This one an Oscar for best foreign language film in 2006, with a highly nuanced and intelligent script this political yet very human film grabs you and does not let go. I cannot say enough about these actors, not a bad one in the bunch .Yet Ulrich Muhe, who plays the STASI Captain Gerd Wiesler is to be singled out. An actor, who can allow you to enter his mind with just his facial expression, is a great actor.

The plot line has you following the captain as he does what he does best, listen to others, and find enemies of the state. You slowly watch this finely tuned machine of a man, who begins to feel and become demoralized, warp into a good man. The GDR and the STASI has full power over the lives of others and his own Wielser finds out. There are twists and turns here, like any good political thriller, which one does not expect. The ending will lift your heart.

In an interesting real life twist one learns that only some 10% of west Germans have gone to the archives to see who their informants were during this period. We learn that Ulrich Muhe did exactly that only to find his wife and the mother of his child was one of his informants~ perhaps that is why he excels in this role. To understand the motivation of ones family to inform, one would have to understand those they reported to. Clearly Mr. Muhe understood. I highly recommend this film

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Here's something the City Council should get behind~ if we can make a gesture to the SCOTUS, we can gesture to the Earth also!

Earth Hour, March 29~ a resolution to turn off lights in major cities for 60 minutes  around the world, began last year in Sydney Australia. It has spread to 35 countries this year .Some cities such as Rome, London ,Seoul while not actually taking official part will likely turn off some light on landmarks. The idea is to encourage awareness about energy usage. Last year during the event some 2.2 million people participated in Sydney cutting the central business district’s usage by more than 10%.

Cities officially involved in 'Earth Hour' include Aalborg, Aarhus, Adelaide, Atlanta, Bangkok, Brisbane, Canberra, Chicago, Christchurch, Copenhagen, Darwin, Dublin, Hobart, Manila, Melbourne, Montreal, Odense, Ottawa, Perth, Phoenix, San Francisco, Suva, Sydney, Tel Aviv, Toronto and Vancouver. For more info~

http://green.yahoo.com/news...

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 rebroadcast on Sunday, March 30, 1:00pm. 

Last night, on much too late for most young people, was a spectacular performance of “Hansel and Gretel” by composer Engelbert Humperdinck, re-imagined by Richard Jones and conducted by (the not hard to look at) Valdimir Jurowski. The performers were~  Alice Coote (Hansel), Christine Schäfer (Gretel), Philip Langridge (The Witch), Rosalind Plowright (Gertrude), Alan Held (Peter), Sasha Cooke (The Sandman), Lisette Oropesa (The Dew Fairy).

 It was a visual delight, and during some portions of the broadcast one “snuck back stage” to behind the scene’s workings of both cast and crew. Subtitles were provided~ even for me the occasional operatic word gets all muddled, for the young this was a wonderful addition. This is a dark Fairy Tale,much more than a sweet good night,so if you are unfamiliar with the story I suggest a quick review before exposing the very young to this.

The hour before was more accessible for the very young~ the Oscar winning animated feature of “Peter and the Wolf” was shown ,along with a behinds the scene “how do they do that?” feature.

All in all, it was a great night to introduce the young to the classics and to great music. It is being rebroadcast on Sunday, March 30, 1:00pm. I recommend a viewing.

Photo credits Ken Howard /the Metropolitan Opera
 

Serendipity~ Kismet~ Karma~ Fate~ Chance…

This week has been a brutal one for me, my community and especially two local families. A tragic accident occurred, two young warrior boys out doing what such boys do and one was instantly killed in a dirt cave in. The survivor using the logic skills of a young child could only think to protect his friend the only way he knew how: he lied. An elaborate story to keep hidden the fact he and his friend were where they should not have been was concocted and in time the truth came out~ he was protecting both his friend and the boys mother~ “She would be so mad”.

I am so proud of my community, a car wash was held, and complete strangers came, worked and gathered over $4,000 for the boy’s funeral.

I am also so proud, amazed, and grateful for the grace of the families involved in this tragic tale. Within hours on my local blog, some predicted lawsuits, others hinted darkly at just why a child would lie. The mother of the surviving boy posted a few words, and my heart felt hers. I helped put her in contact with another mother form my local blog who knew of a support group, for the grieving mother and the children. Both families have come together in love and are a shinning example of we should all be. Compassionate.

I knew about this only because of my own loss, and as these things usually do it has brought my old friend, pain, back full force. I have been crying, at a loss for peace and dreaming of both my sons, when I can sleep.

By now, I know how this will wind down for me; already just writing these words seems to help some. The families I speak of have a long path ahead of them, one that in truth will never be over~ just endured. However, the enduring of this tragedy will bring these people gifts, empathy and I hope allow them to do what I was able to do, in a small way ~help another.

Serendipity~ Kismet~ Karma~ Fate~ Chance…

I usually review movies everyone has already seen, or the ones that slip by our blockbuster mentality, small films that go unnoticed or ones I think are worth a revisit. I am breaking that pattern~ go seek out “Body of War” a documentary by Ellen Spiro and Phil Donahue. It is the story of Tomas Young, a personal detailed account of this patriots life ,war experience and the aftermath.

We all know we are in the mess of the century, that it costs too much money for little result, that we attacked a country who never attacked us ( albeit a tyrant is dead), that the real cost is the dead. The unknown costs, the maimed, the mentally fragile , the young women and men who answered the call, it is those costs we will pay far into the future.

On September 13,2001 Tomas called his recruiter ,he wanted to go get even with the evil doers. He wanted to go to Afghanistan and fight, instead in his own words:
“TOMAS YOUNG: I called my recruiter on September 13th. I wanted to go to Afghanistan. And I only maybe spent five days in Iraq until I got picked to go on my first mission. There were 25 of us crammed into the back of a two and a half ton truck with no covering on top or armor on the sides. For the Iraqis on the top of the roof it just looked like, you know, ducks in a barrel.

TOMAS YOUNG: They didn't have to aim.”

A bullet entered his body and he woke up in Walter Reed Hospital paralyzed from the nipples down. He was 24 years old and will spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.

In California and near us, the film will be shown:

May 9

Ken Cinema

San Diego, CA

April 25

Nuart

Los Angeles, CA

April 18

Embarcadero Cinema

San Francisco, CA

The films website: http://www.bodyofwar.com/

Tomas is now doing what he loves, music and has put together an incredible CD http://www.bodyofwarmusic.c...

I recomend you seek out this film.

 Others will better dissect the politics of this mess, with greater intelligence and whit than I will. I have already written about the disservice we do to our returning vets in regards to mental health care~ in fact our disservice to all vets. What more can I say? What can I do to make hearts see the real human cost?

This past Sunday was the “anniversary” of Mi Lei, the terrible day when a group of young confused angry service people met what could have been the enemy, but were only the old, the innocent and the child. I was heartened to note that many vets returned to that village to build homes, schools, clinics and a museum so we never forget. A group from Nagasaki and Hiroshima attended the ceremonies, to call for peace around the world. Different sides from different former conflicts getting together to work on healing. That is a powerful symbol.

So was the recent headline in my local paper”4,000^th death may pass with less concern”. What? “Soldiers and analysts alike say the impact of the deaths in Iraq has been lost on many Americans who have no personal connections to the war,” an API article asserts. The article quotes a Heritage Foundation military analyst as saying Americans are not casualty adverse~, we are more worried about losing…

I can only look to my own life, my own heart and ponder how that would make me feel as a mother. I might have sent my son or husband off with pride, but I am d*** sure I would want you to notice and care. Right after my eldest died the Pat Tillman affair began to unfold here at home. I asked my biological mother (both an Army brat, a wife of a WW2 pilot) if she thought losing a child that way was easier, she was sure it was. I did not have the heart to ask again, after what was revealed later. In the end, I can only say loss is pain, pure and simple, regardless of the circumstance.

On my local blog site, a lighthearted post was put up to “get to know your fellow” blogers. One of the questions was “What is your biggest fear?” Most answered to lose a loved one or a child (couldn’t you guys have lied for me?* small smile*)

 So that is what is behind that number four thousand. Two parents, maybe sisters, brothers (one hopes there are more children), aunts uncles, step parents, the list goes on of people who are affected. A heart will learn what I know to be true…..worse than the fear, worse even than the loss…you will go on .Go on with your shattered life until death finds you.

I

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/...

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Heraclitus ~ a.k.a. “The Obscure” He was an heir to a throne, a student of life who gave up all for the path of wisdom, and one cantankerous old coot. He lived in Ephesus, on the Asia Minor coast around 535-475 BC. His writing survived the Persian Empire, the Greeks and then the Romans. Plato, Aristotle, Marcus Aurelis, Nietzsche, Whitehead and Jung have all used his work as a touchstone.

He is known for his doctrine of change: Logos (see below) is both the source and the way the universe operates. The primary meaning of logos is something said; by implication a subject, topic of discourse or reasoning. Secondary meanings such as logic, reasoning, etc. derive from the fact that if one is capable of speech, and then intelligence and reason are assumed. “All things are flowing” is the iconic flux and fire philosophers phrase.

He was not a “let’s all get along” kind of person, he felt most of humankind was stupid and inherently bad, even more so if one disagreed with him. Not surprisingly, he admires war~, “War is the father of all, king of all. Some it makes gods, some it makes men, some it makes slaves, some free”. He is a fan of self-purification and the power gained through self-mastery. “It is not good for men to get all they wish to get. Whatever our desire whishes to get, it purchases at the cost of the soul”.

Before Heraclitus, the Greeks thought of the world as static, unchangeable. He introduced the radical idea of reality being a succession of transitory states. “You can not step into the same river twice, for fresh waters are ever flowing in on you.”

His other radical idea, though we may see it as trivial now, was “It is wise to agree all things are one. In differing it agrees with itself, a backwards turning connection, like that of a bow and a lyre. The path up and down is one the same”. More simply put, there can be no day without night, no warm without cold; opposites cannot exist without each other. He seemed to foreshadow Einstein ~ “all things change to fire and fire exhausted falls back into things”. Energy being the essence of matter or E=mc2.

It is the fragments I find most interesting, snippets of thought left to us incomplete. As he believed all things change, all things flow I like to imagine him enjoying having left us a puzzle… “Things keep their secrets”

What follows are some of my favorite shards

If everything

Were turned to smoke

The nose would

be the seat of judgment,

Thus in the abysmal dark the soul is known by scent.

What was scattered

Gathers

What was gathered

Blows apart.

The river

Where you set

Your foot just now

Is gone~

Those waters

Giving way to this,

Now this.

The cosmos works

By harmony and tensions,

Like the lyre and the bow.

Therefore, good

And ill are one.

The soul is undiscovered,

Though explored forever

To a depth beyond report.

Applicants for wisdom

Do what I have done

Inquire within.

This last one I found strange comfort in after the birth of my second son, who was severely dis-abled.

Even a soul submerged in sleep

Is hard at work, and helps

Make something of the world.

The fragments are haunting, deep, simple, poetical and thought provoking, well worth searching out at your library or bookshop.

Barack Obama: On My Faith and My Church

The pastor of my church, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, who recently preached his last sermon and is in the process of retiring, has touched off a firestorm over the last few days. He's drawn attention as the result of some inflammatory and appalling remarks he made about our country, our politics, and my political opponents.

Let me say at the outset that I vehemently disagree and strongly condemn the statements that have been the subject of this controversy. I categorically denounce any statement that disparages our great country or serves to divide us from our allies. I also believe that words that degrade individuals have no place in our public dialogue, whether it's on the campaign stump or in the pulpit. In sum, I reject outright the statements by Rev. Wright that are at issue.

Because these particular statements by Rev. Wright are so contrary to my own life and beliefs, a number of people have legitimately raised questions about the nature of my relationship with Rev. Wright and my membership in the church. Let me therefore provide some context.

As I have written about in my books, I first joined Trinity United Church of Christ nearly twenty years ago. I knew Rev. Wright as someone who served this nation with honor as a United States Marine, as a respected biblical scholar, and as someone who taught or lectured at seminaries across the country, from Union Theological Seminary to the University of Chicago. He also led a diverse congregation that was and still is a pillar of the South Side and the entire city of Chicago. It's a congregation that does not merely preach social justice but acts it out each day, through ministries ranging from housing the homeless to reaching out to those with HIV/AIDS.

Most importantly, Rev. Wright preached the gospel of Jesus, a gospel on which I base my life. In other words, he has never been my political advisor; he's been my pastor. And the sermons I heard him preach always related to our obligation to love God and one another, to work on behalf of the poor, and to seek justice at every turn.

The statements that Rev. Wright made that are the cause of this controversy were not statements I personally heard him preach while I sat in the pews of Trinity or heard him utter in private conversation. When these statements first came to my attention, it was at the beginning of my presidential campaign. I made it clear at the time that I strongly condemned his comments. But because Rev. Wright was on the verge of retirement, and because of my strong links to the Trinity faith community, where I married my wife and where my daughters were baptized, I did not think it appropriate to leave the church.

Let me repeat what I've said earlier. All of the statements that have been the subject of controversy are ones that I vehemently condemn. They in no way reflect my attitudes and directly contradict my profound love for this country.

With Rev. Wright's retirement and the ascension of my new pastor, Rev. Otis Moss, III, Michelle and I look forward to continuing a relationship with a church that has done so much good. And while Rev. Wright's statements have pained and angered me, I believe that Americans will judge me not on the basis of what someone else said, but on the basis of who I am and what I believe in; on my values, judgment and experience to be President of the United States.

Equal time. For more go here:

http://www.youtube.com/user...

*edit*~ the clip is long but worth a look,turn your sound down a bit.

With the political season heating up, and the worst type of co-worker blog, the “prostitution blog”, with all the usual words flying back and forth and just because I cannot resist Shakespeare….Othello.   Worth a look at anytime, for it’s classic examples of human nature at its worst. I rented the classic Orson Welles version from 1952, what a stylistic and visual treat. Black and white film definitely has its advantages, here Welles shows not only his directors eye but his acting chops as well. He is the most realistic looking white man “playing” black~ much more so than say Edward G. Robison as a Egyptian in DeMille’s The Ten Commandments.

The sets, the camera work, the dramatic display are all worth a second look, which is a good thing. This is a not a traditional visual Othello, but the language is more Shakespearean than modern versions ~ so it can be hard to follow for some.

Welles fought with the Studio to get this film made, albeit with major cast, money and soundtrack issues. In 1992 it was lovingly restored allowing us to see perhaps the most original looking Othello to date.Nonetheless the Oliver Parker version with Laurance Fishburne in the title role and Kenneth Branagh,is IMHO,still the best.

Which brings me to my next favorite subject, besides self-retrospection~ film restoration. Below I give several links to film preservation groups, as Martin Scorsese says, “Film is history, with every foot of film lost, we lose a link to our culture, to the world around us, to each other and to ourselves.”

 http://mic.loc.gov/

The Proposition~ death,violence and cheap bullets

 Set in the Australian outback,a western story on one level,completely satisfying violence,vast wonderful landscapes ,a massacre of a family,an outlaw gang,a jail break and a stagecoach with a team of camels.

  On another level it is a deep moral dilemma,soaked in sadness and deep longing. Through these characters we can ask ourselves how we view our fellow man~ as obstacles or helpers? How we view ourselves as civilized. How we see others as either savages or noble and hardest of all how we really are. In the end these are men doing the best they can.

 The sun,the moon,the stars are players here,along with the land almost a spiritual entity.One begins to suspect the land and sky create the motion that leads to the events that occur.

 The director,John Hillcoat,knew he wanted to tell a story about Australia's past and he knew he wanted Nick Cave(yes that Nick cave) to do the music.In the end he asked him to write the story.Wise choice.

For action fans,and fans of a strong story line,I recommend this film.

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Amazing story today~all those Mothers to be and Fathers to be take note.Apparently the option of saving your child's umbilical cored blood is available to all birthing parents. It is expensive to save,but it is an exact genetic match to your child's,should it become necessary~ and in this case WOW!!!!! This made me cry this morning,for obvious reasons to those who know my history.While insurance will not pay for saving the cord blood~in this case,admittedly a trial case,the results are worth more than I can explain. A life truly transformed. Three lives transformed and HOPE for the future.......

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/... there is more here, and a short video clip.

How much do I love my spiritual angst? Last weekend the silent life of ascetic monks, this weekend? A documentary that looks at the Christian faith, with a skeptic’s eye.

The documentary borrows from others, like Fahrenheit9/11 and Super Size Me, for its lively tone. However, it does do what I dislike the most in those questioning other people’s faith~ in a mocking, smart aleck way that dismisses what others feel deeply. The films director is an ex- Christian, on a mission much like of an ex-smoker. The film has good intentions, but a tad too much zeal. That said it sure makes some good points~ the timeline of Christ’s life, when the Gospels were actually written, the conflicting maze of doctrine, and the undeniable similarity with other legendary figures. There are interviews with religious experts and Christians of varying backgrounds. Nevertheless, the films arguments are too thin here, but the extended interviews on the DVD they are fleshed out to better effect. In the end, the film refuses to acknowledge one thing: Belief is based on faith, not logic.

 I recommend this documentary for believers and skeptics alike. It will make you think.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080306/ap_on_re_us/sludge_poisoned_land;_ylt=AmPCeV6xaCG EJHxm8CEt982s0NUE

More breaking news on sludge,can you hear us L.A.?

This is a movie only a cinematographer, a movie buff or accolade could love. We all give ourselves over to obsession, be it to prove 1+1 =2, or the illusion of the dollar and the safety we hope it provides, or to religious belief. This documentary explores those whom “God has seduced, and who have been seduced by God”, the Grande Chartreuse monks. Monks who have taken the vow of silence, broken only by prayer and by song.

As part of my second son’s eulogy I wrote he was my great teacher, one of the things he taught me about was silence and the things one finds there. In that regard, I understood these lives lived in such a constrained manner with a singular purpose and absolute presence. It is like watching a great master work done in oils come to life, dark and light, glimpses down hallways, into parts of rooms ,scenes alluding to what is occurring, not leading you to the conclusion by your hand. It is not a documentary explaining the whys of this life; it simply leads you to the life, and if you can, allows you to enter the life. It is long, 2 hrs and 42 min., and only broken up with occasional sound~ it will be a challenge for most viewers. I am glad I stuck with the film, so many lush visuals to be recalled. My favorites were watching the monks sled down snowy hills, rain hitting standing water, snow falling ,and the shots of the monks looking into the camera, just being. The sound of scissors cutting thick wool, the dust mites floating in a shaft of golden sunlight…the film entrances you. This film won a Sundance Film Festival special jury prize award in 2006 and several international awards. If you are ready to shove aside fast, can find the time to view this look at such simple ness, I recommend this film highly.

This weeks post is a bit disjointed, as that is how I am feeling and how the world appears to be right now. Yet there is always sinew, some type of connectivity… the trick is to puzzle it out.

The chorus harmonizes the economy is “fine”, is offset by the falling stock market, a barrel of oil costing$100.00+, new home sales fell to the slowest pace in 13 years, with the median price of that home dropping to a 3 year low. “Stagflation”, that deadly mix of high prices rising at the fastest pace in a quarter century as the economy loses steam is at the door, if not already knowing at your leg. Nervous shoppers gave retailers the worst January in almost 3 decades, high food prices, the credit crunch all contributed to low sales and drove employers to cut jobs~ the first nationwide job loss in 4 years. However, the economy is nothing if not unpredictable and that $600 check will soon be in our collective hands. With that and the *sarcasm note* leadership of President Bush, who recently remarked, “Gas is almost $4.00 a gallon? That’s interesting, I didn’t know that”, we will pull through. That and as my friend, as economically savvy as the next person ,says the 79 cent menu at Taco Bell apparently worries no one but herself and me. Clues or bread crumbs anyone?

I caught an excellent Independent Lens the other night, ”Hard Road Home”( here http://www.pbs.org/independ... and here http://www.etcny.org/a_uniq... Exodus web site) A inspiring look at a ex-con, Julio Medina, who has changed not only his life but has developed a program to help others change theirs. It was a timely piece because approximately 1 in 100 Americans are incarcerated as I write these words, and the rate is that four out of every 10 will go back to prison. A complex mix of social societal problems contributes to that rate, and while Exodus is still working on tracking to create a database, early figures show their rate is half that. "We’ve locked up more people in this country than any other country. Obviously, the approach is not working... We try to tell people that this is not the Promised Land. You’re now in the wilderness, man." —Julio Medina, executive director of Exodus Transitional Community. More clues…

We talk a lot about personal responsibility, think it highly important, yet in 2007 Ford had to recall some 3 million cars, vans, SUV’s, and trucks due to a cruise control switch default that causes engine fires, the same switch led to a previous recall of about 6 billion vehicles in January of 2005.The recall concerns 12 models built from 1992 to 2004~that is 12 years of recalls due to a switch. I can only assume corporate responsibility is slow in coming, if at all. Does this have an effect on our economy? Seeing a vague breadcrumb trail yet?

On the personal responsibility front, I note that the American worker is warned this week about using work email for personal reasons, and that such use can get you fired. Nonetheless, the Vice President has “lost” the emails Congress subpoenaed. Yet tech folks will tell you all emails are still out there somewhere~ kind of like the truth…*brushes some more crumbs from my chest*…

The last word today is empathy: try to see your polar opposite as a human being, much like you in many ways. It may just help, and perhaps together we can follow that breadcrumb trail out the rabbit hole.