Re-Set
THE MORNING BRIEF, Vol. IV, #48 (November 26, 2001) --- But don't forget.
CONTENTS
Re-Setting
The War on Wars
The Six Ball Rule
Strap On
Something Fishy
Just Rewards
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Spotting a Trend
The Establishment sucks, but at least it's established
Snack Tech I
In What Universe Besides TV...
Why iPod
The Usual Suspects
Snack Tech II
FLICKAGE: "Sidewalks of New York"
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SIX DISK CHANGER
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CONTRIBUTIONS
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UPCOMING
CONCERTS
RE-SETTING >>> Nothing like a good weekend's hibernation following a tryptophan gorge to re-set the old machinery. Love that whole Thanksgiving thing.
THE WAR ON WARS >>> If idle hands are the devil's tool, perhaps then the War on Drugs is the work of the devil himself. When Nancy Reagan launched her pet project during husband Ronald's second term, it seemed little more than a marketing ploy. A pander to religious conservatives, and the cornerstone of the Family Values campaign. Fifteen years, anti-Russian arms and commando training, and a $43 million donation to the Taliban Regime for outlawing opium poppies (in May of 2001) later, the outcome may be this year's "war."
While quite likely that what transpired on 9/11 was fait accompli, further inspection shows links between conservative U.S. policies and U.S. conflicts at home and abroad. And this isn't all hindsight. Take a look at the article below, "Bush's Faustian Deal with the Taliban," which originally appeared in the L.A. Times last May. By rewarding heinous human rights offenders for compliance with a symbolic policy, we've traded one devil for another. Always a possibility when church mixes with state.
THE SIX BALL RULE >>> Signs that martial law is imminent? Yes, there is a war going on somewhere in the world, but not here. So why would some guy playing two courts down at Penmar Park go out of his way to warn us that we were in breach of the "Six Ball Rule," a little known codicile designed to limit the number of tennis balls on the court at one time.
Either anti-liability, or a non-compete against unsanctioned tennis lessons, this invocation had me, my tennis partner, and our tennis court neighbors, scratching our heads. Not to mention that the guy who busted us was shirtless on a public court.
It's a short but steep drop down the slippery slope of courtside misbehavior to illegal footwork, untennis-like language, and plain old bad etiquette. We chose to comply so as not to invoke the wrath of the Tennis Police. Remember, the only good tennis is legal tennis.
STRAP ON >>> Strap off.
Strap on. Strap off. The Strapper.
SOMETHING FISHY? >>> The rise and fall of Texas energy giant Enron is almost unbelievable. The stock went on a steady climb from 20 in 1998 to 85 in January of this year as the California energy crisis came to a head. The company was looking like the next Cisco. After declining to 40 in October, it's now at 4, and the company is set to be swalled by bigger energy fish Dynegy. For those fans of the Houston Astros and their state of the art baseball park, Enron Field, fear not. The domain name for Dynegy Field (www.dynegyfield.com), future home of the Astros, is already registered.
JUST REWARDS >>> Do you know if state and/or federal income taxes are charged against the $25 million reward for information leading to the capture of Osama bin Laden? Just wondering, because my daydreams would be a little different if I did have to pay all of those taxes.
@ @ @
SPOTTING A TREND >>> It appears that Marg Helgenberger is on track to be the Sela Ward of 2002.
THE ESTABLISHMENT SUCKS, BUT AT LEAST IT'S ESTABLISHED >>> Do we really need super-boring MTV commentator Chris Connelly now on ESPN? I know the economy's bad and TV production budgets have been slashed, but can anyone's life be so bad they'd want to watch this guy interview a hockey goalie? When crisis prevention hot lines experience a sharp call increase during his time slot, we'll know for sure.
SNACK TECH I >>> Man those bags of Kit Kat balls rock! Thank God they didn't have 'em when I was a kid, or I'd be twice the man I am today...literally.
IN WHAT UNIVERSE BESIDES TV... >>> ...is a guy who like James Belushi married to a girl like Courtney-Thorne Smith?
WHY iPOD >>> As the first to arrive at brunch on Sunday, I realized why I choose not to arrive early as a matter of course. It's the time spent sitting, waiting, twiddling thumbs and waiting. Waiting and sitting and doing nothing and just being there. Not that I haven't cultivated a lifetime's worth of hobbies perfect for filling in those in-between moments. But now that I've got my trusty iPod, 1100 songs in my pocket, at least I'll never go into the waiting zone without a jukebox of my favorite tuneage to keep me company. A little music to fill in the gaps. A lot of music.
THE USUAL SUSPECTS >>> I refuse to watch any special music program that includes "a live performance by Destiny's Child." So looking forward to their transition into the Where Are They Now Column along with never wases like En Vogue.
SNACK TECH II >>> Do you mean to tell me that in all the years there's been Ready-Bake Cookies it took until 2001 to make them flat and tear-offable so you can make just a few at a time? This must really be the future.
FLICKAGE: "Sidewalks of New York" >>> While Ed Burns' debut as a WAD (writer/actor/director) with "The Brothers McMullen" was a charming slice of life, his follow-up, "She's the One" hinted that as a creative force, the native New Yorker might be a one trick pony. Or maybe it was just the sophomore jinx. "Sidewalks of New York" is indie filmmaking at its finest, fueled by understated charm and subtle insights.
A Valentine to Manhattan, there's some surreal and haunting footage early on with the WTC in the background. Ostensibly a reason for the film's release to be moved from September to November. Interlinked story lines play like a less stylized Woody Allen flick, with each character a different color of the romantic rainbow. The ensemble cast is practically perfect, featuring Mr. Burns, Stanley Tucci, Heather Graham, Britany Murphy, Dennis Farina, and more, in various states of departure and embrace.
At one point in the middle of the proceedings, I felt my brain opened up like a #10 tin can with all of the maneuverings, the transgressions, the twists and turns of a lifetime of relationships exposed for inspection. Wise, sweet, real and extremely entertaining, "Sidewalks of New York" establishes Ed Burns as more than a popular young actor with a bankable face. He's made a superb little film with a lot to say about the love in all of us.
@ @ @
SIX-DISK CHANGER >>> Augmented by another pilgrimmage to music mecca, Amoeba Music Hollywood.
1. Zero 7, "Simple Things" -- My album of the year; beautiful, thoughtful, soaring. Simply perfect.
2. Original Soundtrack, "Amelie" -- Streets of Paris come alive in my car.
3. Starlight Mints, "The Dream That Stuff Was Made Of" -- Forebearer of Pixies and Minutemen prove indie rock is alive and well.
4. Mr. Scruff, "Keep it Unreal" -- Quirky spin-meister from Manchester continues to charm.
5. American Music Club, "Mercury" -- Mark Eitzel's voice with AMC's orchestrations breaking my heart.
6. Rainer Truby Trio, "DJ Kicks" -- International beats and elegant grooves combined into one, artful mix.
7. Stereolab, "Sound Dust" -- They had that gorgeous, retro-sixties sound down so cold they could do it without even trying. And it showed on their previous outing. With "Sound Dust," the effort is back, and so is the inventiveness that established this band. A welcome return.
@ @ @
Have a great week.
Your pal,
David.
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Every day is somebody's birthday...
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The Morning Brief can be read every wwweek @ www.smmirror.com -- in the Web Stuff section.
You can also find prior Briefs at www.morningbrief.net if you've got the time. Or load it up from www.avantgo.com and get your Briefs to go.
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DISCLAIMAGE >>> Please feel free to forward The Morning Brief to whomever you like. If you do, in part or in segments, or if you'd like to re-publish, please copy me or just let me know. Thanks for reading!
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Notable shows in and around Southern
California.
Highly
recommended shows this color.
Red
alert; must see!
11.26.01 -
Nortec Collective @ El Rey Theatre
11.27.01 - Natalie Merchant @ Royce Hall
11.28.01 - Delbert
McClinton @ The Roxy
11.29.01 - India Arie and Mystic @ House of Blues
11.29.01 - Poe @ Roxy Theatre
11.29.01
- Diamanda Galas @ Royce Hall
11.30.01
- Clare Muldaur @ The Mint
11.30.01
- Goldfrapp @ Knitting Factory Hollywood
12.01.01
- Bebel Gilberto @ House of Blues
12.01.01
- Goldfrapp @ Knitting Factory Hollywood
12.02.01
- Eels @ Roxy Theatre
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12.03.01
- Mercury Rev @ The Troubadour
12.03.01
- DJ Food / Four Tet @ Knitting Factory Hollywood
12.04.01 - Tweaker @ The Troubadour
12.04.01 - Robert Earl
Keen @ The Roxy Theatre
12.05.01
- Wilco @ El Rey Theatre
12.05.01
- Starsailor @ The Troubadour
12.06.01
- Wilco @ El Rey Theatre
12.07.01 - Man or
Astroman? @ El Rey Theatre
12.08.01
- Charlie Hunter Quartet @ McCabe's Guitar Shop
12.08.01 - Jane
Siberry @ Knitting Factory Hollywood
12.08.01 - Warren Miller's Cold Fusion @ Wadsworth Theatre
12.09.01
- Etta James @ House of Blues
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12.10.01
- Aimee Mann @ House of Blues
12.12.01 - Elton John @ Universal Amphitheatre
12.14.01
- Zero 7 @ El Rey Theatre
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12.18.01
- Pete Yorn @ House of Blues
12.21.01 - Sensefield @ El Rey Theatre
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12.28.01
- Karl Denson's Tiny Universe
12.29.01 - Karl Denson's Tiny Universe
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12.31.01
- Macy Gray @ House of Blues
12.31.01 - Sasha /
Paul Van Dyk / Jimmy Van M @ Giant/Coliseum Gardens
12.31.01 - Paul Oakenfold / BT @ Hollywood Blvd
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1.11.02
- Calexico @ Knitting Factory Hollywood
1.12.02
- Blind Boys of Alabama @ Royce Hall
1.18.02 - Buena Vista Social Club (Gonzales/Ferrer) @ Royce Hall
1.19.02 - Buena Vista Social Club (Gonzales/Ferrer) @ Royce Hall
2.07.02
- Baaba Maal @ Royce Hall
2.09.02
- Laurie Anderson @ Royce Hall
2.17.02 - The Coen Brothers and Down from the Mountain @ Universal
Amphitheatre
4.16.02 - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds @ Wiltern Theatre
4.17.02 - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds @ Wiltern
Theatre
__________________________
HAVE YOU seen something amazing? HAVE YOU figured something out? HAVE YOU found a new haven? HAVE YOU changed your mind recently? HAVE YOU got a bug in your butt? HAVE YOU been remembering to breathe?
RE: BUSH'S FAUSTIAN DEAL WITH THE TALIBAN >>> By Robert Scheer
Published May 22, 2001 in the Los Angeles Times
Enslave your girls and women, harbor anti-U.S. terrorists, destroy every vestige of civilization in your homeland, and the Bush administration will embrace you. All that matters is that you line up as an ally in the drug war, the only international cause that this nation still takes seriously.
That's the message sent with the recent gift of $43 million to the Taliban rulers of Afghanistan, the most virulent anti-American violators of human rights in the world today. The gift, announced last Thursday by Secretary of State Colin Powell, in addition to other recent aid, makes the U.S. the main sponsor of the Taliban and rewards that "rogue regime" for declaring that opium growing is against the will of God. So, too, by the Taliban's estimation, are most human activities, but it's the ban on drugs that catches this administration's attention.
Never mind that Osama bin Laden still operates the leading anti-American terror operation from his base in Afghanistan, from which, among other crimes, he launched two bloody attacks on American embassies in Africa in 1998.
Sadly, the Bush administration is cozying up to the Taliban regime at a time when the United Nations, at U.S. insistence, imposes sanctions on Afghanistan because the Kabul government will not turn over Bin Laden.
The war on drugs has become our own fanatics' obsession and easily trumps all other concerns. How else could we come to reward the Taliban, who has subjected the female half of the Afghan population to a continual reign of terror in a country once considered enlightened in its treatment of women?
At no point in modern history have women and girls been more systematically abused than in Afghanistan where, in the name of madness masquerading as Islam, the government in Kabul obliterates their fundamental human rights. Women may not appear in public without being covered from head to toe with the oppressive shroud called the burkha , and they may not leave the house without being accompanied by a male family member. They've not been permitted to attend school or be treated by male doctors, yet women have been banned from practicing medicine or any profession for that matter.
The lot of males is better if they blindly accept the laws of an extreme religious theocracy that prescribes strict rules governing all behavior, from a ban on shaving to what crops may be grown. It is this last power that has captured the enthusiasm of the Bush White House.
The Taliban fanatics, economically and diplomatically isolated, are at the breaking point, and so, in return for a pittance of legitimacy and cash from the Bush administration, they have been willing to appear to reverse themselves on the growing of opium. That a totalitarian country can effectively crack down on its farmers is not surprising. But it is grotesque for a U.S. official, James P. Callahan, director of the State Department's Asian anti-drug program, to describe the Taliban's special methods in the language of representative democracy: "The Taliban used a system of consensus-building," Callahan said after a visit with the Taliban, adding that the Taliban justified the ban on drugs "in very religious terms."
Of course, Callahan also reported, those who didn't obey the theocratic edict would be sent to prison.
In a country where those who break minor rules are simply beaten on the spot by religious police and others are stoned to death, it's understandable that the government's "religious" argument might be compelling. Even if it means, as Callahan concedes, that most of the farmers who grew the poppies will now confront starvation. That's because the Afghan economy has been ruined by the religious extremism of the Taliban, making the attraction of opium as a previously tolerated quick cash crop overwhelming.
For that reason, the opium ban will not last unless the U.S. is willing to pour far larger amounts of money into underwriting the Afghan economy.
As the Drug Enforcement Administration's Steven Casteel admitted, "The bad side of the ban is that it's bringing their country--or certain regions of their country--to economic ruin." Nor did he hold out much hope for Afghan farmers growing other crops such as wheat, which require a vast infrastructure to supply water and fertilizer that no longer exists in that devastated country. There's little doubt that the Taliban will turn once again to the easily taxed cash crop of opium in order to stay in power.
The Taliban may suddenly be the dream regime of our own war drug war zealots, but in the end this alliance will prove a costly failure. Our long sad history of signing up dictators in the war on drugs demonstrates the futility of building a foreign policy on a domestic obsession.
-- forwarded by Kokolo.
GREAT QUOTE >>> Thousands of people have talent. I might as well congratulate you for having eyes in your head. The one and only thing that counts is: Do you have staying power?" -- Noel Coward.
-- forwarded by Sue-Meng Lau.