Wisconsin Judge Strikes Down One Big Religious Tax Exemption

From Forbes: 

"The Freedom From Religion Foundation has won a stunning victory in the United States District  Court For The Western District Of Wisconsin where Judge Barbara Crabb has ruled that a substantial tax benefit enjoyed by many thousands of clergy – ministers, priests, rabbis, imams and others – is unconstitutional.  Code Section 107(2) provides that the gross income of a “minister of the gospel” does not include:

the rental allowance paid to him as part of his compensation, to the extent used by him to rent or provide a home and to the extent such allowance does not exceed the fair rental value of the home, including furnishings and appurtenances such as a garage, plus the cost of utilities. . .

According to the Joint Committee on Taxation Estimate of Federal Tax Expenditure the exclusion is worth about $700,000,000 per year.  The estimate is not broken down between in-kind, which remains intact, and cash, declared unconstitutional.  Over the decades, churches have moved away from owning parsonages to paying cash allowances, so I would hazard a guess that more of the lost revenue comes from the cash allowance."

There's a lot more at the link.   The writer, Peter J. Reilly says the obstacle for those challenging this law over the years, has been lack of standing.  The Freedom of Religion Foundation got around this by paying their staff housing allowances, which their staff can NOT take deductions for.  And while he says he's a CPA and not a politico, he suspects this decision will be repealed.  And that there is likely enough religious support on both sides of the aisle in Congress to pass new legislation.

I'm sure the professional Christians will loudly proclaim this is one more attack in the war against Christians in the US.  But, of course, others might see this as a special privilege religious groups have enjoyed and the Right hates special privileges, unless they go to them.  And besides, this ruling also affects Jews and Muslims and Hindus and Buddhists.

In August, another Wisconsin judge ruled in favor of a church tax exemption:

Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Christopher Foley has found that the Jerusalem Empowered African Methodist Episcopal Church, 9540 W. Good Hope Road, had met the legal requirements to be tax exempt. And Foley declared a portion of state law governing certain nonprofit benevolent organizations to be unconstitutional.

Leaving Seattle - Sun on Water, Ferries, and Ranier

We had five days on Bainbridge with my daughter and granddaughter and the rest of the family.  My son was there for the last couple of days too.  And it was sunny the whole time.  Now we're back with my mom in LA.

I realized when it was too late to go back, that I didn't have my pocket camera with me.  But I did have the big camera and so I got better pictures flying out than I would have.

All of these pictures are much better if you click and enlarge them.

The ferry is a big part of life for people living on Bainbridge Island.  It's a 35 minute ride to downtown Seattle.   For walk-ons, it's free from Bainbridge to Seattle, but not the other way.  And cars always cost. I've posted pictures here of the ferry most times I'm here.   So I enjoyed our bird's eye views of the ferry today as we left Seattle on a flight to San Francisco and then to LA.  The seem big when you're on one, but so small in this shot.

This one's headed back to where we started this morning - Bainbridge Island.

That's Mt. Ranier in the background, the mountain that looms over Seattle on clear days.

And here's a closer look from further south.

I'm afraid I'm starting to sound repetitive here with all this back and forth between Anchorage, Los Angeles, and Seattle, but it's time to be with my mom as much as I can, but also with my grand daughter.  And watching one lose abilities as the other one gains them makes me ponder life and family and generations and death. 

Things I Haven't Posted

There's a slew of things I haven't posted about yet and stray photos.  I'm hoping some of these will become posts of their own, but here's a preview.

LA Sunset (no photoshop here, this is what it looked like)

History of photography exhibit at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

LA no crosswalk sign.

One of the lions freed from illegal Bolivian circuses in the movie Lion Ark.  We got to see it in LA - it will be in the Anchorage International Film Festival.












The food wasn't actually dangerously good, but we were treated well in Komodo and we had a quick fun dinner - in LA near Pico and Robertson.  They said a new one was coming soon in Venice much closer to my mom's.

And I'm a big fan of monitor lizards.









Last night we caught the 4:35pm ferry from Bainbridge to Seattle - here it's just arriving in Bainbridge, with Mt. Rainer in the background.  And yes, we've had four sunny days in a row here. 







The ferry got us into downtown Seattle for 
 Fledge Demo Day.

"Fledge is the “conscious company” accelerator, here to help those entrepreneurs who are bringing products and services to the growing number of consumers, who in their consumption are conscious of the environment, their health, of community, sustainability, and even conscious of consumption itself."

 The founder of Fledge is a relative, which is how I got there. 

Yes, we're back in Seattle to get more time with this young lady.

In fact she's kept me pretty busy all week.  This is all pleasurable busyness. 

But back to LA tomorrow to get more time with my mom before returning to Anchorage. 

Gov Parnell Rejects Medicaid Expansion Although Lewin Report on Alaska Expansion Says State Would Gain Bigtime

"Under our baseline participation assumptions, expanding Medicaid would cost the state $200.6 million more over the 2014 to 2020 period, compared to not expanding Medicaid, for a total increased cost of $240.5 million.  However, the state would receive $2.9 billion in additional federal funds and fewer individuals would remain uninsured.  Additionally, this new cost would comprise only 1.4 percent of total Medicaid costs from 2014 to 2020 (Figure E-4).
 To minimize state costs under expansion, the state could also elect to implement expansion under a number of alternative design scenarios."

Summarizing Cost To Alaska if Medicaid Expanded:

• Cost to the state:  $240 million from 2014-2020
• Federal $ to state:  $2.9 billion
• Impact on population:  fewer individuals uninsured*

*How many fewer individuals, you ask.

Here's what it says on page 13:

"We estimate that there will be about 144,983  uninsured in Alaska in 2014 in the absence of the ACA. Taking into account all other provisions of the ACA, our estimates show that if the state expands Medicaid, the number of uninsured would be reduced to 60,435 — an 84,548 total decrease, or a 58.3 percent change ( Figure 7 ). However, if the state decides not to expand Medicaid, then the number of uninsured would decrease by a lesser amount — a 64,563 total decrease, or 44.5 percent change. This means that under the no expansion option, about 19,900 individuals will remain uninsured that would otherwise have coverage under Medicaid expansion.

Of the uninsured, it is those under 138 percent of FPL [Federal Poverty Level] who would primarily be affected under the decision to expand Medicaid . Those remaining uninsured will continue to strain the finances of other public health programs and safety net providers for their care, while likely forgoing or reducing necessary care and risking a drain o n personal finances." (page 13)

Here's what I read in that:

Without Medicaid Expansion:  19,900 more uninsured Alaskans than with expansion.  Though even with expansion there would still be 60,435 uninsured Alaskans. 

Here's what the Alaska Journal of Commerce reported

"Parnell said the additional federal dollars were “tempting” but that the expansion is not in the best interest of the state, for now, because the overall cost of the federal health care program will prove unsustainable and huge costs would fall back on Alaska at some point.
“The expansion of Obamacare will see skyrocketing costs and there is no guarantee this can be sustained. This is not ‘free money’. It’s being funded by debt and printing money,” on the federal level, Parnell said."

If things got as bad as Parnell says, there would be a problem for all the other states as well and adjustments would be made.  There's no way all the states would take the kind of hit that Parnell's folks suggest.  And I don't think he tells us where this data comes from.

The Journal went on to say the decision was against the advice of many in the business community.

"The governor’s decision has prompted an avalanche of criticism, including from business groups. In a statement, the Alaska Chamber (formerly Alaska State Chamber of Commerce) expressed disappointment.
“As a policy priority for chamber members, the expansion of Medicaid is an important part of our goal to reduce and contain the cost of doing business in Alaska,” said Rachael Petro, president of the chamber."

The State's Department of Health and Social Services' announcement on the governor's decision outlines the Parnell Administration's plan to take care of the uninsured:

"Recently, the Governor has been meeting with health care providers, large and small business organizations, and other stakeholders from across Alaska discussing recommendations for Alaskans who fall under 100 percent of the FPL and are the main users of Alaska’s safety net services.

It is imperative that we know more about the people who make up this category — who they are, their health care needs, and whether the current services available to them are being utilized or if different services need to be created. The state remains committed to funding the safety net of health care services and to improving the delivery of those services in the most efficient and cost - effective way.

The Department of Health and Social Services is in the process of developing an improved communications plan in the Division of Public Assistance directly targeted at those Alaskans who are the most vulnerable and who are in need of accessing the programs and services offered by the state and federal governments . In the months ahead, DHSS will execute the communications plan, and will strive to better identify and inform income - eligible Alaskans about the services available to them at little or no cost." (emphasis added)

So, the state isn't going to pay $200 million and get $2.9 from the Feds to take care of the problem.  Yet they remain committed to funding the safety net.  How can this, if they actually do it, not cost more than $200 million?  It can't.  And since the Governor has given $2 billion a year to the oil companies . . . what can one say?

But, rest assured, they will "execute a communication plan" to tell the poor how to get services that don't exist. "available to them at little or no cost."  I guess that means going to the emergency room and everyone else pays for their higher bills because they are forced to put off care until it becomes more serious and more expensive to treat. 

When I attended the confirmation hearing for then Attorney General Dan Sullivan, he outlined his plan for dealing with the Feds:  work with other attorneys general to fight the feds and to sue them if necessary.  The Parnell Administration has been following that strategy.  One can't help but scratch one's head at how ideology can blind one to the obvious.

The Lewin study which was finished back in January 2013 [and updated in April], was finally released a few days ago. (It's not dated on the DHSS site so it's not clear when. It's listed between items dated 11/8 and 11/15)  As I suspected, the results are a lot like their study for New Hampshire.  Here's the whole report:

Lewin Final Report on Medicaid Expansion Alaska by Steve

If you'd like to compare the Alaska study to the Lewin Group's New Hampshire study on the same topic, you can find that study here.

At least they used different pictures on the cover.  And in New Hampshire they did an evaluation while in Alaska they did an analysis. 

[Feedburner update:  got to my email subscription in 2 hours, but it hasn't reached blogrolls yet 9 hours later.  Last few posts have gotten up in minutes. Grrr]

AIFF 2013: UFAQ's Updated for 2013

No one is asking me these questions about the film festival, but they should be.  So I'm calling them UFAQs - Unasked Frequently Asked Questions. This is information people might be or should be asking for. Below are links to posts with general information about the Anchorage International Film Festival.  This is an update of a post I first put up about five years ago.  I've been checking the links to be sure they too are current.

This year's festival starts Dec. 6!

Q: Where's the official Anchorage International Film Festival site?  Click the AIFF link here.


Q: What do all the categories mean? ("official selection;" "films in competition," etc.) This is a post from 2008, but still gets the basic information across.  It also covers the process for how films get selected for the Festival and how the winners get chosen. 

Q: What  films are the best films this year (2013)?
Films in Competition are the ones chosen  to compete for the Golden Oosiker awards.  I have lists of the films in competition for each category - something about each film and when and where they will play.  [For the film categories I have up for 2013, you can find the films in competition posts listed at the AIFF2013 page.  Films in competition are marked with a check on the Official AIFF website.]

Films in Competition  - Features 2013
Films in Competition -  Documentaries 2013
Films in Competition -  Shorts 2013
Films in Competition -  Animation 2013
Films in Competition -  Super Shorts 2013

But often there are other films that I thought were as good or better than the films in competition.  And there are some films, which for various reasons, are not eligible for prizes, so they aren't 'in competition, but they're good.

Q: Who won in each category?  None yet this year, but here are the previous winners.
2012 Winners - My 2012 winners Official compared to AIFF 2012 Winners Page
2011 Winners -  My 2011 winners (none) - Official AIFF 2011 Winners Page
2010 Winners -  My 2010 winners post -  Official AIFF 2010 Winners Page
2009 Winners -  My 2009 winners post -  Official AIFF 2009 Winners Page
2008 Winners - My 2008 winners post  -  Official AIFF 2008 Winners Page
[Note:  'My winners' are films I liked best.  Sometimes I've only discussed one category, sometimes more than one.  Sometimes my comments on a particular film  are buried in posts even I can't find.]


Q:  Short films are grouped together into 'programs.'  How do I find which short films are playing together in the same of program?

Animation Programs  2013 [There's only one program for 2013. There's also an animation in the Horror Group -The Narrative of Victor Karloch.]
Snowdance Programs  2013 (films made in Alaska or by Alaskans)
Short Docs 2013
Super Short Narrative 2013
Family Program 2013
(The links only go to week one.  Be sure to change the setting to week two to find showings for Friday and Saturday November 13, and 14.)

Q:  I'm not interested in the festival, but if there are any films on my favorite place, food, sport, etc.,  I'd go.  Are there any?

Festival Genius - the site with the schedule -  allows you to look at a list of countries and then see what films are being shown from that country.  Click on the blue (where the red arrow points below) and it will open a list of countries.  Then pick a country, and wait until it loads the films from that country.

Cick to enlarge and focus

Also note the red box in the lower left.  The film festival (2013) spans two calendar weeks and so you have to check for each week.  Just click on the week and it changes. The image above is 2010, but you can go to the same page for 2013 at the link below:
 http://anchorage.bside.com/2010/schedule/week/type/film

To find out about films of special topics, you need to look through the films themselves. I'll try to make some lists of topics if I see any patterns and I'll link here. 


How do I find your blog posts on specific films or film makers?  In the AIFF 2013 Page - It's a tab on the top of my blog - I'll have an index of posts by category and an index of posts in reverse chronological order.  Here's a link to that tab.
Also all my posts on the festival start with AIFF2013 and you can see them in the archive on the right side.  They'll mostly be in December, with some in November. 


Do you have videos of the Festival? - I'll add the video posts as they happen to the blog and list them in the AIFF2013 Page.  I already have some video of the directors of Lion Ark which I took when I saw the film in Los Angeles last week.  It's not up yet.



Where will the films be shown?
Locations:

 Bear Tooth, is the main venue.  

1230 West 27th Avenue (West of Spenard Road) - 907.276.4200

Alaska Experience Theater
333 W 4th Ave #207, Anchorage, AK 99501 (907) 272-9076
There is a large and a small theater there

Anchorage Community Works** This is a new venue this year

 349 E Ship Creek Ave

Anchorage Museum
625 C Street 

Marston Theater (Loussac Library) Family Programming on Saturday Dec. 14
3600 Denali St.

There are special events at other venues.  You can check all the venues next to window where you check the countries (see screenshot above). 

Q:  What workshops are there?
There are four workshops with film makers.

Q:  What are your criteria for a good movie? When I made my picks for the 2008 best films, at the end of the post I outlined my criteria. The link takes you to that post, scroll down to second part.  I also did a post last year on what I thought makes a good documentary.


Q:  Should I buy a pass or just buy tickets as I go?  

Tickets are only $8 per film. All films passes are $100. ($90 until Thanksgiving Eve.) So, if you go to twelve films, the pass is cheaper. But there are other benefits to the pass. You do have to get a ticket (free) for each film and only a certain number of seats are held for passholders, but you do get priority seating with your pass.
And if you have a pass, you'll go see more films because you'll think "I've paid for them. I should go and get my money's worth."
All Films passes get you into Workshops, and discounts for a few extra events, like the opening night film (which is actually $30 a ticket) and the awards. These extra events also have food.

Another option is to volunteer and get a pass to a movie.

You can buy tickets at the venues.  You can also get advanced tickets at the venues.
You can also buy them online.

Q:  What about family films? 
Saturday, December 14 at Loussac Library - in the Marston Auditorium.
Here are the AIFF links for the family program.  I would warn folks that Lion Ark is listed on the Family Program poster and plays right after the Family Program (at 3:15pm) at Loussac.  There is video of animals being beaten that could be disturbing for little kids.  The movie is rated PG-13.  But it is a very compelling and well made film more for adults than kids. 


Q:  Who Are You Anyways? - who's paying you to do this? does your brother have a film in competition? What is your connection to the festival? From an earlier post here's my  Disclosure:

 I blogged about the  2007 festival  and the AIFF people liked what I did and asked if I would be the official blogger in 2008. They promised me I could say what I wanted, but I decided it was better to blog on my own and then if I write something that upsets one of the film makers, the Festival isn't responsible.  They have a link to my site.  They also threw in a free pass for me in each year since 2008. 

I probably won't say anything terrible about a film, but I did rant about one film two years that I thought was exploiting its subject as well as boorishly demeaning a whole country. I mentioned in an earlier post that if I sound a little promotional at times, it's only because I like films and I like the kinds of quirky films that show up at festivals, so I want as many people to know about the festival as possible so the festival will continue. Will I fudge on what I write to get people out? No way. There are plenty of people in Anchorage who like films. They're my main target - to get them out of the house in the dark December chill when inertia tugs heavily if they even think about leaving the house. But if others who normally don't go out to films hear about a movie on a topic they're into, that's good too.

I did a post a couple of years ago for Film Festival Skeptics who might be sitting on the fence and need to be given reasons to go and strategies to make it work.  

Q:  How do I Keep Track of What's Happening at the Festival?
I'll be blogging the film festival every day.  The link below will be my festival posts only, starting with the most recent.  There should also be printed programs you can pick up around town as well and go to the Festival Page

Anchorage International Film Festival (AIFF 2013)


Q:  Are there other Alaskan Film Festivals? 
There are some events called 'festival' that I know of in Anchorage, but they aren't major film events like this one.  There is another organization,  that puts Alaska in it's name and rents a postal box in Alaska, but has no other connection that we can find to Alaska.  You can read about that at  Comparing the ANCHORAGE and ALASKA International Film Festivals - Real Festival? Scam?

Anyone who knows of other legitimate film festivals in Alaska, let me know.  I've heard stuff about Sitka Film Festival  in February. And there's also an Indigenous Film Festival in February and   Alaska Native Film Festival was in October.

AIFF 2013: Tales From The Organ Trade - How Is Selling Sex Like Selling A Kidney?

In both cases, selling your body (parts)  is illegal in most places, but giving it away is not.

People  sell their bodies (generally) or body parts,(nearly always) because they can't see other viable ways to break out of poverty.

But there are differences.

• A prostitute can deal directly with the client, but there has to be a sophisticated infrastructure available to remove and transplant a kidney.
• Even if you give away your kidney, the recipient still pays a lot.   
• You can only sell a kidney once. 

How much would you sell your kidney for?  What about a finger?

There is a black market in kidneys.  Kidneys from people so poor that they will sell one to a stranger for as little as $1000.  And doctors who transplant those kidneys to people paying $100,000 or more. The doctors argue it's their moral obligation to save a person's life.

I'd note that I don't think the comparison to prostitution came up in the movie, but it
seemed a logical one after I saw the movie.

Surgeon - image source

Tales From The Organ Trade, a documentary film that will show at the Anchorage International Film Festival, brings these abstract questions into stark reality.  There are interviews with people needing kidneys, with a man in Toronto who got a new kidney in Kosovo, with people who have sold their kidneys (from the Philippines and the Moldovan woman whose kidney went to the Toronto man), with a prosecutor chasing down doctors who perform illegal operations and the managers who arrange everything, and with the Turkish surgeon who put the Kosovo kidney into the Toronto man.

Recipient- image source

This is not a preachy or academic film, it's more like a good investigative reporting movie that deals with a hard subject in a straightforward way.  It challenges us to think beyond black and and white and to deal with ethical ambiguities.

At the end, the movie doesn't exactly endorse it, but it does mention there is legislation pending that would regulate selling organs.

That may be a short term solution, but the real issue, it seems to me, is a world of some rich and lots of poor, poor people who are willing to risk long term health problems for the chance to get their families into what, for them, is decent housing.

Another question I had was what percent of people, say in the US,  are registered donors - people who sign up when they renew their driver's license or register online?  How would increasing the number of donors shorten the waiting lists for kidneys?

Sellers - image source

The answer is, thanks to a little googling, about 43% of adult Americans are registered organ donors.  So perhaps doubling that number would help, and adding kids to the list would also increase the number.

Tales From The Organ Trade is one of the documentaries in competition and will show:

5:00 PM       Sat, Dec 07  AK Exp small
11:00 AM     Sat, Dec 14  AK Exp large

[Note:  I saw this film because their publicist offered me a private link online to see it before the festival.  It was an unsolicited email.]

[This is a repost because there was errant text in the middle of the original which I could not find in the code.]

Gov. Sean Parnell Tweets Himself A Happy Birthday

Did he buy a birthday present for himself too?  What about birthday greetings to all the Alaskans who can't get health insurance?  (Actually, he'll send you a birthday greeting if you're over 50 and you request it.)



[Feedburner note:  This one had about a two hour delay.]

AIFF 2013: Features In Competition - Time To Plan What To See

Thirteen Features were selected and six [five*] are in competition.  They represent nine different countries. 

• Australia/USA 
• Canada 
• France 
• India 
• Iran 
• Kenya 
• Netherlands 
• Paraguay 
• USA 

**  the filmmaker(s) scheduled to be there for Q&A after showing

This is a short preview of just the films in competition.   You can see a list of all the features selected and the other film categories here.

Image from Vino Veritas website

Vino Veritas
Sarah Knight
USA √
96m
8:00 PM     Fri, Dec 13  Bear Tooth** the filmmaker(s) scheduled to be there for Q&A
4:00 PM     Sat, Dec 14  AK Exp Small

I would rather know nothing about the movie I'm seeing - just see it cold.  But there are too many movies to see for total hit and miss.  I'd rather spend my time at good movies and at least get a hint of what's good before hand.  I haven't seen this movie, but this comment from the director doesn't tell you anything about it, but tells you something. 

"This film is a kind of communion for people with partners who still baffle them, whose children aren’t quite turning out the way they imagined, and who have begun to realize that their most basic reptilian instincts aren’t that far below the surface.  No helicopters explode in Vino Veritas and no zombies appear.  It’s far more real, far more primal than that, and it’s a film that will resonate with adults in a way that few movies do thanks to the simple fact that they will be able to identify with the characters and the lives of quiet desperation that the characters are leading.  Having screened a rough cut of the film for a few people (both acquaintances and strangers), I can vouch for the fact that it inspires long e-mails and a general reaction of, “So-and-so has to see this movie!”

Here's a link to the website if you want to know more.  But be careful, their videos aren't trailers, they're just ads.  Left a bad taste in my mouth - I wanted to see a trailer and had to hear about Doritos instead.  No vino veritas in that. 

It was filmed in Lincoln, Nebraska and the Daily Nebraskan has this interview with the director.  It sounds like another Virginia Woolfe film.  I didn't know that was a genre until the 2012 festival when the director of my favorite feature film - Between Us - told me.  And that film was also made in Nebraska. 


Tu Seras Un Homme (You’ll Be A Man)
Benoit Cohen
France ✓ 
87m

8:00 PM Sat, Dec 14 Bear Tooth**Film maker scheduled to be there.
1:30 PM Sun, Dec 15 AK Exp Small

From the movie's Facebook page:

Un film de Benoit Cohen - Une musique de French Cowboy
Sortie en salles le 15 mai 2013 avec Jules Sagot, Aurélio Cohen, Eléonore Pourriat, Grégoire Monsaingeon et Clara Bonnet

 From Filmthreat:

YOU’LL BE A MAN (TU SERAS UN HOMME), Benoit Cohen, France
Leo is 10 and wise beyond his years. A solitary dreamer who seeks refuge in books. When the carefree 20-year-old Theo steps into his life, it forces Leo out of his shell. Despite their age difference, the two become best friends, helping each other face up to their responsibilities.

Hank and Asha
James E. Duff
USA √
73m
8:00 PM Sun, Dec. 8 Bear Tooth**Film maker scheduled to be there.
6:30 PM Tue, Dec 10 Alaska Exp Small

From the Hank and Asha website:

"What do you do if your first real love is half a world away? In this charming romantic comedy, an Indian woman studying in Prague and a lonely New Yorker begin an unconventional video correspondence — two strangers searching for human connection in a hyper-connected world. "Hank and Asha" is a hopeful story about identity, longing, and the irresistible appeal of entertaining life's what-ifs."

Variety was not terribly impressed though:

If “Hank and Asha” were any more purposefully winsome, it would curl up on your lap and indicate a desire to be petted. Even at a briskly paced 73 minutes, James E. Duff’s romantic indie feels slightly padded as it unfolds a thin scenario about two twentysomethings who initiate and sustain a long-distance relationship through video letters. Fortunately, the lead players are attractive and appealing enough to make them good company for the short haul. After fest dates, the pic will play best, if not exclusively, in home-screen venues.

Detroit Unleaded
Rola Nashef
USA √
90m
1:30 PM     Sun, Dec 08  Alaska Exp Small
8:00 PM     Mon, Dec 09  Bear Tooth **Film maker scheduled to be there.


From Detroit Unleaded's website:

"Between Detroit and Arab-America, Sami works behind the bulletproof glass of a 24-hour gas station with his cousin Mike. Inside this unique neighborhood, the station is more than just a pitstop for rolling papers and fake perfume, but a place where an infinite stream of spirited and often hilarious people flow through. When Najlah walks in, Sami's shift becomes anything but routine.

​Made and cast in Detroit, the film stars first-time feature actors EJ Assi and Nada Shouhayib, along with Actor/Comedian Mike Batayeh (Breaking Bad, You Don't Mess with the Zohan), Mary Assel, Steven Soro, and Lebanese film and television Star Akram El-Ahmar.

​Detroit Unleaded had it's World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it won the Grolsch Film Works Discovery Award and received overwhelmingly positive reviews from audiences and film critics alike. "

7 Cajas (7 Boxes)
Juan Carlos Maneglia and Tana Schémbori
Paraguay √
100m
8:00 PM     Thu, Dec 12  Bear Tooth
11:30 AM Sun, Dec 15 Alaska Exp Small


From Cinemablographer:

Running hustle-bustle through the crowded stalls is seventeen-year-old Víctor (played by impressive newcomer Celso Franco). Víctor is a street-smart youth, but he is still a little too young, idealistic, and naïve to appreciate fully the seediness of the underworld he inhabits. He’s an errand boy who dreams of playing the lead. Víctor begins his chaotic whirlwind to stardom when he accepts an innocuous task from a marketplace butcher: he is to transport seven sealed boxes on his wheelbarrow and deliver them to a location that will be revealed via a cell phone call that he will receive during the journey. The role seems simple enough and it offers a Hollywood paycheck of an American hundred-dollar bill. The amount is incalculable in the local denomination for Víctor, yet he grasps that the piece of paper is a passport to escape. .  .

Running hustle-bustle through the crowded stalls is seventeen-year-old Víctor (played by impressive newcomer Celso Franco). Víctor is a street-smart youth, but he is still a little too young, idealistic, and naïve to appreciate fully the seediness of the underworld he inhabits. He’s an errand boy who dreams of playing the lead. Víctor begins his chaotic whirlwind to stardom when he accepts an innocuous task from a marketplace butcher: he is to transport seven sealed boxes on his wheelbarrow and deliver them to a location that will be revealed via a cell phone call that he will receive during the journey. The role seems simple enough and it offers a Hollywood paycheck of an American hundred-dollar bill. The amount is incalculable in the local denomination for Víctor, yet he grasps that the piece of paper is a passport to escape. - See more at: http://www.cinemablographer.com/2013/04/review-7-boxes-7-cajas-latin-american-film-fest.html#sthash.nVg9rjHq.dpuf

Running hustle-bustle through the crowded stalls is seventeen-year-old Víctor (played by impressive newcomer Celso Franco). Víctor is a street-smart youth, but he is still a little too young, idealistic, and naïve to appreciate fully the seediness of the underworld he inhabits. He’s an errand boy who dreams of playing the lead. Víctor begins his chaotic whirlwind to stardom when he accepts an innocuous task from a marketplace butcher: he is to transport seven sealed boxes on his wheelbarrow and deliver them to a location that will be revealed via a cell phone call that he will receive during the journey. The role seems simple enough and it offers a Hollywood paycheck of an American hundred-dollar bill. The amount is incalculable in the local denomination for Víctor, yet he grasps that the piece of paper is a passport to escape. - See more at: http://www.cinemablographer.com/2013/04/review-7-boxes-7-cajas-latin-american-film-fest.html#sthash.nVg9rjHq.dpuf

*One more film that had been in competition - Nairobi Half-Life - is no longer in.  It's been on the circuit since 2012 and was the most successful local film in Kenyan history.  You can read more about it and see a scene from the film here.

**The film maker is scheduled to be there.

Court Rules On Redistricting: "The court accepts the 2013 Proclamation Plan"

I turned on my cell phone as I got off the plane in Seattle on the way to see my little sweetie and there was a message saying the decision on the redistricting case had come down in favor of the Redistricting Board's plan.  I haven't had a chance to read the decision yet, but here it is and you can read it yourself.

2013-11-18 Doc321 Order Re Summary Judgment Motions

"People who think they have all the answers will always think they have a right to hurt people who don't believe them."

That's a quote from an LA Times book review of Robert Stone's new novel Death of the Black-Haired Girl.

Regular readers will understand why that quote appeals to me. A key purpose of this blog is to challenge people to regularly examine what they know and to recognize that what we don't know is much greater than what we do know.  And we do know, even those most deeply held beliefs about the world,  is shaped by our own life experiences.  Meaning that others will find our beliefs incredible.  Literally.

When you find yourself with time on your hands and nothing to do, or you can't fall asleep, put away your internet connection and ponder that title statement. 

• Is all of it true?  
• Any of it?  
• Can you give examples of people who 'have all the answers "? 
• Do they "think they have a right to hurt people who don't believe them"?
• Does 'having all the answers" necessarily make people believe they have the right to hurt people?

I'm leery of propositions that include the word 'always.'  It's easy to quickly fill in examples of people who seem sure of what is true who are ready to hurt the people who deny their truths.  Religious zealots have burned heretics since forever. 

But do these people really think they have all the answers?  Or is their fervor really an attempt to create a facade of certainty to counter their uncertainty?  I suspect that a lot of fundamentalists assert their truths as a way of avoiding the realities they don't want to face.  Fornication is a sin to ward off one's desires.  Becoming a food fanatic to fight off one's obesity.   Consider, for example,  the homophobes who turn out to be gay.  

And while we can probably identify people with all the answers who are willing to hurt people, I don't think we can turn it around and say all people with all the answers are willing to hurt other people.

The quote is a good conversation starter when you're stuck at a party you don't want to be at. 

Reviewer David Ulin likes Death of the Black-Haired Girl a lot.   He ends the review with questions the book raises:

"What happens when we understand that all the things we take for granted are uncertain, that some genies, once let out of the bottle, can never be put back? What happens when we confront that what we see as order is really just chaos with a different face? This has been the subject of Stone's writing from the beginning, and if "Death of the Black-Haired Girl," with its university setting, appears somewhat less exotic, that does not make its vision small. Rather, with this spare and unsettling novel, Stone has vividly returned to form."

More good questions that fit right in here.