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Monday, June 3, 2013

HBO Game of Thrones Recap: The Rains of Castamere, Robb Stark and Red Wedding

Life at last sit and listen while the fun begins
Hearts are broken and the bad guys win
Sit and listen all the cutting up is easy
And this isn't for the queasy or the weak of heart
You had better start for home while there's still time
-Life at Last by Paul Williams

Well now you know the exact moment in the book A Storm of Swords that made me hurl the book across the room, run over to pick it up to see if there was some mistake and then upon discovering that there wasn't, seriously consider hunting GRRM down and going completely Annie Wilkes on him. Ok. Well not really. I am joking. It's just a story. But I would like to just ask him WTF dude? Why? I stopped reading the book for a few days because I was so po'd. Well life goes on. There are other shocking moments remaining in the published series. I'm sure GRRM probably has a few others planned in the books yet to be written. And no doubt Benioff and Weiss have their own surprises in the HBO adaptation. But I don't think anything will ever shock or anger me more.

Who could have expected The Red Wedding. In hindsight it was obvious. Robb was unbeatable in battle. Unfortunately Robb neglected to understand Bolton's self-interest, Frey's pride and duplicity and the political challenges caused by Stannis' loss at King's Landing. This episode was extremely powerful not only for the brutal betrayal but also because it kept to a very tight group of characters with minimal jumping around. Before we get to the event which really changed everything even more than Ned's execution did, let's take a quick look at the other storylines in the ninth episode.

Daenerys and her advisors are looking for a way to attack Yunkai. Daario takes the opportunity to get close to and touch Daenerys. She doesn't seem to mind. Daario knows of a back gate thru which he can enter, kill the guards, and then take Grey Worm and Jorah in and then open the front gate. Daario thinks this is a piece of cake. Jorah doesn't trust Daario but Grey Worm does. Of course Grey Worm doesn't have his little grey worm any more which is probably why he is not threatened by Daario the way that Jorah is. Barristan wants to come along but Jorah tells him to stay and guard Daenerys, the Queen. In Yunkai Daario does just as he said he would. Grey Worm and Jorah enter and find dead guards and Daario smirking. However the three men are then attacked by reinforcements. At this point the three men show that they are some baaaaaaaad motherf- shut your mouth!! Outnumbered 20 to 1? They don't care. Surrounded and facing certain death? Bring it on. Although the later battle is not shown in detail they obviously survive and manage to open the gate and let the army in. Daenerys is anxiously awaiting for news. The bloodied but triumphant Jorah enters and tells of victory. Daenerys thinks that's great and all but what about Daario? Daario enters and repeats what Jorah just said but with more flourish. This makes Daenerys quite happy. Jorah is obviously wondering why being a nice guy just doesn't seem to be getting him anywhere with Danerys. You had better brush up on your Game, Jorah. It's all in the reflexes. Just ask Jack Burton.

Sam discusses Castle Black's history and how to reach it with Gilly who finally seems to be impressed that Sam actually knows something useful. Of course one wonders how much it would really take to impress Gilly but Sam's happy and that's a good thing.
Tormund, Orell, Ygritte, Jon Snow and their wildling commando party come across an old man who breeds horses for the Night's Watch. Jon doesn't want to kill the man but the wildlings are eager to kill someone. They attack the farm but Jon accidentally on purpose clangs his sword against a rock which gives the old man a warning. The fellow gets on his horse and rides off. Ygritte shoots at him but misses (deliberately?) just as Jon tells her to stop.

Bran and his group are in a tower in the Gift. Bran wants to know how to get past the wall. Hodor is scared of lightning. As it turns out the old man that had escaped was ridden down by the now horse equipped wildlings. They are outside of the tower. Hodor is yelling in fear and almost by accident Bran wargs into Hodor to calm him down and prevent him from giving away their presence. Orell thinks he heard something but Tormund dismisses it. He's eager to kill the captured man.

Orell demands that Jon Snow kill the man to prove his loyalty. Jon won't do it. Trying to save face Ygritte kills the man but it's too late. Orell wants to kill Jon Snow and Ygritte too for that matter. It's precisely then that Bran is able to warg into Summer. Summer and Shaggydog attack the wildlings. Jon kills Orell, who wargs into an eagle and attacks Jon. Jon rides off and most emphatically does not stop to pick up Ygritte. She's heartbroken by this but Tormund tells her it is what it is. This is an important point here. It goes back to conflicting ideas and demands of honor. We know that Jon Snow is a "good guy" but from Ygritte's POV he's betrayed her in a very ugly way. From Ygritte's perspective Jon Snow is a real SOB. She's given him her body, her love, her trust and her knowledge and he's given her what exactly?

Bran decides that he will head North with Meera and Jojen while Osha will take Rickon to Last Hearth, the Umber stronghold. Arya and The Hound continue to the Twins, bickering with each other about their fears and killing. Arya says she will kill The Hound one day and that he's not so tough. The Hound intends to pose as a meat/wine salesman in order to get inside The Twins, the Frey's castle. I am sure that the 6-6 Hound who is nothing if not dangerous looking will be able to convince other men of violence that he is a simple peasant seller of meat and wine. And now we get to the horrific part.

Robb apologizes to his mother for not listening to her advice about Theon. He wants her assent to his plan to attack Casterly Rock with Walder Frey's help. Catelyn gives it. They reach The Twins along with their remaining soldiers as well as Edmure and the Blackfish and their men. They parkake of bread and salt. This is really freaking important as it indicates that you have guest right and may not be harmed under your guest's hospitality. Violating guest right is an atrocity akin to kinslaying, if not worse. However guest right doesn't extend to insults. Despite Robb's heartfelt apologies to Walder Frey and his various female relatives, Walder Frey makes highly sexual and extremely insulting comments to Talisa. Bolton is attending the wedding. To Edmure's surprise Roslin Frey is actually quite pretty. So he's happy to be married to her, something which amuses his sister and uncle. Bolton refuses to drink claiming that drink removes his edge. He points out to Catelyn that marriage to a Frey was very profitable for him. This worries Catelyn a bit as Roose looks exactly like the cat that just swallowed the canary.

Talisa tells Robb that she will name their child Eddard if it's a boy. The bedding ceremony begins. Edmure and Roslin are removed from the room. Roose temporarily excuses himself. Shortly after his return Catelyn's sixth sense goes off. It's quiet. Too quiet. She gets even more nervous and wary when she sees a Frey bar the door. The wedding band starts to play "The Rains of Castamere", which if you were paying attention in the last episode, you know is the Lannister retribution theme. Bolton is sitting very close to Catelyn and she sees that he's now wearing mail. Catelyn cries out a warning to Robb but it's all too late. There's a shot of Grey Wind trying to get out. The slaughter begins. Talisa is stabbed in her stomach/uterus multiple times. Stark loyalists are shot from above by Frey soldiers. The Hound and Arya arrive at the Twins but are refused entry. The Hound notices armed Freys entering the Twins and knows something's amiss. Arya has gone into the courtyard where she witnesses the murder of the Stark-Tully contingent by Freys and presumably Boltons. All throughout the castle Starks and Tullys are killed. Robb is shot multiple times and Catelyn is wounded. Grey Wind is trying to break out. Arya is this close to rescuing her brother's wolf but Frey soldiers come and shoot the wolf dead. Arya still wants to get inside but The Hound has found her and takes her away saying it's too late.

Inside it's almost over. Just about all the Starks are dead. Walder Frey mocks Robb as he holds on to his dead wife. Catelyn grabs a dagger and snatches up Walder Frey's wife saying that unless Frey lets Robb go she will kill his wife. Frey shows that his sexism runs bone deep as he says he'll just get another wife. On his mother's orders the badly wounded Robb is trying to stumble to the door when his treacherous bannerman Bolton stabs him dead, saying the Lannisters send their regards. Catelyn keeps her word by killing Frey's wife. She is then herself murdered. There was no ending music.

And who are you, the proud lord said, that I must bow so low?

Only a cat of a different coat, that's all the truth I know.

In a coat of gold or a coat of red, a lion still has claws,

And mine are long and sharp, my lord,as long and sharp as yours.

And so he spoke, and so he spoke, that lord of Castamere,

But now the rains weep o'er his hall, with no one there to hear.

Yes now the rains weep o'er his hall, and not a soul to hear

What I liked

As a Stark bannerman there was really nothing I "liked" in this episode. I knew it was coming obviously so it didn't quite have the gut punch that it did in the book but it was still pretty freaking horrible to watch. So Benioff and Weiss deserve much credit for getting the series' most shocking moment mostly right.
Frey is suitably appalling. It wasn't just about the broken betrothal of course.
The confused look of hurt and betrayal that Ygritte has when Jon doesn't look back to her. Honor has costs. Jon may think he's doing the right thing but that doesn't change the fact that he deeply hurt Ygritte. Jon broke a commitment for honor while Robb did so for love.
I really identified with Robb. He's a young man trying to lead his people after his father's murder. He doesn't have all the answers but none of us do.
After Season One Michelle Fairley really grew on me as Catelyn Stark. I don't think she had quite enough to do in Season Three especially but her scenes last night were incredibly good. Her rising sense of unease and panic were just so well played. Well done, Ms. Fairley.
I guess the speculation about Talisa being a spy can be put to rest.

What I didn't like

Well that's rather evident isn't it.
I also missed Robb's northern contingent, especially the GreatJon. Most of them are killed of course but in the book they go out hard and take some people with them, unarmed though they are.
In the book Grey Wind, along with Catelyn, provides more of an early warning to Robb. Grey Wind snarls anytime a Frey is around and completely freaks out upon reaching The Twins. Robb ignores these warnings. The Freys also insist that Robb separate himself from Grey Wind. IIRC Grey Wind also takes out a few Freys with him before being killed. I could be wrong about that though. I threw the book across room remember so some details are kinda fuzzy. I do know that if my dog doesn't like someone...I listen to my dog.
The bread and salt acceptance should have been a bit more played up in importance. It is only then that Catelyn relaxes and lets down her guard.
GRRM seems to have a serious disdain for characters that try to do the right thing. I understand realism and cynicism, being somewhat of a cynic myself but dammit do you have to keep killing Starks? The author says some things are required.

Questions

1) Did you see anything like this coming (assuming you didn't read the books of course)

2) Does this make you give up on the series or are you more interested now?

3) What should/could Robb have done differently to avoid this?

*This post is written for discussion of this episode and previous episodes. If you have book based knowledge of future events please be kind enough not to discuss that here. NO SPOILERS. NO BOOK DERIVED HINTS ABOUT FUTURE EVENTS. Most of my blog partners have not read the books and would take spoilers most unkindly. Heads, spikes, well you get the idea..of course as the series biggest spoiler is no longer a spoiler perhaps instead of decapitation you would just get sent to the Wall...

Saturday, June 1, 2013

Movie Reviews- Broken City, Texas Chainsaw 3D, Pawn, Hammer of the Gods

Broken City
directed by Allen Hughes

I've often wondered how people who are married to or seriously involved with actors, actresses, models or other artistic folk keep their equanimity when their spouse or significant other does a love/sex scene or photo shoot that either seems too real or features graphic nudity. Imagine everyone seeing, enjoying and commenting on what you thought only you were supposed to see. I certainly couldn't deal with that but obviously thousands of people do so quite easily. Artists are different folks. If you can't accept the very particular artistic and business requirements that a performing artist works under or the fact that your significant other may have wildly different ideas than you concerning privacy and decorum then you probably should be with someone whose values and mores are a closer match to your own.

I mention this because it's a minor plot point in Broken City. New York City private eye Billy Taggart (Mark Wahlberg) has a relationship with Natalie Barrow (Natalie Martinez), an actress and would be screenwriter. The two really come from different worlds. Billy is a former NYPD cop who killed the criminal who raped and murdered Natalie's sister. He's a former cop because though he was cleared of murder charges, the NYPD decided it could do without his services. Natalie's parents love Billy but Natalie herself is showing worrying signs that the thrill may be gone. The movie implies that the Puerto Rican Natalie may think that the Caucasian and temperamentally conservative Billy is no longer a good fit for her ambitions or her artistic, metrosexual, liberal, heavily minority circles. Gratitude isn't a good basis for sustained erotic interest.

But that's a small concern for Billy at first. He's trying to keep his business afloat and doesn't have the time to worry about Natalie's emotional ups and downs. As a private eye Billy no longer has access to the official state power which he enjoyed as a cop. So clients feel free to slow pay him or worse not pay him. He's assisted by his young smart mouth secretary Katy (Alona Tal from Supernatural) who may have a thing for her boss. They track down just enough debtors to pay the office back rent and avoid eviction. So Billy thinks it's manna from heaven when he's contacted by Mayor Hostetler (Russell Crowe), who with the assistance of Billy's former boss and now police commissioner Carl Fairbanks (Jeffrey Wright), helped Billy out all those years ago. The mayor is calling in a favor, albeit one he's willing to pay handsomely for. He wants Billy to follow his coolly attractive wife Cathleen (Catherine Zeta-Jones). The mayor is certain she's having an affair. Billy is ordered to find out who the other guy is and get pictures. The money the mayor offers is enough to fix Billy's precarious financial situation for good.

But Cathleen is not exactly a dummy. She quickly picks up that she's being followed and who likely ordered it. She confronts Billy and tells him he has no clue as to what's really going on. Commissioner Fairbanks also seems to be running into Billy a bit more than randomness would indicate. But Billy is a man who believes in fair work for fair pay. He's also not particularly introspective. In his line of work he can't afford to be. He figures out that Cathleen is having an affair with Paul Andrews. (Kyle Chandler) Andrews just so happens to be the campaign manager for Jack Valiant (Barry Pepper) who is running against the mayor in the upcoming election. Billy duly provides the photographic evidence of a meeting between Cathleen and Paul. Shortly afterwards some events take place to suggest to Billy that perhaps not everything was as seems. Murder, adultery, corruption all mix together. But Billy is a man who believes in doing right, even if he can't always figure out what the right thing is or if the right thing to do is not necessarily the legal thing to do.

This was the first movie directed by Allen Hughes (Menace II Society) without his twin brother Albert. It tries to be a modern film noir. Although Hostetler is a very obvious stand-in for NYC Mayor Bloomberg, otherwise the film has some links back to fifties films like Detective Story, The Big Heat, Dark City and a few others. Unfortunately something went wrong in transition and I'm not really sure what it was. Perhaps Wahlberg is more of an action movie name; maybe Zeta-Jones needed a larger role. Yes I would have liked to have seen a slightly stronger role with Zeta-Jones. This film probably lacks a femme fatale and you can't really have a good noir without one. Anyway this wasn't a great movie. It wasn't a bad movie. It was just blandly worthwhile. It is not as action packed as the trailer would have you believe.
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Texas Chainsaw 3D
directed by John Luessenhop

Look if you watch any of these movies you pretty much know what you're going to get, right? There won't be any surprises. A group of physically attractive teens or young adults go somewhere isolated, ignore some very obvious problems or even explicit warnings, and proceed to get murdered in quite gruesome ways, though not before at least a few of them get laid or otherwise show some skin, usually of the female variety. It is predictable, so much so that much like Cabin in the Woods proposes, you almost wonder if there is something in the human psyche, or at least the American one, that almost requires this as a sacrifice.
Well maybe.

But this film proves that even though many horror films work the same (crowded) side of the street, the director's and writer's skills matter quite a bit. You have to find a new fresh way to present the story. The only real new element here was that the director/writers tried to make Leatherface into a misunderstood anti-hero. This failed. Witness the successful ploy by the director Rob Zombie in The Devil's Rejects where he makes the Firefly family into virtual anti-heroes despite their enthusiastic engagement in sadistic gory evil that would make Leatherface go running for his mommy. If you're not careful you can actually wind up feeling sorry for the Firefly clan when they go the way of all flesh. But in this movie you don't really feel sorry for anybody. I mention The Devil's Rejects because like that movie Texas Chainsaw 3D also stars Bill Moseley and is a reworking of Texas Chainsaw. The Devil's Rejects is not only a far superior horror film; it's a far superior film, period.

Texas Chainsaw 3D is a rebooted sequel to the original. After the escape of a young girl who informs the authorities of the murderous and cannibalistic activities of the Sawyer clan, especially Leatherface (Dan Yeager), the townspeople gather and burn down the Sawyer farm house. They do this even though the Sawyers were considering surrendering and did not fire first. The townspeople shoot any survivors they find and pose with dead bodies or body parts. It's reminiscent of a lynching (deliberately so?). This is done over the sheriff's objections.

However a husband and wife involved in the murder of the Sawyers find a baby girl and decide to raise her as their own. This Sawyer girl grows up to become the delectable Heather Miller (Alexandra Daddario) who lives with her boyfriend Ryan (Trey Songz). Heather gets a letter from a grandmother she never knew existed which deeds her the Sawyer mansion. Heather decides to take a road trip to see the mansion with Ryan and their friends Nikki (Tania Raymonde) and Kenny (Keram Malicki-Sanchez). In order to have another person around for chainsaw fodder they pickup an untrustworthy hitchhiker named Daryl (Shaun Sipos). They arrive at the mansion. Leatherface lives there in secret. You can reread the first paragraph to learn what happens next. Ho hum. Daddario is nice looking and earnest; Trey Songz might have a future in acting. But this was a bad film. This is legitimately something which is watched on a night you don't feel like going out or on a weekend afternoon when you're drifting in and out of a nap. OMG they killed Kenny!!!!
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Pawn
directed by David J. Armstrong

This was an independent low budget film directed by a first time director. So it could have been a trainwreck. But it wasn't. It featured some big names (Ray Liotta, Forest Whittaker, is it just me or has his lazy eye gotten more noticeable, Common, and Michael Chiklis among others) but the movie's real star is the plot. Unfortunately the low budget limits the movie's potential, as does the fact that the film's noticeable names, with the exception of Chiklis, don't have a whole lot to do.

The story involves a series of errors which cause Nick (Sean Faris), a recent parolee who's desperately trying to stay on the straight and narrow, to wind up in a late night diner that's in the process of being robbed by Derrick (Chiklis in the film's meatiest role) and two other goons. Derrick is British which gives Chiklis a chance to try out a (to me) seemingly genuine British accent. But Derrick isn't just a strong arm thug though he certainly can play one convincingly. No, the apple of Derrick's eye is some information that he thinks is held in the dinner somewhere. For you see, this particular diner with the friendly manager/cook (Stephen Lang) is a mob front. Obviously none of the diners or waitstaff know this. But Derrick thinks some people in the diner do know what he's looking for, and he's not shy about hurting, bullying or killing as necessary to get what he came for. Things don't proceed quite as Derrick planned and a hostage situation breaks out. To Derrick's glee and Nick's dismay, the police and some other more dangerous people assume that Nick is the mastermind behind this caper. I mean he just got out of prison, right. What else do they need to know.

Whittaker and Liotta play people who may or may not be on opposite sides while Common is a police negotiator who likes people to know he's in charge. The film is a little claustrophobic at times since most of the action takes place in the diner. But that was probably the point. Liotta oozes understated menace. I would be intrigued to see what this film would look like remade with a larger budget and some minor rewriting to tighten up character motivations. I didn't quite think this was a must see film but Chiklis' blustering and Common's alpha male posturing are just enough to carry it across the finish line. I also would be interested in seeing what else Faris might do in a larger role. He was somewhat underutilized.
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Hammer of the Gods
directed by Farren Blackburn

If you're looking for a violent gritty adventure flick set in late Dark Ages Britain when the Vikings had started their centuries long harassment and invasion of Saxon ruled England this could be up your alley. Did I mention it was violent? It's not quite as violent as Ironclad but the two movies are kissing cousins. Some of these names might be off because the sound levels were a little odd. In 871 AD an old Viking King (Game of Thrones' Lord Commander Mormont James Cosmo) is wounded in battle with the Saxons. His people are surrounded and outnumbered. It's likely the king himself won't make it past the week. Nevertheless the king has sent for his son Steinar (Charlie Bewley), who has fought his way thru Saxon lines to reach his Daddy.

Steinar is not due to inherit. That title should go to his eldest brother Hagen (Clive Standen). But Hagen is not a leader of men. He would rather arrange a man's death and make deals behind closed doors than fight. In Viking culture just because you're the oldest son of a king doesn't mean you should be king. The King thinks Steinar might make a good king someday but despite Steinar's warrior nature his father doesn't think he has quite the brutality and ruthlessness to be king. It doesn't help that Steinar is an atheist who doesn't really go for the rape of women (or boys) or what he sees as needless violence. The king's other son Vali (Theo Barklem Biggs) is illegitimate, somewhat wimpish and half-Saxon. When the king capriciously orders Steinar to kill Vali, Steinar won't do it. This confirms his father's fears about him.

Nope, as far as the old wardog is concerned there's only one son that deserves to rule after him and that's Hakan (Elliot Cowan), who was banished years ago for some unspecified crime. Steinar is ordered to find Hakan and return with a king. Everyone knows that Hakan is hyperviolent even for a Viking, brutal and quite possibly insane. Nobody thinks he would make a good king. Everyone thinks Steinar should ignore his father's dying orders. But Steinar is nothing if not a devoted son so he sets out to find Hakan. He takes along with him his best friends and Vali, who may or may not be working for the Saxons.
Someone is betraying them though because the Saxons and/or other people seem to know their moves before they make them. This was a combination of King Lear, Apocalypse Now, Heart of Darkness, The Wizard of Oz and The Magnificent Seven. Cosmo dominates the scenes he's in even though he's in a bed for most of the movie. Did I mention this film was violent?
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Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Virginia Walmart: Those Don't Look Like Your Kids

The other day I stopped in my local grocery store to pick up some items. I saw a black man and white woman couple. They had a white girl and a younger black (mixed) boy tagging along with them. Obviously the black man was a pimp and the white woman was his prostitute. The two kids were either criminals in training or had been kidnapped for some other unspeakably nefarious reasons. So I went to the store manager and pointed these miscreants out. The manager called the police. The police bopped the two criminals on the head with their nightsticks and threw them in the squad car. So I had done my good deed for the day. But sometimes we are called to do more. When I turned into the bread aisle I saw a white man with two young black girls. So he HAD to be a pedophile. Why else would they be calling him Daddy and asking for donuts. I couldn't let this stuff go down. Not on MY watch. So I tackled him and this time called the police myself.
And this sicko was hauled away just like the couple before him. I felt good about myself. My spidey sense was on the job, amplified by my bigotry, resentment and paranoia. What's that you say, that doesn't sound like me? Well you're right it doesn't. And it wasn't. Nevertheless there are some people in this country who still think exactly like that. And they aren't exactly shy about getting officials with guns and authority to follow up on their suspicions. Witness Virginia:

DC Breaking Local News Weather Sports FOX 5 WTTG

A Virginia couple was shocked to find a police officer in front of their home when they returned from running errands, but they were even more surprised by the reason for the cop's visit-- to question whether or not they were in fact their children's parents.

Joseph, a white man who didn't want his last name revealed, and his black wife Keana told Fox5DC that they were outraged after the policeman told them a security guard at their local Walmart had suspected Joseph of kidnapping his three young daughters."He asks us very sincerely, ‘Hey, I was sent here by Walmart security. I just need to make sure that the children that you have are your own,’” Joseph said.

"I was dumbfounded," Keana said. "I sat there for a minute and I thought, ‘Did he just ask us if these were our kids knowing what we went through to have our children?’The couple, who have been married for 10 years, have a four-year-old daughter and two-year-old twin girls. Joseph had taken the girls to a Walmart near their Prince William County home to cash a check and left after spending a short time in the parking lot. After speaking with the officer, they called the store demanding an explanation...

Now far be it from me to suggest that citizens not be vigilant about protecting children from pedophiles, kidnappers or other adults who would do them harm. But in order to have a suspicion and act on it I think both citizens and law enforcement ought to have a little more to go on besides the fact that two people or a group of people out and about in society are of apparently different races. What happened in Virginia, although it thankfully did not rise to the level of official police violence or arrest, was wrong. It was a hunch based on stereotypes about the way the world works. Although most people still date or marry within their race, increasing numbers do not. So it's obviously incorrect to assume that any adult accompanied by a child of a different race is some sort of deviant.

I don't know legally what exactly rises to probable cause or reasonable suspicion. I can say that if that had been me purely on principle I probably wouldn't have answered any questions from the police. This may have escalated to my disadvantage of course but I feel pretty strongly about avoiding unnecessary contact with the police or for that matter other government agencies. The ironic thing is that in the almost Kafkaesque system we've built around "protection of children", the parents may have done the right thing by speaking to the police because sometimes the police appear to be more bound by rules and protocol than child protection services. Child protection services may well have just stormed the house and removed the children first and asked questions later. So maybe all's well that ends well.

Still the same racial assumptions that started in someone's brain about seeing a white man with black (biracial) children are the exact same beliefs that I listed in the first paragraph that can rebound to people's disadvantage in several ways. Is that white man driving in the inner city at night coming home from work or is he looking to buy crack? Is that black youth walking in a nice neighborhood the son of a successful black attorney or is he a thug casing the area? Is that white woman in a SUV with a bunch of black teens a kidnap victim about to be raped or she is a suburban mom driving her son and some of his baseball team home from the game? Is that black young woman walking down the street trying to solicit sex or is she a teacher walking home late from student-teacher conferences?

We all definitely have biases and prejudices. There's no denying that. But we should try our best to rise above them. And before we stick our nose in someone else's business we ought to have a greater justification for interference than "well you and them just didn't look right together". I don't think bigotry is probable cause. It's ironic that it was a Virginia court case featuring a black woman and white man that the Supreme Court used to overturn anti-miscegenation laws.

Thoughts?

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Book Reviews-The State of Jones, Point of Impact, Bugs Bloodsuckers Bacteria

The State of Jones
by Sally Jenkins and John Stauffer

This is probably the best book I've read this year. I like to think of myself as a well read, historically knowledgeable man. But I was surprised and embarrassed that I had never heard of this story's hero, one Mr. Newton Knight. Well there's no shame in being ignorant but there is shame in staying so.
Newton Knight should be as well known as John Brown, perhaps even more so because unlike Brown he was from the South. Knight stood up and did the right thing at great personal risk. He led an anti-Confederacy insurrection in Mississippi for over two years. He was constantly hunted and nearly killed many times. But at the high point of his guerrilla war, his home of Jones County Mississippi was a very dangerous, virtual no-go area for Confederate soldiers, and especially for Confederate tax collectors. Knight maintained two families, one black and one white and had both blacks and whites fighting and working under his leadership. This was quite scandalous. For many Northerners the Civil War's goal was to preserve the Union. Ending slavery was a secondary consideration. For many Southerners keeping slavery and white supremacy were the war's principal aims. What's often overlooked is the story of Southerners who neither owned or wanted slaves and certainly didn't see the point of starting a war to defend slavery. Newton Knight was such a man. Although his grandfather and other relatives owned slaves neither Newton nor his father ever did. Before the war Newton and his parents were known for holding strong religious beliefs on the equality of all men. This was in Mississippi. As you might expect this didn't make Newton's immediate family too popular at secessionist barbecues. Nevertheless in Jones County, secession was a minority viewpoint. Until he died, Newton always claimed that Jones County had never technically seceded because the voters had selected a Union supporting candidate. But that delegate was either intimidated or bought off. He voted for secession.

Newton Knight

At war's start Newton Knight resisted enlistment. He finally volunteered with other residents from Jones County because by doing so they could serve together. His well known anti-slavery stance probably caused Confederate partisans to burn his home down. Getting a temporary discharge Knight went home where he killed his younger sister's abusive husband, a strongly pro-Confederate man. Returning to the army he ran increasingly afoul of harsh discipline. He despaired of the starvation rations (for enlisted men) and reports from home of violent and corrupt Confederate soldiers/tax officials. He finally deserted for good. He hid in the swamps and woods of Jones County, assisted by runaway slaves and various other desperadoes. By 1863 Knight had become the leader of Jones County "insurrectionists", mostly white men who swore Union allegiance. Armed only with shotguns, older muskets and terrain knowledge, they launched a pro-Union revolt. Eventually they received supplies from and shared intelligence with the Union Army. By war's end this force had become interracial. Knight also embarked upon a relationship with Rachel Knight, a woman previously owned by his extended family. Rachel Knight provided the group with food, medicine and most importantly information. She became Knight's common law wife, despite the fact that he was already married to a white woman, Serena Knight.

Rachel Knight

The book details a funny story of Confederate soldiers harassing a deserter's mother to tell them where her son and Knight were. They threatened her until she said "I told you I don't know where he is. But I can find out." With that she marched into her house and blew a warning on her horn. Within a minute the woods were alive with answering calls from other horns. The soldiers decided that discretion might be the better part of valor.
After the war Knight became a deputy US Marshal. He was able to requisition food and other supplies for his neighbors. For a brief shining moment he was a hero to almost everyone in Jones County. He was known to be a "fighting fool afeard of no man". For those slave owners who tried to keep blacks enslaved after the war, a grim word from Newton Knight was often enough to convince them otherwise. Knight had put a lot of men in the ground. At 6'4" and lightning quick with his hands, axe, knife or gun he was not a fellow to be taken lightly. Unfortunately times changed. Many of Knight's white neighbors and fellow soldiers, although they had been happy enough to take his food and protection during the war, now looked askance at his default (interracial) bigamy and stubborn insistence on black political, social and economic rights. For example Knight provided the capital and much of his own labor to build a school for the county's children. But when the school opened Knight's black children by Rachel were turned away while his white children with Serena were accepted. Shortly afterwards the school was burned down and I'll give you one guess as to who did it.

This book rips apart the persistent lie that the South fought for state's rights or against tariffs or anything else like that. The primary consideration was white or as the era's newspapers put it "Anglo-Saxon" supremacy. The Southern political leadership considered it an intolerable insult that blacks were voting, serving in office, attending theaters, and going to school. A persistent resistance to equality sprang up. It became more and more violent. After the horrific "compromise" of 1877 and the removal of federal troops from the South this brutality increased exponentially. Independent minded Blacks and any white supporters were often assassinated, chased out of Mississippi and in several instances lynched or massacred. Neither the black legislator nor the black couple trying to walk down the street were safe from the ugliest violence. Mississippi became a terror state and would remain so for the next nine decades.

Knight's bloody reputation meant that he was, with a few tragic exceptions, able to protect himself and his families. Knight was rejected by some of his white children. Any racial issues they may have had were no doubt intermingled with their anger about Knight's domestic situation. Knight withdrew from society and was rarely seen outside, even in his advanced years, without a shotgun or revolver.

Nevertheless some of Rachel's children from other men married some of Knight's children with Serena. Knight became so closely identified with blacks that a census described him as black. We don't know if that's what he told the census. We do know that some of his children with Rachel moved elsewhere and passed as white. This caused lawsuits in later years when jealous romantic rivals unearthed the grand children's past. Other of Rachel's children married black. Later their children and grandchildren were curious about the identity of the white man in family pictures. People lived hard back then. Folks would often remove their shoes and walk barefoot to church or school in order to avoid getting their shoes dirty. And stealing a man's horse or cow was grounds for a serious beating if not killing. Of course being Mississippi, just about everything was grounds for a killing. I haven't described half of the events here. If you're looking for a story of derring do, secret love, feuds, wars, close calls, tragedies, and political upheaval, please read this. It's just as interesting as any fantasy or sci-fi saga. But it's all true.

Point of Impact
by Stephen Hunter

This book was made into a passable movie, Shooter, starring Mark Wahlberg. But I thought the book was much better. It's much more complex. It combines action with mystery and intrigue. The author has an excellent knowledge of guns, gun culture and how bureaucracies work. I am only going to give a short review because there are just tons of spoilers I don't wish to discuss.

Bob Lee Swagger is an Arkansas native and Vietnam vet. He was the military's second best sniper. He comes across as a good old boy stereotype but he's a LOT smarter than he lets people know. Wounded in Vietnam and rather disgusted with the war, the lies and the killing, he lives alone after his divorce and doesn't take kindly to visitors.

But there's a secret organization that has plans for Bob Lee. They entice him with shared military backgrounds and the promise of patriotic actions that need his help to bring to fruition. From what Bob can tell they seem on the up and up, except for one man who he doesn't like. This group has evidence that there's going to be an assassination attempt on the President. But the best people at Secret Service and CIA can't seem to determine where the attack will come from. They need Swagger, one of the world's best snipers, to help them anticipate how an assassin would do it and arrange countermeasures. They lure Swagger in with the hint that they know the sniper who wounded Swagger in Vietnam and killed his best friend.

Of course the organization is not what it seems. In short time Swagger is accused of attempting to murder the President. All hands are raised against him. He's wounded and hunted across the US. His dog is killed. But as Bob Lee's ex-wife says "If Bob Lee Swagger took it in his mind to fire a bullet at the President of the United States, then the President of the United States would be a dead man, and not no Salvadoran archbishop. You're telling me Bob Swagger aimed at a man and missed and killed another man? Bob Lee Swagger never missed nothing he aimed at his whole life and that's the Pure-D truth".

Conspiracies unfold and retribution on a Biblical level follows. It's one thing to lie, set a man up for murder and try to kill him. But you kill his dog, you are asking for it. I loved this book. It's a murder mystery combined with revenge, action packed last stands and a detective procedural. It's also about a man who learns to let go of the past and love again. This book was long at just under 600 pages but it was definitely a page turner. You can't wait to see what happens next. This is first in a series.

Bugs, Bloodsuckers and Bacteria
by Peter Brookesmith

You definitely don't want to read this book if you have OCD or give it to someone who has OCD or otherwise suffers from serious contamination fears. Because as this book cheerfully makes abundantly and occasionally disgustingly clear, every human being on this planet is host to a number of other living creatures both inside us and on us. Most of these creatures mean us no harm. Some of them are even necessary for our existence. Others are irritating, malignant or even lethal in the right circumstances. I was amazed at the pictures here of the human body and the creatures which inhabit it. A few of the creatures I would have rather not known about to be honest. The pictures were all taken via electron microscope and magnified immensely so that we could get a good look.

The book is not just concerned with human parasites or bacteria but takes a rather too close (ha-ha) look at many of the other entities which reside on human pets such as cats or dogs or in even odder environments. After reading this book I swear that I wanted to throw out all of my bedding and carpet and start living in a hazmat suit but that wouldn't have any effect on things that live inside me of course. This is the human condition, good bad or ugly. And there's a reason we have immune systems and soap.

Almost unavoidably this book is not just about the entities that share our bodies with us but also about our bodies and the history of our planet. Bacteria were the first living things on this planet and remained so for almost 2 billion years. "Our" mitochondria are not us. They have their own RNA, DNA and reproduce differently. They appear to have descended from bacteria. And yet without them we could neither eat not breathe. Other bacteria are just fine in specific areas of the body. But if they should somehow get elsewhere, or God forbid into the bloodstream, the human so afflicted will have some deadly problems indeed. Examples include S. Aureus, Ent. faecalis, and of course E.coli. Other bacteria are briefly discussed, including the infamous Cl. botulinum, which is so horribly deadly that just two teaspoons would kill about 6 billion people. This bacteria can be found in soil or in improperly canned food.

Did you wash your pillows and bedding this week? I hope so. That's how you can keep your personal menagerie of dust mites, Dermatophagoides pteronyssimus, under control. They consume the dead skin that your body is constantly flaking off. They are especially active at night and love your pillow. Your head is the source of their heat and moisture. Even a frequently washed pillow may contain 10,000 of the little buggers and their eggs and droppings. I suppose that someone watching you through a microscope at night would see your body and head covered in a swarm of mites. Each of us is a real life horror movie every time we sleep. I learn new things every day.

Many of the more dangerous parasites or bacteria can be avoided by adhering religiously to high standards of personal hygiene and ensuring the provisions of clean food, clean drinking water and working sewage systems. This is definitely an area where there is a right way and wrong way of doing things. Some cultures get this right. Others, not so much. These creatures will always be with us. If a bacterium could express a point of view it might remind us that it was here first and may well be here after humans are gone. This was a fascinating if occasionally disturbing book. Now if you'll excuse me I need to go throw out my bedding and take a bleach shower...

Monday, May 20, 2013

HBO Game of Thrones Recap: Second Sons

The previous two episodes were heavy on setup and exposition. After Sunday's show there are only two episodes remaining. The first few installments set viewership records for the show, last week's show not so much. There were murmurs across the net that the show runners were making too many changes from the books. I deliberately don't like talking about the books here because (1) I don't want to give spoilers-see warning below, (2) I don't want to be the smug condescending arrogant jerk who compares everything to the books and (3) the show and books are significantly different and ought to be enjoyed and understood separately. I have been surprised by some things and disappointed by others just as people who haven't read the books have been. I love the books but Benioff's and Weiss' creation stands on its own. So all that aside what happened in Sunday's episode? Was it another snoozefest intermittently interrupted by torture? Well maybe. There was only minor torture this week. We spent a lot of time in King's Landing.

We open up with Arya grabbing a big rock and considering the proper way to smash the sleeping Hound's head in. But The Hound wasn't sleeping and coolly advises Arya that if she wants to kill him she had better do it right the first time otherwise he'll break both her arms. Charming fellow that Hound. Arya thinks she's being taken back to King's Landing but The Hound profanely informs her that he's taking her to The Twins, The Frey stronghold, for the wedding between Roslin Frey and Edmure Tully. The Hound intends to ransom Arya back to her brother and mother.

Outside of Yunkai Barristan sneers at the arrival of the Second Sons mercenary band. They have been hired to fight by Yunkai. Daenerys invites their leader to consider switching sides. Their leader, Mero and his second think that switching sides is bad for business. Mero is a lusty and openly misogynist thug who won't stop drooling over and insulting Daenerys in the crudest of terms. He must have missed the object lesson a few weeks back. The third mercenary officer, Daario, is a bit more polite and philosophical. He wants to know what's in it for the Second Sons. Daenerys gives her spiel about retaking Westeros. The mercenaries point out that she doesn't actually have ships or quite as many Unsullied as she claims. And anyway Mero would rather rape her. Yes he is just that crude. Later back in their camp Daario subtly mocks Mero for cavorting with prostitutes. Daario would prefer to be with women who are completely willing, neither rape victims nor prostitutes. Mero could care less. Daario gets the assignment to assassinate Daenerys. He infiltrates Daenerys' private tent but reveals that he killed his two leaders instead and now rules the Second Sons. He pledges to serve Daenerys. There are rather obviously some other things he would like to do to/for/with Daenerys.

Melisandre (cleavage alert!) and Gendry reach Dragonstone where Stannis stops sulking long enough to confirm that Gendry is Robert's son. Melisandre sends Gendry away to eat and relax. Stannis wants to know what Melisandre intends to do to Gendry and she tells him that's a stupid question. In the night's best scene, Stannis visits Davos. He stumbles over what was for him a heartfelt statement of sympathy about Davos' son's death. Using Davos as a sounding board Stannis tells Davos about Melisandre's plans for Gendry. Obviously Davos is opposed. Stannis is torn between the right thing to do and the easy thing to do. He uses a utilitarian argument to try to justify Melisandre's plans to himself. Stannis agrees to release Davos. He never uses the words "I'm sorry" but he doesn't have to does he?

These utilitarian arguments resonate throughout history and even today. When confronted with evidence that US sanctions against Iraq had contributed to the deaths of 500,000 children, former Secretary of State Madeline Albright famously opined that "we think the price is worth it". Well Albright and Melisandre might worship the same god as Melisandre is also a strongly utilitarian type. I strongly doubt however that Albright ever got a confused boy a little buzzed on wine, stripped naked and started playing hide the kielbasa. Because that's what Melisandre does to Gendry. That is right before she stops the sex, ties Gendry down and uses three leeches to draw blood from him. Evidently she wanted to kill him but Davos objected. Davos and Stannis enter the bedchamber. Davos watches grimly as Stannis intones the names of his enemies and throws the leeches into the fire. On one hand Gendry didn't get to finish what Melisandre started, which must be rather irritating. On the other hand he still has his life and his package, so there's that.

In King's Landing the wedding between Tyrion and Sansa proceeds. Reeking of insincerity Margaery tells Cersei that they will be sisters. Cersei takes the opportunity to remind Margaery of what happened to the Reynes of Castemere, another upstart family (like the Tyrells) who threatened Lannister dominance. As I wrote before, Tywin took this very badly. Cersei promises the same to Margaery should Margaery presume to call her sister again. Looking for every opportunity to mock Tyrion and frighten Sansa, Joffrey insists he will give Sansa away since her father can't and removes the stool that the height challenged Tyrion had planned to use to put a Lannister cloak onto Sansa.

The reception is something of a farce. Loras is obviously miserable. Cersei is mighty buzzed and upset herself. Tyrion is completely and totally drunk, so much so that Tywin doubts he'll be able to do his marital duties. Tyrion no longer cares about that. Joffrey smirks to Sansa that he will rape her as it doesn't matter to him which Lannister impregnates her. Joffrey then wants to start the bedding ceremony. In this marriage ritual the male guests undress the bride and escort her to the bed chamber while the female guests do the same for the groom. Tyrion refuses and says there will be no bedding ceremony.

When Joffrey insists Tyrion again says no and stabs the table for emphasis, threatening to cut off Joffrey's manhood. Threatening the king is a capital offense but Tywin defuses the situation. In the bedchamber with Sansa Tyrion has an attack of conscience or disgust when he takes in Sansa's youth and obvious revulsion towards him. He says he will not have sex with Sansa unless she wants to. And as far as Sansa is concerned she will never want to. Next morning Shae sees that the sheets have no virgin blood and appears somewhat surprised and pleased.

Sam and Gilly find an abandoned cabin near a heart tree where Sam again shows that he is completely useless around the house. Obviously he neither paid attention to all the outdoorsy manly man things his father tried to teach him nor took any classes at Home Depot. Gilly has to make the fire. Gilly is also quite sensitive about Sam thinking she's stupid. Well if your father is also your grandfather and your mother is your sister I can see why folks might assume your brains are a little scrambled. But Sam means no harm. If you recall earlier Sam found a cache of obsidian weapons. I mentioned then that those would come in handy. And they do. When the ravens make a ruckus outside, Sam goes to see what the issue is. And it's not just a few ravens either. It's hundreds. A White Walker comes out of the woods. It shatters Sam's sword by freezing it. It wants Gilly's baby. In desperation Sam grabs the obsidian spearhead and stabs the White Walker. It turns out that White Walkers have the same reaction to obsidian as vampires do to sunlight. Rock on with your bad self Sam!

What I liked:

Gleeson continues to bring Joffrey to life in all his maliciousness. The kid is pure evil. Whether in great things or small, he just really enjoys terrorizing people. To kill someone's father and then say he will give them away at the altar is beyond malevolent.
Sansa finding the courage to say no and Tyrion finding a conscience. This could be important as we all know that a marriage that is unconsummated is not really a marriage.
Melisandre's scene with Gendry (for the obvious reasons heh-heh but also because it shows us that Stannis still has a conscience)
The arranged marriage situation. Although Sansa's example is extreme, being forced to marry into the family that defenestrated her brother, murdered her father and friends, and is attempting to defeat her brother, it's not unheard of. Marriage for romantic love and making individual choices on marriage are quite modern inventions as is marrying late. Old enough to bleed, old enough to breed is not just a saying. It's a way of life. We can see that no one is happy but their happiness is not as important as inheritances and alliances.
Daenerys being nude in front of Daario. It shows she's not afraid of him but also that there might be mutual attraction. Jorah if I were you I'd get rid of this pretty boy right now. Wait and it might be too late.