WHY VENEZUELA MATTERS

Despite the meager coverage in the U.S. and the over concentration on the Ukraine, what happens in Venezuela matters immensely so it should at least receive the same coverage.  Why?  Because Venezuela was once a beacon  of hope, wealth and prosperity in South America.  Colombians, Bolivians, Peruvians and anyone who wanted to better their lot in life, would immigrate to Venezuela -where if you were willing to leave your family and struggle for a better life, you would get a job and prosper - you would send money to support your children - you would end the cycle of despair and poverty that permeated life in poorer countries.  It was once, simply put, the United States of South America.  Sure there was also a cycle of poverty and injustice there is as well, as there is everywhere else because we don't live in a perfect world, but there was at least a middle class.  Now thanks to the communist regime of Maduro disguised as socialism, the country is in complete and utter chaos.  This unfortunate change started in 2007 with Chavez but it has really gone haywire with Maduro, who is an incompetent buffoon who has no idea how to lead a nation and will only resort to more brutality, unfounded accusations and insults to defend his disastrous administration.  But a country that has suffered for more than a decade now has finally had enough and must follow through what it started.  They must get rid of this administration once and for all, no matter what the cost.  They must face the bullets, cannons and dynamite that this coward is going to throw at them without let up, because only then will Venezuela have a chance to resurrect its shattered economy and morale once again.  If they don't fight to the death now, if they give in to the crack down, Maduro will be relentless in his punishment and all will be lost.  Venezuelans are fiercely patriotic and that love must prevail as they sacrifice their lives so that Venezuela can stand tall again.  Don't give up comrades.  Get Maduro out.  My thoughts and prayers are with you.

The Tragic Finale of a One of Our Greatest Actors

When I first heard the news this afternoon, I felt like someone punched me in the heart.  I felt the loss of a beloved family member.  The news simply took my breath away and all I could think to say was "No, it can't be him.  Please don't let it be him."  He was so young and he had so much more to give to the world that I know all of us who loved him feel cheated and devastated right now.  I didn't know he struggled with drug addiction.  I don't follow Entertainment Tonight, I don't always watch Sixty Minutes and I don't read gossipy magazines, all I knew is that I simply adored him.  When he was on the screen he stole the show no matter how big or small the part.  He was simply the greatest.  There was such humanity, such sensitivity in his performances that you couldn't help but love him.  He left a great legacy and he shall live forever in his movies.  Let's not dwell now on the seamy details of his death, let's give him back his dignity.  It's the least we could do after all he gave us.

MAXIMILIAN THE GREAT

A great actor has died.  Maximilian Schell gave us many memorable performances but I'll always remember him by his tortured, electrifying performance as a ruthless leader possessed by his vision of a New Russia in the amazing miniseries Peter the Great.  He embodied the part of Peter the Great so completely that even when he had to torture his own son to death to achieve his vision, you couldn't dislike him.  You felt sorry for him and the dream that drove him to murder thousands including his own offspring in the process.  He played a man of destiny with such force and magnetism that he was mesmerizing.  He gave us many other brilliant performances including the one that won him the Oscar below, but my personal favorite will always be Peter the Great.   He plunged to the depths of darkness in that role and although the critics may not agree, it was in my opinion one of his greatest performances.






He had true artistry in his genes so he was a man of destiny like his subject.  His sister, the lovely Maria Schell with the tender smile was also a wonderful actress although she never achieved his level of genius or acclaim.  Rest in peace Maximilian the Great.  We shall remember you.

The Killing of an Angel

Monica Speer was a woman of substance.  A beauty with a heart of gold who used the short time she was here on this earth to do good, to shine a spotlight on special children.  While others attended the red carpet with their dates, she showed up with handicapped children, brightening their days and raising our consciousness.  Why was she murdered?  Because she loved her country, that's why.  Because the stubborn streak in her wouldn't let her admit that her beloved Venezuela had become one of the most violent countries in the world, that's why.  And this was a long time coming.  I was there many years ago, before Chavez took over and I remember innocently walking with my daughter in Caracas one beautiful, sunny morning when a taxi cab stopped me and said, "What are you doing walking here Miss, don't you hear the bullets?"  I froze.  "Those are bullets?" I asked.  "I thought they were firecrackers.  I thought they were celebrating something?"  He explained that they were gang members killing each other, right in the center of Caracas and that I had to get out of there fast.  He offered to become our guide and he showed me the Caracas of his dreams.  I was there for seven days and he would pick me up every morning and after a hearty breakfast of Arepas and coffee, we would explore his beloved Venezuela.  He was wonderful and very proud of his country, despite the ravages the criminals were already inflicting on it.  At the end of the tour he told me to pray for Venezuela.  He had a foreboding of what was to come and was deeply concerned.  Now that the country  has become a real nightmare to live in, I wonder what's happened to him.  I pray he didn't become a victim himself.  But I'm afraid he has.  He made a living out of tourism and tourism is all but dead in Venezuela.  Who wants to go into the lion's den?

Perhaps Monica and her ex husband had to die in such a horrific fashion to bring the politicians to their senses.  Perhaps the outrage and public mourning of their killing, will force them to finally deal with those criminals who are now practically controlling the streets of Venezuela.  Their little girl was wounded in the leg and saw her parents murdered right in front of her eyes.  This tragedy will mark her forever.  She's the true victim in all of this.  Her childhood all but ended with those bullets and she will need years of therapy to come to terms with the loss.

A Fast and Furious Life and a Fast and Furious Death

Paul Walker had it all, brains, good looks, lots of talent and a big heart.  He should have had a charmed life and I guess for a while he did but his love of velocity cut it short, just as he was getting into the prime of his life.  One can not look at his life without feeling a sense of loss, of waste even.  His heart was always in the right place but his brain wasn't.  He gambled with his life once too often in his short life and one day he lost, as it was almost predicted he would.  He was a thrill seeker who needed that adreline risk the way an alcoholic needs a drink.  People of his nature thrive on risk, love the feeling of aliveness and invencibility risk gives them.  They are the mountain climbers of the world, the car racers of the world, the great explorers of the world.  And most of them die tragically young.  And for what?  For the chance to experience life to the fullest?  There are many ways to experience life to the fullest that doesn't have to involve crazy, excessive risk.  Most of them are fatalists and they will tell you "I could get killed crossing the street, I could get murdered walking out the door", but that's a fallacy.  You don't court death time and time again and expect to live a long life.  It simply doesn't work that way.  One day things will catch up with you and you'll lose your life senselessly, and unlike acting there are no second takes.  He did a lot of good in his short life and there's no telling what else he could have done if he lived a long life, but his infatuation with danger killed him.        The whole thing is incredibly sad and tragic.

Charles Krauthamer - A Life Well Lived

I watched the moving, inspirational Fox special on Charles Krauthammer the other night and walked away admiring him more than ever.  What a man!  What a brain!  What a life!  He went from a vibrant, energetic young man in the spring of his life to a permanent wheelchair due to a tragic accident, but he never stopped living, loving, learning, creating and contributing.  Sure he is was blessed with innate brillance but when the fates turned, he didn't indulge in self pity.  He used that prodigious brain of  his to keep on loving life, to come to terms with his fate in an almost regal manner.  His life isn't easy but he's blessed with amazing fortitude and a loving family.  He's also the most admired man in America for his intellect and substance.  Life is full of ironies and if it wasn't for the accident, his path might have been different and he wouldn't belong to us the way he does now. So that tragic event was our gain.  I hope many people watched it and discovered him, the way I did a long time ago, for this giant of a man has much to teach us.

The Great Gatsby

I watched this movie last night from the comfort of my bed, and was a bit disappointed.  While it was certainly visually beautiful in a campy, grand sort of way, it fell short of expectations.  It simply never came to life.  Most of the characters seemed caricatures of themselves rather than real people, especially Joel Edgerton as the character of Tom Buchanan who was simply too hideous to be believable.  As the main character, Dicaprio tries real hard but he only succeeds in getting on our nerves with the trite expression "old sport" which he uses ad nauseum throughout the entire movie.  Carey Mulligan never demonstrates why she was able to inspire such a lifelong passion on Gatsby.  She seems frightened, out of her element and a little waif in a role that demands "allure and a certain femme fatale" quality.  That said, she looks a lot like Michelle Williams but with none of the depth, radiance and chameleon quality Miss Williams has already shown transforming herself.  Tobbey Maguire as Nick is also a caricature, and I found myself simply enjoying the scenery, the dresses, the sumptuosity of the era and not getting into the story at all.  I'm sure Scott Fitzgerald never intended for that to happen and that's why his novel has stood the test of time.  This movie for all its pretense and arrogance certainly doesn't.