Paul Levinson's Blog: Levinson at Large, page 378
January 5, 2012
NCIS 9.12: DiNozzo and ...
NCIS was back on Tuesday with its first episode of the new year - 9.12 - which got me thinking about the new form of story telling NCIS has quietly adopted: End the previous season with a series of cliff-hangers or at least questions. But then, rather than resolving all of them in the first episode, or even the first few episodes, of the new season, resolve only some of them, and leave the rest for later in the season. This has the good result of making the later episodes seem both fresh and weighty, an attractive combination.
We last saw EJ at the end of season 8 - not killed - but she hasn't been on hand since then, either. In fact, she's been missing all season. This left not only where she was and what she was doing up in the air, but her relationship with DiNozzo, which played a pretty significant role last year, inviting a lecture from Gibbs to DiNozzo to steer clear of such involvements. She was back in 9.12, in a story which wrapped at least one loose end from last season and also the Stratton thread (featuring Scott Wolf of V) from the premier episode of the current season.
But what about EJ and DiNozzo? They exchange a weak kiss and longing looks, and that's about it. EJ's off on another job.
Which would be unfortunate - especially given the flack that Gibbs gave DiNozzo over EJ last year - had we not been thrown another old/new curve. Is there something brewing, again, between DiNozzo and Ziva?
They throw each other, if not meaningful, some kind of different-than-usual looks at the end of the episode. Ziva of course still is in some sort of relationship with CIRay, which is clearly frayed due to Ray's absence. But he'll be back next week, and here's hoping Ziva cuts him loose and goes for another round with DiNozzo. What would Gibbs say about that?
See also NCIS 9.1: Unpacking Partial Amnesia ... NCIS 9.2: Lying to Yourself ... NCIS 9.3: McGee's Grandmother ... NCIS 9.4: Turkey Vulture as Explained by DiNozzo ... NCIS 9.5: Behrooz's Mother ... NCIS 9.6: Too Good to be True ... NCIS 9.7: "You Were My Shannon, Leroy" ... NCIS 9.8: Intersections with Reality ... NCIS 9.9: Twists and History ... NCIS 9.10: Almost One Agent Short
And see also NCIS Back in Season 8 Action ... NCIS 8.2: Interns! ... NCIS 8.3: Tiff! ... NCIS 8.4: Gary Cooper not John Wayne ... NCIS 8.5: Dead DJ, DiNozzo Hoarse, and Baseball ... NCIS 8.6: The Written Woman ... NCIS 8.7: "James Bond Movie Directed by Fellini" ... NCIS 8.8: Ziva's Father ... NCIS 8.9: Leon's Story ... NCIS 8.10: DiNozzo In and Out ... NCIS 8.11: "The Sister Went Viral" ... Bob Newhart on NCIS 8.12 ... NCIS 8.13: The Wife or the Girlfriend ... NCIS 8.14: Kate ... NCIS 8.15: McGee and DiNozzo's Badges ... NCIS 8.16: Computer Games ... NCIS 8.17: Budget Cuts ... NCIS 8.18: Gibbs vs. the Kid ... NCIS 8.19: The Deadly Book ... NCIS 8.20: CIRay ... NCIS 8.21: Mask and Eye ... NCIS 8.22: "I'd Rather Have a Lead" ... NCIS 8.23: Answers and Questions ... NCIS Season 8 Finale
And see also NCIS ... NCIS 7.16: Gibbs' Mother-in-Law Dilemma ... NCIS 7.17: Ducky's Ties ... NCIS 7.18: Bogus Treasure and Real Locker ... NCIS 7.21: NCIS Meets Laura ... NCIS Season 7 Finale: Retribution
Special Discount Coupons for Angie's List, Avis, Budget Car, Garden.com, eMusic
The Plot to Save Socrates
"challenging fun" - Entertainment Weekly
"a Da Vinci-esque thriller" - New York Daily News
"Sierra Waters is sexy as hell" - curled up with a good book
Enjoy listening to audio books? Get a free audio book copy of The Plot to Save Socrates - or any one of 85,000 other titles - with a 14-day trial membership at Audible.com ...
Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music
We last saw EJ at the end of season 8 - not killed - but she hasn't been on hand since then, either. In fact, she's been missing all season. This left not only where she was and what she was doing up in the air, but her relationship with DiNozzo, which played a pretty significant role last year, inviting a lecture from Gibbs to DiNozzo to steer clear of such involvements. She was back in 9.12, in a story which wrapped at least one loose end from last season and also the Stratton thread (featuring Scott Wolf of V) from the premier episode of the current season.
But what about EJ and DiNozzo? They exchange a weak kiss and longing looks, and that's about it. EJ's off on another job.
Which would be unfortunate - especially given the flack that Gibbs gave DiNozzo over EJ last year - had we not been thrown another old/new curve. Is there something brewing, again, between DiNozzo and Ziva?
They throw each other, if not meaningful, some kind of different-than-usual looks at the end of the episode. Ziva of course still is in some sort of relationship with CIRay, which is clearly frayed due to Ray's absence. But he'll be back next week, and here's hoping Ziva cuts him loose and goes for another round with DiNozzo. What would Gibbs say about that?
See also NCIS 9.1: Unpacking Partial Amnesia ... NCIS 9.2: Lying to Yourself ... NCIS 9.3: McGee's Grandmother ... NCIS 9.4: Turkey Vulture as Explained by DiNozzo ... NCIS 9.5: Behrooz's Mother ... NCIS 9.6: Too Good to be True ... NCIS 9.7: "You Were My Shannon, Leroy" ... NCIS 9.8: Intersections with Reality ... NCIS 9.9: Twists and History ... NCIS 9.10: Almost One Agent Short
And see also NCIS Back in Season 8 Action ... NCIS 8.2: Interns! ... NCIS 8.3: Tiff! ... NCIS 8.4: Gary Cooper not John Wayne ... NCIS 8.5: Dead DJ, DiNozzo Hoarse, and Baseball ... NCIS 8.6: The Written Woman ... NCIS 8.7: "James Bond Movie Directed by Fellini" ... NCIS 8.8: Ziva's Father ... NCIS 8.9: Leon's Story ... NCIS 8.10: DiNozzo In and Out ... NCIS 8.11: "The Sister Went Viral" ... Bob Newhart on NCIS 8.12 ... NCIS 8.13: The Wife or the Girlfriend ... NCIS 8.14: Kate ... NCIS 8.15: McGee and DiNozzo's Badges ... NCIS 8.16: Computer Games ... NCIS 8.17: Budget Cuts ... NCIS 8.18: Gibbs vs. the Kid ... NCIS 8.19: The Deadly Book ... NCIS 8.20: CIRay ... NCIS 8.21: Mask and Eye ... NCIS 8.22: "I'd Rather Have a Lead" ... NCIS 8.23: Answers and Questions ... NCIS Season 8 Finale
And see also NCIS ... NCIS 7.16: Gibbs' Mother-in-Law Dilemma ... NCIS 7.17: Ducky's Ties ... NCIS 7.18: Bogus Treasure and Real Locker ... NCIS 7.21: NCIS Meets Laura ... NCIS Season 7 Finale: Retribution
Special Discount Coupons for Angie's List, Avis, Budget Car, Garden.com, eMusic
The Plot to Save Socrates
"challenging fun" - Entertainment Weekly
"a Da Vinci-esque thriller" - New York Daily News
"Sierra Waters is sexy as hell" - curled up with a good book
Enjoy listening to audio books? Get a free audio book copy of The Plot to Save Socrates - or any one of 85,000 other titles - with a 14-day trial membership at Audible.com ...
Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music
January 4, 2012
What the Iowa Caucus Results Show about Campaign Financing
There has been much outrage expressed - by unlikely allies Newt Gingrich and Chris Matthews - about the baneful influence of political commercials financed by big money groups not specifically affiliated with any candidate. Gingrich, who came in 4th in Iowa, and Matthews of MSNBC, specifically singled out the four million dollars worth of campaign ads put on the Iowa air by a pro-Romney group against Gingrich.
And Gingrich did lose. And Romney did win-
But by a total of eight votes. And Rick Santorum, who came in such a close second, had virtually no money spent on his behalf on ads. He came in so close to first the good old-fashioned way - by pressing the flesh, in-person, across Iowa.
I agree with literally none of Santorum's views that I know of. But I appreciate the unavoidable conclusion of his almost-victory: spending on TV commercials counts for nothing. One candidate spent a fortune, the other spent next to nothing, and they both came in tied in the lead.
I've been arguing, for years, that the Jeffersonian view that people are inherently rational, can separate truth from falsity, means we shouldn't get so upset about campaign financing, and in fact the government, as per the First Amendment, should stay totally out of this. Last night the Republican caucuses in Iowa made this point with clean, mathematical eloquence.
Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music
And Gingrich did lose. And Romney did win-
But by a total of eight votes. And Rick Santorum, who came in such a close second, had virtually no money spent on his behalf on ads. He came in so close to first the good old-fashioned way - by pressing the flesh, in-person, across Iowa.
I agree with literally none of Santorum's views that I know of. But I appreciate the unavoidable conclusion of his almost-victory: spending on TV commercials counts for nothing. One candidate spent a fortune, the other spent next to nothing, and they both came in tied in the lead.
I've been arguing, for years, that the Jeffersonian view that people are inherently rational, can separate truth from falsity, means we shouldn't get so upset about campaign financing, and in fact the government, as per the First Amendment, should stay totally out of this. Last night the Republican caucuses in Iowa made this point with clean, mathematical eloquence.
Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music
January 3, 2012
Why Obama Was So Wrong to Sign the NDAA into Law
On the last day of 2011, Obama signed into law what may well be the worse piece of legislation to come across his desk. The NDAA - the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 - has actually been on the books since 2008, and has language that authorizes indefinite detention of suspected terrorists without trial. An attempt to amend the bill to prohibit the indefinite detention of American citizens on U.S. soil was defeated in the Senate. Obama supported the amendment, and issued a Presidential letter along with his signing of the NDAA, stipulating that his "Administration will not authorize the indefinite military detention without trial of American citizens".
But he signed the bill into law anyway.
Why is that so wrong and dangerous?
Let's first look at the logic of the section of the law (Section 1021) that authorizes indefinite detention without trial, for it does have its logic. Let's say the FBI is able to break-up a terrorist plot on American soil, something it was not able to do prior to September 11, 2001. If the suspects were arrested and put on trial - as required for all other people arrested - they would be entitled to mount a defense, call witnesses, etc. The prosecution could be compelled to reveal sources and information which could impede stopping of other terrorists, and damage American security.
And that logic is not insane, not unsound. It has merit. But does it justify what could be done to American citizens having nothing to do with terrorism?
I believe Obama when he says he won't use the law to lock up Americans indefinitely without trial. But what about his successors?
I'm old enough to remember what America was like when JFK was President - a country full of hope and purpose. If JFK had signed such a bill into law in 1962 - after Richard Nixon, beaten in the Presidential election of 1960, and again in the California gubernatorial race of 1962, had announced that the press would not have "Dick Nixon to kick around any more" - would I or anyone have imagined back then that Nixon would be sitting in the White House just seven years later? I certainly did not, and yet Nixon was elected President, and created an "enemies list" which was secretly targeted for harassment by his administration. That enemies list consisted not of terrorists or even run-of-the-mill criminals, but of Nixon's political critics, period. Is there anyone alive back then, or who has studied that history, who has confidence that Nixon would not have used an NDAA to not only harass but lock up without trial the Americans he deemed the worst of his enemies?
Obama, in part because of that law - which has been rightly denounced by the American Civil Liberties Union and has angered progressives who are his political base - could conceivably be a one-term President. Look at the Republican candidates for President. All but Ron Paul are far more hawkish than Obama. Are you confident that Rick Santorum or Mitt Romney wouldn't use the NDAA to put Amercans in detention without trial, for reasons they thought justified?
Bill Clinton made a similar error, less grievous, perhaps, when he signed into law the Communications Decency Act, which punished salty language on the Web (including political) with fines and imprisonment. Fortunately, the Supreme Court struck down that violation of the First Amendment.
Obama missed his chance to defuse this currently ticking time bomb to American democracy and due process. It's now up to the Supreme Court to strike the NDAA down for the unconstitutional game of Russian roulette that it is with our freedom and way of life.
Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music
But he signed the bill into law anyway.
Why is that so wrong and dangerous?
Let's first look at the logic of the section of the law (Section 1021) that authorizes indefinite detention without trial, for it does have its logic. Let's say the FBI is able to break-up a terrorist plot on American soil, something it was not able to do prior to September 11, 2001. If the suspects were arrested and put on trial - as required for all other people arrested - they would be entitled to mount a defense, call witnesses, etc. The prosecution could be compelled to reveal sources and information which could impede stopping of other terrorists, and damage American security.
And that logic is not insane, not unsound. It has merit. But does it justify what could be done to American citizens having nothing to do with terrorism?
I believe Obama when he says he won't use the law to lock up Americans indefinitely without trial. But what about his successors?
I'm old enough to remember what America was like when JFK was President - a country full of hope and purpose. If JFK had signed such a bill into law in 1962 - after Richard Nixon, beaten in the Presidential election of 1960, and again in the California gubernatorial race of 1962, had announced that the press would not have "Dick Nixon to kick around any more" - would I or anyone have imagined back then that Nixon would be sitting in the White House just seven years later? I certainly did not, and yet Nixon was elected President, and created an "enemies list" which was secretly targeted for harassment by his administration. That enemies list consisted not of terrorists or even run-of-the-mill criminals, but of Nixon's political critics, period. Is there anyone alive back then, or who has studied that history, who has confidence that Nixon would not have used an NDAA to not only harass but lock up without trial the Americans he deemed the worst of his enemies?
Obama, in part because of that law - which has been rightly denounced by the American Civil Liberties Union and has angered progressives who are his political base - could conceivably be a one-term President. Look at the Republican candidates for President. All but Ron Paul are far more hawkish than Obama. Are you confident that Rick Santorum or Mitt Romney wouldn't use the NDAA to put Amercans in detention without trial, for reasons they thought justified?
Bill Clinton made a similar error, less grievous, perhaps, when he signed into law the Communications Decency Act, which punished salty language on the Web (including political) with fines and imprisonment. Fortunately, the Supreme Court struck down that violation of the First Amendment.
Obama missed his chance to defuse this currently ticking time bomb to American democracy and due process. It's now up to the Supreme Court to strike the NDAA down for the unconstitutional game of Russian roulette that it is with our freedom and way of life.
Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music
January 1, 2012
Hell on Wheels 1.8: Multiple Tracks
A good Hell on Wheels 1.8 on New Year's Day tonight - on our New Year's Day that is - and as for its being good, that's been true of every episode in this fine new, too-short series, due to end its first season just two weeks from tonight.
The main, specific, somewhat surprising character development tonight has Lily not wanting to be Durant's wife, after all. Not even his kept woman. Whether this rejection is what she had planned all along - as Durant thinks - or whether it was brought out by Lily seeing Cullen, and realizing she loves and/or wants him on some level, is not clear and a little hard to say. Maybe it's a little bit of both. What's more clear, now in retrospect, is she hadn't yet slept with Durant. She was probably too much the lady and even he too much the gentleman, for that day and age.
What struck me about Hell on Wheels as a whole, again, and what makes it so appealing, is how the story ties together so many different themes. When Cullen, Elam, and Joseph go out with an arrogant Union cavalry or whatever guy accustomed to being in charge - out to hunt down Joseph's brother, who waylaid one of the Union Pacific trains - the following tensions are all on the boil at the same time: Union vs Dixie, white vs black, American vs. Native American. Fortunately for what's good and right, Elam and Cullen seem to have an alliance.
Techolnogy-wise, there was nothing special in this episode, but there was a good lesson about how unpleasant life was out there and then, as Lily struggles to put planks down on the mud that serves as the floor of her new tent dwelling. The food she's given to eat is pretty unappealing, too - she gives it to Eva, what's Lily going to do, though, starve? - but this servers as a reminder of the sacrifice she made not going with Durant.
Hey, I also like the theme song at the beginning and played between segments. Glad AMC's renewing it for a second season.
I'm catching up now with Justified, another fine series. With Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Justified, The Walking Dead, The Killing, and now Hell on Wheels, AMC has by far the best percentage of excellent series now on television. Putting on powerful series is like shooting fish in a barrel for AMC.
See also Hell on Wheels: Blood, Sweat, and Tears on the Track, and the Telegraph ... Hell on Wheels 1.6: Horse vs. Rail
Special Discount Coupons for Angie's List, Avis, Budget Car, Garden.com, eMusic
The Plot to Save Socrates
"challenging fun" - Entertainment Weekly
"a Da Vinci-esque thriller" - New York Daily News
"Sierra Waters is sexy as hell" - curled up with a good book
Enjoy listening to audio books? Get a free audio book copy of The Plot to Save Socrates - or any one of 85,000 other titles - with a 14-day trial membership at Audible.com ... Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music
The main, specific, somewhat surprising character development tonight has Lily not wanting to be Durant's wife, after all. Not even his kept woman. Whether this rejection is what she had planned all along - as Durant thinks - or whether it was brought out by Lily seeing Cullen, and realizing she loves and/or wants him on some level, is not clear and a little hard to say. Maybe it's a little bit of both. What's more clear, now in retrospect, is she hadn't yet slept with Durant. She was probably too much the lady and even he too much the gentleman, for that day and age.
What struck me about Hell on Wheels as a whole, again, and what makes it so appealing, is how the story ties together so many different themes. When Cullen, Elam, and Joseph go out with an arrogant Union cavalry or whatever guy accustomed to being in charge - out to hunt down Joseph's brother, who waylaid one of the Union Pacific trains - the following tensions are all on the boil at the same time: Union vs Dixie, white vs black, American vs. Native American. Fortunately for what's good and right, Elam and Cullen seem to have an alliance.
Techolnogy-wise, there was nothing special in this episode, but there was a good lesson about how unpleasant life was out there and then, as Lily struggles to put planks down on the mud that serves as the floor of her new tent dwelling. The food she's given to eat is pretty unappealing, too - she gives it to Eva, what's Lily going to do, though, starve? - but this servers as a reminder of the sacrifice she made not going with Durant.
Hey, I also like the theme song at the beginning and played between segments. Glad AMC's renewing it for a second season.
I'm catching up now with Justified, another fine series. With Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Justified, The Walking Dead, The Killing, and now Hell on Wheels, AMC has by far the best percentage of excellent series now on television. Putting on powerful series is like shooting fish in a barrel for AMC.
See also Hell on Wheels: Blood, Sweat, and Tears on the Track, and the Telegraph ... Hell on Wheels 1.6: Horse vs. Rail
Special Discount Coupons for Angie's List, Avis, Budget Car, Garden.com, eMusic
The Plot to Save Socrates
"challenging fun" - Entertainment Weekly
"a Da Vinci-esque thriller" - New York Daily News
"Sierra Waters is sexy as hell" - curled up with a good book
Enjoy listening to audio books? Get a free audio book copy of The Plot to Save Socrates - or any one of 85,000 other titles - with a 14-day trial membership at Audible.com ... Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music
Hell on Wheels 1.8: Mutiple Tracks
A good Hell on Wheels 1.8 on New Year's Day tonight - on our New Years' Day that is - and as for its being good, that's been true of every episode in this fine new, too-short series, due to end its first season just two weeks from tonight.
The main, specific, somewhat surprising character development tonight has Lily not wanting to be Durant's wife, after all. Not even his kept woman. Whether this rejection is what she had planned all along - as Durant thinks - or whether it was brought out by Lily seeing Cullen, and realizing she loves and/or wants him on some level, is not clear and a little hard to say. Maybe it's a little bit of both. What's a little more clear, now in retrospect, is she hadn't yet slept with Durant. She was probably too much the lady and even he too much the gentleman, for that day and age.
What struck me about Hell on Wheels as a whole, again, and what makes it so appealing, is how the story ties together so many different themes. When Cullen, Elan, and Joseph go out with an arrogant Union cavalry or whatever guy accustomed to being in charge - out to hunt down Joseph's brother, who waylaid one of the Union Pacific trains - the following tensions are all on the boil at the same time: Union vs Dixie, white vs black, American vs. Native American. Fortunately for what's good and right, Elam and Cullen seem to have an alliance.
Techolnogy-wise, there was nothing special in this episode, but there was a good lesson about how unpleasant life was out there and then, as Lily struggles to put planks down on the mud that serves as the floor of her new tent dwelling. The food she's given to eat is pretty unappealing, too - she gives it to Eva, what's Lily going to do, though, starve? - but this servers as a reminder of the sacrifice she made not going with Durant.
Hey, I also like the theme song at the beginning and played between segments. Glad AMC's renewing it for a second season.
I'm catching up now with Justified, another fine series. With Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Justified, The Walking Dead, The Killing, and now Hell on Wheels, AMC has by far the best percentage of excellent series now on television. Putting on powerful series is like shooting fish in a barrel for AMC.
See also Hell on Wheels: Blood, Sweat, and Tears on the Track, and the Telegraph ... Hell on Wheels 1.6: Horse vs. Rail
Special Discount Coupons for Angie's List, Avis, Budget Car, Garden.com, eMusic
The Plot to Save Socrates
"challenging fun" - Entertainment Weekly
"a Da Vinci-esque thriller" - New York Daily News
"Sierra Waters is sexy as hell" - curled up with a good book
Enjoy listening to audio books? Get a free audio book copy of The Plot to Save Socrates - or any one of 85,000 other titles - with a 14-day trial membership at Audible.com ... Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music
The main, specific, somewhat surprising character development tonight has Lily not wanting to be Durant's wife, after all. Not even his kept woman. Whether this rejection is what she had planned all along - as Durant thinks - or whether it was brought out by Lily seeing Cullen, and realizing she loves and/or wants him on some level, is not clear and a little hard to say. Maybe it's a little bit of both. What's a little more clear, now in retrospect, is she hadn't yet slept with Durant. She was probably too much the lady and even he too much the gentleman, for that day and age.
What struck me about Hell on Wheels as a whole, again, and what makes it so appealing, is how the story ties together so many different themes. When Cullen, Elan, and Joseph go out with an arrogant Union cavalry or whatever guy accustomed to being in charge - out to hunt down Joseph's brother, who waylaid one of the Union Pacific trains - the following tensions are all on the boil at the same time: Union vs Dixie, white vs black, American vs. Native American. Fortunately for what's good and right, Elam and Cullen seem to have an alliance.
Techolnogy-wise, there was nothing special in this episode, but there was a good lesson about how unpleasant life was out there and then, as Lily struggles to put planks down on the mud that serves as the floor of her new tent dwelling. The food she's given to eat is pretty unappealing, too - she gives it to Eva, what's Lily going to do, though, starve? - but this servers as a reminder of the sacrifice she made not going with Durant.
Hey, I also like the theme song at the beginning and played between segments. Glad AMC's renewing it for a second season.
I'm catching up now with Justified, another fine series. With Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Justified, The Walking Dead, The Killing, and now Hell on Wheels, AMC has by far the best percentage of excellent series now on television. Putting on powerful series is like shooting fish in a barrel for AMC.
See also Hell on Wheels: Blood, Sweat, and Tears on the Track, and the Telegraph ... Hell on Wheels 1.6: Horse vs. Rail
Special Discount Coupons for Angie's List, Avis, Budget Car, Garden.com, eMusic
The Plot to Save Socrates
"challenging fun" - Entertainment Weekly
"a Da Vinci-esque thriller" - New York Daily News
"Sierra Waters is sexy as hell" - curled up with a good book
Enjoy listening to audio books? Get a free audio book copy of The Plot to Save Socrates - or any one of 85,000 other titles - with a 14-day trial membership at Audible.com ... Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music
Timcast on UStream Doing Great Covering NYPD Violation of First Amendment Tonight
In between the usual New Year's Eve celebrations, I've been watching Timcast and his live UStream coverage of Occupy Wall Street, and the New York City Police (NYPD) once again violating the protesters' First Amendment rights.
I'm going to continue to talk even more about this trampling of the First Amendment - one of my New Year's resolutions - but I wanted to take a moment to thank Tim, and say how inspiring it is to have his continuous coverage of Occupy Wall Street.
There was nothing about this on CNN, MSNBC, or Fox. Nothing on the major broadcast networks. CNN is especially irksome - they gave us Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin, who were funny enough, broadcasting from Times Square in New York City. But there's nothing funny about the NYPD continuing its systematic flouting of the First Amendment, and the damage that does to our democracy, just a few blocks away..
But, as the mass media failed in their jobs tonight, Timcast soldiered on. For no pay. Motivated by the noble goal of getting world out to the world about what's been happening in New York City on this New Year's Eve and now Day.
I just saw on Timcast's live feed the NYPD block the sidewalk, then order protesters to stop blocking the sidewalk, then start arresting the group. And Tim Pool - the Tim of Timcast - covering this, was grabbed and pushed by police, and threatened with arrest. Another outrageous abrogation of the First Amendment.
Tim just reported that a National Lawyers Guild observer was arrested by the NYPD, after he disobeyed their order to put his phone down!
All of this on 13th Street and Second Avenue in New York City.
You know what? As long we have people like Tim, democracy will never be defeated. He just said he's "beat, hungry, and carrying this 40-pound bag". That would be the bag with his video equipment. It's also the bag of our freedom and future.
Most of my 2011 commentary on Occupy Wall Street is here.
-Paul Levinson, PhD
Professor of Communication and Media Studies
Fordham University Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music
I'm going to continue to talk even more about this trampling of the First Amendment - one of my New Year's resolutions - but I wanted to take a moment to thank Tim, and say how inspiring it is to have his continuous coverage of Occupy Wall Street.
There was nothing about this on CNN, MSNBC, or Fox. Nothing on the major broadcast networks. CNN is especially irksome - they gave us Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin, who were funny enough, broadcasting from Times Square in New York City. But there's nothing funny about the NYPD continuing its systematic flouting of the First Amendment, and the damage that does to our democracy, just a few blocks away..
But, as the mass media failed in their jobs tonight, Timcast soldiered on. For no pay. Motivated by the noble goal of getting world out to the world about what's been happening in New York City on this New Year's Eve and now Day.
I just saw on Timcast's live feed the NYPD block the sidewalk, then order protesters to stop blocking the sidewalk, then start arresting the group. And Tim Pool - the Tim of Timcast - covering this, was grabbed and pushed by police, and threatened with arrest. Another outrageous abrogation of the First Amendment.
Tim just reported that a National Lawyers Guild observer was arrested by the NYPD, after he disobeyed their order to put his phone down!
All of this on 13th Street and Second Avenue in New York City.
You know what? As long we have people like Tim, democracy will never be defeated. He just said he's "beat, hungry, and carrying this 40-pound bag". That would be the bag with his video equipment. It's also the bag of our freedom and future.
Most of my 2011 commentary on Occupy Wall Street is here.
-Paul Levinson, PhD
Professor of Communication and Media Studies
Fordham University Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music
December 30, 2011
Four Important Documentaries in 2011
Looking back at 2011, I would say that it was a great year for documentaries. Here are four that I had the pleasure to see, learned a lot from, and reviewed. They are listed in date order, because ranking them would be apples and oranges. The dates and links are those of my reviews, which could be earlier than official release dates, in cases in which I was able to see a preview.
January 6, 2011: There But for Fortune, Kenneth Bowser's vivid, incisive movie about Phil Ochs, second only to Bob Dylan in the opinion of many, certainly above Dylan in some ways ... more relevant that ever in view of Occupy Wall Street and the Arab Spring ... look for it on PBS in 2012 ... details on the movie's Facebook page January 18, 2011: Default: The Student Loan Documentary, Aurora Meneghello's movie about usurious bank practices regarding student loans ... one of the main causes of Occupy Wall Street ... look for it on PBS in 2012 ... details on the movie's Facebook pageAugust 14, 2011: Sholem Aleichem: Laughing in the Darkness, known as the Yiddish Mark Twain, Aleichem showed - and this movie by Joseph Dorman shows - a first-rate understanding of media on the level of Marshall McLuhan, in the centenary of McLuhan's birth ... details on the movie's Facebook pageSeptember 2, 2011: Connected, Tiffany Shlain's triple threat movie, one part bio-doc about her father Leonard, one part history of media ala Marshall McLuhan, one-part about the growing interconnectedness of our world now expressed in Occupy Wall Street and the Arab Spring ... details on the movie's Facebook page
Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music
January 6, 2011: There But for Fortune, Kenneth Bowser's vivid, incisive movie about Phil Ochs, second only to Bob Dylan in the opinion of many, certainly above Dylan in some ways ... more relevant that ever in view of Occupy Wall Street and the Arab Spring ... look for it on PBS in 2012 ... details on the movie's Facebook page January 18, 2011: Default: The Student Loan Documentary, Aurora Meneghello's movie about usurious bank practices regarding student loans ... one of the main causes of Occupy Wall Street ... look for it on PBS in 2012 ... details on the movie's Facebook pageAugust 14, 2011: Sholem Aleichem: Laughing in the Darkness, known as the Yiddish Mark Twain, Aleichem showed - and this movie by Joseph Dorman shows - a first-rate understanding of media on the level of Marshall McLuhan, in the centenary of McLuhan's birth ... details on the movie's Facebook pageSeptember 2, 2011: Connected, Tiffany Shlain's triple threat movie, one part bio-doc about her father Leonard, one part history of media ala Marshall McLuhan, one-part about the growing interconnectedness of our world now expressed in Occupy Wall Street and the Arab Spring ... details on the movie's Facebook page
Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music
December 26, 2011
Who's the Leak on The Closer, Part 2
With The Closer now ending its Winter 2011 season, and only six episodes left to go this coming Summer of 2012, it seems a good time to ask, what more have we learned about who's the leak on The Closer - who on Brenda Leigh Johnson's team, largely defined to include all significant police and FBI on the show, have been feeding Goldman information?
In September, I analyzed the situation and concluded - surprise, surprise - that there was no obvious suspect. But that's a compliment to the show. I thought Pope was the most likely, though, with an outside, long insane shot that Fritz might want her out of the business so she's no longer in danger so often of getting killed.
Pope in this winter season has seemed a little better a human being, i.e., less likely to be the leak than I thought in September, when the recollection that he had refused to let Raydor stop investigating Brenda was still prominent in my mind. Since then ... well, he's still a bit of knife-you-in-the-back superior, but a little more supportive, at least, until tonight, when he tried to shove the "Johnson rule" down Brenda's throat.
But does that make him the leak? Not necessarily.
As for Fritz, he's been as loving and supportive as always, which means he's exactly where he was in September, an extreme long shot to be the leak.
And I feel exactly as I did about the rest of the team in September. David and Taylor are not implausible suspects, for different reasons, but I just can't quite see them doing this to Brenda. And the rest of the team seem totally out of the question.
So that leaves us, with, once again, Pope as the best suspect, more by the Sherlockian logic of when you clear away all the impossibilities, what's left, however implausible, is the answer.
But then there's this: could it be that the twist the Summer of 2012 will have in store for us is that there has been no leak, never was a leak, in the first place? But how then did Goldman get the information? I don't have an answer for that. But when you clear away the impossible, maybe all that's left is indeed the answer.
See also: The Closer 7.2: Pope ... Who's The Leak on the Closer?
And The Closer 6.1: The New Building ... The Closer 6.2: Fun Bumps ... The Closer 6.11: Andy Flynn
And from Season 5: The Roots of Testimony on The Closer and Finding Killers vs. Hearts on The Closer and Brenda Leigh's Niece and Libby from Lost on The Closer and Tom Skerritt on The Closer and Det. Richard Tracy on The Closer and Pres. Laura Roslin vs. Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson and The Closer Closes on a Fine Note for the Season
Special Discount Coupons for Angie's List, Avis, Budget Car, Garden.com, eMusic
The Plot to Save Socrates
"challenging fun" - Entertainment Weekly
"a Da Vinci-esque thriller" - New York Daily News
"Sierra Waters is sexy as hell" - curled up with a good book
Enjoy listening to audio books? Get a free audio book copy of The Plot to Save Socrates - or any one of 85,000 other titles - with a 14-day trial membership at Audible.com ...
Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music
In September, I analyzed the situation and concluded - surprise, surprise - that there was no obvious suspect. But that's a compliment to the show. I thought Pope was the most likely, though, with an outside, long insane shot that Fritz might want her out of the business so she's no longer in danger so often of getting killed.
Pope in this winter season has seemed a little better a human being, i.e., less likely to be the leak than I thought in September, when the recollection that he had refused to let Raydor stop investigating Brenda was still prominent in my mind. Since then ... well, he's still a bit of knife-you-in-the-back superior, but a little more supportive, at least, until tonight, when he tried to shove the "Johnson rule" down Brenda's throat.
But does that make him the leak? Not necessarily.
As for Fritz, he's been as loving and supportive as always, which means he's exactly where he was in September, an extreme long shot to be the leak.
And I feel exactly as I did about the rest of the team in September. David and Taylor are not implausible suspects, for different reasons, but I just can't quite see them doing this to Brenda. And the rest of the team seem totally out of the question.
So that leaves us, with, once again, Pope as the best suspect, more by the Sherlockian logic of when you clear away all the impossibilities, what's left, however implausible, is the answer.
But then there's this: could it be that the twist the Summer of 2012 will have in store for us is that there has been no leak, never was a leak, in the first place? But how then did Goldman get the information? I don't have an answer for that. But when you clear away the impossible, maybe all that's left is indeed the answer.
See also: The Closer 7.2: Pope ... Who's The Leak on the Closer?
And The Closer 6.1: The New Building ... The Closer 6.2: Fun Bumps ... The Closer 6.11: Andy Flynn
And from Season 5: The Roots of Testimony on The Closer and Finding Killers vs. Hearts on The Closer and Brenda Leigh's Niece and Libby from Lost on The Closer and Tom Skerritt on The Closer and Det. Richard Tracy on The Closer and Pres. Laura Roslin vs. Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson and The Closer Closes on a Fine Note for the Season
Special Discount Coupons for Angie's List, Avis, Budget Car, Garden.com, eMusic
The Plot to Save Socrates
"challenging fun" - Entertainment Weekly
"a Da Vinci-esque thriller" - New York Daily News
"Sierra Waters is sexy as hell" - curled up with a good book
Enjoy listening to audio books? Get a free audio book copy of The Plot to Save Socrates - or any one of 85,000 other titles - with a 14-day trial membership at Audible.com ...
Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music
Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol
Mission Impossible is back with its 4th movie, and one of the best - well, better than the 3rd, which was pretty good, but I'm not sure about the 1st and 2nd movies in the franchise, which were each in their own ways superb.
Alias, Lost, and Fringe fans (I'm a big one, though not of the ending of Lost), will be glad to know that J. J. Abrams is back, this time getting top producer credit (he directed MI3), and Josh Holloway puts in an appearance at the beginning. The antes are raised nicely in MI4, with the Kremlin blown up, the US Defense Secretary killed (played by major actor Tom Wilkinson, making the death even more surprising, and all-out nuclear war at stake between the US and Russia. This had an appealing retro flavor, and was refreshing in view of so many Islamic terrorists in movies and on television.
The MI slight-of-hand devices and impersonations were also in fine display - with a projector that makes the guard think he's looking at a far wall with no one in the room, even though Ethan and Benji are actually walking right by the guard into the guarded room - and a cool double feint in which the team splits up and fools two of the villain groups at the same time, keeping in touch via the comm at their disposal.
As in all the MI stories, there are a couple of escapes that fall a little short of believability - Brandt's survival in the wind tunnel or whatever that was is the one that most comes to mind. But these were balanced by the MI plans and strategies which don't work out - including failure to stop the launch of the Russian nuclear warhead toward the US - which gives the movie a good smack-in-the-face plausibility.
And the acting, including and especially Tom Cruise as Ethan, was excellent. Jane (Paula Patton) and Sabine (Léa Seydoux) were both dangerous in different ways and good to look at. The team - which was ghosted or put into non-existence when wrongly held responsible for the Kremlin bombing - accomplishes its mission in the end, and will clearly be back, as Ethan's new team, for another romp, I hope not too far in the future.
Special Discount Coupons for Angie's List, Avis, Budget Car, Garden.com, eMusic
The Plot to Save Socrates
"challenging fun" - Entertainment Weekly
"a Da Vinci-esque thriller" - New York Daily News
"Sierra Waters is sexy as hell" - curled up with a good book
Enjoy listening to audio books? Get a free audio book copy of The Plot to Save Socrates - or any one of 85,000 other titles - with a 14-day trial membership at Audible.com ...
Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music
Alias, Lost, and Fringe fans (I'm a big one, though not of the ending of Lost), will be glad to know that J. J. Abrams is back, this time getting top producer credit (he directed MI3), and Josh Holloway puts in an appearance at the beginning. The antes are raised nicely in MI4, with the Kremlin blown up, the US Defense Secretary killed (played by major actor Tom Wilkinson, making the death even more surprising, and all-out nuclear war at stake between the US and Russia. This had an appealing retro flavor, and was refreshing in view of so many Islamic terrorists in movies and on television.
The MI slight-of-hand devices and impersonations were also in fine display - with a projector that makes the guard think he's looking at a far wall with no one in the room, even though Ethan and Benji are actually walking right by the guard into the guarded room - and a cool double feint in which the team splits up and fools two of the villain groups at the same time, keeping in touch via the comm at their disposal.
As in all the MI stories, there are a couple of escapes that fall a little short of believability - Brandt's survival in the wind tunnel or whatever that was is the one that most comes to mind. But these were balanced by the MI plans and strategies which don't work out - including failure to stop the launch of the Russian nuclear warhead toward the US - which gives the movie a good smack-in-the-face plausibility.
And the acting, including and especially Tom Cruise as Ethan, was excellent. Jane (Paula Patton) and Sabine (Léa Seydoux) were both dangerous in different ways and good to look at. The team - which was ghosted or put into non-existence when wrongly held responsible for the Kremlin bombing - accomplishes its mission in the end, and will clearly be back, as Ethan's new team, for another romp, I hope not too far in the future.
Special Discount Coupons for Angie's List, Avis, Budget Car, Garden.com, eMusic
The Plot to Save Socrates
"challenging fun" - Entertainment Weekly
"a Da Vinci-esque thriller" - New York Daily News
"Sierra Waters is sexy as hell" - curled up with a good book
Enjoy listening to audio books? Get a free audio book copy of The Plot to Save Socrates - or any one of 85,000 other titles - with a 14-day trial membership at Audible.com ...
Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music
Unforgettable
Bopping in here with a review of Unforgettable - not the Nat King Cole song, the new CBS series - which I've been watching this Fall, so far, 11 episodes, but haven't had a chance to review.
It's a good set-up - Carrie an NYPD detective has a better than photographic memory - she can recall not only everything she sees, but can pull into focus even tiny details on the periphery of her vision, that she almost didn't see, or wasn't aware of seeing, the first time. Meanwhile, the one thing she doesn't remember enough of is who killed her sister, long ago, when she was a little girl. Poppy Montgomery gives an appealingly sassy, sensitive performance.
Dylan Walsh - first seen years ago in Brooklyn South, another cop show - plays Det. Al Burns, Carrie's boss and de facto partner. The two were also romantic partners years ago. Carrie still thinks of him in that way, and Al feels the same way, deep down. The rest of the squad is also a bit more memorable and wise-cracking and well written than the usual the NYPD precinct fare.
Unforgettable also a colorful, real NYC ambiance, with real universities figuring in the story - NYU, CUNY, and hey, one episode even featured Fordham! (Not my Communication and Media Studies Department, but the Sociology Department, pretty close.) The series tries a little too hard, though, for social media currency, with one character talking about receipt of a "pdf," when clearly all that was needed was "text".
But the individual stories are diverting enough - almost as good as Law & Order: SVU's - and the central story, Carrie's hunt for the killer of her sister, receives enough attention in every episode to keep me watching. I'll have more on Unforgettable in the New Year.
Special Discount Coupons for Angie's List, Avis, Budget Car, Garden.com, eMusic
The Plot to Save Socrates
"challenging fun" - Entertainment Weekly
"a Da Vinci-esque thriller" - New York Daily News
"Sierra Waters is sexy as hell" - curled up with a good book
Enjoy listening to audio books? Get a free audio book copy of The Plot to Save Socrates - or any one of 85,000 other titles - with a 14-day trial membership at Audible.com ... Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music
It's a good set-up - Carrie an NYPD detective has a better than photographic memory - she can recall not only everything she sees, but can pull into focus even tiny details on the periphery of her vision, that she almost didn't see, or wasn't aware of seeing, the first time. Meanwhile, the one thing she doesn't remember enough of is who killed her sister, long ago, when she was a little girl. Poppy Montgomery gives an appealingly sassy, sensitive performance.
Dylan Walsh - first seen years ago in Brooklyn South, another cop show - plays Det. Al Burns, Carrie's boss and de facto partner. The two were also romantic partners years ago. Carrie still thinks of him in that way, and Al feels the same way, deep down. The rest of the squad is also a bit more memorable and wise-cracking and well written than the usual the NYPD precinct fare.
Unforgettable also a colorful, real NYC ambiance, with real universities figuring in the story - NYU, CUNY, and hey, one episode even featured Fordham! (Not my Communication and Media Studies Department, but the Sociology Department, pretty close.) The series tries a little too hard, though, for social media currency, with one character talking about receipt of a "pdf," when clearly all that was needed was "text".
But the individual stories are diverting enough - almost as good as Law & Order: SVU's - and the central story, Carrie's hunt for the killer of her sister, receives enough attention in every episode to keep me watching. I'll have more on Unforgettable in the New Year.
Special Discount Coupons for Angie's List, Avis, Budget Car, Garden.com, eMusic
The Plot to Save Socrates
"challenging fun" - Entertainment Weekly
"a Da Vinci-esque thriller" - New York Daily News
"Sierra Waters is sexy as hell" - curled up with a good book
Enjoy listening to audio books? Get a free audio book copy of The Plot to Save Socrates - or any one of 85,000 other titles - with a 14-day trial membership at Audible.com ... Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music
Levinson at Large
At present, I'll be automatically porting over blog posts from my main blog, Paul Levinson's Infinite Regress. These consist of literate (I hope) reviews of mostly television, with some reviews of mov
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