Noi Mahoney

Hell to Pay

I just finished reading Hell to Pay by George Pelecanos. It's a detective novel set in Washington D.C. featuring Derek Strange. It was good.
"Don't look down on a man unless you ready to help him up" reads the inscription at the beginning of the novel

I would go into the details of the plot. But overall its about the meanness of the streets, the tragedies we have to live through and the loved ones who can help us if we let them. A recurring theme throughout the book is

"protect your brother."

I lived in the DC area for about five years. Pelecanos does a good job of capturing the streets and neighborhoods of DC. Washington is one of the most unique cities in the world.
Pelecanos has written 14 novels, screenplays and TV shows. He's a writer for HBO's critically acclaimed "The Wire." He also has something to say about dog fighting.

West Side haven

Roy Bragg over at the Express News blogs about Guadalupe Street Coffee, a true haven amid the sometimes troubled but irreplaceable West Side.

Guadalupe Street's eight staffers build relationships with the kids and act as sounding boards, said manager Alejandro Gonzalez. They use a secret technique involving kindness and respect to treat the teens well and the teens return the favor — the place doesn't get tagged and there isn't any trouble inside the building.

Some work with Maria Fernandez, who both tutors kids in academics and coaches them in the art of getting into college. It's a very informal atmosphere, but once a kid signs on, the intensity is ratcheted up. Fernandez is looking to hit a home run with every kid.

The eight Internet-connected computers, donated by CPS Energy, are the only Web access for many, said barista Martin Olivares, given their poverty and the distance to the nearest public library. In fact, Guadalupe Street has better and more computers than many SAPL branches.

The coffeehouse also loans out its back room for community organizations to meet, Gonzalez said. Even this has a secondary purpose, Galvan said — the teens see positive role models of their community gathering to make everyone's life better.

The place has been a success, Everett said. His business plan called for 20 kids a day at the coffee-house by the end of the first year. It was averaging 40 kids a day by the end of the first month.

"We had no idea, Everett said, "how well this would be received here."

(Photo by Roy Bragg)

Michael Haneke on American media

“Political manipulation is rampant in the American media,” Haneke told me over lunch in downtown Manhattan last winter.

“It’s present in the movies too, of course. It’s everywhere. I teach filmmaking in Vienna, and I like to show my students ‘Triumph of the Will,’ by Leni Riefenstahl, then something by Sergei Eisenstein — ‘Battleship Potemkin,’ for example — and then ‘Air Force One,’ the movie in which Harrison Ford plays the U.S. president. Each of these films has a distinct political agenda, but all make use of exactly the same techniques, all have a common goal — the total manipulation of the viewer. What’s terrible about the Harrison Ford film, though, especially terrible, is that it represents itself as simple entertainment. The audience doesn’t realize there’s a message hidden there.” Haneke sat back and shook his head gravely. (From the Sunday New York Times Magazine on Sept. 23)

Michael Haneke is an Austrian filmmaker probably best known for his movie "The Piano Teacher."

99 Pink ballons!

Well, more like a dozen pink balloons. Some of my co-workers decided to "decorate" my desk with pink balloons. I am not sure if they are trying to tell me something. They said they are just trying to cheer me up.

I didn't realize I seemed that depressed. I don't kill myself at work, or get stressed out the way I used too. I used to get to work at 8 a.m. and stay until 8 p.m. I didn't talk to anyone, didn't go out to lunch or anything.

As a result, I became very "burned out" during my second newspaper job. I got so burned out, I quit. It took me a while to learn to take it easy. Now, I have adopted the Thai slogan "Mai Bpen Rai." It means, "never mind," or "that is allright," or "you are welcome."

Mai Bpen Rai.

Hispanic heritage through the lens

San Antonio Public Library Central Gallery has a new photo retrospective called "More Than An Instant, A Look," by Mexico City photographer Arturo Betancourt. The photos explore changes and traditions in Mexican society. The exhibit, which runs through Oct. 20, is part of Hispanic Heritage Month.

Genocide in modern times

I have been reading Samantha Power's Pulitzer Prize winning book, A Problem from Hell. The book details many recent genocides that the U.S. and European governments have ignored in recent decades, such as Bosnia, Cambodia and Rwanda.
It's very grim, but also leaves you very angry. I don't know what the solution is. But doing nothing while people are being slaughtered around the world is wrong.

China's day without cars

Imagine a day with no cars, no loud traffic and no exhaust fumes to choke on. For some people, that sounds like heaven. For people who "love" their rides, it's a nghtmare. But give it to China. They plan to ban cars from streets in 108 cities in its first ``No Car Day'' on Saturday, part of an effort to promote environmental protection and ease congestion in the world's second-largest auto market. (Photo is from a New York Times article on China traffic problems)

Thailand plane crash

This weekend's plane crash in Phuket, Thailand has been all over the news. The Lost Boy Blogger, who actually works for Phuket newspaper, writes about it elegantly here.
I was in Thailand in May and June for several weeks. I took a plane from Bangkok to the island of Koh Samui. I flew on a One2Go flight, which was the airliner that crashed over the weekend. My heart goes out to the families.

Chemical cleanup continues at former base

U.S. Air Force officials have recently submitted the final plan to the state to clean up underground chemicals at the former Kelly Air Force Base, now known as Port San Antonio. The $500 million cleanup could be completed in 10 to 15 years, said officials.
South Side residents and activists who have reviewed cleanup plans said it does not go far enough. Read it here.

“There are things about the plan that we do support, like excavating soil,” said Lara Cushing, Environmental Justice Coordinator for the Southwest Workers’ Union. “But some of the contamination is not being addressed.”

Picture is the Southwest Workers Union's Genaro Lopez Rendon (right) talks with Port San Antonio Marketing Director Stephanie Ramsey at the Port’s railport opening on April 5. Lopez and others were protesting the port’s health and safety impact on area residents. Photo by Richard Erickson

ABC News fabricator

An ABC News "consultant" named Alex Debat fabricated interviews with everyone from Barack Obama to Alan Greenspan over the past two years. Debat was high ranking consultant who regularly appeared on ABC News and all its news shows. He also apparently faked "scoops" such as the one that Iran would have a nuclear bomb by 2009. Another black-eye for American media.

"Politics is the entertainment branch of big industry." - Frank Zappa