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Showing posts from October, 2012

The War Zone Message Board - Something Remarkable

Lara Belmont and Ray Winstone in The War Zone. Thirteen years ago, when the film of my novel The War Zone was released, something remarkable occurred: a film and a book about incest gave birth to an online message board, The War Zone Message Board , intended for survivors of incest and abuse, and all who wished to discuss relevant topics in an empathetic manner. It is not a fan site for either the book or the film. It is moderated by volunteers - currently two young women called Nath and Norie - who give freely of their time to insure that those who wish to give voice to their feelings, or to find solace or help or support from others, may do so. Some of the people involved call themselves "zoners," which for me is something quite remarkable and humbling: that a novel I first started thinking about almost 30 years ago, and a film that Tim Roth directed so stunningly 13 years ago, should spawn its own support system for those caught up in the horrifying world we r

PLEASE VOTE FOR PRESIDENT OBAMA - NOW!

Courtesy of irregulartimes.com. It is not too late to VOTE EARLY FOR PRESIDENT OBAMA NOW using an absentee ballot. Details of early voting are at www.barackobama.com Early voting is critical and gives a greater push to the Obama Campaign - as well as freeing up resources, including perhaps time you might contribute yourself, to get out the vote on November 6. This election is a turning point for our nation. Either we go forward with President Obama , and give him four more years to bring his policies to bear, or we take a massively backward step with Romney and Ryan, who will tear up so much of the social fabric that protects the less advantaged and less successful in the United States, in favor of major corporations (which Romney likes to call "small businesses" - you know, Exxon, Chevron, etc) and the extremely wealthy. Please give President Obama a second term in which t o support women's rights and the rights of minorities, in which to see the economy

Charong's Novel With Nomi Khan: JAHAADA

Please watch this brief 2 minute video for my wife Charong Chow's remarkable novel-in-progress, Jahaada , written with Nomi Khan , about being Muslim in America - and please consider contributing to their Kickstarter campaign. Charong, who is not Muslim (she's Chinese-American), has worked extraordinarily hard - and successfully - to capture Muslim culture in New Jersey, and to explore the world of a normal American father, an accountant, who feels increasingly marginalized and victimized by his religion. The book presents a unique view of America from the standpoint both of Nomi's experience as a Pakistani-American and Charong's as a Chinese-American. Please visit their Kickstarter page - and share it with friends. Thank you.

My Talk at Sonora's ITSA Film Festival - Film Noir: From Murder To Mainstream

A vast digital billboard in Ridley Scott's future-noir, Blade Runner. I'm very excited to be talking at this year's ITSA Film Festival in Sonora on Saturday November 3, 2012, from 11am-noon at Sonora's historic Opera Hall. My talk is titled Film Noir: From Murder To Mainstream , and I will be exploring one of my absolute favorite film (and literary) genres, noir, and its influence not only on the noted detective/"pulp" classics such as The Maltese Falcon and The Postman Always Rings Twice (which inspired one of the classic existential novels of the 20th Century, Albert Camus' The Stranger/L'Etranger ), but on contemporary mainstream cinema, from the "future noir" of Ridley Scott's groundbreaking science fiction movie Blade Runner to David Lynch's films, such as Mulholland Drive , and dark, intense dramas such as Christopher Nolan's Inception and even the major hit television series, Mad Men. Please join me a

Romney Tax Plan EXPLAINED - At Last

However you're voting, you MUST click on this Romney Tax Plan site. It explains everything in language even a child could understand.

P-P-P-Paul Ryan Music Video - HILARIOUS!

This absolutely hilarious P-P-P-Paul Ryan music video gives us a little taste of the America of the 1950s - or is it the 1850s? - that Paul Ryan would love to take us back to, in terms of limiting welfare, women's rights, worker's rights...you name it. Written by the extremely talented  Anna Callegari and Doug Widick , the video was directed by Dan De Lorenzo. Here's hoping Ayn Rand...sorry, Paul Ryan BOMBS in the debate tonight.

Stunning 3D Animation Of A Nebula - WATCH

Nebula IC 1396 by  space photographer  J-P Metsävainio . This stunning 3D GIF animation of Nebula IC 1396 in the Cepheus Constellation was created by " Astro Anarchy " space photographer  J-P Metsävainio . It is truly mesmerizing and beautiful to look at. For more of  Metsävainio 's remarkable images of space, please visit his blog, Astro Anarchy.   With NASA's valiant Voyager 1 spacecraft, originally launched in 1977, about to leave the solar system and enter a new zone of outer space and the Milky Way, who knows what we will learn? Our cosmos is an astounding and humbling place - and our lives unfold within it (most likely in more dimensions than we know), although many of us rarely stop to think about that.

Deadmau5 - CLOSER - and Close Encounters (MUSIC VIDEO)

I love this Deadmau5 electro track, CLOSER , which riffs on the alien landing from Steven Spielberg's magical Close Encounters of the Third Kind. It brings back the fun and wonder of seeing that movie for the first time. If you've never seen it, watch it - and in the meantime here is the YouTube link for the alien landing sequence that inspired Deadmau5. Note that there were no FEMALE scientists in evidence back in 1977! I recently saw that Deadmau5 is one of the world's highest paid deejays - with earnings around $11 million per year, I believe!

Happy 20th Wedding Anniversary To The President And First Lady

Today is not only President Obama's first - and hopefully decisive - debate with Mitt Romney, but also his 20th Wedding Anniversary with First Lady Michelle Obama. No doubt she will be wondering why their special dinner is delayed. Aside from wishing them both a very happy anniversary, I also hope that, with the debate, President Obama opens up his lead in the national and swing state polls by as wide a margin as possible. They say that debates can only account for a 3 or 4 point swing - but that would double Barack Obama's lead over Mitt Romney to 8 points, which would be fine for now. I'm looking for a landslide Democratic win on November 6, not just for President Obama but for a powerful Democratic Congress for him to work with.  Barack Obama has endured four years of abuse and obstruction from the Republican Party (the ridiculous "birther" controversy - racism in sheep's clothing - to name but one). November 6 is the day to correct that. May