. David J. Eisenman, associate professor of otorhinolaryngology (head and neck surgery) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. “Treatment of a hearing loss will often improve tinnitus.”
Costco Connection article, February 2014
[hearing loss? what? I think I should clean my ear wax first.]
I wonder how good/not good it is. I'm not holding my breath...
I see it's for sale at Amazon for $99.95. 1-1/2 stars with 8 customer reviews.
One five-star review.
Benn using this for 3 weeks and have noticed the ringing slowly going away. great product and nice staff.
The other seven reviews were all one-star. For example,
I suffer from Tinnitus. Everyone from the American Medical Association to my Doctor to the Audio Engineering Society all say the same thing. "Tinnitus is permanent nerve damage. there is no cure"..but like a fool I tried it. Doesn't work.
***
I purchase three months worth of Quietus and can state with conviction that this product is very expensive and doesn't work. Subsequently, you may want to start looking at the root causes of your ailment, which means altering your diet and adjusting your attitudes towards your daily environment.
Many things have to be present in your body chemistry for Tinnitus to occur. Most prevalent is a stressful environment and high counts of salicylic acid in the bloodstream. Work on reducing stress the same way you would if you had a bad heart or high blood pressure. Consult your physician and if you do not have a heart condition immediately stop taking aspirin, which is the purest form of acetylsalicylic acid. Cutting out related ibuprofen pain killers is just as helpful.
Still more difficult is cutting down on or altogether avoiding foods with high levels of salicylic acid. Foods that most people love, including olives, tomato, mushrooms, raisins, dates, almonds, peanuts, curry, mustard, and pistachios. I have noticed that drinking even small quantities of red wine increases ringing in my years, so you may want to check that out as well. None of this is easy, but life's all about choices. Avoiding stressful situations will no doubt have the greatest impact.
Good luck and forget about Quietus.
***
A look around Amazon and other places online will quickly show you that unlike headaches and other bothersome ailments that make our lives miserable, as far as tinnitus is concerned there are very few solutions or miracle cures even being offered. Tinnitus sufferers don't even have the "luxury" of trying dozens of different concoctions in hope of some relief, for there are only a mere handful of so called remedies being offered at all. Quietus was the latest, and third in a line of promised relief that I have tried. Unfortunately, it moves to the head of the class as far as being not only totally ineffective, but the premier example of true highway robbery with its price. I am ashamed to admit that this is one product that I actually decided to spring for simply because I believed that no company would charge this much money for something that didn't work. Or at least work well enough to ease up the suffering just a little bit. I will never be so stupid and naive again.
***
What surprised me was the ad had a table listing ginkgo biloba and minerals: zinc/mag as other choice (obviously not as good as quietus) for tinnitus. That's news to me.
Here's a review of Quietus that mentioned that Gingko Biloba sometimes helps lull the ringing.
Here's reference that states that the regular medication with ginkgo biloba is effective in the treatment of tinnitus.
Here's another report that mentions gingko biloba as well as zinc and magnesium (as well as a lot of other information).
Here's another study that found no effect.
But here's one that found results.
But heck, what do I have to lose? I have some gingko biloba in a bottle that nobody is using anyway.
***
Getting better reviews on Amazon is Clear Tinnitus 60 Capsules for only $9.68. 3-1/2 stars, 11 reviews.
CLEAR TINNITUS, contains a unique proprietary blend of thirteen herbs, scientifically formulated to work in combination with active homeopathic ingredients to provide temporary relief of tinnitus.
Out of the eleven reviews, five were five-star and three were one-star.
I have had tinnitus for some time and have been using Clear Tinnitus for about 2 years off and on. My symptoms improve noticeably when taking two caps per day. When I stop, symptoms return within about a week. I've tried this a few times with the same results each time. I just tried to reduce to one cap in the morning and symptoms started returning. So I'm back to 2 caps in the morning. I was very skeptical after trying a bunch of other vitamins etc but this did help me. I don't think anything is going to be a panacea for everyone, but this does indeed help some people and is worth a try. The whistling is unbearable and while this doesn't stop it altogether, it helps significantly where I barely notice it most of the time... Just be aware that it doesn't work immediately. It starts to work after a few weeks or so.
On the other hand,
I took this product for 7 days before experiencing severe dizziness with vomiting. The room was not "spinning", but it did feel like the room was revolving around me. I didn't take the product again until the next day. Within a few hours of taking it, I again experienced the vertigo and vomiting. Once again, I did not take the product until one day later at which time I suffered the same symptoms for the third time. I quit taking the product and have not experienced the symptoms again. I think the product label should be changed from reading "no side effects" to say that there may be side effects of dizziness, vomiting and vertigo.
[but did the ringing stop? 8]
***
Here's another one, advertised in the 5/10/10 Star Bulletin, called Ring No More.
How good does it work? Well here's one comment.
This product is a scam! I ordered it, it took 3 weeks to deliver almost as the 30 day guarantee trial was up (3 weeks to ship), i had to fight with a supervisor to get a refund 1 day after the 30 day trial period was up, and then they say it will take up to 60 days to provide a refund. I think they make money on floating refunds after people figure out this little white tablet doesn't do a thing to help.
I hope others research before they order. Ringing ears are terrible and this company is preying on people's health issues. DO NOT ORDER THIS product.
And here's a report.
However here are some products that might be worth investigating.
*** [8/15/14]
IF YOUR EARS are ringing, hissing, buzzing, roaring, whistling, chirping or clicking, you may have tinnitus; the term is derived from the Latin word tinnire, which means “to ring.” An estimated 42 million to 50 million adult Americans have tinnitus, which is the perception of a sound in one or both ears when no external sound is present.
Tinnitus can be caused by loud noises, medications such as aspirin that can damage the nerves in the ear, impacted earwax, middle-ear problems (such as infections or vascular tumors), Ménière’s disease (a disorder of the balance mechanism in the inner ear), aging or clenching one’s jaw or grinding one’s teeth.
“Many things can trigger tinnitus, but the most common thing by far is hearing loss,” says Dr. David J. Eisenman, associate professor of otorhinolaryngology (head and neck surgery) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. “Treatment of a hearing loss will often improve tinnitus.”
Costco Connection article, February 2014
[hearing loss? what? I think I should clean my ear wax first.]
Gary Coleman
Former child star Gary Coleman, who rose to fame as the wisecracking youngster Arnold Jackson on the TV sitcom "Diff'rent Strokes" but grew up to grapple with a troubled adulthood, has died. He was 42.
"We are very sad to have to report Mr. Gary Coleman has passed away," his spokesman, John Alcantar, said in a statement Friday afternoon. "He was removed from life support; soon thereafter, he passed quickly and peacefully. By Gary's bedside were his wife and other close family members."
Coleman died after being stricken with a brain hemorrhage following an accident at his home in Santaquin, Utah, on Wednesday, a hospital spokeswoman said. He was rushed by ambulance to a Provo hospital, Coleman's spokesman had said earlier Friday.
He was then taken to another hospital -- Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo -- later Wednesday night.
In the late '70s and early '80s, Coleman was one of television's brightest stars, the personality around which NBC's "Strokes" -- the story of two inner-city children who are taken in by a wealthy businessman, his daughter and their housekeeper -- was built.
"There was a touch of magic and a different stroke in Gary Coleman. He was the inspiration behind his show's title," said producer Norman Lear, whose company oversaw the show.
Coleman's natural charm and way with a line -- the frequently uttered "Whatchoo talkin' 'bout, Willis?", directed at his older brother (played by Todd Bridges), became a catchphrase -- helped make the show a breakout hit, a mainstay of the NBC schedule from 1978 to 1985 (and on ABC for a year afterward).
"We are very sad to have to report Mr. Gary Coleman has passed away," his spokesman, John Alcantar, said in a statement Friday afternoon. "He was removed from life support; soon thereafter, he passed quickly and peacefully. By Gary's bedside were his wife and other close family members."
Coleman died after being stricken with a brain hemorrhage following an accident at his home in Santaquin, Utah, on Wednesday, a hospital spokeswoman said. He was rushed by ambulance to a Provo hospital, Coleman's spokesman had said earlier Friday.
He was then taken to another hospital -- Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo -- later Wednesday night.
In the late '70s and early '80s, Coleman was one of television's brightest stars, the personality around which NBC's "Strokes" -- the story of two inner-city children who are taken in by a wealthy businessman, his daughter and their housekeeper -- was built.
"There was a touch of magic and a different stroke in Gary Coleman. He was the inspiration behind his show's title," said producer Norman Lear, whose company oversaw the show.
Coleman's natural charm and way with a line -- the frequently uttered "Whatchoo talkin' 'bout, Willis?", directed at his older brother (played by Todd Bridges), became a catchphrase -- helped make the show a breakout hit, a mainstay of the NBC schedule from 1978 to 1985 (and on ABC for a year afterward).
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Art Linkletter
Art Linkletter, who as the gently mischievous host of TV's "People Are Funny" and "House Party" in the 1950s and '60s delighted viewers with his ability to get kids — and grownups — to say the darndest things on national television, died Wednesday. He was 97.
Linkletter died at his home in the Bel-Air section of Los Angeles, said his son-in-law, Art Hershey, the husband of Sharon Linkletter. "He lived a long, full, pure life, and the Lord had need for him," Hershey said.
Linkletter had been ill "in the last few weeks time, but bear in mind he was 97 years old. He wasn't eating well, and the aging process took him," Hershey said.
Linkletter was known on TV for his funny interviews with children and ordinary folks. He also collected their comments in a number of best-selling books.
"Because of Art Linkletter, adults found themselves enjoying children," said Bill Cosby, whose style interviewing kids on his own show in the late '90s was often compared to Linkletter's.
"An amazing fellow, a terrific broadcast talent, a brilliant businessman. An all-around good guy," CNN's Larry King added about his longtime friend and frequent guest.
Asked what made Linkletter so appealing to audiences, King said, "He had an unusual voice, a twang to his voice that was immediately recognizable. And he looked like your favorite uncle."
"Art Linkletter's House Party," one of television's longest-running variety shows, debuted on radio in 1944 and was seen on CBS-TV from 1952 to 1969.
Linkletter died at his home in the Bel-Air section of Los Angeles, said his son-in-law, Art Hershey, the husband of Sharon Linkletter. "He lived a long, full, pure life, and the Lord had need for him," Hershey said.
Linkletter had been ill "in the last few weeks time, but bear in mind he was 97 years old. He wasn't eating well, and the aging process took him," Hershey said.
Linkletter was known on TV for his funny interviews with children and ordinary folks. He also collected their comments in a number of best-selling books.
"Because of Art Linkletter, adults found themselves enjoying children," said Bill Cosby, whose style interviewing kids on his own show in the late '90s was often compared to Linkletter's.
"An amazing fellow, a terrific broadcast talent, a brilliant businessman. An all-around good guy," CNN's Larry King added about his longtime friend and frequent guest.
Asked what made Linkletter so appealing to audiences, King said, "He had an unusual voice, a twang to his voice that was immediately recognizable. And he looked like your favorite uncle."
"Art Linkletter's House Party," one of television's longest-running variety shows, debuted on radio in 1944 and was seen on CBS-TV from 1952 to 1969.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Hitler parodies leaving the room
YouTube has recently begun removing videos that feature content from Constantin Films' 2004 film, "Der Untergang" ("Downfall"), despite the fact that many of these videos are parodies and thus constitute fair use of the material.
The "Downfall," or Hitler-parody, meme has been, arguably, a viral spate of publicity for ConstantinFilms
in the past few years. The meme takes a now-infamous scene from the movie (the scene in which Hitler reacts to the news that Germany is about to lose the war) and puts satirical subtitles over the action (the movie is in German). Hitler parodies have been made for everything from "Hitler finds out Tony Romo dumped Jessica Simpson," to "Hitler is Fired from Whataburger," to, more recently, "Hitler Responds to the iPad."
Of course, the real question is: why? Why has Constantin Films chosen to suddenly claim copyright on these clips after six years — especially when the clips generate interest from parties who are otherwise unlikely to even look at the film (the film, which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, was independently produced and is entirely in German). Certainly plenty of wayward YouTubers and Internet-goers have been driven to discover the source of the clips that provide them with so much entertainment. So, yes, you wonder why Constantin Films is suddenly putting the kibosh on this obvious stream of free publicity.
Even the director of "Downfall," Oliver Hirschbiegel, thinks the parodies are funny. He told New York Magazine in January 2010: "Someone sends me the links every time there's a new one. I think I've seen about 145 of them! Of course, I have to put the sound down when I watch. Many times the lines are so funny, I laugh out loud, and I’m laughing about the scene that I staged myself! You couldn't get a better compliment as a director."
***
We'll how long this one lasts.
The "Downfall," or Hitler-parody, meme has been, arguably, a viral spate of publicity for Constantin
Of course, the real question is: why? Why has Constantin Films chosen to suddenly claim copyright on these clips after six years — especially when the clips generate interest from parties who are otherwise unlikely to even look at the film (the film, which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, was independently produced and is entirely in German). Certainly plenty of wayward YouTubers and Internet-goers have been driven to discover the source of the clips that provide them with so much entertainment. So, yes, you wonder why Constantin Films is suddenly putting the kibosh on this obvious stream of free publicity.
Even the director of "Downfall," Oliver Hirschbiegel, thinks the parodies are funny. He told New York Magazine in January 2010: "Someone sends me the links every time there's a new one. I think I've seen about 145 of them! Of course, I have to put the sound down when I watch. Many times the lines are so funny, I laugh out loud, and I’m laughing about the scene that I staged myself! You couldn't get a better compliment as a director."
***
We'll how long this one lasts.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
bad habits can age you
Four common bad habits combined — smoking, drinking too much, inactivity and poor diet — can age you by 12 years, sobering new research suggests.
The findings are from a study that tracked nearly 5,000 British adults for 20 years, and they highlight yet another reason to adopt a healthier lifestyle.
Overall, 314 people studied had all four unhealthy behaviors. Among them, 91 died during the study, or 29 percent. Among the 387 healthiest people with none of the four habits, only 32 died, or about 8 percent.
The risky behaviors were: smoking tobacco; downing more than three alcoholic drinks per day for men and more than two daily for women; getting less than two hours of physical activity per week; and eating fruits and vegetables fewer than three times daily.
These habits combined substantially increased the risk of death and made people who engaged in them seem 12 years older than people in the healthiest group, said lead researcher Elisabeth Kvaavik of the University of Oslo.
The findings are from a study that tracked nearly 5,000 British adults for 20 years, and they highlight yet another reason to adopt a healthier lifestyle.
Overall, 314 people studied had all four unhealthy behaviors. Among them, 91 died during the study, or 29 percent. Among the 387 healthiest people with none of the four habits, only 32 died, or about 8 percent.
The risky behaviors were: smoking tobacco; downing more than three alcoholic drinks per day for men and more than two daily for women; getting less than two hours of physical activity per week; and eating fruits and vegetables fewer than three times daily.
These habits combined substantially increased the risk of death and made people who engaged in them seem 12 years older than people in the healthiest group, said lead researcher Elisabeth Kvaavik of the University of Oslo.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Nobelity
I happened to see the DVD One Peace at a Time at Blockbuster (featuring the music of Willie Nelson and others). I thought it was in the $3.99 bin, but it turned out to be a rental. So I put it back.
Anyway looking at the comments on Amazon, it's sort of the sequel to Nobelity which is a film which interviews Nobel Laureates about their ideas on solving the world's problems. The project was spearheaded by Turk Pipkin who is an actor turned activist (well, I think he's still an actor).
The Nobelity Project has a website and a series of videos on youtube.
I see they're selling Nobelity for $24.95 and One Peace at a Time for $19.95.
I'm thinking I should begin by solving my own problems first (and I should -- just looking at the piles I stuff around me). But it looks like I can pick up Nobelity for "free" (well for a credit) at swapadvd, so maybe I should pounce on it. Maybe it'll give me a kick in the pants..
...
Do it! (Especially since there's only one copy available.) It'll be my first DVD ordered through swapadvd. (Right now, I have four credits to use. One free one to start. Two from three books I sent. And another from the Star Trek DVD I posted. And hopefully two more to come when the Star Trek gets received -- one for the DVD and one Movie Mogul credit.
Put it this way. If I saw this used on sale at Blockbuster, I would probably pick it up. And if it were to suddenly be gone from dvdswap, I would regret not grabbing it.
Doing a search at swapadvd for Nobelity also turns up Beyond The Call which is a DVD containing three short movies including an interview apparently from Nobelity. Evidently Beyond The Call appeared on PBS.
...
One Peace at a Time. Let's start with the pile on the coffee table..
***
[5/17/10] Cool. Turk Pipkin himself left a comment. Here's a link to his blog.
***
[5/24/10] Got the DVD on Saturday, watched it early this morning (woke up and went back to sleep). A very noble effort. Kind of reminded me of Charles Kuralt show, except Turk traveled around the world, talked to important people, and asked important questions. I can see where it might be slightly controversial, especially regarding comments on global warming. And some comments by Desmond Tutu. But I take everybody's opinions in high regard. Now to see if I can scoop up One Peace At A Time (and perhaps try to do my small part).
***
[3/22/13] Browsing Popcorn Flix on my Roku and notice that both Nobelity and One Peace at a Time are available on it (for free!). I see they're also on hulu. 10 Questions for the Dalai Lama is also on popcorn flix (and hulu too).
[6/9/12] One Peace at a Time on youtube.
Anyway looking at the comments on Amazon, it's sort of the sequel to Nobelity which is a film which interviews Nobel Laureates about their ideas on solving the world's problems. The project was spearheaded by Turk Pipkin who is an actor turned activist (well, I think he's still an actor).
The Nobelity Project has a website and a series of videos on youtube.
I see they're selling Nobelity for $24.95 and One Peace at a Time for $19.95.
I'm thinking I should begin by solving my own problems first (and I should -- just looking at the piles I stuff around me). But it looks like I can pick up Nobelity for "free" (well for a credit) at swapadvd, so maybe I should pounce on it. Maybe it'll give me a kick in the pants..
...
Do it! (Especially since there's only one copy available.) It'll be my first DVD ordered through swapadvd. (Right now, I have four credits to use. One free one to start. Two from three books I sent. And another from the Star Trek DVD I posted. And hopefully two more to come when the Star Trek gets received -- one for the DVD and one Movie Mogul credit.
Put it this way. If I saw this used on sale at Blockbuster, I would probably pick it up. And if it were to suddenly be gone from dvdswap, I would regret not grabbing it.
Doing a search at swapadvd for Nobelity also turns up Beyond The Call which is a DVD containing three short movies including an interview apparently from Nobelity. Evidently Beyond The Call appeared on PBS.
...
One Peace at a Time. Let's start with the pile on the coffee table..
***
[5/17/10] Cool. Turk Pipkin himself left a comment. Here's a link to his blog.
***
[5/24/10] Got the DVD on Saturday, watched it early this morning (woke up and went back to sleep). A very noble effort. Kind of reminded me of Charles Kuralt show, except Turk traveled around the world, talked to important people, and asked important questions. I can see where it might be slightly controversial, especially regarding comments on global warming. And some comments by Desmond Tutu. But I take everybody's opinions in high regard. Now to see if I can scoop up One Peace At A Time (and perhaps try to do my small part).
***
[3/22/13] Browsing Popcorn Flix on my Roku and notice that both Nobelity and One Peace at a Time are available on it (for free!). I see they're also on hulu. 10 Questions for the Dalai Lama is also on popcorn flix (and hulu too).
[6/9/12] One Peace at a Time on youtube.
Friday, May 14, 2010
The Greatest 9200 Films of All Time
IF Brad Bourland were a movie character he might be T. E. Lawrence in “Lawrence of Arabia,” embarking on a small project yet ending up on an epic quest; perhaps he’d be Jake Gittes in “Chinatown,” relentlessly digging, following what he finds even if it takes him someplace disagreeable; or maybe Jefferson Smith in “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” an outsider and novice who shows the establishment a thing or two.
Mr. Bourland, of course, is none of these. He’s a produce clerk in an Austin, Tex., grocery. But Mr. Bourland, 58, has spent nearly a decade on a monumental task that he hopes will make his a name to remember in the world of movies.
He has ranked the greatest films of the 20th century. Sure, the American Film Institute and endless others have generated Top 10 or 100 Greatest lists. But Mr. Bourland goes them — well, one better isn’t even close. He has ranked the 20th century’s 9,200 greatest movies, watching more than 7,000 of them in the process. (He plans to reach 10,000 from readers suggesting titles he has overlooked. The list is at themovielistonline.com.)
“I’m a huge movie lover and began to wonder if people were going to forget all the great old movies,” said Mr. Bourland. “I was going to make a list of about 200 old classics, but within six months it evolved into the best of all time.”
***
Hmm. I see the list is a doc file. Here's the top 10.
1. Casablanca (1943) d.- Michael Curtiz (7)
2. Citizen Kane (1941) d.- Orson Welles (7)
3. The Godfather (1972) d.- Francis Ford Coppola (7)
4. The Wizard of Oz (1939) d.- Victor Fleming (7)
5. Lawrence of Arabia (1962) (BR) d.- David Lean (7)
6. It's a Wonderful Life (1946) d.- Frank Capra (7)
7. Schindler's List (1993) d.- Steven Spielberg (7)
8. Singin' in the Rain (1952) d.- Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly (7)
9. Gone With The Wind (1939) d.- Victor Fleming (7)
10. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) d.- Milos Forman (7)
I suppose these are all classics, but I wouldn't go out of my way to see any of them. Well maybe I might sit to down catch a rerun of It's a Wonderful Life one of these years. I don't know what that (7) means.
My favorite film, Oh God!, ranks 1694. My second favorite film, Heaven Can Wait (the Warren Beatty version), is not far behind at 1714. Other favorites. Sneakers is at 2031. Wrath of Khan is at 751 (pretty high). The Voyage Home is at 1780. Fist of Legend is nowhere to be seen (I guess it's only American movies? Perhaps so, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon isn't on there either. Enter the Dragon is on there at 2168.)
[5/30/14] Empire Magazine ranks the 301 Greatest Movies of All Time (as voted by their readers. Let's browse. 295 West Side Story, 294 Back to the Future II, 292 King Kong, 291 Conan The Barbarian, 288 Batman, 286 Man of Steel (gotta finish watching this on HBO Go), 284 Bridge on the River Kwai, 279 Fantasia, 272 The Little Mermaid, 260 Blazing Saddles, 255 Transformers, 253 The Hunger Games, 250 Home Alone, 245 Star Trek Into Darkness, 244 Dumb and Dumber, 242 Iron Man 3, 241 The Crow, 239 Iron Man, 228 Finding Nemo (I'd rank this higher), 224 Star Wars III - Revenge of the Sith (still haven't watched the whole DVD), 223 Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone, 221 Goldfinger, 220 The Maltese Falcon, 219 The Sting, 218 The Incredibles, 212 Cool Hand Luke, 207 Life is Beautiful, 206 Planet of the Apes, 200 Ben Hur, 194 The Sound of Music (thought this would be higher), 192 Grease, 191 Field of Dreams, 188 Star Trek (2009), 186 Top Gun, 185 The Fifth Element, 183 Captain America The Winter Soldier, 181 The Great Escape, 179 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, 176 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, 175 Dr. Strangelove, 174 Braveheart, 167 Monty Python and the Holy Grail, 162 Shaun of the Dead, 160 Casino Royale (2006), 159 Frozen, 157 Beauty and the Beast, 155 Airplane!, 153 Watchmen, 152 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows II (haven't watched it yet), 151 When Harry Met Sally, 148 The Social Network (hadn't watched it yet), 141 The Goonies, 139 Close Encounters of the Third Kind, 138 Batman Begins (I guess I should add this to my collection), 134 Wall-E, 132 To Kill a Mockingbird, 129 Life of Brian, 128 Dirty Dancing, 126 Anchorman: the Legend of Ron Burgandy (hmm), 125 Annie Hall, 124 Robocop, 123 Wizard of Oz (I would have expected higher - it's #4 above), 121 Superman the Movie, 120 Star Wars VI - Return of the Jedi, 117 Good Will Hunting, 115 The Princess Bride, 114 Groundhog Day, 113 The French Connection (another one I never finished watching), 112 Evil Dead II, 111 Up, 110 Avatar (never watched the whole thing), 109 The Green Mile, 108 Predator, 107 The Terminator, 100 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, 99 The Blues Brothers, 96 Singin' in the Rain (no. 8 above), 95 Rocky, 94 Kill Bill vol. 1, 93 Fargo, 90 Serenity (never watched more than a couple of minutes), 89 Star Trek II: the Wrath of Khan (one of my favorites), 83 North by Northwest, 82 Spirited Away, 76 Saving Private Ryan, 74 Stand by Me, 73 Lost in Translation (really?), 72 The Dark Knight Rises (working on it), 70 Psycho (I was scared), 69 Raging Bull, 68 Amelie (still have the half-watched DVD), 67 Silence of the Lambs, 66 The Lion King, 65 E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, 63 Ghostbusters, 62 Titanic, 58 Toy Story, 57 Seven Samurai, 52 Gone with the Wind (#9 above), 47 The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, 46 Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, 45 Skyfall, 40 It's a Wonderful Life (#6 above), 39 Die Hard, 36 Heat, 35 Gravity (I guess I'll have to see this one day), 34 Forrest Gump, 33 Citizen Kane (#2 above), 31 Lawrence of Arabia (#5 above, did I ever watch this?), 28 Terminator 2: Judgment Day, 27 Gladiator, 26 Casablanca (#1 above), 25 Schindler's List (#7 above), 23 The Matrix, 22 2001: A Space Odyssey, 21 Alien, 19 Aliens, 18 Jurassic Park, 17 Back to the Future, 16 Avengers Assemble, 15 The Godfather Part II, 12 Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, 11 Blade Runner, 10 Inception (never saw this), 9 Raiders of the Lost Ark, 8 Jaws, 7 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, 6 Star Wars IV - A New Hope, 4 The Shawshank Redemption, 3 The Dark Knight (really?), 2 The Godfather, 1 - The Empire Strikes Back (!)
***
More lists via Bing
Mr. Bourland, of course, is none of these. He’s a produce clerk in an Austin, Tex., grocery. But Mr. Bourland, 58, has spent nearly a decade on a monumental task that he hopes will make his a name to remember in the world of movies.
He has ranked the greatest films of the 20th century. Sure, the American Film Institute and endless others have generated Top 10 or 100 Greatest lists. But Mr. Bourland goes them — well, one better isn’t even close. He has ranked the 20th century’s 9,200 greatest movies, watching more than 7,000 of them in the process. (He plans to reach 10,000 from readers suggesting titles he has overlooked. The list is at themovielistonline.com.)
“I’m a huge movie lover and began to wonder if people were going to forget all the great old movies,” said Mr. Bourland. “I was going to make a list of about 200 old classics, but within six months it evolved into the best of all time.”
***
Hmm. I see the list is a doc file. Here's the top 10.
1. Casablanca (1943) d.- Michael Curtiz (7)
2. Citizen Kane (1941) d.- Orson Welles (7)
3. The Godfather (1972) d.- Francis Ford Coppola (7)
4. The Wizard of Oz (1939) d.- Victor Fleming (7)
5. Lawrence of Arabia (1962) (BR) d.- David Lean (7)
6. It's a Wonderful Life (1946) d.- Frank Capra (7)
7. Schindler's List (1993) d.- Steven Spielberg (7)
8. Singin' in the Rain (1952) d.- Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly (7)
9. Gone With The Wind (1939) d.- Victor Fleming (7)
10. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) d.- Milos Forman (7)
I suppose these are all classics, but I wouldn't go out of my way to see any of them. Well maybe I might sit to down catch a rerun of It's a Wonderful Life one of these years. I don't know what that (7) means.
My favorite film, Oh God!, ranks 1694. My second favorite film, Heaven Can Wait (the Warren Beatty version), is not far behind at 1714. Other favorites. Sneakers is at 2031. Wrath of Khan is at 751 (pretty high). The Voyage Home is at 1780. Fist of Legend is nowhere to be seen (I guess it's only American movies? Perhaps so, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon isn't on there either. Enter the Dragon is on there at 2168.)
[5/30/14] Empire Magazine ranks the 301 Greatest Movies of All Time (as voted by their readers. Let's browse. 295 West Side Story, 294 Back to the Future II, 292 King Kong, 291 Conan The Barbarian, 288 Batman, 286 Man of Steel (gotta finish watching this on HBO Go), 284 Bridge on the River Kwai, 279 Fantasia, 272 The Little Mermaid, 260 Blazing Saddles, 255 Transformers, 253 The Hunger Games, 250 Home Alone, 245 Star Trek Into Darkness, 244 Dumb and Dumber, 242 Iron Man 3, 241 The Crow, 239 Iron Man, 228 Finding Nemo (I'd rank this higher), 224 Star Wars III - Revenge of the Sith (still haven't watched the whole DVD), 223 Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone, 221 Goldfinger, 220 The Maltese Falcon, 219 The Sting, 218 The Incredibles, 212 Cool Hand Luke, 207 Life is Beautiful, 206 Planet of the Apes, 200 Ben Hur, 194 The Sound of Music (thought this would be higher), 192 Grease, 191 Field of Dreams, 188 Star Trek (2009), 186 Top Gun, 185 The Fifth Element, 183 Captain America The Winter Soldier, 181 The Great Escape, 179 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, 176 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, 175 Dr. Strangelove, 174 Braveheart, 167 Monty Python and the Holy Grail, 162 Shaun of the Dead, 160 Casino Royale (2006), 159 Frozen, 157 Beauty and the Beast, 155 Airplane!, 153 Watchmen, 152 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows II (haven't watched it yet), 151 When Harry Met Sally, 148 The Social Network (hadn't watched it yet), 141 The Goonies, 139 Close Encounters of the Third Kind, 138 Batman Begins (I guess I should add this to my collection), 134 Wall-E, 132 To Kill a Mockingbird, 129 Life of Brian, 128 Dirty Dancing, 126 Anchorman: the Legend of Ron Burgandy (hmm), 125 Annie Hall, 124 Robocop, 123 Wizard of Oz (I would have expected higher - it's #4 above), 121 Superman the Movie, 120 Star Wars VI - Return of the Jedi, 117 Good Will Hunting, 115 The Princess Bride, 114 Groundhog Day, 113 The French Connection (another one I never finished watching), 112 Evil Dead II, 111 Up, 110 Avatar (never watched the whole thing), 109 The Green Mile, 108 Predator, 107 The Terminator, 100 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, 99 The Blues Brothers, 96 Singin' in the Rain (no. 8 above), 95 Rocky, 94 Kill Bill vol. 1, 93 Fargo, 90 Serenity (never watched more than a couple of minutes), 89 Star Trek II: the Wrath of Khan (one of my favorites), 83 North by Northwest, 82 Spirited Away, 76 Saving Private Ryan, 74 Stand by Me, 73 Lost in Translation (really?), 72 The Dark Knight Rises (working on it), 70 Psycho (I was scared), 69 Raging Bull, 68 Amelie (still have the half-watched DVD), 67 Silence of the Lambs, 66 The Lion King, 65 E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, 63 Ghostbusters, 62 Titanic, 58 Toy Story, 57 Seven Samurai, 52 Gone with the Wind (#9 above), 47 The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, 46 Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, 45 Skyfall, 40 It's a Wonderful Life (#6 above), 39 Die Hard, 36 Heat, 35 Gravity (I guess I'll have to see this one day), 34 Forrest Gump, 33 Citizen Kane (#2 above), 31 Lawrence of Arabia (#5 above, did I ever watch this?), 28 Terminator 2: Judgment Day, 27 Gladiator, 26 Casablanca (#1 above), 25 Schindler's List (#7 above), 23 The Matrix, 22 2001: A Space Odyssey, 21 Alien, 19 Aliens, 18 Jurassic Park, 17 Back to the Future, 16 Avengers Assemble, 15 The Godfather Part II, 12 Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, 11 Blade Runner, 10 Inception (never saw this), 9 Raiders of the Lost Ark, 8 Jaws, 7 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, 6 Star Wars IV - A New Hope, 4 The Shawshank Redemption, 3 The Dark Knight (really?), 2 The Godfather, 1 - The Empire Strikes Back (!)
***
More lists via Bing
Thursday, May 06, 2010
uncovering spam
Yes, I love Spam, but for a canned meat that's so near and dear to my heart, I didn't know much about Spam's history or what it's made of. Sure, we've all heard the rumor that Spam stands for "Spare Parts And More," but that's just an urban legend, right?
Originally called "Hormel Spiced Ham," Hormel reintroduced the canned meat as "Spam" in 1937. Spam owes its name to Kenneth Daigneau, who suggested it during a New Year's Eve party. There are many speculations and hypotheses as to what Spam stands for, but the official meaning of the name is that it is a portmanteau derived from "spiced ham."
Although Spam was a popular household product in America, it wasn't until World War II that Spam attained the recognition and consumption level it has today. Because Spam was a canned product and required no refrigeration, it was an ideal protein for the military and soon became a staple in K-rations for soldiers. These soldiers introduced the product to communities they went to, including Hawaii, integrating Spam into the local diet.
OK, so we've got the history down, but what is Spam made of? As the name "spiced ham" implies, Spam is a pork product, and don't worry, it's not made up of a pig's "spare parts." To put diners at ease, Spam is made out of a blend of pork shoulder and ham, the meat that comes from the pig's shoulders, rump and hind legs.
***
Who made the first spam musubi?
Sun-Ki Chai, moderator at the food-centric Hawaii eGullet forum, found some history in "Hawaii's 2nd Spam Cookbook" (Bess Press, 2001). The book is also cited in a June 2002 article on musubi in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
According to author Ann Kondo Corum, Mitsuko Kaneshiro first made spam musubi for her children, but then started selling them out of City Pharmacy on Pensacola Street in Mo`ili`ili. By the early 1980s, she was selling 500 a day — all made by hand — from her own shop, Michan's Musubi. She also sold them to the wide network of blind vendors running shops and kiosks in state buildings, perhaps putting them directly before the movers, shakers, and policy makers of Hawaii. (Or maybe not.)
***
Spam is not a healthy thing to eat.
Originally called "Hormel Spiced Ham," Hormel reintroduced the canned meat as "Spam" in 1937. Spam owes its name to Kenneth Daigneau, who suggested it during a New Year's Eve party. There are many speculations and hypotheses as to what Spam stands for, but the official meaning of the name is that it is a portmanteau derived from "spiced ham."
Although Spam was a popular household product in America, it wasn't until World War II that Spam attained the recognition and consumption level it has today. Because Spam was a canned product and required no refrigeration, it was an ideal protein for the military and soon became a staple in K-rations for soldiers. These soldiers introduced the product to communities they went to, including Hawaii, integrating Spam into the local diet.
OK, so we've got the history down, but what is Spam made of? As the name "spiced ham" implies, Spam is a pork product, and don't worry, it's not made up of a pig's "spare parts." To put diners at ease, Spam is made out of a blend of pork shoulder and ham, the meat that comes from the pig's shoulders, rump and hind legs.
***
Who made the first spam musubi?
Sun-Ki Chai, moderator at the food-centric Hawaii eGullet forum, found some history in "Hawaii's 2nd Spam Cookbook" (Bess Press, 2001). The book is also cited in a June 2002 article on musubi in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
According to author Ann Kondo Corum, Mitsuko Kaneshiro first made spam musubi for her children, but then started selling them out of City Pharmacy on Pensacola Street in Mo`ili`ili. By the early 1980s, she was selling 500 a day — all made by hand — from her own shop, Michan's Musubi. She also sold them to the wide network of blind vendors running shops and kiosks in state buildings, perhaps putting them directly before the movers, shakers, and policy makers of Hawaii. (Or maybe not.)
***
Spam is not a healthy thing to eat.
Monday, May 03, 2010
older is wiser?
It turns out grandma was right: Listen to your elders. New research indicates they are indeed wise — in knowing how to deal with conflicts and accepting life's uncertainties and change.
It isn't a question of how many facts someone knows, or being able to operate a TV remote, but rather how to handle disagreements — social wisdom.
And researchers led by Richard E. Nisbett of the University of Michigan found that older people were more likely than younger or middle-aged ones to recognize that values differ, to acknowledge uncertainties, to accept that things change over time and to acknowledge others' points of view.
It isn't a question of how many facts someone knows, or being able to operate a TV remote, but rather how to handle disagreements — social wisdom.
And researchers led by Richard E. Nisbett of the University of Michigan found that older people were more likely than younger or middle-aged ones to recognize that values differ, to acknowledge uncertainties, to accept that things change over time and to acknowledge others' points of view.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)