Gotham City Soul

Okay everybody, Halloween is upon us and I thought I'd do a sampling of favorite scary movies. For those who are easily frightened, this post might be enough for you. For the rest—enjoy! Numero Uno The Host (2006) I can't say enough about this film, which I made a point of seeing in the theater. Watch it on a big TV screen if you can. I've never laughed so hard and been on the edge of my seat with fright at the same time. This movie is way beyond your average monster movie. There were points where I actually cried, too. Basically it's about the love of family, specifically a parent for his child. Somewhat of a fairytale, only instead of a dragon, the hero—according to Manohla Dargis of The New York Times "(the wonderful Song Kang-ho), an overgrown baby with a shock of badly bleached blond hair and a moon face that waxes and wanes depending on his proximity to his beloved daughter, Hyun-seo"— has to slay a giant mutant fish monster spawned by an im...

With a few scraps that he scrounged from junk piles, a Malawian teen named William Kamkwamba built a windmill (one of the things he used was a pair of flip flops!) brought electricity and water to his village. This kid had to drop out of school because his family could not afford the $80-a-year tuition. He learned how to make the windmill from books in the local library (the books were in English and his English was not even very good at the time!) The people in his village called him "misala" crazy, but when he attached a bulb and it lit up, his fellow villagers cheered. He has certainly lit up my world and I hope he does yours too. BBC News tells the story better than I can here . I first saw this remarkable person on Good Morning America, an interview with Diane Sawyer. Kamkwamba cowrote a book with journalist and African correspondent Brian Mealer called The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind . It just came out the end of September. It's for sale of course, but try your loca...