Liz Taylor has died at age 79. She was a legendary actress, two-time Oscar winner, and probably as famous for her eight marriages as she was for her Hollywood career.

Later in life she took flack for her weight, for her relationships with younger men, for her friendship with Michael Jackson.

But let’s forget all that, and remember one very important thing about Elizabeth Taylor: she had violet eyes. Violet eyes! How is that…possible? The only explanation I’m willing to consider, in the first blush of remembering her life, is that she was simply sent here to show us what a starlet was supposed to be.

As for the specifics of her career, I’ll leave it to the more movie-savvy to write that part of her obituary. I will heartily recommend one of her lesser known roles, as the ghost of Helen of Troy (yes, really) in Doctor Faustus (1967). Very odd yet compelling movie, closely following the dialogue of the 1604 Marlowe play. But she starred opposite Sir Richard Burton, and that was always something worth seeing.

Rest in peace, Liz. There’ll never be another one like you.

Despite marked differences and a divisive past, the cultural connections between Japan and the West, particularly the U.S., grow stronger every year. Their love of baseball and pop music is matched only by our love of sushi and anime. It goes much deeper than that, though. There’s a mutual respect and admiration between our peoples; we celebrate each other’s triumphs, and we share in each other’s tragedies.

There have been no shortage of tragedies recently, it seems. Disaster and loss are recurring themes in every region of the world. And every victim, every survivor, deserves our sympathy and support.

But what is happening in Japan sets a new standard. Three devastating blows: an unbelievably powerful earthquake, followed by a terrifying tsunami, and then the (still evolving) nightmare of nuclear meltdown. Any one of these could destroy a nation. The combination of all three is simply unimaginable.

But of one thing I’m certain: Japan will survive this and will emerge even stronger. History and national character have proven time and again the resiliency of this remarkable culture.

Doubtlessly they could do it alone…but they won’t need to. They have earned the friendship of the world, and it is the world’s duty, and honor, to stand with Japan in her time of need.

One of the most enduring icons that Japan has bestowed upon us all is the image of the Samurai. The ideal of Bushido is an inspirational, timeless model for a life devoted to duty and honor.

So perhaps now is a good time for we friends of Japan to examine the Seven Principles of Bushido, as a timely reminder as to how one stands with one’s ally:

1. Chu: Duty and Loyalty
2. Gi: Justice and Morality
3. Makoto: Deep Sincerity
4. Rei: Polite Courtesy
5. Jin: Selfless Compassion
6. Yu: Heroic Courage
7. Meiyo: Honor

Japan is not and will never be alone.

How to help:

Text to donate - The American Red Cross has once again launched a texting campaign to raise money for relief efforts in the Pacific region. Last year, the Red Cross was able to raise over $20 million for Haiti relief through simple text donations.

If you would like to donate to the American Red Cross for Japan Earthquake Relief, just text REDCROSS to 90999. Each text will provide $10 towards the Red Cross’s humanitarian efforts

Donate via Facebook - The Red Cross has also launched a campaign on Causesto raise at least $25,000 for relief efforts. By logging in to Facebook, you can donate anywhere from $10 to $500 to help Tsunami victims and their families.

As of publishing time, the Causes campaign has raised over $40,000 from over 1,000 donors and 3,000 promoters.

Donate via iTunes - Apple is also dedicating resources to the crisis in Japan. They have created a simple donation page in iTunes that makes it simple to donate anywhere from $5 to $200 to the Red Cross with just a few clicks.

And the Academy Award goes to…who cares? Not me. Awards shows utterly bore me, and the loftier the hype, the less interested I get. Can’t get much higher than Oscar hype, so no thanks, I won’t be watching. And I’ll get busy thinking of other things for the next few days, every time someone mentions the subject.

And if that sounds like anti-Hollywood snobbery…well, I plead only slightly guilty. I like movies, I truly do. There are more than a few that I completely adore. But for all that there’s that unsavory, self-congratulatory side of movie culture, the Hollywood-at-play, Hollywood-at-rest side. That’s the side I can’t or won’t abide, be it snobbery on my part or not; in any case it’s the side most obviously on display on Oscar night. So I’ll avert my gaze.

And maybe, hopefully, that gaze will fetch up toward some side of Hollywood I like more, am more comfortable abiding…

First stop has to be The David Mamet Society. He’s such a prolific screenwriter (dozens of films, including The Untouchables and Hannibal) that it’s easy to forget he’s always been first and foremost a playwright. And if he didn’t invent rapid, cutting, intelligent dialogue, then we can at least agree that he perfected it. When we’re lucky enough to receive a Mamet screenplay, adapted by Mamet from a Mamet play (a’la Glengarry Glen Ross), then we can at least glimpse upon the screen what David Mamet can do on the stage.

And a year-round favorite (which is however especially lively around August 22), is The Dorothy Parker Society. This website is an immersion in everything Parker, celebrating not just her writing but her life and times and the cultural nexus that swirled around her. Come her birthday each August, they do their level best to re-create it, flapper dresses and tuxes and all. I’m a fan of all of Mrs. Parker’s writing, but it will always be her poetry I like best. Her movie career is pretty interesting nonetheless – her credits include A Star Is Born, and she’s rumored to have tightened up the dialogue in Citizen Kane.

And thus I kind of sneak up on Hollywood, or at least its periphery. It’s how I cope with things like Oscar night. It’s a measured dose of the Hollywood I like, with not a drop of the unsavory. Suggests a certain breadth and depth to Hollywood, one that might surprise some by its existence. But yes, if you dig deep and cast wide, it yields up all sorts of appeal, no matter how snobby you fancy yourself. So hooray for Hollywood…I guess.

Here’s a compelling argument I heard recently, which sort of demonstrates how slippery definitions are – even definitions we think we have an handle on.

Goes something like this: What is alive? Are viruses alive? Most people would say yes. But are they? Viruses consume nothing and they leave no waste. They’re unable to reproduce on their own. They cannot survive without a host. Wouldn’t we normally consider all of those elements of the definition of life?

Now consider fire. Fire can propagate itself. It consumes, and produces waste. It takes in oxygen and expels carbon dioxide. Under those criteria, fire sounds every bit alive as your aunt Sally.

This argument by itself serves as both an interesting philosophical exercise, and a cautionary warning to NASA that maybe they ought to broaden their life-searching scope. In the broader sense it reminds us that language can be tricky, and there are fewer absolute truths than we’d like to believe.

Here we are then. After a few days of tweaking (and cussing), the Internet HQ of Cultural Deconstruction is live and primed for action.

So much to do! So much to talk about! Where to start??

Well…maybe the ideal starting point is this: Welcome. Thanks for stopping by. My name is Pat. I’m a writer. I have an unhealthy interest in politics, a debilitating jones for current events, and a jaundiced eye for all things culture. This lil’ forum is intended to help get some of that out of my system.

And you, friend, are invited along for the ride. All topics are open for discussion, all opinions are welcome. Hazing and derision are discouraged but probably inevitable.

What do you think? Are you game? Then come on in, the culture’s lukewarm.

Edited to add: one more shout-out to my good friend Ken Brown from AlyAnya & Associates, without whom this site would not exist. Thanks much, Ken. And to everyone else: need a website? Check out AlyAnya. They will make it happen.