Positively Puzzled

A genius with his extraordinarily imaginative and creative costume designs and affable accordion playing, a Santa Cruz Busker Treasure. His face is always concealed. (short clip)

Dwight D. Eisenhower speaks from the past in support of core progressive programs under attack in his day by fringe elements of obscure parties, which are now being seriously challenged by powerful, effective, and determined members of his own party today. "Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes that you can do these things. Among them are a few Texas oil millionaires, and an occasional politician or businessman from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid." ─President Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1952 The image comes via @TheRiverWanders on Twitter.

I realize I make this connection very, very late in the game, but it occurred to me this afternoon just how uncanny it is that Aaron Sorkin*, in The West Wing , prefigured Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin's portmanteau malaprop " refudiate ". In the episode titled "Disaster Relief", fictional Vice President "Bingo Bob" Russell uses the word "propulgate" at a conference at the White House in the Roosevelt Room. Gary Cole as VP Bob Russell in The West Wing From the West Wing script : VP Russell (played by Gary Cole): Excuse me, Toby, if I may. You're right, Congressman. If we lower cap gains taxes, we reward the small business owners who took a risk for the economy and I'd be the first in line to pat 'em on the back, but the thing is, the Speaker is trying to "propulgate" a tax bill onto an appropriations package. We start allowing that, we're never going to get budgets passed. [Leo, Toby, and ...

Well, I really have been neglecting my film-viewing roster, haven't I? Time to clear the slate. I've added stills for films that particularly impressed me, for various reasons. Bruce Almighty (2003) Iron Man (2008) Iron Man 2 (2010) Yes Man (2008) The Collector (1965) Abbott and Costello Go to Mars (1953) Licence to Kill (1989) Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff (1948) The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. (1953) The Wild One (1953) The Big Lebowski (1998) The Social Network (2010) City of Ember (2008) Transformers (2007) Fantastic Voyage (1966) Say Anything (1989) Inception (2010) It Happened One Night (1934) Microcosmos (1996) Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) 50 First Dates (2004) Evan Almighty (2007) Malcolm X (1992) Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland (1989) The Wizard of Oz (1939) I Am Legend (2007) The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Co...

. 1 There are beasts on some Iowan farms Which have suffered unspeakable harms, Though we might like to eat them, It is wrong to mistreat them, Let's not bust those who sound the alarms. Story: Agriculture Industry Pushes To Make Undercover Filming Of Farm Animal Abuse Illegal 3/15/2011 2 Plastic forks now restored to the scene, Some House members at lunchtime convene, Their crowing erupts, Toasting Styrofoam cups, "Cafeterias aren't meant to be green!" Story: Fight Waged With Forks Is Rejoined in Congress 3/16/2011 3 Were it up to the Haitians to choose, Aristide at the polls could not lose But with some trepidation He returns to his nation With a woeful aversion to coups. Story: Plane carrying Aristide takes off for Haiti from South Africa 3/17/2011 4 On war doctrine presidents vary Some are rash to attack, some are wary, But without full reliance On a robust alliance Things can quickly become very hairy. Story: The U.N. Security Council passed a resolution on Lib...

Last night Meera, the boys, and I had the pleasure of hearing a glass armonica concert titled "Endangered Crystal" featuring William Zeitler , kicking off the 2011 season of The Santa Cruz Baroque Festival , Endangered Musics. Ethereal and enchanting. Previously I had only ever seen and heard glass armonica in the form of wine glasses filled with water. I'd seen photos of Ben Franklin's design , glass bowls lined up concentrically on a rotating cylinder, and was inclined to think perhaps it wasn't practical as far as resonance and amplitude. This concert demonstrated that to be a false assumption. Now I suspect wine glasses are just easier to acquire. The advantage of the Franklin design is that once the glass bells are made, no further tuning is required. Wine glasses with water must be kept in tune by keeping the water levels just so. Water is required to invoke the tone, and Mr. Zeitler claims that Arrowhead bottled water for some reason produces the bes...

A Boy and His Dog (1975) Valmont (1989) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010) Pane e tulipani (2000) (Bread and Tulips) Top Hat (1936) Post Grad (2009) Over Her Dead Body (2008) Blossoms in the Dust (1941) First Men in the Moon (1964) It Happened on Fifth Avenue (1947) The Bells of St. Mary (1945) The Temptress (1926) (silent) The Mysterious Lady (1928) (silent) The Search for Santa Paws (2010) Holiday Affair (1949) It's a Wonderful Life (1946) A Christmas Carol (2009) Everything is Illuminated (2005) Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) Sweet Smell of Success (1957) After the death of Tony Curtis, many cited Some Like It Hot and Sweet Smell of Success as his greatest films. Longtime fan of the former, I had never seen the latter. This week I got my chance, and what a tremendous film. Powerful performances make for a powerfully well-told story. First Men in the Moon , based on the H.G. Wells novel, was a favorite from my childhood. Netflix said ...

Seemed like a good time to revive this one. This catchy ditty always cheers me up. Sing a long with Neal!