PROMISE AND PERIL IN SOUTH L.A.
Argentina sees first gay marriagef | |||
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Argentina have become Latin America's first legally married same-sex couple, after the governor of the country's southernmost Tierra del Fuego province permitted their wedding. Jose Maria Di Bello and Alex Freyre, both gay rights activists, were married in Ushuaia, the provincial capital, in a civil ceremony on Tuesday. |
Getty Images In the wake of the terror attempt on Northwest Airlines Flight 253, pundits and politicians are searching for lessons. From debating air security policies to finger-pointing over released Guantanamo detainees' involvement in the plot, the question is simple: how did this happen, and how can it be prevented in the future? Now, as commentators peruse the biographical details of the aspiring terrorist Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, finding new material for psychoanalysis in his alleged online writings, they are beginning to announce their conclusions.
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"If you don't have enough evidence to charge someone criminally but you think he's illegal, we can make him disappear." Those chilling words were spoken by James Pendergraph, then executive director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Office of State and Local Coordination, at a conference of police and sheriffs in August 2008. Also present was Amnesty International's Sarnata Reynolds, who wrote about the incident in the 2009 report "Jailed Without Justice" and said in an interview, "It was almost surreal being there, particularly being someone from an organization that has worked on disappearances for decades in other countries. I couldn't believe he would say it so boldly, as though it weren't anything wrong."
Jeffrey A. Straus turned the key in the padlock and pushed the door open.
Skip to next paragraph
Richard Perry/The New york times
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is the most admired woman in America, barely edging out former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, according to a Gallup poll out Wednesday.
When Gallup asked 1,025 adults nationwide to name the woman they admire most, 16 percent picked Clinton. Palin was the only other woman to be mentioned by at least 10 percent, being selected by 15 percent of those surveyed.
Daytime talk show host Oprah Winfrey came in third with 8 percent, edging out first lady Michelle Obama who got 7 percent.
Mitchell Aboulafia
You will laugh. You will scoff. You will be befuddled. But I have finally figured out why Obama is so familiar. At first I thought it might just be his politics. In my day job as a political philosopher, I recognize deep similarities between Obama’s political orientation and a tradition of American progressivism that had its heyday in the early 20th century. This form of progressivism had roots in the Midwest and was linked to the Social Gospel Movement. In some ways Obama is reviving this tradition.
But there was something more familiar about Obama, and about how his campaign has managed to galvanize so many young people. Well, maybe it was simply a flash from the past, the political organizing that many of us engaged in to stop the Vietnam War and for Civil Rights. He is leading a movement in which people of color and whites are linked once again. Perhaps this was the source of the deep familiarity.
Yes, certainly, his campaign has brought back memories. But it somehow didn’t get to another level of familiarity. And then it hit me. Obama is Mr. Spock and his campaign the Star Ship Enterprise, that is, if you allow for the vicarious presence of millions of fans aboard the ship. Consider Spock and Obama: cool, logical, trustworthy, a great deal of presence of mind, etc. Further, Leonard Nimoy, the actor who plays Spock, is Jewish. Obama went to Harvard Law and taught at the University of Chicago Law School, which makes him an honorary Jew. (Being Jewish, I can say this.) And what have we heard about Obama’s blood pressure, 90/60; not that of an ordinary mortal, just like Spock. But don’t consider character traits, or arguments, gaze on their images.
WASHINGTON
Readers shared their thoughts on this article.
I was walking through a deserted downtown on Christmas Eve with a friend, past the lonely, gray Treasury Building, past the snowy White House with no president inside.
“I hope the terrorists don’t think this is a good time to attack,” I said, looking protectively at the White House, which always looks smaller and more vulnerable and beautiful than you expect, no matter how often you see it up close.
I thought our guard might be down because of the holiday; now I realize our guard is down every day.
One thrilling thing about moving from W. to Barack Obama was that Obama seemed like an avatar of modernity.
W., Dick Cheney and Rummy kept ceaselessly dragging us back into the past. America seemed to have lost her ingenuity, her quickness, her man-on-the-moon bravura, her Bugs Bunny panache.
Were we clever and inventive enough to protect ourselves from the new breed of Flintstones-hardy yet Facebook-savvy terrorists?
W.’s favorite word was “resolute,” but despite gazillions spent and Cheney’s bluster, our efforts to shield ourselves seemed flaccid.
President Obama’s favorite word is “unprecedented,” as Carol Lee of Politico pointed out. Yet he often seems mired in the past as well, letting his hallmark legislation get loaded up with old-school bribes and pork; surrounding himself with Clintonites; continuing the Bushies’ penchant for secrecy and expansive executive privilege; doubling down in Afghanistan while acting as though he’s getting out; and failing to capitalize on snazzy new technology while agencies thumb through printouts and continue their old turf battles.
Even before a Nigerian with Al Qaeda links tried to blow up a Northwest Airlines jet headed to Detroit, travelers could see we had made no progress toward a technologically wondrous Philip K. Dick universe.
We seemed to still be behind the curve and reactive, patting down grannies and 5-year-olds, confiscating snow globes and lip glosses.
Instead of modernity, we have airports where security is so retro that taking away pillows and blankies and bathroom breaks counts as a great leap forward.
If we can’t catch a Nigerian with a powerful explosive powder in his oddly feminine-looking underpants and a syringe full of acid, a man whose own father had alerted the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria, a traveler whose ticket was paid for in cash and who didn’t check bags, whose visa renewal had been denied by the British, who had studied Arabic in Al Qaeda sanctuary Yemen, whose name was on a counterterrorism watch list, who can we catch?
We are headed toward the moment when screeners will watch watch-listers sashay through while we have to come to the airport in hospital gowns, flapping open in the back.
In a rare bipartisan success, House members tried to prevent the Transportation Security Administration from implementing full-body imaging as a screening tool at airports.
Just because Republicans helped lead the ban on better technology and opposed airport security spending doesn’t mean they’ll stop Cheneying the Democrats for subverting national security.
Congressman Pete Hoekstra of Michigan was weaselly enough to whack the president and “weak-kneed liberals” in his gubernatorial fund-raising letter.
Before he left for vacation, Obama tried to shed his Spock mien and juice up the empathy quotient on jobs. But in his usual inspiring/listless cycle, he once more appeared chilly in his response to the chilling episode on Flight 253, issuing bulletins through his press secretary and hitting the links. At least you have to seem concerned.
On Tuesday, Obama stepped up to the microphone to admit what Janet Napolitano (who learned nothing from an earlier Janet named Reno) had first tried to deny: that there had been “a systemic failure” and a “catastrophic breach of security.”
But in a mystifying moment that was not technically or emotionally reassuring, there was no live video and it looked as though the Obama operation was flying by the seat of its pants.
Given that every utterance of the president is usually televised, it was a throwback to radio days — just at the moment we sought reassurance that our security has finally caught up to “Total Recall.”
All that TV viewers heard, broadcast from a Marine base in Kaneohe Bay, was the president’s disembodied voice, talking about “deficiencies.”
Citing the attempt of the Nigerian’s father to warn U.S. authorities six months ago, the president intoned: “It now appears that weeks ago this information was passed to a component of our intelligence community but was not effectively distributed so as to get the suspect’s name on a no-fly list.”
In his detached way, Spock was letting us know that our besieged starship was not speeding into a safer new future, and that we still have to be scared.
Sally Struthers is best known for playing Gloria Bunker Stivic on the classic '70s TV series "All in the Family." Guess what she looks like now!
| Tuesday, 29 December 2009 | ||
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| Friday, 18 September 2009 | ||
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| Sunday, 20 December 2009 | ||
 Discovering inventive ways to use paper is no easy task. Its very simplistic nature fills it with both promise and challenge. After the consolidation of music and film throughout the digital age, Nick Georgiou reacted by mastering the medium of paper.
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| Wednesday, 30 September 2009 | ||
Chris Osburn: How did you first get involved in graffiti? What drew you to it? |
| Monday, 28 December 2009 | |
 Sarah Folkman is an artist whose work in Corey Helford’s Multi-Plane group show caught our eye. Known for incorporating animal imagery into her paintings on wooden panel, Sarah took a few moments to answer a set of 20 quick questions for us. | |
| Read more... |
| Tuesday, 29 December 2009 | ||
 Italian artist Blu, who made internet fame with his stunning stop motion film Muto and the collab film with David Ellis, is up to filmmaking again. From Montevideo, Uruguay and Buenos Aires, Blu has been working his kinetic magic. |
Analysis: Beginning of the end for the ayatollahs?
In mid-June, about a week after the presidential election in Iran and at the height of the protests on Teheran's streets, Mossad chief Meir Dagan appeared before the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and predicted that the riots would not escalate into a revolution.
In the short term, Dagan was right. The protests that began after Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stole the election from Mir Hossein Mousavi did not immediately topple the 30-year-old Islamic regime.
But months later, there are those in Israel's defense establishment who believe that Dagan was way off the mark and that the protests that began in June and reignited last week are all part of a process that will ultimately spell the end for the ayatollahs.
Harold Klunder, Sun And Moon IV, 2008-2009, oil on linen, 114”x78”, courtesy Clint Roenisch.
By David Liss
During the rise of neo-expressionist painting in the 1980s, then Toronto painter Harold Klunder established a reputation as one of Canada’s leading figures of the era, with huge-scale, intensely colored, densely impasto paintings of imaginatively constructed forms that hovered at the cusp of figuration and abstraction. As the winds of fashion shifted in the early 1990s and painting had (again) slipped from favor, Klunder’s profile too was eclipsed by emerging trends and the onslaught of upcoming generations, although the strength and authenticity of his practice was never diminished. Within the last few years, however, a number of exhibitions at various institutions and commercial galleries across the country have once again thrust the now Montreal-based Klunder into the forefront of current Canadian painting. Given the consistency that he has sustained throughout his entire career, and the quality of recent exhibitions, including his latest at the Clint Roenisch Gallery in Toronto, many are now considering Klunder to be one of Canada’s best living painters. Looking at the work of any number of younger Canadian painters, his influence cannot be underestimated. His current work is vibrant, fresh and attuned to the pulse and relevancy of current global painting. If not for the confidence and maturity of his paint handling and a complex pictorial sophistication, viewers could not be faulted for assuming that these are the works of the next young hot-shot from Brooklyn or Berlin.
Gift cards are just so easy — so easy for dishonest employees to exploit, that is.
Detective David Hill says it is harder to track gift card fraud than credit card swindles.
At the Saks flagship store in Manhattan, a 23-year-old sales clerk was caught recently ringing up $130,000 in false merchandise returns and siphoning the money onto a gift card.
“Gift card fraud is spiking,” said Joshua Bamfield, author of the Global Retail Theft Barometer, an annual international survey of retailers. “To employees, this is like currency. It’s almost as good as the U.S. dollar.”
December 29, 2009 | 12:47 pm
For more than four decades, David Levine created the gentle literary caricatures that have graced the pages of the New York Review of Books. The comic illustrations, which include memorable renderings of such figures as John Updike, Joyce Carol Oates and William Shakespeare, have became a sort of trademark for the long-running intellectual publication.
Levine passed away today at age 83 in New York. He was suffering from prostate cancer and other illnesses, according to reports. On its website this morning, the NYRB paid tribute to its illustrator by quoting Updike:
"Besides offering us the delight of recognition, his drawings comfort us, in an exacerbated and potentially desperate age, with the sense of a watching presence, an eye informed by an intelligence that has not panicked, a comic art ready to encapsulate the latest apparitions of publicity as well as those historical devils who haunt our unease."
Levine was born in Brooklyn in 1926 and studied painting at Pratt Institute, the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, and with Hans Hofmann, according to the NYRB.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Levine for an article in ARTnews magazine in April 2007 when Levine was one of several members of the Painting Group -- a New York collective of artists -- who were invited to create portraits of Sandra Day O'Connor, the former Supreme Court justice.
"I disagree with her politics, but that's OK," Levine told me.
This was not the first time that Levine had created a portrait of the justice, who was appointed to the court by Ronald Reagan. He had also created a caricature of O'Connor for the NYRB.
"I mentioned this to her and said, 'I wish I could take it back," said Levine.
"She shot me a look as if to say, 'Yeah, right!'"
According to Levine's website, his artwork is part of the permanent collections at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Library of Congress, the Cleveland Museum, the National Portrait Collection, the National Portrait Gallery in Britain and the Pierpont Morgan Library & Museum in New York.
Levine's many drawings for the NYRB are viewable on an online archive that includes 2,500 illustrations dating as far back as 1963.
-- David Ng
Photo: A self-portrait by David Levine. Credit: David Levine / New York Review of Books
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The big news in pizzaland yesterday was that Domino's announced that it had a new core pizza recipe. The crust now has a garlic-herb seasoning; the sauce is supposed to be sweeter and bolder; and the cheese, well, the company is promising "shredded cheese made with 100% real mozzarella and flavored with just a hint of provolone," which makes you wonder what they were using before.
Anyway, as soon as we posted the news on Slice, we jumped to dominos.com to order.
How does the new Domino's pizza taste? you ask? Is it better? Is it good? Find out, my friends, after the jump.
The thing that gave me pause the most when I read the Domino's press release was the bit about the sauce: "Sweeter, bolder tomato sauce with a medley of herbs and a red pepper kick."
To my taste, the old Domino's sauce was already too sweet. Making it any sweeter would push it into the realm of Papa John's, which I think has the sweetest sauce of the major chains. This was a big mistake on Domino's part, I thought.
But somehow, the "bolder" part and the "medley of herbs" and "red pepper kick" seem to balance out any additional sweetness. If anything, the sauce seems less sweet than before—maybe it's just more balanced now.
The "red pepper kick" is pleasant and probably just where it needs to be to appeal to a mainstream audience. It's not too spicy but still provides a gentle heat that lingers a bit after you've finished a slice.
Good job on the sauce, Domino's.
When I read the press release on the crust ("garlic seasoned crust with parsley baked to a golden brown"), I mistakenly assumed the garlic and seasonings would be baked into it.
When the pies I ordered yesterday afternoon arrived, I thought I had the old recipe in my hands. Despite assurances from my local Domino's on the phone and from the delivery guy, I didn't see herbs in the crust. And the bread base looked much the same as the Domino's I remembered.
But there it was, a slight garlicky flavor. Was I imagining things, experiencing a placebo effect of flavor? I was confused. Instead of rushing out a post on Slice, I contacted Domino's representatives and double-checked whether my nearby Domino's was indeed serving the new-recipe pizza.
And then, I ordered it again today just to be sure. This time getting a half-and-half pizza: hand-tossed crust with one half sauce and cheese and the other just sauce.* You know, to better taste the red stuff.
On inspection this morning, I realized that the garlic-herb seasoning is visually subtle. It could be mistaken for an overspray of Parmesan, which I'm used to from the mom-and-pop pizzerias I usually frequent. But if you look, there it is. Instead of impregnating the crust, the garlic-herb seasoning blend is applied to the rim of the pizza.
It's almost like the end crust, or cornicione, has now become a sort of complimentary built-in order of lightly seasoned breadsticks. If you were previously inclined to leave the end crusts as "pizza bones," maybe you should now order an extra cup of marinara sauce (50¢) and dunk 'em.
As far as "baked to a golden brown," so what? It was baked to a golden brown before. In my opinion, there's no noticeable difference in crust texture or doneness.
In fact, the only thing different with the crust seems to be the addition of the seasoning. I'd imagine that those of you who don't like it could ask that they not apply it.
As for the cheese, I have no idea how it's different. Domino's can talk about the "hint of provolone," but it's difficult to discern as the dough and sauce overpower any subtlety you'd hope to pick up in the cheese.
*I actually tried to order an additional pizza with no sauce and no cheese (it really is an option in the online-ordering form!), but the local store said that, in that case, they'd deliver the garlic-herb seasoning on the side. So I opted not to do a plain-crust pie.
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Yesterday I blabbed about my fave 8 of 2009. Today it's time to hear from our man in Chicago, Daniel Zemans. Take it away, dude. —The Mgmt.
The sausage pie from Stop 50 in Michiana Shores, Indiana. [Photograph: Daniel Zemans]
The Year That Was (Pizza Edition) continues on Slice with the top pizzas I ate or pizzerias I ate at in 2009.
Approximate sizes:
17.5” x 10” - 36” x 24”
Also, watch this page for further updates regarding pricing and purchasing the front ‘Cover Illustration’, photo of the ‘9th Cavalry, K Troop’ and other ‘Images’ and memorabilia of this story.
Art illustration and photo requires custom framing, which you can take to your local framer, custom frame yourself, or we can provided, matting and oak wood framing, along with handling and shipping for an additional charge.
Also, please post a response on the blog page at,
http://www.rescueatpineridge.com/rescueatpineridge/Rescue_Blog/Rescue_Blog.html
and keep watching this page for further information and updates.
New, Rescue at Pine Ridge items forth-coming: 100% cotton T-Shirts, Hats, Jackets, Buffalo Soldier Capi’s, Coffee Mugs, License Plate Frames, etc...
Stand-by for details.
Soon, Front Cover Illustration &
9th Cavalry Photo
available for sale using
These images are copyrighted and/or protected under agreement.
Book orders available now!
CHOOSE EITHER
PAPERBACK - $19.95 - ISBN 978-1-4327-2822-9
HARDBACK - $31.95 - ISBN 978-1-4327-3683-5
Rescue at Pine Ridge - an epic novel by:
Erich Martin Hicks
Rescue at Pine Ridge depicts the true gallantry and spirit of a group of men in the United States Army. These volunteer soldiers endured extreme hardships in their everyday lives, not only from the environment, weather, military personnel, and enemies of the United States, but also from the ones they were sworn to protect.
The gossip and rumors they experienced were false due to paranoia and racism. The civilians, their officers, the American Indians that gave them their name, who observed their bravery, gallantry and heroism, knew better. For the Buffalo Soldier it was duty and honor!
Audio excerpt read by:
David St. Louis
“Listen” to a short three minute excerpt of this exciting story.
Click the play button just below picture.
If unable see audio button, or to listen to audio, go to;
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/
and download a version of Quicktime for your computer.
1866
Early 1891
Quantity purchases, the better the savings!
General Public
10 – 25 books --- 10% off
26 – 50 books --- 15% off
51 – 100 books --- 20% off
Educational Institutions
10 – 25 books --- 15% off
26 – 50 books --- 20% off
51 – 100 books --- 25% off
Contact Alpha Wolf Productions for questions and quantity quotes.
Other Buffalo Soldier and related links;
http://www.pr.com/press-release/119562
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iD66NUKmZPs
http://www.outskirtspress.com/webpage.php?ISBN=9781432728229
http://pro.imdb.com/title/tt0925633/literature
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0902436/
http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/buffalo_soldier
http://www.buffalosoldiermuseum.com/
http://www.dakotabuffalosoldiers.com
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/the-dells-star-spangled-bannerwmv/2537761509
Advance book orders, please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery.
Thank you for your purchase!
Rescue at Pine Ridge
“ALSO” available in major book stores, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.com,
in paperback and hardback editions.
BUY RESCUE TODAY USING
The first 1000 Hardback books sold, will be numbered.
1 - 1000
Published by;
Outskirts Press, Inc.
CONTACT INFO: Alpha Wolf Productions website: www.alphawolfprods.com
AS SEEN ON “YOUTUBE, AOL, MYSPACE ...” SITES;
Copyright © 2008 Alpha Wolf Productions, Inc., AWP. This site and all content relating to this site, pictures and information contained within are property of AWP. No part of this site may be reproduced without the express consent of AWP. This site was developed and maintained by AWP. Last Edited: December 14, 2009
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Rescue at Pine Ridge Art Illustration
Approximate sizes:
17.5” x 10” - 36” x 24”
Also, watch this page for further updates regarding pricing and purchasing the front ‘Cover Illustration’, photo of the ‘9th Cavalry, K Troop’ and other ‘Images’ and memorabilia of this story.
Art illustration and photo requires custom framing, which you can take to your local framer, custom frame yourself, or we can provided, matting and oak wood framing, along with handling and shipping for an additional charge.
Also, please post a response on the blog page at,
http://www.rescueatpineridge.com/rescueatpineridge/Rescue_Blog/Rescue_Blog.html
and keep watching this page for further information and updates.
New, Rescue at Pine Ridge items forth-coming: 100% cotton T-Shirts, Hats, Jackets, Buffalo Soldier Capi’s, Coffee Mugs, License Plate Frames, etc...
Stand-by for details.
Soon, Front Cover Illustration &
9th Cavalry Photo
available for sale using
These images are copyrighted and/or protected under agreement.
Book orders available now!
CHOOSE EITHER
PAPERBACK - $19.95 - ISBN 978-1-4327-2822-9
HARDBACK - $31.95 - ISBN 978-1-4327-3683-5
Rescue at Pine Ridge - an epic novel by:
Erich Martin Hicks
Rescue at Pine Ridge depicts the true gallantry and spirit of a group of men in the United States Army. These volunteer soldiers endured extreme hardships in their everyday lives, not only from the environment, weather, military personnel, and enemies of the United States, but also from the ones they were sworn to protect.
The gossip and rumors they experienced were false due to paranoia and racism. The civilians, their officers, the American Indians that gave them their name, who observed their bravery, gallantry and heroism, knew better. For the Buffalo Soldier it was duty and honor!
Audio excerpt read by:
David St. Louis
“Listen” to a short three minute excerpt of this exciting story.
Click the play button just below picture.
If unable see audio button, or to listen to audio, go to;
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/
and download a version of Quicktime for your computer.
1866
Early 1891
Quantity purchases, the better the savings!
General Public
10 – 25 books --- 10% off
26 – 50 books --- 15% off
51 – 100 books --- 20% off
Educational Institutions
10 – 25 books --- 15% off
26 – 50 books --- 20% off
51 – 100 books --- 25% off
Contact Alpha Wolf Productions for questions and quantity quotes.
Other Buffalo Soldier and related links;
http://www.pr.com/press-release/119562
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iD66NUKmZPs
http://www.outskirtspress.com/webpage.php?ISBN=9781432728229
http://pro.imdb.com/title/tt0925633/literature
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0902436/
http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/buffalo_soldier
http://www.buffalosoldiermuseum.com/
http://www.dakotabuffalosoldiers.com
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/the-dells-star-spangled-bannerwmv/2537761509
Advance book orders, please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery.
Thank you for your purchase!
Rescue at Pine Ridge
“ALSO” available in major book stores, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.com,
in paperback and hardback editions.
BUY RESCUE TODAY USING
The first 1000 Hardback books sold, will be numbered.
1 - 1000
Published by;
Outskirts Press, Inc.
CONTACT INFO: Alpha Wolf Productions website: www.alphawolfprods.com
AS SEEN ON “YOUTUBE, AOL, MYSPACE ...” SITES;
Copyright © 2008 Alpha Wolf Productions, Inc., AWP. This site and all content relating to this site, pictures and information contained within are property of AWP. No part of this site may be reproduced without the express consent of AWP. This site was developed and maintained by AWP. Last Edited: December 14, 2009
Play Button
FIVE STARS AMAZON
