On The Spot

I am still laughing at this moron's CNN debut.





I normally don't like to kick someone when they are down.

I could not resist this time.



(CLICK PICTURE TO ENLARGE)

Simple and to the point

I really thought that Barack Obama's 30-minute television ad tonight on major U.S. networks was exceptional.

I have to believe that it would be difficult for anyone to watch the whole thing and not come away feeling moved and inspired.





However, there is a beautiful simplicity to this 30 second ad, and I like it.

Senior Moment

John McCain's efforts to gain some ground in Pennsylvania appear to be faltering despite a major commitment of his time and money.

An aggregate of public polls now shows Barack Obama with a double-digit lead in Pennsylvania.

This is certainly not going to help much.

The Bradley Effect?

The "Bradley effect" is named for Tom Bradley, an African-American candidate who was running for Governor of California in 1982.




Many of the voter polls leading up to the election had Tom Bradley well ahead of the Republican candidate George Deukmejian. In fact, based on the exit polls, a number of media outlets had already projected him as the winner. Bradley ultimately lost the race.

The "Bradley effect" refers to an alleged tendency on the part of some voters to tell pollsters that they are undecided or likely to vote for a black candidate, and yet, on election day, vote for his or her white opponent.

An example of this theory was quite possibly seen earlier this year during the New Hampshire Democratic primary.

Take a very close look at this AOL poll (Taken today).



Right now, if you are asking yourself: "what the fuck does someone's skin color have to do with their ability to be President of the United States" ... Congratulations ... you are not a racist.

Sometimes you need to read between the lines to find an answer to a very simple question.

Typical McCain voters

This guy is too stupid to know what a political statement is.

The guy 30 seconds into this news clip is precious.

Can anyone say Bradley effect?

Financial Crisis

Python on Palin

I ran for Vice President ... and all I got was this lousy T-shirt

Here is a picture of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin in her dorm room at the University of Idaho.



According to her classmates, the only top that she wore more often was a t-shirt that read “FCK: The only thing missing is ‘U.’ ”

Since Sarah and I share a common love for goofy t-shirts, I thought I would suggest a few.
















P.S. Sarah ... the comma comes after broke.

Step Right Up Folks!

Hopefully everyone took the time to watch last night's presidential debate at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee.




There was no memorable line like "Senator ... you're no Jack Kennedy".

However, there was one odd moment that will make the highlight reel.



Regardless of how it was intended, John McCain's reference to Obama as "that one" is racially suspect at best.




However, there something else that bothered me about this selected clip and the debate as a whole. This was John McCain's repeated use of the phrase "my friends".

In this 1:32 clip alone he uses the phrase twice.

Would it surprise you if I told you that in roughly 45 minutes of allotted talking time McCain used the phrase "my friends" 18 times and "my friend" 4 additional times?

He is obviously trying to borrow a phrase once used sparingly by Reagan in the 1980s. President Reagan used it in his second Inaugural Address.

However, McCain's diarrhetic use of "my friends" makes him come off like some kind of snake oil salesman.




Jingoist, Sarah Palin also likes to shamelessly borrow from Ronald Reagan.

Her repeated use of John Winthrop's “shining city upon a hill” ideal comes from Reagan's Farewell Address to the Nation on January 11th, 1989.

Here is the the problem.

Today's neoconservative Republican in no way resembles a Reagan Republican. True Reagan Republicans from the 80's believed in small government, less spending, and general isolationism.

George Bush has dramatically increased the size of government in everyday life, spent more than any president in office and started a worldwide campaign of nation building.

It is no wonder the bailout bill failed to pass the House Republicans the first time around.




In the end, this is what will finally sink John McCain.




*Forget about retirees who have watched their retirement account vanish.
*Forget about concerned parents who have watched college funds vanish.
*John can even forget about his beloved Reagan Republicans.

Perhaps McCain should have spent less time worrying about famous Ronald Reagan quotes, and spent more time listening to my buddy Bill.

"It's the economy, Stupid"

Sign of the times II

This rooftop sign in Florida is a good representation of George Bush's current economic policy.




The delusional people who will be voting for the GOP this year, are the very same people waiting for free crab.

Sense Memory

"Sense memory" is used to refer to the recall of physical sensations surrounding emotional events (instead of the emotions themselves).

Method actors, such as Marlon Brando have become famous for using this tool (sometimes referred to as emotional memory) to trigger believable responses to scripted events.




The German born American actress, and legendary acting teacher, Uta Hagen once wrote:

"Our feelings and emotions are the result of an accumulation of life experiences. We soon begin to make associations that link our feelings in the present to similar ones in the past. We will find no new emotions although we will continue to encounter new events under new circumstances and will cope with them in the main by trying to understand our emotional responses to them."

Essentially, we associate sights, sounds and smells with important events in our life. Many years later, those sounds or smells can actually trigger a powerful reoccurrence of those feelings.

You might remember a song that was playing on the radio when you first laid eyes on a true love. Twenty years later, you could hear that song ... close your eyes ... and transport yourself back to that time and place.

You can actually recall the feeling in the air ... what they were wearing ... what you were feeling inside. It can be a very powerful tool.

Last week I traveled to the Gulf coast of South Florida for a small film job that I was producing.





As the job was wrapping up, I found myself with some free time to explore the expansive beach and the warm water of the Gulf.






The air was completely filled with sea birds.

Seagulls swarmed the sky like small fighter planes. Interspersed among them them were larger pelicans who dropped from the sky like feathered spears into the green sea in search of fish.





The sound of the waves and the smell of the salty air reminded me of Brighton, England and the time I spent there as a child. As I sat on this Floridian beach, I closed my eyes and tried to remember all the good memories.

My Grandparents had a very large apartment in Brighton that overlooked the English Channel and the famous nude beach.




Although I certainly appreciated the benefits of that view as a young boy, it was the draw of the entertainment pier that always caught my attention.




Leading up to my visit, my granddad, Pop-Pop, would save up all his 10 pence pieces in his desk drawer. By the time I arrived, he had amassed an enormous sack of coins.




Almost every day, after tea time, we would venture down to the pier together to play the games of chance. I always looked forward to spending time with him. I could not have asked for a more wonderful grandfather.

When I was in my first year of college, I received a phone call and was told that Pop-Pop had died from ALS.

I have missed him terribly ever since that day.

However, I love that fact that when I am by the ocean I can close my eyes and think of him. I remember his smile and his kind heart. I remember how much he loved the ocean and the seagulls that lived there.

When I stop and take the time to think of them, all of those memories and feelings come rushing back to me.

Sadly, I have learned that the people you love the most in your life will not always be there. For one reason or another, you will eventually lose them. Although this is a sad fact of life, it is important to cherish the time you have with them while they are here.

Value every single minute and catalog them in your mind.

If you are very lucky, when they are gone, you can close your eyes and be with them again.