Notes to book 'Amish Home' by Raymond Bial. Photo essay, 1993:

• Amish do not allow themselves to be photographed


• refer to others as the 'English'


• do not have a formal church; gather in each others homes every other Sunday


• buggies and horses


• no televisions, no phones


• originated in Europe, broke away from Catholic church


• broke away from the Mennonites in the late 1600s


• settled in Pennsylvania in the early 1700s


• >100,000 Amish living in 25 states; no Amish remain in Europe


• did not appear overly different from their English neighbors until the early 20th century


• "the old is the best"


• Amish (hook and eyers people) rejected the Mennonites (button people) as too fancy

Snippets:
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DVD: Radio Days (1987). Written and directed by Woody Allen. w/ Mia Farrow. 88 min. Short stories around life in the mid fourties. Funny at times. Lacks the obession of many other Allen movies, which makes this one more palatable. Great music selection. Overall rating: 6 out of 10.
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Video: La Reine Margot ('Queen Margot', 1994). Directed by Patrice Chéreau. w/ Isabelle Adjani (Margot), Daniel Auteuil (Henri de Navarre). French with English subtitles. After the historical novel (Marguerite De Valois) by Alexandre Dumas père. Complex story of intrigue and assassinations in order to gain political power during the 1570s in France. The Catholic Margot, daughter of Catherine de Medici, is married to the Protestant Huguenot Henri of Navarre in an effort to bring peace to a religiously divided country. Catherine also schemes to bring about the notorious St. Bartholomew's Day massacre of 1572, killing thousands of Protestants. Great costumes; movie gives a good feel for the times. Overall rating: 6 out of 10.
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Celebrities: Letizia, Princess of Asturias: Letizia de Borbón, née Ortiz Rocasolano, the wife of Felipe, Prince of Asturias, the heir presumptive to the Spanish throne. Before her marriage, she was an award-winning journalist and television presenter for CNN and TVE.
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Life: Article on Front Page of the New York Times, May 6, 2005: 'Time travelers to Meet in Not Too Distant Future'. Students at the Massachsetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) have organized a convention for time travelers in the hope that someone from the future will attend and bring some information to cure AIDS or cancer, have a solution for global poverty, or a cold fusion reactor. The event is potluck and alcohol-free. Neat idea for a party, and now time travelers who go backwards in time know where to go!
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Video: Camill Claudel (1989). 159 min (USA cut version) w/ Isabelle Adjani, Gerard Depardieu. Biography. Sculptor Claudel becomes Auguste Rodin's inspiration and lover. His indecisivenes between her and another woman causes the break. Claudel then longs for recognition independently of Rodin, but madness catches up with her. Dramatic. Great acting by Adjani (numinated for Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role). Watch her transformation! Film is a bit lengthy though. Overall rating: 6 out of 10.
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Web: Photoblogs.org
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Video: Charlie's Angels (2000). 98 min. w/ Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu, Bill Murray. Directed by McG. Not much better than the sequel. Little story. Some good special effects. Eye candy. Overall rating: 3 out of 10.
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Summary of Karen Salmansohn's (somewhat risky & overly simplistic) 'The Road to Success' (AM New York, April 25, 2005, p. 20):

• You're nobody until someone hates you. Don't be afraid to face what you face when you contradict the status quo.


• Purposely cold-call your boss at night, when he/she is in the office.


• FREE is the most powerful word in the marketer's vocabulary.


• Ask yourself: If you weren't afraid of failing what would you do?


• Do something that people say is crazy. If people say something is good, then someone else is already doing it.


• Think grandiose thoughts about what you deserve in your career life.


• If you can't stand out, don't do it.


• Word of mouth is better than big advertisement.


• There's a difference between risk and stupidity.


• Talk to strangers. Start friendly conversations often and everywhere.


• Regularly reinvent, restructure and reassess.


• Don't hear 'no', hear a slooow 'yes'.


• Get over your fear of trying.

Snippets:
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DVD: A Room With A View (1985). w/ Helena Bonham Carter (Lucy Honeychurch), Daniel Day-Lewis (Cecil Vyse), Maggie Smith (Charlotte Bartlett), Julian Sands (George Emerson). Directed by James Ivory (Jefferson in Paris, The Remains of the Day, Howards End). After the novel by E.M. Forster. Set between Florence, Italy, and England in the early 1900's, a story of a young woman in her struggle between an acceptable Victorian life and uninhibited passion. Great acting by Helena Bonham Carter (Big fish). Overall rating: 7 our of 10. More info on the book at GradeSaver.
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Literature: ClassicNotes by GradeSaver. Free novel guides with full summaries and analysis. Written and compiled by Harvard essayists.
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Literature: Jesus von Texas (in German). Radio drama prduced by WDR Koeln (2004). Directed by Martin Zylka. After the book 'Vernon God Little' by DBC Pierre ('dirty but clean Peter', pseudonym for Peter Warren Finnlay), surprise winner of the 2003 Man Booker Prize. Pierre's debut novel. 15-year old teenager is the prime suspect in a school shooting in a small town in Texas. Parodic version of modern American culture.
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DVD: Road to Perdition (2002). w/ Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Tyler Hoechlin. Directed by Sam Mendes. In the Chicago of 1931, son of a hit man Michael Sullivan witnesses his father's work. After Sullivans wife and other son are murdered in error, his only aim is to avenge the killings. Concurrently, the relationship between father and son develops. Good acting by Hanks and Newman, but the story is pretty lame and predictable. Overall rating 4 out of 10.
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Event: Hoboken, Spring Art & Music Festival. Sunday, May 1, 2005: 11am to 6pm. Concert: 4:45pm to 6:00pm: Herman's Hermits featuring Peter Noone. 60s Brit-Pop. Played hits like 'No milk Today', 'I'm Henry the Eighth, I Am', 'Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter', and 'There's a Kind of Hush All Over the World'. Good entertainment, despite the dust it collects.
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Maps: TerraServer USA: Topographic maps and some aerial views. Google Maps: Maps and corresponsing satellite views. Easy to navigate by 'dragging' the picture with the mouse.
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