Inspired by a true story, director/co-writer Robert Zemeckis’ Welcome to Marwen is about how a hate crime perpetrated against real life Mark Hoagancamp (Steve Carell) affects the illustrator. Suffering partial amnesia and no longer able to draw, Hoagancamp creates a miniature World War II Belgian village he names “Marwen” peopled by dolls, which he proceeds to photograph. The film has LGBTQ, PTSD, anti-Nazi and art therapy themes.

In 2010 Jeff Malmberg directed the documentary Marwencol (see: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1391092/videoplayer/vi3220441369?ref_=tt_pv_vi_aiv_1) about Hoagancamp’s saga which was very well-received and motivated Zemeckis to shoot a feature about this subject matter which is, at times, rather grim and gripping. How was Zemeckis going to give Malmberg’s 83 minute nonfiction film and Hoagancamp’s traumatic tale the Hollywood treatment?

Attending the plucky Avi Avital’s rapturous rendition of Venetian composer Antonio Vivaldi’s 1725 “The Four Seasons” was my first time hearing Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and being inside of Zipper Concert Hall at 200 S. Grand Avenue in Downtown L.A. The 406 seat, wood- lined sonic sanctuary features large, disc-like lights floating over the stage, resembling flying saucers. This was apropos for at times the music emanating from LACO and its guest soloist had an ethereal, unearthly character.

But before Avital took the stage, lengthy announcements were made lauding the late patron of the arts Hanna M. Kennedy, then two Vivaldi Concertos for Two Violins - one in G minor, the other in A minor - were played. The former featured violinists Josefina Vergara and Sarah Thornblade, while in the latter Margaret Batjer and Tereza Stanislav engaged in spirited string slinging, dueling with one another. Both Vivaldi concertos, which took about nine minutes and then thirteen minutes to complete, were expertly executed. Actually eyeballing the bow slingers Batjer and Stanislav face off against one another was fun and interesting to observe.

When it comes to going incognito online and spouting-off on how you really feel about African-Americans, immigrants, leftists and poor people, the unhinged Right Wing have embraced this ability with unabashed love.

The problem for them is, they sometimes get caught. They are disgraced and lose their job. And if a Columbus Division of Police officer from the under-siege Vice unit is posting on a local progressive-minded activist group’s Facebook page that Columbus sex workers are better off dead, then the FBI needs to investigate.

Everyone knows the story of Donna Dalton, the young mother who was shot 8 times in August by Columbus Vice undercover officer Andrew Mitchell, who was already under investigation by internal affairs.

Public outrage and speculation against Mitchell erupted, and Columbus Police Chief Kim Jacobs suspended him. Citing the Vice unit’s arrest of porn-actress and Trump liaison Stormy Daniels earlier that summer, Chief Jacobs then suspended all Vice operations. Jacobs subsequently transferred the ongoing Vice investigation to the FBI.

Fri, Dec 21, 7pm
Summit on 16th United Methodist Church, 82 E. 16th Ave.
Music, Dances of Universal Peace, meditation, and drumming. Elizabeth (Munira) Reed, Ph.D., ereed@shalemcenter.org. summitumc.org.

U.S. President Donald Trump has announced his intention to remove all U.S. troops from Syria.

If that happens it will fulfill part of the demand that World BEYOND War has been making since Trump promised nine months ago to get “out” of Syria “like very soon.”

Removing troops from the ground — all of them, not just some — and ceasing base construction, if it happens, will be a start.

Even more important is ceasing to bomb from above.

In addition, alternative approaches need to be launched, including unarmed peaceworkers, a weapons ban for the region, a disarmament program, major actual humanitarian aid (and an end to sanctions that harm ordinary people), and diplomacy.

The fact that politicians and the parties they belong to generally do more harm than good is simply no reason not to encourage the good and discourage the bad.

Opposition to this withdrawal of troops is coming from a variety of disturbing quarters for a range of unconvincing reasons.