Review of “The Art of Getting By”

Source: en.wikipedia.org

While on vacation, I caught a delightful movie on HBO that I did not recall ever seeing advertised for showings in the theater.  The film is entitled The Art of Getting By and stars Freddie Highmore (Finding Neverland and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) and Emma Roberts (niece of Julia Roberts), Alicia Silverstone, Rita Wilson, and Blair Underwood.

The movie is about a gifted art student (Freddie Highmore) more or less coasting his way through high school until graduation approaches and he may not receive a diploma. This storyline intertwines with his budding relationship with Emma Roberts’ character. It is very well done and I enjoyed the movie. Also, the soundtrack is simply superb for this film with terrific alternative and indie rock tunes artfully blended into the score.

 

Hence the question, why no release in theaters? Best I could determine by reading between the lines on IMDb is some of the critics were not particularly kind to the film when it was release at the Sundance Film Festival. They praise Mr. Highmore’s and Ms. Robert’s performances, but otherwise were rather tepid.

As a result the film went directly HBO and similar outlets. Granted, I discovered the film there, but I think it would have been even a more impressive movie in a theater. Sadly, the critics’ response to the film and Fox Searchlight’s response to the criticism narrowed the public’s choices versus broadening it.  Once again…money talks.

Is The Art of Getting By perfect? Of course not. Is it deserving of a general release – absolutely. I think a lot of people would like it, warts and all. If you, get a chance, check it out on HBO or rent the film – it is certainly well worth the  time and cost.

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Why not permanent wildfire breaks?

Areas that have experienced wildfires > 250 acres – Source: nasa.gov

While traveling through wildfire  country of Northern California and Southern Oregon, including being re-routed 80 miles because of a fire in Lassen Volcanic National Park, I had a thought. Instead of a hell-bent chaotic rush to build temporary wildfire breaks during a fire emergency, why not just construct permanent wildfire breaks to protect populated areas and other important features?

Current wildfire locations – Source: http://www.smokeybear.com/wildfire-map.asp

Considering wildfires are a natural event that are necessary for the healthy regeneration of Western forests, it seems to me that permanent wildfire breaks would allow precious resources to be used more efficiently and effectively.  Those areas outside the firebreaks would be allowed to burn as long as they do not jump the pre-constructed breaks.

Am I missing something with this suggestion? It seems being proactive would be much less costly than having to react to each outbreak of wildfires in remote areas that don’t pose a danger to populated areas.

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Things you never (or rarely) find in hotels anymore

Source: colonialrot.com

During our current two-week West Coast trip, I have noticed a number of things that are no longer (or rarely) found in hotel/motel rooms any longer. Certainly, other items have been added to make one’s stay more pleasant such as hair dryers, internet, and coffee makers.

Please feel free to send your additions to my list – I am sure I am forgetting some things.

• A telephone book
• A picture postcard of the hotel/motel
• Full-size writing paper with the logo/name of the hotel/motel
• Ashtray – no smoking, no ashtray. Good for health!
• Matchbooks – ditto
• A Bible – to me, this is a good thing as I think it is rather presumptuous in a diverse society to provide only the Holy book of one religion.
• A hotel/motel directory listing the locations – as the internet rules, so these have gone by the wayside.

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Hiding from the “D” word

Source: urpe.wordpress.com

When exactly does our “Great Recession” become a “depression?” While I know there are certain indicators to track and measure this economic stuff, I have been wondering for some time if we are just lying to ourselves to avoid using the “D” word. The sub-prime mortgage crisis began more than four years ago, followed by the bailouts on Wall Street, and more recently the deepening financial crisis across much of Europe has caused further economic dismay.

So…I ask again, when does our Great Recession become a depression? We may “officially” have 8.2% unemployment, but everyone knows that is a totally bogus number that does not factor in underemployment or those who have given up the job search. Recent data puts underemployment at over 20% in some areas of the country and in double-digits in many places. Globally, in 2011 under employment was pegged at 18%. Data from February, 2012 showed that more than 87 million Americans were no longer looking for work! That is an astonishing number.

Sure, there are pockets of relative prosperity, but that was true in the 1930s too. Economic downturns are not necessarily universal in their application of pain and suffering – just ask a few Okies from the 1930s or my fellow Michiganders during the 2000-2010 time period.  So…once again I ask this basic question – when do we start being honest with ourselves and call it a depression and not a recession?

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An unfortunate sign of the times

Came across this over the weekend. Sort of speaks for itself.

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Wasting away in mind-pollutionville

I detest infomercials and cannot think of any less imaginative way to run a television station than to air mindless infomercials. Here in Greater Lansing they seem to be the programming du jour when stations have nothing better to do or are too lazy to be imaginative. Long gone are the golden days of television where local entertainment programming greeted you in the morning, filled the lunch hour, and welcomed you home in the evening.

I understand there is little cost and lots of profit built into broadcasting infomercials, but they seem to be yet another example of the dumbing down and wasting away of society in general and entertainment in particular. If signs personify visual pollution, then these “shows” and I use that word loosely, are simply mind pollution of the airwaves.

Why not create original programming, play reruns, show cartoons, or how about educational programming? My bet is more than one station manager has claimed infomercials to be education – for numbed minds, perhaps.

Someday, somewhere, some enterprising person is gonna fill the vast void of dumbness with something unique and fun. When they do, they are going to do very, very well. Let’s all hope our minds can still function at that point.

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When did ending subsides for big oil start being called a tax increase?

Even dubya doesn’t get it.

A month or two ago I wrote my Congressman, Republican Mike Rogers about ending subsidies for oil and gas companies. Today, I received a response in the mail. His letter was very cordial and polite, but the logic of his argument is simply laughable.

“Like you, I am concerned with the high price of oil and gasoline, and I believe that the oil industry must be closely monitored for anti-trust violations. That said, I have serious concerns with raising taxes on any employers, especially now when Americans are struggling to pay for gasoline.” (underline emphasis added)

SOURCE: Letter from Mike Rogers dated July 10, 2012

Are you freakin’ kidding me? Eliminating subsidies is raising taxes? Who the hell came up with that logic? Since when did eliminating a subside become a tax increase? Sir, these idiotic subsides cost all of us from $10-52 billion per year. That’s money that could be put too much better use funding renewable energy, feeding the malnourished, carrying for the poor and unemployed, or at the very least helping homeless veterans.

“In the United States, credible estimates of annual fossil fuel subsidies range from $10 billion to $52 billion annually, while even efforts to remove small portions of those subsidies have been defeated in Congress, as shown in the graphic below.  Download your own pdf copy here.” SOURCE: priceofoil.org

Meanwhile, Congressman, big oil reaps larger and larger profits at our expense. According to priceofoil.org,

“ the top five oil companies alone have made almost a trillion dollars in profit in the last decade.“ 

So, I have no idea where Congressman Rogers gets the idea that ending subsides amounts to a tax increase. My guess is some anal-retentive GOP think tank funded by big oil came up with that bilge of an argument. All I know is it is one of the most illogical things I have ever heard, let alone read.

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There’s no doubt it’s a serious drought when…

• You can use your lawn as sandpaper or a bristle brush.
  

  Source: examiner.com

• Shade is for rent by the hour.
• Wrigley’s stops selling Rain chewing gum in your town.
• Arid Extra Dry sells out in all the stores.
• Vultures start circling you when you are outside.
• Camels decide to migrate to your town.
• Climate change deniers evaporate (their ideas are all wet).
• Bookings for rain forest vacations jump exponentially.
• You could bake a cake on the driveway.
• Businesses finally learn to stop watering their asphalt and concrete with sprinklers.
• The scorpions come to town (the insects not the band).
• Bald becomes beautiful again.
• You wish it was January.
• Everyone has the dry heaves.
• No one wants to grill out anymore.
• You feel like you are being sandblasted on windy days.
• Fish sue!
• Lightning bugs are required to douse their lights to prevent wildfires.
• Car washes clean by only spit and polish.
• There is absolutely no need for crop dusters.
• Even Endust is overwhelmed.
• Spit and urine are hoarded.
• It stops being humorous – which for many it unfortunately has (see photo below).

Source wowo.com

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“This land is your land” – a 2012 eco-version

Source: mallmemories.com

Saturday, July 14th will be the 100th anniversary of Woody Guthrie’s birth. To honor him and express this eco-bicyclist”s concern beyond those expressed his original lyrics, here is a modified version of Woody Guthrie’s classic folk song This Land is Your Land. The original lyrics written by Mr. Guthrie may be seen through this weblink.

-

This land is your land, this land is my land

From Car-lifornia to Wall Street canyons

From clear-cut forests to oil-stained waters

This wasteland was allowed by you and me

-

As I was pedaling – a crowded highway

I saw above me – a concrete skyway

I saw below me – more golden arches

This wasteland was made by you and me

-

Chorus

-

I’ve roamed on cell towers  – and taken exits

To sprawling cities - paved over deserts

And all around me – neon signs were shouting

This wasteland was made by you and me

-

Chorus

-

The sun dawns hazy - as I was rolling

Weeds were waving  – and dust was falling

As the smog now settles - voices start shouting

This wasteland was made by you and me

-

Chorus

-

As I tried walking – no sidewalks for me

As I tried biking – drivers scowl right at me

Few remaining places - of peace and safety

Those are the ones for you and me

-

Chorus

-

Throughout  our cities – empty seas of asphalt

Are clearly saying – whose really’s at fault

And some are grumblin’ – and some are wonderin’

Why this wasteland was allowed by you and me?

-

Chorus x 2

(Lyrics based on original song by Woody Guthrie)

Happy 100th Birthday, Woody!

Source: en.wikipedia.org

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“Billion dollar babies” – will they ever learn?

Large financial institutions who were either shut down or recipients of at least one billion dollars in bailouts in 2008-2009 (a.k.a billion dollar babies):

Source: originalalbumcoverart.com

• Lehman Brothers
• Merrill Lynch
• AIG
• Goldman Sachs
• Citibank
• RBS
• Bank of America
• Wells Fargo
• Morgan Stanley
• Bank of New York/Mellon
• Regions Financial
• SunTrust Banks
• Northern Trust
• U.S. Bancorp
• BB&T
• Valley National (NJ)
• State Street Bank
• Huntington Bancshares
• Comerica
• Zions
• Capital One
• Marshall & Isley
• Webster Financial
• CIT Group
• Fifth Third
• PNC
• American Express
• The Hartford

Eurozone financial problems follow in 2009 to the present at the following:

• Irish banks
• Icelandic banks
• Portuguese banks
• Greek banks
• Spanish banks
• Italian banks

and now, the moneychangers in New York and London have start playing dangerous games yet again, in 2012:

• JP Morgan Chase
• Barclays

Exactly, when will the billion dollar babies ever learn? And when will we stop letting them get away with it? Apparently, as George Santayana said:

“Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

Sure seems like a wasteful and painful way to learn lessons.

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