Thursday, November 27, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
Obama Administration Economic Team
From Change.gov:
Geithner, Summers among key economic team members announced today
Chicago -- President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden officially announced key members of their economic team today, naming Timothy Geithner as Secretary of the Treasury and Lawrence Summers as Director of the National Economic Council. Obama and Biden also named Christina Romer as Chair of the Council of Economic advisors, and named Melody Barnes and Heather Higginbottom to serve as Director and Deputy Director of the Domestic Policy Council.
"Vice President-elect Biden and I have assembled an economic team with the vision and expertise to stabilize our economy, create jobs, and get America back on track. Even as we face great economic challenges, we know that great opportunity is at hand -- if we act swiftly and boldly. That's the mission our economic team will take on," said President-elect Obama.
The economic team members announced today are listed below:
Timothy F. Geithner, Secretary of the Treasury
Timothy Geithner currently serves as president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, where he has played a key role in formulating the nation's monetary policy. He joined the Department of the Treasury in 1988 and has served three presidents. From 1999 to 2001, he served as Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs. Following that post he served as director of the Policy Development and Review Department at the International Monetary Fund until 2003. Geithner is a graduate of Dartmouth College and the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
Lawrence H. Summers, Director of the National Economic Council
Lawrence Summers is currently the Charles W. Eliot University Professor at Harvard University. Summers served as 71st Secretary of the Treasury from 1999 to 2001 and as president of Harvard from 2001 to 2006. Before being appointed Secretary, Summers served as Deputy and Under Secretary of the Treasury and as the World Bank's top economist. Summers has taught economics at Harvard and MIT, and is a recipient of the John Bates Clark Medal, awarded to the American economist under 40 judged to have made the most significant contribution to economics. Summers played a key advisory role during the 2008 presidential campaign.
Christina D. Romer, Director of the Council of Economic Advisors
Christina Romer is the Class of 1957 Professor of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley, where she has taught and researched since 1988. Prior to joining the faculty at Berkeley, Romer was an assistant professor of economics and public affairs at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Romer is co-director of the Program in Monetary Economics at the National Bureau of Economic Research and has been a visiting scholar at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
Melody C. Barnes, Director of the Domestic Policy Council
Melody Barnes is co-director of the Agency Review Working Group for the Obama-Biden Transition Team, and served as the Senior Domestic Policy Advisor to Obama for America. Barnes previously served as Executive Vice President for Policy at the Center for American Progress and as chief counsel to Senator Edward M. Kennedy on the Senate Judiciary Committee from December 1995 until March 2003.
Heather A. Higginbottom, Deputy Director of the Domestic Policy Council
Heather Higginbottom served as Policy Director for Obama for America, overseeing all aspects of policy development. From 1999 to 2007, Higginbottom served as Senator John Kerry's Legislative Director. She also served as the Deputy National Policy Director for the Kerry-Edwards Presidential Campaign for the primary and general elections. After the 2004 election, Higginbottom founded and served as Executive Director of the American Security Project, a national security think tank. She started her career as an advocate at the national non-profit organization Communities in Schools.
Geithner, Summers among key economic team members announced today
Chicago -- President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden officially announced key members of their economic team today, naming Timothy Geithner as Secretary of the Treasury and Lawrence Summers as Director of the National Economic Council. Obama and Biden also named Christina Romer as Chair of the Council of Economic advisors, and named Melody Barnes and Heather Higginbottom to serve as Director and Deputy Director of the Domestic Policy Council.
"Vice President-elect Biden and I have assembled an economic team with the vision and expertise to stabilize our economy, create jobs, and get America back on track. Even as we face great economic challenges, we know that great opportunity is at hand -- if we act swiftly and boldly. That's the mission our economic team will take on," said President-elect Obama.
The economic team members announced today are listed below:
Timothy F. Geithner, Secretary of the Treasury
Timothy Geithner currently serves as president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, where he has played a key role in formulating the nation's monetary policy. He joined the Department of the Treasury in 1988 and has served three presidents. From 1999 to 2001, he served as Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs. Following that post he served as director of the Policy Development and Review Department at the International Monetary Fund until 2003. Geithner is a graduate of Dartmouth College and the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
Lawrence H. Summers, Director of the National Economic Council
Lawrence Summers is currently the Charles W. Eliot University Professor at Harvard University. Summers served as 71st Secretary of the Treasury from 1999 to 2001 and as president of Harvard from 2001 to 2006. Before being appointed Secretary, Summers served as Deputy and Under Secretary of the Treasury and as the World Bank's top economist. Summers has taught economics at Harvard and MIT, and is a recipient of the John Bates Clark Medal, awarded to the American economist under 40 judged to have made the most significant contribution to economics. Summers played a key advisory role during the 2008 presidential campaign.
Christina D. Romer, Director of the Council of Economic Advisors
Christina Romer is the Class of 1957 Professor of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley, where she has taught and researched since 1988. Prior to joining the faculty at Berkeley, Romer was an assistant professor of economics and public affairs at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Romer is co-director of the Program in Monetary Economics at the National Bureau of Economic Research and has been a visiting scholar at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
Melody C. Barnes, Director of the Domestic Policy Council
Melody Barnes is co-director of the Agency Review Working Group for the Obama-Biden Transition Team, and served as the Senior Domestic Policy Advisor to Obama for America. Barnes previously served as Executive Vice President for Policy at the Center for American Progress and as chief counsel to Senator Edward M. Kennedy on the Senate Judiciary Committee from December 1995 until March 2003.
Heather A. Higginbottom, Deputy Director of the Domestic Policy Council
Heather Higginbottom served as Policy Director for Obama for America, overseeing all aspects of policy development. From 1999 to 2007, Higginbottom served as Senator John Kerry's Legislative Director. She also served as the Deputy National Policy Director for the Kerry-Edwards Presidential Campaign for the primary and general elections. After the 2004 election, Higginbottom founded and served as Executive Director of the American Security Project, a national security think tank. She started her career as an advocate at the national non-profit organization Communities in Schools.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
McCain and Obama Meet About 'New Era of Reform'
Joint statement from President-elect Barack Obama and U.S. Senator John McCain:
“At this defining moment in history, we believe that Americans of all parties want and need their leaders to come together and change the bad habits of Washington so that we can solve the common and urgent challenges of our time. It is in this spirit that we had a productive conversation today about the need to launch a new era of reform where we take on government waste and bitter partisanship in Washington in order to restore trust in government, and bring back prosperity and opportunity for every hardworking American family. We hope to work together in the days and months ahead on critical challenges like solving our financial crisis, creating a new energy economy, and protecting our nation’s security.”
Sunday, November 16, 2008
33rd Humana Festival of New American Plays
From Actors Theatre of Louisville:
33rd HUMANA FESTIVAL OF NEW AMERICAN PLAYS
Announcing World Premieres for 2009 Festival
LOUISVILLE, KY — The 33rd annual Humana Festival of New American Plays presented by Actors Theatre of Louisville will feature a diverse array of work from 18 playwrights. "The Humana Festival is a celebration of the diversity and strength of new American theatre," Marc Masterson, the company's Artistic Director, announced today. "The artists in this year’s festival represent a cross-section of our culture and include new voices as well as some of the most established and respected writers and directors working in the theatre today."
The Festival, slated for March 1-April 11, 2009, is acclaimed worldwide as America's preeminent showcase of professional stage premieres. "Over the past 33 years, the Humana Festival of New American Plays has introduced more than 350 plays into the world," adds Jennifer Bielstein, the theatre's Managing Director. "In this time of economic challenges, the arts provide a vital way for us to examine our changing world. The Humana Festival continues to be a place for us to unite in our support of the American theatre. We look forward to hosting our colleagues and theatre lovers in Louisville in 2009."
This year’s festival — comprised of six full-length plays, a comic anthology showcasing the Actors Theatre Acting Apprentice Company, and three ten-minute plays to be announced — marks three decades of continuous support from its underwriter, The Humana Foundation. The philanthropic arm of Humana Inc., The Humana Foundation supports and nurtures charitable activities that promote healthy lives and healthy communities.
Full-length plays are Wild Blessings: A Celebration of Wendell Berry adapted for the stage by Artistic Director Marc Masterson and Adrien-Alice Hansel from the writing of Wendell Berry (Port Royal, Kentucky), Absalom by Zoe Kazan (New York City), Under Construction by Charles L. Mee (New York City), Slasher by Allison Moore (Minneapolis, Minnesota), Ameriville by UNIVERSES (Gamal Abdel Chasten, Mildred Ruiz, William Ruiz aka Ninja and Steven Sapp from New York City), and The Hard Weather Boating Party by Naomi Wallace (native of Prospect, Kentucky, now residing in Skipton, North Yorkshire, U.K.).
The comic anthology, titled BRINK!, is written by Lydia Diamond (Cambridge, Massachusetts), Kristoffer Diaz (New York City), Greg Kotis (New York City), Deborah Zoe Laufer (Mt. Kisco, New York), Peter Sinn Nachtrieb (San Francisco, California) and Deborah Stein (Minneapolis, Minnesota).
Descriptions of the Festival’s world premiere lineup, along with playwright biographies, are as follows:
FULL-LENGTH PLAYS
Wild Blessings: A Celebration of Wendell Berry
adapted for the stage by Marc Masterson and Adrien-Alice Hansel from the writing of Wendell Berry
directed by Marc Masterson
part of the Brown-Forman Mainstage Series
An exploration of the earth, its citizens and the impact of each on the other. This world premiere brings the work of nationally acclaimed poet, novelist and ecological visionary Wendell Berry to the stage in a celebration of words, music and a life well lived.
Wendell Berry was born in Henry County, Kentucky. He has taught at Georgetown College, Stanford University, New York University and University of Kentucky, his alma mater. The author of over forty books of poetry, essays and fiction, Mr. Berry has received numerous fellowships and awards. He lives and works with his wife, Tanya Berry, on their farm in Port Royal, Kentucky.
***
Absalom
by Zoe Kazan
directed by Giovanna Sardelli
At a Berkshires country house, the children of an aging literary giant gather for a party celebrating the release of their patriarch’s tell-all autobiography. When an unexpected guest appears, this family—writers or editors all—must reckon with their stories and who owns them, and with the secrets, betrayals and deep bonds that define what they’ll do for love.
Zoe Kazan is an actor/writer currently residing in Brooklyn. As an actor, she has worked in film and both on and off-Broadway. This play, her first, was workshopped at Lincoln Center Theater LAB and had readings at The Vineyard Playhouse, The Ensemble Studio Theatre and Yale University.
***
Under Construction
by Charles L. Mee
directed by Anne Bogart
created and performed by SITI Company
A collage of America today, inspired by Norman Rockwell and contemporary installation artist Jason Rhoades, Mee’s play juxtaposes the fifties and the present, red states and blue, where we grew up and where we live now—a piece that is, like America, permanently under construction.
Charles L. Mee has written Big Love, True Love, First Love, bobrauschenbergamerica, Summertime and Wintertime, among other plays. All of his works are available online and are made possible by the support of Richard B. Fisher and Jeanne Donovan Fisher.
***
Slasher
by Allison Moore
directed by Josh Hecht
When she’s cast as the “last girl” in a low-budget slasher flick, Sheena thinks it’s the big break she’s been waiting for. But news of the movie unleashes her malingering mother’s thwarted feminist rage, and Mom is prepared to do anything to stop filming…even if it kills her.
Allison Moore is a displaced Texan living in Minneapolis, where she is a 2007-2009 Bush Artists Fellow and a 2008-2009 McKnight Fellow. Her plays include End Times (Kitchen Dog Theater), American Klepto (Illusion Theater), Hazard County (2005 Humana Festival), Urgent Fury (2003 Cherry Lane Mentor Project) and Eighteen (2001 O’Neill Playwrights’ Conference).
***
Ameriville
by UNIVERSES (Gamal Abdel Chasten, Mildred Ruiz, William Ruiz aka Ninja and Steven Sapp)
directed by Chay Yew
UNIVERSES puts the state of the Union under a microscope—race, poverty, politics, history and government—examining our country through the lens of Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans. Ameriville combines an innovative mix of poetry, music, movement and drama to get to the heart of this American tragedy.
Gamal Abdel Chasten, a founding member of UNIVERSES, is a songwriter/poet/screenwriter. His work has toured more than 25 U.S. cities and five countries. Writing credits include The Last Word, God Took Away His Poem and the UNIVERSES shows The Ride and Slanguage. Directing credits include The Last Word, Full Circle’s Innerviews and Articulation. Mr. Chasten is working on the screen projects Red Moon, Joe Bloe and North Borough.
Mildred Ruiz, a founding member of UNIVERSES, is a playwright/actor/vocalist. Acting credits include The Denver Project (Curious Theatre), One Shot in Lotus Position (The War Anthology, Curious Theatre), Blue Suite, Rhythmicity (2003 Humana Festival), Slanguage (New York Theatre Workshop), The Ride and Alfred Jarry's UBU:Enchained (Teatre Polski in Poland).
William Ruiz (aka Ninja), a founding member of UNIVERSES, has been seen in Slanguage, Ti Jean Blues, Tree Tails, Salome, Latin Howel and Run Baby Run (Houston Astrodome, Texas). He was playwright/director of Waiting for Gordo (an adaptation of Samuel Beckett’s play) and Ambassador of Music for the 2008 Jazz at Lincoln Center: Rhythm Road.
Steven Sapp is a founding member of UNIVERSES. Credits include The Denver Project (Curious Theatre), One Shot in Lotus Position (The War Anthology, Curious Theatre), Blue Suite, and the UNIVERSES shows Rhythmicity (2003 Humana Festival) and Slanguage (New York Theatre Workshop). As a director he has staged The Ride (playwright/actor/director), The Architecture of Loss (assistant director to Chay Yew), Will Powers’ The Seven (University of Iowa) and Alfred Jarry's UBU:Enchained (Teatre Polski in Poland).
***
The Hard Weather Boating Party
by Naomi Wallace
directed by Jo Bonney
commissioned by Actors Theatre of Louisville
Three men, almost strangers, meet in a hotel room to plan an ugly crime against a powerful adversary. Inspired by research on Louisville's Rubbertown neighborhood, Wallace’s play explores the struggle between industrial greed and growth, and the health of the community.
Naomi Wallace's work has been produced in the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States. She received the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, Kesselring Prize, Fellowship of Southern Writers Drama Award and an Obie Award. Ms. Wallace was also a recipient of the MacArthur Fellows Program Award.
***
COMIC ANTHOLOGY
BRINK!
by Lydia Diamond, Kristoffer Diaz, Greg Kotis, Deborah Zoe Laufer, Peter Sinn Nachtrieb and Deborah Stein
directed by Sean Daniels
performed by the 2008-2009 Actors Theatre Acting Apprentice Company
commissioned by Actors Theatre of Louisville
From first date to marriage, birth to death, and hiring to firing, six fabulous and funny playwrights join forces with our twenty-two Acting Apprentices to explore rites of passage.
Lydia Diamond's plays include Stick Fly, Voyeurs de Venus, The Bluest Eye, The Gift Horse and Harriet Jacobs. Producing theatres include The Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Long Wharf Theatre, Hartford Stage, McCarter Theatre Center, PlayMakers Repertory Theatre, Chicago Dramatists, Congo Square, MPAACT, True Colors Theatre Company and Company One. Ms. Diamond is on the faculty at Boston University and is a 2006-2007 Huntington Playwriting Fellow.
Kristoffer Diaz lives and works in Brooklyn, N.Y. His plays include Welcome to Arroyo’s, Guernica, The Trophy Thieves: A High School Love Story and The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity (which just won the National Latino Playwriting Award). Other awards include a Van Lier Fellowship (New Dramatists) and Donmar Warehouse Playwright Residency.
Greg Kotis wrote the book and co-wrote the lyrics for Urinetown (the Musical). New projects include The Truth About Santa (an apocalyptic Christmas tale), opening this December in New York, and the rock musical Yeast Nation: The Triumph of Life opening this coming spring at American Theater Company in Chicago.
Deborah Zoe Laufer's plays End Days, The Last Schwartz and The Gulf of Westchester premiered at Florida Stage and have received numerous productions around the country. Out of Sterno is currently receiving its world premiere at Portland Stage in Maine. Other plays include Fortune, Random Acts and Miniatures. Ms. Laufer is a Juilliard graduate.
Peter Sinn Nachtrieb is a San Francisco-based playwright whose works include boom, Hunter Gatherers and Colorado. Hunter Gatherers received both the ATCA/Steinberg New Play Award and the Will Glickman Prize (2007). In 2008, boom was produced at Ars Nova, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company and Seattle Repertory Theatre. His newest play, T.I.C., premieres with Encore Theatre Company in 2009.
Deborah Stein's work has been seen in New York, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Seattle, San Francisco and Edinburgh. She was twice nominated for the Barrymore Award for her collaborations with Pig Iron Theatre Company, is a two-time Jerome Fellow at The Playwrights’ Center, and is a member of New Dramatists. Ms. Stein holds an M.F.A. from Brown University and her upcoming works include Wallflower (Stages Repertory Theatre) and God Save Gertrude (The Theatre @ Boston Court).
FESTIVAL ACTIVITIES
Programming for the 2009 Humana Festival has been expanded to include more social and enrichment opportunities for patrons, industry professionals and Louisville at large in celebration of American theatre and the community. Below is a listing of all Humana Festival events. Events are open to the public unless otherwise noted. Reservations or tickets may be required, contact the Actors Theatre box office in January 2009 for more details.
Parties and Events
# March 5 at 7:30 p.m. — 33rd Humana Festival of New American Plays Opening Party and Kick-off Celebration
# March 5 — Playwrights and Actors at Louisville area Restaurant
# March 12 — Playwrights and Actors at Louisville area Restaurant
# March 12 after 7:30 p.m. performance — Korbel Champagne Toast after Absalom performance
# March 14 — Community Arts Town Hall
# March 14 at 10:30 p.m. — The Late Seating at Actors: Louisville's Humana Festival Party
# March 19 — Playwrights and Actors at Louisville area Restaurant
# March 20 from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. — College Days Welcome Reception and Meet the Creative Team
(with College Days tickets)
# March 20 from 9:45 to 10:30 p.m. — College Days Mixer Party (with College Days tickets)
# March 26 — Playwrights and Actors at Louisville area Restaurant
# March 26 after 7:30 p.m. performance — Korbel Champagne Toast after Wild Blessings performance
# March 27 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.— New Play Getaway Welcome Reception (with New Play Getaway tickets)
# March 27 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.— New Play Getaway Welcome Reception (with New Play Getaway tickets)
# March 28 from 2:30 to 3:45 p.m —Support Women Artists Now (SWAN) reception
# March 28 from 10:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. — Theatre Professionals Weekend Welcome Reception
(with Theatre Professionals tickets)
# April 2 from 7:30 to 10:00 p.m. — Special Visitors Weekend Cocktail Parties around Louisville
(with Special Visitors tickets)
# April 3 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. — New Play Getaway Welcome Reception (with New Play Getaway tickets)
# April 4 from 9:00 to 10:00 p.m. — Harold and Mimi Steinberg American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA) New Play Award
# April 4 from 10:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. — 33rd Humana Festival of New American Plays Gala
Panels and Discussions
# March 21 from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. — "Auditioning for a Living" with Associate Director Zan Sawyer-Dailey
(with College Days tickets)
# March 21 from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m — "Journey to the Center of Theatre Management"
with Marketing, Development and General Management staff (with College Days tickets)
# March 21 from 10:45 to 11:45 a.m — "Discovering the Ten-Minute Play Within" with the Literary staff
(with College Days tickets)
# March 21 from 10:45 to 11:45 a.m. —"Acting Up in the Classroom" with the Education staff (with College Days tickets)
# March 21 from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. — "Meet the Creative Team " panel (with College Days tickets)
# March 21 from 4:00 to 4:45 p.m. — "Now You See it, Now You Don't" set changeover/panel discussion with Production staff (with College Days tickets)
# March 22 from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. - "Next Steps: Where do I go from Undergrad?" panel with recently graduated staff
(with College Days tickets)
# March 22 from 10:15 to 11:15 a.m. — "The Secret Lives of Dramaturgs" panel with Literary staff (with College Days tickets)
# March 22 from 10:15 to 11:15 a.m. — "Designers Take the Stage" with Design staff (with College Days tickets)
# March 22 from 11:30 to 12: 30 p.m.— "The Art of Collaboration"
with Artistic Director Marc Masterson and Managing Director Jennifer Bielstein
# March 28 from 2:30 to 4 p.m — Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas (LMDA) meeting (not public)
# March 29 at 12:00 p.m — Theatre Professionals Panel Discussion
# April 3 — Actors Theatre Acting Apprentice Casting Workshop (not public)
# April 3 from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. — Special Visitors Weekend Panel Discussion (with Special Visitors tickets)
# April 4 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. — Actors Theatre Acting Apprentice Casting Workshop II (not public)
Tours
# March 21 from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. — Production Studio tours
# March 21 from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. — Costume Shop tours
TICKETS
The festival plays will be presented in rotating repertory in Actors Theatre’s 637-seat Pamela Brown Auditorium, 318-seat Bingham Theatre and 159-seat Victor Jory Theatre.
Two weekends featuring festival plays are offered for industry professionals. Theatre Professionals Weekend (March 27–29) is for artistic directors, literary managers and playwrights. Special Visitors Weekend (April 3-5) is for press, producers, directors, and casting agents from stage, film and television. Guests receive a full package of plays, hotel discounts, a festival gift and guide, airport transportation and complimentary shuttle and festival concierge service. Special panel discussions will be held both weekends (see listings above under "Festival Activities"). For Theatre Professionals and Special Visitors Weekend package information, call Festival Coordinator Katherine Bilby at (502) 584-1265 ext. 3003 or kbilby@ActorsTheatre.org.
New Play Getaway ticket packages (available for weekends in March and April) are offered for theatre lovers and include discounts to multiple plays with guaranteed seating, hotel discounts and a festival guide. The College Days Package (March 20-22) is an educational and professional development experience that includes a package of plays, seminars, post-show discussions and an insider's look behind the scenes. For New Play Getaway or College Days package information, call Group Sales Manager Sarah Peters at (502) 585-1210 or GroupSales@ActorsTheatre.org.
Humana Festival single ticket prices range from $24 to $55 and will be available November 25. For information or reservations call (502) 584-1205 or 1-800-4-ATL-TIX, or visit Actors Theatre's website at www.ActorsTheatre.org.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Friday, November 14, 2008
Bond is Back!
I'm going to the 11:45 am show of Quantum of Solace at Green Hills 16 today. It's gotten mixed reviews from the critics but I've never been too concerned with reviewers' assessments of what is after all a series of popcorn flicks.
My parents took me to Bond films in the 1970s and I caught up with earlier installments on TV (ABC's Sunday Night Movie showed several of them back then). I've been hooked ever since.
To get in the right frame of mind I just watched the opening title credits to my favorite entry in the series (and arguably the best of them all). Goldfinger was the third Bond film, and it brought together all the elements we now expect in 007 features. It's also fun, and has some of the most memorable characters in the franchise's 46-year run - Auric Goldfinger, Oddjob and the "How did they get that past the censors in 1964?" Best-Named Bond Girl of All Time, Pussy Galore (played with tongue-planted-firmly-in-cheek by the delightful Honor Blackman).
I know the Bond world now inhabited by Daniel Craig is very different from the one led by Sean Connery. Still, the excitement, the danger and the exotic locales all create some fantasy fun that continues to entertain through 22 "official" films and two spinoffs.
Here's the opening to Goldfinger. To borrow from another Bond movie, nobody does it better:
UPDATE: I really liked it. Dominic Greene is one of the best Bond villains in years and Craig has become my favorite 007 after Connery.
My parents took me to Bond films in the 1970s and I caught up with earlier installments on TV (ABC's Sunday Night Movie showed several of them back then). I've been hooked ever since.
To get in the right frame of mind I just watched the opening title credits to my favorite entry in the series (and arguably the best of them all). Goldfinger was the third Bond film, and it brought together all the elements we now expect in 007 features. It's also fun, and has some of the most memorable characters in the franchise's 46-year run - Auric Goldfinger, Oddjob and the "How did they get that past the censors in 1964?" Best-Named Bond Girl of All Time, Pussy Galore (played with tongue-planted-firmly-in-cheek by the delightful Honor Blackman).
I know the Bond world now inhabited by Daniel Craig is very different from the one led by Sean Connery. Still, the excitement, the danger and the exotic locales all create some fantasy fun that continues to entertain through 22 "official" films and two spinoffs.
Here's the opening to Goldfinger. To borrow from another Bond movie, nobody does it better:
UPDATE: I really liked it. Dominic Greene is one of the best Bond villains in years and Craig has become my favorite 007 after Connery.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Monday, November 10, 2008
Friday, November 7, 2008
The Progressive Majority
Quite an interesting report by Media Matters. They feel those who say America is fundamentally conservative (or "center-right" to use the current popular spin) are proponents of a myth:
This report gathers together years of public opinion data from unimpeachably nonpartisan sources to show that on issue after issue, the majority of Americans hold progressive positions. And this is true not only of specific policy proposals, but of the fundamental perspectives and approaches that Americans bring to bear on issues.
Nor is the progressive majority merely a product of the current political moment. On a broad array of issues, particularly social issues, American opinion has grown more and more progressive over the past few decades. In contrast, it is difficult to find an issue on which the public has grown steadily more conservative over the last 10, 20, or 30 years.
Read the report here.
This report gathers together years of public opinion data from unimpeachably nonpartisan sources to show that on issue after issue, the majority of Americans hold progressive positions. And this is true not only of specific policy proposals, but of the fundamental perspectives and approaches that Americans bring to bear on issues.
Nor is the progressive majority merely a product of the current political moment. On a broad array of issues, particularly social issues, American opinion has grown more and more progressive over the past few decades. In contrast, it is difficult to find an issue on which the public has grown steadily more conservative over the last 10, 20, or 30 years.
Read the report here.
Make that 365
It looks like Barack Obama picked up that last electoral vote in Nebraska's second congressional district.
First Prez-Elect Presser
President-Elect Barack Obama's first post-election press conference covered a wide range of topics, including the all-important matter of the new presidential puppy.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Omaha Goes Obama?
The current electoral college count is projected as 364-162. There's one vote outstanding in Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District. Could it swing the President-Elect's way? Possibly, says the Omaha World-Herald:
Good news for Barack Obama supporters.
His odds of bagging an electoral vote in Nebraska grew stronger this morning, with word that 10,000 to 12,000 early ballots and 5,200 provisional ballots are left to count in Douglas County.
Obama won about 61 percent of the early votes counted before Tuesday's election. If that percentage holds with the early ballots left to count, Obama stands a strong chance of winning the Omaha-area 2nd Congressional District.
Good news for Barack Obama supporters.
His odds of bagging an electoral vote in Nebraska grew stronger this morning, with word that 10,000 to 12,000 early ballots and 5,200 provisional ballots are left to count in Douglas County.
Obama won about 61 percent of the early votes counted before Tuesday's election. If that percentage holds with the early ballots left to count, Obama stands a strong chance of winning the Omaha-area 2nd Congressional District.
Obama Obsessives
From TheOnion.com. Hey, if we can't laugh at ourselves, then we're no better than ... Republican wingnuts:
We Have Taken America Back
From an optimistic Gary Kamiya at Salon.com:
Only rarely does one know that one is experiencing history while it happens. Barack Obama's victory is one of those occasions. This amazing day marks a decisive change, not just in America's politics but in its soul. It announces the arrival of a new America, of a multitudinous, multihued people whose time has come and who have demanded a politics worthy of them. Their voice echoes across the land from Stone Mountain to Seattle, and its message rings out loud and clear: We have taken our country back.
We have taken it back from the mean-spirited demagogues who were willing to tear the American people apart to stay in power.
We have taken it back from the apostles of selfishness who pretend naked greed is noble individualism.
We have taken it back from the deluded hawks who cavalierly sent our youth off to die in a war that should never have been fought.
We have taken it back from the incompetent officials who lived up to their antigovernment credo by bungling everything they touched.
We have taken it back from the reactionaries whose intolerance, xenophobia and religious zealotry have been encouraged by a distorted Republican Party for far too long.
Some will say that this election didn't prove that much. They will argue that considering Bush's unpopularity, the war and the financial crisis, this race should never have been even competitive. They will say the race was tied in September and only an inept McCain campaign and the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression tilted it toward Obama. They will say that America is still a center-right country.
But those arguments are like dead trees standing in the path of a spring-snow torrent. A great change has come upon America.
Only rarely does one know that one is experiencing history while it happens. Barack Obama's victory is one of those occasions. This amazing day marks a decisive change, not just in America's politics but in its soul. It announces the arrival of a new America, of a multitudinous, multihued people whose time has come and who have demanded a politics worthy of them. Their voice echoes across the land from Stone Mountain to Seattle, and its message rings out loud and clear: We have taken our country back.
We have taken it back from the mean-spirited demagogues who were willing to tear the American people apart to stay in power.
We have taken it back from the apostles of selfishness who pretend naked greed is noble individualism.
We have taken it back from the deluded hawks who cavalierly sent our youth off to die in a war that should never have been fought.
We have taken it back from the incompetent officials who lived up to their antigovernment credo by bungling everything they touched.
We have taken it back from the reactionaries whose intolerance, xenophobia and religious zealotry have been encouraged by a distorted Republican Party for far too long.
Some will say that this election didn't prove that much. They will argue that considering Bush's unpopularity, the war and the financial crisis, this race should never have been even competitive. They will say the race was tied in September and only an inept McCain campaign and the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression tilted it toward Obama. They will say that America is still a center-right country.
But those arguments are like dead trees standing in the path of a spring-snow torrent. A great change has come upon America.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Words To Ponder After Two National Defeats
"Political parties kill themselves, or are killed, not by the other political party but by their failure to adapt to new circumstances."
Karl Rove, back when he had dreams of a "permanent Republican majority"
Karl Rove, back when he had dreams of a "permanent Republican majority"
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Monday, November 3, 2008
Dixville Notch, NH: Obama 15, McCain 6
The first return of the 2008 presidential election goes to the junior senator from Illinois. The last time they went for a Democrat? Hubert Humphrey in 1968.
Obama on Monday Night Football
He looked understandably tired here but at least he didn't say he'd "watch the Thumbsuckers versus the Bedwetters" like John McCain did when Chris Berman asked him the same questions.
Rove is Sure It's Obama
Karl Rove's final Electoral College prediction is 338-200 for Barack Obama. "Politics makes strange bedfellows" was never truer than my saying we both agree Barack wins decisively tomorrow. Perhaps he should send the memo to his disciple Steve Schmidt with his best wishes.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Voter Fraud Another GOP Scare Tactic
From Politico:
For weeks, Republican leaders have warned that widely reported problems with fake voter registrations could result in a flood of phony votes in pivotal states.
But Ronald Michaelson, a veteran election administrator and member of the McCain-Palin Honest and Open Election Committee, said in an interview that he could not name a single instance in which this had occurred.
For weeks, Republican leaders have warned that widely reported problems with fake voter registrations could result in a flood of phony votes in pivotal states.
But Ronald Michaelson, a veteran election administrator and member of the McCain-Palin Honest and Open Election Committee, said in an interview that he could not name a single instance in which this had occurred.
Palin Gets Pranked
Sarah Palin's spokeswoman confirmed that she took the prank call heard in this video Saturday. Marc-Antoine Audette, a Canadian comedian, posed as French President Nicolas Sarkozy. When he says that Sarkozy's wife Carla Bruni has written a song about Joe the Plumber titled "Du rouge a levres sur une cochonne" that translates as "Lipstick on a Pig" for those not versed in French. What's funny to me is that while he's sending signals that this is a joke she really doesn't seem to pick up on them. Why am I not surprised?
SNL: Reverse Maverick, Double Maverick or Sad Grandpa?
How about the "I finally try to look cool three days before the election by making fun of myself on Saturday Night Live after looking incredibly uptight for most of the campaign" strategy?
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Who's Got Ground Game?
As any veteran political operative will tell you, GOTV (Get Out The Vote) operations ultimately matter far more than the polls, ads and speeches pundits and others analyze to death. The folks at FiveThirtyEight.com have been all over this great land of ours during the "Road to the White House 2008" and Sean Quinn thinks the ground game between Barack Obama and John McCain is no contest:
These ground campaigns do not bear any relationship to one another. One side has something in the neighborhood of five million volunteers all assigned to very clear and specific pieces of the operation, and the other seems to have something like a thousand volunteers scattered throughout the country. Jon Tester's 2006 Senate race in Montana had more volunteers -- by a mile -- than John McCain's 2006 presidential campaign.
These ground campaigns do not bear any relationship to one another. One side has something in the neighborhood of five million volunteers all assigned to very clear and specific pieces of the operation, and the other seems to have something like a thousand volunteers scattered throughout the country. Jon Tester's 2006 Senate race in Montana had more volunteers -- by a mile -- than John McCain's 2006 presidential campaign.
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