Reviews from Cannes, here (this one was clearly written to deadline in a spurt immediately post viewing -- and these two films are many hours of watching -- so is not so easy to read), and here.
A close friend has been a part of the process of making these films, including doing the Spanish translation for them, and playing a small role, as a 'disillusioned Revolutionary,' so this is another reason we're interested in them. He's been providing updates all along.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
This Week
Working pretty hard on my Own Stuff, as well as TYBTF.
Some socializing in the evenings.
Not much time to blog.
Life will supercede online, won't it?
Monday, May 19, 2008
TYBTF
So this is how the book appears to be shaping up in terms of subject and theme, very much a volume 2 about the history New Orleans, though it also includes our personal memoir of it, from which earlier history branches off as we investigate questions to which we look for answers, and find these answers in historical conditions:
[ The failure of Reconstruction, which is with us still, is a story of more than 75 years of oppression (let's date it from 1876 to 1963). And that the 60s were a bright moment, when enough people chose collective advancement over individual betterment. But the reaction to that transformed the politics of the country, culminating in a far-right dirty-tricks party based on a solid southern base that culminated in Hurricane Katrina. ]
It is going to make a large swath of New Orleanians furious.
The book is still our personal memoir of living in NO. The earlier history branches off our investigation into questions that come up between us, to which we looking for answers, and we find these answers in historical conditions, again with the inevitable vision of the shadow of slavery still stretched across the city and the region.
One of these historical branches is story and history of Mardi Gras, how it began, in the 1850's just before the Civil War, the connection of the krewes's membership to the military coup that took over NO in the early years post Civil-War, the spread of the mummers' clubs and krewes throughout the south, culminating with the founding of another 'k' secret society in Tennessee, known as the Ku Klux Klan. For us personally it began with the question of 'how can they do this?' upon seeing the blatant racist contempt of the krewe of Bacchus's parade, that begins every year with 3 floats of: Daddy Kong, Mommy Kong and Baby Kong. And nobody except us remarks on it, and when we do think we're cranks. Except for our black friends, who get it just fine, and it hurts like hell too.
Another way this story is being told, well this made us both cry last night, tweaking a section on a black man in prison, reading his letters to his family, we both just broke into tears."Thanks that the money order was sent, even though it means you're short on the rent." The reality of the lives of so many.
[ The failure of Reconstruction, which is with us still, is a story of more than 75 years of oppression (let's date it from 1876 to 1963). And that the 60s were a bright moment, when enough people chose collective advancement over individual betterment. But the reaction to that transformed the politics of the country, culminating in a far-right dirty-tricks party based on a solid southern base that culminated in Hurricane Katrina. ]
It is going to make a large swath of New Orleanians furious.
The book is still our personal memoir of living in NO. The earlier history branches off our investigation into questions that come up between us, to which we looking for answers, and we find these answers in historical conditions, again with the inevitable vision of the shadow of slavery still stretched across the city and the region.
One of these historical branches is story and history of Mardi Gras, how it began, in the 1850's just before the Civil War, the connection of the krewes's membership to the military coup that took over NO in the early years post Civil-War, the spread of the mummers' clubs and krewes throughout the south, culminating with the founding of another 'k' secret society in Tennessee, known as the Ku Klux Klan. For us personally it began with the question of 'how can they do this?' upon seeing the blatant racist contempt of the krewe of Bacchus's parade, that begins every year with 3 floats of: Daddy Kong, Mommy Kong and Baby Kong. And nobody except us remarks on it, and when we do think we're cranks. Except for our black friends, who get it just fine, and it hurts like hell too.
Another way this story is being told, well this made us both cry last night, tweaking a section on a black man in prison, reading his letters to his family, we both just broke into tears."Thanks that the money order was sent, even though it means you're short on the rent." The reality of the lives of so many.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Grandson of Edgar Rice Burroughs Dies
Danton Burroughs, the grandson of Edgar Rice Burroughs, just died, in Tarzana.
[ Burroughs, who had been battling Parkinson's disease, died of heart failure a day after a fire at his home destroyed a room filled with family memorabilia. ]
Here's the Burroughs website.
He'd been working, unsuccessfully, on selling the Mars books as a series for a television network like GRRM did ASOIAF to HBO, or a movie franchise, like Indiana Jones.
I'd quite like to see a good HBO series of the Mars books, done in the style of the period in which they were written. If done well, needless to say.
That John Carter is a Confederate fits Burroughs very thoroughly within my KKK theory about Hollywoid and the pulps, that they are all about Kipling, the Klan and Kong.
[ Burroughs, who had been battling Parkinson's disease, died of heart failure a day after a fire at his home destroyed a room filled with family memorabilia. ]
Here's the Burroughs website.
He'd been working, unsuccessfully, on selling the Mars books as a series for a television network like GRRM did ASOIAF to HBO, or a movie franchise, like Indiana Jones.
I'd quite like to see a good HBO series of the Mars books, done in the style of the period in which they were written. If done well, needless to say.
That John Carter is a Confederate fits Burroughs very thoroughly within my KKK theory about Hollywoid and the pulps, that they are all about Kipling, the Klan and Kong.
Tipping Point Reached?
Biden used 'bullshit' in public to describe the headgangstachimp's blather in Israel.
Conyers has said Rove is supoenaed, and if he doesn't answer to it, he will be arrested.
Wexler's pushing on the Siegleman trial and conviction and all the other bs that the DOJ's done in Their Name.
If it is really the DOJ shenanigans that takes Them down -- even after they're Out post the election -- isn't that what we can call Justice?
That speech in Israel, that was really something. It seems to have had just the opposite effect of what They planned and expected though, finalizing the anointing of Obama as the Dem candidate, as everyone rallies 'round in outrage that a so-called POTUS, who STOLE BOTH ELECTIONS and whose grandfather thought doing bidness with Hitler and the nazis the smart thing to do, and who DID MEET WITH HITLER, characterized a candidate as a Hitler.
Why has it taken this farkin' long?
Conyers has said Rove is supoenaed, and if he doesn't answer to it, he will be arrested.
Wexler's pushing on the Siegleman trial and conviction and all the other bs that the DOJ's done in Their Name.
If it is really the DOJ shenanigans that takes Them down -- even after they're Out post the election -- isn't that what we can call Justice?
That speech in Israel, that was really something. It seems to have had just the opposite effect of what They planned and expected though, finalizing the anointing of Obama as the Dem candidate, as everyone rallies 'round in outrage that a so-called POTUS, who STOLE BOTH ELECTIONS and whose grandfather thought doing bidness with Hitler and the nazis the smart thing to do, and who DID MEET WITH HITLER, characterized a candidate as a Hitler.
Why has it taken this farkin' long?
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
It Can't Happen Here, In Small Town Midwest America
Oh yes it can, and it does. We are speaking of child prostitution, children kidnapped and raped repeatedly by small town fathers.
If you can stomach the story go here to a story investigated and broken by the Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Gazette.
This particular girl is 13 and was kidnapped from Minnesota.
[ In this massive project, no passage stands out more than the opening paragraphs in part one:
In the basement of an ordinary-looking Williamsburg home, the 13-year-old girl was given a choice. Either she would have sex with two men nearly twice her age or she would be given back to her kidnapper. Already in the week since Demont Bowie told the suburban Minneapolis girl she belonged to him, he'd beaten and abused her, starved her and deprived her of sleep. He traded her body to his friends and even a mechanic. When Demont told her to do something to someone, she did. There was no refusing. He'd said he'd kill her, kill her family, if she tried to leave. She believed him. ]
[ Based on your reporting in this case, how widespread do you think this kind of child exploitation is in rural America?
Hemmingsen: I don't think it's unusual at all. Betty Thompson started prostituting in Cedar Rapids, Iowa when she was young. She had previously been convicted of prostituting an underage Cedar Rapids-area girl in Milwaukee. While the series was running, I got a phone call from a man who said one of the other "escort" services that had previously advertised in The Gazette was offering young girls, although I don't have proof of that. ]
If you can stomach the story go here to a story investigated and broken by the Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Gazette.
This particular girl is 13 and was kidnapped from Minnesota.
[ In this massive project, no passage stands out more than the opening paragraphs in part one:
In the basement of an ordinary-looking Williamsburg home, the 13-year-old girl was given a choice. Either she would have sex with two men nearly twice her age or she would be given back to her kidnapper. Already in the week since Demont Bowie told the suburban Minneapolis girl she belonged to him, he'd beaten and abused her, starved her and deprived her of sleep. He traded her body to his friends and even a mechanic. When Demont told her to do something to someone, she did. There was no refusing. He'd said he'd kill her, kill her family, if she tried to leave. She believed him. ]
[ Based on your reporting in this case, how widespread do you think this kind of child exploitation is in rural America?
Hemmingsen: I don't think it's unusual at all. Betty Thompson started prostituting in Cedar Rapids, Iowa when she was young. She had previously been convicted of prostituting an underage Cedar Rapids-area girl in Milwaukee. While the series was running, I got a phone call from a man who said one of the other "escort" services that had previously advertised in The Gazette was offering young girls, although I don't have proof of that. ]
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Announcement
I am in the process of changing my primary e-mail address, the one I use for friends and family and professional contacts from the sff.net one I've had for many years to a new one.
This is more complicated than it might seem, or maybe what I mean is that it is a lot more work than one might have expected, meaning it is taking longer to get everything set up and moved and transferred than I thought. So I'm glad I started the process before giving up the old primary e-dress! Not to mention the unexpected and unexplained problems I've had getting my new e-dress registered has made for more delay.
In any case, anyone who reads this blog and has my primary e-dress, and would like to be notified NOW as to the new one, let me know. Sending out the mass mailing notification of the change is the last thing I'll be doing, and only lordessa knows how that will go. For one thing, I know from the experiences of others, that a lot of people will fog out that mailing and I shall certainly lose touch with some.
So far though, I've got my e-mail lists changed over successfully!
The old sff.net address will still be in effect for a few more days, so mail to that one.
This is more complicated than it might seem, or maybe what I mean is that it is a lot more work than one might have expected, meaning it is taking longer to get everything set up and moved and transferred than I thought. So I'm glad I started the process before giving up the old primary e-dress! Not to mention the unexpected and unexplained problems I've had getting my new e-dress registered has made for more delay.
In any case, anyone who reads this blog and has my primary e-dress, and would like to be notified NOW as to the new one, let me know. Sending out the mass mailing notification of the change is the last thing I'll be doing, and only lordessa knows how that will go. For one thing, I know from the experiences of others, that a lot of people will fog out that mailing and I shall certainly lose touch with some.
So far though, I've got my e-mail lists changed over successfully!
The old sff.net address will still be in effect for a few more days, so mail to that one.
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