Thought du jour - 31 August 2011

"Lovemaking fools you. The overpowering emotions it induces make you think you're sharing the same feelings as the other person and that they're imagining the same as you... Two people can make love but that isn't necessarily love." - Greta Scacchi

Thought du jour - 30 August 2011

“The TV business is soul crashing, talent destroying, and human being destroying. These men in their black towers don’t know what they are doing. It’s slave labour. There is no elegance left in anybody. They have no taste. Movies are being financed by conglomerates, which take a write-off if they don’t work. The only people who fight for what the public deserves are artists.” - Olivia de Havilland

Thought du jour - 29 August 2011

"A sure way to lose happiness, I found, is to want it at the expense of everything else." - Bette Davis

Thought du jour - 28 August 2011

"After all these years, I am still involved in the process of self-discovery. It's better to explore life and make mistakes than to play it safe. Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life." - Sophia Loren 

Thought du jour - 27 August 2011

"I never lose sight of the fact that just being is fun." - Katharine Hepburn

Filmmaking 101, Vol. II

"Technical skill counts for nothing if it is used only to manufacture films which have little to do with humanity." - Edward Dmytryk

Paulosophy, Vol. XI

Glen Coe, Scotland - 2009

Some people call it loneliness, and see it as a prison; I call it solitude, and see it as a sanctuary.

Paul Kimball

Paulosophy, Vol. X

Like poker, life isn't about what you're willing to ante; it's about what you're willing to bet on the river.

Paul Kimball

The Burial of Private Colin Patrick

On the subject of the realities of war...

The Burial of Private Colin Patrick

There was no noise as the coffin was lowered
into the grave,
save for the sadness of the lonely bugle
hanging slowly in the withered air.

His comrades stood around
all of them hardened veterans of the war,
thinking of their fallen friend
while wondering which of the them
would be the next
to die.

The chaplain said a few words from the Bible
1 Peter, verses 4, 7 through 11,
after which the company commander stepped forward
and quoted from a certain President,
Abraham Lincoln,
who once said under somewhat similar circumstances
in another place:

"It is rather for us to be here dedicated
to the great task remaining before us
that from these honoured dead we take increased devotion
to that cause for which they gave the last full measure
of devotion
that we here highly resolve that these
dead shall not have died
in vain."

He concluded by telling the troops
how proud he had been to have served
with such a brave young man,
and then he turned and walked back
to the bunkers behind
the land of the red tabs.

The others marched slowly
in the opposite direction
heads bowed,
a few with salt in their eyes,
as they glanced back and bid farewell
to the mound of dirt and small white cross,

the only memorial to mark the place

of the burial of private Colin Patrick.

written & performed by Paul Kimball
Recorded on 4-track, 1997

Pictures of War

There is a story running in the news right now that I find truly offensive, on many levels. It offends me because it plays into the worst elements of rah-rah militarism masquerading as patriotism, and it offends me because it equates the "suffering" of a dog at the loss of its owner with real, human suffering. Indeed, if you read the comments section, the "suffering" of the dog seems to trump human suffering, at least in the case of an American dog owned by a U.S. Navy SEAL (one suspects that the sympathy for some faceless, nameless Iraqi's dog, or Afgan's dog, would be less pronounced).

In case you haven't seen it, the story is about a dog who apparently wouldn't leave the side of his owner's casket at the SEAL's funeral. You can see a treacly "news" piece on it here, or watch this CBS report. 

I consider this shameless propaganda. The worst part, however, comes in the comments, where people describe it as "the most depressing" or "saddest photo" ever. My favourite was one by someone named Pam Stewart, who wrote: "This is the picture of war." That people actually think that way is a sad commentary on our complete and total lack of perspective as a society.

Here's some photos for Ms. Stewart and her fellow commenters that are truly depressing, and representative of the real horrors of war. These aren't some whitewashed photos of a flag-draped coffin with a noble dog lying next to it - these are the real thing, and I think it's time people woke up and got some perspective.

World War I

The Holocaust, World War II



Vietnam

 

Iraq

America

I thought about posting photos of men who had been horribly disfigured by war, but I figured I had made my point. But you can find them on the Internet if you want to look. If anyone really thinks that a picture of a dog lying next to a flag-draped coffin at a stage-managed funeral for media consumption is a "picture of war", or the "most depressing photo ever", then they should seek out these photos of the most horribly disfigured of our war wounded. These are the real pictures of war - the ones that the masters of war don't want us to see, or remember, or ever think about, because if we did, we might all just agree to put an end to war once and for all.

Paul Kimball

Thought du jour - 26 August 2011

“Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy.” - Guillaume Apollinaire

Thought du jour - 25 August 2011

"You cannot feed the hungry on statistics." - David Lloyd George

Interview with Art Malik

Art Malik is one of the best actors of his generation, always worth watching no matter what film he's in. He's probably best known for his roles in the excellent TV series The Jewel in the Crown, the David Lean classic A Passage to India, as the bad guy in the blockbuster True Lies opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger, and for his supporting role in one of my favourite James Bond films, The Living Daylights. In this interview, he talks about his background and his career, and offers some valuable insights about acting, both as a process and a profession.

Paul Kimball

Thought du jour - 24 August 2011

"It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow." - Robert H. Goddard

Thought du jour - 23 August 2011

"Death gives meaning to our lives. It gives importance and value to time. Time would become meaningless if there were too much of it." - Ray Kurzweil

Thought du jour - 22 August 2011

"It’s whether we elect parliamentarians to bicker or build that will be the defining issue of our time. And we say, let’s build." - Jack Layton

Jack Layton, leader of the New Democratic Party and the leader of the Opposition in Canada, passed away earlier today at the far-too-young age of 61, after battling cancer. He will be missed by all Canadians.

Paul Kimball

Thought du jour - 21 August 2011

"If we will be quiet and ready enough, we shall find compensation in every disappointment." - Henry David Thoreau

Thought du jour - 20 August 2011

"You are precisely as big as what you love and precisely as small as what you allow to annoy you." - Robert Anton Wilson

Thought du jour - 19 August 2011

Stuart and yours truly at his home in Altrincham, May 2006.

"The most un-endearing quality within the psyche of the human spirit is arrogance. Our world is full of strutting little despots, be it militarily, politically, administratively, the religious realm, or even in our personal lives. People full of their own self importance and power, without humility or empathy." - Stuart Miller

Stuart Miller was a good friend, a wise and thoughtful man, and an all around fine human being. He died in a motorcycle accident on 12 May 2011, near his home in Altrincham, United Kingdom. He will be missed.

Paul Kimball

Thought du jour - 18 August 2011

"Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions." - Rainer Maria Rilke

Walkabout - Český Krumlov, June 2009

After three weeks visiting England and Scotland in May, 2009, I flew to the Czech Republic where I spent the last week and a half of my vacation. For most of the time I was based in Prague, with day trips to places like Kutna Hora and Terezin, but I also spent a couple of days in Český Krumlov, a beautiful town and UNESCO World Heritage Site about three hours south of Prague best known for the fine architecture and art of the historic old town and Český Krumlov Castle.

Here are some of the photos from my walkabouts during those wonderful two days.

The train station.

The sign for the inn, or "pension", at which I stayed.

The pension. It was like staying in a wizard's tower!

The castle.

One of the many streets.

A hotel near the town square.

Town square.

The castle.

Having lunch at a restaurant overlooking the town square.

The Horor Bar was my bar of choice for late night

carousing while I was in Český Krumlov. It never closes!

A unique fountain.

View of Český Krumlov from the Castle tower.

Another look from the tower.

Yours truly on the balcony of the tower.

Another view of the Castle.

Inside the Castle, they had a really unique underground

gallery with an equally unique exhibit.

This exhibit reminded me of something

out of classic Star Trek!

You don't want to know what this
piece reminded me of!!

On the castle walls.

One of the many winding alleyways.

Self portrait.

A wonderful antique shop that I spent at
least half an hour browsing through.

Statue of Christ on Lazebnický Bridge.

As an afficiando of teddy bears, I popped into this

wonderful shop... and picked up a couple of new friends.

Church of St. Vitus.

Dinner at a riverfront restaurant, which a touch
of Americana (Pepsi) and a locally-made toy
that I bought for a friend in Canada.

The restaurants on the river.

Another view of the castle.

Another charming and friendly little bar.

Český Krumlov at night.

The castle at night.

Town square at night.

If you ever get the chance to visit Český Krumlov, make sure you take it - it's a true adventure, full of history, mystery, great bars and restaurants, and, perhaps best of all, nooks and crannies that hold all sorts of surprises.

Paul Kimball