Luke Ford | No sacred cows.

A Profound Thank You

Posted on January 20, 2007 by Luke Ford

Bill emails:

Dear Luke, I am an Englishman, who some years ago; despite having never smoked, was struck down with facial cancer.The outcome of this was that every female in my life ran away from me, after major facial surgery (required to save my life ) left me with facial disfigurement.Thanks to some 25 + facial reconstruction plastic surgery operations;my looks have been transformed;however my confidence;especially when in the presence of a beautiful lady;has been destroyed.So I have no sex life, and were it not for the stunningly beautiful ladies of your adult industry , who allow me the privilege of seeing them naked and in such wonderful sexual acts;I would have killed myself long ago.As we are only a few hours away from another year, and I have no way of expressing the importance to my well-being that these beautiful ladies bring me;may I ask you to do so on my behalf. Their beauty brings joy to my heart ;and allow me the opportunity of being part of their sex lives ,albeit as a voyeur .To explain what they do to and for me is beyond comprehension and thus my thanks comes from both my heart and soul.

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Sam the Man is a Terrific Film

Posted on January 20, 2007 by Luke Ford

Sam the Man is a Terrific Film It’s about a blocked novelist who struggles with infidelity. Sam the Man is the first time I’ve disagreed with the rankings on imdb.com, which I’ve usually found to be the best gauge of a movie. IMDB.com gave it a 3.6 on a 1-10 scale, probably because it was shot on digital video. Brian J. Dillard in the All Movie Guide writes:

Before he broke out with the J.D. Salinger-esque Tadpole in 2002, producer-turned-director Gary Winick filmed this little-seen relationship drama. Fisher Stevens stars as the title character, a writer with one novel under his belt who can’t seem to deliver the follow-up. Instead, he spends his time compulsively cheating on his photographer girlfriend, Cass (Annabella Sciorra); giving the runaround to his agent, Richard (Ron Rifkin); and trying to keep his landlord, Murray (Luis Guzman), at bay. Things take a turn for the worse when the husband of one of Sam’s conquests (Maria Bello) confronts him, leaving Sam covered in hard-to-explain injuries. Soon, with the help of his barkeep brother, Lorenzo (Saverio Guerra), Sam is holding down a day job for the first time in years and reexamining every aspect of his life. After the success of Tadpole, the Independent Film Channel picked up Sam the Man for broadcast on cable television. The film’s cast, filled with notable and lesser-known New York actors, includes George Plimpton, Griffin Dunne, and Rob Morrow.

Here’s a contrary view:

There’s an interesting idea for a movie contained in the final scenes of Sam The Man, about a writer who deliberately sabotages his personal relationships so that he’ll have something to write about. By the time we’ve gotten there, though, it’s too little too late ‚Äì we’ve already been forced to sit through the self-involved, depressing little tale of a self-involved, depressing little man.

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My Favorite Book Of 2007

Posted on January 20, 2007 by Luke Ford

My Favorite Book Of 2007 – Radicals for Capitalism: A Freewheeling History of the Modern American Libertarian Movement You won’t buy it for the prose (not a memorable sentence) but you’ll love the even-handed presentation of ideas that matter. This is an indispensable book for anyone interested in libertarian thought. It is an important book and I couldn’t put it down. Questions I have for its author Brian Doherty of Reason magazine: * What things make you doubt libertarianism? * Can you perceive a circumstance where you would come to the belief that illegal immigration was bad? * What are common relationship interpersonal issues for libertarians? * How has your personal life affected your libertarian philosophy and vice versa? Have you had urges you could not control, urges that left you wishing the government would ban what you sought/limit your choices? * Is the libertarian able to overcome the instinct of ownership of one’s spouse? How would a rational libertarian think and feel about his spouse having an illicit affair? Is libertarianism any solace? * Are libertarians more or less religious than the general population? * How does a libertarian stay happy with a decidedly non-libertarian country and world? How do you avoid depression? * Economists tend to have more wisdom than any other branch of the Nobel prizes (Dennis Prager). Why?

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The Ringer

Posted on January 20, 2007 by Luke Ford

The Ringer "A young guy’s only option to erase a really bad debt is to rig the Special Olympics by posing as a contestant." It turned out not to be as funny as it sounded. At least I got to appreciate the acting talent of Katherine Marie Heigl whose imdb.com biography includes this poignant note:

Tragically, her older brother Jason died in 1986 of brain injuries suffered in a car accident, after being thrown from the back of a pickup truck. When doctors determined he was brain-dead, the family made the difficult decision to donate his organs. Not only did this painful chapter give Katherine a greater perspective and appreciation for life, but it motivated her to use her celebrity to promote the importance of organ donation.

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Caterina in the Big City

Posted on January 20, 2007 by Luke Ford

Caterina in the Big City The most beautiful film I’ve seen about a girl coming of age. I love it like Cinema Paradiso (the director’s cut is my favorite film of all time — thanks for the recommendation Dennis Prager). I’m falling in love with Italy and Italian cinema. I loved Il Postino. Yes, I loved that big ol’ lug of a communist. I know I’m going to love a book or movie when it starts with a cliche scene and then surprises me.

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Former Yavneh Hebrew Academy President David Rubin Investigated By U.S. Government

Posted on January 20, 2007 by Luke Ford

Former Yavneh Hebrew Academy President David Rubin Investigated By U.S. Government Over municipal bond sales. It’s probably not as exciting as it sounds. I hear that Yakov Yelin, the chairman of the board of Shaarey Zedek, is interviewing in the next two weeks for the job of O.U. executive director.

Curing Gay Jews

Posted on January 20, 2007 by Luke Ford

Curing Gay Jews – JonahWeb.org

JONAH is a non-profit international organization dedicated to educating the world-wide Jewish community about the prevention, intervention, and healing of the underlying issues causing same-sex attractions. If you are confused by same-sex attractions or know someone who is and desire help, please contact us for resources and professional confidential assistance.

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Dennis Prager’s Custom Judaism

Posted on January 20, 2007 by Luke Ford

Dennis Prager‘s Custom Judaism

Hi Luke, Rob Barnett here in Minneapolis. I just finished reading your recently posted summary of Dennis Prager addressing the Orthodox Union and his differences with Orthodox Judaism. You are to be commended Luke, and not just for posting this item. While you were attracted initially to Judaism by Dennis Prager, you have gone to commit yourself to the fullness of Orthodoxy. Kudos for integrity. The same, I’m afraid, cannot be said of DP. It’s quite clear that DP wants a customized Judaism that fits his taste. lifestyle, and predilections. It’s rather paradoxical that while DP likes to lecture on how imperative it is for people to be accountable to God, DP seems to have decided that he’s not to be accountable to Orthodox rabbinic authority, apparently becomes it cramps his lifestyle, conflicts with certain values and understandings he’s come to cherish, and because it hampers his efforts at attracting people to Judaism. The general way to view him is not as one committed to pursuing the good and true , but a self-appointed marketing manager for the Judaism Corporation. Certain trappings of Orthodoxy apparently are bad for business. When we commit ourselves to God and a religion, we commit ourselves not just to God but to the human authorities He has entrusted in those positions. In the civil realm, we are required to give assent and accept the authority of proper civil leaders, even if they’re not our favorite and make highly questionable prudential decisions. So too in religion: as a devout Catholic Christian, I must accept the authority of the human leaders of God’s Church, however flawed they may be or questionable they may be in some decision making. That is part and parcel of being accountable to God as well: I don’t get to have God on my own terms. If one is going to be in Judaism, then one has an obligation not just to Torah but to rabbinic authority, both its normative, authoritative explication of Torah-grounded halacha as well as in the formulation of man-made rabbinic injunctions. All of what DP complains about has been brought about properly and legitimately through the history of Judaic thinking and has been embraced by halachic decisiors for centuries. Does DP think he knows better than all of them – actually, better you don’t answer that. If DP thinks Orthodox Judaic liturgy is too long, there is a halachic process, I’m sure, for him to raise the issue for Orthodox review. The length of davening is not a normative infallible. The fact that DP may not get his way isn’t a license for him to take his marbles and leave. On kashrut, his myopic insistance on viewing the matter as one of animal welfare blinds him to the commitment through chukim that one should make to God as a Torah Jew. This subject deserves more treatment than space allows here, but DP’s insistence on translating everything into rational categories does a disservice to Judaism. Judaism should be embraced (or abandoned) on its own merits and basis. It should not be twisted by a self-appointed marketing manager for the benefit of the Judaism Corporation.

Prager Index | Prager Biography | Prager’s Official Web Site | Disclaimer | Excerpts From Prager Essays and Speeches

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Playground: A Childhood Lost Inside the Playboy Mansion

Posted on January 20, 2007 by Luke Ford

Playground: A Childhood Lost Inside the Playboy Mansion I talk to author Jennifer Saginor (website, interview, MySpace) Dec. 28, 2006. Luke: "When you were a kid, what did you want to become when you grew up?"

Jennifer: "A lawyer. My father [Dr. Mark Saginor] was always argumentative and I was always debating him. I thought that if I went to law school, I’d learn how to argue well and stand up for myself."

Luke: "How do you see yourself? As a writer?"

Jennifer: "A writer, definitely. Before this book, I wrote screenplays. I’ve been working in the business since college."

Luke: "What triggered you writing this book?"

Jennifer: "I was at odds with my parents. I was really upset. I was very angry at them and I wasn’t sure why. I realized that I didn’t know how to get along in society. I wasn’t taught basic skills. My values were off. I was searching for the truth. I had two self-absorbed parents who neglected their children. I didn’t know how parents could bring children into this world and then emotionally abandon them. "When I was in highschool, I thought everyone was on drugs. I thought everyone was bisexual. I thought everyone had neglectful parents." "I quit drugs after college. They were an escape from reality. I went to some 12-step meetings." "I do believe in God. I don’t know if I believe in organized religion even though I’m Jewish. I definitely believe I’ve had someone watching out for me. "If I didn’t believe in something greater than myself, I probably would’ve committed suicide. If I didn’t believe in a higher meaning to life through my writing and trying to reach people and have themes in my writing that raise awareness even subconsciously… "I’m almost done with my next book — CHIP Girl. The character falls into running high-stakes celebrity poker games."

Luke: "How did your family react to your book?"

Jennifer: "Poorly. It’s annoying because I watered down all their characters. I made them all look human instead of how they really are. My mother almost ran me over in a 2007 Bentley two weeks ago in Beverly Hills. You know it’s bad when your own mother almost runs you over in the middle of Beverly Hills. Continue reading →

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Breaking Silence

Posted on January 20, 2007 by Luke Ford

From Ma’ariv – translated by The Awareness Center (video):

As a Charedi (ultra-orthodox) child he had been through a series of molestations and attempted rapes. Even after he left the religious life, he suffered from nightmares and sleepless nights. Now Menachem Lang decided to gather his courage, confront his attackers, and force the Charedi world to deal with its demons. Dressed as a Charedi, he infiltrated Bnei-Brak and followed them–until he managed to squeeze a detailed admission and request for forgiveness; all in front of the cameras. Menachem Lang was born as a Charedi in Bnei-Brak. Already at a young age he was discovered as someone who possessed a unique voice for Chazanut (leading the community in religious song)and became the wonder child of the Charedi world. However, alongside the success, Lang was hiding a relentless dark secret. Continue reading →

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