Opinion8ed Issue #6
First Posted: August 9, 2009
Welcome to Opinion8ed, Issue #6. With the arrival of summer and continued busyness
at the day job (and not for the lack of interesting stuff to write about) this issue was a little slower in arrival than its
predecessors. I'm sure you were all holding your breath in anticipation... This issue features a potpouri
of film, music, and book reviews plus an exclusive interview. Specifically, you'll find:
- A review of the 14th Annual Stony Brook Film Festival and a snapshot of the Good, the Great, and the Ugly. This marathon event included 37 feature length and short films over
10 days, of which I managed to see just over half and even that was a challenge. Of those I saw, there were many highlights
and just a few duds. Just like the bonus stuff they include with DVDs these days, the after film discussions with principals
from the films is a nice touch that provided some interesting insights to what goes on behind the scenes in many of the
films.
- The Nuremberg Legacy is a very well written first-hand account that describes the background of the trials, the experience of sitting in the court
room as the drama unfolded, and the continued significance of the most famous legal proceedings in history. I was
fortunate enough to have the opportunity to talk with author, and an exclusive Interview with Norbert Ehrenfreund follows the article.
- I got a chance to see jazz guitarist Frank Vignola in concert recently. I confess right up front that 1) I am not a jazz afficiando and 2) I never heard of him before.
Nevertheless you can't help being impressed by his playing which is technically brilliant and very accessbile. I've
included three videos of Vignola playing with several different band configurations, so be sure to stop by and listen to those
and let me know what you think.
We saw Julie and Julia last night (well worth seeing) and without giving away too much, would be writer
Julie Powell publishes a daily blog about her personal challenge to cook all of the recipes in Mastering the Art of French
Cooking in just one year. One theme that hit home was her relationship with readers of the blog, reminding me of
the expression, If a blog is published in the forest where no one has wireless internet, was it ever written
in the first place?
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- I continue to post Letters to the Editor as they arrive so this page is
a mix of new and older content. Please check these out and send me some of your own thoughts and reactions to Opinion8ed
in general or Issue #6 in particular.
- As I've been saying, I plan to keep existing pages in tact and just layer on new stuff as the spirit grabs
me - that way the older pages will be available for newcomers (at least until we run out of available space which is
not that far off and/or until they begin to smell)... but this page will be updated whenever new content appears (hence the
name, What's New). If you web surf onto the site, stop here first: if you don't find anything new, move on. Otherwise
this will be your channel guide to what you haven't seen yet. I'll also try to order the pages with the newest ones
first so in general start at the top of the menu bar and work your way down.
Ciao, Happy reading.
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