Monday, July 31, 2006
VIPERS
Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was John Huston's take on Dashiell Hammett's novel
It is such a classic that any discussion comes up wanting.
But, Ebert does a very good essay at the link.
This film moves. You have to pay attention.
The talk is fast and blunt and the plot, while a bit complex, unrolls in a non-linear way. We are taken over the circumstances over and over. And it is not in any way boring.
The acting is superb. Here we have Bogart, Lorre, Astor, and Greenstreet. Only Elijah Wood Jr. (the 'boy' or gunsel) is missing.
It was great to see it again. I think it would be the fourth or fifth time for me.
I always 'forget' how it works and so I am surprised by what happens; again and again and again.
This is the sign of a great film. It is not dulled by repetition.
It is so a 5 out of Netflix5 that I can hardly wait to give it the rating!
Sunday, July 30, 2006
DELETIONS
I have been cutting down on my daily internet reading.
Part of this is related to web repetition.
Another part of it is that I am increasing my book reading time as well as the more or less daily movie.
If you read Kos and Andrew and Crooks and Liars to say nothing of Raw Story you are updated.
The others mostly elaborate (at length) or repeat the same items and I have had enough of it for now.
So, I have changed the link lists at the upper right accordingly.
I have deleted The Left Coaster (Steve Soto) and AmericaBlog (John Avarosis) for redundancy.
Two regular stops are dead or nearly so.
I have eliminated the wonderful Daily Scribble because it is no more.
Boondocks is gone because they are in re-runs while a teevee show is developed.
Oh. And no one noticed that there were two WaPo listings there. Not that we look at the links much or anything.
TWADDLE
Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was Nicholas Roeg's
The Man Who Fell To Earth (1976)
It stars David Bowie; proving once and for all that a rock star crossover to acting is not always a good idea.
The story has so many disconnects that there is hardly a story.
An alien comes to earth looking for water but becomes corrupted or coopted or captured. We are not sure.
What is it he wanted to do? How? When? What? And so on.
There is a point where television is criticized by the alien as being all about showing things and not telling anything.
Much the same could be said about the movie.
No one in it is any good.
There had to be an idea in here somewhere.
I kept waiting for things to get better; the situation, the acting, the movie. No luck. Bummer.
This is one of those 'best films' that makes me wonder whether we were seeing the same picture.
It is only on the 2000 list and not on the 2004. Someone came to their senses.
I think that this had cult status for awhile because of its inherent Bowie weirdness and its anti-establishment appeal.
I suppose that there is something good about some of the effects. Ebert says that it is like a series of sketches made for a film that was never made.
Whatever.
I will give it a 1 out of Netflix5.
GO JOE, GO GO GO NED
No need to repeat my loathing of Joe Lieberman; the whiny, self centered, moral scold and bush supporting Democrat from Connecticut.
I don't know (nor does anyone else) whether the challenge of Ned Lamont will be successful or not.
But this latest unkind cut has to be very painful for the morally superior Joe.
A Senate Race in ConnecticutImagine. A long time senator dissed and unsupported by a main liberal media outlet (well not so liberal really but faux leftish).
Let's put it another way.
The Times has gotten with the times and supports Ned Lamont who is a breath of fresh air in the stale electoral process.
All the spineless, establishment Democrats in the Senate should pay close attention including the stiff that we ran for President last time.
Saturday, July 29, 2006
COULDN'T HAPPEN TO A NICER GUY DEPARTMENT
Mel has stepped into a pile of elephant shit.
Anyway, now we have the backstory for his Jesus movie's anti-semitic baseline.
As well as showing the apples don't fall far from the tree. Gibson has disavowed his Dad's Jew baiting history.
And the alcoholism. The default excuse.
As something of an expert in the area, I can affirm that in recovery, alcoholics do not blame the bottle for their troubles but look beyond it to their selves.
The biggest hurdle to sobriety is the ego.
While we are at it, Mel is a gay baiter too. A certified hom-o-phobe.
I don't normally put this kind of thing in the blog but it touches on a lot of angles I think about.
Here is a guy who is a certified professional christer. He is on the bandwagon.
He is a darling of the right wing.
He is a gay basher.
All that.
So here I am writing like a gossip columnist.
2/3 EPIC
Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was Spike Lee's
I only saw two thirds of it as Netflix had sent me Disc One in the Disc Two pack. I will have to reorder it to finish the watch.
But that is good because this is one long long film; 220 minutes. Three and a half hours.
I was moaning to myself about seeing it all and taking the chunk of time and 'it got taken care of for me'.
It is a film with epic reach. Huge. Cast of thousands.
The technical aspect is incredible. The opening scenes in Boston are pretty accurate as I was there at the time. I can vouch for it.
Imagine. I was there.
Well, actually ten years or so later.
Still the same.
But this is about Malcolm, right?
Denzel Washington channels the man.
The film is affecting from the start. As the titles role, we watch the American Flag and hear Malcolm speak while in and out the Rodney King beating tape plays. Then the flag burns down to an X.
Well.
That gets one's attention.
It is an astounding film. It is quite enjoyable to watch. It is not freighted with a lot of side stuff. Lee lets Malcolm speak.
I read The Autobiography of Malcolm X. So watching the film is an exception to my rule; no books from movies I have seen and no movies from books I have read.
In this case, I am happy to break the rule.
I like the sound of the speech. It is OK.
I will happily watch Disc Two when it gets here in a week or so.
This film is clearly in the high 5 out of Netflix5 territory.
HEAR HEAR
LGBT activists too focused on marriage, coalition says
It is about time!
The 25-page document released Wednesday suggests that same-sex marriage is diverting too many resources that could be used to fight for equality for others who have no plans to marry.
"Marriage is not the only worthy form of family or relationship and it should not be legally and economically privileged above all others," says the statement, which outlines central principles such as separation of church and state, access to health care and housing and freedom from state regulation of sexual lives, gender choices and identities and expressions.
The statement's authors assert that focusing on marriage equality as a standalone issue has "left us isolated and vulnerable to a virulent backlash."
Friday, July 28, 2006
SAGGER CULTURE
When did "you're welcome" become "no problem"?
"Thank you for calling back" "No problem"
"I appreciate your giving me a lift". "No problem".
The problem is the lack of grace in the exchange.
Yeh, grace. That's what I said.
When someone replies "You are welcome", there is a small gift enclosed in the statement; the person's willingness to be of service or be kind.
"No problem", on the other hand, is a null. A zero sum.
It is the new form of the old "it was nothing" which was kind of a slam and, if said with a bit of sneer, an insult.
It says that the person did it but it didn't mean much or it was done grudgingly.
What about "it is my pleasure"?
How about "I was glad to do it"?
So. "No fucking prob-a-lem" used to be a joke.
No more.
I am not sure when this started but I first noticed it a few years ago; common among the uneducated and uncivilized. "Hey, Bro, Yo! No problem".
Now it is everywhere.
The barbarians were at the gates and someone let them inside.
I blame teevee sitcoms and trash movies.
They have contributed more nitwit 'catch phrases' to general discourse than any other medium.
Don't people listen to themselves anymore?
What every happened to original thought and talk?
The whole world has become a walking cliché.
I would like to blame the execrable rap/hip hop culture but that is lower than low with the intentional mispellings and all.
'Ho'. Indeed.
I knew that I would reach the age when I despaired of what the universe was coming to.
Here I am.
Oh. Saggers are the ones who let their pants run down around their ass and have their hats on backwards or sideways.
SILVER FOX
Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was François Truffaut's
L' Homme qui aimait les femmes / The Man Who Loved Women (1977)
It is a cleverly put together story and analysis of an obsessive womanizer.
But, it goes deeper than that to really show the innards of the obsession as well as how the women play a part in the outcome of the chase.
The construction of the film is delightful, consisting of one two hour flashback and many many mini-flashbacks amid the main one.
There are many surprises along the way.
Conventional explanations of the man's behavior arise only to be dashed with a surprise encounter with an old flame later in the film.
It is very enjoyable. Amusing, never really sad or depressing. It seems that everyone is having fun amid the revolving doors of the hero's love life.
It will get a 5 out of Netflix5.
BREAKLESS
I finally got the results of my shoulder x-ray.
It is good news.
No breaks, no cracks, no degenerations, no arthritis. Nothing but normal.
The same cannot be said for the cervical series (the neck) though.
I have degeneration of the vertebrae and discs with some arthritis.
But, he said that is normally abnormal.
I need to do some daily neck rolls and stuff, preferable in hot water.
Finally.
We can write the outdoors spa off for medical purposes.
RELIEF
The temps got way cooler today although there is still a touch of humidity.
We have had monsoonal conditions the last few days. It is the North American Monsoon (scroll down on link) that we get. Not the Indian one.
It is great to wake up and find that we can throw the doors open again.
There were a lot of people out early when I rode the bike.
Release.
Relief.
The monsoon doesn't catch us often but, when it does, it is the equivalent of a bad snow storm back east. Everyone stays close to home.
This is a picture of a monsoonal storm in the Sonoran Desert (that's us).
We get more of the humidity than the rain but last week we had a gutter buster.
SHINOLA TO SHIT
Once again the bushers have put us on the wrong side of a battle and we are left isolated in the world. And that is only the political side.
The worst part is that we are holding out on a cease fire while families are chewed up by bombs and a country that was on its way to recovery is, once again, in ruins.
Bastard incompetent assholes. To put it mildly.
Tide of Arab Opinion Turns to Support for Hezbollah
AWAKE
This hasn't happened to me in a long while.
I got up to pee this morning and it was 1:45 AM
"Ahhhh", I thought. I have an hour and a half to sleep and sleep I did.
That lasted until I sort of woke up and took a squinty eyed look at the clock.
330 AM!
I stretched, rolled out, said my morning prayer (to stay sober today) and got my routine rolling.
Somewhere between the inspirational reading and putting my teeth back in, I took a look at my cell phone to see if anyone had foolishly tried to call me after I had gone to bed last night.
Shocked, I saw that it was only 245 AM.
I had inadvertently gotten up an hour early!
Keeerist!
Well, I can always use some extra time.
I used this particular extra hour to explore the world of leather cleaners. Our living room overstuffed white/pink paint finish leathers are beginning to look a little grimy after 9 years.
Then I did some 'work' on my Amazon account.
I have lots of time to write this little blog item.
And so on.
The thing is, how am I going to explain this to Franklin? I woke him up with a lot of belly rubbing then lured him to the kitchen for food and got him to go through all his morning rituals an hour early.
I think we are due for some serious joint nap activity today.
No harm done.
We have lots of time for naps, he and I.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
EBENSTEN'S LAST TRIP
You cannot underestimate the impact of Hanns Ebensten's gay travel business.
He has a great back story. a holocaust survivor he had seen the world as few of us have
But the story which is important to me is that he invented the gay travel business.
His first trip was in 1972 with a gay rafting trip down or up the Grand Canyon.
Such a thing was unheard of.
Gays with special interests beyond being gay.
Soon, gay men were forming special interest groups of all kinds and travel, particularly, was one of the main ones.
You must have your political heroes and all but this kind of thing was very very important and still is.
Ebensten took gay groups where none had gone before. He specialized in the exotic locale.
I can remember laughing at the extent he would go to provide unique experiences.
I bet that thousands of gay people met one another and formed lasting friendships from these trips to say nothing of taking themselves out of the closet about as far as you can on this green earth.
Ebensten took his final trip out the other day. A pioneer, indeed; in all senses of the word.
Gay travel pioneer Hanns Ebensten dies
Look at those two 'n's in Hanns. So gay.
PERFECTLY FRANK
I love Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ):
Senator wants to re-name energy bill after Exxon executiveHe wants to name it "The Lee R. Raymond Oil Profitability Act.”
Raymond is the Exxon CEO who cashed out so big when he retired this year.
EMPTY NESTS
The family departed on the next leg of their journey this morning.
The house is very quiet.
Franklin is in 'deep-sleep' mode.
We had a great time and now it is over.
There is an optimum visit duration and I think the folks hit it.
They arrived Sunday afternoon and left Thursday morning: 48 hours.
We have always tried to practice the three day rule. If someone comes to visit longer than three days, they are asked to take a side trip on the 4th day (at least) to give some breathing room. It is amazing what it does to a visit. For the visitor, it provides perspective. For the visited it provides relief.
Both return with a renewed commitment to the visit itself.
Well, in this case, the middle was the end and we had a great time in the beginning.
We are having another visitor in ten days; another three day one.
It has been a busy summer. Usually we see folks when the weather up north and back east is cold. Not this year.
I am off on my own little vacation on the fourteenth of August. I am going to Shelter Island off San Diego; a marina development which was built in the 60's and still has considerable water-centric charm; bobbing boats, gulls, and pretty buildings on one side with the city of San Diego skyline, the old Naval Air Station and a huge bay with big ships sailing up and down in between.
That will be a solo venture with no plans, no computer, no schedule.
Another form of empty nest.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
BAG MARKET
Long time readers will remember that I have a white shopping bag fetish.
It is not kink so much as a decorative thing and a desire to recycle and reuse.
Stater Brothers, where I shop, has had those ugly flesh colored bags for as long as I have been going there.
I return them to the recycle box at the entrance of the store.
I cannot bring myself to insert them into the white waste can. So ugly.
So, I save up the few white ones that we get. These come from our bakery, Rite-Aid, Staples, Target, and other stores.
I hoard them.
I ask John to bring extras from home.
Scarcity creates value in a free market.
The other day, I was standing in the checkout at Staters. Suddenly, I realized that my order was being packed into WHITE BAGS!
I was ecstatic.
But then, when I got home, I realized that my long held collection of outsourced white plastic bags was suddenly worthless.
Deflated.
Supply had exceded demand to the nth degree.
The invisible hand had moved.
Market forces had undone me and my collection.
All that saving gone to naught.
Now, I am tempted to consider my collection as just that; to continue saving them but do so on a different basis.
The non-Stater bag.
And then, if this white bag thing is just a temporary deal at Staters, I will be well stocked; an emergency stash.
ISOLATED
We are alone and our agenda becomes more transparent day by day.
Even Rice looks sad and embarrassed.
I told you. We set this up, we are running it. Ohlmert is a puppet.
The part I missed is that somewhere there is a cutoff date and the bushers will take credit.
They passed the tipping point for it.
Another country is destroyed.
Dominoing to WWIII.
THE GOOD OLD DAYS
Alberto Gonzales is achieving something remarkable, even miraculous, as attorney general: He is making John Ashcroft look good.Ruth Marcus--Washington Post
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
TAKIN' A BREAK
We have company; grandsons!
And, of course, the parents.
They are here as part of a summer tour of the American southwest and we are on the itinerary; right between the Grand Canyon, LA and Big Sur.
Not bad placement.
So, I am focusing more on the real visitors than the virtual bloggy ones.
I will be back Thursday, if not before, here and there, when they go on to the next tourist site.
Monday, July 24, 2006
WSJ?OTD
"Would you illegally buy prescription drugs from Canada to save money?"
For gods' sake, YES!
Anything to screw back big Pharma to say nothing of getting a bargain.
I see the bushers are relenting on this and not going after individuals.
They better step back even further.
My cohorts agree with me: Yes (67%); No (33%)
But, reality?
The Medicare Rx Program is working for us.
We are saving about 100 dollars a month on medications for the two of us combined.
An additional savings came when they nudged us to generics. They work. We were just getting paid for them on our old plan which cost 4 times as much for the drug benefit portion.
But, this could all change. A drug not on the formulary? A drug that gets a double copay? (yes they didn't tell us about that one).
We would go to Canada.
Why not?
Give me one good reason.
I said 'good'.
PUPPET SHOW
OK.
Let's put some of the pieces of the plot together.
The plan has been in effect for a year.
And there is a deal.
Israel can kick the shit out of Lebanon for three weeks.
We are even giving them the bombs. Resupply.
Then, in three weeks, Condi will show up and there will be a NATO or UN buffer zone established.
Israel gets its buffer.
Bush gets some positive press about getting a cease fire.
Thousands of innocent civilians get maimed and killed.
The west-hate ante is raised in the muslim world.
Lebanon's slowly recovered infrastructure is destroyed yet again.
Hezbollah is enraged and energized. Not wiped out. And so on.
How do I know this?
I read the news.
No one pulls it together of course.
All this came out of main stream press articles in bits and pieces. No whole.
It is all just terrible.
We are heading toward WWIII in the Middle East without even thinking about it. Our surrogates are doing for us what we do not want or cannot do for ourselves.
Saturday, July 22, 2006
PC OR NOT PC; THAT IS THE QUESTION
Today's NYTimes 1176 Best Film was
The Green Pastures (1936)based on the Broadway musical of the same name. The stories are all from the old testament.
Let's get two things out of the way.
First, that this film is filled with old racial stereotypes and is an affront to everything civil and right, is agreed.
It is as though Amos and Andy put together a religious pageant.
Indeed, there is a whole section about Moses in Egypt which takes place in a meeting hall suspiciously similar to the Mystic Knights of the Sea.
I know. This dates me. A lot of you never saw Amos and Andy.
But I did and I thought it funny as hell and still think about it. I certainly did when I saw this picture
To rub it in even further, the musical was written by writer, director, and producer Marc Connolly; a white man straight from Broadway.
The other PC hurdle is that the film is blatantly religious from the southern christian point of view.
So, it is not a comedy as such. There are angels in heaven and a walking talking humanoid god and all that.
But, in its simplicity, it is a sweet story and the music (all traditional spirituals) is beautifully sung.
It may not be politically correct but the drama and theater of it hits the mark on all counts.
It is touching and funny and, once we get over the 'yassuh' talk, involving.
Hey, I gotta admit, it is a great story! It sure has had staying power.
The other thing is that, oddly, the setting in the antibellum rural south—a land that never was—somehow takes the religious sting out of it.
So, I have shown my colors so to speak and to not find it offensive. I rather enjoyed it and would recommend it to your happy viewing.
Rex Ingraham, the main star, is kind of stiff but some of the other actors more than make up for it.
Eddie (Rochester) Anderson is featured as Noah. The parade of the animals is wonderful!
This one gets a 4 out of Netflix5.
ELECTRIC WHEELS
I have a low interest in autophenalia but this one is really hot.
Tesla Roadster Unveiling in Santa Monica
This link goes on forever with the photos and the news items.
So, perhaps Silicon Valley can do what Detroit refused to.
At 80,000, it is not yet a 'people's car' but it is not that high an end for the first edition.
There's Ahhnoold!
HEATER
Yesterday we had 120 degrees. A record for the day. But we always have to mention the humidity. It was only 9% RH and some areas recorded lower. So, it is a dry heat.
July is noted for its monsoonal flow and there has been a slight effect; mostly overhead. Good.
It has been a hotter summer for us.
So far this year, there have been 64 days with recorded temperatures over 100 degrees, compared to 46 days over 100 by this point in 2005.
But, I kinda like it. Perverse.
I like extremes.
Well, we have them.
The trick here is to temper yourself into it; reset the body thermostat.
I walk Franklin every night just after sunset which means that we are catching most of the day's temperature in the air; not the direct sun. He won't walk in it!
Desert dog.
But still, we get a lot of practice time in the heat.
I try to go out during the day some and I will not use AC in the car(s), period. Open air for me.
So you get used to it.
The price to pay is that the 'winters' of low 60 degree temperatures are very 'cold' to my body.
Oh. What about the pool in this hot weather?
Well, the pool water is about 95 right now.
It is a shock, even when you know that is the case.
But, when you get out, the dry air hits you and the evaporation rate cooooooooooooools you so fast.
Cooling effect of evaporation.
It is an amazing science fact turned into instant comfort.
Friday, July 21, 2006
JOE SCHMOE
You know that I am not a Leiberman fan.
I can only chortle to myself as I see this Lamont guy take away Joe's 'mentum.
There are a lot of people who are exercised that Lamont would dare challenge a 'traditional' seat. That is the 'spoiler' in the picture. I don't even want the Leib on my blog.
Boy, that is just the shit that has been killing the Democratic Party.
I hate to say that even my man Bill is going to go in there to give Joe some help.
Well, shit, he is not perfect.
I love the 'entitlement' people.
'I have it and I am going to keep it'.
'Fuck the election process. Be a good boy and go home'.
The establishment Demos have hurt some very good people by talking them out of 'disrupting primaries'.
Now, I understand that. Right here in California, we are paying the price of a nasty primary for the governorship.
Wesley, an asshole of the highest caliber, went negative and now Angelides who won the Democratic primary against him has to contend with GOoPer ads that quote Wesley's lies.
Snide, but effective.
But there are months to go in the election. It is quiet. It is summer. Angelides is working hard on the inside of things.
Ahhnuuuld, the present chief, is running hard to get to the middle and even left of the political spectrum and that is a good thing too. I don't begrudge him any good works.
Today, he authorized a big loan to OUR stem cell program to get it going before all the court fights are completed. Good for him.
How did I wander down here.
Oh. Good politics can chase out bad. Joe Schmoe is finding that out.
Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.
BRANDO UNO
Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was
It is a good story; a message picture—paraplegics. These happen to be veterans but the story is really about the medical condition and recovery.
Sounds morbid but it is not. Actually, that is the problem, it sounds morbid and it is not. People's reactions.
Marlon Brando, in his first film, steals the show whenever he is on screen. The part is demanding physically and he is up to it. Oddly, it seems more strenuous to play someone who is paralyzed and in a wheel chair than not.
Teresa Wright plays an insipid, whiny kind of girlfriend/wife; a fifties stereotype only it was the real thing then. Everyone wears ties and 'good' clothes even at home. Even putting up curtains.
We were pretty tight assed then.
The hospital business which is the real thing saves the film from the love story.
Everett Sloane, a great actor from the period, plays the doctor to the hilt. Jack Webb and Richard Erdman are Brando's buddies as well as the gorgeous Arthur Jurado who only ever made this one movie. He may have been one of the actual patients who played as extras in the film but got a main part.
The film is blunt and direct and, un-like the fifties, pulls no punches.
It is directed by Fred Zinneman and produced by Stanley Cramer.
I will give it a 4 out of Netflix5 because of the casting of Teresa Wright and the sort of stiffness of the romantic angle.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
WSJ?OTD
"What should the top nationwide speed limit be?"Here are the choices and the results:
80— (22%)
75—(17%)
70—(12%)
65— (8%)
60— (3%)
55—(3%)
There shouldn't be a federal limit.—(29%)
There shouldn't be any speed limits.—(7%)
I voted that there shouldn't be any federal limit.
As it is, I pretty much drive with traffic.
Out here on the 10, when there is no jam or slowdown, people drive at 80 or so.
So do I.
Yeh, what about oil and economy and all that?
I don't know.
I actually do not drive that much so it doesn't make a lot of difference.
I just think the Feds ought to keep out of it.
State's rights.
See how the worm has changed?
When I was first a Democrat, the states rights people were all righties.
Now they have taken over the federal government and are taking everything away from the states.
So, I am against it.
So not PC.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
POTBOILER
Today's NYTimes 1176 Best Film was
with Carole Lombard and Jimmy Stewart is a lot of sentimental claptrap from a story viewpoint.
The point of the film is more the acting by the two principals.
I figure that this is one of the few remaining Lombard films and when they made the list they had to put this in just to show us how luminescent she was.
It is not on the 2004 list; just the 2000. Different critics.
We have seen Garbo in even weaker vehicles and she shone, nevertheless.
Lombard died at age 34 in a plane crash on her way to a War Bond rally. But, in her short time, she still made 78 films.
I think we will see her again in a couple of others; at least To Be or Not To Be (1942) with Jack Benny.
I am surprised that They Knew What They Wanted is not on the list but that might be lost. It is shocking to find that most of the nitrate films are gone or going.
Oh yeah, Jimmy Stewart is also pretty good to watch. He seems so young but he is the same age (31) as Lombard.
The reproduction on this disc is shitty. The sound mushes. The visuals are OK.
Anyway, I will give it a 2 out of Netflix5 because it is a stinker and we have to work to hard to enjoy the acting.
Let's see how the others turn out.
WSJ?OTD
"Should the U.S. expand federal funding of embryonic stem-cell research?"
Yes. Yes. Yes.
Of course we would want the US to have a shot at the research even though we are already doing it in California with our own initiative.
Well, so it is bogged down in controversy about who gets and manages the money. We are well out of the culture war morass with the christists.
Over 400,000 four day old embryos, now in storage, will be trashed without this.
Those who think that these are babies should adopt them. Only a few hundred will.
For once, I am in the majority.
Others said YES—77% and NO—23%
BABY FACE
It is a long drop from the Time cover. See the headline.
It ain't workin' Ralphie!
Ex-Lobbyist in Abramoff Case Loses Georgia Race
They don't mention that, previous, he was one of the christists' point men in the culture wars.
Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.
Heh heh.
One way or another the chickens come home to roost and they will for more of these shits.
The trouble is that it takes so long. I would like the powers of the universe to strike a little faster.
But, it will come.
I will be patient.
HIT LIST
U.S. Appears to Be Waiting to Act on Israeli Airstrikes
I read that the deal was even more explicit. The US would stand back while the Israelis completed a jointly made 'hit list' of targets and then 'step in' for a brokered UN policing deal.
In the meantime, Lebanon goes to flames and rubble.
UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES
The House of Reps had their ritual fag bashing and less people came!
House defeats marriage amendment
The bill is brought up every election cycle as a sop to the radical christists.
On the scoreboard, it is simply showing less support as each cycle goes by.
They are still shameless, cynical shits to keep bringing it up for these nefarious ends; fat Hastert and the newly Delayed Boehner; that rhymes with 'loner'.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
VULGARIAN
Let's see. What are the busher highlights from the G-8?
Nothing about the Middle East war.
Putin slapped him down for telling Russians they should have a democracy like Iraq. (He should have slapped him).
He talked to Blair with his mouth full and sat while Blair stood.
He got caught with a potty mouth on teevee; not that there is anything wrong with that.
He fidgeted and fuddled to 'get outta here' when serious work was being done by others.
And now this
That's our frat boy-king!
ALONE AT THE TOP
Senior Justice Officials "Stunned" Prez Ordered NSA Probe Blocked
Before the next 2.5 years are out, there are going to be a lot more 'stunned' GoOPers who thought that george was just a simple go-along guy.
Hey, I didn't vote for the petulant, power hungry bastard.
MASTERPIECE
Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was
Trollflöjten / The Magic Flute (1975)
Ingmar Bergman plus Wofgang Mozart equals magic.
This was made for television and so benefits from the closeup and other small screen techniques.
One of the interesting aspects of this production is the use of actual theater equipment for many of the scenes. No effort is made to hide it. This adds to the magical quality of the whole.
There are many other happy quirks in the business as one would expect from Bergman.
If you averse to opera, this is safe for you.
It is not 'operatic' in any sense.
Well, it is. But it is captivating, nonetheless.
A glorious 5 out of Netflix5.
A ten if I could manage it.
FOCUS THIS
LGBT families march on Dobson's lair
I like that the same tactics can be used in reverse.
Also, that the author of a much misused batch of research is along to clarify the misuse that Focus has made of it.
This guy Dobson is a real asshole. Another smug (fat) charlatan in the christist business.
Monday, July 17, 2006
NUTS TO SOUP
Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was
The Madness of King George (1995)I don't think that I saw the film but I did see the play; both with the late Nigel Hawthorne as the King.
Helen Mirren, Rupert Everett, and our favorite little man, Ian Holm, fill out the bill.
It is a wonderful play with many rich characters in addition to the King himself.
The politics and machinations around the King come in for a bounteous run through along with the incompetencies of the doctors and the highly dysfunctional family stuff.
Mirren and Hawthorne are a wonderful old husband and wife couple off the royal stage.
It is a lot of fun and not too upsetting. A great play and a good movie.
There are some great scenes of the King's recovery; one involving soup. I had to tell you that to rationalize the title of the entry.
The problem with taking a theater piece out and blowing it up is avoided here. The show does not overwhelm the drama here. There is a good balance.
A definite 5 out of Netflix5.
BOOM TOWN
Almost midnight.
We had thunder.
We had lightning.
Then we had wind and one hell of a lot of rain.
It is the monsoon season and a full day of mounting moisture in the air had a grand climax.
It was like a boil being lanced.
Yesterday morning the temps were above 90. That is way high for us.
It's the first time, this year, we didn't open up the house in the morning.
What a storm.
Franklin was pacing the floor before I even got out of bed. We stood and watched the show.
He doesn't like it but neither do I. The winds were fierce.
It lasted half an hour.
This morning there is a lot of leaf on the ground and we sure have ripped the carob seeds off the tree.
There is no power to one of the AC units but that is OK. We have two units and either can do the job of both.
The temperature is at 80 degrees. But it is still humid.
An exciting first night in our two night bachelor hall.
They say the same will happen the next three days.
Whew.
Sunday, July 16, 2006
BRAIN WAVES
I have always liked Mike Kinsley a lot. I am sorry that he has Parkinson's Disease but he seems to be making the best of it.
For example, this column is hilarious.
Yes It Really Is Brain Surgery
The funniest line is in the editor's note at the end. But no peeking.
There is so much more to do about PD today.
My first friend who had it slowed down so fast. His name was Earl too.
A tall thin guy; structural engineer.
He had to take baby steps.
They did everything to accomodate him at work. He was beloved.
More of an argument than ever for being a nice guy before the bad shit happens. People will actually help you and give you all kinds of love even if you can't take a piss by yourself and have to leave work so slowly you hold them all up.
Today, Earl would have a lot of help from drugs and procedures. He would still be a nice guy but his decline would not be so dramatic or trying for his friends.
I love the people like Kinsley and the kid-actor looking guy, Michael J. Fox, who are willing to keep on keeping on even though they have the shakes and all the rest.
That would have helped Earl a lot too. I had the feeling that he felt so alone.
ALONE TOGETHER
Franklin and I are baching it from this afternoon until Tuesday morning.
John went into the LA megaplex to see the David Hockney show at LACMA.
Franklin gets the drill now. A suitcase. A human out the door with extra hugging.
It is not a normal leave taking.
We will be fine.
We will have run of the house.
We will get to have the evening and morning walks.
Tomorrow, Franklin has a trip to the groomer so he will be busy socially.
I scheduled a resorting and removal of books in the guest bedroom for diversion.
But I went ahead and did that already this morning.
So my diversion will have to be my usual stuff.
Well, I do have a shoulder x-ray in the morning. That should be diverting for a few minutes.
The weather has gotten a bit monsoonal (moist). It is the first for awhile. This is our 'snowstorm' when we tend to hunker down inside.
They say a few days. We will see.
In any event, things will be back to normal Tuesday.
SAD STORY
It is so tragic that this is happening in Lebanon
Way back, at the beginning of my training career, I worked for a Brit expat who lived in Beirut. He ran a consulting business for helping westernize business practices in Lebanon and the Middle East.
He was a great guy. Very gutsy, obviously. He wore a white suit and had a great story.
I remember when Beirut was trashed and he had to flee for his life. I saw him sometime after and the life had just gone out of him a bit. He was so sad for his adopted country.
That would be some 25 years ago.
That war ended and the country started to rebuild.
I don't know if he went back. He was probably too old for that time.
Now, the dream is shattered again.
Beirut was the Riviera of the Middle East. Then it was rubble.
It almost rose again.
And now, the Israelis are exacting a mean and extraordinary revenge on the citizens of this beautiful country.
So sad.
BIKERS
Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was
Odd, I was sure that I saw this film but I did not. I remember the sequel, Road Warrior, which we will see later.
The third film in the series, Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdrome, did not make the cut.
This is a biker flick.
It is an American International picture made in Australia. That should tell us all we need to know about the film.
The language is in Australian and I did not put on the English subtitles but I think that I got most of it.
Mel Gibson—the pre-boring Mel—says his lines as clear as a bell. He was brought up American, after all.
Since all the rest, except his wife, are thugs, it doesn't matter what they say as it is all unrelievably nasty.
I hate to admit that I enjoyed it. It is finely filmed and edited for the maximum adrenalin rush. Quite skillful.
We are treated to only the minimum, necessary horror to get in the mood for some really kick ass revenge at the end.
It is also a good setup for the second film, that I do remember, which has Max still on a rampage and very, very angry.
I liked this first one.
It is not to my personal taste.
I wouldn't voluntarily go to see one of these things.
But I will give it a 4 out of Netflix5 for the extremely skillful story-telling and the dexterity in the filmed/edited final product.
I think that it is very difficult to rise above a genré like this and they manage it quite well.
Saturday, July 15, 2006
LAYERS
I was intrigued with the reviews for
Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story (2006)
So, I rented it.
I was right. I loved it.
It is a film about making a film of a novel which is about writing a novel.
It is funny. It has great people in it.
It is mentally challenging enough to sorta want to see it a second time but I won't. There are all kinds of movie references; even some Nino Rota music here and there.
I am thinking of getting the book though.
The Ebert review (linked) catches it all very well. Perhaps too much. If you expect to see this, then scan Ebert a bit with your eyes slitty. The surprises are worthwhile.
The film got noticed by critics by the way and then sunk without a trace.
Too bad. It is an easy 4 out of Netflix5.
JEWS ON A RAMPAGE
I don't have any sympathy for the Israelis anymore.
They have used up all the sympathy capital that they accumulated with me from the holocaust, the startup of their poor little state, and some other sympathetic things that I cannot remember.
They are fucking out of control!
Yeh, I know. Terrorists. Hamas. Hezballah (how do you spell it?).
So fucking what? The Israelis have done worse and, often, more.
Now, as far as I can tell, this totally disproportionate and irresponsible response to Lebanon; a fragile state who had something going for it.
Bastards.
And it affects me personally too!
Oil prices. The stock market. My IRA.
But, that aside, I am not happy with our stance toward it either. You know, the USA who has supported them through some of the worst of their depridations.
Bush stood there and refused to comment in a press conference. With the whole G-8 waiting for him.
He would not do anything to get them to hold back on Lebanon.
More chaos from a rudderless administration.
I remember when there were kibbutzes and we were planting trees in Israel; dancing the hora.
Where did it all go?
The same place that money and power always go. Up the flue.
Yeh. A bad joke. But, it is kind a holocaust only the fire this time is self administered.
DOWN IN NEBRASKA
It is an abiding mystery to me that gay and lesbian resources continue to be squandered on the marriage front.
It is clear that in yesterday's Nebraska Federal Court decision, the situation has been made worse and significantly so.
A close look at Nebraska's marriage debacle
There is, no doubt, a significant argument for gay marriage but, in practicality, not that many gay men and women have taken the plunge.
While civil unions, such as we have in California, had been increasing state by state, now marriage is sweeping even this progress away.
Let me be clear. I am not so sure that marriage is good for anyone. Look at the divorce rates even among the religious right. High, high, high.
It is not a place we should be trying to go with such vigor.
AIDS continues to ravage the community. Our own young people find the coming out hard. Violence against gay men and women is still prevalent. Drugs and alcohol take a high toll with gay people.
There is much to do without chasing a goal which, face it, 'they' are not ready to give us at this time and, in fact, seem ready to do anything to stop it.
Yes, we should have equal rights. Yes, we should keep the issue alive and work it where we can.
But fucking Nebraska?
What were they thinking?
Now look at what we have.
A major setback that did not have to happen.
A lot of this is the result of professionalizing the 'movement'.
It began with the Human Rights Campaign Fund which started as a small manageable pressure group and has now grown into a behemoth lobbying bureaucracy.
In Boston, we were happy to support the Lambda Legal Defense. They were lawyers; they had to be paid.
They did the heavy legal lifting in Massachusetts for a lot of issues with a modest staff and low overhead.
Today, there are phalanxes of lawyers engaged in this marriage battle. A professional class has grown.
This happens in all social action.
It may be time to take this one down a peg and return to the smaller scale, tactical units.
It is hard to reverse, I know that. Ask Howard Dean who is trying to reverse years of bungling by Democratic insiders. He wants a grassroots party. He has to build it all again from the bottom up.
Maybe 'the gays' need to do the same.
Thursday, July 13, 2006
ALL IS FORGIVEN
If you are a christer and a money giving republican, then no sin is too large. You are a jesus!
Can these people be fucking real?
Unfortunately, yes.
How sad!
Ken Lay's memorial attracts power elite:
George H.W. Bush, James Baker among attendees at packed church for the Enron founder; reverend compares fallen energy titan to Jesus.
Jeezus!
Thanks to Andrew Sullivan
BIG SWINGING DICK IN CROSSHAIRS
The other shoe dropped today.
Former CIA Officer Sues Cheney Over Leak
And Libby and Rove and a bunch of John Does who are either in or out of the administration.
Get your box of popcorn here!
And here is another tail on the same kite; more detail.
The Wilsons Launch Civil Suit Against Cheney, Rove, Libby
Good for them!
SPINE
House Democrats are feeling their inner spines return.
House Rejects Changes to Voting Rights Act
Of course, this is partly because the GoOpers are losing their solidarity but, hey, we will take the spine no matter where it comes from.
LONGER
I have gotten a lot of recovery in my shoulder but there is still a pain in the ligament and down my arm so I went to my real Doctor today.
Not that my chiropractor hasn't been of help but I figured a second front might be worthwhile.
Doctor Jim gave me a lot more info. He felt it up a lot and pressed and prodded.
It is the pectoral ligament that is irritated. He thinks.
To be sure there wasn't a break he wants an xray which the chiro wanted too but for a different reason; arthritis.
So both will be pleased when I see the x rayted pictures on Monday.
Jim says that injured muscles will mend in 6 weeks (which they have) but the ligament and other deep stuff could be 6 months.
It would be faster if it was immobile but that is only practical if I had a cast on from breakage.
Double bind.
I can do exercises though and not worry about its being tender. I should take anti-inflammatory. Aspirin. Xtra Strength Bufferin.
Long story short, it will a long path to complete recovery and that is OK with me as long as I know what I am recovering from and can help.
MUMBLES
Jeez.
I am sorry about the deaths and all but front and central for me is another fact.
The terrorists hit the commuter railways in Mumbai.
Well, OK. I haven't heard of all the cities in India.
Have you?
But I did wonder why, if they had such a sophisticated rail system and all, I had never gotten informed about the place.
Then, today in Slate, this:
And so I find out that I did know where this was. I just didn't know that its name had changed.
Nine years ago!
Fuck. Where was I? No one asked me. Did I pass on this one?
I am going to have to get a tighter rein here.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
WSJ?OTD
"Do you feel more threatened personally by terrorism or by nuclear programs in Iran and Korea?"
I said that I was not threatened by either one.
Part of this, surely, is the place I live.
But, I don't think that I would be freaked out about any of it if I lived in Boston again.
I would be a lot more worried about a chunk of the new underground interstate coming down on me. And not much of that.
I just do not get uptight about this shit.
You know, this is nothing new. It isn't!
I have said before that when I travelled there were periods when things were very tense. The IRA was bombing London, other Arabs were shooting up airports.
When I got my last scone and clotted cream at Heathrow, I would glance around to figure the fields of fire for the assassins.
You just, inevitably, have to let it go.
If I lived in downtown Baghdad I would be worried.
I think that the bushadmin wants to instill fear.
Americans are susceptible.
I think people will come to their senses.
In the meantime, here are the numbers: Terrorism 53%; Nukes 27%; and not worried about either 20%.
That last one is my cohort and I am sticking with it.
FIRE
I had a new experience with the fire after I wrote the last piece.
I took Franklin for his walk very early this morning. John had a date at the hospital for a test procedure.
It was dark.
I looked back to see where he was when we hit Palm Canyon Drive.
Jeeezuz creeps!
The mountain that bounds the northern side of the valley was aflame.
Here. There. Over there. And walls of flame creeping to or from the western side.
It was shocking!
I have never seen anything like that before.
It is about 10-20 miles away from here with no chance of getting close to us.
It would have to cross the 10 and ..........well, nothing is certain is it. Now that I think about it.
That is what those little batches of fire are about. It shoots flaming debris up in the air which travels.
I had seen the smoke last night on the way to supper with a friend. But I also saw the little batches of smoke here and there.
This morning those small areas were bright orange and red.
What a difference. A lot more immediate and upsetting.
It is bad.
CONVECTION
It is that time of year when we get the hot wind. It is like looking into the convection oven we had in Boston.
There is this gust of ultra-hot air in your face. It smells different. It dries your eyeballs.
It is one of the most satisfying feelings there is!
Not kidding.
Yesterday we had the temperature, 112. We had the wind, 30mph or more. We had the low low humidity, 5-6%. Perfect.
We went out and took a ride in it and raised the wind up a level higher. Just like Franklin we stuck our snoots out and got the hot blow.
I know it sounds crazy to an Easterner and particularly to a Northwester. But think about your humidity!
This is sauna air. It is great.
Just drink a lot of water before you go out and ride around with all the windows down or stand in the back yard with your face to the sun and soak it in. (Not too long with that or you will uv yourself into oblivion; melanoma city).
There is a down side to all this fun.
The forest fire danger is multiplied by tens and hundreds in this kind of weather.
Not far from here it is out of control.
Ridge Fire transforms Pioneertown into an inferno
Pioneertown is an old movie set town built by Roy Rogers and Gene Autry. In recent years it has been a tourist attraction.
No more.
So given a choice, we really don't want this kind of weather but, since it is here, we will get out and put our snoots into it and soak it up.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
LIFE CYCLE
Many biking mornings I pass a guy who I have known for years; first at Gold's Gym and now, on the road.
I have to admit that I don't know his name. Such are the relationships in the world of fitness. He is the 'bald guy, with the mustache, the one who does real estate appraisal work at home'. You know. That guy.
Anyway, many mornings I pass this guy and we wave and shout some inane shit.
"Hey how ya doing, you'll have a headwind on the way back". Or some such.
What I would like to yell is "get a fucking helmet and take off those stupid earphones"!
He doesn't wear a helmet and he cannot hear the traffic behind him because he is listening to some crap that has nothing to do with the bike or the whole scene.
There are a lot of people who don't wear the helmet. Most of them are also the type who are vulnerable; just able to make it up the hill, wobbly, just barely comprehending the world they are traversing. You know. Numb nuts.
When I first got my bike out here I was immediately made to have a helmet from my family. Now I am a fervent supporter.
The kid at the bike shop told me that his dad got hit by a car going 40 mph and the helmet saved his life as he landed on his head.
And the earphones. I don't get it. I never have. Here we are, out in the natural world. Birds twitter, the wind sings through your ears (and helmet) and you are missing it. To say nothing of the safety angle. Look and listen, Lance!
And while we are at it, get a bell. That is for the people that you are scaring the bejeezus out of as you come up behind them. Give them a break.
Do you know that I have people who thank me for ringing it?
Yup.
And get a helmet, huh?
WSJ?OTD
"What type of company offers the worst customer service?"
I chose telephone and cell phone.
The Verizon land line service is so bad here. It drove us to abandon them for mobile phones three years ago.
Oddly, the best service from cell phone providers here is from Verizon Wireless. So we made a lateral move.
Not only has our service with them been fast and expert, it has been needed less often than with almost any other service we use. The actual cell phone service; the nuts and bolts are better than land lines and totally dependable.
There is an immediate yelp from some that you don't have mobile everywhere. This area is a good testing ground as we are surrounded by wilderness area. But, let me remind you that you don't have land lines there either except for pay phones so..........no dif.
We don't fly anymore. It is so fucking bad. So I should have put them first but I am not a user.
Our cable is flawless. Since I am up at 3AM I can count on four or five service 'outages' a year; during the night. They do not last much beyond 5AM. That is it. The few times I have had to have them at the house over line problems it was actually fun. The guys were knowledgable and in good humor; jokester geeks. I should mention that we do not have video but only internet feed. Teevee might be different but I think not.
Computers? I can say it in one word: Apple! That is it. Perfecto. I have never called their service line but some who have bitch a lot. Not me. No need to call. No call. No problem.
Financial services are fine. We use Wells Fargo which is very good here. I am on line for reports and would not hesitate to go to the branch where they have been more than helpful. We also use Smith Barney and have a rep. There are bugs from time to time and they are always fixed expertly. This is person to person service.
Internet? Who? What? No. Never needed. Everything is handled through the cable provider; the IPS is Earthlink.
Something Else? We just don't have a lot of problems. And when we do we yell loud and use our feet to vote.
Here are the results from other voters:Airlines—20%; Cable—19%; Computer Manufacturers—14%; Internet—4%; Telephone and Cellphone—28%; Something Else—10%
Monday, July 10, 2006
BUCK ROGERS
When I was a kid we read the Buck Rogers' comic book for sights like this.
Today, all you have to do is link up to the NASA site:
Shuttle Detaches from Space Station
PROGRESS REPORT
I sent my cheek scrapings to the Genographic Project and now they are being processed to reveal my complete DNA profile.
If you want to take a look at the progress and see how this is done go here
You can see that I am about to get my DNA run through the Analysis phase.
This is pretty exciting.
Well, exciting enough.
Stay tuned.
FORMAN
Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was Milos Forman's
Lásky jedné plavovlásky / Loves of a Blonde (1965)
This is a nifty little picture.
It has a mild political stance at the beginning; comedy and buffoonery of the bureaucrats.
As it goes along, the laughs subside some and you get the sense of the futility of individual aspirations.
It is true that tragedy and comedy are only a blink away from one another.
In this case, the blink is hope.
I love these small Eastern European films that were made during the breakup of the Soviet block.
It is nice to know that there is a (somewhat) happy ending.
In Forman's case, encouraged by the reception for this film, he went on to make Fireman's Ball which we enjoyed very much but got him in a whole lot of trouble.
The film was banned and he soon had no work. He then fled to the West before they did worse than that.
Here he has had a formidable career making the same delicate sad/funny kinds of films.
It is always interesting when a film like this has a back-story in real (reel) life.
Artists played a huge role in undermining the Soviet regime. The cookie crumbled from its outer edges and finally the center did not hold.
We are watching real-politik in action here.
A 5 out of Netflix5 for the subversives and this gem of a movie.
Sunday, July 09, 2006
PRICK
George Segal plays a first rate bastard with a drinking problem in today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film
Loving (1970)Self centered to the extreme, Segal plays a magazine illustrator who is after a big account which he hates and, on the way, treats everyone else like shit including his wife (Eva Marie Saint) and kids.
He has a mistress and is ready to bang the next available neighbor's wife.
This is also a grimy picture of a suburbia that time has forgotten; the Westport Connecticut crowd who commuted to the city to pursue publishing and advertising jobs; a tight, little, tweedy club of men who are trying too hard and not quite succeeding.
I visited this milieu for awhile as I did some market research work for these people. Their work was fueled by adrenalin and alcohol and they were all just a little too friendly and happy to make it convincing.
This movie is harrowing to watch. There is no resolution. Things get worse as they get better. The more things change the more they stay the same. Ebert quotes "the screwing they get isn't worth the screwing they get".
Alcoholism is not its theme, but a leitmotif. Segal is a prick; drunk or sober.
It is hard to like anything about this film but it is beautifully photographed and has some wonderful acting and is riveting. You cannot stop watching.
At the end there is a terrible incident of candid camera in which Segal is fucking with his neighbor's wife at a huge party. Everyone sees it.
No one turns the camera or the tv off.
We are like that as we sit and watch this film. We cannot quit watching this man's denial as he slides from bad into worse.
I will give it a 4 out of Netflix5 but I can't say that I was happy to watch it.
Saturday, July 08, 2006
ON TO THE M'S
Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was Fritz Lang's
And this one is a great one. Restored by the Munich Archive and on Criterion, the film often appears brand new.
Incidentally, M gets an unusually high 8.5 on the IMDb rating scale.
Lang's cinematography has the images leaping out at you.
The whole thing is dark and convoluted. Evil.
Peter Lorre plays the serial child molester/killer.
The cops can't find him but the underworld does. The heat is turned up so high that legitimate crooks are unable to make a living.
Lorre is pretty good here. We saw him in Casablanca and will see him soon in The Maltese Falcon. He had quite a career in Hollywood playing psychopaths and, at the same time, mocking himself as a comedian on a lot of radio shows and then on television.
He will be a song and dance man with Fred Astaire in Silk Stockings.
This film came after Metropolis which, as an M, we will be seeing soon.
Lang was having political trouble already in Germany and had some 'messages' in this film. He got even more overt in his next one. Soon, he was headed for Hollywood where he made many films which are on this Best list. We have already seen a few.
This will be a 5 out of Netflix5.
Friday, July 07, 2006
LINKLATER
Little did I know, when I saw
that I would remember much of it and think about it off and on for fifteen years.
I certainly could not have known that the career of its maker, Richard Linklater
would be so full of innovation and interest.
I watched Slacker again today and refreshed my brain cells.
Amazingly, I have remembered this film as black and white. It is in color.
Everyone has his or her favorite part. I like the opening about how thoughts can initiate new realities--a rant from the back seat of a cab, the conspiracist guy who walks with the innocent student for what seems a mile, the coffee shop with the crazy people in it, Madonna's pap smear, the television freak, the anarchist and so on.
Jeez. It would be easier to layout which one I did not like. Hmmm. No.
At the end, the credits are amazing. How many episodes are in this one-thing-leads-to-another absurdist escapade? A hundred? Two hundred?
I will watch it in another fifteen years.
This is a sure thing 5 out of Netflix5.
FRUIT OF THE MONTH
This is the new 'orange alert'.
The drumbeat will pick up as we head to the election.
One guy admits 'without coercion' (he was picked up a month ago) and a couple more are found. The plot was in 'the talking phases'.
OK. I'll buy it.
But you have to admit that it covers a lot of bases: overseas cooperation (with Lebanon no less), early detection by reading email messages, non-coercive rendition of suspects who are happy to admit that they are guilty and so on.
Wake me when it is over.
