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Posted: October 10, 2012 at 7:18 pm

Margies lived all her life in blue-collar South Boston. Now 30 years since she was a teen, she recounts the fates of former Southies. Sheila Sheen odd. And Marty McDermotts doing time in Walpole prison. The Burke brothers? Who knows, but it cant have been good. And homeless Cookie died on the street just days ago.

Margies doing better? Dont kid yourself. She just lost her cashiers job at the Dollar Store. Her deadbeat husbands who knows where. Daughter Joyce has special needs, which is why Margie was often late to work, and the landladys already tapping her foot for the rent.

For two months around the time Joyce was conceived? Margie dated Mickey Dillon. He made it out of the hardscrabble, Old Harbor projects and became a fertility doctor. Now hes got a classy roost on Chestnut Hill. Margie and friends remember him as good people. Even though they havent seen each other in decades, and even though hes probably lace curtains the opposite of a gravel-mouthed Southie maybe he can her find work.

In an interview, David Lindsay-Abaire said he gets the idea for a play when two ideas collide. He hailed from Bostons south side, made (in)famous in The Departed and Good Will Hunting and also for its antibusing stance in the 70s. He left, got an education, but found that some part of him will always be a Southie.

In the beginning, his Good People feels odd to watch. Its about subjects you almost never see in a theater. First and foremost, Margie needs a job. She must make ends meet or she and Joyce could end up like Cookie. Shell even babysit, if it pays more than her babysitter charges while Margies working. For those who can afford theater tickets, heres how the who-knows-how-many-jobless struggle day to day. Today.

Good People is also about social class, practically a taboo topic on American stages. Lindsay-Abaire explores differences, but without sociological generalities or authorial intrusions. Instead, in Act Two, he creates a triangle: a have-not (Margie, at Chestnut Hill in search of a job any job); a have (Kate, Mikes Georgetown-educated, African-American wife); and Mike, a nouveau-have, convinced he made it out of Southie on his own, but unable to sever ties with the old neighborhood.

Stevie, the store manager, says Maggie makes everything so difficult. She pushes buttons, as if she wants to hurt others as much as shes been hurt. As Margie, a terrific Eva Kaminsky never skimps on her irksome qualities (if she went into the audience, Margie would interrogate patrons to expose pretense and best kept secrets). At the same time, Kaminsky shows that underneath and if she had some luck the plays title could refer to Margie.

She needs a helping hand. Mike, whom the play practically shreds, denies he ever had one. Silver-haired R. Ward Duffy bounces Mike between social classes, his past and present. The friction shatters his patrician veneer.

Denitsa Bliznakovas excellent costumes cut to the quick. When she goes to Chestnut Hill, Margies best outfit cant compete with Kates designer-tailored, lounge-about-the-house togs. As Kate, elegant Nedra McClyde exudes restraint and sophistication, then fires sharp jabs when the gloves come off.

Paul Mullins directs with a deft, almost invisible hand. When the Southies gather James McMenamin (Stevie), Carol Halsted (Jean), and especially Robin Pearson Rose (Dottie) Mullinss stagings are a politically incorrect, internecine hoot.

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Democratic PAC using ‘loud’ Walsh in ads against other Dold, Biggert

Posted: at 7:18 pm

By Natasha Korecki Sun-Times Media October 9, 2012 4:14PM

Three Democratic U.S. congressional candidates, Bill Foster, Brad Schneider and Tammy Duckworth. File photo. | John H. White~Chicago Sun-Times.

storyidforme: 38239530 tmspicid: 10042379 fileheaderid: 4623087

Updated: October 10, 2012 2:42AM

A pro-Democratic group is using video cuts of the loud, politically incorrect tea partyer Joe Walsh to turn up the volume against Republicans in three key Chicago-area races.

Walshs bluster is the centerpiece of a new spot, which is part of a $2.4 million ad buy attacking the 8th District congressman from McHenry, and two other Republicans who are targeted by Democrats.

Dont blame banks! I am tired of hearing that crap! Walsh is seen imploring on a video of him talking to district residents.

In another clip hes shown saying: I want America to pay for my contraceptives. Youre kidding me. Go get a job!

Clearly viewing Illinois as fertile ground to win over congressional seats, the House Majority PAC, which aims to put Democrats back into the lead in Washington, disclosed Tuesday it had pumped $2.4 million into the three key Chicago-area races including U.S. House races in the 8th, 10th and 11th congressional districts.

One video titled Loud links Walsh to U.S. Reps. Bob Dold of Kennilworth and Judy Biggert of Hinsdale, both of whom are incumbents. While Walsh is a tea partyer through and through, both Dold and Biggert are far more moderate. Still, the ad which, according to the House Majority PAC, will run in heavy rotation for two weeks works to link the three as equally out of step but only plays video snippets of Walsh talking.

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Democratic PAC using ‘loud’ Walsh in ads against other Dold, Biggert

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Censorship Bill pushed aside by Parliament

Posted: at 7:17 pm

Local artists, theatre-goers and theatrical producers are displeased by the fact that the Censorship Repealing Bill is set to be relegated once again to make room for discussions about the IVF Bill, the Cohabitation Bill, and the Car Park Privatisation Bill.

Unifaun Theatre Company Director Adrian Buckle told di-ve.com that while he understands the importance of the other bills, he is very disappointed that the impending issue is not being given more precedence.

I have a feeling at this point that we will have to wait for a new legislature for this bill to be approved, he said, before claiming that Minister for Tourism, Culture and the Environment Mario De Marco seems to be the only voice in our favour in this affair.

When asked whether he thinks that should the Labour Party (PL) be elected in government, things would change, Mr Buckle revealed that he was personally promised by Dr Owen Bonnici that PL, if in Government, would pass the bill.

I will be holding PL to this promise. If the party is elected to power in the upcoming elections, I will be producing Stitching and then we will see if PL is as good as its promises to fight censorship, he maintained.

The play "Stitching" was banned from being staged last year by the Film and Stage Classification Board. Penned by Scottish writer Anthony Nielson, "Stitching" addresses themes such as abortion and death.

An appeal to the Courts decision was made by the producers of the play in an effort to send out the message that the very banning of the play represented a denial of freedom of expression.

Mr Buckle told di-ve.com that board member Teresa Friggieri admitted to influencing the other members in reaching a decision to her liking by giving them notes on what to look for in the text. He also said that Joe Camilleri, another member on the board, admitted that he had no idea how the play ended, even though he had reread it a week earlier. Dione Mifsud, yet another member, said in court that his theatre experience was limited to his daughters school concerts and a couple of pantomimes.

Despite the Arts Councils determination to formulate an anti-censorship bill and make the public aware of it, this bill has been shrugged off by Parliament, which is choosing to focus on other issues.

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Libertarians are wrong about smoking bans

Posted: at 7:17 pm

Among the mythologies of the pseudo-libertarian ideology fashionable among modern Republicans is the notion that any government regulation is an unconscionable assault on individual liberty and, if left alone, individuals will themselves make decisions that are ultimately good for the community.

There is no clearer proof that this is an asinine theory than the current debate regarding smoking bans in the Lowcountry, where the City of North Charleston recently decided against enacting a ban on smoking. After all, how long should the community wait for individuals to realize that their personal liberties are negatively affecting everyone else?

Smoking bans are nothing new. One of the earliest dates back to the middle of the 1500s when Mexico and some Spanish holdings in the Caribbean banned tobacco consumption inside churches (which is now such a common thing that it is hard to imagine that one could ever smoke in church). One wonders if such bans were as controversial back then as they are today. Regardless, I doubt smokers 500 years ago thought that the ability to smoke whenever and wherever they pleased was considered to be a right, as many do today.

Today's pro-smoking libertarian crowd is focused primarily on the perceived right of business owners to do what they want with their businesses, a point made moot by existing regulations detailing exactly what business owners may or may not do. The pro-puffers also like to proclaim that patrons are free to pick and choose businesses that either ban or allow smoking and then act as if this one "freedom" is the only benchmark of a free society.

Business owners, naturally, tend to view themselves as individuals who should have the right to allow or ban smoking as they see fit. This ignores the simple fact that there exists a communitarian aspect to any business that is open to the public and which employs individuals other than the proprietor. As a result, the government has the right to regulate and legislate these businesses. Safety standards, wage guarantees, and equal hiring policies are all part of this arrangement, as are restrictions even on hours of operation.

As for patrons, how their rights are affected one way or the other is unclear. After all, they truly are the ones with the most choice in the matter, and they are going to go somewhere no matter what bans or regulations are in place. Otherwise, most of the bars in places like New York City would have dried up years ago, as would most churches.

Ultimately, though, smoking bans most benefit those who are often least mentioned the workers who spend anywhere from four to 10 (or more) hours a day in smoke-filled bars and restaurants. When they are mentioned, it is usually with the most rational and reasoned of conservative mantras, "If you do not like where you work, you are free to go elsewhere." Of course, the individuals who spout this kind of nonsense ignore the fact that jobs aren't as plentiful as they used to be.

For people who claim to be interested in Constitutional government, it seems that ignoring the parts that disagree with their ideology is common. The Constitution in all its vaguely worded glory does contain references to both personal liberty and the general welfare. How a society balances those two concepts is as important as having either one of them individually, and it is this balancing act that few people readily accept in modern politics.

One accepted premise of individual rights is that mine end where yours begin. In other words a person should be free to do what she likes as long it does not infringe on another's freedom to do the same. Smoking in public places, even "private" businesses, is not an inviolate right. As Canadian conservative writer Rachel Marsden puts it, "Smoke anywhere you want, but do it with a plastic bag tied over your head, please. Then everyone is happy. Smokers lament the law becoming increasingly restrictive as to where they can light up in public, but it's only because enough of them have chosen to behave in a manner that restricted others' freedom not to smoke."

Ultimately, the inability to understand that personal behavior affects communities and that legislation is sometimes required to achieve a balance between individual freedom and the needs of the community is the fundamental failure of the pseudo-libertarian ideology. True libertarianism understands the difference between personal rights and infringing on the rights of others just to fulfill a selfish desire, and it is this libertarianism that informs the best public policy decisions. The City of North Charleston's vote against a smoking ban is not one of the best by a long shot.

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Libertarians are wrong about smoking bans

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Exhibition at the Grand Palais seeks to shed light on Edward Hopper's works of art

Posted: at 7:16 pm

PARIS.- Paintings by Edward Hopper (1882-1967) have the deceptive simplicity of myths, a sort of picture-book obviousness. Each one is a concentrate of the hypothetical knowledge and dreams conjured up by the fabulous name of America. Whether they express deep poignancy or explore figments of the imagination, these paintings have been interpreted in the most contradictory ways. A romantic, realist, symbolist and even formalist, Hopper has been enrolled under every possible banner. The exhibition at the Grand Palais seeks to shed light on this complexity, which is an indication of the richness of Hoppers oeuvre.

It is divided chronologically into two main parts: the first section covers Hoppers formative years (1900-1924), comparing his work with that of his contemporaries and art he saw in Paris, which may have influenced him. The second section looks at the art of his mature years, from the first paintings emblematic of his personal style - House by the Railroad - (1924), to his last works (Two Comedians -1966).

Hopper entered Robert Henris studio at the New York School of Art in the early years of the twentieth century. Henri was a colourful figure; in 1908, he founded the Ashcan School, whose very name was a statement of the uncompromising realism of its most radical members.

Hoppers time in Paris (nearly a year in 1906, followed by shorter stays in 1909 and 1910) offers an opportunity to compare his paintings with those he saw in the citys galleries and salons. Degas inspired him to take original angles and apply the poetic principle of dramatisation. The massive structure of his views of the quays of the Seine was borrowed from Albert Marquet. He shared with Flix Vallotton a taste for light inspired by Vermeer. Walter Sickert was his model for the iconography of theatres and paintings of damned flesh. In Paris, Hopper adopted the style of Impressionism, a technique which he felt had been invented to express harmony and sensual pleasure; Back in the United States he absorbed the gritty realism of Bellows or Sloan, that of the Ashcan School, whose dystopic vision he shared. He earned his living doing commercial illustrations, which will be presented in the Paris exhibition. But it was his etchings (from 1915) that brought about a metamorphosis in his work and crystallized his painting, as he put it. One room in the exhibition is devoted to his etchings.

1924 was a turning point in Hoppers life and career. The exhibition of his watercolours of neo-Victorian houses in Gloucester, in the Brooklyn Museum and then in Franck Rehns gallery, brought him recognition and commercial success which enabled him to work full time on his art (he had previously sold only one painting, at the Armory Show in 1913). Hoppers watercolours open the second major section of the exhibition, which shows the American artists emblematic paintings and iconography. The chronological presentation permits visitors to appreciate the continuity of his inspiration, the way he explored his favourite subjects: houses infused with a near psychological identity (House by the Railroad, 1924, MoMA), solitary figures sunk in thought (Morning Sun, 1952, Columbus Museum of Art), the world of the theatre (Two on the Aisle, 1927, Toledo Museum of Art), images of the modern city (Nighthawks, 1942, Art Institute Chicago).

The apparent realism of Hoppers paintings, the abstract mental process that prevails in their construction, destined these works to the most contradictory claims. The bastion of the American realist tradition, the Whitney Museum of Art, regularly showed his work. And yet it was the MoMA of New York, the temple of Formalism, which gave him his first retrospective, in 1933. The MoMAs director, Alfred Barr, hailed an artist whose compositions were often interesting from a strictly formal point of view.

The complexity of Hoppers oeuvre puts it at the intersection of the two historical definitions of American modernity: one derived from the Ashcan School which claimed the Baudelairian principle of modernity linked to the subject, and the other taken from the lessons of the Armory Show which, in 1913, revealed the formalism of European avant-gardes (cubism and cubist futurism) to the American public. In the fifties, the surreal strangeness, and metaphysical dimension of Hoppers painting led to comparisons with De Chirico. At the same time, in the columns of the magazine Reality, the painter joined American realist artists in denouncing abstract art, which, in their view, was submerging collections and museums.

Only a few months after the artists death, the curator of the American section of the Sao Paulo Biennale, Peter Seltz, reconciled realism and avant-garde art by organising an exhibition of Hoppers works in conjunction with paintings by the Pop Art generation.

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Exhibition at the Grand Palais seeks to shed light on Edward Hopper's works of art

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SpaceX CRS-1 Launch to International Space Station – Video

Posted: at 3:13 am

07-10-2012 20:30 Liftoff of Falcon 9 and Dragon from Launch Complex 40 in Cape Canaveral, Fl. October 7, 2012.

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SpaceX hurtles toward space station as NASA dreams big

Posted: at 3:13 am

SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft was successfully launched Sunday, and by Wednesday morning the International Space Station crew should be greeting it with open arms.

NASA's Sunita Williams, ISS commander, and Japanese colleague Aki Hoshide will stretch out the station's robotic arm to install the Dragon on Wednesday at 4:22 a.m. (7:22 a.m. Eastern), according to NASA. The Dragon will be attached to the station for 18 days before heading back to Earth, splashing down in the Pacific off Southern California.

PHOTOS: Awesome images from space

SpaceX's billionaire CEO, Elon Musk, said: "We still have a lot of work to do... as we guide Dragon's approach to the space station. But the launch was an unqualified success."

Meanwhile, NASA is gearing up for another space-station first -- a yearlong mission by two astronauts that will give researchers a chance to better study the effects of extended time in space on the human body.

Earlier this month, the space agency and its international partners agreed to send one U.S. astronaut and one Russian cosmonaut on the yearlong expedition. The pair will travel in a Russian Soyuz spacecraft in a voyage to begin spring 2015.

SPACE QUIZ: Blue moons, meteors and more

There have been people aboard the space station for 12 years now, which has given researchers "valuable, often surprising" insight on how microgravity affects human bones and muscles, eyesight, strength and other physical factors, NASA says.

Now scientists want to know more, with the long-term goal of going farther and deeper into space.

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U.S., Russia to launch first year-long space station flight

Posted: at 3:13 am

An American astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut will spend a full year aboard the International Space Station in 2015-16, twice as long as current crews, to collect medical data on long-duration spaceflight that will help pave the way for eventual flights to deep space destinations, NASA said Friday.

Assigning two lab crew members to a yearlong flight also is expected to free up seats aboard Russian Soyuz ferry craft for two additional space tourists or representatives of other nations that might not otherwise fit into the normal space station crew rotation.

In their latest contract with NASA, the Russians charge more than $60 million a seat for Soyuz flights to and from the space station. While a space tourist presumably would pay less, the money would give the cash-strapped Russian program a welcome boost.

The Russians launched eight "spaceflight participants" to the station between 2001 and 2008, including one who flew twice. They paid between $20 million and $50 million per flight.

It is not yet known who will be assigned to the yearlong station flight, when they will be announced or who might fill the additional Soyuz seats. But Space Adventures, a company that has brokered past tourist visits to the space station, has scheduled a news conference Oct. 10 in Moscow with singer Sarah Brightman.

However that plays out, the astronaut and cosmonaut who will stay up for a year likely will launch in March 2015 aboard the Soyuz TMA-16M spacecraft, sources said, accompanied by a Russian spacecraft commander who would stay aboard the lab for a normal six-month tour.

Under that scenario, the next Soyuz in the rotation, TMA-17M, would launch with a normal three-person station crew the following May. The Soyuz after that, TMA-18M, would take off that Fall with a Russian commander and two paying customers, sources said, either tourists, researchers representing nations not normally in the rotation or a combination of the two.

The spaceflight participants would spend about two weeks aboard the lab complex and return to Earth aboard the Soyuz TMA-16M spacecraft with the same commander that ferried the long-duration crew to orbit the previous March. The long-duration crew members would return to Earth in March 2016 aboard the Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft with the commander who ferried the commercial fliers to orbit.

Other scenarios are possible. The NASA statement provided no details on how the crew rotation might play out and there was no immediate word from the Russians. However it plays out, senior NASA managers believe the flight is crucial for plans to eventually send astronauts on missions to deep space targets ranging from nearby asteroids to Mars.

"In order for us to eventually move beyond low Earth orbit, we need to better understand how humans adapt to long-term spaceflight," Mike Suffredini, the space station program manager at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, said in a statement late Friday.

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SpaceX capsule chasing space station in orbit

Posted: at 3:13 am

A privately built robotic spacecraft is doggedly chasing down the International Space Station and remains on track for an early-morning arrival Wednesday to deliver a half-ton of supplies.

The Dragon space capsule is making the first commercial cargo delivery to the space station for NASA under a billion-dollar deal with the private spaceflight company SpaceX, which launched the spacecraft from Florida atop its Falcon 9 rocket on Sunday night.

"The Dragon spacecraft continues to look great, and all systems are performing nominally," SpaceX officials said in a mission update Tuesday.

Space news from NBCNews.com

Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: Thirty years ago, a cuddly, candy-munching creature captured hearts as well as box-office records. But is "E.T." still relevant for the 21st century?

The space capsule is expected to rendezvous with the International Space Station early Wednesday. Astronauts inside the station will use a robotic arm to capture the Dragon capsule and attach it to an open docking port so it can be emptied of the nearly 1,000 pounds (454 kilograms) of supplies and gear inside.

If all goes well, NASA astronaut Sunita Williams and Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide will capture Dragon at 7:22 a.m. EDT (1122 GMT). NASA will broadcast the event live on NASA TV and online. You can watch the Dragon docking webcast live here beginning at 4 a.m. EDT (0800 GMT).

Satellite trackers also have one last chance to see Dragon in the night sky tonight before it docks at the space station. But you have to know when and where to look. For tips on spotting Dragon and the station as they fly overhead your location, see: " How to Spot SpaceX's Dragon in Night Sky."

The Hawthorne, Calif.-based SpaceX is one of two companies with commercial NASA contracts to launch unmanned cargo missions to the space station. SpaceX has a $1.6 billion deal for at least 12 Dragon cargo flights, while the Virginia-based Orbital Sciences Corp. has a $1.9 billion agreement to provide NASA at least eight delivery flights using its own Antares rockets and Cygnus spacecraft.

The current Dragon cargo flight is the first of the company's 12 contracted flights, though SpaceX did launch a test flight to the station in May. It is slated to return to Earth on Oct. 28 carrying about 2,000 pounds of scientific experiments and station gear. Orbital Sciences, meanwhile, is gearing up for its first Antares rocket test later this year.

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SpaceX Dragon Capsule Chasing Space Station in Orbit

Posted: at 3:13 am

A privately built robotic spacecraft is doggedly chasing down the International Space Station and remains on track for an early-morning arrival Wednesday (Oct. 10) to deliver a half-ton of supplies.

"The Dragon spacecraft continues to look great, and all systems are performing nominally," SpaceX officials said in a mission update today (Oct. 9).

The current Dragon cargo flight is the first of the company's 12 contracted flights, though SpaceX did launch a test flight to the station in May. It is slated to return to Earth on Oct. 28 carrying about 2,000 pounds (907 kg) of scientific experiments and station gear.Orbital Sciences, meanwhile, is gearing up for its first Antares rocket test later this year.

With NASA's space shuttle fleet retired, the space agency is depending on private space taxis for ferrying cargo and astronauts to the International Space Station. SpaceX, which is upgrading Dragon to carry crew, is one of four private spaceflight companies that have received funding from NASA to develop new manned spacecraft.

Visit SPACE.com this week for complete coverage of SpaceX's first Dragon cargo flight to the International Space Station.

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Category Archives: Transhuman News

Comments

Democratic PAC using ‘loud’ Walsh in ads against other Dold, Biggert

Censorship Bill pushed aside by Parliament

Libertarians are wrong about smoking bans

Exhibition at the Grand Palais seeks to shed light on Edward Hopper's works of art

SpaceX CRS-1 Launch to International Space Station – Video

SpaceX hurtles toward space station as NASA dreams big

U.S., Russia to launch first year-long space station flight

SpaceX capsule chasing space station in orbit

SpaceX Dragon Capsule Chasing Space Station in Orbit

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