Richard Cummings
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avatar review

Avatar Review: The Discontent of Humanity?

Richard Cummings

avatar reviewAt the end of my viewing of Avatar, the audience all clapped.  They clapped because the human race fell to a society of extraterrestrials.

Why is this?  Are humans beings discontent with the world they inhabit, with themselves?

In Avatar, human beings set out to obtain a precious commodity called unobtainium that exists on another planet named Pandora.  Unfortunately, this prized material is found in great abundance directly on the land that the Na’Vi (the indigenous peoples of Pandora) inhabit.  Thus, after perfunctory attempts to befriend the Na’Vi, the human beings attempt to destroy the Na’Vi people and claim their fortunes.

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The American with George Clooney: Movie Review

Richard Cummings

the-american-george-clooney-reviewThe American, starring George Clooney, had the appearance of a great thriller.  They marketed this picture as a Bourne Identity type of movie.  Substitute George Clooney for Matt Damon and watch the thriller unfold.  Right?  Wrong!

Imagine that Jason Bourne has to lay low for awhile and is instructed to head up to a small village and talk to nobody.  Now, you have to watch him do basically nothing for two hours.  Kicking ass and taking names in this small village?  No.  Just sitting there in an apartment making a gun.

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The Machinist Starring Chistian Bale

Richard Cummings

the machinist movie reviewTake a look at the picture to your left.  Do you know who that is?  Yes, it’s Christian Bale, the actor who saved the Batman franchise.  In the movie The Machinist, Christian Bale plays an extremely gaunt individual who has not slept in over a year.

In the beginning of The Machinist, we do not know why he has not slept in over a year; in the end, we do.

The question then is this:  Is it worth the time finding out?

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Uruguay: Bills, Bidets, and Boundaries

Richard Cummings

bidet-uruguayThere are 3 main cell phone companies:  Ancel, MovieStar, and CTIMovil.

Like most South Americans, nobody here makes a phone call.  If you receive one, it’s important, or the person is rich and lazy.

It’s comparatively expensive to make a phone call.  Everyone WhatsApps everything-it’s kind of hassle.  It’s not uncommon for someone to say “oh, my phone is out of money.”  You refill your phone through phone cards.   Many people buy these at these stores called Abitab.  I could not figure out what these stores really did at first.  I thought they were just places that sold lottery tickets.  I have since learned that many things here are quite…Antiquated…

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Stewart O'Reilly Debate Watch Online

Video: Watch the Jon Stewart Bill O’Reilly Debate Online Here!

Richard Cummings

Stewart O'Reilly Debate Watch Online

Jon Stewart Bill O’Reilly Face Off

The debate between The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart and Bill O’Reilly of Fox News took place on October 6th, 2012. You can watch the full debate below.

The debate, known as the The Rumble in the Air-Conditioned Auditorium, was initially a pay-per-view for charity but there were many technical problems with the streaming of the debate so they have put the Bill O’Reilly Jon Stewart debate online for free viewing.

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For Whom I Voted: 2008 Presidential Election

The 2008 Presidential Election: For Whom I Voted and Why?

Richard Cummings

For Whom I Voted: 2008 Presidential Election Every four years, I write about a For Whom I Voted and Why piece. This is the essay I wrote for the 2008 Presidential Election.


I usually never discuss who I vote for.  There is a reason for that:  As a Republican-leaning independent, I would normally vote Republican.  Having lived in San Francisco for many years, you could not have a rational discussion with anyone if you voted Republican-they are all Democrats or Green Party.  And San Franciscans, though open-minded about a lot of things, are not politically open-minded.

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Uruguayan Nightlife

Richard Cummings

uruguay-nightlifeI once read, when I traveled to Madrid, Spain many years back, that the Spaniards embrace nightlife unlike any other culture. I believe the exact statement was…”if you think New-Yorkers know night-life, you will quickly realize that the Spaniards know better”.

On my first day in Uruguay, after arrival, I ventured out at about 5pm to begin my language learning quest. And what better way to begin than at a bar, striking up conversations with the local patrons? I walked a few blocks and saw few bars but they were all closed. Must be the neighborhood, I surmised. I’ll go more downtown and hit the after work crowd. I passed many bars on the way there-nada. All bars were closed. When I got to Ciudad Vieja-the old city, a bustling touristy/work area, I found one bar with a couple of old cronies. Even the Irish Pub I found was closed.

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Andy Murray Wins U.S. Open

Andy Murray Wins First Major!

Richard Cummings

Andy Murray Wins U.S. Open

Andy Murray Wins His First Major!

In blustery conditions in the 2012 US Open, Andy Murray won the U.S. Open against Nova Djokovic to earn his first grand slam and reward a nation that has waited over 75 years for a men’s tennis title.

If someone once said “winning isn’t easy”, they  unknowingly were describing Andy’s Murray’s quest to win his first major.  Andy Murray is an amazing tennis player in an era of men’s tennis greatness.  He hit his prime when there were not one–but three–Tiger Woodsish tennis players.
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uruguay-freakonomics

Living In Uruguay–Richard’s Freakonomics

Richard Cummings

uruguay-freakonomicsThis is an article I wrote about the Freakonomics of Uruguay back in 2007. Some of the observations would no longer be accurate today (like the tattoo one!) ……but some would. Thus, I leave this article about Uruguayan Freakonomics here for a glimpse of the past and perhaps some revelations about the present.


I met a girl named Maria the other day which is not unusual because a large number of girls here bear that name.  What was unusual is that Maria had a tattoo, or as Vince Vaugh’s character in Wedding Crashers says, “might as well be a bullseye”.

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Mickey Avalon-Do The Jane Fonda-MTV Video-And More

Richard Cummings

Good Friday morning!

I awoke this morning with a rhythm that I could not get out of my head.  So, whatever you may be doing right now, get out of your chair, and join me as we…

Mickey Avalon – Jane Fonda

Music video by Mickey Avalon performing Jane Fonda.

 

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Why Choose Uruguay?

Richard Cummings

Why-Visit-Uruguay“Why Uruguay?”                     

“Uruguay…why Uruguay?”  is the most asked question often accompanied by the confounded look of one trying to place Uruguay on their mental map.  But the question is the answer.Read More

money vs beauty

Money Versus Beauty

Richard Cummings

money vs beautyToday I am going to have a look at money versus beauty.

A man’s money? A woman’s beauty? Which is more important in a relationship? It’s the money vs beauty debate. Let’s go!

I was inspired to think about this money versus beauty debate after a conversation that recently took place at a dinner party.

My friends told me of a particular New York Craigslist post the other night that I had not seen.

In the post, a “spectacularly beautiful” woman requests a man who earns greater than $500,000 a year.

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