Read Our Minds

“On Writing” By Stephen King

Family, friends and colleagues know that my retirement plans include writing novels. (My wife enjoys my writing so much that she wants me to quit now and start living the life of the creative mind. But I have explained that, despite her romantic desire to support a struggling author, I don’t expect to tire of strategic business communications for at least another decade.) Close friends also know I am a raving fan of Stephen King, the geeky troublemaker of a kid who transformed his macabre fantasies into millions of dollars as a horror-fiction novelist.

Given the two facts above, I felt I had better read his best-selling memoir “On Writing.”

I didn’t approach the book on bended knee, as one might expect of a long-time fan. Rather, I expected to be bored. Take a master out of his work shop and watch him flail, I thought. I had read his much earlier non-fiction work “Danse Macabre” and was not impressed – or interested. I remember only one piece of advice for aspiring writers from that book, and it actually didn’t come from him. It came from some other author, whose name escapes me now. The gist was that writing fiction was like driving 60 miles-per-hour down a winding road in fog at night with your headlights off. In other words, if you’re not comfortable without a fully articulated plan and a guarantee of survival, then don’t get behind the wheel.

In “On Writing” King tells some wonderful stories of his youth, which really make the book worth the time for any fan. I was shocked that I didn’t know that he had battled alcoholism and cocaine addiction. Sure explains a lot. But to tell the truth, nothing else surprised me. I felt as though I knew what was coming on the next page most of the time. Especially when he digs into the writing tips section. He tells us – just as every one of my writing teachers since high school did – to read “Elements of Style” by Strunk & White. (I’ll make a confession here: I deliberately never read that book just because I was supposed to do it. Well, I suppose that’s entirely accurate. I skimmed it.) King also tells us that good writers read voraciously (Whoops! He says good writers avoid adverbs) good writers heed grammar and punctuation, they write every day, they are rebels at heart…. zzzzz… Oh, sorry.

Don’t get me wrong. I still love Stephen King. And I enjoyed the book. Maybe I was restless because I have read so much of his work that very little he wrote inspired an epiphany for me. In fact, he probably spoiled it for me by giving me so many insights into the writer’s profession in his novels. For example, I know that professional authors work to make money – not because they are dedicated to their art – and sometimes they do average work. Not that this is a sin in my opinion, as professional communications strategists work to make money, too. But perhaps I couldn’t shake the feeling that King knew all along that whatever he wrote with the title “On Writing” on the cover would hit the best-seller list and make millions. He really didn’t seem to be working very hard. Unlike his greatest novels, he just couldn’t hook me, make me stay up too late night after night wondering – and truly worrying – what would happen next.

Still, at the risk of sounding like a hypocrite, I will add my voice to the chorus of other critics. If you aspire to writing, King’s “On Writing” is required reading – if only to assure yourself that you are on the right foggy road with your headlamps turned off. And OK, I’ll admit that he did inspire me to step on the gas.

--Reviewed by Bob Dirkes

Year One

Wow. Here was a movie I was looking forward to for a couple of months -- ever since I'd seen the first trailer for it. It looked to be hilarious. It had Jack Black in it, along with Michael Cera who's a master at playing nerdy, lacking in self confidence, put-upon characters. It was directed by Harold Ramis, who's given us such classics as Groundhog Day, Stripes and Ghostbusters. What could possibly be better?

The answer? This movie. I'm sorry but it was just lame. All the best jokes were in the trailer, and at a better pace. It had a feeling like it wasn't quite finished -- as if the person whose job it was to take half-baked material and really make it shine didn't show up for work while the film was being shot and edited. In short, it just didn't hold together.

I've seen this before with historical comedies. Mel Brooks' History of the World Part One had a similar issue. It seemed like it should have been funnier, but it wasn't. Of course, that movie was more a series of sketches than a single story. At least HOTWPO had some memorable lines, though. "It's good to be the king" is still true. Year One is completely forgettable.

The basic plot has Black and Cera being kicked out of their caveman tribe. So they begin to wander the countryside where they meet an assortment of Biblical characters, including Cain and Abel, Joseph and Issac, and the good people of Sodom. It's a sort of mashup of historical references that allows Ramis and co-writers Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg to reel off some Jewish jokes. And not real goods ones, with the exception of Ramis (as Adam) describing his people as being the Chosen People, the favorites of God, but not very good at sports. Once they make it to Sodom, they determine to try to rescue two women from their tribe who have been taken as slaves.

You see what I'm getting at? It's a sort of mixed bag that doesn't hold together very well. I'm sure it will be hilarious on cable or on video. But for the big screen, save your money. Nothing to see here, move along.

--Reviewed by Ken Krause

Mega Man 9, Wii's Virtual Console and New Retro Gaming

 In stark contrast to the graphics-intensive Playstation 3 and the online-multiplayer focused XBox 360, the Nintendo Wii has occupied somewhat of an odd position in the gaming scene.  At first, it seemed like Nintendo was going for simply a wide-audience appeal rather than focusing on its core gamers.  It's great and all that Wii Fit, Wii Sports and other family friendly games have gotten people of all age groups swinging wiimotes in rhythm, but every time I see a news story about Alzheimer's patients enjoying Wii bowling, a small part of my inner-gamer dies.  Somewhat recently Nintendo has recognized its neglect of brand evangelists- people like me who grew up living and breathing Nintendo - and thrown them a bone, in the form of Virtual Console and WiiWare.

Many older games that would be otherwise unavailable outside of eBay or garage sales are now sold in the Virtual Console on the Wii Shop Channel.  Not only are they capitalizing on older titles that would otherwise not be earning them any scratch, but they are creating the possibility of re-booting old, neglected franchises.  Maybe the numerous cash dollars spent will get Nintendo to finally realize that fans want(and would pay for!) a TRUE sequel to Super Mario RPG: The Legend of the Seven Stars.  Or a remake of Super Mario Bros. 3- with tougher level design, achievement features and an online competition mode.  Or an official translation of the Japanese-only title, Mother 3- whose English predecessor Earthbound initially sold poorly due to shoddy marketing and would almost certainly garner huge sales numbers at minimal cost.  But, I digress.

The first title I picked up on my Wii was Mega Man 9.  Sold in the Wii Ware section of Wii Shop, Mega Man 9 is a new title in a very old series, which dates back to the genesis of the NES.  MM9 is most certainly a shout-out to the core gamers of which I spoke.  After years of updating the Megaman franchises with spiffier graphics, unnecessary storyline and tottering dangerously close to anime-icizing the Blue Bomber, publisher Capcom(who is also famous for the Resident Evil franchise) returned to its pure, 8-bit roots to great effect. 

With most of the unnecessary trimmings stripped away, Mega Man 9 plays exactly like its predecessors (a few of which are available on the Virtual Console- Mega Man 2 and 3).  MM's objective is the same, defeat 8 Robot Masters using their weapons against one another, then confront longtime nemesis Dr. Wily. The biggest change in this entry in the series is the ramping up of the difficulty.  Capcom developers seem unbelievably cruel at parts in this game, and many jumps and bosses are extremely unforgiving.  The crippling difficulty, believe it or not, is what makes it fun- challenges are to be had in each level, and this game is not an easy, beat-in-one-sitting kind of game.  I have yet to finish the game myself. 

Another beauty of this title is the addition of the achievements system, a common trend in modern gaming.  Once the game is beaten, you have the ability to go back and complete certain extra challenges (defeat x level in under 3 minutes, beat y boss without being hit, etc.).  Speed runs are encouraged, as best times worldwide for completing certain levels are ranked on an online leaderboard, greatly increasing replayability.

One of the minor aspects of the game I was most impressed with was the handling of the sound and music.  Almost all of the sound effects were exactly the same as in the original games.    The music throughout the game is equally excellent.  As a fan of video game music (and its modern incarnations  chiptunes, bitpop and the like,) I much enjoy Concrete Man's level music- an interesting mix of funk and jungle beat, almost remniscient of Drums and Bass artist Pendulum, though perhaps a bit of a stretch.  

Nintendo truly has a goldmine on their hands.  Rather than having to focus on developing original, technology/graphics intensive "cutting-edge" games, they ought revive old franchises of games.  Adding new features, creating remakes or a small bit of level-editing to classics cannot be nearly as expensive as creating entirely new franchises, and the channel through which they are selling makes it incredibly easy for both the distributer and the end-user.  Just like Hollywood churns out sequels and remakes like clockwork, so should Nintendo.  Nostalgia is a powerful thing.

--Reviewed by Dan McDonnell

 

Mitchell’s Fish Market-Glenview, Ill.

Mitchell’s Fish Market is perched in “The Glen,” a vibrant 1,000-acre business/residential/entertainment development formerly occupied by the Glenview Naval Air Station. The seafood restaurant and bar possess a charming atmosphere at reasonable prices for an upscale restaurant. The appetizers, main courses and dessert provided a wonderful dining experience for my wife and me, as well as for her parents, who were celebrating their 36th wedding anniversary during our visit. 

We started our evening with drinks and an appetizer of Pan Roasted Wild Blue Mussels, smothered with a white wine, garlic and tomato sauce. The portion size was ideal for four people, and the mussels bellowed with a meaty, flavorful texture. The mussels were a nice start in meeting our hearty appetites head-on.

Onto the next course: While the salads were priced individually, my wife and I split a house salad, and my in-laws a Caesar’s salad, at the suggestion of our waiter. Let’s just say that there wasn’t much salad to speak of. If you really like salads, you’ll want to order them individually to be satisfied during this part of your meal. Don’t get me wrong. Our house salad was very tasty. It featured a mixture of carrots, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, dates, and pine nuts in poppy seed vinaigrette. The Caesar’s salad was equally delicious.

For dinner, my wife ordered steamed Shang Hai Sea Scallops – Mitchell’s signature Asian-style dish – with ginger and scallions, served with sticky rice and spinach, and a rice wine soy sauce. I, too, ordered scallops, but enjoyed succulent grilled crustaceans instead – with sticky rice in lieu of the scallion mashed potatoes (you may be asking yourself, “Why would he turn down the mashed potatoes?,” but keep reading.) and a potpourri of vegetables. My in-laws ordered the Alaskan Halibut and Shrimp and Scallop Americana, respectively. The latter meal featured George’s Bank sea scallops, jumbo shrimp, spinach and mushrooms layered with a shellfish butter sauce over sea salt potatoes. The meals were quite satisfying, and we took portions home with us, feeling quite full at this point.

While I failed to inform the maitre d’ and waiter about our celebration at the outset, they, nonetheless, came to my rescue later in our meal. After a brief interval, our waiter delivered a “piece,” and I use that term loosely, of something called Sharkfin Pie, which measured up to its namesake. This was no piece of pie, but what appeared to be the pie itself, although in a wedge shape – almost an equilateral triangle of four inches, I reckoned. It proceeded to persuade everyone at the table that they weren’t full after all. This concoction of butter fudge ice cream, honey roasted peanuts, fudge and peanut butter in an Oreo cookie crust made us forget about our diets – at least for the evening. The complimentary dessert was a fitting conclusion to our dining experience and the anniversary.

Mitchell’s Fish Market, located on Navy Boulevard in Glenview, comes highly recommended. It accepts major credit cards, and reservations are recommended. Another special feature is the market within the restaurant. Fresh fish and shell fish are available daily for purchase.

--Reviewed by Philip Anast

The Value of Blogging from John Jantsch

We are always looking for answers to the question—what is the value of blogging?  I thought this treatise by John Jantsch from his “Duct Tape Marketing” blog does a nice job of summing things up.  Check it out:

http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/blog/2009/06/15/9-hidden-benefits-of-blogging/

--Reviewed by Kevin Johnson

Fallen Founder: An Aaron Burr Lovefest

A four-hour flight delay gave me the opportunity to finish reading Nancy Isenberg’s Fallen Founder, The Life of Aaron Burr. Overall, it was a very interesting read, but Isenberg’s penchant to justify everything Burr did in his life becomes nauseating and takes away from what could have been a great book.

From the beginning, Isenberg laces positive and loving adjectives on Burr, while at the same time she constantly derides his political foes; especially arch enemy, Alexander Hamilton. After reading books on Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, George Washington and Hamilton himself, I’ve come to expect bias from authors. It’s understandable, the writers gain an appreciation of the subject matter they are covering, and I’m guessing it’s more preferable to write about someone who has the qualities of a hero, rather than a villain.

That doesn’t excuse an author for using his/her own bias to shape history the way they want it to have happened instead of the way it really did happen. If they’re going to do that, they might as well write elementary school history books.

We learn about Burr’s upbringing, and how he rose against the odds to become a successful politician. Much like Hamilton, his intelligence and determination helped him become a political power; rather than just being put there for being part of the new American aristocracy.

Burr did achieve great things, but he also did some questionable things. To Isenberg, though, his poor decisions and moral failures were all excusable and justifiable, as were the failings of anyone in his family.

For example, in the Revolutionary War, feeling that he was not being promoted quickly enough for his achievements and heroism, he decided to leave the military altogether. Rather than looking at this as cowardly or an act of selfishness because he was putting his own career above the success of the nation’s fight for independence, Isenberg continues to refer to him as an overlooked war hero, and justifies his leave. She never said something like, “If you’re not going to be general, why keep fighting?” But, that’s what the reader comes away thinking.

Then, Isenberg justifies philandering between Burr and his future wife Theodosia. The future Mrs. Burr was married to a man in the English military when Burr started seeing her. That’s okay, though, because basically everyone was cheating back then, according to Isenberg. Aaron and Theodosia were in love, so who cares about this other chump.

Then years after Theodosia died, Burr went on a sex romp through Europe, sleeping with a number of prostitutes – but again, he wasn’t doing anything immoral because most of our founding fathers did that. I guess today Isenberg would say we should all do drugs because a large number of the population does it. Just because a lot of people are doing something doesn’t make it right, but goggles of historical bias can do that to an author.

The justification that is inexcusable is when Isenberg talks about Burr’s attempts to overthrow the Mexican government to create his own empire. Burr had sought out support from England and other monarchs in Europe to support his efforts. Isenberg compared this to Benjamin Franklin’s efforts in the French court to gain their support for America’s fight for independence.

There’s one clear difference here – Franklin was representing the government of a young colony that was fighting for its independence, Burr was working on his own, trying to gain support to overthrow the Mexican government. I’m no fancy historical author – but I can see the difference here – why can’t Isenberg?

Finally, the most riveting part of the book is the trial of Burr. Not for shooting Hamilton during their famous duel, but for treason. After Burr killed Hamilton he was a pariah in American politics – a great politician without a party to call his own. So, he moved west and started his efforts to build an army, so that he can move south to overthrow the Mexican government. But, he ended up being accused of plotting to overthrow the US government and planning the assassination of Thomas Jefferson.

Isenberg systematically lays out why Burr was basically a victim of heresy and innuendo, and the ambition of General James Wilkinson. The General was working with Burr on his Mexico endeavor, but was playing the US government, the Mexican government and Burr against each other in an intrinsic web of deception, so that whichever side was victorious, Wilkinson would be rewarded handsomely.

From reading Isenberg’s retelling of this story, it is clear that Wilkinson was framing Burr. Unfortunately, with her bias to protect Burr at every turn, you wonder how much key information she left out, and whether Burr did actually try to overthrow the U.S. government.

Isenberg’s level of research on Burr to write this book is admirable, but she needed to tone down the love affair with Burr to make it great.

--Reviewed by Dan Green

Sunshine Cleaning – Directed by Christine Jeffs

Sunshine Cleaning , from the same producers who brought you Little Miss Sunshine, is a dark look at a dysfunctional family looking to come together. Amy Adams as Rose is a single mom with a son, a weirded out sister (Emily Blunt), and a goofy father (Alan Arkin, in a reprise of the same type of role he played in Little Miss Sunshine). 

 

Rose starts a business as a crime scene cleaner when her son is expelled from public school. While cleaning up those messes, she also cleans up the mess that is her own life.  They went for the glib Hollywood ending, which didn’t really work for me. This movie didn’t have the quirky cuteness of Little Miss Sunshine. I got the feeling throughout that they were trying to do the very same picture all over again. The producers might want to try mining some new territory for their stories.

 

--Reviewed by Tim Boivin

A picture is worth a thousand words

 

When times get tough, I will always have my deer. She's nestled in our Lilies of the Valley awaiting Mommy's return. Another one just wobbled her way behind her Mama through our tree line. Quite possibly I am more moved by this than any book, film or musician who's filled my heart with joy or eyes with tears.

--Reviewed by Tracy Shryer

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

“A Thousand Splendid Suns” by Khaled Hosseini is a novel set against the backdrop of very real events over the last 40+ years in Afghanistan – including the 1979 Soviet invasion, the jihad that followed, the power struggle and fighting among various warlords, the rise of the Taliban, and the U.S. attack after 9/11. I had heard much about Hosseini’s first book, “The Kite Runner” from my wife and others, so I figured I better get with the program and read Hosseini’s latest effort. 

 It was not time wasted.

Hosseini, who draws his title from a 13th Century Afghan poem, writes in a very lucid style about the various tragic events in this Central Asian country. Concurrently, he educates readers on Afghanistan’s history and culture, the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, while also bringing to life very real people who suffer under various regimes. Hosseini writes about two principal female characters in parallel stories for much of the first half of the book.

Mariam is the illegitimate daughter of a businessman who forces her as a teenager into marrying a ruthless man 25 years her senior. When Mariam has several miscarriages and does not bear a son, Rasheed becomes increasingly brutal. Later, Rasheed takes another wife, 14-year-old Laila, who is orphaned following the death of her parents in a mortar attack. It’s at this point that the paths of the two women cross.

Although enemies at first, Mariam and Laila grow to become friends and allies against the violent Rasheed, who beats his wives without recourse. The birth of Laila’s son brings the two women together.

The novel speaks strongly to the friendships of these women and others, and their resilience in the face of brutal conditions. I would highly recommend the book for readers who want to learn about the history of this country while desiring a good read, too.

--Reviewed by Philip Anast

ApologetiX Proves PR Value of Spoofing Great Songwriters

My husband and I found ourselves at a rock ’n roll concert with a bunch of hippies and eardrum blasting speakers the other night, and had a blast! There was no smoke, no alcohol, and no profanity in the place. Much to our surprise, the artists, the ApologetiX Christian Parody Band, so closely mimicked the original artists that it was difficult to believe we weren’t listening to AC/DC, the Eagles and Kansas live. Until we heard the lyrics.

The Eagle’s “Hotel California” was changed to “Hotel Can’t Afford You,” and conveyed the story of Joseph and Mary in Bethlehem on the night of Jesus’ birth. “Eight Days a Week” by the Beatles outlined “Eight Ways to Be,” which the band humorously coined the “Be-Attitudes” from Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount. And, Elvis’s “Don’t Be Cruel” became “Don’t Be Fooled,” cautioning the audience not to fall for anything short of the real thing.
 
We left the concert with 10 of the bands CDs, and laughed all the way home at this band’s amazing musical and copywriting abilities. They were brilliant publicists, building on their talents and abilities to connect with an audience via the music the audience loved.

In reflecting back on the show, I wonder why more PR people don’t tap into the power of music to convey their messages. Believe it or not, the Supreme Court laid down some specific guidelines that make it legal to use the world’s most popular music, providing it fits the criterion of a parody, spoofing the original artist in some way. The entire transcript from Supreme Court ruling can be found here. More on the fair use of music parody can be found here.

Whether you like the ApologetiX message or not, I encourage you to check them out to better understand the power of this PR play. Their musical and copywriting ability seems to enhance the original artist, and make their message that much more attractive.

--Reviewed by Mary Conley Eggert