Shopomania

 Paul Berton is the editor in chief of the Hamilton Spectator.  "Shopomania" is subtitled "Our Obsession with Possession." The world is facing many difficult problems and over shopping has been identified as a contributor to current and future global concerns.

Seemed a whimsical format, but well thought out.  Anecdotes about shopping peculiarities but also normalities.  How can we build a more sustainable society?  Shopping at one level is a necessity.  We need to do it in order to survive and society needs it to have a functioning economy.   

The Covid 19 pandemic forced new shopping patterns.  Jeff Bezos at Amazon is worth more than some countries.  Small businesses did not fare well with many closing.  J.B. MacKinnon " Since the turn of the current century over consumption has become the biggest environmental threat to the planet."

Shopping is part of many social conversations with some bragging about how smart they are (or wealthy).  Buying forbidden products is exciting for some with ivory being one example.  Buying frenzies are regular events such as Black Friday, Cabbage Patch dolls, toilet paper, etc.

City locations have had a geographic component such as rivers but underlying a lot of decisions has been trade routes.  Now some decisions are based on shopping.  A good example is Dubai which is basically a desert island that has turned itself into a shopping mecca.  

One of the inevitable consequences of increasing consumption has been garbage.  Cities in the wealthier nations are wrestling with landfill sites.  On a bigger scale the wealthier nations had been sending large amounts of garbage to poorer nations.  China in 2018 refused to accept more foreign garbage recognizing health hazards.  Within a year garbage exports to Africa has quadrupled.  The United States in 2019 had sent over  one billion pounds of plastic waste spread over 96 countries.

I thought I was above consumerism, but this book reminds I am not.  At one time I found it very difficult to walk out of a book store if I had not bought a book.  I have curbed that habit, by relying on the library to feed my reading addiction.  I am reluctant to part with any of the books cluttering my home and I still judge people by how much they display books.

Berton contends there have been efforts to deal with the problems of shopping while admitting that our economy is a delicate balancing act.  As individuals we should ask ourselves three questions:  1.  what do we really need?  2.  what do we really want? and 3. how do we achieve these things?

The three R's of the environmental movement are Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.  The emphasis has been more on recycle, but needs to be more on the first two.  One of the drivers of shopping is the desire to own things (guilty), but part of solution could be sharing and renting things you only need occasionally.

One future possibility could be with self driving cars that we could easily rent for the times we need to get out--it should be relatively cheaper and easier on the environment.  The author also suggests that a partial replacement for manufacturing would be repairing goods.  Mankind is approaching various crises that are mostly inter-related and we need to grapple not only as individuals, but as nations.

In his acknowledgements Paul Berton notes that this book necessitated a lot of research, most of which he didn't do.  Of course there are a lot of facts that need to be organized to make a point.  He does a really good job of it.  I am reminded of his father, Pierre Berton whose writings take up a lot of space on my shelves that he was able to hire researchers to gather up information that he organized into easy to read chunks of significant Canadian history.  The thinking and organization of father and son have enriched more than just Canadians.

Doctor Cha

At the beginning I thought "Doctor Cha" (2023) would be a comedy,but in reality it should be classed as family drama.

At the beginning we meet Cha Jun-sook a married woman who actually has a medical degree, but has never practiced  We learn that she had been taking care of children and the household for twenty years.  A fluke emergency reveals that she is out of touch with medical practices, but rekindles an urge to practice.  Gradually we learn her husband is an important doctor and apparently loved another woman before marriage by again another flukey event got       pregnant and married  her.  As it turns out his first love returns with a daughter (his) and has a supervising job at the same hospital.  Seems like a lot, but it is only a setup for more complications which are not all funny.  

A good cast and crew made this easy to watch.

 

 Two directors were Dae-jin Kim and Kim Jung-Wook.

Based on a book by Yo Kura Kabe.

Uhm Junghwa plays Cha Jung-sook.  She has 29 film credits including "Our Blues" (2022), Check:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/07/korean-mini-series-to-watch.html

Kim Byeong-cheol plays Seo In-ho and has 22 film credits including "Squid Game" (2021).  He is caught in an awkward situation.  Circumstances force him to bypass his true love to marry a woman he impregnated and then he impregnated his first love and ironically as the story begins both women work in the same hospital.  He plays a bit of a goof sometimes, but is supposed to be pretty smart and with a guilty conscience.  Check http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/10/squid-game.html

Kim Mi-kyung plays the mother of  Cha Jung-sook.  She has 71 film credits including  "It is Okay Not to Be Okay" (2020), another of my favorites and she was a big factor although only a supporting role and "Trolley" (2022-2023).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/03/its-okay-not-to-be-okay.html  

Min Woo-Hyuk played a surgical specialist who became attracted to the older Cha Jung-sook.  He has been involved with the musica stage.

Myung Se-bin  played the first love.  She was a textile graduate and was spotted by a singer, Chin Seung-han in a department store.  He put her in a music video and for there she did some modeling and in turn was able to get into films.  

The plot is conventional, but with a few twists.  It is easy to get caught with the various inter relations.

Bheed, Covid drama from India

 We are still recovering from the Covid 19 pandemic.  Bollywood has decided to add its interpretation of what happened with the film "Bheed" (2023) now available with subtitles on Netflix.

India is a poor country.  Many poor people from rural areas migrate to cities for jobs and periodically return home which was hastened by initial surge of Covid 19.  Trying to cope with the pandemic lockdowns were used.  Few masks are used and it seems social distancing is not possible.  There are caste differences (referred to as communities) and religion.  A large number are vegetarians who refuse meat tainted food packages.  

The main protagonist is Surya Kumar Singh Tikas who has just been given a promotion and put in charge at a border point.  The crowd is much larger than expected and he doesn't gain the respect he needs to do his job.  He sees a lot of injustice and in fact aids some of the migrants.  His love, Reenu Sharma is a doctor, but of a different caste with her parents wanting to control any marriage.

One of his subordinates feels he should have been the one promoted and turns other staff against him.  One of the migrants Balram Trivedi becomes aggressive in trying to provide food for his community.  At one point he places a gun on Surya's head, but before too long they become allies.  The film is reminding us of the turmoil caused by the pandemic.  The consequences are ongoing.

Many of the cast and crew have a history of advocating for social causes and this film certainly reflects concerns for justice and artistic expertise. 

Anubhave Sinha is director, writer and producer.  His 14 film credits include "Article 15" (2019) "Thappad" (2020), both of which had political and social issues.  Check http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2019/09/article-15.html 

Bhushan Kumar was another producer  At age 19, his father died and he took over the music business turning it into a major force.  Then he got involved with films.   Has 180 film credits  including "Hindi Medium" (2017),  "Kabir Singh"(2019), "Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui" (2021) and "Drishyam 2" (2022).  Check:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2019/09/arjun-reddy-and-kabir-singh.html

 Music handled by Mangesh Dhakde.  61 credits including "Article 15" (2019), "Thappad" (2020) and "Anek" (2022)     check  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2020/05/thappad-or-in-english-slap.html

Soumik Mukerjee handled the cinematography.  The decision was made to record in black and white to emphasize the starkness of the situation.  With 20 film credits including "Thappad" (2020) and " Jaadugar" (2022) .

 Atanu Mukherjee was the editor.  He has 23 film credits including also for writing and directing.  One of his films was "Serious Men" (2020).

 Rajkummar Rao played Surya Kumar Singh Tikas.  He acted in two theatrical groups before heading to the films.  He has been on a streak of films including "Shaitan" (2011), "Shahid" (2012), "Talaash" (2012), "Kai Po Che" (2013), "Queen" (2013), "Hamari Adhuri Kahani" (2015), "Trapped" (2016), "Bareilly Ki Barfi" (2017), "Stree" (2018), "Made in China" (2019), "Ludo" (2020), "White Tiger" (2021) and "Badaai Do" (2022).  check http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/03/badhaai-do-lgbt-film-from-conservative.html

Pankaj Kapur plays Balram Trivedi who was a desperate migrant.  He has 71 film credits (acting, writing and cinematograhy) including "Gandhi" (1982),  "Ship of Theseus" (2012) and "Jersey" (2022).  Check:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2017/01/ship-of-thesus.html

Bhumi Pednekar plays Renu Sharma, a doctor.  She started with casting.  Big break came when asked to help cast "Dum Laga Ke Haisha" (2015) where she auditioned for and had to gain a lot of weight for an unusual romance where she played an overweight bride that had been arranged to solve a revenue problem.  She went onto a number of memorable films such as  "Toilet: Ek Prem Katha" (2017), "Shubh Mangal Savdhan" (2017)  and "Bala" (2019).  With Rajkummar she played a lesbian to his gay role in "Badhaai Do" (2022).  Having gained a lot of weight to get a role she lost a lot of weight to get other roles, but fortunately she is a very credible actress.  Check   http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2015/05/a-feel-good-movie-little-off-beaten-path.html

Aditya Srivastav  played Ram Singh, a rebellious subordinate staff.   His film credits include "Raat Akeli Hai" (2020), "Super 30" (2020), "Haseen Dillruba" (2021) and "Human" (2022).   Check http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/02/super-30-puts-focus-on-education.html

 I have bolded the first mention of films I have seen.  The links for this film are among the most of all my blogs and many could have been used multiple times, because the cast and crew have participated and contributed to more of my favorites than almost any other film.  That does not necessarily mean it is my top favorite, but that it certainly received a lot of expert and artistic attention.  Available on Netflix.

The role of taxes

As I write this the American government has been battered by some wealthy people who with the debt ceiling had a tool to force changes in the law that suit them.  Not sure how this particular battle will run out, but feel it is likely there will be future battles.

 With the Americans the discussion had been focused on cutting expenses and making the poor work to earn their welfare.  Assistance to the poor is to be cut.  All sorts of regulations were burdensome.  It is true you should not spend more than you take in.  There are painful results if individuals attempt to do it, but there are also consequences for governments.  One consequence might be inflation.  High interest rates.  Bankruptcy may seem impossible, but governments have faced that, just not the exceptional United States (so far).  Corruptions has overtaken some governments when the government can't provide services.

One part largely missing from the conversations is taxes.  Politicians treat taxes as almost a dirty word, to be avoided for fear of losing votes and the support of wealthy donations. Cutting taxes and bragging about it are normal.  Obviously most voters react negatively to increased taxes.

The Republicans have proven themselves to be hypocrites and working for the benefit of the wealthy.  A major cause of the increase in deficit came from the Trump administration's major tax reduction.  One proposal they rejected was to increase the number of tax collecting experts.  The one department that actually pays for itself and coincidentally mitigates inequality.  The subject of taxes is easily dismissed.

Progressive taxes are an attempt to be fair, but are resented by the very wealthy who have managed to reduce their high rates but still not enough.  In theory everyone pays at the same rate. When you earn more you pay more, but at established rates.  The wealthy also resent restrictions on their income.

Some commentators suggested that the poor could vote to get their way.  In truth there are attempts to bribe them and most politicians are careful not to increase their taxes.  The wealthy know they can swing the poor to their side; by appealing to their prejudices.

One sensible philosophy was provided by John Maynard Keynes who proposed in times of prosperity to build up surpluses and in times of need to use the surplus.  The wealthy feel rather than building up surpluses it is better to reduce their taxes.  

In a smaller simpler civilization the people had more real control.  As civilization became more complex, power becomes unequal and exploitation is normal-- check http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2014/07/selected.html

A more rational plan to solve the many problems of Americans would include taxes.  Taxes are the price for civilization.  The government is not the source of all problems and in fact has been and certainly can be an engine for progress. Uneducated voters are easily manipulated. 

Even the wealthy overlook that they get infrastructure, a legal system, military protection, an educated labor force, and sometimes protection from pandemics.etc.

An earlier blog:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/05/taxation-necessary-tool-for.html

Another blog:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2012/07/price-of-civilization-book-review.html

Another perspective:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2015/04/tax-collectors-dirty-job-frowned-upon.html  

Also following the Toronto Mayoral election where there seem to be all sorts spending programs proposed with any taxes ridiculed.  Olivia Chow is attacked for proposing increased taxes for one segment.  Rational people understand there is a cost to pretty much everything and fairness is the best way to win co-operation. 

Hamilton Reads selection '"Nothing the same, Everyting Haunted"

"Hamilton Reads is program put on by my local library each year to high lite  a book for the whole community often with a local connection.  "Nothing the Same, Everything Haunted" (1921) is a book of black humor.  The hero survives the Nazi era.  There is an tie in to the indigenous who have also been oppressed.  The link is Karl May.

Karl May was a German author who although never traveling to North America wrote a series of popular books about "cowboys and Indians."  Surprisingly these books were popular with Adolf Hitler.  The protagonist is Motl, a Lituanian Jew, like ancestors of the author Gary Barwin.

We are introduced to Motl who had visited Switzerland where on a mountain top he lost his testicles that were frozen and buried in the snow.  We next encounter him years later back in Lithuania when the Nazis are attacking.  Motl had led a lackadaisical life, immersed in reading about the cowboys.  He is really a pretend cowboy, but when he meets up with Esther he takes a different view of life and wants to retrieve his testicles.  As the author explained with all the destruction around him he wanted to create life making the retrieval his quest.  The two encounter all sorts of obstacles and along the way teaming up with an indigenous man. 

Leaving out a lot of details many years later he ends up in Toronto with a side trip to visit indigenous sites and friends.  Many of the details reflect a black humor and the twisted mind of a pretend cowboy.  Obviously the Nazi era was one of mankind's most horrifying and shameful passages of history, but one of the best weapons against such things is humor.

The local branch offered a presentation from Gary that was a little different than expected.  For one thing Gary is a musician and brought along a friend known as  Tiny Bill Cody.  First we heard a Jewish song played on a sort of clarinet/saxophone instrument.  Later Tiny Bill Cody played a song written for the book called "The Ballad of Motl."  He also sang a yodeling song which ties into a Switzerland section.  He sings impressively  "I will Survive" which fits the theme of the book.

To the left Gary Barwin with musician Tiny Bill Cody.

Gary read some passages of the book and explained he had the idea from talking to relatives with a Lithuanian Jewish connection, but as he started researching he changed some details and added others.

In real life one of Gary's heroes used a poem's rhythm to navigate through a mine field and he used the idea for one of the adventures.

Gary has written 25 books that range from poetry, fiction and children's books  He has won the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour.  Has also had poems and articles published in such magazines as Reader's Digest and The Walrus.  He has also earned a Ph. D in music composition.  He has also taught creative writing at colleges and universities.  He lives in Hamilton Ontario.

Still time

 Although science fiction is often depicted as unrealistic fantasies it sometimes is a vehicle to help us focus on reality.  Time is one of those "things" that we accept like the air.  It is there and so taken for granted that we don't realize how critical such things are.  We prioritize what we think is important which starts off with surviving and then moves to thriving. 

I would like to acknowledge the recommendation by Vijaykumar MK Nair for "Still Time" (2023), only the latest of many great suggestions.  The original Italian title could be interpreted as "it's about time."

One quote from the film attributed to the Dalai Lama "There are only two days in the year on which you can't do anything.  One is yesterday and the other is tomorrow."

We first encounter Dante on his 40th  birthday when he first encounters his future wife through a comic misunderstanding.  Within a short time he skips ahead to his next birthday.  Gradually we catch on the movie is just skipping his life except for his birthdays.  Everything that happened in between his birthdays is forgotten, buried in work, marital problems, a baby, and a new lover, his wife living with a trainer (the one with the Dali Lama quote) and a close friend with a life threatening disease.

Birthdays are a time of reflection. What happens between is his real life, but we are aware of life changing events.  There are a few hints that he is most focuses on his work and justifies it that it allows an acceptable standard of living shared with his wife and daughter.  But his "real" life is falling apart because of his priorities.  Can one change?  It takes some reflection which for many of us doesn't happen in time.  We all need to reflect on what we really want out of life and this film gives us a chance to reflect hopefully before it is too late.

It is always the cast and crew that make a film worth the effort.  Here are some of those responsible.

Alessandra Aronadio directed and wrote the script.  She has over 17 film credits and has won many national awards.  As a second assistant director she worked with Giuseppe Tornatore on "Malena" (2000).  see http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2015/08/giuseppe-tornatore.html

Santi Pulvirenti composed the music.  He has 27 film credits.

Roberto Forza was the cinematographer.  He has 65 film credits.

Roberto Di Tanna was the editor.  He has 41 film credits.

Edoardo Leo played Dante the main protagonist.  He has 74 film credits including "To Rome with Love" (2012).. He also  has 12 writing credits and 9  directing credits. An award winner

Barbara Ronchi played Alice,  Dante's wife.  She has 31 film credits.

Mario Sgueglia played a close friend Valerio who undergoes a lot of physical changes.  He has 24 film credits.

Francesca Cavalin plays Francesca, Dante's secretary and later live in lover.  She has 28 credits.

Raz Degan played Omar, a lover for Alice and it was he who delivered the Dailai Lama quote.  He had served in the Israeli army.  After that he went on a traveling spree visiting 100 countries over two decades.  His first film was a cameo role in a Robert Altmann film in 1994.  He became popular in Italy through television commercials.  He had films in United States, Italy, France, India and Germany.  He has 17 film credits.  He also managed an art gallery in Italy.

Many of us need to re-learn to enjoy life.  We spend a lot of effort to make money to buy things including time to enjoy them, but we very often short change ourselves.  Using science fiction, this film reminds us there is more to life than work.  How I got lured back into science fiction and learned to appreciate it as a tool for better understanding.  How I changed my view of science fiction:    http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2011/09/conversion-can-sneak-up-on-you-too.html  Available on Netflix in a dubbed or subtitled formats.

System Crasher

 "System Crasher" (2019) is a challenge to watch.  There is a lot of screaming and it is very hard to understand how one little girl behaves against her own self interest.  A system crasher is someone who breaks the system to control (and protect) them.

For a short time I worked in a home for emotionally disturbed children.  It was too short to understand the problems, but more than enough to see it as nightmarish

We are quickly introduced to Benni, a nine year old who soon starts screaming.  We learn she had a traumatic experience that involves touching her face that among other triggers that results in a screaming fit.  There are many episodes triggered by very little conflict. 

She has been sent to foster homes and institutions, but at each one she has worn out her supervisors.  Michi is hired as a school escort and has had success with young troublesome boys.  At first he is treated the same as all other caretakers, but at an isolated camp she becomes attached to him, however he is starting to regret his decision.  The film does not end with resolution, but illustrates the difficulties in trying to protect some children against themselves.

This award winning film, also nominated for an Oscar had an outstanding cast and crew.

Nora Fingscheidt was both director and writer.  German born with 10 film credits including one American film, "The Unforgivable" (2021) starring Sandra Bullock.  Prior to this she had only done documentaries and one of them involved a home for homeless women where she encountered a system crasher, 14 years old.  She spent five years researching and decided to focus on a pre puberty girl, although most system crashers were older and male.

John Gurtler composed the music.  He has 49 film credits.

Yunus Roy Imer was the cinematographer with 20 credits.  At a few occasions a Hand held camera helped to create a dizzying effect.

3 Editors are listed.  Stephan Bechinger has 20 film credits including "The Unforgivable" (2021).  Julia Kovalenko had 15 film credits.  Iman Rohini with a variety of credits including for "About Elly" (2009) as editor, "The Theory of Everything" (2014) for costume design and "The Big Short" (2015) as a musician.

Helena Zengel played Benni which won her many awards.   She had learned to ride a horse at age 4 which was needed for"News of the World" (2020) with Tom Hanks.

Albrecht Schuch plays Michi.  He has 29 film credits including "Berlin Alexanderplatz" (2020) and "All Quiet on the Western Front" (2022) winning German Film Awards for both as well as for "System Crasher".

Matthias Brenner played a staff caretaker.  He has 105 previous film credits including the Oscar winner, "The Lives of Others" (2006). 

This film is available on Netflix.  If you have the stomach an interesting viewing.