Wim Wenders and Juliano Ribeiro Salgado: 'The Salt of the Earth' (2014)

Wim Wenders and Juliano Ribeiro Salgado's documentary The Salt of the Earth (2014) focuses on the life and lens of Brazilian Sebastião Salgado, a total immersion photographer, including major projects, such as the awe-inspiring Instituto Terra reforestation effort, with Lélia Wanick Salgado. 

To deepen and widen the scope of his (or their) major photography projects, Salgado (and companions, from time to time) has traveled to the Ends of the Earth, the Far Corners of the World, from vast areas with no human habitation to locales filled with refugees of famine and war, or workers laboring as if from the dawn of time in mines (as above), from ancient peoples living half-hidden from modern economic systems, to migrants and nomads on the Edge of Tomorrow. 

The Salt of the Earth delivers a stunning blend of documentary film and photography in both color and black and white. Images range from disturbing atrocities (people dead from starvation or massacre) to mystic beauty, from social panorama to natural vista.

Whereas most photographers tend to focus on either natural or social settings, Sebastião Salgado does both, without privileging one kind over the other: to me, this is an optimal way of looking at the world, with very impressive results.

Today's Rune: Fertility.  

'Orpheu Revista Trimestral de Literatura' / 'Orpheus Quarterly Review of Literature:' 1915-2015

Picked this up in Lisboa / Lisbon: a colorful Portuguese postal remembrance of little journals such as the original Orpheu that came and went during the period of the Great War of 1914-1918 and thereafter, then as now. A salute to them all, beyond the odds of normal artistic endurance, hither, thither, and yon. 

Orpheu Revista Trimestral de Literatura / Orpheus Quarterly Review of Literature -- one hundred years on. 

Today's Rune: Joy. 

Marie Kondo's 'The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up:' Round Three (Books)

Marie Kondo's The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing translated by Cathy Hirano (Berkeley: Ten Speed Press, 2014) / Jinsei Ga Tokimeku Katazuke No Maho (Tokyo: Sunmark Publishing, Inc., 2011) / A mágica da arrumação: A arte japonesa de colocar ordem na sua casa e na sua vida [EBook Kindle] Sextante; Edição: 1 (4 de maio de 2015); Amazon Servicos de Varejo do Brasil Ltda – Português.

Next order of business: books. Doing the KonMari “tidying” method with books is a bit more challenging for me than clothes. 

KonMari’s approach might put the fear of God or worse in most bibliophiles: she’s managed to reduce her personal library of 3D “codex” books to thirty -- yes, thirty -- volumes. To do this with a large collection, one would have to have the gusto of a fire crew right out of Ray Bradbury’s slim 1953 novel, Fahrenheit 451. I might have some of that gusto in me, but not for the equivalent of book burning.

Furthermore, logistically it’s more difficult to set up my books in the KonMari way, because I have a considerable number of volumes shelved in an office inside a large library,  plus another considerable number of them at a domicile located miles away. She would have me put all of the personal books under my care into one large pile or ziggurat, and then examine them one by one before carrying out the decision to keep, donate, trade or toss: all in one go. “Does it spark joy?”

So, what I have done so far is this. Books that have physically deteriorated due to acidic paper and the like – and can easily be replaced in e-book or other form – can go. Books that neither “spark joy” nor serve much of any practical purpose can also go.

Here’s an example of a culled book (a scan of its front cover, to be precise): a paperback copy of James Joyce’s Dubliners. Why pulled? It's become a bit dingy, and worse, it's beginning to come apart at the seams; I also happen to have a complete set of Joyce’s works in hardback. I like the crazy green cover, though.

Results to date: 

Office.

Magazines and catalogs discarded or recycled: 13

Books traded in or given away: 23

Compact discs (CDs): traded in, given away or discarded: 22

Home.

Magazines and catalogs discarded or recycled: 7

Books traded in or given away: 11

Compact discs (CDs): traded in, given away or discarded: 5

DVDs traded in, given away or discarded: 10

To sum up, that's 34 books out, a fairly comprehensive reshelving, with 27 CDs, 10 DVDs and 20 magazines and catalogs also moved away. Doesn't seem like much in numbers, but the reality is far more satisfying. It is quite fun to handle and relate to each item, one by one, in a way that results in what feels like a positive psychic energy flow.

Other categories down the line will include: general papers, komono (小物  = little objects, miscellany), and the hardest items of all  -- letters, diaries, photos and the like. Overall, KonMari work is fun, eye-opening and certainly energizing.

Today's Rune: Breakthrough. 

Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund: Cidade de Deus / City of God (2002)

Cidade de Deus / City of God (2002), Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund's film based on Paulo Lins' novel -- both grounded in historical and contemporary reality -- causes chills (and evokes empathy) in its observations of life and death in the vortex of drug-and weapons-fueled urban street warfare. Set in the favela of Cidade de Deus that straddles Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, it's an excellent, if often horrifying, film, spanning the latter 1960s to the early 1980s.    

Cidade de Deus / City of God (2002) is like a combination of Lord of the Flies (the 1954 novel and subsequent movies) and A Clockwork Orange (the 1962 novel and later film) - only with heavier weaponry and more widespread violence. Above all, it has the feel and texture (albeit in full color) of a Luis Buñuel masterwork released in 1950 - Los Olvidados [The Forgotten Ones]. 

Age is no barrier to becoming a trigger-happy monster like Li'l Dice here. As Li'l Zé Pequeno, he grows up to become an Al Capone of the favela.

I saw, too, Notícias de uma Guerra Particular / News of a Private War (1999) -- the accompanying documentary by Kátia Lund -- which is also excellent. It brings us up to date to the end of the 20th century. 

Both films remind me of comments made by Frederick Douglass in 1886:  

"Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe." 

Today's Rune: Harvest. 

Marcel Camus: Orfeu Negro / Black Orpheus, Take 2

                                                                                                                                         

Let's consider a few more aspects of Marcel Camus' Orfeu Negro / Black Orpheus (1959). Orefu's overbearing fiancée Mira (Lourdes de Oliveira) provides plenty of conflict and pursuit. Like one of the Banshees or Maneads (mainádes), Erinyes or Furies of mythology, Mira adds a lot of tension and pressure to the evolving situation, for "Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned . . ."  (William Congreve, The Mourning Bride, 1697). To amp the story arc even more, Mira has another competitor -- Death.     

 

Keep an eye on Hermes. (Pictured above on left: Alexandro Constantino as Hermes.). Hermes, Orfeu's supervisor on the trolley line, has a hand in moving the main characters in fatefully freighted directions. What's he up to really?  He seems to be aiding people with directions and directives, but the way things turn out, one has to wonder. Note: the Roman version of the Greek god Hermes is Mercury.   

Other things to look for. What is the role of Zeca and Benedito (the two boys)?  They are both intrigued by Orfeu's movements and talents. At one point, Orfeu holds up his guitar, inscribed Orfeu. He quips that there have been Orfeuses before him and there will be Orfeuses after him. The boys begin to learn his ways, his music, his guitar playing. They say that his guitar will bring the Sun up every morning. Indeed, the Sun has its role, the Dark has its role. Music, light, electricity, movement -- it's all in there somewhere.

Finally, Orfeu follows the Myth of Orpheus by going down into Hades -- or in this case, a basement where a roomful of folks are mesmerized and speaking in tongues in a Voodoo or Voudon-like Umbanda ceremony. Orfeu is looking for Eurydice and soon hears her voice. Indeed as they say, the rest is mythology, if not history . . . 

I can see why mythology is a favorite topic of Surrealists: mythical stories and situations are like dream tales of the roaming unconscious; they're a little on the eerie side usually, but strangely compelling.  

Today's Rune: Separation (Reversed).     

Marcel Camus: Orfeu Negro / Black Orpheus, Take I

Marcel Camus' Orfeu Negro / Black Orpheus (1959), set in 1950s Brazil and delivered in Portuguese, retells the Greek Myth of Orpheus and Eurydice in modern times. There's something particularly cool about the way it does so. Orfeu, a trolley conductor in Rio de Janeiro, encounters newcomer Eurydice and mentions the coincidence of their meeting. After a brief explanation of their mythical namesakes, the two then go on to recreate the arc of the original myth unwittingly. How this works, I'm not sure, but it works very nicely indeed.

Eurydice (Marpessa Dawn) preparing for Carnival in her cousin Serafina's costume. Offscreen, Orfeo (Breno Mello) is looking forward to the festivities.   

Orfeu Negro is an energetic film, with flashy Carnival (Carnaval) music, costumes and dancing followed every so often by eerily quiet scenes (such as above). Much of the story occurs on the heights of the Morro da Babilônia as well as in the urban Rio streets. The Sun and darkness play major roles, too.     

Death (Adhemar da Silva) in a white mask -- very effectively portrayed. "So long," he quips at one point. And Happy Hallowe'en to you!

More to delve into here in a separate post. 

Today's Rune: The Mystery Rune.    

Luis Buñuel: La mort en ce jardin, Take Three

Luis Buñuel's La mort en ce jardin (1956) / Death in the Garden. Once away from the miner village in the first part of the film, a motley assemblage of key characters must flee by river and then into thick jungle, in a frenzied attempt to reach Brazil before pursuing soldiers overtake them. Once into the wild, desperately hungry and going loopy, different characters unravel while partially clinging to notions they learned in "civilization."  Castin (Charles Vanel), suffering from a head wound, and Father Lizardi (Michel Piccoli), the Catholic priest, are affected the most. Castin turns to dark thoughts, while Lizardi is torn between his theoretical beliefs and the more immediate needs of group survival. In a particularly noteworthy scene, he guiltily tears sheets from his cherished Bible as possible fuel for a small fire.

The theme of trying to hold on to sanity and some form of compassion while struggling for survival informs many compelling tales, real and imagined. A few spring to mind immediately: Buñuel's Robinson Crusoe (1954) and El ángel exterminador / The Exterminating Angel (1962); Peter Brooks' 1963 version of William Golding's 1954 novel Lord of the Flies; and Roman Polanski's The Pianist (2002), based on Władek Szpilman's 1945 memoir Śmierć Miasta / Death of a City. 

Do you have any favorites of this sort of survival story?  What grabbed your attention?

Today's Rune: Breakthrough.  

The Grassy Knoll

The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza in Dallas is easy to park near and get to, and if you arrive hungry, there's an affiliated café serving goodies like Cuban coffee and Brazilian-style sandwiches.

You're not supposed to take photos inside and I chose not to take any outside, though a noisy demonstration just up the street -- somehow involving Libya and Israeli flags --tempted me.

I took the elevator to the sixth floor, checked out the extensive multimedia exhibit and the area where Lee Harvey Oswald had positioned himself, overlooking Dealey Plaza. There were people from all over the world but the spaces were not crowded, it being a Sunday, chilly and damp. Good time to go. A special exhibit on the seventh floor focused on Jack Ruby and included his hat, the one he was wearing when he shot Oswald. It was eerie. As was Dealey Plaza itself, which I walked around before the heavens once again opened up. Two dudes, both African American, knew all about the various conspiracy theories and, at separate turns, pointed out the details. One of these guys, a gentleman identifying himself as Scott Dew (originally of Grand Rapids, Michigan, he said), showed me the grassy knoll area.

The whole thing is stunning to take in and looks like a perfect ambush setup. Indeed, proceeding slowly through Dallas by car, President Kennedy himself had noted how easy it would be to shoot at the president from a tall building.

By the time I left Dealey Plaza, there were no others remaining except the two informal guides, and the ghosts.

Today's Rune: Journey.   

The Revolution, Digitized

A worthwhile experience: PBS' Frontline: Digital Nation: Life On The Virtual Frontier (2010), directed and produced by Rachel Dretzin and walked through by Douglas Rushkoff. It's a sort of episodic adventure into the here and now of cyber reality, hopping like think bubbles from information overload to kids to classrooms to South Korean game addicts to avatar realities to drone pilots to Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome treatment and so on.  The last thirty minutes are worth the virtual price of admission.  The disconnect between drone pilots and their killing machines (via Hellfire Missiles and the like) and physical realities thousands of miles away is truly creepy.  Much like Terry Gilliam's prophetic film Brazil (1985), or Phlip K. Dick in general.

If curious, here's a link to the website and documentary: 

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/digitalnation/view/

From my own experience, teenagers seem more distracted because they actually are -- there are so many more outlets.  They cut corners in every way possible -- because they can.  But they, and those now in their twenties and even thirties, are avid multitaskers. The question is, are they also capable of deep thought?  Is the ability to contemplate compromised by digital multitasking? Is it addictive behavior to such an extent that a whole new reality is being experienced?  Is this the biggest shift in conciousness and new literacies since the printing press?  I think, yes it is.

Today's Rune: Journey.

World's Fair

E.L. Doctorow's World's Fair (1985) culminates with two 1940 visits to the 1939/1940 World's Fair at Flushing Meadows Park, Queens, New York City, but much of the story takes place during the 1930s in or near the Bronx. Doctorow's semi-autobiographical tale centers around Edgar, the primary narrator, and his extended family. The finely articulated attention to detail and subtle character development allows the author to steer clear of any need for dramatic conflict; life during the Great Depression provides challenges enough. There are hooligans, yes, but most overt villains are off the stage, in Europe and elsewhere.

A few chapters are narrated by Edgar's mother, an aunt, and his older brother Donald, all as if told to Edgar, who was a young boy in the 1930s. For the most part, Edgar's childhood is described in a way that melds his contemporary boyhood consciousness with an older Edgar's reconstructions. This hybrid method works very effectively.

I really like World's Fair. It reminds me of my family's trip to the 1964/1965 World's Fair, located on the same grounds as the 1939/1940 version.

The most recent American World's Fair was the 1984 Louisiana World Exposition in New Orleans. The earliest possible return to the States would be in mid-2017, but given today's selection of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as host city for the 2016 Summer Olympics, I wouldn't hold my breath. Expo 2010 will be in Shanghai, China.

For anyone under thirty or so, you'll either have to travel far or wait a good long while for the experience; meantime, I recommend Doctorow's novel.

A perfect companion novel to World's Fair is Philip Roth's The Plot Against America (2004); although it imagines Charles Lindbergh as having been elected president in 1940, it, too, is packed with autobiographical family details comparable to Doctorow's.

Today's Rune: Fertility.

That Obscure Object of Desire: Surrealism That Works

Luis Buñuel's last film, That Obscure Object of Desire / Cet obscur objet du désir / Ese oscuro objeto del deseo (1977), does something interesting: two actors (Ángela Molina and Carole Bouquet) play the same character -- the elusive Conchita -- driving Mathieu (played by majestic Spanish actor Fernando Rey) batty. All characters play their roles unblinkingly, making the viewer have to readjust to each version of Conchita, a somewhat disorienting experience. It works.

I can't think of many other examples of this bizarre technique in film. David Lynch comes to mind (usually involving a character whose consciousness splits or fragments due to trauma). Also, Woody Allen has one actor play the same person in two seemingly parallel universes (one comic, one tragic) in Melinda & Melinda (2005); both Melindas are played by Radha Rani Amber Indigo Anunda Mitchell, but all other characters are different. Allen also interweaves two universes in Deconstructing Harry (1997), one based on "reality" and another based on a novelist's "fictional reality," that closely parallel each other.

In That Obscure Object of Desire, Buñuel (1900-1983) throws in a major background element: terrorists in the streets, intermittently bombing and shooting. This element brings to mind Terry Gilliam's Brazil (1985), another interesting surrealistic film.

For devotees of Sex & the City, there's the added bonus in That Obscure Object of Desire of seeing Carole Bouquet, ex-wife of "the Russian" in the last season's Paris section (2004), in a major role.

Today's Rune: Partnership.

Herzog/Kinski: Cobra Verde!

Cobra Verde (1987), like so many Werner Herzog films, sticks with me. With Klaus Kinski in the lead, the viewer gets a double bill. Watching Kinski (10/18/1926-11/23/1991) is always intense, but working with Herzog, a real treat.

Filmed in Brazil and Ghana (and Colombia), Cobra Verde follows nineteenth century rebel Francisco Manuel da Silva from Brazil to Ghana, where he becomes a spectacularly successful, but vulnerable, slave trader.

Overall, it's a crazy tale, mesmerizing, eerie at times, and complex; the slave trade itself is depicted as far more complex than as often treated in popular culture. For one thing, da Silva establishes a bizarre alliance with local Africans, including a king who delights in making war on a neighboring tribe, and then either sends POWs into slavery in exchange for rifles and other goods, or drinks from the skulls of the conquered. Global competition over the slave trade is also acknowledged, ranging from Portuguese to British and Arab. Except for those while in captivity traded as slaves, everyone shares some level of agency.

In Cobra Verde, everyone seems to be either crazy or pretending to be crazy; cynical; or rolling with the punches -- mesmerized by nature and theatrical group activities. Let's not forget the Dahomey Amazons or Mino, women warriors who enjoyed fighting men.

Francisco Manuel da Silva is based on the real Francisco Felix de Sousa (1754-1849), and Cobra Verde is based on a novel, The Viceroy of Ouidah (1980), by Bruce Chatwin (who incidentally died of HIV/AIDS complications in 1989, aged 48, just a couple years after the initial release of Cobre Verde).

It turns out that when the Obamas visited Ghana earlier this month, they toured Fort Elmina, the slave fort featured in the African segments of Cobre Verde. I recognized the fort!




Da Silva (Kinski) leads an attack of the Amazons. "Stay back! His wives will strangle him now . . ."

Today's Rune: Strength.

In Orbit -- Right Now

Taikonauts, astronauts, cosmonauts: people are going back to the Moon, and on to Mars. Just today, the OV-105 Endeavor linked up with the International Space Station, which now has a baker's dozen on board.

I can't even imagine volunteering for a Mars flight that could take five years round trip, if everything goes according to plan. Can you?

Meanwhile, the USA needs to get back into the NASA program in a big way. We need another Julian W. Scheer in the PR department, man! The USA only has three space shuttles in service, with retirement right over the horizon: besides Endeavor, there are still also Atlantis and Discovery. We don't do it, we'll get passed right on by like the horseman, by Brazil, India, Japan, Russia, China, and private corporations (Dr. No anyone?).

Competition is supposed to get the blood flowing, not ebbing. Get to it, Americans, or become the Final Frontier's once-rocked, now barely nods off into dreamyland country.



Skylab -- 1970s! Soyuz. What détente can do, comrades. And if you're ever in Grand Rapids, Michigan, check out the Gerald R. Ford Museum -- it's very cool. Check out the 70s room in particular, after the Watergate display. It's really worth a visit. Last of the mod Republican presidents, after Ike Eisenhower.

Today's Rune: The Mystery Rune.

Jazz Samba

Want some relaxing jazz music from the 1960s? How about a little Brazilian bossa nova? How about Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd's Jazz Samba (1962)?

My CD copy from 1997 no longer plays, but each track is available on iTunes for .99 each, and the whole album can be downloaded for $7.92.

The initial bossa nova craze crested in the 60s, but this album (and others in the genre) holds up nicely, creating a groovy atmosphere that almost anyone might dig on some level or another. Hardcore fans might prefer the vinyl for a grainier sound.

Tracks:

"Desafinado" (Antonio Carlos Jobim, Newton Mendonça)
"Samba Dees Days" (Charlie Byrd)
"O Pato" (Jayme Silva, Neuza Teixeira)
"Samba Triste" (Baden Powell, Billy Blanco)
"Samba de Uma Nota Só" (Antonio Carlos Jobim, Newton Mendonça)
"É Luxo Só" (Ary Barroso)
"Baia" ("Bahia") (Ary Barroso)

As befits albums of its time, the whole thing clocks in at under thirty-five minutes. Unlike many albums of its time, though, it's blissful all the way through.

Samples here: http://www.last.fm/music/Stan+Getz/Jazz+Samba

Today's Rune: Warrior.

My Kingdom for a Horse

Yesterday, Lana pointed out in a comment that the U.S. imports more oil from Canada than from any other single country. This is true. It's also true that the U.S., despite rhetorical hostility between the governments of Venezuela and the U.S., imports quite a little bit of Texas Tea from Venezuela -- and Mexico. All very interesting.

I found this data courtesy of the U.S. Government:

Total Daily Imports of Petroleum (Top 15 Countries)
Country/Dec 2007:

CANADA -- 2,360,000
SAUDI ARABIA -- 1,686,000
VENEZUELA -- 1,387,000
MEXICO -- 1,322,000
NIGERIA -- 1,271,000
ALGERIA -- 600,000
ANGOLA -- 439,000
VIRGIN ISLANDS -- 387,000
IRAQ -- 378,000
RUSSIA -- 306,000
UNITED KINGDOM -- 238,000
ECUADOR -- 201,000
BRAZIL -- 178,000
KUWAIT -- 158,000
NETHERLANDS -- 157,000

Source: US Energy Information Administration, March 3, 2008


Meanwhile, the Amish in America have their own alternative -- horse power.

In Detroit, another snow storm today. Regular unleaded gas is running about $3.25 per gallon, so less petrol-powered driving going on, I'm guessing.

Today's Rune: Gateway.

This Perfect Day

Tapping into primal fears, Ira Levin (1929-2007) gave the world stark glimpses of evil. His works, many of them adapted into movies, leave a particularly creepy impression. And they're scarily entertaining. In Levin's tales, there's usually something sinister going on beneath the surface, and often the protagonist has to scramble to figure out what the hell is really going on. Consider Rosemary's Baby (1967), not exactly a rosy Summer of Love story. The protagonist begins to believe she's carrying the Devil's son. . . . . Is she crazy or right on?


This Perfect Day (1970). Dystopian future. Jonestown gone global and well-refined before the actual Jonestown.

The Stepford Wives (1972). Novella -- woman slowly comes to discover the truth about Stepford. Title enters the parlance of our times.

Veronica's Room (1974). A play in two acts. If the title feels sinister, that's because it is.

Coincidentally, it's Veronica Lake's birthday (1922-1973). Married four times, she died tragically at fifty. Blondes don't always have more fun.

Ira Levin's The Boys From Brazil (1976) -- just in time for the US Bicentennial. Creepy tale of Nazis in South America who've cloned Hitler and are planning a comeback. Added creep factor: Dr. Josef Mengele, the Nazi "Angel of Death" who enjoyed experimenting with and torturing twins during WWII, plays a major role. In real life, Mengele (1911-1979) was never caught and died in Brazil a free man. Creepola.

On a happier note, it's Edyta Górniak's birthday (b. 1972). Here, the Polish singer inexplicably poses in a bamboo hut. Better than a stick in the eye, I guess!

Today's Rune: Protection.

Axis of Oil

What's it all about, Alfie? Why oil, of course.

Since I'm teaching a Latin American Studies class this semester, I'll occasionally devote more posts to Latin America.

First, what is Latin America? It's anywhere Spanish, Portuguese (and French) power came to play in the Americas from 1492 onwards. The term itself was coined by French policymakers to linguistically justify their piece of the pie in the mid-1800s (Quebec is not part of it). The mix of indigenous, European and African cultures make up Latin American culture.

I just finished Nikolas Kozloff's Hugo Chávez: Oil, Politics, and the Challenge to the United States (PALGRAVE MACMILLAN, 2006) and found it quite interesting, if hastily published (i.e. it would have been nice had an editor read it through first -- at least once).

In a nutshell, Chávez is like Castro only with a lot of oil. He survived a US-backed coup attempt in 2002 and is now in a much stronger position. "Without a doubt, Chávez has proven that he is an adept political survivor. Even as President Bush's popularity plummets, Chávez's stature has grown throughout Latin America." (p. 105). Petróleos de Venezuela, the state-owned oil corporation and 100% owner of Houston-based CITGO, presides over the fifth largest oil reserves and the fifth largest oil exporting infrastructure in the world. (Keep in mind the population of Venezuela is larger than that of Texas but smaller than California's).


Most of Latin America has tilted left since the Bush-Cheney administration took power in the United States after the contested election of 2000. The governments of Venezuela and Brazil are friendly with each other, and Brazilian officials announced overnight the discovery of vast new oil reserves. Together, they will rival the Middle East in oil reserves, exports, and power. It will be essential for the next US administration to improve relations with Latin America and develop a rational approach to trade policies.


Alexandra Braun Waldeck of Caracas, Ms. Earth 2005.

Today's Rune: Fertility.

Happy birthday, Anne Sexton and Jim Carleton!

Hasta la vista!

The War Room

Relax. Our world is administered by responsible men -- and the occasional woman. Relax. Relax. Relax.


People loving people. Iranians aren't Arabs. The Shi'ia Revival transcends borders, ehtnicities. But above the din, Albanians rule!

Detroit has a TV channel highlighting matters important to its Albanian population. Near where I live, a Serbian woman says, "Albanians are Turks. In my country, we call them Turks."

And to think, a hundred years ago the Ottoman Empire still existed in "Yugoslavia." All they needed was l.o.v.e. Love to love you, baby.


Ciara: The Evolution (2006). Where crunk rules! Evolution of music, fashion. It's all true. But many people don't believe in evolution. No wonder. From simple observation, Devolution makes more sense. Earth, air, fire and water: the future is uncertain and the end is always near.


The fallback position: Whispers and Moans / Sing kung chok tse sup yut tam (2007) with Athena Chu. Even downtown, voices carry. Hong Kong at night, by Amsterdam's red lights.

The War Room (1993): James Carville (he turned 63 today) and Bill Clinton to the attack! Election 1992. Sequel: Election 2008. The backdrop: Baghdad, Tehran, Islamabad, Jerusalem, Khyber Pass. International intrigue. Brinksmanship. Seat belts: buckle up.


Celebrate good times (all right!) in The Bunker. Faye Wong will pour the drinks. China's on the rise, India, Brazil. Bedtime for Bonzos. Don't worry. Be happy.

Ah, yes: The beauty that was Greece, the glory that was Rome.

From the universal soldier, the universal translator: Mirë upafshim! Drink up!

And the Envelope Says . . .

Carnac the Magnificent knows whether the Bush Administration will begin bombing Iran next March. The rest of us will have to wait and hide. What else can we do at this point? Lobby a feckless member of Congress? They're so ineffective for "the common man" we might as well have no representation at all. This may be why so many more Americans have become fatalists. That and the fires in California, Katrina, Iraq, the high cost of living, the failing infrastructure -- all of it. We seem to have given up on mass protest. Hell, Country Joe might still have it right: And it's five, six, seven, open up the pearly gates / ain't no time to wonder why / whoopee we're all gonna die / Whoopee, we're all gonna die!


Happy Birthday to citizen Dwight Yoakam. Thank you for perfect country lyrics such as these (at this point, he's probably no longer singing about a lost girlfriend or wife -- he must be singing about the Bush-Cheney junta):

It won't hurt when I fall down from this bar stool
And it won't hurt when I stumble in the street
It won't hurt 'cause this whiskey eases misery
But even whiskey cannot ease your hurting me

Today I had another bout with sorrow
You know this time I almost won
If this bottle would just hold out 'til tomorrow
I know that I'd have sorrow on the run


On the other hand, Brazil offers hope. Here's Brazilian supermodel Izabel Goulart, another tonic for the truth. And she may hold Victoria's Secret.


So Long Scarecrow! Jessicka, formerly Jessicka Fodera, of Scarling -- among other bands. She just got married! Maybe now she'll stop cutting herself on stage and head for a tropical island -- or Europe. Don't stop thinking about tomorrow! Yesterday's gone, yesterday's gone . . .


Today's Rune: Breakthrough.

Birthdays: Adlair Stevenson, Sarah Bernhardt, Gummo Marx, Johnny Carson, Pelé (Edson Arantes do Nascimento), Michael Crichton, Anita Roddick, Kim Larsen, Charly Garcia, Ang Lee, Dwight Yoakam, Sam Raimi, Weird Al Yonkovic, Laurie Halse Anderson, Doug Flutie, Augusten Burroughs, Trudi Canavan, Jasmin St. Claire, Odalys Garcia, Jessicka Fodera, Cat Deeley, Izabel Goulart, Faye Hamlin.

Hasta La Vista, Cali!