Sundance '09

The 2009 Sundance Festival kicked off yesterday in Park City, Utah. Committed to showcasing and supporting independent film, this year's lineup delivers an array of films that will appeal to most moviegoers. Movies premiering at the Festival this weekend include "Thriller in Manilla," a movie about the last fight between Joe Frazier and Mohammed Ali, that sealed the rivalry between the two. Other movies premiering at the Festival include the feature film "Taking Chance" starring Kevin Bacon who really does need this and other roles since falling victim to Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme. "Humpday," "Big River Man," "The Glass House," and "Lulu and Jimi" will be showcased today. Besides the movies listed, there are other really interesting documentaries, short films, and features making their great debut at the Festival which ends on January 25th. For more information and to join in the Sundance Experience, please visit Sundance Festival 2009.

It's a Bird it's a Plane...

No, it's both. Today's events on the Hudson River will certainly change the way most airline passengers view birds, and of course flying. The next time you are up in the air and see a bird, the last thing you'll want to do is marvel at how clear your view is. Instead, you might want to make peace with God because there may be no Hudson River beneath for an uneventful emergency landing. You can curse those birds for flying too closely, but remember, we are intruders competing for the space that rightfully belongs to them. Humans were not designed to fly. We were designed to traverse the earth. It's our domain. I haven't seen a flock of eagles or bats trying to take over the freeways yet. So what business does man have choking up the domain of our feathered friends with loud engines and propellers? Arguably, man's desire for flight has been driven by needs, and wants. The need for pleasure, speed, military expedition, and sheer ingenuity has seen the journey of flight make the leap from mythological musing to rockets and fighter jets.

The fascination of humans with flight did not begin with the Wright brothers or Montgolfer. Man's fascination with flying can be traced back to pre-historic times. Ever since man saw insects and birds, there has been that nagging desire to ascend into the skies and glide gracefully. Almost every culture has toyed with the idea of flying and has tried to interpret their fantasies through religion and myths. Ancient deities in Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Asia Minor were often depicted as having wings. In ancient Hebrew, the cherubim and seraphim depicted on the Ark of the Covenant had wings. Biblical angels are also described as having wings. Even in most cultures, witches and other such dark forces are transported by flight. Some of the earliest records of flight can be found in Sanskrit text, which discuss "Rathas" vehicles which may have been designed for aerial flight. They were able to move at amazing speed with a three-person crew. Designed from gold, silver, and other precious metals, these vehicles had the capabilities of space travel.

Besides the preoccupation of Vedas with flight, other ancient civilizations also had their musings with flight. Mesopotamians were consumed by a desire for air travel. King Etana of Mesopotamia who lived around 2300 BC is depicted as flying on the back of an eagle. The founder of the Inca empire, as described in Inca mythology had wings and could fly. In the far East, the Chinese also made attempts at flight. Dating back from 2200BC the Chinese Emperor Shin is said to have made a successful attempt at flight wearing large straw hats as proxy for wings. In their relentless quest, the Chinese made one of the most successful inventions, the kite, that helped to illuminate the science behind flying. It is recorded that the ancient Chinese built kites similar to modern day parachutes that were used in actual flight. Several visitors to China including the Italian explorer Marco Polo reported seeing kites used in transportation. The Chinese also used the science behind kites and that of projectile motion to develop and launch rockets that were used in military expedition.

The importance of being able to fly was such that the Greek philosopher Plato said of flight, "the natural function of the wing is to soar upwards and carry that which is heavy up to the place where dwells the race of gods. More than any other thing that pertains to the body it partakes of the nature of the divine." Another great Greek philosopher Aristotle also had this to say about flight; "Man must rise above the Earth- to the top of the atmosphere and beyond- for only thus will he fully understand the world in which he lives." Man has certainly risen to the top of the earth and certainly has conquered many frontiers, however, the ability to fly has not entirely increased man's understanding of the world in which he lives. It can be argued though that the ability to fly has provided opportunities for travel and has opened man to new frontiers, most importantly space travel and the potential for exploring the vast universe. It has allowed man the opportunity to stretch his imagination and accomplish feats that were once thought impossible. Flight has also inspired awe for every time I board a plane, the laws of physics still don't quite add up.

So, with the amazing landing on the Hudson today my fascination is once again awakened. I marvel not only at the beauty of flight, but at how safe air travel is. The passengers on U.S. Airways Flight 1549 have a lot to be thankful for. They not only escaped death in a plane crash but also escaped another near Titanic like experience-death due to hypothermia. Hats off to the crew who managed to allay the fears of the passengers who must have been scared to death. Of course I couldn't close out this post without mentioning the pilot Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger for his courage in directing a phenomenal landing. Sullenberger, a safety consultant with 40 years experience in the aviation industry has been with U.S. Airways since 1980. So, the next time time a politician tries to tell you experience does not count remind them of Flight 1549. The passenger and crew however are not the only ones thankful for today's event. President Bush couldn't have been a more thankful man. He gave his farewell address to the nation today and if this was not the mother of all distractions then I don't know what else is.

A Woman is Not a Potted Plant

A woman is not a potted plant
her roots bound
to the confines
of her house

a woman is not
a potted plant
her leaves trimmed
to the contours
of her sex

a woman is not
a potted plant
her branches
espaliered
against the fences
of her race
her country
her mother
her man
her trained blossom
turning this way
and
that
to follow
the sun
of whoever feeds
and waters
her

a woman
is wilderness
unbounded
holding the future
between each breath
walking the earth
only because
she is free
and not creeper vine
or tree

Nor even honeysuckle
or bee.

~Alice Walker

Golden Globe Awards

Last night at the Golden Globe Awards was full of a lot of surprises. From Kate Winslet taking home the Best Actress Award for the movie Revolutionary Road to Michael Rourke winning for best actor for his performance in The Wrestler it was quite an interesting night. Other winners included Sally Hawkins for her performance in Happy-Go-Lucky and Colin Farrell for In Bruges. The winner in the category for Best Foreign Film went to the Israeli picture Waltz with Bashir. The incomparable Tina Fey won the prize for Best Actress in a Television Series for the hysterical hit television show 30 Rock. Miss Fey's award was one of three for 30 Rock last night. Alec Baldwin won the award for best actor in a television series and the ultimate award for Best Television Series went to 30 Rock.

Tina Fey is one of the funniest women alive and 30 Rock is not only a great show but is the the show other reality shows should aspire to (note to those other reality shows). The cast is phenomenal and the acting is fresh. Predictably, the best speech of the night came from 30 Rock co-star, Tracy Morgan who noted that he is now the new voice of the show and also the the voice of post-racial America, following the Obama win, "So deal with it Cate Blanchett," he yelled. A huge upset at the awards came in the Best Original Song Category. The award went to Bruce Springsteen for The Wrestler, a sore loss for Gran Torino. A posthumous award went to Heath Ledger for his role in Dark Knight. This is one award that was by no means a pity award. If Heath were still alive I believe he'd have won either way. The night however belonged to Slumdog Millionaire, winning the awards for Best Original Score, Best Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Motion Picture.

Each year since 1952, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the organization responsible for the Golden Globe, has presented the Cecil B. DeMille Award for outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment. The first recipient of the award was Cecil B. DeMille himself in 1952 for his epic film, "The Greatest Show on Earth." Since then, other recipients have included, Sidney Poitier, Sophia Loren, Sean Connery, and other talented entertainers. This year's Award went to Steven Spielberg who credited DeMille's movie for inspiring him to pursue a career in film, after seeing the movie whilst still a six year old lad. Visionary and daring do not even begin to describe Mr. Spielberg. From E.T. to Jurassic Park to Catch Me If You Can, and most importantly Schindler's List, Spielberg has changed the way we make movies.

In his acceptance speech, the ever so articulate Spielberg talked about the benefit of being mentored. He also mentioned something really important; for every movie he has made that was daring, he always asked himself, "Can I get away with this?" He noted that he used his level of anxiety over a movie not resonating with the public -because it was too visionary - as a tool to gauge if it was worth his investment. Thankfully, more times than can be counted, his bold efforts have been rewarded by phenomenal numbers at the box office. All the winners last night deserved their awards and a heartfelt kudos to them all and their work. Now that the organized ruckus called the Golden Globes are over, it's on to the mother of all Award shows; the Academy Awards which airs on February 22 on ABC primetime.

Indictment, Impeachment and the Corruption Element

It took me a while to decide on the title for this post. "A New Frontier in American Politics," was the closest contender but alas I did not go for it. It is only the second week in the year, and already Illinois State governor Rod Blagojevich has been impeached. Blagojevich is not the only public official to get the axe this week, Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon was also indicted. Neither of the events come as a surprise though. It was pretty obvious that sooner or later Blagojevich would be impeached, and as for Mayor Dixon, reports of her illegal activities made headlines in a very prominent magazine late last year. The wave of corruption and scandal that have hit the news media over the past twelve months leaves a lot to be desired from elected public officials. It seems like no official is immune from getting caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Even for those who manage to escape, a trail of crumbs often serves as incriminating evidence.

Corruption in government is quite common. It's a fundamental employed by almost every government. Most governments like to believe they operate on principles of diplomacy, but the argument can be made that clandestine agreements are the bedrock of what we call diplomacy. Diplomacy is certainly not all about shaking hands and signing treaties. There's a lot more to the art of conversing behind closed doors. Deals are struck and bargains are made. The rule of the game is reciprocity. The hand shake comes after each party feels they have gotten more than should be legally allowed, but is that really ever the case? Unquestionably, there is a time and a place for such but to what extent should such bargaining methods be employed? Further, should such bargaining be used as tools when doing so is outrightly criminal? We like to think of the United States as a democracy hence it's only a given that bargaining be employed in most decision making. As a result, the players in the pool can range from small town mayors to big city council women. They all have something to offer and they expect payoffs in return. So, with Senate seats to be filled and construction projects looming, there's a lot to work with. However, Blagojevich and Dixon did not invent corruption in American government.

Corruption in the United States dates back to the era before the Revolution, and it has been argued that most of the rhetoric in the Federal Constitution of 1787 was inspired by anti-corruption sentiments. From the time the first colonists landed on the shores of this nation, there have been opportunities for illegal activities, opportunities which still abound. From the Bureau of Indian Affairs down to Halliburton to Jack Abramoff, illegal activities have flourished. Unfortunately, almost every facet in the American government is riddled with corruption, including the way we select our leaders. There's been no bigger scandal in American politics than there was in the 2000 Presidential elections when all sorts of mishaps in Florida put George W. Bush in office. However, George W. did not set the precedent for electoral fraud. The 1876 contest between Ohio Republican Governor Rutherford B. Hayes and Democratic New York Governor Samuel Tilden still goes down in the records as the most corrupt United States Presidential Election ever. Although Tilden won the election by 265,000 more popular votes, he still lost to Hayes who had the support of the Republican governed southern states. Following an impasse that lasted four months and at times erupted in violence in the nation's capital the Electoral College decided in favor of Hayes in what was regarded as the greatest fraud of the century.

Subsequently, there have been several attempts at reform, beginning with the Pendleton Act of 1883. The Pendleton Act was created after the assassination of President James Garfield by a disgruntled job seeker. The Act required that Federal Government jobs be awarded through merit and that employees be selected after competitive exams. The Pendleton Act transformed American Civil Service which until that point had been riddled by uncontrolled corruption. Following on the heels of the Pendleton Act were the Tillman Act of 1907, The Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act, the Federal Election Campaign Act, the Federal Corruption Practices Act of 1977 after the Watergate Scandal (I'll avoid this can of worms), the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 and several other pieces of legislature all aimed at controlling corruption.

Nonetheless, corruption has and still continues to pervade the fabric of American democracy. Despite legislature, corruption is still common place in the United States calling into question the fundamentals of American Democracy. If this is what democracy is all about I wonder why there is such a desire to spread it to the rest of the world. Like I will always argue, democracy is home grown. The United States democracy is what it is today because it has been nurtured by a style of corruption that only thrives on American soil. There is a lot of brown nosing, bribery and illegal lobbying that have helped shape it. From the colonists down to small town mayors in Wasilla, Alaska corruption is the golden thread in the American fabric. So, it's time to stop pointing fingers at developing nations and attempting to punish them for being corrupt. If African and other politicians choose to stash their loot away in foreign banks, then so be it. Maybe that's just their style just like it's the American style to have your brother as governor in a key state where the votes go awry. It's all corruption at the end of the day but what differs is how it is executed.

Inaugural Parade Tickets

Tickets to the Inaugural Parade went on sale today at 1:00pm EST. The Parade will be held at Constitution and Pennsylvania Avenue in the nation's capital and will feature over 90 musical, cultural and community groups along with representatives from the Unites States Armed Forces. There are 5,000 tickets available, but there is a limit of 4 tickets per person. Further the tickets are being sold on a first come first serve basis through TicketMaster for $25. To purchase tickets, please visit:
http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/15004224EF7E60B0?artistid=1285995&majorcatid=10003&minorcatid=54

Happy New Year!