Sneakeasy's Joint

Harry Potter Early Release Scandal Hits Huntington Beach

The search continues, this morning, for the revealers of the fate of Harry Potter,  by Anti-Wizard Moonbats, the other day, in the quiet seaside community of Huntington Beach, CA..

The latest Book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was set for release at local bookstores at midnight tonite, and it remains to be seen see if Earth people were civilized, and intelligent enough, to handle its revelations.

"I know that people are going to be very annoyed with who-ever it was that revealed the plotline, but jeez, people, get a life! " said 60 year old Granma, Mrs. Mugglesworth. "I can't go anywhere near a bookstore, or a Multi-Plex due to the whole world going Potty over Potter."

"We believe that he, she, um, whoever revealed the facts, is possibly jealous that so many people gots the hots for J. K. Rowling, and not their works," said Chief Investigator Jeri Dalts, of Huntington Beach PD. "The fact that this crime is still unsolved is terrible for the cause of Literary Outreach in our city, and the world, as the Summer Reading Season heats up."

Though a clue was found on the grounds of nearby Goldenwest College, investigators remain clueless, with no way of identifing the perpetrator.

"I've seen book, and movie frenzies, like this before," said Mrs. Mugglesworth. "Of course I've always tried to just ignore it, and was always successful. Until this month."

According to experts such tragic behavior, surrounding the publication of a book, occurs with disturbing regularity. "It's an ancient risk that the Writers, and Publishers, have always taken," said Prof. Yor Leig Bingpuled, of the United Nations Office for the Investigation of Book Publishing Scandals and other Unexplained Phenomena .

The revelation has left many of the Wizards fans, young, and even younger, very pissed off.

"Our God, J. K. Rowling, has been very cross all week," said a local 4th grader, who wished to remain un-named because she was ditching school today to be in line for the midnight release of the book, on the scandal, "Especially at the New York Times!"

White House Spokesman, Tony Snow, said the President had no comment.

Spokespersons for Democratic Leaders in Congress said they will form a Committee.

Pat Robertson, on the 700 Club, said it was God's Will.

Republican Leaders are hoping Pat will just shut up, and believe that the whole thing will just blow over by Saturday night.

Cindy Sheehan plans to read the whole Potter series, from start to finish, over the summer, in the hopes that she can glean some nugget that could help her in her possible campaign to run for the office now held by Nancy Pelosi.

I know that this reporter speaks for many Americans, when I say...

I have not read the books, but thoroughly LOVE the movies! ;-D

I also wish to say Kudos to Rowling for creating a series that has helped kids discover the joys of reading.

Now the big question is not where the next Big Thing in Young Adult Literature will come from, but whether those affected, for all these years, by this series, will expand their horizons, and stick with reading for the rest of their lives.

Some say that there are indications that they have, and will.

I certainly hope so. ;-D

Book Burning Leads to Book Rescue Effort in Missouri

When I 1st read this an hour ago, it pissed me off on several levels:

Tom Wayne has amassed thousands of books in a warehouse during the 10 years he has run his used book store, Prospero's Books.

His collection ranges from best sellers, such as Tom Clancy's "The Hunt for Red October" and Tom Wolfe's "Bonfire of the Vanities," to obscure titles, like a bound report from the Fourth Pan-American Conference held in Buenos Aires in 1910.

But when he wanted to thin out the collection, he found he couldn't even give away books to libraries or thrift shops; they said they were full.

So on Sunday, Wayne began burning his books in protest of what he sees as society's diminishing support for the printed word. "This is the funeral pyre for thought in America today," Wayne told spectators outside his bookstore as he lit the first batch of books.

This is sad, disgraceful, and frightening!

Burning books is a horrible way to drum up support for the printed word!

There are thousands of people, all over the world, who if given the chance would relieve him of his burden. They are called BookCrossers.

We are defintely not the only ones upset over this either.

Well, when a BookCrosser posted a link to his website I discovered an apparent change of heart.

MPAA to Pass Judgement on Cinema Smoking

Smoking, however unhealthful, has always been a part of our Cultural output, in films, and books.

Smoking will be a bigger factor in determining film ratings, the Motion Picture Association of America said Thursday, but critics said the move does not go far enough to discourage teens from taking up the habit.

MPAA Chairman Dan Glickman said his group's ratings board, which previously had considered underage smoking in assigning film ratings, now will take into account smoking by adults, as well.

That adds smoking to a list of such factors as sex, violence and language in determining the MPAA's G, PG, PG-13, R and NC-17 ratings.

Film raters will consider the pervasiveness of tobacco use, whether it glamorizes smoking and the context in which smoking appears, as in movies set in the past when smoking was more common.

Some critics of Hollywood's depictions of tobacco in films have urged that movies that show smoking be assigned an R rating, which would restrict those younger than 17 from seeing them.

Think of all the great films of the 20's thru the 60's, and how this new way of considering the actions of characters, in rating a film, would affect who could, and could not, watch them, and how they were made.

Think how this would have impacted morale during WW 2 as many of the most important films of the Era would have had their audience restricted, been made differently, or even made not at all.

Look, I don't smoke, and never have, but this decision is utterly ridiculous, and unneccesary, and another sign that, as a friend of mine said, upon learning of this, "The Left is eating thier own."

Faster Please...preferably in time for the 2008 Elections to be swept by Republicans.

Books on the Threat of Islam to Western Civilization that Everyone Should Read

This list will be added to, as I add books to my personal collection so get used to it all you folks who think we have nothing to fear from Islam, and that our Liberation of Iraq, and Afghanistan, and concern about Iran, as we fight The War Against Terror ( T.W.A.T. for all you folks in Rio Linda! ) is all seriously misguided....

My Answer to all those in the See No Muslim Evil, Hear No Muslim Evil, Appeasement Brigades who ignorantly, and blindly, call all, like me, who refuse to go meekly along with their Multi-Culturalist, can't we all just get along, Anti-Capitalism, Anti-America BS, haters, and racists, for understanding that the West has been in a fight for its survival with Islam since at least the 60's, a battle that non-Muslims have been forced to periodically fight since the light-bulb went on over the head of Muhammad....

1. The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam ( And the Crusades ) by Robert Spencer.

2. EURABIA: The Euro-Arab Axis by Bat Ye'or.

3. ISLAM AND DHIMMITUDE: Where Civilizations Collide by Bat Ye'or.

4. The Rage and the Pride by Oriana Fallaci.

5. The Force of Reason by Oriana Fallaci.

6. WHILE EUROPE SLEPT: How Radical Islam Is Destroying The West From Within by Bruce Bawer.

7. MENACE IN EUROPE: Why the Continent's Crisis is America's, Too by Claire Berlinski.

8. AMERICAN JIHAD: The Terrorists Living Among Us by Steven Emerson.

9. JIHAD INCORPORATED: A Guide to Militant Islam in the US by Steve Emerson.

10. HATING AMERICA: The New World Sport by John Gibson.

11. INVASION: How America Still Welcomes Terrorists, Criminals, and Other Foreign Menaces to Our Shores by Michelle Malkin.

12. Londinistan by Melanie Phillips.

13. AMERICA ALONE: The End of the World As We Know It by Mark Steyn.

14. THE WEST'S LAST CHANCE: Will We Win the Clash of Civilizations? by Tony Blankley.

15. SHOWDOWN WITH NUCLEAR IRAN: Radical Islam's Messianic Mission to Destroy Israel, and Cripple the United States by Michael D. Evans with Jerome R. Corsi.

16. FUTURE JIHAD: Terrorist Strategies against the West by Walid Phares.

17. THE WAR OF IDEAS: Jihadism against Democracy by Walid Phares.

ADDED ON 4/23/2007:

18. THE TRUTH ABOUT MUHAMMAD: Founder of the World's Most Intolerant Religion by Robert Spencer.

19. BECAUSE THEY HATE: A Survivor of Islamic Terror Warns America by Brigitte Gabriel.

20. INFIDEL by Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

ADDED ON 1/5/08:

21. THE LAST DAYS OF EUROPE: Epitaph for an Old Continent by Walter Laqueur

22. IN THE WORDS OF OUR ENENIES by Jed Babbin

23. RELIGION OF PEACE? Why Christianity is and Islam Isn't by Robert Spencer

Books banned from Airplanes?

Well, ok, so War and Peace, Harry Potter, American Conservatism: An Encyclopedia , and The Rise of American Democracy: Jefferson to Lincoln ( All MASSIVE Hardcover tomes. ), if used as NOT intended would cause a nasty lump on the noggin, but as a terrorist weapon they don't exactly cut it ( Unless you consider being forced to read one of them to be an act of terror, of course. ).

But there IS a variety of book that could be used to transport weapons of terror if not detected by the observant.

How can you blow up a plane with a book?

J. Godsey at Bibliophilebullpen provides the answer, Secret Storage Books.

A Tip of the Hat to the Blog Fine Books and Collections, with London Calling.

The Omen for a New Millenium

The original was a creepy, and moody, classic, with a wonderful music score to match.

Gregory Peck was excellent, as was Lee Remick, Patrick Troughton as Father Brennan, and Billie Whitelaw as the protective Nanny ( Did you know Billie was a Quaker? hee, hee ).

Little Harvey Stephens was a true find.

So I was curious to see what would be done here, and was pleasantly suprised.

The best thing going in was knowing that the original screenwriter was on hand to handle the remake.

There were a few changes in plot to bring it into the 21st century, but for the most part the major touchstones in plot from the original are re-done, with a modern take.

This time Thorn is the Ambassadors #2, before, um, being thrust into the top job by circumstance.

The worst thing about the film was that the creepy music of the original is absent, until the closing credits.

The music used was moody, but not the best choice.

The film gets its "Armageddon is nigh" point across right off the bat with a nifty Priestly Powerpoint Presentation for the Pope that uses recent events as harbingers. ;-D

I did not find myself comparing how each plot developement in the re-make compared to the original, and so was able to enjoy this film in its own right.

Of all the deaths the finest moment comes with the most original decapitation in film history. ;-D

The death of Father Brennan comes in a close 2nd.

As for the Acting:

Liev Schreiber, as Thorn, is no Gregory Peck, but he is not the wooden actor some critics claim he is here either.

By having him not start out as the Ambassador they handle the age difference nicely.

His acting becomes more expressive as the plot developments pile up, and I found that a plus.

Julia Stiles, as Mrs. Thorn, is no Lee Remick, but she still does a decent job in the role of a mother who realizes too late that her boy ain't exactly "right".

Pete Postlethwaite is flat out wonderfully fanatical as Father Brennan, and steals every scene he is in.

Mia Farrow, she of Rosemary's Baby fame, in an inspired bit of stunt casting, plays Mrs. Baylock with a wonderful, scene stealing, gusto, and has a scene that is one of the most erotic, and creepy, sequences ever filmed.

David Thewlis, and that odd looking face of his, is the photographer, and is good.

I liked the way he played the role better than the version of the original.

I also think that Michael Gambon was the better Bugenhagen.

Little Shamus Davey-Fitzpatrick, is very good, but not near as creepy, as the new Damien, and truly creepy was what was needed.

In a way I think this impression is due to the difference in music.

In a film like this the music truly matters, and I think they missed a beat by not using the original score, or some variation on it.

Speaking of the original Damien... In a very nice touch Stephens is here in a brief role as a Tabloid Reporter.

As for the cute little Rottweiller that is the family, um, pet.... what happens to him is funny, yet embarrassing to all Rotties everywhere. ;-D

An 8 out of 10.

Technorati Tags: Omen

Anthony Quinn and a 1976 film about Islam

I watched the film about the founding of Islam called The Message  ( AKA Mohammed, Messenger of God ) last night.

It's 3 hours long, but never boring.

Ofcourse it's script was "Approved" by various Islamic Scholars, and whatnot, and had the unusual conceit of never showing the Prophet, or giving his character voice [ Except thru a narrator ( The great voice of Richard Johnson ), or by characters relaying his message, and orders, as required by the script ].

This was supposedly in accordance with Muslim beliefs, and meant that his seven wives, his daughters, and his sons-in-law could not be depicted.

This left Mohammed's uncle, played by Quinn, as the central character from the perspective of the newly forming religion.

The characters speak to the Camera when talking, and reacting, to The Prophet, and the Point of view of The Prophet is seen from the cameras view of what is in front of it, especially when he moves around.

This film was made to give voice to a Moderate Islamic perspective of a religion that its practitioners felt was misunderstood, or unjustly characterized by the West.

It fits squarely in the tradition of all the Biblical films familiar to western audiences in the 50's, 60's, and 70's.

The more unsavory facts of the life of Mohammed, the founding of his religion, and the contents of the Koran, of course, are nowhere to be found, but I don't hold that against the filmmakers of the time.

To say that they would not be able to get away with that in the current climate is a waste of time, just as saying that making a reverent film equivalent, in quality, and unfamiliar perspective, to the Last Temptation of Christ would result in protests, and Fatwahs of the vehemence of the reaction to the recent Danish Cartoons.

The Script does its job in an intelligent, and thoughtful, manner.

The acting, by its 3 famous leads is uniformly excellent, as are the performances of an international cast of Europeans, Arabs, Westerners, and African-Americans, in other important speaking roles.

The most unusual of this last was seeing early Christianity portrayed by Black actors as the King, Advisors, and courtiers of a Kingdom bordering the Arab territories.

The Cinematography is breathtaking, and the several full-scale battles are as well executed as any comparable ones of the time.

The Score was well deserving of its Oscar nomination.

The scenes shown under the closing credits are a reminder that Islam, radical, and moderate, is a religion that has spread around the world, and makes you sit up and take notice of this fact if you haven't already.

The film took 6 years to prepare, and a year to film, and the effort shows in its quality.

This is a film sadly long forgotten, but that should be seen now by anyone who wants to get a little knowledge of Islam unaffected by their own, or any Media's prejudices.

You will come away from this educational film with an understanding you may not have had before, and may be inclined to look for more information so as to be better informed about the Conflict with Radical Islam that the West has found itself in since at least a year after the release of this film.

Technorati Tags: Message, Mohammed, Islam, Film, Christianity

Happy Booker is a year old

One year ago ( 2/28/2005 ) Wendi Kaufman began a Blog about Books, and Writing, from Washington DC.

She was recently selected by Allen Jones, of NewWest Books and Writers, to be a part of his Best of the Bookmarks for '05.

She's come a long way since, and this calls for a celebration.

There are several reasons why she is in my Open Mic for Writers Blogroll.

In addition to her interesting collection of Writing Links, in her sidebars, here are 4 more reasons to check her site out from time to time:

Reviewing the 1st 3 Left Behind Films

I saw the 1st film in the Theater, and have since rented the 2nd , and 3rd, on DVD.

LEFT BEHIND :

In the beginning there were the books, the Best-Seller lists were over-run, and God said, "This is good".

Now have come the movie adaptations.

I saw this one in the theatre, and was impressed, and entertained.

I was never interested in the books, not being the most religious sort, but I love well done religious themed films.

The Classic B-Movies of the 30's to the 60's have many elements in common with this film: Interesting Plot, complete with holes, and a message. A cheap budget that means cheap ( but good )effects, and sets, not to mention interesting location shooting choices, and lesser known, and unknown actors.

The actors are committed to their craft, and the talent displayed ranges from Awful to Oscar ( well, ok, maybe not, but still some very inspired performances ) and, if you are lucky you get a recognizable actor with a history of quality work ( Kirk even backs the message, and is committed to the series, and Lou Gossett Jr. appears in the 3rd film! ).

Enjoy this film for what it is, and you will have wasted an enjoyable couple of hours. 

King Kong

I saw the new King Kong yesterday.

Forget the 2 previous editions. Forget Mighty Joe Young, even, for that matter.

This ain't yer Parents, or Grandparents, Big Monkey in the City film.

This film is serious, Adventure Film movie making, on a world class order, by Peter Jackson.

Aside from the budget, displayed on the screen in all it's glory, the other way you know this is that characters die, and not just characters you take the journey with, but folks on the street who just get in the way, or are in the wrong place at the wrong time.

In most Giant Monster movies of old, cars, trains, and people on the street got whacked around, but the viewer didn't get the sense that there was real peril, and death in the air.

This film takes such films onto an all new level.

The film is just over 3 hours long, but you do not even notice, or even begin to care that the film could be over soon until the story returns to New York, and then all you feel is a sense of sadness as you realize the innevitable ending is near.

The Music, evoking sounds, songs, and themes of the period was enjoyable, and the Cinematography, and Special Effects, will have them talking, actually drooling, at Oscar time.

The style is of a seat-of-your-pants, hold-on-to-your-hat, don't blink, or you will miss something, type of film making not seen in a while.

The film has a few tongue in cheek moments, and even references the original in a couple scenes, and in references to those responsible for the original but, at its core is just a  Love story, of a most sensational, but also sweet, variety.

By the end of this film, when you should feel tired, and exhausted, you instead feel the enormous heartbreak, and sense of something lost, that Ann Darrow does.

A review of The Narnicles of Chronia

Stop! Don't throw yer Bibles at me!

That twist of the title is just a bit of fun, and by no means is a measure of my opinion of the film. ;-D

This morning I had the opportunity to attend a free screening of the new film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, at the AMC Theatre, at The Block of Orange.

All across the country Christian Churches were buying up whole screenings so that their parishners, and members of the community at large could see the film.

One such church was Elements Church, an Assembly of God Affiliated Congregation known as The Church at the Block.

It bought over 400 tickets for a showing this morning,, and aside from a brief introduction before the film, and a 5 minute "mini-sermon", with prayer, at the end, there was no discussion of the film, or attempt to thrust the Church into the filmgoers life.

I have never read any of the Narnia Books, but was aware of the Christian, or at least religious, themes of the series.

I am not the most religious of people, but do enjoy a good religiously themed film, and the occasional book.

From what I understand the books were not published in Chronological order of the events they tell about and, "If you're going to read them, the correct order is as follows: 1) The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, 2) Prince Caspian, 3)The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, 4) The Silver Chair, 5) The Horse and His Boy, 6) The Magician's Nephew, and 7) The Last Battle."

It seems that what order to read them is controversial to many.

Some say that reading them Chronologically...

1. The Magician's Nephew; 2. The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe; 3. The Horse and His Boy; 4. Prince Caspian; 5. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader; 6. The Silver Chair; 7. The Last Battle.

... "makes the books more strictly allegorical than they really were intended to be, and gives the impression that they are an extended allegory rather than incidental allusions."

I'll leave that to folks who have read them to squabble over as you can discover by reading the excellent book reviews on Amazon, and other sites.

Being a fan of Fantasy Films, and expecting this one to be a quality production of the genre, I looked forward to seeing it.

Bill Whittle speaks truth all need to hear

In 2003 I discovered a Blogger whose thoughts spoke to me as I was evolving in my Political thinking from Liberal to Conservative: Bill Whittle.

The 1st essay I read was POWER, and what I wrote here then still holds up today, and applies to the whole series in this book:

I am in tears, I am in awe of a massive writing and thinking talent, I am so overwhelmed by the ideas and beliefs and truths tossed about in a piece I have just read that it will take me several more readings to fully digest it all.

There is a battle going on in the world for the hearts and minds of mankind.

Between the forces of Democracy, Freedom, Creativity, Individualism, and Prosperity, and the Minions of Oppression, who want to stifle all attempts at having the above and everything else that goes along with it.

The piece I have just read is the single best writing I've encountered in the Bloggerverse.

This is the standard we all aspire to reach someday.

This is why we blog, and why we read the works of our fellow bloggers.

It stirs the mind, and stirs the soul.

As I said these words apply to the whole collection of 16 essays, in equal measure, but let me continue with something I wrote here in Aug. 2004:

At the end of his series Bill wrote a Call to Arms that will serve as my reason for encouraging you to take the time to read this whole collection:

Throughout this collection I have done my best to try and show how deeply my life has been affected by the miracle that is this country and the family that is her people.
We have been doing a lot of arguing lately, this family. Many things have been said in anger. Well, these are critical, dangerous times.we can all agree on that much, at least.

But we are a family, whether we like each other or not. We are in this together. I would never urge any free man or woman to take sides contrary to their principles, and our principles vary as widely as our places of origins, our accents and our skin colors - no two exactly the same.

I am asking you now, as one voice among millions - nothing more - not to cease criticizing the government, the President, or our actions in Iraq. Without the crucible of heated debate among passionate believers we will lose our way.

All I ask is this:

Do not destroy this house. Do not destroy this house to make a point. It is a magnificent house, a grand and sturdy home to us all. Do not let the stains upon her floor cause you to set her aflame. We have fought amongst ourselves for as long as we have been a people; that will never change, and in its own unpleasant, annoying and wonderful way, it should never change.

But for our sake and for those across the oceans: argue about the paint. Argue about the sleeping arrangements. Argue about how best to wash those stains where they appear.

But for the sake of all who have gone before us here, and all who will come after: help me defend this house.

WOW! Even a year, and more, later those words have power.

I highly recommend that anyone interested read this book, think about its words, and be PROUD, and UNASHAMED, to call yourself an American Citizen.

Experience the thrill of discovering this work at your own leisure, and savoring every word as you do so.

Blessed are the editors, for they shall make stuff shorter to read

Faster, faster!

Shorter, shorter!

I don't have time for The Complete Pelican Shakespeare ( 1754 pages fer cryin' out loud! )!

I'm a  good Christian, but...

Okay, okay, someone in jolly ol' England got the message.

About speeding up God, anyway. ;-D

King James would have cow!

From the Christian Science Monitor:

It may be the word of God, but that hasn't spared it from regular man-made tinkering. From 15th-century printers to 20th-century modernists, every age has sought to adapt the Bible.

So now, for the era of restless consumers and fickle attention spans, a British publication distills the original into a form you could read at one sitting. Instead of 780,000 words and 1,200 chapters [ KIRIL: My copy of the NIV Student Bible, with its tiny print, weighs in at 1440 pages ], there are just 20,000 words in fewer than 60 pages.

Oh, God, forgive them, for they know not what they do!

Oliver Stone No Historian?

No kidding! He's a FILM MAKER people!

Film makers HAVE been known to take small to considerable license with the facts when making films of historical events, and people.

You want total, or at least reasonable, accuracy, and detail, watch a documentary, or wait for a mini-series.

A comment to my Film review led me to read 2 excellent takes on the true life of Alexander the Great, and how Oliver Stone selectively portrayed him.

As I wrote:

"To trash a bio-pic from the perspectives of what you approved, or disapproved, about the subjects life, and culture, makes little sense to me. ( I've felt this way about the various Life of Christ films over the years too )

Ol' Alex lived in a harsh world with different religions, and morals than ours, and what went on then shouldn't be judged too harshly by our disapproving standards....

Critics, from Ebert on down, are overanalyzing, nitpicking, and letting their feelings about Stone get in the way of enjoying an entertaining film. Their confusion, and disappointment, isn't the fault of the filmmakers."

Alexander the Movie: A Macedonian-American Review

Stone Turkey Gobbles Up Scenery!

What I thought of Oliver Stone's new film, Alexander, which I saw wednesday, has nothing to do with that line.

It was just too good for one of my sense of humor to pass up.

The first Actor to play Alexander the Great in a film may have been George Clancey, in 1916's Lord Loveland Discovers America (Silent).

One of the earliest known film Bios of Alexander the Great was actually filmed in India by Director Sohrab Modi, in 1941.

His filmography spans 6 decades from the 30's to the 80's, as Actor, Director, and Producer of Indian Films.

The actor who played Alexander was Prithviraj Kapoor, whose acting credits span 6 decades from the 1920's to the 70's.

The film was called Sikandar.

If you cringe at the thought of Oliver Stone directing Colin Farrell as Alex, and Angelina Jolie as Olympias, then consider this:

There is an untitled project in production for a 2006 release.

Producer: Dino De Laurentiis.

Director: Baz Luhrmann.

Alexander: Leonardo Di Caprio.

Olympias: Nicole Kidman.

Interesting to say the least.

Anyway, being of Macedonian heritage I wanted to see this new film, on principle, as a show of support for my Ancestral Peeps.

I have rarely gone to the movies in the last 2 years, and this was frustrating for a guy who used to sneak into 3 to 6 shows a day, once or twice a month, since the 70's.

These days a Matinee costs around $7, but it was money well spent.

I'd intended to write a lot more film reviews, here, over the years, but have not even been able to rent videos much.

I hope to continue, now that I've begun, and hope this 1st effort is well received.

They Said What??

In the introduction to the book YOU DON'T SAY:Sometimes Liberals Show Their True Colors ( published in 1999 ) Fred Gielow writes:

Is it really true all liberals are virtuous and all conservatives evil? Reasonable people will chuckle at the idea. Everyone knows there are good and bad apples in every barrel.

So, let's examine a few apples from the liberal barrel.

But to make things interesting, after each quotation I've provided 5 potential authors. Your challenge then, should you choose to accept it, is to guess which of the 5 actually made the quoted remark.

You Don't Say

I've just finished reading one of the most frightening books a political junkie could read.

Especially, one who once considered himself mostly a Liberal.

You Don't Say: Sometimes Liberals Show Their True Colors by Fred Gielow.

The Little Bookstore That Could

There are bookstores and there are BOOKSTORES....

BOOKSTORES can take care of themselves (see Borders, and B & N, and even Powell's)....

bookstores, on the other hand need brains, and publicity to survive and get noticed....

The little store I'm gonna talk about here has what appears to be a good brain behind it already, so I'm gonna help it with a little publicity. :-)

The MISSION STATEMENT of this little joint reads as follows:

... to promote literacy in our community by providing new and used multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, and multi-lingual books and media for people of all ages. We specialize in books by and about minorities.

Cafe con Libros Bookstore, in my hometown, is a welcome part of the Pomona Arts Colony, and has the potential to become a much used resource in a community that, over the last decade, has become heavily Latino in make-up.

This store has been in it's location since 1998, and has for the last 7 months been under new ownership.

I wonder just how many folks know of its existence?

I had heard of the place, but until today hadn't had the chance to poke my head in the door.

I met the owner, AMELIA, an elementary school librarian, and former children's bookstore employee who has an interest in promoting literacy, especially among children.

Her store is a cozy, friendly environment with shelves of books, and she is always looking to add to her selection.

Another nice thing is the author signings she holds as a way for her customers to meet authors of interest.

The store also has a Women's Literature Group, Storytime for Children, and various workshops.

This is a good sign. It shows SOME folks are aware of the place. :-)

Info on all of these can be found on the website along with a catalog of New Titles.

The store is located across from the old Progress Bulletin Newspaper offices and the Washington Mutual Bank, and the one thing that once made its location an unsavory area to bring your kids, the raves in the nearby FOX THEATRE, are now, thankfully, a thing of the past.

The FOX is now owned by the city and will become a community asset, a new housing, and retail development is being built nearby, and the nearby Antique Row and Arts Colony are fine places for parents to bring their kids, and do a little shopping and site seeing (THE CAT IN THE HAT is being filmed here, and the annual SMOGDANCE FILM FESTIVAL is coming again soon!).

So come on down my fellow Southern Californians and see what you have been missing.

Show your support for a community bookstore, and a revitalized downtown district in the city of Pomona!

History Is Not So Cut and Dried! News at 11!

In keeping with my series of 9-11 related blog entries on 9-11, 9-12, and 9-19 I picked up a book at Barnes & Noble, the other day, that I've been meaning to read for 20 years, but just never seemed to get around to it.

As a history buff I have always wanted to read A PEOPLE'S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES: 1492-PRESENT by Howard Zinn, and so got my grubby little hands on his 1999 updated edition.

I'm well into chapter 3 & find it very interesting reading.

I certainly don't remember High School & College History talking about this stuff, from THIS perspective. :-)

To give you a taste of just where he's coming from consider the following from the AFTERWARD to the book:

"There is no such thing as a pure fact, innocent of interpretation. Behind every fact presented to the world- by a teacher, a writer, anyone- is judgement. The judgement that has been made is that this fact is important, and that other facts, omitted, are not important.

There were themes of profound importance to me which I found missing in the orthodox histories that dominated American Culture. The consequence of those omissions has been not simply to give a distorted view of the past but, more important, to mislead us all about the present.

For instance, there is the issue of class. It is pretended that, as in the Preamble to the Constitution, it is "We the people" who wrote that document, rather than 55 privileged white males whose class interest required a strong central government. That use of government for class purposes, to serve the needs of the wealthy and powerful, has continued throughout American History, down to the present day. it is disguised by language that suggests all of us- rich and poor and middle class- have a common interest."

And then there's this:

"What we learn about the past does not give us absolute truth about the present, but it may cause us to look deeper than the glib statements made by political leaders and the "experts" quoted in the press."

Very thoughtprovoking reading to say the least.

A full review will appear eventually, once I've devoured this food for thought. :-)

Roger Ebert's Latest Book on Cinema

Another Must Have Contribution to the World of Film Books by Roger Ebert:

In 1997 Ol' Rog published  one of the greatest compilations of film related writing ever produced.

ROGER EBERT'S BOOK OF FILM: From Tolstoy to Tarantino, the finest writing from a century of film.

It's huge in more than just its page content, and its cover deserves to be made into a wall poster, and framed.

The cover is the inside of a Movie Palace, & the patrons are a select company of worthies one can only dream about having in the room at the same time....

Sitting front & center are Roger, Orson Welles, and looking, with an arched eyebrow, over Orsons' shoulder is Alfred Hitchcock, while over Rogers is John  Huston.

In a funny juxtoposition, 3 rows back, but seen between the heads of Orson & Roger is Woody Allen with his finger to his lips. :-)

Spread out around these gents are Cary Grant, John Wayne, Louise Brooks, Akira Kurosawa, Doris day, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Quentin Tarantino, Leo Tolstoy, Katherine hepburn, Francois Truffaut, Buster Keaton, and Charlie Chaplin.

Um, can I get a collective <b>WOW!!</b> from the readership assembled? :-)

After a fine introduction by the author you are invited to dig into 11 sections with articles on a dozens of films, issues, and personalities.

Articles on film going by, among others, James Agee, Walker Percy.

H. L. Mencken on Rudy Valentino, Nicholas Ray on James Dean, Joan Didion on John Wayne, Rex reed on Ava Gardner, Tom Wolfe on Cary Grant, and John Updike on Doris Day, among other pieces on the Stars.

Carey McWilliams, Sam Arkoff, William Castle, and Elmore Leonard on the film business.

John Kobal on Mae West, Pauline Kael, and Norman Mailer with 2 views on Last Tango in Paris,  are just a few of the pieces concerning sex & scandal in film.

The New York Times reports on the Vitascope's debut, the Philadephia Inquirer reviews The Great Train Robbery, Maxim Gorky comments on Lumiere, Leo tolstoy holds forth on Film, and Kevin Brownlow writes about Mary Pickford, and Gloria Swanson.

E. M. Forster writes about Minnie & Mickey, Andre Bazin writes about the Western, Robert Warshow on Gangsters, and Manny Farber on Underground Films,.

Directors Luis Bunel, Ingmar Bergman, Preston Sturges, Jean Renoir, Akira Kurasawa, Satyajit Ray, Andrei Tarkovsky, and Spike Lee are just a few of those whose writings on film apprear here.

Writers Ben Hecht, Gore Vidal,  Christopher Isherwood, and Raymond Chandler are also here.

Film critics like Graham Greene, Dwight Macdonald, & Quentin Crisp have contributions here.

Nestor Almendros, Robert Benchley, Janet Leigh, and David Mamet write about technique.

F. Scott Fitzgerald, Robert Bloch, Budd Schulberg, Howard Koch, Nathaniel West, Groucho Marx, and Oscar Levant are among those who write about Hollywood.

At almost 800 pages you will never be bored, and can read the thing straight thru, or skip back and forth to your hearts content.

This is a book well worth searching out.

10 Examples of Why You Should Read Ebert's Little Movie Glossary

Folks have been flocking to the Fleas and Itches to view the Flickers for a century, and everyone, if they have been to enough of them, begins to notice certain things:

How this or that action, or personality trait, occurs over and over again, and how certain rules of behavior always are attributed to a certain type person, event, or whatever.

There are also many rules regarding the act of watching a film, and the places that show them.

Well, way back in the early 80's film critic Roger Ebert started writing about them, and giving them names in his newspaper column.

This was so popular that it was included in his Movie Home Companions every year. Finally the idea  was put into book form.

The readership of ordinary filmgoers eagerly contributed  their own examples, and the rest is history.

I own a 2nd edition of the book ( 1st ed. 1994) also subtitled <b>A Compendium Of Movie Cliches, Stereotypes, Obligatory Scenes, Hackneyed Formulas, Shopworn Conventions, And Outdated Archetypes.</b>

Just to whet your appetite for this wonderful little book ( you can find it thru various online sources such as Amazon, &  B & N, among others that have sections on out of print books ) here are several brief examples of the formulas:

Have you ever noticed that.....

All movie bartenders, when first seen, are wiping the inside of a glass with a rag.

99% of sex scenes show couples coupling for the first time.

People in movies ALWAYS undress from the top down.

Directors always make sure that air ducts are big enough to crawl around in.

Little girls who wear glasses in films always tell the truth, and little boys with same always lie.

Movie audiences are quicker to accept the impossible than the implausable.

No hero is ever cut by glass while leaping through windows.

In any sci-fi flick, anywhere in the galaxy, currency is refered to as "credits".

If you were forced to read the book in high school, you'll probably hate the movie, too.

AND

Any theatre that accepts passes will invariably exclude their use for any movie worth seeing.

Big News in Publishing World!

Proud Pennyweight Press Publisher Packs Printer: People Passionately Praise Producer.

Reporter Bob Pool, in Sundays Los Angeles Times [ The LA TIMES wants YOU! Register today! :-) ] has an excelent piece on that most remarkable woman.

If you are a bookworm then you will enjoy the piece about Barbara Raheb.

Apparently she is the nation's biggest little-book publisher. Her leather-bound volumes have thumbnail-size pages with lines of printed type so small that they can be covered by a shirt thread.

Her books are sought out by serious collectors and dollhouse hobbyists alike.

There are 530 titles that she has produced over the last 27 years.

These tiny creations measure 15/16 of an inch high and 5/8 of an inch wide--about the size of a small matchbox.

The titles even include pop-up storybooks that contain minuscule cutouts.

Sounds like a good pair of Binoculars, or the Hubble Telescope are needed to read the little darlings! :-)

Those in the obscure field of miniatures, and in the world of small book publishing, are in mourning because the lady is closing up shop because she is going blind from Macular Degeneration and can no longer create her masterpieces she is famous for.

No more Matchbox editions of the Classics! A sad day indeed!

At Newsboy we sold many of these tiny books by other publishers, who made cheaply printed titles of all sorts, but none of the leather-bound works by the Nations biggest Little-book Publisher.

For an appreciation of this wonderful artform here are a couple of linky-dinkies for your perusal that even include works by Barbara Raheb:

4000 Years of Miniature Books

Bromer Booksellers Catalog 107, Section 4.

Imagine using magnifying glasses to painstakingly hand color, and typeset, bind, stamp and even produce the layout of 1 book, let alone hundreds!

Amazing!

An Early 20th Century Bookaholic Speaks!

Can I get a rousing AMEN BROTHER! from the congregation? :-)

"I have always felt that it was commendable to buy books. I grew up with a liking for reading my own books, instead of someone else's. This preference I still have. I have my books strictly for use. I turn down the pages. I even tear out a few, if I need them. Books that I really use are much the worse for wear when I get through with them. I always mark them. When I read one of them a second time, which I seldom do, I generally can't remember what I meant by the marks I put in it the first time. But it gives you a feeling of having dug deep into the book, and it intensifies your sense of the ownership of it, to make big black marks down the side of it as you read. So I have always felt that one should buy as many books as possible. They are not like food, of which one should buy only as much as one can consume at the moment. Nor like clothes, of which a wise man will buy as few and as cheap as he can get by with. But of books he should buy all he can."

Rev. Carl S. Patton's opening paragraph in THE BUYING OF BOOKS from the Feb. 1922 issue of The Atlantic Monthly.

I read this paragraph and see myself...

I love reading books that I choose to read and that I own, I used to turn down the pages until I got religion and converted to using certain types of colored paperclips, I used to write on the inside covers of my Star Trek books back in the 70's and early 80's, and even took an erasier to edit then re-write passages in a certain early Trek "History" book in the early stages of my growing interest in creative writing, and to this day I buy all that I can.

My collection currently runs to almost 200, with 100 unread as of today.

The author, admits to being occasionally ashamed of his addiction, and shares with his readers the many ways he's come up with to find legitimate reasons to lug another tome home... :-)

There is the "seasonal inscription" method.

There is the "take a bunch, just purchased, to church, spread them around the shelves, then wait a few weeks" method.

There are several other choice methods sprinkled throughout this absolutely fascinating article.

The author talks of the designs, and costs of various books he cherishes or hankers after.

The author talks of the books of his childhood, and how he became a bookaholic (my term) right out of Seminary, and how that first set of books caused him to write sermons that well.... read the article. :-)

He goes on, at length, about how he came to realize that waiting to buy a new book until after the current one is finished, while economically sensible, wasn't the best way to become a cultured man in ones lifetime. :-)

He touchingly admits to what all bookaholics feel about their growing collection: He can't bear to part with any of them, and does so only with extreme reluctance.

It is quite fun to read why he bought certain types of books and what it was that caught his attention, and a little bit about their contents (he bought WHO'S WHO so he could see how many of his friends were in it!).

The titles he mentions having read and having in his collection read like a who's who of American and world literature, from the famous to the obscure.

I agree with the good Reverend's observation that, "we should all be grateful for a certain perversity in human nature. In my own case, what doubles the pleasure of reading is the subconscious feeling that I ought, most of the time, to be doing something else."

If, like me, you love books then you will love this 80 year old magazine article.

Bookwormicus Americana

There is an interesting article on CNN.COM today, about the reading habits of the species Bookwormicus Americana, a critter that some researchers periodically think is nearing extinction but always seems to get in the mood for procreation & rebounds quite nicely, thank you very much!

According to Americans pick up books-- but are they reading? Book Clubs are sprouting like weeds on the lawn but some folks are asking if Americans are reading more, or do they just want you to think they are?

As a Bookworm of impeccable credentials and long standing (32+ years), and a 17 year employee on the retail side I have seen the ups and downs of the business, and the ever changing tastes of the reading public.

Most of the books in my own collection are more than 400 pages long, and some are twice that, so it amuses me when i see the look of fright on some folks faces at the thought of reading something more than 250 pages long, and /or more complex than a Stephen King novel. :-)

I started out reading Hardy Boy and Nancy Drew books, then mysteries and horror, then Star Trek.

As my interest in history, politics, and then movies took hold my tastes in reading changed accordingly.

I think CLUBS are a great way to stimulate folks interest in reading, and the more folks actually read the books they buy then the better. :-)

Come on folks! They won't bite, honest! :-)

Trust me (heh, heh).......

Nancy Drew RIP

R.I.P. NANCY DREW

It is a very sad day for fans of NANCY DREW.

The woman who first brought her to gloroius life in the 1920's has passed away at age 96.

The first book collection I ever started was the original NANCY DREW and HARDY BOY BOOKS that I picked up at thrift stores beginning when I was 10 years old.

By the time I was in college I had every ORIGINAL story from the 1920's onward. After college, I donated the collections to my Elementary School and the last I saw, about 5 years ago, there were still some there being read by students. :-)

The Best Fleas and Itches

You gotta love the Aussies. If for nothing else then for coming up with a wonderful nickname for the movie theatre (the more rundown, the more fleas for the scratching!)

There is nothing like sitting in a darkened Cinema, preferably the front row balcony of some magnificent Movie Palace of the Studio Era (1920-1955) waiting for the curtain to rise on a tale of wonder, romance, mystery, laughter, horror, or action.

Too bad most of those places have given way to the Multiplex & the Get lost & never find the exit ever again-plex (20 or more screen communities, in 1 building, that you need a map to navigate around in) that you may enter too young to see an R or NC-17 Epic, but will be too old to care by the time you finally leave.

My favorite of the Movie Palaces the Los Angeles area are GRAUMAN'S CHINESE in Hollywood (The Courtyard is only the most important reason, not the only reason, that it's my favorite), The EL CAPITAN across the street (Best front row balcony view in town), & The BRUIN in Westwood (2nd best balcony).

The architecture of these 1920's era Palaces are awesomely & lovingly detailed, inside & out.

Part of the charm of these places is that they don't have enough restrooms to accommodate rush hour [ the last minute rush, before film time,  the after credits mad dash, & most critically, the mid-film crisis (the 15 min. break inbetween the halves of a 3-4 hour opus ].

So plan accordingly (Ladies especially!)! :-)

To see most films, however, you still have to head to the Multiplex.

EDWARDS, AMC, LANDMARK, and CINEPLEX ODEON provide plenty of wonderful choices in my neck of the woods.

If you want to go to one of the places where you need a map then head out to ONTARIO MILLS, in Ontario, Ca.. There, within spittin' distance of each other, are an EDWARDS and AMC, with more than 50 screens between them.

A Few Books Worth Hunting Down

I was going to reveal how it was all the fault of Frank, Joe, Nancy, Captain Kirk, & the crew of the Starship Enterprise that I became an incurable Bookaholic, but realizing we'd be here all night I decided to hold off for a bit, & begin by leaving you with a Baker's Dozen list of books I'd highly recommend.

In print, or out, they can still be bought through the usual suspects found online:

BOGART by A. M. Sperber & Eric Lax

CAGNEY by John McCabe

JOHN WAYNE: AMERICAN by Randy Roberts & James S. Olson

WHO THE DEVIL MADE IT? by Peter Bogdanovich

ROGER EBERT'S BOOK OF FILM

HOW TO READ A FILM by James Monaco

MOVIE MADE AMERICA by Robert Sklar

CHRONICLE OF THE CINEMA

TOMS, COONS, MULATTOES, MAMMIES, & BUCKS: An Interpretive History of Blacks in American Films by Donald Bogle

URBAN BIKERS' TRICKS & TIPS by Dave Glowacz

EFFECTIVE CYCLING by John Forester

THE SOURCE: A Guidebook of American Genealogy

THE HANDYBOOK FOR GENEALOGISTS