ROSALIND E. FRANKLIN-CHERRANNE'S GREAT WOMEN SERIES

****CHERRANNE'S GREAT WOMEN SERIES****

ROSALIND E. FRANKLIN-Scientist(molecular biologist)







Where to begin. Rosalind Franklin is a Fave-She just blows Me away. The moment I heard about her, I wanted to scream to the World: "GET THIS-THIS GENIUS IS ROBBED"! >:-( She immediately gained HERO status for Me. This high-brow British Scientist from Jewish descent is fascinating to the hilt; Her contributions to humanity are baffling to say the least, but sadly unsung. The thing is, however, She doesn't really care. She is too cool to "need" the adulation of anyone, but has Mine whole-heartedly anyway. And as for being a feminist icon, She stands on her own as one of the VERY BEST scientists EVER. Being compared to Sylvia Plath as a "wronged woman" in her field doesn't fly with Me because These are Two diametrically different women in so many ways. (Love Sylvia-She will have her own "GREAT WOMEN" profile soon here on Ms. Holm's Soapbox.) Rosalind simply has no self-pity or involvement in Mental Self-Torture. Gutsy, Determined, and laser-focused on her work; She is never anything but cool-headed and analytical. She defies being a victim of circumstance. She just raises an eyebrow and moves to the next project.


Crick and Watson???? BAH. Sure, they contributed................WHATEVER. THIS IS THE REAL HERO OF DNA SCIENCE!!!!!!! And for Me-all science period. Watch this amazing snippet from the NOVA special entitled "The Secret of Photo 51"!!!!!!!

Here is the YouTube link-You can watch the whole thing!!!!! (You will easily find each section.) I recommend it!!! I know it is a bit of a tease to just post the first opening section, but DO sit down and watch the whole thing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0SEuOcnoOw





ALSO, These Books are a MUST for Franklinites:




The first is By Brenda Maddox who inspired the NOVA special, and the other is by Anne Sayre.


Here is a cool Quote:

"In [The Double Helix, Watson] tells about how happy they were, he and Crick, that my husband was not allowed to come because had he come, he would no doubt have seen these excellent photographs that Rosalind Franklin made and had and which, when they saw them, with their other data, they were able to work out the structure of DNA...[If] ever there was a woman who was mistreated, it was Rosalind Franklin, and she didn't get the notice that she should have gotten for her work on DNA."Ava Helen Pauling. Interview with Lee Herzenberg. September 1977.

Nobel in 1962 for Watson, Crick, and Wilkins??????? Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. >:-( That makes Me PULL OUT MY MAD face...but I must remember to take a lesson from Rosalind. Only expend energy on important stuff! What others do and think should never control what You do or think. Keep Your Cool and be EXCELLENT-that is the best "revenge". Thanks, Rosalind. Thanks for those lessons, and for giving SO UNBELIEVABLY MUCH TO HUMANITY for so little.

;-) Not that You were asking for any thanks.

Brightness of Faith=Brightness of Future! The Prophet at the 179th Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

Brightness of Faith=Brightness of Future...........

At first glance the equation would probably seem a bit too baffling or even simplistic for those who don't have the benefit of the knowledge of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ-and indeed probably might seem that way for many who do. When the Prophet Thomas S. Monson said in the Sunday Morning Session(April 5th) : "Fear Not, Be of Good Cheer-Your Future is as Bright as Your Faith", it was as if a lightbulb was turned on again for me. The fact that My Future would indeed be as bright as My faith was in a way disconcerting at first-There is a LOT of ugliness out there to distract and dampen. The Fog of discouragement is often thick. But as we grow and push as hard as we can toward making our faith as bright as we can make it, the Future part of the equation will be something to thank Our Heavenly Father and Savior for. I thank My Heavenly Father for this Prophet. He is a man who loves You and Me. He is sensitive to Suffering of others. He is a supernal representative of Our Heavenly Father and Savior in every way. He loves Literature. He Loves Learning. He has held positions in the Church and has served and sacrificed for others in many ways that will most likely remain unknown. He shirks his own comfort when others are in distress. I am thankful for this Prophet. :-)

Here is a Cool Link to a story I found about the Prophet. Take time to read it!

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695265219,00.html

Blogger's Note: Ms. Holm apologizes for the lateness of this entry!

BLOGGER'S NOTICE:No Movie Review this Weekend-There will be a LDS General Conference Entry Tomorrow.

My Dream Concert! ARGERICH-CHERRANNE'S GREAT WOMEN SERIES

****CHERRANNE'S GREAT WOMEN SERIES****

MARTHA ARGERICH- ♫Pianist♫

This is a YouTube video of Ms. Argerich performing the First movement or so of the fabled "Rach 3" in the early '80's.

Martha Argerich is one of my HEROES. The effortlessness with which She tackles the Piano keys is SO UNREAL!!!!!!! I have heard tell that she memorizes music to be played in concert on a plane (without practice), and then PERFORMS without a hitch. I am APPALLED at that kind of sight-reading and memorization skills. I didn't mention, of couse, her EXPRESSION, feeling and technique. For her mastery of those, there are NO WORDS. She, in My opinion is the GREATEST PIANIST EVER!!!!!!!! If I got to pick ANYONE TO SEE IN CONCERT, IT WOULD BE HER THAT I WOULD PICK FIRST. Just to watch her fingers race across the keyboard in a way no other can touch would be truly something that I would LOVE to experience in concert.-JUST WATCH THE VIDEO!!! :-O AMAZING!

I LOVE THIS QUOTE:

"Argerich brings to bear qualities that are seldom contained in one person: she is a pianist of brainteasing technical agility; she is a charismatic woman with an enigmatic reputation; she is an unaffected interpreter whose native language is music. This last may be the quality that sets her apart. A lot of pianists play huge double octaves; a lot of pianists photograph well. But few have the unerring naturalness of phrasing that allows them to embody the music rather than interpret it." - Alex Ross for The New Yorker in a 2001 article-(copied from Wikipedia)

Martha was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina on June 5, 1941. If Anyone fit the description of musical prodigy, it is her. She debuted at age eight playing Beethoven no less! She is PURE GENIUS.

MERE YAAR KI SHAADI HAI (My Friend's Wedding)- Review #8

The Film by Yash Chopra-Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai (My Friend's Wedding)-is pretty much My introduction to "Bollywood Film". As I sat down to watch it, I was sucked in by this entransing film even with the kitsch. Of course in this film, I am happy to say, there are ample Life lessons about the nature, shades, and complexities of friendship and love hidden under the kitsch.

The characters are ingratiating. A main character Sanjay(Uday Chopra) is a happy-go-lucky guy living in Mubai, but his one problem is that he CANNOT develop a relationship. He feels secure and is complacent, however, until he receives the phone call that shakes him to the core. His Dear Friend from childhood who he has shared most of his life with informs him that She is getting married. Her name is Anjali(played by Sanjana)-The reason no other relationship with any other girl will work . He gushes about her from the depths of his subconscious to a Friend, Ria(Bipasha Basu) just prior to recieving this call, and directly after the call confides to Ria that he will go directly to Dehradoon to her wedding party and break the wedding. The first great Lesson from this film that struck Me is this: "Some things can only be comprehended out of loss". (This is word-for-word or at least very close-a line from Ria as Sanjay laments Anjali's wedding.) How true this is! But Sanjay has hope! As he meets the wedding party, he is his usual fun-loving self, but his worries mount as he meets the prospective bridegroom. Rohit(Jimmy Shergill), Anjali's fiancee, is a debonair charmer-and very successful as a doctor in the U.S. Handsome and worldly, Rohit is adored at first sight by the whole family (although a hilarious scene with photos of an ape before he is met is too funny-a situaton orchestrated by Sanjay, this scene is a classic-but I will discuss the music interludes shortly). There must be soul-searching and revelation before the Triangle is resolved. (I can't say that it compares with the Japanese film/literature obsession with repressed feelings and duty and honor above all as in Remains of the Day, but the quote in Howard's End, the great Novel seems to apply-"Only Connect"! I guess all of us at one time or another keep feelings that we either were not fully conscious that we have (in which it is sometimes too late) or even more common are repressed to avoid hurt or rejecton. In this particular story, the prospect of loss is the catalyst for action, but the remedy is the same for all cases: BE HONEST AND UP FRONT WITH YOUR FEELINGS. CONNECT.

The spectacle was fun and a visual treat. The actors all did well in their parts. The music was fun, the dancing was spectacular (Man.........I wonder if ALL Indian actors have to dance that well as well as act. Is it a prerequisite? Uday was fabulous.) The parts that were musical were often funny. The Triangle of Anjali, Sanjay, and Rohit was dealt with in such a gentlemanly way by the characters. Sure, there is competition, but If only there could be more of that kind behavior in "reality". Just watch the film. Thanks for hooking Me to this exciting new genre, Kaz!!!!! :-D

The Parent Trap(1998)- Review #7

As I promised, I am reviewing a Film that Natasha Richardson has appeared in, and will continue to do more!

The Parent Trap(1998) is a movie that has all the qualifications of a movie that I wouldn't be interested in(especially at first sight and also seeing snippits of the Hayley Mills version as a kid and not being impressed didn't help). I don't do well suspending My dis-belief, so it is easy to see how a movie about two eleven-year-old girls meeting at a summer camp who just happen to be separated-at birth identical twins separated in VERY unlikely circumstances (O.K.-IT WOULD NEVER HAPPEN!!!) -meaning that their parents separated and "felt" that they wanted no more contact with each other. To make things as "painless" as possible for each other, they each take one of the twin girls and vow never to let the knowledge of this reach the daughters. WHAT THE........ LOL. WOW. Again, seeing the 1961 version turned me off of the story and hearing about a remake passed through my consciousness well......Not at all. I guess I really never even cared to see it until now. So that is when I sat down on the living floor, popped it in......and was really pleasantly pleased with Lindsay Lohan's Performance(s)! Sure. There is My personal fave Jodie Foster, and also others like Tatum O'Neal, and a slew of other child actors who give performances that are infinitely more remarkable, but Lohan was fun to watch. She emoted well, and was never really out-of-synch playing the two girls. As far as the clicheted stuff that was BOUND to come with the movie, the scenery of California and a little bit of London are beautifully shot-and I daresay make up for some of the cliche baggage. What also REALLY helps is the performances of Dennis Quaid(as Nick Parker-the girls' father-he raises the rambunctious twin Hallie on a vineyard in California) and a deliciously mean Meredith Blake(Elaine Hendrix) who might just be the chink in the plan for the twin girls to reunite their birth parents. Yeah-the story is well known by many, so spoiler alert is not really warranted too much, but what I really recommend, again, is the fun the actors bring to this movie-Which brings Me to Natasha Richardson. Natasha is in the role of Elizabeth James-the girls' bridal-dress designing and proper british mother (who raises the twin Annie as a proper Little Brit )-again, separated from the father that they want her reunited with after they bond at camp and find every need possible to put their family back together. Natasha has recently been described by Meryl Streep as the "Sun" in Her circle of Friends. There is no reflection here-Her warmth, talent and professionalism are just straight from the source. For real. Natasha is luminous, fabulous, funny and ingratiating. Just check out the part where she is in melt-down mode when.........LOL. Just watch the movie. I give it 2.5 out of 4 stars. This film is directed by Nancy Meyers, who also was one of the screenplay adaptors.

*Blogger's Note: There will be a special post Monday Reviewing a Bollywood Extravaganza thanks to "Kazzy" Burton. :-) Be sure to check in on that! ;-D

Curious George, the Four-Year-Old Wonder. ♥ Happy Birthday, GEORGE!

♥Newborn George-My First Nephew♥

An "Armed" George with Granny.

The man of the hour bouncing on the couch in a post-cake sugar high!

Auntie Meg Gave George this adorable wind-up Monkey. Can You Guess what I am thinking???? This little wind-up monkey reminds me of the beginning scenes of the film Rebel Without A Cause where a young James Dean clings to a little Wind-Up toy Monkey as he is taken to task in a Police Station. That film is a classic dealing with teen angst. Hopefully George avoids serious angst as he matures. :-) Maybe this Little Friend can be a good talisman for "Curious George"?

This Rebel Has a Cause!!!!!....Trying to wait patiently for his piece of Cake.

Criminy!......Did they HAVE to give George a toy GUN?????? Cutest little Black-Hatted Cowdude EVER.

Me and George, the Birthday Boy.

Sunday the 22nd of March marked four years to the day that I was home alone and able to answer the phone and be the first person in the family to hear the news that George D. Holm was born. What a sweet boy! This year as we celebrated with a now four-year -old "Curious George", (two days ago-the same day that the Draper Temple was dedicated) there was a wistful, happy feeling of hope as we watched him bounce off the walls with sugar shock and play with his new loot. Thanks, George, for being a joyous force for Me. You are a sweet, unspoiled, and tender boy who has healed Me, made Me laugh, and made Me proud to be Your Aunt! LOVE YOU, GEORGE!