::Friday, September 13, 2002::

WHAT RYAN'S READING -

After graduating from Emory University in Atlanta in 1992, top student and athlete Christopher McCandless abandoned his possessions, gave his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and hitchhiked to Alaska, where he went to live in the wilderness. Four months later, he turned up dead. His diary, letters and two notes found at a remote campsite tell of his desperate effort to survive, apparently stranded by an injury and slowly starving. They also reflect the posturing of a confused young man, raised in affluent Annandale, Virginia, who self-consciously adopted a Tolstoyan renunciation of wealth and return to nature. McCandless is a fascinating young man and Jon Krackuar knows his subject and writes about him with such humanity I feel know the kid.

Carr tackles half a dozen of the most fundamental questions concerning the interpretation of human social experience. He handles each of these with such mastery as we seldom see, and his little book is one of those rare works which one can with assurance predict will be regarded as basic for decades to come. I have a number of disagreements with him so far concerning his feeling that history is not objective. Many times in history do the facts speak for themselves, no historian need speak for them, they need only to discover them. Still Carr poses some very basic philosophical questions that need answering and his approach, that of a archealogalist approaching a finding, is one we could also use to examine the past.

I'm also still reading Red Rabbit by Tom Clancy and Daneil Goldhagen's award winning disection, Hitler's Willing Executioners, a massively intense and worthwhile read that I encourage you to pick up.
:: Posted by Citizen Ryan | 7:49:17 AM| Link This ::

ONE YEAR LATER - Okay so I'm two days late on my 9/11 reflections who cares? Why do we have to make such a big deal out of this anniversary anyways? It hurts everday people. Everday is important. Sure one year is a hallmark because the we've traveled around the sun once, but it changes nothing and if we need a solar rotation to realize what took place that September morn we need to learn something. The truth of 9/11 exists everday. The world goes on much the same as it did on 9/10/01. Nothing can stop the engines of commerce or the engines of the human will. As long as man lives the world will go on.

Having said that it is clear that 9/11/01 is etching itself into a distinct day of change for America. Oh sure life was a bit different in the days afterward but the true hallmark is if life will change for years to come. That question is going to be better answered by the actions of Bush's Administration. Is terrorism and the defeat of terrorism going to become the mark of American foreign policy? Or is it possible we will fall back into the lazy attitude of the pre 9/11? Personally I'm wondering if we are going to go the way of pre 9/11 UN hugging and following or go towards a more uni-lateral, we have to live on our soil so we will protect our people, approach.

Iraq is the obvious first test of this. You know a danger exists there. You know the "danger" wants to kill Americans because they are Americans. Will you wait to everyone says it's okay to go ahead, will you wait for them to act first or will you look at the evidence and make a decision? United States foreign policy should not be dicated by what Europe thinks United States foreign policy should be.

I hope Bush has the guts to lead at this time in history. I like the fact that there is some division in his cabinet. At least we know he doesn't have a bunch of yes men working for him. He's got the finest and abliest minds at his side and I'm rather confident he'll make the best decision. Bush is an honest man and he is not poll driven. If he sees that attacking Iraq will prove to be a positive in history's book then he will take the hit and do it. Simple as that, folks. Just like they use to do in the West.

Now I know some liberals at my college have told me, "The people in the Trade Centers were obviously capitalists and deserved to die," but most Americans know what happened on 9/11 was tragic and deserves to take action to prevent it from happening action. What it's going to take is a whole new way of thinking. It will take a new approach to foreign policy that strays away from the post-Cold War malasie that the international community passed into. It is not a new problem that can take old solutions, but a new problem demanding new solutions.

As 9/11 passes from life into history we must hope our leaders learn it's lessons. Even though Americans may culturally keep alive the ideas of patriotism and community it is up to our leaders to show that America is changed. History is our judge and she is a harsh one, always giving the test first and lesson aftewards. Let us pray we learn.
:: Posted by Citizen Ryan | 5:30:31 AM| Link This ::

HOLD THE BUTTON - How long can you "Hold the Button?" It's an easy game. Just hold the button. I held for 39.65 seconds. I bet you can't beat that. Go ahead....hold the button. But please note the following rule for the website:

Be of legal age according to your local authority for the usage of the HoldTheButton.com service, or have legal guardian’s permission.

I'm not sure what state in the Union would not allow youths or folks of any age to not hold the button (you gotta figure even Minnesota or the People's Republic of Massachusetts doesn't care). So if you're legal to hold the button please go ahead and hold the button.
:: Posted by Citizen Ryan | 12:39:35 PM| Link This ::

MY BLOG GETS COMICAL - Just two posts ago on September 8th I posted my thoughts regarding "Swimfan," one of the worst movies of the year. Well follow blogger and comic strip creator Nicholas Albright found what I wrote funny enough to inspire a comic strip. You can veiw it here [>].

I'm very thankful to Nick for the homage and if it can influence just one more person not to waste money on seeing Swimfan then he and I will have done our part.
:: Posted by Citizen Ryan | 12:43:40 AM| Link This ::

A DAY TO REMEMBER - I had a beer in Ed and Cassy Haven's house. What did you do today?

My fullest congrats, best wishes and many thanks to the filmjerk and bride.

Now I sleep. (Then watch some DVD's)
:: Posted by Citizen Ryan | 3:16:21 AM| Link This ::

YOU LOVE ME I KNOW IT! AHH...NO. - I got off of work a little early on Friday night and decided to catch the last 2/3rds of "Swimfan". I came into the movie right at the point where the hero, Ben Cronin, is shagging the new girl, Madison Belle, in the school pool. Why the school pool is open and deserted for underage youths to see and screw I do not know. Reality has little to do with this movie.

Jesse Bradford who likes to lift his upper lip to display emotions ranging from happiness, pleasure, horror, love and/or fear plays Cronin. Bradford was good in this springs "Clockstoppers" which was directed by Jonathon Frakes in his "I'm not doing Star Trek all the time," film. Shiri Appeply who is bubbly and thus totally clueless to just about everything going on in the movie plays Bradford’s girlfriend. The one night stand that Bradford/Cronin has is with Madison Belle/Erika Christensen who appeared to be a much better actor when she was in "Traffic" because of the wonderful cast she was accompanied by.

The movie has a lot of loud music, which is suppose to appeal to the teen generation I guess. Cronin is a former druggie/felon who was reformed by his girlfriend and his passion for swimming. This is all threatened when he foolishly has sex with Belle, rejects her and she gets very, very, very angry. She sets out to destroy his life in every implausible way possible. “Swimfan” is one of those movies that require its villain to be in every place imaginable. She's always looking on, smirking. She's meddling in affairs somehow but we never see her. She must have the most perfect timing to pull of some of the things she does in this movie.

Her greatest trick comes about 2/3rd's through the movie when she is arrested and taken away in a cop car. Apparently cops in the city where our teen heroes live like to travel in the back seat with the suspects they just arrested. In almost no other city in the country will you find cops riding in the back seat along with criminals. But our villainous, Ms. Belle, catches a break here and then another one when she notices the officer who is sitting right next to her has forgotten to button the latch on his gun holster.

Do I have to tell you what happens next? That's right the handcuffed 17-year-old vixen swipes the gun and manages to escape. Hopefully the cities next police briefing will include the warning, "Do not ride in the back seat with your suspect. The damn doors don't even open from the inside you fools!" (Which also leads me to wonder how in the world Madison escaped from the cop car).

The movie was Executive Produced by Michael Douglass who did his own version of this story, all be it with older folks and Glenn Close in "Fatal Attraction". I guess Douglass really wanted to make some money so he just recycled the old formula and put some teens in it. I will say that Erika Christensen is a natural beauty. Her full figure and convincing acting really make her the kind of women I'd to see more in films. Christensen is still pretty new to the acting scene and I hope for her sake that "Swimfan" is a film she can look back and laugh at when James Lipton is interviewing her in 10 years or so.

Lipton: What’s your least favorite sound?
Christensen: Any line from "Swimfan"
Lipton: Your favorite curse word?
Cristensen: Swimfan!

NOTE: This little exchange prompted comic strip artist and author Nicholas Albright to create a pictoral version of what I wrote. I am deeply honored and grateful. :)
:: Posted by Citizen Ryan | 7:31:18 AM| Link This ::

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