Brendan I. Koerner's Blog, page 115

The Filipino Route Around

Yesterday we looked at the economic benefits of the Philippines' divorce ban. In doing so, we noted that while legal splits are certainly uncommon over there, they're certainly not unheard of. Filipinos who want out of bummer marriages must opt for an annulment, which is ostensibly tough to obtain. But as is usually the case in all matters regarding our species, having deep pockets and knowing the right people can smooth the path to Splitsville.

There are seven grounds for annulment in the Philip

Prowlers of the Seven Seas

In keeping with our vow to consume lots of classic flicks while banging out Draft Two of the Now the Hell Will Start screenplay, we launched into the uncut version of Das Boot. We hadn't seen the movie in about a decade, so we'd largely forgotten about its splendor. It's tough to imagine a better cinematic portrait of life aboard a vintage submarine—Wolfgang Petersen is an absolute master when it comes to conveying claustrophobia, boredom, and anxiety.

Yet our greatest joy in watching the film's

Master at Work

So we're back to working hard on the screenplay, trying to bang out a second draft by (gulp) August 28th. To get in the right frame of mind, then, we've started watching a bunch of cinematic classics that have resided too long on our "must see" list. Chief among these was Akira Kurosawa's Stray Dog, a noir that doubles as an Inferno-like journey through the seamy side of post-war Tokyo. Highly recommended, as it's rife with scenes like those above—dreamy snapshots of a city on the mend from the

And Protector of Mexico, Too

Since the writing game puts food on our table, we currently have a somewhat complicated relationship with Google Books. Try as we might, we've yet to figure out a way we'll be able to avoid starvation in a world where the sweat of our brow gets given away for free. Yet those concerns fall by the wayside when we stumble across primary source gems such as this 1876 account of Emperor Norton's odd habits.

For the uninitiated, Emperor Norton was a 19th-century San Franciscan who believed that Ameri

Where Divorce Dare Not Speak Its Name

In response to our recent string of posts regarding the "Natural Rate of Divorce", a commenter asked an interesting question: how might an examination of the situation in the Philippines shed some light on the topic? The Philippines, after all, is the only nation in the world, apart from the Vatican, where divorce continues to be entirely legally verboten. So how do Filipinos route around this, and how has the law affected the country's social and economic fortunes?

We'll start by tackling the la

RIP Corazon Aquino

Her story was amazing.

"A Profound Instinct…for Vengeance!"

Here's a doozy of a me-too flick for Bad Movie Friday: 1977's Orca, which tried oh-so-hard to copy the Jaws formula. But the film flopped miserably, in large part because its target audience wasn't all that terrified by killer whales. (Thanks, Shamu.) Oh, and also because Richard Harris gnaws on the scenery like it was a plug of Skoal.

But Charlotte Rampling is great here. We totally get why rockers worship her from afar. Though we're not huge fans of her way-too-earnest MC'ing.

Divorce, Roman Style

Continuing on with our recent divorce obsession, a reader comment inspired us to look at the split rate in ancient Rome. We recall that the union between Emperor Augustus and Livia came about only after the two lovebirds divorced their first spouses. (Livia's husband, Nero, actually approved of the maneuver, and attended the ensuing wedding banquet.) But how common was such marital tumult? Susan Treggiari offered a guess in the book Marriage, Divorce and Children in Ancient Rome:

I suggest that m

Jim Johnson and the Peters Principle

As noted at the end of our mission statement, we reserve the right to occasionally veer away from the esoteric in favor of more mainstream topics that tickle our fancy. And so we'd like to spend a few minutes ruminating over the passing of Jim Johnson, arguably the greatest NFL defensive coordinator ever.

A bold claim, for sure—many an NFL fanatic would prefer to bestow that title upon the cantankerous Buddy Ryan, the brains behind the 46 defense. But what separates the two was Jonhson's refusal,

Your Friendly Neighborhood Birther

On his way out of town, our pal Oken was sharp enough to snap the church sign to the right, which stands a mere block away from Microkhan world headquarters. This particular church, which gained some infamy during last year's election, is evidently none too fond of the man currently occupying the White House.

Oh, and the "No Dew Nor Rain" quote at the bottom refers to the church's ongoing three-year boycott of all goods and services in Harlem. It's the brainchild of the church's leader, Pastor Ja