Happy Veteran's Day; I'm Hitting the Road

As I am getting ready for an overnight trip I thought I would post a quick entry in honor of Veteran's Day. If not anything else, it can help squelch right-wing notions that those of us on the center-left, who would undoubtedly still be classified as socialists in Provo, Utah, do care about the men and women who serve our country overseas.

In addition to those who are presently stationed in Afghanistan, I want to remember my late stepfather Donald Sullivan (1918-2003) of Salem, Va., who was a World War II veteran as was my grandfather Dudley C. "Doc" Sturgis (1915-1993) of Rock Hill, SC. While my Turkish grandfather Fuat Gokbudak (1892-1957) did not serve in the American forces, he was a member of the Turkish army in World War One before becoming a member of the Turkish Parliament under Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

One of the ironies that I uncovered while researching this entry was that there was a man named Donald Sullivan in Salem, Ind. (near New Albany, Ind.) who like my stepfather was a World War II veteran. But, what was strange was that this Donald who died in 2007 was also 85 years old. And, my stepfather was coincidentally residing in Fort Wayne, Ind., before he moved to the Roanoke, Va., area.

Fortunately, my stepfather was able to visit the D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Va., which is only 30 miles from Roanoke, before his death which was fitting since Donald saw action on Omaha Beach in France.

Of course, I couldn't resist posting an image from the film "Easy Rider" to go along with this entry. Alas, the film's star Dennis Hopper died earlier this year at age 76---I have no idea if my stepdad saw the film, but I know Donald 'never inhaled!'

PSA- Share the Road

Speaking of the recently-deceased Dennis Hopper (see last entry), he comes up again here as we post our weekly PSA segment- this time in honor of "Sharing the Road."

Apparently, the concept is popular in South Africa since it is the subject of a billboard that one see along with one for an airliner in the United Arab Emirates (well, it says Fly Dubai).

But, Share the Road concepts are occuring here in les etats unis as well. One such statewide program in Minnesota is sponsoring "Bicycling Around Minnesota" from Aug. 18-21 in Cloquet, Minn.

The national site devoted to drivers 'sharing the road' with the likes of bicyclists, motorcyclists, buses and those right-wing idiots who drive Hummers (we couldn't resist the political humor) suggests the following tips on the road:

1. Don't Cut in Front
2. Watch Your Blind Spots
3. Buckle Your Belts
4. Be Wary of Inattentive Drivers
5. Watch Out for Aggressive Drivers (hmmm....might those be the ones driving Humers?!)
6. Avoid 'Squeeze-Play" with Trucks
7. Don't Drink and Drive
8. Stay Alert in Work Zones

This has been a Public Service Announcement from your friends at The Daily Vampire, stay tune for another PSA next Thursday. Now, let's return to that late night rerun of "Perry Mason."

My Top 10 Favorite Films of Dennis Hopper

Alas, life has been difficult for Dennis Hopper, the iconic character actor hippie-turned-Republican who voted for Barack Obama also known for his photography skills and art collection as he has been going through a divorce and dealing with what is reported to be terminal prostate cancer.

But, since May 17 is his 74th birthday, I thought I would post my ten favorite films of his. This is a new pet project I am starting with this entry which focuses on my favorite films (note- not the same as best films) of a given movie star.

On my other blog, I will be focusing on my ten favorite films of Henry Fonda (1905-1982) who would have turned 105 on Sunday.

I was surprised to see that Hopper has actually been in more films than Henry Fonda (he co-starred with his offspring Peter Fonda in "Easy Rider"), but when one considers that Hopper has acted mostly in supporting roles that makes sense.

Here are top ten films for Hopper, and our thoughts are with him in his fight with prostate cancer:

1. "Apocalypse Now" (1979. Dir-Francis Ford Coppola)
2. "Easy Rider" (pictured). (1969. Dir-Dennis Hopper)
3. "The American Friend" (Germany. 1977. Dir- Wim Wenders)
4. "Blue Velvet" (1986. Dir-David Lynch)
5. "Rebel Without a Cause" (1955. Dir-Nick Ray)
6. "Cool Hand Luke" (1968. Dir-Stuart Rosenberg)
7. "Rumble Fish" (1983. Dir- Coppola).
8. "Straight to Hell" (UK. 1987. Dir-Alex Cox)
9. "The Pick-up Artist" (1987. Dir- James Toback)
10. "Red Rock West" (1993. Dir- John Dahl)

Quote of the Week-Dennis Hopper

My sister, brother-in-law and I went to the Denver Art Museum while I was out in Colorado last week and we saw this groovy exhibit of sixties era rock posters (it runs through July 19). We then rented the 1969 biker classic "Easy Rider" to complete our 'hippie experience.' (For the record, we did not listen to "Puff the Magic Dragon.")

Since today is Memorial Day, which is road trip time here in les etats unis, I thought I would go with a quip from Dennis Hopper, a hippie turned Republican who voted for Obama (what a transition!) who recently turned 73:

"My whole written history is one big lie! I mean I can't believe my history."

We have a quote from Hopper's "Easy Rider" co-star Peter Fonda on our sister blog "Politics, Culture and Other Wastes of Time."