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Thursday, September 18, 2008

Movie Stills and Reviews


Ike released last Friday and still has people awed by its performance. Rated R, this movie is a sure-shot hit. Dramatic, brilliant, and a tearjerker. Guaranteed to run for at least another 6 weeks if not more!!


Here are some movie stills captured by an amateur photographer on a mobile phone.


This is what the university of Houston (and the roads of Houston) looks like these days.


This is what remains of a once beautifully landscaped restaurant.



Traffic lights are not working. Not only that, some of them are on the roads.


Some houses are damaged beyond recognition.



Broken fences.


For more information about the movie, you can visit http://www.chron.com/ or http://www.galveston.com/. Here is a brief snapshot of what life was before the movie and how it is today.










As of today, 1.93 million residents in Houston still do not have power and water. Grocery stores (if open) have signs up that say "You can shop but there is no light. Only buy canned foods." Essentially, all the shelves are empty. Gas stations have long lines often forcing customers to wait for hours.



Some people at work complained about their windows breaking and causing puddles in their homes. Some talked about the roof blowing away. Some complained of car damages. The people who are not complaining are those stunned beyond words. Their relatives are missing, their homes are swept away, some even saw their family members being engulfed by the waves and swept away into the sea.


The world is becoming a dangerous place to live in. Hurt, tears, grief everywhere..either due to a bomb blast, hurricane, or floods. These movies continue being made whether we like them or not. Sometimes they are super hits. Sometimes flops. I prefer the latter.


Let's pray for those affected by all these movies today and everyday. Thank you.

88 Words of Wisdom:

Gauri said...

My heartfelt prayers Solitaire - are with the people affected by Ike. It is painful to watch people try to cope with any form of disaster.

And I cannot agree with you more when you say that the world is indeed becoming a dangerous place.

Heard of what is happening in China ? I could not help but write about it here

http://tiny-tidbits.blogspot.com/2008/09/when-milk-goes-bad.html

It is so horrendous that it is difficult to even comprehend the pain and misery that people and worse still, children are being subjected to.

Jack said...

Solitaire,

It is really sad that world has become dangerous place. One can still somehow try to recoincile to nature's fury but definitely not to man made disasters- bomb blasts, indiscriminate shooting, fake medicines, unsafe food specially for children or disasters due to human neglect like house collapses, bridge or flyover giving way, dams washed off.

Take care

Prakhar said...

Hey Sol,

Some real bad days goin on...across the globe...lets hope and pray for a better tomorrow!

Stay safe :)

Vinz said...

those pics showed only a trailor i guess...there are many friends of mine over there.. through phone calls and their mails i saw much devastating pictures...

natural calamities are always tragic...something which is not in our control...but one positive thing i found is that, the government was pretty prepared beefore the 'Ike' released all over texas, i guess...

i mean, if this was India, the death toll would have been huge...atleast government was proactive over there which definitely had saved many lives...

Lets hope those who are missing are back with their family, soon..!!

cheers..!!

:)

gP said...

broken fences, can be mended, bt broken spirits may take years. there was once we watched from far the destruction of nature/ men, but today everything happens in our backyards. maybe that's jst the way it should be, we are meant to live the flaws of the world to understand the struggles and to survive. the least we can do is remember them.

God Bless, this too shall pass.

//This Too Shall Pass - Helen Rice


If I can endure for this minute
Whatever is happening to me,
No matter how heavy my heart is
Or how dark the moment may be-

If I can remain calm and quiet
With all the world crashing about me,
Secure in the knowledge God loves me
When everyone else seems to doubt me-

If I can but keep on believing
What I know in my heart to be true,
That darkness will fade with the morning
And that this will pass away, too-

Then nothing in life can defeat me
For as long as this knowledge remains
I can suffer whatever is happening
For I know God will break all of the chains

That are binding me tight in the darkness
And trying to fill me with fear-
For there is no night without dawning
And I know that my morning is near.

...Helen Steiner Rice//

Preethi said...

I saw this on the news.. painful!!

Gunjan Aylawadi said...

some moving pictures there!!

Arvind said...

its really sad ..dont have much to say though..just feeling very bad for those living there..no food ,no food ,,i wonder how long they can sustain wiht canned food ...


PS : i cant enter my wordpress address .. u shoud change the moderation settins so ppl other than blogspot can enter their blog
anyway thanks for visiting my blog ...
url..
www.arvind1187.worpress.com

J said...

i have been to houston atleast 20 times in the last few years. never seen anything like this. infact, when i was studying in austin, hurricane was just a bookish concept for me. Not any more.

where in CA are you moving? just the other day, there was a minor quake here in the bay area..kuttaas had started bhaunking. dont want to scare you but just fyi :)

lukkydivz said...

life is scary, my friend has got an admission into the university of orleans - louisiana..and i heard hurricanes are very common there, can just hope for the best for her.

u takecare di :)

Pavi!!!! said...

:(very pitiful...n beyond a certain point..even gets depressing.

Hmm..the world is becoming a dangerous place...Yes
n the Ike makes me sad...Yes
But the blasts are more disturbing..simply coz we,manhood have control over it..n manhood is choosing to destroy n harm!n that hurts!

Deepali said...

Hope you are okay.

Well natural disasters always destroyed things. It's just that we have created so much more that can be destroyed and also we are creating more and more natural disasters.

Some people might disagree but the climate is changing and that's a fact that cannot be argued. Whether it is because of man made causes or natural causes I think is already an irrelevant debate because it's too late to be discussion that. We need to figure what we need to do to try and get things more balanced out.

Floods, hurricanes, droughts, warming, melting, etc are all on an increase and we need to act.

On man made disasters - ah well it's just tragic. These is stuff that we do intentionally to each other knowing consequences. I don't think much can be done. People will always be ignorant. They will always be brainwashed. We just have to try and see that instances of such damage come down.

Anyway I could go on and on...

ceedy said...

Dramatic pictures - specially the last two ones...

and like vinz said above - government being proactive saved lots of human lives...

material loss can be recovered but peoples memories and sentiments etched in these edifices will never be recovered or they will feel the same....

and a fitting poem shared by ghost - thanks!!!

my prayer goes out to all those who are affected....

Anonymous said...

but then sumtimes it takes the worst to bring out the best in man... i remebr .. Grp Capt Manohar Rathore.. saw his family being washed away during the sunami back in india... andamans air force base... he was on holiday... still he wore his uniform and managed to fly hundreds of people out flying his plane just minutes after his home washed away....

not saying that natural disasters are necessary... just adding a diff viewpoint

Tuhin said...

What does that yellow arrow in the picture denote?

Do you know if that is Crystal beach?

Keshi said...

Shocking 'movie'! And yes, it certainly is a tearjerker.

Pics r absolutely heart-breaking! The damages r so extensive that it cant even be imagined. Sadly thats what Natural disasters bring abt. Irreplaceable damages like LIVES.


We hv friends in Houston. We cant even contact them. They only recently bought a house there. I dunno wut happened to them. I hope they r safe! I hope to hear from them soon. Glad ur safe Sol.



**The world is becoming a dangerous place to live in.

I totally agree. Natural or man-made, there r so many disasters happening everywhere, every single day. I wonder if this Earth is at the brink of extreme pressure and stress from violence and pollution.

Thats why we must count our blessings and value every SINGLE moment we have.


Always look on the bright side of life...


TC n HUGS!
Keshi.

Anu said...

Sol,
The pics are so heart wrenching. I cannot imagine the pain of people whose loved ones have been swept away and their homes destroyed. As you said, movies like this should be a flop.
My prayers with you and all those effected by the storm

man in painting said...

Very disturbing pictures..reality is always like that....But yet,we have to live with it...
Are thing back to normal?
take care
MIP

Ankur said...

I second u!! :)

Sometimes the heart pains too much and i find myself unable to do much... just wish that in coming years i will be more self independent to come out in full and do whats need to be done rather than just making a small effort for all of this!!!

Certainly i cant bring people back to lives but those who suffer from the aftermath atleast have to the right to come back to normality. I hate when people nonchalantly watch others die in their daily lives...

I think my one birth isnt even enugh to do all this, so the heart will keep paining... but the only healing is to see myself making atleast one person smile!!!

Things will settle down, people will be indifferent to whats happening and what will happen, but the marks such instances leave on life never can be rubbed!!!

I feel nothing more but sad!!!
and yes... i do pray to god, that even if he can take all my goods to save one man's life some day... i will be more than happy to go to hell after death...
Amen!!!!

Solitaire said...

@ Tuhin,

How would I know? I am a newbie in Texas. You should be the one telling me.

harish said...

God!!
Your light tone in the other post had me almost thinking that it wouldn't be that bad...coupled with TV/News isolation for a few days..

Thank god you are safe...Hope its over..

Chaggoholic.... said...

Solitaire thnx for comin to my blog dear.I so pray for the victims.This stuff speaks volumes for the people of US who kp rediscoverin life, devastation after devastation....

My good wishes r with all of them....

My Unfinished Life said...

yes the world is becoming a dangerous place to live in...and we have made it so.....

AmitL said...

A really touching post,Sol..yes,indeed..even I say a prayer for all those affected by natural and manmade calamities,especially over the last two weeks or so.
---
And,also,here's hoping life returns to being close to normalcy in Houston,soon..I know,for those who lost family members and/or their homes,it's a mind-numbing loss,and it might take ages to return to normalcy.Sigh!!You know,someone just sent me pics of the Abad blasts-and,some of them are so gory,that I can't imagine how anyone could be so inhuman!

Sparkling said...

Amen!

Hiren said...

** The people who are not complaining are those stunned beyond words.
- so true ... no words can explain the suffering of such people ...

May GOD give them the strength to recoup and get on with the always moves on - life ....

IncorrigibleV said...

prayers for all...
take care !

Tuhin said...

Yeah, it is crystal beach! And I am sad. I've had good times there. And always envied the people who owned those houses. Not any more I guess.

Neo said...

this is a tragedy. God Bless

♪♪Happy Go Lucky♪♪ said...

oh.. its really really sad.. thats about all i can say..

Nitin Sisupalan said...

hehe...redemption!!!


Finally I get to comment on your Psychobabble!!! The Wordpress account was estricting me to only read from it, and enjoy and differ in utter darkness...yeah Light! I am drinking enlightenment now! Hah!


Hmm....since its my first comment, I am just gonna say..

Nice Pics...

Cяystal said...

I pray for the people there,sweetie.

Its painful to watch these pictures

GMG said...

Hi Solitaire! After a short break but a long absence, I’m finally back to the blogosphere and found some time to enjoy your excellent blog…
There were always hurricanes, but it seems they're becoming ever more devastating in the recent years; maybe we should start thinking why this happening and what we can do to diminish the impact...
Many thanks for your comments on Blogtrotter, while I was off. It’s now still in Kos on the way to Crete! Hope you enjoy and wish you a great weekend and a nice week ahead!

Sameera Ansari said...

That's terrible.May the dead RIP and may their families and friends find peace.Amen.

Pranay said...

Oh my! I never realised Ike is causing so much damage. I thought since it's not been made a big deal even on CNN here, it must not have been that bad.
Sad to hear such things. Hope you are fine.
Take care dost.

WritingsForLife said...

I hope things get better soon :(

Satish Bolla said...

yes buddy, the world has become dangerous. but aren't the people more dangerous than the world? aren't we the one's who causing all this trauma, either knowingly or unknowingly????

may all those victims souls rest in peace

Anonymous said...

prayers for the people who are affected by Ike.

Wishing this doesn't happen again!
and thankful u r safe.

take care

Phoenix said...

it really shocks me to see so much destruction everywhere...i hope that people realize the futility of violence

-phoenix
waves-of-light.blogspot.com

Hemanth Potluri said...

god is angry yyaar..so he showed some movies to u all..but sneh tc yaar..dont be caught in one..:)..

urs..hemu..

peter said...

omg !!

wat will happen with the poor countries which have coastal boarders !

Cinderella said...

Aneri_masi has a ques for you, come n answer couldja ?

Ekta said...

hey thats awful...i guess this is another movie on my mjust see list...god bless all the victims!

A said...

God! this is so sad, so much of devastation...

I really hope things become normal as soon as possible!

Solitaire said...

@ Gauri,

Thank you!

I read your post today and am shocked. I guess when the world starts becoming dangerous due to natural calamities, we can take it in our stride. But man-made disasters cannot be forgiven!

Solitaire said...

@ Jack,

Thank you!! I totally agree with you. Man-made destruction is unforgivable!

Solitaire said...

@ Prakhar,

Amen!

Solitaire said...

@ Vinz,

Yes you are right! These pictures are only those that I clicked in Houston which was not even the main target of Ike. Galveston has it pretty bad!! I hope things get normal again soon. Thank you for your prayers.

Solitaire said...

@ Ghost,

If we learn to face the flaws and survive, I am completely ok with that. What about those who do not survive to learn life's lessons?

Solitaire said...

@ Preethi,

:(

Thanks!

Solitaire said...

@ Gunj,

It was pretty shocking to be driving through this mess. That shock has not been captured in the pictures.

Solitaire said...

@ Arvind,

Thanks!! Now there is food available but still lots of places do not have power and water. I think it gets frustrating after a certain point to dress up daily in the darkness and buy your food from restaurants.

Anyway, I don't know if you visit Short and Sweet or not but you are on my blog roll there. So don't worry. Your blog is being advertised!

Solitaire said...

@ Jitendra,

I have heard a lot about the earthquakes in CA since more than half my family lives there.

I heard that Austin has NEVER ever had any effects of any hurricane whenever it has hit Houston. They say that this is the worst they have seen in Houston since 1961, though.

Solitaire said...

@ Lukky,

Is she going to go there? New Orleans had it pretty bad a few years ago and they are still recovering from it. It is not a safe place to be in.

Solitaire said...

@ Pavi,

Very true. We can blame nature when it causes destruction but for bomb blasts and such, we only have ourselves to blame.

Solitaire said...

@ Deepali,

Thanks! I am doing fine.

Whether man-made or nature-made, any destruction and death causing events always cause stress. I guess all that we should focus on then is recovery.

Solitaire said...

@ Ceedy,

Yes true. All material items will be recovered with a price but the trauma for some may be life-long. Houston is coming back to normalcy but I can only shudder when I think of people in Galveston and what their lives are going to be like in the next few months.

Solitaire said...

@ Paratrooper,

Kudos to him. I think he played his role of a fighter and a savior very well, I guess.

Solitaire said...

@ Keshi,

Thank you!

Did you finally contact your friends in Houston? I don't think many people were endangered in Houston but many houses have suffered extensive damages and then of course, there is still no power and water and all that jazz.

I hope everyone is able to recover soon from this tragedy.

Solitaire said...

@ Anu,

Thank you!!

Solitaire said...

@ MIP,

Things are getting back to normal in Houston but nowhere near normal in the place that it hit the most..Galveston.

Solitaire said...

@ Ankur,

****just wish that in coming years ****i will be more self independent to come out in full and do whats need to be done rather than just making a small effort for all of this!!!

Thank you!! I am sure souls like you can do wonders to India.


****Certainly i cant bring people back to lives but those who suffer from the aftermath atleast have to the right to come back to normality. I hate when people nonchalantly watch others die in their daily lives...

I think that when people have to worry about their own survival, then become numb to others.

***but the only healing is to see myself making atleast one person smile!!!

That's sweet of you. Did you read my recent post? I think you might relate well with it.

Solitaire said...

@ Harish,

These pictures are only a trailor. The real thing is much much worse. I hope things get normal soon.

Solitaire said...

@ Chaggoholic,

Thank you!

I think the United States really cares for its people and makes use of tax money appropriate during such times. I am thankful for that.

Solitaire said...

@ Shooting,

Yes we have no one but ourselves to blame.

Solitaire said...

@ Amit,

I can imagine how those pictures must look. I have seen some on the web and only manage to skim through them. Its heart-wrenching and am thankful that no one that I know is affected by those blasts. I guess I am being selfish, though.

Solitaire said...

@ Still thinking,

:)

Solitaire said...

@ Hiren,

I pray for the same. I don't know how it will happen but I hope it does.

Solitaire said...

@ Vandita,

Thank you.

Solitaire said...

@ Tuhin,

I bet they envy those who live in apartments in Houston now. Life does teach lessons the hard way.

Solitaire said...

@ Neo,

Thank you.

Solitaire said...

@ Harini,

Thank you.

Solitaire said...

@ Nitin,

uhhh well, thank you though I think the content of the pictures suck. Don't you think?

Solitaire said...

@ Crystal,

Thank you.

Do you know that of the places destroyed in the hurricane is called Crystal Beach?

Solitaire said...

@ GMG,

Thank you!! This was my first encounter with hurricanes. They were only things of imagination for me in the past!

Hope you are enjoying yourself.

Solitaire said...

@ Sameera,

Thank you.

Amen.

Solitaire said...

@ Pranay,

Ike was horrible! That was all that we read and heard about on the news for at least a week!!

Solitaire said...

@ Raaji,

Thank you.

I hope so too.

Solitaire said...

@ Satish,

Yes we are. We are to be blamed.

Solitaire said...

@ Veens,

Thank you.

Solitaire said...

@ Phoenix,

Thank you. But this was not violence!

Solitaire said...

@ Hemu,

I did act in Ike.

Solitaire said...

@ Peter,

I have no idea what's happening with them!! I guess the richer countries like the US will help them.

Solitaire said...

@ Ekta,

Don't see it. Skip it!

Solitaire said...

@ Anjuli,

Thank you.

Keshi said...

yes we did! they r safe and we were so happy to hear from them. tnxx Sol!

Keshi.

gP said...

//What about those who do not survive to learn life's lessons?//
i hate to say this word, but I believe in Karma, and it works in many ways unfair. but death itself is an unifying force, others learn, new lives are born, life goes on...the affected ones will never forget it anyway. what seems like a cruel world has ways to make things right, society has ways to rebuild and teach.

Suneetha V said...

Its quite sad to see such things happening out here in this world.

Most of us complain about small small things in our lives. We consider them to be serious problems and with hook or cook try to get out of it. Finally may/may not realize it wasn't worth it!!!

Whole hearted prayers for all of them who are having tough times coz of this!!! :-|