BLOOM

Photo by TN/Brooklyn Beat

Unfortunately, the roses are going fast now. Early blooms followed by heavy rains and cool weather, leave lots of the ochre clinging to a stone. What kind of a summer will we experience in Flatbush, in Brooklyn, New York ?

Stephen Colbert visits our troops in Iraq

Stephen Colbert, in a camo suit, submitting to the discipline of a military haircut. Whatever one's political stripes, American freedom will always require the American military to preserve, protect and defend it. Whether our troops need to remain or should be returned home sooner, the American military should never be forgotten. Stephen Colbert brings the troops back to the front page, and, remarkably, generates plenty of laughs in the process.

Colbert Nation official site & video here:
http://www.colbertnation.com/home
CNN details here:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/06/07/colbert.iraq/

Huffington Post here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/05/breaking-news-stephen-col_n_211784.html

David Carradine: Everyone (including Bob Dylan) is Kung Fu Fighting & Quentin Tarantino & Bob Dylan Have a Go at the Sweet Science

UK music magazine UNCUT has some interesting nuggets from a past interview with the late actor David Carradine on Bob Dylan as The Boxer and Student of Kung Fu:

UNCUT: Is it true that you introduced Bob Dylan to kung-fu?"

"CARRADINE: Well, Bob took some lessons. He didn't really stick with it, but we had some fun together. My master used to come out to my house and teach me every morning, and I thought Bob could profit from it, so we went over to his place, and he and his kids took a few classes with us. It was pretty cool. Bob was funny, y'know - anybody who's just beginning with kung-fu tends to be kinda funny, anyway, but he didn’t stick with it. But Bob's an amateur boxer. He knows how to take care of himself. I know he seems like just a little wimpy guy. As a matter of fact, he used to spar with Quentin [Tarantino]. Yeah, Quentin is an amateur boxer himself… You okay?"

"I was just trying to picture Quentin Tarantino boxing Bob Dylan"

"CARRADINE: Yeah, it's a funny image. Aside from the fact that Bob is about five foot eight, something like that, and Quentin is about six-five. But yeah, Dylan showed aptitude for the kung-fu. He was kind of a natural, actually. But, I don't think it interested him enough. Bob had other fish to fry, other things to do."

Full article at UNCUT here:
http://www.uncut.co.uk/news/david_carradine/news/13157

44, the USA & The Islamic World

From President Obama's speech in Cairo:

On women' s rights: "[The next issue] I want to address is women’s rights. I know there is debate about this issue. I reject the view of some in the West that a woman who chooses to cover her hair is somehow less equal, but I do believe that a woman who is denied an education is denied equality. And it is no coincidence that countries where women are well-educated are far more likely to be prosperous.

Now let me be clear: issues of women’s equality are by no means simply an issue for Islam. In Turkey, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia, we have seen Muslim-majority countries elect a woman to lead. Meanwhile, the struggle for women’s equality continues in many aspects of American life, and in countries around the world.

Our daughters can contribute just as much to society as our sons, and our common prosperity will be advanced by allowing all humanity – men and women – to reach their full potential. I do not believe that women must make the same choices as men in order to be equal, and I respect those women who choose to live their lives in traditional roles. But it should be their choice. That is why the United States will partner with any Muslim-majority country to support expanded literacy for girls, and to help young women pursue employment through micro-financing that helps people live their dreams.

On democracy, human rights and national autonomy:"Each nation gives life to this principle in its own way, grounded in the traditions of its own people. America does not presume to know what is best for everyone, just as we would not presume to pick the outcome of a peaceful election. But I do have an unyielding belief that all people yearn for certain things: the ability to speak your mind and have a say in how you are governed; confidence in the rule of law and the equal administration of justice; government that is transparent and doesn’t steal from the people; the freedom to live as you choose. Those are not just American ideas, they are human rights, and that is why we will support them everywhere.

There is no straight line to realize this promise. But this much is clear: governments that protect these rights are ultimately more stable, successful and secure. Suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away. America respects the right of all peaceful and law-abiding voices to be heard around the world, even if we disagree with them. And we will welcome all elected, peaceful governments – provided they govern with respect for all their people.

This last point is important because there are some who advocate for democracy only when they are out of power; once in power, they are ruthless in suppressing the rights of others. No matter where it takes hold, government of the people and by the people sets a single standard for all who hold power: you must maintain your power through consent, not coercion; you must respect the rights of minorities, and participate with a spirit of tolerance and compromise; you must place the interests of your people and the legitimate workings of the political process above your party. Without these ingredients, elections alone do not make true democracy..."

Full transcript here:

http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=AAA6937F-18FE-70B2-A8696CD2C4D41959

DAVID CARRADINE ('BILL' in "KILL BILL") FOUND DEAD IN BANGKOK

David Carradine, 73, actor in KILL BILL and numerous films and tv shows, probbaly most notably "Kung Fu" found dead in Bangkok of suicide.

Details here:

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2009/06/04/headlines/headlines_30104421.php

Roberto Saviano: "Gomorrah" doesn't defame Napoli

Roberto Saviano is a courageous Italian journalist whose groundbreaking book on organized crime in Napoli (Naples) Italy and its international reach has made him, in the words of Sir Salman Rushdie "in greater danger than [Mr. Rushdie] ever was."

Saviano's book (also adapted into a film), which seems at the forefront of the New Italian Epic (NIE) literary movement, has done more than ruffle feathers or upset the apple cart - it has made him a target of organized crime, requiring him to live under round-the-clock security protection.

Today, Saviano answered accusations that his book had defamed Napoli by its portrayal of the reach of organized crime into everyday life, often with devastating and fatal effects. Based on my doggerel translation of a section of the online interview, Saviano indicates that Gomorrah was an attempt to look at crime internationally through the lens of his hometown. The worst part is to hear that at I defamed Napoli with my book ', says Saviano. 'In reality' the book looks at the world through Naples. His book is 'a form of resistance, of testimony that comes from knowing that you can fight crime'. According to Saviano, the point is that there is a fundamental need to speak out and fight against crime because. Crime can't be accepted just because it exists."

The New Italian Epic is a literary movement in Italy that seems to dig much deeper than America's "New Journalism" of the 70s, dealing with issues of politics, ethics, more profound social issues and conditions with life and death implications, such as organized crime, compared to the largely cultural studies of Tom Wolfe and Gay Talese (although the late Norman Mailer, as always, remains an exception).

Roberto Saviano has taken a profound step in challenging organized crime which, he suggests, is not just deeply rooted in his home town, but which has spread its influence around the world, including the highest most visible peaks of celebrity, wealth and media culture.

--Brooklyn Beat
Article (via Yahoo - Italia)from Italian news service ANSA here:

http://it.notizie.yahoo.com/10/20090602/tso-saviano-non-ho-diffamato-napoli-ecf2551.html

Wikipedia on Roberto Saviano: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Saviano

A reflection on "Gomorrah" in the context of the New Italian Epic [The Wu Ming Foundation]:
http://www.wumingfoundation.com/english/outtakes/NIE_have_to_be_the_parents.htm

The Kool-Aid Kid: Richard Wolffe on the 2008 Election

100 days not withstanding, I guess we have crossed a threshold of sorts as the journalists and pundits have had time to digest and produce reportage and analysis on the 2008 election. The irrepressible Richard Wolffe, of Newsweek and MSNBC, has a new book on the campaign coming out shortly that includes some choice nuggets.

No matter where you were early in the primary period, if you were a Dem, by the fall, everyone was boarding the Hope Express. But as Mr. Wolffe's book shows, that was not always the case. One choice nugget from the book that should bring back memories from the primary campaign:

Rendell Drinks The Obama Kool-Aid — Literally

After Obama locked up the nomination, Pennsylvania Gov. and ardent Clinton supporter Ed Rendell got a note from an Obama supporter attached to a can of Kool-Aid telling him to drink up.

So the next day at a Philadephla fundraiser for the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, the ever-demonstrative governor poured it into a glass of water and proclaimed: "Now I feel that Senator Obama is the most wonderful person ever to have lived in the United States of America. The smartest, most sensitive most decent and honorable man. Now I understand what you guys have been feeling for the last six months."

Politico article here: http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=9F33A169-18FE-70B2-A8EE1E9062F808C8

Mayor Mike aka "Silvio": Contemptus ergo sum

"You are a..disgrace." At least on the surface, Mayor Mike may have a cleaner personal history than good old Silvio Berlusconi, his goombah-media-magnate in Itay, but they clearly share that odd trait of being media men who have contempt for the press that covers them.

Elizabeth Benjamin in the Daily News here:

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2009/05/youre-a-disgrace.html

Azi Paybarah, target of the Mayor's scorn, transcript and comments here at PolitickerNY:
http://www.politickerny.com/3769/bloomberg-term-limits-state-economy+

I respectfully suggest as a reply:

Nihil tam munitum quod non expugnari pecunia possit.
Translation: "Nothing is so fortified that it can't be conquered with money." (Cicero)

A Band called INDECISION: May 30 in Greenpoint

From Brooklyn Paper. Indecision, legendary hard-core Brooklyn metal band that toured the world and lived to tell about it, is featured in an article in the Brooklyn Paper, on their upcoming rare show on May 30 in Greenpoint. I am proud and happy to note that guitarist Justin Lee Brannan is my nephew. They are all now Fine, Upstanding Citizens, Rocking the Free World....

Link here: http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/32/21/32_21_bm_indecision.html
Bay Ridge’s most famous hardcore band has grown up — but it still goes to 11.
After seven years of non-stop touring and nine years of retirement, the heavy metal rock foursome, Indecision, is coming together for a rare reunion show in Greenpoint on May 30 that promises to be just as raucous — and just as noisy — as the group’s first concerts back at Xaverian HS.

“We are still purists for hardcore and punk — and we still play just like we used to,” said Indecision guitarist Justin Lee Brannan, whose band released its first cassette demo in 1993.

Over the following seven years, Indecision earned a reputation as a workhouse band thanks to relentless touring and four influential albums, including “To Live and Die in New York City” and “Most Precious Blood.”

Since then, band members have settled into 9-to-5s as non-profit financiers, guidance counselors, paramedics, and pathologist’s assistants — but each has no trouble belting out the short aggressive tracks that earned the group its clout.

“When I sit down with the drummer and we jam, that chemistry is still there — it’s like riding a bike,” Brannan said. “And now that we have real legitimate jobs, the band is the most fun it’s been since it started.”

Still, the rockers look back fondly on their early struggles when they were just another noisy local band trying to get gigs in Bay Ridge.

“If you don’t have the bad times, then you never appreciate the good times,” said Brannan. “Our van used to break down every few miles. It definitely sucked, but it built so much character, so when years later the tour bus was picking us up on Colonial Road, we could feel like we had earned it.”

Indecision will play as part of a day-long music festival at Studio B [259 Banker St. between Meserole Avenue and Calyer Street in Greenpoint (718) 389-1880)], Saturday, May 30; doors open at 2 pm. Tickets, $25.


©2009 The Brooklyn Paper

IL DIVO ("The Star"): Director Paolo Sorrentino and Star Toni Servillo serve up Giulio Andreotti aka 'The Fox', 'The Black Pope'

Directed by Napoletan writer and director Paolo Sorrentino and starring Toni Servillo as former Italian Prime Minister (and current "Senator for Life") Giulio Andreotti, Il Divo is an intense, sharp and insightful film about politics and corruption. To paraphrase the film, "Sometimes you must do evil to do good." Servillo, made up here with hunched back and bent ears, like a hobbit crossed Mathew Barney's Cremaster, appeared recently in Gomorrah, Matteo Garrone's unique mob "true story" thriller based on Roberto Saviano's "New Italian Epic" book of the same title.

Dramatic, colorful, extravagantly cinematic, and artful with excellent cast, photography and editing, IL DIVO is a must see. Now at the Sunshine Cinema on East Houston Street -- Madonn' -- don't miss it.

--Brooklyn Beat

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97Fc8k2UARE

Official site: http://www.luckyred.it/ildivo/sito_en/intro.html

The Bob Dylan Birthday Festival: Warwick Winery

The annual Bob Dylan Birthday tribute (born Robert Allen Zimmerman on May 24, 1941.) The festival is located not too far from that unique corner where NY, NJ and PA meet. Bands include Professor Louie and the Crowmatix, Bill Kirchen, Rod McDonald and many more:

Details here:
http://www.wvwinery.com/index.php?p=music#may2009

Summer Days: Adventures in Woodstock

A few years back, around the Fin de siècle, we had rented a place upstate in Bearsville, near Woodstock for the summer. Very quiet with a creek running behind the house that you could wade in (like up to your waist)…It was a quiet place, tree shaded, with a nice yard out on 212. Not far at all from Striebel Road, where Bob Dylan had his legendary motorcycle accident. And a short drive from the Big Pink house, which my son and I discovered one day, still standing and then still pink, where Dylan and the Band produced the memorable Basement Tapes.

On one occasion, we took the kids to the local Woodstock library, a little place just outside of town with magnificent second hand book sales. A guy came into the Library with two little kids, he was unshaven, needed a shower, ripped t-shirt and jeans -- it was Ethan Hawke – and we were hanging in the kiddie section with our younger girls who were around 4-5 yrs and my son who was 9-10…..Ethan started doing a puppet show for his kids and our kids…it was funny, about a princess and a pony and the pony wouldn’t give her a ride or something, all done in this falsetto voice...then this young woman, wearing big framed tortoiseshell glasses and a casual summer dress – Uma of course – comes in and says hi, but says “Ethan, we’ve got to go, my parents are waiting” or something like that. We said hello, chatted for a minute, told them that we were from Brooklyn but up there for the summer, that was about it. I don’t think my wife recognized them at the time but I did and I was “star struck”, of course, bordering on speechless....my son, who was young and not the cineaste and auteur he is now, is always disappointed that I never asked for an autograph…after they left, the librarian said “your kids just had a very famous playmate.” That was a great summer in Ulster county. We went up for a couple of weeks straight and then a lot of long weekends. Dinners at the Gypsy Wolf cantina (opens at 5:30, great Tex-Mex cuisine). The great 4th of July parade in town, volunteer firemen throwing candy to the kids, sparkling fireworks.

Anyway, so that is how I "met" Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke. Our kids were younger and life seemed simpler, and I like to imagine that was also the situation for them: A young NYC family, kicking back for an idyllic summer upstate...

--Brooklyn Beat

Flatbush Life: The Vanishing Husband and the 71st Precinct

Fox 5's John Deutzman investigative report on the arrest of a young husband for a "quality of life" crime -- riding a bike on the sidewalk-- and his subsequent jailing when he could not provide i.d. (He had left his wallet at home, and in order to receive a summons, you must have valid I.D. His cell phone was dead. He had trouble reaching his wife or family by phone; the police wouldn't help him make the necessary notification.) His frantic young wife, family, and friends were told they could not report an adult as a missing person in NYC--ever. When they were visited by NYPD from the the 71st precinct -- where he had been held-- ) no one recognized that this was the guy that had been arrested and had been held in their station. Officers from the Prospect Park station called the 71st precinct finally established that he had been arrested and was not dead. He was finally released after appearing before a judge and returned home to his relieved wife and family. Lesson #1: Your wallet/I.D. - don't leave home without it.

The News report here:
http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/news/investigative/090520_The_Vanishing_Husband_and_the_NYPD

Fox Five Reporter John Deutzman's blog here -
http://community2.myfoxny.com/_The-Vanishing-Husband/blog/284458/6475.html

Travelogue: The Sistine Chapel (Capella Sistina)

Above, Sistine Chapel. Below, Vatican Museum.



We visited the Vatican on December 26. The line is long, outside of those medieval walls with their gunports looking out over souvenir stands and cafes, but the wait was relatively short I'm told compared to the summer months.

Inside, we alternately browsed, amazed, at the corridors filled with art and religious objects, and rushed headlong (well that was mostly me) through the halls until we reached the Sistine Chapel.

Entering that vaulted space, just so taken over by the reality of being in the presence of this almost mythical object of Western art. Beautiful, fascinating. Folks crowding into the space, trying not to bump into fellow gawkers and sightseers as we stared up at the ceiling and walls. Lots of visitors being shushed by security, this is a sacred religious space within the Vatican after all, or prevented from taking photos. On this day, the Chapel was so crowded though that we already had taken a couple of photos before we realized it was verboten.

I was captivated and overwhelmed by the experience of being there with Judy and our kids. But, anyway, as with all things in the modern pop life, it resonated again later in January, when we were back in NYC, and I watched the Agony and the Ecstasy on Turner Classic Movies. Seeing of course that I am not the only one to have imagined -- and reimagined -- that work of profound art and spiritual discovery.

--Brooklyn Beat

Rocketboom! Andrew Baron presents Magma

Andrew Baron of Rocketboom, daily internet culture blog, http://www.rocketboom.com/
Will be unleashing Magma, a video aggregator blog to an unsuspecting world by the end of the week.

"On Magma, users can see the top 100 "must watch" videos on the Web. Instead of just displaying the top videos on YouTube, Magma gathers video views from sites including Hulu, Vimeo and others to create a "Magma score." Users can check out the top-scored videos, and also view the top videos on each platform. Magma also displays the most talked-about and linked videos on Twitter, Facebook and Google blogs. Users can also see the most viewed videos on NYTimes.com, CNN.com, ESPN and many others, all on one site."

Details @ NY Observer here: http://www.observer.com/2009/media/rocketbooms-andrew-baron-presents-video-aggregator-magma