An American Legend; Hopper Dead at 74
Few actors in film can say they’ve worked with the likes of six decades worth of stars ranging from James Dean, John Wayne, Marlon Brando, Peter Fonda, right up to Keanu Reeves and Kelsey Grammar. Dennis Hopper was one of those few. A true American legend of film has passed away yesterday due to complications from prostate cancer at his home in Los Angeles surrounded by his loved ones.
Dennis Hopper has an explosive but rocky start to his career. Hopper started in the mid-50s doing bit roles on television until his first major film role had him opposite of the All-American actor himself James Dean (whom Hopper was an immense fan of) in Rebel Without a Cause in 1955 and again in Giant in 1956. After James Dean’s fateful accident and death later in 1956, Hopper’s reputation as a “loose cannon” become apparent when he clashed with director Henry Hathaway on the set of From Hell to Texas when Hopper effectively refused to take directorial instructions from Hathaway for roughly 80 takes over several days. From this point on, Hopper’s career seemed almost doomed.
After studying under Lee Strasberg at the infamous Actor’s Studio in New York, Hopper caught a break when his (then) mother-in-law helped get him work with her close friend John Wayne. Hopper is known to have accredited the famous cowboy actor with saving his career with his roles in The Sons of Katie Elder and True Grit which launched Hopper back into the spotlight. During this time, Hopper also got a supporting role in Cool Hand Luke as well opposite Paul Newmann.
Myth or Reality? The Omajinaakoos
We’ve all heard of Big Foot, the Loch Ness Monster, and other creatures of myth from around the world. But what about the Omajinaakoos? Translated, the word means “The Ugly One” and comes from the Northern most reaches of Ontario. The little monster is believed to be a bringer of bad omens when seen, which according to the locals of Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug hasn’t been for no less than fifty years. Fifty years until earlier this month when a pair of outdoor tourists found a rodent-like creature floating face down in the local waterways (pictured left).
The little fella has been described as “part beaver/part river otter” and does display many similarities between a variety of semi-aquatic rodenesq creatures of Ontario. Similar to, but not exactly replicating, that is. Most of the locals, who still live largely off of the fruits of the land and water (as it is a very highly isolated region) and are familiar with all the forest has to offer, believe it to be “The Ugly One.” Skeptics in the media and in homes alike aren’t exactly convinced.
When the animal was discovered, it was discovered floating face down in the water with its paws in the water as well. The images below (click “Read the rest of this entry,” but be warned they are somewhat graphic) of the animal show that the areas covered by water are completely bald. This is where much of the skepticism comes in as once an animal carcass has been in the water for a while, the fur becomes loose and simply falls out. Others, however, beleive that the little animal should have decomposed far more by the point that it would be bald.
If Patience is a Virtue…
Then what is being inpatient? I’ve been eagerly awaiting today, March 23, as the expanded Beta for TaleWorld’s Mount & Blade: Warband is being released for those who have pre-ordered the game. A few pre-order sites are offering this expanded beta, the expanded part including the single player aspect of the game (whereas the open beta had only the 0nline aspect), and as with all releases of everything in the history of gaming, people must complain.
In case you don’t know what Mount & Blade: Warband (simply Warband from hereon out) is, it’s the stand-alone expansion to the cult favourite game Mount & Blade, a completely open RPG/Medieval Combat game that, for history buffs and combat fans, doesn’t include any sort of magic, potions, or anything of that nature. It’s just melee and archery combat on a beautiful scale. What the game lacks graphically (as it’s an independently developed title from Turkey) it more than makes up for in awesomeness. Warband expands on the single player aspect with new weapons, armour, and features while adding the much anticipated multiplayer modes with enhanced (but still “dated” in most eyes) graphics. Recurring visitors may remember my Mount & Blade review that gives pretty strong accolades for the game.
When I do online pre-orders, I do so with IGN’s Direct2Drive now since Steam gives so much hassle when it comes to games not specifically designed for the platform. The alternative to D2D is Gamers Gate, the official mirror for Paradox Interactive (the publisher of the game), a small distribution company specializing in Paradox and independent titles. It’s a decent service, but my own experience is that when a popular title is released the servers either slow down incredibly or go down completely where IGN has the backing to ensure stable speeds and reliability.
In All Thy [GENDER NEUTRAL] Command
![In All Thy [GENDER NEUTRAL] Command](http://www.soft-parade.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/thysonscommandlogo.jpg "In All Thy [GENDER NEUTRAL] Command")
Once again I’ve been caught up in the rat race that is life and neglected The Parade. It’s all with good reason mind you as these last few months have been quite the ride. The high-and-low of it all is that I am now engaged with a child on the way and have started a new job at Future Shop (Best Buy Canada) in New Minas, Nova Scotia. With all of that it’s been a little more difficult to find the time to put into ranting and musing online, but with my schedule ironing itself out a little more it seems I have some more time to get back to what I do best.
What brings me to the counter today is political correctness and how incorrect it actually is. There have been some rumblings over O’Canada since the 2010 Vancouver Olympics that have reached all the way to parliament. “True patriot love in all thy sons command” is a line in our anthem and has been since 1908 when poet Stephen Weir wrote the poem to coincide with the 1880 composure by Calixa Lavallée. Now it appears that some find “thy sons command” to be sexist and are demanding change to something more “gender-neutral.” Perhaps they should change “true patriot love” as well since altering our national anthem doesn’t seem overtly patriotic to me.
The anthem was already changed by having a few lines added due to decisions by a joint-committee of MPs and senators in 1968 (adding “from far and wide” and “God keep our land glorious and free”) and is now in the crosshairs again. However, being a sensitive issue, politicians aren’t directly confronting the proposal directly and are in fact using the proposals as attacks on other political parties (naturally). “Anything that makes a national anthem more gender-sensitive is a good thing,” [Liberal leader] Michael Ignatieff told CBC News. “But, I mean, no disrespect to those who feel strongly on this issue, but, for heaven’s sake, we have some very important challenges and every time the government is asked to do something real, it does something symbolic.”
Have we come to a point in our culture where certain individuals are offended by our national anthem? If those people are offended by “all thy sons command,“ then they should probably start lobbying to change “mailman” and “manhole cover” to more gender-neutral phrases as well. Where does it end though? Will we have to go back in our history books and change “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind?” I wouldn’t be surprised in the least bit if that did become a valid argument within the next twenty years. Thank God Buzz Aldrin will have died of old age by then.
I’m a patriotic and law-abiding Canadian citizen and plan on being one until I pass on to the other side. But every time ridiculous lobby groups get just a little more of a foothold into our government, my patriotism goes down a notch… And I’m starting to run out of notches on my patriotism belt. So to all Members of Parliament, to Prime Minister Stephen Harper (of whom I could say some pretty negative stuff on), to all Canadians men and women alike… Please respect tradition and accept the fact that just because a word or phrase has “man” or “son” or any other masculine word in it that the English language and/or Canadian culture aren’t being sexist. If you’re that offended that easily though, chances are my plea is for nothing and you’ll start calling offense to my opinion on the matter. That’s just the way it goes.
Sweet Emotions…?
I’ve been an Aerosmith fan as long as I can remember. The 70’s just wouldn’t have been the same without Aerosmith, one of the most successful and long-lasting Rock bands in history. But sometimes fame, money, and egos can ruin the most beautiful art form of all and leave five talented musicians bickering at each other as if they were in a 10th grade highschool band fighting over who the band leader is.
If you don’t follow music news you may not have heard of the constant state of drama that Aerosmith has been in. 2009 was set to be a busy year for the rock super-Gods with a new album in the works and an as-usual heavy touring schedule, but as the year wore on so did the tensions between the band, specifically speaking frontman Steven Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry. On the surface, everything seemed fine up until an unfortunate accident in August of 2009. During the Sturgis motorcycle rally, Steven Tyler took an unfortunate fall during “Love in an Elevator” while he was dancing mid-song on a catwalk. The stage was reportedly still wet from rains earlier. This was the last time the band was seen together performing (except for one instance which you’ll see later in the article) as the rest of the tour, including all Canadian dates, had to be canceled due to Tyler’s injuries (a broken shoulder, stitches to the head, and other fall-related injuries).
Roughly a month later, Perry began to publicly express his frustrations with the tour cancellation and about his long-time band mate. In an interview with Perry, he stated that “he [Steven Tyler] and I haven’t written a song together alone in the same room in over 10 years, so there’s been some changes in paradigm of what Aerosmith is.“ It would appear as though there have been issues in the recording studio as well as Perry then added “The bottom line is that every hole that Aerosmith left, I filled.”
As time went on, the distance between the two only grew. By the end of September, the two still hadn’t talked at all or had any contact whatsoever. Rumours began to fly that the band was breaking up, but Perry stayed adamant that the band wouldn’t be split and that they would continue as long as they could. The rumours, however, would not go away, yet Perry continued to publicly state that the band has been through many ups and downs and would not disband.
Chris McCandless – A Reflection
Most of us live our lives tightly woven in the embrace of modern society. There are people like me who do manage to get away a few weeks in the year to the wilderness and throw off the shackles of technology and the conveniences of indoor plumbing and soft memory-foam beds, but even I am guilty of punching the clock and watching the world go by. Chris McCandless was an idealistic young man who shook off his shackles for good and set out to find himself and ultimately meet his end in the place he held so high.
Many of you will have probably read the Jon Krakauer book or seen the Sean Penn docu-drama film “Into The Wild” and know the general basis for this article while some of you may be reading about this for the first time. This amazing story (the film being based on the book) chronicles Chris McCandless from his comfortable suburban life and University education and follows his travels across America. Having given all of his money to charity, abandoning his 1970s Datsun B210 after it (and nearly he) was washed away in a flash flood, he set forth to his ultimate destination of Alaska. It was his ambition to live a period of solitude in the Alaskan countryside before returning to his life in society. Chris had no survival experience, very little money, and no means to get there. But that wouldn’t stop him.
Chris, renaming himself to Alexander Supertramp (a direct reference to the 1908 book The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp by William H. Davies), would make his way on foot to the far North. Along his way he would take any opportunity for exploration that he would encounter, almost always going into dangerous situations (such as canoing down the Colorado River into the Gulf of California) with very little preparation, experience, and equipment. For a time he worked in South Dakota in a grain mill where he began to prepare for his final destination and acquiring hunting and meat preservation tips from local hunters and friends. Having prepared, at least in his eyes, for his “Alaskan Odyssey,” he set for Fairbanks, Alaska where he bought a Remington Semi-Automatic .22LR (with 400 rounds), some very basic camping supplies (such as a sleeping bag, cooking pot, etc.), and a book on the local Alaskan flora and fauna.
Conspiracy Theorists Require Reality Check
Let me start this out by saying that I think everything coming from anyone should be questioned. Not because every story from the government is some kind of cover-up or because Jesus really did have kids, but because everything needs to be investigated fully so that we can understand things fully. With that being said, the so called “conspiracy theorists,” or as they themselves prefer, “truthers,” need to understand one simple fact. Not everything under the blue sky is a damn conspiracy, and if you were wrong, man up and admit it.
The eight anniversary of the September 11 attacks passed yesterday, and it’s a day that should always be remembered and honoured. With any large scale event not caused directly by nature, people will question it and develop theories, some more believable than others. Television isn’t one to pass up on something that’s close to people’s hearts and gladly ran a two hour 9/11 conspiracy special. Naturally I watched it, I always love to see what people are saying about things like this, JFK, the moon landings, or whatever, and I can honestly say I was disgusted with these so called truthers.
The special (aired on the Discovery Channel and History Television in Canada) sat down with several truthers as an expert panel and sought to quell some of their notions about that day. Like I said, things should be questioned, and I for one believe that there was more to the 9/11 attacks then is public knowledge, and I’ll address this later, but questions do receive answers. It became painfully obvious to me that dedicated truthers don’t care about answers, or even science for that matter. Several topics that were raised by people who think there was more to it all were addressed by experts in the matter. For example, there are many who believe that both of the twin towers were brought down by controlled explosives, there are even a handful of witness reports stating that they heard a series of loud “cracks” before the towers collapsed, and this coupled with the rather neat way they fell into their own footprint is what brought the topic up to begin with. I’ll admit, it’s a strong argument, especially with the fact that both towers fell in a similar way (into their own footprint as opposed to falling sideways or partially collapsing).
Gold Star Restaurant Doesn’t Receive Namesake
Usually I’ll take every new restaurant I try with a grain of salt (yes, the pun was intentional), but there’s only so far my taste buds and my patience can be pushed. Today my darling Gillian and I went out for a nice Sunday lunch at a place we haven’t tried before. We drove toward Coldbrook, Nova Scotia to try out one of the numerous restaurants we pass by when we drive toward the Coldbrook Drive-in Theatre and decided to stop off at The Gold Star Chinese & Canadian restaurant. We’re both huge fans of Chinese food and can never pass up a buffet. This place didn’t offer a buffet, but like I mentioned we were looking to try something different.
From the outside, The Gold Star has a rustic small-town kind of feel to it, something we both look for and enjoy. This wasn’t on purpose as when we walked inside, it’s as though we walked into 1977. But I’m not so superficial that I won’t eat at a restaurant because it hasn’t been renovated since it was built, but the immediate vibe I felt wasn’t a good one. Still, it’s only the look, so it doesn’t really matter that there was wooden “mack tack” (plastic sticky sheeting) everywhere and the bright red seats were held together by duct tape.
The waitress was the first issue. When a restaurant of any caliber has daily specials, the best way to let the customer know about them isn’t “the specials are in the menu.” That doesn’t sound very special to me, don’t you think? When she did take our orders, she did bring our Pepsi in only a minute or two. The Pepsi, straight from the can, came with one straw… We ordered two, but only one straw. I don’t drink with the straw anyway, but it’s not really her place to assume I don’t.
At every Chinese restaurant I’ve eaten at in my entire life, it’s never taken more than ten minutes for our food to arrive. After the first ten minutes of waiting, I received my egg roll as an appetizer and Gillian received her store-bought bread roll. The egg roll was older than myself, hard as a rock with one bite worth of cabbage on the inside with enough beef to take up the space that the end of my pinky finger does. We proceeded to wait another fifteen minutes as two other tables who came in long after we did got their food, one gentleman who came in five or seven minutes after we did ordered, ate, paid, and left before we got our “main course.”
A New Look
While browsing around the myriad of WordPress themes at wordpress.org, I came across what you see around this text now. It’s called Technical Speech, a theme by Suhaib Khan, and I couldn’t help but think it seemed to fit what The Soft Parade entails and my background as a journalist.
Why was I browsing themes, you may ask? I was thinking about starting a new site dedicated to the paranoia… You know, aliens and all that stuff. Yeah, I believe in aliens and I think there’s something fishy about the Kennedy assassinations, but I’m not a nut about it (man did land on the moon, damnit). But instead of splitting my resources between one area of the web and another, I’ll just post such things here when they come to mind.
So what does this mean for the future of The Soft Parade, you may ask? Well, not a whole lot, really. The site looks different, it has more practical features than it did before (namely the navigation and the crunched posts), and that’s about where it will end. If you happen to think there’s more to certain subjects then authorities will initially have you believe, then you’ll probably appreciate when my paranoia sense tingles and I decide to write about it.
So keep reading, start commenting, and let the good times roll. But of course if you don’t like this new look and prefer the older (or something different all together), then leave your comment and give your suggestions. When I get bored I alter, so some direction wouldn’t hurt at all.
Update: A few of my buddies and myself all agree that the last look of the site (the one this post is dedicated to) is devoid of any personality. Until I can design or find a new WordPress theme more suited to my personality, we’ll stick with the classic theme that’s up now. It’s damn pretty, so maybe I’ll just update this one, so stay tuned for further developments!
Hurricane Bill Precautions & Tips
Hurricane Bill is shaping up to be a strong storm by the time it hits Nova Scotia and the rest of the Atlantic Sea Board. At it’s peak, Bill was a Category Four hurricane (on an overall sale of one to five) with winds reaching upwards of 220 kilometers per hour. At this point, the hurricane has died down to a Category Three as it passes around the island of Bermuda on its North Western journey, and as it hits the even cooler waters of the Northern Atlantic it will continue to lose force.
But that doesn’t mean we’re out of the woods, in fact it’s quite the opposite. The North American “jet stream,” an invisible stream of air in the atmosphere, will interfere with Hurricane Bill and effectively steer it up the coast line and toward Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. At this point it’s far too early to predict where the hurricane will strike, which even with the difference of a few degrees can make a very different impact, but all models point to the hurricane getting uncomfortably close.
The hurricane is expected to get within striking distance in the morning hours of Sunday, August 23, with large swells (two or three meter high waves) reaching the coastlines on Saturday. The heaviest rains in the hurricane are to the left and closer to the eye (center) of the hurricane with expected amounts ranging from 50mm in the more distant reaches to up to 150mm the closer to the storm you get. Different sources are citing the hurricane may die down to a tropical storm level (much weaker winds, but still significant), but may retain a category one or even category two force of winds by Sunday. With having a hurricane at this point in the hurricane season (which officially lasts from June 1 until November 30) with the warmer waters and coupled with the more active weather we’ve been having as of late, it’s not beyond the realm of possibility to have the more powerful of the possibilities.
