BY PAUL E. SCHINDLER, JR.
I am from Portland, Oregon, Beaumont '66, Benson High '70, MIT '74. Some things are impossible to know, but it is impossible to know these things.
You've probably seen the other reviews by now--mixed to negative. Well, I'm here to tell you the Bee Movie is OK, funny and not too long. Does it require a suspension of disbelief? Of course it does. Every animated film requires that. Does this require more than the average animated film? Yes it does, but, again, who cares. If you like Jerry Seinfeld, you'll like this film. Complaining that an animated film has no coherent plot (the number one gripe about the film) is like complaining that a soap opera isn't funny. That's not what the film is for. It contains scattershot humor, most of which is amusing. Laugh out loud funny? No. Worth 90 minutes and $10? Absolutely.
This is the kind of thing Kent Peterman used to send to Herb Caen. Now he sends it to me--and I love it.
Loeb of the Loeb and Leopold convicted of the murder of Bobby Frank (an early typewriter identification case) was knifed to death while in prison by a fellow prisoner who claimed that he killed Loeb because he propositioned him to commit a homosexual act. The wags say that Loeb was the first prisoner to end his sentence with a proposition.
Daniel Dern sez he's going to see Sweeney Todd, The Movie and Golden Compass.How about you? I'll go see Golden Compass just to honk off the people who hate it without ever seeing it.
I was going to say that of course if this is what really happened it would be the first thing dubya has ever done that came out the way he wanted. Except that since he doesn't want government to work, he doesn't even try to make it work. So a lot of things happen the way he wants them to. And if the Democrats win in '08 they'll have an awful lot of obstructionist dubya moles to root out of the various agencies.
NEW YORK REGION
| November 6, 2007 A Corona, Please, and Don't Hold the Lime
By MICHAEL WILSON
Every time a bartender in New York City puts a lime slice in that Corona with bare hands, he or she is breaking the law.
I can't believe these people don't know that the only reason that their books are "best sellers" is that they are bought in bulk and given away.
BOOKS | November 7, 2007 Conservative Authors Sue Publisher
By MOTOKO RICH
Five authors charged that Regnery Publishing deprives its writers of royalties by selling their books at a steep discount to organizations owned by the same parent company.
[Since we don't build anything here anymore it looks like we'll keep having these problems. From the article: Speaking about the failure, "Another factor was a decline of American expertise in systems engineering, the science and art of managing complex engineering projects to weigh risks, gauge feasibility, test components and ensure that the pieces come together smoothly." ]
| November 11, 2007 The Tables Turn for Dilbert's Creator
By BRAD STONE
Scott Adams, the progenitor of the multimillion-dollar Dilbert empire, is now a pointy-haired boss at an upscale restaurant serving California cuisine. [ed. note: I haven't gone yet, but now I want to…]
The column is late this week, but for a good reason. Vicki and I took off for Sacramento on Friday after school for one of the coolest weekends of our lives. We drove to Martinez and took the train to Sacramento (next time, we'll drive to Orinda and Bart to Richmond) along with our bikes. We walked the half mile to the Delta King, a converted riverboat/hotel on the Sacramento river, where we spent the night, after a fantastic meal at the Pilothouse, a restaurant with both wonderful food and a wonderful atmosphere.
Our goal was to ride the American River Bike Trail (aka the American River Parkway) from its origin in Sacramento old town (about a mile from the Delta King) to Folsom--not quite the northern terminus (the actual northern terminus is a Folsom Lake, an extremely steep climb from the town of Folsom, according to all the accounts we were able to find). The segment we rode was 28 miles; the path runs 34 miles for the extremely fit.
The American River Parkway is the finest bike trail I have ever ridden, hands down. It has everything you could want. It is long (28 miles, with almost no grade crossings), flat (slightly uphill to Folsom, downhill on the way back), quiet (for the most part), beautiful, shady, and easy to follow. We missed only one unmarked turn; just before Hazel, there is an unmarked left turn to the Nimbus fish hatchery. Miss it, and you're on the southern route spur of the trail, which is neither as pretty not as flat as the formal trail, which runs to the north. If you find yourself at the extremely long traffic light at Hazel, your choice is to cross and ride through the CSU Sacramento aquatic center (watch out for the hairpin turns of the bike path!), or to backtrack about 200 yards and make the left.
Here's another tip--the Hagan Community Park at the 16 mile mark (there are many mile markers painted on the path) is a lovely place, with rest rooms. If you go up Chase and turn right at the light, you are a mere 1.5 miles from a Raley's supermarket, where you can buy lunch. Or, you could eat at Round Table.
At Folsom, you either cross the historic truss bridge (from the north side), or ride up the ramp to the light rail station (from the south side). There are motels in Folsom, but we wanted a B&B. We found an outstanding one--the Bradley House. Great rooms, terrific breakfast, friendly helpful inkeepers. Vicki found a restaurant--the Bidwell Street Bistro. Since we were being green (i.e., did not have a car) and it was dark, we chose to walk the 1.5 miles to the restaurant. It wasn't so bad--only took a half hour, and the night was beautiful. We've seldom eaten a better meal anywhere.
Then, Sunday morning, we turned around and rode the 28 miles downhill, back to downtown Sacramento.
It could not have been more lovely. It is clear to this you only want to do this ride in late fall or early spring--not in winter (too cold), or summer (unbelievably too hot).
A fellow teacher forwarded this news to me. Advisory is a period early in the day (before I start work) in which we try to help students with the social aspects of life, rather than the academic one.
Today in advisory the kids had to get in groups and make a list of the 10 things they wanted with them if they were stranded on a raft – it was supposed to be pieces of equipment. One group of boys said they wanted Mr. Schindler with them.
A friend in LA forwards information about a requiem for the victims of the recent LA/San Diego fires:
Duruflé REQUIEM
Op. 9
In commemoration of All Souls Day
Saturday, Nov. 17, 2007 at 7:30 p.m.
St. Francis de Sales Church
13370 Valleyheart Drive, Sherman Oaks
Performed by the choir of St. Francis de Sales and The Wagner Ensemble with orchestra
Suggested donation: $15
Visit the choir's website for details:
www.sfdschoir.org
For tickets and information call: 818-342-5233
or Mail your RSVP and donation to:
SFDS Choir – Durufle Requiem, 13360 Valleyheart Dr., Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
John Edwards spoke Oct 29, 2007 at St. Anselm's College, Manchester, N.H. He described the moral test we face. Here are excerpts:
The speech marks the first success of Obama'a politics of hope - every sentient patriotic American has been hoping one of the leading candidates would give this speech, and John Edwards finally did. I like Edwards. I could support him as the nominee. I regret that he has to knock Hillary, because I like her too, and think she's more electable. What a dilemma. He's the best candidate, she's got the best chance. Whew!
…
As I look across the political landscape of both parties today -- what I see are politicians too afraid to tell the truth -- good people caught in a bad system that overwhelms their good intentions and requires them to chase millions of dollars in campaign contributions in order to perpetuate their careers and continue their climb to higher office.
…
And a few weeks ago, around the sixth anniversary of 9/11, a leading presidential candidate held a fundraiser that was billed as a Homeland Security themed event in Washington, D.C. targeted to homeland security lobbyists and contractors for $1,000 a plate. These lobbyists, for the price of a ticket, would get a special "treat" -- the opportunity to participate in small, hour long breakout sessions with key Democratic lawmakers, many of whom chair important sub committees of the homeland security committee. That presidential candidate was Senator Clinton.
…
Down one path, we trade corporate Democrats for corporate Republicans; our cronies for their cronies; one political dynasty for another dynasty; and all we are left with is a Democratic version of the Republican corruption machine.
It is the easier path. It is the path of the status quo. But, it is a path that perpetuates a corrupt system that has not only failed to deliver the change the American people demand, but has divided America into two -- one America for the very greedy, and one America for everybody else.
…
Let us blaze a new path together, grounded in the values from which America was forged, still reaching toward the greatness of our ideals. We can do it. We can cast aside the bankrupt ways of Washington and replace them with the timeless values of the American people. We can liberate our government from the shackles of corporate money that bind it to corporate will, and restore the voices of our people to its halls.
Accomplished director Ridley Scott (Blade Runner, Alien, Gladiator, Thelma & Louise) strives for Coppola- or Scorsese-esque greatness with American Gangster, the story of real-life Harlem drug dealer Frank Lucas, but falls short. With a strong screenplay by Steven Zallian (Schindler's List, Gangs of New York, Hannibal), based on Marc Jacobson's 2000 New York Magazine article, "The Return of Superfly," Scott work is captivating and expertly-crafted. But this long film - running over two and a half hours, and feeling even longer - is oddly lifeless. The lead actors - Denzel Washington (much better when cast as a bad guy) and Russell Crowe - do fine jobs, as does a large supporting cast, yet there is little emotional connection with the characters. While American Gangster is well worth watching, I found myself disappointed that it wasn't more.
I first saw Neil Young in January of 1971 at the Music Hall in Boston (on the tour that would ultimately be memorialized in the recent archival release, Live At Massey Hall 1971), and I have seen him in numerous incarnations in the subsequent three and a half decades. I am an unabashed admirer, as Young is an artist who has remained relevant throughout that time, producing new music today as notable as "Mr. Soul," "Down By The River," or "Ohio." Few others - perhaps only Bob Dylan - can claim a career of such length, breadth, and quality.
Tuesday night's show was a remarkable two and a half hours at the new Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles, across from the Staples Center. The ironic contrast of the spanking new concert hall with Young's low-tech, almost antique, staging and equipment was not lost. His first set featured Young solo, on guitar, harmoica, and keyboards, with songs ranging from the familiar ("A Man Needs A Maid," "Old Man") to the obscure ("Ambulance Blues") and unreleased ("Sad Movies," "Love Art Blues"). After a short break, he returned with a full band featuring musicians from two of his most frequent backing bands, Crazy Horse and the Stray Gators. One review of this show described Young as playing electric guitar like he was carving granite, and this set gave him ample opportyunity to display this technique. He included tracks from his most recent release, Chrome Dreams II (in classic Neil Young fashion, the sequel to an album that was never issued!), with the closing number, the record's ravishing 20+ minute "No Hidden Path," a particular standout.
Mid-1970s Los Angeles was the scene of a particularly bleak part of Young's life, captured in albums like Tonight's The Night and On The Beach. Throughout this evening, Yound referenced those days, honoring Hollywood's Studio Instruments Rental - where much of that era's debauchery took place - and ended with a withering "Tonight's The Night." A great show, by a rare performer who has survived and evolved.
The set list:
Hank To Hendrix Harvest Moon (1992)
Ambulance Blues On The Beach (1974)
Sad Movies (aka Day And Night We Walk These Aisles) Unreleased (circa 1976)
A Man Needs A Maid Harvest (1972)
No One Seems To Know (aka Don’t Say You Win, Don’t Say You Lose) Unreleased (circa 1976)
Harvest Harvest (1972)
Campaigner Decade (1977)
After The Goldrush After The Goldrush (1970)
Mellow My Mind Tonight’s The Night (1975)
Love Art Blues Unreleased (circa 1974, Homegrown album)
Love Is A Rose Decade (1977)
Old Man Harvest (1972)
The Loner Neil Young (1969)
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (1969)
Dirty Old Man Chrome Dreams II (2007)
Spirit Road Chrome Dreams II (2007)
Bad Fog Of Loneliness Live At Massey Hall 1971
Winterlong Decade (1977)
Oh, Lonesome Me After The Goldrush (1970)
The Believer Chrome Dreams II (2007)
No Hidden Path Chrome Dreams II (2007)
Cinnamon Girl Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (1969)
| October 29, 2007 Op-Ed Contributor: The Wiretap This Time By STUDS TERKEL
During my lifetime, there has been a sea change in the way that politically active Americans view their relationship with government.
The Immunity Presidency (DailyKOS)
Scooter Libby's sentence commuted.
Telecom companies who let the government spy on you immunized.
The MCA immunizes military and intelligence operatives who tortured prisoners in Guantanamo and secret sites around the world off.
The Office of the Vice President exempts itself from secrecy standards.
The White House Information Office exempted from the Freedom of Information Act. (Hi, it's irony calling, from beyond the grave.)
And now... Blackwater.
Gosh, but that's an awful lot of immunity for a law n' order preznit.