Movie Day: The Incredible Burt Wonderstone

If you like to laugh or if you, like me, like magic,  by all means see the movie, "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone."  In theaters today, this movie is a laugh a minute.  Starring Steve Carell as the character in the title, he plays a magician, who teams up with his best friend forever, Anton (played by Steve Buscemi) as a well-worn Las Vegas magic act.  Carell is perfect as Wonderstone, an egomaniacal diva, sort of a cross of Liberace, Wayne Newton and Siegfried (or is it Roy?) who suffers an ignominious decline overnight and loses his best friend and job.

Jim Carrey plays Steve Gray, a so-called "street magician", who basically tortures himself and presents it as magic. Think David Blaine. Much of the film is presented as a contrast between the two styles of magic, with Wonderstone representing the traditional (think David Copperfield, who makes a cameo appearance).

Alan Arkin plays the grumpy, elder statesman magician who brings a spark back to Wonderstone as only Arkin can.  Speaking of spark, the lovely actress, Olivia Wilde, plays Wonderstone's assistant, who also helps to bring him back from his downhill slide.

I give it three and a half stars.

This Pill Could Save Your Life

If you are driving along Interstate 376 from downtown Pittsburgh to Pittsburgh International Airport, you will pass a building on the left side of the highway with a large round, white object atop one of the buildings alongside  the higway.  It looks like some sort of enormous pill.  In fact, that is exactly what it is: an aspirin tablet The pill is the symbol of the Bayer company which manufactures the world-famous Bayer aspirin. It is a fitting symbol of a drug that for many years has been known to be effective in helping to prevent various medical conditions such as colon cancer.  Its effectiveness in staving off a heart attack is well-documented and many physicians advise their patients at risk of a heart attack to take a small aspirin a day for that very purpose.

What was not known until recently is that aspirin may also be effective in preventing the most deadly form of skin cancer, melanoma. The very name, melanoma, strikes fear in the hearts of anyone who knows even a little bit about the potentially damaging effects of over exposure to the sun's rays.In a recent study, researchers at Stanford University found that post-menopausal women who took aspirin at least twice a week were 30% less likely to develop melanoma.

While not yet definitive, according to the study's author, Dr. Jean Tang, "aspirin may have a chemo-preventive effect against the development of melanoma."

Although aspirin appears to have many beneficial effects, it also is known to cause gastrointestinal bleeding in some people. So, before starting any aspirin regimen, consult your own physician.

Movie Day: Emperor

The movie "Emperor", which opened this weekend, is misleading. From the title and the previews, it appears to be a movie about General Douglas MacArthur and his role as Supreme Commander in Japan after World War II.  And yes, MacArthur, played by Tommy Lee Jones, does appear in the movie as Supreme Commander and, yes, he does have to decide whether to prosecute Japanese Emperor Hirohito for war crimes.  But that whole aspect of the movie is really a subplot to the real story:  the hunt by a General Bonner Fellers, one of MacArthur's adjutants, to find his Japanese girl friend.  Most of the movie is shown in flashbacks of their pre-war romance.

As General Fellers, Matthew Fox, does an okay job as the obsessed general, but until the very end of the movie, he shows little passion. Jones, when on screen, chews up the scenery as only he can do. But, even there, we don't get a real sense of MacArthur and his own bombastic, ego-centric personality.

Don't get me wrong, it is not a bad picture. Shot in New Zealand and Japan, it has some remarkable scenes. I just think the movie should be promoted as a romance, love story and not a World War II movie. In addition, the whole romance angle was done so much better in the 1957 movie, "Sayonara," starring Marlon Brando.  See it on Netflix and let me know if you agree.

Why You Should Consider High Intensity Interval Training Exercise

Several months ago, I referred to a study that showed the substantial physical and mental benefits of high intensity training. High Intensity Interval Training for Better Health. That type of training involves periods of 30-40 seconds of all-out cardio followed by an equal amount of rest. Recently, a study by the Montreal Heart Institute reaffirmed those benefits.  In a four month study of obese men and women, those who performed 30 minutes daily of interval cardio training such as cycling, not only lost weight, but also scored as much as 25% higher on cognitive tests.  According to Dr. Anil Nigam, MD, the participants in the study were getting more oxygen to their brains and using that oxygen more efficiently.

So, keep it pumping, but remember to also take it easy.

Sunken Treasure in Key West

If you are like me, the lure of hidden treasure is compelling.  Who hasn't read Robert Louis Stevenson's "Treasure Island" and not dreamed of someday finding a treasure chest themselves? Some people today seek that treasure through the lottery. Mel Fisher did it another way: he spent sixteen years searching for the treasure of a Spanish ship that sunk to the bottom of the sea in 1622 In 1985, he found it and today, you can see some of that treasure and other artifacts from that ship in a museum in Key West, Florida, Mel Fisher's Maritime Museum.

While many people visit Key West to see the Ernest Hemingway house or have a drink at Hemingway's favorite watering hole, Sloppy Joe's, or better yet, have a cheeseburger in paradise at the original Jimmy Buffett Margarativille, the real deal is the Mel Fisher museum. Located just a short distance from these better known Key West attractions in an old building on Greene street, it is well worth a visit.

The Spanish ship Nuestra Senora de Atocha (Our Lady of Atocha) sank some 35 miles off the coast of the  Florida Keys in a severe hurricane on September 6, 1622. Of the 265 people on  board, including several Augustinian priests, only three sailors and 2 slaves managed to survive. The Atocha (named for a parish in Madrid) was also carrying an unbelievable cargo of copper, jewels, silver, gold and tobacco. Included were some 24 tons of silver and 125 gold bars and discs.Although the Spanish attempted various salvage operations for several years, the depth of the sunken ship and other storms hampered those operations.

It was not until Mel Fisher, a chicken farmer turned deep sea diver found it in 1985, that most of that cargo was located and retrieved.Gold and silver and other artifacts worth over $500 million have already been recovered. Recovery operations continue and additional treasure continues to be found. Recently, an emerald ring valued at $500,000 was found and is on display in the museum.

In addition to the displays of gold and silver ingots and other valuables,the museum offers a glimpse of life aboard the Atocha  Several cannon, muskets and swords from the heavily armed vessel give an insight into the ship's defenses.  Also, spoons and plates of Majolica show the day to day functioning of the ship. Most of these articles are in remarkable condition given that they are 450 years old!

The gift shop adjacent to the museum  has a silver ingot  available for purchase for over $100,000 and reproduction silver coin jewelry for as little as $65

The museum is located at 200 Greene Street in Key West. It is open daily.  The admission fee is $12.50 for adults with a small discount for veterans.  For more information, contact the museum at 305-294-2633 or view their website at www.melfisher.org.

The Edison House in Ft. Myers

Thomas Alva Edison is probably the world's most prolific and famous inventor.  Without his development of the electric light bulb, we would still be watching television by candle light. (That's a joke folks!) He is credited with over 1000 United States patents.  These include the phonograph, the movie camera and many other items we take for granted everyday in our lives.

This "wizard of Menlo Park," New Jersey also was an important part of the development of Southwestern Florida, specifically, the area around Ft. Myers. For many years, he had a winter home in Ft. Myers.  Today, that winter home and that of his neighbor and good friend, Henry Ford, are available for touring.  Located on McGregor Blvd. along the Caloosatchee River, the area once had been cattle country. The two adjacent houses sit on lovely estates filled with botanical wonders..

Some of these plants were grown as part of Edison's efforts to find a proper filament element for the light bulb. Others, were grown to support research in providing a source of natural rubber as part of a corporation formed by Edison, Ford and Harvey Firestone, who also was a neighbor in Ft, Myers. Finally, others are grown for their beauty.One of these is a banyan tree given to Edison in 1925 by Harvey Firestone.  At the time it was only 4 feet tall.  Today, it fills a complete acre!

Both the Edison and Ford houses are plain, simple buildings in the bungalow style. When we first toured the estates in 1983, one of Edison's original light bulbs still glowed brightly.Recent, we toured the estate again and it was no longer there. In addition to the houses, there is a lab where Edison and his associates conducted the experiments to find a domestic source of rubber.

One of the highlights of the Ford estate is a shed where two vintage Ford vehicles are displayed, a Model T and a pick-up truck.The tour guide explained that the term "pick-up" referred to the fact that if you purchased the truck, you had to "pick it up" at the railroad station and take it home where you had to complete its building by using the wood packaging in which the truck came as part of the running board and frame.  The "woody" was born!

After the death of Edison's second wife, Mina, the Edison estate was donated to the city of Ft, Myers for the express purpose of opening it to the public.It is available for touring daily. For more information, contact the estate at www.edisonfordwinterestates.org.

The Truman Little White House in Key West

If you find yourself, as we did, in the vicinity of Key West, Florida, this winter or really any time of year, consider a visit to the Harry S Truman Little White House.  You will be glad you did.
                                                                   
Key West is the southernmost city in the United States.  Located on a small island in the Gulf of Mexico, it is only about 30 miles from Cuba.  If traveling along Highway US 1 through the Florida keys, it is were mile marker 0 marks the end of the road.

Known primarily as a party town and the home of Ernest Hemingway, the Little White House is a diversion from the usual tourist stops and shops.  Situated at 111 Front Street, it is just a short distance from Sloppy Joes,where Hemingway is reputed to have spent much of his time in Key West.

Harry Truman was the 33rd president of the United States, succeeding Franklin Delano Roosevelt upon his death in April, 1945.Truman had been vice president for less than three months at the time and was unaware of many projects within the government, particularly the building of an atomic bomb, known as the Manhattan Project. It was Truman, however, only months later,who approved the use of the bomb over Japan, bringing an end to World War II,  Truman served out the remainder of Roosevelt's term and was reelected on his own in1948 in an upset over Thomas Dewey.According to a recent CNN poll, Truman is ranked as the fifth most admired president.

Looking for a place to find relief from the burdens of the presidency, it was suggested that he vacation in Key West at the then empty home of the commander of the Key West naval base.
He went there and liked it so much he would spend 175 days there during his presidency.

If you take the tour ($15 per person, slightly less for boomers over 62) you will see why. Among other things, it has the original man cave.  Located on the first floor, it has a bar, where it is said Truman would have a glass of whiskey each morning, and a poker table, where he would play every evening. Also located on the first floor is the desk where Truman signed the order which fired General Douglas MacArthur during the Korean war for insubordination. On the second floor are the bedrooms of Truman and his wife Bess, with many pieces of original furniture.

In addition to Truman, Presidents Kennedy, Clinton and Carter have all used the Little White House. Kennedy is said to have met with the then British prime minister, Harold MacMillan, in 1961 around the time of the ill-fated Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba.