Abductees; Ideas; Billy and Michael

I've got to decide on a way to keep track of things I notice during the day, so I can report on them. Alas, by the time I get around to writing, I have trouble remembering my name.

About the only thing I remember from yesterday morning was seeing the man I want to be abducted with at the fast food place. See 021216 and 030102. (The abductors have to be aliens with a penchant for kinky role playing.) Moving right along.

The Ambulance-Homicide Theory
Ths most significant factor in keeping homicide rates down for the past couple of decades is not better police work but better emergency room care. Those who were murder statistics in the past are now more frequently saved. "Americans aren't any less murderous - it's just getting harder for us to kill one another."

Endurance Condoms
To prevent premature ejaculation, one of the most common sexual problems, climax-control condoms deliver benzocaine, a mild anesthetic, to the wearer's member.

The Kick That Defies Gravity
Researchers have figured out how David Beckham's "bending a free kick" works. (Beckham kicks a ball so that it soars over the defenders but drops at the last second beneath the crossbar.) His kicks provide just enough force to get the ball up and over, but not too much, so that atmospheric drag can push the ball downward.

Outside Math
For centuries, it has been assumed that it is very difficult to tell if a large number is prime. But an Indian mathematician who is not even known as a number theorist, has derived a solution. "It is a fresh reminder of why history is riddled with innovations that came out of left field ..."

I flipped back and forth through the umpteen cable channels and found an on-screen notice for "Billy Elliot." This is actually the first time I've seen the complete film. Also this time I used closed-captioning" to help me understand what is being said.

If you've never seen "Billy," it takes place in northern England in the 80s. With regional accents and lots of slang. So even though I was able to understand what was said, some of the slang lost me. Billy says to the dance instructor, "Don't lose your blog." Or a similiar work. (OK! My friends in the UK have got to explain this to me.)

I love "Billy Elliot"! I love the characters of Billy and Michael. I love that wonderful scene in the snow when Michael tries to warm Billy's hands by putting them inside his own coat. And that tentative kiss Michael gives Billy. And how Michael asks Billy not to tell. (This is always the part where I cry.)

I love the relationship between Billy and the dance instructor. "You don't fancy me, do you, Miss?" "Piss off!" "Piss off, yourself!" And the scene of Billy and her on the ferry as she explains the plot of "Swan Lake."

And there is that very understated scene in which Debbie and Billy are walking along the street with Debbie holding a stick that thumps against the wall of a building. Suddenly the building ends, and the space is replaced by police with plastic shields. But she keeps right on holding the stick, not deviating for a second, not even looking. And just as suddenly a new wall appears.

And I love the part when Billy is bouncing down the street, on his way to the bus station, with his brother and father, and Michael pops up on a brick wall. And yells, "Oi! Dancing Boy!" And this time Billy kisses him.

And I love how dad, Tony and Michael wind up sitting next to each other in the audience. And the sly face of Michael's boyfriend.

To me the ending is delicious. The swan chorus dancers come off stage but turn immediately to watch Billy go on. Billy bounds onto the stage and leaps into the air. And the shot is frozen. So your last image is of Billy floating.

PAX!