I think we're beginning to see the glimmering of a finale in this riveting episode. We start with Tony telling Dr. Melfi that he wants to end his course of therapy - Tony wants to give up what he sees as a crutch and "walk like a man", no longer confiding his problems in a woman. One problem, though, as he explains to Melfi, is his son AJ, whom Tony fears is suicidal over being dumped by Blanca. Tony now feels "trapped here forever" in therapy, and blames AJ's depression on his "same putrid rotten genes" that he inherited from Tony, and he from his dad Johnny.
As for AJ, he's still far from walking like a man. Crippled by rejection, he sinks into a listless routine of TV watching and loss of appetite. Unable to sleep well, he's lost his zest for living. Tony's advice to him, to "get a blowjob" is met with a sarcastic sneer. Going to his own therapist, AJ admits he's contemplated suicide, and is given a scrip for antidepressant drugs. Tony thinks his problem can be solved by going to the Bing and getting drunk with Patsy Parisi's son and his friend. Tony orders AJ to party with the two Jasons. AJ's attempt to walk like a man involve his reluctant participation in the kidnapping and torture of one of the Jasons' frat boy debtors. This may cause problems for Tony if the victim identifies AJ as a participant.
This episode was centered on Christopher and his coming to terms at last with the dangerous toxic world he inhabits. Christopher at last is achieving some wisdom through his hard-won sobriety and participation in AA. He now realizes that for all Tony's words about how Chris is "just like a son" to him, none of the crew are supportive of his efforts to keep clean and sober. Christopher has always placed high importance on status and appearances. Now striving to be a devoted husband and father, he seeks also to please his father-in-law by getting him set up with the stolen power-tools to sell in his hardware store. This is jeopardized by Christopher's erstwhile mentor, Paulie, who sends his guys to boost the tools and cut Chris and his father-in-law out of the deal. Chrissy finds no help in the situation from Tony, and goes into a rage by administering a savage beating to Little Paulie and throwing him from an upper-story window, where he suffers serious back injury. Paulie rages right back, roaring his car into Chris' lawn and tearing up his landscaping. (Did we all notice Paulie running over the wooden duck lawn ornament?) Tony promises Chris he'll talk to Paulie, and a settlement agreement is reached, with Paulie supposedly set to make payments to Chris. To further his point of lack of support for his sobriety, Chris toasts with Paulie and takes a long slug of scotch. Paulie can't keep his trap shut, though, and breaks Chris' balls about his baby daughter. The last straw comes when Paulie says "she'll be working here" - at The Bing, when she's 17. The whole crew laughs at Paulie's joke, but Christopher storms out. He'd already told father-figure Tony that his real father, Dickie Moltisanti, "my dad, your hero, wasn't much more than a fucking junkie." Tony is deeply offended by this comment, but its another way for Chris to "walk like a man." Rejecting Tony, his father Dickie, and Paulie, Christopher's eyes have opened wide. He pays a drunken visit to JT's apartment where he wants to spill his guts. His AA sponsor out of town, Chris wants JT to listen, but JT cuts him off, saying "Chris, you're in the Mafia." Thats too much truth for Chris to face and too much knowledge for JT to have. Chris promptly shoots him in the head, killing him. Its as if he's saying, "you won't tell my story, if anyone tells it, and profits from it, it'll be me." Chris seems set on breaking all ties with The Family, and of all the characters, has perhaps the best chance of doing so, as his Hollywood movie career is underway. If necessary, will Christopher murder Tony? He may, and get speculation going about taking over as boss, only to reject it all and walk away.
Tony had earlier given information to Agents Harris and Goddard about the Arabs. He wanted the info to be "banked as good will" if future legal difficulties with the Feds should arise. Tony would want to be able to "walk like a man" away from charges and imprisonment. Like a made-man, that is. Agent Harris would only say that the info would be put into his file, and considered by a judge.

Tony can and must walk like a man, he has no choice. He's not just a man, he's THE Man; all problems come through him, all bills go to him, all situations involve him.

Paulie may be in jeopardy as it looks like he may be costing Tony more than he's earning. He still doesn't have a "legit" income source, and his temper and loose lips may be his undoing. He's not walking like a man.

AJ is as yet unable to walk like a man.

Christopher is ready to take that walk. He is just about free as a bird, and could be ready to grab his wife and daughter and fly west for good.

Labor Day starts the Holiday Season. Local TV news always has a story about a big Labor Day picnic sponsored by some local union or other, lots of times its Local 5 of the Hotel and Restaurant Employees. Also, shots of typical local folks enjoying their beach barbecues, and interviews with people who arrived at 4 in the morning or slept in their car to stake out a prime spot for the big family get-together. The story must also include footage of homeless people chased from their beach or park hangout by crowds of picnickers. The Labor Day newscast must also feature a 3 to 4 min segment about the Labor Day Telethon for MDA, along with a story about the current state of Jerry Lewis' health. God Bless him, doing the Lord's work, and still one of the funniest guys
ever. LAYYYDEEEEEE!!!!
Next comes Halloween, and one local station always invites viewers to send in pictures of their kids in Halloween costumes. Its always real little kids or babies, look, heres little Blake Shimatsu, in his COW COSTUME, oh my GAWD, David, isn't he ADORABLE! The kid has no idea whats going on, and may be a repeat offender some day, but he sure was cute back then, wasn't he? The news stories must include features about jack-o-lantern safety, use flashlights instead of candles, make sure kids' costumes are visible, adults accompany kids on their trick-or-treating, and make sure to check the candy before eating it, because of course you are a complete and utter imbecile who would never think of doing any of this on your own. Better to bring the kids to some mall which just happens to advertise on the local news so they can get a free small bag of candy corn or a Pixy Stix and Mom can shop. The 10 PM newscast can show adult revelers in their costumes getting drunk and regular chicks who work in dentist's offices and law firms dressed like whores for that one night of the year. Good times.
We're shifting into high holiday gear now, for Thanksgiving, also known as The Day before The Day After Thanksgiving, or Thebusiestshoppingdayoftheyear. Newscasts are now in the business of inducing guilt and creating stress about the joyful holiday season. Do a story about the Butterball Turkey Hotline, give the 800 number, and tell us how many calls were fielded last year, and how many are expected this year, and make sure to mention they'll be open 24 hours right through Thanksgiving. I keep wanting to call them on say, Flag Day, to see if they're up to coping with my turkey emergency even in the off-season. Go heavy on reports about how many calories are in that slice of pumpkin pie and how long you'll have to walk to burn off the calories in a drumstick. Have an "expert" (what would holidays be without "experts"?) on to recommend ways to avoid overeating and tell us to reach for salads (dressing, if you must, on the side only) and drink plenty of water before the meal to avoid eating too much. Warn us in somber tones about the caloric content of alcoholic beverages. This can also be part of an ongoing public service oriented message about drinking and driving, (don't do it) the hazards of overindulging and how common it is over the holidays. (Gee, really?). Cut to commercial for beer or wine. The Thanksgiving newscast wouldn't be complete without a story about scores of good folks volunteering their time to put on a big feed for the less fortunate in the community. Nothing wrong with that, the Bible tells us to feed the hungry. Hey, isn't that Vern from accounting stuffing his face with donated turkey and mashed potatoes? Salad, Vern, salad. Remember?
The most important part of Thanksgiving is the day after, Thebusiestshoppingdayoftheyear. Now they call it Black Friday. That sure sounds cheerful, makes me want to get out there and buy. Stories must include:

Retailers are anxious/optimistic.
Sales are expected to be up/down from last year.
The hot item this year is: __________
These people left the house before the meal had even been fully swallowed and in their stomach in order to stand in line for bargains.
This lady bought _________ and spent ________ but saved __________.

Shopping-related stories will now dominate local TV news through Christmas. Retailers and online merchants will remain anxious/optimistic/pessimistic/gloomy/delusional for the remainder of the season. Ratchet up the reports of police drunk-driving checkpoints, continue to remind viewers that alcohol is dangerous, addictive and fattening.
One thing a little different in Hawaii is the story of the arrival of Christmas trees from the Pacific Northwest. Stories focus on the number of container loads, whether there'll be more trees or fewer available than last year, their cost, and who will be the first locations to sell them. MANDATORY: A feature about alien species and critters that may be found in the trees, how to check for them, their hazards/dangers, and how many loads of trees were rejected for hiding said critters/varmints.
Retailers continue to be nervous/happy/morose/petulant.
Viewers can e-mail pictures of their decorated house, tent, boat, car, private jet. Kinda cool.
I have no idea what happens on local TV news on Christmas Day itself, being absorbed in 24 Hours of A Christmas Story on TBS I think.
The day after Christmas, stories focus on ... SHOPPING!
Thats right, people have to use those gift cards, and do those returns, and take advantage of those after-Christmas sales, gotta buy wrapping paper, lights, decorations, ribbons. It might be Thesecondbusiestshoppingdayoftheyear. Retailers are nervous/happy/sheepish/apopleptic.
Now comes: New Years!!! New Years in Hawaii is unlike anywhere else on Earth. Its all about fireworks and sashimi. Firecrackers are legal, all sorts of fireworks are legal. Aerials are illegal, but widely available nonetheless. You start hearing and seeing pyrotechnic displays all over right after Christmas. People spend upwards of thousands of dollars on fireworks for New Years Eve. I don't, being cheap and all. I'd sooner take a fistful of C-notes and burn them instead, eliminating the noisy and dangerous interim process. But people do. Its crazyinsanenuckinfuts. If you've never seen it, come here for New Years at least once. But leave the dog at home. He won't like it. News stories include lots of items about fireworks gone awry, people blowing their hands apart making homemade bombs, the hazards of smoke, people with asthma being affected, how to avoid it(hint: stay inside, keep windows closed, run the A/C if you have one.)Interview the fire chief. He's against them. Really?
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention - you need a permit at 25 bucks for each 5000 firecrackers you buy. The city sells the permit. The city makes a killing.
Sashimi. Raw fish. High grade Ahi. Or even better, Bluefin Tuna. 30 bucks or more a pound retail. News
stories about sashimi take up a good portion of
local TV news. Availability, price, quality, weather conditions affecting the catch rate. Seems like every year its about 30 bucks a pound for the top-of-the-line ahi. Most people think its worth it to splurge and have it on hand for New Years parties. Very tasty, and if you're Japanese, its basically mandatory. Even if you're not, its pretty much a must-have.
Finish up on local TV news with stories about fires caused by fireworks, fireworks accidents, the ongoing debate about banning fireworks, (proposed annually, never implemented) and police drunk-driving checkpoints. Do a story on hangover cures, and remind viewers that the best way to avoid a hangover is to not drink alcohol, which has a lot of calories anyway, and is dangerous and addictive. And causes drunk-driving accidents. Police are watching out for drunk drivers, you know.
New Years day local TV news stories must include one item about a local Japanese family pounding their own mochi, an annual tradition dating back centuries.
Retailers are anxious/drunk/incinerated.
Cheers and Aloha.

Quake Recap from Hawaii

Yesterday's quake (s) was waaaay scary - and I grew up in
So. Cal so am quite familiar with them, but you never get used to them and I don't know anyone whoever became blase' about them. I had been up for about a half hour and was enjoying my coffee with NFL on TV when the first one came a-rattlin and shakin - and kept going ... and going. Then stopped. "FUCK" I thought - geez that was pretty rugged - strongest I'd felt in 28 yrs in HI. Turned out it was 6.7 (new revised estimate). Then - about 5 min later - HERE IT FUCKING COMES AGAIN!!! and this time it felt STRONGER!!! Jumpin Judas Priest!!! And THIS one seemed to keep going. By this time I could hear people around the neighborhood yelling and shit. Then it all stopped. I jumped on the Internet to find out if it generated a tsunami and tried calling some agencies for info - no phone service and then we lost power. I told my wife "I'm going in to work, we'll have to do emgncy bdcst - " plus I needed to find out if a tsunami was generated - that would be worst case scenario. Luckily there wasn't one. The second quake was located about 4 miles from the epicenter of the first one and it pushed a 5.8 mag. Anyway, Oahu was without pwr the whole day, then pockets began coming on in the afternoon bit by bit and our island was lit up again by late Sun nite. Big Island was hardest hit with structural damage and landslides/rockfalls, busted up and closed roads, etc. Main thing: No loss of life and only minor injuries. People on the Big Island are used to dealing with all kinds of adversity caused by natural events. Oahu folks are more urbanized and it can't be easy going up 30 - plus flights of stairs in a condo. But we made it through, and are counting our blessings. We consider it a dress rehearsal for something - and you know there'll always be something - the next time it occurs. Many thanks to all who have posted their best wishes and concerns - it was really nice to read some of the posts and PM's that came in. Big Mahalos. Also, check out thehawaiichannel.com and honolulustarbulletin.com for pix and more stories. And also - "whew! - glad its over."

Click on the news. Go ahead. Today it'll be about a rainstorm in Florida that the cable outlets seemed to have hoped would destroy vast swaths of the Gulf Coast but somehow didn't measure up. Oh, but there's one down off the West Coast of Mexico thats a MONSTER! Maybe it will get worse and then threaten California!! And there's one in the middle of the Pacific thats a Super Typhoon! And they evacuated Wake Island! 188 people, and we can show file footage of them getting on a C117 cargo plane on Wake Island and getting off the plane in Hawaii and tell you to keep it right here for the latest on this breaking story!

Click again. John Mark Karr has CONFESSED to killing JonBenet Ramsey! He's in THAILAND! And they're gonna fly him back to America and charge him with MURDER!! Never mind that his family members all say he was with them in Georgia at Christmas in 1996, when the killing took place, and may in fact have never set foot in Colorado. Justice will be done at last and JonBenet's father can at last get closure! So he flies business class back to LAX from Bangkok, dining on prawns and pate' on the way, and embellishing his gruesome tale of the heinous deed, that he drugged the tot, and had his nasty way with her, and was with her in the house when she died, but thats okay, because he loved her, LOVED her. Never mind that the autopsy had already long been released, and it showed no trace of drugs in her system. He'll be charged in Colorado, and ... and ... nope. No he won't. No DNA evidence. He made it up. But we had ya goin, didn't we?
Well, actually he had us goin, then we got you goin.

But wait ... there's always the Center for Science in the Public Interest. They warn Americans about the dangers of - in no particular order - coffee, alcohol, trans-fat, fast food, barbecue, french fries, ice cream, soda pop, dairy products, snack foods, obesity, high cholesterol, the wrong cholesterol, too much of the good cholesterol, not enough exercise, too much exercise, skateboards, surfing, bicycling, motorcycles, SUV's, pickup trucks, bird flu, dogs, raw fish and werewolves. Wait, they didn't get to werewolves yet, but just wait.

All news is ChickNews. A main part of any newscast, especially on your local news station, has to do with health and beauty tips, and relationships. Make sure you use sunscreen, but not the kind that causes cancer. Take care of your skin, and prevent circles under your eyes. Lose weight, but don't get too thin. Avoid anorexia and make sure to eat healthy food, but not too much of it. Wear clothes that show off your figure, but don't dress like a whore. Wait, now its in to dress like a whore! Buy the shoes with the clear heels! No! Heels are out! Wear flats and sandals. No! They're bad for your feet, wear sensible shoes. No! Sensible shoes aren't sexy, you won't get a man that way.

Thats okay, you don't need a man. Men are responsible for domestic violence and rape and crime and gambling and drinking. But wait - men can fix things around the house, and work on your car and buy a house because they earn more. Get a man. But make sure he does what you tell him to do. But don't get a wimpy guy you can push around, thats not sexy. Get a manly man who satisfies you in bed, that does what he wants when he wants. As long as he does what you tell him. How to get a man? You need to send the right signals. We'll have more on our 10 O'clock newscast.

How about some global warming? Scientists say the Earth's oceans are heating up. That should lead to more and stronger hurricanes. What? There's only been one Atlantic hurricane this season? Thats okay, we're still doomed. We could get hit by an asteroid. Or - here's the latest: A black hole could form in our galaxy and suck our entire solar system into it. Universe ends, poor and minorities hardest hit.

If its really a slow news day, we could go back and revisit the victims of Katrina. Thats how we've spent the last two weeks of August, in New Orleans, talking to the people there who know its all George Bush's fault, and Dick Cheney's. Dick Cheney has a big weather machine that makes hurricanes and sends 'em wherever he wants. Somewhere where they'll kill a lot of Democrats. He's probably cookin one up now. We'll have more at 10.

In the meantime, get ready for five dollar-a-gallon gasoline, because of unrest in the Middle East, caused by George Bush. What? Oil price futures are dropping? It may be down to $2.50 or less a gallon for gas by November? Aha! Thats because Bush and Cheney are minions for Big Oil, and they're manipulating the price to influence the elections! We'll have an exhaustive investigative report tonight at 10.

So remember, eat your fruits and vegetables, exercise, don't drive your car unless its a hybrid, buy a new house now because mortgage interest rates are going up, and go see a movie this weekend, just not one starring Tom Cruise because he's a nut. Tune in next week for our latest investigative report on the connection between hurricanes and erectile dysfunction combining to cause low SAT scores in American high-schoolers.

When I heard that Oliver Stone was making a movie about 9/11, my first reaction was to cringe and shudder - Oliver Stone?!?! Mr. Conspiracy, far-left, anti-war, Bush-hating Oliver Stone? So I braced myself for another blow against America as insult to the injury of the 9/11 attacks. Then, this summer, the reviews came and surprise! National Review (National Review!) gave it a glowing recommendation. A film critic for TheOnion was less complimentary. Michael Medved, who probably can be safely assumed to be less than enthralled with most of Stone's work, gave it three stars. I knew then that I would have to see it.

Yesterday, I went with my wife and teenage son and nine-year old daughter. The theatre lights dimmed, and from the very first images of New York City in the pre-dawn hours of that day, my emotions were almost overwhelmed. The sense of dread and foreboding of what is to come as Nicolas Cage's character, a sergeant with the Port Authority Police, goes about his morning routine just kept me mesmerized.

To see the shots of the skyline of lower Manhattan with the Twin Towers intact brought chills. Then it begins with a series of radio calls to the men's hand-held radios as they perform routine patrol work and are then summoned to the most monumental historic task of their lives. You see the fear on their faces as they bravely enter the doomed buildings, as they see wounded and bloody evacuees leaving and the confusion and chaos mount and grow.

The team of Port Authority police are trapped beneath tons of concrete and rebar and dust and rubble and the movie centers mainly on Sgt. John McLoughlin (Cage) and Officer Will Jimeno (played by Michael Pena) as they struggle to stay alive. They become acquainted in these most extenuating of circumstances, and we the audience meet their wives and children. Jimeno's wife Allyson is pregnant with their second baby, a girl, and a running story line is what they'll name her when she's born.

World historical events take place amid the backdrop of human routine and seeming normalcy.

But is seems nothing is "normal" any more, is it? Not since that horrible day. McLoughlin and Jimeno were two of only 20 survivors rescued from the ruins of the World Trade Center. Almost three thousand people perished that day in Lower Manhattan, but the fact that the number is so low in comparison to how many were in the buildings when the planes hit is testament to the heroic efforts of the New York Fire Department and Police, including the Port Authority Police.

World Trade Center is a powerful, moving, important movie, and I salute Oliver Stone for telling the story straight, for not propagandizing and making a shrill anti-Bush screed. The temptation to do so must have been great.

Coming up on the five-year anniversary of the darkest day in most American's memory, its important to remember what happened that clear late-summer morning; to see the storm of papers and ash blanket the city, to see the "missing" posters, to see the fear on the faces of the men who went into the building, who went in despite that fear, because thats what they do.

So go see it with someone you love. Its large, and important, and real. And it matters.

I've noticed lately that its easy to fall prey to media manipulation. TV, The Web, magazines, music, movies all show us images of the latest cool electronic toy, flashy car, big deluxe house, dream vacation, hot new supermodel/face of the moment. That new European suit? Only 1500 bucks. Wife gotta have those Jimmy Choos? Hey babe, they're hers for just 24 hundred. The underlying message is that if you can't have all that, can't pay four grand a month to put your six-year-old into the best private school, can't fly to Bora Bora for Christmas, that somehow you're deficient, you've fallen short, you're a loser. Don't buy into it. Don't get caught up in the hype of thinking that having more and more and more of everything you think you want will make you happy.
I don't think it will. Here's what I think, and tell me if you disagree: Money won't make you happy. Read the stories about filthy rich miserable people. Lottery winners who end up suicides. Fantastically wealthy heirs to huge fortunes who spend their days drunk and scowling, bitter and lonely. Rock stars and movie stars who could have anything they want, but enjoy nothing they have. What money will do is make you more like what you already are. If you're happy, money can make you happy-ER. If you're not already happy, money won't do the trick. It will be a further impediment to your happiness, I really think that. So - take a look around you. What makes you happy? What should? Are you healthy? Got a place to live?
Car that runs ok? Got a job or career that pays the bills and puts food on the table? Enough for a few extras once in a while? If you have children, are they healthy? They got nice friends and aren't doing drugs and committing crimes? Thats good, all that is good. Take a look around the world and see how many millions of people struggle, really struggle to just make it from day to day alive, to get clean water to drink, to eat, to get shelter and keep from getting shot by their government or the thugs who run things in their awful neighborhood. Maybe I'm writing this as much to remind myself as anyone else, but I think its good to get perspective and not get overwhelmed by the quest for more and more and more. Now - I'm not sayin' I'd turn down the big payday, the lottery win, the huge score, the fortune. Who would?
But instead of complaining, count your blessings, and be happy inside. Smile. Look for the positive in people and in situations.
Because life is short, and should be savored.
Thanks for reading this.