Monday, December 12, 2005

Draußen stehen und zugleich drinnen,
ergreifen und umgriffen werden,
schauen und das Geschaute selbst sein,
halten und gehalten werden:
das ist das Ziel.
Dort verharrt der Geist in Ruhe
Und ist eins mit der Ewigkeit.

(Meister Eckhart)



Snippets:
~~~~~~~
King Arthur (2004). 126 min. w/ Clive Owen (Arthur), Ioan Gruffudd (Lancelot), Keira Knightley (Guinevere). Directed by Antoine Fuqua. Fictious story showing Arthur as a Roman centurio, before becoming king and how he met Guinevere, and fought the pagan Saxons. Plenty of factual and historical inaccuracies and inconsistencies despite claims about the 'historical Arthur' made at the beginning of the film. Mediocre acting, although Gruffudd is remarkable. Interesting new approach, but failed to deliver. Overall rating: 3 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Literature: The Mabinogion (pronounced 'Mabin-OGion')is an assembly of Welsh Storys that were taken from two ancient books called the 'Red Book of Hergest' and the earlier 'The White Book of Rhydderch'. They tell the storys of people in celtic times around 500 BC. Mabinogion means 'tales of youth'. Also available as TXT at Project Gutenberg. Further info on The Mabinogion.
~~~~~~~
Music: Nellie McKay (pronounced 'mi-KAI', b. 1984). Signed with Columbia Records. Vocals and piano. Inriguing lyrics. First album: Get away from me (2004). New album 'Pretty Little Head' featuring duets with Cyndi Lauper and k.d. lang will be released January 3, 2006.
~~~~~~~
Music: Amplifico. From Edinburgh, Scottland. Donna Maciocia (vocals, piano, guitar), Brett Allan (bass), Ross Kilgour (guitar) and Dave Brunton (drums). Reminds of a mixture of Portishead, Rainbirds, Nelly Furtado, and Cranberries. Unsigned band, distibutes recordings over the Internet. Current albums: Hometakes Volume 1, Hometakes Volume 2. Also some demo material on the web site. Some great songs, e.g. All Your Sins.
~~~~~~~
Music: Hurdy gurdy: a stringed musical instrument; strings are arranged such that they can all be vibrated by a rotating wheel.
~~~~~~~
News: Watching America: reflects global opinion about the United States, helping Americans and non-Americans alike understand what the world thinks of current issues that involve the U.S. This is done by providing news and views about the United States published in other countries.
~~~~~~~

Sunday, December 04, 2005

Snippets:
~~~~~~~
Computer/Music/Art: NYT Circuits, December 1, 2005: 'Computer-Generated Wonder' by David Pogue. About 'Animusic' a set of DVDs of computer-generated, photorealistic animation music videos. Envision a futuristic, 3D-computer generated version of the automatic piano playing in the hotel lobby by itself. Created by Wayne Lytle, who uses custom-written software, called Animusic Studio, that generates the animation automatically when fed a MIDI file of his music. Therefore, every audio note has a video correlate. Video clips on the Animusic webseite.
~~~~~~~
Video: Mansfield Park (1999). w/ Frances O'Connor (Fanny Price), Alessandro Nivola (Henry Crawford), Jonny Lee Miller (Edmund Bertram). Directed by Patricia Rozema. After the novel by Jane Austen. Young girl is given away by her impoverished parents to live with wealthy realtives. There she grows up to be a beautiful and educated, but shy young woman (O'Connor). She refuses a proposal for marriage from a man (Nivola) she does not trust, realizing that her heart belongs to one of the sons of the family (Miller). Some great dialogues, good tempo. Humourous moments. Overall rating: 8 out of 10.
~~~~~~~

Thursday, December 01, 2005

Snippets:
~~~~~~~
Literature: Andreas Capellanus (Andrew the Chaplain): 'De amore'. Influential handbook on love, written ~ 1184-86. Main points at the Internet Medieval Source Book. Other excerpts. Ideas partly based on Ovid's 'Art of Love'. First came to the attention of critics in a famous article by Gaston Paris named "Etudes sur le roman de la table ronde. Lancelot du Lac. II Le conte de la Carette," Romania XII (1883), 459ff. Gaston Paris also popularized the label 'courtly love' (amour cortois) for this form of courtship. This phrase was rare in the Middle Ages, while 'Fin amour', 'Minne', and, in English "trwe love," were more common.
~~~~~~~
History: Peace of Augsburg (Augsburger Religionsfriede), signed by Ferdinand I. in September 1555. Ended the religious wars. Legalized Lutheranism, laying down the rule, later epitomized in the phrase cuius regio, 'eius religio' (“he who governs the territory decides its religion”). Each ruler in the empire - i.e., each prince or city government - could opt for either the Roman Catholic or the Lutheran religion (jus reformandi) and that this choice was binding on everyone under that ruler's jurisdiction. Only one faith could legitimately exist in a given state, and that faith had to be the ruler's and could be only Catholicism or Lutheranism. Calvinism, Zwinglianism, and Anabaptism were excluded. A subject unwilling to live by this choice was free to emigrate and take his belongings with him (a provision considered liberal at the time).
~~~~~~~

Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Snippets:
~~~~~~~
DVD: Chasing Amy (1997). 113 min. Written and directed by Kevin Smith. w/ Ben Affleck, Jason Lee, Joey Lauren Adams. Third installment in the 'New Jersey Trilogy'. Comic book artist falls in love with lesbian and thereby jeopardizes the relationship with his best male friend. Dialog-heavy, some strong language, funny moments. Some mediocre acting. Overall rating: 5 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Technology: Fab Lab: abbreviation for Fabrication Laboratory, a group of off-the-shelf, industrial-grade fabrication and electronics tools, such as a laser cutter and milling machine to carve out two- and three-dimensional parts, a sign cutter for creating graphics or plotting flexible electronic circuits, and electronic assembly tools. Overall price tag ~$25,000. Gives users the ability to locally conceptualize, design, develop, fabricate and test almost anything. Allows design and fabrication at micron length and microsecond time scales. Fab Labs have been installed in various locations around the world by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), guided by the MIT physicist and computer scientist Neil Gershenfeld from the Center for Bits and Atoms. Also see Yahoo News article 'Fab Labs Unshackle Imaginations', Nov. 6, 2005, and a lecture in 'The Digital Future'(video stream) available, a series from the Library of Congress, on March 28, 2005. Neil Gershenfeld has also published an article in Scientific American (draft here) on Internet Zero ("Internet 0" or "I0"). Internet Zero presents an architecture for "interdevice internetworking." This system promises to fully network our computers with our environments using a unified protocol based on Internet Protocol (IP).
~~~~~~~
DVD: The Bourne Identity (2002). 119 min. Directed by Doug Liman. Novel by Robert Ludlum. w/ Matt Damon, Franka Potente. Jason Bourne (Damon) lost his memory and is trying to find out who he is with the help of a woman (Potente) he meets. Both are chased by the CIA, slowly uncoverying Bourne's former life. Good acting. Good cinematography. Good car chase sequence in a 'Mini'. Ending too shallow. DVD also provides alternate beginning & ending, but it's not much better. Overall rating: 7 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Computer: How To Build A PC - A Computer Building Guide by Rob Williams. Also has tips about hard drive upgrades.
~~~~~~~
Video: Cold Mountain (2003). 154 min. w/ Jude Law (Inman), Nicole Kidman (Ada Monroe), Renee Zellweger (Ruby Thewes). Directed and screenplay by Anthony Minghella (The English Patient). After the book by Charles Frazier. During the American Civil War, the deserted Confederate soldier Inman is on his way to Cold Mountain, NC, where Ada is awaiting him while she is learning from the boyish Ruby how to run a farm. Love story in historic setting. Zellweger received an Oscar for Best Supportuing Actress. Entertaining. Overall rating: 6 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Life: Chautauqua: 1.) geographical name: Lake Chautauqua, 18 miles long in SW New York. 2.) Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, NY; founded on the belief that everyone 'has a right to be all that he can be -- to know all that he can know.' Flourished in the late 19th and early 20th centuries providing popular education combined with entertainment in the form of lectures, concerts, and plays often presented outdoors or in a tent. A Pat Metheny album from 1979 is entitled 'New Chautauqua'.
~~~~~~~
Music: Wilco: Rock-Pop-Country band around Jeff Tweedy (from Uncle Tupelo), founded in 1994/95. Wilco in Concert on NPR.
~~~~~~~
Music: Orenda Fink. Pop. Sg: Bloodline. Debut solo album: Invisible Ones. Also member of the duo Azure Ray.
~~~~~~~
DVD: Chaos (2001). Directed by Coline Serreau. w/ Vincent Lindon, Catherine Frot, Rachida Brakni. French w/ English subtitles. A married middle class couple encounter prostitute who is being chased and beaten. While the husband cares little, the wife nurses her and gets to know her terrifying story. Revenge lurks. A good story to tell. Too long in some parts. A good look at native French vs. immigrants. Overall rating: 7 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
DVD: Clarissa (1991). 2 DVDs with 97 and 104 min. 4 parts. BBC/TV. Novel by Samuel Richardson (1689-1761). Directed by Robert Bierman. w/ Sean Bean (Robert Lovelace), Saskia Wickham (Clarissa Harlowe). Virtuous girl refuses to marry the man her family has sought out for her, gets 'rescued' by a playboy who tries all tricks to get her into bed. Only her death is her revenge. The story starts somewhat cheerful but only goes downhill from there. Clarissa's naivity gets annoying after a while. Film is much too long, melodramatic, depressing. Dwells too long on Lovelace's advances, becomes monotonous. Great costumes though, and some fine acting. Overall rating: 4 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Art: Reg(inald) Butler (1913-1981). British sculptor. Welding in Iron, later modelling in clay or plaster and casting the models in a thin light weight bronze. Biographical info. Some works at the Tate Collection, London.
~~~~~~~

Sunday, November 13, 2005

Snippets:
~~~~~~~
Science: James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879). Made large contributions to astronomy and physics. Major works on electricity, magnetism, and light. Showed that Saturn rings are composed of small particles. Kinetic theroy of gases. Maxwell-Boltzman distribution: bell-shaped curve that describes the speed of molecules in a gas. Maxwell's demon: an 1867 thought experiment that challenges the second law of thermodynamics.
~~~~~~~
Video: High Anxiety (1977). 94 min. w/ Mel Brooks, Madeline Kahn, Cloris Leachman. Psycho-Comedy. Nobel prize winning psychiatry professor, who is afraid of heights, takes new job in a mental institution where he also needs to fear for his life. Lots of references to Alfred Hitchcock movies. Overall rating: 4 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Theater: CASH - oder ewig rauschen die Gelder. Kleine Komödie am Max II, Munich, on 10/6/05. Comedy by Michael Cooney. Directed by Sebastian Goder. Landlord and con artist, who lost his job, deceives social security agents to make a living. Turbulent farce.
~~~~~~~
Technology: Center for Responsible Nanotechnology (CRN), Brooklyn, NY. Advocats the safe use of molecular nanotechnology (MNT).
~~~~~~~
Music: Alan Ferber Nonet at Smalls, 183W 10th St at 7th Ave, NYC on 10/26/05. Variety of sounds and rhythms. Ferber lives in New York, writes most of his tunes. Crowded stage.
~~~~~~~
DVD: Clerks (1994). Directed by Kevin Smith. w/ Brian O'Halloran (Dante Hicks), Jeff Anderson (Randal Graves), Marilyn Ghigliotti (Veronica Loughran), Lisa Spoonhauer (Caitlin Bree). Also Jason Mewes as Jay, and Kevin Smith himself as Silent Bob. A day in the lives of two convenience clerks. Anything can happen. Low budget movie ($25,000). Dialog heavy. Funny moments. Some good ideas. Overall rating: 6 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Music: Sigur Ros. Icelandic band, founded in 1994. Most recent album 'Takk', released September 13, 2005. Downloads. Sounds a bit like a mixture of Pink Floyd, Enya, Barclay James Harvest, und Sibelius. Mostly ambient. A live concert from the Music Center at Strathmore in Bethesda, MD, is posted on NPR.
~~~~~~~
Humor: from The Metro Cartoon: It's All About You, by Tony Murphy: Woman 1 to Woman 2: "And the I ... Uh ... Shoot! I totally forgot what I was going to say!" Woman 2: "If your thought leaves you, set it free. If it loves you, it will return. If it stays away, it was never yours to begin with."
~~~~~~~
Shopping: Naughty Codes: Coupon codes for Internet Shopping
~~~~~~~
Life: Free Annual Credit Report endorsed by the U.S. Federal Government, starting September 1, 2005.
~~~~~~~
Sports: Basketball: Madison Square Garden, 11/6/05: New York Knicks vs. Golden State Warriors: 81 - 83
~~~~~~~
Music: The All New Adventures Of Us (TANAOU). Indie/Alternative from Great Britain. Some more info at Bravestar Records.
~~~~~~~
Video: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948). 126 min. w/ Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston, Tim Holt. Directed by John Huston. Three guys digging in the mountains for gold experience the burden of wealth. Great acting, but story easy to foresee. Overall rating: 5 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
DVD: Helen of Troy (1955). 118 min. w/ Rossana Podesta (Helen), Jacques Sernas (Paris). Directed by Robert Wise. Classic story of Helen and Paris from Homer's Iliad. Schmaltzy. Overal rating: 4 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
DVD: The Station Agent (2003). 88 min. w/ Peter Dinklage, Bobby Cannavale, Patricia Clarkson. Quiet, slightly depressed dwarf inherits a train depot in central NJ and slowly (very slowly) makes some friends. Funny and thougtful moments interchange, showing that everyone has his own baggage to carry in life. Commentary on the DVD is disappointing. Overall rating: 6 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
DVD: The Last Picture Show (1971). 118 min. w/ Timothy Bottoms (Sonny Crawford), Jeff Bridges (Duane Jackson), Cybill Shepherd (Jacy Farrow), Ben Johnson (Sam the Lion, Academy Award 1972), Cloris Leachman (Ruth Popper, Academy Award 1972, [also in High Anxierty]). Directed by Peter Bogdanovich. After the novel by Larry McMurtry. Life in a small, boring town in Texas in 1952, where the only attraction is a movie theater. When Sam the Lion dies unexpectedly, things go downhill. Remarkably liberal for its time. Goss commentary/interviews on DVD.Overall ranting 7 out of 10.
~~~~~~~

Saturday, October 22, 2005

Snippets:
~~~~~~~
From September 17 to 25, 2005, from 8 am to 8 pm every day, the Whitney and Minetta Brook, a New York-based arts organization that presents innovative public art projects, launched 'Floating Island to Travel Around Manhattan Island' by Robert Smithson. Never realized during Smithson’s lifetime, although attempts were made, Floating Island is a project that involves a 30-x-90-foot barge, landscaped with earth, rocks, and native trees and shrubs that will circumnavigate Manhattan. The fabricated "island," towed by a small tugboat, was on view two weekends in September, visible to millions of residents, commuters, and visitors along the Hudson and East Rivers. Smithson developed the concept for Floating Island in 1970 —the same year he created his best- known work, the ambitious earthwork Spiral Jetty at Utah’s Great Salt Lake.
~~~~~~~
Photography: Daniel Forster. Some awsome sailing pics. Mirror at Yachtphoto.com
~~~~~~~
Music: David Byrne web site, including info on his music and films, and an online journal.
~~~~~~~
Philosophy: Steven Galt Crowell, Rice University, Houston, TX. Currently Joseph and Joanna Nazro Mullen Professor of Philosophy and Professor of German Studies. Wrote chapter on Existentialism at Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
~~~~~~~
Video: Giant (1956). 201 min. w/ Elizabeth Taylor (Leslie Lynnton Benedict), Rock Hudson (Jordan 'Bick' Benedict Jr.), James Dean (Jett Rink). Directed by George Stevens. After the novel by Edna Ferber. Won Oscar (Best Director: George Stevens). Saga of a family on a ranch in Texas in the mid 20th century. Remarkably modern, touching on racial and women's rights issues, but also telling the story of a father trying to follow family tradition. James Dean plays the antagonist who rises to fame and fortune first, but can't find happiness. Overall rating: 6 out of 10
~~~~~~~
Computer: Podcast search engines and directories: 1.) Podcast Bunker 2.) Odeo 3.) Podcast Charts 4.) Yahoo Podcasts 5.) Podcasting News 6.) Podcast.net 7.) Learn Out Loud 8.) Small World Podcast
~~~~~~~
Music: Red Raspus Radio. Includes Seattle Jazz Scene.
~~~~~~~
Literature: Icelandic Sagas. The word 'saga' originallly described a prose narrative recorded in Iceland in the 12th and 13th centuries of historic or legendary figures and events of the heroic age of Norway and Iceland.
~~~~~~~
Literature: Online Medieval and Classical Library (OMACL): Collection of some of the most important literary works of Classical and Medieval civilization.
~~~~~~~
Science: Science & the City by the New York Academy of Sciences. Exhibits, Lectures, Art, Film, Performance etc.
~~~~~~~
Poetry: Representative Poetry Online (RPO), hosted by the University of Toronto Libraries. Collection of poems, neatly organized.
~~~~~~~
Quotation: "[...] much of the force as well as grace of arguments or instructions, depends on their conciseness." Alexander Pope (1688-1744) in the explanation to 'An Essay on Man'.
~~~~~~~
Mythology: Tiresias (also transliterated as Teiresias) was a blind male prophet in Greek mythology. While he could still see, he was transformed into a woman for seven years. In Oedipus the King (by Sophocles) Oedipus calls upon Tiresias to aid in the investigation of the killing of his father Laius. Tiresias refuses to give a direct answer and instead hints that the killer is someone Oedipus really does not wish to find. Tiresias is also mentioned in 'The Cinema Show' by Genesis: "Take a little trip back with father Tiresias / Listen to the old one speak of all he has lived through / I have crossed between the poles, for me there's no mystery / Once a man, like the sea I raged / Once a woman, like the earth I gave / But there is in fact more earth than sea."
~~~~~~~
Video: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004). w/ Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Kirsten Dunst. Directed by Michel Gondry. Written by Charlie Kaufman & Michel Gondry. Man falls in love with woman. When woman has all memories of him erased (a leap into sci-fi), he is heart-broken and wants to do the same, but changes his mind during the procedure. Film scences are not chronological, making it somewhat interesting but also harder to follow. Great idea, but dwells too long on the same theme. Acting is as good as you can expect from the main cast. Overall rating: 5 out of 10. The movie title is a line from the poem 'Eloisa to Abelard' (1717) by Alexander Pope (1688–1744). Commentary on the poem at The Literary Encyclopedia.
~~~~~~~
Art: The artist and designer Roger Dean painted most of the album covers for the rock band 'Yes'.
~~~~~~~
Music: Alan Ferber, trombone, from the San Fracisco Bay area. Some intriguing tunes on his album "Scenes From An Exit Row" (Alan Ferber Nonet)
~~~~~~~
DVD: Discoveries...America: Pennsylvania. Bennett-Watt HD Productions. Philadelphia, Gettysburg, Wharton Esherick, Covered Bridges, Pittsburgh, Lake Erie, Painted Barns, Amish Lifestyle.
~~~~~~~

Thursday, September 29, 2005

Snippets:
~~~~~~~
Idea: What we like or dislike is not what it is, but how we see it.
~~~~~~~
DVD: Before Sunrise (1995). 101 min. w/ Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy. Directed by Richard Linklater. Jesse and Celine meet on a train to Vienna, spend one night together in the streets, and exchange their points of view on life, love, and the rest of the world. Dialog heavy, just like 'Before Sunset'. Some great lines, some good ideas. Overall rating: 6 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Video: A Walk through Hoboken with David Hartman and Historian Barry Lewis. In association with the Hoboken Historical Museum. Program by Thirteen WNET New York. Tour of the sites here. Informative history of the little town an the Hudson River.
~~~~~~~
DVD: Eyes Wide Shut (1999). 159 min. Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman. Directed by Stanley Kubrick. Jealous physician and his wife, each alone and in their own way, embark on a psychosexual journey. Acting is not bad for a change. Story keeps you attentive. Overall rating: 7 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Video: The World According to John Coltrane (1991). 59 min. Documentary. w/ Roscoe Mitchell (from Art Ensemble of Chicago), Rashied Ali, Tommy Flanagan, Alice Coltrane, Jimmy Heath, Wayne Shorter, La Monte Young. Some great video recordings of Trane. Interviews with fellow musicians.
~~~~~~~
DVD: Being John Malkovich (1999). 112 min w/ John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, Catherine Keener, John Malkovich. Directed by Spike Jonze. Gifted street puppeteer Craig Schwartz gets job as a filing clerk on floor 7 1/2, and there discovers a 'portal' to the head of the actor John Malkovich, actually becoming him for a short period of time. He and his pretty office mate start a small business on that unusual find, while his wife reconsiders her sexuality. Intelligent. Original. Funny. Lags a little behind in acting. Overall rating: 7 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Puzzle: Sudoku. Rules: Fill in the grid so that every row, every column, and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9. Can befound in many newspapers.
~~~~~~~
Movie: 9/9/05: Broken Flowers (2005). 106 min. w/ Bill Murray (Don Johnston), Jeffrey Wright (Winston). Directed by Jim Jarmusch (Night on Earth). Depressed, rich bachelor after being left by his girlfriend, receives an unsigned letter stating that he has a son. Incited by his neighbor, he visits four of his past girlfriends to find clues on who could be the mother. Rather bizarre movie, depressing at times, but also funny. Could have more effort into the ending. Overall rating: 5 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Music: Kaki King at Joe's Pub, NYC, on 9/14/05. Plays guitar, violently at times. Unique style. Some songs are sheets of music. Performed with drums (Dan) and Harp (Katie). Creative. Has dry humor. Sparse with words. CDs: Everybody loves you (2003). Legs to make us longer (2004).
~~~~~~~
DVD: Dark City (1998). 100 min. w/ Rufus Sewell (John Murdoch), William Hurt (Inspector Frank Bumstead), Kiefer Sutherland (Dr. Daniel Schreber), Jennifer Connelly (Emma Murdoch/Anna), Richard O'Brien (Mr. Hand). Directed by Alex Proyas (I, Robot). Alienshold humans hostage and control their memories in a constantly changing artificial city to study their soul. Good special effects. Interesting story, but very dystopic. 'Shell Beach' and the search for it, becomes a symbol of freedom. Kiefer Sutherland is the son of Donald Sutherland. Overall rating: 4 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Shopping: 1.) Jersey Gardens: Outlet mall near Newark Airport (Exit 13A off I-95). 2.) Outlets in Secaucus, NJ, Outlets at the Cove, Harmon Cove Outlet Center, and others.
~~~~~~~
Video: Get Carter (1971). w/ Michael Caine (Jack Carter). Directed by Mike Hodges. London gangster Jack Carter travels to Newcastle to investigate the death of his borther, and piece after piece uncovers a pornography ring. British gangster genre movie with sex, crime, deception, and revenge. Nobody wins in the end. Too sluggish over long stretches and story not always easy to follow. Overall rating: 4 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
DVD: Adaptation (2002). w/ Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper. Directed by Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich). Screenplay by Charlie Kaufman. Based on the book by Susan Orlean. Tells the story of the screenwriter Charlie Kaufman who encounters major difficulties to adapt the book 'The Orchid Thief' into a movie script. A movie about its own creation. Innovative idea. Great dialogs. A little bit of everything. Overall rating: 8 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Video: Lost in Translation (2003). w/ Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson. Directed by Sofia Coppola. Tokyo. A depressed, lonely film star and a much younger, but just as lonely wife of a photographer meet in a hotel and slowly rediscover the fun in life. Movie is very, very slow, but if you if you can apreciate the little details, its quite enjoyable. Acing seems natural. Overall rating: 6 out of 10
~~~~~~~
Art: Mathildenhoehe in Darmstadt, Germany (in German). Art Nuveau. Darmstadt Center: Salve!, a 'Caffee E Bar'.
~~~~~~~

Monday, August 29, 2005

Snippets:
~~~~~~~
DVD: The Italian Job (1969). 99 min. w/ Michael Caine as Charlie Croker. Directed by Peter Collinson (Up the Junction). How to rob $4 million by causing a traffic jam. Story rather flat. Great scences of the Italian Alps. Humorous moments. Big advertising show for 'Mini' cars - they can go everywhere. Overall rating: 4 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Video: Vanilla Sky (2001). 136 min. w/ Tom Cruise, Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Kurt Russell. Directed by Cameron Crowe. Rich playboy (Cruise) with vivid dreams fall in love with girl (Cruz), and survives car accident with jealous 'friend he occasionally sleeps with' (Diaz), waking up with a disfigured face. Dreams and reality merge. Even though Cruise is a mediocre actor, the mystery of the story captures the viewer's attention to the end. Cruz is charming. Some memorable lines: "I think she's the saddest girl ever to hold a martini" "Every passing minute is another chance to turn it all around" "...pleasure delayer" "She looks like a moth". Overall rating: 8 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Video: I, Robot (2004). 115 min. w/ Will Smith (Del Spooner), Bridget Moynahan (Susan Calvin). Directed by Alex Proyas. Suggested by, i.e. loosely based on book of Isaac Asimov. In 2035, techno-phobic detective wants to clear up who murdered the inventor of a new generation of robots. Fairly shallow plot, but some funny moments. Overall rating: 6 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Art: Yoshiaki Yuki is a Tokyo artist who paints calligraphically inspired designs on tables, screens, plates and bowls. Gallery Gen is his shop and gallery in TriBeCa, NYC.
~~~~~~~
Literature: The "Big Three" science-fiction writers: Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke.
~~~~~~~
Video: Shichinin no samurai (Seven Samurai, 1954). B/W. 208 min. Japanese w/ English subtitles. Directed by Akira Kurosawa. w/ Takashi Shimura. Peasants hire seven samurai to defend their village from bandits. Film was the predecessor for John Sturges' 'The Magnificent Seven' in 1960 (see September 4, 2004). Witty. Some action. Important film historical document. Overall rating: 6 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
DVD: On the Waterfront (1954). 108 min. B/W. w/ Marlon Brando (Terry Malloy), Karl Malden (Father Barry), Lee J. Cobb (Johnny Friendly). Directed by Elia Kazan (East of Eden). Longshoreman (Brando), connected to the mob through his elder brother, is plagued by assisting in the death of a fellow worker who was about to inform the police about crimes of a Union boss. Falling in love with the murder victim's pretty sister, and supported by the local priest, Malloy decides to follow his conscience. Leading characters were based on real people: Terry Malloy was based on longshoreman and whistle-blower Anthony De Vincenzo; Father Barry on waterfront priest John M. Corridan; Johnny Friendly on mobster Albert Anastasia. Some great shots of the Hoboken waterfront and docks, which has elements of film noir. Film won 8 Academy awards in 1955, including Marlon Brando for 'Best Actor in a Leading Role', Eva Marie Saint for 'Best Actress in a Supporting Role', and Sam Spiegel for 'Best Picture'. Contains famous taxi scene. Overall rating: 6 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Film: Film Noir: A style of black and white American films containing the following 7 elements: 1.) a crime, 2.) the perspective of the criminals, not the police, 3.) an inverted view of traditional sources of authority, such as corrupt police, 4.) unstable alliances and allegiances, 5.) the femme fatale --- the woman who causes the downfall and/or death of a good man, 6.) brutal violence, and 7.) bizarre plot twists and motivations. Strictly speaking, film noir is not a genre, but rather the mood, style, point-of-view, or tone of a film. Examples include 'The Big Sleep' (1949) and 'The Third Man' (1949).
~~~~~~~
Music: Recent concerts: 1.) Kate McGarry at 55Bar on Sat., August 20, 2005. w/ Steve Cardenas, Keith Ganz, Sean Smith and Ferenc Nemeth. Good, interesting jazz. 2.) Deborah Latz (voc)at Louis 649 (649 E. 9th Street at Ave C, East Village) on Mon, August 22, 2005. w/ John Merril (g). Critically acclaimed. Good voice, sometimes too sugar-coated; could have more of an edge. 3.) OK/OK at 55Bar on Tue., August 23, 2005. w/ Mike McGinnis (reeds), Khabu Doug Young (g), Kyoko Kitamura (voc), and very special guest Tony Moreno (d).
~~~~~~~
Music: NYC Jazz Calendar at Gotham Jazz.
~~~~~~~
Theater: Lady Convoy on 8/27/05 at the Players Theater, 115 MacDougal St, Greenwich Village, NYC, as part of the FringeNYC multi-arts festival 2005. w/ Kelly Rauch (Rubber Duck, also Managing Producer), Lucy Smith (Love Machine), Brad Thomason (Sheriff Lyle McGee), Gene Gallerano (James). Written by Ken Gallo. Directed by Robert Ross Parker. Leaning on the movie 'Convoy', the play sets up a female version of the convoy lead by a lady trucker. Memorable lines 'bitch on 18 wheels', 'duck power'.
~~~~~~~
Art: Kim Luttrell, Brooklyn, NY. Paints two pictures on paper, then cuts them in stripes and weaves them together. More recently: Sculptures.


Kim Luttrell: Great Lover (Red)


~~~~~~~

Monday, August 15, 2005

Snippets:
~~~~~~~
Music: Kaki King. Plays guitar with provocative style. Heard on the radio playing Mountainstage (Week after 7/29 - Rebroadcast from Oct 2004)
~~~~~~~
Music: Swingadelic. From Hoboken, NJ. Plays a mixture of swing, jazz, jump blues, and some Latin sounds. Leader: Dave Post. Albums (Swing-a-Delic!, 1999 and Organ-ized! 2002) lack the spirit of life perfmances. Saw in Hoboken on 7/14/05.
~~~~~~~
DVD: Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002). w/ Mike Myers, Beyonce Knowles, Michael Caine. Directed by Jay Roach. Third in the series of Austin Powers films. Lots of cameo appearances. Silly, sometimes gross. Overall rating: 4 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Transportation: Goethals Bridge connects Staten Island and New Jersey (I-287). Memorial to Major General George W. Goethals, builder of the Panama Canal. History of the bridge.
~~~~~~~
Beaches: Point Pleasant Beach, NJ. Other New Jersey Beaches.
~~~~~~~
Parks: Holmdel Park, NJ with Longstreet Farm, a historic farm (~1890) that includes the Holmes-Hendrickson House with lavish interior.
~~~~~~~
Video: The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993). Writing credits: Tim Burton (story) Michael McDowell (adaptation). First full-length stop-motion animated film ever created. Musical. The people of Halloweentown, and their king, Jack Skellington, discover that people outside their world celebrate Christmas. An attempt to stage a Christmas show of their owntheir own almosts leads to desaster. Kitschy. Overall rating 4 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
DVD: In the Bedroom (2001). Tom Wilkinson, Sissy Spacek, Nick Stahl, Marisa Tomei. Maine college boy involved with older woman is killed by jealous husband. His parents grieve, and then take things in their own hands when the murder trials does not go to their liking. Dramatic. Somber. Sloooow! Nicely assembled, great cinematography, but too boring over long stretches. Could have made more out of that story. Overall rating 5 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
DVD: Ray (2004) w/ Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington. 155 min. Movie about life and career of Ray Charles (1930-2004), his music, heroin addiction, and personal relationships. Movie was shot with continuous advice of Charles himself. Foxx is a perfect copy and received an Oscar in 2005 for 'Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role'. Story is structured clearly and well told, but film is a bit lengthy. One needs to like the music to favor the movie. Overall rating: 6 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Shopping: Jokers. German Internet bookstore with good prices, but limited selection. Restseller (In German).
~~~~~~~
Recreation: Country Fair Entertainment Park, Long Island (LIE, Exit 64). Miniture Golf, Go-Kart Racing, Batting Cages, Driving Range, Wildernis Area.
~~~~~~~
DVD: Gandhi (1982). 188 min. w/ Ben Kingsley as Mohandas K. Gandhi. Directed by Richard Attenborough. Music by Ravi Shankar. Biography of the man that brought India to independence. Inspiring in picture and word. Superb performance by Kinksley. Great cinematography. Won 8 Oscars in 1983, including best picture. Overall rating: 9 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
DVD: Spiderman 2 (2004). w/ Tobey Maguire (Spider-Man/Peter Parker), Kirsten Dunst (Mary Jane Watson). Directed by Sam Raimi. Spiderman continues to fight evil, then quits to live a normal life, but realizes that heroes like him are needed in this world. Nothing more than an action comic book. Some good special effects, but don't look for any logic in the plot. Dunst, though quite good looking, remains the second worst actress after Nicole Kidman. Overall rating: 4 out of 10.
~~~~~~~

Friday, August 05, 2005

Snippets:
~~~~~~~
DVD: Proof of Life (2000). 135 min. w/ Russel Crowe, Meg Ryan. After an engineer is kidnapped by guerillas in Colombia, his wife hires a professional negotiator to release him. Great pics of landscapes. Story predictable and shallow. Acting mediocre. Overall rating 4 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Okra (botanical name: Hibiscus esculenta): vegetable, used ofter in Southern style cooking.
~~~~~~~
DVD: Das Experiment (2000). 119 min. German w/ English subtitles. w/ Moritz Bleibtreu, Christian Berkel. Directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel. Based on the infamous "Stanford Prison Experiment" conducted in 1971. Volunteers participate in a psychological experiment to 'play' a prisoner-guard situation. When things get out of hand, the real human nature is revealed. Terrific analysis of human behavior in a simple plot. Overall rating: 8 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Music: Jonah Smith (vocals, fender rhodes electric piano); jazz, pop; saw at 55Bar on 7/22/05; resemles a jazz version of Jamiroquai.
~~~~~~~
Video: Stangers on a Train (1951). 101 min. B/W. w/ Farley Granger (Guy Haines), Ruth Roman (Anne Morton), Robert Walker (Bruno Anthony). Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Successful tennis player with wife and girlfriend meets lunatic stranger on a train who suggests the perfect crime: to swap murders. Highly advanced for its time, but a little too predictable for today. Overall rating: 5 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Music: Vanessa Williams; on the Green in New Haven, CT, on Saturday, July 30th, 2005
~~~~~~~
DVD: Russian Ark (2002). 96 min. Russian w/ English subtitles. w/ Sergei Dontsov (as Sergei Dreiden) as The Stranger (The Marquis de Custine, an 18th century French diplomat, who wrote an account of his visit to Russia in 1839 entitled Empire of the Czar: A Journey Through Eternal Russia). Directed by Aleksandr Sokurov. Cinematography by Tilman Büttner. Filmed in a single continuous take, the camera follows the Stranger through the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg and 300 years of Russian history. No real story, more a continuous flow of events. Needs to be approached with a quiet mind set and appreciation for the marvellous costumes, and the technical challenges of the film. DVD contains a version with comments by producer Jens Meurer. Overall rating: 6 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
DVD: Heaven (2002). 96 min. Italian and English. w/ Cate Blanchett (Philippa), Giovanni Ribisi (Filippo). Directed by Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run). Screeplay by Krzysztof Kieslowski. Carabinieri falls in love with frustrated, depressed school teacher who attempted to assassinate a drug dealer. Story is rather unrealistic, but once you get the hang of it, it it's rather enjoyable because of its unconventionalism. Some great areal shots of Montepulciano. Blachett plays her brittle character well. Overall rating: 6 out of 10.
~~~~~~~

Monday, July 18, 2005

Snippets:
~~~~~~~
Art: Deviant Art. Online art community.
~~~~~~~
Photography: Lomo: The cameras from Saint Petersburg, Russia, the Lomographic Society International and what it's all about.
~~~~~~~
Computer: Disable the startup of certain programs and services in Windows XP (and others) with Start--->Run--->msconfig--->Startup (or Services). A list with the functions of programs can be found at Sysinfo.org.
~~~~~~~
DVD: Napoleon (TV-Mini Series, 2002). w/ Christian Clavier, Isabella Rossellini, Gérard Depardieu, John Malkovich. Directed by Yves Simoneau. 4 parts, 357 min. Rise and fall of the French Emperor. Covers Napoleons (Clavier) conquests, balanced with the ups and downs in his relationship with Josephine (Rossellini). Epic format. Dramatic. Overall rating: 7 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Sailing: Around Alone 2002-2003. Site contains photos by the nautical, sailing, and yacht photographer Onne van der Wahl.
~~~~~~~
Recreation: Sport Center CT, Shelton, CT. Driving range, mini golf, base ball, ice skating etc.
~~~~~~~
Video: A Passage to India (1984) w/ Judy Davis (Adela Quested), Victor Banerjee (Dr. Aziz), Peggy Ashcroft (Mrs. Moore). Directed by David Lean. After a novel by E.M. Forster. Won two Academy Awards, one to Peggy Ashcroft for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. During the 1920s, a young woman travels to India to figure out whether she loves the man she wants to marry. Exotic, colorful. Good pace of the story. Ascroft is superb! Captures some of the conflict between India and Britain during the time of colonialization. Overall rating: 8 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Tea: Taylors of Harrogate, Family of Tea Merchats, North Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1886. Good peppermint tisane.
~~~~~~~
Art: Lee Friedlander. MoMA NYC, June 5 - August 29, 2005. 500 photographs, mostly B/W. Inspiring. Some unusual pics, often seems to contain random errors.


Lee Friedlander, Nashville (1963)


~~~~~~~
Film: Brother's Shadow. Independent film. Partly filmed in Hoboken, NJ in July 2005.
~~~~~~~

Sunday, June 26, 2005

Snippets:
~~~~~~~
DVD: Before Sunset (2004) w/ Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy. Directed by Richard Linklater. Jesse and Celine meet in Paris 9 years after 'Before Sunrise' and don't hesitate long before they begin to analyze their 'relationship'. Neat idea of film making. Dialog heavy; great script. Good, natural acting. Captivating, low budget film. Meticulously analyzes relationships. A bit lengthy though. Overall rating: 6 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Health: Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).
~~~~~~~
Travel: Bed & Breakfast: The Humphrey Hughes House in the Cape May's historic district of Cape May, NJ. Victorian. Vicinity to the beach. Built to be a luxurious summer house in 1903. Captain Humphrey Hughes arrived in Cape May in 1692 and soon became one of the area's original landowners. A few decades later, his son, Humphrey Hughes II, purchased the ground on which the house now stands. The home remained with the Hughes family until Dr. Harold Hughes' death in 1980.
~~~~~~~
Shopping: Search for bargains in NYC or post your own advertisements for free at Craigslist or AM Recycler.
~~~~~~~
Philosophy: Gerold Prauss is professor of philosophy at Albert-Ludwigs-University in Freiburg, Germany; he has also taught at the University of Cologne and several other German universities. His work on Kant (e.g. 'Kant über Freiheit als Autonomie') has been influential worldwide. Commentary to some of Prauss' work here.
~~~~~~~
Theater: Muenchner Kammerspiele, 12/21/04: 'Miss Sara Sampson' (1755) by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing. Tragedy. More info (in German) at Wikipedia.
~~~~~~~
DVD: Gangs of New York (2002). Directed by Martin Scorsese. w/ Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, Cameron Diaz. Bloody. Main story is simple, but there might be lots of hidden authenic details on life in the Five Points. Great costumes and set. Historical background of the film probably needs to be studied more closely. Diaz is the wrong actress for the role. Day-Lewis' and DiCaprio's performances are alright. 10 Oscar nominations, none won! Overall rating: 5 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Life: Interconvert length (cm, inches), and weights and masses.
~~~~~~~
Photography: 35mm film, and most digital SLRs have an aspect ratio of 3:2. Most computer monitors and digital compact cameras have a 4:3 aspect ratio.
~~~~~~~

Wednesday, June 01, 2005

Snippets:
~~~~~~~
Web: Catalog of Free website providers and virtual hard drives at Freewebsitesproviders.com.
~~~~~~~
Music: 55 Bar, NYC, 5/14/05: Keith Ganz (g). Quiet, and full of inspiration. Kate McGarry (voc) is Ganz' wife since mid 2004. Sings either with or without words. Great interpretation of 'Corcovado'. CDs: Keith Ganz: Music for People (2005). Kate McGarry: Mercy Street (2005).
~~~~~~~
Book: Larry Gonick: The Cartoon History of the Universe: Volume 1-7: From the Big Bang to Alexander the Great (1990). Comic book that narrates history. Quite funny at times. Reasonably accurate.
~~~~~~~
Recreation: New Jersey: Ringwood State Park. Picnicking area at Sepheard Lake. Other New Jersey Parks at the NJ Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Parks and Forestry.
~~~~~~~
DVD: Meet the Parents (2000). w/ Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller. Directed by Jay Roach (Austin Powers: Goldmember). Male nurse Gaylord 'Greg' Focker meets his girlfriend's parents before proposing to marry her. Not an easy task. Stupid comedy, some funny moments. Overal rating: 4 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
DVD: The Charlie Cahplin Mutuals, Vol. 3: One A.M., The Pawn Shop, The Floorwalker, The Rink. Four out of twelve of Chaplins two-reel silent films for the Mutual Company. Originally released in 1916. 25-30 min slapstick comedies, some with great special effects for the time. Entertaining. Overall rating: 5 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Art: Metropolitan Museum, NYC, 5/28/05: 1.) Sol LeWitt on the Roof: Splotches, Whirls, and Twirls. Abstract art. Includes large wall drawing #1152 in vibrant colors (blue, red, green, yellow, purple, orange) 2.) Diane Arbus: Revelations. B/W Portraits. Large exhibition of everyday life motives. 3.) Max Ernst: A Retrospective. Lived 1891–1976. Founding member of the Surrealist group in Paris. Most interesting: "The Blessed Virgin Chastises the Infant Jesus Before Three Witnesses: A.B. [Andre Breton], P.E. [Paul Eluard] and the Artist" (1926)


Max Ernst: The Blessed Virgin Chastises the Infant Jesus Before Three Witnesses: A.B., P.E. and the Artist" (1926).


~~~~~~~

Saturday, May 14, 2005

Notes to book 'Amish Home' by Raymond Bial. Photo essay, 1993:

  • Amish do not allow themselves to be photographed

  • refer to others as the 'English'

  • do not have a formal church; gather in each others homes every other Sunday

  • buggies and horses

  • no televisions, no phones

  • originated in Europe, broke away from Catholic church

  • broke away from the Mennonites in the late 1600s

  • settled in Pennsylvania in the early 1700s

  • >100,000 Amish living in 25 states; no Amish remain in Europe

  • did not appear overly different from their English neighbors until the early 20th century

  • "the old is the best"

  • Amish (hook and eyers people) rejected the Mennonites (button people) as too fancy


Snippets:
~~~~~~~
DVD: Radio Days (1987). Written and directed by Woody Allen. w/ Mia Farrow. 88 min. Short stories around life in the mid fourties. Funny at times. Lacks the obession of many other Allen movies, which makes this one more palatable. Great music selection. Overall rating: 6 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Video: La Reine Margot ('Queen Margot', 1994). Directed by Patrice Chéreau. w/ Isabelle Adjani (Margot), Daniel Auteuil (Henri de Navarre). French with English subtitles. After the historical novel (Marguerite De Valois) by Alexandre Dumas père. Complex story of intrigue and assassinations in order to gain political power during the 1570s in France. The Catholic Margot, daughter of Catherine de Medici, is married to the Protestant Huguenot Henri of Navarre in an effort to bring peace to a religiously divided country. Catherine also schemes to bring about the notorious St. Bartholomew's Day massacre of 1572, killing thousands of Protestants. Great costumes; movie gives a good feel for the times. Overall rating: 6 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Celebrities: Letizia, Princess of Asturias: Letizia de Borbón, née Ortiz Rocasolano, the wife of Felipe, Prince of Asturias, the heir presumptive to the Spanish throne. Before her marriage, she was an award-winning journalist and television presenter for CNN and TVE.
~~~~~~~
Life: Article on Front Page of the New York Times, May 6, 2005: 'Time travelers to Meet in Not Too Distant Future'. Students at the Massachsetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) have organized a convention for time travelers in the hope that someone from the future will attend and bring some information to cure AIDS or cancer, have a solution for global poverty, or a cold fusion reactor. The event is potluck and alcohol-free. Neat idea for a party, and now time travelers who go backwards in time know where to go!
~~~~~~~
Video: Camill Claudel (1989). 159 min (USA cut version) w/ Isabelle Adjani, Gerard Depardieu. Biography. Sculptor Claudel becomes Auguste Rodin's inspiration and lover. His indecisivenes between her and another woman causes the break. Claudel then longs for recognition independently of Rodin, but madness catches up with her. Dramatic. Great acting by Adjani (numinated for Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role). Watch her transformation! Film is a bit lengthy though. Overall rating: 6 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Web: Photoblogs.org
~~~~~~~
Video: Charlie's Angels (2000). 98 min. w/ Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu, Bill Murray. Directed by McG. Not much better than the sequel. Little story. Some good special effects. Eye candy. Overall rating: 3 out of 10.
~~~~~~~

Monday, May 02, 2005

Summary of Karen Salmansohn's (somewhat risky & overly simplistic) 'The Road to Success' (AM New York, April 25, 2005, p. 20):

  • You're nobody until someone hates you. Don't be afraid to face what you face when you contradict the status quo.

  • Purposely cold-call your boss at night, when he/she is in the office.

  • FREE is the most powerful word in the marketer's vocabulary.

  • Ask yourself: If you weren't afraid of failing what would you do?

  • Do something that people say is crazy. If people say something is good, then someone else is already doing it.

  • Think grandiose thoughts about what you deserve in your career life.

  • If you can't stand out, don't do it.

  • Word of mouth is better than big advertisement.

  • There's a difference between risk and stupidity.

  • Talk to strangers. Start friendly conversations often and everywhere.

  • Regularly reinvent, restructure and reassess.

  • Don't hear 'no', hear a slooow 'yes'.

  • Get over your fear of trying.


Snippets:
~~~~~~~
DVD: A Room With A View (1985). w/ Helena Bonham Carter (Lucy Honeychurch), Daniel Day-Lewis (Cecil Vyse), Maggie Smith (Charlotte Bartlett), Julian Sands (George Emerson). Directed by James Ivory (Jefferson in Paris, The Remains of the Day, Howards End). After the novel by E.M. Forster. Set between Florence, Italy, and England in the early 1900's, a story of a young woman in her struggle between an acceptable Victorian life and uninhibited passion. Great acting by Helena Bonham Carter (Big fish). Overall rating: 7 our of 10. More info on the book at GradeSaver.
~~~~~~~
Literature: ClassicNotes by GradeSaver. Free novel guides with full summaries and analysis. Written and compiled by Harvard essayists.
~~~~~~~
Literature: Jesus von Texas (in German). Radio drama prduced by WDR Koeln (2004). Directed by Martin Zylka. After the book 'Vernon God Little' by DBC Pierre ('dirty but clean Peter', pseudonym for Peter Warren Finnlay), surprise winner of the 2003 Man Booker Prize. Pierre's debut novel. 15-year old teenager is the prime suspect in a school shooting in a small town in Texas. Parodic version of modern American culture.
~~~~~~~
DVD: Road to Perdition (2002). w/ Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Tyler Hoechlin. Directed by Sam Mendes. In the Chicago of 1931, son of a hit man Michael Sullivan witnesses his father's work. After Sullivans wife and other son are murdered in error, his only aim is to avenge the killings. Concurrently, the relationship between father and son develops. Good acting by Hanks and Newman, but the story is pretty lame and predictable. Overall rating 4 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Event: Hoboken, Spring Art & Music Festival. Sunday, May 1, 2005: 11am to 6pm. Concert: 4:45pm to 6:00pm: Herman's Hermits featuring Peter Noone. 60s Brit-Pop. Played hits like 'No milk Today', 'I'm Henry the Eighth, I Am', 'Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter', and 'There's a Kind of Hush All Over the World'. Good entertainment, despite the dust it collects.
~~~~~~~
Maps: TerraServer USA: Topographic maps and some aerial views. Google Maps: Maps and corresponsing satellite views. Easy to navigate by 'dragging' the picture with the mouse.
~~~~~~~

Wednesday, April 27, 2005

Snippets:
~~~~~~~
Saying: 'You want it bad, you get it bad'
~~~~~~~
Photography: Small-Town America (1850-1920). Robert N. Dennis Collection of Stereoscopic Views at the New York Public Library.
~~~~~~~
Literature: Writer Nicole Krauss married writer Jonathan Safran Foer in 2004.
~~~~~~~
Video: Amistad (1997). Directed by Steven Spielberg; w/ Matthew McConaughey (Baldwin), Djimon Hounsou (Cinque), Morgan Freeman (Joadson), Anthony Hopkins (John Quincy Adams). Story of the 1839 revolt by Africans on the slave ship 'Amistad'. Important, serious topic. Presented in Hollywood style: melodramatic, kitschy, sappy. Overdone. Overall rating: 4 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
DVD: Time Life's Lost Civilizations (2002). Part 1 of 4: Mesopotamia (Return to Eden), Ancient Egypt (Quest for Immortality), Aegean (Legacy of Atlantis). Reportage on the Babylonian, Assyrian, Sumerian, Jewish, Egyptian, and Greek civilizations. Informative, although sometimes a bit too lurid. On Thera, a small island in the Aegean just north of Crete, the Volcano Santorin erupted ca. 1628 BC. Apparently the people were able to evacuate in time, but never returned. The video considers it as the Atlantis described by Plato (in his 'Timaeus' and his 'Critias'). The Sumerians inhabited the land of Mesopotamia around 3500 BC. It is considered to be the oldest civilization. More about Sumer
~~~~~~~
Web: Photo storage for Blogger: Hello.
~~~~~~~

Saturday, April 23, 2005

Is it true that German was almost one of the official languages of the U.S.A.? (Brian Zahn)

This is one of those legends that is continually passed along as if it were fact. Unfortunately, the facts just don't substantiate it. Here are some facts: Introduction: German as the official language of the United States of America?" in "Die deutschsprachige Presse der Amerikas / The German Language Press of the Americas," 3 (München: K. G. Saur, 1980), 1942.

There was never an attempt to make German the official language of the United States, although (1) there was a failed attempt in Congress in 1794, based on a petition of German residents of Augusta Co., Virginia, to have "a certain proportion" of the laws of the United States printed in German as well as English, and (2) beginning in 1828 ["Deutsche Sprache in Nordamerika", "Das Ausland" (Stuttgart: Cotta), 1 February 1828, 126127, and 2 February 1828, 130131], reports were circulated in the German, English, and American press of an attempt to make German an official language (alongside English) of Pennsylvania, an attempt that was supposedly defeated by only one vote (Arndt, however, was unable to find any bill or resolution proposing to make German the or an official language of the state of Pennsylvania). It is also known as the Mühlenberg legend. In "The German Americans: An Ethnic Experience" by Willi Paul Adams it reads as follows: At the root of the so-called "Mühlenberg legend" lies rather a disappointment that German was not able to hold its ground as a language of daily usage even in Pennsylvania, except within small Mennonite, Amish and other sectarian communities. During both the War of Independence and the War of 1812, at times when anti-German feelings were running high, Americans of German descent comprised less that 9% of the total population of the United States. And even in Pennsylvania, where the Germans had settled most densely, they amounted to only a third of the entire population. Colonial speakers of English fought only for their political independence. They had not stomach for an anti-English language and cultural revolution. When German language farmers in Augusta County, Virginia petitioned the U.S. House of Representatives in 1794 for a German translation of the booklet containing the laws and other government regulations copies of which had been distributed free in the English language officials simply ignored them. Even the bilingual Speaker of the House of Representatives, Frederick Augustus Conrad Mühlenberg, refused to support their modest request, arguing that the faster the Germans became American, the better. No doubt, disappointment with his negative, though realistic, posture contributed a generation later to the birth of this legend. (p.25/26)


Snippets:
~~~~~~~
Philosophy: Hans Kueng (b. 1928), Swiss theologian, and a prolific author; formerly Roman Catholic theologian until the Vatican rescinded his authority to teach Catholic theology in 1979; rejects the doctrine of papal infallibility; initiated a project called 'Weltethos' (Global Ethic), which is an attempt to describe what the world religions have in common.
~~~~~~~
DVD: Ocean's Eleven (2001). 117 min. Directed by Steven Soderbergh (Erin Brockovich, Sex, Lies, and Videotape). w/ George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts. Gang plans to rob Las Vegas casino with a skillful approach. Entertaining, has some good ideas, but story too one-sided. Overall rating: 5 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Art: Painter: Steve Hanks; American; contemporary. Portraits of women and children.
~~~~~~~
Greek Mytology: Calypso (retold by James Hunter): Calypso was a nymph, the daughter of the Titan Atlas. She lived on the island of Ogygia. After the last of Odysseus' men had perished at sea, Odysseus himself was washed ashore on Ogygia, where Calypso became enamored of him, taking him as her lover and promising him immortality if he would stay with her. Odysseus refused her offer, wishing to return home to Ithaca and to his wife, Penelope. But Calypso refused to let him leave, and held him prisoner for seven years. Finally Athena complained of Odysseus' plight to Zeus, and Zeus sent Hermes to Ogygia to order Calypso to set Odysseus free. Calypso complied reluctantly, allowing Odysseus to construct a small boat and set sail from the island. More details.
~~~~~~~
Art: William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905): French academic painter. Realistic genre paintings and mythological themes. Gallery.
~~~~~~~
DVD: Mulholland Drive (2001). Directed by David Lynch. w/ Naomi Watts, Laura Harring. Jealous lesbian girl kills her less serious girlfriend. Reality and fantasy mingle. Movie is not chronological. Not easy to understand by itself. Find some help at The Modern Word. Once you've made it through the quagmire, most of it makes sense, though. Overall rating 7 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Music: Judith Holofernes (real name: Judith Holfelder von der Tann): Singer and song writer of the German band 'Wir Sind Helden'. Her stage name is a reference to Judith and Holofernes.
~~~~~~~
Religion: Bible: Judith and Holofernes: from the apocryphic Book of Judith in the Old Testament. Judith, a mature and beautiful woman, saved the Jewish city Bethulia by decapitating Holofernes, an invading general of Nebuchadnezzar's army with his own sword while he was drunk. Popular subject in paintings, e.g, by Michelangelo Buonarroti, Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, Gustav Klimt (Judith I), and Artemisia Gentileschi.
~~~~~~~
DVD: Le Boucher (The Butcher, 1970). 93 min. French with English subtitles. Directed by Claude Chabrol. w/ Stephane Audran (Helene), Jean Yanne (Popaul). In a small French village, a butcher meets the respectable, pretty school teacher Helen. Then a girl is murdered, and Helen finds a clue, endangering her own life. Minimalist story, a master piece of classic suspense. Predictable, slow plot, but the pictures are enjoyable. Overall rating: 7 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Art: Web Gallery of Art: Virtual museum and searchable database of European painting and sculpture from 12th to mid-19th centuries. Dual view possible allows comparisons. Large images. Rich collection, but unfortunately the second half of the 19th and the 20th century are not covered.
~~~~~~~

Saturday, April 09, 2005

Snippets:
~~~~~~~
Book on Tape: Tao Te Ching by Lao Tsu. Translated by Gia-fu Feng and Jane English. Read by Jacob Needleman. Translation by D.T. Suzuki & Paul Carus with comments at Sacret Texts. Other translations.
~~~~~~~
Web: World Wide Web Virtual Library. Many links to various topics.
~~~~~~~
DVD: The Passion of the Christ (2004).126 min. Aramaic/Latin/Hebrew with English subtitles. Directed by Mel Gibson. w/ James Caviezel. Also Monica Bellucci as Magdalen. Retells the final hours of Jesus, including his crucifiction. Kept close to the biblical text. Gory representation. Unfortunately leaves nothing to the imagination of the viewer. Overall rating: 3 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Video: Battleship Potemkin (1925). 74 min. Silent movie. Directed by Sergei Eisenstein. Version of 1988 with a score composed by Dmitri Shostakovich. Influential Russian revolutionary propaganda film. Fictional story meant to glorify a real-life event that occurred in 1905, 'Battleship Potemkin uprising' that later came to be viewed as an initial step towards the Russian Revolution. Most famous scene from the movie is the massacre on the Odessa Steps. Probably a great accomplishment for its time, but story too simple for today. Overall rating 4 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Language: Potemkin village (German: Potemkinsche Doerfer): Something that appears elaborate and impressive, but in actual fact lacks substance; hollow or false construct, physical or figurative, meant to hide an undesirable or potentially damaging situation. Named after Grigori Aleksandrovich Potemkin (1739-1791), who reputedly had elaborate fake villages constructed to impress Catherine the Great (Empress Catherine II) during her visit of the Ukraine and the Crimea in 1787.
~~~~~~~
DVD: Nowhere in Africa (German: 'Nirgendwo in Afrika'; 2002). 142 min. Directed by Caroline Link. w/ Juliane Koehler, Merab Ninidze. After the novel by Stefanie Zweig. German movie; won the Oscar for best foreingn language film in 2002. Jewish family flees from Nazi Germany to Kenya and tries to survive there on a remonte farm. Has some stunning pictures of Africa and the people there. Not as dreamlike as 'Out of Africa', more realistic, more down to earth, and still full of beauty. And the story has a lot to give, not as clear cut as some of the Hollywood movies, more ambiguous, more unpredictable. Like the times. Like the country. Nazis against Jews, Blacks against Whites, man against woman, drought against rain. Overall rating: 8 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
DVD: Botherhood of the Wolf (Le Pacte des Loups, 2002). 144 min. Directed by Christophe Gans. w/ Samuel Le Bihan, Mark Dacascos, Monica Bellucci. In a village in 18th century France, Chevalier de Fronsac (Gans) is hunting a furious murderous beast, but learns that it is not an animal he is loking for, but a man. Flat, hokey plot, predictable, plenty of inconsistencies. Acting okay. Overall rating: 4 out of 10.
~~~~~~~

Sunday, April 03, 2005

Snippets:
~~~~~~~
Literature: Reiner Kunze, German poet.
~~~~~~~
Geography: Aleutian Islands: a string of islands off the Southern coast of Alaska. In the 2000 census, there was a population of 8,162 on the islands, of which 4,283 were living in the main settlement of Unalaska. The islands are part of the Ring of Fire, a zone of frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions that encircles the basin of the Pacific Ocean.
~~~~~~~
Photography: Dirk Westfall, Anchorage, AK. Outdoor Photography. Some stunning pics!
~~~~~~~
DVD: Man of La Mancha (1972). 129 min. w/ Peter O'Toole, Sophia Loren. Directed by Arthur Hiller. Film version of the Broadway musical of 1965. After the novel 'Don Quixote' (Pt. 1: 1605, Pt. 2: 1615) by Miguel de Cervantes y Saavedra. Text in translation by John Ormsby (London 1885) also at Project Gutenberg. Spanish gentleman gets deluded by reading too many books on knights and chivalry. With the help of his servant Sancho Panza, he fights for the heart of his beloved Dulcinea. Together, they dream the impossible dream: To dream the impossible dream / to fight the unbeatable foe / to bear with unbearable sorrow / to run where the brave dare not go // To right the unrightable wrong / to love pure and chaste from afar / to try when your arms are too weary / to reach the unreachable star. Poor singing. Overall rating: 4 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Medicine: From Diabetes In Control, 3/29/05: A new generation of physicians believe maggots are one of the most effective ways of treating wounds infected by the superbug methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Maggots are remarkably efficient at cleaning up infected wounds by eating dead tissue and killing off bacteria that could block the healing process. Maggot medicine has a long history: Napoleon's battle surgeon wrote of the healing powers of maggots 200 years ago, and they were put to work during the American Civil War and in the trenches in World War One. With the arrival of modern antibiotics in the 1940s, however, maggots were consigned to the medical dustbin. In a bid to prove the case for maggots conclusively, Dr. Pauline Raynor of the University of York is now recruiting 600 patients across Britain for the world's biggest ever maggot trial.
~~~~~~~
DVD: Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003). 105 min. w/ Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu, Demi Moore. Directed by McG. No story. Poor acting. Some good special effects. Eye candy. Overall rating: 3 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
DVD: Big Fish (2003). 125 min. Directed by Tim Burton (Batman, Sleepy Hollow). w/ Ewan McGregor (Ed Bloom (Young)), Albert Finney (Ed Bloom (Senior)), Billy Crudup (Will Bloom), Jessica Lange (Sandra Bloom), Helena Bonham Carter (Jenny (Young & Senior) & The Witch). Dying old man tells fantastic stories of his life; his son wants to find who is father really is. Truth and fiction mingle. Great story touching on many topics the audience can relate to. Overall rating: 8 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Book: Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis (c. 1380-1471). First published anonymously in A.D. 1418. Popular book of Christian faith, second only to the Bible. Meditations on the life and teachings of Jesus. Also at Project Gutenberg in a translation by William Benham (1831–1910). More info (in German).
~~~~~~~

Monday, March 28, 2005

The 13 Virtues of Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), from his Autobiography:

1. TEMPERANCE.
Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.
2. SILENCE.
Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.
3. ORDER.
Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.
4. RESOLUTION.
Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.
5. FRUGALITY.
Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing.
6. INDUSTRY.
Lose no time; be always employ'd in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.
7. SINCERITY.
Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.
8. JUSTICE.
Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.
9. MODERATION.
Avoid extreams; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.
10. CLEANLINESS.
Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, cloaths, or habitation.
11. TRANQUILLITY.
Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.
12. CHASTITY.
Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dulness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another's peace or reputation.
13. HUMILITY.
Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

Notes on: Unblinking Witness to a Moody Town, New York Times, March 27, 2005, by Avis Berman, author of "Edward Hopper's New York" (Pomegranate Communications, 2005)

Edward Hopper (1882-1962): not a New York native; born in Nyack, 25 miles north of the city; came to New York in 1899 to study illustration; later enrolled in the New York School of Art to learn painting and took a studio on 14th Street.

Though New York remained his home base, he made several trips to Europe, living mainly in Paris, and he was struck by the differences between Manhattan and the City of Light. The Parisians, he wrote to his mother, "seem to live in the streets, which are alive from morning until night, not as they are in New York with that never-ending determination for the long-green - but with a pleasure-loving crowd that doesn't care what it does or where it goes, so that it has a good time."

As Hopper saw it, the grim business of living in New York encased people in themselves. He understood that New York was essentially a city of people intent on commerce. People become hardened by materialistic pressures, he concluded, and to survive, they grow indifferent or estranged from one another.

Hopper once described New York as "the American city that I know best and like most," and its physical face inspired seven decades' worth of paintings, drawings, watercolors and prints. Hopper, who lived in Manhattan, mainly in Greenwich Village, from about 1905 until his death in 1967, roamed the city with a passion and had a well-worn familiarity with the byways and corners off the tourist's map.

Ever the contrarian, Hopper offered an alternative to the New York that most other American artists of his day seized on - the city of the new, the gigantic, the technologically thrilling depicted, for example, in the paintings of Joseph Stella.


Snippets:
~~~~~~~
Actress: Tilda Swinton played the lead role in the movie 'Orlando' (1992), after the novel by Virgina Woolfe. Also speaks as member of the 'Cannes' committee in the Special Features section of Fahrenheit 9/11 DVD.
~~~~~~~
DVD: Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004). By Michael Moore. 122 min Documentary about George W. Bush, the invasion of Iraq, and his oil connections. Good idea to reveal Bush's ties and motifs, but por execution. One sided. Too much schmaltz, little facts. Poor entertaiment at best. Overall rating 5 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Life: Tete du Moine. A grated cheese with a special, circular rasper to cut it. History of over 800 years.
~~~~~~~
Photography: Affordable digital camera: CardCam from Creative. Size of a credit card. 1.3 Megapixels (1280 x 960 resolution). 26 photos at 1280 x 960 resolutions (interpolated) or 101 photos at 640 x 480 resolutions. 8 MB memory. Mediocre picture quality, but cheap price.
~~~~~~~
Technology: Steve Fossett flew around the world in the Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer between Feb. 28 and Mar. 3, 2005. Fossett already held the record for flying solo around the globe in a balloon, as well as dozens of other aviation and sailing records.
~~~~~~~
Geology: Predicted tsunami after an eruption of Cumbre Vieja volcano, La Palma, Canary Islands. Would also affect the United States with waves 30-75 ft high 6-9 h later. However, currently no volcanic activity reported.
~~~~~~~
Phone: Country Calling Codes.
~~~~~~~
Nature: Pulse of the Planet. 2 minute sound portaits of the planet earth as MP3 and transcripts. Dates back to 1996. Presented by the National Science Foundation, an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 "to promote the progress of science.
~~~~~~~
Food: Hediard. Delicatessen store in Paris and other French cities.
~~~~~~~
Geography: Unalaska, an island in the Fox Islands group in the middle of the Aleutian Islands southwest of Alaska, is said to be the rainiest place within the territory of the United States. There, it rains about 250 days a year.
~~~~~~~
Philosophy: The Skeptics Dictionary
~~~~~~~
Philosophy: Edgar Cayce, a psychic with questionable success . Notes and transcripts on his sessions are now under the protection of the Association for Research and Enlightenment (ARE). Cayce proclaimed that the star Arcturus is one of the most advanced civilizations in our galaxy. It is a fifth-dimensional civilization and the prototype for Earth's future. Oh well...
~~~~~~~

Monday, February 28, 2005

Snippets:
~~~~~~~
Mythology: Galatea und Polyphemus. Famous painting by Raphael in the Villa Farnesina in Rome. Story here, also told in Ovid's 'Metamorphoses'.
~~~~~~~
CD: Beth Gibbons: Out of Season (2003). Solo album of the voice of Portishead. Sad and quiet.
~~~~~~~
CD: Alice Ripley: Everything's Fine (2001). Pop. Voice okay. Some country touch.
~~~~~~~
Web: KartOO: Visual Meta Search Engine. Search engine that presents the results in form of a 'mind map'.
~~~~~~~
DVD: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004). 142 min. w/ Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Emma Watson (Hermione Granger), Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley). Directed by Alfonso Cuaron, after the novel by J.K. Rowling. Harry's third year at Hogwarts, discovering more of his own personal history. The teenagers start to become serious actors. Plot contains an interesting sequence of time travel. Overall rating 6 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Sg: 'Breaking a habit' by Linkin Park from the CD 'Meteora'
~~~~~~~
Video: Paris, Texas (1984). 145 min. Directed by Wim Wenders. w/ Harry Dean Stanton (Travis), Nastassja Kinski (Jane), Dean Stockwell (Walt), Hunter Carson (Hunter). Long thought dead man shows up in a desert in Texas, and is picked up by his brother. After getting some rest, and accompanied by his son, he makes his way to Texas to find his wife. Pretty slow plot. Only the last 30 min are really worth watching, the rest is a sleeper. Overall rating: 5 out of 10. HDS played Lyle Straight, Alvin's Brother, in The Straight Story.
~~~~~~~
Video: Julius Caesar (2002, TV mini series). 176 min. Epic about life and death of the great Roman leader. w/ Jeremy Sisto (Julius Caesar), Richard Harris (Lucius Sulla), Christopher Walken (Marcus Cato), Chris Noth (Pompey). Directed by Uli Edel (Last Exit to Brooklyn). Epic about life and death of the great Roman leader. Don't know how historically accurate it is, but it's entertaining. Overall rating: 7 out of 10.
~~~~~~~

Thursday, February 17, 2005

I do not understand how an instructor for a 'safe driving course' can weigh 250 lbs: Doesn't he know that while in 2003 a total of 42,643 people in the United States died in traffic crashes, it was estimated in 1999 that the number of annual deaths attributable to obesity among US adults is approximately 280,000? [Allison DB et al., JAMA. 1999 Oct 27;282(16):1530-8. Annual deaths attributable to obesity in the United States]. Over six times as many!


Snippets:
~~~~~~~
DVD: Sex and Lucia (Lucia y el sexo, 2001). Spanish w/ English subtitles. Directed by Julio Medem. w/ Paz Vega (Lucía), Tristan Ulloa (Lorenzo), Najwa Nimri (Elena). The film is exactly about what the title says: about Lucia, a young woman who tries to find her boy friend, and about sex, occasionally quite explict. First hour is rather sluggish. However, later in the movie, more of a story actually unravels, and the line between fiction and reality disappears. Some great under water shots. Najwa Nimri is remarkable. Overall Rating: 6 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
DVD: Chaos (Kaosu, Japan, 1999). Japanese w/ English subtitles. Directed by Hideo Nakata. w/ Masato Hagiwara, Miki Nakatani, Ken Mitsuishi. Wife fakes her own kidnapping, with unexpected consequences. Film is not chronological. Sometimes confusing, but idea is good. Overall rating 6 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Art: Christo (Javacheff) and his wife Jeanne-Claude opened 'The Gates' in Central Park, NYC, on February 12, 2005. 7500, by releasing the panels of saffron-colored fabric from atop the 7,500 16-foot-tall gates, along 23 miles of footpaths. What a spectacle! Will be on display until February 28, 2005.
~~~~~~~
Humor: "We have normality. I repeat, we have normality. Anything you still can't cope with is therefore your own problem." Douglas Adams (British comic writer, 1952-2001)
~~~~~~~
History: The Writings of Benjamin Franklin, Vol. I - V (Vol. I, II, III online).
~~~~~~~
Video: The Ring (2002). Directed by Gore Verbinski. w/ Naomi Watts. After the novel by Koji Suzuki and the movie Ringu (aka Ring; directed by Hideo Nakata, see above: 'Chaos'). People who watch a certain video tape get a phone call and die within a week. A Seattle journalist (Watts) joins the club, and her time is running out. Neat idea for a horror flick. Gripping. Great special effects. Mysterious. Overall rating: 7 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Life: Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). Statistics of motorvehicle and traffic related fatalites and injuries.
~~~~~~~

Wednesday, February 09, 2005


Snippets:
~~~~~~~
DVD: Sylvia (2003). w/ Gwenneth Paltrow and Daniel Craig. About the life of famous American poet Sylivia Plath, the relationship with her husband, Ted Hughes, her jealousy, her depresseion, and her longing to become an acclaimed writer. Film is not a historically accurate portrayal. Depressing, sad, slow at times. Lacks the 'magic' of a good movie. Paltrows acting is good in this difficult role. Overall rating 5 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Language: Islamism: 1.) from Merriam-Websters: the faith, doctrine, or cause of Islam. 2.) from Wikipedia: Islamism is a political ideology derived from the conservative religious views of Muslim fundamentalism. It holds Islam is not only a religion, but a political system that also governs the legal, economic and social imperatives of the state. [...] In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks, Islamism, along with other political movements inspired by Islam, gained increased attention in the Western media. The media often confuses the term Islamism with related terms such as Islam, fundamentalism, militant Islam, and Wahhabism. Although the groups and individuals representing these are not mutually exclusive, within academia, each term does have a distinct definition. Some Islamist groups have been implicated in terrorism and have become targets in the War on Terrorism.
~~~~~~~
DVD: Pather Panchali (Song of the Road, 1955). Bengali w/ English subtitles. 126 min. Directed by Satyajit Ray. First part of the 'Apu Trilogy', along with 'Aparajito (The Unvanquished, 1957)' and 'Apur Sansar (The World of Apu, 1959)'. Everyday life of a poor family close to starvation. Father Hari is a dreamer and poet, while his hardworking wife struggles to feed the family. Their daughter Durgha is free-spirited and petty thief. And her younger brother Apu is watching the world with his eyes wide open. Exotic, very different cultural background is interesting to study. But slow plot. Much redundancy. Overall rating: 4 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
DVD: A Clockwork Orange (1971). Directed by Stanley Kubrick, after a novel by Anthony Burgess; w/ Malcolm McDowell (Star Trek Generations). Members of gang in near-future Britain entertainthemselves by raping and murdering innocent victims. One of them, Alex, gets caught and imprisoned, and volunteers to subject to an experimental aversion condition method to cure him from his preverse desires by losing his ability to choose. After he is released, he becomes as defenseless as his former victims, but finds his own way to manage. Movie was initially X-rated. Plenty of sex and violence, to the point of disgust. Kubrik has built in several subtle, but deliberate inconsistencies (e.g. filling height of glasses in subsequent scenes) to generate additional confusion. Overall rating 7 out of 10. Anthony Burgess (1917-1993) did reportedly not authorize the movie, and later wrote a play based on the book. As to the title, Burgess wrote it came from an old Cockney expression "As queer [i.e. strange] as a clockwork orange", but other interpretations have also been found, including the 'mechanically responsive (clockwork) non-human (orang, Malay for "person")'. Alex is now "good" after his treatment, but his ability to choose this has been taken away from him. His "goodness" is as artificial as the clockwork orange of the title, and this might be much worse than having the freedom of choice to be 'bad'. More info about book and movie at Wikipedia.

Sunday, January 30, 2005

The painter Clyfford Still (1904-1980) was one of the 'founders' of Abstract Expressionism. Born in Grandin, North Dakota, he grew up in Washington State and in Alberta, Canada. He influenced many others, including Mark Rothko and Barnett Newman. When visiting New York in 1945, Rothko introduced him to Peggy Guggenheim, who shortly thereafter, hosted Still's first one-man show. Still was considered a member of the 'New York School', that also included Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Willem deKooning. However, Still always tried not to be ascribed to any movement, and disliked verbal explanations of his art: "The paintings should be permitted to speak for themselves". Still was mostly a loner and aloof. In 1961, he moved to a small town near Baltimore to escape the New York art scene and focus on his art.

Today, many of Still's paintings can be viewed at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (30+), the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, New York, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. The MoMA in NYC has '1944-N' on display. A book (ISBN 0-87099-213-9) by Clyfford Still and John P. O'Neill (Ed.), published in 1979, is a catalog from an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Nov. 17, 1979 - Feb. 3, 1980. It contains all paintings from the large exhibition in color together with notes and letters by the painter. Recently, Denver has been chosen to receive Still's much desired 2,000+ piece private collection under the premise to create and maintain a museum devoted exclusively to his art.

Other Links:
Examples of Paintings
Clyfford Still: Short Biography


Snippets:
~~~~~~~
Ecce Homo: When Pontius Pilate presented Jesus to the Jews demanding his Crucifixion, Pilate cried 'Ecce homo' (Behold the man). The words Ecce Homo have come to signify a type of devotional image that depicts Jesus after the scourging, crowned with a wreath of thorns, and with his face typically gaunt and drawn as he goes to his death. Also a famous writing by Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, and paintings by Lovis Corinth and Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio.
~~~~~~~
DVD: Kill Bill Vol. 2 (2004): Directed by Quentin Tarantino. w/ Uma Thurman, David Carradine. The bride gets her revenge. More story than in Vol. 1, but some scenes are too sluggish. Overall rating: 6 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Music: Ravi Shankar: Sitar player. CDs: India's Master Musician (1963), Ragas and Talas (1964). Indian Classical music. Shankar has also collaborated with George Harrison in the 60s. John Coltrane was influenced by Shankar. Shankar's idea was to introduce the Western world to traditional Indian Music. The sitar is a plucked string instrument with 20 movable frets. It is retuned with different intervals for each piece. It has six or seven main strings and 13 symapthetic strings. The tamboura is another instument with 4-5 strings which are plucked witout stopping the strings in a constant drone. The tabla is a pair of drums played by hand. A raga is not a tune, melody, scale, mode, or any concept for which an English word exists. It is instead a combination of different characteristics, including a certain number of notes, modal structure, ascending or descending struture, and certain importance of notes. A tala is a recurring time-measure or rhythmic cycle.
~~~~~~~
Music: Sitar player: Roop Verma. From the web site: "A world-renowned Indian musician; a master of the healing sounds of the Indian Sitar, a brilliant concert performer, teacher, and composer." He cannot be found in the AllMusic Guide though.
~~~~~~~
Literature: Talbot Mundy was the bestselling writer of adventure stories during the 1920's and 1930's. His novels include King of the Khyber Rifles, Caves of Terror, Om: The Secret of Ahbor Valley, Black Light, and The Nine Unknown.
~~~~~~~
Shopping: CNET Shopper for electronics. Reviews, recommendations, price comparisons.
~~~~~~~
Life: The best thing about carrying home a large pizza take-out in the winter time is that it will keep your hands warm.
~~~~~~~
Art: Abstract-Art.com. Impressive collection of modern art. Especially the 'Grandfathers and Influences Gallery' and the 'More Artists Galley'. Navigation buttons allow an easy 'walk-through'. Site design could be more imaginative, though.
~~~~~~~
Director: Krzysztof Kieslowski (b. 1941), the director of the trilogy Trois Coleurs, has previously made Polish movies and a TV series called 'Dekalog'. Among them, 'A Short Film About Love ' (Krotki film o milosci), and 'A Short Film About Killing' (Dekalog, piec), both from 1988.
~~~~~~~
Art: Photographer: Wolfgang Volz, Exhibition: ManMade Planet, Jan 28 – Mar 1, 2005, at the Chelsea Art Museum, Chelsea, NYC. Gallery opening 1/28/05; saw Christo & Jeanne-Claude there. Volz is the designated photographer of their art. Will also cover their project 'The Gates' in Central Park (Feb. 12 -29, 2005).
~~~~~~~
Art: Chelsea Museum of Art also has a permant collection of Jean Miotte (b. 1926). 'L'Arte Informel' is the European equivalent to the American 'Abstract Expressionism'. Main artists: Jean Miotte, Jean-Paul Riopelle, Emil Schumacher and Kazuo Shiraga and others. Miotte reminds of Clyfford Still.
~~~~~~~
Language: An epitome (Greek epitemnein = to cut short) is a summary or miniature form; it is also used as a synonym for embodiment. Many lost documents from the Ancient Greek and Roman world survive only now 'in epitome' referring to the practice of some later authors (epitomators) who would write distilled versions of now lost larger works (Wikipedia).
~~~~~~~

Thursday, January 13, 2005


Snippets:
~~~~~~~
Video: Smoke (1995). Director: Wayne Wang. Written by Paul Auster. w/ Harvey Keitel, William Hurt (Lost in Space), Stockard Channing (Grease). 112 min. Life in and around a New York cigar store in 1990. Some good lines and intriguing stories.Overall rating 7 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
WWW: Search engine for scientific information: Scirus . Searches Journal and the Web.
~~~~~~~

Tuesday, January 11, 2005


Snippets:
~~~~~~~
DVD: Kandahar (2001); aka 'Safar e Ghandehar'. Directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf. w/ Nelofer Pazira, Hassan Tantai. Mixture of movie and documentary. Shortly before the last solar eclipse of the century. an Afghanistan-born Canadian woman (Pazira) tries to reach Kandahar to save her sister from suicide. On her journey she is exhibits much of the Iranian-Afghan culture, poverty, mutilation by landmines, and the situation of women in the area. Exotic. Informs about very different issues. DVD also has a version with explanations by Nelofer Pazira. Overall rating: 7 out of 10. Hassan Tantai (aka David Belfield) is under indictment in the United States for the 1980 murder of the former Iranian diplomat Ali Akbar Tabatabai, a supporter of Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlevi. More about Belfield in the New Yorker, Issue of 2002-08-05.
~~~~~~~

Sunday, January 09, 2005


Snippets:
~~~~~~~
Video: Lord of the Rings I, II, III: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Two Towers (2002), The Return of the King (2003). An extensive story. After seeing the movie, I would want to read the book. Overall rating: 6 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Video: Moulin Rouge (2001). w/ Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor. Director: Baz Luhrman (Romeo and Juliet). Unusual love story. Lots of sung scenes; sometimes cuts are too short; interesting mixture of well known songs in modern versions; 'Roxanne' is best interpretation; overall poor story; spectacular costumes; bizarre acting; Nicole Kidman should know by now that her singing is even worse than her acting. Overall rating 3 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Metropolitan Museum 10/24/04: 1.) Roof Garden: Andy Goldsworthy on the Roof. 2.) German Drawings and Prints from the Weimar Republic (1919-1933). Otto Dix, George Grosz, Max Beckmann and others. Senses the situation after WW-I and shows many mutiliations. Neue Sachlichkeit (New Objectivity). 3.) China: Dawn of the Golden Age, 200-750 AD. Han Dynasty was ~ 300 BC to 300 AD. Fine sculptures and textiles. 4.) George Washington: Man Myth, Monument. A collection of GW portraits. Dauguerrotype with young woman standing in front of GW portrait.
~~~~~~~
Video: Matrix Reloaded (2003): pointless, useless, dull, waste of time. 2 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Video: Trois couleurs: Rouge (1994); aka 'Red'. French with English subtitles. Director: Krzysztof Kieslowski. w/ Irene Jacob as Valentine Dussaut, Jean-Louis Trintignant as The Judge. Captivating movie about a model who, by coincidence, meets a retired judge who is spying on his neighbors. A movie about love, betrayal, and life in general. Excellent tempo. Third part of the trilogy. Perfect acting. 9 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Video: Trois couleurs: Blanc (1994). aka: 'White'. Polish and French with English subtitles. Director: Krzysztof Kieslowski. Bizarre story; man becomes crook after his wife left him; planning for revenge; no magic in the story; disappointing; 4 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Video: Trois couleurs: Bleu (1993); aka 'Blue'. French with English subtitles. Director: Krzysztof Kieslowski. Woman loses man and daughter in a car accident. She mourns her loss by starting a new life, away from old companions and memories. Only after realizing that her husband had a long-term affair with another woman, she regains the strength to abandon her misery. Overall rating: 7 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Stop Telemarketers: federal and NJ.
~~~~~~~
Video: Excalibur (1981): Cheezy tale about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Overall Rating: 5 out of 10
~~~~~~~
Video: Trainspotting (1996). Drug addict tries to leave the Edinburgh scene, but is held back by his friends. Overall Rating: 5 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Video: Women in Love (1969). 131 min. Directed by Ken Russell; after the novel by D.H. Lawrence; w/ Alan Bates (Rupert Birkin), Oliver Reed (Gerald Crich), Glenda Jackson (Gudrun Brangwen), Jennie Linden (Ursula Brangwen). Exploration of the relationships, personalities, and philosophies of two men and two women in the high society of the early 1900s (IMDB). Multi-layered tale about love, friendship, and the philosophy of life. Glenda Jackson won the Oscar for 'Best Actress in a Leading Role' in 1970. Good acting, bizarre story. Overall rating: 7 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Video: Vendredi Soir aka 'Friday Night' (2002). Directed by Claire Denis. Woman wants to move in with her boyfriend. Gets stuck in traffic. Meets another man. Spends night with him, and leaves him. Slow story. Overall rating: 5 out of 10
~~~~~~~
DVD: Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003): Directed by
Quentin Tarantino. w/ Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu. Developing story. Comic strip brutality. Overall raiting: 7 out of 10. Want to see Vol. 2.
~~~~~~~
Politics: What is a "lame duck" session? When Congress (or either chamber) reconvenes in an even-numbered year following the November general elections to consider various items of business. Some lawmakers who return for this session will not be in the next Congress. Hence, they are informally called "lame duck" members participating in a "lame duck" session. For more U.S. politics terms see U.S. Senate glossary.
~~~~~~~
Culture: Bad Fads: A virtual museum of fun and nostalgic fashions, collectibles, activities and events which are cherished by some and ridiculed by others.
~~~~~~~
Theater: Symphonie Fantastique. Dodger Stages, 350 W 50th St, NYC. 60 min. Created by Basil Twist. Abstract under water puppet theater to the music of the same name by French romantic composer Hector Berlioz (1803-1869). Intriguing effects with shapes, clothes, and light in a 1000 gallon fish tank. Visualizes the music. Unusual idea.
~~~~~~~
DVD: Benjamin Franklin. An Extraordinary Life (2002). PBS documentary. 3.5 hours. Well narrated biography of the versatile 18th century man, who invented the lightning rod and played an important role in creating the United States of America.
~~~~~~~
Theater: nytheater.com. Theater listings and reviews.
~~~~~~~
Movies: Actor Danny Aiello can be found often at Tutta Pasta in Hoboken, NJ
~~~~~~~
Movies: Actress: Jessika Cardinahl. Renowned from the German comedy movie 'Otto, der Film'. Now successful as a painter.
~~~~~~~
Video: The Day after Tomorrow (2004). Directed by Roland Emmerich. The world freezes over as a results of environmental pollution. Not as bad as I thought it would be. Overall rating: 7 out of 10
~~~~~~~
Video: The House of Mirth (2000). 140 min. Directed by Terence Davies after a novel by Edith Wharton. w/ Gillian Anderson, Eric Stoltz, Dan Aykroyd. Woman in New York in Victorian times refuses to marry and paves the way for her destruction. Overall rating: 7 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Video: Finding Forrester. w/ Sean Connery. Hermit writer coaches black kid with writing ambitions. Overall rating 7 out of 10.
~~~~~~~
Food: Beth's Farm Kitchen. Jams & Chutneys. Favorite: Mighty Hot Pepper Jelly with jalopenio peppers, and red and green bell peppers. NYC Greenmarket: Fri. and Sat. at Union Square.
~~~~~~~
Culture: Auroville: City in Southern India founded in 1968. The Auroville concept is that of an ideal township devoted to an experiment in human unity. Important figures are Mirra Alfassa (The Mother) and Sri Aurobindo (Aurobindo Ghose, 1872-1950).
~~~~~~~
Movies: Ebert & Roeper: Movie reviews.
~~~~~~~
Music: Donny McCaslin: January 2, 2005 at 55 Bar. Donny McCaslin - Saxophones, Ben Monder - Guitar, Ben Street - Bass, Adam Cruz - Drums. All four are talented musicians.
~~~~~~~
Google now offers the beta version of a search engine called 'Google Scholar'. The engine helps finding scientific papers and web pages of all kind. The nice thing is that the search also yields the number of citations the paper has been cited in, allowing a crude estimate of its impact. You can click on the 'Cited by' link in the results section to list them. Also, the 'Advanced Scholar Search' includes additional search options. The down side may be that it is not as up-to-date as, for example, PubMed/Medline.
~~~~~~~
Culture: Eating 12 Grapes on New Year's Eve. For a long time, Spanish people have had a traditional custom to celebrate New Year's Eve. On the last day of the year, the 31st of December , they wait until twelve p.m. Everybody has to have twelve grapes ready to eat when the clock starts to chime. It is traditional to listen to the clock from Puerta del Sol in Madrid.
~~~~~~~
Web: Washed Ashore: casting a message in a bottle into the world wide ocean. A personal site by Ben Discoe, rich in ideas.
~~~~~~~
DVD: Fa yeung nin wa (2000), aka In the Mood for Love (Hong Kong: English title and USA), aka Hua yang nian hua (Hong Kong: Mandarin title). The Criterion Collection (2 DVDs). Director: Wong Kar-wai (Kar Wai Wong); w/ Tony Leung Chiu Wai and Maggie Cheung. In Hong Kong in the 60s, two neighbors discover that their spouses have an affair, and reenact their story. Film was shot without a detailed script. Very subtle story and movements. Interestingly, the 'deleted scenes' section and the included documentary of the making of the film included on the DVD unfolds a very different story. Overall rating: 7 our of 10. Sequel: 2046 (2004). Earlier movie by Wong Kar-Wai: Days of Being Wild (1991).
~~~~~~~
Fashion: Cheongsam, also known as Qipao (Ch'ipau), is one of the most typical, traditional costumes for Chinese women. Characteristic is the high and tight fitting collar. Qipao was originally the costume worn by the Manchus (17th centruy). Cheongsam was brought back to vogue by a movie called "In the Mood for Love" (see above).
~~~~~~~
History: In 1644, the Manchus united China and established the Qing Dyansty which lasted until 1911. History of China. Time line.
~~~~~~~
Museum: MoMA in NYC. Re-opend after renovation in November 2004. Interior was completely re-designed. Wide, open spaces. Reminds a bit of a hybrid between a modern airport and a department store. Lacks smaller, more quiet rooms to retreat a bit. Some interesting views in the distance though. Collection is exceptional.
~~~~~~~