Movies to Watch in Class for Black History Month

on the eve of Black History Month, the Daily Show had their "Senior Black History Month Correspondent" (worst stupidest title ever) Joe Black-guy, come on. The segment wasn't that funny, altho he did make a few great remarks: a month for 28 days of triva for white people; and how there should be a kick-off celebration, "Whitey Gras."

I'd like to do my part and promote movies that could be watch this month in various classrooms across the world.

#1: Some Non-conventional Sidney Poitier movie

We can't just watch A Raisin in the Sun over and over again, the commonfolk must be more exposed to the full catalouge of this man's range. Ok, in Raisin he's not so much an upstanding gentleman that, well, my generation I believe, knows him as - he was just a young dude trying to be the honorable man, but still with flaws a young man would have.

The other day I saw For Love of Ivy(1968) which, to my shock, Sidney had a sex scene in it! I was constantly diverting my eyes(shudder). Besides the sex scene being the most shocking thing, his charecter was an upstanding gentleman that also happened to run an illegal gambling business on the side, and also a self described ladies man.

Altho I haven't seen it, I hear Brother John(1970) is an excellent film too. He's an upstanding fight-for-ur-rights type guy, like a focused part from his charecter in In the Heat of the Night(1967). Let's not see Sidney be an enabler to the white man like he did in The Defiant Ones(1958) let people watch Sidney as you've probably never seen him, hell, even watch one of his Bill Cosby movies like A Piece of the Action(1977).

Heroes pt 1: Cyclops

One of my friends has recently given me a focus by way of her myspce page. She's working on a very heavy theme of villans to display and quote and such, so I'll unknowingly counter and do some of my favorite heroes.

Cyclops

now, with the trilogy of great X-Men films, Cyclops has wrongly become the whiney, least liked leader of the X-Men. He's like the symbol of pitiful mutant, which he should never ever ever be. Here's why Cyke does not suck, and actually, RULES:

• one of the most powerful mutants



Cyclops' power is to shoot a concussive force from his eyes. This power can't be controlled because he hit his head after falling outta a plane as a child (well, recently, its come about that he simply gave up his control whilst a teenager). Either way, because the power can't be controlled, that sorta means there's no limit to it, right? One of my favorite displays of his power came in an issue of Astonishing X-Men, where he blew a sentinel completely away from the woods of the X-mansion, he did say, "Get off my lawn." Cyke rules



• depth of his charecter



and this is why Stan is the man of all comics, he gave Scott Summers such a story, not just him, but a whole lotta other marvel peeps too. Scott Summers has issues! Most rudimentary: he can't look anyone in the eye. That simple flaw in his whole being just gives way to a big pandora's box of what is wrong with him. Stan Lee, has revealed to the masses the negative possibilities when u don't look anyone in ur life in the eye. Scott Summers isn't really a blind man, cos he's able to see, but the effects of him not plainly looking back at people: he's detached, has attachment issues, marital problems, over worked, obsessed with his career, blah blah, but all those things make his story so great.



• the cool glasses



throughout his costume history, Cyclops has had pretty weird outfits and matching goggles, but for the most part, they were cool in their own time. He always looks sharp in the shades at nite.

ode to kitty

this is a great frickin year... So far I lost a job that well suited for me(besides the morning commute) amid great horrible drama, and on 6 February 2007 I was forced to put my cat Bookey to sleep. So how am I getitng through this:

#1: blame the animal hospital for causing my present grief and stress.
I noticed he wasn't doing so hot a day or two before, I was even spooning water in his mouth cos Bookey wasn't drinking anything. So I took him to the first vet where she thought she felt a mass in his liver(=possibly/most likely cancer). He was also dehydrated and his body temp was below normal. I'm smart enough to hear that someone's felt a mass somewhere on my cat and know that that can't be good news at all, but, trying to stay behind the gun and not jump in front of it, I asked her what she reccomended.
Of course Bookey was obviously very sick, and she was straight with me, having him put down as a logical option, along with possible places he could be taken to diagnose whatever it is. I really didn't want to write his death sentence without knowing if it was possible he could get better, so I took him somewhere else where they could do a sonogram or x-ray or something.
The next place took him back, without me able t ogo with him, examined him, a doc came back out, and said they would like to check him in immediately cos he was so sick. Then they came out with a "care plan" for him - the bill of how much it would cost for them to figure out what was wrong with him.
Here, is where I start blame... animal care, expectedly, can get very expensive, and Bookey's care plan came to more than $2100, to which the DEPOSIT to start his treatment was $2100. There was no partial payment, lower deposit, nothing really, just give us $2100 now if u want your cat to live.
So, after basically either having the choice of bringing him home and watching him suffer and pass away maybe painfully, or letting him go right then, I got my sis to tell them that he'd be euthanized.

#2: blame the hospital
I was/am having equal trouble with losing one of my cats forever and making a choice to end his life that very day. At the first place I stalled and kept trying to ask in a lot of different ways, what do u reccomend? or what are my options again, cos I didnt want to come to that conclusion, even tho that was always the likely outcome.
And at the second place, I sat with my sister in the lobby trying not to break down in tears because everyone else's pet that was in there was gonna come out again. I was in there for like 30 minutes not saying anything cos I couldn't say in direct words to put him to sleep, or euthanize or anything like that, I mostly just said well I don't have another choice do I?
So, Bookey is gone...

#3: deal with Ashlee
Ashlee is his mother. The mom tragically outlived her son, sad. So far, I've set out the carrier with a blanket they had him on, and the pillow case and a towel around, and the same blankets are on my floor that they always lay on. Somehow it makes sense to leave his scent around as much as possible, I think it'll help, especially once she realizes that he's not coming back.
She came out when I came home that nite, and kinda searched around for him a bit, smelled the carrier a lot. Last nite I noticed she was sleeping in it, the day before she layed on the towel I put by the table. Last nite she also started meowing at nite, kinda the mother cry.
I'm hoping Ashlee can get through this, cos she's old and thin already, at least let the seasons change before I lose her too.