u/161719 Explains the harmful effects of government surveillance and dispels the "i have nothing to hide" argument. (np.reddit.com)

From Reddit I live in a country generally assumed to be a dictatorship. One of the Arab spring countries. I have lived through curfews and have seen the outcomes of the sort of surveillance now being revealed in the US. People here talking about curfews aren't realizing what that actually FEELS like. It isn't about having to go inside, and the practicality of that. It's about creating the feeling that everyone, everything is watching. A few points: 1) the purpose of this surveillance from the governments point of view is to control enemies of the state. Not terrorists. People who are coalescing around ideas that would destabilize the status quo. These could be religious ideas. These could be groups like anon who are too good with tech for the governments liking. It makes it very easy to know who these people are. It also makes it very simple to control these people. Lets say you are a college student and you get in with some people who want to stop farming practices that hurt animals. So you make a plan and go to protest these practices. You get there, and wow, the protest is huge. You never expected this, you were just goofing off. Well now everyone who was there is suspect. Even though you technically had the right to protest, you're now considered a dangerous person. With this tech in place, the government doesn't have to put you in jail. They can do something more sinister. They can just email you a sexy picture you took with a girlfriend. Or they can email you a note saying that they can prove your dad is cheating on his taxes. Or they can threaten to get your dad fired. All you have to do, the email says, is help them catch your friends in the group. You have to report back every week, or you dad might lose his job. So you do. You turn in your friends and even though they try to keep meetings off grid, you're reporting on them to protect your dad. 2) Let's say number one goes on. The country is a weird place now. Really weird. Pretty soon, a movement springs up like occupy, except its bigger this time. People are really serious, and they are saying they want a government without this power. I guess people are realizing that it is a serious deal. You see on the news that tear gas was fired. Your friend calls you, frantic. They're shooting people. Oh my god. you never signed up for this. You say, fuck it. My dad might lose his job but I won't be responsible for anyone dying. That's going too far. You refuse to report anymore. You just stop going to meetings. You stay at home, and try not to watch the news. Three days later, police come to your door and arrest you. They confiscate your computer and phones, and they beat you up a bit. No one can help you so they all just sit quietly. They know if they say anything they're next. This happened in the country I live in. It is not a joke. 3) Its hard to say how long you were in there. What you saw was horrible. Most of the time, you only heard screams. People begging to be killed. Noises you've never heard before. You, you were lucky. You got kicked every day when they threw your moldy food at you, but no one shocked you. No one used sexual violence on you, at least that you remember. There were some times they gave you pills, and you can't say for sure what happened then. To be honest, sometimes the pills were the best part of your day, because at least then you didn't feel anything. You have scars on you from the way you were treated. You learn in prison that torture is now common. But everyone who uploads videos or pictures of this torture is labeled a leaker. Its considered a threat to national security. Pretty soon, a cut you got on your leg is looking really bad. You think it's infected. There were no doctors in prison, and it was so overcrowded, who knows what got in the cut. You go to the doctor, but he refuses to see you. He knows if he does the government can see the records that he treated you. Even you calling his office prompts a visit from the local police. You decide to go home and see your parents. Maybe they can help. This leg is getting really bad. You get to their house. They aren't home. You can't reach them no matter how hard you try. A neighbor pulls you aside, and he quickly tells you they were arrested three weeks ago and haven't been seen since. You vaguely remember mentioning to them on the phone you were going to that protest. Even your little brother isn't there. 4) Is this even really happening? You look at the news. Sports scores. Celebrity news. It's like nothing is wrong. What the hell is going on? A stranger smirks at you reading the paper. You lose it. You shout at him "fuck you dude what are you laughing at can't you see I've got a fucking wound on my leg?" "Sorry," he says. "I just didn't know anyone read the news anymore." There haven't been any real journalists for months. They're all in jail. Everyone walking around is scared. They can't talk to anyone else because they don't know who is reporting for the government. Hell, at one time YOU were reporting for the government. Maybe they just want their kid to get through school. Maybe they want to keep their job. Maybe they're sick and want to be able to visit the doctor. It's always a simple reason. Good people always do bad things for simple reasons. You want to protest. You want your family back. You need help for your leg. This is way beyond anything you ever wanted. It started because you just wanted to see fair treatment in farms. Now you're basically considered a terrorist, and everyone around you might be reporting on you. You definitely can't use a phone or email. You can't get a job. You can't even trust people face to face anymore. On every corner, there are people with guns. They are as scared as you are. They just don't want to lose their jobs. They don't want to be labeled as traitors. This all happened in the country where I live. You want to know why revolutions happen? Because little by little by little things get worse and worse. But this thing that is happening now is big. This is the key ingredient. This allows them to know everything they need to know to accomplish the above. The fact that they are doing it is proof that they are the sort of people who might use it in the way I described. In the country I live in, they also claimed it was for the safety of the people. Same in Soviet Russia. Same in East Germany. In fact, that is always the excuse that is used to surveil everyone. But it has never ONCE proven to be the reality. Maybe Obama won't do it. Maybe the next guy won't, or the one after him. Maybe this story isn't about you. Maybe it happens 10 or 20 years from now, when a big war is happening, or after another big attack. Maybe it's about your daughter or your son. We just don't know yet. But what we do know is that right now, in this moment we have a choice. Are we okay with this, or not? Do we want this power to exist, or not? You know for me, the reason I'm upset is that I grew up in school saying the pledge of allegiance. I was taught that the United States meant "liberty and justice for all." You get older, you learn that in this country we define that phrase based on the constitution. That's what tells us what liberty is and what justice is. Well, the government just violated that ideal. So if they aren't standing for liberty and justice anymore, what are they standing for? Safety? Ask yourself a question. In the story I told above, does anyone sound safe? I didn't make anything up. These things happened to people I know. We used to think it couldn't happen in America. But guess what? It's starting to happen. I actually get really upset when people say "I don't have anything to hide. Let them read everything." People saying that have no idea what they are bringing down on their own heads. They are naive, and we need to listen to people in other countries who are clearly telling us that this is a horrible horrible sign and it is time to stand up and say no.

Racist GOP Senate Candidate: Only White People are ‘Traditional’ Americans (Video) (via Americans Against The Tea Party)

North Carolina State House Speaker Thom Tillis, Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in North Carolina, took the opportunity provided in an interview with the Carolina Business Review to whine about minorities taking over the country. Host Chris William…

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Warren Olin obituary

Warren G. Olin, 92, of Owego, died at his home on June 8, 2014. He is survived by his loving wife of 63 years, Emilia D. Olin; his son, Edward D. Olin; his daughter and son-in-law, Judith L. and Michael J. Sarnoski; and his grandchildren Caitlyn and Michael. Also surviving are his siblings: Glenn R. Olin, Ethel J. Oliver, Ann J. (Richard) Powell, Lois M. (Forrest) Meredith, David E. (Shirley) Olin; several nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, George O. and Leona Ruland Olin, he was predeceased by his sister Vera R. Throop and brother Donald E. Olin.

Warren was a graduate of Harpursville High School Class of 1939 and served in the US Air Force during WWII. As an IBM employee for 38 years, he and Emilia lived in several locations including Poughkeepsie and Endicott before establishing Owego as their permanent home. There, in addition to his employment at IBM, he became a gentleman farmer and an outstanding worker for Tioga County.

Countless volunteer hours were devoted to: The Planning Board, the Historical Society, the Senior Citizens Newsletter (editor), Cooperative Extension (4-H and Family Debt Counseling), and to the Tioga County Bicentennial Celebration. He authored dozens of articles for local newspapers and national magazines and assisted in coordinating and compiling "SEASONS OF CHANGE" for the Tioga County Bicentennial celebration.

Services will be private and held at the convenience of the family. For those who wish, kindly direct memorials to the Tioga County Historical Society in memory of Warren G. Olin. MacPherson Funeral Home, Newark Valley is assisting with arrangements. Condolences and memories may be written in his guest book at macphersonfh.com - See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/pressconnects/obituary.aspx?n=warren-g-olin&pid=171292854&fhid=13299#sthash.FcO2vaF1.dpuf

Buzzfeed descriptions of Superman and Lincoln

Superman: You were the type of cool kid in high school who invited everyone to sit at their lunch table or come to their party, because the idea of shunning people just because they were different than you made absolutely no sense. You’re a natural leader, and you stick to your guns, with the hopes that if you do the right thing, other people will follow.

Lincoln: You certainly don’t give up when times are tough. You are persistent, and that persistence usually pays off. You have a big heart, and an even bigger passion for learning. You may have faced some tough times, but you manage...

Arizona Senate Bill 1062, amending statutes "relating to the free exercise of religion"

SENATE BILL 1062

AN ACT

AMENDING SECTIONS 41‑1493 AND 41‑1493.01, ARIZONA REVISED STATUTES; RELATING TO THE FREE EXERCISE OF RELIGION.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1.  Section 41-1493, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

41-1493.  Definitions

In this article, unless the context otherwise requires:

1.  "Demonstrates" means meets the burdens of going forward with the evidence and of persuasion.

2.  "Exercise of religion" means the PRACTICE OR OBSERVANCE OF RELIGION, INCLUDING THE ability to act or refusal to act in a manner substantially motivated by a religious belief, whether or not the exercise is compulsory or central to a larger system of religious belief.

3.  "Government" includes this state and any agency or political subdivision of this state.

4.  "Nonreligious assembly or institution" includes all membership organizations, theaters, cultural centers, dance halls, fraternal orders, amphitheaters and places of public assembly regardless of size that a government or political subdivision allows to meet in a zoning district by code or ordinance or by practice.

5.  "Person" includes a religious assembly or institution ANY INDIVIDUAL, ASSOCIATION, PARTNERSHIP, CORPORATION, CHURCH, RELIGIOUS ASSEMBLY OR INSTITUTION OR OTHER BUSINESS ORGANIZATION.

6.  "Political subdivision" includes any county, city, including a charter city, town, school district, municipal corporation or special district, any board, commission or agency of a county, city, including a charter city, town, school district, municipal corporation or special district or any other local public agency.

7.  "Religion‑neutral zoning standards":

(a)  Means numerically definable standards such as maximum occupancy codes, height restrictions, setbacks, fire codes, parking space requirements, sewer capacity limitations and traffic congestion limitations.

(b)  Does not include:

(i)  Synergy with uses that a government holds as more desirable.

(ii)  The ability to raise tax revenues.

8.  "Suitable alternate property" means a financially feasible property considering the person's revenue sources and other financial obligations with respect to the person's exercise of religion and with relation to spending that is in the same zoning district or in a contiguous area that the person finds acceptable for conducting the person's religious mission and that is large enough to fully accommodate the current and projected seating capacity requirements of the person in a manner that the person deems suitable for the person's religious mission.

9.  "Unreasonable burden" means that a person is prevented from using the person's property in a manner that the person finds satisfactory to fulfill the person's religious mission.

Sec. 2.  Section 41-1493.01, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

41-1493.01.  Free exercise of religion protected; definition

A.  Free exercise of religion is a fundamental right that applies in this state even if laws, rules or other government actions are facially neutral.

B.  Except as provided in subsection C, government OF THIS SECTION, STATE ACTION shall not substantially burden a person's exercise of religion even if the burden results from a rule of general applicability.

C.  Government STATE ACTION may substantially burden a person's exercise of religion only if it THE GOVERNMENT OR NONGOVERNMENTAL PERSON SEEKING THE ENFORCEMENT OF STATE ACTION demonstrates that application of the burden to the person PERSON'S EXERCISE OF RELIGION IN THIS PARTICULAR INSTANCE is both:

1.  In furtherance of a compelling governmental interest.

2.  The least restrictive means of furthering that compelling governmental interest.

D.  A person whose religious exercise is burdened in violation of this section may assert that violation as a claim or defense in a judicial proceeding, and obtain appropriate relief against a government REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THE GOVERNMENT IS A PARTY TO THE PROCEEDING.

E.  A PERSON THAT ASSERTS A VIOLATION OF THIS SECTION MUST ESTABLISH ALL OF THE FOLLOWING:

1.  THAT THE PERSON'S ACTION OR REFUSAL TO ACT IS MOTIVATED BY A RELIGIOUS BELIEF.

2.  THAT THE PERSON'S RELIGIOUS BELIEF IS SINCERELY HELD.

3.  THAT THE STATE ACTION SUBSTANTIALLY BURDENS THE EXERCISE OF THE PERSON'S RELIGIOUS BELIEFS.

F.  THE PERSON ASSERTING A CLAIM OR DEFENSE UNDER SUBSECTION D OF THIS SECTION MAY OBTAIN INJUNCTIVE AND DECLARATORY RELIEF.  A party who prevails in any action to enforce this article against a government shall recover attorney fees and costs.

E.  G.  In FOR THE PURPOSES OF this section, the term substantially burden is intended solely to ensure that this article is not triggered by trivial, technical or de minimis infractions.

H.  FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION, "STATE ACTION" MEANS ANY ACTION, EXCEPT FOR THE REQUIREMENTS PRESCRIBED BY SECTION 41-1493.04, BY THE GOVERNMENT OR THE IMPLEMENTATION OR APPLICATION OF ANY LAW, INCLUDING STATE AND LOCAL LAWS, ORDINANCES, RULES, REGULATIONS AND POLICIES, WHETHER STATUTORY OR OTHERWISE, AND WHETHER THE IMPLEMENTATION OR APPLICATION IS MADE BY THE GOVERNMENT OR NONGOVERNMENTAL PERSONS.

Anna's middle name is Green, by Broome Spiro

Posted on Broome Spiro's Facebook page:
Anna's middle name is Green. But of course there is a story, I love stories and everything should have one. So here is the story of Anna's middle name. When I was in my second year of law school Penny came to work at the library. I used to hang out in the "employee" part of the library and met her and we became friends. Penny was married and I was living with someone and we did a few things as couples, but mainly Penny was a "friend" that I only saw at work.
My relationship floundered about a year later and about three months later Penny moved out of their apartment after 12 years of marriage. I had no idea that they were having any problems and it was quite a shock.
After about 10 weeks I decided to ask her on a date (scary, because trying to make something more out of a decent friendship is scary) Anyway I was just about to start a new job, I was going to law school, working at Prisoners Legal Services and I got a job working at a comic book store. The day I was supposed to start, the Bread and Puppet Theater (http://breadandpuppet.org/) was giving a free lunchtime performance.
I was supposed to start work at 11am and the performance was at noon for an hour and I wanted to invite Penny to see them as a first date, not as a friend.
I went to my new boss, Roger

Arlo Guthrie on Pete Seeger, January 28, 2014

I usually do a little meditation and prayer every night before I go to sleep - Just part of the routine. Last night, I decided to go visit Pete Seeger for a while, just to spend a little time together, it was around 9 PM. So I was sitting in my home in Florida, having a lovely chat with Pete, who was in a hospital in New York City. That's the great thing about thoughts and prayers- You can go or be anywhere. I simply wanted him to know that I loved him dearly, like a father in some ways, a mentor in others and just as a dear friend a lot of the time. I'd grown up that way - loving the Seegers - Pete & Toshi and all their family. I let him know I was having trouble writing his obituary (as I'd been asked) but it seemed just so silly and I couldn't think of anything that didn't sound trite or plain stupid. "They'll say something appropriate in the news," we agreed. We laughed, we talked, and I took my leave about 9:30 last night. "Arlo" he said, sounding just like the man I've known all of my life, "I guess I'll see ya later." I've always loved the rising and falling inflections in his voice. "Pete," I said. "I guess we will." I turned off the light and closed my eyes and fell asleep until very early this morning, about 3 AM when the texts and phone calls started coming in from friends telling me Pete had passed away. "Well, of course he passed away!" I'm telling everyone this morning. "But that doesn't mean he's gone."

Roger Green Damn well ought to write this note so I can Burn what I have written.

Roger Green Damn well ought to write this note so I can Burn what I have written. Or why are the Beatles Important? by Walter Broome Spiro

I have a friend, born in 1973, who just wrote a number of reviews of Beatle records:

HIS FIRST REVIEW WAS FOR "BEATLES FOR SALE"

The popularity and importance of the Beatles, as opposed to any other mid-century performer, has always bewildered me. I've tried many of the albums, and come up short of an impression each time. This one caught my eye mainly because of it's unfamiliarity. I've also been meaning to try one of the remasters, to see if there's something in the sound that I'm not getting.

This is definitely one of the best sounding albums I've listened to lately. I'll chalk that up to the already deified George Martin. But really, I've never heard so much attention and work spent on something so mediocre.

There are a few great songs on here, all of them Lennon/McCartney originals. I Don't Want To Spoil The Party, in particular, surprised me. The vocals aren't even as bad as they would later become. The only really cringe-worthy moments come when the boys try to harmonize, which only accents their nasal tone. Also, I hear an out-of-tune guitar every now and then, but that may be an intentional attempt to play "bent" blues notes.

What brings this album down for me are all the covers. They just sound like a bunch of guys sitting around playing their favorite songs. Which is all right, but nothing I'd want to put on repeat. Covering other performers also highlights their position as vocal imitators more than singers. I can't imagine anyone picking these versions of Kansas City or Rock and Roll Music as improving on earlier versions.

As a final note, I was surprised to hear Every Little Thing, having become accustomed to the Yes version. It holds up as an original song, but it will forever sound weaker to me somehow in comparison to Yes' prog rock bombast.

HIS TAKE ON "A HARD DAY'S NIGHT"

All right, I liked this one, but Revolver and Magical Mystery Tour are both pretty godawful.

I'm finding that most of their albums have one or two really good songs, some filler and three or four travesties. "Doctor Robert" sounds to my ears as just lazy songwriting wrapped around a in-joke. "And Your Bird Can Sing," however has been one of the highlights of my trip to the library's B section.

HIS TAKE ON "MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR"

I thought this would be the Beatles' album I would enjoy the most, instead it's turned out to be the biggest disappointment. Perhaps this is a part of becoming an older, more experienced listener. Songs like Strawberry Fields Forever, after becoming familiar, sound very adolescent. The mood this album exudes is that of a teen-ager who has just discovered "alternative" voices to those they have grown up with. Of course, the mistake that follows is the assumption that the rest of the world is ignorant of these points of view, rather than just disinterested. So, we end up with the standard rock'n'roll need to shout out bad poetry.

As always, the production on this album is stellar. Penny Lane's almost monotone melody is rescued by the outside musicians brought in to add layers to the song. All You Need Is Love moves up to a brilliant crescendo that makes up for any lack of content (and the mocking trumpets are a bit creepy.) And of course I Am the Walrus is a triumph of studio work; without the production crew this would be an embarrassing proto-rap chant.

The real surprise for me was Flying. What a wonderful instrumental! It expresses the theme of a "magical mystery tour" much better than the schmaltzy McCartney-isms or detached Lennon-esque lyrics elsewhere. And let's not get into Blue Jay Way. I never thought George Harrison would let me down.

I would add that Ringo is the real hero of this album. I keep going back to the great drum fills and interesting time changes.

MY RESPONSE IS BELOW, but I really wish Roger O. Green would write something about this topic so I could erase and delete and burn the travesty that I have written

R------------, I am going to give you my conclusion first and that might save you some time. You can decide I am a pompous windbag and not read any further.

Kim is right that you were born too late to really appreciate them, although I would place it at 20 years too late rather than 10.

I noticed that you appeared to be a classical music fan and that you were happy about RYM's new system so you could separate out the original tenor notations from the modern baritone thereby putting the music in context.

You have to place the Beatles within the context of the times to see why they and their music are so important.

The context of the Beatles music is that they existed at a pivotal time in our modern culture and the evolution of popular music. Some say they directly led the way in both and others say that they merely became the face of the change. Whichever it is (or more likely a combination of the two) they are linked to changes in content (there is the story of how they met Dylan and asked him why he didn't use electric instruments and Dylan said why don't you actually say something in your music? So Dylan goes electric and the Beatles started saying something), recording techniques, fashion, hairstyles, introduction of different instruments (sitar) and cultural elements (meditation and more). AND the big thing is that this all happened incredibly quickly.

The Beatles 1st album (Please Please Me) is released on February 11. 1963 and their 6th album (Rubber Soul) is released on December 3, 1965. That's 6 albums in 35 months. In 1965 They had 5 #1 hits on the charts for 12 weeks. Rubber Soul is considered to be the big changeover from the earlier type of rock to what we consider the rock of the 60's. The were a big F---king deal. There were a couple of constants in the 60's: The Vietnam War at 7pm and 11pm every night listing the number of Vietcong killed and the number of Americans killed, The Ed Sullivan Show, Walter Cronkite and The Beatles.

Here is the chart for 1965. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Billboard_Hot_100_number-one_singles_of_1965

By the way none of these songs are from Rubber Soul, but it does give you a glimpse of the beginning of the evolution of rock.

The Wikipedia article on them is not horrible a short explanation of the Beatles and is worth a look see. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles

I have a friend who is a humongous Springsteen fan. When Springsteen did the Seeger Project albums and showed his respect to Pete Seeger, Brian ran out and bought some Pete Seeger. He came in the next day and gave me the CDs and said "This stuff is crap. Here take these." Now Brian loved the Springsteen albums, but didn't like the music that inspired them. That's ok, but it doesn't make Seeger's work any less.

I dunno crap about whether the original tenor parts or the modern baritone ones are better. Chances are that some folks prefer one over the other and that some folks like both because they can appreciate them within the context of the whole.

I dunno if the Beatles did it best or even did it first, but what they did was memorable, at the time and even now, 50 years later.

David Meerse

Dr. David E. Meerse of Albany joined the Church Triumphant on Thursday, September 26, 2013. He is survived by his wife, Clancy Cherry Meerse; two children, daughter, Katherine (David Woodard) of St.Paul Minn and son, John (Stephanie) and granddaughter, Lily Katherine of Simsbury CT. Dr. Meerse loved the Lord Jesus Christ, his family, and the Presbyterian Church in which he served faithfully. He was a thoughtful man with a wonderful laugh and a keen sense of humor. He was born and raised in Ogallala, Neb. His parents were Minnie Wehling Meerse and Adrian J. Meerse. He received his bachelor's degree from Doane College in 1961, master's degree at the University of Illinois in 1964, and his Ph.D. in 1969. His teaching and research were in the Civil War and Reconstruction era, specifically, the effort to make Kansas a slave state, 1854-1858. Dr. Meerse’s articles have appeared in Civil War History, and the Journals of the Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Kansas Historical Societies. He taught at the State University College at Fredonia, New York, from 1966 until 1986, serving as history department chairperson for six years. He was ordained an elder at First Presbyterian Church, Fredonia, New York, in 1968, served as a member of the Presbytery of Western New York’s Budget Committee, Presbytery Council, and was moderator of the Presbytery, 1983-84. David was a commissioner to the reunion General Assembly in Atlanta in 1983. He served as a member and chairperson of the Synod of the Northeast’s Finance Committee, and on its General Council. In 1986 he accepted the call to serve as the Stated Clerk of New York City Presbytery, the first elder to hold that position in the 250-year history of that Presbytery. He also served as the Stated Clerk of two Synods, Northeast and Trinity. At the General Assembly level, he served six years on the Advisory Committee on the Constitution and was Interim Manager of Judicial Process for the Office of the Stated Clerk in 2002. In 1987, he began service as an interim presbytery executive, and served in that capacity in four different presbyteries: Lake Erie, Muskingum Valley, John Calvin, and Missouri Union. David served as Stated Clerk of Heartland Presbytery (MO) in 2011 and 2012, before coming to serve as Stated Clerk of the Synod of the Northeast. David Meerse cherished his wife, his family, especially his granddaughter, Lily Katherine, and his two cats. Music was very important in his life. He enjoyed all forms of classical music--live performances, recordings, and radio productions. He worked in both college and community theater. He remained an active scholar in his research interest, and maintained membership in a number of professional historical associations. As a result of being selected as a Guthrie Fellow by Columbia Theological Seminary, he researched the transmission and utilization of Presbyterian polity to the American colonies in the late 17th-early 18th centuries. For relaxation he also did counted cross-stitch of Victorian painted ladies. David was a member at Central Presbyterian Church in Kansas City Missouri and an affiliate member at First Presbyterian in Albany. A Witness to the Resurrection Service will be held at the First Presbyterian Church, 362 State Street, Albany NY on Wednesday, October 9, 2013 at 1 o’clock, the Rev. Glenn D. Leupold officiating. A private family funeral event will take place at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Presbyterian Historical Society at 425 Lombard St., Philadelphia PA., 19147, or the First Presbyterian Church for music ministry.

2013-14 NBC BROADCAST SCHEDULE for Figure Skating

From HERE 2013-14 NBC BROADCAST SCHEDULE - Schedule subject to change - All times Eastern - Check local listings - Does not include coverage of 2014 Olympic Winter Games - Source: http://www.usfsa.org/content/FactSheet.pdf (p. 7) 2013 ISU GRAND PRIX OF FIGURE SKATING SERIES - 2013 Hilton HHonors Skate America Oct. 20, 2013 4-6 p.m. NBC (LIVE) - Skate Canada Oct. 27, 2013 4-6 p.m. NBC - Cup of China Nov. 3, 2013 1:30-3:30 p.m. NBC - NHK Trophy (Japan) Nov. 10, 2013 1:30-3:30 p.m. NBC - Trophée Eric Bompard (France) Nov. 17, 2013 4:30-6 p.m. NBC - Rostelecom Cup (Russia) Nov. 24, 2013 2-4 p.m. NBC - Grand Prix Final (Fukuoka, Japan) Dec. 8, 2013 Noon-2 p.m. NBC 2014 PRUDENTIAL U.S. FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS - Jan. 11, 2014 3-6 p.m. NBC (LIVE) - Jan. 11, 2014 8-11 p.m. NBC (LIVE) [caveat: USFS announcement as of Jan 2013 had said 9-11 pm http://www.usfsa.org/Story.asp?id=48904&type=media] - Jan. 12, 2014 4-6 p.m. NBC (LIVE) 2014 Smucker’s Skating Spectacular - Jan. 18, 2014 4–6 p.m. ET NBC 2014 European Championships - Jan. 19, 2014 4–6 p.m. ET NBC 2014 Four Continents Championships - Feb. 1, 2014 4:30–6 p.m. ET NBC 2014 World Championships - April 13, 2014 3–6 p.m. ET NBC Disson Skating Series on NBC (check local listings) All times are ET. - Sunday, Nov. 24, 4-6 p.m. Musselman's Apple Sauce Family Skating Tribute - Sunday, Dec. 1, 4-6 p.m. Pandora Unforgettable Holiday Moments on Ice - Sunday, Jan. 5, 1-3 p.m. Progressive Skating & Gymnastics Spectacular - Saturday, Feb. 1, 2:30-4:30 p.m. P&G & Walmart Tribute to American Legends of the Ice Source: http://usfsa.org/Story.asp?id=49482&type=media (Sep 13) See Disson Skating website for lists of cast members. ALSO: ESPN documentary on Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan - Tue, Nov 5, 2013, 8 pm ET http://www.goldenskate.com/forum/sho...res-Nov-5-2013 http://espnmediazone.com/us/press-re...documentaries/

Irene F. Jackson obituary

Jackson, Irene F. SLINGERLANDS Irene Fretz Jackson passed away on Wednesday, April 10, 2013. Born and raised in central New York (Morrisville), Irene and her husband Bob settled in Albany in 1950, and to their home in Loudonville in 1954. Irene was a resident of Loudonville for over 50 years and was remembered for her captivating smile and personality. She cared for her home and family, raised two boys, and was active in the First Presbyterian Church where she sang in the church choir for 57 years. Several of those years were as a soprano soloist as well as being lead in several local musical productions. Also associated with the church, she was active in social justice causes and spearheaded the development of a facility for women alcoholics in the Capital District. Irene is survived by her husband of 67 years, Bob Jackson; her son, Todd; daughter-in-law, Cindy and granddaughter, Nicole. She was predeceased by her son, Jay, age 57, in 2007. A memorial service is planned for Saturday, June 1, 11 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Albany. Irene's life passions included the church and music. In lieu of flowers, Irene would have appreciated memorial contributions to one's own church or music program, or to First Presbyterian Church located at 362 State St., Albany, NY 12210. To leave a special message online for the family, visit NewcomerAlbany.com

The horror

English

Carolyn Garvin obit

DELMAR - Carolyn H. Garvin, beloved mother, grandmother and sister, passed away peacefully on Saturday, December 29, 2012 at Our Lady of Mercy Life Center. Born in Arlington Heights, Mass., she was the fourth of six children of the late E. Weston Hulse and Jessie Shumaker Hulse of Binghamton. She is predeceased by her sister, Dorothy E. Parr (John) of Camp Hill, Pa.; her brother-in-law, Eugene Meyer of Maple Park, Ill., and her daughter, Michele Jean Garvin of Selkirk. She is survived by her husband, the Rev. Robert Merrill Garvin, Ph.D., of Albany; her daughter, Christine Marie Flandera of Delmar; her son, Paul Stewart Garvin (Karen) of Springfield, Va.; her grandchildren, Marie Elaine Flandera of Cleveland, Heather Jean Flandera of Schenectady, Shawn Lamont Blue of Delmar and Mason Stewart Garvin, Taylor Glenn Gibson and Katerine Evan Gibson of Springfield; her sisters, Mary L. Drewry (Granger) of San Marcos, Calif., and Charlotte W. Meyer of Maple Park; her brothers, Weston E. Hulse (Barbara) of Roseville, Calif., and Frank R. Hulse (Nancy) of East Wenatchee, Wash.; her close family friends, J. Melvin Bostic and James N. Blue of Delmar; four great-grandsons, and numerous cousins, nephews, nieces and friends in the Capital Region. Carolyn was raised and educated in Binghamton, where she was best known as a tomboy, chasing the neighborhood boys with snakes and outplaying them in baseball, while graduating as valedictorian of Binghamton Central High School in 1947. She received her BS degree in education at Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pa., where she met her husband, Robert M. Garvin. While he pursued a divinity degree, Carolyn taught fourth grade in Tenafly, N.J. After leaving New York City, she filled the role of co-director of a migrant labor camp in King Ferry, N.Y. They moved to Albany when Robert was given an associate pastor role at the First Presbyterian Church and she filled the role as a minister's wife, being especially active with the youth ministry. In the turbulent 60s, she was very active in the Civil Rights movement. At this time, she also helped start the Montessori School of Albany and filled the role of executive director of Planned Parenthood of Albany, where she provided counseling and support to young women and their families. After spending many years raising a family, she yearned to get back to her passion of helping the underprivileged, so she got her master's degree in social work at SUNY Albany and re-entered the workforce. After rewarding internships at the Berkshire Center for Families and Children in Pittsfield, Mass. and the psychiatric in-patient unit at Albany Medical Center, Carolyn spent several years as the director of the Kairos Center for Care and Counseling in Albany, where she provided counseling services for individuals, couples and families. She ended her professional career as a social worker with the Eleanor Roosevelt Developmental Services in Albany, where she provided exhaustive care and support to the mentally challenged and their families. Concurrently, she provided supervision for case managers at the O.D. Heck Developmental Center in Albany. She has been a member of First Presbyterian Church of Albany for many years and has acted both as elder and deacon several times over the years, where she was able to provide community outreach and act as ombudsman for the elderly. She loved gardening, raised several cats and their litters over the decades and could be seen walking her dog, Frodo, throughout the streets of Delmar in the 90s. She was a frequent visitor of the trails at Five Rivers Environmental Education Center. Carolyn also traveled extensively, spending a year in Asia in 1970, summers at Lake George and Cape Cod and participating in several elder-hostel adventures. Relatives and friends are invited to her funeral service at 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon, January 5, 2013 at the First Presbyterian Church, corner of Willett and State streets in Albany. Friends are invited to her calling hours Friday from 3 to 7 p.m. at the funeral home. Interment will be in Bethlehem Cemetery in the spring. The family has requested that those who wish to make memorial contributions in her name do so to either the Alzheimer's Association (alz.org) or Habitat for Humanity (habitat.org). See website.

Cancer Sucks

Durkot, Mary (Hrywnak) - obituary

Binghamton: Mary (Hrywnak) Durkot, 92, of Binghamton, died Sunday morning, July 1, 2012. A lifelong Binghamton resident, she was the beloved wife of the late John Durkot, sister to the late William, Anna, Susan and Helen, and mother-in-law to the late Dennis Sterzin. She was the proud mother of William Durkot and his wife, Donna of Binghamton; Nadine and her husband, Joseph Wozniak of Baltimore, MD; Elanie Sterzin of Lexington, MA and Karen Durkot of Brooklyn, NY.

Mary delighted in her grandchildren, Larissa (Wozniak) and her husband, Douglas Selby, Timothy Wozniak, John Durkot, Thomas Durkot and his wife, Barbara, Emily (Sterzin) and her husband, Timothy Hughes, and Timothy and Alexander Sterzin. Her greatest joy came from watching her great-grandchildren, Emma Selby and Carson, Braeleigh and Brielle Durkot grow. She is also survived by a sister-in-law, Anna Hrywnak, and many nieces and nephews.

Mary was a lifelong member of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary Russian Orthodox Church, which she supported in ways big and small. She will be remembered for her indomitable spirit, her inspiring strength and courage, her wit, and her pockets full of jelly beans and M&M's.

Funeral services will be held Friday 9:15 a.m. at the Chopyak-Scheider Funeral Home, 326 Prospect Street, Binghamton and 10 a.m. at Dormition of the Virgin Mary Russian Orthodox Church, 54 Baxter Street, Binghamton. The Very Rev. Protopresbyter James Dutko will officiate. Burial will be in the parish cemetery. Rev. Dutko will conduct a prayer service Thursday 6:30 p.m. at the Chopyak-Scheider Funeral Home where the family will receive friends Thursday 4-7 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Mary's memory to either the Dormition of the Virgin Mary Russian Orthodox Church Roof Fund or the Susquehanna Nursing Home Patient's Activity Fund. Please light a virtual candle in remembrance of Mary and sign her guestbook at www: Chopyak-Scheider.com

Andy Rooney by Steve Webb

In late 1983, in a funk for a lot of reasons, my anti-authoritarian streak kicked in when assigned as the Knick's TV person to get Albany Christmas memories from famous people. I truly hated that kind of story back then when others did them, and stupidly considered myself too good to do one myself. The obvious celebrities were Ted Knight, William DeVane and possibly Tim Hutton if he ever Christmasted with his grandparents. I started calling around, but thought more about taking aanother direction. I called Andy Rooney.

I wasn't really a fan. When CBS replaced Point / Counterpoint as the tag for 60 minutes, I pretty much agreed it had run its course. Jack Kilpatrick and Shana Alexander just flat weren't as interesting as Kilpatrick and Nick von Hoffman had been, and to say it had become a parody of itself ignores that Saturday Night Live beat it to the punch. The last one, if I remember, involved the "issue" of trial marriage and the two forcedly taking the opposite positions you would have expected them to. I digress. When Rooney's short essays began as its replacement, I had roughly the same attitude I had when Hee Haw replaced the Smothers Brothers comedy Hour. Carlin did the schtick better. Rooney seemed to just whine about trivialities. Another case of television news replacing content with a kind of ambiance.

Over time I realized I liked Rooney's voice because I'd known it as Harry Reasoner's voice. That when my dad was a faithful viewer of Reasoner's stint anchoring CBS's star-crossed morning newscast in the early 60s, that the persona he (and be extension I) was buying into was the affinity Reasoner had with his writer, Rooney. This made me more likely to watch Rooney's bits and read his newspaper column, but it was still way outside what I tended to enjoy in either television or op-ed commentary.

But Andy Rooney was a celebrity only because his name was identifiable. He didn’t have anything to sell and had no real stake in what I’d write. If he cared about his image, I wasn’t really aware of it. The ex-Albany person, of course, I really wanted as a Watergate junkie was E. Howard Hunt, but I’d turned up dry getting a phone number in the city I’d figured out he lived in at the time. I called Rooney at his office in CBS, calling a news dept flak first to make sure I wasn’t violating some protocoly thing.

He was perfect. No, he said. “I get asked all the time to remember something about Christmas. What was your favorite Christmas? What do you like to eat for dessert for Christmas? What’s the perfect Christmas present? I never answer any of those things.” A year earlier, I had roughly the same conversation only not about Christmas with Steve Ditko, making an obligatory attempt to see if he would break a 20-year-andd-counting silence on co-creating and drawing and writing Spider-Man for an article I was doing for the Fantaco Chronicles. Rooney was more pleasant. Ditko was more polite. This time, I pressed on. I mentioned it was Bill Dowd’s assignment, and that I wanted to fulfill it differently than simply having network TV stars. It was my impression that Bill had arranged for the edit page to run Rooney’s column, both because Bill truly loved television and because – yes – Rooney was a local made good. Mind you, I wanted to include the rejection. This was Andy Rooney being Andy Rooney, a curmugeon, a guy intent on keeping himself private except of course when he parades his junk mail and various drug store purchases in front of the camera speaking to a camera at his working desk.

He relented a little. I have no memory of what he remembered about Christmas in Albany. I would imagine, if I had had the sense at 30 to have thought to bring the possibility up, that he was telling me that for the time when his parents were living and maybe for a few years after that, Christmas in Albany was going home. I don’t think he specifically mentioned 1946, when he returned from WW2, but he might have.

I thanked him. Out of the blue, he asked, “You talking to Hunt?” Man, I’d love to, but I’ve had no luck finding him. I mentioned calling the south Florida city’s directory assistance. The conversation ended.

About 20 minutes later, someone at the city desk called across the room – entertainment was at the opposite corner of the newsroom – “Webb? You at 5488? Call for you.” I said I was. A few seconds later my extension rang. The voice didn’t identify itself, but it was clearly Andy Rooney. “There’s as an ear, nose and throat specialist named Theodore Brandow with an office on Madison. If you call him in five minutes, he will give you Hunt’s unlisted number.” Click.

It turns out that Andy Rooney, Teddy Brandow and Howard Hunt were pretty much like James, Sirius and Remus as students at the Albany Academy. Thick as thieves, a touch on the mischievous side. Brandow described some of this, and told me a trick: Get your unlisted number in your wife’s maiden name and the operator won’t even confirm you have an unlisted number. Good trick for keeping people unaware of even what city you live in. Spies, and of course Hunt had spent 22 years in the CIA before going to work for Nixon, do this all the time.

Anyway, Hunt was great too. It was one of my favorite interviews from doing personality features. He very much focused on 1946, on spending the previous two years doing OSS work on the China mainland when Christmas meant nothing and dinner meant some rice and if you were lucky a shoe. And what a pleasure it was to see the pristine snow. He said pristine, yes. And to put on black tie and have dinner at the Fort Orange club. He described a couple of aromas as a novelist would, and of course Hunt wrote a bunch of novels.

Anyway, Rooney brought that about and it was a nice thing to do. He clearly guarded that he was a very nice person, and I’m sure he wasn’t always very nice. He clearly had the same capacity for being rude to strangers as his one-time colleague in CBS’s record division, Bob Dylan, had when he interrupted someone who said “You don’t know me but” to him with “Let’s keep it that way.” Not only, though, was that a nice thing to do, but it also spawned two stories – the one that ran Christmas eve 1983 in the Knick and this one.

The Electric Norseman by J.A. Fludd

‘Cross the Rainbow Bridge of Asgard,
Where the blooming heavens roar,
You’ll behold in breathless wonder
The God of Thunder, Mighty Thor!
-Theme lyrics from The Mighty Thor on The Marvel Super-Heroes, 1967.



In my fan life, one of the comic books that has brought me the greatest inspiration and pleasure is The Mighty Thor, created in 1962 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and originally running in Journey Into Mystery until that book was retitled for its starring character. Thor is a character with whom some of the best stories you’ll ever read in comics have been done. I get the same flush of excitement remembering them as I get from Stan and Jack’s Fantastic Four.

The length of issues #114 to #136 (in the middle of which the title switch from Journey Into Mystery to Thor took place) is collectively one of my all-time favorite stories. A long narrative made up of many individual adventures, it is about how mighty Thor wants nothing more than to be with Jane Foster, the nurse who works for his mortal alter ego, Dr. Don Blake, and pretty much everything in the universe comes between them, starting with Thor’s father, Odin. (“No son of mine is going to be sleeping with any mortal women. Maybe the Greek gods carry on like that...”) Thor and Jane must get through the Absorbing Man, Loki, the Trial of the Gods, the Norn Stone-empowered Demon, Hercules, Pluto and the Netherworld, Tana Nile and the Colonizers of Rigel, Ego the Living Planet, the High Evolutionary and the New-Men, and the maddening menace of the Man-Beast before Odin finally says, “Okay, son, bring the chick home and let’s see what kind of goddess she’ll make.” (Not in those words, of course.) Thor brings Jane to Asgard, and Jane, being a pre-feminist comic book woman, can’t handle godhood at all and must be sent back to Earth with amnesia, to marry a mortal doctor not unlike Don Blake. Thor is anguished, but Odin says, “Listen, son, suck it up. We’ve got the Trolls about to invade us, so think with your other hammer for a change and go out and defend the Realm.” He does, and along the way meets up with his boyhood sweetheart, the stunning Sif (Stan, who liked wordplay, adjectives, and alliteration, would sometimes use the epithet “stunning” in reference to Sif)--a fearless warrior goddess who was not only easy on the eyes but could probably have beaten up Xena herself. Sif, a much more suitable mate for Thor, became the “official” girlfriend of the book and has mostly remained so ever since.

It wasn’t so long ago that Thor, who had been the pride of Marvel Comics, fell on hard times. Fans were ignoring him. His stories grew tedious. His book was cancelled and revived. Fans ignored him again and his book was cancelled again. In Avengers/JLA, the breathtaking miniseries in which the Avengers met, battled, and teamed up with DC’s Justice League of America, Superman--who is known to be unable to overcome magic--was permitted to push back Thor’s hammer (which is enchanted by no less than a mythological godhead)--and punch him out! And when the US Post Office issued a set of stamps commemorating the heroes of Marvel Comics, Thor was not among them. Spider-Woman and Elektra were immortalized on stamps, but not the immortal of Asgard who is among the characters who built the company! The Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Captain America, Iron Man, Sub-Mariner, the Hulk, even the damn Wolverine got stamps, but not the God of Thunder! I found that insulting: Spider-Woman and Elektra, for crying out loud, but not Thor! What a burn! What a rip-off!

Lately, no doubt because of the movie just released a couple of days ago, Thor has experienced one of the biggest turnarounds ever seen in comics. Not long ago I went on my weekly trip to the comic shop and counted off every comic book I could see that either starred or featured old Goldilocks. My tally came to about a dozen; Thor is everywhere! His current series--in which the hammer tosser and his entire cast have been redesigned and Asgard now floats over a plain in Oklahoma instead of lying at the far end of Bifrost, the Rainbow Bridge--is a best-seller. Thor books are all over the shelves. The God of Thunder, so recently ignored and disrespected in spite of his place in comics history, is getting back what’s his, and it’s a gratifying thing to see.

Which brings us to the movie. Wow--what a movie. Thor is just about everything that all the Superman movies should have been. Seriously.


Director Kenneth Branagh may have a background in Shakespeare, but you’d think he was channeling the spirit of Jack Kirby himself to make this picture. Not that it’s a direct adaptation of the original comics (that was never going to happen, so I’m not even going to bother kvetching about it), but the pure feeling of what Jack did with Stan is there. Much has been changed. This did not occur to me until I was actually sitting in the cinema watching the first act of the film, but a key character is completely missing and not even mentioned at all. Where in the heck is Balder? I can’t believe they would leave him out; Balder is Thor’s best friend, the person or god that Thor trusts the most. The handsomest and most noble of the gods after the Son of Odin (Jack Kirby made him so sexy that evil Karnilla, Queen of the Norns, spent a years-long subplot trying to get Balder into bed), Balder is one of Marvel’s most stalwart supporting players. He doesn’t seem to exist in this movie. It wound up not detracting from the film overall, but I missed him. A lot.

Other things are different too. Jane Foster here is not a nurse and is no part of the medical profession at all, though her ex-lover who figures tangentially into the story turns out to be (wait for it) a physician named Donald Blake. (In the comics, Jane eventually grew a backbone and became an MD. At one time she was even the on-call physician for the Avengers!) This Jane is an astrophysicist who studies wormholes and is thus better prepared to deal with hunks who come falling off Rainbow Bridges than Stan and Jack’s character was. Though we’re missing Balder, Thor’s entourage of other gods is present. The stunning Sif and Fandral the Dashing are much as we know them from the comic books. The voluminous Volstagg has most of the mirth but not quite as much girth as in the source material. But in what I’m sure is a nod to multiculturalism and marketing, Heimdall, the Guardian of Bifrost, is black and Hogun the Grim is a beardless Asian! Yes, a race of gods worshipped by the thoroughly white Vikings somehow includes an African and an Asian! (You could probably argue that these are not the gods that the Vikings worshipped but the beings whom the Vikings apprehended as gods, so they didn’t really all have to be white. Being a classic Marvel Comics purist, I could go into a rant about this, but some of you have heard or read my rants and I won’t put you through another; besides, I like this movie too much to get angry about it. It bothers me, but not to the point of anger.)

Bifrost in the movie is pretty dazzling, but is not exactly a “Rainbow” Bridge. On close inspection it seems to be made up of billions of little rainbows, laid out like gleaming brick and mortar, which was an interesting choice, to say the least. As for the way this Rainbow Bridge works, it’s a part of the movie that seems pretty familiar if you’ve ever seen a certain science fiction movie and TV franchise. Let’s just say that whenever they were using Bifrost I kept expecting Richard Dean Anderson and Michael Shanks to show up. They didn’t, but I would not have been surprised.

Oh, and you have to pay close attention to the scenes in the New Mexico town where much of the terrestrial business of the film takes place. There’s a travel billboard that carries the slogan, “Journey Into Mystery.” No kidding, watch for this.

Now, as for the principals of our story, there’s Jane, played by lovely Natalie Portman, making her second claim on a big-budget imaginative movie franchise. (To Star Wars fans she is, of course, the dauntless but doomed Padme Amidala, beloved of Anakin Skywalker and mother of Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa.) And then there are the big three: Odin, Loki, and mighty Thor himself. I’ve seldom seen a more eminently watchable trio in any film. This is especially true of Chris Hemsworth as Thor, but I’ll come to him in a moment.

The film’s Loki is very different from the character that Stan and Jack originated in the comics. For one thing, as played by Tom Hiddleston, he is vastly better looking than the actual comics character. You know the old saying, from another mythology, that “the Devil has the power to assume a pleasing shape?” That’s Hiddleston as Loki. He’s also not as demonstratively evil as the comics character. He’s much more subtle and manipulative, maneuvering people (starting with his brother Thor) into doing what he wants by speaking softly and saying exactly the right thing at the right time, not unlike the mythical Serpent in Eden. That makes it much more effective when his true evil does come exploding out, when he discovers the truth about his parentage (parents, always level with your adopted children) and he turns on Odin, steals the throne, and becomes a physical adversary for Thor. In the comic books I never really felt any sympathy for Loki, who seemed driven purely by envy (“Dad likes you best!”) and the desire for power. In the film, I actually did pick up on his feelings of hurt and betrayal by his loved ones. This is written, and Hiddleston plays it, with great skill, and helps make Loki one of the most satisfying comics-to-movies bad guys.

Anthony Hopkins plays Odin the All-Father, and makes the perfect regal presence (there’s that Shakespearean background working.) He juggles Odin’s three roles--father, king, and omnipotent deity--pretty much effortlessly and is convincing at all of them. HIs love of his two boys, his wrath and disappointment when Thor screws up and Odin de-powers him and exiles him on Earth (right out of the comics), his heartbreak over Loki, all are spot-on. And in yet another nod to the comics, his sorrow about Loki even sends him into the Odinsleep! (Every so often, the comic-book Odin has to take a long, deep nap to replenish his power. The Odinsleep is never, ever good news; you just know that whenever the All-Father goes for his forty winks, Loki will take over Asgard, someone will turn on the Destroyer, someone will let Mangog out, or some other calamity will befall. One story I’ve always wanted to see in the comics is Odin going to sleep and nothing happening! But I’m not holding my breath.)

And finally, there’s the star of our show. Ye gods, is Chris Hemsworth perfect in this role or what? My brother has expressed skepticism about the incredibly hot and strapping young Aussie playing Goldliocks, but I expect Chris Hemsworth to win him over the way Robert Downey Jr. did as Iron Man. You know, Marvel spotted Hemsworth a couple of years ago playing James T. Kirk’s father in the rebooted J.J. Abrams Star Trek movie and immediately collared him for the role of Thor, which was one of their smartest moves. He inhabits this character as Christopher Reeve did Superman. To this point I counted Chris Evans playing the Human Torch in The Fantastic Four as the all-time sexiest movie super-hero, but this summer he has some major competition from Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Ryan Reynolds as the Green Lantern. (Of course, in couple of months we’ll see the formerly “Fantastic” Evans as his second Marvel hero, Captain America, for which this film has a trailer. I’m looking forward to that.)

And it’s not just that young Hemsworth has the right look; his actual performance serves the story to great effect. He is as subtle in his own way as Hiddleston at taking Thor from a brash and conceited character whose actions threaten the realm with war, to someone just as proud but more thoughtful and capable of nobility and sacrifice. He captures Thor’s godly appetites for food, drink, and battle, his gullibility with Loki, his arrogance with the Frost Giants, his remorse over what he thinks is Odin’s death and his part in it, and his growing compassion for mortals and tenderness for Jane, hitting just the right note with each one. Hemsworth’s Thor is every bit the equal of Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man, Chris Evans’s Torch, and Downey Jr.’s Iron Man. The hammer hits true.

While the cinematography in some parts of the movie is a bit too dark and makes the action slightly difficult to follow (especially in the sequences in Jotunheim, the land of the Frost Giants), the set designs and costuming are Oscar-worthy. The Academy will probably snub them, but they’re that good.

One more impressive thing about the film is the menace of the Destroyer, set loose on Earth by Loki to seal the doom of Thor and his friends. For non-comic-book or non-Marvel readers, do you remember the original movie The Day the Earth Stood Still from 1951? The Destroyer is a kind of “Gort” that Odin built to defend Earth against an unnamed future menace. After Stan and Jack parted ways, some years later other talents revealed that the Destroyer was meant to battle the planet-judging Fourth Host of the Celestials from a later Kirby creation, The Eternals. See how all Marvel stories link up? The Destroyer is as awesome and as fearsome as we’d like him to be. I’ll never forget the first time Goldilocks mixed it up with this armored golem; the Destroyer sliced Mjolnir the hammer in two and almost disintegrated Thor! (Issues #119 and #120. This was also the first Odinsleep story--see what I mean?) Odin’s metal monster brings that same deadliness to our film. However, I do have to agree with my friend Martin in Scotland, who points out that the showdown between Thor and the Destroyer is over far too quickly and Thor’s victory is far too facile. I remember another story in which the Destroyer actually lived up to its name and sent our Thunder God to Hela, Goddess of Death! (Thor Vol. 2, #1-3.) The studio may have thought a proper battle with the Destroyer would make the picture too long, but how long is too long with a threat of this magnitude?
Anyway, the absence of Balder and a too-facile smackdown with the Destroyer are the only things holding this picture back from shooting past the first Iron Man film on the Super-Hero Movie Scale. As it is, Thor is probably better than Iron Man 2 and almost as good as Iron Man 1, which makes it one of the very best super-hero movies. And it is in fact the only super-hero movie to date that has left me with the feeling of absolute awe and wonder that so moved and inspired me as a young fan reading the original, classic Marvel comics, which puts it in a class by itself. I look forward to seeing Thor again in The Avengers, but I’m also “breathless,” as the old theme song put it, for another movie just about Thor. I propose an adaptation of the “Thor vs. Hercules” saga from issues #125 to #128! I’d love to see whom they’d cast as Marvel’s Hercules!
I’m still fuming over the whole postage-stamp thing, but I’m so proud of Thor’s mighty comeback and what’s been accomplished with the God of Thunder. Definitely sign me up for the next trip over the Rainbow Bridge. Thor rules!
***
Don't know why I didn't see this coming...

PBS Grimm

And on another topic

Speed Bump Cartoon