I love disaster films.  I must have an inner desire to see the Earth pulverized or mankind snuffed into extinction by a  biological plague.  Maybe the dogs and cats can do a better job at managing the environment than we have.  There are literally thousands of movies out there that could be classified as “disaster movies”  In coming up with my list, I gravitated to movies that in my opinion  had attention holding story lines as compared to movies that were simply built around disaster special effects.  I tried to include movies from a wide variety a genres such as zombies, historical events, aliens and natural disasters. The minimum requirement was that a large group of people had to have been killed off.  While large is a relative term, I took the pornography approach.  I know it when I see it.  Some notable disaster flicks did not make my list. These include Armageddon, The Day After Tomorrow and The Core.  I viewed these as having no semi-believable story line or simply special effect excuse for movies.  Since it impossible to suspend disbelief in a Zombie movie(unless you believe in Zombies) I only included  Zombie movies that attempted to address underlying social issues. This left out Night Of The Living Dead type movies. I also did not include some of the original disaster genre flicks such as Earthquake and The Towering Inferno. While these were ground breakers for their time I do not consider them particularly good movies.  I also did not include made for television movies which would leave out the very good Testament and  The Day After.  These are intended to be nothing more than my personal choices, feel free to comment with yours and why.

1. Deep Impact.   Full of cliches.  Standard disaster story line.  I don’t care.  This is my favorite disaster movie. The scene where the tidal wave strikes New York City still gives me chills. I think I enjoy it so much because it is rated one of the more scientifically accurate natural disaster movies.  For me a great disaster film is one that does not have to suspend reality too much.

Memorable Quote: “We get hit all the time by rocks and meteors some of them the size of cars, some no bigger than your hand, but the comet we discovered is the size of New York City, from the north end of Central Park to the Battery, about 7 miles long. It weighs 500 billion tons”

2.The Poseidon Adventure. I am talking about the original and not the crappy remake. The Poseidon Adventure is considered the father of epic disaster films. I remember seeing it with my parents at a theater that no longer exists in Pittsburgh, Pa. I cried when the priest played by Gene Hackman died at the end saving the lone surviving group of passengers. The pre-digital era special effects of the wave hitting the SS Poseidon is laughable by today standards. Looking at it today you can tell it is pretty much a model boat in a bathtub. It  does not matter.  The Poseidon Adventure is a disaster film from a long gone era where the story line and not the special effects defined the movie.

Memorable Quote:  “They’re suppositories Mr Rogo. You don’t swallow them.”

3.The Ten Commandments The movie that defined Charlton Heston as Moses. How can I not include a movie where the 1st born of Egypt are killed and the Pharaoh’s army is wiped out in the Red Sea. Anyone who has taken the Hollywood Universal Studios tour got to see how they actually parted the waters. Quite impressive for its day. Once again I prefer the films where the production actually tells a story versus being a vehicle for special effects.

Memorable Quote: “You will be mine, like my dog, or my horse, or my falcon, except that I shall love you more - and trust you less.”

4. Titanic The one and only time any of us guys can say we went to a Chick-Flick Disaster Movie and not be talking about simply it simply being a disaster that we were dragged kicking and screaming to a  chick snoozer.  This far and away beats out its terrible chick- flick disaster competitor, Armageddon.

Memorable Quote: ” Do you know of Dr. Freud, Mr. Ismay? His ideas about the male preoccupation with size might be of particular interest to you.”

5. Planet Of The Apes The Charlton Heston original and not the terrible Mark Wahlberg career damaging remake. What makes this one of the great disaster movies of all time is that you do not realize it is a disaster movie until the final chilling Statute Of Liberty scene which many sites have rated one of the greatest endings of all time.

Memorable Quote: “ Get Your Stinking Paws Off Me You Damm Dirty Ape!”

6. The Omega Man Another Charlton Heston flick that is an adaption of the 1954 novel ” I am Legend.” Most are familiar with the visually better but storyline and politically inferior 2007 remake starring Will Smith. The Omega man in my opinion is better because it take a much more introspective look at the dangers of biochemical warfare and the dangers of technology. It does much more with the story and relies much less on special effects as you would expect from of movie of that era. If you have seen  the Will Smith I Am Legend, give the Omega Man a look and compare for yourself.

Memorable Quote: “You know the old song? If you were the only girl in the world, and I was the only boy, well, okay, but until then, don’t bother me? Well, I guess I’m the only boy…”

7. 28 Days Later The U.K version of I Am Legend done with much more style, story and suspense. With all respect to George Romero and his Night Of The Living Dead franchise, this and the sequel 28 days later are two of the best zombie holocaust movies of all time. Great use made of the en vogue, “fast cut” zombie carnage that you see in most horror films now.

Memorable Quote: “Plans are pointless. Staying alive is as good as it gets.”

8. Fail-Safe One of the most unique and riveting disaster movies of its day.  At the height of the cold war with the Soviet Union the Unite States military protocols break down resulting in the dropping of an atomic bomb on Moscow. In order to prevent all out nuclear war, the President Of The United States played by Henry Fonda agrees to the unthinkable.

Memorable Quote:  ” I’ve been making a few rough calculations on the effect of two twenty megaton bombs dropped on New York City in the middle of a normal workday…”

9.Independance Day The dialogue and acting are so campy you are not sure whether this is a disaster flick or parody of a disaster flick ala Mars Attacks. The special effects however are spectacular. This one gets on the list for the destruction of the White House. See it in Blu-ray if you have a compatible blu-ray  player and television.  Boomer Boomer!

Memorable Quote: “If you’re so smart, tell me something, how come you go to M.I.T. for 8 years to become a cable repairman?”

10. The Andromeda Strain A meteorite strike brings an alien virus to earth wiping out a town.  Scientists must work to find a cure before the virus destroys mankind. Great performance by Arthur Hill.  Watch this instead of the dialogue idiotic Dustin Hoffman remake Outbreak.

Memorable Quote: “….the aircraft and pilot’ll have to be sterilized”

11. War Of The Worlds The original adaption of the Orson Wells radio broadcast of the alien invasion that panicked the world.  Much superior to the Tom Cruise remake which  in my opinion is unwatchable save the first 20 minutes of the movie.

Memorable Quote”  “After all that men could do had failed, the Martians were destroyed and humanity was saved by the littlest things, which God, in His wisdom, had put upon this Earth.”

Before the ADL and JIDF put a hit out on me, I am Jewish.  I know for a fact that I can’t play basketball.  You could make good money by wagering that I could not hold a dribble from one end of the court to the other completely unguarded.   If I told any team that I was not going to play on the Sabbath, the laughing wouldn’t stop until sundown of that next Friday.  Is this the Jewish curse?  If there were basketball courts in the time of Moses would we have been doomed to play hoops for 40 years rather than wander through the desert?  Would Rameses have said “not only will I not let your people go but you can’t drive to the hoop?”

There are many of the Jewish faith who play basketball.  Local Jewish Community Center and and B’nai Brith leagues are full of great “J Hopes”.  While I know we are certainly represented in European basketball the pickings are slim here in the USA.  Are there any Jews even currently playing in the NBA? (David Stern and Mark Cuban don’t count). I did some research and I was able to find the following Jews currently playing in the NBA:

Jordan Farmer of the Los Angeles Lakers.  Jordon played just over 20 minutes a game last year averaging 9.1 ppg.  Not to bad for a tribal representative.  He however will not be getting any  simchas for his 3 point shot or lackluster free throw percentage.  A little Kabbalah string serenity may help on the line or in the alternative an affair with Madonna. In fairness to the Jordan and the other chosen, there are noteworthy  Jewish NBA ballers going back through history.  It appears however that we are much more adept at owning sports franchises than playing for them.

You are not going to see too many conservative or orthodox Jews playing in professional sports.  If the guy sucks it’s no big deal but if he is any good and observant, he is not going to be that amenable to helping the team out from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday.  Moral of story.  If you are going to recruit a Jew, be sure he/she is a reform or have your designated gentile for play those big Sabbath games.

It is actually not all that uncommon to read about Jews missing big weekend games due to observance of the Sabbath.  Now and then there is controversy. You have the competing interests of the schools, fans, teammates all of which put an enormous amount of pressure on those with strong religious convictions.   There was a recent controversy involving a Jewish high school basketball team who refused to play  a championship game on the Sabbath. The Herzl/Rocky Mountain Hebrew Academy team ultimately never had to face the religous dilemma. They fell one win short of qualifying for the championship game. The governing body had however already ruled against them so they would have forfeited the game had they advanced.

I actually found just this subject discussed on the website ABOUT.COM. The question was whether Conservative Jews can participate in sports on the Sabbath. Here was the answer give by Rabbi Barry Dove Lerner:

“Thanks for writing. First, I encourage you to speak with your Rabbi about this matter and other matters of Jewish law.

Please understand that I share your own sense of the importance of sports. In high school and college I participated in sports and I am still - to the best of my knowledge - the only Rabbi ordained in North America to have held a national championship and record in a NCAA sport - archery! And I taught archery at Camps Ramah for seven years to literally hundreds of campers of all ages. I encourage the children to both get involved with their school teams AND to respect Jewish holidays and Shabbat. So I share your enthusiasm for the self-discipline, the physical fitness, etc. that sports participation can bring one..

However, please understand that Conservative Judaism as such will not invalidate Shabbat and Jewish law simply to facilitate our wants and desires. Family activities are wonderful, but I would start now to begin to offer alternatives before the real confrontation between parents and children might arise. Lastly, once again, turn to your Rabbi for advice and guidance on what is and what is not appropriate for your children within the community programs.”

Ah yes, that is the ticket to the future for all Jewish athletes. ARCHERY!  There is your answer.  Excel in archery and the Sabbath is yours!  You can pretty much put an arrow in something any day of the week so why sweat the weekend.  He talks about offering alternatives to your children. The next Jewish Pele? 

As The Good Book Says… ” Tis better to own to than to dribble”

I think I need to pull out my Fiddler On The Roof DVD to get some guidance from Tevye on this.

SO LET IT BE WRITTEN, SO LET IT BE DONE!

The other night I attended the Austin, Texas premier of the  film Johnny Got His Gun.   It was a special event for me as a percentage of the gross proceeds from the Paramount Theater premiere and all future showings of the film are going to the Fallen Patriot Fund of which I am the Executive Director.  The Fallen Patriot Fund was established by the Mark Cuban Foundation to help the families of U.S. military personnel who were killed or seriously wounded in Operation Iraqi Freedom.  Financial resources are vital to enhancing the sustainability of the family unit who has suffered a loss because their loved one sacrificed himself/herself for freedom.  The fund has distributed over 3.5 million dollars to eligible soldiers and families in need since the beginning of the Iraqi conflict.

Johnny Got His Gun was written in 1938 by by  novelist and screenwriter Dalton Trumbo. It revolves around the character of Joe Bonham, a young soldier serving in World War I.  Joe awakes in a hospital bed after being hit by a mortar shell. He gradually realizes that he has lost all of his mobility and his senses except for touch. He has lost his arms, legs, eyes, nose, ears, tongue, both jaws and all of his face. He has lost all but his mind and the ability to tap his head on his pillow in Morse code to communicate.

Johnny Got His Gun was first brought to film in 1971.  It starred Timothy Bottoms as  Joe Bonham.  It was nominated for a Golden Globe.

The remake unlike the original is done as a monologue.  It stars Austin native Ben McKenzie as Joe Bohham.  He handles the dificulty of portraying the character and the difficulties of a monologue with ease.  Despite being a one man show he really does draw you into the other characters who he senses around him and dreams of in his past.  I highly reccomend this fllm if it comes to your area.  Please visit the  movie web site to learn more about the movie and upcoming openings.

How often can someone claim that they changed the way we view the world.  Deborah Fidel and the Zionist Organization of American (ZOA) can do just that.  They took the  battlefield against  Internet media giant Google against the backdrop of the on-going border conflict between Palestine and Israel.

Google Earth is a virtual globe.  It maps the earth by the superimposition of images obtained from satellite imagery, aerial photography and other sources.  It allows a user to pick almost any place on earth and zoom in on many different levels.  One feature of Google Earth allows users to create “layers” - overlays of data, photos, political concerns, environment data, etc. - on the basic map.  This allows as user to add subjective interpretation and opinion on numerous aspects of a particular town, city or other location and post it on “Google Globe”  This can be particularly thorny when a user posts information that goes to the very core of a global border dispute such as the one between Israel and Palestine.

The  conflict began when a guy by the name of Thameen Darby, inserted notations on the Google Earth map(see below)  stating that the Israeli city of Kiryat Yam had been built on the location of the displaced Arab town of Ghawarina.  If you look at the Google Earth map as it existed after the notations you will see the city of “Arab Ghawarina” including the following flag notation:

“This is one of the Palestinian localities evacuated and destroyed after the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. For basic information about this locality, including brief history, the 1948 events, its current status, pictures and statistics, visit: www.palestineremembered.com.”

This did not go over well with the town of  Kiryat Yam.  It is a blue collar town trying to become a preferred resort destination.  Having an Arab city with such an inflammatory notation overlayed on a map viewed by millions was not going help the cause.  It was their position that even from a historical context the placement and notation were false.  They claimed the area in which the city is located was barren dessert prior to its inception and that  Jews settled it well before the establishment of the State of Israel.  Darby stated that he was placing the notations to give historical context allowing displaced Palestinians to understand their heritage.

Officials of Kiryat Yam made repeated demand on Google to remove the alleged erroneous information from the map.  Google earth responded that it was its policy not to remove user-generated content unless the content was illegal.  The town and the historical notations would stay.  Kiryat Yam responded that the false placement of the town and the false historical statement may in fact be a violation of Israeli law. The town threatened to sue Google for misrepresentation under Israeli law.  Google refused to budge and made the following statements:

“Both Israeli and Palestinian perspectives are posted on the map of Israel, and there are other places of controversy in the world map besides the Middle East”‘

“While we recognize that some may find the user generated content objectionable, we are careful to balance the integrity of an open forum with the legal requirements of local governments. It looks as though this particular user-contributed annotation does not breach our Terms and Conditions nor is it in any way illegal. The Google Earth community layer is a place where people can tag their knowledge or opinions of a location. Their comments are clearly indicated with the ‘I’ icon and this layer can easily be switched on and off.  We believe the majority of people use the community positively to share their expertise and experiences…

The ZOA position was that Google Earth by allowing the placement of “Arab Ghawarina” to stay was engaging in a process of allowing the borders of Israel to be distorted.  It was also creating revisionist history to the benefit of Palestine by creating a “Google Global” perception that Israel is in the wrong in the on-going border dispute.  The ZOA press release states:

On July 15, 2008, the ZOA sent a letter to Dr. Eric Schmidt, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Google Inc. (Google), with copies to Sergey Brin and Larry Page, Google’s Co-Founders criticizing Google for knowingly permitting Google Earth to:

“become a vehicle for promoting false and demonizing political propaganda about Jews and Israel.”

In the end the ZOA prevailed.  Google agreed to remove the offending layer and historical notation. If you now input the town of Ghawarina into Google Earth you will be taken to the layer of “Not Arab Ghawarina”. The flag notation now reads:

“The 1880 Palestine Exploration Fund map designates a region by this name east of Acre. This area is populated with Israeli Arabs. The map does not have any towns here.“

I had the opportunity to interview Deborah Fidel of the Pittsburgh Branch of the ZOA.  She was actively involved in convincing Google to remove the remove the town as well as the historical flag in question.  Deborah had this to say:

“I saw the problem; we wrote a letter to Google CEO signed by Mort Klein(pres) and Susan Tuchman, Esq., director of our Center for Law and Justice saying that the site was misleading users into thinking that they information they see is endorsed by Google, when it is user generated.  We demanded a disclaimer at the least, and a change in the system whereby some posts gain more prominence than others by virtue of their technical ‘elegance’ without any regard to accuracy or reliability.  Apparently, they were convinced.  ZOA changed the way 400 million people see Israel - literally! “

Dr. Andre Oboler is a  post-doctoral fellow in the political science department at Bar-Ilan University and Legacy Heritage Fellow at the NGO Monitor watchdog group. He stated:

“Israel is being specifically targeted. No one else is running a campaign against a country like this… Google needs to review their policy for the community content layer, perhaps dividing it up or further restricting it to content about current significant locations and landmarks”

In the end has anything really changed?  Should the notation have been allowed to stay?  The dispute underlays a larger issue. When someone looks at a map does that person automatically assume anything information contained within the map to be accurate and objectively researched?  If the answer is yes, maybe Google does have a larger responsibility than they profess with regards to the method and type of user data  uploaded to Google Earth.