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Sharing That Cup of Joe With OpenPen

I added my first post today to the East TN group blog OpenPen and I hope you'll go there and read it and explore some of the other writings there as well. I wrote a short bit about the East TN Republican Who Gets No Respect.

Of course, I noticed after I had posted it that another writer, Solon, had written already about the East TN Republican Who Gets No Respect and the comments he made about the new law allowing for guns in more places.

Folks who can legally tote their guns with them are in sizeable numbers in Tennessee anyway. Though I wonder - we will soon see signs at businesses which read No Shirt, No Shoes, No Gun, No Service?

R. Neal at KnoxViews has some thoughts on the new law today as well.

Camera Obscura: True Blood Meets Bob Dylan;The Banal Vampire Diaries; New Sherlock Holmes Trailer; Goodbye David Carradine

Time again to delve into the strange world of movies and stories which fascinate me and many other movie fans. The weak-hearted might want to skip past this one.

It bugs me when I see news and magazine reports making the statement that "zombies are the new vampires". The two monsters are forever separate creatures, and while the popularity of one may rise (from the dead) and the other may fall, they remain two iconic forms of cinematic (and often literary) fear which have been invited into the homes and theaters of America and the world.

The share one similarity - humans are here only as a form of sustenance. That perhaps is why they endure as those truly nasty fears we seldom can shake away. And in my opinion, vampires are on the upside of fame these days - though zombies are close behind, always drawing near to haunt and chew on our thoughts.

On June 14th, the excellent HBO series "True Blood" returns for another season and I say hooray for that. The show is an eclectic mix of horror and satire, the acting is top-notch, and the twists and turns of the story always surprise (and get pretty steamy too). In a nutshell, the heroine of the tale, one Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), is a small town Louisiana gal who has the relentless burden of being able to read the thoughts of others. And she sort of has a boyfriend, known as Vampire Bill, who turned vamp during the Civil War and has a rather charming Southern politeness to his ravenous nature. Also, America and the world, have been given notice that vampires are real and are here to stay - demanding equal rights, since they have this nifty new chemical-based beverage called TruBlood which slakes their thirst for human blood. Of course, some vamps, known as Mainstreamers, are trying to blend into the normal world while other vamps denounce such efforts as cowardly. (Is a vamp war ahead? Or is this whole mainstream deal a massive hoax?)

As I suspected while watching the first season, there are far more supernatural oddities afoot in the Louisiana town of Bon Temps. Every character has secrets - some sad and some far more sinister. More of that will be revealed in the upcoming season. Nothing is what it seems - even drug dealers in the town sell vials of vamp blood to get high on and of course a newly created religious group has formed to battle the notion of equal rights for vamps and they are likewise dangerous creatures.

Catch up on the first season, now on DVD and get ready for a compelling and most unusual series. How many other vampire tales can promo their show with a tune by Bob Dylan?



On the more banal side of vampire tales is a new series being pushed on the CW Network (itself a hellish hybrid of the WB and UPN). Based on a series of books by LJ Smith, the series is called "Vampire Diaries" and is set in a high school -- this ain't Buffy, folks. Think Dawson's Creek meets Twilight. Or think The Mediocre Meets Hormonal Hijinks. Here's the web site, which says a popular high school gal falls for a new-kid-in-town vampire who happens to have an evil brother and they fight over the girl and the town in a ..... yawn. Sorry, I just lost all desire to even care to watch this. Hey, maybe they could have called it "Dawson's Hellmouth".

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OTHER MOVIE NEWS:

Thank goodness director Brett Ratner got the boot as director of a new live-action Conan The Barbarian movie. The new director (rumor) is one James McTeigue, who directed "V For Vendetta" and this fall's "Ninja Assassin" (scripted by J. Michael Stracynski). Of course, this is about the tenth attempt at a new Conan adventure in the last 4 years, so it's all guesswork at this point. Previously, Robert Rodriguez was slated to take the project, but he decided to produce a new movie based on another character created by the mighty Robert E. Howard, "Red Sonja", starring his girlfriend Rose McGowan -- whoops, make that his ex-girlfriend and place that movie in Limbo.

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A new trailer has arrived for the new Sherlock Holmes movie and -- well, just take a peek:


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Finally, a farewell to the late David Carradine.

I grew up watching his original "Kung Fu" series, which was the ultimate revision of those seemingly endless years of bad TV Westerns. He had no gun, no ranch to protect, no outlaws to hunt down, no card games to scam. The show made him more than famous and he re-invented the series a few times in later years, but was never near as good as the original.

His movies earned him the chance to work with Martin Scorsese ("Boxcar Bertha", "Mean Streets"), Robert Altman ("The Long Goodbye"), Hal Ashby ("Bound For Glory"), Walter Hill ("The Long Riders") and he made tons of cult films like "Death Race 2000", "Cannonball", "Circle of Iron", and countless others, including the upcoming summer horror film "Autumn" (and about 6 others still in production).

And of course, no one other than Carradine could have made the kind of Bill he made in "Kill Bill Volumes One and Two." His speech near the end of Vol. 2 about Superman is simply brilliant.

He could be a very difficult and obtuse performer. Back in March of this year, he attended a screening of "Bound For Glory", a film wherein he played the iconic Woody Guthrie. The evening was turned upside down, to say the least, by his odd behavior. Writer Chris Williams said of that night:

"Not since I saw Bill Irwin and Kathleen Turner go at each other in an excellent production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? a couple of years ago have I experienced a night of live theater quite as riveting as the three-way cage match between David Carradine, Haskell Wexler, and the audience the other night following an American Cinematheque screening. I keep alluding to what a nerve-wracking, weird and wonderful night this was, and I've gotten asked to go into detail about how the proceedings unfolded, or unraveled."


The full account of that evening is here.

Here is an interview with him from 2007 on the John Kerwin show, which includes a short clip which had been cut from "Kill Bill". And as always, David always knew how to surprise an audience.

TN Tops In Depression, But There's Free Donuts On Friday

A new federal report cites Tennessee as having the highest rate of people who have had depression episodes in the past year:

"The report, released Thursday, listed 9.8 percent of Tennesseans age 18 and older had such an occurrence. Hawaii had the lowest, 5.0 percent.

The report was developed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration based on 2006 and 2007 surveys on drug use and health. The agency is within the Department of Health and Human Services.

Tennessee also ranked high in some other categories, including tobacco use and use of illicit drugs other than marijuana."

But, there is some good news today too (not to dismiss the debilitating effects of the previously mentioned conditions).

Friday is Free Donut Day at Krispy Kreme and Dunkin Donuts.

These are indeed tough days we live in. Perhaps if we can just learn to manage to good days and the bad days with a bit more perspective .... maybe things could improve. I for one think we should have a monthly free donut day.

Grim Realities: The Murder of Dr.George Tiller

Most American see much more to the tragic murder of Dr. Tiller, and how he and his staff had to endure some coordinated attacks for so very long as attacks which certainly appear to be very organized.

Hilzoy's post on Washington Monthly outlines the constant effort to create fear and intimidation:

"Here's an article on the kinds of things other than assassination attempts, vandalism, and break-ins that Dr. Tiller and his staff have had to endure for years. It's about Troy Newman, the head of Operation Rescue (once Operation Rescue West; the group split), who moved to Wichita in order to shut George Tiller's clinic down:

"There's only one problem: Tiller is a hard man to find, let alone intimidate. After more than a decade as one of the anti-abortion movement's favorite targets, he keeps a low profile, drives an armored car and lives in a gated community in a house with a state-of-the-art security system. More pointedly, he has made it clear that he's not susceptible to scare tactics. In 1993, Tiller was shot in both arms by an anti-abortion protester. He returned to work the next day.

Newman is well aware of Tiller's resilience. That's why Operation Rescue is going after clinic workers like Sara Phares. The employees have no guards posted at their homes, no cameras monitoring their yards. If Newman can provoke enough of them to quit, his job will be done. He'll effectively shut Tiller down."

Here's how he tries to get them to quit. Sarah Phares is an administrative assistant at the clinic:

"A week later, hundreds of Phares' neighbors received an anonymous postcard of a mangled fetus. This is abortion! read the big block letters. "Your neighbor Sara Phares participates in killing babies like these." The postcard implored them to call Phares, whose phone number and address were provided, and voice their opposition to her work at the clinic. Another card soon followed. It referred to Phares as "Miss I Help to Kill Little Babies" and suggested, in an erratic typeface that recalled a kidnapper's ransom note, that neighbors "beg her to quit, pretty please." The third postcard dispensed entirely with pleasantries: "Sara Phares is not to be trusted! Tell her to get a life!" (...)

Before long, protesters from Operation Rescue showed up at her house. They parked a tractor-trailer across the street, plastered with twenty-foot-long images of dismembered fetuses. From its speakers came the kind of sweet, tinkling music that lures children from their back yards in pursuit of Dreamsicles. One protester, a somber man in a tan windbreaker with a three-foot crucifix thrust before him, performed an exorcism on Phares' front lawn, sprinkling holy water on the grass to cast demons from the property. Phares, a small-boned woman with an irreverent sense of humor, joked about the exorcism. "Wish he'd held off on that holy water till after we'd put the fertilizer down," she said. But her husband wasn't amused. Since 1994, there have been five assassination attempts on abortion providers at their homes. A few days after the protest, Phares' husband got out his revolver, loaded it and taught Sara how to use it. (...)

After a brief prayer asking that Phares hear their message of "gentle rebuke," everyone caravans over to her neighborhood, five cars plastered with bumper stickers condemning abortion and extolling the Ten Commandments. Bringing up the rear is the Truth Truck. For maximum exposure, they stop on a busy street that funnels traffic toward the cul-de-sac where Phares lives. It's a treeless neighborhood, its fresh brick apartment complexes christened with optimistic names such as Cedar Lakes. The protesters display their signs for passing cars. "Phares' Choice," one proclaims, over a picture of tiny, bloody body parts. Another reads, "Sarah Phares, Abortion Profiteer," misspelling her name and giving her address. The image on Jeff Herzog's sign is particularly disturbing: a fetus being grabbed by forceps, its mouth open in a Munchian scream."

And:

"Newman and his small staff of zealous pro-lifers are buzzing with the news that the clinic's office manager has quit -- a result, they believe, of their name-and-shame campaign. The manager had been accosted by a neighbor in a grocery store who recognized her from an Operation Rescue flier that featured her photo. "You're that baby killer!" the neighbor screamed at her. Then Newman, through investigative methods he'd rather not reveal, discovered where the woman's husband works. "We think that's what clinched it," he says. "He probably realized we were going to picket his workplace. I imagine he's the major breadwinner in the family, and he didn't want to risk his job.""

If you read the whole story, you can find out how Newman threatened the Tillers' dry cleaner and a cab company that sometimes took patients to and from the clinic:

"Newman then tells him, in the most courteous tone imaginable, that he might see a few people outside the company holding signs. Just to let everybody know what he's participating in. "It's not personal," Newman says gently."

They also go through employees' trash, and offer rewards for incriminating information. They stop children on sidewalks and tell them their neighbors kill little babies.

Scott Roeder, who seems to be the suspect in Tiller's murder, posted on Operation Rescue's website. Operation Rescue has denounced the murder. They write:

"We are shocked at this morning's disturbing news that Mr. Tiller was gunned down. Operation Rescue has worked for years through peaceful, legal means, and through the proper channels to see him brought to justice. We denounce vigilantism and the cowardly act that took place this morning. We pray for Mr. Tiller's family that they will find comfort and healing that can only be found in Jesus Christ."

I just thought it would be useful to clarify exactly which "peaceful, legal means" they had used, and what Dr. Tiller and his staff had had to live with.

I am strongly pro-choice, but I think it is perfectly possible to be opposed to abortion on principled grounds, and I think that it would be an enormous mistake to conflate all people who are opposed to abortions with either Dr. Tiller's killer or the likes of Operation Rescue. That said, large elements of the anti-abortion movement have never done nearly enough to distance themselves from the violent and/or crazy parts of their movement. I hope they start to now.

Since Tiller himself was shot in 1994 and his clinic bombed in the 1980s, the hatred and anger they endured was quite constant.

Following the murder, co-founder of the so-called Operation Rescue, Randall Terry offered the following editorial, in which he wrote:

"If abortionists were gunned down every week, it would gather no more attention than crack dealers who are gunned down every week."

What is a 'Pringle'? A Chip or Not A Chip?

The Supreme Court of Judicature in Britain has ruled on the legal question of "Is a Pringle a potato chip?

"With citations ranging from Baroness Hale of Richmond to Oliver Wendell Holmes, Lord Justice Robin Jacob concluded that, legally, it is a potato chip.

The decision is bad news for Procter & Gamble U.K., which now owes $160 million in taxes. It is good news for Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs — and for fans of no-nonsense legal opinions. It is also a reminder, as conservatives begin attacking Judge Sonia Sotomayor for not being a “strict constructionist,” of the pointlessness of labels like that.

In Britain, most foods are exempt from the value-added tax, but potato chips — known as crisps — and “similar products made from the potato, or from potato flour,” are taxable. Procter & Gamble, in what could be considered a plea for strict construction, argued that Pringles — which are about 40 percent potato flour, but also contain corn, rice and wheat — should not be considered potato chips or “similar products.” Rather, they are “savory snacks.”

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"The Supreme Court of Judicature had little patience with Procter & Gamble’s lawyerly attempts to break out of the potato chip category. The company argued that to be “made of potato” Pringles would have to be all potato, or nearly so. If so, Lord Justice Jacob noted, “a marmalade made using both oranges and grapefruit would be made of neither — a nonsense conclusion.” He was even more dismissive of Procter & Gamble’s argument that to be taxable a product must contain enough potato to have the quality of “potatoness.” This “Aristotelian question” of whether a product has the “essence of potato,” he insisted, simply cannot be answered."

This is what courts are for, I suppose.

But no Pringle I have ever munched upon ever reached the level of potato chip, according to my taste buds.

SEE ALSO: The patent on Pringles.

The 9/11 Trauma Defense

In recent weeks, former Bush administration officials have trotted out a feeble defense of the actions they took and supported to create national policy -- policy which has brought much failure -- which Richard Clarke calls the 9-11 Trauma defense and he knocks it all down in today's op-ed piece in The Washington Post.

"I have little sympathy for this argument. Yes, we went for days with little sleep, and we all assumed that more attacks were coming. But the decisions that Bush officials made in the following months and years -- on Iraq, on detentions, on interrogations, on wiretapping -- were not appropriate. Careful analysis could have replaced the impulse to break all the rules, even more so because the Sept. 11 attacks, though horrifying, should not have surprised senior officials. Cheney's admission that 9/11 caused him to reassess the threats to the nation only underscores how, for months, top officials had ignored warnings from the CIA and the NSC staff that urgent action was needed to preempt a major al-Qaeda attack.

Thus, when Bush's inner circle first really came to grips with the threat of terrorism, they did so in a state of shock -- a bad state in which to develop a coherent response. Fearful of new attacks, they authorized the most extreme measures available, without assessing whether they were really a good idea."

Read the whole thing here.

Chasing The Cheese - A Legislative Alternative

The decision-making process in Tennessee government is riddled with partisan bickering and it has always been so. Perhaps we can devise a more competitive method, free from political party labels, to decide the outcome of proposed legislation. A cheese race, for instance.

Taking a cue from the annual Cooper's Hill Cheese Rolling competition in Gloucestershire, U.K., we poise legislators at the top of an incredibly steep hill, roll off an 8-pound wheel of cheese (Volunteer Jack, maybe?) and whoever gets down the hill first to the cheese will get their legislative bill passed. Such competition would surely decrease the number of bills submitted (usually more than 2,500 bills get filed), rely more on the physical prowess and desire of legislators, and be much more entertaining to watch.

The 2009 Cooper's Hill Cheese Rolling event, held this past Monday, offers a preview of what might happen should we adopt this legislative method in Tennessee:

Shooting Blanks at Obama's Court Nominee

So far, the GOP and their cheerleaders have come up with lame arguments opposing Judge Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the Supreme Court (such as "her name sounds funny"). Court watchers have a more tempered look at her qualifications:

"Objectively, her qualifications are overwhelming from the perspective of ordinary Americans. She has been a prosecutor, private litigator, trial judge, and appellate judge. No one currently on the Court has that complete package of experience."

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"The objective evidence is that Sotomayor is in fact extremely intelligent. Graduating at the top of the class at Princeton is a signal accomplishment. Her opinions are thorough, well-reasoned, and clearly written. Nothing suggests she isn’t the match of the other Justices."


More here at the SCOTUS blog.

Turning Interrogation Into Revenge

Despite the cranky defensive opinions of a neutered Vice President, the fact remains crystal clear - waterboarding is torture. One person who scoffed at calling it torture no longer scoffs:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

And it is far different to undergo this torture while safe in a radio studio surrounded by people who are taking orders from you. To be forced to endure this torture hundreds of times -- such intensive effort can only be called "revenge".

Federal Law Needed to Repair Your Own Car?

Does our nation need a new federal law so individuals can repair their own car?

Yes, say advocates of the Right To Repair Act of 2009 (HR 2057). Increasingly computerized engine components make it almost impossible for a car owner or a non-dealer-controlled repair shop to work on a car. In years past, anyone could purchase a book on almost all models and makes of cars and trucks, use their own tools and make repairs, or mechanics with independent shops could be selected to do the repairs. Not so with late-model cars.

The legislation was first introduced in 2001, but heavy lobbying from auto makers has killed the proposal. Once again, the bill has been filed and supporters are organizing online, via Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to spread their message.

Former congressman Bob Barr, along with Ralph Nader called for support of the bill last week:

"The most important thing the right-to-repair legislation does would be to require that car manufacturers make the tools and diagnostic information needed to repair their vehicles available to independent repair shops, on the same basis as to their dealer-operated shops. (The legislation expressly protects manufacturer trade secrets from public disclosure.) Its enactment would be a win for small business and for consumers at a time when both need a boost.

Why, then, has the bill failed earlier to win enactment, even though a more limited version of the legislation - relating to emissions-related systems - was passed nearly 20 years ago as part of the Clean Air Act amendments? Clearly, it's not because a significant majority of Americans do not prefer the freedom to have their car repaired at a business of their choice, including independent repair shops. More than 80 percent of younger drivers (those ages 18 to 34) favor such legislation, while older drivers favor it by a better than 70 percent margin, according to research by the Tarrance Group and Lake Research Partners."

Another group which first organized in 2000, the National Automotive Service Task Force, has been working with independent repair shops, car owners and some auto manufacturers to collect and share information and tools needed for repairs:

"The National Automotive Service Task Force is a not-for-profit, no-dues task force established to facilitate the identification and correction of gaps in the availability and accessibility of automotive service information, service training, diagnostic tools and equipment, and communications for the benefit of automotive service professionals. NASTF is a voluntary, cooperative effort among the automotive service industry, the equipment and tool industry, and automotive manufacturers."

The NASTF also offers a directory of info on how much information and what tools auto makers are making available and which independent repair shops are likewise supported.

Since auto makers have begged for taxpayer support of their floundering industry, we should also require such aid to ensure a long-held right of vehicle owners: to repair our own cars.

Spy Theme Songs

Wrangling some music onto this page has always been of keen interest, though as I noted earlier, all the posts from the past which included playlists of songs via Seeqpod are all dead links, since Seeqpod has gone into bankruptcy.

So I've been rooting around for other music players I could embed you for your enjoyment and have decided to go with Grooveshark. Their site is pretty comprehensive with a vast library of tunes plus you can upload your own, make playlists and so on.

I had a whole different set of tunes to go for today, then for some reason I got some music from old spy movies and TV shows in my head, so this playlist is all Spy-filled. Jazz bands, stabbing horns, ethereal lyrics and melodies all swirl together in spy music. We'll start with the great guitars of The Hellecasters doing the Inspector Gadget theme (shut up, it's a great tune) and move through a whole range of TV and movie spy songs. (And some private eye tunes too.)

Camera Obscura: Tarantino Tackles WW2; David Lynch's 121-Webisode Project Launches

I sadly found the music service I've used in the past here to embed music on my blog, Seeqpod, has gone dark, due to lawsuits, and it may return as a Microsoft entity, but until then all those musical links I had included are just dead links.

I roamed about some looking for new embeddable music players which would play songs I select and have had hit or miss success. The bottom line is plans this week and today to place music on this page have all met with failure. Or ran smack into my low threshold for frustration, with the result of No Music On The Blog Today. But I'll gather up some fortitude and try again in coming days. Maybe.

On to what matters - Movies.

The 62st Annual Cannes Film Festival is now underway and as always, notable movies are rolling out alongside the pitching and selling of movies of dubious qualities. One movie I'm already drooling to see is Quentin Tarantino's "Inglorius Basterds", a fanciful World War 2 movie with Brad Pitt leading a squad of Jewish American soldiers who alter the very history of today. Cinematical has a great roundup of critical praise (and disappointment) of the movie and a stack of clips from the movie.

The movie includes his eclectic musical cues - David Bowie and Ennio Morricone - as his squad ultimately sabotages the entire Third Reich with a style most critics agree is World War 2 as a Spaghetti Western (and I love the trailer for the movie). The movie opens in the US in August 21.

Another movie generating lots of press, boos, and some praise is the psychosexual madness of Lars Von Trier's "Antichrist". Centered on a couple grieving the death of their son, it includes some fairly outrageous scenes of mutilation and heaps of weirdness. Trier says he was deeply depressed at the time he made the movie, but perhaps his next movie will find him feeling chipper (I doubt it.)


The official Cannes Festival web site includes a top-to-bottom primer on the French New Wave movement of the 50s and beyond and how it has influenced "alternative cinema" ever since. In other words, it is a celebration of how French films are "incroyable" and "au delà de comparez", n'est-ce-pas?

In online movie news, director David Lynch is launching a year-long film project called "Interview Project", a 121-episode of web-only segments. The mini-movies will be released every few days from June to June of next year offering up interviews from people all across the nation.

A very interesting sample these interviews is offered at EW and it is well worth the time to view. Also, sign up for email notices of the project here at the official web site for "Interview Project".

Fingerprints For Traffic Tickets?

Are we a nation of criminals, guilty until proven innocent?

The trends nationwide - and here in Tennessee - are more and more often pointing to "Yes".

For now, a new proposal which would allow for Tennesseans who get traffic citations to be fingerprinted is on hold until it comes up for a vote again next Thursday. This news means Sen. Joe Haynes knew there would not be enough votes to pass this bill ... today.

But police seem to want this law passed. They want new electronic ticketing equipment, they say, and hey, only someone guilty of something could be opposed to such a procedure, right?

" ... the ones who were most worried about it were likely the ones who were doing something wrong ... " (link)

Some communities already require this - and there are host of state-required licenses which demand fingerprints, such as optometrists in Texas and dentists in Tennessee. A new law in Chicago requires a fingerprint from someone who wants to sell their home, another law will require fingerprints in San Diego for those who skateboard. (In Tennessee, a law requiring a fingerprint to purchase a gun, however, has been eliminated.)

Arguments are constantly offered that such requirements prevent crimes, catch criminals, offer security, affect only those guilty, etc etc.

If fingerprints are the best way to catch a criminal or prevent a crime, then let's use technology and jump ahead a few years -- let's just require a DNA identification be created at your birth, an ID which will be kept in databases (never to be abused or misused, noooo). And if anyone ever gets a ticket or is arrested (not convicted, just arrested) or wants a job in real estate or dentistry or teaching or buying a car or using a parking garage, then they must be implanted with a tracking chip so we can keep tabs on them. Just in case.

Since our nation requires fingerprints now for so many jobs and transactions, why, we should already be safe as safe can be. And if these programs have not made everything perfectly safe, then more security, more demands must be placed on you, all of you, since none of you are to be trusted.

Legislature OKs Bill To Limit Rights in Tennessee

Sad to see the state pushing forward with plans to amend the state constitution and limit the rights of women. Worse, to see my own representative, John Litz of Morristown, vote for this needless amendment. (SJR127).

If it is approved in the next legislative session, it will be a weird item on the ballot in 2014 for state voters - how will the proposal be presented to voters? Most likely, given the recent sweeping changes to county election commissions turning them into Republican-led offices, it will be presented incorrectly and will continue to politicize legal abortions as heinous crimes. And aiming cultural fire at a woman's right to chose and the state's duty to protect those rights - that was surely the goal here.

Using this bill to howl and proclaim a moral high ground is a sham.

There's this bit from SJR127 I find quite interesting: "the people retain the right through their elected state representatives and state senators to enact, amend, or repeal statutes ..."

That seems in conflict with the first sentence of our state constitution, which gives rights to "people" first and no mention of elected officials:

"Sec. 1. That all power is inherent in the people, and all free governments are founded on their authority, and instituted for their peace, safety, and happiness; for the advancement of those ends they have at all times, an unalienable and indefeasible right to alter, reform, or abolish the government in such manner as they may think proper."

Camera Obscura: Star Trek Redux; 'The Road' Trailer; Hollywood at the KMA

Way back in the long-ago times known as my childhood, if you were to visit my home and enter the rooms of either my sister or myself, you'd likely think we were pop culture junkies. Both of us, even back in those long-ago times of television-by-antenna-only and three networks only, dug as deep as we could.

While I had Aurora models of Frankenstein and Creature From the Black Lagoon, my sis had a wall of glossy black and white photos from a wide range of television shows - but the ones I recall most were from a show then being broadcast regularly on NBC called "Star Trek". (I kinda think she had a crush on Chekov.) My somewhat scattered memories of those times include images of a copy of the script for an episode from the second season titled "Assignment: Earth" which she had as well -- I think she had gotten that via the TV studio as well, but my memory may be weak and it may have been sometime later she had that script. Still, she was the first "trekkie" I knew.

(I also have vague memories of a few posters in my room, giant black and white posters of Raquel Welch in that fur bikini from "1 Million Years B.C." and of Steve McQueen astride a motorcycle from "The Great Escape".)

And though I have been way to busy the last week to see the newest "Star Trek" movie/franchise reboot, I know that many friends have seen it and liked it and some have taken their kids to see the movie, which is a pleasant notion, sort of passing the fandom down a generation. But I ran across some behind-the-scenes photos of the original show via MetaFilter which I really like --

Spock and 1965 Buick Riviera

Kirk and a what the heck car is that??

Kirk, Spock and some Space Babes

While many decades and many shows and movies have followed the original show, it's good to know my sis and I were hip long before anyone new Star Trek was hip.

OTHER MOVIE NEWS:

At long last, a trailer for the new movie "The Road", based on Cormac McCarthy's novel. (As noted on Cinematical - "According to Esquire, John Hillcoat's film is (and other reviews have borne this out) as quiet, harrowing, and bleak as the novel is, and may just be "the most important film of the year". Unfortunately, the Weinsteins feel no one will see it unless there's an "explanation" and a hook of kick ass action, even if the film itself lacks the things the trailer sells. But at least you get a glimpse of the real film underneath, which is enough to cause you to choke up.")

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Tonight on TCM, one of the very first ever Summer Blockbuster movies airs - "You Only Live Twice". This was the first James Bond movie to open in summer, back in 1967 and earned over $100 million at the box office. It's got spaceships, ninjas, a killer soundtrack and score, and it is also the only Bond scripted by creator Ian Fleming's longtime friend and fellow writer, Roald Dahl. There would never have been an Austin Powers or The Incredibles without this movie.

And stick around after the second Bond feature, "Diamonds Are Forever", to see the pairing of Sean Connery and a very young Christopher Walken in the very under-rated crime thriller "The Anderson Tapes". The story, told from a perspective of a society under surveillance long before such concepts were considered a daily reality. It's from director Sidney Lumet, with music by Quincy Jones and the film holds up very well today. (Trailer for the movie here.)

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A touring exhibit of classic Hollywood photos is on display now at the Knoxville Museum of Art. Drawn from the archives of the John Kobal Collection, it includes works by George Hurrell, Sincalir Bull, William Mortensen and many many more. The KMA has the exhibit until October, more on the photos is here via John Kobal's site. Some samples?

The Week In Review: Semi-Snarky Edition

There are numerous stories I've been pondering on this week and I am reluctant to just post a sentence or two so instead this is sort of a grab-bag of ideas and thoughts on items making news.

-- Here in East Tennessee, the EPA is now officially overseeing the cleanup of TVA's ash spill disaster in Roane County, using authority given the EPA via the Superfund Act. So, let me get this right: hazardous waste cleanup is needed, but all that coal ash isn't really hazardous waste in a legal sense. The dumping by TVA and the EPA on Roane County is blindingly awful and no end to it is in sight. TVA, and the federal and state officials of Tennessee, all earn a massive FAIL on this disaster response.

-- Also in Tennessee, it's about to get easier to take more guns into more places. Yeah, what a wonderful easing of a troublesome burden. Not enough folks toting guns wherever they go. Whew. (Used right, even a bowl of chili can protect your home and property.)

-- I posted a story this week about the astronaut Michael Massimino making use of the Twitter platform to publish short sentences while on the current NASA shuttle mission for repairs on the Hubble telescope. So far, it's just rather lame and pointless and for me further reduces any importance or value to our space program - a program which has been struggling to find funding and support by the nation and our government.

The shuttle has been mostly a mindless truck-for-hire for the military and the CIA, focused on minor tasks at huge operating costs, which allowed for endless delays in more useful projects in space and with greater scientific value. The Hubble has really been valuable for it's work, true. But the U.S. has really lost the initiative it once had in space exploration. This week, NOVA on PBS aired a special on the shuttle program and the Columbia disaster. I urge you to watch it rather than just read a few words typed onto Twitter.

-- Like a modern-day P.T. Barnum, Donald Trump has been able to make rather minor beauty pageants into a hot topic, thanks to the dim-witted comments of a Miss California winner. Also, I would imagine any career ideas she might have about being a model or actress will bring her into constant contact with gay people, the group of people she spoke so harshly about, so I doubt she'll receive much help from them to look and dress well. And really, this interest on a contest based on superficial looks -- useless.

Back in 1987 while working as a reporter for a local paper, I spent the day with that year's Miss America contest winner, Kellye Cash. I was more impressed she was a distant relative of Johnny Cash than with a Miss America title. But she was pretty and she certainly was a marked departure from the previous scandalized winner Vanessa Williams. But you know, Williams is the one working today as an actress and singer and in the spotlight. Kellye has been in regional theatre and has released a few CDs, but in terms of talent, Williams wins. I liked Kellye (but what is up with that extra E in her name?) and she seemed to be a nice person. But Trump knows, as did Barnum, that it is publicity and a whiff of danger that sells tickets and earns headlines.

As for what Miss California said and it being simply her usage of Freedom of Speech - well, yes, an American can speak their mind on any topic. But the speaker will still be held accountable for what they say.

-- In far more serious matters, the potential for a real U.S. disaster is growing thanks to ever-growing revelations about how torture was used to lead the nation into war in Iraq and how high up in the White House the orders originated, and an ever-growing reality that many in Congress knew what was happening. As I have written here many times before, this aspect of U.S. policy is doing and has done untold damage to the credibility of our country and beliefs. As of yet, we still lack the will and courage to face this horrible issue fully and punish those who made it happen.

Tennessee Picked For Solar Deployment Study

Tennessee is one of six states picked to be in a national Solar Energy Analysis project, in conjunction with The Tennessee Regulatory Agency, the Dept. of Energy and the Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners.

The Tennessee Regulatory Agency says the project will:

"bring together states that are at the beginning stages of establishing renewable energy policies and standards. State utility commissioners and staff will work with National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) analysts to identify and study technological, economic, and regulatory barriers facing solar energy.

"We are extremely happy to be one of the states selected for this very important research project on solar energy," said TRA Chairman Eddie Roberson. "Just as Tennessee was a leader in the development of hydro and nuclear power, our state can play an equally important role in the application of solar energy technologies."

The solar energy resource assessment project will include Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Missouri and Colorado and will be funded by the DOE. Tennessee was one of sixteen states to submit an application which was reviewed by a team of utility and renewable energy experts from around the country."

Kudos to the state for paying attention and applying for a fundamental energy program. Our selection is also likely due to the decision by Hemlock Semiconductor Corp. to invest $1.2 billion in Clarksville,TN building solar panel components. Also, given other recent efforts from the Bredesen administration, it seems one thing his legacy could include would be getting Tennessee heavily invested in alternative energy programs for the nation.

SEE ALSO: An editorial by Brandon Blevins who works in the wind energy programs for SACE; and his recent report on the potential for wind energy development in Tennessee.

Twitter In Space with Astro Mike

Astronaut and Mission Specialist Michael Massimino - aka Astro_Mike - is making Twitter updates as a part of the current shuttle mission (which you can read about right here via NASA).

I wonder how he can type messages out with those gloves on? Is it LOL to be without gravity?

I wonder too if he can resist the temptation to make tweets about Ground Control and Major Tom.

Situation Normal

I had a really fine weekend camp-out with friends, an annual event we all share which has always been one of the finer things in life each time we gather. Threats of severe storms all passed north of us and the weather was bright, the sun warm, and I talked and laughed with friends old and new who were all equally amazed to see me outside, in the daytime even.

As often as I read and learn about the American world today via giant corporate media outlets and spiky independent media outlets and wade into the cultural waters of meta-critics, it's likely far more valuable to me and to others to simply talk with people and spend time with them. Honest people who work hard, who raise their children well, who care about the world, who provide immense amounts of positive energy and support for each other -- all that makes me fortunate indeed to call such people friends.

The lives of folks from all walks of life who do the daily chores, who provide leadership and ideas all stand in stark contrast to the empty preening and pouting of elected officials and media products.

And as sure as the sun rises, when I return again this morning to the media-saturated worlds I again find there's a lot of whining and petty, meaningless howls of derision, apocalyptic moanings, idiocy ad infinitum. Situation normal.

In the real world we all know, for example, that some stunningly large groups of ultra-greedy people tanked our economy and the effects have hurt just about everyone and slurried the paths of working people with serious obstacles. We hope some will be punished, realize that most won't and we struggle to improve our own lives as best we can and hope such greed is gone for a while.

In the real world we all know the sore loser crowd in politics, the same crowd which loudly prophesize evils aplenty if they don't have political control, continue to dwindle away into the usual background hum of negative nonsense, the hateful and the vengeful who would smash all the world in order to make their piece of the world simply look shinier.

In the real world we all know that even on a Mother's Day, mom might have to change some pretty nasty diapers. And she does. And life goes on.