Last Minute Bush Regulations An Affront To Obama & Americans

It seems that, despite a memorandum issued in early May by White House chief of staff Joshua B. Bolten, George W. Bush is trying to cram in as many as 20 “highly contentious” rules in his final weeks in office. According to Bolten, the memorandum states:

“Except in extraordinary circumstances, regulations to be finalized in this administration should be proposed no later than June 1, 2008, and final regulations should be issued no later than Nov. 1, 2008.”

But despite this, the Labor Department is trying to complete a new rule that President-Elect Barack Obama openly opposes. That rule would essentially make it more difficult for the government to protect workers who are exposed to toxic substances and hazardous chemicals on the job. 

The rule is, of course, supported by business groups. According to the New York Times, the rule says that:

…in assessing the risk from a particular substance, federal agencies should gather and analyze “industry-by-industry evidence” of employees’ exposure to it during their working lives. The proposal would, in many cases, add a step to the lengthy process of developing standards to protect workers’ health.

Margaret M. Seminario, director of occupational safety and health for the A.F.L.-C.I.O., says:

“…the administration is rushing to lock in place requirements that would make it more difficult for the next administration to protect workers.”

According to Seminario, this proposal could add two years onto a process that normally takes about eight or more years. What that means essentially is that workers health and safety may be endangered that much longer possibly resulting in more illnesses and deaths. 

Representative George Miller, a chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor, has added that the proposal would:

“…weaken future workplace safety regulations and slow their adoption.”

This is just one of many rules the Bush Administration is trying to push through before they leave office and turn the White House over to Mr. Obama. Others include permitting coal companies to dump rock and dirt from mining into streams and valleys, giving states the authority to charge higher co-payments for doctor’s visits, hospital care and prescription drugs provided to low-income people under Medicaid, and another to protect health care workers who refuse to perform abortions based on their moral and/or religious beliefs. 

I’ll report on more of these as they arise. But take a look at what the current Administration is still doing in these last few weeks. It seems that despite the lowest approval ratings of any President ever, and a country whose citizens have given a “real” mandate to the President-elect to reverse the dangerous and damaging ways of the Bush Administration, President Bush still insists on forcing his will (and the will of the puppeteers behind him) on an America that has, in very large numbers, told him they NO LONGER WANT to live in a George Bush America. I guess he’ll go out as he came in: not as a bipartisan President with the interests of the American people at the forefront of his concerns, but as a selfishly misguided man who can’t admit or simply doesn’t realize how frighteningly wrong he’s been all along.

Francis Coppola, PATTON, & The Art Of Filmmaking

Francis Ford Coppola is and has been a great influence on me as a filmmaker as well as a source of my deepest admiration. Both via the films he’s made as well as in his approach to filmmaking. Yes, even some of the films that were difficult and painful experiences for him, those films which he didn’t feel reflected him fully as an artist, have had a lasting impact on me.

Through my ongoing journey to understand my desire to make films and tell stories, my many youthful fantasies of making those films in that once magical place known as Hollywood, and in watching and listening to great artists like Francis Coppola share their insights, experiences and wisdom, I have managed to not feel completely alone in my conclusion that Hollywood may, in fact, not be the best place for me to be making films. This is a subject I have written about before and return to often as I find myself in a transition period in my life and art. While still a resident of Los Angeles and Hollywood, and still surrounded by many “industry” friends and acquaintances, I have both mentally and artistically distanced myself from the very world I had once strived to be a part of. Through my experiences as a writer working with name producers, to my experiences making THE PLAGUE, my first feature as director, I have learned to trust less in the business of filmmaking and trust more in my own gut as both a filmmaker and a lover of film.

It is therefore that I am thankful and inspired when I stumble across great filmmakers whose experiences in the field, far greater than my own, seem to confirm my desire to follow my gut and my heart, even while so many around me–agents, lawyers, industry peers–seem to suggest my desired path lies somewhere between pipe dream and career suicide. But the more steps I take away from filmmaking as it is defined by the town and industry I physically inhabit, and move toward a place more centered around the artistry and love I have of films and filmmaking and my joy of working with people I admire, respect and whose company I enjoy, the more empowered I feel, the more inspiration I seem to find, the more excited I become.

And so I want to thank Mr. Coppola for sharing his thoughts and experiences in his introduction to the Blu-ray release of PATTON, a film for which he won the Academy Award for screenwriting, and let him know that there are filmmakers out there like myself who are not just listening to what he is saying, but actually hearing and finding inspiration in his words; the inspiration to follow a path dismissed by many, attained by few, but cherished by those lucky enough to trust their hearts.

Thanks.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Holidays From Ann Coulter

Though not yet confirmed, the New York Post reports that:

“…although we didn’t think it would be possible to silence Ann Coulter, the leggy reaction- ary broke her jaw and the mouth that roared has been wired shut.”

Quote Of The Week: GOP Hitman Roger Stone Regrets Bush

Roger Stone, according to thedailybeast.com, “has had a hand in everything from Nixon’s dirty tricks to Eliot Spitzer’s resignation to spreading discredited rumors of a Michelle Obama ‘whitey’ tape during the 2008 Democratic primaries.”

However, the biggest feather in Stone’s cap was the “Brooks Brothers riot” of the 2000 election recount (wonderfully recreated in Danny Strong and Jay Roach’s HBO film RECOUNT). Stone led a massive group of pro-Bush protesters to intimidate the Miami-Dade County election board and succeeded in stopping the recount and, many would say, gave George W. Bush the White House. 

So it’s fascinating to hear Mr. Stone’s reflections on that event today:

“There have been many times I’ve regretted it. When I look at those double-page New York Times spreads of all the individual pictures of people who have been killed [in Iraq], I got to think, ‘Maybe there wouldn’t have been a war if I hadn’t gone to Miami-Dade. Maybe there hadn’t have been, in my view, an unjustified war if Bush hadn’t become president.’ It’s very disturbing to me.”

BARAKA In Blu: The Eyes Of The World

The film BARAKA was the first film since 1970 to be filmed in Todd-AO 65mm and the last as of this post. Director Ron Fricke, who was the cinematographer on the Godfrey Reggio film Koyaanisqatsi, takes the concept of that film–non-narrative images and music, ambient sound, no dialogue–and expands on it to create one of the most intense, emotional, startling, mesmerizing films I’ve seen to date. Fricke has not only managed to embrace the power of cinema and cinematic language, he has also embraced the power of man and nature, of culture and civilization, of spirituality and the cosmos. 

BARAKA is a Sufi word meaning “a blessing, or the breath, or the essence of life, from which the evolutionary process unfolds.”

The images in BARAKA tell many stories, and those stories will change depending on the viewer. The themes are there, it is how we interpret them that is open. The film takes us on a hypnotizing odyssey through our world’s brightest and darkest moments. The emotions and reactions summoned by the film are many, from joyous to unsettling, but never pointless, never exploitative, never anything less than eloquent.

Fricke developed and patented a 70mm time-lapse system wherein the filmmaker can change the pace of time, while panning or tilting as if the viewer were casually witnessing these images in real time. It’s a startling and often breathtaking effect. 

Traveling the world, Fricke and his producer, Mark Magidson, and their three-person crew filmed at 152 locations in 24 countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, China, Ecuador, Egypt, France, Hong King, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, Nepal, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, and the United States all on a $4 million budget. 

The evocative score by Michael Stearns is as integral a part of the film as the images themselves. In addition to Stearns, music by Dead Can Dance, L. Subramaniam, Inkuyo, Brother and David Hykes are also featured and work with seamless and enthralling perfection. A 96 kHz/24 bit audio remaster was done for the DTS-HD Master Audio and the result is a stunning aural landscape with such nuance and precision as to flawlessly transport the viewer directly into the images with all its lossless beauty. 

The Blu-ray transfer is everything it has been boasted to be. BARAKA is the first 70mm film to be transferred at 8K. The original 65mm negative was used and scanned at 8200 pixels with state-of-the-art equipment at Fotokem Laboratories. The 8k film scanner took over 3 weeks to scan more than 150000 frames (approx 12-13 seconds to scan each frame) culminating in over 30 terabytes of digital information. 

Project supervisor Andrew Oran has stated that this remastered Blu-ray of Baraka is “arguably the highest quality DVD that’s ever been made”. After having watched it, I would have to agree. At least I have not personally seen anything so far that surpasses its beauty and definition. Film critic Roger Ebert described the Blu-Ray release as “the finest video disc I have ever viewed or ever imagined.”

Fricke is currently working on the sequel to BARAKA titled SAMSARA which, according to Wikipedia: 

“refers to the cycle of reincarnation or rebirth in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and other related religions.”  

In his own words, Fricke has said about his work:

“I feel that my work has evolved through KOYAANISQATSI, CHRONOS and BARAKA. Both technically and philosophically I am ready to delve deeper into my favorite theme: humanity’s relationship to the eternal.”

So while I wait with baited breath for SAMSARA, I can’t recommend highly enough a viewing of BARAKA on Blu-ray. It is, in many ways, a life-altering experience. 

No Handshakes For George Bush At G20 Summit

It’s hard to tell if the leaders of the world are rejecting George W. Bush or if he is rejecting them, but it’s clear from this video that there is ill-will at hand. Is it that the world leaders no longer have to pretend to like Mr. Bush now that Barack Obama is poised to fill his shoes, or is Mr. Bush carrying a serious grudge? Or maybe he no longer needs to pretend he likes them! Whatever it is, I’ll be glad when Barack Obama is sworn in and we can start shaking hands with world leaders once again and actually mean it! Check out this video from CNN:

“the most unpopular kid in high school that nobody liked.”

CASINO ROYALE In Blu

Yes, it’s toy-talk again at the Hal Blog. While fires burn, protests abound and administrations come together, I took some more time off from my daily involvement with all things political to, well, play. With the new Bond film out there now, QUANTUM OF SOLACE, I wanted to refresh my memory of the last Bond film, CASINO ROYALE. I saw CASINO ROYALE in the theater when it came out. The first Bond film I actually saw on the big screen in ages. I loved Bond as a kid and am, like so many, partial to Sean Connery. As the Bond franchise progressed and new actors slipped into the role, I became less interested, in part cause they weren’t Connery, but also because the films became redundant with action taking a front seat to story instead of a satisfying melding of the two. 

CASINO ROYALE renewed my excitement in the franchise. Though a different approach to Bond, and one some claim to be closer to Jason Bourne than James Bond at all, I nonetheless enjoyed this new approach, the characters and story it embodied, and especially Daniel Craig as our new killing machine, secret-agent hero. Yes, this Bond is brutal. But not inhuman. I have not seen QUANTUM yet and can’t say if anything I liked from ROYALE has been carried over, but at least they managed to get my attention and bring me back to at least give it a try. 

So this viewing of ROYALE was in my living room on my 65″ Toshiba and on Blu-ray. And it was, to date, the most remarkable looking thing I’ve ever seen. The image jumped off the screen. I wanted to reach out and touch it. And almost believed I could. The difference in watching a film on Blu-ray (even at 1080i instead of 1080p) and seeing that same film on standard DVD is as powerful as the difference between a bad videotape and a great DVD. Except that now the image is closer to film resolution than ever before. CASINO ROYALE is a brightly lit film with very little film grain. It is the perfect sampler for anyone who hasn’t seen the magic of Blu. I can’t imagine anything looking crisper, cleaner, more life-like that was shot on film. Again, not all films are made to look that clean and sharp and grain-free. Nor would I want them to be! But ROYALE is and does and it’s nothing less than sheer film-loving joy. 

I watched ROYALE with the uncompressed PCM 5.1 soundtrack and it was a truly astounding accompaniment to the picture. Yes, I would have loved a 7.1 mix to this high-energy film, but the 5.1 is so well-mixed and balanced, so clean and crystal clear that it’s hard to complain. 

So, if you’re thinking of going Blu and you want something to push you over the edge, CASINO ROYALE will leave you without any doubts as to what you need to do. Go ahead, drink the Kool Aid. It’s soooo good…

Reflections on El Coyote & Prop 8

I have a mirror site where I also post my blog. That site gets a lot of traffic and therefore my recent post on Prop 8 and El Coyote has attracted many readers and many comments. Emotions are high, and with good reason. And with high emotions comes differing opinions and alternate solutions. But what is important to remember is that, no matter how you see the situation, if we all want the same outcome, if we’re all working toward the same goal, then we are all on the same team. We saw the divide created by the Bush administration’s moniker, “You’re either with us or against us.” Fortunately, life is not that black and white. But that way of thinking will turn friends into enemies, will weaken the strength of numbers, will make the road to attaining the goal that much more difficult. 

As for El Coyote and the protests and boycott underway, there are differing views. This is mine. I hate that anyone has to wait for equal rights. It tears me up inside. And I would never ask anyone to support a restaurant that does not support equal rights. And I’m not asking anyone to personally support El Coyote. However, what I am saying is that the manager of El Coyote, Marjorie Christoffersen, gave money privately through her church to support her personal belief, which in this case was Yes on Prop 8. And yes, her family owns the restaurant. However, this donation was not done through the restaurant nor any corporation affiliated with the restaurant. And the restaurant staff and floor manager have publicly stated that they DO NOT share Marjorie’s views. Had Marjorie done this through El Coyote, then asking for a mass boycott would be fair in my eyes. As it stands now, people are asking others, beyond themselves, to inflict damage on an establishment that does not, itself, support Yes on Prop 8. I understand that the money Marjorie makes in her life comes from her job at El Coyote, but I have to support EVERY individual’s right to make their own decisions about what they believe in politically, socially, financially and religiously. Even if I find it sad and unfortunate and extremely closed-minded. In my opinion, we must all be careful to not discriminate against other people’s beliefs and their right to have those beliefs and express them in their private lives. Roseanne Barr has urged for a broader boycott of every organization which has large numbers of Mormons on its executive payroll (the Mormon church gave heavily to the Yes on 8 campaign). While I understand the sentiment and I certainly understand the feelings behind it, I must also add that this can be a slippery slope and one that can easily be seen as fighting discrimination with discrimination. While I do not share the views of the Mormon church, nor do I support their fight for Prop 8, I can’t support what I see as discrimination against Mormons. There is a campaign to cut the tax breaks allowed to the Mormon church. I support that. To me, that’s the correct approach. The church used this money toward a political goal. That is illegal. And it came directly from the church. Even protesting outside the church is called for. Not because they are Mormons, but because they are spreading inequality. However, one shouldn’t try and get the members of that church to denounce their faith, but to try and get them to understand what they are doing and the effect it has on human lives. 

If Marjorie had hung Yes on Prop 8 signs up at El Coyote, or had made a donation to that cause through the restaurant, that would be a whole different situation. But that’s not this one. This seems to me, at the moment, to have more to do with hurt, betrayal and anger than with reason. I do not see ANYTHING POSITIVE coming from this boycott of El Coyote. Again, let me reiterate, I am not telling anyone that they should go there. Only that they should consider what they believe they will gain by telling others not to go in an attempt to negatively impact the business.

Some have suggested that this is an act of civil rights, like the Montgomery Bus Boycott. But this is not the same situation as that. The desired result there was to give black people the right to sit anywhere they wanted on those buses. And that’s what they got. That’s what they deserved. All I see here is an attempt to hurt Marjorie because she hurt others. I see punishment. And no clear goal or resolution. Perhaps people want Marjorie to step down. Okay. Again, she made a private donation. Like it or not, it was not and is not a reflection on El Coyote or any of the people who work there. Just Marjorie. Or perhaps people would like to see her denounce her faith. When Marjorie was asked if she would donate money to No on Prop 8, she burst into tears and said, “I will not.” Are we really asking this woman to change her beliefs, to denounce her religious community right here right now on the spot? Is that fair? And is that the goal? 

What I see is a widening of the gap of understanding. We should all be more evolved than Marjorie. And in doing so we should understand her in a way she seems unable, currently, to understand others and their rights. However, with a different approach, one of education and understanding, she may have come around, or a nugget of truth may have been placed in her heart and mind that may have manifested into something wonderful. Remember, many of her favorite customers are gays and lesbians. She is someone who has real faces to place on the choices she is making; she has people who could express their hurt, sadness and sense of betrayal to her directly. People she sees as human beings, despite her inability to currently comprehend what her actions mean to their lives. This was a wonderful opportunity potentially lost in a maelstrom of anger and disappointment. What has been achieved, most likely, is a deeper rift. Marjorie will most likely embrace her church and its community even more deeply now. Here’s an example: When I learned my sister was going to vote for John McCain, I called her up and, instead of yelling or accusing or telling her she needed to change her views, I told her I was here to answer questions she may have and to help her understand exactly what she was doing so that when she voted, no matter who she voted for, she would be voting from a place of understanding and not just blindly hearing talking points and/or misinformation. I let her know that I thought a vote for McCain would have a direct negative impact on her and her family, as well as millions across the globe. We then talked for an hour and a half. She thanked me for this approach and shared with me that when someone she knew had gotten angry with her and had thought her crazy and attacked her for thinking of voting for McCain, that reaction made her want to vote for McCain even more. Not a very logical reaction, but a strong emotional one. And an understandable one. My instinct was to get upset and rant at my sister, but I refrained, asked myself what I wanted the result of my conversation with her to be, and changed my approach. I respected her. And she listened and engaged. That does not mean she voted for Obama. I truthfully don’t know who she voted for. But there’s a chance she did, where before there was none. 

So, while I do understand the emotions at play here and mean in no way to diminish or belittle them, I do believe that what is happening over at El Coyote is not something that will help the cause, but simply help fuel more anger, hatred, resentment and, ultimately, result in more people taking a longer time in coming around to understanding this. Marjorie is not a villain. She is a human being. And right now she’s one of those people who will soon be relegated to those unfortunate few who can’t let go of their frightened beliefs, like those who still maintain that blacks or women should not share equal rights. But Marjorie is also one of those people caught in a very confusing and difficult position. She is being asked to choose between her church, religious community, and lifelong beliefs and her friends, patrons, and public community. This is not a choice that most people will be able to make overnight. It’s confusing and frightening. It requires a complete reworking of how you see the world, who you trust, what you’ve believed in the past, what you feel in your gut, even how you see yourself and what kind of a person you believe you are. Given time, patience and understanding, Marjorie COULD become one of the movement’s greatest supporters. But that will never happen if you force her or try and punish her for her personal beliefs and her right to engage them. Again, I’m talking about what she does in her personal life, not her professional one. 

No one can stop gays and lesbians from attaining their equal rights. It’s happening. Here. Now. The fact that this was even up for a vote, the fact that there are protests, the fact that stars and newscasters and journalists, mothers, fathers, kids are all speaking out publicly against Prop 8 is momentous. And growth and change is painful. And that’s where we are. In the midst of growth and change. And all I ask is that we find ways to embrace that which will move us forward more quickly, that which will educate, that which will close the divide and the misunderstanding. And not that which will fuel the hate and sense of victimization. That is too easy a path to go down. And that will make the whole process longer and even more painful. Ask what you want your end result to be. And then ask what is the best, smartest, most evolved way to go about attaining it. If you think boycotting El Coyote is the way, then it is your right to do so and I support your right. However, I think there is a better path, a path that isn’t steeped in the anger, resentment and hurt of the moment, but one that sees a bigger picture and understands that everyone involved is a human being. And one that allows the hurt and anger to be addressed and dealt with and felt in a constructive manner, and not one where we become victims of our own hatred and slowly find ourselves turning into the very people we hope to change.

Obama’s First Weekly Video Address