Critical Mass Is A Mess

Like the whole month, this week vanishes quickly. Even the daylight saving time is going to be over tomorrow night. It’s about time. I have been waking up when it’s not as bright as it used to be. I am ready for the winter to come, when it’s dark and raining outside, warm and cozy inside the apartment. But right now, I just sit back and enjoy the blue sky and green bay. It has not been a good week for the Bay. The Bay Bridge falls apart first, and it’s still closed. Then oil spills into the Bay. Our mayor quits running for the governor. What else is gonna happen? Speaking of governor, there is something in politics in California that provides a comic relief. Assemblyman Tom Ammiano from San Francisco yelled at the governor: "Kiss my gay ass!" However, Arnold didn’t quite kiss his ass, he "fucked" it. He vetoed a bill that Tom Ammiano wrote and in his veto letter, "I fuck you" is imbedded in the first column. That’s pretty funny. In respond, San Francisco Chronicle hides a message "Grow Up GirlIE man" in its Editorial piece. That’s just so lame. It’s not as direct, effective, and informative as "I fuck you." Plus, it’s a shame for a newspaper to mess up its copyedit. In the spirit of Halloween, on Monday night I joined the Ghost Walk At City Hall. http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf It was entertaining and fun, but of course, I don’t believe a word the host was saying, holding a "Book of the Dead." I don’t believe in ghosts, nor God. Next week is the election day, which is a boring one. Just a few measures on the ballots, so I mailed in my ballot long time ago. A: Budget Process YES. Whatever might improve this mess, do it. B: Board of Supervisors Aides NO. The city hall is already bloated, they want to hire more aids? Hell no! C: Candlestick Park Naming Rights YES. If you can make some money for the city by naming a park that nobody goes (I don’t go), why not? D: Mid-Market Special Sign District YES. It’s a ghetto full of homeless and drug addicts, so if they want to make it another Time Square, great! E: Advertisements on City Property NO. I know it’s kinda contradict to D, but we don’t want every street corner to be like a NASCAR. I already said, it’s a boring election. But, I voted! I believe every single vote counts, and I won’t waste my power. That makes me wonder how I will vote next time when it comes to issues related to the bicycles. I was annoyed by Critical Mass today. They not only provoke drivers on the streets, they also block buses deliberately. WTF? I have been a supporter for cyclers, and I don’t drive a car to fight roads with them. But, when they purposely block a bus, that’s turning their backs to their allies and turning their friends into their enemies. They lost my sympathy and support, right there. I will no longer support their causes because of their stupidity. They ask for it. However, I won’t be violent as Bronson. Bronson Fame has become such a hot commodity for some people that they are willing to go extra miles to be in the spot light. Remember the hoax about the 6-year-old boy flying away in a balloon a few weeks ago? However, how to explain the phenomenon if the fame does not involved appearing in talk shows but staying in a prison cell? That famed person is Charles Bronson, the most famous and violent prisoner in Britain. Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn‘s operatic film "Bronson" (UK 2008 | 92 min.) might not provide answers to the question why Bronson behaves so violently through out his life, but it certainly presents a truly fascinating and deeply troubled individual, brilliantly (not British usage for this word) played by Tom Hardy. The film begins with Bronson’s fights with classmates at school. Before the "Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves" finishes playing in the background, Bronson grows up into a young man (Tom Hardy) and is sentenced to seven years in prison for armed robbery of only £26.18 at a post office. His forgiving mother comforts him: "Don’t worry son, you’ll be out in four." That’s not quite the way it turns out. After almost 35 years and a few hostage taking episodes in prison, Bronson is still in prison up to this moment, mostly in solitary confinement. In between jail cells, he is only freed twice, for 68 days and 53 days respectively, before being sent back to jail. In most scenes in the film, he is extremely violent and fighting with anybody in his sight. During rest of the time, he makes art. Who exactly is Bronson? What’s in his head that makes him acts violently and peculiarly? Nobody seems to know. For any sane mind, certainly fame is not a plausible motivation for Bronson’s behavior, although he has certainly achieved that status. Bronson has a personality that his body is too small to hold, and he must explode whenever he is with another human being. Perhaps that is also his unique way to express himself and his art. You might have different interpretations about Bronson, but everyone can certainly agreen on one thing—you are fortunate to learn about him through a film, not in person. And, he indeed is somebody that you cannot forget easily. "Bronson" opens on Friday, Oct 30, 2009 at Bay Area theaters.