Owner: robertxgillis URL:www.robertxgillis@aol.com Join Date: Thu, 06 Mar 2008 17:52:34 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: Since 1996, I have written a regular Op-Ed column for the Foxboro Reporter, a weekly paper in Massachusetts with a circulation of 5000, published at the Attleboro Sun-Chronicle. You can read them all here. I also write for the Boston City Paper. Humor, re Site statistics:Click here
Alex Ross Age of TV Heroes painting 2008-03-06 18:22:00 Alex Ross, one of the greatest artists of our time, has painted the cover to a new book called, "Age of TV Heroes" by George Khoury and Jason Hofius, due in November from Two Morrows Publishing.Look at this amazing cover -- George Reeves' Superman, Adam West's Batman, Lynda Carter's Wonder Woman and Jackson Bostwick's Captain Marvel. All I can think: Where's Joanna Cameron's Isis? Sigh.As one person so eloquently said, "That's my youth up there." This painting is just gorgeous.
Even more Bad Transit (MBTA Commuter Rail) 2008-03-05 09:22:00 by Robert GillisBoston City paper 3/2008So, long MBTA horror story short, the blinking LED sign o’doom flashes that due to mechanical failure (quelle surprise!) the 8:16 will be late and adds that there are “crowded conditions.” So we happy commuters wait in the pouring rain as the sign soon changes to state that the “8:16 will not be excepting (sic) any passengers.” (Grammar isn’t big at MBTA headquarters, apparently, but hey, it isn’t on this site, either, so they get a pass on that one). The alleged 8:16 shows up at around, oh, 8:45, and for some reason STOPS, although it’s not “excepting” any passengers and no one leaves the train. The 8:47 arrives about 10 minutes later, and I’m only 50 minutes late for work. “Dependabili-T.” Hah!So as usual I go to the M Read more:Transit
Do not attempt! Closed course. Professional Driver. 2008-03-01 15:46:00 By Robert GillisPublished in the Foxboro Reporter 3/2008 and Boston City Paper 2/2008Being a slow news month with absolutely nothing else going on, I thought today I’d turn our attention to television commercials and their warnings.I’m talking about car commercials, and certain others advertisements, that feel the need to add “Do not attempt
” to the commercial when the situation is obviously preposterous to anyone with a modicum of common sense. Example: If a guy gets a rush from a Mountain Dew and exuberantly skydives off the Eiffel Tower, do we really need a “Do not attempt” message? I mean, I’ve been to the Eiffel Tower, they don’t sell Mountain Dew there anyway, and even if they did, the French police (I believe they call them “Bobbies”) would stop you if you tri Read more:Closed
, course
, Driver
Auction to benefit the Doolittle Home on Foxboro Cable Access March 1, 2008 2008-02-24 17:52:00 by Robert Gillis Published in the Foxboro Reporter 2/2008The Doolittle
auction event is finally here! After months of preparation and the round-the-clock work of a dedicated group of volunteers, we’re proud to present over one hundred quality items – many priceless – at the fifth annual cable auction to benefit
the Doolittle Home. Did you know that Doolittle Home is truly one of Foxboro’s treasures? This beautiful residence is home to nearly 30 senior citizens, and provides total care in an elegant, dignified atmosphere. Doolittle Home is licensed by the State as a retirement facility and also provides for the medical needs of the residents in a fully accredited nursing unit. Most residents enter under the Life Care plan, which provides care for life, but options for monthly resi Read more:Access
, Auction
, Cable
, March
Navy missile successfully destroys out-of-control satellite but accidentally blows up the Moon 2008-02-22 12:09:00 by Robert GillisPublished in the Boston City Paper 2/2008Boston, Mass, February 21 – A science club’s gathering to watch last night’s lunar eclipse turned to horror when the moon suddenly exploded.A large crowd of astronomy buffs and curious stargazers gathered Wednesday night at Boston Community College of Floral Design to watch the first lunar eclipse of 2008.A dozen telescopes were set up and about 5000 people took advantage of the opportunity. The eclipse began at about 8:45 p.m., with the best viewing between 10-10:45 p.m.The crowd murmured its “oohs” and “ahs” as the familiar red shadow of planet Earth fell across the lunar surface.And then tragedy struck."At first, it was a very beautiful event," Professor Roy Hinkley said of the eclipse. "There were a whole range of
LUNAR ELCIPSE FEBRUARY 20, 2008 FEATURES SATURN AND REGULUS AT WWW.GILLISPHOTOS.COM 2008-02-21 18:55:00 The moon is seen passing through the shadow of the earth as it is photographed in Foxboro Wednesday Feb. 20, 2008. A total lunar eclipse occurs when the full moon passes intoEarth's shadow and is blocked from the sun's rays that normally illuminate it. During an eclipse, the sun, Earth and moon line up, leaving a darkened moon visible to observers onthe night side of the planet. This is the last total lunar eclipse until Dec. 20, 2010. This eclipse occurred on a crystal clear night and was made extra special by appearances by the planet Saturn and Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation Leo.Click here to visit this galleryClick here to visit www.GillisPhotos.com
BOSTON SNEAKERS ON STATUES AT GILLISPHOTOS.COM 2008-02-08 08:18:00 With gas prices so high, in September 2005, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino got the idea that people in Boston should ditch their cars and walk more. Working with a Boston advertising agency and raising money from local business leaders, he asked a team of artists from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts to fit some of Boston’s statues with new shoes But it's not all about gas prices; the ''Sneakers on Statues" campaign is part of a tourism program. The statues donning special footwear included--Faneuil Hall: Red Auerbach and Sam Adams; Old City Hall: Ben Franklin, Democratic Donkey and Josiah Quincy; Boston Public Garden: George Washington and Make Way for Ducklings; Copley Square: Tortoise and Hare; North End: Paul Revere; and Prudential Center: Quest Eternal. The exhibit ran until Se Read more:STATUES
Thank you New England Patriots 2008-02-06 10:16:00 Thank you for an extraordinary, record-breaking season.Thank you for setting New England
on fire with camaraderie and excitement.Thank you for all your hard work, and playing 110% through injuries and hardship.Thank you for continuing to set the bar by which other teams are measured.You are, “Simply The Best.”From everyone here in Foxboro
Read more:New England
, Patriots
, Thank
Thoughts on the new Star Trek movie teaser trailer and what trekkers REALLY care about 2008-01-25 14:35:00 by Robert GillisAcknowledging,and still standing by, what I wrote previously (CLICK HERE) about the eleventh Star Trekmovie
, I must admit that I am following development and production of the film closely and am liking what I am hearing and seeing so far. Perhaps JJ Abrams will succeed in breathing new life into the tired (exhausted?) Trek franchise after all.That said, recently the impressive teaser trailer for the film was released. It starts with a montage of busy welders and reveals that they are building the starship USS Enterprise in a dockyard (apparently) somewhere on Earth. Interjected into this we hear the sounds of JFK ("...the eyes of the world now look into space") and NASA ("Godspeed, John Glenn," etc) during the heyday of the space race, and then Leonard Nimoy’s “Spa Read more:REALLY
Beware Superbowl Ticket Scams On Line (especially eBay) 2008-01-05 19:59:00 by Robert Gillispublished in the Foxboro Reporter, 1/2006 & 1/2007 and the Boston City Paper, 6/2006 & 1/2007.With the annual Superbowl
frenzy in progress, especially here in Foxboro, I would like to take this opportunity to warn you about rampant ticket-selling fraud on-line, especially on eBay. Last year, my wife and I took an interest in trying to spot obviously fraudulent ticket sellers and learned how to spot certain telltale signs of fraud.While many online ticket vendors are reputable, many more are not. If you are planning on buying Superbowl tickets on-line (for most people, that will be eBay, Craig's list or another online auction site) please read the following and pass it along. Last year, I received four different emails from grateful people who were ready to buy ticke Read more:Beware
, Ticket
Exclusive Britney Spears Update! 2008-01-03 13:55:00 by Robert GillisPublished in the Foxboro Reporter and the Boston City Paper 1/2008Proving that no news is still news and the media vultures will pounce on any celebrity gossip no matter how trivial, and since there isn’t any real news happening (say, a war, or a Presidential election, or catastrophic weather occurrences or something) The NATIONAL BLABBER is proud to bring you this EXCLUSIVE BritneySpears
update! EXCLUSIVE! -- Britney Spears has "suffered from something for years," says a source close to the singer’s father's brother's nephew's cousin's former roommate.Two separate sources who claim to know a guy who was once an acquaintance of the Dominos Pizza delivery guy for Spears’ zip code both believe the singer has never been formally diagnosed with tripolar disorder, Ebola, Read more:Exclusive
, Update
Birthday cards for Jesus 2008-01-02 11:27:00 by Robert GillisPublished as a Letter to the Editor in the Foxboro Reporter 1/2008On New Year’s Eve I took a ride up to Foxboro Common to get some new pictures of the Nativity Set. As I approached the beautiful display, I noticed that there seemed to be some papers in the baby Jesus
’ crèche. On closer inspection, I saw that the papers were three hand-drawn birthday cards from three different children, drawn in crayon. One was a Friendlies kid's placemat and featured a nice sketch of a cake with the words, “Happy Birthday
Jesus.”I’d like to say three things:First, acknowledging I’m a Jaycee and don’t usually single out a member from our hard working parade of volunteers, on behalf of everyone who cherishes the Nativity set, I would like to thank Kathy Brady of the Foxbor
Um, about that Christmas card... 2007-12-19 11:46:00 Merry Christmas
!For the first year in my memory Sue and I didn’t send out Christmas cards this year – by choice. The reasons are many and varied, ranging from busy schedules to exhaustion, to my sincere desire to help speed up Global Warming. Wait, that isn’t right, or is it? Wait, Global Warming isn’t real, it’s fictional like Santa Claus or Al Gore.Anyway, please know that the lack of sending a Christmas card in no way means you have fallen on my naughty list (or dear God forbid) Sue’s -- we’re just embracing the bold experiment of sending out Christmas cards every other year (2007 being the other), and trying to find more time for some Christmas activities -- actually getting the tree up and decorated before Christmas, shopping, making sure the bird has enough toys and i
Good transit and good morning all you beauitful people 2007-12-17 08:52:00 by Robert GillisPublished on the front page of the Boston City Paper 1/2008A City Paper SaluteTO THE AMTRAK ANNOUNCERAT SOUTH STATIONAcknowledging that the commuter horror of last Thursday’s Nor’easter must NEVER happen again, I thought I’d begin today on a good note and say thank you to a remarkable man whose name I do not know.The regular Amtrak announcer at South Station in Boston has a sweet voice, and in addition to the regular departure / arrival schedule, he nearly always says some kind words for the harried commuters.Here was the offering this morning: “Goooood morning, good morning, all you beautiful people
. It’s kind of chilly today, and it’s Monday, but it’s going to be a great day. It’s time to make the donuts, and somebody’s gotta do it, so have a great day
Retro-Review: A Christmas Carol (1999) starring Patrick Stewart 2007-12-15 10:50:00 By Robert GillisThere have been countless adaptations of Charles Dickens’s “A ChristmasCarol
” over the last century. One of my favorite Christmas traditions is to watch several of them. This is one of my favorites...Version: 1999 (TNT)Scrooge: PatrickStewart
Cast: Richard E. Grant (Bob Cratchit), Joel Grey (The Ghost of Christmas Past), Ian McNeice (Albert Fezziwig), Saskia Reeves (Mrs. Cratchit), Desmond Barrit (The Ghost of Christmas Present), Bernard Lloyd (Marley's Ghost), Dominic West (Fred ), Liz Smith (Mrs. Dilber), Kenny Doughty (Young Scrooge), Laura Fraser (Belle), Rosie Wiggins (Fran ), Tom Towndrow (Peter Cratchit), Claire Slater (Martha Cratchit), Ben Tibber (Tiny Tim), Tim Potter (The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come)The star: For over a decade, Patrick Stewart has perfo
MORE CHRISTMAS IMAGES AT WWW.GILLISPHOTOS.COM 2007-12-15 09:49:00 [Click on any image to enlarge]GillisPhotos has a very nice selection of new Christmas images including Christmas trees and decorations, nativity scenes, LaSallette Shrine, holiday still life, wreaths, Christmas displays, and much more.Click here to visit www.GillisPhotos.com
CHRISTMAS IN NEW YORK AT WWW.GILLISPHOTOS.COM 2007-12-15 08:25:00 We’ve added a number of images taken in New York City at Christmas time, including the famous Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, Radio City Music Hall, Times Square, and more.Click here to visit www.GillisPhotos.com
History of Christmas Traditions 2007-12-06 15:47:00 by Robert GillisPublished in the Foxboro Reporter 12/1997, revised 12/2007 and also the Boston City Paper, 12/2006“Here we come a’ wassailing,” the Christmas
song goes. The word “Wassail” comes from a Saxon expression “waes hael,” meaning “to your health.” The wassail bowl, something like our punch bowl, was very common in England at Christmas, and great fanfare and ceremony was made while drinking from it. As years went by, “wassail” meant any sort of Christmas toast.Many of the Christmas traditions, customs and beliefs we hold have a rich and fascinating history, and often there’s far more to the story than you might know. For example, we celebrate Christmas day on December 25, and our calendar year, 2007, is determined by counting the number of years since Christ Read more:History
Index by Topic (Not date) 2007-12-01 17:36:00 News and CommentaryMBTA: Bad TransitMBTA: More Bad TransitHelp stop deporation to tortureThanks for nothing, AOLMansfield laundromat contains hate speechRegarding the constitutional amendment to prohibit flag burningReal storm wasn’t a blizzard: School violenceParadox and parallels - the death of Gerald Ford and execution of Saddam Hussein Reflections At Ground Zero eleven days after 9/11/2001 A MUST READReal Story This Christmas 2004Hey everyone, come to the guns and knives trade show!Y2K: Off on the right footStar Trek actor George Takei "comes out" and demonstrates Infinite DiversityZero Tolerance in SchoolsWardrobe Malfunction?!Stop the cycle of school bullying and violenceAfter 9/11: The scales of justice?Eminem2000 Presidential electionHurricane SafetySports2007: Thank you New Engl Read more:Index
Yes, Virginia, there is a hilarious Christmas column from me 2007-11-27 10:35:00 by Robert GillisPublished in the Foxboro Reporter and Boston City Paper 12/2007Dear Editor—I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no humorous Christmas
column from Robert Gillis this year. Papa says, “If you see it in The Foxboro Reporter, it’s so.” Please tell me the truth, will Robert Gillis be writing a humorous Christmas column this year?”--Virginia
O’ TannenbaumDear Virginia, Thank you so much for your letter. Yes, Virginia, there is indeed a humorous Christmas column from me this year. It exists as certainly as love and generosity and UFOs exist. Alas! How dreary would be the world if there were no Christmas column from me! It would be as dreary as if there were no Britney Spears. Wait—bad metaphor. Anyway, to answer your question, this year’ Read more:hilarious
Concert Review: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band - MAGIC - At TD Bank North Garden November 19, 2007 2007-11-21 12:16:00 Bruce Springsteen
and the E Street
Band – MAGICAt the TD Bank NorthGarden
, BostonMonday, November
19, 2007By Robert GillisBruce Springsteen.In Boston Garden.On my birthday.Can it possibly get any better?Yes it can, and yes it did!Setlist: Radio Nowhere / Night / Lonesome Day / Gypsy Biker / Magic / Reason to Believe / Darkness on the Edge of Town / Candy's Room / She's the One / Livin' in the Future / This Hard Land / 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy) / The E Street Shuffle / Working on the Highway / Devil's Arcade / The Rising / Last to Die / Long Walk Home / BadlandsEncore: Girls in Their Summer Clothes / Tenth Avenue Freeze-out / Kitty's Back / Born to Run / American LandI love the new TD Bank North Garden (formerly the Fleet Center, formerly the “Why couldn’t they just call it Bo Read more:Bruce
, Bruce Springsteen
, Concert
Album Review: Bruce Springsteen MAGIC 2007-11-10 18:20:00 Review: BruceSpringsteen
, MAGIC (released October 2, 2007)By Robert GillisPublished in the Boston City PaperMAGIC is Bruce Springsteen
's new studio recording and his first with the E Street Band in five years. It’s a solid rock/pop offering; Springsteen has left the folksy styles of THE SEEGER SESSIONS and TOM JOAD behind (for now) and from the first notes it’s obvious this album is intended as a sequel to THE RISING – solid rock & roll, a sound throughout that makes you want to get up and dance (or jump up and shake your fist), and like RISING, deeply layered with commentary about current events.This layering makes MAGIC arguably one of Springsteen’s best efforts, and what amazes me is that it is both familiar AND fresh. Many of the tracks feel like they could have been unr Read more:Album
, Album Review
Chance encounter on Foxboro Common 2007-11-07 12:48:00 by Robert GillisPublished in the Foxboro Reporter 11/2007A few weeks ago, I completed work at the haunted house and left the Orpheum a little after midnight. The night was unseasonably warm, and I had my camera with me, so I decided to try some experimental night photography on the Common
: the flag, the lit signs and lanterns, and the monuments. I’m still getting the hang of my first SLR camera, and being a male, have never read the instruction manual.So I spent maybe forty-five minutes composing different shots of that beautiful flag waving over the center of the Common, the lights, and the impressive monuments. I tried different exposures and shutter speeds. I was having fun.And at some point, it dawned on me that I out at 12:30am, downtown, no one around but me, and my only concer
Robert Gillis guest of the TV talk show, Charlie Masison’s "Behind the Scenes" discusses "Nana" book (one hour show) 2007-11-06 13:20:00 Robert Gillis was the guest of the TV talk show, Charlie
Masison’s "Behind the Scenes," which was broadcast on Foxboro Cable Access (Foxboro Channel 8) in June 2006. READ THE TRANSCRIPT HERE. The one hour program is divided into the segments below. Click on any video to watch it.Part 1 of 12Part 2 of 12 Part 3 of 12 Part 4 of 12 Part 5 of 12 Part 6 of 12 Part 7 of 12 Part 8 of 12 Part 9 of 12 Part 10 of 12 Part 11 of 12 Part 12 of 12
Read more:Robert
I'm tired of all the bad news and depressing reports so today I'm posting a puzzle. 2008-03-11 10:41:00 I like any question that you cannot Google to cheat and find the answer, because you actually have to STOP and THINK about it, and came across this one yesterday:Where have you seen this before?5¢, $1.00, 15¢, 80¢, 35¢, 60¢, 20¢, 40¢, 75¢, 55¢, 95¢, 50¢, 85¢, 30¢, 65¢, 10¢, 45¢, 70¢, 25¢, 90¢No hints because it will give it away -- but if you lived in the USA at any point in the last thirty years I guarantee you have seen this.CLICK HERE FOR THE ANSWER
Read more:depressing
, tired
Visiting Seven Churches on Good Friday -- and trying to reconnect with Faith 2008-03-16 00:04:00 By Robert GillisPublished in the Foxboro Reporter and the Boston City paper 3/2008Years ago, Mom explained that you receive what is known as a plenary indulgence if you visited seven churches on Good Friday
. I did find a reference to receiving an indulgence for “Devoutly take part in the adoration of the cross during the solemn liturgy of Good Friday.” And I see that many countries still practice a tradition of visiting seven churches on either Holy Thursday or Good Friday.On several Good Fridays, I did just that, and it felt wonderful.The first year, I spent the entire day at church. I started at Saint Mary’s in Foxboro, where Catholic hymns were playing on a cassette player. Next, I headed to Saint Mary’s in Mansfield. At each church I said the Stations of the Cross, and read Read more:Churches
, Faith
, Seven
Silver Age Comics: The Silver Age Superboy, a work in progress... 2008-01-12 13:25:00 This one is story in progress
. Not sure where it’s going yet… DC Owns Superman and all the related characters. My great love for the Silver
-Age comic book stories (particularly Superman) knows no end – I grew up with them and loved them despite the veritable ton of exposition, the preposterous stories, the ridiculous situations, the insane amount of information and implausibility crammed into every panel. So I thought I’d write my own in that same style.Since I cannot draw, pretend this is a comic book and use the following as a guide:1) COMIC PANEL NARRATION IS CAPITALIZEDExample: MEANWHILE, AT THE DAILY PLANET2) Scene set ups are in boldExample: In this panel, the entire bat cave is filled with macaroni and cheese; Alfred is in a corner hitting a giant mouse with a small broom3) Read more:Comics
BOSTON BEACON HILL PHOTOS AT WWW.GILLISPHOTOS.COM 2007-11-06 09:42:00 Beacon Hill’s Acorn Street remains one of the most photographed locations in Boston. It is paved with stones obtained from the Charles River. Often depicted on postcards, the street is described as follows: “This charming, gas-lit neighborhood is a carefully preserved reminder of how Boston looked in 1850.”From www.beaconhillonline.com: "Beacon Hill is a 19th-century downtown Boston residential neighborhood situated directly north of the Boston Common and the Boston Public Garden. Most people think of city living as anonymous and isolating. But this cozy enclave, filled with nearly 10,000 people, is more like a village than an anonymous city. It has a rich community life, with neighbors knowing neighbors and everyone meeting on the Hill's commercial streets and at its myriad activiti
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