favorite scene...

Hello Das,
Thanks a million for your extremely intricate response. No joke, you practically made my eyes watery by the way you defended "her." I find it so amazing that you know so much about your state. I would not be surprised if you've done some journalism. But if you haven't, I would be very surprised as to why not. I especially liked the way you described the roadside veggie stands, too cool. I envision these areas as very "townsy" and "farm-like,"
both very appealing environments to enjoy. Through your e-mail I was able to pick up that many portions of Jersey
are polluted and infested with vermin(horrible people, that is) because of the very attractive features that it possesses, which also attracted "good" people to begin with. So, it's sad to say that the state's own beauty sunk itself. Not to mention industrialization, as a result of which, I'm sure many farms were bought out by corporate tycoons. The farmers, seeing that they were being offered more for the land that they had, than the crops themselves yielded, caved in out of desperation. Economic survival is what has sadly brought many areas of the U.S. and I find this to be true in Jersey. I liked your very insightful answer about how the winds from New York are also cause for your state's environmental ailments. We,as in Miami(technically, I'm referring to Hialeah, which is right besides Miami), are experiencing a very similar
situation. The city is already over- populated, yet houses continue being built in every available spot. The houses have become overpriced and traffic is relatively horrendous. During the summer, rush hour, is the hottest. Lots of people are moving up north, but not enough as to alleviate the burdening overcrowdedness. Anyhow, the only two things that I think that we have available down here is the hot weather and the beaches(which personally ought to be taken care of so much better if we'd actually like to continue attracting tourists). The weather, for the most part is great, as you may know when other states are getting snowed in and we have about 80 degrees down here. Now that I mention snow, I don't how you guys do it, you get up 1 or 2 hours earlier to shovel out the snow. That's crazy!!! I mean if I had to do that, I'd die, I already only sleep an average of 6.5 hours, which I really don't think is enough. Down here, the only thing we may need to do, is wipe the light mist that settles on our windshields, other than is just a matter of how fast you can drive out. Once again, I'd like to thank you for the awesome response and may you continue enjoying the bright spots of Jersey. Have a wonderful day.

Guillermo Marcia

Usaully - they are referring to North Jersey.

Eastern North Jersey (near NYC) is overdeveloped and urban - a mess, IMHO. Pollution, crime, the whole bit. Western North Jersey has some beautiful areas - small 'mountains'...or big hills..., and there are nice parts of central NJ and southern NJ. The area outside of Philadelphia, PA - From Trenton. NJ down to Camden, NJ and even further south is very overdeveloped - as the area around Atlantic City is becoming. I live in the southern part of the state - and even here development is running rampant. Southern Jersey is a great area, climate wise, but what used to be rural and quiet is fast becoming houses, condos, and strip malls. I hate it. But there are still places that are as they were - quiet and laid back...

North Jersey has had a fast-paced way of life for many, many years. Central and South Jersey, on the other hand, used to be all farms (hence: The Garden State), and fisherman, and very laid back folk. With Atlantic City and gambling, it's brought a bit of the North further south...and soon I fear the whole state will be concrete and slums.

Does Jersey stink? Parts of the industrial north do - and of course, the areas around Philadelphia (since the winds prevail from the west)...and auto exhaust is becoming a real problem - the road congestion can be horrendous!! (sp?) Sometimes it's backed up from Atlantic City to Philadelphia - over 40 miles - in the summertime. North Jersey can be even worse.

And auto insurance is outrageous!!!! About the highest in the country. Cost of living is very high, compared to wages earned - esp. in the southern areas. That surely does stink.

But let me tell you about the good things in the state. There are still farms. Jersey peaches are to die for...(if the orchards are not all turned into developments). Jersey tomatoes are wonderful - more flavour than any you'll ever eat...provided they are grown in soil - outside - and not in some hothouse. Roadside veggie stands are great places to find 'real' jersey produce - and they are a 'tradition' in the state... dotted along the roads. Salt marshes along the southern Atlantic Ocean and Delaware Bay coasts are great ecological habitats - as are the Pine Barrens - a unique pine and scrub forest in the central part of the state. Our sandy soil produces vegetation found nowhere else in the country. And the sand here once supported a huge glass industry at one time, located in Wheaton, near Vineland. There is still some glass industry here, but not as before. The culture surrounding the fishing industry is unique as well. Oyster schooners once worked the Delaware Bay by the hundreds - and now our state's tall ship is a restored oyster schooner - the A.J. Meerwald, on which I have worked as a volunteer. The organization that owns it is an environmental group - trying to educate people about the delicate nature of life along the Delaware River and Bay. The Atlantic coast beaches are beautiful and wide - the sand soft, the water usually clean (NJ tests it's water more vigorously than most states - and will close an unhealthy beach immediately - but it rarely happens). Our trees in autumn don't turn until early to late November (in the southern part of the state) - depending on the weather. Makes for a longer fall than most places.

So, not all of the state 'stinks', and when you hear such things, they are usually just referring to the area surrounding New York City... It's just easier to make jokes about New Jersey because no one usually defends 'her'....

Now - referring to politicans, overdevelopment, and stuff like that - to me - that stuff stinks everywhere....

das

"Look at [Ioan's] chestnut eyes, they're his most striking feature next to his lips." - Mr. Das

If I'm not mistaken the whole urine incident was Gladys' way of getting him back for what he'd told Roxton that she was a sort of "jungle girl." I don't think that the indications she gave him were at all true, early 20th century medicinal tactics, go figure. I'm sure that all he was really supposed to rub his insect bites with was the mashed herbs. As far as that is concerned, I think he deserved what he smeared on himself. He should have never prejudged her on account of the fact that he hadn't even really spoken to her. As far as the excremental facial mask(by the way, would't it be interesting if scientists later discovered that this was beneficial to your face, I'd feel sorry for really vain women), I thought that it absolutely made sense since not even a dinosaur in it's "peanut-brained mind" would eat such stinking appetizers(for the sake of being informative, did you know that baby elephants are born without an essential bacteria in their stomach, thus they are forced to eat their mother's
dung to be able to receive it, gross huh?). So, in regards to your comment, I just think that Malone was in the right stinkin' place at the right stinkin' time.


GJM

Guillermo Marcia

They did that "smear the do-do" thing because they had been won over. Ed and Challenger both worked on reaching the monkeys. They responded protectively on behalf of Ed and smeared him real good with some particularly juicy guano. Bleh. Poor guy. But it worked and the big lizard figured he didn't want to bite him.... or anybody else in that basket.

Of all three endings, I like the book the best. Roxton lived and brought home the surprise souvenier ... a sack full of valuable diamonds. And he split the take. What a guy! I like story endings better when people get money... rather when they get love. And Roxton lived on to return to the plateau... to take Ed with him and for them to perform future heroics -- or get a lot more diamonds for themselves. Sweet. So you finished reading with the feeling that the epic continues.

The silent movie of 1924. Wow ... and ... wow! The film makers were far enough developed with special effects (prior to KING KONG) to have some real heavy Bronto creatures storming the landscape. The Ape tribe was thoroughly scarey looking. The volcano and it's explosive eruption at the end of the story dealt with any question of anything living up there ever after. The explorers, the principals, all escaped.... and Ed was already heartfully entangled with sweet Paula, and she with him. And back in London... when Bronto escapes and does the town!!! You ought to see him go! He was the total vanguard to the big Godzilla genre of thirty years later. The remastered music sound track and animal sound effects are fantastic. The sound track gets especially interesting when it mimics the Indians' jungle drums.

The ending of the TV miniseries provided the moral question -- Accept world class Fame -- or protect the delicate infrastructure and societies of the plateau? The principals unanimously chose to play the high card.


This was a thoroughly enjoyable literary piece. It was fun on tv (fine cast).... as well as fun in the other two formats I engaged for unique other reasons.

Sometimes I wish I were a teacher. My poor students would get so immersed in multi media experiences! They'd go home stimulated and totally nutz. Then their parents would criticize me.





LadyFlier

and naive-that's why they picked on him.
I know about these things. .
Noone else would have been trying to free those rapscalians of Ape Men but Edward...
not and risk his life(well-the girl did too that's why they paired up in the end )
But, in the end-they helped him- and this showed a sense of empathy on their part-OR were they just trying to save their own skin?
See- naivity- is a hard thang to shake....
(the above was a rhetorical question-but one I'll never want to REALLY answer when it comes to human relationships! It's much easier to live in believing in Goodness!)

Any scene with the darling Mattie (Edward Malone), running and squealing like a little girl. : )

the wiping of feces all over the faces was pretty good too-LOL
and when the ape men ate that Indian-WHOA! I didn't expect that...
and...
the dinosaur being impaled on the spikes-that was a dramatic scene...
I would vote for the whole part with *Father Mendosa*(sp?) or Columbo-LOL-knocking the limb down and the guy hanging by the rope,etc...that would be my first choice too.
I thought they had some good scenes and maintained a Family Movie rating.

I know, I know... I could've picked a fabulous special effects display or a moment of intense action....but, my favorite scene so far has been:

Malone squirming over the urine thing....

I'll grow up some day...really....

das