Dr. X's Free Associations

Thursday

Comments on three movies:

10 Cloverfield Lane: John Goodman, a paranoid prepper with a pedophilic streak, kidnaps a young woman to save her from an apocalyptic event, which may or may not have occurred. She doesn't know if it really happened because she's locked in his basement bunker. Good until the last part, which was utterly ridiculous.

Eye in the Sky: To drone kill or not to drone kill, that is the question for almost the entire film. Terrorists with suicide vests are in a house, a cute little girl just outside selling bread, a British colonel (Helen Mirren) who is certain that the missile must be fired, cowardly British pols, pols with moral qualms, and morally tormented American drone pilots who will pull the trigger. Against the critical tide, I found it tedious and obvious.

The Clan: An Argentine production ripped from the headlines. An intelligence officer who kidnapped and killed for the military government during the Dirty War takes up private kidnapping for profit after democratic government is restored. He pulls his family in, and things go badly for everyone. A good one. Saw it twice. See it if you get the chance.

Hail, Caesar! Saw this Coen Brothers satirical comedy twice for an upcoming film group meeting. Funnyish, a bit too meandering, takes shots at old Hollywood, politics and religion, all on target, in my opinion. I was restless through the first viewing, but enjoyed it more the second time around. This is not a movie I'd see for a third time, even though I could probably take a few more notes for film group.

Change of subject to testing mattresses. This is the most comfortable mattress ever. Heaven.

With the riser, it can go flat or raise head and feet to desired positions. Incredibly soft yet firm and supportive at the same time. Has a vibrating feature that beats the hell out of those old motel vibrators.

Photo of the Day

St. Patrick's Day, Underground Chicago

Phone shot, this morning on the CTA Red Line

Around Town

Above: Costco. Below: Bittersweet Cafe, Lakeview neighborhood, Chicago

Offered without comment

Dissertation abstract:

This thesis investigates the nature of children’s experience of solitude in the natural world (Magic Spots), during an earth education programme called EarthkeepersTM over a period of ten years at Ringsfield EcoCentre, Suffolk. It explores the practice of stretching metaxic space, that is the creative space inbetween one and another, to enable children to begin a way of learning which in turn will facilitate ways of being, or better, ways of becoming which can befriend the planet and not destroy it. The thesis is also the story of my own process required by the exploration. I have told this story through the lenses of hermeneutic-phenomenology and autoethnography while developing a diacritical hermeneutic of my own life and spiritual journey, which includes multiple ‘horizons’, in order to interpret the children’s responses. Finding the notion of the hermeneutical circle inadequate I have developed a dialectical hermeneutical, resonating and oscillating spiral, which demonstrates that in metaxic space children can be active agents in their own discovery and creation of self and meaning. Just like the developing children themselves, the process, the opportunities, and the space for the process are fragile and precious. It is easy to damage the spiral, thus the thesis also explores some implications for adults’ relationship with children. ‘…and…’ produces not conclusions but restless anticipations which are a contribution to the articulation of metaxic space in which children negotiate some meanings which have an adequate fit for a new way of being or way of becoming which suggest new directions for relationships with self, Others, the more-thanhuman- community and the cosmos.

Keywords children, metaxic space, dialectic hermeneutics, hermeneutic spiral, relational consciousness, parenthesis, earth education, clowns.

Two Northwestern Students Did Serious Damage To Their Futures

Chicago Tribune:

A Cook County judge on Saturday lashed out at two Northwestern University freshmen accused of spray-painting racist and homophobic messages along with the name of Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump inside a nondenominational chapel on the university's campus....

Once inside the chapel, the pair spray-painted an expletive and a slur against African-Americans with a swastika on the chapel hallway, Assistant Cook County State's Attorney Brooke Shupe told the court. In a separate area, they spray-painted a derogatory word for homosexuals on a wall, along with lines spray-painted over photos of Muslim students.

The young men also spray-painted penises in several places around the church, including on a piano in the chapel, above the word “God” in a hallway, and in a stairwell where they also painted the word “Trump,” authorities said, Shupe said.

My guess is they aren't really Trump fans. More likely, it was a ham-handed effort to make it appear that a Trump supporter caused the damage. It's a beautiful chapel and whatever the motivation, it was disgraceful behavior.

Trump cancels Chicago rally because of security concerns

This is a live broadcast from UIC. I think a shutdown of a Trump rally was inevitable. Trump has been egging on his supporters, encouraging violence. His denial of his provocation is bullshit. He's repeatedly encouraged and supported violence, and his supporters have responded. Sooner or later, protesters were going to  turn out in great numbers. It happened in St. Louis today, and now in Chicago. Frankly, I don't give a damn if he's shut down. This isn't about free speech. This is about a man who has been provoking violence to serve his selfish political ends.

Updates:

Trump says police advised him to shut down. Police say not true.

Chicago PD Supt: we had no role in cancelling Trump event and no one consulted us. Had adequate resources there. pic.twitter.com/mFe3QOtKdo

— Blake McCoy (@BlakeNBC) March 12, 2016

As more information emerges, it's beginning to look like Trump just didn't like the optics of a massive protest at his rally. He'd never admit that publicly, so looks like he blamed the police for shutting him down.

Here's are some Trump provocation highlights for those who've missed them.

Here's a Trump supporter outside the UIC rally last night? Did anyone beat her or did the government shut down her First Amendment right to free expression?

I was outside the canceled Trump event reporting, and this @ejwamb photo is the scariest thing I saw all night. pic.twitter.com/k5BGMqmJ6B

— Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) March 12, 2016

Inside the Chicago rally, this may be what Trump didn't want America to see.

trump rally turns into impromptu anti-trump party in chicago pic.twitter.com/zgol5QVjY5

— Sujay Kumar (@Sujay721) March 12, 2016

Or perhaps the pushback was getting a little too strong for violent grandpas to suppress.

78-year-old Trump rally attendee charged after punching Black Lives protester in the face https://t.co/M3hCUcTmO6 pic.twitter.com/lsHW4EfXs2

— WTVR CBS 6 Richmond (@CBS6) March 10, 2016

I think Trump is in a bit of a bind. On the one hand, his typical response to pushback is to defend himself with more provocative rhetoric. On the other hand, he'd begun to tack toward the middle, so inflaming the worst of his supporters might be a tactical mistake. We'll see. I believe he's in Dayton next.