tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251501482024-03-23T10:52:25.558-07:00MetaplasmusIt means "intentional misspelling." Interpretation is left as an exercise for the reader. It may help to know that I have a degree in Rhetoric, which is essentially a license to play with language.Chardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02566094320816743175noreply@blogger.comBlogger420125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25150148.post-5535764887924325672016-06-19T22:01:00.001-07:002016-06-19T22:01:31.733-07:00Evolving Taste in CinemaI've been plotting a post for <a href="http://toomuchtheater.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">my other blog</a>, but every time I try to compose it, I get bogged down in a kind of preface, talking about going to the movies when I was younger. I decided to take that discussion here, instead, so as not to distract too much from my intended point about live theater. And it has musical accompaniment, if you like:<br />
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<h4>
Background</h4>
Something more than twenty years ago, my girlfriend (now my wife) and I realized that both of us enjoy going to live theater much, much more than we like going to the movies. So we cut way back on going to the cinema (though we still would rent videos), to the point that we probably only go once or twice a year anymore, and that only for either a family outing (e.g., "Inside Out") or a blockbuster that needs a big screen (e.g., a "Star Trek" movie, a James Bond, or something of that ilk). We go to a <i>lot</i> of live theater, however.<br />
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But there was a time, back when we were in high school, where going to the movies was a critical part of any weekend. Indeed, during our high school and college years, it was pretty rare that a weekend didn't include at least one trip to a movie, and often more.<br />
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Some of that is just being a teenager. You want to get out with your friends on Friday or Saturday night, and you need to go <i>someplace</i>. The movie theater is a convenient place to go with a group, so it doesn't have to be a date or anything formal. You get out of the house, away from those pesky adults, and can be yourselves.<br />
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The Limiting Factor</h4>
The problem is, there just aren't that many good movies to go to. We were pretty lucky, living so close to Berkeley and Oakland, that there were lots of first-run theaters around, and a fair number of second-run theaters that would get the big films after they had gone out of favor and couldn't fill the big houses anymore. So if a movie was relatively recently released, it was playing somewhere nearby. But the truth is, we didn't want to see everything (and for a time, we weren't all old enough to see everything), and eventually movies get expensive. What to do?<br />
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The saving grace for us was the next tier of movie theaters: the repertory movie theaters. This, to me, was a true wonder. Before there were video stores (and indeed, before their were home video systems), we had our choice of several theaters that played non-current movies. Some of them were popular films from a few years back, but they'd also play classics.<br />
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The Big Cheese</h4>
The undisputed king of these repertory cinemas was the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UC_Theatre">UC Theater</a> on University Avenue in Berkeley. Although it had been in earlier years a big, first-run movie house, by the 70s it was a bit run down and unable to attract the big films. So the owner decided to show a different movie (and usually two or three) almost every night. And they were all over the map: art films, classics, popular films, musicals...you name it. And they became known for clever pairings. Some were obvious, such as a movie and its sequel. Sometimes it was a movie and a parody of it, or some other derivative work (such as "Casablanca" and "Play It Again, Sam"). Often it was two works by the same director, or featuring the same actor. But nearly every night it was something different.<br />
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The impact of the UC Theater on the local scene was obvious: one feature of just about every home in the area was the UC's calendar, either on the wall or stuck to the refrigerator. It was colorful, showing each night's movies for a couple of months. On the back it had descriptions of all the movies. Heck, it was a movie education just reading the schedule. I know lots of things about movies I've never seen, just from reading those.<br />
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But here's the thing: It was cheap. I can't recall exactly how much, but it definitely cost less than the first-run theaters. And everyone was there. Kids, teens, college students, and also adults: parents and professors. It was nostalgic for some, a chance to see something missed for others, and just a safe, reliable place to hang out for many. It was most definitely a community institution. I had friends for whom it was almost a second home.<br />
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My Other Favorite</h4>
Somewhat closer to my home when I was in high school, and definitely smaller, was the <a href="http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/5239">Rialto Theater</a>, in a converted warehouse on Gilman Street in north Berkeley. They had two small theaters, one of which probably seated twenty, the other more like fifty. Like the UC, they showed lots of movies, often old classics, but they usually ran for several days. I have vivid memories of seeing lots of old films there for the first time, such as Alec Guinness in "Kind Hearts and Coronets" and my first tastes of the Marx Brothers. It was a much more intimate experience, and the screens were small, but the movies were great.<br />
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This was probably the closest thing at the time to watching home
video or Netflix, though at least the films were projected instead of
being on a TV screen.<br />
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The Others</h4>
There were at least two other little, relatively short-lived cinemas that did similar things: the <a href="http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/6525">Telegraph</a> (on Telegraph Avenue, just below Dwight Way) and the <a href="http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/5268">Northside</a>, which was on Durant Avenue, in the courtyard next to LaVal's pizza. I think the space is now a Mexican restaurant. I don't have many specific memories of those, but I definitely recall going there.<h4>
The Learning</h4>
What I realize, looking back, is that my taste evolved over time from seeing the big films in the big theaters to preferring older films in a more intimate environment, surrounded by people who were more interested in the film than in the flash and glitz. In those dumpy little theaters, we really got a taste of what movies can be, the range of experiences. And even before the rest of the world had their choice of movies at their fingertips, we had a lot of options and a lot of movies.<br />
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And ultimately, I think this is what informed my later preference for live theater, in venues large and small. There is nothing like going to a little performance space and experiencing real people doing real stuff, right in your face (or in your lap, sometimes!). And it turns out, there are lots and lots of choices available there, too.Chardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02566094320816743175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25150148.post-73195812641428657372016-05-19T15:31:00.000-07:002016-05-19T15:31:21.448-07:00My Little Town(s)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A few years ago, my wife bought <a href="http://www.fitbit.com/">Fitbit</a> trackers for the family. Basically, she wanted one, and figured that if we all had them, we'd support her use of one. I was pretty skeptical about it at the time, but almost from the first day using it, I was hooked. From an exercise standpoint, it's mostly about mindfulness: the number on the tracker lets me know when I'm being a slug, and I feel guilty and move around. And the competitive aspect is somewhat motivating.<br />
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So I get more exercise, I'm in better shape, etc. All good.<br />
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But what's most surprising to me is how having and using the tracker has changed my perception of my world: the cities where I work and live, as well as places I visit. In short, my view of what's walkable is completely different than it used to be.<br />
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For example, I work in San Francisco, near the civic center or mid-Market areas (basically at the intersection of Market Street and Van Ness Avenue...lovely). And I go to a fair number of Giants baseball games at AT&T Park. From the time the park opened, I thought nothing of walking there from BART. We'd come over from the East Bay, get off at Embarcadero, and walk the mile or so along the waterfront to the ballpark. It's lovely, and it's good exercise.<br />
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But when I went to a game after work, I would hop on a Muni train at the Van Ness station and ride it down to the park. (Sometimes I would only take the train as far as BART, often to meet someone, then walk from there.) Then one day I just decided to see what it would take to walk to the park from my office. Surprise! Google Maps told me it would only take about 40 minutes, meaning it's about two miles. So I started walking. Truthfully, it doesn't take much longer than riding the subway, since that's quite a roundabout route. And it's good exercise. And I do it pretty often. I will admit that a wrong turn one day taught me the real meaning of the term "wrong side of the tracks," but otherwise, it's been great.<br />
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Similarly, my wife and I fairly often find ourselves needing to go somewhere, either here at home or when visiting cities such as New York, London, or Sydney. And instead of assuming that we need a cab or a subway, we now pretty much assume we can just walk most places. It's great, because we get to see a lot of those cities. And we literally find ourselves walking across town: from the Financial District to the Maritime Museum in San Francisco, from Rockridge to Jack London Square in Oakland, from the Upper West Side, down the High Line to the Meatpacking District in NYC. And it goes on. Ultimately, I've concluded that the world is much smaller than I used to think it was.<br />
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The other revelation that came along with this realization is that we're capable of walking much farther than we thought. We often hear or see a recommendation that one should walk about 10,000 steps a day to keep healthy. So at some point my wife and her brother were speculating about how many steps one really could cram into a day. My personal best at the time was about 33,000 (a very busy day at Disneyland!), and hers was closer to 40,000 (her steps are shorter than mine). This ended up in a commitment that the next time my brother-in-law came to town, we would all head off on an expedition to see how far we could walk.<br />
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Which ended up being Boxing Day last year (December 26). We started off from downtown San Francisco, walking around the Embarcadero toward the touristy end of town. Luck was with us, as we had a break in the rainy weather, and the day was clear, warm, and pleasant. And we walked around past Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39, Crissy Field, and Fort Point, then past the Golden Gate Bridge, down the coast toward Ocean Beach. Down around the Cliff House we reversed, and headed back up toward the bridge, and walked across the Golden Gate into Marin County, then down into Sausalito, ending up at our favorite seafood restaurant (<a href="http://www.331fish.com/">Fish</a>).<br />
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When all was said and done, we had each done well over 60,000 steps and exceeded 26.2 miles. We walked a marathon! I would never have imagined I could do such a thing. My feet were awfully tired, and if I were going to do it again, I would make sure to change shoes during the day, but overall, it was an amazing time, and again, really changed my perception about how big San Francisco is and what I can do when I set my mind to it.Chardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02566094320816743175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25150148.post-88270085411404588042012-07-07T10:30:00.000-07:002012-07-07T10:30:00.976-07:00Good Theater and Great FoodIn our annual attempt to determine whether it is possible to see too much theater, I am scheduled to see eight plays over four days this trip to Ashland. As I write this, I've made it through six, and although all have been good, nothing has really knocked my socks off as have at least some plays in recent years.<br />
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Thursday we tried to go to Morning Glory for brunch, but they said the wait time was over an hour, so we hiked across town and got a relatively quick table at <a href="http://www.brothersrestaurant.net/">Brothers'</a> instead. The family got reacquainted with the cheese blintzes, and I had a more-than-passable chorizo and eggs and one of their signature scones.<br />
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Thus fortified, we headed off to see Romeo and Juliet. Very interesting setting of the play, in Alta California in the 1840s. I thought that worked quite well. Solid performances throughout. We took our daughter, who is 11, to see it. Though it was pretty intense, she liked it. We hadn't originally planned to take her, but got the opportunity when we found extra tickets available for that show and also for another play later in the trip that had been sold out. Anyway, good, solid Shakespeare.<br />
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Our friends arrived to spend the rest of the week/end with us, and we had dinner reservations at <a href="http://smithfieldsashland.com/">Smithfield's</a>, a meat-centric restaurant that opened since our last visit last year. Oh, boy, was that a treat! Hanger steaks, pork chops, duck confit cassoulet, all excellent. In fact, we liked it so well that we canceled our reservation elsewhere for Friday to do another meal at Smithfield's, as well as booking Saturday brunch. I have to say, this is the best food I've found in Ashland, truly outstanding.<br />
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In the evening we all went to see "As You Like It" in the outdoor theater. That was really good. Again, nothing particularly spectacular, but a good introduction for our friends. We went to the Preface before the show, and got some good insights for things to look for.<br />
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Friday began with pastries from a local bakery, followed by the daily stroll to town, but early for a backstage tour. Although parts were repetitive from previous tours, we got a new perspective from a younger actor on the moving part of the tour. Definitely a good time.<br />
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We dropped the kids off at the <a href="http://www.scienceworksmuseum.org/">Science Works</a> hands-on museum, which they enjoyed, while the adults saw "Troilus and Cressida" in the small indoor theater. Terrific performances, though I have to say the material is far from Shakespeare's best. The play is ultimately pretty unsatisfying. Not a criticism of the performance or the staging, which was all very good. But the text pretty much leaves one hanging. One big plus was the part of Thersites, a tiny character in the Illiad, blown up here and performed in a kind of Dennis Hopper-ish, over the top performance by Michael Elich.<br />
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Then the Preface for the evening's performance of "Henry V," followed by a second dinner at Smithfield's.<br />
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Henry V completes the three-year, three-play sequence following the growth and maturation of Prince Hal and his pals in the two parts of Henry IV. John Tufts continues to amaze me in the role. He has obviously worked very hard at it, and gives a wonderful, nuanced performance. The preface was really good and helpful, too, helping to tease out the issues of lineage and claims to the throne of both England and France, among other things. So far, I'd say this is the highlight of the trip for me, being both an excellent standalone performance and the culmination of the three-year odyssey.<br />
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Now then, off to brunch! And more theater!Chardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02566094320816743175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25150148.post-6159530561913914632012-07-05T00:09:00.001-07:002012-07-05T00:09:28.009-07:00Independence Day and Theater!We decided to squeeze our annual trip to Ashland for the <a href="http://www.osfashland.org/">Oregon Shakespeare Festival</a> into the Independence Day holiday season, so we'll get four days of theater with only two days off work. We drove up last night after work, and had a quick, easy drive.<br />
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This morning we learned that the house where we're staying is practically at the starting spot for the Ashland Independence Day parade, so we headed out to watch that. It was great fun, in a small town celebration sort of way. Pretty much the whole town seemed to be out. By the end, since we were about halfway to the Shakespeare Festival, we just walked the rest of the way into town, grabbed a quick lunch at one of the booths serving food (tasty gyros), and then split up for the afternoon, with me going to watch "Medea/Macbeth/Cinderella" with my mother-in-law, and the rest of the family checking out the rest of the celebration in Lithia Park.<br />
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The play was about as strange as the title implies. They are literally performing (most of) three plays simultaneously on the same stage. The point is that they have some similarities of both structure and theme, but truly, I think it's a bit of a reach. There are some very clever moments and some good performances, so it was a worthwhile afternoon.<br />
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For dinner we had hoped to go to <a href="http://www.calderabrewing.com/Page.asp?NavID=21">Caldera Tap House</a>, but they had closed for the holiday. So we checked out the <a href="http://www.standingstonebrewing.com/">Standing Stone Brewing Company</a> instead. We had tried it a few years ago and weren't that impressed with either the beer or the food, but this visit was better. The beer was still just OK, but the food was quite good. The key was letting the server list their extensive specials for the day, which included a fish burrito, a crab cake salad, a local bison burger, and a filet mignon. We had the burrito and the burger, and were quite pleased.<br />
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Evening we again split up. I went with my daughter to see "Animal Crackers," which she found quite delightful (and which I enjoyed a lot, too). My wife and her mother went to see "The Very Merry Wives of Windsor, Iowa," which I will see later this trip (Saturday, I think) while they see Animal Crackers.<br />
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It was a fun first day, and we managed to get more exercise than we usually get here. Never even took the car out at all. Good stuff.<br />
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Tomorrow we get breakfast instead of a parade, and some friends will be flying up to join us for the remainder of the trip. Somewhere along the way we checked and found there were a few tickets available for one of the shows that had been sold out when we ordered, so we added another play. I think somehow I will end up seeing eight plays in four days. Yow!Chardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02566094320816743175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25150148.post-53465882778690510482012-05-07T22:29:00.000-07:002012-05-07T22:29:15.316-07:00Creative Funding for Creative Efforts<a href="http://lauragoodin.com/dancing_mice_web_badge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://lauragoodin.com/dancing_mice_web_badge.jpg" width="160" /></a><a href="http://lauragoodin.com/dancing_mice_web_badge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a>A couple of my wonderful, talented friends, <a href="http://www.lauragoodin.com/">Laura Goodin</a> and <a href="http://www.houstondunleavy.com/">Houston Dunleavy</a> (whose individual blogs are over in the friends list) are collaborating on a new opera that sounds really cool. It's based on Laura's story called "The Dancing Mice and the Giants of Flanders." And they're trying a creative new way to fund it, using crowd funding. They want to raise $2,000 to stage a concert workshop of the opera, so they've set up a <a href="http://dancingmice.pozible.com/">project on Pozible</a>.<br />
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If you can help them out, you'll be doing a good thing for the arts as well as supporting a couple of very creative (and nice) individuals.<br />
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Thanks for any help you can give!Chardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02566094320816743175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25150148.post-17682582537082282092012-03-21T15:46:00.000-07:002012-03-21T15:46:42.471-07:00One More Daisey UpdateI'm going to give this one its own post, mostly because I doubt anyone is taking any notice of the other updates I've been slipping into the <a href="http://metaplasmus.blogspot.com/2012/03/retraction.html">original post</a>.<br />
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I just read <a href="http://grist.org/media/mike-daisey-climate-and-greater-truths/">Yet Another Commentary</a> on the Mike Daisey/Apple/Foxconn/NPR controversy. I like this one because it not only gets into the metadiscussion of journalistic ethics and such, but also suggests some ideas about the role of narrative and story in forming public opinion:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">But facts are not truth. Facts do not, in and of themselves, have meaning. Facts only add up to something — literally <i>make sense</i> — when they are embedded in some kind of framework or narrative that fits into our cultural identities and ways of seeing the world. That’s how humans are built to learn, going back to the Stone Age. So “telling a greater truth” is a thing of real value, not some theatrical pretense. Helping people understand and contextualize events, work through the meaning and resonance of the facts, is a humanistic endeavor, and in today’s fraught and complex world, there’s never been a greater need for it.<br />
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Much of the mainstream media seems to have forsworn that task. But “just the facts” is a pretense. There is no such thing. If the story, the narrative framework, isn’t explicit, it’s implicit. And if it’s implicit, it usually reflects status quo interests. I see no particular nobility in that.<br />
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So a lie isn’t OK in service of telling a greater truth. What <i>is</i> OK? How do we value the benefits of storytelling — meaning and resonance — relative to the benefits of precision and rigor? There are endless fuzzy borderline cases, bits of approximation, generalization, interpretation, or poetic license. It’s too easy to say there’s no tension.</blockquote><br />
He then goes on to discuss the specific issue of climate change, and why change deniers feel more strongly about the matter (he posits that it's because they've been given a coherent story). Since that one is near and dear to my heart, I thought I'd pass it along. I like the notion that storytellers are important.Chardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02566094320816743175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25150148.post-15060209597980401652012-03-21T00:39:00.000-07:002012-03-21T00:39:33.915-07:00Theme Park MadnessI think I have recovered from the extended family vacation enough to write about it.<br />
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Don't take that the wrong way: It was a great trip. But there was a lot of it. A whole week with the extended family in the Greater Orlando Area. Which means theme parks, mostly. A lot of them. I suppose it was fortunate that it was late winter, so the parks weren't open terribly late and we could actually sleep and recover.<br />
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I'd been to Orlando before, but never for recreation, so this was my first chance to experience the plethora of parks available. We managed to hit a different park every day, which was pretty cool. Here's the overview:<br />
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Sunday: <a href="http://www.universalorlando.com/Theme-Parks/Universal-Studios-Florida.aspx">Universal Studios Florida</a>. I had been to the California version of Universal Studios many years ago, but this seemed much more developed, both thematically and in the overall detail of the attractions. Unfortunately, it was a windy day, so the one big roller coaster was not operating. Most of the rest of the rides are variations on "motion simulators," basically moving seats with immersive movies. I quite liked the Disaster ride, which is set in San Francisco, but the most impressive ride overall was the Simpsons ride. It's long and funny and very true to the show.<br />
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Overall I have to say this park appealed more to the older members of the crowd, but everyone had a pretty good time.<br />
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Monday: <a href="http://www.universalorlando.com/Theme-Parks/Islands-of-Adventure.aspx">Universal's Islands of Adventure</a>. Quite a variety here, ranging from stuff for the little kids based on comic strip characters and Dr. Seuss stories to adventures like Jurassic Park and the Lost Continent and the thing people really wanted to see, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I was really impressed with the attention to details in all of the areas. We managed to score early-admission tickets, which enabled us to get to Harry Potter first, before the lines got long.<br />
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Tuesday: Disney <a href="http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/magic-kingdom/">Magic Kingdom</a> park. It's kind of disorienting for a group like ours that's very familiar with Disneyland, because it's similar, but different enough to be a bit confusing. It was a big treat to ride Space Mountain again, and we rode Pirates of the Caribbean several times. Big Thunder Mountain was closed, though. And there's no Matterhorn! On the plus side, they have the old Carousel of Progress ("There's a great big, beautiful tomorrow....") and the Country Bear Jamboree. Good memories.<br />
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Wednesday: Break from theme parks for a day. Some of the party went fishing in the flats on the Atlantic coast. The rest of us slept in, then headed over to Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge where we had a nice nature walk and went to see some manatees at Haulover Canal. Then off to the beach for a bit and dinner at the famous <a href="http://dixiecrossroads.com/">Dixie Crossroads</a> restaurant in Titusville, where we ate a LOT of shrimp.<br />
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Thursday: Disney <a href="http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/animal-kingdom/">Animal Kingdom</a> park. This is a fun park, very different from the Magic Kingdom, and at least partly aimed at a wider age spread (i.e., a little older). First thing in the morning we ran to ride Expedition Everest, which is a very good roller coaster. My daughter and I hit that four times in a row before there was any line to speak of. Good stuff! Nice animal exhibits. We had a good, full day here.<br />
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Friday: <a href="http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/epcot/">Epcot</a>. I have kind of mixed feelings on this one. It's meant to be sort of a future-oriented simulated world's fair. Unfortunately, it's pretty hard to make anything futuristic that doesn't get out of date really quickly. I did quite like Spaceship Earth (the big golf-ball thing), and the Energy Adventure was a really interesting ride. Most of the other rides were fairly unimpressive, and the Test Track really didn't do much for me at all.<br />
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Saturday we only had part of the day before flying home, so we hit Islands of Adventure again to get a farewell cup of butter beer and enjoy some of the bits we had to rush through before.Chardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02566094320816743175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25150148.post-13243953188936859272012-03-16T15:15:00.004-07:002012-03-20T22:25:14.388-07:00RetractionSince I've <a href="http://metaplasmus.blogspot.com/2012/01/mike-daisey-on-radio.html">mentioned Mike Daisey</a> and his appearance on NPR, it's only fair that I point out today's development:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">The public radio program <i>This American Life</i> on Friday <a href="http://www.thisamericanlife.org/blog/2012/03/retracting-mr-daisey-and-the-apple-factory">announced</a> it was retracting the entirety of an episode it aired on the reportedly deplorable working conditions at a Chinese factory owned by Apple supplier company Foxconn, because the episode “contained significant fabrications.”<br />
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The original episode, “Mr. Daisey Goes To The Apple Factory,” which aired in late January, featured the supposedly firsthand account of American theatrical performer Mike Daisey traveling to Foxconn’s factory in Shenzhen, China.</blockquote>Pretty stunning stuff. I look forward to hearing more about this.<br />
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Daisey has a <a href="http://mikedaisey.blogspot.com/2012/03/statement-on-tal.html">response on his own blog</a>, too:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">I stand by my work. My show is a theatrical piece whose goal is to create a human connection between our gorgeous devices and the brutal circumstances from which they emerge. It uses a combination of fact, memoir, and dramatic license to tell its story, and I believe it does so with integrity.</blockquote>While I'm on the subject, here are a couple of recent articles discussing the notion that Apple could make its spiffy devices either in the U.S. or at least while protecting workers. <a href="http://www.thenation.com/article/165979/sure-apple-could-build-iphone-here">One is from The Nation</a>, the <a href="http://grist.org/business-technology/why-your-ithings-dont-have-to-be-wecruel/">other from Grist</a>.<br />
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I'm pleased that people are at least talking about this stuff now. Too bad it has to be so contentious.<br />
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<b>Update</b>: <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/03/worse-than-kony2012-the-tragedy-of-mike-daiseys-lies-about-china/254640/">Lengthy piece</a> from The Atlantic discusses how Daisey's behavior has damaged his cause. I have mixed feelings. Certainly the situation is bad enough that the case for change can stand on its own. If Daisey's show were the only source of information on labor abuses in China, it would be far more serious. But plenty of independent investigation has also pointed to the issues. So yeah, it's bad to promote your cause with untrue information, but if anyone dismisses the issue because of that, they are also making a mistake.<br />
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<b>Update 2</b>: <a href="http://thismodernworld.com/archives/6866">Tom Tomorrow cites</a> a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/19/business/media/theater-disguised-up-as-real-journalism.html">NYT piece</a> on the controversy today. They venture into the question of what constitutes journalism, among other things. The discussion gets interestinger and interestinger. Everybody is coming down hard on Daisey, but no one seems quite sure how to treat This American Life.<br />
<br />
<b>Update 3</b>: <a href="http://lancebakeractor.wordpress.com/2012/03/20/clash-of-the-storytelling-titans/">Commentary from an actor</a> who has performed Daisey's show about Steve Jobs and Apple. All interesting, but particularly this:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">But let’s get a hold of ourselves. Should we really be discussing “the abuse of the performer-audience relationship” in the same breath as the real, tangible abuse of Chinese factory workers? Shouldn’t This American Life feel just a little bit silly devoting a solid hour, full of probing research and revealing details, to both of these abuses equally?<br />
<br />
The brief piece on Marketplace could have been followed up with a footnote on the TAL website, and perhaps an audio insertion at the top of the original piece, and everybody would have been happy.<br />
<br />
But to drag Daisey into a studio and grill him for four hours about what he did actually see and what he didn’t– it’s called “burying the lede.” For apparently hell hath no fury like a public-radio storyteller scorned, especially when he’s got the huge, sanctimonious club of “journalistic ethics” at his side.</blockquote>I'm glad to see all the discussion. This is the first contribution I've seen that seems to grasp some of the larger facts here.Chardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02566094320816743175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25150148.post-3748251125784496882012-01-27T12:31:00.000-08:002012-01-27T12:31:46.123-08:00Apple's OutrageOh, <a href="http://blog.sfgate.com/bottomline/2012/01/27/apples-ceo-outraged-at-reports-of-worker-mistreatment/?tsp=1">please</a>.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">Responding to the New York Times stories, which we <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/01/27/BU761MUJSR.DTL">itemized and commented on in today’s column</a>, CEO Tim Cook sent out an e-mail to all Apple employees.<br />
“Unfortunately some people are questioning Apple’s values today, and I’d like to address this with you directly,” he says. <br />
<i>“Any suggestion that we don’t care is patently false and offensive to us. As you know better than anyone, accusations like these are contrary to our values. It’s not who we are. For the many hundreds of you who are based at our suppliers’ manufacturing sites around the world, or spend long stretches working there away from your families, I know you are as outraged by this as I am.” </i></blockquote>Bringing to mind <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Gf8NK1WAOc">Captain Renault</a>:<br />
<br />
<img border="0" src="http://img73.imageshack.us/img73/2451/ricklouiegambling248356no6.jpg" width="390" /><br />
<br />
I know they have to put on these pretenses for public consumption, but really, the notion that Apple was somehow unaware of the implications of their manufacturing choices strains credulity to the breaking point. They just hoped we wouldn't notice, while they pocketed the profits.<br />
<br />
They'll talk about needing to trim manufacturing costs to keep prices low, but truly, how can you make that argument with a straight face in light of their <a href="http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Apple+quarterly+revenue+surges+blows+away+analysts+targets/6047876/story.html">recent quarterly earnings</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">Apple reported a net profit of $13.06 billion, or $13.87 a share.</blockquote><br />
A naive person like me might suspect that without sacrificing too much of their $13 billion profit, Apple could build iPhones and iPads and MacBooks in better conditions. Heck, they could probably build them in Cupertino and still turn a merely huge profit instead of an outrageous one. Perhaps it's time to Occupy Apple.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, here's the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/26/business/ieconomy-apples-ipad-and-the-human-costs-for-workers-in-china.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all">Times expose</a> mentioned. And refer back to <a href="http://metaplasmus.blogspot.com/2012/01/mike-daisey-on-radio.html">my earlier entry</a> about <a href="http://mikedaisey.blogspot.com/">Mike Daisey</a>'s monologue on the subject. Mike is all over this stuff, which is very cool. He's making a difference.Chardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02566094320816743175noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25150148.post-13759577789424572382012-01-13T15:18:00.000-08:002012-01-13T15:18:53.307-08:00Mike Daisey on the Radio<a href="http://mikedaisey.blogspot.com/">Mike Daisey</a> does amazing monologue performances. And now, he's been adapted for the radio on NPR's<a href="http://tal.fm/454"> This American Life</a>. I haven't listened to it yet, but just <a href="http://www.thisamericanlife.org/blog/2012/01/behind-the-scenes-with-mike-daisey">reading about it</a> makes it sound fascinating. I have seen the original version on stage, called <a href="http://www.publictheater.org/component/option,com_shows/task,view/Itemid,141/id,1043">The Agony and Ecstasy of Steve Jobs</a>, and it was great.<br />
<br />
Check out Mike and his work if you can.Chardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02566094320816743175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25150148.post-7925906443069627562011-11-22T10:45:00.000-08:002011-11-22T10:45:20.726-08:00Controlling People With Pain<a href="http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/">Digby</a> has been covering the excessive and inappropriate use of tasers for a long time. Now the Occupy movement is raising awareness of some of the brutal techniques being used to control people and the militarization of American police forces in general. She has <a href="http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/police-pain-and-peppers.html">a great post</a> today about the use of pain to control and achieve compliance.<br />
<br />
A couple of months ago I was really surprised by the sheer numbers of San Francisco police in riot gear sent out in response to (and in anticipation of) the OpBART protests. But the nationwide response to the overwhelmingly peaceful protests with riot police, pepper spray, batons, tasers, tear gas, sound cannons, and flash grenades is just stunning.<br />
<br />
The notion that people gathered in peaceful protest can or should be brutalized is appalling. This is the same mentality that justifies torture. Torturing people to elicit information is wrong, as I have written repeatedly. Torturing people to make them compliant is just as wrong.<br />
<br />
I used to think we'd come a long way from the days of using fire hoses and police dogs to intimidate and control protesters. It now appears we have come a long way, but in the wrong direction: we now have higher-tech methods of abusively controlling people, and seem to have little compunction about applying them.Chardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02566094320816743175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25150148.post-21004187749473561032011-11-08T10:53:00.000-08:002011-11-08T10:53:52.612-08:00The More Things Change......the more they go back to <a href="http://thismodernworld.com/archives/6093">the way they've always been</a>.<br />
<br />
Or, yet another example of why <a href="http://www.thismodernworld.com/">Tom Tomorrow</a> is brilliant.Chardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02566094320816743175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25150148.post-28118259148156563562011-10-17T16:35:00.000-07:002011-10-17T16:35:46.277-07:00Irony is SO Dead...I can't really elaborate on the <a href="http://www.just-style.com/news/gap-and-banana-republic-to-open-in-latin-america_id112439.aspx">headline</a>:<br />
<blockquote>Gap and Banana Republic to open in Latin America</blockquote>H/T <a href="http://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2011/10/banana-republic-stores-to-open-in-panama-and-colombia">LGM</a>Chardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02566094320816743175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25150148.post-487944762089771542011-10-07T09:52:00.000-07:002011-10-07T09:52:47.517-07:00Oh, DearFor me, the baseball season is over. I know there are playoffs going on and a World Series coming up, but I'm still licking the wounds from watching my much-injured <a href="http://www.sfgiants.com/">Giants</a> falter and finally fall.<br />
<br />
But the off-season has its benefits, and one today is reading <a href="http://mlb.sbnation.com/2011/10/7/2474722/miami-marlins-ballpark-home-run-structure-what-is-that-gaaaaaaaaah">Grant Brisbee's take</a> on the new baseball stadium in Miami, and particularly their new home run celebration device:<br />
<blockquote>Behold. This is what will happen when the Marlins hit a home run. It's what Bernie Brewer thinks he's sliding down after a couple buttons of peyote.</blockquote>There is more. The picture is worth the visit. I can't bring myself to copy it here. But really, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150370601964746">click over to see it</a>. Even if you don't care about baseball, you really should see this thing. Really. <br />
<br />
Wow.Chardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02566094320816743175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25150148.post-83678281000159923082011-09-20T11:38:00.000-07:002011-09-20T11:38:07.713-07:00Sad State of AffairsApparently <a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-low-yields-banks-20110918,0,3758580.story">banks have too much money</a>. They can't give it away.<br />
<blockquote>"Banks and credit unions are doing everything they can to get rid of the cash except make loans," said Mike Moebs, a Lake Bluff, Ill., banking consultant.</blockquote>Poor, helpless banks.<br />
<blockquote>Bankers such as Robert H. Smith, former chairman of L.A.'s Security Pacific Corp., say the industry is being throttled by a combination of the weak economy and regulations that were tightened in the aftermath of the financial crisis.</blockquote> Really? We're going to blame this on regulation? Like, that's some immutable force that can't be changed? <br />
<br />
Change the rules. Lend some money. Create some jobs. Get the economy moving.<br />
<br />
Good grief.Chardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02566094320816743175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25150148.post-73482934518837451832011-09-15T17:21:00.000-07:002011-09-15T17:21:58.831-07:00Commentary on ScienceI stumbled onto <a href="http://theconversation.edu.au/diamond-planets-climate-change-and-the-scientific-method-3329">this story</a> via Twitter. Apparently some scientists have discovered a crystaline planet out there somewhere: essentially, a planet made of diamond. This catches people's fancy, and they accept the science behind it without question.<br />
<br />
The discoverer points out that, were he to have made a discovery about, say, the climate of Earth, it would have gone through the same scientific process, but many people would choose to dismiss his conclusions, though they be just as valid scientifically.<br />
<br />
The secton at the end discusses method, including this:<br />
<blockquote>But on occasion those from the fringe of the scientific community will push a position that is simply not credible against the weight of evidence.<br />
<br />
This occurs within any discipline. But it seems it’s only in the field of climate science that such people are given airtime and column inches to espouse their views.<br />
<br />
Those who want to ignore what’s happening to Earth feel they need to be able to quote “alternative studies”, regardless of the scientific merit of those studies.<br />
<br />
In all fields of science, papers are challenged and statistics are debated. If there is any basis to these challenges they stand, but if not they fall by the wayside and the field continues to advance.<br />
<br />
When big theories fall, it isn’t because of business or political pressures – it’s because of the scientific process.</blockquote>At times like this, I hear the echoes of one of my Rhetoric professors, quoting David Hume in his <a href="http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/David_Hume#Of_the_Passions">A Treatise of Human Nature</a>:<br />
<blockquote>Reason is, and ought only to be, the slave of the passions, and can never pretend to any other office than to serve and obey them.</blockquote>In short, we believe what we want to believe. Seems like people are fine with science, as long as it doesn't tell them they need to change their behavior. There is also a link to <a href="http://theconversation.edu.au/whos-your-expert-the-difference-between-peer-review-and-rhetoric-1550">another article</a> on the same site about the value of peer review. That excites considerable discussion.<br />
<br />
By the way, several of the commenters on the "diamond planet" article are quite good. There is a discussion of analogous situations. Find the one about people falling out of planes and believing in gravity. I particularly like <a href="http://theconversation.edu.au/diamond-planets-climate-change-and-the-scientific-method-3329#comment_8501">this add-on</a>:<br />
<blockquote>the variation is the faller who calls out $1000, $5000, $20000, $100000 ...... in the belief that once he price gets high enough, market forces will produce a parachute</blockquote>Indeed. I like the concept of the Free(-Falling) Market.Chardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02566094320816743175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25150148.post-1611997405114459042011-09-02T09:24:00.000-07:002011-09-02T09:24:38.137-07:00Let Your Geek Flag FlyI just saw a link to <a href="http://monstersofgrok.com/">this t-shirt site</a> on <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/">Pharyngula</a>. I've always thought scientists and other great thinkers should get more of the rock-star treatment. Other than a few who have sneaked into the popular culture, like Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking, most are largely unknown outside their field.<br />
<br />
I'm thinking I might need a <a href="http://monstersofgrok.com/design/nielsbohr/">Niels Bohr</a> t-shirt.<br />
<br />
Chardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02566094320816743175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25150148.post-77557935794518130712011-08-10T16:37:00.000-07:002011-08-10T16:37:54.913-07:00Brief Baseball RantOuch. <a href="http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2011_08_10_pitmlb_sfnmlb_1&mode=recap&c_id=sf">Painful loss</a> for my Giants today. Perhaps best summed up in <a href="http://www.mccoveychronicles.com/2011/8/10/2356229/post-game-thread-giants-push-me-closer-to-arena-football-again">this rant</a> from Grant at <a href="http://www.mccoveychronicles.com/">McCovey Chronicles</a>:<br />
<blockquote>I'm through figuring out how to make the lineup better. It's like trying to build a combustion engine out of shredded cheese. Just stop.</blockquote><br />
I would laugh, if I weren't busy crying inside.<br />
<br />
At least tomorrow is an off day. Maybe that will hurt less. I can hope.<br />
<br />
Chardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02566094320816743175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25150148.post-5924400275250063352011-08-09T01:08:00.000-07:002011-08-09T01:08:36.265-07:00Theater OverdoseThis weekend we kind of tested whether it is possible to get too much theater. The venue was the<a href="http://www.osfashland.org/"> Oregon Shakespeare Festival</a>, and this was our second long weekend trip there this summer. Back in June we took the whole family, and we each saw three or four plays over three days. That was pretty nice. This time was a bit more intense. With our daughter away at summer camp, my wife and my mother-in-law and I managed to see six plays in three days.<br />
<br />
The good news is: no problem! We really enjoyed all six plays. The bad news is...um...I guess we got pretty tired. Really, it was quite stunning how good it was. Six good plays.<br />
<br />
We drove up Thursday night after work, and aside from some road work that slowed us down, it was a smooth, easy drive. Arriving about 1:00 am, we decided to sleep late Friday morning, which was fine, as we didn't have anywhere to be until our first play at 1:30 pm.<br />
<br />
Quick breakfast at <a href="http://www.brothersrestaurant.net/">Brothers</a> (with enough leftovers for at least one more breakfast), including very delicious scones, then off to the theater.<br />
<br />
The first play on the docket was "The African Company Presents Richard III," a quite fascinating historical piece about an African-American theater company in New York City in the 1820s, presenting high-quality productions on a shoestring budget and its interactions with some rival, mainstream theaters. Very solid production, thought-provoking and interesting. The character "Papa Shakespeare" was particularly good, especially his scene being a "griot" translator.<br />
<br />
After a tasty dinner at <a href="http://www.taburestaurant.com/">Tabu</a>, we returned to see "Love's Labor's Lost" in the outdoor Elizabethan theater. That was a fun, solid production of one of Shakespeare's earliest plays. One one hand, you can see it's not as polished a script as some of the later works. On the other hand, the word play is rampant, which makes it particularly fun.<br />
<br />
One thing I'm starting to appreciate about OSF is that they are a true repertory company. Not only do they use many of the same actors season after season and for different plays over the course of the season, the schedule is such that an actor may play roles in multiple plays in the same day. There were several who appeared in both of our Friday plays, including Charles Robinson, who had played "Papa Shakespeare" in the afternoon, and then appeared as Sir Nathaniel, the Curate in LLL. With much less makeup in the latter play, I finally recognized him from his role on the TV show "Night Court." Funny guy, and a fine stage actor, which is not always the case for TV actors.<br />
<br />
Saturday we slept in again, then went back to the theater to see "Julius Caesar" in the New Theater, the smallest and most intimate of the OSF venues. This was an extremely cool production, performed in the round (or square, really), with the players rarely leaving the stage, taking seats in or near the audience. It was a very powerful experience, especially since we were in the front row (I think there are only 7-8 rows, anyway). With the actors dressed in contemporary costumes and talking with us before the show started (among other things, Cassius warned us that we were potentially in the "splash zone," but that the fake blood has detergent in it, so it should wash right out), it drew us right in, and with the scenes playing out literally in our faces, and characters sitting right next to us. I admit it's a bit unnerving to have Ceasar's ghost sitting right at my elbow. She (yes, she) was intense.<br />
<br />
I would say that performance was the highlight (among many great experiences) of the weekend.<br />
<br />
Jan went for a massage after the play, and we met up later at the <a href="http://www.calderabrewing.com/">Caldera Tap Room</a> (outstanding beers, rather slow service) for beer, burgers, and sweet potato fries. Then back to the theater for "Measure for Measure." Really good production, cool staging, set in the 1970s. Lucio is portrayed as a jive pimp. And it works.<br />
<br />
Sunday arrives, and we're back to the New Theater for "Ghost Light," a new play that we're also going to see next season at <a href="http://www.berkeleyrep.org/">Berkeley Repertory Theater</a>. It was, in a word, fabulous. It was particularly poignant to those of us who lived through the triggering event and aftermath, and probably more so to those of us who lost our fathers at a young age, too. This is a great, great play, and I look forward to seeing it again.<br />
<br />
And finally, we concluded with "August: Osage County." It's really a tour de force and a marathon. It's disturbing and kind of vicious, and at times hilarious. It takes 3.5 hours and two intermissions, but it was really good.<br />
<br />
So, a few of conclusions at the end of the weekend:<br />
<ul><li>OSF has amazing actors, and this season, some incredible plays. We love going to the theater, but we're usually resigned to the notion that some fragment of the shows we go to will just not click for us. I saw ten shows in Ashland this year, and all were good, and some amazingly so.</li>
<li>Normally at the theater, especially when I'm tired, I find myself glancing at my watch to see how long until the end of the act, play, etc. Not once this weekend, through six plays, did I even think of doing that. In fact, I was generally surprised when intermission arrived, having been so immersed in the play that time had flown by. Similarly, by the end, although I could tell that the plot had been resolved and such, it seemed impossible that I had actually sat through 3+ hours already. That, to me, is a sign of great theater.</li>
<li>Finally, I am forever amazed at the skill and versatility of the actors at OSF. At one point, we realized we'd see the same actor in three consecutive plays, with fairly major roles in two of them. Just amazing.</li>
</ul><br />
As you can tell, we had a great weekend. I have to conclude at this point that with high enough quality plays, I can pretty much sit through as much as the theater will provide. And that summarizes our second weekend at OSF this year. Great stuff. I'd go back in a heartbeat, but will have to wait until next year.Chardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02566094320816743175noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25150148.post-25395548635653452192011-07-21T10:37:00.000-07:002011-07-21T10:37:27.044-07:00New Respect for Old PoliticsI was really impressed by a <a href="http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2011/07/common-sense.html">post by Digby</a> yesterday. In addition to her usual wonderful writing, she quoted a terrific (and amazingly timely) speech by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt from 1936. And like her, I am impressed with FDR's rhetoric:<br />
<blockquote>It's a great speech, filled with all the rhetoric a lot of us would love to hear today.I particularly enjoyed the explanatory pieces, which speak to the people like adults and doesn't use improper metaphors.</blockquote> It's well worth clicking through to the <a href="http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/must-read/fdr-address-at-forbes-field">text of the FDR speech</a>, posted on Michael Moore's site. It's almost incomprehensible that a politician would make such a detailed, comprehensive speech nowadays.<br />
<br />
Digby also had <a href="http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2011/07/simple-creed-that-sums-up-spirit-of.html">a great piece</a> up the previous day, demonstrating how dramatically President Obama's rhetoric today has changed from that of Candidate Obama, circa 2008:<br />
<blockquote>What's wrong with his commentary is his telling those young people that they should see his argument as a template for their own role as engaged citizens. I can't think of anything more antithetical to his message in 2008 than "don't set up a situation where you're guaranteed to be disappointed." It's actually rather stunning. <br />
<br />
And it's completely wrong in terms of the role of average citizens (and especially young activists) in the political process. They are <span style="font-style: italic;">supposed</span> to push for what they believe in with passion and single minded commitment. They shouldn't worry about "what can pass" congress or the limits of the political process. That's the job of politicians and political hacks. </blockquote> As a former political hack, I certainly understand the need to formulate a policy that can actually be adopted and accomplish something, and I understand that incrementalism is sometimes a necessary approach to long-term problem solving.<br />
<br />
But now as an outsider, an average citizen, I also understand the importance of differing and even extreme positions. After all, if only one side in a debate takes an extreme position, that moves the "center," or the range of possible compromises, in that side's directions.<br />
<br />
It's been really interesting (in an abstract sense) to watch what used to be extremist, far-out positions espoused by the likes of Newt Gingrich in the 1980s become a consensus position within his party, while simultaneously decrying anything other than the mainstream, corporatist pablum as extremist, socialist, communist, and so on. By deligitimizing positions that were until recently quite commonplace, they continue to move the center of the debate farther to the right.<br />
<br />
As a former congressional staffer and Washingtonian, I read with interest <a href="http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/07/19/worst_congress_ever?page=0,0">an article</a> by Congress scholar Norman Ornstein today called "Worst. Congress. Ever.":<br />
<blockquote>When I came to Washington in 1969, for example, the city was riven with division and antagonism over the Vietnam War, which segued into the impeachment of a president, followed by many other difficult and contentious moments. In this case, though, Carvey's old man would be right: The hard reality is that for all their rancor, those times were more functional, or at least considerably less dysfunctional, than what we face with Congress today. </blockquote>Ornstein contends that both major political parties have become more homogeneous and that their ideologies no longer overlap: they are more partisan. Although I agree to an extent, and certainly concur that on the whole, the Republicans today sit far to the right of the party of 40 years ago, I find it arguable at best to say that the Democrats as a whole, even minus the "Boll Weevils" and "Blue Dogs" who have largely crossed the aisle and fit solidly into the mainstream of the new Republican party, have become more liberal. Indeed, despite the defection of the more conservative members, the stances represented by the current crop of Democrats largely fall to the right of the mainstream of the mid-late 20th century.<br />
<br />
Although I agree that the environment is more partisan, it is also quite clear that the center of the debate has moved considerably to the right. It's harder to get anything done, but what gets done is very, very different than it used to be.<br />
<br />
Maybe if we had politicians willing to talk sense to us, that would be different.Chardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02566094320816743175noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25150148.post-89772867058495604282011-07-19T09:37:00.000-07:002011-07-19T09:37:44.735-07:00Politics as Cargo CultI think <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/talk/comment/2011/07/25/110725taco_talk_packer#ixzz1SUepDs1k">this</a> (unfortunately) catches a lot of the dynamics of the moment:<br />
<blockquote>President Obama, responsibly acceding to the reality of divided government, is now the leading champion of fiscal austerity, and his proposals contain very little in the way of job creation. More important, he no longer uses his office’s most powerful tool, rhetorical suasion, to keep the country focussed on the continued need for government activism. His opponents’ approach to job creation is that of a cargo cult—just keep repeating “tax cuts”—even though the economic evidence of the past three decades refutes such magical thinking. What does either side have to offer the tens of millions of Americans who have settled into a semi-permanent state of economic depression? Virtually nothing.</blockquote> I wasn't in Washington or politics very long, but at least we had some notion that we were <i>doing something</i>. The current clashes of ideologies just seem like so much pointless theater. Sound and fury, etc.Chardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02566094320816743175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25150148.post-70816867297886453292011-07-01T15:11:00.000-07:002011-07-01T15:11:32.110-07:00Stories That Must Be ToldYou just never know what will prompt me to blog. I've been meaning to, really, and even had posts composed in my head, but no.<br />
<br />
Then my friend (known to some of you as "DenDen") pointed me to <a href="http://thebloggess.com/2011/06/and-thats-why-you-should-learn-to-pick-your-battles/">this story</a>.<br />
<blockquote>me: The 5-foot tall one was $300, marked down to $100. That’s like, $200 worth of chicken for free. <br />
<br />
Laura: You’d be crazy not to buy that. I mean, look at it. IT’S FULL OF WHIMSY.</blockquote>I'm still chuckling. Some of the comments are wonderful, too.Chardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02566094320816743175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25150148.post-57452088685015246352011-03-31T16:32:00.000-07:002011-03-31T16:32:05.400-07:00Arguably the Happiest Day of the YearYes, it's that most magical of days: Opening Day. Baseball begins again in earnest. The games count. The weather (here) is awesome, all is right with the world.<br />
<br />
One of my colleagues pointed me to a <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2011/03/31/135010579/opening-day-the-messy-love-triangle-of-baseball-truth-and-beauty?ft=1&f=1001">good blog post</a> from NPR about the feuding "schools" of baseball fans:<br />
<blockquote>In short, there is, at this point in history, an entirely unnecessary conflict between people who supposedly appreciate the art/ballet/magic/wizardry/magic-8-ball qualities of baseball and people who supposedly only like the boring/nerdy/soulless/drained-of-life qualities of baseball.</blockquote> I think that sums it up nicely, and unsurprisingly, I find myself with at least one foot planted firmly in each camp. There is (and ought to be) more than one way to appreciate and enjoy anything, including baseball. I love being able to crunch numbers (or ponder the numbers others have crunched) to try to understand the game a bit more. But I also love to sit out on a sunny day with an adult beverage, an unhealthy meal, and a child's wonder to watch players do things I could only ever dream of.<br />
<br />
I'm sure the same is true of opera (maybe without hot dogs and nachos, but still) and many other endeavors. There is technical appreciation and aesthetic joy, and sometimes a blend of the two. I doubt there are enough fans of either sort (for either baseball or opera) to sustain the enterprise. These exhibitions have to appeal to a broad base of patrons to exist. And that's a good thing.<br />
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The NPR piece refers to the (sadly, defunct) blog <a href="http://www.firejoemorgan.com/">Fire Joe Morgan</a>, which I used to read all the time (and I still link to it over on the right!). I read it because it was interesting. I read it because it was funny. And I read it because it helped me to develop my own understanding and appreciation of baseball. I laughed. I kept reading. Much like I keep going to baseball games and talking with all sorts of different fans. It's fun. I like it.<br />
<br />
I realize I haven't gotten around to writing about my trip to Spring Training this year. It was great. I will have to do that. Not only did I get to see <a href="http://www.sfgiants.com/">my favorite team</a> several times, I also got to see ballgames just for the fun of it, games I had no real rooting interest in. And it was joyous.<br />
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So today, we get to say it for real: "Play ball!"<br />
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Oh, and we get to say, for at least the next six months or so, "Ladies and gentlemen, the 2010 World Series Champions, your San Francisco Giants!" Can't get enough of that.Chardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02566094320816743175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25150148.post-71335180323610207382011-03-23T16:39:00.000-07:002011-03-23T16:39:44.819-07:00Yet Another New FirefoxI upgraded my browser yesterday to <a href="http://www.mozilla.org/firefox/">Firefox 4</a>, and I have to say that in general I'm quite pleased with it. New features, fast, etc.<br />
<br />
As with the <a href="http://metaplasmus.blogspot.com/2009/06/new-firefox-with-personal-twist.html">Firefox 3.5 upgrade</a> a couple of years ago, Mozilla has a <a href="http://glow.mozilla.org/">cool page</a> to monitor the downloads worldwide, and once again, it is powered under the covers by my company, <a href="http://www.sqlstream.com/">SQLstream</a>.<br />
<br />
In case you feel like learning how we do our part of the magic, one of my coworkers has written a very good <a href="http://www.sqlstream.com/blog/2011/03/sqlstream-and-mozilla-firefox-4-a-look-at-the-sql-behind-the-scene/">explanation</a> of how it works. Yay!Chardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02566094320816743175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25150148.post-3699730571325787112011-02-22T09:09:00.000-08:002011-02-22T09:09:06.641-08:00Words Fail MeSix months. Really.<br />
<br />
It has come to my attention, via some of my throng of loyal followers, that I haven't posted anything for six months. Is it possible that I have seen nothing interesting that I wanted to share? That I've done nothing and been nowhere and simply have nothing to say?<br />
<br />
As I look back at the limited posting I did last year, it's clear to me that I was not in a good place, posting-wise. Truly, 2010 was a pretty awful year for me. Indeed, had it not been for my <a href="http://www.sfgiants.com/">San Francisco Giants</a> winning the World Series (I managed to not blog about that...amazing!), I would happily wipe the whole year from my memory.<br />
<br />
I meant to write about things, really. But I didn't.<br />
<br />
So what happened? Lots. Most of which you don't want to hear about, and I don't care to write about (school turmoil, home remodeling, busy at work, child-care fun). You know...life. No big deal. But what really sucked the words out of me was this: my mom died. Indeed, I was managing to maintain my meager blogging efforts for the year right up to the point that Mom died. And then, nothing. My last blog post was on August 6th. Mom passed away on August 22nd, and then...nothing.<br />
<br />
Sure, there was a lot going on: planning and executing memorial services, clearing the apartment, tidying up financial matters. That takes some time. But surely I could eke out a few moments to write something. Couldn't I?<br />
<br />
Apparently not.<br />
<br />
So when someone pointed out that it's been six months, and I really should write something, I spent some time pondering just why I have not been writing. I've decided to pin it on my mother. I don't <i>blame</i> her, but she's responsible.<br />
<br />
You see, whatever I am as a writer I can pretty much attribute to my mother. She was a teacher, primarily of English, and particularly of writing. She instilled and nurtured in me a love of stories, of books, of libraries, of language. For a time I even worked as a writer and editor, pretty much entirely because she gave me the idea.<br />
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So I suppose it's ironic that she probably never read my blog, and probably wasn't even aware that I was writing one. I'm not even clear that she knew what a blog is. But no matter. What's sneaked into my consciousness is that at some level, I associate writing with my mother, much as I associate my day job (programming) with my dad. My parents represent very well the yin and yang of my existence, and I think losing Mom caused me to lose touch with that aspect of myself for a bit. At some level, even though she wasn't reading my writing, it appears I was writing for her, and without her there, I just didn't write.<br />
<br />
Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe there is something else I'm missing. I suppose I'll figure that out. In any case, it's kind of nice to be writing again.<br />
<br />
Thanks for the push. I hope I find something worthwhile to write about. I know I will have some words about Mom and Parkinson's Disease (oh, boy...you thought I went on about cancer!). But that's later. Right now, it's just worth it to break the ice, let you know I still exist, and get one post under my belt. More will follow.Chardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02566094320816743175noreply@blogger.com0