News for today's 2018: 12/01/10

Wordless Wednesday

6:38 PM Tukiyooo 0

Wordless Wednesday

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Why I Am Going To The Philippines

5:27 PM Tukiyooo 0

Tomorrow I will board a plane to fly 19 hours to Manila, then ride in a car 9 hours north to Santiago, a transportation hub and See City in the mountains of the northern Philippines. If you had asked me a month ago why I was going to do this, I would have said it is because the Diocese of Nevada and the Diocese of Santiago are companions, and such visits are what you do. I expect why I am actually going will be revealed to me when I get there. God works that way. We think we are doing things for our own reasons, but it turns out we are doing his mysterious will accidentally. “Direct us in all that we do to the fulfilling of your purpose.” But already I am getting a better sense of it.<br /><br />I am not going to Santiago to do anything for the people there. I do have a cowboy hat to give Bp. Alexander Wanadag and I will lead an Advent retreat for the diocesan staff and the clergy of the diocese. But those are just courtesy gestures. I will participate in an ordination, help consecrate a church, and have dinner with the primate. But those are things they are doing to include me in their ecclesial life. It could all happen without me. The real reasons are deeper.<br /><br />I am going to express the caring respect of Nevadans for our brothers and sisters who live the Christian life in these distant island mountains. I hope to visit the Philippines in an authentically Christian way. That is important because of colonialism. Christianity came to the Philippines as a medicine mixed with the bitter base of colonialism.<br /><br />Spain imposed conversion to Christianity, and the friars ruled the people harshly for hundreds of years, actually preventing them from learning Spanish or how to read and write. It was a ruthless subjugation that brought the word of grace. Then the United States acquired the Philippines in 1898 in the Spanish-American War. But no one asked the Filipinos. We were engaged in military conquest of the Philippines until 1902, during which 200,000 Filipino civilians and 20,000 soldiers died from combat or disease. Their guerilla resistance continued on the mountain regions I will be visiting until the 1920’s. <br /><br />The United States and Japan fought in and over the Philippines during World War II and the local people paid a heavy price. They participated with Americans as prisoners in the Bataan death march, and it might be said that we “destroyed (Manila) in order to save it.” Certainly the United States was a more benign ruler than Spain had been or than Japan would have been – but we have nonetheless been an imperial power like Rome to Galilee.<br /><br />While all of that was happening, the Episcopal Church spread the gospel albeit in the colonial context. It started with a military chaplain to the occupation force celebrating the Eucharist in 1898. Then the Brotherhood of St. Andrew sent missionaries. In 1901, we established the Philippines as a missionary district of the Episcopal Church. (Remember we in Nevada were a missionary diocese until not so long ago.) That missionary district flourished and became the Episcopal Church in the Philippines, an independent Province of the Anglican Communion in 1990 – only about 20 years after Nevada became a full-fledged independent diocese.<br /><br />I met Bishop Alex on a bus headed from Kent to London at Lambeth, 08. He knew our priest, then deacon, Teogenes Bernardez, Jr. I found Bishop Alexto be a man of great dignity and mischievous wit. We talked and I asked about the possibility of a companion diocese relationship. His first impulse was "No." He explained that their independence was important to them, and they did not want to receive the largesse of a wealthy American diocese. I said, “Then we are the companion for you, because we have nothing to give.” Thereupon a series of meetings and visits culminated in each of our dioceses adopting companionship resolutions.<br /><br />I want to visit the Philippines as a friend, representing the friendship of the Diocese of Nevada. We are not oppressors and not benefactors. We are friends in Christ. I hope this will be a sharing of the gospel and a sharing in the gospel uncontaminated by colonialism. Finding the authentic faith is harder when it has been presented by a dominating power. Ask our First Nations Peoples about that. Being there on an equal footing is the all important point.<br /><br />I also hope to learn something while I am there. I know I will learn a lot, but I particularly want to learn how we can strengthen Asian ministries in Nevada. For starters, I’d like to be a better bishop to the Filipino Episcopalians already in our pews.<br /><br />I am also thinking of evangelism. The Asian population of Nevada is nearly twice the national average. Asians accounted for 2.9% of Nevada’s population in 1990; 4.5% in 2000; and 6 % in 2008. That is already over 156,000 people. There is presently a movement of Asian Americans from urban centers from the East and from California to the Mountain West. I am grateful for the Asian worshipers in our congregations, but I estimate about 155,900 of them are missing. We have been blessed with Asian ministries that were self-started. But we have not set out to deliberately invite Asian Americans to worship, pray, and share with us in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Frankly, I am not sure where to begin. I hope with this trip I will begin to learn.<br /><br />God willing and the angels of information technology cooperating (do you suppose if the Annunciation happened today, Gabriel might just text Mary?), I’ll report in as the adventure unfolds.

Why I Am Going To The Philippines

Clint and Me

7:55 AM Tukiyooo 0

<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxH_3F4XDvxsxzSR493_5X5Gf_C1LzDuGdyOpLPhfBLY4Oq1dwH7LquQ2CAQaEsAz_D43Y-TO2nLFpmKqVkXPuwfJU7SMyLX3kGPOkQNotptrZNTttX35RXc4LmYiRJFj1Bn9a_GVEgx4s/s1600/Magnum+Force.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxH_3F4XDvxsxzSR493_5X5Gf_C1LzDuGdyOpLPhfBLY4Oq1dwH7LquQ2CAQaEsAz_D43Y-TO2nLFpmKqVkXPuwfJU7SMyLX3kGPOkQNotptrZNTttX35RXc4LmYiRJFj1Bn9a_GVEgx4s/s320/Magnum+Force.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clint Eastwood in Magnum Force (1973)</td></tr></tbody></table><i>by guest contributor Magic Lantern 21</i><br /><br />“Good guy…that last one he shot was a good guy!”<br /><br />Eleven words… my claim to celebrity status; my fifteen minutes of fame which if you took a stop watch and measured, would run well under that length of time. And although I would have many small screen appearances later on in “The Streets of San Francisco,” these few words to this day still get me the most attention. Why? Because Clint Eastwood films are both well known and greatly admired not only in the U.S., but also by audiences around the world. Therefore to be associated with a Clint Eastwood movie usually guarantees that an actor (even a bit one as myself) will receive instant and lasting recognition.<br /><a name='more'></a> <br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP64w671F-iLB5e-6wPLBlnBEMCP4K2NPPxyyyHR9fqVp445EG_gb3DTcWzmnmrYaYuQPRb3OkHhBAA4AB_U5YoY5Qsi4hYWTBPFP-A1-D3jqyinq64ROZvo5mC7XdzGB0TbjloHg5boYy/s1600/00+dirty+harry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="131" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP64w671F-iLB5e-6wPLBlnBEMCP4K2NPPxyyyHR9fqVp445EG_gb3DTcWzmnmrYaYuQPRb3OkHhBAA4AB_U5YoY5Qsi4hYWTBPFP-A1-D3jqyinq64ROZvo5mC7XdzGB0TbjloHg5boYy/s320/00+dirty+harry.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dirty Harry (1971)</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Not long ago, TCM ran a tribute to Clint Eastwood and it brought back memories of my experiences meeting and working with him. He was a very pleasant, down to earth man in person…a real pleasure. I met him first in 1971 when he was shooting <b>Dirty Harry</b>. I had gone down to North Beach (one of the film’s locations) to take a look at the “Harry” car which it was being arranged I would purchase from Warners' Transportation when the picture “wrapped”. It was to be my first car and owning a picture car driven by Clint Eastwood made it all the more exciting.</div><br />He was very humble, polite, and soft-spoken when I met him and I also remember being surprised at how tall he was - well over six feet. I subsequently went down to the set many times afterwards and brought high school friends and dates along. Needless to say I was very popular amongst my peers. I unfortunately didn’t get the car, however - they needed it for a “pickup shot” in L.A. later and it got shipped back to the Warner Brothers lot. <br /> <br /> In 1973, three years after becoming an “extra” I reported on the set of <b>Magnum Force </b>- Dirty Harry’s second appearance on screen. I initially performed in the background in various roles - police officers mainly, but during one of the days that I had reported to work as an “extra” I was approached by the Assistant Director, Al Silvani, who told me that my agent had suggested me for a small speaking role as a Cadet in the film. I was of course ecstatic. I was given the few pages of script that contained my line and rehearsed every variation of that piece of dialogue that you could imagine (see above and watch<span style="color: #990000;"> the very beginning</span><span style="color: yellow;"> </span>of the clip below).<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0wlaYAExLJmmmwAZAOS7GSETZ8F2ZSfubhGAMTZsLM97hiFiPQNHu18Z4iES7s-vRK-lfruA09AENCarhcp-SjKGPacNv0mZrRU9S-Nx5HiI_uBQjWXWfxSg85vGv2kwg7ZdyeeJqfKMv/s1600/00rogues+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="121" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0wlaYAExLJmmmwAZAOS7GSETZ8F2ZSfubhGAMTZsLM97hiFiPQNHu18Z4iES7s-vRK-lfruA09AENCarhcp-SjKGPacNv0mZrRU9S-Nx5HiI_uBQjWXWfxSg85vGv2kwg7ZdyeeJqfKMv/s200/00rogues+2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Magnum Force (1973)</td></tr></tbody></table>Finally the day came and I reported to the police firing range to do my scene in the picture. I was in good company - getting to hang out with Robert Urich, David Soul, Tim Matheson, and Kip Niven all day (actually two days - it took that long to film!). They were a fun group…and I remember Urich doing impersonations of various celebrities like Ed Sullivan, etc. He kept us in stitches. Ted Post was the director and I was able to cinch my bit in two takes. Of course Clint Eastwood, Hal Holbrook, and John Mitchum were also there. It was a memorable event.<br /><br />The last time I got to work with Eastwood was in 1976 on his third outing as Harry in the <b>The Enforcer</b>. I was at the Hall of Justice - this time as an “extra”. Perhaps I was feeling shy - or maybe I figured he wouldn’t remember me because (after all) it had been three years since I last saw him - or I thought he was a big actor now and too busy for me - but in any case I felt uncomfortable to re-introduce myself and so didn’t bother to go up to him that day. However, as they were setting up I happened to glance over in his direction and he made a point to single me out and nod a greeting of acknowledgement. I thought that was pretty cool - especially since now he was a bonafide mega star! But, you know, in hindsight, I shouldn’t have been surprised - that is Clint Eastwood. He never saw himself as a “star” - he has always been unpretentious in that way. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0NH8_zxmkLUtLwqEtyM1473HbDtXWvYD9-XjOzHGIhVChzamn9iCBK9wqSa4YWoyCdwDTwURrvk11pNO8muQXVOgExiklwjN6oe6S7COfyJyTINWNMmv6I2dWyt0Mai6k-_AFWbJOMXPg/s1600/000+older+eastwood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0NH8_zxmkLUtLwqEtyM1473HbDtXWvYD9-XjOzHGIhVChzamn9iCBK9wqSa4YWoyCdwDTwURrvk11pNO8muQXVOgExiklwjN6oe6S7COfyJyTINWNMmv6I2dWyt0Mai6k-_AFWbJOMXPg/s200/000+older+eastwood.jpg" width="190" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clint Eastwood today</td></tr></tbody></table>One incident to drive this point home occurred during the filming of <b>Dirty Harry</b>. My father worked in his usual capacity (liaison between SFPD and the motion picture company) on that film, and both he and Eastwood had the same birthday, May 31st. The crew decided to get a cake for my Dad and presented it to him at lunch. One problem - they forgot it was also Clint Eastwood’s birthday. Well, could you imagine what the results would have been if this happened to another big actor with a matching ego? Not Clint, he wished my father a “Happy Birthday” and enjoyed some of his cake.<br /><br />Well, that’s my two cents for what it's worth regarding my time spent with Clint Eastwood. Great memories of a great guy and certainly worthy of the honor TCM gave him. Of course, knowing him, he probably thought it was a lot of to-do about nothing.<br /><br /><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/AIP9AJTbCcs?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/AIP9AJTbCcs?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object> <br /><br /><i>Guest blogger Magic Lantern 21/aka/Tony Piazza is a San Francisco native whose father was at one time assigned by the City and County of San Francisco to be liaison between the SFPD and visiting film companies. This assignment involved assisting with scouting locations and making sure the city's day-to-day activities weren't hampered by filming. One such assignment was responsibility for the safety of citizens and property when the iconic chase scene in <b>Bullitt </b>(1968) was being filmed.</i><br /><br /><i>Tony himself, as he mentioned, worked for a time in the industry. He was an extra, a stand-in, performed stunts and had bit parts in films and on TV. Eventually, however, his life took a scientific turn and he has had a long career as a biologist.</i><br /><br /><i>More recently Tony returned to entertainment and the arts. He performed as an extra in the film <b>Sideways </b>(2004), did a commercial for a local retail store and has produced his own films. His book, <u>Anything Short of Murder</u>, is about to be published by Dog Ear Publishing, hopefully by the end of the year; it will be available at Amazon and other major book sites. As MagicLantern21, a member of TCM's CFU, Tony has a long-running murder mystery serial, REEL MURDER, in progress. <a href="http://fan.tcm.com/_WIN-A-MOVIE/blog/2948726/66470.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Click here for a link</span></a> to the related contest he's created and the chance to win a $20 Movies Unlimited gift certificate.</i><br /><i></i><br /><i>Thank you, Tony, for sharing your memories with Reel Life! </i><i>- The Lady Eve</i><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja10jnqP1pdRjmT-TNBb784mVLMv-JFPm_kmuX58UQKPoLGF4IxAzkAKQgkClIzX31V0Iw2hr6m9hoJ3tj5aPHtFVdObveReFebuQd67eBB09rBKoXBDQMzPlN6vmxkiDY4HxsVS8iaKPZ/s1600/michael+and+tony.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja10jnqP1pdRjmT-TNBb784mVLMv-JFPm_kmuX58UQKPoLGF4IxAzkAKQgkClIzX31V0Iw2hr6m9hoJ3tj5aPHtFVdObveReFebuQd67eBB09rBKoXBDQMzPlN6vmxkiDY4HxsVS8iaKPZ/s320/michael+and+tony.jpg" width="224" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael Douglas with Tony Piazza (Magic Lantern 21) on the set of "The Streets of San Francisco"</td></tr></tbody></table></div>

Clint Eastwood in Magnum Force (1973)by guest contributor Magic Lantern 21“Good guy…that last one he shot was a good guy!”Eleven words… my claim to celebrity status; my fifteen minutes of fame which if you took a stop watch and measured, would run we…

Day 4, new day, new attitude

7:45 AM Tukiyooo 0

I got home from work last night at 11:30pm. I sat in my car and cried before I came in the house. I do that when I'm mentally and physically past exhaustion. I cry. I couldn't remember the last time I cried. It's been a while. The last time was probably over work too. Seems like it always is about work.<br /><br />I left my phone on my desk last night. I woke up at 4:40am, which is when my phone alarm usually goes off. I thought, well, it'll go off any minute so I should just get up and go to the gym. After only three hours of sleep I rolled over and fell back asleep. The next time I look at the clock it was almost 7am. My husband had left for work, and I didn't hear a thing (and he didn't wake me up!). <br /><br />My first thought was "Oh shit! Dave is going to be furious at me." Dave is a guy that sits on the other side of the wall of my cubicle. He comes in at 5:30am and I don't usually get in until 9am. The last time this happened he had to listen to the alarm for about three hours. He didn't know how to turn it off. He told me he didn't know anything about "these fancy phones". It's just a Blackberry. Nothing special. Poor guy. I felt really bad. I called him this morning and he said it was ringing when he came in but he figured it out. I asked if that meant he'd smashed it against the wall. He said he saw the button to "dismiss". <br /><br />Long story just to tell you I'm skipping the gym today. I've had five back to back, hour plus workouts in the last five days. My body is tired. I think maybe I need a day off. If it's not raining at noon I'll walk, but it's looking pretty dismal outside right now. <br /><br />About my new attitude. My last several posts seem to have had a negative tone. I don't like that about myself.<br /><br />Today I woke up (the second time) feeling great. I read a few really inspiring blogs this morning, <a href="http://doingaone-eighty.blogspot.com/">Helen</a> and <a href="http://almostgastricbypass.blogspot.com/">Allan</a>. They both made me realize I need to cut the bullshit and really get on with my weight loss. I mean, I ate M&Ms last night? What the hell was that about? I ate 20 total but I hardly ever eat candy. It's the first time I ate out of the candy bowl at work. Of course it was late and I was starving and I can make up all kinds of stupid excuses. Like I said, I need to cut the bullshit. <br /><br />It's off to work now. I think if it is raining at noon I'll head down to our little workout room at work. It's really a tiny little room with some exercise bikes and weights and a few other oddball pieces of exercise equipment. It's enough to get in a light 30-minute workout. New day, new attitude and no excuses.

Day 4, new day, new attitude

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Why I Am Going To The Philippines

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Day 4, new day, new attitude

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