I just returned from the one man show “This Wonderful Life” at the San Jose Rep. The play is an adaptation of Frank Capra’s classic movie with one actor playing all the parts.

The award-winning playwright Steve Murray has created a visually stunning stage adaptation of the perennially popular holiday film, It’s a Wonderful Life. This one-man tour de force delivers a witty and moving story that is sure to capture your heart and captivate your spirit. There’s the family man George Bailey; evil and miserly Mr. Potter; Clarence, the dotty angel in waiting; devoted Mary, and Zuzu with her petals. But we can’t forget the image of a man standing alone on a bridge on Christmas Eve…the story of how he got there, and how he found his way back home. This Wonderful Life reminds us of the power of perspective, friendship and family…the perfect holiday gifts.

The San Jose Rep’s version featured Dan Hiatt in the role of… well… everyone. It takes a fine performance to captivate an audience for 75 minutes. Granted it helps a lot when half of the scenes are replaying in the imagination of the audience for this familiar story. But, Hiatt did a wonderful job of bringing the story to life first in a 30 second version of the movie and then in the longer 75 minute version. The staging was also creatively envisioned and executed, bravo.

A study coming out of UNLV:

According to a study conducted by UNLV professors, men who get married and have children are more likely to experience reductions in testosterone.

“The bottom line is ‘What does testosterone do?’ It does all the things you think it does,” said Dr. Peter Gray, assistant professor for the UNLV Department of Anthropology. “It promotes libido, validates interactions, a sense of self-worth, all the kinds of things that engage successfully in the world around us eventually acquire reproductive opportunities.”

Now if I read that correctly, they are saying that marriage kills libido and decreases a man’s sense of self worth. I might have an opinion on this story… but I will have to ask my wife.

[the writer of this blog celebrated 26 years of marital bliss this last Thursday]

This story from the Sudan:

Thousands of protesters, many brandishing clubs and swords, took to the streets of Sudan’s capital Friday, demanding the execution of a British teacher who let her students name a teddy bear Muhammad.

Gillian Gibbons, 54, was found guilty Thursday of insulting Islam and sentenced to 15 days in jail. She was spared the more serious punishment of 40 lashes.

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San Jose Police officers who are part of the body art generation are having to adapt to new rules coming from the police chief that tattoos can no longer be visible when they are in uniform.

The San Jose Police Department recently adopted a policy that prohibits cops from displaying tattoos while on duty. So officers with tattoos will either have to wear long-sleeved shirts year-round to cover up or have them removed.

Responding to unhappy officers, Police Chief Rob Davis last week agreed to exempt cops with tattoos the chief decides are not offensive to the public.

Over the past several months, the matter of officers and tattoos has become a nationwide issue in law enforcement and the military. Many agencies, including the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office, California Highway Patrol and Los Angeles Police Department, have adopted policies prohibiting personnel from showing off body art while on duty.

“It’s absolutely one of the big issues,” said Bobby Lopez, president of the 1,360-member San Jose Police Officers Association. “It’s been coming for a while, only because the next generation always goes over the top.”

But Chief Davis believes the policy, which went into effect Sept. 23, is necessary. Davis first became aware of the issue after hearing people in the community voice concerns about the tattoos being displayed by officers. After looking internally, Davis found that “the concerns people voiced were valid.”

“We cannot settle for anything less when it comes to the presentation of our officers in the community, and how we are perceived in the community,” Davis said.

The Marine Corps cited similar concerns when it banned new, extra-large tattoos below the elbow or the knee earlier this year.

Even the Marine Corps is banning tattoos? Wow.

Reuter’s reports that

Rather than looking for their perfect match, one in four Americans say the Internet can serve as a substitute for a significant other, according to a poll released on Wednesday.

A survey on the role the Internet plays in people’s lives by Zogby International and communications consultancy 463 Communications found that 24 percent of Americans said the Internet could replace a partner for some period of time.

The percentage was highest among singles of whom 31 percent said the Internet could be a substitute — with no difference among males and females.

Dear, if you are reading this, I want you to know that yes I do spend a lot of time on the internet and may occasionally miss the fact that you are in fact talking to me, but, honestly, it wasn’t me.

Best Video Of The Year – Funny blooper videos are here

This amazing video shows a young man who lost his eyes to cancer at 2 but can not only navigate on foot, but play video games and foozball all using his sense of hearing.

Just in time for Halloween a story comes from Boing Boing:

A Japanese designer has proposed that women alone could walk in greater safety (though, in reality, Japanese crime levels are in decline, despite national anxiety to the contrary) by disguising themselves as vending machines.

Is it just me or does anyone else think a vending machine walking down the street might be suspicious?

If you are still wondering what to get me for National Boss Day, then I should mention that I still need a new digital camera.

Seriously, who was the kiss ass who suggested this day to their boss? Or was it just a practical joke gone seriously wrong.

“Did you suggest National Boss Day to the boss, ha ha ha. You did? What? He took you seriously? @$%^&&!!”

The Dilbert Blog brought this story about a Nebraska state senator.

The defendant in a state senator’s lawsuit is accused of causing untold death and horror and threatening to cause more still. He can be sued in Douglas County, the legislator claims, because He’s everywhere.

State Sen. Ernie Chambers sued God last week. Angered by another lawsuit he considers frivolous, Chambers says he’s trying to make the point that anybody can file a lawsuit against anybody.

Chambers says in his lawsuit that God has made terrorist threats against the senator and his constituents, inspired fear and caused “widespread death, destruction and terrorization of millions upon millions of the Earth’s inhabitants.”

The Omaha senator, who skips morning prayers during the legislative session and often criticizes Christians, also says God has caused “fearsome floods … horrendous hurricanes, terrifying tornadoes.”

He’s seeking a permanent injunction against the Almighty.

My first question was what is he going to do if God requests a change of venue. Legal bills might be the least of his problem if he has to pay for the commute to Alpha Centauri.

Now we know that MIT students can be a bit geeky, but even my freshman year roommate at engineering school (who at the time help up a plaid shirt and check pants) would not wear a circuit board. It seems like the home-made descrambler that they use at MIT to get the fashion channel must be on the fritz.

Once, again, Boston has been subjected to a bomb scare concerning an odd circuit board.

Star Simpson, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology student, was arrested at gunpoint Friday morning at Logan Airport when authorities suspected she had a bomb strapped to her chest.

Simpson was wearing a black sweatshirt that had a circuit board with wires, green LED lights and a 9-volt battery attached to it. When an airport employee asked about her shirt, Simpson walked away without answering so the employee called the authorities, the Boston Globe has reported.

The back of Simpson’s sweatshirt said “socket to me…Course VI,” a reference to MIT’s electrical engineering and computer science program.Simpson is a second-year student in the electrical engineering and computer science department of MIT’s School of Engineering, according to the MIT Web site.

It is unclear whether Simpson was wearing the circuit board sweatshirt to intentionally provoke an incident.

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