pointedview

Summer decadence

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 20:34:50 GMT

How gorgeous is this?

Prosciutto and Cheese Wrapped Figs

The link above is courtesy of this drool-worthy post by Eat It, Atlanta.

Star Provisions has fresh burrata this week. And next week. How I wish they had a location closer to the north end of town.

Primal Fear

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 04:39:41 GMT

I just saw Primal Fear, and I quite liked it. I can't tell you why without spoiling it, though. Suffice to say that Edward Norton is impressive in his first major role, and I understand the decisions he made as an actor. The whole cast is good; I always enjoy Alfre Woodard, and Frances McDormand is particularly thoughtful in a supporting role.

Brokeback Mountain

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 22:44:29 GMT

Saw Brokeback Mountain Wednesday night. Sometimes when you see a movie that's had a lot of media attention, it seems like it's more likely to disappoint because it has been so heavily hyped. For me, Brokeback actually exceeded expectations. Heath Ledger's Oscar for The Dark Knight was no fluke: he truly was remarkably talented. I totally bought the character of Ennis del Mar.

The scenery is gorgeous. It was mostly filmed in the Canadian Rockies, and you could capture almost any landscape shot from it as a still and hang it on your wall. The cold light in it reminded me of another film by Ang Lee, The Ice Storm.

Most of all, though, I was moved by the story. No one escaped undamaged. Emotions are messy, and don't fit neatly into little boxes, much as we might like to impose that kind of order on them. I was reminded of how very lucky I am to get to spend every day with the person I love most in the world.

I might have to pick this up on DVD.

Coming attractions

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 14:57:23 GMT

I only log in to HSX maybe once every two years or so, but on those rare occasions, it's usually informative. Click the LJ-cuts below to view the planned abominations, potential successes, and my thoughts on them. :)

Concept

King Lear with Anthony Hopkins, Kiera Knightley, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Naomi Watts.

Good grief, they are considering making Pretty in Pink 2, with the plot focusing on the original characters as adults. No good can come from this.

Development

Akira may be made into a live-action feature. I know it is practically sacrilege to say this where it might read by an anime fan, but I don't like Akira. Of course, there's precious little anime that I do like (and I've tried!), so that's not saying a whole lot.

They're considering turning Battlestar Galactica into a feature film, but they're doing it with Glen Larson rather than Ron Moore. What?

They may be making a sequel to the Dark Crystal. Why does it need a sequel?

They are remaking Footloose. With Zac Efron. *sigh* I suppose it will be profitable with the High School Musical crowd.

Dreamworks is planning a live action, 3D version of Ghost in the Shell. Mind, there are those who'd imply that it's already been done, but a true translation could be interesting, if done well. Oh, I mentioned my dislike of anime earlier? Ghost is one of three anime movies that I actually like.

They're considering turning The Graveyard Book into a movie. I predict we'll see this before we see Death: The High Cost of Living, which has been stuck in development purgatory for years.

They're considering turning The Greatest American Hero into a movie.

They may be remaking Highlander.

A Men in Black 3 is planned. I'd like to see the franchise redeem itself after 2.

It may be movie time for Neuromancer.

Further tapping the Eighties well, they are considering making Rambo 5. And Red Dawn, and Robocop.

They are remaking The Seven Samurai with Ziyi Zhang.

They're making The Smurfs into a CG film? Weren't they annoying enough the first time around?

I'm actually cautiously excited about this one: Star Blazers may be getting the live action big screen treatment. Tahmoh Penikett is rumored to be attached. I've got the ringtone ready! :)

Stargate 2 appears to be in development with the television cast. If it happens, yay! After ten seasons, it has surely earned a feature film.

They're turning Welcome Back Kotter into a movie? Why? Was anyone missing it?

Prequel to The Untouchables - Capone Rising - Brian de Palma returns to direct. "You wanna know how you do it? Here's how, they pull a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue. That's the Chicago way, and that's how you get Capone!" I gotta watch the original again.

Production

They are remaking Clash of the Titans. Again, I'm not sure anyone was missing this one, but it has a decent cast.

New incarnation of Gatchaman. Still animated; Paul Dini involved. Teaser trailer here. I'll definitely be there for this, as I will be for the aforementioned Star Blazers. I absolutely adored G-Force as a kid.

Howl with James Franco as Allen Ginsburg. Franco's career keeps moving up.

A Nightmare on Elm Street is getting rebooted with Jackie Earle Haley as Freddy Krueger. I'm not fond of horror movies, but he was so terrific in Watchmen that I might go see this.

I can haz Cylon invayshunz?

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 21:26:30 GMT

We got a Roomba! I've wanted one for a long time, and when I saw a terrific deal on Woot.com, I couldn't resist.

I'm less concerned about it attacking the cat than about its ability to pick up the cat's hair. As long as it obeys the Three Laws, we're fine. They can even have a plan so long as that plan consists of keeping the floors clean. :)

It's charging now. I think the fact that the manufacturers programmed it with full Cylon pulse glow is hilarious. I can't wait to use it for the first time. Glee!

Happy Fourth of July!

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 16:39:37 GMT

Happy Fourth of July to all those observing it. It's a historic one -- the first Fourth of July with a black president. We've come a long way. There's farther to go, but there's no denying that we've made progress.

Jon Stewart begs Mark Sanford to STFU

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 16:27:22 GMT

Total credit to leighbc for sharing this. If she hadn't, I might never have known about it. Comedy gold from Jon Stewart, ladies and gentlemen. I didn't expect to laugh this hard on the morning of the 4th of July.The snippet from the Trinity Cathedral priest is especially good. For those not familiar with South Carolina, Trinity is the big cathedral in Columbia.

Content found via The Huffington Post:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Shut Up, Mark Sanford

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Jason Jones in Iran

Review: Public Enemies

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:09:27 GMT

Public Enemies felt strangely flat. It was almost like a movie of a movie. I can see the film that they were trying to make, but I almost feel like it needed to be in the hands of a different director, like Martin Scorsese, to achieve its intent. The cinematography made me feel distanced from the whole thing; my husband concurred. I had difficulty caring about the characters ... I felt uninvolved and removed. I certainly never felt like I learned anything at all about Melvin Purvis.

It wasn't a terrible film, it just didn't live up to the potential I'd hoped for from the trailers. It was okay, but not great.

Regarding performances, I thought it might be Johnny Depp's Oscar turn, but after seeing it, I don't think this is it, although he was very good, as usual. There's no question that he's remarkably talented, and to go from as cartoony a role as Jack Sparrow to something as pragmatically steely as this shows his tremendous range. I thought Marion Cotillard did a beautiful job of managing her accent, allowing just the faintest tinge to creep in here and there to remind us that the character's father was French. However, the real star performance in the picture, in my opinion, is Billy Crudup's portrayal of J. Edgar Hoover. He was excellent, and, wow, what a shift from Dr. Manhattan. I didn't recognize him at first even though I knew from advance press that he was playing the part.

Like I say, it wasn't bad. I just didn't think it was Michael Mann's best work, and, in hindsight, I would've been just fine with catching it on HBO.

I'm still waiting for the Great Summer Movie of 2009.

What is happening to the Republican Party?

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:30:53 GMT

Did someone serve a slow-acting hallucinogenic at a gathering of Republican governors that's only now taking effect? Sanford and Palin must've drunk a lot of the crazy punch -- their rambling logorrhea is uncomfortably similar.

Sarah Palin resigns (CNN)

Text of Palin's speech (Alaska.gov)

Sanford confesses affair (YouTube)

The level of self-destruction is getting comic-book bizarre. If I didn't know better, I'd say the Brotherhood of Mutants was involved. :)

The most addictive web read I've found in a while

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 04:39:36 GMT

Fun read:

TV Tropes

Start with Jossed, and explore. Just be warned that I completely fell into all the lovely hyperlinks ... I looked up from reading and it was an hour and a half later. I couldn't resist the temptation to add just one item ... certainly Jack's storage facility in the Season 3 episode of Alias, "Breaking Point," qualifies for the Crazy Prepared list. :)

I'm almost out of day, but not quite!

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 03:58:16 GMT

In under the wire:

Happy birthday, Scott!

I am extremely happy

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 02:47:52 GMT

I love the feeling of positive anticipation. Sometimes, I think I get almost as much mileage out of looking forward to something as I do the actual event.

This week:

I get to go to lunch with my aunt tomorrow at Alon's! Woo!

I have Friday off with my sweetie! We plan to do absolutely nothing!

We have reservations for this fabulous deal at Aria.

Barring anything throwing her flight schedule off considerably, I will get to meet the awesome organfailure in person on Sunday! *wiggly-toed joy!*

Also on Sunday, things are looking good for an instance run with the gang in Warcraft!

Okay, he really, really needs to stop

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 02:24:35 GMT

... or be stopped. This just gets worse and worse. He has to have had a mental breakdown to be experiencing this kind of logorrhea. That's the only possible excuse I can find for being so extraordinarily hurtful to his wife and four children. At the time of this writing, 86% of respondents to The State's poll want him to resign. Why can't he save South Carolina some money (by not having to initiate an investigation), and what's left of his dignity by doing the right thing?

AP Newsbreak: SC gov 'crossed lines' with women

SC gov's life unraveled by forbidden romance

He is "trying to fall back in love with his wife," but Chapur is his "soul mate," he says? Sir, could you please embarrass your wife and sons some more? I don't think they've had quite enough yet. Sheesh, what a cad. Jenny should either have him committed for psychiatric evaluation or kick him to the curb ... or both.

Edit: 10 SC Senate Republicans call for Sanford to step down.

Remembering the Moonwalker

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 06:16:09 GMT

View Poll: Fave MJ/QJ single

I had to make the poll question that narrow, because when I started looking at the singles discography, I was like, um, okay, I'm not typing in that many poll options, and Bad is a good place to stop. 1988 is the year I went to college, so I sort of left Michael before his tabloid troubles got really bad. Because of that (and very little access to television during that time), I primarily remember his extraordinary peak, and, while I do respect the perspectives of those who feel differently, I'm good with that.

There's a lot I could write, but right now it feels like half the world's web pages are about Michael Jackson; I can't say anything that hasn't already been said. I feel sad about it for a variety of reasons, but I'll keep things simple and leave it at his music, above.

Speaking of that, I went to the basement to try to excavate my cassette of Thriller. I couldn't locate it, but I did find this. For my younger readers, that's a vinyl 45. :)

As for Farrah Fawcett, the primary memory I have of her is as a poster on the wall of a beach house where my family once stayed when I was very young. I suspect the room (and the poster) belonged to the teenaged son of the family that owned the place.

More on Sanford

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 02:42:54 GMT

mumpish, here's that response that was too lengthy for the comments in my previous post on the matter.

No, it is not about the sex. Not precisely, anyway. There are several factors that I feel are related.

One has to do with fidelity. I specifically mean fidelity to the mutually-agreed upon terms of a marriage. Open marriages do exist, however, I have no reason to believe that the Sanfords' marriage was such an arrangement, especially based on the way Jenny Sanford has responded. Actually, Sanford's case is more interesting than usual. Information has come to light since his confession that supports the idea that this woman was much more to him than just sexual release and stress relief. If he fell in love with her, I think that would be a much harder betrayal to forgive.

Clinton's anger, to me, seemed to have more to do with an attitude of, "I'm the king: why the hell do you care what I'm doing with my mistress?" I never thought he cared about Lewinsky. I never thought he cared about Flowers. And, frankly, going back to open marriages, I never thought Hillary cared much about his sexual addiction as long as they remained a power couple -- she had to have known. Their focus together was elsewhere -- the women Bill used were disposable gratification; a more enjoyable means of masturbation for him. No more; no less. I speculate that what angered HRC the most was him being careless, stupid, and getting caught so frequently. I think I would have had marginally more respect for both of them if Bill had said: "Yes, I screw around all the time. Yes, Hillary knows. We have an arrangement, and that's how it is."

Here's where I get to the stepping-down part. In both Clinton and Sanford's cases, this occurred on the job. This part is crystal clear and extremely simple. Cut and dried. I view it as an employment disciplinary action. If I were caught boffing a co-worker on the job, I'd be fired. If I misappropriated funds for personal use, I'd be fired. If I were absent without leave for nearly a week without letting anyone know where I was going, I'd be fired. My job is nowhere near as important as leading a state or a country. In Sanford's case especially, if a statewide crisis, a hurricane or flood, for example, had occurred, he would have been unreachable. He actually totally disabled the tracing mechanisms in his car, according to an article I read (CNN, I think it was).

Just briefly, I think the point that Leigh made is valid. You leave yourself wholly open to mockery if you take an unflinching hard line, because people are just waiting for you to fall. Somewhere in there, do unto others comes back to bite you, because if you're wholly intolerant, you can't really expect tolerance from others. Examples: A quote from an acquaintance of mine said, "We might need to impose a ban on Republican marriages as they seem to be ruining the 'sanctity' of the institution." Salon.com's Gary Kamiya writes, "Until Republicans abandon their judgmental moralism about all things sexual, their marital peccadilloes will inspire schadenfreude, not sympathy." Is it mean-spirited? Yes. Are they reaping what they've sown? Absolutely. If Republicans and/or Democrats want to go after Sanford in the same way he went after Clinton, I can't deny them an eye for an eye. If GLBT folks want to point out the irony of his comments about gay marriage threatening his marriage, I can't say that Sanford didn't hoist himself on his own petard. Heck, even I can't help thinking that Sanford is probably thankful for Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson right about now.

Here's a quote from Sanford about Clinton:

This is "very damaging stuff," Sanford declared at one point, when details of Clinton's conduct became known. "I think it would be much better for the country and for him personally (to resign)... I come from the business side," he said. "If you had a chairman or president in the business world facing these allegations, he'd be gone."

I have a little more compassion today than I had yesterday. I'll admit, my first reaction was, "Dammit, yet another one? Wasn't John Ensign just last week or something? Jebus." However, Jim Davies' comments about impulse control got me to thinking, and I did a little further reading of interviews about Sanford. I do still think he should step down, but not just because he has engaged in conduct unbecoming, as it were.

I think he hates his job. I think he bit off more than he could chew, and I think the man is extremely depressed, and our impulse control is greatly diminished when we're unhappy. I don't think Maria Belen Shapur is some disposable intern who made him suddenly feel young again; I do think things built gradually, and that she was someone who could understand his world without being a part of it -- a point of escape for him. And, again, I think he fell in love: you don't leave over Father's Day weekend to spend five days in another country breaking up with someone you don't care for deeply. Is this a Wallis Simpson situation? Time will tell.

Given his misery, and the way he rambled all over the place in that press conference, I think the man has had a minor breakdown. For his own good, for his family's good, and for the state's good, I think he needs to go on and step back. This is completely outside of the fired-for-misconduct-on-the-job reason: this is a "you need to let go and take some time to get better and get your act back together." He cab't run for another term; he only has 18 months left, and he's made so many enemies within his own party in the state that I don't see how he really has anything to lose by resigning.

Finally, I don't know why everyone seems so reluctant to say that cheating on your spouse is a bad thing when these things occur. If you don't have the aforementioned open arrangement, then the adulterer has broken his or her vow. I am standing up and saying it here: I believe taking that vow means something (and again, if he/she will break that oath to someone he/she married, how can we not doubt an oath to the faceless citizenry?).

I think that outside of physical abuse or infidelity, divorce should be much less frequent than it is. I think that if a couple has grown apart, that they should go to counseling before parting ways. Now, I don't think that should be mandatory, because I am one for minding my own business and not imposing my beliefs on other people. I don't believe in any sort of "you can't get divorced before a separation of 30 days" law, or something like that.

However, I do think that marriage vows should be taken way more seriously than they currently seem to be in our culture. I was horrified by people asking me when I got engaged whether this was my first marriage. Not only because it was incredibly tacky and rude, but also because of what it says about societal perceptions about the institution. I was saddened to read a recent interview with Melissa Gilbert where she says that her mother tried to comfort her when she was having doubts about marrying Rob Lowe by saying, "Oh, honey, he'll make a fine first husband." What about only? Whatever happened to the idea of until death do us part? Yes, people grow and change, but that's part of the package. In my idealistic heart, I think Parenthood is truly a wise and great movie. At the end, when Helen, Dianne Wiest's character, breaks it down for Julie (Martha Plimpton) after Tod (Keanu Reeves) has crashed his car in a race and Julie is too scared to go over there because she's freaking out that he might be dead, Helen is all suck-it-up-you-took-on-this-commitment:

Julie - l can´t.
Helen - What?
Julie: l can´t. This is too intense. This is--
Helen: This is marriage! Now, let´s get in the truck.

The words on the page don't really do it justice, but when I see that scene, I want to stand up and cheer for Helen.

I just feel, very simply, that if you keep no other promise in your life, you keep that one if at all possible. Marriage is work. If it's not going well, you at least give your very best attempt at mending it.

So, it's not precisely about the sex. It's about the breach of trust, it's about appropriate on-the-job behavior, and it's about a very sincere belief (this is one thing that my sister and I do have in common) that you don't go into marriage thinking you can always get divorced if things go awry. I'm not implying that people do -- I think most people go into it thinking their marriage is going to work, and I understand that people make mistakes -- it's just that I think that divorce is turned to too readily as a means of correcting a mistake. I don't think less of people who get divorced in most cases (situations that are not like Britney Spears' Vegas fiasco, I mean) -- I cannot know what transpired in their circle of two; it is not my business -- but it bothers me, especially when it happens to a couple that has been together for a long time.

Unfortunately for the Sanfords' marriage, the particular mistake that Mark Sanford made is, statistically, one of the hardest to repair, or at least it was back when I worked at the counseling center, according to Wayne Parker, Ph.D., one of our marriage counselors. Each person can make a truly earnest attempt, and sometimes, that loss of trust is a wound that just won't heal. Outside of a physical attack, it is the single most damaging thing a spouse can do.

For Mark Sanford, the only way off the Appalachian Trail is down.

Beyond irresponsible: Step down, Sanford

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:05:07 GMT

leighbc made an excellent point about the hypocrisy of South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford opposing gay marriage because it threatens his own marriage.

On the outside chance that you don't know what I'm talking about, click the link below. The man has been missing since June 18th.

South Carolina Gov. Sanford admits extramarital affair

I am so very tired of politicians on both sides of the aisle philandering. Bob Barr, Bill Clinton, John Edwards, Newt Gingrich, Mark Sanford, and the rest need to grow up. If they claim to be responsible enough to represent us, then they certainly should be responsible enough to be worthwhile husbands. That is, after all, a vow they took well before attaining office, in most cases. If we can't trust their sworn oaths of marriage, how can we possibly trust their oaths to work in the best interest of the citizenry? Running off, without contact for days ... on Father's Day weekend, for crying out loud! How do you do that to your children? It is utterly disgraceful.

He should do one of the last honorable things available to him, and step down as governor. He cannot deny that his extracurricular activities have impacted both his job performance, and the performance of his staff.

I have the greatest sympathy for his wife and children. They are innocent bystanders who in no way deserved this. I hope the media will leave them alone, and let Sanford stand for what he has done.

Why do so many politicians seem to have this particular weakness? Why do they seem to care so little for the consequences and the collateral damage?

Sanford's wife Jenny told CNN on Tuesday she had not talked to her husband since he left last Thursday and did not know where he went.

"I am being a mom today. I have not heard from my husband. I am taking care of my children," she said outside the couple's beach home on Sullivan's Island, South Carolina.

Note the words my children. Not our children.

Those poor kids. So much unnecessary suffering.

The government lied

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 03:09:01 GMT

You may or may not be familiar with United States v. Reynolds, but you have almost certainly aware of the national security/state secrets privilege that can be invoked by the U.S. government. This is the 1953 case that provided legal basis for a precedent that has remained controversial.

I learned last night that the precedent is founded on a complete lie. A total fabrication, based on fear of accountability for known mechanical issues with the B-29.

On Show #383 of This American Life, "Origin Story," Act Two tells the story of a B-29 aircraft that went down, the meager award sought by the widows, and the government's utter refusal to provide the accident report, saying that it was crucial to national security that it remain secret. Ira Glass exposes the fact that the government's denial of even closed-chambers judicial access to the report was completely and utterly without merit: the report was unsealed 50 years after the fact, and says nothing about the crew's mission. It merely says that there were secret materials aboard. That's it, and that was reported in the papers of the day. No, they simply wished to avoid paying the money the widows sought to care for the children left behind, and to avoid liability for sending the men up in a faulty aircraft -- the B-29 was already known at the time to have problems.

From this weaseling, one of the most carte blanche powers existing today was born. You know the old saying about absolute power corrupting absolutely? Yeah.

Much of this came to light from one of the children's research. Interestingly, Judy Loether knew hardly anything of the lawsuit -- she was merely curious to find out what her father had been working on, what was so important that it had to remain utterly classified. She was incredibly disappointed to find nothing in the report, but even then, did not realize the full implication of what she had learned until she spoke with her mother about it.

Barry Siegel tells the full story in Claim of Privilege: A Mysterious Plane Crash, a Landmark Supreme Court Case, and the Rise of State Secrets.

I felt outraged after hearing about this. The avoidance of accountability has almost certainly begotten more of the same. How much has been veiled, not to protect the American people, but to hide covert activities that would shame us if they were brought to light? Discretion, or deceit?

I'm still angry enough about this that I'm not writing about it or explaining it very coherently. I swear, after listening to the program, I'd like to see the precedent overturned and every legal use of it examined by a judge in private chambers just so that someone outside the bubble knows.

The sheer wrongness of this ... the sheer injustice.

Heck, quit reading. Go here, click Full Episode, and listen to the segment that starts at about 29:20.

Appalling

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 21:37:23 GMT

South Africa's Rape Crisis: 1 in 4 Men Say They've Done It (Source: Time Magazine)

One in four. Admitted, which means that the real number is probably higher. Think about it: if you visited South Africa, you could not avoid giving money in some capacity to a rapist -- he could work at the hotel in which you were sleeping, serve your meal at a restaurant, or drive your taxi. The article indicates that you might be more likely to encounter a rapist at that tier, as "the men most likely to rape, the researchers found, were not the poorest, but those who had attained some level of education and income."

South Africa has one of the highest incidents of reported rape in the world. The most recent statistics show that 36,190 cases of rape were reported to the police between April and December 2007, though experts believe that number only accounts for one out of nine cases. But the number of rape cases that make it to court — let alone result in a conviction — are far fewer.

I don't know if anyone remembers sniglets, but I've got a new one

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 03:06:44 GMT

defurestation: noun What happens when I brush the cat when she's shedding in the middle of summer.

Sensible sustainability?

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 01:40:42 GMT

Thanks to Foodie Buddha for finding and sharing this TED video featuring Louise Fresco's considered perspective on the idealization of low-volume food production.

Thanks also to FB for this related link to a surprisingly witty video about humane foie gras. (I'm still reluctant to eat it, though, unless the goose is old, because of the emotional suffering for the mate.)

Why Buffy is healthier than Twilight

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 23:43:00 GMT

Reposting this practically everywhere, so my apologies if you see it multiple times. Thanks to my sweetie for passing it along.

A funny-but-pointed (Mr. Pointy?) look at why Edward's behavior is creepy:

Buffy vs. Edward (Twilight Remixed)

Perspectives: Anthony Bourdain and Alice Waters

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 21:46:07 GMT

Excerpt from a debate in Connecticut:

Bourdain explains to DCist why Alice Waters bugs him:

Any advice about food?

I'll tell you. Alice Waters annoys the living shit out of me. We're all in the middle of a recession, like we're all going to start buying expensive organic food and running to the green market. There's something very Khmer Rouge about Alice Waters that has become unrealistic. I mean I'm not crazy about our obsession with corn or ethanol and all that, but I'm a little uncomfortable with legislating good eating habits. I'm suspicious of orthodoxy, the kind of orthodoxy when it comes to what you put in your mouth. I'm a little reluctant to admit that maybe Americans are too stupid to figure out that the food we're eating is killing us. But I don't know if it's time to send out special squads to close all the McDonald's. My libertarian side is at odds with my revulsion at what we as a country have done to ourselves physically with what we've chosen to eat and our fast food culture. I'm really divided on that issue. It'd be great if he [Obama] served better food at the White House than what I suspect the Bushies were serving. It's gotta be better than Nixon. He liked starting up a roaring fire, turning up the air conditioning, and eating a bowl of cottage cheese with ketchup. Anything above that is a good thing. He's from Chicago, so he knows what good food is.

He later backed off a bit on his comments about Alice, twice.

I'm posting this, not because of celebrity chef drama -- really, both are sort of just playing their parts (Bourdain's bark is worse than his bite on this issue -- he readily admits that his daughter drinks organic milk, for example) -- but because the answer to sustainability in the U.S. lies somewhere in between Tony's pragmatism and Alice's pie-in-the-sky idealism. We need both: Alice to pull us toward eating stuff that isn't crap, and Tony to prevent things from going all fluffy Berkeley commune by respecting an individual's right to make a decision, even a poor one, and recognizing that not everyone makes the kind of money needed to shop at Whole Foods on a regular basis. It's New York survivalism meeting California granola, and it's a good thing to have both perspectives to keep things from going too far one way or the other.

Food link round-up

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:49:08 GMT

Atlanta

Atlanta dining deals (Source: Creative Loafing)
Additional details on the Dogwood special here.

Pacci (Source: Live to Nibble)
Italian + organic. Might be interesting.

Handy brunch round-up from Atlanta Dish.

Lists

GQ's picks for America's 25 best pizzas.
Not a single southern state makes the list. Is there a message there, or perhaps a bias from preconceptions? Hard to say without tasting.

Anthony Bourdain's 13 Places to Eat Before You Die (Source: Slashfood)
My fingers are tightly crossed for reservations at The French Laundry for our ten year wedding anniversary.

Cheese

What's Shape Got to Do with It? - Cheese Course (Source: Slashfood)

Roquefort Returns

Other

Oysters 101

How to Eat Crawfish

Elvis Presley Peanut Butter Banana Straws (Source: Slashfood)

Sustainability

Belgian city institutes a weekly meat-free day (Source: YumSugar)

Fresh
There are no screenings of this currently planned anywhere near Atlanta, but it's likely only a matter of time, given Food, Inc. and, in a different way, Julie & Julia.

Wine and Spirits

Wine pairings from Le Bernardin's sommelier (Source: Slashfood)
The Saurus Pinot Noir from Argentina sounds interesting.

Seven Favorite Rosés for Under $20 (Source: Slashfood)

Vodka-Infused Gummi Bears

Review: Up

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 01:19:57 GMT

People, you need to warn me about sad movies masquerading as cheery kid's fare in shiny, candy-colored wrappers. (Well, okay, mumpish, you kinda did, but the early montage was only one of the sad parts.) Crikey. I was in tears at least four times during Up. Thank goodness for the Cone of Shame providing comic relief.

It's probably Pixar's best movie to date, but it would have been more honest to title it Life is Short. I feel like the trailer was somewhat misleading. I did like it, but it just hit too close to home for me in certain ways.

Catching Wall Street in a lie

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 15:27:58 GMT

Some of you know that I'm a fan of the show Lie to Me. I think Cal Lightman would have a field day with this video:

Dennis Kucinich vs. Ken Lewis

Tons of face action and body tells. Lewis is keeping his fingers locked and can still barely control his hands.