Today’s post begins with a fractal called Konfetti Ka-BOOM. I picked it because the movie actually deserves a confetti shower and the “koboom” if for all the explosions. So--on with the review!
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Tropic Thunder begins with a statement something like this: during the Viet Name war ten men set out on a suicide mission. Four returned. Three men wrote books--two of which were actually published. But only one scored a movie deal: this is the story of the men who tried to make that movie… What follows is almost two hours of satire--wickedly skewering everything in the movie business--from actors with “issues” to out-of-control Producers to Directors who don’t know how to do the job--with the obligator crazy tech thrown in for good measure. The resulting stew is nearly two hours of often funny but frequently painful and always VERY RAW comedy.
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Ben Stiller plays fading Action Star Tugg Speedwell (think Sylvester Stallone in Rocky V). Robert Downey Jr. (fresh off his triumph in Iron Man) plays multi-”Oscar-ed” Australian method actor Kirk Lazerus (a la Sean Penn) so devoted to his craft that he undergoes a controversial surgery to turn his skin black for his role. Jack Black (in a platinum-blond dye job) plays drug-addled comic Jeff Portnoy as a sad fat man dieing to be taken seriously. (His performance brings images of Chris Farley to mind.) Brandon T. Jackson plays Rapper-turned-Actor Alpa Chino (I could pick a ton of rapper-turned-actors this applies to): he has a secret lurking in his closet. Jay Baruchel plays neophyte Actor Kevin Sanduski who just might be the only person with sense in this movie. Steve Coogan plays Damien Cockburn--an influential British Stage Director massively out of his element directing an action picture. Nick Nolte plays Four Leaf Tayback who wrote the book on which the story is based: like almost everyone else in the movie he has a secret of his own (which I won’t reveal here.) Stateside Matthew McConaughet (essentially satirizing himself) plays Tugg‘s agent Rick Peck. Like any good movie based in Hollywood there are lots of stars playing themselves in cameos (all of which are loads of fun.)
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Still, the single-best reason to se Tropic Thunder may well be Tom Cruise as Les Grossman. Cruise, commits to his role as the foul-mouthed studio head who’s only concern is the bottom line in a way we haven’t seen since Born on the Fourth of July. The pretty boy actor dons a bald cap, thick glasses, fat suit, chest wig and arm-hair appliances to mask his good looks. He even changes his voice! Will he be Oscar nominated? I don’t know--but his performance is certainly noteworthy.
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Tropic Thunder isn’t afraid of going over the top. As I said earlier, the humor is often as painful as it is funny-- and the script has language that may well make a sailor blush. Likewise the movie confronts several “sensitive issues”(race and mental retardation) with decidedly mixed results. (Still, you have to give the movie props for not shying away from hard topics. There is lots of gore--but the blood is pretty much fantastical. The movie has no nudity but an extended scene of Jack Black wearing nothing but bikini briefs is more than enough skin. All in all, I’m not sure how this movie would play in the dead of winter--but as a Summer Flick it’s a damn fine way to end the season.
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FINAL GRADE: A
We’re going to do something different with this post. You’ll get your fractal “cookie” right at the top--just like always--but I’m not going to explain why I picked this image until the end of the review. In case you can’t figure out the subject from the title it’s Star Wars: the Clone War.
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Animation could have taken the Star Wars ™ franchise to a whole new level. Animation could have created worlds undreamed-of (not to mention unexecutable) in a live-action movie. Even with computers there could have been a spectacle beyond belief. Too bad Lucasfilms had to squander all that potential on Star Wars: the Clone War. Lucky for them they didn’t waste a lot of creative energy putting this mess together.
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The “Clone War” was glossed over in the big-screen Star Wars films: we see the set-up and aftermath but get virtually nothing of what actually happened (even though it was integral to the story). Too bad George Lucas and his associates didn’t keep it that way. In Star Wars: the Clone War we get a tepid story, wooden characters and “blah” animation worthy of a video game. There is nothing here of the things that made the “Star Wars” live action movies great (but, then again, there wasn’t much of that in STAR WARS I through III in any case.) We don’t have to suffer through Haden Christiensen’s “acting”--but nobody but Anthony Daniels (the voice of C3PO) is willing to lend their voices to this mess. (Somehow the film makers even managed to suck all the personality out of R2D2.)
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Die hard “Star Wars” fans (the kind who will buy ANYTHING with a Star Wars label tacked on--no matter how crappy) will enjoy this movie. So will fans of space opera (at least those without much taste or intelligence.) Animation fans aren’t going to care for the herky-jerky “second tier” computer job that was done here. All the character look oddly wooden: who knows? Maybe they wanted to do an homage to old-timey British shows like Thunderbirds and Fireball XL5 (although I‘m guessing this was more of a “happy accident“ Ha!) I saw it in a theater with several kids: they seemed to tolerate if not outright enjoy it. Is it the worst movie I’ve seen? No. In fact, it isn’t even the worst movie I’ve seen this YEAR. (That honor goes to Superhero Movie.) Still, I have to go back a pretty long way to find a movie in which I was more disappointed. (I think it was The Jewel of the Nile--and that came out twenty plus years ago!)
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FINAL GRADE: D+
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Oh--and about today’s fractal… The image is called Voidstar. The “star” part should be pretty obvious as should the black background (representing space). As for the “void”--well, there really wasn’t a lot to this movie
Today’s post begins with a fractal called CELESTIAL DRAGON. I chose it because of the connection to the title of the movie I’ll be reviewing today. Hope you enjoy both the image and review.
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Most critics consider the “Mummy” franchise to be a poor man’s version of the “Indiana Jones” movie. You have the dashing adventurer, the “great peril”, the witty banter and big battles. Still, the “Mummy” series never quite reached the heights that it’s more well-regarded cousin did. Maybe it’s the quality of the people involved or the lower budgets but that never stopped the Mummy franchise from being fun. In this latest outing The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, the movie is still fun but it has begun to lose some of its charm.
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For the latest outing the action shifts from Egypt to China. (I guess the old story line was played out after two movies and a spin-offs.) Rick and Evelyn O’Connell have “retired” from archaeology and settled into domestic bliss after “the War.” while their son Alex, now a young adult, has dropped out of college and gone off to be a tomb raider (my description) in China with an old enemy of his parents. After discovering the tomb of the “Dragon Emperor” (a truly evil dude under a curse). The O’Connells are drawn to Shanghai where they meet up with their belligerent son, the curse is lifted and the movie progresses pretty much as you’d expect from there…
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The movie is stuffed full of big fight scenes (with both stunt men and CGI) that are as good as any summer movie-goer could wish for. The costumes and sets are pretty darn good but some of the CGI effects are simply too obvious. The filmmakers did a fine job of staying within period: still, I found it particularly disturbing when characters dropped in anachronistic bits for the sake of humor. That being said, I doubt that most of the movie’s target audience would even notice it was being done. I also doubt that they care that the humor is about on a “Junior High School” level.
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Maybe it’s just me but I didn’t find Brendan fraser quite as charming this time out as I did the last time. Maria Bello is a suitable replacement for Rachel Wise as Evelyn. (She also gets the single slyest line in the whole movie--for those who know the franchise at least.) Luke Ford is a suitably hunky as Alex but I found his wandering accent distracting. (If an actor is going to do an accent he should be consistent!) John Hannah is back as Evelyn’s ne’er do well brother Jonathan (who always seems to be the catalyst for Mummy raising) and a host of Chinese actors get featured parts--particularly Jet Li as the titular Dragon Emperor.
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Really, there’s nothing “new” in this installment but “Mummy” fans will probably enjoy this outing--even if it won’t do anything to convert non-fans. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is a big, sprawling, park-your-brain-at-the-door fun fest. It’s a fine diversion for a hot weekend afternoon and will probably play well on DVD.
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FINAL GRADE: C+
This post features one of those “follow the logic-chain” fractals: the image I chose was Hermes. Hermes is the mythological Greek God of travelers (and, oddly enough, thieves). You can’t travel without moving and this post is all about moving! (Surely you got that from the title!!!) That being said--on with the post!
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So the move is complete and I’ve learned many valuable lessons for the NEXT one. (God willing that will be MANY years in the future.) Still, I want to make sure I don’t forget what I learned so I’m going to write them down so I don’t forget them later. If any of you happen to be moving some day you might find them worthwhile.
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HAVING A PLAN IS A WONDERFUL IDEA--SO LONG AS YOU FOLLOW IT. Yes, you CAN over-plan but the best-laid plan isn’t worth the time it takes to formulate if you don’t follow it. That being said--realize that plans are made to come a-cropper so be prepared.
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IT IS BETTER TO HAVE TOO MANY BOXES THAN TOO FEW. Unless you’re an absolute minimalist you have more stuff than you can believe! (I actually found two boxes from my previous move that hadn’t been opened that I schlepped out here.) Packing a box FULL is harder than you expect--and those boxes get heavy VERY FAST. You don’t want to have stuff left over because moving boxes scrounging boxes is hard and it is not always possible to re-use boxes. Here’s a related rule: IF YOU HAVEN’T OPENED THE BOX SINCE YOUR LAST MOVE YOU PROBABLY DON’T NEED THE CONTENTS.
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Here is yet another related rule: THINK LONG AND HRRD BEFORE PUTTING STUFF IN STORAGE. Yes, there are exceptions but you probably don’t need what you’re keeping. Get rid of your extra “stuff” and save yourself some serious money and capital.
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ANYTHING YOU PLAN TO “DONATE” SHOULD BE GIVEN AWAY BEOFRE YOU START PACKING. Robyn and I had a number of perfectly good items someone could have gotten good use out of but as the final date approached we found we didn’t have time to make it to a donation center--and we didn’t have the boxes to carry things to the new place. (Plus there’s the issue of having to find a new donation center--and store the unwanted items until you locate one. NOT a pleasant possibility.
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HIRE PROFESSIONAL MOVERS. Believe me--self-moving is a long and time-consuming process and you’ll get might sore and cranky. (Frankly, you’ll get might sore and cranky packing and unpacking: you don’t need the extra hassle!) Professional movers have the equipment and they can get you in and out in less than half the time. It is well worth it.
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IF YOU DO HIRE PROFESSIONAL MOVERS--LET THEM DO THE WORK! The odds are pretty good that professional movers know what they’re doing so I doesn’t help to tell them how to do their job (Robyn!) Furthermore--since the truck is already there--let THEM load, transport and unload the items! (You paid them--so let them do their job!!!)
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And that is a perfect segway to our next point… COMPACT CARS ARE NOT EFFECTIVE SUBSTITUTES FOR MOVING VANS. If you should end up transporting some of your own personal chattels (and you probably will) it’s so much more trouble than it’s worth to try and carry your stuff in a small car. Yes, renting a minivan or SUV adds more expense but it’s probably worth it in the long run.
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WHEREVER POSSIBLE, AVOID MOVING IN EXTREME WEATHER CONDITIONS. The day we moved didn’t break any records for heat but the humidity was near-record levels. Moving in the middle of summer or the dead of winter adds one more stress you really DON’T need. Of course--if the move can’t be avoided than you may as well give in and accept the inevitable. Drink lots of water if you’re moving in the summer months since you WILL be sweating. Alas, I have no “cold weather” moving advice: I’ve never done that.
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CALLING CENTERS AREN’T WORTH THE TROUBLE. Over the past month I’ve spent WAY too much time dialing “800” Numbers (and the other “free” area codes). Most of the time I’ve spoken with very nice people--who either didn’t know what they were doing, had no clue about my area or simply didn’t know how to resolve my problem. And it never helps that EVERY call center I phone seemed to be chronically understaffed! Dish Network is evil: Time Warner and Wells Fargo are completely incompetent. Still, since you aren’t likely to be able to deal with a local company you may as well bow to the inevitable and hope you don’t pull too much hair out!
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EQUAL SQURE FOOTAGE DOES NOT MEAN YOU WILL HAVE THE SAME SPACE. Our new place has slight more square footage than our last home--but the way things are arranged have made space planning an “interesting” proposition. It really is enough to make you crazy so be prepared for some serious shocks--unless you are moving to substantially larger quarters.
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Here’s a related rule: NEVER MOVE TO SMALLER QUARTERS UNLESS YOU’RE PLANNING TO DO DUMP A LOT OF YOUR STUFF. You’d think it would be obvious and self-evident but a lot of people think they can make it work somehow. You can’t. Nothing more need be said.
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BELIEVE THEM WHEN THEY TELL YOU EXACTO KNIVES ARE SHARP! Those little buggers will cut you if they get a chance. My hands are proof of that--so be careful.
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PACE YOURSELF. All you really need is a place to eat (cook) sleep, and poop. Having a place to bathe is a nice plus but hardly necessary. You’re going to work up a sweat anyway (unless you’ve hired professional movers) so accept that. There are tons of projects that need doing--but said projects aren’t going anywhere. There’s no need to wear yourself out trying to get everything done at once.
- TELEMARKETERS WILL CATCH UP TO YOU WITH SURPRISING SPEED. We got our new phone number on Saturday and by Monday we were already getting calls from the telemarketers. I thought we have a few weeks of relative freedom but I was wrong. I've already added my number to the National "Do Not Call" Registry but that hasn't slowed down the calls. *sigh*-
And last, but certainly not least… THIS TOO SHALL PASS. The task may seem never-ending while your mired in boxes, packing material and sweat but eventually you’ll get settled in and the projects will get done. You’ll discover your new home has charms and challenges you never expected but everything will work out in the end. Roll with it and all will be well.
A random post demands a random image so I selected one of the many “Arab Diamond” series--mainly because I thought it was pretty. That being said, on with the post! WARNING: this may be the longest post I've ever published.
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I’ve been a fan of “slogan” T-Shirts and bumper stickers since I was in high school. (I even had T-shirts reading WORLD’S TALLEST HOBBIT and HOBBITS MAKE BETTER LOVERS.) I've always had a strange fondness for these funnies, truism or just mean comments so I maintain a collection of my favorites (that I thought I'd share today--dunno why.) These days I don’t have any shirts (and my bumper is “sticker free” because of what it will do to the resale value of the car) but if I DID have some here are some of my faves…
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DON’T MAKE ME BREAK OUT THE POISON (on an apron) And here’s another bon not… MY COOKING HASN’T KILLED ANYONE YET or MANY HAVE EATEN HERE. FEW HAVE DIED. (If you ever had to eat my cooking you'd understand.)
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SOME DAYS IT’S NOT EVEN WORTH CHEWING THROUGH THE RESTRAINTS (for me that‘s most days).
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CLEVERLY DISGUISED AS A RESPONSIBLE ADULT (yep, that‘s so me). And while I’m on the subject here’s a corollary… GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY, GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL.
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EMPTY PROMISES, CALCULATED BETRAYAL, SOCIOPATHIC GREED--JUST ANOTHER MONDAY.
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ANY MINUTE NOW I’LL JUMP IN WITH POINTLESS OBSERVATIONS. Yes, I’ve been known to do this: sadly many people I know do it way more…
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EVERYTHING I SAY IS FULLY SUBSTANTIATED BY MY OWN OPINION. And how many people do we know like that??? Here’s another one: THINGS YOU SAY ARE ‘OPINIONS”. THINGS I SAY ARE “FACTS.”
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EVERYONE HAS THE RIGHT TO BE STUPID BUT YOU’RE ABUSING THE PRIVELEGE. (I’d wear this shirt ‘cause I know way too many folks this applies to.)
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GOOD MORNING IS AN OXYMORON.
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SELECTIVE LISTENER. And aren’t we all sometimes? And a closely related version; I’M NOT HARD OF HEARING, I’M TRYING HARD NOT TO HEAR YOU
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DON’T MAKE ME STRIPTEASE and if you’ve seen me you’ll know why (‘cause I’ll totally do it!)
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I’M NOT BOSSY. I JUST KNOW WHAT YOU SHOULD BE DOING. I do! I do!
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FIRST THE GOOD NEWS: I MADE BAIL…
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DEADLINES AMUSE ME
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I MAY NOT BE RIGHT BUT I CAN SURE SOUND LIKE IT and if you doubt that you haven’t been reading this blog! Or how ‘bout this one? I HAVE MY FAULTS BUT BEING WRONG AIN’T ONE OF THEM.
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YES, DESPITE THE LOOK ON MY FACE YOU’RE STILL TALKING. Why don’t more people recognize this look and shut up??? And here’s the sequel… I’VE STOPPED LISTENING--WHY ARE YOU STILL TALKING?
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IF IDIOTS GREW ON TREES THIS PLACE WOULD BE AN ORCHARD
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I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I’M DOING OUT OF BED. OK, here's a suggestion: THINGS TO DO TODAY: 1) GET UP. 2) SURVIVE. 3) GO BACK TO BED. There, that should take care of it.
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YOU DON’T GET THIS KIND OF BODY BY WORKING OUT
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IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO HAVE A HAPPY CHILDHOOD. Seriously folks--these are words we should all live by!
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I BRAKE FOR HOBBITS AND UNICORNS. Or in Robyn’s case I BRAKE FOR NO PARTICULAR REASON. Please don't hit me sweetheart...
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MEDDLE NOT IN THE AFFAIRS OF DRAGONS FOR YOU ARE CRUNCHY AND TASTE GOOD WITH KETCHUP. This also works for "Grumpy Bears" like me...
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PLEASE DON’T INTERRUPT ME WHILE I’M TALKING TO MYSELF
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I DRIVE WAY TOO FAST TO WORRY ABOUT CHOLESTEROL
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SO MANY BOOKS, SO LITTLE TIME. This is Robyn’s personal motto.
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LEFTIES DO IT RIGHT. Because I’m left-handed here are a couple of more for you. ONLY LEFTIES ARE IN THEIR RIGHT MIND and I MAY BE A LEFTY BUT I’M ALWAYS RIGHT.
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I HAD A NICE DAY BUT I DIDN’T LIKE IT.
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HERE I AM. (NOW WHAT ARE YOUR OTHER TWO WISHES?)
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CAUTION: YOU ARE IN THE “WHATEVER” ZONE
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EAT WELL, STAY FIT, DIE ANYWAY. And a related bit of T-short wisdom… HE WHO DOES WITH THE MOST TOYS WINS or even HE WHO DIES WITH THE MOST TOYS STILL DIES
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I’M NOT ANTI-SOCIAL. I’M JUST NOT REAL FRIENDLY
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SO LIFE HAS A HILL. GET OVER IT. And in the same vein… PUT ON YOUR BIG GIRL/BOY PANTIES AND DEAL WITH IT.
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I CAN WALK ON WATER--AS LONG AS IT’S FROZEN
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ONE ACT AWAY FROM JOINING THE CIRCUS
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WHAT BART OF BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND? I love this one. Bwahahahahaha!
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MANURE OCCURUTH.
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I’M NOT OLD I’M “OLDE” or I'M NOT "OLD" I'M CLASSIC
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I NEVER MAKE MISTAKES. I THOUGHT I DID ONCE BUT I WAS MISTAKEN. Hmm--this is a major logical fallacy: if they were mistaken about making a mistake then BY DEFINITION they made a mistake!
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IF IT WASN’T FOR YOU I’D BE A DIFFERENT PERSON--MAYBE EVEN HAPPY. This is funny but oh so wrong! Take responsibility for yourself! Here’s another one I like… DO YOU REALLY WANT TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR MY MELTDOWN?
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GRAVITY ALWAYS WINS
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TOO MANY PEOPLE WITH SOLUTIONS ARE THE PROBLEM.
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WAKE ME UP WHEN THINGS GET INTERESTING
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I’D LISTEN TO YOU BUT IGNORING YOU IS SO MUCH EASIER
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I NEVER SAID YOU WERE WRONG. I SAID I WAS GOING TO BLAME YOU. Or maybe DON’T BLAME YOURSELF. LET ME DO IT.
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I NEVER FAKE SARCASM. And, SARCASM, JUST ANOTHER SERVICE I OFFER.
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WE ARE NOT AMUSED
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THIS TOO SHALL PASS
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DOESN’T EXPECTING THE UNEXPECTED MAKE THE UNEXPECTED THE EXPECTED? Ah such a deep philosophical conundrum!
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ET TU, DUFUS? I’d wear this but so few people would understand it.
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LETS HOPE INTELLIGENT LIFE EXISTS OUT IN SPACE. I’M SO LONELY HERE.
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WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS MANIPULATE THE DATA
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I DON’T SUFFER FROM INSANITY. I ENJOY EVERY MINUTE OF IT
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MOST OF THE PEOPLE WHO DRIVE ME NUTS ARE IN MY FAMILY. But, then again, I drive them nuts too so I suppose it’s a fair trade!
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JESUS LOVES YOU--BUT I’M HIS FAVORITE. Or how about this one? JESUS SAVES. YOU CAN TOO SO OPEN AN ACCOUNT TODAY!
- DON'T MAKE ME BREAK OUT MY FLYING MONKEYS. Actually I don't have any but it would be so cool if I did...
And finally the ultimate! WHO ARE YOU AND WHY ARE YOU READING MY SHIRT????
Today’s post begins with a fractal called All My Pictures. This fractal is suitable for pretty much ANY movie review--but the black and white color scheme is particularly suitable for the review of a movie like The Dark Knight. Of course it also means back-to-back black and white images in my blog (which offends my aesthetic sensibilities somewhat) but when the image is right it’s right so compromises must be made.
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The Dark Knight is a BIG movie--in every way. It’s rare for a movie clocking it at nearly 2 ½ hours to make over three hundred million dollars in the first ten days of release. Still, the movie needs the long running time to squeeze in everything--the big battles, the big dramatic scenes and big, broadly-drawn characters. In fact, with one major exception, everything in this movie is drawn with a big brush. Of course, this IS a movie based on a comic book so that might or might not be a bad thing--but more on that later. Still, The Dark Knight offers everything a summer-movie viewer could want.
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The plot to the movie isn’t all that important--and to be completely honest it doesn’t bear much scrutiny. The Dark Knight is all about the FX and the performances and all those are first rate--especially one. Heath Ledger has gotten considerable “Oscar buzz” for his portrayal of The Joker. Unlike the others before him who made the Joker a man madman, Leger underplays the role--and it is all the more powerful for that. His Joker is as frightening as it is completely crazy--a perfect combination. While the rest of the cast of chewing the scenery he’s subtle menace elevates the entire movie to a whole new level of almost realistic horror. Christian Bale (as Bruce Wayne/Batman), Gary Oldman (playing Jim Gordon with nary a hint of a British accent), Michael Caine (playing Alfred but pretty much acting like himself) and Morgan Freeman (Lucius Fox) all do fine but Ledger completely steals the movie every time he’s on screen.
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The movie is far from perfect: it strains credibility that the Joker’s elaborate plots always seem to go off without a hitch (even considering that Gotham is such “ corrupt” city). Surely someone would notice all activity required to pull these stunts off. I also worry about the general “dark” tone of the movie (although it does my heart good to know that the citizenry eventually do the “right” thing when given a choice--even though that choice is difficult.)
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The Dark Knight also raises concerns for the next movie in the franchise. Movie sequels in general--and super hero movies in particular--have a tendency to want to “top” the previous movie. There’s already so much in this movie that the producers are going to have the devil’s own time figuring out how to “up the ante” for the next go-round considering what they’ve already put out here. Will the movie-makers be able to raise the bar for the next installment? I don’t know--but I’m sure with each succeeding movie it’s going to get harder and harder. (All you have to do is look at the Spiderman, Superman, X-Men and the original Batman movie series to see the proof of this in action.) Still, the viewing might get lucky and the “curse” might be broken. (but I’m not holding out much hope).
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We saw the movie in a crowded theater with all ages but this is NOT a movie for younger kids. If you want to see The Dark Knight in a theater (rather than waiting for the DVD) leave your kids (especially the youngest) home and have a good time.
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FINAL GRADE: B
It always seems I go to the “Stained Glass” series of fractals when I post about matters religious or moral. I chose Stained Glass 2 because the monochromatic color scheme reminds me of how I feel about today’s question. (You might think the question is a simple "black and white" issue but in reailty there's a lot more "gray" in the question.) Read on and you’ll see what I mean…
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The question of when someone should die who should make the decision has been important to me for a very long time. It started when I was in Second Grade (I think) when our neighbor who we all called Grandma Moses (I don‘t know if that was her real name) was taken to the hospital after a massive stroke. They put her on life support and she survived for years--totally unconscious. In my adult life, my maternal grandmother suffered much the same fate: I don’t know what caused her to go into a coma but she was unconscious for quite a long time--and ended up having parts of her body whittled off due to gangrene. Frankly, a death like that has always been one of my biggest fears…
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Hopefully you remember the case of Terri Schiavo a few years ago. She was reduced to a “persistent vegetative state” after a brain injury. Ten years went by before she was finally taken off life support. Her parents and siblings objected and turned it in to a national issue--going so far as to send “manipulated” video to national media outlets to pressure the (by then ex) husband Michael to release guardianship. Then, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tennessee) reportedly characterized the case as a “gift from God” for the Right to Life cause.
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No matter what you think about the morality of the issue, the legal issue was simply this: Michael Shciavo had the legal right to make the decision to remove the feeding tube. I sympathize with the family on their loss but I think they went WAY too far. (Of course, the case would have been so much easier if Michael Schiavo had totally “clean” hands--but comments about that are for another time and place.) In the end an autopsy showed that Schiavo’s forebrain had completely deteriorated so there was no way she could have had reacted consciously to any outside stimulus. (The lights were on but nobody was home--no matter how much her family wanted something different…)
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Now another somewhat similar case has made the news: this time where a woman under guardianship of Fresno County was removed from a feeding tube at the county’s request. She was surviving and showing some slight improvement so her brothers went to court and the county relented after the story hit the local and state news.
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This story creeps me out and gives me a lot of questions. (I looked for the answers on line and wasn’t able to find anything.) Why was this woman (who had living family) under the County’s guardianship? How did a county bureaucrat even get the authority to make a life-or-death decision? (And who was this individual who made the choice?) I’m a huge advocate of “Death With Dignity” but I strongly object to the government making this decision for anyone! Maybe this woman will end up being like Terry Schiavo but I really think health care decisions need to be made by family members rather than a faceless government.
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More than anything else, these cases highlight the importance of making health care decisions well before there’s a need. Once the need arises it is already too late (at least in most cases). Medical tragedies aren’t limited to folks over 65: they happen at any age and people need to be very clear (probably in writing) about what they want done in case they should become incapacitated. I haven’t done that yet myself--but I plan to remedy that soon and the rest of you should do that as well.
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Think about it…
Today’s post begins with a fractal called Konfetti Ka-BOOM. I picked it because the movie actually deserves a confetti shower and the “koboom” if for all the explosions. So--on with the review!
