Comment Archives: Last 30 Days
Re: “Raleigh City Manager Russell Allen is out. What's next?”
Ideology that favors dense urban development is no longer the primary issue. This is plain power politics. Forces who own and develop ITB property stand to profit mightily if that's where the newcomers go. Forces who own and develop OTB property don't want to see the City focus exclusively on downtown. Growth OTB hasn't subsided; many and perhaps most of those 12K newcomers are still landing OTB, to the consternation of ITB advocates. Sprawl isn't really the issue for Raleigh any longer because the City has very little left to annex. So, density will necessarily increase as Raleigh grows. The question is whether it's ITB density or OTB density that will increase.
Re: “Chapel Hill paves the way for more food trucks”
This will only benefit Chapel Hill. I am glad they got with the times. The food scene in Chapel Hill is so tired. You have run down crappy pub fare for the college kids. Or uninspired bougie food for all the old money in town. But Durham still has Fullsteam which means its worth the drive for the beer + food trucks, unless Chapel Hill gets a brewery in the future.
Re: “A loopy musical send-up with a heart: this Drowsy Chaperone's no sleeper”
great review - thank you for such a heart felt insight into a great performance!
Re: “The ripple effect: NAACP's Barber and civil disobedience in Raleigh”
Maybe they could just stay off the ripple...
Re: “A loopy musical send-up with a heart: this Drowsy Chaperone's no sleeper”
Thank you so much for the thoroughness of this glowing review... I so wanted to be there, but since I couldn't, it's nice that your review tells so much about the story and Clay's presentation. And the pix help so much to bring it alive for me!
Re: “Contempt, a Jean-Luc Godard masterpiece”
Jean-Luc Godard’s “Contempt/Le mepris” (1963) is the first part of his religious trilogy, followed by “Hail, Mary” (1985) and “Woe Is Me” (1993). While “Contempt” examines the psychological mechanism of relations between humans and gods of pagan “design” – the human humans (the people with psychology of god-worshippers) and the human gods (people with psychology of unconscious identification with gods), “Hail, Mary” analyzes the psychological roots of the Christian cult of Saint Mary, and “Woe is Me” – the return of pagan gods into post-Christian modernity in a form of technological constructions, tools and toys dominating people’s life in Western democracies.
In his analysis of religious psychology Godard separates people from religious (in a narrow sense) practices and metaphorizes these practices on personal and social relations between people in order to make their religious essence more articulate and vivid for the perception of the viewers. Religious psychology is not necessary creates loyalty to despotic dogmas (many atheists are very religious by psychology). In “Contempt” Godard shows how religious feelings show itself in private relations between Paul (Michel Piccoli), a modest writer of detective stories but educated and with an exceptional existentially spiritual taste person, and his wife Camille (Brigitte Bardot), a monumental beauty, and in social relations between Paul (identifying with Homer and Odyssey) and the mighty Hollywood producer Jeremiah Prokosch (the new incarnation of Poseidon/Neptune), played by Jack Polance in the only intellectually serious performance of his whole career. The both “gods” – Camille and Prokosch, are depicted with tender and subtle caricaturishness, while Paul’s destiny Godard generalizes as that of us all, the humanity. Godard deconstructs the relations between humans and gods as known in history - as metaphoric constructions of markedly sociomorphic relations between human beings as such (personified by Paul) and the human gods (personified by Camille and Prokosch). On the level of the plot the film describes the disagreements between Paul (the author of screenplay), Fritz Lang (the director) who plays himself, and Prokosch (the producer) – all trying together to make a film based on Homer’s Odyssey. But Godard’s scholarly intentions in the film are not limited to symbolizing a certain type of relations between human beings into relations between humans and gods. The second important scientific contribution of Godard in “Contempt” is his classification of the types of bonds human beings are prone to establish between themselves and our historical past, and themselves and any work of art they perceive and react on. Here Prokosch personifies the type of perception of the past which is based on our projection into the historical past of our self-aggrandizement (our megalomaniacal need). For him Ancient Greece is a kind of Olympus in comparison with today’s life. This is, essentially, a conservative position based on authoritarian/totalitarian behavioral habits including the proneness for religious or secular cult of ancestors. The second position is represented by Lang who tends to “objectively” study the human past without the need for any identification with it. This position is that of liberal scholars – it’s the accumulation of a kind of an archival knowledge about the past without any worshipful or critical emotions. The third position is represented by Paul who sees in people of the previous epochs our existential brothers. He learns from the past and from the art and understood that people who lived before us made their own attempts to resolve their problems with gods as idealized models (theologized, from Olympus, or living on the Olympus of the tops of the social hierarchy), as we today trying to with the human gods of our times. Existential identification with our ancient ancestors is simultaneously brotherly and critical. The same three positions – projection of self-aggrandizement (or its negative reflection – the dismissal: “I love-I hate” approach), “objective” position of “neutral/truthful” representation, and existential identification Godard discerns in our relations with works of art.
“Contempt” occupies not only a unique place in history of cinema and Western culture in general, but a distinguished place of an exemplary work of art.
Victor Enyutin
Please, visit: www.actingoutpolitics.com to read an essay about the film (with analysis of stills from it) – “Psychology of Human Obsession with Super-human (Human Need for Association with Gods as a Result of Problems in Relations between People)”.
Re: “Wake Forest Farmers Market”
I have been to most of the markets in the area and we are truly lucky to have so many choices.
The amount of effort and cooperation between vendors and the managers to create these shopping options, can often go unnoticed by the customers that spend their Saturday mornings leisurely strolling the many venues. I am particularly impressed with the Wake Forest Farmers' Market because this group puts on their show with no corporate sponsors or municipal funding of any kind. It's just a 'organic' community of farmers, bakers, craft persons and musicians who team up and bang out a marketing experience that I find truly enjoyable each time I go. From the lively conversations between the vendors themselves and the often fascinating discourse that takes place when a patron asks a question about something that caught their eye.
Though sometimes a little rough around the edges and not as polished as some others in their peer group, the Wake Forest Farmers' Market stands alone in when it comes to my favorite way to start my Saturdays.
Re: “Update: Longtime regional director Haskell Fitz-Simons dies at 64”
Thank you Byron. He meant a lot to all of us at RLT.
Re: “Update: Longtime regional director Haskell Fitz-Simons dies at 64”
Very sad. Haskell was a remarkable person, and a very great many people mourn his passing.
Re: “Update: Longtime regional director Haskell Fitz-Simons dies at 64”
Rest well, dear mentor.
Re: “Carolina RailHawks stings San Antonio Scorpions 5-2, sits alone atop NASL standings”
don't worry Zack, we'll be back!
Re: “The ripple effect: NAACP's Barber and civil disobedience in Raleigh”
Let us hope that Proudly Unaffiliated stays Unaffiliated. I would stand up for his right to speak his opinion, just as I would for others.....But perhaps this "Unaffiliated" should read his (her) comments while looking in a full length mirror. That the place where they will be most respected. My prayers to you
Re: “The ripple effect: NAACP's Barber and civil disobedience in Raleigh”
Bait? Really, Proudly? You must mean that beating upside the head that the Republicans have administered to our state. Now it's true, some people -- including, yes, some black people -- aren't taking their lumps lying down, and some are even resorting to nonviolent civil disobedience. This strikes me as preferable to the alternatives of giving in or (literally) fighting back.
But protest is just one tact of several that must be used to, as you say, get us out of this one. I have some others in mind and will be writing about them over the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned.
Re: “Carolina RailHawks acquire Enzo Martinez on loan from Real Salt Lake, other player arrivals imminent”
That remains to be seen. My understanding is that Rutkiewicz finally arrived in Cary this weekend (5/12). I know Clarke is high on his arrival. However, James and Hamilton have been an effective pairing in the back. That said, with James' injury issues and Hamilton's aggressive demeanor, the RailHawks can't have enough depth at CB.
Re: “The ripple effect: NAACP's Barber and civil disobedience in Raleigh”
The Dems took the bait, partly you did not have a choice, partly, as with letting Barber become the most active and vocal opposition leader, you swallowed it all, hook, line and sinker. With more minority House reps and Senators in the General Assembly in living memory, then add Barber, the face of the Dem party is black now. Not white, not reasonable, not gay, not even all that moral or intelligent or articulate. Think Mel Watt. As this continues, the Blue Dog Dems (the ones you left off your leftist coalition list) will slowly but surely be pushed out. The Blue Dogs are necessary to achieve a Dem majority and they are disappearing. You may think you are of the 99% but at the ballot box you will be the 49%.
Yes, the Rs set the stage for the electorate to polarize their electoral choice and you Progs have made it easier. Blame the Rs if you want but all they did was set the stage and let you do the damage to yourselves. They knew you couldn't help it.
What is next? Real tax reduction and reform from the Rs, a terrific body blow that defunds the left, while you guys continue boilerplate Monday protests. Who do you think wins that one, even with a Prog-sympathetic media? Oh, and let us not forget the continuing Dems scandals which englishes the game against you, too.
Write an article telling us how you get out of this one. You look snookered to me.
Re: “Two weeks without the Possum, Part Two: Tom Maxwell considers George Jones' vocal poignancy”
I can't explain the influence George Jones, like George Strait and other Great Country singers had on my life. I would like to say that George Jones is uniquivically one of the best, and nobody who is a REAL COUNTRY FAN would never even think of any of his stumbles because everyone has gone through their own and George got through his hard times, smelling like a rose. I am going to miss you, Sir...FOREVER!!!!
Re: “A 278-year-old error over the N.C.–S.C. border is riling residents”
Not just tax revenue, but questions like which state has jurisdiction if a crime is committed, etc.
Re: “Two weeks without the Possum, Part Two: Tom Maxwell considers George Jones' vocal poignancy”
Love this. So well said!!!
Re: “A loopy musical send-up with a heart: this Drowsy Chaperone's no sleeper”
I saw The Drowsy Caperone on Tuesday and loved it so much that I went back to see it again on Wednesday. Kudos to Clay, Beth and everyone involved in this wonderful production.
Re: “Three new art spaces testify to downtown Durham's increasing vitality”
Correction- the LGP show has a LOT to do with Anne Frank, nearly everything in fact. Come on Indy!