Yours Truly

Yours Truly
Janet Fauble at home

Friday, August 23, 2013

Personal Reaction to The Devil's Double

I watched half this movie last night, and because of wanting to see Big Brother After Dark to learn how the contest for head of household ended as well as who got back into the house from the jury room, I tried to watch both.  I stopped the movie halfway through because frankly it is a maddening film to watch. It is full of cruelties and debauchery such that one can only take it a little at a time.  It is a very absorbing film, probably satisfying anyone's lusts who want to watch actual rape scenes, even some of those which were deleted, which show up in the special features section.  I did think about this movie all night long, realiziing that this story is as common as the day is long.  In fact, I use scenes similar to these in my story of Alexander's youth so as to shed some light on his childhood experiences which helped to shape his personality.

The special features section do bring you back to reality when you view the photos of Saddam Hussein and his sons.  It makes one appreciate the difference between reality and filmdom's presentation of a distorted viewpoint of that very same reality.

One of the htings that I am wrestling with is of course the story of Alexander the Great's ease in killing entire bands of soldiers, and also communities, which would include women and children who are usually taken as slaves to work the mines, or to march with the troops.

So while I am slowly getting back to rewriting my novel to make it the way I want, I am dwelling on the development of characters in childhood who are the main body of Alexander's officer corps.  So this movie did make me think a bit about how even Iraq and Iran and other Muslim nations are still influenced by the stories of the past so that they accept with ease the ongoing military lifesytle in all its cruel ways.

Seeing all the tanks and weapons reminded me of the deals that Saddam Hussein had made with Donald Rumsfield years ago so that America is responsible for making and selling instruments of wars to countless nations, including Iraq, Israel, and Iran.  Russia is likewise just as guilty as demonstrated today in the ongoing war in Egypt. If Egypt can't get help from America ( meaning supplies, weapons, and armament) they can get it from Russia.

I am thinking that Americans cannot be naive to the point that we forget that we are employing people to make weapons that do kill people in other parts of the world.  America has to become wise to the fact that we will pay for that sooner or later as well.

President Eisenhower warned the world years ago about this militant economic power and unfortunately, few people ever truly listen to the advice of old Generals who can foresee the dangers of military might and power.

So this movie made me see how a truly sick mentally disturbed young man who is the son of a dictator president was so deranged that he frightened everyone around him.   Only a few ever were able to survive his grip.  He was finally brought down by the powerful USA who under the guidance of George Bush, son of former President George Bush, ventured to take Iraq out despite their so called lack of involvement in the 9/11 debacle.

Today, nobody truly knows the real truth about who is behind 9/11 as many of the Muslim world wish to take credit for it while the USA wants to pin it on Osama bin Laden.  Those who know Osama bin Laden intimately and well do not believe that he could be the real KingPin mastermind of the 9/11 terrorists, but is only the fall guy for the operation.  There is strong resemblance between the characters of Lafit and Osama bin Laden in the appearance of moustaches if one looks closely.  Like the story 1984 and Big Brother on national t.v., nothing is ever as it seems.

Despite it all, all the changes in the Muslim world continue to come with violence and bloodshed, all thinking martyrdom a pathway to Heaven.   Such a dreadful way to view life on earth!  But that is all that I am pondering about this now...more if something does not come along to forget it all.

Review The Devil's Double

The Devil's Double is a film made about Latif, a man who is used as Saddam Hussein's son Ouday's double.  The movie is a production designed to tell the story of how Latif is recruited to become the double for Ouday, who is famous in Baghdad for his violent temper and his lustful playground.  Dominic Cooper portrays Ouday and Latif in a double role.   He does have the guidance of the real Latif in the making of the movie.  The story is a film production which emphasizes the viciousness of Ouday's temper, his extreme abuse of power in his rape of young school girls,  a young bride on her wedding day, and the ease with which he shoots people who cross him, including his own father's pimp who he guts on a dinner table in an explosive fury.  The film is full of violence, and the moviemakers actually compare the sons of Hussein to the characters Sonny and Michael Corleone of the famous Godfather series.

Ironically, the movie makes much ado about the differences between Ouday and Latif in the bathroom when Ouday compares the size of their gentialia so that one who knows anything about Sonny of the Corleone family, one knows that the film makers are jesting with us when they use this as their criteria for comparison. If I must spell it out I will.  Sonny was famous for his huge tool; whereas, Ouday does let us know that Latif has a bigger tool than he has.

f that does not entice you to see the movie, then what the heck, nothing will...except that the obvious is there.

But despite all the love of "cunt" that Ouday has which he announces all the time with his prowling the streets for fresh young  innocent virgins to take home to rape,  he likewise seemingly able to enjoy the thrill of a night with a transvestite which he describes well to his new found and made brother Latif.  Latif is a man who had gone to school with Ouday so that in a special feature of the movie where Latif tells his true story, we learn that even as a schoolboy Ouday was violent, vicious, and cruel.  But during the Iran Iraq war, Latif is found and bound to become made to be the double for Ouday.  The movie does an excellent job of showing how this was done, but tells a different story from the real on how it actually occurred.  The real is far worse than the reel.

There is one snippet of a scene with President George Bush, the former vice-president of the USA, who says that he is  not at war with the Iraqi people but is defending the small state of Kuwait.  One wonders at whether Bush is not just a bit naive when one is immersed into the lifestyle of the Iraqi's who are suffering under the regime of Saddam Hussein.

The movie is a fabrication but does use true stories to develop the story of Latif and his role in being the double for Ouday.  It is well done, showing how Ouday would be in one place while Latif was impersonating him in another.

In the special features, Latif does explain how he is rescued by the American CIA who do get him out of Iraq.  The movie does use Hollywood style plot lines to give the events of the movie a typical Hollywood ending to satisfy the moviegoers need for a shocking and stunning ending.  One must not be fooled by the fact that in most history, only the participants ever know the real truth because this is a movie designed to communicate to its viewers the real cruelty of the Saddam Hussein regime, and how it is such a dominant thread in the fabric of life in the Muslim world.

Human decency and kindness is developed throughout the film despite the horrific tale.  There are truly good people who are forced into lifestyles that they cannot avoid.  It is an interesting movie that probably is again too full of Hollywood devices to lull the public into seeing the film.  But Dominic Cooper is excellent in his portrayal of the two men who are far worse than any actor could ever attempt to imitate or present.

At the end of the film, ,one enjoys the ending...it is truly justified.

I recommend this movie to only those who can stand sadism, cruelty, mental illness of a kind that is incurable except by death, and so while I liked it, I am warning those who like only the gentleness of life, this one is not for you.

Do not miss the special features.  They are equally  as entertaining and informative as the film itself.


Thursday, August 22, 2013

Syria and chemical weapons

Tonight on the news is a story of chemical weapons being used in Syria against a group of innocents, mostly children, in a suburb of Damascus.   There were people who were writhing from the damage of the poisonous substance used against them.  They were in great pain and agony.  Death is the eventual outcome, and scores of children lay dead in body bags lined up on the floor.  United Nations officials are going to try to enter the area to learn what happened there. It seems as if the only answer is the use of chemical weapons.

I received a post in my Facebook newsfeed accusing the USA of supplying these chemical weapons to the Syrians.  This must be proved to be stopped if true, and if false, to stop accusations against the  USA.  Americans do not need to pay any price for the savagery of this particular war.  However, it does appear that America is involved in a covert way.

Besides Syria, Egypt is having its own difficulties.  Some have advised that we not send financial aid to Egypt until they regain control of their government.  Democracies in Muslim nations are at best a farce, but Americans love to impose their own defunct methods onto other nations so that the Egyptians held an election but the majority of the people soon turned against the elected leader so that he has been removed from office.  The military had to take over to put an interim president into office who told a reporter the other night that if America cuts off aid to Egypt, then it can turn to Russia for help.

Cutting off aid to Egypt means loss of jobs in America.  Aid to Egypt is actually in the form of weapons built at American plants which provide jobs for Americans.  Russia would be all too happy to gain the support of Egypt if Americans cop out on their own job producing efforts...What a farce that is too.

It is probably time that Americans learn to understand how the real world works.  Don't make hasty decisions which will cost Americans their own comfortable lifestyle.  It is not pretty to learn that Americans depend upon dissension in other nations to make a living at home.  But the truth is that making Egypt dependent upon America for its arsenal means jobs here at home.

Everyone thinks that they want world peace.  Peace comes often at a higher price than war games it would seem.  Some financiers are making a lot of profit from all these war games while we at home look aghast at the sight of dead children and writhing victims pleading for help.  In good conscience, we must admit that we are a part of the problem.

Meet Up

Meet Up is a social website where one can find groups in your city that you can attend to make friends, gain information, or discuss and share ideas.  I just learned of them, and found that there are many groups available through this internet site that lists times, places, and membership of various groups for any particular interest.  I have joined only two so far and made a date to meet with the few who will also be in attendance at an Edgar Cayce meeting.  I was going to attend a soul mates group meeting that would be this Sunday but remembered that the Del Mar Pacific Classic is running at that time and I can't miss that.

I was reminded of when I studied travel advisory back in '74 and lo and behold, tonight up popped tapes from the Nixon Watergate era on the news.  I went to a travel group meeting which turned out not to be part of Meet Up but a professional travel meeting for travel advisors.   Is this coincidence?  I ask ya!  I am wondering....I remember that era very well.

There was a time I called myself King TV for the King Midas touch....Hearing Nixon talk to Ronald Regan at NBC and seeing a different group of tapes at CBS made me wince a bit....I can remember when Nixon took his big limo up to McDonald's....that made a big noise on the tube.

Later, Bill Clinton jogged to McDonald's.  What a contrast between those two men who had Pinocchio noses....

I will investigate Meet Up groups again to see how many I can find that will help me to meet people and to discuss mutual interests.

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Doing self check

Today I was taking photos of myself to see whether lipstick made me look any better or not, and also to see status of gray hair in photos.   Believe it or not, without a good mirror or photo, one can make some seriously disastrous mistakes when going out into the public.  It is a good idea to check one's self out before setting foot out the door these days.  This is a photo where I decided to keep my mouth shut, and yes, all are taken from Samsung Galaxy with self button on camera.

Learning new stuff at Apple

For some time, I was working on Pages which is a word processing program for Apple. I finally learned that Apple does compete with Kindle for ebooks.  I know that they have told me so at the store but reading it online from an article about ebooks has convinced me that apple is in the ebook business as well.

I have  been thinking my first draft through repeatedly, realizing that I have characters to develop more fully, and scenes to expand.  When one has reached the word count, the rewrite to make it interesting and educational is quite a task.  Stories alter as time passes, and while I had not intended for it to be an indie book  it could become that if I decide to go that way. I actually wanted a publishing company to do most of the marketing even if they do get the biggest slice of the pie. They generally know how to find the audience for it through their departments.

However, I have finally launched into iphotos and as a result, have learned that one can take a series of photos and splice them together to get a video from them.

I learned this from my trainer who is going to help me learn how to do it, presuming that I get her as tutor again.

I am liking this computer more and more all the time.  It has so many interesting functions that I am constantly amazed.  Before long, I will be somewhat proficient at using it.  However, until then I take it one lesson at a time.  I have to write notesto myself so that I do  not  forget it.  With Apple, fingers and motions are very important.  One finger, two  fingers, and three fingers all create different responses. It takes some time to get accustomed to it, but it is quite fascinating to think how these programmers came up with some of these designs.

Another nice thing about apple is that one can make accent marks for other languages when one learns the tip or secret.  I watch the tips and tricks that are often posted on the wall when I am there to learn another new tip.

Of course, the trainers do often give you information that you would not know unless told how to use.  One tutor told me that it is nearly impossible to learn all that there is to know about the computer. I suspect that is true since most buyers are interested in only certain parts of it.

I actually do appreciate all these tips and techniques.  The hi tech world is fantastic to say the least.


Saturday, August 17, 2013

Lousy Monsoon Weather

Due to high intense heat and blowing winds, dust, and high humidity I stayed home today.  I would not budge from an air conditioned apartment.  Just too darn hot and miserable!

So I watched horseracing from Arlington Park, Illinois.  Arlington Park is a suburb of Chicago, and has had a week of festivities climaxed with its Million Dollar race day.  I had wanted to bet these races, but I could not come up with a plan suitable so I ended up dodging it.  Probably best that I did, even though I did pick pretty well on a pick 6 plan.  Can never be sure that I would have bet the horses that did win since when push comes to shove, I often change my mind and do dumb things...so who is to know?  But for the most part, the horses that I believed would win pretty much did.

A controversy on a horse from South Africa called The Apache ruined the entire day for me though. I had believed this horse would win due to its trainer, Michael de Kock.  I had heard him explain his horses to an interviewer for the Dubai World Cup and I liked him so much I trusted his word so I believed that The Apache would be the winner.

He did win but there was an incident at the end of the race which disqualified him. I am a bit annoyed at the call.  It is hard to tell if the horses did touch or not.  The Apache does veer in towards the horse that is coming from behind.  The stewards decided to reward the horse that placed but clearly the real winner is The Apache.  Winning by disqualification is not a real win in my opinion, and it annoys me that this horse gets into the Breeders Cup instead of the real winner.

The jockey of The Apache will probably be blamed but in truth he has protested the decision also, saying that his horse was afraid of the screen. I do not know what means.  Had The Apache stayed running straight ahead he would have won by a greater margin than he had.  He clearly is the better of the two horses, but each race has to be judged on its own merits.  The horse that was declared the winner will have other chances to prove how good he is or is not, but whether it will be with the challenge of The Apache is more than I can know.  I do not know if a horse shipped from South Africa will want to do it twice if such bad luck as this happens to it.

Personally, I believe that the bumping incident should be proved.  I did see the front view that the cameras show but I did not see that they touched.  Just being close is not a bump.  But then I am not the owner or the trainer of The Apache, but I am a gambler who wants the truth and the proof.

Friday, August 16, 2013

Big Brother After Dark

I have been watching some episodes of Big Brother After Dark which is on my t.v.  Tonight an episode with Helen and Elissa suddenly made me recall a scene that I had seen when in trance to learn something about Genghis Khan.  All of a sudden I could see the resemblance between the two girls standing in the hallway to the time when I saw the two women standing in a hallway similar to this but between two wood buildings.  For a while I kept my mouth shut about it, but then I finally opened up and said what it was that had happened.  I think it gave me feed back. I have been thinking about Genghis Khan or Timujin a lot lately because I recall his brother who had stolen from Genghis and his other brother...It was an older brother...that has been lurking in the back of my mind when I think that my brother had been doing that to me now.  I am pondering on all of this now.  But I think that Big Brother Live After Dark made some strong impact tonight.

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

How I Got My Drivers License Renewed

Because I had not gone to the DMV to have my address changed on my license plates, my registration for the car showed my former address.  I caught that Sunday night when going through all my papers for the car, so  I decided that I would have to make that change immediately so that my plates and papers would arrive at this address instead of being sent to former address.  I scooted up to Paradise Lane fast and took a ticket at 1:53 to wait to get an address change.

While there, I asked the information lady about license renewals. How soon could one renew one's drivers license...Answer was a year...I thought...hmmm. I could do it now then.  I hemmed and hawed and then decided that I did not have to do it until February so why bother...However, when at photo booth to get new drivers license photo, I said that I would be back in five months to get my license renewed.   The photo lady said, what, why don't you do it now?  I said, O.K., and she sent me to information desk to take vision test so that I could get license renewed, and she also told me to go back to the guy who had processed my changes of address on old drivers license.

When I finished the vision test, I hurried to interrupt the guy and his next clients to say that I was told to  go to him to get my license renewed, and he got all perturbed, bent out of shape, and huffed and puffed his way to the photo girl to see what was going on....so another charming lady decides to get into the act, and says come with me, he can't do it, and I will take you over here so that you can get your license renewed...they in the meantime had my papers and drivers license which I had guarded and protected as if it were gold, and so I followed the lady wherever she went, not wanting to lose my drivers license...now punched with a hole in it making it invalid to operate....so at last she found an open window who said she would take me, but then reneged on that and decided that she could not so I had to go to next window where very nice and pretty girl decided to help me to get my license renewed. She did all paperwork...I asked her how did she get so lucky to get a job like this in a place like this, and she laughed, and said for an office job, it is not bad....she finally got me all set to go back to photo to retrieve brand new drivers license. I had to wait some more while everyone else began to pick their licenses up, and finally at last, I heard "Janet" called out loud and clear, and quickly I ran up to get my new drivers license, checked to see it was good to Feb. 11, 2019, and soared out of the place at 4:30...21/2 hours waiting for a drivers license!  But at last my address is correct, and I am all set to drive anywhere, and learned also that it will take a while to get my license plates and important papers.  45 day waiting period...

Then I had to go to Brookstone to return my mouse/scanner which had crashed, and exchanged it for a Tempurpedic pillow at same value.  Can you believe the costs of things anymore?  A pillow and a computer scanner....both the same price...amazing.  That went without a hitch and I came home to see the difference between pillows from Brookstone and pillows from Sleep America. It is so nice to have two pillows to use.

It has been a long day...earlier I went with my neighbor to Walmart's to pick up a sunshade for my car and a new air filter for the air conditioner.  I hope that tomorrow morning I will have proof positive that the air filter has made a difference. I bought one that is an allergen filter so maybe my allergies will not be so bad in the a.m.  I will see.  I feel better already tonight.

I told Barbara about my new car and showed it to her. She loves it, loves the color, and is so happy for me.  She is a good neighbor, helping me many times over...I appreciate that in her.


Saturday, August 10, 2013

My New Car

I just bought the most beautiful car.   It is a BMW sedan coupe 328i.  It looks like champagne or gold but is called Orion silver.  I keep trying to see where the silver shows as I just don't see it at all.  It is a light gold color...so that must be why they call it orion...or for gold.

I went to Ford on Saturday and tried the Titanium hybrid car which has many features quite similar to the BMW. I swear these companies are all copying one another.  Ford Titanium has a rear camera which shows you the area behind the car when in reverse.  It is an option on BMW if you choose it. I did test drive a car with it, but the car I bought does not have it.  There is also a parking device that one can get for a car that shows you if you are safe in both front and rear for parking.  I did not get that on my car either, but I did get two packages which give me other valuable assistance. I have a navigation package which helps me to see my speed through the windshield where the speed is posted so that I can focus on the road without having to take my eyes off the road to glance down at the speedomoter.  Directions are also posted on the screen when in navigation mode so that one does not have to look at the screen which is on the right of the driver in the center of the car.

The package that I have gives me the ability to open the trunk of the car with my foot which actually worked for me tonight when I came home and needed to get my groceries out.  I was happy with it then.  The side mirrors do fold in when one presses the button to turn them in.   This is good for tight parking spaces, narrow streets, and car washes where it is advisable to prevent damage to the mirrors.

I do fold them in when I park it for the night.  I have a neighbor who also has a BMW and I noticed that he had folded his so I decided to do the same.  It is a good idea that should be implemented on all cars to be honest.

I will have to spend time fooling with all the gadgets to learn everything.  For now, I am getting quite spoiled by all the fancy features which do make life easier for me. I have Sirius satellite radio free for a full year before I either subscribe or cancel it.

I love satellite radio for now. It is great fun.  There is an all Evlis radio station on it, and I thought that i had seen a Sinatra station too but i have not yet gone through all the channels.  One that is POTUS station also. I will check it out soon.

Driving is so much fun but I do drive defensively and carefully.  I am getting less fearful of problems as each day passes.  But it is easy to be careless and I do not want even a scratch on this car now.  I park far away from other cars and try to stay out of dense traffic. I take streets that offer better driving conditions than busy stop and go streets.  Camelback in other words.   I took Greenway today, and yesterday I did drive on the freeway which turned out to be just fine for the short distance that I drove. I want to go to California soon so I am seeing how long I can stay in one position without going mad.

It will take me five hours and 23 minutes to get to Del Mar so the google device is telling me. I have my doubts about that but we will see.  I do not know yet whether i will go or not but I would like to be there to see the Pacific Classic race which will feature Game On Dude and Dullahan.

I am so very pleased with myself for buying this car.  It has truly helped me to get back to a state of wellbeing.  There is nothing like a good car to make me feel on top of things again.  Believe me when I say that having the chance to go where I want when I want is the best thing for me now.  I needed that for my personal health.   I just did not realize how wonderful it is to have such a great car until I finally had it for my own.  wow!  What a joy!  I am so happy.

Like with so many things, we do not really know how another person feels. I was thinking about people who are bent with arthritis pain.  Nobody can know or empathize with another until one has that ailment himself. I thought of that tonight when an arthritic pain hit me.  I wondered about what it would be like to be bent  over as Frank Manfredie had been.  That would be so dreadful...So likewise, none of us who have not experienced driving a Cadillac or Rolls Royce knows the joy and pleasure it gives to the owner. Until one does it, one is totally ignorant of it.  At last, I know about both the arthritic patient and the very rich man who has had the best of everything.   It is a lesson to learn, and to understand.

So even a car like this is a lesson for me.  It is a good lesson to understand how men and women who are brilliant in the area of technology can impact our lives in such a great way.  I am impressed with all that modern technicians can do.

The base price for the 3 series is $34,000 and prices go up according to engine, packages, and styles.  I looked at a $82,000 convertible today...Man, the insurance on that would be out of sight for me.

I am being punished for not driving a car for the past four years so that my insurance is high despite my senior status and my good driving record.  I will get it lowered believe me.  But for now, i am happy to pay it so I can drive safely and securely.  How I wish people could impress upon themselves the need to take care when driving. I saw many collisions today.  My navigator tool also tells me with complete up to date information any and all accidents in my area...that means the entire city and  neighboring cities. Great device to avoid traffic problems.

I will be sure to update this journal with anything and everything that I learn while driving this driving machine.  It is truly the ultimate, and I do really appreciate it more and more every day.  I am sometimes slow to use some functions, like voice commands, but believe me, I will eventually get that down too.




Sunday, August 4, 2013

Choosing a new car

I am having to purchase the right car for me. It may be the last car that I own or not.  Nobody ever knows for certain but the possibility is that I could buy a good car to keep and maintain over a seriously long period of time.  So I am being very careful about the choice I make in this really very important purchase.

Today I received a call from BMW since I had contacted them last night via the internet. I want to take a test drive in a BMW as I have pretty much decided it may be the best car for me.  I like its maintenance policy which tells me that this company truly cares about its product.  I trust the company for its sense of integrity.  I made an appointment to take a test drive this coming Tuesday and indicated a car that I am wanting to purchase.

So today I went to Ford which had already contacted me some time ago when I submitted a list of cars that I am interested in buying, and so I finally talked to a salesman there who introduced me to the hybrid car, a plug in car called the Titanium.  This is a really great car which has me happy that I did take it on a test drive and learned about its finest selling points.  It is about the same price as the BMW so that I am interested in it as an alternate if the BMW does not fulfill my expectations.  However, I have a brochure about the BMW 3 series which is reassuring me more and more all the time about the care that BMW gives to its production. I love this car so far.

But Ford has outdone itself in producing a great car that I would enjoy as well since it has such fine amenities for a top of the line car, is attractive, and has the fuel economy that I really would love most of all.  If it is true that it would produce the kind of fuel economy as boasted on its sales sheet I would very definitely choose it for that reason alone I know already that it is not the same kind of luxury car that Lexus had been, so that I am certain that BMW will probably be much more luxurious in the interior than the Ford can be,but the Ford has wonderful computer programming that makes it a joy to own as well.  I can see that many people will want this car and probably should own it.  I recommend it  very much as a great buy if the fuel mileage does live up to its promise.

I have more to learn about both cars but so far I am definitely leaning towards each one.  After I test drive the BMW on Tuesday, my salesman told me he will call me on Wednesday.

This is a major decision.  I am as excited as I can be to think that I will soon own a car again. It has been a long drought for me.   I  am really looking forward to traveling to California and Las Vegas and maybe even Ohio in one of these two cars...should I look at others?  I don't really think that either one of these cars can be topped except by the Tesla of course.  I have not test driven one of them but I do not want to wait a year for it to be built either. If I win the lottery or a huge windfall comes my way, I would consider it...after all I would only be 75 in six months.  At heart, I guess my real age as told to me by a computer is really 35.

I feel that way about buying the car...just as I did when I was in my 30's.  We never grow up...shades of Peter Pan...the original...