Valentine's 2010: Scent Has A Language All Its Own

By Randall Radic

The Essence Of Perfume:  Scent has a language all its own, which is why it evokes such deep memories in us.  The tendrils of scent’s slang reach into the primitive, emotional part of our minds.  This explains why the odor of diesel fuel picks me up and plops me down in a train station, where I’m waiting for my grandmother to arrive.

It just so happens that smells are the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of nature, because the same smell can either attract or repel.  The difference lies in strength.  At high potency some combinations remind us of an outhouse, yet at a lower level the same combination smells like violets.

Pheromones are of particular interest.  For pheromones are chemical body language; they are invisible to the eye, but instantly signal our noses, changing our physical responses and our behavior toward members of the opposite sex.  Our hormones respond to the hormones around us.

Research has proven that women are more sensitive to smell than men, which is why women adore perfumes.  Ironically, though, perfumes contain male animal pheromones, which repel most men.  Perfumes, then, are not bait for men.  Rather they are to please the senses of the woman, relaxing her and thus making her more responsive.  This explains why women have been fascinated by perfumes for the last four thousand years. 

Aha!  This means the selection of the proper perfume for a woman is crucial both for the woman and her admirers.  With that principle in mind, let’s examine the concept of fragrance.

The cost of a fragrance can range from a few dollars to a few thousand dollars.  Natural ingredients cost more; artificial ingredients, usually aldehydes, cost less.  But more and more commercial fragrances are using artificial constituents.  Chanel No. 5, for example, is totally artificial.  But the scent is profound and whispers secrets to many women. 

This means that selecting the proper perfume takes time and patience. 

First, the fragrance must be applied to the body because perfumes respond to individual hormones, and hormones are as different as fingerprints.  Do not simply smell the sample swabs, for the bouquet will alter when applied to the skin.  Spray the inner elbows and the back of the knees.  This will keep the molecules damp, and hormones love humidity.

Second, once the fragrance is applied it will take about fifteen to twenty minutes before the scent matures.  And do not rub the perfume once it is on the skin, as this mutilates the molecules and distorts the bouquet.  If the scent remains subtle, elegant and pleasing after the time limit, then you have a decision to make.

Since no two women are the same, do not expect to choose the scent your mother or sister or friends adore.  As women age their hormones change, so the choice of perfume will change accordingly.  Once a decision is made, remember to store your perfume at room temperature.

Gentlemen, if you find yourself motivated to purchase perfume as a gift, a little detective work is necessary.  Discover what your lady already prefers to wear, then select a gift set of the same fragrance.  The next safest alternative is to select a perfume made by the same house. 

There are seven basic types of fragrances:  florals, floral bouquets, spicy, mossy, oriental, fruity and blends.  Some of the latest and most cultivated perfumes are described below.

Guerlain L’Heure Bleu:  a consummate blending of bergamot and vanilla; fresh and subtle.  This scent attempts no pretense of stoic resignation.  Instead it presents a curious field of suppressed energy.

Flowerbomb by Viktor and Rolf:  despite the incendiary name this perfume is designed for chic aristocrats who do not shy from conferring an assertion.  Its scent is redolent of roses and it is muscular.  Apply with discretion.

Bulgari Blu Notte:  a scent that shimmers at night.  Among its constituents and subtle hallucinizers are galanga, iris and bittersweet, dark chocolate.  The effect is vicarious elegance along with suggestive implications.

Acqua di Parma’s Blu Mediterraneo:  this scent infers that paradise cannot exist without the serpent.  Which explains why it’s a favorite of so many celebrity femme fatales.  Mandarin and bergamot shimmer in proximity to one another.  The effect is impulsive and reckless.

Moschino Couture:  musk and spice blends make a connection too tenuous to be defined, but the result is serene beyond words.  The effect is that of a rich voice, under exquisite lilting control.  This scent is guaranteed to garner favorable comments.

Pink by Nanadabary:  an oriental scent combining the arch, piquant features of nutmeg, coriander and smooth bourbon vanilla symbols.  Just the right amount of elusive familiarity along with the virtue of inscrutability.

Envy Me by Gucci:  a peony and pomegranate scent that is ascetic, austere, and devout to an astonishing extreme.  The effect is an idle yearning for the unattainable.  

Hermes Un Jardin Sur le Nil:  the remote nuances of green mango, lotus blossoms and cassia leaves pile variables upon variables.  The effect is delightful and superb, if somewhat irascible. 

Randall Radic is a former Old Catholic priest.  He is a graduate of the University of Arizona.  He holds a Master of Theology,  from Trinity Seminary, a Doctorate of Theology from Trinity Seminary,Th.D., and a Doctorate of Sacred Theology, S.T.D. from Agape Seminary.

After a midlife crisis, he spent time behind bars. Today, he has emerged a changed man.  He is the author of Gone To Hell: True Crimes of America’s Clergy (ECW Press/ Oct 2009), and A Priest in Hell: Gangs, Murderers and Snitching in a California Jail. Radic writes the 2012 EXPOSED series exclusively for Basil & Spice.  Visit his Writer's Page.

Music Review: Sophie Milman--Take Love Easy 

Valentine's 2010: How To Bring Back Your Sex Drive

Copyright © 2006-2010, Basil & Spice. All rights reserved.

Review: The Politician By Andrew Young (Thomas Dunne/2010)

By Loyd E. Eskildson

Andrew Young was an ambitious newly-minted attorney looking for a life cause when he found John Edwards, a young, charismatic politician that Young believed would become president. Young then attaches himself to Edwards in hopes of riding along to the White House. Young's book now provides disturbing insights on a man that came far closer than most to becoming president. Drawing on his ten-year close association with Edwards and associated contemporary notes, and loyal to the point of claiming to be the father of Edwards's illegitimate child to allow Edwards to continue pursuing the presidency and then vice-presidency (assuming Edwards would set the record straight at the end of the campaign - didn't happen until just before Young's book came out). Young's accounting doesn't lack credibility or detail. The book ends with Young testifying before a federal grand jury looking at possible Edwards's campaign finance corruption, smeared by both John and Elizabeth Edwards, and believing himself to be practically unemployable.
 
The Politician takes readers through Young's relationship with John Edwards, starting at the beginning. Young's first assignment was to assist in fund-raising, from there he worked his way up to "Man-Friday." In between reporting factual occurrences during that tenure, Young's bitterness shows through as he periodically drops in assertions that Edwards's wife, Elizabeth--a fellow practicing attorney, had contributed much to John's success - advising him early on regarding presentation style and subsequent case strategies. Readers also get periodic indicators that Edwards's concern for 'the other America' had become increasingly phony, and his commitment to Senator Kerry in the 2004 election was less than total. We also get periodic bits about how moody Elizabeth Edwards became.
 
John Edwards first met Rielle Hunter in early 2006 in New York City. At the time she was 41, divorced, living rent-free with a female friend in New Jersey, and best described as a 'gold-digger.' She became his videographer, and used part of her first paycheck to buy a camera. Elizabeth Edwards eventually realizes John was seeing another woman--he claims it was a 'one-night thing.' The bulk of the book is taken up with a long amateur intrigue of Rielle trying to contact Edwards through 'special phones' that Elizabeth would not know about, as well as using Young's cell phone; Elizabeth, in turn, becomes increasingly moody as her suspicions increase and time passes after her cancer diagnosis.
 
A 98-year-old matriarch, Bunny Mellon, becomes attracted to Edwards's message and eventually provides some $6+ million in funding - legal, per Young, being a gift, some of which was used to support Rielle during her pregnancy, unknown to Mellon. (Later Edwards tried to get Mrs. Mellon to fund a $50 million foundation, plus airplane, for his own use to spread his message after the campaign; she declined.)  Regardless, when Mrs. Mellon's crippled daughter died, Edwards and Caroline Kennedy were both invited to the funeral - Caroline Kennedy attended, Edwards did not. Finally, in a seemingly weak attempt at soap-opera drama, Rielle ends up living with the Youngs as they bounce around the country hiding during most of her pregnancy after Andrew 'admits' fathering the child, and they're all hounded by National Enquirer (etc.) probers.
 
Ending his book, Young concludes that both Elizabeth and John Edwards were blinded by the thought of the power of the presidency. Someone needs to tell Andrew Young that he was too.
 
Finally, I can't resist adding a quote by John Edwards on Bill Clinton in 1999: "I think this President has shown a remarkable disrespect for his office, for the moral dimensions of leadership, for his friends, for his wife, for his precious daughter. It is breathtaking to me the level to which that disrespect has risen."
 
Bottom-Line: John Edwards ends up legally separated from his 30-year wife Elizabeth, Rielle Hunter fades away, along with her daughter Frances Quinn and presumably lots of child-support, and Andrew Young ends up with a sex-tape involving John Edwards and Rielle Hunter that is possibly worth more than the revenge and money derived from writing this book.

The Politician: An Insider's Account of John Edwards's Pursuit of the Presidency and the Scandal That Brought Him Down Thomas Dunne Books (Jan 2010) By Andrew Young

Loyd Eskildson  is retired from a life of computer programming, teaching economics and finance, education and health care administration, and cross-country truck driving.  He's now a reviewer at Basil & Spice.

Book Review: Resilience by Elizabeth Edwards

Lessons Learned From John Edwards In 2010

2000-2010: Paternity Testing Climbs To 60%

Copyright © 2006-2010, Basil & Spice. All rights reserved.

2*Movie Review—Scott Stewart’s “Legion” (Feb 2010)

2* Review By James R. Holland

The God and Angels In This Film Are More Like The Ones On Mt. Olympus

This motion picture appears to be a pilot for a television series or some kind of motion picture trilogy. Basically the theme is that God has become bored with mankind and has dispatched Angel Generals Michael and Gabriel to turn the human population into characters out of the Night of the Living Dead. The more numerous weak-minded will eat the stronger willed. Problem solved.

As with the very human-like, flawed Gods of Greek Mythology’s Mount Olympus, in this film apparently both God and his angels have the human traits of jealously, play politics and don’t always agree with or obey orders. Michael has decided God doesn’t really know what a mistake he is making and so Michael arrives on earth in the same blue lightning that the terminators usually use for transport. He sheds his wings and sets out to save humanity by saving the unborn child of a single mother who is destined to save the world. Most of the action takes place in the New Mexico Desert at a beat-up truck stop called Paradise Falls.

If this theme sounds a little familiar, it probably is? This reviewer found the script to be a collection of parts of Stephen King’s Maximum Overdrive, The Terminator, Night of the Living Dead or any one of the recent Zombie flicks. And then there is Legion, whose most recent appearance was in Nicholas Cage’s Ghost Rider. Now it’s been a while since I attended Sunday school, but when Jesus cast out the legion of demons it was only a minor miracle and short footnote in the Bible. Few Sunday schools teach that God is the type of deity that gets “tired of all the bullshit” and so decides to clear the planet of humans so he can begin a fresh canvas of creation.

In addition to reminding the viewer of all the previously mentioned films, this one isn’t as good as any of them. That’s not to say the film had no redeeming value, but angels using their wings to deflect bullets from an Uzi fired at them by another angel or rolling around, wing-over-wing on the floor trying to hit each other with a cool version of a kinky, super-sized medieval mace, just doesn’t compute. The Greek gods liked to gamble on and amuse themselves with these kinds of contests among the humans, but that kind of politically incorrect behavior by deities just doesn’t cut it any more.

Scott Stewart, the director and co-writer of this sure-to-be a B-Movie Cult Classic provides touches of the same movie magic he created in his Priest fantasy adventure, but these instances are more like teases of what might have been. The actors do a decent job considering the muddled script they were working with. This reviewer particularly liked the performances of Dennis Quaid as Bob Hanson and Charles S. Dutton as Percy Walker and a non-emoting, but nicely tattooed Paul Bettany as Michael. Naturally the performance portraying the rebellious daughter Audry has to be mentioned not because of her short, short micro mini-skirt, but because she is played by Willa Holland who may be distantly related to this reviewer via a screen name coincidence? It’s tough to make even a pilot for a television show with such murky Biblical imagery.

The best part of the movie is the poster advertising it and some of the motion picture’s beautifully crafted visual images. It was also interesting that the newly arrived Arch-Angel Michael, field commander of the army of God, does his shopping for staples at a City of Angels Chinese toy factory. There certainly appeared to be a lot of unhealthy lead for sale in that toy company. The Terminators would love shopping there.

James R. Holland is a film editor, producer, and author--most recently of Adventure Photographer (A Bit of Boston Books/ 2009).  He reviews movies exclusively for Basil & Spice.  Visit James R. Holland's Writer's Page.

4*Movie Review: Tooth Fairy (Jan 2010)

Movie Review: Crazy Heart (Jan 2010)

4* Movie Review: Edge Of Darkness--Welcome Back Mel! (Jan 2010)

Copyright © 2006-2010, Basil & Spice. All rights reserved.

FirstLook: The Cleanest Race: How North Koreans See Themselves (2010)

Reviewed By Loyd E. Eskildson

The Cleanest Race: How North Koreans See Themselves And Why It Matters (Melville House/ 2010) is a sometimes muddled and biased, but ultimately useful effort to explain North Korea's internal and foreign policies. Myers states that his conclusions are the result of researching the nation's domestic propaganda agenda, and believes the 'Democratic Peoples' Republic of Korea' (DPRK) is a "paranoid nationalist, 'military-first' far-right state whose popular support now derives mostly from pride in its military might." Ergo, it cannot be pressured or cajoled to give up its nuclear program.
 
Continuing, Myers believes that this ideology has generally enjoyed the support of the North Korean people . . . "without a ubiquitous police presence or a fortified northern border" (with China). That conclusion is a serious stretch - most other accounts report a strong secret police environment in which the continually indoctrinated general populace are encouraged and rewarded for reporting disloyal acts of  fellow citizens. Further, while its northern border with China is lightly patrolled, potential emigres are strongly deterred by frequent Chinese sweeps that capture and return those who successfully cross over. Once returned, they face severe punishment in North Korea. Myers continues, with "about half of 'economic migrants' voluntarily return," and "the rest remain fervent admirers of Kim Il Sung" - patent nonsense, per other sources. Myers also defies reality by contending that the North Korean doctrine of 'Juche' is confusing, not understandable, and not adhered to, when most other sources have no problems contending it refers to making the nation's destructive effort to be internally self-sufficient. Finally, his several citations of Bruce Cummings without qualification is unnerving because that author's scholarship on Korea has been challenged by a number of academic critics, and his work has stirred up more controversy than that of most other historians (Wikipedia).
 
Returning to reality, Myers says that North Korea presents itself to the world as a misunderstood country seeking integration into the international community, while to its own citizens it presents itself as a state dictating conditions to groveling U.N. (and U.S.) officials, and keeping its enemies in constant fear of ballistic retribution. Further, the DPRK has never given up its dream of fomenting a nationalist revolution in 'south Korea.'
 
"A History of North Korean Official Culture - 1910-" forms Part I of Myers' book. Japan invaded Korea in 1905, and stayed 40 years until forced out after WWII. Leader Kim Il Sung, contrary to state-generated myth, sat out WWII in the U.S.S.R., but had been a commander with Mao in China's earlier battle with Japan. (Sidelight - Kim's brother interpreted for the Japanese.) Myers also asserts that Kim had read little before being put in charge by the Soviets. Tens of thousands of North Koreans fled to China during the 1995-97 famine, eroding the information embargo that allowed the DPRK to falsely claim that South Korea was more impoverished.

The DPRK then told its citizens that the reason South Korea had a higher standard of living was because of the North's 'military-first' policy which repeatedly has forced other nations to back down. South Koreans were also reported to be deeply unhappy about defilement by the presence of foreigners, and wanted to join with the DPRK. Myers believes that it is essential that North Korean citizens believe it is the better Korea, or they will decide that the South is better able to rule the entire peninsula. Therefore, "a decade of generous and unconditional aid from South Korea has not generated even a modicum of good will from North Korea." 
 
Friendly nations (eg. Laos) are described to DPRK nationals as 'tributary' - hosting Juche study conferences to learn from North Korea, presenting eulogies to the Leader, and congratulating the DPRK on important anniversaries. China, an exception, is described more as a partner. Nonetheless, pregnant returnees from China undergo forced abortions to avoid 'contaminating the blood-line.' Similarly, it is also 'necessary' to keep foreigners away from residents in Pyongyang, its capital and showcase city - hence, separate hotels, eating facilities, buses, and 'minders' prevent mingling.
 
U.S. (inherently evil) aid is rationalized to North Koreans as compensation for economic blockades, etc. Myers says the government doesn't talk about the U.S. "bombing North Korea flat" because this would undermine the Leader's reputed power; yet, somehow, Myers believes it is still logical for North Korea to speak of alleged atrocities committed by American foot-soldiers.
 
Bottom-Line: Much of The Cleanest Race is taken up with a mystical, pointless effort to classify North Korea and its leadership as masculine or feminine, and still more by academic quibbling over whether its historical background is Confucianism, Stalinism, nationalism, or pre-war Japanese Fascism. Myers also contends that race, not socialism, is key to North Korean ideology - unsubstantiable-given government control of production, commerce, and pay. (However, claiming North Korean ideology is a mix of race AND socialism is credible.) Myers also focuses on what the regime tells its own citizens, and makes a good case for two key contentions:

1) If a decade of South Korean aid to North Korea has brought no gratitude, the U.S. hoping to ingratiate itself through aid is hopeless - it will simply become evidence of our subservience.

2) Given the constant political indoctrination at all levels, it makes little sense to think that Leader Kim (or successor) could demilitarize to any extent without risking a military coup.
 
On the other hand, who would have thought Deng Xiaoping, 'three time loser' under Chairman Mao, would rise after Mao's death and lead China through such dramatic foreign policy and internal reversals that it became a self-sufficient economic powerhouse in only three decades?

North Korean Starvation Still Seen As A Factor In 2010

An Estimated 600K--2 Million Have Starved To Death In North Korea

Loyd Eskildson  is retired from a life of computer programming, teaching economics and finance, education and health care administration, and cross-country truck driving.  He's now a reviewer at Basil & Spice.

Copyright © 2006-2010, Basil & Spice. All rights reserved.

Winter 2010: TN, OK Receive Help From The American Red Cross

Monday, February 01, 2010 — The American Red Cross is on the scene in Oklahoma and Tennessee where a strong winter storm has left thousands of homes and business without power.

The Red Cross helped 500 people stay warm in 12 shelters overnight.  According to the National Weather Service, the area is under a freezing fog advisory today with ice accumulation and low visibility expected.

Many of those who have remained in their homes are resorting to extreme measures to stay warm, huddling next to wood fires and portable heaters.  If your home has lost power:

• Turn off and unplug all unnecessary electrical equipment, including electronics.
• Turn off or disconnect any appliances, equipment, or electronics you were using when the power went out.
• Leave one light turned on so you’ll know when the power comes back on.
• Do not use a generator indoors.  Locate generators away from doors, windows and vents.
• If you are using a generator, connect the equipment you want to power directly to the outlets on the generator.  Do not connect the generator to your home’s electrical system.
• Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible.  An unopened refrigerator will keep food cold for about four hours. A full freezer will keep the temperature for about 48 hours, 24 hours if it is half full, and only if the door remains closed.
• Throw away food that has been exposed to temperatures 40 degrees Fahrenheit for two hours or more, or that has an unusual odor, color, or texture.  When in doubt, throw it out.

You can get more information on winter storm and power loss safety by visiting www.redcross.org.  Keep up with Red Cross response to winter weather in the Disaster Online Newsroom.

Winter Storm Safety Checklist [PDF]

About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.

Haiti 2010: American Red Cross--Text 90999 To Donate $10