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Still Standing

14 Mar 2013 by KRAG

There are some movies that have entered the common vernacular. Say “The Maltese Falcon” and people react. Even if they haven’t seen the film, people can describe the Black Bird, probably know it’s Humphrey Bogart, likely know the main character is Sam Spade, and may even know the final line (or, technically, the penultimate line) of the movie.

Well, if you haven’t seen the film, your missing one of the true classics, a movie that stands tall, even now. While today we think it synonymous “film noir,” stacked with great names like Bogie and Huston, Lorre and Greenstreet, was at the time really quite the low-budget, almost “indie” affair. Continue Reading »

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Express Delivery

13 Mar 2013 by KRAG

Mahonia after rainThe Pineapple Express.

That’s what we call it, and yesterday, I smelled it coming.

6AM. Dark. Walking between the streetlight pools, heading to the bus stop, the wind picked up. I lifted my head, facing the wind, facing the southwest, and I felt it on my face, felt it warm and moist like a facecloth at the barber shop. I could smell the greenery in it, the lush growth of Hawaii and the tropical waters between. This wind had seen land before, jetting from Oahu to Seattle, bringing us rain and rain and rain.

It blew all day, and today the rain is here. Four to seven inches in the elevations, bringing floodwaters to the rivers, rain to my garden, and warmth to my budding groves.

The Pineapple Express has arrived.

k

Posted in Gardening, Seattle | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Herculean Misanthropy

12 Mar 2013 by KRAG

Yesterday, over on Facebook, a friend “Liked” a post that Kevin Sorbo made (which is the only reason it came to my attention). Kevin Sorbo? Oh, yeah, that guy.

Curious, I read onward.

In the post, Mr. Sorbo complained of people who put words in his mouth, people who said he resents helping others. To his credit, Mr. Sorbo does much more than the average person—he funds an after-school program that helps thousands of at-risk kids, he speaks before Congress about expanding his program—and for it I applaud him.

Unfortunately, then he launched into a rant about high taxes and how he pays “way more” than his “fair share.” This was followed by a tirade against those in need, in which he painted welfare recipients as whining obese freeloaders who”just feel like being taken care of.”

I pick on Mr. Sorbo because his post came across my desk, but his attitude—that taxes are too high, and that everyone on a government program is a shiftless freeloader—is common on the right, and while I’ve repeatedly countered the “taxes are too high” argument here and elsewhere (they’re essentially as low as they’ve ever been) what really gets my hackles up is this demonization of people receiving government assistance. Continue Reading »

Posted in Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

We Built This City

11 Mar 2013 by KRAG

I don’t like musicals and I don’t like Tom Cruise. Thus, it was unusual to find myself sitting down of a Friday night to watch “Rock of Ages” which, I quickly learned, incorporated both.

It’s not that I dislike all musicals–I even have a few in my DVD library–but spending my first 35 years playing several musical instruments, I sweated in the pit during every school drama production, suffered through interminable summer “Pops” concerts, and endured nearly as many “Holiday Galas.” In short, of musicals I’ve had my fill.

As for Tom Cruise, well, he’s just one of those actors who can’t seem to get out of his own way. Again, my stance is not monolithic; I’ve liked him in a few films, but never as a leading man. When Cruise plays the chiseled-chin hero, the steely eyed fighter pilot lawyer spy covert operative race car driver, I always see the actor behind the mask. In every scene–especially in those critical, top-of-the-trailer tag-line scenes–behind that gritty, squint-eyed glare I see…Tom Cruise, thinking, working hard, working as hard as he possibly can to be that chiseled-chin hero, working his ass off trying to not be Tom Cruise.

At which he fails. But not here. Not in “Rock of Ages.” You see, I have learned a true Hollywood secret: Continue Reading »

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

The Ten Percent Solution

08 Mar 2013 by KRAG

Back in my “The View from Here” series, I addressed one common problem I called “Wiggle Words.” I cannot now remember where I came up with the phrase–perhaps I made it up; I’ve been known to invent a thing or two on my own–but I absolutely remember where I first encountered the concept.

Ken Rand’s The 10% Solution is one of the best how-to-write books on my shelf. It is short, clear, and has more bang-for-buck within its covers than most books 4 times its length. Ken has had a long career in fiction and non-fiction both, from novels and short stories to ad-copy, news reports, and PR work. In brief: Ken knows writing.

And this book is pure gold. I first read it about fifteen years ago, and I came away from it with two major lessons under my belt. Continue Reading »

Posted in Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

Ineffable

07 Mar 2013 by KRAG

Aeons ago, when newspapers were printed on paper and was a young Bay Area boy, I used to open up the San Francisco Chronicle and read Herb Caen’s column.

Yes. I was an odd little boy.

I remember one column in particular, in which Herb talked about one of the local Chinese restaurants playing softball against the SFPD in a charity event. The restaurant had t-shirts printed up for its team players. On the shirts were some characters in Chinese script. When Herb asked them what the Chinese words meant, he was told they translated as “No effing butter!”

Though this went straight over my little pre-teen head (on several levels), I was still smart enough to recognize a punch line when I read one. So I showed it to my dad.

“What does ‘effing’ mean?” Continue Reading »

Posted in Culture, Writing | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments »

Allan Savory and Biomimicry

06 Mar 2013 by KRAG

Here’s my position on climate change: It’s happening.

You and I may disagree on whether or not it is anthropogenic, but if you deny that it’s happening at all, well, there’s no evidence I can provide that will convince you.

Last month, Allan Savory gave a presentation at the TED Talks, discussing climate change and the results of experiments in biomimicry. The content was astounding; so much so, that I strongly recommend everyone to devote 20 minutes to watching the video of his presentation. I came away, hopeful about our ability to address one of the contributing factors of climate change.

I first read about biomimicry back before the turn of the century (I love using that phrase) in a book by Janine Benyus entitled, appropriately, Biomimicry. The book did not address the issue of climate change–Al Gore hadn’t made a splash with it yet–but it did look at ways to solve human problems by mimicking patterns found in nature, such as the use of mixed-grain planting to mimic the prairie grasses of the Great Plains and help stop erosion and soil depletion.

What Allan Savory has done, is to mimic natural patterns and help reverse one of the four major anthropogenic contributors to climate change: desertification.

Continue Reading »

Posted in Culture | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments »

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