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| He Came, He Smiled, He Conquered! |
| 08.30.05 (10:40 am) [edit] |
Swank Home
Brian Wilson’s Smile Tour
Queen Elizabeth Theatre, August 29
It certainly was strange to see a large theatre filled to bursting with people eager to hear the live performance of an album that for so many years was shrouded in myth, hidden away for the most part in the obscurity Capitol’s vaults and of interest, I thought, to fanatical Beach Boys fans only. I didn’t realize that so many music nerds lived in Vancouver. The critical acclaim for the 2004 release of Brian Wilson’s Smile - essentially a remake of the original 1966 version with newly created bridging sections to fill some holes left when the project was abandoned - and the receptions of audiences much like the one at the QE, must vindicate the long nightmare of Smile for Wilson. Smile was the album that cemented his reputation as a “genius”, but also precipitated his withdrawal from music making. The ructions it caused within the band never really healed and they never recovered from the loss of critical cachet in the sixties - try as they might to be cool, it was like your pipe smoking dad wearing a kaftan. It has been both a bad memory and a millstone for Wilson - no wonder he hated and feared it!
Every self-respecting Beach Boy/Brian Wilson fan knows the legend of Smile. It’s the holy grail of pop music history. Many gratified their interest (also known as mania) in Smile through...ahem...bootlegs or made do with the sections of Smile presented on the 1993 box set Good Vibrations. They hoped that Capitol might one day issue a box set much like the Pet Sounds Sessions; but knew in their heart of hearts that they would never hear Smile as intended by Brian Wilson. However, with the encouragement of his wife, Melinda, the musical assistance of Darian Sahanaja and the creative input of original collaborator and lyricist, Van Dyke Parks, Wilson was finally able to overcome his distaste, conquer his fears and realize his original and unique vision. Having previously heard only snippets of larger pieces or instrumentals without vocals with no sense of context, I don’t think many fans were prepared for the revelation of hearing Smile as a complete work. Finally, to hear everything as Wilson had intended it: with completed vocals and everything in its proper order - what had before seemed confused and episodic finally merged into a beautiful whole. At last, fans could hear what Brian Wilson had heard almost forty years before - not without a little chagrin that such a wonder couldn’t have been released in ‘66 (It would have come out before Sgt. Pepper’s and one can only speculate how the musical landscape of the sixties might have been changed; would it have been a revelation or just an anomaly?).
So, the multitudes came to prostrate themselves before the temple of Smile and you could feel the keen excitement at the theatre - all these fans that couldn’t believe their dreams had finally come true, milling around in an exhilarated daze. Although there were lots of old fogeys, there was also a sizable contingent of twenty-somethings and lots of children, as well. This was Brian Wilson’s first concert in Vancouver, as a Beach Boy or otherwise, and the audience meant to enjoy it - “enthusiastic” and “excited” are two words that pop to mind (as does “frenzied”). Lezah and I took our seats, and much to my shock the concert started at 8:00 on the dot - much to the shock of others too, as people were still finding their seats three songs into the show.
Although the concert was billed as a Brian Wilson’s Smile, the first half was meant to whet our appetites. After a frankly over the top, rabble-rousing introduction, an almost frail Brian Wilson shuffled on stage and sat himself on his stool in front of his seldom-played piano and the band kicked into Do It Again. The songs were chosen with an eye to both BB enthusiasts and curious on-lookers alike. So mixed with the relatively obscure “The Little Girl I Once Knew” or “Breakaway”, there was a “Help Me, Rhonda” or “California Girls”. Of course, the song selection was heavy on the sixties material: “At the Drive-In”, “Please Let Me Wonder”, “Then I Kissed Her”, “When I Grow Up To Be A Man”, “Dance, Dance, Dance” and “Do You Wanna Dance?”, etc. with “Sail On Sailor” thrown in for good measure. As a BB nut, however, I had hoped for something from Wilson’s mid-seventies purple patch - it would have been great to hear the large band tackle “Honkin Down the Highway”, “The Night Was So Young”, “Had To Phone Ya” or his masterpiece “Til I Die”. Still this is just the carping you get from BB nuts like me. Judging from audience reactions, no one else seemed to miss them... the fools.
After a brief intermission - ah! civilization - the band and Wilson returned to the stage for Smile. Like the album, it was performed in three sections with the songs flowing into one another. As much as was possible with such an enthusiastic audience, applause was discouraged until the end of each song suite. One amazing thing about Smile is that an album, as much a child of the studio-obsessed, album-oriented mid-sixties as Pepper, that took almost forty years to complete, saw its original debut as a live performance. An integral part of this success is his incredibly talented band. Along with Sahanaja, there’s Scott Bennett on keyboards; guitarists Jeffrey Foskett, Probyn Gregory and Nick Walusko; Bob Lizik on bass; percussionists Nelson Bragg and Jim Hines; Paul Mertens on woodwinds; and vocalist Taylor Mills. Everyone except Mertens and Hines added vocals in a close approximation of that classic BB harmony sound and supported Wilson whose voice isn’t what it used to be, having been weakened by his former abuse and neglect (all that smoking lowered his range and control). This band is augmented by the eight-strong Stockholm Strings‘N’Horns - that’s nineteen people on stage including Wilson (even then, some of the band’s multi-instrumental abilities are called upon). It was absolutely amazing to see Smile performed live: the complicated, multi-layered vocals, the both spare and dense instrumentation, the breakneck switches from simple pop to oddball avant-gardism. It was all impeccably performed and the audience ate it up entirely. The band looked to be having the time of their lives up there too.
After Smile, there were two encores. the first consisted of band introductions performed by the very funny Jeffrey Foskett and a selection of the BB’s most popular moldy-oldies (“Fun, Fun, Fun”, Surfin’ USA”, for instance) and a enthusiastic cover of “Johnny B. Goode”. The audience which had stood up for “Good Vibrations”, the final song of Smile, remained standing throughout the encores, enthusiastically shaking their aging tail feathers (crutches were available at the concession) and singing along (one man directly behind me, quite loudly). The second encore was made up of a beautiful gospel-tinged song (which I didn’t know) and a rousing “Love and Mercy” from his first solo album. After thanking the audience, Wilson shuffled off stage for the final time that night to uproarious applause - although some parts of the audience, conditioned by years of going to hockey games, had left early to “beat the rush”..
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| Iraqi Breakup Inevitable? |
| 08.29.05 (9:14 pm) [edit] |
Swank Home
Heretic’s Home
By The Political Heretic
I've been saying it for a while now (or at least the last three weeks) but two news analysis articles, one in today's Washington Post and the other in today's New York Times , acknowledges our president's declining influence in Iraq. The Sunnis rejected the latest compromises as expected because they believe Kurd and Shi'ite negotiators are carving Iraq and its oil resources up while leaving the Sunnis with an economically deprived, land-locked weak autonomous state in central Iraq. Neoconservative New York Times' columnist David Brooks signs on to the view of those who say Iraq was always a fiction that was only held together by colonial powers and ruthless tyrants. This constitution, they say, reflects the reality we should be embracing.
I don't know if Iraq's eventual split-up was inevitable. Iraq was a fiction but so was the United States. The thirteen original states no doubt united to overthrow our British sovereigns but their differences and suspicions kept them from binding themselves together in anything more than a loose confederation for several years. The Iraqis are no doubt divided by religion, ethnicity and language and we weren't but that is largely irrelevant. The differences and between Quaker and Anglican, large and small state, or between rural and trade state may seem petty now but they were extremely important to the residents who guarded their cherished freedoms then.
Enlightened self-interest eventually brought them to unite behind one banner. Their more powerful neighbors, the British, French, and Spanish empires, still threatened their freedoms and any hope of one day becoming a viable state required difficult negotiations.
Whether the Iraqis will unite behind one banner I do not know but the president's inability and increasing unwillingness to persuade the Kurds and Shi'ites to unite behind a stronger federal system not unlike ours or the Swiss Confederation will lead to their country's undoing and we will pay the price.
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| A Global Bunch of Rachael Rays |
| 08.29.05 (9:12 pm) [edit] |
Swank Home
Beck’s Home
By Becks & Posh
Around the World in $40 Days
Recently I asked people if they would like to come up with their own versions of Rachael Ray's $40 A Day for the latest edition of Dine & Dish. There was fantastic response with 33 entries from all over the world. Each one of these entries is absolutely amazing. I hope you manage to read through them all. Take your time, you'll need it...
Rachael starts her worldwide journey in Knoxville Tennessee where she manages to spend $37.64 on some delicious sounding food: She starts at the Waffle House for breakfast before heading out for lunch and an unusual, but certainly interesting sounding, walnut gorgonzola pizza as well as blue chip nachos from the quirkily named Tomato Head. In the evening Rachael heads off for a mildly spicy night out and a tempting thai feast from Kashmir Indian Restaurant.
When Rachael is in LA, California, it's all about what she doesn't eat, rather than what she does eat. It's all about her figure. Less is more. She starts with a simple coffee at Urth Caffé, heads to Porta Via for a half panini and a half salad at lunch time. She saves the evening for rock'n'roll, star spotting, pizzas and martini at Jones Hollywood.
Is it always snowy in Cambridge, MA? Someone living in that neck of the woods probably wouldn't be too sorry if Rachael froze over so she could never open her mouth again. Until that happens, Rachael will be eating very well in Massachusetts: She starts with a slice of Upper Crust Pizza, and follows that with a coffee from Darwins where the hazelnut and other flavoured syrups are gratis. After a lot of walking around and a nap, Rachael pigs out on a decadent sounding lobster sandwich from Alive and Kicking and fried chicken from the Coast Cafe. What a pig our Rachael is. The only space left, after that mountain of filling food, is for a couple of cocktails at Middlesex. Rachael ends her busy day 35 cents under budget.
Next up Rachael is in the Cleveland area where she starts her day by eating jerk chicken at a Caribbean Hungarian restaurant called Monica's. From there, Rachael's off to have fun , popcorn and frozen custard at the Euclid Beach Park where the Beach Boys played in 1964, long before Rachael was born. From frozen custard to Hot Sauce Williams, next stop is for ribs and chicken wings. Rachael has a couple of dollars left in the budget so she heads off to the North Union Farmers Market for strawberry filled Amish fry pie. Now that sounds like a sweet ending.
When Rachael visited Oakland, CA, she was pretty cheap. In fact she could have included a 20% tip and remained in budget. She started her day with a chocolatine from La Farine. For lunch Rachael opted for a Bahn Mi from Cam Huong which she washed down with a drink and dessert in one - Vietnamese Iced Coffee with Pearls from the cutely named Sweet Booth. With her budget almost intact Rachael headed off to Luka's Tap Room for a feast of burger, beer and chocolate cake. By the end of the night, Rachael is still in the money, having only spent $33 total.
Rachael is jumping all over the place these days. West Coast, East Coast, this girl is flying! Next stop is Syracuse, NY where our Rachael starts the day at Lucky Moon Cafe with a delicious sounding breakfast of omelette, tuscan toast and jasmine tea, cooked for her personally by one of the owners no less. I hope Rachael isn't using her position to get preferential treatment! Rachael is a girl after my own heart - she chooses to take lunch at the organic Elderberry Pond Farm where the burgers look amazing. And as if that wasn't enough, she pigs out on a raspberry and almond tart too. You'd think she would have run out of space in her belly and change in her purse, but no! Rachael still room for a catfish burrito, cornbread and salad from Alto Cinco. Wow! All for $39!
Next stop London, England. Rachael is going all international on us and making me home sick at the same time. But, phew, the price of things in England! It's daylight robbery. Rachael reminds us that to eat well in England, as Somerset Maugham said, eat breakfast three times a day and so she starts with a classic English Breakfast at Café Olympic, E15. As if I wasn't salivating enough already, she then heads to S and M Café in Spitalfields and has Bangers & Mash with gravy. Oh my. And to torture me enough even more, Rachael then heads to Brick Lane, and New Tayyab, for a spicy feast. Oh, how I wish I could be there too, preferably on a different day to Ms Ray and definitely with sterling, rather than dollars, in in my bank account. Rachael spent just five pence under £22.00, the equivalent to $40.
Staying away from the USA a little while longer, Rachael's next stop is Singapore where she can get S$66 for her forty US. Ya Kun is her breakfast stop for a traditional morning meal of soft boiled egg, toast and coffee. At lunchtime she settles for a variety of Japanese food from Ichiban Boshi, including sake head miso soup. (Sake meaning salmon in this instance). Dinner includes no less than four desserts. After both savoury and sweet crepes at Le P'tit Breton, Rachael heads to Bakerzin for raspberry panna cotta, lychee espuma, and hot chocolate shooter with housemade chocolate ice cream. She comes in way under budget, but after all that sugar, do you think Rachael will be able to describe herself as a Skinny Chef and keep a straight face?
Rachael is getting homesick, so she nips back to her homeland and a visit to Portsmouth, VA and Waffle World for a cheap filling breakfast. Lunch is a sandwich, and coffee, at Rachael's friends' place, The Daily Grind. For dinner we have a choice of two. Because I work in the movie business, I'll opt for the Commodore Theater, where I can eat Fish'n'Chips and watch films at the same time!
Rachael is a little bit fond of San Francisco it would seem. She just keeps coming back because she can't quite make up her mind about the Bay Area's best eats. Pastores is a place I hadn't heard of, but will be trying soon. The Huevos Rancheros look so good. There isn't a San Franciscan who hasn't heard about the Bahn Mi from Saigon Sandwich. The only person who hasn't actually tried them, however, is probably me. I am determined to change that as soon as my job moves to the city next week. I tried to go to Isa recently, but they had closed for a vacation. Rachael had better luck when she was in town and she positively raves about the $22.25 Prix fixe. Lots of beau-ti-ful food options, coming in under budget with tips and tax included.
Spokane, Washington. Have you heard of it? The more I read about it, the more I want to visit. I am kind of bummed that Rachael got there before me to sample the delights of the 'Tasty Triangle', an area around St John's Cathedral. Photographic evidence of a dark chocolate and orange scone from BitterSweet Bakery will make you drool. After that, pay your penance with a healthy bright and vibrant mix of salads for lunch at Lindaman's. The indulgent streak is revisited again for dinner, at Paprika, where Rachael manages to squeeze a grilled steak fillet with port wine reduction into her belly and her budget.
For her next call, Rachael decides to try LA, CA again, this time from a wildly different standpoint. She starts at Millie's for an obscenely decadent stack of six pancakes layered with cream cheese and strawberries. Does she really need to eat for the rest of the day? Apparently yes, so she stops off at Label's Table Deli for the best smoked turkey sandwich on rye in the City. Even before dinner it seems Rachael is famished to she stops off at Wholefoods for a little snack of a Spicy tuna bowl. At least it sounds healthy! Finally, before the day is over, Rachael finds room for dinner. Off to Mulholland Grill she goes, to graze on Caesar salad and gnocchi. Oh no! But she's gone over the budge by a few dollars. Naughty Rachael. What punishment shall we deliver her? I'll take votes. Wink, wink.
Next Rachael nips over to Hartford, CT, for some delicious sounding whole wheat flour and wheat germ pancakes. She recommends the chocolate chip pancake with side of home fries and orange juice from Mo's Midtown. As a visiting celebrity, Rachael can't resist taking lunch with former Hartford Mayor, at Mayor Mike's. An ooey-gooey and oh-so-good pesto grilled cheese with lots of trimmings is the thing that attracts her attention. Come the evening, Rachael heads off to Agave Grill for Guacamole, cheese enchiladas and a half-price house margarita on the rocks. A day's worth of fine dining comes to an end exactly on budget.
Back in San Francisco again, just to double-check whether or not she made the best choices on her previous visit, Rachael starts her day at the fabulous Tartine for the best damn frangipane croissant outside of Paris and a coffee. For lunch she tries Yank Sing, for the famous but pricey Dim Sum which is so delicious, its worth the spend. A Frog Hollow peach tides her over until dinner when she heads to the Mission and La Taqueria for pork carnitas taco with avocado, a vegetarian bean and cheese taco with avocado and a small sweet-sour tamarindo drink. All of the day's goodies total $38.70 which seems like a bargain for so much tasty sounding food.
A quick flight back down to Los Angeles, this time Rachael has her beau in tow. She wants to see if she can feed two people in the City of Angels without blowing more than 40 bucks. She ends up doing her mom and dad proud, budget wise. They start at Gilbert's for a hangover breakfast of huevos con chorizo and menudo. Not for the faint of heart - Menudo consists of tripe and other cow parts bathed in a spicy red broth with hominy, onions, peppers and other condiments. Lee's Sandwiches serve Bahn Mi, which are proving to be popular wherever Rachael goes. They also have Western-style sandwiches available so everyone is happy. When it's time for dinner, Rachael and her man head for Sam Woo BBQ, for noodles, rock cod, rice and free tea. At the end of the day they still have $3.60 left between them. What excellent house-keeping skills!
Next stop is Berkeley, CA, where two different days of dining options are tested out. Day one starts with a pastry and latte from Caffe Trieste and continues with a Turkish buffet lunch from Bosphorus. For dinner, new kid on the block, Sea Salt, is the destination where Rachael dines on oysters, clam chowder and a pint of Anchor Steam. At the end of the day she is well under budget with 5 bucks to spare.
On day two in the San Pablo Avenue area, Rachael begins with a Cafe Fanny latte, granola, fresh fruit and yoghurt before heading to Everett and Jones for a lunch of sliced beef and soda. Next Rachael has a Mexican snack at Casa Latina. For her final Berkeley meal she heads back to Caffe Trieste for salad, pizza and a nice glass of red wine. Who would have known there is so much good food to be had in such a small area of town.
After zipping all over the States, Rachael fancies a trip down under, to Sydney, Australia. Because the exchange rate is on her side, she decides to try and eat on AUS$40 which is only about thirty bucks whilst sticking in the downtown area of Sydney. A Big Breakfast starts the day at Una's: Bacon, sausages, eggs, rosti, toast and tomato, oh yes, it sounds totally scrumptious. So Rachael's lunch is a little lighter - Grilled dory fillets with salad and chips plus firm, tasty and achingly fresh sashimi from Peter's. Phew, that sounds sublime. You know me, I love Indian food. Seems Rachael does too. So for dinner she heads off to Maya Masala for pani puri chaat, onion rawa paneer dosa and a sweet and syrupy Indian dessert. Oh wow, out of my way, Rachael, I'm heading to Oz right this very second.
It looks like Rachael will make room in Sydney for me, by jetting off across the Australian countryside to Adelaide. Phat Coffee is the first stop, for a coffee and a magnificent Ham Cheese and Tomato Croissant. Oh! Sushi is a brief lunch stop and the final meal of the day is The ‘Steed where Rachael indulges in an interesting sounding Pork Puff Pastry Parcel and a jug of Cooper's Ale, all comfortably under the $40 mark.
Rachael just can't keep away from San Francisco for more than about 5 minutes. Yes, she's back again, because she just can't get enough of Tartine. This time round it's a chocolate croissant and a cappuccino that gets her all excited. It's not her first trip to Saigon Sandwich either. I am beginning to think Rachael is a Bahn Mi addict. Rachael's visit coincides with a rare San Francisco sighting. A Ray of sunshine peeps out from behind the fog and so she finds an excuse to go and eat ice cream, from Mitchell's, of course. Where else? But the real reason Ms Ray had to return to my fair city, is to check out Delfina's new Pizzeria. Does she like it? Salsiccia pizza and Montepulciano says she does. She still has enough change to stop at Tartine on the way home and pick up a croissant for tomorrows breakfast. What a gutsy lady.
Rachael still wonders if she has done San Francisco enough justice. She'd like to see it from a Frenchman's perspective. What would he eat? He'd get to Delanghe Bakery at 7 am for warm croissants, that's what he'd do. Rachael can't decide between a plain one or a hazelnut raspberry, they both sound sooo good. Next on the menu is a whole black pepper sauce crab from Batavia Garden, yes, a whole one just for Rachael. To end her French-style day in San Francisco Rachael would venture to Chapeau! for the $25 prix fixe. The whole day sounds like one long good idea.
Rachael's plane gets delayed so she has to stay in San Francisco for one more day. What's it to be this time she wonders? Are there still enough options for her to dine well in SF? Instead of pastries, Rachael starts her day with a steaming bowl of clam chowder from Swan's Oyster Depot . It might sound strange, but just remember how foggy and cold it can be here in the Summer. For lunch she heads to one of my favourites, The Helmand, for an all-you-can-eat Afghan buffet. You might think Rachael would be full by now, but Hawthorne Lane is calling where, between 4 and 6 pm Happy Hour Bar Bites are all $3.50. Bargain munching options washed down with a G & T. Because dinner was so early, Rachael needs a late night dessert snack which she finds in the form of Black Glutinous Rice in Mango & Coconut Juice with Extra Mango at Creations Dessert House and she still has 75 cents in her pocket at the end of the night.
Rachael finally escapes California for Northern Virginia where she confirms her reputation as Queen of cheap eats by starting her $40 day with a Royal Restaurant breakfast. Determined not to let her regal status get the better of her, Rachael's next stop is The Italian Store where she'll get a good sub but no niceties whatsoever from the staff. She doesn't really mind, though, because she has an extra special treat in store for the evening. Rachael heads off to what is widely considered one of the best restaurants in NV, 2941, where eating from the Tapas on the Terrace menu means she finishes the day exactly on budget. Bravo!
The sparkling seas and waving palm trees are calling Rachael from Santa Barbara. The D'Angelo Pastry ham and cheese croissants are practically screaming Rachael's name. (She missed out on them last time she was in SB). Rachael already knows about the Santa Barbara Shellfish Company and so she heads there again, for lunch. To tide herself over, until dinner she stops at Anna's Bakery for a chocolate cookie snack. It's been too long since she had any raw fish so Rachael heads off the main drag to dine at Ichiban Sushi finishing her day 15 cents under budget.
It's time for another trip abroad with Rachael jetting off, this time, to Pune, Maharshtra, India! $40 would feed a family for a month in this part of the world so, instead, Rachael decides to meet the challenge on about $4 instead. So much food for so little money: Tasty sounding Coconut Uttapam from Madhuban, Chelo Kabab with rice and tomatoes from King's Restaurant, and Chicken and naan from the Sardar Tandoori stall. I wish I could go to India and learn about real Indian food.
Back in the US, Rachael heads up to Seattle . First stop of course, is the wonderful Pike Place Market and breakfast just opposite at Le Panier. Staying in the market area, lunch is a shrimp cocktail and water from Jack's Fish Spot. Next up on the itinerary is happy hour. For this Rachael heads off to Elliott's Oyster House for the cheapest ever oysters and a martini. I am just amazed she still has over $20 left for dinner. For that meal Rachael heads to Brasa for a lamb burger and a glass of wine. A perfect end to a a thrifty day of eating.
I reckon that the day Rachael heads to San Juan Island, Washington, will be the day she loses her job. There are some entertaining people in these parts and our Ms Ray is going to have a hard time competing. She could always drown any sorrows in food. For breakfast, lavender lemonade and cake from the local farmer's market is a good suggestion. Lunch could be spring rolls, pad thai and and beer at the Golden Triangle. The day should end at Madrona Bar & Grill for something thick and meaty. I'll say no more...
Rachael suddenly realizes she left something personal in her Seattle hotel room so she heads back to try and pick it up. Whilst there she decides to record another $40 A Day show. This time she gets her breakfast of a roly-poly bun and some coffee from the Macrina Bakery. Bruschettina at Ballard Farmers Market sounds like the perfect lunch stop where they have some interesting sounding toppings, like chickpeas and octopus, for their bruschetta. After an afternoon pick-me-up at El Diablo Coffee Company, Rachael is ready for dinner. For this she heads to Chinook’s for a very fancy-sounding alder planked Alaskan silver salmon. Yum.
Columbus, Ohio is the next destination, starting with breakfast from Jack & Benny's. Rachael hasn't had a Bento Box in a while and she is asking herself why not? They are so great, especially the ones from Tyfoon. There is enough money and space left for a slap up dinner at The Burgundy Room. What is there not to like about beef carpaccio and rich cheese tortellini with pulled duck leg confit and a small glass Haven's Bourriquot? Shouldn't that be Heaven?!
After all this hard work, Rachael jets off to Honolulu, Hawaii, for hard-earned vacation. Chocolate cream stuffed Malasadas from Leonard's Bakery are sugary dough balls which are a sweet, cheap deal. A healthier lunch is in order so Rachael heads off to the noisy, local bowling alley where they serve steaming bowls of Oxtail soup spiced with cilantro at the Kapiolani Coffee Shop. For an afternoon treat, Rachael fancies custard with green tea ice and lots of syrup. She finds it at Waiola. The best find of her trip is Sunrise, a Japanese restaurant that serves the freshest fish at rock bottom prices. Rachael could get quite used to this way of life.
It's time to go home, back to New York. After spending so much on her holiday, Rachael decides to find a day of eats under $25. Everything she munches on throughout the day sounds irresistible. The simplicity of a $1 slice pizza bianca at Sullivan Street Bakery, the great value of a vietnamese sandwich from Bahn Mi So 1, the indulgence of piggy pudding from Sugar Sweet Sunshine, it all sounds marvelous. But that's not the end of it, Rachael is really showing her sweet tooth. What next? A chocolate mudslide cookie from Jacques Torres and then a mexican style bun from the Golden Dragon Boat Cafe and Bakery. Something to drink next - how about a bubble tea from Green Tea Cafe? Dumpling might be a word that could be used to describe Rachael after eating all that, but what? She still has room for more? More dumplings that is - so she heads off to Shanghai Cafe for exactly that. Phew, Rachael is so now full she can hardly speak.
She doesn't utter another word until she arrives in Novato, Marin, CA. She's not really in a breakfast mood but she stops of at Skully's for a plain croissant and a coffee, finding it to be surprisingly good. Lunch is just as cheap - at Quezada Market - where she fills up on Tamales and coconut juice. Novato. So far, so good. Kitchen does a Prix-Fixe menu for just $15, so that is where Rachael decides to eat her evening meal. Three courses and a glass of wine, Rachael has discovered how to do Novato quite well, and way under budget to boot.
San Francisco is only a 30 minute drive down the 101, so Rachael figures she can head back in that direction one more time. She stops off at Larkspur on the way and Tabla on the way for soup and corn fritters. Next destination is Liberty Cafe to the South of the city for some of the best Eggs Florentine in town. She ends her day at Ti Couz slurping on a blackberry cocktail and indulging in her favourite cheese mushroom and almond crepe. She's full, but oh so satisfied, if only you could see the smile on her face.
I think Rachael deserves a little time off. It's time to sneak off to LA for some serious partying to celebrate the end of this $40 a series. The next day, even with a hangover, Rachael shows her dedication to food by dragging herself out of bed to get to the farmers market where she starts the rehydration process on free samples of pomegranate juice. Now she's not actually working, Rachael shows where her real priorities lie. She heads over to Casa del Mar for the hair of the dog - a $12 bloody Mary. In need of more liquid refreshment, Rachael hurries to Lula, for their 7 day a week happy hour, and a couple of margaritas at $3 a pop. Yes. I did say two. Finally Rachael visits Blowfish for an animal-style roll which she washes down with an Absolut Citron lemon and soda and the $40 is spent. Lucky Rachael, she certainly does lead a most Delicious Life.
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| Kirk’s Movie Review - The Machinist |
| 08.29.05 (9:10 pm) [edit] |
Swank Home
Kirk’s Home
In his most high-profile feature to date, founder of Nomad films and relatively inexperienced helmsman, Brad Anderson, tries to deliver something with the spine-tingle of a Hitchcock and the savvy of a Fight Club or a Memento - and fails admirably on both counts. The problem is that he underestimates his audience, signposting plot devices too blatantly and embellishing scenes that would have been better served with stillness and eerie silence with melodramatic music and flashback imagery. You can see what he aspires to, and there are promising moments in the washed out cinematography and use of character, but ultimately you are left feeling (and it's a familiar feeling) that this could have been so much better in the right hands. What is notable, of course, is Christian Bale, and the fact that he lost X amount of weight to do the role. Man, he wasn't messing around! More bone than flesh, and reminiscent of a prisoner of war, he creates a striking, haunting, disturbing image that stays with you long after the DVD has been returned. And it's not just his physical aspect that is startling - it's a terrific performance of a man lost in paranoia, guilt and sleeplessness: every time his eyelids droop, we find ourselves begging the Gods of cinema to let the poor fucker nod off for a bit. But no. Just a shame then that with this much (some would say psychotic) commitment he didn't get a better film to surround him. It was nice to see Jennifer Jason Leigh again (she doesn't make enough films), and she was fine, but the supporting cast never seemed more than extras in a horror film (the appearance of Michael Ironside, for one, is never a good sign). I just felt that every time it got interesting and approached new territory it shied away just as quickly and subsided into the mediocre, badly scripted, or just plain daft. Worthy of a remake, but God, please don't make Batman go on that diet again!!! 6/10
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| I saw Richard Stallman, and all I got was a keyring and a sticker. |
| 08.28.05 (7:54 pm) [edit] |
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Sashi’s Home
By: Sashi
RMS in his infamous St iGNUtious costume
I first heard about the Seminar on Software Freedom and Danger of Software Patents from Screenshots. I registered at the link provided and managed to rope my colleagues in as well (which wasn’t difficult, considering they were all GNU/Linux enthusiasts as well).
We got to UM’s Computer Science and IT Faculty around 1.30 pm (the seminar was to kick off at 2) and after being directed to the Lecture Hall, we parked our rear ends at a spot towards the back of the hall.
I was hoping to see some familiar faces in the small crowd - and I did. There was local hacker legend - and one of the co-founders of Project Petaling Street - Dinesh Nair, who was accompanied by Prema, and there was also the unmistakable (tall) figure of the /ShaolinTiger himself.
I did introduce myself to ShaolinTiger - just to see if I could take him on - but I don’t think I made any impression. In any case, I’m pretty sure I can defeat him in a fight.*
Anyway, before the much-awaited talk by RMS, we were subjected to a brief presentation on the local MyOSS open-source community, followed by an unfortunately boring presentation by MAMPU. (The reason I found it boring was because I’d been to another free and open-source software (FOSS) seminar a few months back, and was subjected to the exact same presentation - complete with near-identical slides too.)
Finally, RMS took the stage and began talking about the dangers of software patents. Before he started, he pointed out that he would divide his talk into two parts: the first part would be non-controversial, while the second would be quite the opposite. Software patents fell under the first part.
I don’t want to rehash everything he said - primarily because I don’t think I can do his thoughts justice. I do heartily recommend that you check out the Wikipedia page on him - a comprehensive list of almost everything you want to know about him and his principles and beliefs.
Mainly though, he spoke on how software patents can cripple and kill software innovation, the problems faced by many software developers in the US in developing new algorithms and programs, the challenges faced by the GNU developers and how big corporations push for software patenting in order to enrich themselves.
The second part of his talk definitely generated more heat, though. He started by explaining his four levels of freedom in relation to software:
the freedom to run the program for any purpose (called “freedom 0≤)
the freedom to study and modify the program (”freedom 1≤)
the freedom to copy the program so you can help your neighbor (”freedom 2≤)
the freedom to improve the program, and release your improvements to the public, so that the whole community benefits (”freedom 3≤)
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
And then he goes on to call on people to stop using non-free software, because it’s not just about saving money etc, but it’s about the fundamental aspects of freedom that’s at stake here. As he says, when people stop caring about freedom, they lose it.
There was also this moment when he discussed his reasons for beginning the GNU project, and he calls it a moral compulsion: It’s like seeing someone drowning, and if you know how to swim, and if the guy drowning is not Bush, then he must jump in to rescue the victim. It’s just the right thing to do.
Oh, and at the end, Stallman sold some keyrings for RM 50 and gave away a lot of “GNU & Linux” stickers. He even gave autographs - some got charged for it too, if they didn’t buy anything - but since I’ve never been keen on autographs of any kind, I didn’t get one.
And that’s a wrap.
OK, I’m hungry now, so off to lunch….
* No, I can’t.**
** Yes, I can. Don’t be defeatist.***
*** Defeatist?? The guy’s a freakin’ giant!! The best I can do is kick his balls and run like hell!****
**** So who says you gotta fight fair?
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| Fantasy Football |
| 08.28.05 (7:53 pm) [edit] |
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Kirk’s Home
By: Kirk Bage
Another great way to to keep yourself busy with something relatively meaningless is to play in a fantasy sports league. This year has been more organized than others and we managed to put together a small "friends and enemies" league on the original Fantasy Football site - Fantasy League Classic.
The idea is to spend an imaginary budget on a squad of 16 players you believe will out-score, out-defend and basically outclass all opposition in the premiership. With weekly, monthly and season long prizes at stake it is worth paying attention and doing your homework on who is and who isn't in form. For the long run I've taken a few chances on some unproven players: Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas is my big tip to come of age in the midfield area, while £7.5m signing for Boro, Aiyegbeni Yakuba (pictured) carries the responsibility of lead striker. It has always been my philosophy (as you can only have a maximum of 2 players from each team) to use your choices from the top teams in defense, as they are likely to concede less goals - i.e. Chelsea, Man Utd, Arsenal and Liverpool all figure in a formation that has done OK at this early stage.
It seems that there are about 35000 paid up players this year so it will be tough to compete - but there is nothing a football fan likes more than being right, and this is the perfect chance to prove it. Another reason that Saturday is the most fun day of the week... Come on lads...
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| Pindeldyboz |
| 08.28.05 (7:51 pm) [edit] |
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Rob’s Home
By: Rob Williams
What better way to leave NYC than with another publication?!
Yes, I have gotten a story accepted for publication by the literary magazine "Pindeldyboz"!!
Issue #6, which should be out in the fall (October? Nov?).
Hurray! It took me about 4 or 5 years to get anything published here so now that iIm leaving it's such a sweet goodbye present.
Pindeldyboz is excellent--I loved issue 4 with the mouse (hamster?) looking like it's poking its head out of the issue.
Pindeldyboz (or Pboz for short) editors have included Entertainment Weekly and Village Voice writer Whitney Pastorek, and currently New School MFA-er Alison Weaver (the lovely person who accepted my story!), and Kristin McGonigle.
Some of Pboz's past contributors include one of my faves, Dan Kennedy ("Loser Goes First")--I blogged about his book a few months back, Maud Newton, Tara Wray, Amanda Eyre Ward,Thisbe Nissen, Jessica Anthony among many others.
My fellow Columbian bud and amazing writer Felicia Sullivan is also appearing in the magazine with me! It was Felicia, in fact, who recommended I send something to Pboz. Thanks Felicia!
So there you go. Another publication (and in a straight mag no less! *not to lessen the importance of my other publications', but it is good to branch out once in a while, right?).
I’m going to try to blog again before we leave (on Aug. 31) for California!
It's been great these last few weeks, saying goodbye (sometimes 3 and 4 times...) to friends, fellow writers, mentors, beer buddies (like vestal mcintyre, manuel munoz).
Friday night was Aaron Hamburger's goodbye party and I got to re-connect with a friend, Marcela, from Columbia (she's an editor at Publishers Weekly) and her lovely fiancé John Beckman (author of "The Winter Zoo").
Wow. I've had a great time here in NYC. A tough time, but a great one. I wouldn't change a thing (well... maybe a couple of small things...). But most amazingly, I’ve surrounded myself with some of the greatest minds and hearts--and learned so much from my fellow writers.
This was an experience iIll never forget. I know I’ll be back.
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| Wish You Could Own a Runway Design? |
| 08.28.05 (4:54 pm) [edit] |
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Submitted by Christine
I enjoy viewing the designers’ lines on the catwalk every season, but I never considered owning a runway design due to price and accessibility. Fortunately, I’ve discovered a site that deals with both of these barriers.
As I was surfing the net for Chloé’s current handbag designs, I was redirected to a site called Net-a-Porter (nice spin on pret a porter). I was surprised to find scads of designer labels at half price. All my faves were represented - Narciso Rodriguez (for outfits), Jimmy Choo (shoes) and Chloé (bags).
Many of the designs listed have a ‘classic’ shape which means that they would be a wise investment - lasting for years to come. Many variations on the ‘little black dress’ are shown. Every woman should own a couple of good pieces, and Net-a-Porter offers this chance.
Normally, Narciso dresses will run in the range of $1200.00 - $2500.00 per dress, but one can get these same dresses, on sale, at Net-a-Porter for as low as $495.00! Jimmy Choo sandals with charms are on sale for $285 (from $575). Moschino knee high black leather boots are going for $493.00 (from $795.00) and one can pick up a Marc Jacobs leather bag for $924.00 (from $1320.00)
This site also makes suggestions as to what accessories would go well with the item one is interested in. I selected a Burberry Crinkle Chiffon dress from the menu and received this prompt, As seen on the runway. A beautiful style for evening which looks great worn under a little cardigan to create contrast between the knit and chiffon. Shown here with Pedro Garcia shoes and Erickson Beamon bracelet. 100% silk, lining: 65% acetate, 35% polyamide. Dry clean only. Sizing is Italian. (Both the Garcia shoes and the Beamon bracelet are live links that take one to the item.)
The only downside to this site is that it is a first come, first serve situation. One has to monitor the site weekly to see what items are being made available. As well, the sizes are for those on the ‘light’ side. An XXL on the catwalk equates to a size 12 in ‘real life’.
Overall, this site is definitely worth a look!
http://www.net-a-porter.com/cgi-bin/NETAPORTER.storefront" title="http://www.net-a-porter.com/cgi-bin/NETAPORTER.storefront" target="_blank"http://www.net-a-porter.com/c...
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| Garnet Hill's Collapsible Tote |
| 08.27.05 (8:40 pm) [edit] |
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Submitted by Christine
I came across a great idea to replace those high school and university backbreaking book bags. Garnet Hill has introduced a collapsible, sturdy, well-designed canvas basket with a lightweight aluminum frame and rubber-padded handle. Not only does the tote collapse flat for easy storage, but it also holds up to 55 pounds of school supplies. The carryall can be purchased online (see link) for a reasonable price of $30. The tote was introduced by Garnet Hill this year in black and khaki and has been selling extremely well; so well that the company has expanded their line to include various colours such as Periwinkle, Kiwi, Orange and Red (shown).
Garnet Hill
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| Lezah's Book review - |
| 08.27.05 (4:34 pm) [edit] |
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Two of my favourite words in the English language are “free” and “book”, and when you put them together to make the phrase “free book” – they're even better! This year, I started the summer off with a huge pile of free books that I have been ploughing my way through. There’s one book, however, that I just kept shifting to the bottom of the pile each time it came up to the top, though. I looked at the title and picture on the front, and figured, “Huh, a book about a drunk.” Not really subject matter that interests me…
Anyway, last weekend I was reading a newspaper article about the author, Augusten X. Burroughs, who is being sued by his adoptive family. They claim he portrayed them unfairly and incorrectly in his book, ‘Running with Scissors’. A couple of days after reading this article, I happened to notice that the book I’d spent the summer shuffling to the bottom of the pile was actually Augusten Burrough’s other book, ‘Dry’. My bad! I started reading it immediately – and am sorry, so very sorry, that I hadn’t started it sooner.
In a word, it’s great. And, it’s also true. Burroughs wrote ‘Dry’ prior to ‘Running with Scissor’ but, for some reason, it was published after; it chronicles Burroughs’s life after he’d escaped the chaos of his adolescence – the experiences upon which he based ‘Running with Scissors’.
In ‘Dry’, Burroughs is in his mid-twenties and earning $200,000+ a year in advertising - despite being completely uneducated. He’s gay, his best friend is HIV positive and alcohol is interfering with his life; so much so that his employer stages an intervention and ships him off to rehab. In Minnesota. For a month.
The only way Burroughs can convince himself to go to rehab (because, of course, he’s NOT an alcoholic – oh no!), is to imagine what the hospital is like:
A discrete, Frank Lloyd Wright-ish compound surrounded mysteriously from public view by a tasteful wall of trimmed boxwood trees. Ian Schrager, of course, created the interior. Spare rooms, sun-drenched, with firm mattresses and white, 300-count Egyptian cotton sheets. … I imagine polished linoleum floors. (By allowing this one clinical detail into my fantasy, I believe I will be allowed all the other details I envision.) Nurses will be far too holistic and nurturing to wear white polyester; they will wear, perhaps, tailored hemp smocks and when they are backlit by one of the many floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the lily pond, I will see the outline of their lean, athletic legs.
There will be a large pool. I will forgive its heavy chlorination. I will understand. This is a hospital, after all.
The reality, of course, is nothing like his advertising agency-inspired fictions – too bad for Augusten.
The book takes us through Burroughs’s stint in rehab, where he meets his roommate and new best friend, Hayden, and back to the “real” world as he’s released from rehab and attempts to create a new, alcohol-free life for himself, which involves cleaning out his liquor-bottle-filled apartment, signing up for group therapy, and joining AA. We see his struggles as he returns to work and tries to maintain his sobriety in spite of the pressures he encounters (including sabotage and the latest advertising account, which, ironically, is for a beer company). Likewise, Burroughs works hard to cope with his relationships: we see Pighead, his HIV positive former boyfriend; Hayden, his new roommate and rehab buddy, who tries to act as his conscience; and Foster, the gorgeous crackhead he meets in group therapy.
Burrough’s writing is so insightful, so humorous, so cynical it made me wish I was him, in spite of his flawed life. One of my favourite exchanges is when Hayden learns that Burroughs is becoming involved with Foster (a big no-no in group therapy):
“You’re at the crack addict’s apartment? Having a little sandwich?” he says. From the tone of his voice, you’d think I’d just told him I was hanging out at a playground wearing a NAMBLA T-shirt.
Now, when I read that, it made me pause for a moment: NAMBLA, I thought? Hmmm, sounds … familiar. And then it came to me: North American Man-Boy Love Association. Ha! Now, that’s funny! Anyone who can make gay pedophilia funny, well – he’s my guy! And why in the hell did I know that tidbit of information, anyway? I’m not gay – I’m not a man – or a boy – or even a vice cop! But Burroughs has a curious way of making you introspective, of making you look at your own life, your own relationships, your own issues, and thinking to yourself, this is not what it should be. Things can be better – much better.
This is a fantastically written book – certainly one of the best I’ve read this year. It made me want to go out and join AA myself – and I don’t even drink!
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| Mike’s Musings - The Rock Alarm |
| 08.26.05 (10:04 pm) [edit] |
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Mike’s Home
By Mike
For me, there is no sound more unappealing than the sound of an electric alarm clock. I know that there are many different alarms with many different tones of varying degrees of abrasiveness, but they all sound the same to me.
They all sound like handicapped robots.
Who are upset about something.
I can't deal with this.
That's why I use a radio alarm; there are more variables.
Whether you are aware of it or not, the course of your day can be drastically altered depending on what song is playing the exact moment you wake up.
A great song will always get you up immediately.
"I can't hit Snooze. not during 'Don't Fear the Reaper'!"
Ever roll out of bed playing air guitar?
It's a good feeling.
Sometimes you'll luck out and catch a string of great tunes.
Just last week I was awakened by The Cars' 'Just What I Needed', one of my favorite songs. This alone would've resulted in some excellent wakeage, but the fact that it was followed by the new Foo Fighters song, which was followed by Mountain's 'Mississippi Queen' which was immediately and awesomely followed by Van Halen's 'Hot For Teacher', made for one of the more triumphant mornings I've had in quite some time.
Of course, there's also the dark end of the rock alarm spectrum.
A shitty song right off the bat can put a serious taint on what might have been a fresh and exciting new day.
Usually when this happens I smack the alarm with a cranky, hung over vengeance, sometimes unplugging it from the wall and causing me to sleep (unsoundly) for several more hours. The Barenaked Ladies have caused me to be late for work more than once. and let's say it's (worse case scenario) Bob Fucking Seger, I'll stay in bed all goddamned day, hating the world and everything in it. I'd actually prefer the squealing of mistreated handicapped robots to Bob Fucking Seger.
But hey, sometimes these things happen.
And sometimes you get the middle ground and wake up to a commercial or a weather report or some bland, inconsequential crap rockers like Creedbox 20 or something.
These may not affect your day the way 'Rock You Like A Hurricane' would, but hey, at least you're awake.
The point is it's the luck of the draw and it's all terribly exciting so get out there and start living dammit.
Awesomely yours,
Mike
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| The Michael Owen Saga |
| 08.26.05 (10:02 pm) [edit] |
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Sashi’s Home
By Sashi
Aizuddin isn’t the only one glued to news updates on the Owen transfer saga.
From the first moment when Owen left Liverpool to join Real Madrid, I harbored secret hopes that he would return eventually to Anfield - kinda like how Rushie returned from a single-season spell at Juventus back in 1988.
Now, after a single - yet reasonably successful for a regular benchwarmer - season at Real, Owen’s coming back to England. Of this, there can be no longer any doubt.
Real want to cash in on player sales to recoup some of their outlay on recent Brazilian imports. And Owen will be the one to sacrifice. He has accepted this. He is moving. But where to?
Caroline Cheese (BBC) points out the clever game being played by Michael Owen and (presumably) his advisors.
His press statements have had the general effect of keeping everybody happy and yet on tenterhooks.
And his most recent statement - where he quite clearly indicates that his preferred destination is Liverpool, while Newcastle would only be a second-choice LOAN option - has had the effect of galvanizing supporters from both clubs.
Newcastle, as we have observed this season, are having a bit of a problem finding the goal. Since the laws of football prevent players stopping in the middle of the game to ask for directions, Newcastle manager Graeme Souness has decided it would be a better, albeit very expensive, option to sign a player who could find the back of the net while moonwalking backwards blindfolded.
The transfer fee mooted by Newcastle’s “dynamic” *snigger* duo is believed to be in the region of £ 17 million, breaking their previous club - and one-time world - record for a transfer fee.
And if Owen was to sign up with the Toon Army, he is very likely to find himself in the starting line-up quite regularly, possibly partnering the grand old master Shearer himself.
But you know what? I’m not so sure that a Shearer-Owen partnership would be very fruitful - not now, anyway. The little-and-large routine might have worked a few years ago, but I’m beginning to think that Shearer has passed his prime now. He should have retired like he said last season. He’s entering Sheringham-territory now - although there is no doubting his inspirational value for the club, and maybe for that reason alone, he is worth keeping at the club for a season or two.
But as a strike partner for Owen, I suspect Newcastle need someone else - which might explain their decision in purchasing Albert Luquefrom Deportivo for £ 9.5 million.
And in case Owen decides to skip Newcastle’s offer, at least the Magpies will have a new striker anyway.
But what of Liverpool? Owen’s admission that he wants to return to Anfield has undoubtedly put Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez in a tight spot. He has stated time and again that his preferred targets are a centre-back and a right-winger. And with Cisse, Morientes, Crouch, and Sinama-Pongolle on the roll call, another striker is not a major priority.
Or is it? Those of us who have been watching the Reds’ performances recently will be slightly worried at our own strike problems. The fact that our leading goal scorer is a midfielder (Stevie G) points to the inability of our strikeforce to get in the groove. But of course, it is still early days, and most strike pairings require some time before the players gel. But is that a risk worth taking? Especially with the transfer window closing on 31st August, after which all speculation and wishful thinking and 20/20 hindsight becomes moot, at least until January.
Lyon boss and Liverpool managerial alumni Gerard Houllier has already expressed his interest in Cisse, and has money to burn following the sale of Essien to Chelski. And it is possible that only by selling a striker can Rafa move for another striker.
Indeed, The Times are reporting that Liverpool CEO has already had discussions with two French clubs over a possible Cisse transfer deal.
Seriously, I like Cisse and all, but I can’t wait forever for him to find the net. Besides, it’s becoming clearer that the Cisse-Morro combo isn’t working too well. Too bad Crouch is out injured, so we can’t fully determine how well he works with the other strikers, although initial reports of his performances during the Champions League qualifiers have been encouraging.
If Rafa does succumb to the supporters’ (and apparently the board of directors‘) wishes and makes a move for Owen, there are still many factors to consider and loose ends to tie up: the type of transfer (permanent, loan), transfer fee (if any), wage packet, etc.
And all this will have to be sorted out by 31st August.
So let’s get a move on, Rafa. Bring the boy man home. Let’s give him something to celebrate this Merdeka…
Links:
Newcastle chief in Owen ultimatum[BBC Sport]
Time running out for Owen deal - Toon chief [Soccernet]
Magpies on brink of Luque signing [BBC Sport]
Inside Michael’s mind [BBC Sport]
Liverpool ready for approach to rescue Owen [The Independent]
Liverpool might gamble on Owen [The Telegraph]
Parry steps up chase for Owen with Cissé offer[The Times UK]
Liverpool finally break cover for Owen[The Guardian]
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| Kirk’s Movie Review - The Life Aquatic |
| 08.26.05 (10:01 pm) [edit] |
Swank Home
Kirk’s Home
By Kirk Bage
What do a three legged dog, a Portuguese Bowie fan and Willem Dafoe with a German accent have in common? Welcome to the world of Wes Anderson - the modern day epitome of that fine line between a genius and a lunatic.
If Bill Murray in a red bobble hat and flippers doesn't immediately make you chuckle, then the weird and wonderful tale of over-the-hill oceanographer / adventurer Steve Zissou is not for you. If, however, Anderson's previous works: Bottle Rocket, Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums filled you with wonder and a rediscovered sense of values long lost, then, despite its wayward script you will love this. I am a big fan of Anderson's best traits - his minute attention to detail, that leave his films almost overwhelmingly produced; his impeccable taste and sense of film music (including his collaboration with composer Mark Mothersbaugh, again in top form here); his sense of juvenile fun; the range of interesting characters he creates to inhabit his off-centre worlds, and the use of some of the best actors around to bring it all to life! Murray and Defoe I've mentioned - and both are excellent, especially the latter who sends himself up in the most beautifully subtle way - but there is also Anderson ever present Owen Wilson, the amazingly diverse Cate Blanchett, the underused Noah Taylor, Jeff Goldblum, Anjelica Huston and, for good measure, a deliciously daffy cameo from Michael Gambon!
How does he do it on an arthouse budget? The answer must simply be that Hollywood's best are falling over themselves to work with him - and why not? Even though I felt this was weaker than both Rushmore and the Tenenbaums, both in story and emotional impact, there are brief scenes and snatches of dialogue that just light you up! It's one of those things that you either ‘get’ or you don't, and therefore I can completely forgive the many bad reviews it got on initial release - But trust me - on DVD this has enough energy and pure creativity per frame to keep it a cult classic for generations. A filmmaker, not at the very top of his game, but certainly one in the highest echelon of "ones to watch". 7/10
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| Holy Google, Batman! |
| 08.26.05 (10:00 pm) [edit] |
Swank Home
Sashi’s Home
By Sashi
So now, in addition to Google search, Google mail, Google desktop, Google blogs, Google ads, Google Earth, etc… we have another new buzz-product joining Google’s beta family: Google Talk.
Do people even remember a time when Google was a misspelled word for ‘googol‘?
It’s not so much that so many Google stuff is being lapped up and hyped by so many people, it’s that Google has embedded itself so deeply in to our (i.e. the ones who’re lucky enough to be connected to the web) collective consciousness, that it’s not a brand name anymore, but a verb.
We don’t search anymore - we google.
Right now, googling simply means looking something up on the net. Who knows, in years - decades - to come, it might mean a heck of a lot more….
“Bon voyage! Don’t forget to googletalk me when you get there!”
“When you reach Times Square, google around for a tall building covered in glass. My office is inside…”
“Why is your bed so untidy, young man? Google it THIS INSTANT!”
“A young couple were detained today by a policeman in Ipoh for googling suggestively in a public area.”
“Are you out of your googling mind? You googling idiot! GOOGLE OFF!”
And so on…
Any more examples/possibilities?
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| Merely a Link to a Free Speech Column |
| 08.26.05 (9:59 pm) [edit] |
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Heretic’s Home
By The Political Heretic
Richard Cohen surprises me, comes out of his partisan shell and swings against hate crime legislation.
"I do not find it hard to believe that the accused in both cases may be first-class bigots. I just find it beside the point. Beating someone with baseball bats and iron pipes has long been against the law. Assault is a crime. Battery is a crime. Murder in all its gradations is a crime. What does it matter what words are spoken in the course of the crime? Is the injury to the victim greater?
Ah, but we are told it is not only the injury to the victim that matters but the injury to the community as well. A hate crime affects an entire group. I suppose sometimes it does. But so does ordinary crime. When a rapist is loose in a particular neighborhood, all women are affected. When criminals stalk the park, everyone keeps out. In that sense, hate crimes just affect a different -- or another -- group. I understand. But it is a dangerous concept. It punishes speech. It punishes thought. It punishes on account of the word blurted out in the heat of the moment -- maybe not an indication of bigotry but merely what comes to mind when the mind itself is engulfed with rage." - Richard Cohen
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| Pat Robertson’s Stupid Remarks - A Setback in the War on Terror |
| 08.26.05 (9:56 pm) [edit] |
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Heretic’s Home
By The Political Heretic
image from www.thebscorner.com/
On Monday Christian Right activist and television broadcaster Pat Robertson called on United States Special Froces to kill Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.The leftist leader of the oil-rich South American country is a known adversary of ours. President Chavez aligns himself with the communist dictator in Cuba, Fidel Castro, and has on several occasions accused us of trying to remove him from power.
Pat Robertson, however, went further than that on his show "The 700 Club" two days ago. He said Mr. Chavez would like to serve as a "launching pad" for communist infiltration and Muslim extremism, two charges that so far are unsubstantiated and he since the Venezuelan president talks about our assassination attempts we should prove him right and get rid of him. It would, in his view, save lives to remove him covertly than through a war as we did with Saddam Hussein.
I admittedly would have enjoyed to poke some fun at this known adversary of mine. This blogger, as a gay man, finds some delight whenever Christian Right activists like Pat Robertson makes a fool of him or herself. As the editorial board for The Washington Post notes, Mr. Robertson has made a fool of himself before. He said God would punish Florida with some hurricanes if Disneyworld, Orlando hosted gay pride events, wished for the nuclear bombing of our own State Department, nodded in agreement when fellow right-wing nut Reverend Jerry Falwell said God "lifted the veil" for the World Trade Center bombings (because we are a hedonistic country that tolerates abortion, feminism and gays) and wished enough ill will to force some liberal and moderate Supreme Court justices into retirement (the editorial board forgot to mention that one)
Mr. Robertson's latest journey into stupidity cannot be dismissed or laughed off so easily. The president, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and a spokesperson for the State Department have distanced themselves from Pat Robertson's remarks. Pat Robertson himself, realizing how grossly irresponsible his remarks were, at first attempted to deny suggestions that he called for the Venezuelan president's assassination (oh yes, there are other ways to "take a person out" but only if you don't use the word "assassination" in the same or preceding sentence) but has since apologized for words "spoken in frustration."
But the damage was done. The editorial board writers for The Washington Post say he gave Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez a rhetorical gift and indeed he has. Few would make the distinction between the words of a private citizen and the words of the administration spokespersons when he is perceived to speak for a significant part of the president's voter base. And given that our first amendment freedoms far surpass that of even our staunchest and most democratic of allies, those who do not live in our country may not even think that such a distinction is allowed.
Mr. Chavez can, as the editorial board writers note, "confirm" the worst of his "suspicions", and use that to portray us as an imperalist-driven hegemon that the other Latin American countries should regard with suspicion. Fidel Castro, no doubt, will do the same.
The damage extends way beyond Latin America, however, for Al Qaeda could use his statements as a rallying point as would the Sunni insurgents who are calling for our withdrawal from Iraq. They now have a new weapon in their arsenal. Since we have failed to locate the very "weapons of mass destruction" that justified our invasion of their country to begin with, Islamic fundamentalists and former Baathists will use his comments to cast further suspicions on our motives for removing Saddam Hussein. Iran's new radical president could use the remarks as a pretext from withdrawing from future talks on nuclear weapons, and the North Korean dictator may use these statements to confirm his paranoia regarding our supposed efforts to to topple his government.
Mr. Robertson could not apologize enough for his statements. In calling for Mr. Chavez' assassination he reminded the United States' adversaries of and perhaps confirmed, the worst of their suspicions towards our foreign policy. The president's supporters no doubt must repudiate Mr. Robertson for his grossly irresponsible remarks but the loyal opposition must as well. Whether we agree with the president's strategy or not, Mr. Robertson cast in doubt our motives in this war on terror. President Bush's term in office (and consequently his strategy for waging this war on terror) will come to an end in two years, but the suspicions harbored by the leaders in the "Third World" developing countries and potential allies in future endeavors will linger on.
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| Restaurant Review - Limon - Valencia Street - Mission San Francisco - CA |
| 08.26.05 (9:55 pm) [edit] |
Swank Home
Beck’s Home
By Becks & Posh
Limon 524 Valencia Street, San Francisco, CA 415.252.0918
This is a copy of my latest article for SFist in which I eat my way around the Bay Area in alphabetical order. This week we are on the letter L.'
You know how it is - sometimes you hear so much buzz about a restaurant, you are not quite sure why you still haven't tried it. The more good things that are written, and whispered, about it, the more you wonder how much of it is hype and how much of the adoration is truly deserved. In the back of your mind you keep meaning to get your butt down to the Mission District to try out this talked about place, but you never quite seem to get yourself into the right gear. Eventually you let somebody else take control of your dining choices and the next thing you know, you are off for a girls night out... at Limon.
The space, in the heart of the Mission, is open and bright, lively and buzzing. The cool mandarin and lime coloured walls splashed with huge paintings are slick, modern and smart without being overly showy.
It's noisy and hectic downstairs so prepare to be in a lively mood. Our hispanic waiter, who started us off with an intriguing sounding, but too sweet, purple corn juice blended with cinnamon, apple and pineapple was funny, engaging, knowledgeable and charming as he guided us through the menu and answered our questions.
We were almost full before the appetizers even arrived because we couldn't stop eating the oily, irresistible foccacia that kept our mouths from doing any serious girls' night nattering. Expecting a similar reaction to the bread on our second visit a few weeks later, we were disappointed that this time it was dry, pale and lacking the flavour it has previously displayed. Oh well, at least we could catch up on the gossip instead.
So we wondered, does the novelty of 'new' wear off on a second visit to any restaurant? We have often been blown away on an initial dining experience, only to find a subsequent return less exciting. On our second visit to Limon, the tuna tartar, mixed with diced pears, roasted bell peppers, pine nuts and sesame oil aji amarillo vinaigrette, for example, was good, but somehow not quite the strong favourite it had been the first time round. Sometimes we wish we could experience two review visits side by side and compare a forkful of food from one, then the other, just to be sure.
One thing we are quite sure about, however, is that the Lomo Saltado, a traditional Peruvian dish of Top Sirloin slices with onions, tomatoes and fries, served with a side of rice. The succulent meat tastes overwhelmingly buttery, in a very good way. Fries, cut thick so you are in no doubt they are made of potato and not in the slightest bit crispy are not what you might expect. But if, like us, you have any sympathies towards English food whatsoever, you'll love the way they are soaking in the tomato gravy, getting all soggy and sopping up the flavours. We would return for this one dish over and over again.
We'd be even more likely to return if they sub us, as they so kindly did on our second visit, the stir fried coconut rice from the side of the Pargo Rojo, a deep fried whole red snapper basket (pictured above). Although it doesn't actually pair in the slightest bit well with the steak, this rice is so sweet and crave-inducing and the accompanying rocoto curry sauce is so mouthwatering, we would be tempted to order this, the most expensive dish on the menu, again, even though the fish itself tastes like fried cardboard. It looks pretty though, so perhaps we could take it home as a gift for a neighbour (or their cat) and simply indulge in the vegetarian components of the dish instead? It would probably be the world's most expensive plate of rice but it's almost good enough to be worth it.
PS This review was Back for Seconds
PPS. What is my problem - I find it much harder to write a restaurant review when everything is just fine and nothing interesting or out of the ordinary happens. Usually 'things' happen to me which can become a focus of my writing. When they don't, then, well, I think I just get a bit lost along the way...
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| Shedding Pounds |
| 08.26.05 (9:53 pm) [edit] |
Swank Home
Laurence’s Home
By Laurence Simon
Down to 217.
Every time I think of grabbing a candy bar or pigging out on garbage, I check my Live Journal and make something healthy.
Rice with Beneful "butter" stuff.
Grilled peppers, potatoes, and onions.
Hummus and pita bread.
Blended fruit and ice drink. (I'll stick this in the recipe box)
Salad, salad, salad.
High-protein fish.
I haven't had fried fast food in a while. Three pints and the Irish nachos and the pizza have been the harshest on my system, and even that was for an esteemed and most welcome guest.
I know I should do this in moderation, but moderation always leads to excess. My militancy on diet drives my wife nuts now and then, but I think she's gotten used to the fact that it's 100 or 0, black or white, good or evil with me. That "extremes" song by Billy Joel describes me to a T.
My biggest fear is that with Deskmerc out next week, I may backslide during lunch and go all pig-out. I may just need to call someone for half an hour each lunch to drive them nuts with my food-neuroses.
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| Once Again The Panhandle |
| 08.26.05 (9:52 pm) [edit] |
Swank Home
Laurence’s Home
By Laurence Simon
image from today.reuters.co.uk
Katrina has been projected to hit the Florida panhandle.
The Florida panhandle's gotten a lot of beatings in recent memory from tropical storms and hurricanes.
I'd like to think that anything that's stood this long will keep standing through another one of these things, but Nature has a funny way of rolling the dice different with each throw.
After a brief stint in Miami, I'm sure the same breathless and brainless idiot-in-a-rainslicker coverage from MSNBC, CNN, and FOX will begin again in a day or two.
I wonder how the news consultants tell their clients to train for this kind of thing. Do they wire them up, throw a poncho over them, and then tell them to just babble incoherently for a minute or so in the shower while someone makes OOGAH BOOGAH motions throwing things around the bathroom.
"The winds have picked up to a hundred miles per hour, and the National Weather Service has said that- LOOK OUT FOR THAT TOILET ROLL DISPENSER! Did you get that? Did you get that?"
Soon, Hurricane Season will be over. Sharks will stop attacking swimmers and marine biologists. Even Natalee Holloway might be found.
The News Cycle rolls on, occasionally over the feet of those watching it.
A decent rider would stop and make sure your toes aren’t broken. Instead, you're told that you're fat, have high cholesterol, bladder problems, need to get out of debt quickly, should get cheaper car insurance, drink a cola beverage, see a lame movie with lots of special effects, and so on.
The great thing about books is that they never have a ticker at the bottom and I've yet to be interrupted for Breaking News while reading them.
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| Pacific National Exhibition |
| 08.26.05 (9:51 pm) [edit] |
Swank’s Home
By Lezah
Clack…clack…clack..clack..clack-clack-clack-clackcl ackclackclack-screeeeaaaa m.
Sound familiar? If so, then you’ve probably ridden the wooden roller coaster at the Pacific National Exhibition, or PNE. Now, that old wooden roller coaster has been there for fifty-odd years now, and I’m not sure what’s more terrifying – the actual ride, or looking down at the weathered planks that appear to be haphazardly nailed up, which are in fact the only things that are keeping you suspended hundreds of feet up in the air as you rocket around at speeds that feel as though they’re in excess of 100 miles an hour.
Being that this is, in fact, a wooden roller coast, and one of the few originals left, it is a ride that many people travel from all over the world to ride. Just a few hundred yards away is a much more modern corkscrew coaster – but the line-ups are always longest at the old wooden roller coaster. And I’m always right there in line – every year, I have to go ride the old roller coaster. Hopefully you’ll be able to give it a shot, too. Everyone needs a little adrenaline kick and here’s a good wholesome one for you to try.
The PNE is running through Labour Day this year.
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| Fashion Trend Alert |
| 08.26.05 (9:50 pm) [edit] |
Swank’s Home
By Lezah
Here are some trends that have been appearing for the upcoming fall/winter collections:
- Milan is showing a jet set or international flavour in the clothing lines: Asian, Greek and African inspired clothes have all been shown, with animal prints and safari-inspired outfits appearing in many collections.
- Paris goes casual with denim: D & G were combining denim and lace; Louis Vuitton combined denim and logos; Dior showed sparkling denim; and Marc Jacobs featured big, casual denim coats.
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| Thunderbird Summer Festival Horse Show |
| 08.26.05 (9:49 pm) [edit] |
Swank’s Home
By Lezah
If you’re in the Vancouver area this weekend and looking for something a little different to do with yourself, well – how about going to see a horse show?
Yes indeed, running from August 24 to August 28 at the Thunderbird Show Park in Langley (near the junction of 248th Street and Telegraph Trail) is the province’s biggest horse show. With competitors coming from all over North America, there are six rings going non-stop from 8 am to late afternoon over the next five days.
Thunderbird Show Park is home base for two-time Olympian Laura Balisky. Her father, George Tidball, is founder of the Keg Restaurant chain, so it’s no surprise that Sunday’s feature jumper class is the $50,000 Keg Steak House and Bar 4’9” Grand Prix class. Competition promises to be fierce.
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| Upcoming Concerts |
| 08.26.05 (9:48 pm) [edit] |
Swank’s Home
By Lezah
After a fairly dry (in many senses of the word) summer, there look to be a lot of good shows coming up in the Vancouver area over the next couple of weeks. Here’s a partial list:
Brian Wilson (Aug. 29, Queen Elizabeth Theatre): the legendary Wilson is touring ‘Smile’ which was voted onto many ‘Best of…’ lists this year.
Garbage (Aug. 30, Commodore): Grammy Award-nominated pop group, hailing from the US.
New York Dolls (Sept. 1, Commodore): only two of the original guys from the band are still in the land of the living, but these are the gents that kick-started the whole punk thing. Quincy Gold and Black Halos open.
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists (Sept. 2, Richards): Paul Weller-type pop rock from NYC; the British press is raving about this band.
Terminal City Block Party (Victory Square, Sept. 5): this free concert runs from 1-8 pm and features Pink Mountaintops, p:ano, Ladyhawk, Calamalka, the Book of Lists, Christa Min, Fond of Tigers and DJ Sipreano.
Oasis (Sept.8, GM Place) apologies, as I’ve never been an Oasis fan, but Jet and Kasabian are opening – they’re not too bad; maybe you could go and just leave early?
Indie Music Video Festival (Sept. 9, Railway Club): Precious Feathers and the Weather appear live; also featured are 40 rarely-seen indie-music videos collected from all over the globe.
The Bravery (Sept. 11, Richards): yet another NYC-based ‘80s-style electro-pop band.
Black Mountain (Sept. 13, Richards): of the famous Vancouver collective; fresh off the Coldplay tour. S.T.R.E.E.T.S. and Christa Min open.
Antony and the Johnsons (Sept. 15, St. Andrews Wesley Church): this is the perfect setting to see this very theatrical crooner – another NYC-based singer that the UK music press is crazy about.
New Pornographers (Sept. 23, Commodore): Vancouver heroes who we don’t get to see play often enough; with Destroyer and Immaculate Machine.
The Killers (Oct. 13, Pacific Coliseum): saw them last year at the much-smaller Commodore – they were good. And you don’t get too many decent bands that call Vegas home…
Bauhaus (Oct. 20, Centre for the Performing Arts): if you can still remember the ‘80s, then maybe this is the show for you – the band returns with its original line-up… and I believe Bela Lugosi is still dead.
Canned Hamm (Oct. 29, Railway Club) ‘Lil Hamm and Big Hamm, the kings of disco-pop, will make you laugh, make you cry and dance uncomfortably close to you. Promises to be fun. Come on, everyone, after me: “Seafood taco!! Ay yai yai yai yai!!”
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| The Aristocrats (2005, dir. by Paul Provenza and Penn Jillette) |
| 08.26.05 (9:46 pm) [edit] |
Swank’s Home
By David Dedrick
Featuring: Jason Alexander, Shelley Berman, Lewis Black, David Brenner, Drew Carey, George Carlin, Tim Conway, Andy Dick, Phyllis Diller, Joe Franklin, Judy Gold, Whoopi Goldberg, Gilbert Gottfried, Eric Idle, Eddie Izzard, Richard Lewis, Bill Maher, Howie Mandel, Merrill Markoe, Jackie "The Joke Man" Martling, Michael McKean, Larry Miller, Martin Mull, Kevin Nealon, The Onion editorial staff, Penn & Teller, Emo Philips, Kevin Pollak, Andy Richter, Don Rickles, Chris Rock, Bob Saget, Harry Shearer, the Smothers Brothers, David Steinberg, Jon Stewart, Larry Storch, Rip Taylor, Dave Thomas, Peter Tilden, Bruce Vilanch, Fred Willard, Robin Williams, Steven Wright.
I saw this film on its opening weekend, but I was prevented from writing about it by a bout of dysentery I picked up after a month of working the swing shift at a Mexican burrito factory…
Every so often a piece of art comes along that must fight the weight of societal disapproval and censorship. Such historic battles as Joyce’s Ulysses or Miller’s Tropic of Cancer against the US postal system or the original Bad News Bears versus the parents in my neighbourhood come to mind.
The Aristocrats is a shot across the bow against the current climate of censorship and conservative values that is trying so hard to crush both the arts and free speech these days. In the United States this film is not even rated – bypassing the bunch of phoney-baloney, hypocritical, two-faced creeps that pass for a censorship board in America. I believe it’s rated 18A here in Canada – meaning you have to be eighteen or older to see this film without adult supervision. There are no shocking visuals in this film - well, Bob Saget really close-up and Steven Wright’s hairline; the shock value is all in the words. This is a movie that’s all about words. It’s a celebration of words and the absolute mastery comedians have of language.
It’s a simple joke. Have you heard it? A guy walks into a talent agent’s office and says, “Have I got an act for you!” He then proceeds to describe a family act (usually made up of father, mother, sister, brother, grandma and pet dog) of unheard of viciousness and depravity; more often than not involving elements of incest, bestiality, sado-masochism, vomiting, urination, defecation - and the accompanying coprophilia - necrophilia, murder, suicide…yes, it does tend to go on. At the end of the joke, the agent, understandably shocked, asks the guy the name of the act. “The Aristocrats!” he says.
The joke isn’t very funny. The humour lies in its performance. I didn’t count, but apparently there are over 100 comedians in this movie; most of them very well known, if not by name then at least by face. I have to admit I went to this movie not expecting much. “A bunch of comedians telling the same joke over and over?” I asked myself. “Oy vey!” However, not everyone tells the entire joke and there are so many variations of it that it’s impossible to get bored of it. Even when it’s told in its entirety, it’s interrupted by cuts to other comedians. (There’s a mime version of it! He performs it! In public!) It’s fascinating to see each comedian take the joke and make it his own. Some tell it straight, others deconstruct it. The concept is so flexible; everyone can have his way with it. I guess that’s what makes the joke work; it’s both bad and good.
Most importantly, the film is funny. At one point, I took a sip of pop and then had to spend half a minute laughing with my mouth closed or I would have gagged on it or sent it spraying all over the baseball cap wearing homeys in front of me. Speaking of those guys, my initial thought when I saw them was, “Wrong theatre, dudes. The Dukes of Hazzard is that way.” When one of the guys joined his buddies in the theatre and said, “What movie is this again?” I thought, “Oh, brother.” And one other took a cell phone call as the movie started; I was ready to run from the theatre screaming. Five minutes into the movie though and they were hooked – as was I.
I can guarantee that this movie isn’t for everyone, but if you enjoy the odd dirty joke and are ready to have everything you thought good and decent shredded, soiled and jumped up and down on in front of you, then I can heartily recommend it. Oh, and there’s an old man and an old woman sitting together in a rest home. The old woman turns to the old man and says, “I bet I can guess how old you are.” The old man says, “Okay, how old am I?” She reaches over and unzips his fly; she then puts her hand into his pants and feels around a bit. “You’re eight-seven,” she says. “That’s incredible,” he says. “How did you guess?” And she says, “You told me yesterday."
Link: http://www.thearistocrats.com...
Link: http://www.thinkfilmcompany.c...
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| Dave's Music Corner |
| 08.26.05 (9:43 pm) [edit] |
Swank’s Home
By David Dedrick
Well, after a long lay off, I’m back. This is just Confessions of a Mad Record Collector with a pithier title - being a more honest reflection of my massive ego and the fact that I discuss both records and cds. There’s no theme to this week’s entries - just a lot of good stuff I’ve been listening to lately.
Various Artists - Goofy Greats (K-Tel, ?)
No, I didn’t just find this; I’ve owned it for quite awhile now. I just dug it out because I love it so much. I was first given this set in Grade Three or Four and I can’t imagine why. It’s possible I asked for it - it was “Advertised on TV” after all! As a collection of novelty songs, it actually holds up amazingly well and it never fails to amaze me how much this collection has informed my musical sensibilities. It has garage rock: the Standells’ “Dirty Water” and the Trashmen with “Surfin’ Bird”; bubblegum: the Ohio Express’s “Yummy, Yummy, Yummy” and the 1910 Fruitgum Co.’s “1-2-3 Redlight”; early seventies Euro-pop with the George Baker Selection’s odd “Little Green Bag”; and just plain weirdness like the Fendermen’s absolutely insane “Mule Skinner Blues”. There’s not even a nostalgia factor to this music, as I was too young to have ever heard it on the radio - to me it stands as strong as the day it was recorded. I often wonder who programmed the K-Tel collections; they’re always well put together. I’m sure anyone reading this who loves music has, if not Goofy Greats, at least a couple of K-Tel records in their collection. Speaking of bubblegum...
1910 Fruitgum Co. - 1,2,3 Red Light (Buddah, 1968)
...and I was. In the late ‘60’s, possibly as a reaction to rock’s burgeoning heaviosity, a newer, simpler pop style became all the rage with everyone’s younger sisters. Bands like The Ohio Express, The Lemon Pipers and the 1910 Fruitgum Co. filled the airwaves with their insistent tunes and artless lyrics, often based in children’s games or evocations of candy - two things very much in the hearts of pre-teens. Of course, in most cases, there was no actual group - just a conglomeration of studio musicians and singers hired to knock out these songs, written like Brill Building songs in the early sixties. But to describe something as artless doesn’t mean it’s not art. I wonder if there will be listeners for today’s manufactured pop - those who didn’t grow up with it and have no nostalgic memories of it. To me, the new pop is too busy; with the layers and layers of beats and synths and everything else all polished to a glossy sheen - just like the singers - and the lyrics are far too cynical and over-sexed to have any sentimental appeal to the jaded music listener of the future. Besides containing the instant classic “1,2,3 Red Light”, the band does a hip cover of Dylan’s “The Mighty Quinn” as well as a great song called “The Song Song”, which succeeds in mentioning all the hit songs of 1968. Also worth a listen is “Shirley Applegate” - a love song from a ten-year old to an eight-year old.
Bob Dylan - Shot of Love (Columbia, 1981)
Well, I just can’t seem to not link these albums together. Speaking of “The Mighty Quinn”, here’s the Mighty Bob with the last album of his “high and mighty, yeah, I’m talking to you, you sinners” Christian trilogy, which comprises Slow Train Coming, Saved and this album. Despite the overt - or should I say, over the top - Christianity that informs these albums, I like them all just fine. It’s strange: you read all these negative things about Dylan’s later albums and then when you actually hear them, you enjoy them completely and wonder what the hell these carpers were listening to. Perhaps that’s the problem with being such a thoroughly bootlegged artist like Bob Dylan. No one is reviewing what is, only what could have been. Stand out tracks: “Shot of Love”, “Heart of Mine”, “Property of Jesus”, “Lenny Bruce”, “Dead Man, Dead Man” and the epically great “Every Grain of Sand”, which is as close as the hardline Dylan ever came to ecumenicism.
The Bells - Studio A (Polydor, 1972)
This is a Canadian group based in Toronto, I assume, like ninety-nine per cent of the groups that got recording contracts in Canada in the early seventies. They’re a country-folky-hokey act with most of the songs played somewhat dolorously until the final knees-up: “Whole Lotta Shakin Goin’ On”. All of the songs are covers, which probably explains why I’d never heard of the group before coming across this record. They do a cover of Harry Nilsson’s “Me and My Arrow” - that’s what caught my eye - but it’s played so langourously that its woozy charm is lost. There’s a nice medley of Gordon Lightfoot songs (“Did She Mention My Name”, If You Could Read My Mind” and “Cotton Jenny”) and Lennon’s “Oh,My Love. It’s not a terrible record, just not a terribly original record. What blows my mind is the cover. A picture of what looks like a church or a church hall stripped of its seating with the band’s footwear laying on a parquet floor. The cover elaborately opens like two little doors, revealing the band sitting on the same floor (and, yes, they have their shoes back on). Such excess for a bunch of nobodies!
Badfinger - Badfinger (Warner Bros., 1974)
Here’s a band whose story will make you weep: signed by the Beatles to Apple Records; renamed by Paul McCartney; first hit “Come And Get It” written for the band by Paul McCartney; a top ten hit on both sides of the Atlantic with “No Matter What” (Def Leppard have done an execrable cover of it recently), and all to no avail. They couldn’t seem to capitalise on their hits or the hits others had with their songs (Nilsson had a huge hit with “Without You”). They were badly mismanaged - a drunken stork could have done a better job, quite frankly, and there may have been some financial hanky-panky. Finally, after years of money trouble and rock’n’roll-related health problems, key songwriter Pete Ham hung himself, only to be followed a few years later by the other main songwriter Tom Evans (same problems; same method). Whoo! Rock and roll!
This album, their first for Warners after the halcyon Apple days, is better than snobby, big-assed music critics give it credit for. This is the band the word “beatlesque” was invented for so there’s lots of wonderful power pop plus Joey Molland’s harder rocking songs, which are really good too (especially “Andy Norris”). There’s also a weird funky song by Pete Ham disturbingly entitled “Matted Hamm”
Crikey! This band played on George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass, Lennon’s Imagine and Ringo’s super “It Don’t Come Easy”. Woulda, shoulda, coulda!
I just finished reading Howard Soune’s excellent biography of Bob Dylan “Down the Highway”, so next I check in, this’ll probably be pretty Dylan-heavy. Catch you on the B-side!
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| Fashion Trend Alert |
| 08.25.05 (7:39 pm) [edit] |
Here are some trends that have been appearing for the upcoming fall/winter collections:
- Milan is showing a jet set or international flavour in the clothing lines: Asian, Greek and African inspired clothes have all been shown, with animal prints and safari-inspired outfits appearing in many collections.
- Paris goes casual with denim: D & G were combining denim and lace; Louis Vuitton combined denim and logos; Dior showed sparkling denim; and Marc Jacobs featured big, casual denim coats.
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| The Pacific National Exhibition |
| 08.25.05 (7:36 pm) [edit] |
Clack…clack…clack..clack..clack-clack-clack-clackcl ackclackclack-screeeeaaaa m.
Sound familiar? If so, then you’ve probably ridden the wooden roller coaster at the Pacific National Exhibition, or PNE. Now, that old wooden roller coaster has been there for fifty-odd years now, and I’m not sure what’s more terrifying – the actual ride, or looking down at the weathered planks that appear to be haphazardly nailed up, which are in fact the only things that are keeping you suspended hundreds of feet up in the air as you rocket around at speeds that feel as though they’re in excess of 100 miles an hour.
Being that this is, in fact, a wooden roller coast, and one of the few originals left, it is a ride that many people travel from all over the world to ride. Just a few hundred yards away is a much more modern corkscrew coaster – but the line-ups are always longest at the old wooden roller coaster. And I’m always right there in line – every year, I have to go ride the old roller coaster. Hopefully you’ll be able to give it a shot, too. Everyone needs a little adrenaline kick and here’s a good wholesome one for you to try.
The PNE is running through Labour Day this year.
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| NAACP Needs a New Title |
| 08.24.05 (5:15 pm) [edit] |
By Laurence SimonP
Swank Home
Laurence’s Home
I was tinkering with anIFOC Newsstorywhen it hit me. NAACP stands for "The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People."
Yeah, I know, that's not a new thing. But not only is "colored" considered a politically incorrect and racist term in some circles, it's also incorrect. As George Carlin once pointed out, everybody has a color. And based on the various meetings and rallies I've seen (and one or two I've attended), the focus tends to be on a single range of heritage and culture we sometimes conveniently label as a "race."
So it's time to dump the "Colored" part of that acronym. Kiss it goodbye.
Furthermore, the name of the organization is too long. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. That's three junk words in the title that don't appear in the acronym. Kinda sloppy, don't you think?
However, everybody has their bookmarks and email addresses set for naacp.org. Don't want to mess that up. It's on a lot of letterhead and bumper stickers and probably a tattoo or three.
Ever have a tattoo changed? I've heard it's painful, and I don't want this process to be painful. I want to make it liberating, bold, and fresh.
Hmm.
So the challenge today is to come up with a respectful change of the acronym's meaning that also tightens it down to five words, one for each letter in the acronym.
Mine is:
National African-American Civic Partnership
Some variants I came up with:
National African-American Creators of Potential
National African-American Council of Partners
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| Fred and his Specialty: Tartiflette! |
| 08.24.05 (5:14 pm) [edit] |
By Becks & Posh
Swank Home
Beck’s Home
Now That's a Lot of Cheese for Two People!
Once a year or so, Fred makes his beloved .Tartiflette (not Fred’s Recipe). He uses a whole Reblochon cheese from the Savoie region of France which melts into the mixture of potatoes, onions and bacon. It's a stinky, rich, delicious, comforting and extremely filling dish. Evenso, it's almost impossible to say no to a second helping.
PS. This is a photo from the archives so it has nothing to do with Eat Local month. It's probably better to save this kind of dish for the Winter. Oh, I forgot, it is Winter in San Francisco. There you go.
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| Home Made English Muffins - Oh YES! |
| 08.24.05 (5:13 pm) [edit] |
By Becks & Posh
Swank Home
Beck’s Home
You won't believe how easy this is!
For this post I am indebted to Barbara of Winos and Foodies who, a while back, wrote a post about how simple it is to make English Muffins. It's true - it's amazing! Check out her recipe here .
The good thing about non-live media is that you can edit out the bits you don't want anyone to see. Hence, when I wrote my Rachael Ray Post, I missed out the part where I was ill. I didn't mention that when I arrived at Liberty Cafe I had a splitting headache. I didn't share my idiotic response to the pain - which was to take a couple of my friend's Nurofen Plus containing Codeine, on an empty stomach. I kept quiet when my food arrived, because I had started shaking, my taste buds weren't working and I started to feel nauseous. Despite having my 'big' camera with me, I didn't even have the strength to take a photo, and I had to recycle a picture from a previous visit instead. Anyone reading yesterday's post had no idea, that I barely even looked at the food before having to leave the restaurant, where I promptly threw up over the side walk (as subtly as I could, of course). I had been so looking forward to that Eggs Florentine all week, but in the end I didn't even have the chance to eat it, let alone enjoy it. Instead I dashed home to spend all afternoon in bed recovering instead.
I was so miffed at missing out on my eggy muffin treat, I determined to make some at home on Sunday. It was then I remembered, in the back of my mind I had filed away a memory - a piece of information that recalled Barbara's English Muffin recipe where the mixture had to be made the night before. So that is how, sometime after midnight (and after a cocktail or two), I started making dough. Fred looked at me as if I was crazy. Well, yes, maybe I was. But, remember, this isn't bread, it's a muffin and the procedure is far more forgiving. I popped everything in the Kitchenaid and let it do all the hard work. Once the dough was blended, I covered it with a damp tea towel and retired for a good night’s sleep.
The next morning, I excitedly rushed to the kitchen to check out the dough. It was rising nicely, but it was way too runny. It seemed that I'd taught myself a little lesson: Measuring ingredients after an evening at Olive is probably not the wisest idea. I was certain I could salvage it. I just added some more flour until my dough looked like it was the same sticky consistency as Barbara's.
It is quite amazing to think you can cook bread in a skillet over dry heat. It's remarkable. It really did work. My muffins didn't look particularly amazing, but they tasted exactly how a muffin should taste. Crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Ummm - they were so good with butter and marmite. The were even better with a soft poached Marin Sun Farms egg, a handful of sorrel leaves and a crack of fresh black pepper. I skipped the hollandaise. After all, some things are just a bit too much effort for what should really be a lazy Sunday morning.
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| It's All in The Details |
| 08.24.05 (5:11 pm) [edit] |
By Rob Williams
Swank Home
Rob’s Home
So I'm flipping through the latest DETAILS magazine--the one with hunky Matthew Fox (of TVs "Lost") on the cover...
And I see on the cover that it says ‘Fall Preview’--and especially, ‘What To Read’.
So, naturally I'm curious about what to read.
Well, I take my sweet time, perusing the magazine from start to finish. Checking out the latest trends in fashion, smelling the gazillion cologne samples (urggh. I loathe cologne--except for 'Bowling Green' by Geoffrey Beene--yes, the Geoffrey Beene of 'Grey Flannel' which makes me shudder with horror when I remember the smell. but 'Bowling Green' was a lot better-- it was very lemony and light, though it wasn't selling well I guess because it soon disappeared. Hmm, maybe I can find it on Ebay... anyway, I digress).
So I flip to the 'Fall Books Package' section and lo and behold, on pg. 294, not three pages past a dazzling black and white photo spread of Varvatos, Armani, and Versace's new clothes, there is my dear friend, fellow writer, fellow Columbia MFA-er, Aaron Hamburgersplashed on the page with four other up and comers musing about their favorite writers! (It must be noted that one of the other writers, Ben Kunkel, was also a fellow MFA-er with Aaron and myself, in fact, Ben and I started the same year).
Wow! How cool is that? (Sorry for such a bad scan--but check out the mag for yourself).
Aaron is truly a remarkable person, and I know that many of you who read my blog already know that.
Aaron was the first person I met when I came to NYC. He had been assigned as my 'email mentor' before I came to Columbia, so I was actually in touch with him even before I moved here. I remember about a month before I left AZ for NYC and grad school, I emailed Aaron asking, "How can I get more money from the school?" (I was completely broke and Columbia gave me barely anything). His response: "There Ain’t None."
When I moved here, Aaron and I met for the first time in the park off of Christopher Street (next to the statues), and then we went for Japanese Food. We went dutch, and I remember I was so poor that I put it on my credit card, just so that aaron would give me his cash (I had NO cash). Another time, Aaron invited me to a party somewhere in the W. Village (Aaron was always inviting me to parties, book parties, readings, museums-- he really introduced me to this city--I’ll always be grateful for that, among many other things). But I was supposed to meet Aaron at this party and I did not know the Village at all, especially all of the winding, twisting streets and so I got lost-- unfortunately I was wearing a pair of Diesel Boots (hey, it was my first week in NYC, I was trying to be cool) that gave me blisters because I circled the block there over and over for about an hour and a half. Another time, this was about a week before school started and I was almost at the end of my rope, financially. I was eating rice with ketchup for dinner and saltines for lunch. Aaron invited me to a party and I only had $1.50 on me. so I walked to the party-- in Chelsea-- from 113th Street. About 90 blocks or so. this time iIdidn't wear the Diesel boots. iIspent the $1.50 taking the subway home and had a very nice time meeting Aaron's friends.
Aaron, not only a great writer, is one of the most generous people I have ever known. He is always recommending me for something--an anthology, a magazine, a job, a reading. He's also read just about all of my work (as I have of his), and always treats me and my writing with respect and graciousness.
I’ve learned so much from him these past (nearly) 6 years. Especially about writing. about the importance of revision and editing. About HOW to revise and edit. about being a critic--of others' and your own work. About sometimes scrapping whole chapters and ideas when they aren't working.
I’ve learned to be a better teacher through his guidance. (He helped me to put my portfolio together when I was applying for teaching at Columbia). I learned how to write a cover letter! I learned what NOT to say in a cover letter.
And I haven't even begun to talk about his writing: smart, historical, funny, cynical, edgy, sexy, provocative, important.
His story collection, "The View From Stalin's Head" <(most of which I had the pleasure of first reading in workshops) was an inspiration to me--because I saw it go through revisions and workshops, and Aaron even asked for my feedback--which he incorporated into the work, and I got to see it become what it is today-- a remarkable first book filled with intriguing, real, flawed people and their predicaments abroad. I am so glad to have been a witness to Aaron's accomplishments.>
And what accomplishments! His second book "Faith For Beginners" is coming out in October and already getting raves, he is heading to Rome in September for a year as the recipient of the Rome Prize Fellowship. He has a great blog, an adorably cool boyfriend, he publishes regularly (anthologies, magazines, newspapers, journals), he gives readings. Pheww! How does he do it all (he writes constantly, too).
All of this and yet he's still so generous and spirited and funny and warm.
Next to Ted, he's the most amazing and important person I met here in NYC.
Aaron, I’m going to miss you when I move, but I know we'll be seeing each other again-- on bookshelves, on book tours (and maybe magazines-- just wait for my spread in "Interview"!!...someday). Thank you, Aaron, for everything.
 <--Me and Aaron, Halloween circa 1999. I was a Mouseketeer and Aaron was, well... what was he? A hippy? Joan Baez?>
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| Kirk's Music Review - Bright Eyes |
| 08.24.05 (5:10 pm) [edit] |
Swank Home
Kirk’s Home
By Kirk Bage
My first few days back in the multi-corporational arms of iTunes led me to Bright Eyes, whose double album release at New Year was not available on Napster. Of the two, I left the reportedly more raucous Digital Ashes In a Digital Urn for later and went straight to the acclaimed and somewhat mellower I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning - which included the single First Day Of My Life, a huge hit in the States. For the uninitiated, Bright Eyes is more or less twenty-something Connor Oberst and his acoustic guitar. An acquired taste at first, his deliberate use of less than polished acoustics, childishly simplistic melodies and knowingly pretentious spoken sections can jar. But anyone who listened to his 2002 release Lifted... Or, The Story Is In The Soil should know that to stick with him for a bit is to experience something of rare spirit and grace, ultimately tinted with optimism and a soul beyond his years. And this album lives up to that promise brilliantly. Perhaps not as many moments of angst as the aforementioned work, it nevertheless has all the elements of a late night conversation with a drunken folk singer present and correct: disillusionment, loss, redemption and a whole lot of heart, to say the least. Closer, perhaps, to Nick Drake than Bob Dylan, his beguiling rhymes and distracted reason appeal on many levels and leave you wanting to take another listen, just to be sure you understood what he might be getting at. I'm not saying he's my favourite artist - even of his genre - but he is compelling and unique; with the ability, at his best, to cut you to the bone with honesty and beauty. And there aren't enough of those people in the world. This will be my main listen for a week, probably, and then I'll be ready for the flip side. Click on title for website with some great live photos and full lyrics listings. Good stuff. 8/10
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| Audio et Video Fun |
| 08.24.05 (5:09 pm) [edit] |
Photo from http://www.theage.com.au/ffxi...
Swank Home
Sashi’s Home
By Sashi
AUDIO FUN:
The Beastie Boys (for the young ‘uns among y’all, these are white guys who used to rap long before Eminem came on the scene) have released some of their tracks - in a capella format - for free download on their website. They’re doing this to encourage people to remix the tracks and share it with others. So go on and ch-ch-check it out, yeah? There’s a new track added every Friday too!
VIDEO FUN:
via Boing Boing:
Have ya always wondered about the voiceovers behind all those movie trailers? Well, now’s your chance to put faces to the voices! Check out this hilarious video promo for The Hollywood Reporter’s Key Art Awards - “it’s a heart-warming affirmation of the American Can-Do spirit, inside us all….”
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| Mike's Musings - She's Got Legs |
| 08.24.05 (5:07 pm) [edit] |
By: Mike
Swank Home
Mike’s Home
I just moved the large shelving unit in my room.
The one that i originally dragged in from the parking lot up the street and hasn't been moved in two years.
Oh the wonderful things I found beneath it.
That navy-blue shirt I really like, the one with the collar.
A bunch of Subway stamps.
My Action Week '96 button.
One of those foamy earplugs.
The cassette single of "Let Your Backbone Slide."
An ancient condom. (used)
Dozens of staples.
And a nest of Gigantic Spiders.
Not those little 'make a web in the corner and keep to myself' kind of spiders. These were 'hulking, prehistoric, talon-legged, running and jumping and tearing your flesh to ribbons' type spiders.
Two of these beastly fuckers could take down a well trained adult greyhound, I'm sure of it.
What amuses me the most is the fact that until I moved the shelving unit, we were apparently living in harmony.
Or maybe not.
Maybe they've been filling my various bodily cavities with their eggs while i sleep.
Maybe they've been feasting on my feet and legs for sustenance, (that would explain those mysterious bites.)
Maybe they've been feasting on that fossilized condom, (that would explain their incredible, almost pterodactyl-like strength and agility, not to mention their tasteful facial hair.)
Anyway, the important thing is I found that Maestro Fresh Wes tape.
I wanna rock right now.
(And yes, the title of this post is a ZZ Top reference.)
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| Book Review - The Wrecking Crew |
| 08.24.05 (12:21 pm) [edit] |
By David Dedrick
In Wrecking Crew, drug abuse, filth, rock star excess, sexual deviance and other depravity meet. . .baseball? Yes, baseball. The all-American pastime of baseball wedded to the grungy lives of marginal no-hopers and also-rans in the sun-bleached boneyard of LA. Sounds like a great plot for a novel, doesn’t it? Only, the characters and incidents in this book are real and John Albert doesn’t try to make them out to be anything more or less than what they are. The book is not purely a memoir either; it’s not just Albert’s story told from his point of view. There are interviews with all the major characters and they get to explain, justify, and comment on the events in the story. In fact, Albert won the Best of the West Journalism Best Sports Writing Award in 2000 for an article from which this book is derived.
The book opens with Albert’s story: his junkie past, his gone, but not forgotten glory days as a drummer in a couple of LA punk bands and his not-so-bright future as a bottom-feeding screenwriter. He then proceeds to describe the histories of all his teammates, trying to make clear their motives and hopes as they find themselves almost compelled to join an adult baseball league. There’s Mike Coulter, the dynamo behind the team; a rock guitarist, whose band Lifter has reached the end of its rope; he’s strung out, trying to kick heroin and he sees baseball as a way to escape the deep, dangerous rut he’s in. There’s Johnny Navarro, a close cousin of Dave Navarro (guitarist in Jane’s Addiction), who has the misfortune of living near fame and fortune; he also has an extremely addictive personality - mostly for drugs, gambling and completely-wrong-for-him women. There’s Clay Jefferson, one-time bassist with the hair-metal band Junkyard, whose promising career of riches, fame and free drugs was washed away in the Shibboleth that was Nirvana; now he’s just another has-been, ex-junkie, scraping by in LA.
There’s plenty more characters – all of them compelling for their own, often sad, reasons. Most of them don’t fit into the hard-working, blue-collar milieu of the league. They live in the rarefied atmosphere of LA, where “anything short of completely realizing one’s dreams was somehow viewed as complete and utter failure”. They’re all has-beens or never-beens. They’re not even the horses the royalty rides up the mountain; they’re the mules, packing all the shit. For the most part, they work crummy jobs on the periphery of the music or movie business – chauffeurs, gardeners, scenic artists (i.e., people who carry props). They no longer care about what they do; they don’t even remember what they did it for. Here’s Mike, the songwriter, and his moment of discovery of what’s really important: “I realized that the only thing separating me from that whole world was money and nothing else…As long as you were able to pay, it didn’t matter who you were. Before that, I thought there was more to it.” It’s true, in a way, but for someone striving to be an artist, it’s a deadly way to see the world. When it’s no longer about your art, it’s just inertia dragging you those last few feet forward before you come to a complete stop.
Baseball becomes their escape. It’s retrogression, of course, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Albert describes one of the teams they play against as “(b)arely in their twenties, many of them already sported moustaches and had children. Most of us were decades older and still living like teenagers”. And while it’s true that they may have lived like teenagers, it’s equally true that they were no longer teenagers. Could they have felt at all the innocent forward energy of youth? All the drugs and the mess they’d made of their lives must have started to pall. Baseball was a trip back in time to their youth; before drugs and rehab and squalor swallowed up their lives. The question the book asks is: can baseball save you? In some cases, yes, while others fall by the wayside as they go off the rails and get lost in labyrinth-like morass that is LA. Fortunately, the baseball team is a beacon; a light in the window for these lost travellers to which, hopefully, one day, they can return.
Though the book deals solely with the events leading up to the team’s creation and its first year in the league, the final chapter details what became of the team members. The good thing to know is the Griffith Park Pirates are still going strong.
Like the narcotics that fill the lives of its characters, this is one highly addictive read. John Albert has a spare, matter-of-fact style that draws us into his story and no matter how disturbing it might get – and, believe me, it gets mighty disturbing – we don’t feel we have to avert our eyes. Albert is so sympathetic to his characters that we feel their pain and understand the horror they bring into their lives.
I can’t honestly say that I read this book in one sitting – it was more like in one lolling, as I was lying on the couch when I read it. I can, however, state that it was unputdownable. Of course, I could have said that it was a real page-turner, but that doesn’t quite roll off the tongue like “unputdownable”.
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| The Upside of Anger |
| 08.24.05 (12:19 pm) [edit] |
Submitted by Lezah
The Upside of Anger
“Anger and resentment can stop you in your tracks. That’s what I know now. It needs nothing to burn but the air and the life that it swallows and smothers. It’s real, though – the fury, even when it isn’t. It can change you…turn you…mould you and shape you into something you’re not. The only upside to anger, then…is the person you become.”
So begins the film ‘The Upside of Anger’, starring Joan Allen and Kevin Costner. We rented it the other night, and for some odd reason I was under the impression that it came out a few years ago, but in fact it was one of this year’s spring releases. Written and directed by Mike Binder (who also appears in the film as the character Shep), this film falls under the ‘classic melodrama’ umbrella – but with a new millennium feel to it.
‘The Upside of Anger’ tells the tale of a woman who, along with her four daughters, is abandoned suddenly by her husband. She’s angry and bitter, and turns to alcohol to cope. A neighbour shows up both unannounced and unaware of what has transpired; it doesn’t take long before he joins the wife in her alcoholic excesses. This all sounds rather sordid, but the family’s upper middle class veneer remains, aided largely by the wife’s trust fund. So, other than an absent dad and an angry mom, not a lot really changes for the family – or maybe it does.
The mother is volatile, and the family situation is toxic, but yet there is a surprising stability to the new family unit. Life goes on, and changes happen - some good, some bad. The ending of the film is actually the beginning, but in spite of that, what happens is still a surprise.
Veteran character actress Joan Allen does a superb job in the role, as does Kevin Costner.
I recommend this movie – it’s not for everyone, but if you’re looking for a good man-hating type chick flick, then this is the film for you.
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| Oscar |
| 08.24.05 (12:17 pm) [edit] |
Submitted by Lezah
I was in the presence of greatness the other night, and it wasn’t just any old ordinary run of the mill greatness – oh no. This was publicly acknowledged greatness that I’m talking about – a rare thing believe you me…
You see, we have made these new acquaintances (could I be so bold as to call them friends? I’m not quite sure yet…). Anyway, I knew that this couple was successful in both the artistic and financial sense of the word, but somehow I had blocked some of that out because they seemed so – I don’t know - normal. Just like you and me.
But I was shocked out of that feeling of normalcy when, at one point in the evening, we went into the home office to hear a song on the his computer. While in there, I was idly glancing around and noticed a few trophies on the mantel. One of the other guests saw the direction of my gaze, leaned over and whispered to me, “It’s real!”
It still didn’t sink in – at least, not immediately. It’s real? I was obviously missing something there. I turned that over in my mind a couple of times; trying to figure it out, when all of a sudden I recognized the statuette’s silhouette. It was an Academy Award. Yes, you heard me: an Academy Award. I was looking at an Oscar.
I can’t imagine what it would feel like to win one. The other awards they had were all noteworthy as well, but the Oscar… Just seeing one in real life was heart stopping.
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| Shot In The Dark |
| 08.24.05 (12:16 pm) [edit] |
Submitted by Lezah
Swank Home
Shot in the Dark is an independent movie series that is held at Colossus Theatre in Langley (at the junction of 200th and the 401 Freeway). For $45, you can attend six of the eight shows offered, or pay $9 at the door. Tickets are available at Colossus, or at Wendel’s Books in Fort Langley. All shows run at 7:30.
Here is a list of shows for the fall season:
Sept. 7 Ladies in Lavender
Sept. 21 My Summer of Love
Oct. 5 Lost Embrace
Oct. 19 Scared Sacred (documentary)
Nov. 2 Sabah
Nov. 16 2046
Nov. 30 Water
Dec. 7 Where the Truth Lies
For more information, go to http://www.shotinthedark.ca/
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| Latin American Film Fest |
| 08.24.05 (12:15 pm) [edit] |
Submitted by Lezah
Swank Home
The third annual Latin American Film Festival is on soon at the Pacific Cinematheque.
It will be running in the evenings from Sept. 4-7. For more information, go to www.vlaff.org.
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| Marina's Gelato |
| 08.24.05 (12:13 pm) [edit] |
Swank Home
Submitted by Lezah
Marina’s Home
Have you ever noticed how sometimes you can go to a rather out of the way little town, and find the most unexpected gem of a store? That’s happened to me a number of times this year already – down in Mt. Vernon, Washington, we found an absolutely fantastic pizzeria (I’m sorry, I can’t remember the name of the place – I will look it up and write about it next time I’m through that way), and while up in Williams Lake, BC, I found both a fabulous clothing store and, right across the road, a wonderful little chocolate shop (same comment applies).
So, when I was going through Fort Langley a few weeks ago and found this funky little gelato shop, I decided it was time to pay a bit more attention. Marina’s Gelato is located on Glover Road, right in the heart of Fort Langley (near the intersection of Glover and Mary Street). It has an ever-changing group of wildly imaginative flavours – over 40 different varieties of gelato and sorbetto are offered at any different time, and the selection is updated frequently. They even offer diabetic-friendly selections! As impressive as the choice in flavours is the presentation – these tasty treats look too good to eat. But eat I did – and they taste fantastic.
It turns out that there is another store, the original, over in Maple Ridge, BC. There all the flavours are hand-made on the premises and one can even watch the production process in the lab through a large glass window located in the shop.
But this is not just a gelato store – oh no! They also import top quality Italian coffees, and offer cakes and pastries, paninis and soups. The Maple Ridge location (on 224th Street, near the Maple Ridge Rec. Centre) also hosts live music once a month.
So, if you’re having a hard time making it through these dog days of summer, maybe a trip to Marina’s Gelato is the pick-me-up you need. For more information, go to www.marinasgelato.com
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| Iraq's Draft Constitution |
| 08.23.05 (11:34 am) [edit] |
Swank Home
Heretic’s Home
By: The Political Heretic
Negotiatorsfor the three major factions governing Iraq submitted a rough draftof their uncompleted Constitution to the National Assembly without reaching agreement on the most contentious issues that have plagued them since Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was deposed. Iraq’s legislative body agreed to postpone a vote by three days to give the negotiators a chance to win the Sunni negotiators’ support. Their support is critical, for while they lack the votes to reject it within the National Assembly, they do represent a population with majority-control in three Iraqi provinces and that would be enough to reject it once the people at large vote on it.
At issue are references to the federalist and Islamic principles embodied in the constitutional draft, as well as the distribution of Iraq’s oil revenue. The proposed constitution says little about the central government’s role in preserving the state’s territorial and sovereign integrity other to say that it will be responsible for the state’s security,defense, and an undefined role in oil revenue distribution.
The Kurds are all but guaranteed an autonomous region in the north but the Sunnis adamantly oppose efforts by some leading fundamentalist Shi’ites to create their own autonomous region in southern Iraq, thereby depriving the Sunnis of a fair share in oil revenue.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, and now President George W. Bush, praised Iraq’s negotiators for completing a draft Constitution while postponing a vote on it in the name of national unity and good will but Zalmay Khalizad, our ambassador to Iraq, was more candid in urging the Sunnis to back the constitution.
The administration’s emphasis on ramming any constitution through the National Assembly at the expense of substance is misguided. Our interests will be served best if the three major factions, through enlightened self-interest, can sign onto a federal system not unlike that found in Switzerland or the United States. Iran’s efforts to contest our hegemony on the continent will greatly improve should the Iraqi state bordering it prove weak. Tehran could exploit the rivalry between Iraqi Shi’ite and Sunni, forcing both groups to seek it as their mediator in any disputes.
Little can be said in favor of the draft submitted to the National Assembly so far. It includes a Bill of Rights guaranteeing some individual liberties we take for granted as well as some ethnic cultural rights while banning torture and the detention/interrogation of any Iraqi citizen without a court order.
But the document says very little concerning the central government's responsibilities or the prerogatives it is given to fulfill those responsibilities. The Constitution includes some vague reference to the federal government’s responsibilities to security, territorial integrity and oil revenue distribution but nothing is said of the central government’s taxing powers in any proposed Kurdish, Shi’ite or Sunni regions, the manner in which it would enforce security and Iraq’s territorial integrity, or the extent to which it will control Iraq’s oil revenue distribution.
The Constitution includes nothing about the proposed army’s right to patrol Iraq’s borders in the north, or the disarming of paramilitary groups. It includes no judicial branch to unify the regions around a common understanding of the law.
What the administration can do about the recent turn of events is anybody’s guess. Our president aligned himself with groups who do not share our vision for stability in the MiddleEast in order to depose a regime that at one time deposed us and then failed to include the requisite number of troops to keep the new victors in check. By removing our formal rival and tyrant,we unleashed forces swayed by dreams and visions way beyond our control.
The Kurds, emboldened by his removal, now seek control over northern Iraq’s oil fields, a redrawing of its region’s boundaries to include the Kirkuk oil fields, and its autonomy formalized. The Shi’ite fundamentalists are seeking their own theocratic-light autonomous region in the south.
Our dreams of a pluralistic democratic state led by a strong pro-western secularist like Chalabi or former interim prime minister Ayad Allawi has all but dissipated. Iraq's new prime minister obtained his support from Shi'ite clerics and their followers and two paramilitary groups now enforce the parochial interests of the two major victors - the Kurds and the Shi'ite clerics.
Our senators are growing nervous. Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin has called for a timetable for troop withdrawal and Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska,a Republican no less, said Iraq is looking like Vietnam every day. Withdrawal is not an option at this moment. If we leave now, chaos will ensue. The Iraqi army has failed to suppress the Sunni terrorists and won’t do any better controlling its borders and preserving its independence from influence-peddling Iran.
The administration may already have conceded this fight for Iraq’s stability however and its emphasis on the procedure in drafting this constitution may be its way of providing for a grace-saving way to withdraw from an ungovernable Iraq before more American lives are wasted. For those of us who supported this war because we thought it would further our national security, this would be a bitter pill to swallow.
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| Feed Them! |
| 08.22.05 (4:48 pm) [edit] |
Swank Home
Mike’s Home
By Mike
Finally!
A benefit song that spits in the faces of all other benefit songs while still raising money for a good cause.
(And being hilarious.)
The song is a Halloween-style rip on that gaudy old benefit classic "Do They Know It's Christmas?", and they pull it off brilliantly.
It's quite possibly the best benefit song since Springfield's brightest and best teamed up to sing "Throwin' Our Love Down The Well."
And it's definitely the best Halloween oriented song since Ray Parker Jr.'s "Ghostbusters" took our breath away all those years ago.
(DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince's "Nightmare On My Street" pales in comparison.)
Basically, this is a great idea.
Here's some hype 'n' stats from the press release:
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This song’s inspiration stems from a frustration with other benefit songs’ misguided, somewhat patronizing attitude, and Western-centric world view.
The song itself is an epic journey into the pulsating heart of fear. It is a rallying cry to stamp out this most scary of holidays. The North American Halloween Prevention Initiative features a who’s-who of current alternative music:
Beck
Sum 41
The Arcade Fire
Sonic Youth
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Sloan
Peaches
Feist
Devendra Banhart
Wolf Parade
Postal Service
Buck 65
Comedian David Cross
Sex Pistols’ founder Malcolm McLaren
Elvira, Mistress of the Dark
60s soul legend Gino Washington
Psychedelic singer Roky Erickson
Los Angeles 70s group Sparks
Inuit throat singer, Tagaq (a frequent collaborator with Björk)
AND MANY MORE!
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| The 100 word Story |
| 08.22.05 (4:22 pm) [edit] |
Swank Home
Laurence’s Home
By Laurence Simon
Anyway, today's 100 word story is a play on the word cross, which I chose out of a list of multi-meaninged words. I know I'm going to have lots of fun recording it tonight. I enjoy doing gravely voices for the kittycats.
We'll see if Andy takes the bait and does a Jesus story. It's his turn for it.
Oh, and I plan on posting at least one reader contribution no matter what. We as a group have gotten so lame about picking out the reader contributions that I think folks have gotten disenchanted with the site, then that in turn squashes our enthusiasm, etc.
This is not a chore. This will not become a chore. This is a labor of love, dammit.
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| Movie Review: The Woodsman |
| 08.22.05 (4:18 pm) [edit] |
By Kirk Bage
Swank Home
Kirk’s Home
Second in an ill-fitting double bill last night was Kevin Bacon in The Woodsman - equally brilliant as Garden State, but for very different reasons. I talked about looking out for this one months ago when it was announced that he was going to do it, but it can't even have lasted a week at the box office and was very easy to miss. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out, then, that this sunk without a trace not because it is bad, but because of the subject matter - one of Hollywood's last taboos, child abuse. Based on the play of the same name and brought to the screen by rookie director Nicole Kassell as something of a passion project, long time husband and wife Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgewick adopt serious, understated and consistently convincing personas as the former abuser trying to put his life back together amidst prejudice, hatred and fear and the woman who is prepared to give him a chance. We are asked as an audience not to forgive or justify, but simply to understand and the compelling script allows us to do that, as does a central performance that is certain to gain momentum in after-the-event criticism once initial discomfort subsides. At times theatrical, using devices such as a new abuser that Bacon watches and ultimately confronts (when we finally see the centre of his frustration as he visualizes beating himself up) and a cop of ambiguous morality (played with some panache by Mos Def, who although good, seemed to be playing in the wrong movie) which do detract from the realism Bacon and Sedgewick achieve so effortlessly in earlier scenes, nevertheless, this is powerful stuff worthy of intelligent debate and a success by its own standards. Also interesting to note how lesser performances fared much better at the years' numerous awards festivals - Bacon's bravery in confronting such a role should have been commended and acknowledged much more than the sole nod for best male lead from the Independent Spirit Awards. Sadly, this proves to me that it is still an industry much more full of "stars" with images to maintain and politics to protect than genuine artists with things to say. Despite all that, I highly recommend this film and hope that Bacon's career is full of these kind of choices. 8/10
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| Movie Review : Garden State |
| 08.22.05 (4:16 pm) [edit] |
By Kirk Bage
Swank Home
Kirk’s Home
There was nothing but good word of mouth for this quirky debut, both as writer and director for Scrubs star Zach Braff, upon it's cinema release. To get such a film made at all is an achievement, but to make it this good is a minor miracle. It is well observed and both witty and touching in equal measure, if sometimes a little saccharine on both ends; it is well cast - Braff also takes the lead and turns in an affable performance, Natalie Portman is just perfect as Sam, the compulsive liar with epilepsy and a bad record with pets, and Peter Sarsgaard (very under-rated) and Ian Holm provide ever interesting support; it has a soundtrack to compete with a Wes Anderson movie; and there's something about the whole that just works for me. On an originality level it may not win any prizes - it is as though Braff has taken all the things he loves about movies and made it into his own montage, but what is wrong with that when the result is so entertaining? For its many flaws you have to say that he is going to be a filmmaker worth keeping an eye on. It's also nice to get back to this kind of thing after a Summer of blockbusters, superheroes and aliens. It's a film that takes you on a strange journey, like After Hours or Brazil and is never the same twice because neither are you - I wouldn't call it deep, exactly, but I still can't wait to see it again. 8.5/10
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| Ben Folds |
| 08.22.05 (4:15 pm) [edit] |
Swank Home
Kirk’s Home
By Kirk Bage
As of 1st September my affair with Napster will be temporarily over. We've had some good times, but I have to move on... Mostly because my current PC is a piece of shit and I need the money to upgrade it so it actually works when I want it to. Besides, I have been stuck listening to the same old albums for months, and only a long train journey on Friday snapped me out of it and into Ben Folds' 2005 offering. I've liked this guy for years, whether with the Five or on his own (more or less the same thing, anyway) - but I've always felt a slight frustration that he never quite seems to peak and get all his ideas into a fulfilling whole on his albums. Four or five good hummable tunes are going to be there every time, he is a talented writer, but ten or eleven seems too far for him. Songs for Silverman, then, is no exception - the emotion is there, the piano rings out, the lyrics are as tragic and touching as ever, but after a couple of listens you have your favourites and the rest are discarded. A shame for him, because he can't be described exactly as a singles artist, either. Some time soon he will release a Best Of compilation and everyone will buy it, saying, oh my God, I never knew he had so many great tunes, but that doesn't help Songs for Silverman. There is a growing maturity present; a less frivolous air, whilst his trademark humour remains intact - his songs, as always, are little stories in themselves, mini journeys into lives and loves and mishaps and failings, and I love that. If intelligent melancholy melody were the currency of the world Ben Folds would be a rich man. There's a time and a place where your mood can only be satisfied by him alone - and that's the best endorsement I think I can give him. Ben Folds: 9/10 Songs for Silverman: 7/10
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| Everything Electric and Hideous |
| 08.22.05 (4:13 pm) [edit] |
By Mike
I've always been of the mind that the beginning of the New Year should be celebrated on September 1st. Nothing really happens in January, no real transition, and even if something did happen it would just be clumped into that pseudo-enjoyable winter stretch we call the ‘Holidays’.
Things shift in September.
Always.
School starts anew.
Old leases expire. people move.
The scenery changes and the tourists evaporate along with all their bad noises.
Even the smell and feel and weight of the air changes.
September is breathing down my neck.
I'll be in a new apartment in a matter of days.
A new elevator.
A different view from a new balcony.
New/different neighbors.
New routes to all the places i usually go unless I decide to be totally different and start going to all new and different places.
I'm even planning on getting a new job.
And a new bed.
And just to be different I’ll call my new bed the Fuck-o-Tron 9000.
My chest cavity is throbbing with all the dust and gristle and noise of another screwball summer. All those Big Plans that started gestating in June/July have been digested and shat and have returned to the Earth and I had absolutely no idea until just this second.
This is what we call the Late August Crunch.
The sweaty optimistic desperation we so badly need.
Until September staggers in and dutifully kicks all the pieces off the board, leaving us with a fistful of dice and enough crazy scams to hopefully carry us through to that first frost.
Lick it up.
Lick it up.
More more more.
(It's only right now.)
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| Too Many Secrets Can’t be Good for Anyone |
| 08.22.05 (4:11 pm) [edit] |
Swank Home
Sashi’s Home
By Sashi
I first came across PostSecretvia this blog, and to be honest, it freaked me out.
I didn’t want to go back - but every so often, someone links to it again on their blog and curiosity will get the better of me and I return to the site.
It still disturbs me - and I’m now addicted to it.
Because I too have hundreds of postcards with secrets scrawled on them - except that they’re all stored in my head.
And I now know you do too.
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| Swan Lake |
| 08.22.05 (4:10 pm) [edit] |
Swank Home
I think I’ve always been a bit of a ballet junkie. I can remember being five or so, seeing some ballet on TV, and then almost immediately begging, begging, begging my Mom for ballet lessons. Now, my Mom was one of those people who felt that, if one started something, one must finish it. It was made clear that if, indeed, I was to get these ballet lessons, then I had to be prepared to stick it out. I couldn’t just quit if I decided I didn’t like it, or if things got tough – I had to promise that I would stay in the lessons for the long haul. I promised.
Well, my Mom got a list of things we needed, I got dressed up and off we went. Now, I had the tights and the slippers, but no tutu. I was confident though that the tutus would be handed out as soon as we arrived at class. Then the teacher arrived and started barking out orders, but all I could think was, “What? NO TUTUS!?!” You see, it turns out that you did NOT get a tutu for signing up for ballet class. I immediately wanted to quit - emphasis on the ‘immediately’ - but my Mom wouldn’t let me. Fortunately for me, we ended up moving away about six months later – saved!
It turns out my interest was more in the realm of ballet experience rather than in the ballet participation. But it wasn’t until much, much later that I chanced to see my first live professional ballet. And what a ballet it was: Sadler’s Wells Ballet Company of London came to town to do Swan Lake, and my high school teacher took the class to see it. I was in heaven.
Since then, I have seen a number of different companies dance Swan Lake, and have also seen many, many other ballets. I’m an addict; I’ll admit it.
So you can imagine how excited I was when I heard the latest: Swan Lake is currently on tour. This is James Kudelka’s version, originally premiered in 1999, which is based on the original (first premiered in St. Petersburg in 1877). Kudelka is the first Canadian to choreograph Swan Lake.
The National Ballet will be dancing this latest version of the classic Swan Lake at The Centre for the Performing Arts in Vancouver from September 28 to October 1; tickets go on sale August 20.
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| The Ubersexual |
| 08.22.05 (4:09 pm) [edit] |
Swank Home
That whole metrosexual thing is so-o-o last year. Really. Turns out the latest, greatest thing is the ubersexual.
An ubersexual is defined as the “most attractive (not just physically), most dynamic and most compelling men of their generations. They are supremely confident (without being obnoxious), masculine, stylish and committed to uncompromising quality in all areas of life”, according to New York trendspotters Marian Salzman, Ira Matathia, and Amy O’Reilly in their new book ‘The Future of Men’ (to be published in September by Palgrave).
They go on: “Compared with the metrosexual, the ubersexual is more into relationships than self. He’s not sensual and not at all self-conscious. He dresses for himself more than others (choosing a consistent personal style over fashion fads). Like the metrosexual, the ubersexual enjoys shopping, but his approach is more focused; he shops for particular items that enhance his collection rather than shopping as entertainment (he has better things to do than hang out at the mall). His best friends are male; he doesn’t consider the women in his life ‘buddies’”.
Well, that all sounds very good: attractive, dynamic, confident, compelling, masculine, stylish, committed to quality, into relationships – what could be wrong with that? Sounds perfect, if you ask me. But then I looked at the examples that were given: George Clooney (okay, I guess I can live with that) and – wait a minute, here – Donald TRUMP??!!?? What the @#%&?!!!???
Good God, Donald Trump is the last person who springs to mind when I think of the word ‘attractive’ (what IS IT with that hair of his, anyway???); or being into relationships – emphasis on the plural there, I guess…
If that’s the way it is, ladies, you can keep your ubersexuals…
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| Sprawl Kills |
| 08.22.05 (4:08 pm) [edit] |
Swank Home
Here’s a website I stumbling across while looking up the band The Kills: it’s www.sprawlkills.com, homepage of the book by the same name. Authored by Joel S. Hirschhorn, Ph.D., the book ‘Sprawl Kills: How Blandburbs Steal Your Time, Health, and Money’, promises to be an interesting read. And it’s a subject close to my own heart.
I think I’ve always been a bit of a small ‘e’ environmentalist especially in the area of land use. I live on the outskirts of Vancouver, which, if you’ve never been here before, sits on the edge of the ocean, flanked by mountains, in between which sits the fertile Fraser Valley. Rich farmland with one of the best and most moderate climates in Canada is being eaten up at an alarming rate in this area. And this is not a renewable resource. Statistically, although Canada is the 2nd largest country in the world, only about 5% of it is arable land. The rest is, for the most part, rock.
Consequently, it makes sense for what farmland we have to be preserved, and yet housing developments, parking lots, strip malls and the like continue to be built, and built, and built. And it’s not like much of this stuff is needed. As I drive from home to the gym, or to work, or wherever, for that matter, I pass building after building that sits empty, just waiting for some sucker to come and try and start a store there. Some of these empty strip malls have sat as such for upwards of twenty years now – and have never been occupied. And yet they continue to build more. I don’t understand it, quite frankly.
But Hirschhorn does. If you are interested in learning “the truth about urban sprawl, land use, suburbia, automobile addiction, active living, the sprawl lobby” and the like, then have a look at this site – or better yet, buy the book, which is available on Amazon.ca.
The world needs to wake up to this problem, and do so now, before it’s too late. If you’ll excuse me, I feel compelled to quote Joni Mitchell from her song, Big Yellow Taxi:
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
With a big hotel, boutique and a swinging hot spot
Don’t it always seem as though
You don’t know what you got ‘til it’s gone
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.
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| The 100 Word Story |
| 08.22.05 (4:04 pm) [edit] |
By Laurence Simon
Swank Home
Laurence’s Home
Anyway, today's 100 word story is a play on the word cross, which I chose out of a list of multi-meaninged words. I know I'm going to have lots of fun recording it tonight. I enjoy doing gravely voices for the kittycats.
We'll see if Andy takes the bait and does a Jesus story. It's his turn for it.
Oh, and I plan on posting at least one reader contribution no matter what. We as a group have gotten so lame about picking out the reader contributions that I think folks have gotten disenchanted with the site, then that in turn squashes our enthusiasm, etc.
This is not a chore. This will not become a chore. This is a labor of love, dammit.
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| Jean Charles de Menezes - Murder, Lies & A Massive Cover-up |
| 08.19.05 (9:03 pm) [edit] |
By: The Antagonist
Swank Home
Ant’s Home
A cascade of blatant lies from the very top down -- from Metropolitan Police Commissioner Ian Blair to the trigger-happy plain-clothes CO19/SO19 officers -- have now been exposed as a cover-up of an horrific catalogue of failures that led to the police-murder of an innocent Brazilian man at Stockwell Underground station.
Damning witness reports, police statements, and photographs of the aftermath of the murder of innocent Jean Charles de Menezes on 22 July have been leaked from the IPCC investigation into the incident, finally exposing the lies designed to cover up a series of catastrophic failings in police procedure, intelligence and basic common sense.
The de Menezes Murder - The Facts
The facts about the murder of Jean Charles de Menezes such as they slowly and disparately appeared in various news reports since 22 July have now flooded into the public domain, courtesy of ITV News, with full confirmation of the extent of the incompetence demonstrated at every level of the police, security and intelligence services.
Here are a few of the initial stories (read: blatant lies) that were spun and which had already been proven to be false:
•de Menezes was not an illegal immigrant, or an illegal electrician.
•de Menezes did not vault over ticket barriers.
•de Menezes was not carrying a bag, or wearing a rucksack.
•de Menezes, horrifically, was not challenged by police.
•de Menezes did not run from the police that did not challenge him.
•de Menezes was not wearing a padded jacket that concealed a bomb, but instead a denim jacket that concealed nothing.
•de Menezes was not wearing a "bomb belt with wires coming out of it" as described by Anthony Larkin, a possible Metropolitan Police Forensic scientist who, coincidentally, gave the only statement that would provide, albeit tenuously, some justification for the shooting.
Some more facts that have emerged with the leaked documents:
•de Menezes was not positively identified at any point during the surveillance operation, save for a last-minute and totally incorrect 'positive ID' that resulted in his murder by two plain-clothes police officers.
•de Menezes flat was staked out by a surveillance team, complete with an armed response unit, all with orders to not allow de Menezes to enter the Underground system.
•Channel 4 News said that Flat 21 was under surveillance. de Menezes lived in Flat 17.
•de Menezes did not know he was under surveillance by armed police.
•The officer charged with operating the camera trained on the front door of the flats was preoccupied with relieving himself so no positive identification was made.
•de Menezes was allowed to board a Number 2 bus to Stockwell station. Odd considering the instructions were to stop him as soon as possible. That the surveillance and armed units outside the block of flats in which de Menezes lived did not stop him when he exited the block flats, nor before he boarded the bus, much less entering the Underground system, raises far more questions than it answers.
•de Menezes entered the Underground system using his Oyster Card, not by leaping over ticket barriers.
•de Menezes was not in a hurry and was walking at a normal pace.
•de Menezes descended to the train platform in a perfectly normal manner, stopping along the way to pick up a free newspaper.
•At no point did the plain clothes and armed officers identify themselves to de Menezes.
•de Menezes boarded a train and found a seat before he was bundled and bear-hugged by one officer, reported as being a lone surveillance officer, as others launched a barrage of bullets at the innocent man. Who was the lone surveillance officer?
•A total of 10 shots were fired by two officers.
•Of the 10 shots that were fired, 7 were fired by one shooter and 3 by another.
•8 of the bullets hit the innocent target, 7 in the head and one in the shoulder.
•'Mongolian eyes' made de Menezes a target in the absence of a positive ID.
A Catastrophic Collection of Failures At All Levels
The surveillance operation which involved various police and intelligence services, including the Special Reconnaissance Regiment which was only set-up in April of this year, and their involvement in the killing of de Menezes provides us with some testament as to quite how 'special' their 'reconnaissance' abilities are and how well the intelligence and security services work when required.
A senior police source last night told the Guardian that the leaked documents and statements gave an accurate pictureof what was known so far about the shooting.
The IPCC stated: "Our priority is to disclose any findings direct to the family, who will clearly be distressed that they have received information on television concerning his death."
Perhaps they should have been a bit quicker off the mark as the de Menezes family have already announced their complete loss of confidence in the police investigation. It wasn't enough to take from them a beloved family member, now the authorities are adding further insult to injury.
As every single authority that has been indicted by these leaked documents declines to comment on their damning indictment, the evidence for abandoning the recently implemented shoot-to-kill policy, disarming the police further, and removing the powers that allow them to shoot innocent people is now stronger than ever.
Update: Channel 4 News report from the other night is online and downloadable for offline viewing [Windows Media File].
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| London Blasts: A fact Emerges |
| 08.19.05 (9:02 pm) [edit] |
Swank Home
Ant’s Home
By: The Antgonist
In a slightly misleading headline that purported to bring readers of the Independent the truth about events of 7 and 21 July, Saturday's Independent ran with the following headline and story:
London bombings: the truth emerges
By Jason Bennetto and Ian Herbert
Published: 13 August 2005
The suicide cell that killed 52 people on 7 July is not linked to those alleged to be behind the second London attacks on 21 July, according to the initial findings of the biggest anti-terrorist investigation held in Britain.
An investigation into the four suicide bombers from the first attacks and the people alleged to be behind the July 21 plot has found no evidence of any al-Qa'ida "mastermind" or senior organizer. The inquiry involved MI5, MI6, the listening centre at GCHQ, and the police.
Source:Independent
To presume that an 800 word article could even begin to explain the truth behind events in London during the month of July 2005 - despite the overtly sensationalist headline - is to insult further the memories of all those who died on 7 July.
In fact, what the headline probably meant to say was, "London bombings: a fact emerges."
The only bit of information that the Independent article offers in the form of any sort of 'truth' is the categorical statement of a total absence of any links between the the events of 7 July, which killed 56 people, and the events of 21 July, when no bombs went off and nobody died but which has since become the focus of attention for reasons that are somewhat difficult to fathom.
No Link Between 7/7 and 21/7
That there is no link between the events of 7/7 and 21/7 will come as no surprise to regular readers of The Antagonist who will be only too aware that the survivor and eye-witness accounts from the day of 7/7 support heartily MetroNet Rail's original explanation of power surgesfor the disasters on the Underground, as reported to all passengers on the Underground and the world's media at the time of the events.
"But wait", The Antagonist can hear you cry, "What about the Number 30 bus that exploded?"
What a very good question! And one to which you'll find the answer, and much more, in The Antagonist's round-up of the events of 7/7.
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| Two Unpopular Forms of Expression: Hate Speech and Porn |
| 08.19.05 (9:00 pm) [edit] |
By: The Political Heretic
Swank Home
Heretic’s Home
"Decency advocates are so intent on their objective, so convinced of their rightness and so submerged in their own time that they always should be aware of the possibility of mistake. Otherwise, they fall victim to the sort of hubris that led Comstock to dismiss the redoubtable George Bernard Shaw as “this Irish smut-dealer.”
Good and smart people differ over what indecency means. But there are two ways we can respond when dealing with whatever it is that we determine indecency to be. The easy way is to get a government official or agency to ban it or regulate it. The hard way is to engage it, decry it, discourage it, present a better alternative.
That is the hard way, but it should be the American way." - Paul McMasters
I fully agree with Mr. McMasters but liberals remember, the same can be said with hate speech. This school district decided it would be best to ban all kinds of flags, banners, noisemakers, and "other objects" from football games. Why? Because the school didn't want people waving confederate flags.
The school obviously did not exercise viewpoint discrimination, which would require it to allow for some modes of expression conveying an approved message while prohibiting disfavored messages, but it is depriving its students and others in attendance from expressing their message and this is wrong. If someone decides to wave the confederate flag at a game, so be it. Let them. After all, "the answer to hate speech is more speech" or, as Mr. McMaster says, "engage it, decry it, discourage it, present a better alternative. That is the hard way, but it should be the American way."
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| The Edinburgh Fringe Festival |
| 08.19.05 (8:57 pm) [edit] |
By: Kirk Bage
Swank Home
kirk’s Home
The Edinburgh Fringe Festival is well into it's second week and I've not done badly this year in getting to see stuff despite the prohibitive ticket prices, largely aimed at rich American tourists. The highlight for me so far was comedian, Perrier award winner and genius Daniel Kitson's non-stand up show at The Traverse Theatre. Titled "Stories For The Wobbly Hearted", the ever charming and instantly lovable ball of hair and specs that is the man sauntered in to a full house and sat in a big comfy chair centre stage, surrounded by old lamps and record players, with a carpet complete with worn out patch where his feet go beneath him and a full wall projection behind him! A good start right there... He then proceeded at his own pace to beguile his audience with six very different tales of loneliness, unrequited love, rejection and shyness, with the underlying message that these things alone are not necessarily as tragic as we think they are - sometimes they are beautiful! And his writting, sparkling with wit, originality, simplicity and, above all, humanity demonstates this in such a way that it leaves you uplifted and full of optimism: you have been treated to an hour with a person whose view of the world is better than yours, and all you can do is applaud and say, Thanks, Dan... Punctuated by mini-films shown on the back wall projection and music from Punch Drunk Love by Jon Brion (perfect choice) all in all this has to be one of my favourite live shows of the last five years. So, it cost £15 to get a ticket, or 25p a minute, if you like, but you certainly get what you pay for, if, like me, you are indeed one of the wobbly hearted. Check out his site and try to see one of his shows - this is a performer destined to become a legend in his own teabreak.
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| A staggeringly brilliant followup idea |
| 08.19.05 (8:54 pm) [edit] |
Swank Home
Hoshkiw’s Home
By: Andrew Hoshkiw
I've got it. Instead of making more newspapers in Prince Rupert, what they should do is have completely online publications.
Think about it. The costs would be *much* lower. There'd be no printing, no shipping, no distribution expenses.
For staff, they could put out a really good, quality product with an editor, three reporters, a designer, three sales people and a couple admin people.
Rather than putting out a single issue once a week, they could update it with two or three new stories every day, plus constant news-briefs and calendar updates. That would keep people coming back every day.
They could even have discussion forums.
And it would be a better, less wasteful product. People who would want to read it could do so, and those who wouldn't want it would not have to put up with it being stuffed into their mailboxes every week.
Here's a really crazy idea. For the advertising, rather than the gaudy ads they're accustomed to now, they should strictly go with the Google style of text ads. It would look a lot more elegant and professional, and at the same time would greatly reduce production costs.
Of course, they'd have to, for a change, hire sales people who are literate.
The big drawback to this is that you can't claim everyone reads it. But honestly, that was never the reality. Sure, they claimed all 60,000 people in the region read it, but most people didn't even get it and a lot of those who did either threw it away or used it to line their litter boxes.
This whole idea I know will fall on deaf ears. But it's worth suggesting. Hell, it's even worth considering returning to Prince Rupert, finding a few good journalists, and trying to do it myself.
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| what i'll miss pt.1 |
| 08.19.05 (8:52 pm) [edit] |
By Rob Williams
Swank Home
Rob’s Home
This is the first in a mult-part series (well, how multi depends on how much time I have to blog) about what I'm going to miss in NYC/Brooklyn after Ted and I move to San Diego (Aug. 31).
Today I took this polaroid:
Yummy Taco is this greasy, grimy, cheap, sweaty taco shop run by these really nice Asian-Americans on Flatbush and Bergen in Brooklyn--about a block away from our apartment.
(Kind of like a low-rent Taco Bell, maybe even a lower-rent Taco Time).
The food only very slightly resembles Mexican--they do use tortillas--but I don't care. I love it. I love them.
I was going to take a picture inside of the cloudy fish tank they have on the counter next to the sizzling grill but I decided against it.
Yummy Taco-- you've been there for me (and even Ted, who likes the jack cheese and chicken quesadilla) after beer busts and after long days of writing (sometimes the same day as a beer bust) when I needed a salty, greasy fix. and for that I thank you.
By the way, Yummy Taco has their own WEBSITE!
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| Firebird |
| 08.19.05 (8:51 pm) [edit] |
By Rob Williams
Swank Home
Rob’s Home
Image from bookweb.kinokuniya.co
Wrote a new chapter of my novel today. Before today I was up to about 75 pages (but now I’m at 82!!) But then I went back, to about page 50 or so and wrote a new, short chapter. It takes place after the main character's father has a heart attack. This, remember, is a story taken from my collection (that I am now turning into a novel). In the original story the character never really deals with his father's heart attack--I mean he never says how it makes him feel, what he thinks about it, is he angry? Scared? Sad? Happy? And I've been called on that before. not that I don't think it was a good story, because it was-- and maybe it originally worked for the story having the character gloss over (he's the narrator) his true feelings, fears, insecurities, doubts, relief about his father's heart attack--after all, this character has trouble saying what he feels. (The theme of the story is communication, or lack thereof, with his exchange student, with his family, with himself.) but now that I'm turning it into a novel I have more room to express these things.
I now have the time to open up this character, or more specifically, to let him open up and express himself more. So that's what I did today. Only I did it as a dream. He has a dream the day after his father's heart attack. And I have to say, it was quite liberating even to write out his dream. Because dreams do say so much about a person. Dreams are mysterious and strange, and fun to try and decipher. Those who know my writing know that I'm not too abstract or experimental, and so this dream is also not too out there or experimental
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| Fred's name sake in Los Angeles... |
| 08.19.05 (8:48 pm) [edit] |
... not worth going out of the way for
By: Becks & Posh
Swank Home
Beck’s Home
Fred 62, 1850 N Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027, (323) 667-0062
When we were in LA the other weekend, we went for brunch at Fred 62 in Loz Feliz. It wasn't so much a predetermined choice, more the closest place to where my friend lives and she hadn't yet tried it. If you fancy a smoke and a drink, this isn't the place for you. Sit outside and you can smoke, but not drink any alcohol. Sit inside - and you can drink but, obviously, not smoke.
It was furiously hot for us delicate San Franciscans more used to Summers that look grey rather than blue so we ventured inside where we scored a comfy air-conditioned booth. As it turns out, the drinks menu was laughable. They made a big song and dance show (they had their own plastic stand-up menu) about their Soju cocktails so we each decided we'd try a Soju 'Mojito'.
Blech! They arrived in pint glasses, tasting of cheap, heavily sweetened lemonade with too much ice. They were undrinkable so we sent them back. The only other drink choices were beer and mimosas so we opted for those instead. If you want a 'real' drink at Fred 62, don't worry about where you sit, just bring a hip flask instead.
The menu was pages long. A typical 'diner' menu. I ordered eggs benedict, Fred had scrambled eggs and my friend had a tofu dish. All of it was unexceptional verging on inedible. My dish tasted particularly awful because they had used some kind of cheap tasting fat, which I suspect was animal-based margarine, to spread on the muffin before assembling the benedicts. Why anyone needs to add even more fat to this dish than is necessary, beats me. It was so bad I couldn't eat my English muffins. Me - not eating my muffins? Muffins are one of those things you can't go far wrong with. They are usually a safe choice, but Fred 62 managed to successfully mess them up.
Our waitress was lovely, charming and friendly. The staff wear cute little orange and green uniforms. They all look very stylish. I was taking some pictures inside, but this guy came rushing over with a horrified look on his face. "Why are you taking those pictures?" I just smiled sweetly and told him "I was just being a tourist". I was taking pictures of the diner, not the food, folks. Believe me, the food wasn't worth photographing. Anyway, I know that original American diners are sensitive about pictures of their interiors getting in to the wrong hands, so even though I have a nice selection, I will refrain from sharing them with you here.
PS This review was a 'First Impression'.
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| Old Friends - Book Review By Lezah |
| 08.19.05 (10:53 am) [edit] |
Old Friends
By Tracy Kidder
Swank Home
Tracy Kidder is the Pulitzer Prize winning author of ‘The Soul of a New Machine’, which sounds like it might be an interesting read today: written in 1982, the book chronicles the early days of computer development. Recently, I got a free copy of his 1993 book ‘Old Friends’; at 352 pages, this book started off slowly and wound down from there. But in spite of that, I kept reading – and I’m glad I did.
It turns out that Kidder specializes in a form of writing which employs something called ‘artifactual narrative techniques’, which basically means that he writes a form of non-fiction that has fiction-like elements to it – or vice versa. In the case of ‘Old Friends’, Kidder actually visited Linda Manor, a Massachusetts nursing home, every day for two years and came away with 89 spiral notebooks filled with observations. From that, Kidder then takes his information and composes a very linear story that is still episodic and fiction-like due to multiple characters and storylines.
The two most important characters in ‘Old Friends’ are a pair of roommates: 72 year old Joe is a stroke victim who was struck down early in life and has much to be resentful about, and the ever optimistic Lou, a 90 year old blind man who doesn’t let his age-related problems interfere with his appreciation of life. Knowing that their time is limited, the two men get to know each other and in spite of their advanced age, are still able to learn and grow from their interactions with each other.
Exploring the concepts of death, aging, and old folks’ homes may seem a little unpalatable to some, but Kidder deals frankly and unsentimentally with how these people live their lives. Some are dealing with failing bodies but still have active minds; others have minds that have decayed in advance of their bodies. Whatever the case, each situation is equally intriguing and thought provoking.
It made me think of my namesake and great-great aunt, who spent the last ten years of her life crippled by an increasingly debilitating case of Alzheimer’s; she lived in a home such as the one portrayed in this book. I remember also the poor old things whose bodies would no longer cooperate, but whose minds were still crisp and active; the lonely; the wanderers; the prematurely disabled, younger in body but relegated to life in an old folks’ home in order to give their families some respite.
Through his characters, Kidder explores the concepts of heaven and hell.
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| Diddy!!!????!!! |
| 08.19.05 (10:52 am) [edit] |
Swank Home
P. Diddy, Puff Daddy, Sean Coombs – the guy just can’t make up his mind, I guess. And yet again, he has decided to change his name, because “the world doesn’t know what to call me”. Geez, I wonder why?
Perhaps if I changed my name every couple of years, no one would know what to call me either – or then again, maybe they would: names like ’flake’ leap to mind…
So, world, get this: the guy’s name is Diddy now. Don’t forget it. Diddy
And by the way, Diddy: here’s a little something I once heard that you should think about – it goes like this: “What’s in a name? … a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”
Words to live by, don’t you think?
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| Canadian Content |
| 08.19.05 (10:51 am) [edit] |
Image from www.vancouverfringe.com
Swank Home
For some of you, Canadian content means one thing: a bunch of lame CBC-type productions that are forced on you by the powers that be at the CRTC. But I’m about to tell you about a different type of Canadian content – that’s Canadian Content, improv-style.
Yup, for all you improv lovers out there, there’s a great new show opening as part of the Vancouver Fringe Festival, starting Saturday, September 10 and running through to September 17. It’s called Canadian Content and as this show promises: “It’s about time ‘Canadian Content’ meant something good!”
This show is put on by the Canadian Comedy Award Nominees Urban Improv, and stars such notables as Ian Boothby (writer for ‘The Simpsons’ comics), Tober Berner, Chris Casillan, Nathan Clark, Penelope Corrin, Diana Frances, and Drew McCreadie. Many of the cast were involved in the roll-in-the-aisles funny Sword Play last year. And if you missed that…well, shame on you!
With tickets a mere $8 at the door - $10 in advance - this show is a must see. It’s playing at the Waterfront Theatre on Granville Island (1412 Cartwright Street). For more information, go to www.urbanimprov.ca or read Urban Improv’s amusing blog at www.urban-improv.blogspot.com. There, you’ll find their Reviewer Helper, which contains two pre-written reviews – one good, one bad – of a show that has yet to be performed – well worth a quick boo.
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| Highlights from the Great Alaskan Roadtrip - By Andrew Hoshkiw |
| 08.17.05 (12:11 pm) [edit] |
Swank Home
Andrew’s Home
Image from www.cedcc.psu.edu/
Anchorage: Nope, I didn't like it. I thought I would, but it was too "plain." I found it boring and nondescript. Too spread out, and too many big box scores and chain restaurants. I'm finding that, with this trend of big chain stores taking over, all big cities are beginning to look the same. They even seem to get laid-out , or in the very least expand, in the same way. I'm really beginning to find only very small places feel unique and interesting.
Fairbanks: Butt Ugly. Honestly, Fairbanks reminded me of some third world countries I've been to. It seemed a lot like Thailand, for instance. It was incredibly dirty, the buildings were run down, poverty seemed to be everywhere, it felt like every major street was a highway and the air was filled with the stink of exhaust and smoke. And, like Anchorage, too spread out, too many box stores, and on the whole, boring.
Weather: No rain. Alaska was very hot and humid. Anchorage was the only place that was clear; everywhere else was overcast. Not with clouds, but rather smoke from forest fires. North or Denali the smoke was so bad it hung over the road like a thick fog and made my eyes water. It most places the smoke was bad enough that I couldn't see the mountains and made it feel like I was driving on a flat prairie.
Denali: Mt. McKinley was nice, what I could see of it through the haze. I also hiked up a small mountain in the park. and was thoroughly exhausted from it.
Wildlife: Only saw animals on the final day. Five moose, six lynx, a rabbit, a beaver and a bald eagle.
The Driving: Too much, too long, too tiring. And too much smoke. Next time I'm going somewhere closer and camping for the weekend.
Music: Just before departing I did a very strange thing: I bought a CD. That's right, I paid for music. And from the local music store, no less, which costs more. Picked up the new Daniel Lanois, which I've been dreaming about ever since I saw him in concert here about a month ago. This incredibly long drive also gave me the chance to further explore the contents of my iPod. For some strange reason I found myself extensively listening to The Weakerthans.
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| Constitution Delay in Iraq - By The Political Heretic |
| 08.17.05 (12:08 pm) [edit] |
Some Thoughts On Gaza Strip Settlement Withdrawal
Image from www.theoaklandpress.com/
Swank Home
Heretic’s Home
Israeli troops began serving eviction notices to Israeli
in the Gaza Strip, a narrow strip of land bordering Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula and the Mediterranean Sea it seized after winning the 1968 Six-Day War. Israelis seized the Gaza Strip, West Bank, and Golan Heights after defeating its hostile neighbors to the northeast (Syria), West (Jordan) and Southwest (Egypt). They hoped these acquisitions would improve their security but occupation won them new enemies from the displaced Palestinians who lost their homeland.
Rival Palestinian groups are now claiming credit for the withdrawal. On Sunday Hamas representatives strung up a green banner saying “Resistance wins” and the Palestinian National Authority held a rally earlier on Friday. Neither group can legitimately claim full credit for planned Israeli withdrawal. Palestinian terrorist attacks failed to dislodge Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip and West Bank for almost 38 years and furthered the Israeli government’s resolve to find and try the terrorists who killed innocent civilians but it did undermine claims that such an occupation would allow the people to live secure and peaceful lives.
The Palestinian moderates who signed onto the Oslo accords have won some important political victories. The Palestinians have won autonomy in the Palestinian-populated areas of the West Bank and the withdrawal from Israeli settlements today end the Zionist dream for a “Greater Israel.” The withdrawal from the Gaza Strip provides a new precedent which can be followed later in the West Bank should the Palestinians prove themselves to be worthy negotiating partners.
But the moderates’ own role in winning this withdrawal depended in part on their more radical terrorists’ rebellion. If no one was willing to kill innocent Israeli citizens, Prime Minister Sharon and his predecessors probably would not have agreed to bargain in the first place.
Much too, can be said for the Israel’s improved relations with its neighbors. The Jordanians and Egyptians have made their peace with the Israelis. Israel returned the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt, and has increased its trading relationship with the Jordanians. The Syrians have all but conceded Israel’s right to exist and only insist upon the return of the Golan Heights before it makes its peace with them and it is losing its hold over puppet state Lebanon.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had every reason to believe he could relinquish control over the Gaza Strip. Mr. Sharon knows that the occupation has outlived its usefulness now that Egypt and Jordan have made their peace with the Israelis. Combine that with Palestinian terrorist attacks and the moderates’ promise to achieve their coveted independence; Israelis were losing more than they gained by holding onto the Gaza Strip.
The Palestinians are worried about the future
. They are not sure if the withdrawal is for real or if the Israelis would re-occupy the territory if Hamas launched further attacks upon Israeli citizens in Israel proper. The Palestinians have no confidence in their own government’s ability to provide for their security and economic needs. The Gaza Strip has no resources to speak of, requiring it to rely on tourism. Private organizations have raised money to preserve the green houses so they could raise some of their own food and sustain a living not totally dependent upon Israel proper.
But the Palestinian authority has little to show for itself yet. Israeli leaders trust President Mahmoud Abbas more than Yasser Arafat but he still has yet to prove himself. To date he keeps the peace by negotiating with the terrorists but has not yet asserted his authority as the true representative for the Palestinian people. Mr. Abbas will have to challenge Hamas, and arrest those conspire with suicide bombers if he is going to maintain his working relationship with the Israeli administration. The government will not remove its settlers in the West Bank and risk further alienation if it gets no peace in return.
With the Israelis gone, Mr. Abbas will have only himself and Hamas to blame for Gaza Strip’s difficulties. He would do his party and his cause well by focusing on his people’s economic needs. If he gives his people a future to look forward to and cuts terrorist attacks, Israelis may agree to relinquish some more settlements in the West Bank.
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| Constitution Delay in Iraq - By The Political Heretic |
| 08.17.05 (12:07 pm) [edit] |
Swank Home
Heretic’s Home
image from www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/iraq
Leading negotiators for the three major factions involved in writing Iraq’s constitution failed to reach an agreement and submit a draft on schedule. The United States pressed the leaders to reach an agreement by the Monday, August 15 deadline but the differences were too fundamental to paper over, forcing the National Assembly to either dissolve itself and call for new elections or extend its deadline by seven days.
President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice tried to downplay the major setback by suggesting that negotiators have made substantial progress through the peaceful, democratic process but the differences are so fundamental that such progress seems to be elusive. The Kurds are not only insisting upon autonomy and control over the Kirkuk oil fields, and a secular state, but also the right to secede from Iraq should it choose to and the Shi’ites have now insisted upon similar demands for autonomy and oil field revenue control while pushing for a near-theocratic Islamic state.. Lacking oil revenues and militia of their own, the Sunnis insist upon a strong national government which could provide for them.
The disputes over federalism and religion in a new Iraq were expected but the American administration hoped that the leading factions would make some progress on these difficult questions. Apparently they did not.
Iraq’s Kurds don’t share our vision for a democratic, Iraq with a strong centralized government in Baghdad. Saddam Hussein brutally suppressed a Kurdish-led rebellion after his army was pushed out of Kuwait. They were pushed out of the Kirkuk region but created their own parallel administrative institutions in the protected zone in the north. The Shi’ites were also brutally repressed and now seek autonomy and the oil reserves in the south.
Our national interests will be undermined if the Kurds and Shi’ites succeed, for the Iraqi vision they share will fundamentally deprive any centralized government from the very revenues it will need to maintain an army and control its borders, and the coercive force needed to bound the three main ethnic groups together. The Shi’ite-controlled region will develop closer ties with the anti-American regime governing Iran while the Kurdish-controlled north will encourage Kurdish rebellions in Syria, Iran and Turkey, an important strategic ally of ours in southwest Asia. The free-for-all that will follow will only help the terrorists who could then transport weapons between Pakistan and Lebanon.
What the Bush administration can do is questionable. We allied ourselves with groups that do not share in our vision for stability in the Middle East in order to depose a regime that at one time opposed us. Now Saddam Hussein is deposed and the winners have every opportunity to fight for their competing visions which Hussein denied to them. The Kurds will push for independence and the Shi’ites for control over the remaining oil reserves in the south leaving the Sunnis with a resource-deprived region in the center which will be forced to rely upon the Shi’ites and Kurds for their energy needs.
For some of us who supported this war, this is indeed a bitter pill to swallow. We knew that Saddam Hussein was “detained.” He invaded two countries in violation of international norms but the first ended in stale-mate and the second ended with his troops being pushed out of Kuwait..
We correctly ignored arguments using that information to oppose warfare because Saddam Hussein’s political calculations were unpredictable. He ordered his military to fire on the American fighter jets that entered Iraqi air space and he defied United Nation orders to allow for unfettered access for weapons inspections, first by kicking them out and then by at first refusing to admit its inspectors back in. Given his willingness to fire on American and British aircraft, we thought he would have no problem selling or giving his chemical and biological weapons to some terrorists who would strike us, and avenge himself for his failure in Kuwait.
But our intelligence information was wrong. Whether Mr. Hussein knew it or not, his chemical and biological weapons programs were either dismantled or sold before we could prevent our enemies from acquiring them. The Kurds and Shi’ites certainly gained a lot from Saddam Hussein’s demise, but this blogger is beginning to think that we did not and in fact, may have lost more than we have gained by this endeavor
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| Mike's Musings - End of a Friend |
| 08.17.05 (12:05 pm) [edit] |
Swank Home
Mike’s Home
Bone Jovi is dead.
"What did he die of?" you may ask.
The short answer is that he died because I loved him too much.
See, we had a party here a few weeks ago, and during such an event I’m always concerned that someone's going to knock his bowl over or pour booze in there or tap on the glass really really hard and make him deaf or whatever.
So, to protect him, I put him and his bowl in the bottom cupboard by the kitchen sink. It's dark, but at least no one could bother him.
No one at all.
Not even me.
Not even to feed him.
Out of sight, out of mind.
For two weeks.
Am I a bad person?
Yes. I most certainly am.
But I'm a bad person with valid excuses.
I've been so terribly distracted lately.
What with the microwave and fridge breaking down, and work, and Project Secret Radio, and those parties, and you people always clamoring for more more more.
The bottom line is he's gone and we all have to deal.
Do I miss him?
Not really. But still.
I want you all to know you played a role in his death.
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| Halo 2 - By Kirk |
| 08.17.05 (12:04 pm) [edit] |
Swank Home
Kirk’s Home
The latest addition to my toolbox of gadgets designed to waste more time over the last two months has been an Xbox. I tried to hold out for as long as I could, realizing the full implications and dangers of such a device, preferring to do my gaming on the PC since abandoning the original Playstation about 18 months ago, but the allure was too strong! Not only are the games way in advance of anything I've had on the PC or the Playstation, but the novelty appeal of Xbox live (putting on a headset and talking to someone in Brazil whilst kicking the shit out of their onscreen alter-ego) is irresistible. I know I'm way behind the times - the new Xbox 360 is due out at Christmas - but to me this is new stuff, and I like it!!! My delay has also given me a chance to see which games have had the most longevity and make wise choices in the software market. Which leads me to Halo 2... Oh my God, what a game! Storyline, graphics, playability and addictiveness are all there in spades, and when your controller vibrates as some alien elite creeps up on you and tries to break your neck, believe me, it is time for new pants...! I am on the verge of devoting endless hours to this, I can tell - it is just so absorbing: the closet yet to a first hand experience in a movie that you are the star of that I've seen a console game achieve. What little sunlight still reaches Scotland this time of year will have to take a backseat; bring on the thumb-plasters!
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| The Island - Movie Review by Kirk Bage |
| 08.17.05 (12:03 pm) [edit] |
In a Summer of films I have largely enjoyed, namely Batman Begins, War of the Worlds and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, director of The Rock, Armageddon and the risible Pearl Harbor, Michael Bay, delivers a high-gloss sci-fi tale that from the trailer promised much. Bay is good at what he does when allowed to do it freely, i.e. make things look pretty and then go boom! So from the start I never expected the subject of cloning to be dealt with with either sophistication or intelligence, and I'm glad, because with a plot this full of holes, expecting something cerebral would have resulted in big letdown. However, pretty it is, and with two highly charismatic leads in McGregor and Johannson, all you have to do is accept the cheese quotient and enjoy the ride. A dozen memorable moments and set pieces later and you still find yourself caring what happens (always a good sign...), despite plot twists being sign posted a mile away and some dialogue that even Arnie would be ashamed of. As a popcorn muncher I can highly recommend this - it's cool, it's fast, the production design is great and you get your happy ending... and that's what Summer movies are for. 7/10
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| No Cute Rituals |
| 08.17.05 (12:01 pm) [edit] |
By Rob Williams
image from www.usemenow.com
Swank Home
Rob’s Home
JSF, at the end of
with Guernica--
Question: Do you have any rituals, processes or superstitions that keep your writing life productive?
JSF: No. I mean, I guess I write in different places. I like to write at cafes or the public library, because that keeps things fresh, I guess. But that's it, nothing more cute than that.
Hmmm. I haven't seen JSF at the public library as of yet. Maybe I'll see him when I'm there today looking over the 75 pages of my short-story-collection-tu rned-novel-that-iIm-suppo sed-to-be-sending-my-agen t-yesterday.
Yes. 75 pages. I'm going today to read it over. I was trying for 100 pages, but between getting married
, packing for moving to San Diego, stressing over money, saying goodbye to friends, and beer busts
, I could only come up with 75-- so if anything comes to me today I’ll try to write it out, but I have to send it to the agent. She's about ready to have her baby and I want the first thing she reads to the little peanut to be my masterpiece!
Just kidding.
By the way, I can't write in coffee shops. What's wrong with me? I just can't concentrate.
And there are numerous coffee shops I could write in here in Brooklyn but I’ve tried it.
I spend too much time people watching or feeling self conscious about being there with my computer, or I feel nervous about getting up and getting something while leaving my precious little Dell alone.
I dunno. coffee shops just don't work for me.
Oh, and i'm thinking of changing my blog's name to: WWJSFD?
Just kidding again.
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| Saint Benoît - a Wonderful Local Product |
| 08.17.05 (11:59 am) [edit] |
The Creamiest Yoghurt Ever?
Swank Home
Posh’s Home
Until this month I was a Total Greek Yoghurt fanatic. I was particularly fond of the 0% fat version (only 80 calories a cup) and didn't feel comfortable whenever the supply in my fridge was dwindling. Yoghurt made in Greece, however, does not fit in with the Eat Local Challenge, so I determined to try and find a suitable local alternative.
French-run Saint Benoît,
which I discovered at the San Francisco Ferry Building Farmers' Market could not fit the model of eating local, sustainable food more perfectly:
"We hope to let our customers appreciate a simple locally produced food that embodies the qualities of the soil and ecology it comes from, as well as craftsmanship involved in its making."
Saint Benoît celebrate 'terroir'.
The yogurts are made in small batches on a farm in Bodega on the Sonoma coast. The creamy, jersey milk travels less than 2 miles from the farm to the kitchen, and is immediately turned into yogurt.
Saint Benoît support 'sustainability'.
They use recyclable, returnable containers. I love this idea! The plain yoghurt costs a whopping $3.25 a pot, but when you return the pot you get $1.25 back. Suddenly, the yoghurt is cheaper than Total Greek Yoghurt. You also have a little smug feeling because you haven't thrown away any packaging. Saint Benoît also believe in cleaner transportation and use a Compressed Natural Gas vehicle for their yogurt business.
That a small, local company has built itself around such an admirable set of principals is heart-warming. The yoghurt tastes absolutely delicious too. How many other yoghurts have you tried that have a layer of yellow cream bits on the surface? I could almost pretend I am eating clotted cream. Maybe it's not 0% fat, but Saint Benoît is delicious all the same. I just eat half the amount a day, to keep the calories down. If you live in the Bay Area, check out stocklists here.
PS. If you want to thicken your Saint Benoît yoghurt, so it is more like Greek Yoghurt, then just strain it overnight through a muslin cloth. Yoghurt is about 50% water so its volume will reduce by about a half if you take this step.
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| A New Kind of Partying |
| 08.16.05 (1:12 pm) [edit] |
Swank Home
Turns out there’s a new kind of partying that is becoming increasingly popular down in Los Angeles – the mystery location party.
What happens is this: people meet in an appointed spot, usually a large parking lot somewhere, and assemble; a group of vans pull in and everyone loads up; people are then driven out to the mystery location, which usually ends up being a mansion in the Hollywood Hills somewhere, and then the party is on.
A company called Sunset Locations has been doing a lot of these parties, and I guess the big twist here is that the person who owns the site is not actually the party host; rather, Sunset Locations scouts for places and then ‘rents’ these houses out for up to $30,000 per night.
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| Twilight Drive-in – Opening Delayed Again |
| 08.16.05 (1:11 pm) [edit] |
Image from www.wolseley.ca/
It’s so hard to watch someone who has a passion for something trying to do what he or she loves, and being foiled at every turn. It’s made worse when what is being done is something that would provide happiness and entertainment to the community, too, and it’s not just a solitary or self-satisfying sort of dream.
Such is the case with the owner of the (hopefully) soon to be opened Twilight Drive-In in Aldergrove, BC. After being forced out of his previous location, the Hilltop Drive-In in Cloverdale due to our current housing boom, the owner was determined to keep the Lower Mainland’s one remaining drive-in movie theatre operational.
Now, taking things like the fickleness of audiences, seasonal weather, and many other variables into account, I’m pretty sure that this guy is not raking in the dough running this business – but it’s his passion, a labour of love. So, after searching far and wide he eventually discovered property in Aldergrove. And that’s when the problems started: first it was zoning concerns from the council; next the neighbours were complaining; after that we had unseasonably (even for us!) wet weather that delayed construction; then the screen collapsed as they were erecting it; and finally, insurance payouts were delayed following the screen collapsing.
But, after a projected spring opening that was pushed back to an early summer opening that was delayed to a BC Day grand opening, what do we get but more problems, this time in the form of complications from a telephone strike. It turns out that due to job action, there has been yet another delay in the opening of the theatre, as phone lines have to be moved before the final work can be completed on the electrical lines. Right now, we are looking at a projected Labour Day opening.
It never rains, but it pours, as they say. And in the drive-in movie business, that’s not the kind of reports you want to hear…
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| Smallville |
| 08.16.05 (1:09 pm) [edit] |
Now, I’ve watched the odd episode of Smallville (or, more correctly, portion of an episode) as I’ve been idly flicking channels on a not-so-exciting evening; however, all that is about to change soon.
Coming this fall, a new cast member is joining the show for the fifth season. Yes, the rumours are true: James Marsters, who plays the oh-so luscious ‘Spike’ on my own personal guilty pleasure, ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’, has been exceedingly well cast as Professor Milton Fine, or Braniac. Now who else out there in Hollywood-land can play smart and deadly with the same panache, I ask you? No one, I tell you! Marsters is indeed the man.
Marsters’ website promises that he will appear in at least ten episodes this season, and it also fills us in on some of his other activities: in case you were unaware, James is an accomplished musician who has a new solo album out. He will be appearing in London, performing some concerts and doing a piece of one-man theatre from Oct. 28-30. For more information, go to www.jamesmarsterslive.ca.
So, between now and the start of the fall season, I think I might indulge in a bit of horseback riding. You see, they film Smallville about a mile down the road from where I keep my horse – so maybe you’ll be able to see me in the background of some shots (that’ll be me on a black horse) – and, more importantly, maybe I’ll be able to catch a glimpse of Spike, errr, I mean James. One can dream…
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| Wedding Crashers |
| 08.16.05 (1:08 pm) [edit] |
Swank Home
The other night we were heading into town to catch the last of the free ‘Concert in the Park’ series offered by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra when we encountered a horrendous traffic jam. After sitting in it for about 15 minutes - and making very little headway - we decided to abandon ship and jumped off the freeway at the next exit. Fortuitously, the exit we chose just happened to be the one on which the huge multiplex cinema is standing, and even better, I had a purse full of two-for-one movie tickets. Synchronicity!
Anyway, there were a few things playing that we debated over, but ultimately we decided on seeing what has been called this summer’s comedy blockbuster, ‘Wedding Crashers’. When you think of it, how can you go wrong with a team like Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson? You can’t!
Now, this movie isn’t for everyone – rated R in the States and 14A in Canada, it’s certainly a movie that ain’t for kids or the uptight and crotchety - but that’s not you, of course. If you like your humour unabashedly bawdy, crude and debauched; if you revel in bad taste and don’t mind the occasional bare breast flashed at you, well, this is probably the movie for you.
Now, the comedic pairing of the brilliant Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn, who specializes in his own unique brand of rapid-fire delivery, is long overdue. They play two long-time friends who are employed as divorce mediators and who spend their free-time crashing weddings in order to partake in both the festivities and the favours of the female guests. Working under a set of rules handed down from a legendary swinger, the two pose as obscure relatives of the bride (or groom) to gain admittance and acceptance. They view women as prey, and follow the rules religiously – until the day they attend the wedding of the century.
There they are brought into the fold of a strange and dysfunctional Kennedy-esque family headed by Christopher Walken. In this role, unfortunately, Walken’s quirky weirdness is largely untapped but he still gives a great performance. From this point the film shifts from male-oriented sex fantasy to chick flick, but it works – somehow, it works.
Also starring Rachel McAdams with a brilliant cameo from Will Ferrell. Directed by David Dobkin, this movie is playing in theatres near you now.
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| Mike’ Musings - Take Your Non-Themed Party and Shove it |
| 08.15.05 (1:27 pm) [edit] |
Swank Home
Mike’s Home
Hot damn.
That was without a doubt the sexiest, drunkiest cowboy/cowgirl/gangster themed party of the season.
Proof again that all you have to do is throw some fun hats into the equation to make the night a memorable one.
It's too bad the coppers had to bust it up so early.
But, as Churchill said, "It's all good."
I needed a reason to drink in the park anyway.
(has anyone seen my cap gun?)
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| Mike’ Musings - Tiny Lightning |
| 08.15.05 (1:25 pm) [edit] |
Swank Home
Mike’s Home
So there I am, heating up my hour-old coffee in the microwave before trotting up to work, when I hear an odd 'buzzing' sound.
It wasn't quite a 'waspy' buzz or a 'someone mowing their lawn down the street' buzz... it was a little off.
While I was mentally investigating this audio mystery my eye picked up some wild flashing in the peripheral field, which seemed to be coming from my once trusted microwave.
So I flicked off the kitchen light, and sure enough, there was a tiny lightning storm pouring out from the bottom part of the microwave door and onto the counter.
I've seen lightning 'inside' the microwave many times, like when I put CDs in there, but seeing it escape the confines of the appliance is a bit unsettling.
This microwave is only four years old, and I find it bizarre that it suddenly decided to release random bursts of energy.
There must be a breach in the door mechanism.
When I finally opened it there were scorch marks and the distinct smell of burning equipment.
This did not affect the taste of my coffee.
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| Mike’ Musings - Steakermeister! |
| 08.15.05 (1:24 pm) [edit] |
Mr. Chad and I have theorized a way to make food more fun, more delicious, and more dangerous, all at the same time.
Think Jagermeister.
But don't think of Jagermeister as just a time-bending, memory-eroding, logic-devouring liquor.
Think of it as a tasty marinade.
I believe that Jager's unique, 56 herb-infused flavor would lend itself well to many dishes.
Like wild salmon with caramelized Jager sauce.
Ginger and Jager chicken (with lemon!)
Jagerberry sherbet.
Fettuccine Jagfredo.
The list goes on.
So be creative. be adventurous.
Impregnate your gut-sack with my dirty little Jager-babies.
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| "Wasteland... The Comeback!" |
| 08.13.05 (11:04 pm) [edit] |
Submitted by Kirk
Swank Home
Kirk’s Home
Bless me, Elvis, it has been eleven weeks since my last blog entry... Hey, hey, I'm back! It may not be 1968 alas, nor am I The King, but this surely marks the biggest comeback since that famous time in Memphis.
Last time you heard from me was shortly after the UK elections in May and shortly before the dramatic climax of the 2004/05 premiership season and Boro's highest ever finish to gain automatic inclusion in the Uefa cup (hurray!!!) - my excuse is that I had a real job (well, some acting) to get on with for a bit, but now I'm back in the dole queue and with today being the first day of a brand new premiership season I thought it was the perfect opportunity to re-ignite The Wasteland to once again comment on the best pop culture has to offer, as the nights draw in and we head towards another long Winter. I've thought long and hard... well, for a reasonable amount of time, somewhere between mild enthusiasm and total apathy... about a few changes:
Firstly, I think it best, looking back over old entries, to restrict my passionate commentaries on the fortunes of MFC to moments of exceptional achievement or failure, and not to include an entry for them for each game - I may, however, comment more on the state of the premiership season generally if it seems appropriate.
Secondly, I may toy with the idea of devoting certain days of the week to certain topics - Monday is movie day, Friday is for music, Sunday is for sport, etc. As always, comments are very welcome, as are any suggestions for improvements and / or requests on stuff to take a look at. So, let's get back to it and see where it all leads...
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| Soccer/football Scotland's Match of the Day |
| 08.13.05 (11:02 pm) [edit] |
Submitted by Kirk
Gary Lineker returns in the chair for a new season and a bit of a facelift again for Britain's favourite football show. So, yeah, I promise less football with one hand and then deliver my first proper new post on that very subject. Well, no apologies really, as there are few days in a sport-lover's calendar more exciting than the first day of a new season.
Man Utd and Wayne Rooney stole the headlines, perhaps, beating Champion's League hopefuls Everton 2-0, but there was lots more to cheer: with promotion play-off winners West Ham getting off to a superb start, coming from behind to beat Blackburn 3-1 and Spurs also getting off to an excellent start with a 2-0 away win over Portsmouth. As for my beloved Boro, they played host to the recently crowned champions of Europe and the ever intimidating Steven Gerrard as they struggled to a 0-0 draw - Ugo Egiogu was sent off with 20 minutes to go and it was backs to the wall after that, so a decent point, all things considered... as for the highlights show in question - well, it beats forking out for Sky plus, and despite the irritating banter between regulars Alan Hansen and Mark Lawrensen, is still miles ahead of anything ITV or, ahem, channel Five can offer. The furniture might be new, but the format is more or less the same and that's how we like it; Motty is still there in snow, rain or or shine and that's good enough for me. Just hope I can win some tickets in the goal of the month competitions this year - it's been ages since I managed a live match anywhere - tut, call yourself a fan! Come on Boro. Kx
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| The Return of Hans by Laurence Simon |
| 08.12.05 (9:53 pm) [edit] |
Swank Home
Laurence's’s Home
The challenge was to use the word lips and I got a little loose with .the theme
Hans the Angry Dutchman is a recurring character in all my old stories. He hates tulips. He despises his neighbors. His windmill turns counter-clockwise where everybody else's turns clockwise. He steals signage from foreign lands ("Welcome to New Jersey") and props it up on the public roads of his village.
It's not easy trying to fit Hans into a 100 word story, but I think I managed.
Hans will be on the podcast soon enough. And I'm sure he'll be back.
As for Mustard Man, let's just say I'm not pleased with the dozen or so stories I've written up for him after the last one. My view of Mustard Man has been infected with thoughts of Harvey Birdman, and that's just wrong.
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| T-Shirt Freak Strikes Again |
| 08.12.05 (9:41 pm) [edit] |
Submitted by Rob Williams
Swank Home
Rob's Home
Why oh why, when I'm totally struggling and strapped financially (because Ted and I are about to move to San Diego)-- do I have this impulse to buy something?!
I’m talking about this shirt: 
It's from karmaloop
-- a fabulous website featuring the coolest clothes (especially t-shirts) for men and women. this t-shirt is a tribute to openly gay Judas Priest rocker Rob Halford-- but, as you may also know, it is my name too! (And, as you may know from my previous blogs--i'm a t-shirt freak!)It's $15.40.
Anyway, I'm so tempted to buy it from karmaloop --because now it's on sale-- and if you sign up for their email newsletter you get $10 off your purchase. so that would make the shirt about $5.40 (not including postage and handling).
Even the girls clothes are hot. Why is it that girls/women always have better selections than men? I've noticed this often-- at Old Navy, or Urban Outfitters-- the women have much more of a selection of the cool and groovy clothes, slinky outfits, great colors and patterns, while the men (especially at Old Navy--where I can never find anything for me) are relegated to Frat-boy fashions.
I'm serious.
Come on, you have to admit it: you're out shopping at Navy, or Urban, or the Gap or Banana (actually the Gap is getting so boring now, huh?), and you look at the rows of kakhis and thick-striped polos in green and red in the men's section and then you look over in the girl's section and there is shit like the above 'off the shoulder' shirt, or cool jackets, or tube tops. Why don't mens' clothes designers (ESPECIALLY AT OLD NAVY AND GAP AND BANANA REPUB) try to be a little more inventive, creative, risky, hell, even fun?
That's why I’m forced to look online for clothes, because online stores like karmaloop and asos
and guyshops/girlshops.com offer more unique and less cookiecutter fashions.
Damn, I sound like such a gay don't I?
I can't help it. I've always been a fashionista-- as evident in this photo of me
(Oh, wait. i think my mom made that shirt for me-- but I did pick out the necklace...)
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| Simple Music for Complicated People |
| 08.12.05 (4:37 pm) [edit] |
Submitted by Mike
Swank Home
Mike’s Home
Here is the new as-yet-untitled summer project:
Make a series of mixtapes and scatter them in completely random places throughout the city. Places like park benches, under chairs in coffee shops, next to trees, taped to dogs, by the sink in the ladies washroom, etc., etc.
Each tape will have a different cover and contain an email address scrawled somewhere inside for tracking purposes. Each tape will also contain a small note that will read something like: "Take me home, listen to me. If you like me, keep me. Make copies for your friends and lovers. Play me at parties and in your car. If you don't like me, please put me back on the street for someone else to find."
The tapes will not, however, contain a tracklist of the songs within. By doing this people will actually have to listen to the whole tape to find out exactly what's on it. If they do want the tracklist all they have to do is send a quick email, and said list will be soon forthcoming.
My goal is to see how far these tapes can actually travel, how many copies will be made and how many people actually get to hear them and hopefully enjoy them.
The first trial tapes are nearly completed and will be distributed over the coming weekend.
My greatest hope is that people enjoy the tapes so much and on so many levels that they keep them close, like on their bedside table. Then, hopefully, the tiny cameras inserted inside each tape will be able to film people having sex.
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| Emergency or not? |
| 08.12.05 (4:35 pm) [edit] |
Submitted by Sashi
Just saw this news item on Bernama
:
Haze Worsens, API Above 500 In Two Areas
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 11 (Bernama) — The Air Pollutant Index (API) in several areas in Klang Valley have worsened markedly Thursday with readings above 500, classified as “hazardous” to health.
However, Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek said the decision on whether to declare an emergency, will be made by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak as Chairman of the National Disaster and Relief Management Committee.
As at 6 am today, Port Klang recorded an API reading of 534 while Kuala Selangor, the level had breached 510, he told reporters after attending a meet-the-people session with the Chinese community here today.
However, he said the API reading in Kuala Selangor at 11 am had risen to 531 while in Port Klang, the level had fallen to 529.
However, he said following this development, the ministry was waiting for further advice from the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office on the next move.
A few bloggers on PPS point out that foreign news agencies are reporting that we have declared ‘a state of emergency’ (see BBC, Channelnewsasia, Forbes).
So what is it, dear elected representatives of the Malaysian people? Are we in a state of emergency or not?!!
UPDATE: OK. So it is an official emergency
now - for Port Klang and Kuala Selangor, anyway. If the status-*cough*-quo remains, it’s gonna be a state of emergency for the rest of us too… (Thanks, Papi, for the pointer!)
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| What’s the Weather? |
| 08.12.05 (4:09 pm) [edit] |
Swank Home
David Lynch. Ah, now there’s a director whose films evoke some strong memories in me – like seeing ‘Blue Velvet’ in an old Glasgow theatre, complete with long velvet curtains, and then getting lost and wandering around town during the dead of night trying to find my hotel, or visiting North Bend, Washington, where they filmed the freaky TV show ‘Twin Peaks’, or watching ‘Eraserhead’ on video and getting the feeling that I’m barely, barely keeping my head above water…
Well, it turns out that the king of the kinky, cool and nerdy has his own website and you can log in, join up (it is, unfortunately, user-pay) – and he’ll do a weather report for you. There are also a few more things of interest on the site, so if you’ve got a few spare bucks in your pocket, give it a shot – with Lynch, you never know what you’ll get.
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| “Why White Kids Love Hip Hop” |
| 08.12.05 (4:08 pm) [edit] |
Swank Home
image from http://www.see.umd.edu
Bakari Kitwana knows his hip-hop. He is the hip-hop consultant for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland; wrote the definitive books on hip-hop, “The Rap on Gangsta Rap” and “The Hip-Hop Generation”; was the executive editor of The Source; lectures at universities around the country on both black culture and hip-hop; and recently wrote a book that looks at the absorption of hip-hop into mainstream culture, “Why White Kids Love Hip Hop: Wanksters, Wiggers, Wannabes and the New Reality of Race in America”.
Kitwana claims that hip-hop is responsible for white youth “processing race differently”, which as a result is affecting a certain amount of social change, similar to what happened during both abolition and the civil rights movement of the 1960s.
Kitwana was initially inspired to look further into his book’s concept as a result of a quote from Northeastern University’s Professor Murray Foreman, who stated in his book “The Hood Comes First” that “the real test of white kids in hip-hop is what happens when the white kids growing up on hip-hop become police in black communities.”
Kitwana has been on a book tour this summer, and spoke at the University Book Store in Seattle last month.
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| Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts |
| 08.12.05 (4:07 pm) [edit] |
Swank Home
The Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts is taking place at the Rockwood Centre in funky Sechelt, BC from August 11 to 14th.
Reading from their work will be such authors as Erika Ritter, M.G. Vassanji and elite chef Karen Barnaby.
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| Booker Longlist Announced |
| 08.12.05 (4:06 pm) [edit] |
Swank Home
image from news.bbc.co.uk
The longlist for the Man Booker Prize for fiction was announced August 10 in London. The Observer stated that 2005 is the “richest year for contemporary British and Commonwealth fiction since the launch of the Booker Prize in 1969”. This year, 17 books were chosen from 109 entries. The winner will receive a prize of 50,000 pounds sterling (about $120,000 Canadian); the six shortlisted authors will receive 2,500 pounds each.
In order to qualify for the Booker prize, the author must be a citizen of Great Britain or the Commonwealth, and have written a book within the past year. Books are nominated by the publisher and each publisher may nominate two books per year. The exception to this is previous Booker winners and authors who have been shortlisted within the last ten years; they can nominate themselves.
The 2005 longlist is as follows:
Aw, Tash The Harmony Silk Factory
Banville, John The Sea
Barnes, Julian Arthur & George
Barry, Sebastian A Long Long Way
Coetzee, J. M. Slow Man
Cusk, Rachel In the Fold
Ishiguro, Kazuo Never Let Me Go
Jacobson, Dan All For Love
Lewycka, Marina A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian
Mantel, Hilary Beyond Black
McEwan, Ian Saturday
Meek, James The People’s Act of Love
Rushdie, Salman Shalimar The Clown
Smith, Ali The Accidental
Smith, Zadie On Beauty
Thompson, Harry This Thing Of Darkness
Wall, William This Is The Country
The above will be narrowed down to a shortlist on Thursday, September 8, and the winner will be announced Monday, October 10 at Guildhall, London; a live broadcast will be aired on both BBC TWO and BBC FOUR.
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| Jeannes Bakery (Winnipeg) |
| 08.12.05 (4:04 pm) [edit] |
Swank Home
What do J-Lo, Queen Elizabeth and Winnipeg all have in common, you ask? Why, Jeanne’s Bakery, of course!
Jeanne’s Bakery has been a Winnipeg institution since the 1950s, and their cakes are popular with many, many people – including the aforementioned illustrious ladies.
Specifically, the Jeanne Cake, a log-style cake (in four flavours: vanilla, chocolate, marble and banana) complete with shortbread crust, real-butter icing and a topping of chocolate shavings (Belgian, of course). It’s so popular that there used to be an outlet store at the local airport. Now, of course, you can shop on-line and the cakes will be shipped to you direct, or, if you’re in the Calgary area, you can find them at Family Foods.
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| Winning Wines |
| 08.12.05 (4:03 pm) [edit] |
Swank Home
image from www.ltgov.bc.ca/images/BCWine
Recently, local BC wines were subject to great scrutiny at the third annual competition to determine the winners of the BC wine industry awards. Sponsored by the Government House Foundation, entrants must be made from 100 percent BC grown grapes.
Winning wines were as follows:
- Hawthorne Mountain Vineyards 2003 See ya Later Ranch Brut
- Summerhill Pyramid Winery 2004 Ehrenfelser
- Cedar Creek Estate 2003 Platinum Reserve Chardonnay
- Wild Goose Vineyards 2004 God’s Mountain Riesling
- Domaine de Chaberton 2004 Gewurztraminer
- Jackson-Trigg 2002 Proprietors’ Grand Reserve Shiraz
- Burrowing Owl 2003 Syrah
- Sandhill Small Lots 2003 Syrah Phantom Creek Vineyard
- Poplar Grove 2002 Benchmark Cabernet Franc
- Cedar Creek Estate 2002 Platinum Reserve Meritage
Coming up soon is the Okanagan Wine Festivals Society Fall 2005 event, which will be running from September 30 to October 8. Expect not only an eclectic mix of people, but also a mix of education, seminars and tastings. Results of their Spring Wine Festival were:
- Chardonnay: Golden Mile Cellars 2003 Chardonnay
- Riesling: Wild Goose Vineyards 2004 Riesling
- Pinot Noir: Quails’ Gate 2003 Limited Release Pinot Noir
- Open Table Red: Jackson-Triggs 2002 Prop. Grand Reserve Cab. Sauvignon Shiraz
- Cabernet Franc: Sumac Ridge 2002 Black Sage Vineyard Cabernet Franc
- Sparkling: Summerhill Pyramid Winery N. V.
- Open Table Wine: Wild Goose Vineyards 2004 Autumn Gold
- Pinot Gris: Wild Goose Vineyards 2004 Pinot Gris
- Syrah/Shiraz: Jackson-Triggs 2003 Proprietors’ Reserve Shiraz
- Red Meritage Blends: Jackson-Triggs 2002 Prop. Grand Reserve Red Meritage
- Pinot Blanc: Sumac Ridge 2003 Black Sage Vineyard Pinot Blanc
- White Meritage Blends and Varietals: Sumac Ridge 2003 Meritage (2003)
- Gewurztraminer: Wild Goose Vineyards 2004 Gewurztraminer
- Blush/Rose: Arrowleaf Cellars 2004 Red Feather
- Merlot: Quails’ Gate Estate Winery 2002 Family Reserve Merlot
- Cabernet Sauvignon: Jackson-Triggs 2002 Prop. Grand Reserve Cab. Sauvignon
- Late Harvest and Desserts: Arrowleaf Cellars Vidal Select Late Harvest
- Icewine: Inniskillin Okanagan 2003 Riesling Icewine Dark Horse Vineyard
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| Artist Trading Cards |
| 08.12.05 (4:02 pm) [edit] |
image from www.countryarts.org
Swank Home
On August 10th I was at the White Rock Community Arts Council Gallery to see Karen Kroeker’s collage art exhibit ‘A Wandering Mind’ (see Swanktrendz July 25 article under Fine Arts). It turns out that opening night was wildly successful for the artist - 19 of her pieces sold, setting a record for the gallery, and since then three additional works have sold. The artist is off to Holland tomorrow to view and select some art for her personal collection, but the exhibit will run until the end of the month.
While at the gallery, I chanced to talk to another artist who was telling me about another, fairly new, and hugely popular, art form: Artist Trading Cards, or ATC.
ATC are small hockey or baseball-like trading cards showing original work by the artist who created the card. There are a few simple rules for ATCS:
- ATCs must not be sold, but only traded
- ATCs MUST strictly adhere to this size: 64 x 89 mm(2.5” x 3.5”)
- On the front must be the image
- On the back must be the following information:
Artist’s name
Contact information
Title of work
Number of work
- the card must be sturdy and of a reasonable thickness
- varnish, wax, or a plastic sleeve is recommended to protect the work
Unique pieces are referred to as originals; numbered sets of the same piece are referred to as editions; sets of different works are called series.
ATC is the brainchild of Swiss performance artist Vanci Stirnemann, who came to Canada in 1988 for the Olympic Arts Festival. While in Canada, he observed hockey-crazy adults trading hockey playing cards. Unused to adults trading cards (as this is a pastime that only children indulge in in Europe), Stirnemann brought the idea back home to Switzerland with him, but it was not until 1997 that he held an ATC exhibit in Zurich. Stirnemann’s ATC exhibit was a success, and since then ATCs have become extremely popular around the world.
ATCs can be traded in person, by mail, or contacts can be made over the internet. It is a unique form of art: it rejects the critiquing, pricing, and selling of art.
This coming Monday evening (August 22) at Ethical Addictions Coffee House in Langley City (at the junction of Fraser and Glover), there is an ATC exhibit and trade happening.
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| Queen Bee |
| 08.12.05 (4:01 pm) [edit] |
Swank Home
Queen Bee Designs is a company that produces jewellery. But not just any jewellery – oh no – designer Leanne Ghallager has a variety of hand-cut gold or sterling-silver earrings, necklaces, charm bracelets and rings in her stable. They are chunky, highly textured and come with brightly coloured gemstones that are a delight to the eye.
Farrah Fawcett is a fan, and wore a set of silver and crystal shoulder-duster earrings designed by Ghallager on the Leno show.
Queen Bee Designs are available on-line at www.queenbeedesigns.com, at Chachkas in Vancouver, Artworks in Edmonton, and Rubaiyat and Kismet in Calgary.
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| AAA Radio |
| 08.09.05 (9:47 am) [edit] |
Submitted by Lezah on Aug 08, 2005
Swank Home
AAA Radio is short for adult album alternative radio (also known as hot adult contemporary). AAA radio is radio for those of us out there who are sick of the whole vapid Britney/Christina/Jessica crap that has taken over the airwaves.
Even if you’re not from the broadcast area, you can still listen in – through the Internet. You’ll probably need QuickTime or some similar program, and then you’re good to go. Here’s a couple to try:
- Virgin Radio/1215 (London) – playing contemporary British alternate rock
- WCBN (Ann Arbor, Michigan) – world beat and more – like Johnny Cash…
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| Barbershop Cool |
| 08.09.05 (9:46 am) [edit] |
Swank Home
Submitted by Lezah
Well, it turns out that Vancouver is the home of the world champion barbershop quartet, Realtime.
Yes indeedy, on July 9, 52 quartets from all over North America (as well as England and Sweden) converged on Salt Lake City for the annual Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America (SPEBSQA) convention.
The winning quartet is comprised of 34-year old Tom Metzger (Yaletown software company executive by day, barbershop singer by night), his brother Mark, Tim Broersma (who hails from just over the border in Bellingham, Washington), and Australian ex-pat John Newall.
This group doesn’t just sing for the pleasure of it: they usually do about one paid gig a month, and have appeared all over North America. They have also sung in Finland and are booked for a gig in Russia in 2007; their CD, Four Brothers, has already sold about 10,000 copies.
Believe it or not, barbershop singing is very popular, and there are about 40 different chapters of male and female – called Sweet Adelines – singing groups in the Lower Mainland. In fact, last fall a local female group called Brava won the world female championships.
For more information, contact www.singers.com/barbershop/real-time.html
Link: http://www.singers.com/barber...
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| My apologies for the pop up ads |
| 08.08.05 (9:11 pm) [edit] |
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When I added the Bravenet poll, I didn't realize people would get ridiculous pop-ups. My apologies to all. Christine
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| Symphony in the Park, August 7, 2005 |
| 08.08.05 (3:39 pm) [edit] |
Stanley Park, capacity crowd
Submitted by Terry
Swank Home
Stanley Park is often described as Vancouver's jewel, and on a luminous summer evening with some free music in the air, it certainly fit that description. Hundreds of people streamed in and sat on the grass in front of the portable stage, awaiting the arrival of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. A dusty orange and purple twilight was settling over the mountains, the forest canopy glowed, there was a bit of a breeze off the ocean, and I saw a bald eagle drift past, looking for a fish.
I was shooed away from the front of the stage by a guy who said that there would be horses riding through there shortly, so I moved back and read the program:
Rossini: William Tell Overture
Lehar: Gold & Silver Waltz
Dvorak: Slavonic Dance No. 8 in G minor
Saint-Saëns: Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso
(with a violin soloist named Christel Lee)
« Intermission »
Borodin: Prince Igor: Polovtsian Dances
Elgar: Enigma Variations, Op. 36: Nimrod
Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture, Op. 49
"Mostly crowd pleasers," I thought, but the concert was great. I'd never seen a symphony orchestra live before, and I was very impressed. When you were raised on pop music (lead guitar, rhythm guitar, bass and drums and maybe a keyboard player), well... that's not very complex. Music is much different when you see 35 or 40 musicians on stage, all working together and meshing perfectly. Very good players, very good promo for the VSO.
Maestro Bramwell Tovey is a jovial fellow and did indeed arrive, with his children, in a carriage drawn by two white horses, and accompanied by the Stanley Park mounted police. He's popular, and has a good common touch. He has the audience in the palm of his hand and he knows it, but he's modest about it, and has good rapport. He tells jokes as he's introducing each piece, and the audience loves it. A very good showman, and he's clearly enjoying himself up there.
Ms Lee the soloist turned out to be all of 14 years old, another child prodigy on her way to a brilliant career. She appeared onstage on a bright red gown (so she stands out against the black and white of the orchestra) and played her heart out. Humbling to think that at 14, this girl already knows how to do something way better than I'll ever know how to do anything. People ran up to the stage and gave her bouquets.
I'm curious about how things work, so I moved around until I could see how the orchestra was arranged, and who played what. The strings do most of the work, and the horn players (especially the trombones and tubas) don't have much to do at all. For the second half of the show, I made sure I got myself into the mosh pit, so I could best experience the cannons in the 1812 Overture. Symphony orchestras are fully miked; they have PA systems and sound board guys, too. Who knew? Certainly not me.
A great many children were in attendance, including one very cool little 3 year old girl sitting near me (down in the mosh pit) in her baby brother's stroller, cheering and laughing and waving her arms around wildly. She obviously liked the maestro.
They started with 'O Canada' and even did an encore: a lively Strauss waltz where the audience was invited to clap along, and we all did.
Time spent: about 2.5 hours, and it was time well spent indeed.
Another free concert is scheduled this Friday (August 12, 7:30 PM) in Deer Lake Park in Burnaby. This will feature Ken Hsieh as conductor, and Christopher Lee as clarinet soloist. Between now and then, I'll be getting out my map, the better to learn where Deer Lake Park might be.
Vancouver Symphony
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| Bard on the Beach, Vancouver, BC – July 13 to Sept. 22 Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, by T |
| 08.07.05 (12:49 pm) [edit] |
Swank Home
Submitted by Lezah on Aug 07, 2005
Directed by Dean Paul Gibson; starring Haig Sutherland as Rosencrantz, Stephen Holmes as Guildenstern and Russell Roberts as The Player
“Audiences know what to expect and that is all they are prepared to believe in.”
Last night, we went to see Tom Stoppard’s play, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, which was presented as part of the Bard On the Beach festival, as it is tangentially connected to Shakespeare’s Hamlet – Rosencrantz and Guildenstern being the two stooges sent by King Claudius to accompany Hamlet to England.
In Stoppard’s play we see two ill-fated pawns, little more than plot devices in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, suddenly elevated to starring roles in their own drama. Unfortunately for them, they neither understand their scripted lives, nor are they able to deviate from them. In a featureless world where logic and the conventional structures of time and memory are empty of any significance or reliability, the characters are forced to use word games and wagers as a form of currency and to ask questions in order to ease their over-arching anxiety.
Due to the nature of this world, R & G must depend on others to give their lives meaning, but when they are presented with information that will help them understand who they are, where they are going and where they came from – in the form of a play presented by the Player and his Tragedians – they are unable to assimilate and utilize it.
Looming questions of mortality are offset by humour, although the bleakness and desperation beneath the humour becomes increasingly more apparent as the play progresses.
The irony in all this lays in the similarity between Hamlet and his victims, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern – stuck as they all are in their own dilemma, which seem insoluble and inexorable; they are mere spectators of their looming demise. All of us, both the ‘stars’ and the ‘bit players’, are the heroes of our own human drama – our struggles are as important and vital as the struggles of princes and kings or Olympian gods.
Last night’s Bard on the Beach performances were strong, with the possible exception of Colleen Wheeler as Gertrude, who delivered her lines in a sing-song style reminiscent of a Grade 8 Shakespeare production. The theatre-in-the-round seating worked well for this play, and we were blessed with a beautiful, warm night. Altogether, a great experience.
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| Pastis Bistro, 2153 West Fourth, Vancouver |
| 08.07.05 (12:47 pm) [edit] |
Submitted by Lezah on Aug 07, 2005
Last night I was part of a group of five who had dinner at Pastis Bistro prior to heading out to a play. Although they normally open at 5:30, they accommodated our special request for an earlier table time with great ease.
Pastis specializes in French Bistro-style fare, and is located in the funky Kitsilano area of Vancouver. The ambiance of the restaurant was very pleasing, the décor was French country, and the wait-staff was both plentiful and exemplary.
Three members in our party ordered wine, a white Zinfandel from La Firenze winery in Naramata, BC. This choice was made as one of our party had done a wine tour in the Okanagan and actually had a wonderful visit to this vineyard. Only one person ordered an appetizer, which was a beautifully presented salad of butter lettuce.
Now, I’m not overly keen on fish (which accounted for about half the menu) and won’t eat either veal or lamb on principle, so by the time the figurative dust had settled, I really had two choices: a New York steak or a vegetarian cheese in phyllo pastry dish. Since I had eaten a cheese & phyllo pastry for lunch, I figured a 5 oz. steak should be the order of the day. Unfortunately, the steak was slightly overdone (I had ordered medium rare, and this particular steak had no hint of rareness), but even worse, it was very tough and grisly. I actually almost had to ask for a different knife in order to cut it - it was so tough. On the other hand, the béarnaise sauce was the best I’ve ever had, and I was given a very generous portion. The menu had stated that the steak would be served with pommes frites, which, it turns out, is French for french fries. The fries were not your usual McDonald’s fare – although they did resemble them, they tasted nothing like fast food fries, and instead had a rich, slightly salty - but not too salty - flavour. They were lovely. There were no other vegetables served with the meal – not even a piece of parsley! When you consider that this was the cheapest item on the menu (at $21.95), I expected a bit more.
Everyone else in our party ordered from the fish menu, and all were happy. Trout, bouillabaisse, shrimp and mussels were all ordered and consumed with no complaints.
Only two of our party ordered dessert - guilty party here! I chose the Half-Baked Chocolate Cake with Ice Cream, which at $9 was a bit pricey, considering the cake had a diameter of roughly 2.5 inches and the ice cream was just one small scoop. Again, the presentation was wonderful, and the taste was indescribable. It had an interesting blend of characteristics: the outside was a spongy crust but inside it was molten chocolate that oozed out in a veritable Callebaut stream; the ice cream was homemade with traces of vanilla bean. My friend ordered the apple tart, which was a work of art.
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| The Dan Band with Cherrybomb - Kitschy, Kitschy Koo Aug/05 |
| 08.07.05 (11:34 am) [edit] |
The Dan Band with Cherrybomb - Kitschy, Kitschy Koo
Swank Home
We arrived at the Commodore Ballroom fairly late – shortly before the first band came on, in fact - but the place was still nowhere near full. The crowd seemed to be, for lack of a better word, a bit older, for the most part. And although there was the odd stylin’ person there, the place appeared to be full of people who had spent every one of their lunch hours in high school hiding out in the band room. In addition, I saw more wacky dance moves perpetrated by follicularly-challenged 30-something guys than one needs to see in one’s lifetime – and this was before the first band had even started. Now this might all sound kind of catty, but just wait until you hear what happens later…
The opening band was the Vancouver act ‘Cherrybomb’. They are fronted by two female singer/guitarists who were, in turn, backed by a very solid band. Their sound is very commercial, kind of ‘Heart’ meets ‘The Donnas’, and their look is very – hmm, let’s just say they’ve covered every rock-fashion cliché in the book.
Next up were the headliners, ‘The Dan Band’. Now, I had never heard this band before, nor had I seen the movie ‘Old School’, which helped gain them a broader audience base, so I didn’t really know what to expect. I had heard they were funny, but funny can come in many different forms, obviously. Turns out The Dan Band is currently the toast of the Hollywood celeb scene – the LA Times called them “LA’s hottest nightclub act”, while Entertainment Weekly described them as “one of the hottest tickets in Hollywood”.
The band is fronted by Dan Finnerty, who dresses in mechanics duds and wears a backwards baseball cap. He has two back-up singers/dancers, the deadpan Clark Kent clones Gene Reed and John Kozeluh; and the rest of the band is made up of David Arana on keyboards, Marc Strommer on guitar, Lex Luther look-alike Dana Decker on bass, and drummer Dave Johnstone. Now that might seem pretty straightforward, but this band’s ‘thing’ is that they sing only ‘girl’ songs – and dance (sometimes quite badly). It’s pretty much a case of “beer and karaoke tragically colliding”, as Finnerty so eloquently puts it.
This band is all about irreverence, and they have perfected their own brand of mock‘n‘roll, complete with choreographed dance moves further enhanced by the addition of some rhythmic gymnastics. Their shtick is that they take (as I said earlier) ‘girl’ songs from the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s (think “Gloria”, “Muskrat Love”, “Waterloo”, “Fernando”, “Mickey”, and the like…) and make them uniquely and frighteningly their own. Even sadder is the audience reaction – I strongly believe that people should not make it public knowledge that they know the words to these songs, and yet there they were, enthusiastically (and shamelessly) singing away…
Finnerty engaged in a lot of audience interaction between songs, and certainly handled the crowd like a seasoned professional – so much so, in fact, that it occurred to me that he was more about acting than he was about singing. That was a thought that stuck with me for the rest of the night, and when I later found out that Finnerty is a veteran of shows as diverse as “Stomp” and “The Guiding Light” (and is also married to actress Kathy Najimy), it all started to make sense. Which leads me back to the audience, which I had dissed so badly earlier: at one point, when Finnerty was talking to an audience member (the ubiquitous “What’s your name? Where you from?”), he got a response from a young lady from Washington state – and the crowd, upon hearing she was an American, resoundingly booed her. I was horrified – shocked – dismayed – ashamed – embarrassed – not to mention disgusted - by this behaviour. Fortunately, the young lady took it quite well – at least on the surface. But there’s no excuse for that sort of thing. It definitely coloured my perceptions for the rest of the evening…
For a band that “started off as a joke”, The Dan Band has definitely developed a loyal geek squad following – and they’ll be back on home territory in time for a show at the Avalon Hollywood on August 19 – if you’re there, you might also catch some of their non-geek fans like Brad Pitt and Laura Dern. Hopefully they’ll be better audience members than the ones I saw the show with.
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| Becks & Posh Food Review: Featured Restaurant: Piatti Locali |
| 08.06.05 (8:38 pm) [edit] |
Written by Sam of Becks & Posh
Swank Home
Becks & Posh Home
Piatti Locali,625 Redwood Highway, Mill Valley, CA 94941.
Maybe you won't like the idea of dining in a restaurant that has expanded into a nationwide chain. But you may be interested that Piatti, which grew out of Napa, has turned one of their branches into Piatti Locali which puts an emphasis on using sustainable local produce from the farmers' markets.
Fred and I had lunch at Piatti on Tuesday. The walls of the restaurant are decorated with stylish black and white photographs of the staff, the farmers, the farms and the markets. The Piatti Locali menu is scattered with references to local farms. I tried to ask the waiter about the source of ingredients not singled out on the menu. He wasn't very clued-up. He told me all of the pasta was made in house. "Even, the spaghetti?", I asked, clearly surprised. "Yes, all the pasta," he assured me. This made me suspicious, so when I was rooting around on their website for information and saw they had a comments section, I decided to write to the chef and see if she would answer some questions for me.
I had a lovely and heartfelt reply from Lissa Kane the Locali Executive Chef which I would like to share with you all.
Thanks for your interest in our products. I am a big proponent of eating locally and I try to support local growers as much as possible; I believe the food tastes better and is healthier for our bodies and our environment. It is also better to leave the jobs and dollars in our community and not for the mega-agri giants. That being said, I will try to address your questions regarding where the food comes from at Piatti:
* Pasta: we make angel hair, pappardelle, tagliatelle and cannelloni. Spaghetti and penne are from Italy.
* Flour: we use Giusto's flour. I believe the wheat is grown in the Midwest, I will follow up on it.
* Prosciutto, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar & Grana Padano (parm) are all imported from Italy.
* Mozzarella: North Beach Cheese Company out of Hayward, CA
* Ricotta: I use two brands depending on availability: Calabro from Connecticut & Bellwether Farms in Marshall, CA.
* Tomatoes for Pizza Sauce: California grown
* Pepperoni: made in San Francisco by Molinari
Thanks for making me research some of our 'basics'. I shop at the Farmer's Market 2x a week both in SF and San Rafael, so I am very aware of our produce. I try to buy locally caught fish and locally raised poultry and meat. I just got some samples fro m Niman Ranch for some salami and speck (an alternative to Prosciutto di Parma). I also serve a few types of local artisan cheeses - please try our cheese plate complete with house-made locally grown fig 'salami'!!
Lissa Kane
The email was good news for anyone who is interested in eating from local sources. When I was at Piatti, it felt a little as if, maybe, they were just jumping on a bandwagon. But when I received the email from the Chef it was clear that the good intentions and the passion behind the move to a 'locali' restaurant were genuine. Piatti Locali is situated overlooking the 101, but once inside, the view, over a stretch of water with Mount Tam in the background, is far more attractive. Food is Italianesque. I tried the Niman Ranch Beef Carpaccio which was a classic interpretation of the dish. On the side I had the seasonal special - two delicious, fat, deep fried squash blossoms filled with a zingy herbed ricotta, a bargain at less than $5. Fred had a margherita pizza with pepperoni from their wood burning oven which he concluded wasn't very tasty.
Lissa Kane is hosting a special 'Dinner in the Garden' on Saturday, August 27, at County Line Harvest in Petaluma. She is planning an Italian inspired feast featuring produce picked that day from the farm. The idea is to eat in the field where the products are grown. There will be a tour of the farm at the start of the evening. She plans to serve grilled California Wild Salmon and Roasted Prather Ranch leg of lamb as well organic Bonterra wines. The cost of the event is $100 a person all inclusive. If you are interested in the dinner contact the restaurant.
PS. This review was a Back for Seconds
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| Married Writer |
| 08.05.05 (10:45 pm) [edit] |
By Rob William's
Swank Home
Rob William's Home
(Swanktrendz sends its congratulations and best wishes for a long, healthy and prosperous lifetime together to Rob and Ted! The ‘big day' occurred on July 30th which also happens to coincide with one of our editors parent’s anniversary, so they can count on at least 50 years together.)
So, yes. I'm married now. Ted and I, in our J. Crew seersucker suits and bow ties (all on sale!) tied the knot last Saturday, July 30, at Galapagos in Brooklyn.
See info about it on our wedding blog
. It was wonderful - a celebration of friends and family and love and commitment and good food and good drink and beautiful minds
(shout out to Lola). but more on that on our blog.
BTW - Feel free to email the Times to complain about its decision not to include us in their "Weddings and Celebrations" section. The section was four pages long on July 31, 2005, and the paper did not include any gay or lesbian couples. We sent our announcment six weeks in advance, and sent our photograph 12 days in advance--well within their published guidelines. The Society desk is society@nytimes.com. The Times Public Editor (their ombudsman) is public@nytimes.com. Letters to the Editor should be sent to letters@nytimes.com. Or all three!
Speaking of beautiful minds - I'm just about going out of my mind about my book. Just kidding. It's actually not been too bad, working on it. (Just a reminder - I am taking my interconnected story collection and turning it into a novel). I only wish I had more time to do it. During the week of my marriage I think I only was able to put in a couple of hours of writing. (Sorry, was busy pulling my hair out - buying streamers, helium, a cake, etc. ).
But really, I feel as if I think about my book all the time now. I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night with a thought or idea (which I run into my office and write down). I have been filling up a notebook with ideas and corrections and edits and thoughts and character sketches and plot points for the novel.
Yesterday I went to the Brooklyn Library and wrote (I've been trying to do so every day) a whole new chapter (not a re-write of previous stuff). I've also added a sister to the novel (the character didn't have a sister in his previous stories) who I'm beginning to adore (she's a totally angry clove cigarette smoking sixteen-year-old bee-atch).
One of the more difficult things I've had to do, though, is to rearrange stories and cut and splice from them to make the novel work (in chronological order) and make sense. It's all been very exciting and challenging. I love it when my work challenges me.
Since Ted and I are leaving NYC in a little less than two weeks (if all goes well) I'm supposed to give whatever I have written (most likely close to 100 pages) to my agent so she can take a look at it while she has her baby (she's 8 1/2 months pregnant!). Of course I don't expect her to be looking at it while she actually gives birth (though she's a great agent - dedicated - so she just might do it...). I expect that while Ted and I are getting settled in San Diego she'll be looking at it - sometime in September - while I’m hopefully working on the second half. I have to say - giving myself deadlines is the best thing I’ve ever done. I’m not so good with regimen, but if someone is expecting something from me - if they give me a deadline - I am so afraid of letting people down that I'll fulfill it, for the most part.
***
Oh, and so I finished "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime", which I really enjoyed. I love how the character, a 15 year-old autistic boy, would just tune out of what's going on around him and would do something like explain a math formula, or read all of the signs in the train station, or explain his feelings about God. These interruptions were in the form of a new chapter - brilliant!
[Actually, I've been experimenting with voice in my novel, because my character often makes pronouncements or spouts out strange trivia about movies, fashion, and boys - so it was interesting to see how this author, Mark Haddon, transitioned into the parts where his character tunes out - by stopping the chapter where it was and interrupting it with a chapter of the boy's coping mechanisms.
Started reading Allison Smith's "Name All The Animals"
- so far very good, very touching and, she grew up around the same time I did (70s-80s), so it's interesting to see her take. ALTHOUGH iIm torn between continuing to read it, and reading Lisa Shea's novel "Hula"
- which is a wrenching, beautiful coming of age tale taking place in the 60s (I've read the first two chapters). The reason I'm torn is because Shea sets her novel in the present tense "We are sitting on the front steps watching the storm come. The sky is getting dark and the air smells sharp and wet.". My novel is also written in the present tense. I've struggled with this decision, but ultimately it's what feels right to me. It's immediate, I know, but that's what I want for the book. For me the book is like looking at a series of snapshots in a photo album and when you look at a picture you don't say - oh, there "Rob was walking the dog." instead, when you look at it you say "I love this picture where Rob is walking the dog" or you say "there I am walking the dog" - right? well, that's what I think anyway. And it's my book!
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| John Roberts and the Activists on Romer v. Evans |
| 08.05.05 (10:00 pm) [edit] |
By The Political Heretic
Swank Home
Heretic’s Home
Many religious conservatives were until recently quite pleased with President George W. Bush’s decision to appoint John Roberts, a Circuit Judge of the District of Columbia, as retiring Justice Sondra Day O’Connor’s successor on the highest court of the land.
Tony Perkins of the Family Research council
said the Supreme Court nominee is well respected for his “fair judgment, intellect and integrity ”who “will strictly interpret the Constitution and not legislate from the bench.” Jan LaRue of Concerned Women for America said that “everything we know about Judge Roberts tells us that he fulfills the President’s promise to nominate a judge who will strictly interpret the Constitution and not legislate from the bench” but the enthusiasm coming from their side of the aisle has dampened somewhat after The Los Angeles Times
published an article concerning his involvement in a landmark gay rights case back in 1996.
Mr. Perkins now expresses some reservations
concerning Mr. Roberts nomination though he still backs the president and as of yet, did not retract his statement of support for the Supreme Court nominee. His “initial reaction” to the news was that Mr. Roberts was “aiding and abetting” a group whose values are in conflict with that of the religious conservatives and Mr. Paul Weyrich said the judge should have risked his job and declined to take this pro bono case on behalf of gay rights advocates.
Mr. Roberts, then affiliated with the Hogan & Hartson, was approached by the head of the pro bono department at the firm and asked to help Jean Dubofsky, the lead attorney seeking to overturn a state constitutional amendment barring
Colorado’s governing bodies from protecting gays and lesbians from discrimination:
The amendment reads as follows:
"No Protected Status Based on Homosexual, Lesbian, or Bisexual Orientation. Neither the State of Colorado, through any of its branches or departments, nor any of its agencies, political subdivisions, municipalities or school districts, shall enact, adopt or enforce any statute, regulation, ordinance or policy whereby homosexual, lesbian or bisexual orientation, conduct, practices or relationships shall constitute or otherwise be the basis of or entitle any person or class of persons to have or claim any minority status, quota preferences, protected status or claim of discrimination. This Section of the Constitution shall be in all respects self-executing."
In effect, the amendment, which passed with 54% voter approval in 1992, repealed the governor’s 1990 executive order barring employment discrimination against gays Colorado’s Insurance Code forbidding insurers from considering one’s sexual orientation when reviewing one’s eligibility and premiums, and similar level of protection offered by any other state or local governing body within the state. Gays could not seek redress for what they viewed as wrongful discrimination without first appealing to the state to repeal is own constitutional amendment.
The state’s highest court overturned the amendment but gay rights activists feared a reversal after the Supreme Court decided to hear the state’s petition for a reversal. Jean Dubofsky was ultimately successful, however, and the activists’ fear proved unfounded. The six-justice majority led by swing Justice Anthony Kennedy ruled against the state and affirmed the decision reached by the state and lower courts because it imposed a substantial disadvantage in a whole wide array of civic activities on a single group of people subject to ridicule, contempt, and scorn.
Mr. Roberts’ own role in this effort is not clear. He did not partake in the oral arguments for those familiar with that case would know that Jean Dubofsky herself went in front of the judges and answered oral arguments, but Mr. Roberts did serve on a moot court panel to prepare her for the oral arguments and Mrs. Dubofsky viewed his limited time with her as “crucial” in winning a majority on the Supreme Court.
Religious conservatives were not pleased with the outcome or the legal reasoning involved but they have not yet come out against Mr. Roberts. Mr. Perkins’ press release following these revelations urges caution before leaping to conclusions:
"As a former policy maker and now full-time advocate for family values, my first thought in response to the LA Times story was 'aiding and abetting,' which I would venture to say is how many of our supporters would see this news. However, I urge caution in jumping to that conclusion. "Judge Roberts was an attorney with a large firm where helping colleagues when called upon was expected. Attorneys are not necessarily advocates or activists. In fact, activists are exactly what we don't want on the court. I spent the good part of yesterday on the phone and in meetings to get the facts. I have verified that his involvement was limited to about 5 hours of participation in a moot court as he played the role of one of the High Court's conservative members asking tough hypothetical questions of the attorneys who actually prepared and argued the case.”
The latest revelation may say more about President Bush’s nomination strategy and activists who are taking sides more than the nominee himself. The president’s nomination strategy has up to now been to minimize Mr. Roberts’ own legal views on school prayer and overturning abortion rights by suggesting that he was acting on behalf of his client – the United States government. We have been told that Mr. Roberts will not answer any questions about pending legal cases or those concerning hot button social issues because that would require him to prejudge cases without reading the briefs, and deliberating with his potential colleagues on the Court.
Mr. Roberts’ legal analysis made on behalf of the government and in private practice may reveal something about the man as judge or it may not. He says that he was acting on behalf of his clients and like any good attorney, he provided sound legal counsel for those clients.
Liberal activists are not buying it and are using the legal work he did on behalf of the United States government to portray him as a right-wing conservative judge who will vote with Justice Antonin Scalia, William Rehnquist, and Clarence Thomas to overturn privacy rights, narrow protections from government-based discrimination, and overturn environmental protection legislation.
Fair enough. He chose to align himself with conservative administrations and he chose to sign onto legal memorandums, briefs, and opinions limiting the role of the judicial branch and questioning the right to privacy. If he found the opinions reached by his bosses morally objectionable he could have resigned.
But the same can be said for his pro bono work for Jean Dubofsky. Mr. Roberts could have told the law partner that he found it morally objectionable to advance the gay rights cause and declined to help Mrs. Dubofsky but he chose to give her the best legal advice he could so she could win a landmark gay rights ruling.
The conservative religious activists pretended to buy into the president’s argument because they thought they had a reliable ally who opposes abortion and homosexual rights but are now beginning to doubt it. Mr. Perkins prefaced his remarks about his initial concern of ‘aiding and abetting’ by noting that he is “an advocate for family values” and some conservatives have said a lawyer would not take a case that is viewed as morally objectionable. Mr. Weyrich said Mr. Roberts should have risked his career and job by declining to take the case.
If the religious conservatives truly wanted a judge who is capable of separating his personal views from his legal obligations they would have no problem with his work on behalf of his gay clients but they were troubled and until “reassured” by those working for the Bush administration, expressed that concern because they don’t want a person who will not prejudge a gay rights claim in their favor. A true strict constructionist could, after all, rule (as any strict constructionist would) against a gay person’s gay privacy rights and a woman’s abortion rights and still use the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection promise to strike down as unconstitutional anti-gay amendments like the one at issue in Romer.
The White House says Mr. Roberts should not be asked to prejudge a case. To buy into this argument however, we must assume that every nominee joins the court with a clean slate with the ability to put his or her own biases and preconceptions aside and look at the merits for the positions taken by the opposing side. The president cannot say he wants a strict constructionist who will “interpret the Constitution” without also admitting that one of that persuasion does have preconceived negative views on the decisions handed down privacy rights in Roe v. Wade, Lawrence v. Texas, Griswold v. Connecticut, and Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Connecticut. And that exactly is what the White House and the activists on both sides of the political aisle were and probably still are counting on that.
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| sashi-isms is now Adsense-free |
| 08.05.05 (9:23 pm) [edit] |
Swank Home
Sashi’s Home
image from www.livingroom.org.au
BIG FREAKING MAJOR CLARIFICATION:This post is not an attack on Google Adsense, nor is it an attack on any blogger who does or doesn’t use Google ads. It’s not an attack on PPS and I’m not requesting anyone to remove their Google ads, boycott Google ads or stop pinging PPS. My meaning is extremely simple: I’m removing the ads because they were making me feel greedy and envious of other successful ad-driven blogs. I like all those blogs and more, and I don’t want to feel envious anymore - hence this decision. Thank you.
You see them everywhere nowadays.
Most blogs - especially many of the ones that ping PPS - have them somewhere in their pages. Some display them in a corner, out of the way of their content. Some display them prominently, right in your face.
All Most of them share the same dream - making money from blogging. (Edit: Alright. Some put them up because they can.)
Once thought to be an impossible dream, it has become a target within touching distance, thanks to money-making-bloggers like Darren, Jacob and our very own LCF.
Google Adsense ads have become such a fixture in blogs that it almost seems odd when you come across a blog that doesn’t have it.
And that’s ok. We all try to make the best of our resources, so there’s absolutely nothing wrong with placing ads in the hope of generating some pocket money.
But then, a few blogs have been really going at it aggressively - to the extent of perhaps committing fraud.
There have been an increasing number of bloggers - here and abroad - whose Adsense accounts have been suspended (meaning their ads got deactivated by Google) for reasons that mainly seem to be related to fraudulent clicks.
All of these bloggers cried foul, of course. Some deny any wrongdoing; some claim that there’s a conspiracy to frame them; some, incredibly enough, place the blame entirely on Google by saying that the Billion-dollar Internet Giant didn’t want to pay out the coupla hundred dollars the bloggers are owed. Yeah, right, that’s probably it.
(Edit: I should be more clear here. I’m not accusing anyone of fraud. I mean that’s what Google seems to be implying. I’m also aware of the possibility that there may be vindictive and just plain mean individuals who could be sabotaging honest bloggers’ Adsense performance by repeatedly clicking on the ads until it trips Google’s fraud alert.)
People seem to forget that Google is a business entity, and like any other business entity, are not in the business of getting screwed. Their clients - advertisers - don’t like getting screwed either. The advertisers pay good money to Google to help them market their products and services, and they pay out even more when people come to their sites via these ads. Google began sharing some of these revenues with website and blog owners and publishers who helped Google display these ads and reach out to a greater public.
Unfortunately, a few people seem to be forgetting who their paymasters are. It’s as if they should paid money just because they’re displaying Google ads. And then there’re those who claim to blog for blogging’s sake, but really, they’re in it for the money.
LCF’s blog is a good example of an ad-driven blog; plus, unlike certain bloggers, LCF doesn’t pretend to be anyone he isn’t - his aim is to be a pro-blogger. That’s ok. The important thing is that he DOES have good content.
Some ad-driven blogs don’t. There’s this one blog
that puzzles me. His content are just mostly duplications of stuff found elsewhere. No big deal, many bloggers (including me) do that. And yet, not only does he get tonnes of unique visits, he makes quite a healthy amount of dough from Google. And this for a Malaysian blogger who’s been blogging for just 6 months.
Does that sound like envy to you? It probably is. I’m not the only one who’s envious - judging by the recent furor over his alleged ’spamming’ on PPS, quite a substantial number of PPS bloggers have had their feathers ruffled by this upstart. I cannot speak for them, but I think I know why I’m annoyed: it’s because I had Google ads longer than he’s been blogging and I’ve only made about US$50 to date.
And before any Adsense expert starts lecturing why this is so, let me pre-empt you: I KNOW why this so. My content doesn’t really have any marketable worth. Most of what I write has no commercial appeal, and the ads reflect this, ergo readers are not compelled to click. (I’ve been wanting to add “ergo” somewhere in my posts, and now I have.)
As time went on, I got more envious and more greedy - I tried switching templates in order to maximize ad real-estate. I placed ads in prominent places so that readers cannot avoid it - which I’m sure annoyed quite a few readers out there. I’m sorry for that.
Sometimes, due to server connections, the loading of the Google ads end up slowing the entire blog loading time. This is not a big problem, but if it has inconvenienced anyone, I’m sorry for that too.
I’m not the only one whose greed and envy has been growing. This disease has been infecting many other bloggers, and these emotions have been joined by hate and anger.
Bloggers are slagging off other bloggers, lambasting them from every corner, creating a level of animosity within the “PPS blogiverse” not seen since the occasional Tim-Yang-bashing-sessions .
It’s even forced LCF to announce
he’ll stop pinging PPS anymore. (Not that it matters to me, since I subscribe to his RSS feed anyway…)
As Eyeris said in this PPS announcement/post: “going through PPS is just no fun anymore…”
I don’t know if all this is going to get nastier, but I certainly don’t want to be part of this hostility.
As such, I am withdrawing all Google ads from this blog. I don’t like feeling jealous, or envious of anyone (including the afore-mentioned new blogger - and I must say this - despite the fact that his contents are not original, they sometimes DO tend to be interesting: like the Flash game, which I find to be fun, in a juvenile, red-neck sorta way… ) and I hope that removing all these ads will help me get to grips with this simple truth: I did not start blogging for the money.
sashi-isms is not a vehicle for revenue-generation. It is not a means to exploit the commercial opportunities afforded by the web.
sashi-isms is me. And since I’m not the kind of person who’d walk around plastered in ads, neither should this blog.
Bye, Google ads. It’s been fun. Not.
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| I've Broken Down.. |
| 08.05.05 (8:38 pm) [edit] |
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Submitted by Andrew Hoshkiw
Swank Home
Hoshkiw Home
For the last two nights, to deal with the problems of not enough battery power and not having internet at home, I've gone to a local cafe where, for the price of a cup of coffee, I can plug-in and surf their wireless network for free.
It's a good deal, I think, and it may be enough for me to spend an extra month in the cabin before moving to town.
But probably not. It's already getting dark too early for my tastes. The windows in the cabin are small, and at 11:00 p.m. there isn't enough light to read my notepad and write a story.
Mind you, there's still enough light outside, but there are too many bugs for working outdoors to be an option.
I think I'll do it again tonight. Meet a band at the cafe, interview them and then write the story while I'm there.
Actually, tonight there's a fundraiser for a jazz music camp. Maybe I'll go to that.
And then go to the cafe and write the story.
I really would like to get away from arts and write something different, but everything else it seems is covered by the staff reporters. The only thing I can think of that I could do would be sappy human interest features.
I don't like the idea, but it may happen.
Anyhow, my side of the office is either too quiet, or they put on bad 70s "classic" radio. I think classic rock is a farce. The whole idea that everything, once it reaches a certain age, becomes a classic, is ridiculous. Bad music remains bad music, no matter how old it gets. So, to rectify the problem, I went shopping for speakers to play my iPod loudly.
First I went to Superstore. They had 10 watt computer speakers for $49. Nope. Next I went to the store formerly known as Radioshack. Their 10 watt speakers were $69. And then I went to Wal-Mart.
You know, I don't know why I look anywhere else any more. I should just go straight to Wal-Mart from now on. Too bad they don't sell fresh produce and Nikon lenses. Then I'd be able to buy absolutely everything there.
They had a 14 watt speaker system, complete with subwoofer, for $29.
I in fact walked out with the 26 watt system for $48.
At home, I use puny, little 6 watt battery-powered speakers I've had for years. When I do move into town, I think I'll switch the systems and have loud music at home.
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| Inundated with Free CDs, and other Ramblings |
| 08.05.05 (12:18 am) [edit] |
Submitted by Andrew Hoshkiw
Swank Home
Hoshkiw’s Home
In the last three days, I've been given four CDs to review, I have two more sitting on the shelf waiting to be dealt with and I know of another two which'll be coming within a week.
Now that music festival season is over, it seems CD reviews will be the order of the day. It's been years since I've written one though. Maybe I'll go buy a music magazine are see how the pros do it.
Tonight, I'm going to interview a musician for one of them. Tomorrow night, two of them are having a joint CD release party.
There are a few other things to be covered though. This Saturday there's a mangathon, and after that, I might do a feature on a local photographer who's working his way backwards (with film) rather than forward (with digital). He even makes his own developing chemicals.
On Saturday I went to a stick gambling competition, about 50 km west of here in a small First Nations village. It was very interesting.
Basically, stick gambling involves two teams of six who sit on the ground facing each other. One team will have each member hide a small stones in one hand or the other, and the other team must guess which hand it's in.
image by www.virtualmuseum.ca
Surrounding them are dozens of deafening drummers and hundreds of raving spectators.
It doesn't sound like much of a sport, but they took it quite seriously. There were 18 teams, with a $300/person entry fee and a grand prize of $10,000.
They were excited to have press coverage, and I was invited to the banquet, where I had moose roast.
Anyhow, it's started to get colder and the stores are now selling school supplies. Several people I know say summer is almost over, but I disagree. When I look at the calendar, it looks like we're not even halfway there. By my reckoning, midsummer's eve is August 5.
Ah well. I'll enjoy it. But then, I'm strange. I'll probably be camping right up until October.
Anyhow, I ought to go do that interview.
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| Swank Concert Goers Take Note: |
| 08.04.05 (11:50 pm) [edit] |
Submitted by Christine Albrecht
Swank Home
Whilst at a concert last night, we came across this beauty (Ariana) and I asked if I could photograph her 'swank' outfit and she said sure.
Take note people - putting clothing items together should look like they belong together, be it funky, punk, classic, elegant, fun, etc. Never overdo the accessories when the clothing makes a statement - note our swank beauty is not overdone with jewelry. Here’s a gal ‘in the know’ about what is swank!
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| Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince : Book Review |
| 08.04.05 (1:41 pm) [edit] |
Submitted by Lezah
Swank Home
It was Aug. 3 at precisely 10:38 AM when I finally finished ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’, written, of course, by the world’s richest woman, J. K. Rowling. Now, I was one of the many, many people who lined up at 12:01 AM on July 16 to get my copy of the book, expecting to crack it open tout de suite. So why did it take me so long to read the darned thing, you ask? Well, it turns out I’m pretty low on the old totem pole in my house, as I was allotted the number three spot when it came to reading what has since become the fastest selling book in history. Yup, I kid you not; not only were there two others in line in front of me, but one of these individuals chose to take the book away on holidays for a week – reading only one chapter while away! I was outraged!
Finally, I got my hands on the penultimate book of the series, only to spend the first few chapters going, “Who? What? Hunh?” Sadly, you see, I had read the fifth book two years ago – and had completely forgotten most of it. So it took me a few chapters to get back into the swing of things, as they say… And about those few chapters: now, maybe I was completely out of touch with the world of HP, but whatever the case, I found the first few chapters a bit slow. Once we got back to Harry though, things picked up and flew – so much so that I logged 400 pages in one day (certainly not a world’s record, I realize, but significant when you consider the logistics of my schedule that day).
With all hands pointed toward ‘Mortal Peril’, this HP kicks off in high alert – and frankly, the parallels between Harry’s world and the current war against terrorism are kind of frightening. Whereas the last book satirized the educational system, this book makes some insightful political comments that speak to the increasing maturity of Harry, the character, and JK Rowling, the author of said character. ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’ examines the past of Voldemort in greater depth, revealing a character even worse than before. As well, Harry chances on a old textbook called “Advanced Potion Making”, which had previously been owned by someone who mysteriously referred to himself as ‘The Half-Blood Prince’; love blooms and hormones rage at Hogwarts; the increasingly public followers of Voldemort continue to wage war against all that is good and pure; more and more people spend their time reading the obituaries; and life (and Quidditch) go on.
Now, I’m not going to let out any big secrets here (like who falls in love with whom or who the Half-Blood Prince really is), but what I will say is this: love figures prominently in this book, and does so in both the mundane, totally expected sort of way; as well as in a very unexpected – and fundamentally important – sort of way. Thematically, the power of love becomes the key to Harry’s problems – let’s just hope that the fellow who now refers to himself as “Dumbledore’s man through and through” realizes exactly how important love will prove to be.
I’ll be interested to see how everything is wrapped up in the final book – and between you and me, I’m expecting a few ‘surprises’ (maybe some of the things that happened at the end of the sixth book aren’t exactly what they seem to be...)
With 6.9 million copies sold within the first 24 hours, and sales already in excess of $100 million, the movie version of this book (planned for 2008) will likely be a blockbuster, as well.
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| Fashions That draws a Big Yuck! |
| 08.04.05 (1:39 pm) [edit] |
Submitted by Lezah
Swank Home
Here's my list of current fashion items that are big yucks in my book:
- Tunic shirts: quite frankly, these things are only becoming if one happens to be pregnant.
- Big, big sunglasses: want to look like a bug? Just go out and buy a pair of these babies!
- Feathers, leather and fur: what can I say that hasn't been said a million times?
- Tiered skirts: okay little girl, dress up time is over... back to the land of grown-ups again!
- Voluminous skirts/coats/pants: unless you're obviously super-skinny, it's just going to look like you're trying to hide that extra weight you put on.
- Boho: time to send this one back from whence it came – Diane Keaton’s armoire.
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| Baby: Low Risk, Average Intelligence - Based on a Baby Picture?? |
| 08.03.05 (10:56 pm) [edit] |
Submitted by Sashi
Swank Home
Sashi Home
I bet the kid’s parents must be very happy to know their child has a Very Low Promiscuity Factor.
Go on. Try the FaceAnalyzer. Submit a pic of anyone - or any THING - and see what they come up with.
Face Analysis
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| INXS _ Rock Star Go Home |
| 08.03.05 (10:24 pm) [edit] |
Although it kills me to watch this show as I was an avid Michael Hutchance's fan, I am curious who t-bloggers will think win the chance to lead the band. Ideas anyone?
Christine
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| The Shoe for You |
| 08.03.05 (10:12 pm) [edit] |
Submitted by: Lezah
Swank Home
When we were in Seattle we visited Barneys New York and I was immediately attracted to the shoe sale - don't ask me why...
Anyway, here are a few trends I noticed:
• many of the shoes were adorned with bows or brooches - go to link
• round toed pumps are showing up more and more often
• animal prints were something else I saw a lot of
As an aside, I picked up a pair of Manolo Blahniks and I can truly say that I am in love, love, love! Even the outer sole of this shoe is sinful - a luxuriously soft leather like you've never felt before. So rich!
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| The Booker Prize |
| 08.03.05 (10:10 pm) [edit] |
Submitted by Lezah
Swank Home
For some strange reason that even I don't understand, I am obsessed with the Booker Prize. Just in case anyone else out there has the same interest, the Man Booker Prize people just emailed me their important dates for this year, and here they are:
Aug. 10 is the Longlist announcement
Sept. 8 is the Shortlist announcement
Oct. 10 the winner will be announced at Guildhall
BBC Two and BBC Four will be doing a live broadcast of the event.
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| Cariboo Wilderness Adventures |
| 08.03.05 (11:35 am) [edit] |
Submitted by Lezah
Your Ticket to the Beauty of BC
Swank Home
Well, I just returned from BC's Cariboo region in the Interior, and what the license plates say is certainly true; this is the place that helps our province live up to the name 'Beautiful British Columbia'. On our trip we saw deer, elk, fox and a forest fire, as well as the ever-changing face of nature.
Which leads me to my next point: if you are ever planning a trip to the Interior of our beautiful province and are at a loss as to what to do or where to go, perhaps you should look up Lee at Cariboo Wilderness Adventures.
This company provides a variety of services from fishing to kayaking, canoeing, river rafting and hiking, as well as historical and houseboat tours. In a word, they do it all - and do it well!
So well, in fact, that Lee has been asked to do weekly educational and historical spots for the local TV station. The show airs on Shaw, but only in the Central-to-Northern BC areas. However, these spots will soon be available for viewing on their website - stay tuned.
Cariboo Wilderness Adventures has tenure over a huge area of the Cariboo (it extends from south of 150 Mile House all the way up to historical Barkerville, and includes 52 lakes).
So, if you're interested in getting hooked on adventure, or just want to see and learn more about this beautiful area of BC, contact Cariboo Wilderness Adventures at http://www.cariboowildernessa... or lee_walters@telus.net.
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| Mike’s Musings - The "List" List (Short Version) |
| 08.03.05 (11:19 am) [edit] |
Swank Home
Mike’s Page
A brief summary of the things I not only hope to, but will accomplish, before the end of my twenty-fifth year. Watch me.
• be ordained "All-Time World Champ" of Mega Man 2.
• have a monkey. Not as a pet, but as a friend.
• walk down a beautiful, patio-lined street on a beautiful late summer/early autumn afternoon. When I look up I realize that the most beautiful woman who ever lived is walking towards me. Just as our eyes meet and she begins to smile, she trips over a dog's leash and scrapes her knee on the sidewalk. I immediately get her to her feet and help her to a seat at the small ‘Europeanish’ cafe we happen to be in front of. I ask the waiter for a cold glass of ice water, a clean cloth and a small bandage. As I quietly tend to her wound, gently dabbing the blood from the ugly breach in her perfect milky skin, she is suddenly overcome with emotion. A tiny gasp passes her supple, perfectly formed lips as she comes to the powerful realization that she will love me, physically and spiritually, for the rest of her days. When I’m finished applying the bandage I say, "There. All patched up. My name is Mike." To which she'll reply; her birdsong voice trembling with absolute joy; "I'm Persephone."
• win a major award at a major ceremony (for whatever). The crowd’s applause is deafening because they realize just how much I deserve this award (for whatever). When I reach the podium to make my speech I will say one of two things. I will either say
A) "I thank you all. We're golden. We're all golden. Let's party." The moment after I say this, Journey's 'Any Way You Want It' will blast through the stadium's speaker system and liquor will be distributed freely.
Or I will say B) "I only thank Batman."
• when crossing the street I realize a large bus is is about to slam into my body, thus crushing it throughly. At the very last second I do a perfectly timed backflip, landing in the back of a passing pickup truck, making it in only by inches. I then pounce out of the moving truck, grab onto a nearby lamppost, swing around it a couple of times, letting go at exactly the right second for me to launch myself back across the busy street and land comfortably in an empty seat at a table full of highly trained ninjas, who proceed to give me a standing ovation.
• I wake up with a mouthful of gold teeth.
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| Sky High Movie Review |
| 08.02.05 (9:59 pm) [edit] |
Submitted by Lezah
Swank Home
Everyone has to survive their first day of high school - even superheroes, or superhero hopefuls and wannabes. A good pedigree can help one gain acceptance in high school , too - like, for instance, if your Mom and Dad happen to be the top superheroes of the time - but ultimately, it all comes down to the individual. According to Mom and Dad, everyone is super, but even in the high school superhero world, it turns out some are more super than others.
This is the theme that is visited in Disney's latest film, Sky High, starring Michael Angarano, as superhero hopeful Will Stronghold; and Kurt Russell and Kelly Preston as his parents, The Commander and Jetstream. Teenage angst abounds and social castes are revisited in this gentle parody of both the super hero and high school film genre.
Directed by Mike Mitchell and with a screenplay by Paul Hernandez, Mark McCorkle and Robert Schooley, this film offers some good laughs: like when Will brings his new girlfriend home, only to have the dad ask him, "You're not that guy with the six arms, are you?" (unfortunately, I think I was the only one in the theatre who actually laughed out loud at this one - but it was funny!). The story was well-paced and offered lots of suspense - I observed one young lady near us literally sitting on the edge of her seat.
For all you parents out there, the nostalgia factor will be very high. From the eighties music - all covers (one notable cover is a Styx song, done by Tribe - a band who happens to be fronted by the absolutely gorgeous Steven Strait, who plays Will's arch-enemy Warren Peace in the film), to the blasts from our TV past: Wonder Woman Lynda Carter appears as the school's principal, Cloris Leachman as the school nurse and Kids in the Hall Dave Foley and Kevin McDonald - hilarious as mostly useless, super-powered teachers. Most notable, of course, is Kurt Russell, originally famous as Disney's teen heartthrob of the late '60s - early '70s, who has now come full circle to play the ambitious, but loving parent. Bruce Campbell, of Evil Dead fame, is also excellent as an obnoxious gym coach.
The film opened July 29 and finished the first weekend in third place, raking in 14.5 million (behind the summer hit The Wedding Crashers). Rated PG for no reason, this is a good summer family show.
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| Beauty Night Makeovers - Get Involved to Help Marginalized and Disfranchised People! |
| 08.02.05 (9:25 pm) [edit] |
Because Dignity is Beautiful.
Swank Home
Beauty Night
I was speaking with a peer when she mentioned her daughter (a hairdresser) was participating in something called ‘Beauty Night’. After a bit of poking about I came across the organization’s website.
Beauty Night Society was founded in Vancouver, British Columbia, on December 15, 2000. Caroline MacGillivray started Beauty Night while she was a volunteer at WISH Drop-in Centre and has gone on to make it a much larger, independent organization. (Wish usually sponsors Beauty Night in May and November or early December.)
Beauty Night Society is a non-profit, volunteer-based organization that provides makeovers and other wellness programs to marginalized adults and youth. Our programs provide tools for clients to increase their self esteem and find the inner strength to make positive change in their lives.
Today, Beauty Night operates in Vancouver, Victoria and Toronto and has given more than 4,000 makeovers to clients * all without any funding*.
It's thanks to the generous donations of people, organizations and businesses that we are able to offer BEAUTY NIGHT EVENTS
A Beauty Night is a volunteer-organized event where we work with marginalized and disfranchised people to help them improve self-image and self-esteem. An event will either take place in a salon or at the hosting agencies’ facilities. We go to drop-in centers, transition homes, clinics, group homes and hospitals and we plan to acquire our own program space as well.
For our events, we bring in volunteers who offer services such as hair cutting and styling; make-up application and lessons; basic manicures and pedicures; relaxation massage, aromatherapy, reflexology and healing touch. Our image consultants help clients pick out clothing. Healthy delicious appetizers are served. Depending on the venue, sometimes music or films are played for our clients’ benefit. Gift bags are given to participants.
We are currently raising money to sustain our existing programs and to offer more programs to our clients. Check out our calendar for upcoming FUNdraising Events, in which you can participate.
Without the tireless efforts of our volunteers, there would not be a Beauty Night. Our volunteers vary from hair dressers, make up artists, massage therapists, aestheticians, nail tech's, reiki masters, reflexologists, aroma-therapists and image consultants to fundraisers, public relations and marketing professionals and event facilitators.
We average three Beauty Nights a month, so we are constantly collecting products for these events. We have given over 2000 makeovers to our clients since December 2000. Thank you so much for all of your support!
Learn how you can participate in Beauty Night, through volunteering, clothing drives or by making a donation.
Volunteer Facilitators Wanted
To learn more about becoming a volunteer facilitator phone:
Vancouver 604-601-1383
Toronto 416-379-8456
Victoria 250-360-8992
Responsibilities include: responding to emails and phone messages, coordinating events at different agencies in the city, coordinating volunteers, some public relations and fund raising, proposal writing and grant writing.
The ideal candidate should have access to email and a home telephone. She (we would prefer a female as many of the agencies we work with only want females on the premises) would also own or have access to a vehicle as Beauty Night events take place at host facilities.
All inquiries can be sent to:
Caroline MacGillivray
C/O Beauty Night Society
6187 Granville Street
Vancouver, BC V6M 3E2
or emailed to carolinema@beautynight.org
Below are some of the people and organizations that Beauty Night have has the pleasure of partnering up with. Thank you!
Sponsored by:
• Davis and Company
• Clear Choice Technologies Inc
• Social Empire Visit Our Website at www.socialempire.com
• Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
• Dianne Anderson and University Hill Church
• Joji's Hair School
• Colour Box
• Baxter's Hair
• Bambu Hair Salon
• Bloom Essential Spa
Donations
$2000 - 2500
• Joji's Hair School
$1600-2000
• Shannon Chowscanio, Charlene Burr, and Tracie
$1000-1499
• None noted
$200 - 500
• Fidel Thomas, Inner Visions
• Checho Tomasso's VOC Soul Gospel Choir
$99 - 200
• Defiant Women's Fund
Organizations that Beauty Night works with:
• WISH Drop In Centre
• Capilano College runs a literacy program at the WISH Drop In Centre at the First United Church and also some programs at their Pender Street office
• Spirit Way
• Elizabeth Frye Society
• DTES Women’s Centre
• DTES Community Health Centre
• Sheway
• CHIAS
• Dr. Peter's (Women's Group)
• Positive Women's Network
• Peers Vancouver
• BC Women's Hospital
• Plea's Daughters and Sisters Program
• Youth Health Fair (provided by Disease Control)
• Union Gospel Mission Youth Outreach
• Union Gospel Mission Women's Program
• Broadway Youth Resource Centre
• Collingwood Neighbourhood House
• Kettle Friendship Society
• Cornerstone Academy
• Job Quest (Burnaby Open Learning Centre)
• Trade Works
• Immigrant Services' Stepping Up Program
• Grace House (closed July 2002 due to cut backs)
• Rapha Place
In Toronto:
• Jean Tweed Centre
• Grant House
• Red Door Shelter
In Victoria
• Peers Victoria
• Open Door
For those out there who have the ability to assist with this selfless act of kindness, please step up to the plate and volunteer! Every single participant can make a difference in someone’s life.
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