Quandaries Behind the Screen

The last time I felt this ambivalent about a film, coincidentally, was when The Reader debuted. Winslet’s taut, naked belly titillated me enough to forget, for a short time, that she allowed 300 innocent peoples blacken and burn to death inside an ablazed church. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas equalled that ambivalence tonight. 

Though masterfully filmed, and written by Boyne for that matter, it severely distorted and trivialized the Holocaust, which is something I’m not willing to overlook. Yes, yes it saddened me, numbed me; but what to make of a world calamity hijacked for the tragedy of a Nazi family? As in The Reader, I struggled to find a balance between beautiful filmwork and misplaced sentimentality. The innocence of a young child, ignorant of his own father’s monstrous doings, is easy bait for soft-hearted watchers. Hence making The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas a story of utter and unnecessary embroidery. It’s a film I’d recommend, but not more than once. There is no joy in reconciling with WWII Hitler vermin.

Ezra Pound recordings

The extraordinary PENNsound site has recently added an extraordinary trove of Ezra Pound recordings, along with an essay by Richard Sieburth, “The Sound of Pound: A Listerner’s Guide“. One of the most interesting aspects of Sieburth’s essay, to me, was his description of Pound’s encounter with the L’abbé Jean-Pierre Rousselot.

From this piece at Language Log, which has some interesting information about phonetic studies, their relevance to poetry, kymograph, and the school days of Pound. Take a look!

Overindulgent Palin Stuff

The insignificane of Sarah Palin’s 10-month duration on the national circuit is so extreme, to one point where major media networks and liberal newspaper columnists can’t comprehend, that I cringe in pity at the realization of it. I’ve already read two well-wrought but well-unnecessary pieces of Palin coverage in the NYTimes, one other on an erudite and popular WordPress blog, and to be rather honest, I don’t need anyone to iterate what I already know, and subsequently wither to when hearing again, that Sarah Palin was not qualified politically or emotionally to sustain such a prominent position. I truly despise this woman for a plethora of political stances, but I refuse to give the Republican party what they deserve: an “I told ya.” The resignation of Sarah Palin was more of a saber to Republicans than people realize; this was the conservative who would potentially command the GOP flagship, carry them to a 2012 beer-filled victory, earn the hearts of thousands, win another term, and be the Obama-like figure of the Red Party. But as many educated conservatives knows, this was never feasible. Palin was bait for the media from the start, and all those traits that would potentilly fame her, came back to bite her in the end. Her missteps are obvious to everyone I think, or so I shall hope, and another Op-Ed piece of the breakdown isn’t necessary. So spare me and write about something a little more vital like a US-Russian nuclear weapons treaty, or an update on the imprisioned American journalists in Korea, or, like it isn’t still blatantly necessary, the economy. Write about the good intentions of an already historic president but the tenuousness of his policies (a much needed stimulus but not quite heavy enough, i.e., more  money), or write about the benefits of healthcare, anything really. The resignation of Palin isn’t shocking, it just reiterates what us blue-dog democrats and many more already knew.

Responsible Responses to Climate Change

Reading something online concerning the climate bill, I caught eye of a very well-articulated and gut-wrenching reader’s comment:

“It’s fitting that the shrinking, largely regional GOP has been leading the fight against this. Climate change skepticism , in some ways is the perfect convergence between the most rigid kind of fundamentalism and the most short-sighted version of capitalism. Confronting climate change will create new industries, new technologies, and other ways to advance the economy. The GOP clearly sees no reason to confront the future or even the world in which we live. Yet, they will be the first to complain when their entrenched interests are threatened by changes in climate.”

The latest bill that passed through the House last week, the Waxman-Markey climate-change bill, should culminate everything enclosed in that quote. It’s somewhat repulsive to think there is an opposition of such betrayal. But there always is, and those who maintain fidelity to mother Terra will be rewarded in the end. That, if nothing else, I am sure of.

Revolution, Revolution: Not to be Televised, or Obstructed by America

Here’s an article by Laila Lalami describing the inconsistency of the Republican party in regard to the Iranian revolution, if one wishes to call it that. She’s correct that the right-wing’s demand for muscular reaction is very much awry, as I’ve stated in a previous post. American military action is not the answer to Iranian unrest. Here’s an excerpt:

This echo chamber worries me, because it seems to me it could easily pave the way for further escalation and eventual military action. Which is why Obama’s cautious stance so far on Iran is the right move. At the moment, all we know for certain is that the will of Iranian voters has been obstructed and that they are letting their voices heard. The breathtaking protests we are seeing may be pro-Mousavi, but they are also just as likely to be anti-regime (in fact, I rather suspect that Mousavi is now thrust into a role he did not foresee). I hope that the will of the people prevails.

Thoughts on Iran

I think it’s fair to say that the western media blitz is creating a lot of false hope for Iranians. CNN, BBC, and the other major news outlets are heavily covering these protests, with solid reaosing of course; what’s problematic is that the United States is in no position to intervene, and whilst we continue broadcast from Iran (as much as we can at least; the Iranian government has put overbearing restrictions on international coverage), we are unknowlingly, or knowingly leading many of these protesters on. Mousavi and co. have all the reason to be furious, and my blessings to the people of Iran. Though the opposition isn’t quite our idea of opposing politics (Mousavi is one of the forefathers of the Republic, and with a victory, the operations aren’t going to change, just the leader will), this is an internal matter that must not be obstructed. Good-luck to you all.

Jab to Disbelievers of Hope, May we all Share Such a Wonderful Thing

A few months ago I declined to continue my usual New York Times briefings, as I feared this blog was becoming repetative and predictable. But that was before I returned to the homefront. Seeing that the economy is recovering, and I say that nominally, I figured most people, even those all-too-familair red county yokels, of whom I both abhor and admire, would acknowledge President Obama’s early success and stop lamenting. That is not the case.

Just the other day, one of my co-workers approached me expressing an incredulity towards the administration’s four-month stimulus plan. I told that him he must be in denial, that it was our current president’s persona that he didn’t like (which perhaps baffles me even more) and not the policies. Indeed aggressive monetary spending is very anti-Republican, and big deficits are frightening to everyone; but again, what of the success? It appears to me that the GOP is quite simply, and sadly, in great denial. If we were not running up national deficits we’d be sinking into what Paul Krugman calls a “full-fledged depression.” So, let me redirect you to his article and see for yourself. As the writer Frank Herbert said, “How often is it that the angry man rages denial of what his inner self is telling him.” To the blue dog democrats: stay the course. Everyone else: have hope, it might be the last great thing humanity owns.

Ring-Wing Hate

Here’s an article by Frank Rich in The New York Times describing the vicious circle of right-wing extremism in America, and what it could ultimately, and heartrendingly, lead up to: http: link

And while we’re on the subject, let me just say that I’m baffled by the negligence of the Republican party. Not that anything they can say will completely curtail these homegrown acts of terror, but when you’re party’s torchbearers are likening Dr. George Tiller to Nazi’s or calling Sonia Sotormayor “the Latino KKK” and a racist and a David Duke, what kind of impression are you leaving on your acolytes? These are just a few examples of the right-wing abhorrence of our nation’s president, who by the way, as Rich said, has not lifted the 2nd amendment and not yet exacerbated the wars he inherited. What he has done non-ideologically, is attempt to reach across the aisle, more than his predessor ever did.

NY Times Sunday Book Review

Laila Lalami, whose literary/political blog I’ve followed nearly since it’s formation, and who I’ve referred to numerous times since the formation of my own, has had her debut novel, Secret Son, reviewed in The New York Times. I am very glad for this, as I’ve grown to intensely appreciate Laila’s effort to bring consciousness to the States. As a student of English Literature myself, and aspiring writer, I know this kind of coverage is vital to her exposure among wider audiences. I wish her the best and look forward to meeting her again, perhaps in two or three years (she claims to be a very slow, meticulous writer) after the publication of another great book.

Friendships Aside…..

The fields are plowed, harvested, primed to grow. But I don’t give a shit about these fields, or the red-county yokels that live and die for them. There are certain things, that usually stem in these parts, that really, really know how to dismantle me. One of which being the ignorant, soil-stained (literal reference), 25-toothed farm boys of south western Pennsylvania. Hemingway wrote once about how achingly hard it is to write about your hometown. He isn’t kidding. I don’t want to denounce this place for all it’s faux rustic appeal and overall ignorance, but, in the plainest terms, it sucks here. To quote Hem, my hometown is made up of “wide yards and closed minds.”

Making a permanent move to Philadelphia is really important at this juncture in time. I’m nearing the prime years of my life, my early 20’s. Despite my affection for my working-class parents, I have to do this; staying here would be stripping myself of my intellectual and artistic potential.

To the type-writer. To where the music beats loudest. Hasten I must.