Ratatouille

So I'm halfway through this movie Ratatouille on DVD, and I just have to ask:

Am I the only one who's a little grossed out by the idea of a rat cooking people's food?

Comments

[John]

I don't really see why you would be. You sort of have to think of an anthropomorphic animal in a purely human sense, I think.

[Eteponge]

Given that my nickname "Eteponge" comes from the name of an undead zombie chef named Eteponge who cooks for a group of underground bandits in a Japanese video game called Dragon Quest VII, the rat chef doesn't bother me, as I don't think a rat chef tops an undead zombie chef in potential grossness factor, especially one falling apart at the seams. That's one thing you don't have to worry about with an anthromorphic rat chef.

[floridasuzie]

ROFL MP! Is the movie good otherwise? I saw an absolutely fantastic movie the other night - The Mighty. It's based on the book "Freak The Mighty" and the characters are actually based on real people.
Last night we watched The Nativity Story and loved it too, it was deeply moving. I wasn't expecting it to invoke such intense emotions.

[RobL]

I'm pretty sure he washed his hands before preparing the food.

[Jess]

I worked at Burger King at the age of 15 with other angst filled teenagers in the "kitchen". Nothing really grosses me out anymore. Rats did seem to have better hygiene than my fellow employees.

[Tony M]

I think the movie is great. And one of the reasons it is great is that the rats remain...rats. When massed together, they are pretty "icky". Since the movie's message is that an artist can emerge from anywhere, not making the rats all cute, cuddly and artificial serves the story well.

By the way, if the rats in Ratatouille creep you out, then skip the scene in Enchanted when she cleans the apartment. Just take my word for it on this one.

[Gaylord Pompledinkler]

Never mind this trivial nonsense! What about the latest developments with David Thompson?

A researcher has discovered that there is no record whatsoever of his guides' birth and death dates in the British Government Registers. Thompson refuses to answer queries about this.

[floridasuzie]

Gaylord Pompledinkler said: >Never mind this trivial nonsense! What about...<

I think it's hilarious that someone with a moniker like Gaylord Pompledinkler doesn't have a sense of humor. Read what MP wrote again:

So I'm halfway through this movie Ratatouille on DVD, and I just have to ask:

Am I the only one who's a little grossed out by the idea of a rat cooking people's food?
----------
That is funny on so many levels, not the least of which is the way he wrote it - he is after all a pro writer. One sentence, concise but packed. Dang, I wish I could write like that.

[Michael Prescott]

I liked the movie, especially the second half. But it did take me a while to adjust to the idea of rats in a gourmet restaurant's kitchen. For those who haven't seen the movie, these are not Mickey Mouse rats. They're rats. Some of the crowd shots could be outtakes from Willard. However, the charm of the story and the perfection of the animation won me over.

Regarding David Thompson, I wasn't aware of the problem Gaylord mentioned, though it wouldn't surprise me.

[Andrew]

When i first heard about the film, your reaction was my reaction. Then I saw that Brad Bird was directing. And it was Pixar. Bird wrote and directed my two favorite animated films, The Iron Giant and The Incredibles. So I had to give Ratatouille a chance.

I did not come away from the movie thrilled about rats, but I did love that movie.

[J Richards]

Regarding David Thompson, it's true. A researcher with the name of 'Leo' posted his findings to the Spiritualist forum http://www.spiritualistchatroom.com You need to register to see posts. For those interested, once you log in click on the Spiritualist Philosophy forum, then choose the thread named Guides Names.

Here's the relevant post:

Hi everyone,

When I wrote last time I was quite excited by David Thompson's remark about his main spirit friend and contact William Charles Cadwell who passed in 1897 and that this William Cadwell had been checked out by the SPR and Monteque Keen and was found to exist.

I had a look around and found that William Cadwell was according to David Thompson's website born in 1830.

I thought I would try to find out more and so looked at the Government Record Office Death Registrations (what used to be called the St Catherine Deaths Index) and I also looked at the Census records for 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881 and 1891.

There was no point looking for a birth registration because it was not until the second half of 1837 that such registration came into effect. Without a known place of birth it would be very difficult to establish the church where a person was baptised in 1830.

Anyhow, I have decided to let people on the Spiritualism Chatroom know what I found.

In brief - NO William Charles CADWELL died in 1897, nor did a William Cadwell or a Charles William.

No such person died the year before or after either.

In the 1841 census records there was NO William or William C Cadwell born 1830 anywhere in England. Because in the 1841 census records ages were rounded down (eg 43 would be recorded as 40, 47 as 45 etc) I next checked the 1851 census and found just 8 William Cadwell - NONE were born in 1830.

There was one William Charles Cadwell found in the 1851 census records - he however was born in 1843 in Chelsea. Sadley he died in the December Quarter of 1865 in Chelsea - so cannot be considered a possible for David Thompson's William Charles Cadwell.

The subsequent census records also do not show any William Cadwell born 1830 - so all such records fail to show this purported guide who plays such a vital role in David Thompson's physical mediumship and seances.

Feeling frustrated I took a look for Tmothy BOOTH the child guide who is said to play an important role in the seances. He is said (on the circle of the silver cord website) to have been born in 1899 and died in 1908.

Oh dear!!! There were NO Timothy Booth's born in 1899 anywhere in England. There were NO Timothy Booth's who died in 1908.

Now Ice Blue has said that names are not important so long as they speak truth and love.

To a point i agree with this however Neffy (are you a sceptic Neffy?) made the comment it could be useful if it was the name of an actual person who once lived but said that if no name can be traced one could assume it was an alter ego of the medium and not a spirit at all.

Miranda reminded me that we spiritualists are frequently exhorted to test the spirits and this is what I have done.

I have never sat in a David Thompson physical seance so I cannot comment on whether the non-existent William Charles Cadwell and Timothy Booth speak truth and love and so cannot determine their value or legitimacy on that basis.

Are these personalities just alter-go's? Is David Thompson being duped by spirit entities? Is he too a fraud?

I don't have the answer but to use the words of James Van Praagh in the foreword to the book When Ghosts Speak by May Ann Winkowski (she's the woman that the TV series Ghost Whisper is based on) and I quote, "it seems that ghosts are very good at remembering their birth and death dates, know where they are buried, can easily recall their earthly employments and interests".

It seems to me that if William Charles Cadwell and Timothy Booth are actually spirits they have claimed to know such things but they have not told the truth.

I don't believe it is wise to trust so called spirits who seem to have lied.

Once again I ask David Thompson to provide the Spiritualism Chatroom with the evidence found by the SPR and Montegue Keen that would refute the evidence of my research into this matter.

Should I wait in hope of an early response or expect a deathly silence?

I am now a rather dispirited Spiritualist,

Leo

David Thompson then replied a few threads later...

Hi all,

Oh! dear how people speculate and put on public forums there thoughts that are not always right.

So for the very last time for.

1. Monty Keen did a report that can been see on the website Zerdini published on these threads.

2. the report was also done with Guy Lyon Playfair who did the checks on William and found him, I will ask the lady who is a member of this site to put up the recent email she recieved from Guy Lyon Playfair regarding William and his exsistance.

3. Am I a materialization medium, to be honest judge for yourself or listen to others, up to you.

To be honest, when I joined SCR it was a great site with a lot of nice people, but now it seems to have turned into a bitchfest on everyone.

Please now feel free to say what you will about me and my mediumship and to be honest I dont really care, this will be my last post here.

Best Regards

David Thompson

And the response:

Well it was a pleasure to see Mr Thompson give a reply to what I had written about William Charles Cadwell though I notice that he fails to mention young Timothy Booth claimed to have been born 1899 and died 1908 who also did not exist!

Let me say it again, and please do anyone on the list that is still in contact with DT pass this on, NO William Charles Cadwell died in 1897 as DT has claimed for a long time.

There was indeed a William Cadwell who died in 1899 aged 67 so born 1832/3 not 1830 and please note everyone he was not recorded as William CHARLES Cadwell and if that had been his name that is what the death record would have said!!!

Now let DT ask his so called guide who his parents were and whether he married and what his wife's name might have been.

And let him explain why we suddenly have the name Guy Leon Playfair appearing now as the source that found William Charles Cadwell and how this connects to his statement that it was the SPR and Montague Keen who found William Charles Cadwell.

As to Dt's comment: Oh! dear how people speculate and put on public forums there thoughts that are not always right.

Firstly, let me respond by saying what I wrote was not speculation it was fact. Second what I wrote was not my thoughts it was cold hard evidence and it IS RIGHT.

By all means let the lady who has the email from Playfair put it up. All it can say is what I have already said above: a William Cadwell died in 1899 in the registration district of Leigh Vol 8c page137. Not William Charles Cadwell. Not 1897. Not born 1830.

So DT has a guide who doesn't know when he was born and doesn't know when he died. What else doesn't he know I wonder.

Again I say to DT what about young Timothy Booth?

Of course, DT has, having thrown in his spurious information, spat the dummy and run away.

I have not taken part in what he calls a bitchfest. I have merely stated the truth. If the truth causes DT a problem then there has to be something wrong.

Leo

There's more interesting discussion about this in the forum - plus a whole load of controversy about another physical medium called Warren Caylor.

[Michael Prescott]

Thanks for this info, J Richards. Thompson's story is unraveling, it seems.

Quelle surprise!