In Ferris Texas, authorities are allowed to shoot stray dogs because the problem of people abandoning their dogs has gotten so bad. This is horrible!
And write to city officials here to stop this horrible policy!
Author: Becca
Five balls
I’m reading “Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas” right now and there was a really interesting passage on a balanced life:
“”Imagine life is a game in which you are juggling five balls. The balls are called work, family, health, friends, and integrity. And you’re keeping all of them in the air.
But one day you finally come to understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. The other four balls…are made of glass. If you drop one of these, it will be irrevocably scuffed, nicked, perhaps even shattered.”
It’s been a while…
…since I wrote. I’ve been busy traveling, and spending some time with friends and family. I’ve also been working at Metromix as a contributing editor for TV and pop culture. Here is some recent stuff:
‘Real World: Brooklyn’: Meet the cast
I’m going to try to get back into writing on here, too. So keep a lookout!
No good deed goes unpunished
The CA Supreme Court ruled today that a civilian who rescues a injured or endangered person can be sued for nonmedical care.
The decision stems from a case in which a woman pulled a coworker from a crashed car, allegedly aggravating the victim’s vertebrae.
Lisa Torti of Northridge was accused of yanking Alexandra Van Horn like “a ragdoll” from her vehicle after it crashed on Topanga Canyon Blvd. Van Horn was rendered a paraplegic because of her injuries in 2004.
The three dissenting judges, however, argued that the decision would have dire consequences.
“Here, the result is that defendant Torti has no immunity for her bravery in pulling her injured friend from a crashed vehicle, even if she reasonably believed it might be about to explode,” said Justice Marvin R. Baxter for the dissent.
Living in a city where I have heard stories about a man being beat up on the street in broad daylight, while no one tried to help, or people are left in the dark to die, I am very disturbed by this decision.
While Torti may have messed up, this ruling could cause people to avoid helping others in need, regardless of the situation.
Visions of Hawaii
Just returned from a week-long visit to Hawaii. I lived there for a couple of years, and it’s bittersweet to see it again. I miss it already. Hawaii is a place where the blues and greens take over the senses and the ocean water wears the skin down, just like it would a stone rolling in the waves for hundreds of years. Here are some photos from the trip:
‘Cadillac Records’ Review
by Rebecca Ford- Los Angeles Film Examiner
The blues are back.
The songs will sound familiar to many—Etta James’ “At Last,” Chuck Berry’s, “Maybellene,” and Muddy Waters’ “I’m a Man.” The faces are new.
Instead of making a film about any one of these pioneers of music, “Cadillac Records” is about the place they all crashed into each other—Chess Records.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Chess records, run by Polish emigre Leonard Chess (Adrien Brody), became to epicenter of the future of music. The foundation for the blues, country and rock ‘n’ roll was laid—brick by brick—in those studios. “Cadillac Records” chronicles the rise of Chess records and the tumultuous lives of the musicians who called it home.
Like the Cadillacs the musicians and Chess pine after, the film is beautiful and shiny on the outside. The songs are memorable and the singers croon with the best of them. But cramming the entire history of the forefathers of modern music into 109 minutes makes the film seem rushed, and lacking in the rich details that probably filled those days….
Thanksgiving photos
Spent a beautiful weekend at home in the bay area. Lafayette, CA may be a place few will visit, but it’s breathtaking this time of year. Oranges, yellows cover the earth, but the sky stays a certain blue.
Here are a few more photos….
on a walk with a dog 
A virginal walking ad 
The yellowest tree of them all 
One more of beautiful Mt. Diablo
Hold on to those coattails, buddy
I’ve always known that this city is saturated with leeches. You know, people riding on the coattails of their successful family member or friend. It seems that famous people are always just one degree away. “[Famous action director] is my 40-year-old boyfriend.” “[Famous director] is my brother.” “I’m [famous actor]’s cousin.”
And sometimes those people become successful. You can argue that talent and hard work are required at some point to really make it. Or not. Who knows?
But never have I seen such a blatant attempt to use someone else’s fame for their own success as in a recent email I received from a famous film director’s UNCLE. Here’s a sample of the email after I asked him what he was looking for me to write:
“i was trying to give u a story of one of the most famous directors in LA, You obvious dont have a clue to who [famous director] is?
I found u online, never read anything you wrote, I was giving you an opportunity of a life time , to interview my life , which is probably one of the most thrilling stories of our time , We have written a script on the story of my life called — which will knock you of your chair, Being am his uncle i thought it might be something you might of been interested in . LA times journalist approached me coming out of [director’s] house last year. and i said no , but i think its just the right time in my life , my projects, and my story.”
Now, I know a PR sceme when I see one, but I was shocked with how aggressive he got so quickly. I do of course know who this director is (and had double-checked with him that this was in fact his uncle), but I can’t quite see how this uncle thinks that any REAL journalist wouldn’t be able to see right through this poorly written attempt to sell the director’s story as his own.
I’m keeping this anonymous because I don’t want said UNCLE to receive any publicity from me, since that’s what he was going for in the first place. And I doubt this is the director’s fault, so he doesn’t deserve the bad press. And who knows, maybe the UNCLE’s intentions were genuine, but I think the words speak for themselves.
I wish people like this all the best. And I’m sure some of them make it. But their hands must get so tired from gripping so tightly on their relative’s coattails.
Turkey TV!
Thanksgiving’s right around the corner, so we’re dedicating this photo gallery to the most famous Turkeys to ever grace TV. Check it out.
Rebecca M Ford 