Goldfinger (Novel)

In February of this year I discovered that I could watch some of the early James Bond movies, starring Sean Connery, on OK.RU. I found the first five films - Dr, No - From Russia With Love - Goldfinger - Thunderball and You Only Live Twice. Unfortunately, the last one is dubbed into Russian and I haven't found an English version available.

Not long after that, I learned that the entire Ian Fleming catalogue of Bond novels were in the pubic domain in Canada and available for download at fadedpage.com..

At the time, I had planned on reading all 15 in the series, but stopped after reading #5 - Dr. No.

I didn't mention it in either of my blogs at the time, but in April, Honor Blackman , who played Pussy Galore in the film version of Goldfinger passed away. Of course we all remember the passing of Sean Connery in November.

With the passing of those two stars, I wanted to pick up where I left off with my reading of Ian Fleming, with the novel, Goldfinger.

One thing struck me as odd was that in the novel (which was written in 1958) the Goldfinger character feels the need to explain to Bond (and the readers of the novel) what Karate is. I had no idea that that particular form of martial arts was so new to the West. I was only six in 1958 and would not have been aware of that fact.

There are a number of differences between the novel and the film. It seemed to me that the characters of Jill Masterson and her sister Tilly were more prominent in the novel compared to their roles in the film and the character Pussy Galore, who was a major part of the film, seem superfluous to me in the novel. It was also a puzzle to me why Fleming should have her character be lesbian in the novel. Her only purpose seemed to be as a way of showing Bond to be the ultimate lady-killer by his seducing a lesbian.

Some may wish to read the novel, so I won't give spoilers, but to me, the ending of the film holds together much better the the ending in the novel.

My Acupuncture Treatments

One week ago, I wrote of my beginning acupuncture treatments for sciatica. I was scheduled to receive 10 treatments and the blog post was written after treatment number two. These were scheduled as daily treatments, with the exception of Sundays when the clinic is closed. This past Wednesday was a holiday in Dumaguete, and the clinic was closed that day as well.

The photos posted here were taken by my wife yesterday near the end of treatment number six.

So, after finishing 60% of the scheduled treatments, how do I rate acupuncture?

Although I am not "cured", there is certainly improvement in my condition since the beginning of the acupuncture. I am - for the most part - not experiencing the pain as I was before. The discomfort I feel can best be described as a numbness in my right calf and foot. The worst part of my day is immediately upon awakening. I suppose this is due to my movements during sleep.

The best part of my day is during the actual acupuncture treatment, which,  without question, is the best 30 minutes of my day. I've been asked if the needles hurt. On the contrary; there are 40 acupuncture needles used during each session, and of those 40, I can only feel about 10 of those being inserted. Of those 10, only about 3 or 4 cause any discomfort whatsoever and that discomfort lasts less than a second.

Of course, this is all anecdotal - it's my opinion. I believe the acupuncture has given me some relief from the sciatica.

 

Our Lady of Fatima Center for Health and Wellness

About fifteen years ago, I first experienced the pain of sciatica. The pain was so excruciating that I was certain that I would become permanently disabled.

The physician who was treating me told me that a number of the discs in my spine were arthritic and one (at least) was touching the sciatic nerve. In so many words, he told me there was nothing he could do for me other than refer me to "Pain Management". There, I suppose I would receive the pain medication I'd need.

It was very difficult getting the appointment; it took several weeks. By the time my scheduled appointment arrived, the pain had thankfully gone away. Even though I was no longer in pain from the sciatica, I kept the appointment. The doctor in that department told me not to worry.....the pain would return.

I'm happy to say that for fifteen years, the doctor in Pain Management has been wrong. The pain did not return until just a few days ago.

I knew it would be of no use seeing a doctor here in Philippines - the doctors in the U.S. couldn't help, so I was sure the doctors here couldn't either.

My wife suggested massage, but I felt that the condition was beyond the expertise of the average massage therapist. I was looking for something else. It then occurred to me to try acupuncture. A quick search online brought up two acupuncture clinics located near me; the Mei Zen Wellness Institute & Clinic in Brgy. Daro and Our Lady of Fatima Center for Health and Wellness on the San Jose extension.

I had my wife call Mei Zen first, because it was closer and the hours were given as opening at 9:00 AM.... the sooner the better, I thought. The lady told my wife that her clinic was in her home and they were closed during the pandemic.

The call to Our Lady of Fatima Center was more productive.

The woman that owns the clinic has been doing acupuncture for fifty years. She told me she was now 66. I would need to have a thirty minute treatment each day for ten days - excluding Sundays. The cost would be 300 pesos (about $6) a session. I would also need to purchase the 40 needles needed for the treatments at 1000 pesos (about $20). From what I've gathered from the web, these 10 treatments would cost me the same as just one session in the U.S..

I had my second treatment this afternoon. I can see that it will take ten treatments, but I've already seen some improvement. Today, being Saturday, my next visit will be Monday. I should be finished by December 1.

 

A POTUS Who Quotes Poetry

 

In the opinion of poet Tess Taylor, when Joe Biden becomes President of the United States, "we are going to have a president who quotes poetry".

Being of Irish descent, perhaps he will regale us from time to time with a limerick.

One particular limerick, written by W.S. Gilbert, comes to mind. I think it would suit Biden's personality quite well.

There was an old man of St. Bees,
Who was stung in the arm by a wasp,
When asked, "Does it hurt?"
He replied, "No, it doesn't,
I'm so glad it wasn't a hornet."

May We use MeWe? Mais Oui.

 

I mentioned in a post from last Monday that I was looking into an alternative to Facebook regarding social media. I looked into Parler.com but thought it was a bit sparse looking.

Since that time, I've looked itnto mewe.com and found it to be more to my liking.

As I write this post, I regret to say that I've few contacts on MeWe. It's nice that I can post links to my other blog (banned from Facebook) onto MeWe, but with few contacts, it won't send much traffic to the blog.

Be that as it may, I'll continue to make use of MeWe, in hope that I can one day drop Facebook completely.

Anyone interested in finding me on MeWe can go here.

Merton of the Movies

In addition to binge watching Netflix, I've been watching quite a few pre-code Hollywood films that are available for viewing on the Internet - if you're willing to put forth a wee bit of effort.

My favorite star at the moment is Joan Blondell. I hadn't realized until recently, that Blondell had appeared in so many films with James Cagney.

One film, which does not include Cagney, is a wonderful comedy from 1932, Make Me a Star. The film also stars Stuart Erwin. Erwin is an actor whom I've enjoyed watching in a number of films, although I honestly never knew his name until a few days ago.

Blondell and Erwin are wonderful in this film. I enjoyed the movie so much, that I immediately began a web search on what I could learn about it.

The movie is based on a 1922 comic novel by Harry Leon Wilson, Merton of the Movies. The description of the novel on wikipedia follows below:

"Small-town bumpkin Merton Gill fantasizes about joining the glamorous world of silent films, and takes a correspondence school course in acting. He travels to Hollywood, where he is disillusioned by the foibles of his screen idols. He is befriended by comedienne and stuntwoman Flips Montague, who helps him land a bit part, which he bungles so badly with his comically inept acting that the studio is inspired to use him for comedy. Gill becomes a comedy star, delivering lines that he thinks are serious straight drama."

After watching the Blondell/Erwin film, I downloaded the novel as a mobi from Project Gutenberg. I'm currently reading the novel. I can recommend it as well.

One thing I can't recommend, however, is the 1947 film, Merton of the Movies starring Red Skelton and Virginia O'Brien. Skelton does passably well in his part, but I did not like O'Brien at all. She doesn't hold a candle to Joan Blondell. Sadly, the plot deviates from the original.

Again, find the novel on Project Gutenberg - locate the Blondell/Erwin film online, but pass on the Red Skelton version.

Backlash Against Fox News

 

Breitbart.com is reporting a backlash against Fox News Channel from it's Conservative base, due in part to what many see as "Chris Wallace’s dreadful and dreadfully biased and dishonest role as moderator in the first presidential debate between President Trump and Joe Biden", and after "Fox News maliciously and erroneously called Arizona for Joe Biden on Tuesday night — a state that is still too close to call".

I watched the first debate and I'd call Chris Wallace's role as mostly incompetent rather than biased and dishonest.

As for the Network's Arizona call, that is an editorial decision which may or may not have been premature, but I don't see maliciousness. At any rate, I don't see that Fox's calling Arizona for Biden had any impact on the election. All Network calls are projections and do not officially determine the final result.

I am able to get some programing from Fox News on my cable here in Philippines, but it's very limited. I've never been a Sean Hannity fan and I never watch his program. There was a time when I couldn't stand Tucker Carlson, but I'm more tolerant of him now. The only program I consistently watch is The Five. It's my favorite morning show in Philippines.

I'm sure that there are some die-hard Trump followers who are upset with Fox News. I'm not one of them. Sure, I'm sorry to see Biden in the White House, but I'm not blaming Fox News.

Facebook or Parler?

I wasn't aware of the social media site parler.com until I read about the platform on Matt Archbold's Facebook page. He's using his FB page to tell folks about his new account on Parler. I gather Matt believes there will be more freedom of speech and less censorship on Parler.com.

I like the idea of less censorship. I've had problems with Facebook banning my sorryalltheclevernamesaretaken blog.

I went to Parler.com this morning to set up an account. There were a few glitches in the process, but I put that down to an increase of new accounts. At first glance, I'm not overly impressed with what I found. Compared to Facebook, Parler seems a bit sparse. I'm not at all certain that I could convince many of my friends to sign up.

In fairness, it might be better to compare Parler to Twitter rather than Facebook. However, I for one have never seen the need for a Twitter account. Parler's claim to fame is their site is an alternative solution for people concerned about free speech on social media. Sadly, though, I have come upon one article that Parler isn't the bastion of free speech that it claims to be.

We'll see how this shakes out. As I said, I have an account on Parler.com but it remains to be seen just how much I'll use it.

Isn't Biology "Science" Too?

When being lectured on climate change or the covid 19 pandemic, we are often told to listen to the scientists......follow the science.

I don't have a problem with that advice. During this pandemic, I've avoided crowds, I observe social distancing, I never go out without a face mask and will carry a face shield when going to those places that might require them. I don't object when my body temperature is checked before I enter a business.

As for climate change, I acknowledge that the planet's average temperature is rising, due in large part to human activity. I don't dispute the science, but I do question some of the solutions put forward by some activists. The idea that people on this planet will suddenly stop using fossil fuels for transportation or the production of electricity isn't a practical solution. 

The folks living in the so-called first world are too dependent on the automobile to ever expect them to give up the car. If automobiles operating with an internal combustion engine were to disappear, replacing them with electric vehicles would cause the current electrical grid to fall apart. Producing electricity with solar and wind without the use of fossil fuels would exacerbate the situation.

I have no problem listening to the science, but isn't biology a science too?

Far too many folks, who believe themselves to be following the science, seem to ignore the science involving DNA. These people seem to forget "science" when science tells us that the human fetus is, well, a human. A human fetus can only grow to become a fully functioning human. A human fetus cannot magically transform into a dog, or cat, or dolphin or some alien life form. Killing a fetus in the womb is killing a human being. That is an undeniable scientific fact.

The DNA of the fetus also proves that the fetus is a separate and distinct individual and not a body part of the mother. Prematurely removing a fetus from a mother's body, by way of abortion, is not the same as removing an appendix. 

While we're on the subject of DNA, examining the DNA shows that human beings come in only one of two genders. An individual's DNA and chromosomal makeup reveals whether the person in question is male or female. No matter how you may feel about whether or not you're in the "right body", your DNA reveals your gender.

So, when you lecture me about following the sciences, just be sure you follow the biological science as well.

President Biden?

As I write this, both Fox News and CNN show Biden to be ahead of President Trump in electoral votes - both projecting Biden to be closer to the magic 270, although the two networks disagree on the totals so far. Fox is giving Biden 264 with CNN giving Biden 253.

The election isn't over at this point, and either candidate can, in theory win. However, to my way of looking at the numbers, Biden has the much easier path to victory.

So, what can we expect from a Biden presidency? Probably not much.

It looks as though the Republicans have maintained control of the Senate, and Biden will have difficulty getting anything passed - much less something radically Leftist. Even if Biden wins the Electoral College, he will not have won 25 States, which shows that future control of the U.S. Senate by Democrats is unlikely.

The U.S. will remain divided in spite of Biden's claim that under his Presidency there will be no "blue States, no red States, just the United States". Biden has no original ideas, and he stole this line from Obama. It didn't come true under Obama, and it won't under Biden either.

I don't expect Biden, should he become POTUS, to survive the first term. If he wins, Kamala Harris will become the first female POTUS.

During the first year of a Biden/Harris presidency, the radical Democrats in the House will attempt to push their agenda onto the American public. This will probably lead to the Republicans flipping the House in 2022.

This election settles nothing.

Trying to Make Sense of Google Adsense

 

I've mentioned several times - on this blog, as well as on another of my blogs- that although sorryalltheclevernamesaretaken has been around since 2006, someone at Facebook has decided that blog doesn't adhere to Facebook's community standards. I've been given no credible reason why I should not be allowed to post links to that blog on my Facebook page.

As I said, that blog has been around since 2006 and has been displaying Google Adsense ads for quite a long time. It's important to me have the blog links on Facebook, as a way to attract readers to the blog, readers who might have an interest in some product advertised there.

The solution seemed obvious to me. I would begin a new blog which Facebook hasn't "banned". There is by no means anything out of the way posted on this new blog. It's quite tame, as a matter of fact.

As I've already  Google Adsense ads displyed on two blogs, it seemed logical to me to have ads on this new blog as well.

Unfortunately, Google Adsense has yet to approve this new blog. The content on this new blog is just as varied as the content on my other two blogs. I don't quite see the logic of their refusal.

Below is a video explaining the best practices one can use to get a site approved. To the best of my knowledge, I've followed their suggestions but yet this blog is still unapproved.

Rest In Peace, Mr. Bond

 

I noted in February, that I had discovered the first four James Bond films at ok.ru. In addition to watching the four films, I also went to fadedpage.com to download copies of Ian Fleming's Bond novels. It had been my intention to read all 15 in the series, but so far, I've only read the first five.

It stands as a testament to Sean Connery that even when I read the Bond novels, I see him as James Bond.

Like millions of others, I've been a fan of Sean Connery for most of my life. I can remember the first time I saw a James Bond film. It was in 1965. Goldfinger had just recently been released, and I was almost 13. My oldest cousin, who was 18 at the time, took his younger brother, myself and my younger brother to a triple feature of the three Bond films being shown at a local drive-in theater in Atlanta.

The three films were shown in the order they were released - Dr. No, From Russia With Love and Goldfinger. This was my first time seeing a Bond film, and I was especially looking forward to seeing Goldfinger......it was the latest one at the time, so it had to be the best.

1965 was a long, long time ago and things have certainly changed. In those days, kids weren't allowed to stay up all hours of the night and by the time Goldfinger started, it was way past my normal bedtime. As near as I can recall from those fifty-five years ago, I fell asleep in the back of my cousin's car before the final movie started.

It would be years before I was finally able to watch Goldfinger.

(Note - this post was simultaneously published on one of my other blogs. It is being posted here in order that I may link to it on Facebook.)

Typhoon Rolly and Climate Change

 

Naturally, with the coming of this Super Typhoon to Philippines, I've been pondering the effect climate change is having on tropical storms. For years I've read and heard that with the increased temperatures, the number and intensity of the storms will also increase. Recently, however, I heard a conservative pundit state that this idea had been "debunked".

Contradicting that conservative pundit we have this article:

How Climate Change May Be Impacting Storms Over Earth's Tropical Oceans:

"There’s no easy answer, says Joao Teixeira, co-director of the Center for Climate Sciences at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, and science team leader for the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument on NASA’s Aqua satellite. 'Within the scientific community it’s a relatively well-accepted fact that as global temperatures increase, extreme precipitation will very likely increase as well,' he says. 'Beyond that, we’re still learning.'
While there’s not yet a full consensus on the matter, in recent years a body of evidence linking extreme weather with climate change has begun to emerge. Evidence from satellites, aircraft, ground measurements and climate model projections are increasingly drawing connections. Quantifying those interconnections is a big challenge".

My take from the article is that, while it may not yet be settled, it's logical to assume that climate change is having some effect.

Assuming, for the sake of argument that storms are intensifying due to climate change, I see no solution in sight. There is very little chance that carbon emissions will decrease to acceptable levels. Fossil fuels are here to stay. The internal combustion engine will not vanish over night.

No one wants to voluntarily lower their standard of living - "it's ok for the other guy, but not for me" seems to be the general attitude.

I live as "carbon neutral" as I can get - I do very little driving and the little I do is to places near my house. I can't say that for the majority of people I know in the U.S.. Long commutes to and from work is common.

Our electricity on this island comes from a geothermal plant which emits little carbon dioxide, very low amounts of sulfur dioxide, and no nitrogen oxides. The same cannot be said for most people on the planet.

We try to use as many locally produced foodstuffs as we can. That cuts down on fuel costs, somewhat, but there are some items which we consider "must have" which come from other locations. That's certainly true for many people in the world. Just as it's too hot in Philippines to have locally produced cow's milk, it's too cold in the U.S. to grow bananas, coffee, tea and a million other items Americans want on their grocery store shelves.

As I said, no one wants to voluntarily lower their standard of living. It would take a planet wide, totalitarian government determined to alter lifestyles. In spite of what some of my more conservative friends may believe, I don't see that happening.